Who Watches Over You - (Pushing Daisies, M)

[Garnet]

I'm still not over this weird Lee Pace thing I've been riding, don't look at me. I've also subsequently been rewatching Pushing Daisies, which is better the second time around. This was just going to be the tiniest of drabbles, but in typical fashion it snowballed into something not long enough to be a fic, but too chunky to stash in my drabble thread.

flies into the sun

Who Watches Over You

(Make a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul)

"-- ch!"

Chuck paused in rolling out dough in great, smooth sheets, a task that she had always found immensely satisfying in its repetition and tactile alchemy. Flour and sugar and eggs to a yielding lump of sweet-smelling clay in her hands, swathed out in measured thickness, tucked, crimped, latticed into pans. In an hour, it would be flaking and golden. She'd assumed her appetite for the end product would phase out after a week or two of constant exposure to the redolent bakery air, but her mouth still watered each time she threw open the ovens to bear each plate to its final destination.

She also assumed that the Piemaker had dropped a bag of flour, or that the radiator had hiccuped again, but when she looked up, Ned was only gazing back at her with a muzzy smile, looking expectant. There was no indication as to what the noise may have been. Her brow furrowed.

"Everything okay?"

Ned's smile flagged slightly, as he unintentionally matched her expression. "... yes?"

"... okay then!" She went back to rolling out dough and put the sound from her mind.

It stayed there, too, until the lunch crowd had subsided, and she was taking stock to prepare for the lunch crowd's more robust dinner cousin. On the weekends, there would be the drunk crowd, too, to whom a slice of fresh-baked pie sounded like the very best idea in the entire world. But it wasn't the weekend, and she was feeling pretty confident that four blueberries would be enough. Probably.

Maybe she should throw another in the oven, just in case.

"-- chh!"

Chuck glanced up, blinking around her, but Olive had ducked back into the kitchen with arms piled high with coffee cups and Ned was mopping the crust of snow and slush from the floor. Had been, anyway. He looked up too, fixing her with that same small but attentive smile, like he was waiting for something.

"What was that about?"

Fractures of uncertainty crept into his expression again. "Sorry. I think it's all this cold weather?"

Oh, it was the radiator after all. "You should get that fixed."

The Piemaker's brow knit with woeful discomfiture, probably at the idea of either dealing with the task himself or contracting someone to come in. "I... yeah. I will."

Chuck flashed him a warm smile that she hoped was reassuring, and went back to tallying the stock.

The dinner crowd came and went, they ran out of blueberry. The weather had turned bitter, however, and they had no short supply of good, strong coffee, which seemed to erase any potential disappointment, as did a heaping plate of chocolate pecan when it was offered a la mode. Chuck wished that her taste for desserts had subsided. She'd been in the mood for banana cream all week, indulged nearly every day, and suspected that it was going to start going to her hips.

"-- ch!" The noise again as she was counting out the drawer at the end up the night. Olive had gone home, having opened that morning, and it was just she and Ned left to close up. She was not looking forward to the walk home, or to not being able to cuddle up with him on the couch under an afghan, but she was looking forward to the dinner they'd both skipped. Maybe they could still do the afghan. Just on opposite sides of the couch.

"-- CHH!"

"Jeez, that's going to get annoying," she commented without looking up from her task. Forty eight, forty nine... fifty. She slid the drawer shut with the satisfying sound of it slotting into place, then found Ned over one shoulder. His cheeks had gone a bit pink, and his expression would have shamed a kicked puppy for the hurt writ in it. Chuck frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm... I just thought you would..." The Piemaker hedged, shifting his weight and looking for all the world like a chastised little boy, rather than the broad-shouldered man that towered heads above her.

"I'd what?" He'd completely lost her, now, and even the unflappable and ever-beaming Chuck was starting to lose patience. She was cold and tired and wanted to go home.

"Nothing, nevermind," he said at once with a familiar, too-quick evasiveness that Chuck knew well. It meant she wasn't going to get anywhere with him, and she sighed to herself. Well. Some take-out and bad television might dispel it.

