#fan fiction stuff of dreams FLUFF. that shot of him looking at the screen (her) the ride off into the sunset. the WIN

[itspileofgoodthings]

shout out to the quote tweet of an edit of the Taylor and Travis first game that said “you are all experiencing mass psychosis”—-made me SCREAM-laugh

[hongjoongscafe]

Dear Diary

One-shot

Pairing: Taeminxreader

Genre: lighty light-light angst, fluff

Summary: they were tired of everything.

Word count: 5.1k+

Warning: indirect mentions of sex but not actual smut. *boy, I'm bad at writing smut*

NOTE: The stuff in this fiction happens in the future, 2022 to be specific. So before reading make sure you read the date correctly. It's 31 October 2022. Also, the scenes in-between '♥' is y/n going in flashback kinda thing. So don't get confused. And rest is y/n writing in her diary. Last but not least, imagine Key speaking in his typical sarcastic voice. (his way of speaking is my favorite!)

Masterpost

TAEMIN masterlist

*Do NOT repost*

31st October 2022

Monday

11:37 PM

Dear diary,

Since 31 May 2021, I have been waiting for today. Finally, I get to feel Taemin, hold him, hug him, and kiss him... Nobody can ever understand the excitement and nervousness that I was feeling. Before, nobody knew about us dating. So it was impossible to go and meet him in the military. We didn't prefer anybody to find out back then. Meeting him there while he was still in service, could have created issues that could have become hard to handle. But one day he surprised me with his excellent idea...

~~

♥

2 months prior

"What!? Are you serious about it?" You shockingly asked Taemin over a video call.

"Yes! I want our relationship to go public now. I wanna be with you without any fear of getting caught," his expression was evidence of his honesty. "I just- it's really hard to live without you. Especially when you can visit me here once in a while but can't because our relationship is not out there in public. I miss you so much and I want to take you out for dinner or some other fun dates. But that is not possible without our disclosure. Sneaky people will make a bigger deal out of it..." He paused before talking again "I know it's a big deal and a lot of people will hate it, but we will get to be with each other. And I'm not forcing you, you can take your time and think about it. We still have two whole months before my service time is over." He looked at you with puppy eyes through that phone screen.

"Honestly, I think you are right. I am tired of having home dates. It's fun to be with you but I don't say it 'cause I don't want you to take it in the wrong way but going out on a date does feel like a dream now. It would be great. But going public with our relationship, wouldn't it affect you and your career?" Your voice was a mix of worry and fear.

"My sweet girl, you should always tell me when you feel like going out. Don't shy away from me. You know we could have done this before. But no worries. And where my career comes, everyone knows that someday I have to settle down and have my own family. It is the right time for it to come. They will feel odd for a few days and eventually everything will go back to the same, yeah? Even if something happens, with you by my side, won't be that hard. I love you and would do anything to keep you close, y/n." He assured you.

"I love you too... And yeah let's do this. With you, everything is going to be alright," with happy tears in your eyes, you accepted the idea and planned everything.

♥

~~

I couldn't believe it at all. It was scary but we both were desperate to be with each other outside of our apartments. Sneaking in and out of each others' apartments was becomes so frustrating. And now being apart from each other for more than a year, it felt like a fucking hell. Those last two months were filled with a lot of emotions and insecurities. My brain was continuously thinking about how his fans would react to me or if they will try to take him away from me. But Taemin held me, emotionally. He reassured me again and again and again. I always wonder why I deserve such a sweet and nasty guy. He does all these stupid things to make me laugh. You know it better than anybody else, diary. I found him at my lowest and he gave me enough strength to get up and make new dreams and work for them. After that my only dream was/is to be with him forever, never hurt him or let anybody hurt him. Seeing other idols disclosing their love life and getting way too much hate did scare me a lot. But with Taemin by my side, it all became a little less scary. The plan. His plan was very daring... and we needed Key's... help.

~~

♥

"Keyyyyyyy hyuuuuuung. My love, how are you," Taemin sparked on the conference video call.

"Um, I don't get a really good vibe from this. But hi I'm fine, what about you and you, y/n?" Key asked with doubt.

"I'm fine Key, thank you," you smiled.

"Oky, listen to me, no hear me out," your man asked for key's attention.

