Eddie picked up his heavier weights and got into position to do goblet squats. He watched himself in the mirror to make sure his position was correct. It’s when he was coming up from his fifth one that Buck appeared behind him.
His face was red. His blue eyes lowered. He was holding a set of weights. Eddie opened his mouth to tell him he’d already grabbed his preferred 50 lbs when Buck licked his lips and is – is he staring at his ass?
“Buck,” Eddie said, and his voice came out hoarse.
Buck swallowed and slowly looked up to meet Eddie’s gaze in the mirror. He smirked unable to help himself.
“Eyes up here, bud,” he said gesturing to his face.
Buck blushed and muttered, “As if that’s much better.”
Eddie’s smirk widened and before he could stop himself, his voice came out low and husky as he said, “Like what you see?”
Buck positioned himself between Eddie and the guy down at the end of the mat who barely spared them a glance. He was too busy checking himself out in the mirror. Eddie moved further to the other end of the mat to give Buck more room, but he scooted closer.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Eddie,” Buck said loudly but his entire face was beet red, and he grunted a little too loudly as he started his bicep curls.
Eddie bent down to grab his weights, but hesitated. He stood up and took a step closer to Buck. He made sure to let his lips graze over Buck’s earlobe when he whispered, “I like what I see.”
Buck nearly dropped the weight. Biting his lip, Eddie took a step back, smiling innocently at him.
“You – you can’t say those things,” Buck hissed like Eddie revealed exactly what he wanted to do to Buck (which would be a very long list).
“Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?”
How far did the red in Buck’s cheeks descend? Would it color his chest and all the way down to his cock?
“N-No, but – but I’m – I’m holding weights, Eddie. It’s very – it’s dangerous and we’re not – it was platonic,” Buck stuttered.
Eddie went back to doing goblet squats. Moving very slowly downward, keeping his eyes on Buck in the mirror. He’d never seen Buck so red before. When he came back up, breathing a little harder, he said, “Right. Platonic.”
“It was!” Buck insisted. His expression was taut like he’d been caught in a lie and was desperately trying to remedy it. He swallowed audibly. His cheeks only grew more red. His eyes were wide, and it was the same expression he had on his face the first night they kissed, and he looked like he wanted to crawl into Eddie. Buck was into this, right? Eddie wasn’t imagining (or wishing) it.
“I—”
“Hey man, I noticed your knees are going over your ankles, you should really be doing your squats like this—” the guy at the other end of the mat said moving to demonstrate.
Buck stepped in front of Eddie to block him from his view. “Thanks for the advice, but he knows how to do a squat.”
The guy held up his hands in surrender and picked up his weights. “Just trying to help your boy out, man,” he said before moving to another part of the gym.
Buck turned back to Eddie with a scowl.
“He was just being nice,” Eddie said and took a long drink of water. Buck’s attention was on him, watching closely as he capped the water bottle. He wiped away his sweat with the bottom of his shirt, making sure to raise it a bit higher to show off his abs.
“I-I know that. We were obviously having a private conversation. He didn’t have to interrupt,” Buck sputtered. “Especially because I’ve seen you do squats and they’re fine.”
“You’ve seen me do squats, huh?” Eddie said this time making it more of a joke than a flirtation.
“You’ve seen me do squats too. We do squats all the time together,” Buck said blushing. “He’s the wrong one.”
“Okay, Buck,” Eddie smiled and nodded down at the weights by his feet. “I got your 50 lbs.”
“I thought someone else had taken them,” Buck said quietly.
“Nope. Got them especially for you,” Eddie said. He picked up his own to continue his reps, going a little lower to see the way Buck followed him with his eyes. He knew how Buck could get about other guys – because it’s mostly guys, he’d never really had a problem with Eddie’s girlfriends – and it should be off-putting, but Eddie kinda really liked when he got weird over him.
He made sure to keep eye contact as he did each exercise, his smirk never leaving his lips. It was a miracle he never dropped anything.
After the disastrous end of his betrothal to Gwen and the regret of his offer to Princess Mithian, Arthur swears off finding a wife until he's ready to wed. When Merlin offers himself to Arthur as bedmate, Arthur suggests they hand-fast in secret for a single year of mutual pleasure without obligation. As their year together unfolds, and secrets and betrayals unravel around them, Arthur and Merlin learn there is no such thing as uncomplicated pleasure. Everything they thought they knew can change in the span of a single year.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay
Additional Tags: Harlequin
Summary:
Summary: written for the LJ undermistletoe Harlequin Challenge. Rodney McKay swore he'd never marry, not even if it meant he would be able to publish his work. But after being found in a compromising position with the Marquis John Sheppard, Rodney is forced to change his mind. Will true love prevail???? Rated R, 46,000 wrds
harry is a recent implant in new york and a young chef opening a restaurant called yuzu. louis, a music teacher and broadway lover, has been around the block for a while. in a city that's so fast-paced, they're slow to catch on to each other.
