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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-05
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599
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1/1
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For Those Long Lonely Nights

Summary:

Written for chelletoo who wanted: John/Rodney - John gives Rodney a kitten.

Work Text:

For Those Long, Lonely Nights
by hawk_soaring

Rodney looked up when a closed box was gently set on the workbench in front of him. John Sheppard was standing on the other side of the bench, smirking at him and looking like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. Rodney lifted an eyebrow and scowled. That look never bode well for how his afternoon would play out. With an annoyed huff Rodney reached out to move the box out of his way. John was quicker and pulled the box away before he could pick it up and toss it over his shoulder – you know, just to show John that he was being childish – John, not him of course.

Rodney huffed out a long-suffering sigh. “What is it, Colonel?”

John grinned. “It’s a box, Rodney,” John drawled. “And I thought you were a genius.”

Rodney scowled. “I know it’s a box!” he snapped. “What the hell is the box doing in my lab?”

John waved the box toward Rodney. “It’s a present.”

Rodney rolled his eyes and bent over his work bench again. “It’s not my birthday, Colonel.” While Rodney would relish a gift from John, he was pretty sure that the gift was meant in fun, maybe even friendship – and he couldn’t help but hope for more. Rodney let out a small sigh. More would never happen with Colonel Kirk, however.

John waved the box in his direction again. “I know it’s not your birthday, Rodney. Come on – open your present.”

Rodney set his tools down on the workbench and reached for the box. John pulled the box just out of his reach and Rodney glared. “Get out of my lab. I don’t have time for your games, Colonel.”

“Hey.” John sounded hurt and Rodney used every ounce of willpower not to bang his head on the bench in front of him.

Instead, Rodney folded his arms across his chest. “What now?”

“Don’t you want your present?”

Rodney grit his teeth and counted to ten. “I reached for the damn box and you pulled it away.”

John grinned again. “That’s because you have to be careful. It’s fragile.” He set the box on the workbench again. “Open it.”

Rodney stared at the box for a minute and then looked at John. John smiled and waved at the box, mouthing ‘open it’. Rodney tamped down his trepidation and his hope and pulled the lid off the box. When it didn’t explode in his face, he leaned forward and peered inside. “It –“ He took a breath. “It’s –”

John chuckled. “It’s a kitten!” He reached into the box and pulled out a little gray piece of fluff.

A little gray piece of fluff with bright blue eyes. It looked at Rodney and meowed.

Rodney blinked stupidly. “It’s a kitten.”

“Yeah!” John said, obviously pleased with himself. He pushed the kitten into Rodney’s hands.

“You got me a kitten.”

John nodded.

“Why?” Rodney couldn’t wrap his head around the purring ball of fluff in his hands. It was a kitten. Why seemed like a perfectly valid question – possibly followed by where the hell had he gotten it… but why was definitely first.

“To keep you company. You remember that night last month when we got drunk?”

Rodney would have banged his head on the workbench but his hands were full. “That night” had been a long night of drinking while John was trying to wash away his sorrow at having been dumped by the latest bimbo of the month – and Rodney may have admitted that he sometimes got lonely… but a kitten hadn’t been what he’d been trying to hint at. Sometimes men were clueless – especially the heterosexual ones.

end