AN: I'm sorry it took me so long to get this up. I got pretty much sidetracked by too many good movies at the cinema, school, my new job and my damn hurting wrist.
Warnings: Slashy tones in this one (no sex though) aaaand alcohol and drug use. Don't like, don't read.
x - x - x
Rodney had never seen John again. Sometimes he remembered and wondered if he should have gone after him. Maybe John didn't even live anymore, which was most likely if Ford found him.
x - x - x
10 years had gone by and it was Rodney's 40th birthday. His plan was to stay in bed, hide under the covers and wait for this dreadful day to pass. He was officially old now. Like really old. From now on everything would go downhill rapidly. First his body would start to deteriorate and eventually his brilliant mind would be fading, too. And Rodney was so not looking forward to that.
Jeannie, his sister, usually had other plans for his birthday. She was a party animal, never missing an occasion to throw a bash. With great effort he had convinced her that a surprise party would be a really bad idea and she assured him that there wouldn't be any colleagues and friends with party hats appearing from behind the sofa when he came home in the evening. But he wasn't sure if he could really trust her. That's why he activated his high-tech alarm system when he left for his shift at the ER.
Rodney still worked at the same hospital alongside Zelenka and Kavanagh. Kavanagh was the same annoying pain in the ass he had ever been and Radek was... well, Radek. Not the best doctor in the world, but Rodney couldn't complain. So he convinced himself to leave his bed and self-pity behind and got ready for work.
x - x - x
After his shift (2 broken legs, a gastric lavage, an old lady with mysterious abdominal pain and a child who had swallowed a coin and whose parents insisted that he needed surgery to prevent a slow and painful death) he went home, showered, changed into an old t-shirt and pyjama pants, fell into bed and was out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow.
He woke up when his phone started ringing. Groaning he took a look at his alarm clock on the nightstand, it was only 8 pm. He ignored the ringing and let out a relieved sigh when it finally stopped. Only to begin again two minutes later. Rodney growled but swung his legs out of bed and padded into the living room to pick up the phone.
"What?" He almost screamed into the receiver.
"Wow, Happy Birthday Mr. Grouchy Pants." He heard his sister's voice and knew she was smiling. "What took you so long to pick up?"
"I was sleeping."
"Sleeping? On a Friday at 8 pm? A Friday that happens to be your birthday? That's kinda sad, Meredith."
He made face when she used his hated name.
"Well, yeah, some of us actually had to work today, so I'm tired. And I'm old now, in case you forgot."
"I bet caring for child is just as exhausting as patching up people at the ER." She ignored Rodney's snort at that. "But I can't accept that you waste this opportunity. So dress up as sexy as possible, we're going out tonight."
"Wait, wha..." But Jeannie had already hung up.
Rodney stared at the phone in disbelief. How did this woman manage to control him on every single one of his birthdays? Last year she made him go to Disney World, since he had never been there before, and it had been disastrous. He still had nightmares of screaming children and Mickey and Goofy chasing him.
Rodney let out a frustrated sigh and went back into the bedroom to search his closet for something "sexy". If he had learned one thing in the past, it was that you better listen if Jeannie Miller gives orders. She must have some kind of evil superpower or something in that direction because she always gets what she wants.
Rodney stood in front of his opened dresser. "Something sexy..." He muttered to himself. He didn't own clothes anybody would consider sexy. He shrugged and went for an orange fleece pullover, his favourite piece of clothing. Thee doorbell rang and he went to let Jeannie in.
When he opened the door her eyes widened.
"Oh. My. God. Don't tell me that is what you're going to wear." She rushed past him into the flat.
"What's wrong with it? It's very comfortable. I like it." He sensed that this evening wouldn't be an easy one.
"You mean besides the fact that the color makes my eyes bleed? I bet I can find you something more appealing, even in that closet of yours." And with that she stomped right into the bedroom.
She rummaged through everything twice until she seemed to be content with what she had found.
"There you go. Put that on." She handed him a black t-shirt and a grey pair of jeans Rodney hadn't seen in years.
"There's no way this is going to fit." He warned her.
"Oh, trust me, it'll fit perfectly. You're not that fat. Now change."
He looked at the clothes in his hands and back at her.
"Could you... uhm..." He gestured towards the door. Jeannie rolled her eyes.
"It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." She said, but went for the door.
"Not since I was three years old." Rodney murmured and started to undress.
x - x - x
The bedroom door opened but nobody stepped through. Jeannie sat on the couch, waiting for Rodney to come out already.
"Do I have to come and drag you outta there?"
Rodney poked his head through the door.
"It's awful. I can't go out like that."
"Just come here and let me see."
Rodney rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, but obeyed.
