SGA Fic: Predatory Analysis (Dex/Zelenka, McKay/Sheppard, PG-13)
So, for my first full-length story in the fandom, I was suddenly hit with the desire to write a pairing that I have never even seen *mentioned*, let alone written before. Of course, being that I am such an OTP girl, rest assured that there is a healthy dollop of Sheppard/McKay hiding out inside as well.
Insanely huge thanks go out to seperis, and docmichelle for encouraging me when I came up with such a cracked-out pairing, reading along every step of the way, and doing lovely betas on the finished product. Bonus thanks go out to svmadelyn for promising me I did not suck, and providing tons of cheerleading.
ETA: If you'd like to read my DVD commentary for this story, just follow the link!
Predatory Analysis
Before coming to Atlantis, days in labs were sometimes exciting, sometimes boring - often boring. Atlantis labs were never boring. Some people wouldn’t call that a fair trade - there was excitement, yes, in exchange for the possibility of painful death. Those people were not Atlantis people. From what Radek had seen, all Atlantis people were grateful to be there - even Kavanagh. Even Rodney. There were different levels of courage, after all
Rodney ceased muttering to himself and looked up at Radek, like he could somehow sense his thoughts. He frowned and took another look at the device Rodney was tinkering with.
“You are not sensing my thoughts, no?” he asked, just in case.
“What? No, I just realized I was out of coffee again. You should go get me some.”
Radek sighed. “Rodney, we have talked about this.”
“No, *you* talked about this. You and Elizabeth and the Colonel.”
“Yes, and you promised you would listen.”
“I *did* listen. Then I ignored all of your idiotic advice.”
“Now, now, Rodney,” Colonel Sheppard drawled as he came into the lab holding two steaming mugs. “I thought we talked about this.” He handed Rodney a mug. “Drink your tea, and we’ll see about increasing your coffee rations.”
“Only if you are good,” Radek added solemnly. Rodney looked like he wanted to stab them both.
“Oh, hey, Dr. Zelenka. I brought you some tea as well.”
“You shouldn’t have,” Radek said, mournfully thinking about the half-full coffee machine on the other side of the lab.
“Don’t be silly! If it’s good enough for Rodney, it’s good enough for you as well. After all, is your continued health any less important?”
Radek capitulated. “Fine, have some coffee, Rodney. I promise I will not tell Dr. Weir.”
Rodney grinned triumphantly and headed off for the coffee at full speed.
Keeping his voice low, Radek glared at Sheppard reproachfully. “You are a sneaky man.”
“I do what I’ve gotta do to keep my team functioning.”
“I am not on your team,” Radek pointed out.
“No, but you keep Rodney functioning, and that counts as well.”
“As long as you are here, Colonel,” Rodney said as he returned. “I need you to hold this device while I run some diagnostics.”
“No can do, McKay. I’ve got lunch in a few minutes, and then I’m training with Ronon later this afternoon.”
Rodney’s mouth twisted. “There’s something off about him. He’s impossible to talk to.”
“Let me get this clear,” Colonel Sheppard said, obviously trying to keep a straight face. “You’re complaining about *his* lack of social skills? Rodney, he’s been out of civilization for seven years.”
“Yes, but does he have to stare at everybody like that?” Rodney hissed. “I don’t care how many years he was on the run - I am not a tasty snack.”
“I’ll say,” Colonel Sheppard said dryly. Radek smiled at the look of consternation on Rodney’s face.
“You know what I mean.”
“Rodney.” The Colonel clapped Rodney on the back, all cheerful and full of bonhomie. “I promise to stop him if he starts eyeing the whipped cream.”
Rodney sniffed. “Yes. Well, you’d better.”
The Colonel moved in closer and said something low in Rodney’s ear, smirking when Rodney flushed. Radek coughed, and Sheppard stepped back hastily.
“Yes, well, um…thanks for reminding me about the briefing this afternoon,” Rodney said. Radek rolled his eyes.
“Anytime,” Sheppard replied, shooting Radek a grin as he headed out of the lab.
“So,” Radek said innocently, after watching Rodney review the same data screen for over two minutes without scrolling down. “You are lucky Colonel Sheppard is so dedicated to his job.”
“Oh, do be quiet.”
“He’s wrong though,” Radek added, stifling a grin when Rodney’s head shot up suspiciously.
“How so?”
“If anybody deserves a nice lemon sauce, it is you.”
**
By coincidence (or the cruelty of fate, as Rodney put it), today was lemon squares day, and Radek had been banished to the mess, lest he trip and accidentally shove lemon into Rodney’s mouth. Radek didn’t mind. He worked his way through a pile of reports, stabbing absently at his salad whenever he remembered.
