A Two-player System

by Kyn_Moonlight

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ask/kmoonlight/2player.php
Summary: Where stupid misunderstandings have unexpected results…

"I might be a genius, but you're smarter than people give you credit for," Rodney admitted grudgingly, liberating his king from the chessboard, where John had it in check. "Are you sure I can't talk you into coming to one of the meetings of the Atlantis Mensa chapter?" he asked yet again. "If you can beat me, you could take anyone there."

John shrugged noncommittally.

"And frankly," Rodney added, "my ego could use the break from being the only one here who loses to you nearly a quarter of the time."

"More like half," John corrected with a smirk.

Rodney continued, undeterred. "Not to mention there are a couple people there whose faces I really need to see when you mop the floor with them."

John shrugged again. "I'm not the joining type. Besides, why do I need them when I have you to beat."

"It's not just chess. A couple people play `Go'. We're working through some of the more interesting theoretical math proofs, and what's her name -- little blonde science girl -- is tutoring some people in Ancient."

"Gee," John drawled, "I don't think I can take that kind of excitement."

-

Rodney had won their weekly chess match the next time he brought up the subject. "It's not like any of the scientists are going to think less of you for being *smart*. Yeah, I get the `I'm just one of the guys' thing works with grunts, but really, you'd think they'd be relieved to know their commanding officer was intelligent, rather than a total idiot who'd give them orders even they were smart enough to not follow."

John started packing up the chess set.

"Just, well, think about it, OK?" Rodney persisted. "I mean I don't really understand why you wouldn't want everyone knowing how smart you are, but I do grasp that for some inexplicable reason you do. But it has to be frustrating too sometimes, doesn't it?"

"Nope," John said with studied indifference. "Like I said, I'm not really into the `better than you' attitude."

"It's not… well, yes all right, a few of the people have a bit of superiority attitude, but…"

"Let me guess who," John drawled softly.

Rodney waved his hands. "What I'm saying is the group's not about that. It's not so much about being better or just different than the people who aren't members, it's about everyone there having something in common. It would be like someplace where you don't have to hide that part of yourself, where it's OK because everyone else there is like that too. You'd fit in better than you think you would."

John settled for another shrug. "I'll think about it, all right?"

McKay smiled and opened his mouth.

John raised a finger in warning. "I'm not making any promises. But fine. I'll think about it."

"Good, good. That's all I'm saying. Let's see, the next one… Well, I'm not even sure when it is. I'm usually too busy to keep track of it, since it moves around depending one everyone's schedule. I usually just wait for Radek to let me know when he gets one scheduled. I'll let you know when I hear from him!" Rodney bounced to his feet. "Or you could ask him. He wouldn't mind, really. He's been itching to play chess against you since he heard there was someone here other than me up to his level."

John waved him off. "Thinking. That's all."

-

It was a few weeks, surprisingly, before Rodney mentioned it again.

"So, Radek says there's a Mensa chapter meeting next week. Tuesday or Wednesday I think," Rodney said with no preamble during their game.

John settled for rolling his eyes, and when he moved his knight, Rodney's focus was all back on the chessboard, making him grin.

-

Tuesday, though, John was starting to understand how Rodney must feel some days -- that everyone he worked with was an idiot. He'd had to explain to some of the Marines, yet again, that they had to be cautious with Ancient tech, have a little talk with one of the team leaders about listening to his scientist concerning things of a scientific nature off world, and spend far too much time in meetings with Caldwell, explaining with quickly diminishing patience, why the latest batch of the ideas he waltzed into the base trying to shove down everyone's throats every twelve weeks *still* weren't feasible. The man wasn't stupid, but John thought that the SGC might expect a little more of people they let have one of their precious few space cruisers.

