Ah, Valentine’s Day. We’ve officially entered the season of love, romance, and overpriced chocolate. Here to help you get in the mood, your five rotating Siipping News columnists Hannah, Yvonne, Catherine, Adri and Aja have each assembled their top five most romantic (intentionally or not) slashy moments from many different fandoms. Included in this eclectic list is everything from movies to manga, so you’re sure to find a new fandom flame or rekindle an old love. Enjoy!
Hannah’s Top 5
Picking only five romantic moments was a big challenge for me considering how many TV shows, movies, comics and books I am forever in love with. But I’ve narrowed it down to these few heart-wrenching finalists.
5.Harvey/Mike (Suits 2.12):“Who did this to you?”
I’ll be the first to say that Suits doesn’t fit my typical TV taste – no sci-fi, no fantasy, no epic quests – but I gave it a try last year and I love it. Legal intrigue and scintillating women are two big perks, but the heart of this show is really the relationship between Mike Ross and Harvey Specter. Harvey has been protective (dare I say it, possessive?) of Mike since the get-go, but I think this moment takes the cake. When Mike shows up to the office with a black eye and busted lip, Harvey ignores the case talk and zeroes in on Mike’s bruises. “Who did this to you?” he demands instantly, and he won’t take “I’m fine” for an answer. “You’re not. And after I’m done kicking his ass, the guy who did it isn’t gonna be either.”
It’s possible that ass-kicking might be Harvey talk for some fancy legal action, but I clearly got the sense that Harvey was a name away from pummeling the guilty party into the concrete with his bare hands. And that’s coming from the brilliant, manipulative, emotionally detached lawyer who projects an image of a man far superior to physical brawling. He doesn’t get into street fights for fun, or even for work. But he will do it for Mike, to take revenge on whomever dared raise a hand against his associate. The murder in his voice says romance as only Harvey Specter could.
4. Dean/Castiel (Supernatural 8.02): “I prayed to you, Cas. Every night.”
I’m sure that our readers are all experts on Destiel by now, but that’s only because it is so perfect and heartbreaking and gives you feels roughly equivalent to the power of ten thousand burning suns.
Most of my joy surrounding this pairing has been watching their relationship evolve. Even talking strictly canon events, slash goggles off, it’s impossible to deny their chemistry and the deep affection they have for each other. The purgatory reunion scene and the words exchanged therein are huge for proving just how far they’ve come, especially Dean. The words are powerful, they’re anguished, and there’s a whole world of meaning behind them.
In the beginning, Dean doesn’t believe in angels and he especially doesn’t believe in praying. He scoffs at the idea, having no faith in so-called higher powers. After a while he takes up “praying” as a means of communicating with his angel friend and ally, of summoning Cas when needed. In this scene, however, we find that praying has become something different for Dean. When at last he finds Castiel, he makes a point to say that he prayed every night, as a devoted believer might do before sleep. Dean’s whole worldview has shifted, revolving around Castiel. He reaches out for Cas every night, turning the mechanical act of praying into a ritual, rooted in faith, desperation, and hope. He doesn’t pray for Cas or at Cas, he prays to him; he needs Castiel, seeks him doggedly, and throws aside all of his prior reservations on the chance that Cas might hear his prayers and return to his side.
3. Frodo/Sam (Lord of the Rings):“Don’t you leave him, Samwise Gamgee! And I don’t mean to.”
It is my personal belief that anyone who says they didn’t like Sean Astin’sSamwise Gamgee is either lying or has no soul. There is no one more loyal to Frodo than his gardener, and their part of the journey holds the most heartbreak for me.
Their scene at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring has been elevated to a revered place in my heart. That Sam would give up his life without hesitation to follow Frodo is the epitome of devotion. Sam’s #1 motivation in this scene (and beyond) comes not from the desire to destroy the ring, but to remain by Frodo’s side. The success of the quest is determined in this scene. Sam’s willingness to do whatever it takes to stay with Frodo saves all of Middle Earth in the end, for it is Sam’s surprising courage and steadfast affection that carry Frodo to the summit of Mount Doom.