"Come on," she said, more kindly now as she flicked her dish towel at him. The playful snap of it that usually earned a grin now just made his eyes skitter away. Alright, so take-out, bad television, and a stiff drink. "It's been a long day."

The snow was driving down in fat, wet flakes by the time they'd locked up. Even if he was in a mood, Chuck decided that Ned looked precious bundled up in his peacoat, head ducked and with white melting into his hair.

"I was thinking subs from Lou's. Steak and cheese for me, chicken parm for you?"

"I'm not really hungry."

"Mr. Grumpy all of a sudden," Chuck observed, confused and a little sad at being left out, as usual, in the emotional cold. Just now she would have preferred the weather actually accumulating around them.

"I'm not grumpy." That selfsame literal cold was making his nose run, as he gave it a knuckling pass and sniffed as quickly and quietly as he could seem to manage. "I mean..." Now he looked confused again, lost and adrift. "I'm not trying to be. Lou's is a good idea," Ned amended softly. "I don't feel like cooking."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Chuck was still trying to work it all out by the time they got back to the apartment. She fed and hugged Digby, buried her face in his soft russet coat and wished she could do the same to her distant and tightly-wound sweetheart. Patience with Ned went a long way, however. He would come around in a few hours, or by tomorrow, spilling his guts and looking apologetic, and she would blow him a kiss, verbally pat his shoulder, and they would be alright.

"--ch! ...huh--CH!"

Or maybe she was just going crazy. She straightened at the sound from the living room, so clearly not a backfiring or leaky radiator. She poked her head in from the kitchen to see the Piemaker wiping roughly at his nose with a single crumpled tissue, sniffling. The brisk air had made her nose run too, but it had really done a number on him, it seemed.

"Ned?"

He glanced up at her, eyes dark and wet and dejected. She momentarily forgot her frustration at mystery noises, and sighed at him.

"Are you mad at me?"

"I'm never mad at you, I don't think that's possible."

"Yes it is. Couples who never fight are actually very poorly adjusted, did you know that?"

"We fight. We disagree. About stuff."

"There are hurdles, I don't think that's the same thing," she said, and leaned in the doorway. "Spill, Hot Stuff. Why are you so mopey all of a sudden?"

His eyes flicked down, but the arbitrary pet name had actually earned a brief, reflexive half-smile, so Chuck counted that as a victory.

"It's silly, stupid even, and... maybe sort of insulting? By dint of being presumptuous."

She folded her arms beneath her breasts and cocked her head at him with a bewildered smile. "Okay. What are you presuming?"

Ned wiped at his nose again to buy himself some time, wrinkled it, sniffled deeply. It was really starting to get a little pink around the edges, like he'd been at it all day.

"You're so... I don't know, maternal? That's not the right word. Nurturing, maybe. I thought you'd want to take care of me. I was sort of looking forward to it, actually," he admitted in his typical, stilted rush when he was uncomfortable. "Which is weird, because I don't even remember the last time I wanted to be around anyone like that, it's totally unfamiliar, I'd rather hide in a hole. But it seemed like it would be nice with you."

Now Chuck was completely lost, and just stared back at him helplessly. "Ned... what on earth are you talking about?"

This was not the correct response to what was clearly already a sensitive subject, because his cheeks blazed as he sank down onto the couch and scruffed a hand through his hair. Chuck couldn't help wishing that she could do the same without dropping dead on the spot.

"See, it's silly. Forget about it. You should eat, the food's getting... it's getting..." His worrisome expression began to crumple around the edges, brows steepling tragically, and for a single horrified moment Chuck thought he was about to cry. God, no, anything but that. She would lay down on hot coals before she would deal with a sad boyfriend she couldn't hug or comfort the way she wanted to.

Instead, Ned leaned back with a shaky breath, pressed the little wad of tissue to the wide-open crinkle of his nostrils, and sneezed.

At least, it looked like a sneeze. He held it in so tightly that the sound was barely more than a brief, throttled "--ch!" It sounded about as unsatisfying as it looked, as he hiccuped in a quick gasp and repeated the motion with a series of polite, irritated sneezes. "--ch! --ch! --huh...CHH!" He picked his head up for a moment, looking distraught over the fully-spent tissue. He fumbled for a pocket, where there were presumably more, but couldn't quite make it before rocking into a huge, relieving, "huh-CHSSHHOO!"

