sam_gamgee (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sam_gamgee) wrote2008-12-21 05:07 pm
sam_gamgee) wrote2008-12-21 05:07 pm
Entry tags:
SGA fic: Gaijin, part 28/40
Gaijin, Part 28/40
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Rodney went back to his quarters that evening mentally exhausted and emotionally drained. The adrenaline from the past few days was slowly filtering out of his system, leaving him weary and wanting to sleep for the foreseeable future. He curled up on his bed, hugging his pillow to his chest, but sleep didn’t come.
He could have lost Chuck and Evan because of some intolerant assholes and their desire to force their way onto other people. Scratch that – intolerant *cowardly* assholes who couldn’t even confront two men in broad daylight. They had to be cowards if they felt their only recourse was to wait until their victims were asleep before making an example of them. If only he had been there, in the room, then maybe Chuck and Evan wouldn’t be in the infirmary right now. Granted, he would have also been asleep, but still – three against two was a better set of odds, making it more likely that someone would be able to help or get help.
He took a deep breath and fought back the grief and guilt that threatened to consume him, knowing that if he allowed it to, he wouldn’t be able to help either Chuck or Evan in any capacity. And he knew they would need him in the coming days as they healed and started picking up the pieces. He couldn’t imagine what they had to be going through – especially Chuck, since the attack had happened in his quarters.
Elizabeth may not have let Rodney have his revenge, but he was going to make sure justice was carried out. During the rest of Chuck and Evan’s recuperation, Rodney was going devote his time to helping John get his sensitivity training, or whatever it ended up being, off the ground. He wanted to make sure that the minorities on Atlantis were, and felt, safe.
The next morning at breakfast, Rodney told John, “Okay, I’ll help you. *But*. I’m not going to be your full partner in this or do all your work. I’ll help you get it running, but then I’m backing out and it’s up to you – this is your baby.”
John nodded. “Fair enough. Will you be willing to help out from time to time if I need it?”
“If necessary and on a case-by-case basis. This is your brain-child, John – you’re going to need to figure out how to make it swim instead of sink. And I’m not going to let you use it as a way to spend time with me.” He stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head down to the infirmary to see Chuck and Lorne before I head to the labs. Radio me once you have something and we can go from there.”
As Rodney walked away, he was conscious of the fact that he was being unwarrantedly short with John. But he wanted to make sure the other man was aware that there were different boundaries in place than the ones John had been holding on to, and he figured that the more he enforced them, the quicker John would get used to them.
When Rodney entered the quiet infirmary, Evan said to him, “If you apologize one more time, Meredith Rodney McKay, I will go against doctor’s orders and get out of this bed and kick your ass.”
Rodney opened and closed his mouth a couple times and blinked at them before saying, “Good morning to you too, Evan. Good morning, Chuck,” he said as he sat down between them.
“Don’t I get my morning kiss?” Chuck asked mischievously.
“What is it with you two?” Rodney asked them as he stood and gave first Chuck, then Evan, a quick peck on the forehead. “Maybe you’ve been in these beds for too long and the fumes are starting to get to you.”
“They’ve been in the beds just long enough, thank you,” Carson replied as he came in with their charts. “And from the looks of things, they’ll be ready to go home within the next week or so – with a few provisions, of course. I want to make sure their ribs are a little further along before I release them.”
“If I come in again with something serious next month, do I get a prize, Doc?” Evan asked him with a slightly devious smile.
“You’ll get a firm swat on the backside is what,” Carson told him, tapping him on the leg with his folders. “I usually don’t advocate this, but I just might have to wrap you in cotton and not let you go anywhere for a while.”
“Good luck with that one, Carson,” Rodney told him. “I had a hard enough time telling him what to do when he was shadowing me.”
Once Carson had left them alone again, Rodney said, “What do you two think about leaving here? Will you be okay in your quarters, Chuck?”
Chuck shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I want to believe I’ll be okay when I go back, but I won’t know until I get there.”
“Don’t force it, okay?” Evan told him. “If you don’t feel comfortable, you can stay with one of us. Or we can help you find a new place.”
“Let’s just take things one step at a time, okay?” Chuck asked as he patted Rodney’s arm. “Right now I just want to get better. And considering that I don’t remember much, it may not be an issue.”
“How’s Sheppard handling all this?” Evan asked with a small wince as he shifted on the bed.
Rodney shrugged. “The two of you seem to be a non-issue. It’s everything else that’s a problem. I told him I’d help set up a sensitivity training, and I’m hoping I don’t regret it.” Rodney really did hope that things would get better with John – he didn’t want to lose him as a friend. He just hoped John wasn’t waiting to try again.
“I doubt you will,” Chuck told him. “I think it could be a good experience for both of you. And just remember that if John becomes too much, the two of us will help you out.”
As they talked, Rodney felt himself relax. Chuck and Evan were healing nicely and were no longer in any danger. And they weren’t going anywhere either – Rodney had been hesitant to voice, even to himself, his fear that after this they might decide to go back to Earth because the Wraith and angry natives were one thing, but fellow Expedition members were something else entirely. They also helped him brainstorm a few ideas for the sensitivity training. Carson finally forced Rodney out after lunch, telling him he’d only let Rodney back into the infirmary after they had dinner together.
“How are they doing?” Radek asked when Rodney entered the labs still wearing his Lapran clothing.
“They’re doing okay,” Rodney told him. “Physically, they’re healing well, but we won’t know how they’re doing psychologically until after they’re released. I’m sorry I haven’t been in much the past few days.”
“It’s no trouble,” Radek told him with a pat on the arm. “You do what you must to take care of the ones you love.”
“What? Are you –?” Rodney looked at him, baffled. “Am I really that transparent or were you using some sort of Eastern European voodoo on me?”
Radek chuckled. “Take your pick, Rodney. Either way, I’m glad to see you happy. You deserve it.” He started to leave, but turned back and quietly asked, “Is anything going to be done about what happened? I don’t like that it happened here. I thought we were all above that – especially after the things we’ve seen and experienced. And one of them was a scientist.” Radek shook his head, his mouth a grim line. “Our productivity is going down. No one feels safe here.”
“John’s working on a sensitivity training program. If I were you, I’d talk to him. Let him know what you’d like to see, what your concerns are, all of that. It’ll be a better success if John’s got input from other people. Let the other scientists know too. I think telling them would go over better coming from you.”
Radek nodded. “Thank you, Rodney. And let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you, Radek.” As Radek left him, Rodney was surprised at how easily Radek had accepted him being with Chuck and Evan. The difference in reactions amazed him. On one side were Carson and Radek – both of whom knew and were supportive of the three of them being together. And on the other side were the morons who only knew that Chuck and Evan were together and saw that as reason enough to penalize them. He shook his head. How could two totally different responses come from such a small group with so many other factors in common?
When Rodney stopped for dinner, he felt better and happy with what he had accomplished. It seemed like his productivity level when he was angry was a consistent factor, regardless of how many other changes he had undergone.
He met Carson for dinner a much more relaxed man. As they ate, Carson also expressed an interest in helping John, and Rodney promised to pass that along, silently wondering how he could roll the dice so that it would put John and Carson in close proximity. He was fairly certain that, given the chance, nature would take its course with them. They would make a good couple, he figured – John with his need, however unknown, to protect and care for someone, and Carson with his need, however equally unknown, to allow someone to protect and take care of him. Rodney could see that Carson still took too much on his shoulders and wished there was something he could to help him in the interim. He just hoped they wouldn’t mind him playing matchmaker.
John sat down with them and Rodney immediately said, “Carson would like to help out with the sensitivity training. I think he would be a great second-in-command or whatever you’re going to call it.”
“I said no such thing,” Carson told Rodney. To John, he said, “I told Rodney that I was interested in helping out in whatever capacity was needed.”
