|
Rodney
spent
the day
alternately
making
love or
sleeping
like a
baby in
John's
arms.
After
his
recent
sleepless
nights
this did
him the
world of
good,
and, by
the time
he left
John's
quarters
the
following
morning,
his
entire
body
felt
boneless
and
soothed
from all
the
relaxing
sex. He
ached
quite a
bit, and
was sore
in
places,
but his
body
felt
more
alive
than it
had done
for
years.
Rodney
went
back to
his
quarters
and
stood
there,
glancing
around
the
place.
It felt
as if
he'd
been a
different
person
when he
was last
here –
as if it
had been
a
lifetime
ago. He
stood
there,
blinking,
trying
to get
his head
around
all that
had
happened
since
he'd
last
stood
here.
He
already
missed
the feel
of
John's
fingertips
on his
skin,
and the
way his
top
liked to
examine
every
inch of
his
body. He
missed
the way
John
tasted
on his
mouth,
and the
feel of
John's
thick
cock
pounding
into his
body,
and,
most of
all, he
missed
that
magical
energy
that
seemed
to
surround
them
whenever
their
lovemaking
reached
a
particular
level of
intensity.
That
energy
scared
him a
little.
It
seemed
to
connect
them,
binding
them
together
with
invisible
ties,
bathing
them in
a warm,
sweet,
intoxicating
bath.
Rodney
had
never
experienced
anything
like it
before,
and he
craved
it and
feared
it in
equal
measure.
Rodney
changed
into a
clean
uniform
and set
off for
the lab,
taking a
minor
detour
via the
mess
hall on
the way.
He
entered
the lab
bearing
a tray
containing
a pot of
freshly
brewed
hot
coffee,
and a
dozen
donuts.
"Don't
panic!
Rodney
McKay is
back at
the
helm.
All is
well!"
he
announced,
putting
his tray
down on
the
side,
and
beaming
at
everyone
in the
room.
"All
right,
boys and
girls,
I'm sure
you
missed
me but
the
genius
is back
at his
work
station
so you
can
breathe
more
easily
now.
So…." He
glanced
around.
"Did the
city
blow up
in my
absence?"
"City is
still
standing,
as you
can
see,"
Radek
said,
rolling
his
eyes.
"And you
were
only
gone for
one day!
We would
all be
happy
for you
to be
absent
more
often I
think.
Was very
quiet in
here
yes?" He
glanced
around
the
room,
and the
science
team
shot
fearful
glances
in
Rodney's
direction,
clearly
unsure
whether
it would
be wise
to admit
that.
"Ah, you
were
bored
without
me,"
Rodney
beamed.
"I am
glad you
took
some
time
away.
Are you
better
able to
concentrate
now?"
Radek
asked
softly,
taking
Rodney
off to
one
side.
Rodney
beamed
at him.
"My
genius
is once
again
operating
at full
force,
yes," he
told
Radek.
The
other
scientist
rolled
his eyes
at that.
"Well –
what are
you
waiting
for? The
donuts
are on
me. Now,
what
systems
have you
been
destroying
while
I've
been
gone,
Radek?"
Rodney
handed
Radek a
donut,
and
glanced
over the
scientist's
shoulder.
The
morning
went
quickly.
Rodney
threw
himself
back
into his
work, a
whirlwind
of
happy,
manic
energy,
and the
people
in his
team
started
to relax
–
although
he did
catch
them
sneaking
glances
at him
when
they
thought
he
wasn't
looking,
surprised
and
wrong-footed
by his
buoyant
mood.
Rodney
couldn't
help
himself
– he
felt so
damn
*good*,
and he
bounced
around
the lab,
radiating
goodwill.
Every
now and
then
he'd
pause
for a
moment
in what
he was
doing,
and rest
his hand
for a
split
second
over his
shirt,
feeling
the bite
mark on
the
nipple
through
the thin
fabric.
Or he'd
close
his eyes
for just
a
second,
and have
a flash
of
memory
of John
leaning
over
him, his
white
teeth
gleaming
against
his
tanned
skin as
he
grinned
down at
him, and
then
slowly,
so
slowly,
slid
that
powerful
cock of
his deep
into
Rodney's
ass.
He
received
an email
at
10.20.
Just one
line but
it made
his
entire
body
tingle:
"My
quarters.
6 p.m.
Don't be
late.
Your ass
is
mine."
Rodney
giggled,
and then
glanced
around
the room
to make
sure
nobody
had
heard.
Radek
shot him
a
surprised
look but
nobody
else
seemed
to be
watching.
Rodney
wondered
just how
much sex
two
people
could
have
without
spontaneously
combusting
but then
he
decided
that he
was
quite
happy to
devote
his life
to
finding
out.
At 12
p.m. he
went to
the
control
room for
a senior
staff
meeting.
John was
already
there,
sitting
in the
slouched
position
he
favoured.
