11 years later

"Why am I here again?" Rodney whispered to the woman sitting in the pew beside him. He scooted another inch closer to her in order to escape the overpowering cologne of the man sitting on his other side.

Pinching his arm, she answered, "Rodney, the bride is our cousin. You have to go to family weddings. Now be quiet, and, by all that is holy, put your sunglasses up. They look ridiculous on you."

"I like them. And I'm perfectly aware that she's our cousin, but why couldn't you have come alone, Jeanie? It's not like that side of the family wants me here."

"If you only went to places where people actually wanted you, you'd never leave your apartment."

Before he could respond, his attention was caught by a man standing in the side aisle, looking for a seat. Rodney's eyes were immediately dragged to the stranger's crazy mess of hair, then slowly descended to focus on warm, hazel eyes. And why were those eyes so familiar?

A sudden, knowing smirk appeared on the newcomer's face before he turned around and sat down two rows in front of the McKays.

Rodney's sister leaned over, "He is pretty cute. I'd go home with him tonight."

For some reason, the thought of the newcomer taking his sister home unsettled him, and not just because of the horrifying image of Jeanie naked. Glaring back at her, he scoffed, "Too bad for you he's gay."

"How can you tell? You only came out last year; there's no way you could have developed a decent gay-dar that quickly."

He nodded back to the hot stranger, "Just look at his hair. I don't need any more proof than that. Hair like that doesn't sit on top of a straight head. The best you're going to get out of him is bisexual, and I doubt even that."

The corners of her mouth sank. "I'd still take him home though."

"And compare curtain patterns?"

"Shut up, Rodney…the wedding is starting."

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From across the reception hall, Rodney watched the stranger with the hair walk towards him, a relaxed air about him and a cocky grin that made McKay want to pull him into a secluded area and strip off his clothes.

His fingers flexed, aching to run through the stranger's dark hair and see how wild it would be after a little mussing. Rolling his eyes, he murmured, "And I'm fantasizing about hair. There's no question about it…I need to get laid."

The stranger finally came to a halt a few feet away, his grin widening in a way that made Rodney smile against his will. "I can help with that."

Attempting his usual scowl, he asked, "Help with what?"

"Getting laid. That is what you said under your breath, right?"

"You always listen in on other's conversations?" Rodney countered, overcome with a sudden sense of déjà vu.

"Only yours." The smile grew again. "And I believe a conversation requires at least two people, unless you've got a split personality. If that's the case, forgive me for interrupting."

Narrowing his eyes, Rodney crossed his arms over his chest. "You're not doing a very good job of picking me up."

The stranger with the hair mirrored his stance, his expression suddenly smug. "Why waste my time when you're already willing to take me home? But if you want me to give you some line, I'm sure I can come up with something completely unoriginal to insult your extraordinary intelligence."

"If you're next sentence is going to contain something about me running through your head all day, or falling from heaven, stop now."

Laughing, the stranger took another step towards Rodney. "If I was going to describe you, I think I'd have to use something more like 'kicked out of hell' than 'fell from heaven.' Now, are you ready to get out of here?"

"And why would I take a man I don't know home with me?"

"My name's John Sheppard, and I'm not a homicidal maniac or a Russian spy sent to kidnap any arrogant geniuses." His eyebrows rose in silent question.

"That works."

--------

Rodney held his breath as John's finger slid down the center of Rodney's chest towards the button of his khakis. He jumped when John's fingernail scraped over his left nipple, then gave the sensitive skin a little twist. His pulse sped when John's tongue ran along the shell of his ear, then dove inside. And, amazingly, every sensation felt more intense than the last.

Sheppard's lips brushed along Rodney's collar bone and the latter bucked so hard that John was almost thrown off of him.

"Relax," John breathed before licking his way into McKay's mouth. "We have all night."

The next morning, Rodney woke up naked and face down on his bed, his new sunglasses taken and a short note left in their place.