Fic: Aleatoric Life 15/25: Impetuoso
Title: Aleatoric Life 15: Impetuouso
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Sheppard, Beckett, Weir, Dex, Zelenka, Lorne, Parrish, Stackhouse, Corrigan, Cadman
Relationships: Beckett/McKay/Sheppard, Dex/Zelenka
Rating: PG-13, though the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: Mention of non-con, major character whumpage, violence, language, misunderstandings and hot kissage.
Spoilers: Brief mentions of Season 2's Trinity, Conversion, Lost Boys, The Hive, and Epiphany
Summary: They had rescued him, but they had yet to truly bring him safely home. Part of the Aleatoric Life series.
Disclaimer: Undoubtedly I own them, and a whole lot of other things, in some universe, but not this one.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Elizabeth asked for the second time.
Ronon's face went impassive. "Fine." He flinched. "Just fine."
"Okay," Elizabeth said slowly, doubt in her voice. "Well, all of you need to report to the infirmary anyway."
Ronon shifted uncomfortably and stifled a laugh.
Elizabeth looked at the others questioningly. Lorne shrugged. Parrish looked mystified. Yamato and St. Claire exchanged confused looks. Stackhouse gave her a "Don't ask me" face. Corrigan was watching Ronon in fascination. Arnaud and Alvarez were subtly backing away. Radek had taken a sudden interest in his tool bag. Elizabeth sighed in resignation. "We'll debrief after you've all been cleared."
Without any prompting, Ronon hauled up Radek's heavy bag and waited for the others to pass. Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. Radek shrugged and hurried to catch up with the taller man.
"Um... how...?" Radek started when they were out of earshot.
Ronon stopped, glanced at Lorne's and Stackhouse's teams, grabbed Radek by the front of his shirt and yanked him into a storage room.
Radek let out a startled yelp. "What are you--?"
Ronon silenced him with a hand over his mouth. They stood silently for a moment, then Ronon pulled his hand away. "You got room in your bag for this?" he asked, reaching into his coat and pulling the cat out.
"Oh," Radek said, sounding almost disappointed. "Um... I think I can arrange it... Here, can you... No... Wait. Just hold still."
Radek ducked under Ronon's arm in the small space and wriggled down to kneel next to his bag, Ronon's legs hot against his back. He quickly secured anything dangerous or heavy. Ronon suddenly jerked against him and Radek was impaled by four sets of cat claws.
"Bože!" he yelped, trying to jerk away and whacking his head on some shelving. "Do prdele! Did we have to do this here?"
"Sorry," Ronon said. "I didn't think I could go much longer."
Radek tried to reach the cat, who promptly settled between his shoulder blades, just out of reach. "I can't..."
"What?"
Radek let out a string of frustrated Czech. "If you haven't noticed, I don't bend that way! Help me!"
"Oh. Hold still." Ronon tried to lean down and managed to knock Radek into the shelves again.
"Ach Bože, tomu neveřím," Radek growled.
"Sorry."
"Just... just hurry up and get it off!"
The cat took this moment to leap off Radek's back-- no doubt leaving deep gouges in his flesh-- and onto the shelves, causing a rain of pens, pencils and spare styluses to fall on him.
The noise of the deluge of writing implements and one frustrated Czech scientist startled the cat, who leapt to another shelf, where it knocked over a box filled with packing peanuts. It then caromed off the wall and onto Ronon's back, starting an avalanche of clipboards that Ronon barely managed to catch, and then to Radek's head and into the corner where two shelving units abutted.
What followed was ten minutes of grunting, panting, banging, and swearing in at least five languages as they chased the cat around the small space and got it stuffed into Radek's tool bag.
Radek eyed the undulating bag and then took in Ronon's state-- sweaty and disheveled. Radek knew he had to look as bad-- hair flying, clothes askew, and panting like a dog.
"You ready to go?" Ronon asked.