Oh.

Ohhhhh.

"I'm sorry," Ned bleated softly, in the awkward silence that followed.

"I'm so stupid," Chuck countered with abject dismay. "Ned, are you sick?"

A flicker of recognition began to show in his face, as he finally found a dry tissue, folded it over into a neat little square, and held it to his nose. It didn't quite conceal the chafed edges of his nostrils.

"I think I'm coming down with something," he admitted with another leaky sniffle.

Chuck could already feel her heart splitting right down the middle, and she wound her fingers together nervously, sadly, so they couldn't reach for him. "Does it sound better or worse if I say that I genuinely didn't notice?" She tried with a weak smile. "Or, I think I did, I just didn't process it."

"Um. Better, I thi--hih--!" Ned held the tissue a little tighter to his nose as his eyes welled up with irritated tears. After a moment of breath-holding from both parties, he sighed and snuffled wetly, the urge lost. "Sorry. I've been sneezing all day."

"And I didn't even bless you once," she lamented. No wonder he'd been looking to her at strange moments, waiting for the customary blessing she offered to everyone else in the world. Except, it seemed, him. "Ned, I'm so sorry. Of course I want to take care of you."

His smile returned, a small and hopeful thing. "Really?"

"Really. Hang on, I can't stand this," she urged, and put out both hands in a staying motion, to stall him on the couch. She darted back through the kitchen and into the hall, then returned as she pulled on her thick winter gloves.

"There's one good thing about this weather," she said, smiling as she waggled her rainbow-striped fingers at him, then came to sit cautiously on the arm of the sofa. "Lots of excuses to cover up."

It wasn't quite the same, not being able to feel the warmth of his cheek nor the softness of his hair as she cradled his jaw in her palm, but his expression of indulgent affection was worth it.

"I'm sorry for being grumpy."

"You're sick, you had an excuse," Chuck reminded him. "Which, by the way, I don't ever remember seeing, not even when we were kids."

"It doesn't happen that often," Ned admitted, as he nuzzled into her gloved hand, all misunderstandings left to drift down the stream of time that unspooled behind them.

But it had, at some point, happened. At boarding school, alienated from any sort of parental figure, or navigating the awkward perils of young adulthood, faceless and nameless girlfriends who Chuck was sure wouldn't have cared with the same ferocity that was bubbling up out of her core now, even if they could feel his forehead for a fever. She blinked rapidly.

"You're upset," Ned observed from her palm. He looked up at her with a plaintive expression, brows gathered. "I'm not upset. Why are you upset?"

"I'm not," she assured. "I just want to get this right. You know, as close to the real thing as possible."

"This is real."

"You know what I mean."

"I know, but I mean it too. It's real to me," he said, then sniffled thoughtlessly and at last drew away from her touch. "Oh, that's... kind of gross, isn't it. Sorry."

"You're allowed to have a runny nose when you've got a cold," she sighed as she reached out to beep the sculpted end of it with one fingertip. The pressure alone seemed to resonate all the way back through his sinuses, because the Piemaker was suddenly hitching erratically as he struggled to get the tissue situation sorted out. He didn't make it, and instead directed another heavy and helpless sneeze over his own lap.

"huh.... --uh-CHHSHHoo!"

"Gesundheit!"

The earnest warmth behind her blessing seemed to cut off any spill of apologies he seemed ready to offer, as Ned rolled her an appreciative look from the cup of his hands. The corners of his eyes twitched with an invisible smile.

"Thag'k you."

Chuck rose to locate a more generous supply of tissues from the bathroom, saying as she went, "There, isn't that better? I don't know why you were bottling them up all day."

"I work around food," the Piemaker pointed out, snuffling behind his palms as he watched her with a wrinkled brow. "And it's... safer, to hold them in."

Chuck tilted the recovered box towards him. "It's not like you're going to knock yourself into me or anything, if that's what you're worried about." With some careful synchronization, Ned freed one hand to steal a single tissue, then buried himself in it for a long, relieving blow, probably one of the few he'd allowed himself all day.

