Freefall (fanfic)

Freefall, a Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle fanfic by UnexpectedInspiration, is a Real-world AU massive crossover fic, focusing mainly on the plot and characters from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and XXX Holic, but featuring a fair few other characters and CLAMP references from series such as Chobits, Kobato and Cardcaptor Sakura.

Although it has shades of High School AU for a few characters due to their ages, this is not your average ensemble cast in the real world story, and major plot events are directly derived from the various canon works that make up Freefall. The result? An epic, sprawling story that takes place in the city of San Francisco and its surrounds and reinterprets the incredible events of the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and XXX Holic timeline through the lens of modern-day America.

There is no magic in Freefall, no monsters or vampires. Time travel and destiny don’t come into play and Fei Wang Reed is nowhere to be found. Instead, the story focuses on the lives of the characters and their loved ones as they struggle to survive the hand they've been dealt— together.

This fic is complete and there is a sequel in the making.

A note on the author’s name choices: Because Freefall is set in modern-day America, the characters have been renamed accordingly. As such, it might be useful to read the author’s livejournal post explaining the rationale behind the new names, and to make sure you have an idea of who is who before reading. That said, the characterisation in Freefall is spot-on and it should be very easy for new readers to pick out which character is which within moments of them appearing.

(Not to be confused with the Furry Webcomic Freefall.)

This fanfiction provides examples of:

 * Abusive Parents: Karen's mother.
 * Adaptation Dye Job: literally for Molly, with her obviously-dyed platinum blonde hair, as the counterpart to the white Mokona from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.
 * Alternate Universe Fic
 * Ambiguously Gay: Finn, though he can be quite flamboyant when he wants to piss off Caleb.
 * Bad Dreams:  And how.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Finn has a tendency to wear shirts that are a little too short for him.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Averil and Zack have a lot of this, as much as Averil denies it.
 * Big Brother Instinct: Tom. Ian is definitely an example of this too.
 * Big Eater: Zack, and he's picky about what he eats too. Caleb and Lee are mentioned to have their moments of this too.
 * Bottle Fairy: Yvonne.
 * Broken Bird: A male version in Gray, though this applies to Averil as well.
 * Can’t Sleep Without You: Happens to  when the latter’s nightmares start to take their toll.
 * Chastity Couple: Lee and Sara are like this. They’re definitely in love, but they rarely touch each other. There are reasons for this, particularly Tom . As such, when they do hug, it’s all the more sweeter.
 * Chekovs Skill:
 * Chick Magnet:  Caleb thinks it would be more impressive if he could keep a girlfriend.
 * CPR Clean Pretty Reliable: Subverted.
 * Cool Bike: Caleb has one. When  shows up, he has one too.
 * Cool Car: Subverted by Finn’s powder-blue Beetle- or at least, Caleb seems to think so.
 * Cool Old Guy: Zack’s grandfather, Harold.
 * Cool Old Lady: Ruth, Karen's grandmother.
 * Continuity Cameo / Expy: Everywhere. Almost every single named character is derived from various CLAMP works, even the minor characters that show up in the background.
 * Covert Pervert: Claire. Sweet, kind-hearted blonde teacher's assistant that helps Lee find his voice in english class... that is studying to be a sex therapist and has a few opinions on various character's sexualities.
 * Crowning Moment of Heartwarming: All over the place, but especially when
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Everyone, some more than most.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Zack, towards Averil. He really can’t stop himself.
 * Despair Event Horizon:
 * Destination Defenestration:
 * Disappeared Dad: Sara and Tom's father, though his whereabouts are partially known.
 * Drama Bomb: dropped on the main characters every few chapters or so.
 * Emancipated Child: They're in their teens, but Lee and Averil are this.
 * Everyone Can See It: Happens for all of the main couples in some way or another.
 * Everyone Is Gay: Not quite, but getting there. Also lampshaded by Lee a few times where he wonders if everyone he knows is gay.
 * He does live in San Francisco.
 * Everythings Better With Princesses: Sara acquires the nickname “princess” early on in the fic, and is treated by one by most main male characters.
 * Even the Guys Want Him: played for laughs a few times, with various characters having "mancrushes" on one another.
 * Eye Scream: Wouldn’t be a CLAMP fic without it.
 * Falling Into His Arms:, Finn nearly faints and falls backwards down the stairs to be caught by Caleb, who then carries him into their apartment with no difficulty and in a rather possessive manner.
 * Fan Art: Freefall has two short doujinshi drawn by the artist Konnichipuu, for chapter one and chapter twenty-four, as well as a piece that was based off a sneak-peak of the upcoming sequel. Warning! The latter two are spoileriffic.
 * Generation Xerox: Zack closely resembles his grandfather, Harold, and quite a bit of Averil’s angst comes from the fact that while his brother Lee is the spitting image of their father, he himself looks nothing like his parents.
 * Gray Eyes: Gray. More the colour than the personality traits though.
 * Grumpy Bear: Caleb.
 * Guilt Complex: Averil,by the bucketload.
 * Happily Married: Tom and Yuri. Not so much on the married part, but the two of them are very much in love and together. Amy and Susan have shades of this too.
 * Harassing Phone Call:  gets these all through the fic, acting as in-universe Nightmare Fuel.
 * Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today: Averil, a few times, usually when asked about how he feels about Zack. Fails utterly.
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: Averil, about Zack. No one believes him.
 * Headbutt of Love: Lee and Sara in chapter 17. It's adorable.
 * Heartwarming Orphan:  of the main male characters.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:  takes a blow that would have killed   and nearly dies in the process.
 * Hip Carry: After nearly falling down the stairs, Finn gets carried up them by Caleb, who grabs him with one arm and holds him against his hip.
 * Ho Yay: Everywhere. Between Caleb and Finn, Ian and Gray, Zack and Averil
 * Human Shield: Happens to . It doesn’t work.
 * Identical Grandson: Zack, to Harold.
 * I Didn't Mean to Turn You On: chapter 18, when
 * If Its You Its Okay / Single Target Sexuality:
 * Ill Girl:, and played realistically too.
 * Impossibly Low Neckline: Yvonne has a penchant for this, noted by Averil in their first meeting.
 * In Series Nickname: Caleb, with Hot Shot, Papa Bear, Big Daddy and Cal-Baby just to name a few. Sara also gets one, being called “princess” on many occasions.
 * In Touch With His Feminine Side: Averil, and how. Finn has his moments of this when he's playing "Mommy".
 * Instant Waking Skills: Caleb.
 * It Got Worse: Happens a few times during the fic, and  past is just one long chain of this.
 * I Will Protect Them: Zack’s attitude towards Averil is a lot like this. Lee also plays it straight with Sara,
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Caleb.
 * Lap Pillow: Finn "going to bed" in chapter 24, much to Caleb's mortification. Even Lee thinks it's kinda cute.
 * Living Emotional Crutch: Ian is this for Gray, and  becomes this for Finn.
 * Luminescent Blush: Pops up a few times, but especially hilarious when it’s Caleb doing it.
 * Martyr Without a Cause: Much like in canon continuity, Averil needs to learn his lesson about how his self-sacrificing streak hurts those around him.