“Well,” John drawled thoughtfully, “since Rodney’s adamant about helping only in the smallest capacity possible, I do kind of need someone to be my man Friday, so to speak.”
Carson glared at Rodney. “I’m not agreeing to anything until I have a better idea of what’s going on. As much as I agree that we need this training, and probably should have had it a long time ago, I do have other duties I need to attend to.”
“Don’t worry, Carson, it’s not going to suck anyone’s life away. Well, mine maybe. Elizabeth wants to have things going as soon as possible. She thinks it would be good to capitalize on the mindset everyone’s in right now.”
As they talked and Rodney shared the ideas he, Evan, and Chuck had had, as well as Radek’s interest in helping out, he closely watched Carson and John. By the end of the meal, he felt good about the sensitivity training, but was frustrated that John didn’t pick up on any of Carson’s cues.
As the conversation wound down, Rodney stood. “Okay, I need to go take care of a few things and I want to see Evan and Chuck. I’ll see you both later.”
“Before you go, Rodney,” Carson said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you – I’d like to sit down with you one day and go over herbal remedies. It’s something I’ve wanted to do after what happened the other day with Mary.”
“Sure,” Rodney agreed. “Once you two talk with Radek and come up with a planning schedule, let me know what day and time you want to do it.” Rodney had a sudden idea and said to John, “Do you think you and I could go to the mainland for a few hours tomorrow?”
“I think we could manage that,” John replied with a confused nod.
“Good. Let me know when you’re ready to go. I’ll see you both later.” Rodney figured it would be good to get John away for a while to make sure things were clear between the two of them once and for all.
“We’re now going on official business,” John told Rodney the next morning. “Halling needs us to bring some things from Teyla and he said Lorne left a few things when you three were at the hut.”
Rodney nodded. “Lorne left his sketchbook and pencils.” He sat down in the co-pilot’s seat. “He’ll be glad to get them back.”
On the way over, John casually asked, “I probably shouldn’t ask, but what exactly is your relationship with Lorne and Chuck? The three of you seem awfully close.”
“You’re right, you shouldn’t ask,” Rodney replied, and at the same time thinking ‘that was fast’. Deciding to bite the bullet, he replied, “But given what’s happened, you probably should know. We’re together – all three of us.”
The Jumper dipped sharply and Rodney took over the controls to even it out. “You’re kidding, right?” John finally managed.
“Nope,” Rodney replied as he concentrated on flying. “Not a bit. We’ve only been together for about a month – maybe a little less.”
“Okay,” John replied hesitantly. “Can I have the controls back now?”
“Sure, if you don’t try to put us in the water again,” Rodney replied sarcastically as he relinquished control of the Jumper.
John was quiet for the rest of the ride. “So, the three of you,” he said when they landed on the beach. “Huh.” There was another pause before he said, “So, you’ve been in a serious relationship for half of the time you’ve been back, and you didn’t think to tell me?” His voice rose slightly in volume and anger.
“What good would it have done?” Rodney replied. “You’ve been acting irrationally since I got back, and I wasn’t going to intentionally add fuel to the fire. And it wasn’t intentional – it just kind of… happened.”
John stared at him for a moment before getting up and stalking out of the Jumper. “Why couldn’t you have told me? You had a chance the other day. You’ve had a million chances.”
Rodney followed John outside. “Yes, well. I rather like keeping myself intact, thank you very much. And with the way you’ve been behaving, if I had told you right away, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had been risking personal bodily harm, property loss, or you going crazy and hurting yourself or someone else. At least now you’re a bit safer.”
John rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. Give me a little credit here. I wasn’t possessively jealous of you or anything.”
“Maybe not, but you were trying to be possessive. And it’s not a flattering state on you, Sheppard. If we’re going to continue fighting every time we’re alone together, I’d rather get what we came for, go home, and go back to being acquaintances.”
“You certainly know how to bruise a man’s ego, McKay,” John bit out. “Can’t I do anything right?”
“Yes, you can do a lot of things right; just not relationships, it appears. No wonder you’re single.”
John’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, but Halling’s appearance stopped him from continuing. John handed over the satchel of items from Teyla and, in return, Halling gave Rodney back Evan’s sketchbook and pencils. Rodney unconsciously held them close to his chest as the three men talked for a few moments, exchanging pleasantries and inquiring about their respective peoples.
After Halling left, John turned to Rodney and said, “I don’t know what you want from me.”
“I want you to stop being so melodramatic,” Rodney replied, exasperated. “You pined after me for four cycles – we get it! Move on! Now that I’m back, you have no idea how to and you’re scared – we get it! You still need to do it!” John deflated a little as Rodney pressed on. “I know you don’t want to believe that I’ve moved on. I *had* to – if only to survive with some sanity left. I did wait for you, if that’s what you’re worried about – that I didn’t believe you would come for me. But there’s only so long a man can wait before he has to let that hope go and start dealing what’s in front of him. I appreciate that you waited and kept looking for me, Colonel. But now that you’ve found me, you have to accept me as I am now, not just the way I was.”
John sank to the ground, as if the strength had gone out of his legs, and pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. Rodney closed the distance between them, startled and concerned, and John looked up at him, shell-shocked. “I’ve held on to this for so long that I don’t know what to do if I give it up,” he told Rodney softly.
“You go on,” Rodney replied. “It’s what we have to do. But if you’re worried that I was your last chance for love, you’ve got another thing coming. If I’ve been able to somehow manage to continually find myself in a relationship with a minimum of trying, then I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone. I’ll even help you.”
“That’s just – no,” John stammered, as he gave Rodney a weird look. “Thank you, but I’ll pass. I have enough to deal with right now. How did you deal with all of this?”
Rodney shrugged, sitting down next to him, sitting cross-legged. “I just did. It was a conscious decision to be positive instead of negative. And I’m sure you can imagine how hard that was, considering it’s me we’re talking about.”
“And you’re happy?” John asked him, giving him a side-long glance.
“I am,” Rodney replied with an affirmative duck of his head. “My time on Lapras was very good for me, and I came to terms with a lot of things from my past and was able to leave them behind and move forward. While I don’t wish for that situation to happen to anyone, I’m definitely not upset that it happened.”
“And what about Chuck and Lorne?”
“What about them?” Rodney asked, confused.
“I just –.” John shrugged and held out a hand palm up. “I don’t get it.”
“I don’t either, really,” Rodney replied. “Somehow the three of us just hit it off in that first month that I was back and it grew into something more. It’s just like any two people, except with three.”
“I get that part,” John replied sarcastically. “I just never pictured you with the two of them. Lorne’s so laid back and Chuck’s so – so –”
“You don’t know him that well, do you?” Rodney replied with a smirk. “He’s a great guy, John. I think you’d like him. Are you going to give them the ‘if you hurt him, I’ll kill you’ speech?”
“Do you think I need to?” John replied. “Because if I do, then I’ll have to follow through, and I like having Lorne as my second-in-command. I had very little breaking in to do with him.”
“I think we’ll be good. I think they’re more invested in it than I am. And I know they take the bound friend part of it seriously, so that’ll help a lot.”
“Bound friend?” John asked, quizzically.
“The simple explanation is it’s the Lapran version of a best friend, but it’s a little more intimate – it has a ceremony and everything.”
“That’s… interesting,” John replied. “I feel like there’s this whole new side of you that I don’t know.”
“That’s probably because there is,” Rodney told him sarcastically. “And I’d like for you to get to know that part of me. I’m serious when I say I do want us to be friends, John. But it’s not going to go past that. How long do I have to keep saying it for you to start understanding that?”
John shrugged a shoulder. “It’s just a big adjustment for me. It’s going to take time – at least that’s what Heightmeyer says.”
