Bite Sized Bits of Fic

Buffy watches the sun disappear across the sea, and for once, the dimming light doesn't push her to grab the nearest weapon and go find the undead.

Today, she wants to be found instead.

It doesn't take long until darkness descends over Los Angeles. She expects that Angel will follow soon after; he's had hours to have his contacts search for her, and he would have climbed onto his car as soon as her location was confirmed.

She's even made it easy for him, staying in this one place since she left their apartment.

As always, Buffy senses him before he's actually tread into her personal space. "Hey." She speaks first, this time, just in case he's not sure that he's welcome. She's had hours to think about his revelations, and right now she's completely sure that she wants to make this as easy as possible. They've had too many misunderstandings, both when she was that child and now, after they've made their home together.

She wants to think that they've grown stronger after each setback, and she knows that they're a better couple now than they could have been, then. But there are still days where they tiptoe around each other, trying not to stumble across those cracks that haven't healed yet.

It's such a fragile thing, love.

They might have learned to repair it after it's shattered (because trying to build a new one has never really worked), but it's careful work.

And it doesn't help when one of them has no idea that she's stomping into old wounds when she starts planning their first Thanksgiving together.

Buffy asked for the truth, after he kept avoiding the issue and acting strange when she finally cornered him. Now she reasons that she cannot remain angry because he told it all.

(A little resentful, because Angel should have known better, yes. And then abashed that she still prefers the comfortable lies.)

"It was here, wasn't it?" she says.

Buffy doesn't need to turn around to know he's confused at the non-sequitur, then surprised when he takes in her meaning.

"Yes," he says, and there's a hint of suspicion in his answer.

"I don't remember," she reassures him. "But it made sense. This" -she gestures around the pier- "was a favorite spot when I was a little girl. Dad would bring us on the weekends, mom and I. And Dawn, of course." She chuckles, realizing this is the spot where her fake memories meet the ones she's been robbed of. "We would spend a few hours around, just walking along the seafront, eating ice cream... lots and lots of ice cream."

She smiles bitterly at the memories her own words conjure. After everything else, it should be easier to make her peace with an absent father and a mother who died too young; but she doesn't cope well with abandonment. She has issues, okay? Add that there was no supernatural hand in her being left an orphan, and she's something of a mess when she thinks too closely about her parents.

So she doesn't.

"I like to come here, when I need to think," she finishes. "I have a feeling I had a lot to think about, that day."

Angel had stepped into her line of vision by now, but has stopped an arm's length in front of her. "You did," he agrees.

Buffy offers her hand, and pretends not to see his relief when he takes the invitation to come closer. No wonder that he doubts his welcome, after how she yelled at him for taking her life in his hands - again - without consulting her. It took her an hour to realize he'd made the right choice, and that even if he hadn't, they were ten years too late to do anything about it.

He could have kept it from her, Buffy knows. Made something up to explain his awkward behavior. She would have known he was lying, but never imagined he would be hiding a day of sunlight and heartbeats.

(She still wishes he'd never put the thought in her head. She gave up that dream years ago; it's unfair that it could come back to haunt her.)

"I have a question," she says when she's comfortably settled in his embrace.

"Hm?"

She hopes her voice doesn't waver. She's done crying for a handful of hours she can't even remember. She is. "Was it a good day?"

A finger at her chin tilts her head until she can see his smile. "This is better," Angel says truthfully.

And Buffy smiles back.

From:

I kinda knew once you saw this prompt, you'd want to fill it. And that you'd do a better job than I would.

A much better job. It's lovely.

From:

I had a feeling your icon was speaking to me. :D Thanks! Both for the prompt and this comment.

I love having the Boston'verse, for when I need these two in an established relationship. *g*

From:

You're very welcome. :D

From:

foxstarreh.livejournal.com

Aww! That was sweet, I really liked it. I had suddenly remembered I'd left this prompt about two days ago and then it gets filled right after.

(Also, I like your icon.)

Thanks so much for the fill! =)

From:

Glad you liked it!

You can thank ELD, too. She always knows what'll tempt my muse. ;) It's been a while since these two have been fluffy around me, so it felt good.