His eyes
lit up
when
Rodney
came in
but he
didn't
move, he
just sat
there
and
watched
Rodney
with
hungry
eyes as
Rodney
took his
seat.
Rodney
flushed.
He
doubted
that
anyone
else had
noticed
but
John's
gaze was
so
predatory
that it
made him
want to
grab his
top, and
take him
some
place
private.
Rodney
sat
down,
and
tried to
ignore
the
growing
heat in
his
pants.
John sat
back and
gazed at
him, a
lazy
smile on
his
features,
like a
cat
playing
with a
mouse.
He
undressed
Rodney
with his
eyes,
the
expression
in them
absolutely
plain
for
Rodney
to read.
Rodney
tried to
keep his
mind on
the
meeting
but he
was so
flustered
that
Elizabeth
ended up
asking
him if
he was
feeling
okay.
"Fine,"
he
muttered.
"Just a
little…heatstroke."
He made
a face
at John
who
grinned,
smugly,
and made
a,
“What?
I'm not
doing
anything!"
gesture
with his
hands.
Rodney
glared
at him.
Two
could
play at
this
game.
He left
the
meeting
the
minute
it
finished
and
headed
straight
for the
transporter,
activating
the door
behind
him but
not
selecting
a
destination.
Everyone
else
worked
within
walking
distance
– John
was the
only
person
who
needed
to use
the
transporter
to get
to his
office.
Sure
enough,
a few
seconds
later
the door
opened,
and John
got in.
Rodney
waited
until
the door
closed
behind
him, and
then he
slammed
on the
door
lock,
turned,
grabbed
his top,
and
pushed
him
against
the
wall,
all in
one
smooth
move.
Then he
got down
onto his
knees,
opened
John's
fly, and
gazed up
at him.
"I can't
hold out
until
six," he
said.
"And,
judging
by how
horny
you were
acting
in
there,
you
can't,
either."
"Are you
offering
me a
TSBJ,
Rodney?"
John
asked,
raising
an
amused
eyebrow.
"A what?
Oh. I
see.
Idiot.
And yes
I am.
Are you
declining?"
Rodney
raised
an
equally
amused
eyebrow,
and John
laughed
out
loud.
"Hell
no! This
kind of
thing
makes
you the
sub of
my
dreams,
Rodney.
Get to
work!"
He slid
his hand
into
Rodney's
hair and
took
hold of
it, just
lightly,
and that
made
Rodney's
body
tingle
with
pleasure.
He was
claimed.
John was
*his*
top.
Rodney
peeled
down
John’s
pants
and
boxers
to
release
his
already
fully
erect
cock
which
sprang
up,
eagerly,
without
any
effort
at all
on
Rodney’s
part.
“What
can I
say?”
John
sighed.
“Just
sitting
in that
meeting
watching
you
stammer
your way
through
that
technical
spec did
it for
me.”
“I don’t
stammer.
Have you
ever
done
this
before?”
Rodney
blew
gently
on
John’s
cock,
and it
quivered,
satisfyingly,
in
response.
“I mean,
have a
relationship
with
someone
you work
with -
not,
*this*,
obviously,”
Rodney
said,
nodding
towards
John’s
cock,
which
was
nodding
back,
looking
somewhat
crestfallen
at not
being in
his
mouth.
“Because
I
haven’t,
and I
have no
idea how
it
works.”
“Yes I
have,”
John
said.
“Are you
making
me wait,
Rodney?
Because
I’m sure
we can
make up
some
rules
about
*that*.”
Rodney
grinned,
and
planted
a little
kiss on
John’s
eager
cock.
“I was
just
wondering
how you
manage
it,
that’s
all.
I’ve
spent
most of
the
morning
running
around
the lab
grinning
like an
idiot,
thinking
about
what we
did all
day
yesterday,
and I
was
completely
useless
in that
meeting
just
now.
Quite
frankly,
it’s
distracting.
Does it
settle
down
after
awhile,
or am I
condemned
to being
a
simpering
halfwit
forever?”
“I have
no
idea,”
John
replied
with a
shrug,
thrusting
his hips
eagerly
in the
direction
of
Rodney’s
mouth.
“But you
just
said
you’d
had
relationships
with
people
you
worked
with,”
Rodney
protested,
pausing,
tantalisingly,
with his
mouth
just an
inch
from
John’s
hopeful
penis.
“I know,
but that
was
different.”
John
shrugged.
“How?”
Rodney
frowned,
moving
in to
take the
tip of
John’s
cock in
his
mouth.
He could
feel
John’s
hand,
stroking
his hair
softly.
“Because
I wasn’t
in love
with any
of
them,”
John
murmured.
Rodney
felt his
heart
flip
inside
his
chest.
There it
was
again,
the L
word. He
loved
hearing
it but
it
scared
him too,
and he
was all
too well
aware
that he
hadn’t
said it
in
return.
