TEAM TIME: under the sun, "Illumination"
Title: Illumination
Author: melagan
Team: Time
Prompt: under the sun
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: NC-17
Word count: 4,500
Warnings: None
Summary: John's been clueless a long, long time. It's not until he and Rodney work together on a birthday surprise for Ronon that the light dawns.
Once you've read the story, please take a moment to vote in the poll below. Ratings go from 1 (low) to 9 (high), so all you need to do is enter a single number in that range into each text entry box. You'll be able to see the prompt in the header above.
More details about the voting procedure can be found here.
**
"Do you think he'll like it?"
"Ronon? Of course he'll like it, Rodney. What's not to like? The Wraith blew up Sateda's gate and now you're giving one back. Makes it a lot easier now for Ronon and his people to come back and rebuild if that's what they want. That's, you know, if…" John teased, "you can get it working."
"Oh, I can get it working," Rodney huffed in return. "How soon depends on what kind of shape the DHD is in. Worst case scenario, there's nothing left and I build a new one. And, thanks to the foresight of yours truly, Zelenka is sending us plenty of spare parts."
"Pity Caldwell didn't beam the DHD up with the Stargate. What was up with that?" John asked.
"I heard from Novak that he did. But not for us." Rodney scowled. "Apparently, the IOA wants it. God only knows why. I do know Elizabeth wasn't very happy about it. She also said something to Caldwell about bringing her back the good chocolate or else."
"Ah," John said. "Well, at least that kind of explains why the Daedalus is on its way back to the Milky Way."
"- and why Lorne has to use the jumpers to shuttle the Stargate to Sateda." Rodney's eyes lit up. "You'll appreciate this. I reconfigured the shields on two of the jumpers." He cupped his hands, fingers tangled loosely together to demonstrate. "They'll cradle the gate between them instead of using cables. It will use slightly more power but be far less stressful on the jumpers."
"That's going to take some damn precise flying."
"Jealous, Colonel?"
Instead of answering, John looked around at the pile of rubble the two of them just spent the whole morning moving. With a little help from some carefully placed C-4, they'd done a decent job of it. Good enough anyway that, when Lorne and the engineering team got here with the replacement Stargate, they'd find a nicely cleared space to put it.
"We did good, McKay." John unclipped his canteen and passed it to Rodney. "Drink before you melt under this sun. You look…"
John blinked and barely kept from reaching out to touch. He took his shades off, rubbed his eyes, and tried to look anywhere at anything that wasn't McKay. Jesus. Rodney's sweat-damp t-shirt clung to his chest and back like a second skin. Even in this heat, his nipples pushed up in hard points against the fabric and John had a wild moment of imagining what it would feel like to lean down and nip at each one right through Rodney's shirt.
He licked his lips, took a cautious step back, and waited for a wave of panic to wash over him. Hmm. Waiting. Still waiting. Where the fuck was it? Oh hell. Groaning, John put his hands on his hips and hung his head. Of course, McKay would be the one to break through all of John's carefully built defense mechanisms. Bastard.
"What's wrong with you? John?" Rodney held out the canteen, face shadowed with concern. "Here. Drink. And for pity's sake, sit down before you fall down."
"Yeah, good advice." John sat down heavily on the nearest pile of rock and dumped half the canteen of water over his head. With Rodney hovering over him, full of concern and smelling good enough to lick, John desperately needed to cool off a whole lot more than he needed a drink.
He held up one hand, warning Rodney off. "I'm okay, just give me a minute."
"Says the man flirting with sunstroke." Forehead lined in worry, Rodney asked, "Do you want me to radio Keller? I knew we should have waited for the marines to move this pile of rubble, but oh no, I couldn't wait to find out if we could salvage part of the DHD."
"It was a good idea, Rodney."
"You really think so?" Rodney threw his hands up in the air. "Look who I'm asking. The man who can't even judge when he's had too much sun! Couldn't you have learned at least that much in Colonel School? And why does saying that make me feel like I'm repeating myself?"
"It's not the sun, McKay. It's… never mind. Look, I'm sure Ronon is going to be surprised and grateful when he finds out. Did Teyla tell you 300 of his people survived? Bet a lot of them would like the chance to gate back home. Installing a new gate on Sateda for his birthday is a great idea, Rodney. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn't be here helping."
"It was your idea to take it from the mist planet."
"Kind of a no-brainer, buddy, since it was killing the, you know, we-are-the-mist guys if someone used it. Not to mention they were pretty willing to kill us and who knows how many others. Besides, it doesn't hurt to tally some good will if we ever need to go back."
They both shuddered at the memory.
"Do you think the mist messed with the Wraith's minds too?" Rodney asked. "They must have gone there at some point, right?"
John looked at the expectant expression on Rodney's face. "Don't tell me. You and Zelenka think up this kind of thing on a slow day. My god, you do."
"No. It's not like that. Absolutely not - well - maybe. If you count that one time we were waiting for a simulation to finish -"
"Stop right there. I don't want to know what you and Radek came up with for Wraith fantasies. Seriously, McKay, there's no way that conversation can end well. Besides, if there's any justice in the world, they'd imagine feeding off a hive full of clowns."
"Anyone ever tell you, you have strange issues, Sheppard?"
"Not going there, McKay." John stood and handed the canteen back to Rodney. "Lorne and the marines will be here in a couple of hours. They can finish this up. I think we've done enough for today."
"Okay."
John raised both eyebrows.
"No really, John, you’re right. It's past lunchtime as it is and one of us getting woozy is quite enough."
"I wasn’t woozy, McKay! I…" The words trailed off as John stared at Rodney. The man had the actual nerve to look worried. "I’m fine. I…oh hell."
John watched helplessly as the early afternoon sunlight broke from behind a bank of clouds and goddamn flirted with Rodney. It played across the sharp plane of Rodney's cheek and cast the hollow of his throat into shadow. A fingertip of light skimmed across the bare edge of collarbone that peeked out from under Rodney's shirt.
