Title: Fun in a Puddle Jumper
Pairing: John/Rodney
Warnings: Slash
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: There were all manner of things that one could do in a puddle jumper
There were all manner of things that one could do in a puddle jumper.
'Cmon Rodney, it's just a little trip across the galaxy.'
Rodney McKay had been in a puddle jumper numerous times; they were an easy mode of transport through the galaxy. That, of course, didn't mean that he had to like them. He hated flying with a passion. It wasn't the thought of falling to his death that worried him; there were so many other horrible ways to die in one of these things. They could be blown up by a Wraith ship, or drown hundreds of meters under water. And those were only two of the many ways to die in a puddle jumper.
'Every second I spend in one of these things is a second I need to fear for my life,' he snapped at John Shepherd, the man sitting next to him. He also happened to be the man responsible for his current predicament.
'It's not that bad Rodney,' John argued, steering the puddle jumper a little to the left.
Rodney shook his head. 'What if we ran into some hostile alien race while we're out here?' Another thing you can do when in a puddle jumper.
'I'd put on the cloaking device and we'd turn around and go back,' John explained.
Rodney pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. 'I don't see why I had to come along for this,' he complained.
'You, Rodney, had to be here incase something goes wrong.' John said with a smile.
This made Rodney frown. 'You brought me along when you think something is going to go wrong? Are you trying to kill me?'
'Calm down Rodney,' John chuckled. 'I brought you along just in case. Nothing is going to happen.'
'Just the fact that you brought me along means that you think something is going to happen. Don't think that-'
'Rodney shut up.'
Rodney paused, watching John curiously. The Colonel had been cheery up until that moment, and even then he'd said it with a smile. Rodney couldn't figure out what was going on.
He'd been woken up at 6am to find John leaning over him with a wide grin. 'Come on Rodney!' he'd said. 'I'll meet you in the jumper bay in 10 minutes!' Supposing he didn't have a choice, he'd gotten up, got dressed and met John in the jumper bay. A decision he had regretted the moment John had shoved him into one of the things.
'There are so many other things I could be doing with my time,' he explained to John, after a few minutes of silence.
'Like what?' John asked curiously.
'I could be working on my research.'
'You need a break from your research sometimes,' John scoffed. "And besides, you can do half those calculations here in a puddle jumper.'
Rodney made a face. 'Why on Earth would I do them in a puddle jumper when I can do them on the ground? Safely?'
John frowned, but didn't take his gaze off the space in front of them. 'Because the view up here is so beautiful. It's like each of the stars is a little lantern.'
It was the closest thing to poetry he'd ever heard John say; and his heart ached. He watched as John stared out at the stars, giving Rodney time to look him up and down. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed John before; he'd always known that John was a strong warrior, and very handsome to boot. It was just that recently, he'd been noticing John in a different way. He blushed when John would hug him; even if it was just a friendly hold around the shoulders. He stuttered when he made eye contact with the man for pete's sake; it was getting ridiculous! And yet, John hadn't noticed any of this. Or at least, if he had, he hadn't said anything.
The contents of Rodney's stomach churned at the thought. John could never know. He could never know the thoughts that Rodney had around him; or the dreams. So he remained a regular pain in the arse; to try and throw anyone off his trail. It was John's voice that brought Rodney back to reality.
'Now what could you possibly want to do more than this?'
'I could be sleeping,' Rodney mumbled half heartedly.
A flicker of pain crossed John's face, but it was quick, and Rodney couldn't be sure.
'You can do that on a puddle jumper too,' John said, and turned his attention back to the stars.
They sat in silence, until John pointed at something in front of them. 'There it is.'
Rodney looked towards where John was pointing, and breathed a small sigh of wonder. A little ways from where they hovered in space, a large cloud of coloured dust had formed, and hung suspended in-between the stars.
'It's beautiful,' Rodney said in wonder.
'Sure is,' John murmured, but he wasn't looking at the cloud.
'This is what you dragged me out here to see?' Rodney asked, turning to look at the other man.
John nodded his head. 'Was it worth the ride?'
'I still don't like puddle jumpers...' Rodney murmured under his breath.
With a roll of his eyes, John clicked the puddle jumper over into automatic and turned to fully face Rodney. 'You know Rodney, puddle jumpers really aren't all that bad. There's heaps of things you can do in them.'
'Like what?' Rodney asked. 'Because out of all the ones we've come up with so far, I think dying might be the one that I remember most because-'
His complaints were cut short when John's lips captured his in a brief kiss. When John pulled back, Rodney gazed at him in astonishment. 'You just kissed me.'
'Uh, yeah.' John rubbed his neck, looking nervous for the first time that day. 'Something else you can do in a puddle jumper I guess.'
Rodney licked his lips, not breaking eye contact with John. 'I think that might be the thing I remember most from my time in puddle jumpers,' he said.
This caused John to grin, and without another word, he leant back in to capture Rodney's lips again.
'Rodney?'
'Mhm?'
'I think there's something else we could do in this puddle jumper.'
'What's tha-oh. Oh.'
'-'
'-'
Rodney decided that there were a few pretty good things one could get up to in a puddle jumper.