DMBJ Recs #2: Rare Pairings

[mekare]

Just like that rare creme-filled Easter egg with your favourite filling, a fanwork of the right rarepair flavour is hard to find sometimes. Let us know about your favourites (fic, art, vid, podfic etc.) and add a short line about what makes it delicious in your eyes!

For the purpose of this post, any pairing that is not Pingxie or Heihua counts as rare. Poly(amorous) pairings are admissable, as are aro- or ace-flavoured pairings. Any pairings with the DMBJ ladies are especially welcome.

For easier reccing, you can use this template in the comments:

<strong>Title:</strong> <strong>Creator:</strong> <strong>Pairing:</strong> <strong>Rating:</strong> <strong>Warnings:</strong> <strong>Why I like it:</strong>

Next Rec Post will be up in two weeks time, topic: hurt/comfort!

Comments

Recs by foxofninetails on Tumblr

[mekare]

One of my absolute favorite rarepairs is HeiHuaXiu, so let's have some recs for that!

With Water and a Star by afrikate (must be logged in to view)

Rated M, No Archive Warnings Apply
Fake/Pretend Relationship, Arranged Marriage, Misunderstandings, Battle Couple, Friends to Lovers, Friends With Benefits, Getting Together, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Canon-typical Jiumen mafia politics a la Sha Hai and The Lost Tomb 2, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Attempted Sexual Assault which is unsuccessful more details in notes
Summary: So much, he thought, for settling into a low-key lifestyle after the end of the Wang family. He grimaced as he raised his head and looked at her. “A scandal.”

Rec notes: I love Xiuxiu in this one - she's so competent and done with being talked over by boys, but in a way that holds very true to her character.

Flowers On The Roof Of Hell by Thimblerig
Rated Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply
Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, battle threesomes, day in the life, Plotting, Trans Character(s), Minor Violence

Summary: “We’re hunting the draaaaagons, we’re hunting the draaagons, we’re hunting the draaaaaaaagons…” Xiuxiu sings, opening the arms of Goddess of Mercy out wide against the wind and the sleeting rain as the helicopter array takes them out to their prey.“Nah, they’re just rats,” Xiazi drawls. “Nasty little squeaking things coming out of the cracks, that’s all.”

“Mrowwwwr.” Xiuxiu pulls up the map grid on their cockpit display... - Pacific Rim, HeiHuaHuo style.

Rec notes: If the words "HeiHuaXiu PacRim AU" don't get you, I'm not sure anything I can say will. They're all absolutely delightful and terrible here.

comfort where her hands touch by cryptive

Rated Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply
Slice of Life, Fluff, Comfort No Hurt
Summary: The entire story gets laid out while Hei Xiazi sat in the unfilled bathtub, knees folded up to his chest while Xiuxiu washes out his hair, making affirmative noises at the appropriate places.
Xiuxiu's boys come home after a long, long day.
Rec notes: Look, I am not immune to a hairwashing fic. Love the vulnerability here.

So Breathe by bookjoyworm

Rated Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply
Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - Pirate, everything is pretty much the same but in a vauge pirate au, kinda potc kinda black sails, i went to write a pirate au and went into deep introspective character study Huo Xiuxiu as the head of the Huo Family, and Huo Daofu guest starring as her second/bitchy wine friend, If NPSS won't let the dmbj ladies be friends i guess i'll have to do it myself, canon happens in the background, Huo Xiuxiu deserves the world and to do more cool stuff, Requited Unrequited Love, they're all idiots your honor, Jiumen does not breed emotional intelligence, they're trying tho, Xiuxiu is Done With Your Bullshit, (and also her own), implied/referenced corporal punishment of a child just a few lines nothing is shown or discussed at lengt,h non-graphic near-drowning, Canon-Typical Violence, probably less than tbh, fic and chapter titles borrowed from an amazing devil song, i would also like to submit Mystic Glasses as a ship name for these three, OT3, Idiots in Love

Summary: In which Huo Xiuxiu grows up, falls in love (twice) and decides that she'd done being left behind.
Rec notes: Love the strength of character Xiuxiu has here. Also, pirates!

footsteps in sync by naiwong_bao
Rated Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply
Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, Non-Linear, Narrative, Fluff, Established Relationship, Getting Together, Grieving, Canonical Character Death, Alternate Universe - Fantasy

Summary: Xiuxiu puts her phone on speaker and calls Xiao Hua one more time. His voice, tinny and electronic, rings through her room as he says that he’s not available and for her to please leave her name and message and he’ll get back to her as soon as possible.
“Xie Yuchen,” she snaps, “you have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Xiao Hua-gege,” she says, “why do you and Wu Xie-gege never tell me what’s happening? Hei-ye won’t answer my calls either.”
She takes a deep breath in through her nose. “Be safe and come back soon. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay.”
---
The time Huo Xiuxiu spends alone, and time that she spends with the people she loves. Snippets following Huo Xiuxiu as she falls in love, holds herself together, and chooses to hold the people she loves together too.

Rec notes: Gorgeous, nightmare-dreamy touch-of-magic AU