I like to think deeply about how LonelyEyes would work, but I’m also just like ‘Elias took one look at Peter and decided he needed that snobby rich boy coochie (and also his money)’.
Thinking about touch starved Peter again. Touched starved Peter that trembles every time Elias kisses him. Touch starved Peter who pants and shakes just because Elias touches his bare chest or stomach and it’s so, so much for a Lonely avatar. Touch starved Peter who cries during sex because of how overwhelmingly good it is. Touch starved Peter who babbles stupidly during sex and says sweet things he’d never normally say because of how overwrought he is. Elias who keeps on overstimulating touch starved Peter during sex because of how much he enjoys the sweet babbling (and maybe he wants to see if he can get a Lonely avatar to say ‘I love you’).
So Jonah canonically wears the same old ass haircut across multiple vessels, and all I can imagine is someone seeing pictures of the past heads of the Archives and being like ??? at the fact they all have the same haircut and the same grey eyes. And probably the same old suit too, considering Tim’s ’waste of a suit’ comment.
This is definitely the behaviour of a man who likes paperwork.
I often see people depict Elias as the snobby, prim rich boy between Elias and Peter and here’s my argument for the opposite: Peter canonically talks about being an aristocrat and scion of a powerful household, casually mentions dropping unfathomable amounts of money on personal projects, acts like a spoilt child when he doesn’t get his way, spends all his time on his yacht ship chilling in his cabin and having meals delivered to him, insults Jon by calling him ‘grubby Jesus’ which is just so fucking snobby oh my god, has a family that clearly values appearances, and then there’s his ritual. God, his ritual. I mean:
“I still remember seeing the headline, there in black and white: “The Loneliest Building in Britain.” Trouble is, everyone I picked was white middle-class, so people actually cared, falling over themselves to declare it “emblematic of the problems of the modern world.”
He’s such critical levels of snobby rich boy that his ritual failed specifically because he’s so short-sighted about privilege (he also, like an arrogant little rich boy, insisted on picking people himself despite being surrounded by more qualified people, because of course he did).
Elias, meanwhile, is like a 200 years old man who is referred to as a ‘waste of a suit’, loves paperwork, wears the same haircuts for so long that other people notice how old fashioned they are, and is happy to let his vessels reach middle age and older. He’s an old man who likes paperwork and was able to pretend to be a well-meaning, but somewhat incompetent boss for years. Like, this guy isn’t the snobby rich boy between them; he actively uses Peter’s snobby rich boy status to benefit himself.
I never really see people talk about the power dynamic between Peter and Elias, and I find it… interesting, and a little sad. Because it’s obvious Peter thinks they’re on somewhat equal ground, while Elias has spent their entire relationship building a cage around him with such expertise that Peter doesn’t even notice the bars. Not once does Elias do something at Peter’s demand. It’s always Peter giving in to Elias, over and over, until he finally sees how trapped he really is - but by then, it’s too late for him to do anything about it.
Summary: Peter glanced up at the clock, then back down at Elias. “Sex,” he said finally, choking out the word.
Elias almost burst out laughing. “I beg your pardon?”
“Sex. I need to have sex with you.”
“I see,” said Elias, now grinning from ear to ear. “So, you’ve gotten yourself cursed, and the only way to break this curse is… to have sex with me? Is that right?”
Peter looked very much like he wanted to sink into the earth until he suffocated and relieved himself of this terrible humiliation. “Yes.”
Note: I finally did it fellas, I finally wrote a ‘A Leitner Made Them Do It’ fic.
Satisfaction by thinkatory | 4k | Complete Summary:Peter is nothing if not comfortable with the status quo. “Don’t you ever want to try something new, Peter?” “Like what?” Peter asks, in open sarcasm. “Skydiving?” “You might take a risk or two beyond the obvious.” Elias hates his fascination with the perfect cut of Peter’s suit, the angle of his jaw, the fullness of his lips. It’s not a singular obsession, but it would be easy to set aside if only Peter wasn’t such a tease. “Isn’t there anything you’ve thought of doing in the last few years that isn’t fooling around with work of the Lukas sort?” Peter drinks as he muses on that. “I’ve thought about making more trouble for you,” he admits. “Did you want to make a bet? I’d like that.” This goes about as well as you can imagine. Notes: A fic about a bet with Elias backfiring on Peter. Beautifully written, with on-point characterisation, entirely believable, and very hot.
