31_days | [Sept 14] [Howl's Moving Castle] The Theory's the Thing

Title: The Theory's the Thing
Day/Theme: September 14
Series: Howl's Moving Castle
Character/Pairing: Howl(Howell)/Sophie
Rating: PG
Summary: Howl tries to put a label on his and Sophie's relationship.

Foreword: Spoilers for the end of the book. This fic will be in book!verse, thank you.

Howell was always told that for a good relationship to last, a couple would have to be best friends as well. No matter what book he read, what advice he sought out, it was the same. Perhaps that theory worked in Wales, but that sentiment hardly applied to he and Sophie. When he thought long and hard about it, Howell wasn't even sure that he and Sophie were friends in the slightest. But did that mean that they would not have a relationship that lasted? He cared for her, so they must have had something. But he would hardly call it "friendship."

Not to say that he didn't ever test this so-called theory of friendship. As a man of magic, which had a basic foundation on logic and science, he had tried to form numerous ideas on what he and Sophie's relationship could truly be called. It was more than the apprenticeship that Michael and he shared, despite the fact that he had taken Sophie under his wing as well. Nor was his relationship with Sophie as close as the one between he and Calcifer. Sharing your heart with a fire demon tends to create a certain unspeakable bond-- which is why the former contract between the two of them had worked so well. But Sophie wasn't about to hand her heart over to Howell (as she still insisted that he ate the hearts of women), and he had become quite accustomed to the flutter of his heart whenever Sophie would steal a quick glance over at him and smile, so he wasn't about to give that away on the basis of experimentation.

The question began to haunt Howell to the point that he found himself quite unable to sleep one night. Instead, he tiptoed down the stairs, sneaking quietly past Sophie's cubbyhole, and walked out the castle door, purple side down. And in the bed of flowers, kissed by the light of the half-moon, the great Wizard Jenkins, Pendragon, and ever other alias he had ever taken, sat down in the damp field of flowers, completely at a loss of how to solve this mystery. With all of his genius and power, he was unable to come up with one simple answer. Exasperated, he let out a loud sigh and started up at the stars.

Behind him, the castle door opened and closed. Howell didn't even bother to look behind him.

"Howl?" Sophie's voice echoed in the night. "Howl, it's freezing out here. Come inside." But she received no answer. Ignoring the fact that she was wearing only slippers and her shawl over her robe and nightgown, Sophie headed towards Howell, a concerned look on her face. She had never seen the wizard so troubled. "Howl?" Still no answer. She leaned down, kneeling behind him. Lightly running her hand down his shoulder, she again called to him, "Howl?"

"What can I do to find the answer I need? I have tried everything."

A sympathetic smile crossed Sophie's lips before she placed her shawl on his shoulders, wrapping it tight around him. "Don't stay out here too long, okay? You aren't going to find whatever answer you are looking for in the stars," she said before giving him a light peck on the cheek.

It wasn't until Sophie reached the castle door before Howell broke from his daze. He took the shawl in one hand, wrapping it tighter around him. He then turned towards the castle and called out, "Sophie!"

She paused, looking at the wizard across the sea of flowers. "What is it, Howl?"

He hesitated for a moment, trying to find the proper words. Then with a smug grin, he asked, "Would you like to help me with an experiment?"

Sophie cocked her head to one side, "How can I help?"

Before she realized it, Howell had caught up to her and had wrapped his arms around the small of her waist. "I can think of at least one thing that would get me slapped. But I'll settle for another kiss."

"Howl Jenkins!" Sophie hissed, livid. She tried to push him away, but the wizard refused to budge.

With a hardy laugh, Howell shook his head, letting his golden strands of hair dance in the moonlight. "I was only (somewhat) joking, dearest Sophie. I just wanted you to answer a question for me."

"Well?" Sophie huffed.

"Are we friends?"

"What a ridiculous question! All of that melodrama, and that's all you wanted to ask? Howl Jenkins, what's gotten into that peacock brain of yours today?" She struggled against his grip some more before saying, "I swear, you let me go this instant or I'll show you how much we aren't friends."

Howell laughed again. "All right, all right." He released her from his grip, but not without stealing a kiss from her, this time on the lips.

"You're impossible," she steamed, stomping back into the castle.

"Ah, but you love me anyway," Howell called back with a wide grin on his face as he followed Sophie into the castle. His question was not technically answered. Sophie, apparently, had learned to slither out of things just as good as he. More research would definitely have to be done. Kissing sounded like a good starting point.

Fin

Notes:
First completed HMC fan fiction. Please be gentle.

Disclaimer:
This fiction was written for entertainment purposes only. Howl's Moving Castle is owned and written by Diana Wynne Jones. Standard disclaimers apply.