From:

tigriswolf

author's choice, author's choice, The Last Unicorn (Peter S Beagle) and Born Under a Bad Sign (Supernatural)

Edited Date: 2014-02-03 02:34 pm (UTC)

From:

tigriswolf

Bones/Supernatural, Vincent Nigel-Murray + Dean Winchester, Cloudy with a Chance of Murder (Psych) and The Walking Dead

Edited Date: 2014-02-03 02:34 pm (UTC)

From:

tigriswolf

The Hobbit (Jackson films), Fili/Kili, The Return of the King (Tolkien) and The Last Battle (CS Lewis)

Edited Date: 2014-02-03 02:35 pm (UTC)

From:

tigriswolf

Gundam Wing Mobile Suit, 5 pilots, Sharknado and Sharktopus

From:

tigriswolf

Highlander, Methos, Comes a Horseman (Highlander) and Pale Rider

Edited Date: 2014-02-03 02:35 pm (UTC)

From:

iantojjackh.livejournal.com

Torchwood, Jack/Ianto- The Shrine (SG-A- S5E6) + Goodnight Moon

From:

Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward/Winry, The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee and "Some Assembly Required" s2 ep2, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

From:

Winry worked on the robotic arm with her customer watching on. It was in the final stages, just soldering a few wires before adding the plates on top to protect the circuitry within. Karin, a repeat customer over the years, leaned against the counter and passed tools when Winry asked.

“So,” Karin said, “I heard you have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah.” Winry held out a hand for a screwdriver for one of the tiny screws to hold the board in place. “It’s not really official, but we’re old friends and have been dancing around a relationship for years.”

“And he finally made a move, huh?” Karin laughed. “He around? I’d like to meet him.”

“Er.” Winry paused. “He’s around.” If around was in the back room waiting for her to finish this order so she could update his circuits since they were having issues.

Karin raised an eyebrow. “Huh.”

“What?”

“So the rumors involve a cyborg.”

“He’s human enough.”

“Uh huh.” Karin grinned. “You’re such a techie I bet half the attraction is getting at his robotics.”

“Well, I made most of the robotics,” Winry grumbled.

“All the better.”

Most of the time. Not when your boyfriend was in the back room in a sort of trance sleep because the circuitry to his brain didn’t handle having his arm and leg dismantled well. Winry started tightening screws on the arm plates on automatic.

“Well, you’ll have to introduce him sometime.”

“Maybe, yeah.” Rush Valley was a haven for techies and cyborgs and androids alike. The rest of the country? Not so much. It was no wonder Ed hid his arm and leg and grew his hair long. She finished putting plates into their proper positions in record time. The joints bent like they should and…yup, circuitry worked as she knew it would. “And here’s your arm. If there’s any glitches, let me know and I’ll fix them up tomorrow.”

Karin laughed. “Not doing your own diagnostics this time? For shame, Winry.”

“We both know you weren’t going to wait for me to do them anyway.”

“True enough.” Karin took the arm. “Thanks for rebuilding Gem’s arm. Never going to Dean for a repair job again, honestly.”

“That’s what you get for trusting someone else with your robotics,” Winry said smirking.

“Don’t take so many trips then!” Karin clapped Winry on the shoulder. “The credits will go through tonight. Have fun with your boyfriend!”

Winry smiled at her back as she left before sighing. She’d been repairing Ed’s arm when Gem’s broke. She wished he’d stop breaking it. No matter what materials she used he seemed to rip through them. This was probably why technology and magic should never mesh. She stretched, feeling the strain of hours of detailed, finicky circuitry work in her wrists, shoulders and neck. Off to do more work.

Ed was on the back room table where she left him, breathing peacefully with his eyes half shut somewhere between awake and asleep. It had scared her years ago when she first saw him do that, like he was half dead. She knew now that it was a body’s natural process of mediating the integration between organic and mechanical when the processes were running severely wrong. She always worried it would happen when Ed was in one of the fights that broke his arm, but Ed always assured her that adrenaline always overpowered whatever other mechanisms his body had going on. Twin red lights flickered on from the corner of the room.

“Brother’s fine. He woke up for a bit and asked for water, but he’s been fine.”

