Fic: And One And Two And....
Author: wolfshark
Wordcount: 10,031
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Evan Lorne/Radek Zelenka
Summary: When Dr. Weir makes Rodney McKay’s department take country line dancing lessons, Radek Zelenka has trouble with the steps. He has less trouble with it in private.
Warning(s): None
Notes: Thanks to nialla42 and ophelia1880 for the betas, and thanks to my artist, gblvr, for all the hand-holding and brainstorming!
Companion piece to Shall We Dance? // Maybe We.
And One And Two And...
Radek looked up as McKay stormed into the lab. He was used to displays of temper from McKay, but this looked to be extreme. McKay was so angry that he was purple and sputtering.
“I can’t believe Elizabeth! Of all the unmitigated gall! I refuse. I won’t do it. I won’t and she can’t make me.” Rodney was pacing and waving his arms, and Radek watched with amusement. One thing he definitely had to say about working with McKay - he was never dull.
“What is it that she wishes you to do?” Radek asked as McKay continued to froth at the mouth.
“She wants me to do some sort of exercise. She thinks I’m under too much stress, and she thinks that would help.” McKay stopped pacing and looked right at Radek. “I told her, of course I’m under stress. I’m designing the next generation of space shuttle! Exercise isn’t going to do a damn thing to help me!”
Oh, this was priceless. “And did she have something that she thought you should do?”
McKay made a face of disgust. “She did. She thought I should take country line dancing.”
Radek managed to last three whole seconds before he started to laugh. He thought that was quite impressive, actually. McKay’s next words stopped him, though.
“Didn’t I mention? She wants the whole department to take these lessons. And as my second, that would include you.”
Horrified, all Radek could do was stare at McKay, who was starting to look a bit too smug for Radek’s peace of mind. He would not...
“You know, there might be something to this harebrained scheme of Elizabeth’s. I’ll send out an email today. We can’t make it mandatory for the staff, of course, but you and I’ll have to go as a good example.”
He would. Kurva. He glared at McKay. “You are a small, petty man, McKay,” he said, resignedly.
McKay just shrugged. “I know,” he said, with a small smile. “What can I do? I have to be true to myself.”
Radek sighed. “When and where are these lessons?”
McKay pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and consulted it. “Some bar up near Arundel Mills. It’s called Cancun Cantina, and she’s arranged for us to have private group lessons on Wednesdays from five to seven.”
“Fine. But if I am going, then we are going to drive up together. I would not want to get there and discover that you were ‘too busy’ to join us.”
“Would I do that?” McKay asked, attempting to look innocent. Radek continued to glare at him until he smiled. “Can’t blame me for trying. Okay, if we’re going to do this thing, then we should get some work done today, so we can leave early tomorrow.”
McKay left the room, returning to his office, and Radek attempted to turn his attention back to his whiteboards and the formulae on them, but he couldn’t stop from thinking that he had a bad feeling about this.
***
Evan glanced at the caller ID on his phone and almost ignored it. He was tired from DJing till 2 AM the night before, and he had no interest in talking to Jessica.
But his work ethic - and his bills - wouldn’t let him. “Evan here,” he answered, letting some of his aggravation slip through. “What do you need, Jess? I’m off.”
“I need you to take a private class,” she said, voice pleading. “Normally, I’d give it to Sue, but this is a bunch of scientists. She’d have no idea how to talk to them.”
“And I would,” Evan said resignedly. “You know, one of these days, I’ll say no to you.”
“Thanks, Evan,” Jessica said, hearing the unspoken agreement. “Class starts at five, okay?”
“Five,” he said, and hung up the phone. Looking at the clock a little blearily, he saw it was a bit after two in the afternoon. If he had to be there, and alert, by five, he needed to get moving.
Rolling out of bed, he went into the bathroom to start getting cleaned up. After showering and brushing his teeth, he felt marginally more human. Pulling on his robe, he padded into the kitchen to make something for breakfast-slash-dinner. There wasn’t much in the fridge, but the milk was good, and there was cereal in the cupboard.
He caught a bit of the news on CNN and frowned at the information coming out of the Middle East. Some things never changed, and the presence or absence of one pilot wasn’t going make or break things. He couldn’t help regretting the way that things had fallen out, though.
He looked at the clock and swore. It was four-fifteen, and he was going to have to fight traffic to get to the bar. Grabbing his keys, he headed out. He ran through the door at five before five, to find a motley crew wandering in the area around the back dance floor.
It was mostly men, which didn’t surprise him. He spotted a few government IDs, and cursed the initiative that made them identical between agencies. He could no longer identify them at a glance. He looked around, trying to identify a point of contact, and spotted Jessica talking to one of the few women and a stocky man.
He wove his way through the group to get to them. Jess, he noticed, looked relieved to see him. “Here he is,” she said. “Evan Lorne, Elizabeth Weir and Rodney McKay.”
As he held out his hand to shake Ms. Weir’s, he realized that he recognized her. “Ma’am,” he said, turning up the charm, “Not every day we have one of NASA’s spokespeople in here.”
She looked momentarily startled, and then smiled and said, “Not true. I try to come to at least one lesson a week. You’re a very good instructor, you know.” She shook his hand firmly. “I - “
“Yes, yes, very impressive,” the man - McKay, and that name was familiar as well - said, interrupting. “Elizabeth, if we aren’t going to start, I’m going back to the office.”
“Rodney!” she said, and then she smiled at Evan. “I’m sorry, Mister Lorne, but as you can see, Rodney is a bit impatient. Maybe we can get started and continue this conversation later?”
“Sure,” he said easily. Reminding himself that he needed the extra income, he went to the front of the stage and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, If you could all focus?”
It took a minute, but gradually the milling group came to stand in front of him. He smiled and launched into his opening.
“Hi there. Have any of you done this before?” Only one hand went up - Ms. Weir’s. Everyone else just stared at him. “Okay, that’s fine. Have any of you watched any line dancing? Maybe seen some videos on YouTube?”
That got some nods and even more nervous looks. He wasn’t surprised - the stuff that hit YouTube tended to be more complicated, and even the simple dances looked complicated if the person watching didn’t know what they were doing. “Whatever you think of them? Relax.” He noticed a man standing next to McKay - shorter, thinner, and noticeably more nervous in a room full of nervous people. Evan took it as a challenge and directed his next words to him. “There are only a finite number of steps, and only a few ways that they’re combined. Once you figure that out, it’s easy.”
The man didn’t look any calmer, but the general tension level in the room dropped a little. “We’re going to start with one of the easier dances, and one you’ve probably heard of, the Boot Scootin’ Boogie. The first thing I need you to do is form up in three lines.”
It only took Evan about five minutes to tell that the vast majority of the class just weren’t getting it. He called for a halt and looked them over, realizing that most of the scientists were looking at McKay, who was looking grimly satisfied. He needed McKay on his side, clearly. So he marched over to him and met his eyes.
“So, McKay. Ever do any formal dancing?” he asked, not hopeful, but he never knew.
“Yes, of course. I took ballroom dance as a child, but not this... twaddle.”
Well, if he could do ballroom dance, then there was no reason that he couldn’t handle line dance, so there was something else. Thinking quickly, he said, “Ever do the Time Warp?”
McKay blinked, and several of the people around them exchanged glances. “Yes, I did - I went to grad school for physics in the 80s. What does that have to do with this crap?”
Evan grinned and started to sing softly, suiting actions to words,
“It's just a jump to the left
And then a step to the right
With your hands on your hips
You bring your knees in tight
But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane,
Let's do the Time Warp again!
He didn’t have the greatest voice, but he could carry a tune, at least better than Sheppard, who Evan could hear laughing at the bar. As the chorus came to an end, he said, “Okay, you do it this time,” addressing his words to the whole group.
This time, several of the people went through the steps. Not everyone, and those that did weren’t perfect, but for the most part they had it. When the chorus finished, he said, “So, the chorus of the Time Warp? Is a line dance. If you can count to eight and memorize patterns, you can do this.”
McKay looked impressed despite himself, and Evan chalked it up as a win. This time, when they lined up, they looked a bit more eager and willing to learn.
“So, the first step in this dance is the ‘Right vine.’ You’re going to sidestep right, cross-step left behind right, and sidestep right again.” He demonstrated as he went through the steps twice more. “All right. You guys try it.”
***
By the end of the lesson, Radek knew that he wasn’t going to get this no matter what, and he suspected the instructor knew it too. As the people from the department adjourned to the bar, Radek watched him work his way through the group, distributing words of praise and encouragement.
Radek had already decided that he was never coming back, so it didn’t matter what the man said. “You’re really having trouble, aren’t you?” he asked, surprising the hell out of Radek, as he’d been expecting some sort of mindless praise.
It shocked the truth right out of him. “I am awful at this, but thank you for attempting to soften it.”
The man smiled and held out his hand for Radek to shake. “You aren’t awful...” Radek must have made a face, because he laughed and said, “Well, you are, but I do think you have potential. You don’t seem to be seeing the patterns, I think?”
McKay jumped into the conversation. “Zelenka, didn’t they dance in the Czech Republic when you were a kid? I thought that every country had folk dances.”
Radek glared at him. “It was Czechoslovakia when I was there, and I had so much time to learn them when I was selected for the science program at seven.”
“You defected, I take it?” the instructor said curiously. Radek had forgotten that he was still there, actually.
“Yes,” he said.
“That’s cool. Look, what’s your name?”
A little embarrassed by his lapse in manners, he said, “Radek Zelenka.”
“I’m Evan Lorne,” he said with a smile. “Look, I don’t want you to give up. I know you’re frustrated, but you have a fair amount of natural grace. I think you could do very well if you can manage to get your feet listening to your head.”
Radek’s face went hot. This went beyond a few words of praise. It sounded like Lorne had actually been watching him specifically.
“I will think about it,” he said.
McKay clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Of course he’ll be back. Now, let’s get a beer.” With a nod to Lorne, he followed McKay to the bar.
The next week was full of meetings. It could have been much worse, however. Dr. Weir was stuck testifying in front of Congress, trying to at least maintain their funding.
By the time Wednesday rolled around, Radek would have been content to forget about the class. There was something about Lorne that made him nervous. But McKay came into the lab with a wide smile. “Time to go,” he said. “I want to see how badly you can mess up this week.”
“Very nice, McKay,” Radek said, but he closed down his computer.
The bar was more crowded than last time. More of the department was there - word had spread - and there were even a few of the admins there.
Lorne was chatting with Elizabeth, but soon after they entered, he excused himself and came to join them. “You came back!” he said, sounding genuinely excited.
A little surprised by how happy he sounded, Radek nodded. “Yes. I cannot promise to do any better, however.”
Lorne chuckled. “Oh, I think we’ll at least give it our best shot. What do you say that we get this show on the road?”
“I think we might as well let the humiliation begin,” Radek said.
With a bright smile, Lorne excused himself and wound through the small crowd on the dance floor and up to the stage. “Okay, folks, let’s get started,” he called, and Radek joined the others in forming lines on the floor.
***
Evan wasn’t sure why he was feeling this attraction to Zelenka. He wasn’t his normal type, and he certainly wasn’t getting the feeling that the other man was gay. There was just something about him that called to Evan.
He tried not to stare at Zelenka, as there were other people struggling, but again and again, he had to tear his eyes away from watching Zelenka’s clumsy footwork. He called out encouragement and descriptions of the steps, and felt something like pride as more and more people seemed to get the concepts and the patterns.
He couldn’t help but wince when Zelenka vined left instead of right, and when he turned to the right instead of the left. He was clearly trying, and just as clearly not getting it. From the hectic flush on his face, Evan suspected that he was embarrassed as hell about it, too.
