An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
The last chapter is up! This story has taken me a long time to finish, and it dangled there as a WIP for so long. I am extremely grateful to driveablecar for her advice and recommending further reading, which I did, and got inspired again after reading it.
Writing this story of Manoke has given me the gift of knowing more about the indigenous people of North America, and I have discovered the power of fanfic writing as a way of exploring other worlds.
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon, Outlander & Related Fandoms, Lord John Series - Diana Gabaldon
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Lord John Grey/Manoke
Characters: Lord John Grey, Tom Byrd, Manoke, Original Characters, William Ransom
Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut
Summary:
We came across Manoke in the novella "Lord John and The Custom of the Army". Then we hear of him again in Echo when John tells Claire he has had a relationship with Manoke for MANY YEARS. I think we are going to meet Manoke again in Bees. I guess it just leaves ALOT of room for more fanfic.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Here is chapter 6, the penultimate chapter of this .......... long.......long..... to complete story.
In this chapter John, William and Manoke visit an Indian village.
When I read DG’s Daily Lines for Bees, there’s a piece there with William returning to Mt Josiah, and he is thrilled to see Manoke again. I figured Manoke probably played quite a major part in William’s upbringing. Also Native American LGBTQ people played a major part in bringing up the children. So this story has quite a bit of Manoke and William spending time together, as well as John.
I read a thread on Lit forum about who William would regard as his father. The comments really irritated me, as they were all very much ‘I’m sure LJG did a good job, BUT Jamie is his real father/ William is so much like Jamie/ Jamie had those years when he was little....blah, blah.’
So this fic expands on all those years John had with William and the role Manoke played in Williams life, not to mention in John’s life.
Chapters: 6/7
Fandom: Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon, Outlander & Related Fandoms, Lord John Series - Diana Gabaldon
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Lord John Grey/Manoke
Characters: Lord John Grey, Tom Byrd, Manoke, Original Characters, William Ransom
Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut
Summary:
We came across Manoke in the novella "Lord John and The Custom of the Army". Then we hear of him again in Echo when John tells Claire he has had a relationship with Manoke for MANY YEARS. I think we are going to meet Manoke again in Bees. I guess it just leaves ALOT of room for more fanfic.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
I have finally resumed this story, having had it sitting idle for months.
Chapters: 5/7
Fandom: Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon, Outlander & Related Fandoms, Lord John Series - Diana Gabaldon
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Lord John Grey/Manoke
Characters: Lord John Grey, Tom Byrd, Manoke, Original Characters, William Ransom
Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut
Summary:
We came across Manoke in the novella "Lord John and The Custom of the Army". Then we hear of him again in Echo when John tells Claire he has had a relationship with Manoke for MANY YEARS. I think we are going to meet Manoke again in Bees. I guess it just leaves ALOT of room for more fanfic.
A/N: Hello! This is my (rather late) contribution to Queelander organised by @thelallybrochlibrary (thank you so much for putting this together!!). Many thanks also to @livinginafanficworld for her beta work and encouragement!!
QL prompt #26: Jamie becomes upset when he finds Brianna in her room with a young male friend, only for Brianna to explain that her friend is asexual (The prompt... kinda got away from me, but I hope you’ll like it all the same ^^)
This is my first time writing fanfiction... I’d love to know what to think so I can improve! I might make a series of this...
The 2004 Gay’s the Word annual fundraising dinner was going well. Manoke had worked all day with two other volunteers to provide for the hundred or so expected guests who now lounged in every corner of the room on a miscellaneous collection of stools and chairs in every colour and style. Pints of beer rested precariously on the small tables between plates of shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and rainbow cake. It was not what he was used to serving, but then again, the boisterous atmosphere couldn’t be compared to a five-star restaurant’s typically hushed conversations, either. This was a place for a relaxed night out with friends, not the sophisticated lies that punctuated aristocratic events. Or at least that was what his partner told him.
