Hold That Thought

by The Huntress

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ash/huntress/thought.php
Summary: Rodney has an 'accident' while examining an Ancient device

'I wonder what Stackhouse looks like naked?'

Rodney McKay choked on his Frosted Flakes and stared across the table. The words had come from Aiden Ford.

'Maybe if I asked nicely, he'd go to bed with me.'

Rodney spit his cereal...all over John.

"MCKAY!" John shouted, wiping himself off. "What are you doing? We have a limited supply of Kellogg's and you're wasting it!"

"You didn't hear....?"

"Hear what?" John asked, a bit more confused then usual. Rodney had that effect on him; half the things he did bewildered John.

Rodney looked at Ford and ate a spoonful of his cereal.

'I'll be commando when I go see him later,' Ford grinned to himself.

Rodney dropped his spoon, mouth dropping open. Aiden hadn't moved his lips. Either he was having a mental breakdown or...OH SHIT! He was picking up Aiden's thoughts. He glanced over at John, who was staring at him.

"Atlantis to McKay...come in...over." John laughed softly. "What were you thinking about that took you so far away?"

"Just a theory," Rodney answered quickly, deciding to test it. He glanced across the room at Beckett, who was staring at a plate with two slabs of Athosian bread in front of him.

'Apple, grape or cherry?'

Rodney stood up, walked over to Carson and picked up a jelly. "Cherry today, trust me."

"Thanks Rodney," Carson replied. "How did ye know?"

"It's you, not ye," Rodney told him. "Learn to speak proper English. And you were staring at all the jellies and it was kind of nerve-wracking for me...and I'm going to my lab for a while. Have a nice day if you feel like it."

