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The most important things always happen in secret and silence. Whispered promises, muffled sobs, hushed words—no matter how small or trivial they may sound at first, they undoubtedly hold the power to change one’s future. Everett knows that well, having spent years mindless and blindly following his superiors’ orders. He understands it even better now, hiding and lying to those under his command in Destiny.
Lying to himself .
Everett’s hands close into tight fists under the sheets. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the sticky fluid covering his right hand or how he doesn’t feel satisfied even after touching himself yet again. He sits up, staring at the multicolored lights that illuminate his otherwise dark room. There’s barely anything in this room to call his, but it feels a little more like home every day they spend away from Earth. Everett wonders if the others feel the same. If Nicholas feels the same.
He pushes the covers away from his body, standing up with a light shiver. The air is cold, colder than usual. Everett frowns, making a mental note to bring it up to Dr. Brody and Nicholas next time he sees them. He’s not entirely sure of how the life support works, but he remembers Nicholas mentioning about regulating the temperature once. They’ll know how to handle it.
A sigh escapes his lips. Everett picks a water bottle and a small basin and wipes himself clean to the best of his ability. He bites his lip. Part of him wonders how disgusted Nicholas would be if he knew of Everett’s dreams, where the prodigious scientist is reduced to nothing but a stuttering, moaning mess. Where Everett fucks his brattiness right out of him, takes absolute control over Nicholas the way he always desired to.
He’d never look at me again, would he? he muses, letting go of the dampened cloth he used. Everett’s body practically moves on its own as he gets ready for a new day. He’s already buttoning up his jacket when Destiny comes to a halt, bringing forth that uncomfortable sensation Everett’s yet to get used to. He can only wonder what kind of planet they’re going to see now. Everett hopes it’s not another desert—his patience with those vanished completely long ago.
He inhales, flexing his hands in a last attempt to control his earlier anxiety. No matter what happens, Everett cannot let his dirty little secret slip. Once again he puts on the mask of Colonel, unbothered by his carnal needs, the ever-reliable and trustworthy leader his crew needs.
Yeah... As long as he can play his role, everything will be alright.
The planet is nothing like any other they visited before. They can breathe without masks, but the air is still heavy enough that they can easily get dizzy if not careful with their breaths. The soil under his boots is covered in plants that reminds Everett of the grass in his house’s backyard. The most striking difference is the color: the grass is dark red and grey orange. The sky has a dark shade of yellow that makes for a terrible contrast with the red, green, orange and purple treelines.
Everett stops just a few meters away from the Stargate. His face contorts into a displeased frown and he turns to look at the others. Eli’s face is already covered in a layer of sweat, from anxiety or from the heat Everett has no idea. Greer’s grip on his gun looks a little stronger than it should. Chloe’s eyes shine with awe and curiosity and it’s clear in her face how relieved she is for finally leaving Destiny after years. Scott stands behind her, close enough to protect, distant enough to be respectful of her own freedom. Everett looks away from them, fearing he’s invading a personal moment for the couple.
And then his gaze falls on Nicholas. Nicholas, whose courage—or stupidity, Everett doesn’t know yet—made him approach the nearest bush several meters ahead of Everett. He’s kneeling on the ground, head tilted to take a better look of the exotic plant. That one has blue-green leaves with black dots among its branches and leaves. Everett bites his lip. He wants to tell him to get away, that they don’t know if those leaves are poisonous or not, but dares not to. They only have about eight hours to get everything they need before Destiny jumps back into FTL. Everett knows better than to waste time fighting.
It doesn’t take long. Nicholas stands up, giving the trees around them one last glance before looking back at them. “It’s okay. Not poisonous,” he says matter-of-factly.
His words seem to have an effect on Eli, whose hands stop shaking around the Kino’s control. Everett’s frown deepens, to which Nicholas just sighs. Of course he knows what Everett means. They’ve been working together for years now. He wouldn’t be surprised if Nicholas turns up to be the one to know him the best... yet just the prospect of it makes Everett shake in anxiety.
