okay but modern fitzier wedding planning AU thots based on this post and @anthonymire's genius tags
sophia has finally agreed to marry francis, despite her own misgivings and those of her family (is she doing this to spite her father? abso-fucking-lutely)
she chooses jfj as their wedding planner because he's got a reputation for being meticulous and will also do rush jobs
but in this AU sophia is also like...a high powered career woman
francis is still a sad sack, perpetually unemployed, in love with the sea and sometimes hired to captain expeditions taking researchers to the arctic
point being he has more time than sophia lately and also "francis YOU are the one who wants this wedding to happen so badly, YOU can deal with planning the blasted thing"
okay
meets fitzjames. immediate hatred.
sophia is Amused. No, they cannot change wedding planners.
scenes of james dragging francis around to different venues, cake tastings, caterer tastings, stationary shops, suit fittings, etc.
becomes increasingly obvious he knows sophia not at all
but is also wildly attracted/drawn to james
they ALMOST have some heart-to-hearts about how francis is becoming less and less sure he wants to go through with this
and also a lot of lingering touches (you invent reasons to touch his skin) and near-miss kisses
eventually francis is just like 'james. PLEASE just plan the whole thing. do whatever you want with it'
it is. Carnivale themed.
oh no
francis is gonna go through with it, he and sophia are at the alter, and then someone sets the fucking place on fire???? and they all have to evacuate and like. sitting on the steps afterwards covered in soot. he and sophia are like..."are you kind of...relieved? Oh thank god, me too, let's not do this, let's just stay friends"
anyway james thinks francis must be crushed and offers to take him for a drink (francis doesn't drink, but dinner would be lovely. the catering is all basically bricks of coal at this point and he's hungry)
so they go to dinner
and there is HEAVY flirting and suddenly they're like why the FUCK are we in a restaurant?????
and take a cab back to james' and fuck like animals
and live happily ever after