Lucky Stars

by Joolz

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asj/joolz/luckysta.php
Summary: What a wonderful night to make romance...

"No, I don't want to watch The Princess Bride again. We just watched it last week."

"Come on, Rodney. You know our video collection is limited. And Princess Bride is a classic. You can't get tired of it."

McKay stopped in the middle of the hall and looked at John speculatively, wondering if he should. This was a big decision, one that could get him into a lot of trouble. John looked back at him with curious hazel eyes and hair sticking out in half a dozen directions. Rodney had no choice. He had to do it.

His face grave, he motioned Sheppard to move to the side of the hall with him and glanced around secretively.

Leaning in, he said, "John, I'm going to share something with you in absolute confidence. You have to swear that you won't breathe a word of what I'm about to tell you to anyone."

John cocked his head and grinned sardonically. "What, you want me to cross my heart and hope to die?"

Maintaining his serious expression, Rodney stated simply, "Yes."

"You are a total nut job, McKay."

"I'm serious. Cross your heart and hope to die."

Sheppard mockingly crossed a finger in front of his chest and then held it in the air. His eyes glittering with humor, he intoned, "I do solemnly swear upon the sacred sword of Inigo Montoya to guard the secret with my life."

Rodney nodded. "Good enough." Drawing John closer until he could whisper in his ear, he said, "I know where we can get Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

Sheppard's eyes widened. "You're shitting me!"

"I'm not. The Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life as well."

John was speechless. "How..? Where..?"

Rodney held a finger in front of his lips and scanned the hall for spies. "Shhh. Those of us who are guardians of this knowledge are pledged to share it with only our closest, most trusted friends."

"And you told me? I'm touched."

"Just remember, John, your life will be forfeit should you betray this secret."

Sheppard now chuckled openly. "You make it sound like a clandestine esoteric society."

"An apt analogy." Rodney leaned in to whisper again, "A few select members of the research team have pooled our movie collections to form a small library. It's kept in a locked drawer in Zelenka's lab. I know the combination. In addition to Monty Python there's the complete James Bond collection, Highlander seasons one through three and," he glanced around again before finishing dramatically, "The director's extended cut version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy."

John's mouth fell open and his eyes glazed over. McKay thought it a very attractive expression for the major, who said, "You're serious! Rodney, I love you."

McKay waved his hand to quiet his companion. "Yes, yes. Nobody must know."

Looking very much like a puppy who's figured out where the treats are kept, John panted, "Let's go get one now! The Holy Grail, The Holy Grail."

"All right, but remember, stealth is of utmost importance."

Getting into the spirit of it, John lowered his voice. "Covert is my middle name, McKay. Follow me."

Sheppard crouched slightly and jogged down the hall with Rodney tailing him. When they reached the corner, John motioned Rodney to flatten himself against the wall beside him, then peeked furtively around the corner. With one of his military hand signals, he gestured 'all clear' and they sneaked into the next passageway. At one point they had to duck into a shadowy recess as a marine sauntered by on his rounds, but at that time of night the halls were relatively empty.

Rodney was so glad he'd decided to tell John. He was having fun and they hadn't even gotten the movie yet. The greater the intellect, the greater the need for play, something Rodney didn't get nearly enough of. Now he had a playmate, which made it that much better.

As they approached the lab John stepped to the middle of the hall and began to stroll with exaggerated casualness. Rodney joined him, looking about innocently as though nothing of great import were happening. Stopping in front of the door, John winked at Rodney and they moved forward together. The door slid open and they stepped inside.

Then they stopped in unison. Against the wall on the left side of the lab, Radek Zelenka was sharing an intimate moment with... Teyla Emmagon. They were both naked from the waist down and Teyla was pressed against the wall with one shapely leg wrapped tightly around the man's lower back. Zelenka was thrusting rhythmically into her while apparently chewing on her neck. Teyla's head was thrown back, her eyes were closed and she was emitting blissful whimpers in time with his movements.

Rodney's groin tightened and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. He stood still, transfixed by the erotic spectacle, then remembered that Major Sheppard was standing right next to him. He glanced sideways and John looked toward him, blinking. As one they backed into the hall until they were staring at the closed door in front of them.

Rodney said, "Uh."

John agreed, "Well!" After a brief silence, he suggested, "We could watch a movie tomorrow." Taking Rodney's arm he got them moving down the hallway.

Not really paying attention to where they were going, McKay said, "That was...a surprise."

Sheppard nodded. "Yes. Yes, it really was."

"It was also...pretty hot."

John made a strangled noise, his eyebrows raised and his lips twisted into a stunned expression.

They walked for a few minutes and Rodney's heart started to settle into a more normal rhythm. He followed John through a doorway and the fresh sea air hit him. They had emerged onto an outdoor balcony.

McKay stopped suddenly, uttering a weak, "Oh."

John turned to look back at him from farther out toward the railing. "What?"

Embarrassed and nervous, he tried to sound casual. "I, uh, I haven't been visiting the balconies much lately." He moved to the side until his back was pressed against Atlantis' outer wall.

Sheppard came over and leaned next to him.

"What's the problem with the balconies?"

"Um, bad memories."

