#Fic: The Quest for Firestorm | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

wangxianficrecs · 4 years ago

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Follower Recs

There are nearly FORTY THOUSAND AO3 stories in the MDZS universe, and I am just a single person with limited time, so.... Here’s a bit of y’all doing my work for me!

~*~

Mojo, I know it'd probably be recced before, but I have to recommend stiltonbasket's Twelve Moons and a Fortnight. It has made me squee of cuteness, hold my breath with suspense, marvel over the worldbuilding and character interactions, and just awed me at how well every original piece of lore and HC ties back to canon. I cried over it, only to cry laughing the next chapter. it kept me going through an entire year of lockdown and is finally coming to an end, and the resolution was magnificent.

*[I’m subscribed to this and keep waiting for Part One to be completed, but instead later parts keep getting posted: is it completed but not marked? I am confused. And eager to read!]*

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight

by stiltonbasket (G, 267k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary: "Let me get this straight. You really want me to stand in for you while you help Jin Ling settle in at Koi Tower?"

"Who else do I have?" Jiang Cheng snaps, ears turning scarlet as Jin Ling tries to pretend he isn't listening. "Father trained you to serve as my deputy, didn't he? And don't say you don't remember, or I'll break your legs."

"Well, yes," Wei Wuxian manages. "Uh. I'll just let Lan Zhan know I'll be at Lotus Pier until you're back at home, then."

Or, the one where Wei Wuxian spends the year before his wedding as Yunmeng Jiang's acting sect leader, and the cultivation world's greatest love story finds its happy ending with the help of three juniors, a teenage romance, and one very involved (and exasperated) younger brother.

~*~

May I recommend fielty by milkpunch a sort of AU where lwj in order to save his sect from being destroyed by nine after wen rouhans assasination goes to work as a guard to Jin zixuan where he meets wwx the right hand of Jin guanguao... ~ @pastashouldbeeatenwithafork

Fealty

by milkpunch (E, 84k, wangxian)

Summary: Before, there had been two reigning kingdoms. Both claimed to be blessed by the sun, but with vastly differing views. One, under the name of Wen, was washed red with blood and violence, its soldiers fierce and stoked with a fiery blaze. The other, under the name of Jin, was bathed in golden light and glory, its soldiers proud and heavy with coin and prestige. The two kingdoms went to war for the true honour of having the sun’s blessing, fighting for many long years with many lives lost.

Jin Guangshan, emperor of the Golden Sun Palace, found that the sun favoured him more.

To prevent his kingdom from being crushed, Lan Zhan, second heir to the Lan kingdom, exchanges his freedom for that of servitude to the Jin kingdom. He is appointed as Jin Zixuan's personal guard, but there's more on his plate than just keeping the Jin heir safe. The Golden Sun Palace is not all that it seems, and the dazzling lives of the royals are less perfect than they appear.

~*~

Hey, I was wondering if I could rec a fic to you. My bestie wrote it for the Lunar New Year Wangxian gift exchange and it definitely did not receive the attention it deserves. It's a really fun mermaid/arranged marriage au! ~ @leahlisabeth

More Than This Provincial Wife

by ApprenticedMagician (T, 6k, wangxian)

Summary: The negotiations surrounding the Lan & Jiang alliance through marriage encountered a few snags in the beginning.

~*~

I love your blog! I saw a recent post where you listed some rec's from other people? [Thank you! And yes, I always appreciate and am happy to share your recs!] I just read the WIP A Corpse Called By Name jaemyun and LOVED it! It's a zombie apocolypse AU, where Wei Ying gets bitten by a zombie.... and I don't want to spoil anything from there, but it is amazing! No pressure to put it in your blog, but wanted to send a note just in case. Thanks for all you do!

A Corpse Called By Name

by jaemyun (not rated, 37k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary: A continuation of zombie drabble!

She loses her brother in a hoard of the undead.

She finds a corpse wearing his face in a convenience store.

The corpse calls her name.

~*~

Hi! I was wondering if I could rec this short fic that I recently found and really liked! The narrative is an inner monologue and I think it captures lwj really well :)

binding me in spells (till my heart's devoured)

by gaysgaysgays (G, <1k, wangxian)

Summary: His scars are a reminder of his hurt, a reminder that he had healed.

(or a study of lan zhan's scars)

~*~

I found a fic I had recently asked you about, so I thought I'd share it with you: Seasons of Falling Flowers by merakily (http://archiveofourown.org/works/28522326). I rediscovered it completely by accident after listening to spinifex's excellent podfic adaptation. This is the fic where Lan Qiren despises Wei Wuxian until Wei Wuxian catches a cold and Lan Qiren find out about his golden core. That part is about 3/4 of the way through. The fic is wonderful and shows a rigid but surprisingly introspective Lan Qiren. ~ @clmoryel [Oh! I just read this one yesterday! Here’s my bookmark.]

Seasons of Falling Flowers

by merakily (G, 40k, wangxian, lan qiren & wei wuxian, podfic)

Summary: Like a parasite, Wei Wuxian has this way of growing on people when you least expect it.

Over the seasons, Lan Qiren slowly pieces back together his relationship with Wangji and learns to like Wei Wuxian in the process.

(“Will you rejoin your sect?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Lan Qiren regrets his wording.

He is not surprised when Wangji’s eyes narrow, flashing with offence. “There is no need to rejoin what one has never left. I did not turn my back on my sect. My sect turned their backs on me.”)

~*~

Hi! Can I rec a fic? "bring you home" by Alasse_Irena on AO3 is a modern AU and is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric fics I have read. Thanks for you work running this blog! I have new Wangxian fics to read <3

bring you home

by Alasse_Irena (T, 28k, wangxian)

Summary: Wei Ying rents a run-down cottage in a small town by the sea, looking for a quiet place to hide after the war.

Lan Zhan has always dreamed of the ocean. He returns to the town where he was born, and where his parents died, to find out why.

Instead, they find each other.

~*~

Good morning lady mojo, I hope you’re having a good day! I wanted to rec a fic, Breathing Firestorm by ladyshadowdrake. It’s 111k and great but barely has any love, which is unfair. You mentioned it in the last ‘in a mood for’ post but I think it should have more of a shoutout because it’s a lot of fun and I liked it a lot. Have a great day ♥️ [Oh! I was subscribed to this one and saw it had been recently finished. It’s def. on my list!]

Breathing Firestorm

by ladyshadowdrake (M, 111k, wangxian)

Summary: After years of a mad quest, Wen Ruohan is finally given proof of a powerful creature living among mortals. He is delighted to find that it truly believes itself to be only a boy named “Wei Wuxian.”

While Wen Ruohan tries to unlock Wei Wuxian’s secret, the sects unite against him. If he can achieve his goal before they arrive, even the combined might of the cultivation world would not be enough to humble him. Meanwhile, Lan Wangji dreams of Wei Wuxian in the Cold Pond Cave, and works tirelessly to rescue him from Wen Ruohan’s clutches. No one is prepared for what awaits the allied sects in Nightless City at the conclusion of the war, and it very well might mean the end of the world as they know it.

~*~

Hi Mojo, firstly thank you for all the hard work you put into running this blog, I’ve found so many fics that I probably would have never come across if it wasn’t for your fic finders posts and your personal review posts. [Aw, thank you!]

