Darkness Challenge by amiguriken
Title: In the Dark
Author: amiguriken
Rating: G
Spoilers: Letters From Pegasus, Seige
Word Count: 3,491 (sorry)
Notes: Blame daughtershade - she didn't give me the plot bunny, but she goaded me into writing and posting.
Summary: Matchmaking gone awry.
“Doctor Z! Hey, Doctor Z! Wait up!” Aiden Ford called down the hallway.
It took a moment for it to register to Radek Zelenka that he was the one being hailed, but then he stopped. He turned with a frown, wondering what one of the military contingent, the only people on Atlantis who called him Doctor Z, wanted. When he saw who it was, his frown mutated into a more puzzled look.
“Yes, Lieutenant?” he said.
“Gotta moment?” the young man said as he reached the doctor and put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. Zelenka looked at him.
“Is there problem?” he asked.
“No man, no problem,” Ford replied, grinning. “Well, not exactly a problem.”
Radek’s eyebrow raised of its own accord.
“I wanted to talk to you about Doctor McKay.” The Marine’s grin grew impossibly wider. “And…um…Doctor Sohma.”
“Rodney and Miko?”
“Yeah, exactly!”
Aiden laughed at the smaller man’s confused expression.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll tell you over lunch.”
***
“So, Miko said she likes Rodney?” Radek asked, tapping his fork against the edge of his plate.
“Well, not exactly. Not to me, anyway. But it was pretty obvious on the tape, and I’ve talked to a couple of her friends.”
“Have you told McKay this?”
“No, man. I did the taping. It’s like...like that doctor-patient thing.”
“Yet you tell me,” Radek pointed out with a little grin.
“Yeah, well,” Ford grinned and looked away, then whispered, “I’m not really a doctor.”
“This is true. But why tell me? Why not tell Rodney?”
“Well, see, Doc, here’s the thing-Doc McKay’s not really smooth with the ladies.”
“No,” Radek said, feigning surprise. “You jest.”
“Yeah, I know. Came as a real shock to us all.” Ford grinned widely. “But seriously, we tell him and he’ll go all weird with her. Have you seen McKay try to flirt? It’s not pretty.”
Zelenka thought back to a few attempts he’d seen in the labs and winced. “Yes. Very not pretty. Still you have not explained why to me you are telling this.”
“Cause I want your help.”
The Czech bowed his head slightly to look over the top of his glasses at the young Marine.
“My help?” he said.
“You know McKay better than almost anybody. And you know Miko,” Ford said, his voice earnest.
“You want what? To match make? I do not think I am best person-”
“No,no, I just want to give ‘em a little nudge, that’s all. I mean, you know them both. Doctor McKay’s completely oblivious, and Doct Miko’s too shy to ever do anything to make him notice her.”
“So...how do we ‘nudge’?”
“Just, y’know, maybe mention her name here there, see if you can get ‘em working on more projects together...”
Radek looked up at the young man.
“Why is Rodney’s love life suddenly so interesting, Lieutenant?”
Ford tried to look serious. “McKay’s a teammate, and...I know he’s annoying sometimes...most of the time, but he’s a good guy. He deserves somebody. And Miko’s really sweet.”
“And?”
“And...” Ford’s grin turned slightly sheepish. He dug his fists into his pockets and kicked the ground. “I’ve been talking to a girl who’s a friend of Miko’s and she sort of promised me a date if I helped her out with this.”
Zelenka smiled. “I will help,” he said. “A relationship might be good for Rodney’s attitude, thusly good for me and entire science department. Maybe even entire city, no?”
***
“Okay, so now we need a scientist to fill out the new team,” Elizabeth said, leaning back in her seat. Aiden saw his first chance in two days.
“What about Miko?” he offered.
“Miko?” McKay said with a frown. “That sounds familiar. Which one is that?”
“Doctor Sohma,” Ford said.
“Oh, yeah. The Japanese girl. No…she’s good, but a little too quiet. I don’t think she really wants fieldwork either. Besides, I thought we were going to put an archaeologist on this team.” Suddenly his head jerked up and he was glaring at Ford instead of the table. “Wait a minute. How do you know Doctor Sohma?”
“You know, it doesn’t surprise me that Ford knows your people better than you do,” Major Sheppard said. “How long did it take you to get Zelenka’s name right?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that took priority over keeping this city running and trying to find new ways to save us from the Wraith, freak storms, and every other plague and disaster that comes our way. I suppose I should run along and pull everyone away from their valuable research projects so that we can all run some team-building exercises and get to know one another better,” McKay said, turning on him and letting Ford off the hook.
“I bet I can name more members of your team than you can,” Sheppard said, smirking.
