Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

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librarian_7
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Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by librarian_7 »

Thanks as always to my wonderful betas. You make everything better! This one is for Champagne Challenge #138, “Still Human…So Human.”

Gut Reaction

“Blood orange juice must be particularly confusing.” –Josef, What’s Left Behind

My best friend Josef can be downright scary, sometimes. And no, I’m not talking about the whole bloodsucking monster thing. He has a habit of making these off the cuff comments that hit you like a stake through the heart. Call it wisdom, call it insight, call it 400 years’ worth of backed up smart-assery. I don’t know where he gets it, but sometimes I just have to stop and let a comment sink in. Or save it to think about later.

When he made the crack about blood orange juice, it could have been another bad vampire pun. He’s certainly not above that, although you’d think at his age, he’d have made every possible joke on the subject. Apparently not.

And I don’t know how he knew—he told me emphatically that he had no interest in going back to human, and that he firmly believed there was no way back. Which made me think he’d never run across the cure that Coraline brought me. Or at least that he hadn’t used it. So—how would he know how hard it was for me, that first morning after I was cured?

Yeah, I’d gone out the night before and gotten a sample of everything I hadn’t eaten in over fifty years. And a lot of stuff I’d only heard about. Food has gotten a lot more diverse than I remember. I ate myself sick, or almost, and, trust me, there are things about that night that you don’t want to know.

But in the morning, when I woke up, I felt…I can’t even describe it. Sore and bruised, from the beating Lance had laid on me, yeah. After fifty-five years of even major injuries healing immediately, and pain being a passing inconvenience, the fact that I’d be carrying cuts and scrapes with me for days or weeks was disconcerting. Still, I was alive again. I could look in the mirror and cherish that split lip, the bruises on my face, and see them as signs that I was human. Being a vampire is like a high, of sorts, but I’ve got to tell you that nothing beats the high of a vampire becoming human again. Nothing.

And I thought, what was my favorite way to start the day, back when I was breathing? Okay, first choice isn’t possible, at the moment, but my second choice was a tall, frosty glass of fresh orange juice. I guess it’s not so uncommon now, but back in the day, one of the perks of living in California was all the fresh citrus. My folks had an orange tree in the back yard, and Mom used to send me out to pick half a dozen big ones to juice for breakfast on Saturdays.

Suddenly, I had to have orange juice, and there was no way it was coming out of a carton. Fresh-squeezed or nothing. I headed off to the nearest convenience store, looking for oranges, and damned if the only thing they had that morning were blood oranges. Seriously. The irony was not lost, but I bought a few, thinking they’d do for the moment.

So, I found myself a little later, staring at a glass full of a muddy, reddish liquid that, I’ve got to say, looked nothing like blood. Smelled nothing like it, either, even to my newly-dulled senses. Which I wasn’t complaining about, right then.

Still, despite my late-night junk food orgy, picking up that glass of orange juice, and contemplating drinking it, was odd. For so long, my body had rejected—violently—everything except blood. My hand was shaking a little, and my mouth flooded with spit. I had to swallow hard, and tell myself I could do this, that I could drink this.

How hard could it be, right? Fifty-five years of blood, and now I get to drink orange juice again.

I put the glass down and picked it up, twice, before I got it to my mouth. I finally had to close my eyes, before I could take that first swallow.

It hit me like a train. I’d never tasted anything so good, since that first drink of blood I’d had as a vamp.

And the rest of that short time I had as a human, before I gave it up, I had orange juice every morning. Fresh squeezed, and tasting like it did in my Mom’s kitchen all those years ago. But after the first morning, I avoided blood oranges.

I don’t know how he knew, but Josef was right. Some things are just too confusing.
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by maggatha3 »

Oh, another great story, Lucky! :flowers: Mick's taste of humanity had a little of all. Relief, pain, a little trip down memory lane, excitement and hope...I am so happy he didn't even waste one thought to how long the cure would last!

That opening paragraph about Josef was perfect! Geez, that is exactly how Josef made me feel in the series and even more when I read fanfic! I just have to think about his remarks twice.. :twothumbs:

librarian_7 wrote: Okay, first choice isn’t possible, at the moment, but my second choice was ......
I just had to :giggle: at that one!

Did I say it was a great story? Well, you know, I love my freshly squeezed morning orange juice and now ...you got me thinking of Mick during breakfast ,too?? :snicker:
Last edited by maggatha3 on Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by jen »

Lucky

This was great!

Loved how you lightly touched on how Josef seemed to understand an awful lot about what Mick was going through to not have some knowledge. Still, in his 400 years, you would think that there were many instances when circumstances that he was certain about were proven to be...otherwise.

