Stay, Part One. (John/Rodney, NC-17)

[hildejohanne]

Title: Stay
Author: hildejohanne 
Recipient: vida_boheme 
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: None
Word Count: ~ 9000
Summary: An accident in an off-world Ancient lab has some unexpected consequences for Sheppard.

A/N: Written for the sheppard_hc summer fic exchange. vida_boheme , I hope you enjoy the story, even if you may squint a bit to see the prompt.  Many thanks to annieb1955 and taylorgibbs for your awesome beta skills and hand holding. I'd also like to thank xanthelj for commenting on an early draft!  A big thanks to kristen999 for arranging this fic exchange :)
Prompt: Trapped off-world, John reliant on the physical and emotional support of his team/a team member.

 

Today's adventure in the Pegasus Galaxy had taken them to P5X-219, where the natives insisted the team take part in their friendship ritual to seal their trade deal. Native corn in return for basic health care for their children. It all sounded surprisingly easy. For John and Rodney though, this meant them sitting bare-assed in the sand on a tropical beach.  

 

John was knocking on Rodney's door a mere two minutes after he'd stepped through it. There'd been barely time to pull the filthy boots off his feet before he was ordered back out again. Rodney looked about as happy as John felt. Grabbing his pad, he trotted after John, voicing his displeasure loud and clear.

 

"What's the emergency, hmmm? We just stepped through the gate! Is it too much to ask for, the chance to get the grit out of my ass before we sit down in another meeting? I am busy! I have very important things to do! Invaluable wisdom to bestow on my minions," Rodney ranted. "Not to mention the fact that it's chocolate pudding day in the mess today."

 

"Invaluable wisdom, huh. Like the benefits of regular supplies of dark chocolate to the Chief of Science?" John said, smirking as he walked side by side with Rodney towards the nearest transporter.

 

"Exactly! There's hope for you yet, Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard," Rodney said, as he waved his hand in front of the crystals, opening the doors to the transporter.

 

"Anything to keep you from bitching too much, Dr. McKay," John drawled, hitting their destination. Moments later they stepped out near the control room, and headed for Elizabeth's office.

 

"I don't bitch, Sheppard," Rodney started then fell silent as he looked through the open doors to the conference room. The entire senior staff was there, including Colonel Caldwell.

 

"What's Caldwell doing here?" Rodney muttered to John. "They only left a few days ago. I thought the Daedalus wasn't supposed to be back for another week or so."

 

"She wasn't," John said, all business now. "This can't be good."

 

They entered Elizabeth's office and took their seats around the conference table.

 

"I know you're all tired from your …uh…ordeal on P5X-219," she said, unsuccessfully hiding a smile before she was all business again, "but I needed to brief you both on this before you do anything else."

 

She nodded at Caldwell, giving him the go ahead.

 

"We were en route to Aymaria when we picked up a distress signal originating in the gamma quadrant," Caldwell began.

 

"A distress signal? I'm sitting here with sand lodged in places sand should never be, thank you very much, because of a distress signal? You are aware that it could have been transmitting for hundreds of years?"

 

Rodney got up to point to the star map. "It would take days for us to get there, even with the hyper drive. How could you possibly think we could be of assistance?" Rodney was talking at his usual rapid speed as he kept shaking one leg a little. He reminded John of a cat who'd stepped in something and was trying to shake it off.  

 

"Problem, McKay?" John drawled, leaning back in his chair as he eyed Rodney up and down.

 

"Sand," Rodney hissed back. "Sand in unmentionable, highly uncomfortable places. Apparently your scrawny ass didn't pick up anything."

 

"Where as your luscious…?"

 

"John, Rodney!" Elizabeth interrupted. "Will you please leave your…Rodney, sit down."

 

Colonel Caldwell looked less than amused and John straightened up in his chair as Rodney huffed and slumped down into the nearest chair, squirming around until he found a position he apparently deemed acceptable.