John curled his fingers in a fist to prevent himself from reaching out and tracing that intimate line. Want and desire shook through him with a shock so hard he almost sat back down before his knees gave out. Well, fuck.
Rodney folded his arms over his chest and looked far too smug. Clear signals to anyone proficient in McKay-speak that a lecture wasn't far behind. Short of explaining - and hell hadn't frozen over yet - John took the easy way out.
"Yeah, McKay. You're right. Too much sun." John tore his gaze away from Rodney's sun-kissed skin. Jesus, a man could only take so much.
"Good, good." Rodney clapped John on the shoulder, oblivious to John's recent epiphany. "Since we're taking a break, can I suggest we take the jumper over to that set of caves just outside the city? Have ourselves a picnic - stretch our legs in the shade - what do you say?"
"Those wouldn't just happen to be the caves you picked up a power signature from?"
"Well, yes. But," Rodney added, dimple peeking out in unrepressed glee, "if we're very lucky that could just be the answer to our Satedan shield problem."
~~~
The cave turned out to have some very interesting features.
They ventured deep into the cavern using the light from his P90 and the glow from Rodney's laptop see by. John pointed at the cave walls.
"What are these things?" A web of glittering, faceted crystals arched overhead and along the cave walls in one-foot intervals.
"They're not a natural formation, that's for sure." Rodney said. "Did you notice how the cave floor changed?"
"Yeah, it smoothed out. Felt like we were walking on some kind of tile after we took that last turn. You think this is some kind of lab."
"I most certainly do, Sheppard."
"Ancient?" John asked. He turned to look at Rodney.
Like prisms, glittering points of light refracted rainbows across Rodney's face and hands. For a heartbeat, John just stared at his friend and then it was gone, replaced by a softer blue-tinged light now filling the artificial cave.
Rodney looked up from his laptop with a smug little smile. "Very definitely Ancient."
John watched as Rodney worked, careful not to touch anything, anything at all. Including Rodney. Even if his skin did look as touchable as the smoothest silk found this side of the galaxy.
Some realization this was. John rubbed the back of his neck. Talk about being slow to dawn. He always knew McKay had some attractive attributes. Hell, that ass alone was in the top three on anyone's scale.
"Top one."
"What?" John had a moment of horror that he'd said that last thought out loud.
"To your left." Rodney spared John a glance and asked, "Are you okay? Not still fuzzy headed are you?"
"I'm fine."
"Then if you don't mind - see that row of smaller crystals on your left, John? I need you to touch the top one and think 'on'. Likely an earthquake or similar geological event threw their frequencies out of resonance." He ran a scanner over the crystals within arm's reach. "Surprisingly, none of the crystals are damaged. So…" Rodney poked at more laptop keys. "…if we can get them talking to each other again, I just think we might be able to…"
Rodney talked and John let the explanations wash over him. He already knew it would be the same song and dance. Ancients - abandoned tech - need for an ATA gene. Knowing their luck, specifically John's ATA gene. Because that always ended so well.
He moved to stand guard between Rodney and the entrance. With their luck, this would turn into a Wraith mating call. Okay, probably not but John needed the distance. Not because he was attracted to a guy, that part wasn't so new. But, it was the first time John didn't want to shove the feeling away and bury it deep enough to ignore. Permantly.
Because despite everything, it felt right, wanting Rodney McKay.
John tugged at the collar of his shirt in a futile search for cooler air. It was bad enough watching the flex and bunch of McKay's shoulder and back muscles as he moved, but sweet mercy -
Rodney's shoulders weren't the only thing that flexed when he moved.
"Just one more minute…" Rodney gave him an absent-minded nod. "See if you can detect anything from our surroundings."
"From the crystals you mean." John grabbed Rodney's arm. "Wait. Are you sure these aren't mutant, evil crystals?"
Rodney's face paled then he shook it off with his usual self-defensive snark. "Would you relax, Sheppard? We're nowhere near the planet of those murdering, dream-hijacking entities. I meant there should be a humming sound when this comes back online. I just need to know if you can feel it as a vibration too. I might have to recalibrate the settings.
"This should…" With a soft ah-ha, Rodney pressed a key on his laptop and an energy shield rose up and covered the entrance.
"Cool. Hey, how did you do that?" John asked.
"Oh, didn't I mention it? I've programmed several of the science division laptops to recognize various harmonics used by the Ancients. All I had to do - and when I say 'all I had to do' I mean it was incredible complicated. Fortunately, Radek managed to make himself more useful than usual and 'voila' we have now have an Ancient crystal frequency database."
"Great. Can you extend the shield?"
"Not enough to cover the planet if that's what you're thinking," Rodney answered. "But -"
"- You think there's more caves like this one."
"Just waiting to be activated." Rodney beamed.
"So how did you know it would work?
"I didn't. Not really. But I figured it was worth a try."
~~~
John unrolled his bedding next to Rodney's, ready to settle in for the night. Through the tent flap, he could see the stars shining bright and clear above Sateda's fractured skyline. Tomorrow, Rodney would fix the DHD and one small piece of that skyline would be whole again.
No doubt about it, Lorne and the marines had done a hell of job. After a small delay while Rodney showed off the reactivated shield, Lorne's crew got down to serious business. They slid the replacement Stargate into place as smoothly as if they did that kind of thing everyday.
There were a lot of high fives and good moods going around after that. Since no one wanted to return without seeing the job completed, they made camp and settled in for the night.
Lorne, the sneaky bastard, had certainly planned on it. He'd brought along all the makings for a first class barbeque. John suspected there was a cake hidden away for the birthday party too. Rodney's bet however, rode on s'mores. Grinning, he'd told John he could smell the potential for toasty marshmallow goodness all over Major Lorne. Which, when John thought about it, was frankly disturbing.