"I knew it! you want something from me, you never call me with that much enthusiasm and that too on a conference call with y/n... Which, by the way, never happened before" you were a little embarrassed but for Taemin, you didn't end the call there.

"No! Why you are so like that!!!" You wanted to snort very bad at Taemin's poor attempt to save his sweet ass ego.

"Like what?" Key asked with a sarcastic dimply pout.

"Like... Like a mean typical woman!"

"Oky! but am I wrong?" Key dramatically gasped.

"...no...?" Taemin hesitated.

"What is it? And please be quick I have to go somewhere in like thirty minutes," key sighed.

Taemin told him the whole plan and he was confident. He just wanted to get over all of this hide and seek with his fandom and media. There were so many events where he wanted to go out with you, just somewhere other than your apartments.

"God! No!... Like you want me to do that? That's risky. Just think about it. And all the sudden gossip... Can you both handle that? And you, y/n, can you handle all that sudden hate?" You knew that key was overprotective over Taemin and he saw you like his own sister and he was worried for both of you especially Taemin since he was much sensitive. He didn't want him to get hurt at all. And he was indeed right. After all, you both appearing in public as a couple was a big deal and yes, the hate, there was going to be no end. Maybe people will be less harsh towards him but towards you, that was going to be the hardest time. You could already hear all the names they were going to call you.

"Hyung, I know you are worried and we also know the consequences but think about us. We are doing the same thing for the last six. We need to spice up our relationship. It's just we are tired of doing the same thing. It's no fun. Trust me, we love each other but we want to do stuff together with each other other than making food and laying on the couch watching movies or series. We want to go to the movies in theaters, go for a nice lunch or dinner, go to amusement parks, go on national trips or international trips, or maybe just go out for a casual walk on the streets and shopping and have ice cream. And just because of it, I haven't met y/n this whole time. Video calls are just not enough either. Please understand our situation, Hyung," Taemin was genuinely tired of hiding everything. He was tired of being afraid. He was tired of lying to everyone about his relationship status.

"I- you know that I know more than anyone besides you both, of course. Still, I feel like it's a quick decision... There are still two months left. Why don't you both think about it first and then tell me? If you both are actually ready to take all the hate then I can help..." He took a decent pause. "Y/n, you are smart so please don't do something stupid. This all can ruin your existing relationship as well." His voice carried huge emotions. That made your heart melt. You felt lucky that Taemin have such caring friends in his life.

You knew that Key was indirectly saying that you should think about it and find a less scary way to follow for your disclosure. He just didn't want his baby cheese to get hurt in any possible way. He wanted to protect him from the cruel world. When you both told him that you were dating, it took him a year to trust you with Taemin. He would look at you like you have dognapped his dogs.

"Key, I hear you. I'm very grateful that you care for us so much. And don't worry we will think about it," you gave him a warm smile.

♥

~~

I was in deep thought after that. It was really hard to date an idol in the first place but I knew what I was getting into. There were times when I just wanted to move on and leave everything. But there is something in him. He is all I ever needed. He pulls me towards him so hard that there is no going back. I love him way too much. Taking this step was not hard. But we did consider key's thoughts. After Jonghyun, Key got more concerned about Taemin and it was understandable. He is the youngest and sensitive so Taemin definitely got more vulnerable and sensitive. When Jonghyun passed away, Taemin didn't tell anybody about you. It was already a bit over a year since we were dating. He just wanted to be sure about me. Which was totally acceptable. He would come to my apartment and cry for hours asking for his friend more like a brother to come back from heaven and to hug him as tightly as possible. I somehow worry about him more than I ever thought about doing it for anybody. The fact that we can not hang out, makes him think too much. It might sound like I am being too much and we can do much more at home too but just think about it, not being able to anywhere else with the person you are in love with, not even to buy ice cream. That does not sound good. It was like piling on all the fun stuff. It always felt like a failed arranged marriage, the only difference was that we didn't have any complaints from each other but the situation, the dating arrangements and we wanted a divorce from that situation. It was horrifying that how people follow idols everywhere, even when they are on their personal schedule. How people humiliate someone's dear privacy and make uncomfortable rumors. They don't know how they can make things uncomfortable between the two casual friends or even two best friends by making dating rumors which they spread like a virus in the air. At first, we thought about our privacy but then they spotted us somewhere and spread the word about us but luckily they couldn't take picture of my face. So I was known as an unknown gold digger. It was sad that people say that they get happy when their idol is happy but when they find someone with whom they want to create their own little world filled with happiness, they just start hating. Now, we discussed and thought about everything. It was a hard discussion but was worth it.

~~

♥

On the present day (31 October 2022)

Your heart was thumping in your chest like a bass drum. The moment you woke up, started thinking about everything, 'how do Taemin look like after being apart for more than a year? Is he going to get nervous and not tell people about you two or worst ignoring you or just simply call you his sister and run away?' All the shitty kinds of questions started blurring your brain.

"Everything is going to be alright... Just take a deep breath..." You said to yourself.

You didn't prepare breakfast since your appetite was long gone swimming in the Pacific Ocean. But you did fill a gigantic travel mug with your favorite coffee on the go.

After getting ready you looked at your apartment. A part of you was extremely happy that now your favorite person will visit here from time to time and the place will look much warmer and it will feel like home, again. In the end, he's your home.

*KNOCK*

"Hi Key, come in. I just need to grab my phone and clutch bag," You opened the door and greeted Key.

"Hey, yeah sure. Take your time." He smiled.

"Btw, y/n, how do you feel about today? aren't you nervous? Because lemme tell you one thing I woke up covered in sweat." He dramatically widened his eyes.

"I know. I am nervous. But I also know that it's gonna be fine, hopefully," you nervously chuckled.

"I do too. And if something goes wrong, I'll try to protect you two. I don't say it but you two do make a good couple," Key was thankful. He liked the idea of both of you and Taemin.

"That is the sweetest thing you have ever said to me," you gasped and held his hand. "But I want to say thank you for supporting us and helping us. This is so, so sweet of you."

"Well, you are most welcome... I guess it's time to go and get our baby cheese back!" Key said with enthusiasm.

The ride was filled with nervousness. The more close you got, the more anxiety was rising.

When you reached your destination, there were so many reporters reporting the live updates about the whole homecoming situation. What hunted you the most was that there were Taemin's fangirls, holding his huge banners saying all the good stuff. Your heart was pounding so hard in your chest. A little bit of confidence you gained by doing those breathing exercises, was gone out of the window.

"Key... I don't think I can do this... Look at all those girls who came here to see him and support him. I can't break their hearts. It's hard, " your voice was filled with anxiety and it was trembling way too much than you would have appreciated.

"Listen, you can stay in the car, oky? Don't force yourself. But lemme tell you one thing that he has to start a life that is with you. So if not today, tomorrow you have to do it, even if it means breaking millions of hearts." Key's words were honest and his eyes were warm.

"I think, I'll- I'll stay here. You go and get him," you lowered your head. Key hummed and patted your head.

The people started coming out of the gate. Your eyes automatically started finding him. After a few minutes, there he was. Taemin was approaching the car with the biggest smile ever. Key got out to meet him. They were still at some distance.

You saw that Taemin asked something from Key and then after Key replied Taemin looked towards the car with a sad expression. You knew exactly what that look was for. It hurt you. You thought that he was willing to do this but then there was you who got scared and now sitting inside the car like looser instead of being there with your boyfriend after a year and a half. You should be holding him right now that he is just in front of your eyes and he is your boyfriend so you shouldn't be afraid of anything.

They say feelings can get the worst and at the same time best out of you. It was true. The hurt look on his face shattered your heart. He must be feeling betrayed, not wanting. Getting overwhelmed by the feeling, you got out of the car, standing there for a second to see his reaction.

His face lit up after seeing you standing outside. He dropped the stuff that he was holding and opened his arms for you. Not giving it a second thought, you ran towards him and hopped in his arms. He hugged you tight and swirled you in the air. Bringing you back to the ground he helped the stray hair to go back behind your ear and cupped your face. He then looked at your lips and kissed them, tenderly yet firm. There was hooting going around and you could hear some 'no's 'who is she's around you. But being in it with him didn't scare you.

"I missed you so much Taemin," your voice came out as an ugly high pitched cry voice. Taemin laughed his signature laugh.

"I missed you too, babygirl...You know there might be millions of girls or boys crushing over me but I found my 'one in the million'." He didn't know if he should be happy by the fact that you cared for his fans and didn't want to break their hearts. But on the other hand, he was disappointed because he wanted to show off. He wanted to show everyone that you are his the one and only. He was always overly proud of you. "Maybe I broke a ton of hearts today, but they will find their one in the million so don't worry... And they won't be able to live without me anyway..." He grinned.

"Why? Why wouldn't they live without you? Are you some sort of mineral, they can't live without?" You chuckled.

"Nah, because I'm Taemin" you both started laughing again. Your head fell back and Taemin took that chance to kiss your pulse. You made that 'ee' sound and laughed again.

He buried his face in the crook of your neck. And you held him close to you, clutching hard on his shoulder. For a while, you both forgot where you were. Just enjoying each other's touch after a long time. But Key's voice brought you back to the real world.

"Um, if you guys wanna get screwed then continue but I would rather go back home and be comfy. I mean the purpose of bringing y/n here is done... Taemin?" You and Taemin both knew that key was a little scared of the crowd and the fact everyone's attention was on them.

"I don't want to but oky," he said and booped your nose with his.

In the car, you both clung to each other.

"Oh my God. At least I should have brought another car for myself" key's sarcastic flat voice echoed in the car.

"Come on, Hyung. It's the first time after my enlistment. Let us enjoy a little," Taemin whined.

"Whatever," although he was being a little shit but everyone in the car knew he was happy. In the end, he was the one to whom both you and Taemin cried for hours, complaining about how bad you both wanted to feel each other.

♥

~~

I have never been so happy before. He is everything I ever needed. Although, it didn't take much time for our social media to be flooded by the hate and supportive comments along with the pictures of us kissing and hugging. It felt weird at first, being a hot topic for people around the globe. Before today, not many people knew me, just family and friends and colleagues. So being on the top of every entertainment site, freaked me out. 'Who is she? How long have they been dating? Does she really like him or just another girl for money? Did Taemin just ditch all of the fangirls and boys around the world?' All of these questions were popping up on my social media. Taemin noticed. He took my phone away from me, said that it doesn't matter as long as we both are happy together. That gave me warmth inside my heart and much more strength to face the world, in the end, he was the one who is going to suffer a lot, so have to stand strong.

Along with hate, there were some best wishes as well. People supporting us. It is good to know that some people understand that an idol is a human too and may have to start a life with someone. People who understand that fact, are the greatest. Moving on. We didn't come home directly, obviously, but we went to their company. He had to do the v-live. Now, he couldn't ignore the questions about us. So more than him my blood pressure was high. I was so nervous. It was just hard to step into the building.

~~

♥

Your heart was thumping harder than before. The looks you were getting in his music company were confusing. Some were congratulating, some looked at you weirdly, some congratulated but their expressions were totally different.

"Here is set up, there you are going to sit. The makeup girl will come in a sec for touch-ups and then we can start," the organizer informed.

Taemin was so calm and on the other hand, you were just a mess. He was getting all kinds of looks but he still managed to talk properly but you were bothered. It was your first time in his company, that too made a huge difference.

After getting his makeup and some basic rehearsal done, they started the v-live. You open his stream on your phone, keeping in mind to turn off the volume. The comments were flooding in. Some people were welcoming him. Some were talking about you both. Some said it was fake, which was not true. Some didn't know about what other people were talking about "his relationship". Some people were explaining in the comments.

People were saying inappropriate stuff. Some were asking him to leave you because you were behind his money, not him. It all made you sad and hurt. These comments could blur Taemin's mind. He could get the wrong idea and--

"Yes! I'm indeed in a relationship. I'm sorry that I didn't mention it before but we are dating for six years now. And it is going so perfectly. She is so beautiful, kind, soft, smart, and what not? She is like a dream package. She is that dream girl about whom I dreamed about when I was single. She is like a pillar, always supporting me. I can't find anyone else. She is all I need in my whole life. Well, she is my whole life. And I want you people to know that she deserves a lot of respect. If you do, then you are my true people,'' Taemin said this while looking into your eyes. It felt like he knew about your rising insecurities. He gave his warmest smile that relaxed you. He is your best chill pill.

