Listen up, folks, it's my birthday this weekend.

[icarus]

Okay everyone, listen up.

It's my birthday this weekend and I'm turning 40.

This is not depressing because I'm forty, but I look 28 -- ha! Also, I've been telling people, "I'm almost 40" for the last year and a half. Partially to get ready for it, and partially because the disbelief and shock is so gratifying, it makes me feel not-forty.

So here's the deal. wildernessguru gives excellent presents... of the socks and socket wrench variety. He's great with the romantic gestures (bedroom filled with balloons, anyone?) but has a dismal practical streak a mile wide. I, on the other hand, am not practical at all. (I'm taking Sanskrit for Pete's sake. I drove across country in the winter, with a smile, $750 to my name, and no spare tire.)

In all likelihood my pleas for a sexy neglige for my birthday will go unheard and he will buy me a rainhat -- that will quickly become essential and I'll end up using every day, but still, not a neglige.

This makes for a worthy challenge, for a worthy cause: A birthday challenge!

Stargate fans: You can make up for the soon-to-materialize rainhat by writing comment fic about what John and Rodney give for each other's birthdays (intentionally or unintentionally) (sexual item, act, or physical object). Or what Sam gives Rodney. Or what Lorne does for Sheppard's birthday. Or what Sheppard does to avoid turning 40 (because yes, Joe Flanigan and I are the same age) and what his men do for him (or to him). Gen, Slash, Het, any rating, anything you like.

Supernatural fans: Which of the boys gives the practical presents? Which gives the practical joke gifts? What was the most thoughtful gift, and what happens when one or the other forgets each other's birthday (or at least pretends to)?

Harry Potter fans: Go for broke. No doubt Snape is also one of those "practical" gift givers as well.

The challenge will last between now and midnight, PST, November 18th.

Yes, I am shaking you down for presents. But 40. That's doesn't happen every year.

ETA: And now for the fics (I wasn't really sure anyone would write me one, and I was cool with that) but oh, come play with my pressies:

SGA: Practical and Physical Gift Giving (NC17, John/Rodney) by jade_1459 (Whoa, sweet and hot.)

An SPN Birthday (PG-13, Sam, Dean) by terrie01 (LOL! Dean tops the boyfriend by a mile.)

SGA: Five Stages of Grief (R-ish, Lorne/Sheppard) by slybrarian (Too funny. I can't decide which stage I love the best.)

SGA: It all started as a simple game of one-upmanship (PG, Lorne, Sheppard) by lunasky (Love the relationship between John and Lorne here.)

SGA: John discovered that the best presents are the ones he got for himself (PG-13, John/Rodney) by lavvyan (Yes, John does go for the high-end birthday presents.)

SGA: Unwrapping Presents (R, John/Rodney) emeraldsword (Let's hope the second one is for luck, eh?)

HP: Underpants (NC-17, Harry/Snape) (Now that's a practical birthday present.)

ETA: Forgot one! (Eeep. Sorry, Cheshyre.)

The Bond Of Brothers (PG, Percy, George) by cheshyre (This is awwwww... soft and warm and snuggly.)

Comments

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

You young whippersnapper, you!

Cliche #1: you're only as old as the man you feel...

Cliche #2: life begins...

Actually for me it did (well, more like 44, but never mind). Once you are forty, you can look in the mirror in the morning and say, "Hey, babe, not bad for nearly fifty!" (I'm now doing that for nearly sixty - at 52).

And I no longer do fanfic, of any form, but my own novel central character, Ivan IV of Russia would gift you the following:

Vast tracts of land. (eg. Astrakhan, the Caspian Sea)

Massive religious symbols studded with exceedingly large gemstones (as in: size of pigeon's egg).

A falcon. The odd horse or seventeen. Slaves. Random peasantry.

Anyway, have a good one, it's a special time.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

A falcon. Cool!

(Told you I wasn't practical. WG will be filing the deeds on those vast tracts of land while I go play with my new falcon.

Jesses and everything!)

[wyomingnot.livejournal.com]

I will read your presents and wish they were mine. I turn forty next Thursday.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Really? On Thanksgiving?

