[identity profile] unadrift.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] sga_flashfic
Title: Naturally
Challenge: Amnesty 2007, Ways to die
Author: [personal profile] unadrift
Categories: Humor, team
Rating: PG
Words: ~750
Notes: Actually, this was my first idea for ways to die. I dug it up again and finished it.





Rodney mistrusted nature on principle. It tended to attack him with bees and lemons.

It had to be nature's way of collecting payment for providing him with such an appropriate amount of brains.

This planet -- green fields strewn with daisies, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, a little stream gurgling along their path, the occasional squirrel-like creature scrunching up its nose at them adorably -- this planet was horrible.

Just for that Rodney should have been unbearably grumpy and made everyone else miserable, too.

Except, when Sheppard walked across the field he carefully avoided stepping on any of the daisies. There was a permanent half smile on his face which broadened to a full-fledged goofy grin whenever he lifted his eyes to the clear blue sky. Sheppard loved this place. He had even talked to one of those squirrels.

Sheppard was one step from hopping around with flailing arms, laughing, like a kindergarten kid, which wasn't difficult to imagine at all -- but hard to stop once Rodney had the image stuck in his head.

Rodney hid his not-so-grumpy-anymore expression, so no one would be tempted to confuse it with appreciation for this godforsaken planet of hell.

With his eyes to the ground, trailing after Teyla, Rodney only heard a rustle in the undergrowth, a crash of splintering wood, and then water splashing. Ronon yanked him back at his vest so hard there were going to be nasty bruises on his shoulders.

The next moment Rodney stood staring dumbly after the creature that had broken from the trees on the opposite side of the stream.

"I was almost run over by a cow," he observed distantly.

"Did you get the license plate?" Sheppard deadpanned, jogging closer to them. But when Rodney turned to him, he looked about as shaken as Rodney felt.

Teyla's hands gently checked Rodney for injuries. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright? I was almost run over by a cow!" Rodney snapped, and Teyla took a step back. "A cow! How stupid is that?" It had even been flecked, black and white, like any cliché cow should be. "To survive the Genii, and the Wraith, lots of explosions, everything just so I can be stampeded to death by a cow?"

Rodney was shouting now, hoarsely, directing his complaints to the universe in general. "Couldn't you have picked a more interesting species of wildlife? Something that would make my death look heroic? A tiger, perhaps? An alligator? Something with style?"

"The Trakan beast of Muriell has lots of teeth and strangles its prey with its poisonous tentacles," Ronon supplied. Rodney stared, wide-eyed, his vivid imagination running a mile a minute.

Sheppard exchanged a look with Teyla. "We should take a rest."

"We will find a suitable place," Teyla said and tugged Ronon along with her.

Rodney was still breathing heavily. He felt flushed, and dizzy, and kind of alive. Sheppard's hands were on Rodney's shoulders. He must have put them there at some point. Rodney managed to focus on him. "We need to leave," Sheppard said intently. "More of those things might be coming this way."

That sure got Rodney's attention. "Leaving, right." He let himself be turned in the right direction, then got moving. "This is me, leaving in a quick but not at all cowardly fashion." Huh. He giggled. "Cow-ardly. That's funny."

Sheppard didn't seem to think so. "Get a grip, Rodney."

"Right, yes, getting a grip. No problem."

Sheppard obviously wasn't reassured. He held on to Rodney's wrist until his hand had stopped shaking.

"You'd cook up some heroic story for me, right?" Because Rodney wouldn't want to be remembered for his death by inconveniently placed tree root / poorly secured crate / not-so-wild cow / lemon, but rather for his brilliant achievements in life.

Naturally, Sheppard couldn't keep up with Rodney's internal reasoning. "What?"

"If anything like this should happen for real? If I died a stupid and pointless death? You'd do that, right?"

"You're not going to die anytime soon, Rodney. Not if your team can help it."

"I know, I know, and I appreciate that. But if it should happen--"

Sheppard sighed. "You'll get drama of epic proportions, heroic rescue of children and puppies and entire civilizations, the whole hail mary."

"Good."

Sheppard suddenly stopped, tilting his head. "Did you just say 'Thank you for always keeping me safe' in your unique way of communication?"

When Rodney didn't answer, Sheppard just grinned. He bent to pluck a daisy from the grass and attached it artfully to Rodney's vest.

Really, Rodney hated nature on principle.


