Ridicule
The first thing he saw when he
walked in his office was the skirt hanging off of his desk.
Rodney gritted his teeth and wondered if he could blame Kavanagh.
He wasn't sure that it was Kavanagh that had put the skirt there, but
it would just make him feel better to yell at the man. Rodney
ripped the skirt off his work area and tossed it into the corner by the
door. He flopped into his chair and tried to factor how long it
would take before everyone stopped making fun of him.
It hadn't helped any that Lt.
Cadman had become the most popular piece of entertainment since they'd
brought home X-Boxes on the Daedalus. Rodney had caught her
holding court in the cafeteria expounding upon her trying ordeal of
being in his body. He booted up his computer and jerked when the
tinny sounds of Shania Twain's "Man I feel like a woman," blared from
his speakers. Rodney slapped at his computer trying to get the
thing to mute. He did so in time to hear the distinct sound of
muffled snickers from the work area beyond his office door.
Rodney glared at the doorway until his borrowed ATA gene kicked in and
they slid closed. He never realized how much he appreciated
slamming doors now that they were gone.
Would the humiliation never
end? God knows what the woman did in his body while he was
asleep. Sure, she said she'd just exercised, but then he found
out that she'd also invited Carson on his date with Katie. What
else had she happily glossed over and refused to tell him? Rodney
froze for a second and prayed that there weren't any photos that would
come out later. While he started to hyperventilate over this
thought, the doors to his office swished open. Rodney started to
yell at whoever had dared bother him at a time like this, but the words
merely came out as a small croak when he saw who it was.
"Hello, Rodney," Carson said.
"Hello, Carson. Is there
something I can do to—for you?" Rodney finally replied cringing at his
faux pas. He just had to pull himself together or they really
would think he was nuts.
Carson looked amused, but
thankfully didn't call him on it. "I just came to see how you
were doing. Check up on you, you know."
"I'm miserable. Do you have
any idea—?"
"Oh, I think I do. After all,
I was the one that got molested in front of a room full of people."
Rodney cringed again. "It
wasn't me, you know."
"I know, Rodney, but you aren't the
only one getting your fair share of ribbing. Just remember that."
"Fine," Rodney growled and stared
daggers at the crumpled skirt in the corner. Carson looked down
at his feet and saw what Rodney was looking at. He moved out of
the doorway and bent to pick it up. Rodney watched him hold the
thing up in front of his chest. "A gift from my admirers," Rodney
explained.
"I think it'd suit you."
Rodney shot him a look and Carson
grinned back.
"It's really not my color," he
said. "You should take it since you Scots so love wearing skirts."
"Oh, you do not want to be going
there, lad."
"I'm not worried. You'd never
hit a woman."
Carson snorted and tossed the
garment over his shoulder. "Aye, but I might just hit you.
Come on, it's almost dinner time."
"Do you think that's really a good
idea? Letting everyone see us together?"
"Why not? We were friends
before we snogged. I don't see how that'd make any difference."
Rodney got to his feet. "You're a
glutton for punishment, Carson."
"Probably, but I just can't help
myself."
Rodney stopped in the doorway and
they were both chest to chest. He shot Carson a calculating
look. Carson smirked, showing off his dimples. Before
Rodney could react, there was an arm around his shoulders.
"Chin up, Rodney. I haven't
yet told you what you missed."
"Missed?"
"Ronon wiped the floor with
Sheppard in training today. It's all over the base. At
least we won't be the only ones being teased."
Rodney cocked an eyebrow at his
friend as they headed off to the cafeteria. "You always know how
to look on the bright side. It's disgusting really."
Carson laughed and they walked down
the hall with the doctor whistling an appropriate Monty Python tune.
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