Four drabbles (various fandoms, G)
These are some drabbles I wrote for various challenges last year. I never posted them here, but since I'm going through my fic folders, and since I have enough of them to justify a post, here they are!
Title: Little Things (gen)
Fandom: Angel the Series
Cooking for his friends was a little thing, but it brought Angel pleasure.
He relished the feel of moving around in a kitchen, of sending his body through the mundane motions of everyday life. He liked the sound the spatula made as he scraped the eggs onto a dish, and he liked the clinking of forks against plates as Wesley and Cordelia shoveled food into their mouths. He liked the chatter they all made together about their latest victory or about nothing at all.
They were little things, bits and pieces of everyday life. And most people would take them for granted, moving through their days never really thinking about them. But for Angel, these little moments were reminders of that life, even for a vampire, could be about more than simply existing.
Title: Good Night Out (gen)
Fandom: Firefly
Some of Mal’s best nights out ended with someone being thrown through a window. On the best of those nights, he was the one doing the throwing. Afterward, he’d dust off his hands and strut over to the bar for another round. He’d drink his liquor slowly, relishing the taste of it-it always tasted better after a good bar fight. On those nights, he figured he had the right to swagger a little bit and enjoy his victory.
Then warm with whisky and drunk with adventure, he’d waltz back to Serenity for a good night’s sleep. Sometimes he’d find Simon in the kitchen or the infirmary. Sometimes, if he was being honest, he’d require the good doctor’s services to patch up whatever was done to him before he’d thrown the doer out the window. Simon would usually shake his head and say how he didn’t understand why Mal never learned to watch his mouth. Surely, he’d get sick of getting his head busted open. And Mal would just smile, satisfied that this has been one of his best nights out.
Title: For Them (slight Nate/Sophie)
Fandom: Leverage
Nate slumped against the railing and finally let himself experience the pain from the wound in his gut. It was hurting him, to be sure. But it ached far less than watching the helicopter carrying his team rise up into the air and fly away.
It was a bittersweet moment for him. He had accomplished what he’d set out to do. He’d protected his team, and now they were going to be safe. At the same time, though, he could already feel the hollowness from the gaping hole their absence left in his heart.
As he listened to the sirens and the sounds of shoes and boots stomping on cement and metal, he closed his eyes and let his mind drift backward a few minutes. His lips still tingled from the kiss he had shared with Sophie, and his face still stung from the slap that had followed. Nate didn’t blame her. Not really. She had finally come back to him, and now she had to walk away again. He hoped that eventually, though, she would see-that they all would see-he was doing this for them.
He had meant what he’d said to Eliot, Parker, and Hardison before they left. They were his family now. Even though it had happened when he wasn’t looking, he had become the patriarch of this little clan. And it was his job to protect them. This is what he could give them. He could protect them and keep them safe and whole in way he hadn’t been able to do for Sam.
It was all he could give right now, and he hoped it would be enough.
Title: Walk the Plank (gen)
Fandom: Charmed
Piper yawned as she turned off the water in the bathroom sink. She stretched the kinks out of her back and stared at her image in the mirror, running her fingers through hair that would probably need a trim soon. Satisfied that she was presentable enough for breakfast, she tightened the knot on her robe and headed down the stairs.
As she strolled toward the kitchen, Piper started running through the list of things she had to get done today. There were groceries to buy and bills to pay and if today went as her days often went, demons to vanquish. Sure, mornings brought new beginnings, but in the Halliwell house, they also brought responsibility and more often than not, unwanted surprises.
Piper walked into the kitchen and stopped where she stood. Phoebe and Page were sitting at the counter, looking more than a little desperate. And at the table sat a dirty, grungy, and very solid pirate. He was chomping away at a combination of last night’s pot roast and a package of Twinkies.
When he noticed Piper standing there, the pirate motioned toward her and said, “You there. Wench. Bring me some rum!”
Before she had a chance to respond, Paige hurried over to her and flashed an apologetic smile. “This is not our fault,” she said. “Well not completely. It was an accident.”
“And we’re fixing it,” Phoebe added.
Paige smiled brightly and motioned toward the pirate. “This… uh. This is George, and he’s visiting.”
“George?” Piper said, clenching her jaw.
“Yeah,” Phoebe said. “But we’re fixing it.”
“Yep!” Paige said. “He shouldn’t be here more than a few hours. We may need more food by that point though.”
Piper let out a long-suffering breath and shot a glare first at Phoebe, then at Paige. Shaking her head, Piper turned to leave the kitchen. “I’m going back to bed.” she said. “And when I get back up, I am so going to make you two walk the plank.”
Title: Little Things (gen)
Fandom: Angel the Series
Cooking for his friends was a little thing, but it brought Angel pleasure.
He relished the feel of moving around in a kitchen, of sending his body through the mundane motions of everyday life. He liked the sound the spatula made as he scraped the eggs onto a dish, and he liked the clinking of forks against plates as Wesley and Cordelia shoveled food into their mouths. He liked the chatter they all made together about their latest victory or about nothing at all.
They were little things, bits and pieces of everyday life. And most people would take them for granted, moving through their days never really thinking about them. But for Angel, these little moments were reminders of that life, even for a vampire, could be about more than simply existing.
Title: Good Night Out (gen)
Fandom: Firefly
Some of Mal’s best nights out ended with someone being thrown through a window. On the best of those nights, he was the one doing the throwing. Afterward, he’d dust off his hands and strut over to the bar for another round. He’d drink his liquor slowly, relishing the taste of it-it always tasted better after a good bar fight. On those nights, he figured he had the right to swagger a little bit and enjoy his victory.
Then warm with whisky and drunk with adventure, he’d waltz back to Serenity for a good night’s sleep. Sometimes he’d find Simon in the kitchen or the infirmary. Sometimes, if he was being honest, he’d require the good doctor’s services to patch up whatever was done to him before he’d thrown the doer out the window. Simon would usually shake his head and say how he didn’t understand why Mal never learned to watch his mouth. Surely, he’d get sick of getting his head busted open. And Mal would just smile, satisfied that this has been one of his best nights out.
Title: For Them (slight Nate/Sophie)
Fandom: Leverage
Nate slumped against the railing and finally let himself experience the pain from the wound in his gut. It was hurting him, to be sure. But it ached far less than watching the helicopter carrying his team rise up into the air and fly away.
It was a bittersweet moment for him. He had accomplished what he’d set out to do. He’d protected his team, and now they were going to be safe. At the same time, though, he could already feel the hollowness from the gaping hole their absence left in his heart.
As he listened to the sirens and the sounds of shoes and boots stomping on cement and metal, he closed his eyes and let his mind drift backward a few minutes. His lips still tingled from the kiss he had shared with Sophie, and his face still stung from the slap that had followed. Nate didn’t blame her. Not really. She had finally come back to him, and now she had to walk away again. He hoped that eventually, though, she would see-that they all would see-he was doing this for them.
He had meant what he’d said to Eliot, Parker, and Hardison before they left. They were his family now. Even though it had happened when he wasn’t looking, he had become the patriarch of this little clan. And it was his job to protect them. This is what he could give them. He could protect them and keep them safe and whole in way he hadn’t been able to do for Sam.
It was all he could give right now, and he hoped it would be enough.
Title: Walk the Plank (gen)
Fandom: Charmed
Piper yawned as she turned off the water in the bathroom sink. She stretched the kinks out of her back and stared at her image in the mirror, running her fingers through hair that would probably need a trim soon. Satisfied that she was presentable enough for breakfast, she tightened the knot on her robe and headed down the stairs.
As she strolled toward the kitchen, Piper started running through the list of things she had to get done today. There were groceries to buy and bills to pay and if today went as her days often went, demons to vanquish. Sure, mornings brought new beginnings, but in the Halliwell house, they also brought responsibility and more often than not, unwanted surprises.
Piper walked into the kitchen and stopped where she stood. Phoebe and Page were sitting at the counter, looking more than a little desperate. And at the table sat a dirty, grungy, and very solid pirate. He was chomping away at a combination of last night’s pot roast and a package of Twinkies.
When he noticed Piper standing there, the pirate motioned toward her and said, “You there. Wench. Bring me some rum!”
Before she had a chance to respond, Paige hurried over to her and flashed an apologetic smile. “This is not our fault,” she said. “Well not completely. It was an accident.”
“And we’re fixing it,” Phoebe added.
Paige smiled brightly and motioned toward the pirate. “This… uh. This is George, and he’s visiting.”
“George?” Piper said, clenching her jaw.
“Yeah,” Phoebe said. “But we’re fixing it.”
“Yep!” Paige said. “He shouldn’t be here more than a few hours. We may need more food by that point though.”
Piper let out a long-suffering breath and shot a glare first at Phoebe, then at Paige. Shaking her head, Piper turned to leave the kitchen. “I’m going back to bed.” she said. “And when I get back up, I am so going to make you two walk the plank.”