All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes.
Perfection is Overrated by JaggedCliffs (+ podfic) (NOTE: I've recced this fic before and I'll rec it again. When I die, I want to be buried with this fic)
For his first thirteen years, Zuko was raised in a palace. And yet somehow, it's the three years outside the Fire Nation that seem to count more – at least to the palace staff, who act like he's been raised by fox-wolves.
At first, this only annoys Zuko.
Until he begins to think that the Fire Nation needs more than a formerly-banished prince.
a brush of fingers, a kick of shins by lesmiserablol (+ podfic)
"Okay, I’ve been thinking all day, and here’s my idea,” Toph tells Zuko on their way to dinner. “You’re so sure he’s not into you, so I’m going to help you out and give you a gentle nudge every time he flirts so that you notice it.”
“Okay,” Zuko says slowly. He doubts it will be necessary, he and Sokka have been best friends for over five years now and that is probably all that Sokka thinks of him as. A good friend. “I don’t know if it’ll come up, but if it does...just don’t make it obvious, yeah?”
“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Toph smiles. Zuko knows her fairly well, he knows he should be worried at that, but he just follows her into the dining hall.
who wants to live forever? by starbeyy
In which Steve Harrington has two nightmares:
The one he has about the fire at the Starcourt Mall every time he falls asleep, and the one where Eddie Munson visits him at Family Video to ask him for a favor.
shape it up (get it straight) by fivecenturiesverse (+ podfic)
Mike doesn't know when he started caring why Steve and Eddie are friends now, but Dustin has made him curious. Eddie and Steve were enemies before, sort of. So why are they now best friends? They've just got to do a bit of surveillance to work this puzzle out. If Mike accidentally finds out he has feelings for his best friend along the way then... well, shit.
“At least I’m not using binoculars.” Mike shoots a derisive look over at Dustin. “Like we’re not in the middle of the high street, if they spot us how are you going to explain away those, huh?”
“Bird watching,” says Dustin. “My new hobby.”
Lucas punches him on the arm. “God you’re so fucking stupid.”
Portable Magic by smilebackwards
Magnus may go slightly overboard helping Alec set up for the book club gathering.
Technically, perhaps, he didn’t need to create a signature cocktail or barter a favor to Raphael for O neg blood for the vampires or source the biscotti directly from Italy. But hospitality is important and these are Alec’s friends. He wants to make a good impression.
Or: Alec is in a Downworld book club and Magnus finds this unaccountably fascinating.
count the ways by smilebackwards
"I know the nephilim have some truly skewed perspectives on our history and culture but have you ever seen anything like this before?” Magnus holds out the book, open to Warlock Courting Traditions. The text only takes up half a page, a mystifying run-on list of odd and impossible tasks. It’s formatted almost like poetry and his dear, pedantic Alexander has turned it into a checklist, penciled lightly down the margin.
Ragnor snorts into his tea.
“Oh,” Catarina says, looking at the book. “That."
In somno veritas (In sleep lies the truth) by lawsofchaos (+podfic)
Jace blinks, peering at the loft in vague stupefaction. “This,” and Alec’s parabatai’s voice sounds like he’s dragging each noise out from his exhausted mind and forcing it out before he can forget what word he just discovered. “Isn’t the Institute?” The final phrase comes out as a question.
Alec tilts his head in puzzlement, glancing at his brother as if wondering how he could possibly consider that Alec had taken them there instead of here. “No?”
Alec’s head moves back to level and he narrows his eyes instead. “We said we were going home after patrol.”
The ‘ergo, we are home now’ wasn’t said, but it was obvious in implication.
Alec loves watching Izzy get flowers but he thinks he would have liked, just once, to know what it felt like for someone to send him something so bright and sweet, frivolous, just because they cared.