[twistedrecesses.livejournal.com]

Before I stopped talking to her, my mother didn't used to celebrate birthdays as people usually count them - she celebrated anniversaries of her 29th birthday instead.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I had a friend who did something like that. She "skipped" birthdays and saved them for later. Out of order. :)

[sarka.livejournal.com]

Hey - happy birthday. I'll see if I can think of something and have the time. However, I just wrote you an email, but since my internet seems very touch and go at the moment, please let me know if/when you get it? Because if you don't, I'm gonna have to send it again :)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I got it. A little bit of Czech is the perfect birthday present.

Funny, my computer used to display Czech but now it's giving me gibberish. I guess something I downloaded got... erased or somesuch. *headscratching*

Icarus

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Forty is a fantastic age. Best sex of my life. Perspective. Wisdom, even. Cool time. Enjoy it!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

So far, I'm liking it. :)

[sasha-feather.livejournal.com]

John is terrible at giving presents. But suddenly he recalls how Rodney has had an eye on that awful painting of Ronon's, the one with the red sky and the fur-clad warriors. John goes to Lorne and commissions a painting...

(I don't really write fanfic, but this occurred to me anyway. Anybody's free to run with it.)

Happy birthday!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

LOL! Brilliant. I can see this one. Elizabeth says, trying to control the art critic in her. "Well. John. That's... very thoughtful."

Ronon nods his approval. "Yeah, that's pretty good."

:D

[enname.livejournal.com]

Ah. If I had a means of giving you a gift I would almost certainly be gifting you with something terribly impractical (yet not lingerie related) followed by one very practical thing (if it was lingerie related it would fall into this latter category) because it would appear I am confused like that. Alas though I have no characters and the writing skills of a gnat so you will have to make do with the imminently impractical 'fortuna dies natalis.' May it be so.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Practical yet lingerie related? I now have this vision of one of those old fashioned flannel nightgowns that sweep the floor, with the ruffles and everything.

I used to have one of those. White. All I needed was the candleholder and I could play in a Jane Eyre movie.

[icarusjj.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday! May you have many more, and keep posting cool fiction. :-)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and I will. I plan to, on both counts. *crosses fingers*

SGA: Practical and Physical Gift Giving (NC17, John/Rodney) - Part 1

[jade-1459.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday! Even if you end up getting that rain hat, I hope it’s very lovely (as well as practical, because practical things can be pretty too!).

*****

John doesn't like to think about the fact that he was the one that started the whole birthday gift-giving thing in Atlantis. He'd only gotten Elizabeth that little clay pot in the first year because she had looked so... sad for the weeks leading up to her birthday. But regardless of that fact, once the first birthday had been officially been recognized in some fashion, the gift giving began.

It had started out with little practical or "priceless" gifts at first: reformatted and repaired hard drives, fresh clothing made by the Athosians or traded for off world, a cup of the really good coffee (even if it tasted a little stale), a chocolate bar, a movie you hadn't seen (be it an actual movie, or a porn clip that you somehow managed not to hear about yet). Those were the kinds of things that got passed around and gifted to other people. And there was that extremely ugly looking little statue thing (that might have been two misshaped people groping, or some rendition of vertically growing sludge) that got passed around from person to person on every birthday and celebratory gift-giving occasion people could think of.

But those were just the material things that people gave (during the first year and even after they regained contact with Earth). They were the expected gifts to get in Atlantis. Though sometimes something unique was giving as well. Lorne drew a truly spectacular picture of Scotland for Carson's birthday one year. Rodney had harassed, brow beaten, and traded with every single one of their trading partners (and with some of their first contact missions that didn't turn out anything) of three years for local stories - folktales, legends, myths, romances - and gave them to Teyla (a written and a recorded oral version) for her birthday their third year.

After that, it was the gifts that people didn't really talk about in the mess where anyone and everyone could hear them. Those were the gifts that had no real material piece to go with them - usually. Those were gifts that where exchanged behind closed doors, sometimes with the lights off, other times with the lights on. They were private exchanges, physical gifts.

Simpson's birthday came a week after Elizabeth's. She was the first one to get a birthday orgasm. She didn't go announcing it to the entire base, for which John was grateful, but it was obvious.

