Flist icon drabbles Part 18
Instead of trying Nanowrimo this year, I've been going through my hard drive and decided to finish up some of my WIPs.
And the first one I pulled up was the flist icon drabbles. Rather than putting them in OCD alphabetical order, I'm just going to toss up the ones I've finished already--rather a lot, surprisingly.
So today you get 16 new drabbles in Supernatural, Princess Bride, Star Wars, Lotrips, West Wing, Star Wars RPS, and Black Hawk Down. There are a few original fics in there as well, just for variety.
These were inspired by the icons of obsessedmuch, out_there, park_hye_in, penknife, phillyexpat, puddle_took, rollick, rosemending, skate97, smithereen, snarkhunter, technosage, juleskicks, watersword, zarahemla, and zzb.
obsessedmuch (Supernatural, Dean, 100 words)
It wasn’t that Dean didn’t understand Sam’s longing for normality. It’s just he wasn't sure where he’d gotten the idea it was something either one of them would be allowed to have.
They worked in the shadows, peered at the rest of the world from the outside, fought monsters the people Sam so desperately wanted to be like couldn’t bring themselves to acknowledge.
Dad would’ve told Sam to suck it up and deal about 2200 miles ago. Dean was going to give him another couple of exits.
But after that? Sam’d remember Dean was the master at giving noogies.
out_there (West Wing, Sam, 101 words )
Some days, you think, it's great to be you. It's not something you'd mention to Josh because he'd never let it go, but occasionally the magnitude of what you do for a living takes your breath away.
Oh, sure, there are frustrations: some days everything comes out in cliché, some days you want to take Barrett's book of quotations and beat the entire communications staff to death with it.
But then you go for a walk, catch a glimpse inside that office, and remember you work at the pleasure of the President.
The President.
Some days, it's great to be you.
park_hye_in (Princess Bride, Buttercup, 101 words)
The cliffs certainly lived up to their name, Buttercup thought as she bounced on Fezzik's shoulder like the sacks of grain Wesley used to move around the stables. You'd have to be out of your mind to go up this way.
She squeezed her eyes shut. You'd have to be out of your mind to go up at all.
She cracked her eyes open again when Inigo said, "He's climbing the rope. And he's gaining." Under them, a figure in black was making his way up the cliffs as well.
She leaned her head back against Fezzik. Insane. All of them.
penknife (Star Wars, Luke, Obi-Wan, 100 words)
Obi-Wan knew what they would find at the Lars’ farm before Luke arrived. Long experience with how Stormtroopers operated prepared him for the smoking remains.
Luke wasn’t as ready. The grief and guilt that rolled off of him went straight to Obi-Wan’s gut. The look in his eyes reminded Obi-Wan of…well, best not to think about that.
So Obi-Wan did what he had always done when a Skywalker in his charge had been hurting: provided him with something to distract him. Luke responded to it just as quickly as Anakin ever had.
Best not to think about that, either.
phillyexpat (Star Wars, Yoda, 100 words)
Falling, I appear to be.
Bad, this is. Gravity, a natural part of the universe, it is. But when 850 years old you be, bounce so well, you do not.
And after fighting against a Sith Lord? Yes. Bouncing, I should be grateful for, I suppose. After dodging and ducking and watching the Senate literally fall down around me? After learning the truth of Palpatine, short may his reign be? After the deaths of Jedi, of younglings, at the hands of young Skywalker? Surviving at all, a blessing it would seem to be.
*sigh*
Better weeks I have had, yes.
puddle_took (Lotrips, Billy/Dom, 101 words)
Dom’s sure the reporter’s still talking but he completely lost the thread of the conversation. His brain froze when Billy looked at him, closed his eyes and given him the most obvious "kiss me" expression in history.
With the cameras rolling.
And no way for Dom to give into the impulse.
