MFU Fanfiction: Conversion
Apr. 1st, 2013 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
saki101Written for the MFUWSS 2013 Easter Egg challenge for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elmey whose prompt was: Mr. Kuryakin is not unknown as a cat burglar.
Title: Conversion*
Author: Saki101
Fandom: Man from UNCLE
Pairing: Illya/Napoleon
Genre: Pre-slash
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~625
Disclaimer: The usual, because MFU is not mine and no money is being made.
Conversion
Lisa recognised the particular pattern of shoe leather on terrazzo. She glanced up from the work on her desk, eyes lingering on Napoleon’s hips as he approached. The swagger was unmistakable. With a wry smile, she waved him through. His hand glided unconsciously past the side of his head. There was a spark of complicity when he smiled back. A trace of it remained after he squared his shoulders and entered Mr Waverly’s office, not a hair out of place.
The room was abuzz with technicians setting up projectors and additional viewing screens. Mr Waverly’s attention was on a folder through which he was flipping as he sat, George Dennell leaning over his shoulder.
The agent on loan from London stood holding a strip of film up to the light from the windows, head tilted towards the technician whispering by his side. The solid black of Kuryakin’s clothing formed a stark contrast to the white lab coat of the other man, the neutral grey of the walls. Kuryakin handed the negatives to the technician, nodding once before he shifted his gaze to Napoleon. One sweep encompassed the crisp lines of his suit, the perfect knot of his tie.
A hint of a smile lifted Kuryakin’s lips as he weaved between the equipment and the conference table towards Napoleon, the smooth surface of his holster catching the light, gleaming black on black. Illya's hand was in and out of Napoleon’s pocket before Napoleon could speak.
“Couldn’t come to work without a memento?” Kuryakin asked, his voice pitched under the other sounds in the room. A bit of black satin disappeared into his trousers pocket.
Napoleon watched the motion. “Who said I brought it with me to work?” he enquired, looking back up into amused blue eyes. The eyebrows above them twitched ever so slightly. Napoleon extended his hand, curling two fingers back towards himself.
Illya held out empty palms for inspection.
“Mr Kuryakin is not unknown as a cat burglar,” Mr Waverly said, without seeming to glance away from his papers.
George straightened and smiled benignly at both agents. “Napoleon, wait ‘til you see what he pinched right out from under the noses of three THRUSH agents,” George said. He looked over his shoulder and one of the technicians nodded.
“I need to return those by the end of the day,” Napoleon muttered, scowling.
“If you’ll take your seats, gentlemen,” Mr Waverly directed, pushing the open file aside and pulling another closer.
“I can return them for you,” Illya replied, slipping his hand back into his pocket.
Napoleon’s gaze followed the gesture, the shift of the cloth over the broad hand. He cleared his throat and pulled out a chair. Next to him, the table began to spin.
Illya lifted a pair of tinted spectacles from atop a file when the table stopped. He settled the glasses on his nose and sat. “It would explain why two of the translators were giggling in the corridor about breezes in a building without any other windows,” he murmured, eyes forward, hands folded neatly on the report in front of him, one thumb rubbing lightly over the other. Napoleon sat down sideways, a demand on his lips. He glimpsed dark satin between the cage of Illya's fingers and it wasn't the warmth of Lily's thighs that came to mind. He looked away.
“We’re ready,” George announced.
“If we could have your attention, Mr Solo,” Mr Waverly said before he swivelled in his seat to face one of the screens.
On silent tracks, the shutters of the only windows in the building slid closed. The lights in the office dimmed. Napoleon swallowed and Illya almost smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*
con·ver·sion [kuhn-vur-zhuhn, -shuhn] noun
1. the act or process of converting; state of being converted.
2. change in character, form, or function.
3. spiritual change from sinfulness to righteousness.
4. change from one religion, political belief, viewpoint, etc., to another.
5. a change of attitude, emotion, or viewpoint from one of indifference, disbelief, or antagonism to one of acceptance, faith, or enthusiastic support, especially such a change in a person's religion.
6. a physical transformation from one material or state to another: conversion of coal, water, and air into nylon.
7. the act of obtaining equivalent value, as of money or units of measurement, in an exchange or calculation: conversion of francs into dollars.
8. a physical, structural, or design change or transformation from one state or condition to another, especially to effect a change in function: conversion of a freighter into a passenger liner.
9. a substitution of one component for another so as to effect a change: conversion from oil heat to gas heat.
10. Mathematics . a change in the form or units of an expression.
11. Logic. the transposition of the subject and predicate of a proposition, as “No good man is unhappy” becomes by conversion “No unhappy man is good.”
*12.Law.a.unauthorized assumption and exercise of rights of ownership over personal property belonging to another.
b. change from realty into personalty, or vice versa, as in the sale or purchase of land or mining coal.
13. Football. a score made on a try for a point after touchdown by place-kicking or drop-kicking the ball over the bar between the goalposts or by completing a pass in or running the ball into the end zone.
14. Psychoanalysis . the process by which a repressed psychic event, idea, feeling, memory, or impulse is represented by a bodily change or symptom.
15. Physics. the production of radioactive material in a process in which one nuclear fuel is converted into another by the capture of neutrons. Compare breeding (def 6).
16.Computers.a.the process of changing software designed to run on one computer system to run on another.
b.the change from an existing computer system to a new computer system.
c.the act of transferring or copying data stored on one storage medium to another storage medium.
d.the process of changing the base that a number or numbers are written in.
17.the transformation of material from a form suitable for printing by one process to a form suitable for another process: a halftone gravure conversion.
elmey whose prompt was: Mr. Kuryakin is not unknown as a cat burglar. Title: Conversion*
Author: Saki101
Fandom: Man from UNCLE
Pairing: Illya/Napoleon
Genre: Pre-slash
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~625
Disclaimer: The usual, because MFU is not mine and no money is being made.
Lisa recognised the particular pattern of shoe leather on terrazzo. She glanced up from the work on her desk, eyes lingering on Napoleon’s hips as he approached. The swagger was unmistakable. With a wry smile, she waved him through. His hand glided unconsciously past the side of his head. There was a spark of complicity when he smiled back. A trace of it remained after he squared his shoulders and entered Mr Waverly’s office, not a hair out of place.
The room was abuzz with technicians setting up projectors and additional viewing screens. Mr Waverly’s attention was on a folder through which he was flipping as he sat, George Dennell leaning over his shoulder.
The agent on loan from London stood holding a strip of film up to the light from the windows, head tilted towards the technician whispering by his side. The solid black of Kuryakin’s clothing formed a stark contrast to the white lab coat of the other man, the neutral grey of the walls. Kuryakin handed the negatives to the technician, nodding once before he shifted his gaze to Napoleon. One sweep encompassed the crisp lines of his suit, the perfect knot of his tie.
A hint of a smile lifted Kuryakin’s lips as he weaved between the equipment and the conference table towards Napoleon, the smooth surface of his holster catching the light, gleaming black on black. Illya's hand was in and out of Napoleon’s pocket before Napoleon could speak.
“Couldn’t come to work without a memento?” Kuryakin asked, his voice pitched under the other sounds in the room. A bit of black satin disappeared into his trousers pocket.
Napoleon watched the motion. “Who said I brought it with me to work?” he enquired, looking back up into amused blue eyes. The eyebrows above them twitched ever so slightly. Napoleon extended his hand, curling two fingers back towards himself.
Illya held out empty palms for inspection.
“Mr Kuryakin is not unknown as a cat burglar,” Mr Waverly said, without seeming to glance away from his papers.
George straightened and smiled benignly at both agents. “Napoleon, wait ‘til you see what he pinched right out from under the noses of three THRUSH agents,” George said. He looked over his shoulder and one of the technicians nodded.
“I need to return those by the end of the day,” Napoleon muttered, scowling.
“If you’ll take your seats, gentlemen,” Mr Waverly directed, pushing the open file aside and pulling another closer.
“I can return them for you,” Illya replied, slipping his hand back into his pocket.
Napoleon’s gaze followed the gesture, the shift of the cloth over the broad hand. He cleared his throat and pulled out a chair. Next to him, the table began to spin.
Illya lifted a pair of tinted spectacles from atop a file when the table stopped. He settled the glasses on his nose and sat. “It would explain why two of the translators were giggling in the corridor about breezes in a building without any other windows,” he murmured, eyes forward, hands folded neatly on the report in front of him, one thumb rubbing lightly over the other. Napoleon sat down sideways, a demand on his lips. He glimpsed dark satin between the cage of Illya's fingers and it wasn't the warmth of Lily's thighs that came to mind. He looked away.
“We’re ready,” George announced.
“If we could have your attention, Mr Solo,” Mr Waverly said before he swivelled in his seat to face one of the screens.
On silent tracks, the shutters of the only windows in the building slid closed. The lights in the office dimmed. Napoleon swallowed and Illya almost smiled.
*
con·ver·sion [kuhn-vur-zhuhn, -shuhn] noun
1. the act or process of converting; state of being converted.
2. change in character, form, or function.
3. spiritual change from sinfulness to righteousness.
4. change from one religion, political belief, viewpoint, etc., to another.
5. a change of attitude, emotion, or viewpoint from one of indifference, disbelief, or antagonism to one of acceptance, faith, or enthusiastic support, especially such a change in a person's religion.
6. a physical transformation from one material or state to another: conversion of coal, water, and air into nylon.
