The "Everything Changes" 2014 TGW Ficathon
The "Everything Changes" 2014 TGW Ficathon has come to a close! Thank you to all who participated. This post will remain unlocked so that readers may continue to comment on posted fics. Also feel free to post links to belatedly filled prompts. Hope to see you next year!
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"Watermelon"
Part One
“Oh, you have a cat?” Alicia bent a little bit, holding out a hand to the plump tabby ambling down the hallway toward them. The door slammed behind her; the cat flinched, but didn’t run. “I’ve never seen her before. Is she shy?”
Kalinda began undoing her coat. “A little. She doesn’t come out until she’s comfortable with someone.”
“Much like her owner.” Kalinda shot Alicia a look; Alicia held up her hands placatingly. “Sorry. What’s her name?”
Kalinda paused, busying herself with hanging up her coat. “Watermelon,” she said finally, back to Alicia. She turned around with a dare-you-to-laugh sort of look. Alicia promptly took the dare.
“Sorry -- really,” she said through laughter. “ “It’s just so - of all the names in the world, Kalinda, you go with Watermelon?”
“Well, she's fat. And I didn’t pick it. Her owner had to move to California. Watermelon was used to me, so I took her.”
“This was an ex.”
“Yes.”
“Still, I'm surprised you took her. I'd have pegged you more for a dog person. ”
“Yeah, well, cats are less work.” Kalinda walked over to Alicia, who was still bent with a hand out to the cat, and pulled her upright.
“I guess it makes sense,” Alicia said musingly. “You need something to care about that’ll care about you without asking much of you.”
Kalinda dropped her hand and bent to start removing a boot, but not before Alicia had seen the sudden hurt in her eyes.
“Oh, no. Kalinda, I didn’t mean --“
“It’s fine,” Kalinda said, kicking off first one boot, then the other. Straightening up. three inches smaller than before, she said, “If you’re done psychoanalyzing me, do you want to head to the bedroom?” Casually stripping out of her shirt, she turned and headed for the bedroom herself. Alicia hovered behind for half a second, wondering if she needed to apologize, wondering how she’d ever figure it out if Kalinda put up those walls again. “Kalinda --“ she said, “I’m sorry if --“
Kalinda’s bra hit Alicia in the face in answer. Laughing, Alicia took a few running steps and caught Kalinda just as she reached the bedroom, and Kalinda pulled her down for a deep kiss, stumbling over the doorjamb. Just as they made it to the bed, Alicia stretched out a long leg and kicked the door shut, shutting out pets and awkward moments behind them.
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Afterward, they lay quietly with heads almost touching on a sweat-dampened pillow. Kalinda’s expression was softer than usual, the little tendrils of hair that had come loose around her face giving her a vulnerable look, but looking at her, Alicia had the same uneasy feeling she nearly always had around Kalinda, the feeling that she'd never learn to read this woman no matter how long she tried. “What is it?” Kalinda asked, feeling Alicia’s gaze and opening her eyes.
“Nothing.” Alicia knew exactly how well the what are we doing? What does all of this mean? question was likely to go, so she sidestepped it. “I was just thinking --“ Thinking about the cat, and how easily she could see a cat fitting into Kalinda’s life, and how hard it was for her to imagine herself there. “Not that I expect to mean as much as a cat, but...” she started, and then actually clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified: she sounded like a ten-year-old. “Oh, my God, that is not what I meant to say! I just--“
“Shhhh.” Kalinda stopped Alicia’s words with a light kiss. When she pulled away, she didn’t seem frustrated, as she so often did when conversation got deep. “Forget about the cat,” Kalinda said. “You don’t mean as much to me as a cat. You mean as much as...” She paused, considering, Alicia on tenterhooks. “As Alicia,” she said finally.
Tentatively, Alicia shifted, resting her cheek against Kalinda’s. “That’s romantic,” she said.
Kalinda shot her a look. “If you’re looking for romance, you’re with the wrong person.”
“I know. That’s why I wasn’t really joking.”
Kalinda slipped an arm around Alicia, surprising her. The thought came to Alicia, sudden and sure and terrifying, that she loved this woman.
“What is it?” Kalinda asked, feeling the little start of surprise.
“Nothing. I just... can I stay a little while?”
“As long as you want,” Kalinda replied.
Alicia planted a soft kiss on Kalinda’s temple, feeling the beat of life there. Kalinda relaxed into Alicia, closing her eyes again. They lay together, half-dozing, and when the cat started scratching at the door, both ignored her, too wrapped up in each other to notice.
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Really wasn’t expecting that indeed when I read the watermelon prompt, but it works for me! Kalinda is so a cat person ^^
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Can I ask -- what were you expecting from the watermelon prompt? Because I know there's something about watermelons that I've seen discussed (exploding watermelon? Is that it?) but I can't make out what people are talking about. Is whatever the exploding watermelon thing is also the reason for the prompt, or is it something else? All I thought when I read it was that I had been looking for a stupid name for Kalinda's cat and "Watermelon" was a really stupid one. ;)
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So Kalinda and watermelons became something of a running gag...
You're right though -- stupid name for a cat! I really liked this fic BTW!
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Anyway for me, not knowing what stories the prompts are going to inspire is totally part of the ficathon fun: the less expected, the more fun!
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This is a great line that manages to capture Alicia's ability to inflict pain even in a Kalicia fluff piece! This is really lovely though :-) Also, how many lesbian relationships depend on the cat also approving (or not!) of the partner?
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