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hephaestuscrew · 20 days

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“This has both our names on it”: Viewing Fleet and Clara’s relationship in Victoriocity through a queerplatonic lens

TL;DR: By Season 3 of Victoriocity, Fleet and Clara have developed a committed emotional partnership that certainly moves beyond the purely professional. Whilst very much operating as a duo, they can be interpreted as often rejecting or subverting romance-coded elements in their relationship, instead embracing a unique dynamic that can be read as resonating with the concept of a queerplatonic relationship (QPR).

Buckle up because this is over 2,500 words long! If you'd rather read it as a document, you can access it here: Fleet & Clara QPR Google Doc

Disclaimer: I'm not making any claims about creator intent, nor about how anyone else ought to interpret Fleet and Clara's dynamic. It's also worth acknowledging that queerplatonic relationships are inherently defined by the people in them and any attempt to apply such terminology to a story set in 1887 is obviously anachronistic (although whether that should matter when said story also contains a cyborg Queen Victoria is up for debate).

With that said, if we define a QPR as a committed personal partnership which is not entirely captured by the typical expectations of either friendship or romance but may contain some elements typically associated with either (other definitions of QPRs are available), I enjoy viewing Fleet and Clara's relationship through a QPR lens, and I want to talk about some of the reasons why I think this reading works.

***Spoilers for all three seasons of Victoriocity and the novel High Vaultage***

Detective duos

Even before we actually get into Fleet and Clara's particular bond, detective / crime-solving duos as a general concept have QPR energy to me (which probably predisposed me to this interpretation). It's the Holmes-and-Watson legacy. It's the use of the word 'partner' in a non-romantic context (‘associate’ or ‘companion’ can also serve a similar purpose). It's the intense trust and reliance on each other. It's the sense of being a recognisable pair, always appearing together, known as a duo, with skills and attributes that complement each other.

Romantic assumptions

Moving on to Fleet and Clara specifically, one aspect of their relationship that can be read through a QPR lens is how they are often in situations where other people believe or imply that there is a romantic relationship between them. Sometimes this is a deliberate strategy of theirs, and sometimes it’s imposed upon them by others. But I’d argue that there’s never a point where they both simultaneously seem entirely comfortable with that romantic narrative for their relationship. Usually one of them will actively deny the assumption or react negatively to the implication:

When Mrs Hampshire interprets Clara and Fleet as a couple experiencing “young love”, Clara might be happy to adopt this as an effective cover story, but Fleet seems unsettled and keen for them not to be perceived this way: “No. No. You’ve misunderstood, we are not, that is to say I am…” (S1E2)

When Warden Hughes assumes Fleet is the new Warden and Clara is the new Warden’s wife, Clara says “I am certainly not”, with emphasis on the ‘certainly’. (S2E2)

Fleet definitely doesn’t sound enthused when he realises Clara has gone for a married couple as their cover story at the Grand Salcombe: “I am sure I’ll regret asking, but by any chance am I [Mr. Theasby?]” (S2E2)

When Titus Byrne tells the pair “I take it you're happy sharing [a room]”, Clara responds with a horrified “What?” (S3E4) (Obviously sleeping in the same room isn’t inherently romantic, but it is often perceived that way.)

Of course, fake dating and external assumptions of romance are very common tropes in romantic will-they-won't-they dynamics, and these moments could definitely be interpreted that way for Fleet and Clara. But I prefer to read these instances as reflecting a different kind of closeness between these two characters. They have a sense of emotional partnership that allows a marriage cover story to seem plausible to others and that other people sometimes automatically assume to be romantic (obviously with some period-typical heteronormativity at play). But to me, it doesn't seem like either of them are fully comfortable with their relationship being perceived in a directly romantic way. Perhaps they are a couple in a different sense…

Proposal via door plate

The way that Fleet asks Clara to be his business partner has always seemed to me like a platonic version of when people find personal ways to surprise their romantic partner with a proposal:

CLARA: You bought me a door plate for your office? [...] This has both our names on it. FLEET: What do you think? CLARA: I like it. (S2E7)

Fleet could have just asked Clara outright, without going to the trouble of buying a sign that would have been useless if she’d said no. If it was purely a professional business proposition with no emotional meaning behind it, I think he would have just asked verbally. But instead, he gifts her a sign with their two names paired together: Fleet-Entwhistle Investigations. There's something so intimate about that to me: about Fleet asking Clara whether she would like to be a duo with him in a more formally-defined but still non-romantic way; about him choosing to present this offer in the form of a gift; about the way he presents her with their two names joined together etched into metal and asks what she thinks; about the significance that this gesture attaches to their partnership; about him having enough trust that she'll say yes that the effort and vulnerability of presenting her with that sign seem worth it for him. And the gesture means an awful lot to Clara:

She thought about the door plaque he’d had engraved with both their names on it as his way of inviting her to be his business partner – typical Fleet, refusing to tell her so much as his favourite breakfast food and then to go and do something like that. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. (High Vaultage, p187).

Anniversaries

In the special episode ‘Murder in the Pharaoh's Tomb', Clara says “And you know what else is a big occasion Fleet? It's our one-month anniversary.” She wants to celebrate the anniversary of Fleet-Entwhistle Investigations. Their partnership holds a significance for her that means key dates associated with it are worth remembering and remarking upon.

When Clara first mentions their anniversary, Fleet nearly chokes on his drink, which seems like an instinctive reaction to the usually romantic connotations of an anniversary (see my point above about Fleet not being comfortable with their dynamic being perceived as romantic). But when Clara clarifies what she means, Fleet seems much more cheerful about the notion of their anniversary: “Ah, so it has.”

“Miss Clara Entwhistle, my partner”

I get extremely strong QPR vibes from this moment, when Fleet introduces Clara to the sailors at Grave End:

FLEET: This is Miss Clara Entwhistle, my partner - in business, my business partner. CLARA: I'm also his friend, but he doesn't like to say it. (S3 E3)

Fleet and Clara are partners, but not in the way the average person might assume from that word, which Fleet realises mid-sentence here. This is another instance of Fleet reacting negatively to the idea that their relationship might be interpreted romantically (see above). And yet, 'partner' (rather than, say, ‘colleague’) is the word that comes naturally to him in this moment to describe who Clara is to him. He then frantically emphasises the professional element of their relationship so as to avoid the romantic implication, but Clara is keen to proudly assert that there is a personal, emotional aspect to their dynamic too. They are first-and-foremost partners, and they are friends, and they do not want to be seen in a romantic light - this post basically writes itself...

“Her ridiculous detective.”

When Clara fears for her life at the display of the Lanterns, the narration tells us:

“she thought of her brother, her sister, her parents... Her ridiculous detective.” (High Vaultage, p172)

The fact that Clara thinks of Fleet in this moment of fear clearly indicates his importance to her, but I think the phrasing of this quote is particularly interesting. The narration lists Clara's immediate family: two of whom are dead (her sister and father), one of whom is publically mourning Clara's life choices (her mother), and only one of whom we have any real evidence of her having a positive relationship with (her brother). And then, separated from these complicated familial relationships by an ellipsis, the narration tells Clara also thinks of Fleet, “her ridiculous detective”.

Parents and siblings are familial relationships that tend to come with established expectations, in which the use of a possessive pronoun (i.e. her brother) to indicate the relationship is a norm. ‘Detective’ does not fall into this category; unlike ‘brother’, ‘sister’, ‘parent’, ‘friend’, ‘partner’ etc., ‘detective’ is not a word that inherently implies a relationship or that we'd usually expect to see preceded by a possessive pronoun. The idea of ‘her detective’ therefore stands out, giving the sense that there is a unique relationship being indicated here. The way in which Fleet is ‘hers’ is something that Clara has chosen for herself, something that they have shaped together. Who they are to each other can't necessarily be fully expressed using standard phrases that traditionally describe relationships between people. But Fleet is Clara's detective, of which she only has one, and who she'll think of in the midst of “the screaming of the heavens at the end of the world”.

