SGA McKay/Sheppard fiction recs
Mar. 10th, 2007 08:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unadrift(Last updated in 06/2010.)
This collection of recs is sorted by category. The one I chose for a fic should already tell you a lot about the reasons I like it. Because all the fics on this list are very well-written and with great characterization I'm going to mention it here and get it out of the way. The individual recs include only short, more specific comments (like rec'd for...), or quotes, which are indicated by italics. Call me lazy, but I'd hate to spoil anyone with too much detail.
You can find my episode-related recs here on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sga_episodefic.
Rated NC-17, 25000 words. This story turns out very much not what you expect when you start reading. The development is subtle and creeping up on you.
A Faltered Hinge by lily
Rated NC-17, 11500 words; for the way Rodney doesn't deal with a horrible experience, and for an alien civilization that is as interesting as it is multi-dimensional (where it could have been decidedly flat).
A Rational Universe by Xparrot
Rated PG-13, 7000 words.
John stares at him, his baffled look a reasonable facsimile of the genuine article; then he shrugs. "Don't ask me," he says, "I'm just a figment of your imagination."
All of Eden by laytoncolt
Rated R, 4300 words.
Sometimes he thinks he's still back on Atlantis, that he never left, that John is Sheppard and Ford is probably dead and sometimes he thinks he was never really there at all. Atlantis hovers behind him, floating on the sea, a beautiful scary memory that keeps slipping further away.
Be Loved by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, four parts, 13000 words; for John, who is just totally fucked up.
He hoped it wouldn't take long. There were days, when he had waited in vain. But for some reason, when he really needed it, there'd always been someone who'd come eventually. It was as if they knew. They, the unknown group of men who frequented the room. He didn't know who they were, how many there were or for what reasons they came. He didn't really care.
Doing This Here by Purna
Rated NC-17, 6200 words.
The rules are unspoken but there, and they used to suit him just fine. It used to be simple, helping each other out when things got desperate. He's not sure when that changed for him, but he's not happy about it, and most days, he tries not to think about it. He'd have to speak up if he wants to change things now.
But John doesn't say anything, anything at all, because he wouldn't know where to start.
*added* Done Before, Never Done At All by maisierita
Rated R, 2200 words.
"I mean," Rodney says, "that it's perfectly natural you'd have imagined me. If it were me trapped in there, I'd have imagined me. Well, no, based on past experience, I'd have imagined Carter, but I can certainly see why you'd have imagined me instead of her. Personally, I think it's the better choice."
Easy by perfica
Rated NC-17, 3300 words.
"What we have..." he heard John start. "What we have...I haven't had before."
Failsafes by luna
Rated PG-13, 15500 words; for the excellent action plot, and the load of angst. It will leave you shattered, but in a good way, believe me.
Gifts Unasked For and Five Encounters John And Rodney Have by shetiger
Rated NC-17, 42000 and 6000 words. John/Rodney/Teyla, John/Rodney. Post The Siege II, AU from there.
"You did not make the Wraith, and they are the ones who carry the blame. You must leave recrimination behind, because there is no room for it in the future. Just be."
He squeezed her hand. Teyla was so strong, and not just physically. He didn't understand how she could keep going, how she could accept him even after what she had seen that afternoon. "I don't know if I can," he said at last.
"I will teach you." [...]
John squeezed Teyla's hand again and let go. "You think you can teach McKay this being thing, too?" She smiled, slowly. It was scary and sexy at the same time. "It will be my greatest challenge," she said.
Here Is No Water by frostfire
Rated NC-17, 8600 words. Crossover with Stargate SG-1. Sheppard/Mitchell. Pre-Stargate and pre-Atlantis Sheppard and Mitchell meet in a warzone, two men who couldn't be any more different, and they clash spectacularly.
Major Sheppard would lay down his life for the men under his command, but he was too densely stubborn to figure out that most of the time he didn't have to.
[Note: I know that, technically, this particular rec has no business being here; it’s nowhere near McKay/Sheppard. But it has kind of a sentimental value for me. It’s been on this list since I first posted it, back when it still consisted of no more than ten recs. Plus, this fic is just awesome.]
Human Vacillation by trinityofone
Rated NC-17, 4300 words; for the sheer craziness of the unusal idea.
I'm a Stranger Here Myself by aesc
Rated PG-13, 15000 words, future or AU, if you will; for the quiet, and the pain, and the way they're saving each other.
Immovable Force by Nel
Rated NC-17, 2900 words.
He’d never seen the Major like this; Rodney had never pushed this far. But he refused to be intimidated, because that would mean that he’d come to rely way too much on Sheppard’s ability to not fall apart.
It Starts with an Earthquake by Nel
Rated PG-13, 3100 words, not a feel-good story (warnings at the end); for the punch in the gut this will give you.
Kid A by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 7900 words.
John doesn't know how this happened, but he isn't really surprised: this sort of thing happens, has happened, and will definitely happen again. He's been in the military long enough to know that guys console themselves with booze, fighting, and getting off—and John's never been one for drinking or fighting. So he isn't surprised—not that surprised, anyway—to find himself being jerked off by Rodney McKay. He isn't surprised at anything until Rodney grabs his face, turns it, and kisses him.
MVP by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 12000 words; for Rodney working himself up to a real state of fear about Sheppard's high risk seeking behaviour.
Shielded in my Armour by nakedwesley
Rated NC-17, 6300 words. John doesn't like to be touched.
Tercets by Gaia
Rated NC-17, 11600 words. Post "The Siege". John/Teyla, John/Rodney/Teyla, John/Rodney.
Teyla wants to talk about it. Rodney just likes to talk. John spends more time in the lab than he does in the gym.
Term of Service by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 16000 words.
"Come on," Sheppard said. "How bad could it be? Three months as gigolos for a couple of homely Baj women? Sounds like a pretty easy sentence to me. They could have put us in jail."
The First Pressing by Lacey McBain
Rated NC-17, 8800 words; for a very different approach to living under the constant threat of having your life sucked out by a Wraith.
Time in a Bottle by shalott
Rated NC-17, 14000 words; for the long, slow, inevitable fall into place.
*added* Two Years After Tomorrow by lavvyan
Rated PG-13, 1500 words.
Aneen didn't like Colonel Sheppard much.
Visiting Hours by lily
Rated NC-17, 12000 words.
The Selari had promised him John would live in exchange for Rodney’s keeping the rest of Atlantis away, but Rodney had insisted, with a bravery he didn’t exactly feel, that he would die there before he agreed to help them without proof of John’s safety. In the end, they had granted him a weekly visit, provided he arrived alone and unarmed.
War Bride by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 9000 words.
He's a little worried, but Rodney brought a suit and it's even pressed.
Rated NC-17, 30000 words.
"This is an accident with Ancient technology, not a beautiful lifetime event! I want a goddamn morning-after pill!"
About a Lamp by torch
Rated NC-17, 22000 words.
The first night, Rodney rolled over in bed, put his arm around the warm body next to him, and went on sleeping.
The second night, he stirred to near-consciousness when someone curled up behind him and breathed into his shoulder, and he had to shift around a bit and scrunch the pillow to get comfortable.
The third night, an elbow in the ribs made him blink, and when he did, he saw a shock of dark hair over sharp, pretty features. "You're not supposed to be here," Rodney said.
Accidentally in Love by shetiger
Rated NC-17, 17000 words; for beautiful hesitant mutual realization, and the hottest game of chess ever.
And Sometimes You Get Toasters by Giddy
Rated PG-13, 8200 words.
"Major, please. You like things that go really fast, things that go really high, and defeating your challengers in combat," Rodney said. "If I've developed a, a thrill seeking disorder, it's all due to spending far too much time locked in a jumper with you and your fly-boy mentality, and therefore I can't be blamed for my actions."
AS by frostfire
Rated R, 1500 words; for them just being guys.
Big Bang by toft_froggy
Rated PG, 1000 words.
So, Rodney's just standing there - and not standing in any special way, just nothing-to-see-here, business-as-usual standing - and then John's kissing him.
Although, that's not exactly how it happens.
Bright Ideas by Alyse
Rated PG-13, 1800 words; for John's really bright idea.
Care in the Holding by Lacey McBain
Rated R, 8800 words.
Everything comes down to the weight of a gun in his hand.
Close Encounters by amireal
Rated NC-17, 4500 words.
"It's just a goddamned crush!"
Do Over by Crysothemis
Rated NC-17, two parts, 19000 words; for the oh-so-good badsex.
John never sleeps with anyone twice.
*added* Fool’s Gold by esteefee
Rated NC-17, 4850 words.
"Oh, that's just great. Assuming you haven't been blasted into atoms or sucked dry by space vampires, you want your pitiful corpse to be consumed by four-eyed sharks? Anyway," Rodney stooped and dug at something in the sand, "what happens if, God forbid, I should die first?"
John couldn't say it was impossible, so he also couldn't say he damned well planned to be dead before letting anything happen to Rodney.
