TEAM ROMANCE: Flesh and Blood, "Two Men and a Baby"

[fluffyllama]

Title: Two Men and a Baby
Author: tx_tart and lamardeuse( interview)
Team: Romance
Prompt: Flesh and Blood
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Extreme cuteness
Summary: The title pretty much says it all.

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**

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Rodney said, as the high priestess handed him the baby.

John lowered his weapon - for a moment there, he wasn't sure if they'd been going to attack Rodney or not - and stared at the sleeping bundle of joy in Rodney's arms. Rodney looked anxiously from one team member to another, all of whom were in varying states of befuddlement. The befuddlement was pretty understandable, considering the high priestess had just announced that this was Rodney's baby.

"Listen, you have to believe me," he said, "I have no idea how this baby could be mine." He paused, taking in John's raised eyebrow. "I never - I haven't - I mean, not in, uh - " he leaned away from Teyla and toward John " - well, a long time, and certainly not here."

Teyla turned to the high priestess and said, "There seems to have been some misunderstanding. Perhaps if we might be able to speak with the child's mother?"

The priestess smiled. "There is no mother. This baby was born of a great gift left to us by the Ancestors, a machine which has helped our culture to survive cullings."

John made a cut to the chase gesture with his hand that was disturbingly like McKay. "And it works how?"

She shook her head. "The exact science is unknown to us, but we do know that the smallest drop of blood, when placed inside the machine, will produce this glorious gift."

John looked at Rodney, who stared blankly for a moment before shouting, "I cut myself! I cut myself on one of the damned panels, and they bandaged me up. Don't you remember that?"

John nodded. "I remember you went on about it for a day and a half."

Rodney scowled. "I could have gotten blood poisoning, not that you care. Anyway, I remember they changed the bandage a couple of times. Oh my God, those vampires - "

"Rodney," Teyla said sternly.

The priestess smiled serenely, obviously undisturbed by the insult. "In appreciation for the great work that Doctor McKay has undertaken in restoring our protective shield to full power, we wished to share this gift with him. Please accept this as a token of our esteem, Doctor."

Rodney immediately thrust out the baby toward the priestess. "Oh, really, it's a great honor, a great, great honor, but you have to understand, I'm a very busy man back home, and I really don't have time to..."

Rodney kept babbling, making excuses as to why he couldn't take this baby, but John was no longer listening, because right at that moment the baby was startled from sleep. Its eyes flew open, revealing irises that were nearly black, and its hands flexed and splayed out, and John's gaze was drawn to its tiny, tiny fingernails, so perfect and round, and he thought, oh, shit.

"Rodney," he heard himself say, "let's go."

Rodney whipped his head around, scowling. "That's what I'm trying to - "

"No. With the baby."

Rodney's eyes bugged out. "You can't be serious - "

John's voice descended into the VLF range. "With. The baby."

Rodney was still holding the baby out and away from his body as though it was an unexploded drone, so John reached out and took it from him. The baby made a couple of disgruntled noises, then turned its head into John's chest and closed its eyes again as though its eyelids weighed a ton.

John couldn't move, watching the tiny chest move up and down beneath the homespun little onesie he was wearing. It wasn't until Ronon gave him a nudge that John started to move.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Carson emerged from the medlab beaming. "Congratulations, it's a boy!"

Rodney went beet red; John couldn't tell if he was going to explode or melt. "Could we please answer the important question first?"

Carson got a twisted kind of smile on his face. "Yes, Rodney, he's perfectly healthy, too. Ten fingers, ten toes, one - "

"Carson!"

"Oh all right, yes, the DNA testing is conclusive. It is your baby."

"Carson, how is this possible?" Elizabeth asked.

Carson folded his arms. "Well, I'd have to get a closer look at their 'gift from the Ancestors', but based on what Colonel Sheppard has told me, it sounds like an extremely advanced cloning device."

Rodney dropped into a chair. "Oh, God, I'm a father."

Elizabeth laid a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Rodney, I want you to know that whatever you decide to do, you'll have my complete support."

John stepped forward. "What do you mean, whatever he decides to do?"

Rodney stared up at him. "What do you mean, what does she mean?"

Elizabeth shifted from one foot to another. "I'm only saying that Rodney has several options available to him at this juncture..."

Rodney leapt up. "Options? What options? I have options?"

"Well," Elizabeth said, "there's adoption, either here in Pegasus or on Earth."

Teyla stepped forward. "There are many infertile women among my people who would be pleased to adopt a child."

Ronon shook his head. "The baby should stay within his family."

Rodney snapped his fingers. "Jeannie! Jeannie would take it if I asked her! Oh, thank God, you're a genius."

Ronon raised his eyebrows. "You'll make me blush."

John blurted, "There's another option nobody's talking about. McKay could keep it."

Rodney gaped at him. "I can't do that. That's not an option."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean why not? Do you want me to fight the Wraith with one hand and diaper a baby with the other?"

John tipped his head at Teyla. "The Athosians have been doing that for millennia."

"Satedans, too," Ronon chipped in.

"Satedans, too," John echoed.

"Well, good for them," Rodney snarled, "but I'm not doing it." He turned on his heel and started off.

"Where the hell are you going?" John demanded.

"The next dial-in to SGC is in two hours. I have to prepare a message to Jeannie that won't make me sound like a crazy person."

"I don't think you can expect two miracles in one day," John called out to his retreating back.

At that moment, John heard the baby start to cry. Carson turned to go back into the medlab, but John beat him to it, shouldering past him in his hurry to get to the baby.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

It had been a while since he'd done this, but it all came back to John pretty quickly. He had to fight off the nurses in the infirmary from taking the baby away from him, but John used a couple of military maneuvers and just spun away from their grasping reach. Once they realized that he wasn't giving the baby up, they formed a gaggle around him, cooing and petting, and John was surprised by how angry it made him. He was already feeling possessive of this baby and he wasn't really prepared to analyze the reasons why.

Someone appeared with a bottle when the baby started to fuss and his relationship to Rodney was reconfirmed when he devoured six ounces of formula in no time. By the time the bottle was empty, the baby was drowsing again, his heavy head lolling back in John's arms.

John hesitated when it was time for burping. This was the tricky part. He had never managed to burp a baby that didn't spew a gallon of formula down his back.

John threw the provided cloth over his shoulder and lifted the baby so that his little belly was firmly against his collarbone. "Okay, buddy," John said softly, "let's give this a shot." The baby was a limp, warm bundle against him, breathing wetly against John's neck. He started to pat the baby's back with three fingers, probably too cautiously, but this was a clean shirt, after all -

Burrrp.

A prolonged wave of milk breath hit John in the face without a trace of spit-up and John grinned against the baby's silky head. "That's my boy."