I don’t know if you’ve read this fic before or if it’s been mentioned before on your blog (I’ve done a quick search of your blog and couldn’t see it, so if I’ve missed it I apologise!) but if you’ve got a fic rec post coming up, I would suggest “The shapes a bright container can contain” by litbynosun.

It’s a case fic about 16k words long and set after canon. Whilst it’s not the main focus of the story it does delve slightly into chronic illness of wwx (the ailments of mxy’s body) and lwj (his continuous treatment of his scars) which might cover a few requests in the IITMF posts in future.

Thanks again for all the hard work you do! ~ @dulachodladh

the shapes a bright container can contain

by litbynosun

M, 17k, wangxian

Summary: "Lan Zhan, look at this," Wei Wuxian calls. "They don't have organs, but they're all… fuzzy."

He gently strokes the corpse's arm -- it's covered in soft, pigmentless downy hair, like a rabbit. Lan Wangji crouches next to him and nods. "Lanugo," he says. Wei Wuxian raises one eyebrow. "They were malnourished for quite a while before death," Lan Wangji elaborates. Wei Wuxian scans the bodies again. Indeed, they both have sunken cheeks, and their abdomens are empty of both organs and fat padding. “That’s a question,” he says. “Did they starve to death, and have their bodies desecrated after they were already deceased? Or were they murdered, and simply starving at the same time?” "We should stay," Lan Wangji tells him. This is not an answer to his question. It is an offer to search for answers.

Or: Wei Wuxian and his family solve a ghost haunting. Wei Wuxain's old enemy, societal injustice, rears its head again.

#follower rec #wangxian fic rec #I HAVEN'T READ THESE YET #wangxian #mdzs

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lightshadowverisimilitude · 4 years ago

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Breathing Firestorm - Wangxian

After years of a mad quest, Wen Ruohan is finally given proof of a powerful creature living among mortals. He is delighted to find that it truly believes itself to be only a boy named “Wei Wuxian.”

Meanwhile, Lan Wangji dreams of Wei Wuxian in the Cold Pond Cave, and works tirelessly to rescue him from Wen Ruohan’s clutches.

No one is prepared for what awaits the allied sects in Nightless City at the conclusion of the war, and it very well might mean the end of the world as they know it.

________

I am so very proud of this one! Many, many many thanks to the tireless efforts of @eak1mouse as beta, plotting buddy, cheerleader, and not to mention a saint for handling all the 2 a.m. texts of “but wait!”

This is also the longest completed fic I have put out to date, coming in at just shy of 111,000 words, and only four days late on the deadline. ^_^’’

Get the link here!

#wangxian #mdzs #cql #magical creature AU #long fic

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marvelhead17 · 3 years ago

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 7

Word Count: 5.1k Warnings to cover the whole fic: Fake relationships, half-blood children, mild violence, fight scenes, male/male relationships, Dwarf gender concepts, battle of five armies fix-it, pre-battle of five armies, near death incidents, talking to dead people, mentions of paradise/heaven.

The company froze realising they were outnumbered by the guards, “C’mon then, off with the lot of you,” their leader ordered and the dwarves climbed off begrudgingly, being forced to walk forward as people began to peak out their windows and talk amongst themselves.

“Dwarves, in Lake-Town?”

“How?”

“Impossible!”

“Must be from the Iron Hills-”

“Or the Blue Mountains.”

“They’re hairier than I expected,”

“And fatter,”

“Certainly uglier,”

The insults and confusion came from all directions as they were lead towards the centre of Lake-Town, and were now surrounded by a large crowd of Men, with their supplies abandoned in the boat they were defenceless, and by all means had no way to escape without being stopped by someone.

A large unpleasant looking man suddenly burst out from the large home before them onto his balcony, with a snivelling man sauntering in behind him, they both stared down at the encircled dwarves in disgust.

“And what is the meaning of this?” the large man asked angrily, flinging his arms in the air as he spoke.

“We caught them stealing boats, sire,” the lead guard answered.

“Ah, enemies of the state, eh?” the Master, Thorin presumed, scrunched his nose down at them.

“A desperate bunch of mercenaries, if ever there was, sire.” The sickly man, who must’ve been Alfrid, added.

Dwalin stepped forward, “Hold your tongue!” he pointed angrily up at them, “You do not know to whom you speak, this is no common criminal. This is Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór!”

Thorin stepped forward and lowered Dwalin’s arm, patting the dwarf on the shoulder, “We are the dwarves of Erebor,” he addressed the Master, the crowd murmured in shock, “And we have come to reclaim our homeland.” He turned around to address the unsettling crowds around them.

“I remember this town in the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbour filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake.” He clenched his fist upward, “This, was the centre of all trade in the North. I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the Dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the Halls of Erebor!” He raised his fist triumphantly and the crowd seemed to lose their calm as they cheered wildly, and Thorin glanced at the Master expectedly.

“Death!” Thorin turned to see Bard had turned up, “That is what you’ll bring upon us! Dragon fire and ruin, if you waken that beast it will destroy us all.” He said bitterly.

“You can listen to this naysayer,” he gestured to Bard with a shake of his head, “But I promise you this: if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!” He raised his fist again, causing the crowds to cheer once again.

“All of you listen to me! You must listen,” Bard spoke over the noise anxiously, “Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?!” the crowd quietened down immediately and chattered anxiously, “And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a Mountain King, so driven by greed he could not see beyond his own desire!”

“Now, now! We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame.” Master interjected, “Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale,” he pointed at Bard with a shaky hand, “Your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast! Mh!” making Thorin and the company stare in disbelief at Bard.

“It’s true sire, we all know the story.” Alfrid agreed with Master, stepping forward, “Arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark,” he said, making the crowd chatter uncertainly again.

Bard approached Thorin furiously, leaning lower to address him more directly, “You have no right, no right to enter that mountain.”

Thorin stared him down without blinking and spoke lowly, “I have the only right.” He turned his attention back to Master, “I speak to the Master of the Men of the lake; will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share, in the great wealth of our people? What say you?”

“I say unto you…” Master paused dramatically, “Welcome, welcome and thrice welcome! King under the Mountain!” he raised his arms in the air and the crowds went mad with joy once again.

Bard walked away as the crowds surrounded the company, now eager to provide the dwarves as they had promised them salvation from their current state, and they were lead off into a nearby home to celebrate.

“Well that couldn’t have gone smoother,” Bofur spoke to Bilbo, raising his drink and gulping it down.

“Yes,” Bilbo looked at all the food displayed across the long table, unable to make a decision, “Though I might think we have been very lucky,” he added and finally picked a few things to eat. “But it doesn’t ease my mind that they were eager to help after the promise of gold,”

“Why’s that?” Bofur looked up as his drink was refilled by a servant, and happily acknowledged his thanks by lifting the mug and then drinking from it.

“Because who knows what might’ve happened had they not been promised it to aid us,” Bilbo drank slowly as he watched the others eat and drink excessively and loudly, “And what might happen if we cannot uphold their promise?” he wondered.

“Ye need to relax laddie, not everything should be deemed suspicious, ye’re starting to sound like Dwalin now,” he finished his drink and ate more of the meat on his plate.

“Shouldn’t you slow down on the drinks, Bofur?” Bilbo asked in concern as he watched him start on his fourth drink.

“It’s alright,” he shook his head, “Dwarves have a strong tolerance to alcohol, and this isn’t the hard stuff,” he grinned, taking a bite from his meal and downing it with the remainder of his drink.

“Still, I do think it’s wise to pace yourself,” Bilbo frowned, “Considering that we need to be up early to travel tomorrow,”

“Loosen up lad,” Bofur leaned over, nearly knocking things from the table causing the hobbit to jump in concern, and patted Bilbo’s shoulder roughly, and they sat down again. “We’re a day away from home now, it’s time to celebrate,”

“I do believe the time to celebrate is after succeeding and not before,” Bilbo slowly finished his drink, and placed his cutlery neatly on the plate, dabbing his mouth lightly with a napkin. “But whatever pleases you,”

“Cheers,” Bofur grinned and they tapped their mugs together, “To a new home,” he chugged the drink cheerily.

“It won’t be much longer now sister,” Callon assured Nari as she clearly grew more agitated by the minute, especially in the last hour or so, she glanced at him and looked back at the mist behind her warily.

“Rest while you can,” he shook his head, and she crossed her arms, slumping further into the boat with a sigh.

As he rowed on, the mist dissipated and he could see Lake-Town not too far off and the sun peaked over the hills, casting a golden glow onto the lake.

“Dawn should be breaking soon,” she told him, he agreed, “I hope we have not missed them,”

He continued his strides in silence, and cast his attention around the land nearby the town, hoping to catch any signs of them.

He hoped that they had already left if the orcs had managed to track them down, then at least they were safe for a few more hours. He swallowed nervously as he felt his own fear beginning to bubble inside of him, despite telling Nari to calm her own fears.

The sun peered over the mountains as the dwarves gathered themselves to the large boat, the crowd excitedly waving their goodbyes, and Bilbo found himself looking around for someone.

“You do know we’re one short, where’s Bofur?” he asked.

“If he’s not here, we leave him behind,” Thorin stated, looking at Balin, and his advisor nodded.

“We’ll have to, if we’re to find the door before nightfall, we can risk no more delays.” Balin insisted.

Kíli was about to board the vessel but Thorin raised his hand to hold him back, “Not you, we must travel at speed, you will slow us down,” he shook his head at his nephew.

“What are you talking about?” Kíli cracked an awkward smile and shook his head as if he were being told a bad joke, “I’m coming with you.”

“Not now.” Thorin was adamant.

Fíli walked up next to his brother in concern, Kíli still argued, “I’m going to be there when that door is opened, when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin.”

“Kíli, stay here, rest, join us when you’re healed,” Thorin patted his shoulder carefully, his face softening slightly.

“I’ll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded,” Óin insisted, climbing off the boat and onto the dock, standing himself behind Kíli as the rest of the group gathered into the boat.

“Uncle, we grew up on the tales of the mountain, tales you told us, you cannot take that away from him!” Fíli protested, staring his uncle down.

“Fíli!” Thorin was beginning to lose his patience.

“I will carry him if I must!”

“One day, you will be King and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf. Not even my own kin.” Thorin told him gently, Kíli seemed distressed making Fíli hop off the boat defiantly, “Fíli, don’t be a fool. You belong with the company.”

“I belong with my brother,” he spat back, his anger getting the best of him.

The sudden blaring of trumpets in the distance startled Bofur from his sleep; he raised his head slightly, examining the mess of food and drink all around from their celebrations the previous night.

“By my beard, is that the time?!” he jerked up and promptly hit his head against the underside of the table, “Ah! Oh…” he clambered out, making his way around the mess, and then decidedly taking a quick swig from a mug that was on the table to wake him up.

He ran out of the building as fast as he could, using the cheering of the crowds as a means of a guide, he hoped that he had arrived in time.

“Go now with our good will, and good wishes, and may your return bring good fortune to all!” the Master bid them farewell with a wave, as the dwarves set off onto the lake.

“Wait!” Bofur yelled out, pushing his way through the crowds as they also waved their goodbyes at the dock, “No, no!” he reached his hand out and dropped it just as quickly.

He turned to see Kíli watching him through closing eyes and Fíli frowning heavily at him, “Ha, so you missed the boat as well?” he smiled at them, his eyes creasing as he did.

“Kíli?” Fíli asked in panic as his brother suddenly collapsed under his own weight.

“We need to get him on a bed, quickly,” Óin instructed.

The four of them made quickly to reach the nearest homes, but most of them were unoccupied as the people were at the docks, and the few doors that had opened had shaken their heads and closed their doors on them. Bofur realised there was only one person who would help them, and he would not be pleased to see them.

“Come along lads,” he walked ahead of them; once they reached the door he frantically knocked on it, Bard answered to meet them with a disappointed face.

“No,” he said sternly before Bofur could even speak, “I’m done with you Dwarves. Go away.” He started closing the door when Bofur raised his hands with widened eyes.

“No, no, no!” he grabbed hold of the door desperately.

“Please!” Fíli begged, fear shaking his core.

��No one will help us, Kíli’s sick,” he turned to let Bard have a look for himself, “He’s very sick.” He sees Bard’s features become concerned at the paleness of the young dwarf and he let them inside immediately.

Callon had barely reached the dock when Nari made to climb out of the boat; they had arrived quicker than expected as the town seemed eerily deserted, and so instead of taking a longer route to avoid unwanted attention they had rowed straight ahead.

Her brother made to tie the boat to the dock when she grabbed his arm, “There’s no time for that, let’s go,” she cocked her head and he nodded, he followed as she lead the way into the town.

She ran along the familiar paths, concerned at the lack of people, she peered around every corner and down paths to see if she could catch sight of any orcs, but there were none.

“I don’t like this,” Nari grunted. “It’s far too quiet,”

“Then there’s a chance that the orcs have not arrived,” Callon said and she shrugged.

“I suppose,” she paused, “Unless the orcs slaughtered everyone in their path, which is more than likely-”

An unexpected shriek close by interrupted her and sent chills through them, and Nari quickened her pace and her brother kept close by. Soon enough they reached Bard’s home from the lower side, and she slowed down, not wanting to let any potential intruders know of their presence.

Kíli was now settled into a bed, but he was groaning in pain and only caused more concern as he became louder as time went on. Everyone in the room felt a sudden discomfort as a shift in the air unsettled them, nearby buildings creaked and moaned in the quiet night.

“Da?” Sigrid stepped closer to her father, clearly scared; her sister Tilda wrapped her arm around hers.

“It’s coming from the mountain,” Bard assured them.

“You should leave us,” Fíli told them, noticing the fear in the children, “Take your children and get out of here!”

“And go where? There is nowhere to go,” he said irritably, not meaning to be aggressive, but knowing his children might be in danger was making him uneasy.

“Bard!” Nari called in relief and he nearly fell over, “What in Mahal’s good name is going on here?” she asked in alarm as she noticed Kíli laying on the makeshift bed in the far side of the house.

“What’s happened to him?” Callon approached Kíli and Fíli moved to stand next to him.

