It's in the Details -Mcshep slash fiction Part 1, rated G, 3957 words , angst,humour, whump.
It’s In the Details
Part 1
Humming quietly to himself, John scrolled down to the bottom of another page of the report, displayed on the laptop in front of him. His leg bounced the rhythm of the song he hummed, Jackson by Johnny Cash, he'd been playing it on the guitar the other night, he liked the train- like rhythm, a standard for Johnny Cash, it meant movement, travel, not having to stay still too long and not having to sit and write endless stupid, boring military spending reports. He was sitting at a table in the Mess Hall, he wasn't entirely sure why he came here to work so often, he knew he didn't like his office, it was too quiet and felt like a tomb with the dark glowing walls and the total lack of windows. He had thought about requesting another one with windows a while ago but other things got in the way, life threatening situations, city wide emergencies, off world missions, things that made windows in an office seem trivial.
For someone who was a self professed loner he liked the sound of people, liked crowded rooms, the murmur of people talking, not necessarily to him but to each other. In Afghanistan, the soldiers he ferried from one field of operations to the next in his chopper had complained about the crowded markets and crush of people. As a military officer he was trained to be wary in crowds and watch for signs of trouble. Aside from the obvious tactical difficulties of a large crowd, John secretly thought that in a another life time he could have happily been a merchant in one of those stalls surrounded by people, perhaps with a wife and kids, lots of kids, life all around him, part of him belonging...usually these thoughts were interrupted by the sound of bullets or something exploding- the opposite of life around him.
Looking up from his laptop he realised that he'd been in the Mess Hall for some time, his empty dinner tray was pushed to the side, along with two empty water bottles and an empty coffee mugs. I must have the galaxies’ biggest bladder, he thought. Sliding an elbow on the table he ran a hand through his already tousled, finger twisted hair.
He could handle Mission Reports and staff reviews were not high on his list of favourites but these endless reports explaining how the military budget was spent and why, killed him every time. Perhaps his frustration came from picturing the suits at the IOC sitting around some table back on earth debating the extra $50 expense for batteries that didn't run out in the middle of a mission or $2 per pair for thermal socks. He felt like filling in all the blanks on the forms with -THESE GUYS ARE TRYING TO KILL US! DAILY! and including an 8 by 10 photo of a wraith (maybe of Todd... or what was the name he gave that last Wraith Queen? Norma?) He could include a CV for them too; he closed his eyes and pictured it.
Name: Norma
Occupation: Life Sucker
Hobbies: Life Sucking
Skills: Life Sucking
Previous Experience: I've been an evil life sucking bitch for 300 years and I have an exemplary record of killing, maiming and generally sucking the life out of all the good in the galaxy, nay the universe.
He chuckled to himself and then rubbed his hair again thinking, McKay may be right, I might just be a little weird. Atlantis’ Chief Scientist had said it to him on numerous occasions. Just yesterday morning McKay had passed him as he sat on the floor across from Major Lorne's quarters waiting for his Second in Command to emerge. He'd taped a life size image of General O'Neill across the Major's door so it would be the first thing he saw as he left for breakfast.
“What are you ...?"
"Shhh!" John had cut across McKay’s question, the scientist’s voice generally had two settings-loud and louder and he didn't want Lorne to hear him.
" Just wait," John whispered as McKay gave him one of his famous glares.
They had waited all of a minute before McKay opened his mouth to question again. Patience was not one of the scientists’ strong suits.
Sheppard raised a hand, palm towards McKay, to indicate silence when Lorne's doors swooshed open. John was instantly rewarded by a satisfying shriek and a loud thump from behind the large image hanging in the doorframe, indicating Lorne had not only screamed but fallen backwards in surprise.
“Goddamn you're trying to kill me," Lorne's voice came from the floor somewhere behind the large image.
Sheppard barely heard him, as he was already rolling on the floor of the corridor, laughing so hard his eyes were watering. McKay looked down at him and rolled his eyes.
" You really are weird, you know that," he stated managing to sound snarky and bewildered at the same time.
" He had it coming," John managed to say between snorts of laughter," Somebody put a stuffed clown in my bed last week and I have it on good authority that bastard was responsible," he finished, pointing towards Lorne's door.
" Hey it wasn't only me..." Lorne said weakly, obviously still on the floor recovering.
" Children," McKay muttered as he turned and walked away shaking his head. John could have sworn he'd seen the ghost of a smile on the scientist's lips as he turned away.
It was dark outside and the spires of the city glowed through the large windows of the Mess Hall, John was gazing out past them at the ocean when a reflected movement in the window caught his eye. McKay was walking slower than usual and he rubbed his eyes and yawned as he entered the Mess. John was not surprised at this behaviour ,it was common for the scientist to spend endless hours in his lab and then stumble out bleary eyed, pale and stiff from too much time slumped in the same position staring at screens and fiddling with intricate ancient devices.