“Please, Major,” Rodney said. “You were still calling Radek Slinky until a day ago. And nicknaming everyone Steve does not count as being able to name them.”
Ford sat back and grinned as the scientist and the pilot traded barbs until Elizabeth silenced them. It was a decent start, he thought.
***
“Excuse me, Rodney!”
McKay turned from his computer to look at the Czech physicist. Zelenka waved a small oval object at him.
“Yes, Radek, I see the broken personal shield. What about it?”
“Is no longer broken,” Zelenka grinned at him.
“What? Let me see that!”
McKay took the object and placed it against his chest, thinking ‘on’. The world went green, and he grinned.
“Good work, Radek!” he said. He thought ‘off’ and set the shield down on the desk. “How’d you do it?”
“I did not,” the other man said, smiling. “It was Doctor Sohma.”
Rodney looked at him and frowned.
“You know,” Radek said, looking at Rodney over his glasses, “Japanese, wears glasses. Cute.”
“Yes, yes, I know. We were just talking about her in the briefing.” He shook his head as he set the device down and turned away. When he turned back suddenly, there was a gleam in his eye and a slight smirk on his lips. “Cute?”
Zelenka grinned and nodded. “Very cute,” he said. “Very sweet. You should congratulate her.”
McKay smirked at him.
“Perhaps I will,” he said.
***
“So, how’d it go?” Aiden asked as he and Zelenka sat down in the commissary.
“Very good,” Radek said. “Rodney looked interested when I said ‘cute’. I think he will soon speak with her.”
The Marine grinned at him.
***
John cocked his head and frowned at Rodney.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice suspicious.
“What?” the other man said, his smirk not leaving his face.
“You have a very conniving look on your face,” the pilot narrowed his eyes. “What are you thinking, McKay? And how much trouble will we get into for it?”
Rodney frowned at his friend.
“If you’re going to be that way-” he said.
“Oh, hell, McKay. You know I’m in, whatever it is you’ve got up your sleeve.” John leaned forward and grinned. “So what is it? A practical joke? Some new tech? Do I get to shoot you again?”
“None of the above, Major,” Rodney said, his smirk back. “Actually, believe it or not, I’m trying to figure out how to do something nice for someone.”
“Nice? Well, that would be a challenge for you,” Sheppard said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.
“Oh, ha, ha, ha. I can be nice,” the scientist replied, glaring at the major, “when it’s warranted. Unfortunately, the stupidity I have to deal with on a daily basis and the complete lack of anyone worth the effort means I rarely have adequate reason to bother.”
John rolled his eyes.
“Sure, whatever. Just tell me what’s put that devious glint in your beady little eyes. It’s obvious you’re going to need my help.”
“If you must know,” Rodney said, “I think Radek has a little crush on Doctor Sohma, and I’m trying to figure out how to get the two of them together. And while your aid is not required, your perspective might prove beneficial.”
“Why, Rodney,” Sheppard drawled, smirking, “you’re a romantic!”
“I’d like to see you prove that one!” McKay sneered at him. “The truth is that if Radek has a girlfriend, I’ll have the lab to myself a little more often. I won’t have him underfoot, swearing at me in Czech, and shooting holes in my theories all the time.”
***
“No, no, no! The device is working better when the red wire is connected here!” Zelenka yelled, pointing madly.
“But if we put the red wire there, we can hook the blue wire here and we lose less power!” McKay yelled back, also jabbing his fingers toward the same open panel.
“We do not lose much with red wire here and we get better-”
“Excuse me,” a quiet voice interrupted them. Both men turned, but their glares turned to smiles when they saw the young woman who had spoken.
“I am sorry to interrupt,” Miko said softly, “but I think if you put the red wire here,” she pointed gently to a completely different point in the device, “that will solve both problems.”
She offered up a slight smile.
“Yes! Of course!” Zelenka exclaimed.
“Why didn’t we see it before?” Rodney said, grinning. “That was a perfect solution.”
The woman blushed and smiled shyly.
“I think I should-” Radek started to stand up, happy that the first part of his plan had worked.
“Doctor Sohma, would you mind taking over for me for a bit? I need to grab a bite to eat. I think you and Doctor Zelenka can finish this up without me,” Rodney said. He smiled his most self-satisfied smile as the small woman took his place next to the Czech, proud of how well his plan had worked.
***
“Hey, Doctor Z, Doctor Sohma! Over here!” Ford waved the two scientists toward the table he was sharing with Sheppard, McKay, and Teyla. John and Rodney exchanged looks and smirks.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Ford,” Miko said and smiled at the young man, who grinned back. He scooted over to make room between himself and Doctor McKay, while Zelenka squeezed in beside Sheppard.
