Like Fingerprints Upon the Land (F/K, PG-13)

[nos4a2no9]

Title: Like Fingerprints Upon the Land
Author: nos4a2no9
Pairing: F/K
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2060 words
Author’s Note: Written for the inuvikdotcom challenge, mainly because I cannot bear the shame of sharing a room with the mods at MJ without having posted at least one story for their challenge. Much thanks to debris_k who did an amazing beta job in addition to providing the

Comments

[indywind]

Yes, the crummy sex and the potential it carries for misunderstanding & ruin... how fine to see that realism! And the sweet save for the hopeful ending.

[nos4a2no9]

Thanks! The realism is pretty important, I think. Bad sex happens, and what happens after is pretty interesting stuff. I'm glad you liked it!

[debris_k]

I wish I had a DS thumbs-up icon. It was great to read the finalized version of this, and the starkness of it all was still as full of impact as the first time I read it. Well, it's maybe a bit starker now, but I still like it's power.

You already know I love it, so what am I babling about? Great job, hon. Am happy to have been able to help. *hugs*

[nos4a2no9]

*g* Yeah, I went for "starker" instead of, um, "richer"? And you did much more then help! This wouldn't have been the same without you! *hugs back*

[revbiscuit]

I really liked this. IMO, a story with a realistic feel to it is much harder to pull off than pretty much anything else, and you've done it really well. I agree with the other comments about the atmosphere, and how you dealt with the awkwardness between them. Now, of course, you could tell us how they got on in Inuvik...

[nos4a2no9]

*g* Thank you so much! And I agree, these realistic stories are tough nuts to crack. I'm glad to hear you think it worked okay. And you know what they say...What happens in Inuvik stays in Inuvik :-)

[jamethiel_bane]

MEEP!
*chews fingernails*

Oh, HON. Just, OH. I adore you- you do know that, right?

This. This WORKS. The pace (I adore the pace. The slow build, the tension. Just OH!) and the build of "Oh, god. Have they wrecked it? Are they broken?"

And THIS
It was the nothing. Miles of it, deep and wide as the Arctic itself.

That's just. Wow. It's the disconnect that is hurting Ray. The nothing between them, when what he needs is something to anchor himself.

Ag. This is incoherent. But one cup of coffee- consider yourself honoured!

[nos4a2no9]

Oh, thank you! I'm so glad to hear you liked, because this was a little scary to write and I'm still not sure it came off well at all. That you liked the pacing and the buildup is great to know, and I'm so happy you understood that Ray's whole sense of disconnection from Fraser is the thing that's killing him and not the bad sex. Mostly. ;-) Thanks again for the FB - you're a peach! *hugs* And I am honoured!

[ruthless1]

Now that was just excellent! And really - it could happen like that. We all like to think everything is so picture perfect the first time (for F/K) but this scenario is much more realistic. And you resolved it just beautifully. Thanks for that - I wouldn't have been able to stand THAT kind of heartache. Really nice job here.

[nos4a2no9]

Thank you! And I promise, I will never, ever post a fic with an unhappy ending. I'm totally with you on the whole "I-couldn't-bear-it" thing. Real life is depressing enough - we shouldn't make pretty boys suffer in fic, right?