#Otto and Atticus

[writingforfishes]

Hicvember: Cuddles

I started number 4 accidentally before realizing my mistake. I'm actually kind of surprising myself with doing these to completion. It's like the time limit is actually inspiring me to finish them faster. That is usually not the case and I'm trepidatious to be hopeful of it continuing...but for now! Here's a SICKENINGLY SWEET cuddle fic!

CW:

gross

just shamelessly gross and cute

fast hard hiccups

soft belly

couple using each other in replacement of inanimate objects

comfort

care

ew

it's too pure!

No thoughts of hiccups, arousal, or kinks were in Atticus’ mind as they lounged on top of Otto on their couch. Atticus had pillowed their head on his midsection and wrapped their arms around his waist as they watched Star Trek while Otto read a book, spine lightly propped against the top of Atty’s head.

The writer didn’t even know what book it was, but they could smell the light mustiness indicating it was something older. They also didn’t mind being used as a book prop. Heck, they were using Otto’s belly as a pillow so, it was only fair.

Even though Atticus couldn’t see Otto’s face they knew what he looked like while reading through his glasses. They knew he was looking down with a studied expression as his eyes traveled back and forth, mouth partially agape at times and brows doing a dance in reaction to whatever he was reading. His long fingers would mount on the lower right corner of the page before he read the end so he could flip it as soon as he arrived at the last word.

Atticus wasn’t necessarily in a state of hiatus, but they weren’t really obsessing about hiccups, either. Their attention was on Data and Geordi as they spoke on screen, letting the murmurs of Otto’s digestive system become a casual background soundtrack during the writer’s comfort-show viewing.

A squelch of gas from Otto’s stomach tickled the writer’s ear before, “HMMPH!-mm. ‘Scuse me.”

Otto’s stomach popped up against the side of Atticus’ head and they widened their eyes in surprise and sudden arousal. Then they narrowed their eyes in mild frustration. They didn’t feel like being aroused. They felt like watching an android and engineer pretend they weren’t boyfriends on a spaceship.

“Sir…” Atticus protested.

They felt the book lift up off their head and they looked up at the bespectacled clock maker.

“Sorry…” Otto said sheepishly. Then his head flew back in a, “HUP’K!”

Atticus felt their head shift again at the thump beneath their ear and groaned in both stimulation and slight annoyance.

“Not a single, then,” they said as several more hard spasms followed.

Otto sighed, also not really in the mood for a case of hiccups to bring him out of his reverie. It was only yesterday he’d had a whole day of hiccup cases. He experienced a mix of it being nice to have an erotic release with his spouse and exhaustion from the returning fits.

“ApaHERP!rently not. HOCK’M!HUP!IP!” he grunted and marked the book before putting it on the coffee table with his reading glasses perched on top of the cover. He rubbed his face with his hands and let the attack have its way with his body, exhausted.

“You need to cure?” Atticus asked as they moved a little further up his body so their head rested on his chest and their hand rubbed softly along his abdomen.

Otto shook his head.

“Gonna juULP!just wait HIMK!ICK! it out. Y—you okay? HULP’K!HICK’M!-uh,” Otto said with a sniff and a rub to his chest from the powerful doubles hitting him.

“Stimulated as hell, but I’m not really in the mood, honestly. No offense,” Atticus said.

“N—none takeULP!ken. NeiHIP!HIP! Neither am I mmp! I. HUCKUP!” he admitted.

“Cuddles, then?” Atty asked.

“MmMMK! Mm! Ugh. HULP!-uh! Ye-HUP’K!Yeah. Can y—you keep HNK’UH! rubbing my HUP’K!HUCK!HILK!-uh, my stomach?” Otto asked, sighing before another cluster hit him and he patiently waited it out before grunting again.

“Of course,” Atticus said. Waves of arousal passed through them; they let the sensations come and go as they bounced with Otto’s hiccups.

After another few moments Atticus was no longer watching the show and Otto was leaned back onto the arm of the couch with one hand on Atty’s shoulder and the other resting on his chest as the quick, loud hiccups continued to jerk Otto’s body violently.

“You have some of the most violent hiccups I’ve ever seen, by the way. And that’s saying a lot as I scour the internet for files pretty regularly. They really are fast and hard. Do you ever get, like, light-headed from them?” they asked as they felt another cluster of hiccups speed through his diaphragm, gasps of pinched off air coming back-to-back for a second.

“Um HUCK’UP! no, not really. HILMP! S—sometimes HIK’M! I get a lMP!little wiHIMPK!inded when HUP!-uh, when they c—come fast IP! fast like this. But n—not like HIMP!MP!HUCK’M!-uh, not dizz—y or hmk! or an—anything. HUP’K!” he said.

“That’s good,” Atty said, relief evident in their voice.

Otto chuckled a little bit between the spasms and gave a small kiss to his partner’s head. Atty cared a lot about Otto’s well-being during these attacks. To Otto, his hiccups were simply an annoyance. Sometimes they were arousing when he was in the mood and thought about how they affected Atticus. But tonight, they were just something to wait out. They were akin to an attack of sneezing or an annoying itch. It was simply an act his body did occasionally.

At the same time Atticus was aroused by something Otto couldn’t control, they also held in great importance his comfort. Atty never used Otto as one would use an object of sexual pleasure. Their appreciation for him and acceptance of him was always more important than the arousal he could offer them.

As the writer continued to push their hand pleasantly down Otto’s strongly tensing muscles the clock maker experienced a rush of gratitude for his relationship with Atticus. Hiccups were, in a way, a part of the package making up Otto as a person. As frequent and as large of a presence as his hiccups were, he couldn’t see himself being with someone who found them an annoyance or was triggered by them in some negative way.

Additionally, Atticus’ arousal to hiccups were just as much a part of their identity. It wasn’t lost on him how special it was for them to have found each other and for even the oddest quirks of their personalities to be compatible.

Just as Otto’s throat was starting to get sore from the onslaught, he felt the spasms finally start to weaken and become slower. After a yawn or two, some deep breaths, and a few more singles they had solved themselves and left Otto to breathe in peace.

“Aaaah,” he said. “Kind of glad that’s over.”

From the clocks Otto figured it had been around a 15-minute case.

“Me too,” Atticus admitted. “Those were pretty powerful.”

Otto nodded with a deep breath in and out. “I’m good now, though.”

“Yeah, you are,” Atty said with a grin. They craned their neck up and planted a furred kiss on his cheek, their mustache tickling his skin.

Otto smiled.

“Wanna go back to reading your book?” they asked.

“Nah, I like this. You’re nice and warm,” he said surrounding them with both of his arms.

“Awww. So are you. And soft,” they said.

They both sighed happily at the same time. Then they both chuckled.

“Gawd, no wonder people think we’re gross,” Atticus said, muffled in Otto’s chest.

“Our level of disgusting is pretty untenable,” Otto remarked.

“I love being gross with you,” Atticus said.

“And I love being gross with you,” Otto confirmed.

[compact-turtle]

Why does Atticus treat us so gently? Would they ever try to do anything with our consent?

-Gonna go on a limb and assume you meant to say “without our consent” lol 

Tw: Animal death (accidental), slight mentions of drugging 

——

-Atticus would never intentionally harm or do anything without his darling’s consent. 

-He’s willing to wait all the time in the world until his darling is ready. They’d def be disappointed but they’d even put off sex entirely if their darling is too afraid or uninterested. 

-He treats the darling so gently because when he was younger, he accidentally murdered a bird he was raising. This bird (before Otto and Earl) was the only thing that brought him joy when his parents would abuse him. Learned the hard way that you have to be gentle with things you love.

-He was squeezing it too rough and it died in his hands. Hardcore truamtized afterwards. 

-Also after being locked in dark, claustrophobic closet by his parents, does not want his Darling to ever feel anything similar. He doesn’t want them to feel hopeless and afraid like he did before. 

-unfortunately, means he’ll drug his darling to keep them complacent and happy with him. (Only if darlings feelings aren’t mutual)

-Media and Television had also shaped his view on relationships. In films, the husband loves and protects their spouse. Makes sure that their spouse doesn’t get injured or are unhappy. Replicates this and sees it as a guide to a perfect relationship. 

-if he accidentally hurts his darling, then his whole day is ruined. He’ll bring gifts and acts of service (massaging, cooking, etc) as a way to apologize. Afraid you’ll hate him like his parents. 

[femmehysteria]

Best Character Named X Poll

FOLLOW @best-character-named-x-poll

I'm doing a series of "Best Character Named X" polls where all the characters have the same first name but are from completely different media, feel free to send in name/charcacter suggestions, I'm posting one poll a day. New polls scheduled for 1:30PM GMT everyday.

ask box closed for now

WILL BE POSTING POLLS ON @best-character-named-x-poll FROM FEB 1ST

If your favourite character is not included in the poll very sorry i have either never heard of them or actively chose not to include them as theres only 6 characters per poll. Characters will only count of that is their first name, surnames do not count.

Round 85: David

Round 86: Tiffany

Round 87: Charlie

Round 88: Sandy

Round 89: Cody

Round 90: Amanda

Round 91: Jeremy

Past Polls and Poll Ideas under the cut

Names that I have a complete list for*

Caroline, Tyler, Louis, Leonard, Rebecca, Steve, Nicole, Isabelle, Victoria, Katherine, Jade, Alex, Sophie, Greg, Jake, Ellie, Isaac, Robin, Tony, Annie, Lisa, Margaret, Oliver, Clark, Kara, Phoebe, Emma, Ruby, Bart, Alfie, Beth, Julian, Nancy, Penny, Margaret, Tessa, Erica, Theresa, George, Kevin, Sebastian, Felix, Martin, Michael, Erin, Caleb, Helen, Charlotte, Kyle, Martha, Diana, Elsa, Gary, Zoe, Connor, Colin, Daisy, Eric, Maya, Adam, Andy, Magnus, Alma, Nora, Alice, Spike, Leon, Marcel, Kim, Juno, Sue, Chris, Otto, Donald, Daphne, Kate, Todd, Ned, Ken, Angel, Judy, Jo, Hazel, Naomi, Diego, Miranda, Joel, Lila, Duncan, Dexter, Meredith, Pearl, Lily, Malcolm, Napolean, Joan, Nico, Jamie, Nadia, Velma, Jill, Kiera, Rory, Evan, Tam, Klaus, Neil, Derek, Michelle, Luna, Laila, Cordelia, Zack, Imogen, Felicity, Cindy, Alicia, Kelly, Alan, April, Astrid, Delilah, Jodie, Claudia, Juliet, Karen, Jonas, Milo, Celia, Hannah, Joy, Ethan, Katya, Aria, Atticus, Ian, Cynthia, Faye, Frank, Boo, River, Corey, Gabrielle, Minerva, Ebony, Zia, Beverly, Rudy, Georgina

Names I have an incomplete list for (welcome to send character suggestions)

Richter, Sean, Troy, Cain, Agatha, Warren, Percy, Reggie, Mina, Ryan, Felicia, Dylan, Josh, Shirley, Debbie, Jared, June, Mabel, Ray, Chad, Moe, Hugh, Fearne, Christine, Joe, August, May, Scarlet, Alana, Leela, Manny, Dean, Francis, Mason, Oscar, Quinn, Guy, Ulrich, Wally, Yasmin, Tobias, Woody, Sabrina, Quentin, Margot, Alina, Matilda, Freya, Kendra, Angus, Ophelia, Leisel, Zelda, Adora, Piper, Scarlet, Sheila, Valentine, Laurie, Laurel, Fitz, Violet, Gabriel, Ford, Artemis, Owen, Bianca, Newton, Summer, Darcy, Noah, Taylor, Miriam, Hugh, Aurora, Hank, Henry, Dawn, Delia, Cosmo, Wanda, Zeke, Cecil, Aiden, Calvin, Ayesha, Beatrice, Parker, Chase, Hunter, Tina, Misty, Amaya, Amara, Harvey, Talia, Tatiana, Tanya, Orion, Eugene, Kit, Bo, Duke, Blue, Cameron, Rudolf, Mara, Marianne, Carl

Feel free to send more suggestions

*subject to change, you can still submit a character if there is no strikethrough if you think theres a character that its an absolute crime i dont add. Please don't suggest anything for the names with a strikethrough as they are polls that are already in my queue waiting to be published.