John had been in the labs, turning on tech that Rodney was having a hard time activating when Simpson came in. She had a very pretty silk-like scarf around her neck, and she practically glowed. Her smile was soft and full, her bright eyes slightly glazed. And she looked a lot more curvy than usual. It was kind of disturbing, because John thought she was stoned at first. But then Kavanagh came back from a coffee break and Rodney snapped at him, which made Kavanagh look in their direction (Simpson was sitting at the table next to them) and he flushed when he saw Simpson fingering her scarf before tossing a scathing remark back at Rodney.

Miko asked about the scarf and John heard her answer, "It was my birthday yesterday. I don't know who left it for me." And John could tell that she was telling the absolute truth, because she was working with the lie-detecting-snow globe-thing and it wasn't blinking any kind of colours.

After that it wasn't unusual for people to walk around sated and glassy-eyed the day after their birthday, or even on their birthday.

John got a blowjob in the back of a jumper for his first birthday in Atlantis. He and Rodney hadn't figured out how to get the pilot seat back far enough for John to get a blowjob while flying. He'd also gotten two chocolate bars, a light almost-cotton long sleeved shirt, and a clay pot as well.

SGA: Practical and Physical Gift Giving (NC17, John/Rodney) - Part 2

[jade-1459.livejournal.com]

John gave Rodney a blow job during his flying lesson for his birthday (which landed three weeks after they regained contact with Earth). Because John had finally, finally found the stupid little pull tab thing that let the seat slid back just enough for him to fit between the seat and the console between Rodney's spread legs. Rodney got the first flying puddlejumper blow job because John had given him that really ugly statue thing earlier in the day.

For John's fortieth birthday Lorne got him a hot DVD of some great porn, Teyla had commissioned the making of a pair of leather shooter gloves made of the softest leather he'd ever come across, Elizabeth got him three best seller novels to read, Ronon gave him a wicked looking knife that was more ceremonial than practical, and Rodney gave him a tiny model jumper. There were other things too, but John doesn't really remember who gave them to him, his memory was seared by the 'physical' gift (which was and is still traditional in Atlantis on someone's birthday) that he got the night before and the afternoon of his birthday.

John a fucked Rodney half bent over his desk in his 'office' just off his semi-private lab. It had been great, thrilling, and hot - because they didn't usually take those kinds of chances when the Daedalus was in orbit.

They ended up spending the night together that night as well. And the next morning, when John woke up, Rodney had already gotten breakfast from the mess (with real, fresh coffee – the good stuff).

Once they’d eaten breakfast in bed and Elizabeth radioed to tell him he had the day off, John thought about going back to sleep. Rodney had something else in mind.

Rodney pushed and shoved John around on the bed until he was on his hands and knees with Rodney behind him and rimmed him until John was withering on the bed, almost unable to speak. And then the lube came out and it was a slow prep. All careful stretching and rubbing and thick, wonderful fingers that left him breathless and panting all at once.

When Rodney finally, finally pushed into him, the sex was even slower, even better. It was a pleasure so sharp it was almost painful. John had stretched out his arms, hands wrapping around the hardly-there headboard, forehead pressed into the mattress. Rodney was bent over him, resting almost all of his weight on John, arms wrapped around him, one hand on his hip, the other clutching his shoulder. Rodney kissed, licked, and nipped at his shoulder. Rodney didn’t have enough leverage to fuck him. His thrusts were little more than slight shifts of his hips that rubbed his cock over John’s prostate, sending flashes of white skittering across John’s vision with his eyes open or closed.

It was a slow, gradual build of pleasure that filled him every time Rodney’s thrust into him, every time Rodney’s teeth scraped his shoulder. It was being filled and surrounded by Rodney in every possible way, hearing his slightly laboured breathing in his ear. It was slow and careful and everything they usually didn’t have time for. And it built and built and built, until John could hardly stand it, until all that pleasure became just this side of painful, until John thought he was going to go out of his mind. He could feel Rodney’s arms and hands clutching harder, tighter to him. Could hear his breathing change and felt him swallow hard behind him. And John knew, knew, that Rodney was holding back, holding on tight to his own release, had just swallowed back his own orgasm because this was about John, this was for John.

It was enough, more than enough and far too much all that the same time. John came hard enough that his vision greyed out and his body clenched and withered and shook from the ecstasy and relief and pleasure-pain.

"Happy birthday," Rodney panted into John's neck.
-----
End

SPN birthday

[terrie01.livejournal.com]

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, baby brother, happy birthday to you."

