A Love to Mars and Back – Part One

To Love someone to Mars and Back

Tony was sitting in the guest lecture finally understanding why people actually adored chemistry. He’d already done a bioscience masters as well as a criminology one. His brush with the plague and subsequent miraculous survival had him thinking about what he’d not done in his life. He’d regretted not getting his Doctorate so he’d decided to do something about it. He was attending guest lectures to see what sparked his interest. He’d go stir crazy if he just sat around his apartment all day whilst he was on medical leave.

It turned out that Georgetown had a sympathetic programme to those who worked in Federal Agencies so all he needed to do was pick his discipline. The guest speaker spoke with an abiding passion that was so easy to get lost in. He would know all about charismatic people inspiring him. He’d followed one such person to Washington. Although Tony was no longer willing to blindly follow anyone.

There was one key difference between Gibbs and the speaker- he didn’t want to date Gibbs. The speaker in front of him, well, let’s just say Tony would be happy to date him and so much more. It was crazy as he’d kept a tight lid on his preferences since joining law enforcement – no matter what the guise. Tony wasn’t ashamed of his sexuality but he was smart enough to know it wouldn’t end well to be out at work.

Yet Dr. Mark Watney had him reconsidering all his life choices – which was nuts as he didn’t even know if the speaker liked guys at all, let alone guys like him. Tony shook himself, he must be tired because even his thoughts were rambling.

The lecture had broken up and Tony felt himself being indecisive about leaving without at least talking to the guy.

“So did the lecture put you to sleep?” The humorous voice broke his mental ramblings.

Tony shook his head, realising the object of his musings had almost snuck upon him. He grinned. “Not at all, Dr. Watney, I was thinking I wished my Chem 101 professor had your passion.”

The man returned his grin. “It is not the only thing I am passionate about. Now, I am from Chicago, I don’t suppose you will take pity on poor passionate me and show me where is good to eat.”

Tony was never a stupid man – and seized his opportunity. Only recently, he had a reminder of what could happen.

~*~

Mark sat at the table and smiled at his dinner companion. He was glad that his departmental chair had made him take the lecture. He would hopefully be going back to Chicago a lot more relaxed and with, at a minimum, a new friend. “So what should I know about you, Tony?”

“You’re very bold.” Tony returned, not used to people being so direct with him. In fact, he kind of liked it and found it refreshing.

“Would you prefer coy?” Mark asked, batting his eyelashes.

Tony laughed, finding his date’s sense of humour matched his own, which was good. “No, smart snarky scientist seems to be my type.”

“Perfect, then. I am right here.” Mark smirked as he sipped his beer.

Tony laughed. “I’m a Federal Agent, who is being mentored by the the biggest bastard in Washington if I believe all the reports.” His breath caught on the laugh and he let loose a few deep, chest-wracking coughs. At his dinner companion’s concerned look he added. “It’s alright. Just recovering from the plague and I don’t mean that metaphorically.”

Mark leaned forward. “Bubonic or pneumonic… if you’re willing to say. Feel free to tell me if I’m being insensitive and you don’t want to talk about it.”

Tony had a wry smile. “Do you know you are the first person, out of all of my friends, who has even asked me that question?”

“Then you need better friends, like me.”

The night passed in a whirl of conversation and Tony didn’t want it to end. Which was crazy, this could risk everything. He steeled himself to get up and leave and yet instead … he found himself lost in those deep blue eyes. He was in trouble and for once, he wasn’t wanting to escape. Tony wanted to know more about Mark. “So what about you?”

Mark grinned. “I want to chase little green men onto Mars.”

Tony could guess what he meant by that and this just added a layer of curiosity. Why would a botanist want to go? “So you want to head into space? I hear that there is not much that grows there.”

Mark’s eyes glinted with passion. “Which boy doesn’t? But I don’t want to just go into space, I want Mars.”

Tony raised his glass. “To ambition, and is Mars all you want?”

Mark decided that being bold had got him this far. He could say his piece and let the chips fall where they may. “I kind of want to see what you are like under me … but that may be too bold for you.”

Tony finished his beer. “I would like nothing more but the whilst the mind is oh so willing my flesh may fail.”

Mark shrugged. “We have a whole weekend – let’s just roll with the flow and let whatever happens … happen.”

Tony’s smile was mega-watt. “Come home with me.”

Chapter One: How does a relationship grow?

Tony waited until he’d opened the door to steal a quick kiss. He’d been wondering what that would be like since he’d seen the lecture. He closed his eyes involuntarily and licked his lips. “Tease.” He groaned as Mark pulled back a fraction to stare at him.