Evan knew that if he said anything during the lesson, it would just attract attention that Zelenka clearly didn’t want, but he still felt his heart drop when he saw him say something to McKay and then leave the dance floor, headed towards the bar. It was hard for Evan to keep focused on the class for the remaining hour, but he somehow managed, and by the end, the rest of the group was doing the Boot Scootin’ Boogie. They were even on tempo, and there were smiles and laughter throughout the crowd.
After inviting them to stay for the next class, one open to the public, he jumped off the stage and headed to the bar. He found Zelenka there still, talking earnestly to McKay. He managed to get close enough to hear some of what he was saying, even.
“- will never get this, McKay. I clearly have two left feet, and for me to continue to come is a waste of both Lorne’s and my time.”
McKay opened his mouth to say something and then obviously spotted Evan as he came up behind Zelenka. He shrugged and gestured to him as if offering him the chance to say something.
“I don’t consider it a waste of my time, doc,” he said. Zelenka was clearly startled, jumping slightly and turning to face him.
“You are too kind,” Zelenka said, flushing slightly. “But we both know that I’m not going to get this. Not in two lessons, not in ten.”
There was a note of doubt in his voice, or maybe Evan was just indulging in wishful thinking. He definitely didn’t want this to be the last time he saw Zelenka, so he made an offer without thinking about. “We could try private lessons, if you like.”
Zelenka just blinked at him, surprised into silence for a moment. Over his shoulder, Evan watched as McKay grinned and turned away, gesturing for the bartender, John, to bring him a beer.
“I do not - are we not already having private lessons?” Zelenka finally asked. “I believe that they are restricted to members of our facility, correct?”
“Well, that’s technically true, but I was thinking more along the lines of just the two of us,” he said, a little shocked at himself. The Cantina was definitely a straight bar - no gay boys need come in, or out, for that matter - and he knew better than to attempt to fish the waters here. But truthfully, he just wanted to spend time with Zelenka, whether or not he got anywhere, and private lessons would were a plausible reason for that.
“I - “ Zelenka started to say something, only to be interrupted by McKay, who Evan had completely forgotten was standing right behind Zelenka.
“Of course he’ll do it,” he said cheerfully. “When did you have in mind?”
Evan paused, waiting for Zelenka to object, but no objection was forthcoming. “Saturday morning? We can’t meet here, but we could meet in my apartment. It has a big enough living room for two of us to move around in.”
“I think,” Zelenka said slowly, “that I would like that. At least only you would see my failures, instead of my entire department.”
Evan couldn’t believe he’d agreed, but he hurriedly pulled out one of his business cards and a pen, scrawling his address on the back and handing it over before Zelenka could change his mind. As soon as Zelenka had accepted it, he said, “Ten o’clock good for you, doc?” and when he nodded, he excused himself. Less time for Zelenka to back out, he figured, was a very good thing.
Resolutely, he turned his attention to his other students, scattering praise and advice liberally. Several of the women were eyeing him speculatively, but he tried to avoid them without it looking like that was what he was doing. Thankfully, they seemed too shy to actually approach him.
Or at least, he thought that until one of them caught him on his way to the back room. “Mister Lorne, can I have a second?” she asked.
He plastered on a smile, hoped it didn’t look too fake, and turned to face her. “Yes?”
“I was wondering if... I heard you offer Doctor Zelenka private lessons, and I was hoping that maybe...” she stuttered to a halt, looking as though her bravery had run out in one big rush.
“Sarah? It is Sarah, right?” he asked, thinking furiously. He didn’t want to upset a paying customer, but he didn’t want to give everyone private lessons, either, especially since he suspected that dance lessons weren’t on her agenda. “I don’t usually offer private lessons. Doctor Zelenka is having a lot more difficulty than you - you’re doing very well - and I don’t really see that you’d benefit from them. But I’ll see you next week, okay?”
She didn’t look too upset, thankfully, and she nodded and walked away quickly, leaving Evan to go to the back room and collapse on the sofa. Thankfully, the regular Wednesday night lessons were done by Sue, so he could catch his breath, and then go home. He had some cleaning to do if he was supposed to give Zelenka dance lessons in his living room on Saturday.
***
By Friday afternoon, Radek could not quite figure out what had possessed him to agree. He knew that Lorne was attractive and friendly, but offering private lessons to one so clearly hopeless? It did not add up.
He fingered the card while sitting at his desk, debating just calling and canceling. Surely the offer had been made out of pity, and he did not need that. He was just picking up the phone when McKay wandered up.
“What’re you doing?” McKay asked.
“Nothing,” said Radek, hiding the hand holding the card under the desk, wondering when he had been reduced to acting like a teenager. “It is nothing. Shall we look at Simpson’s new design of the heat sink?”
His attempt at redirection failed. McKay sat on the corner of the desk, studying his face. “You’re worried about that dance lesson, aren’t you?”
“I just feel that Lorne is wasting his time trying to teach me. Clearly I have no sense for such a silly thing as dancing,” Radek said, pulling himself up straight. He went to fold his hands together on the desk, forgetting about the card still clutched in one.
McKay smiled. “I’m not sure that dance lessons are all that Lorne wants to give you. There are several people - including some very attractive women - who are struggling. You’re the only one that was invited to his apartment for private lessons.”
The thought that there may be more to this made Radek catch his breath a little. Then he shook his head. “I am sure that he just wants to make a customer happy. There is nothing more to it than that.”
Shaking his head, McKay said, “I guess you might be right. But you’re going to go, right? Worst case, you prove that you’re right - you can’t learn this - and you have an excuse to stop going. Best case, I’m right, and you get a date out of this.”
Silently cursing the day that he had let on that he was bisexual to McKay, Radek sighed. “Fine, I will go. But I am sure that dance lessons are all that Lorne has in mind. He is totally, how do you say, out of my league.”
“Zelenka, you need to get over this. Your ex was was an asshole, and you’re a good guy. Lorne is completely in your league.”
Radek shook his head ruefully. He wanted to believe Rodney. That was the problem. “Can we please get back to work? We need to work on Simpson’s heat sink design.”
“Fine,” McKay said, and they turned their attention to Simpson’s laughable designs.
Saturday morning was bright and sunny, and Radek had no problem finding Lorne’s apartment building. In fact, he was a few minutes early, so he sat in his car for a moment, reminding himself that there was nothing to this but a dance lesson that was doomed to failure.
At one minute to ten, he closed and locked his car and went up to the door to the apartment building. There was an intercom, and he followed the instructions to reach Lorne. It buzzed unpleasantly for a second, and then he could hear Lorne’s voice, crackly and full of static. “Doc? Is that you?”
“Yes, Mister Lorne.”
The door clicked, and Radek opened it, and went up a flight of stairs to apartment four. He was only mildly surprised when Lorne opened it before he could knock, and he suddenly found himself unable to speak, completely tongue-tied.
He realized that he had been expecting to see Lorne in loose jeans and a button-down shirt. Form-fitting, attractive, but ultimately resistible. What he was not expecting was a tight, tight t-shirt and equally tight jeans. It showed off his muscles to their best light, and caused Radek to be completely speechless.
Lorne smiled, a completely different smile from the one he used at the bar, and Radek wondered how anyone had ever thought that that smile was genuine. This one went all the way to his eyes, making them sparkle. Radek felt as though he had been ensnared by them.
“Would you like to come in?” Lorne said, breaking the spell, and Radek nodded, stepping into the small but scrupulously clean apartment. Lorne shut the door behind him, and Radek turned to face him, a little unsure as to what to say.
“I’m glad you came,” Lorne said, taking the initiative, and Radek nodded dumbly. “I was a little afraid you were going to cancel.”
“I thought about it,” Radek confessed. “I just do not want you to waste your time, Mister Lorne.”
“Why don’t you call me Evan, Doc,” Lorne - no, Evan, said.
“Only if you call me Radek,” he answered.
“Okay, Radek. What changed your mind?” Radek was aware that Evan was moving them away from the door and towards the small living area, but he did not object. He could hardly get dance lessons in the small foyer.
Radek decided to tell the truth, just not the whole truth. “McKay did. He told me that I should take a chance that I am not as bad as I fear.”
Evan chuckled. “You really aren’t, Radek. I think you know the steps, but you get so tied up in thinking about what to do next that you lose track of what you’re supposed to be doing now.”
He thought about what he said. “You may have a case,” he answered. “But I suppose the only way to find out is to try?”
“Absolutely right.” Evan stepped away and picked up a small remote control. “Instead of mirroring me, we’re going to try with me next to you, so that you can see exactly what I’m doing, okay?”
“All right.”
***
Evan was pretty sure that away from the distractions of the bar and of his coworkers, Radek would have an easier time of it. He was still pleasantly surprised to find that he was right, though. As he ran through the steps, both with and without music, Radek managed to keep up.
Just as he was congratulating himself on what a good idea this was, Radek got tangled up on the right vine and tripped over his own feet, pretty much pitching straight forward. Thank god for pilot reflexes, because he managed to stop Radek’s fall before he landed face-first into the shelving unit that held the stereo. An electric current seemed to shoot through his hand where it was wrapped around Radek’s arm.
Carefully pulling Radek back to his feet, Evan smiled, getting ready to say something reassuring. But when Radek turned to look at him, Evan couldn’t resist, didn’t even try, even though he knew it was stupid, and he leaned forward to give Radek a kiss.
For a moment, they both froze, and Evan was just starting to pull back when Radek’s mouth moved under his, opening, his tongue coming out to lick at Evan’s lips. Hesitantly, not sure that it was really happening, Evan deepened the kiss.
He hadn’t wanted to admit just how much he’d missed this - he hadn’t kissed a man in months, and he admitted to himself that he’d wanted Radek from the first moment they’d met. He wanted to touch, to taste, to have, and then to do it all over again.
He’d learned from experience, though, and he wanted to make sure that they were both on the same page, so he pulled back slowly. It was heartening to hear the small sounds of displeasure that Radek made when he ended the kiss, and when Evan opened his eyes, Radek was looking at him, and he didn’t look unhappy - just surprised.
“Evan?” he asked, voice so tentative that Evan felt his heart twist.
“Yeah?” said Evan, deciding to let Radek ask whatever he wanted. He reminded himself that he needed to be honest with the man, because he didn’t want anyone getting hurt.
“Why did you kiss me?”
Evan met Radek’s gaze head-on. He wasn’t going to hide anymore. He’d promised himself that when he’d left the service. Still wasn’t easy, since he’d had to for so long. “Because I wanted to,” he said. “Because I’ve wanted to since I met you.”
“Oh.” That was all Radek said for a second, and Evan’s stomach started to sink. Maybe he’d imagined that Radek was returning the kiss. Maybe he didn’t really want it. Maybe he just -
“Do you think you would like to again?” Radek smiled widely, and Evan almost laughed in relief.
“I think that could be arranged.”
This time, when he leaned forward, it was with the knowledge that he was going to be welcomed, and that made it even better. He could relax a little, let himself really feel it. One kiss led to another, and then a third, before Radek pulled away.
Before he could panic, Radek asked, “Perhaps we could... move this to the couch?”
Evan nodded eagerly and took the few steps it took to get to the couch. Only as he sat did he realize that he’d pretty much dragged Radek over by the hand. Embarrassed, he let go.
Radek held out his hand to him. “Please,” he said, and Evan could feel the heat in his ears that meant he was blushing. It didn’t stop him from taking Radek’s hand, however, or from pulling gently until Radek was sitting next to him.
He found himself staring at Radek’s mouth, wanting to taste it again. He licked his lips, and slowly leaned in, only to have Radek meet him halfway. This kiss was less tentative as he telegraphed exactly what he wanted - to be with Radek in any way that Radek would allow.
