Sanctuary: A slew of Moder!Five fics
Nov. 9th, 2011 09:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amythorthreeOkay, so I feel like this deserves a little explaining before I start posting. This AU started with the idea that the Five would be brilliant in a modern day Ethics class. Then it bloomed into Modern!Five in university as a general thing.
Then my partner and I started doing NaNoWriMo and Novel In 90 at the same time, this is how we are coping with the month of November.
No one is entirely sure how the caffeine got involved.
They knew how the alcohol happened, that was more than obvious. The word wars had been going on for several hours by that point and they were getting bleary-eyed with the consumption and the late hour.
But none of them are sure who pulled out the caffeine first. (It was Nikola.)
The rules: The person who loses will take a shot and the one who wins takes a caffeine pill. The rest get to suffer through not being on a caffeine rush or being inebriated, and dealing with the two that are.
Luckily for the five of them, both alcohol and caffeine seem to go around the room, so everyone is sufficiently imbalanced by the time 3 AM rolls around.
Helen is trying very hard not to bounce in her chair and her head is spinning a little but she doesn't mind. James can't actually read any of the words he's typing but he is damn sure it's brilliant. John is just grinning, though no one is entirely sure why, and Nikola has gotten to his feet and is pacing the room, typing one handed.
Nigel is sprawled out on the floor, studying the bottle and taking a break from this round of wars.
He considers telling the others that the bottle they were taking the pills from was the one that Helen and James had enhanced for end of term cramming, but he thought it best to let things keep going the way they were.
"I hate them," Nikola says, sitting down with his coffee and a tired expression. "I hate every single one of them."
Helen looks up from her laptop, tilting her head at him. "Come on, it can’t be that bad."
"No," he says simply. "It really is. It's that bad and worse."
James rolls his eyes. "You're exaggerating and you know it."
"I'm really not," Nikola informs. "I hate them, they're terrible, and I would rather spend time talking to the rats in the science wing than spend my time with them."
"What's all this about, then?" John questions, sitting down next to Nikola and looking at him with an arched brow.
"He started tutoring today," Helen explains with a smile. "Apparently it's going quite well."
Nikola shoots her a glare. “They're idiots! All of them! I don't know how they made it into university in the first place! There are tests you have to pass, for God's sake, there is no way in hell they managed to do that!"
Nigel just laughs, shaking his head. "Could've bribed someone," he offers, grinning.
"Or cheated," Helen offers with a grin of her own.
"I don’t actually think they’re smart enough to cheat or bribe anyone," Nikola tells them. "I think they're all just there to screw with me. Somehow this is a plot to get me to go absolutely insane."
John pats him on the shoulder. "Come on now, you know you're not that special."
"I am," Nikola says stubbornly. "I am and everyone is out to get to me." There's only the slightest trace of humor in his voice but it is there.
"Well," James says. "Now that we've established that Nikola has become paranoid, Helen, how are you?"
She can't help but crack up, grinning wide and shaking her head.
Nikola just rolls his eyes and takes another drink of his coffee.
"You know," Helen says, after she’s gotten control of herself. "There is an easy solution to all of this."
"To solving Nikola's paranoia?" John questions. "I'm afraid you're wrong, my dear. I think it was bred into him and there's nothing we can do about it."
"His money problems," she counters. "And all of ours, for that matter. We could get together and apply for a grant. We might have a better chance as a group than working on our own."
"It is a possibility," James says with a nod.
Nikola considers it for a moment, looking around at the others, and then nods his head. "Anything that means I don't have to work with those sorry excuses for human beings. I'm in."
"You're so kind to them," Helen says affectionately.
He grins a little. "I know."
"So then," James says, clapping his hands together. "A grant for all five of us?"
"It seems like it," John replies, amusement in his tone. "Won't this be interesting?"
"Oh," Nikola says with a laugh. "I'm sure it will be."
"We do not win the kitchen in this house."
"....Helen, stop denying yourself, we really do."
"The house is under my name, and I am telling you now, we are not betting use of the kitchen."
"I'll flip you for it."
"I want to make food in there, Nikola."
"And I need to run a few tests."
"Why not use any other room in the house?"
"Because the kitchen has a nice view."
"....Oh god, you're serious."
"Why do you think I have all the posters up in my bedroom? I like having things to look at."
"And the excess of wine bottles?"
"Would you believe me if I told you it was modern art?"
"You're still not getting the kitchen."
"....Helen?"
"Yes?"
"Don't look in the fridge."
"Go away, Nikola, we're done having this conversation."
They print out their novels.
Nikola stares at his. It definitely exceeded the mark but it certainly wans’t any good. Most of the others felt the same.
“So,” he started slowly, looking around the room. “I was thinking…”
“We burn them?” John questions, paging through his for a moment.
“And have dinner outside that night,” Helen chimes in.
“And bring alcohol,” Nigel adds quickly.
James looks around at them all, then shrugged. “I liked mine. I thought it was interesting.”
“Shut up, James.” Nikola said, putting his novel on the desk. “Just shut up.”
“I hate it.”
It’s the middle of Week Two and Nikola is staring at his novel with a grim expression on his face. The others have been typing quietly at their respective keyboards, not saying anything and not warring. Some of them were doing NaNoWriMo, some doing coursework.
When no one says anything, Nikola sighs. “This is the part where you are supposed to ofer support and tell me to keep going. He points out, looking around the room at the others expectantly.
“That would require me to stop hating my novel enough to do that,” Helen admits.
James clears his throat. “You know, it did mention in the book that we would get to this point.”
“True,” Nikola agreed. “I was just hoping the book was a lie.”
“It’s not cake,” Nigel adds it but no one listens to him when he starts babbling internet memes at the others.
“So,” Helen starts. “What do we do now?”
