schools of thought
A landoscar college AU, told through social media
oscar, a quiet english major, and lando, chaotic maths boy, are paired together in a philosophy module at Federation U.
author's notes:
we're being a bit fluid with grid ages, but oscar and lando are sophomores/year 2 of college here
ignore the timestamps, they don't really matter
if you enjoy it, please consider liking / reblogging / commenting! 💙
part 1 🍊 (of 4?)
——————————introducing our protagonists——————————————
INSTAGRAM
@landoooonorriz
📍fed U more like fed UP
liked by charliesangles, carloswithone_S, wochi_jianbing and 158 others
landoooonorriz get in my dump truckkk
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charliesangles photos taken moments before disaster 🕷️😬
maxisnot_here: batman isn't part of the MCU
⤷carloswithone_S: buzzkill
wochi_jianbing nice pic bro
⤷landoooonorriz: ty GY, enjoy shanghaiiii. haha that rhymed
comment liked by wochi_jianbing
carloswithone_S: on the decks next week let's gooo
GOODREADS
@oz-peartree
oscar spent most of his summer (or australian winter) hanging out in cafés and reading. he once wrote a 2,000 words review on the merits of good omens on goodreads, but then got embarrassed and also thought it would interfere with his deliberate choice to not leave any reviews besides stars. so he deleted the whole thing and saves it in a folder for himself instead. one of his sisters once stumbled on his goodreads page by accident. he has tried to block her IP across multiple devices but has largely been unsuccessful.
——————————— the seminar —————————————
we zoom in on Federation Internationale University (FIU), a sunny campus nestled up in the hills of monaco. two students, lando norris and oscar piastri, have made it into their sophomore year.
prof vettel's philosophy 204 module is notoriously hard. both of them have to take it as part of their degree requirements (but for lando, maybe also because he enjoys a challenge).
assignment pairs are set by prof seb early in the semester. lando already knows of oscar, and vice versa, but nothing substantial beyond passing each other in the hallway or the occasional library run-in in freshman year. lando's made quite an impression because he once spent half the seminar chatting about how "young stalin was kinda cute" despite stalin not being related to the philosophy syllabus, and it being totally tangential to the topic at hand. half the class agrees with lando, the other half is too overwhelmed by his energy to argue.
oscar just wants to get on with the work already. he was the best kid at his prep school, the prep school that he moved halfway across the world for at 14 and worked hard at, and doesn't like being distracted from his very important goal of being class valedictorian at FIU eventually.
lando gets oscar's number after class, before they both skirt off in different directions. oscar wants to talk to lando about the assignment, but when lando exits the room he's already off talking to another bunch of friends, and oscar's too awkward to jump in.
lando texts first.
iMessage
oscar rolls his eyes and gets back to writing his eighteenth century literature class notes.
meanwhile, lando texts max, his roommate and padel bud, about it. max is at a campus hackathon. (max is a junior who has been scouted by at least three big tech firms already, and is on track for early graduation. but lando thinks max has other reasons for wanting to stick around...)
the other thing lando is sure of is that oscar is not in fact better than him at padel. but he is not going to worry about that. or think about how oscar might look, red-faced and flustered and sweaty...
lando's phone pings with social notifications, and the thought disappears.
————meanwhile, the boys do some research——————
lando:
oscar:
and contrary to popular belief, oscar does have some feelings on the matter. he makes these feelings known to his friend logan, one of the few non-europeans on campus who also knows distinctly what it's like when people make fun of his accent. nevermind that everybody has an accent, oscar thinks. the idea of a neutral accent is an arbitrary invention. he'd just rather not expend the energy fighting people about it.
if oscar has any thoughts about how he would feel should lando choose to turn his flirty energy towards oscar himself, well... that is besides the point. because that would never happen. oscar is not interesting, oscar is not noticable. oscar is here to get his grades and move on.
oscar can think of three things that he hates, which he is in the process of overcoming. flight delays, going to the dentist, and now: working in group projects.
but, oscar tells himself, he is a grown man. he's moved halfway across the world to pursue his dream of getting his degree, and then heading on to work in publishing. he tells himself he'll stay focused on this, and nothing else. because pursuing his goals requires singleminded determination. or like the great poet pitbull once said: for anybody going through tough times, been there, done that. every day above ground is a great day, remember that.
so oscar puts his phone face-down on the table. he tries very hard not to think about bee statues or lando for the rest of the day.