He flopped down on the bedding with a sigh. Rodney was already snoring. Years of repression cracked away as John watched Rodney sleep. If he were honest, he'd admit they'd been heading here for a while.
Something loosened inside John every time Rodney looked at him. Because he didn't just look at John, he focused in, like John was the most important person in his orbit.
Jesus, thinking back, Rodney had looked at him like that for years, and he was now just getting a clue? A slow smile spread across his face. They could make this work. Of course, they could.
Everything about the way they worked and spent their off time together was proof of that. And through every crisis, they'd only grown closer. Even now, Rodney slept with one hand curled against his chest as if he were holding a place for John.
That was just… With a soft groan of frustration, John punched his pillow. He needed to stop his brain from chasing in circles and face the truth. This thing, if it was truly going to be A Thing, came down to trusting Rodney.
John blinked. Oh. A soft smile teased at his mouth. There wasn't a single soul he trusted more, and finally the daylong knot in his chest eased. He fell asleep listening to Rodney's snuffling sleep noises as he leaned into the comfortable warmth along his side. John slept better that night than he had in a long time.
~~~
John woke up early and nudged Rodney in the ribs. "Big day, McKay. You don't want to disappoint Ronon, do you? His special birthday surprise all rides on you, now."
Rodney growled.
It stopped John dead in his teasing. Long seconds passed as he willed his sudden hard-on back under control. "I think, um …yeah…do you want some coffee? Stupid question. I'll just go and…be right back. Need to, uh, visit a tree first."
John backed out of the tent, grateful for loose pants. As soon as he was out of sight, he smacked himself in the forehead. "Good one, John. Now Rodney thinks you're an idiot." He scowled down at his crotch. "Cut a guy a break. How was I supposed to know you liked the growling thing? Jeeze, warn a guy ahead of time next time. All right, I'm shutting up now before someone catches me talking to my dick, but this is not over!"
His dick wasn't listening. With a muffled groan, John unfastened his pants and palmed his cock. "Just this once, I swear." Just a few swift pulls and he'd be back in control. This would be over so soon, he'd still probably beat Rodney to the coffee.
But thinking about Rodney right now was a mistake. The warm, clean, sleep smell of him. The way his voice turned husky and dark when John least expected. His hands. It was impossible not to imagine - John's cock hardened at the thought of Rodney's hands on him - doing this - first with his hands and then putting his wide, generous mouth on John's dick. Licking. Sucking. Growling while he….
Toes curling, John fumbled with his trousers, letting them drop below his knees so he could get a hand under his balls. He hadn't gotten this hard and ready this fast since he was seventeen. John groaned. Spit only did so much, he needed lotion-needed it wet. This was raw, desperate, hard necessity, just scraping the edge of pain.
Yeah, it hurt working his cock like this, long strokes and dry, rough pulls from root to the reddened, swollen, wet tip of his cock. If he weren't so damned rigid and aching maybe that little bit of precome would have been enough. Just a little bit more. Just a little bit -faster -rougher. It hurt so damn good he nearly dropped to his knees when he came.
By the time he got back to the worksite, repairs were in full swing.
"There you are." Rodney stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the recent work done on the replacement gate. "Where did you disappear off to?" He turned his gaze on John. "Is that for me?"
"Yep." John passed him the mug of coffee he'd brought as a peace offering.
Rodney inhaled deeply, his face lighting up. "Is this…?
"Dark roast. Fresh from Zelenka's latest cache. Hey, did you ever think it was funny how everyone thought he had a still hidden away and it turned out to be a homemade coffee roaster?"
"Quiet, Sheppard, I'm communing."
"I see that." John bit his lip. Rodney was a sight to see as he blissfully savored Pegasus grown coffee in a beaten up metal mug.
The bliss didn't last two minutes let alone two hours. The sun climbed higher in the sky, cranking up the temperature with it. John watched, barely keeping his grin at bay, as Rodney McKay turned from caffeine-enabled birthday humanitarian into a hot, sweaty, snappish force for engineering tyranny.
The man was his element and John knew he loved every minute of it.
When Rodney first brought the idea to John, he'd sheepishly confessed, "I don't expect anyone else to do the work. Despite what some people might think, I never minded getting my hands dirty. Not when it comes to making things function the way they should. Theoretical work is fine, but there's something satisfying about getting into the guts of the problem. Radek feels the same way. I'm sure he'll want to help."
So here they were. John, Rodney, a team of engineers made up of scientists and marines, and anyone they could scrape together on their days off. There were more volunteers for the job than either one of them had expected. A lot more. Ronon was family now, and to John's delight, everyone in Atlantis was willing to put their backs into it to prove it.
"How much longer?" John asked.
"We're done." Rodney stood up and brushed the dust from his knees. "Do you think Ronon figured it out yet?"
"Hmm, we've had Teyla and Chuck run interference. I know Teyla planned to keep him busy scouting the mainland for a few days. Even if he guessed she..."
Rodney snapped his fingers, interrupting "-Yes, yes. She does that inscrutable thing. He's never going to worm it out of her unless she wants him to."
"What about Chuck?"
"Don't worry about Chuck, my friend." Rodney nudged John with his elbow. "We Canadians are more wily and subtle than we look!"
"So we can assume Ronon knows?"
"I'll bet you a week's pay on it."
~~~
This was just the way John liked it. All of his team together, a clear night sky overhead and a nifty shield working at maximum power. That there were blankets so they could lounge in front of the campfire was pure bonus. He'd have to remember to thank Teyla for bringing them.
He didn't even mind that he owed McKay money. John leaned back and licked the graham cracker crumbs from the side of his mouth. Lorne had indeed smelled like marshmallow toasty goodness. Not that he'd tell him that. Assuming Lorne ever wandered back from where he went with Doc Parrish.
They were off looking for the perfect roasting stick. John had managed a hearty, "Good idea, Major" with almost a straight face. The way Parrish had blushed he didn't expect either of them back anytime soon.
