Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

John Sheppard's POV

He woke to a grey cell and groaned, his head was throbbing. The last thing he remembered was the Genni people. Son of a bitch. They were pretending to be helpless; it was all an act. His thoughts scrambled by the thrumming of his heart beating between his ears.

Glancing around he didn't see anything that would help him escape so he sat up, half surprised to find he was not restrained just locked inside of a cell from the looks of it. The cell beside his was empty but the blood pooling the floor suggested someone had been there recently as it had not dried to the concrete like flooring yet.

Footsteps were approaching but turned off before reaching his cell. Two guards if the echos had been right, they didn't walk in synchrony so it was easier to count. One of the two had a limp, the foot dragged more than once that he had heard. Given the small time frame of steps heard he would guess there was a corridor nearby that went to the main corridor. But he didn't really know the layout as he had been brought into the joint when he had been unconscious.

He stood and checked the cell and found no points that would easily break down the door or the bars that kept him inside, they were not rusted nor did the hinges have easily removable hardware. They would have to let him out or he would have to try to escape when they were coming into the cell, he noted with a bit of aggravation. On the plus side his team had made it to safety as they were not here and they had been going for the gate when he had stumbled upon the Genni secret if he recalled correctly. It was a little fuzzy around the edges.

Hearing footsteps again he turned towards the cell door in a way that guaranteed his back was covered, by the solid stone wall behind to the left and right of him. It still allowed him to move around freely but he didn't have to worry about someone coming up behind him and getting a lucky shot in, if it turned into a fight.

Two soldiers came into view and he braced his feet slightly better.

“You will come with us voluntarily or you will be sedated. What will it be?” The shorter of the two barked at him.

Glaring at them he stepped forward and wasn't too surprised when the other jumped him. He threw a punch in return but he was trying not to get sedated as knowing the layout of the place would be more useful than being an unruly idiot. That did not mean that he liked it or that it came naturally to him as the fact he was being forced into a corridor wasn't his idea of a good day.

There was a room up ahead and he saw a wraith who looked like it had been through a tough go and he cringed. If it was hungry then it was a threat and it looked like hell had paid them a visit.

Koyla barked a few questions at him that he refused to answer. "Where is your base?" The man waited a moment before demanding an answer, “Tell me or you will not like what happens next."

“Never.” He spat at the man. Sheppard would not betray his people, not now and not ever if he could prevent it and he sure as hell could prevent it here.

“Remove the shackle.” Koyla said.

The dread in the pit of his stomach grew as the wraith was brought towards him and the cuff removed, but there was no way to avoid what was about to happen. He could not escape, the guards held him in place and there were others in the room. Overpowering them was out of the question even if he could get out of the hold.

Pain hit him hard as the creature latched onto his chest. Its eyes met his for a moment before the guards yanked it away from him. The wraith's hand let go easier than he would have thought possible, perhaps it was weakened?

Its hand was secured quickly, probably before it had a chance to reorient itself and attack them for interrupting a meal. Oddly enough he didn't feel as drained as he thought he would be, the ache of the mark and a sluggishness was there, but it wasn't like he had been turned into a bag of bones like the colonel. Flashes of that played through his mind as he was dragged back to his cell. His legs felt a little numb, it was strange.

He leaned against the wall and rested his eyes for a few moments, but he had the feeling of being watched. His eyes snapped open and he saw the same wraith from earlier was standing in the other cell watching him quietly. It was creepy.

It held a hand out towards him through the bars, it was not the one held within a metal shackle to keep him from feeding. He didn't know why it was reaching out towards him. Anything that crossed his mind wasn't a good scenario as they hadn't had a positive encounter with the species ever.

The wraith gestured with its hand for him to approach which sure in hell wasn't happening. Especially when it's movements were spastic.

“No, I am not a walking happy meal.” Sheppard bit out through clenched teeth as the wound left from the feeding felt like a coal had been left on his chest. It hurt more as time passed, the numbing agent wearing off and leaving behind a sharp pain.

His eyes darted around as he wondered what exactly was going on here. It wasn't lining up. Why did they have a wraith in their hold, why did it feed when freed? Why did it look like hell? He hadn't seen one quite like that one before, it seemed to be weakened. Perhaps even starved, it hadn't said anything which wasn't too surprising as the wraith were not a chatty bunch unless they were going to taunt you with death in his experience.

The wraith made a noise that sounded like a rumble, if it was a cat he would say it was an apologetic purr, but it was not. It was a wraith and that meant that the noise was probably a threat. S.o.p said avoid unneeded threats and that is what he planned to do. He closed his eyes for a moment knowing they would be back sooner or later, and then a round two would begin. Although he didn't know if the wraith would be involved or if they would find a different way to try to crack him.

He stayed on his side of the cell and kept an eye on it and the door in-between slow blinks as he was trying to gather some energy to the front of his mind as it would take his people a while to find this place and that was assuming that Koyla didn't just kill him when they went to retrieve him. The man strikes him as the sort to remove a threat by taking out what one was there to retrieve.

They left no man behind, that was
knowledge that brought him comfort anytime something happened as it was something that even Weir believed in now, although it had taken her a while to come around to their way of thinking.

They were coming; it would just take them a while to get here and plan accordingly. That was something he had zero doubts about. They were not sloppy. It would take time and while he was having years drained off of him, he just didn't know how many as it wasn't like there was a mirror around to taunt him with it further.

The wraith made another noise and he glanced up to see it was leaning against the bars now, but its focus on him had not wavered. He wondered if it was keeping an eye on what it considered to be its food. Sheppard went back to trying to ignore the outstretched hand. The silent request for something that he didn't know what was and he had no urge to be stupid enough to find out. His mama hadn't raised an idiot. He knew the damage one could do even without the feeding hand in play.

Chapter Text

Todd's POV

The fear in the room was palatable, it drew him in as meals were few and far between. Koyla didn't want to risk him getting his strength back and killing them to escape. So he was left in a constant state of barely living, of barely getting enough years to see him through to the next feeding. The shackle was removed and he didn't hesitate to latch onto the man before him, who wasn't as terrified as most humans in his position would be. He smelled far more anger on him than anything else, that and distrust, it was most unusual. 

Sheppard was the name they had called the human by his brain supplied as the first taste of the man's life hit him. His eyes dilated briefly as it rolled over his tongue like an ambrosia would. Mate, his mind screamed at him. His feeding slowed down drastically as he would not risk hurting them, no matter how hungry he was. They would need to escape, but he didn't know how. He was ripped away moments later, bringing the urge to fight and protect to the forefront of his mind, but his hand was once again shackled by the time the shock of it wore off.

His eyes never left the dark haired human as he was dragged out of the room. He wondered if the other could feel it as well, if he knew that he had slowed the feeding once he had known. His throat dryer than the dried up riverbeds of the many human worlds, stomach clenching as the ever burning fire of hunger struck him once again, it had been his constant companion for years.

Once in his cell again he went to the window between cells and stood watching the man who looked tired. He hadn't removed many years from him, but the process was still harsh on one's body, especially if they were not prepared for it in advance. There were things one could do to make it less painful, not that Koyla cared or knew about them. Comfort was not the goal for Koyla; only answers and power were.

His mate was in the cell a cross from him and he couldn't get to him. He rumbled in displeasure. The man looked up at him with warm brown eyes that were skittish, more so when it hit him that it was a wraith staring at him. His hand extended out hoping that he would approach so that he could try to connect their minds even if only briefly. His throat was damaged and he had not fed well enough to repair it in many years.

The human was ignoring him or trying to and he couldn't blame them, not when their first meeting had been a feeding. It wasn't the best way to start out with another, even if it had been another wraith it would cause trouble, possibly more so if it was another of his kind.

It was a while before he rumbled softer in apology for what he had done, although he doubted the human would understand as they tended to be unusually fond of words and did not always understand actions. Especially if they were scared.

His thoughts slowly getting more basic as the distance between them seemed to grow. The urge to protect and provide and feed swirling together and forming something of a mess he hadn't felt before. Primitive came to mind but he wasn't sure that it applied.

The urge to cling to Sheppard and never turn loose was strong. But it would have been, even without this. Wraith were rather clingy to their mates for the first while before it faded enough that they could stand to be apart, but it was worse when one was human or a weaker species in general. Their safety was harder to ensure than one of their brethren.

It wasn't too long before they were dragged out again, this time he went more willingly as it meant that Sheppard wouldn't be alone with the Genii even if at this point there wasn't much that he could do to help. This wasn't a situation that one typically met their mate in.

The second feeding was worse for him as he didn't want to latch onto the man, but If he didn't do what Koyla wanted then they would both be in trouble, but he could drain as slowly as possible. He did not want to hurt Sheppard anymore than he had to to keep them both alive. He brushed his hand over the previous mark once before latching, his hand throbbing from the need to feed, as the taste that was Sheppard washed over him once again. He was pulled back before long, but his hand had been unlatched for a few moments beforehand. They shackled his feeding hand aggressively once again.

His momentary hesitation was noted as while he was feeding Koyla said, “next one is in a week. It seems he isn't so hungry, or perhaps the human leaves a bad taste in his mouth.”

There was laughter from a few of the guards and he growled lowly, staying between them and Sheppard as much as possible until he was dragged out of the room and back to his cell.

“Toss them together, I'm curious who will try to kill the other first.” Koyla said with a smirk, “plus it seems that the wraith thinks he can protect his meal. Food aggression is really unbecoming of you.”

Together, that would be better, a part of his mind screamed, while the other part knew that it wouldn't end well. Not because he was hungry or the human feared him, but because Koyla would use the man against him if given the chance. Must protect mate.

Sheppard was put into his cell first and scrambled to his feet as he was tossed to the floor. The man headed for a corner and he approved it would make for easier defense.

It would make it easier to protect his human.

Chapter Text

“Next time they come, let's fight back.” Sheppard said while looking at the wraith who had hesitated to feed for some reason. He wasn't sure if it felt bad, or if it just thought he tasted bad. If it was the latter he would be happy as he didn't like the thought of being a wraiths idea of dinner or a walking happy meal.

The wraith was still watching him like a hawk. It was weird, especially when the wraith was staying closer to the door. Like it was trying to protect him or something. It made him wonder if he was a guarded cheeseburger to it, or if something else was going on here, it was kinda hard to gauge when there was no communication between them.

It didn't seem to do more than glance over at him as he suggested they make a break for it, he wasn't sure if it was a good sign or not. He added, “My people will come for me, but they need time. Time that we don't have in here. If we get out we may escape.”

The main problem was he did not know the layout, “You wouldn't know the layout of this place by chance would you?” He didn't expect a reply so he was surprised when the man nodded and made a few gestures that didn't exactly make sense to him.

He tilted his head to the side and observed, but it wasn't really clarifying anything, especially since he could only see the one hand and the wraith was trying to communicate with both of them. Probably forgetting that one had been entirely covered in a metal shackle to ensure that it could not feed until the Genii wanted it to do so.

“Not sure what that means, but I'll take it as a confirmation.” Sheppard said wearily as it was a leap of faith and in his experience that usually got him burned, but staying here and awaiting rescue didn't seem like an option. He was a wraith snack here unless he gave up information he never would part with, and even if he did they would just kill him. He had no doubt of that.

Pain radiated out from the latch mark on his chest, although it hadn't stayed attached to him as long as it could have. Which left him even more confused by this whole situation. As it did not seem to be acting in a way that suggested it hated him.

The wraith gestured again, this time towards the cot in the cell and he figured it was telling him to sleep but he sure n heck wasn't sleeping with that thing in a cell with him. He didn't have a death wish.

The only reason he offered for them to work together was that he didn't think that it wanted to stay here either, so he figured they had a common goal. One that would be beneficial for both sides, once they were out he figured there was a higher chance it would try to kill him. But his own odds improved as one enemy he could hide from, the Genni however would be harder to escape and hide from. Not impossible just harder.

“Not particularly tired,” it was a lie, he was exhausted, but he was still within operating parameters. He was used to pulling long shifts, he could handle this as well, he didn't have much of a choice in it either unless he wanted to risk a nap.