Well he could--God knew the fans and the reporters were used to him hanging onto, off of, and all over every other member of the Fellowship-but this was Billy. There were different rules
So he just made a note of it and made Billy pay when they were alone.
rollick (Original fic, 100 words)
The pyramids of Egypt at sunset. The sun rising over the Forbidden City. The Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve. The Statue of Liberty peeking out of the misty harbor. The floor of the House of Representatives just before the President speaks. The Alps. The Pacific Ocean. The Acropolis. The Vatican. The French Quarter. Mount Rushmore. Mount Fuji.
Inaugural balls, diplomatic receptions, Fourth of July pie eating contests. Broadway at night, Oahu at dawn, the endless farms of the Midwest for hours and hours and hours.
East. West. North. South.
People. Places. Things.
Memories.
You should see what I've seen.
rosemending (Black Hawk Down, Hoot, 100 words)
helicopters, taking on some pissant of a warlord who’s starving an entire country to death? Hell yeah. Sign him up.
But sitting around waiting for reliable intelligence information to trickle in? Racing to put together an op only to have it scrubbed at the last moment? Fucking bullshit, man.
He leaned back against the wall of the Quonset hut and tried to ignore the heat reflecting off the aluminum like an oven.
If he had to be in Mogadishu at all, he wanted to be doing something.
skate97 (Original fic, 101 words)
There was a terrible cliché about it being better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, but frankly she'd rather use the electricity.
Which wasn't working at the moment. She flipped the light switch back and forth a few times just to be sure, then went rummaging through the dining room drawers for the candles she'd hidden there. Finally locating one, she headed towards the kitchen before remembering she'd left her lighter in the living room.
There was a thunk, then a yelp. Then she wasn't cursing the darkness. She was cursing the sharp corners of the coffee table.
smithereen (Star Wars, Bail, Leia, 101 words)
Bail couldn't say no when she'd asked for a later bedtime when she was ten, he couldn't say no when she'd demanded to be part of the Rebellion when she was fifteen, and he couldn't say no when she'd insisted on using her ship to smuggle the Death Star plans yesterday.
When she got that look in her eyes-the one that reminded him so much of Padmé--he was incapable of refusing her.
He gave another glance at the sky before turning back to his work. Leia would be fine.
She had too much of her mother in her not to be.
snarkhunter (Lotrips, Dom, Billy, 101 words)
Billy stared at the picture for fifteen minutes before regaining the power of speech. “Ten points from Gryffindor for destroying my soul,” he finally sputtered.
Dom laughed. “Didn’t know you read Harry Potter, Bills.”
“Allie Astin wanted a bedtime story.” Billy blushed. “I got hooked.”
He glared and shook the piece of paper Dom had given to him. “Nothing to do with why you’d share this, um, fan gift with me.” He rotated it slowly, biting his lip. “Is this supposed to be us? Naked? Can knees really bend like that?”
Dom shrugged. “Dunno. Guess we could ask Vig and Orli.”
technosage (West Wing, Sam, 100 words)
Some days, Sam decided as he pounded out an email to some nameless bureaucrat in OMB, it’s hard to be White House senior staff.
He had to use phrases like, “Pursuant to my previous five emails, I am still trying to confirm the OMB budget projections for VAWA through FY2007,” when he wanted to write, “Dear jackass: I’ve asked you a half dozen times for those numbers. Do your job, or I’ll send an intern over to do it for you.”
He sighed and hit send. The second one would’ve been more cathartic. The first one wouldn’t get him fired.
juleskicks (Star Wars, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, 101 words)
Months had passed since Yoda’s final teachings, but Obi-Wan’s inner turmoil was blocking his progress. He breathed slowly, thought of what Qui-Gon would say to him in this state. To trust the living Force and remember the Jedi Code, no doubt.
He could almost hear that voice saying, “There is no passion, there is serenity.” With a sigh, Obi-Wan released his guilt.
“There is no is no chaos, there is harmony.” He released his anger.
“There is no death, there is the Force.” He released his fear.
