Explorations - ficathon entry for kyrdwyn
Name on LJ: kyrdwyn
Pairing preference (het, slash or gen): Zelenka/Sheppard or gen
Up to 3 things you'd like to see in your fic: hockey, flying, classical literature
Things you don't want in your fic: MPREG, BDSM, non-con
Title: Explorations
Author: Rose Wilde-Irish
Pairing: Z/S
Rating: Adult
Summary: John is paired with Radek for exploring the city.
Notes: Spoilers up to and including Hot Zone, and probably into s.2
"I don't understand why, if we're forced to go out on the buddy system instead of en masse any more, we can't simply keep to team assignments, that's all!" Rodney said, irritation lining every word as he paced the floor of his lab.
Radek ignored him, concentrating on packing a small bag of tools and supplies, and John sighed, shifting on the stool. "Because, Rodney, two people present less of a risk if we run into another contagion, and it was decided that it made the most sense to have one scientist, one military, and only one of them with the gene. There's few enough of us as it is, even with the therapy, and having you and me on the same team would be a 'waste of a valuable resource'." John's tone showed he was quoting, but Rodney refused to be mollified, pulling his frown down further.
"I don't want to have to break in a new person," he said, voice almost a whine. "I want someone who already knows my shorthand, who won't slow me down."
"I'll do my best, Doc," a new voice interrupted, and all three men turned toward the new arrival.
"Sergeant Bates," John greeted, nodding coolly. Rodney rolled his eyes, face expressing it's always a pissing contest between the two of you, isn't it? better than words could. "Take good care of my teammember, now."
"Oh, right, because I'm so clearly incapable of taking any kind of care of myself," Rodney injected before Sgt. Bates could do more than start to puff himself up. "Come on, Sergeant, we've got a mythical city to explore."
With that, he stalked from the room, leaving Bates to give John a startled look that was half We'll continue this later and half an almost sympathetic You have to deal with this regularly? Maybe I don't need to be so hard on you. John stifled a smile and looked at Radek, who was holding back similar amusement. They shared a warm glance, and then Radek turned back to the desk, poking at one or two of the larger tools and sighing.
"Problems, Doc?" John asked.
"There is so much I would like to take, but very little of it is comfortable to transport," Radek told him, frowning once more at the tools. He hefted his kit experimentally and sighed, shrugging lightly and turning to John. "I believe this will suffice, unless we find secret chamber of technological treasures."
"If only it would be that easy, Dr. Zelenka," John said, smiling.
"Radek, please, Major."
John's smile quirked up a little, but it somehow seemed a touch more false. "Why don't you call me John? At least while we're the only ones around, and any time I'm off duty. I get a little tired of always being only Major Sheppard."
A surprisingly shy smile flashed on Radek's face as he nodded. "John, then. Shall we?"
John returned his nod and started forward through the doorway. "We drew the northwest arm."
"It is a shame that we have been unable to find a city directory in the Ancients' database," Radek commented as they walked.
"Yeah, that would come in handy, wouldn't it?"
"Almost as handy as an instruction manual or detailed journal for the labs," Radek said, and John detected a note of mourning in his voice.
"Must make figuring things out rough," John said.
"Yes, yes. We have no idea if thing we are poking is a weapon or a can opener," Radek groused. "On the one hand, I can understand that they wanted to take all notes and information with them. It is most likely to ensure that we who find these things are advanced enough to use them responsibly."
"Because those that wouldn't, would most likely blow themselves up, anyway?"
"Exactly," Radek said, and even though he wasn't, John got the sense that he was laughing. He relaxed a little, allowing some of the shared distress at not being partnered with Rodney to ease a bit. He'd let Rodney do the complaining for both of them, because it wasn't proper for the chief military officer to go around complaining that he wasn't teamed with his friend. Rodney never seemed to care about proprieties, saying whatever he felt with little regard for its effects. He'd gotten used to his teammate's mouth over time and even considered it a mostly postive character trait, but he'd forgotten how wearying it could be to deal with the constant, almost stream-of-consciousness complaints. Radek made a nice change.
Before he knew it, they had reached their destination, looking a touch more worse for wear than the currently inhabited sections were. He stopped and Radek followed, looking quizzical. "Control, this is Major Sheppard. Radek Zelenka and I are at our destination and about to begin exploring."
"Copy that, Major. Good luck."
He turned to Radek. "So...start from the front and move back, or go to a stopping point and explore back to this point?"
Radek pondered, face flickering subtlely. "Forward on," he said finally. "Because I am not certain how long the room explorations will take. It depends on what we find."
John nodded, and then asked, "But your issue with that is...?"
Radek flashed a rueful smile. "I'm afraid I do not know my limitations quite yet."
John grinned. "Don't worry, Doc, I'll make sure you can make it back home. Which way?"
Radek looked around. "How about up?"
John grinned as they moved to the stairs and began to climb. "I'm a fan of up," he said.
"Yes, of course. When did you know you wanted to fly?"
"I always wanted to fly. It just took some time to figure out how to do it with assistance," John said. "Once I got that part down, it was mostly a matter of getting to be old enough for flying lessons and saving enough to fund them. My parents figured, if I was serious about it, I'd find a way."
Radek was smiling again. John wondered how many versions of a smile he had. "And so you did."
"And so I did, yes," John said. "It's...amazing. Freeing. One of the times when I feel most alive."
Radek was nodding, looking a little wistful. John hesitated, then said, "We should keep an eye out for places to land the Jumper. You know, for when we get deeper into the city. It would save time." He dismissed the idea of using the transporters when Radek's face broke out into a delighted grin, unable to keep from smiling himself.
And, hell, he thought, any time in the air is good time.
The rooms in this tower seemed to be all residential with some office-type rooms. John radioed their findings to Control and ignored Rodney's demands via radio to know if any of the residences met his very specific criteria. He turned to Radek with a smile.
Radek examined the office they found themselves in with a light frown. "Problems, Doc?" John asked.
"Ne, not problem. It is just...a little troubling when you find something that looks at though it belongs back home."
"Yeah, you can almost see a stockbroker coming here to start his day, can't you?" He shared Radek's smile.
Watching Radek, making sure the man didn't push past his limits, John suggested breaks and pauses much sooner than he would for himself. Even when they were on a break, the scientist was in motion, examining the walls and floors and furnishings of the rooms they found themselves in.
And talking. It surprised John how easy Radek was to talk to; he had grown used to Rodney's half-combative style of conversation. With Radek he never felt as though the other man was going to flay him alive for not keeping the conversation intelligent.
They broke for lunch when John's stomach rumbled loudly, earning a look and a laugh from Radek.
"You must let me know when it is time for meals, Ma-John. It's entirely possible that I will get caught up in the work, and become too distracted."
"Part of what I'm here for, Doc," John said, smiling. "And why it's scientist/soldier. Two scientists just might never come back."
"This is true," Radek said around bites of food. "Even the most ordinary rooms are fascinating..."
John smiled, and listened to Radek's enthusiastic babble, and ignored the alarm bells that started ringing in his head.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
There were times when John missed the ordinary feel of flying, hating the inertial dampeners and their clinical efficiency. Flying ought to make you feel as though you were flying, he mused, not as though you were watching footage of someone flying on a really good high def screen.
"What is it?"
Radek's soft voice cut through John's internal grumblings, and he shot a smile over to the other man. Flying hadn't lost its appeal to him yet, and John didn't want to be the wet blanket. "It's nothing."
"Is clearly something," Radek insisted, and John cursed the Czech's observant nature. Rodney would not have pushed. Hell, Rodney would have barely noticed.
"I just miss the feel of flying. The intertial dampeners take a little too much away, you know?"
Radek had that look of assessment that was starting to affect John lately. The past couple of weeks had been scattered with periodic jaunts out on exploration duty with Radek, and he'd found himself looking forward to those days more and more as time went by. It wasn't that he didn't like his team; he enjoyed the missions and teasing Rodney in the lab as much as he ever did.
There was just something about the work with Radek, something quiet and slyly humerous and fun. And a little unsettling, every time Radek looked at him with that too-knowing expression, as though he could see through the facade of confident, laid-back soldier to the fraud of insecurities and doubt within.
The only thing that made it bearable was the additional feeling that it was all right; that Radek not only accepted him for who he was under the facade, but that he still admired him.
Which was its own brand of unsettling.
"There is no override?" Radek was asking, cutting into his thoughts.
John kicked himself for never having thought of that. "I don't know," he drawled, reaching out to prod the control panel and having a screen pop up as he thought about an override. Ancient text scrolled by, almost angrily, too fast for him to translate. "What does that say?" he asked, trying to will the text to slow.
"It is warning for pilots who wish to shut off inertial dampeners. Speaks of dangers and consequences of flight without them."
"Huh, so the Ancients had disclaimers, too," John said. "How do I shut 'em off?"
The text slowed until one section remained, making it easier for John to translate. Following the instructions, he turned off the inertial dampeners and put the Jumper into a shallow turn. He couldn't help the whoop that escaped him as the forces at work pressed him into his seat, looking over at Radek with a huge grin.
Radek smiled back at him, several different emotions playing across his face and confusing the hell out of John. But thinking about it too long cut into his enjoyment of true flying, complete with the feel of it, so he filed it away and resolved to circle Atlantis before landing at their current locale.
He wondered if the Jumper could handle a barrel roll, and a screen popped up with angry Ancient text flashing on it. Beside him, Radek paled. "Ah, Major, that would not be wise," Radek said, and John grinned.
"Maybe not, but it won't hurt the Jumper or us just to think about it," he replied, a little disappointed the Jumper was so good at reading his mind and advising him about the feasibility of his current track of thinking.
Given what he'd been thinking of, as of late, he supposed he should be grateful the Jumper only responded to Jumper-related thoughts. Though a turkey sandwich on occasion would be nice. He kept his gaze forward, paying attention to the details of flying, relishing the feel of it and ignoring any other, wayward thoughts as they crept in.
Then he grinned and looked at Radek, putting on his best you know you wanna look. "What do you say we circle Atlantis a bit before getting to work?"
Radek's answering grin matched his own. Turning back to the controls, John thought about what he wanted to try with the Jumper next.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This is kind of..." John said as he picked his way through the wreckage of the hall.
"Gross?" Radek asked, lifting his leg out of the three inch deep pool of water and over the jumble of masonry, crystals and other alien bits.
John grinned, amused to hear 'gross' coming from the Czech scientist. "Yeah, that fits."
Radek made a disgusted noise. "I hate wet socks. Bad for feet, good for making blisters..." He curled his lip in a snarl. John found it kind of endearing.
"Should we be concerned that all this water is here?" John asked.
Radek consulted his datapad, his movements quick and precise. John had an odd flash of watching the scientists on Star Trek, and promptly stifled it. The lines in Atlantis clearly defined the scientists from the military, and he knew where he was supposed to stand. Had to stand.
No matter how attractive the other side sometimes seemed.
"No, even should the entire floor flood, it's not enough to trigger a catastrophic situation," Radek said. "We should see if we can get the automatic systems back online, though, so drainage can occur."
"That would be a definite plus for slogging back to the Jumper," John said, enjoying the twinkle that showed Radek understood the underlying humor. "Question is, how do we do that?"
"Is this way," Radek said, indicating the direction, and started off that way.
"Oh, great, where the water's deeper," John grumbled.
Radek gave him a subtle look that somehow made him feel more stupid than a fifteen minute diatribe on his stupidity by McKay. "Ano, makes sense, doesn't it? If systems were online, drainage would be at lowest point."
"Right, right," John said, slogging behind.
Half an hour later John had hopped up on a table in the Ancient equivalent of a boiler room, avoiding the just over knee deep water and resting his feet on the tabletop. He contemplated Radek's wet shoes and socks, resting beside him. Halfway through the repairs, Radek had snorted and started removing them, saying he couldn't see why he needed to be miserable when he wasn't doing much in the way of walking around. Radek's kit, vest and jacket had quickly joined them. John wondered how much more of Radek's clothing was going to come off before the job was done.
As though he could hear John's thoughts, Radek made a triumphant noise and started wading towards the table, pulling his shirt above his head. John cleared his throat as Radek folded the shirt and laid it on top of his vest, asking "Doc?" in a tone that plainly stated he was wondering about Radek's sanity.
Radek smiled a quick half-smile, gesturing towards the floor. "All is done. But drain is zablokovaný...frozen. And of course is located at lowest point." He glanced at the water with obvious distaste.
"I could..." John began, but Radek shook his head reluctantly.
"No, I know what needs to be done. It will not be pleasant, but it will not kill me." He hiked up his pants legs, puzzling John until he unbucked his pants and pulled them down before hopping up on the table beside John. Pulling his pants the rest of the way off, he hopped off the table with a splash and spread his pants across the end of the table to dry. John watched Radek's hands, not trusting his expression to keep neutral when faced with Radek in his boxers. Radek reached up and removed his glasses, and John knew he was doomed, because Radek looked about a thousand times more naked without them than he did standing there in boxers and skin.
Radek took a few unsteady steps back to the center of the room and dropped down, hissing as the cold water covered more of his skin. John watched intently, alert for any signs of struggle or danger. After a moment, Radek took a deep breath and submerged.
John counted to thirty. Radek popped up and breathed in. John started to sigh in relief when Radek muttered in Czech and dropped below the surface again, bits of his back and a foot breaking the surface as he struggled with something. After a moment, Radek's head surfaced again and he stood. The water, which had been disrupted by Radek's movements, kept moving, eventually resolving into a pattern of drainage. John grinned. "Nice job." He avidly worked against noticing the way the water beaded and clung to Radek's skin.
"Thank you, but it is also very cold job," Radek said, and pulled on his shirt, grimacing as the fabric tried to cling to his wet skin. In short order he was dressed again, and John was breathing a sigh of relief.
"Come on, I think circumstances warrant an early day," John said, and Radek nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Concentrating on moving in a normal fashion, trying to hide the slight bulge in his pants, John missed some submerged debris and went tumbling into the water face first, the shock of chill water instantly taking care of one of his problems.
As he surfaced, gasping in shock, Radek reached out to give him a hand back on his feet.
"Thanks," John muttered, half expecting the kind of sarcastic remark Rodney would give.
"No problem," Radek replied. John stared at him for a moment, at a loss, then nodded and started down the corridor.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"...can't possibly be trying to tell me that there was any way Canada didn't come out on top this year," Rodney was saying as John stepped into the lab. Radek was packing his kit again, having refined it over the past few days.
"It is impossible for most people to try and tell you anything, Rodney, but I'm surprised you refuse to see the potential in the Czech team," Radek replied coolly. "Our offense is particularly-"
"What, weak in comparison to the Canadian defense? I'd have to agree with you there," Rodney smirked, and John could see the steam starting to rise from Radek.
"Gentlemen," he cut in. "Got a lot of ground to cover today, Dr. Zelenka, what say we get to it?"
"Of course, Major. Duty calls, Rodney." Radek shouldered his kit and walked over to John, who nodded at Rodney, ignoring the other man's muttered "Killjoy."
As they settled into the Jumper, John glanced at Radek out of the corner of his eye and said, "Actually, I felt the Czech team just might go all the way this season. They seem hungry for it."
Radek stared at John as he brought the Jumper up and out of the Jumper bay, a delighted smile replacing the momentary look of shock. "You are not nearly as unintelligent as you sometimes appear to be," he managed.
John gave him a full smirk. "You mean I'm not as dumb as I look?"
Still smiling, Radek nodded. "Exterior analysis suggests an intimate knowledge of American football, but no other sports."
John lifted an eyebrow, still smirking, and said, "And risk having to defend my choices to McKay? At least with football, he only snorts and disparages." Outwardly John continued his smirk without changing expression, but he hadn't failed to notice the slight hitch to Radek's breathing when he'd raised his eyebrow. Just one deeper inhalation, that was all, but John filed it away as he turned back to the Jumper controls.
"So. You favor the Czech team, then?"
"Oh, I didn't say that," John bantered. "Rodney had a point. The Canadians have a reputation to uphold."
Radek nodded ruefully. "Rodney usually does have a point. It's one of his more irritating qualities."
"Yes, it would be so much easier to cope with his ego if he was occassionally wrong about things, wouldn't it?" John glanced over and drank in Radek's expression, knowing he was enjoying their time together too much, but unable to care enough to stop himself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
John forced himself not to stare at Radek, focused intently on a bit of Ancient tech lying on the counter. Forced himself not to stare at the Czech's fingers as they slid across the surface of the device, poking and examining with a kind of reverence. Early on, it had been easier. Early on, he'd been able to watch Radek, but as time went on, his reactions to the scientist were harder to hide. He thought it would be best if he were still able to walk normally when the room was neatly catalogued in Radek's datapad.
At least, if the floor plan held true to form, this should be the last lab. John found it amusing that the floors were divided up, labs and residence quarters sharing space equally. He smiled at the thought of a bustling Atlantis, scientists burying themselves in their work until they dragged themselves off to collapse into bed.
Some things, he noted as he glanced again at Radek, completely absorbed in his work, don't change no matter what millenium you were in. He found himself following the line of Radek's back, the curve and dip down...
He sighed and shifted his perch on one of the lab tables. Radek glanced over at him. "Bored?" he asked with a slight qwirk of his lips.
