sga_flashfic | A Royal Deception, by Mandragora (Harlequin Challenge) Part Two

mandragora1.livejournal.com posting in

Story details in Part One.

Rodney seemed to be genuinely touched at the 'welcome back to Atlantis' party, even if most people insisted on calling him, "Your Majesty," and bowing low in his presence -- Simpson did a mean curtsey. John hung around just long enough to make sure his attendance was noted and then went to his quarters. He needed a little space and anyway Rodney was way too busy making nice with the scientists -- who had realized just as John had a while back that McKay might be an asshole but he was their asshole and things ran a lot smoother in Atlantis with him around -- to talk to him.

He could feel Teyla's eyes boring a hole in his back as he walked away, so he made a point of turning around and smiling at her. She raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. She didn't look happy but she let him go without making a fuss and John was grateful.

He really didn’t feel up to a post-mortem just yet. Time enough for that at the post-mission briefing. Or, better make that pre the post-mission briefing. He really should talk to Rodney about-- About what to put in the reports. He made a note to track Rodney down in the morning, scrubbed himself -- for a very long time -- in the shower and tumbled into bed. Which was a whole lot harder than the divan had been.

He tossed for a long time restlessly and overslept the next morning, waking up with a stiff neck. His body felt sore and tight, and his head was throbbing. To top it all off, he was so late that he barely made it to the morning briefing, stumbling into his seat -- not looking at anyone in particular -- just as Rodney was complaining that even after having spent all night in the labs, did Elizabeth know how much work there was to catch up on and did she know that Proctor and Hibbert had-- John tuned the Rodney-babble out. Yeah, he should've known. Of course the labs would be Rodney's first concern. He looked up when he heard Weir announce the first thing on the agenda, 'Operation Rescue Prince Rodney.'

"John?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh. Yeah. Well, as you can see it was a success. We got Rodney back." Rodney gave a little wave. He didn't look at John. "I figure we should all have our reports for you by…." He scanned his team quickly. "Tomorrow."

"Oh, but John. Not so fast." Elizabeth's mouth twitched. "I gather there were some changes to the plan."

John froze. "Nothing of significance," he said, elaborately casual. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rodney stiffen. Beside him, Ronon frowned. He looked puzzled, John thought. Teyla -- more used to Earth customs -- looked carefully unconcerned.

"I see," Elizabeth said quietly. I'll just await the written reports then, shall I?" John nodded. "Although, I would like your input, Rodney, on what it was like being a prince." She smiled a little, mischievously. "I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that Carson has cleared Rodney for active duty and that there are no lingering effects from the memory loss.

Crap! John should have known that. As team leader he should've made damn sure that he was fully informed of Rodney's condition instead of slinking off to his quarters to sulk after Beckett had finished examining him (and hadn't that been fun, even though Beckett had pronounced that Rodney was clean and John was fine). Whatever had happened between them--

Rodney had rocked so slowly and carefully into him and had kissed him until--

John shivered and clenched his hands tight under the table.

--Rodney was a member of his team and that wasn't going to change. Not without a lot of questions. Best thing to do would be to get back to normal as fast as possible. He relaxed his fingers, one by one, and rested his hands on his knees.

Rodney cleared his throat. "Of course, I'll get right to it. Although I need to check out the labs first."

"I thought you did that last night," Elizabeth said, smiling.

"Were you listening at all earlier?" Rodney asked. "Just came from there. But I didn't finish so…."

John pushed back his chair. He'd better get to it, check out the duty roster that Lorne had been working on before they'd-- Before Carel.

Rodney caught up with him in the corridor. "Colonel."

"Hey, Rodney. How you doing? Glad to be back?"

"Fine and yes. But--"

"Good. I'll see you later, gotta go."

"But. The mission reports." Rodney put his hand on John's arm and snatched it away again, self-consciously. He beckoned John into the nearest transport and waited until the door closed. John moved to the side and crossed his arms. "What do you-- I mean, what should I write?"

"The truth is a good start."

