Bite Sized Bits of Fic

The Flash, any Flash, “What’s with the wings on your helmet?”

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Any, any doctor, they collect vintage mercury thermometers

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Stargate Atlantis, any, “It’s because Mercury is in retrograde.” – “We’re in another galaxy!”

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“What do you mean, you can’t make a decision right now? I thought you were ready!”

Laura shrugged, keeping her focus on her canvas. It was Paint and Sip night on the West Pier with the girls, something she looked forward to every month. And while the camaraderie was the big part of it, she also liked seeing how well she could do with the painting project.

“Did something happen?” Amelia asked. She liked to use big, broad strokes on her canvases, which usually ended up looking very abstract.

“Mercury is in retrograde,” Laura explained.

She felt four pairs of eyes on her and looked up. “What?”

“I do not know what that means,” Teyla said.

Miko jumped into explain. “It’s an astrology thing. Mercury is one of our planets in the Milky Way galaxy, and it goes into retrograde three times a year.”

Amelia snorted. “You do realize we’re in another galaxy, Cadman. Mercury hardly applies.”

Teyla still looked confused. “The movement of a planet dictates whether or not you can accept a date with Dr. Beckett?”

“It’s a very mystical thing,” Laura replied. “And making big life decisions during Mercury’s retrograde could be disastrous. I really like Carson. I don’t want to tank it with him.”

“Anyone need a top off?” Lorne asked, holding up the bottle of ruus wine. He was the one who coordinated the monthly Paint and Sip parties, since he had a love of art that he enjoyed sharing.

Laura downed the rest of the wine in her glass in one go and held it out for a refill. “Don’t be stingy, sir.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Lorne replied with a grin.

It was never a hardship to appreciate those dimples, and Laura was glad the man was gay because otherwise she might have gotten herself in trouble making a play for her CO.

“Unsolicited advice,” Lorne said as he poured. “You both like each other, you’ve been moving in that direction for a while…is it really a decision you’re making now? Or are you second-guessing a decision you already made?”

“Oooh,” Miko said appreciatively. “He’s got you there, Laura.”

“Major Evan Lorne. Artist. Wine peddler. Advisor to the lovelorn,” Amelia said, laughing.

Teyla declined a refill on her wine. “I believe you and Dr. Beckett are a good match. You should follow your heart, and not planetary rotations.”

It sounded so logical when Teyla said it. Laura sighed and jabbed her paint brush at her canvas. Maybe she was second-guessing. Carson was so intellectual, in addition to ridiculously handsome. And that accent! He ticked a lot of boxes for Laura, but she had to admit she was a tiny bit intimidated.

“You don’t have to make a lifetime commitment, you know,” Amelia said. “It’s just a date.”

“He’s nice.” Miko squinted at her canvas. She was using the smallest possible brush for a variation on pointillism. “If you decide it’s not going to work, he won’t harass you about it.”

Amelia nodded. “We’d kick his ass otherwise.”

“Female power!” Teyla declared, holding her wine glass aloft.

“Female power!” the rest of them echoed, laughing.

“And you’re all cut off from the wine.” Lorne shook his head, grinning.

“Okay,” Laura said. “Screw Mercury. I’m doing it!”

“I’ll drink to that,” Miko said.

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This is fantastic! Girl talk at Paint and Sip (and Lorne!) plus, I ship Laura/Carson, so I agree with their advice :)

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I'm so glad you like it! Thank you!

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I like ladies’ paint nite, and of course Lorne is hosting. I love Teyla’s Female Power, and of course the ladies supporting Laura. Well done!

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Thank you! I wasn't sure what I was going to do and then I thought of the girls all hanging out together. And Lorne. ::grins::

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MCU, Thor+Any, Someone asks who the equivalent of Mercury is in his pantheon

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Prodigal Son, Any+Any or team, You haven't heard of the Mercury Killer?

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Title:Once Upon a Crime

Summary: Gil hopes a quiet night and a good meal will help the team bond.

Find the story here. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/23658421)

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Very fun fill! Thank you!

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You're welcome

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MCU, Morgan Stark+Any, She grows up to become a superhero named QuickSilver

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Giles + any, We used to play with mercury as kids

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any, any, Freddie Mercury was one of the best singers alive

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any, any, Mercury Blues? Wait, you like country music?

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Prodigal Son, young!Malcolm Bright + Gil Arroyo, vintage car show, he's trying to interest Malcolm in the clean lines of a 1950 Mercury coupe

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vanillafluffy.livejournal.com

Gil stops talking; he’s screeched to a halt in the middle of explaining how the Mercury Comet was the sedan version of the Ford Maverick. They’ve been at the car show at Battery Park for a half-hour, and Gil hasn’t stopped lecturing for a minute. But now, he’s got a big, goofy grin on his face, as he stares at a Mercury coupe like it’s a long-lost relative.

