3 x Short Fics - Much Centric
Written for Word of the Days @ 1_million_words community
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Fandom: Robin Hood BBC
Ratings G - PG
Summary - Short fics for WOTD's - Sycophant, Competent, Perceptive
Characters: The Gang
Word of the Day - Sycophant
Much sighed and sat back. Robin was in a full rant now and it showed in his use of words which flew over Much's head most of the time. Much didn't like it when Robin used big words, they made him feel all the more stupider than people already thought him to be. He didn't even try to follow Robin's line of thought as he yelled about Gisbourne. Much had a few choice words of his own to say about the man, he didn't need an education to call him names but Robin and his ego liked to throw around words like, like 'sycophant'. Who on God's Earth even used a word like that? Why would they when there were far more simpler words to say, like fucktard, snivelling dung beetle, arse licker (when it came to Vaisey). What was wrong with those words? Why did Robin have to remind him that he was neither clever nor learned by talking to him in such ways?
Much rolled the word around in his head, let it form on his tongue. Sycophant, he had to admit it sounded very clever, even if he didn't know what it meant. But he did know that Guy Gisbourne was a wretch, a self seeking, self serving, fawning parasite, especially when it came to Lady Marian.
He stood up, brushed himself down and thought about what he was going to cook for the gangs supper, rolling his eyes at his master and grabbing his arm as Robin continued to yell at the trees and undergrowth, the only things listening to him.
"Oh Robin, do shut up," Much said sharply. "I do love you, you know, but my god, you don't half mutter on about insignificant things. Let's go catch dinner before we return to camp. You can take out your rage on Gisbourne on some poor defenceless creatures instead of my ears."
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Word of the Day - Competent
"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times," Robin said with a shake of his head.
Much sighed and rolled his eyes before glancing behind him. Target practice with Robin wasn't ever fun. Robin was the better archer, had honed the craft since he was a boy. Much hadn't learned the bow until well into his later years when he'd become Robin's manservant and it had been an uphill battle to prove his skills to his competent Master. Robin always took great pains to prove how much better he was, despite the fact Much openly and honestly admitted he wasn't as expert as him.
"Set your sight, take a breath, thumb knuckle to your ear lobe."
Much nodded along, heard Allan sniggering nearby even though Allan himself wasn't all that better with the bow. Much knew he was good, just not as good as Robin. Allan just liked to see him being dressed down, Robin was tough to impress and being egged on by Allan to be mean and tough didn't help. Much lined up with his target, an old tree stump far away through the scrub and foliage of the woods. Took his breath, let it out slow, drew back the arrow and let it fly. It wasn't perfect, but close enough.
"Better," was all Robin said, giving him a pat on the arm. Then he let one on his own fly, it landed with a dull 'thwap' in the centre of their knotched in 'target'. "Keep practising."
Allan laughed again and Much thought it time to level the playing field. There was one thing he was more competent in than Robin. He set down his bow and instead lifted his sword, turning to Robin with an inviting expression. He took some satisfaction from the un-nerved look of his master as he challenged him, Robin knew his strength was with the sword. The look was quickly buried but Much wasn't worried, he knew he'd have Robin beaten after a few spars around the clearing.
It was good practice, reminding his master that he wasn't as perfect as he thought himself to be.
~
Word of the Day - Perceptive
"Much?"
Much didn't move as Robin interrupted him. The woods were pitch black at night, the canopy of trees overhead thick and blocking the moon and starlight. Still, they knew these woods well after years spent in them and Robin had found him in his favoured thinking place. It had been a long few days and Much had needed to settle his mind. Robin sat down beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
"You all right?"
"Just needed to clear my head."
"Need to talk about it?"
"Talking doesn't do any good," Much sighed, shaking his head. "Talking doesn't make things right."
"Sometimes it helps," Robin shrugged before leaning against him. "Helps me."
"I'm not like you," Much said after a pause. "You have your words to explain yourself. John has his silences, Djaq her philosophies, Will his craftsmanship and Allan -."
Much stopped, swallowing down, glad of the darkness which swallowed them up in a void. That way his tears, his sorrow, weren't on display.
"Well he did have his sarcastic, caustic, at times cruel humour," Much finished. "I'm not sure the Sheriff will appreciate them as much as we did."
"Oh Much," Robin said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "You are a very perceptive man, do you know that?"
"I would if I knew what that meant," Much replied blithely. He smiled when Robin laughed softly.
"It means, well it means having an insight," Robin explained. "Understanding people. Which is why Allan's betrayal is hurting you so much more than the rest of us. At least that's partly the reason."
"Yes, I suppose," Much agreed. "Partly."
"The other part being a more personal hurt," Robin said, leaning his head against his. "I'm sorry it came to this. You deserve so much more my friend. Any other person would have known having your love is worth more than all the riches in the world."
"If I'm so perspective," Much began, hearing Robin laugh softly.
"Perceptive," Robin corrected him, giving him a squeeze.
"If I'm so perceptive, if I understand people so well," Much repeated again. "Then why didn't I see this coming?"
"Maybe you did," Robin said simply. "But you try to see the good in everything Much. Fundamentally, deep down inside, you are a good man and you want to see good in everyone. Allan, he didn't have enough faith in himself, in us, and that isn't any of our faults. Some people just aren't as strong as others. He took an easy route and I'm sorry for you that that happened. You should have been enough and I'm sure, now, he's regretting what he lost for his ten pieces of silver."
"I was a fool," Much said angrily but his anger didn't hurt as much as his broken heart.