 

"This is a white spot on the map. There could be undetected, technologically advanced civilizations in that quadrant, hiding from the Wraith," Caldwell began.

 

"Yes, yes, yes," Rodney said impatiently. "You came back to give us a geography lesson? Are we suddenly playing Livingston and Stanley, hmmm? I mean, this is all very interesting, I'm sure."

 

"McKay," John hissed. "Let the Colonel finish."

 

Caldwell looked coldly at Rodney for a moment, then resumed.

 

"The reason I'm bringing this up" he said, shooting another annoyed glance at Rodney, "is what we found on Aymaria upon arrival. When we were unable to establish radio contact with the High Command we sent down a recon team." He paused, tapping his fingers in the table. "The capital is totally destroyed. The readings the team got were like nothing else we've encountered." He looked up. "Any ideas, Dr. McKay?"

 

"I would like to see if I can find a match in the Ancient database. If there's no match, this could be a new threat, or a race which has been in hiding from the Wraith. The Ancients were defeated, maybe these guys just disappeared. They could have advanced shielding technology, weapons capable of defeating the Wraith, maybe even our own defenses. I'll get Radek and a couple of the less incompetent scientists on it. Under my supervision, of course."

 

John was relieved Rodney had stopped bitching and turned serious. They were all aware of the seriousness of this discovery. Until now, the Wraith had been their main concern. This could be an unknown enemy.

 

Colonel Caldwell looked faintly amused as he listened to Rodney. He probably wasn’t as used to his mood swings as John was. Rodney looked immersed in his data pad again, typing away furiously. Elizabeth nodded to Caldwell who continued.

 

"As I said, the entire city was destroyed. Every major building was obliterated. We encountered no survivors within the capital, nor any enemy forces. We detected a few life signs near the Ancient ruins. It was obvious from the destruction that this could not have been a natural phenomenon. No earthquake or hurricane could have caused this amount of destruction."

 

They discussed the findings a while longer before the meeting was adjourned. John remained behind to discuss the possible implications of this with Caldwell and Elizabeth. Rodney had retreated as fast as he was allowed to his lab, to go over the data and search the Ancient database for any further information.

 

"What are your thoughts, John?" Elizabeth asked. "You were very quiet."

 

"There's been nothing so far to indicate the Wraith don't believe Atlantis was destroyed. There's no increased Hive activity in this sector, and it looks like the ruse has worked. We still need to find out what this is," he replied.

 

John leaned back in his chair again, feeling very tired. A long day sitting naked under the sun had left him drained, especially with an equally naked McKay less than two feet away. He forced his mind away from the sight of those strong shoulders.

 

"John, I want you to go over the mission report with Colonel Caldwell and see if this warrants sending a team to Aymaria and seeing if you can gather any useable intel."

 

Caldwell beamed back up to the Daedalus shortly after and John went to his quarters. He needed a shower, needed to wash the grime and sweat off his body. Contrary to what Rodney thought he had plenty of sand lodged everywhere, he'd just tried to ignore it, the same way he'd desperately tried to ignore the close proximity of a very naked Rodney sitting right in front of him. The ritual had demanded they should sit face to face, focusing on clearing their minds, opening up to the spiritual world.

 

At first he'd been able to keep his attention away from Rodney, staring into the sand and going through pre-flight procedures in his head. After a while he became aware of Rodney's scent. He smelled of clean sweat, sun heated skin and…Rodney. There was a hint of his soap and the underlying scent of that was pure Rodney. From then on out it had been impossible to focus on anything else.