"Let's hope for a double funeral," John said instead with a shrug. "We'll have Teyla do the honors."
"Oh, happy day," Rodney said.
Glass Houses by MistoKitt
Rated NC-17, two parts, 12300 words; for John's father who isn't what you'd expect.
Glossolalia by regann
Rated NC-17, 5800 words.
"Huh." Ronon shook his head in mild disbelief. "Even when he can't talk, he doesn't shut up."
Go Out Swinging by giddygeek
Rated NC-17, 3500 words.
Sleeping with Sheppard does not kill his...feelings for Jennifer. It just takes up a lot of the time he might have otherwise spent thinking about her.
High as Heaven and We Now Return You to Your Regularly Scheduled Crisis by siegeofangels
Rated R, 850 and 8300 words; for the John/Rodney/Atlantis. (Really!)
"I'm still a little wired from the chair," Sheppard says, fiddling with the zipper on his jacket, his eyes open just a little too wide, and walks past Rodney into the room, reaching out to touch things like the wall or one of Rodney's photos, wandering aimlessly.
His Way Through the Constellation by ToraK
Rated PG-13, 8200 words; for amnesiac John.
They find him by chance. They've looked and looked for the past six months and found nothing, no clue. Then Katie Brown and a couple of the new Marines go off-world to investigate some alien flora, get distracted by a market and find him there; not for sale, as Rodney immediately assumes on hearing, but working the stalls, healthy and whole and free as you like.
Jump by velocitygrass
Rated PG, 1300 words.
Never in a million years had he suspected that Sheppard wasn't straight.
King Philip Came Over for Good Soup by argosy
Rated PG, 570 words; for the "John".
Only Grumpier and with Darker Hair by Lenore
Rated NC-17, 10000 words; for female Rodney, who flashes the entire mess.
"You can stay if you want," Rodney mumbled. "But turn off the light."
John looked up at the ceiling. "This is my room, Rodney."
"Oh," he said into the pillow, and then he was snoring.
*added* Promise by velocitygrass
Rated PG, 4100 words.
"Why do people insist on saying 'you'll find someone'? What if I don't?"
Scenes from a Lesser War by amireal
Rated NC-17, 20000 words; for the way the change of regulations impacts everyone on Atlantis, John and Rodney in particular.
Scenes from an Accidental Courtship by ToraK
Rated NC-17, 6700 words.
Years later, when about a dozen regulations had been changed and the combined nagging of their friends proved too much, John would make a speech at their wedding – which they were absolutely not calling a wedding – in which he said it made perfect sense that their first kiss had been an accident.
Second Time by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 3000 words; for the way the past catches up with them.
Slavery Is the Easy Part by Miss Pamela
Rated NC-17, 2000 words; for John's overactive imagination.
"We take him." He pointed at Rodney and two strong warriors rushed forward. John tried to get in between them, but they just shoved him out of the way.
"We will still trade with you," the leader continued, "but we will take this one until the Festival of the Sun. He will sacrifice his time in order to serve me, then he will be returned through the Sky Waters unharmed."
"Sacrifice his time? Serve you? What the hell does that mean?" John yelled, lunging for Rodney.
Slow and Steady by kellifer
Rated PG, 2200 words.
Of course, Rodney thought, of course the almost impossibly handsome and naturally charismatic military second in command doesn’t even like being touched.
Stand-in by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 7700 words; for the fact that you don't really buy a clue where you're being led until you actually get there. Set in between The Return I & II.
Supersymmetry by lallybroch
Rated PG-13, five parts. It's kidfic, yes, but really good kidfic.
“It's like talking to a miniature Rodney with a Colonel Sheppard filter. It's bloody disconcerting!”
The Other Half Of The Equation by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 9900 words. Following the events of "The Defiant One".
If Rodney took time to think about it—which given the million other things he was tasked with thinking about, wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon—he would have realized it sooner.
As it was, it took a dying man’s words to alert him to the inescapable fact that he had, in fact, changed. At some point, he had stopped being one of the guys who hid under his desk when the scary stuff happened.
The Relative Merits of Wanting and Getting by cupidsbow
Rated PG-13, ~6600 words; for extra-certain doom and then not, and especially for that different look on 'The Terminator'.
Theory of Everything by rheanna27
Rated R, three parts, 21000 words.
"Maybe it's just regular, good old fashioned burnout," John suggested, although he knew in his heart he was clutching at straws. "Maybe all you need is a vacation."
"'Maybe all you need is a vacation'," Rodney parroted. "Please. I'm not stupid, you know." Then he looked stricken. "I'm not stupid yet."
Thirst by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 2400 words.
Sometimes he tried to figure out: Why then? What was it [...] that had quite suddenly changed his perception from "Sheppard is superficially attractive if you like that sort of thing" to "Yes, please"?
Thrill Ride by cupidsbow
Rated NC-17, 4400 words.
"I can't believe all 200 people in the expedition bore you. That's misanthropy on a level that's excessive, even for you."
"I can count the people I find interesting on one hand," said Rodney, holding one hand up, all five fingers spread out.
Touch by shalott
Rated NC-17, 2000 words.
Rodney McKay was a cuddler. That was more than John had really wanted to know, but he'd involuntarily figured it out after the third or fourth time he woke up offworld in their shared tent, too warm, with a heavy arm slung over his chest and Rodney's face getting intimate with his neck.
Ways to Die in the Pegasus Galaxy by crysothemis
Rated NC-17, three parts, 18000 words; for Rodney picking up the habit of sleeping - just sleeping - in John's bed, and for John slowly and quietly freaking out.
Weddings, Plural, and A Yak by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 17500 words.
The first time John Sheppard married Rodney McKay, it was sort of an accident.
We Shall Not Look Upon His Like Again by custardpringle
Rated PG, 651 words; for the coming-back-from-the-dead.
What It Gives by chelle
Rated NC-17, 17000 words; for their first encounter in a gay bar, fifteen years before Atlantis.
What Sheppard Thinks by Nemoinis
Rated R, 1650 words; for Sheppard's thoughts.
With Intent by shaenie
Rated NC-17, 13000 words.
Things have been quiet, and there's absolutely no reason for John to randomly lean-with-intent at Rodney.
Rated NC-17, two parts, 13000 words; for Rodney insisting on marriage, and for his persuasion skills, or lack thereof.
Best Laid Plans by argosy
Rated PG, 1650 words.
John didn't really believe the date was going to happen--Carter would come to her senses, or Rodney would chicken out, or--if worse came to worse--Atlantis itself would recognize it for the abomination it was and sink into the ocean.
Bluffing Marines by kellifer
Rated PG, 430 words; for the fun of it.
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do by amireal
Rated NC-17, 7100 words; for one-sided dating, and for purple penguins with pink umbrellas.
Catch-19 by chelle
Rated R, 9600 words; for general obliviousness, Woolsey, and a marriage of convenience. And all that is not an AU to start with. Not really.
Checklist by mercuriosity
Rated NC-17, 4500 words.
"I'm thinking you need some kind of list, Colonel," he said, his hands framing an imaginary document in the air. "If you really are that clueless, I mean."
"Give it a rest, Rodney," John said, without much hope--his best bet was just to walk as fast as he could back to his quarters, and hope Rodney would get tired of his little joke sooner rather than later.
"101 Ways to Tell if This Week's Alien Hottie is Making Eyes at You," Rodney shouted after him. "Number one: Does she have eyes?"
Cohesion by stillane
Rated NC-17, 12000 words; for Rodney and John hilariously being themselves in the beginning, and for the shift in mood that sneaks up on you.
Day Break by Giddy
Rated NC-17, two parts, 11800 words; for the different look on the "Groundhog Day" idea.
Don't Say It by Nixa Jane
Rated R, 2700 words.
"So is that your sidearm or are you—"
Rodney immediately slammed his hand over John's mouth, cutting off the rest of the words. He heard them echo in the back of his head, anyway, and gave a mental groan. "Don't say it," he growled, and he could feel Sheppard smile against the palm of his hand.
Euler's Jewel by basingstoke
Rated NC-17, 1100 words. With math.
Good Luck Charm by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 3900 words.
As soon as it occurred to Rodney that it had been over a week since something crappy had happened to him, he knew that something crappy was about to happen to him.
*added* Inappropriate by esteefee
Rated NC-17, 3900 words.
"Look, McKay, you can't keep doing this."
Rodney was stunned. "What—me? I'm not the one who's been—" Rodney gestured helplessly, "With the grabbing and the inappropriate touching—"
Just Like Schrödinger's Cat by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 11000 words; for the people of Atlantis making the right wrong assumptions.
The first time he noticed it, Rodney didn’t exactly—well, notice it.
Mother Country by Chandri MacLeod
Rated PG, 60000 words; especially for the hilariously ironic alternate conclusion of The Last Man. The story goes AU from there and is 'adventure' rather than 'humor'.
None of them were made for this bureaucratic nightmare, but they couldn't just leave the people of Pegasus to twist in the wind. That wasn't why they were here.
