#fence fic

[sometimeswritingsometimesdying]

Day 6: beach day/filler episode (for @fencesummernationals)

crushed by the sunshine state

summary: Aiden is not sure how, exactly, his backyard had been invaded by the rest of the team. He just knows Harvard holds most of the blame.

Or, the team hangout at the pool and Aiden almost dies of pining.

[iffeelscouldkill]

I wrote some more of the 'What if Nicholas never applied to Kings Row' AU

(I need to come up with something catchier to call it; in my notes it's just titled "Fence AU")

First part is here!

--

It was surprisingly easy to persuade Coach Williams to let a random onlooker watch the team practice.

As Aiden resentfully went off to change into his team uniform, Harvard explained the situation to Coach Williams, who looked Nicholas up and down.

"You went up against Kyle Allen in the first bout on the regional circuit," she said. Nicholas was clearly surprised to be recognised.

"Uh, yeah." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I lost-"

"15-5. Could have been 15-6, but you didn't quite manage to get that touch past his guard in the second third," Coach said, and nodded. "You can stand on the sidelines, but no distracting the fencers. Keep any commentary to yourself."

"Yessir. Uh, ma'am." Nicholas saluted, and Coach Williams quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. As Nicholas went to stand at the edge of the salle, Aiden stalked over, dressed in his fencing whites and radiating irritation. Harvard was about to volunteer to spar with him to give Aiden an outlet and smooth things over with some banter, but Coach Williams spoke first.

"Aiden. Nice of you to show," she said, handing Aiden a red tardy slip, which he took wordlessly and tucked into the sleeve of his uniform. "You're with Seiji. I want the two of you to practice getting in under the other's guard."

Aiden's smile was razor-sharp and contained not a trace of humour or friendliness. "Sounds great."

Seiji's eyes narrowed, and he nodded. No doubt, he was looking to even the score following his staggering loss to Aiden during the team try-outs just a week ago. Harvard was positive that a match between the two of them would be a bloodbath. "Coach, maybe it would be better if Aiden and I-"

"No. Harvard, you're with Eugene; I want you to practice the same thing," Coach Williams said, her tone brooking no argument. "Pay attention to your defence in the low lines. Eugene, I want you to focus on consistency. You've made good progress in the last year - but fencing at nationals will be a completely different ballgame."

Eugene nodded seriously. "On it, Coach."

"Everyone else," Coach Williams called to the rest of the practicing fencers. "Pair up and take it in turns: one fencer practices lunges, one fencer practices parrying. After three minutes, you'll switch."

Harvard took up a stance across from Eugene, but he couldn't help tuning into the conversation between Aiden and Seiji a few feet away.

"-not going to make the same mistake against you twice," Seiji was saying. "It was a cheap trick; I know better than to fall for it."

Aiden raised his eyebrows coolly. "You know, we're teammates now," he pointed out. "We're meant to be working together. Helping each other."

"I don't need help from someone like you," Seiji retorted. Harvard groaned under his breath.

"Uh, Harvard?" Eugene prompted him. Harvard shook himself and put his helmet on.

"Sorry - go for it, Eugene. I'm ready."

"Are you planning to approach every practice bout like it's a grudge match?" he heard Aiden snark, just as Eugene scored a hit past his guard. Harvard swore inwardly and tried to put Seiji and Aiden out of his mind so that he could give Eugene his full focus. He would talk to Aiden later. He might have to speak to both of them about team spirit.

*

Nicholas stared at the dark-haired fencer taking up a stance opposite Aiden. The coach had said "Seiji"… and Nicholas had seen the guy in the changing rooms at Regionals. All the smirking, full-of-themselves dickheads (including the dickhead that Nicholas had lost to, Kyle Allen) had been acting like he was a god in human form. Seiji Katayama.

But what would one of the top-ranked national fencers be doing here? Hadn't everyone said he had a full ride to Exton? Nicholas knew that Exton was one of the top fencing schools (if not the top fencing school).

Coach Joe had tried to encourage Nicholas to apply to one of the high schools with a good fencing programme, even go in for a scholarship, but… Nicholas wasn't much of a one for class attendance. His academic track record ranged from poor to non-existent. It was difficult to picture himself at a fancy school.

Nicholas was burning to ask someone, but all of the fencers were busy practicing and Nicholas didn't want to try Coach Williams' patience when he was getting the chance to spend some of his rare downtime in a really cool salle watching fencing matches. Nicholas had expected to be spending that time making out, but this was better.

