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Some things about Atlantis Ronon understood.
He understood the military. Rules and regulations and the chain of command reminded him of what he was before. He wasn't always sure that he wanted to be that person again, wasn't sure that he could -- but he understood it.
Sheppard was like some of the soldiers he had served with before. He had probably even been like Sheppard, once: optimistic and determined with an underlying faith that they would probably win. Too many years on the run had beaten that out of him. Unlike Sheppard, he wasn't sure he knew how to play well with others any more.
The Athosians had never lived in his world. Like many other races he had come across they had reacted to the Wraith threat by maintaining a nomadic lifestyle. Some few planets had managed to gain a technological advantage, like his world once had but he had tended to avoid those places: too many people and not as easy to get away from. The Wraith had always come, and the consequences were somehow worse.
Weir was easy to read. She was a diplomat, he had been told, and her way was with words. She would try to convince everyone that she was in control, through bluff and gesture if needed. She didn't quite understand the way of war but she could see the necessity of it. It wouldn't be the first time that he had worked with a civilian commander.
The scientists for the most part kept away from him. Every now and again a pair would come over to ask him questions; somehow they didn't have the courage to talk to him alone. They would scurry away as if from a wild beast when he scowled. He understood the way they saw him as a specimen, a wild thing, a native of a place that many of them would never see. The threat of the Wraith was as real to them, but somehow their wonder and curiosity was enough compensation for their lack of direct experience.
The first time he had seen Dr McKay he was too distracted to pay too much attention. The man had been stupid enough to fall into one of his traps, he deserved to hang there. But when Sheppard had run after Ford, he cut the Doctor down, cutting across the rope in one movement and trying not to laugh when the Doctor fell on his arse. He'd known he'd get another chance at his target anyway.
At first he hadn't seen much of Dr McKay around Atlantis, shadowed as he was by two guards who subtly kept him in the unrestricted areas. He could have lost them easily but he hadn't seen much reason to. He was still interested in what Atlantis could offer him, in what they might be able to change.
When he was given permission to join the team off-world, he had already worked and fought with both Sheppard and Teyla. He understood their strengths and their weaknesses.
Dr McKay though, didn't seem to fit. He was the head of their sciences; he should be protected, hidden away and kept from being captured or killed. He was brash, argumentative, and he didn't follow orders: Ronon had already noticed this in the few briefings he had sat in on. And yet Teyla talked about him with grudging respect and Sheppard with affection. He understood these people and they trusted and even wanted Dr McKay on their team.
On Olesia he watched Dr McKay.
The man couldn't fight but he knew when to keep out of the way and when it came to the crunch he didn't get anyone else killed either. Sheppard's faith in Dr McKay's ability to get them out of any situation was a little unsettling but justified. McKay did pull through.
After Olesia, he began to seek Dr McKay out. It wasn't conscious or premeditated, but he would sit at the table that Dr McKay sat at in the mess hall and he would notice when the Doctor passed by, talking and gesturing to whomever he was with. Sometimes Dr McKay would include him in his conversations not seeming to care how much or what he understood. It was like the man himself: a bundle of contradictions.
He realised that Dr McKay might be seeking him out as well when he noticed a seat saved at the nearly filled table one evening. McKay stopped what he was saying and smiled up at him as he sat down. Even though he continued talking with Sheppard, he didn't break their gaze until Ronon himself had been drawn into a conversation with Teyla.
They were on a backwater planet negotiating for supplies when he finally understood what was happening with McKay.
He had passed through this planet and hadn't seen anything hostile so when the gate address was suggested he agreed that it sounded like a good place to look for allies. It was a low-tech planet with semi-stable settlements and some low level agriculture. He hadn't stayed long enough to find out if there was anything hidden below the surface but the people had been friendly and fed him well.
They received the same hospitality this time, welcomed into the homes as traders and asked for news of what was happening on other planets. As usual Sheppard asked for any news about Ford and Ronon listened for any clues. He was patient and he hadn't forgotten his bargain. They had kept up their end and he was still to fulfil his promise.
In the morning the team split up, Teyla and Sheppard to talk logistics and he and McKay to check some ruins that one of the children had mentioned the night before. They had agreed to meet in three hours at the town centre. They hadn't been at the ruins for more than twenty minutes when the walls caved in, crushing their equipment and nearly crushing them. He still had his gun and somehow McKay had managed to keep a hold of his detector. In the dark, confined space it emitted enough light for them to see each other's faces.
At first McKay had tried to think of a way out, or even a way to contact somebody. Ronon was treated to a running dialogue of half finished sentences and solutions rapidly discarded as McKay saw the flaws in his own plans. As usual he didn't say anything but sat and watched. McKay glanced over at him when he realised he wasn't getting a response. He mumbled something about saving oxygen by not talking and then a few seconds later started hyperventilating, sputtering out panicked words about suffocation, hypothermia, and how many minutes they had left to live.
Ronon had seen Sheppard deal with McKay in this state; a whispered, "Rodney," followed by an abrupt, amused, "get on with it." McKay would look up, take a deep breath and start working on whatever problem they had. Of course he'd never seen McKay with an obstacle where his skill with technology couldn't be supported by their weaponry. They always seemed to fall into situations where quick thinking or even quicker fighting would pull them out. Ronon didn't think either would work here.
Without thinking too much about it he leant over and placed his mouth over McKay's mouth. It stopped the voice and the panicked breathing. His own breathing stopped when McKay pulled him closer and slipped his tongue into his mouth. Ronon hadn't meant for this to happen but in that moment something clicked. He pulled against McKay rolling them closer so that their bodies were touching head to toe. The kiss paused as they stopped to catch their breath and Ronon leant his forehead against McKay's and whispered: "You can have some of my breath if you need it." He felt Rodney shudder against him and when he looked down he could see wetness on Rodney's cheeks.
The dirt above them started shaking as they lay holding each other. They rolled onto their backs, separating, although he continued to touch the tips of Rodney's fingers with his. "We're being rescued," he said.
Rodney was strangely quiet on the way back to the puddlejumper, taking Sheppard's teasing in stride. Teyla and Sheppard had come running when a tremor had been heard from where they had been looking at fields of something they called a wheat substitute. Sheppard had been joking that he could never leave McKay alone with anything; he always broke it.
After the debriefing he found Rodney in his office. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say, or do but when he walked in and saw the shuttered look on McKay's face he realised he would have to be the one to take the chance. He closed the door behind them, locking it, and then crossed the room. McKay was standing staring at him, waiting for him to say something. He could see the kind of skittish looks that some of the scientists had when they wanted to interview him and he didn't like to see it on McKay. It didn't fit.
"I don't understand you," Ronon said. McKay looked as if he was about to say something, so he placed his fingers across Rodney's mouth. It worked. "I don't think I need to. I understand Sheppard and Teyla and even Weir, but you constantly surprise me. It's interesting." He pulled his fingers away and replaced them with his mouth. "I want this," he said when they stopped. Rodney grinned and reached up to kiss him again.