♥

~~

That was the sweetest thing. He asked people to respect me. Can you believe that? He is such a goofy person and then he says something like this *scoffs* are you kidding me! It's like winning a lottery from fate. But no seriously, having a man who thinks about me and ask people to be nice to me is actually the most romantic thing. People like him are rare and I am lucky that I have him. Today, was a long day, filled with a lot of different emotions. Seeing Taemin after so long was just the best.

Then we went to our respective apartments. We didn't want to leave each other so soon but his friends organized a little welcome back dinner party. His friends asked him to bring me along after they saw him ''shoving his tongue down my throat", as his friends said. Only Key, Minho, and Jinki knew about us before. They were always nice to me. Taemin said he was still going to bring me there, even if they have not invited me there.

~~

♥

"This is for Taemin's return and him dating y/nnnnn! Cheers!!!" His friends made a toast speech. All of you took a shot of Soju.

"Ah! Seeing all of you at the time is so good. There, everyone was new, I was dying to see you all at the same time," Taemin exhaled, almost dramatically.

"You were dying to meet us or..." One of his friends gestured towards you. And then he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Ah! I almost died waiting for this day to come and hold my y/n," Taemin places his hand on your thigh and gave it a nice squeeze, and you returned the gesture by placing your hand on his thigh.

"Ohhhkkyyy, so you didn't even think about us, huh? Such a mean friend," the other one joked.

"Oh come on! Why would he? When he was waiting to meet such a beauty," the one beside Taemin spoke up.

"Oky! Enough with the teasing, we are here to celebrate Taemin's return and not to tease him and his girlfriend," it was the first time Key called you Taemin's girlfriend and it sounded so natural and sweet. You wanted everyone to call you Taemin's girlfriend. It felt right that way.

"Oky! Grandpa..." They said. The restaurant filled with laughter. It was nice to sit here with his friends after a long day, at least they didn't call you names or ask Taemin to leave you.

The dinner went great. Everybody enjoyed being with you. It was time to leave, you said your goodbyes to all of his friends. You wanted to thank Key for his part of the plan.

"Key?" You stopped and called him.

"Yes, y/n." He waited.

"I- Key, you have done a lot for us. I just want to say thank you. I mean, you were the one who took me there and took permission from the upper hand. Like otherwise it was equal to getting Taemin fired from the band and the company, but you handled that part for us. I don't know how you did that, it was obvious that they are hard to handle but you still managed to do that. Just thank you so, so much," you were on the urge of crying. It was beautiful that you were able to be with Taemin, other than your or his apartment. Then you felt Taemin's arm on the small of your back.

"She is right, Key Hyung. It wasn't possible without you. Because of you, we are here, standing with all of you in public," Taemin was equally happy as you were. This whole time, his smile touched his eyes.

"Mhm, listen, I am deeply happy for you two. Doing all this might seem hard for you but for me it was easy. You see, I'm The Key," everyone chuckled. "But you both are most welcome. I'm always there for you two kids. Just stay happy forever," he gave his blessings.

"You both can lean on us as well. We also want to be there for two of you when needed," Minho and Jinki insisted.

"Sure, Hyungs. Thank you for everything," Taemin said.

"Now it's late, go back to your places and get some rest, it was a long day for you and y/n. And y/n thank you for always taking care of our Taemin when we were not around," Jinki thanked.

"You are too nice, Jinki. Your welcome," you gave him the warmest smile.

~~

Taemin came to your apartment, that night. The moment you entered the apartment, he started kissing you. Cheeks, forehead, temple, nose, chin, jaw, finally your lips. He stayed at your lips a little longer.

"My lips were dying to feel yours. Do you know how hard it was for me to be there without you? Every single day felt like torture," Taemin whispered in your ears, and then he kissed your ear lobe and sucked at your weak spot, just below your ear. A moan escaped from your throat.

"Taemin," a breathless voice came.

"Y/n, I want you in all ways. Please," he whined. "It's been more than a year and I miss you so much. Please be with me, don't go anywhere just be with me tonight, please," he asked and started kissing your neck and only went lower on your body.

"Take me, Taemin. I'm all yours," you were already worked up. All this time, you were frustrated. You both always complained about it. But there was no way to help it.

He did what he said. He took you in all possible ways. Still, it was not enough. But now laying in each other's warmth, admiring all the love bites you gave each other, was the perfect thing.