Past Polls

Round 1: Peter : WINNER: Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Round 2: Elizabeth : WINNER: Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Round 3: Jason : WINNER: Jason Mendoza (The Good Place)

Round 4: Eve : WINNER: EVE (WALL-E)

Round 5: Fred : WINNER: Fred Jones (Scooby-Doo)

Round 6: Rachel : WINNER: Rachel (Animorphs)

Round 7: Arthur : WINNER: Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)

Round 8: Amy : WINNER: Amy Pond (Doctor Who)

Round 9: Tom : WINNER: Tom (Tom and Jerry)

Round 10: Claire : WINNER: Clare Devlin (Derry Girls)

Round 11: James : WINNER: James (Pokemon)

Round 12: Max : WINNER: Max (Black Sails)

Round 13: Simon : WINNER: Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Round 14: Jane : WINNER: Jane Crocker (Homestuck)

Round 15: Victor : WINNER: Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice)

Round 16: Mary : WINNER: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)

Round 17: Will : WINNER: Will Graham (Hannibal)

Round 18: Laura : WINNER: Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

Round 19: Ben : WINNER: Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Star Wars)

Round 20: Chloe : WINNER: Chloe Price (Life Is Strange)

Round 21: John : WINNER: Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives)

Round 22: Lydia : WINNER: Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice)

Round 23: Mark : WINNER: Marc Spector (Moon Knight)

Round 24: Jess : WINNER: Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

Round 25: Theo : WINNER: Theobald Gumbar (Dimension 20: A Crown Of Candy)

Round 26: Sarah: WINNER: Sarah Jane Smith (Doctor Who)

Round 27: Richard : WINNER: Richard Gansey III (The Raven Cycle)

Round 28: Cass : WINNER: Cassandra Cain (Batman)

Round 29: Edward : WINNER: Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Round 30: Carm : WINNER: Carmen Sandiego (Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?)

Round 31: Hal : WINNER: HAL9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Round 32: Sid : WINNER: Sydney Adamu (The Bear)

Round 33: Jack : WINNER: Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who)

Round 34: Stephanie : WINNER: Stephanie Brown (Batman)

Round 35: Ash : WINNER: Ash Ketchum (Pokemon)

Round 36: Veronica : WINNER: Veronica Sawyer (Heathers)

Round 37: Kurt : WINNER: Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler (X-Men)

Round 38: Eleanor : WINNER: Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place)

Round 39: Nathan : WINNER: Nathan Young (Misfits)

Round 40: Fiona : WINNER: Princess Fiona (Shrek)

Round 41: Gale : WINNER: Gayle Waters-Waters (Chris Fleming)

Round 42: Barbara : WINNER: Barbara Millicent Roberts aka Barbie (Barbie)

Round 43: Sam : WINNER: Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)

Round 44: Grace : WINNER: Grace Chastity (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

Round 45: Barry : WINNER: Barry Bluejeans (The Adventure Zone)

Round 46: Raven : WINNER: Raven (Teen Titans)

Round 47: Dan : WINNER: Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Round 48: Mia : WINNER: Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)

Round 49: Matt : WINNER: Matt Murdock (Daredevil)

Round 50: Rose : WINNER: Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Round 51: Robert : WINNER: Robbie Rotten (LazyTown)

Round 52: Lola : WINNER: Lola Bunny (Space Jam)

Round 53: Scott : WINNER: Scott Summers aka Cyclops (X-Men)

Round 54: Olivia : WINNER: Olivia Octavious (Spiderverse)

Round 55: Finn : WINNER: Finn the Human (Adventure Time)

Round 56: Emily : WINNER: Emily Charlton (The Devil Wears Prada)

Round 57: Elliot : WINNER: Eliot Spencer (Leverage)

Round 58: Sonia : WINNER: Sonia (Pokemon)

Round 59: Gideon : WINNER: Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Round 60: Jen : WINNER: Jennifer Check (Jennifer's Body)

Round 61: Miles : WINNER: Miles Morales (Spider-Man)

Round 62: Lana : WINNER: Lana Skye (Ace Attorney)

Round 63: Spencer : WINNER: Spencer Shay (iCarly)

Round 64: Tracy : WINNER: Tracy Turnbald (Hairspray!)

Round 65: Luke : WINNER: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Round 66: Natalie : WINNER: Natalie Scatorccio (Yellowjackets)

Round 67: Harry : WINNER: Harry Du Bois (Disco Elysium)

Round 68: Lucy : WINNER: Lucy van Pelt (Peanuts)

Round 69: Damian : WINNER: Damian Wayne (Batman)

Round 70: Tabitha : WINNER: Tabitha Casper (Dan and Phil Games: Sims 4)

Round 71: Nick : WINNER: Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun)

Round 72: Gwen : WINNER: Guinevere (Merlin)

Round 73: Paul : WINNER: Paulette Bonafonte (Legally Blonde)

Round 74: Abigail : WINNER: Abigail Hobbs (Hannibal)

Round 75: Jordan : WINNER: Jordan Baker (The Great Gatsby)

Round 76: Donna : WINNER: Donna Noble (Doctor Who)

Round 77: Morgan : WINNER: Morgana (Merlin)

Round 78: Allison : WINNER: Alison Cooper (BBC Ghosts)

Round 79: Patrick : WINNER: Patrick Star (Spongebob Squarepants)

Round 80: Linda : WINNER: Linda Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

Round 81: Philip : WINNER: Philip J. Fry (Futurama)

Round 82: Clarisse : WINNER: Clarisse La Rue (Percy Jackson)

Round 83: Jeff

Round 84: Maria

[hiccupscloud-26]

favorite hiccup scenarios/tropes??

Favorite hiccup scenarios, hmmm🤔🤔🤔

That's a good one, normally I don't think about it, I just like to read/watch anything with hiccups involved.

I like when someone gets hiccups in public and gets embarrassed, trying to get rid of them, but it doesn't work, so they're just stuck with them and even better if they have to stay, they can't escape.

I'm also a fan of "super confident person" gets loudest hiccups imaginable and gets super flustered, totally not Kai, psh, what're you talking about.

Uuummm, I've recently been reading some stuffing fics, and I'm kinda liking the hiccups from overeating/overindulging, I dunno, I think it's like the anticipation?

Multiple people hiccuping at the same time? Gaaaahhh, it's beautiful

I honestly also vibe with someone getting the hiccups and all their friends trying out all of the regular cures, nothing working, I think this is also an anticipation type thing, cuz it's like "is it gonna work?"

Mmm, inducing hiccups is also something I LOVE! Sadly, not much is out there, constantly rereading that one Otto and Atticus story

And I think that's all I can think of for now. Thank you for your question, anon! :D

[writingforfishes]

Well, shit! I feel like you already know all of mine!

Abbreviated (as much as my verbose ass can abbreviate anything) list:

Otto Cis-man, he/him

Mid-forties 6'3 broad-shouldered lanky dude with a soft paunchy belly. Beard scruff, curly hair, wild brown eyes, prominent brow, and freckles.

Prone to hiccups. Does not have a hiccup kink but experiences immediate arousal from watching someone else get off.

Triggers are:

Drinking hot liquids too fast. (Normally his morning coffee.)

Overindulging on spicy or carby foods the night before.

Emotional excitation.

Goofy dude with some grade-A childhood trauma and a history of alcohol abuse. Anachronistic gent with the soul of an octogenarian. Repairs and makes clocks and watches. Emotional and shows it.

Interests/likes:

Horology of all ilk.

Books and old books. (Melville is a comfort author for him.)

Instrumental music.

Coffee

Pilates

Routine

Antiques and vintage trivia.

Learning new things and old.

Crosswords

Teasing Atticus and being teased by Atticus.

Atticus' top surgery scar.

Laying near his partner's belly and their smell.

Atticus nonbinary, they/them

Early-forties 5' tall, small-framed vro with a soft little belly and a top surgery scar with no nips. Mustache, glasses, scruffy sideburns, undercut short curly hair, and freckles (though not as plentifully as Otto's).

Not prone to hiccups in the least to their own considerable disappointment. Has a hiccup kink, which Otto knows about.

Big dork who is emotionally constipated but also emotionally intelligent (which is immensely frustrating). Insecure lil' potato who writes poems and novels (and fanfiction, so what!). Has moments where they are hilarious, but they have zero control over being funny. It just happens. Wants to be taken care of but also please do not perceive their weaknesses! Okay? Thanks!

Interests/likes:

Coffee

Writing crappy poems.

Writing okay poems.

Writing poems people see as good poems.

Rinse and repeat with novel writing.

Cuddling

Watching genre shows.

Clocks and trying to learn to repair them.

Hearing Otto read to them.

Antiquing

Mark Cis-man, he/him

Late-30's 5'11 bro/himbo/good dude with classic good looks, a square jaw, and broad shoulders. Dark hair that flops when longer and spikes when shorter. Grey-blue eyes and dark lashes with thick eyebrows. ACAB, but he's really cute and endearing.

Is prone to hiccups after a night of drinking. I dunno if he has a kink. Boobs? He's very straight.

All the trauma! Very emotional but also very programmed with culturally and socially man things. Is a detective, so man things dialed to eleven. Still, sensitive as hell. Emotionally clueless, though. Super smart detective work, super dumb intuition on emotional IQ. This man can fit so much guilt (pats his head).

Interests/likes:

Detective-ing?

Doing a sports thing?

Game nights.

He's actually seriously into being a detective. Hardcore.

Hanging out with people.

Messing with his friends.

His kid.

His wife.

Watching sports thing?

I dunno...cars? (I'm so inadequate to write Mark past his basic personality type!)

I'll have to hit up more OCs later cause brain wants sleep. But this is a start!!!

Anybody wanna share hiccup ocs??

Maybe my ocs and your ocs can be friends

👉👈

I'm really in a writing mood, but I haven't written in such a long time...

Legit just info dumb your character(s) and I'll happily read and love them as well

[writingforfishes]

Otto and Atticus Part 9-extended: The Antique's Store 1/4, 2/4 (reblogged), 3/4 (reblogged)

This is a continuation of Atticus' Birthday story found here: https://www.tumblr.com/writingforfishes/756206256931405824/otto-and-atticus-part-9-atticus-birthday?source=share

The story above is much more sexual in nature.

