SGA fic: After (Pegasus Airlines AU)
Title: After
Author: winkingstar
Rating: PG
Pairing: John/Rodney
Summary: What happened after the election.
Wordcount: ~1,450
Disclaimer: SGA and its characters are not mine. This is for fun and love, not profit.
Notes: Part of my [ Pegasus Airlines AU ]. All you need to know: John is a charter pilot and Rodney is a flight attendant in Santa Barbara, California. There are more stories to be told between this one and the previous two, but for now I needed to write post-election boys since they are in California. (I know, I am slow. I so wanted to write this up closer to the actual election, but I was broken-hearted over the Prop 8 results and then I was eaten by grad school.) So, yes it's sad because Prop 8 sucks, but I promise it's also hopeful (because there is still hope). More bittersweet than plain sad.
Thanks to flyakate for beta duties! ♥
December 10 is [ International Human Rights Day ] and [ Day Without A Gay ]. For more events and other ways to support freedom to love, check out [ Join The Impact ].
***
"You voted, right?" Rodney asked, just as John was about to fall asleep.
"Yes, Rodney," John mumbled. "It's not like I stole it back after mailing it."
"Sorry," Rodney said. "It's just ... important, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, history in the making, blah blah blah," John yawned. "Can we sleep now?"
"I mean, there's the President, of course," Rodney continued, "and the chance to make your country respectable again. But there's the other thing, too."
John fumbled through the tangle of sheets to grab one of Rodney's fidgeting hands and pressed his nose against Rodney's shoulder. "I know."
*
The next day, John had an overnighter, flying two zoologists from the U. to Catalina. The scientists went to wait for the shuttle into Avalon and John took his overnight bag to the Nature Center, where Jinto greeted him excitedly and asked about the flight and the planes and the pigeons and Teyla. John smiled as he answered Jinto's eager questions. He greeted Halling and said he was going to town for a while and would be back for dinner.
John took the shuttle down from the airport, then walked from the plaza towards the bay, stopping at Lloyd's to pick up some fudge. He began walking towards the Casino to kill some time in the island museum, but turned around when he spotted a limo and a gaggle of people in formal attire. Who gets married on Election Day? he thought irritably. There were shops along the bay, but he was too restless for browsing so he went back to the plaza to wait for the airport shuttle.
Back at the Nature Center, John helped Halling and Jinto close up and then followed them back down the hill a ways to their house. After dinner, John let Jinto play with his DS while he and Halling listened to the election reports on the radio. The announcers called the President as soon as the West Coast polls closed, so there was about half an hour of pride and hope and maybe before the California precincts started reporting. Halling and Jinto went to bed at ten, so John curled up on the couch with his DS, checking and refreshing websites with a sinking feeling until he fell into an uneasy sleep sometime after midnight.
There was no morning paper on the island, so they turned on the radio again over breakfast. John listened to two minutes before abandoning his bowl of Cheerios and stalking outside. He punched the rock wall and swore. A few minutes later, Jinto appeared.
"You are sad?" Jinto asked, holding up a bandage.
"I'm pissed off," John snapped.
"You are sad," Jinto said decisively.
Damn kids, John thought, letting Jinto wrap his hand.
"You should talk to Teyla when you get back," Jinto continued. "She is good at making sad things okay."
"Sure," John muttered, hoping he'd be able to avoid her.
*
Of course it was impossible to avoid Teyla since she was the only ground controller for Pegasus. Once he'd parked, she tucked her glowsticks in her back pocket and stood beside the plane. John would have liked nothing more than to slump down in the pilot's seat and wait for her to go away. She was annoyingly persistent, but there would be other planes to guide in, so she'd have to leave at some point. Unfortunately, he did have to let the scientists out. He avoided Teyla's gaze, instead watching the propellers come to a lazy stop. When he finally scrambled out after the scientists and stopped beside Teyla with a sigh, she didn't say anything. She just placed her hands on his shoulders and did her weird head-butt thing. He found it oddly comforting now, the familiarity of her gesture easing something tight inside his chest.
After a few moments, she stepped back. "How are you?"