Rodney predictably went straight for the coffee and poured himself a cup, ever since the city had been able to receive supplies from the Deadelus the kitchen staff were very conscious of keeping a constant stream of coffee ready. Some guessed that it was largely because of McKay and his voracious coffee drinking. No one wanted to deal with the ranting, cursing and on one occasion- hysterics that occurred when the coffee urn was empty.
“Hey! McKay!” Sheppard called to him across the Hall. Rodney looked up and Sheppard mimed drinking from a mug, Rodney got it right away and rolled his eyes, he does that a lot, Sheppard thought.
McKay grabbed a second mug and poured a cup for John. Rodney took both mugs over to the milk and sugar area pouring milk and half a packet of sugar into John’s then grabbing a spoon and stirring it, the scientist took his own coffee black so he didn’t add anything to his own mug. Stomping over to John’s table, Rodney deposited the cup in front of him, looking at the other empty mugs, bottles and sandwich containers.
“Why exactly do you have an office?” he asked his voice thick with sarcasm.
John was looking at his coffee, it was exactly the right colour not too light no too dark, he wasn’t as much of a coffee junky as McKay, wasn’t a snob about it, he had drunk all manner of hot beverages in both the Milky Way and the Pegasus Galaxies and generally took what he was given and didn’t complain about it. He’d spent too many years drinking coffee in war zones and on military bases to be particular about it but when he did get his own coffee he added just a splash of milk, not cream, and half a packet of sugar, because a full one was too much and made the coffee too sweet. How was it McKay knew exactly how to fix his coffee, he’d done it easily, like it was something he knew off by heart, well, he was a genius, John thought, but...he never remembered things like that, he could recite the many laws of physics and knew the square root of pi (in his sleep) but birthdays, names and personal details about the people he knew was not something he generally stored in his oversized brain.
“What?” McKay asked obviously puzzled by John’s fixation with his cup of coffee.
“ I only put half a thing of sugar, that’s right isn’t it?”
“When’s my birthday?” John asked.
“Um, are you alright Colonel are you having a relapse?” McKay suddenly looked worried. The entire base had just recovered from a virus that had caused memory loss and various other bad things, including death in a few cases death, so Rodney’s worry was perhaps not a complete overreaction to John’s bizarre question.
“No, no McKay I’m fine I know when my birthday is I’m asking you if you know when it is.” Sheppard said quickly. McKay’s worried frown turned to one of confusion.
“January 5th, but why are you asking?” McKay asked.
“April 15th.”
“Okay... that’s my birthday, so we’ve got that clear, are you sure you’re feeling alright?” McKay asked leaning across the table to look closer at the colonel’s face.
“What’s my favourite colour?”
“Is this some weird game? Are there marines hiding somewhere waiting to jump out, have you been possessed by a gouald?” McKay blurted, quickly ducking to look under the table, as if he expected to actually find marines under there.
“Rodney just answer the question there’s no one under there, will you stop,” John said bending down to fix McKay with a stare under the table. Rodney froze and looked at him still perplexed but he relaxed a little as well and sat down across from the Colonel. He took a sip of his coffee and then slowly put the mug down.
“Blue.” he answered finally.
“Orange,” John countered and McKay nodded to confirm that John did indeed have his favourite colour right.
“Dog,” McKay said getting into the swing of this new weird pass time of John’s.
“Cat,” Sheppard said.
“Well that’s easy you know I have a cat back on earth so of course I’m a cat person,” McKay quipped thrusting his chin forward a little in challenge.
“Macaroni and cheese, butterscotch pudding and power bars.”
“Humph, easy again,” McKay grumped,” steak and onions, mashed potatoes and apples,”
“Batman While Gotham City Burns.”
“Back to the Future, though I will never understand why you...”
“The Goldberg Variations,” Sheppard jumped in quickly
“A Boy Named Sue.” McKay answered rapid fire now intent on this game.
“Whales.”
McKay shuddered slightly perhaps remembering a recent nightmare about his own personal deep seated phobia before he said, “Clowns.”
“Mary”
“Joanne. Maiden name?” McKay asked thrusting his chin out even further in challenge.
“Linton,” John answered arching an eyebrow and tilting his head in equal challenge.
“McKenzie,” McKay shot back looking immensely smug.
There was a beat and then they both said, “Have you been reading my file?” simultaneously.
John shrugged in response which McKay obviously took as a yes and raised his eyebrows which John then took as a yes and said nothing. Back to the game John thought.
“Blue dress shirt,” John continued.