"You too Rodney," Carson muttered, then shrugged it off and ate his breakfast.

~~~

It had to be that artifact Wex found on the mainland. The Athosian's were making a home and every so often they came across an Ancient device. Most of the devices were harmless and didn't do anything.

But this one...and why him and not John? Or Carson? Or someone else with the ATA gene. Yes, he had the gene now, but still, why was he the only one who could hear thoughts? He felt his palm itch and froze, looking down and seeing the scratch. He'd been fiddling with the thing earlier, stuck his hand inside and scratched himself, drawing blood.

"No," he said to himself, "that is way too easy." He looked heavenwards. "I did it again, didn't I?" He focused back on the machine. "Time to do some more work with you and find out what you did to me." He hooked it up to his computer, thankful he had asked Teyla and a few other Athosians to program the languages they were familiar with in the Pegasus galaxy; the device was not in what Rodney had dubbed 'standard Ancient'. It took a few minutes, but the translation program worked and he got his answer. Rodney looked at the screen and he just knew he should have read the instructions first.

It was a lie detector, of sorts. It read the DNA of the person who made contact with it..."or touched it like a fool," Rodney sighed, and that person would be able to cleanse the population. "Cleanse? What the hell does that mean? Okay, it has to be a matter of semantics. Maybe a cop, like in that awful Tom Cruise movie. I can read minds before a crime is committed." Rodney shook that off as way too moronic and decided he'd been hanging around Sheppard too much. "Maybe it's to bring truth to the surface. And does it matter? And does it even say how long the effects will last?" He did get that information.

Approximately one Atlantis day.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "I have to wait twenty-seven more hours for this to wear off." He began to pace. "All right, genius, you can deal with this. You have faced down a Wraith. You have flown a jumper. You accidentally saw Calvin naked. You can deal with this, oh yes you can." He nodded to himself and opted to hide in his lab for the rest of the day and well into the night. He really did not want to hear what people were thinking; he knew it was wrong, that personal thoughts should remain just that...personal. That as much fun as it might be, he did not need to know that Ford had a thing for Stackhouse. He paused for a moment, thinking about the blackmail material he could collect, then mentally smacked himself, repeating it was wrong.

Sometimes Rodney hated having a conscience. Not that anybody thought he had one, he hid it well, but still...it bothered him at times. He carefully put the device aside, wondering what he was going to do with it, then went to work busying himself with another device, being much more careful with this one.

"Oh yeah," he grinned, as he opened what appeared to be a panel on his latest 'toy'. "I can definitely kill off thirty hours with this one."

But of course the fates hated Rodney...they always had.

One hour later he was called to a briefing and found himself face to face with not only his team, but Beckett, Weir and various other personnel.

'Ah. Doctor Weir, what lovely eyes you have,' Teyla thought, sighing to herself.

Rodney looked from Teyla to Weir, then stared back at the papers in front of him.

'I have really got to find out if Eugene is wearing boxers or briefs today,' Calvin smiled, glancing at Bates with an (almost) well-hidden smile. 'I'm going to find out after we're done here.'

Rodney felt his stomach churning at a vision of those two.

Ford was still having lustful fantasies about Stackhouse (and vice-versa), Beckett wanted Kate, and John...Rodney couldn't get anything out of John except for the mission. Until his eyes met the Major's.

'I wonder if Rodney likes me?'

'Of course I like you John,' Rodney thought, smiling at John. 'You're a good man.'

'Why is he smiling at me? Do I have something in my teeth?'

"Your teeth are fine John," Rodney muttered.

"What?" John asked.

"Nothing! Just, ah, thinking aloud."

"Well, stop it. People will think you're mental."

"We already know he's mental," Kavanagh snickered.

Rodney silently vowed to keep him busy day and night for the rest of the month, making his love life miserable.

Then John's voice again, loud and clear, above the rest. 'Would he let me blow him?'

Rodney's head whipped around as he heard the words from John, feeling his face growing warm. John had been thinking about him! His head turned again, this time to Weir.

'Teyla's breasts are firm and so beautiful.'

He then focused on Carson. 'I want to bury my face between Kate's legs.'

Then Bates. 'I wonder if Calvin would let me wash his hair tonight?'

That thought did it for Rodney, who stood up, muttering, "I have to get out of here." It was too much for him.

"Major, is something wrong with Doctor McKay?" Elizabeth asked, surprised at Rodney's abrupt leaving.

"I don't know, but I'll find out." John stood and went after Rodney, heading straight to Rodney's lab...but no Rodney. From there he went to the mess, Rodney's second favorite place, but still no sign of the errant scientist. After not finding Rodney in his quarters, John began to wander the corridors, eventually finding himself in a darkened portion of the city. Why he was searching for Rodney there, he had no idea; nobody came down here on a regular basis. It was mostly for personal storage. And when they did, they retrieved their belongings and got out quick.

Ford had insisted that 'The Ninth Ring of Hell' (the only place he had been allowed to name) was haunted. Few disagreed with him. The ever superstitious Zelenka had speculated that the city herself didn't want anyone down there.

After a few minutes John decided to head back to the upper levels of the city, whispering, "Rodney, where are you?" He stopped mid-step as a holographic image appeared before him; a map of the city...the lower levels actually, where John was now. "What the fuck....?" He had seen maps like these before, when he was piloting the jumper, but never elsewhere. He studied the map, seeing one dot, somehow knowing it was Rodney...two levels down and on one of the piers. "How did Rodney get out there?" The corridor lit up behind him and John looked around cautiously, wondering if Aiden's stories had some basis in truth. A smirk slowly came to his face and the proverbial lightbulb went off over his head. "The gene. Of course. It would work the same in the city as it would on a jumper." He turned around, walking down the corridor, Atlantis guiding him, eventually finding himself on the Southern pier.

And there was Rodney McKay, sitting and staring into the waves, hair blowing every which way, obviously deep in thought.

John made a bit of noise as he walked over, not wanting to scare Rodney. "Hey."

Rodney turned to face him. "How did you find me?"

"The same way you found the way out here." John looked around the vast cavern-like area. "She led me here."

"Atlantis," Rodney nodded, understanding. "I wanted some time to think and I like the storage bays. I don't believe in ghosts." He gave John a small smile. "One day I wanted to be alone and I went down there. The lights began to come on and of course I had to follow them." His attentions focused back on the waves. "It's beautiful here, isn't it? Quiet and peaceful."

John knelt down, more then a little worried about Rodney. "Since when do you want quiet and peaceful?"

"Since I started hearing people's thoughts," Rodney sighed, nodding slowly. "Yeah, you heard me."

"O-kay. Rodney, didn't Holling say to take it easy on his latest swill?"

"No, Major, I can hear everyone's thoughts."

"And didn't we agree that Athosian weed was not good for you, especially after you felt up Parks and got a black eye?"

"It was worth it," Rodney grinned. "And I can read minds!"

"Okay, Rodney, I'll bite. What am I thinking?" John snickered.

"You're thinking how nice it would be to fashion a surfboard and ride these waves."

"You already knew that, wiseass. Let's try another one." John began to think, which led to an evil smirk. "Okay...let's see...." He thought of his favorite Rodney fantasy.

"In the shower?" Rodney asked, nervously chewing on his lip. "On your knees?"

"Oh shit!" John grew pale, not realizing his thoughts were still coming.

Rodney's eyes grew wide as saucers. "You want to tie me to the WHERE?!"

"Stop it Rodney. Stop it NOW!"

"I don't know how," Rodney answered honestly, turning crimson. "In your lap while you're flying a jumper?"

"NO! Those are my private thoughts!" John stood abruptly, backing away. "Just stay away from me and my thoughts!"

"John?"

"It's Major Sheppard to you!"

Rodney's lower lip trembled as his best friend quickly fled. He wasn't going to cry. Grown men didn't cry. Genius's didn't cry. Only babies cried.

As he wiped his eyes, Rodney told himself that he was developing allergies to the sea water surrounding the city.

