#wip: the orchid aroma

[elliotwriteswords]

the orchid aroma (nanowrimo 2023 project)

title: the orchid aroma

genre: crime

themes: found family; self discovery; acceptance; trust; lgbt & polyam relationships

synopsis:

Augustus Clove is a world-renowned thief. He is the best of the best; he's stolen countless things across the globe, other thieves look up to him, and no one has ever been able to catch him. Only one person has come close, and that's insurance investigator Grant Albright, who has been chasing him for several years. Unexpected circumstances cause their game of cat-and-mouse to end when they have to put their differences aside and work together to steal a famous necklace (with the help of Grant's wife Celia and Augustus' criminal friends). They will need to learn how to trust one another and navigate through confusing feelings in order to pull off this heist.

main characters:

augustus clove is a world-renowned thief, grifter, & mastermind. he is the most charming person you will ever meet (& the most handsome), which he constantly uses to his advantage. he enjoys the finer things in life & likes to live expensively, but he also knows how to stay simple when necessary. it may seem like he has a lot of friends but colleagues might be a better descriptor; as a criminal, most of the people in his life can never stay for long so he is very loyal to those he allows to get close to him, scarce as they might be

grant albright is the insurance investigator who has been chasing augustus for the past few years & is celia's husband. he is the only person who has ever been a match for augustus & he knows him better than anyone. he is a little chaotic, a little intense, & a little repressed, but celia & augustus help to bring out the best in him. also he really loves his wife

celia albright is grant's wife who gets thrown into this world entirely by accident but honestly she isn't mad about it, as she finds she's very well-suited for this kind of life (even more than grant, much to his dismay). she's basically up for anything & enjoys trying new things, even when it's illegal

bennett m. acer, or ace to anyone who knows (of) them, is one of the best hackers there is. they are often underestimated because of how young they are but they are extremely skilled & fast-thinking. also they definitely have adhd

darcy wheeler is a fence who augustus frequently works with. she's a whole lot of fun, is very friendly, & might as well be made of sunshine because she can & will brighten your day

juliet de vere is a thief & has known augustus the longest. she doesn't talk about her past much but she is proud of who she is today

micah hart is a getaway driver who is kinda new to the whole 'being a serious professional criminal' thing but he is trying his very best!! also an adhd king

robin blakely is a forger & is a little intimidating before you get to know him but he's actually a big softie. it's surprisingly easy to worm your way into his heart, which is probably why he's so closed off at first

piper hayes is a thief who mostly only does what's best for her, regardless of whether it'll hurt others. working with a team & genuinely caring about them is an adjustment for her but she learns how to put them first

ellery ball is a thief who normally sticks to himself, but he owes augustus so he agrees to be a part of his team. he isn't too thrilled to be working with so many others, but especially with piper after she had double-crossed him several years ago. it takes some time, but he eventually grows to trust the team (yes, including piper)

[seokmingiggles]

65 song lyric prompts. (+ requests are now open!)

Happy three-month anniversary of me posting my first fic! To celebrate, I’ve decided to re-open my requests! This time, I’m opening requests for drabbles only (so I’ll be writing for pieces approximately 0.5-2k in length). As I am still in the middle of my semester, I do not want to have longer requests on the back burner to worry about (and I have far too many wips, too... remind me why I’m doing this again?).

Something else that I’m doing differently this time around is supplying some potential prompts to include with your desired member (or group if you’d like a surprise pairing; I enjoy doing that, too!). I will mention that the lyrics listed below are entirely optional to include in your request.

If you do decide to include a lyric in your request, I will either use it directly in your story or as a concept to determine the overall tone of the fic. (What I mean is, don’t be surprised if your chosen song lyric isn’t explicitly mentioned in your requested piece!)

The lyrics listed below are a blend of fluff and angst; feel free to include a specific genre in your request, too, if you’d like! And this is a friendly reminder that I won’t write anything regarding incredibly sensitive topics or NSFW. Here is my request faq page if you’d like a refresher!

(Lastly, here’s a quick shoutout to @woozisnoots​ for supplying me with the last three song lyrics on this list. Thanks again, Alex!)

"Those three words now are home." Broods; Four Walls.

"Come and kiss me slow." Niki; Spell.

"You'll be my best friend until we grow old." Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler; this is how you fall in love.

"So pull me tight and close your eyes." Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler; this is how you fall in love.

"I want to embrace you like I did then." Seventeen; Habit.

"I want things like they were before." 88rising, Niki, Phum Viphurit; Strange Land.

"The starlight of the day we saw together." Tomorrow x Together; Magic Island.

"The smile that you gave me." Billie Eilish; i love you.

"There's nothing stopping you from leaving." EDEN; love, death, distraction.

"Hold my breath another minute." The Japanese House; Lilo.

"Every move was just habitual." The Japanese House; Lilo.

