FIC: The Demolition Expert

[jalabert]

Title: The Demolition Expert
Author: Jalabert
Pairing: Ford/McKay
Summary: A bored Marine needn't blow things up to have a blast.
Author's Note: This story was written four years ago and I thought it had been posted here. Turns out, there's only been a tag without the story. I'm posting this old story, along with several others that have never seen the light of day in this venue.

It was hot as hell. The temperature was 32 degrees Celsius, at least ten degrees higher than anyone in Atlantis had seen since their arrival. At least the people in Atlantis were in a climate-controlled environment. Aiden Ford was currently sitting on the banks of a small spit of land twenty miles north of the Athosian village babysitting an annoying, arrogant scientist.

He was trying to remember why he'd been stuck with this assignment. He was a munitions and demolition expert, after all. Why he should be stuck on guard detail with a pissy astrophysicist was beyond him. The answer to his question came back to him as he opened his flask and took a long drink of water. He'd lost a bet with John the previous night. The loser was stuck with Rodney for the day.

Not that Aiden minded being stuck with Rodney. The two men were friends, after a fashion, in spite of Rodney's frequent insults to Aiden's intelligence. Rodney actually had a grudging respect for the young Marine and Aiden--well, Aiden just found Rodney damned fascinating. After all, the man was a certifiable genius. Aiden always thought that he was a cool dude, but the more he learned about Rodney, the more he liked him. If only he wasn't such a pain in the ass…

Not only was Aiden forced to sit and watch Rodney's back while he conducted his experiment--he'd long since forgotten exactly what it was about--he was also forced to endure his endless carping. Rodney was in a mood--not that Aiden had ever seen him not in a mood, but what with the heat and the sun and the frustration of having to work solo on whatever it was he was doing...Rodney was in a mood.

Aiden had also been forced to endure the flight to their current location with Rodney at the controls of a puddle jumper. Rodney was nervous flying a jumper at the best of times. This was the first time Aiden had ever flown alone with Rodney. He'd talked Aiden's ear off as a means of distracting himself, but all he'd actually managed to do was drive Aiden crazy. The young Marine was still contemplating taking a hike down to the village and hitching a ride on the next jumper delivering supplies. Rodney flew the way Aiden's grandmother drove; that was not a good thing.

Aiden took another drink as Rodney continued to fuss with his equipment. He tried to count his blessings. He had plenty of water. Rodney had stopped bitching for the moment, although that could mean that he was working up to his next tirade, and... At least he had plenty of water. Aiden smiled when he realized exactly how much water was available. He closed the flask and walked over to where Rodney was working.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help with something?" he asked.

"Did I not just establish a ten-foot perimeter?" Rodney said without looking up. "Even if you can't count, lieutenant, you must realize that you've violated it. Again."

"I'll take that as a no," Aiden said, dropping the flask and unbuckling the straps that held his sidearm to his thigh.

"Lieutenant? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm removing my sidearm," Aiden snapped back.

"And you're doing it within my established perimeter."

Aiden took a few steps backward and let his belt fall to the ground. He pulled off his cap and then began to tug on his tee shirt.

"Uh, lieutenant?"

"McKay?" Aiden sighed. He dropped the shirt and bent to untie his boots.

"What are you doing?" Rodney asked, his attention riveted by the expanse of newly exposed skin. Aiden kicked off one boot and then the other, along with his socks.

"I'm taking off my clothes, doc. I'm going to take a swim." He turned and walked to the edge of the pond a few yards away and began to undo his pants. Rodney blatantly stared as first desert camos and then olive boxers hit the dirt. He let his eyes trail up the long legs and caught just a glimpse of sculpted ass before Aiden dove into the water. Rodney's mouth fell open.

Aiden swam out a bit, dove under and came up again, smiling. This was definitely the highlight of his day, as decisions went. The water was cool and refreshing and he had a clear view of Rodney. Aiden was perfectly happy to guard him from the pond. He swam back toward shore and began to tread water, frowning at Rodney, who was still staring, open-mouthed.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"You're supposed to be watching my back," Rodney said, collecting himself.

"I'm watching you."

"You're swimming!"

"No, McKay; this is swimming," Aiden gracefully swam about twenty feet and back, bobbing up again and resuming his place, treading water easily.

"Lovely; how are you supposed to protect me from in there?" Rodney demanded. "Suppose someone attacks me; how are you going to defend me?"

"Push him into the water," Aiden said playfully. "I'll drown him. Or better yet--." He dove under and came up with a large rock. "I can throw this."