"A little. Remind me to grab my book next time."
Radek made a happy, sort of humming noise. "What are you reading?"
"War And Peace. It's a little...slow going. Not as much fun as Aneid."
Radek was staring at him. "You don't believe in halfways, do you?"
John smirked a bit at him. "Another case of not nearly as unintelligent as I appear to be, Radek?"
He noted the slight freeze when he said Radek's name instead of his usual affectionate 'Doc', noted the smile that formed at the other man's lips. "Something like that. You don't exactly look like the classics type."
"Oh, I started with Sun Tzu, of course, and then got into Confucius, but I have to admit a soft spot for Homer."
Radek noded. "And Virgil, I suppose."
John made an appreciative noise. "Of course. What's the classics without Virgil?"
Radek stared. "You are a very interesting man, John Sheppard."
John, smirking a bit more, raised an eyebrow at him. Radek gave a quick inhalation and turned to his work, frowning a bit, then pulled out his datapad and started scribbling. After a moment, he quickly packed up his kit and lifted it to his shoulders, turning to John with an expression John couldn't quite read. "Ready already?" John asked, a little surprised, despite the obvious evidence in front of him.
Radek nodded. "Ano, quite ready. Let's go." He turned and exited the room, leaving a puzzled John behind him. John tilted his head to one side, then the other, considering, and hopped off the table, moving at a good clip to catch up to Radek.
The floor plan held, and they entered and quickly checked three of the residential side, before John's training saved him from plowing into Radek, stopped short inside the fourth room. "What-" John began, cut short as Radek turned and wrapped his arms around John and leaned in to kiss him, lips and tongue and heat making John's brain seize.
Almost as quickly, Radek broke the kiss, arms still encircling John. "Sorry," he said, voice rough. "I thought-"
John interrupted him this time, kissing Radek back. He pressed against Radek, reaching up to remove his kit and vest, sucking lightly on Radek's lower lip. Radek's hands fisted in John's vest, then shifted to the front as he worked it free. John's hands slid under Radek's shirt, ghosting against his skin. Radek groaned and shivered under John's touch and his hands on John's hips pulled him close. John tried a firmer touch. Radek responded by kissing him hard, tongue darting against John's own. John's hands slid lower, reaching the curve of Radek's ass and cupping. Radek rocked against John, gasping out his name, and John leaned down to suck and bite against Radek's collarbone, not wanting to mark Radek where others could see. Radek's hand carded through John's hair and gripped lightly, thumb of his other hand somehow finding John's nipple, circling and teasing it to a hard point. John made a small needy noise and Radek's fingers tweaked the nipple, and John realized they were thrusting against each other, cocks fully hard and restricted and it didn't matter, it felt wonderful.
But naked would probably feel better. John pulled back a bit from Radek, looking around. The bed was a few feet from him, covered in the plastic-like material they'd found so much of Atlantis covered in. "Bed," he suggested, between ragged breaths.
"Wonderful," Radek agreed, and they separated long enough to pull the material off the bed and the rest of their clothes off.
Staring at a fully naked, fully erect Radek, John was caught in a moment of surrealism. It was one thing to try and hold back illicit thoughts of your sopping-wet-in-boxers teammate; it was quite another to be facing him, naked and hard in an ancient, deserted bedroom.
Something flickered behind Radek's eyes, and his smile faltered before resuming, a touch of embarassment lurking. "All right?" Radek asked, and John heard an entire conversation in those two words: how he was wanted; how Radek understood his potential reticence, how Radek was willing to make whatever outcome work.
John smiled. "Passed all right a while back," he said, and reached out to cup the back of Radek's neck, leading him closer for another kiss. He pulled Radek tight against him, and damned if he wasn't right about it feeling much better naked.
Not that he had much doubt about that.
They eased each other back onto the bed, rocking against each other, occassionally thrusting too hard or not hard enough, but soon finding the right rhythm.
When Radek's hand circled John's cock, it sent waves of pleasure through him, timed with the slow and gentle movements of his hand. For a moment, John's world revolved around the smooth and glorious tugging of Radek's hand on his cock, and then the thought of Radek's own hardness made its way through his head. John hastily reached out and began to stroke as well, earning a delicious noise of want and desire from Radek.
Endless moments were spent in finding out what the other man liked, in telling him without words which of Radek's own movements were the most stimulating. After so many days of pushing his interest away, John knew he wasn't going to last long, not as long as he wanted, and he couldn't resist a fierce kiss as he thought of how many times he'd wanted exactly this. He felt Radek stiffen beside him, and then Radek was pulsing, covering his hand in warm spurts. "Ach Bůh, John" Radek gasped, and the sound of it coupled with the naked vulnerability and desire on Radek's face sent John crashing over the edge, pulsing and coating Radek's hand too.
He was silent a long time as the world restarted around him, wanting it to pull back in until it was just the two of them again. Breathing returning to normal, he gave Radek a slow, easy kiss that was returned in kind. Radek shifted as the kiss ended, sitting up and reaching into his pack for what John swore was probably a shop rag and began cleaning them both off, his touch gentle. He turned to John with a lopsided smile, and John's heart gave a lurch. Reaching out, he pulled Radek into a hug, willing the world to stay away for a few moments longer. Radek nuzzled against his neck, lips pressing lightly against John's skin.
"That was nice," John said. Radek answered with a snort.
"Was more than nice," Radek said.
"All right, it was incredibly, mindblowingly good." He felt more than saw Radek's nod. John inhaled and spoke again. "Do it again sometime?"
Radek pulled back to gaze solemly at John. "Any time," he said and smiled. They sat up, shoulders brushing before they separated and started pulling on their clothes. John paused to give the room a fond smile before they left. As he turned to join Radek, the half-smile and glint in his eyes warned John of the punch to come.
"After all, we have many more rooms to explore in this city."