Radek responded with the same level of intensity, and Evan let himself get lost in the kiss. Gradually, he pushed Radek back so that he was lying full length on the sofa, with Evan stretched out over him, braced on his elbows so that he wouldn’t crush Radek. Their lower bodies were pressed together, and Evan groaned. God, he was so hard, and so was Radek.
He wasn’t in this for a quick screw, however. While they were fine in their place, he was too old for one-night-stands to satisfy anymore. Somehow, he found the will to pull back a little.
Radek looked pleasure drunk, and it was almost enough to break Evan. He blinked bleary eyes and said, “Where are you going?”
Evan tried not to laugh nervously. This was important to him, he realized, and he didn’t want Radek to take it the wrong way. “I, uh, I think that maybe I want to get to know you a little better?” His voice broke on the last word.
The way that Radek smiled made him feel better about it. “I think that that is a very good idea,” he said. “Perhaps we should finish our dance lesson, and then, we should get some coffee?”
***
Come Monday morning, all it took was Radek smiling enigmatically to set McKay off. “Well?” he demanded. “What happened? Was I right?”
Radek should have known that the curiosity would have chewed on McKay all weekend. He hesitated before answering, to draw out the suspense. “You were right. Dancing was not the only thing that Evan was interested in.”
“Ooh, Evan is it?” McKay’s face settled into a look of glee. “You get lucky?”
Heat rushed to Radek’s face. “McKay!”
“Oh, come off it, Zelenka,” McKay said. “We’re both adults here.”
“I am not sure of that,” Radek said. “But no, I did not ‘get lucky.’ We decided to take it slow.”
McKay made a face at that. “What? Are you a couple of twelve-year-olds?”
Radek couldn’t stop the sigh. “No, McKay. We are two middle-aged men who are interested in more than parts rubbing together.”
“There was rubbing?” McKay asked brightly, and at Radek’s disgusted snort he laughed. “Okay, okay. Getting to know each other. When’s your next date?”
“Tonight,” he said with a small smile.
“Well in that case, we need to get some work done,” McKay said, turning to Radek’s computer and opening the files from Friday.
The day had never dragged quite so much for Radek before. He found himself watching the clock, wondering if it was going backwards, and if perhaps one of their experiments had meddled with time itself.
Finally, five arrived, and he started to shut down his computer. Somehow, he was completely unsurprised when McKay returned to give him advice. He had to admit that it was not completely unwanted, as he was a little nervous.
“Just remember that he liked you before he knew that you were interested, when you were just some klutzy guy in one of his lessons. I really doubt you can screw this up, so just relax.”
“I am aware of that, and I am relaxed,” Radek said, but inside he was repeating “Relax” as if it were a mantra. He could admit to himself that he was confused about what Evan saw in him, but certainly was not going to argue.
“Sure,” McKay said, studying him carefully. “This is you relaxed.”
Radek opened his mouth to argue and then shut it again, without saying a word.
“I knew that you were smart,” McKay said when he saw that. He patted Radek on the shoulder awkwardly. “It’ll be fine, really.”
“Thank you,” Radek said.
McKay lifted his hand and smiled. “Go get ‘em,” he said. Radek hesitated, and McKay said, “Don’t make me push you out of here. Even shuttle technology isn’t as much fun as a date.”
“Right,” Radek said, grabbing his keys off the desk and flashing a smile at McKay. Then he left at a trot.
***
Not for the first time, Evan was glad that the club was closed on Mondays. Usually it was because he was wiped out and needed a break after a crazy weekend. Today, it was because it meant that he had time to be a freaking teenaged girl over his choice in clothing.
This was the sixth shirt he’d put on, and he told himself that it was going to be the last. Then he looked in the mirror and swore. It looked awful, and he couldn’t wear it to dinner. Just as he took it off, he noticed the time. Crap, he had five minutes before he needed to leave. Grabbing the second shirt as the least hideous, he forced himself to not look in the mirror.
He was supposed to meet Radek at the restaurant, and he only had about twenty minutes to get there in traffic. Fuck.
He broke a few laws, but he managed to get to Linthicum in 19 minutes. Unsurprisingly, there was a cluster of people waiting for a table around the front door, but as he slid between them, he spotted Radek near the front. He could tell when Radek had caught sight of him, because a relieved smile broke out on his face.
As he came up to Radek, Radek turned to the hostess and said something quietly. She smiled and picked up two menus to lead them to their table.
As they got settled, Radek said, “I was surprised when you suggested this restaurant. It does not strike me as a ‘date’ restaurant. From the people here, it appears to be more a family restaurant.”
Evan gave him an easy grin. “I know, but that’s because young people are stupid and don’t come to G&M, because they prize form over substance. The crabcakes here are to die for.”
“They are that good?” Radek asked, looking up from his menu.
Nodding, Evan set aside his menu. He’d been here often enough that he knew what he wanted, in more ways than one.
Radek closed his menu as well. “In that case, I shall follow your lead.”
Before Evan could respond, the waitress came up to their table. Without hesitating, he ordered iced tea, the crabcake sandwich, with crackers instead of bread, and french fries and coleslaw on the side. When she looked at Radek, he smiled and said, “I will have the same thing. Thank you.”
They made small talk about traffic and work as they waited for their drinks, and after they had them, Evan said, “I’m glad you’re here tonight.”
Radek’s smile was blinding. “I am as well. Though I must admit that I am still confused as to why me? It is all I could think about yesterday. There must be a reason that you selected me when you see so many people every day, many of whom must be younger and more attractive.”
Evan choked on his iced tea a little. Setting down the glass with care, he wiped his mouth. “Younger? Maybe. More attractive? Not hardly.”
Blinking behind his glasses, Radek appeared to be at a loss for words. Not giving him a chance to recover and argue, Evan said, “Look, there are those who would say that you’re not conventionally gorgeous. To those people, I say, bite me.”
“But - “ Radek recovered enough to say, but Evan held up a hand, silencing him.
“You’re brilliant, and hot, and I want to be with you, not with some empty-headed pretty boy.” Lowering his hand, he smiled and said, “Now you can talk.”
For a moment, Radek didn’t say anything at all. Then he smiled, lighting up his face. “All right.”
“All right?” Evan repeated, a little unbelieving that it was going to be that easy.
“Yes, all right. I will take you at your word. I suspect that the reality will not be as easy as you seem to think, but I am certainly willing to try. After all, I am still trying to learn to dance, am I not?”
Evan couldn’t help it. He threw his head back and laughed. “Okay, you have a point. You are still trying. And I think we’ll be fine.”
Radek laughed as well, and they were still laughing when the waitress brought their food.
They tucked into crabcakes as big as their hands, made up of huge chunks of crab and not much else. Without having to discuss it, the conversation turned to other things, as if both of them had had enough emotion for one day.
Instead, Evan turned the subject to something he’d been curious about. “When did you come to the States?”
Radek swallowed and wiped his mouth before he answered. “I was twenty, and in Canada for an international science competition. We were supposed to be proving that scientific education under Communist rule was better. All I proved for them was that I was smart enough to slip my handler’s leash and seek out the nearest police station, where I asked for sanctuary.”
Evan was impressed, even though he’d suspected as much. “You were twenty?” He’d been in the Academy at twenty, and while that meant that he was more responsible than the average college student, he’d still been emotionally dependent on his family, and was in the process of giving that loyalty to the Air Force. He wouldn’t have even been able to fathom leaving behind everything he knew.
Now he knew far too much about it.
Radek studied him curiously, and said, “Where did you go just now? You are very far away.”
“Just thinking about history,” he said.
“Does it have something to do with why you are a dance instructor?”
Evan blinked. “That obvious that I didn’t start as one?”
Radek nodded, eyes wide behind his glasses. Evan had to break his glance away from Radek’s and take a bite of his food to get some distance before he answered. Swallowing, he said tightly, “I was in the Air Force when I was twenty.”
“Ah,” Radek said, and that was all. When Evan looked back at him, he nodded encouragingly but didn’t say anything else.
Evan sighed. He knew that Radek wouldn’t demand more information, but also knowing that he had to tell him. “I was a pilot.”
Radek nodded, clearly not comprehending the significance.
Evan continued. “I was a fighter pilot, and then they found out that I... did not confine my interests to women, and I got tossed on my ass. The official reason was a ‘medical discharge,’ since they didn’t want to admit that they had given medals to a gay fighter pilot. It was their way of buying my silence, since otherwise I would have gotten a dishonorable discharge.”
He was getting angry all over again, and he took a deep breath. It still hurt, even after all this time.
“And so now you... teach country line dancing?” There was no judgment in his voice, just genuine curiosity.
“I had been a fighter pilot. The last thing I wanted to do was fly commercial, and I needed a change. John - John Shepperd, the bartender at the club - had gotten an authentic medical discharge, and when I got out, I went to him. He got me this job. It pays my bills, keeps me in my apartment, and is busy enough that I don’t lose my mind thinking about the past.”
Radek didn’t say anything. Evan was grateful, as he didn’t think that he could take words of sympathy. He’d grieved for his past already. He didn’t need to carry that into the future. When Radek laid his hand on the back of Evan’s, squeezing lightly, Evan raised his head and smiled at him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring us down,” Evan said, turning his hand over and squeezing back.
“You did not, and I thank you for being honest with me. I suspected that there was more to you than I saw, and you have confirmed that for me.” Radek released his hand after another quick squeeze. “Now, we have very tasty food that is getting cold. Perhaps we should eat it, and then maybe take this somewhere else?”
“Now, that, Radek, sounds like a very good plan.”
***
As if they both realized that any more conversation could lead in dangerous directions, they ate the remainder of their dinners in companionable silence. Radek was glad, as the food deserved his attention. Evan had been right - the food here was amazingly good.
Soon enough, they were both looking at empty plates, and Evan waved down the waitress to bring the check. They both reached for it at the same time, but Evan was slightly quicker. “It’s mine today, Radek.”
“Only if you agree that the next time is on me,” Radek said. He knew that he probably made much more than Evan did, but he also suspected that there was an element of pride involved.
“Fair enough,” Evan agreed, laying down his credit card.
After he signed the credit card slip, they both stood up and made their way out of the restaurant. The crowd was even thicker around the front, and Radek wasn’t surprised after the truly excellent food. He followed Evan to his car, a little unsure what they were going to do now.
“I don’t want the evening to end,” Evan said.
“Neither do I,” Radek said, a little relieved. “Maybe we could go back to my place and have some coffee?”
“Sounds good,” he said. “Should I follow you?”
“Yes. But just in case, let me give you my address in case we get separated.” Radek pulled out a sticky note and a pen, scrawling his address and handing it over. Evan took it, but before he could step back, Evan had tugged him into a loose embrace, kissing him gently, not much more than a brush of lips over his.
Radek resisted the urge to open his mouth, to deepen it. A parking lot in a small town was not the place to make out with another man. He made no effort to move back, however, until Evan let go. Even then, he leaned into his warmth for a bit longer before standing up straight again. “Right, my place,” he said.
Evan chuckled, the sound low and throaty. It did funny things to Radek’s insides, but before he could say or do anything that he might regret, Evan pushed him away gently. “Let’s go, Radek.”
He nodded numbly and hurried to his car, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure that Evan was pulling out and ready to follow him.
Normally he listened to lectures as he drove, but his focus was not clear enough to make that worthwhile. Instead he put on classical music and studiously did not think about anything but traffic as he drove to his townhouse, checking behind himself repeatedly to make sure that Evan was behind him.
Pulling into the driveway, he looked back to see Evan pulling in behind him. Practically bouncing, he climbed out of the car and waited for Evan to come up next to him before he went to the door and opening it. “I am afraid it is not as organized as your place,” he said, as he flipped on the light and surveyed the mess that was his living room.
