*slithers on keyboard*

Okay, okay so all the other kiss prompt fills have been soft and fluffy and cute. This one gave me angst vibes. I hope thats okay 💕

Come Home Again

The room was dark when Tony opened his eyes, a dull depthless darkness that was a far cry different from the mystical and star spotted blackness he'd been surrounded by in space.

Right… he was back.

Thinking was normally an easy task for Tony, but recalling the events that led him here was difficult and physically taxing. He remembered landing, remembered clinging to Nebula and limping down the ramp, remembered—

“Steve?” The word was horse and croaking as it left his lips. Steve's hands on his arm and shoulder, too tight and almost painful on his depleted worn out body, the solid heat at his side as Steve had helped him inside—that he remembered, but in a too good to be true dreamy way he wasn't sure he should believe.

“Tony?"

The sound of his name was startling, and Tony flinched harshly before sluggishly turning his head to find Steve sitting off to the side of his bed. His face was shadowed, the plains and angles of it illuminated gently by the subtle glow of the nano tech arc. Why did Steve have it?

“I'm sorry for pushing you like that,” Steve's words were hollow, his eyes downcast to the reactor.

Oh.

Tony closed his eyes against the returning memory. Steve’s questions, his own lunatic ramblings as he fell apart. They had ended on fighting so long ago and wound up the same way this time around. The cold of Siberia seemed better than the chemical fresh chill of the medical bay. He had been left alone and cold and broken hearted back then, but at least his spirit had still been intact. It felt like now he'd lost even that.

“It's fine,” Tony mumbled back softly, opening his eyes to find Steve now looking at him. The reactor's light was obscured by Steve's large palm curling around it, the duller lighting making his face look dark and sad.

“It was selfish,” the other man countered. “I shouldn't have—”

“No. No, no, nonono,” the word tumbled out of Tony in a weak and droning mantra, forcing Steve into silence. Tony went quiet too. Breathing and collecting his thoughts, chasing them like scared animals hiding in the fog of his brain. So much had happened, so much had gone wrong. He didn't want this with Steve. Couldn't handle it—not now. Later, later, there would be time for talking and healing and explanations. All the things they had destroyed and that had been lost between them—it wouldn't, couldn't be forgotten but right now, none of it mattered.

“I don't want to argue. I don't want to fight. I'm done fighting. We lost. We lost so much,” the words were fucking bitter—sharp and painful in his too tight dry throat.

“Tony,” Steve stood and moved to the edge of the bed, placing the reactor on the sheets. Its calming blue a bright contrast to the bland white of them.

“I don't care right now about all of our fuck ups—not yours, not mine. Steve, I just wanna come home.” Tony didn't realize the words had brought him to tears until Steve's palm settled over his cheek. Cupping gently like so many times in the past. Tony turned his face into the contact. “I wanna go home,” softer this time, the words spoken into the battle calloused skin of Steve's palm.

“You are home, honey,” Steve said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You’re home.”

When Steve leaned down over him, the moment felt too long and drawn out. The few seconds it took for Steve's lips to meet his a back breaking straw on top of all the time they had been apart—all the touches they had robbed themselves of.

Tony pressed back simply, not having the energy for more than the firm contact of a couple grounding pecks. Steve lingered, like he always did. His soft mouth brushed tenderly along Tony's jaw, and he felt his stubble catch against the supple softness of the other man's lips.

“You're home now. Get some rest,” Steve whispered into his cheek.

Tony closed his eyes again, barely registering the dip and shift in the bed, already fading back into exhausted sleep. It was only when he heard the steady thump under his ear that he realized Steve had laid down with him; had shifted them so Tony was curled atop him, head pillowed on Steve's powerful chest.

He was home. It was a broken home—cracked picture frames, and unmade beds, and cobweb filled closets—but the foundation was still there. Strong and sturdy, and everything he needed.

Normally, I only do each prompt once, but since this is so different from the other ask for this one I'll do it again! Thank you 😘

Coming in Hot

Steve stood next to the toaster, tapping his fingers on the counter as he waited for his bagel to be done. It was early, and the tower was calm. He'd seen Clint and Natasha preparing for their sparring session an hour or so earlier, but otherwise, it was a ghost town. The toaster finally finished, the crisp pop and ding of it shutting off startling him in the quiet of the kitchen. He plopped his breakfast onto a plate and checked his watch.

