“Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.”
You had just put the enchiladas in the oven to finish baking when you heard Nick come in from work. You called out to him and then heard his foot steps as he made his way to the kitchen. He collapsed over your back with a groan and you lifted an arm behind you to pat his hip in response. “Hey babe. How was work?” You asked as you set the timer on the oven. He allowed you to turn in his embrace after you were done and that’s when you noticed the flush breaking out over his cheeks. He ducked his head back down to your chest and groaned again. He didn’t seem injured or seriously upset so you assume it wasn’t anything too serious making him blush. “What?” You asked again. “I liked the picture you sent me earlier. I almost had to lock my door and have a mid-afternoon break, but I decided to save all that pent up energy for you,” you teased him as you ran hands up and down his back. He lifted his head to mumble out of the side of his mouth. “Don’t remind me. You liked and it and so did all of the squad,” he eked out. “What?!” You asked biting back a laugh as you pushed him away gently so that you could see his face.
He ran a hand over his face and looked to the side. “I, uh, accidentally texted it to the entire squad right after I sent it to you. I was responding to a group text we had and my finger must have slipped or something, I don’t know, and I accidentally attached that photo and hit send before realizing what I was doing,” he explained as a hand came up to scratch the back of his neck. The flush was now dipping down his head and you leaned in to hug him in order to avoid laughing in his face. “Baby,” you cooed in his ear as returned the embrace. “I know you’re trying not to laugh, but I am mortified. Save that picture to your phone because I’m never sending you another,” he promised darkly. His chin hooked over the top of your head and you leaned in to kiss his neck. “It was a nice picture,” you agreed with another kiss. “Olivia wouldn’t look me in the eye for the rest of the day,” he complained and your body shook with laughter. “Well baby, she was probably wondering if you were registered to carry that thing,” you joked and he tried to squirm out of your grip with another groan. “Seriously?!” He complained and you rubbed his back again and apologized. “I’m sorry. Sorry. But at least everything was clothed. Mostly. There’s worse things in the world than being gifted a photo of your abs with the waistband of your pants pulled down a bit,” you shrugged off. “‘Pulled down a bit?’ If my pants were any further down you’d be in my crotch! Plus I don’t know that clothes really matter considering I was half hard in that picture!” He hissed. You tightened your grip around him and planted another kiss along his neck.
“Hmm, yes you were. Speaking of…we have a little time before the enchiladas. Think I can get an in person recreation of the now infamous photo? If it’ll be my last I’d love to be able to associate happy memories with it. Hands on, as it were,” you offered lasciviously as you let one of your hands wonder between you two. He pulled away to look at you with raised eyebrows and an exasperated face. You just shrugged and continued your hand’s journey. He shifted before sighing and tilting his head, holding back a smirk. “You’re insatiable,” was his only reply before he took one of your hands and began walking backwards out of the kitchen with you.
I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)
Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.
Have fun and generate your own ideas.:-)
Eyes, Brows and Forehead
arched a sly brow: sly, haughty
blinked owlishly: just waking, focusing, needs glasses
brows bumped together in a scowl: worried, disapproving, irritated
brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful
bug-eyed: surprised, fear, horror
cocky wink and confident smile: over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor
eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings
pupils dilated: interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear
raked her with freezing contempt
slammed his eyes shut: stunned, furious, pain
squinted in a furtive manner: fearful, sneaky
stared with cow eyes: surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck
subtle wink: sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm
unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding
Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture
ambled away: relaxed, lazy
barged ahead: rude, hurried
battled his way through the melee: desperate, anger, alarm
cruised into the diner: easy-going, feeling dapper, confident
dawdled alongside the road: lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed
dragged his blanket in the dirt: sadness/depressed, weary
edged closer to him: sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience
he stood straighter and straightened his tie: sudden interest, sexual attraction
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee
hips rolled and undulated: sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal
hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.
