Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025, Day Three: Sharing Clothes (Modern AU)
We've reached Day Three of Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025, 'sponsored' by @polyshipweek, and today's prompt is one that I think we can all agree is something fun to do in a relationship -- "Sharing Clothes!" Except, well, I'm turning the prompt on its head a bit for my Modern AU Valicer trio --
Because have you SEEN how different Victor, Alice, and Smiler's bodies are? Smiler sure has, and they're just a little melancholy about what it means for stealing coats and hoodies from their loved ones...
--
“...you know, it kinda sucks that we can’t steal each other’s clothes.”
Alice reflexively grunted in vague agreement – then blinked as the statement properly registered in her head. She looked up from her book to see Smiler on their phone, seemingly unaware that they’d said anything odd. “Beg pardon?” she asked, tilting her head at them.
“What she said,” Victor agreed, frowning at Smiler in confusion. “What do you mean it – i-it’s a shame we can’t do that?”
“Right, I’m dating the world’s most sheltered people – according to my friends, one of the benefits of being in a committed relationship is supposed to be getting to steal your beloved’s clothes whenever the mood strikes you,” Smiler explained, setting their phone aside and sitting up straight. “Like, there’s a sweater that technically belongs to Rita, but I’ve only ever seen Thirteen wearing it because she keeps grabbing it from Rita’s closet. And when she was dating Aaron, Galactica always showed up to hang out in one of his jackets. And I was thinking that it would be fun to do that with you guys…” They swiped a hand up and down their body. “Except that there is no way in hell I’m fitting into any of your clothes.”
Victor bit his lip. “I – ah – I c-can’t really help b-being this t-tall and thin,” he mumbled, pulling his (admittedly quite long and lanky) legs closer to himself.
“Oh, no, I’m not judging or anything,” Smiler hastily said, waving their hand in front of them. “I like the way you look! The Tim Burton style suits you. Just – I’d also like to be able to steal your coat and actually get my arms through the sleeves.”
“Right – you might have a chance with my coat?” Alice commented, looking over at the hooks by the door, where her old red rag hung beside Victor’s fancy blue coat and Smiler’s loud yellow one. “We’re a lot closer in build than you are to Victor.”
“Maybe, but you’re still a lot thinner than I am –and five inches shorter,” Smiler pointed out. “Even if I could get it on, it would never sit right. And the last thing I want to do is wreck the damn thing – kinda defeats the point of stealing it.”
“And deprives me of a coat, which I would prefer not to happen.” Alice tipped her head the other way. “What brought this up?”
In response, Smiler picked up their phone again and held it up for her and Victor’s perusal. On the screen were Rita and Thirteen – the latter in a flame red sweater that hung quite loosely on her rather waifish frame. “They just sent me this,” Smiler explained. “And it just – it got me thinking about how I’d love to be able to do that with you guys. Trade sweaters and jackets and all that on a whim. Have something of yours close even when you’re not. Dare to change my fashion sense just to show how much I love you.”
Alice snorted, and Victor hid a chuckle behind his hand. “Thanks...it would be nice to be able to share things like that, though,” she agreed. “I’d like to have something of yours to keep you close as well.” She compared her arm to Smiler’s. “I could probably get into one of your sweaters?”
“Probably,” Smiler agreed, looking her over. “It’d be a really loose fit, but that’s never bothered Thirteen...problem is, I think they’d all be way too short on Victor,” they added with an apologetic glance his way.
“Almost certainly – I have to have all my clothes p-personally tailored,” Victor confessed, blushing. “Nothing fits properly otherwise.” He sighed, picking at his tie. “I’m sorry, Smiler. I do wish–”
He stopped abruptly, fingers stilling their relentless tugging. His brow furrowed as he looked down at the length of cloth around his neck. Then, suddenly, he grinned and pulled it loose –
And tossed it to Smiler, who caught it on automatic. “I, um – I k-know it’s not exactly your style,” he said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “But – well, it would fit you.”
Smiler beamed back at him. “Yeah, it does,” they confirmed, looping it around their neck and tying it in a loose knot like a fancy French neckerchief. “All right then – maybe this year for Christmas I should buy you some ties I wouldn’t mind wearing.”
“Find a few necklaces you wouldn’t mind either,” Alice said, grinning as she unlooped her omega from around her neck and passed it over. “Because I’m not being left out of this.”
