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Title: Bloodlust
Author: Chaps1870
Pairing: McShep
Rating: NC-17
Warning: Vampire AU
Chapter Three
“Remind me again about the part where the natives are harmless,” scoffed Rodney, wiping away the sweat on his brow for the umpteenth time. “Because you know, being held at gun point on a death march across barren wasteland has me confused.”
“Teyla and Ronon will find us,” grunted Sheppard, none too thrilled with the situation they’d found themselves in. There were with about twenty prisoners, men and women, chained at the ankles and being led across a wide expanse of desert towards the native’s encampment. The guards had only shrugged when John tried to explain that they weren’t part of the group.
Rodney rolled his eyes, using his irritation to distract him from the pins and needles on his exposed skin. “Oh sure, when they wake up the natives will happily hand over the gate address to wherever the hell we are.”
Sheppard growled, “Shut up, McK…” His words died off when Rodney twisted around to glare at him. He winced, “You look like shit.”
“Yeah, because this is fun for me,” Rodney smirked. He was sweating profusely, but given the high temperatures reflecting off the desert sand, that wasn’t surprising. They’d been walking for several hours now and Rodney’s face and arms were already bright red. He looked miserable, holding his arms behind his back where his bulky frame offered a bit of shade.
Chained behind Rodney, John could do nothing to help alleviate the sun’s damaging effects. The hunch of his shoulders was the only indication of Rodney’s discomfort. Stepping closer, John dropped a hand to Rodney’s shoulder only to have him flinch away with a hiss of pain. Taking his hand away, John asked with alarm, “Rodney?”
Rodney hissed through gritted teeth, “Sorry, I’m just a little sensitive right now.”
“You gonna be okay?”
Nodding, Rodney looked up at the sun. “How much longer you figure they’ll walk us?”
“I don’t know. Not much out here to stop for.” There were mountains on the far horizon, ten miles away or better. Distances were difficult to judge without any landmarks.
They walked in silence for several more hours before Rodney spoke again, his voice raspy. Who would thought we’d get caught in a civil war and sent to Death Valley our first day back on the job? I really need to read the fine print of my contract, because I’m pretty sure I didn’t agree to this.”
Rodney struggled to stay on his feet. They’d only stopped for water a couple times but it did little good. John wasn’t fairing much better, but he was more used to the sun and heat than Rodney was.
“Sure you did. It falls under ‘It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure,’” chimed John, trying to take Rodney’s mind off his misery.
“Humph. Have I mentioned I really hate the outdoors?” Rodney stumbled and John was right there, grabbing his elbow to keep him from falling head first into the sand.
“Not today. I’ll make a note of it.” Steadying McKay as best he could, he fell back into line. Some help was acceptable. Too much was frowned upon by the guards. His back still hurt a bit from the whip mark of earlier. The guards weren’t overly cruel but they had rules they expected to be followed. If nothing else, John was a fast learner.
Rodney was staggering on his feet by the time they made the edge of a stand of trees. It was just like an Earth oasis. There was a large pond in the middle of the lush green landscape with rock houses of all sizes in the space available. According the guards they would be mining and this would be their home. Mining was the only source of trade with other worlds and they weren’t opposed to using slave labor for financial gain.
Rodney stopped with everyone else, never bothering to look up until John nudged him from behind. “I think were home, Toto.”
Blinking back from a daze, Rodney sank to his knees and practically cried with relief, “Oh, thank god.” He glanced back at John. “I really hope this isn’t a mirage.”
John smiled, “Not unless we’re both delirious.” Seeing the guards headed their way, he helped Rodney to his feet.
The guard handed their chains off to the new guard and gave them instructions. “You will be assigned your sleeping quarters and given a meal. Tomorrow you will work.”
The second guard led them to one of the largest dwellings in the compound, big enough to house the entire slave population from the looks of it. Inside was a long hallway that ran the length of the structure with doorways every three meters or so. Walking the hall, John peered inside those rooms that were open. The two occupants of each room stared back, some more friendly than others. They didn’t appear maltreated and John found himself sighing inwardly. Maybe they would get through this and survive until a rescue was mounted. The guard stopped and pointed to an empty room. Their chains were removed before they were pushed inside and left alone.
Rodney half crawled to the oversized pallet and curled up in ball. John followed, more dignified but no less tired and knelt beside Rodney. “You okay?” He was afraid to touch him after his reaction earlier.