“T-shirt any colour but probably black,” McKay responded.
They paused looking at each other across the table; John picked up his coffee and took a sip, his perfect coffee that had started this whole thing. What did McKay think this was John wondered, he wondered himself, since things with McKay were often comfortingly familiar and disconcertingly strange at the same time John didn’t dwell on it too long.
“Sneakers,” John started again.
“Sandals,” McKay returned fire.
John started to speak and then stopped, he had to think about that last answer, McKay had only seen him wear boots or sneakers so how did he know that he liked sandals the most, he never had the opportunity anymore but there were quite a few summers when he was a kid when he would only wear sandals or go without shoes entirely, working on the beach as a life guard and surfing.
“How, did you...” he started to ask.
“You grew up in California, what else would you wear? Besides you said once you wished you had a pair when we were on PX3529.”
“The beach planet?”
“Yes, yes, as I said PX3529 .” McKay confirmed.
“Fall.”
“I’m assuming you mean the season not the act of falling cause you know I don’t like that.”
“Of course though you do look funny when you fall,” Sheppard replied smirking.
“We’re not talking about you’re bizarre penchant for enjoying other people’s humiliation and pain though I guess I could add pranks as a favourite thing of yours, hmm?” McKay added.
“Fall.”
“Okay, yes, winter,” McKay snapped back.
“Uh nope summer, you lose,” Sheppard said looking at Rodney with a triumphant grin, deep down he felt a little disappointed, thinking this should have been an easy one.
McKay looked defeated briefly but then a look of defiance crossed his face and he shook his head.
“No you said that winter was your favourite season once, something about...” McKay was thinking hard about it snapping his fingers as if the action would bring the memory back,” ...about, yes, the weekend you and your ex girlfriend got stranded in Vermont and how you played in the snow for two days.”
“I told you about that?”John asked hearing the tone of his voice rising in incredulity.
“Well you told Teyla on M3X 585...the rocky one where we had to camp out,” McKay added to John’s questioning look, “I was trying to sleep and I couldn’t so I listened to your story,” McKay mumbled his eyes drifting down to his coffee and his cheeks reddening slightly.
“You mean you eavesdropped?” John said barely hiding the fact that he was teasing.
“Colonel you were three feet away from me, obviously it wasn’t top secret or you would have moved further away,” McKay retorted, his former defiance returning as he looked directly at John again.
"15," McKay said attempting to look straight at John but his eyes gave his nervousness away as they darted around at a frantic pace.
"What is that?" Sheppard asked wondering what little tick or annoying habit he had that McKay had been tallying.
"The number of times you've almost died since I met you."
John was left speechless for the third time since McKay had put his perfect cup of coffee down in front of him." You've been counting that?" John asked quietly.
"Oh like you haven't," McKay sniped with a false bravado that Sheppard saw through immediately.
"One," John said staying quiet now. He could see the wheels turning behind Rodney's eyes as he tried to guess what one thing he'd done that John was now counting, the wheels seemed to stop and McKay looked serious for a moment, he opened his mouth slowly and said, "John."
"Two," John said to confirm Rodney's guess.
"I didn't think you'd noticed that," the scientist said with his eyes lowered as he slowly circled his mug in his hand.
"You've only ever called me Colonel, Sheppard, flyboy, Kirk, dumbass..."
"Yes, yes, yes, I get the idea I've never called you by you're first name before and you noticed. It’s just that there was a lot going on at the time what with the city running out of power, asteroids trying to pummel us and with Elizabeth..." he trailed off momentarily and looked like he was about to say something and then changed his mind,"...um so I thought you hadn't noticed with all that."
"I noticed," Sheppard stated baldly.
"Well perhaps the next time we are all about to die spectacularly I will call you it again," McKay said, his voice softer than the words indicated.
"Maybe you shouldn't wait until then, I mean, it's just, we're friends, I like it when my friends call me by my name, not always, I mean, feel free to call me dumbass as well," he said, his smirk returning.
"Well okay, John," McKay said sounding slightly uncomfortable as he said Sheppard’s first name like it was foreign word he couldn't pronounce properly.
“Three and I don’t expect you to, you know all the time just, um...” he trailed of and changed tack feeling slightly frustrated "Oh come on McKay it's not like it's that unusual anyway don't do it if you're gonna be all weird about it," he started to pull his laptop over to resume working when Rodney reached across and put his hand on John's forearm to stop him.
"I won't, I mean I won't be all weird about it, okay. John," McKay said his voice just above a whisper.
John could feel his ears heating up and thought they were probably turning red along with his cheeks, which also burned, as he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. What am I doing here , he thought. He took a quick look around the Mess Hall and realised there were a few other people scattered around quietly reading at tables or talking in subdued tones. We’re not alone, he thought, and here I am blushing because Rodney’s touching my arm. John could feel the scientist's heat on his arm, felt the warmth radiate through him down to his stomach which was starting to twist into a knot.