“She’s right, you know. It wasn’t an easy adjustment for me when I found out I was stuck on Lapras, and it wasn’t easy for me when I came back here, regardless of how it might have looked – though having Chuck and Evan helped a lot. Just being around other people will help you a lot, too, if you let us. And don’t start with any of that ‘I don’t know if I can’ crap. I know you can, John. You let me in once. You can let in more than one person at a time. I don’t know what sort of childhood trauma you’re working from here, but we’re not going anywhere. You should know by now that if any of us does, it’s usually against our will.”
John nodded and stood and Rodney stood with him. “What do you say we get this show on the road? This isn’t going to fix itself by us just talking about it, and we could be doing other things in the meantime. Are you sure I can’t change your mind about taking a larger role in the sensitivity training?”
As they entered the Jumper, Rodney said, “I’m definitely sure. I think that this is something that you need to do on your own – or, at least, with very little input from me. Besides, you’re the one with the leadership training and the crisis management skills and whatnot. This should be a breeze for you.” He chuckled before adding, “And a good chance for you to show everyone that you actually were listening in officer candidacy school.”
“Very funny, Rodney,” John remarked dryly as they settled in for the ride home. He was quiet for a while and Rodney passed the time by flipping through Evan’s sketchbook and smiling at the pictures as he remembered the time they had spent on the mainland. John broke through his thoughts with, “I really am happy for you, Rodney. I want to be sure you’re aware of that.”
“That means a lot to me, John,” Rodney replied, as he closed the sketchbook. “And I want you to be happy. You definitely deserve it.”
“Okay, I’m all yours,” Rodney told Carson as he plopped down on one of the stools in Carson’s lab a few days later.
“I’ll be ready in a moment,” Carson replied as he moved away from a microscope and made a few notes on a tablet before he started to clean things up. Rodney watched him quietly, absently swinging one foot back and forth. As Carson finished up, he said, “It’s bloody disconcerting to be in the same room as you and have you be totally quiet for longer than ten seconds.”
“I’m… sorry?” Rodney replied. “I didn’t know if having a conversation would be too distracting for you or what.”
“Not while I’m cleaning up,” Carson told him with a reassuring smile. “Let’s go into my office – I’ve got my laptop in there and it’s a wee bit more comfortable.”
Once they were inside, Rodney said, “So the plans for the sensitivity training seem to be shaping up, from what I’ve seen.”
“Aye, they’re coming along,” Carson replied with a sigh. “Since John finally took what you said to heart, he’s been acting like a maniac to get the program up and running. I’m afraid he’s going to wear himself out – or finish and realize he still hasn’t dealt with anything yet and be completely out of sorts again.”
“We’ll just have to work on him before then, won’t we?” At Carson’s baffled look, Rodney added, “I never said I wouldn’t be friends with him, just that I’d have to limit my time with him if he didn’t stop acting the way he’s been.”
“You have better willpower than I do,” Carson replied with a shake of his head. “I don’t know how I’d handle this situation if I were in your place.” He sat down at his desk, and had Rodney pull up a chair, as he opened up the plant database. “This is something we – the medical staff, botany department, and the anthropologists – have been working on for a while now. The basic idea is that we find out what plants we can use as medicines and start administering them whenever possible. That way we can save the medicines from Earth for real emergencies and possibly, one day, wean the expedition members off of the Earth-based medicines all together. It would definitely help in the matter of supply in case the Daedalus can’t return in time, and any sort of advantage we could get would be helpful.”
“Sounds good,” Rodney replied. “Any idea what you’re going to do to test people for allergies?”
“Shit,” Carson replied. “That’s not something I had quite gotten around to thinking about – and the reasoning shouldn’t be because of everything that’s been going on lately.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Rodney told him. “Let’s take this one step at a time and first find a way to make sure that everyone who needs to know this stuff is on the same page with what the plants are and what they do. And from there you can figure out how to test people for allergies.”
Carson nodded and they started going through the database. Rodney told Carson what he knew about the various plants that were a part of his training, and Carson shared what they had learned between the database, natives of different planets, and their own tests. It amazed Rodney that even though the Laprans and their network of tribes had been separated from the majority of planets for generations, they had all come to the same conclusions about the plants and their uses.
It took more time and became more involved than either of them had anticipated, since they had to work it in around their normal schedules and Carson wanted to study the plants as they went along so he could know which ones worked like which drugs. But Rodney enjoyed the time they spent together and the easy camaraderie they had together and it made him remember similar times on Lapras. He then felt guilty because unless he had to, he hadn’t thought of Lapras, or his family there, in some time. The feeling then turned to chagrin when he remembered the reversal had happened on Lapras about Atlantis. He decided he needed to talk with Elizabeth about going back to visit.
Rodney and Carson finished the bulk of their preliminary work the day the first sensitivity event was slated to take place. Rodney had to admit that he was proud of John for really taking the helm with the program and setting up something that he would be proud of and that would work to promote understanding for all the minorities in the expedition. Tonight’s event was the official opening and everyone – with the exception of Chuck and Evan – was expected to go. Rodney was hoping he could finagle his way out of it.
“Are you coming tonight?” Carson asked as he uploaded the plant database’s revisions to the network.
Rodney shrugged. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I know the program backwards and forwards as well as you and John do. And since I don’t *need* to be there…” He trailed off and looked a little sheepish. “I was hoping to spend some time with Chuck and Evan, since I haven’t spent as much time with them lately.”
“I agree – that should come first. And they’ll be ready for discharge first thing in the morning. I haven’t told them yet, if you’d like to. I think John was hoping you’d come.”
Rodney leaned against the desk as Carson shut down the laptop. “While I appreciate that he’s trying to show me he’s moving on, I don’t want everything he’s doing to be focused at me. As odd as it sounds, I don’t want it to be all about me and I have a feeling that if I go, he might try something.”
“I think you’re starting to get paranoid about what John might do, Rodney,” Carson told him seriously.
“I know and I wish I didn’t feel this way,” Rodney replied with a sigh. “I know that if we give it enough time, we’ll be able to work through it. And even with the improvements I’ve made, I still have a tendency to panic about a situation I’m involved in that I have no control over.”
“You’ll be fine,” Carson told him as he patted Rodney’s hand. “Now, let’s go see those two lads of yours.”
“Hey,” Rodney said, stopping Carson before they left his office. “I wanted to apologize. I know that before I got stranded on Lapras, I made fun of your line of work and I’m sorry for it. You don’t practice voodoo and you’re not a deranged shaman or anything like that.”
Carson’s confused expression softened as he replied, “Thank you, Rodney, that means a lot to me. And I have to say that you’ve come a long way in your time on Lapras and I hope to one day meet your family there.”
Rodney nodded as they headed out. “I hope so too.”
The next morning Rodney practically bounded into the infirmary after breakfast. “Good morning,” he told Chuck and Evan cheerily as he set down the pack he had brought with a clean change of clothes for them.
They both eyed him suspiciously. “Did someone slip coffee into your Frooties this morning?” Chuck asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No,” Rodney replied. “You two are going to be discharged today. And I’ve taken the day off to help you two get settled in.”
“They haven’t been discharged yet, Rodney,” Biro told him as she entered their area with Chuck and Evan’s charts. “So you have to wait a little longer before you can get the boys into bed.”
At Rodney’s shocked look, Evan said, “We had to tell her, Rodney. The nurses were taking bets on what was going on between the three of us, and we figured that if they were going to be betting, that they should get at least part of it right.”
“Where’s Carson?” Rodney asked.
“He got called in for a briefing with Colonel Sheppard and Elizabeth about last night’s programming,” Biro replied as she started examining Evan.
