#fic swap

[fallenlondonficswap]

Fallen London Fandom Fic Swap 2024 sign-up sheet is officially open! Happy writing!

Please check the event info and rules here.

(Unofficial fan event not affiliated with FBG.)

[psychologeek]

Fanarts and inspiration for "Hold them closely"

Eldritch!Danny and Baby! Ellie in space (2 versions)

Danny+Pizza party at the watchtower

Danny kinda look like a human fetus. I personally find it vert funny.

If you have questions about it, let me know :)

[op-secret-santa]

ONE WEEK TO SIGN-UP!

☃️Celebrate the holidays let's go!❄️

Sign-ups are open until Nov 27th!

Please read the rules & FAQs on our carrd before applying! ❄️

[larz-barz]

Fanfic for fanfic'

You make a fanfic (any ship but maki and milo must be in the story)

Ill make a fanfic (maki and milo and Muichiro)

How does that sound?

(already working on it lol)

oooo ok! sounds fun!

——————————————————————————

Love potion (sort of happy ending)

——————————————————————————

Milo sat under a tree, crying.

She didn’t notice the demon king stalking her as his prey.

He injected a large dose of his blood into her, expecting it to kill her instantly.

However, what happened instead was more shocking.

Milo’s hair faded from black into a light purple, her left eye became magenta with a black sclera, and the kanji for upper moon 5 appeared in her eyes, on top of her white, heart shaped pupils.

——————————————————————————

The next day, Milo woke up that night being summoned to the infinity castle.

She hesitantly went through the portal only to be met by the other upper moons.

~after the meeting (it was just Muzan saying they have a new upper moon, upper moon 4 will be Maki now btw hehe)~

“So you’re a demon now too?” Maki asked Milo curiously and the neko demon nodded.

“Yeah.. me and Tanji got into a fight and I ran away. This is what I get for that I guess.” Milo explained, her voice held a mixture of various emotions.

Maki put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “It’ll be ok Milo.” She attempted to comfort her and Milo smiled softly.

“Thank you Maki.” She thanked the fellow upper moon and noticed that the 2nd and 3rd moons had stuck around.

The 2 males were clearly arguing about something, well, Akaza was arguing. Douma was happily disagreeing with upper 3 just to annoy him.

“Well, bye Milo. Hopefully we’ll be seeing each other around.” She said with a smile and Milo nodded.

“Bye, see you later Maki.” She waved bye to the 4th upper moon as she walked off, being teleported out by Nakime.

The neko demon shyly approaches the 2nd and 3rd upper moons. She smiled softly before speaking. “H-hi… I’m sorry to bother the 2 of you but-“ She starts then gets cut off by Akaza, her ears then going flat.

“Welcome to the ranks, Milo san.” Upper 3 said then walked off.

“What a wonderful surprise Suzuki chan~!” He exclaimed, swaying slightly in his crisscrossed position on the cold, hard floor of the infinity castle.

She sat down in front of him and her cat ears stood upright once again, signaling she felt comfortable around the 2nd upper moon.

“I’ve only been a demon for a day and I’m already an upper moon. I think I became one upon creation honestly.. it’s pretty scary, y’know.?” She sighed when she said the last part and Douma gave a friendly smile.

“Don’t worry little lotus! We’ll take good care of you!” He exclaimed and the young demon smiled softly.

“I think I’ll like it here..” She mused, a smile on her face.

~the end~

A/n: I’m sorry this took so long! I’m gonna go start your sick maki request now!😭💕

i kinda wanna draw demon milo and douma with a bunch of lotuses ngl @thelordoflotuses

[foerchen]

Next fic: bodyswap

Jason: *in Dick‘s body*

Jason: I feel awful. What is wrong with your body???

Tim: *absolutely obliterating a punching bag in Jason‘s body*

Dick: *looks affronted at Jason in his body*

Dick: My body is fine! What do you mean??? You aren‘t the one who needs to consume an unholy amount of caffeine to function!

Jason: I feel like someone is about to push me off a fucking cliff, Dickhead.

Dick: *grins suddenly*

Dick: Ohhhh. Lemme fix that for you, Little Wing.

Dick: *walks up to Jason and hugs him tightly*

Jason: *relaxes before tensing up*

Jason: WAIT. YOU NEED HUGS TO FUNCTION?!?!

