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It all started with a picture of the solar system. An incredibly detailed picture of the solar system which belied the sheer amount of hair gel used on the head that had imagined it. Rodney had always been attracted to brains over beauty, something a lot of people found hard to believe. Just because he wasn't shy about letting someone know when he found them physically appealing didn't mean that looks were all he went for. Looks weren't even a big part of what Rodney went for. For Rodney, it was all about, well ok, 90% about, the brain.
Of course, the flyboy that had produced an almost perfect reproduction of the solar system, was also one of the most physically attractive people Rodney had ever seen outside of the movies. Which, given the number of stupidly attractive people that worked for the SGC was saying something. Rodney had always half wondered if they only recruited gorgeous people, although what edge that gave them when it came to protecting the Earth from alien invasions he didn't know. Even he himself had been somewhat thinner in body and thicker in hair when he was hired. He certainly hadn't had much trouble finding someone to share his bed anyway. As long as he kept his mouth shut.
Sharing a bed was something he definitely did not think about when he was around John Sheppard. He spent a lot of time consciously not thinking about it. Soldiers, even the intelligent ones, were not the most receptive to advances from parties of the same sex. Not if they wanted to keep their jobs. Sometimes Rodney despaired of the country he had spent most of his professional life working in.
So, John, or Sheppard as Rodney stalwartly calls him, is quickly pushed into the folder in his head marked 'passing fantasies', something that is made easier when he hears that Sheppard didn't immediately jump at the offer of a ticket to Atlantis. He couldn't be as smart as Rodney had thought he was, not if he had almost turned this down.
Arriving in Atlantis was one of the most awe inspiring moments of Rodney's life. The first three minutes anyway. It all got a bit terrifying after that with the shield threatening to collapse and their military leader getting killed by some kind of space vampire and really, Rodney should have paid more attention to the SG team reports. The SGC didn't do easy. Not in the Milky Way, and definitely not in the Pegasus galaxy.
Somewhere in amongst all that terror, John, Sheppard, had impressed him again. 720 possible permutations of a gate address from the six symbols that Ford had provided, the answer calculated in a blink by Sheppard.
After everything had calmed down (his new definition of calm anyway) Rodney hacked the Major's file and was unsurprised to learn of Sheppard's masters in applied mathematics. Unsurprised and incredibly turned on.
His crush on Sheppard was easy enough to put aside. Between going off world for the first time, dealing with annoying kids, getting drunk with Carson after the Hoffan debacle, dealing with the Genii, and trying to keep the city from killing them, Rodney simply didn't have the time to dwell on his attraction to Sheppard. Or anyone else.
It never fully disappeared though, always ready to rear its head when Sheppard let slip just how smart he really was. Like calculating the 840 years it would take to reach M5S-224 by jumper in the amount of time it would take Ford to multiply 12 by 36. Those flashes of intelligence were deptessingly rare. Sheppard chose to hide behind the mask of flyboy too often, almost as if he was afraid of letting people know that his IQ outstripped half of Rodney's science department.
It was the one thing Rodney found unattractive about the Major, his refusal to embrace his intellect. He didn't even mind the chest hair or the ears. He probably should have realised much sooner than he did that this was more than a crush.
He should have realised when Kolya had a knife to his back, when he thought he was going to die. He should have realised when Gall lay dying in front of him and all he could think of was Sheppard going after the Wraith alone. He should have realised when his last thoughts as he watched Hays die were of spiky hair and pointy ears. He should have realised when the sight of John and Chaya together caused his gut to churn painfully in jealousy.
Instead, he realised when Kolya had them dead to rights and John's life was on the line.
"You're a member of MENSA?" Rodney's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my God," he whispered, suddenly struck dumb with the realisation. "I'm in love with you."
"You want to talk about this now, Rodney?"
Rodney shook himself. John was right. This was not the time for love confessions. This was the time for solving puzzles and finally getting a ZPM and - - Jesus Christ was that a flashbang?
"What the hell just happened?" Rodney yelled, rubbing frantically at his eyes.
"Sorry," John said sheepishly. "I had no way to tell you what was coming."
Rodney rescued the ZPM from the wall as John dealt with Kolya. In amongst the joy of getting his hands on a ZPM and the disappointment of Alina's betrayal, it was surprisingly easy for him to push his ill timed confession from his mind.
At least until John fell into step next to him as they trudged empty handed towards the gate.
"I never joined MENSA," John admitted hesitantly. "Just took the test. In case that, y'know, changes things or whatever."
Rodney turned his head to stare at John. That almost sounded like his little slip of the tongue was welcomed. One look into John's eyes and Rodney knew that it was.
He grinned. "Well, Major. Lucky for you, we have a chapter on Atlantis. You could become an honorary member."
John groaned. What the hell had he let himself in for?