I love all three Lord of the Rings movies dearly, but if someone is talking during this specific scene in Fellowship, my shut the hell up right now will be swift and caustic.
2. Erik/Charles (X-Men: First Class): “I want you by my side.”
X-Men: First Class saw me descend passionately into one of my only movie fandoms to date. It is everything the shipper in me wanted from a Professor X/Magneto meeting and backstory. I’m convinced it is actually a movie about their tragic romance more than anything else. Burgeoning mutant movement? Yadda yadda, who cares, can I have some more emotionally and sexually charged games of chess, please and thank you.
The beach scene is the epic culmination of the turbulent but heartfelt friendship Erik and Charles have been building. The trust between them, forged delicately among a web of war and dark pasts, is stretched to the breaking point right there on the sand. Erik will not give an inch, coldly desperate for his revenge, even punching Charles ruthlessly in the face to keep him from interfering. The missiles fly toward the human soldiers on the ships, carrying their doom, and the situation looks hopeless. Then a tiny bullet, deflected by Erik himself, sends Charles to the ground.
Erik forgets his vengeance in an instant. He rushes to Charles and kneels beside him, furious and plainly horrified. Out over the ocean, Erik’s missiles fall harmlessly, forgotten. His rage is homicidal; he forces everyone back and nearly kills Moira, who fired the bullet meant for Erik. “I want you by my side,” Erik says softly, holding Charles close, reaching out for him even when they are so very different. “We’re brothers, you and I.”
1. Arthur/Merlin (BBC’s Merlin 5.13): “I don’t want you to change.”
[Spoiler Alert: While the series has completed its run in the UK, this selection references episodes that have not yet aired in the U.S.]
In case anyone out there is wondering if I’m over the Merlin series finale, heads up, I’m not. It’s impossible for me to even look through screencaps of these scenes without feeling my heart break just a teensy bit more.
The whole season finale is rife with crushingly tragic and romantic moments, but it’s this one that really hit me hard. Arthur has been raised his whole life to distrust and hate magic. And who can blame him, really, when all of the magic he has knowingly encountered has been used against him and his kingdom? Those few times he turns to magic for help end horribly more often than not.
The whole series of Merlin had been building up to the magic reveal. And though the aftermath is sorted in an episode’s time (personally, I was hoping for six seasons and a movie), Arthur still undergoes a clear and wrenching progression of emotions regarding his newly revealed sorcerer companion. First is denial and rejection; he turns away from Merlin’s magic as though he can escape the truth. He pushes Merlin away. Then he’s angry: “You’ve been lying to me all this time,” he accuses quietly. I wish I could have seen what was going through Arthur’s head, how he struggled to come to terms with the fact that his most trusted friend was a sorcerer and, worse, had been lying to him for years.
Finally, acceptance. Dying and a bit delirious, Arthur says, “I don’t want you to change. I want you to always be you.” The look on Merlin’s face is beautiful and hopeful and happy and I hate your face, Colin Morgan, for doing this to me. Arthur has seen Merlin’s true self, his whole self, and Arthur does more than accept it. He embraces it. He weighs what he knows of magic and what he knows of Merlin and he decides, in the face of all the evil magic he has seen, that Merlin is perfect the way that he is, magic and all. This declaration is the purest, most startling evidence of the depths of Arthur’s love of Merlin.
Yvonne's Top 5
Happy upcoming Valentine's Day, shippers! I’m super glad you decided to join us for this journey through the romantic world of slash. When the idea for a V-Day special was first suggested (I think it was Hannah’s fault), I was determined to find happy slash moments, especially after I heard what my fellow slash experts had on their lists! Unfortunately – as you are about to see – it didn’t really work out that way.
