A/N: This is a Christmas present for dr-nicholas-rush, who I keep stalking on tumblr, and who requested this particular smutty interlude.
Thanks to my reviewers Charlotte Ashmore, JosephineM, Erik'sTrueAngel, Twyla Mercedes and PartyintheTARDIS12.
"No, not there!" Rush scowled as Belle pressed buttons on her keyboard. "The other bloody side. What did I say?"
Belle leant on the console, brows contracting. "I don't know, I stopped listening after you ranted for five minutes over nothing the last time."
"Bloody thing!" He kicked at the metal housing of the machine he had been tapping code into, and yelped. "Fuck!" He hopped on one foot, massaging his toes, and Belle raised an eyebrow.
"Feel better?" she asked dryly.
"Yes," he grimaced. Belle gave him a flat look.
"Did it hurt?"
"Yes, it fucking hurt!" he snapped, limping around in a circle. Belle sighed, rubbing tired eyes.
"Look, Rush, we've been at this for hours. Just give it up, take a break."
"There has to be a way around this!" he insisted, gesturing at the screen in front of him with the edge of his hand, a chopping slice through the warm air of the room. Belle let her eyes widen.
"Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?" she asked innocently, and he rounded on her with a snarl, which she met by biting her lip, the light of amusement in her eyes.
"Control-alt-delete?" she suggested, grinning. Rush pushed his hands through his hair in aggravation, and she put what she thought was a soothing hand on his chest.
"Take a break," she said gently. "It's not going anywhere, and Destiny will manage to find her way without it."
He pulled away from her, beginning to pace, and she sighed as he began flourishing his arms.
"I know there's a fucking way around this thing, and my calculations are bloody correct!" he snapped, banging his fist into his palm for emphasis. "Which means there's something wrong with the fucking systems! When we find out what that is, then we can rest, understood?"
Belle folded her arms, giving him an appraising look.
"No," she said flatly, and he spun on his heel to face her, looking outraged. She shook her head.
"No, Rush," she said firmly. "I'm tired and I need a break. Work yourself into the ground if you like. I'll see you later."
She pushed away from the console, turning her back on him. He lifted his arms and let them drop, frustration etched on his face as she strode towards the door.
"Belle!" he shouted after her. "Don't bloody well leave me on my own with this!"
"Later, Rush," she called over her shoulder, and left the room.
Rush leant on the console with a sigh, hair hanging in his face. He had been working for twenty-seven hours, sixteen of those with Belle, and he was tired and irritable. Swiping his hair back from his eyes, he straightened up. He knew, he just knew, that he had found the way to control the countdown. The maths didn't lie. Getting the fucking machines on board Destiny to accept his ideas was the bloody problem. Growling to himself, he pulled his notebook from his pocket, and went over the equations for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Belle was drinking. She wasn't used to it, not really. Not the harsh alcohol made in the still, anyway. The crew had tried adding fruit (when they could get it) to change the taste to something less like paint-stripper, with varying degrees of success. This particular batch was one of the better ones, and Belle was huddled around a table with Eli, Chloe, Camille and TJ. She had walked out on Rush two hours ago, and she was still a little irritated with him, so she had sought out some company and Chloe had suggested getting a drink. Someone on the crew had worked out that it was Christmas, so all things considered it seemed appropriate to get drunk with her friends. Not as though any of them would be eating turkey with all the trimmings.
Belle wrinkled her nose at the choice of food on board. The last planet they had visited had had herds of what looked like some kind of deer, and Scott and Greer had shot a couple of them and brought them back to the ship. The meat produced wasn't quite as tasty as the venison she'd eaten back home, but they would at least be eating something other than that protein concoction they'd been suffering for months. Vegetables was another matter. They had picked and stored something that was a little like squash. It was certainly better than nothing, but Belle would have cheerfully paid a heavy price for a dish of buttery mashed potatoes, parsnips sticky with honey and mustard, roast potatoes crispy with goose fat, or red cabbage cooked with port, apples and cinnamon. Her mouth watered at the thought, and she turned back to her friends to take her mind off the sparse Christmas dinner that awaited them the next day.