Ever since the untimely demolition of the GTO, Gil’s been saying he should get a tank next time--and this definitely qualifies. From the rounded lines and the gigantic chrome bumpers, almost blinding in the June sunlight, Malcolm knows this beast is from the Fifties--pre-tailfins.

“Will you look at that roofline?” Gil crouches, eyeing the profile of the old car. “That’s classic hot rod culture…chop the top and lower it so it looks stream-lined.”

The way Gil’s hands are balled into fists, it’s all he can do not to caress it--’Look, Don’t Touch’ is the first rule of car shows--but his eyes are soft and clearly, he doesn’t expect an answer.

“My grandpa had one of those when I was a kid. Not modified, but it was that same blue-grey color. It had a blue and white interior.” Gil smiles wistfully. “We used to drive to Tastee-Freeze for ice cream on Sunday afternoons…the building was shaped like an ice cream cone.”

The interior isn’t blinged out--the upholstery isn’t tuck and roll or diamond-tufted, it has basic grey bench seats trimmed with red welting…it’s subtle. “Nice,” Malcolm comments.

“Nice? Ah, kid, that’s damning with faint praise!” Gil protests. “Look at that grille--like a snarling mouthful of teeth! Look at the way the windshield is raked back to give it a sleek look, look at those skirted fenders and wide side-wall tires…if they’re not three hundred bucks apiece, I’ll drive a Yugo!”

“You’e right!” says a guy who’s camped on a folding chair nearby. “Last I checked, they retail for three fifty a pop. But I got lucky. I know a guy, he got me the set for a grand and change.”

Gil turns eagerly to discuss the vehicle with its owner, who’s only too willing to chat at length about his pride and joy. Malcolm takes a deep breath and studies the car undistracted.

It’s much larger than the old Pontiac. The engine compartment probably held a straight-eight engine originally, regardless of what’s in it now--V-8’s weren’t commonplace until a few years later. The body of the car, although it’s only a two-door, has ample room for four people without crowding. The trunk alone could hold multiple bodies.

Seriously, the truck is bigger than some modern cars he’s seen. Hell, you could probably park a Smart Car back there in lieu of a spare tire. He smiles at the notion.

The car’s owner has the hood up now, and Malcolm wanders forward to hear him giving Gil an earful on the motor. “--rebuilt 455 out of a ‘71 Buick. With a four barrel carb, so it can really move!”

“What kind of gas mileage does it get?” Malcolm asks. It’s so big and heavy he’d be amazed if it got ten miles to the gallon.

Both men stare at him like he’d announced he just flew in from Planet Dumbass. Gil winces.

“If you have to ask, you can’t afford it,” the Merc’s owner answers smugly.

Actually, he could afford it. It would mean dropping a word in Jessica’s ear--she’d been sympathetic about the destruction of the GTO--but it’s well within his power to acquire it. He’ll track this guy down after the show is over and really surprise the heck out of Gil. There’s enough room for the whole team…he imagines them rolling up to crime scenes in their Statement Car.

Malcolm has profiled Gil with regards to cars. Horsepower equals virility, all that jazz. The classic Pontiac rolled off the assembly line the year Gil was born, and he’d owned it for thirty years. He’d referred to it more than once as his dream car growing up. The GTO was all about testosterone, but Gil’s not a kid any more. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. The Mercury is less overt than the GTO, but it has Big Dick Energy of its own. It definitely has personality.

…

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Thank you so much! I love it. It's a pure love letter to the Merc. Gil would approve.

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vanillafluffy.livejournal.com

Thanks! Your prompt made me so happy.

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Excellent, a perfect icon for this (I can see Gil having great fun at car shows. Malcolm maybe a little less)

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Cars are all Greek to me, but this sounded very authentic. ::grins:: I love that Malcolm knows what cars mean to Gil and is prepared to make an offer on that one to surprise him with. Very well done!

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vanillafluffy.livejournal.com

Heh heh. I've been a car geek since I was knee-high to a hub cab. That was off the top of my head. (I have owned both a '73 Comet AND a '71 Buick, although not at the same time.) And I figure that Gil is every bit as much of a car nut as I am, so he deserves the best!

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Hawaii Five-0, Steve McGarrett + Grace Williams, teaching Grace to drive in his dad's old Mercury Marquis

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Stargate Atlantis, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, in the late 1950s John was one of the Mercury 7 astronauts and Rodney a NASA tech

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Sherlock, Any, dealing with Sherlock's mercurial moods

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Any K-pop/K-drama, Any, superstitious about starting new things when Mercury is in retrograde

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“I need your help.” Ohje swallowed hard. He couldn’t believe he was asking this, but he had no one else to turn to.