~~~

John was feeling massive guilt over screaming at McKay earlier. It wasn't as if it were Rodney's fault that he felt the way he did, that John was attracted to the most deranged person in the Pegasus galaxy...maybe in the Milky Way galaxy also. He had to go make peace with his best friend, probably the closest friend he'd had since long before Antarctica. If Rodney had no sexual interest in him, then so be it. There was no way he was losing their friendship.

"Rodney?" John's voice was soft as he entered Rodney's lab later on that day.

"I'm busy," Rodney replied just as softly, hunched over his lab table. "Please go away."

'What a nice ass.'

"I do not have a nice...." Rodney growled and moved around to the other side of the table.

"Sorry, can't help it. I see you and my thoughts turn to...."

"Yeah, you and everyone else," Rodney sighed.

"Everybody wants your ass?" John grew wide-eyed. "Well they can't have it!"

"Not my ass. They want...." Rodney stared at John. "What do you mean they can't have it?"

"They...they can't," John stammered. "I...it's mine. I mean, yeah, that's exactly what I mean. It belongs to me."

"It does not!" Rodney fired back.

"Yes it does. You're under my command and that means your ass belongs to me. Period. End of story."

"Major, in light of recent...developments...I've requested that Elizabeth assign me to team two."

"Team two?" John snickered. "I don't think so. Because that means I get Zelenka for my geek and I consider that an uneven trade-off."

"Your geek?"

"Yeah, geek. Ford says every team has to have one. Our team has you and I like it that way."

"I'm not a geek."

"I hate to disagree with you, genius, but you are."

Rodney frowned and lowered his eyes. "I'm not a geek or a dork. Don't call me that."

'I'm going to kill whoever called him a dork.'

"You can't, Major. It was David Carron in sixth grade and he's about a zillion light years away."

'Figures.'

"Major, please go away. I need to be alone until this wears off, which by my calculations should be in about twenty-two hours."

"We can have fun with this, Rodney."

"Fun?"

"Yeah, fun. You do know what that is, don't you?"

"I don't want to have fun with it. It's wrong to peek in on people's thoughts."

John's face broke into a full-fledged grin. "I'll be damned. Rodney McKay has a conscience. Who would have thunk it?"

"Thunk is not a word and if you tell anyone, I'll never speak to you again."

"Then my luck is changing."

"Major...."

"John."

"Major." Rodney picked up a cup of tea and began to drink.

"Rodney, if you don't call me John, I swear I'll...." John paused verbally, but his thoughts didn't. '....bend you over your lab table and fuck you until you're incoherent.'

Rodney began to choke, spewing tea all over. "You have got to stop thinking things like that."

"Sorry," John said. "I really mean that. Rodney, if you're not interested in me that way, it's okay. I just...I don't want..." '...to lose your friendship.'

"My friendship means that much to you? John, I hate to disillusion you, but you have many friends here."

"You called me John."

"Whatever."

"And contrary to what you think, I don't. I have young Aiden and Teyla, but nobody else. Nobody but you." 'And I don't like being alone.'

"Alone?"

"Aww fuck, Rodney, this has got to stop."

"Major, this machine," Rodney motioned to it, "has been shut off for a while now. I have to wait until the effects wear off to be sure they have worn off permanently and when I'm sure...."

"It goes into the ocean. Deep into the ocean."

"Oh yeah," Rodney agreed.

"Do you like men?" The question flew out before John could stop it.

"I like you."

"That's not what I asked Rodney and you know it."

"No, I have never had an attraction to a man before. Not until a smirking, smartass Air Force Major came into my life and turned my sexual orientation upside down."

"This...Major," John grinned, "I bet he's tall, dark and handsome, with a killer smile and gorgeous eyes. Right?"

"Don't push it...John." Rodney gave him a shy smile. "Well, he is tall, he does have dark hair and he is kind of handsome...kind of. If you go for that sort of thing."

"And do you go for that sort of thing?"

"I go for what's inside, not what's out. I happen to know that this Major is beautiful inside also and he managed to get into my heart without even trying. And nobody has ever done that. Ever."

"What about your wife?" John couldn't resist asking.

"Chloe? Chloe was...let's just say I married her because I had to, not because we were in love with each other."

