Advantage by Resonant [Sheppard/McKay]
I think this has at least one minor spoiler for things I haven't seen yet, since I'm only on "Eye", but uh... it's mostly delicious character stuff. And by delicious I mean the summary says This slave-owner thing was a lot of responsibility.

A Beautiful Lifetime Event by Shalott [Sheppard/McKay]
I read this because I wanted to read something by Resonant, a missing scene that fit into this fic. And you know what? It took me awhile-- it's a bit long. But it was -fantastic-. SO GOOD. I can't tell you what happens, all I can say is that it's fantastic and sharp and FAST. And uh, after that, you're going to want to read Resonant's insert, Missing Scene. (More of an Alt-reality/spin-off. Very plausible.)

A Supermarket in California by Taffetablue [Sheppard/McKay, AU]
Oh, oh. Who would have thought AUs could be good in this fandom? I should have known, because this had my stomach doing happy little flips.

The Kirk Factor by Nixa_Jane [Sheppard/McKay]
"I was only trying to protect your virtue!" Rodney said, dodging an arrow. "You could be a little grateful!"

Don't Say It by Nixa_Jane [Sheppard/McKay]
He didn't know what rulebook Sheppard thought he was following, but it was obviously the wrong one.

Bell Curve or Ladies Night at the Boom Boom Room by Pru [Sheppard/McKay], AU]
Unsurprisingly, the rest of the day sucked, though for one brief, bright spot, his grandmother pulled him aside and asked Rodney what kind of number his stripping boyfriend did, and whether he was available for retirement parties. Rodney nearly herniated something when his grandmother said the word "thong."

One Life to Ascend To by Pru [Gen >> Sheppard/McKay]
It all starts when John discovers Ancient TV, and Rodney is recovering from a serious addiction followed by harsh detox from this insane alien coffee. Which of course leads to the whole city discovering and promptly getting addicted to this Ancient soap opera and basically stopping everything every day at 4:30 to watch it and then discuss the torrid love affairs.

Fifth Kiss by Brighidestone [Sheppard/McKay]
His first kiss was actually Jeremy in kindergarten, who'd leaned over in the sandbox and held his face very carefully and bussed his mouth, then licked all the jam off from around it. It had lacked finesse, certainly, but it had been heartfelt and there'd been no accompanying head trauma.

Last Will & Testament by Speranza [Sheppard/McKay]
Alt-reality! And oh god, this shouldn't hit all my fanfic kinks, but it does. It really is kind of like a harlequin novel, except for the thing that turns out to be the thing and then the goodness of-- but yeah. Yeah.

Minimum Safe Distance by Kageygirl [Sheppard/McKay]
So, the first time Rodney parked himself next to John again, gushing over some-the-hell computer schematic, well, John had been kind of happy. Maybe a lot happy. Possibly even giddy.

Scenes From An Accidental Courtship by ToraK [Sheppard/McKay]
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.

Tango by Shalott [Sheppard/McKay]
Quite possibly my favourite fic by someone-who-is-not-Pru. Seriously, the opening premise is really -plausible- --- that Rodney can't dance, but he can do Tango & Ballroom dancing, that kind of thing. And then? And then Sheppard is amazing and you just have to die laughing and grinning and wanting to tease him while you read the rest because, whoa hot, and hello-- fucking hillarious.

A Not-So-Modest Proposal by reccea [Sheppard/McKay]
Oh. OH. Some people might rec this to you based on McKay's characterization-- his round-about but retardedly-direct way of dealing with things, or based on Sheppard's characterization-- stubborn and silly and totally in denial and not at the same time. Me? I'm going to tell you to read it because while you'll have fun reading it, it's the very end that shocks you into laughter and you'll see just where all that characterization finally went.

Such Is The Way To the Stars by Agentotter [Gen >> Sheppard/McKay]
"If I were black ops," he said, "the punishment for cracker theft would probably be death by fork."
"That's too bad," Rodney said, "because we could've used those skills."

Invulnerable by Kylie Lee [Sheppard/McKay]
Oh yeah. He'd forgotten.
He was invulnerable.

Letters by Kylie Lee [Sheppard/McKay]
I actually like this more for Rodney-in-therapy than the Sheppard-McKay stuff. I mean, when we see Rodney leave Heightmeyer's office in the show, he looks very vulnerable, even before he sees Teyla. But when he's in there, here, he's sharp and defensive, and beating sideways to try and avoid the issue while simultaneously wanting desperately for it to be over. It's exactly how I think Rodney might be in therapy, and that sold me.

Asking for Trouble // Not Even a Little Bit by Lyrstzha [Sheppard/McKay]
Yes, a hillarious two-minute piece (only a few hundred words) and with a fantastic 'epilogue' of 800-odd words. You know it's good when Rodney's insults are all based on dark matter, the physics of worm holes and false proofs. XDD

I mean, aside from the witty repartee.

Taking Stock (The Puppy Fat Remix) by Skoosiepants [Gen with a tiny bit of Sheppard/McKay]
The four days of piping Survivor's Eye of the Tiger on a constant loop into his bathroom had just seemed to pump the man up, and the residual effect of him humming it everywhere he went was something that Rodney never wanted to live through again.

Pudding, and Other Rare Commodities by Skoosiepants [Sheppard/McKay]
The Secret Pudding Fanciers Handshake alone would have sold me. Everything else? Just makes it that much more priceless.

and it took all of John’s willpower not to yell at him to keep his hands and his pudding cups to himself and flounce away in a huffy fit.

Skirting Dignity by Seperis [Sheppard/McKay, Space!Concubines!/various scientists]
John's eyes widen, turning on Zelenka. "Zelenka, I swear--"

"No gun, no *shirt*, if I remember correctly." Pushing unsteadily from Kavanagh, Zelenka leans into the table, looking considerably less drunk and a lot more pissed. "No shirt, no shoes, and *lipstick* on your--"

John's hands clench on the edge of the table, and Elizabeth wonders if she'll be able to separate them before there's an unseemly display in the conference room. "You really want to go there, Zelenka? Because we can go there. We can *so go there*."

Beyond M-theory: Alternative Realities and Boundary Conditions by Dr. Rodney McKay by Zoetrope [Sheppard/McKay]
Vaguely spoilery for The Siege. This is shorter than I expected, and has the exact quality of a road-trip-feeling (existing outside of time but completely caught up in how much time there is >> deadlines). It's both happier and sadder than I expected, too.

Halfway through, Rodney found himself being kicked awake by a heavy, booted foot. John raised his eyebrow and looked at him pointedly and he sat up quickly. The piece of paper stuck to his face fluttered back to the table.

"I think," said General Hammond solemnly in his office afterwards, "That it might be prudent for you both to have a little time off."

And that was how Rodney found himself and a backpack standing on the side of a dusty road in Colorado with nowhere to go and nothing to do. As luck would have it, at that moment John pulled up in a sleekly purring car and said, "Need a ride?"

Rodney did.

AS by Frostfire [Sheppard/McKay]
They steer in opposite directions, John setting his we’re-pretending-this-is-spaghetti down next to Teyla, and Rodney putting his next to Radek. Radek’s halfway through an explanation of his new wormhole physics theory before Rodney remembers he’s supposed to know things about this and has to start listening.

Caffeinated by Frostfire [Sheppard/McKay]
Rodney expands further and further on the Angelina Jolie As John Sheppard metaphor as he gets more and more irritated, ending triumphantly with John as slutty rapacious seducer and the maybe-a-transporter as a blushing virgin keeping its legs firmly closed. John tries to ignore him. It very obviously doesn't work.

The Hostage Major by Frostfire [Sheppard/McKay]
AR. I promised myself I wouldn't rec more than 3 of anything by a particular author per post (exceptions always made for Pru because I'm an addict), but this put me over the edge and I had to rec it. It starts out kind of stupid, and then it gets amazing, and you fall in love with the whole concept and want to watch the show again because, hello, pulling things straight from canon in a whole new way, nice to meet you!

Theory/Practice by Isis [Sheppard/McKay]
I actually listened to the podfic of this (A podcast! Of a fic! On my iPod on the way to work! I think I'm in love.) first and oh, oh it's fantastic and it's even better when Isis is actually reading it to you, which is so, SO cool. Seriously. The examples, the timing, everything-- beautiful!

Ed the Cat by NakedWesley [Sheppard/McKay]
The matched scenes here of Ed (O-ed-ipuss) and John are beautifully similar and dissimilar, sharp, smooth, very human. It made me desperately want my cat.It had always been Rodney’s opinion that pets were for the co-dependant and weak minded. Which was why, when a scrawny kitten fell through the open window of his lab at Northeastern and landed in his full coffee cup, it was not love at first sight.

Intersections by Kaneko [Sheppard/McKay]
It was a bit pretentious, but when Rodney was 13, his favourite number was 2132049 - 1, the largest known prime. He wrote it out on computer paper - all 39751 digits - and wrapped it around the walls of his room where his mother's photographs had been when he was nine.

Sometimes, when he didn't want to be somewhere, John thought about Einstein's special theory of relativity. He calculated he'd have to be flying at 65720439mph to spare himself his father's favourite lecture - Why John Will Never Get Anywhere in Life. (At that speed, John thought, you could go pretty fucking far.)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (give or take) by Merry [Sheppard/McKay]
"Sorry." Sheppard shrugged. "I have an extremely powerful mind."