“Very good, Obi-Wan.”
His eyes flew open. Across the room, a much-missed Master laughed.
watersword (Lotrips, Orlando, 100 words)
Orlando's passport-shiny and new when he'd headed off for New Zealand-now curled at the edges from the times it had been jammed haphazardly into a carry-on bag.
He'd crisscrossed the globe in the years since then, a whirlwind of sights, smells and flashbulbs he could only remember by flipping through the pages as he stood in yet another customs line.
Japan, Morocco, Mexico. Spain, Malta, Australia. Heathrow, LAX, De Gaulle.
He smiled as his finger traced the stamp he had received on his first arrival at Auckland International. What a ride it had been-and he wouldn't trade it for anything.
zarahemla (RPS, Johnny, Orlando, 101 words)
"I didn't know you played."
Johnny's hands didn't stop moving over the piano keys.
"Helps me relax," he replied.
"I can play Chopsticks," Orlando offered, moving into the room. "And, um, 'Heart and Soul.'"
"You're quite the virtuoso," Johnny said with a snicker.
Orlando ran a hand through his hair. "Well, if this acting thing doesn't pan out…" he began.
"…you'll try your luck playing the greatest hits of the first day of music lessons?"
Orlando pulled his script out from behind his back. "So…run lines with me?"
Johnny grinned. "Only to stop you from using this back-up plan of yours."
zzb, (Starps, Ewan/Hayden, 101 words)
They'd been trying to kill each other for five hours, and Hayden had only screwed up the choreography four times by tripping over his own feet.
Ewan'd helpfully pointed out each one, and then recreated them because these sorts of things should be shared.
There had been no option but for Hayden to tackle him when he wasn't looking. The Guy Code demanded such retaliation.
"You're completely out of your mind," Ewan said, holding out a hand to help Hayden up off the mats.
"Love you, too," Hayden replied, slinging an arm around Ewan's waist as they headed towards the showers.
The previous drabbles can be found here.
Don't Close Your Eyes - Keith Whitley
And the first one I pulled up was the flist icon drabbles. Rather than putting them in OCD alphabetical order, I'm just going to toss up the ones I've finished already--rather a lot, surprisingly.
So today you get 16 new drabbles in Supernatural, Princess Bride, Star Wars, Lotrips, West Wing, Star Wars RPS, and Black Hawk Down. There are a few original fics in there as well, just for variety.
These were inspired by the icons of obsessedmuch, out_there, park_hye_in, penknife, phillyexpat, puddle_took, rollick, rosemending, skate97, smithereen, snarkhunter, technosage, juleskicks, watersword, zarahemla, and zzb.
obsessedmuch (Supernatural, Dean, 100 words)
It wasn’t that Dean didn’t understand Sam’s longing for normality. It’s just he wasn't sure where he’d gotten the idea it was something either one of them would be allowed to have.
They worked in the shadows, peered at the rest of the world from the outside, fought monsters the people Sam so desperately wanted to be like couldn’t bring themselves to acknowledge.
Dad would’ve told Sam to suck it up and deal about 2200 miles ago. Dean was going to give him another couple of exits.
But after that? Sam’d remember Dean was the master at giving noogies.
out_there (West Wing, Sam, 101 words )
Some days, you think, it's great to be you. It's not something you'd mention to Josh because he'd never let it go, but occasionally the magnitude of what you do for a living takes your breath away.
Oh, sure, there are frustrations: some days everything comes out in cliché, some days you want to take Barrett's book of quotations and beat the entire communications staff to death with it.
But then you go for a walk, catch a glimpse inside that office, and remember you work at the pleasure of the President.
The President.
Some days, it's great to be you.
park_hye_in (Princess Bride, Buttercup, 101 words)
The cliffs certainly lived up to their name, Buttercup thought as she bounced on Fezzik's shoulder like the sacks of grain Wesley used to move around the stables. You'd have to be out of your mind to go up this way.
