Work Text:
In Rick's defense - not that anyone was accusing him of anything; oh no, it was all long looks and longer silences, but guess what, two could play that game, Miss Carnahan, kissing Ardeth had been an honest mistake. Anyone could have done it.
The way it had happened was thus:
Evy had located what she claimed to be a tomb of immense historical value, which Rick figured translated to 'a deathtrap of immense dangerous danger'. Ardeth had shown up (as he did) announcing the Medjai were 100% cool with Evy excavating this particular building - no cursed mummies buried here whatsoever, which was nice to know, and also, he'd be coming along with them, just in case.
"In case of what?" Rick had asked, because it was great to see Ardeth again, really, but Rick knew what bullshit smelled like.
Ardeth had smiled and said, "Trouble," and Evy had poked Rick in the side with her elbow before telling Ardeth that he was very welcome to come along, so nice to have his company.
In all fairness, it had been rather nice.
For as long as it lasted, anyway, because of course they'd only been there a week or so before someone (Rick's money was on Evy) touched something they shouldn't have, and next thing you knew, the ceiling was coming down. (Honestly, what was with these people? Building stuff to last for thousands of years - or until the first time someone walked in to admire the wall paintings and stepped on The Tile That Must Not Be Stepped Upon.)
Still, at least there hadn't been any flesh-eating scarabs. So Rick reckoned they'd be all right as long as everyone got a move on, rather than stick around for a book (because of course there was a book) and thanks to him reiterating this point several times, twice at the top of his lungs, they made it out of there with at least ten seconds to spare.
Which was good, but also bad, because Rick knew, he just knew, that next thing, Evy would be pointing out that hey, she could have gotten that book in those ten seconds, if only Rick hadn't been in such a panicked hurry, and then Rick would have started yelling again, and it would all have gotten awkward.
So instead, he'd decided to prevent all that by kissing her.
It had been a perfectly sound plan, all but guaranteed to succeed, except that somehow, Ardeth had pulled one of his 'you think I'm over there, but surprise! now I'm right here' tricks.
Rick supposed he could have stepped back and explained everything the moment he'd realized his mistake, but Evy was already annoyed about the book and Ardeth was a nice guy and a remarkably good kisser and Rick felt he deserved something nice for his trouble, so.
100% an honest mistake, and completely not his fault, and if Evy thought that giving him the silent treatment was going to get her anywhere, she had another think coming.
"Look," Rick said, two days on camel-back later. "Can we talk about this?"
Evy gave him the same look she'd been giving him for the past two days, but then she said, "About what?" like that had never happened.
Women! Rick thought, even though he knew it wasn't women, Rick had no problem with women, women in general were (probably) perfectly all right, and also smart and capable and competent and sexy and more or less driving him insane simply by existing.
"Talk about what, Mr O'Connell?" Evy repeated.
Rick vaguely recalled he'd been 'Rick', once upon a time. That had been a good time. "You know, things," he said. "Us." With the benefit of two days of hindsight, he knew now that he should not have kissed Ardeth. He should have stepped back and apologized.
Of course, Ardeth could have stepped back, too, but Rick decided that he wasn't going to think about that. Nothing good would come of thinking about what Ardeth might have done, or thought, or assumed, based on Rick kissing him. That way, trouble lay.
More trouble, anyway, if less trouble than the three of them usually got into. The world wasn't going to end just because Rick had kissed someone. Reading a book, opening a box: those were potential world-ending events. Kissing people who did not object to being kissed was not.
" 'Us', Mr O'Connell?" Evy said, and on second thought, Rick had preferred the silent treatment.
"I thought he was you," he said quickly, before that thought could turn into action. "I thought - I knew you were right behind me, and we made it out, and I was relieved, because things were looking real bad there for a while, so I - I wasn't really thinking."
"Yes. I can see how that would be an easy mistake to make," Evy said.