hunched over to look shorter: appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height
leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor: eager, fear, joyous
long-legged strides: hurried, impatient
lumbered across: heavy steps of a big man in a hurry
minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty
paced/prowled the halls: worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off: mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat
plodded down the road: unhurried, burdened, reluctant
practiced sensual stroll: sexy, showing off
rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed
rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting
sagged against the wall: exhausted, disappointment
sallied forth: confident, determined
sashayed her cute little fanny: confident, determined, angered and determined
shrank into the angry crowd: fear, insecure, seeking to elude
sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock
skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid
slithered through the door: sneaky, evil, bad intentions
stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise
swaggered into the class room: over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited
tall erect posture: confidence, military bearing
toe tapped a staccato rhythm: impatience, irritation
tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over: drunk, drugged, aged, ill
waltzed across the floor: happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant
Head Movement
cocked his head: curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful
cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling: introspection
droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings
nodded vigorously: eager
tilted her head to one side while listening: extreme interest, possibly sexual interest
Mouth And Jaw
a lackluster smile: feigning cheerfulness
cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness
clinched his jaw at the sight: angered, worried, surprised
curled her lips with icy contempt
expelled her breath in a whose: relief, disappointment
gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste
gapped mouth stare: surprised, shock, disbelief
gritted his teeth: anger, irritation, holding back opinion
inhaled a sharp breath: surprise, shock, fear, horror
licked her lips: nervous, sexual attraction
lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted
lips pursed for a juicy kiss
lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm
lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst
pursed her lips: perturbed, waiting for a kiss
scarfed down the last biscuit: physical hunger, greed
slack-mouthed: total shock, disbelief
slow and sexy smile: attraction, seductive, coy
smacked his lips: anticipation
smile congealed then melted into horror
smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy
smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder: conceit, sarcasm, over confident
sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit
spewed water and spit: shock
stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish
toothy smile: eagerness, hopeful
wary smile surfaced on her lips
Nose
nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma
nostrils flared: anger, sexual attraction
nose in the air: snooty, haughty
Face in General
crimson with fury
handed it over shame-faced
jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful
managed a deadpan expression: expressionless
muscles in her face tightened: unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried
rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful
rubbed a hand over his dark stubble: thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance
screwed up her face: anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion
sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn
Arm and Hand
a vicious yank
arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him: possessive, pride, protective
bit her lip and glanced away: shy, ashamed, insecure
brandished his fist: anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride
clamped his fingers into tender flesh: anger, protective, wants to inflict pain
clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry
clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles: anger, demanding, disbelief
constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear: attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier
crushed the paper in his fist: anger, surrender, discard
dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy
doffed his hat: polite gesture, mocking, teasing
doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot: bored, inattention, introspection
drummed her fingers on the desk: impatient, frustrated, bored
fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction
fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored
firm, palm to palm hand shake: confident, honest
flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard
forked his fingers through his hair for the third time: disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful
handed it over shame-faced: guilt, shame
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: physical need to relieve himself
limp hand shake: lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm
propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful
punched her pillow: restless, can’t sleep, angry
rested his chin in his palm: thoughful, worried
scratched his hairy belly and yawned: indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking
shoulders lifted in a shrug: doubtful, careless discard
slapped his face in front of God and country: enraged, affronted/insulted
snapped a sharp salute: respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect
snapped his fingers, expecting service: arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered
sneered and flicked lint off his suit
spread her arms wide: welcoming, joy, love
stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined
stood straighter and smoothed his tie: sudden interest, possible sexual interest
stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier
sweaty handshake: nervous, fearful
touched his arm several times while explaining: sign of attraction, flattery, possessive
wide sweep of his arms: welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror
Sitting or Rising
collapsed in a stupor: exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief
enthroned himself at the desk: conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership
exploded out of the chair: shock, eager, anger, supreme joy
roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof: claiming ownership, conceit, content
sat, squaring an ankle over one knee: relaxed and open
slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to: drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful
squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom
Recline
flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy
This is an adorable request! I love it! I’m also gonna pepper in some mental health support for our precious little baby. I could probably do a part two for this, so if you want one let me know!