Origins by Zoe Rayne [Sheppard/McKay]
Spoilers through Siege III. It doesn't start like this: (Her Harlequin Challenge, an entry or two down from this, is also excellent fun. XD Very nice.)

Major Wooing by Girlgonemadd [Sheppard/McKay]
Crack. CRACK. So much love for Rodney's logistic problems, his fun computer-hacking-woo method and the insanity that is Kavanaugh. Seriously. (Her other stuff I'm not so keen on, but this was just fun.)

Stupid by Lallybroch [Sheppard/McKay]
Aliens made them do it. But ah, angsty!John and determined!Rodney and---and mmmm.

Hot Pants by Lallybroch [Sheppard/McKay]
The fic that made me download Boa vs Python, just because of her introductory notes. Jealous!John. Irrational!John. ObliviousSexMachine!Rodney. So. So much love.

The New Math by Corinna_5 [Sheppard/McKay, Atlantis/Sheppard/McKay] (No, really.)
I'm not kidding about the Atlantis part. This is probably the best characterization of the city I've seen in a long time, and we know Atlantis is as much of a character as any of the people in the show.

“There’s a whole Ancient approach to problem-solving built into the algorithms of the city,” Rodney said. “It’s not the math that’s different, it’s the way they thought about the solution. Once I realized that, things got a lot simpler.”

A Farm in Iowa by Sheafrotherdon [McKay/Sheppard, AU]
"Alright?" The driver's quivering with indignation or shock or something, his face an unnatural shade of pink "Do I seem like I'd be alright? My car is in a ditch! What sort of roads do you people have out here? Is this a trick? A lure? A test for people who don't know their way around your . . . your . . ." He gestures, as if to take in everything around them – the oak trees by the creek, the wide open fields, the farmhouse – and dismiss them all out of hand.

Five Kisses by Lacey McBain [Sheppard/McKay]
The only fic I've seen on the X_kisses theme that did something like her second prompt here.
Oddly enough, it isn’t the first kiss Rodney remembers, or even the second. It’s the third.

For All Intents and Porpoises by Lacey McBain [Sheppard/McKay]
"I'm still armed, and I'm holding your pudding cup hostage."

Equilibrium by Lynda C [Sheppard/McKay, John/McKay] (Yes, really.)
Again, trust me on the pairing business! It annoys Rodney a great deal at first, because with every new second they spend together he's begun thinking mine. It's irrational and stupid. But seriously, mine he thinks more than often.

Under the Skin by Danvers [Sheppard/McKay]
This is like...everything that makes relationships hard and everything that makes the worthwhile; makes being human difficult and worthwhile, all rolled up in one small thing.

Hold Hands and Try To Look Sincere by Minervacat [Sheppard/McKay]
John spent the entire time waiting for something to happen, waiting for the peaches to make Rodney hallucinate or rip all John's clothes off or something, but nothing happened. Apparently they were just alien peaches after all.

John was surprisingly disappointed, and he sulked in his quarters with a jar of peaches the whole night. Rodney, not surprisingly, didn't show up.

Time in a Bottle by Shallott [Sheppard/McKay]
Sheppard and McKay trapped in a virtual environment. At first I got antsy reading it because well, she does a fantastic job of matching you to how the characters feel. You really empathize. But by the end? WOW. I wanted to live in a VE with someone. O_O

Thicker Than Water by Julad [Sheppard/McKay]
"So I've written some papers reminding everyone of the gaping flaws in Robertson's theory," Rodney said, brusquely stripping their clothes off. "It'll be a few days before I get the reviews back. Want to come to Canada with me?"

Call by Julad [Sheppard/McKay]
"We could all play for the last of the popcorn," John had said casually. Casually, like a shark.

How Not To Make a Lightbulb by Blinkiesays [Sheppard/McKay]
"We are, officially, the worst porn ever," Rodney said. It was the first thing they'd agreed on all month.

The Universe is Not Enough by Trinityofone [Sheppard/McKay]
“You used to be a true Canadian!” Campbell cried, his eyes moist. “You stood on guard! Your moral compass pointed True North! And all your country asked of you was that you seduce one insignificant—sorry, that was rude—one single Air Force Colonel! With glowing heart you could have seen him rise, but instead you’re willing to throw it all away—all our work, everything! And for what?” A single tear trailed, crystalline, down his cheek. “For what?”
*dies of patriotism*

Mnemonic by Cupidsbow [Sheppard/McKay]
Some dark themes. I saw this fic described as "Four small but fully realized universes" and had to see what it all was. It was four ways John Sheppard didn't lose his mind, and it was beautiful, sharp, clean.

Take a Chance on Me by Chopchica [Sheppard/McKay]
A really good look at messedthefuckup!Sheppard and solvingyouremotionalproblems!McKay; only they're both so...so them and kind of screwy and a lot determined and fun. Enjoyable, with a side of Lorne/Parrish.

Looking for Lamour by Trinityofone [Sheppard/McKay]
Rodney gives the car a long hard look before folding his arms and saying, “So do you want to be Thelma or Louise?”

Lists and Candy Bars by Vylit [Sheppard/McKay]
--but he's taken to hanging around the lab when he's not jogging around all sweaty with Ronon or practicing with Teyla. The slouching and smiling and leaning against things with his shirt riding up is a distraction, and it's even worse when he leans over Rodney's shoulder and says something about the equations Rodney's working on. It makes Rodney instantly hard like he hasn't been since he was fifteen, more from the way math sounds on John's tongue than from John's hot breath against his cheek--

Wrecked by The Spike [Sheppard/McKay]
Quite possibly the hottest thing I've read all month. No, really.
Crouching there on the end of the dais, John had swallowed and wished for a Tic Tac and risked a glance at Rodney. Who hadn't moved an inch. Who was still backed up against the altar, eyes closed tight, fly open, hanging on as if his arms were the only things holding him up.

Really not that good a blowjob.

Really not that good a day, all told.

You Must Remember This (Same Old Story Remix) by TrinityofOne [Sheppard/McKay]
God, I love this remix business. The original was cute. This is dangerous, fast, deadly. "Do you think we've done this before?"

Leavenworth by Amireal [Sheppard/McKay]
Huh. Most interesting use of an alien device for sex so far, with a weird, sometimes-well-done, sometimes-sketchy plot in the background. Suffice to say that the physical effects, the mental effects are kind of devestating, and that the prison is interesting. The after-prison even more so, though shortly after that the plot kind of goes to hell.

Given a Choice, It Would Always Be Sunday by Godofwine [Sheppard/McKay]
Possibly the best thing I've read this week! The style is sharp and just jumpy enough, moving around a lot but in a way that everything connects on the best possible level. There's even a bit of the style of Hitchhiker's Guide in here, and it sells you like mad.

Rodney once had a dream in which Samantha Carter gave him a blowjob in the bathroom of his old high school wearing a little blue cheerleader’s uniform. It was incredibly hot, but he didn't come until she pulled off and said: potential energy equals m times g times h where m equals mass, g equals gravity, and h equals height.

Potential energy was the reason why Rodney fell in love with physics in the first place.

Instantaneous by Cimorene [Sheppard/McKay]
Great use of alien tech for the A-plot-- a solid, serious, most-of-the-story A-plot, and a smooth link to the B-plot of the whole Sheppard/McKay thing. (Well, you probably know by now that I don't like established relationships much, so it should be pretty obvious that the B-plot is a get-together.) At any rate, solid, fun, serious.

It didn't take long. Rodney wriggled backwards out of the hole in the wall and squinted around vaguely like a mole. He didn't seem surprised to see John, just focused on him after a second and said distractedly, "Do you smell something?"

"I don't know." John stretched his neck lazily. "Like what?"

Lost and Found by Troutkitty [Sheppard/McKay]
So they picked up a kid on an alien planet, brought him back and then literally forgot about him for three weeks. When they find him again, he becomes Rodney's dog lab assistant. And hillarity and high efficiency ensue.

Zelenka's staring should have been a clue. "What, can't a guy just be happy?" Rodney demanded.

"You can tell him, her or it that we are all thrilled for you," Zelenka said.

"It?"

Euler's Jewel by Basingstoke [Sheppard/McKay]
I can't believe I haven't recced this! It made me write equations wholly unrelated to the specifics of our rice cooker on the fridge door, and I hate math with a passion. But here, the whole point is... is an equation that is how you know the universe is beautiful. And I love John's reaction to it all. "How long since you last ate?"

Manifest: Latency Remix by Brighid [Sheppard/McKay]
I'm sure I recc'd Latency before, but if I haven't, there's a link at the top of this entry. I highly recommend reading both because well...the Remix project gets me every time. Pretty much every remix is gold, and this one especially does a good job of using Sheppard's perspective. Very smooth.

Close Enough by Fabularasa [Sheppard/McKay]
Sold me for just this scene about the goldfish alone: God, can you imagine the boredom of it? Could you comprehend it? And no way even to kill yourself, really, other than slow starvation, which is, all things considered, an awful way to go. But when I found that out, about their memory span, it made me feel much better about the whole thing, because their life wasn’t an endless round of sameness after all – it was all new, all the time. You know, oh, look! A plastic castle! And seven seconds later, look! A plastic castle!”

And...and the bar? Oh, so much love for their conversations and the bar. (Some angst. John's a bit of a moron, Rodney is... well.) It's actually kind of painful and beautiful, but also happy for a lot of it, and...well, you'll know when you're done reading it. An excellent piece; something rare, I think, for the fandom, though it might not seem like that until you're finished.