Polyship Week 2025 wrapped up yesterday -- thank you once more, @polyshipweek -- so now it's time to list and link all the fics I wrote for it in one convenient place for your reading pleasure! Though, considering I wrote for a different AU almost every day this particular Polyship Week, I'm going to do this particular masterpost in the style of the OT3 Week masterpost -- straight up list the fics in order by day, with the relevant AU next to it in parentheses (linked to its tag). Everybody happy with that? Okay, here we go:
Day One: Kidnapped (Londerland Bloodlines)
Day Two: Rain (Valicer In The Dark)
Day Three: Sharing Clothes (Modern AU)
Day Four: Meet The Family (Running Headlong Into The Bullshit)
Day Five: Jewelry (Multiplayer Wonderland)
Day Six: Recovery (Valicer Severance AU)
Day Seven: Compersion (Soulmates AU)
Day Eight: Free Day – Games Night (Modern AU again)
...actually, it's very appropriate that I'm doing this in the style of the OT3 Week masterpost, because the Modern AU was the only one I repeated in that week as well. XD Hope you enjoyed all this Valicer and Valicer+ content -- I certainly enjoyed writing it! :)
Well, I implied this was coming back when I posted the Easter Collection of Valicer Not-Incorrect Quotes, and here we finally are: a list of when Victor and Alice (and any other partners in the larger polycules) learn that poor Smiler's birth name is "Marmaduke" (for applicable realities) --
Modern AU: On a visit to Smiler's parents, specifically when their next door neighbor Bob Wickerman's yappy little Chihuahua Nemesis starts menacing poor Victor. An annoyed Smiler yells for Bob to "come collect his damn dog," and when Bob shows up to do so, they end up sniping at each other for a bit, because they really don't like each other. This culminates in Bob going, "Fine -- see you later, Marmaduke," as he leaves, leaving Alice and Victor blinking because WTF?? Shortly thereafter, Matt and Carol come over to see what's going on, and Alice greets them with "I thought you loved your child." After it's explained that Bob let slip the "Marmaduke" name, they explain that that was the name on Smiler's birth certificate when they adopted them, and they felt it was important to keep it as a connection to their past. Smiler is adamant that "it really wasn't," and Alice and Victor both agree the name is awful and they will never use it, not even if they're angry at them.
Valicer In The Dark AU: At the beginning of "Welcome To The Sanctuary" -- that story starts with Alice finding a notice on a public bulletin board from Dr. Kelman asking for the public's help in finding "Alice Liddell, Victor Van Dort, and Marmaduke Kelman" so they can be brought to the Sanctuary and corrected. Alice tears down the notice and runs back to the trio's lair to warn her friends, noting that this definitely spells trouble for her and Victor and that "it's lucky that you're not on here, Smiler -- I guess he's looking for his son instead? Gods, though, what kind of a name is Marmaduke" --
And that's when she and Victor notice that Smiler has gone oddly stiff. Cue Victor remembering how, back when they first met, Smiler told him a couple of times that when you have bad parents, you go and get new ones...but when he and Alice actually met their parents, Matt and Carol seemed perfectly nice. Which doesn't make much sense...except, now that he's thinking about it, Smiler doesn't actually look that much like them... Prompting Smiler to very reluctantly mutter, "...to give him some very unearned grace, his first name is Kellard, so..." A stunned Alice is like "your name is Marma--" only to be cut off by Smiler angrily insisting "My name is Smiler Alton -- I haven't been Marmaduke Kelman since I was twelve years old." Prompting the reveal of their tragic preteen runaway backstory! Yay!
Soulmates AU: Given they're still living with their asshole father at the time, Smiler is introduced to Victor as "Marmaduke Kelman" when they first meet at a party the Van Dorts are throwing -- it's not until later, when they shake hands and activate their soulmate bond, that Victor learns Smiler much prefers, well, "Smiler." Alice, meanwhile, naturally meets Smiler under their preferred name of "Smiler Alton" while they're working at the Mangled Mermaid, and only learns their birth name when she and Smiler activate their soulmate bond as part of the information exchange. She is immediately like "I can see why you go by Smiler" and agrees with them that "Marmaduke Kelman" is definitely a name that should be left in the past.
Multiplayer Wonderland: At the end of the party where little Victor, Alice, and Smiler all meet -- Smiler introduced themselves to their new friends as "Smiler," telling them that their real name is awful, but naturally Dr. Kelman uses "Marmaduke" when scolding them for hiding under a table with two other children for the entire event (a scold that goes completely off the rails when Dean Liddell and his wife show up and are thrilled that their younger daughter finally found some playmates). Naturally, Victor and Alice using Smiler's preferred name instead of their "real" one is one of the reasons Dr. Kelman isn't fond of them. As for the two latecomers to the polycule --
Victoria I'm picturing as learning at some point during the wedding rehearsal -- probably immediately after she encounters Victor at the piano, as I can see Alice and Smiler lingering in the hallway to listen to him play and thus seeing their first meeting...and thus being caught by their respective guardians when they accompany Maudeline to fetch Victoria and figure out where the two have gone. Leading Kelman to apologize for "Marmaduke's" bad manners. Of course, Victoria has grown up with parents named "Finis" and "Maudeline," so she doesn't even bat an eye, though she does use "Smiler" when they make it clear they prefer to be called that.