- end -


(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-23 11:17 am (UTC)
silver_galaxy: (Default)
From: [personal profile] silver_galaxy
Oh god that was great, and so true, Rodney would totally whine about an environment like that :)

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-23 12:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] trystings.livejournal.com
Oh, I'm glad you finished this. Killercows and no interesting energy signals, of course Rodney hates this planet. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-23 02:01 pm (UTC)
leesa_perrie: two cheetahs facing camera and cuddling (Christmas McKay)
From: [personal profile] leesa_perrie
Snerk! LOL! Oh, I LOVE this!! Nearly run over by a COW!!! And the whole heroic death talk, and then the daisy on his vest!!

Yep, I can see why he hates nature on principle!!! Poor Rodney, giggle, snerk!

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-23 03:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] panisdead.livejournal.com
He bent to pluck a daisy from the grass and attached it artfully to Rodney's vest.

Sheppard plus daisies FTW!

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-23 03:24 pm (UTC)
tarlanx: Spiced latte style drink in a glass (McKay - Fleece Into Unknown)
From: [personal profile] tarlanx
LOL! Poor Rodney!

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-23 06:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seadragon-redux.livejournal.com
*snort* See, that would be my reaction too. Death by cow would just be too humilating

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-23 07:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] greyias.livejournal.com
*snort* John plucking daisies, Rodney almost trampled by cows. Just great! *g*

Naturally story

Date: 2007-12-23 07:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] maxinemayer.livejournal.com
Love their relationship in this fic of yours! The way Rodney's spirits lift when John is having a great time - it seems so true of them. Thanks for sharing your work! Happy holidays and a great new year in 2008. Love, max

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-24 01:39 am (UTC)
ext_2909: (sga)
From: [identity profile] deaka.livejournal.com
Poor Rodney, death by cow does sound like a terrible fate. :p

Great fic. :D

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-24 10:07 am (UTC)
sholio: sun on winter trees (Team Love)
From: [personal profile] sholio
Oh, that was wonderful -- so very funny and sweet! You have a really great way with words: "providing him with an appropriate amount of brains" (hee) and the litany of all the ways the planet was horrible -- blue skies, cute squirrels, etc. I really enjoyed this.

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-25 04:11 am (UTC)
ext_975: photo of a woof (Default)
From: [identity profile] springwoof.livejournal.com
adorable! and I'm glad you didn't actually kill Rodney. *I* was actually responsible for his death-by-cow (http://springwoof.livejournal.com/12703.html#cutid1), and I've always felt very guilty about it....

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-25 11:07 am (UTC)
ext_975: photo of a woof (Default)
From: [identity profile] springwoof.livejournal.com
Shows how common death by cow must actually be
's true! in the Pegasus galaxy, you'd think it'd be Wraith, but no. It's cows. They look so harmless, too, with their big, soft brown eyes....

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-25 11:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lavvyan.livejournal.com
When Rodney didn't answer, Sheppard just grinned. He bent to pluck a daisy from the grass and attached it artfully to Rodney's vest.

Yeah, he would. *g*

This is a great little story, thank you!

(no subject)

Date: 2007-12-27 08:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wildcat88.livejournal.com
Bwhahahaha! LOVED this.

(no subject)

Date: 2008-01-07 09:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tacittype.livejournal.com
Sheppard exchanged a look with Teyla. "We should take a rest."

Loved that team moment, right there - If Ronon's going to encourage McKay, then of course Sheppard and Teyla are going to exchange a glance and break it up. Really enjoyed Sheppard derailing McKay's freak out, even though he was sort of having one on the inside as well.

And, like everyone else said, loved the daisy on the shirt and the bitching about blue skies, and that McKay couldn't stay pissy while Sheppard was so cheerful.

(no subject)

Date: 2008-02-22 03:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] linziday.livejournal.com
LOL.... that was great! :)

(no subject)

Date: 2008-04-30 07:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] monnasakura.livejournal.com
I just love this more than words can say.

Thank Springwoof, I got here via a link in a comment on "Irony."

(no subject)

Date: 2008-10-10 12:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] badwolf36.livejournal.com
Cows of doom....I approve. :D This was cute, in that menacing sort of Pegasus galaxy way. Thanks for sharing!

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-14 03:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] michelel72.livejournal.com
Such an ignominious way to go! Poor Rodney!

You pack so much Rodney and team into such a short space -- I am mightily impressed.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-05-17 05:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hajimebassaidai.livejournal.com
That is *so* funny because really death-by-cow isn't treally the way anyone wants to go down!

Plus poor Rodney has a point. After all the mega-deadly stuff he's managed to survive that he really shouldn't, death-by-cow, lemon etc would be a major, major bummer!

Profile

Stargate Atlantis Flashfiction

April 2017

S M T W T F S
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30      

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags