Hold Me
is a Punch-Out!! fanfic published on December 12, 2021, written by NoonboryKedabory and hosted on FanFiction.Net.
On a cold winter's night, Aran Ryan is being forced to look after a feverish Narcis Prince when he gets the titular request. He reluctantly obliges, thinking it's going to be a one-time event. Unfortunately for him, Narcis turns out to be quite the Cuddle Bug.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Gender Identity: Just like in the author's other work, King Hippo is a woman in this story.
- Ambiguously Gay: Narcis mentions he isn't sure about his sister Lacey's orientation because of how persistent she is about pestering her parents for their homophobia.
- Can't Live with Them, Can't Live Without Them: In the fifth chapter, Aran has a minor crisis when he realizes that he misses Narcis when the latter has to spend the night at the hospital.
- Catch Your Death of Cold: In one chapter, Narcis catches cold after being knocked down and having his coat stolen. Flashbacks show a nearly identical thing happened to Aran in his childhood.
- Company Cross References: "The Sassy Sisters of Shady Shores" from Home Sick (NoonboryKedabory) makes another appearance.
- Cooldown Hug: The type of hug focused on in the third chapter, which Aran has to do after Narcis wakes up crying from a nightmare.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: A serious example: Narcis mentions that he has to keep his relationship with Heike Kagero a secret because he knows his parents will disapprove.
- Dope Slap: Aran gives Narcis one of these when the latter calls the former a nutter.
- Faint in Shock: Narcis gracefully faints at the end of the first chapter after learning that he cuddled with Aran while in a feverish trance.
- Huggy, Huggy Hippos: A variant: King Hippo, while not being a literal hippo, is still extremely cuddly with Narcis.
- Joke of the Butt: In the first chapter, Aran says Narcis is "pale as me arse on a cold night". This is referenced in the third chapter, when Narcis has a nightmare about looking exactly like that.
- Literal Asskicking:Why don't ye come back up here, I'll give ya a swift kick in the arse!
- Luminescent Blush: Aran blushes with embarrassment when he's caught holding Narcis in the first chapter.
- Once an Episode: Each chapter has Narcis nuzzle his head into the crook of Aran's neck, which he calls "the sweet spot".
- Prone to Tears: Narcis tends to cry a lot, particularly in the first, third, and fifth chapters.
- Running Gag: In the first chapter, Aran looking at memes.
- Ruptured Appendix: In the fifth chapter, Narcis has his appendix out.
- Shout-Out: In the first chapter, Narcis is mentioned to enjoy Coronation Street.
- Sick Episode: The first and second chapters for Narcis, which is why he becomes so clingy to Aran.
- Sleep Cute: In the third chapter, Aran allows Narcis to sleep in his bed to calm him down after a nightmare.
