Title: Competence
Author: Coreopsis
Fandom: SGA
Pairing: Sheppard/McKay
Rating: P for porn.
Date: April 7, 2005
Notes/disclaimers: _bettina_ said, "The perfect scene, or maybe not. John tries to be romantic, with candles, a nice dinner, and all Rodney can think of is the best way to tie John to the bed." And this is what happened. Thanks to malnpudl and thepouncer for awesome beta. Any remaining fuckups are all mine. The characters of course, are not. So consider yourself disclaimed.
Comments welcome at coreopsis@gmail.com.

---

The scene was set: candles and a soft, finely woven blanket for his bed that he'd traded War and Peace to an Athosian for, a nice dinner he'd put together himself from the meager stores in the mess hall kitchen, and he was wearing the black outfit that he had guessed that Rodney liked. It should've been the perfect first date. And yet John looked across the table at Rodney and knew something wasn't quite right.

Rodney had been making conversation and eating his dinner with enthusiasm--okay, nothing unexpected there--but he kept looking around the room and then at John as if trying to figure something out. It seemed perfectly obvious to John, so he finally laid his fork across his plate and propped his elbows on the table. "Okay, let me have it. What did I do wrong?"

"What? Nothing." Rodney glanced from John to the bed and back again. "Nothing's wrong."

"Something is," John pointed out reasonably. "What? I can't be romantic?"

Rodney looked around the room slowly, then smirked. "Oh, you can. That's not in doubt."

John tilted his head and gave him a look.

"No, it's very..." Rodney laughed just a little. "It's all very romantic."

"And you don't like it?" John asked in the tone of someone who really didn't care one way or the other. And really, it wouldn't break his heart if Rodney made fun of him. He just wanted to know what exactly Rodney's problem was so they could get past it and have sex already.

"No, it's not that...really. I'm just not a romantic kind of guy." Rodney shrugged and poked his fork at the few remnants of food on his plate.

"Okay. Not a problem." John sat back and smiled, feeling generous and tolerant and relieved that he might finally get laid tonight.

"Ummm..." Rodney looked at him with an expression that John couldn't begin to decipher and reached down beside his chair for the smallish box he'd brought in with him. "Maybe a small problem," he said, shoving the box across the table, narrowly avoiding dumping John's plate in his lap.

John warily opened the box and found a pair of leather cuffs connected by a long shiny chain, satin-lined metal handcuffs, a coiled strip of very soft leather with a hard leather phallic-shaped handle, and a band of black cloth that could be used as a blindfold or a gag. Well. Okay. That was unexpected. "I only got you some chocolate bars."

Rodney perked up, but then sighed. "This is never going to work is it? You arrange an evening that would do a romance novelist proud and all I can think of is how soon I can tie you to the bed."

"I have no right to be surprised by this," John said thoughtfully, his gaze moving from the box up to Rodney's apprehensive face. "No right at all."

"Well, it's not something I advertise," Rodney said, a tad more indignantly than the situation called for, in John's opinion. He was the one who should be upset, not Rodney. He'd only brought a book, a poster, and a DVD of football in his personal item bag, but Rodney had brought this S&M stuff like he'd expected to be able to use it. Arrogant bastard. Well, there you go.

"No, but the subtle signs were there." Rodney started to protest or question or perhaps just try to babble John into submission, but John drew the whip out of the box and that quieted Rodney down before he'd even got two words out. John ran the soft leather through his fingers. "Have you actually used this stuff before?"

"Yes. And I know what I'm doing." Rodney sounded offended that anyone would ever imply otherwise.

"And you want to do it to me?" John asked, wondering what that said about him.

"If you just trust me, it'll be fine." When John didn't say anything immediately, Rodney reached out for the box. "But if you don't, that's fine too."

John held onto the box so Rodney couldn't pull it away. "It's not that I don't trust you, Rodney, it's just--"

"That you don't trust me enough," Rodney said, not bothering to hide his impatience.

"It's just that this was a little unexpected. That's all I was going to say." John peeked into the box again and gave the chain a speculative poke with his finger, trying to imagine what these things would feel like against his skin, holding him down for Rodney's pleasure. His cock twitched. Then he looked up into Rodney's face, shining with hopeful eagerness, and his cock went hard and something twisted deep in his belly, some crazy combination of lust and fear and excitement and...lust. Yeah, he'd wanted Rodney before and he still did.

"We can do the vanilla thing if that's what you want," Rodney said, looking a little disappointed. He reached for the box again, but John kept holding onto it. Rodney raised his eyebrows and the corner of his mouth twitched.

John licked his lips and nodded. "If you're sure you know what you're doing."

"John. I know almost everything about almost everything." His voice may have been pompous but his smile was warm and almost sweet.

"That's the only part that scares me." John shrugged and pushed back his chair. "Okay, let's do it."

"That easy?" Rodney remained seated and stared up at John.

"Easy? Hell no. It probably won't be easy, but it could be fun."

"Just like that?" Rodney stood up, but kept his distance until John reached out and pulled him closer with a hand on his hip.

