Break My Fall
is a The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures fanfic, loosely based on the manga by Akira Himekawa. It focuses on the lives of Green, Blue, Red, Vio, and Shadow in their sophmore year of high school, each of them with no friends for completely different reasons.
...Oh yeah, and it's also a Slash Fic.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- All of the Other Reindeer: Blue's widely known throughout school for being a "bad boy," so people avoid him like the plague.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: It's implied that this is why Vaati fell in love with Green.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Red is kind of scary after finding out that Vio and Shadow kissed and nobody told him.Red: Why didn't you tell us?Shadow: I just...Red: You just what? You think you can't trust us? Is that it? Huh?!
- Beneath the Mask: As it turns out, Vaati has been in love with Green for years, and is using intimidation as a means to cover up his insecurities. Not only that, but he was friends with Blue in grade school, making Blue the only person who has even an inkling to what he's really like.
- Bonding over Missing Parents: A variation with Green and Vio— Vio's parents are divorced, while Green's are about to.
- Clear Their Name: When Vaati puts Red at fault for knocking over a bookcase, Blue steps in to say that he saw Vaati push Red into the bookcase.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Red, of all people, has a brief moment of this in Chapter 28.Blue: Red... listen, I just wanted to help.Red: [angry] How?
- Facial Dialogue: Vio and Blue are plenty capable of doing this with each other.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Vaati is hinted to be this towards Green's crush on Zelda, to the point of threatening to ruin Zelda's reputation if she so much as spends time with him.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: Averted for the most part, but Blue downplays it at one point when he wonders if Red is checking him out (he's not; Red is just the staring type).
- Implied Answer: When Red asks Vio (over the phone) if his parents are divorced Vio's response is to hang up on him.Red knows Vio well enough to know that "no" means "yes". So this must be a yes, whether Vio would like to admit it or not.
- Intelligence Equals Isolation: While Vio does isolate himself on purpose, it's more than implied that it's because he believes in this trope. His excuse is basically, "Friends will interfere with my grades."
- It's All My Fault: In chapter 15, Shadow blames himself for all of the main characters getting bullied. Luckily Vio is there to tell him otherwise.Shadow: I... th-this is my fault...Vio: What are you talking about?Shadow: We-we're all getting bullied be-because of me... If I-I hadn't opened my big, dumb mouth-Vio: Shadow. What you did is the bravest thing I've ever seen, and I don't want you to forget it. Ever. You, Blue, Red, and I would have never become friends if you hadn't done that. We're proud of you. Really.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Blue, though it's somewhat deconstructed. His jerkass attitude earned him a reputation as a bad seed, and everyone avoids him without giving him the opportunity to show them his Hidden Heart of Gold.
- Madness Mantra: Vio has one in his head in chapter 24, a few chapters after Red and Blue find out that Shadow kissed him in the cafeteria.Snap out of it, snap out of it, he chants over and over in his head. It only seems to make things worse.
- Must Make Her Laugh: Shadow in regards to Zelda in Vio's epilogue chapter, to the point of directly quoting Trope Codifiers Beast Boy and Raven.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When the Know-It-All Brothers reveal that Shadow kissed Vio Red is offended on the account that no one told him, while Blue becomes meek and tries to stop Red from lashing out. Subverted on Blue's half seconds later when he's the one who lashes out. Justified; Vio and Shadow are two of the only friends Red has ever had, so his anger comes from an intense paranoia that they didn't trust him enough to tell him. Blue, on the other hand, is gay, and in the closet at that, so hearing the Know-It-All Brothers talk using homophobic slurs is more than enough to make him feel insecure.
- Parental Abandonment: Red was placed into foster care at a young age, and while he is close to his foster parents, he refers to them by their actual names.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Blue happens to be very good at sewing.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: There are a few examples, but the most notable is Shadow (Red Oni) and Vio (Blue Oni).
- Rookie Red Ranger: Shadow. Somewhat justified, since being the new guy makes him fail to realize Vaati as a threat.
- Shipper on Deck: Red for Vio/Shadow. In fact, the whole reason he calls Vio in chapter 32 is to mend their relationship.
- Team Hand-Stack: This happens in chapter 10, with Vio deliberately placing his hand under Shadow's, instead of on top.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Naturally, Vaati gives the main characters (sans Green) one of these as early as chapter 5."That's it," he declares. "I don't know who you think you are, and why you think you're better than me, but this has gone far enough. I'll make your life miserable!"
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Vio, upon deciding he no longer wants to be friends with Red, Blue, and Shadow.Vio: Vaati never caused me much trouble. No, you three have been messing up my studies, messing up my life since day one. ...It's done. Over. I don't want to be friends anymore.
- Tsundere:
- Blue is pretty much expected to be one, and while he does have his moments, Vio outdoes him in every way, being a rather dramatic type B towards Shadow.
- Vaati plays Type A almost completely straight (or not) for Green.
- Wham Line:"And before Green can even let out a cry of surprise, Vaati's lips meet his."
- Who's Laughing Now?: Green downplays this trope when he tells off Vaati in front of half of the school for kissing him. May be subverted since he was defending Blue in doing so. Then again, he didn't seem to see it as defense, more like the opportunity to humiliate Vaati.