"Taemin?"

"Hmm," he kissed your forehead.

"Are you tired?" You kissed his shoulder.

"A little. Why? Do you wanna go for another round?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"No! Silly" you laughed and lightly smacked his chest. "I want to take a bath with you... Will you take a bath with me?" You made your best puppy eyes.

"Of course, I will," he kissed your head.

"Wait here lemme prepare it for you," you demanded.

"Yes, ma'am" you both chuckled.

You took a good ten-fifteen minutes to prepare the bath. Giving the final touches, you called Taemin to come into the bathroom.

His mouth fell open when he saw the bathroom. The nice aroma of lavender with a hint of citrus played with his nose. The bathroom was lit with candles and there was a lavender-scented candle too. The album 'cigarettes after sex' was playing in the background on the record player. The bathtub was filled with milky lavender water with some dried lavender in it.

"So this is why to brought that huge glass of milk in here?" Taemin smiled. Stepping towards him, you wrapped your naked body around his naked one. Direct contact with his body was something you would never get tired of.

"Mhm," you smiled when your face fell flush against his chest. "Shall we get in?"

"Yeah."

He hugged you from behind, your head resting on his shoulder. You tilted your head to steal some kisses from him, he was more than happy to give you. The warmth of his body mixed with the nice and warm water in the tub relaxing every single muscle in your body felt just right. He kept on kissing you on your shoulder, neck, behind your neck, ear, side of your cheek, hair, and would tilt your head to capture your lips.

"I want to pause the time forever. I never wanna go anywhere else but your warm arms, Taemin" your eyes were closed, enjoying the moment.

"Neither do I. I wanna stay in your arms too. Feel your body weight on me. That's the happy place for me," he just couldn't stop kissing you. He did indeed wait for this day for a long time.

"Silly little thing," you chuckled.

"Y/n?"

"Hmm."

"I love you a lot... There is no word which can express it..." He again kissed your lips.

"I love you too..." you nuzzled your head in the crook of his neck. The smile never left your lips.

♥

~~

I do love him more than he can ever imagine. I think he was extremely tired today. After the bath, the moment his head touched the pillow, he was fast asleep. He is just cute. I just wanna spend my whole life with him. But I'm so excited, knowing that I'm gonna propose to him for marriage this weekend, I just can't sleep because of all the excitement. The day is not that far...

Y/n.

. . . . .

Sanaa's note:

FINALLY!!! A Taemin fiction. Writing about our baby 🧀 was fun. I mean, I was scared to post this one but thanks to @tenelkadjowrites for giving my whiny ass enough strength to post it. Thank you😩... And do let me know if you liked it! Last but not least, the behavior of all the characters is visualized.

*The original picture is not mine. I only edited it*

Just so you know, I was talking about this playlist.

Tag list:

@taemin-jaemin

Have a nice day/night💓

[ramblinganthropologist]

Writober 2019 - 18 (Hurt/Comfort)

Setting: That Actor AU, Dragon Age II

Summary: Seriously, though... does that count as RPF?

---

Nothing like lunchtime in costume to create weird situations.

“Ugh, I need this thing off now.”

Briala grimaced as she grabbed her arm by the elbow and twisted. It went round a few times, and then popped out of the socket. She rotated her affected shoulder and sighed in relief as she placed the prosthetic on the table in front of her. It needed to charge anyway.

Across from her, Malcolm was also in costume with similar lack of fucks to give. At least this time neither of them were in armor. Talk about uncomfortable; she usually had to eat standing if they stopped at an armored scene. At least in Dragon Age plain clothes, she could sit.

Best of all? Her pants had pockets for her phone.

“We're dong that scene after lunch, so you better put it back in.” Malcolm was on his phone, stretched out in the chair so he could accommodate his larger frame. At the angle he was sitting, she couldn't see what he was reading. Part of her had hoped she could guess from the reflection coming off his head, but... no, that was just in comics.

She shrugged her shoulder and hopped into a chair to check her phone. “My shoulder is killing me. Damn thing is heavier than I remember.”

At least her phone was working. The last time she'd had it on, it had been open to one of her guilty pleasure websites. The jury was still out on if reading fanfiction about the character you played was considered weird, but she was pretty sure it was a bit off. Whatever, not like she had ever cared about what people thought. It tended to come with the territory when you were a one armed transgender gremlin.

