Thank you. The responses to this have been fascinating, and unexpected.
I agree. Okay, John isn't a knight in shining armor and he's a little pushy when Rodney balks (as usual). But he's completely forthright about his intentions. If anything, things turn more romantic than John expected. The kissing was a surprise.
even though he appears to be emotionally invested already and is clearly not comfortable with the casual sex that's on offer.
Rodney's never had casual sex so is completely unprepared for it. He doesn't have an emotional template for that kind of relationship because he's always had to slowly sidle up to a woman and then work very, very hard to get it exactly right then repair all the screw-ups until oh-thank-god, she said yes despite it all. It precludes "casual" because by the time he's made it to the bed they're both invested. He doesn't know what to expect of casual sex or sex with a man but approaches John the same way he would approach his usual 4th-date-and-two-months-of-agonizing type of relationship.
Meanwhile, John's had a few long-term relationships, slept with bar flies, prostitutes, and other soldiers (mostly female but some male). There's a sheer physicality to his background that allows him to separate sex from romance. John has no clue how different Rodney's experience is. He figures Rodney has less, but he doesn't know what that means.
It doesn't help that Rodney had lied to himself all the way to John's door, convincing himself that they were just going to "talk" and "clear the air" so this won't "hang between them." He wasn't even at square one where he'd consciously decided to do this.
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Date: 2006-06-01 12:00 am (UTC)I agree. Okay, John isn't a knight in shining armor and he's a little pushy when Rodney balks (as usual). But he's completely forthright about his intentions. If anything, things turn more romantic than John expected. The kissing was a surprise.
even though he appears to be emotionally invested already and is clearly not comfortable with the casual sex that's on offer.
Rodney's never had casual sex so is completely unprepared for it. He doesn't have an emotional template for that kind of relationship because he's always had to slowly sidle up to a woman and then work very, very hard to get it exactly right then repair all the screw-ups until oh-thank-god, she said yes despite it all. It precludes "casual" because by the time he's made it to the bed they're both invested. He doesn't know what to expect of casual sex or sex with a man but approaches John the same way he would approach his usual 4th-date-and-two-months-of-agonizing type of relationship.
Meanwhile, John's had a few long-term relationships, slept with bar flies, prostitutes, and other soldiers (mostly female but some male). There's a sheer physicality to his background that allows him to separate sex from romance. John has no clue how different Rodney's experience is. He figures Rodney has less, but he doesn't know what that means.
It doesn't help that Rodney had lied to himself all the way to John's door, convincing himself that they were just going to "talk" and "clear the air" so this won't "hang between them." He wasn't even at square one where he'd consciously decided to do this.
Icarus