Mr. Karaoke by Pares
Rated NC-17, 6700 words; for Rodney's raid of possible marriage candidates, and his blunt crash-and-burn method of proposing.
Okay, Let's Try This Again by helena_eternal
Rated PG, 790 words.
In all the scenarios Rodney imagined (and being a genius, he imagined a lot), this wasn’t one of them. He envisioned ridicule, fear, threats, backlash, heart attacks, an angry Caldwell, a legal nightmare… but laughter? Amusement? Disbelief? Rodney hadn’t predicted those, and considering his extreme paranoia, he probably should have.
Oblivious by shalott
Rated NC-17, 8200 words.
At least Rodney wasn’t trying to give him any more blowjobs. He’d been a little nervous.
(Really Just That) Obvious by Chrysothemis
Rated NC-17, 9000 words.
"What are we talking about, here?" Ronon asked, leaning back in his chair. "Somebody put a hand on your dick?"
Rodney's face went warm. "Well, I was hoping for a more, ah, delicate way to phrase it, but since you mention it, yes."
Rewind, Reboot, Restore by Rheanna27
Rated PG-13, 24000 words.
Not long after they'd come to Atlantis, John had developed a theory that liking Rodney McKay was very similar to how Douglas Adams had described flying: the trick was to throw yourself at him and miss.
and
"I did not crash. I'm a person, not Windows 95."
*added* Sensitivity. And Stuff. by tropes
Rated PG-13, 4600 words.
Rodney flopped back down on his back. "Look, I don't know how I'm supposed to act. I haven't had a real girlfriend who actually likes me in years, and I've never really had, you know, a guy friend to even talk about it with when I did, so..." He trailed off, still staring at the ceiling.
John made himself continue folding. "So you thought you'd talk about her in frat-boy terms because I'm a guy. Right, McKay."
"Well, I just said I don't know!" Rodney replied hotly.
Sex, Movies, and Misconceptions by chelle and TheGrrrl
Rated NC-17, 11500 words; for misleading porn collections, and sexual identity crises.
"No, no, no, no." Rodney said, coffee cup in one hand, the other waving in the air. "Well, maybe."
Something in the Water by toomuchplor
Rated PG-13, 2750 words.
"It’s Friday. That’s ‘screw around with the jumpers’ night," Sheppard insisted. "Is it really just you and me?"
Tango by shalott
Rated NC-17, 7000 words.
"I don't believe you! You just blew me to make me think better, and you thought that was actually going to work?"
"Rodney!" John yelled. "Bomb!"
"Sex doesn't change the basic fact that this electronic system is organized on a totally different—oh, hey," Rodney said, and dived at the bomb.
The One in Which John and Rodney Aren't Gay (Really) by davechicken
Rated NC-17, 10000 words.
Far too late into the night, and just as Rodney was getting up, John said it. "Kiss a guy."
Hands on his knees, half to his feet, Rodney halted. "What?"
To which the Major merely shrugged. "I dunno. Everyone seemed to have done it at college, you know, but I never. Couldn't, really, with the Air Force..."
"So you thought you should do it because everyone else was."
"No. Because... I guess it'd feel different. And I wondered how."
The Modern Man's Hustle by eleveninches
Rated NC-17, 23000 words; for the insane amount of fun.
Teyla came in next, eyebrows still a little singed. Her hands were bandaged.
"What the hell happened to you?" Rodney demanded.
Teyla's jaw tightened. "No one informed me you should not have a lamp, a fan, a hot plate, a blowdryer, and a laptop plugged in to the same power bar and running at the same time."
"So that's what that power surge was," Rodney said thoughtfully.
There Is No Mystery Left by kiden
Rated R, 1300 words.
Teyla turns on him like a wild beast, a hand clutching at a chunk of her own hair, and growls, "If you don't get us out of this time loop, I'm going to castrate you."
Which makes Rodney cover is crotch defensively and Ronon laugh with delight.
"You're stuck in a time loop?" Sheppard says for the 34th time.
Working Out by tacittype
Rated PG-13, 3300 words; for Rodney's appreciation of John getting sweaty the perfectly innocent way.
If McKay wanted to get his heart rate up he just had to hang around in the experiment suites on xenomunitions day, he didn’t need to pant and sweat in the city gym. At the very least, McKay figured that running for his life on PM4-678 two days ago was a sufficient workout to count for one of his mandatory three, but Sheppard apparently disagreed.
Rated R, three parts, 11000 words (go for the improved ending); for John being turned gay by an artifact, simple as that - or really not quite.
The Ancient artifact hadn’t seemed to do much of anything at the time – just glowed faintly green. In fact, that’s the only reason he remembers it at all. In John’s experience, unidentified 10,000 year old technology tends to turn blue, red, or possibly yellow in his presence. So he remembers thinking the green was kind of unusual. In retrospect he thinks it should have turned neon pink and starting playing disco hits. At least then he would have had a little warning.
Abstain by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 5900 words. Technically, this is aliens-made-them-not-do-it.
"So you want to get the not-having-sex out of the way now or save it for later?"
"Why not both?" Rodney gave him a grin with teeth. "Unless you're not up to not having sex twice in one night."
and
"With that kind if tradition, I'm surprised you didn't just spontaneously develop the internet," Rodney said.
Advantage by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 15000 words; for slave John, who is still surprisingly multilayered when forced to focus on Rodney's well being.
"Why are you here?"
Sheppard shrugged. "Nowhere else to be."
"So you thought you'd come and pester -- wait. Are you feeling some sort of compulsion to stay close to me?"
Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Yes, me and the birds and the stars and --"
"Major Sheppard. Tell me. Is the stupid alien slave virus making you stay close to me?"
"Yes," Sheppard said, glaring at him.
Assent by Kylie Lee
Rated NC-17, 1600 words; for the intensity, and the need; and the assent.
As You Wish by nel
Rated R, two parts, 16500 words.
He pushed himself up on his elbows and looked at Rodney. Who looked very non-tortured. The expression on his face scared John, though. "What...what did they do to you, Rodney?" he asked fearfully.
Rodney's expression didn't change and John was hit by the feeling that it could never be removed. He shuddered.
Rodney was smiling happily. "I don't know."
Back-Up Plan by kageygirl
Rated PG, 1490 words; for the excellent method of deflecting any ideas about marrying John.
Broadcast Signal by seperis
Rated NC-17, 6200 words; for the all-out (offscreen) Atlantis orgy, and for aphrodisiac mist.
Damn Alien Plantlife by kellifer
Rated PG-13, 780 words; for the implications.
Decreasing Radii by cathalin
Rated NC-17, three parts, 27000 words; for the fact that everything doesn't fall into place easily after the aliens make them do it.
Depth of Need by shetiger
Rated NC-17, 7600 words; especially for the fact that this category doesn't quite apply.
Forward Momentum by kageygirl
Rated NC-17,10000 words.
"And you, Major?" He waved a hand at the night around them. "What do you see?"
Rodney. John had pretty much just been looking at Rodney. But somehow, that didn't seem like the right thing to say.
John looked around the camp for something else to focus on, and stopped on the chieftain, standing by the central fire. He felt his eyes go wide. "I see..." He blinked, hard, but no, it was still there. "I think I see the chieftain not wearing any pants."
Happily Ever After by cupidsbow
Rated PG-13, 4600 words; for the soul mate detector.
Have You Ever? by kuonji
Rated NC-17, 5300 words; for the instruction manual on sex.
I Hope You Take Seriously the Suggestion of Undressing by SomeInstant
Rated R, 2300 words; for the body paint with interesting side effects.
Negotiations by Lacey McBain
Rated NC-17, 6700 words.
“Gentlemen!” Teyla interrupted. “The Vendi share the kiss between their leaders to demonstrate there is commitment and trust among their own people, as well as to our new alliance. They have a saying—”
“A saying?” John and Rodney both said skeptically.
“—loosely translated, the open mouth hides no secrets. The man who cannot kiss his brother cannot be trusted. Therefore, you must also share the kiss.”
Proof by Contradiction by shalott
Rated NC-17, 9900 words.
The super-genius effect wore off after 72 hours. In the meantime Rodney figured out a critical element of how the ZPM structure stored energy, developed two new anti-Wraith weapons, discovered an extension of M-theory he immediately named McKay fields, and came up with a new data-retrieval technique to use on the Ancients' devices.
John flew the puddlejumper a lot.
When in Haldoria by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 6000 words; for Elton John's planet, and for the orgy.
Rated NC-17, 18000 words. The one with the relationship coach and the businessman.
A Clear and Different Light by Friendshipper and Naye
Rated PG-13, ~88000 words. In which Rodney was raised by whales, John's ears are pointy for a reason, Teyla knows rune magic, Ronon has got wings, and the Wraith are more scary than they've ever been before.
A Dangerous Desire or McKay Makes a Match by Janne
Rated NC-17, six parts, ~50000 words. The one with the lord and the natural philosopher.
A Supermarket in California by taffetablue
Rated R, 7600 words.