“How did it go?” Rodney made himself ask, suddenly nervous that it had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
“It went very well, I thought. It was very informative, and I think that Carson, Colonel Sheppard, and Dr. Zelenka did a wonderful job outlining what the harassment policy is and what the related penalties are. They also told us where we could get help if we felt like we were being harassed and that this was just going to be the beginning of a much larger – and mandatory, which they seemed to stress a lot – program to promote awareness across the board. A few people seemed a little uneasy with it, but overall, I think everyone was pleased. The situation with Chuck and Major Lorne has everyone more than a little uneasy.”
“I’m not surprised,” Rodney muttered as he crossed his arms and Biro moved on to Chuck.
When she finished, she gave both men directives on what they needed to do to help the healing process before letting them loose.
“Thanks, Doc,” Evan said as he and Chuck stiffly got out of bed. While they were mostly healed, they were still a little sore and stiff.
She gave them a nod before leaving and Rodney pulled the curtain to give them some privacy. Chuck and Evan quickly changed into the clean clothes that Rodney offered them, and Rodney couldn’t help but admire the view, even if the patches of skin were seen in flashes and he didn’t actually see anything even remotely titillating. It was simply a relief to know that soon he’d be able to not only quickly, and quietly, admire flashes of skin, but to openly admire their whole bodies. It had surprised Rodney how much he had missed being able to touch them, and now that they were so close, he was getting antsy.
“I can’t wait to get out of here,” Evan commented as they packed up their clothes, breaking Rodney out of his reverie.
“Yeah, if you spend any more time in here, the soldiers will start thinking you’re a medic and not the second in command,” Chuck replied sarcastically.
“Very funny,” Evan replied, with a roll of his eyes, as they left.
“So, where to?” Rodney asked as he adjusted a twisted strap.
“Let’s go back to my quarters,” Chuck replied. “That way Evan can get his things from the other day, and I can see how I feel with the two of you there with me.”
Evan shrugged. “I don’t care where we go.” The unspoken ‘as long as I’m with the two of you’ was evident in his tone, and both Chuck and Rodney smiled at that as the three of them headed in the right direction.
When they reached Chuck’s door, he hesitated. More rhetorical than actual, he asked, “Do you think it’s bad that I don’t feel nervous or scared about coming back? I think I’m more worried about my lack of worry.” To Rodney, he asked, “How did they get in?”
“The hand sensor had been tampered with,” Rodney told him. “Radek had one of the engineers he knew was trustworthy fix it.”
Chuck nodded and passed his hand over the sensor. The door silently whooshed open, and Chuck entered first, with Evan and Rodney letting him look around for a moment before also entering. Without hesitation, the three men took off their shoes as they always had, and set them next to the door. “It feels like there should be something different about this place now,” Chuck commented quietly. “Like there should be some sort of mark or damage or something, but there’s not. There’s nothing.”
“Do you want there to be something?” Rodney asked as he dropped the pack on a chair before moving behind Chuck and putting his arms around him.
Chuck leaned back against Rodney as he replied, “I don’t know. I’m glad there’s not, but I feel like the absence of a physical reminder in this room negates what happened.”
“But we know and now everyone else knows,” Evan replied as he closed the distance between them. “That will last longer than even these buildings.” He leaned in and kissed Chuck hungrily, and Chuck eagerly responded. “I’ve been wanting to do that for way too long,” Evan said when they pulled apart. “What do you say we go reclaim that bed?”
Both Rodney and Chuck grinned as Rodney pulled away from Chuck. “That’s the best idea you’ve had in a while,” Rodney replied as they headed to the bed.
Standing next to the bed, Chuck put his hand on the back of Rodney’s neck as he said, “Thank you, for everything.”
Rodney opened his mouth to protest that he hadn’t really done much, but Chuck cut him off with a kiss. It was hungry and passionate with just a hint of desperation. Rodney eagerly kissed him back, quickly losing himself in the kiss. He moaned softly and when they broke apart, he blinked dazedly at Chuck and Evan. Evan smiled and took that moment to capture Rodney’s mouth with his own. Rodney groaned into Evan’s mouth and surrendered to the demanding kiss. He had missed this so much while they were in the infirmary. And not just the sex – which was great – but the intimacy in general that didn’t fit with a public setting.
As Evan and Rodney kissed, Chuck’s hands made their way under the other men’s shirts and his fingers gently played along their backs before dipping below their waistbands. They both gasped as Chuck traced along their ass cracks. Pulling apart, they found him looking at them mischievously.
“Come to bed, lovers,” he said, squeezing their asses before withdrawing his hands.
He backed up against the bed and pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside carelessly with a playful grin. Evan stepped in and kissed Chuck again, his hands roaming over the bare skin stretches of Chuck’s torso. Chuck reached beneath the hem of Evan’s shirt and pushed it up, gently scraping his nipples along the way, causing Evan to moan against Chuck’s mouth. They pulled apart so Evan’s shirt could be removed before going back to kissing and touching.
Rodney watched them, aroused by the sight of his lovers enjoying themselves and wanting to follow their lead this time. He carefully adjusted his burgeoning erection as Chuck kissed along Evan’s jaw and down his throat to his pulse point and carefully sucked there, withdrawing before a mark could form.
“What’s wrong, Rodney?” Chuck asked, concerned, as he broke off the kiss.
“Nothing,” Rodney replied. “I just wanted to – uh – watch you both for a moment and follow your lead in this so you two would be comfortable.”
“We would be more comfortable if you joined us,” Evan replied with a smirk.
He grabbed Rodney’s hand and pulled him to them. As he kissed him again, he pressed against Rodney and Rodney could feel Evan’s matching erection against his own. He gripped Evan’s hips and ground against him, eliciting a moan from Evan. When they pulled apart, they heard a groan from the bed and found Chuck sprawled on it, his feet still on the ground, his fly open, and a hand on his freed erection.
“Don’t stop the show on my account, gentlemen,” he told them. “I’m quite enjoying the show.”
Both Rodney and Evan laughed. Evan nuzzled Rodney’s neck just below his ear, sending a shiver down Rodney’s spine, before whispering in his ear, “I think we can take him. What do you say?”
Rodney nodded, his mouth dry in anticipation. He swallowed and replied, “I agree.”
With a surprised yelp from Chuck, they quickly divested not only him, but also themselves of the rest of their clothing, before tumbling onto the bed with him and pulling him up to join them.
“Fuck me,” Rodney told Evan before claiming one of Chuck’s nipples with his mouth.
With a lascivious grin, Evan grabbed the lube from the bedside table as Rodney settled between Chuck’s legs and began sucking on Chuck’s other nipple, his ass in the air for Evan. Chuck tangled his fingers in Rodney’s hair and held him close as he began gently rubbing his cock against the inside of Rodney’s thighs. Rodney started a little when Evan’s lube-slicked finger caressed his crack, but he opened his thighs wider, bringing his cock into contact with Chuck’s. As Evan pressed a finger inside Rodney, Rodney moaned and began alternating between rocking back onto Evan’s finger and forward against Chuck’s cock.
Before long, Chuck was panting and writhing beneath him, and Rodney was resting his head in the crook of Chuck’s neck with his eyes squeezed tight, willing himself to hold on until Evan was actually inside of him. He whimpered when Evan pulled his fingers out of his ass, but sighed in relief when he felt the blunt head of Evan’s cock pressing against his asshole and he pressed back, taking Evan inside easily. Once Evan was all the way inside of him, it took Rodney a moment to adjust to his bulk. Chuck whimpered at the loss of contact, and Rodney and Evan began moving, slowly picking up speed. Rodney loved the feel of Evan moving inside of him, filling him. And when Evan shifted and began hitting his prostate, he practically shattered with pleasure.
Chuck came first, his come splattering his chest and stomach as well as Rodney’s. The sensation caused a domino effect – Rodney came next and Evan came a moment after Rodney’s ass clamped down on his cock.
The three men collapsed into a panting, sweaty heap, nuzzling and kissing each other tiredly. After a while, Chuck left the bed to get a washcloth to clean them up before crawling back into bed and into his lovers’ embrace. The three of them fell asleep happy to be together and content.