For half a minute, John thought about dragging Rodney into the woods for some personal stick hunting. Except Rodney probably would spend the time looking for the perfect branch for toasting marshmallows. With a sad shake of his head, John looked over toward his teammates.
Teyla was laughing, chocolate smeared across one cheek. Next to her, Radek was making a wide gesture with his hands and John hoped it had something to do with showing Teyla how many marshmallows could fit on a stick. If it was anything else, he didn't want to know.
Meanwhile, Ronon kept grinning and slapping McKay on the back while Rodney loudly groused back at him in return.
"Yes, yes, you big lummox. I'm glad you like your gift. Heaven only knows how Teyla and Chuck kept you busy enough that you didn't figure out what we were doing - and that is not an invite to share. Ow. If you're going to keep bruising me, next year all you're getting from me is a card." Rodney ducked but not fast enough to avoid Ronon's affectionate noogie.
Firelight suited Rodney. Now that he thought about it, so did sunlight. And the refracted light from crystals. In fact, John mused, Rodney looked good in every kind of light John had seen him in lately. John snorted. If he weren't careful, he'd begin calling Rodney the light of his life.
"Is something funny?" Rodney asked. He tossed his stick in the fire and sat next to John. "Care to share the joke?"
"No. Hey, where did everyone go?"
"Bed, I suppose. They've been drifting away from the fire for the last half hour. You didn't notice?"
"Um." John scratched at his chin. "Would you believe my mind was elsewhere?"
"Obviously." Rodney gave John a gentle poke. "And in case this also missed your wandering attention, it's late. I'm heading for bed. Are you coming?"
Moonlight cast a long shadow across Rodney's face, and without thinking, John reached out. Before he could stop himself, his fingers brushed against Rodney's cheek.
Too late to pull back, John was sure he'd blown it. Sure of it until he heard a quiet 'oh' from Rodney. A moment later Rodney's big, warm hands cupped his face, one thumb brushing gently along John's cheek
"John, can I…"
John croaked out a god, yes, barely recognizing his own voice.
Wild, gentle, hot, slow. Time wasn't following the rules anymore. John thanked god privacy was nearby because it already felt like he'd waited an eternity.
The soft moonlight their guide, they stumbled their way to the tent, both too reluctant to take their hands off each other to do anything else. John pushed Rodney through the tent flap. Rodney surprised John by grabbing him by the shirtfront and yanking him inside.
John found himself sprawled on top of Rodney. He knew he was grinning like a goof. Couldn't help it. Rodney was doing that intense scientist thing as he tried his damnedest to get John's shirt off without actually letting go. That grin turned into a low groan of surprise when McKay's fingers rubbed sharply across one nipple.
"Tell me again why we didn't do this sooner," Rodney gasped against John's neck.
"You weren't ready. Oh hell, I wasn't ready."
"I've got news for you, Sheppard; I'm so ready right now, something is going to pop."
"You don't say." John drew his thumb slowly across Rodney's bottom lip. "I've got an idea about that."
Good old-fashioned nakedness: John had a new appreciation of it. The slide and drag of Rodney's solid body against his own made his breath catch. The sweet pull and rasp of friction between them made the night real - made John's toes curl with heady want.
Rodney brought his legs up, trapping John in place. His mouth explored John's neck and ears, an unrelenting, tender onslaught that made John tremble.
Equally greedy to touch, his own hands scrambled over Rodney's hot skin to finally clutch at Rodney's hips. His cock was so hard now he couldn't think. Just feel.
He thrust, rutting in clumsy rhythm. He stopped when Rodney's hand pulled at his hair to drag him down until he could reach John's mouth for a frantic kiss. Lost, he was lost in Rodney's grunts and greedy hands. The only satisfaction was that Rodney was as lost in it as he was.
Well, not the only satisfaction. Rodney's dick made a hard, demanding shove against John's groin. "Pushy, McKay," John panted, giving it back in equal measure with sharp roll of his hips.
Rodney dug his fingers into John's ass. "-'stard." He came with a gasping whine and a shudder that shook the entire length of his body.
"Oh fuck." John's cock skittered into the sudden wetness spreading between. His hips jerked, control shot to hell. Panting, he laid his forehead on Rodney's chest and squeezed his eyes shut as his body shook and he came - and came - all over Rodney.
~~~
Early morning light filtered into the tent, leaving sun-trails across Rodney's skin in dusty shades of gold.
Outside, John could hear the rest of their encampment rousing to begin the day. Most would be returning to Atlantis shortly. A few would stay and begin to map out plans for rebuilding. With a newly activated shield and the gate working, Sateda was top of the list for an Alpha site.
"Is that coffee I smell?" Rodney's muzzy voice emerged from the pillow.
"Yeah."
Rodney looked warm. John might even use the word soft, despite the grizzled whiskers. He also looked well-fucked. It was a good look on him.
"What do you say we take a walk in the sunrise?"
"Seriously?" Rodney said, blinking up at him. "Why am I even awake this early?"
"C'mon, McKay. We'll bring coffee. Snag a couple muffins to take with us. Enjoy the morning while we can."
"A dawn picnic? What happened to being naturally lazy?" Rodney patted the top of the sleeping bag with a hopeful expression. "Are you sure you don't want to…?"
The question hung in the air between them. "I…of course I understand if you don't." Rodney's gaze cut away from John. "I shouldn't have assumed…" Pink crept up on the pale back of his neck as his fingers fidgeted with the bedding.
"That's not…" John watched the light play across Rodney's face and his breath caught, remembering how Rodney looked standing under the sun barely two days ago. Sweaty, hot, irascible, and smacking John with an epiphany the size of a two by four.
John cleared his throat. "Maybe I'm just motivated."
"Motivated. Do I even want to ask?"
"Nope." Rodney didn't know it yet, but John intended that every day from now on would be a day he woke to see Rodney lying next to him in the morning light. "No need, McKay." He tossed Rodney his pants. "I've got a feeling you're going to figure it out."