Rodney obviously felt him tense because the doctor’s hand jerked away quickly and started to fumble with his coffee mug.
Fix this, John thought, I need to fix this quickly what the hell am I doing.
“6,” McKay said quickly, his tone returning back to the challenge of the game.
“Um...what is...?” John stammered feeling inwardly grateful that McKay was jumping in first, fixing things, making it feel normal again.
“The number of space bimbos you’ve Kirked since we got here,” McKay said cutting across John’s question.
“Kirking is not a verb McKay and it has not been anywhere near 6,” Sheppard stated his tone rising in complaint.
“I am counting a couple of Wraith Queens in there,” said McKay in defence of his answer.
“That’s sick and I would like to know what you’re definition of Kirking is cause I would say I have NEVER Kirked a wraith,” John said.
“You know what I mean when I say Kirking and it does not mean you had sex with them just that you...you know...used your...charm on them,” McKay answered sounding a little embarrassed at the end.
“I do not charm Wraiths, I kill them, I annoy them, I do many things but I do not charm them ever,” John was beginning to get angry at McKay’s assumption that he spent his time trying to seduce any and all of the females in the Pegasus Galaxy, it was not true and if he was so successful at seducing people why was he so damn lonely. “Just because you’re completely clueless when it comes to women doesn’t mean you get to call me some kind of space slut.”
“Sheppard I wasn’t calling you a space slut, what are we in Junior High School, and I’ll remind you that I am in a relationship at the moment,” Rodney sniped, his voice rising so much that the other people in the Mess Hall began to look over at them.
“Really so when’s Katie's birthday then?” John shot back almost immediately regretting it. The scientist's face froze at the words and he slowly began to stand staring at John with an expression Sheppard found hard to read.
As McKay started to walk away John stood and went to grab his arm to stop him, knowing that he needed to say something, to take the whole thing back and turn it into a joke, he could do that he thought... he was good at that. He got as far as grabbing the scientists arm and opening his mouth, when McKay yanked his arm out of Sheppard’s grip and turned, punching him square in the jaw with such force that the Colonel fell back into the table knocking everything off of it including the mostly full coffee cups and his laptop.
John lay sprawled across the table his hand rubbing his jaw as he watched McKay march out of the Mess Hall looking straight ahead. Several people had a risen out of their seats. A couple of marines who’d been having coffee at a table across the Hall walked over. John quickly got up and began picking up the debris that surrounded the table.
“You alright sir?” one of them asked.
“I’m fine Corporal, just a disagreement,” Sheppard snapped in response, feeling his face and ears heating up again, he ducked his head and focused on picking up broken glass to avoid the marines concerned eyes.“Chavez, round up a mop and broom for me will ya,” he said, feeling that issuing orders would help him feel more like himself.
The younger dark haired of the two marines stood up more straight and immediately said, “Yes Sir," then he turned quickly and was off to look for the items. The other marine was busy retrieving the laptop as it had skidded under a neighbouring table. He placed it on the colonel’s table and looked down at his commanding officer saying quietly,” With respect sir I didn’t think Doctor McKay had that in him.”
“He took me by surprise...”John blurted out and then felt stupid. He stood up slowly and tried to smirk at the marine, though it may have looked like a grimace because of his sore jaw. It really did hurt, McKay had caught John right on the edge of his jaw with his knuckles and John felt like his whole mouth was off center now.” Moral of story we shouldn’t be training the science staff in combat they are dangerous enough already.” He wondered if the marine would buy his false casualness, would believe his put on swagger.
Fifteen minutes later they had finished cleaning everything up and Sheppard thanked the two younger men, still trying to remain casual.
” Watch out for angry scientists,” he said with a wry wink as they left, the two men laughed but Sheppard knew they could tell he was in pain. As he was talking he barely moved his jaw, making his voice sound strange.
He grabbed the ice pack that Chavez had brought back for him with the cleaning supplies and placed it gingerly on his jaw. As the pain subsided slightly he found he was appreciative of the marines diligence.
He examined his laptop and found that the damage was minimal, just a dent in the right corner. Deciding that his work was finished for the night he shut the laptop and slid it under his arm. He was aware that the eyes of the other people left in the Mess Hall followed him as he walked out but his jaw was throbbing too much now he didn’t care, his back was sore too, from where he’d landed on the table.
As he hobbled out of the Mess Hall he thought he’d never felt so beaten by anyone before in his life, and he’d been beaten by the biggest and baddest of the baddies from the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxies, the worst thing was I totally deserved it, he thought miserably.
