Okay, brief summary of PCOS, a condition I'm
intimately familiar with.
Quoting from
here: "It may not be a household word, but polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a common endocrine abnormality that affects anywhere from four to ten percent of women of reproductive age. It is one of the leading causes of infertility in women and can have other serious implications for women's health and lifestyle and, if left untreated, can have serious medical consequences, from heart disease to diabetes to uterine cancer.
The symptoms include erratic menstrual cycles, acne, excessive facial and body hair, thinning of the scalp, and obesity. While the diagnosis can sound scary, there are treatments which can reduce the symptoms and improve a woman's quality of life."
Some links I've found helpful or enlightening:
An overview of PCOS.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association, a nonprofit run by women with PCOS.
SoulCysters, an online community devoted to the issue. Very helpful.
A very simple guideline of the symptoms and consequences.
Now, onto the fic!
Title: Monkey Wrench
Description: fanfic, SGA AU. "On Monday and Wednesdays John sits behind the parts counter. His clothes are always dotted with grease, the strong familiar scent of machine oil following him like the finest cologne."
Rating: PG for language, with UST if you want there to be.
On Monday and Wednesdays John sits behind the parts counter. His clothes are always dotted with grease, the strong familiar scent of machine oil following him like the finest cologne. Depending on who is doing the talking, John is either Sheppard, Shep or Boss. Rodney they call Primadonna, New Guy, or Hey Asshole, but when it comes to crunch time he’s your go-to guy: diabolically clever and *fast*.
"You got that damn alternator in yet, Sheppard?"
Rodney leans one arm on the counter, worrying his smashed pinkie nail with his teeth and speaking out of one side of his mouth. "Or are our cheapass employers expecting me to fix this one with a paperclip and a fucking soldering iron, too?"
John smiles, voice low and deceptively lazy. "Nah, McKay, they figure this time you won't even need the iron," he leans in conspirationally, eyes wide, "just some chewing gum and that stick up your ass."
Rodney's elbow slips off the counter in surprise. Recovering, he turns his glare on John's smirking face, but the corner of his own mouth twitches rebelliously upward and his eyes brighten tellingly.
"Quit with your pitiful attempts at humor, jackass, and just find me the alternator."
"You know you love it," John calls to Rodney's retreating back and raised middle finger. He then makes sure to slouch even lower in his seat for another thirty seconds before standing up and heading to the nearest phone.
Tapping on the metal counter with his free hand, John dials a number. "Hey, yeah, this is Sheppard over at Lant's garage, is Cole around? Hmm, okay, how about Harv?" He taps a little faster and thinks wistfully about a sandwich. "Cool, I can wait."
***
14 Valentines: Women's Health.