G.R.8.U. (Danny)

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Zeke clung tightly onto Danny's hand as they waited in line get their tickets for the movie.  It wasn't all that crowded, and people probably thought that they were a couple on a date, but it gave the younger man some comfort in a slightly uncomfortable place.  Even though he was a lot taller and a little broader than his roommate, he still needed that sort of anchor whenever he could get it.  

He didn't know much about the movie that they were seeing, except that Danny had asked if he wanted to go see it on one of his nights off, so Zeke had agreed without much hesitation.  He had nothing better to do, and going out around town with Danny was easier than going alone, and he figured they could take a little time afterwards to pick up some groceries from the store.  

"I hope this isn't scary," he said with a nervous laugh after they'd bought the tickets and headed into the theater.  "You know how I get with those..."  Zeke got nightmares easily, when he could even fall asleep after seeing a film that frightened him (and it didn't take much to do that).  He found some seats near the back on the end of a row, since he got a little claustrophobic if he felt caged in by people.  "Want some popcorn?" he asked, offering over the medium-sized bag.

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Danny had heard that this movie had great reviews, so of course that’s why he was interested in seeing it. And it was important that he go to see the movie with Zeke, because in all honesty, Danny just enjoyed doing things a lot more when Zeke was around. Even if they didn’t do anything, or talk, or even look at each other, Danny just liked having the younger man around. It was pacifying, one might say.

So he held onto Zeke’s hand and gave it a light squeeze when they finally got out of the line and stepped into the crowded theater. “I don’t think it is,” he said, holding out Zeke’s ticket for him. “Fandango said it was a drama, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” Maybe there was a chance for some suspenseful scenes, but he didn’t think it was going to be full of what they liked to call ‘jump scares’. Or gore. Or ghosts. None of those things bothered Danny(ghosts weren’t even real, so of course those didn’t bother him), but he knew that Zeke didn’t like them at all. Those sorts of things only served to antagonize his anxiety.

Danny followed Zeke into the theater, taking the inside seat so that Zeke could sit along the aisle. The two shuffled around their drinks and snacks for a moment before finally settling in. “Thanks,” Danny said when offered the bag of popcorn. It wasn’t healthy, but…they also didn’t go out to movies very often, so he could afford having a little bit of junk food while they watched. The screen played a variety of commercials and previews as they waited for the movie to start. The lights hadn’t even dimmed yet. “Oh, that show looks interesting,” he commented on one of the previews that showed on the screen. “What do you think?” Maybe they could watch that one together too at some point?

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Zeke felt the same wat towards Danny that his best friend did for him. They’d known each other for so long that it didn’t feel right going to do something without the other as long as their schedules didn’t conflict (which unfortunately happened a lot, since Danny worked so much and Zeke was busy with school and his own job). That was why it was always extra-special when they did have time to go out and do things like this. It made Zeke more comfortable to go out and do things with his anchor keeping him calm.

He relaxed visibly once they were away from the crowd waiting to get tickets. Fortunately, the theater was dark, so he wouldn’t be so tense with people around them in there. “Oh, good,” he murmured, more relieved. He preferred comedies and sci-fi, but he supposed a drama wasn’t bad. “If the reviews said it was good, then that’s a good sign.” If there were any scary scenes, Zeke’s face would be firmly planted against Danny’s shoulder and his ears as plugged as he could possibly make them.

He was glad when the older boy automatically took the inside seat without Zeke even needing to ask him. This was why he liked doing things with Danny – he didn’t even need to remind him about all the little things that helped his anxiety, because his roommate remembered them all. “Mhmmmm,” he mumbled, his mouth already stuffed with salty, delicious, over-buttered popcorn. He didn’t care if it wasn’t healthy, at least it was a little better than pizza (maybe). Zeke tilted his head at the preview that Danny spoke about, watching a few more scenes before nodding and smiling over at him. “We can check it out,” he agreed. One of his favorite things to do was lay in Danny’s lap and have him play with his hair while they watched a show. Eventually, the movie started, and Zeke settled back further in his chair, a little surprised by how intense the opening scenes were already. He leaned slightly into his friend and nibbled nervously on his popcorn. “Did she just shoot that guy?” he whispered worriedly.

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There had been a few occasions where people had asked if the two of them were lovers. Logically, Danny could understand why they might think so. They talked at ease with each other, Danny was alway good at predicting anything that his best friend needed, they often held hands as they walked, though that was also to help with Zeke’s anxiety from being out and in crowds. They even kissed one another on occasion, even more rarely on the lips with the majority of them being friendly and on the cheek. That was simply out of habit, he would tell them, because it was something their mothers did with each other. It probably just rubbed off on them as they grew up.

Though Danny wasn’t aware that their mothers had dated at one point in college. They didn’t talk about it like that, just as a close friendship whenever it came up.

He’d taken Zeke’s hand again once they had gotten inside the theater and continued to hold it as he could while they got their popcorn and stuff. Danny smiled softly up at his roommate. “I’m good at picking movies, aren’t I?” Danny thought he was. He always kept Zeke in mind when he chose them, so there shouldn’t be any problem here too.

“Silly. Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he said, holding out a napkin to wipe the butter from Zeke’s lips. Danny knew it was a fruitless warning, but that didn’t mean he was going to stop every time Zeke did it. Danny methodically popped one popped kernel into his mouth at a time while he kept his eyes up on the screen. He could savor the taste a lot more that way, he’d said. Besides, it made it easier to find a break in eating so he could speak when he needed to. What if he needed to say something important and they couldn’t understand him because his mouth was full? And it needed to be said in a hurry? Such things were important to keep in mind. “Okay,” he said with a smile. “We’ll do that.”

When the movie started, though, Danny tilted his head in confusion as it seemed to be a lot more ‘dramatic’ than the synopsis had said. “She did,” he confirmed, popping another piece of popcorn past his lips. The music was disconcerting as well….

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Whenever those instances did come up – with people asking if he and Danny were more than just friends – Zeke always grew incredibly flustered and typically hid behind the older boy and let him reply. He didn’t know why he got so awkward and nervous, but he liked to think it was just due to his already shy disposition. He saw nothing strange with how they interacted, since he’d learned from their mothers (and also wasn’t aware of them dating in college), so he didn’t know why anyone else had to make a big deal out of it…

Zeke gladly continued to hold Danny’s hand as they waited in line. His gaze stayed on the floor for the most part, nervous of meeting anyone’s eyes. He didn’t like to think that people were looking at him, although he felt extremely self-conscious about it anyway. “Mhmm,” he replied softly, giving Danny a short glance. “I’m sure it will be good.” Zeke trusted in Danny completely.

Once they were inside and he was happily (and more comfortably) munching away on his popcorn, Zeke blinked and looked over at his friend, eyes crossing as the older boy cleaned his mouth. He swallowed quickly with a blush. “S-sorry, I won’t do it again,” he replied sheepishly, even though he would likely forget by the next mouthful. He wasn’t as thoughtful as Danny, and didn’t think it was too hard to talk around food (although he could get rather large chipmunk cheeks if he needed to speak around it). “Okay,” he smiled, automatically leaning in against his roommate as the movie started.

But he quickly became tense as the opening scene seemed to reflect what was going to happen for the rest of the movie. The erratic music made Zeke on edge, and he found himself leaning further and further into Danny’s shoulder, one of his hands moving to at first rest, and then grip, onto the older boy’s forearm. When a particularly frightening and gory scene came on (not that bad by Hollywood standards, but bad for Zeke’s disposition), he whimpered and buried his face into Danny’s shoulder. So much for this not being too bad. Zeke didn’t blame his friend, since he hadn’t seen it before, but he definitely didn’t think he wanted to see the rest if it was going to all be like this.

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Zeke always seemed to be needing to be taken care of, and while Danny didn't mind it in the least, it did bring him cause to worry what might happen to Zeke if for some reason Danny was no longer around to fill this care taking role for him. It was one reason why he scolded his roommate so often. If he didn't learn now how to be more self-sufficient, then he was going to have a much harder time learning it when it came to pass that Zeke did find himself without Danny guidance. This was why Danny gave the younger man a knowing look when Zeke claimed he wouldn't stuff his mouth full again. "Okay," he said, knowing full well that Zeke would likely forget his advice in an instant.

Or….maybe he would be too distracted by the movie to forget? As the beginning played out, Danny was starting to think that this might not have been the movie he thought it was. The older man shifted himself to wrap an arm around the cowering Zeke, his perplexed gaze still fixed on the screen while he combed his fingers thought Zeke’s hair in an effort to comfort him. The truth was revealed when the title screen appeared. “This isn’t the movie we came to see,” he said with a dissatisfied frown. Danny turned to Zeke and leaned down to whisper in his ear. “We’re leaving. You shouldn’t watch this. We can try again another time.” As disappointed as he was, Danny would rather leave now for Zeke’s well-being and miss out on the movie. It wasn’t worth it by this point to go back and figure out what the problem was, because by the time they did, they would be out of time for the evening anyway.