John stumbled as he exited, catching himself and laughing in agreement.
~fin~
Pairing preference (het, slash or gen): Zelenka/Sheppard or gen
Up to 3 things you'd like to see in your fic: hockey, flying, classical literature
Things you don't want in your fic: MPREG, BDSM, non-con
Title: Explorations
Author: Rose Wilde-Irish
Pairing: Z/S
Rating: Adult
Summary: John is paired with Radek for exploring the city.
Notes: Spoilers up to and including Hot Zone, and probably into s.2
"I don't understand why, if we're forced to go out on the buddy system instead of en masse any more, we can't simply keep to team assignments, that's all!" Rodney said, irritation lining every word as he paced the floor of his lab.
Radek ignored him, concentrating on packing a small bag of tools and supplies, and John sighed, shifting on the stool. "Because, Rodney, two people present less of a risk if we run into another contagion, and it was decided that it made the most sense to have one scientist, one military, and only one of them with the gene. There's few enough of us as it is, even with the therapy, and having you and me on the same team would be a 'waste of a valuable resource'." John's tone showed he was quoting, but Rodney refused to be mollified, pulling his frown down further.
"I don't want to have to break in a new person," he said, voice almost a whine. "I want someone who already knows my shorthand, who won't slow me down."
"I'll do my best, Doc," a new voice interrupted, and all three men turned toward the new arrival.
"Sergeant Bates," John greeted, nodding coolly. Rodney rolled his eyes, face expressing it's always a pissing contest between the two of you, isn't it? better than words could. "Take good care of my teammember, now."
"Oh, right, because I'm so clearly incapable of taking any kind of care of myself," Rodney injected before Sgt. Bates could do more than start to puff himself up. "Come on, Sergeant, we've got a mythical city to explore."
With that, he stalked from the room, leaving Bates to give John a startled look that was half We'll continue this later and half an almost sympathetic You have to deal with this regularly? Maybe I don't need to be so hard on you. John stifled a smile and looked at Radek, who was holding back similar amusement. They shared a warm glance, and then Radek turned back to the desk, poking at one or two of the larger tools and sighing.
"Problems, Doc?" John asked.
"There is so much I would like to take, but very little of it is comfortable to transport," Radek told him, frowning once more at the tools. He hefted his kit experimentally and sighed, shrugging lightly and turning to John. "I believe this will suffice, unless we find secret chamber of technological treasures."
"If only it would be that easy, Dr. Zelenka," John said, smiling.
"Radek, please, Major."
John's smile quirked up a little, but it somehow seemed a touch more false. "Why don't you call me John? At least while we're the only ones around, and any time I'm off duty. I get a little tired of always being only Major Sheppard."
A surprisingly shy smile flashed on Radek's face as he nodded. "John, then. Shall we?"
John returned his nod and started forward through the doorway. "We drew the northwest arm."
"It is a shame that we have been unable to find a city directory in the Ancients' database," Radek commented as they walked.
"Yeah, that would come in handy, wouldn't it?"
"Almost as handy as an instruction manual or detailed journal for the labs," Radek said, and John detected a note of mourning in his voice.
"Must make figuring things out rough," John said.
"Yes, yes. We have no idea if thing we are poking is a weapon or a can opener," Radek groused. "On the one hand, I can understand that they wanted to take all notes and information with them. It is most likely to ensure that we who find these things are advanced enough to use them responsibly."
"Because those that wouldn't, would most likely blow themselves up, anyway?"
"Exactly," Radek said, and even though he wasn't, John got the sense that he was laughing. He relaxed a little, allowing some of the shared distress at not being partnered with Rodney to ease a bit. He'd let Rodney do the complaining for both of them, because it wasn't proper for the chief military officer to go around complaining that he wasn't teamed with his friend. Rodney never seemed to care about proprieties, saying whatever he felt with little regard for its effects. He'd gotten used to his teammate's mouth over time and even considered it a mostly postive character trait, but he'd forgotten how wearying it could be to deal with the constant, almost stream-of-consciousness complaints. Radek made a nice change.
Before he knew it, they had reached their destination, looking a touch more worse for wear than the currently inhabited sections were. He stopped and Radek followed, looking quizzical. "Control, this is Major Sheppard. Radek Zelenka and I are at our destination and about to begin exploring."
"Copy that, Major. Good luck."
He turned to Radek. "So...start from the front and move back, or go to a stopping point and explore back to this point?"
Radek pondered, face flickering subtlely. "Forward on," he said finally. "Because I am not certain how long the room explorations will take. It depends on what we find."
John nodded, and then asked, "But your issue with that is...?"
Radek flashed a rueful smile. "I'm afraid I do not know my limitations quite yet."
John grinned. "Don't worry, Doc, I'll make sure you can make it back home. Which way?"
Radek looked around. "How about up?"
John grinned as they moved to the stairs and began to climb. "I'm a fan of up," he said.
"Yes, of course. When did you know you wanted to fly?"
"I always wanted to fly. It just took some time to figure out how to do it with assistance," John said. "Once I got that part down, it was mostly a matter of getting to be old enough for flying lessons and saving enough to fund them. My parents figured, if I was serious about it, I'd find a way."
Radek was smiling again. John wondered how many versions of a smile he had. "And so you did."
"And so I did, yes," John said. "It's...amazing. Freeing. One of the times when I feel most alive."
Radek was nodding, looking a little wistful. John hesitated, then said, "We should keep an eye out for places to land the Jumper. You know, for when we get deeper into the city. It would save time." He dismissed the idea of using the transporters when Radek's face broke out into a delighted grin, unable to keep from smiling himself.
And, hell, he thought, any time in the air is good time.
The rooms in this tower seemed to be all residential with some office-type rooms. John radioed their findings to Control and ignored Rodney's demands via radio to know if any of the residences met his very specific criteria. He turned to Radek with a smile.
Radek examined the office they found themselves in with a light frown. "Problems, Doc?" John asked.
