Some fanfic
Written for comment_fic.
Disclaimer: So very not mine, ever.
Title: "Hate Myself for Loving You"
Fandom: Beauty & the Beast (disney 2017 movie)
Pairings: Lafou/Gaston (one-sided)
Rating: PG-ish?
The pain dragged at his heart like a fish on a hook. It was a positive ache, watching Gaston with those silly, simpering girls. Lefou quaffed some of his beer, watching Gaston out of the corner of his eye. Watching those girls fall all around him like petals off a flower, their eyes turned adoringly on Gaston.
And Gaston, the fool, drank it all down as if he deserved it.
Lefou swallowed more of his beer. It didn't help the pain but it dulled it a little. Let him smile when Gaston turned his way, bellowed his name. The girls simpered as Lefou trotted by them and he wondered if they knew. If they talked about him behind his back, about how stupid he was for falling in love with Gaston, who would never love him back.
Taking his place at Gaston's right, Lefou braced himself for whatever Gaston might do next. His temper was legendary and Lefou bore bruises from it in the past. Even so, he kept coming back for more. Foolish, pitiful, but he did it, kept living and reliving the pain, all so he could be close to this magnificent specimen of a man, even if Gaston would never look his way.
It was the way of this little town and Lefou knew it wouldn't change. So he'd put up with his heart breaking a little more each day until he could stand it no more.
Even then, he shuddered at what he might do next. Leaving Gaston would hurt more than anything but he might not survive anyway, if Gaston ever figured it out.
Why wasn't he the kind of man who loved women? It would make his life so much easier. Instead, he had to moon around like Gaston's lap dog, accepting the scraps and the kicks both.
Lefou took another pull at his beer. He wouldn't think more about it, not while Gaston smiled that way.
Even if the smile wasn't really for him, he could pretend for a minute it was.
* * *
Title: "They're All Good Dogs"
Fandom: Mythology
Pairing: Hades/Persephone
Rating: G
Once she returns (for good), Hades assumes Persephone will flail around and wail around and shed a great many tears about being torn away from the land of the living and her mother.
Instead, at least at first, she seems resigned.
Oh, they'd made up their own differences, and enjoyed one another's company (in many, many different ways), and Percy would come traipsing down, looking for him and greeting Charon in a way to make the old pile of bones blush (and Hades had no idea that was even possible). She made friends with everyone, in ways that made Hades both proud and sometimes uncomfortable.
Especially Cerebus.
Truth be told, Hades was not a Dog Person. He preferred Cats. Cats did their own thing. They didn't need to be coddled. They didn't mind if you left them alone for days or weeks or centuries on end (why, just look at the sphynxes! Perfectly content to sit like stone for ages and ages until someone came along to pester them for their riddles and safe passage).
But on first sight of Cerebus, that slobbering, howl-deafening, monstrous beast, the corners of Percy's mouth had turned down. Her eyes had welled. She'd rounded on Hades and asked, no, demanded, "Why is he chained?"
Hades had drawn himself up. "Cerebus is the guardian to the Gates of Hell!"
"He has no water! Where's his shelter? His food bowl?" She wrinkled her entire face. "And that smell - doesn't anyone clean out his area? This is awful!"
It turned out Percy was a Dog Person, much to Hade's chagrin. And she didn't stop with the questions, no, she wanted action. A dog house with straw for Cerebus to lie in and fresh water available at all times and good food, rather than just bones. And then - then, once she'd argued for (and won) all that for the beast, Percy insisted Cerebus should be let off-chain.
"Are you crazy?" Hades asked. "That's a beast! It's a horror!"
"You let the sphynxes run around loose!"
"That's different! They're intelligent! They cover up their poop so people don't step in it!"
"I am letting Cerebus off their chain. They're all good dogs, they just need a chance to show you that."
Hades froze. "Percy, did you say 'they're all good dogs'?"