It wouldn't be a ghost town much longer, he would bet. Pulling the cream cheese from the fridge, he settled at the breakfast bar and finished preparing his food as he waited.

“Watch it Cap, Stark's coming in hot,” Clint drawled with an amused tone as he entered the kitchen a moment later.

“You don't say?” Steve asked, unsurprised and dry sounding.

The archer just nodded, looking far too happy as he poured the last of the coffee into a mug. 

“Fuck I'm late!” Right on cue Tony entered the space, tie hanging undone around his neck as he fumbled with his cufflinks. “Why does she keep scheduling meetings so early? She knows I'm not a morning person.”

“This wouldn't happen to be the meeting Pepper already rescheduled twice because you keep missing it?” Steve asked, the casualness in his tone giving away that he already knew the answer. 

“Maybe,” Tony grumbled as he picked up the empty coffee pot and frowned. “Barton, I'm gonna kill you,” he promised, glaring at the other man's steaming cup of coffee.

In response, Clint deliberately took a slow drink, holding Tony's eye while he did. 

“Definitely gonna get you. I swear your next batch of arrows is gonna blow up right in your smug little face,” Tony cursed and made a grab for the nearly full mug.

“Extra coffee for you on the bar,” Steve said, pointing to a thermus he'd filled earlier. “Better hurry, if you don't leave now, you'll be late.”

“Thank you,” Tony nearly moaned and picked up the travel cup.

“Uh-huh,” Steve drawled and held up half of his bagel before Tony could try stealing it from his plate. 

“Thanks,” Tony repeated with a sigh, taking it gladly. “Why do you know my schedule better than me?”

“Tony, the hotdog vendor in Central Park knows your schedule better than you do,” Clint piped up with a snort of laughter.

Steve chuckled, and he watched Tony hold the bagel in his mouth as he quickly did his tie. Nimble fingers tugging it into a knot that had no right to be as neat as it was for how fast it had been made. 

“I refuse to acknowledge the truth of that,” Tony spoke around a mouth full and held the thermus up towards Steve. “Is it—”

“Cool enough to drink? Yes.” Steve supplied, taking a bite from his remaining half of the bagel.

“You're an angel,” Tony said blissfully. Then he leaned over the bar and pressed a fast but firm kiss to Steve's mouth before rushing out, already calling the elevator via Jarvis before he left the room. 

Steve's bagel fell from his lax fingers, plopping back to the plate cream cheese side down.

“Did he just?” Clint asked, looking over at Steve with wide eyes.

“Uh…yeah,” Steve muttered, dumbstruck, his lips tingling from the surprise contact.

“And you guys aren't?”

“Nope.” 

The two men stared at each other for a moment in confused silence. Steve felt his cheeks grow hot. Tony, his friend and long-term crush, had just kissed him. Lips warm, soft, and real against his mouth. Clint was giving him a knowing smirk but was thankfully holding his tongue. A moment later, the quiet was broken by the buzzing of Steve’s phone on the counter.

“It's Tony,” he said, looking down at the smiling picture of Tony in his purple sunglasses that was set as the man’s icon. The heat of flush skirted down his neck and settled in his chest.

“Speaker, put him on speaker,” Clint demanded, coming to stand next to his friend.

Swallowing Steve swiped the call open and tapped the speaker function. “Hello?”

“I can't believe I'm even going to ask this but I'm rushed, suffering from a caffeine deficiency, and am severely sleep deprived so the last fifteen minutes are a blur—did I just kiss you?”

“Um, yes?”

Tony said nothing, only the quiet shuffle of him still rushing to his car coming through the phone.

“Hey playboy, this is the part where you ask him out,” Clint supplied, flinching away before Steve could swat him. 

“Do you have me on speaker?” Tony questioned, his tight voice sounding more flustered than angry.

“Maybe?” Steve hedged.

“Oh for Christ—” and the line clicked off.

