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Title: Of Mice and Men
Fandoms: Castle, Fables
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, Fantasy, Humor, Romance
Details: Slash, genre!crack, AU, crack, unsolicited crossover, fairy tales, talking animals, author insanity, shades of "omfg what did I just write?", unbetad.
Characters/Pairings: Castle—Javier Esposito/Kevin Ryan, Kate Beckett. Fables—Bigby Wolf, Frau Totenkinder, Reynard, Rose Red, Bagheera, others. OCs.
Wordcount: 3,334
Summary: In which a city mouse visits the country, which predictably leads to trouble and (in no particular order) revelations, relations and reciprocation; a funeral and a shotgun wedding; and Javier almost gets eaten by a panther.
Note: This was going to be another long-ass chapter, but I decided to split it into parts. Apologies that it's taken this long to get the next one out there. Oh, and it also has mood swings like crazy, and just generally makes no sense (so, kind of like me in that respect).
Chapter Seven: Hare Trigger
(In which a second kiss proves even more disarming than the first, magic animals discuss gay marriage, and Kevin is given some heavy food for thought.)
Once he was finished getting ready, Kevin brought Javier down to breakfast, and a few final plans were made.
Kevin didn't like the idea of leaving Javier behind, but his partner wasn't about to let him miss the funeral for his sake. In any case, it wasn't as if he were really leaving Javier alone, or even in uncertain company. Javier would be safe enough inside the Farmhouse, and barring some bizarre and unforeseeable circumstance, there was no reason for him to leave it. Though Rose would be busy with other matters, anyone entering with the goal of causing trouble would still certainly face her wrath. Rose's assistant, Brock, had promised to stay alert for trouble, and Twigleaf had promised, without being asked, to keep an eye on matters as well. There was really very little likely to go wrong within the next few hours...
Still, no one felt like taking the risk of saying so out loud.
In a weird way, Kevin was remarkably proud of his partner. Javier seemed to be handling everything so well—so far—and had even managed a remarkably polite greeting as Twigleaf introduced him to Rose's assistant. Though, fortunately, Kevin had been present and able to interrupt before his cousin's mischief could cause any awkward mistakes to be made.
"His name is Brock Badger," Kevin corrected quickly, casting an accusing glance at Twigleaf, who seemed in far too good a mood to let it interrupt his high spirits. Glancing at the Fable concerned, Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, how did 'Stinky' even become a thing?"
The badger snorted unhappily, unmoved to answer, though unfortunately Twigleaf seemed content to speak up for him.
"Let's just say you're not the only one who's been dating outside his species," his cousin offered brightly.
And, really, seventy years was a long time, but when had Twig become such a gossip anyway? Kevin couldn't tell whether his partner was trying to be diplomatic or if it was simply a sign of panic, but Javier's focus remained locked on his plate. For his part, Kevin couldn't quite keep himself from blushing. Brock grumbled irritably as he removed himself for more coffee.
"Court a skunk once," the badger muttered, "and people never let you forget it."
Soon it was time for Kevin to leave. He would have liked the chance to speak with Javier in private before he went, but unfortunately there wasn't time. What was more, both Brock and Twigleaf seemed frustratingly determined to watch the two of them say their goodbyes. It was a smaller audience than the one they had entertained in the Farmyard, but it was one they still needed to fool nonetheless.
And with Twigleaf so clearly invested in Kevin's relationship with Javier, it was not a performance they could afford to neglect.
"I promise not to take any longer than I have to," Kevin told his partner as they stood in the entryway.
That much was sincere, at least.
Kevin knew he was just drawing things out, making excuses for himself not to go. He knew Javier didn't need this kind of reassurance, but Kevin had never been the type to leave a man behind. Mercifully, Kevin thought Javier understood that much. Otherwise his partner would definitely not be okay with that sort of protectiveness.
"Take as much time as you need," Javier told him, firmly.
Kevin nodded silently in response. There was a sort of blank fuzziness buzzing in the front of his mind that made anything more intelligent than that impossible. They were standing so close—they always stood close to one another, but this was closer—and somehow, without him noticing, Javier had taken Kevin's hand in his. It took a confused millisecond for his brain to process that physical reminder of the roles they were playing.
Still, somehow, by the time it did Kevin was already leaning in for a quick kiss.
His heart was beating rapidly with something that was almost panic—as if, in some irrational part of his mind, he was still half afraid that Javier was going to punch him. As hurried as it was the kiss was a little sloppy, and their noses mashed together just a bit. This time Javier had seen it coming, but Kevin thought that might have done them more harm than good. After all, as good as he and his partner were at navigating each other's actions, this particular maneuver wasn't something they had ever before needed to practice.
The awkwardness of it brought sharply into Kevin's mind the memory of his first kiss—or rather, his first in the fashion in which humans most often did it. A kiss that had been half a joke as his oldest and dearest friend in Fabletown had teasingly demonstrated a human kiss to him in the simplest way she could. The fundamentals had been the same, of course, as the kissing he had been used to—the closeness of being nose to nose, of breathing each other's air—but the mechanics of how mouths were engaged with one another had been entirely different.
The two of them had shared many kisses after that one, though they had proven better as friends in the end, and Kevin had enjoyed the company of numerous other women in the seventy years that followed. Kissing was one of the many parts of being human that he had unexpectedly come to enjoy. Yet, whether it was the difference in genders or simply a trick of his memory Kevin wasn't entirely sure, the kiss he exchanged with Javier felt strangely new...
And oddly, like that long ago demonstration, Kevin thought it too felt somewhat like a tease.
