fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

He was right about the switch, and she took as much comfort in that as she did in the touch to her hair, her eyes drifting shut as she savored that small physical show of affection. Despite what her earlier outburst might have conveyed, she did enjoy Todd's company, even craved it when he wasn't around. It didn't always have to be just the two of them, but it was certainly moments like these with only them that meant the most to her.

She'd said earlier that she understood that the queen would need more time with him, but that didn't mean she wasn't worried about how little time that might allow for her to spend with him. Sure, there would be times during the day that they would see each other, but moments like this alone together might become few and far between. She would continue to understand, she knew how the relationship between a queen and commander worked, but she'd mourn the loss of having him close so often.

Rogue reached out to touch his cheek for a moment, smoothing her thumb along his skin before running her fingertips down his neck, following the water trails down to his chest.

The wraith leaned into the touch and then started purring contently as she caressed her hand down his neck to his chest. While there was a lot left ahead of them, it'd been a little while since they had such time together, one or the other too exhausted or too mentally stretched to do more than wrap an arm around the other before falling asleep.

And while it was no secret that affection was hard to coax from a wraith, Todd sure did enjoy her touching him.

Rogue enjoyed touching him just as much if not more than he enjoyed it. Part of it was being able to touch anyone without hurting them, but most of the pleasure she derived from it was purely based on the fact that it was Todd she was touching. That he was allowing her to touch him when that honor was granted to few others.

She set her other hand on his chest as well before sweeping her fingers up along his chest to his shoulders, her touch firm but gentle, just this side of a massage really. That purring sound he made was one of the most amazing things she'd ever heard in her life.

They still had a long way to go until things on the hive became "normal", as such, moments like this helped reduce his stress. Getting lost in her warmth and light touch helped relieve a lot of that.

Still, they were wasting water, even with the new shower system.

He grunted his thanks and moved out from under the spray to fetch the soap, returning and offering to do her back first.

She'd be glad to know that she was helping him, even just by being close to him to relieve some some of his stress, which she knew could be considerable. Rogue owed Todd so much, but beyond that she just genuinely wanted to help him in whatever way she could.

She smiled at the offer and turned to put her back to him, pulling her hair out of the way. When he was finished, she'd return the favor, though she wouldn't be able to pay as much attention to the cartilage over his spine as she would normally like because of being mindful of the water they were using. She'd fix that later, though.

He massaged the soap into her skin, the simple act of spending time with Rogue like this very calming indeed. There was much on his mind.

"What do you plan on doing while in Atlantis?" he asked.

He estimated they could be there for a month or more depending on how poorly or how well the gene therapy worked on the queen and the side effects that would undoubtedly come to light. He'd likely spend a good portion of that time in the beginning by her side and simultaneously working with doctors Keller and Beckett on the serum for the Drones if they had not yet completed it by the time they returned.

She wouldn't have to be confined to Atlantis, she could spend time on the hive on her own with the rest of the crew, but he had plans for most of them while they were parked in orbit. He hoped to convince McKay to work with his crew and try to bring the hive up to its maximum potential. Despite the gene therapy, it was unlikely he'd give them intergalactic hyperdrive capabilities but at least another set of eyes-and ideas-on figuring out power consumption and hull strength to give the hive an upper hand in a hive-to-hive fight would be most helpful.

Because, as much as he didn't want to, they had to start engaging enemy hive ships and put an end to this civil war eventually. The more advantages their hive had, the better. And they could pass along those upgrades to the rest of the alliance fleet too.

He'd also have a group of his crew focus on the life of gardening and farming by working with some of Atlantis' people on the mainland. They were going to be spending a lot of time around Atlantis, best make the most of it and ensure the likelihood of mutiny stays low by keeping the crew busy.

Having him wash her back was as soothing as it always have, his touch and those smooth motions easing away her mental aches and pains. The physical ones were still there, though, and she feel the bruises really starting to set in from their spar. He was lucky to heal so quickly, but she'd be sore for days. Not that she regretted a moment of it.

"I hadn't really thought about it," she admitted, glancing back over her shoulder at him. "I'll probably train with Teyla whenever she has the time, but beyond that... I don't know. Everyone has jobs to do, but I'm just kind of useless on Atlantis."

She knew that Todd and the others would likely be busy for most of the time they were there, and she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. Being useful and not getting in the way - it was her main instinct, and now that he'd asked, she was starting to worry about how things would go in the ancient city.

"Do you have any suggestions?" she asked him hopefully.

After the suds were gone, he finally came up with a few ideas.

"Sparring with those that wish to." he said. Sparring with humans was far different than Wraith. Mostly because it was more dangerous. If she lost control and touched a Wraith, he'd just walk it off, a human, well, they'd end up in a coma. As such, sparring with Teyla and Ronon and the like would put her ability under strain and thus ensure she could control that switch within her even at such times.

"Learning Lantean." he added as he handed her the soap to return the back-washing favor. There were several books in his collection that were written in the language of the Ancients or Lanteans-spoils of war-learning their language would give her a broader scope of what she could read on the hive, and also perhaps some on Atlantis itself. If she learned enough in the relatively short time they were there she might even be allowed on the Lantean database.