“Not really.” His skin was flaming red and blisters were already forming on his face and neck. He rolled enough to see the shock in John’s eyes and tried to sound reassuring. “It’ll peel by morning and I’ll be fine.”
“You gonna get sick?” asked John, remember what Rodney had said about exposure.
Rodney shrugged, wincing as he moved to get comfortable and sighed wearily, “Right now I just want to sleep.”
“You should eat when it gets here.”
“Of course, then I’ll have something to throw up later,” quipped Rodney, closing his eyes tight as his body trembled with pain.
Eyeing a bucket of water, John scrambled to it and hauled it closer. Filling the cup hanging off the side, he drank a bit before offering it to Rodney. “You should at least drink.”
With shaky hands and John’s help, Rodney drank three cups before he sank back onto the pallet. John wished he could do more and wondered how he’d never seen this reaction in Rodney before. They’d lived and worked together for two years and he’d never suspected. He asked guiltily, “How did you hide this from everyone, Rodney?”
Sweating and shivering, Rodney answered matter of factly, “It’s not so hard. Most people go their separate ways when we return from a mission. That and we seldom ended up in the sun for a full day. This is as bad as it usually gets.”
“Damn it, Rodney. We were together for six months and I never noticed.”
“You weren’t supposed to.” Closing his pain filled eyes, Rodney curled up tighter. It didn’t make John feel any better.
Settling as close as he dared without actually making contact, he waited for the food to arrive, taking time to recon. The room was small, but they had the basic amenities, a place to sleep, water, food…eventually. He hoped it was soon. A day of walking and he was starving. Rodney needed to eat, but John doubted he could force the issue.
A woman appeared with a tray and set it down with a nod, “Tomorrow you will have to join the others if you wish to eat.” She left just as quickly as she arrived.
“Nice talking to you,” John said sarcastically as the door shut behind her.
Rodney stirred, mumbling groggily, “Is that food?”
Glancing at the tray, John was surprised that the food not only looked good it actually smelled good too. There were two bowls of what looked like stew and two chunks of bread. “You hungry?”
“Not really,” muttered Rodney, John watched as Rodney sat up. His arms and face had lost the blistered look and now had a dead, scaly look. Rodney twitched whenever his shirt rubbed the exposed areas. He looked pathetic but didn’t complain even as he reached for more water. Looking at John guiltily holding his half empty bowl, Rodney nodded at it. “You should eat. No point wasting it.”
“You need to eat too,” John countered, taking another bite of stew.
“I can’t. Not right now. Maybe later.” Rodney lay back down, biting back a moan.
John winced, “I’ll save you the bread. I don’t think the stew will keep.” Rodney drifted into a restless sleep and John finished off the stew. He didn’t know when they’d eat again, but looking at the other workers---prisoners, it looked like they ate regularly.
Setting aside the bread, John stretched out next to Rodney. The pallet wasn’t roomy but it was big enough for both of them and with Rodney curled up to one side, John didn’t have to worry about touching him. Ironically, John really wanted to touch him, offer some semblance of comfort. It was harder than he thought it would be seeing Rodney suffer in silence. The vampire thing aside, John hated seeing Rodney hurting.
*******
It was still dark the next time he woke, but was instantly alerted by the sound of retching. Rodney had somehow managed to crawl to the furthest corner where he was hunched over, back heaving as his stomach convulsed. John scrambled off the makeshift bed and made his way over to kneel beside him, unsure what he could do to help. Rodney had one hand braced on the wall, but it was shaking so badly that John feared he would fall head first into the wall.
Hesitating, he gently touched Rodney’s arm to get his attention. “Let me help.”
Embarrassed, Rodney shook his head and gulped, “Go back to sleep.”
“No.” John eased Rodney’s arm off the wall and wrapped an arm around his chest, letting him lean against his shoulder. Rodney struggled for only a second before another wave of sickness hit him and only John’s support kept him from falling over. It went like that for the next two hours and John wasn’t sure which of them was shaking more by the time it was over. Both of them were soaked from sweating and Rodney was shivering in John’s arms. “Think you can move?”
Rodney mumbled, his voice weak, “Sure.” He made no attempt to move and when he got heavier, John realized he’d fallen asleep. Or worse, he’d passed out. He hadn’t eaten since that morning. Pushing Rodney off his shoulder, John panicked when he didn’t stir.
He tried shaking him awake, but still nothing, “Come on, buddy. Don’t do this to me.”
