Title: Much Ruckus
Author: R. L. Houck
Genre: Science Fiction, Fanworks
Rating: General Audiences
Trigger Warnings: micro-aggressions (anti-artificial intelligence), micro-aggressions (transphobic)
Relationships: adoption, f/f, family, found family, interspecies relationship, m/nb, siblings
Character Features: alien, artificial intelligence, automaton, character has a different gender than in the source material, criminal, genderfluid, genderqueer, mechanic, non-human character, tattoos
Tags: alternate universe, be gay do crimes, everyone knows they’re in love but them, false accusations, infidelity (past), mystery, past tense, pov multiple third person limited
Teaser:
[Ben] cocked his head to the side to listen, hand automatically going to his gun. “Is that Hera?”
“Yes—Claudia and Jon arrived. Ah, fuck. Jon’s only been on board for a few minutes, and he’s already causing trouble.” B sounded distraught, and his distress was surprisingly motivating.
Ben tossed the screwdriver aside and pushed himself to his feet. “Do I need to shoot him?”
“Yes! No? I don’t know. Hera’s screaming at Claudia. Jon showed Hera images of Claud with another woman. But it’s not… you can’t see her face. Ben!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” Ben ducked under the low ceiling of the doorway. “Where?” “Kitchen. I’ll meet you.”
Length: 15 pages/4,796 words
Note: “Much Ruckus” was originally published in the Duck Prints Press anthology And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.