“Doesn’t matter,” said Evan, and when Radek looked at him, he realized that Evan was staring at him, not the living room. Then he leaned in, and Radek met him halfway, their lips meeting and opening.
The kiss started heated and just ramped up from there. By the time the kiss ended, they were clinging to each other, Evan’s firm thigh between Radek’s legs and pressed against his cock. Radek groaned as he rubbed against it. “Please tell me that the time for going slow is over,” he muttered into Evan’s mouth.
“It is. Oh, it so is,” Evan said. “But we should take this somewhere else before we fall over.”
“This way,” Radek said, grabbing Evan by the hand and pulling him towards the bedroom. “I would like a bed to be nearby, I believe.”
“Me, too.” They reached the bedroom, and Radek pulled him back into a tight embrace, his lips seeking Evan’s eagerly. Evan tasted of crab, and something indefinably him.
They rubbed together, and when Evan’s hands untucked Radek’s shirt, running up against the skin of his back, he groaned. Suddenly, having Evan’s hands everywhere seemed to be the most important thing ever.
He let go of him to get his hands on the buttons of his shirt, but they were shaking too hard to get them through the small holes. Evan smiled and nudged his hands out of the way, slowly unbuttoning the shirt and pushing it back over Radek’s shoulder. He resisted the urge to cover his chest with his hands like some maidenly virgin. He wasn’t shy, but he also was not on par with Evan.
Evan did not seem to realize that, however. His eyes got hotter, and he brushed his hand over Radek’s chest a bit hesitantly, as if he was not sure that he could touch.
Radek pushed back into Evan’s touch eagerly. His hands were warm and soft and as one brushed over one of Radek’s nipples, he groaned out, ”Další, prosím.”
Evan laughed. “You’re going to have to translate that for me.”
Trying to focus, he said, “Další, prosím. More, please. Do not stop!”
He watched with fuzzy vision as Evan lowered his head and licked tentatively over one of Radek’s nipples, just long enough to make him sweat and shake, before he let go.
Then he stood up straight and pulled off his shirt before pressing his bare chest up against Radek’s, his mouth pressed against Radek’s again. Radek decided that he was done with being passive, and ran his own hands over Evan’s chest as they kissed, feeling soft skin and rough hair under his palms.
Then he pushed, lightly, gently, just enough to get his message across, and Evan took a step back. Then he took another, and another, until the bed hit him in the back of the knees and he sat on the edge. Radek followed him down, pushing him back until he lay on his back, with Radek on top of him. As their cocks rubbed together through their slacks, Radek groaned and kissed Evan’s neck.
“God, you feel good,” he said as he licked and kissed the skin under his mouth. Evan’s hands ran down his back and cupped his ass, pulling him even closer.
“What do you want?” Evan asked, voice rough with arousal. “I’ll do damn near anything.”
“I want you naked and sweating beneath me as I make you come,” Radek said, meaning every word.
Evan’s hips lifted at his words, and his hands scrabbled at Radek’s waistband and then his own. He couldn’t seem to make his hands work, however, and Radek had to kneel up so that he could unfasten the button and zipper on his pants, pushing them down over his hips. By the time he had them off, Evan had managed to get enough coordination to get his own off, and the first touch of his naked cock to Evan’s made them both whimper.
“I did not ask how you wanted me to make you come,” Radek asked, low-voiced. “Do you want my hand?” He wrapped his hand around Evan’s cock and gave it one slow, loose stroke, making Evan swear and thrust up. “Or do you want my mouth? Or is there something else you want more?”
“Fuck,” Evan groaned out, pleasure-wracked. “Do you - would you fuck me? Wanted that since I saw you the first time.”
Radek gave a shudder at his words. It had been a long time since he’d done that, but, “I can certainly do that,” he said, punctuating his words with another kiss to Evan’s throat, before he shifted out of the way. “Turn over.”
“But - “ the conflict was clear in Evan’s face. He wanted Radek to fuck him, but he wanted it face to face.
“Do not worry, Evan. I promise that we will kiss as you come. Just turn over for now.”
Evan nodded and slid over onto his belly, and then at Radek’s urgings, got up on his knees, while allowing his head to rest on his folded arms. Radek moved around behind him, getting Evan to spread his legs so that he fit between them. The position spread Evan’s cheeks a little, giving Radek his first view of the tight hole that he wanted - so badly - to be in. But he needed to get Evan ready first.
Spreading him a little wider with his hands, he ducked his head and licked a long stripe, from Evan’s balls to the top of his ass. “Holy fuck,” Evan breathed out, even as he pushed back into Radek, begging with his body for Radek not to stop.
As Radek had no interest in stopping, he bent to the task in earnest, licking and sucking at Evan’s opening, and as it relaxed, he slid the tip of his tongue inside, getting him wet, getting him ready.
By the time his jaw was tired, Evan was moaning brokenly, and a quick touch of his cock showed Radek that he was hard, wet at the tip, and thoroughly desperate for more.
He thought about seeing if he could make Evan come like this, but he decided that that would be for another time. Instead he lifted his head, working his jaw. “Ready for more, Evan?”
At Evan’s nod, he twisted so that he could reach the nightstand, and pulled out the lube that he kept stashed in there, along with the strip of condoms that he’d put there on Sunday, not actually expecting to use them, but hopeful nonetheless.
He squeezed out a little bit of lube over Evan’s opening, and slowly slid his finger inside. Evan was tight, and hot, just like Radek had known he would be, and they both groaned at the sensation. Slowly, he fucked him with just that one finger, adding more lube occasionally, until Evan was pushing back and incoherently begging for more.
Then he slowly slid a second finger inside. Evan said, “Don’t need this much prep, Radek. I just need your cock. Please.”
“You are making a coherent statement. I must be doing something wrong,” Radek said calmly, as he pressed both fingers hard against Evan’s prostate.
Evan shouted, his head coming up as he pushed back. “Fuck me now,” he growled. “Or I’ll push you on your back and just go for it.”
“As much fun as that might be,” Radek said, slowly sliding his fingers out, “I’d rather not push you that far. Can you turn back over, or do you want me to take you like this?”
Evan twisted over on his back, spreading his legs invitingly. Radek reached for a condom, but couldn’t get it open with slick fingers. Finally, in frustration, he handed it to Evan, who managed to tear it open and then sat up so that he could roll it down Radek’s cock.
Radek had been so focused on what he was doing to Evan that he had lost touch with what was going on in his own body, and the first brush of Evan’s hand to his cock nearly made him come. A couple of deep breaths later, and he had backed off from the edge.
He slicked up his cock with the lube, and then helped Evan lift his legs, spreading them wide. With his other hand, he lined up his cock with Evan’s entrance, and he pushed firmly.
They both moaned as he slid inside. The heat and pressure were amazingly good, and it was all Radek could do to hold back and use short thrusts to work his way inside as Evan adjusted.
Finally he was balls deep. ”Kurva,” he swore. “You feel so good.”
“So do you, but you’d feel better if you’d move,” Evan said, lifting his hips to punctuate the sentence.
Radek gave a dirty chuckle and started to rock his hips, slow and deep. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was almost as good, and this way he wouldn’t come within moments.
He leaned down and took Evan’s mouth with his own as they moved together, harder and faster and deeper with each stroke. Radek felt as if he could just climb inside Evan and stay there, soaked with pleasure, drowning in it.
The sounds that Evan was making did even more to push Radek higher. They were the sounds of a man so lost in pleasure that he couldn’t even form words anymore. Inarticulate, and passionate anyway, Radek let them wash over him.
When the sounds had changed from pure pleasure to a higher pitch of demanding desire, he reached down and wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking him in a matching, demanding rhythm. “Come for me,” he said into Evan’s mouth. “Come for me.”
As if that was all he had been waiting for, Evan came with a gasp, his cock shooting come all over Radek’s fist and his own stomach. Evan’s ass clenched down tight around Radek’s cock, and Radek whimpered, still steady as a metronome as he fucked Evan through his orgasm.
Only when Evan was down to the occasional aftershock did Radek pause. He knew that for some men, it was uncomfortable to be fucked after they’d come, and he wasn’t going to do that without permission. “Evan?” he said unsteadily. The last thing he wanted to was to pull out, but if that was what Evan wanted -
Thankfully, Evan said, “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop. I want to feel you come.”
Radek kissed Evan gratefully and finally let up on his iron control, his hips slamming into Evan’s ass as he broke all rhythm and just took for his own pleasure.
When he finally came, the world went white and sparkly, and he was grateful for Evan’s arms around him, holding him steady as he tried to catch his breath.
Even though he just wanted stay where he was, he reached down to hold the condom in place as he pulled out. Both of them hissed at the sensation. He pulled off the condom and dropped it in the trashcan and then turned to face Evan. He wanted to hold him and be held, but some men didn’t like that after sex.
Evan had not gotten that memo apparently, because he pulled Radek into the circle of his arms, hugging him close. Radek closed his eyes and let the feeling washed through him. “This is good,” he said a little uncertainly.
“It really is,” Evan said. “But I think I’m going to fall asleep in a minute. Is it okay if I stay here for a couple of hours?”
“Of course you can stay,” Radek said softly. He wrapped his arms around Evan’s back and held on until there was a soft snore. Then he closed his eyes and let himself drift off as well.
***
When Evan woke up, he sat up hurriedly, his heart in his throat. He wasn’t at home, this wasn’t his bed, and there was someone else snoring quietly next to him. He shifted, and the soreness in his ass brought him back to what had happened. Dinner with Radek, and then coming back to his townhouse and making love. God, it had been good.
He laid back down and turned over so that he could look at Radek. He reached out and touched his face, not trying to wake him up, but unable to keep his hands to himself.
Radek’s eyes opened, and he blinked slowly. He looked pleasantly surprised that Evan was there, but then the look fell off his face. “I guess you need to go?” he asked.
“Not really, no. I don’t need to be at work until three tomorrow afternoon. But I should let you get some sleep - don’t you need to work tomorrow?”
“I should, but I was thinking that I might possibly taking the day off. But I do not want to keep you here if you would prefer to sleep at home.”
Evan smiled at him, and ran his hand over Radek’s cheek. “What I want to do is stay right here, and sleep, and maybe in a few hours get up and do it again.”
“I think that might be arranged.” Radek nuzzled his hand, and stroked his own hand over Evan’s face in a matching gesture.
“Good, that’s settled,” Evan said, and let his eyes fall closed again. He consciously relaxed his body, and let his mind follow.
***
Radek’s cell phone was trilling on the nightstand, and he groped after it blearily. “Zelenka!” came McKay’s too bright voice at the other end.
“What?” Radek said as he tried to figure out what time it was. Crap - the clock read ten-fifteen. After the early morning blowjobs, he’d fallen back to sleep and forgotten to email McKay to let him know that he wasn’t coming in.
“So, I take that last night went well, since you’re not here?” McKay still sounded gleeful and happy. Radek wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him.
“Yes, yes, gloat later, sleep now,” he said.
“I’ll let you get back to sleep in a minute,” said McKay. “Just one question. Do you think he’s going to make you happy? Because if he’s not, I’ll come over and kick his ass for you.”
Radek couldn’t help but laugh, waking Evan up. He watched as Evan came up on his elbow, looking at him with a soft smile. “Yes, I really think he will. But if he does not, I will let you know.”
“Fair enough,” McKay said. “Get some more sleep, and maybe have some more sex. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Radek’s face heated up. “I will give you much money if we never have another discussion about my sex life.”
“Dream on,” McKay said. “You know I live vicariously through you. Have a good morning.”
Before Radek could say anything else, McKay disconnected the call, and he closed the phone, setting it down on the nightstand and then reaching out to Evan, who came quickly, wrapping him up and holding him tight. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, I think it is very good.”