The wraith tilted its head with narrowed eyes that made him think that it knew he wasn't being the most upfront about it. It moved towards him and he backed away, keeping a side open to dart if needed, he didn't know its intentions and wraiths were not a species that he saw as friendly on the best of days, they just tended to want to kill them. While he would have preferred to hold his ground, he would rather have the distance in-between them for now.

It stopped in its tracks and went back towards the door, seemingly agitated about something. Then he noticed the footsteps as well. It sounded like eight of them, which was not odds he was particularly fond of, so he hoped they weren't about to try to escape.

They didn't open the cell door, they just scooted a plate through the slot with a container of water.

“For the human rat.” The guard who had placed it said as he snatched his limbs back, and the group walked off.

Sheppard didn't exactly trust Koyla not to have put something in it, so he planned to ignore it for now. He still had a few rations that he kept in his boot, for when shit really hit the fan, this qualified for that. Water however, he didn't have on him so at some point he would have to risk it, if they didn't escape before then.

The wraith gestured towards the tray. He shook his head and sat with his back to the wall. Observing, but more importantly listening for footsteps and anything that could give him a clue on what to expect.

He looked over at the wraith who was closer now and trying to pass over the container that held water. “Nope, if you want it you can have it.”

The wraith's eyes widened almost comically, like he had said something important.

He tilted his head and wondered if they even needed to drink or if he had just offended the guy. It didn't take long to have the answer to that as the wraith took the lid off and drank about half of it in one go. He was tempted for a moment to remind him that drinking it fast was a bad idea before he remembered that technically that may not be true for the wraith.

That answers that question, but it did make him wonder if the Genii was aware of the fact that wraith drank water or if they had been leaving the guy to heal from dehydration repeatedly. Mentally he made a note to share water as he would rather it rebuild its strength via other means then feeding. What he did not expect was for it to sit down next to him. He went to scoot, but it followed, since it didn't seem to be trying to actively kill him he guessed there was a truce in place between them for now.

It held the water out towards him again and he debated for a moment before shaking his head. The fact that it didn't get ill did not mean that it was poison free, but they did seem keen on keeping him alive.

The wraith grew more insistent by trying to shove the canister into his hand. He finally took it from it and took a small sip, it didn't taste bad, but he knew not all things left a flavor behind. Sheppard handed it back over and laughed when it was the one not to take it from him. He didn't know why he found it funny, only that it was hilarious to him. Glaring when the wraith tried to pass the bowl of well he wasn't sure what that was in truth, over to him. It got the hint after a couple attempts and ceased it's attempts.

He took another swig nearly an hour later, the wraith's thigh still beside his, it was odd being this close to one who wasn't actively trying to kill him. A few moments later he sighed and said, “It will probably be a few before we escape or get rescued.” More to break the silence than to actually convey something important.

Silence was not something that he enjoyed as it was associated with things going wrong. Then again, this whole mission had gone wrong. He did not feel like he had aged much, but given it had latched to him twice he was fairly certain it was just a matter of time before he felt the effects. Well, other than the dull aching of his joints that seemed to be setting in. It was easy enough to ignore for now, but he knew it wouldn't stay that way if it kept growing.

Each feeding for his cellmate left him weaker and one step closer to his ultimate demise. He didn't want to think about it, but it was not exactly something he could just forget given everything that both he and his team had seen. The men that had been on the brink of death and begging for a mercy that operation procedures prohibited.

Eventually the silence led to him deciding to pace for some noise, plus it would help him think. He had never been one to stay still for long, especially when out on a mission and not back on Atlantis where he belongs. He went to stand and felt a hand wrapped around one of his wrist, he faced the wraith with narrowed eyes. The grip wasn't painful, but it was firm and he didn't particularly like the fact it had its hand wrapped around his wrist. Especially since he knew just how easily human bones broke and how strong a wraith could be.

The wraith just pulled slightly like it wanted him to sit again and he debated between whether or not it was worth causing a scene. If it wanted him to stay seated there may have been a reason for it. Even if he didn't like the insinuation that it could pick for him. He was quite capable of defending himself, just not necessarily without a weapon on hand when it came to the wraith. It wasn't like he knew their weak points inside and out, he wasn't one of them. Nor did he want to be.

He plopped back down and it released his wrist but its hand did seem to be drifting closer to him. He glared at it and said, “Do not do that again.”

It wasn't comforting when the wraith just smiled at him, the sharp teeth a reminder it was a predator even if it didn't need to eat meat to survive. A shiver ran down his spine at the sight.

§§§

Two days later Sheppard was starting to get a little concerned about the wraith he was sharing the cell with, it never put the trapped feeding hand near him, but that damn thing was kinda like a cat seeking attention. It didn't help that he couldn't let his guard down enough to sleep longer than a few fleeting moments here and there. He looked at the container of water that had been given for the day and tossed it to the wraith who would drink about half of it if given the chance, always at once versus sipping at it over time to avoid the thirst that was bound to hit.

The footsteps drawing near were less than usual this time, he wondered if perhaps something had happened. It had been four days since he'd been captured so the SGC was probably stirring up some trouble. No man left behind, was a motto that they took seriously. Especially in this godforsaken galaxy.

The wraith moved away from him for the first time, since the last check in. Placing itself between the door and him, although it didn't look to be aggressive he had a feeling that was an illusion that someone would pay dearly for if they made the mistake of trying to call the bluff.

It looked like they were going to open the cell door so he stepped around the wraith. The odds still weren't exactly in their favor with four of them, but it was better odds than usual and at this point he was ready to take them, especially if it got them the hell out of here before the wraith could get any odder in its behavior or it decided that dinner was more appealing than whatever truce they had going on here for now.

They opened the cell door after they stepped back and Sheppard made his move knocking one off of his feet and towards the wraith, slamming the nearest one's head into the cell door, keeping it open and pulling the gun from his belt and shooting the other two before they could react. He flinched when the wraith broke its cuff off its feeding hand and drained all four of them. A somewhat wild look to its eyes, one that made him momentarily wonder if he would be next or if they would continue to work together. One that wasn't exactly answered as it prowled closer to him with the same look in its eyes.

Chapter Text

Todd's POV

He felt the rush of the life force of the four guards rushing through him, it wasn't enough to make up for the years without, but it was a good start. One that eased the burning of hunger that he had been feeling. It would also start the healing process on non vital components. He was already stronger than he had been in a long time. His eyes lingered on the scared human that was his, the one who had started their escape, although he wasn't sure why the man somewhat trusted him.

