The Therapeutic Properties of Coffee by liketheriver (T)

[sholio]

Hi! I'm back for another month of John/Rodney friendship recs.

Rec Category: John Sheppard & Rodney McKay friendship
Pairing: Rodney/Katie, John/OCs
Category: Atlantis, drama
Warning: future-fic (written pre-Season 4, somewhat AU from currently established canon), might be considered kidfic
Author on LJ: liketheriver
Author's Website: author's ff.net page (not recently updated), River's master fic list on LJ
Link: The Therapeutic Properties of Coffee

Why This Must Be Read: Despite the pairings, this is really all about John and Rodney's friendship, and the impact that their various het relationships have on their relationship with each other as they grow older and the Atlantis program begins to fall behind them.

Though it's entirely worth reading just for all the little friendship moments, this is also a believable and grown-up look at life, love, marriage and friendship, a fantastic exploration of the "growing up and settling down" process and the changes in their interpersonal dynamic over time, and I wish there were more stories in this fandom like it.

Work and Days of Hands, by Laura Maxwell (G)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Episode related
Pairing: none
Categories: episode related, team, gen, angst, friendship
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: wildmachinery
Author's Website: terminal happiness
Link: Works and Days of Hands

Why This Must Be Read: Last month, I recced Blood and Wires, a Jack and Daniel post-Double Jeopardy fic. Since then, I have discovered another lovely fic by the same author - but this one is set after Tin Man, and it gives us a moving glimpse of the robots' difficult path through grief and acceptance of their fate.

Laura touches lightly on each team member in turn, showing us what they've lost and their struggle to fill that void. She leads us through the rusty, heavy silence of mourning their selves; the slow, tentative healing of color and hope; and finally, the release into laughter and sound. Works and Days of Hands is a beautiful, evocative tribute to the only SG-1 that was irrevocably left behind.

Their voices are strangely loud and unreal in the heavy-hanging quiet of the tunnels, and eventually they just stop talking.