Kylie Lee | Slash fan fiction

"She was pissed, wasn't she," McKay said. Sheppard didn't break stride as he jogged to catch up. It wasn't a question. The two of them had gated back to home base to check with Elizabeth Weir about some negotiations with the Genii, farmers with whom they hoped to trade.

"Well, annoyed, maybe, yeah." Sheppard shrugged, falling in with McKay. It hadn't gone all that well, but he'd convinced Weir to see it his way. "She did have to mention that I had already agreed to the terms and she was just signing off on it. It had the ring of truth, I must admit."

McKay pointed to indicate which way he was going. Sheppard followed. "She should come along, then, if she's going to complain," McKay pointed out. "If you have to go running to Elizabeth every time you negotiate offworld—well, it's just not very practical, is it?"

"Full authority," Sheppard said, voice dripping with irony. "I have her full confidence and authority. Except for the C-4. I must say, she was not happy about the C-4. Something about arms dealing? She made it sound all bad. Bad and wrong." That was something else that had the ring of truth, but he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"She sent us to get food, not become arms dealers," McKay said.

Sheppard had to walk fast to keep up. McKay seemed determined to leave him in the dust. "They're simple farmers. You saw it yourself. Teyla's done business with them. She vouches for them, and that's good enough for me. She says they'll only use it for blowing up stumps to clear land, and they really are taking a risk by trading as much of their crop as they are."

"You're preaching to the converted." McKay made another turn, and Sheppard kept with him. "Look, I have to stop by my room." McKay sounded annoyed. He was definitely in one of his moods, Sheppard decided, but that was okay. He could handle McKay.

"Stocking up on rations?" Sheppard asked lightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" McKay keyed his door open. "As a matter of fact, yes." He glared at Sheppard. McKay said that he needed to eat frequently to keep his blood sugar steady. Sheppard didn't buy it. He figured McKay just liked to eat and needed an excuse. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope," Sheppard answered easily, leaning against the door so it wouldn't close.

McKay tossed his bag on the bed. "So I'll see you in, say, fifteen minutes at the jumper. Bye now."

Sheppard smiled. He knew that it was coming out as the kind of smile that could be described as a smirk. "Can't I come in, Rodney?" he asked.

McKay turned to face Sheppard. "Well, no, John," he said, emphasizing Sheppard's first name. "See you in fifteen." He gave a false grin, put his hand on Sheppard's chest, and gently shoved. Sheppard took an automatic step back, and McKay shut the door in Sheppard's face.

"McKay!" Sheppard yelled through the door. "Cut it out already!"

"Fifteen minutes," McKay said loudly.

"I want to talk to you!"

There was no response. Sheppard waited a minute or two, then began banging on the door until McKay opened it again. It was a toss-up, Sheppard thought, over which of them was the more stubborn. McKay crossed his arms, ostentatiously blocking the door so Sheppard couldn't get in.

"Okay, so talk," McKay said.

"Privately."

McKay made a show of looking left and right down the empty corridor. "There's no one here," he pointed out. "Of course. We're all on the same shift. Everyone's at work. Why, oh why, did I open the door?"

Sheppard sighed. "Rodney, can we please talk about what happened?"

McKay shook his head. To Sheppard's relief, he didn't try to pretend to misunderstand. "You know? I'd rather not. There was the alcohol, and the dancing, and the loud music, and frankly, it's all a blur."

"That was the party. I'm talking about what happened after the party. Not to mention—you only had, like, one glass of wine."

"I'm a lightweight," McKay said defensively.

"With that body mass?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That came out wrong."

"I should hope so."

"And plus, you weren't dancing."

"Yes, but boy! The music was loud."

Sheppard huffed and stomped in a small circle, ending to face McKay again. "Shit. Okay. Cards on the table. I'm not used to…to…"

"Rejection?" McKay said helpfully.

"No. Well, yes, but what I meant was, we're not in high school anymore. I didn't—I don't—shit." This was a lot harder than he had anticipated. All he wanted was to open the door—figuratively, that is. McKay watched impassively as Sheppard squirmed. He needed to regain control, not to mention his cool. "Can't we—?" Sheppard tried.