Although he was currently nervous, something that he did not want him to be, but humans were a vocal bunch and at the moment that was beyond what he could do. There wasn't much he could gesture that would fit the situation at the moment, other than for Sheppard to follow him. They were hopefully getting out of here and if not, then they had given it a try.

Sheppard held out a gun and he accepted it, only for the human to correct his hold on it immediately. He had not used such technology in a long time, he preferred to jump his prey and get their life force, to kill them any other way was a waste of life and a meal.

He wasn't happy that the human had risked his life so easily in an attempt to jump the guards, it did not matter that it succeeded. The man had risked his life when he could have jumped them just as easily, without it being as high of a risk. Although weakened he would have attempted it to keep Sheppard safe.

Pulling him closer to his side as the began to walk. Wanting to keep him close in hopes that he wouldn't find more trouble. There was nothing in the hall and they got to an escape hatch before anyone discovered the empty cell. At least that is what he assumed, he noticed that Sheppard had taken a radio with him. It was strategic and he approved of it even if he could not say as much, but he did give a soft purring huff of approval. He stuck as close as possible which wasn't very at the moment as the human was successfully keeping a little space between them. It made him grumpy as the closer they were the easier it would be to protect him, but the man did not seem to realize that.

He noticed that Sheppard had a limp that was developing, probably due to the small amount of aging that had occurred or an injury. Humans could be odd about such things, plus the joints tended to age first for some reason. Perhaps to immobilize them?

It had been a long time since he had last had any passing interest in why humans reacted certain ways to them and their many enzymes. He would be returning it in the form of the gift of life as soon as he was able to, it rankled his senses that he had fed from him minutely twice, it was uncommon for a wraith to do so without immediately returning it and it was usually during a nesting act. Following behind Sheppard who was climbing out of the hatch while in thought he barely realized they had made it outside.

His eyes crossed for a moment as Sheppard stopped moving and he bumped into him, his arms wrapping around the human and keeping a hold on him. Akin to a hug, it was nice. He kept his palm away so that the man wouldn't tense as much, but it did not seem to work.

The human who was his, tensed as if he was being threatened and was startled or wanted to fight. His eyes lingered on the man for a moment as Sheppard started to relax some, probably coming to the realization that he was not being threatened. He rumbled softly and pulled Sheppard to the side and into some bushes, giving them cover as some Genii ran past them.

Sheppard inclined his head, before glancing over to ask, “so on the scale of recharged, where are you falling?”

He would like to answer, but his throat wasn't yet regenerated enough to even bother with trying. It would only cause pain at this point. Even fully fed, it would take a week or more to fully heal based on previous experience. Communicating through voice was not essential to one's being, so it often took longer to heal than any other injury. At the moment that was frustrating as he couldn't communicate with the one he wished to protect. Gesturing to under half the width that he had first gestured.

Sheppard sighed, “Well, good news for you is that you're likely to catch a few more meals.” He chuckled nervously as he muttered lowly, “and hopefully I'm not one of them.”

He rumbled and stepped closer placing the non feeding hand on his shoulder. Trying to get a point across, he had ample opportunity to feed on the human if that is what he wanted. This would go smoother if he trusted him. If they could move closer together, it would disturb the tracks left behind and give the illusion of only one person traveling. Not that they were leaving much of a trail behind to be found.

From this point on he would try to keep Sheppard in his reach. His hand shifted to the waist of the human and rested there when Sheppard didn't jump away from him like he had been expecting. He wasn't much of a fan of this whole plan, it put the both of them at risk, but it was better than slowly draining his mate of life. Plus he could get some revenge on the Genii by picking them off one by one until Sheppard's people came, if they ever did so. He rumbled at the thought of getting some payback, it would be nice, so long as it did not threaten the safety of Sheppard too much.

Chapter Text

Sheppard POV

He was getting creeped out by how close it was staying to him, how it always seemed to be brushing against him if not resting a hand on him, while it was natural for some species to be touchy feely. To his recollection he hadn't seen the wraith as a whole get touchy feely before and it left him alert.

His eyes darted to the wraith when he heard crunching behind them. It reacted before he did and took down two, he stabbed the third in the neck and pulled the blade back out to face off with the fourth member that had managed to sneak up on them. The third one wasn't going to be a problem for much longer, especially with the volume of blood he was rapidly losing.

A glance over at the wraith showed it was feeding from the two which wasn't very surprising. He focused on the fight and ducked to the right following up with a left hook to the man's ribs. They exchanged blows for a few moments before he was pushed out of the way by the wraith who picked the one he had been grappling with up one handed and began to feed. It was a little disturbing to watch, the ease of which it was capable of using. He was growing tired of referring to the wraith as it mentally, but he didn't exactly have a name tag to read and he didn't want to offend the only help he had on this gods forsaken planet.

The wraith walked back and looked at the third one and gestured for them to go. He followed after the wraith who could see better in the dark terrain if he had to guess. It hadn't been interested in the nearly dead guy so he wondered what it was exactly that wraith fed off of if that one hadn't been of any use to him. His eyes wandered down the mandibles of its back, the pale flesh exposed which was not something he usually saw either. He wondered if the ridges of the spine were sensitive or if they were like calluses and hard to feel with.

The wraith paused and he nearly walked into its back. He didn't hear anything and damn near squeaked when he was pulled closer to it. Although he would deny how close of a call it had been to him squeaking like a dog toy. He crossed his arms and looked up to see nothing, but curiosity on the wraith's face, communication wasn't coming easily to either of them it would seem.

Listening intently to see if there were more footsteps around he didn't hear any. The radio crackled as Koyla made threats about finding them. He rolled his eyes and debated giving an impolite answer before deciding he would rather just continue to pick off the man's men until they were back at a gate or rescued. A glance up at the wraith showed it was watching him closely once again and he wasn't sure why.

Hell, he wasn't even sure why it seemed to want to be glued to him. It was a little creepy. He went to pull away, but was held in place, raising an eyebrow as he waited. He would rather not have to attack if he did not need to as it was very likely to just end with him getting hurt as much as he hated to admit it. If there was one thing that he hated other than being away from his home in Atlantis, it was being vulnerable and that was what he was right now and he unfortunately knew it.

