Fic: Puzzling Evidence (Part XXXVI), NC-17, Lorne/Zelenka by inkscribe
Title: Puzzling Evidence (Part XXXVI)
Author: inkscribe
Pairings: Lorne/Zelenka
Kink: mild D/s, bondage, spanking
Warnings: Possibly on the schmoopy side. Sorry! Or, erm ... not (sorry). *g*
Promises: No pre-Sunday canon characters are permanently harmed in the making of this fic. EVER.
Angst-o-meter: nano-angst (very low)
Rating: NC-17
Words: ~3,300 (this part)
Spoilers: none (this part)
Locations: atlantiskink, malesofatlantis, welovezelenka, slashing_lorne, sgaauwtptbdfu, notmcshep, my LJ
Feedback: yes, please!
Summary: What we see is not always what it seems.
Chapter Summary: Reunion.
New to this WIP? Check out the Puzzling Evidence chapter index! Please remember to read the header block of each chapter for related spoiler alerts, warnings, and notes.
Author's Notes: Yes yes yes ... the scene, the scene that has sat awaiting for plot integration for more than a year! A year! More than a year! Egads! *apologies for excessive exclamations ... it’s one of those days*
Puzzling Evidence really was just this short little story when it came into my head, yet somehow it has managed to take a lot more words than I anticipated to tell it. As always, I very much appreciate the feedback, the readers - new and old - and the cheerleading. This is still the longest single story I’ve written in any genre, and I still remain rather amazed by it.
I’ve recently re-collated the chapter contents and learned that as of the end of this chapter (36), the story is at approximately 99,000 words! Those first few heady weeks of writing and publishing a chapter daily is an experience I’ll treasure forever, though of course all these months down the road that selfsame memory can be a bit disheartening - I have a sneaky suspicion that even if I had the time, I wouldn’t have the mental energy to pull these final chapters together as quickly as those first few.
In other news: this chapter has absolutely nothing to do with the S4 episode of the same name.
Thank you to my beta mice1900 for his persistent pokes to get this one written, and incredible patience awaiting same for beta. Thank you also to my gay-sex beta darkmuadib, who I’m sure is grateful that other very capable SGA writers have been able to give him something to keep occupied with whilst awaiting new instalments. :-) As happens from time to time, post-beta tweakage was required, which has not been re-beta’d. In the hopes of having this chapter published before 2010, I trust you will all forgive me any errors that have slipped past us.
Another special thanks is also due. As mentioned already, there are excessive exclamation marks in this author’s note. Without the timely suggestions of sgatlantislight, there would have been excessive longing in the following chapter. Thank you!
Also ... erm ... no, the story isn’t quite done yet. Still a few key things to wrap up, lol!
I should also mention that Puzzling Evidence is an AU (see Promises, above).
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise is not mine; please don’t sue, we’ll both regret it in the morning.
Radek had to force himself to ignore Marc and Carson. He would catch himself staring at them, motionless and unaware for God-knows how long. Whenever he came to himself, he was painfully aware of Rodney’s kindness toward him, the lack of insults a stark contrast to the man Radek normally worked alongside.
As the hours passed, Radek slowly regained his focus. They couldn’t afford to miss the solution by inattentiveness, and there were so many things to try, so many ways to reroute the crystals. Ancient technology was incredibly rugged by any Earth standard, but crystals of unimaginable age couldn’t be replaced if they were careless, and irreplaceable parts could also mean that Carson and Marc would - ne, he wasn’t going to think like that. They would succeed. They would rescue the men before it was too late. We must succeed!
Radek worked at Rodney’s side, following the other man’s lead as naturally and as effortlessly as usual, the only change being the absence of their normal bickering. Not the only thing different, Radek mused, realising Rodney’s energy was not quite as focused on the machinery as he’d originally thought. The other scientist stole more than one glances toward the trapped men, glances that Radek recognised only too easily once he noticed them.
Somehow, Radek managed to avoid catching his breath at the moment he understood. Rodney is interested in Carson! He wondered how long his colleague had felt that way toward the doctor. Radek couldn’t remember seeing hints of it in the past, but then, his own crises had been overwhelming him for too long now. How many other things had escaped his notice while his world fell apart?
He frowned slightly, wondering also about Colonel Sheppard. Radek did not typically spend time speculating on the personal lives of others, but since the colonel and Rodney spent so much time together, Radek supposed it wouldn’t be completely out of line for Rodney and the colonel to be involved. Except that there was never a hint, Radek chastised himself, realising that he’d always assumed his colleague to be straight. Yet now that Radek was looking, he was certain Rodney was giving off clear signals - clear gay signals - of interest toward Carson.
Radek smiled to himself. It would be good for Rodney to have someone, if only Carson felt the same.
oOo
Carson stood, dumbfounded, as Rodney kissed him hard on the mouth, his head held tightly between Rodney’s hands, his body pushed back until they connected with the wall behind them. Only moments before the shield had suddenly turned opaque, flickered briefly between opaque and grey static, then disappeared again. At that moment, sound crashed in on Carson and Marc - evidence that Rodney and Radek must have changed something significant, because until then the trapped men had been unable to hear anything from beyond the invisible barrier that kept them prisoner.
Without warning, Rodney had stood and strode to the wall, grasping Carson firmly and heaving him bodily upright before pushing him against the wall and beginning to kiss him.
Carson tried to wrap his mind around it, around the fact that this was Rodney and there was kissing and there was no Cadman or Katie - only Rodney and Rodney’s mouth and Rodney’s hands and Rodney’s body and it was all pressed hard against him, exploring him, teasing him, feeling him - wanting him.
He felt suddenly faint. He had to be imagining this. Rodney and Radek were on the other side of the shield, working to free them. Marc and he hadn’t had food or drink in more hours than Carson wanted to contemplate. He was dreaming now, asleep. Dreaming the impossible, his subconscious playing a cruel scene in his mind.
He heard sounds take on sharper resolution, heard Radek’s voice mingling with Marc’s, heard the exclamations of the gathered villagers. Heard Keras shout for a youngster to fetch Pelius, heard the babble of excited voices, relieved voices. His knees buckled slightly, and he felt Rodney’s body against his own, warm and ... and real.
Rodney drew back from him, worried eyes frantically searching his own, the man speaking a mile a minute now that his mouth no longer exploring his. He tried to lick at his lips, his mouth still dry despite the lingering wetness that most certainly wasn’t Carson’s own. The taste of Rodney was there, as real as the warmth of his body.
Carson shook his head, trying to clear it, trying to understand. Not a dream!
“Oh god, are you okay? You’re not, are you? Oh god - this can’t be happening! You have to be all right! We worked as fast as we could! You have to be all right, you -”
Carson couldn’t imagine why Rodney had just kissed him. It was one thing for Carson to daydream from time to time, quite another to be released from prison and literally into the waiting arms of that selfsame dream. Still - this was Rodney. Not a dream, not a hunger- or thirst-induced delusion. Rodney in all his blustery glory, all frantic hands and anxious words.
“Rodney -” Carson tried to interrupt.
“We were as fast as possible, I swear,” Rodney babbled, his eyes locked on Carson’s.
“Rodney -” Carson tried again, bracing himself as he attempted to slide his body into a more upright position against the wall.
“I mean, this can’t have been for nothing, can’t have been too late! Oh my god, it can’t -”
“Rodney!” Carson managed to shout, noticing only peripherally that his voice was echoed by Marc. Rodney stopped his stream of words, still panicked, still searching Carson’s eyes frantically, as though Carson might have the secrets of the universe written there to be deciphered.
“Water,” Carson croaked.
“What?” Rodney blinked, completely failing to understand him.
“Dehydrated,” Carson managed to say before Rodney launched into another babbling stream.
“Oh, god - of course, water! Of course you’re dehydrated. Water, yes, we’ve got water for you and food and mmmph -” Rodney said as Carson stoppered the man’s wet mouth with his tongue. At the moment, Carson didn’t care that his own mouth was so dry that it was doubtless foul - he wanted Rodney, and he wanted water. Not necessarily in that order.
“May we have some?” Carson asked, breathy against Rodney’s ear. He could feel himself begining to slump again, this time forward into Rodney’s body, the strain of the last couple days showing itself clearly through dehydration, fatigue, and muscles too long inactive.
Rodney, though, was still somewhere else in his mind. “Water? Yes, yes, yes, of course,” he said absently, not really looking away from Carson as he spoke. “Radek, I need water for Carson and -” he broke off. Carson watched Rodney’s eyes widen in panicked fear as he refocused on Carson. “Did you just kiss me?” he gasped.
Carson felt a canteen press into his hand, heard a quiet chuckle from Radek as the man moved back to attend to Marc, the soldier’s voice joining his lover’s in soft amusement somewhere behind Rodney’s bulk. Carson took the canteen and sipped carefully. He was insanely thirsty, long past the point where he could push aside the need for fluids. He felt the water trickle down his throat and fought to restrain from making himself ill from drinking too quickly. He closed his eyes and sipped again, paused, then sipped again, savouring the simple joy of water, the exquisite taste of something so fundamental to life. He took another sip. He opened his eyes to Rodney’s, big and round and bright, Rodney’s pupils tight points, despite the relative gloom of the enclosure. Stress, Carson thought automatically, then focused again on Rodney’s question.
“Aye,” he answered. Rodney blinked.
“What?”
“Aye,” he repeated, holding Rodney’s gaze. “I kissed you.”
Rodney looked confused. “Why?”
Carson stared at him for a moment, then took another sip from the canteen. Only Rodney! he thought with fond exasperation. He refrained from rolling his eyes at Rodney. The scientist was still pressed hard against him, practically nose-to-nose, his cock firm as it pushed against Carson’s thigh.
“You kissed me,” he finally answered.
Rodney’s eyes took on a glazed appearance for a moment and his eyes flicked back and forth as he reviewed the past few minutes in his mind. He looked again at Carson, now focused, now aware, now in the moment. “Erm,” he said in a quiet voice. “And that’s okay with you?”
Carson took another sip from the canteen, swirled the water through his mouth, then swallowed. He licked at his dry, chapped lips, then took another sip. He turned his face back to Rodney’s, aware that the man had not moved - not his body, not his eyes. He still had the panicked look of a deer caught in the headlights. This had to be the most surreal rescue Carson had faced since they arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy, a benchmark that was hard indeed to match.
Carson didn’t bother to answer. He pushed himself forward, slid his own groin across Rodney’s, and kissed him again, hard. His body was too dehydrated for his own cock to match Rodney’s rigidity, but he was confident his enthusiasm would speak just as loudly. He needed fluids, rest, and food - and then he’d need to take Rodney up on his silent promise.
oOo
Keras ushered the last of the villagers away from the interior of the ruined control room. He had spent the last several hours watching the situation, unwilling to leave their guests in their time of need yet unable to offer any practical help. He ordered food and water to be fetched, then insisted both scientists partake, despite their attempts to refuse.
Although Keras was just over half the age of the other men, he had his own authority. His leadership was quieter than that of Doctor McKay and less energetic than that of Doctor Zelenka, but it was one that remained strong among his people even to this day. Keras wasn’t afraid of imposing his will on the elder men; he knew what to do. He met their protests with gentle reminders that Carson and Marc would not be rescued any faster by hungry or thirsty saviours. On the contrary, being hungry and thirsty would only be a distraction, and distractions would make the rescue harder, not easier. As he’d expected, both men had then eaten.
Sleep was another matter, although Doctor McKay insisted the other sleep when it became apparent to everyone that Doctor Zelenka was not able to think clearly for all his worry and fatigue. Upon awakening, the rumpled scientist had appeared shockingly old, the dark smudges under his eyes only emphasising the man’s great age compared to Keras’ people.
Keras had watched Major Lorne and Doctor Beckett, too. He wasn’t surprised by the yearning evident in Lorne’s eyes every time he looked at his lover working frantically to free them, but he was surprised to see similar longing on the doctor’s face, directed toward the other scientist. It didn’t take Keras long to realise the desire was mutual, though each man’s feelings were clearly not known by the other.
He watched McKay more closely after that. He didn’t know the man well - other Lanteans such as Beckett and even Zelenka had visited far more often since that first unexpected visit. He knew that others spoke of McKay as being bristly and harsh, but Keras knew all too well that the same man had given freely precious treats to their younger villagers, a gift beyond imagining when at the time, McKay had had no way to replenish his supplies from his homeworld. Recalling that first visit, Keras also remembered how different McKay was from Sheppard - McKay’s intensity did not shut him away from his emotions, whereas Sheppard almost always appeared relaxed, but was in fact more like a bowstring, taut and ready for action.
Doctor Zelenka, during his first visit, had endured more than enjoyed. Another man wrapped in layers of pain and misery, Keras realised. Much like Sheppard. Keras had been given a taste of some of Zelenka’s dark secrets - he wondered whether someday, Sheppard might entrust Keras’ people with his. So many secrets. He sighed softly to himself. Being older was harder than he could ever have guessed.
Returning his attention to Beckett and McKay, Keras wondered how long it would take the two men to confess their secrets to each other. They shared a thirst not for water, but for love - for companionship - yet if Keras understood correctly, some among the Lanteans would not approve, though apparently the only true concern was for people like Marc, like Sheppard. Soldiers wearing the flag with the stars and stripes.
How different they are from us, Keras mused. How different they are from one another.
The sun crawled across the sky, casting longer and longer shadows as another day drew to a close. In the amber light of mid-evening, the shield finally flickered and collapsed, and a collective whoop of joy rang through the control room as every villager shouted their happiness.
Keras was completely unprepared for McKay’s actions, though. He stood, nearly gap-mouthed like a youngster stumbling in upon his parents, watching as McKay strode to the wall and took Doctor Beckett’s mouth in a hungry kiss. Keras felt his cheeks flush, the his childhood memory bringing embarrassment and fond warmth. He stepped quietly and deliberately outside, allowing the men their privacy, a smile spreading on his face.
He knew his people would talk - to discover not one but two such relationships among the Lanteans was yet another morsel of difference to examine and digest. They teach us so much, he thought. Even when they do not realise it. He stood outside the control room, waiting for Pelius’ arrival. She had accepted Marc and Radek’s relationship without fuss, her personal disappointment at ‘losing’ Marc fleeting. Keras would expect no less of her now that they had more guests to attend to - bodies to feed and shelter, minds to rest, and hearts to heal.
oOo
Carson couldn’t help it - even in the black interior of the guesthouse, he couldn’t help staring at Rodney. After the surprising and passionate rescue by the scientist, their situation had literally taken a turn for the anticlimatic.
In the darkness, he rolled his eyes at himself and stifled a groan. Ach, there’s no cause for such terrible puns now, he chastised himself.
Twilight had been creeping in and darkness ready to fall. Carson knew the villagers were quite right that it was safest for all to be back in the safety of the tree-perched village. Carson and Marc’s unexpected confinement had resulted in many more villagers than usual being needed to guard against predators while the two scientists had worked to free them. Back at the village, almost everyone could rest easy, the normal allotment of sentries would be sufficient for everyone’s safety. Carson winced a little at the memory of his own thoughtless comments, suggesting it was time for the children to be off for a good sleep, only to see a couple of those same ‘children’ huff at him indignantly as they took up their bows and quivers before going to their posts. I really should know better. I’ve visited here oft times enough in the past.
Still, Carson couldn’t deny that the last few days had revealed surprises and truths he could never have guessed on his own. He was certain it would be days more - hell, even weeks - before all the implications of their time on Kidkill sank in.
He blinked at Rodney’s sleeping form. Rodney! Right there, in front of him, splayed awkwardly in exhausted sleep, one leg draped across Carson’s. In the darkness, Carson could just make out Rodney’s shape, just make out the slow rise and fall of his chest. Rodney shifted slightly, snuffling lightly in the back of his throat.
Carson smiled. Rodney kissed me! His smile broke into a grin. And I kissed him back! He sighed at the memory, then grinned sheepishly. And then we had to make our way back to the village, with exhaustion of epic magnitude, no matter how horny we might have been in our own minds. Exhaustion warred with desire, and exhaustion won. Neither of them were 20 anymore. Besides, it’s not like you’re an exhibitionist, he said to himself. Bad enough that there were sly looks and furtive giggles from the villagers as they returned; even had he been capable of getting anything up just then, he couldn’t imagine doing anything so private with Marc and Radek sleeping on just the other side of the same room.
God knew Carson had his kinks, but public sex wasn’t one of them. Not even semi-public. It had been difficult enough to witness the moments he’d been privy to between Marc and Radek; he didn’t want to think how difficult it would have been to face either man the next day had Rodney and he been well enough to consummate their newfound relationship like rodents in springtime.
Relationship? Carson wondered. Is that so? His brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed out as Rodney shifted again, snuggling back into Carson’s warmth. He reached his arm across Rodney’s body, tucking the man securely against him, his arm firm around Rodney’s belly. Aye, that’s what it is. For all that this part was - would be - new, they’d been friends since Antarctica, and waiting a few more hours or even days wasn’t going to change that. Not at all.
oOo
Marc remained still and silent in the darkness, listening to his lover breathe, absorbing the warmth of Radek’s skin through his palm. He wasn’t surprised that both scientists practically collapsed into an exhausted heap after their return - Marc and Carson had lacked only for water and food, not sleep. He was surprised at the way Doctor McKay had greeted Carson, though Carson’s reaction had been priceless: the doctor had been just as surprised, but obviously pleased.
Too bad we’re too damn tired to do anything about it, he thought wryly. He was fairly certain that any decent chickflick would have had the protagonists getting sweaty and very laid just about now - curling up in a room with three other sweaty, smelly, most decidedly chaste men wasn’t part of the script. Marc’s mind provided the image well enough: from epic kiss to epic thank-God-we’re-alive fuck, he could imagine the way the movie version would have been written. Well, the late-night movie version. Too bad we’re so old and tired we’ll have to stick with Prime Time.
He chuckled softly.
“Marc?”
The voice was quiet in the night. Marc wasn’t surprised the other man was still awake, not after everything that had happened.
“Carson? Everything okay?”
“Oh, aye,” Carson said, his whisper full of thick vowels. “And you?”
“Just thinking,” Marc replied.
“Aye, me too.”
Silence hung between them, warm and comfortable in the darkness. Marc and Carson had already talked a lifetime’s worth during their confinement; they didn’t need words to stay friends.
“We’re the luckiest men alive,” Carson breathed finally.
Marc grinned. “You can say that again, doc.”
End Part XXXVI