(he fails.)
——————————— What happens next, you ask? Stay tuned for Part 2 to find out —————————————
📚 part 2 now live!
more author's notes:
eyy it's my first multimedia(?) fic for f1blr!
this was inspired by an ask. i took some key elements from this (lovely!) prompt and remixed. i meant it to be just one post but i think it's now gonna be four parts, oops.
i love chatting so if you have thoughts or even remotely enjoyed this story, let me know what you think :) or lmk if you want to be tagged on the next updates!
bye!
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LBTE: Jared (158-160)
In which there are meetings.
If you'd like to follow along, the series page is here.
158. Under Advisement
Sit down, it’s actually a good thing I have a chance to talk to you guys without PR breathing down my neck.”
“Um,” Jared says. Private meetings with GMs are not historically his favourite thing, even if Foster’s always been cool before. “Should we — maybe we should wait for everyone?”
“No, no,” Foster says. “Sit.”
Brian Foster: PR’s worst nightmare.
“Ownership’s explicitly told me you’re not currently tradeable assets — I didn’t need to be told that, by the way, I just want you to know that the first thing they said to me. Well, actually not the first thing, the first thing was — never mind, I’m rambling, I do that. It’s an annoying habit.”
“It’s not annoying,” Jared says, which gets him a grateful look from Bryce as well as Foster. “I think PR would have been pretty cool with that speech, honestly.”
“Are you kidding?” Foster says. “It’d be all ‘you can’t identify who asked for advice, Brian!’ ‘you can’t tell them about a private conversation with the owner, Brian!’ Though probably that’s more HR. Who are also going to be at the meeting, by the way. It’s an all hands kind of meeting. We probably should have booked a conference room. Not that we need to book, it’s — never mind.”
PR’s worst nightmare. Also there are three people in this room and maybe one functioning brain to mouth filter between them.
“Of course they do,” Foster says, then frowns at him. “I told you to as well. Anyway don’t tell them I told you that stuff. I shouldn’t have. That’s — I know the rambling is annoying. I’m trying to get better about it.”
I am very fond of this man.
“I couldn’t figure out how to book the conference rooms,” Foster says. “The system kept locking me out.”
“You’re the GM, Brian,” Dwyer says. “You delegate that. Stay here, I’ll find us a conference room.”
Everyone suddenly arrives, then they scatter, off on the hunt for a room big enough to hold everyone, then on the hunt for someone who has keys to the room, then calling Summers and Greg to let them know things will be delayed. Foster was right — everyone calls him Brian, and there are a lot of exasperated ‘Brian’s being said, while Bryce and Jared sit in Foster’s office, forgotten for the moment.
Very, very fond of this disaster GM.
“Babe—“ Jared says, then Foster’s coming in, saying, “Sorry to barge in!”, like they aren’t sitting in his office, then, “They found a conference room. I’m not allowed to organise meetings anymore. Did you guys want coffee? Shelley’s assistant is going on a coffee run.”
Every bit I write of Brian makes me smile. A little treat for me.
“Okay,” Foster says, then, retreats, mumbling something to himself that Jared can hear — he’s reciting Bryce’s drink order under his breath, presumably so he doesn’t forget it.
“Oh,” Foster says, bursting right back in. “You guys should probably come to the conference room, eh?”
He, like Greg, is doing his best.
