Slash Guest Author Rec - Mauralee88

My recommendation is a novella by the lovely manyafandom titled: The Return of Edward Masen The Return of Edward Masen

The description for the story is: Seth's world is peaceful until his childhood hero and idol Edward Masen returns to town after being gone for 10 years, throwing Seth's world off balance and spinning in a new direction.

To be honest I’d have read this regardless of who the author was, just because the pairing is Edward/Seth. There’s something about these two that sends a shiver down my spine. The fact that the story was written by manyafandom was a bonus.

Anyone that’s read manyafandom’s work knows that she’s a brilliant writer, and The Return of Edward Masen is no exception. It’s a well crafted story, told in two chapters. The first is from Seth’s point of view, the second is from Edward’s.

It’s not overly dramatic, nor does it have the characters declaring their undying love in the first two paragraphs. Rather, it allows the characters to get to know one another again after a number of years apart.

The background of the story is that Seth and Edward grew up together, alongside a now married Jacob and Bella. Seth was the youngest and considered himself the ‘tag along’. It’s not until Edward returns after a nine year absence that Seth realizes his perception was skewed. His relationship with Edward has always been a bit more than just buddies.

With his new found realizations comes the redefining of their friendship. Unfortunately for Seth, his feelings begin to change. Enter confusion and guilt.

“When Edward would look at me the way he was, or said something like he had, all the sexual want I felt for him would come to the surface, but there was something else bubbling up with it lately. Whispers or shadows of the feeling of home, of belonging that I had felt when we had hugged were there, too. I didn't quite know what it meant, but I was quickly becoming addicted to it.

I would do things without even realizing it to get him to look at me like he was now, or say things that made me blush like I was at that moment. That was as far I would let myself take it. That was the limit of what I could handle. Edward's friendship meant too much to me to fuck it up with my own selfishness.”

Chapter two begins with Edward pondering his feelings for Seth. There’s self doubt and all those normal human feelings and thoughts that come with the realization that something momentous has happened in our life, and somehow we didn’t see it coming.

It’s the normalcy of the story that makes it so wonderful to me. It’s about real emotions and real reactions and trying to figure out how your life got tilted on it’s axis.

I’m not going to say anything more, other than you should click the link and give The Return of Edward Masen a try. I think you’ll like it.