Sonny had invited you out for drinks with the squad one night. The two of you had been getting pretty close lately, and he wanted to celebrate winning a big case with you. He was too shy to admit it, but he had developed quite the school-boy crush on you since you met in his trauma support group.
He saw you from across the room and his heart skipped a beat. Quickly he made his way over to your place at the bar. You turned to him with a warm smile when he gently placed a hand on your shoulder to let you know he was there.
“Hey Sonny!” you exclaimed, pulling him in for a tight hug. “Congratulations on the verdict! I know this case was a tough one.”
“Thanks doll” he beamed, trying his best to keep from blushing. The both of you let the hug linger far too long for it to be considered just friendly. Sonny couldn’t have pulled away sooner if he wanted to. You felt way too perfect in his arms, and the smell of your shampoo had become a comfort to him.
“C’mon, doll, open the door.” Sonny jiggles the knob again like that’ll help him. “Please. Open the door and talk to me.”
You don’t answer at all, keeping your silence curled up on the tile of the bathroom. Sometimes it’s all just too much, and with everything that’s happened lately, you’re reaching your limit. Sonny’s new job. Nick’s melt down about it. Nick nearly dying and refusing to allow himself to recover. The arguing that’s sprung up over Nick’s new pass times and coping mechanisms. It’s too much for you and you’re starting to think that Sonny was right all those years ago when he warned you that this life will break you. You used to wonder why they drank and got angry. Now you get it. All you want to do is break things and scream and make all the memories go away. It seems that they’ve both been too wrapped up in their own problems to see what’s been happening to you, Sonny especially.
They don’t notice what all the men who work for Sonny do and say to you behind closed doors. They don’t notice that you’ve been getting threats again. They don’t notice that you barely sleep. Sure they can tell that something’s wrong, but they don’t really ask. Nick has a couple of times while he was sleepy, but he was easy to redirect. Sonny just kisses you when you’re having a bad day, as if that’ll make it all better. It hasn’t, it doesn’t, it won’t. You press the heels of your hands to your eyes to staunch the tears.
“Let me help you, doll, please?”
Every time he tries, he winds up fixing the symptoms but not the problem. It always comes back. You sniffle and say, “Can you get Nicky?”
Nick has a newfound obsession with teaching you to defend yourself. First it was the knives, then it was the guns, now it’s just general hand-to-hand combat. Like with the knives, he tells you that your agility will be a bigger strength than physical force. He likes to drill you until you’re too exhausted to continue, saying that you’ll thank him when you have to fight for your life. Ominous, sure, but you pretend not to notice.
“Don’t be afraid of hurting your opponent,” he says, “because they won’t be afraid to hurt you. If you’ve got someone attacking you, they won’t hesitate to fuck you up. And I don’t wanna lose you.”
“I’m not afraid of hurting anyone but you, Nicky,” you remind.
He rolls his eyes and gestures for you to put your hands up again. “Just do it, hit me. I promise I won’t be mad.”
“No…”
“I’m trying to help you, okay? Just- if you can’t hit me, find something else you can hit without hurting yourself so I can see if you’re hitting hard enough or we need to keep working.”
Something in his voice isn’t quite right, but you don’t question him further and start searching the yard for something to punch.
You jerk awake sometime early in the morning, gasping for air and the echoes of past memories fading behind your eyes. Nick wakes up too at the sudden movement, almost reaching for his gun before he realizes it’s just you and calms down.
“Princesa?” he asks sleepily. “You good?”
“J-just a nightmare, go back to sleep.”
At those words, he seems more alert and pulls you into his arms instead of laying back down. One of his hands starts running through your hair, holding your head to his chest at the same time so you can feel the pulse of his heartbeat against your cheek. He’s calm. Safe. “It is okay. I have you, you’re safe with me.”
For once, you believe him, slowly drifting off wrapped up in his lap.
Wow, you look… wow. Every time I see you, I swear to God I melt. You’re everythin I’ve ever wanted and I keep thinkin that someday I’m gonna wake up and you’ll be gone. You’re perfect. I love you so much more than you could ever imagine. -Sonny
SVU addict 