***
“I absolutely refuse to bond with you,” Rodney informed the major the moment they were alone, chin raised defiantly. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave him his best glare. Instead of looking intimidated, the major merely looked relieved.
“Oh, thank god,” he replied, and sagged back against the wall. Rodney was so startled by this reaction that his arms dropped back down to his sides. He took a cautious step closer, watching as the major rubbed his upper arm absently.
“You don’t want to bond either?” Rodney asked, incredulously. He’d never met another person who hadn’t talked of bonding with reverence and longing. Another thought struck him, and Rodney’s eyes narrowed. “Why not? I’ll have you know I am quite the catch.”
“I’m sure you are,” the major said wryly. His slump seemed to turn into a casual lean, the lights of the room growing bright the more his body came into contact with it. He was pretty hot, Rodney noticed, with the spiky hair and full lips and lean build. He took a moment to feel smug that his soulmate was so attractive - as befitting a man such as Rodney. Not that he was planning on doing anything about it, Rodney reminded his libido, and resolutely ignored the ache in his own arm.
“So why don’t you want to bond?” Rodney asked, curious despite himself.
“I just don’t,” he replied stubbornly, his jaw clenching. “It doesn’t mean anything. People fall in love with people who aren’t their soulmates all the time.”
Rodney nodded eagerly, pointing a finger enthusiastically. “Right, exactly! It’s all just, just romantic claptrap. I think people are so in love with the concept of soulmates that when they meet the person their Kiss lights for, they don’t even bother to fall in love with the actual person, just the idea of them, of this perfect person.”
The major - what was his name again? Had Rodney even been told? - raised an eyebrow at Rodney’s use of air quotes on the last two words but nodded agreeably, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. He had pushed off the wall and was edging toward the door now, like he couldn’t wait to be out of this room, and Rodney felt no burning desire to be around his so-called soulmate either.
“So we’re agreed,” Rodney said briskly, ready to move on. “No bonding.”
“Right. No telling anyone, either.”
“God, no,’ Rodney was horrified by the very idea. “They’d insist we bond. It would take too long to convince them neither of us want to, time much better spent on other things.” They would also insist that he and the major see Dr. Heightmeyer about the reasons behind their unnatural resistance, because finding your soulmate was A Big Deal, capital letters intended. A thing to be celebrated in the minds of the masses, and a thing to be avoided in Rodney’s.
The major left without so much as a goodbye, slipping quietly from the room and moving quickly down the corridor, his fast pace putting distance between himself and Rodney. He didn’t look back and Rodney took a moment to let the relief sink in.
Humming, his mind already focusing on other things, Rodney turned to head back to the chair room.
+++
Stepping through the gate to Atlantis was exciting and terrifying and everything Rodney had worked toward for months. Rodney stuck close to the major, since he had the strongest gene, and was delighted when the stairs lit up, revealing Ancient script. Rodney had made a point of studying the language in the many months preceding this and could just read, “WE HOLD THESE AS THE TRUTH” before he was scurrying up the stairs after Sheppard. They shared an awed glance as the city around them continued to wake up.
Their awe and excitement didn’t last long before terror set in, as the dangerous situation they now found themselves in became clear. It wasn’t difficult to search the database for likely gate addresses to send a scout team, thankfully, since Rodney had much more pressing concerns: such as manually shutting off the unnecessary systems and lights that were activated by their presence and setting up their naquadah generators to boost what little power they had left.
Atlantis rising from the ocean, unprompted, was a stroke of luck that left Rodney feeling breathless and shaky. They had come so close, so terribly close, to dying before they had spent even a day on the city. They’d barely had time to celebrate before Sheppard was pushing for a rescue mission, looking fierce and determined and ready to take on the entire galaxy. Rodney was completely prepared to stay out of it, but the barrier to the rescue mission being a space gate was really no barrier at all, and it cost him nothing to show Sheppard what had been found.
Before Rodney had left to drag Elizabeth down to the gateship bay, Sheppard had grabbed his arm tightly. Rodney had yanked out of his grasp with a scowl, opening his mouth to let the other man have it.
“Listen,” Sheppard said intently. “Why did you do this?”
“Do what? Show you the gateships?”
Sheppard nodded. He looked unhappy, which Rodney found a bit offensive. He had just shown the man how to rescue their people, after all. Was a little gratitude too much to ask for? Rodney’s lip curled. Military men were always assholes, it seems.
“Because I think our people deserve to be saved,” Rodney said, lifting his chin. Most wouldn’t believe it of him, but Rodney could care about the wellbeing of others. Not to mention they were stranded in another galaxy and needed all the people they had.
“Fine,” Sheppard responded, taking a step back. “Just as long as it wasn’t because of, you know,” he gestured between them vaguely.
Rodney snorted. “Please, as if I would do something for you because of that.”
*
read it on the AO3 athttp://ift.tt/29XXcCF
bypopkin16
This was Rodney’s favorite kind of meeting.
Words: 2170, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