“You two finished already?” Rodney asked, smiling at them.
“Yes.” Radek smiled. “Miko is very good with the Ancient devices. It was fast work.”
The woman blushed and looked down.
“Sounds like you two work well together,” Sheppard said.
“They’re a great team,” Rodney said.
“We could not have done it without your work, Doctor McKay,” Miko said softly.
“Yes,” Radek agreed. “It was your equations Miko built on to make the device function. It was like working with you, only much nicer version.”
“Sounds like the perfect environment for you then,” McKay said, his smile now plastic.
“Oh, look at the time,” Sheppard suddenly said, standing up. “We’ve got a briefing we’ve got to get to.”
Rodney looked at his watch.
“Oh yes. A briefing. Better go. You two enjoy your lunch.”
Aiden looked confused.
“Sir, the briefing’s not until-”
“Yes, yes,” Rodney said, grabbing Ford by the back of the neck. “But we have to get ready for the briefing. Come on.”
Teyla had watched the entire encounter with an amused expression, but she arose with no argument.
“It was pleasant to see you Doctor Zelenka, Doctor Sohma. I hope your meal is enjoyable,” she said before following her teammates out of the commissary.
***
Elizabeth wasn’t entirely certain what they were celebrating, other than simply still being alive after the Wraith attack, which was, she supposed, reason enough to celebrate. But when Sheppard and McKay had suggested a party to boost morale, she had been inclined to agree with them, especially when Lieutenant Ford and Doctor Zelenka had approached her just a few hours later with a similar proposal. And, she had to admit, he was more than a little curious about what exactly had been going on for the past few weeks with the four men and the Japanese woman who’d suddenly become the center of their attention. Hardly a briefing had gone by without someone mentioning Miko Sohma, and Weir would have had to have been blind to have not noticed that the woman was almost always with Radek or Rodney or both men. She didn’t believe the more outlandish of the rumours that had begun spreading, but she was very interested in finding out the truth, and the party seemed to be a key to it. She stood near the buffet table, arms crossed, and watched, noticing that Ford and Sheppard had staked out positions near one door while McKay and Zelenka were guarding the other. When Miko walked in the scientists’ door, the two men both started moving toward her, then stopped as they caught sight of one another. Weir smiled as she watched them sneaking looks at one another, each trying to see what the other man was going to do without the other man seeing. After a few moments, they were saved. Sheppard hurried to Zelenka’s side and rushed him toward Miko, catching her at the same time as Ford and McKay.
Elizabeth kept her eyes on the intricate dance within a dance as Teyla stepped in beside her.
“What have I missed, Doctor Weir?” the Athosian asked, directing her gaze in the same direction as Elizabeth’s.
“Not much. Doctor Sohma just arrived. What did you find out?”
“The people of Atlantis share the bad habit of gossip with my people. And, as with my people, the tales can become quite…complicated. However, I believe your assumption to be correct.”
“Mixed-up matchmaking.” Elizabeth smiled again. On the dance floor, the four men seemed to be disagreeing on who should be allowed to leave to get Miko a drink. The young woman in question looked more than a little confused by it all.
“Yes,” Teyla said, also smiling.
“It’s strange,” Weir said after a moment. “I feel like I should be eating popcorn while I watch this.”
“The food Major Sheppard shared when we watched the football game?” Weir nodded. Teyla half-smiled. “Yes, I too feel as though I should be eating popcorn. That is very strange, Doctor Weir.”
“It is the power of popcorn,” Elizabeth said sagely. “And call me Elizabeth, please.”
Teyla bowed her head slightly even though the other woman was too absorbed in watching her men to see it.
The two settled back against a wall to enjoy the performance.
“Dammit, Radek, ask her to dance already,” Rodney muttered under his breath as he watched the Czech talking with the Japanese woman. The party had been going for an hour, and so far he’d spent almost as much time talking with Miko as Radek had, and the other man hadn’t even come close to asking the woman to dance.
“I think it’s time for Plan B, Rodney,” John whispered in his ear, startling the muttering scientist. Rodney jumped slightly and glared at the major.
“Plan B?” the astrophysicist sighed. “I expected Plan A to work, Major. I don’t have a Plan B. I assume you have something in mind. Though at this point, I’m willing to try passing her a note that says ‘Will you be my girlfriend? Yes. No. Radek.”
Sheppard snickered.
“I have an idea. Just listen for a slow song and be ready to drag Doc Z out onto the dance floor.”
“What?” Rodney turned to glare at John, but the major was already moving toward Radek and Miko. McKay sighed and followed.