Briala hummed as she scrolled through her fanfiction list. “Hey, question.”

“No you cannot use me to get better cell service.” Malcolm deadpanned as he kept doing whatever kept him glued to his phone. That caused the elf to roll her eyes and stick out her tongue. Not that he saw it – damn millennial kept looking at his phone.

Said the millennial. Briala was honest.

“No, I have a legit question.” She held her phone out, displaying the screen. “Would shipping Moses and Avery be considered RPF?”

Not that she did – that was her NOTP honestly. But still, did it count?

Malcolm didn't answer her query for a good minute. At least she got to watch as his face flashed through a number of emotions, the most major one being confusion. That was the one he settled on, eyebrows knit together.

“What?”

Briala nodded to her screen. “RPF. Real person fanfiction. I mean, they were both people, but we're also playing them and there's the Tale of the Champion and all. So are they characters or like... is it creepy?”

Malcolm's face journey only continued. “I'm... not sure. Why are you even looking for that?”

Because she was lonely and single and Avery Hawke had become something of a self insert for her in the last couple months?

She at least played it off with a one-armed shrug as she took her phone back. “Just curious I guess. I don't ship it. Moses was too gay for that.”

“You're damn right he was.” Was that a hint of pride in Malcolm's voice? “Is Champion stuff really that big in Database of Dreams?”

He had moved over, casting a shadow in order to look at the dirty details. Just because of that, Briala had to turn up the brightness on her phone screen. She probably would've been able to see it regardless,  but it was the thought that counted. He had human eyes, after all.

“I mean, Avery and Moses is kind of small. I fell ass first into that one. The canon stuff is obviously the most popular.” She paused, making a face herself now. “Again, can I even call this canon? Something feels weird about that.”

Navigating the waters of historical fiction crossed with biography was tricky, especially when it came to the fan-written smut penned centuries later. Briala had a feeling she probably should have been more concerned... but eh. They were all dead anyway.

“Not weird enough to keep from bookmarking a lot of Avery and Isabela, I noticed.” Malcolm had the ghost of a smirk on his face. “Which one is more popular, Moses and Fenris or Moses and Anders? And please don't tell me Cullen or Sebastian are popular.”

…

“Bri-”

“I'm not saying jack shit, dude.”

Yeah, awkward feelings all around on that one. People were weird. Like, there were better choices right the fuck there than Cullen of all people. Even centuries later, it was still clear what a massive douche the guy was. And she wasn't just saying that because she was a lesbian – she knew dicks when she saw one.

Malcolm shook his head at her reaction. “Wonderful. I can only imagine the horrors contained within those.”

“I can only imagine too because I don't read them, just judge them hardcore.” Briala kept scrolling. “And to answer your question, it's slightly edged towards Anders with some fluffy stuff and angst depending on who's writing the bird man. Fenris tends to have a lot of hurt-comfort stuff, but the fluff there is adorable.”

Made sense, given the two men's backgrounds and histories. If anyone deserved that particular genre, it was those two. Of course, H/C wasn't exactly her thing. When she wanted fanficiton, she went straight for the PWP.

No shame in the game – just good smut.

“Huh. Might have to check that out later.” He shot her a blank look. “If I get addicted to reading fanfiction about the character I play, I blame you.”

Briala chuckled as she put her phone back in her pocket. “Then you better blame Maria, because she's the one who got me started.”

“That... is surprising.” A timer went off in the background – they had to wrap things off before going back to filming. “Better put your arm back in.”

Her chuckle tuned to a groan. “Damn it, already? Feels like I just took the damn thing off.”

Back in went the arm, with the familiar pop that always caused her to shudder as the nerves connected. A few adjustments, and nobody would look too closely. Post production would cover the rest up, and then it would just be the annoying fans who minded.

And really, fuck them.

“Well, let's go pretend we didn't just read fanfiction about this scene.” Briala hopped up onto Malcolm's shoulders like a good little gremlin to get into character better. Together, the two of them headed back towards set and the rest of filming.

Later, maybe they would share recommendations with each other. While she hadn't worked with the man for very long, she had a good feeling his taste wasn't total shit. At least he wouldn't be sending her Moses and Varric.

Now that was just crack.