Somebody sat down at the other side of his table, and Radek looked up to see Ronon Dex, holding his gaze implacably for a minute before turning to his food and shoveling it into his mouth. It was the first time they had been so close to each other but not the first time Radek had caught Ronon Dex watching him.
Rodney had been right; Ronon Dex did look like he was starving. Radek watched curiously as he ate.
“So,” he said finally, “You are the new personnel, Ronon Dex.”
“Yes.” His voice was deep and rumbling, almost a growl.
“You come from a civilized planet, yes? Active military, tall buildings, heavy machinery.”
“So?”
“So, it is impossible to believe such a planet would lack basic cutlery.”
Ronon Dex put down his handful of salad and stared at Radek. Radek stared back before looking down toward his belt.
“It would have been more believable if you had stabbed at things with your knife.”
Ronon Dex nodded slowly. “I was waiting to see if anybody noticed.”
Radek shrugged. “Oh, I am sure it was noticed. It is our job to notice. Nobody has said anything?”
“You said something.” Ronon Dex nodded at him, before getting up and leaving the room.
Very intriguing, Radek thought to himself, and then turned back to another report.
--
“There is a man,” Ronon said abruptly.
Sheppard pushed up from the floor where Ronon had dropped him. “A man?”
“Yes.”
“And what about this man?”
“I want to know who he is.”
“You want to know who he is?”
Ronon didn’t understand why Sheppard felt the need to repeat everything that was said. It wasn’t a very effective means of communication. “That is what I said.”
“You want to know now, in the middle of your training?”
Ronon kept his face impassive. “It is only my training if I am learning something.”
Sheppard blinked. “Alright then, who’s the guy?”
“He is short,” Ronon said, thinking. “He wears glasses and has an accent.”
“Zelenka? Friendly, quiet, very very smart?”
“He was smart,” Ronon agreed, although he didn’t think this Zelenka fit the rest of that description.
“Sounds like Dr. Zelenka.” Sheppard grinned as he picked up the sticks that had flown across the room. “If there’s a problem, and you don’t feel like dealing with McKay, he’s your guy.”
“If you think all of this, why is McKay on your mission team and not this Zelenka?”
Sheppard grinned at him, showing all of his teeth in a friendly warning. “Because McKay is *my* guy.”
Ronon nodded and positioned his sticks.
**
Living in the city of the Ancestors felt vaguely wrong, like he was desecrating holy ground. Nobody else seemed to share his feelings. These people from Earth ran around as if it was nothing more than an ordinary city, and if Teyla had once acted differently, those days were long behind her. She was more of Earth than Athos now.
The scientists were the main exception. He hadn’t talked to very many of them yet - only McKay, the doctor, and now this Zelenka -- but he had seen them both on and off-world, and it was clear that despite their differing personalities, they all treated Atlantis with the reverence it deserved. There was honor in being asked to serve in a military that existed not only to destroy their enemies, but also to protect those who were valuable to them.
Zelenka had caught his interest. Once, while in the lab for some tests, he had seen Zelenka enter and begin a discussion with McKay. Aside from Sheppard, nobody he had met was capable of silencing McKay and making him listen, but when McKay had started in with his usual level of noise, Zelenka had done it quietly and with ease. That alone was to be respected.
He had watched for some time after that, and today he had chosen Zelenka’s table at lunch in order to see Zelenka’s reaction. It hadn’t been what Ronon had expected. Most of what had happened since he had come to Atlantis hadn’t been what Ronon had expected.
It was time for him to find out if Zelenka would continue to be so rewarding. Ronon had a feeling the answer would be yes.
**
“So…” Sheppard’s voice had that smug tone that usually meant Rodney was in for something special. From the way he was staring at Radek though, Radek had a feeling things were about to go slightly differently. “Guess who was asking me about you today?”
Radek sighed, and looked down at his dinner, avoiding Rodney’s curious eyes. “New personnel, yes? There are a lot of them on Atlantis now.”
“I don’t know if I’d call him personnel, but he’s definitely new.”
“Dex?” Rodney sounded incredulous. “Dex was asking about Zelenka?”
“He wanted to know all about you.” Sheppard smirked, and next to him, Rodney coughed.
“I’m sorry, but were you sparring or matchmaking? Did the two of you take a brief break to do each other’s nails?”
“Matchmaking?” Radek was aware his voice probably sounded strange, but he could not stop himself. Something about Ronon Dex made him uncomfortable. “Who said anything about matchmaking?”
“Well, Rodney did,” Sheppard drawled. Radek could hear the thud under the table, but Sheppard’s expression never changed. “You might not know it, but it’s Rodney’s secret goal to make sure everybody on Atlantis is happily paired up.”
