Work Text:
Rodney stood at the whiteboard quickly scribbling down equations, for what John could only guess. Well, he did have a couple of ideas, he was just waiting to see which played out first.
He leaned back against the counter and sipped at his coffee. A second thermal cup sat near his elbow. He'd brought it for Rodney, but so far, his scientist hadn’t taken notice of it.
John didn't mind being temporarily ignored. Watching the Rodney McKay Show was often worth its weight in gold all on its own. Like now.
The blue marker in Rodney's hand had run out and, muttering expletives under his breath, Rodney gave it a hard shake and then threw it at the wall. Sighing heavily, he pulled a new purple marker out of his pocket.
John grinned into his mug of coffee. There were two problems on Rodney's mind these days. One, the current ZPM power fluctuation snafu, and two, figuring out the odds of getting his sister Jeannie something she'd like for her birthday.
He'd nudged Atlantis for help with the first and gotten no answer. As for the second, he could give Rodney a hint, but where was the fun in that?
Besides—
There it was again. As Rodney reached up to make a correction, the sleeve of his lab coat slipped down enough to reveal his wrist. That's all it took. Suddenly, John's world revolved to focus on that one, single point.
Maybe he'd heard John's sharp intake of breath, maybe not. In any case, Rodney glanced over at John, flushed, and quickly pulled his sleeve down to cover the tattoo.
Aiming for casual, John asked, "How much longer are you gonna be at this?" He pointed to the extra mug of coffee he'd brought along for added incentive.
"Oh. Um, thanks. I guess I could take a break now." A tiny smile broke out across Rodney's face. "Did you, ah, did the ink tell you to do that?"
"No, Rodney. I had that bright idea all on my own." He'd hardly needed a telepathic nudge to know Rodney never turned down a good cup of java.
Turning his back to the whiteboard, and there was that tiny smile again, Rodney reached for the coffee. Nodding agreeably, he admitted, "It's a good idea."
As he sipped his own drink, John remembered the day O'Neill told him that he believed that people who didn't want to go through the stargate were whacked. He wondered now if the general had any idea of the possible consequences. Nah, he couldn't have.
Consequences. Hell of a word. He was still reeling from AR-1's trip to M43-977 three days ago. There had been a nice, friendly ceremony where he and Rodney were selected to receive an honored gift. A gift bestowed in a way that made it clear—"No," would not be a good answer.
Someone really needed to write up a rulebook that covered this crap.
He turned over his own wrist to display his part of the gift. For unexplained reasons, his tattoo had been wrought in a mirror image of Rodney's. Feigning a casualness, he didn't come close to feeling, John asked, "So, ready to talk about it?"
Awkwardly, Rodney asked, "Can't we just chalk this up to more Pegasus weirdness? I'm happy to add it to the list of space vampires, energy creatures, lights you can turn on with your mind…what's one more thing?"
Very deliberately, John stroked his thumb over his tattooed wrist, his eyes never leaving Rodney's face.
Rodney shuddered. His head flung back and he uttered a low, guttural, groan that went straight to John's hindbrain. John bit down on his tongue before he could yell out the word, mine.
Breathing hard, Rodney came back to himself and stared anxiously at John. "Okay, you made your point.
"Yeah? Well, your reaction almost made me come in my pants, so we're even."
Fingers still shaking, Rodney pulled his lab coat tightly closed. "Not just you."
"I could see that." John arched one eyebrow. "So, Dr. McKay, time to talk about this or would rather spend all afternoon testing this little link here?"
With a defeated sigh, Rodney nodded his head in reluctant agreement. "Please don't make this any more embarrassing that you have to, Sheppard."
"Under the circumstances, I think you can call me John." Receiving a grumpy acknowledgment in return, John continued, "Elizabeth has approved new, larger quarters for us. To share. Together," he added just in case Rodney didn't take the hint.
"She's being remarkably sanguine about all this," Rodney said.
"Yeah. I can't decide if she's promoting it for some progressive stance or if she just wants to have this recent wrinkle over and done with so she doesn't have to think about it." John shrugged.
"She hasn't suggested sending anyone else to the planet?" Rodney asked.
John shook his head no.
"Hm, still not proof either way. Speaking of sanguine," Rodney continued, "you're very calm about all this. I figured you'd be screaming and running for the hills. And… not quite so calm about shacking up."
John rolled up his sleeve and extended his forearm.
After staring at it for a few seconds, Rodney took a deep breath and laid his own bared forearm on top of John's lining their tattoos up. Mirror images met and completed, one on top of the other.
John braced for it, knowing what was coming. Heart, courage, and compassion all flowed through the bond. And yes, an answering challenge. How could it be otherwise with Rodney? John smiled. That suited him just fine.
Something else whispered to him through the bond that nearly rocked him back on his heels. Acceptance. Utter, complete acceptance.
Swallowing thickly, he raised his eyes to meet Rodney's. "I want to discover everything this means, don't you?"
John didn't need to feel the wave of approval coming through the bond to know the answer. Seeing how Rodney's eyes lit up was answer enough.
~*~