Perhaps even more strangely, as Kevin headed out the door to attend the funeral of a friend, his heart felt disarmingly light. This, of course, was not to last.
"What is wrong with you?" a voice interrupted, bringing Kevin's steps to a halt.
The tone was harsh and accusing, dismissing the vague, warm confusion that had briefly overtaken Kevin's thoughts. Turning around, he was not at all surprised at what he saw.
It was Thunderfoot. Of course it was.
Kevin had been worried the day before when he and Javier had passed Thunderfoot on the path toward Smalltown. Well, if he was going to be completely honest with himself, Kevin had been worried about everyone they had passed, just a little bit, but Thunderfoot's presence had concerned him especially.
As he had all too briefly explained to Javier, Thunderfoot had never been a friend of his.
While many of the Farm's inhabitants had found Kevin's choices in life distasteful, it would not have been outrageous to say that Thunderfoot was offended by his very existence. Ironically, for the most part this was a result of how very much they had in common. Like Kevin, Thunderfoot possessed a form very different from the one he had been born to. As a man Thunderfoot was blue eyed and blond, and attractive by most human's standards—it had been remarked upon years go that he and Kevin could almost have passed as brothers. Yet those similarities seemed almost designed to heighten the resentment the other Fable felt for him...
A visual reminder that, though on the surface their circumstances were similar, Kevin had willingly turned his back on the very things Thunderfoot had been denied.
Now, it seemed clear that Kevin's concerns had been far from misplaced. Still, Kevin considered himself lucky. After all, he thought as he waited patiently for Thunderfoot to say his piece, at least whatever scene the other Fable was about to make wouldn't be taking place in front of Javier.
"Some of us would give almost anything to go back to being what we were," Thunderfoot said as he looked Kevin over, shaking his head, "but you have to come around flaunting how much you don't even care."
Kevin said nothing. It was an old accusation, and one he had long ago tired of answering. It had been worth addressing when his cousin had said it—Twigleaf mattered to him, and he cared a very great deal about the difficulty his human form created in relating to his cousin. And he had cared about others he had known in Smalltown whom he had been unable to speak with for decades. But, where Thunderfoot was concerned, the other Fable was right as far as it went.
Kevin really didn't care at all.
"And now you're bringing around this human," Thunderfoot continued, venomously. "A male, Mundy human. That's not just dangerous it's sick."
"Jesus, Thunder," Kevin said, wearily but there was a bite of something hard and sharp underneath. "Not everything is about you."
And Kevin hadn't quite noticed until he had spoken the way his hands had balled into fists. Thunderfoot seemed disarmed by his words, and Kevin's voice surprised even him. At the other Fable's stunned expression, he couldn't stop himself from continuing.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe that's the sin you're supposed to correct in order to break your curse?"
Because Kevin had thought about the nature of Thunderfoot's curse more than once, with the sort of guilt he too often felt for things that weren't honestly his fault but which effected him nonetheless.
"Even the smallest of us had roles to play in the war against the Adversary," Kevin said, "but you chose to lead your warren into battle against a goblin in the name of honor and glory. Your honor and your glory, Thunder, and your hares died because of it.
"Thistlepelt died because of it," Kevin reminded him, pointedly. "It's been more than two hundred years since his mother cursed you, and you still haven't found a doe that could see past your curse and release you. And there could be a lot of reasons for that, but personally I think it's because you haven't given them any reason to. Why should any self-respecting female waste their time falling in love with the hare underneath the man when that hare acts like a self-centered child?"
Thunderfoot had grown pale with a kind of horrified shock, and Kevin honest to god felt a little of it himself, because while he had thought those things before—many times—he had never said them out loud. Yet the anger that had been simmering for nearly sixty years finally seemed to be flowing up from where it had so long remained hidden, and now Kevin felt almost helpless to stop himself from venting it.
"This isn't a punishment for me," Kevin said, voice tight, enunciating slowly so that Thunderfoot had no choice but to listen. "I chose this. It's not something I ever wanted, but I chose it anyway for the sake of the things I did want, and I'm happy with my choice. It's my right to be happy about it, Thunder, and you need to stop expecting me to feel sorry for it."
Kevin stopped, taking in a deep breath, and as he did the tension in his lungs eased. It felt for all the world like letting go of something he hadn't even known he was holding.
"And Javier is the most important person in my life," Kevin finished, evenly, "Fable or Mundane. I won't be made to feel sorry for that either."
Kevin was shaking a little bit as he turned and walked away, leaving Thunderfoot speechless behind him.
Thankfully he managed to regain some measure of composure before he arrived. The funeral was a somber affair, carried out with every inch of the dour, dignified propriety that Lilliputians were wont to muster. Thumbwise was laid to rest in a cemetery on the outskirts of Smalltown, just a few yards past the wall. Like the rest of Smalltown's perimeter, Fables more than a foot tall were forbidden entry without permission. Most Gullivers required training just to move safely within Smalltown's borders. Even Kevin had not been exempt, back when he had returned for his first visit after his transformation. Due to his unique circumstances, he had only ever required the most cursory learning on the subject, but it had still been terrifying for him to realize just how much damage he was capable of simply by being careless...
Kevin watched the proceedings from an section reserved for oversized mourners, doing his best to ignore the askance looks that some others cast his way. Unfortunately, the gossip that inevitably reached his ears was more difficult to ignore.
Animal Fables were often shameless about whispering under the noses of humans when they thought they couldn't hear—which, if one was an inhabitant of Smalltown, was often as simple as speaking at normal volume. Which, to be quite honest, was a habit Kevin himself had been guilty of before his transformation. Yet, while Kevin's hearing was nowhere near as sharp as it had been before the witch's spell, it was still far sharper than average for a human—a detail few on the Farm had ever gotten the chance to learn, and which, by now, even fewer remembered.
Most of what he overheard was unsurprising. A few of his former colleagues from the Mounted Police still harbored hurt feelings over his desertion of Smalltown, and his untoward dalliance with a Gulliver was apparently just the proof they needed to feel justified in their derision. Unnatural was another word he heard used to classify his relationship with Javier. Others echoed Thunderfoot's accusation of his involvement with a Mundane being dangerous as well as disgraceful—which, all things considered, wasn't a standpoint with which Kevin could easily disagree.
"They aren't even real people," he had heard one Lilliputian say to a beetle at his side.
"Let the mouse have his fun with the Mundy," the beetle had replied dismissively. "It won't last more than half a century."
And those words, more than any other had managed to hurt him, though the sad reminder also managed to lend perspective to some of his thoughts from the previous day.
Thinking back, Kevin remembered his reaction of horror upon finding Javier in the Farmyard, and his conviction of just how devastating his partner's death would be. Reexamining it now, Kevin was forced to ask himself if losing Javier really would have soured Fabletown for him forever. After all, though Javier was his closest friend, Kevin had always known he was destined to lose him to time eventually. Still, in spite of Kevin's knowledge of the limited term in which he operated with his Mundane acquaintances, Javier had always managed to push past his defenses in spite of his better judgment. Indeed, Kevin felt closer to Javier than he could ever remember with his friends in Fabletown—Farm or city—even those whose company he had kept for nearly a century.
Even Thumbwise, who had been closer to him than anyone but his kin, had never approached the easy rapport Kevin had always had with Javier—and that had been before, when Kevin had still needed to keep so much of himself hidden. Now, Javier knew practically everything about him, and while a voice in the back of his mind whispered that it should have left him feeling naked, all he could manage was a strange sense of relief. Rather than fear, Kevin couldn't bring himself to entertain any doubt that he could trust Javier, not only with his own secrets but with those of Fabletown as well. And that was a confidence he had never felt, not even with Jenny, which in part was why he had put off telling her for so long...
Thinking back on his confrontation with Thunderfoot, replaying the exchange in his head, Kevin decided that, with his engagement to Javier or without, there would have been no need for him to change even a word.
When Kevin returned to the Farmhouse, there was talk going on there as well. Brock and Reynard were seated at the table in the kitchen. Twigleaf and a blackbird whom Kevin didn't know by name—though that wasn't unusual, there were close to two dozen around the Farm at any given time—perched on the back of a chair nearby. At first, he felt a faint note of alarm that Javier wasn't there, but after a few words made the topic of their conversation plain, Kevin decided his partner was probably hidden away in their room upstairs for the protection of his sanity...
They were discussing the upcoming wedding.
"I don't understand the fuss, to be honest," the blackbird chirped sharply. "It may have been more than a century ago, but it's not as if Mundanes have never married into the Fabletown secret before. As for the Farm's security being breached, it's alarming, surely, but after two hundred flawless years it was only a matter of time."
"Well, there's also the fact that the Mundy in question is male," Brock interjected, clearly finding the bird's own arguments worrisome. "That's...not even something that's happened within our own ranks yet. A lot of Fables already view the Mundane world as a corruptive influence, and many of them are going to see this as proof."
Inwardly, Kevin groaned. As if the climate surrounding the issue in the Mundy world weren't stupid enough...
"Well," the blackbird responded, cocking her head slightly as she ruffled her feathers—though whether it was with surprise or embarrassment Kevin couldn't guess. "You know, I can never tell with mammals anyway."
"I think the expression they have down in the city is 'haters gonna hate'," Reynard broke in, grinning. "It's not like it's anyone else's business but theirs."
"Says the fox who single-handedly made sure the entire Farm knew within hours of Javier's arrival," Kevin finally interrupted, making his presence known.
The others at the table all turned toward him, seeming somewhat abashed about their conversation, but Reynard's grin simply widened, the trickster not even bothering to pretend to look ashamed.
"What worries me is the fact that the Farm's defense was flawless, before yesterday," Brock said, still clearly concerned. "For a Mundane to make it past the distraction spells our sorcerers have put in place...it's troubling, to put it mildly."
Kevin frowned at that, thinking it over for a moment, because Brock certainly had a point.
"Maybe it's because he was following me, specifically," Kevin hazarded, uncertainly. "He wasn't looking for the Farm, and didn't know what was out here."
Outside of his one-time dealing with Frau Totenkinder, sorcery wasn't something Kevin knew a great deal about, but he knew intent was often a large part of it. Oddly, it was the blackbird that addressed this theory with a quick shake of her head.
"It shouldn't have mattered," she said thoughtfully. "He still should have gotten spectacularly lost. We don't even know why he followed you out here in the first place."
"Maybe it's because it was True Love," Twigleaf offered helpfully, with an optimistic pitch to his voice that drew the attention of everyone else at the table.
"True Love doesn't apply to Mundies," Reynard said dismissively, as if the fact should have been obvious.
His cousin bristled visibly.
"It had better," Twigleaf stated sharply, "because if Javier doesn't make my cousin happy, I'll do whatever is in my power to make that human miserable for the rest of his days."
