bakerstreet | Plant your trees, watch them grow

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[meme] shipping

Plant your trees, watch them grow

little steps

No matter how much they care for the other person and want to be with them, some people simply can't dive head first into relationships. Little things that form intimacy and romance, little acts we take for granted - being close, holding hands, kissing, showing affection in public - they won't or can't do...at least not right off the bat. Something in their past, their experiences, their trauma, or even their personality holds them back. For both them and the person they're "dating," as it were, this can lead to a frustrating experience.

Still, steps can be taken towards letting the walls fall down. Little, tiny steps, but those can mean the world all the same.

The People
One With the help of a partner, one person warms up.
Two Both sides of this couple are learning how to be in a relationship and to be open.

The Actions
Talking → A relationship can't exist if there's not some communication, so either learn to use your words or become so close you can speak without them.
Spending Time → Even such mundane occurrences as watching TV or cooking together is new ground.
Touching → You might just find you enjoy reaching out and touching them.
Kissing → Another kind of touch, when you think about it.
Cuddling → ...at least they're warm and, hopefully, soft.
Sleeping → You're at your absolute weakest when you're asleep. It shows trust to doze off around this person.
Public Display → It's one thing to be in love in private, but showing you care in public is a different story.
Kind Words → Three little words (more or less) are all it takes. Why, then, are they so hard to get out?
Sex The ultimate stumbling block to some. To be laid blissfully bare is to truly let your guard down.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[m/m preferred for smut but OTA on everything else]

[Would prefer not to play out smut on this one, mainly bc this jackass wouldn't be able to keep that soft and sweet.]

[Trust issues the size of mountains. Fear of intimacy. But a strange attraction to acts of kindness, having never gotten any. Headcanon her as F/F for shipping, canon never specifies.]

[Non-smut options preferred!]

He needed a night off. So when he's invited by Clark, of all people, Barry takes the opportunity to run off. Just for a little while. Away from Iris, away from Central. Just...really, away from Iris for a while. He needed to rethink things through.

And a nice night with Clark is what the doctor ordered. Pizza, some pie from Ma Kent, and musicals has Barry relaxed, happy, and warm. Even as the hour grows late, he has no want to run back to Central or back to the loft. Slowly, his eyes start to droop more and more until he's practically snuggling against Clark and his sun warm body.

Clark is delighted to see Barry, as always. Even though he's not the Flash of his team, Clark still feels a connection with him. And it seems like Barry has a lot on his mind, so Clark is happy to distract him from his worries. It's the least he can do.

He smiles softly as Barry snuggles against him, absently running his fingers through his friend's hair. "You can sleep here if you want; I have nowhere to be."

Things with Lois had sort of dissolved in a way he hadn't expected, but Barry doesn't need to hear about his personal woes.

"Mmmnnn," is his intelligent response.

The fingers in his hair feels good and he snuggles more against Clark.

"You really do smell good. And you're warm," Barry adds.

He's almost to the point of being an octopus on Clark. But the couch is barely enough to fit both of them.

Clark chuckles, just wrapping an arm around Barry to secure him against his chest. "Benefits of being a sun sponge, I guess. Smelling good is probably a Kryptonian thing." Maybe. Who knows.

He just continues to stroke Barry's hair as long as he's not complaining. "When was the last time you had a full night of uninterrupted sleep?"

Barry just hums happily and leans into the touch.

"Actual full night's sleep? Come on, Clark, you know people like us don't really get a full night's sleep."

He punctuates it with a sleepy chuckle.

Clark laughs, ruffling Barry's hair. "I actually get quite a few of them. Mostly because I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't, but also because I know I'll be able to help people even more if I'm well-rested. You, my friend, are going to get a full night of sleep, and then I'm going to make you a speedster-sized breakfast."

"What? You do?"

He sits up, a little more awake.

"Clark, you really don't have to. I mean. Just this movie and pizza night is more than enough and I don't wanna take your bed from you."

“Yeah, I do. On both counts. No arguing. And my bed is big enough to share, if you don’t mind. I’ll warn you though, I’m kind of a cuddler,” Clark replies, a little sheepish.

Barry grins widely.

"I'm kind of an octopus myself. It kind of--well, Iris doesn't like it all that much. So I'll try to keep my arms and legs to myself."

"I don't mind it, trust me, but...well. Would Iris mind you staying over?" he asks quietly, not wanting to cause any trouble. As much as he wants to snuggle his friend all night, he can see how it would look to her.

That draws an uncomfortable noise from Barry as he reaches up and scratches the back of his head.

"You know, it's probably not best to talk to Iris right now."

"Hey, it's okay," Clark murmurs, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Lois and I...we split up, not too long ago. Wasn't meant to be, I guess. I just don't want to cause any trouble by having you stay over with me."

"Wha--really? You and Lois?"

That catches his attention and immediately, Barry switches into concerned friend mode.

"You wanna talk about it? You okay?"

Clark shrugs a little. "I've accepted it, but I don't know that I'll ever really be okay. She just...well. I guess me being Clark Kent was one thing, but me being Superman was another, and it wound up driving us apart. I don't know if I can have a normal love life and be both. Is that what happened with you and Iris?"

He makes an uncomfortable sound.

"Well...Iris...she uh...we realize that we're a little too close like siblings to really feel comfortable dating. The crush I had on her was more about the girl I had a kid crush on. And she and I grew close. And it...would've made sense for us to be together. But when we did," he shrugs, "it just didn't work out as well as we wanted it to."

"I'm sorry," Clark replies sincerely, tugging Barry into a warm hug. "You deserve something that works out for you. And maybe we both need a good night's sleep and some affection right now. Come on."

He tugs him up, leading him to his room. "You want to borrow a set of pajamas? They might be a little big on you," he says, as he just casually shrugs off his shirt.