“Wow, if that's how smooth he normally is, I can't imagine how he used to snag all the ladies. Must be the money,” Clint chuckled, picking up his coffee and heading off. 

Sighing and shaking his head, Steve poked his sad upside down bagel. Just as he was starting to think it truly had been an accident and meant nothing, his phone buzzed with a text from Tony. Steve smiled as he read it. 

‘Free for a lunch date after my meeting?’

Steve started to type out that, yes, he was free when a new message popped up, turning his smile into a joyful grin.

‘And that does not count as our first kiss!!’

Oh this is a very cute one 🥹 Thank you so much!

Stark Swept off his feet?

“And what lies is the media making up about me today,” Tony sighed and blew on his steaming espresso.

Unfolding the newspaper to the main section, he stuttered, spilling his hot drink down over his knuckles as he replaced his cup on the counter. Out of reflex, he wiped them on his pants leg, not feeling the sting of the heat as he stared at the photo taking up half the page. ‘Stark swept off his feet?’ was plastered across the top, and under it was a picture of—

“Is that from this morning?” 

“What? Uh, no,” Tony said in a rush, folding the paper closed and setting his small mug on top of it, a ring of coffee seeping into the pages.

Steve looked at him skeptically. “You're being exceptionally weird this morning.”

“No, I'm not.” Tony countered and crossed his arms.

“Okay, so, give me the paper,” Steve chuckled and reached for it. 

“Not from today. It's from yesterday. I… forgot to toss it,” he lied lamley and stood tucking the paper under his arm. 

“Tony, I can see today's date on it.” Steve stepped closer.

Tony stepped back.

“Okay, you are definitely hiding something. Give it here.” He held out his hand, and Tony shook his head.

The soldier's eyes narrowed at him, and Tony knew what was coming. He sidestepped and ran to the other side of the kitchen bar, narrowly escaping Steve's grabbing hands. 

“Nothing to see here. You just get your protein shake and go to the gym.” Tony flapped a hand at his boyfriend and tucked the paper in closer to his person. 

“You're blushing! What did they print?”

“I am not.” Even as the words let his mouth, he felt his cheeks heat more. This caused Steve to grin, eyes twinkling with curiosity. Knowing the other man wouldn't give up that easily and recognizing the playfulness brewing in his partner, Tony turned and ran. He made it as far as the living room before Steve caught up, a strong arm wrapping around his middle and swinging him down onto the couch. 

“Steve, give it back!” Tony groaned, reaching for the paper and missing. Steve held it just out of reach as he settled on top of Tony, straddling his waist and pinning him to the couch with his weight. Frowning in resignation, Tony crossed his arms and pouted as Steve opened the paper.

As soon as the soldier saw the main spread he broke into a wide smile, and Tony felt heated blush creeping all the way up to his ears.

“Seriously?” Steve questioned, laughter tinting the word. “They've run stories where they caught you literally with your pants down. Last month, that sleazy blog posted a shot online of you grabbing my ass, but no this—this is what has you flustered and embarrassed?”

Clearing his throat dramatically, Steve tapped down his laughter and made a show of straightening the pages of the paper. “Stark swept off his feet?” He started to read, tone overly serious in a bad impression of a newscaster, “has the former playboy met his match in the world of romance at the hands of the ever charming Captain America?” Steve turned the paper so Tony could see the article and picture, restrained laughter shaking his wide shoulders as he did. 

Tony pressed his lips together into a tight line as he took in the image on the page. It was him doe eyed, smiling loose and dopey, with a touch of pink dusting his cheeks as Steve cupped the back of his neck and kissed the tip of his nose. It was simple and intimate. 

“I look like a middle schooler swooning over an upperclassman!” Tony groaned, pushing the paper away from his face.

Humming Steve got off him, looking at the photo again and smiling wider. “This is going up on the fridge.”

Tony rolled his eyes and pouted at the ceiling. “Stupid paparazzi,” he grumbled to himself. 

Then he heard Steve rummaging in the kitchen and sat up, looking over to where his boyfriend had retrieved scissors from the junk drawer and was actively cutting the shot from the paper. “You are not seriously hanging that on the fridge?”