Radek couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head. "We need to, ah, neaten up. Or people will think... um..." He paused. He didn't know what the Satedan attitude toward such things was.
"What?" Ronon asked.
"Well... let's just say they won't be thinking we were chasing a cat," he whispered.
Ronon's face took on a look of realisation. "Oh." He grinned, feral and slightly dangerous. "Yeah."
"Help me up. My knees are killing me."
Ronon offered his hand and Radek took it and stood, finding himself pressed against a sweaty chest. Ronon's grin widened and Radek found his breath catching.
Ronon reached out and fingered the soft tendril of hair at the nape of Radek's neck. "Let 'em talk." His fingers slid into Radek's hair and tightened, tilting Radek's head back and their lips met in a searing kiss.
Radek Zelenka's mind usually ran a mile a minute, but as Ronon's lips covered his own, as he felt Ronon's tongue teasing against his mouth, as he opened and found himself taken, possessed, all thoughts fled. Their bodies ground against each other as their tongues tasted and explored, sliding against each other.
The kiss lasted an eternity and no time at all, until the cat let out a plaintive mewl.
Ronon pulled back, panting, his hand still curled around the back of Radek's neck. "Better get your tool bag back to the lab."
Radek nodded, still speechless, and almost stumbled as the door slid open and Ronon backed out. He blinked as his brain re-engaged and then quickly grabbed up his bag and followed Ronon out.
Lieutenant Cadman stood in the hallway, eyeing the two men. Radek felt his face turn hot, but Ronon merely shrugged and slipped a hand against the center of his back and steered him down the hall. Radek could feel the weight of Cadman's eyes on them until they stepped into the transporter.
***
The apartment felt cold when they stepped inside. As the door slid shut, John slipped his arms around Carson and pulled him close, burying his face against Carson's shoulder.
He wanted to cry, to tell Carson how much it hurt to see Rodney in so much pain but refusing to reach out to them, to express his fear that they'd lost Rodney, to panic that he'd screwed up and lost everything today, but he knew Carson was still vulnerable. The memory of Carson with a bottle full of sleeping pills, the memory of the despair in his eyes, his words just this morning, kept John silent. He had to be the strong one, the one holding them all together, putting them back together, while life battered them to pieces.
It had always been Carson before-- after Doranda, after the retrovirus, after Ford and the enzyme, after Teer-- every time their lives went to hell, Carson brought them back.
"I'm sorry," John said into Carson's shirt.
"You didn't mean for him to get hurt. Mistakes happen, love."
John raised his head and met Carson's eyes. "I'm not talking about that, though sorry doesn't begin to cover how I feel about it. I just... I've never been good at, um, relationships, you know? I mean, I'm okay with short-term stuff, but this... keeping things going. I'm just... I don't know how. And Rodney's as bad as I am."
"Or worse."
"Yeah, maybe. It's just... All this shit that's happened... and I've seen... We've always let you do all the work. And I'm sorry."
"Ah, love!" Carson cupped John's cheek, smiling even as tears glimmered in his eyes. "You're worth every tear."
"Oh, God! I love you." John pulled Carson against him, holding him desperately, and kissed him just as intensely as the tears finally came.
***
"Sorry," John said.
Carson lifted his head from John's chest and leaned on his hand, peering at his lover. "Sorry for what, love? For this?" he asked, nodding to indicate the bed and their debauched state.
"What? No. I figured you'd say something if sex wasn't okay. It was okay, wasn't it?"
"It was good, love." Carson leaned down and kissed him. "So what are you apologising for?"
"I didn't mean to lose it. Before, I mean. Here I was apologising for leaning on you so much and then I turn around and lose it on you."
Carson stroked John's face and then slipped his fingers into John's hair, toying with the silky strands, trying to think how to explain himself. "I know you think it helps me to be the strong, silent type, but honestly, John, sometimes I feel better just knowing I'm not alone in my feelings."