"My first trip through a Stargate was to another galaxy that I knew I might never be able to return from."

"Yeah. Guess being adventurous is not exactly a new thing for you."

John just looked at him for a second, and then wrapped his other hand around the back of Rodney's neck and kissed him deeply. He lightly sucked on Rodney's lower lip until Rodney made a muffled sound and curled his hands around John's sides, pulling John tight against his body. John drew his mouth away and smiled. "You really want to tie me up?"

Rodney nodded slowly. He looked a little dazed. "I really do."

"Do we get to trade off sometime?" John asked. "Just curious. You know. For future reference."

"If...if you want to." Rodney swallowed audibly and slid his hands down John's back to the curve of his ass. "But not tonight."

He tightened his grip and John closed his eyes at how good it felt. Rodney had nice hands. Big, strong hands that John wanted to feel more of. Anywhere, everywhere, all over. He pushed back against Rodney's hands and kissed him again. "Whatever you want," he murmured against Rodney's mouth.

Rodney's only response was a smile that John could feel against his lips and another squeeze of his hands on John's ass.

John arched his hips, rubbing his erection against Rodney's, and lowered his head to suck at the pulse point at the base of Rodney's throat. When Rodney gasped and thrust his leg in between John's thighs, John licked Rodney's neck and couldn't help saying, "Not that there's anything wrong with vanilla, right?"

"Whatever you say," muttered Rodney, as John slid a hand down between their bodies and popped open the button on Rodney's pants. He nibbled at Rodney's throat while he slowly eased the zipper down and worked his hand inside. Rodney dropped his head to the side, giving John better access to that delectable spot just inside the collar of his shirt. He tasted so good where his neck met his shoulder. As John curled his fingers around Rodney's cock and stroked in time with his teeth sinking lightly into Rodney's skin, Rodney shuddered and sighed. "Maybe we can...oh...ah...save the whips and chains for later."

John pressed his lips to the tiny red bruise he'd raised and then lowered himself to his knees. He looked up at Rodney and licked his lips. Rodney's eyes were wider than John had ever seen them and he was gasping like he couldn't quite catch his breath. Amused even as he was completely turned on, John arched a brow and drew Rodney's cock out of his pants. "You okay?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yes!" Rodney nearly shouted and nodded a couple times.

"You sure?" John licked his lips and slid his fingers from the head of Rodney's cock down to the base. "I can stop if you want."

Rodney closed his eyes as if he was in pain and his hips twitched. "Please don't."

"Wow, Canadians really are as polite as everyone says." John blew a stream of air across the tip of Rodney's cock and smiled when he shivered. "After meeting you, I thought that was a myth."

"John." Rodney opened his eyes and stared down at John, eradicating John's desire to tease. There was so much in Rodney's eyes, so fucking much that nearly made John ache with how honest and open Rodney could be. John dipped his head, half in a nod of acknowledgement and half in a last ditch attempt at avoiding the emotions between them, and took Rodney's cock in his mouth.

If John had known that giving Rodney head would draw such arousing sounds out of that always busy mouth, he'd have done this back in Antarctica when Rodney was just another scientist who ordered him around and tried to make him feel stupid for not jumping at the chance to leave Earth. If John had had any idea just how much he'd enjoy giving Rodney head, he'd have stalked Rodney all over the outpost until he gave in and let John suck him dry. If John had even suspected any of this and then missed his chance, he would never have gotten over it. It was that last realization that made him glance up to see Rodney watching him, his teeth sunk into his lower lip and his eyes raw with something that John was almost afraid of.

John blinked and pulled back until just the head was between his lips. He stroked the shaft of Rodney's cock a few times and then Rodney stiffened, his breath catching in his throat. He came, spurting bitterness across John's tongue that made John swallow convulsively, and then drew in a wheezing breath as his body relaxed.

Releasing Rodney from his mouth, John sat back on his feet and raised his hands to Rodney's hips and just held him while he looked up at the blissful expression on Rodney's face.

One corner of Rodney's mouth kicked up and his eyes twinkled in the candlelight. "You..." He cleared his throat and tried again. "You look really good on your knees."

"Gee, thanks. But that's not taking care of this." John motioned at his lap with a smirk.

"Strip off your clothes and lie on the bed," Rodney said, in a voice that John had very seldom heard and had never had directed at him before. He was rising to his feet and pulling off his shirt before he'd even decided to do it. Rodney smiled with something like pride. "You're very good, John. It'll be easy to take care of you."

John frowned at that even as he toed off his shoes and unfastened his pants. He wasn't sure he wanted to be easy. But then Rodney put one heavy hand on the back John's neck and circled his wrist tightly with the other as he whispered in John's ear how wonderful he'd look all tied up and helpless, how perfect and hot he'd be waiting for Rodney to pleasure him, and John's knees went weak.

When Rodney stepped back and released him, John shuddered and stumbled toward the bed, thinking that this might turn out to be a bigger adventure than he'd expected. And that Rodney really did know what he was doing.

The end.

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