So — small mercies, he guesses. They have supportive friends and teammates. His parents are giving him some distance because he asked for it, but they’re standing by. Bryce’s mom came with food and hugs. Their GM is behind them, as is their room, and they couldn’t have depended on that in Calgary or Edmonton. This could have happened earlier in their relationship, when Bryce was less comfortable with his sexuality and Jared had less faith in them as a unit. It really could have been so much worse.
Listing all sorts of possibilities that could have, but did not, occur in this narrative.
Do we need Dmitry as an annoying chaperone going forward Jared texts Stephen after Elaine heads out. He wonders after if that’s a confusing question, but then decides that Stephen pretends to be omniscient often enough that he can figure it out or be confused.
Gabe is much less annoying if you require a chaperone Stephen replies, which is comforting, and also true.
Yes but Jared doesn’t scowl the moment Gabe enters a room, so that will do nothing to mitigate Jared’s soppy face.
Also: confirmed, Stephen is omniscient. Or just very on Jared’s wavelength.
“What’s twitter saying about us now?”
“How should I know?” Bryce asks, but his guilty face gives him away and he knows it.
Someone must stop him.
“It’s not as bad as I figured it’d be,” Bryce says. “Like. I don’t know if I made it bigger in my own head all along, or if it’s like — it was that bad, the first few times players came out, and then time passed and it kept happening and people got used to it. I don’t know. There’s shit but it like — honestly people said worse shit about me when I got traded to the Canucks. By like, a lot.”
That’s weirdly unsurprising, and both depressing and encouraging at the same time. Like, sure, you can marry a dude, but playing for a divisional rival? That’s a bridge too far.
The conversation has significantly changed since Marc and Dan were outed (2010). There’s some extremely alarming backsliding happening, but all told, it would be a very different reaction than what Bryce witnessed as a teen.
Also seriously imagine if Leon Draisaitl joined the Flames or something. CHAOS. OUTRAGE!!
“And everyone’s talking about how hot you are,” Bryce says. “Which, like, obviously I agree.”
Jared rolls his eyes. “They are not,” he says.
They are. Incessantly.
And it’s kind of comforting to know that while Jared would get caught obsessing over all the worst tweets, Bryce is focusing on the ones that call Jared hot. Not the ones complimenting him — and if there are tweets about Jared being hot, there are probably twice as many about Bryce — but Jared.
There are not twice as many about Bryce.
“What’s that for?” Bryce asks when Jared kisses his temple, the crest of his cheekbone, his mouth as it curves up. He was clearly expecting that argument about cognitive bias, and he looks confused but pleased that he’s getting kissed instead.
“Nothing,” Jared says, and takes that golden opportunity, Bryce smiling, guard down, to confiscate his phone, because clearly Bryce needs to be saved from himself.
Bryce so touched he forgot about machinations.
159. Rehearsal
Bryce makes a noncommittal sound, and Jared breaks his own ‘don’t touch the driver’ rule, reaching out and squeezing Bryce’s thigh in a way he hopes is comforting and not like, grope-y. Not the time for grope-y. Kind of because of the general situation, but mostly because of the whole driving thing.
No groping in motor vehicles. This is not a lesson Jared needs to learn twice, unlike the shower lesson.
Jared wonders if they opted for a younger employee to make them feel less defensive, more related to. If there’s one department he can assume is always trying to spin something, it’s PR.
Yes.
Grace also does a lot of the social media stuff though, and they knew this wasn’t something they could handle exclusively via traditional media. So ‘relates to the youth’ but also ‘is the youth’. She’s in her late 20s, which they consider close enough. There are youth-ier employees, but nobody’s putting an intern in charge of this, even with supervision.
“Before we start discussing how the press conference is going to go, I want to hear from you guys, in your words, the answers to some of the questions you’re probably going to get,” Grace says. “And we can build on everything from there, okay?”
In other words: how much do I have to edit the words that will be coming out of your mouths?