John smiled. "Misery loves company?"
"Aye. Something like that." He settled back down against John, fingers swirling through John's chest hair. "I talked to Radek this morning at breakfast. He said some things about Rodney."
John grew still against him. "He did?"
"I don't think we've lost him after all... assuming the attack today hasn't changed things."
"Zelenka told you that?"
"He told me Rodney talked to him last night and that Rodney apparently believed we were getting ready to leave him-- that we'd grown away from him while growing closer together as a couple, that we were making plans without him. I was sensing that he was feeling a wee bit jealous and left out. I just hadn't realised the extent of it."
"So he decided to make a pre-emptive strike and leave us first," John surmised.
"It looks that way, yes."
"Damned idiot!"
"Aye, but he's our idiot."
John sighed. "I know. There are times when I don't know whether I'd rather smack him or fuck him into the mattress."
"Mmmmm! I know which one I'd choose!"
Somehow, Carson could tell John was grinning, even though he wasn't looking at his face. "Well, easy enough for you to say. You don't have to put up with him off world all the time."
They lay in companionable silence for a moment, then Carson kissed John's shoulder and sighed. "We need to talk to him. Tell him how much he means to us."
"Yeah. When does he get out of the infirmary?"
"Probably tomorrow, assuming no complications or irregularities."
"Good. We'll talk then."
Carson nodded against John's shoulder. "I was thinking we might want to have dinner with him-- no serious talk, because we need privacy when we do that-- but he's had a shock and he needs us to be there for him now that he's had some time to himself."
"Sounds good. Let's get washed up and grab some trays in the cafeteria, maybe snag some blue Jell-o for Rodney, and take them to the infirmary."
"I'll go run a bath for us, then."
"Ooo! Sounds kinky," John said.
"Ye're insatiable, you know?"
"And this is a bad thing how?"
"Oh, I wasn't complaining," Carson said. "Just commenting."
AN: Impetuouso is a musical term meaning "impetuously"
Next part
Author: SGAtlantisLight
Characters: McKay, Sheppard, Beckett, Weir, Dex, Zelenka, Lorne, Parrish, Stackhouse, Corrigan, Cadman
Relationships: Beckett/McKay/Sheppard, Dex/Zelenka
Rating: PG-13, though the series as a whole is NC-17
Warnings: Mention of non-con, major character whumpage, violence, language, misunderstandings and hot kissage.
Spoilers: Brief mentions of Season 2's Trinity, Conversion, Lost Boys, The Hive, and Epiphany
Summary: They had rescued him, but they had yet to truly bring him safely home. Part of the Aleatoric Life series.
Disclaimer: Undoubtedly I own them, and a whole lot of other things, in some universe, but not this one.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Elizabeth asked for the second time.
Ronon's face went impassive. "Fine." He flinched. "Just fine."
"Okay," Elizabeth said slowly, doubt in her voice. "Well, all of you need to report to the infirmary anyway."
Ronon shifted uncomfortably and stifled a laugh.
Elizabeth looked at the others questioningly. Lorne shrugged. Parrish looked mystified. Yamato and St. Claire exchanged confused looks. Stackhouse gave her a "Don't ask me" face. Corrigan was watching Ronon in fascination. Arnaud and Alvarez were subtly backing away. Radek had taken a sudden interest in his tool bag. Elizabeth sighed in resignation. "We'll debrief after you've all been cleared."
Without any prompting, Ronon hauled up Radek's heavy bag and waited for the others to pass. Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. Radek shrugged and hurried to catch up with the taller man.
"Um... how...?" Radek started when they were out of earshot.
Ronon stopped, glanced at Lorne's and Stackhouse's teams, grabbed Radek by the front of his shirt and yanked him into a storage room.
Radek let out a startled yelp. "What are you--?"
Ronon silenced him with a hand over his mouth. They stood silently for a moment, then Ronon pulled his hand away. "You got room in your bag for this?" he asked, reaching into his coat and pulling the cat out.
