Fandom Stocking Bits
Look, Ma! Fanfic!
I wrote these for this year's fandom_stocking, and I'm dropping them here so I can find them again.
The Good Fight
JLU
BM/WW
for marag
***
When the tabloids find them out, they're dubbed a "supercouple," an expression which makes him cringe. Diana doesn't often stay over at Wayne Manor, but on the rare mornings Alfred brings them both the newspaper, she carefully notes which pages are missing from Bruce's copy.
Notoriety in the cold light of day is hard on the most solid of relationships. Day has little to do with them, though.
Their nights are long, and filled with righteous battles against supervillains and tussles with criminals. He fights by her side, and she his, and words mean nothing compared to this perfect struggle.
***
When I Consider
Transformers G1
Optimus/Elita
for merfilly
(A/N: I've been working on this story in my head for twenty-four years. Apologies if it's a bit weird.)
***
Her optical receptors were destroyed in the last great battle to retake Cybertron, and despite the best efforts of every engineer and medbot, she has not regained the use of them, nor been able to replace them without a full refit of her thinking circuits. The war has many scarred veterans, and Elita is among their number. It is enough to know that she did her part, that she kept her Autobots alive for four million years alone, that she fought the good fight. Optimus still goes out among the humans, among their kind, building this new Cybertron. She is not content to stay behind, but she will do so, completing a different work than that of soldier or leader. Now she trains the young Autobots how to fight and how to think, and if she is restless, Optimus comes home to her regularly and she buries her agitation in his love.
When they come to her, speaking of Optimus's death, she does not believe them. She can hear the change in Hot Rod's sorrowful voice, in Spike's. She can picture the battle that took place.
She thanks them for their kindness and waits for them to leave.
There is starlight on her face as she looks up into the sky. She doesn't need eyes to feel the tiny cascade of radiation as she searches for the position in space where they said he spoke his last.
Once, her name was Ariel, and she loved a 'bot named Orion and he was shot down in front of her. Once, she was a warrior, and she fought by her beloved's side for five million years, and waited four million more for his return. Now, the human word is widow, but Elita knows this place, knows her duty. Optimus will come back for her if she waits long enough, though it take ten million years more. So has it always been.
She turns her face away from the stars. Just because she is waiting does not mean she doesn't have work here to do. She only hopes he returns soon.
***
Better Than Ice Cream
B:TAS/S:TAS
Babs/Kara
also for merfilly (in case the first one was too weird for a proper present)
***
It's not until she meets Kara, until they're sitting on her couch with their Bob and Terry's, until Harvey freaking Bullock is cracking jokes on her TV, that Barbara understands how much of her life has been spent around men. It always seemed natural, from the day her father adopted her. Who were her friends now? Bruce? Tim? Alfred? She doesn't want to think about Dick.
But here's this girl, slender and blonde and full of life, and suddenly Barbara knows she's been missing out on far more than just friendship, and she wants a lot more than ice cream.
***
Cheesy Love Story
B:TAS
Dick/Babs
for modestroad
AN: Sekrit message to dotfic: this helped me figure out what I'm doing for your story.
***
During the semester they're not officially dating yet, they communicate via pizza. When Dick brings over a triple cheese special, Babs knows he means, "I'm sorry I had to cancel last night, and I know I gave you a bad excuse for it." When she takes a pepperoni feast to his room the next day, she means, "You're weird, but I like you."
When he picks off a pepperoni and offers it to her, he's saying, "Can you stay a while?" When she takes it from his fingers and pops it into her mouth with a smile, she means, "Yes."
***
Changes
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Savannah, Ellison
for odditycollector
***
Savannah is accustomed to change. She lost her daddy. She knows the woman who cares for her is not really her mommy. She gains a big brother. When her not real mommy and her brother go away, and Mr. Ellison picks her up from school, she understands more quickly than he does that she has a new daddy.
He teaches her, and Miss Sarah teaches them both. She is quick to learn the morals he taught John Henry, and firearm safety, and how to hide, and what is safe to eat.
Judgment Day is one change she's already prepared for.
***
A Duck's Life
Darkwing Duck
Darkwing/Launchpad
for scribe_protra
***
He only goes by Drake these days. Ever since the last big fight, since his injury, his cowl has hung unworn. Gos protects St. Canard now, with Honker back at their base as her support. He's proud of them on the nights her exploits make the news, and especially on the nights they don't.
He's watching tonight, wondering she is. He hears Launchpad's key in the door, doesn't turn around as big arms drape around him from behind. A beak presses against his head. "Anything?"
"Nope." Silence is a blessing.
Drake turns and greets LP properly. Retirement has its perks.
***
Old Magic
Harry Potter
Hermione/Harry/Ron
for lady_sarai
***
As a project and for a laugh, Hermione has been studying the Muggles' version of magic, the Old Religion. It's fascinating to see how many self-identified witches there are who have nothing to do with the wizarding world, but she's surprised to find real power here as well. The group she shyly attends calls it women's magic, and the priestess who speaks with her afterwards tells her how their magic is best served with threes. The priestess calls them Maid, Mother, and Crone. Hermione sees other patterns, ones always in front of her suddenly in focus.
It's natural to invite Harry over of an evening, natural to relax with him on the sofa together with glasses of pumpkin wine and conversation.
What happens next is just as natural, and as she is pressed between the two men she loves most in the world, Hermione feels a magic older than time.