5. Peeta/Finnick (Catching Fire)
An accurate artistic depiction of the scene…
(Artist: Vanendra)
Peeta is electrocuted and Finnick takes it upon himself to save the hapless romantic by administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
I know saving someone’s life isn’t an entirely romantic act, but it certainly can be – especially when that act called the ‘kiss of life’. How many romances have taken advantage of the closeness that mouth-to-mouth involves? The answer is a lot. And it really is the ‘kiss of life’ because Peeta is all but dead until Finnick breaths the life back into him. Add that to the fact that I was already shipping the sweet romantic Peeta with the handsome flirt Finnick and you get one of my favorite slash moments ever (plus it wasn’t the first time Finnick saved Peeta). Also it should be noted that Katniss (who is narrating this little tryst) actually thinks that Finnick is kissing Peeta while it’s happening… awkward.
4. Stiles/Derek (Teen Wolf 2.2)
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Stiles gets caught and ends up trapped in a room with newly wolfed out Isaac. Derek swoops in with a hero-like roar sending Isaac cowering in the corner and saving Stiles from a likely werewolf mauling.
One of the biggest arguments for Sterek, in fandom, is the fact that they are constantly saving each other’s lives. Well let’s face it there are quite a few incidences where either Stiles or Derek puts themselves in the way of danger to save the other… but this one is by far my favorite. Part of it is the fact that this particular live saving moment comes after some serious flirting (okay maybe that’s subjective, but they were really cute together) but it’s also the way Derek just bursts into the room and takes control of the situation ignoring everything else (including a dead deputy) in favor of Stiles safety. Besides the way Derek says “I’m the Alpha now” is totally panty-dropping… you can practically see Stiles falling in lust love.
3. Troy/Abed (Community 2.6)
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They’re being chased by Zombies and there is no way they’re both getting out – so Abed let’s himself get caught to save his friend. Right before Abed is about to get bit Troy says: “I love you” and Abed replies succinctly: “I know”.
Even if I weren’t completely in love with this ship I would love this because they are quoting one of my all time favorite movie moments. It is, of course, a reference to the famous interaction between Han Solo and Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back. Clearly Troy and (definitely) Abed would have to be aware that they are referencing a very famous romantic pairing and these are the words they choose for what they believe to be their final conversation. I’m sorry but if you don’t think this is one of the most romantic moments on television ever then you are wrong (that may or may not be an exaggeration, but I feel justified in it because of the awesomeness that is this moment and Community as a whole).
2. John/Sherlock (Sherlock 2.1)
While at Buckingham Palace John jokes that he’s resisting the urge to steal an ashtray – on the drive home Sherlock reveals he in fact did steal one.
This isn’t a life or death moment like all the others on my list but that’s the reason I love it. It’s simple, sweet and lifted directly from a rom-com. Considering Sherlock’s not really one for simple gestures makes this moment all the more romantic. Come on who wouldn’t want someone to steal and ashtray from the queen for them (all the best romantic gestures involve something illegal)? And the adorable way they giggle about it together – it melts my frozen insides into mushy goo. Sometimes I like to go back and watch this ignoring all the heartbreaking things that happen later and think about how this was Sherlock trying to impress John – this was him fluffing his feathers and doing a mating dance. Judging by the look of awe on John’s face I’m pretty sure the display worked.
1. Sam/Dean (Supernatural 2.22)
When Sam is stabbed and killed in the penultimate episode of Season 2 Dean doesn’t have many options left. He makes a deal with a crossroads demon – Dean’s soul in exchange for Sammy’s life.
I know, I know – everything was going so well but then I had to go add incest (it’s the best part of waking up). But you love it – don’t lie. Besides we couldn’t have a list of the most romantic slash moments without mentioning those erotically codependent brothers. This moment isn’t so much about saving someone’s life as sacrificing your own. Dean literally sacrifices himself (his future and his happiness) for Sam; if that’s not love then I don’t know what is. A lot of couples insist that they would die for each other but Sam and Dean actually do… on several occasions. Seriously how many people have someone that is literally willing to go to hell for them? As far as epic romantic gestures go you don’t get much better this. It isn’t mushy or flirty or even all that sexy but this moment does perfectly encapsulate the tragic romance that is the Winchester’s lives.
