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crack_van2013-06-03 01:59 pm
stars-inthe-sky.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2013-06-03 01:59 pm
Entry tags:
"Safety Zone" by saucydiva (PG)
Fandom: Parks and Recreation
Pairing: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Length: 5400 words
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
saucydiva
Author Website: Tumblr
Why this must be read: This is LIT-RALLY one of my all-time favorite Parksfics, featuring the whole gang, water balloons, hilarious hijinks, and a hefty dose of Leslie/Ben sexual tension.saucydiva is one of the fandom's best authors--she has a loving, pitch-perfect grasp of the characters and an ability to make even the most mundane moments laugh-out-loud funny.
Ben has agreed to far too many things since getting to Pawnee. He told someone his story, which he never does (at least, never within twenty four hours of meeting them). He promised to fire someone, and then didn’t (he still isn’t sure how that happened). And he bribed a singer to come to a concert that he himself canceled (he really can’t figure that one out).
But this is a new and strange time where things like “water balloon fights for appendicitis” are both a thing and a thing he personally is attending. He pays his entrance fee, enters into a fenced-off section of the park next to the hospital, and slips into the crowd. There are dozens and dozens of people watching Leslie Knope give a speech about the dangers of whatever this is raising money for. She is standing on a makeshift podium explaining the rule; essentially, everyone gets a grocery bag of balloons, anyone can have more in exchange for money, and people who pay additional fees (not fees, donations) get to bring in whatever extra stuff they want. The water war will last from the blowing of the bullhorn to whenever people stop giving her money, as far as he can tell. Even though it is hot out— it is noon in July in Southern Indiana—the crowd clearly adores listening to Leslie, who shines so brightly in the sun he finds himself reaching for his sunglasses to shield his retinas.
The shoeshine guy is handing out the bags of balloons, a garbage bag duct-taped over his broken arm. Ben takes his bag and checks out his supply. He bumps in to Chris, who is trying to talk to that friend of Leslie’s, telling her he is literally fascinated with eradicating athlete’s foot. The friend— Ann, her name is Ann— is demurring, trying to politely get out of the conversation. Ben realizes he shouldn’t be enjoying watching Chris strike out… but he is. Ben wonders, briefly, if it was a bad idea to wear a tie, and he takes off his watch and slips it into his pocket.
The crowd is clearly excited, a little breathless with anticipation. Still, even though he is looking at Leslie the moment she sounds the alarm, he jumps a little, and when he sees Leslie slip off her blazer (she is wearing some sort of sundress underneath, and he is surprised at how carefree she looks) it occurs to him that he should probably get away from her, because she probably has it in for him.
She picks other targets, though, not that he’s keeping up with Leslie because he’s getting pelted from all sides from a crowd of government workers who recognize him as the one to blame for their problems. Once they assess him as soaked, they move on to throwing balloons at each other. Ben realizes he isn’t sure how to handle this, because he is not on particularly friendly terms with these people and he isn’t sure how they will react to him hurdling balloons at them.
Safety Zone
Pairing: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Length: 5400 words
Author on LJ:
saucydivaAuthor Website: Tumblr
Why this must be read: This is LIT-RALLY one of my all-time favorite Parksfics, featuring the whole gang, water balloons, hilarious hijinks, and a hefty dose of Leslie/Ben sexual tension.
saucydiva is one of the fandom's best authors--she has a loving, pitch-perfect grasp of the characters and an ability to make even the most mundane moments laugh-out-loud funny.Ben has agreed to far too many things since getting to Pawnee. He told someone his story, which he never does (at least, never within twenty four hours of meeting them). He promised to fire someone, and then didn’t (he still isn’t sure how that happened). And he bribed a singer to come to a concert that he himself canceled (he really can’t figure that one out).
But this is a new and strange time where things like “water balloon fights for appendicitis” are both a thing and a thing he personally is attending. He pays his entrance fee, enters into a fenced-off section of the park next to the hospital, and slips into the crowd. There are dozens and dozens of people watching Leslie Knope give a speech about the dangers of whatever this is raising money for. She is standing on a makeshift podium explaining the rule; essentially, everyone gets a grocery bag of balloons, anyone can have more in exchange for money, and people who pay additional fees (not fees, donations) get to bring in whatever extra stuff they want. The water war will last from the blowing of the bullhorn to whenever people stop giving her money, as far as he can tell. Even though it is hot out— it is noon in July in Southern Indiana—the crowd clearly adores listening to Leslie, who shines so brightly in the sun he finds himself reaching for his sunglasses to shield his retinas.
The shoeshine guy is handing out the bags of balloons, a garbage bag duct-taped over his broken arm. Ben takes his bag and checks out his supply. He bumps in to Chris, who is trying to talk to that friend of Leslie’s, telling her he is literally fascinated with eradicating athlete’s foot. The friend— Ann, her name is Ann— is demurring, trying to politely get out of the conversation. Ben realizes he shouldn’t be enjoying watching Chris strike out… but he is. Ben wonders, briefly, if it was a bad idea to wear a tie, and he takes off his watch and slips it into his pocket.
The crowd is clearly excited, a little breathless with anticipation. Still, even though he is looking at Leslie the moment she sounds the alarm, he jumps a little, and when he sees Leslie slip off her blazer (she is wearing some sort of sundress underneath, and he is surprised at how carefree she looks) it occurs to him that he should probably get away from her, because she probably has it in for him.
She picks other targets, though, not that he’s keeping up with Leslie because he’s getting pelted from all sides from a crowd of government workers who recognize him as the one to blame for their problems. Once they assess him as soaked, they move on to throwing balloons at each other. Ben realizes he isn’t sure how to handle this, because he is not on particularly friendly terms with these people and he isn’t sure how they will react to him hurdling balloons at them.
Safety Zone