Better Now

John/Rodney

FRT

Summary: Rodney’s down, John makes it better.

Spoilers: Through all three seasons.

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be, no infringement intended, no profit being made, just for fun.

Distribution: My LJ, my site, anywhere else just ask.

Feedback: Yes please!

Warnings: There is some genderswitching in this.

Author’s Notes: Based on caoilain’s prompt: Five ways John makes Rodney’s day better. Dedicated to ficbicta_bear on her birthday, may the next year be better than the previous. *hugs*

Although he didn’t know it at the time, the first time John made Rodney’s day better was by sitting in the chair.

Carson had been fussy all day, refusing to sit still long enough for Rodney to get any significant readings. Then when Rodney had finally persuaded him to try one more time, Carson had activated the neon yellow squid-like device they’d all assumed was a weapon of sorts. Which was a plus, but not from the perspective of General O’Neill.

Rodney’s day went downhill from there. Jackson had figured out the whole eighth chevron thing, and was undoubtedly going to get the credit. And while Rodney was the leading expert on ZPMs, the General just looked at him like he was crazy or something. Rodney had skipped lunch in favor of trying to woo Carson into the chair, so he was hungry and he’d been awake for going on thirty hours so he just wanted to go back to his room and crash before facing another day of more of the same.

Then there was the familiar hum of something powering up and Carson was yelling and some… flyboy was sitting in the chair and then Rodney noticed it was on. His picked up his data pad. The readings were higher than when Carson sat in the chair. Rodney turned to the man, correction, Major.

“Think of where we are in the solar system.”

The major concentrated and … oh wow. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

The second time was after the whole storm/Genii raid thing. Sheppard had saved the day, everyone was returning to Atlantis and Rodney was getting ready to go help Zelenka with the million or so things that needed his attention when he was waylaid by Atlantis’ hero.

“Can I help you, Major?”

“No, but I think I can help you.”

“Really? All those who have multiple PhDs raise their hand.” Rodney glanced around before lifting his. Sheppard just scowled.

“Come on, McKay.”

Rodney found himself pulled along by his sleeve, stumbling over his feet as Sheppard tugged harder. He attempted protesting but found that his words were falling on deaf ears. He was pushed into a transporter and then out of it again when they reached their destination. Then Rodney was manhandled into a room, Sheppard’s room, and onto a bed. He attempted to get up but a glare from John had him sitting down again. A med kit was tossed next to Rodney, scissors produced and John was cutting away his self applied bandage was being removed.

“What…? Major, that was a perfectly good bandage.”

“Outside of your clothes, McKay.”

“Oh.”

“Take off the jacket.”

Rodney complied, wincing as skin and hair pulled against dried blood. Then Sheppard cleaned and redressed the wound. Rodney just tried not to notice how tender he was being. He couldn’t think those kinds of things about the AMERICAN military leader of Atlantis.

“There, all done.”

“Thanks.”

Sheppard just shrugged. “No problem. Just don’t go spending the next forty-eight hours with Zelenka, try to catch some sleep.”

Rodney just stood and left the room. It was…weird that anyone, that Sheppard, would care enough to worry about him like that. But he made his way to the labs with a bit of spring in his step.

The third way came unexpectedly and Rodney almost didn’t recognize it for what it was.

The night after…after Carson died, Rodney squirreled away in his room. He couldn’t wrap his genius brain around the idea that his best friend was gone. Dead. Never coming back. He’d gathered Carson’s things, preparing them to be sent through the Stargate. For the first time in his life, Rodney McKay was at a loss as to what to do.

He knew that he should mourn, should feel something. But Rodney couldn’t. He was numb. Carson would have suggested he go see Heightmeyer, but Carson wasn’t here and Rodney wasn’t listening to anyone else. So he was sitting on his bed, staring at the picture of him and Carson and just….. Then he heard the chime announcing a person at his door and Rodney ignored it. It came again.

“Go away!”

Instead of hearing footsteps fading, Rodney heard he door whoosh open and saw John (Rodney had at some point stopped thinking of him as Sheppard) standing there. Of course the door would open for him. John Sheppard was the darling of the city. She’d do anything for him.

“I said, go away. What part of that don’t you understand?”

The door whooshed shut and John just stepped closer to Rodney.

“I want to be alone, thank you, Colonel.”