When he found himself sounding a little too much like Rodney and his favorite rants, he decided to take a break and see if there was anything new in the mess hall. He passed Zelenka in the doorway talking to one of the newer scientists, and was sitting down with some blue-ish tea and something scone-like before his mind registered that the discussion had included the words "meeting", "tonight", "eight PM," someone's name and "quarters." It wasn't until he saw Caldwell arrowing towards his table and checked his watch to find it was 19:58, that he made a quick decision.

"Sorry Colonel," he said, standing just as Caldwell set down his tray. "If you'll excuse me, I just realized I'm almost late for another meeting."

Caldwell shut his mouth on whatever he'd been about to say and nodded with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Of course. I don't want to keep you from your responsibilities."

"Sir," John gritted out, just managing to be polite enough to slide while all he wanted to do was to punch Caldwell because he hated the snide way he said `responsibilities', as if all responsibilities John still had were a personal affront to him.

After a quick stop at his room to check the database for the location of `Ryan's' room, preceded by another few minutes while he figured out if that was a first or last name and how else it might be spelled, he was knocking, a little timidly, at the door of said room.

Zelenka opened the door, looking surprised as Sheppard had ever seen to find him there.

"Colonel," he said, pulling the door partway closed behind himself. "Ah. What can I do for you?"

John hesitated a bit under the unexpectedly intense scrutiny. "This is where you guys are having the meeting, right? I was just wondering if maybe I could join you? I mean, not *join* join, but maybe kinda sit in for one evening to see if I," he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y'know, fit in?"

"You?" Zelenka started, then shook his head. "Yes of course. Many things make much more sense this way. Although," he met John's gaze with more threat than he'd have thought possible -- or merited, "who else is here you *must* not tell outside this room. You do understand this?"

John didn't really understand the need for this degree of secrecy, but nodded his agreement. "My lips are sealed."

This prompted a raised eyebrow and smile from Zelenka. "There are some who would be very disappointed to hear this. But come, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Sheppard followed him into the room, as surprised to see a few of the military there as they seemed to see him. One was recently re- assigned from the Army Corps of Engineers, a reputed whiz kid at on- the-fly fabrication, and the other he remembered because he had the distinct claim to being the Marine marine biologist. They were as much scientists as they were soldiers, if not more, so he figured they probably fit in better than he did. They looked even more anxious than he felt, until Zelenka waved at them placatingly.

"It is OK. Colonel Sheppard is here, as we are, to meet with like- minded people, not to cause any trouble. Isn't that right, Colonel?"

"Right." John nodded with what he hoped was an agreeable smile. "No trouble, Major, Doctors."

"Oh, we try to avoid titles here," said a woman he assumed to be the room's occupant, solidly packed into a batik shirt and pants. "I'm Rayan," she confirmed a moment later. "Radek you know, Dave and Antony," she pointed out the two military members first. John was glad for the reminder of their first names and nodded back in greeting. She continued around the room with introductions, ending with a blonde woman named Fiona, resting a hand on her shoulder, before sinking down beside her on the couch.

"Oh, I guess, you can call me John then?" he offered belatedly.

One of the younger guys offered him a beer, which he accepted gratefully. The kid leaned forward on one elbow eagerly. "So, John, what made you decide to come here tonight?"

He shrugged. "McKay, Rodney, has been bugging me to come for weeks."

"Rodney has?" Radek asked.

"I kept telling him I wasn't interested, but you know how he gets when he's sure he's right about something." Several scientists nodded agreement, which made John smile. "He said something about how I shouldn't always hide who I am, and being around people who'd understand and accept me for what I am. I dunno, after dealing with Caldwell all day I really needed to be at a one meeting where I'd be welcome and he wouldn't and figured why not give it a try."

Someone laughed at that, and that seemed to break the ice and take him out of the spotlight, as people drifted back to their smaller conversational groups.

He nodded to Zelenka. "Oh, Radek, Rodney mentioned you specifically when he was trying to get me here. He thought I'd enjoy finding another partner as challenging as him, and that you might be interested?"

Zelenka squirmed in what looked like embarrassment. And was that actually a blush? "Ah, I, perhaps. He was all right with that?"