 * Meaningful Name: “Averil” means “April”, much like the meaning of Kimihiro. It's also noted that Zack's last name, "Williams", means "stout protector" and is used as some explanation behind his motivations re: Averil. On a more humorous note, due to a mistranslation, “Caleb” means “dog”.
 * Messy Hair: Finn. Doesn't stop Sara from thinking it's gorgeous though.
 * Mismatched Eyes: Notably, Lee and Averil, both being blind in one eye.
 * Nice Guy: Lee, definitely.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: Finn tries to pull this on Caleb with a lot of things,  Doesn't work.
 * Perpetual Frowner: Caleb. It's remarked that him not scowling is the same as a ear-to-ear grin on anyone else.
 * Prematurely Bald:
 * Protectorate: Takes him a while to figure it out, but  eventually realises   is this for him. Zack is far more open about what he’d do to keep Averil safe, and the same for Ian regarding Gray, and Sara has been this for Lee right from the beginning.
 * Relationship Upgrade: Happens late in the fic for, much to the latter's relief.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: pops up a few times, with various CLAMP pairings, but none of the characters here are shallow enough to be defined by his alone.
 * Scars Are Forever: When, their scar remains for the rest of the fic.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Lee, about Sara. No one believes him either.
 * She's Got Legs: Sunny, according to Averil. Also, Yvonne gets to show hers off once or twice as part of her "sex pot" act.
 * Shipper On Deck: Quite a few examples, for various pairings throughout the fic:
 * Sunny, for Zack and Averil, much to Averil’s dismay. Harold joins in as well,.
 * Lee, for, especially towards the end of the fic. Claire Elda has shipped them for quite some time, and
 * Everyone for Sara and Lee. Yes, even Tom, as much as he would hate to admit it.
 * Shown Their Work: On behalf of the author herself. The amount of research that has gone into Freefall is staggering, and a lot of links for supplementary material can be found on her profile, such as an apartment floor plan, information about the schools where characters study, and images of vehicles that the character’s drive. Other elements of the plot,, have also been exhaustively researched.
 * Snowball Fight: Happens in chapter one, and it's hilarious.
 * Stepford Smiler: Finn, just as much as his canon counterpart.
 * Straight Gay: Claire insists that is this. Her boyfriend refuses to believe it when she tells him.
 * Survivors Guilt: Quite a few characters have this, particularly.
 * Tall Dark and Handsome: A lot of the CLAMP bishies featured in Freefall qualify, but definitely Caleb, with an emphasis on the "tall" part. It's also implied Zack will grow into this when he gets older.
 * Team Dad: Caleb gets roped into this role as the story progresses, much like he did in canon. Gets called Papa Bear and Big Daddy by Finn quite a lot also.
 * Team Mom: Finn. No surprises there.
 * Tear Jerker: Lots of ‘em.
 * The Alcoholic: Finn. He has good reason to be. Yvonne is implied to be this too.
 * The Charmer: Although it makes him a little uncomfortable, Finn has no problem turning up the charm to get what he wants.
 * The Klutz: Sunny, as a reference to her canon-counterpart’s Doom Magnet tendencies.
 * The Nicknamer: Finn, mostly directed towards Caleb, although Sara becomes known as “princess” early on in the story and the moniker sticks.
 * The Stoic: Zack. Kid’s got a serious poker-face going on. Does have his moments, though.
 * The Woobie: Averil. Things just don’t go right for him, no matter how hard he tries.
 * Theyre Called Personal Issues for A Reason: Finn. Oh so very much Finn.
 * Through His Stomach: Averil's got skills when it comes to cooking, and they're good enough to cover his share of the rent. Later, when he starts living with Zack and Harold, it's one of the many reasons Zack is insistent he stay.
 * Tsundere: Averil, and how. No prizes for guessing who bears the brunt of his tsun-tsun tendencies...
 * True Companions: The main cast ends up like this.
 * Unbroken Vigil: Occurs a few times with various characters. Notably with  and with Zack and Averil, due to the latter’s tendency to get himself into life-threatening situations..
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension:
 * Between Caleb and Finn in a big way,, but played very subtly.
 * Lampshaded by Lee when he remarks that their relationship must be complicated, or they would've gotten it over with and had sex already.
 * Averil and Zack have their fair share of this too, though more on the Belligerent Sexual Tension side of things.
 * Ian and Gray; as Dovie remarks, they've built up enough between them for it to start oozing out their ears.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: As much as they snipe at each other, Caleb and Finn are close friends, and only get closer as the series progresses.
 * Wake Up Fighting: Finn takes a swing at Caleb a few times after being woken suddenly from a nightmare.
 * Wham Episode: Every few chapters or so.
 * Through His Stomach: Averil's got skills when it comes to cooking, and they're good enough to cover his share of the rent. Later, when he starts living with Zack and Harold, it's one of the many reasons Zack is insistent he stay.
 * Tsundere: Averil, and how. No prizes for guessing who bears the brunt of his tsun-tsun tendencies...
 * True Companions: The main cast ends up like this.
 * Unbroken Vigil: Occurs a few times with various characters. Notably with  and with Zack and Averil, due to the latter’s tendency to get himself into life-threatening situations..
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension:
 * Between Caleb and Finn in a big way,, but played very subtly.
 * Lampshaded by Lee when he remarks that their relationship must be complicated, or they would've gotten it over with and had sex already.
 * Averil and Zack have their fair share of this too, though more on the Belligerent Sexual Tension side of things.
 * Ian and Gray; as Dovie remarks, they've built up enough between them for it to start oozing out their ears.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: As much as they snipe at each other, Caleb and Finn are close friends, and only get closer as the series progresses.
 * Wake Up Fighting: Finn takes a swing at Caleb a few times after being woken suddenly from a nightmare.
 * Wham Episode: Every few chapters or so.