"Crap."
"What happened to your hand?" she asked, pointing to the bandage on his right hand. "Were you helping with the foxes again?"
"No." John tugged the edges of the bandage with his other hand. "I may have hit a rock."
"Oh. I am sorry," Teyla said, putting a hand on his arm again. "May I ask, did you have plans to marry?"
John shrugged and stared at his boots. He hated how Teyla had a way of somehow getting you to talk about things you didn't want to talk about. "We never talked about it. But it was nice to have the option. And ... he mentioned it the other night. When he asked if I'd voted."
"We persuaded Rodney to watch the results with us. He gave us a bit of a lecture shortly after midnight." She smiled sadly. "We did not get much sleep last night. Carson has been keeping Ronon and I supplied with coffee, but Rodney is having to make do with the in-flight coffee. As I am sure you can imagine, he is a bit grumpier than usual today."
John smiled. "I bet."
Teyla tapped her earphones and said, "There is another plane coming in. You will be all right?"
"Yeah. It doesn't change anything. Just.... I'm fine."
Teyla nodded and patted his arm before jogging out to the runway.
John retrieved his binder and overnight bag from the cockpit. It didn't change anything, not really, but he'd done a tour with the military and he was tired of being relegated to shadows. He dropped his things in the office and went into the main terminal to check the arrival of Rodney's flight. Forty-three minutes. He retreated to the break room and slumped on a couch to wait. When it was about time for the flight to land, he stopped to pick up a triple espresso from Carson before heading out to the tarmac.
He watched the passengers getting off, a few of them looking uneasily over their shoulders. When Rodney finally appeared five minutes after the last passenger had scurried toward the baggage claim tents, he was scowling.
"Oh. John." Rodney stopped halfway down the steps.
"Move it, Blue Eyes," Laura said as she and Nick came down the stairs after him. Rodney stepped down on the tarmac and Laura and Nick continued on toward the airport, albeit very slowly, with Laura trying to look casual while straining her neck to look back at them.
"Hey," John said, holding up the cup of coffee in his left hand.
"Oh thank god," Rodney said, grabbing the cup and taking a big gulp. "We got about three hours of sleep last night and I've been forced to drink the in-flight sludge they call coffee just to mock us poor, sleep-deprived souls and what did you do to your hand?" He grabbed John's bandaged right hand. "Did you get bitten by a fox again?"
"No," John said. "I..."
"You moron," Rodney said, rubbing his thumb across John's palm.
John stared down at their hands for a few moments and then abruptly pulled his hand away. His palms were sweating. He took a breath and looked back up at Rodney's eyes. "Your eyes are blue." Which wasn't what he meant to say at all.
Rodney gave him a puzzled look. "Yes... They've always been blue. Are you feeling okay?"
"Rodney," John blurted, "will you not marry me?"
"What?"
John swallowed against a mouth gone suddenly dry. "Will you not marry me?" he repeated, trying to keep his voice steady while hoping against hope that he hadn't said the wrong thing.
"No," Rodney said.
John stared at him in panic, trying to think of what to say to fix this. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have- I thought-"
But Rodney leaned forward and kissed him quiet. "No," Rodney repeated. "I figure that's the correct answer to your backwards question in your stupid backwards country."
John let out the breath he'd been holding in a ragged laugh and kissed Rodney again.
"I don't not love you," Rodney whispered against John's ear.
"I-Yes. Me too," John replied, at a loss for words to express his relief.
"Oy! McKay!" Laura called from the terminal door.
"I have to go," Rodney said, gesturing towards the airport. "More stupid people who need more stupid snacks and drinks. We can resume this discussion in a few hours?"
"Yeah," John agreed. "I bought fudge at Lloyd's."
"Coffee and chocolate, you're definitely a keeper," Rodney said.
Teyla jogged up behind them. "Hello," she said, smacking them both lightly on the back of their heads with her glowsticks by way of a greeting.
"We're not engaged," Rodney told her, bouncing on his feet.
Teyla grinned. "I am happy for you."
John ducked his head, smiling, and grabbed Rodney's hand as they walked back to the terminal.