7. the act of obtaining equivalent value, as of money or units of measurement, in an exchange or calculation: conversion of francs into dollars.
8. a physical, structural, or design change or transformation from one state or condition to another, especially to effect a change in function: conversion of a freighter into a passenger liner.
9. a substitution of one component for another so as to effect a change: conversion from oil heat to gas heat.
10. Mathematics . a change in the form or units of an expression.
11. Logic. the transposition of the subject and predicate of a proposition, as “No good man is unhappy” becomes by conversion “No unhappy man is good.”
*12.Law.a.unauthorized assumption and exercise of rights of ownership over personal property belonging to another.
b. change from realty into personalty, or vice versa, as in the sale or purchase of land or mining coal.
13. Football. a score made on a try for a point after touchdown by place-kicking or drop-kicking the ball over the bar between the goalposts or by completing a pass in or running the ball into the end zone.
14. Psychoanalysis . the process by which a repressed psychic event, idea, feeling, memory, or impulse is represented by a bodily change or symptom.
15. Physics. the production of radioactive material in a process in which one nuclear fuel is converted into another by the capture of neutrons. Compare breeding (def 6).
16.Computers.a.the process of changing software designed to run on one computer system to run on another.
b.the change from an existing computer system to a new computer system.
c.the act of transferring or copying data stored on one storage medium to another storage medium.
d.the process of changing the base that a number or numbers are written in.
17.the transformation of material from a form suitable for printing by one process to a form suitable for another process: a halftone gravure conversion.
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no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 11:35 am (UTC)Thanks for a great start to MY morning!
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 12:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 01:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-03 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-03 07:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 04:35 pm (UTC)Delicious! There's such wonderful tension between them when you write them *g*
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 06:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 07:08 pm (UTC)I've been missing them, but still seem to be possessed with Sherlock...
I think that's part of the fun of fandom though, when the bug bites and you get gloriously obsessed by something, while still firting with older loves *g* The podfics are great fun - some work for me, some don't, but it's a lovely way to ease into sleep.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-03 07:07 pm (UTC)OK, so multi-fandom obsessions are typical. This is good to know. I had been feeling rather disloyal when the Sherlock attraction reached a year without signs of abating!
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 10:10 pm (UTC)Did I mention how much I like this? I saw someone complaining about the term "pre slash" a couple of years ago, saying it's a cop out. But I thought that's because you haven't seen MFU. The tension between the two of them is delicious, of course we can make it go the way we want, but really, there are no guarantees.
In any case, it's always so much fun to watch the two of them in your stories. Among other things, you always make their physical presences so real: the perfect knot of Napoleon's tie, Illya putting on his glasses... I love reading that.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 10:40 pm (UTC)I was tempted to write the scene where Illya does return the item of lingerie to the lady managing without it.
That game they play could resolve itself so many ways. Ergo, fanfiction!
A while back I was asked whether I would consider a MFU/Sherlock cross-over. It could be interesting. The relationships are so different, but their work could easily intersect.
The mood of Snapshots hasn't left me. I was dreaming up reasons for why Illya took the ring off. With a body, there could be a burial and a marker, but if there was no-one left other than him to remember her, would that be enough to make a difference? Or did the body make her death real, definite, whereas just "missing, presumed dead" was a kind of limbo? It's a haunting story, as if the happy ending could so easily not have happened - life is fragile and relationships are delicate.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-02 01:45 am (UTC)A Sherlock/MFU crossover could work if you can get around the differences in the time period. Despite svetlana's brilliant Sherlock Illya and Watson Solo manips, the personalities of the four men are really very different, there'd be some interesting clashes and alliances. It's hard to make crossover breathe though--usually one of the canons gets shortchanged and the characters become a bit generic.
re the ring: I think he had been holding on to the ring more out of habit than anything else, he needed a reason to make the break. And perhaps the ring was a defense against his feelings for Napoleon and he realized that life moves on... there's usually more than one impulse behind a meaningful action (at least I think so).
I don't necessarily see this as their actual backgrounds, but I wanted to play with the ideas without having to write a long story around them. They're open to plenty of interpretation, feel free to improvise :)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-03 07:19 pm (UTC)I can see that. I've been reading a few involving Sherlock lately. One of the best cross-overs I recall reading was The Yaxley Affair. It seemed to do both pairs justice, but it does seem rare.
A MUNCLE/Sherlock cross-over would either need to involve time travel or Illya and Napoleon would be elder statesmen needing Sherlock's services probably through a connection with Mycroft and just the age difference would unbalance the situation. TYA did a brilliant job of managing a similar age difference.
... there's usually more than one impulse behind a meaningful action (at least I think so).
Yes. More the final thing that tips the balance.
They're open to plenty of interpretation, feel free to improvise :)
Hmmm.