Handout by Lilysaid [Sheppard/McKay]
Spoilers for Lost Boys. John squints at him. “Must be the drugs talking.”

Gift Horse by Miss Pamela [Sheppard/McKay]
Corporate AU. The part that sold me right away-- not the part I'm quoting below-- is actually when Kolya pats Rodney on the shoulder and the author references that Kolya's small-talk is always accompanied by physical violence. The background flashes that brings up, reinforcing his character were...well. Really, really impressive phrasing and sub-phrasing there.

Rodney didn't even bother getting undressed. He just kicked off his shoes, threw his jacket on the floor, and flopped on the bed. What a fucking day. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend that there wasn't a gigolo in his guest bedroom.

He'd better not touch the laptop. (Was this another Harlequin challenge? Probably. But, you know. The goodness of the internet and all that.)

Their Story by Miss Pamela [Sheppard/McKay]
Covers all of season 1, but just the fun bits, and with lots of really solid background. Not much actual dialogue from the show-- none or almost none; which is really a strength here. Very solid. Very fun.

Math Camp by Mel [Sheppard/McKay]
Okay, cheesy. But cute. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Rodney, John assured himself, scrunching up the "TELL HIM TODAY!" note that was in his drawer on top of his underwear. And it wasn't even that big a deal, he added, scrunching up and tossing his "TELL HIM TODAY, I MEAN IT!" note that was stuck to his mirror into the bin.

Harlequin Atlantis by Pookaseraph [Sheppard/McKay]
GOLD. I love this so, so much. I think my brain just melted. A few hours later when he checked his email he found he had also received an advertisement for Amazon Hearts. Apparently even secure Pegasus Galaxy e-mail was not entirely immune to spam. Rodney did a few checks to determine where the email had originated but hunger quickly won out over curiosity and he decided to go to dinner question temporarily unanswered.

Also, I love her Pinky & The Brain icon featuring John & Rodney. XD

The Pegasus Society by Iamsab [Sheppard/McKay, Atlantis/McKay, Atlantis/Sheppard]
This is an amazing use of an Atlantis-narrator; and omniscient third-person that embodies the city itself and really works amazingly well. It's tied to them, and fascinated by them. Non-entropic transference is a key concept in space tether theory, and plus, John's seen every Star Trek movie ever made.

Down the steps, across the causeway and on the southeast end of the city, Atlantis builds a subroutine for its very own elite high IQ society of two.

Battle Hymn of the Republic by Munchkinott [Sheppard/McKay]
Probably the best use of planning and serious battle techniques to...well. Well. No, seriously. The opening is hillarious, then changes into something sneaky and funny in the way that Sheppard is stalking McKay like prey, and then ends kind of soft and fuzzy. A nice series of transitions; very good use of strategy and attack.

...Are Made of This by Carleton97 [Sheppard/McKay]
Right off the bat I have to tell you that this is kind of ---not amazing. The premise was good, but the ending was kind of clumsily executed, awkwardly not quite fitting with the beginning. But the author shows real promise, and there's a good chunk of the beginning and middle that is really nice. No, if he had to put his finger on what tipped him off to the strangeness, it would have to be the physics dreams. The dreams where the universe spiraled inward, threading together and making sense in the most beautiful set of equations he had ever seen. Equations he could never quite remember when he woke up hard and panting.

Doing This Here by Purna [Sheppard/McKay]
"Put the macho swagger away," John says, his voice curt. "And stop gloating. It's not a good look for you."

On the Brink by Simonesimone [Sheppard/McKay]
Elizabeth tried again. "One time occurrence?"
He looked at her blankly, and she sighed. "Advance notice, then?"

Office Space & Other Tools of the Villainous Plot by Refracting [Sheppard/McKay]
“Why,” she asks, “is your new bodyguard wearing a bell?”

Rodney glances up again, momentarily puzzled by her continued presence in the room.

“So he jingles,” he says, and drops his attention back to whatever theory is wrong wrong wrong on his computer screen.

Great Expectations by Teand [Sheppard/McKay]
John had pretty much been ignoring Dr. McKay ever since they'd been relieved of their clothing and locked into the small room but that got his attention. He stopped trying to force the door and turned to glare at the scientist. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It happens to SG-1 all the time." A fantastic, fresh way to deal with an old (but still beloved!) cliché. So very good.

ZELENKAMATCH.COM by Lillyjk and Newkidfan [Sheppard/McKay, Hillarious Zelenka/Someones]
A comic made from caps of the show and oh-- oh it's hillarious and amazing and so cracktastic. You'll die. This is the story of his most difficult match.

French Class by TrinityofOne [Sheppard/McKay]
John didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon with the large number of his countrymen who had taken to blaming everything on the French, but that didn’t change the fact that this was totally Dr. Bonnaire’s fault.

Routines by Lavvyan [Subroutines/McKay, Atlantis/Sheppard]
Atlantis may adore John, but her subroutines love Rodney.

The Machinery of Heaven by Torch [Sheppard/McKay]
Lots and lots and lots of plot. While part of it was very obvious, the actual execution of everything was fantastic. Interesting, witty, and a lot of the time it felt like an actual episode. I particularly like the characterization of Teyla.

About a Lamp by Torch [Sheppard/McKay]
Now this has some seriously well-devloped plot that meshes incredibly well with the Shep/McKay business going on. Fantastic progression through something interesting -and- sweet, and you don't fully understand it until they do, which I'm almost always keen on. "He's got the munchies," Rodney said, elbowing his way past Beckett to rummage in the picnic basket. "We went to all that trouble just to get Major Sheppard high. I'll mix something up in the lab next time, it will be cheaper." He fished out a cookie and started to eat. Sheppard kicked him, and he fished out a second one and handed it over.

Your Inevitable Unhappy Ending by Helen [Sheppard/McKay]
"This conversation made more sense when you just liked babies," Rodney said, after a minute.

"I don't like babies."

"What if I like babies?"

"Then we'll get a fucking baby," John snapped back.

"Maybe just the sex first," Rodney said faintly.
(Actually ends very happily, thank you.)
Also, the best rec I read for this said, "I was prepared to like this story when Ronon hit his head on a locker, but then the rest was great too."

Apoapsis by ScribbesinSand [one-sided Sheppard/McKay]
He knows that Rodney doesn't care one way or the other. Sweet and just a little bit sad, first in a series.

Becoming by Lamardeuse [Sheppard/McKay]
The truly sick thing was that he hadn’t pictured Sheppard naked and gasping against the tile, but sitting at a too-small desk in the middle of a crowded auditorium, diligently solving differential equations on an undergraduate calculus exam.

Coping Mechanisms by Amireal [Sheppard/McKay]
Rodney regarded him with an air of suspicion. "You do know that totally makes you the girl, right?" A four-part, long fic dealing with some serious issues on John's end and a lot of... I don't know how to phrase this without spoilers. Well, stuff happens. Bad things. Good things. The point is in how they deal with it all. (Some light, very light gore.)

Dear John and Other Theses by Reccea [Sheppard/McKay]
Short, kind of mild but I couldn't not rec it, because it left me with such a solid impression of good. They're not regular people, they're not boring. They're not exactly crazy.

Fight Fire With by Elandria Lore [Sheppard/McKay]
I didn't want to read this. It's rec'd all over the place, but all the recs came off as something I didn't want to actually read-- a kind of lame AU, even though I know that most SGA AU's I've read have been classics. I was completely wrong. I'm not going to tell you what it's about because if I do, you're not going to want to read it, and you most definitely should read it. Read it, and then re-read it because John is a bit of a sneaky bastard and a bit of a dick and a complete sweet-heart, and Rodney is Rodney and his cat is fantastic. And there's cover art somewhere on her journal. Cover art. And it's pretty.

Grass Tatters by GiddyGeek [Sheppard/McKay]
There wasn't any music and Sheppard's lap dances weren't all that great.

Gusto by Shell [Sheppard/McKay]
This...made me really hungry. I mean, really, as if I weren't hungry already, and then BAM! Spinach pie with butter and pastry and then there were brownies and there was lasagna and goulash and mashed potatoes. And the amazing, secret skills of scientists; John's funny little...well. Yes. And then Rodney. Rodney.

Matter of Fact by Silviakundera [Sheppard/McKayish]
John has generally been a firm believer that the best way to get anything is to not expect it.

Pillow Talk by Toft Froggy [Sheppard/McKay]
Like that was a surprise. For all that this is about Rodney talkingtalkingtalking all the time, the really important dialogue is in all the stuff John doesn't say. A really solid device for this idea; great execution.

Pop Psychology by Tigerlady [Sheppard/McKay]
Slipping out the door felt furtive, like he was still trying to escape from something. It didn't help that he could hear Heightmeyer all the way down the hall to his room, her gentle tones repeating what are you running from? until the words melted into a meaningless cadence that followed him into his dreams.

Quarks, Quantum Chromodynamics and Other Unproven Theories by Amireal [John/McKay, Sheppard/Rodney, John/Rodney] (Yes, yes okay?)
"If you cry, I'm posting it on the bbs." A beautiful mix of sad-happy that is long, involved and pulls things out that you kind of want and desperately don't want to happen in the show. It's madness. It's still beautiful.

What You Might Call Obvious by GiddyGeek [Sheppard/McKay]
"You've been painfully obvious, Colonel. And you almost had me, I'll admit it--I might've slept with you, if I hadn't done a little math."

