FIC: Exposed (4/4) [Stargate: Atlantis]
Return to Part Three
* * * * *
The door opened to reveal, Rodney, bright-eyed and as bushy-tailed as could be expected under the circumstances. After having dealt with much the same idiots as Radek himself, he looked disgruntled, but he still gamefully clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously. "Do you have a plan, or do I need to think of one that will undoubtedly save our sorry asses from not having Carson to ourselves?"
Radek shook his head. "The fact that I even understood that question either says a great deal about how well I know you or means I have had far too little sleep in the past week."
"Oh, very funny," Rodney shot him an annoyed look before sweeping inside, taking up Radek's desk chair. "C'mon, Radek, we need a plan. Snap, snap." He punctuated this by snapping his fingers, one-two.
"I already have one, thank you." Radek smiled. "I merely wanted you down here for company--and of course so I could tell you of this plan."
Rodney narrowed his eyes at Radek. "All right, so what's this great and wonderful plan?"
"We have dinner, all three together," Radek explained. "As usual, one thing leads to another--and based on his reaction earlier, I have every reason to believe Carson will join us. Then we proceed according to his comfort level."
Rodney frowned. "That's your plan?"
"Yes. Elegant in its simplicity, ne?"
"That is the worst plan I've ever heard," Rodney said flatly.
"Why? Because I have not planned every moment?" Radek rolled his eyes. "He is skittish when it comes to intimate matters. We must be delicate."
Rodney stared at Radek as if he'd grown a second head. "Need I remind you that the last time I had anything remotely resembling a threesome-ish dinner with Carson, I had a woman in my head?" He pointed at his temple sharply.
"You also had a woman at the table. They are complicated creatures." Radek smirked. "I appear to be myself and so do you. Your kiss with Carson--quite hot, by the way, even if it was not you--did not happen until later."
"Okay, yes, I will admit that Carson is very hot, but that was Cadman's doing, not mine." Rodney sounded distinctly surly. "There's a big difference there. We need an environment that's not going to remind Carson, or me, of a hideously disastrous dinner that I've been trying to forget for the past year."
"Then I would suggest we avoid meeting in Katie Brown's quarters," Radek deadpanned.
Rodney glared at him.
Radek shrugged. "So what do you suggest, then, hmm?"
"Since I haven't had a chance to talk to him, I don't know what these oh so mysterious 'issues' are that you cryptically hinted at in your email," Rodney replied snidely. "Do we know if Carson's a virgin?"
"You don't. I do."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Fine. He's a virgin. If we have dinner with him, there's an expectation to have sex afterwards, and we need to get him used to the idea first, because I don't know about you, but I lost my virginity to one person, not two."
Radek shook his head. "For us, yes, the sex is the expectation, but not necessarily for him, Rodney. We eat, if he is ready, we proceed further. If he is not...we go as far as he is willing. I am not so sex-starved I am willing to push him and neither are you."
Rodney snorted. "We're not going to expect sex, but he's going to think that we are. If you'll pardon the metaphor, dinner implies that we're going to want dessert. We can tell him that we'll only go as far as he's willing, but there's two of us, and one of him."
"Then we make our lack of expectations clear upfront." Radek finally sighed. "If you have an idea, out with it. I am willing to consider it."
"If Carson's willing to do it, we each take time out of our busy schedules, and have small make-out sessions. Places where we won't get caught, but places neither of us would be caught dead having sex." Rodney offered. "One of us catches him in a corridor, they drag him off into an empty room. We can only go so far, and he gets used to the idea that we want him."
Radek listened as Rodney laid out his plan. "Yes, yes, I see where you are taking this. I think it could work nicely."
"I know it'll w-- oh." Rodney blinked, his rebuttal dying on his lips. "Oh, good. Then we can suggest the idea to Carson, see what he thinks, and then implement it."
"Very good," Radek agreed. "And you need to speak to him anyway."
"Wh--me?" Rodney nearly squeaked incredulously. "If I'm the one to bring it up with him, he's going to call me an irresponsible pervert or something similar. You need to do it so that he'll actually listen."
"Rodney." Radek kissed him softly, hoping to calm him down. "He already knows you are interested."
Rodney snorted. "The big question is, is he interested? He could've been accepting dinner so that he could have you."