Fleet is also the only one in this list of Clara's loved ones who gets an adjective - her love for him has detail. And while “ridiculous” might often be perceived as negative (it's certainly not a classic romantic endearment), it seems to me like there's such fondness in it in this context: the recognition of and affection for eccentricities, the idea that his importance to her is not (purely) based on his professional strengths but on Fleet as a whole - perhaps at times ridiculous - person.

“Settled”

When Clara and Fleet talk about Clara's mother’s expectations for her, they have this exchange:

"She's still living in hope that one day I'll settle down." "You're not settled?" asked Fleet. "I am." (High Vaultage, p259)

By ‘settle down’, Clara's mother of course means ‘marry’, ideally into “at least a minor baronetcy”. But Clara already considers herself "settled", just not in a way her mother would understand or appreciate. She's not looking to "settle down" into a lifestyle other than her current one. She is settled in a situation where Fleet is certainly her closest personal connection in London (and perhaps anywhere), and where the two of them work closely together, operate as a duo, and then go back to their separate homes. And this partnership with Fleet is a comfortable set-up that feels right for Clara exactly as it is, rather than being a precursor to, or a distraction from, the marriage ambitions that her mother wants for her.

I think this exchange also contains an implicit sense of the commitment between the two of them. Fleet wants to check that Clara is ‘settled’ in her current situation, of which working closely - and platonically - with Fleet is obviously a major element; Clara confirms she is. There's a subtle indication of their shared intention to be in this for the long haul.

As a sidenote, Fleet and Clara’s implicit assumption that their partnership is a long-term one can manifest itself in joking contexts as well as serious ones. Look at this exchange from S3E5:

FLEET: We're not bandits, we're just going to flag it down. CLARA: We'd be terrific bandits! FLEET: Let's just see how our current line of work goes.

I think it’s notable that, in this joking speculation, both Fleet and Clara use ‘we’ and ‘our’. The joke could have been phrased just as effectively if they were imagining only Clara becoming a bandit. But the suggestion is that, if either of them was a bandit, they’d be bandits together. Even if they changed their lives entirely, they'd still approach life together.

Inseparable

Fleet and Clara have become a nearly inseparable duo in a way which is noticed by others. For example, after Clara and Fleet fall out in High Vaultage, Fleet meets with Keller, who says:

"You're here with me instead of barrelling across town with her, so I'm just assuming there is some thickheaded puffinry for which you need to apologise to Miss Entwhistle" (p335)

Keller, hardly the most emotionally perceptive man in Even Greater London, automatically infers from the fact that Fleet is on his own that he has had a falling out with Clara, rather than that they just happen to be in different places. When all is well, Keller expects to see the two of them together, whether or not they are in a position to be actively working a case.

Going back earlier in their partnership, Keller makes a similar assumption about Fleet and Clara being inseparable in S2E6. When Clara shouts her name amidst Keller's anti-Vidoc booby traps, Keller asks "Entwhistle? Which means… Fleet?" Again, there's this idea that if one of them is there, the other is likely to be there too - they come as a pair. (It's worth noting that this scene takes place less than two weeks after they first met.)

“Like a friend might?”

At the end of S3E7, Fleet suggests that he and Clara go to the theatre together. It would have been easy for this invitation to have been explicitly framed as a romantic proposition, or even for the nature of the offer to have been left more ambiguous. But Clara says "Archibald Fleet, are you inviting me to a social activity? Like a friend might?" The use of the word 'friend' directly labels this as a platonic interaction. And it's with that platonic lens on it that Clara is extremely excited to spend non-work-related social time with Fleet.

“Maybe it'll just be my good luck charm.”