“His wound is festering up,” Óin informed them.

“I knew he needed a healer to look at him!” she shook her head; “So much for bed rest then?” she asked Fíli sighing loudly.

“I may be to blame on that, however, your dear Bard had us moving about in the sewers just yesterday, for all we know he got infected from something else,” Fíli told her.

“Bard! Of all the things- ye could’ve gone round as I’ve done before!”

“I had my orders on this end to follow, Nari. If I appeared as if from thin air the Master would have had word of it, and the dwarves could’ve been imprisoned! And your appearances in the past have my family under constant scrutiny as is,”

“Ye know I didn’t intend for that to happen!” she argued and then stopped, realising that there were few members in sight, “Speaking of appearances, where are the others?”

“They’re off to the mountain already, we stayed behind to attend to Kíli,” Fíli told her; he brushed his brother’s sweaty hair carefully as the poor dwarf whimpered.

“Only the three of ye?” Callon asked.

“No, Bofur went to collect some King’s Foil not long ago, he should return soon.”

“We must have missed him coming from below,”

“Aye,” Nari nodded.

“Are we going to die, Da?” Tilda looked up at her father, her lip quivering slightly.

Bard smiled at her, “No, darling,” he brushed her hair carefully.

“The dragon, it’s going to kill us,” Sigrid shook her head.

“Is that what that was? I thought it might’ve been orcs,” Nari said in surprise.

“Orcs, are there orcs?!” Óin yelled in surprise and Callon quickly placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

“No, they were following yer trail, but we’re not sure where they might be,”

“I can assure you it won’t my darling,” Bard spoke softly and held her close.

“How can you be so certain?” Sigrid asked.

“Because, I’m going to kill it first,” Bard informed them, releasing Tilda and reaching up to a cluttered net hanging from a support beam in his home, he yanked out a single black arrow and everyone stared at him in awe.

“I’ve been visiting for years, and yet I don’t know about that?” Nari’s jaw hung in amazement.

“I’m sure there’s a lot I have yet to learn about you,” he said and she shrugged with a nod, “Besides, there was never a dragon that needed slaying. Bain come with me,” he glanced at his son and they began to walk out.

“Where are you going, Da?” Tilda asked them.

“To kill a dragon,” he informed her, “You stay here with Sigrid, look after each other.” He pulled them both into a tight hug and whispered, “I love you both.”

He turned to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder, “Bard!” he saw Nari standing behind him, “May the wind be on yer side,” they both nodded and she let go, giving his shoulder a final pat, and he left with his son.

“What can we do to help?” Callon asked Fíli.

“For starters we need to locate Bofur, I’m concerned as to why he’s taking so long-”

“Nari, we need ye to find Bofur, remember we may have orcs hiding in the shadows,”

“Aye, he can’t have strayed too far,” she agreed and moved downstairs.

“I’ll get some more water,” Callon got a bowl of water and returned quickly to Kíli’s side, “Can ye not press something onto the wound?” he asked, and Óin unravelled the injury, the skin was still black and was oozing out a thick yellow substance.

Sigrid decided to get some fresh air and stood on the balcony, letting the cool night air calm her down; a nearby creak made her lean forward and look around, “Da? Is that you, Da?”

“What’s that sound?” Óin asked, lifting his gaze from cleaning Kíli’s wound.

Callon stood to attention immediately, looking to Fíli, “Orcs!” he pulled out his sword, waiting, “Get back inside Sigrid!” he called out, she ran inside without hesitation, screaming loudly, as orcs began to enter the home behind her.

Bain had returned to chaos, moving to protect his younger sister immediately, though stiffening in fear as the orcs neared them. Callon made work of attacking the orcs with several swings of his sword, and Óin grabbed the nearest pots and chucked them at the orcs to throw them off guard momentarily, and Callon cut the throat of an orc swiftly before stabbing another through the chest.

He heard more screams and turned to see the girls surrounded by orcs, Sigrid was pushed backwards and fell onto the bench of the dining table and saw Fíli charge without hesitation to slam the creature into the nearest wall, and then he was thrown across the room himself. He ran to the kitchen, finding the girls cowering under the table together, and he swiftly kicked the bench to its side to act as a shield over them.

“Stay down!” Sigrid yelled.

Bain managed to kick the other bench into an orc, Fíli came running and lifted the bench to shove the orcs back, while his brother was scrambling in the bed attempting to sit up and see what he might be able to do to help them, and fighting against the pains.

“Fíli, stick close to Óin, they’re the most vulnerable right now!” Callon ordered. Seconds later several orcs crashed down through the ceilings, making the children scream louder, “I’ve got this!” he swiftly kicked an orc, sliced another’s throat and decapitated a third in succession.

Where are they? Surely they’d be back by now? He worried, but he had no time to think as more orcs moved in. There’s too many of them in here!

Nari caught sight of Bofur running back towards the home, with the weed clutched tightly in his hand; she stepped across a few boats and stopped a few metres behind him.

“Bofur!”

“Wha-?” he stopped so quickly he almost tripped. “Lass, what are ye doing here? I thought ye were back home-”

“There are orcs tracking ye down, we must hurry, go!” she tugged him by the arm and as if taken from a daze he shook his head and nodded, they ran on with Nari leading them.

After they rounded a corner there was a roar above them and two orcs jumped down from the rooftops with weapons drawn, Nari was forced the other way and barely had time to withdraw her sword in time to stop a blow, and Bofur stumbled backwards and fell on his backside as an orc swung at him, dropping the plant next to him accidentally.

She struggled against the orc as it was much larger than her and not relenting; she caught sight of Bofur trying to crawl away as he was without a weapon and the orc grabbed his legs.

“Ohh!” he tried to grab the walkway but could not, and was swung by his feet like he was a doll, he hit the nearby wall and slid down onto a bench. He ended up slipping comically to the side, making the bench and all its good topple over onto him, making him moan in annoyance and surprise.

She stabbed the orc in front of her and ran forward as the other orc raised its axe above its head to kill Bofur, she threw her dagger and stood in surprise as an arrow struck through its chest first, and she looked around to find Legolas not too far away chasing down other orcs.

Nari moved quickly and removed the dagger from the orc’s backside, “Are ye alright Bofur?” she asked, moving the bags and nets off of him, he sat up and adjusted his hat slightly.

“Aye I’m fine,” he nodded, she gave him a hand to stand up and he gladly took it, “Thanks for saving me,”

She shook her head, “It wasn’t me,” making Bofur frown, “Legolas.”

“There must be dozens more of these foul things,” he glanced down at the orc before he walked over and picked the King’s Foil up.

“No doubting that, we have to get a move on,” she tugged him by the arm and they ran on together, “Kíli needs us.”

Tauriel burst through the front door and started slashing some orcs off, and Callon accidentally found himself stabbing an orc at the same time as her through its chest.

“I had him!” they spoke together.

“Ah!” Kíli yelped as an orc approached him and his brother, Tauriel spun around and caught sight of them, she quickly threw a dagger to kill it and Kíli rolled off his bed with a thud.

“Callon, any eyes on Bofur?!” Fíli shouted from across the room, he shoved Bain under the open end of the table, “Get down!”