When the Subject is a Fraction by Runpunkrun [Sheppard/McKay pre-slash]
There was a hot blonde in the transporter. Rodney kept his eyes fixed firmly on the doors.

Fisticuffs by Zee {ZED!} [Sheppard/McKay]
John continues staring. “Did you—did you *punch* him??”

“No! I—well.” Rodney scowls. “He was being a moron.

Pretender by SDRaeven [Sheppard/McKay]
I've never seen The Pretender, but I don't think you need to have in order to enjoy dialogue like this: Rodney grinned. “Wow. So, I'm totally taking your cherry here.”

John frowned. “Wait. I'm supposed to bring fruit?”

Also, read the accompanying original, which is the other way around, here. It goes like this: Rodney put it in his mouth and chewed like John was doing and then let the gum stretch across his tongue before blowing. The gum hit John in the eye, hard.

John shut one eye and squinted at Rodney. “Seriously, who the hell are you?”

Losing by Kellifer [Sheppard/McKay but really more Gen than anything.]
“Actually, we had to remove your cast and put another one on because Radek put something in Czech that he refused to translate. We didn’t let him near you with a marker pen after that.”

Slow and Steady by Kellifer [Sheppard/McKay]
You do realize I'm armed, don't you? Beautiful, hillarious and yet very, very possible. I love this to bits.

Postcard Series by Kellifer [Sheppard/McKay]
This links to the third part, which has links to the first two at the top. It's the kind of thing that breaks your heart and makes you irreparably happy at the same time.

The Birds and the Bees and the Bats and the Robots by Iibnf [Sheppard/McKay, Alien/Alien]
"So he does the dancing. Oh, and Colonel? For future reference, I'm rather partial to The Robot." (*dies*)

Your Cool Lips by Iibnf [Imaginary!Sheppard/Real!McKay]
Spoilers for Grace Under Pressure. This I am ridiculously excited about, more so after reading the "deleted scene" included at the end than after the "official" version. Because this is kind of what I've been looking for! And it does something with cool hologram-real-imaginary-real things, just like I wanted! Ahhh, it makes me ridiculously happy.

Seven Past Ten by Godofwin [Sheppard/McKay]
"Wait, were you testing me?" John said back.

"Well," and Rodney had the grace to look at least a little bit contrite if not at all apologetic (John's only heard Rodney say "sorry" once and that was to his cat), "I wanted to make sure you weren't a thieving kleptomaniac who's secretly pawning my most precious possessions to fund his nefarious drug habit."

There are so many brilliant comebacks, logical fallacies and plain insanity, that are on the tip of John’s tongue, and John had moved onto bullet points and footnotes before he remembered that he hadn't actually said any of them out loud.

The Rules of Engagement by Iamtheenemy [Sheppard/McKay]
So... I don't have a hand fetish, but for the time that I read this fic, temporarily, she hit me with one.

An SGA Fairy-Tale by Lavvyan [Sheppard/McKay, Everyone/McKay]
Rodney gave a startled yell as the creature lunged at him, still too fast for them to react in time, blue hand ready to slam into the scientist's chest. Butterfly wings flattered, and before any of them could do so much as blink, the Wraith had grabbed Rodney and firmly pressed their mouths together.

The Exceedingly Sad and Very Touching Story of how Dr. Elizabeth Weird Died Saving Atlantis (the comic) by Smuffster & Lavvyan [Sheppard/McKay]
RODNEY: "You sure wasted no time to start sleeping with your boss."
JOHN: "What the hell are you talking about? I waited until Elizabeth was dead."
RODNEY: He's such a romantic.

Foolproof and Incapable of Error and part II by Neery [Sheppard/McKay]
The first part of this creeped me the hell out. I mean, I've seen this plot in sci-fi before, but holy hell this was creee-eeepy! And then it got wonderful and scary and wonderful and there was some delicious goodness to tie it all off. John couldn't quite explain why he hadn't thought to radio in, or what he had been thinking, messing with unknown technology like that. His memory of the last few minutes before he had sat down in the chair was shaky at best. They suspected it was another side effect of the chair, just like the decelerated heart rate and breathing that had made Rodney think he was dead.

Currency by Siegeofangels [Gen, some Sheppard/McKay]
The haircut took about a half an hour; he figures it's only fair. "Actually," he tells her, standing up and ready to make his getaway, "considering my current pay scale, that's probably the most expensive haircut in history."


Transference by Trinityofone [Sheppard/McKay]
The only thing is, I finished this very worried that John would never get his "cool" back and that Rodney would lose his "geek" forever! What effects would that have on the city?! They could die!

Cool by Mirabile-Dictu [Sheppard/McKay]
They stood quietly watching for a few minutes; then Rodney said, "Δ F_Sol=0.00017 x F_Sol."

"Why, Rodney," John drawled, smiling at him. "That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me." The character-bit half makes the story, but the bigger half, I think, is actually that equation. I kept going back to it, and it was driving me crazy. It's going to continue to drive me crazy for a very, very long time.

The Holiday Season by Out-there [Sheppard/McKay]
In his BDUs, armed with his P-90 and Beretta, John's taking on Christmas Night and he intends to win. Poor, poor John. Everything that could possibly go wrong for summer solstice & the holiday season does, and every single time... it's related to Rodney.

Fuzzy Duck Smell by Devil Doll [Sheppard/McKay]
Signs you have been corrupted by the fandom: This doesn't freak you out. You're giddy, happy, sad, glad, "Awww!" and "They're so cute!" reactions don't freak you out. Instead, this is something like A Beautiful Lifetime Event.

First Aid by Devil Doll [Sheppard/McKay]
The first time John kisses Rodney, Rodney stabs him with his pencil. Since it's not intentional, John decides to let it slide.

Checklist by Mercuriosity [Sheppard/Female Population of Any Given Planet, Sheppard/McKay]
"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?" Because John never sees it coming.

Conjunction by Pollitt [Sheppard/McKay]
Considering this is about Rodney "dying" three times from Sheppard's perspective, I laughed a lot. Seriously, especially at the end with the note to "Mom". XDD The third time that Rodney died in as many weeks, John decided enough was enough. As far as he was concerned anyone who disagreed—from the Air Force to Earth’s governing bodies in general—could all hop in a pool of Jell-O and fuck themselves.

And the Crowd Goes Wild! by SV Madelyn [Sheppard/McKay, Teyla/Rononish]
And he’s supposed to be the *Smart* one. John’s not at all surprised when Rodney lands hard from Teyla’s soft shove backward, tumbling at John’s feet.

John yells something along the lines of, “Hey, play nice, kids!” but he doesn’t look at them. The baseball -makes- this story. Makes it so, SO good where it could have been completely normal. *dies*

Doctor/Patient Confidence by Custard Pringle [Sheppard/McKay]
AR. Where Amnesia!John is smarter, happier and generally better than KickSomeAss!John, and where Rodney's parents stopped letting him blow stuff up after grade six.

Time After Time by Random Eliza [Sheppard/McKay]
And as soon as they get out of the conference room, they pick the argument back up and continue it all the way to the mess hall, where it switches from "parrot-things on M7P-489: secret native spies or harmless pets?" to "butterscotch pudding: has it run out, or is someone hoarding it?" Nice, solid, just ignore the blue text, which I found distracting and kind of unnecessary. John's perspective here is really clean.

Solve for X by Aithine [Sheppard/McKay]
Not my normal fare, but I'm a sucker for Amnesia!Fic and this is good. The link there is to the first part. This link will take you to all the entries to date in the series. (It finishes at 8 parts, but only 6 are out as I write this.)

A Regency SGA Tale by GraceandFire [Sheppard/McKay]
Right, so you should read this, but not for the characterization of Rodney or even many of the other characters. I think that's pretty off but the thing is, they don't have to be on for this story. Because this story is for harlequin_sga, and is therefore pretty much a giant romance novel, complete in 18 parts. And fun, and enjoyable with plots and twists and... I was really, really impressed that it pretty much follows the -exact conventions- of a romance novel. I mean, timing of particular events, the events that happen, the concept-- all of it is pretty much dead-on for industry standard.

Notching the Bedpost by Scribblinenore [Sheppard/McKay, McKay/F/F]
Spoilers for No Man's Land! Which is why those F's are just "Female" and not "Original Female Character". Yeah, I'd sign up to be Rodney's science-groupie. I can't help myself. The temporal physics gets me every time. "Anyway," she said, moving closer, running a finger up his arm, "I was wondering if you'd do me a huge favor and introduce me?"

"To Rodney?" John asked uncertainly.

Tis the Season by Mandysbitch [Sheppard/McKay]
“I don’t want to alarm you,” Rodney says. “But I think we had sex last night.”

Catalyst by LilyJK [Sheppard/McKay, McKay/Jonas Quinn]
I have no idea who Jonas Quinn is, but I got a rough picture of him from this that was... good. Fun. A fresh team of scientists from SGC will be visiting Atlantis for a short duration-- it's either a month or two weeks or something, I forget. John was snickering, and enjoying Rodney’s sarcastic comments about each scientist until Quinn’s name was announced.

Third Drabble Tree by Various [Gen, Misc, Sheppard/McKay primarily]
The mckay_sheppard com does this "drabble tree" once in awhile. One person writes a sort of drabble, and as many people as would like can pick a phrase from it and drabble below in a tree. It has multiple branches and, though it is on this com, gen and all other pairings are welcome, too, so you do find some great stuff here.

