Chapter Two: The Movie

[backinthsaddle]

Today was the last day of finals for Cole, and it's with a silent sigh of relief that he heads home, ready to ditch the books for the summer. Not that he'll stop studying altogether, but a break is welcome after the week long cramming session.

Liam doesn't appear to be home once he gets back to the apartment, but he's slowly been getting used to there being someone else living there, and she isn't really the going-out-and-about type, at least not right now. So he makes a little noise on his way in, so he doesn't startle her.

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[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

It's that, and it's the fact that Victor is having an excessively hard time making decisions since the J debacle. Even simple decisions like what to eat, she waits for someone else to choose and then she'll do what they do. She looks relieved. "I've never seen it! Let's go for it."

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

"Me either," he says, slipping it off the shelf. "I've been meaning to get around to it for ages."

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

Victor leans over to get a better look at the cover. "Oooh, it has Willem Dafoe in it!"

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

"Bet he's a bad guy," Cole predicts, letting her look at the cover while he pops the disc in the DVD player and gets the TV set up. "He plays a good villain."

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

"I hope so!" He is not, in fact, a villain. He plays a closeted gay FBI agent. He is beyond brilliant, and is the biggest threat to the Saints, the Irish twins. Even so, he's not a villain. More of a troubled hero, trying to uphold the law against vigilantes who he thinks are doing the right thing, maybe.

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

"Do you want popcorn? We've got extra butter," he offers, as the DVD menu pops up.

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

She looks to him uncertainly, that same look she gets when she has to decide on anything. "Are you gonna have popcorn?"

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

"Sure. It's the rule, isn't it? Popcorn and soda." He pretends not to see the uncertainty on her face, instead putting the remote down and retrieving a bag of micropop.

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

It's funny, that dynamic. Vic's older than him but she acts so much younger, like a child in some ways, and right away her shoulders lower, she looks content. "I'll have what you have."

Cole is the alpha male to her. Cole and Liam. It's not on purpose that she falls into the submissive role, it's just better for her brain to be focused on things other than decisions. By giving up her control on that, she can use that control to try to harness her emotions. Hold herself together. Stave off panic and unsureness.

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

It doesn't take long before he has an enormous mixing bowl full of popcorn, and two cans of Coca-Cola, bringing them over to the couch in front of the TV. "Here we go. Everything we need for movie-watching."

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

"Awesome." She takes a delicate bite of popcorn, pulls a pillow to her chest, and waits in rapt attention for the movie to begin.

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

He puts the bowl between them so they can share, and starts the movie. The lights are set to dim when the DVD player comes on - thanks to some tinkering when he had nothing to do one day - so it's easy to become immersed in the movie right away.

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

She likes it right away, in spite of the cursing, the gore, and the one or two brief moments of nudity (during which she covers her eyes). She laughs, loudly and like a bird, and while she's been smiling easier a laugh is rare right now from her. Perhaps this is even the first time she's laughed since she got there.

"They're pretty fellows." That's certainly the first time she's expressed any sort of interest in any person, since she arrived.

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

It's good to see her relaxing, and he glances over at her from time to time just to watch her having a good time. It's a good look for her. "Pretty?"

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. The brothers, and the FBI guy, and even Rocco, in his weird way," she says, voice quiet, glancing from him to the movie, not wanting to miss a single second, talking only in the pauses. "I think Rocco's pretty because he's funny, and because he gets so scared and he should get scared. I mean, what with the situation. He's human. Makes him beautiful."

'The situation' being taking on organized crime with a couple of Catholics with weapons. And gunfights and stuff.

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

"I think most reasonable people would be scared," he agrees. He is, of course, a big fan of wish fulfillment style action movies - superheroes and so forth - where realism may not be on top of the list of priorities, exactly. But this is good too, by all means.

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

"He's a little stupid, and impuslive, but he's loyal. That's good." Another quick glance to him. "Sorry. Probably I shouldn't talk about pretty boys."

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

"...why not?"

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

"'Cause you're a fellow, too, and usually fellows don't appreciate my aesthetic discussions on othersuch... fellows. Wow I said that word a lot."

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

"I don't mind." To be totally honest, he'd rather she talk about whatever she wants and whatever makes her happy, after what she's been through. Although he's not used to thinking of men as being 'pretty,' but he doesn't think anything of it.

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

A huge, fully genuine smile, and with a careful hesitation she touches his shoulder, gives it a gentle squeeze, what counts as a hug nowadays from her. "Cool. You're cool."

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

He reaches up to lightly pat her hand, not wanting to reach out and do the same to her lest he startle her or wreck this nicer, unstressed state she's in. "I try to be."

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

She's suddenly struck by a rush of fondness for the boy, an aching to hug onto him like the old days, she can remember how friendly she was, how she'd just wrap her arms around just about anyone.

She remembers dancing through the hallways. She remembers being recklessly happy. She feels like the Grinch, she feels like her heart is growing three sizes all at once. She wraps an arm gently, gently, barely touching him, around his waist. It almost seems like an accident. "I appreciate how kind you are to me."

[backinthsaddle.livejournal.com]

He's suddenly a little shy again, awkward as he smiles back at her. Trying not to take advantage of her 'fragile state,' even though it's been quite a while since she became a new housemate. An unreasonable fear, and one that's faded as time goes on. "You're more than worth being nice to."

[victormakesart.livejournal.com]

Her face flushes pink, like a faded bedspread printed with roses. Even so, she's not freaking out, not getting upset, just disagreeing. "Gosh, I dunno about that."