She folded her arms, chin jutting out in that adorable, sphynxian way. "Yup."
"Have you gone near the beast?"
"They're not a beast! They're a misfortunate being who deserves a chance to be loved."
The shoe dropped. "You've been spending time with it, haven't you?"
Her proud, defiant smile made Hades both delighted that she'd taken the time to do this and horrified that she'd taken the time to do this. "Yes." And then she was Percy again, cheerful and pleasant and giving him big, pleading, puppy dog eyes (dammit). "They're very good dogs. Being chained up makes them frustrated. They're a high energy breed and need to run and play and have jobs that make them think."
Hades pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you propose to do that how?"
And a very delighted Persephone told him.
Which is how Cerebus went from being the guardian of the gate to being the very beloved pet of Persephone. The three heads each had their own names - Busy, to the right, was forever getting into things. Reby, the middle head, was more placid and wanted pettings and treats. And Cere, the left head, was the one who actually seemed to think, the one who's barks meant something.
And seeing Percy cuddling those broad heads, well, Hades could not deny her happiness.
And yes, he had to admit, they are good dogs.
* * *
Minific: "Wizard Angst"
Fandom: The Dresden Files
Pairing: Karrin Murphy + Harry Dresden
Rating: G
Karrin gave me a look.
It was one of those looks that some women can get and Karrin does very well; the slightly raised eyebrow, slightly thinned lips, slightly narrowed eyes. And then she asked me the question: "Is this some sort of wizard angst, Harry?"
"Ahh," I whined.
Did I ever mention what a good eye-roller Karrin is? She's that, too.
* * *
Minific: "Joy Can End in Sadness"
Fandom: Buffyverse
Characters: Angel + Connor
Rating: Pgish?
There are of course, all the cliches about kids growing up so fast but Connor really is the exception to the rule - one moment, he's a baby in Angel's arm, just a short time later, a teenager racing around Los Angeles. And it should've been a happy time - it was at first when Connor was a baby - but then everything went to hell with Holtz and the kidnapping; with Connor's return, with Connor - Stephen - sending Angel under the ocean in a coffin, with Connor falling in love with Cordelia and Jasmine and Connor's death. And now, no one knew about his son, no one remembered him, leaving Angel alone with those memories of how much joy he had in having a son.
* * *
Minific: "Picnic"
Fandom: MCU
Characters: Rogue/Logan
Rating: G-PG
He really wasn't the picnic type; that was obvious but Rogue was persistent and in the end, wore him down (or maybe it was the promise of fried chicken - she did have a really good recipe). And it really was a beautiful day to be out; sunny but not hot, a good breeze to blow away at least some of the bugs (not that they bothered Logan much). And that wind was important because Rogue's little flirty sundress moved just right when the breeze blew - and wafted her sweet scent to Logan, letting him know the picnic was just the first part of the date and there'd be more fun later.
* * *
Title: "Operation: Go Fetch"
Fandom: Baa Baa Black Sheep / Black Sheep Squadron
Characters: Ensemble for series
Rating: G-ish
After Pappy vanished - they knew he'd been shot down, but whether he survived - that they didn't know - know one had any idea what to do with Meatball. The bull terrier galloped around, looking for Pappy. Whined and barked when the planes taxied in after a flight. They were afraid they'd hit him, what with him running onto the air strip. Micklin tried locking the dog up in the supplies tent but Meatball chewed his way out, leaving a gaping hole in the canvas.
It wasn't the first act of destruction. He wouldn't eat. He tore apart Pappy's tent, looking for his owner. He howled all night - and all day - and was going to get himself or a pilot killed, running around the airstrip.
"That dog's keeping everyone awake." T.J. dumped his head on top of the table. The bags under his eyes were big enough to hide a Zero in.
"He misses Pappy," Larry said.
"Yeah, who doesn't?" Bob asked. He shook his head in disgust. "I know, I know. Nobody say it."