With some effort, John managed to manhandle Rodney to the bed where he started with some light slaps to wake him. Rodney felt cold and clammy, but John wasn’t sure if it was from sweating earlier or the onset of hypoglycemic shock. His hands were shaking, his voice rising with worry as he shook Rodney firmly “McKay. Wake up.”
Rolling over, away from John’s touch, Rodney muttered, “G’way.”
Sighing with relief, John pushed, making Rodney sit up. “No way. You need to eat something. I didn’t just hold you through exorcist puking so you could die on me.”
Rodney’s eyes were rolling back in his head as he lolled in John’s arms, “T’rd.”
Grabbing for the leftover bread from supper, John tore a bite off and stuffed it in Rodney’s mouth. “Eat.”
“Mrrmph.” Rodney chewed absently, his chin resting on his chest as he swallowed.
John tore off another piece of bread and fed it to him. Halfway through the chunk of break, he handed it to Rodney and let him eat on his own. Starving, Rodney finished it quickly and John handed him the second piece, “Here. Finish it.”
Rodney nodded, “Thanks.” He sat on the bed, legs outstretched, looking exhausted. The skin on his face and arms was peeling in large sheets, adding to his already haggard look.
“You missed some really good stew. It’s the least I can do,” quipped John, falling back on the verbal teasing rather than dwell on Rodney’s condition and the reason for it. It made it easier to deal with if he didn’t think about it too hard.
Smirking, Rodney slid bonelessly back on the bed. “I’ll eat yours tomorrow.” Squinting in the darkened room, he asked tiredly, “What time is it?”
John glanced at his watch and scrunched his face at the time, “Almost four. You should probably sleep. They’ll have us up soon.” Nudging Rodney to scoot over, he fell into bed beside him, feeling awkward about the distance between them.
It would have been too easy to roll over and spoon behind Rodney, considering the circumstances, but he still couldn’t do it. They’d come closer today than they had since Rodney’s revelation but they still had a ways to go before they were truly comfortable again. He couldn’t, with a clear conscience, let Rodney think he was ready for more. With a sigh, he flopped to his back, listening to Rodney’s light snores and finding it oddly comforting as he dozed off.
Part Four
Author: Chaps1870
Pairing: McShep
Rating: NC-17
Warning: Vampire AU
Chapter Three
“Remind me again about the part where the natives are harmless,” scoffed Rodney, wiping away the sweat on his brow for the umpteenth time. “Because you know, being held at gun point on a death march across barren wasteland has me confused.”
“Teyla and Ronon will find us,” grunted Sheppard, none too thrilled with the situation they’d found themselves in. There were with about twenty prisoners, men and women, chained at the ankles and being led across a wide expanse of desert towards the native’s encampment. The guards had only shrugged when John tried to explain that they weren’t part of the group.
Rodney rolled his eyes, using his irritation to distract him from the pins and needles on his exposed skin. “Oh sure, when they wake up the natives will happily hand over the gate address to wherever the hell we are.”
Sheppard growled, “Shut up, McK…” His words died off when Rodney twisted around to glare at him. He winced, “You look like shit.”
“Yeah, because this is fun for me,” Rodney smirked. He was sweating profusely, but given the high temperatures reflecting off the desert sand, that wasn’t surprising. They’d been walking for several hours now and Rodney’s face and arms were already bright red. He looked miserable, holding his arms behind his back where his bulky frame offered a bit of shade.
Chained behind Rodney, John could do nothing to help alleviate the sun’s damaging effects. The hunch of his shoulders was the only indication of Rodney’s discomfort. Stepping closer, John dropped a hand to Rodney’s shoulder only to have him flinch away with a hiss of pain. Taking his hand away, John asked with alarm, “Rodney?”
Rodney hissed through gritted teeth, “Sorry, I’m just a little sensitive right now.”
“You gonna be okay?”
Nodding, Rodney looked up at the sun. “How much longer you figure they’ll walk us?”
“I don’t know. Not much out here to stop for.” There were mountains on the far horizon, ten miles away or better. Distances were difficult to judge without any landmarks.
They walked in silence for several more hours before Rodney spoke again, his voice raspy. Who would thought we’d get caught in a civil war and sent to Death Valley our first day back on the job? I really need to read the fine print of my contract, because I’m pretty sure I didn’t agree to this.”
