storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2015-02-16 02:39 pm
storypaint) wrote2015-02-16 02:39 pm
[Thrilling Adventure Hour] now more alive than ever (Croach/Sparks)
Title: now more alive than ever
Fandom: Thrilling Adventure Hour
Length: 563 words
Prompt: comment_fic: Thrilling Adventure Hour, Croach the Tracker/Sparks Nevada, Is it possible to catch emotions?
Pairing: Croach/Sparks
Other: Set in early canon.
Excerpt: "I was not attempting to be humorous. That was an example of terrifying human laughter, wasn't it?" Croach said, utterly serious, which nearly set Sparks off again. Instead he coughed and tried to recover his dignity. He adjusted his bow tie.
"I have a query, Sparks Nevada," the Martian said. Sparks had been buried in a very satisfying traffic ticket write-up and had nearly forgotten that his new deputy was present in the marshal station. He didn't know how; someone like Croach should always stand out, being ridiculous tall, thin, and blue. Maybe this was a sign that they were getting used to each other.
Which they shouldn't do, for sure, because all Croach was going to do was fulfill his onus and go back to his tribe. That was fine with Sparks. He didn't need a deputy. Sure, he was awfully busy cleaning up the bandits on Mars and taking care of various other dangers, but he could go it alone. He'd planned to until Croach wouldn't take no for an answer. He didn't want to create some kind of international incident, not on his first day.
"What's up, Croach?" Sparks asked, setting down his pen. Croach didn't look worried, because he never looked worried. He'd explained at length that his people didn't suffer from ridiculous human emotions, although so far that had mostly meant that he needed Sparks Nevada to explain his jokes.
"It's-- never mind," Croach said, and he would have rolled his eyes if he had the right muscles to do it, Sparks suspected, lack of emotions be damned. Sparks really was trying to pronounce his name properly, and he would swear to that. "My query is this. I have never spent this much time around humans before and I am concerned that I am going to catch your emotions, which would shame me in the eyes of my tribe."
Sparks started laughing. Croach stared at him, unblinking, while Sparks laughed and laughed and maybe even sneaked in a giggle. Finally he had to pause to breathe.
"I was not attempting to be humorous. That was an example of terrifying human laughter, wasn't it?" Croach said, utterly serious, which nearly set Sparks off again. Instead he coughed and tried to recover his dignity. He adjusted his bow tie.
"Emotions aren't like... they aren't like diseases, Croach. Which I remember you telling me you was immune to, anyway, due to your nan-- nano-tek. At least mostly. I don't think you need to worry about it," he said.
In his opinion, Croach's refusal to be emotional was little more than a social construction. He could make his displeasure known, for sure, and that was an emotion. Seemed to Sparks like he had plenty of feelings, he just pretended they didn't exist. Which was pretty manly, so Sparks went with it. He didn't have any unnecessary emotions either, just duty. It was why they got along.
Croach made that weird shrugging motion that Sparks thought was his way of nodding, and he was quiet for a while, long enough that Sparks had picked up his space pen again and began gnawing on the end of it, looking to figure out where he'd left off on the report.
"I do not worry," Croach said. "It just seemed prudent to ask."
"Sure, sure, anytime," Sparks said, and he didn't look up, didn't see the way that Croach's gaze held on him, intent.
(Emotions were definitely catching, and Croach didn't like any of them, especially the little fluttering ones that happened in his stomach when he watched Sparks absently push the hair out of his eyes.)
Fandom: Thrilling Adventure Hour
Length: 563 words
Prompt: comment_fic: Thrilling Adventure Hour, Croach the Tracker/Sparks Nevada, Is it possible to catch emotions?
Pairing: Croach/Sparks
Other: Set in early canon.
Excerpt: "I was not attempting to be humorous. That was an example of terrifying human laughter, wasn't it?" Croach said, utterly serious, which nearly set Sparks off again. Instead he coughed and tried to recover his dignity. He adjusted his bow tie.
"I have a query, Sparks Nevada," the Martian said. Sparks had been buried in a very satisfying traffic ticket write-up and had nearly forgotten that his new deputy was present in the marshal station. He didn't know how; someone like Croach should always stand out, being ridiculous tall, thin, and blue. Maybe this was a sign that they were getting used to each other.
Which they shouldn't do, for sure, because all Croach was going to do was fulfill his onus and go back to his tribe. That was fine with Sparks. He didn't need a deputy. Sure, he was awfully busy cleaning up the bandits on Mars and taking care of various other dangers, but he could go it alone. He'd planned to until Croach wouldn't take no for an answer. He didn't want to create some kind of international incident, not on his first day.
"What's up, Croach?" Sparks asked, setting down his pen. Croach didn't look worried, because he never looked worried. He'd explained at length that his people didn't suffer from ridiculous human emotions, although so far that had mostly meant that he needed Sparks Nevada to explain his jokes.
"It's-- never mind," Croach said, and he would have rolled his eyes if he had the right muscles to do it, Sparks suspected, lack of emotions be damned. Sparks really was trying to pronounce his name properly, and he would swear to that. "My query is this. I have never spent this much time around humans before and I am concerned that I am going to catch your emotions, which would shame me in the eyes of my tribe."
Sparks started laughing. Croach stared at him, unblinking, while Sparks laughed and laughed and maybe even sneaked in a giggle. Finally he had to pause to breathe.
"I was not attempting to be humorous. That was an example of terrifying human laughter, wasn't it?" Croach said, utterly serious, which nearly set Sparks off again. Instead he coughed and tried to recover his dignity. He adjusted his bow tie.
"Emotions aren't like... they aren't like diseases, Croach. Which I remember you telling me you was immune to, anyway, due to your nan-- nano-tek. At least mostly. I don't think you need to worry about it," he said.
In his opinion, Croach's refusal to be emotional was little more than a social construction. He could make his displeasure known, for sure, and that was an emotion. Seemed to Sparks like he had plenty of feelings, he just pretended they didn't exist. Which was pretty manly, so Sparks went with it. He didn't have any unnecessary emotions either, just duty. It was why they got along.
Croach made that weird shrugging motion that Sparks thought was his way of nodding, and he was quiet for a while, long enough that Sparks had picked up his space pen again and began gnawing on the end of it, looking to figure out where he'd left off on the report.
"I do not worry," Croach said. "It just seemed prudent to ask."
"Sure, sure, anytime," Sparks said, and he didn't look up, didn't see the way that Croach's gaze held on him, intent.
(Emotions were definitely catching, and Croach didn't like any of them, especially the little fluttering ones that happened in his stomach when he watched Sparks absently push the hair out of his eyes.)