Entry tags:

pg-13

Charm (PG-13)
Title: Charm
Author: Sandy
Rating: PG-13
Feedback: Is adored and treasured
Archive: Wraithbait, Area 52. All others, please ask
Category: Established Relationship
Pairing: Sheppard/McKay
Summary: Rodney flirts, John get jealous.
Sequel of sorts to: The Ritual
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to own Rodney McKay and John Sheppard as well as the rest of the Atlantis team, someone far richer that I owns them. I just like playing with them.
A/N: This is just a little vignette that wouldn't get out of my brain.

~~~~~~~
Becoming involved with Rodney McKay was the biggest mistake he'd ever made in his life, John thought as he glared across the room to where Rodney was smiling and flirting – flirting! – with the attractive red-haired head of the Altoi delegation. Really, John sneered to himself, did McKay think that he was going to charm the neural neutralizer, or whatever the fuck it was, out of the woman? Rodney McKay had no charm with which to charm anyone, anywhere, anytime. He was sans charm. He was a charm free zone. Even in bed, he lacked charm.

John's sneering thoughts ended there, because even in his anger he had to admit that in bed, Rodney was everything and more that John Sheppard had ever dreamed of. Why just last night...

His musings broke off again as the vile, redheaded witch placed a slender hand on Rodney's arm and laughed softly at something McKay had said. God! Had the woman no control? She was practically dropping to her knees to blow him right there in front of everyone. John couldn't stand watching any longer. He set his glass of ale down with a thunk, turned and walked out of the Hall. He made his way to one of the out-of-the-way balconies and stood there looking out over the ocean, breathing in deep gulps of salt-scented air, and trying to beat down the waves of jealousy and dread that threatened to drown him.

The worse part about all of this was that he was the one responsible for bringing the woman to Atlantis. When the Altois had requested that they be allowed to visit the fabled City of Atlantis, John had been the one to take their request to Elizabeth. He had been the one – along with McKay – to urge her to allow the visit. He'd smiled at Rodney's enthusiasm. Of course at the time, Rodney had been enthusiastic over the new Ancient thingamajig they'd found, not over a tall, willowy redhead. Once Elizabeth had agreed to the visit, it had been John who had returned with the invitation, and John who had flown them here.

He remembered how pleasantly surprised he'd been when the leader of the delegation turned out to be a beautiful woman dressed in a simple white gown of some flowing material that had caressed firm, high breasts, a tiny waist and softly-rounded hips. He'd automatically turned on his charm, but all of his smiles and charisma had been met with polite smiles and cool eyes. It hadn't bothered John – too much.

They arrived at Atlantis to find Rodney standing next to Elizabeth, waiting to greet the guests. And the woman who had been completely oblivious to John's charms took one look at Dr. Rodney McKay and practically melted at his feet. Rodney had responded, of course, to her very obvious attraction to him, puffing himself up and preening like a self-important peacock, and had agreed to escort them on a tour of the city. The two had been practically inseparable the entire day.

John had known that sooner or later, their affair would be over. They were men, after all, and men liked fresh conquests. He and Rodney had been together for almost three months now; surely it was time for one or the other of them to grow restless. That Rodney was the one to grow restless first surprised Sheppard. He'd thought Rodney was happy with him. Still, he only made the Ancient toys work. He didn't have a brand new one to dangle in front of Rodney's nose like a diamond bracelet in front of a gold digger.

The fact that it was a woman who was taking Rodney away from John wasn't a surprise. After all, this affair was an aberration since neither of them had been with or wanted men before, so, of course, a woman catching Rodney's eye was not a shock.

John swallowed and tried to push all of his feelings for Rodney deep down to the place in his soul where all his hurts and disappointments and disillusionments resided. He was so busy wallowing in his pain he didn't even hear the door slide open behind him.

"John?"

He stiffened at the sound of Rodney's voice, and slowly turned around, his face a carefully schooled blank. "Rodney."

"Are you all right?" Rodney asked, coming up to him, a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine," John answered stiffly.

"You don't look fine," Rodney answered. "In fact, you pretty much look like shit. Did those faux crab cakes the Athosians brought make you sick? I stayed away from them. God only knows how long that fish had been sitting around in the sun." Rodney's eyes widened and he reached out grabbing John's hand. "Come on," he said insistently, tugging at John's hand. "Let's get you to the infirmary. Maybe if they pump out your stomach you won't get too bad a case of food poisoning.