"Terrific; if I'm attacked by Aquaman or a band of irate Weeki Wachee girls you'll be perfectly positioned to render assistance," Rodney said exasperatedly.

"Irate what?"

"Never mind. You shouldn't be in there. You should be out here with me," Rodney said, turning back to his work. "Sweating...suffering in this heat..." He slapped at an insect. "I'm sorry there's nothing around for you to shoot at or blow up, but at the very least you could try to take your assignment seriously."

"What's the fun in that?" Aiden teased.

"There is no fun in that, I grant you," Rodney said peevishly. "But I'd like to think that I can do my job without worrying about my safety."

"You're expecting an Athosian uprising?"

"No, I'm expecting to be able to work on my experiment without interruption."

"The only thing around here interrupting your work is you, doc."

"I--." Rodney gaped for a second and turned back to his work.

"Why don't you do your experiment in here?" Aiden said teasingly.

"Oh, that's rich, lieutenant. Have you any idea what exposing such delicate and highly sensitive equipment to water would do to the--."

"You could show me..."

Rodney's mouth fell open at the lieutenant's flirtatious tone. For once, possibly the first time in recent memory, in fact, he was utterly speechless.

"Come on, doc, lighten up."

"Unlike you, lieutenant, I have work to do," he said, turning back to his work once more. In truth, he'd lost all interest in physics, delicate equipment and just about anything else the moment he saw the twin moons of Aiden's ass disappearing under the water.

"Your loss," Aiden said, leaning back and floating like an otter. Rodney chose that moment to look up and gulped. He turned his head away.

"Sorry I don't have time to play, but if I don't calibrate this penis--."

"What?" Aiden laughed.

"What?" Rodney replied in confusion. He glanced over at Aiden and colored slightly, averting his eyes.

"You said you had to 'calibrate this penis.'"

"I said I have to calibrate the equipment precisely," Rodney replied, certain that he had not, in fact, done so.

"You did not," Aiden taunted. "You said 'penis'!"

"Why on earth would I--?"Rodney aborted his comment when Aiden abruptly stood up. "What are you doing?" he said, his mouth suddenly dry.

He knew he was staring but he couldn't help it. Aiden was naked; gloriously so. He'd never contemplated such a thing before, but he was certain that the sight of Aiden in the flesh, so to speak, beat anything his imagination could come up with by a mile.

Aiden smiled and flipped over backward into the water, disappearing momentarily before coming up again about twenty yards further out. Rodney hoped that Aiden's view of the shore wasn't as good as his acrobatic skills. His pants suddenly felt two sizes too small.

"Why don't you take a break and have a swim? The water's great," Aiden shouted as he lazily floated in the water. The view from Rodney's perspective wasn't as good as it had been seconds earlier but it didn't matter. His imagination was running wild.

"Thanks, but I have work to do," Rodney said, wondering if he could manage to turn around without Aiden noticing his erection, ignoring the voice in his head shouting, Get over yourself, McKay. You're not that big. Nonetheless, he took a few steps backward and spun so quickly that he nearly lost his balance. He cringed slightly when Aiden laughed.

"What the hell are you doing, doc?"

"Working! I'm working! Can't you see me working? This is me working... Working..."

Rodney sighed inwardly. He wasn't going to be able to concentrate on anything now. Not with the thought of Aiden's phallus bobbing in the water, its velvety head glistening in the sunlight like...like...

"Damn!"

Rodney dropped a laptop in the soft sandy soil.

"You okay?" Aiden called.

"Fine," Rodney said tightly. He bent stiffly and picked up the machine. Aiden frowned and swam a bit closer to the shore.

"You sure?" he asked with mild concern. Rodney dusted off the machine and carefully set it down. He opened it up and it sprang to life.

"Fine! No harm, no foul...just...just fine," Rodney said in a tight, clipped voice. He heard Aiden move closer. "I said I'm fine, lieutenant." Rodney dared not turn around as he heard splashing in the water behind him. He shuddered when something briefly created a shadow over his left shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good," Aiden said from closer than Rodney thought possible.

"Are you still naked?" he asked timidly. Aiden laughed.

"Is that what's bothering you? Haven't you ever gone skinny dipping, man?"

"No, I'm afraid we didn't have time for that in the astrophysics program. We left that sort of thing to you more exhibitionistic jock types."

"Come on, you have to try it at least once," Aiden said, peering over Rodney's shoulder at the laptop. "We're not due back for another...three hours. Take a break." He padded back to the water and Rodney turned to take another peek at his ass.