So much for the pleasant romantic romp I was planning. Sorry about that guys – it’s seems I don’t find it romantic unless someone’s life is in danger. I don’t know about you but heroic live-saving skills are kind of at the top of my list when looking for a potential partner (probably not to the extent of Sam and Dean because that’s just unhealthy). Also part of me thinks I should have stepped outside the world of TV a little bit more but TV is where my heart is and it’s Valentine’s Day so I have to stay true to my heart. Besides I think Aja’s selections further down below have us covered on the topic of non-western, non-TV-based ships.
Catherine's Top 5
It's almost Valentine's Day, that time of the year where you lock yourself up in your room, eat five boxes of chocolate and live vicariously through fictional characters thanks to your good buddy Netflix. This year, I suggest you stay away from romantic comedies starring Jennifer Garner. (Here, I'll help you: Patrick Dempsey is married, she ends up with Ashton Kutcher.) Instead, try something a little different. How about putting on the slash goggles and looking at your favorite series from a new perspective? Here are my top 5 romantic slash moments:
5. Tony/Steve(Avengers: Red Zone): "Sorry, Tony...but Captain America's more important than you."
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The Avengers, both in their comic universe and their movie universe, offer an endless supply of superhero slash fodder. The most popular Avengers pairing seems to be Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Steve Rogers (Captain America). What's not to love? Tony grew up a Captain America fanboy and turned into a snarky and arrogant billionaire playboy, while Steve is the stereotypical old-fashioned 40s gentleman who takes it upon himself to embody the American ideal of justice for all. They're so mismatched that it makes them the perfect pair. In fact, in an alternate universe in which Tony Stark was born a woman (Natasha Stark, Iron Woman), she and Captain America got married and changed the outcome of the Civil War arc. That's what I call a good match.
That being said, in can be harder to pinpoint their best, most romantic moment in the main comic timeline. The one that ultimately made this list is from 'Avengers: Red Zone'. In this comic, the Red Skull (you might remember him from the Captain America movie as Elrond without a face) infiltrates the US government and tries to release a biological weapon from the peaks of Mount Rushmore. The Avengers try to keep this from happening, but Steve gets exposed to the lethal toxin and nearly chokes to death. Tony (yes, the very same self-absorbed Iron Man we all know) immediately removes his helmet, exposing himself to the poison, and gives Steve mouth-to-mouth to save him.
The thought (risking one's life to save a partner) is more important that the act itself (their lips touched!!) but when you combine the two, you get what is arguably one of the most romantic slash moments in Marvel canon.
4. Lestat/Louis(The Vampire Chronicles: Interview with the Vampire): "One happy family."
Dysfunctional vampires with attachment issues deserve some recognition, too. Take Anne Rice's bloodsucking psychopath Lestat de Lioncourt, for instance: he's quite the romantic. Sure, you could argue that turning a suicidal but oh-so-handsome plantation owner into a vampire to spend the rest of eternity with him is questionable behavior, but Louis de Pointe du Lac was mostly cool with it...at first. (An eternity is awfully long, and Lestat was kind of a dick.)
When Louis started being a little less passionate and a little more annoyed by Lestat's general existence, Lestat had a great idea: he gave Louis a little vampire daughter to ensure he would stay. (I think I've seen the exact same plot on One Life To Live a few years ago, except with fewer gay vampires and more fake pregnancies.) What's more romantic than offering your loved one a doll-like child with fangs as a new companion? All right, probably a lot of things. But keep in mind that Lestat's creator and his former lover both immolated themselves, so he's a little messed up. You think your ex-boyfriend had issues? Ha.
The bottom line is that no matter how wrong Lestat's actions were, it's undeniable that he was desperately, tragically in love with Louis. When you're immortal, you can't always count on chocolates and flowers to say "I love you". Sometimes you have to say it with a twelve-year-old Kirsten Dunst.
