&fic;

 

B/Side

by sugargroupie

NC-17, 1040 words

Summary: he forgets that he's on borrowed time.

Disclaimer: Not mine; O'Bannon, Henson, Kemper, et. al.

Notes: I should clarify that this story is a sequel to Walking Underwater, now archived here. Second part of the cheat!smut verse, set during Terra Firma. No beta for this, so the blame is solely mine. This is birthday smut for StarsGoBlue.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

12:09 a.m.

He follows Aeryn up to her room, leaving wet footprints in their wake as they walk silently through the kitchen and up the stairs. There should be small-talk of some kind, or nervous laughter. Under different circumstances, John would take her hand in his and play with her fingers; back her up against the wall and kiss her neck, whisper corny sweet-nothings that makes her laugh and call him Crichton in a way that doesn't pare him down to the bone.

He says nothing, they don't touch.

Aeryn keeps a slow and steady gait down the hall to her room but John keeps watch, half-expecting D'Argo or Chiana to poke their heads out of their rooms and catch them red-handed. John Crichton sneaking some nookie with his girl... who isn't his girl, and fuck, this is confusing.

John shuts the bedroom door, leans his weight into it and watches Aeryn in all her barely contained energy. She's pacing, and he wonders if she realizes it; wonders what she's thinking about. Does she regret what happened, is she going to pull away again?

"Aeryn."

She meets his gaze full-on, and it's now or nothing. John pushes away from the door, takes his time closing the distance between them. Aeryn doesn't meet him halfway this time but the challenge in her eyes is still there.

"John. Why are you here?"

It's really on the tip of his tongue to be a smart-ass, but he didn't come here to fight. Aeryn's never been one to mince words... there's a deliberateness to her question, a purpose that he can't charm and talk his way around answering.

He sighs, rubs the back of his neck. "I just wanna spend some time, Aeryn. It's been a long few days, haven't seen you around much."

"And when that time is up," she asks quietly.

"Short term, I don't know. There's... a lot going on here, babe." John lets the silence settle over them for a minute before continuing. "Long term, we can talk about that later. I just need to take things one day at a time right now."

Aeryn seems to process his words like she does everything else lately -- silently, intense, focused. She works it out in her head, says "I'm here" in that quiet, all-knowing tone again, and John expels a breath of relief.

His thumbs hook into the waistband of her pants and he pulls her closer until their hips bump. He feels her forehead against his, warm breath on his face, and he knows this is the moment he's been searching for since they arrived on Earth.

She kisses the corner of his mouth, slides her lips fully onto his and John can't help but hold on tighter. This is his reprieve.

1:46 a.m.

He's working his way down Aeryn's body and back up again, each touch and kiss coming back to him like sense memory. What she likes, what makes her lapse into complete Sebacean gibberish and beat her fist against his back. John savors the feel of his hands wrapped around her thighs, licking and sucking until her legs squeeze and shudder around his head.

He's got plenty of time left and he's just getting started.

2:27 a.m.

Her hips rock back easily, deliberately, into his as she balances her hands on his thighs and pushes her weight into each lazy thrust. His own body is slick with sweat -- hers, his, theirs. John's knees dig into the mattress as he bends forward, slinks one hand to her belly and down to hold her right there -- and the angle is perfect as he thrusts into her; dragging fast breaths from Aeryn and deep groans from himself.

He nuzzles the side of her neck, inhales the sex on her skin feels the grin in her kiss as she bears down on him. Aeryn plays dirty, but he can hang with the best of them. John tickles the inside of her thighs with his fingers, spreads her legs wider and strokes her despite her own hands clawing at his to pull them away.

"Let go, Aeryn," he murmurs with a light chuckle, and she tips over the edge with a muffled frell in his ear.

4:02 a.m.

John concentrates on the lines of her back, traces his fingers along the curves of muscle that flare into sexy hips and an ass he's spent a lot of time grabbing onto throughout the night. He is determined to enjoy the moment and not think about the last time he and Aeryn shared the same bed.

"What are you doing?"

His fingers halt mid-word. "Nothin'."

"Tell me."

"Writing you a message," he says finally.

Aeryn rolls over on her side, mouth turned up in humor despite the skeptical gaze. "But I can't know what it says?"

"Time and patience, baby." He kisses the tip of her nose and then her lips, teasing her with his tongue until she allows him entry into her mouth. It's an obvious distraction, one that he expects Aeryn to call him on, but she just stares at him with a slow smile and shoves him playfully on his back.

"Ready for another round, Ms. Sun?"

She answers with her mouth and hands, and John forgets that he's on borrowed time.

5:29 a.m.

He comes for the last time that night with Aeryn stretched out on top of him, and the tension immediately bleeds back into his shoulders. She kisses him like she wants to crawl inside his body and stay there, and John wraps one arm around her waist, threads his fingers through her hair. He doesn't say I love you, but he thinks it -- traces it on the small of her back with his other secrets.

"You should go," she finally whispers against his mouth.

John nods and slips from the bed, begins dressing quietly, movements clumsy from sex and a lack of sleep. He kneels in front of Aeryn, brushes her hair back from her face and gives her a brief kiss. As he stands, she catches his hand and swirls her thumb in his palm, leaving him her own message.

"I'll be here," she says and he takes his cue to leave.

*

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