Authors Note: I don't own SGU

Pairings: Eli/Rush , Young/Eli [One-Sided]

He didn't know when it began, but maybe if he had, he would have been able to have stopped it before it was too late. The pain in his leg was nothing in comparison, for it consumed him day and night and it was only growing...

Grimacing, he moved further into the corridor – the silence only emphasizing how few of the crew entered this part of Destiny. He had fucked up, had let it take a hold of him – and had left Dr. Rush behind.

Rush. Just thinking about the man brought his blood to a boil, and the scowl on his face deepened. Half of himself was horrified but the other reveled in thinking he had almost rid himself of the pesky annoyance, and then there was still the absolute anger and shame in knowing he hadn't even succeeded.

Before him, the door opened and he paused at the doorway. Within, Dr. Rush looked up and froze – body pressed slightly above the console before him. In the few tense moments between them, neither said a word and when Rush opened his mouth to finally say something, behind him another door opened and Eli Wallace walked into the door talking cheerfully to the faithful Kino that followed behind him,

"Rush! I knew you wouldn't be sleeping, look, I know you don't want to sleep but your body probably really needs it... not that you ever take care of your body – but hey I'm not your nanny so instead I thought maybe you wouldn't mind doing an interview with the Kino because..."

Eli freezes upon seeing that there's two men instead of just the one he was expecting. Finding himself on the receiving end of the boy's rare glares – the man simply looks at Rush once more – as if accusing him of the current situation, and quickly leaves the hostile atmosphere.

Making his way back down the hall, he hears Eli ask why he was there in a strained and cold voice – which doesn't really suit the good-natured kid – before the door closes completely behind him.

At first he had thought it had been about Rush. All about Rush... his superior attitude, that arrogant demeanor, and the amount of distrust he instinctively felt rise within him just hearing the name– and maybe that all did have a part in it. He only let Eli in, well – at least he didn't exactly kick Eli out.

It was something about how they were both geniuses or something. How Eli could understand him on a level nobody else could – or something. Colonel Young didn't know how much of that he believed, but Eli sure did. It made him feel special, it made him mathboy. The sidekick to whatever he thought of Rush in his head.

So he made Eli spy on him. And when Eli came to report to him, he tried to find something slimy, something incriminating – something that would make Eli not trust Dr. Rush anymore.

Yes. At first he thought it was about the scientist. But he had dealt with scientists before – stubborn, hard-headed, manipulative – scientists. But it was the mathboy, the sidekick. The one who followed him around as if he was a superhero of some type – the one who trusted Rush more than he trusted Young. Wanted Rush more than he wanted Young.

And as he made his way back to his quarters, he thought of those eyes – that reminded him of his wife's only sweeter, the ones that now glared at him whenever they saw one another.

Colonel Young swore under his breath. He had fucked up. Bad. And the worst part of it was that he had lost – had lost the minute he had left Rush behind. Lost the one person he had wanted to gain...

Eli...