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Five hours later, John was sitting on a bed in the quiet, darkened infirmary with the baby in his arms. Thinking of it as "the baby" had started to grate on him, so he had decided to call it Frank, but only in his head.

"What are you doing?"

John looked up and said softly, "What does it look like I'm doing? And talk quieter, will you?"

Rodney looked him up and down, then crossed his arms. "I sent the letter to Jeannie."

Carefully, John pushed with his feet to get himself up higher on the hospital bed. Carson had set it to recline so that he'd be more comfortable, but every now and then he'd slide down a bit. "Yeah, you said you were going to do that. So?"

"I'm just saying," Rodney murmured, "it might not be a good idea to get attached to - this baby."

"It's not this baby," John gritted, "it's your baby."

Rodney gazed at the baby for a moment, then jerked his head up. "It's not mine," he said. "I didn't choose it."

John snorted. "Neither have half the parents walking around today. Welcome to the club."

"That's not a club I care to belong to."

"Aren't you the one who said that you feel an obligation to pass on your superior genes?"

"With an appropriately large-breasted, blonde woman, preferably Samantha Carter."

John ignored the heavy feeling in his chest. "Yeah, like that's going to happen," John muttered under his breath.

"I'll forget that obviously envy-driven remark and move on to the giant jackpot question. What's going on with you? Since when are you so enthralled by infants?"

Frank made a noise and squirmed a little. John tightened his hold, even though he was getting hot and his arms were aching from being in one position for so long. "Shut up, Rodney."

"Is this some male biological clock thing?"

John looked up at him narrowly. "We've been living in a war zone for nearly three years. And you think I'm having a mid-life crisis because finally, something good has fallen right into our laps?"

Rodney's expression softened at that. His gaze moved from John to the baby and back to John again and he swallowed hard. "Well, yes, that's - one way to look at it, I suppose. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make arrangements with Carson for someone to take care of this - the - take care of him."

"Rodney," John hissed after him but Rodney kept walking toward Carson's office.

Frank was wide awake and screaming at the top of his lungs when Rodney reappeared, as red-faced and angry as his son. "Can you believe it? That - that shaman is refusing to help me. He won't loan me a nurse, says they're too busy. Can you believe that?"

John lay Frank down on the bed and grabbed a disposable diaper from the stack by the bed. "Yeah, imagine Carson wanting you to take responsibility for your own kid. The bastard," John drawled, calmly removing the soaking wet diaper from Frank's squirming body.

"Why is he screaming? What did you do to him?"

"I asked him to make out my monthly reports. He's wet, genius. He needs a diaper. And quit pretending you don't know this stuff. I have talked to Jeannie, you know."

He didn't think it was the dim lighting in the infirmary that made Rodney look suddenly pale. "Then she must have told you what a dismal job I did."

"Actually, no, she didn't tell me that." John stripped the diaper off Frank, aware of Rodney hovering, still and close beside him. Once he was dry and warm again, the baby quieted down and lay in the middle of the infirmary bed, blinking slowly and contently up at them.

"He's really - I was trying to convince myself that he was just some alien creation but he has all the parts that he's supposed to have and -" Rodney looked at him, his eyes big and terrified. "He really is mine, isn't he?"

John nodded, wishing for one crazy moment that he could put his arm around Rodney and pull him in close. "You can do this, Rodney. I'll help, if you want me to."

"You'd do that?" Rodney asked, and John was a little offended at how surprised Rodney looked, as if he couldn't conceive of John being willing to put himself out for him.

"Yeah, I would."

Rodney's broad shoulders slumped forward. "Oh, thank you, Colonel. It shouldn't be too long, just until Jeannie gets back to me and I can arrange the trip to Earth."

John's stomach fell. He looked at Frank, who had fallen back to sleep. "Sure, buddy. No problem."

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Rodney stood just inside the door to his quarters like they didn't belong to him, watching John as he put Frank down for the night. Lorne and his SG team had scoured the city, but they hadn't found anything resembling a cradle - the Ancients must've hung their babies upside-down from the rafters or something, John figured. Zelenka, of all people, had come up with the solution: a dresser drawer, carefully padded on the inside with blankets and pillows. Clearly, Frank wasn't too worried about the lack of luxury accommodations: he was out like a light, one tiny fist smashed into his right cheek.

"I suppose we should be thankful Radek's family was too poor to afford baby furniture," Rodney murmured, once John straightened and backed away from the makeshift cradle.

John only raised an eyebrow at Rodney, who shifted his feet and looked away. "Well," John said, unable to take his eyes off the unhappy curve of Rodney's neck, "I guess you can take it from here -"

Rodney's head snapped back, his eyes wide with horror. "What? Oh, no, no, no. Babies - they wake up all the time, at all hours of the night. What am I going to do when it wakes up?"

"When he - "

"Yes, yes, when he wakes up," Rodney huffed, still in full-blown panic mode. "I won't know what to do."

"Jeannie said - "

"Jeannie was a baby. She doesn't remember - look, I just - stay with me?"

John stopped dead, all the air leaving his body at once, and the two of them stared at one another. "I, uh - okay," John stammered.

"Okay?" Rodney squeaked. "Okay, great. Um," he added, swiveling his head back and forth to survey the room, "you, uh, you take the bed."

"And where are you sleeping?" John asked.

Rodney hooked a thumb at his desk. "I've slept in that chair before - that is, I've fallen asleep in that chair before when I was working late - "

John snorted. "Yeah, and bitched about your back for a week, as I recall." He eyed the bed; it was easier than looking at Rodney for this part. "Look, we can both squeeze on there."

Rodney swallowed audibly. "S-squeeze?" he croaked. The light was too dim to be certain, but John had a strong suspicion that Rodney was blushing.

"Sure," John drawled, shifting from one hip to another. "I'm good at fitting into tight places."

Okay, now Rodney was definitely turning red, and wow, they should have had a baby a long time ago. "I'm sure you are," Rodney muttered, turning away and heading for the bathroom. "Well, I'll, ah - take a shower, and then you can - "

"Sure," John said, nodding. "I'll just make myself at home." And with that, he gripped the hem of his t-shirt and slid it up and off. When he emerged from the collar of the t-shirt, Rodney was gaping at him, his mouth opening and closing like a trout out of water.

"Well, yes, you, um - yes," Rodney babbled, right before he fled.

After he left, John finally let the grin loose. Looking over at the drawer, he whispered, "Thanks, Frank."

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Reality wasn't as much fun as fantasy, John realized, as Rodney elbowed him in his sleep for the fifteenth time. Christ, he'd be lucky if every one of his ribs wasn't bruised by the morning.