“Thanks, Al.” Most people thought Al was an android. One with a spectacular AI system, but an android nevertheless. Winry still didn’t know what kind of magic Ed pulled to merge his brother’s soul with a suit of armor, but she didn’t want to know. She knew its results well enough that the how didn’t matter. She surveyed the pieces of his new arm and leg, each lined up and waiting for assembly. “Want to help me put him back together?” She held up her tool box.

Al took it from her with all the care and precision of a surgeon’s nurse bot.

There was six hours’ worth of circuitry to go through. Today she’d try to cut down her best time to five hours.

From:

When Ed woke up, she knew he’d look at her and go “What took you so long, I was asleep for hours!” and she knew she would yell and throw her biggest wrench at him to see him use his new cybernetic limbs to dodge. And she would help him hide them away under layers and a new prototype synthetic skin, and hold close to her heart that she was the only one he would trust to take him apart and put him back together.

From:

Oh, wait, there's MORE?

Awwwwww. That's a very sweet little coda!

From:

katleept.livejournal.com

Okay. You've done it. You see, my dear, I've never actually watched this anime. I only know bits and pieces of it from

evil_little_dog's obsession. But now, between her and your story here, I've got to find out if it's still airing and watch it!!

From:

Mwahahaha! Yay! ^_^ FMA is an awesome anime and if I had to choose my overall favorite, it is the one. Good characters, good world, good story. It's free to view on Hulu. Happy viewing if you watch it!

From:

Oh, wow. This is so much different and fun than I expected! Thank you so much!

From:

^___^

From:

Burn Notice, Sam+any, "Beer Bad" (BtVS s4 ep5) + The Rum Diary (Hunter S. Thompson)

From:

Leverage, Eliot+/Parker+/Hardison, "Surprise" (BtVS s2 ep13) + "Bad to the Bone" (George Thorogood & the Destroyers)

From:

The Hunger Games, Katniss+Any, "Psychological Warfare" (Burn Notice s7 ep7) + The Hungry Ghosts

From:

Fullmetal Alchemist, Roy Mustang+Any, "Press Conference" (The Animaniacs s1 ep150) + "Truth and Reconciliation" (Burn Notice s2 ep14).

From:

Sometimes, Roy hated public speaking. He looked at his notes for the third time before glancing sideways at Captain Hawkeye who stared at him placidly. "Are you sure you don't want to take my place, Captain?"

"You are better at public speaking, sir."

He sighed heavily at the comment. "Right, then." Squaring his shoulders and running his hand over his hair to push that one strand back into place, Roy strode out onto the dais and nodded at the reporters waiting for the story. "Good afternoon," he said, "and thank you for coming. I have a statement to make and then, if there is time, I will take some questions." Roy made a show of glancing at his notes. "As you have probably heard, there was an altercation in the West near the Milosian border. Yes, the Fullmetal Alchemist was involved. Yes, he is still alive." Damn the luck. "The details of the altercation must remain classified at this point however there was an arsonist and a threat of a bomb at the Milosian Bridge." He took a breath, seeing the reporters tensing up, bracing themselves for their questions. "I can take three questions."

"Major General Mustang!" chorused the reporters, waving hands.

"Yes, Miss Calendar?"

"Can you give us any more information of the Fullmetal Alchemist's involvement?"

"That he was involved," Roy said. To himself, he added, 'And no longer an alchemist' but that bit of information wasn't common knowledge. "I'm afraid I cannot provide any more information than that at this point."

"I could." With the shit-eating grin Roy hated plastered across his face, Edward Elric sauntered down the aisle. "Hey, Major General Mustang. Heard you were talking about me; figured you'd want some actual information about what's happening out West."

The reporters and cameras all turned to Fullmetal, the people shouting, the flashbulbs popping, and Edward Elric enjoying ever bit of the hoopla.

Roy smiled through gritted teeth. One day, he'd know better than to mention the devil's name. It always came with consequences. Today, he had to suck it up and make nice with his one-time subordinate, galling as it might be.

Raising his voice to be heard over the hubbub, Roy said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Edward Elric cannot answer questions at this time as he needs to be debriefed. Fullmetal?"

He bared his teeth, waving at Roy or waving him off, Roy wasn't sure. Until Edward spotted Hawkeye and then his smile softened. He told the reporters, "Gotta go, duty. You know," and sauntered up to the dais, climbing the stairs and promptly heading over to Hawkeye.