~***~
Poll
Author: melagan
Team: Time
Prompt: under the sun
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: NC-17
Word count: 4,500
Warnings: None
Summary: John's been clueless a long, long time. It's not until he and Rodney work together on a birthday surprise for Ronon that the light dawns.
Once you've read the story, please take a moment to vote in the poll below. Ratings go from 1 (low) to 9 (high), so all you need to do is enter a single number in that range into each text entry box. You'll be able to see the prompt in the header above.
More details about the voting procedure can be found here.
**
"Do you think he'll like it?"
"Ronon? Of course he'll like it, Rodney. What's not to like? The Wraith blew up Sateda's gate and now you're giving one back. Makes it a lot easier now for Ronon and his people to come back and rebuild if that's what they want. That's, you know, if…" John teased, "you can get it working."
"Oh, I can get it working," Rodney huffed in return. "How soon depends on what kind of shape the DHD is in. Worst case scenario, there's nothing left and I build a new one. And, thanks to the foresight of yours truly, Zelenka is sending us plenty of spare parts."
"Pity Caldwell didn't beam the DHD up with the Stargate. What was up with that?" John asked.
"I heard from Novak that he did. But not for us." Rodney scowled. "Apparently, the IOA wants it. God only knows why. I do know Elizabeth wasn't very happy about it. She also said something to Caldwell about bringing her back the good chocolate or else."
"Ah," John said. "Well, at least that kind of explains why the Daedalus is on its way back to the Milky Way."
"- and why Lorne has to use the jumpers to shuttle the Stargate to Sateda." Rodney's eyes lit up. "You'll appreciate this. I reconfigured the shields on two of the jumpers." He cupped his hands, fingers tangled loosely together to demonstrate. "They'll cradle the gate between them instead of using cables. It will use slightly more power but be far less stressful on the jumpers."
"That's going to take some damn precise flying."
"Jealous, Colonel?"
Instead of answering, John looked around at the pile of rubble the two of them just spent the whole morning moving. With a little help from some carefully placed C-4, they'd done a decent job of it. Good enough anyway that, when Lorne and the engineering team got here with the replacement Stargate, they'd find a nicely cleared space to put it.
"We did good, McKay." John unclipped his canteen and passed it to Rodney. "Drink before you melt under this sun. You look…"
John blinked and barely kept from reaching out to touch. He took his shades off, rubbed his eyes, and tried to look anywhere at anything that wasn't McKay. Jesus. Rodney's sweat-damp t-shirt clung to his chest and back like a second skin. Even in this heat, his nipples pushed up in hard points against the fabric and John had a wild moment of imagining what it would feel like to lean down and nip at each one right through Rodney's shirt.
He licked his lips, took a cautious step back, and waited for a wave of panic to wash over him. Hmm. Waiting. Still waiting. Where the fuck was it? Oh hell. Groaning, John put his hands on his hips and hung his head. Of course, McKay would be the one to break through all of John's carefully built defense mechanisms. Bastard.
"What's wrong with you? John?" Rodney held out the canteen, face shadowed with concern. "Here. Drink. And for pity's sake, sit down before you fall down."
"Yeah, good advice." John sat down heavily on the nearest pile of rock and dumped half the canteen of water over his head. With Rodney hovering over him, full of concern and smelling good enough to lick, John desperately needed to cool off a whole lot more than he needed a drink.
He held up one hand, warning Rodney off. "I'm okay, just give me a minute."
"Says the man flirting with sunstroke." Forehead lined in worry, Rodney asked, "Do you want me to radio Keller? I knew we should have waited for the marines to move this pile of rubble, but oh no, I couldn't wait to find out if we could salvage part of the DHD."
"It was a good idea, Rodney."
"You really think so?" Rodney threw his hands up in the air. "Look who I'm asking. The man who can't even judge when he's had too much sun! Couldn't you have learned at least that much in Colonel School? And why does saying that make me feel like I'm repeating myself?"
"It's not the sun, McKay. It's… never mind. Look, I'm sure Ronon is going to be surprised and grateful when he finds out. Did Teyla tell you 300 of his people survived? Bet a lot of them would like the chance to gate back home. Installing a new gate on Sateda for his birthday is a great idea, Rodney. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn't be here helping."
"It was your idea to take it from the mist planet."
"Kind of a no-brainer, buddy, since it was killing the, you know, we-are-the-mist guys if someone used it. Not to mention they were pretty willing to kill us and who knows how many others. Besides, it doesn't hurt to tally some good will if we ever need to go back."
They both shuddered at the memory.
"Do you think the mist messed with the Wraith's minds too?" Rodney asked. "They must have gone there at some point, right?"
John looked at the expectant expression on Rodney's face. "Don't tell me. You and Zelenka think up this kind of thing on a slow day. My god, you do."
"No. It's not like that. Absolutely not - well - maybe. If you count that one time we were waiting for a simulation to finish -"
"Stop right there. I don't want to know what you and Radek came up with for Wraith fantasies. Seriously, McKay, there's no way that conversation can end well. Besides, if there's any justice in the world, they'd imagine feeding off a hive full of clowns."
"Anyone ever tell you, you have strange issues, Sheppard?"
"Not going there, McKay." John stood and handed the canteen back to Rodney. "Lorne and the marines will be here in a couple of hours. They can finish this up. I think we've done enough for today."
"Okay."
John raised both eyebrows.
"No really, John, you’re right. It's past lunchtime as it is and one of us getting woozy is quite enough."
"I wasn’t woozy, McKay! I…" The words trailed off as John stared at Rodney. The man had the actual nerve to look worried. "I’m fine. I…oh hell."
John watched helplessly as the early afternoon sunlight broke from behind a bank of clouds and goddamn flirted with Rodney. It played across the sharp plane of Rodney's cheek and cast the hollow of his throat into shadow. A fingertip of light skimmed across the bare edge of collarbone that peeked out from under Rodney's shirt.
