The first thing Rodney ever said to John was, "Oh my god, you're wearing a bowtie."
"I like it," John said, dropping his briefcase onto his desk. He thrust his hand out towards Rodney, and shoved his other hand into his pocket so that he wouldn't self-consciously touch his bowtie. "Doctor John Sheppard."
"Yes, the nameplate wasn't a clue, thank you." But Rodney shook his hand anyway, and John tried not to smile, because it really was true: the department secretary knew everything. Rodney was exactly what she'd told John to expect. "I'm Doctor McKay, technically Doctor cubed, whatever, you knew that. Seriously, a bowtie? They're going to eat you alive."
"Your tie has Einstein on it," John pointed out.
"Yeah, well." Rodney threw himself into his chair and crossed his arms. "Sharing an office wasn't in my contract," he muttered.
John dug his teeth into his lower lip to keep from laughing, and left to teach his class.
===
"They liked my bowtie," John said the next morning, and poured Rodney a cup of coffee. He looked like he needed it.
"By they you mean Laura Cadman, and oh my god don't put sugar in it, you godless heathen." Rodney snatched the mug out of John's hands and took a long sip.
John raised his eyebrows and allowed himself a moment to adjust his bowtie, because it had been only Laura Cadman, the pretty blonde who sat in the middle of the classroom and came up to him after class to tell him that he had a much nicer speaking voice than Doctor Sumner, and did he work in radio, and that's a very nice bowtie, Doctor Sheppard. "I still like it," John said, and fixed his own cup of coffee. With sugar. "Is that the Linux penguin on your tie?"
"You recognized it, don't make me shatter your geek cred." Rodney swallowed the rest of his coffee so fast it must have been painful, and set the cup down on his desk with a clack. "I have a class of idiot freshmen waiting for me. Are you sure you can't find your own office?"
"Positive," John said, but Rodney had already left.
===
"Nice tie," Rodney said a week later.
"I like it," John said, flipping it up to look at it. Einstein stuck his tongue out at him, upside-down. "Someone left it on my desk."
"Welcome to the school, or whatever." Rodney grabbed a stack of graded papers and left.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
AND NOW I'M LATE FOR THE PREMIERE OF MY OWN PLAY, OH MY GOD
Date: 2006-04-21 11:47 pm (UTC)"I like it," John said, dropping his briefcase onto his desk. He thrust his hand out towards Rodney, and shoved his other hand into his pocket so that he wouldn't self-consciously touch his bowtie. "Doctor John Sheppard."
"Yes, the nameplate wasn't a clue, thank you." But Rodney shook his hand anyway, and John tried not to smile, because it really was true: the department secretary knew everything. Rodney was exactly what she'd told John to expect. "I'm Doctor McKay, technically Doctor cubed, whatever, you knew that. Seriously, a bowtie? They're going to eat you alive."
"Your tie has Einstein on it," John pointed out.
"Yeah, well." Rodney threw himself into his chair and crossed his arms. "Sharing an office wasn't in my contract," he muttered.
John dug his teeth into his lower lip to keep from laughing, and left to teach his class.
===
"They liked my bowtie," John said the next morning, and poured Rodney a cup of coffee. He looked like he needed it.
"By they you mean Laura Cadman, and oh my god don't put sugar in it, you godless heathen." Rodney snatched the mug out of John's hands and took a long sip.
John raised his eyebrows and allowed himself a moment to adjust his bowtie, because it had been only Laura Cadman, the pretty blonde who sat in the middle of the classroom and came up to him after class to tell him that he had a much nicer speaking voice than Doctor Sumner, and did he work in radio, and that's a very nice bowtie, Doctor Sheppard. "I still like it," John said, and fixed his own cup of coffee. With sugar. "Is that the Linux penguin on your tie?"
"You recognized it, don't make me shatter your geek cred." Rodney swallowed the rest of his coffee so fast it must have been painful, and set the cup down on his desk with a clack. "I have a class of idiot freshmen waiting for me. Are you sure you can't find your own office?"
"Positive," John said, but Rodney had already left.
===
"Nice tie," Rodney said a week later.
"I like it," John said, flipping it up to look at it. Einstein stuck his tongue out at him, upside-down. "Someone left it on my desk."
"Welcome to the school, or whatever." Rodney grabbed a stack of graded papers and left.
===