It's cold - SGU Fanfic (Young/Rush)

Title: It's cold
Author: Elaiel
Rating: PG13
Warnings: None.
Spoilers: None.
Characters: Young/Rush.
Author's notes: Warm fuzzies for jessica_eliza for the stargateland gift giving challenge.

Young's tired and he's cold and he can't remember why coming to this planet was a good idea, except Destiny came out of FTL next to it, and Lieutenant Scott is sick. Sick enough to be in the infirmary under TJ's care, too sick to fly the shuttle. So he's here, the only other qualified shuttle pilot, and he's left Camile in charge, supported by TJ.

Damn planet with no stargate, what's the use of seed ships if they aren't putting stargates in the right places? Except he knows this isn't true and this planet had a perfectly good stargate before the volcano rolled over it. And it's the volcano that's the cause of all this vegetation that his scientists are so pleased with, at least three more edible plants and two of them actually don't taste like crap.

He rolls over and tries to get warm in the blankets, but the ground under him is chilly and he's sure the damp is seeping through the fabric of his blankets and into his bones. The pebbles in the sand under him certainly aren't doing him any good as he wriggles trying to find a more comfortable position. The cave on the edge of the sea may keep off the rain and wind, but the ground is damned uncomfortable.

Silhouetted in the cave entrance, a few yards away is Greer, his gun across his lap, staring out into the starry night. Next to Young on one side is Volker, between him and Greer and snoring thunderously and so fast asleep a grenade could go off. On the other side is Rush, who is silent and still. He can just hear the breathing of the others, soft in sleep, beyond Rush.

Young longs for a real sleeping bag, but Icarus base was never set up with the intention of any quantity of off planet missions, and tents and the like were not included in what they brought here with them. Maybe that's what he'll suggest next to the mixed group of crew who meet in the mess once a week to plan out craft projects. They certainly made a good enough job of knitting socks, once the two who could taught the rest. He wiggles his toes in the mystery-mammal-wool socks and realises that his feet are one of the few parts of him not freezing, even though he's fully dressed. Woollen sweaters, he dreams of a nice woollen sweater or cardigan even, something fuzzy and warm. With a sigh he rolls over and tries to wrap himself tighter in the blanket. Anything warm.

"Will you please shut up." Rush whispers.

"I didn't realise you were awake." He whispers back.

"Point of fact I wasn't until you started shifting around every five seconds."

The man's voice is sleepy and irritable, his accent coming through stronger in his drowsy state.

"Sorry." He apologises. Though he doesn't want to apologise, he has woken the man up, which counts for something and then he shifts again.

"What's actually wrong?" Rush asks.

"Cold, it's making my joints ache."

"You're too young to have bad joints."

Rush rolls over finally, facing away from him and Young thinks it was really too much to expect any sympathy from the asshole. Why should the man break the habit of a lifetime? He shifts one more time and tries to find a position comfortable enough he can tune out the discomfort and finally go to sleep. It's not easy, his lower back aches and his right knee and he knows exactly which former injuries those stem from, one on Earth, one off world. He shifts again, flexing his stiff knee and Rush rolls back over to him.

"For Christ's sake Young it can't be that bad."

"Got my knee broken eight years ago." He says, feeling the need to explain why he's this uncontrolled and restless. "It doesn't like the cold."

"Fine." Says Rush in an undertone. "Am I ever going to get any sleep? If you warm up will you stop wriggling about?"

He's surprised as Rush rolls closer then reaches out and untucks Young's blanket, yanking the side that's tucked under him closer to the other man, so they are side by side, and folding the top of his own blanket over both of them, and Young's blanket on top of that so there are two layers.

"Pull this under you." Rush orders in a harsh whisper, and Young does as he's told, more out of shock than anything else.

They end up tucked in, two layers of blanket underneath them, two above them, and Young can already feel the other man's body heat radiating towards him.

"Bloody freezing on this planet." Rush whispers. "You'd better not kick in your sleep Young."

Rush settles sleepily back, rolling so his back is up against Young, and Young brings his arms up to his chest and turns his face into the warmth emanating from the other man.

"Go to sleep." Says Rush sourly.

And as he finally begins to warm up, Young does.