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flubber2kool
Title: Lost and Found
Pairings: Lorne/McKay
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 4342
Disclaimer: The characters and settings of Stargate: Atlantis are not my creation and I hold no claim to them.
Notes: Forflubber2kool who wanted Evan/Rodney, a happy ending and some smut.
“Rodney! Don’t stop. Yeah. Just like that. I’m so close.”
Rodney continues to thrust in and out of his partner, building toward his own climax. He looks down at the man moaning below him and wonders why he is letting go of this.
The chance to study in Paris has been Rodney’s dream since begging his parents for piano lessons as a child. Now, at the end of his college studies, being offered a fellowship for two years of study and teaching is more than he had ever thought possible. But having to give up his relationship for it is a high price to pay.
Meeting the blue eyes staring up at him puts Rodney over the edge. He unloads with a deep groan into his partner’s ass, feeling the muscles begin to tense around him signaling his partner’s own release.
“Oh, I’m going to miss you,” Rodney says after catching his breath.
“If that’s your way of telling me you’re taking the position, it sucks.”
“I’m sorry,” Rodney says as he puts on his clothes. “I didn’t know how to tell you and I suck at goodbye.”
“When do you leave?”
Rodney looks down at his watch.
“I have to be at the airport in an hour. I’m flying home for a week before I leave for Paris.”
“Are you fucking shitting me? An hour?”
“I’m sorry.” Rodney carries his shoes to the door, not bothering to put them on in his escape. “I’m going to miss you,” he says as he crosses the threshold.
---
“If these so-called professionals can’t manage a simple Grieg concerto, then I’ll be happy to contact the local high school to get someone from their beginning piano class to fill in for me!” Rodney glares at the conductor. “You have thirty minutes to whip them into shape. I’ll be in my dressing room.”
Holding his head high, Rodney stands from the piano and leaves the stage. Arriving in his dressing room he pours two glasses of water before sitting. A few minutes later he hears a knock on his door. With a smirk on his face, he stands to open it.
“Yes?” He asks innocently.
“May we talk?” The conductor looks at him sternly.
“Sure. Come in.” Rodney stands aside to let the man enter.
“You know, you are a real bastard,” the man says.
“Chuck,” Rodney says with a laugh, directing the other man to a seat. “You asked me to come here and scare them. I’m just doing my job.”
“I said scare them not insult them.” Chuck laughs as well. “I told them I’d talk to you and get you to come back out.”
“They’re really not as bad as you made them out to be.”
“No,” Chuck admits with a nod. “They’re not. I just know they can be better. And that’s where you come in. I figure a world-renowned pianist would be enough to make them want to play to their fullest capabilities.”
“I do tend to bring out the best in people.”
“The best?” Chuck laughs. “Really?”
“Hey,” Rodney says in protest. “I guarantee they’re out there discussing how to improve their tone and the passages they need to work on.”
“That may be true, but anyone who knows you would say you bring out the violent tendencies in others.”
---
As he leaves the rehearsal hall, Chuck calls his roommate, Evan. When Evan doesn’t pick up, Chuck leaves a message informing Evan that he’ll be bringing a guest home for dinner.
Friends since graduate school, Chuck and Evan have remained close. They went their separate ways after receiving their degrees but remained in touch. Recently, Evan received a commission for a project in the same city where Chuck lives. Without a thought, Chuck invited Evan to share his four bedroom house, forbidding Evan to stay in hotel. Each has their own bedroom utilizing the third room for Chuck’s music studio and the fourth as Evan’s painting studio.
One of the routines they’ve fallen into is that Evan does most of the cooking for them. The arrangement works for them both because Evan usually works out of his home studio and because he’s a better cook.
“Hey, Chuck,” Evan calls as he hears the garage door close. “I got your message. I’m not doing anything special, just some pasta and chicken with pesto. I can call Giorgio’s for take-out if you want something fancier. But I figured if this guy tours a lot he would probably prefer something simple.”
“No, you’re right. He actually prefers bland food. You know what I mean.” Chuck laughs at Evan’s mock glare. “He’s made it a mission of his to find food that is as close to cafeteria food without actually stepping foot into one. He hates some of the finest restaurants on this planet because the food is too good. I swear, some of the stuff he eats –” Chuck breaks off hearing the doorbell. “That must be him.”
As he continues cooking, Evan makes out the sound of the front door opening and the two men greeting each other. Hearing their voices approach, Evan turns down the heat on his pans and wipes his hands in preparation to meet Chuck’s guest.
“Evan,” Chuck announces as they enter the kitchen. “This is –”
“Rodney?” Evan stares at the man standing behind Chuck.
“Yes?” Rodney steps fully into the kitchen. Getting a good look at the man confronting him, he stops short. “You look familiar.”
“I should,” Evan says dryly. “I was the last person you fucked before you left for Paris.”
“Edward?”
“Evan.”
“Oh. Wow.” Though time has passed, Rodney had immediately recognized the man standing in front of him. “My mistake,” he says in reference to his mistake with their parting of ways, though the others interpret it as an apology for the name. He had intentionally used the wrong name to deflect from the fact that he was beyond ecstatic to see Evan again.
Looking Evan over, he takes in the muscular body contained in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Like a fine wine, he thinks time has definitely been good to Evan. Even the lines on Evan’s face do nothing but enhance his masculinity and virility.
“This is the jerk that broke your heart?” Chuck asks Evan.
“Yep.” Evan crosses his arms and stares at Rodney.
“I broke your heart, really?” Rodney asks in disbelief.
“We had been dating exclusively for over two years, Rodney. You literally flew out of my life and never responded to any of my calls or letters. Yes, it hurt.”
“It’s been nearly ten years and you’re still carrying a grudge?”
“Yep. And honestly, I’m shifting some weight around so I can bring it back to the front and center. Grab a bottle of red,” Evan says to Chuck as he turns back to the stove. “Dinner will be ready in about five.”
“Okay. Come on Rodney,” Chuck guides Rodney out of the room. “What was it you were saying earlier about bringing out the best in people?” He asks once they’re in the next room.
---
“So you’re a concert pianist now,” Evan says across the table to Rodney. “Good for you.”
“Thanks.”
Evan and Chuck watch as Rodney takes another bite. As the silence stretches, they glance at each other: Evan with a look of annoyance and disbelief; and Chuck with a look full of sympathy and apology.
“Rodney?” Chuck calls softly.
“Hm?” Rodney looks up seemingly surprised at being addressed.
“Aren’t you interested in what Evan has been doing for the past few years?” Chuck prods.
“I am,” Rodney responds awkwardly, putting down his fork. “Yes. What have you been doing?”
“Painting,” Evan says with an acerbic bite. “I’ve been painting.”
“Are you any good?”
Evan narrows his eyes. “You used to think so. I make enough to live on.”
“Okay.”
The two men sit in uncomfortable silence appraising each other.
Evan finds Rodney to be just as handsome as ever. Though it’s obvious Rodney has gained a bit of weight, Evan thinks it looks good on him. However the blue eyes that he remembered twinkling with excitement and discovery are now direct and probing like a laser; the mouth that used to laugh and smile easily now seems to perpetually frown. He wonders what happened to cause Rodney such distress.
Chuck watches the two men and sees a number of emotions and thoughts playing on their faces. It’s obvious Evan is angry and hurt, but there is a longing underneath that he can’t yet express. Rodney appears apologetic but is too stubborn to give up ground and admit he is wrong.
Chuck shakes his head and lets out a humorless laugh.
“I’m over this dinner show,” he says. “I never liked silent movies. Either you two start talking again or I’m going to leave you here by yourselves to continue staring each other down.”
“Fine,” Rodney grumbles. “But is it my fault he can’t let it go?”
“Like you can judge,” Chuck says, laughing at Rodney. “You’ve told me many times how unsatisfying everyone is compared to your college boyfriend, who I now know to be one of my good friends. The way you talked about him, it’s obvious you’ve been carrying a torch for Evan for years.”
“Yeah, well…,” Rodney mutters, blushing.
“Everyone else has been unsatisfying?” Evan asks. A small smirk crosses his lips before being replaced by a frown. “How many?”
“What?” Rodney’s eyes open in shock at the question.
“How many is ‘everyone else’?”
Rodney takes a deep breath in preparation to tell him in no uncertain terms it’s none of his business. “Two,” he says deflating with embarrassment.
Evan laughs out loud. It’s not malicious but an expression of his frustration at the absurdity of the evening.
“Rodney,” Evan says. “I have missed you.”
“And I’ve missed you,” Rodney says with a smile.
---
Operating on autopilot, Rodney begins the cadenza for the Grieg concerto they’re currently rehearsing. With his eyes closed, he goes through the harmonic progression not concerned about the performance he is giving the other musicians but enjoying listening to his own sound.
As he finishes and the orchestra takes over Rodney opens his eyes and sees Evan standing in the wings watching him. They exchange smiles. Hearing the closing chords of the piece, Rodney looks up to see Chuck glaring at him because he missed his entrance. With a sheepish shrug he plays the final chord.
“Glad you could rejoin us,” Chuck says. “Since you appear to have trouble concentrating, Dr. McKay, why don’t you take fifteen minutes while we run some passages?”
“Yeah,” Rodney says as he stands. “And when I get back, hopefully the lower strings will have found a steady beat.”
“I’m sorry, who missed the finale to the movement?” Chuck’s glare subtly intensifies.
“Yeah, well,” Rodney mutters as he walks off the stage to join Evan. “What are you doing here?” The question has no bite but is full of surprise.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop in to say hi,” Evan says shyly.
“Oh. Okay.”
“So, um, hi.” With nothing further to say, Evan gives a small shrug of his shoulders before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Hey.”Rodney says after a moment, his smile getting brighter.
The two men stand and stare at each other. Having reconciled last night, Rodney and Evan separated on friendly terms. As they each lay in their own beds, they wondered if they could recapture the past – or have something new but just as special.
“So,” Evan finally says impulsively, “would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Sure,” Rodney responds. “I’d like that.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at your hotel at six.”
“Sounds good.”
“Good.”
They silently stare at each other again.
“Excuse me, Dr. McKay,” Chuck calls from his podium on the stage. “If you can find it within yourself to make your way back to your piano, I’d like to continue rehearsal.”
Though his tone and inflection are harsh, Evan and Rodney can hear the amusement under Chuck’s words.
“Gotta go,” Rodney says as he turns away.
“See you at six.”
---
“I know you’re not a fan of fancy restaurants,” Evan begins as they exit the elevator, “but I’m taking you to one of the best in the city.”
“Okay,” Rodney says thoroughly not impressed.
“The chef is a friend of mine and he said, for tonight, he’ll take us back to the kitchen and you can taste test your meal as he makes it.”
“Wow. That’s different.” Rodney is actually impressed. “As long as there’s nothing more than a little salt and – What’s this?”
“My motorcycle.” Evan picks up the second helmet and passes it to Rodney. “Trust me, you’ll like it.”
“I am not going to –”
“Rodney,” Evan says with a warning tone. “Put on the helmet and get on the bike.”