"We still need to do something with the dog." Jerry took a seat across from T.J.
"He doesn't like any of us," T.J. said.
"Not the way he liked Pappy, no," Bob agreed.
Larry scratched the back of his head. "He did like Jim."
"Gutterman?" Bob leaned back, considering. "Yeah, he did."
"So...how do we get Meatball to Jim?" T.J. asked. "Since he got sent home?"
They exchanged looks. Jerry said, tentatively, "Red Cross?"
Bob snapped his fingers. "The nurses might know someone who could take him."
Larry grinned. "Operation 'Go Fetch' is a go."
It took about three weeks and considerable amounts of grease in one form or another, but finally, one afternoon in California, a stocky man leaning on a cane smiled at the sight of a wooden kennel. Limping over to the kennel, Jim Gutterman bent down as much as he could. "Hey, Meatball," he said.
Something scrabbled inside the kennel. A black nose appeared at one of the air holes. A beady eye blinked up at Jim. Jim unlocked the door and whistled low at the sight of the dog inside the kennel.
"Meatball, you look bad, buddy."
He'd lost even more weight during his trip from Vella la Cava. Still, he wagged his tail - and that was enough for Jim. "We'll get you back to fighting weight in no time, boy," he said, hooking a leash to Meatball's collar. "Then I've got a job for you to do."
The envelope wasn't too big, but heavy enough to catch Larry's attention. He opened it up, finding a photograph in a cardboard frame - a picture of a white bull terrier standing on top the hood of a new Chevrolet. Jim Gutterman leaned against the car. Above them both was a sign that read "Meatball Mechanics".
"Operation Go Fetch was a success," Larry laughed.
* * *
Mini-Fic: "Hoodie"
Fandom: MCU
Pairing: Tony Stark+/Pepper Potts
Rating: Gish
"What is that?" Pepper asked.
"Avengers hoodie." Tony turned in a slow circle, modeling it.
Pepper sighed. It didn't go with his silk boxers. At all.
* * *
Disclaimer: So very not mine, ever.
Title: "Hate Myself for Loving You"
Fandom: Beauty & the Beast (disney 2017 movie)
Pairings: Lafou/Gaston (one-sided)
Rating: PG-ish?
The pain dragged at his heart like a fish on a hook. It was a positive ache, watching Gaston with those silly, simpering girls. Lefou quaffed some of his beer, watching Gaston out of the corner of his eye. Watching those girls fall all around him like petals off a flower, their eyes turned adoringly on Gaston.
And Gaston, the fool, drank it all down as if he deserved it.
Lefou swallowed more of his beer. It didn't help the pain but it dulled it a little. Let him smile when Gaston turned his way, bellowed his name. The girls simpered as Lefou trotted by them and he wondered if they knew. If they talked about him behind his back, about how stupid he was for falling in love with Gaston, who would never love him back.
Taking his place at Gaston's right, Lefou braced himself for whatever Gaston might do next. His temper was legendary and Lefou bore bruises from it in the past. Even so, he kept coming back for more. Foolish, pitiful, but he did it, kept living and reliving the pain, all so he could be close to this magnificent specimen of a man, even if Gaston would never look his way.
It was the way of this little town and Lefou knew it wouldn't change. So he'd put up with his heart breaking a little more each day until he could stand it no more.
Even then, he shuddered at what he might do next. Leaving Gaston would hurt more than anything but he might not survive anyway, if Gaston ever figured it out.
Why wasn't he the kind of man who loved women? It would make his life so much easier. Instead, he had to moon around like Gaston's lap dog, accepting the scraps and the kicks both.
Lefou took another pull at his beer. He wouldn't think more about it, not while Gaston smiled that way.
Even if the smile wasn't really for him, he could pretend for a minute it was.
* * *
Title: "They're All Good Dogs"
Fandom: Mythology
Pairing: Hades/Persephone
Rating: G
Once she returns (for good), Hades assumes Persephone will flail around and wail around and shed a great many tears about being torn away from the land of the living and her mother.
