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Rodney hears the Gate start to dial, then hears the jumper bay open and feels the rush of air through the Control Room indicating a jumper was on its way off-world. Knowing their schedules, and that this trip seemed unplanned, he looks around, catching Chuck's eye. "What's going on?"
Chuck finishes his communication with the ship, then turns to the scientist. "It's Colonel Sheppard. He said he needed to 'go get something'. Maybe he's picking up Teyla from the settlement."
Rodney shrugs at the reasonable explanation, then goes back to work. Within minutes, the Gate again activates, and he hears, "Unscheduled off-world activation,", quickly followed by "It's Colonel Sheppard's IDC." He leans out from under the console, catching the Gate mid-wormhole. A few seconds later, the jumper crosses the event horizon, but instead of going to dock in the jumper bay, settles down on the gateroom floor. Unused to this activity, Marines fan out near the ship, guns at the ready.
"At ease, gentlemen," Colonel Sheppard commands as the back of the jumper opens. Rodney can't quite see him clearly, but sees Lorne's eyes crinkle up in a smile. He bobs his head towards the upper level of the Control room, then hears Sheppard almost whisper, "Thanks."
As John ascends the stairs, Rodney stands up to get a better view of what's going on. He watches John walking into the control room clutching some sort of flowered plant. As John stops in front of him, it takes him a few seconds of looking around and blinking to realize John's there for him, holding three red flowers in his hand, dirt still smeared into the stems.
"Colonel?"
Sheppard just stands there holding the flowers - more away from himself than as an offering to Rodney. The longer Rodney doesn't take them, the more he looks around, feeling every set of eyes on him. "They're... They're. You know. For you." He thrusts them into Rodney's face again, then grabs one of Rodney's hands, forcing the scientist to take the offering.
"But..." It's not often Rodney's at a loss for words, but this is one of those times. "Colonel?"
Sheppard scratches the back of his neck and shuffles his feet a little. "They're... You know. The one's you're not allergic to. They don't make you sneeze. And they smell nice, too. See?" In an effort to get Rodney to smell the flowers, he guide's Rodney's flower-laden hand up, unknowing Rodney was already leaning his head down. The movement resulted in a petal jammed precariously into Rodney's right nostril, causing John to panic and drop Rodney's hand, as Rodney lets loose with the mother-of-all sneezes.
Sheppard stands there, frozen in place and quite stunned at the awkwardness. To his benefit, Rodney looks around the room, catching people's eyes, and starts laughing. It breaks the tension in the room, and John relaxes as wave after wave of laughter washes over them. He's finally able to laugh at himself, and the awkward situation he's been in.
A few seconds later, Rodney calms down enough to walk towards John, then grabs one of John's hands in his. "John?" Rodney begins. "Thank you." As he squeezes Sheppard's hand, Rodney adds, "Happy Valentines Day to you, too."
Sheppard winks at Rodney, then gives their hands a squeeze in return. "See you at lunch, McKay."