Scraps of Kindness

Scraps of Kindness is a story written by TK Hoshikuzu. It ran in Issue 84 at https://www.shousetsubangbang.com/mirror/scraps-of-kidness/.

Summary

Prof. Laurence escapes to his usual bar to drink away his shame, but the smug, insufferable bartender won't leave him alone.

Author Notes

This is the second time Ken has been featured in a short story (the first being Cream Puff), but he's much older here, a little wiser, a little kinder, but still abrasive. I like to think that Ken and Laurence are that unlikely couple that people don't expect to last long, but since they're so different, it works.

Also I wanted to push back against the idea that it's too late for anything. Some people just don't find what they're looking for until they're ready, whether young or old. There's a whole life worth living, you shouldn't write off anything! :)

External Links

This story is also available on Archive of Our Own (AO3).