Radek smiled. "Then might I suggest you find out? A little flirtation can go a long way."
Rodney snorted again, but snuck a longer kiss. "If he yells at me again, I'm not having sex with you for a week."
"Hmm." Radek pretended to consider it. "I very much doubt he will, but if he does, I will manage."
"Cheating on me already?" Rodney asked a smile threatening. "I knew you were a slut."
Radek reached out, took a firm grip on two handfuls of Rodney's T-shirt, pulled him close, and kissed him deeply.
* * * * *
Rodney ducked his head into Carson's office, and when he found Carson taking notes, he swept in. "So, we need to talk."
"Yes, we do." Carson set the computer aside.
Rodney blinked. "Did Radek email you already? Because that's going to make this kind of redundant."
Carson shook his head. "No, I haven't heard from him since... the chess game." He frowned a little, puzzling over the situation. "I assume he told you what happened?"
"If you mean the fact that you and he had a fantastic make-out session while all you did was yell at me, yes." Rodney replied. "The mysterious 'issues' that you have about sex? No."
Carson blinked like a deer caught in the headlights. "He told you that much, did he?"
"We sleep with each other on a semi-regular basis," Rodney remarked dryly. "So, spill the 'issues' you have," he continued, adding the requisite air-quotes, "and then let me fill you in on my brilliant plan."
Carson sighed. "It's a long story, really."
Rodney nearly pouted. "I'm going to have to sit down for this, aren't I."
"If you wish." Carson smiled sadly. "As you can guess, these wings have posed a bit of a... problem for me when it came to getting intimate."
Rodney frowned as he found the stool with the cracked cushion and sat down. "Have you thought of, I don't know, not taking off the bandages?"
"A bit awkward, wouldn't you think?" Carson asked incredulously. "And even with the bandages... they're still there."
Rodney shook his head, waving a hand dismissively. "Well, Radek and I already have a leg up on anyone else because we know what they look like."
The corners of Carson's lips curled upwards. "Aye, so that's what this is about."
"You've never gotten close to anyone because of them, right?" Rodney pointed out. "We already know your dirty little secret, and now we can get down to getting you used to the idea that we want you sweaty and horizontal."
Carson blinked. "You never were a tactful one."
"You're only just realizing this now?" Rodney blinked back.
Carson chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I've known that for some time... about five minutes after we met. It's all...a bit sudden, is all, what with being invited to join a bloody threesome...."
"Which is why my plan is brilliant," Rodney replied, smirking.
Carson couldn't help but roll his eyes in amused tolerance. "When isn't one of your plans brilliant?"
Rodney's smirk broadened into a genuinely pleased smile. "I'm glad you see it that way. Now, my plan is very simple. Provided you're willing--" Rodney aimed a significant look at him. "Radek and I can randomly visit you for make-out sessions." He paused, and then blinked. "Or you could swing by one of the labs, and grab one of us. Whichever way you want to work it."
"Okay," Carson agreed slowly, waiting to see where Rodney was going with this beyond the basic premise. "And then...?"
"And then, if and when you get comfortable with the idea that we're not going to run screaming for the hills because you have wings, we can have very hot, very satisfying sex." Rodney grinned.
Carson's cheeks flushed. "...I must admit, that does sound very tempting."
"Of course it does," Rodney said matter-of-factly. "And look! Your office door locks, and if one of your minions needs you -- which they never seem to, which is interesting -- we won't have our pants around our ankles."
"My staff can largely take care of themselves because I trust them." Carson's grin began to morph into a smirk.
"Well, I can barely trust half of mine because they're all idiots, one of which got herself killed because two of them activated an Ancient biochemical weapon." Rodney replied snidely, standing from the stool and approaching the door, sliding a crystal out of the door lock.
Carson pretended not to notice, waiting to see if Rodney was testing his reaction. "I know you take those things a lot more personally than you would like to let on."
"I'm their boss," Rodney replied. "If they fuck up and put us all in danger, it's at least partially my fault because I didn't teach them not to be stupid well enough."
Carson grinned. "Admit it, Rodney. Underneath all that bluster, you're a softie."
Rodney snorted. "If by 'softie', you mean that I rather my staff not die, and I have to ask for more from the US Air Force, then yes, I am a softie."
"Close enough." Carson shifted position carefully. "But you didn't lock us in here just to discuss that."