Rodney
had no
frame of
reference
for
being in
love –
it had
never
happened
to him,
and he
had no
idea
what it
might
feel
like. He
could
just say
it, for
the sake
of it,
but once
it was
said the
inevitable
break-up
would be
even
more
painful,
and his
gut
twisted
in
response
to that
thought.
Instead,
he
turned
his
attention
to
John’s
cock,
deciding
that if
he
couldn’t
tell his
top he
loved
him then
he could
at least
give him
the best
damn
blow job
in the
history
of the
universe.
He
adored
John’s
powerful
cock in
any case
– the
skin
felt hot
and
silky,
stretched
over all
that
ramrod
hard
strength.
Rodney
dipped
his head
and
swallowed
it deep
into his
throat,
making
John
yelp
with
pleasure.
Rodney
ignored
his
aching
jaw and
spent
several
minutes
pleasuring
his
top’s
cock,
until
John
came
with a
shout
and
Rodney
swallowed
down his
come. He
was, he
thought,
gradually
starting
to
figure
out the
way John
liked to
be
blown.
Everyone
was
different,
and
Rodney
liked to
adapt
his
technique
accordingly.
John
liked a
lot of
attention
on the
very tip
of his
cock,
and he
liked
Rodney
to
ripple
his lips
down
over his
hard
shaft
with
exquisite
slowness.
Rodney
cleaned
up
John’s
spent
cock,
and then
leaned
back and
gazed up
at his
top.
John was
resting
against
the wall
of the
transporter,
a dreamy
look in
his
eyes.
His hand
was
still
stroking
Rodney’s
hair,
and he
looked
utterly
boneless
and
relaxed.
“God
that was
good,
Rodney,”
he
sighed.
“Thank
you.
Now,
next
time you
look at
me like
that in
meetings
you know
what to
expect.”
Rodney
got up
and
pressed
his
destination
into the
transporter.
“Shit,
Rodney,
now that
I know
that
I’ll do
it in
every
single
meeting!”
John
protested.
Rodney
grinned.
“Okay –
just so
long as
you know
that
you’re
the one
who has
to get
yourself
to where
you need
to be
after.”
The door
opened
on cue
and
Rodney
stepped
out with
a cheery
wave of
his hand
in his
top’s
direction.
John’s
eyes
widened
with the
realisation
that his
legs
weren’t
doing a
good job
of
holding
him up,
and he
was
completely
incapable
of
moving
until
the
after-waves
of his
blissful
orgasm
had
passed.
Rodney
just
grinned
to
himself,
and
started
walking
off down
the
hallway.
“I’ll
get you
back,
McKay!”
he heard
John
call
after
him.
“Damnit,
you’re
such
Trouble.”
Rodney
had
never
been a
clock
watcher,
but at
5.45 he
started
finishing
up what
he was
working
on, and
at 5.55
he was
out of
the
door,
much to
the
surprise
of
everyone
in his
team.
Usually
he was
the
first to
arrive
and the
last to
leave –
sometimes
they
came to
work to
find
he’d
never
even
gone to
his
quarters
the
previous
night,
and was
still
working.
Now
though –
he just
wanted
to get
to
John’s
quarters,
and see
what his
top had
in store
for him.
Much to
his
disappointment,
John
wasn’t
there
when he
got
there.
Rodney
sat
down,
then got
up again
and
paced
the room
impatiently,
and then
sat down
again.
He
didn’t
have
long to
wait –
John
arrived
a few
seconds
later.
He
walked
in, went
straight
over to
Rodney,
and,
without
pausing,
pulled
him to
his feet
by the
lapels
on his
lab coat
and
kissed
him
deeply.
Rodney
sighed
and
surrendered,
his
hands
going
around
John’s
body and
coming
to rest
on his
firm,
tight
ass.
They
kissed
hungrily,
passionately,
for
several
minutes
and then
John
drew
back.
“Damnit
I’ve
been
dreaming
about
doing
that all
day.” He
glanced
down at
Rodney
and then
frowned.
“Only,
in my
dreams
you were
completely
naked.
You
know, I
think we
might
have to
make it
a rule
that
when
we’re
alone
together,
you
don’t
wear any
clothes.”
“Oh
please.
That
sounds
very
unhygienic,”
Rodney
sniffed.
“I mean
it.”
John
grabbed
his lab
coat and
ripped
it
bodily
from
him. “I
want
access,
Rodney!
I want
to know
your
body is
ready
and
available
any time
I want
to touch
it. And
besides…”
he
paused
for a
moment
in
unzipping
Rodney’s
fly, and
gazed at
him
fondly.
“I like
looking
at you.”
“What?”
Rodney
frowned.
“You
heard. I
like
your
body. I
want to
be able
to see
it as
often as
possible.
And I
want you
to get
used to
being
naked,
Rodney –
I want
you to
look
more
comfortable
in your
own
skin. I
saw the
way you
couldn’t
wait to
get into
my
bathrobe
yesterday
after we
had sex,
or to
wrap a
towel
around
your
waist. I
don’t
want you
to do
that.”
John
unzipped
Rodney’s
shirt,
yanked
it over
his
head,
and then
pressed
a kiss
to
Rodney’s
now
naked
shoulder.
“I want
you to
accept
that
you’re
my sub
and I
get off
on
looking
at you –
because
you look
damn
good,
Rodney.”
Rodney
snorted.
Okay, so
he was a
moderately
good-looking
man, but
he
didn’t
kid
himself
that he
had the
kind of
sexual
allure
that
John
seemed
to see
in him.
His body
was okay
– it
wasn’t
in
brilliant
shape,
but it
wasn’t
too bad.
He still
wasn’t
as fit
as he
could
be, but
he’d
toned up
a lot
since
coming
to
Atlantis,
and he’d
lost
some
weight
during
his
recent
emotional
turmoil.
“I mean
it,”
John
said,
his
hazel
eyes
deadly
serious.
“It’s
not
something
you
shrug
off,
Rodney.
It’s our
second
rule. I
want you
to get
used to
being
naked
around
me. I
want you
to view
your
body as
my
plaything,
ready
for my
use any
time I
want to
touch
you, or
take
you. Got
that?”
Rodney
sighed,
and
melted
against
his top,
finding
John’s
words a
total
turn on.
“Yeah,”
he said,
“Got
it.”
“Good.”
John
kissed
the side
of his
neck and
then
licked a
trail
down to
his
nipples.
They
were
still a
little
sore
after
all the
play the
previous
day, but
John
just
kissed
and
licked
them
gently
and
Rodney
relaxed
and
allowed
his top
to do
whatever
he
wanted.
John got
him
undressed,
and then
led him
over to
the bed.
“I want
to take
you from
behind,”
he said,
guiding
Rodney
onto the
mattress.
Rodney
shivered,
excited
by the
idea. Up
until
now,
John had
only
taken
him from
on top,
always
looking
into
Rodney’s
eyes
when
they
made
love,
reassuring
him and
kissing
him
throughout.
This
felt
more
basic,
more
like a
top
asserting
his
right
over his
sub’s
body,
and that
sent a
thrill
of
arousal
through
Rodney,
making
his cock
quiver.
He knelt
on the
bed,
taking
up the
position
that
John
guided
him
into.
John
stood
behind
him, and
a few
seconds
later
Rodney
felt the
cool
caress
of lube
against
his
anus.
“Ssh…good
boy…open
up for
me,”
John
said, in
that
low,
throaty
tone he
saved
just for
sex.
Rodney
moaned,
and
opened
up so
that
John
could
get his
fingers
inside
him. “Oh
this is
such a
good
look for
you,”
John
murmured.
“On all
fours,
naked
and
exposed.
I’m not
even
going to
get
undressed,
boy. I’m
going to
just
release
my hard
cock and
take you
like
this.”
That
excited
Rodney
even
more,
and he
mewled
and put
his head
back. He
felt
completely
submissive
like
this,
every
inch his
top’s
plaything.
John
caressed
his
naked
bottom
for a
few
seconds,
and then
Rodney
heard
him undo
his zip,
and few
seconds
later he
felt
something
big and
wide rub
against
his
opening.
“I’m
going to
take you
harder
this
time,”
John
whispered.
“Now
you’re
getting
used to
it. I
want you
to just
kneel
there
and take
me,
Rodney.
You know
the
rules –
you can
come
when I’m
done,
and not
before.
Now open
up for
me.”
Rodney
found he
wasn’t
tense –
he even
backed
up a
little,
his ass
ready
and
waiting,
longing
to feel
John’s
hard
cock
inside
him, and
dying to
have his
own
release.
John
opened
up his
buttocks
with his
hands,
and
Rodney
felt his
cock
pressing
against
his
anus,
and then
John,
true to
his
word,
plunged
all the
way in.
Rodney
let out
a roar,
and
bucked
slightly,
tears
pricking
behind
his eyes
from the
sudden
intrusion.
John
held his
hips
tight,
stroking
him,
calming
him, and
then
Rodney’s
body
adjusted
and it
just
felt
good,
the way
it
always
did.
John
began
thrusting
with his
hips,
powerful,
surging
thrusts
that hit
some
sweet
spot
inside
Rodney
unerringly
every
single
time. He
felt
lost in
the
moment,
utterly
enjoying
the
sensation
of being
taken
from
behind
by his
strong
top, and
he threw
his head
back and
cried
out with
every
inward
thrust,
screaming
out his
pleasure
and
devotion.
This was
his top
taking
him,
claiming
him
again,
reducing
Rodney
to a
mass of
molten
sensation,
and
Rodney
loved
how it
made him
feel.