"But won't that-- What about 'don't ask, don't tell'."

"Doesn't apply. Not in a rescue situation. You have to do what you have to do to get your people out."

"Oh." Rodney swallowed. "Yes, well. That's very plain. But if you don't mind I think I'll edit mine a little."

"You do that," John drawled.

"I--" Rodney's forehead wrinkled. "Are we okay? Honestly, I wouldn't want us not to be and I realize that it was a very-- It was-- I-- I mean--"

"Don't worry about it, McKay. We're cool." John sent a small smile in Rodney's direction and thought the doors open, open, open. "Catch you later," he said and strolled off round the corner. Once there, he stopped and leaned his forehead against the wall. It was cool and soothing and was doing wonders for his headache.

~~~~~~~~

"You're being ridiculous, you know."

John looked up from Miller's copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude. He was ahead of schedule and that wasn't good. "About what?" he asked, carefully not mentioning that Rodney had just let himself uninvited into John's room.

"So we had sex. Big deal. Now can we get on with things?" Rodney snapped.

"I thought that's what we were doing." John turned the page.

"No we're not. Look at you. You won't even look at me." Rodney's voice cracked.

John sighed and put the book down. He folded his arms. "I'm looking."

"Now you are." Rodney plunked himself into a chair. He leaned forward, hands twitching in his lap. “You haven’t-- I haven’t seen much of you since we got back and when I do, you--“

“I’ve been busy,” John said.

“Yes, I know. Military commander and all that. But, you always used to come to the labs or-- or the messhall. And then on that last mission--“

John flinched. They’d had better days, what with Ronon falling into the mud-hole and Teyla reaching out to rescue him and being pulled in after him. He and Rodney had had to work together to get them both out. And it had been fine, they'd been more than okay while they were concentrating on the logistics of how to get Ronon and Teyla out of the hole without falling in themselves and given that there was nothing to tie the rope to.

They'd finally gotten Teyla out, closely followed by Ronon who'd scrambled up like Swamp Thing, and they were laughing together, all covered in mud like a bunch of five year olds. And then John had caught Rodney's eye, who was grinning at him all flushed with laughter and John hadn't seen Rodney look at him like that since…. And he'd had to look away and next thing he knew Rodney was snapping that they needed to get back to Atlantis, because unlike some people with stupid hair who had nothing better to do than play in the mud like a bunch of moronic infants, he had some very important experiments ongoing in Atlantis and he was probably going to catch his death of cold and God knows what deadly organisms might be lurking in the mud and could they get back and yesterday wouldn't be soon enough. He'd stomped away back to the gate leaving Ronon staring after him and Teyla staring at John.

He'd told Ronon to go after McKay and stop him from falling into any more mud-holes and packed up the gear, avoiding Teyla's eye. He'd felt the weight of her stare, but he couldn't-- He really didn't feel up to discussing anything right then. They'd caught up with Rodney and Ronon right by the gate and as soon as they'd gotten there Rodney had gone right through, not waiting for any orders at all. By the time John was in the control room everyone was busy laughing at the trail of dried mud that followed them through and flaked off as they walked. John had headed off to get cleaned up and when he'd gone to make his report to Elizabeth -- which boiled down to the fact that there wasn't anything there that would interest anyone but the planetary science specialists -- Rodney had already made his and gone to his lab.

And John hadn't really seen him since.

"I just-- I wanted to know, are you okay." His eyes were very wide and blue and intent on John.

John shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be? Like you said, it's just sex."

"Well yes. But you were a-- You hadn't-- That is, it wasn't something you were used to."

John raised his eyebrows skeptically. "And you were?"

Rodney's expression segued into smug. "Actually, yes. Being Prince of Carel definitely had its perks. I must admit having dozens of concubines--"

"Including me," John said bleakly.

"--was something that I could really get used to and-- Oh," Rodney said awkwardly. "Oh, but, you weren't a concu…."

"No?"

"Well, yes, I suppose by the strict definition of the word but--"

"It's okay, Rodney," John said, finally taking pity on Rodney's painfully earnest expression. "It's not like either of us had a choice."

Rodney's face changed. "No," he said, voice high.

"Rodney?"

He leapt to his feet. "I-- Er, the lab! Yes, very important experiments. I left Franklin and Chen running simulations and I swear between them they--"

"Rodney," John said again, using the command voice, the one that, on occasion, worked even on Rodney McKay. He stood up and folded his arms, frowning.

Rodney's eyes flickered. "Look, I really don't want you to get all bent out of shape over this and you should remember that I really wasn't myself, that I was missing all of my memories and I didn't know that you were, well, you, although I knew when I saw you that-- That is, it felt really strange but somehow you were really familiar but I didn't really know that you were you and I think it would be really unfair and unjust to hold me responsible when I couldn't possibly be expected to have known--"

"McKay! What did you do?"

"Nothing!" He blinked. "Well, nothing that you don't already know about."

John waited.

"It's possible that-- That is, we might not have had to…. Not that night. I mean, I could have-- Never mind," Rodney said, making for the door.

John blocked his way. "Did you send Marietta to speak to me that night?"

"No."

"You really suck at lying, McKay."

"Okay, yes. Maybe. But I--"

"And when she told me that we had to…."

"That…might not have been…strictly correct."

John stared at him incredulously. "You lied."

"Now before you get too mad, remember what I said about not being me," Rodney was backing away, "and that I really wasn't in my right mind and I didn't know that it was you and--"

"Uh huh." John stepped closer.

"--it wasn't as if you wouldn't have had to…at some point. I mean, you'd need to get close to me to kidnap me and--"

"As opposed to getting the knock-out potion from Teyla and putting that into your drink?" John asked.

Rodney's mouth opened. "Uh," he said. And then, rallying, "Yes. Um. Maybe. But really, are you seriously trying to tell me that you've never told a couple of white lies to get some girl or guy -- well, obviously not the guy in your case -- into bed--"

"No!" John said, because that thing with Lorraine Chadwick didn't count and he'd only been seventeen -- not thirty-seven -- for Christ's sake. And besides, it hadn't worked.

"--And if you could only have seen yourself, I mean, you were totally hot, and it was really good, wasn't it," Rodney finished desperately, back flattened against the wall.

John stopped.

"Ha," Rodney crowed. His eyes flickered over John's body. "I knew it. I knew that I was absolutely incredible--"

"Get out," John said pleasantly.

"There's no need to be shy. It's totally understandable that you were overcome by my expertise but--"

"Get out!" John yelled. He grabbed McKay by the arm and shoved him through the obligingly open door, on behalf of seduced and betrayed virgins everywhere.