Roy smiled his most urbane smile and held up his hand. "No more questions, please." And he turned to follow Edward off the stage, managing to catch his invitation to Hawkeye to come and visit Risembool. "I know Winry would love to see you again. You could bring your dog!"

Today was definitely a day Roy hated public speaking.

From:

author's choice, any, "Remedial Chaos Theory" and "Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M."

(Community s3ep3 and How I Met Your Mother s1ep18)

From:

marlex.livejournal.com

"Nothing Good Happens After 2 a.m."

Whenever Abby invited McGee out for a friendly night on the town, he always felt afterward that he should taken a remedial course in Chaos Theory before leaving his apartment. You practically needed a degree in Chaos Theory to keep up with her when she was really on a roll.

This particular evening had started at a club filled with dancing people, most of whom were a good decade or more younger than either of them. There she'd introduced him to some of her friends, each dressed more or less like Abby, with a varying number of tattoos to match.

They'd hit a few other clubs after that, but between the music and the alcohol, it kind of blended together.

That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy himself. He always enjoyed spending time with Abby. He liked being around her. He even liked the chaos. No, he especially liked the chaos.

It wasn't like it once was, but by now, they'd been friends for a lot longer than they'd been lovers. But he'd loved her--still loved her--because of who she was and what she enjoyed, not despite of it. He enjoyed the music and the atmosphere and dancing with Abby and sitting down to rest and shouting half-heard comments to each other.

But despite her persona and her attire, and the whispered quips from Tony when she wasn't in earshot about the possibility of her being a vampire, Abby's endurance for these kinds of evenings weren’t quite what they used to be.

Typically they called for a taxi no later than 1 a.m., but occasionally they stayed out later. And McGee knew from experience, nothing good happened after 2 a.m.

And tonight--this morning--was no exception. Abby had been talked into doing shots at the third (fourth?) club, and while he joined in the first couple of rounds, he'd quietly bowed out of the rest to ensure one of them was coherent enough to call the taxi.

And now, she was downright giggly as he struggled to keep her upright while roaming through her black purse for her apartment key. Feeling a little guilty about going through her purse, he finally found the keys and opened the door, nearly losing hold of Abby in the process. He caught her in time, which elicited more giggles from his drunken friend.

“Good catch, Agent McGee,” Abby slurred. “You’re my hero.” She was beyond the point of keeping her head steady, and looked up from his shoulder sideways, her mouth pursed into an innocent smile that sent a jolt through McGee, reminding of him of the smile she would give him upon waking up the morning, their bodies wrapped together under the sheets.

The moment was broken a second later Abby announced she was going to be sick. As quickly as he could, he guided her to the bathroom. They made it just in time, and he held her hair back as she retched into the commode. He waited until she was done and then flushed. He left her where she was sitting to wet a washcloth and brought it back down to wipe her face. She smiled at him again and this time he did his best to ignore the feelings within him.

From:

marlex.livejournal.com

He helped her stand and held onto her arm as they walked to the bedroom. He made her sit down on the edge of her bed and then untied her boots and pulled them off. As gently as he could, he removed the ties holding her pigtails in place. He didn’t dare do anything else, and figured she could sleep in her clothes for one night.

“Good night, Abby,” he said to her once she was tucked in under the sheets.

“Good night McGee,” she said, her voice tired and dreamy.

He thought she was done and stood up, but she continued. “You’re so good to me. I love you so much.”

It was nice to hear those words from her without the addendum “like a puppy.”

“I love you too,” he said back to her. As drunk as she was, he was fairly confident she wouldn’t remember any of this anyway, so he added, “I always have.”

She smiled at that. “I wish I hadn’t broken up with you,” she said.

McGee froze, staring back down at Abby, whose innocent eyes betrayed none of the importance of the statement she had just uttered.

“I was so scared,” she said, pointing a finger to her chest to emphasize the point. “And stupid.” Instead of poking herself, she became engrossed with her hand, staring at it with childlike curiosity. Then she turned back to stare at McGee, who still hadn’t moved an inch from his position over her. “But I’m not scared anymore. I feel so safe with you. I love you.”

And then she was asleep, or as close to it as McGee could tell. It was another full minute before he could will his body to move. First he tucked her back in under the sheets, and then walked over to the bedroom door, turning out the light and leaving her to her slumber.