(Next fic is in the works! o7 It isn’t the one I had originally planned cuz my brain went brrr. Have a good one, my lovely birdwatchers! <3)

((Edit: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59545189/chapters/151862587 ))

[freakassfemme]

does anyone want to swap yara playlists or fics 💔

[obixwan]

Don't panic, I won't be able to post your fic for the exchange until ~10:30 eastern, I don't have access to my docs. But it is coming!

ahh thanks for letting me know!! i still haven’t posted mine either because i’ve been away for easter

[tossawary]

I think it would be fun to do a "character swaps with older version of themselves" fic with Moshang. A post-canon Mobei-Jun who has been happily married for a while (probably at least 50 years old) accidentally touches some plot device artifact and time travels, swapping places with his 20ish-year-old self. Older MBJ wakes up in head disciple Shang Qinghua's bed where his younger self had been napping.

Younger MBJ lands in his own palace, where he is quickly found and fawned over by Older SQH, who can't help but think this MBJ is so cute. The System quickly confirms for Shang Qinghua that this situation has been sorted into a "multiple timelines" thing, so SQH doesn't have to worry about "protecting the timeline" by doing anything like hiding the fact that he's MBJ's husband. (So, there's an alternate timeline younger version of Airplane Bro now? He's just going to... ignore having an existential crisis about it. Yeah.)

Which is great because Older MBJ would not have thought about this at all as a potential issue. Older MBJ also thinks Younger SQH (Younger Airplane Bro) is incredibly cute and has no problem informing him that they're married in the future. Younger Airplane Bro is trying to figure what the fuck is happening, but he's having trouble thinking over the sound of how MBJ only became hotter: MBJ didn't get much taller, but he did get wider, heavier, more muscular, and hairier. Holy shit. Older MBJ doesn't even have any problems passionately kissing Younger SQH just to prove that they're married. And he smiles! He's so gentle and communicative! Comparatively!

("Luo Binghe is the Demon Emperor in my time," Older MBJ says. "Ah? Who's Luo Binghe?" Younger Airplane Bro lies very badly. "Hmmm, so you did know," Older MBJ says, and then makes some comment about LBH's husband that makes Younger SQH go, "HIS WHAT NOW?!")

Younger MBJ is trying to be cool, not really confused or scared, and Older SQH spoils him rotten by showing off the home that they're made together and how well the palace works to serve and defend MBJ. Linguang-Jun can't show up here because SQH will light him on fire if he shows his face. Younger MBJ doesn't even really like his SQH yet and is also struggling with how good Older SQH looks: a little taller, broader, relaxed and easygoing, answering all of his questions and explaining important things to him, dressed like a beloved demon lord's spouse, efficiently ordering everyone around. "Call me Gege," Older Shang Qinghua said with a wink, and it went straight to Younger MBJ's defenseless heart; he is developing new kinks immediately. Help him.

In the end, after a few days at most, they manage to switch Older and Younger MBJ back without too much issue. Older SQH is a little annoyed that his husband kissed an alternate timeline version of himself, but mostly because he sure would have liked that experience when he was only a disciple! Okay, SQH may have pet Younger MBJ's head and pinched his cheeks and hugged him and brushed his hair a little and shamelessly lavished him with good examples of human affection, but it's not the same!!!

Younger MBJ and Younger SQH in the alternate timeline are left in SQH's tiny head disciple house, completely flustered, sitting next to each other and barely able to look at each other. What. The. Fuck. Eventually, Shang Qinghua manages to say, "Uh, do you want to make out?" at the same time that Mobei-Jun says, "We should get married as soon as possible. Tomorrow."

[the-masterless-press]

CAL HI OMG I LOVE IT

I loved their teasing and banter so much!!!! Virginia came in clutch for Griz to finally unwind before shit hits the fan

Also lmao at that 'You need orders' line

@the-masterless-press hi EJ! i was your secret swap partner for the @fallenlondonficswap this year! I hope you enjoy the fic!!

Griz's Day Off Pairing: Virginia and The Efficient Commissioner (can be read as a ship, or just teasing)

Word Count: 1,903 Summary: Griz is invited out to one of Virginia's spas along the Railway, and has a nice day before winter sets in.

The train rattled along its journey, wreaking hell on the Effecient Commissioner’s already sore body. A particularly brutal shake caused her to wince. Honestly, how did this thing not derail between every station? Another jolt, and a shock of pain went right to her hip. The seats were in desperate need of improvement. Perhaps that would be something to bring up at the next meeting. Griselda rubbed at her freshly-pained joint through her woolen suit. Thank the False-Stars that the trip to Ealing was so short , she thought with a sigh. Else not, she might not have the leg strength to get back off the blasted train. 