“Trust me,” Rodney snapped. “If that was true, I’d have chosen a much better -” He stopped, aware that everybody at the table was looking at him. “I meant to say, if that was true, I’d um…”
“He’d have made sure you were hooked up with somebody from Venus, as we all know that men are from Mars,” Sheppard interjected helpfully, thwacking Rodney on the back as he choked on his drink. “Come to think of it, where *is* Ronon from?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Rodney muttered sullenly.
“Sure you do!” Another thud sounded under the table, but this time Rodney winced. “In fact, you were meaning to show me the book back in your quarters, weren’t you?”
“Oh! Um, yes, yes, it’s a very important study of um, astronomy and the human condition.”
“I’m sure it is,” Radek said absently, still thinking about how Ronon Dex had asked Colonel Sheppard questions about him.
Sheppard rolled his eyes and gave Rodney a fond look. “You’d never know he was entrusted with the secrets of governments around the galaxy, he’s so smooth.”
Rodney sniffed. “Whatever, Colonel. If you’d like to see my book at any point in the near future, I’d suggest you keep your mouth shut.” Sheppard grinned but obeyed, and the two of them returned to eating, while Radek pushed his food around his plate, deep in thought.
**
“Zelenka.”
The deep voice resonated inside of Radek, even though he had only heard it a few times before. He knew it without needing to look around. It was the voice of Ronon Dex.
He turned slowly and looked over to where Ronon Dex was standing. “Yes?”
“That is your name. Zelenka.” He waited for more, but Ronon Dex was apparently content to stand silently watching him.
Radek had spent the last few weeks watching Ronon Dex watch him. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d felt a strange sensation on his skin and looked up, only to find Ronon Dex across the room, staring at him yet again.
Radek knew attractive when he saw it, even if that attractiveness did not appeal to him on a personal level. People who did appeal to him on a personal level tended to follow a certain type - smart, eloquent, funny, and brave, with an inner core of steel. Many people on Atlantis fit that description.
Dr. Weir was beautiful - inside and out - but she was the leader of them all, and it could never happen, so he had steered his mind away from improper thoughts. He respected her far too much for anything else.
He’d had thoughts about Major, now Colonel Sheppard -- who hadn’t? - but he wasn’t stupid, and he liked all of his atoms where they were. He shuddered at the thought of Rodney with a grudge on his mind and a particle accelerator in his hands.
There had been Peter - funny, brilliant, talented Peter -- and with Peter had come possibility, but Peter was no more, and any hopes Radek might have had had exploded along with the satellite.
Now there was Ronon Dex, who was brave, yes, but different in every other way. He was more of a predator than anything else, and Radek was not used to being sized up as a future meal. He did not know how he felt yet about being the focus of such attention, but it seemed that Dex had made up his mind.
“That is my name, yes,” he said abruptly, aware that there were people in the lab watching them avidly. “Is there something that you wanted?”
Ronon Dex’s teeth showed when he smiled. Radek was sure the weird twisting inside that he felt was nothing more than that night’s dinner settling. “Yes.”
**
Three floors down and in an entirely different wing, Radek tried to tell himself that he hadn’t run away. There had been lots of work for him to do in this lab, and no time to waste talking. If he’d left hastily without informing Ronon Dex as to his intentions, that was only because he was a busy busy man.
Blessed silence reigned, and Radek immersed himself in the delicate process of taking apart one of the devices Simpson and Hennig had come across the week before. Hennig had enough of the gene to trigger the device, and since everybody else with the gene liked their hair exactly the way it was, Radek had been dispatched to turn it off and investigate, so that he could report back to Rodney.
He hummed to himself as he worked, stopping when he felt once again the weight of Ronon Dex’s gaze.
He cursed quietly to himself, and looked up to see Dex casually leaning in the doorway, blocking the only exit out of the room. Radek was sure that it wasn’t an accident that the position left so many muscles on display.
He narrowed his eyes. “I am no stranger to people who try to intimidate with their size.”
Dex shrugged silently.
“Which is why you should move,” Radek pointed out. He was used to working with people who were incapable of not talking, and this heavy silence was unbalancing him.
“Am I scaring you?”
“Scaring me? No, I just prefer my doorways to come with open space.”
Ronon Dex left the doorway, heading towards Radek at a steady pace. “I do not mean to scare you.”
Something dropped into place. “But you do mean to make me uncomfortable.”
Another shrug was his only answer, but Radek knew he was right. “Are you hunting me?”
Ronon Dex smiled faintly. “I am a hunter. It is what I do.”
“I would prefer not to be hunted,” Zelenka said tightly, which was a marvel in itself. Usually it took prolonged exposure to Rodney before he became this tense, but Ronon Dex had the ability to do it to him in mere minutes.
