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A/N – Well, I don't really know what to call this. It's approximately 300 words so it's too big to be a drabble. Triple Drabble, maybe? Anyway, this is prompt #15 from BiteMeTechie's "100 Themes" Challenge, which you can find on the "When Plot Bunnies Attack" forum here at ff dot net.
Silence
Rodney McKay watches Radek Zelenka sleep.
Radek's thin arms are crossed on the tabletop and his face is hidden against them so his tawny hair is the only feature distinctly his that Rodney can see. Rodney thinks Radek works too hard. He considers whether he ought to mention this to the engineer, but by the time Radek wakes, Rodney's sentimental feeling will have passed.
Rodney turns his gaze back to his own work, aware that he too should be sleeping. There is no sound in the room except the gentle hum of the machines and Radek's somnolent breathing.
Rodney tries not to smile, but he can't stop himself. Not that long ago, Rodney wouldn't have tolerated a colleague falling asleep in the lab. Now, he looks on the situation with some degree of indulgence. Radek's presence is oddly reassuring. The engineer is quiet, but he is there.
All his life, Rodney had thought it was solitude he craved. He'd thought shutting himself away from everyone would settle the chaos in his head. Though being alone had soothed his mind, the tangible, growing ache of loneliness was so intense that he wondered whether contending with the roar of incessant voices wouldn't be the lesser of two evils after all.
Now, here, in this place far from Earth, he has discovered a sanctuary for both his mind and his heart. Atlantis has become his home and the people have become his family. They understand him, accept him for who and what he is. Here, he feels safe; more secure than he's ever felt before. He would never trade this for anything.
He understands at last that it was never solitude he truly sought. What he needs most is calming, comforting silence.