lar_laughs: (HP - see the sky)
Title: The Most Important Letter
Author: [personal profile] lar_laughs
Fandom: Harry Potter
Character: Lee Jordan
Rating: PG
Word Count: 572
Prompt: Lee Jordan/Katie -- long distance relationships are hard enough without finding out from the newspaper that your girlfriend is lying in a hospital bed in a curse-induced coma. How Lee reacts/deals. at [community profile] hp_diversity
Author's Note: Excerpts of the previous letters taken from the lyrics of The Distance by Evan & Jaron.


The twenty-second quill hit the wall with a dull thud and fell to the floor to join the twenty-one quills that had given their lives for the letter. The Letter. Right now The Letter was actually a jumble of words, all crossed out with a savage hand. Here and there, the quill had ripped through the parchment. A drop of blood marred a corner where the third quill had bit through his skin. That’s what had given him the idea to start throwing the quills when they became useless to him. Another way to blow off steam.

All he’d ever had were words and they were failing him. Right when he needed them the most, he couldn’t find the right ones to say.

I can’t take this distance. Not when you’re hurt.

I’d brave fire and I’d brave rain to be by your side.

Just ask and I’ll be there. Wake up, damn you, and ask me to come. Ask me, Katie. Ask me.

Idiot girl. Why did you do it?

It’s hard to remember why I’m not with you now.

He pulled at his dreads with shaking hands, making them stand up at even odder angles than normal. It was nice that Leanne was giving him updates but it wasn’t the same as if he was there beside her bed at St. Mungo’s. The other girl had agreed to read this letter out loud to Katie, on the off chance that she could still hear everything that was going on around her. No one knew for sure, just like they didn’t know for sure how to break the curse that was holding her hostage.

So he had to pick his words carefully because there would be more eyes on this letter than he was comfortable with. What could he say that wouldn’t sound like complete drivel? Like some lunatic had discovered some paper and a quill - in his case, twenty-two quills - and decided to try his hand at putting together letters to create words and sentences.

He pulled out a new quill from the box under the table and slide a new piece of parchment on the table. This was his last piece so he’d have to get it right this time. If he didn’t get this written, Katie might think he’d forgotten all about her. Anything but that. All he needed to do was concentrate on telling Katie what was in his heart. Damn Leanne and her snarky smile. This was for Katie.

Dearest Katie,

I miss you. I always miss you. Doesn’t seem fair, especially now, that we can’t be together. Someday, we will. We’ll figure a way to make this work and, when we do, I’m never letting you go. Not ever again.

So do whatever you can to get better. Be strong like I know you can be. I’ll come when I can.

Yours,

Lee


For good measure, he threw this last quill at the wall. Before it had time to clatter to the ground with the others, Lee was out the door with the letter in his hand. If he didn’t get it posted right away, he was going to tear it up with the others. Better to do this without thinking about it too deeply. Better to let his heart rule him on this one or his brain was going to override him once again.

Date: 2012-06-07 06:26 pm (UTC)From: [personal profile] arobynsung
arobynsung: (text: writing)
How heartbreaking!
I like that you set this in the middle of the war with the very real reality of separation and constant mortal danger.

Date: 2012-06-09 12:36 pm (UTC)From: [personal profile] katmarajade
katmarajade: Woman drinking coffee with words "wake up" over her face (Default)
I think we must be brain twins, because this is also one of my prompts! *bounces excitedly* I love what you did with this. Went for the angst but didn't let it overwhelm the realism and pain of the moment with melodrama. The opening description of the scene, the pile of broken quills thrown against the wall, the scratched out pieces of parchment, the blood ... amazing. And I love how even in all of this, the pain, the horrible circumstances, the war, the fear of death that it's SO normal in a way. Teenage best friend delivering secret love notes to her sick best friend, the smirks and giggles that remind us just how normal these kids are even with all the un-normalness around them. It's a pretty powerful thing. Beautifully done.

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