Jeannie had to blink at what she saw in front of her. Rodney's grey jeans fit like a second skin and accentuated his ass perfectly (and also his crotch, but Jeannie would never tell Rodney), the black shirt clung to Rodney's chest (but in a good way) and made him look like he spent a great amount of his spare time at the gym, which he didn't. As disturbing as this might be, she had to admit that her brother looked... hot.
"Oh God, so perfect. You're totally gonna get laid tonight." She said, rounding Rodney to get a good sight of his back.
"I what?" Rodney asked in a shocked tone. Since when did he have to discuss his sex life (or lack thereof) with his sister?
"I don't want to get laid. You know I'm not the type for one night stands, I'm looking for a decent girl..."
"... or boy..." Jeannie interrupted.
"Oh, there we go again. That was one time on med school and I'm starting to believe it was a huge mistake. But that was 20 years ago, don't you think it's time to bury it?"
Jeannie laughed. "Don't you remember last New Year's Eve? When you where drunk and told me about a little crush you had on one of Evan's colleagues? A very male one at that. Didn't sound like you were entirely straight right then. I Don't know why you're trying to deny it. It's the 21st century Rodney, being gay is no big deal anymore."
"Bisexual. I'm not gay, I really like women."
"Bisexual it is then. Whatever makes you happy. Now grab your wallet, it's time to shake that great ass of yours."
"Jeannie!" Rodney squeaked and blushed.
Jeannie just snickered and turned to leave the apartment.
x - x - x
When they arrived at the club Jeannie had chosen they had to stand in line to get in. To kill the time waiting they chatted about Jeannie's everyday life and Rodney's work. When Rodney mentioned something about a complicated surgery he had performed on a little boy, the man standing in front of them turned around, gave him the once over and cracked a blinding smile. Rodney could have sworn he wore eyeliner.
Confused he looked away and watched the other people going in and out of the club. Most of them were male, some of them had glitter all over their...
"Oh no, tell me you didn't take me to a gay club." Rodney practically yelled at Jeannie. The people around them stared at him, so Rodney reduced his voice to an angry whisper, but still audible for people in close proximity.
"You're unbelievable. I just told you, I am not gay."
The man in front of them turned around again.
"You sure? I could have sworn, the way you dress makes it pretty obvious. By the way, nice package you have there, it would be a shame waisting it for the ladies." He said, pointing at Rodney's crotch. Rodney blushed and tried to cover the area with his hands.
"Relax Rodney, they're not going to rape you. Just for once let go and have a good time, will you do that for me?" She looked at him, almost pleadingly.
"Fine. But that's the last time you get to surprise me on my birthday."
Meanwhile they had advanced the bouncer.
"It's your birthday? Congratulations man, you and your arm candy get in for free then." He said and tried to drape a pink feather boa around Rodney's neck, but stopped when he saw his killing glance.
"Enjoy your night." He said with a wink at Rodney and turned to muster the next man in the line. Rodney just groaned and stepped into the club.
It was loud and dark but the crowd on the dance floor seemed to have a good time. When Rodney entered, several young men at the entry smiled at him. Rodney wished for the ground to open and swallow him immediately. Jeannie waved at someone at the edge of the dance floor.
"That's my hairdresser over there, wait for me here, I'm just going to say hi."
Rodney wanted to complain but she was already gone. He looked around. Most of the men in this club were around the age of 30, almost all of them dressed similar to Rodney, except for a few on the dance floor who had either taken their shirts of due to the heat or didn't even put one on when they came here.
He was distracted from his train of thoughts by a good-looking man, something around his own age.
"Can I buy you a drink?"
"Uhm, no thanks... I... I don't drink." Rodney stammered and fled through a group of people to his right. He glanced over to Jeannie, who was still engaged in a conversation, and decided to sit down at the bar. The barkeeper came over and he ordered a beer, praying that the guy from earlier wouldn't come by and discover his lie. He sat there in silence, feeling the beat of the music, engrossed in his thoughts, when someone stepped next to him. He startled and was ready to get up and flee again, but the young man only ordered a beer and sat down, completely ignoring him. So Rodney turned back to finish his beer.
After a few minutes he glanced sideways, scrutinizing the man next to him. He had to admit he was blessed with extremely attractive features, even with his strange pointed ears, his black tousled hair... There was something familiar about him. Then it hit Rodney.
"John?"
The man turned his head to look at him, eyes slightly glazed.
"Yes?"
"Oh my God, it's really you!"
"Excuse me, do I know you?" He slurred mildly, but still had that southern drawl Rodney remembered even after all these years.
"Uhm... I... you... well, it doesn't matter. My name is Rodney, how are you?"