“It’s just us, Rodney. I think you can call me John.”

“Fine. I want to be alone, John.”

“Not gonna happen, buddy.”

Next thing he knew, John was sitting next to him. Rodney tried in vain to push him away. But John just scooted closer and drew Rodney into a hug. They sat there, Rodney stiff and unyielding, John just holding him, for what seemed like an eternity. Then something inside Rodney snapped and he was crying. It started with tears rolling down his face followed by body wrenching sobs of anguish and collapsing against John.

Rodney woke up the next morning, still dressed, tears dried and John’s arm still wrapped around him. They untangled themselves and said nothing, but Rodney was able to face what came next, Carson’s funeral, all thanks to John. Looking back, Rodney realized he could point to that moment as the moment he realized what he and John had together was more than just friendship.

From that point on Rodney noticed that there were a million small ways John made his days better, from bringing him coffee to letting him mock the science of various movies and television shows. So he stopped marking the ways. Until the fourth (significant) time.

It was hard to fathom that after ten years in the city, there were still parts that were unexplored. Every week, different teams were sent out to see what they could find. Usually it was ordinary stuff like labs or rooms, holding nothing of significance. But sometimes they struck gold, finding Ancient machines that helped them in some way.

That week, it was Rodney and his team that were out searching. They had split up, Teyla and Ronon taking one half of the section, he and John taking the other half. John was lighting up rooms as they made their way through the section, grinning like an idiot. Rodney just smiled and let him, ten years of that hadn’t dampened John’s enthusiasm, so who was Rodney to bring him down?

They came across one room that not only lit up, but had a machine smack dab in the middle of it that powered up. Rodney got near it, checking the readings on his data pad. John walked around it as if trying to figure out what it was for. Reaching Rodney, John stood next to him, trying to read over his shoulder.

“What is it?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out.”

“Well, figure it out faster, Rodney. We only have another hour to search the rest of this section.”

“Going as fast as I can, John.”

The machine started humming, loudly, before a beam of light hit the both of them, knocking them out. When Rodney came to, he saw John hovering over him, staring.

“What? What?”

“You’re….you’re…..”

“I’m what?”

Rodney looked down and …. He had breasts. He was a woman. The machine had turned him into a woman. What kind of machine did that? And why would the Ancients need a machine like that? John just helped him up, radioing for Teyla and Ronon to meet them. Then he radioed Keller.

“How’s she going to help?”

“I just want to make sure that you’re still….healthy and stuff.”

“I’m perfectly fine. Except for the fact that I’m a woman!”

John grabbed Rodney into a hug, which felt really weird, but comforting. Then he leaned down (Rodney was shorter as a woman) and whispered into his ear.

“It doesn’t matter, I still…well, you know.”

Rodney looked up at him.

“Really? Well, I, uh…you know.”

“Cool.”

John took his hand and they went to find their team mates.

The fifth time, well, turns out it was a time Rodney made John’s day better and it came ten months later. It took the science team just over a month to figure out how the Ancient sex-change machine worked. And by then, Rodney couldn’t get changed back because Keller declared he was pregnant. Rodney passed out, John flushed and the rest of Atlantis just grinned and laughed. Three months later, when Keller announced twins, Rodney loudly proclaimed John was never getting near him again.

By the time Rodney went into labor, all of the Atlantean residents were near the breaking point. Twenty hours, much cursing and endless last minute additions to the betting pool later; Peter Marshal Sheppard-McKay and Jeannie Elizabeth McKay-Sheppard were introduced to their rather large and complex family. Both fathers were doing fine, Rodney had reverted back shortly after the birth.

That night, in their new, larger quarters, John held Rodney close.

“Thank you.”

“For what? Having searing pain, for being bloated and fat for nine months?”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Yes, well….go on.”

“Thank you for….going through with it.”

“Of course I went through it you idiot. I love you, why wouldn’t I go through with it?”

Stunned silence filled the room. John just gaped and Rodney blushed. It wasn’t like they didn’t know how they felt about each other; they’d even had the commitment ceremony. Then Rodney realized that neither of them had said it out loud. Until now.

“I meant it, you know.”

“I know, Rodney. I, uh….”

“You don’t have to say it, John.”

“But I want to.”

“It’s okay, really. I know you do.”

John nodded, pulling Rodney into a kiss.

“But next time you get to have the kids.”

John laughed.