"Ne, not problem. It is just...a little troubling when you find something that looks at though it belongs back home."
"Yeah, you can almost see a stockbroker coming here to start his day, can't you?" He shared Radek's smile.
Watching Radek, making sure the man didn't push past his limits, John suggested breaks and pauses much sooner than he would for himself. Even when they were on a break, the scientist was in motion, examining the walls and floors and furnishings of the rooms they found themselves in.
And talking. It surprised John how easy Radek was to talk to; he had grown used to Rodney's half-combative style of conversation. With Radek he never felt as though the other man was going to flay him alive for not keeping the conversation intelligent.
They broke for lunch when John's stomach rumbled loudly, earning a look and a laugh from Radek.
"You must let me know when it is time for meals, Ma-John. It's entirely possible that I will get caught up in the work, and become too distracted."
"Part of what I'm here for, Doc," John said, smiling. "And why it's scientist/soldier. Two scientists just might never come back."
"This is true," Radek said around bites of food. "Even the most ordinary rooms are fascinating..."
John smiled, and listened to Radek's enthusiastic babble, and ignored the alarm bells that started ringing in his head.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
There were times when John missed the ordinary feel of flying, hating the inertial dampeners and their clinical efficiency. Flying ought to make you feel as though you were flying, he mused, not as though you were watching footage of someone flying on a really good high def screen.
"What is it?"
Radek's soft voice cut through John's internal grumblings, and he shot a smile over to the other man. Flying hadn't lost its appeal to him yet, and John didn't want to be the wet blanket. "It's nothing."
"Is clearly something," Radek insisted, and John cursed the Czech's observant nature. Rodney would not have pushed. Hell, Rodney would have barely noticed.
"I just miss the feel of flying. The intertial dampeners take a little too much away, you know?"
Radek had that look of assessment that was starting to affect John lately. The past couple of weeks had been scattered with periodic jaunts out on exploration duty with Radek, and he'd found himself looking forward to those days more and more as time went by. It wasn't that he didn't like his team; he enjoyed the missions and teasing Rodney in the lab as much as he ever did.
There was just something about the work with Radek, something quiet and slyly humerous and fun. And a little unsettling, every time Radek looked at him with that too-knowing expression, as though he could see through the facade of confident, laid-back soldier to the fraud of insecurities and doubt within.
The only thing that made it bearable was the additional feeling that it was all right; that Radek not only accepted him for who he was under the facade, but that he still admired him.
Which was its own brand of unsettling.
"There is no override?" Radek was asking, cutting into his thoughts.
John kicked himself for never having thought of that. "I don't know," he drawled, reaching out to prod the control panel and having a screen pop up as he thought about an override. Ancient text scrolled by, almost angrily, too fast for him to translate. "What does that say?" he asked, trying to will the text to slow.
"It is warning for pilots who wish to shut off inertial dampeners. Speaks of dangers and consequences of flight without them."
"Huh, so the Ancients had disclaimers, too," John said. "How do I shut 'em off?"
The text slowed until one section remained, making it easier for John to translate. Following the instructions, he turned off the inertial dampeners and put the Jumper into a shallow turn. He couldn't help the whoop that escaped him as the forces at work pressed him into his seat, looking over at Radek with a huge grin.
Radek smiled back at him, several different emotions playing across his face and confusing the hell out of John. But thinking about it too long cut into his enjoyment of true flying, complete with the feel of it, so he filed it away and resolved to circle Atlantis before landing at their current locale.
He wondered if the Jumper could handle a barrel roll, and a screen popped up with angry Ancient text flashing on it. Beside him, Radek paled. "Ah, Major, that would not be wise," Radek said, and John grinned.
"Maybe not, but it won't hurt the Jumper or us just to think about it," he replied, a little disappointed the Jumper was so good at reading his mind and advising him about the feasibility of his current track of thinking.
Given what he'd been thinking of, as of late, he supposed he should be grateful the Jumper only responded to Jumper-related thoughts. Though a turkey sandwich on occasion would be nice. He kept his gaze forward, paying attention to the details of flying, relishing the feel of it and ignoring any other, wayward thoughts as they crept in.
Then he grinned and looked at Radek, putting on his best you know you wanna look. "What do you say we circle Atlantis a bit before getting to work?"
Radek's answering grin matched his own. Turning back to the controls, John thought about what he wanted to try with the Jumper next.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This is kind of..." John said as he picked his way through the wreckage of the hall.
"Gross?" Radek asked, lifting his leg out of the three inch deep pool of water and over the jumble of masonry, crystals and other alien bits.
John grinned, amused to hear 'gross' coming from the Czech scientist. "Yeah, that fits."
Radek made a disgusted noise. "I hate wet socks. Bad for feet, good for making blisters..." He curled his lip in a snarl. John found it kind of endearing.
"Should we be concerned that all this water is here?" John asked.
Radek consulted his datapad, his movements quick and precise. John had an odd flash of watching the scientists on Star Trek, and promptly stifled it. The lines in Atlantis clearly defined the scientists from the military, and he knew where he was supposed to stand. Had to stand.
No matter how attractive the other side sometimes seemed.
"No, even should the entire floor flood, it's not enough to trigger a catastrophic situation," Radek said. "We should see if we can get the automatic systems back online, though, so drainage can occur."
"That would be a definite plus for slogging back to the Jumper," John said, enjoying the twinkle that showed Radek understood the underlying humor. "Question is, how do we do that?"
"Is this way," Radek said, indicating the direction, and started off that way.
"Oh, great, where the water's deeper," John grumbled.
Radek gave him a subtle look that somehow made him feel more stupid than a fifteen minute diatribe on his stupidity by McKay. "Ano, makes sense, doesn't it? If systems were online, drainage would be at lowest point."
"Right, right," John said, slogging behind.