And, honestly, if there was one thing Kevin hated about being human it was blushing. Having been thrown off balance by this turn in conversation was bad enough without being forced to show it. He mumbled some vague excuse about checking up on Javier, exiting the room to his cousin's cheery reminder to bring his fiancee down for lunch.
Feeling strangely overwhelmed, Kevin had to paused on the stairs to collect his thoughts.
Often times when working a case Kevin could recognize that a piece of evidence was significant, even when he didn't yet possess enough information to understand exactly how. He was therefore used to filing pertinent details away in the back of his mind until he knew enough to put them in context.
Since the moment first he had first seen Javier cornered against the barn, Kevin's primary concern had been keeping his partner alive, and things had progressed so quickly afterward that he had scarcely any time or energy to spare on anything else. Yet his mind had done what it always did, retaining and sorting the details that slipped past his immediate comprehension until there were enough for him to form a clear picture. Now, Kevin was startled to realize that he had become so caught up in answering Javier's questions that he had neglected asking any of his own...
And that the answers might change everything.
But for those who don't mind spoilers...it's one other than Fabletown's most badass super-spy.
A word about Thunderfoot:
Colonel Thunderfoot appeared in a three page story called "A Mother's Love" from the Fables collection 1001 Nights of Snowfall. He was a hare who led his warren in battle against the Adversary (i.e. the Big Bad that drove the Fables from the Homelands). He was cursed by the mother of a hare who died in their assault on a goblin (yes, a single goblin) into the form of a "hideous beast" until the love of a female hare could free him.
I didn't know about this character at the time I started plotting this fic. If I had, the story would have been completely different, because I probably would have just written Kevin as Thunderfoot. Not only would it have been simpler using an existing character who already had a similar enough back-story, there's also a fair enough resemblance.
Oh, and as of this chapter, Twigleaf is officially tied with Reggie from Life as my favorite OC ever. He seems to be very like Castle in the "insanity as plot demands" department. Because apparently his motivations can be summed up as follows: "My cousin has brought a giant boyfriend home. I must be supportive and awesome!"
Fandoms: Castle, Fables
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, Fantasy, Humor, Romance
Details: Slash, genre!crack, AU, crack, unsolicited crossover, fairy tales, talking animals, author insanity, shades of "omfg what did I just write?", unbetad.
Characters/Pairings: Castle—Javier Esposito/Kevin Ryan, Kate Beckett. Fables—Bigby Wolf, Frau Totenkinder, Reynard, Rose Red, Bagheera, others. OCs.
Wordcount: 3,334
Summary: In which a city mouse visits the country, which predictably leads to trouble and (in no particular order) revelations, relations and reciprocation; a funeral and a shotgun wedding; and Javier almost gets eaten by a panther.
Note: This was going to be another long-ass chapter, but I decided to split it into parts. Apologies that it's taken this long to get the next one out there. Oh, and it also has mood swings like crazy, and just generally makes no sense (so, kind of like me in that respect).
Chapter Seven: Hare Trigger
(In which a second kiss proves even more disarming than the first, magic animals discuss gay marriage, and Kevin is given some heavy food for thought.)
Once he was finished getting ready, Kevin brought Javier down to breakfast, and a few final plans were made.
Kevin didn't like the idea of leaving Javier behind, but his partner wasn't about to let him miss the funeral for his sake. In any case, it wasn't as if he were really leaving Javier alone, or even in uncertain company. Javier would be safe enough inside the Farmhouse, and barring some bizarre and unforeseeable circumstance, there was no reason for him to leave it. Though Rose would be busy with other matters, anyone entering with the goal of causing trouble would still certainly face her wrath. Rose's assistant, Brock, had promised to stay alert for trouble, and Twigleaf had promised, without being asked, to keep an eye on matters as well. There was really very little likely to go wrong within the next few hours...
Still, no one felt like taking the risk of saying so out loud.
In a weird way, Kevin was remarkably proud of his partner. Javier seemed to be handling everything so well—so far—and had even managed a remarkably polite greeting as Twigleaf introduced him to Rose's assistant. Though, fortunately, Kevin had been present and able to interrupt before his cousin's mischief could cause any awkward mistakes to be made.
"His name is Brock Badger," Kevin corrected quickly, casting an accusing glance at Twigleaf, who seemed in far too good a mood to let it interrupt his high spirits. Glancing at the Fable concerned, Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, how did 'Stinky' even become a thing?"
The badger snorted unhappily, unmoved to answer, though unfortunately Twigleaf seemed content to speak up for him.
"Let's just say you're not the only one who's been dating outside his species," his cousin offered brightly.
And, really, seventy years was a long time, but when had Twig become such a gossip anyway? Kevin couldn't tell whether his partner was trying to be diplomatic or if it was simply a sign of panic, but Javier's focus remained locked on his plate. For his part, Kevin couldn't quite keep himself from blushing. Brock grumbled irritably as he removed himself for more coffee.
"Court a skunk once," the badger muttered, "and people never let you forget it."
Soon it was time for Kevin to leave. He would have liked the chance to speak with Javier in private before he went, but unfortunately there wasn't time. What was more, both Brock and Twigleaf seemed frustratingly determined to watch the two of them say their goodbyes. It was a smaller audience than the one they had entertained in the Farmyard, but it was one they still needed to fool nonetheless.
And with Twigleaf so clearly invested in Kevin's relationship with Javier, it was not a performance they could afford to neglect.
"I promise not to take any longer than I have to," Kevin told his partner as they stood in the entryway.
That much was sincere, at least.