Their
bodies
seemed
to fit
so
perfectly
together,
and
John’s
cock
felt as
if it
belonged
here,
rammed
deep
inside
his ass,
connecting
their
bodies
together
and
making
them
move as
one.
John’s
thrusting
became
more
urgent,
and was
so
powerful
now that
Rodney
wasn’t
sure he
could
take it,
and then
he felt
John’s
hand on
his own
cock,
and
heard
John
growling
out his
name,
over and
over
again,
the way
he often
did
whenever
he came.
His hand
was
still
moving
on
Rodney’s
cock,
but
again,
the
sound of
his own
name on
John’s
lips at
his
moment
of
orgasm
did it
for
Rodney
and he
came
over
John’s
hand a
few
seconds
later.
Rodney
was so
zoned
out by
his
incredible
orgasm
that he
fell
onto the
bed and
just lay
there
for the
next few
minutes,
dead to
the
world.
John
dropped
down
beside
him and
wrapped
his arms
around
him, and
Rodney
sighed,
feeling
utterly
relaxed.
There
was
something
*too*
good
about
the way
John's
clothed
body
felt
against
his own
naked
one. It
made him
feel
every
inch the
submissive,
in
thrall
to his
top's
commands,
and he
was
surprised
to
realise
just how
much he
relished
feeling
like
this.
Finally,
John
tore
himself
away and
got
washed
up, then
went to
get some
food,
while
Rodney
continued
to just
lie
there,
basking
in the
warm
glow
that
came in
the
aftermath
of truly
great
sex.
When
John
returned
Rodney
got up,
and
reached
for
John's
bathrobe,
but that
earned
him a
glare
from
John so
he
rolled
his eyes
and
dropped
it
again.
"Nobody
ever
looks
good
eating
naked,"
Rodney
protested.
John
just
grinned.
"You
look
fine.
The
point
is, I
like
having
you
here,
naked
and
within
touching
distance,"
he said.
"And
besides,
it's a
rule
now, so
shut up
and sit
down."
He
dropped
a kiss
on
Rodney's
shoulder
and
spidered
his
fingers
lightly
across
Rodney's
stomach,
making
Rodney
giggle
and give
in.
He felt
stupid
sitting
at the
table to
eat
without
one
scrap of
clothing
to cover
himself,
but John
started
talking
to him
as if it
was the
most
natural
thing in
the
world
for them
to be
sitting
at the
table,
one
naked,
one
clothed,
eating
their
dinner.
And if
his top
wanted
it this
way then
Rodney
couldn't
really
think of
any good
reasons
to keep
arguing
about
it. He
supposed
it would
take
awhile
to get
used to
it
though.
Rodney
didn't
have any
particular
hang-ups
about
his own
body but
he
wasn't
comfortable
seeing
so much
of it on
display,
either.
He tried
to sit
up and
suck his
stomach
in, but
that was
impossible
while he
was
eating
and he
just
ended up
feeling
more
self-conscious
than
ever. To
cover
his
embarrassment
he
shovelled
his food
down his
throat
even
faster
than
usual,
and then
looked
up,
aware of
John's
eyes on
him, to
see his
top
shaking
his
head.
"Slow
down,
Rodney.
We have
all
evening,"
John
told
him.
"You eat
way too
fast
anyway."
"I like
food,"
Rodney
retorted.
"You
wouldn't
think it
to watch
you
eat,"
John
replied.
"It
disappears
so fast
it's
like all
you want
to do is
get rid
of it.
You
could
try
actually
tasting
it.
Here."
He
picked
up a
forkful
of food
and held
it to
Rodney's
mouth.
"Now, go
slow,"
he said.
Rodney
hesitated,
and then
opened
his
mouth
and took
the
food. He
saw a
flash of
pleasure
light up
John's
eyes but
it was
matched
almost
immediately
by the
wave of
panic he
felt in
his own
belly.
This was
too much
for
Rodney.
He'd
been
swept
off his
feet and
now he
felt out
of
control,
in the
grip of
something
that was
overwhelming
his
life.
He’d
never
seriously
thought
about
sharing
a plate
with a
top
before –
he was
too
obsessed
with
food to
want to
surrender
that
degree
of
control
– but,
even
more
than
that, he
was very
well
aware of
what it
meant to
share a
plate
with a
top. It
signalled
to the
world
that
they
were a
couple,
and in a
serious
relationship
at that,
and once
they
reached
that
point
Rodney
was
afraid
that the
inevitable
break-up
would be
more
public
and
painful
than he
could
stand.
He
chewed
the
mouthful
of food
slowly,
barely
tasting
it.
"Yes,
yes,
very
nice,"
he said
when he
was
done,
turning
back to
his own
meal
quickly
before
John
could
feed him
another
mouthful.