She squeezed her eyes shut. You'd have to be out of your mind to go up at all.
She cracked her eyes open again when Inigo said, "He's climbing the rope. And he's gaining." Under them, a figure in black was making his way up the cliffs as well.
She leaned her head back against Fezzik. Insane. All of them.
penknife (Star Wars, Luke, Obi-Wan, 100 words)
Obi-Wan knew what they would find at the Lars’ farm before Luke arrived. Long experience with how Stormtroopers operated prepared him for the smoking remains.
Luke wasn’t as ready. The grief and guilt that rolled off of him went straight to Obi-Wan’s gut. The look in his eyes reminded Obi-Wan of…well, best not to think about that.
So Obi-Wan did what he had always done when a Skywalker in his charge had been hurting: provided him with something to distract him. Luke responded to it just as quickly as Anakin ever had.
Best not to think about that, either.
phillyexpat (Star Wars, Yoda, 100 words)
Falling, I appear to be.
Bad, this is. Gravity, a natural part of the universe, it is. But when 850 years old you be, bounce so well, you do not.
And after fighting against a Sith Lord? Yes. Bouncing, I should be grateful for, I suppose. After dodging and ducking and watching the Senate literally fall down around me? After learning the truth of Palpatine, short may his reign be? After the deaths of Jedi, of younglings, at the hands of young Skywalker? Surviving at all, a blessing it would seem to be.
*sigh*
Better weeks I have had, yes.
puddle_took (Lotrips, Billy/Dom, 101 words)
Dom’s sure the reporter’s still talking but he completely lost the thread of the conversation. His brain froze when Billy looked at him, closed his eyes and given him the most obvious "kiss me" expression in history.
With the cameras rolling.
And no way for Dom to give into the impulse.
Well he could--God knew the fans and the reporters were used to him hanging onto, off of, and all over every other member of the Fellowship-but this was Billy. There were different rules
So he just made a note of it and made Billy pay when they were alone.
rollick (Original fic, 100 words)
The pyramids of Egypt at sunset. The sun rising over the Forbidden City. The Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve. The Statue of Liberty peeking out of the misty harbor. The floor of the House of Representatives just before the President speaks. The Alps. The Pacific Ocean. The Acropolis. The Vatican. The French Quarter. Mount Rushmore. Mount Fuji.
Inaugural balls, diplomatic receptions, Fourth of July pie eating contests. Broadway at night, Oahu at dawn, the endless farms of the Midwest for hours and hours and hours.
East. West. North. South.
People. Places. Things.
Memories.
You should see what I've seen.
rosemending (Black Hawk Down, Hoot, 100 words)
helicopters, taking on some pissant of a warlord who’s starving an entire country to death? Hell yeah. Sign him up.
But sitting around waiting for reliable intelligence information to trickle in? Racing to put together an op only to have it scrubbed at the last moment? Fucking bullshit, man.
He leaned back against the wall of the Quonset hut and tried to ignore the heat reflecting off the aluminum like an oven.
If he had to be in Mogadishu at all, he wanted to be doing something.
skate97 (Original fic, 101 words)
There was a terrible cliché about it being better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, but frankly she'd rather use the electricity.
Which wasn't working at the moment. She flipped the light switch back and forth a few times just to be sure, then went rummaging through the dining room drawers for the candles she'd hidden there. Finally locating one, she headed towards the kitchen before remembering she'd left her lighter in the living room.
There was a thunk, then a yelp. Then she wasn't cursing the darkness. She was cursing the sharp corners of the coffee table.
smithereen (Star Wars, Bail, Leia, 101 words)
Bail couldn't say no when she'd asked for a later bedtime when she was ten, he couldn't say no when she'd demanded to be part of the Rebellion when she was fifteen, and he couldn't say no when she'd insisted on using her ship to smuggle the Death Star plans yesterday.