“Oh, I seriously am,” and Steve tacked it up with a little magnet. 

Groaning, Tony slumped against the back of the couch. “I hate it.”

“I love it.” 

Steve walked back over, and Tony looked up at him with big soft eyes, wordlessly pleading him to take the picture down. All Steve did was bend down and kiss him lovingly on the nose.

Thank you for the prompt!

(A Not so) Long Kiss Goodbye

Steve read over the mission brief again on his tablet before abandoning it on the empty seat next to him. Looking out the back of the jet, he saw Tony. He wished the other man was seated next to him instead of flying solo. Tactically, it made more sense for Iron Man to head out alone. It provided them better intel and more ground cover—still he would prefer his partner at his side. 

It was this over protective nature that kept them from running missions together very often. It had been laid out in more subtle terms to them both but had been made clear enough by the directors at SHIELD. It was only big, full Avengers protocol level, missions that had them working together in the field nowaday. Those missions were few and far between, thankfully. A new potential lead on Loki's missing scepter was what had them called together now. Not a global disaster but a branch of one that involved them all.

“You gonna strap in or keep giving him puppy dog eyes?” Natasha questioned as she ran through the final flight check for the jet.

“I can do both,” Steve countered and stood, making his way off the loading ramp back to the hanger.

“Make it quick!” Her words floated after him.

“Room for you on the Quinjet, Tony,” Steve opened as he approached the other man.

“Well aware, I did design it,” came Tony's mildly sarcastic response. “And thanks to certain people, I have gotten very well acquainted with the different seating and space options in the back compartment.” 

Steve's lips twitched up at the comment, a soft glaze of honey glow touching his cheeks at the call back to some of their spicier,  semi-public encounters. “You don’t say?”

“Hmmmm, need a refresher?”

The sound of Tony's low tone and hum distorted by the touch of metallic echo form being suited up made Steve's gut clench. He liked Tony in the suit. He only wished it didn't mean they were heading into danger.

“You two wanna get a room or what?” 

Both men turned to see Clint grinning at them from the back of the jet, an amused looking Bruce elbowing him lightly.

“If we didn't have a mission to run, I would gladly take that suggestion, so don't tempt me,” Tony drawled back, not phased by the heckling of their friends. 

Steve grinned at the exchange, more happy over their friends' acceptance of them than bothered by the occasional teasing. It was a far deal better than the level of tolerance he had grown up around—which had been exactly zero. The ability to openly show how much he cared for Tony meant a great deal to him.

“Not even time for a quicky,” Steve gave a put upon sigh, playing up his disappointment for the sake of their onlookers. He tapped lightly at Tony's face plate, the pad of his finger running along the slit of its pseudo-mouth. The piece of armor slid up out of the way instantly. 

“Oooh nothing with you is ever quick Mr. Marathon,” Tony chuckled and smirked playfully. 

Grinning, Steve leaned in and kissed the other man, lingering and slow—the motion of their lips as meaningful as words. Tony cupped a hand around Steve's hip, the touch far more gentle than the cold, hard metal of his suit should have allowed for. It made Steve hum and press harder, the tip of his tongue lightly grazing Tony's lip.

A cat call and sharp whistle from their friends was what forced them apart. Without missing a beat, Tony flipped them off and replaced the face plate all in one motion. A split second later, he was moving a half step back and taking off, leaving only the soft hum on the repulsors in his wake. 

Steve ignored the good natured teasing from his teammates, content to stand and watch until Tony was out of sight. 

Prompt 254: Misunderstandings

Fingers danced over his sides, hot breath gushed against his neck, pressure building in his gut flaring out in beautiful spikes of pleasure powered by his partner's movements. He was right there, right on the precipice.

"Fuck," John panted, hands and toes curling against the bed sheets. "Fuck, Rod—Rod—"

"Oh fuck you!"

The speed Rodney left the bed gave him whiplash. The heat of his body disappeared, leaving him shockingly empty in a startling way he had not been expecting. 

"What the hell just happened?" John deadpanned sitting up and looking over to find Rodney already tugging his pants back on. 

