New fic: "Tamed" SGA, G

[eretria]

So, apparently, the writer angst is battled. Thank you, all of you who listened to me flailing the other day. Your kind words helped immensely.

So, as a proof, here's a vignette. The things you come up with while petting your cat ...

Title: Tamed
Fandom: SGA
Rating: G
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Size: 303 words
Disclaimer: Not mine. No money gained or wanted.
Spoilers: None
Beta: enname and auburnnothenna
Summary: Of cats and parallels.




The first cat he had after he moved out of his tiny college apartment came from an animal shelter. He hadn’t had the patience to even think about training a kitten, no matter how cute they were. So he went to the shelter, depressing himself in the process, and picked a tabby with a white face and  belly. There were other, much louder cats that came up to him and bumped their heads to his shins. She didn't. She waited, watched from a distance with striking green eyes that looked vulnerable and lost, not understanding why she was here. Much later, he'd say that he had lost his heart to her immediately.

It was a long time before he could call her his cat. He spent weeks getting her to even notice him, to understand that she was really out of the shelter.

Another week went by before she came into his vague vicinity.

Several weeks before she allowed him to pet her.

She never got used to him scooping her up, hated closed doors.

But after a while, she would be waiting for him when he came home from the labs. Pushed her head into his hand when he absently petted her. Purred when he didn’t expect it, softly, to get his attention. Curled up on the couch next to him, a warm presence that didn’t demand anything but him being close.

One day, she disappeared through a window he had left open and didn’t return. He never found out what had happened to her.

Tonight, a draft of cool sea-air chills his bare arms. Rodney closes the window, then settles back on the bed. He looks at John sleeping, curled close to him, dark hair shining in the pale moonlight; his breath soft, almost a purr, and thinks of his first cat.

Fin

Comments

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

I like this a lot. Spare words but so much emotion.

[eretria.livejournal.com]

Thank you, dear.

[mirabile-dictu.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely! Poignant and sweet and insightful. Thank you.

[eretria.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you for commenting!

[sobelle.livejournal.com]

A sweetly affective and emotive glimpse into Rodney's past and present.

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

There, see, you write gentle, lovely fic that illuminates Rodney's well-hidden soft heart. All the angst is for nothing.

[eretria.livejournal.com]

Ah. Gentle and lovely. Uhm-hm. Just you wait until I really have my teeth into the thing you want nothing to do with because you think it's crazy. ;o)

But, uhm. *snuggles you*

[eretria.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[dar-jeeling.livejournal.com]

Aww, Rodney, now I wanna pet you.

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

OMG! You mentioned the EVOL%*&@%5%%!1!!! THING!

Avert, avert!

Where's the holy water and garlic? Ack. *throws chocolate milk at you*

Lalalalalalala I can't hear you!

*sticks cotton in ears*

[eretria.livejournal.com]

I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Not from you.

[eretria.livejournal.com]

*catches chocolate milk*

Hmm. Yum. And, yes, I did. Because I can, can, can. *sticks out tongue*

Can you throw a duvet next? And some reasonable go-to-bed-vibes?

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

tick tock tick tock look at the shiny watch see how it shines back and forth tick tock back and tick and forth and tock and your eyes are getting heavy, heavy, tick, heavy, tock, back, and so tired, and forth, so sleepy, your eyes are close and you are reading this through your eyelids because you just can't keep your eyes open, your whole body is so heavy, so heavy like a...heavy thing (what? look annoyed) and you're sinking, sinking, sinking down into bed and powering down the computer and powering down your brain, because your heavy and sleepy and tick and tock and you're asleep.

[eretria.livejournal.com]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*smooch*zzzzzzzzzzz.

[skeddy-kat.livejournal.com]

I'm utterly amazed that anyone could pack so much emotion and insight into 303 words. This was wonderful.

[eretria.livejournal.com]

Since this is one of the shortest things I've ever written, your comment fills me with much happiness.
So glad that what I meant to show is actually visible to the reader.

[aurora]

Awwww, I think I kinda melted.

[elmyraemilie.livejournal.com]

That's just wonderful. My cat approves.

[enname.livejournal.com]

*sips coffee in peaceful haze*

You know, I still love the way this is kinda open ended and kinda has not really a glimmer of hope to it. It just is the way things are, both John and the cat.

You know, I kinda think you're really cool. :)

[enname.livejournal.com]

*heads desk* Except the window! Good God, could I type what I am thinking for once? Just for once... obviously I need more of the coffee type stuff.

[munchkinofdoom.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Such a small, spare piece. I've had to come back to this, after reading, just to give time for it to percolate.

The layers are lovely. Dark, almost despairing, but lovely. The subtle comparison of his first cat escaping through an open window, to the closing of an Atlantis window, keeping in both Rodney and John, is almost subliminal. It doesn't appear despairing, to the first read, but the nuances are there.

Short can be so hard, but you nailed this.

[fairestcat]

oh very nice. So much emotion in just a few words.

[amezri.livejournal.com]

Aww! That was so, so sweet. I really loved the imagery and the comparison between John and his first cat.

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

Oh *whimpers* So pretty and sweet and yes. Just yes.

*curls up with you*

[mneiai.livejournal.com]

I really liked this, the description of Rodney's cat was wonderful. I especially liked the bit about her escaping out of the window, and then him closing the open window when he's with Sheppard, as if he's afraid John will wander away from him and not come back.