Continue to Part 29
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Rodney went back to his quarters that evening mentally exhausted and emotionally drained. The adrenaline from the past few days was slowly filtering out of his system, leaving him weary and wanting to sleep for the foreseeable future. He curled up on his bed, hugging his pillow to his chest, but sleep didn’t come.
He could have lost Chuck and Evan because of some intolerant assholes and their desire to force their way onto other people. Scratch that – intolerant *cowardly* assholes who couldn’t even confront two men in broad daylight. They had to be cowards if they felt their only recourse was to wait until their victims were asleep before making an example of them. If only he had been there, in the room, then maybe Chuck and Evan wouldn’t be in the infirmary right now. Granted, he would have also been asleep, but still – three against two was a better set of odds, making it more likely that someone would be able to help or get help.
He took a deep breath and fought back the grief and guilt that threatened to consume him, knowing that if he allowed it to, he wouldn’t be able to help either Chuck or Evan in any capacity. And he knew they would need him in the coming days as they healed and started picking up the pieces. He couldn’t imagine what they had to be going through – especially Chuck, since the attack had happened in his quarters.
Elizabeth may not have let Rodney have his revenge, but he was going to make sure justice was carried out. During the rest of Chuck and Evan’s recuperation, Rodney was going devote his time to helping John get his sensitivity training, or whatever it ended up being, off the ground. He wanted to make sure that the minorities on Atlantis were, and felt, safe.
The next morning at breakfast, Rodney told John, “Okay, I’ll help you. *But*. I’m not going to be your full partner in this or do all your work. I’ll help you get it running, but then I’m backing out and it’s up to you – this is your baby.”
John nodded. “Fair enough. Will you be willing to help out from time to time if I need it?”
“If necessary and on a case-by-case basis. This is your brain-child, John – you’re going to need to figure out how to make it swim instead of sink. And I’m not going to let you use it as a way to spend time with me.” He stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head down to the infirmary to see Chuck and Lorne before I head to the labs. Radio me once you have something and we can go from there.”
As Rodney walked away, he was conscious of the fact that he was being unwarrantedly short with John. But he wanted to make sure the other man was aware that there were different boundaries in place than the ones John had been holding on to, and he figured that the more he enforced them, the quicker John would get used to them.
When Rodney entered the quiet infirmary, Evan said to him, “If you apologize one more time, Meredith Rodney McKay, I will go against doctor’s orders and get out of this bed and kick your ass.”
Rodney opened and closed his mouth a couple times and blinked at them before saying, “Good morning to you too, Evan. Good morning, Chuck,” he said as he sat down between them.
“Don’t I get my morning kiss?” Chuck asked mischievously.
“What is it with you two?” Rodney asked them as he stood and gave first Chuck, then Evan, a quick peck on the forehead. “Maybe you’ve been in these beds for too long and the fumes are starting to get to you.”
“They’ve been in the beds just long enough, thank you,” Carson replied as he came in with their charts. “And from the looks of things, they’ll be ready to go home within the next week or so – with a few provisions, of course. I want to make sure their ribs are a little further along before I release them.”
“If I come in again with something serious next month, do I get a prize, Doc?” Evan asked him with a slightly devious smile.
“You’ll get a firm swat on the backside is what,” Carson told him, tapping him on the leg with his folders. “I usually don’t advocate this, but I just might have to wrap you in cotton and not let you go anywhere for a while.”
“Good luck with that one, Carson,” Rodney told him. “I had a hard enough time telling him what to do when he was shadowing me.”
Once Carson had left them alone again, Rodney said, “What do you two think about leaving here? Will you be okay in your quarters, Chuck?”
Chuck shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I want to believe I’ll be okay when I go back, but I won’t know until I get there.”
“Don’t force it, okay?” Evan told him. “If you don’t feel comfortable, you can stay with one of us. Or we can help you find a new place.”
“Let’s just take things one step at a time, okay?” Chuck asked as he patted Rodney’s arm. “Right now I just want to get better. And considering that I don’t remember much, it may not be an issue.”
“How’s Sheppard handling all this?” Evan asked with a small wince as he shifted on the bed.
Rodney shrugged. “The two of you seem to be a non-issue. It’s everything else that’s a problem. I told him I’d help set up a sensitivity training, and I’m hoping I don’t regret it.” Rodney really did hope that things would get better with John – he didn’t want to lose him as a friend. He just hoped John wasn’t waiting to try again.
“I doubt you will,” Chuck told him. “I think it could be a good experience for both of you. And just remember that if John becomes too much, the two of us will help you out.”
As they talked, Rodney felt himself relax. Chuck and Evan were healing nicely and were no longer in any danger. And they weren’t going anywhere either – Rodney had been hesitant to voice, even to himself, his fear that after this they might decide to go back to Earth because the Wraith and angry natives were one thing, but fellow Expedition members were something else entirely. They also helped him brainstorm a few ideas for the sensitivity training. Carson finally forced Rodney out after lunch, telling him he’d only let Rodney back into the infirmary after they had dinner together.
“How are they doing?” Radek asked when Rodney entered the labs still wearing his Lapran clothing.
“They’re doing okay,” Rodney told him. “Physically, they’re healing well, but we won’t know how they’re doing psychologically until after they’re released. I’m sorry I haven’t been in much the past few days.”
“It’s no trouble,” Radek told him with a pat on the arm. “You do what you must to take care of the ones you love.”
“What? Are you –?” Rodney looked at him, baffled. “Am I really that transparent or were you using some sort of Eastern European voodoo on me?”
Radek chuckled. “Take your pick, Rodney. Either way, I’m glad to see you happy. You deserve it.” He started to leave, but turned back and quietly asked, “Is anything going to be done about what happened? I don’t like that it happened here. I thought we were all above that – especially after the things we’ve seen and experienced. And one of them was a scientist.” Radek shook his head, his mouth a grim line. “Our productivity is going down. No one feels safe here.”
“John’s working on a sensitivity training program. If I were you, I’d talk to him. Let him know what you’d like to see, what your concerns are, all of that. It’ll be a better success if John’s got input from other people. Let the other scientists know too. I think telling them would go over better coming from you.”
Radek nodded. “Thank you, Rodney. And let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you, Radek.” As Radek left him, Rodney was surprised at how easily Radek had accepted him being with Chuck and Evan. The difference in reactions amazed him. On one side were Carson and Radek – both of whom knew and were supportive of the three of them being together. And on the other side were the morons who only knew that Chuck and Evan were together and saw that as reason enough to penalize them. He shook his head. How could two totally different responses come from such a small group with so many other factors in common?
When Rodney stopped for dinner, he felt better and happy with what he had accomplished. It seemed like his productivity level when he was angry was a consistent factor, regardless of how many other changes he had undergone.
He met Carson for dinner a much more relaxed man. As they ate, Carson also expressed an interest in helping John, and Rodney promised to pass that along, silently wondering how he could roll the dice so that it would put John and Carson in close proximity. He was fairly certain that, given the chance, nature would take its course with them. They would make a good couple, he figured – John with his need, however unknown, to protect and care for someone, and Carson with his need, however equally unknown, to allow someone to protect and take care of him. Rodney could see that Carson still took too much on his shoulders and wished there was something he could to help him in the interim. He just hoped they wouldn’t mind him playing matchmaker.
John sat down with them and Rodney immediately said, “Carson would like to help out with the sensitivity training. I think he would be a great second-in-command or whatever you’re going to call it.”
“I said no such thing,” Carson told Rodney. To John, he said, “I told Rodney that I was interested in helping out in whatever capacity was needed.”
“Well,” John drawled thoughtfully, “since Rodney’s adamant about helping only in the smallest capacity possible, I do kind of need someone to be my man Friday, so to speak.”