The five of them had carried a container of the fiery brew to their little table, the smallest cups that could be found lined up in front of them. They were six shots in already, and beginning to giggle. Eli had been pronounced an honorary girl for the evening, much to his disappointment, but had cheered up when Chloe got a fit of the giggles and draped herself over him, planting a wet kiss on his cheek, her eyes brightened by the strong alcohol.
"How's it going with you and Rush, then?" asked TJ, and Belle knocked a shot back, slamming her tiny cup down on the table and coughing as her eyes watered. The news that Doctors French and Rush were sleeping together had travelled around Destiny faster than the ship itself cut through the heavens. Belle had received some strange looks, some sympathetic, some frankly disbelieving. She ignored them all, but she couldn't help being amused by the varying reactions of the crew. Her closest friends were accepting, and oddly fascinated.
"Okay, I think," she shrugged. Chloe gestured, hand turning over and over in a bid to get Belle to expand on her comment, and Belle sighed, rolling her eyes.
"What do you want to know?" she asked resignedly.
"Everything, of course," said Chloe, grinning, the alcohol making her more exuberant. "Whether you like him…"
"Whether you guys have interesting conversations…" added Eli.
"Whether he's nice to you when everyone's not looking…" added Camille.
"Whether he knows what to do with his penis…" added TJ.
The others snorted with laughter, Chloe burying her face in Eli's neck and making his throat bob. Belle wrinkled her nose.
"Oh, come on, honey, I'm not talking to you about Rush's penis," she complained, then grinned suddenly. "Unless you want to spill the dirt on Colonel Young's penis."
TJ burst out laughing, blushing and letting her head fall onto her folded arms.
"Everett's penis is definitely something I'm keeping to myself," she announced, clinking her cup against Belle's.
"Personally, I don't want to hear about anyone's penis," put in Camille, taking a drink.
"Could everybody please stop saying penis?" asked Eli wearily, causing all the girls to giggle. TJ poured another round, spilling some of the fiery liquor on the table top as she did so.
"Drinking game," she announced. "We each take it in turns to tell Belle something we think is true about Rush. If it's right, she takes a shot. If we're wrong, we take a shot. Okay?"
Belle groaned, but the others laughed, so she nodded wryly.
"Okay," said Camille, looking at Belle curiously. She pursed her lips, flicking an accusatory finger out at Belle. "He's selfish in the sack," she said assuredly, and Belle snorted.
"Take a shot," she said, and Camille rolled her eyes, knocking back her drink.
"He swears when he comes," said Chloe, blushing, and Belle drank, almost choking as the alcohol hit the back of her throat. TJ poured another and nudged Eli.
"Um – I don't know…" Eli shrugged, looking highly uncomfortable. Chloe nudged him again. "Okay! Um – you guys have done it four times in a night before." He buried his nose in his cup, clearly embarrassed.
"Drink," advised Belle, grinning, and he groaned, letting his head roll back.
"He has a massive dick," said TJ, eyes gleaming. Belle looked thoughtful.
"I guess, proportionally," she admitted, and tossed back her drink. TJ poured another.
"He is a massive dick," said Camille dryly, and Belle giggled, shrugged, and threw back another shot.
"Can't argue with that one," she chuckled. "You guys are just trying to get me drunk, here."
"That was the general idea," said Chloe, grinning. There was a blush high on her cheeks, her pale skin radiant with the glow of alcohol. Belle thought how pretty she looked, and smirked as she watched Eli gazing at her with adoration. Chloe didn't notice.
"Okay, how about this?" she suggested. "He distracts himself during sex by thinking of math problems."
Belle burst out laughing. "I have no idea if that's true, but I wouldn't be surprised," she admitted.