Mark shook his head. “Nope, consider it a promise.”

Tony chuckled. “Let’s hope so.”

Tony saw the glint in Mark’s eyes taking his words as a challenge. He was caught as Mark peppered his skin with feather light, tantalising kisses all over his neck, sucking a hickey into his pulse point. It was arousing in ways that it had never been before. He sucked in a deep breath as he felt like he couldn’t breathe – but this time in a good way. “You’re dangerous.” Voice raspy from desire.

“In a good way?” 

Tony pulled him into a fiery kiss. “In the best way.”

They broke apart when Tony started to cough having pushed his limit. He looked sheepish and embarrassed. “This sucks.”

Mark pulled back. “Nope, you had the plague. We take it slow and that is okay, I like you for more than your ass, Tony.” He said seriously, virtually oozing sincerity. 

Tony felt so vulnerable in that moment that he both hated Mark and adored him. “Okay, but you may have to say it a few more times before I believe it.”

Mark chuckled and his eyes feasted on the piano. “Is that for decoration?”

Tony clutched his heart. “It helps me to unwind from a bad case.”

Mark looked at it, stroking the side of it in such a way that Tony thought of other things. “Play for me, if it won’t be too much trouble.”

Tony nodded and sat down, pulling Mark to sit next to him. “How about some blues for a Chicago man.”

And then the melody of St James Infirmary started to fill the apartment. Tony finished the tune and saw Mark staring at him with awe in his eyes. “It’s a good job we can’t have sex right now.”

Tony looked quizzical. “Why?”

“Because you make it hard to leave,” Mark confessed, biting his lip.

Tony smiled but it was one that very few people got to see. It was a rare small honest shy one. “Me too, we’ll figure it out.”

~*~

Tony and Mark did figure it out. They made long distance work, Mark had in fact just came back from a career break working with the Peace Corps. They talked every night by phone and they actually shared in-jokes at the ways they were avoiding talking about them to others.

“So are you a member of NASA?”

Mark didn’t scream mainly because he’d read the letter and had a chance to absorb it. “Yes, I am a member of the NASA Astronaut Candidate Program for, I quote, ‘Outstanding academic accomplishments, dedication, and service to the community not to mention an exemplary record of professional achievement.”

Tony sighed. “You know, it is too bad that I am stuck in Washington and can’t even help you celebrate it.”

“Oh, I am imagining you right here,” Mark said in such a sultry tone that Tony’s pants went tight just thinking about it.

Tony was all alone in his apartment having spent the day sitting around choosing where he was going to complete his Doctoral programme. He’d weighed up the pros and cons of a few programmes because, as smitten as he was with Mark, he could not see himself completing a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and Conservation with an emphasis in Hydropedology and Environmental Engineering like Mark. Tony had made lists of his favoured choices, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of each one. “It’s not fair that we’ve only kissed and you have me hard as a rock from thousands of miles away.”

“So you’re hard are you, baby? How hard?”

Tony sucked in a breath. “Very, I want to stroke it so bad but I want it to be your hand.”

“How do you like it best?” Mark asked him. “You know, so I can use it later on.”

Tony bit his lip, “Slow, twisting, with a squeeze that just offers the temptation of no reward.”

Mark groaned. “You want me to keep you on the edge of release until you beg.”

Tony’s hand was starting to stroke himself up and down. “I’m not sure you could.”

“Oh, I would do more than that, sweetheart. Touch yourself harder, I want to hear you cum with my name on your lips.”

Tony started to stroke himself quicker, chasing a climax that he needed and wanted to share.  “So close.”

“How close?” Mark asked Tony, his voice husky with his own desire.

“Mark!”

Tony came down from his high, feeling very relaxed. “I’m not sure I’ll survive when we get together for real.”

“Oh, you will. Stay alive until we can meet up,” Mark signed off.

“You too, Spaceman,” Tony said as a way to say the words that he wasn’t ready to voice out loud. Yet.

~*~

Tony had gone back to work, he may have forgotten to mention that to Mark. It might have been because Tony knew Mark would nag him about his health. He knew it was important but he was bored at home and he was at his most dangerous when he was bored. He wasn’t stupid, he wouldn’t exert himself but he needed to be doing something.

It was time to go back to work.

Gibbs stared at him. “Are you ready?”

Tony shrugged. “As I ever will be … You are chasing terrorists and you’re not doing it without me watching your six.”

Gibbs smiled for a second. “Glad you’re back.”

Tony nodded and knew that would be the last said on the matter. To be honest – he was more than okay with that for now. “So, what’s going on?”