 

John yanked off his t-shirt and tossed it in the general direction of the hamper. It was getting late and the evening sun filtering through the tall windows lit up his room. He never tired of the views and the sounds of Atlantis and the ocean surrounding them. He felt connected to this place in a way he'd never felt anywhere before. No matter how hellish life could be here; with life-sucking space vampires, giant bugs and the plain weirdness that sometimes was the Pegasus galaxy, John felt alive. More alive than he had in years. He had made a home here, even made a family. He'd never had friends like Carson before, or Teyla. And Rodney. Rodney was…He wasn't quite sure what Rodney meant to him, but he knew he had to put those feelings aside. Rodney's love for busty blondes was no secret, and there had never been anything to suggest he'd like spiky haired pilots.

 

John shook it off, as he always did. Years in the military had taught him to bury unwanted emotions. Just because he liked to snark with Rodney didn't mean he had feelings for the guy. They were friends. That would do. He chucked the rest of his clothes into the hamper and entered the bathroom. A quick shower, change of clothes and then seek out Rodney. They needed to talk. Figure out how to deal with this.

 

John turned on the water and stepped inside. Adjusting the temperature, he let the warm water wash the grime away. He'd meet up with Rodney later; see if they could find anything useful in the information from the Daedelus. The energy readings could tell them something about the type of weapons used on Aymaria.

 

He grabbed a bar of soap and started washing efficiently, as he always did. As he slid his hands across his chest, his mind filled with the image of Rodney, sitting naked on the sand, a bead of sweat down his back, almost caressing his body as it made its way down to the hollow of his neck, pausing for a moment, before sliding down Rodney's chest. Remembering those naked broad shoulders made his dick twitch and it filled out and lengthened.

"Traitor," he mumbled, as he looked down at his semi erect dick.

Unable to resist any longer, John filled his right hand with liquid soap and reached down to drag his slick fist slowly down the hardening length of his erection. He moaned quietly as he allowed himself to give in to the needs of his body and the images in his mind. John felt his cock pulse in his grip as he imagined what it would feel like to let his hands slide over Rodney's body. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the shower wall, wondering what it would feel like to hold Rodney close, to feel a warm body against his own, to kiss those full lips, and hear Rodney pant against his mouth as they moved in synch.  

Dropping his head and letting his eyes drift closed once more, images of Rodney began to dance through his mind.  Rodney sprawled out on his bed, naked and needy, legs wide as he jacked his cock, watching him through dark lashes, getting ready for John to sink inside him.

At the thought of fucking Rodney, John was panting hard, teetering on the brink of his orgasm, trying his best to hold on and prolong his pleasure for a few more moments. In his mind it was Rodney touching him, Rodney's labored breathing and moans he heard. His body clenched hard one final time and he shot all over the shower wall, gasping and groaning as everything went white and his knees buckled.

John slid down to the floor, shuddering in the aftermath of his orgasm. He let his head hang down as he focused on getting his breathing back under control. A few moments later he got up and turned off the now lukewarm water. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and quickly dried off.  Wrapping the towel around his waist, John wiped his hand across the steamed up mirror and was faced with his own reflection. His face was flushed and his pupils blown from his recent orgasm, but the reality of the situation once again became painfully clear as the rush of endorphins gradually receded. He was still military commander of Atlantis. Don't ask, don't tell was still in place. This was futile. Apart from the ramifications this could have for his career, he realized he had absolutely no idea if Rodney even found men attractive. Even if he felt there was something more than just friendship in the way Rodney looked at him, he couldn't risk finding out.

 

Sighing, he dropped the towel and got dressed. Caldwell had sent his report about the incident on Aymaria and he flopped down onto his bed to read and grabbed his tablet.

 

When he finished, he remained where he was for a long time. There would be little time for relaxation in the days ahead.

 

******

Rodney let out a sigh of relief as he entered his quarters. Stripping out of his clothes he thought about the day he'd had. In a way it had been a typical day at Atlantis. Breakfast with John, weird alien ritual off-world around lunch, imminent threat of death by dinner. At least they had time to prepare for this latest worry. It wasn't even certain they would have to deal with it at all. He snorted. Yeah, right. That was the Pegasus way.

