fic: Days of Perennials and Muffins
title: Days of Perennials and Muffins
author: neevebrody
rating: G
words: ~1,000
legal: so not mine
notes: no beta, let me know if you spot something. Part of the Willow Grove Summit series with a reference to The Ceremony, but it's not necessary to read any of those first - unless of course you'd like to.
summary:... though it was still fun sometimes to be at the mercy of a flushed, spluttering McKay who secretly had the hots for grubby ex-'jumper pilots.
John stepped into the mudroom off the back porch and shed his dirt-caked boots, jeans, and smelly shirt. Now was the time for transplanting the perennial beds, which was one of his goals for the garden that year. Outdoors, sun just hot enough for a good sweat, tunes rocking through the wireless earbuds… It wasn't flying, but it beat jockeying a desk any day of the week.
After pulling on the sweatpants hanging behind the door, he drew a worn, white cotton tee shirt over his head and bent to run his hands through his hair. Now he was presentable enough to enter Rodney's kitchen. He'd learned those particular rules of decorum the hard way, though it was still fun sometimes to be at the mercy of a flushed, spluttering McKay who secretly had the hots for grubby ex-'jumper pilots. And while normally, he'd just go inside in his boxers, today they had company.
Rodney was at the sink rinsing off the glass mixing bowl and beaters - the ones that belonged to that new high-tech stand mixer he couldn't wait to get his hands on. A warm, nutty-vanilla aroma greeted John as he wound his arms around his favorite chef. More out of necessity for consistently tasty meals, between the two of them, Rodney had taken on the mantle of chief cook, leaving the realms of sod and weeding and pests and mowing to John.
"Mmmm, smells good."
"And you smell like dirt and fertilizer," Rodney said, giving his hands a final rinse.
"You love it and you know it."
Rodney hummed and leaned back into John a little.
While Rodney put the things away, John splashed himself with cool water and rinsed the grit from his mouth. He then leaned against the ovens and scrubbed a warm dishtowel over his face to dry it - a no-no by McKay standards, but Rodney didn't complain. He just stepped up and tugged John into a kiss.
Rodney tasted of batter and chocolate and didn't seem to care that John was sweaty and sticky. Hot and getting hotter with every pull of Rodney's lips. He held Rodney loosely and relaxed, welcomed Rodney's hands beneath the hem of the tee shirt.
Then he caught something from the corner of his eye, because sometimes he kissed Rodney with his eyes open. Because sometimes he just had to. Best way to have the full effect of a McKay kiss.
"Maddie's watching," he said, drawing back just far enough so their mouths still touched.
"Let her get her own retired Colonel slash gardener," Rodney said before stealing another quick kiss. Their house had become like a second home for Madison and he and Rodney were always happy to have her there.
"Doesn't bother you?"
"John, I think she knows about us by now. She married us when she was five, remember?"
John smiled. "It's not every day you get married with a bear named ZuZu and a six-foot stuffed giraffe as your witnesses." Rodney's grin was so fond; it warmed John all over. "But I do recall you were kinda reluctant when it came to the kissing part."
"She's pre-med for chrissakes. I think she can handle a little necking between her favorite uncles."
"We're her only uncles."
"Be that as it may."
"Hmm, your family always has been good about that."
"They have haven't they?" Those blue eyes borrowed a twinkle from the satisfaction in his voice. "And Dave's okay… you'd think he'd have totally come around by now, but…"
"It goes a little deeper with us," John replied, knowing he didn't need to elaborate.
"The girls are great, though," Rodney added. Dave's daughters were a lot like Madison, perfectly accepting. Dave's wife, too.
"Yeah," John breathed. Rodney was great and, audience or no, John couldn't help pulling him closer for another taste.
"Mmphfff… burning…" Rodney said, trying to wriggle out of John's arms.
"I know… so hot, Rodney."
Volumes could be written on the McKay eye roll. "No… not me. My muffins are burning. Move!"
He stepped aside to let The Magic Chef attend his duties.
"Mads," Rodney called. "They're ready." He turned to John. "Her favorite, chocolate chip and walnut."
"Funny how those are your favorite, too."
"What can I say, the kid has good taste."
John sidled up to him as Rodney carefully removed the sweet-smelling muffins from the baking tin, wrapped his arms around Rodney's slightly expanded middle, and watched over his shoulder. "And you taste good," he whispered, nosing that sensitive spot behind Rodney's ear.
Madison padded past them and took a carton of vanilla-flavored soy milk from the fridge. Rodney didn't even bitch anymore about buying it, or any of the other items he kept on hand for her.
"You guys seriously just need to go to your room and work this off," she said dryly, putting a hand on her Uncle Mer's shoulder.
"I beg your pardon." With John standing there beaming, Rodney handed her a saucer containing one huge muffin and a napkin.
She glanced sideways at John, returned the smile, and then took the wireless earbuds from around his neck. "Think I'll go download a movie, something I can watch with the earphones on," she said pointedly, heading off towards the hallway. "Something about two hours long. How's that?"
"She's your niece," John said, answering Rodney's bewildered look.
"And yours," Rodney said, curling his fists into the soft, white cotton tee.
"I could use a shower… you could scrub my back."
"Only if you do mine first."
John would do anything for that crooked grin. "Deal," he said, and sealed it with another kiss. "And then I'll show you what else I can do…"
Maddie's voice rang through from the study. "I can still hear you, you know."
John snagged a muffin from the tray. "Last one up has to shampoo the other's hair," he said, and made a beeline for the stairs.