And I Must See by Ladycat777 [Sheppard/McKay]
Have I mentioned I'm a sucker for slave fic? Well, it was one of the more popular sga_flashfic challenges, so at least I'm not alone in that. XD ...the cosmos broken down into ones and zeros he can figure out, understanding as perfect as a cut diamond, glittering and cold and sharp if you hold it wrong. Rodney knows that, is that, so his hand is gentle as he pets John's head, humming something absent minded and familiar as John sinks back against him, letting the warmth burn away the longing.

Three John/Rodney AUs I'm Totally Not Writing [01] [02] [03] by Yin-again [Sheppard/McKay]
...except she totally did. They're shortish fics-- maybe 3000-5000 words each, but fully realized and oh, fun like you wouldn't believe. Sheppard is not-really-lazy but slinky and Rodney is always right and they are -fantastic- and even more fantastic together.

And Then There Was Finn by Sheafrotherdon [Sheppard/McKay]
A Farm in Iowa story, which pretty much sold me just for being that.
"It's a DVD."
"Yeah."
A pause. "Are your hands sweating too?"

For the Good of All Mankind by Apple_pi [Sheppard/McKay]
It's Superpower challenge time on sga_flashfic! God, I love this com. Everything has a scent. Rodney ingests radioactive flower-soup alien soup that gives him one week of a whole new superpower-- something useful and irritating and disgusting and, at the end, super.

Sanctity by Azrael [McKay/Emmagen, Sheppard/McKay primarily]
Okay, so the dialogue here feels a little bit off to me, but the concept and general execution is gold. It's an Aliens Made Them, only it's Rodney and Teyla, and Sheppard is pissed. Except that everyone else has the wrong idea.

Cross Product by Quasar273 [Sheppard/McKay, Sheppard/McKay]
Yes! Best thing I've read in awhile! There's this amazing A-plot and an amazing B-plot and then a very fun C-plot. Three major plot lines, two realities, two Sheppard's, two Rodney's, all sorts of changes and things that stay the same and action and adventure and more re-materializing people from a Wraith dart and... and wow! Fun, smart, etc. There was one thing that creeped me out (Rodney's laughing), but if John can deal with it, who am I to say anything?

Down to You by Mousewitchy [Strong Gen for Rodney & Jeannie's realtionship, strong Sheppard/McKay is secondary]
It had been love at first Oreo, and Jeannie had the pictures to prove it. This line actually kind of broke my heart, because even this early in the story, you can really feel the relationship between Jeannie and Rodney. It's strained because he's so far away and they're so different, but Rodney is still the brother who taught her how to blow up her ex's car, and she's still the sister who would drop everything to get him to the hospital if he had an allergic reaction.

As much as I mark the category as first gen and then slash, they're kind of equally important. But when you say that, people think the gen is unimportant. It isn't. It makes this fic, and while the slash is important, it's only there because the gen is. Oh, and it's an AU from Siege III onwards. Really impressive plot workings, good work inside the SGC with SG-1 teams and just...wow. Jeannie kicks ass.

When Blind Men Do See by Iamtheenemy [McKay/Other, Sheppard/McKay]
He turned around and raised his hand at the natives looking on. “See you around. And, uh, thanks for the prostitutes. It was a nice thought.” Ignore the first chunk, which I think could have been cut for maybe two or three sentences inside the next section. The point is, this is fun, full of actual dirt-- the smelly, all over the ground kind-- and feels a bit like an episode except for the fact that it's all about Oblivious!Rodney and Jealous!Sheppard. Except wait, wasn't that the episode in season 1 with the Brotherhood...?

Food Porn by Darkhavens [Sheppard/McKay]
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner! Non-explicit but--ha! Fun, funny, and while you might make one assumption about Rodney at the start, you'll have a whole other one by the end. Also, she has this awesome icon of John looking-- for lack of a better word-- intense with the words, An intense passion...for geeks. Brings me back to the Catwoman Bondage Slavery conversation in S3 every time.

Loving Rodney by Lady Ra [Sheppard/McKay, Atlantis/Sheppard/McKay]
Ahhh! Okay, so a small portion of the dialogue is slightly off, but it's so minor you won't care. You will be too busy oohing and aahing and just generally being giddy over how cool Rodney is, how cool John is, how awesome Atlantis is, once she kicks it into high gear. I have this huge weakness for Sentient!Atlantis and Sentient!Atlantis who loves John and Rodney is like... BANG! Awesome-a-powah! I can't even explain the goodness. [This is comfort fic. I re-read this whenever I need some Rodney-love.]

How to Find Your Inner Lesbian by Wildestrange [Sheppard/McKay]
But there's a moment when he stands still, his chin wobbling with anxiety and it makes John want to pin him against the nearest wall and suck on his pulse point until it's all okay.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do by Amireal [Sheppard/McKay]
Before you read this, you should know that it's full of typos and spelling mistakes but is serious, hillarious, good and absolutely not depressing at all.

Rodney leans into his hand and looks thoughtfully at him. "I think we should break up." He says with utmost sincerity.

Sheppard blinks furiously, surprised. He clears his throat. "I wasn't aware we were dating."

Cleave by Amireal [Sheppard/McKay]
Fantastic use of...well, I suppose you'd call it alien technology, but it's nothing like anything you're thinking. The whole story is about not things-- that's the best I can explain it without spoiling. It's interesting and kind of leaves you with an interesting feeling.

A Day in the Life by Gaia [Sheppard/McKay]
John watches too much television...in his brain. ...which was better than Soaps in the very least, because the thought of Rodney running off to have Teyla’s baby and raise it with Kavanagh was really starting to make John jealous. This is great because I thought it was unusual that sometimes I re-watch something in my brain, or do something--well, not like this, but not unlike this, either. And, you know, John is hillarious and Rodney is...surprisingly multi-talented. Some annoying typos can be over-looked.

If At First You Don't Succeed... by Domichelle [Sheppard/McKay, Stalker!Mara/Sheppard (one-sided)]
Short, to the point, very little in the way of anything, but... you'll love this just for the way Rodney makes his points and argues his side-- excellent job on his stabby-jabby-sharp-I'm-SO-right mode of debate. If you can call this debate. Elizabeth-pov, fun.

Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead by Speranza [Sheppard/McKay]
Oh, oh, I love it when people take the back-on-earth between s1 and early s2 to do stuff like this. John and Rodney are decidedly messed up, but it's happy and fun and funny and anxious and full of goodness and tension. I know, that's a lot of ands. But if you read it, you'll get it. That's just the way they are, and it's perfect, right down to Carson and Elizabeth and especially Jack.
(Er...no one is actually dead. Or dies.)

Kid A by Speranza [Sheppard/McKay]
..which I thought would be more Kid A from Focus Group C, Kid B from Focus Group D, something like that, but is actually this... this great, beautiful story. Speranza has the most wonderfully well-adjusted fuckedup!John I've seen just about anywhere, and Rodney is so-- so lovably Rodney, achieving everything and looking like he hardly has to try even though you know he's working his ass off. Fantastic, really leaves you feeling good.

The Reverse of Fascination by Shrift [Sheppard/McKay]
Takes place sort of in 2x02 Intruder, so spoilers for that. The Daedalus is big, but it's not big enough to entertain Sheppard, who didn't bring his book for the two week ride because Earth would be full of fun things, and well, he hates starting a new book before finishing a last one, so...

He's bored.

Parsus by ScribblinLenore [Sheppard/McKay, sort of but not really Rodney/Teyla/John]
How...how do I explain this? It was rec'd somewhere with all these little points about why it was so fantastic, but I didn't get it until I read it. And then it just--- it builds very slowly, nicely, sweetly, and you--- it's wonderful, it's sad, beautiful, strange. The role of Teyla is so -kind- but determined and ...and most of the marines are so--- Nngh. I can't explain how sincerely good this leaves you feeling. But it does.

Rarely Pure & Never Simple by hotspur18 [Sheppard/McKay]
“Huh. That broke, too. Cool.”

“No!” Rodney yelled at the door. “No, no, no, not cool, you idiot!”

John wondered whether there was any point in reminding him that the door also seemed to have the added bonus of only transmitting sound one way, guessed not, and slid down the wall in a vain attempt to make the waiting more comfortable.

Circumstantial Evidence by Nudaydreamer [Sheppard/McKay]
It just wasn't natural. And in that moment, the answer seemed so obvious that Rodney wondered how he'd missed it before: John Sheppard was a vampire. Funny, cute, joking but serious (but joking!) and has a nice, light ending taht you'll laugh and smile at. Another favourite from the Secret Superhero challenge.

10,000 Pieces by Blue Racoon [Sheppard/McKay]
This is beautiful and tense and not tense at all. It's a serious, developmental piece that works out a lot of issues and fits things together neatly. Really, really good. Solid.

Machinations by Lallybroch [Sheppard/McKay, supposed Teyla/Rodney]
He was so not going to be okay with Teyla being in love with Rodney. Ah, a comedy of errors. And eros. It's a classic! And John--- John is all kinds of brilliant and all kinds of dumb in this as he tries to set Rodney and Teyla up because, well, that's what friends do.

Supersymmetry by Lallybroch [Sheppard/McKay]
Kid!fic! Full of physics and this awesome little girl who's all There's No Place Like 127.0.0.1 and awesome antics and...and goodness. Plain, simple, happy goodness.

