Stargate Atlantis - 9 Recs

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And yet more fabulous SGA het for you all, this time two of my favorite snarky McKay pairings, McKay/Carter and McKay/Cadman. One of these stories was previously recced on rec50, meaning that all my recs from there have now been crossposted here.

McKay/Carter

lapsus linguae - a slip of the tongue by agentotter - agentotter writes the best McKay/Carter out there, preserving the prickly nature of their interaction while emphasizing the subtle changes in their professional and personal interaction now that Rodney's in Atlantis. Where once there was merely snark, there is now a flirtatious edge, that leads perfectly into a sweetly awkward first kiss.

de profundis - up from the depths by agentotter - This is just gorgeous, quiet, perfect prose unfolding slowly to reveal layers of meaning. This is a Rodney/Sam story, but it's mostly about Rodney, about reconciling the idea of Sam Carter in his head with the reality of Sam Carter standing beside him.

Solitary Pursuit by lysora - Sam visits Atlantis and surprises both Rodney and herself. A fascinating study of isolation and loneliness, and the need for human contact, for connection. Sam is struck by the vast emptiness of the city, by the resident's isolation from earth and from the rest of the Pegasus galaxy. But it is Sam who is truly isolated, finding a connection in the close-knit community of Atlantis, that has been eluding her on earth. I love the way Sam and Rodney's relationship is drawn here, not as a grand love, but as a real need for touch, for connection. There is tension between them -- his unrepentent, unsubtle flirting, her casual habit of cutting him down and brushing him off -- but there's no malice in it, just familiarity and a spark of something more.

Five Ways Sam and Rodney Have Sex Because of John by Teaphile - Exactly what it says, five short snippets that are alternately sweet, hilarious and sweetly hilarious.

McKay/Cadman

Claim Her Own Skin by reccea - Post-Duet, Laura Cadman feels like a stranger in her own skin and she thinks sex with Rodney is just what she needs in order to get her bearings back. There's a lot of fic dealing with Rodney's feelings in the aftermath of the episode, but reccea is one of the only authors I've seen address what Cadman must be feeling. She really gets inside Cadman's head, revealing a kind of frustrated vulnerability that really makes this pairing work.

All Roads Lead by trinityofone - Five ways Laura Cadman slept with Rodney McKay. From classic cliches to subtle and nuanced romance, trinityofone highlights the many and complex facets of the way McKay and Cadman relate to each other.

Passing Through Gethsemane by moonlettuce - This is an interestingly creepy little ficlet written for mmom. It's Cadman trying out McKay's body, but where another author might have written pure, fluffy porn, moonlettuce recognizes and explores the more disturbing implications of the situation. Really well done, with a really interesting take on Cadman.

Mission Objectives by Teaphile - A fabulously hot little ficlet in which no sex actually appears, just the sudden, overwhelming heat of arousal and the promise of more to come.

Glints in the Night and Commas and Ampersands by lallybroch - GUH. So, McKay/Cadman is totally my new favorite place for snarky, smutty het and OMG does this pair of stories fit that bill. As if the snarky, combative sex isn't hot enough, the second story is told from a fabulous voyeuristic John pov that offers tantalizing hints of a promised final installment.