She took the soap and set to washing his back, firm but gentle strokes and a little extra attention to the cartilage over his spine. Just a little though, couldn't waste too much water.

"They're good suggestions, thank you," she acknowledged after mulling them over a bit. Sparring with others would not only help with control over her powers, but also just to keep her in shape. Todd would likely be busy, and Teyla was an active member of Sheppard's team - she doubted they would be grounded as they were last time, since fewer wraith would be in the city.

She didn't know if it would be enough, though. Just sparring and learning a new language, struggling through books. After a while, it was likely to get boring and monotonous, especially if they were at Atlantis for a long period of time. But that was a bridge to be conquered later, she supposed.

It was likely she'd find other things to do in her time on Atlantis. Perhaps, like he had chess, find a game to play. For now, that was all he could come up with.

He closed his eyes as she scrubbed and washed his back. While the shower did allow for less water consumption, it was nowhere near as good as a full soak in a bath. Still, her fingers felt wonderful on his ridged spine.

Chess. Now there was an idea, one that she would think of when they got to Atlantis and she wandered past the place where she'd watched him play. Chess was a piece of home, a connection to her past, and one that she would kick ass at. It would be a good way to pass the time.

She smoothed the water down over his skin, rinsing away the last of the suds before stepping to his side. "I'll give you a massage later," she told him with a small smile, reaching over to run a finger over one of those ridges. "Give special attention to these. I think you could use it after the last few days."

He cocked his head, back arching a bit as she did that, then he chuckled. "You're too good to me" he grinned.

He shut the water off and gave her a towel before getting one himself. He rubbed his hair until it too was only damp, using his fingers to comb through it, but after replacing her braids and knots, he did no more with it.

He recalled the other day when he bathed with the queen shortly after coming on board, her tub water was stained gray from the blood in her hair that had been her own by the time they'd finished.

Finished drying off, he sat down in bed, waiting for Rogue, and also thinking about when his queen wanted to start creating offspring. Usually it was one of the first things discussed when a new queen came on board a new hive and yet she had not brought it up in their time together. It was for the best that they wait anyway. While increasing their numbers would be a priority, they had to know if the gene therapy was passed onto young or not, so it would have to wait until after she was inoculated and cleared of side-effects.

Rogue grinned herself at his words, glad to have that sort of reaction from him. There were few things that she could do for him, at least in her opinion, and she enjoyed being able to do what she could, even if it was as simple as this.

Drying off, she watched him replace her braids and wondered idly if the queen was at all bothered by her relationship with the commander. The queen was young and clearly uncertain about things, and Rogue didn't have a clue how she might perceive the arrangement they had. As had been pointed out, she wasn't a worshipper, her place among the wraith entirely unique for a human, and she truly hoped the queen would never feel threatened by her.

She squeezed out the last bits of water from her hair and combed it with her fingers as he had, though her hair would dry in a much more orderly fashion than his. The towel was hung up before she joined him on the bed, carefully replacing the single braid that he had given her. Watching him for a moment, she quietly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

As everyone could sleep with anyone on the ship, with the exception of the queen, it was unlikely that, even a unique female human like Rogue would be considered a threat just because she was sleeping with the commander. So long as the sex didn't interfere with Todd's work-which it hadn't-she'd likely never bring it up with either party.

"Just about the queen, what still lies ahead..." he grunted, then added, "What's on the menu for dinner tomorrow..." he smiled then settled to lay on his stomach so she could do his back.

"Have you thought of any names for her?" he asked, remembering the queen was leaning towards having one.

Edited 2016-02-02 05:04 (UTC)

What would be on the menu. How mundane it sounded, how normal after the tense situations they'd been dealing with the past two days.

Moving to kneel beside him on the bed, which was a little difficult with the way the bed moved beneath them, she began by simply running her fingers along his back, feeling out those familiar lines of muscle. The easiest thing would be to sit on his lower back to effectively reach everything, but with that ridged spine, it wouldn't really work, so she'd just have to make do.

"Victoria would be my first choice," she told him, adding a firm pressure to her motions, just pushing on the muscle that had already healed from their spar but still deserved to be tended to. "I don't know how much you know of Earth's history, hell I don't even know if it's the same with this Earth, but in my world Victoria was the longest reigning Queen of the United Kingdom, and one of the most renowned queens in history. During her reign, she expanded the British Empire and brought peace and prosperity to her people. It seemed like a fitting choice for your new queen, and I thought it might bring her a little confidence when dealing with Atlantis."

The Wraith got up after a moment, realizing her problem. He tossed a few pillows and blankets on the floor and laid down on those instead. Nowhere near as mushy as the bed but at least now he was at a more reasonable height for her and he wasn't moving around so much due to the liquid mattress.

"Victoria..." he repeated as she returned to working on a healed area. Thus far all those with names were short and simple, though probably meant something to Sheppard. Having something a little more regal might be better for her.

"Sounds like a good one. But I have no idea how she'd like that. Any others in the event she wants another choice?" he asked.