Carson glared at Rodney. “I’m not agreeing to anything until I have a better idea of what’s going on. As much as I agree that we need this training, and probably should have had it a long time ago, I do have other duties I need to attend to.”
“Don’t worry, Carson, it’s not going to suck anyone’s life away. Well, mine maybe. Elizabeth wants to have things going as soon as possible. She thinks it would be good to capitalize on the mindset everyone’s in right now.”
As they talked and Rodney shared the ideas he, Evan, and Chuck had had, as well as Radek’s interest in helping out, he closely watched Carson and John. By the end of the meal, he felt good about the sensitivity training, but was frustrated that John didn’t pick up on any of Carson’s cues.
As the conversation wound down, Rodney stood. “Okay, I need to go take care of a few things and I want to see Evan and Chuck. I’ll see you both later.”
“Before you go, Rodney,” Carson said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you – I’d like to sit down with you one day and go over herbal remedies. It’s something I’ve wanted to do after what happened the other day with Mary.”
“Sure,” Rodney agreed. “Once you two talk with Radek and come up with a planning schedule, let me know what day and time you want to do it.” Rodney had a sudden idea and said to John, “Do you think you and I could go to the mainland for a few hours tomorrow?”
“I think we could manage that,” John replied with a confused nod.
“Good. Let me know when you’re ready to go. I’ll see you both later.” Rodney figured it would be good to get John away for a while to make sure things were clear between the two of them once and for all.
“We’re now going on official business,” John told Rodney the next morning. “Halling needs us to bring some things from Teyla and he said Lorne left a few things when you three were at the hut.”
Rodney nodded. “Lorne left his sketchbook and pencils.” He sat down in the co-pilot’s seat. “He’ll be glad to get them back.”
On the way over, John casually asked, “I probably shouldn’t ask, but what exactly is your relationship with Lorne and Chuck? The three of you seem awfully close.”
“You’re right, you shouldn’t ask,” Rodney replied, and at the same time thinking ‘that was fast’. Deciding to bite the bullet, he replied, “But given what’s happened, you probably should know. We’re together – all three of us.”
The Jumper dipped sharply and Rodney took over the controls to even it out. “You’re kidding, right?” John finally managed.
“Nope,” Rodney replied as he concentrated on flying. “Not a bit. We’ve only been together for about a month – maybe a little less.”
“Okay,” John replied hesitantly. “Can I have the controls back now?”
“Sure, if you don’t try to put us in the water again,” Rodney replied sarcastically as he relinquished control of the Jumper.
John was quiet for the rest of the ride. “So, the three of you,” he said when they landed on the beach. “Huh.” There was another pause before he said, “So, you’ve been in a serious relationship for half of the time you’ve been back, and you didn’t think to tell me?” His voice rose slightly in volume and anger.
“What good would it have done?” Rodney replied. “You’ve been acting irrationally since I got back, and I wasn’t going to intentionally add fuel to the fire. And it wasn’t intentional – it just kind of… happened.”
John stared at him for a moment before getting up and stalking out of the Jumper. “Why couldn’t you have told me? You had a chance the other day. You’ve had a million chances.”
Rodney followed John outside. “Yes, well. I rather like keeping myself intact, thank you very much. And with the way you’ve been behaving, if I had told you right away, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had been risking personal bodily harm, property loss, or you going crazy and hurting yourself or someone else. At least now you’re a bit safer.”
John rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. Give me a little credit here. I wasn’t possessively jealous of you or anything.”
“Maybe not, but you were trying to be possessive. And it’s not a flattering state on you, Sheppard. If we’re going to continue fighting every time we’re alone together, I’d rather get what we came for, go home, and go back to being acquaintances.”
“You certainly know how to bruise a man’s ego, McKay,” John bit out. “Can’t I do anything right?”
“Yes, you can do a lot of things right; just not relationships, it appears. No wonder you’re single.”
John’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, but Halling’s appearance stopped him from continuing. John handed over the satchel of items from Teyla and, in return, Halling gave Rodney back Evan’s sketchbook and pencils. Rodney unconsciously held them close to his chest as the three men talked for a few moments, exchanging pleasantries and inquiring about their respective peoples.
After Halling left, John turned to Rodney and said, “I don’t know what you want from me.”
“I want you to stop being so melodramatic,” Rodney replied, exasperated. “You pined after me for four cycles – we get it! Move on! Now that I’m back, you have no idea how to and you’re scared – we get it! You still need to do it!” John deflated a little as Rodney pressed on. “I know you don’t want to believe that I’ve moved on. I *had* to – if only to survive with some sanity left. I did wait for you, if that’s what you’re worried about – that I didn’t believe you would come for me. But there’s only so long a man can wait before he has to let that hope go and start dealing what’s in front of him. I appreciate that you waited and kept looking for me, Colonel. But now that you’ve found me, you have to accept me as I am now, not just the way I was.”
John sank to the ground, as if the strength had gone out of his legs, and pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. Rodney closed the distance between them, startled and concerned, and John looked up at him, shell-shocked. “I’ve held on to this for so long that I don’t know what to do if I give it up,” he told Rodney softly.
“You go on,” Rodney replied. “It’s what we have to do. But if you’re worried that I was your last chance for love, you’ve got another thing coming. If I’ve been able to somehow manage to continually find myself in a relationship with a minimum of trying, then I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone. I’ll even help you.”
“That’s just – no,” John stammered, as he gave Rodney a weird look. “Thank you, but I’ll pass. I have enough to deal with right now. How did you deal with all of this?”
Rodney shrugged, sitting down next to him, sitting cross-legged. “I just did. It was a conscious decision to be positive instead of negative. And I’m sure you can imagine how hard that was, considering it’s me we’re talking about.”
“And you’re happy?” John asked him, giving him a side-long glance.
“I am,” Rodney replied with an affirmative duck of his head. “My time on Lapras was very good for me, and I came to terms with a lot of things from my past and was able to leave them behind and move forward. While I don’t wish for that situation to happen to anyone, I’m definitely not upset that it happened.”
“And what about Chuck and Lorne?”
“What about them?” Rodney asked, confused.
“I just –.” John shrugged and held out a hand palm up. “I don’t get it.”
“I don’t either, really,” Rodney replied. “Somehow the three of us just hit it off in that first month that I was back and it grew into something more. It’s just like any two people, except with three.”
“I get that part,” John replied sarcastically. “I just never pictured you with the two of them. Lorne’s so laid back and Chuck’s so – so –”
“You don’t know him that well, do you?” Rodney replied with a smirk. “He’s a great guy, John. I think you’d like him. Are you going to give them the ‘if you hurt him, I’ll kill you’ speech?”
“Do you think I need to?” John replied. “Because if I do, then I’ll have to follow through, and I like having Lorne as my second-in-command. I had very little breaking in to do with him.”
“I think we’ll be good. I think they’re more invested in it than I am. And I know they take the bound friend part of it seriously, so that’ll help a lot.”
“Bound friend?” John asked, quizzically.
“The simple explanation is it’s the Lapran version of a best friend, but it’s a little more intimate – it has a ceremony and everything.”
“That’s… interesting,” John replied. “I feel like there’s this whole new side of you that I don’t know.”
“That’s probably because there is,” Rodney told him sarcastically. “And I’d like for you to get to know that part of me. I’m serious when I say I do want us to be friends, John. But it’s not going to go past that. How long do I have to keep saying it for you to start understanding that?”
John shrugged a shoulder. “It’s just a big adjustment for me. It’s going to take time – at least that’s what Heightmeyer says.”
