For someone as smart as he is, he can be so dumb sometimes. It's just as well John knows how to cope with him.

And right there, you've summed up their entire relationship on SGA. It takes a certain skill set to cope with Rodney.

I like the way Rodney finally works out that he has that power to hurt John, that even though John is much more conventionally attractive and charming, he's still a real person underneath it.

I love the way that Rodney eventually *clicks* and understands that this is a mutual thing. He isn't the only one scared and anxious and hopeful, here. Just because John's laid-back and quiet compared to Rodney, just because John's attractive, graceful and charming, just because John comes across as confident and relaxed, doesn't mean that this is automatically easy for him. Rodney assumed that it was, that John was this amazing guy who could have anyone at the snap of his fingers, but John's risking just as much hurt, revealing just as much vulnerability, as Rodney is -- he's just doing it in a quieter way.

And the moment Rodney realises that -- realises that he has the power to hurt John, has a responsibility not to -- he also gets how much he's screwed up.