"Rodney," John hissed. "Don't make me get out the bungee cords." Rodney made no sign that he'd heard him; he was dead to the world, sprawled out on his back, occupying as much space as humanly possible considering there was a whole other body in the bed with him. John couldn't help but wonder if Rodney had had much experience with sharing a bed - judging from the way he talked about his past relationships, it wasn't likely. Come to think of it, it had been over a decade now since John could lay claim to any consistent experience himself, and since then he'd pretty much fallen out of the habit.

Propping himself up on an elbow, John watched Rodney sleep. The larger of Atlantis' moons had risen and the light seeped through Rodney's curtains, making his profile easy to see. For a guy, Rodney had ridiculously beautiful eyelashes and a turned-up nose that was almost cute. John traced it with his gaze so that he wouldn't do the same with his finger.

God, he was losing it here. Frank had punched a hole in his chest and cuddled up next to his heart, and now he was in there building an addition and making room for his dad.

As he watched, Rodney twitched again, then wriggled, and John knew the next thing would be a knee in the groin. There was only one thing to do, and he did it.

"Hmph?" Rodney mumbled, when John wrapped an arm around him, trapping Rodney's arms at his sides.

"I warned you," John shot back, closing his eyes. "You've got nobody to blame but yourself."

"Hmph," Rodney said, subsuming into his prescription mattress with a satisfied smile on his face.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The baby woke at oh four hundred on the dot, and John was awake as soon as he heard the soft snuffling noises. Disentangling himself from Rodney - at some point, the hugging had become mutual - he rose and scooped Frank up into his arms just before the baby was drawing breath for what would have been a really impressive scream.

"Hey, hey, hey, there's no need for that," John said, cradling him close. "We didn't leave you."

The baby blinked up at him in the darkness, the breath leaving him in a disgruntled huff that was so like Rodney John chuckled.

"That's right," he soothed, jiggling him gently, "you're not alone. We're right here, and we're not going anywhere." He turned toward the bed, and his heart stopped when he saw Rodney propped up on his elbows, watching John with the baby in his arms. There was a bright moonbeam falling on his face, illuminating his features, and John sucked in a breath himself at what he thought he saw there.

As soon as he noticed he was being observed, though, Rodney cleared his throat and his brows knit themselves into a scowl. "Where did you learn all this stuff about babies, anyway?"

John hid his smile against Frank's temple as he lifted him up to rest against his shoulder. "There was this girl," he began.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

John decided to be the better man and ignored him. "She ran a daycare on the first base where I was stationed. All the guys wanted to date her, but she was so worn out at the end of the day she didn't have a lot of time for them. So I figured I'd help out on my days off, and then she'd get a chance to - enjoy herself more."

Rodney flopped back onto the bed. "Uh-huh."

With Frank still in his arms, John made his way over to Rodney. "The thing was, it turned out I was pretty good at taking care of babies. They all seemed to like me fine - "

"Again, not surprising - "

"Shut up. And," he added, kneeing his way onto the bed, "I liked them, too." He didn't add that he liked Rodney's baby better than any baby he'd ever met, because that would make this day even weirder than it was already, if that was even possible.

"What are you doing?" Rodney demanded, sitting up again.

Carefully, John lowered a squirming Frank onto the mattress between them, then lay down beside him. He placed a calming hand on Frank's tummy, and his fussing immediately stopped. Looking up, he saw that Rodney was still sitting there, stiff as a board, fear written clearly across his features. It was the same way he'd looked when the priestess had first handed him the baby, and it finally occurred to John that there was more to it than the sudden and overwhelming prospect of being a daddy.

"C'mon," John urged softly, "he's not gonna bite you."

Rodney shook his head. "That's not why I - " He sucked in a breath, then practically leapt off the bed. "Look, I have to go to the lab."

John frowned. "Rodney, it's the middle of the night."

"Yes, and I just remembered something I forgot to do earlier. It can't wait." Stumbling into his pants, Rodney skinned out of the ratty t-shirt he'd worn to bed and reached for his black uniform top. The moonlight fell on the pale, tense line of his shoulders, and John gritted his teeth to keep from saying something he knew he'd regret.

When the door hissed shut behind Rodney, Frank emitted a high-pitched whine and kicked his feet. John looked down at him and nodded. "You and me both, buddy," John agreed. "You and me both."

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The next day, John took Frank on the grand tour of the city, showing him everything from the west pier to the top of the tower. Everywhere he went, people had heard of Rodney's gift; gossip on Atlantis traveled faster than the Daedalus in hyperspace. Not one of them, from the most timid biologist to the most hard-bitten NCO, failed to fall under Frank's spell.

He avoided Rodney's lab - somehow he knew that Rodney wouldn't appreciate the assault on his refuge, and John didn't think pushing it too far too fast would be the best strategy. However, he did run into a few members of his team in the halls, and they all took turns making a fuss over Frank. Biro eagerly told him about the pair of booties and matching cap she was knitting, and left him with a promise they would be ready by the weekend. Simpson gave him advice on everything from proper nutrition to diaper changing; he played the clueless guy, not wanting to spoil her fun. Zelenka even paused for a minute or two on his way to the mess, which considering his trauma last year on the Planet of the Rugrats had to be some kind of miracle. John supposed that all babies, especially newborns, had their own inbuilt appeal; hell, even baby Rodney had probably been cooed over as much as Frank was.

Or had he? Sometimes, John wondered about Rodney's childhood, at how attentive Rodney's own parents had been. He was no psychologist, but Rodney had all the earmarks of a lonely kid who had grown up to be a lonely man. John knew what that was like, though it hadn't really hit him hard until after he'd lost his mom. Rodney, for all that his emotions flashed across his face like a neon sign most of the time, could keep some of his secrets locked up as securely as John did. John just wished that he could figure out a way to crack Rodney's combination before Jeannie made her decision.

He didn't look too closely at why he was suddenly this interested in figuring out what made Rodney tick. Sure, he'd had a low-grade crush on the guy for a while now, but he'd had a low-grade crush on a lot of guys over the years, and he hadn't felt the need to analyze their psyches. The occasional jerk-off fantasy involving Rodney McKay, a can of whipped cream and a pair of handcuffs didn't do anyone any harm, not if he kept it to himself.

The problem was that lately he'd been fantasizing about kissing Rodney's wide mouth for a couple of hours at a time, of lazing around with him on their Sunday mornings off, fucking him slowly while the sun streamed in through the windows. Add Frank into the mix and things started to get even more complicated. Last night he'd dreamed about teaching Frank to do long division when he got older, and the three of them throwing a football around on the mainland, and that was getting into some seriously bizarre territory.

"Oh!"

John stopped short at the startled exclamation; he'd been woolgathering so much that he'd almost run into Katie Brown, of all people. She was staring at him and Frank with a mixture of surprise and trepidation, as though she wasn't sure what to do.