With Hallowmas done and past, the weather change was beginning to take its annual toll on her body. She felt its frosty grip more and more each year. Winter, even in the Neath, especially in the Neath, was cruel and unkind to her. Increasingly frequently she would wake up painfully aware of each of her joints and old injuries. Stiffness pierced her like a preserved bug, and held her unable to move how she pleased. Efficient as she was, even she could be slowed down by the cold and pain, and what a terrible time to be slowed down it was! Winter was always the busiest for her. Lacre, Tragedies, and contingencies consumed every waking thought that was not devoted to her pain. Another sigh escaped her. This was likely to be her last day off until the next Feast of the Exceptional Rose. She dreaded the mounds of paperwork she knew she would face in the coming season most of all. Yet she did it anyway, to keep London safe as well as she could.

The train rolled to its stop, and forced Griz from her thoughts. She grabbed her travel bag and headed out to the station, glad to be on steady ground. Her knees creaked in sympathy, and she was reminded of an abandoned house. 

Among the station’s crowd, a Deviless in a red pillbox was waiting.

“Hello, Virginia,” Griz said.

“Hello, Griz,” the Deviless greeted. “It’s nice to see you accepted my offer.”

The Commissioner was always wary of Hell, for it and London had an uneasy shared history, and their legal system was near unnavigable for even her. Virginia herself was a unique matter. Deeply entrenched in the politics of both Hell and London, and a large and unignorable contributor to the Great Hellbound Railway. It couldn’t have existed without her, at least not in its present state. Griz attributed a fair few of her migraines over the years to this Deviless in particular. Yet here she was now, inviting Griz to the spa she ran here in Ealing for a relaxing day. Wary as she was, the idea was all too appealing for the Commissioner to turn down. The two walked side by side on their way to the bathhouse.

The spa was only a short distance, though the journey was stretched by Griz’s slower pace. Virginia said nothing however, and Griz found herself wondering how much the cold affected a Devil. Perhaps the slowness was for both of their benefit. 

When they arrived, Griz was shown to a changing room, which mercifully had a chair. She was able to change into her bathing suit, and swapped her walking boots out for slippers. A working Devil came to take her bag and clothes soon, and she left the changing room. Virginia had also taken the time to get changed it seemed, for she had exchanged her formal attire for her own swimsuit. It was a thoroughly infernal cut, so tight that Griz was shocked Virginia could move without popping open a seam. The tailors they must have in Hell!

She approached Griz with a smile, and hooked a warm arm around one of Griz’s own. “Deviless I may be, running a spa such as mine is more useful for me than being treated in it.”

“But?”

“But,” she continued, leading Griz down a hall. “Even warm waters can be a boon, Deviless or no.”

Griz laughed, caught off-guard. Her laughter turned to more wincing when something in her ribcage shifted.

Virginia offered her a look of sympathy, or maybe pity. “Besides, I find little point in allowing aches to set in if I’m already paying the heating bills.”

“This conversation feels a little pointed,” Griz chided.

“Your joints had more to say than you did last meeting, Griselda . I caught the Minutes-Taker attempting to transcribe the argument between your spine and your knees.”

Griz flushed bright red. “He did not! I read those minutes thrice over, and there was scarce mention of my joints, thank you .”

She snickered. “He was doing a rather poor job of it.” She opened a door before Griz could get in another word. Faintly sulphuric steam billowed out. “And that right there is the other reason. You rarely take a break from your work, and even when you’re away from the Bazaar you don’t stop. Do you know the effect that has on one’s soul?”

“Seeing as I’m not a Devil, I don’t, actually. Would you care to enlighten me?”

“No.”

Griz groaned. Virginia smirked.

“Come this was, I assure you that we’ll get it fixed.”

Griz huffed, but followed her through the door anyways. “And how do I know that it needs to be ‘fixed’?”

“Seeing as you’re not a Devil, you’ll just have to take my word.”

“Ah, because that’s exactly what I want to do. You’re even worse outside of the boardroom, did you know?”

Virginia laughed again, and Griz found herself joining in. For as little as she’d ever care to admit it, this sort of petty banter was fun. So much of her work was serious arguments and work-arounds and loopholes, that being able to use those skills for joking jabs was an enjoyable turn of events. 

“Ah, just one moment,” Virginia said, her laughter ending abruptly.