These next stories follow Atticus and Otto through the Antique's Store where Otto is taking his spouse for their birthday and back home. They will, as far as I have planned, be much tamer and won't require a filter.

CW

Mentions of alcoholism and sobriety.

Fast but short-lived hiccups.

Generational gaps in understanding gender nonconformity.

Accidental misgendering of off-stage minor character.

Hiccups triggered by food.

Mentions of arousal/teasing.

Mentions of anxiety arising from being taken to a new place.

Mentions of anxiety/over-stimulation in being in a new place that is quite large and populated.

Mentions of soft bellies and body shapes.

Manual driving? I dunno, maybe someone out there has a trauma response to manual driving?

I use ellipses here to denote trailing off or uncertainty in dialogue. They do not mean anything nefarious. Just in case. I dunno. I'm 41. Please don't hate me.

Mild discomfort while hiccuping.

Disparaging Korean made clock movements.

Minors, do not interact.

Part 1: Soup

They had been driving away from town for a while now. Atticus looked out the window as they watched exit sign after exit sign pass. The writer was excited, but antsy. Classical music was playing from one of Otto’s playlists. It was helping to quell the anxiety somewhat, but their mind still swam as miles of road kept going by.

“You’re gonna love this place,” Otto said, noticing the nervous thrum of his partner’s fingers on their knees.

“Yeah?” Atticus asked, using Otto’s voice to ground them.

“Yeah. It’s in this big warehouse. There’s a food market there, too. We’ll get some lunch while we’re there,” he said. He took a moment to sip some water from the tumbler he’d brought.

Atticus sipped some from theirs as well, using his action as a cue. The water felt good and soothed more of their anxiety.

“Lots of clocks?” Atticus asked with a smile.

“So many,” Otto confirmed with a smirk in return. “And a whole slew of other things. It’s got old books, hats, belt buckles. Lots of old art, too. And there’s a lot of space, y’know? The aisles are wide. Super accessible. A couple started it back a few years ago. They had their own antique’s store, but when they started inviting other vendors to open booths in the first storefront it got so big they went in with the people that ran a small food market in the same strip mall and got this place. It’s a bit out of the way, but worth it for the quality of things you can find there.”

Otto drummed his fingers on the steering wheel a little and shifted as the speed of traffic changed. One day Atticus thought they might try to learn how to drive manual. Otto liked it because it kept his hands busy. He was naturally a high energy person and having something to do with his hands for long stretches of time was a plus. He also liked manual because he understood how it worked better than something like a CVT transmission. He had more faith that he could fix, if need be, his transmission than a newer car that depended more on electricity to accelerate and change gears.

“They sell tools too!” he continued. And Atticus smiled, enjoying the excitement in Otto’s voice. “I mean, they have the vintage tools like manual screwdrivers, but they have specialty tools they order new. They started ordering bulk from Timesavers sometime last year because so many of their vendors have clocks in their booths and some of them have missing parts and keys. So they sell a lot of clock and watch tools and parts. Really convenient. That’s how I first heard of it. One of my customers who’s a hobbyist told me about them. And the people who rent out their booths that I’ve talked to are just—they have some phenomenal stuff, man. Super nice people, too. The ones that I’ve met. Most actually know what they have and what it’s worth. They don’t up-charge from Google searches. They actually research it. Very few resellers, too. You know, people that order lots of cheap things from other countries and sell it for profit?

“Helped a few of them service a couple of clocks to sell or help them decide whether it would be worth the repair or not. Korean movements? Not really worth it, you know? Really cool atmosphere, though. It’s kinda like family even though it’s in this great big place. Everyone takes care of each other and has each other’s backs. They even buy stuff from each other’s booths!” Otto said and took another sip of water.

He downshifted as they finally turned on an exit Atticus wasn’t familiar with.

“Kind of like an...antique commune?” they asked.

“Yeah, kinda!” he agreed.

Atticus stretched with a yawn suddenly rubbing their belly, still accessibly soft with the heavy breakfast this morning.

“Think you’ll-um-get them again?” they asked shyly rubbing at the stubble on their face and neck. For all of the anxiety of being somewhere they’d never been, Otto’s hiccups were definitely causing some of the energy their body was interpreting into anxiety. They were full of anticipatory excitement at the possibility.

“I will definitely get them again,” Otto said with an amused sigh. “I can sort of feel it? In my chest and throat? It’s weird. On hiccupy days like this it’s like they’re just lying in wait. I do want to eat something before we start looking around, though.”

“Ooh, yeah. I could go for something to eat,” Atticus agreed.

From the outside the antique’s mall/food market didn’t look terribly impressive. But Atticus noticed how full the parking lot was as they stepped out of the passenger seat.

No sooner had Otto stood from the car than a man in a polo shirt exiting the front door called to him.

“Otto, man! You gonna buy some more clocks today?” he asked coming over to them. He seemed older, perhaps in his late 50’s early 60’s. He had a stout body-type, stomach hanging a little over his belted khaki pants. His beard was nearly all white. He seemed to have a lot of energy but his mannerisms implied an ability to be patient as well when he stopped and acknowledged first Otto with a pat to his shoulder and nodded to Atticus, clasping his hands in front of his belly while in conversation.

Atticus took a moment to consider why Otto was buying clocks. They hadn’t noticed any new clocks in the house. They tried to catch his eye but Otto flitted his gaze away as soon as they had locked eyes questioningly.

“Hey Gar! Yeah, man, we’ll see if we find anything. This is my partner, Atticus. It’s their birthday today,” Otto said with emphasis causing the other man to pull a quick face of recognition and then nodded, making a motion of closing his lips. “Atticus, this is Gary. He’s one of the owners of the antique’s gallery along with his wife Rose.”

“Hey, Atticus, Otto’s told me a lot about you! It’s really nice to meet you,” Gary said, holding out a hand.

“Uh, good to meet you, too,” Atty said. They subconsciously shifted their voice down. Talking to cis men gave them a desire to puff out their chest and make their mannerisms more guy-coded. They added a quick nod as they shook the man’s hand. “Hopefully he hasn’t told you too much!”

“Nah, only the good stuff! That you’re a writer and that you’ve been there for him through a lot. I’ve not known this guy for long, but glad he has someone like you on his side. Him and me, think we’ve been through some of the same struggles. We’ve talked a little about that. Anyway. I’ve also got a daught—sorry. Shit, I always flub that up. I’ve got a kid. They came out to me earlier this year that...uh...they’re non-binary,” Gary said.

“Yeah, it’s one of the first conversations we had, I think,” Otto interjected, having leaned a hip against the car in realization that this was going to take a second. He was used to Gary’s tendency to babble. Another quality, the clock maker mused, both of them shared.

“I think it was! But yeah, Otto told me about you and, I dunno, it made me a little less nervous for he-them,” Gary sputtered. “Sorry, I still mess it up a lot. I’m working on it.”

“It’s okay to mess up,” Atticus said. They’d made their way to stand beside Otto and their husband laid a soft hand around their shoulders. “As long as you correct yourself. It shows you’re trying. That means a lot.”

“I definitely am. Anyway, knowing there’s, you know, an adult out there that’s-uh-that’s non-binary and stuff. I was scared for them, y’know? How were they going to grow up? I mean, it’s not like there’s a path or...I dunno...I don’t know what to tell them or how to...help? But Otto told me about you and that you’re a writer and that you’ve sold your books and it’s just,” he sighed, seeming frustrated in his inability to articulate what he meant. “It gives me hope that they’re gonna be okay. If that makes sense.”

Gary laughed nervously.

“It does,” Atticus said with an encouraging smile. “They’ve got a dad that loves them so...I feel like they’re off to a pretty good start.”

“Yeah...yeah, damn. I’m sorry for talking your ears off! You know how I am, Otto. I gotta get going. The Mrs sent me on an errand and she is going to bite my head off if I get distracted! Anyway, good to see you again, Otto!” Gary reached in and Otto accepted a little hug from him. “Really nice to meet you, Atticus. I hope you have a good birthday. Cause this guy got you...well…”

Gary waggled his finger teasingly at Otto and the clock maker’s eyes widened and then narrowed as he batted the hand away.

“Dude!” he warned at Gary’s hint of what Otto’s plans were.

“I have had a pretty good birthday so far,” Atticus said, looking between the two suspiciously. “I feel like it might be a theme…”

“Get out of here, Gary! Stop talking!” Otto exclaimed, thwapping the older man on the back good naturedly as he finally started to leave.

“Report back!” Gary yelled.

“Shh!” Otto spat out as Gary went out of sight. “Jeez...can we just ignore that bit? Also, I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable. He really is a good guy…”

“No, I can tell,” Atticus reassured him. “Really bad at keeping a secret, though.”

“The absolute worst. I dunno how his wife deals with him…”

“Well, you deal with me, so…” Atty said.

“Hm, true,” Otto responded smartly as he led his partner into the front door. He felt a pinch on his side and jerked. “Ow!”

“Oops,” Atticus responded curtly.

The inside of the warehouse was completely different from the out. There was a huge open space in the lobby with a secondary set of double doors leading to the antique mall portion but down a hall were various food market vendors and following that hall was the other half of the warehouse, more food vendors, and a large sitting area along with a secondary access to the antique’s mall space.

While the venue was bustling with business the open space made it seem much less crowded.

Decision paralysis and overwhelm kicked in as soon as Otto asked them what they were in the mood to eat and Atticus let Otto pick where to go as they followed taking in all of the visuals, smells, and sounds around them as they tried to adapt to the environment and space.

Otto ended up ordering a tomato basil bisque with a grilled cheese and Atticus waffled a little until they decided on a salad with grilled chicken, something to balance out the heaviness of the breakfast they’d eaten that morning.

Atty didn’t even really know what food vendor they’d ordered from or what had been available alternatively as they were so overwhelmed by exploring the atmosphere and people who walked by.

“I thought you said it was a small food market that partnered with...um...Gary and Rose?” Atticus asked as they took their food to the table Otto was walking toward. Otto being so tall offered a great guide to Atty as they often got lost in places like this.

“Yeah. Oh yeah, initially it was just that. Then they put the word out about the space and food vendors started opening shop. Lots of start-ups took advantage that wouldn’t have had the money to buy a store front otherwise. Rose comes from a lot of old money, apparently. Though you didn’t hear that from me. She put a lot into making sure everyone got an opportunity to take advantage of this spot since she knew the mall wouldn’t take up half the space of it,” Otto explained.

“Gary really does have no concept of secrecy, does he?” Atty noted.

“Not really, no. I think he spent a lot of his life trying to run away from connecting to people. Best way to do that is through alcohol, honestly. Even while you’re partying with hundreds of people you’re not really ‘there’, y’know? But yeah. He’s got some stories. Things that sort of shocked me. When he learned I was sober, I think he knew he could trust me and that I’d get it. I think he’s trying to make up for that lost time, now. He loves his wife and kid more than anyone I know. Guy’s got a damn big heart. And a really fucked up liver,” Otto added mirthfully.

Atticus snorted and then caught themselves, “Shit, should I laugh at that?”

