Glimpsing the Fandom

by Dreamality

Disclaimer: Lost and all related characters, settings, plots, etc. belong to J.J. Abrams and ABC. I claim no ownership and make no money from this venture.

Please note: This chapter will include elements of slash, which is relationships between two characters of the same gender for those who are not already aware. It will be non-graphic and limited, but let this serve as a warning for those who may be offended by mention of such things.

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Chapter Three: Sawyer and Sayid Discover Slash Fiction

It was noon, and as usual Sawyer was kicking back in the comfortable shade of his tent, women's sunglasses on his face, Watership Down in his hands. The sunglasses served a dual purpose. One, to block out harmful UV rays. Two, to hide his eyes so no one would see that he was not actually reading the book.

Instead he was glancing around the beach almost nervously, trying to make sure that no one was watching him. When he was sure that everyone was ignoring him (as usual, but he just had to be certain) he set the book on the ground and slowly edged out of the tent. Once within the seclusion of the thickly vegetated jungle he quickened his pace, taking the path that had become the most traversed within the last few days.

It was the path that led to the laptop, and nearly every survivor on the island had taken a pilgrimage to this strange shrine dedicated to the island and its inhabitants. Every survivor except Sawyer, that it. Although he feigned cool indifference and even mocked those who cared so much about it, his curiosity was really gnawing at him. Midday was the best time to go since everyone tended to stay busy until late afternoon or early evening, doing all that hunter-gatherer stuff Sawyer was not about to get involved in. After all, why exert the energy when everyone else was willing to do the work for him?

When Sawyer came upon the somewhat wide clearing the laptop had appeared in, he cursed under his breath. The damned Iraqi had beaten him to it and was seated comfortably in the chair, staring intently at the screen. Sawyer contemplated turning back before Sayid saw him, but even as the thought entered his head Sayid looked up. A smug smile spread across his face and it was difficult for Sawyer to contain his anger.

"Sawyer," Sayid said by way of greeting. "How nice of you to visit me. You've come to express your wishes for a speedy recovery on my part, I expect?"

The skin under Sawyer's torn and ragged fingernails was beginning to burn in remembrance of the bamboo reeds beneath them. The wound on his arm was twitching. Sawyer's fist clenched and his jaw tightened by increments as he walked slowly towards Sayid, who had nothing more than a little scratch on his leg that some old hag had given him while Sayid was trying to play explorer.

"No, I didn't think so," Sayid said, and Sawyer swore there was amusement beneath the arrogance.

"Just forget I was even here," Sawyer muttered, and turned his back on Sayid.

"Wait," Sayid called. "I think you might like to take a look at this. There are some things on this website that concern you."

Sawyer paused, not yet turning around.

"Concerning you and me, I should say." Sayid's tone was unreadable this time. Sawyer, unwilling to admit that he was curious and yet unwilling to give up and walk away, slowly turned around to look at Sayid. The other man put his hand on the back of the second chair and nodded at it, eyebrows raised at Sawyer.

With a sigh the Southerner trudged to the chair and plopped down in it. Sayid hit the 'back' button and Sawyer found himself staring at pictures of the beach and all the survivors, followed by a long list of links to other websites.

"What's this? Some kind of fan club?" Sawyer asked.

"You might say that," Sayid nodded. "Have you heard of fan fiction, Sawyer?"

He nodded. The story of Jack and Kate had spread like wildfire through both camps, and Sawyer had to admit he had listened to most of the talk. Anything that concerned Kate concerned Sawyer, and the thought of her with that goody-two-shoes doctor was enough to make him sick. He did get a little satisfaction out of hearing rumors that Jack had initially felt threatened by Sawyer and Sayid's obvious interest in the same woman and only his fear that they might win her over first had prompted him to action.

"I suppose you do not know what 'slash' fiction is, though," Sayid said.

"Slash? What in the hell is that?" Sawyer asked.

"I only learned about it today. I was clicking through some links. Most of them had to do with me. My past, my time on the island, and my time in the captivity of the French woman." Sayid smiled a little, almost fondly. "More than a few concerned myself and the French woman in some very interesting situations." Sayid shook his head to refocus his thoughts and looked at the list of links. When he found a particular one, he clicked on it so Sawyer could see it. "Then I came across this. A 'slash fiction archive.' I did some research and found that 'slash' refers to any fan fiction that deals with two characters of the same gender in romantic situations."

Sawyer's eyes widened. "And you read this stuff? Gay stories?"

"I skimmed two or three, was sufficiently disgusted, and left to find a different website. Since this was the only website that discussed you at all, I thought you might be interested in seeing it," Sayid explained rationally.

"They think we're gay?" Sawyer said.

"It's fiction, Sawyer. Do you need me to find an online dictionary or are you already aware the fiction usually refers to stories that are not true?" Sayid asked in that 'I'm-so-superior-and-you're-nothing-but-a-stupid-redneck' tone of voice that Sawyer hated more than anything in the world. Snarling a little, Sawyer snatched the mouse from Sayid's hand and clicked on the first link he saw, not noticing the clearly stated "R" rating of the story.

"Might as well see what lies they're telling about us," Sawyer explained. Sayid nodded and leaned in a little to read the story.

Sayid took Sawyer's rough, calloused hand in his own and held it to his heart. "You feel this? It beats for you, and only you."

"Didn't know you were so poetic, Aladdin," Sawyer smirked.

"Aladdin was from Saudi Arabia, not Iraq, and I would never utter such complete nonsense," Sayid retorted. "Anyway, read on."

Sawyer's eyes melted, losing their defensiveness. "I missed you, you know. Thought about you every night. Wished I was with you, just to hold you at night." He took the hand on his chest and brought it to his lips, caressing it with his mouth. "Just to touch your perfect skin." His tongue flicked out to taste the sheen of sweat that shone on the skin. "Sweet. Just like I thought. It looks like melted chocolate, I figured it must taste as sweet."

"I'm going to throw up," Sawyer muttered.

Sayid laughed, revealing perfectly white teeth. Sawyer liked the way his dark eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

Then Sawyer reconsidered his thoughts, felt horrified with himself, and promptly decided that Sayid had not only caused physical damage but deep psychological damage as well.

"Ah. This is nice. Sawyer, if you ever do that to me, rest assured that I will cut off your hand." Sayid pointed to a paragraph farther down the screen. Sawyer read it and Sayid laughed when his jaw dropped open. That pink tongue hiding within seemed to tease Sayid, and when it flicked nervously over Sawyer's dry lips Sayid wished to…

Wait. No. This was wrong. Sayid shook his head, his eyes wider than they should have been.

"And if you ever do that you'd lose a lot more than your hand." Sawyer pointed at the next line and Sayid's laughter abruptly stopped. For an instant both were engrossed in reading the story until, at once, they both let out yells of disgust and horror and pushed their chairs away from the screen.

"That is disgusting!" Sayid cried, completely aghast.

"Wow. Didn't know Muslims were allowed to do that. That what Osama bin Laden's been teaching you?" Sawyer asked, one eyebrow cocked in questioning.

Sayid glared at Sawyer and contemplated strangling him. "Your ignorance astounds me. Do you not realize that as you stereotype everyone around you, you are only proving that the stereotypical 'rednecks' are actually as stupid as they are portrayed?"

"You're calling me stupid?" Sawyer's anger rose quickly and flashed in his steely blue eyes. As each man sat there in front of the mysterious laptop, glaring at each other, they were not unlike two snakes preparing to strike. The only question that remained was whose venom was more poisonous?

"I am only saying you have some very obvious shortcomings that you reinforce every time you open your mouth," Sayid sneered. Score one for him.

Sawyer's eyes flickered to the screen of the laptop, where the browser with the slash fiction was still up. "If I were you, Mohammed, I wouldn't be talking about opening mouths." Everything was tied up, one point each.

Sayid's jaw literally dropped open. If his dark skin had not been covering it, Sawyer would have sworn he was actually blushing. In a tightly controlled voice he replied, "First of all, Sawyer, my name is Sayid. Secondly, I must say I regret my decision to show these websites to you, since obviously you cannot handle them in a mature manner. Finally, let it be said that should you ever get any ideas, I do not wish to have your tongue anywhere near my earlobe, much less your teeth on my neck. After all, it is quite clear to me that your big talk is only to make up for other… deficiencies." Another tally under Sayid's name.

Sawyer stared at him in disbelief, utterly shocked that he had dared to play that card. When his mind drew a blank and he could think of nothing to say in retaliation he flew to his feet, the chair falling over as he strode back towards the path that would lead him to the beach. He heard Sayid yelling his name and ignored him until a hand reached out and grabbed his uninjured arm. The fury in his eyes when he turned to look at Sayid from beneath shaggy blonde hair almost made the trained soldier flinch.

"Sawyer," Sayid breathed.

"Get your hand off of me," Sawyer said, his voice low and gravelly.

"I'm sorry," Sayid said.

Whatever Sawyer might have been expecting, an apology was not it. "What?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard Sayid the first time.

Sayid expelled his breath in one puff of hot air. He ran a hand through his entangled curls and looked into Sawyer's eyes. There was sincerity in them and Sawyer was tempted to believe him when he said, "I said I am sorry, Sawyer."

"Why?" Sawyer's eyes were narrow, trying to glimpse some kind of ulterior motive beneath the raw, honest eyes.

Sayid sighed and motioned to the laptop behind him. "Because we are being immature. Both of us. Obviously there are people out there –some of them disturbed individuals, some of them creative thinkers with a misguided talent– who believe that it is possible for the two of us to be friends." Sayid paused and his eyes twinkled with amusement. "I am not suggesting that we find a nice bush to make out behind." Sawyer had to laugh. "I am simply saying, why can't we at least be civil to each other? I have already apologized for what happened." His hand ghosted over the bandage around Sawyer's arm. "I have already told you that I am ashamed."

"I know." Sayid looked up at Sawyer. Instead of finding anger or disgust on his face, he was surprised to see what looked like understanding. "Maybe you're right. Maybe that slash fiction isn't so… okay, yeah, it's disgusting, but… I can be civil to you."

Sayid stuck out his hand. Sawyer took it and they shook, neither man looking away from the other's eyes. They walked together to the beach, and the survivors watched in surprise as they sat in Sawyer's tent and talked and laughed, almost as though they were friends.

Thus the power of the laptop was once more proven as it forged a new relationship, one of platonic affairs rather than of romantic, between two very different members of the camp.

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Author's Note: Once again I am completely flabbergasted by the outpouring of support you have all shown me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much for reading my story! I'm so happy so many of you seem to be enjoying it!

Coming up: Jin is confused and outraged when he learns that so many people hate him and wish that Sun was with Michael. Will Sun take this opportunity to stand up to Jin or will she succumb to his will?