~~~~~~~~

"I think this is yours." John handed the black pearl to Pisen.

"What? Oh no, you keep it. I insist. It's the least I can do." He held it out to John.

Pisen, who had kept all of his memories this time -- Rodney had theorized that the machine didn’t feel the need to remove them given that Pisen actually wanted the job -- had suggested they meet for the trade discussions in the safehouse, which he said he was thinking of turning into a summerhouse. John hadn't wanted to go back at all but the chance to acquire some iniridium was too good to pass up. He wasn't letting Rodney set foot on the planet, though. Weir had concurred with John's recommendation and predictably Rodney had protested, but it was John's soft, "Wanting to compare harem notes with Pisen, huh, McKay," that had shut him up.

John had felt obscurely guilty at Rodney's stricken expression until he remembered that, oh yeah, Rodney had lied to him for sex.

John shook his head. "We helped each other."

Pisen beamed. "We certainly did." He reached for Marietta's hand and patted it. She looked happy enough to have Pisen in place of Rodney and was dressed very grandly, in none of the concubine's skimpy clothing. And she was wearing shoes. Pisen continued, "Geseth was a bit peeved when he found out about your little deception, but when I explained that Rodney is an offworlder he saw my point. Really, it's better that the ruler be a Carellian, or at least a planetary native."