Jared tries not to wince. He thinks he fails. Bryce glances over at Jared, and then gives a very tame, very redacted version of camp. Jared only sounds moderately dickish in it, which is impressive, really, because now that he’s no longer seventeen, he accepts that he was extremely dickish the entire time, and also extremely lucky that Bryce likes that about him for some reason.
I think this is the first time Jared admits, without caveats, that he was an asshole to Bryce at the camp. No ‘but he was a douche’ quickly following or the like, no defensive ‘he started it’, just ‘I was extremely dickish to Bryce’. Good work, Jared. (He’s still never telling Bryce he was right about that stretch, even though they both know he was)
“That’s how we met!” Bryce says.
“It sounds sketchy,” Jared says.
“It sounds so sketchy,” Grace confirms.
It was supposed to BE sketchy. Fucking Bryce, man.
“Great,” Grace says. It does not sound like she thinks it’s great, honestly.
“Jared was really mature for—“ Bryce starts, then quiets when Jared kicks his ankle before he makes things sound even sketchier.
NO, BRYCE.
“I’m not going to ask you to lie about how you met,” Grace says. “But I am going to ask you to not tell the truth, unless you want people to start talking about power differentials and the age of consent.”
“Not in Canada,” Jared says. “Age of consent is sixteen.”
Of note! Because of course Jared looked it up (there are also ‘Romeo and Juliet’ near in age exceptions that would encompass their relationship, because nobody wants that law getting used to harass a sixteen year old dating a fifteen year old.)
“It wasn’t sketchy,” Bryce tells her very earnestly. “I know it sounds sketchy, but it was like—“
Jared silently wills Bryce not to say ‘true love’.
“—true love,” Bryce says.
BRYCE. NO.
“Like, we’re married,” Bryce says. “We’re spending the rest of our lives together. It was like—“
Jared hopes ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ isn’t leaving Bryce’s mouth next.
“—meant to be, y’know?” Bryce says. “Stop looking at me like that, J.”
“I’m not even looking at you,” Jared says. He is looking at the table, because he can’t bear to accidentally meet Grace’s eye while Bryce is saying these things.
Bryce is starting to warm up to this media business as he realises he can say things like ‘true love’ and ‘meant to be’ and nobody starts booing and face washing him.
“This is exactly the kind of dynamic we want. People tend to push back against the gross in love stuff when it seems manufactured, but it’s pretty clear it’s genuine. We can definitely run with this.”
This is a very kind way of calling Bryce gross.
“That’s not really Jared’s thing,” Bryce says.
“We could try?” Jared says weakly.
“No,” Bryce says. “That’s — that’s not J. We’re not like — we’re not coming out just to pretend to be people we’re not.”
Oh Bryce.
“Just because you’re stupidly romantic like, naturally, does not mean I can’t be just as gross as you if I want to be,” Jared says.
He doesn’t believe it even as he’s saying it, and neither does Bryce, judging by his face. Which is — fair. It’s fair. Nobody could compete with Bryce’s level of mushy, but Jared isn’t even in the running. Dmitry is mushier with Bryce in public than Jared is. And frankly Jared’s fine with that, but he can be mushy if he has to. He guesses.
“Doing this in public is also totally acceptable,” Grace says.
“Doing what?” Jared asks.
As Jared is feebly arguing he can be romantic, Bryce continues to have visible hearts in his eyes for his lying husband. It’s a great dynamic. Grace is excited about it. (she hasn’t seen them in front of cameras yet.)
They exchange contact information, making sure to CC Summers. Also Greg, though that’s more so he doesn’t feel left out. This is Summers’ show, and Jared thinks Greg knows it, and honestly doesn’t think he minds. Jared certainly doesn’t.
I cannot begin to express how relieved Greg is that this is Dave’s show.
“Absolutely no internet,” Grace tells them. “None. I mean, other than the email I’m going to send you, obviously.”
“Not even funny dog videos?” Bryce asks.
