Sloth Days, John/Rodney, SGA

[darkhavens]

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I've signed up for mini_nanowrimo, committing to a minimum of 100 words a day, every single day for November. I figure I can at least force 100 words a day out, right? Right? If this doesn't work, I'm going to be out of ideas. Wish me luck!

(Looks like it's working so far though. *g*)

Author: darkhavens
Title: Sloth Days
Fandom: Pairing: Stargate Atlantis: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Rating: G
Words: 500
Concrit: darkhavens @ slashverse.com. If you spot a typo, please feel free to tell me in comments. I want you to!
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. No harm, no foul, no money made.
Summary: Every now and then Rodney's brain refuses to reboot.
Notes: Written for slashthedrabble challenge #142: Sloth.


When Rodney takes a holiday it's usually on sufferance, something he's ordered to do. On those occasions, his brain keeps whirring, overclocked and working on seven impossible things at once, theories and calculations churning away just below the surface.

But Rodney also takes Sloth Days, named by one of his long-forgotten room mates while he was studying for his second PhD. Sloth days are those rare days when Rodney's brain simply shuts down and refuses to reboot for twenty-four hours or so.

John likes to think he's learned most of Rodney's little quirks, but he doesn't know this one. The first he hears about it is when Rodney doesn't appear for the command staff power breakfast. When he asks why they're starting without Rodney, Elizabeth announces 'Sloth Day' like it's supposed to mean something.

John looks blank.

A strangely short and interruption-free power breakfast later, John carries Rodney's share of the tura fruit pastries and a vacuum flask of steaming black coffee back to Rodney's room. Elizabeth's description of her first experience of a Sloth Day back in Antarctica had been vivid and quite amusing, but John knew he'd never believe it until he'd seen it for himself - Rodney without his thick outer layer of 'Genius at work', without that constant buzz and twitch of vital energy.

Rodney, who is lying on his bed under a colorful Athosian blanket, fingers laced behind his head, his eyes tracking the ripples of light reflected onto the ceiling from the waves outside his window.

As John moves into his field of vision Rodney smiles, slow and lazy. "Hey."

John holds out the plate of pink puff pastries and watches, amused, as Rodney struggles to untangle his fingers and get them out from behind his head.

"Hey. So, Sloth Day?"

"Hmmmm."

Rodney takes the plate, slides it onto the bedside table and promptly grabs John's fingers and tugs, bringing him flush against the edge of the bed. When he stops moving, Rodney pouts and tugs again. John holds out the flask of coffee.

"This what you're after?"

Rodney sighs like he's just been asked to solve world hunger or orchestrate world peace before lunchtime. "Lie down already, you're interrupting the show. If you stare at it long enough you can almost feel the city rocking on the waves."

John allows himself to be tugged and shoved into place, and then used as a pillow.

"You know that we can't really..."

A finger is pressed against his lips.

"Just watch. It only happens when the angles are just right, and it never lasts more than half an hour, so until then just... hush, okay?"

They lie there, pressed together from knee to shoulder, watching the ripples of light slide across the ceiling and down the wall before vanishing into the shadows in the corner.

This version of Rodney is cuddly and adorable, but also quite unnerving. When John wakes the next morning to the sound of keyboard clicks and muttered curses, he's kind of relieved.

Comments

[saraocallaghan.livejournal.com]

Eeeeep! So adorable! I love Sloth!Rodney, so cute! And so different from normal Rodney, I can how John would be unnerved, poor baby!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

So cute.

[mf_luder_xf]

Utterly adorable, and yet, still Rodney. And hey, I totally have those days. Probably more often, though. And I usually call them "Burned-Out Day". LOL!

[galaxy-song.livejournal.com]

lol sloth Rodney is the best reminds me of drugged rodney lol

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

Sloth!Rodney is just sooo cute.

[sp23.livejournal.com]

Aw, I loved that. And I love the idea of where Rodney's brain just kinda takes a day off. And John finding the idea of a slothful Rodney both sweet and unsettling. Just terrific. :)

[sunnyd-lite.livejournal.com]

John holds out the flask of coffee.