“But aren’t you an offworlder?” Teyla asked.

“Well, yes. But I like it here a lot better.”

"And you, Marietta. You have no difficulty with what occurred?" Teyla asked.

"About what?" She looked surprised for a moment but then her expression cleared. "Oh no, you did only what you need. And in truth I am happy to have Pisen back."

John raised his eyebrows. "I thought you were supposed to call him 'my lord.'"

"Ah, well, you see, Marietta is my consort now." Pisen beamed at Marietta, who smiled back demurely.

"Oh hey, congratulations. That's like a…."

"Spouse."

John blinked. Spouse? "Right. Of course it is. Look, if you don't mind I'm going to leave Teyla and Ronon to continue the trade negotiations. I really need to get back, there's something I have to do."

"Of course, but," Pisen held out the earring, "please take this back. It's made out of iniridium, you know."

John blinked again. Wow. He'd had no idea. "Okay, and thanks."

"Prince Rodney thought it set off your coloring," Marietta interjected, a sly look in her eyes.

John could feel the tips of his ears glowing. "Yeah. I'm, er, going now."

~~~~~~~~

"So," John said waltzing into Rodney's room and thanking the Ancient gene for overriding the lock. "You wanted to marry me, huh."

"What?" Rodney was staring at him like he'd lost his mind. John conceded privately that he might well be right.

"You were babbling about me being your consort." Rodney's eyes widened. "And then there was this." John held out the earring. "Made out of iniridium and you picked it out for me." He leaned over Rodney, who squeezed himself back into his chair, face white. "All that crap about you being so fantastic in bed when all along--" John stopped and stared. In his haste to let Rodney know that he'd worked it out maybe he hadn't thought it all through. "You wanted to marry me," he said slowly, straightening up and stepping back a little.

Rodney flushed.

"Why did you want to--"

"Look," Rodney said, "if I begged really, really hard would you just…go away and then can we never speak of this again?"

John thought for a moment. "No."

Rodney's mouth trembled. "Please?"

"No, Rodney. I want to know why…." John's eyes narrowed as he sorted through Rodney's babbling on the night he'd thrown Rodney out of his quarters. "You said when you saw me, in the palace, that you recognized me."

Rodney was sweating. He got to his feet and folded his arms, chin raised. "What of it?"

"Because it would be really crazy to want to marry someone that you'd exchanged maybe two words with and spent one night with unless…. Oh God."

"I'm sorry it was so terrible." Rodney’s voice fractured. "I never meant to put you through any kind of…of ordeal. I honestly thought that you would-- That you'd enjoy it. That I could make you happy. When I saw you, you were just so…so…. And I know it was very wrong of me to get Marietta to…to get her to give you the impression that--"

"To lie to me."

Rodney recoiled. His eyes lowered. "Yes. Even though I wasn't really me at the time and I didn't know that you were my friend." His mouth worked. "That you were my friend. I just knew that I had to-- I wanted you so much. I'd never wanted anyone like that before in my whole life, and I could have anyone -- anyone at all -- as the prince. I had a whole palace full of concubines who-- Never mind," he said quickly, catching John's glare. "I sent Marietta to find out what she could about you and so I knew that you were-- That you hadn't, with a man before. But I'd learned so much from Marietta and Oslon and, and all of them, that I thought if you enjoyed it, you'd grow to love-- Anyway," he finished miserably. "I'm really, really sorry and if I'd known -- if I'd really remembered -- who you are I'd never have-- I'd never have risked our friendship. Not for anything. And now, I think I've had enough humiliation for one day, so would you please leave." His voice shook. "Please."

John was still staring. It hadn't just been him. Rodney had felt it, too. He hadn't imagined that sense of connection and Rodney -- even with a whole palace full of gorgeous concubines to choose from -- had wanted to marry him. "One question," he said.

"If I answer will you leave?" Rodney's eyes pleaded with him.

"Yes."

"Okay." Rodney bobbed his head.

"How long have you wanted me?"

"Oh God. That's really unfair, you know."

"As opposed to lying to get me into bed?"