Still in shock, he made sure her keys were next to her purse on the kitchen counter and then locked her apartment on his way out.

McGee knew she wouldn’t remember what she’d said in the morning. But he would. And he didn’t know what he was going to do about it yet, but for now, knowing she had said it--alcohol or no alcohol--was good enough for him.

* * * * *

It was nearly noon when his cell phone rang, displaying her name. He answered and she thanked him for getting her home, her voice sounding groggy and more than a little hungover.

“Please tell me I didn’t do or say anything completely embarrassing,” she said.

“None that I can remember,” McGee said.

From:

AWWWWWW.

From:

author's choice, any, "Cops & Robbers" and "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out"

(Castle s4ep7 and Psych s5ep9)

From:

author's choice, any, "Noche de Sueños" ["Night of Dreams"] and "Unfinished Business"

(Eureka s2ep6 and White Collar s2ep5)

From:

author's choice, any, "Born & Raised" and "Back to Summer"

(Parks and Recreation s4ep3 and The Middle s2ep24)

From:

icarus-chained.livejournal.com

Author's choice, author's choice, Dark City (1998) + "Lost in the Shadows" (from Lost Boys)

Edited Date: 2014-02-03 05:55 pm (UTC)

From:

sksdwrld.livejournal.com

SAY HELLO TO THE NIGHT! Lost in the shadows...

From:

icarus-chained.livejournal.com

Author's choice, any immortal/long-lived character, Thief of Time + The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul

(Terry Pratchett + Douglas Adams)

From:

sksdwrld.livejournal.com

Confessions of Dorian Gray, Dorian, Drawing Blood (Poppy Z Brite) + Flicker (Bauhaus compilation album)

From:

any, any, "Hard out here (for a bitch)" and "Fuck You"
both songs by Lily Allen

From:

any, any female character, "Just a Girl" (No Doubt) & "One Girl Revolution" (Superchick)

From:

Once Upon A Time

She's just a girl.

That's what Rumpelstiltskin tells himself as he asks for her as his price. Even a beloved daughter means little to the needs of a people on the losing end of war - and against the ogres, to boot. That she realizes it sooner than her menfolk speaks well of her intelligence, and Rumpelstiltskin doesn't dislike that.

It will be lonely, in his castle. Better that she has the smarts to entertain herself, he thinks. He certainly won't go out of his way about making her new life palatable for her; in fact, he's already picturing how that precious golden dress will look after a night spent on the floor of his dungeon. And after a week. And a month. And whatever rags are left over after that.

He's scheduled to turn a shabbily-dressed servant girl into a princess, a few years from now. Can't help but be curious about how the process will work in reverse, can he?

An experiment. Nothing more.

Cont. http://kitteninthedark.livejournal.com/231268.html

From:

The Mentalist, Cho +or/ Jane, "Shot in the dark" (Within Temptation) & "Between two lungs" (Florence + the Machine)

Edited Date: 2014-02-03 09:15 pm (UTC)

From:

The Mentalist, Jane /or+ Cho, "You found me" + "How to save a life"
both songs by The Fray

From:

any, any, "Echo of Yesterday" & "The Glass Cage"
both episodes from Mission: Impossible

From:

tigriswolf

"Hello, All-Father," he hears as he awakens on a hard pallet on the -- the floor? What is this?

He sits up slowly, because everything hurts as it has not in a long time. He had been speaking with the einherjar when...

"Loki," he whispers, turning to look out the glass wall of a cell he knows very well.

"Did you truly think to keep me caged forever, All-Father?" Loki asks, wearing Odin's own form. "You have earned yourself all the horrors I can create."

"Do you truly think to keep me caged forever in my own prison?" Odin demands.

Loki laughs. "Of course not, All-Father. That would be too gentle a punishment for you."

From:

cascadewaters.livejournal.com

Sleepy Hollow/Being Human (US,) Crane & Aiden, "The Unquiet Dead" (Doctor Who) and Time for Yesterday by A.C. Crispin

Edited Date: 2014-02-04 02:48 am (UTC)

From:

cascadewaters.livejournal.com

Doctor Who, Sarah Jane + the Doctor (any,) "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift and Cold Days by Jim Butcher

From: