Missive for capeofstorm

[spyfestadmin]

Author: hjbender
Recipient: capeofstorm
Title: Stitches
Characters/Pairing(s): Alex, Yassen
Summary: When a mission goes wrong and Alex is critically wounded, the fifteen-year-old spy finds himself the unwilling captive (and patient) of a man he believed to be dead.
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): violence, language, adult situations
Word Count: ~31,000
Author’s Notes:

Comments

[k155_me]

I have to admit, i wasnt sure how you were planning to bring this about, especially with Alex on a mission and Yassen supposedly being dead, but i have to say... author, whoever you are, you rock. Utter perfection. There are too many things that i simply loved to name them all, but, um, after spyfest wraps up and authors are revealed... do ya fancy doing a sequel XD

[kennahijja]

Can I just start by agreeing that the story shouldn't have been even one word shorter? Because it might just be the best Alex Rider fic I've ever read.

I loved this entire story so very much, mostly because it excels at everything it works with - action, angsty hurt/comfort, reconciliation, even romance.

The beginning with the mad scientist laser plot was superb - fast-paced, throwing us right into the middle of things, with Alex happily fighting his way through the factory until things go wrong, and then he's injured, and then his trusted ally turns out to be an enemy and he's left to die. And it was so incredibly in character to see him struggling on onto the helipad until he (well, figuratively) passes out in Yassen's arm :).

And then the morphine-fuelled awakening (this, for some reason, made me just happy: Pigeons had gathered on the rail, shuffling around and peeking through the doors like nosy old women. )! Loved Alex believing he and Yassen were both ghosts there for a bit :). And the way Alex's mindset is focused on

[hjbender]

Thank you SO SO MUCH, my friend. I really don't know how to respond to such incredible feedback--I'm just very, very honored that you enjoyed this story and had such good things to say about it. Whenever I'm feeling down and out, I'll come back to this review and be back on top of the world again. :)

[laurakyna]

Oh wow... Ok, I could just repeat what everyone else has said, and give a really long reply... or I could keep it short and sweet... So that's what I'm going to do... you know, just to be different! :P

WOW!!! LOVE!!! MORE MORE MORE PLEASE!!!

How's that? :P XD

[hjbender]

I was actually planning for this story to end in London with Alex's return home, but I was quickly running out of time and breath as the deadline approached (and passed), and the story was already massive. Nevertheless, I would love to continue it someday, developing the relationship between Alex and Yassen to the point of that "physical expression of deepest love and affection" occurring, but I would need to refill on my writing mojo first. ;)

Thanks so much for reading, Laura!

[incandescent]

Finished! I really liked it. I loved how it was sort of a slow love story stuck right in the middle of canon. It was so unexpected and wonderful (even though I did wince at some things). It's the sort of story where I just want more and more. Excellent job. ♥

[hjbender]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad to hear you liked it. It really makes it worth the effort to hear such positive comments. :)

[anonymous]

...I'm probably going to fail my computer sci midterm tomorrow but it was more than worth it. definitely going to re-read this again when I have more time. the way you write those two is just so perfect and the ending, pure gold.