Rodney winced. "I suppose I deserved that. I…um. I thought you were really hot-- Oh, come on, it's not like you don't know, " he said in response to John's raised eyebrows, "the first time I saw you when you made the chair light up and that was so wonderful but it wasn't just that and it was really after-- You were…you're good at math and you like science, even if your taste in science-fiction movies sucks, and you seemed to l-like me -- as a friend," he added hastily. "And that's when I-- Please go, I've answered your question." He spun around and faced the wall.

John touched his shoulder and Rodney flinched.

"You said you'd leave."

"I lied."

Rodney spun around indignantly and swiped furiously at his eyes. "You can't do-- Mmmmfff."

Kissing Rodney was just as good as he remembered, John decided as he pulled back to nip at Rodney's neck.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

John grinned. "Are you sure you're a genius?"

"Yes, of course I am. I tested-- Oh, very funny. Would you stop that!" Rodney snapped, as John licked at his neck.

"I thought you liked it," John said innocently.

"Well, of course I like it, but…why?" Rodney's face was so anxious and bewildered that John just couldn't spin it out any longer.

"I like you too," he explained. "You idiot!"

"Am not," Rodney denied automatically, and then. "Oh." A moment later, "Oh. Really?"

John could feel his mouth curving up. "Yeah, really."

"Oh. And not just as a friend?"

John shook his head in exasperation. "Rodney." He kissed him again, deeply, and pressed himself close, so that Rodney could feel how much John liked him. And Rodney finally got with the program because he was pressing back and he was hard too and it was there, the connection, the fit. It was-- It was what John had felt that first time and then Rodney was shuddering against him as John grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him over to the bed.

They tangled together side by side, still kissing frantically, wide open-mouthed kisses, devouring each other's mouths and John wanted-- He wanted it all, he wanted everything, he wanted Rodney and, best of all, Rodney wanted him and it wasn't just Rodney wanting to lord it over him and it never had been. He pulled off his jacket and T-shirt and stopped when he saw Rodney's eyes on him, tracing every movement fervently. And there it was again, that look. Rodney was looking at John, just like he had that night and it was so full of affection and warmth that John had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment but then he opened them and smiled at Rodney, who smiled right back.

"I--" But John's throat closed up and then he shook his head and laughed and Rodney was grinning right back, like he knew what John was going to say. "Clothes, Rodney," John ordered but Rodney was already stripping them off and then they were kissing again, deep and wet, and John was running his hands down Rodney's back, touching firm muscle and soft skin as Rodney trembled against him and whimpered against his neck. But then, "Wait, wait," Rodney gasped, fumbling in the drawer by the nightstand by the bed and pulling the drawer out to tumble to the floor, but Rodney reached down and--

"Pants," John said impatiently, toeing off his shoes and reaching down for his socks.

"Right, right," Rodney said, wriggling hastily out of the rest of his clothes and throwing them on top of John's boxers and pulling John on top of him. John luxuriated in the feel of him, smooth and hard and hot as he rubbed his dick against Rodney's and then he thrust against Rodney and thrust again, dick leaking against Rodney's belly, nipping at his jaw and sliding down to tongue a nipple, loving it as Rodney twitched a little and moaned in the back of his throat. John thrust again, groaning because he was close but--

"No, wait," Rodney said, struggling under him and John pulled away, frowning. If Rodney was getting cold feet now then--

But Rodney was pressing a tube into John's hand, curling his fingers round it.

"Is this really what you want?"

Rodney smiled at him happily, eyes very wide and dark. "Oh yeah," he said fervently, rolling over to present his firm ass to John, who swallowed because, yeah, he'd done this with a couple of girlfriends but this was Rodney and he was-- He was pretty damn important to John and had been for a while now.

"Okay," John said, hands trembling as he coated his fingers and reached for Rodney, sliding a finger into him as Rodney wriggled and sighed in encouragement. "Are you…?"