Had it been anyone else, Rodney would have launched into a rant and stormed back to his room over such treatment. Over the years, Rodney has become used to being the dominant person in the relationship. But now with Evan, Rodney finds he wants to submit; he wants to surrender to Evan.
Despite his reservations, Rodney approaches the motorcycle. Extending a tentative hand, he touches the machine before swinging a leg over to straddle it.
“You’re going to love the ride I’m about to give you,” Evan says softly in Rodney’s ear before placing helmets on both of their heads and mounting the bike in front of Rodney.
Rodney relaxes forward against Evan’s back as the engine roars to life, wrapping his arms around the man. Trying to be discreet, Rodney’s hands slowly move over Evan’s muscular torso as they make their way into traffic. Though he’s nervous about the mode of transportation, with Evan in control Rodney feels surprisingly content and relaxed as they speed passed the traffic.
Evan smiles feeling Rodney’s tight grip shifting over his body. As he merges onto the highway, Evan thinks that this is how life should always be. Rodney on his back, the wind blowing past, his favorite bike between his legs… Perfect.
---
“You’re full of shit!”
“What? How can you say that?”
“Are you kidding me? Tchaikovsky is so overrated!”
“He is not!” Evan throws his head back in exasperation. “No, he may not have been original or a trendsetter but there is a reason why people still listen to his music. It’s good and stays with you.”
“Like a piece of bad fish.”
Evan laughs before taking another sip of wine.
He and Rodney, finished with dinner, are now back in Evan’s bedroom suite. Evan sits cross-legged on a sofa facing Rodney who is at the other end.
“I defy you to listen to this and tell me it’s not a great piece of music,” Evan says as he grabs a remote from the end table behind him. After pressing a few buttons, music begins playing. Almost immediately he hears Rodney sigh dramatically.
“Whatever opinion I had of you was just lowered,” Rodney says with a teasing glare. “Romeo and Juliet? Really?”
“It’s a classic for a reason,” Evan says, returning the glare.
“Only because every film maker has decided that it is the quintessential love theme.”
“Honestly,” Evan says thoughtfully, “I don’t really like that theme. It’s the sound of the feud, the battle that I like.”
“Hm,” is Rodney’s skeptical response.
“Seriously.” Evan scoots closer to Rodney. He reaches a hand out and begins tapping the melodic rhythm on Rodney’s thigh. He smiles when Rodney flinches at his touch. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Yet.
“Okay,” Evan continues as the introduction gives way to the main section. “This is where it gets good.” He taps out the rapid-fire sixteenth notes of the fight theme on Rodney’s thigh.
“I know music, and Evan, this is just a series of running notes.”
“Then you’re not feeling it. Close your eyes.”
“Excuse me?”
“Trust me.” Evan gives him a disarming smile. “Close your eyes and just feel the music through my hand.”
Rodney gives him a skeptical glance before shutting his eyes.
“Now,” Evan begins, “do you feel the tension?”
“I feel something,” Rodney says with more emotion than intended.
Dinner with Evan was great. The food was good, but the conversation was even better. During their time at the restaurant, Rodney found that not much has changed between the two of them. If anything, they have become more compatible. They are both artists committed to their work. So much so that neither has had a true relationship in years. Before the server had dropped off their entrees, Rodney knew he needed Evan back in his life.
Rodney wanted to return to his hotel after dinner to prevent himself from being in Evan’s company too long and saying anything that might ruin their budding relationship. Evan, however, would not allow it. He insisted that Rodney come back to the house.
Now with his eyes closed and Evan’s fingers playing on his thigh, one of the things Rodney can feel is the heat being transmitted through those digits. Another is his own arousal.
With Evan as close as he is to Rodney’s crotch, Rodney is trying everything he can to not let his arousal show physically.
As the music transitions to the love theme, Rodney hears Evan speak softly.
“Picture in the story the two lovers running away from the discord between their families.
They find a spot hidden away from judgmental eyes and find solace in each other’s arms.” As he speaks, Evan’s hands transition to slowly caressing Rodney’s thigh.
Throughout the slower section, Rodney begins to relax under Evan’s touch. As he listens to the music, he hears someone humming along with it and is surprised when he realizes it’s himself. If there were ever a piece of music that he would have said he hated, it would be this piece. But now, with Evan guiding him through it, he finds a true appreciation for it; he begins to understand it in a way that he never had before.
Though he knows the theme for the warring families follows the tender second theme, Rodney is surprised by its return. And with Evan now using both hands to lightly beat out the rhythm, Rodney is annoyed by the loss of intimate contact.
As the music becomes more agitated, Evan watches Rodney with a smile.
When Rodney first closed his eyes, Evan could see the uncomfortable tension in his face. Watching closely, Evan saw the muscles slowly relax as Rodney began focusing on the music. Evan had to hold back a whimper at the look of longing that took up residence on Rodney’s face when the love theme took over.
Now, as the music becomes more troubled, Evan observes Rodney reacting more to its intensity. Rodney frowns and glares through his eyelids even as he makes small motions with his head in time to the music. When the theme hits its climax, Evan is startled when Rodney slaps the arm of the sofa and grunts in time with the built up musical tension.
The two men continue following the music back through the love theme and the final death scene.
When the piece ends, Rodney slowly opens his eyes and focuses on Evan. Without saying a word, he leans in and gives Evan a light kiss that is instantly returned.
“Guess you found a new appreciation for Tchaikovsky?” Evan asks softly.
“Yeah,” Rodney replies, hoarse with emotion. “Thanks.” He looks Evan in the eyes and gives a sad smile. “I was an idiot. I’m so sorry.”