Wordcount: 10,031
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Evan Lorne/Radek Zelenka
Summary: When Dr. Weir makes Rodney McKay’s department take country line dancing lessons, Radek Zelenka has trouble with the steps. He has less trouble with it in private.
Warning(s): None
Notes: Thanks to nialla42 and ophelia1880 for the betas, and thanks to my artist, gblvr, for all the hand-holding and brainstorming!
Companion piece to Shall We Dance? // Maybe We.
And One And Two And...
Radek looked up as McKay stormed into the lab. He was used to displays of temper from McKay, but this looked to be extreme. McKay was so angry that he was purple and sputtering.
“I can’t believe Elizabeth! Of all the unmitigated gall! I refuse. I won’t do it. I won’t and she can’t make me.” Rodney was pacing and waving his arms, and Radek watched with amusement. One thing he definitely had to say about working with McKay - he was never dull.
“What is it that she wishes you to do?” Radek asked as McKay continued to froth at the mouth.
“She wants me to do some sort of exercise. She thinks I’m under too much stress, and she thinks that would help.” McKay stopped pacing and looked right at Radek. “I told her, of course I’m under stress. I’m designing the next generation of space shuttle! Exercise isn’t going to do a damn thing to help me!”
Oh, this was priceless. “And did she have something that she thought you should do?”
McKay made a face of disgust. “She did. She thought I should take country line dancing.”
Radek managed to last three whole seconds before he started to laugh. He thought that was quite impressive, actually. McKay’s next words stopped him, though.
“Didn’t I mention? She wants the whole department to take these lessons. And as my second, that would include you.”
Horrified, all Radek could do was stare at McKay, who was starting to look a bit too smug for Radek’s peace of mind. He would not...
“You know, there might be something to this harebrained scheme of Elizabeth’s. I’ll send out an email today. We can’t make it mandatory for the staff, of course, but you and I’ll have to go as a good example.”
He would. Kurva. He glared at McKay. “You are a small, petty man, McKay,” he said, resignedly.
McKay just shrugged. “I know,” he said, with a small smile. “What can I do? I have to be true to myself.”
Radek sighed. “When and where are these lessons?”
McKay pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and consulted it. “Some bar up near Arundel Mills. It’s called Cancun Cantina, and she’s arranged for us to have private group lessons on Wednesdays from five to seven.”
“Fine. But if I am going, then we are going to drive up together. I would not want to get there and discover that you were ‘too busy’ to join us.”
“Would I do that?” McKay asked, attempting to look innocent. Radek continued to glare at him until he smiled. “Can’t blame me for trying. Okay, if we’re going to do this thing, then we should get some work done today, so we can leave early tomorrow.”
McKay left the room, returning to his office, and Radek attempted to turn his attention back to his whiteboards and the formulae on them, but he couldn’t stop from thinking that he had a bad feeling about this.
***
Evan glanced at the caller ID on his phone and almost ignored it. He was tired from DJing till 2 AM the night before, and he had no interest in talking to Jessica.
But his work ethic - and his bills - wouldn’t let him. “Evan here,” he answered, letting some of his aggravation slip through. “What do you need, Jess? I’m off.”
“I need you to take a private class,” she said, voice pleading. “Normally, I’d give it to Sue, but this is a bunch of scientists. She’d have no idea how to talk to them.”
“And I would,” Evan said resignedly. “You know, one of these days, I’ll say no to you.”
“Thanks, Evan,” Jessica said, hearing the unspoken agreement. “Class starts at five, okay?”
“Five,” he said, and hung up the phone. Looking at the clock a little blearily, he saw it was a bit after two in the afternoon. If he had to be there, and alert, by five, he needed to get moving.
Rolling out of bed, he went into the bathroom to start getting cleaned up. After showering and brushing his teeth, he felt marginally more human. Pulling on his robe, he padded into the kitchen to make something for breakfast-slash-dinner. There wasn’t much in the fridge, but the milk was good, and there was cereal in the cupboard.
He caught a bit of the news on CNN and frowned at the information coming out of the Middle East. Some things never changed, and the presence or absence of one pilot wasn’t going make or break things. He couldn’t help regretting the way that things had fallen out, though.
He looked at the clock and swore. It was four-fifteen, and he was going to have to fight traffic to get to the bar. Grabbing his keys, he headed out. He ran through the door at five before five, to find a motley crew wandering in the area around the back dance floor.
It was mostly men, which didn’t surprise him. He spotted a few government IDs, and cursed the initiative that made them identical between agencies. He could no longer identify them at a glance. He looked around, trying to identify a point of contact, and spotted Jessica talking to one of the few women and a stocky man.
He wove his way through the group to get to them. Jess, he noticed, looked relieved to see him. “Here he is,” she said. “Evan Lorne, Elizabeth Weir and Rodney McKay.”
As he held out his hand to shake Ms. Weir’s, he realized that he recognized her. “Ma’am,” he said, turning up the charm, “Not every day we have one of NASA’s spokespeople in here.”
She looked momentarily startled, and then smiled and said, “Not true. I try to come to at least one lesson a week. You’re a very good instructor, you know.” She shook his hand firmly. “I - “
“Yes, yes, very impressive,” the man - McKay, and that name was familiar as well - said, interrupting. “Elizabeth, if we aren’t going to start, I’m going back to the office.”
“Rodney!” she said, and then she smiled at Evan. “I’m sorry, Mister Lorne, but as you can see, Rodney is a bit impatient. Maybe we can get started and continue this conversation later?”
“Sure,” he said easily. Reminding himself that he needed the extra income, he went to the front of the stage and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, If you could all focus?”
It took a minute, but gradually the milling group came to stand in front of him. He smiled and launched into his opening.
“Hi there. Have any of you done this before?” Only one hand went up - Ms. Weir’s. Everyone else just stared at him. “Okay, that’s fine. Have any of you watched any line dancing? Maybe seen some videos on YouTube?”
That got some nods and even more nervous looks. He wasn’t surprised - the stuff that hit YouTube tended to be more complicated, and even the simple dances looked complicated if the person watching didn’t know what they were doing. “Whatever you think of them? Relax.” He noticed a man standing next to McKay - shorter, thinner, and noticeably more nervous in a room full of nervous people. Evan took it as a challenge and directed his next words to him. “There are only a finite number of steps, and only a few ways that they’re combined. Once you figure that out, it’s easy.”
The man didn’t look any calmer, but the general tension level in the room dropped a little. “We’re going to start with one of the easier dances, and one you’ve probably heard of, the Boot Scootin’ Boogie. The first thing I need you to do is form up in three lines.”
It only took Evan about five minutes to tell that the vast majority of the class just weren’t getting it. He called for a halt and looked them over, realizing that most of the scientists were looking at McKay, who was looking grimly satisfied. He needed McKay on his side, clearly. So he marched over to him and met his eyes.
“So, McKay. Ever do any formal dancing?” he asked, not hopeful, but he never knew.
“Yes, of course. I took ballroom dance as a child, but not this... twaddle.”
Well, if he could do ballroom dance, then there was no reason that he couldn’t handle line dance, so there was something else. Thinking quickly, he said, “Ever do the Time Warp?”
McKay blinked, and several of the people around them exchanged glances. “Yes, I did - I went to grad school for physics in the 80s. What does that have to do with this crap?”
Evan grinned and started to sing softly, suiting actions to words,
“It's just a jump to the left
And then a step to the right
With your hands on your hips
You bring your knees in tight
But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane,
Let's do the Time Warp again!
He didn’t have the greatest voice, but he could carry a tune, at least better than Sheppard, who Evan could hear laughing at the bar. As the chorus came to an end, he said, “Okay, you do it this time,” addressing his words to the whole group.
This time, several of the people went through the steps. Not everyone, and those that did weren’t perfect, but for the most part they had it. When the chorus finished, he said, “So, the chorus of the Time Warp? Is a line dance. If you can count to eight and memorize patterns, you can do this.”
McKay looked impressed despite himself, and Evan chalked it up as a win. This time, when they lined up, they looked a bit more eager and willing to learn.
“So, the first step in this dance is the ‘Right vine.’ You’re going to sidestep right, cross-step left behind right, and sidestep right again.” He demonstrated as he went through the steps twice more. “All right. You guys try it.”
***
By the end of the lesson, Radek knew that he wasn’t going to get this no matter what, and he suspected the instructor knew it too. As the people from the department adjourned to the bar, Radek watched him work his way through the group, distributing words of praise and encouragement.
Radek had already decided that he was never coming back, so it didn’t matter what the man said. “You’re really having trouble, aren’t you?” he asked, surprising the hell out of Radek, as he’d been expecting some sort of mindless praise.
It shocked the truth right out of him. “I am awful at this, but thank you for attempting to soften it.”
The man smiled and held out his hand for Radek to shake. “You aren’t awful...” Radek must have made a face, because he laughed and said, “Well, you are, but I do think you have potential. You don’t seem to be seeing the patterns, I think?”
McKay jumped into the conversation. “Zelenka, didn’t they dance in the Czech Republic when you were a kid? I thought that every country had folk dances.”
Radek glared at him. “It was Czechoslovakia when I was there, and I had so much time to learn them when I was selected for the science program at seven.”
“You defected, I take it?” the instructor said curiously. Radek had forgotten that he was still there, actually.
“Yes,” he said.
“That’s cool. Look, what’s your name?”
A little embarrassed by his lapse in manners, he said, “Radek Zelenka.”
“I’m Evan Lorne,” he said with a smile. “Look, I don’t want you to give up. I know you’re frustrated, but you have a fair amount of natural grace. I think you could do very well if you can manage to get your feet listening to your head.”
Radek’s face went hot. This went beyond a few words of praise. It sounded like Lorne had actually been watching him specifically.
“I will think about it,” he said.
McKay clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Of course he’ll be back. Now, let’s get a beer.” With a nod to Lorne, he followed McKay to the bar.
The next week was full of meetings. It could have been much worse, however. Dr. Weir was stuck testifying in front of Congress, trying to at least maintain their funding.
By the time Wednesday rolled around, Radek would have been content to forget about the class. There was something about Lorne that made him nervous. But McKay came into the lab with a wide smile. “Time to go,” he said. “I want to see how badly you can mess up this week.”
“Very nice, McKay,” Radek said, but he closed down his computer.
The bar was more crowded than last time. More of the department was there - word had spread - and there were even a few of the admins there.
Lorne was chatting with Elizabeth, but soon after they entered, he excused himself and came to join them. “You came back!” he said, sounding genuinely excited.
A little surprised by how happy he sounded, Radek nodded. “Yes. I cannot promise to do any better, however.”
Lorne chuckled. “Oh, I think we’ll at least give it our best shot. What do you say that we get this show on the road?”
“I think we might as well let the humiliation begin,” Radek said.
With a bright smile, Lorne excused himself and wound through the small crowd on the dance floor and up to the stage. “Okay, folks, let’s get started,” he called, and Radek joined the others in forming lines on the floor.
***
Evan wasn’t sure why he was feeling this attraction to Zelenka. He wasn’t his normal type, and he certainly wasn’t getting the feeling that the other man was gay. There was just something about him that called to Evan.
He tried not to stare at Zelenka, as there were other people struggling, but again and again, he had to tear his eyes away from watching Zelenka’s clumsy footwork. He called out encouragement and descriptions of the steps, and felt something like pride as more and more people seemed to get the concepts and the patterns.
He couldn’t help but wince when Zelenka vined left instead of right, and when he turned to the right instead of the left. He was clearly trying, and just as clearly not getting it. From the hectic flush on his face, Evan suspected that he was embarrassed as hell about it, too.