"Yes, come on." The man snaps his fingers in a small circle, rolling his eyes. "I’m on the verge of a major breakthrough in theoretical physics, so it would be great if you would hurry."
John picks up the coffee and keys in the price, purposefully mistyping it twice, and watches the man out of the corner of his eye.
Animal Husbandry by Casspeach
Rated R, 27000 words. The one with the vetinarian.
Bell Curve or Ladies Night at the Boom Boom Room by rageprufrock
Rated NC-17, 44000 words. The one with bartender/stripper!John.
By the End of April by lavvyan
Rated R, 10200 words. The one with the fireman and the subway crash.
Clean Plate Club by yin
Rated NC-17, 8000 words. The one with the food stylist and the photographer.
Counterpoint by Nestra
Rated NC-17, 5300 words.
"I'm not sure I've ever worked with a criminal before, unless you count Dr. Abernathy's abuse of the twelve-tone scale."
DADT, Damyata, Dayadhvam by trinityofone
Rated NC-17, 8600 words. The one in which DADT is enforced by extraordinary means.
Explosions by laytoncolt
Rated PG-13, two parts, 15000 words. The one with the self-made millionaire and the bar owner.
Hindsight and More Than by rageprufrock
Both rated R, 24000 and 4200. FBI agent Sheppard meets scientist McKay.
[...] and then Rodney's mouth is on his, angry and hard and a little mean, like he's yelling at John in a new way, since all the old ones don't really work.
John Sheppard's Guide to Surviving Project Runway by sheafrotherdon
Rated PG-13, 7300 words. The one with the fashion designers on reality tv.
Junk Cheap by devildoll
Rated R, 13000 words. The one with the professor and the junk shop owner.
Karate John and Uncle Rodney by seikaitsukimizu
Rated PG-13, 4700 words. The one with the Karate instructor and the lawyer.
King of Wishful Thinking by margarks
Rated NC-17, nine parts, 20000 words. The one better than Pretty Woman.
No Refunds or Exchanges by shalott
Rated NC-17, 11000 words. The one with the mail-order bride.
*added* Nunc Dimittis by temaris
Rated G, 5100 words. The one with the monk and the knight.
On Life and Living by wesleysgirl
Rated NC-17, 34000 words. The one in which John is a father and widower.
Phi by aesc and siriaeve
Rated NC-17, 8700 words. The one with the model and the journalist.
Revelations by trinityofone
Rated NC-17, 3400 words.
The author's summary: John is a priest, Rodney is sin, and I'm so going to hell.
(If this is a sensitive topic for you, don't read it.)
Rights of Man by unamaga
Rated R, 2300 words. The one with the president and the chief of staff.
Romance at the Roadkill Grill by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 22000 words. The one with the cook and the fisherman.
Si Muovo by Kass and Sihaya Black
Rated NC-17, 40000 words. The one with the Jesuit priest and the pilot.
Sleepless and its epilogue by Nny
Rated R, eight parts. The one better than that movie.
Small Primes and Square Roots by Livia
Rated PG, two parts,12500 words. The one in which John meets Rodney's sister first, under unusual circumstances.
*added* Stress Relief by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, 4400 words. The one with the physicist and the stranger.
String Theory, a Concerto for Violin in D Minor by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 11800 words. The one with the conductor and the violinist.
The Blade by kellifer
Rated NC-17, twelve parts, ~35000 words.
“You are to be my son’s and serve him well you will.” The older man’s hand struck out again but this time snagged John around the neck and dragged him forward, holding him close. “He will fight this gift I give him but you will either please him or die, those are the only two options for you.”
*added* The Difference Engine by copperbadge
Rated R, three parts, ~20000 words. The one in which John dreams of electric sheep. Possibly.
"You are one fucked-up mad scientist, you know that?"
"You asked me to build you a robot, General. I built you a robot. It's not my fault he's more useful to me than to you."
The Hostage Major by frostfire
Rated NC-17, 15300 words. The one in which John is a good hostage for Rodney.
*added* The Proposition by jane_elliot
Rated NC-17, nine parts, 62000 words. The one with the scientist and the caterer. (The cameos... Oh, the cameos!)
The Protection Racket by Pares
Rated NC-17, two parts, 14000 words. Rodney McKay thinks he needs a bodyguard.
The Dark Side by shalott
Rated NC-17, 7400 words. The one with the unlikely Jedi.
Unconventional Heroism by sardonicsmiley
Rated PG-13, three parts, ~28000 words. The one with the superhero and the reporter.
Unidentified and Coda by fiercelydreamed
Rated NC-17, 30000 words in six parts, and 6800 words. Rodney doesn't remember.
Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot by out_there
Rated NC-17, two parts, 22000 words. The one with the dance instructor.
Water Your Dreams by amireal and ladycat_777
Rated NC-17, 13000 words. The one where they end up on the yacht.
He's about to ask for four chocolate and cream things to be boxed up, thinking a good meal needs a real ending, when the guy next to him breathes out slowly and happily. Something in that breath catches John's attention and he turns to see broad shoulders and a cup of coffee.
"There's nothing like a bakery," the man says, too happy to modulate his tone or even care if he's garnering an audience.
Wide Open Ocean by Setissma
Rated R, 10600 words. The one with the vetinarian and the dolphins.
Rated NC-17, 6000 words. John is helping out with the help of a toy.
Catch You Up by Crysothemis
Rated NC-17, 2200 words; just guh.
Class 6 by dianann
Rated NC-17, 6200 words; for their first encounter in Antarctica, and for John wearing flip-flops.
Contractual Obligations by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, 4400 words. AU porn found via thegpfg_studios.
Every Day in Every Way by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, 58000 words. Also angsty. And with romance. No, really.
"I'm here to propose an arrangement. Between us. I assume you remember our talk from earlier today and how... challenging dating can be on Atlantis. And since we've established that you're attracted to me, I think it would be mutually beneficial for us to have sex."
Freefall by lenore
Rated NC-17, 2000 words, questionable consent (not really, but if this squicks you, you're warned).
"[...] perhaps you don't entirely mind being at someone else's mercy?"
Fix by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 7300 words, with consent issues (no actual non-con); for the need and the want and the fight.
Girlfriend by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 6300 words; for the genderswitch, and for Rodney's infinite blunt curiosity.
Good Timing by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 2400 words; for the guh, and because it keeps you wondering until the end.
He can't believe he's doing this. Jesus Christ. It was the low, hot certainty in Rodney's voice, the way his eyes didn't even flicker like they always do when he's not telling the absolute, entire truth, the way he stuck his chin up as his face started flushing and stared at John like he was daring him to contradict him.
Hank and the Handyman by TheGrrrl
Rated NC-17, 4700 words. AU porn from thegpfg_studios.
In Decision by torch
Rated NC-17, 1200 words; for the desperate need.
Kiss Me, I'm an Earthling! and Earth Boys Are Easy by etben
Rated PG-13 and NC-17 respectively, 3300 and 4300 words, John/Rodney/Ronon/Teyla OT4; for the kissing, lots of it.
Later by franticsga
Rated NC-17, 2500 words. Staff meetings never used to be like this.
Mercy by shalott
Rated NC-17, 1600 words. Warnings: bondage, fisting, and, er, intensity?
Native Serendipity by dianann
Rated NC-17, 6000 words, aliens-made-them-do-it.
No by ladycat_777
Rated NC-17, 2500 words. Be warned, strong consent issues here.
No, Really and Yes, Maybe by basingstoke
Rated NC-17, 5000 and 4200 words, John/Rodney/Ronon/Teyla OT4; for the innovative methods of team building.
Provider by dianann
Rated NC-17, two chapters, 6300 words. Especially the second chapter; because of pleasure for pleasure's sake.
Resolution by Resonant, Clarity by Speranza, and Composition by shalott
All rated NC-17, 1300, 4000, and 650 words; for the guh.
Second Skin and Skin Tight by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 11200 and 11700 words, features crossdressing; for the look into John's psyche, with that twist.
*added* The Hold-Out by toomuchplor
Rated NC-17, 1300 words.
Anyway, John – yes, totally totally – had been holding out on Rodney.
Threat Assessment by Zoe Rayne
Rated NC-17, 1750 words; for the kink.
Time to Check the Male by ladycat777
Rated NC-17, 1750 words.
"You're thinking pretty hard there, Rodney."
"Mm, yes, a downside of being with a genius. We never really stop."
Words, Words, Words by briar_pipe
Rated NC-17, 4400 words; for the huh factor and the very unusual - is it a kink?
John wants to tell him, wants to explain, but it's not entirely his own story to tell anymore, and anyway, Rodney's eyes are boring holes through his skull, trying to tease the answers out by telepathy.
This collection of recs is sorted by category. The one I chose for a fic should already tell you a lot about the reasons I like it. Because all the fics on this list are very well-written and with great characterization I'm going to mention it here and get it out of the way. The individual recs include only short, more specific comments (like rec'd for...), or quotes, which are indicated by italics. Call me lazy, but I'd hate to spoil anyone with too much detail.