Sam is woken up by a heavy, brown wrapped package dropped in his lap. First thing in the morning, all he can manage is "Wha?"

"C'mon, Sammy, open your present." Dean is almost bouncing in place.

The "wrapping paper" was a grocery bag in a previous life. Sam can see the logo of the store on the underside of the paper. "It's a gun."

"Yep."

"It's *my* gun." He can see the long scratch along the barrel from that time in Cleveland.

"We're broke, and we've got a job. Get dressed. Let's go."

Re: SPN birthday

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! Oh, that's good. Sammy never gets a break. And Dean just topped wildernessguru for "pratical."

[http://users.livejournal.com/shadowkittykat_/]

happy birthday!!!!!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thank you.

SGA: Five Stages of Grief (Lorne/Sheppard)

[slybrarian.livejournal.com]

1) Denial

"Happy birthday," Ronon grunted, after he tossed John halfway across the gym.

"Not my birthday," John groaned. "Whoever told you that is a liar."

"Really?" Ronon watched with amusement as John climbed to his feet. "Weir says you're turning forty."

"A dirty, rotten liar," John said, lunging with his sticks. That turned out to be a horrible idea.

"Getting slow, old man," Ronon told him.

"So going to kill you," John muttered into the mat, "right after I get up."


2) Anger

"I hate you," John said, storming - well, as close to storming as he could while limping - into Elizabeth's. "I hate you with every fiber of my being."

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth asked.

"You can't just go around telling people," John paused, realizing that the door was still open and half the techs were staring their way, "things."

"Things," she repeated, fighting a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that information was classified."

"It should be!" he said, hands on his hips. Before he could continue, Chuck chose that moment come up behind him and interrupt.

"Doctor Weir, just got a call from botany. They need you to see something." He started to leave, then stopped and smiled. "Oh, sir, before I forget - happy birthday."

"I hate you both so much," he said before stomping out the other door and leaving a bewildered Canadian and amused diplomat behind him.


3) Bargaining

"All I'm saying, is that with all the gate travel and time in hyperspace, I've got to be a little younger than I should be, right?"

"Hmph." Rodney tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Yes. Technically speaking you would have lost some time from all that."

"Thank you!"

Rodney waited for a minute while it sank in, then added, "Of course, that adds up to about, oh, fifteen minutes or so." John frowned, and then Rodney went on gleefully, "Which, I hasten to point out, is nothing compared to the six months you spend in that time dilation field. Congratulations, you're forty and a half."

John closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "You wouldn't happen to have a time machine, would you?"


4) Depression

"Look at me," John said. "I'm positively ancient."

"Mmm." Teyla made a non-commital noise and handed him a cup of tea.

"I think I'm getting gray hairs, too. Probably won't be long before I start loosing it entirely."

"I see."

"I guess I should start looking into retirement homes. Know any?"

"No. There was little call for such thing on Athos."

"Maybe I could move to Hawaii, do some surfing. Then again, once arthritis sets in, I won't be doing much of that."

"Have you considered the fact that you could potentially die at any time, rending this entire discussion moot?"

John blinked, then smiled. "Hey, that's right! I hadn't even thought of that. Thanks."

"It is no trouble, John."


5) Acceptance

"Afternoon, sir," Lorne said when John snuck into their office. "What are you hiding from?"

John tossed himself onto the couch by the window. "What makes you think I'm hiding."

"You're in your office when you don't have to be," Lorne explained. "By the way, happy -"

"Don't even start," John said, scowling at him.

"Sorry," Lorne said, not looking contrite at all. "I guess I'll just have to forget the gift, then."

"Gift?" John asked. Lorne licked his lips a little, and the door made a soft click as it locked. John blinked in surprise, Lorne raised an eyebrow, and John asked, "What sort of gift?"

Lorne rolled his eyes. "Let me come over there and explain."

"Huh?" John said, then, "Oh."

Re: SGA: Five Stages of Grief (Lorne/Sheppard)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

This is genius! LOLOLOL!

Love Rodney and his "congratulations, you're forty and a half." Of course the geek in John would try to eke out that extra fifteen minutes. Oh, John, you're not Buck Rogers.

And then Teyla doesn't get his unhappiness at all. "Little call for such things" -- and it goes right by John that most Athosians are culled before the age of forty.