Out of nowhere, Legolas killed an orc right behind Fíli and Bain, and turned his onslaught to the rest of the orcs. Kíli somehow managed to stand on his feet, grabbing a nearby dagger that had fallen in the fight and gripping the orc by the shoulder, before stabbing it in the neck. But he quickly fell to the ground screaming in overwhelming pain.

Tauriel froze, her eyes staring at Kíli in concern; while Callon chased down an orc that jumped out through the nearby window yelling out to its companions, he threw a dagger killing it, but obviously the message had gone through as there was a roaring from the distance.

The orcs suddenly started retreating, “They’re leaving!” Legolas told Tauriel from the balcony, managing to decapitate and orc with flair and following their path with his eyes.

“You killed them all,” Bain said stunned, he looked at the rest of their home that now stood as a wreck.

“There are others,” Legolas spoke up, heading towards the front door, “Tauriel, come.” But Tauriel stood motionless as she stared at him with watery eyes.

“We’re losing him!” Óin looked up desperately, and Fíli hurried over to his brother’s side, she looked down at them.

“Tauriel.” Legolas called once more, and then exited without looking behind him.

She walked uncertainly after him, stopping just before the door, until a low grunting came from Kíli once again and she glanced at him worriedly.

Nari let Bofur in front of her and kept her sword drawn in case another orc decided to surprise them, and as they neared Bard’s home she noticed a familiar blond head running after some orcs in the distance, to her confusion they seemed to be retreating despite outnumbering the elf.

Bofur yelped as he nearly collided into Tauriel, she only looked down at him, noticing the weed and a small smile of relief spread on her face. Nari moved herself between them and used her sword to separate them.

“What are ye doing here?” Nari demanded.

“We were taking care of the orcs for you,” Tauriel said coolly, “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to take the Athelas now,”

“Nari-” Callon poked his head out the doorway, “She’s on our side.”

“Alright,” she huffed and lowered her sword.

Tauriel leaned forward to Bofur, and she carefully took the weed from his hand, whispering, “Athelas,”

“What are ye doing?” he asked in confusion and worry, looking at Callon who shrugged.

Tauriel spoke softly, “I’m going to save him,” Callon moved out the way as she entered the house, with both Nari and Bofur following closely behind.

She started rubbing the herbs in her palms and then let the broken leaves fall into the dish of water, while in the meanwhile Callon, Fíli and Bofur took hold of Kíli to raise him onto the dining room table, and Óin looked him over once more

“Hold him down,” she instructed as Kíli began to writhe about.

Callon and Óin took his legs, Bofur stood to his left and Fíli to his right and supported his brother’s head as best as he could, Nari moved over to Tauriel’s side in case she was in need of assistance.

The elf examined Kíli’s wound, touching it briefly before scooping up some of herb paste in her palms, she pressed the remedy into his wound and starting chanting, “{Look upon me with eyes of mercy, provide for me a healing hand and may your life-giving powers flow into my body and the depths of my soul, to cleanse, purify and restore this dwarf’s wholeness and strength to serve for your kingdom again},”

Fíli watched her chant words which he did not understand and wrapped his hands around Kíli’s, allowing the sickly dwarf to squeeze his hand and ease his suffering, Bofur glanced around and placed a bowl of walnuts under Kíli’s head to act as a makeshift head rest, and Óin stared in amazement at her.

After a few moments Kíli eventually started closing his eyes a bit, and his body began to relax as he let the elf do her healing, she repeated a particular line from the ritual over once more.

“{To cleanse, purify and restore this dwarf’s wholeness and strength to serve for your kingdom again},”

Nari had never seen this kind of healing before, but she wanted to help and knew that more hands would help the healing process work better, so she placed her hands over Tauriel’s and began chanting the phrase with her.

The men seemed to be holding their breaths as they watched over Kíli, while the dwarf seemed mesmerised with the two women hovering over him, he did not understand the words they were saying but they were beautiful to him nonetheless.

They finished healing him and Kíli dozed off, the memory of pain washed away with exhaustion, and the dwarves relocated themselves to give him space and allow the women to do what they needed to do.

“That was an honour to witness, Elven healing,” Óin breathed out, “Your brother is mighty lucky that she stayed,”

“Yes, it would seem so,” Fíli frowned as he watched Nari, something in the way she looked at his brother nagged him in his gut.

“We should be lucky that Nari came looking for me,” Bofur spoke up, “Those orcs nearly took me out back there.” He shook his head in disbelief, “I could’ve been dead.”

“All we can hope is that the worst may be over with,” Callon said to them, “With the orcs mucking about the place we’ll be lucky if the people don’t try to chase us out,”

“Yes,” Fíli nodded seriously, “Yes, we must remain positive, Kíli is alive and that’s more than I could ever ask for right now,” the others murmured their agreements.

Nari had just finished cleaning the dead skin from the wound and was now binding his wound carefully, while Tauriel cleaned his face with a wetted cloth and gently dabbing away the stubborn dirt and sweat.

Nari spoke quietly to Tauriel, “I hadn’t known of that treatment when I first tried to mend his wound, I knew he should’ve seen a healer before leaving,” she shook her head, looking at Kíli’s sleepy face, happier than what he had been at Eossimar.

“At least he will heal now, that’s all that matters,” she looked at her and gave her a small nod, “No one could blame you for helping him,”

“-iel,” they caught the end of Kíli’s muttering, and he stared at the two of them, clearly dazed.

“Lie still,” Tauriel carefully brushed away the hair that had fallen to his face.

“You cannot be her,” he continued, “She is far away… She is far, far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world; it was just a dream,” he shook his head; Nari leaned over and patted his twitching hand tenderly. “Do you think she could have loved me?”

They looked at each other and stared at Kíli in confusion, both uncertain if he was referring to either of them.

A sudden whirl of wind blew through the town, causing some dust from what remained of the roof to fall down into the house, making everyone look up in confusion. Nari and Tauriel looked back to Kíli and him at them.

Fíli and Óin glanced at each other, shaking their heads and looking to the sky once more; Callon noticed Fíli become stressed all over again and Bofur found himself instinctively looking to Nari.

____________________________________________________________

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stillthewordgirl · 5 years ago

Text

LOT/CC fic: Cuffed (chapter 1)

A run-in with time pirates leaves Sara and Leonard a bit, ah, closer than they planned for a few days. But maybe they can have some fun with this if they can just deal with the feelings they've both been ignoring. (Set in an extended Season One.)

Yeah, I know I have other things to write. But I set out to write a short piece with one of my favorite tropes and it got out of control. (Again!)

Many thanks to LarielRomeniel and Pir8grl.

Can also be read here at AO3 and here at FF.net.

“How do you two get yourselves in these predicaments?”

Sara, still glaring at the captain, turned her wrist from side to side, feeling the cuff locked around it securely. Too tight to slip out of, even if she dislocated her thumb, and no way they’ve been able to figure out to disrupt the connecting energy field. “It wasn’t us, Rip. Those goddamned time pirates...”

Leonard is, of necessity, so close that she can feel the deep breath he takes before adding: “...had us outnumbered and outgunned, thanks to you.” The irritation dripping off the words manages to cloak just how unsettled by this he is. Mostly.

