Water
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Radek Zelenka
Rating: T
Word Count: 1751
Tags: Flashbacks, Anxiety, Aquaphobia, Fluff and Angst, OC Death, Fear, Cussing, Family, Sad with Happy ending, Still sad though
Notes:
Prompt: John's Radek's thoughts while entering the Stargate for the first time.
Italics are flashbacks.
Why do the names change?
Well, my friend, I am learning Czech and there is a case known as vocative that is used when addressing someone or something.
Example:
"His name is Radek."
Vocative: "Radku come here."
"Why did I even do this?
Accurate spelling of their name when being addressed. It may be written in English but they are speaking in Czech.
Helps me practice.
The more you know. 🌈
Read On A03
Radek stayed in the back, twiddling his thumbs and hoping to put off the inevitable. He pushed his glasses up with shaky fingers and sighed. It’s not that he didn’t want to go, quite the opposite in fact. He needed to go more than he needed to breathe.
"You are too paranoid, Radku.”
“No Jaromíre, you are not paranoid enough.”
He clenched his teeth and turned to fiddle with his bag, checking and rechecking. His heart seized as his section started to push forward, a few scientists jostling him to the side when he didn’t budge. The movement had him turning to see the active stargate in full view. Radek swallowed thickly. His Breath stuttering.
Water. That’s what it looked like. A giant undulating circle of water.
Jaromír jumped over a log and sprinted ahead of him, booted feet crunching in the snow.
“Do not go too far, Jaromíre. If you get lost, who will find you?”
Jaromír turned, all blue eyes and brown curls, cheeks tinged pink from the cold. A sly smile stretched across his young face. “You, of course.”
Radek smiled warmly and held his hand out toward him. “Still, stay close.”
Jaromír frowned and walked back, “You are too paranoid Radku.”
He took his small gloved hand and continued forward. Radek pointed a finger up, “No Jaromíre, you are not paranoid enough.” He clenched his hand briefly around Jaromír’s. His younger brother smiled as he returned the gesture.
Terror leaked into his guts and spread through him. He white-knuckled his pack and moved toward the platform, tentative and cautious.
“We’re almost there!” Jaromír laughed brightly. He shook his head in amusement as Jaromír walked quicker. Stretching Radek’s arm out as far as it would go.
“Patience, your trap will still be there regardless of how much time it takes to get there.” Jaromír's nose scrunched up, a little huff escaping him as he pouted. The look had Radek grinning.
Sweat broke out on the back of his neck as his feet hit the ramp, his entire body screaming with every step.
Jaromír laid on his belly in the snow, slowly inching to the edge of the river, hand reaching toward the rope tacked to the ground. He gripped the rope and slowly stood into a low crouch, body leaned back as he pulled the net up to reveal a few wriggling fish as it breached the surface.
“It worked, it worked!” Jaromír laughed as he pulled the net out quickly.
“Of course it did.” Radek felt warmth filling him at his brother’s excitement, “You followed every step perfectly.”
Jaromír turned toward him, all teeth and pride, the fish flailing and flopping in the net at his feet as he dropped the rope.
Radek reached the gate and stared into its watery depths trying and failing to catch his breath. He knew it wasn’t really water. It was just a gravitational effect that caused the light in the gateroom to be reflected back on itself. This knowledge did little to abate his fear.
The sun was bright and high, reflecting off the snow. The deep blue water shimmered and rushed past the rocks and ice. His breath created a misty cloud in the air. He smelled the moisture, the scent of the trees, the sounds of the river rushing. His brother beaming in happiness, his heart full of joy.
The perfection of the moment was broken, as his entire world narrowed to a fish flopping around Jaromír's feet, its tail smacking him in the leg. Radek’s heartbeat was the only sound he could hear as Jaromír jumped back, his feet slipping on the water-slicked ice beneath him.
Radek shook his head, tears pinpricking his eyes as the last tech walked into the gate, only him standing there.
“Jaromíre,” he screamed, jumping toward him. His front slammed against the ground, the fish sliding from the impact as he grabbed Jaromír's hand right before his little body hit the water.
The weight of him and the rushing river had Radek’s arm being dragged underneath, his body slipping closer toward the edge as he held on tight. His hand burned from the cold, a pain shooting in his shoulder as his left hand flung out and grabbed the pike tacked into the ground.
He pulled Jaromír till his head was above the river, his brother spitting out water and sucking in air as his mouth breached the surface. Jaromír's blue eyes were filled with pain, those rosy cheeks turning sickly white. His lips were already blue and chattering, his hand barely gripping Radek’s.
Radek clenched his teeth and ignored the pain in his shoulder, his hands protesting as he gripped the stake and his brother as tight as possible. He was getting pulled out, his fingers losing their grip. "Fuck, Fuck, Jaromíre.” He sobbed out. His brother tightened his hand briefly at Radek's words.
The moment Jaromír's glove came loose Radek was tearing down the side of the river, he slipped down the ice and ran, the only part of his body he could feel was the pain in his arm. But it did not matter. He had to follow the rushing water and hope Jaromír popped up, hope his brother got washed into a shallower part, hoped he could reach him from the shore.