Griz watched as she untwined their arms, and walked over to another of her workers. She seemed to be giving the Devil instructions. Griz took the opportunity to look around the room.

It was a touch difficult to make things out given all the steam, and the low lighting of course, but it wasn’t foggy enough that she felt like she couldn’t navigate. The room seemed to be unoccupied save for her, Virginia, and a few workers. No one else was here for a treatment, then? Perhaps they were just in other rooms. The spa itself was a mostly circular pool, a few feet in diameter, with a set of stone steps leading down into it, and a wooden railing. The pool was deep enough to soak in, but neither deep or wide enough to make swimming a viable option. She guessed that it was likely a natural spring, which the bathouse had been built around, with a few modifications. Though Griz had only been standing for a few minutes, already the steam had begun to warm her body from the cold’s biting chill. Her knees had begun to complain again though.

Just as she had noticed this, Virginia had re-appeared at her side, and the worker she had been talking to was nowhere in sight.

“Are you going to stand there the whole time?” the Deviless teased.

“Well, I wasn’t certain if you needed to treat the water first, and I thought you had wanted me to stay here so-”

“So you need orders .”

The Commissioner's face flushed for an entirely different reason. 

“Hah!” she laughed. “Well come on then, get in the water. That is where most of the benefits come from, you know.”

Griz huffed. “I do know.” Still, she padded over to the waters, careful to remove her slippers before stepping in. 

The water was so warm it was nearly a shock. Oh , how good it felt though. Griz lowered herself in the water almost too quickly, eager for the relief. Virginia followed shortly behind her. She found somewhere comfortable in the pool and settled in, Virginia taking a seat nearby. 

The relief on her smaller joints was near immediate. Those which chilled first, also thawed first. The water coaxed them back malleability again with its wet heat. Griz took the time to stretch and roll her wrists, to open and close her palms, enjoying how quickly her aches had dissolved. Her tendons too seemed looser and more relaxed. All of the writing her job demanded has taken quite the toll on her hands over the years, and though this did not undo it, for one blissful moment it seemed to have wiped away decades of use. She sighed with pleasure. Yes, her daytrip was worth it for her hands alone. Besides, her feet no longer hurt from the walking either.

Griz knew how much she was being pampered when the worker came back to present her and Virginia with large wine glasses. She accepted hers with pleasure, and took a tentative taste. She was surprised to find it tasting of genuine grapes. Griz would take care to enjoy this then. 

“So,” the Deviless began. “Anything that you needed to get off of your chest?”

Griz snorted. “You’re well aware I can’t talk about the Bazaar to people like you.”

Virginia raised an eyebrow over her glass of sherry. “I never said anything about the Bazaar. You could talk about anything really.”

“Hm, yes I suppose that one’s on me isn’t it?” Griz paused to straighten her posture. She felt things shift pleasingly back to where they were meant to be. The water had taken on a softer quality now, which she had not noticed initially. The knots in her shoulders unspooled as she sat, thinking. The heat had started to permeate deeper now that she had been soaking in it. It sank down to her very core in the very best way. “Well, I suppose… There was quite an incident with paperwork over this summer.” Griz chose her complaint carefully. Something that had genuinely bothered her, yet nothing that would cause diplomatic complications if she said too many details.

“Oh, yes, paperwork incidents tend to be quite the worst of things, don’t they?”

Griz chuckled. “I can’t imagine what you have to deal with.”

“Oh, you’d never believe the stories I could tell!”

Thus, they had found their conversation. Mutual complaining about legal systems and incompetent interns. As Griz let out her mental frustrations, she felt her body relax too. Tension slowly melted away in the spa. Her hips, knees, spine, all of it ceased its complaining. She was content to savour the euphoric feeling. At one point, she became convinced that such looseness could only be rivaled by a puppet, cut from its strings. Groans and creaks became happy sighs and light laughter. Her body no longer seemed so heavy, physically and emotionally. 

The water seemed to have an effect on Virginia as well, for at one point Griz became aware of a contented-sounding hum, coming, inexplicably, from her companion. It continued even while she talked.

Griz was very glad she had taken a day off. There was nothing better she could think of than to continue enjoying this moment of luxury. She even got to complain about her coworkers, and wasn’t that nice? Both winter's painful bite, and her Tragedy-based worries were kept at bay, and she could truly relax, at least for a little while.

[frownyalfred]

[fallenlondonficswap]

2024 Fic Swap Event Information

On September 12, assignments will be given for the secret gift swap and the public portion of the event will go live in the form of a google sheet.