The smile grew and sharpened. “It is not the choice of the prey.”
“I am not prey!”
“Maybe not.” Dex took more steps forward, and Radek realized that he was being herded into a corner with no escape. “But you have captured my attention, and I would like to know more.”
“Have you thought that maybe you could know more without trapping me in empty lab?” He was dropping his prepositions - a sure sign of extreme stress. “What makes you think I want to get to know *you*? I am a very busy man.”
Another few steps backed him up against the wall. He was surrounded by Ronon Dex, and much as he wished he could find it unpleasant, that was not the case at all. He breathed in sharply, noticing that the air around him smelled of leather with an undercurrent of spices from dinner. He looked up…and up. Without meaning to, he found himself reaching up to touch one long braid. His hand was captured in midair and long fingers wrapped securely around his wrist.
“I am no scientist like you. I have learned to go with my instincts.”
“Dex -”
The smile turned genuinely amused. “Call me Ronon, Zelenka.”
Radek nodded, and tugged lightly at his hand. Ronon let him go. “Radek. My name is Radek.”
“Radek,” Ronon repeated, as huge hands came up to frame his face. “I am going to kiss you now, Radek.”
Radek remained silent, and Ronon brushed a thumb over his neck with surprising gentleness. “I have been hunted for many years, and hunted in return.”
“And?” Radek’s voice was faint, but it was hard to concentrate when he was overwhelmed with so much new stimuli.
“I know when someone is truly trying to get away, and when he is enjoying the chase. If you do not wish me to kiss you, you are free to leave.”
There were different levels of courage. It had taken a certain kind to come to Atlantis, going to another galaxy on a possible one-way trip. Even with that, though, he had never found the courage to venture off-world - until he was needed. He wasn’t sure if he thought of himself as a courageous man, but he was unwilling to act like a scared rabbit when faced with something larger and possibly dangerous. Often that threat turned out to be nothing more than a shadow.
Ronon stayed in place, leaving the decision up to Radek, and Radek told himself not to be a coward. He raised himself up on his toes and moved forward the tiny amount it took to connect their lips.
It was not a sweet kiss, but Radek had not expected it to be. Ronon explored his mouth with thoroughness and dedication, leaving no part of him untasted. It was almost too much to process in one round.
He broke away in order to gather himself back together. “I do not keep secrets in my mouth,” he said.
“I prefer to see for myself.” Ronon leaned back in, bypassing Radek’s mouth this time, biting gently at the curve of his neck. Radek had seen animals claiming their territory in just this way, and as Ronon’s teeth pressed inexorably in, he could not stop himself from whimpering softly.
“Do you like this?” Ronon asked against the sensitive flesh.
Radek didn’t know how to say yes. He whimpered again, and from the smile pressed against his skin, he knew Ronon had heard and understood. Ronon bit again and again, each bite with a bit more pressure and intensity, until Radek wasn’t sure if he was capable of speaking English anymore.
He strained up toward Ronon and gasped as Ronon’s arms suddenly wrapped around him and lifted him up against the wall. A small part of him felt strange in this position - he was not a woman after all - but the rest of him wrapped his legs around Ronon’s waist. He moaned at the realization that Ronon could hold him like this for hours, could do anything he wanted to him, without losing his strength.
“You like this, too,” Ronon said, but it was not a question.
“So do you,” Radek said, right before Ronon sucked on his lower lip.
“I do. There is more we could like as well.”
Reluctantly, Radek separated his mouth from Ronon’s, and tried to suppress a shudder when Ronon licked his lips. “Yes, but not right now.”
Ronon kissed him one more time and lowered him to the ground. “I did not think so.”
Back on the ground, everything felt different, as if there was a new foundation beneath his feet. He thought of what he should say now, and watched Ronon watching him back.
“So…I have much to do in the lab, and not long before Rodney yells for me to come.”
Ronon nodded and didn’t say anything.
“I should go.” He didn’t want to, but Atlantis never stopped, and if things were meant to be, they would still be there when he was finished. “I will be finished later tonight.”
Ronon kissed him one last time -- tracing his fingers over the mark he had left -- and then stepped away, setting Radek free. “Do not run from me again, Radek. I will know where to find you.”
**
Ronon watched as Radek walked out, muttering to himself in some strange language, and fingering the bruise Ronon had left on him. He’d been sure to put the mark high enough for everybody else to know that Radek had been claimed - even if they didn’t know who had claimed him yet. He didn’t know if that was an Earth tradition or not, but Sheppard had made it clear to anybody with eyes exactly who McKay belonged to, so he was pretty sure he hadn’t broken any major taboos.
Even if he had, it had been worth it. His curiosity wasn’t satiated at all; in fact, he already hungered for another taste of Radek. ‘Later tonight,” Radek had said. The last time Ronon had wanted something, he had waited for seven years.
