Meme The First!
Aug. 9th, 2011 06:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
samanthahirrI've never done a meme before. Let's see how it goes! Via ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
arsenicjade's journal:
Pick one of my fics, and I'll give you three details that didn't make it into the fic. Background canon, deleted scenes, or a look into the future. My choice, but if you have a specific question you can ask it in your request.
arsenicjade's journal: Pick one of my fics, and I'll give you three details that didn't make it into the fic. Background canon, deleted scenes, or a look into the future. My choice, but if you have a specific question you can ask it in your request.
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-09 11:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 12:11 am (UTC)and/or That's Money, Honey! ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 12:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:14 am (UTC)Anything else you want to share about that would be great, too!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:29 am (UTC)One week after the end of the story, Adam drives back to El Paso so he can buy Kris that beer he promised him.
Adam has spent the past week running between debriefings and doctors' offices, giving testimony and getting his burns treated. He's just been granted official leave for the next two weeks, although his first mandatory therapy session is in three days. In Albuquerque. Hopefully, he'll have a reason to stay in El Paso 'til then. He isn't counting on anything happening with Kris, but he's got a bag packed for an extended stay sitting in his trunk, just in case. Hey, it never hurts to be an optimist.
He pulls up out front of the bar Kris picked. And despite all his crossed fingers, it isn't a gay bar. Adam sighs, thinking how much potential awkwardness that would have bypassed. He thought he'd gotten some vibes from Kris during the rescue, but that was probably just Adam projecting his hero-worship, right? What were the odds that he'd get saved by the only gay undercover detective on the El Paso PD?
They've only spoken once since that night at Carson's farm house, when he called Kris to arrange this
dateget together. The last time he'd actually seen Detective Kris Allen, Kris had dropped him off at the Emergency Room and given Adam's shoulder a squeeze before Adam climbed out of the squad car. There were no fond glances, no knowing eyebrows or hints of a smirk. And on the phone, Kris had sounded so damn casual, his southern drawl impossible to read.So Adam's walking into a situation blind. Well, he shrugs, he's walked into worse. And if Kris isn't interested in guys—or in Adam—Adam can at least get to know a little more about the guy who saved his life.
He checks his reflection in the rear view mirror and frowns. The bruising on his face has almost completely faded; only a ring of yellow remains under his left eye. It still isn't perfect, though, so he dabs on a little more concealer before climbing out of the car. Even if this isn't a date, he still plans to look his best.
…
Lucky for Adam, Kris is gay. Even better, he's out, with no qualms about publicly flirting with Adam over a dinner of messy buffalo wings and cheap draft beers. They talk for three hours, pleasantly buzzed the whole time, until Kris drags Adam back to his apartment for the next three days.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:48 am (UTC)Community Rules for Hauntings - a fic that you should never ever ever read while you're alone at night in a two-story house watching Paranormal Activity (I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box, okay? LOL.) because then you have to walk upstairs in the freaking dark and it's creepy.
And then, if we can have a second pick (or if you'd rather do this one), The Sky's The Limit.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:49 am (UTC)Oh...too soon? LOL
A $500 Bottle of Merlot?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:52 am (UTC)I AM NOT YOUR MOPPET, SIR.
So...Diptych, what's up with that?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 02:09 am (UTC)Not only was this a trap to lure you in, but I almost included this warning label: "Notice - Vertigo is allowed no more than THREE story requests." And then I thought that might make you feel [GASP] entitled to three, so I deleted it.
;D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 02:19 am (UTC)Can you believe, I totally gave up on this story and declared it was never going to happen?! I was having the most impossible time with tone and structure. I outlined this fic three separate times before officially giving up after two weeks of failed attempts to start it. What saved it was actually my newfound love of podfic! I listened to the-moonmoth's brilliant Inception fic Half-way Gone as read by FayJay, and fell in love with the narrative voice of Girl!Eames in FayJay's fabulous British accent. That night, I came home and wrote "That's Money, Honey" in a single sitting—I suddenly knew exactly how I wanted to say what I needed to say.
The funny thing was, Adam's narrative voice had a posh British accent as I wrote it. I was so influenced by that podfic that I actually had to edit out stray Britishisms that had snuck into the story. Crazy!
The location where Adam first sees Kris is only described as a sun-drenched regatta party in Miami, but in my head the setting looks like Julio Eglasias's home on Star Island, Miami—an insanely posh and exclusive artificial island, home to the ridiculously wealthy.