To Be Continued...
Link to Part 2
Part 1
Humming quietly to himself, John scrolled down to the bottom of another page of the report, displayed on the laptop in front of him. His leg bounced the rhythm of the song he hummed, Jackson by Johnny Cash, he'd been playing it on the guitar the other night, he liked the train- like rhythm, a standard for Johnny Cash, it meant movement, travel, not having to stay still too long and not having to sit and write endless stupid, boring military spending reports. He was sitting at a table in the Mess Hall, he wasn't entirely sure why he came here to work so often, he knew he didn't like his office, it was too quiet and felt like a tomb with the dark glowing walls and the total lack of windows. He had thought about requesting another one with windows a while ago but other things got in the way, life threatening situations, city wide emergencies, off world missions, things that made windows in an office seem trivial.
For someone who was a self professed loner he liked the sound of people, liked crowded rooms, the murmur of people talking, not necessarily to him but to each other. In Afghanistan, the soldiers he ferried from one field of operations to the next in his chopper had complained about the crowded markets and crush of people. As a military officer he was trained to be wary in crowds and watch for signs of trouble. Aside from the obvious tactical difficulties of a large crowd, John secretly thought that in a another life time he could have happily been a merchant in one of those stalls surrounded by people, perhaps with a wife and kids, lots of kids, life all around him, part of him belonging...usually these thoughts were interrupted by the sound of bullets or something exploding- the opposite of life around him.
Looking up from his laptop he realised that he'd been in the Mess Hall for some time, his empty dinner tray was pushed to the side, along with two empty water bottles and an empty coffee mugs. I must have the galaxies’ biggest bladder, he thought. Sliding an elbow on the table he ran a hand through his already tousled, finger twisted hair.
He could handle Mission Reports and staff reviews were not high on his list of favourites but these endless reports explaining how the military budget was spent and why, killed him every time. Perhaps his frustration came from picturing the suits at the IOC sitting around some table back on earth debating the extra $50 expense for batteries that didn't run out in the middle of a mission or $2 per pair for thermal socks. He felt like filling in all the blanks on the forms with -THESE GUYS ARE TRYING TO KILL US! DAILY! and including an 8 by 10 photo of a wraith (maybe of Todd... or what was the name he gave that last Wraith Queen? Norma?) He could include a CV for them too; he closed his eyes and pictured it.
Name: Norma
Occupation: Life Sucker
Hobbies: Life Sucking
Skills: Life Sucking
Previous Experience: I've been an evil life sucking bitch for 300 years and I have an exemplary record of killing, maiming and generally sucking the life out of all the good in the galaxy, nay the universe.
He chuckled to himself and then rubbed his hair again thinking, McKay may be right, I might just be a little weird. Atlantis’ Chief Scientist had said it to him on numerous occasions. Just yesterday morning McKay had passed him as he sat on the floor across from Major Lorne's quarters waiting for his Second in Command to emerge. He'd taped a life size image of General O'Neill across the Major's door so it would be the first thing he saw as he left for breakfast.
“What are you ...?"
"Shhh!" John had cut across McKay’s question, the scientist’s voice generally had two settings-loud and louder and he didn't want Lorne to hear him.
" Just wait," John whispered as McKay gave him one of his famous glares.
They had waited all of a minute before McKay opened his mouth to question again. Patience was not one of the scientists’ strong suits.
Sheppard raised a hand, palm towards McKay, to indicate silence when Lorne's doors swooshed open. John was instantly rewarded by a satisfying shriek and a loud thump from behind the large image hanging in the doorframe, indicating Lorne had not only screamed but fallen backwards in surprise.
“Goddamn you're trying to kill me," Lorne's voice came from the floor somewhere behind the large image.
Sheppard barely heard him, as he was already rolling on the floor of the corridor, laughing so hard his eyes were watering. McKay looked down at him and rolled his eyes.
" You really are weird, you know that," he stated managing to sound snarky and bewildered at the same time.
" He had it coming," John managed to say between snorts of laughter," Somebody put a stuffed clown in my bed last week and I have it on good authority that bastard was responsible," he finished, pointing towards Lorne's door.
" Hey it wasn't only me..." Lorne said weakly, obviously still on the floor recovering.
" Children," McKay muttered as he turned and walked away shaking his head. John could have sworn he'd seen the ghost of a smile on the scientist's lips as he turned away.
It was dark outside and the spires of the city glowed through the large windows of the Mess Hall, John was gazing out past them at the ocean when a reflected movement in the window caught his eye. McKay was walking slower than usual and he rubbed his eyes and yawned as he entered the Mess. John was not surprised at this behaviour ,it was common for the scientist to spend endless hours in his lab and then stumble out bleary eyed, pale and stiff from too much time slumped in the same position staring at screens and fiddling with intricate ancient devices.