He pushed his hair out of his face, and headed for an exercise room, willing to wait just a little while longer.
Insanely huge thanks go out to seperis, and docmichelle for encouraging me when I came up with such a cracked-out pairing, reading along every step of the way, and doing lovely betas on the finished product. Bonus thanks go out to svmadelyn for promising me I did not suck, and providing tons of cheerleading.
ETA: If you'd like to read my DVD commentary for this story, just follow the link!
Predatory Analysis
Before coming to Atlantis, days in labs were sometimes exciting, sometimes boring - often boring. Atlantis labs were never boring. Some people wouldn’t call that a fair trade - there was excitement, yes, in exchange for the possibility of painful death. Those people were not Atlantis people. From what Radek had seen, all Atlantis people were grateful to be there - even Kavanagh. Even Rodney. There were different levels of courage, after all
Rodney ceased muttering to himself and looked up at Radek, like he could somehow sense his thoughts. He frowned and took another look at the device Rodney was tinkering with.
“You are not sensing my thoughts, no?” he asked, just in case.
“What? No, I just realized I was out of coffee again. You should go get me some.”
Radek sighed. “Rodney, we have talked about this.”
“No, *you* talked about this. You and Elizabeth and the Colonel.”
“Yes, and you promised you would listen.”
“I *did* listen. Then I ignored all of your idiotic advice.”
“Now, now, Rodney,” Colonel Sheppard drawled as he came into the lab holding two steaming mugs. “I thought we talked about this.” He handed Rodney a mug. “Drink your tea, and we’ll see about increasing your coffee rations.”
“Only if you are good,” Radek added solemnly. Rodney looked like he wanted to stab them both.
“Oh, hey, Dr. Zelenka. I brought you some tea as well.”
“You shouldn’t have,” Radek said, mournfully thinking about the half-full coffee machine on the other side of the lab.
“Don’t be silly! If it’s good enough for Rodney, it’s good enough for you as well. After all, is your continued health any less important?”
Radek capitulated. “Fine, have some coffee, Rodney. I promise I will not tell Dr. Weir.”
Rodney grinned triumphantly and headed off for the coffee at full speed.
Keeping his voice low, Radek glared at Sheppard reproachfully. “You are a sneaky man.”
“I do what I’ve gotta do to keep my team functioning.”
“I am not on your team,” Radek pointed out.
“No, but you keep Rodney functioning, and that counts as well.”
“As long as you are here, Colonel,” Rodney said as he returned. “I need you to hold this device while I run some diagnostics.”
“No can do, McKay. I’ve got lunch in a few minutes, and then I’m training with Ronon later this afternoon.”
Rodney’s mouth twisted. “There’s something off about him. He’s impossible to talk to.”
“Let me get this clear,” Colonel Sheppard said, obviously trying to keep a straight face. “You’re complaining about *his* lack of social skills? Rodney, he’s been out of civilization for seven years.”
“Yes, but does he have to stare at everybody like that?” Rodney hissed. “I don’t care how many years he was on the run - I am not a tasty snack.”
“I’ll say,” Colonel Sheppard said dryly. Radek smiled at the look of consternation on Rodney’s face.
“You know what I mean.”
“Rodney.” The Colonel clapped Rodney on the back, all cheerful and full of bonhomie. “I promise to stop him if he starts eyeing the whipped cream.”
Rodney sniffed. “Yes. Well, you’d better.”
The Colonel moved in closer and said something low in Rodney’s ear, smirking when Rodney flushed. Radek coughed, and Sheppard stepped back hastily.
“Yes, well, um…thanks for reminding me about the briefing this afternoon,” Rodney said. Radek rolled his eyes.
“Anytime,” Sheppard replied, shooting Radek a grin as he headed out of the lab.
“So,” Radek said innocently, after watching Rodney review the same data screen for over two minutes without scrolling down. “You are lucky Colonel Sheppard is so dedicated to his job.”
“Oh, do be quiet.”
“He’s wrong though,” Radek added, stifling a grin when Rodney’s head shot up suspiciously.
“How so?”
“If anybody deserves a nice lemon sauce, it is you.”
**
By coincidence (or the cruelty of fate, as Rodney put it), today was lemon squares day, and Radek had been banished to the mess, lest he trip and accidentally shove lemon into Rodney’s mouth. Radek didn’t mind. He worked his way through a pile of reports, stabbing absently at his salad whenever he remembered.
Somebody sat down at the other side of his table, and Radek looked up to see Ronon Dex, holding his gaze implacably for a minute before turning to his food and shoveling it into his mouth. It was the first time they had been so close to each other but not the first time Radek had caught Ronon Dex watching him.
