[Stargate: Drabble] "Trust Fund Baby" [John/Rodney, G]
Title: Trust Fund Baby
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 600
Prompt: mcsheplets challenge 285 ‘trust’
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Setting: part of my How About Forever ‘verse
Summary: “So, you do have a trust fund.”
Trust Fund Baby
“What is all this?” demanded Rodney. “Why aren’t you doing this in your office? Or, more likely, why isn’t Lorne doing this in your office.”
John looked up from the mess of papers on their kitchen table with a scowl. “For one thing, Lorne doesn’t do all my paperwork. And for another, it would absolutely be an abuse of power to make him help with this, I already asked.”
“What is it?” Rodney asked again. He set his laptop on the coffee table and came closer. “Our taxes aren’t due for… three months?”
“Four,” said John, starting to shuffle papers around. “And it’s not tax stuff. It’s a trust fund.”
Rodney blinked. “You don’t have a trust fund.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” John agreed. “Turns out, my dad wasn’t as pissed at me as he said he was, when I ran off and joined the Air Force.”
“So, you do have a trust fund.”
“Yeah,” John said again.
Rodney frowned - standing this close, he could see the tense set of John’s shoulders. “What’s wrong?” he asked, softly.
“I just…” John said, then sighed. “I never had a chance to really resolve things with my dad before he died. I thought I was okay with that, even after Zoe was born. But this…”
“Hey,” said Rodney, softly. He moved around to stand beside John’s chair, a solid reassuring presence, and John reached up to catch the hand Rodney rested on his shoulder.
“It was a college fund,” the colonel said. “Dave had one, too, used his as far as I know. But I’d already had that fight with Dad - I went in ROTC, worked a part-time job to pay for the rest. I figured Dad had taken it back, or whatever, but…”
“But he saved it,” said Rodney. “For you.”
“Yeah,” said John.
“And now you wish you’d had the opportunity to talk to him about it.”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re still mad at him about that fight, so now you feel conflicted.”
“Ye- How do you know that?” John asked.
Rodney smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to his temple. “Because I know you.”
“You do,” John said, managing a smile. But it quickly fell. “I don’t want to still be mad at him. But then I look at Zoe and I can’t imagine anything she could do, anything she could want to be, that would ever make me disappointed in her.”
“She’s a year old, Sheppard,” Rodney pointed out. “She could want to be an accountant. Or a meteorologist. Or an English major.”
“You need to let that go, buddy, your sister is happy and that’s all that matters.” Rodney waved his free hand, dismissively, so John caught that, too, half-turning in his chair to face him properly. “But now Dave tells me there’s this trust fund…”
“And you want to tell your brother to take this and shove it - nicely, because you’re friends again - but he says it’s for Zoe, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah,” said John, more of a sigh than a word.
Rodney squeezed his hands, then used his grip to pull John to his feet. “Leave these to me,” he said, “and go get Zoe, she should be waking up from her nap about now.”
John kissed him. “Love you,” he said.
“Yes, yes,” said Rodney, waving him off with a smile. “You can reward me for my heroic paper-wrangling later. When our daughter is asleep.”
“That’s a promise,” John agreed, and as he started looking over the papers, Rodney could hear him say, “Hey, there, Zoe. Did I ever tell you about your grandpa…?”
THE END
Current Mood:
dirty
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 600
Prompt: mcsheplets challenge 285 ‘trust’
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Setting: part of my How About Forever ‘verse
Summary: “So, you do have a trust fund.”
Trust Fund Baby
“What is all this?” demanded Rodney. “Why aren’t you doing this in your office? Or, more likely, why isn’t Lorne doing this in your office.”
John looked up from the mess of papers on their kitchen table with a scowl. “For one thing, Lorne doesn’t do all my paperwork. And for another, it would absolutely be an abuse of power to make him help with this, I already asked.”
“What is it?” Rodney asked again. He set his laptop on the coffee table and came closer. “Our taxes aren’t due for… three months?”
“Four,” said John, starting to shuffle papers around. “And it’s not tax stuff. It’s a trust fund.”
Rodney blinked. “You don’t have a trust fund.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” John agreed. “Turns out, my dad wasn’t as pissed at me as he said he was, when I ran off and joined the Air Force.”
“So, you do have a trust fund.”
“Yeah,” John said again.
Rodney frowned - standing this close, he could see the tense set of John’s shoulders. “What’s wrong?” he asked, softly.
“I just…” John said, then sighed. “I never had a chance to really resolve things with my dad before he died. I thought I was okay with that, even after Zoe was born. But this…”
“Hey,” said Rodney, softly. He moved around to stand beside John’s chair, a solid reassuring presence, and John reached up to catch the hand Rodney rested on his shoulder.
“It was a college fund,” the colonel said. “Dave had one, too, used his as far as I know. But I’d already had that fight with Dad - I went in ROTC, worked a part-time job to pay for the rest. I figured Dad had taken it back, or whatever, but…”
“But he saved it,” said Rodney. “For you.”
“Yeah,” said John.
“And now you wish you’d had the opportunity to talk to him about it.”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re still mad at him about that fight, so now you feel conflicted.”
“Ye- How do you know that?” John asked.
Rodney smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to his temple. “Because I know you.”
“You do,” John said, managing a smile. But it quickly fell. “I don’t want to still be mad at him. But then I look at Zoe and I can’t imagine anything she could do, anything she could want to be, that would ever make me disappointed in her.”
“She’s a year old, Sheppard,” Rodney pointed out. “She could want to be an accountant. Or a meteorologist. Or an English major.”
“You need to let that go, buddy, your sister is happy and that’s all that matters.” Rodney waved his free hand, dismissively, so John caught that, too, half-turning in his chair to face him properly. “But now Dave tells me there’s this trust fund…”
“And you want to tell your brother to take this and shove it - nicely, because you’re friends again - but he says it’s for Zoe, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah,” said John, more of a sigh than a word.
Rodney squeezed his hands, then used his grip to pull John to his feet. “Leave these to me,” he said, “and go get Zoe, she should be waking up from her nap about now.”
John kissed him. “Love you,” he said.
“Yes, yes,” said Rodney, waving him off with a smile. “You can reward me for my heroic paper-wrangling later. When our daughter is asleep.”
“That’s a promise,” John agreed, and as he started looking over the papers, Rodney could hear him say, “Hey, there, Zoe. Did I ever tell you about your grandpa…?”
THE END
Current Mood:
dirty