"Not a lot of incentive there, Sheppard," Rodney called back. "I'm surprisingly good with that."
author: neevebrody
rating: G
words: ~1,000
legal: so not mine
notes: no beta, let me know if you spot something. Part of the Willow Grove Summit series with a reference to The Ceremony, but it's not necessary to read any of those first - unless of course you'd like to.
summary:... though it was still fun sometimes to be at the mercy of a flushed, spluttering McKay who secretly had the hots for grubby ex-'jumper pilots.
John stepped into the mudroom off the back porch and shed his dirt-caked boots, jeans, and smelly shirt. Now was the time for transplanting the perennial beds, which was one of his goals for the garden that year. Outdoors, sun just hot enough for a good sweat, tunes rocking through the wireless earbuds… It wasn't flying, but it beat jockeying a desk any day of the week.
After pulling on the sweatpants hanging behind the door, he drew a worn, white cotton tee shirt over his head and bent to run his hands through his hair. Now he was presentable enough to enter Rodney's kitchen. He'd learned those particular rules of decorum the hard way, though it was still fun sometimes to be at the mercy of a flushed, spluttering McKay who secretly had the hots for grubby ex-'jumper pilots. And while normally, he'd just go inside in his boxers, today they had company.
Rodney was at the sink rinsing off the glass mixing bowl and beaters - the ones that belonged to that new high-tech stand mixer he couldn't wait to get his hands on. A warm, nutty-vanilla aroma greeted John as he wound his arms around his favorite chef. More out of necessity for consistently tasty meals, between the two of them, Rodney had taken on the mantle of chief cook, leaving the realms of sod and weeding and pests and mowing to John.
"Mmmm, smells good."
"And you smell like dirt and fertilizer," Rodney said, giving his hands a final rinse.
"You love it and you know it."
Rodney hummed and leaned back into John a little.
While Rodney put the things away, John splashed himself with cool water and rinsed the grit from his mouth. He then leaned against the ovens and scrubbed a warm dishtowel over his face to dry it - a no-no by McKay standards, but Rodney didn't complain. He just stepped up and tugged John into a kiss.
Rodney tasted of batter and chocolate and didn't seem to care that John was sweaty and sticky. Hot and getting hotter with every pull of Rodney's lips. He held Rodney loosely and relaxed, welcomed Rodney's hands beneath the hem of the tee shirt.
Then he caught something from the corner of his eye, because sometimes he kissed Rodney with his eyes open. Because sometimes he just had to. Best way to have the full effect of a McKay kiss.
"Maddie's watching," he said, drawing back just far enough so their mouths still touched.
"Let her get her own retired Colonel slash gardener," Rodney said before stealing another quick kiss. Their house had become like a second home for Madison and he and Rodney were always happy to have her there.
"Doesn't bother you?"
"John, I think she knows about us by now. She married us when she was five, remember?"
John smiled. "It's not every day you get married with a bear named ZuZu and a six-foot stuffed giraffe as your witnesses." Rodney's grin was so fond; it warmed John all over. "But I do recall you were kinda reluctant when it came to the kissing part."
"She's pre-med for chrissakes. I think she can handle a little necking between her favorite uncles."
"We're her only uncles."
"Be that as it may."
"Hmm, your family always has been good about that."
"They have haven't they?" Those blue eyes borrowed a twinkle from the satisfaction in his voice. "And Dave's okay… you'd think he'd have totally come around by now, but…"
"It goes a little deeper with us," John replied, knowing he didn't need to elaborate.
"The girls are great, though," Rodney added. Dave's daughters were a lot like Madison, perfectly accepting. Dave's wife, too.
"Yeah," John breathed. Rodney was great and, audience or no, John couldn't help pulling him closer for another taste.
"Mmphfff… burning…" Rodney said, trying to wriggle out of John's arms.
"I know… so hot, Rodney."
Volumes could be written on the McKay eye roll. "No… not me. My muffins are burning. Move!"
He stepped aside to let The Magic Chef attend his duties.
"Mads," Rodney called. "They're ready." He turned to John. "Her favorite, chocolate chip and walnut."
"Funny how those are your favorite, too."
"What can I say, the kid has good taste."
John sidled up to him as Rodney carefully removed the sweet-smelling muffins from the baking tin, wrapped his arms around Rodney's slightly expanded middle, and watched over his shoulder. "And you taste good," he whispered, nosing that sensitive spot behind Rodney's ear.
Madison padded past them and took a carton of vanilla-flavored soy milk from the fridge. Rodney didn't even bitch anymore about buying it, or any of the other items he kept on hand for her.
"You guys seriously just need to go to your room and work this off," she said dryly, putting a hand on her Uncle Mer's shoulder.
"I beg your pardon." With John standing there beaming, Rodney handed her a saucer containing one huge muffin and a napkin.
She glanced sideways at John, returned the smile, and then took the wireless earbuds from around his neck. "Think I'll go download a movie, something I can watch with the earphones on," she said pointedly, heading off towards the hallway. "Something about two hours long. How's that?"
"She's your niece," John said, answering Rodney's bewildered look.
"And yours," Rodney said, curling his fists into the soft, white cotton tee.
"I could use a shower… you could scrub my back."
"Only if you do mine first."
John would do anything for that crooked grin. "Deal," he said, and sealed it with another kiss. "And then I'll show you what else I can do…"
Maddie's voice rang through from the study. "I can still hear you, you know."
John snagged a muffin from the tray. "Last one up has to shampoo the other's hair," he said, and made a beeline for the stairs.
"Not a lot of incentive there, Sheppard," Rodney called back. "I'm surprisingly good with that."