Nicholas' fingers itched to pick up a blade and step onto the piste himself. He was watching the matches between the fencing team members - Harvard and his opponent, and Aiden and Seiji - closely. Particularly Aiden and Seiji. In contrast to Harvard and his opponent, who were pushing each other but not too much, pausing between exchanges to give advice and compliments, Aiden and Seiji were both laser focused on the match, neither saying a word.

Aiden was giving no quarter, attacking again and again with speed and from a variety of angles, forcing Seiji to defend constantly. However, Seiji was more than equal to it, and only very rare blows found their way past his guard.

Coach blew her whistle for the pairs to swap, and Seiji and Harvard switched to attacking while Aiden and the other guy (Eugene?) defended. Now Aiden was the one fending off a continuous volley of blows.

The whistle went again, and then once more before Coach Williams blew two sharp trills and called for everyone to take a break. The fencers broke away from their pairs and milled around, grabbing water bottles and chatting. Harvard and his opponent grinned at each other and shook hands; Aiden and Seiji stared at each other frostily before walking in opposite directions.

"Hey!" said a cheery voice next to him, and Nicholas looked around to see a petite guy in fencing whites with long hair fixed into two buns grinning up at him. "I haven't seen you around here before!" He stuck out a hand. "I'm Bobby!"

"Nicholas," said Nicholas. "I'm just spectating, actually. Uh, Harvard invited me?"

"Cool, so are you visiting from another school?" Bobby asked, earnest.

"Uh…" Nicholas had a brief flash of the classes he was skipping to be here. It wasn't like he ever took anything in from them. "Kind of, yeah."

"What do you think of Kings Row?"

"It's… A lot different to what I'm used to," Nicholas said, thinking about the dingy, scuffed local hall where he'd learned to fence. "Listen, Bobby-" He realised that this was his chance to get an answer to his questions about Seiji. "That guy over there. Isn't that Seiji Katayama? The national-"

"-number two-ranked fencer, yeah." Bobby was immediately blushing and starry-eyed. "Can you believe he fences here?"

"Why does he fence here? - I mean, no offence; your facilities are amazing. But I heard he was going to Exton?"

Bobby nodded seriously, clearly excited to impart some quality gossip. "No-one knows for sure," he said. "He showed up at the beginning of the semester and hasn't said anything about why he switched. Aiden has a theory that- Well, he thinks it's something to do with Seiji's loss to Jesse Coste at Nationals."

Nicholas' fist clenched involuntarily at his side at the mention of his half-brother. "Right," he said. "Yeah, maybe."

"Oh!" said Bobby as the coach blew on her whistle again and started gesturing. "I think I've got to- no, wait, it looks like she just wants the team for the next bit." He relaxed again and took another drink from his water bottle.

In the company of someone as friendly and enthusiastic as Bobby, Nicholas momentarily forgot the edict about not commentating while fencing was going on. "He's obviously in a different league," Nicholas said as the coach had Harvard and Seiji demonstrate a particular move. "Aiden's good, but he wasn't fast enough to take advantage of the moments where Seiji was open."

Nicholas' voice had carried a little too much in the newfound quiet, and he suddenly found the coach glaring over at him. Nicholas slapped his hands over his mouth, and Bobby murmured, "Oh no," next to him. Aiden, who had clearly heard Nicholas' comment, didn't look offended, only raising an eyebrow. But Seiji Katayama -

Nicholas only had a moment to register how furious Seiji looked before the other boy was storming over to bear down on him.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

(Now with part 3!)

[happygirl2oo2]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Hey, sorry for the slight delay but happy Fence Secret Santa @harvard-said-no 🎁 Surprise, I was your Santa again this year (yes we're that small of a community lol) 💗

Summary: Another Winter break / Christmas at Kings Row but this time, Harvard and Aiden are (finally) a couple. How will they celebrate their first holiday officially together? Un(yet)known to Harvard though, Aiden's got a plan in mind :)

[Click here to check the 2020 and 2021 Haiden fics I wrote for Fence Secret Santa in the previous years]

[princefencer]

I Wanna Be a Girl ( Dante x Bobby Angst )

Bobby is crying. He hates his body and he absolutely hates himself. But he's hurting. So what will Dante do?

Dante came back to the dorm to Bobbie hiding under a thick comforter, sitting on his bed. He supposed that it was just him reading manga again, late at night; but that was the case before he heard him sniffling. That part worried him.

“Bobbie?” he called him, walking towards the large lump. “What’s wrong?”

The smaller boy gave no response aside from the sudden halt of his sniffling.