Ever since they had started dating several years ago, John had been hesitant to bring their relationship anywhere close to the scrutiny of his conservative family. As a results, he hadn’t had much opportunity to mingle with the Greys and their upperclass circles, but that was alright; he would rather be here on a date with the man who held his heart.
Manoke only half-listened to the next order. His eyes had followed his thoughts and found John, sitting alone near the far wall, speaking on the phone. John’s expression of sheer disbelief hadn’t changed since he had picked up the phone three customers ago -- Manoke had been checking periodically, hoping to find some clue as to what had put that look on his partner’s face.
Please don’t let it be the nanny, he thought. It was their first night out together since they had adopted William, and the five-year-old boy hadn’t seemed too happy to see both his new fathers replaced by a ponytailed high-schooler for the evening. It had taken convincing, cajoling, and a “flight with Super-Man” -- which meant Manoke carrying William around the flat making wind noises while John took on the role of the wide-eyed onlooker, clapping and cheering for the Earth’s mighty heroes -- before the little boy had let them go.
“Excuse me?” An insisting voice brought his attention back to the work at hand. He only had time to see John look up and give him a little wave, and then he was busy handing out drinks and plates for the next hour, until one of the other volunteers -- a pink-haired, middle-aged woman in a “Lesbian witch” t-shirt named Em -- came to relieve him.
“Everything alright with William?” he asked, sliding into a chair next to John and stealing a chip from his plate. It was lukewarm, but deliciously crunchy. He held another up for John.
“I think so,” John answered. He gave the potato a dubious look, then shrugged and took a bite of it. “Maddie didn’t call, at least.”
Right, Maddie was the name of the nanny. “Oh, good. Who was that on the phone then? Looked serious.” Manoke stole another chip from the plate.
“You’ll never believe me!” John laughed. “Here, you can finish the plate. I thought you ate before the opening?”
“I did, but I can’t say no to more fries. Was it… the police station saying you could have more holidays?” Manoke asked hopefully.
“Ha! I wish. But no.” John sat straighter. “Tonight, I explained asexuality to Jamie Fraser.” He bowed, like a magician having pulled a rabbit out of a hat.
Manoke almost choked on his chip. “Jamie Fraser? Your Scottish friend? Big, red, and the walking definition of straight?”
“James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, the very same.” John nodded, proud of his effect.
“Wow. How on earth did that happen?”
“Assumption of straightness, if you can believe it,” John replied wryly. Manoke could -- it was common enough, especially so from tall red Scots with long names.
Apparently, Jamie had walked in on his sixteen-year-old Brianna consorting with a boy in her bedroom. Righteous protector of his daughter’s virtue, he had gone into full Scottish father mode and escorted the poor lad to the gate. Of course, Brianna was at least as stubborn as her father and, in the course of an argument of epic proportions, had explained to him that Just-A-Friend Nick was asexual and therefore no threat to the antiquated concept of her virtue... Or something to that effect.
“And so Jamie called his trusted gay friend to ask if that was really a thing.” John finished his tale and his beer at the same time. “It’s a good thing you’ve been taking me here all those years,” he remarked with a nod to the roomful of people around them, most of whom were regular customers at the Gay’s the Word bookshop. It was there that he had first heard about asexuality, a few years ago. “Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have known what to tell him.”
“Always happy to help,” Manoke laughed. He dipped the last chip in ketchup and swallowed whole. “Although… even if you’re straight, it makes sense that if some people like us don’t feel attracted to women, and others like him aren’t attracted to men, some people may be attracted to neither right? That’s just… sense. Or he could google it, I suppose. Why not do that, instead of asking you?”
John shrugged. “Maybe he enjoys being told he’s wrong? Or maybe he just missed me,” he added with a wink.
“Not as much as I missed you!” Manoke replied, taking the bait. He leaned over and kissed him, tasting beer and salt on his lips. “They’ll be clearing the floor in a few minutes. Wanna dance?”
And dance they did, to fast songs and rock songs, swaying in each other’s arms when the slow ballads came on. Hours later, when the music died and the lights turned back on, they headed home hand in hand, thoughts of Jamie Fraser and asexuality long forgotten.