"You know, I knew all of you liked him more than me, despite the little ego stroking you all gave me after he left. Yeah, I'm not perfect. Sorry if I'm a little rougher around the edges. Sorry, I'm not as fit as he was," Rodney gestured at the expanse of his body before tugging his shirt back on.

"But this?" He continued scooping up his socks and shoes, shoving them under his arm and not bothering to take the time to put them back on as he headed for the door. "Screw you John."

John scrambled out of the bed quickly putting himself between Rodney and the door, still completely clueless as to what had just happened. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he pleaded, shifting to block the scientist as he attempted to shoulder past him. 

"You said his name!"

Furrowing his brow, John thought. He hadn’t really been paying attention to what he'd been saying, but clearly, he had said something to set the other man off so he tried to recall what it was. He'd been moaning, there’d been some panting involved, and he'd said…

"Rodney, I was not talking about Rod. I was saying your name,"John huffed with a small chuckle.

Rodney did not seem convinced. "Last time I checked I still go be Rodney, not Rod which is what you said. Twice I might add!" 

John chuckled again and rolled his eyes. "I was about to cum, excuse me for not being able to get out the second syllable!"

"Really?" Rodney said, shoulders visible relaxing a little as some of the anger left him.

"Yes really, and I have definitely said that before in bed "

"I don't remember you ever saying my name that way," Rodney countered, narrowing his eyes at the soldier.

"Probably because you never had a reason to care." Reaching out, John took Rodney’s shoes from him and tossed them to the floor. "Now, you gonna finish what you started or leave me hanging?"

Leaning in, he nuzzled just under the other man's ear. "Hmmm? Rod-ney?"

Ooooh good ones! Right away the crying ones jumped out at me, but I didn't know what to do with them. Came up with this and I think its my favorite so far. Thanks for the prompt 💜

8: Things you said while you were crying

Rodney stood in the open doorway of John's room looking in as the soldier packed his bag. His movements were slow and mechanical, his shoulders slumped from the weight on the news he'd received.

"Sheppard," Rodney finally spoke up, taking a few steps into the room.

"Hey McKay," John said, not looking up from his bag. He wasn't really doing anything with it at this point, was just shifting things around pointlessly.

"I ah, I asked to go back with you," Rodney admitted shyly. John looked up at him with hope in his eyes, and it hurt Rodney to have to dash it. "They said no… I have other obligations unfortunately. Poor timing I guess."

"Yeah well..." John said, with a lackluster roll of his shoulders.

Rodney waited for him to finish the thought but he didn't. He went quiet, lips pressed tightly together and there was a sheen to his eyes that Rodney didn't understand at first. Then John sniffed harshly and tears started to fall. 

Rodney quickly turned back to the door, swiping it closed to give them privacy in John's moment of vulnerability. "Sheppard--John it's okay."

"No it's not!" John snapped looking up at him. Big fat tears were running down his face to seep into the collar of his shirt, and John looked angry and betrayed.

"Losing people is hard, even when you don't think it will be," Rodney said, stepping in closer.

John huffed and sat heavily on his bed. "That's the whole damn problem," he said, voice cracking roughly. "It shouldn't be hard."

Rodney sat down next to him, watching John's profile as he waited for him to continue.

"We never got along. We weren't close. Hell, even before I got stationed here we hadn't spoken in years," John paused, sniffing again and rubbing at his face as he took a few shaky breaths.

Rodney could see the tremble in his chin, the twitch to his jaw as John tried not to fall apart any more than he already had. It was painful to watch and Rodney wasn't quite sure what to say. "Not all families are close, but he was still your dad," he settled on lamely.

John snorted and looked over at him. "It was more than not being close. He hated me. Hated that I wasn't like him. Hated what I did for a living. Hated that I'm--" 

John broke off but Rodney didn’t need him to finish the sentence to know where it had been going. They'd never talked about it but Rodney knew; had picked up the subtle clues to John's preferences. The same clues he'd sent John's way.

"Everything that makes me, me, he hated," John finished. 

"John," Rodney started but didn't finish the sentence because he didn’t know how. 

He watched John hang his head, fists clenched on top of his thighs. Tears fell from his face, seeping in to make dark little dots all over his pants. 