"Oh yes," Rodney said, hands moving restlessly, until he reached out and fisted the covers. He tightened around John's finger and John swallowed and swallowed again, reaching down to grab his dick with his other hand and squeezing, because, God, this was-- He couldn't-- Except that he really, really wanted to and he stroked another finger into Rodney and then another and Rodney was moaning and shivering and saying that he was ready, ready, ready and would John please get on with it.

John reached out to turn Rodney onto his back and Rodney pulled him down for a hard, deep kiss, fisting a handful of John's hair but then he wriggled onto his front, spreading his thighs wide. "This'll be easier for the first time."

"Have you…?"

"Done this before? Yes. But not-- Not with you. And I'm not as limber as you so…." Rodney turned his head to smile at John ruefully. "And, can we get on with it, please, because I'm really, really close and I'd really like to come with you fucking-- Oh yeah!"

John pushed inside, slowly, slowly, careful not to go too fast, body shaking with the strain of holding back but Rodney was saying, "Oh, God, please. Christ, yes, John. Oh, that's good, that's great." And then, "Will you get on with it!" and John slid ecstatically all the way into him, snug against Rodney's back. He rested there a while, fighting for control because he was so damn close and it was so good and Rodney felt so warm and enclosed him so sweetly and oh God, but he was so glad that he'd gotten to do this because it was-- It was-- But then Rodney wriggled around him and said, "Hey," meaningfully.

"Sorry, sorry," John muttered and started to move.

"S'okay," Rodney said kindly. "I realize it's a little overwhelming being with me and everything, but--"

John started to laugh. "Rodney, shut up, or. I. Won't. Last." He punctuated each breath with a thrust and then Rodney was pushing back to meet his thrusts and they were perfectly in sync and Rodney was taking it, taking John, and John really wasn’t going to be able to last for much longer and, oh-- Rodney was gasping and shuddering and coming beneath him and tightening around him and that was it--

After they'd both gotten their breath back and were able to move, Rodney held John's hand, fingers interlinked as they lay together, John's head pillowed on Rodney's shoulder.

Then John suddenly remembered. "Hey, you called me John."

"Well, it is your name," Rodney said, in an exact imitation of John's tone on that other night.

John turned his head to meet Rodney's lopsided smile. "Yeah, I suppose it'd seem weird calling your husband, 'Colonel'."

Rodney's eyes widened. "About that. You do realize that under the laws of your stupidly homophobic country we can't just get married, don't you? And although we could under Canada's much more enlightened and, frankly, much more forward-thinking and socially responsible laws we, well, we could, and someday, maybe, I might like that even though we've hardly-- Anyway, your position as a member of your stupidly homophobic military forces, not to mention the particularly absurd 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, means that we really can't-- Oh shut up, you bastard!"

John was giggling helplessly, whole body shaking, deep belly laughter.

"So," Rodney said, after finally hitting John with the pillow to get him to shut up and once John's laughter had wound down to the occasional snort, "you were just jerking my chain, hmm."

"Sorry, it's just if you could have seen…. Your face!" John said, starting to laugh again.

"You, shut up!" Rodney bent over to kiss him into silence and John reached up to drag him on top of him.

Later, when they were lying quiet once more, John muttered, "You know that if the law is ever going to change in the US, it's probably going to take years, right?"

Rodney nodded, reaching out to trace John's mouth.

John smiled at him. "We'll start lobbying in the morning."

END

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

jade-dragoness.livejournal.com

Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! Funny and hot! With just enough hints of angst to give it a great emotional flavor.

*giggles* I just about died laughing when Sheppard was comparing how he looked in the harem pants to Ronon. *grin* Hilarious.

Oooh, and Prince Rodney choosing Sheppard as his consort. *wiggles* Oh, yeah.

And Sheppard blaming his actions on the drink. *g* Which was so harmless kids cound drink it. *dies laughing* His denial is so hilarious.

*smiles* I just about melted into a puddle at end. Ah, they should be married. Sweet ending. Love it!

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