Fic: Birthday Offer (S&S)
Mar. 30th, 2013 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thisbluespiritTitle: Birthday Offer
Author:thisbluespirit
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 917
Characters/Pairings: Lead, Sapphire, Steel
Warnings None.
Summary: Lead gets an unexpected birthday offer.
Prompt 46: lead - Deal with the devil & Birthday
***
Elements didn’t mark time, or not as the humans did, but Lead liked candles and cakes and celebrations, so he sometimes joked that it was his birthday, if there was time and opportunity. And it must be sometime, mustn’t it? If he had a beginning somewhere long ago then, every once in a while, he must have an anniversary, so why not? Sapphire was always ready to humour him, even if Steel was disinclined to take any notice of such irrelevancies.
Today had started out as one of those days – it’d been years since the last – and he’d got his cake, but right then, before he could blow out the candles, time had frozen in the kitchen and everything else had turned dark. It hadn’t been Sapphire’s doing, Lead knew that, and he wasn’t even sure where Steel had got to.
It had been the cook, the one who’d helped make him his cake. She was more – or less, perhaps – than she seemed. That wasn’t unusual, of course. He watched with interest as she shifted form, waiting for her to settle into one before he made up his mind as to what kind of threat she could be. She thinned, widened, aged and de-aged again before solidifying as a grey-haired woman, be-suited and lacking any trace of humour in her face.
“You don’t scare me, you know,” he said, and gave a low rumble of a laugh. “What’s this about, then?”
“You want this house back where it belongs, don’t you?” she said, raising her head, watching him closely. Her eyes were blue-grey, he noticed, as she stared at him, her gaze hard. “You want your colleagues returned?”
“Well,” said Lead. “I might. But I don’t need you for that.”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t,” Lead said, and couldn’t keep back another chuckle. “But go on. You’ll do that – and let me go – if I do… what? You want something, I’m guessing. You wouldn’t bring me to wherever this otherwise.”
The woman folded her arms against herself and remained watching him for some time before answering. “You,” she said. “That’s what we want. This work of yours – you don’t have to do this. It never stretches you enough, does it? You could join us instead.”
“Oh?”
“And if you don’t,” she added, and gave a thin smile, “well, if you don’t, I’ll leave you here, in this place until – until it’s too late.”
Lead shook his head and grinned at her. “I don’t think so.” So, he thought, it hadn’t been time that had frozen, it had been him, taken and placed somewhere – in something. He didn’t know what and she was being careful not to tell him.
“Even if you did remain untouched,” she said, “it’s not in you to stay in one place, is it?”
Well, it wasn’t, he knew, but if it happened, he’d find a way to deal with it. What else would he do? Lead shrugged. “Better than the alternative.”
“You’re certain about that?”
Lead laughed at her again, but loudly this time; let himself go fully. When he’d finished, he advanced on her. She didn’t move or flinch, though he dwarfed her – and by rights he could break her with one hand. But, he reminded himself, she wasn’t what she seemed. “What, a deal with the devil? Oh, no; no thanks. I know how that ends, and you can count me out.” Then he gave a sudden grin. “’Sides, I like them, most of the time. The humans, you know. Cakes and candles and presents – don’t suppose you have them, do you?”
He finally moved on her, but as he’d expected, she simply wasn’t there any more. Lead nodded to himself, and stayed where he was – not that he had much choice just yet – and waited.
He hadn’t been surprised when he’d wound up here. Now he wasn’t surprised, when the darkness cracked into pieces and after a moment of blinding light, he was back in the kitchen, the candles still burning. Steel was standing in front of him.
“What took you so long?” Lead asked Steel, and turned his head to wink at Sapphire. “I’ve been waiting to blow out these candles.”
“Lead –” Sapphire moved forward.
Steel didn’t give her chance to finish, his attention on Lead. “What happened?”
Lead only grinned again, and put his hand to Steel’s shoulder, a friendly blow that would have felled anyone else. “Nothing worth talking about. Now, Steel, let me at that cake before those candles burn themselves out.”
Sapphire watched as Lead blew out the candles – sent some of them falling out of their holders and onto the table. “There was an image of you on it, you know – right in the middle of the icing.”
It had been dark, because he’d been hidden away in the cake topping? Lead laughed again. Now that he wished he’d known. Maybe he could have eaten his way out. “Funny,” he agreed. “But nothing that should get in the way of celebrating my birthday.”
“You can’t have an anniversary,” said Steel. His face formed itself into an expression of distaste around his next words: “Certainly not a birthday. And, Lead, something happened. I want to know what it was.”
“I can’t?” said Lead. “You sure about that? It’s my birthday, I should know.”
Lead.
Lead shook his head at him. “Steel, didn’t I say? Nothing worth talking about. Now, how about we have some of that cake, before we’ve got to hurry off somewhere else?”
***
Author:
thisbluespiritRating: All ages
Word Count: 917
Characters/Pairings: Lead, Sapphire, Steel
Warnings None.
Summary: Lead gets an unexpected birthday offer.
Prompt 46: lead - Deal with the devil & Birthday
***
Elements didn’t mark time, or not as the humans did, but Lead liked candles and cakes and celebrations, so he sometimes joked that it was his birthday, if there was time and opportunity. And it must be sometime, mustn’t it? If he had a beginning somewhere long ago then, every once in a while, he must have an anniversary, so why not? Sapphire was always ready to humour him, even if Steel was disinclined to take any notice of such irrelevancies.
Today had started out as one of those days – it’d been years since the last – and he’d got his cake, but right then, before he could blow out the candles, time had frozen in the kitchen and everything else had turned dark. It hadn’t been Sapphire’s doing, Lead knew that, and he wasn’t even sure where Steel had got to.
It had been the cook, the one who’d helped make him his cake. She was more – or less, perhaps – than she seemed. That wasn’t unusual, of course. He watched with interest as she shifted form, waiting for her to settle into one before he made up his mind as to what kind of threat she could be. She thinned, widened, aged and de-aged again before solidifying as a grey-haired woman, be-suited and lacking any trace of humour in her face.
“You don’t scare me, you know,” he said, and gave a low rumble of a laugh. “What’s this about, then?”
“You want this house back where it belongs, don’t you?” she said, raising her head, watching him closely. Her eyes were blue-grey, he noticed, as she stared at him, her gaze hard. “You want your colleagues returned?”
“Well,” said Lead. “I might. But I don’t need you for that.”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t,” Lead said, and couldn’t keep back another chuckle. “But go on. You’ll do that – and let me go – if I do… what? You want something, I’m guessing. You wouldn’t bring me to wherever this otherwise.”
The woman folded her arms against herself and remained watching him for some time before answering. “You,” she said. “That’s what we want. This work of yours – you don’t have to do this. It never stretches you enough, does it? You could join us instead.”
“Oh?”
“And if you don’t,” she added, and gave a thin smile, “well, if you don’t, I’ll leave you here, in this place until – until it’s too late.”
Lead shook his head and grinned at her. “I don’t think so.” So, he thought, it hadn’t been time that had frozen, it had been him, taken and placed somewhere – in something. He didn’t know what and she was being careful not to tell him.
“Even if you did remain untouched,” she said, “it’s not in you to stay in one place, is it?”
Well, it wasn’t, he knew, but if it happened, he’d find a way to deal with it. What else would he do? Lead shrugged. “Better than the alternative.”
“You’re certain about that?”
Lead laughed at her again, but loudly this time; let himself go fully. When he’d finished, he advanced on her. She didn’t move or flinch, though he dwarfed her – and by rights he could break her with one hand. But, he reminded himself, she wasn’t what she seemed. “What, a deal with the devil? Oh, no; no thanks. I know how that ends, and you can count me out.” Then he gave a sudden grin. “’Sides, I like them, most of the time. The humans, you know. Cakes and candles and presents – don’t suppose you have them, do you?”
He finally moved on her, but as he’d expected, she simply wasn’t there any more. Lead nodded to himself, and stayed where he was – not that he had much choice just yet – and waited.
He hadn’t been surprised when he’d wound up here. Now he wasn’t surprised, when the darkness cracked into pieces and after a moment of blinding light, he was back in the kitchen, the candles still burning. Steel was standing in front of him.
“What took you so long?” Lead asked Steel, and turned his head to wink at Sapphire. “I’ve been waiting to blow out these candles.”
“Lead –” Sapphire moved forward.