"I might," he sniffed when he'd finished. "You haven't seen me sick. It's a whole debacle."

She grinned. "That sounds exciting."

"If by exciting you mean ridiculous."

"No, I'm looking forward to it, strange as that might sound," Chuck said, and meant it. She was already laying out in her head the things she could do and the things she could not do. "I bet you look adorable all red-nosed, with the sniffles."

"I'm a walking five-car pile up."

"There won't be much walking, trust me. Can I talk you into eating something?"

Ned nodded reluctantly, as he rose from the couch and stole another tissue. Just one.

"We have more, you know. Don't be so stingy with yourself."

The Piemaker gave her a plain look as he wiped beneath his nose and repeated, soberly, "Five-car pile up."

"Seriously, how bad can your headcolds be? Wait, stay right there, I want to do something."

"They're not, really, when they start out. They just usually turn into whole sinus things that linger on and on and... what are you doing?" He broke from his rapid-fire recount as he watched Chuck retrieve a huge, thick quilt from the closet and approach him with it spread out in both hands.

"Hold still," she said, then abruptly wrapped him up, arms and all, in a padded hug. She could still hear his heartbeat even through the muffling layers, and felt his sigh of surprised pleasure brush her hair.

"Oh."

"Oh," Chuck agreed. "I'm going to guess that you're terrible at taking care of yourself, and that's why they turn into things."

"Maybe."

"We'll find out together."

"Chuck?"

"Mm?"

The Piemaker scrunched his nose. "I really have to sneeze."

"Five more seconds," she bargained, as she tightened her hold on him even as his chest twitched with an inhale under her ear. Deeper, faster, as Ned clearly debated the merits of removing himself forcefully from the situation.

"Chuh--huh...!"

"Two more," she said, then grimace-braced herself as she heard the catch in his throat a little too soon, and felt his whole body seize up tight as cabled steel and shake like he was trying to log a hit on the Richter scale.

"--hd'CHISSHHOO! Oh, sorry," he sneezed and apologized nearly in the same breath, sniffling deeply with the next. "Did I get you?"

"Bless you! No, you turned your head. That was mean of me, though. I won't be mean." She let him out of the embrace with a supplicating smile. "Promise."

"I've never heard of a mean hug," Ned remarked as he doubled back for another tissue and then, after a beat of consideration, a second. The resulting noseblow sounded incredibly productive. "Ugh, it does feel better to let them out," he admitted, hesitant. "I just don't want you to get this."

"Well, we can't touch, so there's a pretty good chance I'm safe?" Chuck guessed as she tossed the quilt over the back of the couch for later application. "Also, I mean, I've technically died already. Headcolds aren't a big deal by comparison."

"Wish I could undo them as easily."

"Can you imagine," Chuck laughed in rueful agreement. "But that'd take all the fun out of it for me. She found their sandwiches still-warm on the counter, and waved one at him like a baton directing traffic to the small kitchen table. He chuckled, and pressed a hand to his chest when it spilled over into a cough. Aw. "Come on, sickie. Food, then we're going to marathon something terrible on the couch with tea and a million Kleenex boxes."

"You're good at this," Ned observed with quiet awe as he let himself be herded.

"It's about making the people you love feel better. You'd do the same, wouldn't you?"

She hardly needed to ask, but she liked the quick and easy smile the Piemaker flashed at her anyway. "Of course."

Edited July 11, 2019 by Garblin

[VoOs]

I haven't even watched Pushing Daisies...well, I did watch the first ep, but didn't get hooked for some reason?... ANYWAY, I'm just here to lap up your language and glorious, sexy, creative descriptions, so I feel like a winner even if I don't know the characters.

There is so much Garnet fic around as of late. It's really quite wonderful.

[a red nine]

It's rare for me to be on time to review your stories without it being awkwardly late! I'll consider myself lucky. I haven't seen much Pushing Up Daisies, but I know the premise and the not-being-able-to-touch each other thing was always cute (sad but cute)... and it's cute here too. I've also always been a fan of the "Oh you're sneezing that's what it was" thing and gah -

He fumbled for a pocket, where there were presumably more, but couldn't quite make it before rocking into a huge, relieving, "huh-CHSSHHOO!"