"But the
quicker
we go,
the
sooner
we can
get back
to the
whole
having
hot sex
thing."
John
couldn't
disagree
with
that
logic at
least,
and when
Rodney
dropped
a dollop
of gravy
down his
naked
chest a
few
seconds
later,
John got
to his
feet and
came
over to
lick it
off with
a swirl
of his
tongue.
One
thing
led to
another,
and
before
long
they
were
back on
the bed.
Rodney
was
happier
when
they
were
having
sex. It
blocked
out the
need for
him to
think
about
the
wider
implications
of being
in what,
he was
rapidly
coming
to
realise,
was a
full-blown
relationship.
Rodney
woke up
later
that
night,
after
several
hours of
completely
satisfying
love-making,
to find
John's
naked
body
pressed
against
his
back,
John's
arms
tight
around
his
waist,
John's
breath
warming
his
shoulder.
It
should
have
felt
suffocating,
but it
didn't.
Rodney
still
wasn't
entirely
sure how
all this
had
happened
but he
decided
to blame
it on
the
beach.
Up until
that
point
he'd
been
perfectly
happy
living a
single
life,
without
a top
giving
him
orders,
albeit
somewhat
sexy
orders.
Then
there
had been
the sea,
and the
sand,
and
Colonel
John
Sheppard
wearing
an
open-necked
shirt
with
wind
billowing
through
his dark
hair,
and
Rodney
had
found
himself
lying on
his back
being
kissed
and
since
then
things
had
happened
far too
quickly.
The
trouble
was the
sex was
so damn
good
that he
didn't
want it
to stop,
but the
relationship…that
freaked
the hell
out of
him. If
only he
could
have one
without
the
other –
but
would it
be so
good?
Was it
possible
that it
was the
relationship
that
made the
sex so
satisfying?
Rodney
lay
there in
the
dark,
gazing
at the
picture
on the
nightstand.
John's
parents
smiled
at him
from it,
their
arms
wrapped
around
each
other
much as
John's
were
wrapped
around
him
right
now.
Just
because
they had
been
happy
didn't
mean his
relationship
with
John
would
work out
but
Rodney
felt the
weight
of
John's
expectations
radiating
out from
their
beaming
smiles.
"You
awake?"
John
asked,
and
Rodney
sighed
and
shifted
in his
arms.
"Yeah.
Just
thinking…."
"I
thought
so. The
sound of
you
thinking
is
always
deafening."
"At
least
there's
something
actually
going on
in my
head
which is
more
than can
be said
of most
people,"
Rodney
sniffed.
"Yeah,
but when
it's
noisy
it's
usually
crap.
The good
stuff
tends to
be
silent,"
John
said.
Rodney
frowned,
wondering
when
John had
got to
know him
so well.
"Well,
regardless,
I was
*thinking*
that I
should
be
getting
back to
my own
quarters."
"No
rush,"
John
murmured,
squeezing
him
lightly.
"Might
as well
stay
until
morning."
"Someone
might
see me,"
Rodney
protested,
but it
was
warm,
and he
liked
the way
John was
holding
him, so
he
didn't
really
want to
move.
"So? How
long do
we have
to keep
our
relationship
quiet
anyway?"
John
asked.
"Longer
than one
day,
which is
how long
we've
lasted
so far!"
He heard
John
sigh
behind
him. "At
least
move
some of
your
stuff in
here,"
John
told
him. "A
toothbrush,
change
of
clothes,
bathrobe…."
"You
mean
you'll
actually
let me
wear a
bathrobe?
Won't
that
interfere
with the
whole
being-naked
thing?"
Rodney
asked in
a
mock-incredulous
tone,
and was
rewarded
for that
by a
little
bite on
the back
of his
neck.
"Move
in,"
John
said
suddenly,
taking
Rodney
by
surprise.
"I mean,
move in
properly
– not
just a
toothbrush.
All your
stuff."
"What?"
Rodney
twisted
in
John's
arms to
find a
pair of
bright
hazel
eyes
looking
at him
hopefully.
"I want
you
here,
naked,
every
time I
come
home,
Rodney,"
John
told
him. "I
want to
know I
can
touch
you
whenever
I want.
I want
you
within
arm's
reach
all the
time."
"I'm
just
down the
hallway,"
Rodney
said
softly.
"You
think
I'll
ever be
able to
sleep
knowing
you are
just
down the
hallway
and not
in my
bed?"
John
asked.
"Seriously?
I mean,
after
the
couple
of days
we've
just
had?
It's not
just me,
Rodney.
You were
the one
who
waylaid
me in
the
transporter
this
afternoon.
It's
stupid
to even
pretend
we're
going to
sleep
apart
from now
on. We
can
still
keep our
relationship
quiet –
for as
long as
you want
- but
you
might as
well
move in
with me
in the
meantime."
Rodney
gazed at
John
helplessly.