Rodney had been right; Ronon Dex did look like he was starving. Radek watched curiously as he ate.
“So,” he said finally, “You are the new personnel, Ronon Dex.”
“Yes.” His voice was deep and rumbling, almost a growl.
“You come from a civilized planet, yes? Active military, tall buildings, heavy machinery.”
“So?”
“So, it is impossible to believe such a planet would lack basic cutlery.”
Ronon Dex put down his handful of salad and stared at Radek. Radek stared back before looking down toward his belt.
“It would have been more believable if you had stabbed at things with your knife.”
Ronon Dex nodded slowly. “I was waiting to see if anybody noticed.”
Radek shrugged. “Oh, I am sure it was noticed. It is our job to notice. Nobody has said anything?”
“You said something.” Ronon Dex nodded at him, before getting up and leaving the room.
Very intriguing, Radek thought to himself, and then turned back to another report.
--
“There is a man,” Ronon said abruptly.
Sheppard pushed up from the floor where Ronon had dropped him. “A man?”
“Yes.”
“And what about this man?”
“I want to know who he is.”
“You want to know who he is?”
Ronon didn’t understand why Sheppard felt the need to repeat everything that was said. It wasn’t a very effective means of communication. “That is what I said.”
“You want to know now, in the middle of your training?”
Ronon kept his face impassive. “It is only my training if I am learning something.”
Sheppard blinked. “Alright then, who’s the guy?”
“He is short,” Ronon said, thinking. “He wears glasses and has an accent.”
“Zelenka? Friendly, quiet, very very smart?”
“He was smart,” Ronon agreed, although he didn’t think this Zelenka fit the rest of that description.
“Sounds like Dr. Zelenka.” Sheppard grinned as he picked up the sticks that had flown across the room. “If there’s a problem, and you don’t feel like dealing with McKay, he’s your guy.”
“If you think all of this, why is McKay on your mission team and not this Zelenka?”
Sheppard grinned at him, showing all of his teeth in a friendly warning. “Because McKay is *my* guy.”
Ronon nodded and positioned his sticks.
**
Living in the city of the Ancestors felt vaguely wrong, like he was desecrating holy ground. Nobody else seemed to share his feelings. These people from Earth ran around as if it was nothing more than an ordinary city, and if Teyla had once acted differently, those days were long behind her. She was more of Earth than Athos now.
The scientists were the main exception. He hadn’t talked to very many of them yet - only McKay, the doctor, and now this Zelenka -- but he had seen them both on and off-world, and it was clear that despite their differing personalities, they all treated Atlantis with the reverence it deserved. There was honor in being asked to serve in a military that existed not only to destroy their enemies, but also to protect those who were valuable to them.
Zelenka had caught his interest. Once, while in the lab for some tests, he had seen Zelenka enter and begin a discussion with McKay. Aside from Sheppard, nobody he had met was capable of silencing McKay and making him listen, but when McKay had started in with his usual level of noise, Zelenka had done it quietly and with ease. That alone was to be respected.
He had watched for some time after that, and today he had chosen Zelenka’s table at lunch in order to see Zelenka’s reaction. It hadn’t been what Ronon had expected. Most of what had happened since he had come to Atlantis hadn’t been what Ronon had expected.
It was time for him to find out if Zelenka would continue to be so rewarding. Ronon had a feeling the answer would be yes.
**
“So…” Sheppard’s voice had that smug tone that usually meant Rodney was in for something special. From the way he was staring at Radek though, Radek had a feeling things were about to go slightly differently. “Guess who was asking me about you today?”
Radek sighed, and looked down at his dinner, avoiding Rodney’s curious eyes. “New personnel, yes? There are a lot of them on Atlantis now.”
“I don’t know if I’d call him personnel, but he’s definitely new.”
“Dex?” Rodney sounded incredulous. “Dex was asking about Zelenka?”
“He wanted to know all about you.” Sheppard smirked, and next to him, Rodney coughed.
“I’m sorry, but were you sparring or matchmaking? Did the two of you take a brief break to do each other’s nails?”
“Matchmaking?” Radek was aware his voice probably sounded strange, but he could not stop himself. Something about Ronon Dex made him uncomfortable. “Who said anything about matchmaking?”
“Well, Rodney did,” Sheppard drawled. Radek could hear the thud under the table, but Sheppard’s expression never changed. “You might not know it, but it’s Rodney’s secret goal to make sure everybody on Atlantis is happily paired up.”
“Trust me,” Rodney snapped. “If that was true, I’d have chosen a much better -” He stopped, aware that everybody at the table was looking at him. “I meant to say, if that was true, I’d um…”
“He’d have made sure you were hooked up with somebody from Venus, as we all know that men are from Mars,” Sheppard interjected helpfully, thwacking Rodney on the back as he choked on his drink. “Come to think of it, where *is* Ronon from?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Rodney muttered sullenly.