~ { end } ~
Author: winkingstar
Rating: PG
Pairing: John/Rodney
Summary: What happened after the election.
Wordcount: ~1,450
Disclaimer: SGA and its characters are not mine. This is for fun and love, not profit.
Notes: Part of my [ Pegasus Airlines AU ]. All you need to know: John is a charter pilot and Rodney is a flight attendant in Santa Barbara, California. There are more stories to be told between this one and the previous two, but for now I needed to write post-election boys since they are in California. (I know, I am slow. I so wanted to write this up closer to the actual election, but I was broken-hearted over the Prop 8 results and then I was eaten by grad school.) So, yes it's sad because Prop 8 sucks, but I promise it's also hopeful (because there is still hope). More bittersweet than plain sad.
Thanks to flyakate for beta duties! ♥
December 10 is [ International Human Rights Day ] and [ Day Without A Gay ]. For more events and other ways to support freedom to love, check out [ Join The Impact ].
***
"You voted, right?" Rodney asked, just as John was about to fall asleep.
"Yes, Rodney," John mumbled. "It's not like I stole it back after mailing it."
"Sorry," Rodney said. "It's just ... important, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, history in the making, blah blah blah," John yawned. "Can we sleep now?"
"I mean, there's the President, of course," Rodney continued, "and the chance to make your country respectable again. But there's the other thing, too."
John fumbled through the tangle of sheets to grab one of Rodney's fidgeting hands and pressed his nose against Rodney's shoulder. "I know."
*
The next day, John had an overnighter, flying two zoologists from the U. to Catalina. The scientists went to wait for the shuttle into Avalon and John took his overnight bag to the Nature Center, where Jinto greeted him excitedly and asked about the flight and the planes and the pigeons and Teyla. John smiled as he answered Jinto's eager questions. He greeted Halling and said he was going to town for a while and would be back for dinner.
John took the shuttle down from the airport, then walked from the plaza towards the bay, stopping at Lloyd's to pick up some fudge. He began walking towards the Casino to kill some time in the island museum, but turned around when he spotted a limo and a gaggle of people in formal attire. Who gets married on Election Day? he thought irritably. There were shops along the bay, but he was too restless for browsing so he went back to the plaza to wait for the airport shuttle.
Back at the Nature Center, John helped Halling and Jinto close up and then followed them back down the hill a ways to their house. After dinner, John let Jinto play with his DS while he and Halling listened to the election reports on the radio. The announcers called the President as soon as the West Coast polls closed, so there was about half an hour of pride and hope and maybe before the California precincts started reporting. Halling and Jinto went to bed at ten, so John curled up on the couch with his DS, checking and refreshing websites with a sinking feeling until he fell into an uneasy sleep sometime after midnight.
There was no morning paper on the island, so they turned on the radio again over breakfast. John listened to two minutes before abandoning his bowl of Cheerios and stalking outside. He punched the rock wall and swore. A few minutes later, Jinto appeared.
"You are sad?" Jinto asked, holding up a bandage.
"I'm pissed off," John snapped.
"You are sad," Jinto said decisively.
Damn kids, John thought, letting Jinto wrap his hand.
"You should talk to Teyla when you get back," Jinto continued. "She is good at making sad things okay."
"Sure," John muttered, hoping he'd be able to avoid her.
*
Of course it was impossible to avoid Teyla since she was the only ground controller for Pegasus. Once he'd parked, she tucked her glowsticks in her back pocket and stood beside the plane. John would have liked nothing more than to slump down in the pilot's seat and wait for her to go away. She was annoyingly persistent, but there would be other planes to guide in, so she'd have to leave at some point. Unfortunately, he did have to let the scientists out. He avoided Teyla's gaze, instead watching the propellers come to a lazy stop. When he finally scrambled out after the scientists and stopped beside Teyla with a sigh, she didn't say anything. She just placed her hands on his shoulders and did her weird head-butt thing. He found it oddly comforting now, the familiarity of her gesture easing something tight inside his chest.
After a few moments, she stepped back. "How are you?"
"Crap."