"Then you both have to drink," announced Camille, with satisfaction, and Chloe sighed, clinking her cup against Belle's. Belle winced as she swallowed another shot.
"You guys had better carry me back to my room at the end of this game," she said, with feeling. TJ topped up their glasses.
"We'll go one better than that," she said.
Rush walked tiredly back to his quarters, pinching the bridge of his nose to clear his vision. He knew exactly how to achieve what he wanted, but the bloody ship was refusing to act in the way that it should. His last attempt had shorted out the navigation systems. Having shouted and sworn for five minutes straight, he had taken Brody's advice and decided to get some sleep. It wasn't as though he could do anything until the systems were back up and running, anyway. He muttered to himself, wishing the ship was a little easier to work with sometimes.
Opening the door to his quarters, he was momentarily surprised not to see Belle there. She had gone off shift several hours ago, and he had assumed she'd be sleeping. Quite why he had assumed she would be sleeping in his bed he wasn't sure, but they had been spending every night together recently, and he wasn't made of stone; he was more than willing to admit that he enjoyed her company immensely. He recalled that someone had mentioned that it was Christmas Eve; perhaps she had gone for a drink with some of the others.
He tugged his shirt over his head, folding it and dropping it on the chair, and was just starting to unbuckle his belt when there was a noise from the door. Leaving the belt as it was, he crossed to open it, and found a sorry sight in front of him. Belle was being held up by TJ and Camille, Chloe and Eli leaning on one another a little further back. All five of them wore ridiculously wide grins and looked at him with unfocused eyes, swaying slightly.
"We brought you a Christmas present, Rush," announced TJ. "See what you can do with this." She launched Belle at him, and Rush grabbed her as she fell against him, giggling. Her head rolled back, her eyes heavy-lidded and dreamy.
"Hi!" she said brightly, the smell of strong liquor washing over him. "I like you!"
Chloe giggled, and Rush sighed wearily.
"You're drunk," he observed.
"Wow," remarked Camille. "He really is a fucking genius. Belle, your boyfriend says you're drunk."
Belle giggled. "God, I hope so!" she drawled. "If I'm not drunk there is somethin' seriously wrong with me!" She chuckled, clutching at Rush's chest and making him wince.
"We'll say goodnight, then, Belle," said TJ, knowingly, and Belle giggled again, turning back to her friends.
"Merry Chrissmuss," she slurred. "Love you all. Great night! And as for you!" She turned back to Rush, jabbing him in the chest with her forefinger. "I am gonna ride you until you beg for mercy, what d'you say to that?" She jabbed him again, falling against his chest, and Rush rolled his eyes at the stifled chuckles from the four in front of him.
"I think perhaps you should get some rest first," he said dryly. "We can continue this discussion when you've dealt with your hangover."
Belle grumbled something, hiccoughed, and nuzzled against his bare chest with a contented sound.
"You smell good," she murmured, and Rush sighed again, feeling his body automatically react to her closeness. The others were watching him avidly – well, TJ and Camille, anyway. Eli and Chloe looked as though they were about to fall asleep standing up. Belle purred, her nose nudging at his nipple and pulling his attention back to her.
"Let's get you to bed," he said gently, causing great hilarity amongst Belle and her friends.
"Rush is gonna take me to be-ed!" sang Belle, her eyes gleaming. "Uh-oh! I hope you guys don't mind the screaming. He does this thing with his tongue…"
"Yeah, we heard about the tongue thing," interrupted TJ. "Please, God, not again."
"T.M.I., Belle, seriously," said Camille dryly.
Rush frowned at them all, tightening his grip on Belle's waist as she threatened to sink to the floor.
"Don' mind them, I jus' tol' them what a hot piece of ass you are," she slurred, and Chloe started giggling again. Rush glared.