“Yeah,” Otto said with a smirk. “He would.”

They finally sad down and Otto unpacked the soup. The smell was comforting and he found himself quite hungry despite still being a little bloated from last night’s antics and this morning’s food fare. Perhaps he was just as excited as Atticus seemed and that translated to wanting to eat? And he was excited. He really couldn’t wait to see his partner’s face at the surprise they had planned.

Otto swallowed the first spoonful of soup. It was very warm, slightly spiced, and he could feel the warmth go down his throat and immediately his diaphragm reacted to the change in temperature. He felt his body convulse involuntarily causing him to jump a little. Amazingly, Atticus was busy on their salad and hadn’t noticed.

He waited a second for any other hiccups, but none followed. Cautiously he took another spoonful, let it savor in his mouth and swallowed. The warm liquid triggered another spasm. He grunted softly. That hiccupy feeling in his throat intensified and he knew he was only a few more spoonfuls away from a full attack. That second spasm was more forceful, too. He wondered if he cold hold it off until he at least finished the meal. He paused, considering.

Atty caught him, body still and waiting, with same hand holding the spoon pressed against his mouth in a loose fist, spoon dangling from the tips of his fingers as he focused on something inwardly, eyebrows pinched a little.

“You okay?” they asked. The writer had been enjoying their salad more than they thought they would. They’d also been watching people pass by and taking in the social scenery. Otto being motionless caught their attention more than anything.

“Yeah,” Otto said tentatively, eyebrows pulling together all the more. “Every time I take a sip of soup I hiccup. They’re right here.” Otto tapped the base of his neck above his collar bone.

Atticus stopped chewing their salad to hone their eyes in on that place.

“Oh,” they said. “Um...you don’t feel sick, do you?”

“No-no,” Otto said, reassuring them quickly. “Just wondering if this is gonna turn into a full case...guess we’ll find out, hm?” There was a glint in his eyes. Of course there was always going to be a possibility of this becoming a day of hiccups, but part of him was delighted that it was actually happening. There would, of course, be consequences to his purposeful induction, but it was worth the adorable flush that came across his partner’s neck and wideness of their eyes.

Atticus swallowed their salad a little too eagerly and took a drink of water. They were extremely disappointed they’d missed the previous hiccups but, eyes trained on him now, they were determined not to miss anymore.

“Excited?” he teased, smiling knowingly.

“A little,” they admitted. “Not to an...actionable level.” They kept the statement diplomatic. Atticus really had no need to take care of their arousal again. But their body was going to react and they were going to be interested no matter what.

Otto chuckled at the terminology and jumped a little with another spasm.

“Hm,” Atticus said, feigning casualness.

Otto grinned a little and rolled his eyes in mild exasperation. Even though he’d only had the hiccups one time that day it was a strong and fast enough case that he knew any additional cases would be a little more exhausting than normal. But that excitement at seeing Atticus’ excitement was enough to be ready for the possible onslaught.

His hiccups persisted as he continued to eat his soup. His diaphragm reacted with each gulp and sometimes without the trigger of swallowing. They weren’t very strong, but he did still have to time his eating around them when they started to go off script of being triggered.

They got a bit more forceful when he started on the grilled cheese. Bread was the ‘enemy’ on his hiccup-sensitive days. He should’ve known that. Perhaps part of him had known that and wanted to give Atticus another show. Or perhaps it was just his absent mindedness forgetting what his triggers were on days like this. Regardless, the bready sandwich certainly encouraged the hiccup fit to strengthen. They became more audible, though still easily muffled.

Atticus continued to eat their salad, but they hardly tasted it as they watched Otto’s suppressed hiccups as he continued to eat despite them. His head and chest would jerk up and he’d have to pause for that half-second before taking another mouthful. As he began to muffle the sounds they started to make the writer pulled their legs together subconsciously. They were also getting faster and the adorableness of Otto trying to navigate the fit paired with the mild arousal they felt was almost too much. But it was an almost too much they could handle as they felt safe experiencing it.

A couple of times he was hit with a cluster of hiccups which he would let out a small grunt or sigh after before resuming eating. He probably didn’t even realize he was making the small sounds, but Atticus soaked up every movement and sound watching Otto in adoration. His hiccups and reactions were endearing to watch and their body let them know that it was paying attention, but Atty never felt the need to give into their arousal in the way they had this morning.

When he started in on his sandwich he jerked so powerfully and quickly that Atticus startled in how closely they’d been paying attention and the break in pattern of his hiccups. They heard a little thump in the back of Otto’s throat at that hiccup. The case also increased in speed and it was obvious Otto noticed as he chewed carefully and timed his swallowing.

A ‘hik’p!’ slipped out and Otto muttered, “Oh man…” He was no longer able to keep them all quiet or muffled with how hard they’d suddenly become. He could feel his stomach jiggling from under the table, how it jerked in and out. His neck movements caused his head to jerk hard as well, having to time eating even more carefully to line up the food with his mouth.

“Higgup! You just gonna-higgulp!-just gonna watch hilp!-watch me ea-hugguck!-eat this whole time?” he asked, amused.

“That was kind of the plan,” Atticus teased.

“Damn bre-herp!-bread made them wo-erp!-worse! Hickulp!” he said.

Even though, he used the last bit of that sandwich to sop up the last dregs of his soup, all the while jerking as his diaphragm and glottis continued to argue loudly over when to breath and when to not.

Eating that last bite definitely didn’t help. He took a few large straw-fulls of water but continued what seemed to have developed into a pretty powerful hiccuping fit. Otto was thankful for the food court being boisterous with activity as he’d yet to see anyone looking over his way despite how more audible they’d become.

But as much as he was enjoying the way Atticus was looking at him his neck had started to hurt again. It hurt in the back right where it met his shoulders. He couldn’t even suppress the motions on this case. Every hiccup came as a surprise to him. Usually, when he had them, he had the feeling he would hiccup a little bit before the next one, but as this case got worse he lost the ability to feel when the next one was going to hit. It was a bit unusual to not be able to predict them like he normally was. As a result his body was at their mercy even more.

Otto’s hand pressed against his chest and Atty noticed that his face had lost some of the mirth it had when his hiccups had begun. He didn’t look distressed, necessarily, but he didn’t really look like he was wholly unbothered, either.

“Oh man HUCKULK-man! These are hu-ULK!-are hard. ULK!Huck!-ugh! I can’t-ulk!-can’t tell when the-h’mlk!-their coming next ei-ulp!-either. Damn,” he finally admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck trying to take a measured breath through the onslaught. It was interrupted by more sharp hiccups and he winced, eyes closing for a moment at a particularly fast cluster. “HULK!HU-CULK!ULK!H’MUCK!mmk!”

A small hand slapped three packets in front of him so loudly he jumped a little (before he jumped with another hiccup). When he looked down Atticus’ hand lifted to reveal a packet of Real Cane Sugar, a white paper packet from a fast food restaurant marked ‘Salt’, and a plastic packet with yellow writing on it that said ‘Pure Lemon Juice’. Otto looked up to his partner’s smug face (as much as he could give them a steady gaze with how much he was jerking) and they grinned, lips pushing up the sides of their mustache into the apples of their cheeks.

“Never leave home without them,” they said a little haughtily.

“Do you HUCK-UCK!-always keep-HUCK!-alw-ulk!-ways keep these wi-UCK!-ith you? Huck!-HUCK’M!” he asked, grunting out another sigh as he started opening the sugar packet.

“Only when my extremely sweet husband decides to indulge in me for my birthday in a way that could bite him in the ass later on,” Atticus said.

“I think-HUCK!-there was-hulkUCK!-a compli-ulk-ment in-hulk!-in there-HUCK’L! some-uck!-somewhere Huck’l!HUCK!-uh!”Otto said.

“Otto,” Atty implored. “Sugar.”

“Yes hon-HUCKAH!-honey? Huck!HUCK!HUCK!Ow...” Otto exclaimed with a scowl at his interrupted joke. He wordlessly (though not soundlessly) opened the sugar packet and dumped it in his mouth.

The cure did the trick. For a few seconds he sat after he’d downed the lemon juice with some deep breaths, still holding his chest.

“You good?” Atticus asked. For some reason their hand had found his and was holding it as if giving him comfort. It seemed silly to do so for someone having something as seemingly harmless as hiccups, but those sounded and looked incredibly uncomfortable. And all of Atty’s research on hiccups led them to believe that hiccups could potentially cause great discomfort; they never wanted that inflicted in their husband.

He took another deep breath.

“Whew. Yeah. Sorry about that. They kind of got out of hand,” he said sheepishly. “Um, how was your salad?”

“I honestly have no idea...” they admitted looking down at their empty container.

“You got a little turned on, right?” he asked, voice low.

“Right up until the end, yes,” they said.

“Still…” Otto waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“You’re just a little self-destructive, you know that?” they said.

“Listen, you’re the one who married an alcoholic.”

Atticus reached across the table and put either hand on the side of Otto’s face rubbing his short beard with their thumbs before squeezing his cheeks gently between their palms.

“I married a beautiful, intelligent, compassionate man who is also an alcoholic,” they said, amending the statement. “And it’s my birthday so I’m right and you can’t argue with me.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works,” Otto said, diction affected by his lips being squished between the hands on his face.

“It is,” Atticus assured him. They finally released his face and Otto grinned back.

“And it’s your birthday so…” he said, trailing off.

“Exactly!”

Cleaning up their trash and putting the reusable trays in a marked spot above the trash cans they both finally made their way into the antique’s mall area.

[paintlesscanvas]

hello! any mail boy/girl/enby id packs? /nf!! tyvm if you accept!

and, just wanted to say..

UR BLOG IS GEN SO HELPFUL HELP LIKE ITS SO NICE AND COOL??? LIKE THERES SO MANY STUFF ON THE LISTS I CANT/pos

✉️ . MAILPERSON SNPTS . .

System Names: carrier doves, the mailboys, the mailgirls, the mailpeople, the travelers, those that walk through the city, those that run away from dogs, the deliverers of packages, those that tip their cap, the package pigeons, the stamp collection, the postpeople, the envelope senders, the satchel carriers, letter lovers, dove coos, pigeon squawks, those at the post office, those sorting through letters, the package receivers, the mail truck drivers, those that open mailboxes, carriers of gifts, deliverers of surprises

Usernames: mail4you, wowtherestrees, runfrmdogs, wavetopeoples, down.town, enveloves, pooostoffice, parcelpigeon, penciiilpals, quiet.townn, ghostatthepost, postprince[ss], carrierpige0n, stiiickersss, penpaaaals, flimsypaperrs, doodledanny, envelopunny, maaailbox, inkyyprints, cloudy.town, deliverydutyy, flutteringd0ve, deliverydove, givingdove, giftsfromyrstruly, doodlesforyoodles, no1postman, penmanshiip, heresanote, pitterpatter, boxesrsoheavy, owboxes, writemealetter, smilingparcels, scaredofbarrrks, atthepostoffice, darlingparcels, packagepirate, envelopes4youu, st.ampsss, inkstaaiins, no1letterlover, siillynotes, sentfromaway, organizetheoffice, summerstrolls, envelopesfrmyou, parcelpwr, lettersletters, ilovemail, messyletters, sendingstuff2you, youvegotmail, letterlvr, lovelylettr, mailmale, smilesformiles, parcelfromadove, writingacrssthewrld, prrttymailgrl, prettyparcelsss, g1ftg1ftg1fts, greetingyouu, dizzypackages, ssillystamps, scribblesilly, dancingletters, mailbooooy, hidinginurmailbox, notesfrmthesky, brightdaaay, proudserviiice, in2urmailbox, bewareofd0g, mailtruckdrvr, openbxes, sootcasee, stackofletters, boxoflovers, envelopeoflove

Names: alexander, alfred, alice, annette, archer, archie, arden, arlo, atticus, august, augustus, autumn, barnaby, bartholomew, basil, beatrice, beau, benedict, benjamin, bennett, birdie, blake, cedric, charlie, chester, cliff, clifford, clive, clyde, cornelius, cory, cullen, darwin, diggory, dom, dominic, dorcas, earnest, edgar, edith, effie, elijah, eliza, emerson, emilio, emmanuel, eugene, everett, fennel, flint, florence, flossie, floyd, ford, gale, galina, genevieve, gideon, glenn, greyson, gwendolyn, harriet, harvey, hattie, hayden, holly, ink, ivan, ivy, josette, josie, july, june, kane, kate, katherine, kay, kendell, kinley, kip, kleo, leo, logan, maeve, maggie, malcolm, marion, margot, marlowe, marshall, matilda, mayfaire, melvile, meredith, milton, minnie, molly, mortem, mortimer, nadira, nancy, nannie, navy, neith, nelda, nellie, nells, nettie, ninette, noah, noel, noemi, norman, note, oakley, odette, oliver, orson, orville, oswald, otto, parcel, parker, polly, posey, presley, quill, quinton, ralph, randall, raymond, reed, reid, rhett, romee, rory, rowan, rye, sabina, sawyer, scout, silas, sloane, spencer, stanford, stanley, summer, susan, tallulah, tatum, thelma, thena, thisbe, thomas, tibby, tillie, timothy, tinker, toby, tom, torin, trey, troy, violet, virgil, walden, walter, warren, willard, willow, winnie, woody

Pronouns: letter/letters, mail/mails, write/writes, pen/pens, ink/inks, note/notes, deliver/delivers, gift/gifts, scribble/scribble, doodle/doodles, carry/carry, give/gives, walk/walks, hum/hums, parcel/parcels, package/packages, box/boxs, stamp/stamps, sticker/stickers, smile/smiles, proud/prouds, newspaper/newspaper, envelope/envelope, sun/suns, mailbox/mailboxs, pencil/pencil, scrabble/scrabble, sketch/sketchs, house/houses, satchel/satchels, bag/bags, hello/hellos, twine/twines, string/strings, wrap/wraps, town/towns, cloud/clouds, clutch/clutchs, send/sends, post/posts, office/office, sort/sorts, organize/organizes, rain/rains, flimsy/flimsys, thin/thins, street/streets, apartment/apartments, greet/greets, pass/pass’, road/roads, home/homes, locker/lockers, wave/waves, cheerful/cheerfuls, joy/joys, old/olds, weathering/weatherings, service/services, dog/dogs, truck/trucks, fence/fences, sign/signs, slot/slots, city/citys, drawer/drawers, pin/pins, 🫶, 🌳, 🍃, 🍂, 🪹, ☀️, 🥖, 🥠, 🪃, 🛹, 🎫, 🎼, ♟️, 🚐, 🛞, 🚦, 🚏, 🗽, 🏢, 🏘️, 🏙️, 🎞️, 📺, 📻, ���️, 💵, 🪙, 🩹, 🧺, 🚪, 🪟, 🧧, ✉️, 📨, 💌, 📦, 🏷️, 🪧, 📪, 📫, 📬, 📭, 📮, 📜, 📃, 📋, 🗞️, 🗂️, 📔, 🧷, 🖊️, 🖋️, 🖇️, 📝, 🧳

Titles: the cheerful giver, prn who presses stamps to letters, the delivery thing, bringer of mail, prn who delivers packages, the penner of letters, the deliverer of mail, the mailboy, the mailgirl, the mailperson, prn who walks the streets, prn who drives the mail truck, gifter of deliveries, prn who strolls through the city, prn who gives mail [to those who need it], the mailman, the mailperson, the mailwoman, the carrier pigeon, prn who carries mail through the sky, the carrier dove, prn who drops mail from the skies

[euphoriclusts]

okay, i'm going to continue with my drafts as my muse is alive but if anyone would like a starter with any of the following muses please give this a like and i'll come to double check who you'd like!

julian gibson (matt smith or jacob elordi fc). photographer. bisexual.

lucas taylor (nicholas galitzine or sam claflin fc). primary school teacher. bisexual.

damian riggin (mark mckenna or david tennant fc). paramedic. bisexual.

mackenzie darling (luke thompson fc). socialite / doctor. bisexual.

maria darling (claudia jessie fc). socialite / personal assistant. lesbian.

milo darling (luke newton fc). socialite / social media influencer. heterosexual.

maverick 'ricky' darling (david corenswet fc). socialite / builder. bisexual.

matthew darling (jonah hauer king fc). socialite / writer. bisexual.

mia pillai (simone ashley fc). former cult member / musucian. bisexual.

alistair reeves (sam phillips fc). club owner. heterosexual.

aurelia fitzroy (nicola coughlan fc). socialite. bisexual.

peter cooper (jonathan bailey fc). murderer / con artist. bisexual.

atticus scott (jonathan daviss fc). vampire. potter. bisexual.

cassius scott (kedar williams-stirling fc). vampire. gardener. bisexual.

otto ivarsson (jack lowden fc). dancer. bisexual.

[ughgoaway]

baby boy names… my time to shine

Atticus, Atlas, Arthur, Blane, Bridger, Banks, Charlie, Camden, Clay, i dont fw any D names. Elliott (i like Elliott more for a girl tbh) Emmett, Everest, Franklin, Finnley, Foster, Grant, George, Gage, Hayes, Henry, Hudson, dont really have any I names. Jase, Jaiden, Judah, Keaton, Kolton, Kyson, Lane, Luca, Leland, Miles, Milo, Memphis, no N names. Otto, Oliver, Owen, Porter, Preston, Parker, Quinn, Quinnen, Quincey, Ryder, Rory, Ryker, Sylas, Shepherd, Sawyer, Theodor, Tyler, Tyson, blanking on U and V rn. Winston, Walker, Warner, Xavier, blanking on Y. Zayne, Zander and Zeke

OHMYGOD, ANON YOU HAVE COME THROUGH HARD??? HELLO, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH????

so so many of these are AMAZING, but I will list a few of my favs!!!

atlas, Arthur (second suggestion for this name oooh), Camden, grant, George, Hayes, jaiden, Lane (gg reference omg), milo, otto, Ryder, Theodore, and xavier!!!

can teacher reader have like octuplets orrrr... although my top three have got to be atlas, Arthur, and Milo. but I genuinely adore like 99% of those names. you are an ANGEL for suggesting so many good ones.

honestly, thank you SO MUCH for typing all of these out!! you have helped me endlessly and have given me so many names for future characters lol

I also love how unique these are, if you haven't written a baby name book yet.. the world is missing out fr <3

(p.s. did you just have a list of cool baby boy names in your notes, or is your brain just full of sick names???)

[compact-turtle]

Lovin ur oc Atticus so much! He sounds so cute, but how would he react to a darling that more or less doesn’t give any f’s?? Polite as hell but doesn’t care abt things most of the time.

Maybe because of his habit of stealing clothes one of readers’ friends decide to let them borrow a tight tank top that says “slut” on the front?? Reader really doesnt care but I feel like Atticus might a little too much. 😅 if you don’t like these kinds of asks pls feel free to delete! No pressure

I think it’s a super cute idea!! I love it ( *｀ω´)

——-

-this is a socially isolated man who doesn’t get out much and doesn’t understand what the shirt means 

-he thinks it’s a cute shirt on you. He likes how it doesn’t hide anything from his eyes. Often checks you out when you’re making dinner or doing laundry. 

-finally clicks for him when he’s watching a tv show that brings up the word 

-asks you about it in a weird roundabout way. You explain that it’s just a shirt and you don’t really care about it. 

-he does Bc he feels like it disrespects you and doesn’t want you to feel bad (sees it as a negative connotation due to how the tv show and town portrays slut shaming) 

-Waits until you’re in the shower or in a different outfit to enact his plan. 

-Steals some dog treats from the kitchen. Hides the dog treat in the shirt. Calls for Otto and Earl to come upstairs.

-The dogs are elated to find a treat for them. They’ve been working so hard! They dig into it not caring about the garment.  

-You find the shirt ripped in pieces underneath two happy dogs who just got a free snack. 

-Atticus comes in and lectures them for ruining your clothes 

-It’s ok though! You can wear his flannels. He’ll makes sure to wash it for you :) 

-Does give your friend a lighter workload the next day so they don’t get upset at you for ruining the shirt too much. 

-The poor dogs who got scolded after being tricked:

[thehyperrequiem]

Happy Feet (Thehypercutter style) Cast Remastered

A recast for this from my old account.

“Son of Mr. and Mrs. Gallard, little sweet boy Augustus has a big problem: he can't sing a single note. In a world where everyone needs a heart song to attract a soul mate, Augustus feels he doesn't belong there. Our hero Augustus is the worst singer in the world, but he can tap dance brilliantly.”

“Augustus Aquato (Armin Shimerman) the psychic, now called the Master of Tap, has an unusual problem: Raz, his son, is reluctant to dance. Raz runs away from home and encounters the Luigi (Charles Martinet)--a human that can fly. Poor Augustus can't compete with Raz’s unusual new role model. But, when the world is shaken by powerful forces, Raz gets a chance to see his father's true colors as Augustus gathers all characters great and small to set things right again.”

Augustus Aquato (Psychonauts) as Mumble

Donatella Aquato (Psychonauts) as Gloria

Jose Gallard (Balan Wonderworld) as Memphis

Jose Gallard’s Wife (Balan Wonderworld) as Norma Jean

Elder Custard Cookie (Cookie Run) as Noah the Elder

Creme Republic Elders (Cookie Run) as The Elders

Ford Cruller (Psychonauts) as Ramone

Compton Boole (Psychonauts) as Raul

Otto Mentallis (Psychonauts) as Rinaldo

Bob Zanatto (Psychonauts) as Nestor

Helmut Fullbear (Psychonauts) as Lombardo

Truman Zanatto (Psychonauts) as Lovelace

Hol Horse (Jjba) as Seymour

Fortstopher IV (Balan Wonderworld) as Big Boss Skua

The Hydrac (Balan Wonderworld) as Dino the Skua

The Grim Creeper (Balan Wonderworld) as Frankie the Skua

Barktholomew and Worville Wright (Balan Wonderworld) as Brokebeak and Francesco the Skuas

Blue Diamond (Steven Universe) as Miss Viola

Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe) as Mrs. Astrakhan

Bowser (Mario) as Rojas the Leopard Seal

Rasputin Aquato (Psychonauts) as Erik

Dion, Frazie, Tala, and Queepie Aquatos (Psychonauts) as Themselves/Erik’s Siblings

Cass Milligan (Balan Wonderworld) as Boadicea

Lilli Zanotto (Psychonauts) as Herself/Lovelace’s Daughter

Pancake Cookie (Cookie Run) as Atticus

Strabby and Kweeble (Bugsnax) as Will and Bill the Krill

Luigi (Mario) as The Mighty Sven

Lucrecia Mux (Psychonauts) as Carmen

Cassie O'Pia (Psychonauts) as Herself/Carmen's Friend/Raul's Partner

Scovillia Cookies (Cookie Run) as The Elephant Seals

Capsaicin Cookie (Cookie Run) as Bryan the Beachmaster

[writingforfishes]

These are just always so good. Thank you, my friend!

Question, what do you imagine the hiccups sounding like for each of your animations?

Counting of the Day

Ones…Twos…Threes…Fours…forget this, I need a counter.

[3terna15unshin3]

baby name bomb dropping

boys Atticus, Atlas, Arthur, Blane, Bridger, Banks, Charlie, Camden, Clay, i dont fw any D names. Elliott (i like Elliott more for a girl tbh) Emmett, Everest, Franklin, Finnley, Foster, Grant, George, Gage, Hayes, Henry, Hudson, dont really have any I names. Jase, Jaiden, Judah, Keaton, Kolton, Kyson, Lane, Luca, Leland, Miles, Milo, Memphis, no N names. Otto, Oliver, Owen, Porter, Preston, Parker, Quinn, Quinnen, Quincey, Ryder, Rory, Ryker, Sylas, Shepherd, Sawyer, Theodor, Tyler, Tyson, blanking on U and V rn. Winston, Walker, Warner, Xavier, blanking on Y. Zayne, Zander and Zeke

girls Asher, Aspen, Athena, Brookes Blair, Briar, Charlotte, Constance, Clara, Dakota, Daphne, Darcy, Elliott, Eleanor, Emerson, Freya, Frankie, Fallon, Gemma, Gracie, Gwyneth, Hadly, Hayden, Hartley, Indie, Indigo, Imogen, Jorden, Juniper, Josie, Kiana, Kami, Luna, Lillia, Lainey, Mempnis (again) Madelyn, Maeve, Nora, Naomi, Noelle, Olivia, Oakley, Ophilea, Penelope, Parker, Presley, no q names. Remi, Reese, Reagen, Sawyer, Sutton, Spencer, Scout, Thea, Tatum, Teagan, no U names. Violet, Vivian, Virginia, Willow, Wren, Winnie (i fucking love Winnie) no x names, no y namez, Zoe, Zara

i am taking notes bae thank u 📝📝📝📝

some favs that stand out are atticus arthur otto foster aspen fallon gracie maeve imogen scout 🌟

[waterloou]

Rick Riordan universe oc Masterlist

Aphrodite ~

Finn Gardner

Apollo ~

Bennett Westley

Otto Finch

Ares ~

Annabel Finch

Arely Hudson

Athena~

Atticus Flynn

Obi Williams

Demeter~

Bodie Sandoval

Dionysus~

Aanand Menon

Hephaestus ~

Arlo Smith

Kangee Macawi

Hermes ~

Ash Baker

Luca Zhú

Lionel Thompson

[kostenlose-pc-spiele]

Sovereign Syndicate kostenlos download

Sovereign Syndicate ist ein klassisches Rollenspiel, inspiriert von Titeln wie Baldur's Gate, den ersten Teilen der Fallout-Reihe, Divinity: Original Sin und Disco Elysium. Es wurde von dem unabhängigen kanadischen Team Crimson Herring Studios entwickelt und ist ihr erstes Projekt. Sovereign Syndicate kostenlos download.

Handlung des Spiels

Sovereign Syndicate entführt uns in eine alternative Steampunk-Version des viktorianischen Londons. Im Verlauf des Spiels schlüpfen wir in die Rolle eines von drei Charakteren, deren Geschichten durch unsere Entscheidungen miteinander verknüpft werden. Atticus Daley ist ein magisch begabter Minotaurus, der versucht, seine Alkoholsucht zu überwinden und seinen Platz in der Welt zu finden. Clara Reed ist eine Freibeuterin auf der Spur eines Kurtisanenmörders, während Otto, eine vom Ingenieur Theodore Redgrave erschaffene Maschine, mehr vom Leben will, als nur ein nützliches Werkzeug zu sein.

Spielmechanik

In Sovereign Syndicate sehen wir das Geschehen aus einer isometrischen Perspektive. Das Spiel bietet uns eine riesige offene Welt mit zwanzig verschiedenen Schauplätzen. Wir streifen durch die dunklen Gassen und schäbigen Gebäude, die das Steampunk-London ausmachen, erfüllen Quests, um die Geschichte voranzutreiben, und nehmen an einer Vielzahl von Nebenmissionen teil. Jedes Problem kann auf unterschiedliche Weise gelöst werden, von Überredung bis Kampf. Wenn wir mit den Bewohnern der Stadt sprechen, müssen wir daran denken, dass nicht nur die von uns gewählten Dialogpunkte, sondern auch das Geschlecht und das Aussehen unseres Charakters bestimmen, wie wir von ihnen behandelt werden. Während des Gesprächs können wir die einzigartigen Fähigkeiten unseres Charakters nutzen. Interessanterweise wird der Erfolg der Fertigkeitstests hier nicht durch virtuelles Würfeln bestimmt, sondern durch Tarotkarten, die wir ziehen.

Jeder Held hat andere Fähigkeiten

Apropos Fähigkeiten: Jeder Held hat ein individuelles Set an Fähigkeiten. Bestimmte Fähigkeiten entwickeln wir einfach, indem wir sie benutzen, andere stagnieren mit der Zeit. Dieses System macht es einfach, den Charakter an den individuellen Spielstil anzupassen. Außerdem können die Fähigkeiten des Charakters durch bessere Ausrüstung gesteigert werden.

Technische Aspekte

Die grafische Gestaltung von Sovereign Syndicate ist in einem eher düsteren Stil gehalten. Die besuchten Schauplätze werden von Brauntönen dominiert und sind meist zusätzlich in ein atmosphärisches Zwielicht getaucht. Sovereign Syndicate kostenlos. Read the full article

[writingforfishes]

Otto and Atticus Lore 1: Mark's Hangover

The inspiration for this story came at the most inconvenient time. I was at work and as the images and sounds came to me, I had to fight hard to make it appear like I was actually present. The drive home was only successful because I had taken the way home so many times before as I was still stuck in the headspace. I mad-dashed this story when I got to my computer and ended up staying awake way too long to complete it. I edited it and changed it this morning.

This was NOT the story I was intending to create next! I hope it holds up tomorrow when I read over it after I've posted it!

I was also not intending on making a separate series on the lore of these two characters, but the asks in my inbox made me think about their pasts and inspired some deeper consideration on the plots and thoughts I already had in mind.

Disclaimers: This is a work of FANTASY. Otto and Atticus are such a good couple because I need them to be a good couple. This is not, for the most part, realistic. (Also, I don't even have a tambour style mantel clock, nor did anyone in my family.)

I don't know anyone who has a kink specifically for watching someone get aroused. If that kink does exist (or is just a normal way of people reacting), I'm completely unfamiliar with it and have created a possible fictional representation of a kink. Thus, any of Otto's thoughts are extrapolated from ideas I thought would be plausible. (I am very asexual.)

If anyone is familiar with the series Otto's character was based on, this is basically a rewrite of similar character dynamics. I give real-world reasons for the fantasy content in the series to have happened. I know nothing of police procedure or detective procedure.

I do not have alcoholism. I know a few people who are alcoholics, but I don't have personal experience with the feeling of being an alcoholic and the emotions that surround the disease. If I'm misrepresenting something here, I apologize.

CW (there will probably be quite a few in this one):

Representation of a hangover from an emotional drinking binge.

Allusion to Otto's past as an alcoholic and reflection as a recovering alcoholic.

Allusion to Otto's falling off the wagon at one point. (very brief)

Mention of Jana's addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol.

Mention of Jana and Mark's break up.

Uncomfortable hiccups that concern Otto.

Mention of throwing up and retching.

Hiccups that Otto thinks are suggestive of needing to throw up.

No depiction of emeto. Discussion of previous purge (very brief).

Verbal description of the sound of Mark's hiccups by Otto to Atticus.

Verbal description of Otto's hiccups from Atticus to Otto.

Arousal mention.

Arousal and follow through implication.

A small hiccup battle.

Otto being extremely patient and understanding.

Otto also being the Felix to Mark's Oscar.

I STG, children, just look up The Odd Couple.

Atticus being embarrassed.

Mark being embarrassed.

Otto being a well-adjusted bi.

Mark being a disaster straight.

Jana is not a bad person. I intend to prove this in future stories.

Alice is also not a bad person. Etc. Etc.

Realizing how much I do lean heavily in a masc cast. I don't know why that is. Ah well, it's my fantasy anyway.

Mention of Atticus' parents both no longer existing.

Long moments in the story where no hiccups occur.

Lots of exposition surrounding past events. (I know, I know. Show, don't tell. But I had a need to write it out.

Um, if there's other stuff please tell me?

Finally! The story!

It was 6:30am and Otto was just about to have his first cup of coffee for the day when he heard the stairs from the loft bed creaking with heavy, ambling footsteps. Otto watched with attentive curiosity as Mark lumbered into the kitchen in boxers and a white shirt.

“Hey HNGK’UH!…” the younger man muttered as he sat down heavily across from Otto and shielded his eyes from the lights.

Otto wordlessly got up, sitting his unsipped coffee on the table, and turned off the overhead light while drawing the shades of the small window over the sink to let in a softer natural light into the kitchen.

“HUNGK!”

Poor guy had a wicked case of hiccups, it sounded like, and Otto knew a bad case of hiccups. A few weeks ago, Mark had been on the witnessing side of a 5-hour case of hiccups to which Otto had been victim.

But Otto knew good and well this wasn’t just about a case of the hiccups. The hiccups were a consequence of Mark’s actions. Mark’s actions were a consequence of an exorbitant amount of alcohol had the night before at a bar after work. The alcohol binge was a consequence of the fact that the future life he’d been planning with Jana had been crumbling slowly around him after a whole bunch of unpleasantness and drama that proceeded the breakup.

Mark had been staying with Otto for a few months as Jana and his relationship started to disintegrate. Yesterday Mark had told Otto that Jana had come by the police station, where he worked, to retrieve the spare key to their previously shared house from him and give him some stuff that he’d found of his that she thought he might want back.

Otto figured the finality of it all probably hit Mark pretty hard when he got a call at around 1am. Mark was slurring into his phone so much Otto could barely understand him. He had Mark hand the phone to the bartender, and he was able to get the address and head over to retrieve the wayward detective. The bartender, consequentially, was Margie.

Margie did a very good job of taking care of Mark before Otto arrived. Otto was very appreciative of the gesture. She kept his friend safe. The next week he’d visit the bar again during the daytime and would be lucky enough for her to be working so he could give her more thanks. They would start to talk, and a friendship would form quickly, thereafter.

Like clockwork, a customary pun for a clock maker, Otto awoke at 6am despite the late night. He didn’t expect Mark to be awake until much later that day.

“Didn’t think you’d be up this early,” Otto said. He kept his voice soft and tried to minimize the sounds of his shuffling through cabinets. “How’re you holding up?”

“HNGK! I’m okay. Hiccups woke me. Could-HINGK!-couldn’t get back to sleep,” Mark replied in a hoarse voice just above a whisper.

Mark lifted his hand away from his face a little when he realized the lights weren’t as bright as they had seemed before. He squinted his dark blue eyes in Otto’s direction as he watched the taller man walk back and forth. He had to look away when he found himself getting dizzy while trying to follow Otto’s path. The dull ache of pain behind his eyes and sinuses made him squeeze his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

Mark wondered if Ralph would’ve been as respectful of his current condition as Otto seemed. Ralph would have, no doubt, treated his hangover with some humor. Maybe he would’ve spoken a little loud or turned on all the lights. Ralph might’ve been sensitive later to Mark’s plight, but his friend and work partner seemed the type to shock someone in his sad, hungover state with tough love.

Mark wondered if Otto might have had a little more experience with being in the detective’s similar situation than Ralph. Mark was not wrong in his thought process, impressive as it for his brain to have formed the thought in such a dehydrated and painful state.

Otto had taken the time, when he’d settled his friend down enough that he knew he wouldn’t wake and was safe from further purging, to silence all of the chimes and striking clocks he owned. Otto had, indeed, been in Mark’s shoes and physical state more times and to a greater degree than it was likely Mark had. One thing Otto remembered viscerally about those times is that he could’ve done with a little understanding and kindness despite the bad decisions that lead him to the consequences of his self-destructive behavior.

“Here,” Otto said as he sat a glass of orange-hued liquid beside Mark’s elbow. “It’s Emergen-C. Electrolytes and vitamins. You’re really dehydrated, man, and this is a quicker way to replenish that. Tastes like orange. This,” Otto held up a small pocket of wax paper folded over a small amount of powder, “is BC powder. Powdered Aspirin and caffeine. Quickest way to get some pain relief from that headache. You gonna puke? Those hiccups sound suspicious…”

Mark took a while to respond, his brain working on reserves with all of the pressure and pounding in his head. Right. The hiccups.

“Naw. Did all of that HNK!-that last night. HMGK! I always get these after a nigh-HNGK’M!-night like...like last night. Usually takes a HNK-UH! a while to stop. Nothing helps. Kinda like you-HNGK!-yours. Thanks,” Mark said as he took a swig of the glass. The Emergen-C’s light fizz felt refreshing even though the artificialness of the orange flavor was a little offensive.

Mark felt Otto’s warm hand on his shoulder before the older man crossed back to where he was sitting before.

Otto sat down and observed his friend’s pallor and slow movements. He had memories of his own struggles with hangovers. He also had memories of squelching those hangovers with more drinking. It was less ‘hair of the dog’ and more the whole damn canine. To be fair, it was an effective method for a while. Not really something that, Otto discovered, was sustainable.

“Yeah, just pour that powder in your mouth and wash it down really quick with the water. Trust me, you don’t want that taste to linger any longer than it has to,” Otto said as he watched Mark’s cautious handling of the wax paper.

Otto watched him make a face from the bitterness of the powder before the detective quickly gulped the Emergen-C flavored water as a chaser. Otto couldn’t help but give a little chuckle.

“You good?” the clock maker asked.

“Y-HUNGK!-Yeah. Ugh!” Mark exclaimed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“It’ll help, I promise. I know you feel like crap right now. No real shortcut to a hangover, man, but you can treat the symptoms. If you’re feeling like it, I can fix us both some breakfast after I finish my coffee,” Otto said.

“Thanks. That might b-HINGK!-might be good,” Mark said sheepishly. He jerked with another hiccup and tossed his head to clear his dark hair from in front of his eyes. He regretted the motion almost immediately as he winced.

Just as Otto was finally starting to take a sip of his still steaming coffee, Mark spoke up again and Otto met his tired eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Otto lowered the mug again, shaking his head.

“Dude, you don’t have anything to be sorry for,” he said with a sad smile. “Listen, man, you are going through some tough shit right now. I mean, I’m really glad Jana’s finally getting the treatment she needs. And you were a big part of that. And, well, you know, the whole malpractice lawsuit with that bitch blonde lawyer, Alice...whatshername moved that recovery along legally, but you were a part of it, too!”

Mark snorted at the cavalier summation Otto gave of his ex’s journey from addiction to almost losing her veterinarian license, to starting in a recovery program, to Jana realizing that she couldn’t hold up a relationship with Mark and recover at the same time. While he knew it wasn’t a personal attack, Mark couldn’t help but feel supreme grief in knowing that the person he fell in love with was going through something that, not only could he not help with, but that he was a hindrance in overcoming.

Not to mention he had purchased an engagement ring he had planned on unveiling at the right moment, which seemed perpetually postponed by upticks in crime and cases he couldn’t ignore. So, did he really blame her for not feeling safe in the relationship?

Otto was speaking again, and Mark looked up from his thoughts to listen. His body jolted again, and he was reminded that his hangover was still actively punishing him for his choices. The hiccups didn’t hurt, per se, but they were definitely hard, loud, and sounded pretty terrible.

“I mean, you know I’ve been in your place before. I mean, not exactly, but similar. No one would blame you for having a little self-destructive pity party. Just...not too many of them. Cause then you end up in the hospital 15-some-odd years later being told that your pancreas is on its last legs and one more drink could send you into a fatal situation. That’s...obviously specific to my experience, but you get it. Anyway, you got wasted cause you were grieving, and you asked your amazing friend who came to pick you up if he thought you were good-looking because for some reason none of the girls at the bar wanted to go home with the shit-faced drunk guy.

“And I meant what I said. You’re extremely hot and it’s so depressing that you’re completely so heterosexual. Like...painfully straight. Ugh!” Otto said, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Mark’s eyes had gotten so comically wide that Otto could see the bloodshot veins in the whites of them and the pink inflammation lining his eyelids.

“I HNGK-KUH!-I didn’t say all that, did I? HU’NGK!” Mark asked aghast as he rubbed his chest.

“You really did. Then you suggested we try being in a relationship because, and I quote, ‘you do guys sometimes, right?’ As if I haven’t explicitly told you my preferences. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered. But I just don’t think we’d make a good match.

“We have a dishwasher, Mark. We have a machine that does the dishes for us. In the kitchen. Next to the sink that has a garbage disposal. Why do we have piles of dirty dishes? Not to mention if I find your boxers in a load of my clothes one more time I...sneaky bastard. Like a thief except instead of stealing things you invade my loads of laundry, so you don’t have to do your own. Like that bird. What’s that bird? That bird who lays its eggs in the other bird’s nest and has them raise their babies, so they don’t have to? Fuck! Cuckoo bird! How the hell does a clock maker forget that?!” Otto exclaimed. “You’re like a damn laundry cuckoo bird forcing me to wash your underwear!”

Mark was having a struggle trying to coordinate his silent laughter with his forceful hiccups. His body jolted against the back of the chair again as Otto seemed to wind down.

“I swear, man H’UNGK!, I don’t remember any HNGK!-any of that. Seriously, I’m NGK!-I’m really sorry you had to deal with—ugh!” the silent hiccup thumped hard in his chest as it choked his words, “deal with me. Damn, these things are an-HNGK!-annoying!” Mark said, rubbing his chest again.

The detective did notice, though, that his headache had already started to fade. He still felt a little foggy and unsettled in his stomach, but he was already feeling better. He wasn’t sure it was Otto’s humorous distraction or the Emergen-C and BC powder. Perhaps it was a combination.

“You sure you’re good with the stomach stuff? Cause those things sound like little retches…” Otto said, still suspicious.

“Well, if you keep t-ANGK!-talking about the stomach stuff I might HNGK!-might start feeling sick, so…” Mark said, crossing his arms as he winced at another silent bodily jerk.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop,” Otto said, holding up his hands.

“You’re not one t-HINGK!-to hiccup-shame. Mr. Five H-HUMPK!-Hours of Scary Ass Hiccups!” Mark exclaimed.

“Touché!” Otto said at the reference to the time the clock maker developed a case of hiccups that persisted for most of the day. When Mark suggested holding his breath, Otto’s body rejected the cure and gave him the fastest hiccups he’d ever had. Otto was sore for days after that night.

Otto finally touched his lips to his mug of coffee that was still quite warm. Mark chuckled before another hiccup hit him. As Otto swallowed, he gave his friend a questioning look.

“Ass hiccups,” Mark explained with a smirk. Otto would wonder later if Mark still wasn’t a little drunk.

Otto inhaled the coffee with a surprised laugh and started coughing violently. His coughing was interspersed with...well...hiccups.

“Shit! HUCK!” Otto exclaimed between coughing.

He looked up to find Mark covering his mouth, but mirth in his eyes, as he watched Otto’s struggles.

“No HNGK!-no way. Dude, do we seriously HNGKL!-have the hiccups at the same UNGK!-same time?” Mark guffawed.

“This is HULP!HMK!-this is all y-HMK!-your fault, man. HLMK! Dammit!” Otto said.

Mark just laughed again, another hard hiccup smacking into his chest and throat.

After a while, they both calmed down. For the next few minutes, it was quiet save for the call and response their hiccups played with each other. Otto continued to sip his coffee, stubborn to drink the warm beverage he was so looking forward to. Mark nursed the rest of the Emergen-C, energy that he had regained from before having dissipated as he stared into the residue on the inside of his glass.

Though Otto’s hiccups were still rapid they had decreased in strength while Mark’s stayed forceful and deep.

“HNGK!” Mark’s hiccups said.

“Hlp!Hip!” said Otto’s.

“HUNGK!…HMP’K!”

“Huck!-himp!mp!”

“HU’NGK!...UCK!...HMMNGK!”

“Huck!Huck’l!Hmpk!Mp!” Otto sighed at the fast cluster and patted his chest, muffling another hiccup behind his hand.

“Stop that!” Mark suddenly exclaimed.

Otto looked up from a paper he had begun to do the crossword on with confusion.

“You can’t t-HNGK!-tell me you’re not d-UMPK!-doing that on purpose,” Mark said.

Otto frowned, head jerking in more hiccups.

“You’re out hi-HILMK!-out hiccuping me. You’re doing one-HNGK!-one more hiccup each time,” Mark complained, grumpily sipping the last of his enhanced water. Most of it was, of course, put on. But he had genuinely wondered if somehow Otto was doing it on purpose, too.

Otto, for his part, had been oblivious to the hiccup war that Mark had been forging. But he smiled now, taking a haughty tone.

“Well…I am the hmpk!hip!-the sup—superior hic-hu’up!-hiccuper,” he said, battling through another cluster and putting a fist over his mouth as three more hit him in a row.

A beat past before they both erupted into giggling laughter at the ridiculousness. The laughter ended in both of them letting out a hiccup simultaneously, Mark’s “HINGK!” to Otto’s “Hi’ilp!” which sent them into another roll of laughter that perpetuated itself for a while before they both got tired and winded.