Rip takes his own deep breath, folding his arms. “Yes, I made a misstep, believing that they may have truly had a few surviving Time Masters on board.” Something flickers in his eyes, regret and maybe even grief, but Sara pretends not to see it. “But they’re gone now. No harm done.”

“Save some damage to the Waverider’s systems and Mr. Snart and Ms. Lance’s plight,” Gideon cuts in, just a bit tartly. The AI, Sara thinks, has become more her own...well, person...since the Vanishing Point’s destruction, and isn’t that interesting?

Rip hangs his head in a vaguely guilty way that neither Sara nor Leonard’s ire had drawn out of him. (Also interesting.) “Yes, well.” He studies the cuffs another moment. “Mr. Rory, thanks to his time as a bounty hunter, should be able to get you out of those. You just have...”

“...to wait until he gets back,” Sara finishes with a sigh.

“Which might be days,” Leonard growls. He moves his hand restlessly, moving Sara’s as well. The time pirates hadn’t even cuffed them in a way that would let them stand side by side, but had cuffed right wrist to right wrist and made things even more awkward.

At least, Sara thinks, they’d been able to maneuver so she could stand in front of him. While Leonard’s shoulders make for rather a nice view, that had made things even more awkward.

“Yes,” the captain admits. “I’m sorry. But...”

They hear their incoming teammates before they see them. While Mick and Ray are out on the jumpship on another mission, the others are still here, and either hadn’t run afoul of the time pirates or hadn’t been quite so outnumbered.

“What...” Jax very nearly skids into the room and stops short, staring at Sara and Leonard—and the rather obvious pair of handcuffs linking them. Then he barks out a laugh, smirking, and Sara sighs, closing her eyes. It’s rather nice, having a surrogate little brother on the ship—until a situation like this.

Jax has already been pestering her about the status of her...whatever it is...with the crook. He’s going to have a field day with this.

“Oh dear.” Stein has entered behind his partner-in-Firestorm. He peers at the cuffs, looking just a little amused. “The pirates? Were they...”

But Leonard’s apparently done with telling the story. He lifts his hand (lifting Sara’s too, of course) and gives the cuffs a shake.

“Can you work your transmut-whatever trick on these?” he asks a bit harshly.

Sara hadn’t thought of that. She looks hopefully at the pair as Rip makes a thoughtful noise. Stein and Jax glance at each other before the latter shrugs and holds out his hand, dissolving into Firestorm as Stein takes it.

Then he steps forward as Leonard and Sara extend their arms, putting a fiery fingertip on the cuff on Leonard’s wrist.

Nothing happens. Jax/Firestorm frowns, keeping his hand there a long moment before pulling it away and shaking his head. Leonard sighs as they separate again, and Sara glances at him briefly before looking back at their teammates.

Jax is studying the cuffs, looking a bit puzzled.

“Nope,” he says, shaking his head. “I dunno what that’s made of, but it’s not having it.”

Stein peers at them. “It’s a rather fascinating material. May I...”

“Maybe when we’re not attached to them,” Sara mutters. She glances up at Leonard. “I need a break from this. You?”

His eyes are shuttered in a way they haven’t been in a long time, with her. “Lead on, Canary.”

Leonard’s been wondering how to go about getting closer to Sara for a while now. This, is, however, not even remotely what he'd meant by that.

Not only is it enforced physical closeness, not chosen by either of them, he’s still wincing away from the way he’d panicked when he’d woken up on the floor of the corridor and felt the weight of the cuff around his right wrist.

It makes no sense, really. It's not like he's a stranger to cuffs, after all, and he hasn't been for decades. He can get out of them in almost all circumstances; he can even fight quite well in them if he needs to. It should have just been an annoyance, just one more bit of necessary information toward working to get out of whatever situation they were in.

Instead, the panic had been followed almost immediately by a wave of remembered agony, one that crested on a feeling of intense nausea as memory asserted himself, the chill of the ice, painful in itself but almost reassuring compared to what happened after...

Reason, for the moment, had abandoned him. Leonard had jerked his arm toward himself, frantically flexing his fingers, trying to assure himself that his hand was restored, that the awful, choking pain was only in his memory.

His arm was there. It was there.

And something—someone—was attached to it.

In the present, Leonard sighs--inaudibly, he hopes. His strangled noise and convulsive movement had woken Sara, whom he’d last remembered fighting at his side against the time pirates trying to take over the ship. Her arm had been bent under her awkwardly, and his motion had hurt her. She’d make a noise herself, half a cry of pain and half a groggy curse, and that had been enough to bring Leonard back to himself.

Rip’s best guess had been that the time pirates had been planning to either take them with an eye toward some sort of bounty or had simply wanted to keep them out of the way until they could figure out who on the ship was who. Still, there were only a few of them, and Leonard and Sara had wounded or taken out a couple—and once the rest had run into Firestorm and Hawkgirl, it’d been all done.

Too bad the others had pitched them back onto their ship before realizing what had happened to Sara and Leonard.

His sigh had, apparently, not been inaudible. Sara, who’s walking ahead of him down the corridor, turns her head to look back, sympathy—ugh—on her face. She’s holding her arm sort of behind herself, apparently to give them a little space, and Leonard’s holding his arm out stiffly in front of himself, but they’re still close. And what would be welcome in other circumstances isn’t nearly so much when it’s not by either of their choice.

“My room’s closer,” Sara says quietly. “OK?”

He’s no stranger to her room—although, again, not in the way he’d like. “Yeah.”

At least it’s her. The notion of being this tied to one of the others…he can’t help the visceral shudder the thought causes, even though he even likes some of them now. Not even Mick—they may be close, closer than either would once have admitted, but they’re not touchy feely. Too many harsh reactions to such closeness, over the years.

Sara, though, sees the faint movement and…and there’s that sympathy again. Not what he wants, damnit.

But this isn’t about what he wants. And so he says nothing.

There was no way Sara could have missed the shudder that wracks Leonard as she slows and he comes a little closer. It hurts, a little—she’d thought that by this point, they were friendly enough that her physical presence, even this close, would be welcome. Actually, she’d thought certain kinds of physical closeness would be more than welcome.

Still. He’d never brought up “me and you” again. Perhaps she’d misinterpreted it.

The last thing she wants him to do is feel as uncomfortable as he’s apparently feeling. Leonard’s become a friend, a very close friend, as this quest to destroy Savage has continued. And that means a lot to her. More than any type of physical…closeness.

That’s what she’s telling herself.

Damnit.

The door to her room opens as she nears it, and Sara moves inside quickly, knowing at this point that even if the barrier closed between them, the force field connecting the cuffs would continue to work. The technology would be sort of interesting, she supposes, if it wasn’t being used on her. Them.

Leonard follows with alacrity…well, he doesn’t have much choice. As the door slides shut, Sara starts to turn to face him, only to remember that would wrap his arm around her and pretty much put them nose to nose. She swallows the thoughts that elicits and maneuvers so that her arm is wrapped around herself instead, a bit awkwardly but safe enough.

When in doubt, go with humor.

“In a way,” she tells him, “Rip has a point. It’s always us, isn’t it?”

It does get a faint snort. “Depends how you define ‘it,’” he mutters, looking down at his wrist and then back up at her.