“I’ve already forgiven you, Rodney. You’re back in my life, that’s all I care about. Say you’ll never leave me again.”
“Oh, Evan,” Rodney says with a pained sigh. “I would love to, but I’m only in town for three more days. Then I go back home to Seattle.”
Evan pulls away as he asks “Washington?”
“Yeah.” Rodney mistakes the loss of contact for anger. “I’m sorry. I wish –”
“I live in a cabin just outside of the city.”
“Are you kidding me? You can’t be serious.”
“Rodney,” Evan says with a laugh. “If you’ve been living that close to me all these years, I may have to scream.”
Rodney looks thoughtful. “Well, I only moved there five years ago. So not too long, I guess.”
Evan gives Rodney a blank look. It’s unbelievable that they’ve been so near to each other for so many years and have never come across each other. Before he thinks too much about the cruelty of the cosmos, he leans in and takes Rodney in a kiss.
---
“Morning,” Evan whispers when he sees Rodney’s eyes flutter open. He leans over and places a soft peck on Rodney’s cheek.
“Mmmnngg,” Rodney grunts. He recloses his eyes and snuggles up against Evan.
“You have five minutes babe, then you need to get up. I’ll go get the coffee started.”
As Evan attempts to get out of bed, he’s held back by Rodney.
“No. Stay.” Rodney pulls Evan closer.
“Fine. But I don’t want to hear you bitching and moaning in ten minutes.”
“No problem,” Rodney says as he puts a hand down Evan’s boxers to grasp the soft member. “I want something better than coffee this morning.”
“Rodney! You don’t have time for that. You need to leave for the airport in an hour to make your flight.”
“No, I don’t,” Rodney says with a smirk as he strokes Evan to hardness. “I rescheduled it for this afternoon. I have plenty of time. Besides, as the first time I’m going on tour since moving in, I wanted you to be sure that I will definitely be returning.”
“I’m still going to miss you, though.” Evan positions himself on top of Rodney and grinds their covered erections against each other. He begins removing both of their shorts. “Now that you’re here, back with me, I wish you never had to leave.”
“I know.” Rodney hooks his legs around Evan. “But if I didn’t at least fly back to do concerts with Chuck, he’d kill me.”
Evan laughs. “You’re right.” He coats two of his fingers with spit and begins to slowly press them into Rodney. “I’d hate to have to hurt him for killing you.”
“You know,” Rodney says after a gasping with pleasure as Evan loosens him, “I like Chuck and, even though I brought him up, right now he shouldn’t be in this bedroom.”
“You’re so wise,” Evan says with a smile. He pulls out his fingers and positions himself for entry. “Rodney,” Evan looks into Rodney’s eyes seriously and with obvious emotion. “You’re mine and I’m never going to let anything or anyone – including yourself – keep you from me again.”
With steady pressure, Evan buries himself within Rodney. Pausing to acclimate himself to the warmth, he thinks about how time has changed things between them.
During their first relationship Rodney had been the dominant one, with Evan just following in Rodney’s wake. Now, though Evan is the more assertive of the two, their relationship has more equality. They each have their own lives and work that they enjoy but give the other a higher priority to remain fulfilled.
“You know,” Rodney says with a sigh as Evan begins to move. “Before, I never understood how you could enjoy being the bottom all the time.”
“Really?” Evan shifts into a position that allows him to stroke Rodney’s prostate with each thrust. He smirks as Rodney’s breath hitches.
“Yeah,” Rodney finally responds panting between moans. “But now, with you, it’s amazing.
Don’t get me wrong, I love being in your tight ass, but what you’re doing to me right now…,” Rodney trails off and begins muttering incoherently.
“What to know the secret? It’s really simple,” Evan whispers into Rodney’s ear.
“God, yes. It’s never felt like this with anyone else.”
“What I’m doing…it’s called love. I love you, Rodney. And the only thing I want to do is make you happy, no matter what it takes.”
“Oh, I love you too,” Rodney responds breathlessly. “So much…so, so much…oh,” he dissolves into a moan.
Hearing Rodney say those words makes Evan’s rhythm falter. He stops buried inside Rodney for a moment with a broad smile.
“You love me?”
“Of course I do,” Rodney says, annoyed. The frustration comes from Evan’s lack of movement, not the question.
“It’s just that this is the first time you’ve said it,” Evan explains.
“Well if it causes you to stop moving every time you hear it,” Rodney snaps, “for your safety – because either you’re going to get hit by a bus if you’re crossing a street or I’ll kill you – you’re never going to hear those words from me again. Now, either fuck me or get off.”
Evan sighs as he slowly pulls out. Just as Rodney thinks Evan is going to fully withdraw, Evan slams back in forcefully causing Rodney to scream in pleasure. He repeats to process of slowly withdrawing followed by a quick thrust until Rodney is babbling incoherently.
It doesn’t take long before Rodney, followed closely by Evan, is convulsing in orgasm.
“I think you broke me,” Rodney says minutes later.
“I don’t think there is a person on the planet that could break you,” Evan says with a chuckle. “Anyone that tried would go crazy first.”
“And that’s why I love you,” Rodney says with a smirk. He rolls his eyes when Evan’s breath stops for a moment. “Definitely not saying that again,” he mutters. “Evan, you get me. And I…appreciate it.” He leans in to give Evan a kiss. “Now, what’s for breakfast?”
Evan gives him a mischievous smile as he sits up. Instead of getting out of bed as Rodney expected, he straddles Rodney’s chest and directs his hardening cock to Rodney’s mouth.
