Offering Proof

"All we have to do is explain that we're really friends," Sheppard said, stopping just outside the conference room door.

"Yes, yes I know the plan," Rodney answered. Explain to Nola and Sheppard's guy that he and John were friends and that they could be, too. Easy. "Can we get on with it?"

Sheppard shot him a look which said "don't mess this up," a look that Rodney ignored, and the door slid open. Nola and Baden rose as soon they entered, both had their arms crossed obstinately across their chests.

"Thank you for coming. There's something that Rodney and I wanted to explain to you."

Nola and Baden merely gazed at them. Dismissing the idea of asking them to sit back down at the large "U" of a table, Rodney picked up where Sheppard had left off. "We're friends. Good friends."

John nodded. "Very good friends. Sure, Rodney can be a little obnoxious sometimes, but that's part of his charm."

Rodney glared at him, but Sheppard merely smiled; since there was a tiny hint of an apology in the smile Rodney decided to let it go. He looked back at Nola. "Sheppard can be a little primitive sometimes, but that isn't always a bad thing." She looked skeptical, and he added, lifting a hand in her direction, "My point is that underneath all of our back and forth--"

"Bickering," Sheppard put in, rising onto the balls of his feet and into Rodney's space.

"Bickering," Rodney said, turning to give Sheppard a quick glare for interrupting. "We honestly like each other, and maybe if you guys spent some time together, gave each other a chance, you would too."

John nodded again. "And your countries."

Baden clearly wasn't buying it. "You like him?" He asked Sheppard bluntly.

"Sure. He's fun. How do you think we ended up playing the game in the first place? It was an excuse to hang out, have fun together."

It was Rodney's turn to nod. "We spend almost all of our free time together." Which now that Rodney thought of it might explain why neither of them dated much.

"And our work time," John added. "We're on the same team. Plus, I spend a lot of my time in Rodney's lab."

Rodney pointed at Sheppard. "And just a few weeks ago, we took a puddle jumper under the ocean to check out some whales."

"Whales?" Nola asked.

"Really big fish. Really, really big," Rodney answered, trying to show how big with his hands.

"And when Rodney was dying--" Sheppard said, adding when Nora frowned, "we saved him at the last minute--"

"I saved myself."

Sheppard ignored him. "We thought it would help if he relaxed really deeply, so I brought him to my quarters and lit candles, and tried to help him focus."

"And when I collapsed, he caught me," Rodney said, smiling at Sheppard.

"I see," Nola said. "So you are--"

"Buddies," Sheppard said.

"Best buddies," Rodney added.

"Buddies," she repeated slowly, glancing at Baden.

"Exactly," Rodney said, pleased.

"We don't believe you," Baden said.

"What do you mean you don't believe us?" Sheppard asked, putting a slight emphasis on the word 'believe' that implied not believing wasn't actually possible.

"You just don't seem very close," Nola said.

"We're close. Ask anyone," Rodney said, glancing at Sheppard who rested one hand on his hip and pointed at Nola with the other. "Very close," Sheppard said.

Nola smiled a disbelieving smile. "Prove it."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Rodney demanded.

She shrugged her slender shoulders. "Act like buddies."

Rodney frowned at her. "You want to watch us hang out together?" He couldn't imagine that being very interesting to anyone but them.

"On Haldora, people who care for one another express it openly," Baden said.

"Really? Are you sure Sheppard's your oracle?" Rodney asked.

Sheppard smacked Rodney's upper arm with the back of his hand. "Look, we care about each other," he said, swallowing before adding, "the way buddies do."

"They don't believe us," Rodney whispered, leaning into Sheppard's space. This was not good. Elizabeth was going to strangle them both if they didn't fix this.

"I know," Sheppard answered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry," Nola said. "You just don't seem very buddy-like."

"Fine," Rodney said. "You want proof that we're close. I'll give you proof." He took a step toward Sheppard closing the small distance between them.

"McKay," Sheppard said softly.

"Just be a man about it," Rodney answered just as softly. It's not like they would be in this position if Sheppard hadn't refused his trade offers and insisted on building up his army. Taking a breath for courage, he pressed his mouth to Sheppard's. Fortunately, Sheppard remembered that they were supposed to be proving their fondness for one another and didn't push him away. He did, however, freeze for a good thirty seconds before kissing Rodney back.

After that it was a nice kiss, kind of weird with the stubble, and they both seemed to forget how to breathe, but Rodney thought it made their point. Letting Sheppard go, he stepped back and looked at Nola.

"Fine, you're buddies, but I still don't like him," she said.

"And I don't like her,"Baden said. He eyed her up and down. "Although I might if she was willing to trade instead of just making demands."

Nola lifted herself to her full height and looked down her nose at Baden. "I'll stop making demands when you reduce the size of your army."

Shaking his head, Rodney looked back at Sheppard. Sheppard was staring at him with a look that was a little confused and more than a little accusatory. Rodney sighed. Next time he found a really cool game he was just going to say "no."