Rodney predictably went straight for the coffee and poured himself a cup, ever since the city had been able to receive supplies from the Deadelus the kitchen staff were very conscious of keeping a constant stream of coffee ready. Some guessed that it was largely because of McKay and his voracious coffee drinking. No one wanted to deal with the ranting, cursing and on one occasion- hysterics that occurred when the coffee urn was empty.
“Hey! McKay!” Sheppard called to him across the Hall. Rodney looked up and Sheppard mimed drinking from a mug, Rodney got it right away and rolled his eyes, he does that a lot, Sheppard thought.
McKay grabbed a second mug and poured a cup for John. Rodney took both mugs over to the milk and sugar area pouring milk and half a packet of sugar into John’s then grabbing a spoon and stirring it, the scientist took his own coffee black so he didn’t add anything to his own mug. Stomping over to John’s table, Rodney deposited the cup in front of him, looking at the other empty mugs, bottles and sandwich containers.
“Why exactly do you have an office?” he asked his voice thick with sarcasm.
John was looking at his coffee, it was exactly the right colour not too light no too dark, he wasn’t as much of a coffee junky as McKay, wasn’t a snob about it, he had drunk all manner of hot beverages in both the Milky Way and the Pegasus Galaxies and generally took what he was given and didn’t complain about it. He’d spent too many years drinking coffee in war zones and on military bases to be particular about it but when he did get his own coffee he added just a splash of milk, not cream, and half a packet of sugar, because a full one was too much and made the coffee too sweet. How was it McKay knew exactly how to fix his coffee, he’d done it easily, like it was something he knew off by heart, well, he was a genius, John thought, but...he never remembered things like that, he could recite the many laws of physics and knew the square root of pi (in his sleep) but birthdays, names and personal details about the people he knew was not something he generally stored in his oversized brain.
“What?” McKay asked obviously puzzled by John’s fixation with his cup of coffee.
“ I only put half a thing of sugar, that’s right isn’t it?”
“When’s my birthday?” John asked.
“Um, are you alright Colonel are you having a relapse?” McKay suddenly looked worried. The entire base had just recovered from a virus that had caused memory loss and various other bad things, including death in a few cases death, so Rodney’s worry was perhaps not a complete overreaction to John’s bizarre question.
“No, no McKay I’m fine I know when my birthday is I’m asking you if you know when it is.” Sheppard said quickly. McKay’s worried frown turned to one of confusion.
“January 5th, but why are you asking?” McKay asked.
“April 15th.”
“Okay... that’s my birthday, so we’ve got that clear, are you sure you’re feeling alright?” McKay asked leaning across the table to look closer at the colonel’s face.
“What’s my favourite colour?”
“Is this some weird game? Are there marines hiding somewhere waiting to jump out, have you been possessed by a gouald?” McKay blurted, quickly ducking to look under the table, as if he expected to actually find marines under there.
“Rodney just answer the question there’s no one under there, will you stop,” John said bending down to fix McKay with a stare under the table. Rodney froze and looked at him still perplexed but he relaxed a little as well and sat down across from the Colonel. He took a sip of his coffee and then slowly put the mug down.
“Blue.” he answered finally.
“Orange,” John countered and McKay nodded to confirm that John did indeed have his favourite colour right.
“Dog,” McKay said getting into the swing of this new weird pass time of John’s.
“Cat,” Sheppard said.
“Well that’s easy you know I have a cat back on earth so of course I’m a cat person,” McKay quipped thrusting his chin forward a little in challenge.
“Macaroni and cheese, butterscotch pudding and power bars.”
“Humph, easy again,” McKay grumped,” steak and onions, mashed potatoes and apples,”
“Batman While Gotham City Burns.”
“Back to the Future, though I will never understand why you...”
“The Goldberg Variations,” Sheppard jumped in quickly
“A Boy Named Sue.” McKay answered rapid fire now intent on this game.
“Whales.”
McKay shuddered slightly perhaps remembering a recent nightmare about his own personal deep seated phobia before he said, “Clowns.”
“Mary”
“Joanne. Maiden name?” McKay asked thrusting his chin out even further in challenge.
“Linton,” John answered arching an eyebrow and tilting his head in equal challenge.
“McKenzie,” McKay shot back looking immensely smug.
There was a beat and then they both said, “Have you been reading my file?” simultaneously.
John shrugged in response which McKay obviously took as a yes and raised his eyebrows which John then took as a yes and said nothing. Back to the game John thought.
“Blue dress shirt,” John continued.
“T-shirt any colour but probably black,” McKay responded.