Emily would have to learn at some point during the Wonderland adventure they have together, since she obviously doesn't encounter Dr. Kelman before then -- since there's probably going to be extra memories from the extra people floating about, it's very likely that one of the ones involving Smiler would use their "real" name. Probably leading to some awkward explanations when she asks "who's Marmaduke?" She too is like "...I see why you go by Smiler" afterward.
Londerland Bloodlines: Smiler manages to keep it a secret for a while, but Alice ends up learning it when, during the assault on The Sanctuary post all the nonsense with the Ministry, either Dr. Kelman or Miles Cedars calls Smiler "Marmaduke" -- her initial reaction is "...seriously???" She offers to keep it a secret from the others if Smiler wants, and Smiler is very tempted, but decides in the end that "nah, let's just get it out there so if it does for some reason come up again nobody's surprised." So post-assault they tell the others their birth name while stressing "this is just a 'FYI' thing, for the love of GOD don't call me this," and once Victor, Victoria, and Emily (along with Lizzie and Bonejangles) are done being like "who the fuck names their kid that" the matter is dropped.
Severance AU: Given the circumstances of the AU, both versions of Victor and Alice know both versions of Smiler as "Marmaduke" when they first meet them, with the Smiler name coming later --
For the Innies, Smiler is introduced to Victor and Alice by Wheatley as their new coworker "Marmaduke A" -- Smiler immediately asks to be called just "M" instead, horrified that that is their name. Victor and Alice of course acquiesce, as they too are like "wtf," and Smiler is "M" for a while until they do the whole "raiding the supply closet for fun stuff and giving everyone Post-It notes to decorate their offices with," when they end up coming up with the name "Smiler" for themselves to represent how much they like making the others smile. (Dr. Kelman is very like "we're absolutely certain the chips are working?" after hearing this.)
For the Outies, Victor and Alice obviously don't know Smiler personally for most of the story -- they only know them by reputation as "Marmaduke Kelman," "son" of the social compliance officer of Aperture Science. It's not until they all end up in the elevator together post-the Innies hijacking the Severance Anniversary party that Smiler is able to tell them "don't call me Marmaduke, my name is Smiler -- and don't call me 'he' while you're at it, I'm nonbinary." And the pair oblige, because they're not assholes.
Valicer Forgotten Vows AU: Much like in the Soulmates AU, Smiler was introduced to Victor as "Marmaduke Kelman" when they first met at one of Nell's parties, and told him they prefer "Smiler" when they ended up finding each other again a bit later. Victor, in turn, tells Alice Smiler's "real" name when explaining their relationship to her, but emphasizes that Smiler hates it. As a result, when Smiler shows up on Houndsditch's doorstep and starts helping with the amnesiac Victor, Alice is able to tell them that she does know that they're "Marmaduke," but promises never to call them that, which Smiler appreciates.
Smiler In Secundus AU: I'm planning for this to come out in the next story I write for my friend Gigs's birthday, in fact, which will feature Smiler meeting the others at one of Richard's tea parties (and wowing them with their tea-making skills). Essentially, when Smiler admits where they're from originally (probably gonna be a town called "X Sector," like in the Tav!Smiler stuff), Doc asks if they were present during the "Dr. Kelman" incident, then elaborates for the others that Dr. Kelman was a social scientist who did horrible brain surgeries on people, and eventually got the pitchforks-and-torches treatment from the townsfolk, who killed him and his child, "Marmaduke Kelman." There's a general sense of "damn, poor kid, and not just because of the name" --
And then someone notices that Smiler's gone stiff and asks if they knew Marmaduke. Cue Smiler going awkwardly, "You could say that..." and everyone realizing they ARE Marmaduke. Smiler makes it clear that they have fully abandoned that name as they hated their father too, and everyone is very happy to continue calling them "Smiler Alton" as they prefer.
Running Headlong Into The Bullshit: My current idea is that, probably during one of their online group chats, Piper starts talking about how she and her family moved to England briefly when she was a kid because her dad's job at the time sent them overseas, and during her time in primary school, she knew a kid named "Marmaduke." Smiler is like "oh goddamn, somebody else named their kid that?!" and it comes out that their birth name is Marmaduke. After the required commiseration/"why the fuck did your parents name you that," someone asks where Smiler went to primary school...
And it turns out that said primary school was the same one Piper went to. Meaning the Marmaduke she knew was them. Alice is like "oh come on, that is a coincidence too ridiculous even for us" while Smiler and Piper laugh and share some childhood memories.
