SGA FIC: Out Of Bounds - John/Rodney - NC-17 overall

[icarus]

The story in one file up to an earlier chapter: Out Of Bounds.

Title: Out Of Bounds
Author: Icarus
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: John/Rodney
Summary: "That's your ignorance speaking. You're not aware that they're a ravening mob that will gleefully tear you limb from limb."

A/N: Thank you once again to my tireless betas (we're having fun), rabidfan and roaringmice, and now tingler and mariamme, too.

Previously in Out Of Bounds: Known more for his jumps than his artistry, figure skater John Sheppard hires ex-skating champion and "artiste" Rodney McKay to be his coach. Their teasing friendship warms into something more. After a year of training and preparation... the U.S. Championships.

[Previous][Next]
Out Of Bounds
by Icarus



Chaotic noise and laughter drifted down from crowded halls above the arena, the energy still high from a pairs competition that had just ended in a tight finish. A team of virtual unknowns had unseated the champions. Afternoon sun streamed down from the skylight and conversations buzzed with excitement. The crew on the ice smiled and laughed to each other, calling out as they patched holes with handfuls of ice. A portly fellow in a workman's shirt who ran the camera boom spread his arms in disbelief to his neighbor, shaking his head. Over by the judges platform, a reporter in a red dress gabbled into her microphone about "making history" and "what a performance!" one hand pressed to her ear piece.

John and Rodney were among the first to arrive for the men's short program. John's costume glittered purple and turquoise under the light. He had one warm hand on Rodney's shoulder, steering him. They filtered through clusters of staff and competitors and press all talking over one another.

"Aren't I supposed to be the one who's nervous?" John said with dry humor as Rodney balked again in the doorway.

"That's your ignorance speaking. You're not aware that they're a ravening mob that will gleefully tear you limb from limb. And use your bones to pick their teeth," Rodney added as an afterthought.

"Uhm-hmm," John said, his mind clearly not in the present. Instead he pushed Rodney forward, forcing him back into motion.

Rodney moved through the crowd in a daze, light bulbs flashing, his mouth open, looking over the heads of the reporters, not seeing anything but the ice ahead of him. Championship ice was different from any other. Imbued with the power of all those eyes watching, the crux of so much: years of training, success or failure in the space of minutes.

He pushed towards it, ignoring the people around him. His hands curled around the boards and he looked over the edge, turning around to gaze at the crowd, up and up. Murmuring and chaotic, ready for the spectacle, talking to one another, paper cups in their hands.

Yes. This was where he belonged.

He should never have retired, he thought with utter certainty.

No recriminations. No guilt. He simply accepted it as true. He hadn't lost because of the Olympics. He just shouldn't have let them win. He'd had years ahead of him. Zelenka had been right all along.

He held out an arm to John, drawing him forward to what he still had. John was watching him with a perplexed expression. Weirdly, the cameramen seemed to get it, circling them, cameras whir-clicking, seeming to sense that this was "a moment."

"Welcome back, McKay!" one of the reporters called out, a kid Rodney didn't recognize. Of course, after ten years he wouldn't, would he? There'd been a changing of the guard.

"Welcome back?" Rodney snapped. "I never left!" They chuckled, surrounding him as they always had, drawn to his personality like moths.


[Previous][Next]

Comments

[with-apostrophe.livejournal.com]

drawn to his personality like moths

Ain't that the truth!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

He's irresistible. It was never entirely his skating that made him a media darling.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html). (Yay!)

[ca-pierson.livejournal.com]

I loved Rodney's 'I never left!'

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

To Rodney, he didn't. But Rodney's perspective is decidedly Rodney-centric.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html). (Yay!)

[ca-pierson.livejournal.com]

Yay! Yes, I got the e-mail that you updated your journal with the out of bounds tag :).

[chaps1870.livejournal.com]

I loved the 'moment'. Outstanding!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Rodney McKay is finally back.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html). (Yay!)

[almostnever.livejournal.com]

Just love that last paragraph, Rodney's snappishness and his odd magnetism both at work.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

What made him popular with the reporters wasn't just his skating.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html). (Yay!)

[mad_maudlin]

Oh, Rodney. ::sigh::

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

In Rodney's mind, he was always there: the Olympics and everything that happened around it has never been far from his mind.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html). (Yay!)

