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bedesSummary: Luke always lectures Crow about how asking for help is a good thing. But, now that it’s Luke struggling, he seems ashamed to ask for it.
First Chapter | Masterpost (for more information) | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Luke furrowed his eyebrows, sitting at his desk and tilting back on his chair. (A bad habit. He had fallen backwards more than once. Many of those times in public.) He stared up at the ceiling, thinking of a puzzle his mentor had given him earlier that day. He wanted to come back with the correct answer later that day, as a sort of surprise, but, no matter what angle he attempted to look at it, it just didn’t seem to quite make sense... A puzzle piece of it seemed missing, or perhaps there were too many pieces. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Crow, who had been sat on Luke’s bed in relative silence, looked up from the paper he was writing on. (Money calculations. Running the local Black Market required a lot of math.) “Still thinkin’ about that puzzle, huh, Blueberry?”
Luke sat all four legs of his chair on the ground, leaning forward onto his desk to bury his face in his hands. “I am...” he replied, a little pinch of shame hanging over his voice.
“It’s been a while, huh?”
Luke nodded, without turning around.
“And you still got no idea?”
Another nod. Luke’s shoulders were slumped.
Crow twirled the pencil in his hand for a moment, before pointing it at Luke. “I could help, ya know. I’m alright at puzzles, I think.” He knew he wasn’t as good as, say, Professor Layton, or even as good as Luke, but he knew could offer a different perspective. And, from what he heard Luke ramble about, that could be all a puzzle-solver needs.
Luke turned around in his chair, so he could look at Crow with an upset expression. “No! I’ve gotta solve without help! Otherwise, the professor will be disappointed in me for not being clever enough to do it by myself!”
“The prof won’t know if I help. He’s in the other room, but he’s not listenin’. And with all that he goes on about gentleman stuff, I’m sure he wouldn’t eavesdrop. And if he did...” Crow chuckled. “Then I’m sure he would have figured out that we were boyfriends by now, and given a rousing speech, before pointing at us and saying, ‘The gays are YOU!’”
Instead of laughing, Luke just bit his lip. As much as he hated to admit it... Crow had a good point. (Though Hershel probably wouldn’t call them out like a villain.) But he still tried to argue with Crow’s logic. “Yeah, well-“
“Is it actually Layton that’ll be disappointed in you if you asked for help?”
Luke looked away at that, staring at the floor. The tips of his ears burnt. Crow could read him like a book, couldn’t he? “...”
Crow put his work to the side, and crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side slightly. His bangs tilted along with him, tickling his nose. “You help me study all the time. What’s that you always say about accepting help not making ya stupid?”
“That’s true for your case, but-!”
“No buts,” Crow interrupted, holding a finger up, like putting a finger to Luke’s lips. “No double standards, just ‘cause it’s you and not me! If you’re strugglin’ so much, the least I can do is offer a hand.”
Luke fidgeted, running his hands along the top part of his chair. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.
“Part of a relationship is not only helpin’, but acceptin’ help,” Crow prodded, and he smiled encouragingly. He leaned forward just slightly.
A few moments of silence passed, before Luke finally looked up from the ground, his face flushed as he looked his boyfriend in the eyes. “Alright... Crow, could you please help me with this puzzle?”
“Yes, of course.”
First Chapter | Masterpost (for more information) | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Luke furrowed his eyebrows, sitting at his desk and tilting back on his chair. (A bad habit. He had fallen backwards more than once. Many of those times in public.) He stared up at the ceiling, thinking of a puzzle his mentor had given him earlier that day. He wanted to come back with the correct answer later that day, as a sort of surprise, but, no matter what angle he attempted to look at it, it just didn’t seem to quite make sense... A puzzle piece of it seemed missing, or perhaps there were too many pieces. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Crow, who had been sat on Luke’s bed in relative silence, looked up from the paper he was writing on. (Money calculations. Running the local Black Market required a lot of math.) “Still thinkin’ about that puzzle, huh, Blueberry?”
Luke sat all four legs of his chair on the ground, leaning forward onto his desk to bury his face in his hands. “I am...” he replied, a little pinch of shame hanging over his voice.
“It’s been a while, huh?”
Luke nodded, without turning around.
“And you still got no idea?”
Another nod. Luke’s shoulders were slumped.
Crow twirled the pencil in his hand for a moment, before pointing it at Luke. “I could help, ya know. I’m alright at puzzles, I think.” He knew he wasn’t as good as, say, Professor Layton, or even as good as Luke, but he knew could offer a different perspective. And, from what he heard Luke ramble about, that could be all a puzzle-solver needs.
Luke turned around in his chair, so he could look at Crow with an upset expression. “No! I’ve gotta solve without help! Otherwise, the professor will be disappointed in me for not being clever enough to do it by myself!”
“The prof won’t know if I help. He’s in the other room, but he’s not listenin’. And with all that he goes on about gentleman stuff, I’m sure he wouldn’t eavesdrop. And if he did...” Crow chuckled. “Then I’m sure he would have figured out that we were boyfriends by now, and given a rousing speech, before pointing at us and saying, ‘The gays are YOU!’”
Instead of laughing, Luke just bit his lip. As much as he hated to admit it... Crow had a good point. (Though Hershel probably wouldn’t call them out like a villain.) But he still tried to argue with Crow’s logic. “Yeah, well-“
“Is it actually Layton that’ll be disappointed in you if you asked for help?”
Luke looked away at that, staring at the floor. The tips of his ears burnt. Crow could read him like a book, couldn’t he? “...”
Crow put his work to the side, and crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side slightly. His bangs tilted along with him, tickling his nose. “You help me study all the time. What’s that you always say about accepting help not making ya stupid?”
“That’s true for your case, but-!”
“No buts,” Crow interrupted, holding a finger up, like putting a finger to Luke’s lips. “No double standards, just ‘cause it’s you and not me! If you’re strugglin’ so much, the least I can do is offer a hand.”
Luke fidgeted, running his hands along the top part of his chair. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.
“Part of a relationship is not only helpin’, but acceptin’ help,” Crow prodded, and he smiled encouragingly. He leaned forward just slightly.
A few moments of silence passed, before Luke finally looked up from the ground, his face flushed as he looked his boyfriend in the eyes. “Alright... Crow, could you please help me with this puzzle?”
“Yes, of course.”
