An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
This week, we’re reccing non-evak fics. Today’s fic is a multi-chaptered fic that focuses on Yousef/Sana. If you like it, please consider leaving it some love in the form of kudos/comments!
I can only give you everything - champagneleftie / @champagneleftie (18k words)
Yousef is 21, in his first semester of university, the most recent member of Kollektivet - and ridiculously, embarrassingly, stupidly in love with Sana.
Or: a university AU where Yousef pines, Sana is oblivious, and the lack of communication threatens to ruin everything.
This Yousana AU does a great job of focusing on the relationship between Yousef and Sana, and gives them a lovely rom-com story, without drama from other plot lines.
All the hints we had in canon that Yousef was just an incredible pining dork for Sana are realized brilliantly here. Yousef is a hot mess with ridiculously convoluted thought processes that only make sense in a head-over-heels crush-addled brain.
Sana’s portrayal is so well done, and really made me remember how much I love her character. It’s clear here that Yousef loves all facets of Sana, and seeing her through his eyes could make anyone fall in love with her.
I loved the vulnerability Yousef and Sana so easily show one another, able to talk about difficult things even when they’re unsure about the other’s feelings. It’s a nice parallel to the serious conversations they had in canon, and shows how sweet and trusting they are together.
The Bakka boys and the Kollektiv members (past and current) form an entertaining supporting cast as Yousef fumbles his way towards Sana.
“This is really good. Where did you learn to cook?” She’s teasing him, and Yousef’s never been happier to be teased. This, he can handle. This is familiar. This, they’ve done since Sana was just Elias’ little sister, instead of this indefinable, incomprehensible presence in his life .
“This isn’t cooking,” he replies. “But then again, you’ve actually burnt eggs so I guess you wouldn’t know the difference.”
She raises her eyebrows at him. “Seriously? You’re going to bring that up? I was thirteen!”
“Sana, you boiled eggs for forty minutes!”
“Okay, I guess I’ll just have you cook for me then.” She smirks, and Yousef nearly swallows his tongue. He wants to tell her that yes, please, he’ll gladly cook for her every day for the rest of their lives it’d be a fucking privilege - but he manages to play it fairly cool and just smirks back at her. Well played, he congratulates himself. That was, at the very least, not a total disaster. It might even qualify as flirting.