Honorable Mentions -- AKA Victor and Alice find out Smiler isn't Marmaduke, but MAR-MAL, eldritch god of happiness:
Fallout of Darkness: When a raider smashes what Sole Survivor!Victor thinks is just a modified pacification robot, The Smiler, sent to Nuka-World pre-War for PR purposes, which has since gained sapience and has been working with him and Malkavian!Alice to help secure the park before they take on the raiders and free the traders -- shortly after the robotic body fails, Victor and the raider are surrounded by swirling spirals and buzzing static, and the raider ends up dying laughing. Cue Mar-Mal, The Unending Smile, revealing to Victor that they're actually an eldritch being who's been piloting the robot body to make it easier to interact with humans. They help out in their disembodied state as best they can for the rest of the fight, and Victor lets Alice, Piper, and Preston know the truth once the place is secured and they have a private moment. Mar-Mal makes it clear that they don't want to hurt anyone -- they're a god of HAPPINESS, after all -- and after confirming that, everyone is happy to let the god go back in the robot body and keep calling them Smiler. Mostly because that's a hell of a thing to wrap your head around. XD
Ghostbusters AU: At the climax of the AU, where Smiler goes up against Gozer for the fate of Hill Valley -- everyone thinks they're taking a suicidal risk trying to talk the god down, especially when they respond to its question "Are you a god?" with "Yup!" --
And then Smiler's form starts glitching as spirals fill the sky around them, and Victor and Alice (along with Doc and Marty) see strange tentacles extending from their back, wrapping around them to help keep them on the roof...they don't have much time to ponder this at the time because the fate of the world is at stake (though Doc does report it to Clara over the walkie-talkie -- Clara is like "what"), but once the big fight is over and Gozer and Mr. Stay-Puft have been defeated and they've debriefed the mayor, naturally everyone has ALL THE QUESTIONS. Cue Smiler confirming that they're Mar-Mal, an eldritch god of happiness who was summoned back in the 60s by a cult, accidentally killed said members of the cult by removing their ability to feel hunger and thirst (not realizing those were vital to human survival), and -- horrified by the death of their followers -- took on human form to better understand humans and ended up liking it. Everyone is, of course, rather stunned, but as Smiler is obviously a friend (and did help save the world), they manage to roll with it. Especially Victor and Alice, who choose to continue their relationship with Smiler...and discover in the process there are many benefits to dating a god of happiness...
Valicer Not-Incorrect Quotes, Moving In Together Edition
Victor: [hanging out on his couch with Alice and Smiler as they all play on their phones, looks up] Um...can -- can we talk?
Smiler: [looks up from their game] Yeah, what's up?
Alice: [looking up from the cute cat pictures she's been scrolling through] You sound a bit nervous -- which I understand is your natural state of being, but still. Something wrong?
Victor: [little laugh] No, no, I just...I've been thinking a-about this a lot lately, and...w-we've been together, all three of us, for just over a year now. And we know we get along well, especially after that caravan trip we took last summer, and --
Smiler: [realizing what he's getting at] -- and you want to move in together?
Victor: [nods] O-only if you both want to, of course. I just...we spend so much time together anyway, and I like having you around, and -- I just -- I want to take that step.
Smiler: [grinning] I'm game! I've wanted to live with you guys for a while now!
Alice: [smiling] I'm happy to give up my current cramped living quarters to share a space with you, yes. Though I imagine it'll take a little while to find a place that's just right for all of us...
Victor: [little grin] Oh, I think I've already found the perfect place!
Alice: [surprised] Really?
Smiler: Show us!
Victor: [shows them his phone, which has a house listing on it...for a cottage in rural Lithuania]
Alice: [cracks up laughing]
Smiler: [grabs a pillow and thwaps a laughing Victor over the head] And remind me to do that to my dad when we next see him again!
--
[later, on Victor's computer, this time seriously looking for a place to live together]
Smiler: Okay, so, first things first -- we gotta establish our price point. What we think we can actually afford.
Victor: Er --
Alice: [wincing] Yes, that's going to be a bit of a problem, given I'm surviving mainly off what's left of the inheritance I was able to rip from Radcliffe's greedy fingers and a succession of temporary jobs. Suffering from PSTD and hallucinations doesn't make one particularly employable.
Victor: Well --
Smiler: I'm lucky that Mum and Dad were willing to help me with some of the costs when I first moved out and started attending university, but I don't really wanna ask them for another loan. And while I like working at Sunny Brews, the pay there isn't amazing.
Victor: I --
Alice: I wouldn't think so, no. So, small flat?
Smiler: Yeah, I'm sure we can find one big enough for three people that we can all still --
Victor: EXCUSE ME.
Alice: [starts, looks at Victor]
Smiler: [does the same]
Victor: My last name is Van Dort.
[moment of silence]
Smiler: [finally remembering they're dating a trust fund kid] ...holy shit, we could get a house.
Victor: I could get us all individual houses if we wanted.
Alice: [embarrassed laugh] Rather defeat the point of moving in together, wouldn't it?
Victor: We can rotate between them.