His
top's
logic
was
sound
enough,
but
Rodney
felt a
little
knot of
foreboding
form in
his
stomach.
This was
the
beginning
of the
end.
There
was no
way in
hell
their
relationship
was
going to
survive
them
living
together.
John had
no idea
what he
was
taking
on. Yet
he
couldn't
think of
a good
reason
to say
no. So,
in the
end, he
found
himself
nodding,
and John
grinned
and
kissed
him on
the
mouth,
and it
was much
easier
to
pretend
he
hadn't
just
sounded
the
death
knell
for them
when he
was
being
kissed
so
passionately.
He could
never
think
about
anything
when
John was
kissing
him like
this
anyway.
Rodney
returned
to his
quarters
the
following
morning
and
gazed
around
the
place.
It was,
he'd be
the
first to
admit, a
mess.
That was
another
problem.
John's
quarters
were
military-neat,
while
Rodney's
were
scientist-untidy.
There
were
books
and
papers
and
laptops
strewn
all
around
the
room, to
say
nothing
of
discarded
cups of
coffee
and the
odd
half-eaten
donut.
It was a
mess,
but it
was
*his*
mess.
Rodney
had
never
lived
with a
lover
before
and he
didn't
even
know how
it
worked.
He sat
down on
the side
of the
bed and
buried
his head
in his
hands.
He
didn't
want to
move. He
*liked*
his
quarters
damnit!
They
were
convenient
for the
lab, and
they
were
slightly
larger
than
John's.
He
looked
at the
picture
on his
nightstand
and
sighed –
John had
a
picture
of his
too-damn-perfect
parents
with
their
visibly
shining
love
standing
on his
nightstand,
while
Rodney
had a
picture
of his
favourite
cat, a
big,
long-haired
tabby
he'd had
to leave
behind
on Earth
when
he'd
left to
come
here.
Fluffy
gazed
back at
him
serenely,
with big
yellow
eyes,
completely
oblivious
to all
his
inner
turmoil.
Rodney
missed
his cat
more
than he
missed
his dead
parents,
or his
estranged
sister
but even
that
said
volumes
about
the
impossibility
of his
relationship
with
John.
John was
someone
who
formed
attachments
to real,
living,
breathing
people,
while
Rodney
could
honestly
say that
he
missed
Fluffy
more
than he
missed
any
person
back on
Earth.
Rodney
took a
shower
and got
ready
for
work. He
was
about to
walk to
his lab
when he
got a
call
from
Carson,
who
sounded
very
pleased
with
himself,
asking
him to
report
to the
infirmary.
He
infuriatingly
refused
to
answer
any of
Rodney's
questions
about
why so
Rodney
trudged
off in
high
dudgeon
wondering
what the
hell
could be
so
important.
"Well?"
Rodney
said
when he
arrived,
glaring
at a
very
bouncy
looking
Dr
Beckett.
"This
had
better
be good,
Carson
because
if you
dragged
me all
the way
down
here
just to
tell me
about
your
latest
sex
session
with
Ford
then I
won't be
happy."
"You're
never
happy,
Rodney,
and when
do I
ever
tell you
about my
sex
life?"
Carson
said.
Rodney
frowned,
but he
had to
admit
the
truth of
that. He
wandered
over to
a cage
of white
mice
Carson
kept in
the lab.
They
weren't
exactly
anything
like
Fluffy,
but
Rodney
had a
soft
spot for
animals
so he
found
himself
smiling
at them
and
poking
his
finger
into the
cage in
the
hopes of
stroking
a furry
back. "I
called
you here
because
I
believe
you
wanted
to be
the
first to
try the
experimental
gene
therapy
when
it's
ready?"
Carson
said.
Rodney
managed
to touch
a pink
nose,
and he
grinned.
"Hey
there,
little
fella,"
he
crooned.
"I do
want to
be the
first,"
he said
to
Carson
in the
same
breath.
"But
you've
been
working
on that
ATA
thing
for
about
100
years so
I'm not
exactly…oh."
He stood
up
straight
and then
turned,
and saw
the
gleeful
expression
in
Carson's
eyes.
"Oh
shit.
It's
ready?"
"It is,
yes.
So…if
you'd
like to
take a
seat."
Carson
patted
the
infirmary
bed and
Rodney
bounded
over and
leaped
up to
sit on
it.
He'd
longed
to be
able to
activate
the
ancient
technology
that
abounded
in this
city
since
he'd
first
arrived,
and when
they'd
first
got here
it had
frustrated
him
beyond
measure
that the
city lit
up
wherever
Colonel
John
Sheppard
went,
but
remained
resolutely
silent
and dark
for
*him*,
the one
person
who
understood
her
most,
and knew
her the
best.
His
resentment
had
faded
somewhat
in
recent
weeks,
for
obvious
reasons,
but it
still
glowed a
little,
deep
inside.
