Wit's End by greyias
Show: SGA
Rec Category: John Sheppard & Rodney McKay Friendship
Characters:: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard
Pairing: None
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Warnings: Temporary Character Death
Author on LJ: greyias
Author's Website: Shades of Grey
Link: Wit's End (also on fanfiction.net)
Why This Must Be Read: This is time loop fic, admittedly somewhat dark time loop fic. Rodney is forced to re-live the same seventeen minutes over and over, attempting to fix a machine for a Pegasus madman, and when he's unsuccessful - the madman, Lupin, murders somebody (it's not always the same team member) - and the loop starts over again. Rodney's the only one to remember the previous loop, and his rising desperation is palpable. John is bewildered but concerned, especially as it seems Rodney's getting closer and closer to snapping, and attempts to give support and advice to a McKay at wit's end. I read this fic as fast as I could, on the edge of my seat, feeling tense until I reached the conclusion.
"McKay, calm down!"
"No, I will not calm down, because any moment now that stupid bastard is going to sweep in here grinning like the village idiot he is, hold you three at gunpoint and I'm going to stare at this damn tablet like the moron that I am-"
Two strong hands gripped his shoulders, giving him a light shake. "Stop it."
"I can't do it," he shook his head, "I've tried, there is no way!"
"Rodney, look at me." His nervous words stopped spilling over as he was more or less forced to look his team leader in the eye. "Whatever the hell is going on, you will figure it out."
"And why do you say that?"
And there was that damnable confident smirk, always dredged up to laugh in the face of danger. "Because it's what you do."
"Not this time."
"You'll do it."
"How do you know?"
"Because I trust you."
Rodney swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. "Why'd you have to go and bring that into this?"
The cocky edge of the smirk melted into an almost-genuine smile and the hands gripping his shoulders gave a brief, he supposed comforting, squeeze. "Because it's what I do."
Rec Category: John Sheppard & Rodney McKay Friendship
Characters:: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard
Pairing: None
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Warnings: Temporary Character Death
Author on LJ: greyias
Author's Website: Shades of Grey
Link: Wit's End (also on fanfiction.net)
Why This Must Be Read: This is time loop fic, admittedly somewhat dark time loop fic. Rodney is forced to re-live the same seventeen minutes over and over, attempting to fix a machine for a Pegasus madman, and when he's unsuccessful - the madman, Lupin, murders somebody (it's not always the same team member) - and the loop starts over again. Rodney's the only one to remember the previous loop, and his rising desperation is palpable. John is bewildered but concerned, especially as it seems Rodney's getting closer and closer to snapping, and attempts to give support and advice to a McKay at wit's end. I read this fic as fast as I could, on the edge of my seat, feeling tense until I reached the conclusion.
"McKay, calm down!"
"No, I will not calm down, because any moment now that stupid bastard is going to sweep in here grinning like the village idiot he is, hold you three at gunpoint and I'm going to stare at this damn tablet like the moron that I am-"
Two strong hands gripped his shoulders, giving him a light shake. "Stop it."
"I can't do it," he shook his head, "I've tried, there is no way!"
"Rodney, look at me." His nervous words stopped spilling over as he was more or less forced to look his team leader in the eye. "Whatever the hell is going on, you will figure it out."
"And why do you say that?"
And there was that damnable confident smirk, always dredged up to laugh in the face of danger. "Because it's what you do."
"Not this time."
"You'll do it."
"How do you know?"
"Because I trust you."
Rodney swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. "Why'd you have to go and bring that into this?"
The cocky edge of the smirk melted into an almost-genuine smile and the hands gripping his shoulders gave a brief, he supposed comforting, squeeze. "Because it's what I do."