Last blessed task of the day--

[lt_col_sheppard]

John was grinning widely by the time he got out of the infirmary, hair and clothes rumpled, cheeks pink. Carson and he had decided to start the foreplay parts of the honeymoon early, and that suited John juuuust fine. He'd almost hated to cut it short, but the night was wearing on, and he had one more stop to make. Rae was probably still asleep

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[engineer_radek]

Radek went from sound asleep to wide awake as soon as the door opened. By the time the figure was in the doorway, his knife was in his hand under the pillow. He still appeared asleep, his limbs still loose, but another move from the figure in the doorway and they would find a knife inbedded in their heart.

[lt_col_sheppard]

John can tell Radek's awake by the way his breathing changes, from smooth and deep to slightly quicker, more erratic. His lover still lies still and limp beneath the covers, looking all the world like a deeply sleeping man to anyone who hadn't spent the last few years draped over that particular sleeping form. He can't count the nights he's fallen asleep to the soft sound of Radek's breath.

He smiles, wondering at the feigned sleep, head tipping to the side as he steps forward, ready to fall to his knees beside the bed, nuzzle at his lover's warm shoulder. He's already walking through the proposal in his head, his grin widening as he moves.

[engineer_radek]

The figure steps into the room. That is all Radek needs to know. He's sitting up, his arm coming from under the pillow. He sees who it is just as he releases the knife. He tries to flick it away, a twitch of his fingers before it's released, but it doesn't quite make it. John has the good sense to help by ducking but it's too little, too late.

The knife embeds itself in the wall behind John, but not before slicing a razor-thin line at the juncture between shoulders and neck on John's left side. It doesn't hurt at first, though it starts bleeding immediately. The pain comes when John moves, straightening after the blade passes.

Radek's out of bed and reaching for the undershirt on the floor to stem the blood before the knife stops quivering. //John, love, you idiot! Do they teach you Americans nothing about living with another soldier?!// He reaches up and covers the wound, which is two inches long, with his shirt. It quickly stains red and Radek curses under his breath in Czech as he guides John to sit on the bed.

[lt_col_sheppard]

The metallic rasp is familiar, and John's overexcited brain takes a moment to connect the way Radek's hand is extending with the soft "whoosh" of the knife slicing through the air. He curses himself for a moment, then amends it--was he supposed to be afraid of Radek now