[Stargate: Fiction] "Nothing and Everything" [John/Rodney, G]
Title: Nothing and Everything
Prompt: writerverse challenge #04 phase 11 table of doom, prompt #02 ‘all the essentials’ (1k+ words)
Word Count: 1,002
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Setting: part of my On the Run ‘verse
Summary: In the middle of nowhere, Rodney finally realizes just how much he has.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Nothing and Everything
Now that he was out here in the middle of nowhere, in a hand-built log cabin, on an otherwise uninhabited backwater planet, in the far reaches of the Pegasus Galaxy, Rodney could admit, if only to himself, that back on Earth, he’d always been more than a little selfish.
It hadn’t bothered him, hadn’t occurred to Rodney that it should bother him, until he got to college and realized how much it bothered other people. Well, really, he realized how much it affected his love life, and he decided to find out what he didn’t have that guys who got regular dates did. He’d resorted to consulting psychology, which theorized that being a genius at a young age had made it hard for Rodney to form proper social attachments with his peers, and therefore had difficulty understanding the needs of others. But after a brief period of being polite and considerate, during which Rodney was dumped by no fewer than fourteen girls for seemingly-minor slips in etiquette, and lost at least a full day of lab time over the ridiculous notion of ‘sharing’.
That was the point where Rodney decided that psychology was nothing bur quackery, and gave up on social niceties entirely, to embrace his inner asshole. If nobody was going to care about him, he would just have to care about himself, and not even worry what other people thought about him. This new attitude got him depressingly fewer dates, but significantly more lab time, and overall, he counted it as a win. It also allowed him to cultivate a sense of personal indulgence that he convinced himself was, in general, better than actual human interactions.
With Rodney’s first PhD- and especially his first high-paying government contract- he discovered the delights of true selfishness and developed a taste for the finer things in life. Fine according to him, of course, not whatever was popular among the ignorant masses. Coffee and chocolate were his first indulgences, but it wasn’t always cost, it was quality. Like the bakery near his upgraded apartment that never used lemon juice in its cakes, or the dry cleaner that used hypo-allergenic products on his clothes.
That wasn’t to say Rodney couldn’t rough it, when he needed to. Just because he preferred the better things in life didn’t mean he couldn’t make sacrifices in the name of scientific advancement. Besides, he actually liked MREs, and when he got involved in a project, he’d been known to spend days at a time in his lab, even before he’d gone to Atlantis.
That first time, making the choice to go to Atlantis had been easy enough, even if he had been trading the creature comforts of Earth in a potentially one-way trip to another galaxy for the promise of advanced alien technologies. As far as he knew then, the possible rewards for leaving his homeworld behind vastly outweighed the projected risks, and he had been assured that the military would put a significant emphasis on the safety of civilian personnel.
The second time he made that same decision, Rodney had much more information to work with. He knew the dangers of the Pegasus Galaxy, now, all the things that would try to kill him and all the things that could kill him without even trying. He knew every luxury he would miss when he left them behind, probably forever, and all the things that had so much value on Earth, but were useless in another galaxy. Rodney weighed every bit of information carefully, pros and cons- he had spreadsheets, even- the probability of horrible death without medical facilities and the primitive conditions to be faced.
And, he decided to go without a second thought.
Rodney blinked up at the stars and smiled as a warm body settled more firmly against his. He had balanced everything on Earth against John Sheppard, and John had won, hands down.
If he had stayed on Earth, safe and comfortable, or even gone back to Atlantis with the new expedition, John would have died in a military prison, for a murder the victim had ordered him to commit. And Rodney would never have known that he could have nothing to his name, and still be happy.
John made an indistinct noise in his sleep and rolled closer, and Rodney splayed a gentle hand over the scar on John’s hip, his other arm almost asleep under the weight of their one-year-old daughter, snuggled between them.
Their cabin had no lights, no heat, and no running water. Their single, stolen puddle jumper was in a constant state of repair. They traded manual labor- work done with their hands, the very literal sweat of their brows- for clothes, and furniture, and supplies, even for food, unless Ronon had gone hunting.
But he had John, who loved him and still didn’t think he deserved him; he had Ada, who was just learning to walk and threw herself unhesitatingly into his arms; he had Teyla and Ronon, who were more family than he’d ever thought he’d have, after losing touch with his sister.
“Hey,” said John’s voice, softly. “Quit thinking so loud. Some of us are trying to sleep.”
“Even if I’m thinking about you?” Rodney whispered.
“Depends. Good things?”
Rodney leaned over baby Ada to kiss him gently. “Always good things.” He paused, John’s breath warm against his collarbone. “I was thinking about the things we still have to do with the cabin. The repairs to make on our ‘jumper. The fact that we’re running low on… well, everything. And then, I was thinking what a lucky, lucky man I am.”
“Lucky?” John repeated, sleepily.
“The luckiest,” said Rodney. “I have you, John, and we have Ada. I never thought I would… I mean, how could I ever need anything more?”
John leaned up to kiss him, slow and sweet, and Rodney melted into him. There were things to do, there were lots of things to do, but for now, Rodney was exactly where he wanted to be.