“Hey, Miko!” Wanna dance?” Sheppard grinned, causing Miko to smile and blush.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly-” she said, looking down at the ground.
John reached out and pushed her chin up. He gave her his best puppy dog expression.
“Please?”
The woman’s face flushed a deeper red, but she nodded and allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor, just in time for the next song.
“Oh my,” Radek said after a few moments of “Tainted Love.”
“You can say that again,” Ford said.
“Somehow this does not surprise me,” Rodney said.
The three men watched in horror as Sheppard danced across the floor.
“Wow. That’s just…wow,” Aiden said, his eyes glued to his commanding officer.
“Are you sure it is not seizure of some kind?” Radek asked after a moment.
McKay sighed.
“No, it’s not a seizure. It would appear that Major Sheppard is a master of the infamous Dork Dance, performed at party functions by supposedly cool white guys everywhere. If he’s lucky, his hair will distract most of the onlookers,” he said, shaking his head.
“It is horrifying and yet mesmerizing, like a train wreck. I want to look away, but I cannot,” Zelenka said.
“I just hope someone has a video camera,” Rodney smirked.
Finally, the song ended, and the trio sighed in relief as the music changed and a slow song began to play. McKay grabbed Zelenka by the arm.
“Rodney, what are-”
“I think we owe it to Miko and the major to break this up before he has even more of a chance to humiliate himself on the dance floor, don’t you,” McKay said, dragging his friend behind him onto the dance floor.
“Excuse me,” the scientist said as they reached his quarry. “I need to speak with the major for a moment. May we cut in?”
He shoved Radek toward Miko as he grabbed Sheppard’s arm and pulled, leaving no one a chance to protest.
“That was smooth, McKay,” the major muttered as they danced away from the pair. Rodney ignored him, watching to make sure his friend took the opportunity.
“Yes, well, after your little display, I didn’t feel we had anything left to lose,” he said. Behind them, Zelenka and Miko had stepped in close and were moving with the music. He sighed in relief.
“My display? What’s wrong with the way I dance?”
McKay gave Sheppard his best look of disbelief.
“Are you kidding?” he said. “You couldn’t have looked dorkier if you were doing the Funky Chicken.”
“And what’s so dorky about the Funky Chicken?” Shep replied with mock hurt.
Rodney snorted.
“So, did it work? Are they dancing?”
“Yeah. They’re dancing like the chaperones at a high school dance, but they’re dancing.”
They moved in silence for a moment.
“Um…Rodney, why are we still dancing?”
McKay thought about it for a moment.
“I have no idea.”
“Doctor Zelenka,” Miko said, breaking the awkward silence Rodney had left in his wake.
“Radek,” the man corrected. He stopped glaring at his friend, and looked at the woman’s face.
“I wish to thank you, Radek,” she said.
Zelenka’s face screwed up in confusion.
“For what?” he asked.
“For trying to get Doctor McKay to notice me.” She smiled up at him.
“I…but…we-”
His protests were silenced by a soft kiss on the cheek.
“I am sorry it does not seem to have worked,” he said after a moment.
“No?” Her voice was amused. He looked down to find her grinning at him. “He speaks to me in the halls now. And he knows my first name. You are to thank for that.”
“But he seems to be trying to set you up with me,” Radek said.
“Which shows that he sees me as a woman,” she said.
The man couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
“You have a very optimistic outlook,” he said.
“I have patience. And you gave me hope. We have planted the seeds. Now I must tend them, but I shall do so with hope of good fruit.”
The song ended and Miko pulled out of his arms.
“Thank you again, Radek,” she said, bowing slightly before she walked off.
When he reached the edge of the dance floor, Rodney was waiting for him.
“Radek, you dog!” he said, nudging his friend in the side. “Where are you going to meet her later?”
“I’m not, Rodney,” the Czech said, trying to ignore the other man.
“What? What was all that about then? You better not have screwed this up, not after-”
“She likes someone else,” Radek said. He was surprised to find that saying it made him a little sad.
“What? Who?” McKay looked around.
“An oblivious, insufferable, arrogant man,” Zelenka replied, glaring.
“Kavanagh?” Rodney stood tiptoe, looking around to glance first at Miko and then at the chemist. “She likes Kavanagh?”
Radek sighed. “No, Rodney, not Kavanagh.”
“Who then? No, never mind. I don’t want to know,” McKay patted him on the back. “It’s her loss. Hey, Major Sheppard and Lieutenant Ford said something about beer. Of course, it’s probably just watered-down American stuff and they probably plan to drink it while watching that inane football tape again, but…”
Zelenka snorted, amused by just how oblivious Rodney McKay could be, and followed his friend down the hall.
