I Carry These Heart-Shapes Only to You

Fanfiction
Title:	I Carry These Heart-Shapes Only to You
Author(s):	ladyflowdi, ships_to_sail
Date(s):	April 14th to June 16th, 2020
Length:	180,475 words
Genre:	Historical AU, World War II, slash, m/m
Fandom:	Schitt's Creek
External Links:	AO3
fanfic cover art by Gehrminator (2020)
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I Carry These Heart-Shapes Only to You by ladyflowdi and ships_to_sail is a Schitt's Creek historical AU set in WWII, and focused on the pairing of Patrick/David.

Summary

Patrick is just getting ready to leave when he spots him across the bar. The man has his head thrown back in laughter, the lines of his neck long and graceful. His smile is its own gas light, cutting through the smoke of the bar like sunshine off the Seine, a literal impossibility at this late hour. Patrick can’t hear his laugh over the music, but he doesn’t need to. He’s so busy watching, he doesn’t see the waitress drop another drink on the table until it’s too late, and she’s already moved on to serving the next table. Now that it’s here, he’s not going to turn it down.

Or

Two lives, seven days, one amazing city.

Reactions and Reviews

[yourbuttervoicedbeau]
Okay, I said I wasn’t going to rec the super popular ones, but this gets an exception because I genuinely think it might have changed me as a person. This is one of those stories that is written so well it kind of makes you never want to write again. There are lines from this fic that I could tattoo on my soul. I genuinely don’t have the words to describe what this meant to me (trust me, I tried to tell the authors and just ended up capslock flailing and sobbing).

[kitty_o_shea]
A historical AU. Patrick and David meet in Paris at the end of World War II. I probably teared up a few times while reading this... then the epilogue had me sobbing.

[Katsilverino]
It's beautiful, and heartbreaking, and so so good. HE, but will break you into tiny pieces before you get there. The first time I read this I started crying at chapter 6 and didn't stop until the end. It's lived in my head for much longer than most stories. It's the type you carry in your heart and sigh when you realize chances are you'll never write anything near this good. This is award winning writing. The visuals are just amazing. Characters are spot on, even in AU context. It's hard, but you want more all the way through. The premise doesn't do it justice "Two lives, seven days, one amazing city."

[grabthefish]
rereading I Carry These Heart Shapes Only To You in the tub and yelling to myself about how well written it is. i find a new favorite line every time, and then shortly after, six fucking more. its just crafted SO well. easily one of my favorites across all fandoms.

[rmd-writes]
I Carry These Heart-Shapes Only To You by ladyflowdi & ships_to_sail has long been on my list of best stories (not just fic) I’ve ever read.

[maxbegone]
There are over 180,000 words in this WWII AU, but not one of those words is wasted. It is gorgeous in its prose, and incredibly romantic without romanticizing the very real pain and tragedies of the era in which it exists. It’s not an easy read by any means, but it’s the kind of cathartic emotional journey that is more than worth it in the end.

Inspired Fanworks

• Podfic by fairmanor
• [art] trying new things can always be a little dangerous by SparklesMagicLightLove