Scarley

Scarley is the slash ship between Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley from the Christmas Carol fandom.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
The book does not go into much detail about how Scrooge and Marley started working together, even the Ghost of Christmas Past seems to skip Scrooge's first meeting with Marley. However, the narration does state that they had been partners for "I don't know how many years" (actual quote). Scrooge did everything for Marley while they were working together and they were each other's only real friends, to the point where Scrooge was the only person who actually mourned Marley. Despite organizing the funeral seven years ago, Scrooge was not "dreadfully cut up" about the death of his only friend, he was focusing on what he gained from being the sole representative of their once shared business.

Scrooge never bothered painting over Marley's name on the sign hanging above the warehouse door, "Scrooge and Marley" was the name of their business and Scrooge was content with it staying that way. However, new people to the business sometimes referred to Scrooge as "Marley", and he answered to both names: it was all the same for Scrooge.

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge's nephew Fred came to a visit and allowed entrance to a pair of gentlemen, who immediately politely asked if they are addressing Scrooge or Marley. Scrooge coldly replied that Marley had been dead for exactly seven years, having died on that Christmas Eve. Scrooge dismissed them when it turned out that they were collecting money for the poor, despite them cordially telling him that he's representing the business he shared with Marley well.

After also dismissing his clerk Bob Cratchit and eating at his usual place to dine at, Scrooge went home, only to believe he saw Marley's face on his door knocker. Scrooge was perplexed about that, since he wasn't actually thinking about Marley since he mentioned his death to the fundraisers. However, Marley's face wasn't bearing an angry expression, it merely regarded Scrooge like Marley used to do. Soon enough, the knocker returned to its usual shape, but Scrooge would be lying if he told anyone that wasn't startled. For a moment, he did look back on the door after shutting it to see if Marley's pigtail was sticking out on the other side, but noticed nothing in particular. He was very on-guard and checked everywhere for suspicious activity, despite not finding anything, he still double locked his door in a way he never did.

He put on his sleeping gown and nightcap, sat near his fireplace and ate the bowl of gruel he ate every night to fight off a common cold, but something compelled him to take a closer look at the religious figures depicted in the tiles around the fireplace. He saw Marley's face again, on every single tile. Scrooge called "Humbug" and paced around the room to get Marley off of his mind, but then heard the bells around the room swing by themselves. And Marley's ghost himself entered the room through the door, making it impossible for Scrooge to keep ignoring him. Marley looked like Scrooge saw him the last time, except that he was bearing a chain around his waist, with all of his heavy possessions attached.

Scrooge started to panic and asked the phantom what he wanted from him, with Marley replying that they have much to discuss. Upon Marley confirming to Scrooge that he was indeed his partner in life, Scrooge demanded that Marley sit down, which the ghost did despite having no flesh. Despite seeing him right before him, Scrooge still doubts that ghosts exist and tries to justify the apparition as a hallucination. Scrooge then tests the ghosts by showing him things, which Marley confirms he can see despite not moving his eyes. When Scrooge still called Humbug, Marley was so annoyed with him that he took of the bandage around his head and dislocated his jaw, seemingly purely to shut him up. Scrooge is so scared of what the ghost would do to him that he finally acknowledges him as real, but he still questions why Marley would haunt him. Marley tells him that it is his curse, the curse of all spirits with unfinished businesses in the mortal realm. Marley tells him that he has to bear the chain he forged in life, having ignored the epiphanies and lost his chances at redemption. He tells Scrooge that for having worked tirelessly those seven years, his chain is even bigger than Marley's. Scrooge tried to talk to Marley like a friend, trying to get him to speak comforting words, but Marley couldn't, comfort comes from other places, with Marley's ghost trapped between the warehouse and Scrooge's home. Scrooge then questioned why Marley would be receiving of such punishments, having always seen him as a good man, but Marley regrets not caring about his fellow human beings in life, it would've saved him in death. Marley tells him that his time in the mortal realm is nearly done, himself not sure why he's able to speak to Scrooge now when he was always forced to just watch him without being seen or heard. He finally realizes that Scrooge can avoid his fate, he foretells three Spirits visiting him for the next three nights at one o'clock, one representing the Christmases of the Past, one the current one in the Present and the last one for the ones Yet To Come. Marley then floated near the window, warning Scrooge not to follow him, but Scrooge couldn't bring himself not to watch his friend leave for the night, witnessing countless of other ghosts wailing through the night, all of which also being people Scrooge knew in life. Scrooge went back to sleep after seeing all the spirits disappear into mist and checking if the door was double-locked, which it was.

However, after those three nights, Scrooge was forced to confront his past failings and tragedies, the chances that he still had at redemption in the present and the fate that would've awaited him if he kept going the way he did now. In the end, Scrooge sincerely thanks Marley for opening his eyes.

Fanon
Given that it is incredibly easy to read Scrooge's life-long partnership with Marley as romantic, it shouldn't be too surprising that they have quite a few fanworks dedicated to them. Most notably, there are far more Scrooge/Marley fanfics as there are Scrooge/Belle fanfics on AO3, despite Belle being canonically involved with Scrooge.

Fandom

 * FAN FICTION

Trivia

 * In the 2022 Netflix version, Marley has a dog named Prudence and had entrusted her to Scrooge, before his death. Knowing that his business partner and friend would look after her in his place.