Half an hour later John had hopped up on a table in the Ancient equivalent of a boiler room, avoiding the just over knee deep water and resting his feet on the tabletop. He contemplated Radek's wet shoes and socks, resting beside him. Halfway through the repairs, Radek had snorted and started removing them, saying he couldn't see why he needed to be miserable when he wasn't doing much in the way of walking around. Radek's kit, vest and jacket had quickly joined them. John wondered how much more of Radek's clothing was going to come off before the job was done.
As though he could hear John's thoughts, Radek made a triumphant noise and started wading towards the table, pulling his shirt above his head. John cleared his throat as Radek folded the shirt and laid it on top of his vest, asking "Doc?" in a tone that plainly stated he was wondering about Radek's sanity.
Radek smiled a quick half-smile, gesturing towards the floor. "All is done. But drain is zablokovaný...frozen. And of course is located at lowest point." He glanced at the water with obvious distaste.
"I could..." John began, but Radek shook his head reluctantly.
"No, I know what needs to be done. It will not be pleasant, but it will not kill me." He hiked up his pants legs, puzzling John until he unbucked his pants and pulled them down before hopping up on the table beside John. Pulling his pants the rest of the way off, he hopped off the table with a splash and spread his pants across the end of the table to dry. John watched Radek's hands, not trusting his expression to keep neutral when faced with Radek in his boxers. Radek reached up and removed his glasses, and John knew he was doomed, because Radek looked about a thousand times more naked without them than he did standing there in boxers and skin.
Radek took a few unsteady steps back to the center of the room and dropped down, hissing as the cold water covered more of his skin. John watched intently, alert for any signs of struggle or danger. After a moment, Radek took a deep breath and submerged.
John counted to thirty. Radek popped up and breathed in. John started to sigh in relief when Radek muttered in Czech and dropped below the surface again, bits of his back and a foot breaking the surface as he struggled with something. After a moment, Radek's head surfaced again and he stood. The water, which had been disrupted by Radek's movements, kept moving, eventually resolving into a pattern of drainage. John grinned. "Nice job." He avidly worked against noticing the way the water beaded and clung to Radek's skin.
"Thank you, but it is also very cold job," Radek said, and pulled on his shirt, grimacing as the fabric tried to cling to his wet skin. In short order he was dressed again, and John was breathing a sigh of relief.
"Come on, I think circumstances warrant an early day," John said, and Radek nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Concentrating on moving in a normal fashion, trying to hide the slight bulge in his pants, John missed some submerged debris and went tumbling into the water face first, the shock of chill water instantly taking care of one of his problems.
As he surfaced, gasping in shock, Radek reached out to give him a hand back on his feet.
"Thanks," John muttered, half expecting the kind of sarcastic remark Rodney would give.
"No problem," Radek replied. John stared at him for a moment, at a loss, then nodded and started down the corridor.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"...can't possibly be trying to tell me that there was any way Canada didn't come out on top this year," Rodney was saying as John stepped into the lab. Radek was packing his kit again, having refined it over the past few days.
"It is impossible for most people to try and tell you anything, Rodney, but I'm surprised you refuse to see the potential in the Czech team," Radek replied coolly. "Our offense is particularly-"
"What, weak in comparison to the Canadian defense? I'd have to agree with you there," Rodney smirked, and John could see the steam starting to rise from Radek.
"Gentlemen," he cut in. "Got a lot of ground to cover today, Dr. Zelenka, what say we get to it?"
"Of course, Major. Duty calls, Rodney." Radek shouldered his kit and walked over to John, who nodded at Rodney, ignoring the other man's muttered "Killjoy."
As they settled into the Jumper, John glanced at Radek out of the corner of his eye and said, "Actually, I felt the Czech team just might go all the way this season. They seem hungry for it."
Radek stared at John as he brought the Jumper up and out of the Jumper bay, a delighted smile replacing the momentary look of shock. "You are not nearly as unintelligent as you sometimes appear to be," he managed.
John gave him a full smirk. "You mean I'm not as dumb as I look?"
Still smiling, Radek nodded. "Exterior analysis suggests an intimate knowledge of American football, but no other sports."
John lifted an eyebrow, still smirking, and said, "And risk having to defend my choices to McKay? At least with football, he only snorts and disparages." Outwardly John continued his smirk without changing expression, but he hadn't failed to notice the slight hitch to Radek's breathing when he'd raised his eyebrow. Just one deeper inhalation, that was all, but John filed it away as he turned back to the Jumper controls.
"So. You favor the Czech team, then?"
"Oh, I didn't say that," John bantered. "Rodney had a point. The Canadians have a reputation to uphold."
Radek nodded ruefully. "Rodney usually does have a point. It's one of his more irritating qualities."
"Yes, it would be so much easier to cope with his ego if he was occassionally wrong about things, wouldn't it?" John glanced over and drank in Radek's expression, knowing he was enjoying their time together too much, but unable to care enough to stop himself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
John forced himself not to stare at Radek, focused intently on a bit of Ancient tech lying on the counter. Forced himself not to stare at the Czech's fingers as they slid across the surface of the device, poking and examining with a kind of reverence. Early on, it had been easier. Early on, he'd been able to watch Radek, but as time went on, his reactions to the scientist were harder to hide. He thought it would be best if he were still able to walk normally when the room was neatly catalogued in Radek's datapad.
At least, if the floor plan held true to form, this should be the last lab. John found it amusing that the floors were divided up, labs and residence quarters sharing space equally. He smiled at the thought of a bustling Atlantis, scientists burying themselves in their work until they dragged themselves off to collapse into bed.
Some things, he noted as he glanced again at Radek, completely absorbed in his work, don't change no matter what millenium you were in. He found himself following the line of Radek's back, the curve and dip down...
He sighed and shifted his perch on one of the lab tables. Radek glanced over at him. "Bored?" he asked with a slight qwirk of his lips.
"A little. Remind me to grab my book next time."