Oh.

Ohhhhh.

Gushinggg.

What a precious, sweet little story, just what I needed. And since I haven't had a chance yet to say it, I continuously eat up all of your Bigby stories months after they've been posted. They're my bread and butter. So please... don't ever stop

[CHOCOLATE <3]

I started watching the first season years ago, but then they took the show off netflix. Shame, I really liked it, too.

This is wonderful!

[TaurielRiver]

Whoa, stop the record, stop the record! What is gooooiing on here?! You and I are definitely dancing hand in hand when it comes to this Lee Pace adventure, and I am LOVING IT!

As soon as I finished HCF I dove straight into Pushing Daisies (my first viewing, now at E06 and counting!)… and of course, my mind is naturally running away into all sorts of imaginings of you-know-who doing you-know-what… so then, to find all my wishing and dreaming has magically manifested into Garnet writing Ned and Chuck… oh. my. GOD. I need to start fantasising about Lee Pace more often!! (tee-hee… just kidding… there’s no such thing as more often when you’re already at 100% )

You’ve absolutely nailed Ned’s ‘puppy-eyed’ qualities and Chuck’s bubbly way of skipping through things, being curious, but at the same time, easily accepting and unlikely to linger on a thought. I adore their innocent selflessness when it comes to each other, and this lovable misunderstanding perfectly captures the awkward sweetness of their relationship... Ned so polite and withheld, Chuck such a loving goofball... ohh, I just want to keep them!

"I think I'm coming down with something," he admitted with another leaky sniffle.

… THIS description right here. It fills me with this need to squeal “awwwwwww!” Poor poor baby. The feeels.. I'm feeling them!

"You're upset," Ned observed from her palm. He looked up at her with a plaintive expression, brows gathered. "I'm not upset. Why are you upset?"

Hahaha, did I accidentally flick an episode back on whilst reading this?? Because that was totally, ridiculously, hilariously appropriate.

Um, and that incident with the quilt. Jeepers creepers. Now you are just trying to kill me by setting my pants on fire! How can this dead-raising, dough-kneading cutie be so helplessly, ludicrously gorgeous?? (… A: Because you wrote him. )

[March Hare]

D'awwww, she didn't even know he was sneezing How adorable is that?! I LOVE it. As VoOs said, I'm just here to lap up your language. You never EVER EVER disappoint. In fact, you consistently exceed expectations. It's amazing.

[Zuki]

Write all the lee pace-y fics you want, I have such a thing for him right now! I'll admit I haven't seen pushing daisies but mid-read of this thread I set my boyfriend to try and find out where I could watch it lol. Awesome fic!

[Sass]

I loved Pushing Daisies! It was so whimsical and fun, I was so disappointed it ended so soon. Great story! You really captured the style of the show.

[Sitruuna]

I have never watched Pushing Daisies at all but thanks to your fic I now think I should. Not only is your writing as awesome as always and the story hot as hell this also gives just enough information of the characters and the show to cause that "TELL ME MORE WHAT IS THAT WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE" reaction. xD

Great story. Leaves the reader hungry for more.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Sitruuna

[AngelEyes]

I'm still not over this weird Lee Pace thing I've been riding, don't look at me.

I'm totally ok with that. You have gotten me hooked on him too. And I really hadn't noticed him in any particularly interested way until you started in. Now I'm all, must have more Lee!!!!

[Zwee]

This is gorgeous. Lee Pace is gorgeous. You are gorgeous.

I've been waiting for a Pushing Daisies story to grace this board with its presence since I started watching that thing of beauty like 5 years ago. I honestly think it was the best show on television maybe ever. So pure and vibrant and witty and painfully adorable.

AND YOU WROTE IT SO WELL I COULD CRY.

The dialogue, the perfection of the characters, right down to the sneeze-spellings... I'm in awe. That you took the characters and found such a realistic yet completely original thought and turned it into this perfectly on-point story... Just wow.

Love the quilt. Love the mittens. Love the charming misunderstanding and the little toying with emotion and the perfection that is Lee Pace.