John curled his fingers in a fist to prevent himself from reaching out and tracing that intimate line. Want and desire shook through him with a shock so hard he almost sat back down before his knees gave out. Well, fuck.
Rodney folded his arms over his chest and looked far too smug. Clear signals to anyone proficient in McKay-speak that a lecture wasn't far behind. Short of explaining - and hell hadn't frozen over yet - John took the easy way out.
"Yeah, McKay. You're right. Too much sun." John tore his gaze away from Rodney's sun-kissed skin. Jesus, a man could only take so much.
"Good, good." Rodney clapped John on the shoulder, oblivious to John's recent epiphany. "Since we're taking a break, can I suggest we take the jumper over to that set of caves just outside the city? Have ourselves a picnic - stretch our legs in the shade - what do you say?"
"Those wouldn't just happen to be the caves you picked up a power signature from?"
"Well, yes. But," Rodney added, dimple peeking out in unrepressed glee, "if we're very lucky that could just be the answer to our Satedan shield problem."
~~~
The cave turned out to have some very interesting features.
They ventured deep into the cavern using the light from his P90 and the glow from Rodney's laptop see by. John pointed at the cave walls.
"What are these things?" A web of glittering, faceted crystals arched overhead and along the cave walls in one-foot intervals.
"They're not a natural formation, that's for sure." Rodney said. "Did you notice how the cave floor changed?"
"Yeah, it smoothed out. Felt like we were walking on some kind of tile after we took that last turn. You think this is some kind of lab."
"I most certainly do, Sheppard."
"Ancient?" John asked. He turned to look at Rodney.
Like prisms, glittering points of light refracted rainbows across Rodney's face and hands. For a heartbeat, John just stared at his friend and then it was gone, replaced by a softer blue-tinged light now filling the artificial cave.
Rodney looked up from his laptop with a smug little smile. "Very definitely Ancient."
John watched as Rodney worked, careful not to touch anything, anything at all. Including Rodney. Even if his skin did look as touchable as the smoothest silk found this side of the galaxy.
Some realization this was. John rubbed the back of his neck. Talk about being slow to dawn. He always knew McKay had some attractive attributes. Hell, that ass alone was in the top three on anyone's scale.
"Top one."
"What?" John had a moment of horror that he'd said that last thought out loud.
"To your left." Rodney spared John a glance and asked, "Are you okay? Not still fuzzy headed are you?"
"I'm fine."
"Then if you don't mind - see that row of smaller crystals on your left, John? I need you to touch the top one and think 'on'. Likely an earthquake or similar geological event threw their frequencies out of resonance." He ran a scanner over the crystals within arm's reach. "Surprisingly, none of the crystals are damaged. So…" Rodney poked at more laptop keys. "…if we can get them talking to each other again, I just think we might be able to…"
Rodney talked and John let the explanations wash over him. He already knew it would be the same song and dance. Ancients - abandoned tech - need for an ATA gene. Knowing their luck, specifically John's ATA gene. Because that always ended so well.
He moved to stand guard between Rodney and the entrance. With their luck, this would turn into a Wraith mating call. Okay, probably not but John needed the distance. Not because he was attracted to a guy, that part wasn't so new. But, it was the first time John didn't want to shove the feeling away and bury it deep enough to ignore. Permantly.
Because despite everything, it felt right, wanting Rodney McKay.
John tugged at the collar of his shirt in a futile search for cooler air. It was bad enough watching the flex and bunch of McKay's shoulder and back muscles as he moved, but sweet mercy -
Rodney's shoulders weren't the only thing that flexed when he moved.
"Just one more minute…" Rodney gave him an absent-minded nod. "See if you can detect anything from our surroundings."
"From the crystals you mean." John grabbed Rodney's arm. "Wait. Are you sure these aren't mutant, evil crystals?"
Rodney's face paled then he shook it off with his usual self-defensive snark. "Would you relax, Sheppard? We're nowhere near the planet of those murdering, dream-hijacking entities. I meant there should be a humming sound when this comes back online. I just need to know if you can feel it as a vibration too. I might have to recalibrate the settings.
"This should…" With a soft ah-ha, Rodney pressed a key on his laptop and an energy shield rose up and covered the entrance.
"Cool. Hey, how did you do that?" John asked.
"Oh, didn't I mention it? I've programmed several of the science division laptops to recognize various harmonics used by the Ancients. All I had to do - and when I say 'all I had to do' I mean it was incredible complicated. Fortunately, Radek managed to make himself more useful than usual and 'voila' we have now have an Ancient crystal frequency database."
"Great. Can you extend the shield?"
"Not enough to cover the planet if that's what you're thinking," Rodney answered. "But -"
"- You think there's more caves like this one."
"Just waiting to be activated." Rodney beamed.
"So how did you know it would work?
"I didn't. Not really. But I figured it was worth a try."
~~~
John unrolled his bedding next to Rodney's, ready to settle in for the night. Through the tent flap, he could see the stars shining bright and clear above Sateda's fractured skyline. Tomorrow, Rodney would fix the DHD and one small piece of that skyline would be whole again.
No doubt about it, Lorne and the marines had done a hell of job. After a small delay while Rodney showed off the reactivated shield, Lorne's crew got down to serious business. They slid the replacement Stargate into place as smoothly as if they did that kind of thing everyday.
There were a lot of high fives and good moods going around after that. Since no one wanted to return without seeing the job completed, they made camp and settled in for the night.
Lorne, the sneaky bastard, had certainly planned on it. He'd brought along all the makings for a first class barbeque. John suspected there was a cake hidden away for the birthday party too. Rodney's bet however, rode on s'mores. Grinning, he'd told John he could smell the potential for toasty marshmallow goodness all over Major Lorne. Which, when John thought about it, was frankly disturbing.
He flopped down on the bedding with a sigh. Rodney was already snoring. Years of repression cracked away as John watched Rodney sleep. If he were honest, he'd admit they'd been heading here for a while.