“You said you wanted something better than coffee. How about a protein shake?”
flubber2koolTitle: Lost and Found
Pairings: Lorne/McKay
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 4342
Disclaimer: The characters and settings of Stargate: Atlantis are not my creation and I hold no claim to them.
Notes: For
flubber2kool who wanted Evan/Rodney, a happy ending and some smut.“Rodney! Don’t stop. Yeah. Just like that. I’m so close.”
Rodney continues to thrust in and out of his partner, building toward his own climax. He looks down at the man moaning below him and wonders why he is letting go of this.
The chance to study in Paris has been Rodney’s dream since begging his parents for piano lessons as a child. Now, at the end of his college studies, being offered a fellowship for two years of study and teaching is more than he had ever thought possible. But having to give up his relationship for it is a high price to pay.
Meeting the blue eyes staring up at him puts Rodney over the edge. He unloads with a deep groan into his partner’s ass, feeling the muscles begin to tense around him signaling his partner’s own release.
“Oh, I’m going to miss you,” Rodney says after catching his breath.
“If that’s your way of telling me you’re taking the position, it sucks.”
“I’m sorry,” Rodney says as he puts on his clothes. “I didn’t know how to tell you and I suck at goodbye.”
“When do you leave?”
Rodney looks down at his watch.
“I have to be at the airport in an hour. I’m flying home for a week before I leave for Paris.”
“Are you fucking shitting me? An hour?”
“I’m sorry.” Rodney carries his shoes to the door, not bothering to put them on in his escape. “I’m going to miss you,” he says as he crosses the threshold.
---
“If these so-called professionals can’t manage a simple Grieg concerto, then I’ll be happy to contact the local high school to get someone from their beginning piano class to fill in for me!” Rodney glares at the conductor. “You have thirty minutes to whip them into shape. I’ll be in my dressing room.”
Holding his head high, Rodney stands from the piano and leaves the stage. Arriving in his dressing room he pours two glasses of water before sitting. A few minutes later he hears a knock on his door. With a smirk on his face, he stands to open it.
“Yes?” He asks innocently.
“May we talk?” The conductor looks at him sternly.
“Sure. Come in.” Rodney stands aside to let the man enter.
“You know, you are a real bastard,” the man says.
“Chuck,” Rodney says with a laugh, directing the other man to a seat. “You asked me to come here and scare them. I’m just doing my job.”
“I said scare them not insult them.” Chuck laughs as well. “I told them I’d talk to you and get you to come back out.”
“They’re really not as bad as you made them out to be.”
“No,” Chuck admits with a nod. “They’re not. I just know they can be better. And that’s where you come in. I figure a world-renowned pianist would be enough to make them want to play to their fullest capabilities.”
“I do tend to bring out the best in people.”
“The best?” Chuck laughs. “Really?”
“Hey,” Rodney says in protest. “I guarantee they’re out there discussing how to improve their tone and the passages they need to work on.”
“That may be true, but anyone who knows you would say you bring out the violent tendencies in others.”
---
As he leaves the rehearsal hall, Chuck calls his roommate, Evan. When Evan doesn’t pick up, Chuck leaves a message informing Evan that he’ll be bringing a guest home for dinner.
Friends since graduate school, Chuck and Evan have remained close. They went their separate ways after receiving their degrees but remained in touch. Recently, Evan received a commission for a project in the same city where Chuck lives. Without a thought, Chuck invited Evan to share his four bedroom house, forbidding Evan to stay in hotel. Each has their own bedroom utilizing the third room for Chuck’s music studio and the fourth as Evan’s painting studio.
One of the routines they’ve fallen into is that Evan does most of the cooking for them. The arrangement works for them both because Evan usually works out of his home studio and because he’s a better cook.
“Hey, Chuck,” Evan calls as he hears the garage door close. “I got your message. I’m not doing anything special, just some pasta and chicken with pesto. I can call Giorgio’s for take-out if you want something fancier. But I figured if this guy tours a lot he would probably prefer something simple.”
“No, you’re right. He actually prefers bland food. You know what I mean.” Chuck laughs at Evan’s mock glare. “He’s made it a mission of his to find food that is as close to cafeteria food without actually stepping foot into one. He hates some of the finest restaurants on this planet because the food is too good. I swear, some of the stuff he eats –” Chuck breaks off hearing the doorbell. “That must be him.”
As he continues cooking, Evan makes out the sound of the front door opening and the two men greeting each other. Hearing their voices approach, Evan turns down the heat on his pans and wipes his hands in preparation to meet Chuck’s guest.
“Evan,” Chuck announces as they enter the kitchen. “This is –”
“Rodney?” Evan stares at the man standing behind Chuck.
“Yes?” Rodney steps fully into the kitchen. Getting a good look at the man confronting him, he stops short. “You look familiar.”
“I should,” Evan says dryly. “I was the last person you fucked before you left for Paris.”
“Edward?”
“Evan.”
“Oh. Wow.” Though time has passed, Rodney had immediately recognized the man standing in front of him. “My mistake,” he says in reference to his mistake with their parting of ways, though the others interpret it as an apology for the name. He had intentionally used the wrong name to deflect from the fact that he was beyond ecstatic to see Evan again.
Looking Evan over, he takes in the muscular body contained in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Like a fine wine, he thinks time has definitely been good to Evan. Even the lines on Evan’s face do nothing but enhance his masculinity and virility.
“This is the jerk that broke your heart?” Chuck asks Evan.
“Yep.” Evan crosses his arms and stares at Rodney.
“I broke your heart, really?” Rodney asks in disbelief.
“We had been dating exclusively for over two years, Rodney. You literally flew out of my life and never responded to any of my calls or letters. Yes, it hurt.”