Rodney smiled a little. "No, I didn't. I was hoping for a quick make-out session before I had to head back to my pack of flying monkeys waiting to be trained, but if you'd rather get back to work...?" He left the question hanging in the air as he held up the door crystal he'd removed, his eyebrows lifting inquiringly.
Carson stepped forward, reached out, and took the crystal from Rodney's hand.
Rodney grinned slowly, looking like a cat in a canary shop. Reaching out to get two handfuls of Carson's doctor's coat, he moved in close, before pausing inches away from Carson's lips and quirking an eyebrow.
"This seems awfully familiar," Carson murmured, not resisting.
"I'll have you know, Radek learned all his moves from me," Rodney murmured back before closing the distance. First, it was a press of lips, but as the contact lingered, a mouth opened, and then tongues were sliding against one another slowly, taking their time with tasting, running along teeth. One of Rodney's hands came up to thread itself through Carson's hair, the other hand still clinging to Carson's coat.
Carson's eyes fluttered shut, tasting a hint of coffee that Rodney must've had some time ago. Whereas Radek had been insistent, Rodney gave and took in measures. A bit surprising, but still very pleasant. Rodney's hand in his hair seemed determined to wreck the style he usually kept it, but when they separated for air and Rodney decided to stage an attack the side of his neck, he couldn't find it in himself to complain.
"Rodney," came Radek's voice over their headsets, causing them to jump apart quickly. "I need your assistance in the Jumper Bay. Quickly."
Rodney growled, jabbing at his earpiece. "Little busy right now, Radek. Give me five minutes."
"Do prdele, what are you doing that is so important?" Radek's tinny voice demanded.
"Consultation with Carson," Rodney stopped himself from growling into the headset at the last second.
There was a noticeable pause, and then Radek's voice came back, laced with humor. "I will see what I can do here, then. Don't take too long."
Rodney rolled his eyes before turning back to Carson. "Now, where were we..."
The two of them jumped again when someone knocked on the door behind Rodney. "Dr. Beckett? Are you in there?"
Before Rodney could growl again, Carson laid a finger on his lips. "Remember, we were having a nice, friendly consult."
"I know, and I want to get back to it," Rodney hissed.
Carson smirked, sliding the door crystal back in its slot. The door opened without any hand-waving from Carson -- Rodney was going to have to learn that trick sometime, he really was -- and Carson grinned evilly.
"If it starts leaking pus, come in straight away," Carson said, loud enough so that the nurse waiting outside heard him. "That sort of problem can get very nasty if left untreated."
Rodney's eyes widened. "You--"
"Bye, Rodney!" Carson chirped, still grinning wickedly.
Rodney turned around, nearly trampling the nurse who was staring wide-eyed at the two of them, and headed out of the medical bay as quickly as possible. When he got out into the hallway, headed toward the jumper bay, Rodney found himself smiling.
At least he wouldn't be waiting for weeks on end for Carson to get his revenge on Rodney for looking through his medical records.
* * * * *
It was around ten when Carson got to his quarters that night. Leaving the lights off, he removed one of the crystals from the door mechanism on the wall, he toed out of his shoes, unzipped his uniform and wrestled out of it. Finally, he slowly undid the bandages that were wrapped evenly around his chest, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the appendages on his back relax away from his skin. Ignoring the mirror like he usually did, he changed into a pair of pajama pants, brushed his teeth, and gingerly lay down onto his bed, flipping the blanket over him and letting himself relax.
He could feel them. He always could. They'd been there for more than twenty years now, and it had always been hard to ignore them.
At first, they had been things that made him a freak, made him different. Jennifer breaking up with him had been proof of that. But then, over the years... he still had trouble explaining it to Heightmeyer, when he made himself meet her for their sessions. They forced him apart from everyone else, but he couldn't imagine life without them. It would have felt wrong to not have those gnarled, feathery weights on his back. He wasn't sure what he thought of them, even now, but he had always figured he would be alone because of them. Sure, he'd have friends, but no one he could open up to, no one he could completely trust with them.
He'd learned at fourteen that they were easy to break, but they would never go away. It had taken a long time for the lesson to really sink in.