Author: amiguriken
Rating: G
Spoilers: Letters From Pegasus, Seige
Word Count: 3,491 (sorry)
Notes: Blame daughtershade - she didn't give me the plot bunny, but she goaded me into writing and posting.
Summary: Matchmaking gone awry.
“Doctor Z! Hey, Doctor Z! Wait up!” Aiden Ford called down the hallway.
It took a moment for it to register to Radek Zelenka that he was the one being hailed, but then he stopped. He turned with a frown, wondering what one of the military contingent, the only people on Atlantis who called him Doctor Z, wanted. When he saw who it was, his frown mutated into a more puzzled look.
“Yes, Lieutenant?” he said.
“Gotta moment?” the young man said as he reached the doctor and put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. Zelenka looked at him.
“Is there problem?” he asked.
“No man, no problem,” Ford replied, grinning. “Well, not exactly a problem.”
Radek’s eyebrow raised of its own accord.
“I wanted to talk to you about Doctor McKay.” The Marine’s grin grew impossibly wider. “And…um…Doctor Sohma.”
“Rodney and Miko?”
“Yeah, exactly!”
Aiden laughed at the smaller man’s confused expression.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll tell you over lunch.”
***
“So, Miko said she likes Rodney?” Radek asked, tapping his fork against the edge of his plate.
“Well, not exactly. Not to me, anyway. But it was pretty obvious on the tape, and I’ve talked to a couple of her friends.”
“Have you told McKay this?”
“No, man. I did the taping. It’s like...like that doctor-patient thing.”
“Yet you tell me,” Radek pointed out with a little grin.
“Yeah, well,” Ford grinned and looked away, then whispered, “I’m not really a doctor.”
“This is true. But why tell me? Why not tell Rodney?”
“Well, see, Doc, here’s the thing-Doc McKay’s not really smooth with the ladies.”
“No,” Radek said, feigning surprise. “You jest.”
“Yeah, I know. Came as a real shock to us all.” Ford grinned widely. “But seriously, we tell him and he’ll go all weird with her. Have you seen McKay try to flirt? It’s not pretty.”
Zelenka thought back to a few attempts he’d seen in the labs and winced. “Yes. Very not pretty. Still you have not explained why to me you are telling this.”
“Cause I want your help.”
The Czech bowed his head slightly to look over the top of his glasses at the young Marine.
“My help?” he said.
“You know McKay better than almost anybody. And you know Miko,” Ford said, his voice earnest.
“You want what? To match make? I do not think I am best person-”
“No,no, I just want to give ‘em a little nudge, that’s all. I mean, you know them both. Doctor McKay’s completely oblivious, and Doct Miko’s too shy to ever do anything to make him notice her.”
“So...how do we ‘nudge’?”
“Just, y’know, maybe mention her name here there, see if you can get ‘em working on more projects together...”
Radek looked up at the young man.
“Why is Rodney’s love life suddenly so interesting, Lieutenant?”
Ford tried to look serious. “McKay’s a teammate, and...I know he’s annoying sometimes...most of the time, but he’s a good guy. He deserves somebody. And Miko’s really sweet.”
“And?”
“And...” Ford’s grin turned slightly sheepish. He dug his fists into his pockets and kicked the ground. “I’ve been talking to a girl who’s a friend of Miko’s and she sort of promised me a date if I helped her out with this.”
Zelenka smiled. “I will help,” he said. “A relationship might be good for Rodney’s attitude, thusly good for me and entire science department. Maybe even entire city, no?”
***
“Okay, so now we need a scientist to fill out the new team,” Elizabeth said, leaning back in her seat. Aiden saw his first chance in two days.
“What about Miko?” he offered.
“Miko?” McKay said with a frown. “That sounds familiar. Which one is that?”
“Doctor Sohma,” Ford said.
“Oh, yeah. The Japanese girl. No…she’s good, but a little too quiet. I don’t think she really wants fieldwork either. Besides, I thought we were going to put an archaeologist on this team.” Suddenly his head jerked up and he was glaring at Ford instead of the table. “Wait a minute. How do you know Doctor Sohma?”
“You know, it doesn’t surprise me that Ford knows your people better than you do,” Major Sheppard said. “How long did it take you to get Zelenka’s name right?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that took priority over keeping this city running and trying to find new ways to save us from the Wraith, freak storms, and every other plague and disaster that comes our way. I suppose I should run along and pull everyone away from their valuable research projects so that we can all run some team-building exercises and get to know one another better,” McKay said, turning on him and letting Ford off the hook.
“I bet I can name more members of your team than you can,” Sheppard said, smirking.