Nicholas points at the plant he was examining a moment ago. Everett steps closer to it. It’s only then that he notices that the colored dots on the leaves are, in fact, peas. His eyes widen in recognition. “The clearings’ planet.”
The first planet landed on after waking up. It took them hours to find anything to drink and eat. Camile still complains about having to live off peas for weeks. The plants are completely different, but even the scent of the peas is the same. And, between the bushes, Everett can see a small bird-like animal eating from the plants. Instead of feathers, its body is covered in spikes.
“The atmosphere is different enough to change the vegetation’s appearance” Chloe’s voice rings behind them. Everett looks at her over his shoulder. In a way it’s still difficult to grasp the extension of the knowledge Chloe gained from the Nakai. In a way she’s the same as Nicholas and Eli, but where their expertise resides with the Ancestors’ technology, Chloe’s resides in the various faces of the galaxy. “But not enough to make it poisonous. There must be water somewhere too, or these plants wouldn’t survive. But it’s hard to say if there’s anything dangerous here...” Chloe trails off, biting her lip as an unpleasant memory crosses her mind.
The jungle planet is still a sour memory to everyone who ventured there. Seeing their friends dying one after the other... Everett still shudders just remembering those images. But, as bitter as those memories are, he still feels grateful for the incident.
It was the first time he and Nicholas found a common ground .
Everett pauses. Eight hours. In a closed forest like this they can either find everything very fast or fail to gather supplies and have to rush back to Destiny. There’s also a chance they’ll get lost in the woods should it darken too fast. The possibility of not managing to make it back to Destiny scares Everett.
“Okay,” he mumbles to himself. Everett turns back to look at the others. “We’ll have to divide tasks if we wanna make it on time. Scott and Chloe, the two of you collect all the fruits and seeds you can get your hands on. Stay within two kilometers of the gate. Eli, go back to the ship and bring more Kinos with you. Use them to keep track of us and communicate. Greer, you’re a fast walker. We’ll go look for water.”
A chorus of Yes, sir echoes following Everett’s orders. As he and Greer will be the ones to travel the farthest into the planet, Eli passes them the only Kino he has on his hands and the floating carrier. Everett nods at him, a silent thank you. He starts marching into the forest when someone clears their throat behind him. Everett turns to look at Nicholas.
“So?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
Nicholas’ eyes narrow at him. Not out of irritation or frustration, but curiosity. “No orders for me, Colonel?”
Everett snorts. One thing he learned over the years is that Nicholas serves no one but himself and the dream of the Ancestors. Three years lost in the haze of a dream made Everett realize that, as much as that fact still infuriates him, there’s no stopping Nicholas’ very nature. Fighting it is useless, but using it in his favor proved itself a far better solution for maintaining this fragile peace they reached.
“Wait to take a Kino with you. And then,” he pauses, fighting back a smile at Nicholas’ raised eyebrows, “do as you wish, Dr. Rush.”
Things go surprisingly smooth for Everett. Despite the initial appearance, the planet’s quite welcoming and he feels comfortable walking around. He wonders if the sun’s presence has anything to do with the heavy air. The closer they get to the sunset, the easier it is to breathe. He’s sure that Nicholas noticed this too, wherever he’s wandering through now. Part of Everett—the most human, completely whipped part of him—feels bad that they can’t drag their stay in the planets longer. He’s sure Nicholas would be more than happy to study things more, to learn more from their surroundings.
He shakes the thought away from his mind, focusing back on the task at hand. He and Greer found a river about two and half hours away from the Stargate. They’re hoping to make it back in half of that time, as they now know the way back. Everett twirls a sample of the water inside a test tube. There were no color changes to any of the four reagents he tried so far. The fifth also comes out crystal clear. Everett smiles in triumph. It’s just as Chloe said: not enough to turn anything poisonous. Hopefully she and Scott found more to eat than just peas to eat. It’ll be a true victory if they find anything.
Between him and Greer all gallons are soon full of water. The load it onto the carrier, tying the gallons carefully to make sure none of it is lost on the way. They start moving back when they’re sure everything’s safe. Greer takes the lead as Everett pushes the carrier. Despite the peacefulness of the forest; or, perhaps, because of it, Greer can’t let go of the tension that’s been flowing in his body from the moment they crossed the gate. Everett can’t blame him after everything that happened. He also can’t help but feel slightly uneasy as well. It’s almost as though they’re being watched... By who or what, Everett has no clue.
A scream cuts through the silence, followed by a torrent of curses. Everett’s eyes widen, hand reaching for the gun on his belt. Greer’s standing up with low grunts, but other than the obvious irritation Everett can see no obvious harm to his body. He asks anyway, more to reassure himself than anything. “You fine?”
“Yeah, yeah, just,” Greer leans against the closest tree. He raises his left foot, taking a look at the sole. Whatever he sees there makes his face contorts in sheer disgust. “What the fuck —?!”
The sole of his shoe is covered in a slippery, transparent green substance. The ground is also full of it, scattered over low plants and tree roots alike. It has a sweet scent to it, a smell that makes Everett inwardly relax. He still scrunches up his nose, the liquid’s patterns reminding him of those left by slugs back in Earth.
“Whatever left that here,” he speaks in a low, displeased tone, “we better not stay long enough to meet it.”
A dissatisfied hum is all he receives in reply. Everett can’t help but wonder if the others are fine, if they didn’t find anything weird like this. Hopefully these things will stay far away from the gate now that there are three humans wandering around. Then his mind goes back to Nicholas and the words he told the scientist. Do as you wish . Everett can only hope Nicholas will stay close enough to the Stargate to be safe from any danger. Everett won’t ever forgive himself if any harm comes to his... friend.
“Rush’s been acting weird lately.” Greer’s voice snaps Everett out of his thoughts.
He blinks at his fellow soldier, waiting for him to elaborate. Everett bites his lip when no other word leaves Greer’s mouth. Curiosity gets the better of him and he asks, “How so? He seems pretty normal to me.”
Greer frowns. Everett can see it from his profile now that the man’s walking by his side, probably fearing going through another slime accident. “He’s just... different. He acts as a different person when you’re around.”
Tension returns to Everett’s shoulders at those words. He understands where Greer’s coming from. Everett himself was surprised when they first woke up from their sleep. More distant, yet closer than ever. More talkative, willing to share things and listen to others. More observant and careful not to hurt anyone. The change still feels almost jarring, but Everett can’t stop himself from liking this new Nicholas even more. And, he knows, his own behavior has been changing too, around Nicholas and even more during his lonely time in his bedroom, when the desire speaks louder than any sense of dignity and shame. But that’s something no one needs to know... Especially not Nicholas.
“When Colonel’s not there,” Greer continues, oblivious to the thoughts running within Everett’s mind, “he changes completely. Sometimes it’s the old jerk we know, sometimes he’s just so quiet we forget he’s there. Others he looks like he’s lost in thought. Like when he was trying to solve those stupidly complicated equations to use the Chair. Y’know, just, weird . And some people have been feeling uncomfortable with it too.”
Everett swallows, then nods. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him. Solve this.” His answer seems to please Greer.
The rest of the way is spent silent. They end up taking longer to come back than it did to get to the river, far too careful not to trip and get themselves hurt. Eli, Chloe and Scott are talking quietly near the Stargate. They have sacks full of food on their feet; far too much to be filled with just peas. Everett heaves a relieved sigh. His eyes unconsciously scan the whole clearing, clearly in search of a person who’s not there yet.
Eli catches on Everett’s wandering gaze first. “Rush left before I got back. No idea where he went,” he answers the unasked question.
“I see.” It’s all he says, but deep down Everett’s nothing but absolutely pissed. He takes in a deep breath to calm himself. Anger won’t do anything to help, no matter whether at himself or Nicholas. “How much time do we have left?”
Eli frowns down at the control. “Almost four hours. But, sir,” Eli points at the sky, “it’ll get dark before we need to go.”
Everett knows. The sun won’t take more than an hour to set completely. The sky’s color is changing to a bright orange that almost blinds Everett. He sighs. There’s nothing to do about it. He’s the only one responsible for Nicholas’ mess. “You can go ahead. Get the supplies sorted through with the others and make sure there’s nothing missing. I’ll go get Nicholas.”
It’s clear that they want to protest, Greer more than the others. His distaste for Nicholas didn’t disappear within the past three years. Apparently Nicholas’ weird behavior only made it worse. No one dares go against his orders despite everything. Everett looks at the bush Nicholas stopped to watch earlier. He decides it’s as good a place to start as any. The sounds of the Stargate follow him into the forest, a reminder of the running time and his growing loneliness.
Everett doesn’t dare run or scream. He’s still wary of the strange substance littering the forest’s ground and afraid of attracting any wild animal to himself. The sunlight filters through the tree leaves, reaching the ground in warm tones of green, orange, pink and purple. It’s almost magical, how different from home this planet looks. Everett wonders if the Nicholas who joined the Stargate program imagined this, if visions like this were the reason he pushed through all obstacles to make it into space and Destiny. Everett thinks he can understand Nicholas’ amazement a little better now. He still wishes the man wasn’t so difficult to deal with from the beginning.
He acts as a different person around you .
Everett stops. There’s a trail, human footprints standing out against the purple-ish earth. Nicholas. It can only be him. He follows the trail, careful to mark which trees he’s passed through—purple wood, orange leaves, mushroom-shaped red, yellow fruits on green flowers. Even if time is still on their side, Everett knows he can’t have the luxury of getting them both lost in these woods. It’ll only lead them to certain death, a very lonesome one at that.
He shivers then he steps out of the tree line. The river they found earlier also courses through this part of the forest. Everett frowns, annoyed at how much closer it is compared to the point him and Greer found. The river itself is not deep. It only reaches Everett’s knee when he crosses to the other side. The forest isn’t nearly as dense on the other side. It’s easier to navigate through here, and Everett can walk a little faster.
But there’s also a lot more of the strange substance on the ground. Everett knows he should be alert, that there’s a chance danger lies right behind these trees, but the sweet scent forces his muscles to relax. He swallows. Everett’s careful not to slip on the slimy substance, ears focused on any weird sound he can catch. The substance seems to make a trail of its own, getting larger and uniting towards a single place as Everett follows Nicholas’ footprints. And, come to think of it, aren’t they heading the same direction...?
“ No! ” The scream makes Everett’s blood freeze and his eyes go wide. Nicholas. It’s his voice. He’s here. He’s getting closer. He needs help. Everett takes his gun out of his belt. But no matter how much he tries, he can’t focus, he can’t bring the tension to come back to his body. Damnit!
Everett forces his body to keep moving, even if he has no idea what he’ll find. He’s not sure he can protect Nicholas, not as he should. He can still hear the other man’s voice, groans and curses reaching Everett’s ears one after the other. The sounds get louder as he approaches what seems to be another clearing. His breath gets stuck on his throat.
Disgust and horror fight for a place in his heart. The clearing is covered in various shades blue: tentacles, longer and thicker than any vine. They move and contort upon each other, smearing more of the green-ish substance all around the place. Some come from the ground; others, from the trees around. No, they are the trees’ roots.
He swallows. Everett’s body shakes as he tries to think, but the squelching sounds drown his thoughts away. He needs to find Nicholas. Whatever these things are, Everett’s sure they’re searching for nutrients. He’s unsure what these creatures—or plants? Everett isn’t sure anymore—feed from, but he sure as hell doesn’t want to stay and find out. But just as he turns around, he hears something. A voice. Nicholas’ voice. In the form of a moan .
Every last inch of Everett’s body freezes. There, just as the tentacles move a little more, he can see a hand. Fingernails dig into the ground and another hand appears from underneath the blue mass. And then Nicholas’ head raises a little, the tentacle that was previously hiding it retreating with what Everett can only describe as a hiss. Everett can’t see well from this angle, but Nicholas’ face looks redder than usual. From lack of oxygen? Everett can’t tell, but it’s obvious that the scientist’s having trouble breathing.
He’s trying to get away from the tentacles amassed atop of him. In the back of his hazy mind, Everett knows he should be moving already. Nicholas is in front of him, clearly in need of help. For all he knows, those creatures could be killing him. And yet Everett can’t bring himself to move. He’s sure this is because of the sweet scent he felt for so long.
Nicholas is panting. Half of his body is already away from the tentacles. Everett’s breath stutters as he realizes a bulge underneath Nicholas’ shirt. He knows it’s another one of those tentacles, its twists and curls visible underneath the fabric... right where Nicholas’ nipples should be. Everett’s eyes go wide at the realization. Nicholas’ face isn’t red out of lack of air, but from stimulation. Sexual stimulation.
Everett lowers himself to his knees before he can think of it. For fear of being seen? No, that’s not the reason. Everett’s breath comes out in faster, shallow puffs. His clothes are uncomfortable against his skin and, oh , so unbearably hot. He needs relief, he needs to do something about his growing erection. But all of this becomes secondary worry when Nicholas’ voice elevates into a high-pitched scream.
He raises his gaze just in time to see the tentacles yanking Nicholas back. One after the other, they get away from Nicholas, hovering around him like a predator watching their prey. It’s almost beautiful, like a flower blooming during spring. And what those blue petals open to reveal is a shaking, powerless man. One of the tentacles wrap around Nicholas’ leg, forcing his body to lay on its side and his legs to spread wide open. Everett can’t look away. Nicholas’s pants hang from his left leg, but that’s not what catches Everett’s attention. His eyes are utter and completely drawn to the crevice between Nicholas' ass cheeks, to the hole stretched open by a bright blue invader.
Everett’s throat goes dry at the sight. This is far more from just stimulation. Nicholas is being fucked by the alien creatures. Everett’s hand shakes as he reaches for his cock from over the fabrics. The sight of Nicholas moaning and squirming, trying to get away from the abusers overwhelms him, arouses him far more than any dream or fantasy could. The dirtiest, most depraved part of him doesn’t want to miss a single moment. He wants to engrave everything deep within his mind, from the color of the slime dripping for Nicholas’ ass to the way his body bounces as the tentacle thrusts into him.
Nicholas tries to reach the tentacle toying with his chest. Before he can graze his fingers over it, however, another tentacle wraps around his wrist and effortlessly pins it to the ground. When the same happens to his other hand, Nicholas tries to kick the one penetrating him with his free leg. The result doesn’t change. Everett licks his lip as Nicholas arches his back, a scream full of pained frustration and overwhelming pleasure escaping him.
More tentacles approach his body: the first hooks on the hem of Nicholas’ shirt, pulling it up all the way to his collarbone. A trail of slime shows Everett the path it made over Nicholas’ skin with striking clarity. The second tentacle reaches pink, perked nipple. The tip opens, taking the nipple inside it. Nicholas shakes his head uncontrollably, a string of No, no, stop it, stop! leaving him between sobs.
Everett suddenly wishes he could reach for Nicholas, kiss those tears away, that he was the one taking Nicholas, wrecking and completely dominating him. But he can’t do either of those. All he can do is stand back and watch as those aliens do to Nicholas everything Everett wishes he could do himself. His fingers blindly reach for the buttons of his pants. A silent sigh leaves Everett’s mouth when his hand wraps around his cock without any barriers in-between.
The tentacles apparently had the same idea: the thinnest of them wraps around Nicholas’ cock. The tip teases the slit, smearing precum and slime alike while jerking him in a terrifyingly slow motion. Nicholas visibly trembles under the newfound stimulation. Everett’s own movements hasten at that sight.
Nicholas still struggles against the tentacles. Everett swallows. Yes , he thinks to himself, fight them, do all you can! The more he fights, the greater will be the fall, when he inevitably can’t resist them anymore. Everett shivers at the mental image of Nicholas, shuddering and covered in the tentacles’ slime, completely drained of energy and pliant for them to do as they wish. The image morphs as Everett’s hold on his cock tightens. It’s not slime all over his body anymore, but cum, strikingly white against Nicholas’ reddened skin. Everett’s cum. A mark of ownership, and Nicholas is his and—
A scream cuts through the air. Everett’s breath stutters as Nicholas fights back with renewed vigor. He was so focused on Nicholas’ face, the way he gritted his teeth, how his back arched every time the thin tentacle brushed against his balls, that he didn’t notice when a second tentacle joined the one penetrating Nicholas. It’s probing his entrance, smearing more slime on already soaked skin. Nicholas’ words turn into an incoherent mess of babbles and he begs, begs for anyone to come, to help him, to save him...
But Everett still does not move.
He only watches in awe as the second tentacle pushes inside him, stretching his hole even more. The tentacles on Nicholas’ legs adjust their hold on him; Nicholas’ hips raise from the ground, hanging in the hair. Everett has a better view of his ass now, can see the slight bulge on Nicholas’ stomach from the added penetration. He can’t help but wonder if this is the limit, if Nicholas’ body can take more inside. The thought forces Everett to bite his lip to contain a moan. He knows the chances of it being heard are small with all the noise going on at once, but the sense of forbidden secrecy only arouses him further.
Everett’s glances at the dozens of tentacles hovering around. Are they like him, enjoying this sinful show? Or are they waiting for their turn? He doesn’t know. They’re far too interested in Nicholas to even notice Everett’s presence.
He focuses back on Nicholas. One of the tentacles curled around his head. Everett wonders what it intends to do—a spasm of pleasure runs through his body as the possibilities run in his mind, but none of them come true. The tentacle brushes Nicholas’ hair away from his face, careful and attentive like a lover. Nicholas blinks his eyes open. They glisten under the last rays of sunlight, tears gathering on them. From pain or pleasure, Everett does not know.
All he knows is that he likes that expression, likes the way his eyes unseeingly look at the sky. Nicholas’ skin is covered in sweat and slime, and, oh , does he look beautiful now. His hair is a messy halo around his head, his clothes completely askew as the tentacles touch and force themselves on him, cock red and leaking and ass spread open for Everett’s eyes to see.
Nicholas’ getting close to orgasm. Everett can see it clearly in the contractions of his thighs, in the way his back arches and the teeth sinking into his lower lip. The moans he’s trying so hard to bite back come out in long, stuttering groans that make Everett’s breath hitch. He tightens the hold on his own cock, stroking it faster in rhythm with the tentacles penetrating Nicholas. Every sound reaches Everett’s ears with such striking clarity that if he as much as closes his eyes and pretends he’s there with Nicholas, those red lips are right beside his ear and it’s Everett’s cock deep inside him.
The mental image and the sound of Nicholas’ last moan are all it takes to push Everett over the edge. He covers his mouth as he cums in his hands, semen spreading over his hands and thighs. He pants, closes his eyes shut in a feeble attempt of regaining control of his body. He fails. There’s no stopping the tremors in his body, nor the overwhelming realization of what he just did.
Everett came from watching Nicholas’ suffering. He was aroused by seeing his friend get abused in every sense of the word. He enjoyed every single moment of it.
He swallows, guilt and disgust churning in his stomach. Everett harshly wipes his hands on the grass. He can’t get rid of the cum on his legs: the thick fluid sticks to his skin even as he pulls his pants up to cover his body. There’s no hiding the scent, or the sweat covering his body, and, heavens , just how long did pass already? All sense of time was lost in the filthy, monstrous pleasure that overwhelmed him just a moment ago.