“It’s been nearly ten years and you’re still carrying a grudge?”
“Yep. And honestly, I’m shifting some weight around so I can bring it back to the front and center. Grab a bottle of red,” Evan says to Chuck as he turns back to the stove. “Dinner will be ready in about five.”
“Okay. Come on Rodney,” Chuck guides Rodney out of the room. “What was it you were saying earlier about bringing out the best in people?” He asks once they’re in the next room.
---
“So you’re a concert pianist now,” Evan says across the table to Rodney. “Good for you.”
“Thanks.”
Evan and Chuck watch as Rodney takes another bite. As the silence stretches, they glance at each other: Evan with a look of annoyance and disbelief; and Chuck with a look full of sympathy and apology.
“Rodney?” Chuck calls softly.
“Hm?” Rodney looks up seemingly surprised at being addressed.
“Aren’t you interested in what Evan has been doing for the past few years?” Chuck prods.
“I am,” Rodney responds awkwardly, putting down his fork. “Yes. What have you been doing?”
“Painting,” Evan says with an acerbic bite. “I’ve been painting.”
“Are you any good?”
Evan narrows his eyes. “You used to think so. I make enough to live on.”
“Okay.”
The two men sit in uncomfortable silence appraising each other.
Evan finds Rodney to be just as handsome as ever. Though it’s obvious Rodney has gained a bit of weight, Evan thinks it looks good on him. However the blue eyes that he remembered twinkling with excitement and discovery are now direct and probing like a laser; the mouth that used to laugh and smile easily now seems to perpetually frown. He wonders what happened to cause Rodney such distress.
Chuck watches the two men and sees a number of emotions and thoughts playing on their faces. It’s obvious Evan is angry and hurt, but there is a longing underneath that he can’t yet express. Rodney appears apologetic but is too stubborn to give up ground and admit he is wrong.
Chuck shakes his head and lets out a humorless laugh.
“I’m over this dinner show,” he says. “I never liked silent movies. Either you two start talking again or I’m going to leave you here by yourselves to continue staring each other down.”
“Fine,” Rodney grumbles. “But is it my fault he can’t let it go?”
“Like you can judge,” Chuck says, laughing at Rodney. “You’ve told me many times how unsatisfying everyone is compared to your college boyfriend, who I now know to be one of my good friends. The way you talked about him, it’s obvious you’ve been carrying a torch for Evan for years.”
“Yeah, well…,” Rodney mutters, blushing.
“Everyone else has been unsatisfying?” Evan asks. A small smirk crosses his lips before being replaced by a frown. “How many?”
“What?” Rodney’s eyes open in shock at the question.
“How many is ‘everyone else’?”
Rodney takes a deep breath in preparation to tell him in no uncertain terms it’s none of his business. “Two,” he says deflating with embarrassment.
Evan laughs out loud. It’s not malicious but an expression of his frustration at the absurdity of the evening.
“Rodney,” Evan says. “I have missed you.”
“And I’ve missed you,” Rodney says with a smile.
---
Operating on autopilot, Rodney begins the cadenza for the Grieg concerto they’re currently rehearsing. With his eyes closed, he goes through the harmonic progression not concerned about the performance he is giving the other musicians but enjoying listening to his own sound.
As he finishes and the orchestra takes over Rodney opens his eyes and sees Evan standing in the wings watching him. They exchange smiles. Hearing the closing chords of the piece, Rodney looks up to see Chuck glaring at him because he missed his entrance. With a sheepish shrug he plays the final chord.
“Glad you could rejoin us,” Chuck says. “Since you appear to have trouble concentrating, Dr. McKay, why don’t you take fifteen minutes while we run some passages?”
“Yeah,” Rodney says as he stands. “And when I get back, hopefully the lower strings will have found a steady beat.”
“I’m sorry, who missed the finale to the movement?” Chuck’s glare subtly intensifies.
“Yeah, well,” Rodney mutters as he walks off the stage to join Evan. “What are you doing here?” The question has no bite but is full of surprise.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop in to say hi,” Evan says shyly.
“Oh. Okay.”
“So, um, hi.” With nothing further to say, Evan gives a small shrug of his shoulders before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Hey.”Rodney says after a moment, his smile getting brighter.
The two men stand and stare at each other. Having reconciled last night, Rodney and Evan separated on friendly terms. As they each lay in their own beds, they wondered if they could recapture the past – or have something new but just as special.
“So,” Evan finally says impulsively, “would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Sure,” Rodney responds. “I’d like that.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at your hotel at six.”
“Sounds good.”
“Good.”
They silently stare at each other again.
“Excuse me, Dr. McKay,” Chuck calls from his podium on the stage. “If you can find it within yourself to make your way back to your piano, I’d like to continue rehearsal.”
Though his tone and inflection are harsh, Evan and Rodney can hear the amusement under Chuck’s words.
“Gotta go,” Rodney says as he turns away.
“See you at six.”
---
“I know you’re not a fan of fancy restaurants,” Evan begins as they exit the elevator, “but I’m taking you to one of the best in the city.”
“Okay,” Rodney says thoroughly not impressed.
“The chef is a friend of mine and he said, for tonight, he’ll take us back to the kitchen and you can taste test your meal as he makes it.”
“Wow. That’s different.” Rodney is actually impressed. “As long as there’s nothing more than a little salt and – What’s this?”
“My motorcycle.” Evan picks up the second helmet and passes it to Rodney. “Trust me, you’ll like it.”
“I am not going to –”
“Rodney,” Evan says with a warning tone. “Put on the helmet and get on the bike.”