Brow furrowed, John questioned, "How could anyone have bad memories of these fantastic balconies? Look at the sky. Isn't it beautiful?"

Of course it was. The whole of Pegusus Galaxy was spread out above them in whorls of diamonds. Rodney said, "It isn't always like this. I'm talking about when the Genii were here."

John asked quietly, "What happened?"

Taking a breath, Rodney tried to make it sound like it was nothing and failed miserably. "Oh, Kolya wanted me to fix the grounding station that was broken when his men attacked you. Elizabeth and I were there, and we were trying to stall. At one point Kolya decided that he didn't need me anymore and tried to throw me over."

He shivered, remembering. "The rain was pouring down, the wind was gale force and I could hear the waves crashing all around. There was nothing but the wet, the cold and the noise. Kolya had me pushed backward half way over the railing and Elizabeth was pulling rather ineffectually at his sleeve. I thought I was going to die."

Rodney glanced at John quickly and saw that the man's eyes were shrouded in shadow but watching him. Looking out to sea, he continued, "That wasn't all. The only thing keeping me from falling was the fact that Kolya was grinding a hard-on into my groin. I guess violence affects some men like that."

John was silent. After a moment he said, "I hated it so much. I was running around the station doing everything I could, but I knew that that maniac had you and Elizabeth. I knew he was threatening you and maybe worse, but I couldn't think about it. I had to keep going, keep trying, or everything would be lost, but there was this fear for you two gnawing at my gut the whole time. I wish I could have stopped him before that happened."

"Oh, well, thanks. I survived, obviously, and he didn't do anything else. It was just a shock, you know?"

"Yeah. I can see why you would have unpleasant associations with balconies." Sheppard gave Rodney a wicked grin. "Try this out." He dropped to his knees, crawled several feet farther out onto the balcony and rolled over onto his back. "All the view without those pesky railings." He opened his arms to the sky.

Rodney snorted. Trust the major to have a Plan B. The least he could do was give it a fair shot. Before he knew it he was lying next to John gazing up at the sky. He could see the elegant spires of the city towers rising around him as well. Rodney was aware of the rumble of the ocean below, but it was easy enough not to dwell on it.

He admitted reluctantly, "It's not The Holy Grail, but it'll do as a substitute."

Thinking of the movie reminded him again of what they'd witnessed earlier and the image returned: Radek sliding his cock into the beautiful woman. That must have felt so good. Hot and wet and tight. His own semi-erect penis twitched in empathy.

With a sigh he turned his head to look at the man next to him. The starlight illuminated John's face softly, making him look younger and more relaxed than usual. Rodney felt grateful to have him for a friend. It was something good that had happened in the midst of so much fear and loss.

John said, "I come out here a lot. I've even identified a couple of constellations. It makes it seem more like home to look up into the sky and see something familiar. Want me to show you one?"

McKay grimaced. "I can explain how the radius and the mass distribution of a galaxy affects gravitational lensing, but seeing pictures in the stars isn't my strong suit. Besides, aren't the constellations supposed to be linked to great myths, or something?"

"Sure, but who says they aren't? We have our own mythology. Look at that one." John pointed with his arm fully extended skyward and Rodney wiggled closer to follow the line of sight. "See, there's sort of a round bit and just below it a bigger oval? Below that there are two straight lines with three bright stars under each of them?"

No, Rodney couldn't see it and John coached him until the figure came into focus in his mind.

He asked, "Okay, so what heroic figure is that? The Michelin Tire Man on stilts?"

"Close. It's Big Bird." Now that John had said it, it was obvious. There were even two eyes and a beak. Sheppard went on, "But just to give it an epic quality, I've named that constellation, 'The Great Bird of the Galaxy'."

Rodney got the reference. They were both such geeks. "Can you imagine how much Roddenberry would have loved being here?"

"Exactly. We're boldly going where no Earthling has gone before. What could be more appropriate?"

He liked that. He tried to memorize the constellation's placement so that he could find it again.

John turned onto his side, very close to Rodney, and propped his head up on one hand and elbow. He said, "You know, you told me two private and secret things tonight. You didn't have to do that, and I want to even the score. If I tell you something, will you promise not to get mad?"

"That depends on what it is. If you're going to confess to having stolen the last of the M&M's, I'll never forgive you. Unless of course you still have some to bribe me with."

Rodney could see John's mouth quirk into a starlit grin.

"It's not that. It's more personal. I'm going to confess that I've been thinking about how much I'd like to kiss you."

Rodney felt a rush of pleasure. He hadn't been expecting that. He questioned drolly, "Have you really?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking that I'd kind of like to do more than think about it."

Pursing his lips as though giving it serious thought, Rodney answered lightly, "That would probably be appropriate."

John seemed surprised. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

Rodney explained as though it ought to be self-evident, "We've been dating for months. It's about time we got to first base."

His friend chuckled. "I wasn't aware that you were aware that we were dating."

"Oh, am I or am I not the person with the greatest mental acuity on this base? Do you really think I would miss that small detail?"

"I don't know, Rodney. You didn't give me a lot of encouragement."

"You're the one with the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' issues. It had to be up to you."

