OMG, snippet party...
Feb. 25th, 2010 02:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sweetprinceI've been having so much trouble finishing my fics, so you know what that means? Gimme some prompts and I'll reply with snippets. Any fandom I've participated in, although only AU prompts for J2. You can even request bits from this crazy Gladiator fic that I will never finish below...
He’s Suione. The man in the ring. Tall, with his blond hair shorn short. Nate doesn’t understand anything about the games, but he knows the Suione is good. He clips the Baktrian fighter in the jaw with the hilt of his sword and then dumps him in the sand. The crowd roars and the Suione bends down and rips out his throat, raising up again with crimson stained fists. Nate drops his eyes, and when he raises them up again he finds the Suione staring right into his box, gaze arrowing straight through him.
“Is he looking at me?” Nate’s sister breathes, grabbing at his elbow. “He’s so strong and graceful in form.”
“Could be,” Nate says softly, unable to look away from Brad.
*
Nate agrees with great reluctance to go with his friends to the Ludus Magnus. He’s never had much stomach for gladiators, but Servillius and Clodius won’t stop badgering him until he agrees to come. Nate sighs, and allows himself to be dragged out.
The ludus is saturated with the smell of sweat. They’re quickly shown the gallery by a circumspect slave, and Clodius and Servillius laugh and joke with each other, wondering if the Barbarian’s even had the facility to speak. Nate’s only half paying attention, but he doesn’t know why he’s surprised to see the Suione, running through forms in the practice ring with a wooden sword. He stops, watching the way the Suione’s muscles bunch and shift under his oiled skin.
“I see that the Suione has caught the young tribune’s eye,” the master of the ludus says, he sticks his tongue in his cheek and turns to the slave, “Summon Brad.”
Nate colors. “No, please, I importune you not to…”
His protests fall on deaf ears.
-More Winery!AU for
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
pjvilar (from this story Here)-Horrible First Date (from FBI!Nate/Cop!Brad 'verse) for
amberlynne-More Gladiator!Brad and Tribune!Nate for
alethialia-Sci-Fi AU: AI Brad for
oxoniensis-Brad/Nate, hottest day of the year for
soul_cake_duck-High School AU, Brad in military school for
strangie-More Gladiator!AU for
melloniel-Winery!AU: Brad's History for
bijoux-Brad/Nate Pre-Kuwait, Pre-Slash for
jujubinha-Brad/Nate, Cuddly Bear for
tikiaceae
Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 3
Date: 2010-03-04 10:25 pm (UTC)He doesn’t see Nate for weeks and weeks around town after that. He thinks about going into the coffee shop, because obviously Nate has to be there sometime, but Brad just can’t bring himself. Instead, he throws himself into his exercises and training and goes home for the first time during the school year since he was in the 10th grade. The other kids go all the time, but Brad hasn’t wanted to for a long time.
He doesn’t feel any better there. It’s like the lack of structure is somehow disquieting and upsetting. And he likes his family, but they don’t really get him anymore. He knows his mom regrets sending him to the academy, even though they wanted to straighten him out. It worked, frankly. Maybe not the way they wanted, but that isn’t his fault.
He goes back to campus feeling relieved. The next weekend his mom asks if he wants to come home again, but he tells her he’s too busy. Instead he goes to a house party of one of the day students with a few friends intent on getting blindly drunk. Or at least that’s the plan.
“This party blows,” he says to Ray, staring at the crowd of his yearmates attempting to grind and guzzle large amounts of beer with the students from the girl’s school.
“There are girls here, dude,” Ray replies. “What more can you want?”
Brad shoots him a look. “I’m going to go.”
Ray looks prepared to whine at him, but he switches tactics abruptly. “Suit yourself,” he says and dives into the crowd. Brad rolls his eyes and pushes his way to the front door. It’s a warm night. He stares up at the sky for a moment and then decides to go for a walk down the quiet residential streets. Unbidden, his brain turns to Nate.
There’s another party going on only a few blocks away, the door opens and a bunch of loaded teens from the local high school stumble out, laughing. Brad shoves his hands into his pockets and shakes his head, intending to walk past. But somebody calls out his name. He turns his head and sees Nate, swaying drunkenly, balanced against somebody’s shoulder. The person almost drops him right on the sidewalk and Brad blows out a breath, walking over and dragging Nate’s arm over his shoulder so that he can stand upright.
Nate smiles, right into his face. “That was nice of you...”He rocks on his feet and says, “Want to go for a walk with me?”
Brad holds back a snort. “Sure. Where’s home?”
“Can’t go home. Not like this.” Brad sighs and Nate shoots him a coy look. “Don’t be upset…I am…I think about you all the time.”
Brad freezes, cold going down his spine. They’ve walked a significant distance away from the party, but Brad still looks around to see if anybody is close to them. Just as well because Nate follows it up with a dirty bomb. “Are you gay?”
Brad chokes and Nate reaches up and grips his bicep hard. “You’re just…you look at me all the time.”
Brad hadn’t realized Nate noticed. He tries to disentangle himself from Nate’s grasp, but Nate tightens his grip on Brad’s upper arm. “I wouldn’t have noticed…if I hadn’t been looking too.”
“I’m not ga—”
Nate interrupts him with a kiss. He’s soppy drunk, barely holding himself up, but the kiss has surprising finesse. Brad wants to thrust him away, punch him in the head. What the hell is Nate thinking?
He’s never…he’s never…but then he’s pushing Nate back into the rear door of a parked mini-van, thrusting a thigh between his legs. Nate’s eyelashes brush over his cheek when he changes the angle of the kiss, biting at his lower lip. Brad’s heart constricts, he feels a little bit like somebody just told him his mother is dead, but he can’t stop himself. He wants to lose himself, even as he knows he absolutely can’t.
Nate breathes hard against his mouth and ruts their hips together. It’s too much. Brad’s not ready for that. He steps back, putting a little distance between them. He keeps a hand on Nate’s shoulder to hold him up. Nate’s head nods on his shoulder, but he maintains eye contact.
“I’m not gay either…” he says finally. “But—” he starts.
“I’m joining the marines,” Brad replies, voice breaking.
Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-04 10:26 pm (UTC)*
Nate stares at him for a long moment, suddenly seeming to sober up. He picks up Brad’s other hand, threading their fingers together. Brad looks down at it. His skin is much darker than Nate who’s complexion clearly only burns rather than tans. “Alright,”Nate says, like he’s comforting a small child. Brad tightens his fingers around Nate’s and then drops his hand.
Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-04 10:40 pm (UTC)Oh, boys. I love how Nate is nerdy and normal but still special enough to catch Brad's attention. And Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. He's like stuck in between who he was and who he is going to be and Nate has to go and make it even MORE confusing by being adorable and kissable. IMA CRY!
Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-05 07:10 am (UTC)Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-05 01:52 pm (UTC)Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-04 11:25 pm (UTC)Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-05 03:48 am (UTC)Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-05 02:56 pm (UTC)Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-07 07:42 pm (UTC)This is just wonderful - they're so clumsy with each other, and so young, and how much do I love that they can't take their eyes off each other?! I can so easily see them growing up to be the Brad and Nate of the series, so now I'm imagining the slightly awkward (but full of eyefucking) reunion.
Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-09 05:20 am (UTC)You've given them a new background, and it's so perfect and it feels so honest and true, and it *fits* the story we know from the series so well! It's so, so awesome! I just want to hug and pet them and tell them not to worry, that everything will turn out alright and they will meet again and they will have the most epic love of all time!
As usual, this is amazing! I'm so in love with this whole post!
Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-09 06:24 pm (UTC)I love this version of their backstory! \o/
Re: Brad is sent to military school and meets Nate. Part 4
Date: 2010-03-11 12:31 am (UTC)