~ Movie Night ~
G - fluff
Junmyeon & Jongdae

In which Jongdae claims to be a film fanatic to impress his boyfriend

'They say that the best blaze burns brightest, when circumstances are at their worst' - Sophie Hatter (Howl's Moving Castle)
 

Junmyeon is a man who appreciates classic films, the ones that are more often than not absolutely terrible to watch, but beautiful to listen to. He enjoys sitting down with a bowl of stale popcorn, booting up his box of a television and popping on a silent movie to slowly make his eyes feel tired. By the time it has finished, he is usually ready for bed, his mind full of strange music and exaggerated gestures. He falls asleep with a faint smile tugging on his lips, his fingers unconsciously twitching to some invisible beat.

Jongdae claims to be a film fanatic too, because he wants nothing more than to impress Junmyeon. He nods dramatically whenever the other man, a learned, expressive older male, talks avidly about the most recent film he has watched. He pretends to know exactly what Junmyeon is speaking about by occasionally humming or frowning, but he never opens his mouth to emit an intelligent response. In truth, he has nothing to say, because he enjoys cheesy films and superhero movies. He also adores anime and would much rather watch ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ seventeen times than watch the three hour silent film from 1927, Junmyeon’s beloved ‘Metropolis’. However, he refuses to admit this, because the older male always has this certain look about him as he is immersed into a flickering black and white classic. Out of everything, this is admittedly Jongdae’s favourite thing to watch.

The two alternate between one another’s homes for a movie night each weekend and tonight is Jongdae’s turn to accommodate his boyfriend. He splays out a huge bundle of DVDs, his fingers brushing against their cold, tattered cases. There is a grimace playing with his facial features because the options in front of him are of a serious concern; ‘Spirited Away’, ‘The Avengers’, ‘Batman and Robin’, ‘X-Men’ and ‘The Incredibles’ are a few of the movies that stare him in the face, making his lips contort and his eyes squint, searching for something, anything more impressive.

It is as he whacks them out of the way and delves towards his DVD cabinet that Junmyeon announces his arrival, stepping into the living room with an armful of his own movies. Jongdae is grateful to see that his boyfriend has thought ahead and feels a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He pushes himself off the ground and strolls over to Junmyeon, immediately embracing him in warm, muscular arms, his nose nuzzling against the older man’s sensitive nape. Junmyeon giggles and hugs him back, pressing snugly against him. They sway, wrapped in each other’s arms, until Jongdae ruins the moment by sneezing, flailing backwards.

Junmyeon paces over to his boyfriend’s DVD player, sets down his stack of films and purposely selects one, placing it into the tray. ‘This is one of my favourite movies. It’s not that old and it’s not silent either, so you’ll probably enjoy it a lot.’

‘What is it?’ Jongdae questions, draping his arm comfortably over Junmyeon’s shoulder as they plonk onto the couch together.

‘It’s The Shawshank Redemption.’

‘Oh, I love Mormon Freegan.’

‘His name is Morgan Freeman.’

‘That’s what I said.’

Jongdae does indeed end up being into the plot, his mouth drooping and eyes widening at all of the appropriate times. Sometimes he gets furious over the stupidity of some character’s actions and at other times it almost seems as though he is going to let tears spill. Almost.

When it comes to a conclusion, Jongdae doesn’t budge because he is apparently contemplating the emotional series of events, so Junmyeon pounces off the couch to put on the following movie. This time, it is some film from the 1980’s that one of his friends suggested; ‘Revenge of the Nerds.’ Junmyeon finds it fitting, because he and Jongdae are nerds in their own way.

A fair way into the movie, Junmyeon steals a glance at Jongdae to see him grinning broadly. His eyes twinkle and he drums his fingers against the armrest of the couch whenever there is rocking background music. Sometimes, his lips part and he subtly mouths the lines before the characters on the screen have even said them.

One of the nerds steps up onto a stage and begins a speech, one that Jongdae whispers along to, cheeks reddened with secretive excitement. ‘I just wanted to say that I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.’

The final selection is a film that Junmyeon heard about through the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. He often researches the masterpieces aired at such events and spends endless hours watching them, critiquing them inwardly, rounded glasses usually propped up onto the tip of his nose. It is a vampire movie this time, ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’.

Jongdae instantly recognises Tom Hiddleston and has to bite his tongue in order to stop himself from enthusiastically shouting ‘Loki!’ He is thrilled at first, but then he also recognises the White Witch from ‘Narnia’ and his eager flame is extinguished. His body slumps, seeping into the dent of the couch as the film gradually bores him to death and the creepy actress makes his skin tingle uneasily. Junmyeon notices this and smirks, but he can’t draw his focus away for too long because he is fully engrossed, despite his boyfriend’s gloomy expression.

When blackness envelops the screen and credits begin to roll, Junmyeon turns to his right to see that the younger male is snoring softly, his eyes lidded and lips puckered cutely as each breath seeps out. Jongdae groans and mutters incoherently, his feet kicking weakly at an unseen force before he stills once more. His thick lashes flutter every few seconds and Junmyeon, who is slowly leaning in, finds the sight extremely enticing.

The older male gently pushes Jongdae onto his side and covers him with a blanket. He leans in, a smile plastered on his face, and pecks the sleeping man’s exposed forehead. His lips linger there for quite some time, the tingling caused by skin on skin contact too enjoyable to retreat from. But it is early in the morning and Junmyeon has work soon, so he convinces himself to move away, leaving Jongdae curled up on the couch with a sticky note glued to his blushing cheek.

When Jongdae awakens with the rising of the sun, quickly disappointed by Junmyeon’s absence, he tugs something off his face and peers at it with exhausted eyes. The vibrant pink piece of paper is decorated by Junmyeon’s pretty cursive scrawl and delicate inky hearts. Jongdae rubs his eyes and his blurred vision clears just enough for him to distinguish the words.

‘Let’s watch one of your movies next time. I quite like the look of Howl’s Moving Castle.’