They paused looking at each other across the table; John picked up his coffee and took a sip, his perfect coffee that had started this whole thing. What did McKay think this was John wondered, he wondered himself, since things with McKay were often comfortingly familiar and disconcertingly strange at the same time John didn’t dwell on it too long.
“Sneakers,” John started again.
“Sandals,” McKay returned fire.
John started to speak and then stopped, he had to think about that last answer, McKay had only seen him wear boots or sneakers so how did he know that he liked sandals the most, he never had the opportunity anymore but there were quite a few summers when he was a kid when he would only wear sandals or go without shoes entirely, working on the beach as a life guard and surfing.
“How, did you...” he started to ask.
“You grew up in California, what else would you wear? Besides you said once you wished you had a pair when we were on PX3529.”
“The beach planet?”
“Yes, yes, as I said PX3529 .” McKay confirmed.
“Fall.”
“I’m assuming you mean the season not the act of falling cause you know I don’t like that.”
“Of course though you do look funny when you fall,” Sheppard replied smirking.
“We’re not talking about you’re bizarre penchant for enjoying other people’s humiliation and pain though I guess I could add pranks as a favourite thing of yours, hmm?” McKay added.
“Fall.”
“Okay, yes, winter,” McKay snapped back.
“Uh nope summer, you lose,” Sheppard said looking at Rodney with a triumphant grin, deep down he felt a little disappointed, thinking this should have been an easy one.
McKay looked defeated briefly but then a look of defiance crossed his face and he shook his head.
“No you said that winter was your favourite season once, something about...” McKay was thinking hard about it snapping his fingers as if the action would bring the memory back,” ...about, yes, the weekend you and your ex girlfriend got stranded in Vermont and how you played in the snow for two days.”
“I told you about that?”John asked hearing the tone of his voice rising in incredulity.
“Well you told Teyla on M3X 585...the rocky one where we had to camp out,” McKay added to John’s questioning look, “I was trying to sleep and I couldn’t so I listened to your story,” McKay mumbled his eyes drifting down to his coffee and his cheeks reddening slightly.
“You mean you eavesdropped?” John said barely hiding the fact that he was teasing.
“Colonel you were three feet away from me, obviously it wasn’t top secret or you would have moved further away,” McKay retorted, his former defiance returning as he looked directly at John again.
"15," McKay said attempting to look straight at John but his eyes gave his nervousness away as they darted around at a frantic pace.
"What is that?" Sheppard asked wondering what little tick or annoying habit he had that McKay had been tallying.
"The number of times you've almost died since I met you."
John was left speechless for the third time since McKay had put his perfect cup of coffee down in front of him." You've been counting that?" John asked quietly.
"Oh like you haven't," McKay sniped with a false bravado that Sheppard saw through immediately.
"One," John said staying quiet now. He could see the wheels turning behind Rodney's eyes as he tried to guess what one thing he'd done that John was now counting, the wheels seemed to stop and McKay looked serious for a moment, he opened his mouth slowly and said, "John."
"Two," John said to confirm Rodney's guess.
"I didn't think you'd noticed that," the scientist said with his eyes lowered as he slowly circled his mug in his hand.
"You've only ever called me Colonel, Sheppard, flyboy, Kirk, dumbass..."
"Yes, yes, yes, I get the idea I've never called you by you're first name before and you noticed. It’s just that there was a lot going on at the time what with the city running out of power, asteroids trying to pummel us and with Elizabeth..." he trailed off momentarily and looked like he was about to say something and then changed his mind,"...um so I thought you hadn't noticed with all that."
"I noticed," Sheppard stated baldly.
"Well perhaps the next time we are all about to die spectacularly I will call you it again," McKay said, his voice softer than the words indicated.
"Maybe you shouldn't wait until then, I mean, it's just, we're friends, I like it when my friends call me by my name, not always, I mean, feel free to call me dumbass as well," he said, his smirk returning.
"Well okay, John," McKay said sounding slightly uncomfortable as he said Sheppard’s first name like it was foreign word he couldn't pronounce properly.
“Three and I don’t expect you to, you know all the time just, um...” he trailed of and changed tack feeling slightly frustrated "Oh come on McKay it's not like it's that unusual anyway don't do it if you're gonna be all weird about it," he started to pull his laptop over to resume working when Rodney reached across and put his hand on John's forearm to stop him.
"I won't, I mean I won't be all weird about it, okay. John," McKay said his voice just above a whisper.
John could feel his ears heating up and thought they were probably turning red along with his cheeks, which also burned, as he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. What am I doing here , he thought. He took a quick look around the Mess Hall and realised there were a few other people scattered around quietly reading at tables or talking in subdued tones. We’re not alone, he thought, and here I am blushing because Rodney’s touching my arm. John could feel the scientist's heat on his arm, felt the warmth radiate through him down to his stomach which was starting to twist into a knot.