“Sure you do!” Another thud sounded under the table, but this time Rodney winced. “In fact, you were meaning to show me the book back in your quarters, weren’t you?”
“Oh! Um, yes, yes, it’s a very important study of um, astronomy and the human condition.”
“I’m sure it is,” Radek said absently, still thinking about how Ronon Dex had asked Colonel Sheppard questions about him.
Sheppard rolled his eyes and gave Rodney a fond look. “You’d never know he was entrusted with the secrets of governments around the galaxy, he’s so smooth.”
Rodney sniffed. “Whatever, Colonel. If you’d like to see my book at any point in the near future, I’d suggest you keep your mouth shut.” Sheppard grinned but obeyed, and the two of them returned to eating, while Radek pushed his food around his plate, deep in thought.
**
“Zelenka.”
The deep voice resonated inside of Radek, even though he had only heard it a few times before. He knew it without needing to look around. It was the voice of Ronon Dex.
He turned slowly and looked over to where Ronon Dex was standing. “Yes?”
“That is your name. Zelenka.” He waited for more, but Ronon Dex was apparently content to stand silently watching him.
Radek had spent the last few weeks watching Ronon Dex watch him. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d felt a strange sensation on his skin and looked up, only to find Ronon Dex across the room, staring at him yet again.
Radek knew attractive when he saw it, even if that attractiveness did not appeal to him on a personal level. People who did appeal to him on a personal level tended to follow a certain type - smart, eloquent, funny, and brave, with an inner core of steel. Many people on Atlantis fit that description.
Dr. Weir was beautiful - inside and out - but she was the leader of them all, and it could never happen, so he had steered his mind away from improper thoughts. He respected her far too much for anything else.
He’d had thoughts about Major, now Colonel Sheppard -- who hadn’t? - but he wasn’t stupid, and he liked all of his atoms where they were. He shuddered at the thought of Rodney with a grudge on his mind and a particle accelerator in his hands.
There had been Peter - funny, brilliant, talented Peter -- and with Peter had come possibility, but Peter was no more, and any hopes Radek might have had had exploded along with the satellite.
Now there was Ronon Dex, who was brave, yes, but different in every other way. He was more of a predator than anything else, and Radek was not used to being sized up as a future meal. He did not know how he felt yet about being the focus of such attention, but it seemed that Dex had made up his mind.
“That is my name, yes,” he said abruptly, aware that there were people in the lab watching them avidly. “Is there something that you wanted?”
Ronon Dex’s teeth showed when he smiled. Radek was sure the weird twisting inside that he felt was nothing more than that night’s dinner settling. “Yes.”
**
Three floors down and in an entirely different wing, Radek tried to tell himself that he hadn’t run away. There had been lots of work for him to do in this lab, and no time to waste talking. If he’d left hastily without informing Ronon Dex as to his intentions, that was only because he was a busy busy man.
Blessed silence reigned, and Radek immersed himself in the delicate process of taking apart one of the devices Simpson and Hennig had come across the week before. Hennig had enough of the gene to trigger the device, and since everybody else with the gene liked their hair exactly the way it was, Radek had been dispatched to turn it off and investigate, so that he could report back to Rodney.
He hummed to himself as he worked, stopping when he felt once again the weight of Ronon Dex’s gaze.
He cursed quietly to himself, and looked up to see Dex casually leaning in the doorway, blocking the only exit out of the room. Radek was sure that it wasn’t an accident that the position left so many muscles on display.
He narrowed his eyes. “I am no stranger to people who try to intimidate with their size.”
Dex shrugged silently.
“Which is why you should move,” Radek pointed out. He was used to working with people who were incapable of not talking, and this heavy silence was unbalancing him.
“Am I scaring you?”
“Scaring me? No, I just prefer my doorways to come with open space.”
Ronon Dex left the doorway, heading towards Radek at a steady pace. “I do not mean to scare you.”
Something dropped into place. “But you do mean to make me uncomfortable.”
Another shrug was his only answer, but Radek knew he was right. “Are you hunting me?”
Ronon Dex smiled faintly. “I am a hunter. It is what I do.”
“I would prefer not to be hunted,” Zelenka said tightly, which was a marvel in itself. Usually it took prolonged exposure to Rodney before he became this tense, but Ronon Dex had the ability to do it to him in mere minutes.
The smile grew and sharpened. “It is not the choice of the prey.”
“I am not prey!”
“Maybe not.” Dex took more steps forward, and Radek realized that he was being herded into a corner with no escape. “But you have captured my attention, and I would like to know more.”
