#coz I'm usually there till closing time and seems he often is too

[autogeneity]

I think it'd be funny to feign ignorance, but maybe if you would like to engage with him - you can talk to him. After all, he is just a rondom. Also... I think you have enough probable cause to speak to him. And to think he would like it too.

seems that talking to him is the consensus among everyone who's responded, and since apparently I am choosing to defer my life decisions to strangers on the internet...I plan to do this if I can figure out a suitable opportunity and approach

#he is just a random but one I'd still have to regularly encounter if shit went badly lol #anyway I'm glad he introduced himself that time #so at least I can be like 'hey [name] right?' #and not idfk 'excuse me' or something lmao #he was there today. I don't usually go on Mondays but class was chill today and I had excess energy so was like eh #not sure he saw me we were in different sections however he is very tall and has a characteristic gait #I'll think about it for Friday probably #coz I'm usually there till closing time and seems he often is too #so maybe I can catch him as we're finishing up #which is what he did #asks #anonymous #do I require a tag for this saga lmfao #thing is a major factor here is norms and expectations and propriety and shit #so like not so much deferring my life decisions as taking people's opinions data for that #honestly no idea wtf I'd say though #so if y'all want to also contribute to crowdsourcing that please be welcome

[lumpy-veev]

Sleep Mode (Without the Buttons)

Happy (late TvT) birthday to @starrysupercell! I wrote a Barley x Ash ficlet for my wonderful tumblr pal, but it's a bit short for ao3, so I figured I'd post it here!

Context: I have a little story brewing in my head, about Barley accidentally making a wish around Gene and becoming human for a bit! This is the first time he ever goes to sleep as a human. (I might post more about human Barley sometime in the future, but for now, this is all I have XD).

Enjoy!

— — —

Ash knows what it's like to share a bed with a warm body.

Several warm bodies, even, what with the way his parents crammed him and his siblings into one room back when he was a wee lad.

But none of them were Barley.

And none of them were as fidgety as Barley.

"Bon?" he finally says as Barley rolls over for the fourth time in just as many minutes. "If ye ain't comfy I can sleep on the couch."

"Ah, no. It's fine," comes the hushed reply. From the sound of Barley's voice, he's facing away from him again.

Ash gives a non-committal hum in response, sliding an arm under his pillow as he gets settled again.

"I just feel like I'm doing it wrong."

"Hn?" It takes a moment for his bleary mind to process. "...Sleepin'?"

"Yes! I don't know what I could be missing. I'm worn out from the workday, I'm wearing comfortable sleepwear, I've even been trying to close my eyes and keep still." Ash feels a shift in the bed as Barley adjusts himself. "But I still don't feel any closer to falling asleep."

"Yeah? Well—" Ash stifles a yawn. "You're nae doin' anythin' wrong, f'that's all yer worried aboot."

"No?"

"No. Sometimes ye just dinnae fall asleep." Ash sighs.

"Oh," Barley whispers. "That's..."

"Bloody annoyin'? A pain in the arse?" He snorts.

"I was going to say inconvenient. But I suppose you're correct as well," Barley chuckles quietly.

"Hm."

The two of them fall silent for a moment.

"Is that something that happens to you often?" Barley pipes up again.

"Hm?"

"Not being able to sleep."

"Ah. Well." It's something Ash is all too familiar with. "Depends on how ye mean it. Sometimes I dinnae sleep till late coz I have more mess t'clean up than usual. Sometimes I dinnae sleep coz I just can't. Like you, right now. So, somewhat, I guess."

"Oh."

Ash can't tell what Barley's thinking. "S'not terrible. I make do with what I get."

"I suppose you do."

"...Mm." The bed creaks as Ash rolls over to stare at the ceiling. "But don't use me as an example of how ye should be taking care of yerself. I'm a terrible example."

Barley doesn't respond.

Ash turns his head.

In the darkness, he can just barely make out the outline of Barley's narrow shoulders.

If Ash really looked, he'd probably be able to see them rise and fall as he breathes. He'd probably be able to feel it, if he pressed a hand against his back. But the warmth settling under the covers with them is already more than enough, so Ash looks away, and settles for pulling his sheets a bit snugger around himself.

"You're not so terrible," Barley says, just as Ash thinks the conversation must have ended. "It's not as simple as I thought it'd be."

Ash blinks. "...Falling asleep?"

"Taking care of yourself, I mean. Being human at all is— it's—" Barley seems to cut himself off. "I'm sorry, I must be keeping you up, maybe I should move to the couch instead—"

"Bon."

Barley stops.

"C'mere." Ash rolls over, scooting over to loop his arms around his waist and pull him close. Barley makes a soft, surprised noise as he does. "S'this alright, Bon?"

He shifts a bit, but settles quick.

"Um, I— this... yes. Yes, more than alright."

Ash feels a hand cover his.

"Mm. Good." Barley smells like his soap. It suits him, because everything does. "Bein' human's a right chore sometimes. But it's not so bad. We're good at chores, you n' I."

"...We are, aren't we?" This close, Ash can hear the smile in his voice.

"We are," he affirms. "Now stop thinkin' so hard. I can hear it from out here."

That gets a snicker out of Barley, and Ash can feel the tension bleed from his shoulders as he finally relaxes.

"You ask the impossible of me, dear," Barley sighs. "But for you I will try. Goodnight, Ash."

"G'night, Bon. Sleep well."

#lumpywrites #brawl stars #brawl stars barley #brawl stars ash #keepers #human robotics #that'll be my tag for human barley #cuz why not? #when ash wakes up to go to work in the morning he will not be able to leave #he will be firmly clung to like the teddy bear #barley will be clinging to him like barnacle to ship