Rodney raised a hand and hovered it over John's shoulder. He was almost afraid to touch him. There had always been tension between them. An unspoken level to their friendship that neither of them had the courage to acknowledge. John's vulnerability seemed like an unfair catalyst.

Next to him John let out a genuine sob and Rodney frowned deeply, hurting for his friend. He lowered his hand onto John's shoulder and squeezed tightly. The reaction was instantaneous.

John turned crumpling against him. Face pressed to his shoulder, hands gripping the front of his shirt, John broke down into harsh sobs. "It's not fair! He shouldn't get to make me feel like this!"

Rodney ducked his head down, gently resting his chin on John's head and wrapped the broken man in a tight hug. "Life's not always fair, I'm sorry John."

Interested in a drabble? See my pinned post ☺

Uhg the angst! I suck at the angst! Writing this one was a bit of a gut punch because I hate having them broken up 🥺 but you asked for it so you get it! Thanks for the prompt 💜

22: Things you said after it was over

John headed to Rodney's room with a small bounce in his step. Two days off from missions ment some much needed downtime, and if Rodney was free a good old fashioned movie night. Those had been few and far between for them since Rodney had started seeing Jennifer. 

Resetting their relationship back to friendship mode had been harder than John had expected. If he was honest, John still didn't fully understand what had gone wrong between them. Things had been fine; good work relationship, great sex. Then they had just started drifting apart and out of the blue Rodney started seeing Jennifer.

Being dumped without actually being dumped had hurt more than John was willing to let on. The first few weeks had been horribly awkward, but slowly things had started to feel at least somewhat like they had before they'd started sleeping together. 

Reaching Rodney's room John knocked and after a moment's pause the door slid open. John's eyes widened at the state of the room. It was a complete mess, and not in the chaotic, dirty way it normally was. This was an organized mess of boxes and stacks of papers and drawers pulled out with their content neatly organized. This was a mess born from packing.

"Going somewhere?" John asked as the door closed behind him.

"Oh hey," Rodney said, emerging from the bathroom and stuffing a few things in a box before folding it shut. "Yeah moving to bigger quarters," he answered casually and picked up the box moving it closer to the door.

John sidestepped to be out of the way, and frowned at the other man. "Why?"

"Well my room's too small for two people to live in, and Jennifer's is too, so." He shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Oh," John said, eyes widening for a brief moment. "So I uh… take it things are going well with you guys." John knew very little about their relationship. Rodney didn't talk about it much around him and he had never really bothered to ask 

"Yeah, things have been good. Really good," Rodney replied with a smile. 

For some reason that stung quite a lot. It wasn't that John didn’t want Rodney to be happy, it was just seeing him happy with someone else seemed… unfair. Especially given that he didn't understand why things had ended between them. Because after all, they'd been happy… hadn't they?

"So um…" John cleared his throat, and then the words just tumbled out of him against his better judgment. "Did you ever tell her about us?"

Rodney pinched his brow in a frown, suddenly looking tense and serious. "No. Why would I do that?" He questioned, sounding upset.

"Gee, I don't know, because we dated for like... two years?" John responded a little agitated himself over Rodney’s apparent dismissal of their relationship.

Rodney barked a sharp laugh then glared at him. "We never dated John, remember?"

John frowned deeply, ready to protest but Rodney kept talking.

"We blew off steam, helped each other out, lended a hand, messed around…" he paused and shook his head. "Why do you look so confused, those were all your words."

"Rodney…" John didn't know what to say. He was surprised by the bitterness Rodney was showing him, it was something he never would've expected from him. "I thought what we had was good. If you were unhappy, why didn't you say anything?"

"You're joking right? Name one time we ever had a serious conversation about our relationship? Just one. I tried John, you wanted casual. And that was fine with me, for a while, and when it wasn't anymore I stopped wasting my time hoping for a real relationship, and I went and found one."

"What we had wasn't a waste of time!" John shouted, suddenly very angry. "And we did have a real relationship!"

"No, John, we had sex. Lots of sex. Lots of really great sex. But all the other stuff? The emotional attachment, the commitment, being open. That was all one sided, and a one sided relationship, isn't a relationship."