***
I wrote these for this year's fandom_stocking, and I'm dropping them here so I can find them again.
The Good Fight
JLU
BM/WW
for marag
***
When the tabloids find them out, they're dubbed a "supercouple," an expression which makes him cringe. Diana doesn't often stay over at Wayne Manor, but on the rare mornings Alfred brings them both the newspaper, she carefully notes which pages are missing from Bruce's copy.
Notoriety in the cold light of day is hard on the most solid of relationships. Day has little to do with them, though.
Their nights are long, and filled with righteous battles against supervillains and tussles with criminals. He fights by her side, and she his, and words mean nothing compared to this perfect struggle.
***
When I Consider
Transformers G1
Optimus/Elita
for merfilly
(A/N: I've been working on this story in my head for twenty-four years. Apologies if it's a bit weird.)
***
Her optical receptors were destroyed in the last great battle to retake Cybertron, and despite the best efforts of every engineer and medbot, she has not regained the use of them, nor been able to replace them without a full refit of her thinking circuits. The war has many scarred veterans, and Elita is among their number. It is enough to know that she did her part, that she kept her Autobots alive for four million years alone, that she fought the good fight. Optimus still goes out among the humans, among their kind, building this new Cybertron. She is not content to stay behind, but she will do so, completing a different work than that of soldier or leader. Now she trains the young Autobots how to fight and how to think, and if she is restless, Optimus comes home to her regularly and she buries her agitation in his love.
When they come to her, speaking of Optimus's death, she does not believe them. She can hear the change in Hot Rod's sorrowful voice, in Spike's. She can picture the battle that took place.
She thanks them for their kindness and waits for them to leave.
There is starlight on her face as she looks up into the sky. She doesn't need eyes to feel the tiny cascade of radiation as she searches for the position in space where they said he spoke his last.
Once, her name was Ariel, and she loved a 'bot named Orion and he was shot down in front of her. Once, she was a warrior, and she fought by her beloved's side for five million years, and waited four million more for his return. Now, the human word is widow, but Elita knows this place, knows her duty. Optimus will come back for her if she waits long enough, though it take ten million years more. So has it always been.
She turns her face away from the stars. Just because she is waiting does not mean she doesn't have work here to do. She only hopes he returns soon.
***
Better Than Ice Cream
B:TAS/S:TAS
Babs/Kara
also for merfilly (in case the first one was too weird for a proper present)
***
It's not until she meets Kara, until they're sitting on her couch with their Bob and Terry's, until Harvey freaking Bullock is cracking jokes on her TV, that Barbara understands how much of her life has been spent around men. It always seemed natural, from the day her father adopted her. Who were her friends now? Bruce? Tim? Alfred? She doesn't want to think about Dick.
But here's this girl, slender and blonde and full of life, and suddenly Barbara knows she's been missing out on far more than just friendship, and she wants a lot more than ice cream.
***
Cheesy Love Story
B:TAS
Dick/Babs
for modestroad
AN: Sekrit message to dotfic: this helped me figure out what I'm doing for your story.
***
During the semester they're not officially dating yet, they communicate via pizza. When Dick brings over a triple cheese special, Babs knows he means, "I'm sorry I had to cancel last night, and I know I gave you a bad excuse for it." When she takes a pepperoni feast to his room the next day, she means, "You're weird, but I like you."
When he picks off a pepperoni and offers it to her, he's saying, "Can you stay a while?" When she takes it from his fingers and pops it into her mouth with a smile, she means, "Yes."
***
Changes
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Savannah, Ellison
for odditycollector
***
Savannah is accustomed to change. She lost her daddy. She knows the woman who cares for her is not really her mommy. She gains a big brother. When her not real mommy and her brother go away, and Mr. Ellison picks her up from school, she understands more quickly than he does that she has a new daddy.
He teaches her, and Miss Sarah teaches them both. She is quick to learn the morals he taught John Henry, and firearm safety, and how to hide, and what is safe to eat.
Judgment Day is one change she's already prepared for.
***
A Duck's Life
Darkwing Duck
Darkwing/Launchpad
for scribe_protra
***
He only goes by Drake these days. Ever since the last big fight, since his injury, his cowl has hung unworn. Gos protects St. Canard now, with Honker back at their base as her support. He's proud of them on the nights her exploits make the news, and especially on the nights they don't.
He's watching tonight, wondering she is. He hears Launchpad's key in the door, doesn't turn around as big arms drape around him from behind. A beak presses against his head. "Anything?"
"Nope." Silence is a blessing.
Drake turns and greets LP properly. Retirement has its perks.
***
Old Magic
Harry Potter
Hermione/Harry/Ron
for lady_sarai
***
As a project and for a laugh, Hermione has been studying the Muggles' version of magic, the Old Religion. It's fascinating to see how many self-identified witches there are who have nothing to do with the wizarding world, but she's surprised to find real power here as well. The group she shyly attends calls it women's magic, and the priestess who speaks with her afterwards tells her how their magic is best served with threes. The priestess calls them Maid, Mother, and Crone. Hermione sees other patterns, ones always in front of her suddenly in focus.
It's natural to invite Harry over of an evening, natural to relax with him on the sofa together with glasses of pumpkin wine and conversation.
What happens next is just as natural, and as she is pressed between the two men she loves most in the world, Hermione feels a magic older than time.
***