Bryce has to make sure after Dave’s ‘nobody but me and Greg’ somehow allowed him to take calls from his mom.
“Okay, fine, you can have funny animal videos,” Grace says. “But stay off all social media. Also anything to do with hockey.”
“Can I check the box scores, though?” Bryce asks. “It’s important to keep up with the rest of the league.”
Grace sighs. “Okay. You can have box scores and animal videos. And that’s it.”
“But—“ Bryce says.
Jared doesn’t see Bryce much in the context of ‘authority figures’ (loosely, in Grace’s case, but she is calling the shots), so beyond Bryce and Dave having a combative relationship, Jared misses part of the issue with Bryce in these situations is that he sometimes (often) pushes back just to push back. He’s gotten a lot better about it as he’s matured, but sometimes he can’t help himself.
“Everyone likes you best,” Bryce mutters as they’re walking to their car, but only after someone from security made sure no one was lurking in the underground parking lot hoping to ambush them for a picture or a scoop. Which is obviously such a fun thing Jared hopes will continue indefinitely.
“You’ve never checked the weather in your entire life,” Jared says.
“I could,” Bryce says. “Maybe I’m getting old and boring.”
“Knowing what it’s like out is not boring,” Jared says. “It’s preparation. Are you mimicking me right now?”
“No,” Bryce mutters, abruptly ceasing.
Jared elbows Bryce in the side, and Bryce hip checks him right into a pillar. Gently, but still: rude.
They don’t bicker much — it’s more Jared snarking at Bryce, but it’s fun when Bryce bites back. For me and for Jared.
160. Whirlwind
So Jared guesses they got engaged like, practically as soon as they got together. Like, boom, date three or something: engaged. Bryce moves fast in the storyline. Also in real life, but not that fast. Jared thinks Bryce in this storyline moves a little too fast, frankly. And it isn’t realistic that Jared in this storyline said yes that early in their relationship.
Nitpicking Grace’s storyline for OOC behaviour is peak Jared.
“Please,” Grace says, pinching her nose. “It was a whirlwind romance. Based on a friendship that grew out of shared interests and mutual respect and nobody being anybody else’s coach at the time.”
Jared would like to again point out that Bryce was a terrible couch who didn’t do anything but sulk, so it basically doesn’t count.
“You come here, wringing your hands about best business practices,” Foster says. “When a decade ago both Riley and Lapointe went to the Habs as a package deal. Did you forget about that or are you just coming here with a bullshit line of reasoning so you can pretend you’re not being homophobic as you’re asking homophobic questions? You don’t get to have it both ways. You don’t get to say their sexuality has nothing to do with this and then turn right around and ask me if I knew about their sexuality when I signed them. That’s not how this works.”
Brian Foster’s entire press conference was some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing a scene. Pure Id.
Grace finds a tweet with a longer clip, in which Foster manages to insult three media organisations, mock homophobic fans, swear at least half a dozen times, and reiterate the organisation’s support for Bryce and Jared. He also takes a question about the power play.
Love me a man who can multitask.
“I think you should probably give in and start calling him Brian?” Bryce says, looking over at Jared. Bryce caved to his demands the third time Foster explicitly told him to, but Jared wasn’t planning on it: it felt too weird. But he may have to revise that decision.
“He does keep asking me to,” Jared says.
Jared figures angry monologue defending him and Bryce earns first name basis.
He’s sure there’s already going to be ‘wow, Marcus is slumming with a middle sixer’ shit.
“Literally nobody is going to be saying that,” Bryce tells him. “Like. At all.”
Babe you’re the arm candy.
“Bryce!” Jared says.
Bryce very busily looks at literally everything but Jared.
“Stop going online!” Jared says.
He can’t help it!
“I mean, not by Joe from Kamloops who’s decided he can’t support the Canucks anymore, no,” Jared says. “And definitely not Jim from Red Deer who doesn’t give a shit about the Canucks, but has come to say he’s pretty positive your shoulder injury is proof that being gay is morally wrong, actually.”
