#00leiter

Friends. It’s no secret that I adore the character of Felix Leiter. I adore him in canon, I have some deeply cherished headcanons about him that tend to pop up in my writing about him, and I absolutely love seeing what other writers do with his character in this fandom, both on his own and in relationship with Bond. I’m thinking especially of @patrice-bergerons, whose own 00leiter fic launched me so far into space this ship that I have never left.

If you’ve read my Felix fics (more on those later), you’ll have noticed that one of the themes I love exploring with his character is his relationship to his country and to patriotism: what does it mean to him to be a civil servant? How is this affected by his experience of being Black in America? How does his relationship to his country contrast to Bond’s relationship to England, and how does that play out in their relationship with each other? There’s so much richness there to explore.

As there is with his relationship to Bond more generally. I tend to write them as a ship, because of how much there is to work with. What is the value (and I deeply believe there is extraordinary value) in a love that by its nature can’t be monogamous or permanent? What does it mean to come into and out of someone’s life over a period of years, with all that entails? What do we learn by loving someone who is in some, but not all, ways a mirror of ourselves, with experiences few others have shared? What does that enable us to give, and receive?

Speaking of those fics, of, did you know I have written not one, but four (4) fics from Felix Leiter’s perspective? Those fics are:

all the flags we’ve hung

close to the sun in lonely lands

sometimes it takes the night to fall

and, most recently, left stranded on this Fourth of July!

What’s that you say? You prefer moodboards? You are in luck! I have one for you right here.

“Le Chiffre’s bad news,” Felix said, watching James fasten his cufflinks in front of the hotel mirror. 

James arched his eyebrows without turning around. “So am I,” he said. 

“Bad news like Nevada,” Felix said. Not because he knew for sure, but because he’d heard mutterings, and because desperation had a certain look. 

“Bad news like Spang.” James’s voice was dark, probably remembering the beating. He’d won a haul of diamonds at a Reno card table and Spang hadn’t been too happy. Not his first brush with violence, but the worst since his Navy years. 

Lucky for James, he’d had Felix around to come running. Felix kept him in starter cash, getaway vehicles, and great sex. James multiplied Felix’s investments and returned the favor. It didn’t pay as steady as the stock market, but the highs were high, and it was nice to have someone to spend the lows with. 

“Nothing’s for sure,” Felix said. “Just a feeling. This Casino Royale game is a good pot but a bad lookout.” 

Bond winked at him in the mirror. “You’ll have to play too, then. Keep an eye on me.” He held Felix’s gaze. 

“You just like being looked at,” Felix teased, half-hearted. “But sure. I’ll play. Winner gets to choose what’s on the menu tonight.” In the restaurant and in bed.  

(for scavenger hunt item 60)

This is based on my planning for a james/felix stick season songfic which may or may not ever be written, but it would include them meeting as children. Ashamedly, I haven't read any of the books so there's little influence in these headcanons from book felix and james, and it may not line up with the book timelines.

The Felix I'm imagining here isn't meant to be a particular one of the various versions of him, but sort of an amalgam. One thing I think is interesting about Felix as a recurring character is that there are versions of him who are different races, representing the diversity of the US. However I think a Latino/Indigenous Felix would be really interesting especially given he's from Texas so it's an idea I've been playing with for this version of Felix.

My central Felix childhood headcanon is that he and James went to summer camp together in the US and that's how they originally became friends and maybe had a romantic relationship as teenagers. Of course it's canon that they met in Casino Royale but I don't think having met as kids disrupts movie canon too much. How did they end up at this camp together? Maybe MI6 thought it was a good idea to send the orphan they were grooming abroad, maybe Felix got some kind of scholarship. I think their very different backgrounds and therefore different views and goals with regards to their countries would have influenced each other and their determination to go into their respective services together. Knowing a version of James from before he became an agent though is what makes Felix's friendship with him so strong.

I think Felix probably grew up struggling financially and not seeing the best side of America, but he still has an optimistic outlook and believes in the possibility of the American Dream. A lot of versions of Felix work less in the field than James and more in the office and I think that's fitting for a Felix who is working to improve his country, not just defend it. I imagine Felix having a big family with many siblings who supported his dreams for the future. Being welcomed into that family after losing his own would also be a point of connection with Felix for James.

Felix is definitely a hard worker and I don't think he had to a lot of connections at the CIA so he would have had to work his way up the ranks. Knowing James probably helped with that though. I think his friendship with James makes the most sense as a reason for joining in the first place for my Felix. If he made a promise as children to do something together he would honor it and James probably gave him ideas about how meaningful it is to serve your country. I also think Felix feels undervalued and sees working for the CIA as a way to get recognition from a higher power and from James.

Felix has sex with James Bond in various parts of Southeast Asia, and somehow they manage to fall in love about it.

Hi! Work was insane this week, sorry for the delay. Although I am not immediately working on any Bond fics, I tend to cycle between my fandoms, so it's entirely likely I will find my way back to it again. In the meanwhile, I am blindbatalex on AO3 and have a few posted Bond fics over there!

I would personally recommend:

I could always move in with you: 00Q from a Dench!M perspective, whom - and whose POV - I simply adore

i never left: 00Q - with this one, you will just have to see for yourself

the worth of one life: 00Q - if you have ever wondered what James would do had it been Q in Ronson's place in a similar set up, then this fic is for you