Every Line Speaks the Language of Love by mardia (PG)

[azarsuerte.livejournal.com]

Fandom: How I Met Your Mother
Pairing: Ted/the mother, Marshall/Lily
Length: I'd say 5000 words, max, and that's probably a generous estimate
Author on LJ: mardia
Author's website: I don't think so
Why this must be read: How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom. It's a sitcom that gives the occasional tug to the old heart-strings (particularly lately) but a sitcom nonetheless, and a very funny one. But what mardia somehow, amazingly managed to do with this story is to write not just heart-tugging, but full-on heart-wrenching, heart-breaking, sob-your-heart-out ANGST for one of the funniest shows on TV today, and more incredibly, still keep it absolutely in character. All based on the simple premise: so why is Ted telling his kids this long, convoluted story, and more importantly, why are they listening to it? Aside from breaking your heart into a million pieces, she also gives the kids names, personalities, and makes them live on the page so that you ache for them as much as for the characters we know better.

Their mom gives them a wry smile and says, “Guys, I know this isn’t how you want to spend your afternoons, but just go with it, okay?”

And Alex smiles and nods along with her brother, and doesn’t say, but I love Dad’s stories. I always have. And she does love her dad’s stories, she has since she was a little kid and he’d tell her bedtime stories about the princess who saved her kingdom and the prince and became an awesome ruler and won tons of skating medals. (That last part was probably because Alex had dreams of becoming a world-famous figure skater when she was younger.)

Sure she rolls her eyes now, but—that’s, like, a requirement. Her dad’s stories are ridiculous and long, but they’re funny, even if that’s mostly because he and all his friends were apparently nuts and totally drama-prone when they were younger.

What none of them even dare to think out loud is this—we’re doing this because this is going to be the last story Dad’ll ever tell.


Every Line Speaks the Language of Love
Extended Goodbyes (the sequel, which is just as awesome and even more heartbreaking)