--
Smiler: [wandering a HomeSense store looking for stuff for their new house]
Smiler: [stops dead upon seeing a chair that is a giant hand covered in tiny razor-sharp mirror tiles, with the fingernail polish on the wrong side of the fingers]
Smiler: [slowly takes out their phone and texts Victor and Alice] hi you have to come over to the furniture section and see this thing.
Victor: [arriving a minute later] What thing did – what is that.
Alice: [arriving around the same time] All right, what’s so shock – the hell.
Smiler: I vote we buy it solely so we can tell people not to sit in it and have them say “that’s a CHAIR?!”
Alice: That incredibly cursed object is not going to be in any house of mine, thank you.
--
Smiler: [browsing in a grocery store with Victor and Alice for groceries for the new place, finds a box of Hostess Meltamors]
Smiler: [grinning, picks it up and brings it over to where Alice is hanging out with the cart] Hey.
Alice: Hmmm?
Smiler: [shows her the box] Maybe this could be our word for what we are to each other?
Alice: [snorts] It’s not spelled right!
Smiler: Hey, “Metamour” gets a squiggle under it every time I type it anyway, sooo…
Victor: [coming over with some cocoa] What’s going on?
Smiler: [shows him the box] What do you think? Good term for me and Alice?
Victor: [tilts his head] What are you melting?
Smiler: [smirks] Guess.
Victor: [goes pink]
Alice: [chuckling] Amusing as all this is, I can’t help but think that we could make our own, better lava cakes if you really want a snack.
Smiler: Probably, yeah. Want me to go put these back and then we can look up a recipe and see what we need?
Victor: Please.
--
Smiler: [flopping onto the couch after a long day of putting stuff away] Whew! Forgot how exhausting moving was.
Alice: [flopping next to them] Tell me about it -- but it's a satisfying sort of exhausting. And we're almost done getting everything sorted.
Smiler: Yeah, I'm glad. [smiling over at Victor as he flops down on their other side] So -- guess the next step is marriage, huh?
Victor: [rubbing the back of his head] Oh, um, I -- I d-don't want to do that unless I can marry b-both of you.
Smiler & Alice: [share a look]
Alice: [gently] Deciding to marry one of us doesn't mean you don't care about the other one, you know.
Smiler: [nodding] Exactly. We know how you feel, and that's what matters. Whoever you chose to tie the knot with -- if you ever do -- I'm sure we'll both be cool with it. And we always throw our own unofficial second wedding afterward! They can't stop us doing that.
Victor: [looks at them both, then gets in front of them so he can take their hands in his] That was -- very sweet of both of you, and I love you both very much. [sigh] But what I was actually thinking was that I don't want my parents to be able to cut whoever I don't marry out of anything and everything should something happen to me.
Alice: ...oh. Good point.
Smiler: [huffing] Right -- forgot about the legal bits of being married for a second there.
Victor: Yes, so -- yes. [small smile] But if you do want to do an unofficial wedding for the three of us, I'm sure Victoria and Emily would help.
Smiler: Oh yeah, of course we're not going to do it without them.
Valicer Multiamory Month, Day Ten: Meet the family (Modern AU)
We've hit the double digit days now in @polyamships's Multiamory March -- and, in a break from tradition with these "prompt fic" challenges/collections, I've stuck with the same universe for two days in a row! Mostly because when I saw today's prompt, "Meet the family," I knew I wanted to do Victor and Alice meeting Smiler's parents, Matthew and Carol Alton --
But, uh, as it turns out, I only have two universes where Matt and Carol actually show up as Smiler's parents -- the Modern AU and Valicer In The Dark. And I'd actually already written VITD Victor and Alice meeting Matt and Carol as part of the last chapter of "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded" (said last chapter is not actually UP at the time of posting, but still). So Modern AU it was! XD Anyway, here's the trio arriving at the door of Matt and Carol's place, with Victor and Alice about to make an interesting discovery about the pair...
(Oh, and for reference: Carol mentioning Victor getting a special dip with no artichokes is a reference to the original "Meet The Family" set of Not-Incorrect Quotes, where Victor revealed he's allergic to artichokes in response to Smiler texting their mum to make her artichoke dip. The allergy itself is a headcanon based off an old Corpse Bride storyboard. *thumbs up*)
--
“Smiler!”
“Hey, Mum! Dad!”
Victor stared as Smiler practically threw themselves at their parents, wrapping them in a hug that was eagerly reciprocated. Wow...you’d never get away with that in my family, he thought, biting his lip. Mother would consider it so lower-class to actually show affection to her only child, and Father would be more interested in making some terrible joke that wouldn’t land at all… His eyes went to Alice, watching the scene with a sad, nostalgic smile. Then again, at least I have parents, so maybe I shouldn’t complain.
Smiler pulled away from their folks after a moment, grinning to beat the band – though, admittedly, they did that on a regular basis anyway. “Great to see you guys again! I’m really looking forward to this!”