CLARA: My grandmother's ring, I don't suppose you managed to hold on to it? [...] FLEET: Oh, it's been crushed.. I'm sorry Clara [...] CLARA: No, you keep it. FLEET: What? No... CLARA: Keep it. Maybe it'll remind you not to run towards trains. FLEET: Maybe. Maybe it'll just be my good luck charm.

In S3E7, Clara gives Fleet a ring, which - as a gift from one person to another - is traditionally a symbol of a particular, legally recognised, kind of personal commitment. But when Clara tells Fleet to keep the damaged ring, down in the Underground tunnels after the destruction of the beast and Fleet's latest brush with death, it is quite a different situation to a wedding or a proposal. A married man would traditionally wear his wedding ring on his finger for all to see, but Fleet won't ever wear this ring like that. The ring itself has been bent into a different shape between the wheels of their misadventures, subverting the usual associations of a ring given from one person to another. (In a heteronormative world, those associations are particularly strong when the two people in question are a woman and a man.)

That ring is not an engagement ring, but it is Clara’s grandmother's ring, an inheritance from the blood family she never really felt she belonged in, now given to the man who might be a very different kind of family for her in London. That ring - with which Clara saved Fleet's life - is a symbol of their bond. And it therefore serves as a reminder for Fleet “not to run towards trains" and as a “good luck charm”. I like to think he'll carry that ring with him, perhaps in his jacket pocket - a little piece of his partner, kept close to his ticking heart…

Thank you for reading all of this!

If you’ve read all of this, I'm assuming you also enjoy the concept of Fleet and Clara as a QPR (unless you're really a glutton for punishment) and that makes me very happy! This was long because there's so much to say about them… And I wrote all of the above without even getting into: the potential to headcanon Fleet and/or Clara as aspec (which I don't think is necessary for QPR headcanons, but which is also fun); Clara's baggage around and discomfort with marriage in general; the speed with which Fleet and Clara become a ride-or-die duo; and the many other demonstrations of care, understanding, trust, respect, and affection between them that didn't feel as directly QPR-coded to me but are nonetheless wonderful. Please do feel free to share your own thoughts!

#victoriocity #clara entwhistle #inspector fleet #archibald fleet #high vaultage #I'm not really trying to persuade anyone who doesn't already vibe with Fleet & Clara QPR as a concept #I just enjoy digging into that interpretation #I don't have any lived experience of QPRs myself #I'm just an aro who occasionally yearns #which tbf is probably the demographic most likely to obsessively interpret fictional duos as QPRs #I tried to avoid straying into anything like ‘they are too important to each other to be *just* friends’#when writing this #because I deeply dislike that outlook #That's not what I'm getting at here #Friends can be that important to each other without being in a QPR #I just think Fleet and Clara are important to each other in a particular way that can easily be read as a QPR or QPR-adjacent #Ngl for me personally I was very happy that there was no explicitly romantic Fleet and Clara moments #in S3 or High Vaultage #I’m sure I would still love their dynamic if they did explicitly take it down that route #I’m sure it would be done well #But the fact that Fleet and Clara are platonic (or at least ambiguous) means a lot to me personally #A related thought to that bit on romantic assumptions is that under amatonormativity #even the denial of romance/attraction is so often treated as evidence for it #which can mean that there's no way to escape that implication #so that's another reason why I enjoy taking characters at their word #when they express discomfort over a dynamic being interpreted as romantic #I finished writing this on Wednesday and I've been so impatient about waiting until S3 is fully out to post it lol

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cerise-on-top · 3 months

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I love your writing so much, you really captured who the Cod Men are 💜💜

Can I request Rudy with an S/O who likes to steal their clothing? Like I just know this man has soft hoodies and nice button-up shirts that we can use

Thank you 💜

Thank you, I try to write a mix of what I think the requester wants and how the CoD people would genuinely react to something! It's not always easy, but I try! And that's a really cute request! Rodolfo's been getting quite some love as of late, which is nice!

Rodolfo with a Clothes-Thief!Reader

When thinking about the relationship he has with you, Rodolfo thinks about many things: Spoonfeeding you some of his sorbet, cuddling under the blankets while drinking hot cocoa on a cold winter evening, kissing each other on the forehead during soft moments. He doesn’t really consider the bad things a relationship could bring all that often, being fairly romantic and wanting to live those soft and sweet moments with you, as well as remembering them in as much detail as he can. This changes when he notices you, who could usually do no wrong, waltzing around in your home wearing one of his hoodies. And I agree with you, his hoodies are very soft and warm since the fabric is important to him. He also makes sure they stay soft and comfortable since he always thought he’d be the only one wearing them. You opened his eyes, you are a thief.

When he sees you washing the dishes wearing one of his gray hoodies, he’ll simply stare at you for a moment, thinking about whether or not it’s real. He completely forgot that he, too, could be a victim of a relationship and lose his beloved clothing to his beloved criminal. If it’s a chilly morning, then he’ll simply walk up to you and hug you from behind. If he’s feeling especially mischievous, then he’ll put his hands under his article of clothing and onto your tummy so you can feel his cold hands. But that is unlikely to happen. Still! You need to be considerate of your partner as well! If you’re cold he is cold, put him in a blanket burrito!

While he knows exactly who this hoodie or sweater belongs to, he will ask you where you got it from, claiming that you’ve got a nice taste in fashion with a gentle smile. You can then either tell the truth or lie to him. The truth will earn you a chuckle and a kiss to your temple. Lie to him and he’ll interrogate you where you got it from. But eventually he will also ask you if you like his clothing that much. If you do, then you’re more than welcome to take it if he doesn’t need it that day. That extends to things that aren’t just sweaters or hoodies as well. Granted, he isn’t the most fashionable guy, but if he likes something enough he’ll usually buy it and look good in it as well. If you like his shirts as well, then sure, go for it. If it fits, then you can wear it. His clothing is, for the most part, fairly neutral. Lots of grays and lots of blues, so he prefers colder colors over warmer ones. There aren’t many motifs on his shirts, maybe some white palm leaves, but that’s about it.

If he sees you’ve really taken a liking to his clothing, then he’ll buy some more things he thinks you might enjoy, wear them every once in a while, and leave the rest up to you. He sort of does like seeing you in his clothing, in all honesty. You look snug and comfortable in it, plus it gives him the feeling that you do really really like him. When the two of you are roughly the same size, he’ll wear a sweater of yours as well from time to time, just to get some revenge and maybe feel as though you’re with him at that moment. It’s got your scent on it, and what else could be more precious in your absence? In fact, he’ll even give your big pink sweater a try if he really feels like it. You make him feel more comfortable in his skin, so he might even wear stuff like a hot pink and walk up to you so you can see him. If he looks ridiculous to you, he’ll be a bit nervous but laugh alongside you, if you compliment him and coo over how cute he looks, he’ll be a bit flustered and give you a shy smile. So yeah, if the both of you have been with each other for long enough and are comfortable enough, then the clothes stealing will go both ways, if possible.

Rodolfo might try to buy an extra oversized sweater so he can see if the both of you can fit underneath it. Yes, he hides that sweater for quite some time as he’s afraid you’ll laugh at him, but he really does want to try it some time. Maybe it’ll be fun. Maybe it’ll be pleasant. And if it’s neither of those things you have another oversized sweater to call your own. Sometimes you might even go clothes shopping together, just to see which parts of your wardrobe you can share together.

