Heroes Ficlet
Title: With Thimbles, Care, Forks, and Hope
Author: Alex Foster
Characters/Pairing: Claire/Elle
Word Count: 300
Rating: PG
Summary: Claire goes out alone even though Elle disapproves. Post apocalyptic future AU.
Notes: Written for the prompt Abuse over at slashthedrabble. I sat down to write something about Peter incorrectly thinking Claire was being abused while in an S&M relationship with Elle and somehow got this. I don't know, folks. Peter ain't even in here. I'm shelving this as a special little drabble universe in my mind in case I ever want to write something else for it (and I kinda want to). Thanks for reading.
...
...
"We are already post-human."
- William Gibson
...
...
She goes out alone even though Elle disapproves. Others have strict orders to take teams when they salvage but Claire is exempt from most camp rules and Elle knows better than to press the issue in public. Theirs is a tenuous but working command agreement.
Elle is good a planning raids and resource management - all that Company training finally put to good use. Claire excels at people skills and keeps the camp’s cogwheels running smoothly - all those years of navigating tricky cheer squad politics, Elle figures. Together they manage to keep their people alive beyond the end of the world.
They move during the summer and hunker down for most of the winter, salvaging what they can from what is left of the wasteland. When she ventures out alone, Claire doesn’t bother with gear to protect her from the abusive environment. The doors close behind her and Elle tries not to pace or fidget until they open again at her knock.
It takes days or weeks, but she always comes back … the ‘to her’ isn’t said aloud. Later, after handing out rations and sorting the scrap, Elle takes her back to her quarters and admonishes her for going out alone.
“Rules, Cheerleader, rules. When will you learn?” The irony of this coming from her is not lost on either of them. The 'What the hell am I supposed to do on my own if you don’t come back one day?' goes unspoken.
Claire smiles and kisses her as if to answer: You don’t have to worry about that.
In the flickering lamplight, Elle strips her down. Her fingers slide over unblemished skin, searching for acid rain burns.
When Claire gasps and leans into the touch, Elle thinks seeing that reaction is the only good thing left in the world.
End
Author: Alex Foster
Characters/Pairing: Claire/Elle
Word Count: 300
Rating: PG
Summary: Claire goes out alone even though Elle disapproves. Post apocalyptic future AU.
Notes: Written for the prompt Abuse over at slashthedrabble. I sat down to write something about Peter incorrectly thinking Claire was being abused while in an S&M relationship with Elle and somehow got this. I don't know, folks. Peter ain't even in here. I'm shelving this as a special little drabble universe in my mind in case I ever want to write something else for it (and I kinda want to). Thanks for reading.
...
...
"We are already post-human."
- William Gibson
...
...
She goes out alone even though Elle disapproves. Others have strict orders to take teams when they salvage but Claire is exempt from most camp rules and Elle knows better than to press the issue in public. Theirs is a tenuous but working command agreement.
Elle is good a planning raids and resource management - all that Company training finally put to good use. Claire excels at people skills and keeps the camp’s cogwheels running smoothly - all those years of navigating tricky cheer squad politics, Elle figures. Together they manage to keep their people alive beyond the end of the world.
They move during the summer and hunker down for most of the winter, salvaging what they can from what is left of the wasteland. When she ventures out alone, Claire doesn’t bother with gear to protect her from the abusive environment. The doors close behind her and Elle tries not to pace or fidget until they open again at her knock.
It takes days or weeks, but she always comes back … the ‘to her’ isn’t said aloud. Later, after handing out rations and sorting the scrap, Elle takes her back to her quarters and admonishes her for going out alone.
“Rules, Cheerleader, rules. When will you learn?” The irony of this coming from her is not lost on either of them. The 'What the hell am I supposed to do on my own if you don’t come back one day?' goes unspoken.
Claire smiles and kisses her as if to answer: You don’t have to worry about that.
In the flickering lamplight, Elle strips her down. Her fingers slide over unblemished skin, searching for acid rain burns.
When Claire gasps and leans into the touch, Elle thinks seeing that reaction is the only good thing left in the world.
End