Shifting his head on the pillow, he let himself think of Rodney and Radek. They had been good friends since they'd arrived on Atlantis, understanding each other's odd quirks and accepting them. They kidded, laughed, cried, and were just there for each other. It made sense that they would want to help him with this, learn that not everyone was going to tell him, "I'm sorry, Carson, but I can't deal with it. They scare me, and I can't stop thinking about them."
They were mad fools to offer him a threesome. He'd never had sex with another person before, and there they were, brazenly offering him this strange, wonderful experience. It almost felt too good to be true, really. Things like this didn't happen to him. They happened to other people who didn't have physical reminders that they weren't quite normal.
Sitting back and thinking logically about it, he could see why Rodney and Radek would offer it to him, though. Rodney was always in favor of trying new things; men, women, threesomes, the one disastrous orgy that Rodney had ended up getting sick at because the mix of drugs in the air made him vomit horrendously for most of the night. Rodney would probably see this as just another thing to try, sex with extra appendages. He figured that as long as Rodney didn't try to pluck out a feather and tickle him with it, he would be all right.
Radek, on the other hand... Radek was still something of a mystery. Sure, he knew that Radek was intelligent, playful, creative. He could see that for himself, along with Rodney's other praise for the man both in and out of the bedroom when he thought no one but Carson was paying attention. They'd flirted a few times in Antarctica and when they'd made the transition here, and Carson had always been curious to know what the man was like in bed, and then, suddenly, here it was, this opportunity presented on a silver platter.
As much as he wanted to take it, he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
To be fair, he hadn't tried to get too close to anyone again after Jennifer, and he could be wrong about this, but twenty years of being worried about others' reactions was difficult to fight against at best. Perhaps Rodney had a good idea with his somewhat random make-out sessions. It sounded like an odd idea, but the more he thought about it, the more Carson thought it had merit, and the more he thought that Rodney was kinder than he let on.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let himself pretend this could work out. They were just fooling around, having a bit of fun after all, and if Rodney kept insisting in making out in places where they could get caught -- which was a daft idea, but Rodney had had those before -- then there wouldn't be any danger of going further than wandering hands.
Part of him wondered what would happen if hands happened to wander over his back, across where his wings were pinned down by bandages, but he shook his head.
This was his daydream, after all, and he was going to enjoy it for as long as he could.
END
* * * * *
The door opened to reveal, Rodney, bright-eyed and as bushy-tailed as could be expected under the circumstances. After having dealt with much the same idiots as Radek himself, he looked disgruntled, but he still gamefully clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously. "Do you have a plan, or do I need to think of one that will undoubtedly save our sorry asses from not having Carson to ourselves?"
Radek shook his head. "The fact that I even understood that question either says a great deal about how well I know you or means I have had far too little sleep in the past week."
"Oh, very funny," Rodney shot him an annoyed look before sweeping inside, taking up Radek's desk chair. "C'mon, Radek, we need a plan. Snap, snap." He punctuated this by snapping his fingers, one-two.
"I already have one, thank you." Radek smiled. "I merely wanted you down here for company--and of course so I could tell you of this plan."
Rodney narrowed his eyes at Radek. "All right, so what's this great and wonderful plan?"
"We have dinner, all three together," Radek explained. "As usual, one thing leads to another--and based on his reaction earlier, I have every reason to believe Carson will join us. Then we proceed according to his comfort level."
Rodney frowned. "That's your plan?"
"Yes. Elegant in its simplicity, ne?"
"That is the worst plan I've ever heard," Rodney said flatly.
"Why? Because I have not planned every moment?" Radek rolled his eyes. "He is skittish when it comes to intimate matters. We must be delicate."
Rodney stared at Radek as if he'd grown a second head. "Need I remind you that the last time I had anything remotely resembling a threesome-ish dinner with Carson, I had a woman in my head?" He pointed at his temple sharply.
"You also had a woman at the table. They are complicated creatures." Radek smirked. "I appear to be myself and so do you. Your kiss with Carson--quite hot, by the way, even if it was not you--did not happen until later."
"Okay, yes, I will admit that Carson is very hot, but that was Cadman's doing, not mine." Rodney sounded distinctly surly. "There's a big difference there. We need an environment that's not going to remind Carson, or me, of a hideously disastrous dinner that I've been trying to forget for the past year."
"Then I would suggest we avoid meeting in Katie Brown's quarters," Radek deadpanned.
Rodney glared at him.
Radek shrugged. "So what do you suggest, then, hmm?"
"Since I haven't had a chance to talk to him, I don't know what these oh so mysterious 'issues' are that you cryptically hinted at in your email," Rodney replied snidely. "Do we know if Carson's a virgin?"
"You don't. I do."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Fine. He's a virgin. If we have dinner with him, there's an expectation to have sex afterwards, and we need to get him used to the idea first, because I don't know about you, but I lost my virginity to one person, not two."
Radek shook his head. "For us, yes, the sex is the expectation, but not necessarily for him, Rodney. We eat, if he is ready, we proceed further. If he is not...we go as far as he is willing. I am not so sex-starved I am willing to push him and neither are you."
Rodney snorted. "We're not going to expect sex, but he's going to think that we are. If you'll pardon the metaphor, dinner implies that we're going to want dessert. We can tell him that we'll only go as far as he's willing, but there's two of us, and one of him."
"Then we make our lack of expectations clear upfront." Radek finally sighed. "If you have an idea, out with it. I am willing to consider it."
"If Carson's willing to do it, we each take time out of our busy schedules, and have small make-out sessions. Places where we won't get caught, but places neither of us would be caught dead having sex." Rodney offered. "One of us catches him in a corridor, they drag him off into an empty room. We can only go so far, and he gets used to the idea that we want him."
Radek listened as Rodney laid out his plan. "Yes, yes, I see where you are taking this. I think it could work nicely."
"I know it'll w-- oh." Rodney blinked, his rebuttal dying on his lips. "Oh, good. Then we can suggest the idea to Carson, see what he thinks, and then implement it."
"Very good," Radek agreed. "And you need to speak to him anyway."
"Wh--me?" Rodney nearly squeaked incredulously. "If I'm the one to bring it up with him, he's going to call me an irresponsible pervert or something similar. You need to do it so that he'll actually listen."
"Rodney." Radek kissed him softly, hoping to calm him down. "He already knows you are interested."
Rodney snorted. "The big question is, is he interested? He could've been accepting dinner so that he could have you."
Radek smiled. "Then might I suggest you find out? A little flirtation can go a long way."
Rodney snorted again, but snuck a longer kiss. "If he yells at me again, I'm not having sex with you for a week."
"Hmm." Radek pretended to consider it. "I very much doubt he will, but if he does, I will manage."
"Cheating on me already?" Rodney asked a smile threatening. "I knew you were a slut."
Radek reached out, took a firm grip on two handfuls of Rodney's T-shirt, pulled him close, and kissed him deeply.
* * * * *
Rodney ducked his head into Carson's office, and when he found Carson taking notes, he swept in. "So, we need to talk."
"Yes, we do." Carson set the computer aside.
Rodney blinked. "Did Radek email you already? Because that's going to make this kind of redundant."
Carson shook his head. "No, I haven't heard from him since... the chess game." He frowned a little, puzzling over the situation. "I assume he told you what happened?"
"If you mean the fact that you and he had a fantastic make-out session while all you did was yell at me, yes." Rodney replied. "The mysterious 'issues' that you have about sex? No."
Carson blinked like a deer caught in the headlights. "He told you that much, did he?"
"We sleep with each other on a semi-regular basis," Rodney remarked dryly. "So, spill the 'issues' you have," he continued, adding the requisite air-quotes, "and then let me fill you in on my brilliant plan."
Carson sighed. "It's a long story, really."
Rodney nearly pouted. "I'm going to have to sit down for this, aren't I."
"If you wish." Carson smiled sadly. "As you can guess, these wings have posed a bit of a... problem for me when it came to getting intimate."
Rodney frowned as he found the stool with the cracked cushion and sat down. "Have you thought of, I don't know, not taking off the bandages?"
"A bit awkward, wouldn't you think?" Carson asked incredulously. "And even with the bandages... they're still there."
Rodney shook his head, waving a hand dismissively. "Well, Radek and I already have a leg up on anyone else because we know what they look like."
The corners of Carson's lips curled upwards. "Aye, so that's what this is about."
"You've never gotten close to anyone because of them, right?" Rodney pointed out. "We already know your dirty little secret, and now we can get down to getting you used to the idea that we want you sweaty and horizontal."
Carson blinked. "You never were a tactful one."
"You're only just realizing this now?" Rodney blinked back.
Carson chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I've known that for some time... about five minutes after we met. It's all...a bit sudden, is all, what with being invited to join a bloody threesome...."
"Which is why my plan is brilliant," Rodney replied, smirking.
Carson couldn't help but roll his eyes in amused tolerance. "When isn't one of your plans brilliant?"
Rodney's smirk broadened into a genuinely pleased smile. "I'm glad you see it that way. Now, my plan is very simple. Provided you're willing--" Rodney aimed a significant look at him. "Radek and I can randomly visit you for make-out sessions." He paused, and then blinked. "Or you could swing by one of the labs, and grab one of us. Whichever way you want to work it."
"Okay," Carson agreed slowly, waiting to see where Rodney was going with this beyond the basic premise. "And then...?"
"And then, if and when you get comfortable with the idea that we're not going to run screaming for the hills because you have wings, we can have very hot, very satisfying sex." Rodney grinned.
Carson's cheeks flushed. "...I must admit, that does sound very tempting."
"Of course it does," Rodney said matter-of-factly. "And look! Your office door locks, and if one of your minions needs you -- which they never seem to, which is interesting -- we won't have our pants around our ankles."
"My staff can largely take care of themselves because I trust them." Carson's grin began to morph into a smirk.
"Well, I can barely trust half of mine because they're all idiots, one of which got herself killed because two of them activated an Ancient biochemical weapon." Rodney replied snidely, standing from the stool and approaching the door, sliding a crystal out of the door lock.
Carson pretended not to notice, waiting to see if Rodney was testing his reaction. "I know you take those things a lot more personally than you would like to let on."
"I'm their boss," Rodney replied. "If they fuck up and put us all in danger, it's at least partially my fault because I didn't teach them not to be stupid well enough."
Carson grinned. "Admit it, Rodney. Underneath all that bluster, you're a softie."
Rodney snorted. "If by 'softie', you mean that I rather my staff not die, and I have to ask for more from the US Air Force, then yes, I am a softie."
"Close enough." Carson shifted position carefully. "But you didn't lock us in here just to discuss that."
Rodney smiled a little. "No, I didn't. I was hoping for a quick make-out session before I had to head back to my pack of flying monkeys waiting to be trained, but if you'd rather get back to work...?" He left the question hanging in the air as he held up the door crystal he'd removed, his eyebrows lifting inquiringly.
Carson stepped forward, reached out, and took the crystal from Rodney's hand.
Rodney grinned slowly, looking like a cat in a canary shop. Reaching out to get two handfuls of Carson's doctor's coat, he moved in close, before pausing inches away from Carson's lips and quirking an eyebrow.
"This seems awfully familiar," Carson murmured, not resisting.
"I'll have you know, Radek learned all his moves from me," Rodney murmured back before closing the distance. First, it was a press of lips, but as the contact lingered, a mouth opened, and then tongues were sliding against one another slowly, taking their time with tasting, running along teeth. One of Rodney's hands came up to thread itself through Carson's hair, the other hand still clinging to Carson's coat.
Carson's eyes fluttered shut, tasting a hint of coffee that Rodney must've had some time ago. Whereas Radek had been insistent, Rodney gave and took in measures. A bit surprising, but still very pleasant. Rodney's hand in his hair seemed determined to wreck the style he usually kept it, but when they separated for air and Rodney decided to stage an attack the side of his neck, he couldn't find it in himself to complain.
"Rodney," came Radek's voice over their headsets, causing them to jump apart quickly. "I need your assistance in the Jumper Bay. Quickly."
Rodney growled, jabbing at his earpiece. "Little busy right now, Radek. Give me five minutes."
"Do prdele, what are you doing that is so important?" Radek's tinny voice demanded.
"Consultation with Carson," Rodney stopped himself from growling into the headset at the last second.
There was a noticeable pause, and then Radek's voice came back, laced with humor. "I will see what I can do here, then. Don't take too long."
Rodney rolled his eyes before turning back to Carson. "Now, where were we..."
The two of them jumped again when someone knocked on the door behind Rodney. "Dr. Beckett? Are you in there?"
Before Rodney could growl again, Carson laid a finger on his lips. "Remember, we were having a nice, friendly consult."
"I know, and I want to get back to it," Rodney hissed.
Carson smirked, sliding the door crystal back in its slot. The door opened without any hand-waving from Carson -- Rodney was going to have to learn that trick sometime, he really was -- and Carson grinned evilly.
"If it starts leaking pus, come in straight away," Carson said, loud enough so that the nurse waiting outside heard him. "That sort of problem can get very nasty if left untreated."
Rodney's eyes widened. "You--"
"Bye, Rodney!" Carson chirped, still grinning wickedly.
Rodney turned around, nearly trampling the nurse who was staring wide-eyed at the two of them, and headed out of the medical bay as quickly as possible. When he got out into the hallway, headed toward the jumper bay, Rodney found himself smiling.
At least he wouldn't be waiting for weeks on end for Carson to get his revenge on Rodney for looking through his medical records.
* * * * *
It was around ten when Carson got to his quarters that night. Leaving the lights off, he removed one of the crystals from the door mechanism on the wall, he toed out of his shoes, unzipped his uniform and wrestled out of it. Finally, he slowly undid the bandages that were wrapped evenly around his chest, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the appendages on his back relax away from his skin. Ignoring the mirror like he usually did, he changed into a pair of pajama pants, brushed his teeth, and gingerly lay down onto his bed, flipping the blanket over him and letting himself relax.
He could feel them. He always could. They'd been there for more than twenty years now, and it had always been hard to ignore them.
At first, they had been things that made him a freak, made him different. Jennifer breaking up with him had been proof of that. But then, over the years... he still had trouble explaining it to Heightmeyer, when he made himself meet her for their sessions. They forced him apart from everyone else, but he couldn't imagine life without them. It would have felt wrong to not have those gnarled, feathery weights on his back. He wasn't sure what he thought of them, even now, but he had always figured he would be alone because of them. Sure, he'd have friends, but no one he could open up to, no one he could completely trust with them.
He'd learned at fourteen that they were easy to break, but they would never go away. It had taken a long time for the lesson to really sink in.
Shifting his head on the pillow, he let himself think of Rodney and Radek. They had been good friends since they'd arrived on Atlantis, understanding each other's odd quirks and accepting them. They kidded, laughed, cried, and were just there for each other. It made sense that they would want to help him with this, learn that not everyone was going to tell him, "I'm sorry, Carson, but I can't deal with it. They scare me, and I can't stop thinking about them."
They were mad fools to offer him a threesome. He'd never had sex with another person before, and there they were, brazenly offering him this strange, wonderful experience. It almost felt too good to be true, really. Things like this didn't happen to him. They happened to other people who didn't have physical reminders that they weren't quite normal.
Sitting back and thinking logically about it, he could see why Rodney and Radek would offer it to him, though. Rodney was always in favor of trying new things; men, women, threesomes, the one disastrous orgy that Rodney had ended up getting sick at because the mix of drugs in the air made him vomit horrendously for most of the night. Rodney would probably see this as just another thing to try, sex with extra appendages. He figured that as long as Rodney didn't try to pluck out a feather and tickle him with it, he would be all right.
Radek, on the other hand... Radek was still something of a mystery. Sure, he knew that Radek was intelligent, playful, creative. He could see that for himself, along with Rodney's other praise for the man both in and out of the bedroom when he thought no one but Carson was paying attention. They'd flirted a few times in Antarctica and when they'd made the transition here, and Carson had always been curious to know what the man was like in bed, and then, suddenly, here it was, this opportunity presented on a silver platter.
As much as he wanted to take it, he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
To be fair, he hadn't tried to get too close to anyone again after Jennifer, and he could be wrong about this, but twenty years of being worried about others' reactions was difficult to fight against at best. Perhaps Rodney had a good idea with his somewhat random make-out sessions. It sounded like an odd idea, but the more he thought about it, the more Carson thought it had merit, and the more he thought that Rodney was kinder than he let on.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let himself pretend this could work out. They were just fooling around, having a bit of fun after all, and if Rodney kept insisting in making out in places where they could get caught -- which was a daft idea, but Rodney had had those before -- then there wouldn't be any danger of going further than wandering hands.
Part of him wondered what would happen if hands happened to wander over his back, across where his wings were pinned down by bandages, but he shook his head.
This was his daydream, after all, and he was going to enjoy it for as long as he could.
END