Fic: Blossom to Blossom (Swordspoint, Alec/Richard, PG-13)

[brigdh]

Title: Blossom to Blossom
Author: Brigdh
Ratings/Warnings: PG-13 for mild allusions to violence, m/m sex, and self-injury
Summary: Five drabbles on flowers.
Notes: Many moons ago, ranalore guessed correctly which remix_redux story I'd written, and so I asked her for a story request. She said, "I want Richard/Alec. Maybe with Alec being snarky about spring and flowers and noble courtships (and allergies)." Here, finally, it is. Also, Phoebe, you can still request something!
Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to Ellen Kushner.



1. Roses
He'd claimed the rose as soon as Richard had come home, heedless or fascinated by the thorns; the pricks of blood on his fingers were much redder than its orangish petals. "Not the time of year, really, for roses."

"It's the new fashion, showing them off in winter. They grow them in hothouses."

Alec hummed thoughtfully. "Coral for desire." He twisted the rose in his hands. "And did you thank her, who gave it to you?"

"I brought it to you," Richard pointed out, and Alec smirked and touched Richard's shirt, Richard's chest underneath, his fingers marking them with red.


2. Magnolias

Alec waited under a flowering tree, cloaked against the sleet; in the grey of twilight, Richard recognized him by his slouch, his ill-concealed impatience. The trees had bloomed early this year, but the cold had returned and destroyed the delicate petals, burning brown bruises into their white.

He stepped out of the shadows to halt in Richard's path, blocking him. Water sparkled on the rough cloth of Alec's hood and his skin was pale and hair brown as the frost-ruined petals fallen onto his shoulders, and when Richard kissed him, he tasted sharp as their heavy, rotting scent was sweet.


3. Cherry Blossoms

It was warm in the city, and the trees were sprouting small leaves in bright, living greens, vibrant in every shade from nearly yellow to emerald-dark. Tiny petals of white and pink piled in the gutters and corners of doorsteps like a strange sort of warm, soft snow.

Alec was miserable. In between sneezes, he cursed flowers, plants in general, spring, allergies, and Richard, for not suffering.

Richard had tried to be comforting, but he wasn't a doctor, and Alec scorned his attempts at sympathy. "It will pass."

"And return," Alec said, in a voice deep with predicted doom. "Yearly."


4. Sweet Peas

"In Riverside," Alec said, glaring at a girl carrying a tray heaped with pink flowers, "she would be selling beer."

Richard shrugged. "Flowers make more money in spring."

"Flowers do give a courtship that air of pleasant spontaneity," Alec drawled. "These nobles enjoy pretending to be dirty peasants too poor to buy more for their sweethearts; it would be crude for one to acknowledge that their loves are arranged by economics, politics, boredom- not romance."

"But not yours?"

Alec looked away, but answered coolly. "I *am* too poor to buy anything else, and besides, Richard, I'd rather have a drink."


5. Tuberoses

Richard was still breathing hard from the fight, his hand still curved to hold a sword's weight; he felt quick, or that the movements of other people had slowed in the hot, humid air.

Small things stood out to him with an intensity given them by the challenge: Alec's eyes glittered as he stared at the dead body; white, star-shaped flowers grew near his feet; sunset streaked the sky above the rooftops in blood red and bruise purple. Alec lifted his chin, a knife-edged grin spreading across his face, and Richard felt a danger as appealing as the brief duel.

Comments

[sterling-sara.livejournal.com]

<3!

I love the way the flowers add texture- many of the Richard/Alec stories have a drifting quality to them, which is certainly not bad, but I like that this has a different feel to it while retaining the essential themness.

[threewalls]

The flowers in this feel like symbols of moods, emotions, facts and people rather than pretty presents, even though they are more than once explicitly mentioned as presents.

I particularly liked the one about magnolias, perhaps for being the flower that seemed to be most like Alec.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

Hee, I love crazy, dangerous characters.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thak you! I'm glad that worked, then; pretty presents wouldn't quite suit the canon.

Heh, that's my favorite too, and the first one I wrote.

[bagma.livejournal.com]

How beautiful! While reading I had the feeling I was looking at some medieval illumination, admirably detailed and richly coloured. I couldn't help but laugh at poor allergic Alec, though.:) Thank you!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's such lovely feedback; I really appreciate it. And hee, I enjoyed that too, though I have to give the credit to the Rana, who made the request.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

Dude, I thought I replied to this already! Mea culpa. I absolutely adored this, and Alec with allergies just...killed me. Perfect. All of it.

[b-hallward.livejournal.com]

See, this is why self-pimping is such a good thing -- because I would have missed this (and it really is all about me).

These are lovely -- I adore the quality you capture in the last one, snapshots with a dream-like, almost surreal clarity. And, you know, your Alec is always fascinating.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

But then I get feedback, which gives me plently of my own beenfits from self-pimping.

Thank you! I'm very glad you likrf it. And I love Alec so, and am therefore really pleased that he comes across in my stories in an appealing way.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ah, no worries! I wasn't, truly, trying to guilt-trip anyone into commenting. But I'm glad you liked it! It was such a fun prompt.

[b-hallward.livejournal.com]

The thing is, I'm a Richard girl. I like him and he makes sense to me; and I get why Richard loves/is fascinated by the Alec in the book, but that's it. But your Alec is brilliant (in the sense of alight, I think), unsteady and intense like he's burning himself up -- and I find your Alec interesting in his own right, and not just by way of the Richard in my head being interested. If that makes sense.

Or I could have just said, I *heart* your Alec.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Well, wow. I certainly cannot say that I mind the longer version, but this is the sort of feedback that's so good I'm not sure how to respond. Except, of course, thank you! You've made me terribly happy.

[madcampion.livejournal.com]

Thank you for writing this, and to Rana for requesting it. It's good to have you back. More, please? (lurk, lurk)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the feedback! I do very much appreciate it. And hee, I'm sure there will be more, as soon as my life gets a little more settled.