Jason really did an amazing job with that role. He managed to convey youth, age, wisdom and comfort in his own skin all mixed together with a wicked sense of humor.

Pity Mick wasn't clued in to how good some of the gormet fresh squeezed orange juice is that comes from cartons.

Fabulous story! Thank you!

Jenna

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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by librarian_7 »

Well, thanks, maggatha! Glad you enjoyed it...

And jen, I'm not about to argue with you about how spot on Jason was as Josef. :snicker: Considering that particular performance has inspired me for almost five years worth of fanfic, now.

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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by Marigold »

Lucky, this was superb! :rose: You write a fantastic Mick! :notworthy:

It must have been strange for human Mick to drink something that reminded him of blood. It can be difficult to get over appearances.

I loved the mention of his mom. :melts:

Thank you for this look at Mick's time as a human. This was a great response to the challenge! :hug:
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by Shadow »

I loved that line of Josef's about blood orange juice, but never imagined I'd see a story about it! This is such a wonderful way to expand on that, both with Mick's musings about Josef and his memories of the orange juice he had that first morning.

This line really struck me:
librarian_7 wrote: I’d never tasted anything so good, since that first drink of blood I’d had as a vamp.
Seems there might be some vampire nostalgia in human Mick . . .

Thanks for taking on the oranges!
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by allegrita »

I. Love. This. The image of Mick dreading that first drink, especially since the juice was red. So what if it didn't smell or taste like blood. It was red. Kinda reminds me of that quip about the tomato juice in the vending machines, in Fever... vamps like red stuff, but for a humanized vamp? Confusing as hell. And for a recently-former vamp to be holding a glass of red... stuff... up to his lips, about to take a sip? Well, I can just feel my own mouth filling with spit, feel that little lurch in the gut that makes you swallow hard and take a breath to calm your nerves.

Orange juice really ought to be orange, y'know? :snicker: But how did Josef know?? :chin:
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by francis »

Mick likes things to be real and genuine. I love that about him. Only the best if you can afford it. Love his confusion about the liquid. It must have been much harder than eating solid food. :hug:
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by darkstarrising »

Lucky, This is a wonderful insight into the morning after the night before....
I ate myself sick, or almost, and, trust me, there are things about that night that you don’t want to know.
I'll bet :giggle:

Loved how you took Josef's off-the-cuff remark about blood orange juice and created a clever story around it.
So, I found myself a little later, staring at a glass full of a muddy, reddish liquid that, I’ve got to say, looked nothing like blood. Smelled nothing like it, either, even to my newly-dulled senses.
This is the absolute irony of the situation. Mick is human again, indulging in all the things he couldn't for so long and the one memory that ties back to mom's kitchen is orange juice. Problem? The only kind he can find reminds him of something he'd rather forget.
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

Really enjoyed this, lucky

Poor Mick, by this point he's drank blood for far more years than orange juice. To be able to enjoy the simple things is what makes this piece special. We take for granted the small things and here is Mick reminding us of the simplest pleasures. Nostalgic and heartwarming but also sad bc we know this foray into humanhood isn't going to last long.
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by librarian_7 »

Thanks, Fleur! It's always sort of interesting writing pieces that take place during the series, because everyone knows what's coming. And yet, I think what we did see in Mick during his mortal days, was a sense that he had a second chance to enjoy some things he'd missed. (I really do hope he got by Musso's to have a prime rib, one of those too-short days!) And it's possible that it had been long enough, that many of his memories might have faded considerably. I think we've all probably experienced the sensation of trying a childhood favorite food, years later, and discovering that it wasn't quite as delicious as we remembered. Always such a disappointment!

Many thanks for reading and commenting!

Lucky
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by cassysj »

I thought I had commented already. I love that you made a story around the blood orange juice remark. I love the idea of Mick having fresh squeezed orange juice and bringing him back to his youth. I think he felt a lot of things that week and wanted to touch his humanity as much as possible.

I do imagine any red liquid would have thrown him off in his new humanized form. The eyes see red and the vampire brain makes the connection which probably makes it taste better than it should.
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by cassysj »

I do love this story because blood orange juice would be confusing for a vamp. :snicker:
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by librarian_7 »

Thanks for the bump, cassy! It's always nice to see one of my stories on active topics!
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Re: Gut Reaction (Challenge #138) -- PG-13

Post by allegrita »

I do love your Mick voiceovers. :hearts: I can really hear him in this one. And I love the way you handled the blood orange quip, turning it into a metaphor for so much more. :rose:
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