Truth was, neither was he. He didn't know what he thought of Katie Brown, considering he didn't know all that much about her. Whenever Rodney talked about her, he made her sound like a cross between Mother Teresa and Pollyanna, neither of whom struck John as prime girlfriend material. That Rodney put his crushes up on a pedestal was no secret, but John had to wonder if that was any basis for a real relationship.

Like you know what it takes to have a real relationship, he thought.

"Is this - is he really - Rodney's?" she asked timidly. One slender hand reached up toward Frank, then stopped when her gaze rose to John's face. Something in his expression must have scared her, because she yanked her hand back down.

"He's Rodney's, all right," he said, as kindly as he could. "Or - well, I guess you could say he's Rodney."

She smiled. "That's true." Pausing, she cocked her head and studied Frank almost wistfully, as though she were searching for some sign of - what? Whether Rodney would give her pretty children?

And what the hell kind of psycho, jealous thought was that?

"Rodney isn't going to keep him, is he?"

John looked up, startled by her soft question. "I don't know," John said. It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth, either; in any case, he felt oddly compelled to defend Rodney to her. "It's pretty tough, the prospect of raising a kid here."

"It's pretty tough raising a child anywhere," she said gently. "Though it helps if you have someone to - share the burden."

She must have seen something else on his face, because she shook her head. "He didn't ask me, Colonel. I don't think he even thought of me when this happened." She looked away, cheeks turning pink.

To say that John was made uncomfortable by her confession was like saying the Wraith were a little unfriendly. "You, uh, you don't - "

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure why I'm telling you this." Then she looked up again, her gaze suddenly devoid of fear. "Yes, I am. I hope - I hope he makes the right decision. And I hope someone who cares about him is there to help him make it."

John opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Smiling wanly, Katie stroked Frank's tiny hand before nodding to John and walking away.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Rodney didn't come back to his quarters until nearly ten that night. John had just gotten Frank down himself and was already in bed, reading one of Rodney's books by the light of the small bedside lamp. Briefly, he considered a cheery, Hi, honey, how was your day? and then he thought about saying, Guess what? Katie Brown handed you off to me this afternoon, but neither of those options sounded like such a bright idea. Rodney stared at him for a moment, then disappeared into the bathroom like he had last night. John sighed and went back to his book.

"What are you reading?" Rodney asked, when he emerged again. John held the book up, showing Rodney the cover. "Oh."

"Didn't know you liked Larry Niven," John murmured.

"I like anyone who fixes their glaring scientific errors when they're pointed out," Rodney said. John snorted; it figured. Then he realized Rodney was just standing there, beside the bed; he looked up, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"This is weird," Rodney blurted.

John stiffened. "I can sleep on the floor," he said, sitting up. "It's no problem."

Rodney shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no, don't do that. Look, I didn't say it was bad weird, all right?"

"There's a good kind of weird?"

"Of course there is!" Rodney said hotly.

John folded his arms. "Give me an example."

"Well, uh, this would be an example," Rodney stammered. "Can we just go to bed now, please?"

"Sure, Rodney," John said, holding up the covers invitingly. Rodney reddened, then stared at the bed, then at John again.

"Rodney."

"Okay, okay." Rodney sat on the edge of the bed, then swung his legs up and got in. He wiggled around for a while, then lay flat on his back.

"Comfy?" John asked sweetly, looking down at him.

Rodney squirmed a bit more. "It's only that - I'm never usually this close to the edge of the mattress."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, you don't have to hang half your ass off the bed," John grumbled. "There's room; here, c'mon - " and before he could stop himself, he'd put an arm around Rodney's middle and hauled him sideways, toward himself. Rodney squeaked, and the next thing John knew he had an armful of warm, startled Rodney blinking up at him with wide eyes, and that was - that was -

"I, um," Rodney said, gaze flickering over John's face. One of his hands had come up to rest on John's arm instinctively when John had moved him, but it was still there, fingers pressed against John's bare skin.

John caught himself just as he started to lean down; God, was he nuts? Rodney didn't want this, and even if he did, he sure as hell wasn't in the best frame of mind to start another new, scary and unexpected relationship. With a great effort, John forced himself to back off, withdrawing his arm and lying down on his side, facing away from Rodney.

"There, see?" John asked the wall. "Plenty of room."

"Yes, I - I see." The bed jiggled, and then John heard the click of the light just before the room was plunged into darkness. "Good night, Colonel."

"G'night," John murmured, staring unseeing into the blackness.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

There were six more days until the weekly data burst from Earth came through, and by the end of it, John was more tired than he'd been in his whole damned life, and that included some of the hairier weeks in Afghanistan. He didn't know how mothers did it without massive doses of Benzedrine; he was inhaling a pot and a half of coffee a day and he might as well have been drinking water for all the good it did. Carson had agreed to allow a nurse to sit with Frank for a couple of hours a day while John attended to the duties that he absolutely could not get out of. And John hadn't been able to talk Rodney into doing much more than stay in the same room with the baby while he grabbed a quick shower.

So when he came to in the conference room, face down and drooling on the table, Elizabeth dismissed the all-heads meeting and asked Rodney to come to her office in her best Principal of Atlantis voice. Rodney frowned at him as he passed and he was in full-out scowl mode when he came back.

"You ratted me out to Elizabeth."

"Hmmm?" John was surprised to realize he was still sitting at the conference table. He could have sworn he got up when the meeting broke up. "'lizabeth?"

"She told me to start pulling my weight with the baby or else. Or else? Can you believe it? She 'or elsed' me."

John blinked slowly, trying his level best to follow the conversation. It was hard, though, because Rodney was wearing that blue button-down shirt that made his eyes look like a - a sky, yeah, a sapphire blue sky, the color that it turns when you take a plane up as high as you can before it stalls and you can almost touch a star. John smiled because if he told Rodney that, Rodney would think he was crazy. And wasn't there a direct relationship between sleep deprivation and psychosis?

"Yes, laugh it up. I'm glad I'm still your most reliable source of enterta - Sheppard?"

John caught himself drifting again and jerked his head back up before he toppled over.

"Oh, God, you're a mess, aren't you? Come on, Colonel. Come with me."

John looked up at Rodney, puzzled, until Rodney muttered something and John felt himself being lifted out of the seat. But the movement was too sudden and John's head began to spin. The floor tilted and he started to tip to the side when both Rodney's arms closed around him, pulling him tight against his upper body.

"Idiot." Rodney's voice was a warm, moist graze across his ear and John shuddered at the pleasure it stirred in the pit of his belly. He didn't know what was wrong with him lately. Rodney's son, Rodney's quarters, Rodney's bed, Rodney's broad, solid body wrapped around him when he woke up. There was so much Rodney in John's life lately; it was getting confusing.

