Work Text:
Holmes approaches one of Kicks’ booths with a cup of iced tea, the most secluded one they could find, and plops down with a sigh. Apparently in a freak town like Verona, people still get coffees fairly late on a Saturday evening, so they actually had to do some people dodging on their way to the dark corner that looked most appealing. They look down at their watch to see the hour turn from 8:59 to 9:00pm, which means they won the game they play with themselves about being where they need to be at the EXACT correct time, not one second before or after.
Of course the agreed time was 7:30, but Holmes barely wanted to come anyway so she set her own planned tardy time, and she was just on time for that! By being late and missing her “friend date”, she could call Ash and go “oh crud, I let the hours slip past me and I super wanted to meet your weird anonymous friend but silly me just didn’t account for all the important work I had to do”. Holmes could already hear Ash’s voice, falling for it. The sweet, sweet summer child. The absolute idiot. As their thoughts drifted back to their air-head of a friend, they couldn’t help but revisit the request the wielder made during their weekly Wednesday gaming call:
- So... you want me to meet with one of your friends?
- Yuppers.
- And... befriend them?
- Uhum!
- ... and you won't even tell me who it is!
- Exactly!
- Do you know who you’re talking to? Did you think you were playing WoW with Sawyer tonight or something?
- He’s really lonely! He doesn’t really have any friends, and he gets super bored and lonely around the holiday season!
- Why is that my problem? Can’t he get a dog and watch The Grinch like the rest of us?
- Because you love me and would do anything for me and me-adjacent people?
- Ha ha! Cute. No.
- Please?
- Ask someone else.
- Pleeeeeease?
- Why me? You know I’m. You know. Bad at ‘friending’. Can’t you call the boring surfer guy? I’m sure he’s lonely too, yearning for “the waves that remained in summer's past” and “the stunning fireworks under which you shared each other's tender lips”?
- First of all, rude! Second of all, fuck off. Third of all, because my friend sucks and would break Jonah’s poor tender heart. But you suck too! You’ll get along swimmingly!
- Gee, thanks Ash.
- Seriously though. Give him one chance, I’m sure you’ll like him. Trust me?
- ...
- I’ll give you those fancy gauntlets you wanted?
- ... the enchanted ones?
- Yeah.
- Fine. You’ll still owe me one IRL, though. Two if he sucks.
- Thanks, H!
Holmes sips her tea as she reminisces on the effect the wielder had in her life in just one summer. Ash saw her biggest failure yet and they never shied away, never so much as flinched or leaned in the opposite direction. They accepted her identity and boundaries with never so much as a question asked or a hesitant look. She knows it must’ve been hard for them: being head over heels for a baddie like herself. If falling in love is as dramatic and catastrophic as people describe, it must've been at least an effort to understand and reshape their relationship. But Ash took it in stride like they are known to do, the dashing dumbass. She feels herself rolling her eyes, but smirking.
Ash encouraged them to rest, take care of their health, leave the basement, do the things they loved and enjoy and overall just... encouraged them to "do living" again. Maybe for the first time. And Ash made it so worth it by being here. And suddenly Holmes feels like complete rubbish for so casually half-assing the one favor their friend asked.
Fuck.
This sucks. If she knew meeting her best friend and “rekindling the spark of life” or whatever would come at the heavy cost of her becoming such a softie, she might’ve kept working on the doomed AI. She pulls her phone and begins to type out a text to her friend asking to reschedule the "friend date" and apologize for the "completely unplanned tardiness", willing to trust her friend’s judgment for once. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all. Maybe she can accept a hand being reached out to her once again. It worked so well last time, how bad could it be to choose to know and be known once again..?
But then she hears the voice:
-Hello there, gorgeous. Come here often?
She blinks slowly in disbelief, staring up slowly to see the tight red pants and the opened leather jacket, revealing Sunder's abs. It's only when her eyes locate his face she notices that he speaks in a somewhat muffled voice because he has a rose in his mouth.
Holmes gathers all their strength not to laugh. And they fail. They bend down holding their stomach and begin cackling like a lunatic.
- Abso-fucking-lutely not- they respond, wiping the tears from their eyes
They down their coffee and walk off roaring with laughter, not even aware of the fact that the Talwar’s jaw hung so low that the rose fell to the floor.
Later that night, on Ashton’s phone:
- i think she didn’t really feel down for it? no dice😔
- Down... for what?
- for going down obviously
- ...
- Like in a fight? They'd be down for that
- like on me, ash! sex!
- is that not what you wanted us to do?
- NO?!!!
- ?!
what did you want me to do?!
- BE FRIENDLY!!!!!
MAKE A FRIEND!!
LIKE AN ADULT WITH A SHIRT ON IN WINTER!
- WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME TO DO THAT?!
- Because I wanted to set up a friend date!!!
- a FRIEND DATE?!
- what am I, six? 🙄
- You sure fckn act like it, man-_-
- well, ash, your friend sucks and is also a major asshole
- True, just like you! You have so much in common already
(What did they do tho)
- first of all, rude. second of all, fuck off
they literally stormed off immediately
i got like two words in because they went off laughing!
full on cackling
like a lunatic
- ........
- ...?
what?
- Did you have a shirt on, Sunder?
- ... what kind of question is that?
- The ‘yes’ or ‘no’ kind O_o
- ...
i just don’t see how that’s relevant
- LMAOOOOO XDD
- fuck you!!! you were the one who asked me to bang your lonely friend so they could feel less lonely
i just was doing what usually works! and being funny and cute!
it's my brand🌹
i thought we were all on the same page????
-No, dude
I knew she was wayyyy out of your league.
I just thought she could use a friend. One wearing a shirt!
- well, whatever.
that ship has sailed⛵
- .......
- oh god, what now???
- Did you also have a rose in your mouth????
- go to hell
- AWIHAIHFAHWHAFOHAOFAWHOAHF