Instead, at least at first, she seems resigned.
Oh, they'd made up their own differences, and enjoyed one another's company (in many, many different ways), and Percy would come traipsing down, looking for him and greeting Charon in a way to make the old pile of bones blush (and Hades had no idea that was even possible). She made friends with everyone, in ways that made Hades both proud and sometimes uncomfortable.
Especially Cerebus.
Truth be told, Hades was not a Dog Person. He preferred Cats. Cats did their own thing. They didn't need to be coddled. They didn't mind if you left them alone for days or weeks or centuries on end (why, just look at the sphynxes! Perfectly content to sit like stone for ages and ages until someone came along to pester them for their riddles and safe passage).
But on first sight of Cerebus, that slobbering, howl-deafening, monstrous beast, the corners of Percy's mouth had turned down. Her eyes had welled. She'd rounded on Hades and asked, no, demanded, "Why is he chained?"
Hades had drawn himself up. "Cerebus is the guardian to the Gates of Hell!"
"He has no water! Where's his shelter? His food bowl?" She wrinkled her entire face. "And that smell - doesn't anyone clean out his area? This is awful!"
It turned out Percy was a Dog Person, much to Hade's chagrin. And she didn't stop with the questions, no, she wanted action. A dog house with straw for Cerebus to lie in and fresh water available at all times and good food, rather than just bones. And then - then, once she'd argued for (and won) all that for the beast, Percy insisted Cerebus should be let off-chain.
"Are you crazy?" Hades asked. "That's a beast! It's a horror!"
"You let the sphynxes run around loose!"
"That's different! They're intelligent! They cover up their poop so people don't step in it!"
"I am letting Cerebus off their chain. They're all good dogs, they just need a chance to show you that."
Hades froze. "Percy, did you say 'they're all good dogs'?"
She folded her arms, chin jutting out in that adorable, sphynxian way. "Yup."
"Have you gone near the beast?"
"They're not a beast! They're a misfortunate being who deserves a chance to be loved."
The shoe dropped. "You've been spending time with it, haven't you?"
Her proud, defiant smile made Hades both delighted that she'd taken the time to do this and horrified that she'd taken the time to do this. "Yes." And then she was Percy again, cheerful and pleasant and giving him big, pleading, puppy dog eyes (dammit). "They're very good dogs. Being chained up makes them frustrated. They're a high energy breed and need to run and play and have jobs that make them think."
Hades pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you propose to do that how?"
And a very delighted Persephone told him.
Which is how Cerebus went from being the guardian of the gate to being the very beloved pet of Persephone. The three heads each had their own names - Busy, to the right, was forever getting into things. Reby, the middle head, was more placid and wanted pettings and treats. And Cere, the left head, was the one who actually seemed to think, the one who's barks meant something.
And seeing Percy cuddling those broad heads, well, Hades could not deny her happiness.
And yes, he had to admit, they are good dogs.
* * *
Minific: "Wizard Angst"
Fandom: The Dresden Files
Pairing: Karrin Murphy + Harry Dresden
Rating: G
Karrin gave me a look.
It was one of those looks that some women can get and Karrin does very well; the slightly raised eyebrow, slightly thinned lips, slightly narrowed eyes. And then she asked me the question: "Is this some sort of wizard angst, Harry?"
"Ahh," I whined.
Did I ever mention what a good eye-roller Karrin is? She's that, too.
* * *
Minific: "Joy Can End in Sadness"
Fandom: Buffyverse
Characters: Angel + Connor
Rating: Pgish?
