Ciaobella27 see's things in "Assymetrical Hues"

Assymetrical Hues

StarLightSuccubus

10,489

38

He is my lazy brother. She is my perfect wife. He is a brilliant painter on drugs. She is an erotica writer in disguise. At 7:43 a.m. I leave for work and they stay wrapped up in their little bubble of art. Written for the FML contest.

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Being the extreme wussperv that I am, I have some prerequisites before I begin reading a one-shot. I like a good solid plot. I like a little well-placed smut. And I like an HEA.

But a happy ending is sometimes hard to define. Does it mean that Edward and Bella are together? What if they’re together and unhappy? Does it just mean that everyone is happy in the end? What if Bella and Edward hurt someone in pursuit of their own happiness? Is it still an HEA?

I read a one-shot for the FML contest recently that made me think about what I consider an HEA. In Asymmetrical Hues by StarlightSuccubus, Bella is married to Edward’s brother. While her husband is never mentioned by name, you get a very good idea from the start of how he feels about Edward:

We are young and different.

But we're brothers.

Different brothers.

So different since our origins.

Edward is younger and adopted.

I am older and biological.

Edward is an idealist and a dreamer.

I am a realist and pragmatic.

Edward is poor and idle.

I am rich and hard working.

The nameless husband lives a very regimented life, but he loves his wife and he loves his life. Bella, while happy, isn’t quite as fulfilled. Her husband isn’t supportive of her attempts to become an erotica writer. He’s also not very supportive of her needs in the bedroom.

I try to arouse her, touching her clit, but to no avail. It only makes matters worse for me, as she clenches, clenches, but doesn't come. She is trying and I am failing.

I start thinking about work, about my life, about people.

It comes unexpectedly. I ejaculate inside of her.

She rolls over, exasperated and I clench my eyes shut.

When Edward needs a place to stay, they take him in. Edward, a struggling painter, immediately forms a bond with Bella. He shows her his paintings and she allows him to read her manuscript. What starts out as a friendship quickly becomes something more.

When they can’t hold off their attraction anymore, the story gets steamy fast.

I feel every atom of him, every particle of our joined bodies as he takes me, possesses me. I wonder how I missed this. How it is possible to discover sex at my age. It feels… feels… otherworldly.

But when her husband finds out about her betrayal, the story takes a very unconventional turn.

I return to the red covered living room. I wait for them, all manic.

Fifty three minutes later the front door opens and in they walk.

They are jovial and casually touching, unaware of my presence. Isabella is clutching a manila folder and Edward is carrying Chinese take-out. They are at their own secret place, only it is not secret anymore. I can see it clearly.

They are in love.

There’s so much I loved about this story. StarlightSuccubus uses short, choppy sentences at times, helping to build up to a pretty dramatic ending. Because we see the events through both Bella and her husband’s point of views, we get a better understanding of what life was life before Edward arrived and the changes he brought about. I was so shocked by the ending, I found myself asking – Is this really a happy ending?

Read this one-shot mostly because it’s so different. It reminded me of another favorite one-shot, The Green Dress by littlesecret84. They’re both so unconventional and refreshing because they don’t fit the general one-shot mold. In the end, you’ll ask yourself in both cases if they really were happily ever afters.