"Thank you, no," Rodney said hastily. "Why don't you go count bullets or something?"

"Scared?"

"No, I'm not scared. I'm busy."

"You're not doing anything. You haven't done anything for the last five minutes. Come on; take a break and swim with me. You can go back to work relaxed and refreshed," Aiden urged.

"No. I'm...ahem...busy."

"You're chicken, you mean. Suit yourself." Aiden was about to jump back into the water when a thought struck him. He turned around laughing, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Rodney was openly staring at him. "You can't swim, is that it?" Rodney seized the excuse like a lifeline.

"No; no, I can't--all right," he admitted. "I can swim. I just can't...swim," he mumbled petulantly. He turned back to the work table and bent to look at the equipment he'd set up and fiddled with a dial.

"Well, come in the water, anyway. You'll feel better."

"I'm sure I won't."

"You can leave your shorts on if you're chicken," Aiden teased. He was close again. Rodney could feel the coolness of the body behind him and wondered what would happen if he just leaned back and--.

"I'm not chicken. I'm--." Rodney froze as a pair of dark, tanned and sculpted arms appeared at his waist. He gaped at them as they drew his shirt up to his armpits.

"Come on," Aiden said softly. Rodney lifted his arms and the shirt came off. And then he was leaning back in Aiden's arms, or Aiden was leaning into him as he undid Rodney's buckle and opened his pants. Rodney didn't care who was doing the leaning, as long as --. He straightened up and froze as Aiden started to pull his pants down.

"I can manage, thank you," he said taking a few steps away. He wasn't about to ruin the playful moment by exposing himself to--. By exposing himself, period. "You know, this isn't a good idea. I'll get sunburned." Rodney held up his pants with one hand as he examined his arm. "My skin is very sensitive."

"I've got suntan lotion," Aiden replied bending to pick up the rucksack he'd discarded earlier. "I could rub some on your--." He'd barely pulled the tube out of his pack before Rodney grabbed it.

"Thank you. I'll just do...myself. Thanks."

"No problem," Aiden laughed. He stood there, apparently waiting for Rodney to strip and oil up. "Sure you don't need help?"

"No; I mean yes. I don't need help," Rodney said. Aiden laughed, shaking his head.

"Sometimes you're such a goof, man," he said as he walked back to the water. He dove in as Rodney quickly divested himself of his pants, shoes and socks. When Aiden broke the surface he saw him sitting at the edge of the water. "McKay!" he shouted.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Rodney said as he opened the tube and squeezed out a dollop of lotion, which he slathered on his face, ears and shoulders.

"Don't use it all," Aiden called. "We might need it later."

Rodney closed his eyes and said a silent prayer as he slid into the water.

"Cold! Cold, cold, cold..." Rodney muttered as he moved deeper into the water. He lamely splashed a little water onto his chest and arms, muttering about the cold as he did so. He suddenly looked up and realized he was alone. "Ford! Ford! Ford? Gah!!!!"

Aiden laughed again, as Rodney all but collapsed in his arms. Aiden held his waist, his forehead resting on Rodney's shoulder.

"Go on; laugh it up while I have a heart attack," Rodney said breathlessly. Not that he minded; having Aiden's body pressed close to his...oh. "Oh," he said aloud, though to the casual ear it sounded a lot more like a groan.

"Oh?" Aiden said softly. He hooked his chin over Rodney's shoulder and peered down at the sodden pale blue boxers. "Decided to keep those, huh?"

"I...well..."

"I was kind of hoping to get a peek at the goods," Aiden said as he worked a couple of fingers under the elastic.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before," Rodney said.

"I showed you mine," Aiden cooed in his ear.

"You showed it to everyone within a two mile radius," Rodney snarked.

"That's what I said," Aiden replied softly as he pulled Rodney a little closer, his erection insinuating itself a little deeper into the space between Rodney's legs. "We're the only two people here."

Rodney emitted a noise that was more squeak than squawk. He'd meant to protest...at least that's what he thought before ten fingers began to slowly slide up and down his torso, ghosting over his chest and then down again. Rodney completely forgot what he wanted to complain about as he watched the fingers move with agonizing slowness towards his groin. They came to a halt at the elastic, then moved past the barrier, over the cotton and--.

Rodney made a strangled noise in his throat when Aiden bit his throat, distracting him momentarily. He never even felt his shorts come off. All his attention was on those hands and those warm, soft sweet lips that were nibbling on his ear.

"Doc?"

