bendingsignpost:

bendingsignpost:

bendingsignpost:

What I want to see is a mutual pining fic where everyone else knows they’re in love and have been for ages… because everyone else thinks they’re already together. 

scenarios:

• it being assumed that each member of the pair will plan the other’s birthday parties
• the pining pair getting each other “consolation” Valentine’s Day gifts
• the friend group inviting the pair to a wedding without a plus-one option
• the friend group inviting the pair to stay over and only supplying one bed, because of course they only need one bed
• friend group using one member of the pair as an answering machine for the other person
• the pair answering questions like “do you ever think about getting married” with a resounding no because if they admit yes, they’ll end up gushing all their secret hopes and dreams regarding the other one, and the other one doesn’t want to get married anyway, so the point is moot
• enough people asking why they don’t live together that they end up moving in together, relieved they weren’t the one to bring it up
• the parents of one inviting the other to all family gatherings and it being established which way they share on holidays
• whenever someone asks a member of the pair, alone, why they haven’t moved to the next stage of their relationship, the person responds that they’re afraid to lose the other and all that jazz, with everyone on entirely different pages as to what “the next stage” means
• they’re each other’s emergency contact, for all those H/C opportunities

MORE THOUGHTS ON ASSUMED RELATIONSHIP TROPE

• the siblings of one referring to the other as their sibling too (ditto for nieces/nephews/niblings)
• parents of one insisting on taking the other one out for their birthday, too
• parents dropping hints about grandchildren (adult child assumes it’s about their single status, presumed partner assumes it’s due to how they’re considered a family member who could also provide “grandchildren”)
• seating arrangements always putting the two together (meals, movies, car rides)
• follow-up to above: when there aren’t enough seats, one is expected to sit on the other’s lap when the other couples combine thusly
• all their profile pics are of them together
• the friend group intercedes when one of them gets flirted with by someone else because of the sheer level of awkward the pair exude
• friend group members asking them (separately) for romantic advice in the certainty that they have it figured out, what with the awesome relationship
• double-dates forever where they end up sitting next to each other while the other couple makes out during the movie
• one ordering food/drink for the second while the second is in the restaurant/bar bathroom
• ordering food with the assumption of sharing (bonus points for person being protective of their food against everyone else except their presumed partner)
• one keeping track of the other’s allergies/medications and being the first to remind friend group about where the other can eat, etc. 
• friend group gets them both a pet/large gift/household item (bonus points of it’s for only ONE of their birthdays and not a gift-giving holiday)

POTENTIAL PLOT RESOLUTIONS

Add more tropes:

• they need to fake date for something and are bewildered when no one notices
• one of them needs to get married for a green card wedding. Whether they’re surprised or grateful when their entire friend group instantly confirms their cover story is up to you
• THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED (as provided by the friend group)
• OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES (as talked into by the friend group)
• a friend who is a writer openly says in an interview that their popular romantic couple is based on them 

One person realizes:

• Person A confesses love of Person B to Friend A. Friend A just assumed they were always together, and maybe the lack of sex is just because Person B is asexual(?). We progress into Didn’t Know They Were Dating trope with Person A assuming they were the one who didn’t know (but their partner totally does, right?)
• OPTIONAL the same exact conversation takes place between Person B and Friend B as well.
• BONUS POINTS if Person A and Person B pretend they both knew they were dating the entire time so as not to hurt the other’s feelings. 
• ALTERNATE BONUS POINTS if neither is actually asexual, have the truth come out when one person refers to the other as ace and it spirals into “But YOU’RE ace!” “But I thought YOU were ace!” and the UST of cuddling is abruptly resolved

Misc:

• friend group realizes and Much Ado About Nothing Ensues
• for Contrived Plot Reasons (unicorns, spells, etc), the virginity of one is made public and the assumption is revealed
• Person A goes on a date with someone else and the entire friend group is AGHAST AT THIS CHEATING, but Person B is just resigned and going “I just want them to be happy…” while everyone shouts to not give up on their love
• new friend in friend group just outright asks, spawning massive confusion