"Oh," Radek said, sounding almost disappointed. "Um... I think I can arrange it... Here, can you... No... Wait. Just hold still."
Radek ducked under Ronon's arm in the small space and wriggled down to kneel next to his bag, Ronon's legs hot against his back. He quickly secured anything dangerous or heavy. Ronon suddenly jerked against him and Radek was impaled by four sets of cat claws.
"Bože!" he yelped, trying to jerk away and whacking his head on some shelving. "Do prdele! Did we have to do this here?"
"Sorry," Ronon said. "I didn't think I could go much longer."
Radek tried to reach the cat, who promptly settled between his shoulder blades, just out of reach. "I can't..."
"What?"
Radek let out a string of frustrated Czech. "If you haven't noticed, I don't bend that way! Help me!"
"Oh. Hold still." Ronon tried to lean down and managed to knock Radek into the shelves again.
"Ach Bože, tomu neveřím," Radek growled.
"Sorry."
"Just... just hurry up and get it off!"
The cat took this moment to leap off Radek's back-- no doubt leaving deep gouges in his flesh-- and onto the shelves, causing a rain of pens, pencils and spare styluses to fall on him.
The noise of the deluge of writing implements and one frustrated Czech scientist startled the cat, who leapt to another shelf, where it knocked over a box filled with packing peanuts. It then caromed off the wall and onto Ronon's back, starting an avalanche of clipboards that Ronon barely managed to catch, and then to Radek's head and into the corner where two shelving units abutted.
What followed was ten minutes of grunting, panting, banging, and swearing in at least five languages as they chased the cat around the small space and got it stuffed into Radek's tool bag.
Radek eyed the undulating bag and then took in Ronon's state-- sweaty and disheveled. Radek knew he had to look as bad-- hair flying, clothes askew, and panting like a dog.
"You ready to go?" Ronon asked.
Radek couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head. "We need to, ah, neaten up. Or people will think... um..." He paused. He didn't know what the Satedan attitude toward such things was.
"What?" Ronon asked.
"Well... let's just say they won't be thinking we were chasing a cat," he whispered.
Ronon's face took on a look of realisation. "Oh." He grinned, feral and slightly dangerous. "Yeah."
"Help me up. My knees are killing me."
Ronon offered his hand and Radek took it and stood, finding himself pressed against a sweaty chest. Ronon's grin widened and Radek found his breath catching.
Ronon reached out and fingered the soft tendril of hair at the nape of Radek's neck. "Let 'em talk." His fingers slid into Radek's hair and tightened, tilting Radek's head back and their lips met in a searing kiss.
Radek Zelenka's mind usually ran a mile a minute, but as Ronon's lips covered his own, as he felt Ronon's tongue teasing against his mouth, as he opened and found himself taken, possessed, all thoughts fled. Their bodies ground against each other as their tongues tasted and explored, sliding against each other.
The kiss lasted an eternity and no time at all, until the cat let out a plaintive mewl.
Ronon pulled back, panting, his hand still curled around the back of Radek's neck. "Better get your tool bag back to the lab."
Radek nodded, still speechless, and almost stumbled as the door slid open and Ronon backed out. He blinked as his brain re-engaged and then quickly grabbed up his bag and followed Ronon out.
Lieutenant Cadman stood in the hallway, eyeing the two men. Radek felt his face turn hot, but Ronon merely shrugged and slipped a hand against the center of his back and steered him down the hall. Radek could feel the weight of Cadman's eyes on them until they stepped into the transporter.
***
The apartment felt cold when they stepped inside. As the door slid shut, John slipped his arms around Carson and pulled him close, burying his face against Carson's shoulder.