3. Dean/Castiel (Supernatural, 5.3): "You're not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch."
You might recall Dean Winchester's "Last Night on Earth" speech from that time Jo Harvelle called him out on it. Here's how it goes: Dean, beer in hand, charming smile on his face, informs his current sexual interest that hey, they'll probably die soon, so they should go out with a bang (pun intended). Jo wasn't the only one on the receiving hand of that speech; seven episodes earlier, Dean tried the exact same one on none other than Castiel.
There's a fine line between friendly concern and "friendly" (wink, wink) concern, especially when the topic being discussed is your best friend's sex life. In that moment, Dean was sure of two things: one, Bert and Ernie are gay, and two, Castiel wasn't going to die a virgin, not on his watch. In that moment, I was sure of one thing: no one deliberately says those statements back to back unless they're blatantly hitting on their doe-eyed angel. (Go get it, tiger.)
What we saw was Dean taking Castiel to a brothel, paying him a beer and a prostitute, and running out of the place laughing because the angel tried to counsel the sex worker on her daddy issues instead of sleeping with her. What we didn't see was what eventually led up to Castiel calling an Archangel his "little bitch" in front of Dean, like he'd been bestowed the gift of reckless self-confidence sometime during the night. Logical conclusion? Dean kept his promise, and somewhere in Maine, probably in the backseat of the Impala, Castiel discovered what several angels before him had already fallen for.
2. Stiles/Derek (Teen Wolf, 2.4): "Run."
Affectionately referred to as "the pool scene", this moment from Season 2 episode 'Abomination' couldn't not make the list. Picture this: You're the world's grumpiest alpha werewolf, casually intimidating teenagers at the pool, and suddenly you're standing between a human-sized snake-like monster that can paralyze you with one scratch and a defenseless, very human teenage boy. What do you do? Well, if you're Derek Hale and the boy by your side happens to be Stiles Stilinski, you heroically push the kid away to protect him and face the Big Bad Kanima on your own.
Playing hero when you're the broody older male character on a MTV show never ends well; of course, Derek gets scratched by the Kanima and becomes paralyzed from the neck down. Thankfully, Stiles saves the day--more or less--by carrying Derek's dead weight and...dropping him in the pool. Instead of immediately retrieving his phone and calling Scott for help, Stiles jumps into the water to save Derek, and proceeds to hold his head above the water for two hours.
Now, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but Derek looked like he was able to move suspiciously soon after he was thrown out of the pool. Coincidence, or elaborate scheme to let Stiles hold him in the water a little longer than he had to? You decide. The fact remains that this scene was a classic heroic moment where our boys learned the very romantic concept of self-sacrifice. (Bonus: they also cuddled while wet.)
1. Kirk/Spock (Star Trek: The Motion Picture): "This simple feeling is beyond V'G'er's comprehension."
Sometime between theStar Trek animated series and the first movie, Spock had a bit of an existential crisis caused by his half-Vulcan heritage and his strong feelings for James T. Kirk, his beloved captain. He returned to Vulcan, his home planet, with the intention of going through kolinahr, a ritual to purge all emotions and reach a state of perfect mental discipline. Spock's ritual was however interrupted by strong telepathic visions from space, and he returned aboard the Enterprise to investigate this with the rest of the crew.
The Spock we see at the beginning of Star Trek: The Motion Picture seems determined to ignore his friendship with Kirk and focus on his work. However, after he comes in contact with the mysterious space entity V'G'er and tries to mindmeld with it, Spock comes to understand something: unlike him, despite all logic and knowledge, this entity doesn't understand something as simple as love. He tells Kirk as much when he wakes up in the Enterprise's sickbay, reaching to hold his hand and smiling as he talks about "this simple feeling", finally choosing to embrace his human half. Kirk holds his hand and gazes into his eyes. "Spock..." They have a moment. It's beautiful. I tear up a little every time.
