Author: miasnape

Title: Residual Heat Energy

Rating: R

Warnings: None

Pairings: McKay/Sheppard

Summary: John knows how to use a ZPM. Rodney really likes that. PWP with a side of mush.

Spoilers: Echoes 3.12

A/N: Well, see x-sleeptodream said, "Am I the only one who wants some my boyfriend looks really sexy working the ZPM like that even if he's going to kill us all with his insane plan porn?" and I thought, "no, you're really not." This isn't quite that, but close enough. Written in about half an hour and unbetaed, so feel free to point out any mistakes.


Residual Heat Energy
Energy is neither created nor destroyed: it only changes form.

Rodney usually finds the ZPM room soothing. The lights are dim and soft and the room is relatively small, and this place that houses and protects their main power source strikes Rodney as appropriately womb-like.

Right at this moment, though, Rodney's not exactly feeling relaxed. He's sweaty and warm, and it's only half down to the absurd temperatures he's just faced onboard the Daedalus carrying out John's characteristic We Should Be Dead, But Instead We Managed To Save Everyone, Somehow plan. The other half is down to sweaty, warm Sheppard who is re-inserting their partially drained ZPM into the Atlantis power mainframe.

Sheppard. Sheppard and a ZPM. Sheppard knowing exactly what to do with a ZPM. Rodney's about half a second away from whimpering pathetically. He clears his throat instead.

"When, uh, when did you learn how to do that?"

Sheppard gives the ZPM a final push and a welcome orange glow lights up his grin.

"I've seen you do it more than a few times, Rodney. You talk when you do it."

"And you listened?" Rodney asks, not sure whether to be surprised or not.

Sheppard flicks some damp hair off his forehead and shrugs with his whole body. "Maybe not the first few times, but eventually. Why?"

Rodney blinks and shifts his eyes from where he was watching a line of sweat trailing slowly down Sheppard's cheek. "What why?"

"Why is it important?" Sheppard asks, and he's moving closer to Rodney, and Rodney thought that with how hot he was he wouldn't feel someone else's body temperature when they were still a few feet away, but it's like Sheppard's blazing at him. It's probably all that black he's wearing retaining the heat, Rodney thinks fleetingly before John's hand touches down on his wrist and a split second of Rodney's moan escapes before he chokes it off. Sheppard grins and lets his fingers trail slowly up Rodney's arm to his shoulder, burning lines of pressure that make Rodney shiver. "Rodney?" he asks, and now he's teasing. "Why's it important?"

Rodney's breaths are coming fast now. "It's not," he blusters, swallowing hard. "Not at all."

John moves his other hand to Rodney's waist and wiggles one finger under his waistband and shirt. "You wouldn't happen to think it's hot, now, would you, Doctor McKay?"

Rodney shakes his head, unable to speak, and the cooling sweat on the back of his neck makes him shiver again. Certainly it's not John's hand sliding over his damp back under his shirt.

"All that zero point energy," John husks in his ear, and when did he get so close that his chest is pressed fully to Rodney's? "All that power and I was holding it in my hands." John nips at Rodney's left earlobe with his teeth. "And I know where it comes from."

The sound Rodney makes isn't one he's ever consciously made before. It's high-pitched and whiny and it wavers and it seems to come from somewhere just behind his lungs. He lunges forward the few inches to Sheppard's neck and licks a line over the salty skin from his adam's apple up to the point of his jaw, where he bites down. John grunts and shoves his hips forward and smells really, really good and it's driving Rodney insane.

"You think it's sexy, don't you? That I know how to control all that energy; that I know to use it; how to touch it." His right hand moves down from Rodney's shoulder, down between their chests and further down until it gets to the fly of Rodney's pants and starts undoing the zip.

"The door," Rodney gasps out when John's hand slides into his pants and presses just there. A familiar whooshy sound comes from behind him. "Closed and locked," John assures him, and Rodney lets himself push his weight into John until they're pressed up against the main console.

"You do, don't you?" John asks, but he sounds more aroused than amused now. "You get off on the fact that I know how to use a ZPM."

"Yess," Rodney hisses out, and shoves both his hands into the gap at the back of John's BDUs and squeezes the flesh he finds there, hard. John groans loudly and Rodney reaches up to muffle the sound with his mouth. It's not a delicate kiss; it's hard and passionate and, god, so hot, and Rodney loses himself in it until John's hand finally finds its way into his boxers and wraps around him.

Rodney was horny and excited before, but now he's suddenly desperate to feel John, to give as good as he's getting. He scrambles at John's pants until they give way under his questing fingers. John slumps forward and buries his face in the space where Rodney's neck and shoulder meet, groaning as Rodney adjusts his grip and starts pumping, pressing them closer together with the hand he still has pressed to the small of Rodney's back.

When they get the rhythm just right, John lifts his head and kisses Rodney again, just as hot, but lazier and deeper. Rodney flexes his hand on John's hip, almost massaging, and wonders when it stopped being about John and the ZPM and started being about John and him. John's moved his mouth across Rodney's cheek and up to his temple when he comes, and the vibrations of his sharp breathing against the delicate skin there spreads out all over his body. He follows John over the edge about five seconds later, arching into John's body and panting against John's cheek and loving the sharp pain of John's fingernails biting into the skin on his back.

They stand slumped against the console, just holding each other for at least five minutes, hands wandering and lips mouthing over skin and clothing without purpose. John presses his forehead against Rodney's, their noses touch and Rodney's left hand finds its way into John's right one.

"It was a good plan, despite the fact that it sucked," Rodney mumbles, and John laughs.

"Thank you. I'll keep the proof of your ZPM fetish to myself, since you're being so nice."

Rodney bites John's lower lip and squeezes his hand at the same time, but he can't really deny it when he's still post-coital.

"Come on," John says, standing up straight and pushing Rodney away. Cool air hits the layer of sweat covering Rodney's upper body and he feels cold and uncomfortable and sticky and much, much better than he's felt all day. "We need to shower and check up on the rest of the city," John continues, and Rodney knows he has a point however much he really doesn't want to have to move.

After a few minutes spent rearranging clothing to cover telling stains Rodney's following John down the corridors of Atlantis, leaving the ZPM glowing happily where it belongs. Rodney glances at John out of the side of his eyes. He's pretty happy where he belongs, too.

END