Categories
Hurt/Comfort and Angst -- Romance -- Humour and Adventure -- Aliens-made-them-do-it -- AUs -- Hot StuffYou can find my episode-related recs here on
sga_episodefic.Hurt/Comfort and Angst
A Better Fate by chelleRated NC-17, 25000 words. This story turns out very much not what you expect when you start reading. The development is subtle and creeping up on you.
A Faltered Hinge by lily
Rated NC-17, 11500 words; for the way Rodney doesn't deal with a horrible experience, and for an alien civilization that is as interesting as it is multi-dimensional (where it could have been decidedly flat).
A Rational Universe by Xparrot
Rated PG-13, 7000 words.
John stares at him, his baffled look a reasonable facsimile of the genuine article; then he shrugs. "Don't ask me," he says, "I'm just a figment of your imagination."
All of Eden by laytoncolt
Rated R, 4300 words.
Sometimes he thinks he's still back on Atlantis, that he never left, that John is Sheppard and Ford is probably dead and sometimes he thinks he was never really there at all. Atlantis hovers behind him, floating on the sea, a beautiful scary memory that keeps slipping further away.
Be Loved by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, four parts, 13000 words; for John, who is just totally fucked up.
He hoped it wouldn't take long. There were days, when he had waited in vain. But for some reason, when he really needed it, there'd always been someone who'd come eventually. It was as if they knew. They, the unknown group of men who frequented the room. He didn't know who they were, how many there were or for what reasons they came. He didn't really care.
Doing This Here by Purna
Rated NC-17, 6200 words.
The rules are unspoken but there, and they used to suit him just fine. It used to be simple, helping each other out when things got desperate. He's not sure when that changed for him, but he's not happy about it, and most days, he tries not to think about it. He'd have to speak up if he wants to change things now.
But John doesn't say anything, anything at all, because he wouldn't know where to start.
*added* Done Before, Never Done At All by maisierita
Rated R, 2200 words.
"I mean," Rodney says, "that it's perfectly natural you'd have imagined me. If it were me trapped in there, I'd have imagined me. Well, no, based on past experience, I'd have imagined Carter, but I can certainly see why you'd have imagined me instead of her. Personally, I think it's the better choice."
Easy by perfica
Rated NC-17, 3300 words.
"What we have..." he heard John start. "What we have...I haven't had before."
Failsafes by luna
Rated PG-13, 15500 words; for the excellent action plot, and the load of angst. It will leave you shattered, but in a good way, believe me.
Gifts Unasked For and Five Encounters John And Rodney Have by shetiger
Rated NC-17, 42000 and 6000 words. John/Rodney/Teyla, John/Rodney. Post The Siege II, AU from there.
"You did not make the Wraith, and they are the ones who carry the blame. You must leave recrimination behind, because there is no room for it in the future. Just be."
He squeezed her hand. Teyla was so strong, and not just physically. He didn't understand how she could keep going, how she could accept him even after what she had seen that afternoon. "I don't know if I can," he said at last.
"I will teach you." [...]
John squeezed Teyla's hand again and let go. "You think you can teach McKay this being thing, too?" She smiled, slowly. It was scary and sexy at the same time. "It will be my greatest challenge," she said.
Here Is No Water by frostfire
Rated NC-17, 8600 words. Crossover with Stargate SG-1. Sheppard/Mitchell. Pre-Stargate and pre-Atlantis Sheppard and Mitchell meet in a warzone, two men who couldn't be any more different, and they clash spectacularly.
Major Sheppard would lay down his life for the men under his command, but he was too densely stubborn to figure out that most of the time he didn't have to.
[Note: I know that, technically, this particular rec has no business being here; it’s nowhere near McKay/Sheppard. But it has kind of a sentimental value for me. It’s been on this list since I first posted it, back when it still consisted of no more than ten recs. Plus, this fic is just awesome.]
Human Vacillation by trinityofone
Rated NC-17, 4300 words; for the sheer craziness of the unusal idea.
I'm a Stranger Here Myself by aesc
Rated PG-13, 15000 words, future or AU, if you will; for the quiet, and the pain, and the way they're saving each other.
Immovable Force by Nel
Rated NC-17, 2900 words.
He’d never seen the Major like this; Rodney had never pushed this far. But he refused to be intimidated, because that would mean that he’d come to rely way too much on Sheppard’s ability to not fall apart.
It Starts with an Earthquake by Nel
Rated PG-13, 3100 words, not a feel-good story (warnings at the end); for the punch in the gut this will give you.
Kid A by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 7900 words.
John doesn't know how this happened, but he isn't really surprised: this sort of thing happens, has happened, and will definitely happen again. He's been in the military long enough to know that guys console themselves with booze, fighting, and getting off—and John's never been one for drinking or fighting. So he isn't surprised—not that surprised, anyway—to find himself being jerked off by Rodney McKay. He isn't surprised at anything until Rodney grabs his face, turns it, and kisses him.
MVP by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 12000 words; for Rodney working himself up to a real state of fear about Sheppard's high risk seeking behaviour.
Shielded in my Armour by nakedwesley
Rated NC-17, 6300 words. John doesn't like to be touched.
Tercets by Gaia
Rated NC-17, 11600 words. Post "The Siege". John/Teyla, John/Rodney/Teyla, John/Rodney.
Teyla wants to talk about it. Rodney just likes to talk. John spends more time in the lab than he does in the gym.
Term of Service by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 16000 words.
"Come on," Sheppard said. "How bad could it be? Three months as gigolos for a couple of homely Baj women? Sounds like a pretty easy sentence to me. They could have put us in jail."
The First Pressing by Lacey McBain
Rated NC-17, 8800 words; for a very different approach to living under the constant threat of having your life sucked out by a Wraith.
Time in a Bottle by shalott
Rated NC-17, 14000 words; for the long, slow, inevitable fall into place.
*added* Two Years After Tomorrow by lavvyan
Rated PG-13, 1500 words.
Aneen didn't like Colonel Sheppard much.
Visiting Hours by lily
Rated NC-17, 12000 words.
The Selari had promised him John would live in exchange for Rodney’s keeping the rest of Atlantis away, but Rodney had insisted, with a bravery he didn’t exactly feel, that he would die there before he agreed to help them without proof of John’s safety. In the end, they had granted him a weekly visit, provided he arrived alone and unarmed.
War Bride by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 9000 words.
He's a little worried, but Rodney brought a suit and it's even pressed.
Romance
A Beautiful Lifetime Event by shalottRated NC-17, 30000 words.
"This is an accident with Ancient technology, not a beautiful lifetime event! I want a goddamn morning-after pill!"
About a Lamp by torch
Rated NC-17, 22000 words.
The first night, Rodney rolled over in bed, put his arm around the warm body next to him, and went on sleeping.
The second night, he stirred to near-consciousness when someone curled up behind him and breathed into his shoulder, and he had to shift around a bit and scrunch the pillow to get comfortable.
The third night, an elbow in the ribs made him blink, and when he did, he saw a shock of dark hair over sharp, pretty features. "You're not supposed to be here," Rodney said.
Accidentally in Love by shetiger
Rated NC-17, 17000 words; for beautiful hesitant mutual realization, and the hottest game of chess ever.
And Sometimes You Get Toasters by Giddy
Rated PG-13, 8200 words.
"Major, please. You like things that go really fast, things that go really high, and defeating your challengers in combat," Rodney said. "If I've developed a, a thrill seeking disorder, it's all due to spending far too much time locked in a jumper with you and your fly-boy mentality, and therefore I can't be blamed for my actions."
AS by frostfire
Rated R, 1500 words; for them just being guys.
Big Bang by toft_froggy
Rated PG, 1000 words.
So, Rodney's just standing there - and not standing in any special way, just nothing-to-see-here, business-as-usual standing - and then John's kissing him.
Although, that's not exactly how it happens.
Bright Ideas by Alyse
Rated PG-13, 1800 words; for John's really bright idea.
Care in the Holding by Lacey McBain
Rated R, 8800 words.
Everything comes down to the weight of a gun in his hand.
Close Encounters by amireal
Rated NC-17, 4500 words.
"It's just a goddamned crush!"
Do Over by Crysothemis
Rated NC-17, two parts, 19000 words; for the oh-so-good badsex.
John never sleeps with anyone twice.
*added* Fool’s Gold by esteefee
Rated NC-17, 4850 words.
"Oh, that's just great. Assuming you haven't been blasted into atoms or sucked dry by space vampires, you want your pitiful corpse to be consumed by four-eyed sharks? Anyway," Rodney stooped and dug at something in the sand, "what happens if, God forbid, I should die first?"
John couldn't say it was impossible, so he also couldn't say he damned well planned to be dead before letting anything happen to Rodney.
"Let's hope for a double funeral," John said instead with a shrug. "We'll have Teyla do the honors."
"Oh, happy day," Rodney said.