"No," Robin said, holding him tight. "You're a lot of things but never that Much. Never that."
~
Fandom: Robin Hood BBC
Ratings G - PG
Summary - Short fics for WOTD's - Sycophant, Competent, Perceptive
Characters: The Gang
Word of the Day - Sycophant
Much sighed and sat back. Robin was in a full rant now and it showed in his use of words which flew over Much's head most of the time. Much didn't like it when Robin used big words, they made him feel all the more stupider than people already thought him to be. He didn't even try to follow Robin's line of thought as he yelled about Gisbourne. Much had a few choice words of his own to say about the man, he didn't need an education to call him names but Robin and his ego liked to throw around words like, like 'sycophant'. Who on God's Earth even used a word like that? Why would they when there were far more simpler words to say, like fucktard, snivelling dung beetle, arse licker (when it came to Vaisey). What was wrong with those words? Why did Robin have to remind him that he was neither clever nor learned by talking to him in such ways?
Much rolled the word around in his head, let it form on his tongue. Sycophant, he had to admit it sounded very clever, even if he didn't know what it meant. But he did know that Guy Gisbourne was a wretch, a self seeking, self serving, fawning parasite, especially when it came to Lady Marian.
He stood up, brushed himself down and thought about what he was going to cook for the gangs supper, rolling his eyes at his master and grabbing his arm as Robin continued to yell at the trees and undergrowth, the only things listening to him.
"Oh Robin, do shut up," Much said sharply. "I do love you, you know, but my god, you don't half mutter on about insignificant things. Let's go catch dinner before we return to camp. You can take out your rage on Gisbourne on some poor defenceless creatures instead of my ears."
~
Word of the Day - Competent
"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times," Robin said with a shake of his head.
Much sighed and rolled his eyes before glancing behind him. Target practice with Robin wasn't ever fun. Robin was the better archer, had honed the craft since he was a boy. Much hadn't learned the bow until well into his later years when he'd become Robin's manservant and it had been an uphill battle to prove his skills to his competent Master. Robin always took great pains to prove how much better he was, despite the fact Much openly and honestly admitted he wasn't as expert as him.
"Set your sight, take a breath, thumb knuckle to your ear lobe."
Much nodded along, heard Allan sniggering nearby even though Allan himself wasn't all that better with the bow. Much knew he was good, just not as good as Robin. Allan just liked to see him being dressed down, Robin was tough to impress and being egged on by Allan to be mean and tough didn't help. Much lined up with his target, an old tree stump far away through the scrub and foliage of the woods. Took his breath, let it out slow, drew back the arrow and let it fly. It wasn't perfect, but close enough.
"Better," was all Robin said, giving him a pat on the arm. Then he let one on his own fly, it landed with a dull 'thwap' in the centre of their knotched in 'target'. "Keep practising."
Allan laughed again and Much thought it time to level the playing field. There was one thing he was more competent in than Robin. He set down his bow and instead lifted his sword, turning to Robin with an inviting expression. He took some satisfaction from the un-nerved look of his master as he challenged him, Robin knew his strength was with the sword. The look was quickly buried but Much wasn't worried, he knew he'd have Robin beaten after a few spars around the clearing.
It was good practice, reminding his master that he wasn't as perfect as he thought himself to be.
~
Word of the Day - Perceptive
"Much?"
Much didn't move as Robin interrupted him. The woods were pitch black at night, the canopy of trees overhead thick and blocking the moon and starlight. Still, they knew these woods well after years spent in them and Robin had found him in his favoured thinking place. It had been a long few days and Much had needed to settle his mind. Robin sat down beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
"You all right?"
"Just needed to clear my head."
"Need to talk about it?"
"Talking doesn't do any good," Much sighed, shaking his head. "Talking doesn't make things right."
"Sometimes it helps," Robin shrugged before leaning against him. "Helps me."
"I'm not like you," Much said after a pause. "You have your words to explain yourself. John has his silences, Djaq her philosophies, Will his craftsmanship and Allan -."
Much stopped, swallowing down, glad of the darkness which swallowed them up in a void. That way his tears, his sorrow, weren't on display.
"Well he did have his sarcastic, caustic, at times cruel humour," Much finished. "I'm not sure the Sheriff will appreciate them as much as we did."
"Oh Much," Robin said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "You are a very perceptive man, do you know that?"
"I would if I knew what that meant," Much replied blithely. He smiled when Robin laughed softly.
"It means, well it means having an insight," Robin explained. "Understanding people. Which is why Allan's betrayal is hurting you so much more than the rest of us. At least that's partly the reason."
"Yes, I suppose," Much agreed. "Partly."
"The other part being a more personal hurt," Robin said, leaning his head against his. "I'm sorry it came to this. You deserve so much more my friend. Any other person would have known having your love is worth more than all the riches in the world."
"If I'm so perspective," Much began, hearing Robin laugh softly.
"Perceptive," Robin corrected him, giving him a squeeze.
"If I'm so perceptive, if I understand people so well," Much repeated again. "Then why didn't I see this coming?"
"Maybe you did," Robin said simply. "But you try to see the good in everything Much. Fundamentally, deep down inside, you are a good man and you want to see good in everyone. Allan, he didn't have enough faith in himself, in us, and that isn't any of our faults. Some people just aren't as strong as others. He took an easy route and I'm sorry for you that that happened. You should have been enough and I'm sure, now, he's regretting what he lost for his ten pieces of silver."
"I was a fool," Much said angrily but his anger didn't hurt as much as his broken heart.
"No," Robin said, holding him tight. "You're a lot of things but never that Much. Never that."