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 Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:59 pm
The second time Tobias came over for dinner, Cambria and Zac were gone on a date. They promised to be back before too late, and Evan had set a timer for when their movie got out—just so he’d know. It was pathetic, and he was ashamed that he was so paranoid about everything, but dinner had gone well enough last time that he managed to be convinced to agree to a repeat of it—only, alone.
Even if Cambria and Zac had hid the first time in their room, it had been different, and Evan had been slow to warm up to Tobias. But, of course, he’d managed to worm his way into making Evan feel comfortable.
They’d just finished cleaning up from dinner and Evan invited Tobias to set up the movie he’d brought over. It was dark outside; a storm had rolled in and the thunder and lightning seemed like they were slowly picking up. Evan didn’t like it; he’d already pulled out some candles and a few flashlights. And his favorite knife, just in case. But he had made sure Tobias didn’t know where that one was, lest he forever brand himself a freak.
He had prepared snacks—popcorn, of two varieties. The first, flavored with butter and herbs, and the second, coated in caramel and chocolate.
He placed the bowls on the coffee table in front of them and switched the television input so they could see the movie before he settled on the couch and drew the blanket over him. “What are we watching?” he asked, making sure Tobias had ample room on the other side of the couch.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:01 pm
Tobias had been delighted to get the invitation over to Evan’s place again. And he had been even more delighted that Evan trusted him enough to make this second time a time that they could be alone. And when he was asked to bring a movie well. All bets were off then.
The dinner had been amazing, and he had honestly thought that there wasn’t any room for anything else, but then Evan began making that popcorn and suddenly it felt like his stomach was a bottomless pit, just waiting for the new snacks to jump right in.
When the bowls of popcorn were put on the table, the teal haired male grabbed a handful of the buttery herb flavored and began to chow down, letting out an immensely happy sigh. “I was hoping it would taste as good as it smelled, but somehow it tastes even better than it smelled. As for what we’re watching. I’m not quite sure. I decided it might be fun to see what fate wanted us to watch. I brought a cartoon, a comedy and a horror movie and mixed them all up and put one into the player with my eyes closed…so we’ll see when the movie starts, won’t we?”
He looked at Evan and honestly hoped it was the horror movie. He wanted the boy in his arms by the end of the night, and he figured that something scary would do just that. Or it would cause him never to be invited over again…but, Tobias was confident that wouldn’t be the case. Mostly confident, at least.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:02 pm
Praising his cooking seemed to be the only sort of praise that Evan trusted, and a genuine smile appeared on his face when Tobias provided more.
“That sounds risky,” Evan said, dually amused and a bit worried. He settled on the couch and tucked himself comfortably under the blanket as he waited for the screen to load.
He held his breath, hoping for anything but horror, but fate liked to play certain tricks on him, and the telltale sign of a blood splattered menu showed up. He forced a strained smile. “I haven’t seen this one before,” he said, finger hesitating over the ‘play’ button.
He didn’t want to watch it, but he didn’t have the heart to say such a thing to Tobias. Just because he’d picked three didn’t mean they weren’t all his favorites or something, and he didn’t want to accidentally offend the man when they’d had such a nice evening so far. “Did it get good reviews?”
He forced himself to press play, but kept the remote near, just in case.
Goosebumps had sprouted on his skin but he drew up the blanket quickly. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the house seconds later. Evan didn’t jump this time, but he was still clearly on edge.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:02 pm
When it proved to be the horror movie, Tobias couldn’t hide his own grin. “I haven’t actually watched it yet, but yeah, it got great reviews. I went out and bought these today so we’d have something to watch tonight.” His eyes flickered to Evan, eyebrows raising as he saw just how cocooned he had made himself. “You know, Ev. If you get scared, you’re more than welcome to hold my hand. I won’t let the monsters get you, I promise.”
He reached out and took another handful of popcorn in one hand, while flopping the other, palm up next to Evan.
The movie did have great reviews though. The lines on the box said ‘scariest of the year’ and ‘nightmare fuel’…so he should be getting the cuddling going pretty quickly.
Tobias watched Evan for another moment and chuckled softly. “Ev, I can put something different on, if you want. We don’t have to watch this if you’re too freaked out.” Of course, he figured that if he said this, they were guaranteed to watch the movie. Evan wouldn’t want him to think he was a chicken, after all.
This kid was so predictable.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:03 pm
“I’m not scared,” Evan insisted, automatically going on the defensive. “I’m just getting comfortable. It’s just a movie, I know it’s not real.”
Oh, but he hated horror anyway. Just because it wasn’t real didn’t mean it couldn’t be. All those ideas came from somewhere. Youma could be any shape. Anyone could be a depraved serial murderer.
He was already squirming in his seat, but there wasn’t any real way for him to explain these fears to Tobias. Not unless he wanted to be branded as crazy.
So, he would just suck this up. It wasn’t that important, right? An hour and a half of zoning out and ignoring what was going on around him? He could do that. He’d done that before, often enough that he was basically a professional.
He forced a quick smile but someone in the movie was already screaming bloody murder and—oh, yeah. There it was. The bloody murder.
It was too dark to see who was killing who, but he could see the gore, the blood. The screams slowly died out and the blood dribbled and formed into the name of the movie. He hadn’t heard anything about it, but judging by this alone, he didn’t want to.
“Do you…do you watch a lot of movies like this?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:03 pm
“Well all right.” He gave a little grin, scooting the tiniest bit closer to Evan. “But what about when I get scared, hm? Will you hold my hand then?” Tobias had to work very hard to stop a satisfied smile from forming on his face as he watched just how uncomfortable the movie was already making Evan and he was very glad he went with his gut and put this movie in. Like there was really any choice in the matter.
“I mean, I don’t watch them often, I uh. I’m not really good at watching them alone, if you want the truth.” It wasn’t really a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. Just because he didn’t watch them alone didn’t mean that he couldn’t…he just chose not to. “I do like to watch movies in general though, seriously Evan, if you’re not comfortable, I can put something else on, I won’t be offended or anything if you’re too scared to watch anymore.”
The hand on the couch moved a bit closer to the boy in question too, just waiting for him to take it.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:04 pm
Evan’s breath hitched, but he was adamant. “I’m not too scared! Stop saying that! If I was scared, I’d say so, and I’m not scared.”
Except, he was; he was terrified out of his mind and wanted this movie to be over. Was it over yet?
He eyed the time on his phone and died a little inside when he realized it had been only a few minutes. He was going to have a heart attack; he was going to die, he knew it. He was totally, royally, screwed here.
He jumped at the first scare, and hid a whimper with a cough. And then the thunder flashed, loud, and someone else was being murdered on the screen, and he could have sworn he saw someone in the house, so he screamed and groped for something, anything.
Tobias’ plan was perfect, to be fair. His hand was the first thing Evan’s found and he gripped it so tightly he might as well have been squeezing the life out of it. With his other hand, he clutched the blanket like it was a lifeline, and it looked like he might have been ready to bolt if his legs hadn’t frozen.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:04 pm
Tobias’s hand curled itself around Evan’s and he squeezed back, giving a slight wince and hitting the pause button on the dvd player, before reaching up and turning the light that was next to him back on. “What’s up? You okay Ev?” It hadn’t been that scary. Of course, now the screen was fixed on one of the character’s terrified faces as the claw of the beast got ready to gut them, but hey. That was just the luck of where he paused it.
Carefully, Tobias reached out, touching Evan’s cheek and giving a very worried look. “We can put the cartoon on, okay? I was serious about not wanting you to be scared. I only kept it going because you said you were fine with it, if I would have thought you were going to be this freaked out, I would never have brought the movie in the first place.”
Evan’s fear was utterly adorable, and acting so concerned was almost difficult, all he really wanted to do was laugh and place a big kiss on the terrified boy’s mouth and perhaps have his way with him, but. But.
He hadn’t quite gotten there. “Come on. We’ll put in the cartoon, okay? I don’t want tonight to be ruined by this stupid trick of fate.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:05 pm
Evan looked as humiliated as he did horrified; he didn’t try to pull away from the touch on his cheek. Immediately, he nodded. He quit; he couldn’t make it five minutes into a horror movie. He was ashamed of himself, but every flash of light, every dancing shadow…
He looked around the room, determined to make sure it was safe, before he breathed again.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted; it was just desperate enough that it sounded genuine. “I’ve always hated horror movies, even the bad ones. But it’s not usually this bad. I just hate watching bad things happen to people, even if they’re stupid and deserve it!”