"What happened to your hand?" she asked, pointing to the bandage on his right hand. "Were you helping with the foxes again?"
"No." John tugged the edges of the bandage with his other hand. "I may have hit a rock."
"Oh. I am sorry," Teyla said, putting a hand on his arm again. "May I ask, did you have plans to marry?"
John shrugged and stared at his boots. He hated how Teyla had a way of somehow getting you to talk about things you didn't want to talk about. "We never talked about it. But it was nice to have the option. And ... he mentioned it the other night. When he asked if I'd voted."
"We persuaded Rodney to watch the results with us. He gave us a bit of a lecture shortly after midnight." She smiled sadly. "We did not get much sleep last night. Carson has been keeping Ronon and I supplied with coffee, but Rodney is having to make do with the in-flight coffee. As I am sure you can imagine, he is a bit grumpier than usual today."
John smiled. "I bet."
Teyla tapped her earphones and said, "There is another plane coming in. You will be all right?"
"Yeah. It doesn't change anything. Just.... I'm fine."
Teyla nodded and patted his arm before jogging out to the runway.
John retrieved his binder and overnight bag from the cockpit. It didn't change anything, not really, but he'd done a tour with the military and he was tired of being relegated to shadows. He dropped his things in the office and went into the main terminal to check the arrival of Rodney's flight. Forty-three minutes. He retreated to the break room and slumped on a couch to wait. When it was about time for the flight to land, he stopped to pick up a triple espresso from Carson before heading out to the tarmac.
He watched the passengers getting off, a few of them looking uneasily over their shoulders. When Rodney finally appeared five minutes after the last passenger had scurried toward the baggage claim tents, he was scowling.
"Oh. John." Rodney stopped halfway down the steps.
"Move it, Blue Eyes," Laura said as she and Nick came down the stairs after him. Rodney stepped down on the tarmac and Laura and Nick continued on toward the airport, albeit very slowly, with Laura trying to look casual while straining her neck to look back at them.
"Hey," John said, holding up the cup of coffee in his left hand.
"Oh thank god," Rodney said, grabbing the cup and taking a big gulp. "We got about three hours of sleep last night and I've been forced to drink the in-flight sludge they call coffee just to mock us poor, sleep-deprived souls and what did you do to your hand?" He grabbed John's bandaged right hand. "Did you get bitten by a fox again?"
"No," John said. "I..."
"You moron," Rodney said, rubbing his thumb across John's palm.
John stared down at their hands for a few moments and then abruptly pulled his hand away. His palms were sweating. He took a breath and looked back up at Rodney's eyes. "Your eyes are blue." Which wasn't what he meant to say at all.
Rodney gave him a puzzled look. "Yes... They've always been blue. Are you feeling okay?"
"Rodney," John blurted, "will you not marry me?"
"What?"
John swallowed against a mouth gone suddenly dry. "Will you not marry me?" he repeated, trying to keep his voice steady while hoping against hope that he hadn't said the wrong thing.
"No," Rodney said.
John stared at him in panic, trying to think of what to say to fix this. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have- I thought-"
But Rodney leaned forward and kissed him quiet. "No," Rodney repeated. "I figure that's the correct answer to your backwards question in your stupid backwards country."
John let out the breath he'd been holding in a ragged laugh and kissed Rodney again.
"I don't not love you," Rodney whispered against John's ear.
"I-Yes. Me too," John replied, at a loss for words to express his relief.
"Oy! McKay!" Laura called from the terminal door.
"I have to go," Rodney said, gesturing towards the airport. "More stupid people who need more stupid snacks and drinks. We can resume this discussion in a few hours?"
"Yeah," John agreed. "I bought fudge at Lloyd's."
"Coffee and chocolate, you're definitely a keeper," Rodney said.
Teyla jogged up behind them. "Hello," she said, smacking them both lightly on the back of their heads with her glowsticks by way of a greeting.
"We're not engaged," Rodney told her, bouncing on his feet.
Teyla grinned. "I am happy for you."
John ducked his head, smiling, and grabbed Rodney's hand as they walked back to the terminal.
~ { end } ~