"This what you're after?"

Rodney sighs like he's just been asked to solve world hunger or orchestrate world peace before lunchtime And that would totally freak out John. A Rodney NOT demanding coffee?
Lovely

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

You know, I'd completely ignored the fact that Atlantis is a floating city. So, thank you for conveying the incredible feeling of experiencing the gentle rocking by the shifting patterns of light. Also, considering the fact that I feel so many of the architectural elements (the glasswork designs) are so Frank Lloyd Wright, it is eminently appropriate that the light would play such an important role by its cast reflections.

Oh, and, yeah, Sloth Day, too!

Soothed hugs,
H.

[peapods42.livejournal.com]

Quick, someone get that picture of Anderson Cooper holding a sloth, put John's head on his.

Lovely. Love Sloth!Rodney.

[literati.livejournal.com]

Yay for writing! *\o/*

John allows himself to be tugged and shoved into place, and then used as a pillow.

Where can I get one of those pillows? >.>

♥

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I have visions of Elizabeth learning about Sloth Days at Antarctica, when Rodney turned out one day and announced he was going topside to watch the penguins. :P

(I love Gibbs too. *g*)

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

The idea of a powered down Rodney intrigues me, and the thought of John trying to deal with something that far out of his normal experience, well, that amuses me no end.

Love the icon. I want one that looks like that but with a little arrow pointing to the gap between the Johns and the legend 'Insert Rodney here'. :P

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Drugged Rodney is wonderful. :D I think sloth Rodney would be slightly more coherent but just as random and giggly.

Thanks!

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Rodney's brain has the same self-preservation instincts as Rodney has, it just has to apply them differently. *g*

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

John needs to understand that Sloth!Rodney has different priorities. The coffee will still be there later, but the light show on the ceiling is fleeting. *g*

Thanks!

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I'd completely ignored the fact that Atlantis is a floating city.

I really started thinking about it after the takeoff and landing sequences, all that water and motion and light. They're just floating out there, untethered, and even though the city must weigh a bajillion tons, I bet there's still that tiniest sensation of motion. :D

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Quick, someone get that picture of Anderson Cooper holding a sloth, put John's head on his.

I had to google for the pic - heee! So cute! Thank you. :D

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

'Yay!' indeed! :D

Thankee, baybee. I want a matching set - a John pillow and a Rodney pillow, they're both eminently cuddlable. (Hush! :P)

[isagel.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is lovely, and adorable. I really like the idea of Rodney simply taking his brain offline for a while, and John having no clue what to do with the absence of it.

(Here via mini_nano. Nice first day's work. :))

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

The thought of an offline Rodney was what inspired this. That and John's confusion and possible panic when he encountered him.

And thanks for following the link from mini_nano. I haven't managed to write anything much for months no matter what i try, so I'm hoping the comm gives me the push and encouragement I seem to need.

[mf_luder_xf]

Something like this?

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Hee! Is it gankable?

[psyko-kittie.livejournal.com]

Sloth Day! :) fabulous

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

[mf_luder_xf]

Of course! Just include the usual crediting. :-D

[catvampcrazines.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm. *needs Rodney and his Sloth!day.* *Also... John wouldn't hurt either*

Just lovely.

[vinniebatman.livejournal.com]

Wow, that makes a lot of sense. At some point, Rodney would have to chill out.
~Alice~

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

A matching set would be the perfect Xmyth gift. *g*

Thanks!

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Exactly! :D

Thanks!

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Duly credited. :D

[tabaqui]

Oooh, i like that. I need a Sloth Day, too.
I like that John is a little uneasy about it all.
:)

[incidental-fire.livejournal.com]

Very sweet! The idea of a Sloth Day is really interesting, it makes Rodney seem more human, somehow. And I really liked that it freaked John out, because I can't imagine how disconcerting that would be to actually see!

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Everyone should have at least one Sloth Day a year. *nods*

John just isn't used to Rodney being so easy-going unless he's been fucked into passivity. *g*

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Poor John, he doesn't know how to cope with a Rodney who's not set on 'full steam ahead'. *g*