It’s only then that John clears his throat and looks at the others, a completely serious expression on his face. Isn’t it obvious?” He starts. “We start adding explosions.”
Then my partner and I started doing NaNoWriMo and Novel In 90 at the same time, this is how we are coping with the month of November.
No one is entirely sure how the caffeine got involved.
They knew how the alcohol happened, that was more than obvious. The word wars had been going on for several hours by that point and they were getting bleary-eyed with the consumption and the late hour.
But none of them are sure who pulled out the caffeine first. (It was Nikola.)
The rules: The person who loses will take a shot and the one who wins takes a caffeine pill. The rest get to suffer through not being on a caffeine rush or being inebriated, and dealing with the two that are.
Luckily for the five of them, both alcohol and caffeine seem to go around the room, so everyone is sufficiently imbalanced by the time 3 AM rolls around.
Helen is trying very hard not to bounce in her chair and her head is spinning a little but she doesn't mind. James can't actually read any of the words he's typing but he is damn sure it's brilliant. John is just grinning, though no one is entirely sure why, and Nikola has gotten to his feet and is pacing the room, typing one handed.
Nigel is sprawled out on the floor, studying the bottle and taking a break from this round of wars.
He considers telling the others that the bottle they were taking the pills from was the one that Helen and James had enhanced for end of term cramming, but he thought it best to let things keep going the way they were.
"I hate them," Nikola says, sitting down with his coffee and a tired expression. "I hate every single one of them."
Helen looks up from her laptop, tilting her head at him. "Come on, it can’t be that bad."
"No," he says simply. "It really is. It's that bad and worse."
James rolls his eyes. "You're exaggerating and you know it."
"I'm really not," Nikola informs. "I hate them, they're terrible, and I would rather spend time talking to the rats in the science wing than spend my time with them."
"What's all this about, then?" John questions, sitting down next to Nikola and looking at him with an arched brow.
"He started tutoring today," Helen explains with a smile. "Apparently it's going quite well."
Nikola shoots her a glare. “They're idiots! All of them! I don't know how they made it into university in the first place! There are tests you have to pass, for God's sake, there is no way in hell they managed to do that!"
Nigel just laughs, shaking his head. "Could've bribed someone," he offers, grinning.
"Or cheated," Helen offers with a grin of her own.
"I don’t actually think they’re smart enough to cheat or bribe anyone," Nikola tells them. "I think they're all just there to screw with me. Somehow this is a plot to get me to go absolutely insane."
John pats him on the shoulder. "Come on now, you know you're not that special."
"I am," Nikola says stubbornly. "I am and everyone is out to get to me." There's only the slightest trace of humor in his voice but it is there.
"Well," James says. "Now that we've established that Nikola has become paranoid, Helen, how are you?"
She can't help but crack up, grinning wide and shaking her head.
Nikola just rolls his eyes and takes another drink of his coffee.
"You know," Helen says, after she’s gotten control of herself. "There is an easy solution to all of this."
"To solving Nikola's paranoia?" John questions. "I'm afraid you're wrong, my dear. I think it was bred into him and there's nothing we can do about it."
"His money problems," she counters. "And all of ours, for that matter. We could get together and apply for a grant. We might have a better chance as a group than working on our own."
"It is a possibility," James says with a nod.
Nikola considers it for a moment, looking around at the others, and then nods his head. "Anything that means I don't have to work with those sorry excuses for human beings. I'm in."
"You're so kind to them," Helen says affectionately.
He grins a little. "I know."
"So then," James says, clapping his hands together. "A grant for all five of us?"
"It seems like it," John replies, amusement in his tone. "Won't this be interesting?"
"Oh," Nikola says with a laugh. "I'm sure it will be."
"We do not win the kitchen in this house."
"....Helen, stop denying yourself, we really do."
"The house is under my name, and I am telling you now, we are not betting use of the kitchen."
"I'll flip you for it."
"I want to make food in there, Nikola."
"And I need to run a few tests."
"Why not use any other room in the house?"
"Because the kitchen has a nice view."
"....Oh god, you're serious."
"Why do you think I have all the posters up in my bedroom? I like having things to look at."
"And the excess of wine bottles?"
"Would you believe me if I told you it was modern art?"
"You're still not getting the kitchen."
"....Helen?"
"Yes?"
"Don't look in the fridge."
"Go away, Nikola, we're done having this conversation."
They print out their novels.
Nikola stares at his. It definitely exceeded the mark but it certainly wans’t any good. Most of the others felt the same.
“So,” he started slowly, looking around the room. “I was thinking…”
“We burn them?” John questions, paging through his for a moment.
“And have dinner outside that night,” Helen chimes in.
“And bring alcohol,” Nigel adds quickly.
James looks around at them all, then shrugged. “I liked mine. I thought it was interesting.”
“Shut up, James.” Nikola said, putting his novel on the desk. “Just shut up.”
“I hate it.”
It’s the middle of Week Two and Nikola is staring at his novel with a grim expression on his face. The others have been typing quietly at their respective keyboards, not saying anything and not warring. Some of them were doing NaNoWriMo, some doing coursework.
When no one says anything, Nikola sighs. “This is the part where you are supposed to ofer support and tell me to keep going. He points out, looking around the room at the others expectantly.
“That would require me to stop hating my novel enough to do that,” Helen admits.
James clears his throat. “You know, it did mention in the book that we would get to this point.”
“True,” Nikola agreed. “I was just hoping the book was a lie.”
“It’s not cake,” Nigel adds it but no one listens to him when he starts babbling internet memes at the others.
“So,” Helen starts. “What do we do now?”
It’s only then that John clears his throat and looks at the others, a completely serious expression on his face. Isn’t it obvious?” He starts. “We start adding explosions.”