Rick did in fact recognize sarcasm when he heard it, but sometimes, a man had to act like an idiot to get what he wanted. "So you see - "
Evy cut him off. "It isn't of the least concern to me who you go around kissing, Mr O'Connell."
So why am I getting the silent treatment here? Rick was smart enough not to ask. "Great," he said. "Glad to have gotten that all cleared up."
"Wonderful," Evy said.
Rick would have come up with a charming, clever and witty come-back for that, except that Evy had already moved ahead to go talk to Ardeth, who wasn't so much giving either of them the silent treatment as that he was being his usual, nice-but-silent-and-a-bit-distant self.
Next thing Rick knew, in the process of making camp, Evy tripped over her own feet (or possibly a tricky spot of sand), right into Ardeth's arms, and if that was supposed to be an honest mistake, well, Rick would recommend her not to pursue an acting career, because frankly she sucked at it.
(It would be a waste, anyway: Evy might have that whole sexy librarian look down, but she had the brains, too, and a passion to pursue knowledge and correct stuffy scholars who'd never even been to Egypt, and holy shit, was Ardeth actually buying this 'oops, I fell and now we're kissing' act?)
"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me," Evy said, after way too long. Rick hadn't kissed Ardeth nearly that long, and anyway, in his case it had been an actual, honest mistake.
She sounded a bit breathless, which made Rick want to walk over there and do some tripping himself, only she'd never believe it, and Ardeth wouldn't either, and Rick had his dignity to think of.
"Quite all right," Ardeth said, and Rick thought, yeah, no kidding before he wondered who he was thinking at.
Evy glanced at Rick, as if daring him to comment.
Ardeth glanced at Rick, as if inviting him to step in and clarify this situation before it got even more ridiculous.
"So what's left for dinner?" Rick asked.
Evy came to see him after dinner, just when Rick had done some more thinking and concluded that in fact, he wasn't all that concerned with his dignity at this point.
On the other hand, "You know, you've got some nerve."
Evy smiled, as if that had been a compliment. (Well, maybe.) "Turn-about, Mr O'Connell."
"So what, Ardeth's just - " Rick gestured vaguely, mostly because he had no idea where he was going with this, other than to point out that Ardeth had feelings, too, in addition to valuable skills, a cool head and an occasionally exaggerated sense of duty that involved threatening to kill people while not actually going through with it.
"Of course not," Evy said, frowning. "Is that what you - ?"
"What? Of course not!" Rick said, with no actual idea what he was denying. Still, if it was something Evy disapproved of, denying it seemed the smart option. "Ardeth is - " He made another vague gesture, because the first one had worked so well.
Evy smiled again, so clearly Rick was onto something here, and then she sighed dreamily and said, "He is, isn't he?" which was fiendishly clever in that it told Rick nothing whatsoever.
"But you and me, we're also - " Rick tried, reasoning he might as well go for a third strike. Third time's the charm? Not quitting while he was ahead, possibly, but then, when had that ever worked out for him?
"Well," Evy said. Still smiling, which was good, if only Rick could figure out what they were talking about here.
Rick plodded on. He was a plodder. Never say die, that sort of thing. "So maybe we should - "
"Maybe we should, yes," Evy said.
Rick decided it was nice they agreed, even if he had no idea on what.
"Shall I go and - " Evy asked. "Or we could go together."
Rick imagined having this conversation with three people involved. "Er. Why don't you go, and I'll stay right here?" which got him a deliberate, definitely-not-accidental kiss, and then Evy pulled away, presumably to go and confuse Ardeth, except that Ardeth had apparently been hanging out right in front of Rick's tent, and going by his expression, he was quite happy to be there, which -
Oh, Rick thought, as Ardeth came inside, making the tent feel rather small of a sudden, but not in a bad way. Right. So that's what we were talking about.
"Should I pretend to trip over something?" Ardeth asked, sounding so serious that Rick knew he was making a joke, and Evy laughed, and Rick decided that it was nice to realize she wasn't the only genius around here, because honestly, he was pretty damn brilliant if he did say so himself.