When she got that look in her eyes-the one that reminded him so much of Padmé--he was incapable of refusing her.
He gave another glance at the sky before turning back to his work. Leia would be fine.
She had too much of her mother in her not to be.
snarkhunter (Lotrips, Dom, Billy, 101 words)
Billy stared at the picture for fifteen minutes before regaining the power of speech. “Ten points from Gryffindor for destroying my soul,” he finally sputtered.
Dom laughed. “Didn’t know you read Harry Potter, Bills.”
“Allie Astin wanted a bedtime story.” Billy blushed. “I got hooked.”
He glared and shook the piece of paper Dom had given to him. “Nothing to do with why you’d share this, um, fan gift with me.” He rotated it slowly, biting his lip. “Is this supposed to be us? Naked? Can knees really bend like that?”
Dom shrugged. “Dunno. Guess we could ask Vig and Orli.”
technosage (West Wing, Sam, 100 words)
Some days, Sam decided as he pounded out an email to some nameless bureaucrat in OMB, it’s hard to be White House senior staff.
He had to use phrases like, “Pursuant to my previous five emails, I am still trying to confirm the OMB budget projections for VAWA through FY2007,” when he wanted to write, “Dear jackass: I’ve asked you a half dozen times for those numbers. Do your job, or I’ll send an intern over to do it for you.”
He sighed and hit send. The second one would’ve been more cathartic. The first one wouldn’t get him fired.
juleskicks (Star Wars, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, 101 words)
Months had passed since Yoda’s final teachings, but Obi-Wan’s inner turmoil was blocking his progress. He breathed slowly, thought of what Qui-Gon would say to him in this state. To trust the living Force and remember the Jedi Code, no doubt.
He could almost hear that voice saying, “There is no passion, there is serenity.” With a sigh, Obi-Wan released his guilt.
“There is no is no chaos, there is harmony.” He released his anger.
“There is no death, there is the Force.” He released his fear.
“Very good, Obi-Wan.”
His eyes flew open. Across the room, a much-missed Master laughed.
watersword (Lotrips, Orlando, 100 words)
Orlando's passport-shiny and new when he'd headed off for New Zealand-now curled at the edges from the times it had been jammed haphazardly into a carry-on bag.
He'd crisscrossed the globe in the years since then, a whirlwind of sights, smells and flashbulbs he could only remember by flipping through the pages as he stood in yet another customs line.
Japan, Morocco, Mexico. Spain, Malta, Australia. Heathrow, LAX, De Gaulle.
He smiled as his finger traced the stamp he had received on his first arrival at Auckland International. What a ride it had been-and he wouldn't trade it for anything.
zarahemla (RPS, Johnny, Orlando, 101 words)
"I didn't know you played."
Johnny's hands didn't stop moving over the piano keys.
"Helps me relax," he replied.
"I can play Chopsticks," Orlando offered, moving into the room. "And, um, 'Heart and Soul.'"
"You're quite the virtuoso," Johnny said with a snicker.
Orlando ran a hand through his hair. "Well, if this acting thing doesn't pan out…" he began.
"…you'll try your luck playing the greatest hits of the first day of music lessons?"
Orlando pulled his script out from behind his back. "So…run lines with me?"
Johnny grinned. "Only to stop you from using this back-up plan of yours."
zzb, (Starps, Ewan/Hayden, 101 words)
They'd been trying to kill each other for five hours, and Hayden had only screwed up the choreography four times by tripping over his own feet.
Ewan'd helpfully pointed out each one, and then recreated them because these sorts of things should be shared.
There had been no option but for Hayden to tackle him when he wasn't looking. The Guy Code demanded such retaliation.
"You're completely out of your mind," Ewan said, holding out a hand to help Hayden up off the mats.
"Love you, too," Hayden replied, slinging an arm around Ewan's waist as they headed towards the showers.
The previous drabbles can be found here.
Don't Close Your Eyes - Keith Whitley