Work Text:
“Distracted from distraction by distraction” - T.S. Eliot
The first time Barry sits on one of the things he thinks he’s just sat down in someone’s abandoned chip packet. He’s pleasantly surprised to find that it is not in fact someone’s rubbish, but a Zine. A Queer SciFi Zine.
Realizing he still had twenty minutes till class, and that it was a class where he wasn’t particularly close to anyone, he shrugged and thumbed through the small blue pamphlet.
It turned out to be pretty good. It showcased stories and poetry, and a few essays all focused on scifi featuring LGBT characters. It was good, really good.
But-
The quality of pamphlet was really really-
Well, it makes Barry angry.
The blue paper is so thin the ink seems to have trouble sticking, and you can see the next page’s text through it. The font is good, but the slabs of text aren’t broken up by any pictures, and the cover art is just a clip art picture of a space ship.
It’s an eyesore. A well written, perfectly referenced eyesore.
The classroom doors open and Barry tucks the Zine into his text book so he can re-read the essay on how forced diversity is a myth later.
Two weeks later he finds another one on the message board near his dorm room. This one is printed on the same shitty paper. But this time its yellow.
Barry rips it down, filled with a designers rage that really has no place in his life, and reads it. It’s great. It’s wonderfully written and amazing.
It’s really infuriating.
The only thing different with this latest issue is the credit on the back;
Proudly compiled and Xeroxed by Cisco.
The next issue is green, and Barry finds it in the cafeteria.
The one after that he finds in Iris’s room, and it’s pink.
The next one is white and he finds it in the hands of a very attractive guy wearing a shirt that says ‘hello from the otter slide’. He’s tucking the pamphlets up under the wood of the board because all the pins are full, and he’s holding a stack of them under his other arm.
Barry can’t believe his stroke of luck, and runs across the lawn to the guy before he can reasonably think about it.
“It’s you!” he shouts without thinking.
The guy promptly startles, pamphlets fly everywhere and he whirls around at Barry, eyes wide and hand pressed to his chest.
“Jesus!” he shouts back at Barry, eyes flashing, “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”
“Sorry!” Barry realises he should really stop yelling and lowers his voice, “Sorry. I just, ah, I’m Barry. I recognised the Zines, man. Are you Cisco?”
The guy still looks weary but he smiles weakly at Barry.
“I didn’t realise I was famous.”
“No, its just I love your Zines.”
“Thanks man.”
“But they’re hideous.”
Cisco’s eyes widen.
“Wow dude you’re really coming for me where I live.”
Barry ducks his head embarrassed.
“That came out wrong,” he groaned and tried again, “It’s just they have suck amazing content, but the design and the paper…”
Cisco sighs as they finally finish gathering up the zines Barry made him drop.
“I know, dude,” he says sounding like it’s an old struggle, “but when you’re putting out free content you don’t get much in the way of funding. I do what I can and I still have to survive on ramen for weeks.”
Barry smiles at him.
“I have an idea then. Collaboration.”
“What?”
“Let me help you! I mean, I’m not rich or anything, but if we pool our money we could probably put out more of them with better paper. It would increase your fan base to differentiate them from the school help pamphlets.”
Cisco squints suspiciously up at Barry.
“You have strong feelings about Queer SciFi, dude.”
“I do actually.”
The conversation lapses and they stand there, not seemingly able to break the eye contact that’s moved on from being the ‘who are you’ kind to the ‘who are you’ kind. Barry’s blush deepens and Cisco smiles, soft and cheeky. I may or may not make Barry’s knees knock together.
“Alright,” Cisco says with a small laugh that is not helping Barry’s rapidly forming crush, “I’ll give you a shot. I’m already compiling the next one. If you’re free I can show it to you and hear you’re thoughts.”
“Sure, we could-um, grab lunch?”
Cisco’s smile spreads into a grin.
“Wow man, you move fast.”
Barry is very solidly more blush than man at the moment. He laughs, awkward and flustered, but Cisco takes pity on him and they go to a Café off campus to collaborate. Barry realises half way through that is it absolutely a date. Cisco laughs at him again and it’s the best thing in the world so Barry doesn’t mind.
Next week’s issue is on white paper, has colour printed pictures and illustrations made from cut up magazines and the back proudly proclaims; Proudly compiled, Illustrated and Xeroxed by Cisco and Barry.