Steel didn’t give her chance to finish, his attention on Lead. “What happened?”
Lead only grinned again, and put his hand to Steel’s shoulder, a friendly blow that would have felled anyone else. “Nothing worth talking about. Now, Steel, let me at that cake before those candles burn themselves out.”
Sapphire watched as Lead blew out the candles – sent some of them falling out of their holders and onto the table. “There was an image of you on it, you know – right in the middle of the icing.”
It had been dark, because he’d been hidden away in the cake topping? Lead laughed again. Now that he wished he’d known. Maybe he could have eaten his way out. “Funny,” he agreed. “But nothing that should get in the way of celebrating my birthday.”
“You can’t have an anniversary,” said Steel. His face formed itself into an expression of distaste around his next words: “Certainly not a birthday. And, Lead, something happened. I want to know what it was.”
“I can’t?” said Lead. “You sure about that? It’s my birthday, I should know.”
Lead.
Lead shook his head at him. “Steel, didn’t I say? Nothing worth talking about. Now, how about we have some of that cake, before we’ve got to hurry off somewhere else?”
***
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 10:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 05:09 pm (UTC)And I don't know, I think Lead seems to just be how he is and everything's water off a duck's back to him - but on the other hand, everyone likes annoying Steel! It must be the no. 1 Elemental sport or something... :lol:
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 06:32 am (UTC)I wonder, has it ever been managed if he's an operator or a specialist. In my mind, I've always seen him as the latter.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 05:11 pm (UTC)And I don't know, I keep changing my mind. I wondered at one point if he was a specialist (but not a technician) but now I tend to think he's another operator. (He's come to help Steel, but he also seems to be there to fetch them to another assignment that he reckons is more difficult. Or maybe it's just that he's not like Silver, who always says he's there for x specific reason - to get them in and out, to watch for something etc. BUt who knows? They're such a mystery. As I said, I keep changing my mind on the subject.)
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 06:37 pm (UTC)I've always considered both terms describing the same kind...
I don't know about Lead either. I lean a little bit towards specialist, but I couldn't explain why...it's just a feeling
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 07:47 pm (UTC)But it is just what I think - as with most S&S things, it's a mystery!
And, aha, my feeling leads me in the opposite direction - he's an operator! ;-p
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 08:08 pm (UTC)Obviously I couldn't stop reading. :) At last a mod stepped in and told everyone to play nice...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 08:28 pm (UTC)It can be kind of fascinating to watch, although generally I'm quite lucky in that it hasn't tended to happen too much in comms and places I go as yet (fingers crossed!).
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 09:22 pm (UTC)Sadly the comms I follow are decidedly more on the comatose side of things - not much happening at all. On the other hand too much of this kind of excitement would sooner or later unnerve me. I think I need to find myself a comm that lies somewhere in the middle...
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 12:38 pm (UTC)And, yes, I don't know how it'd have been to have the internet back then, either. I'm generally mostly relieved I didn't, because of the terrible fanfic I'd have produced and the highly weird and wrong things I'd have shipped. I did secretly write sort of fanfic in my diary and collect pictures of shows I liked, but, yes, hard to iamgine the arguing over it.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 01:49 pm (UTC)I did the very same. Admittedly I still have one fan-collection tucked away in a large folder. I was an avid collector as a young teen. I never wrote a diary, but I also still possess a few exercise books written around '82 and '83 with fanfic.
The really funny thing about them is that at the time I had no idea of fanfic (though it did exist in the form of fanzines.) it took me more than twenty years and a re-read to discover that I've written my first fanfic at such a tender age.
The next fanfic I wrote was at the age of 41 - whew, how time flies ;)
Edit:
Sorry, I forgot. Don't bother about any rows. I gather I was in a 'mood' yesterday...
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 06:29 pm (UTC)I'm relieved to hear we don't need to row! ;-)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 07:12 pm (UTC)Oh, hey, another thing - guess what my daemons au has reached 15k today :)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-02 07:37 am (UTC)15k? \o/ *bounces*
no subject
Date: 2013-04-04 04:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-04 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 08:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 11:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 11:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-05 10:17 pm (UTC)I loved your story. Thanks for sharing!
no subject
Date: 2013-04-06 07:28 pm (UTC)