“Please, Major,” Rodney said. “You were still calling Radek Slinky until a day ago. And nicknaming everyone Steve does not count as being able to name them.”
Ford sat back and grinned as the scientist and the pilot traded barbs until Elizabeth silenced them. It was a decent start, he thought.
***
“Excuse me, Rodney!”
McKay turned from his computer to look at the Czech physicist. Zelenka waved a small oval object at him.
“Yes, Radek, I see the broken personal shield. What about it?”
“Is no longer broken,” Zelenka grinned at him.
“What? Let me see that!”
McKay took the object and placed it against his chest, thinking ‘on’. The world went green, and he grinned.
“Good work, Radek!” he said. He thought ‘off’ and set the shield down on the desk. “How’d you do it?”
“I did not,” the other man said, smiling. “It was Doctor Sohma.”
Rodney looked at him and frowned.
“You know,” Radek said, looking at Rodney over his glasses, “Japanese, wears glasses. Cute.”
“Yes, yes, I know. We were just talking about her in the briefing.” He shook his head as he set the device down and turned away. When he turned back suddenly, there was a gleam in his eye and a slight smirk on his lips. “Cute?”
Zelenka grinned and nodded. “Very cute,” he said. “Very sweet. You should congratulate her.”
McKay smirked at him.
“Perhaps I will,” he said.
***
“So, how’d it go?” Aiden asked as he and Zelenka sat down in the commissary.
“Very good,” Radek said. “Rodney looked interested when I said ‘cute’. I think he will soon speak with her.”
The Marine grinned at him.
***
John cocked his head and frowned at Rodney.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice suspicious.
“What?” the other man said, his smirk not leaving his face.
“You have a very conniving look on your face,” the pilot narrowed his eyes. “What are you thinking, McKay? And how much trouble will we get into for it?”
Rodney frowned at his friend.
“If you’re going to be that way-” he said.
“Oh, hell, McKay. You know I’m in, whatever it is you’ve got up your sleeve.” John leaned forward and grinned. “So what is it? A practical joke? Some new tech? Do I get to shoot you again?”
“None of the above, Major,” Rodney said, his smirk back. “Actually, believe it or not, I’m trying to figure out how to do something nice for someone.”
“Nice? Well, that would be a challenge for you,” Sheppard said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.
“Oh, ha, ha, ha. I can be nice,” the scientist replied, glaring at the major, “when it’s warranted. Unfortunately, the stupidity I have to deal with on a daily basis and the complete lack of anyone worth the effort means I rarely have adequate reason to bother.”
John rolled his eyes.
“Sure, whatever. Just tell me what’s put that devious glint in your beady little eyes. It’s obvious you’re going to need my help.”
“If you must know,” Rodney said, “I think Radek has a little crush on Doctor Sohma, and I’m trying to figure out how to get the two of them together. And while your aid is not required, your perspective might prove beneficial.”
“Why, Rodney,” Sheppard drawled, smirking, “you’re a romantic!”
“I’d like to see you prove that one!” McKay sneered at him. “The truth is that if Radek has a girlfriend, I’ll have the lab to myself a little more often. I won’t have him underfoot, swearing at me in Czech, and shooting holes in my theories all the time.”
***
“No, no, no! The device is working better when the red wire is connected here!” Zelenka yelled, pointing madly.
“But if we put the red wire there, we can hook the blue wire here and we lose less power!” McKay yelled back, also jabbing his fingers toward the same open panel.
“We do not lose much with red wire here and we get better-”
“Excuse me,” a quiet voice interrupted them. Both men turned, but their glares turned to smiles when they saw the young woman who had spoken.
“I am sorry to interrupt,” Miko said softly, “but I think if you put the red wire here,” she pointed gently to a completely different point in the device, “that will solve both problems.”
She offered up a slight smile.
“Yes! Of course!” Zelenka exclaimed.
“Why didn’t we see it before?” Rodney said, grinning. “That was a perfect solution.”
The woman blushed and smiled shyly.
“I think I should-” Radek started to stand up, happy that the first part of his plan had worked.
“Doctor Sohma, would you mind taking over for me for a bit? I need to grab a bite to eat. I think you and Doctor Zelenka can finish this up without me,” Rodney said. He smiled his most self-satisfied smile as the small woman took his place next to the Czech, proud of how well his plan had worked.
***
“Hey, Doctor Z, Doctor Sohma! Over here!” Ford waved the two scientists toward the table he was sharing with Sheppard, McKay, and Teyla. John and Rodney exchanged looks and smirks.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Ford,” Miko said and smiled at the young man, who grinned back. He scooted over to make room between himself and Doctor McKay, while Zelenka squeezed in beside Sheppard.