He wanted to cry, to tell Carson how much it hurt to see Rodney in so much pain but refusing to reach out to them, to express his fear that they'd lost Rodney, to panic that he'd screwed up and lost everything today, but he knew Carson was still vulnerable. The memory of Carson with a bottle full of sleeping pills, the memory of the despair in his eyes, his words just this morning, kept John silent. He had to be the strong one, the one holding them all together, putting them back together, while life battered them to pieces.
It had always been Carson before-- after Doranda, after the retrovirus, after Ford and the enzyme, after Teer-- every time their lives went to hell, Carson brought them back.
"I'm sorry," John said into Carson's shirt.
"You didn't mean for him to get hurt. Mistakes happen, love."
John raised his head and met Carson's eyes. "I'm not talking about that, though sorry doesn't begin to cover how I feel about it. I just... I've never been good at, um, relationships, you know? I mean, I'm okay with short-term stuff, but this... keeping things going. I'm just... I don't know how. And Rodney's as bad as I am."
"Or worse."
"Yeah, maybe. It's just... All this shit that's happened... and I've seen... We've always let you do all the work. And I'm sorry."
"Ah, love!" Carson cupped John's cheek, smiling even as tears glimmered in his eyes. "You're worth every tear."
"Oh, God! I love you." John pulled Carson against him, holding him desperately, and kissed him just as intensely as the tears finally came.
***
"Sorry," John said.
Carson lifted his head from John's chest and leaned on his hand, peering at his lover. "Sorry for what, love? For this?" he asked, nodding to indicate the bed and their debauched state.
"What? No. I figured you'd say something if sex wasn't okay. It was okay, wasn't it?"
"It was good, love." Carson leaned down and kissed him. "So what are you apologising for?"
"I didn't mean to lose it. Before, I mean. Here I was apologising for leaning on you so much and then I turn around and lose it on you."
Carson stroked John's face and then slipped his fingers into John's hair, toying with the silky strands, trying to think how to explain himself. "I know you think it helps me to be the strong, silent type, but honestly, John, sometimes I feel better just knowing I'm not alone in my feelings."
John smiled. "Misery loves company?"
"Aye. Something like that." He settled back down against John, fingers swirling through John's chest hair. "I talked to Radek this morning at breakfast. He said some things about Rodney."
John grew still against him. "He did?"
"I don't think we've lost him after all... assuming the attack today hasn't changed things."
"Zelenka told you that?"
"He told me Rodney talked to him last night and that Rodney apparently believed we were getting ready to leave him-- that we'd grown away from him while growing closer together as a couple, that we were making plans without him. I was sensing that he was feeling a wee bit jealous and left out. I just hadn't realised the extent of it."
"So he decided to make a pre-emptive strike and leave us first," John surmised.
"It looks that way, yes."
"Damned idiot!"
"Aye, but he's our idiot."
John sighed. "I know. There are times when I don't know whether I'd rather smack him or fuck him into the mattress."
"Mmmmm! I know which one I'd choose!"
Somehow, Carson could tell John was grinning, even though he wasn't looking at his face. "Well, easy enough for you to say. You don't have to put up with him off world all the time."
They lay in companionable silence for a moment, then Carson kissed John's shoulder and sighed. "We need to talk to him. Tell him how much he means to us."
"Yeah. When does he get out of the infirmary?"
"Probably tomorrow, assuming no complications or irregularities."
"Good. We'll talk then."
Carson nodded against John's shoulder. "I was thinking we might want to have dinner with him-- no serious talk, because we need privacy when we do that-- but he's had a shock and he needs us to be there for him now that he's had some time to himself."
"Sounds good. Let's get washed up and grab some trays in the cafeteria, maybe snag some blue Jell-o for Rodney, and take them to the infirmary."
"I'll go run a bath for us, then."
"Ooo! Sounds kinky," John said.
"Ye're insatiable, you know?"
"And this is a bad thing how?"
"Oh, I wasn't complaining," Carson said. "Just commenting."
AN: Impetuouso is a musical term meaning "impetuously"
Next part