Gigi Sinclair

Private First Class Jacob "Snipe" Rosenfeld had never been so embarrassed in his life. Not even when he accidentally shot Major Hayes with a training pistol during their first team trip to the shooting range.

Major Hayes figured in this embarrassment, too, only this time, instead of being angry, the major looked uncomfortable. Snipe could sympathize. He felt the same way.

"It's definitely a respiratory infection," Phlox repeated, like he wasn't sure why Major Hayes had asked him to double-check. Snipe knew exactly why he'd asked. "You probably picked it up during your time on Morenna." A small planet they'd thought might harbour a rebel Xindi faction. It didn't. It did, however, harbour some kind of airborne bacteria, and both Major Hayes and Snipe had been coughing since they got back.

Snipe coughed again as Major Hayes said, "And you're sure this…decontamination procedure is the only way to cure it."

"It is the most expedient way, yes. If you and the private would care to accompany me, we can begin at once."

The major didn't look at Snipe, but Snipe could hardly blame him for that. He didn't want to hit the sauna with Major Hayes, either. Not now that Major Hayes had turned him down.

"Out of curiosity, doctor, what's the alternative treatment?" The major asked, clearly desperate.

A frown marred Phlox's usually friendly face, the one that usually reminded Snipe of his Uncle Ted back in Virginia. "A series of painful injections that aren't guaranteed to work." He indicated the sickbay doors with a flourish. "Shall we, gentlemen?"

Things only got worse for Snipe when they arrived at the decontamination chamber. Snipe had never been inside, but he'd heard it was like a steam room, only with sexier lighting. Which was why he thought it might be a good idea if he kept his clothes on.

Major Hayes seemed to be in agreement with that, but once again, Phlox wasn't.

"You must strip to your undergarments, Major, Private, or you'll risk heat stroke."

The major opened his mouth, and Snipe knew he was going to ask how severe a risk. Phlox must have known it, too. He said, "Too great.. Now get your uniforms off."

As they undressed, Snipe tried desperately not to look at Major Hayes, but his eyes slid across entirely of their own accord. They just couldn't stay away from the major's broad shoulders, his muscular back, that tight ass in those black jockey shorts. Snipe felt a stirring in his own jockeys at the sight. He bit his lip and thought of the least arousing images he could conjure up: his Granny Rosenfeld taking out her false teeth, the death of his childhood dog Lucky, McKenzie in a string bikini. It worked, at least for the moment. Snipe's erection subsided and, coughing, he followed Major Hayes into the decon room.

It looked exactly like the sauna on the base, except it wasn't tiled and the light was blue. As the door closed behind them, Phlox's voice came over a comm link. "I'll set the cycle for ninety minutes."

"Ninety minutes?" Major Hayes coughed hard, struggling for breath, but still managed to add, "That's unnecessary. I have things to do."

"Ninety minutes," Phlox repeated. "Relax, gentleman."

Right, Snipe thought, sitting down on one of the benches. Major Hayes sat on the other, as far away from Snipe as it was possible to get. It was still easily within Snipe's line of sight, and there was nowhere else to look.

Snipe sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. Relax. Sure thing, doc.

***

Snipe had been attracted to Major Hayes from the first time they'd met, and that attraction had affected him from the first. Snipe had only shot him during that training session because he was trying to impress the major with his weapons-handling abilities. It had taken more than six months for Snipe to work up the guts to tell Major Hayes how he felt. Because Snipe was terrible at hiding his feelings, everyone else in the unit already knew.

It was Mac who'd egged him on to tell the major. Snipe knew Mac, and he should have known it was a trick, but he'd wanted to tell Major Hayes, too. Snipe was nervous, but he was ready. While the whole CO thing was a little worrisome, Snipe told himself that the worst Major Hayes could do was say no, and then they'd be back where they started.

Only it hadn't happened quite like that. Major Hayes had turned him down, but so politely and respectfully Snipe hadn't even felt that badly about it. Major Hayes had even told Snipe that if he were into guys, he would have given Snipe a chance. Snipe had been so pleased with that, he'd shared it with Mac. She'd snorted and rolled her eyes, which Snipe had put down to typical Mac attitude.

For a few days after, everything was great. Snipe caught Major Hayes looking at him a few times, and once, the major had even reddened a little as he turned away. Maybe, Snipe had thought, it wasn't a lost cause after all. He didn't make a habit of being other guys' experiments, but for Major Hayes, he would gladly make an exception.

Snipe was looking forward to it, imagining how Major Hayes would arrive at Snipe's quarters one evening and ask Snipe to show him what he'd been missing. This was a very unlikely scenario, especially since Snipe roomed with Nick Kelly who was always there recording mushy messages for his girlfriend, but a lack of realism didn't keep Snipe from enjoying the fantasy.

He was enjoying it very much one afternoon, as he walked into the shower room and found Amanda Cole and Commander Tucker doing their part for MACO-Fleeter relations.

"Sorry," Snipe smirked as they jumped apart guiltily.

"Afternoon, Private," Tucker looked at him evenly, like they'd been doing nothing more than discussing the next mission. "I'll, ah, I'll speak with you later, Amanda."

He left, and Snipe couldn't help himself. "Amanda, huh? Didn't realize you and the commander were such close personal friends." He opened his locker and pulled off his shirt.

"Mind your own fucking business, Rosenfeld," Cole snapped back, adjusting her bra straps and reaching into her locker for a shirt.

"You know he's doing it with the Vulcan, right?" Tucker was exactly the kind of guy Snipe liked least. There was no love lost between Snipe and Cole, either, but that didn't mean he wanted to see Tucker make a fool of her.

"Shut up," Cole scowled.

"I'm just trying to protect your feelings."

"Well, don't bother. The major might have rejected you, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't have some fun." Snipe didn't really care what she said. She knew he was right, he thought, and was just blowing off frustration.

"I'm doing you a favour, Cole. I know what those guys are like." He'd had first-hand experience, more than he would like.

"You want a favour?" Cole stared at him. "Here's a favour, Rosenfeld. Hayes isn't straight. He's had a boyfriend for ten years."

"Don't be stupid, Cole." Snipe almost felt sorry for her. Obviously, whatever she had with Tucker was flimsy, and she knew it.

The door opened to let McKenzie in, and Cole jerked her head in the corporal's direction. "If you don't believe me, ask Mac."

"Ask me what?"

Snipe rolled his eyes. "She's telling me story about Major Hayes having a boyfriend." He expected Mac to laugh. She'd known the major longer than any of them had. She must know how ridiculous Cole's lie was.

Mac didn't laugh. Well, Snipe thought, as a knot formed in his stomach, she'd never had a sense of humour.

"Mac, I…" Cole started. Mac cut her off. "Get out of here, Amanda." Cole looked between them, shook her head, and left. The knot in Snipe's stomach got tighter.

"Is it true?" It couldn't be. Major Hayes had told Snipe he wasn't interested in guys, but if he had been, then he would have given Snipe a shot. Hopefully not literally.

"The major's a good man," Mac replied. "He cares about his team. He would never want to hurt any of us."

Snipe could feel the heat rising to his cheeks and tried to suppress it. He'd already been humiliated enough. "You all knew about this?"

"No." Mac looked annoyed at the suggestion. "Cole saw the major's family when we shipped out." Family. So there wasn't just a boyfriend, but a whole family. Snipe tried to picture Major Hayes with a man and kids, and failed. The major wasn't domestic, even by military standards. "I think Hawkins was there, too. But that's it."

"You're the one who told me to tell him." McKenzie was tough, but Snipe had never thought of her as cruel.

Mac shrugged, like that was some minor detail. "I didn't know he was going to turn you down. I guess his thing with Ramirez is more serious than I thought. I'm sorry." She actually sounded slightly sincere, but it was a little late for that.

Snipe stormed into the shower and turned the water on full blast, pleased when Mac didn't come to join him.

***

For the first twenty minutes of their decon session, Snipe and Major Hayes sat in silence on their respective benches. Snipe ran several possible conversation starters through his mind, but none of them were any good. He couldn't even ask if the major followed any sports, since it had been more than seven months since any of them had seen any kind of game.

Major Hayes's cough sounded better than it had when they'd come into the chamber. Snipe was pleased to hear that and was about to mention something when Major Hayes shifted, leaning back and lacing his hands behind his head to make himself more comfortable. Snipe was sure it was unintentional, but this position pushed Major Hayes's crotch forward until Snipe couldn't do anything but stare.

"Wake me when our time's up, private." Major Hayes's eyes slid closed.

"Yes, sir," Snipe replied, hoping the major would put his slightly high-pitched voice down to the respiratory infection.

After his discussion with McKenzie, Snipe had thought about confronting Major Hayes, but that would have been even more pathetic. Major Hayes had made his feelings clear, and Snipe had to live with them.

He still imagined though. And sitting across from the major in the warm, steamy room, Major Hayes's crotch barely three feet away from his own, imagining was very easy.

Snipe let his eyes close as he thought about a different scenario, one in which Major Hayes's relationship with "Ramirez", whoever he was, was non-existent and the major had accepted Snipe's proposition.