“You two finished already?” Rodney asked, smiling at them.
“Yes.” Radek smiled. “Miko is very good with the Ancient devices. It was fast work.”
The woman blushed and looked down.
“Sounds like you two work well together,” Sheppard said.
“They’re a great team,” Rodney said.
“We could not have done it without your work, Doctor McKay,” Miko said softly.
“Yes,” Radek agreed. “It was your equations Miko built on to make the device function. It was like working with you, only much nicer version.”
“Sounds like the perfect environment for you then,” McKay said, his smile now plastic.
“Oh, look at the time,” Sheppard suddenly said, standing up. “We’ve got a briefing we’ve got to get to.”
Rodney looked at his watch.
“Oh yes. A briefing. Better go. You two enjoy your lunch.”
Aiden looked confused.
“Sir, the briefing’s not until-”
“Yes, yes,” Rodney said, grabbing Ford by the back of the neck. “But we have to get ready for the briefing. Come on.”
Teyla had watched the entire encounter with an amused expression, but she arose with no argument.
“It was pleasant to see you Doctor Zelenka, Doctor Sohma. I hope your meal is enjoyable,” she said before following her teammates out of the commissary.
***
Elizabeth wasn’t entirely certain what they were celebrating, other than simply still being alive after the Wraith attack, which was, she supposed, reason enough to celebrate. But when Sheppard and McKay had suggested a party to boost morale, she had been inclined to agree with them, especially when Lieutenant Ford and Doctor Zelenka had approached her just a few hours later with a similar proposal. And, she had to admit, he was more than a little curious about what exactly had been going on for the past few weeks with the four men and the Japanese woman who’d suddenly become the center of their attention. Hardly a briefing had gone by without someone mentioning Miko Sohma, and Weir would have had to have been blind to have not noticed that the woman was almost always with Radek or Rodney or both men. She didn’t believe the more outlandish of the rumours that had begun spreading, but she was very interested in finding out the truth, and the party seemed to be a key to it. She stood near the buffet table, arms crossed, and watched, noticing that Ford and Sheppard had staked out positions near one door while McKay and Zelenka were guarding the other. When Miko walked in the scientists’ door, the two men both started moving toward her, then stopped as they caught sight of one another. Weir smiled as she watched them sneaking looks at one another, each trying to see what the other man was going to do without the other man seeing. After a few moments, they were saved. Sheppard hurried to Zelenka’s side and rushed him toward Miko, catching her at the same time as Ford and McKay.
Elizabeth kept her eyes on the intricate dance within a dance as Teyla stepped in beside her.
“What have I missed, Doctor Weir?” the Athosian asked, directing her gaze in the same direction as Elizabeth’s.
“Not much. Doctor Sohma just arrived. What did you find out?”
“The people of Atlantis share the bad habit of gossip with my people. And, as with my people, the tales can become quite…complicated. However, I believe your assumption to be correct.”
“Mixed-up matchmaking.” Elizabeth smiled again. On the dance floor, the four men seemed to be disagreeing on who should be allowed to leave to get Miko a drink. The young woman in question looked more than a little confused by it all.
“Yes,” Teyla said, also smiling.
“It’s strange,” Weir said after a moment. “I feel like I should be eating popcorn while I watch this.”
“The food Major Sheppard shared when we watched the football game?” Weir nodded. Teyla half-smiled. “Yes, I too feel as though I should be eating popcorn. That is very strange, Doctor Weir.”
“It is the power of popcorn,” Elizabeth said sagely. “And call me Elizabeth, please.”
Teyla bowed her head slightly even though the other woman was too absorbed in watching her men to see it.
The two settled back against a wall to enjoy the performance.
“Dammit, Radek, ask her to dance already,” Rodney muttered under his breath as he watched the Czech talking with the Japanese woman. The party had been going for an hour, and so far he’d spent almost as much time talking with Miko as Radek had, and the other man hadn’t even come close to asking the woman to dance.
“I think it’s time for Plan B, Rodney,” John whispered in his ear, startling the muttering scientist. Rodney jumped slightly and glared at the major.
“Plan B?” the astrophysicist sighed. “I expected Plan A to work, Major. I don’t have a Plan B. I assume you have something in mind. Though at this point, I’m willing to try passing her a note that says ‘Will you be my girlfriend? Yes. No. Radek.”
Sheppard snickered.
“I have an idea. Just listen for a slow song and be ready to drag Doc Z out onto the dance floor.”
“What?” Rodney turned to glare at John, but the major was already moving toward Radek and Miko. McKay sighed and followed.