Glass Houses by MistoKitt
Rated NC-17, two parts, 12300 words; for John's father who isn't what you'd expect.
Glossolalia by regann
Rated NC-17, 5800 words.
"Huh." Ronon shook his head in mild disbelief. "Even when he can't talk, he doesn't shut up."
Go Out Swinging by giddygeek
Rated NC-17, 3500 words.
Sleeping with Sheppard does not kill his...feelings for Jennifer. It just takes up a lot of the time he might have otherwise spent thinking about her.
High as Heaven and We Now Return You to Your Regularly Scheduled Crisis by siegeofangels
Rated R, 850 and 8300 words; for the John/Rodney/Atlantis. (Really!)
"I'm still a little wired from the chair," Sheppard says, fiddling with the zipper on his jacket, his eyes open just a little too wide, and walks past Rodney into the room, reaching out to touch things like the wall or one of Rodney's photos, wandering aimlessly.
His Way Through the Constellation by ToraK
Rated PG-13, 8200 words; for amnesiac John.
They find him by chance. They've looked and looked for the past six months and found nothing, no clue. Then Katie Brown and a couple of the new Marines go off-world to investigate some alien flora, get distracted by a market and find him there; not for sale, as Rodney immediately assumes on hearing, but working the stalls, healthy and whole and free as you like.
Jump by velocitygrass
Rated PG, 1300 words.
Never in a million years had he suspected that Sheppard wasn't straight.
King Philip Came Over for Good Soup by argosy
Rated PG, 570 words; for the "John".
Only Grumpier and with Darker Hair by Lenore
Rated NC-17, 10000 words; for female Rodney, who flashes the entire mess.
"You can stay if you want," Rodney mumbled. "But turn off the light."
John looked up at the ceiling. "This is my room, Rodney."
"Oh," he said into the pillow, and then he was snoring.
*added* Promise by velocitygrass
Rated PG, 4100 words.
"Why do people insist on saying 'you'll find someone'? What if I don't?"
Scenes from a Lesser War by amireal
Rated NC-17, 20000 words; for the way the change of regulations impacts everyone on Atlantis, John and Rodney in particular.
Scenes from an Accidental Courtship by ToraK
Rated NC-17, 6700 words.
Years later, when about a dozen regulations had been changed and the combined nagging of their friends proved too much, John would make a speech at their wedding – which they were absolutely not calling a wedding – in which he said it made perfect sense that their first kiss had been an accident.
Second Time by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 3000 words; for the way the past catches up with them.
Slavery Is the Easy Part by Miss Pamela
Rated NC-17, 2000 words; for John's overactive imagination.
"We take him." He pointed at Rodney and two strong warriors rushed forward. John tried to get in between them, but they just shoved him out of the way.
"We will still trade with you," the leader continued, "but we will take this one until the Festival of the Sun. He will sacrifice his time in order to serve me, then he will be returned through the Sky Waters unharmed."
"Sacrifice his time? Serve you? What the hell does that mean?" John yelled, lunging for Rodney.
Slow and Steady by kellifer
Rated PG, 2200 words.
Of course, Rodney thought, of course the almost impossibly handsome and naturally charismatic military second in command doesn’t even like being touched.
Stand-in by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 7700 words; for the fact that you don't really buy a clue where you're being led until you actually get there. Set in between The Return I & II.
Supersymmetry by lallybroch
Rated PG-13, five parts. It's kidfic, yes, but really good kidfic.
“It's like talking to a miniature Rodney with a Colonel Sheppard filter. It's bloody disconcerting!”
The Other Half Of The Equation by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 9900 words. Following the events of "The Defiant One".
If Rodney took time to think about it—which given the million other things he was tasked with thinking about, wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon—he would have realized it sooner.
As it was, it took a dying man’s words to alert him to the inescapable fact that he had, in fact, changed. At some point, he had stopped being one of the guys who hid under his desk when the scary stuff happened.
The Relative Merits of Wanting and Getting by cupidsbow
Rated PG-13, ~6600 words; for extra-certain doom and then not, and especially for that different look on 'The Terminator'.
Theory of Everything by rheanna27
Rated R, three parts, 21000 words.
"Maybe it's just regular, good old fashioned burnout," John suggested, although he knew in his heart he was clutching at straws. "Maybe all you need is a vacation."
"'Maybe all you need is a vacation'," Rodney parroted. "Please. I'm not stupid, you know." Then he looked stricken. "I'm not stupid yet."
Thirst by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 2400 words.
Sometimes he tried to figure out: Why then? What was it [...] that had quite suddenly changed his perception from "Sheppard is superficially attractive if you like that sort of thing" to "Yes, please"?
Thrill Ride by cupidsbow
Rated NC-17, 4400 words.
"I can't believe all 200 people in the expedition bore you. That's misanthropy on a level that's excessive, even for you."
"I can count the people I find interesting on one hand," said Rodney, holding one hand up, all five fingers spread out.
Touch by shalott
Rated NC-17, 2000 words.
Rodney McKay was a cuddler. That was more than John had really wanted to know, but he'd involuntarily figured it out after the third or fourth time he woke up offworld in their shared tent, too warm, with a heavy arm slung over his chest and Rodney's face getting intimate with his neck.
Ways to Die in the Pegasus Galaxy by crysothemis
Rated NC-17, three parts, 18000 words; for Rodney picking up the habit of sleeping - just sleeping - in John's bed, and for John slowly and quietly freaking out.
Weddings, Plural, and A Yak by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 17500 words.
The first time John Sheppard married Rodney McKay, it was sort of an accident.
We Shall Not Look Upon His Like Again by custardpringle
Rated PG, 651 words; for the coming-back-from-the-dead.
What It Gives by chelle
Rated NC-17, 17000 words; for their first encounter in a gay bar, fifteen years before Atlantis.
What Sheppard Thinks by Nemoinis
Rated R, 1650 words; for Sheppard's thoughts.
With Intent by shaenie
Rated NC-17, 13000 words.
Things have been quiet, and there's absolutely no reason for John to randomly lean-with-intent at Rodney.
Humor and Adventure
A Not-So-Modest Proposal by recceaRated NC-17, two parts, 13000 words; for Rodney insisting on marriage, and for his persuasion skills, or lack thereof.
Best Laid Plans by argosy
Rated PG, 1650 words.
John didn't really believe the date was going to happen--Carter would come to her senses, or Rodney would chicken out, or--if worse came to worse--Atlantis itself would recognize it for the abomination it was and sink into the ocean.
Bluffing Marines by kellifer
Rated PG, 430 words; for the fun of it.
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do by amireal
Rated NC-17, 7100 words; for one-sided dating, and for purple penguins with pink umbrellas.
Catch-19 by chelle
Rated R, 9600 words; for general obliviousness, Woolsey, and a marriage of convenience. And all that is not an AU to start with. Not really.
Checklist by mercuriosity
Rated NC-17, 4500 words.
"I'm thinking you need some kind of list, Colonel," he said, his hands framing an imaginary document in the air. "If you really are that clueless, I mean."
"Give it a rest, Rodney," John said, without much hope--his best bet was just to walk as fast as he could back to his quarters, and hope Rodney would get tired of his little joke sooner rather than later.
"101 Ways to Tell if This Week's Alien Hottie is Making Eyes at You," Rodney shouted after him. "Number one: Does she have eyes?"
Cohesion by stillane
Rated NC-17, 12000 words; for Rodney and John hilariously being themselves in the beginning, and for the shift in mood that sneaks up on you.
Day Break by Giddy
Rated NC-17, two parts, 11800 words; for the different look on the "Groundhog Day" idea.
Don't Say It by Nixa Jane
Rated R, 2700 words.
"So is that your sidearm or are you—"
Rodney immediately slammed his hand over John's mouth, cutting off the rest of the words. He heard them echo in the back of his head, anyway, and gave a mental groan. "Don't say it," he growled, and he could feel Sheppard smile against the palm of his hand.
Euler's Jewel by basingstoke
Rated NC-17, 1100 words. With math.
Good Luck Charm by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 3900 words.
As soon as it occurred to Rodney that it had been over a week since something crappy had happened to him, he knew that something crappy was about to happen to him.
*added* Inappropriate by esteefee
Rated NC-17, 3900 words.
"Look, McKay, you can't keep doing this."
Rodney was stunned. "What—me? I'm not the one who's been—" Rodney gestured helplessly, "With the grabbing and the inappropriate touching—"
Just Like Schrödinger's Cat by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 11000 words; for the people of Atlantis making the right wrong assumptions.
The first time he noticed it, Rodney didn’t exactly—well, notice it.
Mother Country by Chandri MacLeod
Rated PG, 60000 words; especially for the hilariously ironic alternate conclusion of The Last Man. The story goes AU from there and is 'adventure' rather than 'humor'.
None of them were made for this bureaucratic nightmare, but they couldn't just leave the people of Pegasus to twist in the wind. That wasn't why they were here.
Mr. Karaoke by Pares
Rated NC-17, 6700 words; for Rodney's raid of possible marriage candidates, and his blunt crash-and-burn method of proposing.