Teamwork by Magus_minor and Methaya [Sheppard/McKay, a little McKay/Zelenka]
The author lists this as AU but I would classify it more as AR. The opening totally sucked me in. John is a mathematician who tries some experimental math on a bbs and winds up on the roster for people going to the Pegasus galaxy. Rodney's sixth-grade atomic bomb gets him an interview with the CIA and the RCMP, and when he grows up he can't think of anything better than joining up with the Mounties. He also winds up in Pegasus, where he gets to pick his own off-world team. It's intense and solid and really awesome, very believable. The characters are fully fleshed out-- more detailed than they are in the show but exhibiting a lot of the same behaviour, modified for these different circumstances. Really, really awesome. The only real drawback is that I don't think it's been beta-read: there's some awkward phrasing and mis-types.

Untitled by thegrrrl2002 [Sheppard/McKay]
Rodney fantasizes about John talking particle physics. The thing is, imagining him all, John leans back, draping his arm over the back chair and smiles a slow lazy smile. "The problem is, Rodney, that your electromagnetics are out of alignment," is actually -very attractive-. I think he has the voice to really pull that off or something. Except that then I think, "Crap! You're turning into Rodney!"
Mmmm. Electromagnetics.

McKay's Diary by Pru [Sheppard/McKay]
A hillarious spoof of Bridget Jones' Diary, only it begins with a court-order and psych-related issues and then gets gold. Rodney is incredibly kind of insane and Sheppard is hillariously oblivious yet so cool and just--- Sheppardy. And..And... God. It's Pru. What do you want?

Tumbling After by Caro [Sheppard/McKay]
Post Lost Boys and The Hive; apparently this is the sequel to another fic, but I read it as a stand-alone and it's very easy to do that. John here is funny and oblivious and observant exactly like he is, and Rodney-- well. It's light, fun, sweet.

Terra Firma by Nel [Gen, Sheppard/McKay pre-slashish]
Episode tag for Common Ground, and probably the best one I've seen. Solid. clean, very Sheppard. Sheppard's fine. Totally fine.

String Theory, a Concerto for Violin in D Minor by Toft-froggy [Sheppard/McKay]
AU, Au, music AU~! This is how music should be written! Music should translate into words and vice versa this easily, with this much passion and anger and fear! The violin is the closest instrument to the human voice; the piano to the human mind. AGH! I just-- I love good AUs. I think I died a little.

Five Times John and Rodney -Didn't- Have an Argument by Cereta [Gen & Sheppard/McKay]
I hate Star Wars. But I love the Star Wars in -this-. Sheppard and Rodney are nerdy, unrepentant and slightly violent in all the best ways.

Consider the Great Wall of China by Summerfling [Secret Admirer(?)/McKay, Sheppard/McKay]
And that pairing note is totally not a spoiler because if you didn't figure it out within about two seconds, I'm very disappointed in you. Hello, obvious for all the right reasons! And delicious for the knowing of! Suffice to say, someone is wooing Rodney with math. From an anonymous on-base e-mail address.

John and Rodney Aren't Gay by Davechicken [Sheppard/McKay]
He wasn’t gay that night either, when they finally got back. It was a special kind of not being gay which meant he was in Major Sheppard’s room, kissing him senseless. It was the special kind of heterosexuality that meant it was fine that neither of them were female.

Applied Mathematics by Trinityofone [AU!Rod/AU!Sheppard]
Oh, Trinityofone. You had me at Applied Mathematics. What is it about SGA that makes math so attractive where everywhere else it's ugly? I think it's how sheerly nerdy they make it. Alt!John from McKay & Mrs. Miller (So, you know, spoilers up the wazoo.) is so focused on calculating angles and measuring ratios and probabilities; so angry at the way Rod and numbers match up and don't mesh. And Rod? So cool, so collected. So silent on the math thing.

Attack of the Giant Robot From Outer Space by Skoosiepants [Sheppard/McKay, Sheppard/McKay/....Robot?]
Zelenka shouts, “Ha!” and Rodney hisses, “It’s evil,” and an evil robot forcing John to have sex with Rodney is one of his top ten all time favorite fantasies.

Granted, that isn’t exactly the situation, but John has a pretty good imagination.

How It's Done by The Grrl [Sheppard/McKay, Rod/John]
Mensa!Au! There's a whole com now for the McKay & Mrs. Miller Mensa AU! I think I'm in love! Seriously. Other!John is so sweet and nerdy and full of awkward, and...and... Oh god, this is -excellent-.

Mr. Fantastic & Einstein's Wife by princess_bunny [Sheppard/McKay]
AU following some episode of SG-1 I haven't seen yet-- threads? Moebius? Something like that. But that's not important, you can read it without that and just think of it straight on as an AU all on it's own. John and Rodney and Sam are all geeks working for the SGC science dept. (Which is completely plausible anyway, so...)

Absolute Corruption by Cypher [Sheppard/McKay]
Remember that SG-1 episode where Shifu shows Daniel what could be if he gets all the information he needs? This is an AU spinning off from that as though it actually happened. Not much later, Rodney is Daniel's unwilling right-hand-man, Zelenka and Sam are dead, and Daniel decides that Rodney needs a pet. A new John.

I have to mention that this is dark--not overly dark, but ---well, think of the concept, the setting. It was a dark episode. It's a dark story. With a fantastic, very bright ending!

A Change of Seasons by Cupidsbow [Sheppard/McKay, misc]
This is... as hard and difficult as it should be. It's tense. And it starts with another alt-universe fiasco (unrelated to M&MM). Alt John has screwed up our John's possibilities on so many levels that the only possible result was... this. Kind of. "Five ways Rodney seduced John", only more like "Five ways John screwed up, preventing Rodney from seducing John". Or something. You'll see. It all works out in the end.

John Never Thought of Rodney That Way (Except When He Did) by apple_pi [Sheppard/McKay]
It starts out good and it only gets better. Alien weed! Alien cabins! Alien drugs! Offworld amnesia! Action, action, action! I think I just died a little.

Porn for Pru by NotPoetry [Sheppard/McKay] Pru requests some awesome things, and luckily, NotPoetry writes some awesome things. It's kind of an ideal combination. It's really hot and full of teasing and very drawn-out. NICE. And then? Jumper porn. Because apparently one wasn't enough.

Five Impossible Things Rodney McKay Did Before Breakfast by Lacey McBain [Sheppard/McKay] This is 83% science!action and science!adventure and then a lot of great character and get-together bits. Fantastically tied together into one complete piece.

Failsafe by ana-grrl [Sort of Sheppard/McKay] Be warned, this is creepy. She and I were discussing this concept, and thankfully, she decided to write it. And ooh, it's dark and creepy and so, so plausible that it hurts. You'll love this, it's really spectacular.

Five Ways John Shepard Acts Like a 14-year-old Girl by Ras-elased [Sheppard/McKay] Everything you ever wanted in the most scarily 14-year-old way. No, seriously. There are pages from them passing notes in meetings, an iPod playlist, a diary, doodles on mission reports and--- it's gold. I slapped my hand down so hard laughing that I sent my breakfast fork flying across the room. And then I promptly saved this and the associated images to my harddrive.

[Hewligan Fest]Keep It Simple by Valderys [Brendan Dean/Grant Jansky] Really, what could possibly happen to anyone in Canada? Clearly Brendan Dean has never watched due South.

Classified by toomuchplor [Sheppard/McKay] Funny and sharp and full of little things that seem really plausible inside Atlantis, this is like... it has some of the tropes of crack without actually being crack. It's weirdly possible, full of nerdiness and drugs and almost losing a testicle (which John & Rodney will both tell you is more serious than being shot in the chest).

Bros Before Hoes by hackthis [Sheppard/McKay] I never thought I would read something with a Katie Brown POV that totally sold me on this, but--- bromance. It's scary accurate!

Hypothesis: Straight men sometimes act like boys acting like girls.

Conclusion: This is bromance.

Find examples to prove or disprove your theory.

As Lost As You Get by Lilysaid [Sheppard/McKay] A more drawn-out ending for Epiphany. What if they had to stay inside the cloister for some time longer? I love the psychological elements to this as much as I love Rodney's sheer frustration and John's sneakiness.

Cliche by Kuonji [McKay/OMC, Sheppard/McKay] Rodney's mood shifts in this are really solid, well-executed and not too jumpy but just jumpy enough. Lovely bits of Jealous!John and Angry!John and the OMC is just--ha! Amazing.

Five Times Rodney McKay Surprised the Hell Out of John Sheppard by Franticsga [Sheppard/McKay] I am a huge sucker for John having a giant stupid school-girl crush on Rodney. I know, I know, but I -love- it and it's thankfully a popular tool in the fandom. Even better though? Is someone knows how to do it and do it so carefully. Sheppard is messed up, and Rodney is an asshole, but they're beautiful together in their nerdiness.

Mai Tai's and Coconut Sunscreen by Elandria Lore [Sheppard/McKay] I had this on a giant recs post that got lost when my computer died. I can't believe it took me so long to find it again-- there's a lot of gold on the SummerCon Zine, but this in particular was my favourite even amongst such awesome writers. I mean, it's just plain hot and full of hilarity and goodness. You'll love it.

Summer Blockbuster by Smittywing [McKay/Carter, McKay/Sheppard] This is dark and sweet and serious in ways you might not expect. It's unrelated to Grace Under Pressure, technically, but everything that made that episode amazing makes this story amazing.