Kevin knew he was just drawing things out, making excuses for himself not to go. He knew Javier didn't need this kind of reassurance, but Kevin had never been the type to leave a man behind. Mercifully, Kevin thought Javier understood that much. Otherwise his partner would definitely not be okay with that sort of protectiveness.
"Take as much time as you need," Javier told him, firmly.
Kevin nodded silently in response. There was a sort of blank fuzziness buzzing in the front of his mind that made anything more intelligent than that impossible. They were standing so close—they always stood close to one another, but this was closer—and somehow, without him noticing, Javier had taken Kevin's hand in his. It took a confused millisecond for his brain to process that physical reminder of the roles they were playing.
Still, somehow, by the time it did Kevin was already leaning in for a quick kiss.
His heart was beating rapidly with something that was almost panic—as if, in some irrational part of his mind, he was still half afraid that Javier was going to punch him. As hurried as it was the kiss was a little sloppy, and their noses mashed together just a bit. This time Javier had seen it coming, but Kevin thought that might have done them more harm than good. After all, as good as he and his partner were at navigating each other's actions, this particular maneuver wasn't something they had ever before needed to practice.
The awkwardness of it brought sharply into Kevin's mind the memory of his first kiss—or rather, his first in the fashion in which humans most often did it. A kiss that had been half a joke as his oldest and dearest friend in Fabletown had teasingly demonstrated a human kiss to him in the simplest way she could. The fundamentals had been the same, of course, as the kissing he had been used to—the closeness of being nose to nose, of breathing each other's air—but the mechanics of how mouths were engaged with one another had been entirely different.The two of them had shared many kisses after that one, though they had proven better as friends in the end, and Kevin had enjoyed the company of numerous other women in the seventy years that followed. Kissing was one of the many parts of being human that he had unexpectedly come to enjoy. Yet, whether it was the difference in genders or simply a trick of his memory Kevin wasn't entirely sure, the kiss he exchanged with Javier felt strangely new...
And oddly, like that long ago demonstration, Kevin thought it too felt somewhat like a tease.
Perhaps even more strangely, as Kevin headed out the door to attend the funeral of a friend, his heart felt disarmingly light. This, of course, was not to last.
"What is wrong with you?" a voice interrupted, bringing Kevin's steps to a halt.
The tone was harsh and accusing, dismissing the vague, warm confusion that had briefly overtaken Kevin's thoughts. Turning around, he was not at all surprised at what he saw.
It was Thunderfoot. Of course it was.
Kevin had been worried the day before when he and Javier had passed Thunderfoot on the path toward Smalltown. Well, if he was going to be completely honest with himself, Kevin had been worried about everyone they had passed, just a little bit, but Thunderfoot's presence had concerned him especially.
As he had all too briefly explained to Javier, Thunderfoot had never been a friend of his.
While many of the Farm's inhabitants had found Kevin's choices in life distasteful, it would not have been outrageous to say that Thunderfoot was offended by his very existence. Ironically, for the most part this was a result of how very much they had in common. Like Kevin, Thunderfoot possessed a form very different from the one he had been born to. As a man Thunderfoot was blue eyed and blond, and attractive by most human's standards—it had been remarked upon years go that he and Kevin could almost have passed as brothers. Yet those similarities seemed almost designed to heighten the resentment the other Fable felt for him...
A visual reminder that, though on the surface their circumstances were similar, Kevin had willingly turned his back on the very things Thunderfoot had been denied.
Now, it seemed clear that Kevin's concerns had been far from misplaced. Still, Kevin considered himself lucky. After all, he thought as he waited patiently for Thunderfoot to say his piece, at least whatever scene the other Fable was about to make wouldn't be taking place in front of Javier.
"Some of us would give almost anything to go back to being what we were," Thunderfoot said as he looked Kevin over, shaking his head, "but you have to come around flaunting how much you don't even care."
Kevin said nothing. It was an old accusation, and one he had long ago tired of answering. It had been worth addressing when his cousin had said it—Twigleaf mattered to him, and he cared a very great deal about the difficulty his human form created in relating to his cousin. And he had cared about others he had known in Smalltown whom he had been unable to speak with for decades. But, where Thunderfoot was concerned, the other Fable was right as far as it went.
Kevin really didn't care at all.
"And now you're bringing around this human," Thunderfoot continued, venomously. "A male, Mundy human. That's not just dangerous it's sick."
"Jesus, Thunder," Kevin said, wearily but there was a bite of something hard and sharp underneath. "Not everything is about you."
And Kevin hadn't quite noticed until he had spoken the way his hands had balled into fists. Thunderfoot seemed disarmed by his words, and Kevin's voice surprised even him. At the other Fable's stunned expression, he couldn't stop himself from continuing.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe that's the sin you're supposed to correct in order to break your curse?"
Because Kevin had thought about the nature of Thunderfoot's curse more than once, with the sort of guilt he too often felt for things that weren't honestly his fault but which effected him nonetheless.
"Even the smallest of us had roles to play in the war against the Adversary," Kevin said, "but you chose to lead your warren into battle against a goblin in the name of honor and glory. Your honor and your glory, Thunder, and your hares died because of it.
"Thistlepelt died because of it," Kevin reminded him, pointedly. "It's been more than two hundred years since his mother cursed you, and you still haven't found a doe that could see past your curse and release you. And there could be a lot of reasons for that, but personally I think it's because you haven't given them any reason to. Why should any self-respecting female waste their time falling in love with the hare underneath the man when that hare acts like a self-centered child?"