As romantic as that heartfelt declaration of love was, it wasn't punctuated by a romantic kiss. Right? Wrong! It was canonically established that Vulcans were touch-telepaths, and thus had to limit their tactile contacts to the strict minimum. Vulcan husbands and wives only touched each other with one or two fingers in lieu of kissing or hugging or any other form of "uncivilized" or "distasteful" behavior. As pictured above, Spock chose to take Kirk's hand and hold it, which could be considered the Vulcan equivalent of a secret makeout session. Are you impressed? I know I am. Sneaky Vulcans.
Adri's Top 5
5. Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall (Teen Wolf, 2.08)
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Scott once again shows that (despite misled fandom belief) he’s actually a very clever boy and comes up with a PETA-approved plan to capture murderous-lizard Jackson, and he needs Isaac’s help to carry it out.
There are several things about this moment, which singlehandedly got this ship sailing for me. For one thing: Isaac’s trust of Scott. Isaac is still trying to play it cool, but with Derek being the loveable FailWolf that he is, Scott’s confidence and impressive medical vocabulary (intravenously means in the vein folks) has got to seem attractive to lost puppy Isaac. But that’s not the beauty of this moment, no; it’s actually the part where Scott tells him to be careful because “I don’t want you to get hurt.” Scott’s face is the most serious earnest thing in the world at that moment and Isaac’s face was like he finally found someone who cared about him. These two are going places, I’m telling you.
4. Jack Harkness /Ianto Jones (Torchwood, 3.01)
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Evil government people planted a bomb inside of Jack and Ianto vehemently refuses to leave him to blow up on his own so Jack forces him onto the lift and off to safety. But not without a kiss goodbye.
"I'll come back...I always do."My screams could be heard down the street, what can I tell you? In the seconds that this scene lasted, Jack convinced Gwen to think of her unborn child and run to safety. But not Ianto, oh no. Even though they both knew it Jack was kind of IMMORTAL, Ianto was still willing to risk it until way past the last second to make damn sure that Jack would survive. That’s love kids, that’s love. Especially when the quick perfect kiss right before Jack sends Ianto up in the lift tells us that Jack isn’t all that sure he’ll make it.
3. Dave Karofsky/ Sebastian Smythe (Glee, 3.14)
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Confession time! Sebastian gathers the entire gay and lesbian population of Lima, Ohio to confess what none of us saw, coming. Sebastian and Karofsky know each other. Not only that, there is a brave attempt at flirting on Dave’s part.
Granted, we Smythofsky shippers base our whole deal on a single episode, but larger ships have been formed on much less canon. The short scene Dave and Sebastian do have together is heartbreaking, one more jab from Sebastian, but might it have been one too many for Dave? It’s really Sebastian’s repentance that sells this whole scene for me, the way his eyes water as he confesses why he feels the need to do something to mend his insensitive ways. I remember watching Grant performing The Wanted’s ‘Glad You Came’ and just squealing, “Sebastian is singing that FOR Dave!” And I was a goner.
2. Brian Kinney / Justin Taylor (Queer as Folk, 1.22)
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What can I say? There are SO many Brian and Justin moments, I just wanted to pick something from the early days; full of euphoria (and ignoring the angst that followed).
I can’t think of anything more romantic than enduring the tacky torture that are school organized formal events. Seriously. For a man as cynical as Brian to stoop to the level of balloon arches for the man he loves, it’s truly a gesture. But all jokes aside, take a minute to watch this scene again. Everyone in the room is glaring and looking disgusted and Justin can’t see one second of it because Brian is looking at him like he hung the entire solar system. To make this boy feel like they’re the only ones in the room so that the ignorance of his classmates doesn’t hurt him, well, we all know that didn’t last long and that he got hurt indeed, but it was a beautiful moment nonetheless.
1. Alec Lightwood/Magnus Bane (City of Lost Souls, Pg. 492)
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“I always need your strength, Alec.”