“Have you thought that maybe you could know more without trapping me in empty lab?” He was dropping his prepositions - a sure sign of extreme stress. “What makes you think I want to get to know *you*? I am a very busy man.”
Another few steps backed him up against the wall. He was surrounded by Ronon Dex, and much as he wished he could find it unpleasant, that was not the case at all. He breathed in sharply, noticing that the air around him smelled of leather with an undercurrent of spices from dinner. He looked up…and up. Without meaning to, he found himself reaching up to touch one long braid. His hand was captured in midair and long fingers wrapped securely around his wrist.
“I am no scientist like you. I have learned to go with my instincts.”
“Dex -”
The smile turned genuinely amused. “Call me Ronon, Zelenka.”
Radek nodded, and tugged lightly at his hand. Ronon let him go. “Radek. My name is Radek.”
“Radek,” Ronon repeated, as huge hands came up to frame his face. “I am going to kiss you now, Radek.”
Radek remained silent, and Ronon brushed a thumb over his neck with surprising gentleness. “I have been hunted for many years, and hunted in return.”
“And?” Radek’s voice was faint, but it was hard to concentrate when he was overwhelmed with so much new stimuli.
“I know when someone is truly trying to get away, and when he is enjoying the chase. If you do not wish me to kiss you, you are free to leave.”
There were different levels of courage. It had taken a certain kind to come to Atlantis, going to another galaxy on a possible one-way trip. Even with that, though, he had never found the courage to venture off-world - until he was needed. He wasn’t sure if he thought of himself as a courageous man, but he was unwilling to act like a scared rabbit when faced with something larger and possibly dangerous. Often that threat turned out to be nothing more than a shadow.
Ronon stayed in place, leaving the decision up to Radek, and Radek told himself not to be a coward. He raised himself up on his toes and moved forward the tiny amount it took to connect their lips.
It was not a sweet kiss, but Radek had not expected it to be. Ronon explored his mouth with thoroughness and dedication, leaving no part of him untasted. It was almost too much to process in one round.
He broke away in order to gather himself back together. “I do not keep secrets in my mouth,” he said.
“I prefer to see for myself.” Ronon leaned back in, bypassing Radek’s mouth this time, biting gently at the curve of his neck. Radek had seen animals claiming their territory in just this way, and as Ronon’s teeth pressed inexorably in, he could not stop himself from whimpering softly.
“Do you like this?” Ronon asked against the sensitive flesh.
Radek didn’t know how to say yes. He whimpered again, and from the smile pressed against his skin, he knew Ronon had heard and understood. Ronon bit again and again, each bite with a bit more pressure and intensity, until Radek wasn’t sure if he was capable of speaking English anymore.
He strained up toward Ronon and gasped as Ronon’s arms suddenly wrapped around him and lifted him up against the wall. A small part of him felt strange in this position - he was not a woman after all - but the rest of him wrapped his legs around Ronon’s waist. He moaned at the realization that Ronon could hold him like this for hours, could do anything he wanted to him, without losing his strength.
“You like this, too,” Ronon said, but it was not a question.
“So do you,” Radek said, right before Ronon sucked on his lower lip.
“I do. There is more we could like as well.”
Reluctantly, Radek separated his mouth from Ronon’s, and tried to suppress a shudder when Ronon licked his lips. “Yes, but not right now.”
Ronon kissed him one more time and lowered him to the ground. “I did not think so.”
Back on the ground, everything felt different, as if there was a new foundation beneath his feet. He thought of what he should say now, and watched Ronon watching him back.
“So…I have much to do in the lab, and not long before Rodney yells for me to come.”
Ronon nodded and didn’t say anything.
“I should go.” He didn’t want to, but Atlantis never stopped, and if things were meant to be, they would still be there when he was finished. “I will be finished later tonight.”
Ronon kissed him one last time -- tracing his fingers over the mark he had left -- and then stepped away, setting Radek free. “Do not run from me again, Radek. I will know where to find you.”
**
Ronon watched as Radek walked out, muttering to himself in some strange language, and fingering the bruise Ronon had left on him. He’d been sure to put the mark high enough for everybody else to know that Radek had been claimed - even if they didn’t know who had claimed him yet. He didn’t know if that was an Earth tradition or not, but Sheppard had made it clear to anybody with eyes exactly who McKay belonged to, so he was pretty sure he hadn’t broken any major taboos.
Even if he had, it had been worth it. His curiosity wasn’t satiated at all; in fact, he already hungered for another taste of Radek. ‘Later tonight,” Radek had said. The last time Ronon had wanted something, he had waited for seven years.
He pushed his hair out of his face, and headed for an exercise room, willing to wait just a little while longer.