Evan knew that if he said anything during the lesson, it would just attract attention that Zelenka clearly didn’t want, but he still felt his heart drop when he saw him say something to McKay and then leave the dance floor, headed towards the bar. It was hard for Evan to keep focused on the class for the remaining hour, but he somehow managed, and by the end, the rest of the group was doing the Boot Scootin’ Boogie. They were even on tempo, and there were smiles and laughter throughout the crowd.
After inviting them to stay for the next class, one open to the public, he jumped off the stage and headed to the bar. He found Zelenka there still, talking earnestly to McKay. He managed to get close enough to hear some of what he was saying, even.
“- will never get this, McKay. I clearly have two left feet, and for me to continue to come is a waste of both Lorne’s and my time.”
McKay opened his mouth to say something and then obviously spotted Evan as he came up behind Zelenka. He shrugged and gestured to him as if offering him the chance to say something.
“I don’t consider it a waste of my time, doc,” he said. Zelenka was clearly startled, jumping slightly and turning to face him.
“You are too kind,” Zelenka said, flushing slightly. “But we both know that I’m not going to get this. Not in two lessons, not in ten.”
There was a note of doubt in his voice, or maybe Evan was just indulging in wishful thinking. He definitely didn’t want this to be the last time he saw Zelenka, so he made an offer without thinking about. “We could try private lessons, if you like.”
Zelenka just blinked at him, surprised into silence for a moment. Over his shoulder, Evan watched as McKay grinned and turned away, gesturing for the bartender, John, to bring him a beer.
“I do not - are we not already having private lessons?” Zelenka finally asked. “I believe that they are restricted to members of our facility, correct?”
“Well, that’s technically true, but I was thinking more along the lines of just the two of us,” he said, a little shocked at himself. The Cantina was definitely a straight bar - no gay boys need come in, or out, for that matter - and he knew better than to attempt to fish the waters here. But truthfully, he just wanted to spend time with Zelenka, whether or not he got anywhere, and private lessons would were a plausible reason for that.
“I - “ Zelenka started to say something, only to be interrupted by McKay, who Evan had completely forgotten was standing right behind Zelenka.
“Of course he’ll do it,” he said cheerfully. “When did you have in mind?”
Evan paused, waiting for Zelenka to object, but no objection was forthcoming. “Saturday morning? We can’t meet here, but we could meet in my apartment. It has a big enough living room for two of us to move around in.”
“I think,” Zelenka said slowly, “that I would like that. At least only you would see my failures, instead of my entire department.”
Evan couldn’t believe he’d agreed, but he hurriedly pulled out one of his business cards and a pen, scrawling his address on the back and handing it over before Zelenka could change his mind. As soon as Zelenka had accepted it, he said, “Ten o’clock good for you, doc?” and when he nodded, he excused himself. Less time for Zelenka to back out, he figured, was a very good thing.
Resolutely, he turned his attention to his other students, scattering praise and advice liberally. Several of the women were eyeing him speculatively, but he tried to avoid them without it looking like that was what he was doing. Thankfully, they seemed too shy to actually approach him.
Or at least, he thought that until one of them caught him on his way to the back room. “Mister Lorne, can I have a second?” she asked.
He plastered on a smile, hoped it didn’t look too fake, and turned to face her. “Yes?”
“I was wondering if... I heard you offer Doctor Zelenka private lessons, and I was hoping that maybe...” she stuttered to a halt, looking as though her bravery had run out in one big rush.
“Sarah? It is Sarah, right?” he asked, thinking furiously. He didn’t want to upset a paying customer, but he didn’t want to give everyone private lessons, either, especially since he suspected that dance lessons weren’t on her agenda. “I don’t usually offer private lessons. Doctor Zelenka is having a lot more difficulty than you - you’re doing very well - and I don’t really see that you’d benefit from them. But I’ll see you next week, okay?”
She didn’t look too upset, thankfully, and she nodded and walked away quickly, leaving Evan to go to the back room and collapse on the sofa. Thankfully, the regular Wednesday night lessons were done by Sue, so he could catch his breath, and then go home. He had some cleaning to do if he was supposed to give Zelenka dance lessons in his living room on Saturday.
***
By Friday afternoon, Radek could not quite figure out what had possessed him to agree. He knew that Lorne was attractive and friendly, but offering private lessons to one so clearly hopeless? It did not add up.
He fingered the card while sitting at his desk, debating just calling and canceling. Surely the offer had been made out of pity, and he did not need that. He was just picking up the phone when McKay wandered up.
“What’re you doing?” McKay asked.
“Nothing,” said Radek, hiding the hand holding the card under the desk, wondering when he had been reduced to acting like a teenager. “It is nothing. Shall we look at Simpson’s new design of the heat sink?”
His attempt at redirection failed. McKay sat on the corner of the desk, studying his face. “You’re worried about that dance lesson, aren’t you?”
“I just feel that Lorne is wasting his time trying to teach me. Clearly I have no sense for such a silly thing as dancing,” Radek said, pulling himself up straight. He went to fold his hands together on the desk, forgetting about the card still clutched in one.
McKay smiled. “I’m not sure that dance lessons are all that Lorne wants to give you. There are several people - including some very attractive women - who are struggling. You’re the only one that was invited to his apartment for private lessons.”
The thought that there may be more to this made Radek catch his breath a little. Then he shook his head. “I am sure that he just wants to make a customer happy. There is nothing more to it than that.”
Shaking his head, McKay said, “I guess you might be right. But you’re going to go, right? Worst case, you prove that you’re right - you can’t learn this - and you have an excuse to stop going. Best case, I’m right, and you get a date out of this.”
Silently cursing the day that he had let on that he was bisexual to McKay, Radek sighed. “Fine, I will go. But I am sure that dance lessons are all that Lorne has in mind. He is totally, how do you say, out of my league.”
“Zelenka, you need to get over this. Your ex was was an asshole, and you’re a good guy. Lorne is completely in your league.”
Radek shook his head ruefully. He wanted to believe Rodney. That was the problem. “Can we please get back to work? We need to work on Simpson’s heat sink design.”
“Fine,” McKay said, and they turned their attention to Simpson’s laughable designs.
Saturday morning was bright and sunny, and Radek had no problem finding Lorne’s apartment building. In fact, he was a few minutes early, so he sat in his car for a moment, reminding himself that there was nothing to this but a dance lesson that was doomed to failure.
At one minute to ten, he closed and locked his car and went up to the door to the apartment building. There was an intercom, and he followed the instructions to reach Lorne. It buzzed unpleasantly for a second, and then he could hear Lorne’s voice, crackly and full of static. “Doc? Is that you?”
“Yes, Mister Lorne.”
The door clicked, and Radek opened it, and went up a flight of stairs to apartment four. He was only mildly surprised when Lorne opened it before he could knock, and he suddenly found himself unable to speak, completely tongue-tied.
He realized that he had been expecting to see Lorne in loose jeans and a button-down shirt. Form-fitting, attractive, but ultimately resistible. What he was not expecting was a tight, tight t-shirt and equally tight jeans. It showed off his muscles to their best light, and caused Radek to be completely speechless.
Lorne smiled, a completely different smile from the one he used at the bar, and Radek wondered how anyone had ever thought that that smile was genuine. This one went all the way to his eyes, making them sparkle. Radek felt as though he had been ensnared by them.
“Would you like to come in?” Lorne said, breaking the spell, and Radek nodded, stepping into the small but scrupulously clean apartment. Lorne shut the door behind him, and Radek turned to face him, a little unsure as to what to say.
“I’m glad you came,” Lorne said, taking the initiative, and Radek nodded dumbly. “I was a little afraid you were going to cancel.”
“I thought about it,” Radek confessed. “I just do not want you to waste your time, Mister Lorne.”
“Why don’t you call me Evan, Doc,” Lorne - no, Evan, said.
“Only if you call me Radek,” he answered.
“Okay, Radek. What changed your mind?” Radek was aware that Evan was moving them away from the door and towards the small living area, but he did not object. He could hardly get dance lessons in the small foyer.
Radek decided to tell the truth, just not the whole truth. “McKay did. He told me that I should take a chance that I am not as bad as I fear.”
Evan chuckled. “You really aren’t, Radek. I think you know the steps, but you get so tied up in thinking about what to do next that you lose track of what you’re supposed to be doing now.”
He thought about what he said. “You may have a case,” he answered. “But I suppose the only way to find out is to try?”
“Absolutely right.” Evan stepped away and picked up a small remote control. “Instead of mirroring me, we’re going to try with me next to you, so that you can see exactly what I’m doing, okay?”
“All right.”
***
Evan was pretty sure that away from the distractions of the bar and of his coworkers, Radek would have an easier time of it. He was still pleasantly surprised to find that he was right, though. As he ran through the steps, both with and without music, Radek managed to keep up.
Just as he was congratulating himself on what a good idea this was, Radek got tangled up on the right vine and tripped over his own feet, pretty much pitching straight forward. Thank god for pilot reflexes, because he managed to stop Radek’s fall before he landed face-first into the shelving unit that held the stereo. An electric current seemed to shoot through his hand where it was wrapped around Radek’s arm.
Carefully pulling Radek back to his feet, Evan smiled, getting ready to say something reassuring. But when Radek turned to look at him, Evan couldn’t resist, didn’t even try, even though he knew it was stupid, and he leaned forward to give Radek a kiss.
For a moment, they both froze, and Evan was just starting to pull back when Radek’s mouth moved under his, opening, his tongue coming out to lick at Evan’s lips. Hesitantly, not sure that it was really happening, Evan deepened the kiss.
He hadn’t wanted to admit just how much he’d missed this - he hadn’t kissed a man in months, and he admitted to himself that he’d wanted Radek from the first moment they’d met. He wanted to touch, to taste, to have, and then to do it all over again.
He’d learned from experience, though, and he wanted to make sure that they were both on the same page, so he pulled back slowly. It was heartening to hear the small sounds of displeasure that Radek made when he ended the kiss, and when Evan opened his eyes, Radek was looking at him, and he didn’t look unhappy - just surprised.
“Evan?” he asked, voice so tentative that Evan felt his heart twist.
“Yeah?” said Evan, deciding to let Radek ask whatever he wanted. He reminded himself that he needed to be honest with the man, because he didn’t want anyone getting hurt.
“Why did you kiss me?”
Evan met Radek’s gaze head-on. He wasn’t going to hide anymore. He’d promised himself that when he’d left the service. Still wasn’t easy, since he’d had to for so long. “Because I wanted to,” he said. “Because I’ve wanted to since I met you.”
“Oh.” That was all Radek said for a second, and Evan’s stomach started to sink. Maybe he’d imagined that Radek was returning the kiss. Maybe he didn’t really want it. Maybe he just -
“Do you think you would like to again?” Radek smiled widely, and Evan almost laughed in relief.
“I think that could be arranged.”
This time, when he leaned forward, it was with the knowledge that he was going to be welcomed, and that made it even better. He could relax a little, let himself really feel it. One kiss led to another, and then a third, before Radek pulled away.
Before he could panic, Radek asked, “Perhaps we could... move this to the couch?”
Evan nodded eagerly and took the few steps it took to get to the couch. Only as he sat did he realize that he’d pretty much dragged Radek over by the hand. Embarrassed, he let go.
Radek held out his hand to him. “Please,” he said, and Evan could feel the heat in his ears that meant he was blushing. It didn’t stop him from taking Radek’s hand, however, or from pulling gently until Radek was sitting next to him.
He found himself staring at Radek’s mouth, wanting to taste it again. He licked his lips, and slowly leaned in, only to have Radek meet him halfway. This kiss was less tentative as he telegraphed exactly what he wanted - to be with Radek in any way that Radek would allow.