Oh Lordy. The beautiful calm before the soul ripping storm. I love everything about this scene. I love how it echos back to that moment in City of Ashes when Alec first shared his strength with Magnus. This scene feeds it back to us and it’s different now, solid. Magnus knows that he can ask and Alec freely gives, because they make each other strong.
Perhaps it’s the near death situation. Perhaps it’s now knowing what happens not long after this scene. Perhaps it’s the hope (never give up hope!) that there will be a third instance to this pattern, but this takes my most romantic moment spot!
Aja's Top 5
This list has confirmed for me that my taste in slash is slightly unconventional. I’m okay with that. :) I left off my current otp (Arthur/Eames) because its romantic moments are a bit too subtle! And Troy and Abed would totally make my list, but Yvonne already listed their most romantic moment. For me, this list may not contain the most conventional pairings, but they show that romance comes in all shapes and sizes.
5. Archie Goodwin/Nero Wolfe (Nero Wolfe mysteries): Nero saves his whistle just for Archie
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Nero Wolfe is a 300-pound genius who lives in a Manhattan brownstone, has a personal chef, and raises prize-winning orchids. (A friend of mine once called it “a paradise of middle-aged queens.”) Archie Goodwin is his wisecracking, hardboiled, live-in personal assistant *cough* who runs Wolfe’s errands and constantly complains about his life, all while making it clear he loves his life and, most of all, loves Nero Wolfe. Together, they fight crime! ...or rather, Archie fights crime and Nero sits at home in his yellow pajamas snarking at Archie and getting perennially jealous of every other person in Archie’s life.
Nero/Archie is an unconventional slash pairing, but it’s glorious. Nero is fiercely possessive of Archie, who manifests an ongoing sexual fascination with Nero disguised as constant speculation about his weight (which leads to him thinking about Nero’s lips, and Nero undressing... you get the picture). This is the most subtext I’ve ever read in a series where two unrelated men routinely see each other in their underwear and give each other dressing gowns for presents. Rex Stout’s oeuvre of over 70 mystery novels and novellas is literally page-to-page with queer moments and romantic gestures, but one of my favorites comes in the very first book, Fer de Lance. I love this moment because it not only shows not only the flirting, and how comfortable Archie and Nero are together, but Archie’s ongoing fascination for Nero’s physicality, as well as his deep affection:
Wolfe was whistling; that is, his lips were rounded into the proper position and air was going in and out, but there was no sound. I loved seeing him do that; it never happened when anybody was there but me, not even Fritz. He told me once that it meant he was surrendering to his emotions. ... I caught his eyes in the mirror, and he winked at me! I was so astonished that I supposed my mouth fell open.
Nothing says “true love” like saving your whistles for the person you trust most in the world.
4. Stringer/Avon (The Wire 3.11): “Just dream with me.”
Leave it to The Wire to have one of the most brilliantly quiet betrayal scenes between two anti-heroes be a balcony scene. Avon and Stringer, the drug lord and his right-hand man, are ostensibly celebrating their conquest of the city of Baltimore in this famous scene that comes at the series’ mid-point; but what’s really going on is that they’re bidding each other goodbye for the last time after having committed mutual acts of betrayal. They’re each projecting and feeding off each other’s guilt, as well as a lifetime of friendship. It’s the Godfather but with bucketloads more angst, character development, and subtext from the best-written show in television history. When Avon asks Stringer to relax, to “just dream with me,” he’s really saying, “our dream is over.” They both know it, and they both recognize the hypocrisy of the situation; but it doesn’t make this final moment together any less touching, or less real.