McKay looked polite. "Can't we what?"

No help there. Sheppard resisted the urge to remind McKay that it wasn't as if they hadn't done anything before. They had—all night, in fact, after the "we're here and we're not dead!" party that had sprung up in the Gate room a couple of weeks ago. McKay had backed off after that, and he'd backed off even further after Sheppard and Teyla had gotten separated from everyone else for a few hours while on a recent mission. All Sheppard's hard work with McKay was coming to nothing as McKay turned arm's distance to something more distant yet. McKay apparently hadn't noticed that Teyla and Ford spent all their time flirting too—if you could call Teyla's grave attention and sweet smile "flirting," which Sheppard was not prepared to do. She did it to everybody, but to Sheppard's experienced eye, she seemed to have a soft spot for Ford.

"Throw me a bone here," Sheppard begged. "Are you dating someone else? Someone from home?"

McKay looked pensive. "I have a thing going with an astrophysicist, Samantha Carter, but it's nothing serious. Just some sexual tension."

"Astrophysicist?" Sheppard said. He'd met Samantha Carter, but he hadn't known she was an astrophysicist. She seemed just like every other Air Force officer to him, but with better hair.

McKay said, "I like smart."

Finally, an opening! Sheppard looked him right in the eye. "I do too," he said. "Brilliant, in fact. And have I mentioned—? I have a head for numbers. Look," he added hastily, as McKay stepped back, clearly ready to shut the door again. "I had a lot of fun that night, and I kind of…want more."

McKay lifted his eyebrows in feigned surprised. "Why would I want to date a self-centered pretty boy who checks out everybody he meets, male or female?" He referred, of course, to the attractive farmer, Sora, whom Teyla had introduced them to earlier that day. Her father, Teyla's contact, who seemed even more humorless than the rest of the Genii, if that was even possible, had frigidly informed Sheppard that Sora was engaged after misconstruing a remark Sheppard had made.

Sheppard smiled. He had a reputation for confidence to uphold. And apparently, so did McKay. Neither of them was the shrinking violet type. "So you like how I look," he said. "Why, thank you."

"That's not what I meant," McKay snapped.

"Rodney." Sheppard reached out and touched McKay's neck. "I really, really like you. And you know what we did that night? I want to do it again. With you. Not with Teyla. Not with cute little Amish girls. With you." He slid his hand down, underneath McKay's jacket, to rest on his breast. McKay wasn't pulling away. That was a very good sign. Sheppard edged closer. "I kind of think you want what I want," he breathed, his face almost brushing McKay's. "Why are you saying no?"

McKay's beard scratched Sheppard's lips as he pressed them against McKay's cheek in a not-quite-kiss. "I can't trust you," McKay said, voice low. "You're in the military. And you'll cheat."

The truth, finally. McKay doubted Sheppard, not himself, and feared getting hurt. It had nothing to do with wanting, but rather had to do with not wanting to be stupid. The only things that would cure McKay's doubts were time and knowledge.

Sheppard trailed his lips over that warm, warm skin as he headed for McKay's ear. He loved the way McKay smelled. It was getting hard to think. He remembered their night together in detail. "You don't know me very well," he said quietly, mouth right by McKay's ear. "Sure, discretion would be good so I don't get dishonorably discharged. But I don't cheat, and you can trust me with your life. In fact, you have. Maybe you just need to get to know me better." He gently licked McKay's ear, and he felt McKay inhale hard. "Because I'm in a hallway, in public, trying to seduce you. Is it working?"

McKay grabbed the side of Sheppard's open jacket. "Maybe…um, maybe you can come inside and we can talk about it," McKay suggested. "But only for fifteen minutes."

McKay certainly had a way with decision making. Once he made up his mind, he didn't wait. If there was one thing Sheppard had learned, it was best to let McKay think he was in charge, and Sheppard was determined to learn everything there was to know about Rodney McKay.

"Fifteen minutes," Sheppard agreed, allowing McKay to draw him inside.