Radek made a happy, sort of humming noise. "What are you reading?"
"War And Peace. It's a little...slow going. Not as much fun as Aneid."
Radek was staring at him. "You don't believe in halfways, do you?"
John smirked a bit at him. "Another case of not nearly as unintelligent as I appear to be, Radek?"
He noted the slight freeze when he said Radek's name instead of his usual affectionate 'Doc', noted the smile that formed at the other man's lips. "Something like that. You don't exactly look like the classics type."
"Oh, I started with Sun Tzu, of course, and then got into Confucius, but I have to admit a soft spot for Homer."
Radek noded. "And Virgil, I suppose."
John made an appreciative noise. "Of course. What's the classics without Virgil?"
Radek stared. "You are a very interesting man, John Sheppard."
John, smirking a bit more, raised an eyebrow at him. Radek gave a quick inhalation and turned to his work, frowning a bit, then pulled out his datapad and started scribbling. After a moment, he quickly packed up his kit and lifted it to his shoulders, turning to John with an expression John couldn't quite read. "Ready already?" John asked, a little surprised, despite the obvious evidence in front of him.
Radek nodded. "Ano, quite ready. Let's go." He turned and exited the room, leaving a puzzled John behind him. John tilted his head to one side, then the other, considering, and hopped off the table, moving at a good clip to catch up to Radek.
The floor plan held, and they entered and quickly checked three of the residential side, before John's training saved him from plowing into Radek, stopped short inside the fourth room. "What-" John began, cut short as Radek turned and wrapped his arms around John and leaned in to kiss him, lips and tongue and heat making John's brain seize.
Almost as quickly, Radek broke the kiss, arms still encircling John. "Sorry," he said, voice rough. "I thought-"
John interrupted him this time, kissing Radek back. He pressed against Radek, reaching up to remove his kit and vest, sucking lightly on Radek's lower lip. Radek's hands fisted in John's vest, then shifted to the front as he worked it free. John's hands slid under Radek's shirt, ghosting against his skin. Radek groaned and shivered under John's touch and his hands on John's hips pulled him close. John tried a firmer touch. Radek responded by kissing him hard, tongue darting against John's own. John's hands slid lower, reaching the curve of Radek's ass and cupping. Radek rocked against John, gasping out his name, and John leaned down to suck and bite against Radek's collarbone, not wanting to mark Radek where others could see. Radek's hand carded through John's hair and gripped lightly, thumb of his other hand somehow finding John's nipple, circling and teasing it to a hard point. John made a small needy noise and Radek's fingers tweaked the nipple, and John realized they were thrusting against each other, cocks fully hard and restricted and it didn't matter, it felt wonderful.
But naked would probably feel better. John pulled back a bit from Radek, looking around. The bed was a few feet from him, covered in the plastic-like material they'd found so much of Atlantis covered in. "Bed," he suggested, between ragged breaths.
"Wonderful," Radek agreed, and they separated long enough to pull the material off the bed and the rest of their clothes off.
Staring at a fully naked, fully erect Radek, John was caught in a moment of surrealism. It was one thing to try and hold back illicit thoughts of your sopping-wet-in-boxers teammate; it was quite another to be facing him, naked and hard in an ancient, deserted bedroom.
Something flickered behind Radek's eyes, and his smile faltered before resuming, a touch of embarassment lurking. "All right?" Radek asked, and John heard an entire conversation in those two words: how he was wanted; how Radek understood his potential reticence, how Radek was willing to make whatever outcome work.
John smiled. "Passed all right a while back," he said, and reached out to cup the back of Radek's neck, leading him closer for another kiss. He pulled Radek tight against him, and damned if he wasn't right about it feeling much better naked.
Not that he had much doubt about that.
They eased each other back onto the bed, rocking against each other, occassionally thrusting too hard or not hard enough, but soon finding the right rhythm.
When Radek's hand circled John's cock, it sent waves of pleasure through him, timed with the slow and gentle movements of his hand. For a moment, John's world revolved around the smooth and glorious tugging of Radek's hand on his cock, and then the thought of Radek's own hardness made its way through his head. John hastily reached out and began to stroke as well, earning a delicious noise of want and desire from Radek.
Endless moments were spent in finding out what the other man liked, in telling him without words which of Radek's own movements were the most stimulating. After so many days of pushing his interest away, John knew he wasn't going to last long, not as long as he wanted, and he couldn't resist a fierce kiss as he thought of how many times he'd wanted exactly this. He felt Radek stiffen beside him, and then Radek was pulsing, covering his hand in warm spurts. "Ach Bůh, John" Radek gasped, and the sound of it coupled with the naked vulnerability and desire on Radek's face sent John crashing over the edge, pulsing and coating Radek's hand too.
He was silent a long time as the world restarted around him, wanting it to pull back in until it was just the two of them again. Breathing returning to normal, he gave Radek a slow, easy kiss that was returned in kind. Radek shifted as the kiss ended, sitting up and reaching into his pack for what John swore was probably a shop rag and began cleaning them both off, his touch gentle. He turned to John with a lopsided smile, and John's heart gave a lurch. Reaching out, he pulled Radek into a hug, willing the world to stay away for a few moments longer. Radek nuzzled against his neck, lips pressing lightly against John's skin.
"That was nice," John said. Radek answered with a snort.
"Was more than nice," Radek said.
"All right, it was incredibly, mindblowingly good." He felt more than saw Radek's nod. John inhaled and spoke again. "Do it again sometime?"
Radek pulled back to gaze solemly at John. "Any time," he said and smiled. They sat up, shoulders brushing before they separated and started pulling on their clothes. John paused to give the room a fond smile before they left. As he turned to join Radek, the half-smile and glint in his eyes warned John of the punch to come.
"After all, we have many more rooms to explore in this city."
John stumbled as he exited, catching himself and laughing in agreement.
~fin~