Had it been anyone else, Rodney would have launched into a rant and stormed back to his room over such treatment. Over the years, Rodney has become used to being the dominant person in the relationship. But now with Evan, Rodney finds he wants to submit; he wants to surrender to Evan.
Despite his reservations, Rodney approaches the motorcycle. Extending a tentative hand, he touches the machine before swinging a leg over to straddle it.
“You’re going to love the ride I’m about to give you,” Evan says softly in Rodney’s ear before placing helmets on both of their heads and mounting the bike in front of Rodney.
Rodney relaxes forward against Evan’s back as the engine roars to life, wrapping his arms around the man. Trying to be discreet, Rodney’s hands slowly move over Evan’s muscular torso as they make their way into traffic. Though he’s nervous about the mode of transportation, with Evan in control Rodney feels surprisingly content and relaxed as they speed passed the traffic.
Evan smiles feeling Rodney’s tight grip shifting over his body. As he merges onto the highway, Evan thinks that this is how life should always be. Rodney on his back, the wind blowing past, his favorite bike between his legs… Perfect.
---
“You’re full of shit!”
“What? How can you say that?”
“Are you kidding me? Tchaikovsky is so overrated!”
“He is not!” Evan throws his head back in exasperation. “No, he may not have been original or a trendsetter but there is a reason why people still listen to his music. It’s good and stays with you.”
“Like a piece of bad fish.”
Evan laughs before taking another sip of wine.
He and Rodney, finished with dinner, are now back in Evan’s bedroom suite. Evan sits cross-legged on a sofa facing Rodney who is at the other end.
“I defy you to listen to this and tell me it’s not a great piece of music,” Evan says as he grabs a remote from the end table behind him. After pressing a few buttons, music begins playing. Almost immediately he hears Rodney sigh dramatically.
“Whatever opinion I had of you was just lowered,” Rodney says with a teasing glare. “Romeo and Juliet? Really?”
“It’s a classic for a reason,” Evan says, returning the glare.
“Only because every film maker has decided that it is the quintessential love theme.”
“Honestly,” Evan says thoughtfully, “I don’t really like that theme. It’s the sound of the feud, the battle that I like.”
“Hm,” is Rodney’s skeptical response.
“Seriously.” Evan scoots closer to Rodney. He reaches a hand out and begins tapping the melodic rhythm on Rodney’s thigh. He smiles when Rodney flinches at his touch. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Yet.
“Okay,” Evan continues as the introduction gives way to the main section. “This is where it gets good.” He taps out the rapid-fire sixteenth notes of the fight theme on Rodney’s thigh.
“I know music, and Evan, this is just a series of running notes.”
“Then you’re not feeling it. Close your eyes.”
“Excuse me?”
“Trust me.” Evan gives him a disarming smile. “Close your eyes and just feel the music through my hand.”
Rodney gives him a skeptical glance before shutting his eyes.
“Now,” Evan begins, “do you feel the tension?”
“I feel something,” Rodney says with more emotion than intended.
Dinner with Evan was great. The food was good, but the conversation was even better. During their time at the restaurant, Rodney found that not much has changed between the two of them. If anything, they have become more compatible. They are both artists committed to their work. So much so that neither has had a true relationship in years. Before the server had dropped off their entrees, Rodney knew he needed Evan back in his life.
Rodney wanted to return to his hotel after dinner to prevent himself from being in Evan’s company too long and saying anything that might ruin their budding relationship. Evan, however, would not allow it. He insisted that Rodney come back to the house.
Now with his eyes closed and Evan’s fingers playing on his thigh, one of the things Rodney can feel is the heat being transmitted through those digits. Another is his own arousal.
With Evan as close as he is to Rodney’s crotch, Rodney is trying everything he can to not let his arousal show physically.
As the music transitions to the love theme, Rodney hears Evan speak softly.
“Picture in the story the two lovers running away from the discord between their families.
They find a spot hidden away from judgmental eyes and find solace in each other’s arms.” As he speaks, Evan’s hands transition to slowly caressing Rodney’s thigh.
Throughout the slower section, Rodney begins to relax under Evan’s touch. As he listens to the music, he hears someone humming along with it and is surprised when he realizes it’s himself. If there were ever a piece of music that he would have said he hated, it would be this piece. But now, with Evan guiding him through it, he finds a true appreciation for it; he begins to understand it in a way that he never had before.
Though he knows the theme for the warring families follows the tender second theme, Rodney is surprised by its return. And with Evan now using both hands to lightly beat out the rhythm, Rodney is annoyed by the loss of intimate contact.
As the music becomes more agitated, Evan watches Rodney with a smile.
When Rodney first closed his eyes, Evan could see the uncomfortable tension in his face. Watching closely, Evan saw the muscles slowly relax as Rodney began focusing on the music. Evan had to hold back a whimper at the look of longing that took up residence on Rodney’s face when the love theme took over.
Now, as the music becomes more troubled, Evan observes Rodney reacting more to its intensity. Rodney frowns and glares through his eyelids even as he makes small motions with his head in time to the music. When the theme hits its climax, Evan is startled when Rodney slaps the arm of the sofa and grunts in time with the built up musical tension.
The two men continue following the music back through the love theme and the final death scene.
When the piece ends, Rodney slowly opens his eyes and focuses on Evan. Without saying a word, he leans in and gives Evan a light kiss that is instantly returned.
“Guess you found a new appreciation for Tchaikovsky?” Evan asks softly.
“Yeah,” Rodney replies, hoarse with emotion. “Thanks.” He looks Evan in the eyes and gives a sad smile. “I was an idiot. I’m so sorry.”