Event will end November 25.

The deadline to drop out is November 15. Life is unpredictable and I'm very understanding if you need an extension or need to drop out. This is a flexible event not meant to be stressful. I only ask that you please communicate with me so I can arrange an alternate writer or plan extended time.

I'm aware it can feel daunting to write about others' OCs, and it's entirely optional! Ideas for types of fics to write include: NPC character studies, second person/game style, explorations of locations, etc.

Most of all: be creative, have fun, and enjoy practicing the craft of writing! Don't be nervous. Your writing is good enough to participate.

How it works:

There will be both a secret gift swap and a public portion of the event. For the secret swap, everyone will be randomly assigned another participant to write for (matches based on game experience level), to ensure everyone receives at least one fic.

The public event will operate similarly to "artfight," in which you'll be able to view people's wishes for fic and write something for any participant(s).

After the participant list is posted, please DM me if there's anyone you don't want to be partnered with for any reason. No questions asked. This information will never be shared. During the event, if you receive a gift that doesn't align with your interests or includes content you explicitly said you didn't want, don't be scared to let me know. We'll work it out.

The event moderator reserves the right to remove a participant who fails to follow event guidelines.

Rules:

This event is limited in scope to Fallen London and not the tie-in games. I'm aware some overlap exists with the tie-in games which is okay to reference, but fics should be focused on Fallen London.

Submissions should be a minimum of 250 words with a hard limit of 2500 words. Please feel free to post if you write something outside these parameters, but I will not be reviewing and reblogging them.

Keep it relatively 13+, around the same level as the game. This includes not only sexual content but depictions of violence.

You are required to write an item for your secret swap partner. The rest of the event is optional.

Respect others' wishes. You will be shown people's preferences for what they do/don't like and their comfort level with spoilers. Please follow those guidelines when writing something for someone. If you have questions, reach out to me and I can reach out to the person you're writing for on your behalf.

On that topic, please do not write something about your own OCs for someone else, unless they've explicitly said it's fine to write something with both their OCs and your OCs.

When posting a fic, please tag this account and the person you wrote it for. You agree to having your work shared on this account.

You're free to share your work on any social media you like, but it must be posted on tumblr. I will be creating an AO3 collection if you wish to be included in that, too.

Above all else, be kind and respectful of others and their interests even outside the event. See the notice on appropriate community behavior and what could result in removal from the event.

If you ghosted during the 2023 swap, you are not invited to participate in this one. It’s not fair to receive a gift without giving one and not communicate to the organizer. This rule does not include people who communicated that they needed to drop out/needed extensions.

If you have any questions about sign-ups or need anything at all, feel free to ask. (This event is fan run, unofficial, and not affiliated with FBG)

[what-even-is-sleep]

Remembering the time a Secret Santa fic swap had me dm’ing the only other Jewish participant, realizing we went to the same temple in the same city, had seen each other irl AND were just 1 year apart…

[iamnottoph]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! sorry for missing this earlier, i do not keep nearly on top enough of my tumblr notifications lol i love this! love the characterization of the different Months and the touch of hope among the infighting. and the fading roof-sunset is a really pretty image

At Sunset

The sun rarely sets on London, now that it's arrived. But someday, it will again.

Read it here!

Here's my fic for the secret swap part of @fallenlondonficswap! This was for @iamnottoph, who requested (among other things) revolutionaries, the Liberation of Night, and the Brilliant Future

I hope you enjoy!

[aaaaawolfquarters]

Another tbb fic

An AU where things are quite similar to cannon with one major difference:

Omega grew up as part of the batch, as their medic

And Tech is a child on Kamino

[elliethefroggy]

Operation Seduction

One night when Buck is a bit tipsy, he takes one of those online sexuality tests. The internet informs him that he’s bisexual.

After he sobers up, he starts to consider the possibility that he’s not as straight as he’d previously thought. He takes a few weeks to discretely stare at pretty men. Reads through some forums. Wanders into a few gay bars. Has one very messy make-out session with a man in one of those gay bars (it’s for science).

Thanks to his very scientific research, he realises that not everything you read on the internet is a lie, and that yes, he’s bisexual.

But that realisation doesn’t change the fact that he’s looking for a long-term commitment, no longer interested in flings and one night stands. He wants to settle down.

Though thanks to his recent revelation, this does mean that his dating pool has significantly expanded, allowing room for a whole new gender.