Chanyeol nodded earnestly. She was already shuffling her tarot cards.

The rest of the girls - Dahuin, Soobin, Sohye - were crowded around her and listening to every word.

Romi was in the corner, tapping at her phone, like usual.

“There’s a boy I like,” Ohje said.

Soobin frowned. “It’s not Hwiyeong, is it?”

“He’s older. In - in college. I met him while I was out making deliveries for my dad’s snack shop,” Ohje said. “We’ve been texting for a while. We played basketball a couple of times. He knows I’m gay and he’s been really nice about it. I - I want to confess. I know he’s into girls, but I just want to be honest for once.”

The girls nodded.

“Will this ruin our friendship?” Ohje asked.

“Do you really need cards for that?” Sohye asked.

Dahuin elbowed her into silence. “Is it that really handsome guy you mentioned?”

Ohje bit his lip, nodded.

Chanyeol handed Ohje the cards. “Shuffle. And ask.”

Ohje shuffled the cards, heart pounding. Then he handed the cards back to Chanyeol. She fanned them out, told him to draw four.

Best as Ohje could tell, the outlook was good. If he confessed his feelings to Yeonwoo, Yeonwoo would take it well, and they could still be friends. It would be hard at first, but in the long run it would be worth it.

“Does that help?” Chanyeol asked.

Ohje nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

Chanyeol gathered up her cards. Ohje took a deep breath, dug his phone out of his pocket, and started to type. He composed the message in his note app, then held it out for Dahuin and the others to see.

“Do you think that’s okay?”

“Shouldn’t you do it in person?” Sohye asked.

“He’s so busy - he works as well as taking classes, so seeing him in person is hard,” Ohje said. “If I try to tell him in person I might never get a chance.”

“If that’s the case, then that should be fine,” Soobin said. “A confession from someone you don’t like back is always a bit burdensome, but you’re being really nice about it. And this honesty is good.”

“Maybe he secretly likes you back,” Dahuin said.

“Pretty sure he never will,” Ohje said. “But I think if I just get this off my chest, I can move on, you know?”

Dahuin nodded and patted his back, so Ohje copied the text and pasted it into the chat thread he had going with Yeonwoo. He took another deep breath, and he hit send.

Romi said, “Wait!”

Too late.

“Why?” Ohje demanded, heart racing.

Romi held out her phone. “Mercury is in retrograde and will be for the next three weeks!”

Chanyeol’s face went pale.

“What does that mean?” Ohje asked.

Chanyeol grabbed Ohje’s hands. “This is bad. So bad.”

“Why? I don’t understand. I already sent the message!”

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A moment later, Ohje’s phone buzzed.

I saw I got a message from you but for some reason it’s not loading. I’ll check it later. Wish me luck for the live stage today. This choreo is brutal and I barely know it because filming this new movie has been even more brutal.

The message was accompanied by a selca of Yeonwoo wearing a fancy stage outfit and looking exhausted beneath his makeup.

Ohje’s chest tightened. He tapped out a reply, the one that had become a kind of tradition between them. Break a leg, and if they don’t like it, I’ll break their legs.

Yeonwoo’s reply was another selca, one taken hastily and unfiltered, but this time he was smiling.

Romi let out a squeal and then clapped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were huge.

“Is that really him?” Sohye asked, voice hushed. “Or just someone who looks like him?”

“No wonder you have him saved in your phone as Impossible,” Chanyeol said.

Ohje said, “You can’t tell anyone, all right? If anyone knew he was friends with me - the scandal -”

Dahuin patted his hand. “We won’t tell anyone, promise. Right, girls?” She glared at them.

They all nodded vigorously.

Soobin raised her hand slowly, like they were in class. “Um...about Mercury being in retrograde. What does that even mean?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ohje said. “What’s done is done.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Sohye said.

“Yes, fine,” Dahuin echoed.

Romi said, “If your parents find out and kick you out, you can probably stay with Joonwoo. Right, Soobin?”

Chanyeol elbowed her.

Ohje swallowed hard. “Everything will be fine.”

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Aww! This is both sweet and angsty! I like that Ohje is so worried about keeping his friendship with Yeonwoo that's he's seeking all kinds of help. It's obvious how much Yeonwoo means to him.

Thank you so much for the fill!

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You’re welcome!

Romi has terrible timing...

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sherlockian-syn.livejournal.com

Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury +/ any, unrequited love

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The Saga of Larten Crepsley/Darren Shan, Darren Shan & Larten Crepsley, Darren finds out about his mentor's old nickname and won't stop calling him Quicksilver

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Marvel, Pietro Maximoff & Max Eisenhardt, family resemblance

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DC, Diana Prince, what if she was the daughter of Mercury?

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Any, any, Mercury poisoning

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