"Where're we going?" John slurred, shaking off Rodney's hold but not the muted hum of arousal under his skin.

"No talking. Just walk."

Rodney steered him to his quarters, not John's own and somehow, John didn't even question it. They had been sharing living space for almost a week now, the two of them and Frank, and John was getting used to someone always being around.

Rodney gave him a little push toward the bedroom once the doors slid closed behind them. "Go get undressed. I'll be right there."

John clumsily turned on his heel to face him. "Why, Rodney," John teased, "I didn't know you cared."

Rodney said something that John couldn't quite make out. It sounded like "Yes, yes, the best kept secret in Atlantis," but he couldn't be sure over the dull ringing in his ears. And Rodney was just standing there, watching him with an expression John'd never seen before.

He shuffled into the bedroom and dropped down onto the bed. John pulled his t-shirt off but that was as far as he got before he gave in to the seductive lure of bed and pillow. The next thing he knew, he was stretched out on his back, plummeting toward sleep.

After what felt like a handful of seconds, John came awake again to one of his boots being unlaced and removed. Without raising his head, he looked down and saw Rodney, bent over and working on the other.

"Rodney." In his head, he was enunciating but it came out a smear of vowels and consonants. "Don't- "

"Hush," Rodney replied in a soothing, un-Rodney-like voice. "You'll be more comfortable."

John closed his eyes and hummed agreeably, because really, he was already pretty comfortable. Still, when his other boot came off, he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Mmmm, yeah."

"Get some sleep now."

"'kay."

John's eyelids were so heavy he couldn't lift them. When he felt Rodney lightly stroke his hair, he moved his head, trying to get closer, trying to get more. And he fell asleep between one touch and the next.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The room was soaked in darkness when John came abruptly awake. He bolted to his feet, his heart pounding, pawing through the covers in a search for Frank. Slowly, he realized that he was being stupid and that Frank was likely safe and sound. With a shaky breath, he sat down on the bed.

Once his pulse slowed to a normal range, John realized that both his vision and his head were clearer than they'd been since Frank had arrived. A look at his watch told him that he'd slept for six hours. And also that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Well, that's different," he said to himself, thinking the lights on and pulling his t-shirt back on. He wondered about Rodney and Frank and how they were getting along, and when he walked into the other room, John got his answer.

Rodney was sitting on the floor, his back against the sofa, typing away on his laptop. Beside him, on a pile of clothes and blankets, Frank was awake and peaceful. John watched them for a long time, his chest tight and aching.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The day the data burst from Earth was due, John and Frank stayed in Rodney's quarters and Rodney went to the control room. Teyla and Ronon came by, then Biro; even Radek showed up. John got rid of each one of them as diplomatically as he could. It felt like they were paying a condolence call - he half expected Lorne and Heightmeyer to pop in with a casserole and a plate of cookies.

John lay down with Frank on the bed. He pulled the blanket down so he could look at him, cataloging Frank's little legs and feet and his flawless pink skin. He had a habit of sleeping on his side already. No matter what position he was put down in, he wound up on his side, with one fist under his pointed little chin. John put a fingertip against Frank's downy soft cheek, softly enough that it wouldn't wake him.

The outer doors slid open and seconds later Rodney strode into the bedroom. John sat up and one look at Rodney's pale face told him all he needed to know.

"She agreed," John said flatly, anger and grief tumbling together to form a knot in his stomach. He hadn't wanted to believe it was a real possibility, but after last night, he'd started to hope Rodney might change his mind at the last minute. So much for that idea.

Rodney nodded, looking a little shocky. "Yes. Elizabeth is making arrangements with the SGC as we speak, for the trip to Earth."

John grit his teeth and looked down at the baby. I'm sorry, buddy, John said silently. I gave it my best shot.

"This is the right thing. For him, I mean."

John looked up at Rodney, unable to keep the mocking smile from his lips. "For you, too," he drawled, not feeling any remorse about how Rodney's eyes turned wounded.

"You aren't being fair. You have no idea what - why I - "

With a growl of frustration, John scooped Frank into his arms and stood up. "All I know is you're going to give up your own child and you haven't even held him." Without giving him a chance to refuse, John pushed Frank against Rodney's chest, giving Rodney no choice but to take him.

"Dammit, Sheppard," Rodney said breathlessly, but the baby was cradled in his arms, finally, for the first time.

John stepped back, crossing his arms so that Rodney wouldn't try to force Frank into his arms. He looked at Rodney's son where he lay cradled against Rodney's broad chest and felt something hot and fragile well up inside him.

Now that he was holding Frank, Rodney couldn't seem to take his eyes off him. John watched Rodney's expression soften when he poked a finger at Frank's closed fist and the baby latched onto it.

Rodney looked up briefly with a shy smile. "He's strong."

"Yeah, he is." John was afraid to move, afraid he'd break the spell that Frank had managed to cast over his father.

"I think his eyes are turning blue already."

"Could be."

Then Rodney made a small, broken sound in his throat and the next time he looked up, his eyes were shiny and a little desperate. "Okay, so this will be harder than I thought it would be. But - but it's not like I won't ever see him again. There will be holidays, vacations."

"But you won't be his dad, Rodney. Caleb will be. He and Jeannie will be his parents. You'll just be Uncle Rodney."

"He'll be safe on Earth. And have two parents, a sister. That's - that's better, isn't it?"

John swallowed hard. It was time to accept that Frank was leaving and that there was nothing he could do about it. He could see how hard this was for Rodney and John didn't want to make it any harder by putting a guilt trip on him.

He moved closer and without thinking about it, put his hand on Rodney's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Maybe you're right. He'll be safer on Earth," John said, trying not to think about schoolyard bullies and drugs and pedophiles.

"You'll come with me, won't you? To Jeannie's, I mean?"

"Sure, buddy," John said, forcing a smile he didn't feel in the slightest. "Whatever you want."

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The debriefing back at the SGC was cut short when Frank soiled his diaper and stank up the entire room.

"I can tell he's yours, McKay," one of the scientists threw over his shoulder as they all fled.

"Bite me," Rodney muttered, while a lieutenant came back in with a pile of wet paper napkins from the mess. He glared at the lieutenant, who swiftly retreated.

Calmly - he had the routine down pat by now - John unfolded the towel from the bag he'd brought with him and placed Frank on it, then opened up the diaper. Hoo boy, that was some prime manure. With a grimace, he snatched up a handful of napkins and applied it to Frank's pink bottom. It was job that required a certain degree of focus, which was why it took a while to notice that Rodney was hovering close, fidgety and tense.