Alone at the Edge of the Universe by PossiblyHuman | 20k | Incomplete Summary: He couldn’t help it. He was twelve, and had never been fond of reading. Perhaps if he had known this would have been his only chance to read this story, he would have paid more attention. Instead, he closed the book, stroking his hands over the coat one more time before hanging it back on the hook branded with his initials.There was a feeling of intense sadness, leaving it there like that. It tore at him, deep in his core as he walked to the door. Basically begging him to go back for it. He ignored it. If he could ignore the cries of his own siblings, a coat would never hold any sort of a sway over him.
(Or, a self indulgent au where the Lukas family are all repressed and cursed selkies, and Peter deigns to ignore that. Until he no longer can anymore.) Notes: I was completely uninterested in selkie fics until reading this, because it’s just that good.
Simon Says by navree | 5k | Complete Summary: It is the surety of the sentence, the way that Simon is absolutely convinced in what he says, like it’s the simplest fact.
Five times two very old men discussed the status of a young third party (and the one time that status changed). Notes: So emotionally devastating that I will never recover. All of this person’s fics are just brilliant, well-written and well-characterised, but this one is just heart-wrenching in a way that you don’t really expect with characters like these. I have to share in the sadness. Bonus: I don’t subscribe to the whole ‘Peter died to protect Elias’ secrets’ hc, but this person’s writing is so good I don’t even care.
A Net of Gossamer by navree | 11k | Complete Summary: Peter gives James a smile then, as uncharacteristic as anything for a Lukas, though it’s just as sharp as the last time he did, like a mouth filled with knives and hard edges, and though light, filled with mockery. James finds that he doesn’t necessarily mind it.
Notes: Another brilliant fic by Navree! All the compliments for Simon Says applies here too.
Unwanted Looking-After by NevillesGran | 4k | Complete Summary:Peter all but fell out of the Forsaken, which had never happened before. He had also never been seen—worse, known so intimately. He had never, in his life or worst nightmares, spoken for twenty minutes straight about himself. “Come now, Peter,“ said Elias. "I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
Peter has lost a bet and just barely survived his encounter with the Archivist. His day gets worse from there. Notes: This fic lives rent-free in my brain. Like the others, magnificent characterisation, well-written, and the ending hit me like a freight train (in a good way. You know, a ‘whao that is an incredibly hot concept I’ve never considered before and I’m adding it to my degeneracy’ sort of way).
365 daily affirmations for healing and positive thinking by serenfire | 5k | Complete Summary: The florist asks, “So, who should I address these flowers to?” Martin can’t seem to get the words out. This was, unequivocally, a bad idea. Georgie gives Martin one last, wicked smile. “Write: To Peter Lukas. From Elias Bouchard.” This was a really, terribly awful, extremely bad idea, and it’s definitely going to end with Martin’s death. Notes: Absolutely hysterical.
get off (i’ll only call you after if you say i can) by lewdwizard (sillywizard) | 1k | Complete Summary: There is a particular flavor of loneliness, Peter thinks, to anonymous sex. Two parties seeking closeness, connection, from a stranger, ending the night in an empty bed with nothing but the hollow satisfaction of an orgasm. The physical closeness plays so nicely off the emotional distance, sharing such intimacy with someone you will likely never see again. It should come as no surprise that, when on land, Peter tends to frequent glory holes. Notes: Just some hot, hot gloryhole LonelyEyes.
Ready for your use by LonelyPirate | 3k | Complete Summary: Elias is having a great time. Peter not so much. Notes: Apparently I really like fics where Peter has Elias’ dick in his mouth. Anyway, hot, well-written, and the concept and execution is just [chefs kiss].