There’s something… Sara’s rueful smiles melts into a frown. “You OK?”

Silence. His eyes are downcast again and he’s studying the cuff around his wrist with a frozen…no pun intended…expression.

“Len?” Sara bites her lip. “I’m sorry. I know this is…”

“I’m OK,” he cuts in bluntly. “I’ll manage. I…” A longer pause, though he still doesn’t look up---or unfreeze. “The problem. It’s not you.”

She has to believe that. But…

Sara looks down at where Len has his other hand wrapped around his wrist--and then it finally strikes her. It hasn’t been so long…not so long at all, mere months…since he’d gone through a fairly extreme amount of physical trauma, trauma caused in a way by the man he’d once considered his only real friend. Yes, he’d made the choice to…to do what he’d done…but that didn’t change what had happened.

Oh. Oh, she’d completely disregarded that. And there’s no way he’s not thinking that he might have to…

Sara takes a step forward, reaching out to put her hands on both sides of his face before he can pull away.

“Leonard,” she says, then, forcefully, “Len.”

After a moment, his eyes lift to hers. Guarded and wary, and that saddens her, but it’s him, and that’s what she wants. No point in prevaricating.

“If it comes to that, I’ll do it myself,” she tells him, knowing he’ll understand. “No, don’t shake your head at me. Once is enough in any lifetime, to go through that, and…” Sara takes a deep breath. “The League taught me any number of advanced…advanced pain management techniques. And Gideon can work her regeneration tricks…”

The AI cuts in gently. “Mr. Snart, Ms. Lance,” she says quietly, “I wish to assure you that I am doing everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

A moment of quiet. Then Sara lifts her eyes from Len’s frozen gaze. “Thank you, Gideon,” she says quietly. “I…we appreciate that.” She pauses. “Len? Look at me?”

It takes a moment, but his eyes meet hers again.

“How are we going to manage this?” Sara asks calmly. “I know…I know you don’t like contact. But…”

Leonard decides, suddenly, that he needs Sara to know that that’s not it. That’s not the issue, not in this circumstance. He takes a deep breath and then gives her a look from under his lashes, reaching for his habitual cool and the bantering relationship they usually share.

“It’s not that,” he drawls, letting a slight smirk touch his lips, shrugging when Sara gives him a slightly surprised and skeptical look. “The, ah, possible contact.” His voice drops. “It’s all right with you. But I know you didn’t choose this either. And that’s…not how I want it.”

More surprise flickers in Sara’s eyes as she stares at him. Leonard keeps his gaze level, trying to project sincerity for once. And finally, she lets a smile touch her lips too.

“Ah,” she says quietly. “Good to know.” A pause, during which she looks down at their linked wrists. “I didn’t, of course, but…I’m glad it’s you.”

For a moment, they teeter on the edge of what even Leonard can tell is a moment. Which means, of course, that he panics and falls back on innuendo.

“Hey, if you wanted to be this close to me, Canary, I’m sure we could have worked something out that didn’t involve…hardware.”

Sara lifts an eyebrow at him, smirking. “I dunno,” she murmurs, “there are funner things we could be doing with handcuffs.”

It’s enough of a surprise that he barks out a laugh—and the potential moment’s past. For now.

“Well, maybe we revisit that thought when we both have a choice about it,” he drawls just a little suggestively, a careful step toward a subject he’s avoiding since before the Vanishing Point exploded, then immediately changes the subject. “Mick and Raymond should be back within a couple of days. I’d hope.”

“I don’t think I’m quite that optimistic.” Sara allows the change of topic with a sigh, shaking her head and then starting to reach upward with her uncuffed hand. “Crap. After working out, then fighting and then laying in my own drool for a while, I could really use a sho…”

She stops, and for a minute, they very intently don’t look at each other. Leonard, for his part, is trying not to react (voluntarily or involuntarily) at the idea of Sara naked in the shower in any capacity, but she’s right too. This is the sort of practical concern they’re going to need to deal with.

He’d like to wash up too, natural fastidiousness unsettled by the idea of refraining until they can get free. But…

Practicalities, Len. “Also got some wardrobe concerns.”

Sara blinks at him, then looks down at the purple top she’s wearing and apparently registers that she’ll have to cut it off if she wants to change clothes—if she can even do that. “Damnit. I like this one.” She sighs again. “Are we sure there’s no way of reaching Mick and Ray?”

“Hunter says not. Take that for what it’s worth.” Leonard watches her a moment, seeing a patch of blood (not hers) on her jawline and the sweat marks on her top. Doesn’t make her any less attractive, but he can sympathize with the desire for a wash. “And more notably, Gideon backed him up.”

“Damn.” She gives him that rueful little smile again. “I’d like to at least go wash up a little. OK? No need for anything more…revealing…right now.”

He’s going to be lucky if he survives this. “As I said…lead on, Canary.”

Well, well, well.

Sara reflects on Leonard’s rather unexpected words as she leads him down the corridor toward the bathrooms. Both the ones that skirted around feelings, and the ones that had referred to more…physical connection.

She finds herself rather intrigued by both, actually. Apparently he’s still interested, after all. And if nothing else comes of this incident…well, there’s that.

The bathroom is deserted. Sara puts her soap and washcloth down on a sink and glances over her shoulder at Leonard, who’s standing close behind her.

“They couldn’t have used our left wrists, could they?” she mutters, turning on the warm water a bit awkwardly with her left hand.

He smirks at her from far too close for her own equilibrium. “Speak for yourself,” he says quietly, reaching out himself to hold his own cloth into the stream of water. “I’m pretty much…ambidextrous.”

The voice is nearly a purr, and it’s impossible not to consider what he could do with that…dexterity. “Well,” she retorts, facing forward again but tilting her head back a little into him, “it’s not like the League didn’t train us to use both hands…for anything we need.”

Leonard coughs a little and Sara smirks at the fact that she’d managed to unsettle him again. She wets her own washcloth, brushing his left hand as she does so—their linked right hands are still hanging at their sides—and brings it up with a sigh to wipe at her face, trying to remove the worst of the dirt, blood and sweat before actually washing. Leonard, she thinks, is doing the same.

Adding soap, of course, means bringing another hand into it.

Cautiously, Sara moves their linked hands over, picking up her bar of soap and lathering up her washcloth with it. That means pretty much moving Leonard’s arm around her, but he doesn’t say a word. Still, his breathing is distracting as she pauses, puts the soap down again, and reaches up to wash.

She makes sure to reach down into the bit of cleavage the top exposes, too, since she may or may not get a shower anytime soon. Leonard’s breathing speeds up. That’s…fun..

When she rinses out the cloth and hangs it up, though, he clears his throat and reaches for the soap himself. Sara glances up into the mirror as he carefully wipes off his face, eyes closed and mouth a wry line, and…hell if that’s not oddly attractive. Well, Leonard is, and she knows it, but she doesn’t get much of a chance to study him so closely. That jawline, the edge of stubble, those cheekbones…

The amazing blue eyes that are now looking at her with amusement.

Sara smirks back instead of glancing away, and the corner of Leonard’s mouth twitches. He rinses out his washcloth and hangs it up too, then looks back at her.

There’s no way this should have been as arousing as it was. How are they going to get through the next few days again? Sara clears her throat.