"She was pregnant."

"Yes," Rodney said a bit sadly, "she was, but she had a miscarriage and we tried to make it work but there was nothing between us. So we got an amicable divorce and parted as friends."

"What happened to her?"

"If I tell you, will you let the subject drop?" At John's nod, Rodney continued. "She lost her life on P3X-976. Shot by a Jaffa in the back."

John's eyes grew wide. "Military?"

"Biologist. It was supposed to be a simple scientific mission, but as you know, they aren't often simple."

"I know," John sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I've learned."

"So tell me...Major...ever been married?"

"Oh yeah." John began to laugh. "Three times."

"Three...." Rodney thought for a moment. "But you're only thirty-eight."

"Dana in college, we got drunk and flew to Vegas. That lasted a whole four months before we tried to kill each other. Jen when I was twenty-four, because the sex was good and we thought it would last. It didn't. The last was Elana. She came home one night and found me in bed with another woman."

"Another woman? She couldn't forgive you?"

"She might have, Rodney, if the woman wasn't Jen."

Now Rodney started to snicker. "You cheated on number three with number two?"

"And don't ask what happened after."

"Oh c'mon John, you have to tell me now."

"If you promise not to laugh."

"I'll do no such thing. Now talk!"

"Okay Rodney, we all sat down to talk and I eventually went back to bed. Elana filed for divorce, we officially split and she...moved in with Jen."

Rodney covered his mouth with his hand, trying to stop the giggles. "So wife number three left you for wife number two?"

"Weird thing is," John was laughing again, "they're still together." He managed to compose himself, getting into Rodney's personal space, placing his arms over Rodney's shoulders, leering at him. "Read this, baby." John thought of his most perverse fantasy, which involved rope, a dildo and some whipped cream.

Rodney just stared at him, mouth wide open, eyes glazing over, but whether it was from the fantasy or the endearment he wasn't sure. He was sure he was getting hard as a rock, which John noticed.

"You like that one, huh? How about this one?" John thought about another, tying Rodney to the bed, jerking off all over him and licking him clean.

Rodney didn't think it was possible to come when clothed, but he was awfully close.

"You want to know my favorite one?" John smiled softly. "Just me and you," he whispered in Rodney's ear. "Nothing perverse, nothing painful...just us naked, touching each other." He slowly rolled his hips against Rodney's, fingers undoing Rodney's pants, pulling them down so he could free Rodney's dick. Jerking him slowly, John blew in Rodney's ear, hearing nothing but moans, John's name again and again, with the occasional 'fuck, yeah' thrown in for good measure.

And then Rodney heard it, loud and clear.

'I love you.'

John heard the soft sob, drawing back, lifting Rodney's eyes to his. "Rodney, what's the matter?" John was concerned as he saw tears in Rodney's eyes.

"You...you what?"

"What?"

"You love me?"

"No, I didn't...." John hadn't said it, but he had thought it. "Yeah, I do. And I thought you...was I wrong?"

"No," Rodney lay his head on John's shoulder, holding him tightly. "I just...nobody ever...."

"Rodney, please talk to me."

"Nobody ever said they loved me, not even Chloe."

John kissed the top of his head, slowly swaying with him. "I love you." John pulled back to meet Rodney's eyes. "There's something else I want from you." The thoughts were quite clear. "Is that all right? Would you let me do that to you?" It took a moment to get a nod from Rodney and John propped him up on the table, standing between his legs. Taking off Rodney's shoes, John smiled and tickled the bottoms of his feet. Rodney giggled, but the giggling quickly stopped as his pants and boxers were removed. John leaned down and kissed the tip of Rodney's dick. 'Beautiful,' he thought as he took it in his hand, swiping his tongue along the length.

"No," Rodney told him, "not beautiful."

John wrapped his arms under Rodney's legs and pulled him forward. "Shut up, McKay." John suckled the head. "So hard." John swallowed the top three inches. "So thick." He took a bit more in. "All mine." John slowly took Rodney all the way into his mouth, caressing Rodney's balls as he sucked deep.

Rodney wasn't sure what to do so he just lay there, stroking John's hair, moaning some more, listening to John moan, the vibrations around his dick sending waves of pleasure throughout his body. He was going to come and he opened his mouth to warn John but John just sucked him harder and Rodney came, watching John swallow some before pulling back, Rodney's come shooting all over John's face.

John just licked his own mouth, savoring Rodney's taste, feeling his own need to come. Deciding he wanted to make at least one of his fantasies a reality, he took himself in hand, jerking himself fast, coming all over Rodney's face and chest and leaned down to lick Rodney clean. By the time he was done he was hard again but just knew Rodney wasn't ready for another round...yet. So with thoughts of icebergs, naked Wraith and his third grade teacher, John rid himself of his erection.