"Sure." John smiled reassuringly. "Why not? He's been saying I should broaden my horizons. Find someone else to play with once in a while."

Radek's eyes widened slightly at the word `play.' Wow, John thought, these Mensa guys sure took their chess competitions seriously.

"I didn't even know that you and he," Radek made a vague hand gesture, which must be some kind of science semaphore code, because it looked a lot like something Rodney would do, and made no more sense to John than his hand waves usually did. "If we were to … play, you and I, would that be with or without him?"

John frowned momentarily. "With three people? No, just one-on-one, but I'm sure he'd want to watch." Radek was definitely flushed and a few of the nearby people were looking on with interest. Scientists were just weird, John decided, and Mensa scientists more than most.

"Well, ah," Zelenka started, hesitantly. "Perhaps we could discuss it a bit more privately with him when he shows up?"

"Sure thing. Whatever you want," John agreed, hoping to abate the weirdness.

Radek nodded, a little vaguely, and eventually excused himself to speak with another new arrival.

"I'd be interested in *playing* with you, John," the kid with the beer said, touching his knee briefly with a fingertip. If John didn't know better, he'd think he was flirting. "So, you and Dr. McKay …?" the kid -- Sandy, that was his name -- Sandy prompted.

John gave his usual shrug. "Oh, yeah, we play sometimes. We're friends. I know not everyone gets why, and he can be a pain sometimes, but we just kinda seem to get along."

"But it's not…serious?" Sandy asked.

"Nah," he shook his head. "Well, maybe to him. I'm not the serious type." John glanced around. "I really expected at least a few people to be playing chess?"

Sandy looked up as well and shrugged. "Hm, they're probably all saving it for the Mensa meeting tomorrow night."

John nodded.

Wait…

"Tomorrow?"

Just then Rodney barreled through the door in his usual flurry. "Sorry. Sorry I'm late. Important work, you know." He stopped short on his trip across the room scattering little waves of his hand at various people as he went. "Colonel?"

"Hiya, Rodney," he drawled with the lazy smile and slouch that was sure to get McKay even more worked up when he was agitated.

"What are… what are you doing here?" McKay didn't seem as pleased as he'd expected that he'd finally convinced John to come to one of their meetings.

"Well, I *was* invited."

McKay's eyes flicked quickly between him, the kid with the beer, still leaning a bit too close with his hand almost touching John's knee, and the matching bottles they both held. "Oh, of *course* you were." He threw his hands up in one of the science hand signals John recognized as frustration and stalked away.

"Rodney!" John called after him, rolling up to his feet. The door to the balcony closed behind McKay and John glanced around the room quickly, both for clues as to what that outburst was about and to plan the best route to follow him. The nearby people just seemed to be smirking, looking sympathetic or intrigued. He guessed his and McKay's recurring arguments were common knowledge and more a topic for amusement rather than concern by now. Beyond them, Rayan was leaning familiarly against her friend on the couch, people were engaged in their own discussions in small groups or, more often, pairs… and the Marine biologist was holding hands with that flamingly gay guy from the botany department.

By the time he'd closed the balcony doors behind himself, he'd put two and two together. Especially since most of the twos in the room were the same gender.

"McKay!" he hissed urgently. "This isn't the Mensa meeting!"

"What? No, of course not. That's tomorrow night. I was going to tell you at lunch tomorrow. Wait, you thought…?" he looked up at John, who was resolutely staring at the ocean and wouldn't meet his eyes. "So, you're not…?"

John raised an eyebrow, half looking back. "And you are."

Rodney nodded, subdued. "Um yeah."

"Just so we're clear," John said slowly. "This is?"