#cod #cod x reader #rodolfo parra #rodolfo parra x reader #I think I've gotten so many requests with Rudy that I feel more comfortable with him #not in writing sense but more in an established relationship sort of sense #not everything feels scary and new with him now which is why my view of him is slowly changing #like he's more willing to be touchy with reader now than he was when I started writing him since that “relationship” has been #going on for a while now. does that make sense? probably not but it feels nice #like the “relationship” is slowly progressing with him and he feels more comfortable with reader these days #I think it's sort of similar with Ghost since those two characters do share similarities when it comes to touch in my eyes #it's sort of sweet to watch actually reader and Rudy have grown closer and started loving each other even more these days #I remember when most of what I wrote could have been read as platonic as well. that's probably why they were hesitant on touch #but most if not all of what I write these days is romantic so touch isn't a big issue anymore #it just makes more sense. same thing with Valeria too I think #as a writer you sort of do build a relationship with the characters as well which is also very sweet in my eyes #the characters are friends. they're lovers. they're enemies. and anything inbetween #I never really noticed such a thing before but I thought about it today. did that happen with off too? I don't remember #so yeah. my HCs are slowly changing for the sweeter and I think that's cute! more domestic stuff which I'm a sucker for!

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danmeichael · 1 month

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i need to work on my chengxian fics....

#one of them isn't even chengxian really it's mostly just a character study of jiang cheng and his relationship with wwx #and i've built it up in my brain as my magnum opus which makes it impossible to complete #“oh danny you ship chengxian?” they live in my soul and take me apart piece by piece #it's not so much that i ship them romantically it's that they're two skeletons in the same pair of ruins #who were so close together where they were buried that when archaeologists found them #centuries later when half their bones are dust #and the world around them has changed #they are reconstructed as one body. wwx's femur to jc's pelvis. jc's skull to wwx's c1 vertibrae #the version of their relationship in my brain is too weird for platonic cheng&xian likers i think #they are yuri to me #in the way that yuri is about the love between two people as ambiguous and ephemeral and all-consuming #they have the same relationship that you had with your childhood best friend who you don't love anymore but you also Do still love #just because it's part of you just because it's in your blood #even though you haven't talked to them in years #and who you think you could have married if you had both chosen just one thing differently.#“danny that's an insane thing to say about a pairing you just said you don't ship romantically” well maybe you just don't understand love.

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dittolicous · 5 months

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yknow, as like... a demi person on just like this side of being ace, its really tricky articulating my feelings on shipping as interaction with media without feeling like im bothering others

cuz there is a totally valid 'ugh not everything is about shipping!' stance but at the same time, i feel like maybe a good deal of shippers arent necessarily *ignoring* every other element or incapable of grasping themes or the like, but looking for the aspects *not* found in their favorite medias...

hence why, yknow, tragedies get fluffy aus or fix-its, cutesy stuff gets darker reimaginings, fantasys get coffee shop aus, modern stories get fantasy dnd aus, and things like say shonen series - which usually dont do romance at all or very well but have friendships down pat - get shipping!

(and maybe theres something to be said about modern media treatment of romance that many find lacking so even romances might not meet expectations...)

so of course, if they find all other elements fulfilling, i would say turning to shipping for fanfics is relatively harmless so long as they clearly know what theyre getting into and arent belittling the media for being something it was never meant to be or harassing about ships

for me personally, i turn to shipping a lot because... well i am actually a romantic at heart and would like to find love, and there can be such compelling love stories between strongly built characters! im not going to expect canon stuff to be about it, i just like exploring the things canon wont and probably doesnt need to to tell a well written story of its kind

#ditto rambles #shipping #fanfic talk #i just have thoughts #cuz i feel bad for being such a big shipper at heart sometimes #cuz i totally get how TIRING it can be to downplay or ignore platonic relationships #along with the issue of treating all media like romance #at the expense of the stories that are trying to be told #but if i read fanfics... im gunna be looking for fun escapism mostly #not text literacy analysis (well not ALWAYS lol)#too much of any one thing can be annoying #bur fuck man #i love love even as a demi romantic #and found family of course

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watatsumiis · 1 year

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Happy Birthday, Thoma! (Thoma X Reader drabble)

Content: Thoma X gender neutral!reader with a pre-established bond - written entirely platonically but can be read whatever way. Mentions of people 'forgetting' his birthday (they haven't really).

It's no secret that the housekeeper of the Yashiro Commission is almost as busy as the Commissioner himself - it's rare to see him stand still, let alone sit down and take a break of his own volition. He seems to revel in having something to do at any given moment.

