You're stuck with me, Rodney, just accept it
By: Athrun Yuy
Summary: McShep 1st kiss post Shrine. After having a talk with Keller, Rodney has a few words for John.

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John started at the sound of his door opening and the lights suddenly coming on with a blinding force. Before he could even get a groan out, Rodney was in full rampage. "You…You…This is soooo like you."

"Gee, come on in, Rodney. It wasn't like I was sleeping or anything." John managed to grumble sitting up with closed eyes that are trying to adjust to the strong light. He didn't need to see to know that Rodney was passing.

"I can't believe this. I finally get a girlfriend and then this happens and it's all your fault, Kirk!" Rodney exclaims pausing for a split second to glare at John with hands on his hips. Seeing Johns confessed expression, Rodney throws up his hands in frustration and starts to pace again.

"What exactly am I getting accused of?" He swore that if Rodney didn't get to the point soon then he was going to get pissed enough to actually get out of bed and force him out. Bed was a nice thing, he didn't want to have to give it up, dang it.

"Don't play stupid. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Rodney growled refusing to look at John while he griped some more. "I can't believe that this has happened."

Rodney went on more to himself leaving John wheeling in thought. "Rodney!" John called out trying to get him to slow down long enough to tell him what happened. When he wouldn't listen he decided to use more force. "Meredith!" John was shocked that it had worked. Rodney not only slowed down but actually sat in a nearby chair and looked at him. "Now," John sighed in disbelief, storing that information for later uses. "What happened?"

"She dumped me." He nearly whispered. "Said that there was someone else I was supposed to be with. She pointed out something to me that I've never noticed before. Or perhaps I did and just pushed it back. " He stopped looking to John to judge his feelings. "She told me that she wouldn't be second and that I had to choose."

John felt his heart restrict at the thought of someone else Rodney could possibly love. Jealousy perked but was quickly schooled away knowing that now wasn't the time, Rodney needed his friend. "Who?" The moment the question left his mouth he regretted it. He didn't want to know of anyone else. It was hard enough to see the ring he had gotten for Katie and then now the efforts for Keller. It was beginning to be too much.

"She showed me the tapes." Rodney sighed coming closer to sit on the side of the bed next to John so that they could face each other. "I was so scared, John. I was slipping away and all I could do was wait for it to happen. When I was at my lowest I called for you, or when I was scared and especially when I forgot everyone else. You were the only one I remembered. You were the only one I felt safe with, cause I knew what was happening with me, but it made it more bearable knowing that I wasn't alone." At this point neither could look at each other, both not too keen about talking about such things. "You would protect me. You, I trust, more than anyone." John didn't know what to think, truly unsure of where Rodney was going with this. Then he had to have known the silence wouldn't last very long, for Rodney got himself all worked up again in his own fit of nerves. "What pisses me off the most," Rodney started standing up to pace once again, "is that she's right! I never knew what was right in front of me this whole time. What kind of a genius am I?"

John reached out to stop him in his walk fully aware of the flailing hands endangering this action. "What is she right about, Rodney?" He asks hand still on Rodney's wrist.

"That…" He trails off running out of steam at the kind and patient tone of Johns voice. "That you are the one I love the most." He breathed out squeezing his eyes shut expecting the blow he was sure would come. You don't just come out to a Colonel in the United State Air Force, let alone proclaim your love for the man either. He tried to pull away to at least give himself a head start but found he couldn't. Johns' hand tightened on his wrist as if he knew Rodney was planning on bolting.

Rodney couldn't take the silence anymore so dared to open his eyes to look at John. To his complete surprise there wasn't any anger or disgust to find in those very expressive hazel eyes. Without taking his eyes away, John stood leaving the sheet to pool around his bare feet. John still held his wrist sternly and yet gentle at the same time. His gaze forceful enough to make Rodney take a step back, John following him until Rodney's back was to the wall. Once he could move no further John dropped his gaze to where he still held Rodney and watched as he slowly turned his hand enough to entwine their fingers together. As if fascinated by the gesture John turned their hands over and back looking at how they held together. "What do you know, they fit." He states returning to look into Rodney's completely shocked eyes. Rodney could feel the heat radiating off of John as he leaned closer, could smell his after shave and the mint from his toothpaste. He was intoxicating. "What took you so long?" He asked just before he leaned the rest of the way in to capture those thin wonderful lips between his. As Rodney gasped in shock, John took the opportunity to deepen the kiss in which he got no complaints from Rodney's side.

Kissing the man pinned by him felt like coming home. As if everything that was out of sync finally clicked together. This was right. They were right for each other. And from the sounds coming from Rodney, John was pretty sure he felt it too. For years John had dreamed about how it would be to kiss that ever working mouth and had never guessed the real thing would be even better. Rodney was hesitant at first but once his genius mind caught on he kissed back with such intensity John feared his knees would give out.

"John?" Rodney asked when they took a much needed air break.

"Ditto, Rodney." John answered before diving back in to stop any other responses Rodney could come up with. The last couple of weeks were the hardest both had ever had to experience, proving that there was much more to lose than either could have imagined. At long last, they found the missing piece to the puzzle in completing each other.

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