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crack_van2010-08-24 08:47 pm
icanbreakthesky.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2010-08-24 08:47 pm
Bruises to Prove It by which_is_golden (NC-17)
Sorry about the unscheduled pit stop there, folks, but my computer is back in working order now and (hopefully) won't be dying again!
Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Ashlee/Pete
Length: ~16k
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
which_is_golden
Author Website: Fic tag
Why this must be read:
This is a boxing AU very different from the last one I recced. Bruises to Prove It is an Invisible music video AU wherein the Simpson family returns home from a tour supporting Jessica and Ashlee wanders into the boxing gym Amanda Palmer opened in town since they've been gone. This is a beautiful story about Ashlee forging an identity for herself outside of her family's sometimes overbearing shadow. Ashlee isn't a character who gets written about often, so it's an extra treat when she's the main character in a nice, plotty fic that really gives her room to spread her own (slightly awkward) wings, especially with such a well-rounded supporting cast. Amanda and her boxers are fantastic, and Pete plays a small but incredibly sweet part. But ultimately I love this story because it's about Ashlee making her own life for herself.
The next day on her run, Ashlee slows down in front of the gym. Palmer Professional Boxing , the sign says. Someone started painting a giant pair of boxing gloves across the glass, and stopped halfway through. Before she realizes it, she's pushing the door open. A tiny bell rings above her head.
The first thing she sees is the big ring and the two guys fighting in it, circling and jabbing. A tall guy is watching them and shouting out suggestions. Around the ring are a bunch of mats and punching bags, with a couple more people practicing.
"You look like you need a fight." A woman sitting behind the front desk smiles sharply up at her, eyebrows raised. "Have you ever boxed before?"
"A little," Ashlee says, wiping at her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. The woman is watching her like she's waiting for her moment to pounce. "I don't know - I wouldn't want to waste your time or anything. I just wanted to stop in and see."
"Why don't you put on some gloves and see how they feel?" the woman says, her smile expanding slow as honey across her face. She's already standing up, reaching under the desk and dragging out a pair of beaten up gloves. "My name's Amanda, I own this place. C'mon, I'll wrap up your hands."
Somehow the tone of her voice makes it all seem so obvious. Ashlee holds her hands out, and Amanda takes them gently, wrapping them around and around with white cloth, first her wrists, then around her palms, and through her fingers. Ashlee holds her right hand up to examine it as Amanda wraps the other one, curling and uncurling her fingers. She likes the feeling of the cotton, the firmness of it like a second skin.
(Note the warning about eating disorders.)
Bruises to Prove It
Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Ashlee/Pete
Length: ~16k
Author on LJ:
which_is_goldenAuthor Website: Fic tag
Why this must be read:
This is a boxing AU very different from the last one I recced. Bruises to Prove It is an Invisible music video AU wherein the Simpson family returns home from a tour supporting Jessica and Ashlee wanders into the boxing gym Amanda Palmer opened in town since they've been gone. This is a beautiful story about Ashlee forging an identity for herself outside of her family's sometimes overbearing shadow. Ashlee isn't a character who gets written about often, so it's an extra treat when she's the main character in a nice, plotty fic that really gives her room to spread her own (slightly awkward) wings, especially with such a well-rounded supporting cast. Amanda and her boxers are fantastic, and Pete plays a small but incredibly sweet part. But ultimately I love this story because it's about Ashlee making her own life for herself.
The next day on her run, Ashlee slows down in front of the gym. Palmer Professional Boxing , the sign says. Someone started painting a giant pair of boxing gloves across the glass, and stopped halfway through. Before she realizes it, she's pushing the door open. A tiny bell rings above her head.
The first thing she sees is the big ring and the two guys fighting in it, circling and jabbing. A tall guy is watching them and shouting out suggestions. Around the ring are a bunch of mats and punching bags, with a couple more people practicing.
"You look like you need a fight." A woman sitting behind the front desk smiles sharply up at her, eyebrows raised. "Have you ever boxed before?"
"A little," Ashlee says, wiping at her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. The woman is watching her like she's waiting for her moment to pounce. "I don't know - I wouldn't want to waste your time or anything. I just wanted to stop in and see."
"Why don't you put on some gloves and see how they feel?" the woman says, her smile expanding slow as honey across her face. She's already standing up, reaching under the desk and dragging out a pair of beaten up gloves. "My name's Amanda, I own this place. C'mon, I'll wrap up your hands."
Somehow the tone of her voice makes it all seem so obvious. Ashlee holds her hands out, and Amanda takes them gently, wrapping them around and around with white cloth, first her wrists, then around her palms, and through her fingers. Ashlee holds her right hand up to examine it as Amanda wraps the other one, curling and uncurling her fingers. She likes the feeling of the cotton, the firmness of it like a second skin.
(Note the warning about eating disorders.)
Bruises to Prove It