There are of course, all the cliches about kids growing up so fast but Connor really is the exception to the rule - one moment, he's a baby in Angel's arm, just a short time later, a teenager racing around Los Angeles. And it should've been a happy time - it was at first when Connor was a baby - but then everything went to hell with Holtz and the kidnapping; with Connor's return, with Connor - Stephen - sending Angel under the ocean in a coffin, with Connor falling in love with Cordelia and Jasmine and Connor's death. And now, no one knew about his son, no one remembered him, leaving Angel alone with those memories of how much joy he had in having a son.
* * *
Minific: "Picnic"
Fandom: MCU
Characters: Rogue/Logan
Rating: G-PG
He really wasn't the picnic type; that was obvious but Rogue was persistent and in the end, wore him down (or maybe it was the promise of fried chicken - she did have a really good recipe). And it really was a beautiful day to be out; sunny but not hot, a good breeze to blow away at least some of the bugs (not that they bothered Logan much). And that wind was important because Rogue's little flirty sundress moved just right when the breeze blew - and wafted her sweet scent to Logan, letting him know the picnic was just the first part of the date and there'd be more fun later.
* * *
Title: "Operation: Go Fetch"
Fandom: Baa Baa Black Sheep / Black Sheep Squadron
Characters: Ensemble for series
Rating: G-ish
After Pappy vanished - they knew he'd been shot down, but whether he survived - that they didn't know - know one had any idea what to do with Meatball. The bull terrier galloped around, looking for Pappy. Whined and barked when the planes taxied in after a flight. They were afraid they'd hit him, what with him running onto the air strip. Micklin tried locking the dog up in the supplies tent but Meatball chewed his way out, leaving a gaping hole in the canvas.
It wasn't the first act of destruction. He wouldn't eat. He tore apart Pappy's tent, looking for his owner. He howled all night - and all day - and was going to get himself or a pilot killed, running around the airstrip.
"That dog's keeping everyone awake." T.J. dumped his head on top of the table. The bags under his eyes were big enough to hide a Zero in.
"He misses Pappy," Larry said.
"Yeah, who doesn't?" Bob asked. He shook his head in disgust. "I know, I know. Nobody say it."
"We still need to do something with the dog." Jerry took a seat across from T.J.
"He doesn't like any of us," T.J. said.
"Not the way he liked Pappy, no," Bob agreed.
Larry scratched the back of his head. "He did like Jim."
"Gutterman?" Bob leaned back, considering. "Yeah, he did."
"So...how do we get Meatball to Jim?" T.J. asked. "Since he got sent home?"
They exchanged looks. Jerry said, tentatively, "Red Cross?"
Bob snapped his fingers. "The nurses might know someone who could take him."
Larry grinned. "Operation 'Go Fetch' is a go."
It took about three weeks and considerable amounts of grease in one form or another, but finally, one afternoon in California, a stocky man leaning on a cane smiled at the sight of a wooden kennel. Limping over to the kennel, Jim Gutterman bent down as much as he could. "Hey, Meatball," he said.
Something scrabbled inside the kennel. A black nose appeared at one of the air holes. A beady eye blinked up at Jim. Jim unlocked the door and whistled low at the sight of the dog inside the kennel.
"Meatball, you look bad, buddy."
He'd lost even more weight during his trip from Vella la Cava. Still, he wagged his tail - and that was enough for Jim. "We'll get you back to fighting weight in no time, boy," he said, hooking a leash to Meatball's collar. "Then I've got a job for you to do."
The envelope wasn't too big, but heavy enough to catch Larry's attention. He opened it up, finding a photograph in a cardboard frame - a picture of a white bull terrier standing on top the hood of a new Chevrolet. Jim Gutterman leaned against the car. Above them both was a sign that read "Meatball Mechanics".
"Operation Go Fetch was a success," Larry laughed.
* * *
Mini-Fic: "Hoodie"
Fandom: MCU
Pairing: Tony Stark+/Pepper Potts
Rating: Gish
"What is that?" Pepper asked.
"Avengers hoodie." Tony turned in a slow circle, modeling it.
Pepper sighed. It didn't go with his silk boxers. At all.
* * *