Native Serendipity by Dianann [Sheppard/McKay] Uh... Plot? What plot? I mean, there's a ZPM and off-world alien drugs and then a fertility ritual and whatnot. You could put it down to just another Aliens Made Them Do It, but you'd be wrong because it is crack with insanely good description, some character stuff worked in and then--and then crack happening again. And it's AWESOME.

One Leg At A Time by Lucitania [Sheppard/McKay] John Sheppard has learned a lot of things in his relatively short life, but there's only one thing he really knows, and that is that there are two kinds of people in this world: people who wear pants because they want to, and people who wear pants because they have to.

Incorporating a Few Slight Adjustments by Lavvyan [Mensa!Sheppard/Rod] The single best interpretation of the 's getting to know you challenge. Because you know what? Rod doesn't like pancakes. But he likes golf. And he really, really wants what Rodney has.

Stellar by thegrrrl2002 [Mensa!Sheppard/Rod] Oh, Mensa!AU! I love you so much~ How did Sheppard wind up working with the military, anyway? This version clearly had an entirely different path and viewpoint, so it's neat to see Rod trying to bring him over with paperwork and sneakiness and John all Math! and Hardwork! and The Man Is Bringing Me Down!

No, seriously.

And Be One Traveler by Amireal and Trinityofone [Sheppard/McKay/Hewlett, one-sided(yes and no to the one-sided, yes and no to whether it exists) Hewlett/Flannigan] Er... yeah. I mean that. And okay, I had some reservations when I heard what it was about because RPF is iffy for me and RPF crossovers with the series itself? WEIRD. But uh... this wasn't weird. It was weirdly not weird. And I was weirdly more than okay with -everything- that happened.

The lack of weirdness and my being totally okay with it weirded me out than any of the actual content. But it's awesome, so, you know. Highly recommended. Weirdly enough. And the ending is--beautiful.

"I call not explaining to Ronon what a soap opera is," John eventually said into the silence that followed.

Playing With Matches by Elizayabanci [Sheppard/McKay]
Have I mentioned how much I love AUs? Contemporary AUs especially, I think they rock and this one rocks my socks. It's smooth, full of hillarity with Rodney and his cracked up family, the premise is neat and the execution is really smooth. Fun, light, funny.

Vertigo by Beadtific [Sheppard/McKay] [2] [3] [4]
Endearing, solid, lovely. Sheppard is emotionally awkward, just like in the canon, and just like in the canon, Rodney is arrogant but genuinely likeable. Their interaction here makes for perfect viewing and it left me feeling generally warm.

Voices by Arionchan [Sheppard/Atlantis/McKay]
Why don't more people fulfill my absolute need for a sentient Atlantis head over heels for Rodney and a Sheppard to match? Because oh god, I love it so much and it's always, always fantastic. The Atlantis inserts here in (brackets)'s are particularly effective and really solid. John is wonderful, Rodney is all smarts and hands and awesome.

The Rodney Multiplex by Nessalynna [Sheppard/McKay]
Spacehussy and I were chatting and this story came up and all I could think was "I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVEN'T REC'D THIS BEFORE". John with visual telepathy! Following Rodney around! Because Rodney's brain is awesome! Really. What more do you need? It's long, solid and has excellent everything.

Overheard by Cupid's Bow [Sheppard/McKay]
There are three of the five parts out at the time that I'm reccing this, and it's been fairly recently updated with a massive number of comments, so I'd say the next two parts are definitely forth-coming. The characterization and action and the whole premise and plot--- everything is perfect, especially Zelenka, and the little bit about Lorne is so classic, so clean and quickly put in before they move on that if you blink you'll miss it. (Don't miss it!) This is a classic example of The John & Rodney Show.

Resistant by Indigorhapsody [Sheppard/McKay]
Spoilers for Irresistable. I know this is kind of the boil-down of every classic Irresistable fic to date, but it's done so awesomely, with such stellar execution that you just have to love it. It's fast, sharp and cuts straight to the chase, right down to the last line. Pure gold.

Six Weeks by justbreathe80 [Sheppard/McKay]
Spoilers for The Return Part I. Oh my god. This was heart-breaking at first, and alienating and gradually it felt like home, but the thing is that you feel really -removed- from Earth. I always forget, watching SGA, how removed it is from Earth. Earth is boring and different and wrong for the people who live in Atlantis now. Earth isn't home anymore. And when John and Rodney are stuck in different parts of the country doing work they don't care about on a planet that is no longer home--- the only real home is... each other. And Rodney wants an intergalactic cellphone call from Teyla and Ronon.

101 Ways to Get Lucky (In Love) by Scribblinlenore [Sheppard/McKay]
My love of the contemporary harlequin AU returns! (Did it ever go?) It's her undermistletoe submission and it's pretty freaking fantastic. I mean, I was near the end of the first part (it's two parts, complete) and thinking, "Oh god, this is fantastic and I can't believe there's MORE," so let me assure you-- there's more. And it is made of awesome.

Gods That Slumber by Nixa Jane [Sheppard/McKay]
This is kind of dark and angsty but beautiful. It's a really solid AR for The Siege (and technically, if you want to go there, all of season 1) and it's just-- wow. It reminds me a little bit of Tao of Rodney but backwards.

Jungle Fever by Cupidsbow [Sheppard/McKay]
Harlequin Week at undermistletoe? Count me in for reading awesome stuff by awesome authors like this one, who merge canon and AU into a seamless, hilarious whole that is action packed and believable. We're talking serious gold here.

Gun Safety by Propaganda [Sheppard/McKay]
Another undermistletoe submission, but this is one of those great pieces where you read the prompt and think "WTF" and then you read the story and it's nothing and everything like that. This is kind of an alternate pilot for the show. Sumner isn't dead but gate activity is restricted and the soldiers are signed up for some extra work...

RPF: 'Tis The Season [Flanigan/Hewlett] [YULETIDE]
.....You can't blame me for liking these things! People write them! People write them all the time! And damnit, this is cute.

Undercover by corysilver [Sheppard/McKay]
I'm not quite sure how to categorize this-- it's kind of AU, but it takes place pre-Atlantis in that universe, sort of. It's a remake of the movie Never Been Kissed and while it kind of darts towards and then avoids this moral-ethical issue, it's fun and interesting and packs a lot into five and a half thousand words.

Working Double Time On the Seduction Line by Miervacat [Sheppard/McKay]
Jealous!Rodney, Flirty!John, Weirdly!Sexual!Aliens and a pants fetish with references to Lorne/mystery-scientist-who-is-probably-Parrish. So, you know. I was happy. And Rodney is just-- such a nagging wife in this and John is over-the-top hilarious, beating him over the head with something that Rodney just isn't picking up on. Plus, Ronon/Tiger is awesome. Oh right-- and it's a slave-fic, sort of. Rodney accidentally sells John into sex slavery.

Track One: Friendship, Love and Everything In-Between by Soraya [Sheppard/McKay]
Oh my god. This is possibly the hottest thing I've read all winter-break. It tapped all sorts of favourites for me including Head-Over-Heels!John and In-Control-Unintentionally!Rodney. It covers all of season 1 and some of season 2 and then moves into an unspecified time-line, which I like because you could slot it in to any future point, really. And god, this was fantastic.

Campfire Law by ?? [Undermistletoe Mystery Week] [Sheppard/McKay]
You know, I had a love-hate relationship with camp growing up, and this almost made me want to go back. It kind of made me forget all the crappy stuff that happens at camp and think entirely of like, polar bear swims and cantering across rollercoaster and the time the treehouse overnight flooded and washed all our shoes down the river while the horses ate the matches. It's a total AU at summer camp, where John and Rodney are counsellors and it's pretty freaking awesome.

The Company Holiday Party by SGA_santa [Sheppard/McKay]
And it's not even an AU. This person managed to pull off the feel and details of an earth-bound AU company christmas party but in Atlantis, in the current time line, and without resorting to massive cliches. I especially love her characterization of Rodney who lets things slip and acts nice by accident, who is unsure of himself but still arrogant, petty and bad with people. And her Ronon and Teyla and John are pretty damn fantastic, too.

Four New Years Resolutions John Breaks, and One He Doesn't by Ras Elased [Sheppard/McKay]
My love for Sheppard pining after Rodney continues! It's an addiction I can't seem to get away from ( not that I'm actually trying ) and this is particularly awesome for working in events from seasons 1-3 and then extrapolating from spoilers to season 4 and then making plausible bits up for 5. It's really very lovely, not your usual New Years fic.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy by sga_santa [Sheppard/McKay]
I'm reccing this but with a big caveat: I love the first half, but the second half actually kind of ruins it. If it ended as soon as they left the planet it would have been an incredibly strong story-- fantastic character work, great use of holiday references, my usual pining Sheppard, some awesome team stuff... Really, right up until they left the planet I was pretty much blown away. But when they get back to the city it all kind of goes to pot, so I'd almost recommend not reading that bit at all.

Soon Again Gone by Cupidsbow [Sheppard/McKay]
This is so fragmented and perfect for time-travel. There's a tonne of information packed into small, tiny paragraphs that are really, truly effective and perfect and all over the place. It's beautiful, especially the ending.

Stepping Stones by Velocity Grass [Sheppard/McKay]
It's a rare and excellent thing when a porn challenge yields something not only excellent and smutty, but something that also has some smooth character work. Velocity Grass is a pro, and this fic covers multiple kinks for the 12 Kinks of Christmas challenge while keeping John and Rodney as people with insecurities and awkwardness and serious missions. Really fun.