It was only after he had stumbled back to their tent, dazed with a broken arm, his body shivering and deathly cold, that he realized he still held Jaromír's glove in a death grip.
Radek swallowed, a tear slipping out as he moved forward, he knew the wormhole didn’t feel like much. Knew it was relatively safe. But the terrified look on Jaromír's face as the river dragged him under was all he could see.
He could still back out. Dr. Weir said they could… His breath caught as he stared into the wormhole, another memory forming in the undulating blue.
“C’mon,” Petr ran toward the fence and ducked behind the side of a hill so as to not be seen. Radek swallowed nervously as he watched his older brother waving them over.
“Let’s go Radku.” His younger brother whispered excitedly before shooting off toward Petr, Radek clenched his teeth and pulled his beanie down further as he cautiously followed.
The air was misty, the sky covered in a grey fog. He crouched down between them, his hands gripping the bottom rung of the fence.
Petr looked down at Radek, his lips twisting smugly, “You go.”
“No,” Radek shook his head vigorously, his knuckles turning white as he tightened his grip. “I will not cross the Dvořák's.”
“Radku you’re too paranoid,” Petr said, rolling his hazel eyes.
Radek sighed and pressed his lips together, “No Petře, you are not paranoid enough.”
Jaromir bounced next to them, “I’ll do it.”
Radek frowned and pushed his hair out of his eyes, “Absolutely not.”
Petr scoffed. “You’d get caught for sure.”
Jaromír’s face flushed red, “Will not.”
“Nobody will be going,” Radek decided, moving to stand.
“You don’t get to decide that,” Petr grinned, “I’m the oldest.”
Radek squinted, “This is true,” a smile curled over his lips as he raised a finger toward Petr, “Also the dumbest.”
Petr’s eyes snapped to him. “Shut your fucking mouth.”
Radek raised his brows, “Oh, not even going to dispute it?” Petr’s fists curled in anger.
Radek was grinning wide now. Petr deserved to be knocked down a peg or two, pulling them out here just to try and get one of them in trouble. Absolutely ridiculous, completely stupid, why would anyone take such a risk?
“HEJ! HEJ!”
Radek watched Petr’s eyes widen right before he whipped his head toward the garden to see Mrs. Dvořák barreling out of the house, the door slamming against the wall, a broom clutched in her wrinkled hands. Only then did he notice Jaromír running full speed toward them, his shirt rolled up with his bounty.
“YOU LITTLE FUCKERS!”
“RUUUUN.” Petr screamed as Jaromír ducked under the fence, the three of them darting toward the forest.
“JUST WAIT TILL I TELL YOUR FATHER YOU LITTLE SHITS!”
Jaromír let out a squeal of joy as they ran. Petr jumped over a log and laughed brightly. Radek could feel a grin spreading, his heart slamming wildly, his lungs burning. It took him a moment to realize he too was calling out in happiness.
They stopped at the river, the three of them sweaty, bent over and sucking in lungfuls of air, grins spread over their reddened faces.
Jaromír walked to the edge of the river and sat down, unrolling his red-stained shirt, slightly smooshed cherries tumbling onto the grass. “Told you!” He said, blue eyes gleaming.
Petr flopped down next to him and scooped a handful, his other hand patting Jaromír’s shoulder, “Good job!”
Jaromír beamed with pride as he popped a cherry into his mouth.
Radek completed the circle around the haul, the three of them eating the cherries heartily. He spit a couple of pits to the side and frowned, “We are in trouble now.”
Petr laughed brightly, “No Radku, did you not see?”
Radek knit his brows, “See what?”
“You dumbass.” He spit a pit at him, “Mrs. Dvořák was bluffing.” He was all teeth, “She didn’t have her glasses on.”
Normally he would wrestle him to the ground for such an insult, give him a few well-deserved gut punches, but he was too happy, the taste of sweet cherries tamping the insult down.
The three of them laid back against the grass and stared at the foggy sky, lips, and fingers stained red.
“Why did you do it Jaromíre?” Radek said, turning toward him, unable to wrap his head around his younger brother's risky act. “Just because of Petr's goading?”
“No,” a grin spread over Jaromír’s juice-covered face. “I wanted to do it,” He held his hand up toward the sky, a cherry pinched between his fingers. “It was scary,” he dropped the cherry into his mouth and turned toward Radek, “But so worth it, yeah?”
“Yeah!" Petr called out.
Radek looked back up at the sky. He couldn’t argue with logic like that. Not while still riding the high of getting away with it. Not with a grin spread over his face and a belly full of cherries.
He nodded in agreement, “Yeah.” He popped another cherry in his mouth and savored the sweetness on his tongue.
“The risk was worth it.”
Radek stepped into the wormhole with a smile on his lips.
End Notes:
And walked straight into a city completely underwater...
NGL, I cried a few times while writing this.
16 notes
·
View notes