Thoma spending his birthday working away wouldn't have surprised you if it weren't for the fact that it seemed that the rest of the household had collectively forgotten to wish him a happy birthday. It's a bright, sunny day out, which quite suits Thoma's own sunny disposition.

The man in question is hanging a load of washing just outside the estate, hair wrapped up in a white kerchief to keep it out of his face. He straightens up as you approach, letting out a soft groan as he stretches his back out.

"Hey there, T." You greet him happily and he turns on his heel to face you, giving you one of his signature broad smiles that makes you feel warm on the inside.

"Heya!" He chirrups out pleasantly, wiping some sweat off his forehead with a freckled forearm and setting his other hand on his hip. "It's a nice day, isn't it?" He doesn't wait for your reply before barrelling on. "If you're looking for either of the Kamisato's, I'm afraid you're out of luck. They're in the city today, it seems they had other things to do." There seems to be no hint of upsetness or annoyance in his voice at all. You wonder if maybe you've got the date wrong, and furrow your brow.

Thoma catches onto your hesitance instantly, his eyebrows pinching together in the middle and his head tilting to the side in a puppy-like manner. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asks, as if he isn't the one who should be upset here.

"I…uh… it is your birthday today, right?" You ask him, not wanting to make a fool of yourself by presenting him a gift on the wrong day.

Thoma seems taken aback, almost baffled, and you begin to curse yourself for somehow getting the date wrong. He scratches at the light smattering of strawberry blond stubble on his chin, only visible thanks to how bright it is out here. "Huh. It might be." He muses.

"Might be?" You echo incredulously and set your hands on your hips. Thoma shrugs and gives you an easygoing grin that makes his eyes crinkle in the corners.

"Yep, that would explain the flowers - oh, and the new sewing kit." You blink at him disbelievingly.

"You forgot your own birthday?" He chuckles, then stoops down suddenly to scoop up an undershirt to hang on the line.

"It sure seems that way." He's so completely nonchalant about it that you almost feel bad for him.

"Hey!" You reach out to take the shirt from him and he gives you a look that borders on upset. "No chores on your birthday!"

"I've been doing chores all morning." Thoma informs you, hardly missing a beat before he plucks another item of clothing from the basket. "That one goes here." He murmurs in an undertone, tapping an empty space on the line for you to pin the shirt to.

You realise now why he didn't know it was his birthday - he must've been busy all morning. "Didn't Ayato or Ayaka say anything to you? Or… anyone?" You reach up and hang the shirt out to dry, doing your best to mimic how Thoma has laid them all out nearly before you bend down to grab something else out of the basket.

"The Estate has been rather empty today. I'd assume the Lord and Lady are busy trying to upstage my surprise parties from last year." Thoma puffs his chest out smugly and chuckles to himself.

"Huh." You suppose that makes sense, but you can't help but be a little upset at the rest of the household for just allowing Thoma to go about his chores like normal. You pin up clothes in silence for a few moments before Thoma speaks up again.

"So, do I get a 'Happy Birthday', or just a scolding?" Thoma teases you brightly, green eyes narrowed in amusement as he cards his fingers through his hair.

You give him a light push on his upper arm. "No more chores for today, alright?" He dips his head obediently, and you pull the last item out of the basket before he can and hang it up quickly. "Happy Birthday, Thoma."

Please don't copy, repost, plagarise or otherwise steal my writing! (This includes posting translations!)

#Genshin Impact #Genshin Impact X reader #Genshin X reader #Genshin Impact fluff #Thoma X reader #Thoma X reader fluff #My writing #Thoma #Thoma fluff #Platonic X reader #Platonic genshin X reader #I feel like letting Thoma forget his own birthday would be the only way the Kamisatos could even hope to get the drop on him for a #Surprise party or something like that #Man's just knows everyone's routines way too well and can tell the moment something is up #Anyways I love Thoma so much I'm gonna chew on him

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