“Bobbie,” he tried again, sitting in front of him. “What’s going on?”

He lay a hand on what he thought was Bobbie’s shoulder and rubbed his thumb on it. This was how he showed the fact that he really did care and was willing to talk to the boy. The only question is: would he let him?

“Nothing,” the boy finally replied, laughing nervously. It was obvious he had been crying by the sound of mucus in his throat and cracks in his voice. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry f-for worrying you. P-please just don’t mind me.”

Now Dante knew that there was definitely something wrong. Because he knew that Bobbie was usually the fun type of person. He was loud and energetic and clingy. And he wasn’t that right now.

“Bobbie…” Dante said softly, concern lingering in his voice. He finds the boy’s hand under the comforter and holds it gently. He wanted him to know that he was there and that he was listening.

Bobbie got the message and held the taller boy’s hand back. His hand was so frail and shaky. But the boy himself felt really nice inside. It was like a few weights were lifted off of him.

“You wanna get out of that blanket so I can see you?” He says this as he rubs his thumb against the back of Bobbie’s hand. Dante was afraid Bobbie was hurt or sick. He wanted to know if he needed to be rushed to the clinic.

Bobbie slowly takes the blanket off his head and hugs Dante really tight, crying softly. He was obviously suppressing it too much by the tone of how he cried. His hair was over his eyes though, so Dante—even if he moved to look or not—could not check his face.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” the taller boy asked, worried.

Bobbie shakes his head.

“So why?” Dante runs his fingers through the small boy’s soft, brown hair. “Can you please talk to me so I can understand?”

Dante was so gentle and warm. That’s why Bobbie liked him so much. He always looked so stoic and closed off, but in reality, he wasn’t. He was just a big, cuddly teddy bear. He wasn’t scary at all. Maybe his silence was, but not he himself.

So he sniffled and wiped his face with his sleeves a little, mumbling in a small voice: “I c-can’t.”

Dante saw how he was picking on his fingernails and heard how he hiccupped between breaths. It was so sad to witness, especially since he was the happiest boy he knew.

“That’s okay,“ he hushed, combing Bobbie’s hair with his fingers. “Just tell me how you feel.”

Bobbie now had his cheek against Dante’s chest again, biting his lip as he cried a little more. He looked down at his fingers as he picked on them. “ I feel disgusting—” he sobbed, his voice cracking—”Like an outcast.”

“How so?” Dante rubbed the boy's head, wrapping his other arm around him.

“P-people—” he sniffled—“Just keep staring at me like I just came out of the circus. They judge me and call me names. But I just wanna be pretty—“ a tiny sob escaped his lips—“I just wanna dress how I wanna dress, you know?”

Dante understood now, but he let the boy carry on. He needed to get it out of his system as much as he could. It wasn’t healthy to think or feel like he was now.

“Sometimes,” Bobbie continued, sniffling. “I wish I was a girl, just so I could be myself without the fear of anyone judging me.”

He sounded so hurt, he was even shaking. Dante didn’t know what to say to him to make him feel better. He didn’t really tell jokes—well, good ones, at least. But he just wanted to make him smile again. It broke his heart to see him this way.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Bobbie,” he said softly, holding him close and let his warmth overcome him.

“It’s okay, Dante,” Bobbie sniffled. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know,” the other replied. “But I just hate to see you like this. Because honestly, Bobbie, you’re more than pretty. You’re beautiful , inside and out. And those people who judge you so harshly are blind. They don’t know you like I do. They don’t love you like I do.”

With those words, Bobbie burst into tears again. He sobbed into the larger’s chest. But his wails weren’t sad anymore; they were of happy relief.

“Dante,” he sighed, holding onto him tightly. “Thank you…”

Dante smiled softly. “It was nothing but my pleasure, My Princess.”

Bobbie pulled back and looked at his face and blushed at the sight of his calm composure and small grin.

“D-Dante!” he giggled. “You said that too casually!”

[sometimeswritingsometimesdying]

first chapter of sunrises is up!!!

summary: 2000s band au with haiden fake dating and nichoji rivals to lovers. enjoy 💕💕

[sometimeswritingsometimesdying]

the last chapter of your ribs, covered in a lover's spit is up!

[sometimeswritingsometimesdying]

haiden sickfic + hoodie stealing + handjob. for your enjoyment

[iffeelscouldkill]

So how about an AU where Nicholas was still trained by Coach Joe, but never applied to King's Row, never got offered the scholarship - maybe he still fenced at Regionals and got his ass handed to him, but let's say it was by someone other than Seiji Katayama. (Maybe it was Kyle, lol).