He started to pull John toward the door, but John jerked his hand out of Rodney's and growled, "I'm not sick, Rodney."

Rodney turned to look at him again, his forehead creasing in confusion as he studied him. "Then what is it? Why did you leave the party?"

John stepped up closer and shoved his face close to Rodney's. "Maybe I left the party because I was tired of watching you make a fool of yourself," he sneered.

Rodney's eyes widened and he took a step back. "What are you talking about? I was perfectly polite in there. I didn't insult our guests once!"

"Oh, no, I'm sure you didn't," John told him coldly. "Probably because you were too busy leering at and drooling on your new girlfriend."

"What?"

"I'm not blind, Rodney. I watched you coming on to her all day," John said, suddenly defeated. He was too tired and it was too late at night to have this fight. They were over. John knew it, and he just wanted to get away, be alone. He'd been used to being alone...before Rodney. He could get used to it again.

"Maybe you're not blind," Rodney said impatiently. "But I think you've lost what little bit of a mind you had. I was not coming onto, leering at, or drooling on Kayta. I was trying to be polite so she'd cough up that piece of Ancient technology we discovered on her planet."

Rodney's eyes began to shine. "From the little bit of data Zelenka and I have been able to extrapolate so far, we think it may be a small replicator, uh, not to be confused with the 'Replicators'," his fingers made air quotes, "plaguing us back home. We couldn't use it to replicate something as large as a ZedPM, unfortunately, but if we're right, we may be able to use it to replicate small things like, like, coffee!" Now Rodney's eyes were gleaming with a look John usually only saw when he was blowing Rodney.

"So you'd fuck her for coffee?" John sneered, sickened at just how little it took to steal Rodney away from him.

"What?" Rodney looked at him in shock. "Fuck her? Who said anything about fucking her?"

"Well, that's what it looked like to me," John snapped. "You were all over her, practically had your hand down her dress. I was half expecting you to do her right there in the Hall."

Rodney stared at him in silence, eyes wide and astonished looking, and then he started laughing. He laughed so hard he had to put his hand out and clutched John's arm to hold himself upright. He laughed so hard, tears began to roll down his cheeks and he had to gasp for breath.

"Oh, God," he wheezed, swiping at his wet cheeks with the back of his hand. "Oh, God. You...you..." And off he went again.

John watched infuriated as Rodney continued laughing.

"Rodney, stop laughing," he commanded, jerking his arm out of Rodney's hand and stepping back. "There's nothing funny about us breaking up."

Rodney had stumbled a bit when John had jerked himself away, but he caught his balance and slowly brought himself back under control.

"God, you're a moron," he chuckled, looking at John with sparkling eyes. "I can't believe you got jealous. You, Mr. I-Never-Met-A-Skirt-I-Didn't-Want-To-Get-Under." He shook his head and grinned at John.

"That's not true," John protested.

Rodney merely looked at him.

John blushed, because, really, he had been a bit of a slut until just recently. "All right, point taken. But I haven't been interested in anyone but you since we got together, Rodney, and you know it!" he insisted vehemently.

Rodney smiled that sweet smile that always did funny things to the muscles in John's stomach, and stepped up to John taking his face in his hands. "And I haven't been interested in anyone else since we got together either, including our guest."

Rodney leaned in and brushed his lips over John's with the expected result. John wrapped his arms around Rodney and pulled him roughly against him slanting his mouth possessively over Rodney's and kissing him deeply. When the kiss ended, Rodney pulled back a bit and said, "I love you. You know I love you. I only want you. Stop acting stupid."

John looked into Rodney's eyes, saw the truth, and smiled apologetically. "I guess I was acting a little..."

"Stupid," Rodney supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, okay, stupid. It's just, I've never been..." He hesitated, swallowed nervously, took a deep breath and finished, "In love before."

Rodney smiled happily at hearing John finally say the words and pressed his forehead into John's. "As a very wise woman on a television show once said, 'Love makes you do the wacky'."

"It does indeed," John sighed. "I'm sorry I thought..."

Rodney pulled back and smiled at John with all his considerable charm, "What do you say we retire to your quarters and you let me prove to you just how much I love you?"

"That would be very cool," John smiled.

"No," Rodney corrected. "It's going to be very, very hot."


The End