Then in waltzes Tommy, here to save the day. Here to fly them into a literal hurricane. Tommy Kinard. Hot pilot extraordinaire with an amazing cleft chin, an even better ass, pecks Buck wants to smother himself with, and attractive amount of confidence to boot.

How could Buck resist?

But before he gets ahead of himself, Buck has to figure out if Tommy is actually attracted to men. This is rendered easy by the fact that Chimney can’t keep a secret to save his life and is always willing to wax poetic about how cool Tommy is. One not-so-subtle interrogation later, Buck is now aware that Tommy is both very gay and very single.

Excellent.

The next obvious step is to see if Tommy is attracted to Buck. Now Buck knows how to pick up woman. He’s very good at it. He imagines it can’t be that much different to pick up men (if his one make-out session with a man was anything to go by).

But Buck is a changed man. He is Buck 4.0. He doesn’t want to hook up with Tommy. He doesn’t want a one-night stand or a messy make out session in a dark corner of a bar. He doesn’t want to start dating Tommy immediately after sleeping with him only for their relationship to fizzle out a few months down the line because of lack of communication and a misunderstanding of each other’s wants and needs.

So he tests the waters first. Starts hanging out with Tommy more. Gets an invite to those pub quizzes. Takes Tommy up on those flying lessons. Invites Tommy out to as many pretentious craft breweries he can find (that’s another hot tip he weaseled out of Chim).

During all this, his shorts get smaller and smaller. His tops get skimpier and more form-fitting. He wears less sleeves. He starts discreetly flexing in Tommy’s company. He rushes to the gym area whenever Tommy visits the fire station, showing off how much he can lift. He also uses any excuse to take his shirt off around Tommy to the point of pretending to spill greek yogurt all over his front on two occasions.

Buck pays close attention to Tommy’s every expression. He notices when Tommy’s eyes linger on the almost indecent amount of skin Buck is showing. Notices Tommy staring at Buck’s biceps whenever Buck forgoes sleeves. Notices Tommy’s gaze slide down to Buck��s lips whenever they’ve had a little too much fancy craft beer.

Operation Seduction is a go.

Buck ever so slowly starts making their hangouts more and more romantic.

At first, it’s just sandwiches on a bench in a nice park after a shared workout session.

Yes, he did stake out the park beforehand.

Yes, he did choose a nice, secluded bench where they wouldn’t bothered by too many people.

Yes, the bench just so happens to be located next to a very nice flower bed.

And yes, he did spend an hour preparing these sandwiches before the gym, and they tasted fucking fantastic. Admittedly, the deliciousness of the sandwiches does become detrimental when Tommy bites into his and moans around his mouthful.

He takes Tommy out to a nice restaurant with low lighting, cosy booths and excellent pasta. No candles on the table yet, though; it’s too soon for candles. But, the tables are small enough that Buck and Tommy’s long legs are pressed together during the whole meal.

He starts carrying around Tommy’s favourite snacks whenever he has a flying lesson.

(Buck’s heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and Buck is taking that very seriously).

Buck thinks his plan is going brilliantly, that he’s the height of discretion.

Tommy being Tommy, he notices all of this. From Buck’s outfits losing more and more fabric to the ever-closing distance between their bodies. He lets it play out for while, wanting to see where Buck goes with whatever he’s doing, but all Buck does is shower him in ever more delicious sandwiches.

It’s not until they’re having a not-officially-romantic walk along the beach as the sun is setting that Tommy finally asks the question he’s been puzzling over for a few weeks.

“What exactly is going on here, Evan?” Tommy asks.

“What do you mean?” Buck asks back, knowing exactly what Tommy is referring to, but trying to buy himself a little time. He’s figuratively hitting himself over the head because of course a sunset walk along the beach was too obvious. They should have gone bowling instead; there’s nothing romantic about bowling shoes.

“Come on,” Tommy says, “The fancy dinners, the even fancier sandwiches, the sunset walks,” he says, waving at the beach they were standing on, the gentle orange rays turning everything soft and golden.

“Ah. Right. That.” Buck says, pondering what to say. He settles on honesty because he would have had to admit to his plan eventually though that was meant to be at the end of Part 3 of Operation Seduction, and he’s only half way through Part 2. “Well, I’m attempting to seduce you.”

It takes a moment for the words to truly register in Tommy’s mind. And then hope inches its way in.

Because Tommy had an inkling that Evan was attracted to him. But he hadn’t allowed the hope to grow; he’d been burned one too many times when it came to romance.