"Mm?" Rodney murmured.

"Turn around," Aiden whispered. Rodney did so, regretting the loss of those lovely fingers on his erection, but they quickly found purchase on his ass, pulling him closer so that their groins made contact. Rodney blinked.

"Whoa!" he said, sounding ridiculous in his own ears. "Um... lieutenant?"

"Doc?" Aiden said playfully, his hands making small circles on Rodney's posterior.

"What are we doing?"

"And they told me you were a genius," Aiden clucked before lowering his head to Rodney's throat again. Rodney felt his brain cells melt as Aiden licked a long, slow path from the crook of his neck to that spot behind his ear that always... yeah. Aiden's hips began to move gently, creating just enough friction to drive Rodney insane. Rodney grabbed handfuls of Aiden's ass and corrected his trajectory.

"You'll explain it to me later?" he managed to say before his brain surrendered to an overload of sensation. Aiden nodded without losing his place in Rodney's ear.

Rodney had always admired Aiden's hands, in an abstract, dispassionate way. They were beautiful hands, really, and Rodney liked to watch them in motion: stripping and cleaning his weapon, assembling equipment, strapping on a vest, tearing open an MRE, or even idly beating out a tempo as he waited for John to give the signal to dial the gate. Aiden had long, graceful fingers, too handsome to belong to a Marine whose job was to blow up things, Rodney thought. Rodney had long fingers too; they were the hands of a pianist, not a physicist. They were the hands of a proficient--artist turned scientist. But Rodney wished he had hands like Aiden's. He'd never imagined what those hands were capable of--aside from creating mayhem and destruction. Well, in a manner of speaking, they were doing just that--creating a unique brand of mayhem.

Rodney never imagined Aiden's fingers probing his body, opening him, thrilling him with the most intimate of touches, just there. He'd never envisioned those hands lifting his legs and encouraging him to wrap them around Aiden's waist. He never imagined those fingers positioning Aiden's cock at Rodney's ass.

His mouth was pretty impressive, too. Aiden's mouth covered his and a hot tongue eased its way into Rodney's mouth, probing, exploring and tasting him. Rodney groaned and Aiden pushed in further, both above and below, seizing control of Rodney's breath, taking Rodney's body, thrusting into him with greater urgency. Aiden pulled his mouth away just long enough for Rodney to breathe--not nearly enough to fill his lungs, but neither man cared. They were both lost in the moment. Who knew Aiden had it in him, Rodney thought. He'd truly underestimated the boy.

How appropriate, Rodney thought sometime later as he felt himself being carried toward the bank, that Aiden was a demolition expert. He'd been completely blown away.

"Doc."

"Hmm?" Rodney blinked and opened his eyes to see Aiden looking down at him.

"Are you all right?" Aiden asked worriedly.

"Huh? What happened?"

"You fainted--uh, passed out," Aiden corrected himself. "Here," he said, handing Rodney a flask. He took a long drink.

"Damn," Rodney muttered. It must have been the heat. He was never good in high temperatures. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling oddly sad. It was only a dream. Aiden had seduced him into the water and made love to him in a dream.

"Doc?" Aiden shook him gently. "Come on doc, don't black out on me here."

"I'm fine," Rodney sighed.

"Yeah, that's what you said just before you passed out. Come on." He pulled Rodney up so that he was sitting. A strong arm supported his back.

"Where are we going?" Rodney mumbled, his eyes still tightly shut.

He was sure that if he opened them he'd be dizzy. Dizzy and disappointed. If he opened his eyes he'd see that smile again. That mouth, those sensuous lips, those intense eyes boring into him... He was sure that if he opened his eyes he'd give in to the disappointment and cry at the cruelty of reality. But he opened them anyway when he felt Aiden tugging on his shirt.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" he asked as his shirt was being pulled over his head.

"I'm getting you into the water to cool you off. You should have come in when I asked," Aiden said as he reached for Rodney's boots and began to untie the laces. Rodney looked down and saw golden brown skin. He let his eyes wander further and saw--. Aiden was naked.

"Yes!" he shouted joyfully. Aiden looked back at him.

"All right, McKay," he said with a wry smile. "You're losing it. Let's get you wet." He pulled Rodney to his feet and reached for his belt. Rodney made a small peeping noise and Aiden's hands froze. "Want to do this yourself?"

"No, you go on ahead," Rodney said." I've been fantasizing about you undressing me all afternoon."

"Right," Aiden said doubtfully. "Man you are such a goof."

The End

On to The Demolition Expert Returns