Quynh’s eyes snap up to meet a collision of phenomena so strong it nearly blinds her, brightly wild and loving for eternity and heartbreaking in its loveliness and endlessly forgiving and deathless inky black. The full force of it pulls her in, like gravity.
It is quê hương, the home of her heart, her soul.
More than anything, Quynh wants to reach out her fingers to trace the edges of Andromache’s face, but something raw and red and raging instead commands them to lie still, so there they sit, not touching, not breathing, barely even being. Call it cowardice. Call it the anxiety of being harmed. Call it heady memory that sticks in the now. Whatever it is, it seizes her whole against her will.
Quynh wishes she could do more, but that’s not in her nature right now.
(Or: Quynh and the intersection of her past and future)
Creator chose not to use archive warnings. Quynh-centric, character study, BAMF Quynh, PTSD, Flashbacks, she was under the ocean for centuries my dudes, her mind is fucked, Good!Quynh, angst with a happy ending, a bit of derogatory language, alcoholic Booker, Team as family, tons of Vietnamese language and culture, little bit of Latin for the boys, Love, Trauma, Tea, Acceptance
Quynh-centric, Andy/Quynh | ~15000 words | Mature
What I loved: This fic passes back and forth between Quynh's memories and the present moment (ie: reunited with the rest of the Guard and joining them on missions) - she's grounded by the actions of her loved ones (a tea ceremony, a coat, a trip to Vietnam, desire and love for Andy that she can’t quite express yet). They love her, and she's encircled by that care!
The imagery and sensory details are immersive and this fic doesn't skimp on the violence, so please heed the tags, but at the end of the day this fic is about rebuilding trust, Quynh starting a journey towards recovery, and a heck of a lot of tenderness - the ending caught my breath up and made me feel triumphant for her. This fic clearly has so much love and care and poetry put in, and it's a masterful character study for Quynh that’s complex in its treatment.
Slightly spoilery mod notes under the cut if you’d like additional details about the content: