merle_p

Happy New Year, everyone!

I wrote two MFU fics for two different winter exchanges:

For brodinsons in Yuletide, I wrote an Illya/Napoleon story that I think might actually count as casefic:
Two Men, Crossing the Street
Illya/Napoleon, PG-13 to R
“They are useless to their countries,” he says slowly. “Everyone knows their real names, their faces. A spy who cannot spy. Is like – like a car that cannot drive. Useless.”
“Ah,” Napoleon says quietly, as if he finally understands what Illya is so angry about. But he doesn’t, Illya thinks, he can’t know, not really, and he isn’t sure if it’s sadness or relief he feels at the thought.


For HelenaKey in The Down the Chimney Affair 2015, I wrote my first Illya/Gaby fic, although it's more friendship fic with background romance, I think:
From Moscow, with Clove
Illya/Gaby, Illya&Napoleon, PG-13
“Of course,” Illya shrugs and drinks again. “The Russians invented it.”

Author: Merle
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Illya/Napoleon
Word Count: 2506
Spoilers: Slight spoilers for the movie.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Sadly.
Tags/Warnings: Porn with Feelings, Angsty Schmoop, Smut, Flashbacks, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Fisting, I Don't Even Know, We-Almost-Died Sex, Unorthodox Coping Mechanisms, Illya's Hands
A/N: So. This is *not* what I usually write. In more than one way. I would apologize, but I'm not entirely sure what for. Please read the tags/warnings before proceeding.
Summary:
“Are you with me, cowboy?” Illya asks, and his accent is heavy, thick, but his voice is steady and calm, not betraying any of the shakiness that has Napoleon shivering and twitching as if any second he’s going to come out of his skin.
“Nrgh,” he makes, voice muffled by the pillow, and he is glad, because even he doesn’t know if he meant that to be “yes,” or “no,” or “oh god please.”

Fist over Heart @ AO3

Author: Merle
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Illya/Napoleon, brief Napoleon/OFC, past OFC/OMC
Word Count: 7436
Spoilers: Spoilers for the movie.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Sadly.
Tags/Warnings: Spies & Secret Agents, 1960s, Cold War, Breaking Up & Making Up, Getting Back Together, Developing Relationship, Miscommunication, Canon-Typical Violence, PTSD, Mental Instability, Childhood Trauma, Extremely Dubious Consent (Between Original Characters), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Stalinist Russia, Loss of Parent(s), Honeytrap, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Backstory, Flashbacks
Summary:
“Does he ever talk about his past?” Napoleon asks, the words escaping his mouth before he can tell himself to hold them back. He coughs. “You know. During all those fake romantic nights?”
“His past?” Gaby asks slowly, and gives him a curious look.
“Yeah, you know,” Napoleon gestures, feeling tired and out of his depth. “Lovers. Family. Russia. That kind of thing.”



Crimean Shore @ AO3

So I really liked The Man from U.N.C.L.E., for all the obvious reasons, enough so that I've been writing fic already. It also made me realize that apparently I have a previously unrealized kink about people with different ideological/political backgrounds/positions flirting with each other. I knew there was a reason why I used to like Kevin/Robert so much during my Brothers & Sisters days.

BUT ... the one thing that kind of bothers me is the way the movie deals with Gaby.

( Character spoilers, don't keep reading if you don't want to knowCollapse )

Huh. Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest, here one of my favorite scenes from the movie, which pretty much sums up what I like about it:

Author: Merle
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Illya/Napoleon, Illya&Gaby
Word Count: 6773
Spoilers: Spoilers for the movie.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Sadly.
Tags/Warnings: Spies & Secret Agents, 1960s, Cold War, Betrayal, Misunderstandings, Developing Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mental Instability, Angst and Feels, Undercover Missions, Secrets, Hotels - So Many Hotels
Summary:
“Don’t blame yourself,” Waverly says, almost kindly. “No one saw it coming.”
Illya looks down at him, surprised and perhaps a little condescending, because he knows better than to blame himself, and he doesn’t understand why Waverly thinks he would. Solo is good at what he does, one of the best, and Illya has always been more than aware that Solo could trick him if he really set his mind to it.


Love in the Times of Cold War @ AO3

Author: Merle
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Illya/Napoleon, Illya&Gaby, Gaby/Waverly
Word Count: 5129
Spoilers: Spoilers for the movie.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Sadly.
Tags/Warnings: Spies & Secret Agents, 1960s, Europe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Serious Injuries, Canon-Typical Violence, Cold War, Getting Together, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Obscure Weaponry, Male-Female Friendship, Animal Death, Mental Instability, Oranges
Summary:
"Why didn't you, then?" she asks, a reasonable question, and he turns his face towards the window, watches the Valencian night rush by.
"I was distracted," he says.
She is quiet for a while.
"Distracted by whom?" she finally asks, and he keeps his eyes on the window.
"I do not know." It is a lie, and he is sure that Gaby knows it is a lie, but she is kind enough not to point that out.


Mutually Assured Distraction @ AO3