“Hey, Miko!” Wanna dance?” Sheppard grinned, causing Miko to smile and blush.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly-” she said, looking down at the ground.
John reached out and pushed her chin up. He gave her his best puppy dog expression.
“Please?”
The woman’s face flushed a deeper red, but she nodded and allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor, just in time for the next song.
“Oh my,” Radek said after a few moments of “Tainted Love.”
“You can say that again,” Ford said.
“Somehow this does not surprise me,” Rodney said.
The three men watched in horror as Sheppard danced across the floor.
“Wow. That’s just…wow,” Aiden said, his eyes glued to his commanding officer.
“Are you sure it is not seizure of some kind?” Radek asked after a moment.
McKay sighed.
“No, it’s not a seizure. It would appear that Major Sheppard is a master of the infamous Dork Dance, performed at party functions by supposedly cool white guys everywhere. If he’s lucky, his hair will distract most of the onlookers,” he said, shaking his head.
“It is horrifying and yet mesmerizing, like a train wreck. I want to look away, but I cannot,” Zelenka said.
“I just hope someone has a video camera,” Rodney smirked.
Finally, the song ended, and the trio sighed in relief as the music changed and a slow song began to play. McKay grabbed Zelenka by the arm.
“Rodney, what are-”
“I think we owe it to Miko and the major to break this up before he has even more of a chance to humiliate himself on the dance floor, don’t you,” McKay said, dragging his friend behind him onto the dance floor.
“Excuse me,” the scientist said as they reached his quarry. “I need to speak with the major for a moment. May we cut in?”
He shoved Radek toward Miko as he grabbed Sheppard’s arm and pulled, leaving no one a chance to protest.
“That was smooth, McKay,” the major muttered as they danced away from the pair. Rodney ignored him, watching to make sure his friend took the opportunity.
“Yes, well, after your little display, I didn’t feel we had anything left to lose,” he said. Behind them, Zelenka and Miko had stepped in close and were moving with the music. He sighed in relief.
“My display? What’s wrong with the way I dance?”
McKay gave Sheppard his best look of disbelief.
“Are you kidding?” he said. “You couldn’t have looked dorkier if you were doing the Funky Chicken.”
“And what’s so dorky about the Funky Chicken?” Shep replied with mock hurt.
Rodney snorted.
“So, did it work? Are they dancing?”
“Yeah. They’re dancing like the chaperones at a high school dance, but they’re dancing.”
They moved in silence for a moment.
“Um…Rodney, why are we still dancing?”
McKay thought about it for a moment.
“I have no idea.”
“Doctor Zelenka,” Miko said, breaking the awkward silence Rodney had left in his wake.
“Radek,” the man corrected. He stopped glaring at his friend, and looked at the woman’s face.
“I wish to thank you, Radek,” she said.
Zelenka’s face screwed up in confusion.
“For what?” he asked.
“For trying to get Doctor McKay to notice me.” She smiled up at him.
“I…but…we-”
His protests were silenced by a soft kiss on the cheek.
“I am sorry it does not seem to have worked,” he said after a moment.
“No?” Her voice was amused. He looked down to find her grinning at him. “He speaks to me in the halls now. And he knows my first name. You are to thank for that.”
“But he seems to be trying to set you up with me,” Radek said.
“Which shows that he sees me as a woman,” she said.
The man couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
“You have a very optimistic outlook,” he said.
“I have patience. And you gave me hope. We have planted the seeds. Now I must tend them, but I shall do so with hope of good fruit.”
The song ended and Miko pulled out of his arms.
“Thank you again, Radek,” she said, bowing slightly before she walked off.
When he reached the edge of the dance floor, Rodney was waiting for him.
“Radek, you dog!” he said, nudging his friend in the side. “Where are you going to meet her later?”
“I’m not, Rodney,” the Czech said, trying to ignore the other man.
“What? What was all that about then? You better not have screwed this up, not after-”
“She likes someone else,” Radek said. He was surprised to find that saying it made him a little sad.
“What? Who?” McKay looked around.
“An oblivious, insufferable, arrogant man,” Zelenka replied, glaring.
“Kavanagh?” Rodney stood tiptoe, looking around to glance first at Miko and then at the chemist. “She likes Kavanagh?”
Radek sighed. “No, Rodney, not Kavanagh.”
“Who then? No, never mind. I don’t want to know,” McKay patted him on the back. “It’s her loss. Hey, Major Sheppard and Lieutenant Ford said something about beer. Of course, it’s probably just watered-down American stuff and they probably plan to drink it while watching that inane football tape again, but…”
Zelenka snorted, amused by just how oblivious Rodney McKay could be, and followed his friend down the hall.