He was talking quickly, but his grip never weakened. He squeezed Tobias’ hand with more force than his small frame implied was even possible.
“They freak me out! I have nightmares for weeks, and Tobias—I’ll be honest with you, and you probably already know this, but I get really bad anxiety. And it’s not just my own, I get second hand anxiety, too. I can’t even watch things where people humiliate themselves. I’m afraid of monsters. The people kind, and the—well, the monster kind. I—I ran into one. No.”
He clammed up, suddenly more pale than he was before, and his eyes shot to Tobias like he thought he might be labeled crazy, now and forever. He fumbled to speak again, struggling to make a convincing statement. “I mean. No. It was just. A dog. A big, scary dog. And it looked like a monster, that’s what I meant. So I’m. I’m scared of dogs, that’s what I’m saying. And monsters. Monster dogs.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:05 pm
“You’re okay.” Tobias’s voice was soft and the hand against his cheek continued to stroke it softly. “It’s okay to be freaked out. You get anxiety, that’s fine. I was worried about that, which is why I kept pressing to see if you were really cool with it…” He let his voice trail off as the windows rattled with a particularly loud burst of thunder. His eyebrows went up at the mention of monsters and something like a flash of fear went across his own face.
“There are monsters here, Evan. Or. Mutated creatures or something. I told you that I ran into one, didn’t I? It was something. Some radioactive pig. Nearly took off my leg. And I was saved by this…purple kid who kicked the crap out of it. It was insane, but I honestly do believe that there are monsters in the city, or mutants. I’m still really not sure which it is. But, what are you gonna do, hm?”
His thumb ran lightly along Evan’s lower lip and he watched the younger male. “You can’t go around being scared to do things all the time. That’s not really living.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:06 pm
Again, Evan didn’t pull away. He didn’t even seem to register the thumb on his lips; instead, he just stared into Tobias’ eyes.
“You wouldn’t have met me if I was scared to do things all the time,” he pointed out, voice still trembling. “I made it to the library by myself. I’m making progress. You don’t know how bad it was, Tobias, but I’m getting better, and I’m going to keep getting better.”
At least, a long a he didn’t have a heart attack. He was as rattled by this weather as the windows were, and he had gone more rigid after the last blast of thunder.
“I don’t think you’re crazy, about the monsters. As long as you don’t think I’m crazy.”
Tobias had mentioned it before, hadn’t he? Evan hadn’t forgotten; he remembered the conversation, it just felt muddled as his brain struggled to push out the fear and focus on anything else. “I’ve seen some. A few. But it wasn’t any one kind. But, I guess in a city as big as Destiny City, it would make sense if a powerplant or factory or research center or something was dripping toxic ooze into the sewers or something.”
So, who knew?
“I had some bad run ins, though. A lot, in this city. I’d move, if I thought I could make it on my own, but let’s be real—everyone knows I can’t. So—yeah, I’m scared,” he confessed, wincing at the next flash of lightning as he waited for the thunder. “But I’m working really hard not to be. I don’t want to be. That’s why I let you take me home. It’s why I made you dinner, and why I invited you back. I don’t want to be scared to do those things all the time. I want to live, like everyone else. I want to be normal. Except, I want to cook better than everyone else. Normal, but a better chef, and that’s all I want, okay? That’s my goal, that’s what I’m working for.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:06 pm
“That’s very, very true, isn’t it.” Tobias nodded slowly, eyes still on Evan’s, watching him. He was so…utterly cute. Helpless…hopeless, if Tobias was going to be honest with himself. As he listened to Evan’s frantic explanations of wanting to be normal, but an above average cook, the teal haired male began to chuckle. “I find it absolutely amazing that you can be so vulnerable and yet so vain in one breath, Evan. It’s stuff like that which makes you an utterly fascinating person, and I hope you realize that.”