His cock throbs within his pants when he looks at Nicholas again. His body was released from the tentacles’ hold, pliantly lying on the ground. His chest moves fast with his ragged breath and cum still drips from his cock. A thick, blue colored substance covers his face, his chest and drips down from his gaping hole. It takes Everett a moment to realize it’s the tentacles’ semen. Low whimpers escape Nicholas’ mouth, hopeless and weak as the tentacles approach him again. They’re different ones—Everett can tell from the different shades of blue. The ones that watched are now going to claim their turn.
A scream leaves Everett’s lips, a sound awfully similar to Nicholas’ name. He bolts into the clearing, uncaring if Nicholas will realize what he did or not. He touches the man’s arms, trying to help him up, and Nicholas’ hands push him away, panic all over his face now. Everett groans in pain when Nicholas’ nails cut through the skin of his cheeks. Hearing his voice, however, Nicholas suddenly stopped attacking. He blinks up at Everett, finally recognizing him. A myriad of emotions cross his eyes, from pain to relief to humiliation. He holds onto Everett, and the Colonel’s name echoes like a chant in the man’s broken voice; it’s all he can do to hold onto hope, to beg for relief and safety, both of which were stripped from him without any shred of dignity. Everett holds him tighter, raises him from the ground under Nicholas’ quiet, pained whimpers.
The tentacles try to reach out. Everett doesn’t hesitate: he fires his gun against the alien tendrils. They hiss as though they’re in immeasurable pain, a horrifying ballad that follows them out of the forest. Everett doesn’t stop until he’s stepping on the river again, meters of distance from the nearest trees. He sucks in a breath, but it does nothing to quench his burning throat and guilty heart.
Nicholas still holds onto him with shaking hands. His face is hidden on Everett’s chest; Nicholas’ unstoppable tears seep into the fabric of his shirt. Everett can’t let him stay on this planet for one more minute. But just as he resumes his walk, the urgency clear in his steps, Nicholas shudders violently. Everett’s eyes widen. He looks around, unsure of what to do. The sun is setting low and the sky is now becoming a gentle shade of purple. Part of Everett wonders what’s wrong with him if he can still think it’s beautiful.
He places Nicholas on the nearest rock. He kneels in front of the scientist, for the first time noticing something something suspiciously white and thick drip down his thigh amidst the green-ish slime. Everett averts his gaze. He really is a monster, one far worse than he believed to be. Once again he is the reason behind Nicholas’ pain, the reason his body was tainted with an alien's pleasure. Nicholas, who doesn’t even try to cover himself, eyes unfocused and unmoving.
“Rush?” Everett calls. Nicholas’ lips tremble and his brows furrow. He takes a deep breath, forces himself to wipe his own tears.
“Can’t,” his voice is barely audible, raw and weak from moans and screams. Nicholas clears his throat, “Can’t go back like this. Eli...”
Everett needed no more to understand it. Eli, who at this point is Nicholas’ son in all but blood, will surely be devastated if he ever finds out what happened. And Nicholas, all he wants is protect him as much as he possibly can. It’s painfully beautiful, the love these two have for each other. And yet Everett is the only reason Nicholas is going through this too.
“Of course,” he answers, slow and belatedly. He bites his lip. “Do you... need help?” The reluctance in his voice is clear. Everett can’t leave him to tend to himself, given that it’s Everett’s fault that things got so far. He doesn’t feel worthy of ever touching Nicholas, not when he knows he’ll enjoy that too.
Relief floods into him when Nicholas shakes his head. “No. Just... Stay where I can see you. Ok?” Everett nods. There’s no way he can deny that much to Nicholas. He watches the man stand up on wobbly legs. Nicholas hisses at the first step, but one quick signal lets Everett know it’s okay. Nicholas doesn’t want to be touched anymore. It’s all he can do to save whatever is left of his dignity.
Everett stays there, stuck between his desire to join Nicholas and love him, or to turn away and flee for once and all. Nicholas walks a little more down the river, where the water reaches up to his hips. He splashes water on his face first, getting rid of the most obvious marks left by the tentacles. Then, Nicholas moves to his chest. He whines when his fingers brush against his nipples. They’re still puffed and red and, Everett is almost sure, still oversensitive from earlier. Nicholas’ eyes meet Everett’s; even at that distance, Everett can see the fear leaving them. You’re still here, those eyes seem to say, I’m still safe.
