Movie Night VI: Direct to DVD

[unrecovered]

Who| Wash and anyone who wants to join
What| Movie night!
Where| The same lounge it's always in
When| After Time Ripples, Mind Slayer, and Wash Dies At The End
Warnings/Notes| Yet another classic!

It's been an odd few weeks, to say the least. Wash barely waits to be out of the hospital before he heads to the lounge to set up a movie night. He's had a request for a classic, and he'd managed to get in an order for the film before everything had gone batshit insane, so it's already arrived and he's just about ready to go.

The usual snacks and drinks are set up, along with a few mugs and goblets that are a little closer to theme. There's also the usual sofas and couches, draped with blankets and with bean bag chairs strewn around around the room. The usual sign hangs outside the door, with the movie's MPAA rating and a brief summary of the movie's plot, along with the usual note: Movie night is neutral territory.

The movie tonight, of course, is The Princess Bride.

Comments

[goddamngrenades]

"Fucked if I know." When in doubt: Be honest. Honestly he has no goddamn idea where they stand and is just as lost as he had been when Locus leaned in all intent 'oh no wait something is in your hair' some time ago. It's.

Uncomfortable. Taylor tends to do what he can to avoid being uncomfortable, it's not his bag, could they not? They should not. "I was trying to skip the awkward shit and in doing so- made shit more awkward."

Yay Agent York. Jazzhands. He legit does jazzhands weakly before letting them flop to his lap.

[agnominal]

"So you were just trying to smooth things over."

That's...vaguely disappointing, in a way. Maybe he's reading it wrong, but if it's anything like York's normal behavior, it's akin to the way he smiles and jokes to cover up discomfort or sadness. Loneliness. Anything that bothers him.

This bothers him. He wouldn't be uncomfortable otherwise.

[goddamngrenades]

"Uh. Yeah? Yeah. I don't like feeling like I've made you uncomfortable or upset or. Anything." And he had, has, has been for some time apparently. "And I upset you that day at my place."

And he hates that he did and hates that now all these thoughts are swirling and this is why he wanted to avoid talking. Shit still feels awkward and stilted.

[agnominal]

"You didn't."

Locus let out a breath, some of the tension in his shoulders loosening. Well, now that he knows that and he's been let down as much as he's going to be, it's easier to explain. There's no pressure involved since, well. York said it himself. It had all been to make things less awkward.

If he wants things to be as they were, they can do that. Washington had been wrong, after all.

"I...assumed too much. After what happened on the beach. It was my fault."

[goddamngrenades]

"And I made assumptions...here. Just now." Clearly. Wait, this seems a little.

Flipped around?

Delta's going nuts in the back of his head at any rate and he's trying to be better about listening to him when things get murky. "What did you think I was doing?"

[agnominal]

"Just now?"

Locus's brow furrows, and he gives a vague sort of shrug. "Distracting from the discomfort of the situation, I thought. Just...not in a way I was expecting."

Because York suddenly assuming they were anything, on his own, and then acting as if they'd already had the conversation and launching into full boyfriend-mode? Hadn't been on the list of things he'd come to expect. Maybe it should have been.

[goddamngrenades]

"You're not wrong." That'd been the idea. Cut through the discomfort and awkward and jump right into snuggling. Easy, right? Apparently not. He sighs, slumping back against the sofa, grinding the heel of his hand into his bad eye. "Can we just...pretend I didn't do that and go on like I hadn't made an ass of myself?"

Cuz that'd be nice. For once.

[agnominal]

"Of course."

He doesn't want to hold onto it, or hold it over his head, or make things more uncomfortable than they already are. Quietly he takes a breath, then shifts his arm on the couch.

Making the usual amount of room on the couch for York to slump against him, as he is wont to do.

"We should watch the movie. And afterwords...we should talk." He pauses, then furrows his brow slightly. "That sounded slightly more ominous than I intended, I will admit."

[goddamngrenades]

It's easy to fall into the habit of settling close, cheek tipped to Locus' shoulder. Like this is normal (it is), like this is how they are (it really is), like there's nothing scary on the horizon.

Then, of course, those words and even with Locus being self aware, he groans. "We built our friendship on not talking about shit, remember?"

Manfully ignoring things.

[agnominal]

"I'm fairly certain if we do not, Agent Washington will find a way to lock us in a room until we do."

Tell him it's not true, York. Go on.

[goddamngrenades]

"Fine. I reserve the right to olly out if we get an audience." Because again- no thank you. This shit is awkward enough without other people paying attention.

[agnominal]

"Which is why I suggested talking after the movie." Easier to slip away out of sight, and less of a chance of Washington looming over them, grading them on the adequacy of their ability to talking Feelings at each other.

Better to do this under less stressful circumstances, if at all possible.

[goddamngrenades]

"Wash has an concerning level of interest in your adjustment that boarders on projection. If I didn't know better I'd say he wanted to date you, but I know better, so." By a hair. By the thinnest of a hairs he knows better. "I'm half convinced he'll find a way to listen in on us anyway."

[agnominal]

Well. He's not wrong. Locus lets out a noise of consideration. "Hn. Perhaps we'll be lucky."

It's a shame no one around here has that level of influence over minor events. A real shame.

[goddamngrenades]

"Nuh-uh. I don't use my probability powers for avoiding awkward social shit. I'll use up all my good luck and get shot in the field or something." He knows how his luck runs and some things are annoying but unlikely to see him killed.

[agnominal]

"Please don't."

Locus side-eyes him a moment before letting out another quiet breath, shaking his head. "Let's just watch the movie. We'll determine a plan of action later."

Because the longer they dwell on it, the scarier it's going to seem, and then neither one of them are going to want to. But they need to. If only for his own sanity.

[goddamngrenades]

"As you wish." He does, however, offer up that cheezy bread again. What, it's tasty and Locus hasn't eaten anything on the plate between when he dropped it off and when he got bodily hauled outside. This is just-

How bros do. They lean, they eat, they chill. Nothing weird here.