FIC: Ten Things That Pull Apart And One Thing That Holds Together

[lettered]

Title: Ten Things That Pull Apart And One Thing That Holds Together
Length: 3,000 words.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Disclaimers: Not mine.
Summary: Snippets of life in a world where B/A are together post-NFA. Devil's always in the details.

Comments

[chrisleeoctaves]

I had a heart palpitation when I saw this....can't wait to read....omg....squeeeeee.

[ba4ever]

I squeed when I saw this post!

Now I've just got done reading it.

I loved it, it was depressing, and angsty and sad, but cute out their little bickerings and just everyday normal human stuff. They can fight over stuff - cuz they're both alphas, isn't that fun? *G*, the end of the world comes and goes, but in the end, they still love each other. Even though they can be jealous, banal, repressive, estranged, disalluison, unfamiliar.....

I love these little snippets! You should do MORE! SQUEE! Great job.

[lettered]

cuz they're both alphas, isn't that fun?

That's exactly something I wanted to examine: lots of people say B/A doesn't work post-NFAs because they're so controlling. I do think it would present a lot of problems, but I'm not sure it's enough to drive them apart. I know it's possible to always love someone but not be able to be with them/live with them, but I think that if Buffy and Angel got a chance at that happiness they'd grab it.

I'm so glad it worked for you! I'm all done with these; there won't be more...judging by what you say I got my point across ;o) Thanks so much!

So glad it worked for you.

[ba4ever]

....and this is completely shallow, but two alphas makes for very HOT smutfic *WEG.

I know it's possible to always love someone but not be able to be with them/live with them, but I think that if Buffy and Angel got a chance at that happiness they'd grab it.

I totally agree. I mean everythign they are, everything they've done, seems to have some effect on the other, their paths travel so close together, but never cross paths. But when it does, they'd jump at the chance. All these years, pipe dreams that if you love someone, it should be enough. But sometimes it isn't. I think when they truly figure out who they are and what they want, they'd make the sacrifices to be together.

Well, actually I was just thinking out loud...you know that you should write more fic...because I squee when I see any B/A TKP fic. Unfortunately I'm like THE ultimate B/A shipper, and am only interested in reading B/A fic (actually B/O, B/R, B/F, or even B/F/A so if that's in the cards, I'd read it too ;)

[ba4ever]

I also have to say that like canadiangirl_86 my fave was Control, and also Disillusionment (even though they're all fab :D)especially this part:

Yesterday, Buffy decided to use American cheese instead of the special cheese the recipe called for. Last week, they missed the ice show because of a batch of particularly nasty demons, and she never did download a recording of it off the internet. She didn’t miss her father, either. Three months ago they’d lost a vamp they were tracking, and she called killing the other dozen, “good enough.” Last year another Slayer had died and she had said, “it happens. It always fucking happens; that’s life.”

Angel’s vacuuming under the cushions in the couch, now, in the crease between the back and seat, and Buffy’s telling him not to. “It doesn’t matter,” she says again.

“It matters,” Angel says again. “What we do.” The cushions feel soft in his hands as he positions them back on the couch.

It just..cut me so deep there. The mundane things in their lives, mean so much more.

[canadiangirl_86]

This was SO fabulous and felt like such a unique story idea. It's just completely real and I love that about it.

I have to say my favourite is control. You covered both their personalities so beautifully in that short piece. They're both such goddamn stubborn, alpha characters that you know that car ain't goin' anywhere.

Seeing the two in day-to-day life is...uncomfortable in many ways. All the problems and resentments that can just creep up on someone in a relationship is unnerving, especially for two people who love each other as much as these two do. But with that last part, you brought it all back to what's really important. They love each other despite all that and that's all there is to it.

Brilliant!

[lettered]

I have to say my favourite is control. You covered both their personalities so beautifully in that short piece. They're both such goddamn stubborn, alpha characters that you know that car ain't goin' anywhere.

That's kinda where I started with this piece, as I told ba4ever above--they're both alphas and I wanted to see how that would be a problem. In most of the other ones, the little domestic difficulties are paired up with larger relationship problems, but in this I thought the metaphor was obvious: who gets to drive, who gets to be on top.

Seeing the two in day-to-day life is...uncomfortable in many ways. All the problems and resentments that can just creep up on someone in a relationship is unnerving, especially for two people who love each other as much as these two do.That's exactly what I was going for, so glad it worked for you. The point of B/A to me is that it's about two people who love each other enough to overcome lots of obstacles. They overcame Hell and evil and all kinds of things...not sure they could overcome whose

[tinpanalley]

As everyone above has said, the most wonderful part about this piece is the “slice of life” aspect. It shows that no matter how much people love each other, complications and arguments sneak into any relationship. It was interesting to see how Buffy and Angel dealt with those problems, their inability to give in to each other and their tendancy to avoid the real issues. But, it was also really nice to see them come together at the end; proving that their love is strong and can withstand a lot.

Very well done!

[lettered]

I'm so glad the things I was trying to do with this came through. I like to think B/A post NFA could work, but undoubtably they would often be unhappy.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments!

[femmenerd]

Fuck. But I loved this. How you made them real, showed how apocalypses and curses and destiny aren't the only things that can make loving hard.

And holy shit was the payoff something else. Because you led us there, so slowly and with such acrobatic words, and then splooosh, you just get it there in the last part--how someone you love totally crazy-much can drive you batshit insane a lot of the time. And that doubts and cracks and shadows can be there at the same time as big, big love.

[femmenerd]

But this sentence: Frantic heat, Buffy’s ruined skirt and Angel too hard later, Buffy says, “You were right. Feels like home.” It confuses me. Am I not getting something? Should there be a sentence break after "hard?"

[lettered]

I was trying an expression that I don't think worked. (um, the effect was supposed to be something like: 'a while later', with "while" replaced by a few more substantive details). Thanks so much for the head's up!--I'm always looking for both typo checks and constructive crit...I'll try to think of better phrasing!

[lettered]

I'm glad this worked for you, especially the end. The end is what I love about B/A: there'll always be difficulty and stress and issues that seem world-ending, whether it really is the world ending or whether it's who used whose razor--but love can be strong enough to overcome that. Sometimes it doesn't work out; sometimes people have to love each other from afar--but sometimes it just does because it really is that strong and beautiful. *happy sigh* Thank you so much for appreciating what I was going for.