John's jaw dropped and he just stared at the other man. "Rodney I didn't know you felt that way."

"Of course you didn't," Rodney picked up one of his boxes and stepped towards the door causing it to open. "You never bothered to ask, and when I tried to talk you wouldn't listen."

John just stood there watching him go. The door slid shut and he was left alone, his feeling as disheveled as the room.

Interested in a drabble? See my pinned post ☺

Oh coming at me with the angst prompts 😭Thank you for sending one in!

10: Things you said that made me feel like shit

"Hey come in," Rodney said, opening his door and stepping back. He was surprised to see it was John, normally the soldier just let himself in instead of knocking.

"We need to talk," John said, taking only a single step into the room. He shifted his weight around and shoved his hands in his pockets looking uneasy.

"What's wrong?" Rodney asked suspiciously.

"It's just, uh… look Rodney I think we need to take a break," John said awkwardly, not meeting the other man’s eyes.

"What? Why?" Rodney questioned in shock. "Oh wait, is this about almost getting caught the other day?" 

He could admit it had been a close call. They'd been heatedly making out in the gear room, pumped up on post mission adrenaline, when Evan had walked in. John had shoved him off and behind a storage shelf just in time to keep them from getting caught, but only just barely. Really, Rodney wasn't entirely convinced Evan hadn't seen them. 

"That was nothing, it was just Lorne. He wouldn't have cared," Rodney said with a shrug, waving John off.

"You don't know that," John countered. "And even if he might not care, it's still against the rules and he would've had to report me."

"No, he wouldn't. We're millions of miles from Earth. No one cares about those regulations here John," Rodney sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Again,  you don't know that! And it's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"Are you kidding me? Since when are you a by-the-book guy? You do your own thing all the time," Rodney shot back, glaring at the other man.

"This is different Rodney. This could get me forcibly discharged."

"Oh please," Rodney sneered. "Like they would really do that."

"Yeah Rodney they would! They've done it to hundreds of soldiers!"

"Not ones stationed in far away galaxies," Rodney pointed out, crossing his arms and tipping up his chin.

"Gah, you just don't get it!" John huffed angrily.

"You're right I don’t. Because the whole system is screwed up!" Rodney shouted back, just as angry.

"The system might be screwed up but I'm still part of it! I was at the top of the black list before I came here, my reputation was completely shot. Being stationed here is the last chance I'm gonna get, and you're not worth risking what's left of my career!"

The words echoed through Rodney's skull as loud and harsh as a flash-bang. 

John's face had gone sheet white, mouth hanging open. Rodney could see the regret in his eyes. He hadn’t meant to say it, but it was too late to take it back. 

"Get out, just go," Rodney said, numbness making him calm. He motioned to the door, hand shaking just a bit.  

John's mouth worked for a moment like he was going to try and argue, but all he did was huff out a broken sigh.

As the door slid closed Rodney sank down to sit on his bed. Head falling to his hands he refused to admit he was crying.

Interested in a drabble? See my pinned post ☺

Hmmm never done McBeck before 🤔... wish me luck!

38: Things you said when I was sick

Rodney opened his eyes. 

The world was too bright. His ears were ringing. His skin was stretched to thin over his body, clingy and tight and itchy with sweat.

"Rodney? Are you with me lad?" Someone asked. They sounded far off like they were on the other side of thick glass.

Rodney's eyes darted around, a person was hovering over him. He couldn’t make out their face. Nothing was in focus, the world was just soft and blurry splotches of color.

"Bloody idiot you are. You've no idea how lucky you are to be alive," the voice said, it sounded a little closer. The words were tinted with a soothing drawl that Rodney found comforting but couldn't place.

"Taking so much of the enzyme like you did. I know you were desperate, but I would've thought you smarter than that."

A heavy sigh, a ghosting of breath that set Rodney’s hair standing on edge with tension.

"You can't go doing risky things like that. There're people here that care too much about you… I care too much about you."

Something pressed to his forehead, patted across it and down his cheeks. A cloth, his sense of touch told him, blotting away the sweat beading across his face. Despite the gentleness of the touch Rodney flinched away from it. 

"Do you even realize how much I care about you lad? I reckon not," a soft breathy laugh. "You hardly notice when the girls fancy you, why notice someone like me."

The cloth was back pressing along his other cheek softly.

Rodney jerked away from it. The light touch was too much against his overly sensitive skin. The sudden movement made him realize the cloth wasn't the only thing touching him.

The shackles around his wrist and ankles; too much. The sheet draped over his body; too much. His own skin prickly with a thick layer of itchy sweat; too much.

He pulled at his restraints, thrashing against them. Someone was yelling, screaming aggressively. 

Was it him?

Rodney couldn't tell his ears were ringing too loudly. Then, like a cool fog settling over him things grew calm. It started in his arm, a tingly cold sensation that wove its way down inside him until--

When Rodney opened his eyes again the word was clearer. He tried to sit up and was stopped by the shackles at his wrists. He looked around in confusion.

He was in… the isolation ward? Why?

It came back in flashes. Faded pictures that were torn and jagged around the edges. 

The enzyme, Ford's men, coming through the Gate. From there it devolved into bits and pieces that didn't add up. Fever dreams of nonsense and fantasy.

Glancing down to the foot of his bed Rodney saw Carson there. Arms folded on the mattress, he was leaning his head on them sound asleep. 

Rodney stared at him, brows knitting together in thought. Then his breath stuttered and his eyes widened a little.

Had... had they all been just fever dreams?

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Oh Nice!! What a good addition to the list 😁

23 (make your own): Things you said before you bothered to say hello

John sat down with his tray of food and glanced around the small mess hall. It must have been an off hour for eating as it was mostly empty. Given how far underground the arctic base was, John had no idea what time it even was or what meal this counted as.

The location was different but the food was the same. Even being part of a top level secret project didn't save the cafeteria from serving bland, basic food. Just as he was about to dig in, a tray was set down firmly across from him. 

Accompanying said tray was Dr. McKay--or at least John was fairly sure that had been his name they had yet to be properly introduced.

"I just sat down! That's it! That's the first thing you say? You activated the most powerful piece of Ancient technology we have and you say 'I just say down'. Do you have any idea what a waste of a reaction that was?"

"Uh," John blinked at McKay, taken aback by the aggressive and headlong start to a conversation.

"And who are you anyway, Major? Why are you out here? You're stationed at McMurdo right? No one ends up there without having pissed someone off. You better not have anything on your record that would prevent you from being part of our team. We need you here, you're joining the expedition. They did invite you, didn't they? They better have." 

He finally petered out and John was genuinely impressed with the amount of words the other man had gotten out in a single breath. 

"Well?" McKay demanded, frowning and crossing his arms.

Shaking his head John laughed softly and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Major John Sheppard."

"What?" 

"Well, normally people say hello and introduce themselves when they meet someone. And since we'll be working together--because yes, they offered me a position here--it would be helpful for me to actually know your name," John explained, to the other man's confused look.

"Oh, I ah… right," McKay said, cheeks brightening with color. "Dr. Rodney McKay," he said, grabbing John's hand and shaking it firmly. "Hello."

John smiled as he let go of Rodney's hand. The scientist’s cheeks were still tinged pink with embarrassment and it was a cute look for him; brought out the color of his eyes. 

"Nice to meet you Rodney, I think. We're gonna have fun working together."

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Decided to start a new project! (Because you know, thats exactly what I need 🙄)

Prompt list drabbles 🥳

Really enjoyed writting a few shorter stories from this prompt list. I'm not used to doing bite sized, single scene stories to its something new and fun for me! If you would like a drabble send me an ask with the prompt you want to see. Rules are simple:

Drabbles will be posted here and on AO3. I will credit the user that requested the prompt when I post to AO3 (unless for whatever reason you do not want to be credited, in which case tell me in your ask). Story ratings will vary, but in general I'm gonna try to keep things G or T.

I make no promises for how fast these will be written after asks are received, but I will try to give a relatively quick turn around.

Prompts already filled/being worked on: 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 26, 35, 36, 37, and 38. (To see ones already filled search for #prompt challenge on my blog or visit the series on AO3!)