THE END
Current Mood:
calm
Prompt: writerverse challenge #04 phase 11 table of doom, prompt #02 ‘all the essentials’ (1k+ words)
Word Count: 1,002
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Setting: part of my On the Run ‘verse
Summary: In the middle of nowhere, Rodney finally realizes just how much he has.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Nothing and Everything
Now that he was out here in the middle of nowhere, in a hand-built log cabin, on an otherwise uninhabited backwater planet, in the far reaches of the Pegasus Galaxy, Rodney could admit, if only to himself, that back on Earth, he’d always been more than a little selfish.
It hadn’t bothered him, hadn’t occurred to Rodney that it should bother him, until he got to college and realized how much it bothered other people. Well, really, he realized how much it affected his love life, and he decided to find out what he didn’t have that guys who got regular dates did. He’d resorted to consulting psychology, which theorized that being a genius at a young age had made it hard for Rodney to form proper social attachments with his peers, and therefore had difficulty understanding the needs of others. But after a brief period of being polite and considerate, during which Rodney was dumped by no fewer than fourteen girls for seemingly-minor slips in etiquette, and lost at least a full day of lab time over the ridiculous notion of ‘sharing’.
That was the point where Rodney decided that psychology was nothing bur quackery, and gave up on social niceties entirely, to embrace his inner asshole. If nobody was going to care about him, he would just have to care about himself, and not even worry what other people thought about him. This new attitude got him depressingly fewer dates, but significantly more lab time, and overall, he counted it as a win. It also allowed him to cultivate a sense of personal indulgence that he convinced himself was, in general, better than actual human interactions.
With Rodney’s first PhD- and especially his first high-paying government contract- he discovered the delights of true selfishness and developed a taste for the finer things in life. Fine according to him, of course, not whatever was popular among the ignorant masses. Coffee and chocolate were his first indulgences, but it wasn’t always cost, it was quality. Like the bakery near his upgraded apartment that never used lemon juice in its cakes, or the dry cleaner that used hypo-allergenic products on his clothes.
That wasn’t to say Rodney couldn’t rough it, when he needed to. Just because he preferred the better things in life didn’t mean he couldn’t make sacrifices in the name of scientific advancement. Besides, he actually liked MREs, and when he got involved in a project, he’d been known to spend days at a time in his lab, even before he’d gone to Atlantis.
That first time, making the choice to go to Atlantis had been easy enough, even if he had been trading the creature comforts of Earth in a potentially one-way trip to another galaxy for the promise of advanced alien technologies. As far as he knew then, the possible rewards for leaving his homeworld behind vastly outweighed the projected risks, and he had been assured that the military would put a significant emphasis on the safety of civilian personnel.
The second time he made that same decision, Rodney had much more information to work with. He knew the dangers of the Pegasus Galaxy, now, all the things that would try to kill him and all the things that could kill him without even trying. He knew every luxury he would miss when he left them behind, probably forever, and all the things that had so much value on Earth, but were useless in another galaxy. Rodney weighed every bit of information carefully, pros and cons- he had spreadsheets, even- the probability of horrible death without medical facilities and the primitive conditions to be faced.
And, he decided to go without a second thought.
Rodney blinked up at the stars and smiled as a warm body settled more firmly against his. He had balanced everything on Earth against John Sheppard, and John had won, hands down.
If he had stayed on Earth, safe and comfortable, or even gone back to Atlantis with the new expedition, John would have died in a military prison, for a murder the victim had ordered him to commit. And Rodney would never have known that he could have nothing to his name, and still be happy.
John made an indistinct noise in his sleep and rolled closer, and Rodney splayed a gentle hand over the scar on John’s hip, his other arm almost asleep under the weight of their one-year-old daughter, snuggled between them.
Their cabin had no lights, no heat, and no running water. Their single, stolen puddle jumper was in a constant state of repair. They traded manual labor- work done with their hands, the very literal sweat of their brows- for clothes, and furniture, and supplies, even for food, unless Ronon had gone hunting.
But he had John, who loved him and still didn’t think he deserved him; he had Ada, who was just learning to walk and threw herself unhesitatingly into his arms; he had Teyla and Ronon, who were more family than he’d ever thought he’d have, after losing touch with his sister.
“Hey,” said John’s voice, softly. “Quit thinking so loud. Some of us are trying to sleep.”
“Even if I’m thinking about you?” Rodney whispered.
“Depends. Good things?”
Rodney leaned over baby Ada to kiss him gently. “Always good things.” He paused, John’s breath warm against his collarbone. “I was thinking about the things we still have to do with the cabin. The repairs to make on our ‘jumper. The fact that we’re running low on… well, everything. And then, I was thinking what a lucky, lucky man I am.”
“Lucky?” John repeated, sleepily.
“The luckiest,” said Rodney. “I have you, John, and we have Ada. I never thought I would… I mean, how could I ever need anything more?”
John leaned up to kiss him, slow and sweet, and Rodney melted into him. There were things to do, there were lots of things to do, but for now, Rodney was exactly where he wanted to be.
THE END
Current Mood:
calm