"The Atlantis GLBT club, yeah. That's not a… Is this going to be a problem? Because I mean, it doesn't have to be, does it? Wait," he waved toward the room behind them. "Now they all think you're… Oh, listen, I'll explain to them it was all a mistake. It won't endanger your career. The military can cause trouble over a mistake can they? What am I saying, of course they can. I really am sorry. I'll find a way to fix this, I promise you." Rodney paused in his rant as he noticed a few people looking out the window at them then ducking away when they realized they'd been seen. He sighed. "Now they all probably think this is some kind of lovers quarrel."

"What they think," John said dropping his head in resignation, "is that I want to have sex with Zelenka." Rodney looked up with his eyes wide at that, but John continued. "*And* that you want to watch."

"What?" Rodney stared back at the window as if blaming it for this embarrassing situation. Or something. "Why would they think THAT?"

John leaned his elbows on the balcony railing and stared down at his hands. "Because I told him you were looking forward to watching me take on another partner who was as challenging as you." He tried to ignore the little choked sound from Rodney. "Well, I *thought* we were talking about chess!"

Rodney flushed and waved his hands around in a good approximation of Zelenka's earlier and equally incomprehensible signals.

"Yeah, that's exactly what he said," John drawled.

Rodney's flush deepened and his eyes got even wider at that, so John took pity on him before he managed to hurt himself.

"Listen, Radek swore me to secrecy before he let me in the room. I assume that goes both ways, so nobody should find out about this who'll have a problem with it. Everyone seemed fine with me being here."

"Other than you."

"I thought I was fitting in just fine."

"But, Colonel, in case it's somehow escaped your attention, in spite of that hair and the come-hither slouch, you're not gay!"

John raised an eyebrow, challengingly. "Oh? And who says so?"

"All those women you sleep with for one, Captain Kirk."

"OK, first, there really weren't all that many, and second, I think there was a "B" in that name."

"B?"

"Yeah, like for astrophysicists who have a thing for smart blonde women? And I'm guessing, smart blond men too?"

"Well, smart men. Blond, not so much." Rodney's eyes strayed up to John's hair for a nearly imperceptible second, then turned resolutely out toward the ocean.

"Hey," John bumped shoulders with him companionably. "Nobody seemed too surprised when I said it was you that invited me. Or when you stormed out of the room in a jealous huff because Sandy was flirting with me."

"He was?" Rodney snarled. "I mean, I wasn't jealous."

"Course not."

"Because that would imply that I… that is…"

"Hey." John bumped his shoulder again. "Just tell me if I'm off base here and I'll drop it. But all of this is giving me the impression that maybe you're interested in me? Y'know, um, sexually?"

"Um," Rodney looked down at the water but didn't deny it.

"Because, I'd be OK with that."

"Great. Fine. Thanks. I'm glad you can still stand me, in spite of my embarrassing, unrequited crush, because we do have to work together."

"That's not what I meant." John wrapped his fingers around Rodney's arm, turning him so they'd have to face one another. "I didn't know. I'd have… I thought I was the one that was unrequited." He nudged Rodney's jaw lightly with one knuckle. "D'you think that sometime, maybe, it could turn into emotionally interested too? Not just physically?"

Rodney snorted, but his face remained soft. "It already is that."

"Yeah?" John asked with a slight smile as he leaned closer.

"Yeah," Rodney conceded with a nod, breath ghosting over John's lips as he leaned in as well.

John licked his lips with an indrawn breath, then closed the distance between them. The first brush of lips was brief, and they each drew back for a second, then fell together again with more passion and pressure.

After the first few closed-mouth kisses, Rodney gasped just as John reached for his lips again. They closed, almost delicately, around John's lower lip, and he couldn't resist sliding his tongue across it to brush Rodney's mouth. He felt Rodney's tongue in response lightly touch his lip, and hands clench in the fabric over his shoulders. One of his hands was still clasped around Rodney's arm, but the other was in a perfect position to slide back and around, cupping the base of Rodney's skull, to angle his head and draw him back in to a deep, achingly hungry kiss.

