(Untitled)
it's not just where you make your bed
Liam/Zayn, pre-OT5 h/c fic for harriet_vane, a hundred years after it was promised.
pg-13, 4,502 words, untrue.
( Things are thrown slightly off kilter by his injury, and Liam copes as best he can. He lets them take care of him as much as he knows how to, and he tries not to be surprised by how that doesn’t change the promise of change at all. )
Liam/Zayn, pre-OT5 h/c fic for harriet_vane, a hundred years after it was promised.
pg-13, 4,502 words, untrue.
( Things are thrown slightly off kilter by his injury, and Liam copes as best he can. He lets them take care of him as much as he knows how to, and he tries not to be surprised by how that doesn’t change the promise of change at all. )
I can definitely see where this is different than the things you've written before. The writing, the style, it's ... wholly you while also being something new or different, that's clear. I love it -- differently than other things you've written, it pushes different buttons, but I love it just the same.
I like that it isn't explicitly h/c in that they're all... doting over him and taking care of him in the obvious ways. I think you got this spot on, how they each do different things to make Liam feel better, how they approach him or give him space but it's always what he needs. It's truer this way, realer. They each fit together in different ways and it makes sense that they play off of that, that they rely on their strengths and weaknesses with one another to be a comfort. You handled that fantastically, really well.
And for some details now:
Just before he hangs up they all shout various versions of ‘goodbye’ at him, and he can’t tell what any of them actually say, but the sound of their voices makes him feel better anyway. This is a beautiful way to start it, I think, because that first part is ... it says a lot in a few words, and it strikes a chord that resonates through the whole thing, that sets you up for the undertones.
It's hardly major, and it's all his own fault. There's nothing for it but to get on. Oh, baby. You are so stubborn at lovely, but just let them take care of you.
The section that starts with It’s no secret that Liam is “the sensible one” in the band. is just lovely, the way you can really see his character progressing, also really well done.
Liam always wakes up first, and sometimes he’ll have a text waiting from Harry, who hasn’t gone to sleep yet, I don't know what to say about this, but I think you understand why it stands out to me.
he has no qualms about reaching out for Louis and pulling him closer, getting him back. A really great turn of phrase, another fantastic moment of showing rather than telling.
and he holds Liam’s ankle in a grip that feels like it could bruise, if held a bit longer, but Louis lets go too soon I love that you say 'too soon', not 'just in time' or anything else. It's a gorgeous, telling detail that... Says a lot, again.
I'm running short on time, but the gist is this: this is beautiful, it's well-written and a fantastically told story, and I can see why even you love it, because I do too, so much. ♥
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The line about Harry texting Liam having not slept is definitely a nod to your ideas on him!
I actually had a little piece in there explaining that Liam kind of .. picks up on the fact that he thinks it 'too soon', and how telling that is even to him, because that was an idea that I was really stuck on, here, but I eventually took the explanation out and felt like even if no-one picked up on it it was better to hint at it and have no-one catch it than to work too hard to explain it, so I'm thrilled that you noticed!
I'm glad you like this, dude! ♥
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