3. Light x L, Death Note: “Silence” – L washes Light’s feet
Like The Wire, this is also a moment of betrayal. The most climactic episode of the anime adaptation of Death Note contains a scene that isn’t in the manga. Because the producers thought that a show in which the two main characters are literally handcuffed together day and night for three months straight wasn’t actually gay enough. In all seriousness, this is a very serious and moving scene in which the genius detective L reinforces the narrative’s recurring religious allegories by washing the feet of his best frenemy, Yagami Light--the secret serial killer who’s been trying to outwit him and evade capture by “aiding” L in his investigation. What this scene drives home is not just their enforced intimacy, but that L, who’s suspected his friend all along, is choosing the path he’s heading down. When he washes Light’s feet, he’s sending him the message that will haunt him forever: “I know you’re my Judas, but I love you anyway.”
"Nothing says OTP like gay serial killers and the detectives who reluctantly love them anyway."
2.Akira x Hikaru (Hikaru no Go): “Yeah. It was long.”
I debated putting this on the list because it’s not as well-known to most of our readers; but the shounen manga/anime series Hikaru no Go (Hikaru’s Go) is one of the fandoms that’s dearest to my heart. The whole storyline, which revolves around the ancient Japanese game of Go (similar to Othello) serves as a metaphor for life and connection to the people around you. It also gives you the heart-swellingly beautiful storyline of two adolescent boys who fall utterly in love with each other....’s Go-playing abilities.
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Headstrong, beautiful, and fiery-tempered Touya Akira is a child prodigy who’s blown away by the natural unconscious ability of the happy-go-lucky Shindou Hikaru. Hikaru, in turn, is blown away and inspired by Akira’s dedication to the game. When they finally get to play a real match with each other as equals, two years and 70 beautiful episodes have gone by, and you’ve sobbed your heart out at at least half of them. Upon finally arriving to the game room, Akira looks intently at Hikaru and tells him, “It’s been two years and four months” since they last played together. He then goes on to discover the biggest secret that Hikaru’s been keeping from him (link contains series spoilers)--all from reading his mind because they are SOULMATES who literally have been communicating to each other telepathically all this time through the way they play Go. No, I’m not even making this up.
Then they proceed to gaze deeply into each other’s Go patterns and declare that they’ve found their one true rival. Because Go is a metaphor for ETERNAL LOVE.
1. Harry/Draco ([cut from] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2): Draco switches sides
J.K. Rowling has given us an infinite number of slashy moments for this pairing, from the first rejected handshake to “Harry was rapidly becoming obsessed with Draco Malfoy” to “that’s for my father” to the wand-swap to the climactic moment of their relationship, when Harry dramatically saves Draco from being burned alive by literally returning to rescue him on his broom. But the killer moment of all is a moment that H/D shippers had been wishing for during all seven books: the moment when we finally see Draco choose to fight on Harry’s side against Voldemort.
We owe this moment of validation not to Rowling, who famously implied that fans only liked Draco because they were straight girls who thought Tom Felton was hot, but to the director of the final four films, David Yates. Yates invested heavily in Draco’s character for the films he worked on, and especially in Half-Blood Prince made the parallels between Harry and Draco clear. So it’s disappointing that in the end, in this moment from the final battle of Hogwarts, the pinnacle not only of all 7 books but of Yates’ narrative vision, this moment got cut from the film and was revealed only with the DVD for the final movie: Draco, upon learning that Harry isn’t dead as he previously thought, YELLS HARRY’S NAME IN RELIEF and runs across the battleground to join him. (Watch it here!) Since we only get a glimpse of this, we don’t know what Harry’s reaction would have been, but I know what it would have been in my head: a smirk, an, “It’s about time, Malfoy,” followed by HAND-HOLDING AND WADING INTO BATTLE TOGETHER.
As a decade-long H/D shipper, this is the. pinnacle. of my dreams for this pairing, and the one thing I never thought canon would give me. Thank you, David Yates, for letting it happen--even if it’s just a three-second DVD extra. That’s all this slash fan needs.
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Real subtext, or delusional over-analysis? Well, the great thing with slash is that it's all up to speculation and interpretation. Now it's your turn to share the love: What are your favorite romantic slash moments? Tell us in the comments, or send us your lists and arguments as a submission on our The Shipping News Tumblr.