Something loosened inside John every time Rodney looked at him. Because he didn't just look at John, he focused in, like John was the most important person in his orbit.
Jesus, thinking back, Rodney had looked at him like that for years, and he was now just getting a clue? A slow smile spread across his face. They could make this work. Of course, they could.
Everything about the way they worked and spent their off time together was proof of that. And through every crisis, they'd only grown closer. Even now, Rodney slept with one hand curled against his chest as if he were holding a place for John.
That was just… With a soft groan of frustration, John punched his pillow. He needed to stop his brain from chasing in circles and face the truth. This thing, if it was truly going to be A Thing, came down to trusting Rodney.
John blinked. Oh. A soft smile teased at his mouth. There wasn't a single soul he trusted more, and finally the daylong knot in his chest eased. He fell asleep listening to Rodney's snuffling sleep noises as he leaned into the comfortable warmth along his side. John slept better that night than he had in a long time.
~~~
John woke up early and nudged Rodney in the ribs. "Big day, McKay. You don't want to disappoint Ronon, do you? His special birthday surprise all rides on you, now."
Rodney growled.
It stopped John dead in his teasing. Long seconds passed as he willed his sudden hard-on back under control. "I think, um …yeah…do you want some coffee? Stupid question. I'll just go and…be right back. Need to, uh, visit a tree first."
John backed out of the tent, grateful for loose pants. As soon as he was out of sight, he smacked himself in the forehead. "Good one, John. Now Rodney thinks you're an idiot." He scowled down at his crotch. "Cut a guy a break. How was I supposed to know you liked the growling thing? Jeeze, warn a guy ahead of time next time. All right, I'm shutting up now before someone catches me talking to my dick, but this is not over!"
His dick wasn't listening. With a muffled groan, John unfastened his pants and palmed his cock. "Just this once, I swear." Just a few swift pulls and he'd be back in control. This would be over so soon, he'd still probably beat Rodney to the coffee.
But thinking about Rodney right now was a mistake. The warm, clean, sleep smell of him. The way his voice turned husky and dark when John least expected. His hands. It was impossible not to imagine - John's cock hardened at the thought of Rodney's hands on him - doing this - first with his hands and then putting his wide, generous mouth on John's dick. Licking. Sucking. Growling while he….
Toes curling, John fumbled with his trousers, letting them drop below his knees so he could get a hand under his balls. He hadn't gotten this hard and ready this fast since he was seventeen. John groaned. Spit only did so much, he needed lotion-needed it wet. This was raw, desperate, hard necessity, just scraping the edge of pain.
Yeah, it hurt working his cock like this, long strokes and dry, rough pulls from root to the reddened, swollen, wet tip of his cock. If he weren't so damned rigid and aching maybe that little bit of precome would have been enough. Just a little bit more. Just a little bit -faster -rougher. It hurt so damn good he nearly dropped to his knees when he came.
By the time he got back to the worksite, repairs were in full swing.
"There you are." Rodney stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the recent work done on the replacement gate. "Where did you disappear off to?" He turned his gaze on John. "Is that for me?"
"Yep." John passed him the mug of coffee he'd brought as a peace offering.
Rodney inhaled deeply, his face lighting up. "Is this…?
"Dark roast. Fresh from Zelenka's latest cache. Hey, did you ever think it was funny how everyone thought he had a still hidden away and it turned out to be a homemade coffee roaster?"
"Quiet, Sheppard, I'm communing."
"I see that." John bit his lip. Rodney was a sight to see as he blissfully savored Pegasus grown coffee in a beaten up metal mug.
The bliss didn't last two minutes let alone two hours. The sun climbed higher in the sky, cranking up the temperature with it. John watched, barely keeping his grin at bay, as Rodney McKay turned from caffeine-enabled birthday humanitarian into a hot, sweaty, snappish force for engineering tyranny.
The man was his element and John knew he loved every minute of it.
When Rodney first brought the idea to John, he'd sheepishly confessed, "I don't expect anyone else to do the work. Despite what some people might think, I never minded getting my hands dirty. Not when it comes to making things function the way they should. Theoretical work is fine, but there's something satisfying about getting into the guts of the problem. Radek feels the same way. I'm sure he'll want to help."
So here they were. John, Rodney, a team of engineers made up of scientists and marines, and anyone they could scrape together on their days off. There were more volunteers for the job than either one of them had expected. A lot more. Ronon was family now, and to John's delight, everyone in Atlantis was willing to put their backs into it to prove it.
"How much longer?" John asked.
"We're done." Rodney stood up and brushed the dust from his knees. "Do you think Ronon figured it out yet?"
"Hmm, we've had Teyla and Chuck run interference. I know Teyla planned to keep him busy scouting the mainland for a few days. Even if he guessed she..."
Rodney snapped his fingers, interrupting "-Yes, yes. She does that inscrutable thing. He's never going to worm it out of her unless she wants him to."
"What about Chuck?"
"Don't worry about Chuck, my friend." Rodney nudged John with his elbow. "We Canadians are more wily and subtle than we look!"
"So we can assume Ronon knows?"
"I'll bet you a week's pay on it."
~~~
This was just the way John liked it. All of his team together, a clear night sky overhead and a nifty shield working at maximum power. That there were blankets so they could lounge in front of the campfire was pure bonus. He'd have to remember to thank Teyla for bringing them.
He didn't even mind that he owed McKay money. John leaned back and licked the graham cracker crumbs from the side of his mouth. Lorne had indeed smelled like marshmallow toasty goodness. Not that he'd tell him that. Assuming Lorne ever wandered back from where he went with Doc Parrish.
They were off looking for the perfect roasting stick. John had managed a hearty, "Good idea, Major" with almost a straight face. The way Parrish had blushed he didn't expect either of them back anytime soon.
For half a minute, John thought about dragging Rodney into the woods for some personal stick hunting. Except Rodney probably would spend the time looking for the perfect branch for toasting marshmallows. With a sad shake of his head, John looked over toward his teammates.
Teyla was laughing, chocolate smeared across one cheek. Next to her, Radek was making a wide gesture with his hands and John hoped it had something to do with showing Teyla how many marshmallows could fit on a stick. If it was anything else, he didn't want to know.
Meanwhile, Ronon kept grinning and slapping McKay on the back while Rodney loudly groused back at him in return.
"Yes, yes, you big lummox. I'm glad you like your gift. Heaven only knows how Teyla and Chuck kept you busy enough that you didn't figure out what we were doing - and that is not an invite to share. Ow. If you're going to keep bruising me, next year all you're getting from me is a card." Rodney ducked but not fast enough to avoid Ronon's affectionate noogie.
Firelight suited Rodney. Now that he thought about it, so did sunlight. And the refracted light from crystals. In fact, John mused, Rodney looked good in every kind of light John had seen him in lately. John snorted. If he weren't careful, he'd begin calling Rodney the light of his life.
"Is something funny?" Rodney asked. He tossed his stick in the fire and sat next to John. "Care to share the joke?"
"No. Hey, where did everyone go?"
"Bed, I suppose. They've been drifting away from the fire for the last half hour. You didn't notice?"
"Um." John scratched at his chin. "Would you believe my mind was elsewhere?"
"Obviously." Rodney gave John a gentle poke. "And in case this also missed your wandering attention, it's late. I'm heading for bed. Are you coming?"
Moonlight cast a long shadow across Rodney's face, and without thinking, John reached out. Before he could stop himself, his fingers brushed against Rodney's cheek.
Too late to pull back, John was sure he'd blown it. Sure of it until he heard a quiet 'oh' from Rodney. A moment later Rodney's big, warm hands cupped his face, one thumb brushing gently along John's cheek
"John, can I…"
John croaked out a god, yes, barely recognizing his own voice.
Wild, gentle, hot, slow. Time wasn't following the rules anymore. John thanked god privacy was nearby because it already felt like he'd waited an eternity.
The soft moonlight their guide, they stumbled their way to the tent, both too reluctant to take their hands off each other to do anything else. John pushed Rodney through the tent flap. Rodney surprised John by grabbing him by the shirtfront and yanking him inside.
John found himself sprawled on top of Rodney. He knew he was grinning like a goof. Couldn't help it. Rodney was doing that intense scientist thing as he tried his damnedest to get John's shirt off without actually letting go. That grin turned into a low groan of surprise when McKay's fingers rubbed sharply across one nipple.
"Tell me again why we didn't do this sooner," Rodney gasped against John's neck.
"You weren't ready. Oh hell, I wasn't ready."
"I've got news for you, Sheppard; I'm so ready right now, something is going to pop."
"You don't say." John drew his thumb slowly across Rodney's bottom lip. "I've got an idea about that."
Good old-fashioned nakedness: John had a new appreciation of it. The slide and drag of Rodney's solid body against his own made his breath catch. The sweet pull and rasp of friction between them made the night real - made John's toes curl with heady want.
Rodney brought his legs up, trapping John in place. His mouth explored John's neck and ears, an unrelenting, tender onslaught that made John tremble.
Equally greedy to touch, his own hands scrambled over Rodney's hot skin to finally clutch at Rodney's hips. His cock was so hard now he couldn't think. Just feel.
He thrust, rutting in clumsy rhythm. He stopped when Rodney's hand pulled at his hair to drag him down until he could reach John's mouth for a frantic kiss. Lost, he was lost in Rodney's grunts and greedy hands. The only satisfaction was that Rodney was as lost in it as he was.
Well, not the only satisfaction. Rodney's dick made a hard, demanding shove against John's groin. "Pushy, McKay," John panted, giving it back in equal measure with sharp roll of his hips.
Rodney dug his fingers into John's ass. "-'stard." He came with a gasping whine and a shudder that shook the entire length of his body.
"Oh fuck." John's cock skittered into the sudden wetness spreading between. His hips jerked, control shot to hell. Panting, he laid his forehead on Rodney's chest and squeezed his eyes shut as his body shook and he came - and came - all over Rodney.
~~~
Early morning light filtered into the tent, leaving sun-trails across Rodney's skin in dusty shades of gold.
Outside, John could hear the rest of their encampment rousing to begin the day. Most would be returning to Atlantis shortly. A few would stay and begin to map out plans for rebuilding. With a newly activated shield and the gate working, Sateda was top of the list for an Alpha site.
"Is that coffee I smell?" Rodney's muzzy voice emerged from the pillow.
"Yeah."
Rodney looked warm. John might even use the word soft, despite the grizzled whiskers. He also looked well-fucked. It was a good look on him.
"What do you say we take a walk in the sunrise?"
"Seriously?" Rodney said, blinking up at him. "Why am I even awake this early?"
"C'mon, McKay. We'll bring coffee. Snag a couple muffins to take with us. Enjoy the morning while we can."
"A dawn picnic? What happened to being naturally lazy?" Rodney patted the top of the sleeping bag with a hopeful expression. "Are you sure you don't want to…?"
The question hung in the air between them. "I…of course I understand if you don't." Rodney's gaze cut away from John. "I shouldn't have assumed…" Pink crept up on the pale back of his neck as his fingers fidgeted with the bedding.
"That's not…" John watched the light play across Rodney's face and his breath caught, remembering how Rodney looked standing under the sun barely two days ago. Sweaty, hot, irascible, and smacking John with an epiphany the size of a two by four.
John cleared his throat. "Maybe I'm just motivated."
"Motivated. Do I even want to ask?"
"Nope." Rodney didn't know it yet, but John intended that every day from now on would be a day he woke to see Rodney lying next to him in the morning light. "No need, McKay." He tossed Rodney his pants. "I've got a feeling you're going to figure it out."
~***~
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