 

Rodney looked into the mirror, noting the lines of fatigue showing on his face. It really had been a long and hot day. Surprisingly enough he hadn't been embarrassed about sitting naked in front of the rest of the team and the natives. He didn't necessarily feel comfortable showing off his body, but he thought he looked fine. The constant walking - or running for your life - had had a great effect on his physique. He felt stronger and more fit than he had in years. Of course, that didn't stop him from griping about it every chance he got, but that was just who he was. He would never compare to John or Ronon, but that didn't matter, As long as he didn't slow the team down too much, he was satisfied. Besides, he reckoned, he more than made up for it with his brain power.

 

Today's ritual had allowed him to calm down, to just sit there in the sun and be aware of his surroundings in a way he didn't normally do. Usually he spent his time occupied with energy readings, avoiding getting killed by giant bugs or death rays or whatever else the Pegasus Galaxy chose to throw at him. It also helped that he'd brought his SPF 100 to slather over his fair skin. He envied people like John, who could just soak up the rays, turning a very attractive golden brown and not resembling a roasting pig in the process.

 

In the end, it was John's presence that had calmed him down. He seemed to be meditating, sitting in the required lotus position with his arms resting on his thighs. His head had been bowed and his eyes closed. The sound of John's even breathing soothed Rodney and he had focused on his teammate, secure in the knowledge that John would protect them.

 

Rodney showered quickly, eager to get the offending sand off his body. His mind was already busy cataloguing the little information he'd gotten in the briefing, as well as making a list of what needed to be done. He'd have to go over the readings with Hermiod, see if he recognized the signature. If he was willing to share….The Asgard could be pretty tightlipped if he wanted.

 

Padding back into his room, he shrugged into his robe before picking up his tablet. Zelenka was already searching the mainframe for any information regarding that part of the galaxy. Rodney knew he wouldn't have found anything relevant in the 15 minutes since he last saw him, but he still had to check. Pulling up the data downloaded from the Daedalus, he felt the familiar thrill of the chase buzzing through him. The chase for that ever elusive ZPM or the next cool piece of alien tech that could save Atlantis from impending doom, or -as was the case last month - a really cool air freshener.

 

As so many times before, he wondered if there might be ZPMs hiding somewhere in the unexplored city, shielded from detection some way or another. He touched the wall behind him, willing Atlantis to give up her secrets. The city remained silent, as always. Rodney wondered again if Sheppard ever tried to talk to her, or if she talked to him. Atlantis probably rolled over on her back, as all women in the Pegasus galaxy did. He huffed, quickly burying the anger that always surfaced when he thought of the colonel and the alien priestesses.

 

******

 

"Ready?"

 

Rodney glanced up from his tablet. "Hmm?"

 

"I'll take that as a yes," John said. "Ronon, "Teyla?" Teyla nodded while Ronon remained silent.

 

"Okay. Aymaria has an orbital Stargate. We'll circle the planet, see if there are any ships in orbit, anything to explain the destruction. Control, this is Jumper One, we're ready for takeoff."

 

"Jumper One, you are cleared to go."

 

As soon as they exited the gate, John cloaked the jumper. The sky seemed empty and devoid of any enemy vessels. The screen in front of him flickered into life. "Nothing on the long range scanners, no sign of Wraith activity in the area. I guess we can either assume whatever caused this destruction has moved on, or is cloaked. Stay alert, people," John said, glancing back at his team.

 

They flew over the city a few minutes later, examining the destruction. "It looks like an incredibly powerful energy beam just sliced through the town, zig zagging across all the major structures." Rodney pointed to the scorched lines below them.

 

"When did this happen?" Ronon was standing behind John, his face as unreadable as always.

 

"Probably between five and seven days ago, based on the last communications they had with the Daedalus," Rodney replied. 

 

"How many people live on this planet?" Teyla had joined them up front.  