Gah. I thought I was done obsessing but I just reread the story to see if I missed anything else to love, and there are just so many more things to say and too few words. This whole thing just played out in my head like a real episode. Dear lord, why isn't it a real episode??

Your writing is just too good for reality.

(P.S. For the record, Pushing Daisies is just as good the third time around too, so if you ever get back on a Lee Pace kick, no complaints from me. He's so perfect how could you not?)

[Vintagedarling]

Dream come true here!!! I always wished for an episode with Ned sneezing!! Had high hopes for the 'Human popcicle' episode. But, you, and this, MAGIC!!! AMAZING!!! ***HAPPY PTERODACTYL SCREECHES!!!***

[Mercury]

Guh! This was so good! And you wrote their relationship so well in that 'should be sickly sweet, but is surprisingly palatable' way that the show does. I still marvel at how they balance that and you've managed it's tone perfectly here. So Awesome

[RiversD]

Garnet, this is beautiful. Pushing Daisies was what first made me fall a little bit in love with Lee Pace, and this is just making my heart ache with Ned-feelings.

I'll admit I was flailing at the screen for much of the first half in a combination of "Oh, poor baby", and "No, Chuck! Pay attention, darnit." Because poor Ned! He can't help it, and he doesn't understand why... ubububububu.

"Jeez, that's going to get annoying,"

Nooooo, Chuck. *throws cushion at the screen*

"I mean..." Now he looked confused again, lost and adrift. "I'm not trying to be. Lou's is a good idea," Ned amended softly.

Oh, Ned. Ned. He's so uncertain at moments like this and... ugh. Let me love you, you pre-kicked spaniel, you.

Patience with Ned went a long way, however. He would come around in a few hours, or by tomorrow, spilling his guts and looking apologetic, and she would blow him a kiss, verbally pat his shoulder, and they would be alright.

Everything about these two kills me.

Also, misunderstanding-fics are really hard to get right, so my respect for your skillz just got another notch to it. Because that whole exchange where they're trying to work out what's bothering each other is very nicely paced- and of course, Ned's personality helps. He's not the sort to make undoing misunderstandings easy as pie.

"See, it's silly. Forget about it. You should eat, the food's getting... it's getting..." His worrisome expression began to crumple around the edges, brows steepling tragically, and for a single horrified moment Chuck thought he was about to cry. God, no, anything but that. She would lay down on hot coals before she would deal with a sad boyfriend she couldn't hug or comfort the way she wanted to.

Of course Chuck has rainbow-striped gloves. Of course she does.

I'm struggling to pick specific quotes to praise, because it feels like once I start I'll have to pick everything, and also because it's less "this particular line is golden" (though there's some of that) and more "this whole progress creates an atmosphere that makes my heart go through the wringer". You have a wonderful Ned-voice. Wonderful.

And I love the way Ned just sort of crumbles into being sick once he knows it's not bothering Chuck. And all the discussion about how he's expecting to get so much worse (Chuck's all "nope! The power of love and quilt-cuddles will ward off all such awfulness!").

he sneezed and apologized nearly in the same breath, sniffling deeply with the next.

Neddddddd. Stop apologising for your very existence and let yourself be loved.

He chuckled, and pressed a hand to his chest when it spilled over into a cough. Aw.

Yes. AW. I'm going to go away and think about this whole fic far too much now. Thank you and goodnight.

[Garnet]

Look at me, endeavoring to get comment replies up before I sit on it too long and it becomes unseemly to bump my own topic too-late. Yyyyeah...

VoOs - Yeah, I think it's a somewhat hit or miss show. My first watch-through was when I was hitting all of Byran Fuller's various shows and I didn't make it past the sixth episode. I liked it, but I had to sort of be in the right mindset and mood for it? The second watch-through was a lot better, probably owing to my raging Lee Pace boner.

Thank you so much, though! I know, I don't know what's up with my brain lately because real life is busier than ever, but my downtime is all FETISH FETISH FETISH. I think it's probably because I'm not actively roleplaying with anyone at the moment so I just channel all my usual amounts of word vomit into solo fics. Regardless, I'm glad the spam is well-received!

a red nine - Oh man, it's never too late for reviews! I read and re-read them whenever I need a pick-me-up, they seriously make my day. So thank you! And I agree, the "miscontrued sneeze" trope (if that's even a trope? I feel like I've seen it a few times and I like the atmosphere it establishes) is a big old weakness of mine.