Poor Chuck. :D

Then, John not getting it for a minute. "Huh?" John said, then, "Oh."

Oh, yeah. Go Lorne. He's going to be feeling 39 1/2 in a minute.

Thank you. Outstanding birthday present.

Icarus

Re:midnight PST

[cheshyre]

just to clarify, are we talking the start of the day (9 hours from now) or the end of the day (33 hours away)?

Re:midnight PST

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

End of the day, 33 hours away. (My birthday's the 18th, you see.) :D

*peeks behind your back* Pressie?

[elizabeth-rice.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!! Hope you have a great time!!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm planning on it. ;)

[ponyboy63.livejournal.com]

hi there. just stumbled across your LJ today through a mutual friend. i love what i've read so far... and theres so muh more to go! lol
oh yeah... and happy birthday!!!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I skipped all my homework for an entire day and was completely spoiled. *g*

[abigail89.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday, Icarus! Forty is the new 20. Or something like that. I sure as hell don't feel 27.

Noticed you are sorely lacking in Harry/Severus. Don't want to deprive you. :D

*~*

"Underpants. You gave me underpants," Harry whispered.

"Yes, so that I might do this." Severus reached under the covers, grabbed the waistband of Harry's cotton Y-fronts, a pair nearly as old as their relationship, and yanked on it. A muffled ripping sound came forth.

"Hey, what the--"

Severus's head dove under and Harry felt a hot, wet mouth engulf his cock and balls. Harry's eye rolled back into their sockets with each suck.

"Well, when you do that, it's a damn good thing you got me new underpants," Harry panted, thinking of twelve other pairs of fraying pairs in the drawers and thanking Merlin for Severus's practicality.

*~*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Harry's stunned expression, lol. Hmm. I wonder how long Harry's going to make the other 12 last.

Thank you!

It all started as a simple game of one-upmanship in birthday presents…

[lunasky.livejournal.com]