The wraith's hand went towards his chest and he went to back away or struggle, but wound up pinned to a tree. Feeding hand burning as it attached to him, he bit down on his tongue to keep from making a noise that would get them discovered. His hands snapped to and grabbed its wrist trying to pry the hand off of him as panic began to sink in. It was strange, it felt more like something was being undone? He has more energy than before, his bones hurt less. Was he dying? He'd thought that would be more painful. The hand detached and the Wraith kept him upright. What just happened? Why am I alive? Ohhh, this was going to be a shit ton of paperwork at minimum and even more poking and prodding from Beckett. Fuck. 

Chapter Text

Todd's POV

He returned the life he had taken from Sheppard, who he had startled, but it wasn't like he could exactly say what it was he had planned to do. The human would figure it out soon enough. His hands lingered on the man's waist as he waited for him to steady himself as he guided them away from the tree he had corralled the man against. It would take a few minutes for Sheppard to come down from the high that feedings could cause. This one wasn't addictive as it was meant for mates, it was the only time they made the enzymes. Probably because a mindless servant or someone completely obsessed with getting more of an enzyme did not serve well as ones second half.

He rumbled without much noise as the man stumbled closer to him for a moment before pushing away and eyeing him skittishly once again. The strength returned to the man. It would probably take the man a while to notice the differences, but he had restored more than he took. Figuring it might be a while before the man willingly let him get so close again. Humans could be odd about things like the gift of life or mate bonds between wraith and humans. Some never grew to accept it and others didn't really react, it varied too much for him to guess Sheppard's ultimate reaction, but he was hopeful as the man had not took off screaming.

Sheppard kept distance from him now, more than he would have liked but he was more surprised that the human did not take off running through the woods. Most people would have,even if they were being hunted by another party.

Sheppard said, "do not try that again or you're on your own out here."

His eyes narrowed as Sheppard's scent did not suggest that he was lying. He did not want for either of them to be alone in these woods, plus Sheppard would notice if he trailed behind. The man was very aware of his surroundings, almost to the level of a wraith. He inclined his head in understanding while debating if he was healed enough to speak yet or if it would strain his throat further.

They were back to walking through the woods when he found traces of more humans around, Genii most likely. He gestured to them and Sheppard said, "well it looks like we are going to be picking them off one by one, unless you have objections to getting a little payback while we wait for my people to arrive."

He smiled, showing his many sharp teeth. A warning for their enemies. Although he knew they would need to find cover at some point because while he did not need sleep, Sheppard did. He would need to keep an eye out for a place to make a temporary nest, even if he was certain Sheppard would object at first. It wouldn't be long before the human's body demanded the sleep whether he was willing or not, as he knew the man had not done more than rest his eyes since they had met.

They hiked up a mountain for another hour or so before he found a nice divot that could provide cover and would be easy to hide for now. He pointed it out to Sheppard.

The human frowned and said, "we can set up a base camp later."

He crossed his arms like he had seen humans do when they disagreed and pointed again.

"Fine," Sheppard grumbled with a scowl.

It didn't take him long to find leaves enough to cover the entrance better and some that were drier and softer for something to lay on other than the hard rock of the mountain. They were not heading towards the gate anymore, he was fairly certain that Sheppard had realized that without help or them picking off a large portion of them first it was futile to try it.

A few hours later Sheppard was lightly sleeping, but it was better than nothing. He didn't think that he was the reason that Sheppard choose to sleep lightly. They did have enemies searching for them, but it was unlikely they would find them here, especially when most would go straight for the gate.They were sticking fairly close to a river that went down the mountain.

Footsteps could be heard off in the distance if he focused, but they were fading not getting closer. There was no hive in the area, not that he had expected one given the volatile nature of the Genii and the fact they tended to hide their existence.

Within another few hours he found that Sheppard woke easily and with more alertness than most humans he had met, then again, he did not make a habit of guarding them while they sleep.

Sheppard said, "they will figure it out if we pick off too many, but we could set a trap."

He inclined his head in agreement before saying, "throat damaged."

"Is it healing?" Sheppard asked.

He nodded.

"That's good, don't stress it or it'll slow down if it's anything like with one of us."

Grinning, as that was true even for a wraith as their voice was non essential to their health so it was often left to heal on its own. Faster than a humans, but slower than what they were used to and it was annoying. He would rather be talking than nodding along.

"Guide is my name."

Sheppard grinned and said, "interesting, considering you were the guide here."

He passed Sheppard some stick roasted bird, and watched as he ate. Ignoring the side eye he was getting, it wasn't that he doubted Sheppard's ability, it was more that he knew that he was a little more efficient at hunting, it was what he was designed for. Whereas it often took humans hours to catch their prey as they tried to avoid getting injured themselves. That was time they could be setting up traps for the Genii or getting further away. This cave wasn't a good place to stay more than a night, it would allow to much water in if the weather turned on them. His eyes lingering on the way Sheppard shredded the meat before eating it, inspecting it for something perhaps? A rumble escaped him as Sheppard enjoyed the meal. He was pleased by this.

Chapter Text

Sheppard's POV

The roasted bird was actually better than he expected, nearly as good as some fried chicken if you asked him. Although he was a little baffled by why the wraith who was named Guide would want to provide him with a meal. Perhaps so he didn't weaken? Regardless, he trusted it more than anything that the Genii had offered him, plus meat was a rarity even on base. One that not many of their trade partners were willing to part with winter rations and to them that was what the meat was.

Sheppard had never faulted them for it as it was wise, one should only barter off what they don't need for something that they do need or want. It was almost good enough to be counted as an apology for whatever the hell had happened back there. Not quite as he couldn't exactly gauge whether the wraith would try it again, let alone what exactly it had done. All he knew was he didn't feel quite as tired as he had, but that could have been getting a few hours of sleep. The ache in his joints was gone which was weird but at this point nothing about the pegasus galaxy surprised him really.

He softly said, "Thank you, this was good," pointedly trying to ignore the rumble of appeasement that Guide let out at his words. Like the man was happy he enjoyed it which did not make much sense at all. Perhaps the wraith had an interest in cooking? Ehh at this point he wasn't sure of anything other than it seemed Guide did not plan to kill him, or at least not yet.