 

"About 50000, most of them living in this settlement by the Ancient ruins. A few thousand are settled further south. We haven't been able to reach them; communications are knocked out all over the planet. Caldwell found only a few life signs on the planet, all located in or around the Ancient ruins."

 

"Why were they killed?" John thought out loud as they looked out onto the landscape below. The planet looked like so many in this galaxy. Luscious green forest, mountains towering against the sky in the distance, a town near Ancient ruins.

 

"How technologically advanced were they? Enough to awaken the interest of the Wraith?" Teyla asked.

 

"They don't possess any advanced weaponry, but have a rudimentary knowledge of Ancient tech," Rodney answered. "Zelenka found a vague reference to the planet in the Ancient database when we initiated negotiations with them a few months back. It seems the Ancients used this planet as a research outpost, but its purpose is still unknown." Rodney tapped a few keys on his tablet. "There's nothing to suggest they posed a threat to anyone."

 

"Someone found them worth killing," Ronon said quietly.

 

John set the puddle jumper down as close to the sacred ruins as they could. The area seemed as deserted as the rest of the city. Green grass was burnt away, revealing the black dirt underneath. They entered the ruins through a wide gate leading into a walled courtyard. Several monoliths were scattered around the area. A robed man was waiting for them just inside the gate. Teyla made the introductions and after the usual round of greetings given and received, she was led away to talk to the Guardian.

 

John was leaning against the outer wall of the complex while Rodney roamed the courtyard, learning as much as they could in case they were denied access to the facility.

 

Rodney paused in front of a monolith, about ten feet high. It was covered in writing on all four sides with what looked like an amethyst crystal on top. Tapping his tablet, Rodney waved his hand over another section of the text on the monolith, talking to John the whole time. John let the words flow over him, knowing he would never admit the incessant chatter Rodney was capable of had the ability to feel calming, not merely exasperating as it did in the beginning.

 

"The letters are Ancient but the text is reminiscent of Norse mythology. It tells a story of a gatekeeper, guarding the entrance to a bridge of ice connecting the world of the mortals with the realm of the gods."

 

"Norse mythology? Since when do you know anything about Norse mythology?"

 

Rodney lifted his chin defiantly. "As it so happens, I have great knowledge of Norse mythology. I've always found Norse mythology very interesting, if you must know."

 

"Always, huh," John said.

 

"Very interesting!" Rodney insisted. "Any mythology for that matter, not just the Norse, although I have been convinced I must have some trace of Viking blood in my veins to have survived the atrocities the Pegasus Galaxy has thrown at us these past couple of years."

 

John just cocked an eyebrow and said nothing, knowing full well Rodney wouldn't last.

 

"Oh, fine, enough with the torture methods I'm sure the Air Force spent a lot of money teaching you!" Rodney cried. "Or maybe you were born with this uncanny ability to make even the strongest person crack…"

 

John snorted. "Rodney…" he warned, "not a good time, buddy."

 

"Fine. Fine! I …"

 

Rodney mumbled something John couldn't quite catch. "McKay!"

 

Rodney huffed and stared intently at his tablet, ignoring John completely.

 

"Okay, fine!" Rodney rewarded him with a scathing look. "Years ago, I worked with SG1 on a couple of occasions. I may - once, and through no fault of my own - have gotten into a dispute with Daniel Jackson about an artifact he had found and he was…uh…correct. Happy now? I was wrong and he was right."

 

"Let me get this straight. You got into a fight with one of the leading archaeologists on Earth, were proven wrong and have been studying for, what, the next quiz night?"

 

Rodney just looked at him defiantly. John shook his head and gave in, waving Rodney along.

 

"In Norse mythology, Heimdall was the guardian of Bifrost, the icy bridge connecting Asgard and Midgard. Now, this is of course not a reference to Heimdall, but the story has some similarities. It also… "

 

"Bridge?" John interrupted. "Like a stargate?"

 

"Maybe."

 

"Any sign of Ancient tech?"