"I keep looking for something even though I know that it's not there." The Japanese House; Maybe You're the Reason.

"We don't touch anymore." The Japanese House; We Talk all the Time.

"And all the ideas, and the hope I'd never ask him for, I'll throw them away." dodie; Cool Girl.

"And I'm kissing pillow lips, drunk off saccharine potions." Niki; Pandemonium.

"I won’t take you for granted because you loved me as I am." Seventeen; Fallin' Flower.

"I met you, and I realized that everything has a reason." Seventeen; Fallin' Flower.

"In my heart, it’s only you." Seventeen; Thanks.

"I'll disconnect and keep the heart safe; I replicate emotion." Chase Atlantic; LOVE IS (NOT) EASY.

"I remember your eyes in the moonlight, but I only get to see you in my mind." Daniel Schultz; Bad Company.

"Those little curls on the back of his head bouncing as he steps out of my life, forever." Tom Misch; Movie.

“Two lovers in this mystic dream.” Tom Misch; Movie.

“But would you realize what you meant to me, or was it mystery?” Tom Misch; Movie.

"But when I reach for you, there's just a supercut." Lorde, Supercut.

"In the starlight so blue, remember evenings so yellow." Miles Cameron; Caged Bird.

"I no longer dream of you, but your shirt's still in my dresser." Miles Cameron; Caged Bird.

"Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new." Arctic Monkeys; Do I Wanna Know?

"Thanks for listening to me out of pity." Gallant, Panasonic.

"Say what you want, but I've seen a million faces, and not even one can compete with watching you." Gallant, Céline.

"You are the sunlight that rose again in my life." BTS; Euphoria.

"When you called me, I became your flower." BTS; Serendipity.

"You're something like an angel; you do something to my mind." Pink Sweat$ (feat. Joshua & DK of SEVENTEEN); 17.

"I find solace riding in your front seat ‘till morning." Dizzy; Joshua.

"Think about your lips and the way they kiss; there's so much I really miss about you." Sam Smith; For the Lover That I Lost.

"Guess we'll never know all the beautiful things we could be." Sam Smith; Forgive Myself.

“I love that it's not hard to be in a place where laughing's easy.” Still Woozy; Goodie Bag.

"We don't need much outside of us, do we?" Lauv, Alessia Cara; Canada.

"The way I feel and the way we kiss, swear that nothing else in the world exists." Lauv; Invisible Things.

"Close your eyes; if you're tired, lean on me for a second." TAEMIN, WENDY; Be Your Enemy.

"And I know I like to draw that line when it starts to get too real." Troye Sivan; Talk Me Down.

"Just like the tall sky, the chilly wind, the vast ocean, you’ve become a part of the scenery that I take for granted." Seventeen; Smile Flower.

"We mess around, and laugh too loud, and make the sounds we try to hide when people are around." Conan Gray; Comfort Crowd.

"Flowers bloom even in the falling rain." Hwasa; LMM.

"Will I get to you a little faster if I was the snow in the air?" BTS; Spring Day.

"Wait a little bit, just a few more nights; I’ll be there to see you." BTS; Spring Day.

"But we're the greatest they'll hang us in the Louvre." Lorde; The Louvre.

"You asked for my heart, but I didn't know where to start." The Weeknd; Nothing Compares.

"And I know you don't love me so, but please say it once before I go." Matt Maltese; Even If It's a Lie.

“I hope it’s you they put me in the ground by.” Niki; Around.

"Collecting my thoughts just to keep them on inside." Thomston; April.

"I'm surprised when you kiss me." King Princess; 1950.

“You’re beautiful, that’s what you are, and I still don’t know how we fell in love.” Jeremy Zucker; orchid.

“I ask you just to hold me, hold me tightly, hold my body.” Wet, Body.

“I will lay down by your side; I will keep an open eye while you stare into the Sun.” Jeremy Zucker; hell or flying.

“Listen carefully, winter; you made me bloom. Now I will send forth my blue aroma with my branches; I'll show you that there's another sky.” Younha, RM; WINTER FLOWER.

“Some things stay, and some things fade.” Rei Brown; Wouldn’t It Be Great.

“I find her silhouette dances in the corners of my mind.” Rei Brown; Wouldn’t It Be Great.

“And in spite of it all, you’re still my everything.” Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler; emily.

“So do your worst to me.” Bruno Major; Just The Same.

“I don't need to take your heart; you keep yours, I'll keep mine.” Niki; Lose.

“I'm brittle at the parts where I wish I were strong.” Niki; Lose.

“Inside my blue dream, I want to hold you even if you say we can't.” J-Hope; Blue Side (Outro). 

“Heaven is in reach; does your heart skip a beat when I'm gone?” PARADISE RISING, Fern; Kaori.

“Sometimes is just sometimes, and you know, sometimes never stays.” khai dreams; Sandals.

“I only feel alive when I’m breathing in your air.” pretty havoc; goddess.