"Okay, before we get sidetracked into military philosophy, why don't we get back to the original topic, which had to do with kissing. As in me kissing you. You kissing me. Like right now."

Rodney's eyes were drawn to John's lips and he wondered how they would feel, how they would taste. His mouth fell open involuntarily.

Sheppard took that as an invitation, leaned over and stuck his tongue between Rodney's teeth. Rodney reached up and grabbed John's head with both hands, positioning and holding it to give himself the best access in the ensuing oral duel. Within seconds it became clear that even that wasn't enough. He pushed John onto his back and climbed on top of him, sliding his thigh between the other man's legs and tucking it carefully up against John's groin.

John gasped and growled and started pulling at Rodney's shirt, desperately searching for skin. Warm hands ran up and down his back, then dropped to squeeze his ass. Rodney's dick came to full attention and he pushed it roughly against John's answering hardness. They devoured each other's mouths as though their lives depended on it.

Rodney's superior mental acuity narrowed entirely to the pursuit of more. More heat, more hands, more skin, more friction. It was a while before his body made the need for more oxygen a higher priority. By then they were both shirtless and the sensation of flesh on flesh made up for having to separate their mouths.

As they panted, sharing each other's breath, John quipped, "Boy, Rodney, if I'd known you were this hot I would have jumped you on the first date. What do you say we make some new balcony memories?"

His voice husky, McKay suggested, "As in me fucking you until you scream?"

John's pelvis jerked into Rodney's. "Yes! Right here, out in the open."

Although totally willing, he had to stop. "We don't have anything...."

John cried, "Wait! Wait. I think I do." His hand patted the side of his leg and then dug into one the cargo pockets, emerging with a small bottle of sunscreen.

Rodney looked at it doubtfully. "That will sting."

"Doesn't matter. Want you now. Now, McKay!"

Far be it for him to disobey a direct order. After some hasty scrambling to get out of the rest of their clothes, Rodney licked and sucked and bit the body writhing under his as he hastily prepared the way.

When he finally pushed into the hot, eager opening, Rodney saw stars.

**~~**

Elizabeth was tired, but restless. She and Dr. Grodin had just spent hours categorizing gate coordinates stored in the dialing computer and she was ready to stretch her legs. After strolling the halls for several minutes, they climbed a flight of stairs and gravitated toward the external doors, seeking fresh air.

It was a beautiful night. She leaned on the railing next to Peter and looked out into the darkness. There was a faint shimmer of light reflecting from Atlantis onto the water and it flickered and shifted like enchanted flames.

Peter said, "This never gets old. Sometimes I think this must be what it's like to live in Hawaii or some other tropical resort. Walk outside and there's the ocean."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, if it weren't for the slavering alien hordes this would be close to paradise." She smiled as the breeze lifted her hair away from her neck; it felt like a caress. She wished.

Hearing a groan of pain they looked at each other in alarm. "It came from over there," she said, moving to their left. They reached the side railing of the balcony and looked down. Two levels below them and about thirty yards along two people were making love, palely lit by the stars. Two men.

Shocked, she focused more carefully. John Sheppard lay on his back with his legs propped up on the shoulders of none other than Rodney McKay.

Beside her, Peter chuckled softly. "It's not before time. They've been dancing around each other for ages. I wondered if they were ever going to get down to business."

A bit stunned, Elizabeth swallowed. "I take it this doesn't come as a surprise to you?"

"No. The sexual tension between them is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Are you saying you never noticed?"

It hadn't occurred to her. "I guess I thought it was something else."

Sheppard's voice floated up clearly on the breeze, "Oh, god, yes! Fuck me!"

Elizabeth saw that his head was thrown back and his face was contorted in ecstasy. McKay's face was hidden at that angle, but she could see the surprisingly strong muscles in his back and shoulders ripple with the rocking motion of his body.

She felt her own body rouse in response and became disconcertingly aware of the broad shoulders of the man standing next to her. It wasn't as if she hadn't noticed before. In fact it was one of the first things that caught her attention when she met Peter in Antarctica. She just never allowed herself to really notice.

She glanced at him to find his gaze locked on the scene below. He was smiling slightly. Then he turned and looked directly at her. Her heart started beating faster and she felt a trickle of moisture between her legs. His gaze dropped to her breasts and she was suddenly glad that she was wearing the plunging V-neck top that showed cleavage.

Elizabeth had noted before that exposure to homosexuality tended to awaken the straight man's libido. She didn't know if it was unconscious arousal at the thought of it or the urge to assert their masculinity, and she didn't care. Either way, it worked for her.

When Peter's eyes returned to her face she held them candidly.

They heard McKay moan, "Ohhhh, Johhhhhn."

Elizabeth said slowly, with a hint of suggestion, "I think the lovers should have some privacy, don't you?"

He replied in kind, "Yes, Liz, I do agree."

They turned together toward the door and she felt the stirring heat of his hand on her lower back. As they stepped inside, he said, "If you'd like to come to my room, I can offer you a thimble full of Port as a nightcap."

Elizabeth smiled. "There's nothing I would like more."

She wondered if there was something in the alignment of the stars that made this a particularly lucky night.

End