The wraith gestured off towards a narrow path and he saw the footprints. Looking at the footprints he knew they were likely to hit more trouble soon. Todd was sticking closer to him or perhaps the distance had only been because he was asleep then eating? While he had tried to keep distance from the wraith, it seemed hell-bent on not letting him out of arms reach. While it was nice to know the wraith seemed protective, he could handle himself just fine. Plus a little personal space would be nice.

"Would you give me some distance? Being this close is not wise in any combat," Sheppard asked, hoping guide would see reason, although in a way the wraith reminded him of a kid he had known in collage named Todd.

His hope was extinguished when the wraith shook its head and stepped closer to him. Great, just great, of course he would get stranded on an enemy planet with a clingy wraith. He was just glad it wasn't trying to suck him dry at every opportunity. Actually, that probably would be more comforting then whatever was going on here. While he wanted to trust the man, it was hard to do so when he knew exactly where he was on the food chain around here.

Walking up the mountain further, sticking to the treeline to make it harder to spot them even from a distance. The hand that went between his own or on his hip was getting annoying. He did not need help walking and he did not want to be this close in the first place, but the wraith was a little resistant to the concept of space so far. He'd even attempted to walk the wraith into a tree a few times....to no success.

He muttered underneath his breath and finally he was given a little space although it wasn't much it was still better, but the grin the wraith had was annoying. It was the look of someone doing something to humor someone which grated on his nerves. He couldn't wait to walk back through the gate and back to his home on Atlantis, even if a shit ton of paperwork and reports awaited him.

They were getting closer to a waterfall, he could hear it off in the distance and a fishy smell was strong in the air. It almost made him relax as it brought back fishing with his father and his brother although the other two had been to posh for it, it was one of his fonder memories as it had been something done just for him, not for the public image of his family. Nostalgia was a bitch, he decided as they drew closer to it, he figured they would have a climb ahead or a decent depending on what the landscape revealed to them when they drew closer to it.

Trees break way to water flowing down stream, the roar of a rushing waterfall nearly deafening once it was in sight. It was white waters for sure and not the kind you would want to raft across, unless your goal was to forfeit your life to the nature spirits in the area, despite it being a whole different galaxy he stopped believed that mother nature was often more aware than others often gave her credit for, not that he would even suggest that to McKay again after the last time. He shuddered at the memory of that. The scientist had nearly lost his mind at the implications of it as it wasn't backed in science.

Without much thought he looked over to Guide and saw movement in the trees he didn't have much more time than that before they had a fight on their hands. The Genii had ambushed them, the noise of the waterfall drowning them out until it was to late to avoid a fight. But one thing was for certain no matter the location, if he went down it would be swinging and hoping to take a few of these fuckers down with him.

Chapter Text

Todd's POV

Sheppard's widening eyes told him there was trouble, he stepped closer to Sheppard as he turned to face the humans who would soon forfeit their lives to him. Everyone on this planet was an enemy to them for now and he wouldn't take that lightly and from the smell of it neither would Sheppard who's scent was rapidly shifting to anticipation, the kind warriors had before facing an enemy. It would be distracting if it wasn't for the fact it was one often worn by the man, one day he hoped that it may change. That the human would one day relax a little.

The Genii were rather like the blood sucking insects of one planet that he couldn't recall the name of anymore, they were annoying that's about the only thing he remembered. That and the buzzing, but that wasn't relevant unless the unintelligible chattering was buzzing. He slammed two of them into tree's feeding as he did so upon the one, his eyes on Sheppard as he could come to his aid if needed, to his surprise the human did not use the weapons he had but took them down with brute force. Sheppard took down three as he grabbed the remaining two who went to join their friends. One went to stab him with a blade when Sheppard intercepted by grabbing the offenders wrist and snapping it causing the blade to fall to the ground long before it had come near him.

A rumble escaped, this one louder than the others as Sheppard had acted to protect him, his instincts wanted to pull him closer to accept the offer even if the human had no idea what a wraith courting looked like..nor what was usually a final act of devotion to another.

Sheppard smiled at him and he stepped towards him still rumbling in contentment.

"Well, I suppose it's easier to get them while they are searching for us, but eventually Koyla is going to catch on and recall his men," Sheppard said while looking around the tree line, paying him minimum attention. He wasn't sure if he should be happy about the trust or insulted by the implications of Sheppard no longer seen in him as a threat.

§§§

Three incidents later he was beyond full of life, and getting annoyed by how persistent Koyla was being about getting Sheppard back. Like he would let that happen easily, he was insulted by the other man's level of underestimating him. Even if it was being used to his advantage right now.

Regardless, his mate was a human and had human requirements that needed to be met, so far water and food hadn't been hard to come by and neither had shelter, but the higher they went the colder it got and while it wasn't bothering him, he had noticed that once the sun fell and darkness took hold, Sheppard was growing colder. Looping back would be the smart thing to do, but unfortunately he was paired with a hard headed human who wasn't listening to reason. While he could probably carry Sheppard down to a warmer point it would undoubtedly result in one or both of them being injured, therefore he was once again trying to reason with the man.

"Sheppard, it is growing too cold for you at night."

"I'll handle it, I survived antarctic training, this is nothing," Sheppard replied like he would know what that training was, regardless he was certain more supplies were involved at that time then what he had on him now.

"This is not that training. Different worlds, different supplies," he stated, "not safe for you here, if you get ill then I will heal you once more."

Sheppard paled at his words and backed away, which both pleased and frustrated him. He wouldn't hurt the man, but wraith were not safe as a whole. Some couldn't be trusted, so he didn't want Sheppard thinking that friends would be easily made.

"If you are sick, you can't defend yourself as easily which is vital." He paused, "I do not question your skills as a warrior, we all have limitations."

Sheppard was still side eyeing him, which was enough of a warning that trying to get closer to the man was futile, unless he wanted to needlessly press the issue. Boundaries seemed to be important to the man so it would not be wise to cross too many of them at this time. Plus, it wouldn't take much to make him standoffish once more, bad experiences tainted the humans view if he had to guess. Mixed with not knowing much about them as a species of he was one to guess. Sheppard tended to pause over things that were common knowledge, which to him indicated that perhaps he hadn't known the information.

