Ace John and aro Rodney - omg yes - tell me more. Do they ever talk about it? I like to think they eventually come to know as they get older. John knows he loves Rodney and knows Rodney loves him back, though it's not in the same way and that's ok. And Rodney worries about it so he's extra obvious that John is a non-negotiable in his life. And Rodney has a bunch of play partners for sex and they've all met John.
aaaaahhhh this has been on spin cycle in my head all week!!! i'm just a little obsessed with this characterization rn and yes!! i love that idea of their future <33
i'm not sure they would ever get to really Understanding their Identities, so much as understanding what they each want and how they fit together.
here are some vaguely connected thoughts i've been turning over about things rolling out for them:
rodney asking john at some point how/why it is that john's never had a girlfriend/partner the whole time they've been on atlantis. and john giving a vague answer about how romance is too complicated. rodney agrees. they both feel Seen. (not realizing that they're misunderstanding each other)
john already knows most people don't feel empty and gross and disconnected after sex the way he does. he doesn't go around advertising the fact. but hearing rodney go on about how he feels fake and stupid and tired after Performing Romance, especially when it 'yields no results' (which is the majority of the time), maybe he's feeling more like sharing.
when he's thinking of proposing to katie (or jennifer idc), rodney talks to john about it and asks for advice (since, yknow. john's been married before obv). and john is like. labels don't fix the problems. sometimes they make them worse.
they're neighbors with an open door policy on atlantis. maybe they stay this way for the rest of their lives. maybe roommates at some point, but they kind of like the life they've got and don't need things to change for their Relationship.
drunk one night after a breakup, rodney does the whole 'if we're not taken by the time we're 50, we should just give up romance together and do the friends with benefits thing.'
maybe related to the last point, they definitely make out at some point, and maybe rodney notices that john, while seemingly fine with the kissing thing, definitely is not taking it farther. this is when rodney starts to put the pieces together about john.
they're both always each other's +1s by a certain point in life and they both aggressively counter any comments about how they are romantic partners.
(they also both find comfort in the fact that weddings bum them both out. they can go home after and be a bit bitter about how romance changes friendships)
john absolutely NOT wanting to meet rodney's sex friends. but rodney eventually being like. i want THEM to meet YOU, you idiot.
absolutely love your idea hear that rodney worries and goes out of his way to make it known john is a priority. what a rodney move. <333
gosh i am just really loving this for both of them. i'll probably be reading them both in this light for the rest of time lmao.