[wedjateye.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've commentd previously (computer issues and fatigue issues - my apologies) but I have been enjoying this story immensely. I'm so glad you are posting more now. The dialogue is so much fun, the tension/waiting gets to me (that's a compliment) and the relationship between John and Rodney always feels spot-on.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, and welcome!

Yes, the push is on to finish. I'm trying to keep the momentum going with ongoing updates. Just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Aww, the atmosphere. :)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. A lot of these scenes were written a year ago so I find myself having to weld them together with the new stuff. Most of the atmosphere here is, well, welding.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html). (Yay!)

[scififreak.livejournal.com]

Haha, Rodney is this Norma Desmond of the ice skating world! "I am big! It's the rinks that got smaller!"

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Er. *shifty eyes* I think I'm going to have to look up Norma Desmond....

[scififreak.livejournal.com]

Haha, Sunset Blvd? The movie or the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber? Once you look it up, I think we can agree that Rodney is a big enough diva to be compared to Norma. And now that I think about it...their stories are quite similar. Huh. *ponders*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, you know, there are a number of old classics I've been watching (just watched Bogart in The Maltese Falcon last weekend). I'll put that on the list.

P.S. I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[elizabeth-rice.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha! I enjoyed that. Rodney's so adorable!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yeah, from Rodney's perspective, he's always been involved in skating and never forgotten what happened to him, not for a second. But of course, for the rest of the world -- he disappeared.

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[elizabeth-rice.livejournal.com]

But not forgotten! I think.

Oh, did you mean this one (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/875255.html)? ;)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yep. That one.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Go, Rodney! *is drawn also*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Bring on the candlepower.

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

I would burn so very prettily.

Yay! \o/

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Tzzzzt!

[klinoa.livejournal.com]

Aww, they're having a 'moment'. Very nice. Rodney is especially great here.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yep. The press has an instinct for this sort of thing. They may not know what's going on, but they see the starry-eyed return of a famous skater and they know something's up.

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[seekergeek.livejournal.com]

Once again Rodney sucks in reporters! *cheers him on*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

They can't resist....

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[fenchurch1.livejournal.com]

Gah! Drip-feeding again! I want to see Rodney learning how to jump from John now! They may have to skate AGAINST each other at the next Olympics!! But first I want to see John's short program - fingers and toes crossed - it HAS to go right!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's been an ongoing internal debate: to drip-feed or not to drip-feed, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to post in large amounts, widely spaced....

Then I went a whole month without updates. Ooops. To drip-feed it is.

But this next part is not -- I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[fawkesielady-ed.livejournal.com]

YAY! I love Rodney!
I like this little snippet that's centered around him!
*hugs Rodney* *Hugs you* *is happy!*

Thanks for posting!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

This is one of my favorite parts. He's... he only lost one competition, even if it was the Olympics. He would have had another chance in four years, when he was only 21 years old. Plenty of time to redeem himself (especially with the ever-hopeful Canadians). But he broke. He just broke under the nastiness of the press and his competitors, and the backlash of his own words.

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).

[fawkesielady-ed.livejournal.com]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm offline for a few days and that's what it takes for you to post!? Okay... I'll be offline more often. Sure... like I could manage that... haha
It's already 10 pm. I'll either read it tonight, staying up way too late in the process... (which is more likely...) or read it tomorrow after work.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, I lurking, waiting till you weren't posting and....

Nah. Actually, I posted it to try to encourage myself through the writing of John's freeskate. I figure everyone else's enthusiasm will carry me through the struggle.

[twistedrecesses.livejournal.com]

These tantalizing little pieces leave me really looking forward to John's short program. I'm super excited!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Annnnnd... John's short program is here (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html)!

[rellan.livejournal.com]

Back from vacation. Not rested and playing lj catch up. And I come back to OoB! Squeeeeee!

I can feel the competition suspense build. *bounces happily for John and Rodney*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

How about a little more? Say... John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html)?

[ariadne83]

He should never have retired, he thought with utter certainty.

No recriminations. No guilt. He simply accepted it as true. He hadn't lost because of the Olympics. He just shouldn't have let them win. He'd had years ahead of him. Zelenka had been right all along.

Oh Rodney! It's so sad, and quite true.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yep. He was only 17 when that all went down. He could have competed at the Olympics again when he was 21, and maybe even again at age 25. But he broke.

I just posted John's short program (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/873029.html) (yay!).