"Something on your mind, buddy?" John asked, once Frank had a clean butt and a new diaper.

"I was just thinking that I'd - I want to go shopping. And buy him - stuff."

"Huh. Stuff."

Rodney got flushed and flustered. It was really kind of adorable and oh, God, but he was screwed. "Yes, yes, toys and clothes and things he'll need when he's older."

"A go cart!"

"I was thinking more along the lines of a pacifier, Lieutenant Colonel Speed Demon."

"No pacifiers. They're bad for the teeth, don't you know that?" John blinked. Had that just come out of his mouth?

Rodney didn't seem to have noticed; he picked up the ends of the diaper without a trace of squeamishness and dumped it neatly into the garbage, then dug in the bag and handed John the talcum powder and a fresh diaper just as he was about to reach for them.

"Okay," Rodney said when John was finished, practically bouncing on his toes, "we've got six hours before the plane leaves. To the mall!"

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

They ended up in a Baby Gap, and really, John should have known he was doomed when he started picking up little pairs of overalls that were four sizes too big.

Rodney hadn't done so well either; at the FAO Schwartz he'd bought enough educational toys to last the kid through puberty. "You do realize we're only allowed so much luggage on the plane?" Rodney sniped, as John threw yet another miniature football jersey into the basket.

"Says the guy who bought enough shit at the last store to pack the cargo hold of a Galaxy," John muttered.

"Hey, don't swear in front of the baby."

John looked down at the back of Frank's head. Yeah, they'd bought one of those New Age baby carriers, too. "If he can make it, he can hear it." He stroked Frank's cheek, and the baby gurgled happily. "Can't you, Frank?"

Rodney stared at him. "What did you call him?"

John shifted his weight from one hip to the other. "Well, I had to call him something."

"So of all the possible names you decided on Frank?"

"Okay, then what would you name him?"

Rodney turned beet red. "Um," he said, looking away, "I thought maybe - Duncan. After my grandfather."

John had to clench his hands into fists to keep from reaching out and stroking Rodney's cheek. "You know, that sounds like a great name. What do you think, Duncan?"

Duncan waved his hands and kicked his feet and unleashed a gigantic, hairy burp. John and Rodney looked at one another, and then they both burst out laughing. And for the first time, John started to wonder if this trip might not end up turning out exactly as Rodney had planned it.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

It wasn't surprising that Jeannie fell for Duncan as hard and as quickly as John had. It was surprising, though, that she made no move to take the baby from John's arms, or even ask to hold him. Mind you, John didn't offer, and he had to admit that if he'd looked in a mirror right then, he probably would've looked a little forbidding. Okay, a lot forbidding.

"I think Duncan is a wonderful choice of name, Mer," she said, an arm around her brother's shoulders as they sat together on the couch.

"Is your grandfather still living?" John asked.

"He died the first year I was in Atlantis," Rodney said softly. Jeannie squeezed his shoulder.

"He taught us how to whittle and spit," she said proudly, turning to John.

John brayed a laugh. "You're kidding me."

Rodney smiled crookedly. "He was a little - eccentric."

"And really, really Scottish. Thought salt and pepper were the only spices you should ever use."

"Ketchup was a tool of the devil," Rodney intoned with mock solemnity.

"What about pizza?" John asked, amused by the coordinated narrative of the McKay siblings.

Jeannie made a face and stuck a hand out in front of her. "Foreign food! Feh!"

John laughed, and Duncan made a little cooing sound and kicked his feet.

John and Rodney exchanged looks. "Hey!" Rodney exclaimed, pointing a finger. "He's never made that noise before, has he?"

"Nope, that's a new noise," John said, grinning.

"What does it mean, when they make that noise?" Rodney asked Jeannie.

Jeannie looked at him with utter, undiluted fondness. "It means they couldn't be happier than they are right now," she murmured, leaning in to kiss her brother's cheek.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

"So what do you think of all this?" Jeannie asked, handing John a dish to dry.

John manfully resisted the urge to run screaming from the kitchen. He should have known that doing the gentlemanly thing and offering to help her clean up had been a dumb idea. "What do I think of all what?"

Jeannie raised an eyebrow at him, and John held up the dish towel. "Okay, okay, I give up. Anything but the eyebrow." He placed the dish on the shelf, then sighed. "What do you want me to say? It's Rodney's kid, and ultimately it's his decision."

"Ultimately," Jeannie echoed, and John winced. "You have tried to convince him to keep Duncan, then."

"I wouldn't really say - convince," John hedged, taking a cup from her. "Maybe tried a little gentle persuasion."

Jeannie snorted. "You know my brother as well as I do. The gentle approach doesn't work on him." She paused, then stated flatly, "You love that baby. You don't want Mer to give him up any more than he does."

John set the cup down and stared out the window at the Miller's backyard. "Like I said, it's Rodney's decision." After a little while, John realized that Jeannie wasn't washing any more dishes and was just standing there, watching him. It was never a good thing when a woman did that. "Something wrong?"

"It's more than just the baby, isn't it?"

John treated her to his best bland smile, even though his heart had clenched with mild panic. "I don't know what you mean."

"Spare me the macho stoicism, Colonel," Jeannie said, rolling her eyes in a Rodney-like fashion. "It was obvious to me when I was in Atlantis."

"Look, Jeannie, your brother's not - you have to know that I'd never - " Jeannie just stared at him with those penetrating McKay eyes and John folded like a cheap card table. "It was obvious, huh?"

Jeannie's expression immediately cleared; smiling at him kindly, she murmured, "Only to someone who was looking for it. After the way that Mer talked about you, I suspected and when I saw you together, I knew for sure."

John's mouth fell open. "Wait. Are you saying - what I think you're saying?"

"That what I saw was obvious and mutual? Yes. So it seems to me, John, that you've got some work to do and pretty quickly. And remember, this is Mer we're talking about. You'll pretty much have to bludgeon him over the head before he gets it."

John was feeling a little bludgeoned himself all of a sudden, thinking of the possibility of Rodney in vivid colors, in ways he hadn't dared before now. But there was still the issue of the baby and what was holding Rodney back from accepting him.

"What are you standing there for? Get going."

John folded his arms and leaned back against the counter, then glared at her from under lowered brows.

Jeannie waved a hand at him. "Please. Try that on someone who didn't grow up with my brother."

"Okay, but you tell me something," John demanded. "Why is Rodney so convinced he'd make a rotten father?"

Jeannie blinked at him, and then her eyes filled. "Oh," she said softly. "I wish I knew, John. Our parents were - they meant well, I think, but they didn't always make the best decisions. Maybe not having the best role models in the world - but I think it's more than that, somehow."