Thunderfoot had grown pale with a kind of horrified shock, and Kevin honest to god felt a little of it himself, because while he had thought those things before—many times—he had never said them out loud. Yet the anger that had been simmering for nearly sixty years finally seemed to be flowing up from where it had so long remained hidden, and now Kevin felt almost helpless to stop himself from venting it.
"This isn't a punishment for me," Kevin said, voice tight, enunciating slowly so that Thunderfoot had no choice but to listen. "I chose this. It's not something I ever wanted, but I chose it anyway for the sake of the things I did want, and I'm happy with my choice. It's my right to be happy about it, Thunder, and you need to stop expecting me to feel sorry for it."
Kevin stopped, taking in a deep breath, and as he did the tension in his lungs eased. It felt for all the world like letting go of something he hadn't even known he was holding.
"And Javier is the most important person in my life," Kevin finished, evenly, "Fable or Mundane. I won't be made to feel sorry for that either."
Kevin was shaking a little bit as he turned and walked away, leaving Thunderfoot speechless behind him.
Thankfully he managed to regain some measure of composure before he arrived. The funeral was a somber affair, carried out with every inch of the dour, dignified propriety that Lilliputians were wont to muster. Thumbwise was laid to rest in a cemetery on the outskirts of Smalltown, just a few yards past the wall. Like the rest of Smalltown's perimeter, Fables more than a foot tall were forbidden entry without permission. Most Gullivers required training just to move safely within Smalltown's borders. Even Kevin had not been exempt, back when he had returned for his first visit after his transformation. Due to his unique circumstances, he had only ever required the most cursory learning on the subject, but it had still been terrifying for him to realize just how much damage he was capable of simply by being careless...
Kevin watched the proceedings from an section reserved for oversized mourners, doing his best to ignore the askance looks that some others cast his way. Unfortunately, the gossip that inevitably reached his ears was more difficult to ignore.
Animal Fables were often shameless about whispering under the noses of humans when they thought they couldn't hear—which, if one was an inhabitant of Smalltown, was often as simple as speaking at normal volume. Which, to be quite honest, was a habit Kevin himself had been guilty of before his transformation. Yet, while Kevin's hearing was nowhere near as sharp as it had been before the witch's spell, it was still far sharper than average for a human—a detail few on the Farm had ever gotten the chance to learn, and which, by now, even fewer remembered.
Most of what he overheard was unsurprising. A few of his former colleagues from the Mounted Police still harbored hurt feelings over his desertion of Smalltown, and his untoward dalliance with a Gulliver was apparently just the proof they needed to feel justified in their derision. Unnatural was another word he heard used to classify his relationship with Javier. Others echoed Thunderfoot's accusation of his involvement with a Mundane being dangerous as well as disgraceful—which, all things considered, wasn't a standpoint with which Kevin could easily disagree.
"They aren't even real people," he had heard one Lilliputian say to a beetle at his side.
"Let the mouse have his fun with the Mundy," the beetle had replied dismissively. "It won't last more than half a century."
And those words, more than any other had managed to hurt him, though the sad reminder also managed to lend perspective to some of his thoughts from the previous day.
Thinking back, Kevin remembered his reaction of horror upon finding Javier in the Farmyard, and his conviction of just how devastating his partner's death would be. Reexamining it now, Kevin was forced to ask himself if losing Javier really would have soured Fabletown for him forever. After all, though Javier was his closest friend, Kevin had always known he was destined to lose him to time eventually. Still, in spite of Kevin's knowledge of the limited term in which he operated with his Mundane acquaintances, Javier had always managed to push past his defenses in spite of his better judgment. Indeed, Kevin felt closer to Javier than he could ever remember with his friends in Fabletown—Farm or city—even those whose company he had kept for nearly a century.
Even Thumbwise, who had been closer to him than anyone but his kin, had never approached the easy rapport Kevin had always had with Javier—and that had been before, when Kevin had still needed to keep so much of himself hidden. Now, Javier knew practically everything about him, and while a voice in the back of his mind whispered that it should have left him feeling naked, all he could manage was a strange sense of relief. Rather than fear, Kevin couldn't bring himself to entertain any doubt that he could trust Javier, not only with his own secrets but with those of Fabletown as well. And that was a confidence he had never felt, not even with Jenny, which in part was why he had put off telling her for so long...
Thinking back on his confrontation with Thunderfoot, replaying the exchange in his head, Kevin decided that, with his engagement to Javier or without, there would have been no need for him to change even a word.
When Kevin returned to the Farmhouse, there was talk going on there as well. Brock and Reynard were seated at the table in the kitchen. Twigleaf and a blackbird whom Kevin didn't know by name—though that wasn't unusual, there were close to two dozen around the Farm at any given time—perched on the back of a chair nearby. At first, he felt a faint note of alarm that Javier wasn't there, but after a few words made the topic of their conversation plain, Kevin decided his partner was probably hidden away in their room upstairs for the protection of his sanity...
They were discussing the upcoming wedding.
"I don't understand the fuss, to be honest," the blackbird chirped sharply. "It may have been more than a century ago, but it's not as if Mundanes have never married into the Fabletown secret before. As for the Farm's security being breached, it's alarming, surely, but after two hundred flawless years it was only a matter of time."
"Well, there's also the fact that the Mundy in question is male," Brock interjected, clearly finding the bird's own arguments worrisome. "That's...not even something that's happened within our own ranks yet. A lot of Fables already view the Mundane world as a corruptive influence, and many of them are going to see this as proof."
Inwardly, Kevin groaned. As if the climate surrounding the issue in the Mundy world weren't stupid enough...
