[fic] Once Bitten (SGA)
TITLE: Once Bitten
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: (Stargate: Atlantis) Rodney has been bitten by a spider.
14 Valentines: Domestic Violence
1-800-799-7233 is the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Once Bitten
Rodney glared across the infirmary at the spider (currently residing in a jar) and was just about to launch into a full-blown rant about arachnids, why they shouldn't have survived in a ten-thousand-year-old city, and why they had better not have come from offworld when Carson came back in with the lab results.
"Well, the good news is, Rodney, it's not poisonous," he said.
"Oh, God," Rodney said, "that means there's bad news."
Carson rolled his eyes. "There is a new compound in your blood that we haven't seen before. We're going to continue to run tests on the spider, but it appears to be perfectly harmless. Any other symptoms?"
One of the nurses, Popovich maybe, came in to take the jar away, and Rodney frowned. "Yes, actually. It's like . . . like an echo, just now." He scratched his arm. "Huh, okay, it's gone."
Carson checked Rodney's pupils. "Hmm. As far as I can tell you're fine. You'll feel better once you eat, I'm sure."
***
It was worse in the mess hall. Rodney looked out over the crowds of people and felt it, slight pulses in his ears. He shook his head and sat down with Radek and the botanist, Paris. Parrish?
Rodney shook his head. "It's getting a little worse."
"What's getting--" Parrish was cut off by Sheppard drifting by the table on his way out.
"Hey, we're still on for that movie, right?"
"What? Yes, yes, fine," Rodney said, frowning, but Sheppard was leaving and Radek said, "Perhaps we should go back to the infirmary."
Rodney stood up, a little shakily. "Okay, good idea," he said, and they left Parrish's worried face behind.
***
Once they got back to the infirmary, though, it went away.
"Weird," Rodney said, and hopped up on a bed to wait for Carson.
Radek's brow was still furrowed. "So," he said casually, "tomorrow we will work on the power consumption ratios for the--"
Which was when one of the linguists came into the infirmary, hobbling on one crutch, and Rodney's inner ear went ping, ping, and Rodney realized what it was.
"Oh," he said. "Oh, stupid spider," and he unceremoniously left Radek, stomping into the lab where the spider was sitting in its little glass jar.
He stabbed a finger at it viciously and snapped, "Gaydar is not a superpower."
***
Okay, fine, now that he knew what it was it was easy to tune it out, and he only had to promise Beckett to use his power for good and not evil about a thousand times before he was released for good.
So here he sat, setting up M:I3 on his laptop, and Sheppard knocked and then came in and sat down next to him.
And . . . no. Wait. Not possible.
"What?" Sheppard said, looking worried.
Rodney tilted his head a little, and listened to his inner ear. "Seriously," he said. "You're straight?"
Sheppard half-shrugged. "Sorry," he said.
"Huh," said Rodney, and started the movie.
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: (Stargate: Atlantis) Rodney has been bitten by a spider.
14 Valentines: Domestic Violence
1-800-799-7233 is the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Once Bitten
Rodney glared across the infirmary at the spider (currently residing in a jar) and was just about to launch into a full-blown rant about arachnids, why they shouldn't have survived in a ten-thousand-year-old city, and why they had better not have come from offworld when Carson came back in with the lab results.
"Well, the good news is, Rodney, it's not poisonous," he said.
"Oh, God," Rodney said, "that means there's bad news."
Carson rolled his eyes. "There is a new compound in your blood that we haven't seen before. We're going to continue to run tests on the spider, but it appears to be perfectly harmless. Any other symptoms?"
One of the nurses, Popovich maybe, came in to take the jar away, and Rodney frowned. "Yes, actually. It's like . . . like an echo, just now." He scratched his arm. "Huh, okay, it's gone."
Carson checked Rodney's pupils. "Hmm. As far as I can tell you're fine. You'll feel better once you eat, I'm sure."
***
It was worse in the mess hall. Rodney looked out over the crowds of people and felt it, slight pulses in his ears. He shook his head and sat down with Radek and the botanist, Paris. Parrish?
Rodney shook his head. "It's getting a little worse."
"What's getting--" Parrish was cut off by Sheppard drifting by the table on his way out.
"Hey, we're still on for that movie, right?"
"What? Yes, yes, fine," Rodney said, frowning, but Sheppard was leaving and Radek said, "Perhaps we should go back to the infirmary."
Rodney stood up, a little shakily. "Okay, good idea," he said, and they left Parrish's worried face behind.
***
Once they got back to the infirmary, though, it went away.
"Weird," Rodney said, and hopped up on a bed to wait for Carson.
Radek's brow was still furrowed. "So," he said casually, "tomorrow we will work on the power consumption ratios for the--"
Which was when one of the linguists came into the infirmary, hobbling on one crutch, and Rodney's inner ear went ping, ping, and Rodney realized what it was.
"Oh," he said. "Oh, stupid spider," and he unceremoniously left Radek, stomping into the lab where the spider was sitting in its little glass jar.
He stabbed a finger at it viciously and snapped, "Gaydar is not a superpower."
***
Okay, fine, now that he knew what it was it was easy to tune it out, and he only had to promise Beckett to use his power for good and not evil about a thousand times before he was released for good.
So here he sat, setting up M:I3 on his laptop, and Sheppard knocked and then came in and sat down next to him.
And . . . no. Wait. Not possible.
"What?" Sheppard said, looking worried.
Rodney tilted his head a little, and listened to his inner ear. "Seriously," he said. "You're straight?"
Sheppard half-shrugged. "Sorry," he said.
"Huh," said Rodney, and started the movie.