Tommy enjoys Evan’s company, enjoys it more than he probably should. Evan was a fun, lovable man with a beautiful personality and the face to match. What’s not to like. But Tommy hadn’t wanted to ruin their growing friendship by testing out if Evan really liked him or not.

And here’s Evan, having the courage to try what Tommy could not.

“If you’re not interested, I’ll stop immediately, of course. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Evan says when Tommy is quiet for too long.

“I never said I wasn’t interested.” Tommy says immediately, and then watches as a gigantic and oh so sincere smile blossoms on Evan’s face. Tommy can’t do anything but smile back.

“That’s good. Because I really like you,” Evan says.

“Yeah?” Tommy asks, trying to not sound as breathless as he feels because that hope that he has been beating down with a broom is rising up tenfold.

“Yeah,” Evan says, “Does this mean I can continue seducing you?”

“Seduce away,” Tommy says, then adds because he wants Evan to understand, “But you do know I don’t need all that?” Tommy is more than willing to start making out with Evan on the spot now that he knows he hasn’t been imagining all the wanting looks Evan’s been sending his way.

“But I want to,” Evan says, “It’s just, well, I’ve been told that I sometimes take things too fast, especially with dating, and I’m trying to be better about that. I want to be better. I want to do this properly. You’re the kind of person who deserves it. You deserve to be properly courted.”

“Courted? I’m being courted now.”

“Yes.” Evan nods. And Evan means every word, and Tommy sees that, and Tommy really wants that.

“Okay,” Tommy says because what else do you say when a hot, sincere, wonderful guy informs you that he wants to court you in the 21st century? You agree.

After that conversation, they are both on the same page. They’re not dancing around each other, they’re actively dancing towards one another. Though it’s less dancing and more Evan sashaying towards Tommy, a peacock strutting about with its tail feathers out on full display. They both know full well where this is going, how this dance ends, and they’re both happy to take their time on the journey there.

(Though Tommy is a bit impatient to get to the kissing part because he thinks he’ll enjoy kissing Evan quite a lot. But the joy on Evan’s face whenever Evan gets to do something even remotely romantic for Tommy makes the wait worthwhile.)

Once Buck has Tommy’s full permission to continue with seducing him, Operation Seduction goes to a whole new level. No longer needing to be subtle with his interest, Buck gleefully skips all the way to Part 5.

He goes on full seductor mode.

And Tommy has no idea what to do with himself. He hadn’t realised how much Evan was holding back until Tommy gave him the ‘go ahead’, but having Evan’s full attention on him is a thing to behold.

There are hikes in the hills surrounding LA accompanied by picnics at the very top with spectacular views and spectacular company (and also sandwiches that somehow get even fancier).

There is even more craft beer in places so obscure that even Tommy’s never heard of.

There are movie nights filled to the brim with some of Tommy’s favourite romcoms.

It’s not until Evan takes them to a drive-in movie of Love Actually that Tommy realises Evan has an informant, but Tommy is having so much fun that he doesn’t give Chim shit for revealing all his secrets to Evan.

Evan opens the door for Tommy at every opportunity he can get. When they drive somewhere together, Evan will ask Tommy to wait so that Evan can rush around the car to open Tommy’s door for him all the while Tommy stares at him bemused, but charmed all the same.

There are candle-lit dinners with rose petals scattered over the tablecloth. Tommy’s being showered in so many amazing home-cooked meals that he considers upping his work-outs just so he can eat more of them.

And flowers. There are so many flowers. The first time Evan offers him a bouquet, Tommy doesn't know what to say; no one has ever given him flowers before. Tommy couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. He’s sure Evan noticed because barely a week later, he gets another bouquet. Tommy had to go and buy himself a vase because he didn’t have anywhere to put them.

Throughout all of this, Evan is constantly asking Tommy if something is ok, checking in to make sure Tommy isn’t uncomfortable.

On their second sunset walk along a beach, Evan asks Tommy if he can hold Tommy’s hand. And of course, Tommy says yes. Evan’s hand is about as big as Tommy’s, and it’s so warm in Tommy’s own.

After that, Evan is always asking to hold Tommy’s hand no matter where they are or what they’re doing. Tommy says yes every single time. Even if it’s during a long hike or just after a gym session together when their hands are both sweaty and disgusting. And despite doing it so often, Evan always has that big smile on his face whenever Tommy agrees. Tommy is just the same.

But after a few weeks, the anxiety starts creeping in.