Rodney obviously felt him tense because the doctor’s hand jerked away quickly and started to fumble with his coffee mug.
Fix this, John thought, I need to fix this quickly what the hell am I doing.
“6,” McKay said quickly, his tone returning back to the challenge of the game.
“Um...what is...?” John stammered feeling inwardly grateful that McKay was jumping in first, fixing things, making it feel normal again.
“The number of space bimbos you’ve Kirked since we got here,” McKay said cutting across John’s question.
“Kirking is not a verb McKay and it has not been anywhere near 6,” Sheppard stated his tone rising in complaint.
“I am counting a couple of Wraith Queens in there,” said McKay in defence of his answer.
“That’s sick and I would like to know what you’re definition of Kirking is cause I would say I have NEVER Kirked a wraith,” John said.
“You know what I mean when I say Kirking and it does not mean you had sex with them just that you...you know...used your...charm on them,” McKay answered sounding a little embarrassed at the end.
“I do not charm Wraiths, I kill them, I annoy them, I do many things but I do not charm them ever,” John was beginning to get angry at McKay’s assumption that he spent his time trying to seduce any and all of the females in the Pegasus Galaxy, it was not true and if he was so successful at seducing people why was he so damn lonely. “Just because you’re completely clueless when it comes to women doesn’t mean you get to call me some kind of space slut.”
“Sheppard I wasn’t calling you a space slut, what are we in Junior High School, and I’ll remind you that I am in a relationship at the moment,” Rodney sniped, his voice rising so much that the other people in the Mess Hall began to look over at them.
“Really so when’s Katie's birthday then?” John shot back almost immediately regretting it. The scientist's face froze at the words and he slowly began to stand staring at John with an expression Sheppard found hard to read.
As McKay started to walk away John stood and went to grab his arm to stop him, knowing that he needed to say something, to take the whole thing back and turn it into a joke, he could do that he thought... he was good at that. He got as far as grabbing the scientists arm and opening his mouth, when McKay yanked his arm out of Sheppard’s grip and turned, punching him square in the jaw with such force that the Colonel fell back into the table knocking everything off of it including the mostly full coffee cups and his laptop.
John lay sprawled across the table his hand rubbing his jaw as he watched McKay march out of the Mess Hall looking straight ahead. Several people had a risen out of their seats. A couple of marines who’d been having coffee at a table across the Hall walked over. John quickly got up and began picking up the debris that surrounded the table.
“You alright sir?” one of them asked.
“I’m fine Corporal, just a disagreement,” Sheppard snapped in response, feeling his face and ears heating up again, he ducked his head and focused on picking up broken glass to avoid the marines concerned eyes.“Chavez, round up a mop and broom for me will ya,” he said, feeling that issuing orders would help him feel more like himself.
The younger dark haired of the two marines stood up more straight and immediately said, “Yes Sir," then he turned quickly and was off to look for the items. The other marine was busy retrieving the laptop as it had skidded under a neighbouring table. He placed it on the colonel’s table and looked down at his commanding officer saying quietly,” With respect sir I didn’t think Doctor McKay had that in him.”
“He took me by surprise...”John blurted out and then felt stupid. He stood up slowly and tried to smirk at the marine, though it may have looked like a grimace because of his sore jaw. It really did hurt, McKay had caught John right on the edge of his jaw with his knuckles and John felt like his whole mouth was off center now.” Moral of story we shouldn’t be training the science staff in combat they are dangerous enough already.” He wondered if the marine would buy his false casualness, would believe his put on swagger.
Fifteen minutes later they had finished cleaning everything up and Sheppard thanked the two younger men, still trying to remain casual.
” Watch out for angry scientists,” he said with a wry wink as they left, the two men laughed but Sheppard knew they could tell he was in pain. As he was talking he barely moved his jaw, making his voice sound strange.
He grabbed the ice pack that Chavez had brought back for him with the cleaning supplies and placed it gingerly on his jaw. As the pain subsided slightly he found he was appreciative of the marines diligence.
He examined his laptop and found that the damage was minimal, just a dent in the right corner. Deciding that his work was finished for the night he shut the laptop and slid it under his arm. He was aware that the eyes of the other people left in the Mess Hall followed him as he walked out but his jaw was throbbing too much now he didn’t care, his back was sore too, from where he’d landed on the table.
As he hobbled out of the Mess Hall he thought he’d never felt so beaten by anyone before in his life, and he’d been beaten by the biggest and baddest of the baddies from the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxies, the worst thing was I totally deserved it, he thought miserably.
To Be Continued...
Link to Part 2