Okay, Let's Try This Again by helena_eternal
Rated PG, 790 words.
In all the scenarios Rodney imagined (and being a genius, he imagined a lot), this wasn’t one of them. He envisioned ridicule, fear, threats, backlash, heart attacks, an angry Caldwell, a legal nightmare… but laughter? Amusement? Disbelief? Rodney hadn’t predicted those, and considering his extreme paranoia, he probably should have.
Oblivious by shalott
Rated NC-17, 8200 words.
At least Rodney wasn’t trying to give him any more blowjobs. He’d been a little nervous.
(Really Just That) Obvious by Chrysothemis
Rated NC-17, 9000 words.
"What are we talking about, here?" Ronon asked, leaning back in his chair. "Somebody put a hand on your dick?"
Rodney's face went warm. "Well, I was hoping for a more, ah, delicate way to phrase it, but since you mention it, yes."
Rewind, Reboot, Restore by Rheanna27
Rated PG-13, 24000 words.
Not long after they'd come to Atlantis, John had developed a theory that liking Rodney McKay was very similar to how Douglas Adams had described flying: the trick was to throw yourself at him and miss.
and
"I did not crash. I'm a person, not Windows 95."
*added* Sensitivity. And Stuff. by tropes
Rated PG-13, 4600 words.
Rodney flopped back down on his back. "Look, I don't know how I'm supposed to act. I haven't had a real girlfriend who actually likes me in years, and I've never really had, you know, a guy friend to even talk about it with when I did, so..." He trailed off, still staring at the ceiling.
John made himself continue folding. "So you thought you'd talk about her in frat-boy terms because I'm a guy. Right, McKay."
"Well, I just said I don't know!" Rodney replied hotly.
Sex, Movies, and Misconceptions by chelle and TheGrrrl
Rated NC-17, 11500 words; for misleading porn collections, and sexual identity crises.
"No, no, no, no." Rodney said, coffee cup in one hand, the other waving in the air. "Well, maybe."
Something in the Water by toomuchplor
Rated PG-13, 2750 words.
"It’s Friday. That’s ‘screw around with the jumpers’ night," Sheppard insisted. "Is it really just you and me?"
Tango by shalott
Rated NC-17, 7000 words.
"I don't believe you! You just blew me to make me think better, and you thought that was actually going to work?"
"Rodney!" John yelled. "Bomb!"
"Sex doesn't change the basic fact that this electronic system is organized on a totally different—oh, hey," Rodney said, and dived at the bomb.
The One in Which John and Rodney Aren't Gay (Really) by davechicken
Rated NC-17, 10000 words.
Far too late into the night, and just as Rodney was getting up, John said it. "Kiss a guy."
Hands on his knees, half to his feet, Rodney halted. "What?"
To which the Major merely shrugged. "I dunno. Everyone seemed to have done it at college, you know, but I never. Couldn't, really, with the Air Force..."
"So you thought you should do it because everyone else was."
"No. Because... I guess it'd feel different. And I wondered how."
The Modern Man's Hustle by eleveninches
Rated NC-17, 23000 words; for the insane amount of fun.
Teyla came in next, eyebrows still a little singed. Her hands were bandaged.
"What the hell happened to you?" Rodney demanded.
Teyla's jaw tightened. "No one informed me you should not have a lamp, a fan, a hot plate, a blowdryer, and a laptop plugged in to the same power bar and running at the same time."
"So that's what that power surge was," Rodney said thoughtfully.
There Is No Mystery Left by kiden
Rated R, 1300 words.
Teyla turns on him like a wild beast, a hand clutching at a chunk of her own hair, and growls, "If you don't get us out of this time loop, I'm going to castrate you."
Which makes Rodney cover is crotch defensively and Ronon laugh with delight.
"You're stuck in a time loop?" Sheppard says for the 34th time.
Working Out by tacittype
Rated PG-13, 3300 words; for Rodney's appreciation of John getting sweaty the perfectly innocent way.
If McKay wanted to get his heart rate up he just had to hang around in the experiment suites on xenomunitions day, he didn’t need to pant and sweat in the city gym. At the very least, McKay figured that running for his life on PM4-678 two days ago was a sufficient workout to count for one of his mandatory three, but Sheppard apparently disagreed.
Aliens-made-them-do-it
70/30 by semivowelRated R, three parts, 11000 words (go for the improved ending); for John being turned gay by an artifact, simple as that - or really not quite.
The Ancient artifact hadn’t seemed to do much of anything at the time – just glowed faintly green. In fact, that’s the only reason he remembers it at all. In John’s experience, unidentified 10,000 year old technology tends to turn blue, red, or possibly yellow in his presence. So he remembers thinking the green was kind of unusual. In retrospect he thinks it should have turned neon pink and starting playing disco hits. At least then he would have had a little warning.
Abstain by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 5900 words. Technically, this is aliens-made-them-not-do-it.
"So you want to get the not-having-sex out of the way now or save it for later?"
"Why not both?" Rodney gave him a grin with teeth. "Unless you're not up to not having sex twice in one night."
and
"With that kind if tradition, I'm surprised you didn't just spontaneously develop the internet," Rodney said.
Advantage by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 15000 words; for slave John, who is still surprisingly multilayered when forced to focus on Rodney's well being.
"Why are you here?"
Sheppard shrugged. "Nowhere else to be."
"So you thought you'd come and pester -- wait. Are you feeling some sort of compulsion to stay close to me?"
Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Yes, me and the birds and the stars and --"
"Major Sheppard. Tell me. Is the stupid alien slave virus making you stay close to me?"
"Yes," Sheppard said, glaring at him.
Assent by Kylie Lee
Rated NC-17, 1600 words; for the intensity, and the need; and the assent.
As You Wish by nel
Rated R, two parts, 16500 words.
He pushed himself up on his elbows and looked at Rodney. Who looked very non-tortured. The expression on his face scared John, though. "What...what did they do to you, Rodney?" he asked fearfully.
Rodney's expression didn't change and John was hit by the feeling that it could never be removed. He shuddered.
Rodney was smiling happily. "I don't know."
Back-Up Plan by kageygirl
Rated PG, 1490 words; for the excellent method of deflecting any ideas about marrying John.
Broadcast Signal by seperis
Rated NC-17, 6200 words; for the all-out (offscreen) Atlantis orgy, and for aphrodisiac mist.
Damn Alien Plantlife by kellifer
Rated PG-13, 780 words; for the implications.
Decreasing Radii by cathalin
Rated NC-17, three parts, 27000 words; for the fact that everything doesn't fall into place easily after the aliens make them do it.
Depth of Need by shetiger
Rated NC-17, 7600 words; especially for the fact that this category doesn't quite apply.
Forward Momentum by kageygirl
Rated NC-17,10000 words.
"And you, Major?" He waved a hand at the night around them. "What do you see?"
Rodney. John had pretty much just been looking at Rodney. But somehow, that didn't seem like the right thing to say.
John looked around the camp for something else to focus on, and stopped on the chieftain, standing by the central fire. He felt his eyes go wide. "I see..." He blinked, hard, but no, it was still there. "I think I see the chieftain not wearing any pants."
Happily Ever After by cupidsbow
Rated PG-13, 4600 words; for the soul mate detector.
Have You Ever? by kuonji
Rated NC-17, 5300 words; for the instruction manual on sex.
I Hope You Take Seriously the Suggestion of Undressing by SomeInstant
Rated R, 2300 words; for the body paint with interesting side effects.
Negotiations by Lacey McBain
Rated NC-17, 6700 words.
“Gentlemen!” Teyla interrupted. “The Vendi share the kiss between their leaders to demonstrate there is commitment and trust among their own people, as well as to our new alliance. They have a saying—”
“A saying?” John and Rodney both said skeptically.
“—loosely translated, the open mouth hides no secrets. The man who cannot kiss his brother cannot be trusted. Therefore, you must also share the kiss.”
Proof by Contradiction by shalott
Rated NC-17, 9900 words.
The super-genius effect wore off after 72 hours. In the meantime Rodney figured out a critical element of how the ZPM structure stored energy, developed two new anti-Wraith weapons, discovered an extension of M-theory he immediately named McKay fields, and came up with a new data-retrieval technique to use on the Ancients' devices.
John flew the puddlejumper a lot.
When in Haldoria by Speranza
Rated NC-17, 6000 words; for Elton John's planet, and for the orgy.
AUs -- Alternate universe stories
101 Ways to Get Lucky (In Love) by LenoreRated NC-17, 18000 words. The one with the relationship coach and the businessman.
A Clear and Different Light by Friendshipper and Naye
Rated PG-13, ~88000 words. In which Rodney was raised by whales, John's ears are pointy for a reason, Teyla knows rune magic, Ronon has got wings, and the Wraith are more scary than they've ever been before.
A Dangerous Desire or McKay Makes a Match by Janne
Rated NC-17, six parts, ~50000 words. The one with the lord and the natural philosopher.