“It’s great to see you!” Smiler’s father – Matt, if Victor remembered correctly – agreed, smile as bright as his child’s. He promptly turned it on Victor and Alice, walking toward them with arm outstretched. “And it’s a delight to meet you two at last! Matthew Alton!”
“Victor Van Dort,” Victor said, taking his hand (and privately hoping his handshake was firm enough). “And this is Alice Liddell.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Alice nodded, offering her own hand in turn.
“Oh, the pleasure is all ours,” Matt assured her, pumping both their arms. “Smiler’s told us so many wonderful things about you two!”
“Anyone who makes them so happy is more than welcome in our home!” Smiler’s mother – Carol, yes – added, coming to join her husband.
“I’m glad to hear–”
Victor blinked as he realized he had to look down rather farther than he’d though to meet Carol’s eyes. “That,” he finished lamely. What – she barely comes up to Matt’s shoulder! I haven’t met anyone so short since Lord Everglot! And that was back in Burtonsville, where I’m used to people being odd sizes! Does she think I’m looming? I hope not… He hunched down slightly, trying to reduce his six-foot-three by a few inches. “T-they’ve told us a lot of n-nice things about you too.”
“Yes – I’m rather looking forward to experiencing you in the flesh, not just secondhand,” Alice said, cool as a cucumber – though Victor spotted her eyes flicking between the pair.
“Oh, us too,” Carol said, beaming. She turned and waved them through the door. “Come on in – we’ve got plenty of nibbles! And don’t worry, Victor, I made a special dip for you. No artichokes, I promise.”
“Thank you.” Victor watched as she went inside with Smiler and Matt, then nudged Alice. “She’s in heels!”
“I noticed! Tall ones too!” Alice shook her head, then smiled at him. “Well – makes our height difference look normal, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose – at least they seem nice.” Victor took a steadying breath, then started in. “Let’s just hope this goes better than when I first met Victoria’s parents.”
Valicer Multiamory Month, Day Three: First date as a polycule (Modern AU)
We're up to Day Three of Multiamory March (as created by @polyamships), and today's prompt is a cute one -- "first date as a polycule!" We all love seeing our favorite ships go out together for the first time, don't we? :) I decided to go with my regular old Modern Human Smiler AU for this one, and cover their very first date after getting together as a trio -- hitting up the roller rink at Smiler's friend Rita's suggestion! Though as you'll see, Victor maybe isn't having the BEST time rollerskating...
--
“I’m starting to regret letting your friend Rita pick what we should do for our first threesome date!”
Victor immediately and fully regretted saying that aloud as two passing fellow rollerskaters gave him funny looks. Alice snorted, then gave his left hand a squeeze. “You might want to use a slightly different term to describe just what it is we’re on,” she informed him with a cheeky smile.
“Maybe go for ‘throuple’ – or ‘triad’ would work too,” Smiler put in, holding tight to his right hand as they rolled on. “Would make everyone take a second longer to go ‘oh, they’re all having sex together.’”
Victor flushed brilliant pink. “We h-haven’t even done that yet,” he muttered, dropping his head to stare at his feet –
One of which promptly slid out from under him, forcing him to forget embarrassment in favor of keeping his balance. “Oh!” he cried, tightening his grip on his partners’ hands as he scrambled to get the recalcitrant limb under control. “Sorry, s-sorry–”
“It’s fine, Victor,” Alice assured him, slowing down so he could straighten up properly. “You’re doing fine, all right?”
“We’ve got you,” Smiler added, squeezing his fingers before shooting him a smile. “We won’t let you fall.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Victor grumbled, managing to get both feet under him again. “Goodness, I feel like I’m ice skating, not rollerskating. Why is this rink so slippery?”
“They do seem to have overpolished it a tad,” Alice said, glancing down at the shiny boards. “But really, you’re doing quite well for a beginner.”
“Yeah!” Smiler agreed with an enthusiastic, encouraging nod. “Way better than I did my first time out!”
Victor looked between them, scanning their faces for signs of sarcasm – and finding none. He blinked. “R-really?”
“Yes, really,” Alice said, tone warm. “You should know by now I mean what I say and say what I mean.”
“Exactly! And hey – if you do want to get off, we can get off,” Smiler assured him, jerking their head toward the rink’s exit. “Go grab some pizza and just chill for a while, no problem.”
Victor looked at them, then at the exit, then at their joined hands. A tiny smile curled his lips. “Well...m-maybe a couple more loops first.”
Okay, time to truly wrap up Valicer Multiamory Month with the masterpost of all the fics that I wrote during said month! (AKA, @polyamships, you really only have to reblog this one if you want to cover everything I did. XD) As per how I usually do things with the Polyship Week masterposts, stories will be grouped by AU (starting with the first one that showed up on Day One), then sorted chronologically by day within those groups. I'll also be noting if a universe is actually more than just the Valicer trio, as I wrote a fair number of stories for Victor/Alice/Smiler/Victoria/Emily (aka Four Victorians Riding A Roller Coaster) universes, plus two for my mega polycule of Victor/Alice/Smiler/Victoria/Emily/Christopher White/Richard Hatter/Preston/Piper (aka the big mega polycule). So here we go:
Severance AU
Day One: First Kiss(es)
Day Five: Cuddles
Day Twenty-Three: Complicated Relationships
Valicer In The Dark AU
Day Two: Hurt/Comfort
Day Thirteen: The polycule taking care of a child or pet
Day Twenty-Two: Space
Day Twenty-Eight: Magic
Day Thirty-One: Morning routine
Modern AU
Day Three: First date as a polycule
Day Nine: Queerplatonic Relationships
Day Ten: Meet the family
Day Twenty-Seven: Kink negotiation
Day Thirty: Kard – Hola Hola MV
Medieval Fantasy AU
Day Four: N+1 things
Day Eighteen: Royalty
Londerland Bloodlines (Four Victorians Riding A Roller Coaster Polycule)
Day Six: Always Room For One More
Day Twenty-Nine: Vampire AU
Valicer Forgotten Vows AU
Day Seven: Secret relationship
Day Fourteen: Confessions
Multiplayer Wonderland AU (Four Victorians Riding A Roller Coaster Polycule)
Day Eight: Friends to lovers
Day Eleven: Home
Day Fifteen: Matching
Day Twenty-One: Dreams
Day Twenty-Five: Family Feud
Running Headlong Into The Bullshit AU (The Mega Nine-Person Polycule)
Day Twelve: Explaining/mapping the polycule
Day Nineteen: Chatfic/the polycule groupchat
All The Fairytales AU (Four Victorians Riding A Roller Coaster Polycule)
Day Sixteen: Outsider POV
Day Twenty: Dancing
Valicer Soulmate AU
Day Seventeen: Soulmates AU
Day Twenty-Four: Trans characters
Day Twenty-Six: Scars
Whew -- long list, huh? But I hope it helps everybody find what they're looking for, should they need the help!
Valicer Polyship Week 2024, Day Three: Reverse Tropes – Convinced Not Actually Dating (Modern AU)
It's Day Three of Valicer Polyship Week 2024, as presented by @polyshipweek, and we're up to an interesting prompt: "Reverse Tropes!" Basically taking a trope and switching it around into its opposite -- the classic "Only One Bed" becomes "Too Many Beds," for example. Now, I wasn't originally going to do this prompt for this day -- I was more interested in "Queerplatonic Partners," as I felt I could write something interesting about Smiler and Alice's dynamic within the OT3 for that one --
And then I ended up writing "someone is a jerk to one of OT3 for some reason, and gets theirs by the end of the story" fics for Alice (Valicer In The Dark version) and Smiler (Soulmates AU version) for Days One and Two of this particular week, and decided that I needed to do a third story on that theme from Victor's POV to round out the trilogy. And when I looked at the linked examples of "reverse tropes" provided by Polyship Week in their write-up on the prompt, I came across this list which included the reverse-trope "Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating." Pair that with various tumblr posts I've seen decrying people being "gatekeepers" when it comes to queer identities, and I quickly came up with a story where poor Victor gets harassed at his first Pride by a jerk who's convinced he's a "cis het faker" and can't believe he's dating Alice and Smiler. :( Sorry Victor -- I had a theme to keep to! And fortunately, as per that theme, he gets his at the end... Enjoy!
--
“So – first Pride, I’m guessing?”
“What – oh, yes,” Victor said, smiling awkwardly but genuinely at his surprise conversation partner as they – they looked like a man, but Victor was not about to make that assumption at Pride – sidled up to him. “A-am I that obvious?”
“I can spot people like you a mile away,” the person replied, looking him up and down. “Ben – he/him, if you care.”
“Oh, thank you – Victor, he/him as well,” Victor introduced himself, offering a hand. “N-nice to meet you.”
“Yeah,” Ben said, giving him a rather perfunctory shake. Then again, Victor supposed a handshake was probably a bit formal for this setting… “What are you doing here?”
“Just t-taking in the sights – my partner insisted we come,” Victor explained, glancing around hoping to spot Smiler or Alice and wave them over. I know I told them I’d be fine on my own for a bit, but they’re both so much better at talking to people than I am… “I grew up in a rather, ah, r-repressed little village, so I never got to experience this before now. It’s been…” He paused, swallowing as someone walked by in a leather harness and not much else. “Enlightening.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Ben said, folding his arms. “Partner, huh?”