No offence to Joes and Jims. Full offence to Kamloops and Red Deer.
And Dmitry will probably beat them up, judging by the text he sent Jared assuring him that he will beat them up, along with approximately seventeen emojis Jared didn’t bother trying to parse.
Look: emojis transcend language. A fist is a fist is a fist.
“Okay, then quit reading the opinions of people who are so miserable that the idea of two people in love with each other makes them furious,” Jared says. “It’s pathetic. They’re pathetic.”
Jared was at a very tender, vulnerable age when he saw some of the blowback of the OG coming out controversy. It didn’t make things easier for him as he started to come to terms with his sexuality, and it did not make Jared like people any more than he was originally inclined to.
“They’re planning on like, rainbow flags,” Bryce says. “Canucks fans. They’re coordinating it online. They’re planning on bringing rainbow flags. And supportive signs and stuff. Some have taken pictures. They’re — they’re really nice.”
It isn't all bad though.
“There aren’t any bad ones,” Gabe says, nudging Jared’s shoulder. “If that’s why you’re keeping your head down.”
“I wasn’t doing it on purpose,” Jared says.
This warm up scene is dialogue and action heavy because Jared’s trying really hard not to feel anything right now, starting with keeping his eyes on the ice so he can't see the crowd.
“There’s one behind the net that says LJBTQ,” Gabe says. “The JB is in a heart. I thought it was kind of clever, but you just know someone on the internet is going to say it’s bi erasure. Which, as a bi dude, I completely agree there’s bi erasure in the community, but — oh, that one says PB&J and peanut butter and jelly are holding hands. It’s adorable. I have no idea what the P could be, though. Maybe Pacific? That’d work, I guess, but—
The P stands for ‘we can’t make a PB&J pun without the P’, for the record. Sometimes it’s not that deep.
“Gabe,” Jared says.
“Okay, okay,” Gabe says, putting his hands up, and skates over to where Dmitry’s doing the ridiculous motions he calls stretches.
Jared looks up, but the lights are bright and his eyes are blurry and all he can see is a wash of colour, so he blinks and blinks and goes to find another puck to try to get in the back of the net.
God Gabe can’t you see Jared is trying not to feel emotions?
“If anyone says shit to you,“ Dmitry says. “Tell me. I will fight them.”
“I know,” Jared says.
“Even if they say ‘hello’ or ‘good evening’,” Dmitry says. “I will fight them.”
“Kind of sounds like you just want an excuse to fight someone,” Jared says.
Well. Yes. But also — got your back.
But something breaks through during a TV timeout, has him looking up at the Jumbotron, because the applause and cheers are louder than a kiss cam or dance cam or celebrity lookalike. The camera’s on Bryce in the press box, looking a little stunned. After a moment Leo elbows him, grinning, and Bryce raises a hand to wave at the crowd in acknowledgement, the sound intensifying in response. The Canucks all bang their sticks against the boards, and Jared is late to join them, eyes caught on Bryce’s face.
And Jared knows this is a home game. He knows it isn’t going to be anything like this in other arenas, knows other teams’ fans won’t be this supportive, that opponents are going to use this against them, that there are always going to be people that think less of Bryce, of both of them, simply because they love each other. He knows that.
But Jared also knows Bryce is looking bashful but smiling, a mixture of happiness and bone deep relief on his face, and in this moment, that’s the only thing in the entire world that matters.
The moment that Bryce gets everything he never even dreamed of hoping for. That he gets everything he never thought he could have.
This is the original ending, before one last arc decided to jump onto the back. I also consider it the end of the climax — it’s all denouement from here.
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Movie Date Night
A/N: Howdy my peeps. Bet you thought you've seen the last of me XD just kidding but it has been a while since I even wrote anything. Well, surprise!! I actually buckled down and wrote something. I legit had the idea for this fanfic to come to me at like...2 in the morning? And I've been writing it for the last two days. This is my first time writing for these two but I legit love Alan and Jeff so I couldn't not write for them. Enough rambling from me! Enjoy the fic!!