Radek responded with the same level of intensity, and Evan let himself get lost in the kiss. Gradually, he pushed Radek back so that he was lying full length on the sofa, with Evan stretched out over him, braced on his elbows so that he wouldn’t crush Radek. Their lower bodies were pressed together, and Evan groaned. God, he was so hard, and so was Radek.
He wasn’t in this for a quick screw, however. While they were fine in their place, he was too old for one-night-stands to satisfy anymore. Somehow, he found the will to pull back a little.
Radek looked pleasure drunk, and it was almost enough to break Evan. He blinked bleary eyes and said, “Where are you going?”
Evan tried not to laugh nervously. This was important to him, he realized, and he didn’t want Radek to take it the wrong way. “I, uh, I think that maybe I want to get to know you a little better?” His voice broke on the last word.
The way that Radek smiled made him feel better about it. “I think that that is a very good idea,” he said. “Perhaps we should finish our dance lesson, and then, we should get some coffee?”
***
Come Monday morning, all it took was Radek smiling enigmatically to set McKay off. “Well?” he demanded. “What happened? Was I right?”
Radek should have known that the curiosity would have chewed on McKay all weekend. He hesitated before answering, to draw out the suspense. “You were right. Dancing was not the only thing that Evan was interested in.”
“Ooh, Evan is it?” McKay’s face settled into a look of glee. “You get lucky?”
Heat rushed to Radek’s face. “McKay!”
“Oh, come off it, Zelenka,” McKay said. “We’re both adults here.”
“I am not sure of that,” Radek said. “But no, I did not ‘get lucky.’ We decided to take it slow.”
McKay made a face at that. “What? Are you a couple of twelve-year-olds?”
Radek couldn’t stop the sigh. “No, McKay. We are two middle-aged men who are interested in more than parts rubbing together.”
“There was rubbing?” McKay asked brightly, and at Radek’s disgusted snort he laughed. “Okay, okay. Getting to know each other. When’s your next date?”
“Tonight,” he said with a small smile.
“Well in that case, we need to get some work done,” McKay said, turning to Radek’s computer and opening the files from Friday.
The day had never dragged quite so much for Radek before. He found himself watching the clock, wondering if it was going backwards, and if perhaps one of their experiments had meddled with time itself.
Finally, five arrived, and he started to shut down his computer. Somehow, he was completely unsurprised when McKay returned to give him advice. He had to admit that it was not completely unwanted, as he was a little nervous.
“Just remember that he liked you before he knew that you were interested, when you were just some klutzy guy in one of his lessons. I really doubt you can screw this up, so just relax.”
“I am aware of that, and I am relaxed,” Radek said, but inside he was repeating “Relax” as if it were a mantra. He could admit to himself that he was confused about what Evan saw in him, but certainly was not going to argue.
“Sure,” McKay said, studying him carefully. “This is you relaxed.”
Radek opened his mouth to argue and then shut it again, without saying a word.
“I knew that you were smart,” McKay said when he saw that. He patted Radek on the shoulder awkwardly. “It’ll be fine, really.”
“Thank you,” Radek said.
McKay lifted his hand and smiled. “Go get ‘em,” he said. Radek hesitated, and McKay said, “Don’t make me push you out of here. Even shuttle technology isn’t as much fun as a date.”
“Right,” Radek said, grabbing his keys off the desk and flashing a smile at McKay. Then he left at a trot.
***
Not for the first time, Evan was glad that the club was closed on Mondays. Usually it was because he was wiped out and needed a break after a crazy weekend. Today, it was because it meant that he had time to be a freaking teenaged girl over his choice in clothing.
This was the sixth shirt he’d put on, and he told himself that it was going to be the last. Then he looked in the mirror and swore. It looked awful, and he couldn’t wear it to dinner. Just as he took it off, he noticed the time. Crap, he had five minutes before he needed to leave. Grabbing the second shirt as the least hideous, he forced himself to not look in the mirror.
He was supposed to meet Radek at the restaurant, and he only had about twenty minutes to get there in traffic. Fuck.
He broke a few laws, but he managed to get to Linthicum in 19 minutes. Unsurprisingly, there was a cluster of people waiting for a table around the front door, but as he slid between them, he spotted Radek near the front. He could tell when Radek had caught sight of him, because a relieved smile broke out on his face.
As he came up to Radek, Radek turned to the hostess and said something quietly. She smiled and picked up two menus to lead them to their table.
As they got settled, Radek said, “I was surprised when you suggested this restaurant. It does not strike me as a ‘date’ restaurant. From the people here, it appears to be more a family restaurant.”
Evan gave him an easy grin. “I know, but that’s because young people are stupid and don’t come to G&M, because they prize form over substance. The crabcakes here are to die for.”
“They are that good?” Radek asked, looking up from his menu.
Nodding, Evan set aside his menu. He’d been here often enough that he knew what he wanted, in more ways than one.
Radek closed his menu as well. “In that case, I shall follow your lead.”
Before Evan could respond, the waitress came up to their table. Without hesitating, he ordered iced tea, the crabcake sandwich, with crackers instead of bread, and french fries and coleslaw on the side. When she looked at Radek, he smiled and said, “I will have the same thing. Thank you.”
They made small talk about traffic and work as they waited for their drinks, and after they had them, Evan said, “I’m glad you’re here tonight.”
Radek’s smile was blinding. “I am as well. Though I must admit that I am still confused as to why me? It is all I could think about yesterday. There must be a reason that you selected me when you see so many people every day, many of whom must be younger and more attractive.”
Evan choked on his iced tea a little. Setting down the glass with care, he wiped his mouth. “Younger? Maybe. More attractive? Not hardly.”
Blinking behind his glasses, Radek appeared to be at a loss for words. Not giving him a chance to recover and argue, Evan said, “Look, there are those who would say that you’re not conventionally gorgeous. To those people, I say, bite me.”
“But - “ Radek recovered enough to say, but Evan held up a hand, silencing him.
“You’re brilliant, and hot, and I want to be with you, not with some empty-headed pretty boy.” Lowering his hand, he smiled and said, “Now you can talk.”
For a moment, Radek didn’t say anything at all. Then he smiled, lighting up his face. “All right.”
“All right?” Evan repeated, a little unbelieving that it was going to be that easy.
“Yes, all right. I will take you at your word. I suspect that the reality will not be as easy as you seem to think, but I am certainly willing to try. After all, I am still trying to learn to dance, am I not?”
Evan couldn’t help it. He threw his head back and laughed. “Okay, you have a point. You are still trying. And I think we’ll be fine.”
Radek laughed as well, and they were still laughing when the waitress brought their food.
They tucked into crabcakes as big as their hands, made up of huge chunks of crab and not much else. Without having to discuss it, the conversation turned to other things, as if both of them had had enough emotion for one day.
Instead, Evan turned the subject to something he’d been curious about. “When did you come to the States?”
Radek swallowed and wiped his mouth before he answered. “I was twenty, and in Canada for an international science competition. We were supposed to be proving that scientific education under Communist rule was better. All I proved for them was that I was smart enough to slip my handler’s leash and seek out the nearest police station, where I asked for sanctuary.”
Evan was impressed, even though he’d suspected as much. “You were twenty?” He’d been in the Academy at twenty, and while that meant that he was more responsible than the average college student, he’d still been emotionally dependent on his family, and was in the process of giving that loyalty to the Air Force. He wouldn’t have even been able to fathom leaving behind everything he knew.
Now he knew far too much about it.
Radek studied him curiously, and said, “Where did you go just now? You are very far away.”
“Just thinking about history,” he said.
“Does it have something to do with why you are a dance instructor?”
Evan blinked. “That obvious that I didn’t start as one?”
Radek nodded, eyes wide behind his glasses. Evan had to break his glance away from Radek’s and take a bite of his food to get some distance before he answered. Swallowing, he said tightly, “I was in the Air Force when I was twenty.”
“Ah,” Radek said, and that was all. When Evan looked back at him, he nodded encouragingly but didn’t say anything else.
Evan sighed. He knew that Radek wouldn’t demand more information, but also knowing that he had to tell him. “I was a pilot.”
Radek nodded, clearly not comprehending the significance.
Evan continued. “I was a fighter pilot, and then they found out that I... did not confine my interests to women, and I got tossed on my ass. The official reason was a ‘medical discharge,’ since they didn’t want to admit that they had given medals to a gay fighter pilot. It was their way of buying my silence, since otherwise I would have gotten a dishonorable discharge.”
He was getting angry all over again, and he took a deep breath. It still hurt, even after all this time.
“And so now you... teach country line dancing?” There was no judgment in his voice, just genuine curiosity.
“I had been a fighter pilot. The last thing I wanted to do was fly commercial, and I needed a change. John - John Shepperd, the bartender at the club - had gotten an authentic medical discharge, and when I got out, I went to him. He got me this job. It pays my bills, keeps me in my apartment, and is busy enough that I don’t lose my mind thinking about the past.”
Radek didn’t say anything. Evan was grateful, as he didn’t think that he could take words of sympathy. He’d grieved for his past already. He didn’t need to carry that into the future. When Radek laid his hand on the back of Evan’s, squeezing lightly, Evan raised his head and smiled at him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring us down,” Evan said, turning his hand over and squeezing back.
“You did not, and I thank you for being honest with me. I suspected that there was more to you than I saw, and you have confirmed that for me.” Radek released his hand after another quick squeeze. “Now, we have very tasty food that is getting cold. Perhaps we should eat it, and then maybe take this somewhere else?”
“Now, that, Radek, sounds like a very good plan.”
***
As if they both realized that any more conversation could lead in dangerous directions, they ate the remainder of their dinners in companionable silence. Radek was glad, as the food deserved his attention. Evan had been right - the food here was amazingly good.
Soon enough, they were both looking at empty plates, and Evan waved down the waitress to bring the check. They both reached for it at the same time, but Evan was slightly quicker. “It’s mine today, Radek.”
“Only if you agree that the next time is on me,” Radek said. He knew that he probably made much more than Evan did, but he also suspected that there was an element of pride involved.
“Fair enough,” Evan agreed, laying down his credit card.
After he signed the credit card slip, they both stood up and made their way out of the restaurant. The crowd was even thicker around the front, and Radek wasn’t surprised after the truly excellent food. He followed Evan to his car, a little unsure what they were going to do now.
“I don’t want the evening to end,” Evan said.
“Neither do I,” Radek said, a little relieved. “Maybe we could go back to my place and have some coffee?”
“Sounds good,” he said. “Should I follow you?”
“Yes. But just in case, let me give you my address in case we get separated.” Radek pulled out a sticky note and a pen, scrawling his address and handing it over. Evan took it, but before he could step back, Evan had tugged him into a loose embrace, kissing him gently, not much more than a brush of lips over his.
Radek resisted the urge to open his mouth, to deepen it. A parking lot in a small town was not the place to make out with another man. He made no effort to move back, however, until Evan let go. Even then, he leaned into his warmth for a bit longer before standing up straight again. “Right, my place,” he said.
Evan chuckled, the sound low and throaty. It did funny things to Radek’s insides, but before he could say or do anything that he might regret, Evan pushed him away gently. “Let’s go, Radek.”
He nodded numbly and hurried to his car, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure that Evan was pulling out and ready to follow him.
Normally he listened to lectures as he drove, but his focus was not clear enough to make that worthwhile. Instead he put on classical music and studiously did not think about anything but traffic as he drove to his townhouse, checking behind himself repeatedly to make sure that Evan was behind him.
Pulling into the driveway, he looked back to see Evan pulling in behind him. Practically bouncing, he climbed out of the car and waited for Evan to come up next to him before he went to the door and opening it. “I am afraid it is not as organized as your place,” he said, as he flipped on the light and surveyed the mess that was his living room.
“Doesn’t matter,” said Evan, and when Radek looked at him, he realized that Evan was staring at him, not the living room. Then he leaned in, and Radek met him halfway, their lips meeting and opening.
The kiss started heated and just ramped up from there. By the time the kiss ended, they were clinging to each other, Evan’s firm thigh between Radek’s legs and pressed against his cock. Radek groaned as he rubbed against it. “Please tell me that the time for going slow is over,” he muttered into Evan’s mouth.
“It is. Oh, it so is,” Evan said. “But we should take this somewhere else before we fall over.”
“This way,” Radek said, grabbing Evan by the hand and pulling him towards the bedroom. “I would like a bed to be nearby, I believe.”
“Me, too.” They reached the bedroom, and Radek pulled him back into a tight embrace, his lips seeking Evan’s eagerly. Evan tasted of crab, and something indefinably him.
They rubbed together, and when Evan’s hands untucked Radek’s shirt, running up against the skin of his back, he groaned. Suddenly, having Evan’s hands everywhere seemed to be the most important thing ever.
He let go of him to get his hands on the buttons of his shirt, but they were shaking too hard to get them through the small holes. Evan smiled and nudged his hands out of the way, slowly unbuttoning the shirt and pushing it back over Radek’s shoulder. He resisted the urge to cover his chest with his hands like some maidenly virgin. He wasn’t shy, but he also was not on par with Evan.
Evan did not seem to realize that, however. His eyes got hotter, and he brushed his hand over Radek’s chest a bit hesitantly, as if he was not sure that he could touch.
Radek pushed back into Evan’s touch eagerly. His hands were warm and soft and as one brushed over one of Radek’s nipples, he groaned out, ”Další, prosím.”
Evan laughed. “You’re going to have to translate that for me.”
Trying to focus, he said, “Další, prosím. More, please. Do not stop!”
He watched with fuzzy vision as Evan lowered his head and licked tentatively over one of Radek’s nipples, just long enough to make him sweat and shake, before he let go.
Then he stood up straight and pulled off his shirt before pressing his bare chest up against Radek’s, his mouth pressed against Radek’s again. Radek decided that he was done with being passive, and ran his own hands over Evan’s chest as they kissed, feeling soft skin and rough hair under his palms.
Then he pushed, lightly, gently, just enough to get his message across, and Evan took a step back. Then he took another, and another, until the bed hit him in the back of the knees and he sat on the edge. Radek followed him down, pushing him back until he lay on his back, with Radek on top of him. As their cocks rubbed together through their slacks, Radek groaned and kissed Evan’s neck.
“God, you feel good,” he said as he licked and kissed the skin under his mouth. Evan’s hands ran down his back and cupped his ass, pulling him even closer.
“What do you want?” Evan asked, voice rough with arousal. “I’ll do damn near anything.”
“I want you naked and sweating beneath me as I make you come,” Radek said, meaning every word.
Evan’s hips lifted at his words, and his hands scrabbled at Radek’s waistband and then his own. He couldn’t seem to make his hands work, however, and Radek had to kneel up so that he could unfasten the button and zipper on his pants, pushing them down over his hips. By the time he had them off, Evan had managed to get enough coordination to get his own off, and the first touch of his naked cock to Evan’s made them both whimper.
“I did not ask how you wanted me to make you come,” Radek asked, low-voiced. “Do you want my hand?” He wrapped his hand around Evan’s cock and gave it one slow, loose stroke, making Evan swear and thrust up. “Or do you want my mouth? Or is there something else you want more?”
“Fuck,” Evan groaned out, pleasure-wracked. “Do you - would you fuck me? Wanted that since I saw you the first time.”
Radek gave a shudder at his words. It had been a long time since he’d done that, but, “I can certainly do that,” he said, punctuating his words with another kiss to Evan’s throat, before he shifted out of the way. “Turn over.”
“But - “ the conflict was clear in Evan’s face. He wanted Radek to fuck him, but he wanted it face to face.
“Do not worry, Evan. I promise that we will kiss as you come. Just turn over for now.”
Evan nodded and slid over onto his belly, and then at Radek’s urgings, got up on his knees, while allowing his head to rest on his folded arms. Radek moved around behind him, getting Evan to spread his legs so that he fit between them. The position spread Evan’s cheeks a little, giving Radek his first view of the tight hole that he wanted - so badly - to be in. But he needed to get Evan ready first.
Spreading him a little wider with his hands, he ducked his head and licked a long stripe, from Evan’s balls to the top of his ass. “Holy fuck,” Evan breathed out, even as he pushed back into Radek, begging with his body for Radek not to stop.
As Radek had no interest in stopping, he bent to the task in earnest, licking and sucking at Evan’s opening, and as it relaxed, he slid the tip of his tongue inside, getting him wet, getting him ready.
By the time his jaw was tired, Evan was moaning brokenly, and a quick touch of his cock showed Radek that he was hard, wet at the tip, and thoroughly desperate for more.
He thought about seeing if he could make Evan come like this, but he decided that that would be for another time. Instead he lifted his head, working his jaw. “Ready for more, Evan?”
At Evan’s nod, he twisted so that he could reach the nightstand, and pulled out the lube that he kept stashed in there, along with the strip of condoms that he’d put there on Sunday, not actually expecting to use them, but hopeful nonetheless.
He squeezed out a little bit of lube over Evan’s opening, and slowly slid his finger inside. Evan was tight, and hot, just like Radek had known he would be, and they both groaned at the sensation. Slowly, he fucked him with just that one finger, adding more lube occasionally, until Evan was pushing back and incoherently begging for more.
Then he slowly slid a second finger inside. Evan said, “Don’t need this much prep, Radek. I just need your cock. Please.”
“You are making a coherent statement. I must be doing something wrong,” Radek said calmly, as he pressed both fingers hard against Evan’s prostate.
Evan shouted, his head coming up as he pushed back. “Fuck me now,” he growled. “Or I’ll push you on your back and just go for it.”
“As much fun as that might be,” Radek said, slowly sliding his fingers out, “I’d rather not push you that far. Can you turn back over, or do you want me to take you like this?”
Evan twisted over on his back, spreading his legs invitingly. Radek reached for a condom, but couldn’t get it open with slick fingers. Finally, in frustration, he handed it to Evan, who managed to tear it open and then sat up so that he could roll it down Radek’s cock.
Radek had been so focused on what he was doing to Evan that he had lost touch with what was going on in his own body, and the first brush of Evan’s hand to his cock nearly made him come. A couple of deep breaths later, and he had backed off from the edge.
He slicked up his cock with the lube, and then helped Evan lift his legs, spreading them wide. With his other hand, he lined up his cock with Evan’s entrance, and he pushed firmly.
They both moaned as he slid inside. The heat and pressure were amazingly good, and it was all Radek could do to hold back and use short thrusts to work his way inside as Evan adjusted.
Finally he was balls deep. ”Kurva,” he swore. “You feel so good.”
“So do you, but you’d feel better if you’d move,” Evan said, lifting his hips to punctuate the sentence.
Radek gave a dirty chuckle and started to rock his hips, slow and deep. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was almost as good, and this way he wouldn’t come within moments.
He leaned down and took Evan’s mouth with his own as they moved together, harder and faster and deeper with each stroke. Radek felt as if he could just climb inside Evan and stay there, soaked with pleasure, drowning in it.
The sounds that Evan was making did even more to push Radek higher. They were the sounds of a man so lost in pleasure that he couldn’t even form words anymore. Inarticulate, and passionate anyway, Radek let them wash over him.
When the sounds had changed from pure pleasure to a higher pitch of demanding desire, he reached down and wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking him in a matching, demanding rhythm. “Come for me,” he said into Evan’s mouth. “Come for me.”
As if that was all he had been waiting for, Evan came with a gasp, his cock shooting come all over Radek’s fist and his own stomach. Evan’s ass clenched down tight around Radek’s cock, and Radek whimpered, still steady as a metronome as he fucked Evan through his orgasm.
Only when Evan was down to the occasional aftershock did Radek pause. He knew that for some men, it was uncomfortable to be fucked after they’d come, and he wasn’t going to do that without permission. “Evan?” he said unsteadily. The last thing he wanted to was to pull out, but if that was what Evan wanted -
Thankfully, Evan said, “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop. I want to feel you come.”
Radek kissed Evan gratefully and finally let up on his iron control, his hips slamming into Evan’s ass as he broke all rhythm and just took for his own pleasure.
When he finally came, the world went white and sparkly, and he was grateful for Evan’s arms around him, holding him steady as he tried to catch his breath.
Even though he just wanted stay where he was, he reached down to hold the condom in place as he pulled out. Both of them hissed at the sensation. He pulled off the condom and dropped it in the trashcan and then turned to face Evan. He wanted to hold him and be held, but some men didn’t like that after sex.
Evan had not gotten that memo apparently, because he pulled Radek into the circle of his arms, hugging him close. Radek closed his eyes and let the feeling washed through him. “This is good,” he said a little uncertainly.
“It really is,” Evan said. “But I think I’m going to fall asleep in a minute. Is it okay if I stay here for a couple of hours?”
“Of course you can stay,” Radek said softly. He wrapped his arms around Evan’s back and held on until there was a soft snore. Then he closed his eyes and let himself drift off as well.
***
When Evan woke up, he sat up hurriedly, his heart in his throat. He wasn’t at home, this wasn’t his bed, and there was someone else snoring quietly next to him. He shifted, and the soreness in his ass brought him back to what had happened. Dinner with Radek, and then coming back to his townhouse and making love. God, it had been good.
He laid back down and turned over so that he could look at Radek. He reached out and touched his face, not trying to wake him up, but unable to keep his hands to himself.
Radek’s eyes opened, and he blinked slowly. He looked pleasantly surprised that Evan was there, but then the look fell off his face. “I guess you need to go?” he asked.
“Not really, no. I don’t need to be at work until three tomorrow afternoon. But I should let you get some sleep - don’t you need to work tomorrow?”
“I should, but I was thinking that I might possibly taking the day off. But I do not want to keep you here if you would prefer to sleep at home.”
Evan smiled at him, and ran his hand over Radek’s cheek. “What I want to do is stay right here, and sleep, and maybe in a few hours get up and do it again.”
“I think that might be arranged.” Radek nuzzled his hand, and stroked his own hand over Evan’s face in a matching gesture.
“Good, that’s settled,” Evan said, and let his eyes fall closed again. He consciously relaxed his body, and let his mind follow.
***
Radek’s cell phone was trilling on the nightstand, and he groped after it blearily. “Zelenka!” came McKay’s too bright voice at the other end.
“What?” Radek said as he tried to figure out what time it was. Crap - the clock read ten-fifteen. After the early morning blowjobs, he’d fallen back to sleep and forgotten to email McKay to let him know that he wasn’t coming in.
“So, I take that last night went well, since you’re not here?” McKay still sounded gleeful and happy. Radek wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him.
“Yes, yes, gloat later, sleep now,” he said.
“I’ll let you get back to sleep in a minute,” said McKay. “Just one question. Do you think he’s going to make you happy? Because if he’s not, I’ll come over and kick his ass for you.”
Radek couldn’t help but laugh, waking Evan up. He watched as Evan came up on his elbow, looking at him with a soft smile. “Yes, I really think he will. But if he does not, I will let you know.”
“Fair enough,” McKay said. “Get some more sleep, and maybe have some more sex. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Radek’s face heated up. “I will give you much money if we never have another discussion about my sex life.”
“Dream on,” McKay said. “You know I live vicariously through you. Have a good morning.”
Before Radek could say anything else, McKay disconnected the call, and he closed the phone, setting it down on the nightstand and then reaching out to Evan, who came quickly, wrapping him up and holding him tight. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, I think it is very good.”