The Comfy Chair

I think I have to agree with the_moonmoth regarding Rodney's characterisation. Yeah, he's a little more more in this story than in canon. But while I can understand the Rodney of "Hindsight" coming across on first, second, and third glance as belligerent and abrasive, I think there's an underlying compassionate side to him. It's clear he cares a lot about John as a person. In the beginning he does bulldoze John into a relationship, but later he doesn't call John up a dozen times a day to simply be oblivious and demanding, but to be the person who gets John out of his own head space. He makes sure John eats and works fewer hours and gets enough sleep. There's a deliberate choice there to be a comfort to John, in his own unique Rodney McKay way.

I agree with you that Rodney on the show is more self-contained than we see in the fic, but like you say, perhaps he's self-contained by necessity. The way Rodney meets John here is very different from their canon meeting. Here, their meeting is all about Rodney, his car, the bomb. Rodney quickly comes to view John as "his" too. On the show, their meeting is about John, science, and the mission. Their relationship is an ongoing professional one that deepens into friendship, they live in close quarters with 200 other people, they're never off the clock. In the fic, their professional connection is over with quickly, and Rodney is free to pursue his interest. Maybe that's enough to fork their relationship off on a different path?

But then I'm such a fan of AUs that I'll forgive what others might consider OOCness. *g*

Also, what is a bunny-boiler? I've never heard that term before!