 

"Yes, yes, I'm getting some very promising readings. I'll know more as soon as I have these inscriptions translated."

 

John mulled over what Rodney had said.

 

"Is Teyla having any success in getting us past the Guardians?" Rodney asked.

 

John glanced at his watch. "Ronon's checking in in five minutes." He looked around. "The entrance to the chamber should be over there." They both turned towards the ornate doors when they opened. A tall man accompanied Teyla outside. The Guardian nodded to Teyla, indicating she could speak.

 

"Given the dire circumstances the planet is in, they have agreed to grant the custodians of the ancestral city access." Teyla turned towards Rodney and added, "I've also promised that we will not remove anything from the chamber without their permission."

 

"What?! We have no idea what may be down there! I can't make any such…" Rodney began, but he was quickly interrupted by John.

 

"You have my word," he said to the Guardian, going for what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Nothing will be taken away without your express permission."

 

Rodney who looked ready to protest again and John put his hand on Rodney's arm to silence him.  "Dr. McKay and I will enter the chamber, Teyla and Ronon will remain on the surface with you." The Guardian nodded and retreated.

 

"Ready?" John didn't wait for a reply, just grabbed Rodney by the vest and dragged him along.

 

******

"Nice," Rodney said, wrinkling his nose as they turned into the narrow corridor leading to the chamber. "It smells pretty mouldy down here."

"I thought this was in regular use?" John asked, sniffing the foul smelling air. "This smells more like the showers on base."

"There was probably an air filtering system in place at one time. It must have stopped working centuries ago. The crystals shouldn't be affected, but other systems may have been compromised. Someone with my intellect shouldn't have any problems fixing any or all problems, I'm sure."

John rolled his eyes in reply.

They reached the door leading into what had once been the main lab.

Rodney checked his scanner. "Nothing ominous," he said, opening the door. John held Rodney back and did a quick survey of the room before he waved him inside. There were consoles to one side and what looked like a large table in the center.

"I need to locate the main storage units," Rodney mumbled as he entered the lab, bouncing around excitedly, surveying its contents. He pointed to a hexagonal unit on the far wall and called out to John. "I need you to do your thing, Sheppard," he said, pulling cables out of his backpack.

John waved his hands over the console and it lit up obediently.

"Ah, good." Rodney hooked up the cables and tapped a few commands on his tablet. "That should transfer all the data that can be accessed," he said.

He crossed the room and knelt beside another console. "Want to give me a hand with this?"

"Sure." John crouched beside him and began unfastening the bolts on the panel. He stole a glance at Rodney, his hair sticking up in every direction, as it always did when he got immersed in a task. It should not be this difficult to take his eyes off him.

"This would have been a lot easier had we known what we were looking for. Can't Teyla try and wrangle something more out of these Guardians?"

"I'm afraid we're going in blind today, Rodney."

Rodney made a disgruntled noise. "Today," he said, but his reply lacked its usual bite.

John suppressed a smile. "Come on, McKay, admit it. You're enjoying the challenge!"

"Today, Sheppard!" Rodney waved at the panel in front of them.

"Right." John used his knife and eased the panel open. Pulling out the tray holding the crystals, he turned his head to talk to Rodney and suddenly found it hard to breathe. Rodney was pressed in close as he peered over John's shoulder, so close John could feel Rodney's breath against his neck.

John got up and started pacing the room and tugged his vest open. He felt restless and warm. Horny. He tightened his grip on the P90 and tried to calm himself down. This was not the time to act like a lovesick puppy.

Distracted, he turned to look at a column behind him. As the one in the courtyard, it had an inscription but no amethyst adorned its top. Instead there were four diamond shaped red crystals in the center.

"Hey, Rodney, what do you think this is?" he called out, his hand moving towards the stones. He barely registered Rodney yelling "Don't touch!" before he was surrounded by a white light, then darkness descended upon him.

Part two