Fast forward a few months and Aiden decides to slum it by hooking up with the cute guy bussing tables at the local café*. Which leads to...

"Hi - can I help you?" Harvard asked the scruffy guy hanging around outside the fencing salle.

The guy looked up, hands still shoved in his pockets, and his eyes widened - Harvard guessed the fencing whites did make for a bit of an imposing first impression, though he'd taken his helmet off at least. This guy didn't look like he'd met a comb in his life, and there was a recent bruise lingering around his jaw.

Still, the stranger quickly got over his surprise and brightened with a smile. "Oh, I'm looking for Aiden? He said to meet him here."

Harvard sighed inwardly, but not outwardly, because he was in Captain Mode and also because Aiden pulled this shit far too often for him to react any more. "He asked you to meet him here right now? At this time?"

The guy cast around, and Harvard realised he was looking for a clock when he pulled a scuffed flip phone out of his pocket to check the time. "Yeah, well technically five minutes ago. I took a wrong turn."

Harvard pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Did I... do something wrong?" the stranger ventured uncertainly.

Harvard breathed out and pasted on a smile. "No, no, you didn't. It's just that Aiden's a member of our fencing team, and he's supposed to be coming to practice right now but he's clearly planning to blow it off with you."

"Oh," Aiden's hookup (was that uncharitable? No, Aiden never met up with random guys except to hook up) replied. Harvard was expecting an awkward laugh or a grimace, or an excuse but instead the guy said, "Why would he do that? Fencing's great. And it looks like you guys have a really nice facility."

Harvard realised he was still standing in the open doorway with the fencing salle visible behind him. The other occupants were carrying on with drills under Coach's eagle eye, but the new reserve, Eugene, was throwing some curious glances in their direction.

Aiden still wasn't anywhere in sight (that was nothing new; he was late to everything, including hookups) and Harvard felt bad about telling the guy to go away. Especially since, ironically, he was taking more of an interest in fencing than Aiden had so far this year. Except when it let him rile up Seiji, their incredibly talented but uptight new team member.

"Do you... fence?" Harvard asked Aiden's hookup.

The guy scratched his head a little sheepishly. "I mean, not anywhere like this. I've been learning for a few months, though. Fencing's-"

Whatever fencing was (and judging by the light in this random guy's eyes, it was positive), Harvard never got to find out.

"Nico!" cried a voice, and both of them turned to take in Aiden striding along the hallway, his golden hair gleaming. He was not, of course, wearing his fencing uniform, but was dressed in dark skinny jeans and a collared shirt unbuttoned to his mid-chest. Aiden's hookup (Nico?) stared for a few moments, but he didn't seem as struck by the vision that was Aiden as most of the flings (and there had been... a lot) of Aiden's that Harvard had met. Instead, he turned back to look longingly again at the salle.

Huh.

"I'm ready to go now," Aiden said, draping an arm not around his fling's neck, but around Harvard's. "Hey, how are the new team members shaping up?"

Harvard directed his best uncompromising look in Aiden's direction. "You'd know if you came to practice."

"I'll be there next time, I promise," said Aiden, and he did such a good job of making it sound sincere. "But I have to keep the new recruits on their toes! You know it works."

It did, sort of, but Harvard wasn't sure that the benefits of having Aiden occasionally showing up to school overconfident newcomers (and oldcomers) were worth the terrible optics of his constant absence from everything. That, and he knew that Aiden showed up because it suited him, not to help anyone else in the team.

"Shall we?" Aiden said to probably-not-Nico, who roused himself from a daze. Harvard made a snap decision.

"No. Aiden, you're a part of the team, and that means you're coming to practice," he said, using the more authoritative tone he saved for when the team needed keeping in line (but rarely bothered to use on Aiden, who was impossible to keep in line).

Aiden stared at him, his cheeks faintly pink. Harvard was surprised at the display of self-consciousness from Aiden, but maybe he was having a moment. "Go and get changed."

"Uh, so should I-" the other guy asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

Harvard turned to him. "What's your name?" he asked, justifiably sceptical about whether Aiden had got it right.

"Nicholas. Nicholas Cox," replied definitely-not-Nico, standing straighter. He held out a hand for Harvard to shake.

Harvard took it. "Harvard Lee, captain of the Kings Row fencing team. How would you like to come and spectate?"

---

*we know Nicholas has a range of part-time jobs, so say this was one of them. Never mind that Aiden's type is much more likely to be a guy who can pay for things 😆

Now with part 2!