Oh, and super glad to hear it re: the Bigby stuff! I know that was a less-popular fandom so it's awesome to know people were reading and enjoying!

CHOCOLATE <3 - Thank you so much! I know, it's a shame they yanked it :/ I've been watching through other means but it seems like something that Netflix should have. A lot of Bryan Fuller's shows haven't made it on there, which is a shame because they're good background noise/binge-watching fodder.

TaurielRiver - DaaaAArling! We're just going to skip into the Lee Pace-flavored sunset together and it's going to be great. I'm so excited that you're actively watching it! Especially if you end up... you know... writing anything for it too. No pressure or anything.

I'm glad Chuck came across okay, she was the one I was most wary of nailing, but the re-watch gave me a better idea of her character, I think, the weaknesses along with the random manic pixie dream girl quirkiness.

But seriously UGH HOW IS HE SO CUTE I don't know it's fucking sickening and so outside my usual realm of SEX MURDER MONSTERS, but I love it. Adorable puppy-faced woobies forever.

Maru-chan - You are so sweet, thank you! As always I appreciate your readership regardless of fandom, and hope I don't repeat myself too much across them haha.

Zuki - Me too, sister, me too :| The Lee Pace march will probably continue, much as I like to pretend it won't. And ooh, I'm excited if you decide to give Pushing Daisies a shot! It's a pretty cute, witty show.

S.S.Smithingtong - Whimsical is a great word for it! And I'm glad the style came across well! I didn't try to emulate the tone of the narration too much because I think I'd do a poor job of it so I'm glad it was recognizeable regardless.

Sitruuna - Ooh, I really hope you like it! It's definitely an interesting little comedy-drama, lots of bright colors and murder and unresolved issues to drive the viewer nuts 8D

AngelEyes - Hah, good! I'M TAKING YOU ALL DOWN WITH ME. Thank you!

Zwee - No YOU are gorgeous for leaving me this beautiful comment! I agree, it is such a good show. I definitely liked it the first go-around, but it took a second watch to really hook me and make me want to write this precious idiots. I'm super glad it fits within the "style" of the show, though, that's always a main concern in any Daisies fic given the very specific aesthetic.

And UGH RIGHT. A sneezing-Ned (or sneezing-anyone) episode would have fit right in with the general quirky-sweet-weird theme of the show. C'mon, Fuller.

Vintagedarling - AAA you are too kind, thank you! And ugh, one fake-sneeze from him was enough to whet my appetite but sadly no further delivery. Pushing Daisies, you tease.

Mercury - That is the best way I've heard to describe the show ever. "Should be sickly sweet, but is surprisingly palatable", I love it. Your Pushing Daisies fic from a while back was still one of my favorites, so this means a lot!

RiversD - OH YOU. You know by now how much I look forward to and enjoy your breakdowns but just for good measure: THANK YOU. I echo your sentiments. I blew through the first season back when I was deep into Hannibal because I liked Bryan Fuller's cinematography and weird themes, and was like, "I like that guy," but having worked through other Lee Pace stuff since, I definitely have a better appreciation the second time. You precious, skittish puppy.

I am a HUGE sucker for "misunderstanding" fics and I agree, they can be hard to get right. I really just winged this one and was hesitant about posting it because it was so spur-of-the-moment and not as "mentally written for days before I finally put pen to paper" as some of my other fics, so I'm glad it was still cohesive!

[beatlelover22]

Ohohohoh God I don't know HOW I managed to miss this one! WOW. Garnet, can I just say the characterization here is PERFECT. Ned is just so cute and I can picture this perfectly...

[sallyhally]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

That was the sound of me dying because of how unbelievably cute this is hopefully Ned will stop by to touch me I wondered if I should do a quoting thing but I would have just ended up quoting the whole fic so let´s just say I really loved every single detail about this, especially Chuck not noticing that Ned´s sick and just... Ned This whole story is like a huge giant treasure and I shall worship it/you/Lee Pace forever