“Yes – I have two, actually, but Alice is as new to Pride as I am – oh, there they are!” Victor pointed at Smiler – resplendent in their non-binary stripes tee, favorite pair of worn black jeans, and bright yellow sneakers – and Alice – proudly decked out in a purple dress with white and black triangles along the skirt hem – standing by what looked like one of the merch tables. Smiler was holding something in their hand, showing something to an intrigued-looking Alice. “Those two, right there. They’re really into celebrating who you are.”
Ben looked over at them, then back at Victor with a raised eyebrow. “You came here with them?”
“Yes – my girlfriend and my themfriend,” Victor said, a warm glow suffusing his body as he watched Smiler gesture at the thing in their hand while Alice rocked thoughtfully on her heels. “They’re – they’re the best. I’m quite lucky to have them in my life.”
“...yeah, I’m calling bullshit on that.”
Victor blinked at the sudden harshness in Ben’s tone. “I – what?”
“I said, I’m calling bullshit on that,” Ben snapped, moving a little closer to Victor. “Fuck me – you really think you can just gesture at anyone in this place and say that they’re your partners? Especially those two?”
“I – uh – n-no?” Victor stammered, automatically reaching for a tie that wasn’t there. “I – t-those are my p-partners.”
“Sure. Sure.” Ben looked him up and down again, appraising him and finding him wanting. “Two people like that are gonna want to hang out with you.”
...Oh. Oh wow. Victor had thought he was used to comments like that, but – he hadn’t expected to hear any of them at Pride. Nor for them to sting like that. “T-t-they do,” he insisted, aware that his nervous stutter was not helping matters. “I – I a-admit, I’m not sure why m-myself, but–”
“Save it,” Ben snapped, inserting himself into Victor’s personal space – and suddenly Victor was hyper-aware that, though Ben was shorter than him, he was definitely more muscular. He backed away on instinct, eyes flicking around for the nearest tall object to climb. “I told you – I can spot some cis het faker a mile away. You asshole – you think you can come here, enjoy the party, and claim to be one of us, then go back to being ‘normal’ tomorrow? Huh?”
“N-no! No, of course not – I-I-I’m bi!” Victor babbled, flapping a hand at his blue, pink, and purple sunset sweater while holding the other up placatingly.
“Sure, yeah, you’re ‘bi,’” Ben growled, complete with scare quotes, and somehow that hurt even worse than being told he couldn’t possibly be dating Alice and Smiler. “Just long enough to get a few drinks, anyway. Then you’ll go home to your simpering little girlfriend and tell her all about us ‘queers’ and have a good laugh.” He poked Victor hard in the chest, making him stumble slightly. “Well, I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen. So how about you get your stuff and–”
“Excuse me.”
Ben turned around – and immediately doubled over as Alice’s fist introduced itself to his gut. “How about you get your stuff and clear out?” she snarled, in a tone of voice that Victor somehow knew she had used with Bumby. “Before I decide to show you just how good I am at knife tricks?”
“Alice,” Smiler said in warning – though judging by the expression on their face, they weren’t really all that concerned with stopping her. “No getting us kicked out.” Their eyes narrowed as they regarded the gasping Ben. “But yeah – I’d recommend you fucking skedaddle.”
It was a testament to how angry Smiler sounded that they could use the word “skedaddle” and yet Ben still left, holding his middle and shooting them all confused, slightly terrified looks. “Fucking gatekeepers,” Smiler grumbled, then wrapped a tight arm around Victor. “Hey – you okay?”
“I – I-I’ve been better,” Victor murmured, dropping his hands. “I d-didn’t expect...I t-thought...isn’t t-this whole thing about acceptance?”
“It’s supposed to be, but some idiots think they’ve got reverse gaydar and gotta ruin it for the ‘interlopers,’” Smiler said, rolling their eyes before giving him a squeeze. “Probably would have assumed I was a cis guy too…I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“And I’m sorry we didn’t show up earlier,” Alice said, coming around to give Victor a hug from the other side. “Smiler was rather invested in showing me some of the flag pins they had on display over there – we didn’t realize what was going on until the bastard started getting loud.”
“It’s fine – I’m sorry you had to do that at all,” Victor mumbled, putting his arms around both of them and pulling them against him. “I didn’t...I just…”
“It’s not your fault,” Smiler said firmly, patting his back. “You didn’t anything except exist.”
“Some people are just arseholes – believe me, I would know,” Alice agreed, before stretching up on tiptoe and tugging him to the side slightly so she could kiss his cheek. “But I imagine he won’t be bothering us again now that he knows how prone I am to violence.”
Victor laughed despite himself. “Hopefully...if you don’t get in trouble for slugging someone,” he added, grimacing.
“I think we’ve got plenty of eyewitnesses saying he pretty much started it,” Smiler assured him, looking around at the other attendees before shooting him a grin. “Would picking up a ‘Bi Pride’ pin make you feel better?”