Because Tommy’s not used to this. Not used to so much effort being put into dating him (Are they even dating yet? Tommy’s not sure; it definitely feels like dating. But when in the courting process is Tommy allowed to call it dating? He should ask Evan for clarification.)

When it comes to romantic relationships, Tommy is usually the one doing all the work, coming up with all the outing ideas. He’s not used to the reverse, and he’s not completely sure how he’s meant to act in this situation.

When he asks Evan if he should be returning the seduction, Evan smiles at him and says, “You ask me that as though you haven’t already inadvertently seduced me. That terrible fake mouth static really did it for me.”

Evan informs him that he’s meant to sit back and enjoy the ride, nothing more. And so Tommy does.

(Tommy does also ask if they’re allowed to call it dating yet, but according to Evan’s clipboard and the very detailed spreadsheet attached to the clipboard, it is still too early call it dating. Tommy nods in agreement when Evan informs him of that, but Tommy still calls it dating in his head.)

(Tommy tries to ignore how hot and bothered it makes him to see Evan with the clipboard because, according to the spreadsheet, what he wants to do to Evan is not in the cards any time soon.)

But then it’s Buck’s turn to be anxious. The last time he took it this slow was with Abby, and that did not end well.

Despite the very detailed plan, despite all the thought he’s put into Operation Seduction, he wonders if maybe he’s taking it too far.

He knows not everyone likes this pedantic side of him, especially when he’s got a clipboard at hand.

When he shares these worries with Tommy, when he suggests that maybe they give up the plan entirely and just admit that they’ve basically already been dating for months, Tommy refuses.

“You made a colour-coded spreadsheet. Of course, we’re finishing the plan.” Tommy is invested now even though he has long since been seduced. Also, fuck knows how much time Evan took to make the spread-sheet. “What’s next?” He asks.

Evan smiles as he looks down at his phone to open said-spreadsheet (constantly carrying around a clipboard can be a hassle, so he also has a digital version on his phone. Tommy would not mind constantly seeing Evan with a clipboard).

“Uh, right. Next up is star-gazing.”

And so they go star-gazing, and they have an amazing time, just like they always do.

One day, Evan hesitantly asks Tommy if he wants to go on a hot air balloon ride. Like every time Evan asks him for something, Tommy says yes.

Even though Tommy is used to these heights, the hot air balloon ride is amazing (though that could have more to do with Evan than anything. Evan who handed him the largest bouquet of flowers yet before they lifted off and who packed them a whole bunch of Tommy’s favourite snacks for the ride.)

As they admire the view, Evan showers him in so many hot air balloon facts that even the person flying them is riveted.

Evan quiets down after a while because even he had to run out of facts eventually.

Instead, they quietly watch the small world beneath them, shoulders pressed against one another, not an inch of room between them. And it’s nice. It’s so wonderfully nice that Tommy’s starting to suspect that that he’s going to want to keep this, to keep Evan for a long, long while.

“So how far along in the plan are we?” Tommy asks instead of asking how much longer before he gets to kiss Evan.

“Actually, funny you should mention that. This is actually the before-last part of the plan.”

“What’s the last?” Tommy asks.

Evan turns to face him, their shoulders no longer pressed together, but their bodies still so close.

“Tommy Kinard,” Evans says, grabbing Tommy’s hand and interlacing his fingers with Tommy’s, “Will you do me the honour of dating me?”

“There is nothing I would love more,” Tommy says, because again, what else can he say?

They lean into each over even further. Tommy lets go of Evan’s hand and instead places two fingers underneath Evan’s chin, tilting Evan’s head up towards him. And finally, after all this time, they kiss.

Operation Seduction is a resounding success, and the infamous spreadsheet will one day be framed and hanging in a place of honour in their future home.

[idliketobeatree]

PALASAKI WEEK [day 3: possessions & parasitism/rescuing] @palasakiweek

a collab with the most wonderful writer, friend, and dead gay detective wife @tumblerislovetumblerislife: 🩷

summary:

“I need to talk…” Crystal took a deep breath and continued, “…to the thing inside Niko. The demon. I have a really attractive offer.” The demon forced Niko upright in jerky, unnatural movements, the fully black sclera only adding to the horror movie effect. Nothing at all like Niko’s sweet brown eyes. Crystal fought back a shiver. “You’ve got nothing I want, sweetheart. I just need to read one pesky little book, and then I’ll be on my way! So stay out of it.” Or: A newly sprite-free Crystal will do whatever it takes to save a victim of demonic possession: her neighbor, Niko Sasaki.