" 's nice to meet you, Rodney. Fine, I guess." He shrugged and ordered another beer. This time he didn't sit facing the bar but staring at Rodney. He felt the heat creeping up his face and something turn in his guts under John's intense gaze. The younger man finished his second beer remarkably quick and got up from the bar stool, swaying lightly. He turned to look at Rodney.
"You wanna dance?"
Rodney opened his mouth to refuse politely but then he reconsidered. He had spent all these years wondering about John's fate, he wouldn't let the opportunity to get answers pass that easily.
"Yes, I'd love to." He followed John onto the dance floor.
It turned out that John was a great dancer, he knew how to move his hips just right and used his arms to underline his fluid motions. When the DJ put on a slower, more sensual track, John came up right behind Rodney and plastered himself against his back. Rodney could feel his warmth seeping through the two layers of their clothes and again there was a movement in his guts. John started to move his pelvis ins slow circles, his hands on Rodney's hips forcing him to mimic the motion.
"What are you doing?" Rodney squeaked.
"Dancing. With you." John whispered against his ear and buried his face in Rodney's neck, his breath moist against Rodney's skin. Suddenly Rodney became aware of John's arousal pressed against his ass and panicked. He tried to get away to leave the dance floor, maybe even leave the club, but John held him even tighter when he tried to escape. The men around them had stopped dancing and watched them now, some of them almost drooling, looking at them like they saw a delicious steak right in front of them.
Rodney realized what they must look like and his face turned into a darker shade of red, if that was even possible. He thanked God when the song ended and John loosened his grip.
"Going to the bathroom. Stay here." He mumbled and rushed away. Rodney stood there like he had been struck by lightning before realizing that everybody around him had started dancing again. He left the dance floor and was greeted by an applauding Jeannie.
"Told you, you look hot. Where did you learn to dance like that? And where's your handsome stud? You should totally take him home tonight."
"That was odd." Was all Rodney had to say.
"What was odd? The fact that he made you dance or the fact that it looked like foreplay?"
"No, the way he behaved. I know him... well, not exactly know him, but I've met him before and he's just not extroverted enough to do something like that."
"He's just having a good time. And you should have a good time, too, so go and grab him!" She giggled and went off to dance with her friend. Rodney thought about her words and decided to go and check on John.
When he entered the men's room John wasn't at the urinals and both stalls were occupied. From the left one came bawdy noises and he hoped that John wasn't one of the moaning voices. He banged on the door of the right one but no one answered. After five minutes with nothing but increasing noises from the left stall Rodney took a coin from his wallet and opened the lock of the stall.
"I'm coming in!" He called out but again, nothing came back.
He slowly pushed the door open until it was blocked by something lying on the floor. He poked his head through the crack. The sight that awaited him made him gasp. John sat next to the bowl, legs stretched out in front of him glaze glassy, staring straight ahead at the wall. A lighter, a spoon, an empty piece of aluminum foil and a syringe lay on the toilet lid.
John looked up at him and smiled. "Hey there."
He sounded drunk but Rodney knew from what he saw that it was more than that. He pushed John's legs aside and stepped in. Without listening to John's half-hearted protest he gathered the set and dumped it into the small trash can next to the toilet.
"You don't need that anymore. Come on, we're gonna get you outta here." He said and tried to help John to get up. When he succeeded John fell forward and pinned him against the wall.
"Take me home and I'm gonna make you feel so good..." John mumbled into Rodney's shoulder. He pushed him away and started dragging him out of the restroom.
"I'm not going to do anything with you unless you are clean." He said but John didn't seem to listen.
On their way to the exit of the club they passed Jeannie, who gave them two thumbs up. Rodney just shook his head, he would explain the situation to her later, but right now he had to focus on the task at hand and that was getting John out of there as quickly as possible, because he was so high that he tried to undress while walking through a night club full of people.
Outside Rodney hailed a taxi and told the driver his address. He and John shared the back seat and John made several attempts to kiss Rodney, but he effectively turned his head every time. He wouldn't take advantage of John in this condition, even if he couldn't deny that he felt somewhat attracted to this man. Eventually John stopped the assaults and leaned back his head, his breathing evening out.
x - x - x
When Rodney had managed to drag a half conscious John up the stairs and into his flat, he took off his jeans and put him into his bed. He stood there, unsure if he should stay on the couch like the last time he had taken John in. Right then John opened his eyes a crack.
"Get in here. 'n take your clothes of..."
Rodney shook his head. Whatever drug John was using, it definitely wasn't harmless. Seeing that John was fast asleep again he got under the covers at the other side of the bed, fully clothed.
He lay awake for a while and wondered what he had gotten himself into this time while listening to John's even breathing. He decided to wait for the morning to come and closed his eyes, slowly drifting into sleep.
x - x - x
TBC... tell me what you think =)