All the Feels (7 page)

The #SpartanSurvived hashtag appeared, and the screen went black, music dying on its final pulse.

Xander burst into applause, the lacy cuffs of his shirt a blur.

“Holy shitballs, Liv, that’s motherfucking fantastic!”

Liv broke into a peal of laughter. “Jeez, Xander. You kiss your mom with that mouth?”

He grabbed her arm. “Can I use it in my acting portfolio? Can I? Please? Please! I’ve gotta use it!” His grin was contagious.

“Sure, I guess.” Liv giggled. “Though you should know that all those scenes are ripped. I lifted them from the
Starveil
films, so it’s not totally legal.”

“So what? You made me look…” Xander shook his head. “Like a Hollywood heartthrob or something.”

Liv burst into another peal of laughter, and he shoved her arm, his smile fading.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“No, wait!” she choked, unable to breathe. “That’s not what I mean at all, it’s just…” She caught sight of Xander’s face and the white collar starched beneath his chin. He looked so irritated and prim she couldn’t stop. Giggles popped free from Liv’s chest. “I can’t—I meant—I—”

One brow lifted scornfully. “If this is supposed to be making me feel better, it’s not working.”

She pressed her hands to her mouth, chest quaking. “I’m sorry. Really I am.”

He shook his head and looked away.

“Seriously, Xander. I’m not laughing at you.” She caught hold of his arm. “I’m laughing because you just don’t get it.”

“No,” he grumbled. “I don’t.”

Liv’s giggles faded as she realized he wasn’t exaggerating; he was upset. “I’m sorry, Xander. I was only laughing because you
are
that person. The Hollywood heartthrob look just gets lost under the lace and brocade.”

He gave her a seething look.

“Don’t get me wrong—I love it! Your stellar eighteenth-century fashion sense is fantastic.”

“It’s nineteenth century, actually,” he sniffed.

“Fine, nineteenth.” She looked down, realizing she was still clinging to his arm, and pulled back her hand. “But the problem is, most people don’t appreciate it. I’m sorry I laughed before. It
wasn’t
about you.”

He waved away her words. “Nothing to be sorry for. I misunderstood.” He tapped the laptop’s screen. “Oh! And I’m definitely taking a copy of this for my drama portfolio.”

Liv hit Send. “Just don’t say I never helped you with your homework.”

“Never.” He hit Play again, and the music restarted. “But you’re still going to help me sew the rest of my cosplay, right?”

Liv frowned. “But I thought it was just a new waistcoat.”

“I’ve got another jacket I want to finish. Breeches, too. I need both of them by midterm.”

Liv turned to Xander, just as he appeared on-screen. “Hey now. This cosplay’s part of your upcoming costuming course, isn’t it?!”

“Maybe. Maybe not.…” He smirked. “CU posts all course outlines online now. You could get ahead on your projects, too, you know.”

“But that means I’m doing your homework for you!” She crossed her arms. “No way!”

“You’ll do it if you want an actor for your next vid,” Xander drawled.

“You blackmailing bastard!”

Xander gave an enigmatic smile. “I prefer Major R. C. Malloy, Rebel leader.”

*   *   *

The spring semester began with a rush of preparations. New classes meant new people, and new people meant anxiety. Liv spent her first day back on campus slumped in the back of the classroom, hoping her terrified silence passed for aloofness.

Her course load involved two postproduction classes that seemed interesting; a history of film class she’d taken with Xander, which ran two nights a week; a math class so redundant it felt like a rehash of high school; and one sociology class, which she utterly loathed. By the end of the first day, she was utterly exhausted by the effort to seem sociable when all she wanted to do was curl up at home and read fic. Interacting online was so much easier!

Liv’s phone was out of power by the time she got home, but it began buzzing the moment she plugged it in. She glanced at the screen, brows rising in surprise.

@StarVeilBrian1981:
@LivOutLoud GET ONTO THE STARVEIL WIKI NOW, LIV!!!