Ah, yes, being on the solid floor made things much easier. It was better for leaning over him, allowed her more control of the distribution of pressure when she wasn't having to leverage herself quite so much.

"There are a few others, more historical names that will sound strong to the people from Earth," she answered, moving down to his lower back and concentrating her efforts on the muscles over his ribs, which were some of the more difficult to work on because of how little give there was around them. "She needs a strong name, not something like Nancy or Amanda. Even Marie is a little weak, and it was a popular name in the European courts, with Maria and Mary as variations." She was quiet for a moment, then added, "I'd thought of Elizabeth, another equally strong and powerful queen in history, but I know there was an Elizabeth on Atlantis and that... things were complicated, so that's not really the best option for her."

"Doctor Elizabeth Weir" he confirmed. He never actually met the woman but Sheppard spoke highly of her and he'd heard her voice when he'd been...interrogating, the colonel when they first met in the Genii cells. He wondered if naming the queen Elizabeth would be an insult or a good memorial for the woman that had done much for the city before her death at the hands of the Replicators.

He decided to not dip into such sensitive waters and wouldn't add it to the list.

Todd let out a long groan as she worked a particularly tough knot out of his muscles. This felt amazing. He'd have to return the favor...

It was good that he didn't decide to add it to the list. With the way a number of people on Atlantis still felt about wraith in general at this point in time, such a move would undoubtedly be seen as an insult more than anything. Maybe in another few decades things might be different, but for now that was just how it was.

Giving massages like this had always been a favorite thing for Rogue, even when she'd had to do it wearing gloves, which was infinitely more difficult. She'd had a special, textured set made just for using with Remy, who tended to get banged up and bruised more than most people, but being able to use her bare hands changed everything. It was easier to feel that tension in the muscles, to focus the pressure on the knot until it began to ease and loosen, and that groan was exactly the sign she needed to know it was working as it should.

When she'd finished with the more noticeable spots, she finally moved to the top of his spine, just as she'd promised. Light, smooth strokes over those sensitive ridges, circling her fingertips over and around them, listening for his reaction so she'd know what method to continue with as she worked her way down to the base.

After all the knots had been worked out of his back and she moved onto caressing his spine as she did, he closed his eyes, focus shifting from thinking about everything to just her fingers along his back.

Like everything else, it felt really good.

When Rogue had finished, he rolled over onto his back to look at her. "Where'd you learn that, might I ask?" His fingers caressed her thigh then tugged her hand lightly to get her to lay down with him. Or on him, didn't matter.

She let him tug her down, curling up at his side but laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm across his chest. To say she wasn't quite ready to stop touching him would be an understatement.

"Kind of all over the place, I guess," she answered as she relaxed against him. "There are businesses on Earth devoted to massage, either for pleasure and relaxation or as a form of physical therapy. I studied a bit of the therapeutic aspects when I was training, and I ended up using it on Remy pretty often. He was an amazing fighter himself, and quick on his feet, but could also be pretty reckless, which got him into a lot of scrapes."

If only she'd had more of those kinds of days with him. She regretted so much how long she'd kept him at arm's length, all that time they could have spent together - wasted.

The benefit and curse of hindsight. You know what you missed out on before, best not make the same mistake twice and waste it again.

He lay looking at the ceiling awhile, the hazy blue light casting its usual strange shadows everywhere. He looked forward to when they could stand still long enough to appreciate the sky.

Fingers caressed her skin lightly for a bit before he should return the favor before the day caught up with him...and because he wanted to. He sat up, withdrawing from her. "Lay on your back up on the bed, close to the edge." he said, a mischievous glint in his gold eyes.

She'd be glad as well when they could enjoy the stars again. She didn't mind that blue light, but there was nothing quite like being close to Todd under all those beautiful pinpricks of light.

There was a playfully suspicious look in response to his instructions, but she did as told, laying down and then arching an eyebrow at him expectantly. She had absolutely no idea what he was planning, and she was kind of okay with that. Surprises weren't always a bad thing, after all.

Edited (ello weird typos...) 2016-02-04 03:50 (UTC)

Todd sat up on his knees and walked over to the side of the bed, tugging her by the ankle, he pulled her around, her hips right at the edge. He settled between her legs, pressing a kiss to her stomach and then nipping the skin. His hands caressed along her ribs and up to squeeze her breasts. No prizes for what he had in store for her tonight.

He enjoyed sex with her, and, as soon to be accomplished, eating her out. It was a far different experience than any he'd had with any queen or worshiper. And as she had so little gratifying sexual contact since her powers manifested, he was under the impression she enjoyed it immensely.

His impression was entirely accurate. She adored all the intimacies shared with Todd, especially full sex, but this particular act was at the top of her favorites list. He was incredibly skilled with those lips and tongue, and it was never very long before he had her practically melting at his touch.

Just knowing what he was about to do had her body reacting in anticipation, that nip on her stomach and the squeezing to her breasts already eliciting a quiet moan of pleasure from her. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve this treat, but she'd gladly do it again.

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