Lie challenge: Campfire Tales by Resonant

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I think I started this the last time there was a Lie challenge.

Fraser/Kowalski, NC-17, 3100 words.

Thanks to cesperanza and kaneko for beta.

Campfire Tales

Comments

[lovessong.livejournal.com]

Oh, wonderful. I love all the stories, and I love this:

"Fraser," he whispered, so close he could feel Fraser's breath against his cheek. "You can lie to me if you need to. If that's what you need."

Fraser opened his mouth, probably to say, Thank you, Ray. Ray interrupted him with a finger on his lips. He heard Fraser's sudden intake of breath.

"Or," he said, "you and me can lie to the whole goddamned world and tell the truth to each other."

. . . because it is dialogue so pitch-perfect I can't imagine Ray saying anything else.

(Also, I happened upon "Mortification" earlier today and grinned the whole way through. Turnbull! How can I help loving him?)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked them both! That bit you quoted was the first thing I wrote -- sort of the sourdough starter for the whole story.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh, this is lovely. You manage to give the reader that wonderful tight, breathless feeling right in the middle of the chest. Mmmmm.

I copied the same quote as the person above while I was reading it, because -- yes, yes, yes. The story is building slowly and quietly along, growing and growing, and this is the perfect point it's been building to; it's immensely satisfying.

"Fraser," he whispered, so close he could feel Fraser's breath against his cheek. "You can lie to me if you need to. If that's what you need."

Fraser opened his mouth, probably to say, Thank you, Ray. Ray interrupted him with a finger on his lips. He heard Fraser's sudden intake of breath.

"Or," he said, "you and me can lie to the whole goddamned world and tell the truth to each other."

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

[beaming at you] I'm so glad!

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

Oh.
::weeping with joy at the utter wonderfulness of this story::
This is such an amazing juxtaposition of the noise of of lying and the stillness of perfect honesty. Loved it.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Ooh. I really like the way you put that.

[raucousraven.livejournal.com]

Mraaaagh. Oooh, thank you so, so much. I love the way you twine personal myth into personal history and present it as witches and superglue on glass between two frozen guys in the middle of the Arctic. And that licking line? So fierce. Love it. Thank you!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad! I wondered about the licking line, but it did something for me -- glad it did for you too!

[wildmachinery.livejournal.com]

So much love for this one. Thank you.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Aww. Thanks!

And I adore your icon.

[alinewrites.livejournal.com]

Aw! This is wonderful and angsty and kind of *sweet*.
And I love Ray's honesty. It's really very believable.
Thank you so much for sharing!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad! Thanks.

[rhiannon-jehane.livejournal.com]

What a lovely thing to wake up to this morning - thank you!

And this line right here? "Or," he said, "you and me can lie to the whole goddamned world and tell the truth to each other." Just perfect.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

My favorite line too! Thanks.

[torakowalski.livejournal.com]

Absolutely beautiful ... from about half way through I couldn't breathe and knew I never would again unless they gave in to each other... wow :)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'm so glad it worked like that for you! I wrote it in pieces, so I had to trust that they came together ...

[akite.livejournal.com]

Excellent story there, Res. I can only 'me too' on what everybody else has said. I loved all the campfire tales. I'm so glad you finished this one.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Do you know, my LJ notification apparently has some objection to you in particular, because I never get an e-mail notification of your comments? It baffles me.

[akite.livejournal.com]

::sigh:: It doesn't surprise me a bit. LJ hates me some days.

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Brava!

Brava!

Bravissima!!

Beautiful and scary and perfect.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

[beaming at you] I'm so glad you liked it!

[lovekeller.livejournal.com]

"Did I ever tell you about the Mountie who encountered the ghost of a counterfeiter?"

That just made me want to curl up and listen to a great tale. Really enjoyed this so much.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Some of the stories are real ones, and some of them I was just as grateful I didn't have to write the rest of!

I'm glad you liked it.

[laurakaye.livejournal.com]

Wow, I loved this, Res! It somehow seemed to contain a lot more than a story of that length should have been able to. As always, excellent job.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Aww. Thanks! That's a really great thing to hear.

[sarren.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous!

And that first desperate kiss? Just whoa

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'm so glad that worked for you!

[audrarose.livejournal.com]

Wow. That was amazing. I'd love to come up with something more coherent to say but I'm at a loss. So, wow. *bg*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks!

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

He was thinking with the back part of his brain, now, the part that controlled his mouth in interrogations, the part that told him where the fingerprints would be and which way the getaway car went and where the idiot would have hidden the drugs.

That part told him that Fraser's arguments were all in the word part of his brain. And that wasn't the lonesome part.

How does your brain come up with these spectacular things? Love this so much.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

[hugs you] Thanks!

[crysothemis.livejournal.com]

Oooh, gorgeous, Res, just gorgeous. I, too, had that breathless twist in my chest (and no, it *wasn't* my bronchitis ;-} ) -- and I love love love a story that can get me there and have me enjoying myself all the way.

Love the lines everyone else is quoting, and a whole bunch more besides. Great work!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow, good enough to keep someone with bronchitis awake -- that's high praise. I'm really glad you liked it!

And your icon is mesmerizing.

[claire.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. Just achingly beautiful.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

[peter-neverland.livejournal.com]

Adding my praise to the crowd. That was a cool story and well written. Go you!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[spainja.livejournal.com]

Wonderful, beautiful, hot.

"I ever tell you the story about the boy that got in a wizard's way and got thrown into a whirlwind for seven years?"

Snerk.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

That's a real Polish folktale! Only I only know it from the Amazon summary of the book, so I have no idea what happened, except that maybe he ended up back in Kansas.

[pyrric.livejournal.com]

Fraser was kissing him, hard, desperate, terrified

Something about this made my stomach clench; there's beauty in that kind of terror, reckless and vulnerable and foolhardy.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Yeah! That's just what I hoped to capture, that leaping-off-a-cliff feeling. Thanks!

[julia-fractal.livejournal.com]

*Jumps for joy!*

I remember this one from the "Summarize your WIPs" meme, and I'm so glad that you finished it :) The story is absolutely wonderful, I loved all the fireside tales, and the perfect balance of passion, angst, and humour woven throughout the fic!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Hee -- I wondered if anyone would remember that. I was afraid it had gone dead, but it woke up OK when I poked it.

[mergatrude.livejournal.com]

Perfect!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[celli]

So brilliant and hot. I've read it three times already.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thanks! I'm so glad.

[estrella30.livejournal.com]

Oh, Res, this is *wonderful*

Shit, shit, shit. He never should have said anything, because now he could see that he'd had hopes for this conversation, how stupid was that, he'd had motives he hadn't even known about, and now he'd fucked up everything.

This is just so perfectly Ray, right here. Outing himself without even consciously knowing he's doing it. Ray is a lot smarter than he thinks *g*

All of this is wonderful - thank you so much for it!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it!

I think Ray's smart with the non-thinking part of his brain. The thinking part (and the talking part) tends to get him in trouble.