"Well," the blackbird responded, cocking her head slightly as she ruffled her feathers—though whether it was with surprise or embarrassment Kevin couldn't guess. "You know, I can never tell with mammals anyway."
"I think the expression they have down in the city is 'haters gonna hate'," Reynard broke in, grinning. "It's not like it's anyone else's business but theirs."
"Says the fox who single-handedly made sure the entire Farm knew within hours of Javier's arrival," Kevin finally interrupted, making his presence known.
The others at the table all turned toward him, seeming somewhat abashed about their conversation, but Reynard's grin simply widened, the trickster not even bothering to pretend to look ashamed.
"What worries me is the fact that the Farm's defense was flawless, before yesterday," Brock said, still clearly concerned. "For a Mundane to make it past the distraction spells our sorcerers have put in place...it's troubling, to put it mildly."
Kevin frowned at that, thinking it over for a moment, because Brock certainly had a point.
"Maybe it's because he was following me, specifically," Kevin hazarded, uncertainly. "He wasn't looking for the Farm, and didn't know what was out here."
Outside of his one-time dealing with Frau Totenkinder, sorcery wasn't something Kevin knew a great deal about, but he knew intent was often a large part of it. Oddly, it was the blackbird that addressed this theory with a quick shake of her head.
"It shouldn't have mattered," she said thoughtfully. "He still should have gotten spectacularly lost. We don't even know why he followed you out here in the first place."
"Maybe it's because it was True Love," Twigleaf offered helpfully, with an optimistic pitch to his voice that drew the attention of everyone else at the table.
"True Love doesn't apply to Mundies," Reynard said dismissively, as if the fact should have been obvious.
His cousin bristled visibly.
"It had better," Twigleaf stated sharply, "because if Javier doesn't make my cousin happy, I'll do whatever is in my power to make that human miserable for the rest of his days."
And, honestly, if there was one thing Kevin hated about being human it was blushing. Having been thrown off balance by this turn in conversation was bad enough without being forced to show it. He mumbled some vague excuse about checking up on Javier, exiting the room to his cousin's cheery reminder to bring his fiancee down for lunch.
Feeling strangely overwhelmed, Kevin had to paused on the stairs to collect his thoughts.
Often times when working a case Kevin could recognize that a piece of evidence was significant, even when he didn't yet possess enough information to understand exactly how. He was therefore used to filing pertinent details away in the back of his mind until he knew enough to put them in context.
Since the moment first he had first seen Javier cornered against the barn, Kevin's primary concern had been keeping his partner alive, and things had progressed so quickly afterward that he had scarcely any time or energy to spare on anything else. Yet his mind had done what it always did, retaining and sorting the details that slipped past his immediate comprehension until there were enough for him to form a clear picture. Now, Kevin was startled to realize that he had become so caught up in answering Javier's questions that he had neglected asking any of his own...
And that the answers might change everything.
Author's Note: The badger in the Farmhouse didn't start going by the name Brock Blueheart until after the Dark Ages story arc that I'm pretending never happened. For spoilery, sniffly obvious reasons, "Blueheart" was clearly a name he gave himself, but I'm working under the assumption that Brock actually was his name before people around the Farm started calling him Stinky.
And yes, I'm still holding onto the identity of Kevin's old friend (who I also alluded to in chapter two). That's probably annoying, but I think that, at this point, namedropping would just seem awkward (and she's going to play a significant part in the sequel anyway).
But for those who don't mind spoilers...it's one other than Fabletown's most badass super-spy.
A word about Thunderfoot:
Colonel Thunderfoot appeared in a three page story called "A Mother's Love" from the Fables collection 1001 Nights of Snowfall. He was a hare who led his warren in battle against the Adversary (i.e. the Big Bad that drove the Fables from the Homelands). He was cursed by the mother of a hare who died in their assault on a goblin (yes, a single goblin) into the form of a "hideous beast" until the love of a female hare could free him.
I didn't know about this character at the time I started plotting this fic. If I had, the story would have been completely different, because I probably would have just written Kevin as Thunderfoot. Not only would it have been simpler using an existing character who already had a similar enough back-story, there's also a fair enough resemblance.
Oh, and as of this chapter, Twigleaf is officially tied with Reggie from Life as my favorite OC ever. He seems to be very like Castle in the "insanity as plot demands" department. Because apparently his motivations can be summed up as follows: "My cousin has brought a giant boyfriend home. I must be supportive and awesome!"
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no subject
Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013 04:29 pm (UTC)From:Still, somehow, by the time it did Kevin was already leaning in for a quick kiss.
My, my... Isn't that interesting?
Man. You shouldn't insult Kevin's life choices (and his boyfriend) or he'l unleash the rightful anger. Damn. (That was hot.)
The pic was nice. I like that Thunderfoot and Kevin are different characters. I don't know Fables at all but I feel he gives an opportunity for interesting things to come.
EDIT: It's funny how I pictured a guy named Thunderfoot to be shaped like a Viking....
I knew it wasn't such a bad thing to get to read two chapters at once. I'm already frustrated there isn't more, but it's less impactful as usually.
Still... can't wait for more. :D
In the meantime, I'll return to my new slashy obsession and try to find someone willing to beta some Teen Wolf (because how did that happen? Oh, right. Youtube. What can you do when the casts start shipping and promising slas? You cave. And Oh, I did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyV5QziOvYw)
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Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013 09:04 pm (UTC)From:I honestly don't know why, but I love writing Kevin angry. Probably because he's such a nice guy in canon, but in Den of Thieves, when they caught Holliwell and he demanded to know where Javier was he looked downright scary.