The Bitch-Slapping Tao of Rodney by Sheafrotherdon and Siriaeve [Sheppard/McKay]
So if ToR had ended differently, maybe Rodney would have gotten in a fight, and maybe some crazy stuff would have happened. And then maybe some -awesome- stuff would happen. Daniel could learn a few things from Rodney, if this had happened first.

Five Naps by An-Kayoh [Sheppard/McKay & Team OT4]
Perfect and varied and settled me off for sleep with nap-imagery. It's warm and comfortable and nice, even when it's dangerous.

A Slow Boil by Nobodysaid [Sheppard/McKay]
I was really pleasantly surprised by this! It was smooth and gradual, very sweet. It's just...good. Really, really good.

Come Back Later by Cottontail73 [Sheppard/McKay]
Spoilers for Tao of Rodney with the alternate ending possibility that is fascinating fandom left, right and centre. This is beautifully plausible, right down to John's involved and prolonged reaction and Rodney's experiences after. It's got Jeannie and SG-1 and all sorts of plot points and then McKay kicks your ass. Really. I was impressed.

Basic Tenets by Hackthis [Sheppard/McKay]
Rodney breaks it all down to math and physics -- immutable laws within a fixed environment. And I love it.

Come to Your Senses by Atlantis-Chat [Sheppard/McKay]
This is fantastic because it's Rodney as a completely flawed but completely awesome person. It's an exploration of how John experiences Rodney, highlighting his flaws and transforming them while developing John's character through Rodney. Really, really cool.

No Parachute by Aesc [Sheppard/McKay, Alt!Sheppard/!Alt!McKay]
(Season 1, "Before I Sleep") This is pretty beautiful. It has the melancholy tone that you need after this episode, but it's hopeful and positive and full of possibilities. The narration is smooth and the characters fit pretty well.

RPS: That Inevitable Awkward Question by Lacey McBain [Flanigan/Hewlett]
I always feel awkward rec'cing RPS, but... I only rec it if it's fantastic. And this? This definitely falls into that category. The narrative voice for J-Flan felt really probable, I could believe that this was something that could and might happen here, you know? And hell, it was just a great story in general.

Like This by Ariafic [Sheppard/McKay]
If I had know what this was, I wouldn't have read it. But I did, and I'm glad because it was beautiful. There are spoilers for Sunday in here, at the end-- BIG ones. But that's not really the point. It's actually more about Sheppard and his total lack of emotional attachment and how Rodney can sometimes be stupid and... and eating icecream until you're sick because no one told you to stop. My only real problem with it is that it kind of ignores the Sunday element while making it key at the same time. I really, really wasn't ready to read Sunday fic yet.

Words, Words, Words by briar_pipe [Sheppard/McKay]
The imagery here is beautiful and delicate and very involved. I like John's gradual sink into this particular tool, and the other people involved. It starts out so naturally, and with such perfect, small details that I couldn't help but love it. Every single part of this story was ideal.

Feel the West in You by lilysaid and jchalo [Hewlett/Flanigan]
I'm a sucker for a good road-trip. I mean a good roadtrip. This has the feel of cheap motels and fancy hotels and diner food and trading off driving and sleeping with your face smushed up against the side window and waking up gross from the car, the food, the motel the night before, the river or lake or campfire, the...everything. It's everything a roadtrip should be.

Irrational Weather by murron [Sheppard/McKay]
The reason I hate going to the cottage is that it is hot, full of people, and there is no real internet access. The reason I love going to the cottage is that I can lay in the grass and stare at the trees for hours, can sit on the beach listening to the waves for hours, can sit inside with an old book while it rains. This is rainy, sodden days after The Return part II at General O'Neill's cabin. There are no fish.

With Shifting Change by Ladycat777 [Sheppard/McKay, Sheppard/F!McKay]
Yeah, not my normal hit, but ---wow. The first two parts are all family and team!love and expedition!love and then the third part is just--- yeah. Wow.

Residences by Lallybroch [Sheppard/McKay]
I almost didn't read this three times. The opening paragraph actually made me feel a little bit uncomfortable-- Elizabeth gets access to the Lantean equivalent of CCTV and winds up seeing something she shouldn't --but this is wonderful more for the work on Elizabeth's character (very real, very fleshed out in a way the series seems to be missing the mark on) than for the John/Rodney although that, too, is wonderful and full of beautiful character work. The people here are real with flaws and skills and pros and cons and relationships and ties that make up their lives. The team interaction really is sweet and perfect, and Elizabeth's on-the-outside-looking-in is.... wonderful. Really, truly wonderful.

A Paradox is Not a Contradiction by Solvent90 [Sheppard/McKay, TeamLove]
This is a beautiful character piece though it's full of action. It's Rodney realizing that he's a part of this (S2+) team and how awesome they are. It's sometimes sad but mostly happy and awkward and fun. Very sweet.

Spiral by ladycat777 [Sheppard/McKay]
A contemporary AU, alternative to the delightful How To Have A Relationship Without Even Trying. Where that was sweet and funny, this is dark and gorgeous. Just creepy enough, just desperate enough. It's fantastic and intense.

Better Than Bronze by ana_grrl [Sheppard/McKay, Lorne/Other]
I....Ana and I were talking and I brought up the King of All Cosmos, but she didn't know who I was talking about. She just went with it and then thought up John as Super Gay Faerie Queen and then--- and then! Out of nowhere, she wrote a hillarious short story about it. I'm not kidding. It is AMAZING.

The Paradox of Vision by apple_pi [Sheppard/McKay]
For taking a pretty basic (but not over-used) premise-- Rodney is blinded -- this story is -amazing-. I mean, it's Apple Pi, so of course the writing is great, but really, she does awesome things with the narrative of someone who has suddenly lost their sight, of the people around Rodney, of all the little details. Everything fits together fanastically.

Five Ways John Sheppard Says "I Love You" Without Actually Saying It by icantfollow [Sheppard/McKay]
Remember the five impossible things Rodney did before breakfast? You kind of expect it to be five things on five days, but it's all at once in one day and it's insane. This is like that! You think, "Five ways, five different events..." but it's all in one day, and it's a rare ER that I actually really enjoyed. John is funny and awkward and completely incompetent when it comes to dealing with important people stuff-- just like in the show.

Anonymous by toft_froggy [Sheppard/McKay]
I'm usually not a fan of holiday fic, but this was sweet, believable, and fun. Rodney is absolutely in character and pissed about it, John is a little more socially capable, the citizens of Atlantis are goofy and silly and being themselves.

Got Lost Sometimes by Ekaterinn [Sheppard/McKay]
For sga_flashfic's sickness challenge, and man, only Ekat could take a pretty straightforward challenge and work it into a million different themes and ideas all in one story while breaking your heart -and- referencing most of season 3 plus an alternate time line.

Yeah. It's intense.

Wide Open Ocean by Setissma [Sheppard/McKay]
A fantastic contemporary AU that starts out heavy on the angst and builds a highly realistic Sheppard from age three up to his late twenties. The character work here is unbelievably fantastic. I mean, it's so perfectly Sheppard I can't even believe it. I just kind of died inside reading it. It's got cover art, it's got fantastic writing, and it's got a happy ending. What are you waiting for?

Five Ways SG-1 Eps Could Have Gone if the SGA Team Had Been At The Helm by Cerrad [Sheppard/McKay, Team OT4, Gen]
You have to know the correlated SG-1 episodes to really get this, but if you do (and you should, because they were all awesome episodes) you will simply die laughing and grinning and really, reaalllly hoping she writes more of these, or an AU or something. Because honestly, this was -amazing- and I would love to see more. More! MORE!

Textbook by Cerebel [Sheppard/McKay]
Rodney is so absolutely the type to have working knowledge of pop-psych and apply it to someone that I started laughing a little, even when I shouldn't have. He's a total asshole, so it's lucky Sheppard is cool with that.

Moving Pictures by Lyrstzha [Sheppard/McKay]
I read this ages ago and loved it, so I can't believe I haven't rec'd it yet. I stumbled across it again by accident and wow. Very cute, very sweet, very nerdy. Sheppard really is the biggest nerd ever, and I love Rodney's characterization here. It's classic!

Best Laid Plans by Lyrstzha [Sheppard/McKay]
...she also wrote this, which is awesome for several reasons but I'll stick to two: One, the original premise that Sheppard has awesome, insane timing that is often fantastic and occasionally terrible but always highly unlikely. Two, sex pollen. Yeah. That's all I have to say. Awesome premise, and then sex pollen. I'm good.

The Topography of Heaven by Mirabile Dictu [Sheppard/McKay]
I'm always interested in stories where Rodney is put into a situation he normally would avoid at all costs, but then excels in. This story shows Rodney learning tea ceremony for a ZPM and while that might sound kind of funny it's a beautiful story. It's also the first time my eyes got a little watery over an OMC.

Try to Turn the Tide by Minervacat [Sheppard/McKay]
A Siege III piece that had me from Rodney's first shaking-hands and over-stimulated brain and then hooked me permanently two seconds later with John's So long, Rodney turning into two instant Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy references that are simultaneously funny and heart-breaking. Yeah. It's awesome like that. Also? A happy ending.

Surfacing Zine [Volume 1 recs] [Volume 2 recs]

What's Yours is Mine by Ladycat777 [Sheppard/McKay]
I completely did not expect this to be cat!fic, but it is, and it's gold. She's got the mannerisms of cats merge