Guilt erupts in Everett’s heart. He wants to scream, to beat himself beyond any salvation, to tell Nicholas all the reasons he shouldn’t trust Everett. But the words won’t leave his throat even if he tries and, Everett knows, he just can’t. The truth will destroy everything he and Nicholas built from the beginning, rip any chances their relationship has to grow. And Everett can’t bring himself to give up on Nicholas’ fragile affection.
Greer’s words echo in his mind again. Nicholas is a different person around Everett, but Everett is nothing but a monster around Nicholas.
He swallows. Nicholas’ back is turned to him now and he’s reaching to his entrance. Everett’s breath hitches as he watches Nicholas’ fingers invade him, forcing the slime and cum out of him. He groans and moans, pained little sounds that reflect utter humiliation he must be feeling inside.
Everett averts his gaze. He reaches for the backpack he’s been carrying all along. He wonders just how much out of it he was if the weight, even if light, didn’t bother him up until now. Everett rummages through it to distract himself from Nicholas’ shivering form. Given the short window Destiny gave them to stay on this planet, it was decided it’d be for the best that they kept it simple.
He puts out a bottle of water for and a towel for Nicholas. He doesn’t have any spare clothes this time. Everett silently berates himself for not giving it more thought before. He goes through Nicholas’ clothes, then. The shirt and jacket are completely ruined. The underwear is torn on the left side, probably from when they undressed Nicholas. The pants are usable, despite the stains of slime. He knows Nicholas will be uncomfortable, but it’s for the best, especially if he wants to hide the bruises on his legs from Eli.
When he turns to look at Nicholas again, brown eyes are already fixed on him. Nicholas’ head is tilted to the right, brows slightly furrowed as though he’s deep in thought. Everett’s unsure what to do or think. Nicholas’ expression is unreadable. Even if he looks at him all day, Everett knows he’ll get nothing. When he thinks he can’t stand it anymore, he needs to know , Nicholas shakes his head and pours water over his head one last time.
Everett holds the towel for Nicholas, who accepts it without a word. He doesn’t dare watch as Nicholas dries himself, running the towel over all places Everett wants to touch so desperately. He turns back to his backpack, making sure everything is in order to go back when the time inevitably comes. “We have time,” he says in a low, careful voice. Indeed, they still have about an hour before the Stargate closes again. From here to the gate’s clearing they couldn’t possibly spend more than fifteen minutes. “If you need to stay longer...”
But Nicholas is shaking his head before Everett can finish his sentence. “The last thing I want is to stay here one more minute,” he says in a tone that would be nothing but furious had his voice not been so weak.
No more questions are asked. Nicholas grimaces when he’s forced to put on the soiled pants. When Everett removes his own jacket and offers it to Nicholas, however, he’s met with surprised eyes. Nicholas’ low thank you does not go unheard and Everett’s convinced neither does his rapidly beating heart.
“Y’know, Young, I still believe Destiny’s purpose traveling us through all different Stargates is to teach us about them. But sometimes we don’t just learn about the planets. We learn about ourselves, too.” Nicholas straightens himself up. A low hiss of pain escapes his lips, but that goes unnoticed by Everett.
All he can hear is his own blood rushing in his ears, Nicholas’ begs for help, for anyone, anything to save him, and Everett’s own disgustingly satisfied moans. If he closes his eyes he can still see it, Nicholas surrounded by those blue tentacles, unseeing eyes looking straight at Everett. That’s when he knows that those images and this very day will take form in his nightmares.
“There’s only one question left for us to answer...” Nicholas looks at his eyes, something indescribably dark within them. Because of Everett? Himself? For what happened to him? There’ll never be an answer. Nicholas’ next words hover in the air behind him, following them into the forest. There’s no looking back, only the all-consuming darkness ahead of them.
Can you face what you learned... Colonel Young?