"Thank you so much for your assistance," he said sharply, and shut the door in their faces, cutting off the noise. Belle's head was lolling against his shoulder, and he almost had to carry her to the bed. He sat her on the edge of it and gently coaxed her into drinking some water, at which she pulled a face. She eventually drained the cup, but pushed him away when he tried to give her more.
"You should have another," he said quietly. "You're going to feel like shit tomorrow, sweetheart." His fingers combed her hair back from her face, as she heaved a sigh, her eyes glazing over.
"You're quite sweet, you know that?" she mumbled, and cupped his face with her hand, swaying slightly as she tried to hold eye contact with him. "I like it when you're sweet."
He had to smile. "Can it be our secret?"
Belle shook her head determinedly. "Too many secrets," she announced, and he frowned.
"What do you mean?"
She sighed, her thumb still stroking his cheek. Her eyes met his briefly, devastatingly, and she bit her lip, looking a little upset.
"Do you even like me, Rush?" she asked querulously.
He was stung. He sat back from her, pulling away from her touch. How could she think he didn't like her? Oh, right. The shouting thing.
"Of course I like you," he managed. "I like you very much, Belle." And if that wasn't a fucking understatement, he didn't know what was. He reached out to her, to reassure her, running his hands through her hair, stroking down her arms.
"How could I not?" he added gently.
"Mmph." She didn't answer, and fell against him once more with a faint giggle.
He managed to undress her, in which she was more of a hindrance than a help, and laid her gently in the bed in her vest and panties, stroking her hair back from her face as she mumbled something incoherent. She seemed to fall asleep almost before her head hit the pillow, and he straightened up, shaking his head ruefully. She'd feel it in the morning. He undressed quietly, turning out the light and climbing in beside her, and spooned up against her back, breathing in her scent.
"I really like you, too," she murmured, and he smiled against her shoulder, pressing his lips to her warm skin.
Belle found it hard to open her eyes. She eased one open a crack, and sensations flooded through her. The first was heat; she was aware that she was almost naked, with another naked body pressed up against hers, a layer of perspiration between them. Rush. She smiled to herself, then winced as her headache made its presence known. Biting back a groan, she put the heel of her hand against her eye, willing the pounding in her head to stop. She felt a little nauseated, her belly roiling, and figured that she only had herself to blame. Well, she could blame the girls, too, she supposed. She hoped they were feeling just as bad.
She felt Rush's cool, even breath on her ear, and smiled again as his arm tightened slightly on her waist. Wriggling, she turned herself around to nestle against his chest, and he stiffened and stretched, still half-asleep. Belle rubbed her head against him like a cat, breathing in his scent. Her tongue darted out to lick the salt from his warm skin, flicking over his nipple, and he drew in a sharp breath, stretching again.
"You awake?" he murmured sleepily, and Belle grinned, sucking his nipple into her mouth and making him growl. She could feel him hardening against her, and slipped her hand down between them to fondle him. Rush exhaled loudly, his hands stroking her back, and Belle resumed kissing him, working her way down his chest. She pushed him onto his back, and he moved without protest, fingers sliding up to curl in her hair as she trailed her tongue down over his taut belly. He was fully hard, now, rigid against her sternum, and Belle looked up at him.
"Morning," she said brightly, and he gazed at her, his eyes heavy-lidded, his face drawn from too little sleep.
"How do you not have a hangover?" he asked, his breathing heavy, and Belle rolled her eyes, immediately wishing she hadn't as a lance of pain stabbed her through the head.
"I have the worst hangover ever," she admitted, rubbing herself gently against his swollen cock and making him hiss. "I'm taking my mind off it, okay? Now, lie back."
He obeyed, sighing as she kissed her way lower. Belle put her hands on his thighs, pushing them further apart, his cock springing up to meet her. She kissed his inner thigh first, moving up from his knee to the soft flesh between his legs, his hair tickling her lips and cheeks as she breathed in his heady, musky scent. His skin tasted of salt and something she had come to recognise as distinctly Rush, and she drew her tongue along the seam at the top of his leg, her nose nudging his balls and making him let out a strangled noise above her.