“Enough for now?” she asks.

Leonard shrugs a little. “I could use some rest if we can figure that out,” he admits. “It’s getting late, ship’s time. Ah…”

“Your room this time, Snart. It’s a lot neater.”

Leonard’s never particularly minded the Waverider beds before, but now…well.

He and Sara study the bed before Leonard sighs and brings his boot up to brace it against the edge. He gives Sara an apologetic look before pulling her hand over with his to help him untie and remove one, then the other.

Sara, who’d just kicked off her own shoes, gives him a wry smile. “OK,” she says. “You prefer to sleep on your back or…?”

An unusually loaded question, Leonard knows. He’s already spent too much time thinking about this. In far too many permutations. “Don’t care,” he manages.

He generally sleeps on his side. But if he does that, they’ll wind up sleeping spooned, an intimate posture that he’s not so sure either one of them are ready for. Or are they?

“Either is fine,” he adds abruptly. “Back, I suppose. Could go with either.”

Sara studies him, then nods. If she realizes the reason for his sudden abruptness, she doesn’t mention it. She nods toward the bed, and Leonard, figuring logistics quickly, nods, clearing his throat and lying down, stretching out on his back by the wall, cuffed right wrist held a bit awkwardly by his side.

She slips into the bed, stretching out next to him without a word, her own wrist so close to his, by necessity, that they could hold hands.

They don’t.

After a moment, Leonard quietly requests that Gideon turn down the lights, which the AI, ever talented at multitasking, does immediately.

By the sound of her breathing, Sara falls asleep fairly quickly, despite their plight.

Leonard does not.

#captain canary #sara x leonard #legends of tomorrow

17 notes · View notes

buckybarnesbingo · 2 years ago

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BBB Week 6 Roundup!

Title: Bucky's Club Creator(s): BBD2BH Link: tumblr Square: Y5 - Canon Compliant Rating: Gen Ship(s): Bucky & Alpine Warnings: None Major tags: Canon Compliant, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Cat Owner Bucky Barnes, Alpine, Food Summary: Bucky goes on a quest for the best sandwich in Brooklyn and shares it with Alpine. Word count/format: 742

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Title: Firestorm (Chapter 2) Creator(s): scottxlogan Link: ao3 Square: K3 - AU: Firefighter Rating: Explicit Ship(s): Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Warnings: Major Character Death, Arson, Sexual content, murder mystery Major tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Mistaken Identity, From Sex to Love, Misunderstandings, Murder Mystery Summary: Bucky's time with Tony is sidelined by Sharon's murder. When things take a drastic turn, will Bucky be able to pick up the pieces in Sam's life as well as his own when everything doesn't play out as he was anticipating when he took a chance on a random hook-up at a gala he never wanted to attend to begin with? Later Bucky shares a heart to heart with his friends, picks up a new roommate and poker night at Bucky's apartment is filled with surprises! Word count/format: 12539

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Title: Home Again (Chapter 8) Creator(s): scottxlogan Link: ao3 Square: Y3 - Cuddling Rating: Mature Ship(s): Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Warnings: Supernatural Elements, Canon-Typical Violence, References to Depression, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury Major tags: Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Supernatural Elements, Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson Friendship, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Pre-Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Explicit Language Summary: Bucky returns home fearing that Tony is no longer in his life. When he discovers Tony has returned the two bond in unexpected ways in facing the future together. Word count/format: 8424

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Title: No Hero is Above Fear Creator(s): Caiti Link: tumblr Square: U2 - PTSD Rating: Teen Ship(s): N/A Warnings: n/a Major tags: Mood board, Alternate Universe Summary: “The brightest smile can hide the saddest heart.” Word count/format: Mood board

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Title: The Devil Is in the Details (Sign on the Dotted Line) Chapter 1 Creator(s): Faustess (collaborating with Politzania on this fic!) Link: ao3 Square: C1 - Wrong Number Rating: Teen Ship(s): WinterIronHawk Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Major tags: Demon Summoning, Witches, Contracts, Lawyers, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Demon Bucky Barnes, Demon Clint Barton, Demon Natasha Romanov, Angel Steve Rogers, Angel Peggy Carter, Witch Tony Stark Summary: Things go from bad to worse when Tony Stark accidentally summons a demon while trying to cook his mother's osso bucco for Ty to woo him back. Bucky and Clint are just demons working for the weekend. Only they're in Hell and there aren't any weekends. But, if they collect enough souls and fulfill enough contracts, they'll be able to pass the business on to two pairs of lost souls to do their work for them. (Yes, the soul collection business is a multi-level marketing scheme. Remember, this is Hell.) What happens when these two worlds collide? Word count/format: 1486 (chapter 1)

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Title: Underwater Creator(s): Diamante-chan Link: tumblr Square: Y5 - Bucky/Steve Rating: Gen Ship(s): Bucky/Steve Warnings: None Major tags: Mermaid Bucky, human Steve, Mermaid AU Summary: A colorful kiss underwater for Mermay Word count/format: Art

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Title: We are the hunters Creator(s): Diamante-chan Link: tumblr Square: K4 - Isolated or trapped Rating: Teen Ship(s): Bucky/Steve Warnings: Blood, mention of violence Major tags: Attack on Titan AU, Survey Corps Steve, Survey Corps Bucky Summary: What little is left of humanity is now living in between three walls -Maria, Rose and Sina- after the appearance of the titans. When what remains is attacked by a titan like no one has ever seen before, will the defenders of this world manage to save it? Word count/format: Moodboard

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Title: Words ain't enough Creator(s): heizl Link: ao3 Square: U1 - polyamory / open relationship Rating: Teen Ship(s): Steve/Bucky Warnings: Implied depression Major tags: Unhealthy relationships, open relationship, short one shot Summary: He wanted to try this for Bucky. He could deal with thirty more years of playing his side piece and internal suffering as long as he still had him. He'd do anything Bucky wanted if that meant he'd still come back to their apartment and lay his head on his chest at night. But he didn't realize how hard sharing him would be. Word count/format: 2608

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Title: Set Ablaze Creator(s): Caiti Link: tumblr Square: K5 - Darcy Lewis Rating: Teen Ship(s): Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff/Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis Warnings: n/a Major tags: Mood board, Alternate Universe Summary: “People are afraid of falling in love, especially when it comes at the most unexpected of times.” – Unknown Word count/format: Mood board

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Title: Magic of Beginnings Creator(s): Caiti Link: tumblr Square: K2 - Lending a Hand Rating: Teen Ship(s): Bucky/Sarah Warnings: n/a Major tags: Mood board, Alternate Universe Summary: “Don’t start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Every day is a fresh start. Each day is a new beginning. Every morning we wake up is the first day of our new life.“ ~Unknown Word count/format: Mood board

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Title: Don't You Dare Creator(s): Slayer576 Link: ao3 Square: B5 - Kink: Held Down Rating: Explicit Ship(s): Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes Warnings: N/A Major tags: NSFW art, Photo Manipulation, Stucky Summary: WS Bucky and Modern Pre-Serum Steve NSFW photo manip art Word count/format: N/A Art

#buckybarnesbingo2022 #bbb2022 #bbb weekly roundup #bbb week 6 #bbb round four

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