~*~

Tony found himself in a field a few hours later staring at a soft top car with two dead marines. The cause of death didn’t need a coroner of Ducky’s talents considering the massive gunshot wounds in the chest but still, they were collecting all evidence they could from around the car.

“So are you really recovering?”

Tony rolled his eyes, Kate could be the annoying sister he never had. “Yes, I am. I have a new lease of life and it is great.”

She looked at him shrewdly. “Why do I get the feeling that you got lucky and that is what you are talking about.”

Tony smiled softly for a second and then squashed it under a lecherous smirk. He and Mark had discussed it and while neither of them was ashamed of their love, it wasn’t safe to reveal it yet. “Maybe I am, Kitty Kat, but right now … there are two dead soldiers that are more important than my private life.”

He would blame feeling a bit crappy for that slip. It implied after all, that he had a love life to pry into. Thank God for the snake wrapping around her foot. It distracted her enough, she still hadn’t cooled her temper though. “Hey, no guns needed, you’ll just shoot your foot off. Let me get ahold of her instead.”

He caught the snake by its head and smiled at it. “You shouldn’t get too close to a lady. They get mad at ya if you do uninvited.”

“You’re talking to it?!” Kate was enraged.

“He’s just a snake, he doesn’t get that he is going where he is uninvited. Now, where is McGee?”

His probie suddenly appeared and Tony had to laugh at the way, he couldn’t even get through some bushes without getting the fauna attached to him. Tony lost his footing and it was the best thing to ever happen – as he saw the bomb under the car. 

“McGee, do not move even an inch,” Tony ordered, all levity lost. “Kate, you need to back away from the car, NOW.”

“Why? What is going on.”

Tony rolled his eyes as he cautiously approached the car. He had to hope that the only trigger for the bomb was motion and there wasn’t someone watching them in the trees. If he never got to have sex with Mark because of a terrorist – he was definitely coming back to haunt someone. “Agent Todd, this is not a time to question your SFA. Now back up! McGee, you are going to listen to me very carefully. There is a bomb under the trunk. One that is primed to go off if you jostle it. So you are going to stay deadly still until I can take hold of it.”

“We’re not leaving you!”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Really the concern is touching but I aim to have everyone live.”

“You are recovering from the plague.”

Tony wanted to say don’t remind him. He really should have listened to Mark and stayed at home and rested. “Yes, and I am still going to be faster. Now do it!”

Tim managed to hand over holding the key without killing both of them which was good. Now the next part, how to stay alive once he let go. He thought about what he had in his pocket. Gum. Hmm, what would MacGyver do?

He took the gum and chewed it rapidly so that it was moldable. He wasn’t looking for it to last forever – just to give him a chance to get up the side of the hill. This really was going to be a test of if he should have stayed at home. He delicately placed the gum around the key in the lock of the trunk. When he was sure the key wouldn’t immediately dip and cause the bomb to explode he let go and sprinted up the hill.

He almost reached the top of the hill when it went off. His ears were still ringing and the screaming of his name whilst letting him know his team cared for him was cute and all. It did nothing for his headache though.

“Ouch.”
~*~

“YOU GOT BLOWN UP!”

Tony winced. “It made the news? And how do you know I did?” Tony knew that in saying that he’d admitted to actually having done it.

Mark snorted. “I know you, babe. Please don’t die, not before I can get to Washington“  

Tony knew that the conversation was rooted in concern, not just mithering. “I’m okay, Mark. Really, I checked in with Dr. Pitt just in case. I am not risking my health unnecessarily.”

Mark sucked in a breath. He was doing the initial work as part of the candidate programme and wouldn’t be free until Saturday at the earliest. “I know you’re not but damn, that report scared me today. I can’t wait for Saturday.”

“Me too,” Tony confessed softly. He’d thought going back to work would be good for him but in reality, it had made him feel more alone. They didn’t know him as well as he thought, oh, he knew in their own way they cared but not in a healthy way.

The only thing today had done, was helped him pick his doctoral programme – Communications. He wanted something that was separate from his current work but would at the same time be a benefit.

“Oh, you should know I am enrolled in my doctoral programme.”

Mark cheered. “Good for you, babe. You can tell me all about it on Saturday. Two more days is all we have to make it through. I will let you get some sleep as I can tell you’re exhausted.”

How ironic was that? Mark was all the way in NASA and he knew how Tony felt better than his team who had been standing next to him. Fuck. He missed Mark more than he realised. He would be having words with his boyfriend about being too irresistible.

Saturday couldn’t come soon enough