fic: faster than a heartbeat - master post

[violacea]

Title: faster than a heartbeat
Pairing(s): Pete/Patrick, various background/past pairings
Word Count: 21,446 words
Rating: NC-17

Summary: Clandestine Station is the end of nowhere - a mining station located on a remote ice planet, far away from any other populated system, with no breathable oxygen and very little contact with the rest of the galaxy. In short, it's Patrick's worst nightmare ... and he's just been assigned to work there.

When he arrives, however, he finds the station populated by a surprisingly cheerful bunch of people, all of whom welcome him with open arms. Patrick fits in better than he ever expected, thanks in large part to Pete, Clandestine's de facto manager. Patrick just might have a raging crush on his new boss, not that he intends to tell him about it.

Eventually, though, Patrick gets exactly what he wanted: a transfer to a far more civilized planet. Only ... he's not entirely sure he wants it any more. When a disastrous storm strikes Clandestine, Patrick is forced to confront his deepest fears and decide once and for all - does he want to go home, or is he already there?

Notes: Many thanks to both ignipes and prettykitty_aya, who read an early draft when I was tearing my hair out and gave me enough encouragement to get on with the damned thing already. And as always, all the love in the world goes to tuesdaysgone, who read and cheered me on at various stages, fixed my grammar and spelling at the end, and is generally awesome in every way. :) Title is stolen from The Alternate Routes' "Carry Me Home."


Part One
Part Two
Part Three


Bonus Tracks/Enhanced Content

Fanart:
Artwork by xlindziex

Fanmix:
Any Kind of Destination by queen_of_goat