Moving slowly, Tobias crossed the distance between them, moving the hand on Evan’s face to his hair, entwining his fingers there and pausing half an inch away, his lips almost brushing Evans. “I will say this though. You are already a better cook than anyone I know, and that’s the honest truth, and as for being normal, feeling normal…I can help you with that. This is normal, is it not? Being with someone you like, who likes you…desiring them.” His lips brushed against Evans for half a second before he finished. “Kissing is totally normal, don’t you think so, my little cutie?”
His lips pressed to Evan’s again, the hand that still held Evan’s squeezing tightly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:07 pm
For a third time, Evan didn’t draw away; he didn’t return the kiss, but it had let him stunned. He didn’t know how to respond, or what he was supposed to say about any of if it, or what he was supposed to do.
He squeaked into the kiss; it was probably normal. He’d kissed plenty of people well before they’d even made it through their first date, so he couldn’t say that a friendly kiss was that traumatic. It was enough to surprise him, but for right now that was a good thing.
It was enough to force him to focus on the present—to stop thinking about monsters, and to root him in that moment. Away from the weather outside, or the make-believe in the movie. He nodded, not quite enough to break the kiss, at first. When he drew away, he was still flabbergasted.
“I’m not vain,” he said, instead of anything important. “Cambria says it’s good to have self confidence and she says I should make sure I keep reminding myself that there are things that I’m good at.”
His grip on Tobias’ hand had lessened somewhat as he relaxed, but he didn’t draw it away. “…You make me feel weird. I can’t tell if it’s because you’re someone new or something else.”
It wasn’t a bad feeling, it was just strange.
His face was red from the kiss and he didn’t know what he was supposed to say.
So he fumbled for a moment and asked, “Did you try the other popcorn? It’s really good. It’ll help get the taste of chapstick out of your mouth. Um. If you got some of mine in there, that is.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:07 pm
Tobais’s eyes were bright with some sort of emotion when the kiss was broken and he chuckled at the first response that Evan was able to come up with, ruffling his hair with the hand that was still tangled in it. “God you’re so cute.” Gently he let go of the other hand and slid off the couch, quickly swapping the horror movie for the lighthearted cartoon and then going back to the couch, pulling Evan against him and grabbing both bowls of popcorn and balancing them on Evan’s lap.
The light stayed on. There was no need to freak Evan out any more. He had what he wanted. “I’ve tried both popcorns, and they’re amazing, thank you. Everything you cook is amazing. I agree with this Cambria of yours says. It’s important for you to have confidence, and your cooking is fantastic.”
He placed another kiss on Evan’s cheek before eating another handful of the popcorn.
This was going to be another perfect night, now that he had Evan right where he wanted him. “Also, your chapstick tastes fantastic too, so don’t worry about that either. Everything about you tastes good. Or at least, that’s what I’m going to assume until proven otherwise, so. Deal with that assumption, Evan. Deal with it.” His arm wrapped around the boy, and he held him very protectively, saying in a quiet voice that had no hint of a jest. “I won’t let any monsters get you, Evan. I swear, so, don’t worry. You’re safe with me. Even if I make you feel weird. You’re safe with me.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:08 pm
When pulled close to Tobias, Evan made a noise more befitting a stuffed animal or small rodent; he squeaked. There wasn’t any noise he could make to cover it up, so he just sat there, red faced and huffing.
He tried to fix his hair quickly, but gave up after a few seconds as it fell however it wanted to fall. He wrapped his arms around the popcorn bowls to make sure they didn’t fall. He seemed more comfortable with the light on, and the change of movies did wonders to soothe his nerves; even if he did jump every now and then as a shadow moved or thunder boomed.
The kissing seemed to embarrass him, but Cambria and Zac both had been doing it. But they were different. Or, were they? Maybe that was just a thing that friends did? It didn’t feel threatening. Not when his arm was wrapped around him like this.
It took him a moment, but he finally relaxed against him.
“…Well, there’s a fourteen inch knife under the table next to me, so if one gets in, we’ll have a fighting chance, at least,” he said, only now sampling a handful of the popcorn himself. Since he was opening up, just a little, he didn’t see the harm in coming clean. Or, at least, just slightly clean.
“…And there’s another one under the couch, too. I keep them there for emergencies. Sorry, if that’s weird. If you find any in weird places around here, it’s me, I do that. Just in case.”
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