Author Spotlight: DamnPene day 2
Please recommend 3 - 5 of your own fic.
Okay. On it. Tricky to know what to rec. Turns out it’s two reunion fics, a future fic, and a neighbours AU. Enjoy!!
This is a 34k reunion fic. It started as my answer to the proposal episode. I loved the proposal for all its unlikely, ridiculous beauty but I wanted to work out how I would write the reunion if I faced where they were as individuals, faced the break up and their issues but with the full knowledge that they were in love. The story takes Kurt and Blaine to NYADA but still separated. The fact that all their friends overlap means they need to spend time together and be mature and sensible and not pine for one another or remember all the ways they fit or be cast in a play together.
The story is a happily ever after romance but it’s achey. Finn is a huge part of why it’s sad.
I love it because I love the pining, the work they do on themselves and their relationship, the many ways they reconnect. I think it’s my favourite
Here’s a piece from very early in the story, before the story actually. Drunk Kurt texting sad Blaine.
This is Kurt i rembemered your number I deleted it but I still remembered is that weird?
Rachel says hi She also says you can never be friends with someone you were once in love with
Blaine reads “were” and “once” there next to one another like that. “Were once in love with”. He inhales around the lump in his throat. He types carefully.
I’m happy you remembered. Let’s prove Rachel wrong.
There’s a long pause. Then.
Okay Thank you Blaine. And sorry,. drunk texting your ex after a wedding is not a great habit.
You don’t need to apologize. Just make sure you drink lots of water.
So now they’re building a friendship. Blaine’s always been good at friendship. Since that conversation they’ve spoken once or twice a week, just catching up with one another’s everyday lives. They talk about school and classes and song selections. They talk about Kurt’s dad and Cooper and glee club. Kurt sometimes mentions Adam.
It’s fun and it’s light and it’s never, ever enough. When they hang up Blaine is already waiting for the next time they speak. Sometimes he feels like he’s measuring time by Kurt’s phone calls.
Every Word is a 21k reunion fic. This is that very first story I wrote when I was first faced with Kurt and Blaine’s heartbreak. Because I didn’t have enough background and was sort of miserable myself I had to give Kurt and Blaine a few years space from one another so the break up wouldn’t hurt so much and I could have them face their issues with a bit of distance. It made it possible to be a bit lighter.
The story is set in San Francisco and largely behind the scenes as the boys build a musical together and reconnect while they do so.
I love the musical they create together, love their chemistry and respect for one another and the ways they have grown. I love the backstage and the theater family and all that. It was a joy to write and was made even better many months later when friends I made through it were kind enough to add comments.
This section is right near the beginning.
Blaine has written the best thing of his career. Of course, he’s only twenty-four and this is really the third thing he’s completed so there’s not much competition. Still, he’s proud of it. He has some limited financial backing; he has a producer in Wes and a director in Devi. He even has a choreographer and a copyright attorney. Everything is set for success. Or ripe for failure.
And now they’re casting the pivotal role. Blaine sighs wretchedly and drops his head into his arms. He’s pretty sure he knows where this is all heading. He lifts his eyes to look at the others. “I might know the right guy,” he says.
Devi shoots a look at Wes. He nods slowly. “Okay. We’ve got some wiggle room here. A tiny little bit of wiggle room, Blaine.”
“Work your charms, Anderson. He’d better be good,” says Devi.
Blaine doesn’t bother to tell her it’s not like that.
This show is Blaine’s baby. The madness is that the only person he can picture in the lead role is a boy he has been failing to forget for six years.
This is an 11k fic set with future married Klaine. They’re still young and in the theater and they’re struggling a little but heading on much-needed vacation. I set out to write a nice little travelogue where Kurt and Blaine go to Australia and see beautiful things. I wanted to write something fun. But instead the boys kept complicating everything, kept making me work for the story as they worked through their relationship, building and rebuilding and rebuilding their life together.
I’m quite protective of this story, it was hard for me to post because I was unsure of it. But it’s connected beautifully for people.
Again this section is near the beginning.
So now Blaine is standing on the airport curb. With all of their luggage.
He’s still furious. He’s still tired. But the truth is he’s packed three kinds of sensitive skin sunscreen, he’s found the adapter and the right hairdryer. And all he wants to do is call Kurt and say, “Please come. Please come with me.” But it’s too late. Kurt will never make the flight if he’s still at the theater or worse, out with the cast, or heading home with someone.
Blaine looks at the suitcases. There are too many for just one person. He’ll need a trolley. A town car pulls up. And Kurt steps out.
His lips are pressed together and his eyes wide and wary. He’s so beautiful it catches in Blaine’s chest. The world could have stopped. He can’t see anything else.
“Hi,” and Blaine can’t help but smile. He’s angry and weary and it’s not like things are okay but he knew years ago that he was never going to be anything but happy to see Kurt.
Five Ways to Survive a BreakUp
Okay so those are all serious pieces which take a little commitment. So here’s something lighter and shorter that I surprised myself by writing. It’s 7k of Klaine as neighbours to lovers with sides of Mercedes and Tina and Rachel and glimpses of the boys Kurt and Blaine are dating as they realise the best thing is right next door.
“Okay. I’ll leave you to it then. But- if you need company, my roommates and I are right across the hall.”
“Thank you,” says Blaine. Kurt is very kind. And handsome. “And I really am sorry about the music.”
“It’s fine,” says Kurt. “I completely understand. Sometimes music is the only constant in the world.” He stops in the doorway. He’s lit from the hall and his clothes fit perfectly. “You have an incredible voice, Blaine. And you’re um- very handsome. Any guy would be lucky to have you.” He flushes and his face tightens. “I just thought you should know that, given the day you’ve had.”
Blaine feels an unexpected lightness. “Thank you,” he says.
As the door closes behind Kurt, Blaine wipes his eyes once more. He’s still heartbroken. That kind of thing doesn’t just go away. But there’s a buzz under his skin and a glimmer of hope caught up amongst it.