"NAKED WRAITH?!"

"How long until this wears off? Twenty more hours?" John asked, still a bit annoyed at having Rodney in his head.

"Why did you want your...and who's Miss Duncan?"

John rolled his eyes. "Because next time I want us in a bed, with candles and soft music. I want your first time to be perfect."

"I have no idea what to do."

"I'll teach you Rodney. I have a feeling you're going to be a very apt pupil."

"Oh, okay." As Rodney got dressed, he seemed a bit distant, refusing to meet John's eyes.

John studied the sad face and realized what he hadn't done. Taking Rodney's face in his palms, he leaned in and kissed Rodney for all he was worth, carding his fingers in Rodney's hair, breaking the kiss only because they both needed to breathe. As soon as they caught their breaths, John dove in for another...and another. He couldn't get enough. "I like kissing you."

"I can tell," Rodney finally smiled. "And don't worry. I won't tell anyone about...." he waved his hands about.

"Rodney, it's going to be a bit difficult to hide this, especially in light of the fact that I intend to move in with you at the earliest convenience, which will be in about five minutes."

"Major, don't be hasty. You have a lot of people to command and some of them...."

John cut him off. "My security chief is in love with the most annoying ass on this base. My 2IC wants to get into a certain male Sergeant's pants. The woman in charge of Atlantis has the hots for the woman in charge of the Athosians and vice-versa. Do you really think anyone is going to give a damn about us?"

"You know about them?" Rodney asked, eyes widened in shock.

"I know all," John laughed.

"I bet you didn't know about Carson."

"You mean the fact that he drools when he looks at Heightmeyer? Did you know she drools back?"

"So what do we do?"

"This is what we're going to do...."

~~~

Elizabeth came to her quarters finding Teyla waiting for her with a big bowl of Athosian fruit...and a pair of handcuffs. When she questioned Teyla, all the younger woman knew was that she had received a recorded message telling her that Elizabeth cared for her the way Teyla cared for Elizabeth and to bring the cuffs when she came to visit. Weir nearly questioned her about it, but then Teyla kissed her and she decided she really didn't give a shit. She then informed Teyla that handcuffs would leave bruises and suggested silk instead. So what if Elizabeth's one nightie was torn to shreds? Teyla wasn't about to argue and they locked the door, with Elizabeth giving verbal orders that the only reason she should be disturbed was an imminent Wraith attack.

Carson Beckett found himself blindfolded, tossed into a storage closet and locked in...with Kate Heightmeyer, a downloaded copy of the Kama Sutra and some massage oil. Carson casually mentioned he'd wrenched his back recently (with a leer) and Kate advised him she had worked as a massage therapist in college. They both let command know that they had some 'important scientific studies' to work out and were not to be contacted...unless someone either had life threatening injuries or a violent and psychotic episode.

Aiden Ford and Tim Stackhouse each got a love note from the other via the interbase email system with a request to meet in jumper two. When they arrived, they were more then confused as neither had sent it to the other. But upon noticing the bottle of Athosian wine and the tube of lube (and the erection each was sporting), Stackhouse opted to fly them to the mainland for the night. Their CO had no objections and suggested that, since it was late, they stay overnight. And if the Sergeant wanted to practice his flying the next day, that was okay with John.

Eugene Bates found a bottle of strawberry scented shampoo in his quarters and didn't ask where it came from, instead thanking a few Earth deities and a few alien ones as well.

~~~

"You see, Rodney," John grinned, "reading minds can be a good thing."

"Yeah, yeah, okay John, I concede. Stop gloating."

"Now, can we please get rid of this thing?"

"How about I take it apart and we toss the pieces into various spots around the planet?"

"I agree. We don't want anyone finding it again." John picked it up and stuck his hand inside, ready to take it apart from the inside out. He winced when he felt the sting and removed his hand, seeing the small scratch. Feeling stupid, he picked it up, ready to toss it into the wall.

'It figures. He would want to smash it. Typical military.'

"Typical military? What's that supposed to mean, Rodney?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I only meant...oh no. NO!" Rodney shouted. 'I knew I should have done this myself.'

"What's wrong with me helping you?" John asked, then realized Rodney hadn't said a word. "Rodney, how exactly does this thing work?"

Rodney didn't speak. He simply began to think of what he wanted to do to John...on the balcony, in the control room, with his mouth, his hands, his....

John grabbed Rodney by the arm and dragged him to his quarters. It was going to be a long and very tiring night.

FIN