"Do you - " John said, but the words died in his throat when he caught sight of Rodney standing, pale and furious, in the doorway to the kitchen. Jeannie turned too, and then took a step toward him, but Rodney held up a hand as if to ward her off.

"I'm going upstairs to say goodbye to Duncan," Rodney said, his voice shaking, "and then you can say goodbye to him, if you want. And then we're leaving."

"Mer - " Jeannie began, but Rodney only shook his head, and then he was gone.

"Crap," John said, hanging his head. He had a sinking feeling Rodney hadn't been around for the good part of that conversation.

"Welcome to the family," Jeannie said, with a wry brightness that had John using the eyebrow on her this time.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

"Look, just - listen to me for a minute, will you?"

"Aaaaaaaagggaaaaaaaagaaaahhhh!"

John stood in the hallway outside the room Jeannie had set aside for Duncan. It had been Madison's old room, she'd told them, and Madison was thrilled to be getting the "big girl" guest room in exchange. As he watched, Rodney bent over the crib and placed a hand on Duncan's wildly kicking feet, trying to still him.

"I just - look, this is the best thing, really. Jeannie has this parent thing down pat; you'll love it here." More flailing, this time with added gurgle. "No, really, I'm not - this is - will you please stop being so - " Rodney choked, and then his head drooped, and that was it, it was now or never, and the next thing John knew he was moving forward and spanning Rodney's shaking shoulders with his hands.

Rodney froze, and his head jerked up. "I dropped her."

John blinked, confused by the choice of pronoun. "You - what?"

"I dropped Jeannie. I was nine, and I thought I was stronger than I was. I'd been carrying her around for six months, bathing her, changing her - I did it all, you know? I was crazy about her - and one day I picked her up, but she'd put on a lot of weight lately - she was a chunky kid, but don't tell her I said that - and she started squirming and I let go of her and - " Rodney gulped air.

"Hey, hey," John soothed, "the last time I checked, your sister wasn't exactly brain damaged, you know."

Rodney shook his head. "I should have been aware of my own limitations," he said harshly.

John frowned. "You sound like you're quoting somebody."

Rodney's shoulders stiffened under John's hands. "They said I couldn't be trusted anymore, and they - wouldn't let me - "

"Christ, Rodney," John said, and Rodney rose to his feet and tried to get around John and out the door, but John was a lot faster and more determined. Before Rodney could get away, he flung an arm around Rodney's neck and hauled him into a lopsided hug.

Rodney went still and John changed his hold, opening his palms, sliding both arms around him and holding Rodney's broad body against him like a lover, like he'd only imagined doing for so long. John lowered his head and sighed contentedly against Rodney's warm neck. Close enough. Finally.

"Um - Sheppard?"

John smiled at the way Rodney's voice cracked and with Jeannie's advice in mind, he lifted his head and pressed his mouth to Rodney's. Rodney didn't move at first, for far too long for John's comfort, long enough that John was sure he was going to lose before he'd even had a chance to make his case.

Then Rodney's breath hitched and he made a soft, surprised sound in his throat and started clinging to John like a drowning man.

And Rodney kissed him back. Oh, fuck, did Rodney kiss him back. Rodney's muscular arms went around John, his wide mouth parted and Rodney's tongue slipped in for a very dirty tour of John's mouth at the same time Rodney grabbed John's ass and groped him with extreme prejudice.

John was surprised by the fact that he could just barely keep up. He might have known that Rodney would be like this - full-out, throttle back and just this side of achieving mach speed. For a second, John felt like the heroine on the cover of the romance novels his mom used to read, on the verge of a full-bodied swoon.

Luckily for him, Rodney wrenched his mouth away before John did something he would never live down. John blinked dazedly when Rodney held him out at arms' length, flushed and breathing heavily.

"Okay," Rodney panted, "what just happened?"

John smiled and he would have bet an entire paycheck that it was a goofy one. "You kissed me."

Rodney's eyes widened and he loosened his hold on John. "You kissed me first," he shot back defensively.

"No, what I gave you was more of a friendly peck. You kissed the hell out of me."

"You don't give a person a peck on the lips. That was a kiss and you know it."

"McKay," John said laughingly, shaking his head, "I believe you're mistaken."

Rodney's face was red, like he was about to go off on a rant, and then something changed. Slowly, one side of his mouth tilted up in a smile that made John's heart beat crazily. "Well, maybe you're right," Rodney said, in a low pitched voice that was just about the sexiest thing John had ever heard. "Because if that was your idea of a kiss, it was pretty pathetic."

John tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, yeah?" John took Rodney's face in his hands and kissed him with slow, hungry deliberation, taking his time and not stopping until Rodney turned his head away, gasping.

"Fuck," Rodney breathed, "okay, fine. Maybe that was a peck."

His hands gentling against Rodney's hot face, John trailed soft kisses across Rodney's forehead, his cheeks, his chin. "Damn straight," John muttered, not stopping, not ever wanting to stop.

"God, I never thought this could happen," Rodney whispered, sliding his hands under John's t-shirt and pulling him close. "I didn't think - hey, wait a minute."

John pulled back and met Rodney's suspicious frown. "What?"

"Do you just want me because of Duncan?"

John smiled. "I wanted you before Duncan, genius. He just sweetens the deal."

Rodney looked over his shoulder, where Duncan had drifted off to sleep, his fist tucked under his chin. "Yeah," Rodney said softly, "he does sweeten the deal."

John pressed a kiss to Rodney's temple and they stood at the crib until the room darkened. And then the two of them went down and told Jeannie about the change of plans.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Atlantis - Six Years Later

Rodney looked around the room and huffed out a loud breath. "Where did this stuff come from? Whose stuff is this? How is it possible that we accumulated so much stuff?"

John dropped down onto the sofa, which was the only surface that wasn't covered by the aforementioned stuff. He suspected that Rodney did that on purpose, so there would be a comfortable surface available for napping. "It's coming back to me why we waited so long to move into bigger quarters." This was their second move together, but back then they hadn't had nearly so much crap. About a week after their return to Atlantis with Duncan, they'd moved into larger, adjoining quarters, allegedly so that John could help share parenting duties. What neither of them told anyone was that the next night John had borrowed a blowtorch and cut a doorway in between their bedrooms.

And then just under two years later, President Obama had, as one of his first official acts, signed an executive order forbidding discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in all sectors of the federal government. Good thing, because by then they weren't fooling a single damned person on Atlantis, military or civilian.

Rodney climbed over the bike with training wheels Jeannie had sent with the last delivery from Earth and fell down on the cushions, stretching out with his head in John's lap and his bare feet dangling over the sofa arm. "I suppose we needed the room, but this still sucks. And remind me why you didn't get some of your grunts to help us?"