A Supermarket in California by taffetablue
Rated R, 7600 words.
"Yes, come on." The man snaps his fingers in a small circle, rolling his eyes. "I’m on the verge of a major breakthrough in theoretical physics, so it would be great if you would hurry."
John picks up the coffee and keys in the price, purposefully mistyping it twice, and watches the man out of the corner of his eye.
Animal Husbandry by Casspeach
Rated R, 27000 words. The one with the vetinarian.
Bell Curve or Ladies Night at the Boom Boom Room by rageprufrock
Rated NC-17, 44000 words. The one with bartender/stripper!John.
By the End of April by lavvyan
Rated R, 10200 words. The one with the fireman and the subway crash.
Clean Plate Club by yin
Rated NC-17, 8000 words. The one with the food stylist and the photographer.
Counterpoint by Nestra
Rated NC-17, 5300 words.
"I'm not sure I've ever worked with a criminal before, unless you count Dr. Abernathy's abuse of the twelve-tone scale."
DADT, Damyata, Dayadhvam by trinityofone
Rated NC-17, 8600 words. The one in which DADT is enforced by extraordinary means.
Explosions by laytoncolt
Rated PG-13, two parts, 15000 words. The one with the self-made millionaire and the bar owner.
Hindsight and More Than by rageprufrock
Both rated R, 24000 and 4200. FBI agent Sheppard meets scientist McKay.
[...] and then Rodney's mouth is on his, angry and hard and a little mean, like he's yelling at John in a new way, since all the old ones don't really work.
John Sheppard's Guide to Surviving Project Runway by sheafrotherdon
Rated PG-13, 7300 words. The one with the fashion designers on reality tv.
Junk Cheap by devildoll
Rated R, 13000 words. The one with the professor and the junk shop owner.
Karate John and Uncle Rodney by seikaitsukimizu
Rated PG-13, 4700 words. The one with the Karate instructor and the lawyer.
King of Wishful Thinking by margarks
Rated NC-17, nine parts, 20000 words. The one better than Pretty Woman.
No Refunds or Exchanges by shalott
Rated NC-17, 11000 words. The one with the mail-order bride.
*added* Nunc Dimittis by temaris
Rated G, 5100 words. The one with the monk and the knight.
On Life and Living by wesleysgirl
Rated NC-17, 34000 words. The one in which John is a father and widower.
Phi by aesc and siriaeve
Rated NC-17, 8700 words. The one with the model and the journalist.
Revelations by trinityofone
Rated NC-17, 3400 words.
The author's summary: John is a priest, Rodney is sin, and I'm so going to hell.
(If this is a sensitive topic for you, don't read it.)
Rights of Man by unamaga
Rated R, 2300 words. The one with the president and the chief of staff.
Romance at the Roadkill Grill by lamardeuse
Rated NC-17, 22000 words. The one with the cook and the fisherman.
Si Muovo by Kass and Sihaya Black
Rated NC-17, 40000 words. The one with the Jesuit priest and the pilot.
Sleepless and its epilogue by Nny
Rated R, eight parts. The one better than that movie.
Small Primes and Square Roots by Livia
Rated PG, two parts,12500 words. The one in which John meets Rodney's sister first, under unusual circumstances.
*added* Stress Relief by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, 4400 words. The one with the physicist and the stranger.
String Theory, a Concerto for Violin in D Minor by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 11800 words. The one with the conductor and the violinist.
The Blade by kellifer
Rated NC-17, twelve parts, ~35000 words.
“You are to be my son’s and serve him well you will.” The older man’s hand struck out again but this time snagged John around the neck and dragged him forward, holding him close. “He will fight this gift I give him but you will either please him or die, those are the only two options for you.”
*added* The Difference Engine by copperbadge
Rated R, three parts, ~20000 words. The one in which John dreams of electric sheep. Possibly.
"You are one fucked-up mad scientist, you know that?"
"You asked me to build you a robot, General. I built you a robot. It's not my fault he's more useful to me than to you."
The Hostage Major by frostfire
Rated NC-17, 15300 words. The one in which John is a good hostage for Rodney.
*added* The Proposition by jane_elliot
Rated NC-17, nine parts, 62000 words. The one with the scientist and the caterer. (The cameos... Oh, the cameos!)
The Protection Racket by Pares
Rated NC-17, two parts, 14000 words. Rodney McKay thinks he needs a bodyguard.
The Dark Side by shalott
Rated NC-17, 7400 words. The one with the unlikely Jedi.
Unconventional Heroism by sardonicsmiley
Rated PG-13, three parts, ~28000 words. The one with the superhero and the reporter.
Unidentified and Coda by fiercelydreamed
Rated NC-17, 30000 words in six parts, and 6800 words. Rodney doesn't remember.
Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot by out_there
Rated NC-17, two parts, 22000 words. The one with the dance instructor.
Water Your Dreams by amireal and ladycat_777
Rated NC-17, 13000 words. The one where they end up on the yacht.
He's about to ask for four chocolate and cream things to be boxed up, thinking a good meal needs a real ending, when the guy next to him breathes out slowly and happily. Something in that breath catches John's attention and he turns to see broad shoulders and a cup of coffee.
"There's nothing like a bakery," the man says, too happy to modulate his tone or even care if he's garnering an audience.
Wide Open Ocean by Setissma
Rated R, 10600 words. The one with the vetinarian and the dolphins.
Hot Stuff
A Kind of Natural Thing by shetigerRated NC-17, 6000 words. John is helping out with the help of a toy.
Catch You Up by Crysothemis
Rated NC-17, 2200 words; just guh.
Class 6 by dianann
Rated NC-17, 6200 words; for their first encounter in Antarctica, and for John wearing flip-flops.
Contractual Obligations by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, 4400 words. AU porn found via the
gpfg_studios.Every Day in Every Way by velocitygrass
Rated NC-17, 58000 words. Also angsty. And with romance. No, really.
"I'm here to propose an arrangement. Between us. I assume you remember our talk from earlier today and how... challenging dating can be on Atlantis. And since we've established that you're attracted to me, I think it would be mutually beneficial for us to have sex."
Freefall by lenore
Rated NC-17, 2000 words, questionable consent (not really, but if this squicks you, you're warned).
"[...] perhaps you don't entirely mind being at someone else's mercy?"
Fix by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 7300 words, with consent issues (no actual non-con); for the need and the want and the fight.
Girlfriend by Resonant
Rated NC-17, 6300 words; for the genderswitch, and for Rodney's infinite blunt curiosity.
Good Timing by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 2400 words; for the guh, and because it keeps you wondering until the end.
He can't believe he's doing this. Jesus Christ. It was the low, hot certainty in Rodney's voice, the way his eyes didn't even flicker like they always do when he's not telling the absolute, entire truth, the way he stuck his chin up as his face started flushing and stared at John like he was daring him to contradict him.
Hank and the Handyman by TheGrrrl
Rated NC-17, 4700 words. AU porn from the
gpfg_studios.In Decision by torch
Rated NC-17, 1200 words; for the desperate need.
Kiss Me, I'm an Earthling! and Earth Boys Are Easy by etben
Rated PG-13 and NC-17 respectively, 3300 and 4300 words, John/Rodney/Ronon/Teyla OT4; for the kissing, lots of it.
Later by franticsga
Rated NC-17, 2500 words. Staff meetings never used to be like this.
Mercy by shalott
Rated NC-17, 1600 words. Warnings: bondage, fisting, and, er, intensity?
Native Serendipity by dianann
Rated NC-17, 6000 words, aliens-made-them-do-it.
No by ladycat_777
Rated NC-17, 2500 words. Be warned, strong consent issues here.
No, Really and Yes, Maybe by basingstoke
Rated NC-17, 5000 and 4200 words, John/Rodney/Ronon/Teyla OT4; for the innovative methods of team building.
Provider by dianann
Rated NC-17, two chapters, 6300 words. Especially the second chapter; because of pleasure for pleasure's sake.
Resolution by Resonant, Clarity by Speranza, and Composition by shalott
All rated NC-17, 1300, 4000, and 650 words; for the guh.
Second Skin and Skin Tight by toft_froggy
Rated NC-17, 11200 and 11700 words, features crossdressing; for the look into John's psyche, with that twist.
*added* The Hold-Out by toomuchplor
Rated NC-17, 1300 words.
Anyway, John – yes, totally totally – had been holding out on Rodney.
Threat Assessment by Zoe Rayne
Rated NC-17, 1750 words; for the kink.
Time to Check the Male by ladycat777
Rated NC-17, 1750 words.
"You're thinking pretty hard there, Rodney."
"Mm, yes, a downside of being with a genius. We never really stop."
Words, Words, Words by briar_pipe
Rated NC-17, 4400 words; for the huh factor and the very unusual - is it a kink?
John wants to tell him, wants to explain, but it's not entirely his own story to tell anymore, and anyway, Rodney's eyes are boring holes through his skull, trying to tease the answers out by telepathy.