"I do not wish to see you come to preventable harm," he said in an attempt to coax the man into agreeing to turning back, plus they would likely be able to pick off more of Koyla's men if they looped back around. The less of them there were, the less likely it was for them to succeed in an attack against them in the future. Who knew how long they would be on this hive forsaken world.

While he wouldn't regret allowing himself to be captured, as it had led him to Sheppard. It was difficult to not be a little bitter about the fact he had not been able to protect Sheppard further, to demonstrate why he would be a good match for him. Humans picked their partners off of safety most the time from what he had seen, that and desire. Which probably wasn't too be a factor for them for a long while given the guarded nature of Sheppard.

"Fine, we can retreat to the last campsite," Sheppard aquited.

He raised an eyebrow as he had seen Sheppard and other humans do multiple times, one that questioned that before he said, "the one before it was the last one you were comfortable, you are not slowly acclimating yourself to tolerate the colder tempatures so that we may continue on."

Sheppard crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow of his own. "I think I can decide what it is I'm going to do. If you don't like it then feel free to walk."

Closing his eyes to take a calming breath, one that caught Sheppard's scent and the annoyance within it. While the man's face didn't share his emotions often, his scent was a different being entirely. One that enveloped his senses and made him attuned to the subtle shifts beneath the surface layers of his scent.

"Sheppard," he rumbled deeply without meaning to but it caught the humans attention, then again, even a wraith would look up at that tone. "We have our differences you and I, but we need'nt fight each other when we have a shared enemy. I do not want to see you hurt."

"You've mentioned that before," Sheppard grumbled.

Humans were stubborn, this one more than most. While he admired it, at the moment it was being a more annoying trait for the man to have. "What is the word that you humans like to use with request?" He asked, cocking his head to the side, "please?"

Sheppard looked at him oddly and asked, "are you feeling alright?"

Why was he asking that? Did he care about his well being? How strange. He thought as he replied, "I am well."

They stood there for a moment, both silent as they looked at the other. His eyes lingering on Sheppard's brown eyes, not like the sap of a tree, it was more like top soil. Rich and full of life.

"Fine," Sheppard shook his head and continued, "but we try again in a week."

A week should be enough time to convince Sheppard of another path forward, to come up with a plan that would lead them away from the cooler side of this planet. To avoid the mountain range they had been climbing and soon to be leaving behind.

"Agreed, so long as you still wish to do so in a weeks time."

He was pleased that Sheppard had listened to reason for now. It was difficult to contain the soft rumble that wished to come out. One of contentment, but he knew that it made Sheppard tense for now as the human didn't understand. He wished to tell him, but knew that the risk of him being startled away was high and he didn't wish for that to happen while they had a mutual enemy. Perhaps after Koyla was dealt with he would say something, untill then he would just stick as close as Sheppard would let him, and then perhaps a step or two closer than that. It would be enough for now, after all, they were still getting to know one another.

Chapter Text

Sheppard's pov

Stupid climate! ruining the plan of getting where they could see better to figure out the terrain and possible points for enemies.  Sheppard was frustrated about it, and the fact that the wraith was right about the frigid nights. While not cold enough to stop him, continuing would prove to be a nuisance, especially without starting a fire that would alert the Genii to their position. Any fire they made had to be short lived and preferably a Dekota fire hole, which kept the smoke to a minimum, so long as dried wood was used in it, or better yet avoided all together.

He moved down the mountain they were climbing down, trying to ignore the crunching of leaves right behind him. The footsteps belonging to guide, who to him still looked more like a Todd but he was adjusting to thinking guide. Even if he still wasn't sure why it was helping him, they should have parted ways by now as other than having a common enemy they really didn't have a reason to work together. More reasons to avoid one another really. But there was something about the way that he seemed to care that made him trust the wraith to a degree, even when he knew what it was capable of, it was like he could let his guard down and relax a little. Which was stupid given the situation they were in, the Genii being around made that a very bad idea, and yet at times it was like his body did not agree with that.

He would chalk it up to being a side effect of the return of life, but it had been there before it and no one who had been fed upon seemed to trust the wraith more afterwards so he was just left confused about it. While he probably could ask, he didn't want to risk it. Information like that could get someone killed, he had seen it during his first tour in the military. Trust was a dangerous thing you never truly knew someone. That being said you never left a man behind and guide was slowly being added into that category, despite their differences.

The wraith made a noise he hadn't heard before and he glanced back to see the man was looking at him, but that was nothing new. It was unnerving how often that Guide would observe him or glance I'm his direction, but he was tempted to caulk it all up to the wraith being imprisoned. However he had a feeling that was not the case, he just didn't really know what was.

He paused his walking to return the state and waited for Guide to actually say something. The wraith was being unusually quiet and wasn't observing their surroundings so he did not think it was an alert to something or someone lurking. "There a problem?" he finally asked as the silence grew.

"No," Guide replied.

Shrugged and deciding the man would talk when he was ready he turned back and around and resumed walking. Soft crunches echoing as leaves broke beneath foot, softer than it could have been but still loud to his ears that still strained for a warning. He really despised being ambushed which is what commonly happened when one did not stay alert for the threats that could be around.

"What do you plan to do if we do not make it to the gate?"

"Keep on living, my people will come for me, or I'll escape," he replied as to him it was a no-brainer, you didn't leave a man behind and you never gave up.

"And if they do not come?" The wraith asked with a head tilt.

"They will come, where we are from there is a saying, never leave a man behind and it is one we all swore to uphold. Even if it wasn't exactly part of the oath we took."

"And if my people come before yours?"

Sheppard frowned, "well then you get rescued and I'm making a break for it, this is far from the worst situation I have been caught up in."

A glance back revealed a angry look on the man's face, he raised an eyebrow wondering what upset the wraith.

"What have you been dragged into that was more dangerous than this?"

Sheppard busted out laughing as a majority of his earth career including Antarctica flashed before his eye along with expeditions in this galaxy. "Trust me, you don't want to know that and you wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you."

"I believe I would be able to tell if you lied," Guide replied.