Look at that mansion. Jesus CHRIST that's amazing.
And the reason why Adam prefers handshakes to kisses at the IPO party is purely mercenary—he's fondling rings and watches, looking for anything Kris might like. Because every gift he gives Kris is a declaration of love.
-------
And see the comment thread above for an epilogue to "El Paso Low!"
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 02:59 am (UTC)"Hey. Are any of your band mates gonna show up today?"
Kris shook his head and looked around, his eyes bright with the light from the windows. "Nah, I didn't tell 'em about it."
"So they've got no clue you're gonna win a new car? You're just gonna show up at your next rehearsal and be all, 'what, this old thing?'"
He laughed a little. "I hadn't thought about it. But, yeah, that's kinda my style. Low key, you know?"
Epilogue…
Tuesday evening after the competition, Kris arrives at his next band rehearsal in Abigail June, his new candy-red Ford Fusion Hybrid. He pulls into the driveway, parks out front of the garage, opens the door, and slides out with a cocky tilt to his hips and a half-smirk on his face. Cale is the first to notice, and he slaps Andrew's arm, which gets everyone else's attention, and soon all of his band mates are lined up in the mouth of Andrew's garage, demanding to know where the hell Kris got the new ride.
Kris leans his hip against the hood, and Adam takes a moment to enjoy the view of his ass before slipping on his sunglasses (he doesn't care that it's past sunset), opening the passenger door, and striking his best Rock God pose as he stands up in leather pants and a silk shirt, necklaces and boots for miles, and his hair looking particularly glittery and fabulous. (He has an audition tonight for a local production of We Will Rock You, so he's pulled out all the stops.)
All eyes slide from Kris's new car to Kris's new boyfriend, and Adam grins as he saunters around the car. He pushes Kris's legs apart so he can stand between them, takes his chin without a word, and tilts Kris's face up for a long kiss.
"Holy shit," somebody says.
Kris snickers into Adam's mouth, and Adam nips his lip and grins conspiratorially. Mission: Accomplished.
Kris schools his smirk into an innocent expression, says, "Pick me up at 11?" and hands Adam the keys.
"Mmm, if I get done early, can I come over and watch?"
"Sure," Kris says, and squeezes Adam's ass where all his friends can see.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 03:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 03:26 am (UTC)And I love Nina Chovanec. Nina is a 30-something Glambert fanatic and bubbly trophy wife of an older, nouveau riche gentleman. One could speculate that Mr. Chovanec has made his fortune as a businessman, but he is also a close friend of the Czech Prime Minister. The CIA genuinely suspects that Mr. Chovanec may be hosting some "unofficial" political meetings at his private home—meetings that the prime minister wishes to keep secret for some reason. Although there's no proof of such meetings yet, Adam's mission to plant listening devices in the Chovanec home is straight up for reals.
But it's not very important. It's convenient that Adam is able to take the mission, but it would hardly be the end of the world if he couldn't. This isn't a life or death operation; no governments are going to fall if Adam fails. And it certainly isn't worth risking his relationship for! But Adam can't help getting caught up in the James Bond fantasy, and he blows the whole mission out of proportion.
I'm so glad you remembered this story! It was so much fun to write!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 03:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 06:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 10:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 11:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 12:59 pm (UTC)Please tell me something (or a lot of things) about Kris? <3
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:19 pm (UTC)And I will cheer.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-10 01:37 pm (UTC)Community Rules for Hauntings – Deleted Scene, 1/3
Date: 2011-08-10 04:13 pm (UTC)I remember getting so caught up writing this story that I got carried away and wrote the scene of Adam's solo break-in to Kris's haunted condo. It was a suspenseful little scene that I ended up having to cut because it was the ONLY scene in the whole fic that wasn't from Kris's POV. (Doh!) And now I get to share it!
Okay, to set the scene in context: Kris met Adam four days ago, and has been crashing at Adam's apartment so he can avoid going home—he's that terrified of the spirit that's haunting his place. The guys have spent all day Tuesday and Wednesday together and are really clicking…but Kris stopped by his condo on Wednesday evening to grab a change of clothes, and he saw some fresh destruction courtesy of that thing, and ran out of the condo like the Devil was on his heels. After street busking and sex that night, protective!Adam decides to personally investigate why Kris is so scared of going home….