Snipe pictured himself crossing the small space between their benches and kneeling at the major's feet. He imagined sliding his hands up Major Hayes's hairy legs, squeezing his powerful thighs and hooking his fingers into the waistband of the major's shorts. Major Hayes would run his fingers through Snipe's short, damp hair, stroking him as Snipe slid the major's shorts down.

Snipe had seen Major Hayes's cock once, on a very good day in the showers. For obvious reasons, Snipe hadn't been able to stare as long as he'd have liked, but he'd caught enough casual, off-hand glimpses to get a good idea of what it looked like. It was big, like the rest of the major, long, thick and circumcised. That was an old-fashioned custom and Snipe hadn't seen many like that. It intrigued him even more.

Now, Snipe imagined how that cock would feel in his mouth, how it would taste as he ran his tongue over the exposed head, the way Major Hayes would gasp and moan as Snipe took him deep into his throat. Snipe knew guys like Hawkins and Chang and Kelly saw the term "cocksucker" as an insult—he'd heard them use it as one—but to Snipe, it had always been a compliment. It was one way a not very built, not very bright private could get stronger and smarter men under his control. The other way, with his rifle and his deadeye shot, was just as fun for Snipe, but a little less so for the other men involved.

Snipe pictured using all his sexual tricks on Major Hayes, nibbling and sucking until the major's hands gripped him tightly and he came down Snipe's throat. Snipe swallowed it all without choking—this was a fantasy, after all—then moved slowly up Major Hayes's magnificent body, lapping beads of sweat from the major's stomach, his nipples and his throat. When he reached Major Hayes's mouth, Snipe kissed him, their tongues pushing against each other as the major tasted himself in Snipe's mouth. Snipe pulled away slowly, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around the major's shoulders. Major Hayes looked into his eyes, stunned and grateful. His tongue sneaked out and licked his lower lip, and, slowly, almost wondrously, he said, "Thank you, Jacob."

Snipe smiled, in reality and in his dreams. No one called him that, not even his mother.

As the imaginary Major Hayes's hand sneaked down to Snipe's still insistent erection, the imaginary Snipe took the final step and used the name he'd once heard McKenzie use. "You're welcome, Matthew."

"Major Hayes. Private Rosenfeld." Snipe's eyes flew open at the sound of Phlox's voice. Major Hayes's eyes opened as well, and Snipe tried to angle himself so the steel pipe in his shorts was less than completely obvious. "You may apply the gel now."

Snipe stared at the jars of blue gel conveniently left at the end of each bench. "Be sure to place the majority on your chests and backs," Phlox instructed.

"Yes, doctor." Major Hayes sighed and picked up his jar. He sniffed, then made a face and glanced up at Snipe. "I think my mom used to give us this when we had chest colds."

"Yeah." Snipe couldn't think of anything else to say. The major stuck two fingers into the jar, hesitated a moment, then slapped it onto his chest, rubbing it into his right pectoral muscle just above the nipple.

McKenzie in a bikini, Snipe reminded himself, and glopped the gel onto his chest. It was cold, which helped a little. As he rubbed it in, he told himself once again how dumb it was to lust after Major Hayes when Major Hayes clearly wasn't lusting after him. And why would he? Men like the major could have anyone they wanted, and they never wanted weedy guys with good aim and not much else.

This Ramirez guy, Snipe thought, was probably a brain surgeon or a warp engineer or something, a genius with a six-pack stomach and biceps like the barrels of old anti-aircraft guns. Well, good for him. Major Hayes deserved a guy like that.

As for Snipe, he didn't know what he deserved, but he never seemed to get what he wanted.

"Mr. Rosenfeld." Snipe looked up at Major Hayes. The major's chest hair was glistening under the gel. "I, um, I guess Dr. Phlox wants us to, you know, do our backs, too."

Snipe willed himself to sound blasé when he replied, "Yeah, I guess so, sir."

Major Hayes sighed again, then something crossed his face. If Snipe had blinked, he would have missed it, but Snipe hadn't blinked, and he was sure of what he'd seen. "You do me and I'll do you?" Major Hayes suggested.

Snipe was immensely proud of the way he shrugged casually, even as his heart hammered. "OK, sir."

Snipe didn't care about embarrassment, he decided, and Cole and McKenzie could go to hell. So could Ramirez, for that matter. Because this, he thought, as he dipped his hands in the gel and laid them on Major Hayes's back, would be enough to feed his fantasies for the rest of the mission.

Or for the rest of his life, whichever came first.