Rodney struggled to stay on his feet. They’d only stopped for water a couple times but it did little good. John wasn’t fairing much better, but he was more used to the sun and heat than Rodney was.
“Sure you did. It falls under ‘It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure,’” chimed John, trying to take Rodney’s mind off his misery.
“Humph. Have I mentioned I really hate the outdoors?” Rodney stumbled and John was right there, grabbing his elbow to keep him from falling head first into the sand.
“Not today. I’ll make a note of it.” Steadying McKay as best he could, he fell back into line. Some help was acceptable. Too much was frowned upon by the guards. His back still hurt a bit from the whip mark of earlier. The guards weren’t overly cruel but they had rules they expected to be followed. If nothing else, John was a fast learner.
Rodney was staggering on his feet by the time they made the edge of a stand of trees. It was just like an Earth oasis. There was a large pond in the middle of the lush green landscape with rock houses of all sizes in the space available. According the guards they would be mining and this would be their home. Mining was the only source of trade with other worlds and they weren’t opposed to using slave labor for financial gain.
Rodney stopped with everyone else, never bothering to look up until John nudged him from behind. “I think were home, Toto.”
Blinking back from a daze, Rodney sank to his knees and practically cried with relief, “Oh, thank god.” He glanced back at John. “I really hope this isn’t a mirage.”
John smiled, “Not unless we’re both delirious.” Seeing the guards headed their way, he helped Rodney to his feet.
The guard handed their chains off to the new guard and gave them instructions. “You will be assigned your sleeping quarters and given a meal. Tomorrow you will work.”
The second guard led them to one of the largest dwellings in the compound, big enough to house the entire slave population from the looks of it. Inside was a long hallway that ran the length of the structure with doorways every three meters or so. Walking the hall, John peered inside those rooms that were open. The two occupants of each room stared back, some more friendly than others. They didn’t appear maltreated and John found himself sighing inwardly. Maybe they would get through this and survive until a rescue was mounted. The guard stopped and pointed to an empty room. Their chains were removed before they were pushed inside and left alone.
Rodney half crawled to the oversized pallet and curled up in ball. John followed, more dignified but no less tired and knelt beside Rodney. “You okay?” He was afraid to touch him after his reaction earlier.
“Not really.” His skin was flaming red and blisters were already forming on his face and neck. He rolled enough to see the shock in John’s eyes and tried to sound reassuring. “It’ll peel by morning and I’ll be fine.”
“You gonna get sick?” asked John, remember what Rodney had said about exposure.
Rodney shrugged, wincing as he moved to get comfortable and sighed wearily, “Right now I just want to sleep.”
“You should eat when it gets here.”
“Of course, then I’ll have something to throw up later,” quipped Rodney, closing his eyes tight as his body trembled with pain.
Eyeing a bucket of water, John scrambled to it and hauled it closer. Filling the cup hanging off the side, he drank a bit before offering it to Rodney. “You should at least drink.”
With shaky hands and John’s help, Rodney drank three cups before he sank back onto the pallet. John wished he could do more and wondered how he’d never seen this reaction in Rodney before. They’d lived and worked together for two years and he’d never suspected. He asked guiltily, “How did you hide this from everyone, Rodney?”
Sweating and shivering, Rodney answered matter of factly, “It’s not so hard. Most people go their separate ways when we return from a mission. That and we seldom ended up in the sun for a full day. This is as bad as it usually gets.”
“Damn it, Rodney. We were together for six months and I never noticed.”
“You weren’t supposed to.” Closing his pain filled eyes, Rodney curled up tighter. It didn’t make John feel any better.
Settling as close as he dared without actually making contact, he waited for the food to arrive, taking time to recon. The room was small, but they had the basic amenities, a place to sleep, water, food…eventually. He hoped it was soon. A day of walking and he was starving. Rodney needed to eat, but John doubted he could force the issue.
A woman appeared with a tray and set it down with a nod, “Tomorrow you will have to join the others if you wish to eat.” She left just as quickly as she arrived.
“Nice talking to you,” John said sarcastically as the door shut behind her.
Rodney stirred, mumbling groggily, “Is that food?”
Glancing at the tray, John was surprised that the food not only looked good it actually smelled good too. There were two bowls of what looked like stew and two chunks of bread. “You hungry?”