Summary: After countless ideas for a wonderful date for he and Jeff, Alan decides on something simple. A movie date night! Just a night alone for the two of them to enjoy each other's company and watch movies.
Word Count: 158
To say Alan was stumped would be an understatement and he would protest about not just being stumped but also in a rut. The man had no idea or how many countless ideas he had tossed out of his mind, unable to come up with anything that seemed perfect or even good. Alan wanted to come up with the perfect date night for him and Jeff. Roller skating was obviously out due to him almost eating pavement the last couple of times Jeff had tried to teach him but what else was there to do? It’s not like Jeff was too hard to please…right?
Letting out a troubled sigh, Alan continued to pace and mull over his thoughts until a thought that seemed so simple crossed his mind. He recalled a conversation that he happened to overhear in the past between Charlie and Jeff back at the garage. At the time, from what Alan had gathered, the two were trying to plan if they should just go to see a movie at the theater or stay home and watch a movie at their apartment. This led to Jeff making a jab about how people didn’t buy dvds anymore and it was concluded that the two would just go to the theater once Jeff got off work.
“A movie night could work…” Alan mumbled, his arms crossing against his chest as his brow furrowed in thought. The idea was simple and seemed like something Jeff would like but would that just prove that he wasn’t as young as the rest of the group? To Alan, there was nothing wrong with getting dvds and a player and just sitting at home and watching them there but to the younger generation, it just wasn’t done. Would Jeff make a jab at his age like North and Sonic do? Shaking the thought from his head, Alan quickly decided to just go through with a movie date night. Afterall, Jeff was nothing like those two troublemakers. “Okay…now I just have to set up the dvd player and dig through some movies that Jeff could like…”
____________________________
To Alan’s relief, picking out the movies did not take long at all. From what he had in his collection, the man picked out two or three movies that could pique Jeff’s interest. Taking no time setting up the player, Alan heaved himself up and glanced outside. The sun was just beginning to set which meant it was time to text his boyfriend and have him come to the living room for their special night. Alan had already made sure that they would be completely alone so that no interruptions in the form of North, Sonic, Kim or Babe would get in the way of everything he had planned. Thankfully, North and Sonic decided to basically kidnap Kim to their local hangout to have some fun and drink while Babe mostly stayed home, his mood not quite the same since Charlie’s accident.
“Uncle? I got your text and uh…what’s all this?” Adding the last touches in the form of soda cans and popcorn, Alan turned around to see Jeff, who was taking in everything with an adorable look of confusion that had Alan wanting to squeeze his cheeks. Ushering Jeff towards the couch, Alan settled next to him and laid out the movies in front of them, explaining what he had planned for their night. Once he was done with his anxious sputtering, Alan waited for Jeff’s reaction, his brown eyes sparkling in hope that Jeff would not deny the night he planned. Letting out a small snort, Jeff met Alan’s hopeful gaze and smiled, the grin practically warming Alan’s heart. “You really planned a movie date night for us, huh?”
“Yeah…and uh, I know that you think dvds aren’t the thing anymore but I just wanted something for the two of us. We’re not completely alone while in the theaters and I just thought you’d like a nice and quiet night instead. Was I right?” Alan questioned, his hands rubbing together with nerves since Jeff hadn’t really said anything regarding their date. As if sensing his boyfriend’s nerves, Jeff softly laid his hand on Alan’s, halting the movement before he tangled their fingers together which caused Alan to smile. “I even picked out some movies I thought you’d like! Do you approve?”
Letting out a hum as he examined the movies, Jeff couldn’t help the pleased smile that rose on his lips at how much effort Alan had made to make this night special for him and Alan was right, some of the movies did catch his attention. Lifting his gaze to find Alan observing him, Jeff let out a fond sigh and nodded, trying not to snicker at the triumph noise Alan had made before he was suddenly across the room, dimming the lights until it was almost completely dark.