He frowned. "A lot of it I can not talk about, but I have been on a planet where a super volcanic eruption was eminent and we couldn't evacuate..right then..for reasons."

As they walked the noises around them grew silent and Sheppard knew that meant trouble was lurking around them somewhere. Nothing gave away the disturbance but nature was only ever quiet when it had a reason to be. Then he saw a flash one he pointed out to Guide subtlety, but got a acknowledgment all the same. Someone was in the trees, camouflaged but not well enough. Definitely wouldn't pass training back home, but good enough for most people he supposed

He leaned over like he was going to tie his shoe and grabbed the smaller blade hidden in his boot. Sending it flying it hit it's target as Guide grabbed the other one for questioning. They didn't get that far though as Koyla stepped out of the bramble with a gun pointed at him. He pulled his own, but it was now a standoff as while he could shoot Koyla the same could be said of the nother man but something told him that the Genii leader would want to end this up close and personal after all they had killed a good portion of the mans men over the last few days.

Chapter Text

Todd's pov 

He turned when he head a snap of a branch indicating another person was there. One he had missed, Koyla stood there pointing a projectile weapon at Sheppard. Guns they called them, he really didn't see the need for them, but he supposed it did give the weaker species a chance to feel like they were higher on the food chain then they were. 

*How dare Koyla threaten what was his,* anger coursed through him. His lip curled upward.

"Move and the human dies," Koyla stated. "It seems you care about this one, your mistake." 

He ignored the odd look that Sheppard sent his way as he knew that Koyla would take advantage of any distraction. "Perhaps he is nothing more than a snack for later." 

"You wouldn't protect a snack in a way that would put you in danger, it burns unneeded calories," Koyla taunted, "we've tested it before, no, Sheppard is different and I don't care to know why. Both of you will be dead for what you have done to my men."

Sheppard snorted. "You and talking, do you like the sound of your own voice that much?"

He felt a strong urge to facepalm, did humans forget their survival instincts so often or was it just this one? He wondered as he debated placing himself between Koyla and Sheppard but given the distance it was likely to get his human shot. Lunging for Koyla was likewise out of the options as he was too far as well. Frustrating the wraith as he wanted to protect Sheppard and kill the enemy. 

"Yeah...that's enough talking, I'll risk the court Marshall." Sheppard said as he fired one round. 

Koyla dropped the gun and fell to the ground gurgling. Sheppard quickly secured the gun. 

"Why did you not shoot sooner?"

"Koyla wasn't going to, he wanted a fight.." Sheppard trailed off, "but that was not going to happen with you as a witness. Tipped the odds out of his favor." 

He tilted his head and replied, "so you did so to protect?"

His eyes following Sheppard's eye roll and shrug,  urges at war with one another as he wanted to hear the answer. 

"Yes, I protected you, no I do not know why," the human replied grumpily. 

A soft purr escaped as he decided to reveal a few things. "Wraith, have a match. One hard to find, sometimes one of us, sometimes one of your kind. There is a bond between the pair, one that goes both ways, but is usually stronger on the wraith's side. These people, are our most cherished and protected." 

Sheppard cut in to say, "I'm not going to like where this is going am I?"

"That depends, would it be so bad to have a wraith in your life?" 

The human sighed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, something he wished to relieve himself but knew it wasn't welcomed, not yet anyway. Hope that perhaps in time it would be was still present. He didn't want to scare him away. 

"Why did you not say something sooner?" 

"Would you have believed me?" He asked in return. 

Sheppard looked around and said, "I don't know." 

"Do you believe me now?" 

The human looked up at him and said, "I know something unusual is going on here," 

It wasn't denial which was better than he expected. There was a noise and they both turned to see a bird sitting on a branch. 

Sheppard laughed at the sight, "I'm glad it's not another ambush. We should probably go, his men probably expect him to report back."

He nodded as he knew that while Koylas men were dwindling down in number,.they were still a threat. While they could make a run for the gate he worried that Sheppard would leave him to return to his people..but there was also the dwindling food supply for himself to consider, which would not be a problem for a time, but eventually would need a solution.

They walked swiftly, he stayed close to the man who now knew they had a bond although perhaps not everything about it yet. He didn't want to overwhelm with information. They could take it slowly to let Sheppard day if that was what the human wanted, or even if the human wanted to be left alone. He would be fine with it for a time, so long as the human still lived he had a chance of him coming around to considering it, to considering him and Sheppard had not outright rejected him yet. 

He glanced back at the corpse laying in the distance, barely visible through the trees and smiled. Sheppard had chosen to protect him. A rumble escaped, he looked over to the human and observed. They were different, yet both warriors. Sheppard was unlike the usual humans around these parts, which was good. Most human warriors here did not risk working with a wraith, let alone bonding one. The cullings causing tension before anything could grow, which did not seem to be the case here. 

Sheppard paused, looking over the human said, "you're staring." 

He nodded as there was no denying that he'd been watching, observing. Sheppard's actions spoke for itself, if he'd been another wraith then they would soon be bonded, but with humans it wasn't so easy and he knew it. 

"I have not decided the probability of you considering a bond," he answered truthfully, "humans are harder to anticipate than wraith." 

"You could just ask," Sheppard said. 

"What is the possibility?" 

"I don't know, I trust you more than I should," the man admitted before continuing, "your different from the others I have met, but not really, your still a wraith, me and my people are not. That's not going to change, our people are enemies by nature."

"We feed to survive, it is not a choice, not when it is necessary.  You have nothing to worry about, a wraith would never hurt their bonded if they could help it. Nor does harm come to them from other parties. Humans can hold our respect, especially when chosing something that does not come easily to them," he replied. "However, I understand the concern, do you intend to return to your people?"

Sheppard frowned, "I thought they would be here by now but yes, they need me." 

"Your sense of duty is admirable." He replied as he stepped closer to the human. His hand stretched out. "Perhaps I may join your people?" 

Sheppard made a choked noises, "ahh, that wouldn't be a good idea...trust me on that..they would try to turn you into a lab rat, not to mention, my people are not so open to couples of the same gender. I never agreed with it, but..."

He could see why Sheppard trailed off, that would not be the solution then. Perhaps an alliance for the future, in hopes to avoid further issue. In time they would see how this would all play out.