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*
The first time Rodney kisses John is in the infirmary after the incident on P4X-991. John can hear the soft murmur of his team's voices before he wakes, but when he finally manages to open his bleary eyes, there's only Rodney frowning down at him. He pulls one corner of his mouth up in what he hopes resembles a smile but feels more like a grimace. Rodney glares at him and goes off about the people of P4X-991 and hunting rituals and certain flyboys' suicidal tendencies. John's eyelids drift closed again under the weight of so many words and then there's silence for a few minutes. The kiss—a softly whispered "idiot" pressed against his lips—feels like an afterthought, an ipso facto born of one too many near-death experiences. John, doped up on morphine, can't find the strength to drag his eyes open again, but he feels a warm tingly sensation in his toes.
*
The first time John kisses Rodney is four hours after he's released from the infirmary ten days later. Rodney had been in and out of the medical ward like always, but he'd never mentioned the kiss or attempted to repeat it. John wants to go looking for Rodney as soon as Carson lets him go except there are three separate forms to fill out for Elizabeth and then he's waylaid by Lorne, who wants to give him an update on the past ten days. So he's already tired and not in the best of moods when he finally makes it to the labs. He tells Rodney they need to talk, but Rodney says he's busy and pretends not to know what John's hinting at even though the tips of his ears turn pink. But John is determined and stakes out the labs until he spots Rodney getting into a transporter alone. John leaps in before the doors close, eliciting a squawk of surprise from Rodney. "You," John says accusingly, "are an idiot." He presses the last word against the uncertain tilt of Rodney's mouth. "Oh," Rodney says, and John strokes a thumb along Rodney's jaw as Rodney's hands wander across his back. They jump apart as the doors slide open, but Rodney's hand lingers for an extra moment on John's hip and as they go their separate ways they both know there's more to come.
John is exhausted, though, after his first day out of the infirmary, so they settle in to watch a movie. Later, when John is falling asleep on the couch, Rodney kisses him softly before going back to his own quarters. Three, John thinks drowsily as the door swishes closed behind Rodney, the first time he kissed me goodnight.
*
The thing about being intergalactic space explorers is that there are plenty of opportunities for first kisses. Besides all the first kisses in Atlantis, every new planet they visit has its own first kiss, different permutations of a theme: in a welcome ceremony, in the shade of the trees beside a harvest field, in the darkness of a shared yurt. John counts them all in his head, a careful tally of something he never wants to let go of, stored up against the day when Rodney decides that he can't stand John's love of Back to the Future or football or Johnny Cash, or that their equations just don't add up.
*
John stops in at the lab on his way to bed. Rodney's the only person in there. "Laaaaate," John whines, tugging on Rodney's sleeve.
Rodney flaps a hand at him without looking up from the computer. "Busy. I want to finish this bit of code. It'll just take a few minutes."
John rolls his eyes and turns to go, but Rodney grabs his wrist. John looks back over his shoulder. Rodney tugs him around to face him and curves one hand around John's neck to bring their mouths together. He kisses John with such unexpected fervor that John's knees actually wobble. One thousand, John thinks, but he's at a loss for words to classify the warm feeling that lingers after this kiss.
"Okay?" Rodney asks, and John nods dazedly before stumbling out of the labs.
John is just falling asleep when Rodney finally creeps into the room, trying to be quiet. He pauses by the bed and leans down to whisper "sorry" against John's lips. John drifts slowly up from sleep, and it feels just like the first time, toes curling against the sheets. Rodney starts to stand up, but John snakes an arm around his neck and pulls him back down. John kisses him back—warm and certain—and stops counting.