Liv tossed her bag onto the floor, slumping onto her bed and kicking off her shoes. She couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she typed in a reply one-handed:

@LivOutLoud:
@StarVeilBrian1981 Sure, Brian. Why?

She struggled out of her winter jacket, moving her phone—with its plug tether—from one hand to the other, then briefly getting it caught in her sleeve. By the time she untangled it, another message had appeared. Liv settled back onto the pillows of her bed, reading.

@StarVeilBrian1981:
@LivOutLoud There’s a video posted this time! It’s bloody unbelievable! 1/2

@StarVeilBrian1981:
@LivOutLoud Do you remember that clip I sent you of the cut scenes from SV 2? THAT WAS IN IT, I’m 99% sure. WATCH IT. WATCH IT NOW!!!!! 2/2

Liv’s grin widened until her cheeks ached. She tapped an answer with shaking fingers.

@LivOutLoud:
@StarVeilBrian1981 Looks pretty cool! So are you going to do a manip for it?

@StarVeilBrian1981:
@LivOutLoud Are you kidding? I’VE DONE EIGHT OF THEM. Hold on.

@StarVeilBrian1981:
@LivOutLoud This one’s my fave.

@LivOutLoud:
@StarVeilBrian1981 LOL-that’s awesome, Brian.:D Has @JoesWoes seen it?

@StarVeilBrian1981:
@LivOutLoud @JoesWoes Seen it? She’s already started a new #SpartanSurvived fic. She’s using the manip as her fic header.

@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes @StarVeilBrian1981 AWESOME!

@StarVeilBrian1981:
@LivOutLoud So what are YOU doing for the rebellion?

@LivOutLoud:
@StarVeilBrian1981 I’ll think of something. ;)

Liv’s gaze rose to the posters that covered her room’s walls. In one, Spartan posed atop the ruins of Io. In another, he and Tekla stood back-to-back, blasters raised.
Yes
, she thought,
I’ll definitely come up with something.
But first, Liv needed inspiration.

She grabbed her laptop and turned it on.

*   *   *

4

“SO SAY WE ALL!”

(
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
)

When Liv arrived, Xander was waiting in one of the twin wingback chairs near the front door.

“My imagination is in overdrive,” he said. “Where’s the book?”

“It’s not a book.” She slid into the chair next to him. “It’s a Spartan fic.”

Xander’s nose wrinkled as Liv pulled out her tablet and connected it to the café’s Wi-Fi. She handed it to him.

Title:
Shadow Soul

Author:
JoesWoes

Word Count: ~ 6,000 words

Primary Characters:
Spartan, Tekla, Malloy

Pairing:
SparTek

Rating: NC-17 for sexuality (NSFW)

Warning: Mentions of suicide, death, and war atrocities.

Tags:
#SpartanSurvived #SparTek #Malloy #ShadowSoul #Hurt/Comfort #JoesWoesFic

Xander looked up. “Your friend Joanne wrote this? Does she know about us? The vidding, I mean.”

“Doesn’t know a thing,” Liv said. “She just writes because she’s JoesWoes. She’s been a fic writer since the very first
Starveil
movie. Joe’s Internet famous.”

“More famous than you are?”

“God yes! Or at least more than my LivOutLoud account for sure. I have my own group of followers, but I don’t write, I vid. There just isn’t the same following for that. Joe has thousands of people who wait for her every post.”

“So she’s one of the grande dames of fandom? The Madame de Staël of the
Starveil
world?” Xander teased.

“You could say that,” Liv said. “Joe’s been around forever. Everyone follows her. Though if I keep gaining followers with our vids, I think my SpartanSurvived account might give her a run for her money.” Liv poked the tablet. “JoesWoes has more than five hundred Spartan fics.”

“Five hundred,” Xander muttered. “She’s quite prolific.”

“But this one’s different. Joe never writes anything but canon. Never. But in this one she includes
your
character: Malloy. You’re not actually in the movies, but if you’ve got JoesWoes writing about you, it
seems
like you are!”