Otto’s hiccups ended before Mark’s and the detective ended up hiccuping for about an hour in total which left him feeling sore and tired. But Otto’s breakfast and subsequent lunch and pressuring his friend to drink more water helped Mark feel much better by the end of the day.

***

To be honest, Otto had been terrified that night when he got the call from Mark. Mark was a rational person who didn’t often let vices lead his actions. He had a very clear and logical leaning and seeing the man so out of character and destroyed shook Otto’s core. In addition, having to enter a bar again and seeing representations of himself in his worst times all around him being unnerving and unsettling in and of itself.

The main reason Mark and him had become the unlikely friends they were was due to a case of mistaken identity where Otto lived one street away from a man guilty of kidnapping and murder. Otto also fit the physical description of the man in question, which wasn’t much: a tall man with a beard and wild curly hair.

After Otto’s innocence was proven, he was still getting harassed by his neighbors who hadn’t gotten the news that the actual murderer had been caught and was being prosecuted. Otto had stormed into the police station with the dark-haired, blue-eyed detective in his sights. Before the police there could usher him out (forcefully) Mark stopped them and let Otto have his say.

Otto demanded that some representative of the police go around his neighborhood and clarify that Otto was, in fact, innocent. Additionally, someone had thrown a brick through his window, and he held Mark personally responsible for paying for said window’s replacement. Also, he hadn’t spent this many years getting his life back together as a recovering alcoholic to now be chased out of his home because of a crime he actually didn’t commit!

To Otto’s surprise, it was the lead detectives, Mark and his partner Ralph themselves who went around to every one of his neighbors and explained Otto’s innocence. They ended at Otto’s door with sincere apologies, especially Mark. He was, after all, the one who had tackled Otto to the front steps of his own house in the first place.

He was further surprised to see Mark at his door again a few days later. He gave him a check to reimburse the window and had another request for Otto. His girlfriend, he suspected, was abusing her prescription drugs and alcohol and did Otto know of any programs that could be of use. And could Otto, perhaps, be willing to help Mark understand some of what she was going through from a place of having gone through something similar? Mark didn’t understand addiction from a personal standpoint, and it was causing a rift between he and Jana that he feared was irreparable.

The request was incredibly personal and bordered on inappropriate and offensive, but something about Mark’s countenance endeared him to Otto. Otto could tell Mark was coming from a place of wanting to learn and though it was a heavy burden to share his vulnerability with a man who accused him from murder, he felt compelled to try and help.

So, Otto, who had been living a pretty secluded life up until that point, reticently decided to be of service to Mark’s questions. The friendship ended up being mutually beneficial. Otto hadn’t realized how his reclusive life had been gnawing at his mental health. It had gotten to the point where he was scared to do anything social for fear of losing control of his desires. Mark ended up being the soft introduction to an unexpectedly functional, safe friendship. It was something he’d never experienced before.

It took a while for Otto not to see Mark as some twenty-something cop made detective before they were mature enough to handle it when he couldn’t even handle his private life. And the clock maker was more than full of opinions about those facts that he didn’t at all hide from the detective during their friendship. But Otto’s gruffness was chipped away by Mark’s eagerness to learn and try to help his girlfriend, Jana. And perhaps if Mark had been more forward with Jana about that learning process and his intentions things might’ve ended differently. Finding out your boyfriend was talking about your most intimate personal struggles with a stranger was distressing and Jana was quickly losing trust in Mark and their relationship.

All said, Jana still remained part of their social circle throughout her recovery. And, of course, the story of the lawyer who led Jana’s prosecution which almost led to her losing her license and livelihood was a whole other story. Alice and Mark together. No one saw that coming.

***

Atticus continued to stroke and massage Otto’s scalp as he finished the recollection. Somehow, the clock maker’s head had ended up on Atticus’ lap while they both reclined in bed as he spoke. The writer often wondered if Otto was part dog with the way he’d flop on them at times and how much he appreciated his head massaged.

The story had started only because Atticus mentioned how they had a fantasy of Otto and another one of their friends having hiccups simultaneously. But, they were quick to caveat, if that actually happened, they wouldn’t know how they’d contain themselves. The fantasy was still a thought that gave them some arousal, though.

The fantasy reminded Otto of the one time both he and Mark had them simultaneously and his mouth ran away with the story.

“Wow. That definitely helps fill some gaps,” Atticus said. Learning more about the history of Otto’s friendships was enlightening.

Jana had moved a few hours away by the time Atticus had met Otto. She stopped by every now and then to reconnect, but Atty hadn’t been available for those sessions. After all this time, they still hadn’t met the person who’d, in many ways, triggered the events that led Otto to meeting them.

If Otto hadn’t been such good friends with Mark, and if Atticus hadn’t been a victim of a serial robbery in their old apartment complex, then Mark wouldn’t have known to suggest Otto to them after the thief had knocked an old clock Atticus had inherited from its shelf. That clock still existed and ran perfectly after Otto had repaired it. It was in the loft bedroom where Atty found themselves often to write or decompress. It was a tambour style mantel clock. Atty had it in their house growing up. Atticus didn’t even know which side of the family it was from. With both of their parents gone, they probably never would.

Clocks aside, Mark needing Otto’s guidance on Jana, in some twisted way, made it possible for Atticus and Otto to find each other. So, Atticus might owe Jana as much gratitude for them being together as Mark.

“Yeah, I forget you don’t know all of this stuff,” Otto admitted. Atticus seemed so integrated into his life that it didn’t occur to him to tell them how everyone connected.

All of Atticus’ friends were in their home state (or were relationships they’d made online). Once they’d moved, they had to make new connections. It just so happened, timewise, that Otto was one of those first connections.

“Mark was lucky to have you,” Atty said.

“Yeah, well, he saw me a lot worse than that later that year when I fell off the whole sobriety wagon. So…” Otto trailed off and seemed to snuggle his head further into the softness of Atticus’ thighs.

Atticus sighed. That story they’d heard. It wasn’t a pleasant one.

“You don’t have to do that,” they said. “Qualify your good deeds with having been more of a challenge to deal with at some other point in time. You’re a good person and you’re good at taking care of people. It’s okay to admit that.” Atticus scratched their short nails along the back of Otto’s head when they felt his neck tense.

“I know,” he finally said, breathing warmth onto Atticus’ legs in a huff. “I just wasn’t for so long...but...yeah, I know.”

“All I know is who I see, and who I see is amazing,” Atty said. They smiled as Otto turned on his back to look at them.

“Yeah, well, you’re pretty amazing, too,” Otto said, lips pulling back in a smile showing just a little bit of teeth, but it was a smile that met his eyes. “And that thing you said about not qualifying your positive traits? You’re gonna, like, do that too, right? Maybe give that one a place in the old self-talk dialogue?”

Otto’s finger reached up to tap Atticus’ temple as the writer glared at him.

“See? This is why I don’t give you compliments. Always got to turn them back on me. Like weaponized kindness. Smug bastard,” Atticus muttered.

Otto laughed.

“So what did they sound like?” Atty asked sheepishly.

“What?” Otto asked with a frown as he led one of Atticus’ hands to the middle of his chest and rubbed his hand over theirs. Atty had yet to figure out why Otto preferred their hand in that spot, but they felt honored, for some reason, to be led there.

“Mark’s…” they stuttered and stopped, then they tried again, “Mark’s hiccups.”

“Oh!” Otto said in understanding. Then he scrunched his brows again while thinking. Mark’s hiccups were so distinctive, and he was trying to figure out how to word the description accurately.

“They were kind of, um, gulpy? They seemed really powerful. Like each hiccup really rocked his body back. Um. Kind of wet, too? Not sure if that’s the right way to describe it, but it was like there was wetness in the back of his throat whenever he hiccuped that sort of...sounded...I dunno…” he struggled to find the word before he gave up and shrugged “...wet!”

“You said you kind of thought he was going to throw up at first?” Atticus asked.

“Well, I mean, yeah. But he didn’t. They were just really powerful and sort of...liquidy,” Otto said, still shaking his head with the inaccurate description.

“So, wet,” Atticus confirmed lamely.

“Yeah. Like the sound of someone who just drank something when they swallow. That sticky sound in the back of their throat, you know?”

“Oh yeah! Yeah, I know what you’re talking about! Okay...wow...actually that sounds kind of hot,” Atty said.

“Yeah?” Otto asked, grinning.

“Shaddup,” they responded grumpily.

“No, I think it’s cute. What do you like about mine?” Otto fished.

“You know, I like that yours are fast. As long as they don’t bother you too much.”

“Do I have any...hot sounding hiccups?” he asked. He was rubbing Atticus’ hand again.

“It’s just the variety,” Atticus said after a while. “Each hiccup is different. Each one is a surprise. I like when you muffle them and they get louder, and harder, and longer, one after the other, until you sound hoarse and have to open your mouth to let sharper ones out. I-I like what they do to your body. Gawd, Otto, your body moves with every hiccup. Your cute, soft belly jumps and jiggles so much and you do that thing where when your head is jerked back you blink like you’re surprised. And, just, the way you react, man. How you’re so casual with them but also trying to be considerate about them with other people or when you get a little annoyed that they’re interrupting you when you’re trying to say something it’s all just so...hot. Guh…”

Atticus could feel heat crawling up their neck in both arousal and embarrassment.

“Well damn,” Otto whispered.

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I mean, when you say it like that, it does sound kind of hot,” Otto admitted. He put his fingers up to his mouth and started subconsciously nibbling at his cuticles in thought. “So, it’s not just hiccups but all the stuff around hiccups. I mean obviously it’s the body movements and the sound, but it’s more. It’s how I interact with my hiccups that’s some of what turns you on. The unexpectedness of them. Is it, maybe...Is it because I’m flustered by them?”

“Sometimes,” Atty admitted.

Otto nodded, squinting in more thought.

“I think...that’s sort of why I get turned on by seeing people aroused. They aren’t completely in control, so they just react without...being able to help it. And if they’re trying to hide it and I know it? That’s so hot. Seeing them interact with people and me knowing how hard they’re trying to keep control. Not exactly something we can ever roleplay, but it doesn’t take much when I notice that anyway. My favorite part is...well...watching them relieve the feeling. The myriad of emotion. Jeez. I dunno. My body just—and nothing else really triggers that arousal for me. Doesn’t matter how attractive someone is. It’s that. And I’m there in an instant,” Otto said.

“I can definitely understand that. Damn. It’s bedtime and I am so charged right now,” Atticus admitted.

“Me, too. You...you wanna watch one of those files I made for you? While-while I watch you?” Otto asked in a small voice.

Atticus gasped.

“Oh, gawd, can we? I didn’t even...I’ll get my ear buds. You probably don’t wanna hear yourself. Gawd, I want this so much!” Atty said.

That night as Atty watched the first video where Otto made his hiccups faster by holding his breath (recommended by Otto, himself) and Otto watched Atticus, the writer couldn’t be more grateful to Jana and Mark for their involvement in getting the two of them together. Never would Atticus had ever thought that a relationship could be this symbiotic and honest, that kindness battles were the worst of their spats, and that their most serious moments came from wanting to take care of each other and expressing their gratitude for each other.