Rodney squawked when John gave him a whack on the side of the head. "What did I say about calling them grunts?" he said, rubbing his fingers in soothing circles over the place he'd just hit. "Big guns, remember? And a better question is where did Radek and Simpson disappear to? They were the ones who were supposed to help us."

"Mmmm," Rodney answered, leaning into John's touch. "You know what? To hell with this. Let's make out."

"We don't have time. Lorne's due back from the mainland with Dunc any min - "

Rodney turned onto his side and nuzzled John's belly. "Have I told you you're looking especially hot lately?" Rodney said, his voice muffled and turned on. "Come on, John. I've been half-hard all day, watching you bend and stoop and - lift things."

Rodney had discovered new and exciting erogenous zones since he and John had been together and John's belly was one of them. John shifted his hips a little, squirming at the arousing attention; encouraged, Rodney stuck his hand between John's legs, rubbing his palm over John's groin, which was growing more and more interested in spite of John's best intentions.

"Rodney, we can't." He sounded like the protesting virgin in some bodice-ripper, but geez, it had been a long day, and their son could walk through the door any second and find them groping one another on the couch, and - oh, fuck, that felt good -

Rodney lifted up and mouthed John's nipples through his shirt. "In the time you've wasted playing hard-to-get, I could have already had your dick in my mouth."

John groaned. "When you're right, you're right. Let's go."

John hurdled over the bins and the crates and Rodney detoured around them to get to the bedroom. As soon as they passed the threshold, they had their hands on each other; a second after that, they fell on a clear space on the bed. John thought the door closed and securely locked, then straddled Rodney's hips, kissing him hungrily as they both fumbled with their pants. John was faster and more successful and he knocked Rodney's hands away to get Rodney's open, too.

They were good at this by now, stealing snatches of alone time where they could, and in less than a minute their cocks were slicked up with lube and sliding against each other. Rodney pulled John's head down, his mouth as sweet and welcoming as it had been the first time they kissed. John knew just how to move so that Rodney made that hot little noise in the back of his throat, and he did it until the noise turned to hitching, desperate gasps.

Bracing himself over Rodney, John ground down as Rodney arched up, a perfect rhythm. "Come on, Rodney," John whispered, reaching down between them and wrapping his fist around their cocks, giving them the long, twisting strokes that always made Rodney crazy. "Come on me."

"Christ, John," Rodney gasped, curling his legs around John's and wrapping his fingers around John's biceps, looking up at John with a mix of lust and love that never failed to make John shiver. He wished they had time for more. He'd go slow if he could, suck Rodney's nipples, spread his ass open and lick him until he was squirming and begging to come.

"Come on," John said again, ignoring his own throbbing dick to take Rodney's more fully in his hand. "Fuck my hand, yeah, Rodney." Rodney put his feet flat on the mattress and did just that, moving his hips, pushing his dick into the tight circle John created over and over until he arched off the bed and came, his head back and his eyes closed.

John brushed the hair out of his eyes and leaned down to press a kiss to Rodney's mouth. "You're beautiful," he rasped urgently against the side of Rodney's sweaty face, rubbing the head of his dick against Rodney's soft belly. "Now turn over. I want some of that gorgeous ass."

Rodney's eyes half-opened and he gave John a soft, sated smile. "You love my ass," he said, his voice rough and full of affection.

John moved so that Rodney had enough space to turn over. "You better fucking believe it." John groaned out loud when Rodney was spread out beneath him. He straddled Rodney again, running his hand over Rodney's body - from his pale shoulders down his broad back to the perfect, firm curves of his ass. "Best ass in two galaxies."

Rodney laughed and John lowered himself until his dick was resting in the crease between Rodney's cheeks. "I love this," John said, feeling drunk with lust and possession and tenderness he'd never known he was capable of before Rodney. He started to move, slowly, his dick sliding between Rodney's cheeks with just the right amount of friction. "I love you like this. You're so fucking hot, spread out under me."

Rodney sighed, clasping his hands and resting his head down on them, making the muscles in his shoulders flex and John felt an intense rush of heat to his dick. He was close, so close - just looking at Rodney did that to him.

His orgasm was building, he couldn't wait any longer, so John grabbed Rodney's ass with both hands and rubbed hard into the crease twice, three times. And then he was coming, striping Rodney's ass and back until John collapsed on top of him, his hips twitching involuntarily until his orgasm finally ended.

"Damn, that was good," John moaned, kissing the back of Rodney's neck. "You have the best ideas ever."

Rodney turned his head. "Could I have that in writing?"

John leaned in and bit Rodney's earlobe. "At this moment, you can have anything you want."

"Hmm. A tempting offer. But unfortunately, what I want most right now is a shower. And we'd better hurry."

Their new quarters had a shower that was big enough for half the science department, a glass and metal structure with multiple showerheads and temperature controls that John and Rodney could regulate with their ATA gene. The minute John had seen it he'd conjured up all sorts of dirty scenarios for the future.

When Rodney looked over at him, squinting through the water that was pouring into his eyes, John leered at him.

"What?" Rodney asked suspiciously.

John ducked his head under the water, still smiling. "Nothing."

Rodney was drying off and John had just turned off the water when Duncan's voice came from the outer room. "I'm home!"

"We're in here, buddy," John called out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around himself as their son rushed in looking wind-blown and happy. Duncan reached Rodney first, throwing his arms around Rodney's thighs before moving to John and doing the same. John leaned down and hugged back, making Duncan squeal.

"Hey, you dripped on me," Duncan said with a grin, wiping his face.

John's heart swelled with love. "Sorry about that. How was your trip?"

"Yes, tell us all about it," Rodney called from the bedroom.

John grabbed another towel and scrubbed at his hair while Duncan launched into a blow-by-blow. "It was so cool, Dad. Colonel Lorne let me sit in the copilot's seat. I dialed the gate and he didn't even help me. We docked at the midway station and talked to Auntie Jeannie and Madison!"

"Really? That's great."

"And then we came back and I ate lunch with the Marines," he went on, his small body almost shaking with excitement. "And then I watched them fight with Ronon and then I held on to Ronon's back and we climbed this huge tree."

"Excuse me?" Rodney walked in, tying the belt of his bathrobe, his mouth in an unhappy slant. "Did I hear that correctly?"

He put his arms around Duncan and stood up, holding him in front of him while giving Rodney a quelling stare. "Yeah, Dunc had a great day," John said, subtly shaking his head. "But it's time for a bath now, okay? Go get ready and I'll be right there."

John let him down and he ran off, leaving them alone. At the mild panic on Rodney's face, John grinned and pulled him close. "Marines? Climbing trees with Ronon? Oh, God, he is your son, isn't he?"

John chuckled and squeezed Rodney tight. "No, genius. He's our son. All ours."



**

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