The pic was nice. I like that Thunderfoot and Kevin are different characters. I don't know Fables at all but I feel he gives an opportunity for interesting things to come.
EDIT: It's funny how I pictured a guy named Thunderfoot to be shaped like a Viking....
Lol. Yeah, I like how it worked out. Really, the mouse fits Kevin a lot more than Thunderfoot's story would have.
Plus, Twig♥
I knew it wasn't such a bad thing to get to read two chapters at once. I'm already frustrated there isn't more, but it's less impactful as usually.
Still... can't wait for more. :D
I'm very close to finishing this story. Really just one more chapter and the epilogue. There are sequels after that (because fucking always), but at least I'll have finished this part of it.
In the meantime, I'll return to my new slashy obsession and try to find someone willing to beta some Teen Wolf (because how did that happen? Oh, right. Youtube. What can you do when the casts start shipping and promising slash? You cave. And Oh, I did.
I know, right? I don't even watch the show and I've found myself reading quite a bit of Sterek.
I blame the tagging system on AO3.
I recently went on my own fandom tear through Grimm. My Roachy crossover for it is still unfinished (I plan to at least finish this story before beginning to post any more WIPs), and has predictably begun to turn into a series (why do they never wait until the last story is finished goddamn it... >.<)
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Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013 11:33 pm (UTC)From:I know. He has so much potential with that. Especially since he's so mild mannered. It's an emotional roller coaster.
Plus, Twigâ„
Indeed. :)
There are sequels after that (because fucking always)
*pets*
*hides smirk*
You know I love you. ;)
I know, right? I don't even watch the show and I've found myself reading quite a bit of Sterek.
I blame the tagging system on AO3.
Ugh. I can't believe I met Tyler Hoechlin. *headdesk* And I didn't know who he was! *keeps hitting head* I was just... "Dude. That guy has such strange eyes. He has sort of a sylar-esque, Angel-of-the-Lord feel to him. And MAN, this is so on point!
I hope he comes back for Comic Con Paris 2013. :/
I watched Teen Wolf because... Watching new tv shows with short seasons and not so many episodes aired is my prefered method of procrastination. Everybody else was on hiatus. I needed to do some housework... I streamed them all.
And now I own them all.
Because... GUH. The main pairing? It's as cheezy as 'Smallvile & Dark Angel have a baby!' but Stiles? He's so fucing awesome! (also, now that he has hair hes going to outshine not only Scott but every body else. Jesus.) Also, he's so weird I might be completely over identifying with the guy. A lil bit. And the sterek starts... like at the beginning. I think that Hoechlin says it right when he calls it 'the unfortunate duo'. They're perfect.
It's a teenage Xander/Spike tig-tail pulling in the midst of the appocalypse. If Stiles is a mix of Xander and Willow and suddenly buffy had gone extremely dumb. Like... Smallville's Clark Kent looks smart next to Scott.
It's a good way to pass the time. It's got good humor and plenty of 'we are selling this show with half naked guys. You're welcome.'. It's good pretty hilarious scenes. It's oh SO guy friendly, I was almost shocked.
AND... sterek has been teased as an actual possibility. *dies*
And since Dylan (Stiles) & Hoechlin pay along so well, and live together with Posey, the RPS is here too. Because, dude, they're the new J2. They have secret handshakes, it's adorable.
*grabby hands*
What do you mean by fandom tear? Because Grimm? So good. Monroe is made of gold. He poops rainbows and stuff. Honest truth.
And he's totally Stiles grown up. Which is funny, because Grimm and Teen Wolf are so xover-able, with Monroe being Derek's relative. I can SO see you fall into that trap if you ever get too close, your love of xovers and all...
That'd be so great. ^^
Good luck with the writing. Hey, i don't know if you've ever used a beta, but if you did, how did that happen?
I don't really know where to look. There are comms but I feel weird going there and asking to people I barely know if they want to beta my stuff.
I have a huge TW story in the works and a fairly heavy Grimm one. That last one's almost done, too. since they're big works I'd rather get them as good as I can, you know?
Anyway... rambling. I ramble. You should watch Teen Wolf, I bet Stiles would make you think of me. Like, a lot. Except he's a guy,and-... nope. That's it. I was just as awkward in high school.
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Date: Monday, 21 January 2013 12:26 am (UTC)From:(Though the second time did earn me my most loyal reader for Black Edelweiss, so there is that...)
I saw the first episode of Teen Wolf, but we had a significant cable interruption soon after, and I never got another chance to watch. I could possibly beta a Grimm fic, though I've only watched this season, so I might miss out on references to earlier events.
Though I've spent a great deal of time on fanwiki and done a marathon of fic, so probably won't have missed out on much.
There was one GrimmxTW crossover that I read on AO3. It wasn't particularly memorable, though. :(
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Date: Monday, 21 January 2013 12:49 am (UTC)From:I'd seen the first episode of TW back when it aired. I'd given it up, don't really remember why....
This could help: http://www.1channel.ch/
I don't know if her style will fit your taste, but I'm a junkie for http://archiveofourown.org/users/zosofi/pseuds/zosofi. I am keeping a fic on retainer for later, but so far, what I've read enthrals me, and they're mostly future fics so it's almost AU. You don't need to have watched much.
no subject
Date: Monday, 21 January 2013 01:05 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Monday, 21 January 2013 09:37 am (UTC)From:Needless to say my story with FF is similar to yours.
Thanks. That's a good lead. :)