————
Adam lies awake afterward, Kris breathing deep and even on the bed next to him, in for another marathon 12 hours of sleep. He's never known anyone to sleep as much as Kris has the past few nights, but he's never seen anyone have daily panic attacks, either. Adam clenches his fist and sits up, slides out of the bed to go pace in the kitchen.
Issues are normal in their community. Bad stuff, like families kicking you out, addictions, discrimination, harassment, assault…. And Kris certainly has his share of issues: failed marriage, bad credit, frustrated ambitions. But he also has that sweetness, that voice, and so much talent Adam wants to put him on a pedestal so the whole world can see and appreciate him. And best of all, he has hope and joy. Despite all the crap he's been going through, Kris actually seems like a guy who could rise above his issues, who wouldn't drag Adam down with the inevitable contest over who's had a harder life.
But Kris, for all the venting Adam's encouraged, still won't talk about the other thing, the one that's really messing him the hell up. Which is seriously unfair, because Adam can tell when he's getting too attached to someone, and he's dangerously close to Kris right now. He needs Kris to be able to get past whatever that mysterious, unspoken issue is. If it's something Kris can't get over, or Adam can't fix for him, then this relationship is gonna turn out like the others; a competition that Adam won't compete in. And if it's gonna end like that, he'd be better off walking away right now.
Adam remembers what Kris looked like, running out of his totally normal, cookie-cutter condo, pale and shaking, too afraid to even change his shirt in his own home. The memory pisses him off, makes him want to protect, to fix, or at the very least understand. He has to know why Kris is so afraid of going home…before he falls in love with someone too broken to keep.
Adam looks at the wallet and keys Kris left on the counter. Fuck it. If Kris won't talk to him, he'll go see for himself.
Re: Community Rules for Hauntings – Deleted Scene, 2/3
Date: 2011-08-10 04:14 pm (UTC)The air is thick and heavy, and smells like stagnant water when he parks Kris's stolen car in its reserved spot. Adam pulls his leather jacket closed and shoves his fingers through his hair, going for a little more height. He's dressed in shit-kicker boots and his loosest black jeans, no chains or jewelry or makeup—his tough guy costume, the one he only dons when he has to walk home from the club on Thursday nights when the buses aren't running.
The steps up to the second floor are glowing, harsh yellow of the corridor lamps softened by the mist. He climbs silently, pulling out Kris's license to get his unit number. The whole development looks just as he'd thought yesterday; safe and normal. So much for his "roving gangs terrorizing the neighborhood" theory. Adam looks at the door and pauses, keys in hand. He's not sure what—or who—is in there, and walking in unannounced could be advantageous or really dangerous.
He presses the doorbell.
The buzzer sounds inside, and he hears something moving, a heavy thump just the other side of the door. Adam squares his shoulders and stands up taller, projecting don't-fuck-with-me vibes.
The door behind him opens with a snap and click, and Adam jumps and turns to see a 40-something woman in a green velour track suit and full face and hair glaring at him. She sizes him up suspiciously, and Adam feels the need to explain himself before she slams the door and calls the cops.
He racks his brain and smiles, says, "Hi. I'm, uh, Kris's coworker. From the studio." Shit, was that the right lie? Kris probably wouldn't want his neighbors thinking he was inviting over gay hookups in the middle of the night or anything, so work seemed like the obvious choice, but the way her eyes narrow in disapproval makes Adam wonder if Kris has been getting shit for practicing music here…oh hell.
She's sending some seriously ugly vibes his way, and Adam feels his skin crawl a little as he stares at the frown lines between her eyes, the brown makeup smudges on her zipup, the overly-plucked brows. She's clearly wide awake, even at this hour, so what the fuck is her problem with him? It's like she knows he isn't supposed to be there. Her glare intensifies, and then she huffs and steps back, locking her door with two sharps snaps.
Adam shakes off her bad energy and turns back to Kris's door. Despite the noise he'd heard inside, there's nothing happening now. He could try the doorbell again…which would summon the desperately suspicious housewife lurking next door. Keys it is. The deadbolt fights him, and Adam has to jimmy it a bit, watching over his shoulder in case Kris's neighbor is keeping an eye on him. She's probably standing at that peephole, staring at his ass, reporting him to the police…. The lock pops, and Adam rushes inside and closes the door behind him at light speed.
He has a self-aware moment to appreciate the irony of how much he's acting like Kris, all worked up and nervous about this place. Of course, Adam is legitimately committing a crime, breaking in here. So what's Kris's excuse?