My very first attempt at writing comment-fic (your comment about socks inspired me). Hope you have a great birthday!

~~~

“Happy Birthday, Sir,” Lorne said, dropping a fifty pound, wet, still flopping, orangutan-resembling sea urchin onto his desk.

John jumped away from the twelve inch spikes that covered its body. “What the hell?”

Lorne didn’t even have the good graces to look chagrinned. “You told me to find out who was pilfering the wool socks from supply. I did.”

“You’re telling me, this thing swam in from the ocean just so it could eat our socks?” John stared at it in disbelief. Even after living in the Pegasus Galaxy for three years he found that story hard to believe. One of the spikes from the sea urchin’s quivering body impaled a sticky note that had been sitting on the pile of papers he still had to go through. Ironically enough, it was a sticky note Elizabeth had put there with his admin password so he could include all those reports in the next data burst back to Earth. The reports were six weeks late and judging by the odd fluid coming out of the urchin; his reports weren’t getting filed anytime soon.

“Nope. That’s the unauthorized goat Dr. Peterson is keeping as a pet. Turns out it has a liking for standard issue socks.”

John stared at Lorne and then stared back at his desk. The sea urchin had dissolved the sticky note and was eating the yellow mush it had turned into. John also had the distinct impression it was eyeing the reports the sticky note had been attached too. “Major, you have two seconds to start explaining things. After that, you’re retyping all those reports.”

Lorne cleared his throat. “That’s fine sir, I always keep a copy of them on my hard drive. As for the socks, sir, it turns out the goat isn’t house trained and has been using the transporter room on A-3.”

With a quick mental check, John realized that, thankfully, hadn’t had to use the transporter in that section in the last few months.

Lorne carried on. “It gets better. Through a series of weird events that I won’t get into right now, Dr. Brown found out that the brown stuff she’d been stepping in every day to get to the botany labs was exactly the thing that her new plant required in order to flower. So for the last three weeks, she’s been collecting the feces from the transporter room and mixing them in the soil.”

The sea urchin-orangutan finished dissolving and eating John’s urgent reports and started moving towards his stack of unfinished mission reports. “This lends a whole new slant to ‘The dog ate my homework.’ So what does this have to do with goat manure?”

“Dr Brown’s now flowering plant exhaled pollen which was picked up by the air-return system which was eventually eaten by the dust mites living in the filtration system. Since dust mites only have a life span of twenty days, eventually they were expelled into exhaust system, and into the ocean where they made an excellent snack for Junior here.”

John scrunched up his face in disgust as the urchin left a trail of slime on his desk as it searched out more paper products to devour. Maybe he had to concede this victory to Lorne. This was definitely worse than the toe-sucking toothbrush they discovered in one of the abandoned labs and he’d given Lorne for his birthday four months back. Which left him only eight months, Earth time, to figure out a present for Lorne that would beat this.

Lorne seemed to know what he was thinking because his smirk got even wider. “I just thought you’d appreciate hearing this story, sir. It’s definitely one you can tell the grand kids.”

John snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind as it’s not likely to happen any time soon.”

Lorne shook his head. “Oh, did I forget to mention that? The goat, the flowers and the dust mites actually preserve some of the DNA from the dead skin cells found in used socks that have been disappearing from private quarters as well. The sea-urchin actually incorporates some of the DNA, so Junior here, is actually 0.03% John Sheppard. I checked the DNA results myself.”

John stared at the sea urchin-orangutan as Lorne slapped him playfully on the back. “Happy Birthday and congratulations, Sir. Try to beat that.”

The End :)

Re: It all started as a simple game of one-upmanship in birthday presents…

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. *chuckling* John's never going to top that. Never. Ever.

Lorne's smugness is FTW. Thank you. *can't wait to link this one, hee!*

Pointless, but happy birthday!

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

For his 40th birthday, John got himself an astrophysicist.

He'd discovered years ago that the best presents were usually the ones you got for yourself, and this one was no exception. That particular model had been right on top of his wish-list for quite some time, and he thought that a birthday – a round one, even – was the perfect opportunity to indulge.

It turned out – not that anyone would be surprised by this – that astrophysicists were kind of expensive. It figured, John thought, once again counting his Lindt chocolate bars to make sure he had enough. After all, he wasn't just getting any old astrophysicist. He was getting the best.

Rodney was working in the lab, which was actually a bit insulting because, hello? Didn't he know it was John's birthday? Then again, why would he? It wasn't like anyone ever celebrated, and if they did, they kept it low profile. John in particular had never shown any interest in his own birthday before, so he guessed it was a little late to start now.

Anyway, Rodney was working, bent over his laptop, so John sneaked up on him from behind and reached around him to spread his offering out on the keyboard, enjoying the way Rodney bumped into him as he started.

"Sheppard, what?"

"Brought you some chocolate," John murmured, leaning forward to inhale Rodney's scent, resisiting the urge to nose the fine hair in the nape of Rodney's neck. For now.

"Really? Oh, hey, is this Lindt?" The delight was evident in Rodney's voice as he picked up the bars. "Hmm, Petits Desserts Truffle Cake Bar," he read. "Oh, and Excellence Toffee Crunch, that's one of my... oh, oooh!"