“She’s right, you know. It wasn’t an easy adjustment for me when I found out I was stuck on Lapras, and it wasn’t easy for me when I came back here, regardless of how it might have looked – though having Chuck and Evan helped a lot. Just being around other people will help you a lot, too, if you let us. And don’t start with any of that ‘I don’t know if I can’ crap. I know you can, John. You let me in once. You can let in more than one person at a time. I don’t know what sort of childhood trauma you’re working from here, but we’re not going anywhere. You should know by now that if any of us does, it’s usually against our will.”
John nodded and stood and Rodney stood with him. “What do you say we get this show on the road? This isn’t going to fix itself by us just talking about it, and we could be doing other things in the meantime. Are you sure I can’t change your mind about taking a larger role in the sensitivity training?”
As they entered the Jumper, Rodney said, “I’m definitely sure. I think that this is something that you need to do on your own – or, at least, with very little input from me. Besides, you’re the one with the leadership training and the crisis management skills and whatnot. This should be a breeze for you.” He chuckled before adding, “And a good chance for you to show everyone that you actually were listening in officer candidacy school.”
“Very funny, Rodney,” John remarked dryly as they settled in for the ride home. He was quiet for a while and Rodney passed the time by flipping through Evan’s sketchbook and smiling at the pictures as he remembered the time they had spent on the mainland. John broke through his thoughts with, “I really am happy for you, Rodney. I want to be sure you’re aware of that.”
“That means a lot to me, John,” Rodney replied, as he closed the sketchbook. “And I want you to be happy. You definitely deserve it.”
“Okay, I’m all yours,” Rodney told Carson as he plopped down on one of the stools in Carson’s lab a few days later.
“I’ll be ready in a moment,” Carson replied as he moved away from a microscope and made a few notes on a tablet before he started to clean things up. Rodney watched him quietly, absently swinging one foot back and forth. As Carson finished up, he said, “It’s bloody disconcerting to be in the same room as you and have you be totally quiet for longer than ten seconds.”
“I’m… sorry?” Rodney replied. “I didn’t know if having a conversation would be too distracting for you or what.”
“Not while I’m cleaning up,” Carson told him with a reassuring smile. “Let’s go into my office – I’ve got my laptop in there and it’s a wee bit more comfortable.”
Once they were inside, Rodney said, “So the plans for the sensitivity training seem to be shaping up, from what I’ve seen.”
“Aye, they’re coming along,” Carson replied with a sigh. “Since John finally took what you said to heart, he’s been acting like a maniac to get the program up and running. I’m afraid he’s going to wear himself out – or finish and realize he still hasn’t dealt with anything yet and be completely out of sorts again.”
“We’ll just have to work on him before then, won’t we?” At Carson’s baffled look, Rodney added, “I never said I wouldn’t be friends with him, just that I’d have to limit my time with him if he didn’t stop acting the way he’s been.”
“You have better willpower than I do,” Carson replied with a shake of his head. “I don’t know how I’d handle this situation if I were in your place.” He sat down at his desk, and had Rodney pull up a chair, as he opened up the plant database. “This is something we – the medical staff, botany department, and the anthropologists – have been working on for a while now. The basic idea is that we find out what plants we can use as medicines and start administering them whenever possible. That way we can save the medicines from Earth for real emergencies and possibly, one day, wean the expedition members off of the Earth-based medicines all together. It would definitely help in the matter of supply in case the Daedalus can’t return in time, and any sort of advantage we could get would be helpful.”
“Sounds good,” Rodney replied. “Any idea what you’re going to do to test people for allergies?”
“Shit,” Carson replied. “That’s not something I had quite gotten around to thinking about – and the reasoning shouldn’t be because of everything that’s been going on lately.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Rodney told him. “Let’s take this one step at a time and first find a way to make sure that everyone who needs to know this stuff is on the same page with what the plants are and what they do. And from there you can figure out how to test people for allergies.”
Carson nodded and they started going through the database. Rodney told Carson what he knew about the various plants that were a part of his training, and Carson shared what they had learned between the database, natives of different planets, and their own tests. It amazed Rodney that even though the Laprans and their network of tribes had been separated from the majority of planets for generations, they had all come to the same conclusions about the plants and their uses.
It took more time and became more involved than either of them had anticipated, since they had to work it in around their normal schedules and Carson wanted to study the plants as they went along so he could know which ones worked like which drugs. But Rodney enjoyed the time they spent together and the easy camaraderie they had together and it made him remember similar times on Lapras. He then felt guilty because unless he had to, he hadn’t thought of Lapras, or his family there, in some time. The feeling then turned to chagrin when he remembered the reversal had happened on Lapras about Atlantis. He decided he needed to talk with Elizabeth about going back to visit.
Rodney and Carson finished the bulk of their preliminary work the day the first sensitivity event was slated to take place. Rodney had to admit that he was proud of John for really taking the helm with the program and setting up something that he would be proud of and that would work to promote understanding for all the minorities in the expedition. Tonight’s event was the official opening and everyone – with the exception of Chuck and Evan – was expected to go. Rodney was hoping he could finagle his way out of it.
“Are you coming tonight?” Carson asked as he uploaded the plant database’s revisions to the network.
Rodney shrugged. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I know the program backwards and forwards as well as you and John do. And since I don’t *need* to be there…” He trailed off and looked a little sheepish. “I was hoping to spend some time with Chuck and Evan, since I haven’t spent as much time with them lately.”
“I agree – that should come first. And they’ll be ready for discharge first thing in the morning. I haven’t told them yet, if you’d like to. I think John was hoping you’d come.”
Rodney leaned against the desk as Carson shut down the laptop. “While I appreciate that he’s trying to show me he’s moving on, I don’t want everything he’s doing to be focused at me. As odd as it sounds, I don’t want it to be all about me and I have a feeling that if I go, he might try something.”
“I think you’re starting to get paranoid about what John might do, Rodney,” Carson told him seriously.
“I know and I wish I didn’t feel this way,” Rodney replied with a sigh. “I know that if we give it enough time, we’ll be able to work through it. And even with the improvements I’ve made, I still have a tendency to panic about a situation I’m involved in that I have no control over.”
“You’ll be fine,” Carson told him as he patted Rodney’s hand. “Now, let’s go see those two lads of yours.”
“Hey,” Rodney said, stopping Carson before they left his office. “I wanted to apologize. I know that before I got stranded on Lapras, I made fun of your line of work and I’m sorry for it. You don’t practice voodoo and you’re not a deranged shaman or anything like that.”
Carson’s confused expression softened as he replied, “Thank you, Rodney, that means a lot to me. And I have to say that you’ve come a long way in your time on Lapras and I hope to one day meet your family there.”
Rodney nodded as they headed out. “I hope so too.”
The next morning Rodney practically bounded into the infirmary after breakfast. “Good morning,” he told Chuck and Evan cheerily as he set down the pack he had brought with a clean change of clothes for them.
They both eyed him suspiciously. “Did someone slip coffee into your Frooties this morning?” Chuck asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No,” Rodney replied. “You two are going to be discharged today. And I’ve taken the day off to help you two get settled in.”
“They haven’t been discharged yet, Rodney,” Biro told him as she entered their area with Chuck and Evan’s charts. “So you have to wait a little longer before you can get the boys into bed.”
At Rodney’s shocked look, Evan said, “We had to tell her, Rodney. The nurses were taking bets on what was going on between the three of us, and we figured that if they were going to be betting, that they should get at least part of it right.”
“Where’s Carson?” Rodney asked.
“He got called in for a briefing with Colonel Sheppard and Elizabeth about last night’s programming,” Biro replied as she started examining Evan.
“How did it go?” Rodney made himself ask, suddenly nervous that it had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
“It went very well, I thought. It was very informative, and I think that Carson, Colonel Sheppard, and Dr. Zelenka did a wonderful job outlining what the harassment policy is and what the related penalties are. They also told us where we could get help if we felt like we were being harassed and that this was just going to be the beginning of a much larger – and mandatory, which they seemed to stress a lot – program to promote awareness across the board. A few people seemed a little uneasy with it, but overall, I think everyone was pleased. The situation with Chuck and Major Lorne has everyone more than a little uneasy.”