“I’ve already forgiven you, Rodney. You’re back in my life, that’s all I care about. Say you’ll never leave me again.”
“Oh, Evan,” Rodney says with a pained sigh. “I would love to, but I’m only in town for three more days. Then I go back home to Seattle.”
Evan pulls away as he asks “Washington?”
“Yeah.” Rodney mistakes the loss of contact for anger. “I’m sorry. I wish –”
“I live in a cabin just outside of the city.”
“Are you kidding me? You can’t be serious.”
“Rodney,” Evan says with a laugh. “If you’ve been living that close to me all these years, I may have to scream.”
Rodney looks thoughtful. “Well, I only moved there five years ago. So not too long, I guess.”
Evan gives Rodney a blank look. It’s unbelievable that they’ve been so near to each other for so many years and have never come across each other. Before he thinks too much about the cruelty of the cosmos, he leans in and takes Rodney in a kiss.
---
“Morning,” Evan whispers when he sees Rodney’s eyes flutter open. He leans over and places a soft peck on Rodney’s cheek.
“Mmmnngg,” Rodney grunts. He recloses his eyes and snuggles up against Evan.
“You have five minutes babe, then you need to get up. I’ll go get the coffee started.”
As Evan attempts to get out of bed, he’s held back by Rodney.
“No. Stay.” Rodney pulls Evan closer.
“Fine. But I don’t want to hear you bitching and moaning in ten minutes.”
“No problem,” Rodney says as he puts a hand down Evan’s boxers to grasp the soft member. “I want something better than coffee this morning.”
“Rodney! You don’t have time for that. You need to leave for the airport in an hour to make your flight.”
“No, I don’t,” Rodney says with a smirk as he strokes Evan to hardness. “I rescheduled it for this afternoon. I have plenty of time. Besides, as the first time I’m going on tour since moving in, I wanted you to be sure that I will definitely be returning.”
“I’m still going to miss you, though.” Evan positions himself on top of Rodney and grinds their covered erections against each other. He begins removing both of their shorts. “Now that you’re here, back with me, I wish you never had to leave.”
“I know.” Rodney hooks his legs around Evan. “But if I didn’t at least fly back to do concerts with Chuck, he’d kill me.”
Evan laughs. “You’re right.” He coats two of his fingers with spit and begins to slowly press them into Rodney. “I’d hate to have to hurt him for killing you.”
“You know,” Rodney says after a gasping with pleasure as Evan loosens him, “I like Chuck and, even though I brought him up, right now he shouldn’t be in this bedroom.”
“You’re so wise,” Evan says with a smile. He pulls out his fingers and positions himself for entry. “Rodney,” Evan looks into Rodney’s eyes seriously and with obvious emotion. “You’re mine and I’m never going to let anything or anyone – including yourself – keep you from me again.”
With steady pressure, Evan buries himself within Rodney. Pausing to acclimate himself to the warmth, he thinks about how time has changed things between them.
During their first relationship Rodney had been the dominant one, with Evan just following in Rodney’s wake. Now, though Evan is the more assertive of the two, their relationship has more equality. They each have their own lives and work that they enjoy but give the other a higher priority to remain fulfilled.
“You know,” Rodney says with a sigh as Evan begins to move. “Before, I never understood how you could enjoy being the bottom all the time.”
“Really?” Evan shifts into a position that allows him to stroke Rodney’s prostate with each thrust. He smirks as Rodney’s breath hitches.
“Yeah,” Rodney finally responds panting between moans. “But now, with you, it’s amazing.
Don’t get me wrong, I love being in your tight ass, but what you’re doing to me right now…,” Rodney trails off and begins muttering incoherently.
“What to know the secret? It’s really simple,” Evan whispers into Rodney’s ear.
“God, yes. It’s never felt like this with anyone else.”
“What I’m doing…it’s called love. I love you, Rodney. And the only thing I want to do is make you happy, no matter what it takes.”
“Oh, I love you too,” Rodney responds breathlessly. “So much…so, so much…oh,” he dissolves into a moan.
Hearing Rodney say those words makes Evan’s rhythm falter. He stops buried inside Rodney for a moment with a broad smile.
“You love me?”
“Of course I do,” Rodney says, annoyed. The frustration comes from Evan’s lack of movement, not the question.
“It’s just that this is the first time you’ve said it,” Evan explains.
“Well if it causes you to stop moving every time you hear it,” Rodney snaps, “for your safety – because either you’re going to get hit by a bus if you’re crossing a street or I’ll kill you – you’re never going to hear those words from me again. Now, either fuck me or get off.”
Evan sighs as he slowly pulls out. Just as Rodney thinks Evan is going to fully withdraw, Evan slams back in forcefully causing Rodney to scream in pleasure. He repeats to process of slowly withdrawing followed by a quick thrust until Rodney is babbling incoherently.
It doesn’t take long before Rodney, followed closely by Evan, is convulsing in orgasm.
“I think you broke me,” Rodney says minutes later.
“I don’t think there is a person on the planet that could break you,” Evan says with a chuckle. “Anyone that tried would go crazy first.”
“And that’s why I love you,” Rodney says with a smirk. He rolls his eyes when Evan’s breath stops for a moment. “Definitely not saying that again,” he mutters. “Evan, you get me. And I…appreciate it.” He leans in to give Evan a kiss. “Now, what’s for breakfast?”
Evan gives him a mischievous smile as he sits up. Instead of getting out of bed as Rodney expected, he straddles Rodney’s chest and directs his hardening cock to Rodney’s mouth.
“You said you wanted something better than coffee. How about a protein shake?”