“Not really,” muttered Rodney, John watched as Rodney sat up. His arms and face had lost the blistered look and now had a dead, scaly look. Rodney twitched whenever his shirt rubbed the exposed areas. He looked pathetic but didn’t complain even as he reached for more water. Looking at John guiltily holding his half empty bowl, Rodney nodded at it. “You should eat. No point wasting it.”
“You need to eat too,” John countered, taking another bite of stew.
“I can’t. Not right now. Maybe later.” Rodney lay back down, biting back a moan.
John winced, “I’ll save you the bread. I don’t think the stew will keep.” Rodney drifted into a restless sleep and John finished off the stew. He didn’t know when they’d eat again, but looking at the other workers---prisoners, it looked like they ate regularly.
Setting aside the bread, John stretched out next to Rodney. The pallet wasn’t roomy but it was big enough for both of them and with Rodney curled up to one side, John didn’t have to worry about touching him. Ironically, John really wanted to touch him, offer some semblance of comfort. It was harder than he thought it would be seeing Rodney suffer in silence. The vampire thing aside, John hated seeing Rodney hurting.
*******
It was still dark the next time he woke, but was instantly alerted by the sound of retching. Rodney had somehow managed to crawl to the furthest corner where he was hunched over, back heaving as his stomach convulsed. John scrambled off the makeshift bed and made his way over to kneel beside him, unsure what he could do to help. Rodney had one hand braced on the wall, but it was shaking so badly that John feared he would fall head first into the wall.
Hesitating, he gently touched Rodney’s arm to get his attention. “Let me help.”
Embarrassed, Rodney shook his head and gulped, “Go back to sleep.”
“No.” John eased Rodney’s arm off the wall and wrapped an arm around his chest, letting him lean against his shoulder. Rodney struggled for only a second before another wave of sickness hit him and only John’s support kept him from falling over. It went like that for the next two hours and John wasn’t sure which of them was shaking more by the time it was over. Both of them were soaked from sweating and Rodney was shivering in John’s arms. “Think you can move?”
Rodney mumbled, his voice weak, “Sure.” He made no attempt to move and when he got heavier, John realized he’d fallen asleep. Or worse, he’d passed out. He hadn’t eaten since that morning. Pushing Rodney off his shoulder, John panicked when he didn’t stir.
He tried shaking him awake, but still nothing, “Come on, buddy. Don’t do this to me.”
With some effort, John managed to manhandle Rodney to the bed where he started with some light slaps to wake him. Rodney felt cold and clammy, but John wasn’t sure if it was from sweating earlier or the onset of hypoglycemic shock. His hands were shaking, his voice rising with worry as he shook Rodney firmly “McKay. Wake up.”
Rolling over, away from John’s touch, Rodney muttered, “G’way.”
Sighing with relief, John pushed, making Rodney sit up. “No way. You need to eat something. I didn’t just hold you through exorcist puking so you could die on me.”
Rodney’s eyes were rolling back in his head as he lolled in John’s arms, “T’rd.”
Grabbing for the leftover bread from supper, John tore a bite off and stuffed it in Rodney’s mouth. “Eat.”
“Mrrmph.” Rodney chewed absently, his chin resting on his chest as he swallowed.
John tore off another piece of bread and fed it to him. Halfway through the chunk of break, he handed it to Rodney and let him eat on his own. Starving, Rodney finished it quickly and John handed him the second piece, “Here. Finish it.”
Rodney nodded, “Thanks.” He sat on the bed, legs outstretched, looking exhausted. The skin on his face and arms was peeling in large sheets, adding to his already haggard look.
“You missed some really good stew. It’s the least I can do,” quipped John, falling back on the verbal teasing rather than dwell on Rodney’s condition and the reason for it. It made it easier to deal with if he didn’t think about it too hard.
Smirking, Rodney slid bonelessly back on the bed. “I’ll eat yours tomorrow.” Squinting in the darkened room, he asked tiredly, “What time is it?”
John glanced at his watch and scrunched his face at the time, “Almost four. You should probably sleep. They’ll have us up soon.” Nudging Rodney to scoot over, he fell into bed beside him, feeling awkward about the distance between them.
It would have been too easy to roll over and spoon behind Rodney, considering the circumstances, but he still couldn’t do it. They’d come closer today than they had since Rodney’s revelation but they still had a ways to go before they were truly comfortable again. He couldn’t, with a clear conscience, let Rodney think he was ready for more. With a sigh, he flopped to his back, listening to Rodney’s light snores and finding it oddly comforting as he dozed off.
Part Four
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