He
rolled
up his
sleeve
and then
rolled
his eyes
as
Carson
took
hold of
his
opposite
arm, and
rolled
up that
sleeve
instead,
and then
tied a
rubber
strap
around
his arm
and
slapped
his
forearm
far too
heartily
for
Rodney's
liking,
to raise
a vein.
"It's
not
dangerous
is it?"
he
frowned,
as
Carson
filled a
syringe
with a
clear
liquid
from a
vial.
"Well,
we
haven't
exactly
been
able to
get FDA
approval,"
Carson
began.
Rodney
eyed him
suspiciously.
"But I'm
sure
it's
fine,"
Carson
beamed.
"Wait a
minute…"
Rodney
began,
but he
was too
late, as
Carson
plunged
the
needle
into his
arm.
Rodney
held his
breath,
wondering
if he
was
going to
faint,
or
vomit,
or come
out in
an ugly
rash,
or,
worse,
just
expire
on the
spot,
but he
didn't
feel a
thing.
"How
long
before
we know
if it
works?"
he
asked,
feeling
a little
disappointed
by the
lack of
any
dramatic
response.
"A few
hours,"
Carson
said,
still
smiling
that big
smile.
Rodney
gazed at
him,
fighting
an urge
to tell
Carson
all his
problems.
Carson
was his
closest
friend,
and it
felt
weird
keeping
his
relationship
from
John
from him
– and
yet, he
could
hardly
insist
to John
that
they
didn't
tell
anyone
and then
go and
do just
that.
Still,
he
wished
he could
discuss
his
feelings
with
someone
because
they
were
driving
him
crazy,
crashing
around
noisily
inside
his
skull.
"Is
anything
wrong,
Rodney?"
Carson
said,
frowning.
"I
thought
you'd be
excited
about
this."
"I am!"
Rodney
bounced
off the
bed. "Of
course
that's
if it
actually
works
and no
offence,
Carson,
but it's
not as
if all
that
messing
around
with
test
tubes
you do
is an
actual
*science*."
"If
you're
going to
insult
me in my
own
infirmary
then you
can
bugger
off,
laddie,"
Carson
growled,
still
grinning.
Rodney
did as
he was
told,
examining
the tiny
pin
prick in
his arm
as he
went.
Strange
how he
could
take any
number
of bites
during
sex, or
lovingly
inflicted
spankings,
but be
thrown
into a
state of
total
hypochondria
by a
needle
mark.
Still,
the
thought
of being
able to
use
ancient
technology
excited
him, and
he
walked
eagerly
back to
his lab,
thinking
of
things
to test
the new
gene
therapy
on. At
least
this was
a good
distraction
from all
his
worries
about
his
relationship
with
John
Sheppard,
and the
looming
trauma
of
actually
moving
in with
his new
top.
~*~
"Throw
me off
the
balcony!"
John
stood
there
for a
moment,
gazing
at his
sub's
gleeful
face.
Rodney
looked
ridiculously
excited
– he'd
charged
across
the
control
room to
intercept
him on
his way
to
Elizabeth's
office,
and was
now
grinning
at him
inanely
having
made his
frankly
bizarre
request.
"It's
tempting…but
I think
I'll
pass,"
John
replied.
"Shoot
me
then!"
Rodney
said,
practically
bouncing.
"Again,
tempting,
but I
can
think of
several
dozen
things
I'd
prefer
to be
doing to
you
right
now and
none of
them
involve
taking
you to
the
infirmary,"
John
said,
shaking
his
head.
"Now, if
you want
to ask
me to
spank
you, I
think I
could
manage
*that*,"
he said.
"And if
you
don't
tell me
what
this is
all
about
within
the next
ten
seconds
that's
exactly
what I'm
gonna
do."
Rodney
was
still
grinning
as he
glanced
around
the busy
room.
Everybody
was
coming
and
going,
and
nobody
was
taking
much
notice
of their
conversation.
"*You*,
Colonel
I've-got-the-ancient-gene
Sheppard,
are no
longer
the only
one
around
here who
can make
this
place
work –
well, if
you
ignore
Carson
and I do
because
his gene
isn't
anywhere
near as
lively
as
yours.
But,
whatever,
because
I've got
it now
too!
Carson
injected
me a few
hours
ago and
it
works!
It
works!"
Rodney
did a
happy
dance
and it
was
impossible
for John
not to
laugh
out
loud.
His sub
looked
so
completely,
ridiculously
excited
and full
of
himself.
It was
all John
could do
not to
reach
out and
kiss
him, but
he was
mindful
of the
fact
that
they
were
both on
duty and
the
control
room was
bustling
with
people.
Not that
anyone
would
think it
strange
for a
top to
grab his
sub and
do any
number
of
things
to him
in
public,
but
Rodney
had
asked
that
they
keep
their
relationship
quiet
and John
had
agreed
|