John caught the twitch of a curtain out of the corner of his eye and pulled back, breathing heavily. The throb of arousal where his hips pressed against Rodney's flared strong as Rodney gave an involuntary thrust against him. John indulged in one more quick brush of their lips before stepping away. "Mmm, we should take this somewhere else."

"Right," Rodney breathed, blinking and trying to brush his clothes back into a semblance of order. "Give me a minute." He glanced down at his crotch, then John's.

"Yeah, good idea," John agreed, leaning against the balcony railing. He took a few deep calming breaths. "Oh, hey, did you and Zelenka ever hook up? `Cuz he seemed pretty interested when he thought I was suggesting a threesome."

Rodney flushed again. "No threesomes with Zelenka. I've waited for this too long and want you all to myself." The firm possessive undertone in his voice sent a thrill through John.

"No threesomes," John agreed, with an innocent nod. "You were just supposed to watch," he corrected mischievously.

"Gah!" Rodney floundered, managing to look jealous and intrigued at the same time.

"And you didn't seem too disgusted by the thought of a Zelenka three- way earlier either."

"I, ah," Rodney waved a hand. And John really had to ask if Mensa had lessons in scientist hand signal code he could take. "Not helping with the `presentable to walk through a room of people' thing."

"I was just wondering if it's him you want?"

"You," Rodney said, pushing into John's personal space. "I want you."

He was right, that was doing nothing for the `presentable to walk through a room' thing.

"No, I mean it," Rodney continued, hand big and warm on John's chest. "Now. I want you *now*. Can we get out of here? No, no, wait! Or was it just the threesome thing you were interested in?"

"Rodney," John said, bringing both hands up to Rodney's nicely solid shoulders. "It's you I want. You I've wanted. You I'm feeling that `maybe more than just physical' interest in. It's just…" He shrugged, a little shyly. "If you really wanted Radek too, I'd do that for you."

"Really? I mean, no you won't. I'm not going to ask you to have sex with someone else." Rodney made another hand motion. "It's just that you're my two best friends and I might have thought about it once or twice."

"Was that a maybe?" John teased.

Rodney's eyes widened again and he looked at John appraisingly. "Not tonight, I said."

John nodded easy acceptance and opened the door for Rodney.

"Well, maybe some day. Just one time. Or you know, occasionally," Rodney continued. "Or tomorrow, maybe."

"No," John whispered into his ear and nudged him back into the room, where they were met with too many knowing smirks. "Tomorrow I'm going to the Mensa meeting, and I'm going to play chess against Radek," he said a little louder, winking at Zelenka as they passed him.

He pulled Rodney into the hallway, lowering his voice again. "And you're going to watch. *Then* you can fuck the winner while Radek watches."

Rodney's step faltered. "What if he wins?"

"That works too." John took his elbow and kept him moving towards his room. "I don't mind watching. I'll touch myself while I watch you, and you'll feel my eyes on your bare skin. Everywhere he touches you. Everywhere you touch him. But I won't come."

"Oh, god." Rodney was breathing heavily, and John really hoped they didn't run into anyone else because neither of them could hide their state of arousal by this point.

"And neither will he," John continued, his voice rough. "Because as soon as you're done, I'm going to suck him off. I'll lick him slow, and swallow him down. Make him come so hard, knowing you're looking."

He pushed Rodney through the door to his quarters with a breath of relief in counterpoint to Rodney's gasp. He pressed Rodney back against the wall and lowered his head to nip at his ear whispering, "And then -- then I'm going to fuck you while he watches."

"John…" Rodney's hips thrust against his, pressing their hard cocks together through layers of clothing.

John reached between them and pressed the heel of his hand hard against Rodney's cock. "Not yet," he cautioned, then leaned the rest of his body in and claimed Rodney's lips in a long deep kiss.

Stepping back he caught Rodney's hand and pulled him toward the bed.

"C'mon. Let's get you out of those clothes while I'll tell you what I'm going to do to you tonight."

Rodney just shivered and John grinned. Rodney might be a genius, but John was smarter than people gave him credit for.