Rodney ripped a bar open and moments later started to moan and smack his lips and generally enjoy his chocolate. John allowed him a few seconds, then he licked his lips and turned Rodney around. Rodney's cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright and he was clearly happy, so John leaned in and kissed him, swallowing Rodney's startled gasp. There was a brief moment when Rodney just stood there, but then he made an eager little sound and simply... melted against John, who took the opportunity to tease his mouth open. He tasted crème brulee and cheap coffe and Rodney, and allowed himself a brief triumphant smile.

Happy birthday to me.

Re: Pointless, but happy birthday!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

He'd discovered years ago that the best presents were usually the ones you got for yourself

Oh, isn't that the truth?

And isn't Rodney easy there? I mean, yeah, expensive but -- mmmmm. Easy to make him happy, and easy to collect.

Good choice, John.

Thank you. I also picked out my own birthday present: figure skating tickets. WG is feeling secure in the knowledge that the birthday is covered, big time.

A gift for you.

[cheshyre]

Sorry for taking so long, but my fic was too long to fit in the comments and I couldn't find a convenient break-point for splitting.

So I've posted it @ http://www.osmond-riba.org/lis/fanfic/BondOfBros.htm

It's genfic, Percy-centric and DH-compliant. I hope you like.

Re: A gift for you.

[cheshyre]

PS: Two of the more homoerotic images of Icarus I could find:
Lord Frederick Leighton and Van Dyck (not so much bod, but love that come-hither look)

[emeraldsword.livejournal.com]

A Not-So Modest Proposal (http://reccea.livejournal.com/174188.html") by reccea, just in case you haven't read it (you'll see why it's relevent in the second part. I have loved all the things other people have posted so far!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, perfect for the occasion. Thank you. I enjoyed re-reading it.

and here's my contribution...

[emeraldsword.livejournal.com]

Rodney was very vocal about birthdays. Really, John shouldn't have been surprised; the idea of an entire day devoted to Doctor Rodney McKay was absolutely up Rodney's street after all, especially a day that came with cake and gifts. Even if he'd guessed that Rodney would be the sort to announce his own birthday weeks in advance and drop heavy handed hints about suitable gifts, he would never have guessed that this enthusiasm would extend to other people's birthdays. If he had, he wouldn't have been so taken aback when Rodney showed up at his quarters late one night.

"Seriously, you didn't have to," he said, doing his best to look more pleased than appalled as he stared at the bizarrely-shaped lump in Rodney's arms.

Rodney handed the lump to John and stared at him eagerly.

"You are obviously the sort that doesn't like public fuss," and boy had he got that right, John thought, "but there really should be something to mark the day," Rodney told him, rocking backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet. "Well? Aren't you going to open it?" he demanded. John sighed inwardly but deposited the lump on the bed and began to carefully disentangle the mix of sellotape and string (or their Pegasus equivalents) to get to the paper.

"What are you waiting for?" Rodney snapped impatiently. John smirked to himself and purposefully took his time, picking carefully and just clumsily enough at the wrapping to have Rodney almost jumping up and down with frustration.

"The build-up's half the fun," John drawled and gave Rodney a clear and obvious once-over. Rodney blushed, but stuck to his ground.

"Presents first!" said Rodney. "Everything else can wait."

"You're choosing presents over sex?" asked John incredulously.

"There's going to be sex, but after you've opened your present!" he said. "After all, you don't know what I've got you yet, do you?" John allowed himself to pout slightly, and went back to fumbling ineptly at the string. After a minute, Rodney's big, capable hands were taking the present out from under him and putting it carefully onto the floor. John followed it with his eyes, and so was slightly taken aback when those same big, capable hands pushed him backwards onto the bed and he suddenly found himself flat on his back with Rodney straddling his hips. John wriggled experimentally and Rodney shifted his weight to just where John needed it and set to work unfastening John's clothes.

"I thought I was the one supposed to be doing the unwrapping?" John couldn't resist saying. Rodney gave him a pointed look.

"And I thought that you were the one who said that the build-up was half the fun," he said, leaving no room for argument. Despite that, John reached out and stilled those quickly-moving hands. A whole range of emotions flashed across Rodney's face, from surprised to wary to resigned, and John half-sat to pull him into a kiss.

"My birthday, my rules," he muttered when they finally separated, and Jesus, if he looked half as wrecked as Rodney did...

"I'm not sure that's quite how it works," said Rodney, and seemed about to say something else so John kissed him again, and suddenly they were both fumbling with zippers and scrabbling at buttons, desperate for the touch of skin on skin.


"Wow," said Rodney, later. "Not that I... I mean..."

"We should do that again," John said.

"I knew you'd see it my way," Rodney said cheerfully.

"Hey, Rodney," said John later still. "I could open my present now." Rodney gave him a hurt look. "The one with the paper?" John said.

"Oh, that," Rodney said, but he leaned precariously out of bed and manhandled the crumpled-looking object back onto the bed.

John decided to be kind and tore the paper off ruthlessly, revealing an extremely oddly shaped statue and a Monty Python box set.

"You got me the dead parrot," he said, deadpan.

"It's not dead, it's just resting," Rodney told him. "And the statue's supposed to bring luck. Or fertility. I'm not sure." They both regarded the statue.

"Let's hope it's luck," John said. Rodney looked immensely flattered, and John couldn't stop himself smiling back. Perhaps getting older did have some perks after all.

Re: and here's my contribution...

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

John was born to irritate and frustrate Rodney. It's what he does.

*snickering* It's like Rodney couldn't decide what to get John, so he gave him both. Hopefully the statue is for luck. :D