[Stargate: Drabble] "Lunacy" [John/Rodney, G]
Title: Lunacy
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: 100_tales 006 moon
Rating: G
Word Count: 508
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Summary: “I’ve been to dozens of planets and an entire other galaxy, but I still kind of wish I could go to the moon.”
Lunacy
“You know,” Rodney said, softly. “I’ve been to dozens of planets and an entire other galaxy, but I still kind of wish I could go to the moon.”
John, lying sprawled in the grass beside him, frowned thoughtfully up at Earth’s full moon. “You know, we could,” he said. “Borrow a couple of space suits, hop in a jumper and-”
He broke off as Rodney smacked his shoulder. “You think I hadn’t thought of that? But it wouldn’t be the same.”
“Hmm,” John agreed.
“I didn’t become an astrophysicist by accident, you know,” Rodney continued. “I’m a genius, I could have chosen any field and been brilliant. But I… it’s silly.”
“Rodney,” said John, with fond exasperation, “I’ve listened to you complain for hours about the state of your socks. This can’t possibly be worse than that.”
“It was not hours,” Rodney grumbled. Then, he sighed. “I knew I would never qualify to be an astronaut. With my allergies and hypoglycemia, and the fact that no one would want to spend even a few days crowded into a tin can with me, let alone weeks or months - and don’t say anything, Sheppard, you’re biased.”
John, who had been about to protest, reached over to find Rodney’s hand. “Oh, I’m very biased.”
Rodney scowled, but his thumb began tracing patterns on John’s knuckles. “So,” he continued, “I knew I’d never be an astronaut, but I hoped. It is ridiculous, I don’t care what you say. But I had this, this fantasy that there would be some action-movie disaster and I’d be the only one who could solve the problem and I’d get to be the big hero. See? Ridiculous.”
“Nah,” said John. “I mean, that’s pretty much what happened.”
“What?” Rodney spluttered. “No, it’s not.”
“Well, yeah, maybe without the disaster part. And it took you a while to get to the heroics, but… You were, like, the first person who signed up for the original Atlantis expedition, weren’t you? You’d made yourself the expert on Ancient crap and they wouldn’t have had a mission without you.”
“I don’t know if that’s exactly true,” Rodney mumbled.
“And then,” John continued, “command for the whole thing got dropped on me. I’d only known aliens were real for about five minutes before I left for a whole other galaxy, and suddenly I’ve got to lead a whole colony of people to fight them. So I knew there was one person I needed to help me do that. And the very first time a crisis hit, you walked into a murderous alien cloud with just an unknown Ancient doohickey to protect you. That sounds pretty heroic to me.”
“Well,” Rodney managed after a moment. “I did mention you were biased.”
“All I’m saying,” said John, “is that maybe you didn’t get to be an official NASA astronaut, but I think you got the hero part after all.”
Rodney squeezed his hand. “I still wish I could have gone to the moon. But I like where I am right now, just fine.”
THE END
Current Mood:
snowy
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: 100_tales 006 moon
Rating: G
Word Count: 508
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Summary: “I’ve been to dozens of planets and an entire other galaxy, but I still kind of wish I could go to the moon.”
Lunacy
“You know,” Rodney said, softly. “I’ve been to dozens of planets and an entire other galaxy, but I still kind of wish I could go to the moon.”
John, lying sprawled in the grass beside him, frowned thoughtfully up at Earth’s full moon. “You know, we could,” he said. “Borrow a couple of space suits, hop in a jumper and-”
He broke off as Rodney smacked his shoulder. “You think I hadn’t thought of that? But it wouldn’t be the same.”
“Hmm,” John agreed.
“I didn’t become an astrophysicist by accident, you know,” Rodney continued. “I’m a genius, I could have chosen any field and been brilliant. But I… it’s silly.”
“Rodney,” said John, with fond exasperation, “I’ve listened to you complain for hours about the state of your socks. This can’t possibly be worse than that.”
“It was not hours,” Rodney grumbled. Then, he sighed. “I knew I would never qualify to be an astronaut. With my allergies and hypoglycemia, and the fact that no one would want to spend even a few days crowded into a tin can with me, let alone weeks or months - and don’t say anything, Sheppard, you’re biased.”
John, who had been about to protest, reached over to find Rodney’s hand. “Oh, I’m very biased.”
Rodney scowled, but his thumb began tracing patterns on John’s knuckles. “So,” he continued, “I knew I’d never be an astronaut, but I hoped. It is ridiculous, I don’t care what you say. But I had this, this fantasy that there would be some action-movie disaster and I’d be the only one who could solve the problem and I’d get to be the big hero. See? Ridiculous.”
“Nah,” said John. “I mean, that’s pretty much what happened.”
“What?” Rodney spluttered. “No, it’s not.”
“Well, yeah, maybe without the disaster part. And it took you a while to get to the heroics, but… You were, like, the first person who signed up for the original Atlantis expedition, weren’t you? You’d made yourself the expert on Ancient crap and they wouldn’t have had a mission without you.”
“I don’t know if that’s exactly true,” Rodney mumbled.
“And then,” John continued, “command for the whole thing got dropped on me. I’d only known aliens were real for about five minutes before I left for a whole other galaxy, and suddenly I’ve got to lead a whole colony of people to fight them. So I knew there was one person I needed to help me do that. And the very first time a crisis hit, you walked into a murderous alien cloud with just an unknown Ancient doohickey to protect you. That sounds pretty heroic to me.”
“Well,” Rodney managed after a moment. “I did mention you were biased.”
“All I’m saying,” said John, “is that maybe you didn’t get to be an official NASA astronaut, but I think you got the hero part after all.”
Rodney squeezed his hand. “I still wish I could have gone to the moon. But I like where I am right now, just fine.”
THE END
Current Mood:
snowy