“I’m not surprised,” Rodney muttered as he crossed his arms and Biro moved on to Chuck.
When she finished, she gave both men directives on what they needed to do to help the healing process before letting them loose.
“Thanks, Doc,” Evan said as he and Chuck stiffly got out of bed. While they were mostly healed, they were still a little sore and stiff.
She gave them a nod before leaving and Rodney pulled the curtain to give them some privacy. Chuck and Evan quickly changed into the clean clothes that Rodney offered them, and Rodney couldn’t help but admire the view, even if the patches of skin were seen in flashes and he didn’t actually see anything even remotely titillating. It was simply a relief to know that soon he’d be able to not only quickly, and quietly, admire flashes of skin, but to openly admire their whole bodies. It had surprised Rodney how much he had missed being able to touch them, and now that they were so close, he was getting antsy.
“I can’t wait to get out of here,” Evan commented as they packed up their clothes, breaking Rodney out of his reverie.
“Yeah, if you spend any more time in here, the soldiers will start thinking you’re a medic and not the second in command,” Chuck replied sarcastically.
“Very funny,” Evan replied, with a roll of his eyes, as they left.
“So, where to?” Rodney asked as he adjusted a twisted strap.
“Let’s go back to my quarters,” Chuck replied. “That way Evan can get his things from the other day, and I can see how I feel with the two of you there with me.”
Evan shrugged. “I don’t care where we go.” The unspoken ‘as long as I’m with the two of you’ was evident in his tone, and both Chuck and Rodney smiled at that as the three of them headed in the right direction.
When they reached Chuck’s door, he hesitated. More rhetorical than actual, he asked, “Do you think it’s bad that I don’t feel nervous or scared about coming back? I think I’m more worried about my lack of worry.” To Rodney, he asked, “How did they get in?”
“The hand sensor had been tampered with,” Rodney told him. “Radek had one of the engineers he knew was trustworthy fix it.”
Chuck nodded and passed his hand over the sensor. The door silently whooshed open, and Chuck entered first, with Evan and Rodney letting him look around for a moment before also entering. Without hesitation, the three men took off their shoes as they always had, and set them next to the door. “It feels like there should be something different about this place now,” Chuck commented quietly. “Like there should be some sort of mark or damage or something, but there’s not. There’s nothing.”
“Do you want there to be something?” Rodney asked as he dropped the pack on a chair before moving behind Chuck and putting his arms around him.
Chuck leaned back against Rodney as he replied, “I don’t know. I’m glad there’s not, but I feel like the absence of a physical reminder in this room negates what happened.”
“But we know and now everyone else knows,” Evan replied as he closed the distance between them. “That will last longer than even these buildings.” He leaned in and kissed Chuck hungrily, and Chuck eagerly responded. “I’ve been wanting to do that for way too long,” Evan said when they pulled apart. “What do you say we go reclaim that bed?”
Both Rodney and Chuck grinned as Rodney pulled away from Chuck. “That’s the best idea you’ve had in a while,” Rodney replied as they headed to the bed.
Standing next to the bed, Chuck put his hand on the back of Rodney’s neck as he said, “Thank you, for everything.”
Rodney opened his mouth to protest that he hadn’t really done much, but Chuck cut him off with a kiss. It was hungry and passionate with just a hint of desperation. Rodney eagerly kissed him back, quickly losing himself in the kiss. He moaned softly and when they broke apart, he blinked dazedly at Chuck and Evan. Evan smiled and took that moment to capture Rodney’s mouth with his own. Rodney groaned into Evan’s mouth and surrendered to the demanding kiss. He had missed this so much while they were in the infirmary. And not just the sex – which was great – but the intimacy in general that didn’t fit with a public setting.
As Evan and Rodney kissed, Chuck’s hands made their way under the other men’s shirts and his fingers gently played along their backs before dipping below their waistbands. They both gasped as Chuck traced along their ass cracks. Pulling apart, they found him looking at them mischievously.
“Come to bed, lovers,” he said, squeezing their asses before withdrawing his hands.
He backed up against the bed and pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside carelessly with a playful grin. Evan stepped in and kissed Chuck again, his hands roaming over the bare skin stretches of Chuck’s torso. Chuck reached beneath the hem of Evan’s shirt and pushed it up, gently scraping his nipples along the way, causing Evan to moan against Chuck’s mouth. They pulled apart so Evan’s shirt could be removed before going back to kissing and touching.
Rodney watched them, aroused by the sight of his lovers enjoying themselves and wanting to follow their lead this time. He carefully adjusted his burgeoning erection as Chuck kissed along Evan’s jaw and down his throat to his pulse point and carefully sucked there, withdrawing before a mark could form.
“What’s wrong, Rodney?” Chuck asked, concerned, as he broke off the kiss.
“Nothing,” Rodney replied. “I just wanted to – uh – watch you both for a moment and follow your lead in this so you two would be comfortable.”
“We would be more comfortable if you joined us,” Evan replied with a smirk.
He grabbed Rodney’s hand and pulled him to them. As he kissed him again, he pressed against Rodney and Rodney could feel Evan’s matching erection against his own. He gripped Evan’s hips and ground against him, eliciting a moan from Evan. When they pulled apart, they heard a groan from the bed and found Chuck sprawled on it, his feet still on the ground, his fly open, and a hand on his freed erection.
“Don’t stop the show on my account, gentlemen,” he told them. “I’m quite enjoying the show.”
Both Rodney and Evan laughed. Evan nuzzled Rodney’s neck just below his ear, sending a shiver down Rodney’s spine, before whispering in his ear, “I think we can take him. What do you say?”
Rodney nodded, his mouth dry in anticipation. He swallowed and replied, “I agree.”
With a surprised yelp from Chuck, they quickly divested not only him, but also themselves of the rest of their clothing, before tumbling onto the bed with him and pulling him up to join them.
“Fuck me,” Rodney told Evan before claiming one of Chuck’s nipples with his mouth.
With a lascivious grin, Evan grabbed the lube from the bedside table as Rodney settled between Chuck’s legs and began sucking on Chuck’s other nipple, his ass in the air for Evan. Chuck tangled his fingers in Rodney’s hair and held him close as he began gently rubbing his cock against the inside of Rodney’s thighs. Rodney started a little when Evan’s lube-slicked finger caressed his crack, but he opened his thighs wider, bringing his cock into contact with Chuck’s. As Evan pressed a finger inside Rodney, Rodney moaned and began alternating between rocking back onto Evan’s finger and forward against Chuck’s cock.
Before long, Chuck was panting and writhing beneath him, and Rodney was resting his head in the crook of Chuck’s neck with his eyes squeezed tight, willing himself to hold on until Evan was actually inside of him. He whimpered when Evan pulled his fingers out of his ass, but sighed in relief when he felt the blunt head of Evan’s cock pressing against his asshole and he pressed back, taking Evan inside easily. Once Evan was all the way inside of him, it took Rodney a moment to adjust to his bulk. Chuck whimpered at the loss of contact, and Rodney and Evan began moving, slowly picking up speed. Rodney loved the feel of Evan moving inside of him, filling him. And when Evan shifted and began hitting his prostate, he practically shattered with pleasure.
Chuck came first, his come splattering his chest and stomach as well as Rodney’s. The sensation caused a domino effect – Rodney came next and Evan came a moment after Rodney’s ass clamped down on his cock.
The three men collapsed into a panting, sweaty heap, nuzzling and kissing each other tiredly. After a while, Chuck left the bed to get a washcloth to clean them up before crawling back into bed and into his lovers’ embrace. The three of them fell asleep happy to be together and content.
Continue to Part 29