That keeps on giving (cont.)

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"I want to show you something," Rodney says in that tone of voice that makes John want to follow him anywhere, always. A few minutes later they're on a balcony closing off one of the corridors frequently used for the racing of cars. Tonight, though, there are no remotes or cars around, and as far as John can see, Rodney didn't bring anything with him.

"So, what's up," he ventures, starting to feel the particular brand of nerves that always creep along his spine whenever he's alone with Rodney and there's nothing to do, like the universe is holding its breath, shaking its head at him wasting an opportunity of some kind.

"Ah-ah," Rodney says, holding up a hand and breaking the moment. He palms a narrow door John swears he's never noticed before, disappearing into what potential Ancient pick-nickers might or might not have used to store food. Sounds of dragging and shoving float into the night, and when Rodney backs out again, he is holding a cube-shaped box, its sides just short of the length of his arms.

"Here," he huffs, holding out his heavy prize for John to take, "open up, it's for you," voice a specific blend of apprehension and confidence John can only recall hearing once before.

It's nowhere near Christmas, neither by Earth nor Lantean calendar. It's not his birthday, and to the best of John's knowledge, there is no anniversary lurking around the corner.

Remembering the other two times Rodney gave away anything larger than puddings, he pries the box from Rodney's hands as if it were made of glass. When he lowers it onto the floor, Rodney doesn't have to remind him to be careful, and as he crouches down to open the lid, he is loath to say his hands are trembling.

Inside, barely visible under its protective layer of styrofoam, is a miniature spaceship.

The design, unfolding as John reverently lifts it out of its prison, is made up of elements that are clearly Ancient. Woven into the intricate patterns are Wraith ship components, parts familiar from the Asgard-Earth hybrids, parts he recognizes from drawings he's seen of the Goa'uld's ships. It's a combination, John immediately understands, the likes of which no-one has ever seen before.

He opens his mouth to say something, although he has the faint idea that a mere "cool" would not be enough. Just as he's about to awkwardly close his mouth again, a soft hum at the back of his mind is calling to him from within, like the heartbeat of Atlantis, like the Puddlejumpers.

"Cool" seriously doesn't cut it. Rodney built him a miniature spaceship that he can fly with his mind.

When he shakes himself back to awareness again, he finds that Rodney has been talking – babbling, more like – propped up on the upended empty box the whole time.

"...improvements, of course," he catches, "I'd have asked Lorne to do a test flight if he wouldn't have told you out of some knucklehead flyboy military obligation, and also I wanted you to be the first to pilot her, not that there is any doubt as to my own piloting skills, of course, but I had this idea of maybe keying her specifically to your gene..."

John gingerly sits down on the floor, balancing Rodney's precious gift on his thigh. One of his hands end up on the crook between Rodney's shin and foot, and Rodney looks up as if startled to have John paying attention.

"I'll be sending the other model to Earth the next time we open the Gate," he says, still intense but calm now. "It's not anywhere near as detailed as this one, which should show them to refuse to let you fly the first real prototype. I hope they have enough brains to give the job to O'Neill, because he'll at least know to respect her, after a fashion."

On that note, he clamps his mouth shut, clearly expecting John to react to that tidbit of information in some way – John, who can still think of nothing meaningful to say. It's just too much, everything Rodney has done first for Ronon, then for Teyla and now

"...for me?"

For a moment, he thinks Rodney is going to laugh at him, but then Rodney says, "Yes, yes of course for you," and John has the sudden revelation of staring right at the world's fucking largest neon sign.

When Rodney kisses him ten minutes later, John can honestly say that he saw it coming.

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