"Fuck, Belle!" he gasped, and she grinned to herself, moving across to kiss up the other side. This time, when she reached the top, she let her tongue stroke against his balls, wrapping itself around, gently teasing them. Her nails stroked slowly up his thighs as she pulled her way up a little, arching her shoulders to keep her mouth in the same place. Her tongue swirled around the base of his cock, and Rush groaned, pushing his pelvis upwards to meet her.
"God dammit, love!" he moaned, and she filed the endearment away in her brain to ponder over later, before turning her attention back to his cock. He was hard and straining, the veins plump beneath skin as soft as silk. She ran the flat of her tongue up the shaft to just beneath the head, and he moaned quite beautifully, so she did it again, and again, never touching the most sensitive part. He was beginning to writhe now, and she looked up at him with a small grin. His eyes were dark with want, his hair awry, his chest heaving. He looked delicious.
"Sweet holy fuck, woman!" he growled. "What are you trying to do to me?"
Belle bent her head to him once more, licking up from the base of his balls, and he let out another moan, his body undulating against the sheets. Her tongue traced around the base of his head, making him jerk spasmodically as she did so.
"Please, sweetheart!" he begged, and Belle grinned in satisfaction. She drew back a little, looking down on him, to where he was leaking whitish fluid, and licked her lips. Her tongue swirled around the head, once, twice, three times, and Rush let out a long groan as she swept against the sensitive skin, tasting his salty juices. Her lips touched against the softness of the swollen head, drawing him in, and she took him deep into her mouth in one long, slow movement.
"Fuck!" he gasped, his pelvis thrusting upwards as his back arched, his fingers carding through her hair. Belle began to move rhythmically, up and down, her lips and tongue working against him, her fingers gently stroking his balls. Rush moved with her, moaning at the feel of her, and she slowly moved her hands up his body, feeling the muscles of his stomach twitching at her touch. She sucked him harder, her cheeks hollowing around him, her lips pulling at his smooth skin, and her fingers reached his nipples, finding them hard and tight. She rubbed her thumbs over them, making him gasp, and she flicked her eyes up, watching him. His head was thrown back, his mouth open, the tendons in his neck corded and straining. Belle wrapped her tongue around his length as she sucked, her fingers pinching and twisting at his nipples as she did so, and he cried out harshly, his voice fading to a desperate whimper as she increased the pressure of her mouth on him.
Belle could sense he was close, his cock hard within the softness of her mouth, his body tensing, pre-cum leaking onto her tongue and spreading its salty tang. She quickened her movements, and as he threw his head back with a cry and a string of profanity she pulled off him, watching with interest as his hips bucked and his cock pulsed and ropes of white fluid spurted out of him, coating his belly. She waited until he had stopped jerking and twitching and calling out to a deity he didn't believe in, then slid up his body, coating herself in the stickiness of his seed. Rush took her face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly, rolling her onto her back and pushing himself up on his elbows to gaze down at her with wonder. He was bright-eyed with lust and the ecstasy of his orgasm, and Belle brushed his cheek, smiling happily.
"That," he said breathlessly. "Was absolutely fucking incredible, Belle."
She giggled. "Sorry I didn't see it through to the end. Bad form not to swallow, but I think I might just throw up if I did."
He kissed her again, his soft stubble a pleasant sensation against her cheeks as he made his way along her jaw, his teeth gently nipping at her.
"Never apologise to me again for that," he growled, and Belle chuckled, her arms sliding around him. He drew back, grinning at her.
"Merry Christmas, Rush," she said, and his eyebrows jerked upwards, his eyes suddenly gleaming.
"Ah, yes," he nodded. "Now, Doctor French, let's see about your present, shall we?"
A/N: Merry Christmas to all, and a smutty New Year to come! I have a ton of smutty Rushbelle prompts to work through, so you haven't seen the last of these two!