Handing Alan the movie he wanted to watch first, Jeff brought the bowl of popcorn to his lap and selected his soda, leaning back against the couch while Alan inserted the dvd and settled back next to him, pressing play on the remote. Opening his own can of soda, Alan took a sip and softly scooted closer to Jeff, the movement not quite subtle since Jeff did the same, their thighs touching and ankles looped. Laying his arm behind Jeff, Alan gently pulled him closer until Jeff’s body was completely pressed against his own. Not saying a word at how they were practically glued together, Jeff continued to munch on some popcorn and just settled comfortably into Alan’s warm embrace.
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“That ending was unexpected, huh?” Alan mumbled, brushing his fingers through Jeff’s soft hair while he watched the credits roll, signaling the end of the movie. Letting out a sleepy hum in agreement, Jeff slumped a bit off Alan so his boyfriend could get up to put the last movie on. “This one was my pick but maybe you’ll like it too!”
Staring at the cover while his boyfriend inserted the dvd, Jeff noticed it looked like some romantic comedy which wasn’t exactly his cup of tea but since Alan had watched most of the movies Jeff liked, it wouldn’t hurt to watch something that seemed to pique Alan’s interest. Stretching out his limbs before Alan settled back next to him, Jeff placed the now empty popcorn bowl back on the table and snatched up another can of soda, claiming his place against Alan’s side once more just as the movie began to play.
“Oof, that is one creepy dog…looks more like a rat. What do you think, kid?” Alan asked, his eyes never leaving the dog on the screen until he realized he had no response from Jeff. Holding Jeff close, Alan couldn’t help the soft smile that bloomed when he noticed that somewhere along the way into the movie, Jeff had fallen asleep, his head flopped against Alan’s shoulder and the can of soda he had gotten before now between his legs to prevent it from spilling. Pausing the movie so he could carefully maneuver the soda can out of Jeff’s legs and safely back on the table, Alan checked the time on his phone and winced when he noticed how late it was. “Wow…sorry Kid, didn’t realize how late it got…”
“Uncle…” Placing his phone on the table, Alan gently picked up his boyfriend, holding him close as his name left Jeff’s lips. Not caring whether or not he left the movie on pause since he knew Sonic, North or Kim would turn it off for him, Alan carried Jeff carefully up the stairs, making his way towards his room as quietly as he could. Pushing the door open with his foot, Alan let out a soft sigh when he finally reached his bedroom, the big bed seemingly inviting both of them to rest for the night. “Uncle? Where’d we go?”
Gently shushing him, Alan placed Jeff on the one side of his bed and pulled the covers back. Helping his boyfriend out of his button up and jeans, leaving Jeff in just a t-shirt and boxers, Alan did the same for himself and he climbed into bed. Covering Jeff up first, Alan made sure he was comfortable and warm before he settled in as well, a yawn slipping out of his lips.
“Uncle…” Letting a sleepy smile quirk his lips up, Alan opened his arms for Jeff as the other wiggled closer, burying himself happily in the arms of the man he loved. Letting out a comfortable sigh, Jeff snuggled further into Alan’s chest and tangled their legs together, not leaving a single part of them not touching. Pulling back a little so he could stare into Alan’s eyes, Jeff leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, the act of affection giving both of them butterflies in their stomachs. “I had a great night. Thank you.”
“I did too and I’m so happy you enjoyed it too,” Alan whispered, pressing butterfly kisses all over Jeff’s face until the boy was softly giggling, the smile on face seeming like it could light up the whole room.
Pressing a final kiss to Jeff’s forehead, Alan pulled him closer once more as both of their breathing even out, the warmth of the blankets and each other’s bodies lulling them into a peaceful slumber, the only sound emanating in the quiet room being their soft breaths and the click of their couple bracelet clicking together to form a heart.
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