They could just do something else instead. With his arm still over Zeke’s shoulder, he placed his other hand over the younger man’s and guided him to his feet and out of the theater. Once out, Danny rounded to face Zeke from the front and gazed up at him with concerned eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked, reaching up to touch his cheek tenderly with the tips of his fingers.

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The years that Zeke and Danny had been separated while the older man had been at school were some of the most difficult of Zeke’s life. He’d already been shy and quiet before, but not having his best friend since (practically) birth had made him hide in his shell even more until social situations made him incredibly nervous and he started getting occasional panic attacks. He didn’t blame Danny for it, of course, but he definitely now relied on the older man to help him with his mental disorders more than anyone else. As for everything else that Danny helped look after him over, well… Okay, maybe Zeke did rely on him a little too much.

Which was why it surprised him so much that this movie wasn’t turning out like his roommate had said it would. He would never believe that Danny would take him to watch something like this on purpose. He leaned into the arm that his friend offered and tried to calm down a little from the soft strokes in his hair, but it wasn’t enough to make him able to stand what was going on. It looked like something supernatural was going to happen, and those kinds of movies terrified him. “I-it’s not?” he whimpered, still hiding his face after the scare. “Oh…” Well, that explained it. “Okay. I’m sorry…” He felt bad, because Danny had paid money and probably wouldn’t have any trouble watching it, so it was all Zeke’s fault for being a wimp.

He gladly took Danny’s hand again as they left, hiding his face from anyone that might notice the two of them and wonder what the problem was. He was shaking a little by the time they got out, and his cheeks were flushed with shame. “I…. I’m…. I’ll be okay,” he said quietly, unable to meet Danny’s eyes until he touched his cheek. Zeke glanced at him, and his heart skipped a beat. “…. We can just go home, if you want. Maybe we can pick up some takeout on the way home?” Hopefully there would be something good on the TV that they could watch and make Zeke forget about what he’d just seen.

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Leaving Zeke behind was one of the most regrettable things Danny had ever done, but there was nothing he could have done otherwise. He couldn’t refuse going to Hammel. He remembered missing and worrying about the younger boy almost every moment of every day while he was gone. That didn’t mean that they didn’t keep up with each other, however, via social media, telephone, and email. When Zeke finally manifested and came to Hammel himself, the only way Danny could think to describe himself was…elated? That was when he was still younger, though, when he was still very in touch with his emotions. These days, it was a lot harder for him to figure it out. All he really knew was that he cared deeply for the younger man, and disliked being away from him for any length of time.

He also disliked seeing Zeke so distressed. This wouldn’t have happened if Danny was paying more attention, but going through his memory he couldn’t recall a single thing he could have done differently. Everything up until this point matched up, so the only possible explanation was that the mistake was made on the theater’s end. “It’s not,” he confirmed, huddling himself closer to the larger man, as if to shield him from the horrifying images. Danny looked around and saw that they weren’t the only ones leaving. “Judging from the crowd’s reaction, the theater must have played the wrong movie.” On the one hand, that meant that they just had to wait until they started playing the right movie.

On the other hand, seeing a movie at all was no good when Zeke was distressed like this. It would probably take him some time to calm down. It was reassuring, though stilly worrisome, when Zeke said he would be okay. “Are you sure?” he asked, looking up at the meek, tall man. “Whatever you want to do, we can do it, Zeke,” Danny assured him. “It’s up to you.” Danny reached up and kissed his cheek, wiping away any moisture that may have collected with the heel of his thumb.

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Being able to call and message and email Danny had been one of the only things that had helped Zeke through that difficult time. He spent many nights shakily retelling things that had happened at school that caused him to worry, or sending his friend texts during the day when he just needed a little extra help and motivation to go to class. And despite how unfortunate his ability could be (like now, when he was giving off a faint scent of burnt toast from his worry), he never would have changed coming to Hammel for anything.

And despite how frightening this movie had turned out to be, Zeke was always happier to spend the evening with Danny over anyone else, or by himself. He didn’t blame his friend at all. In fact, it looked like the theater was to blame, and he nodded in agreement with his roommate’s observation. “Maybe… Maybe you can get your money back if you go ask…” he said softly, still hiding from the images as they left. He felt bad that his friend had paid for basically nothing.

He did want to go, though. Zeke would rather be at home now than out in public, because public spaces only made his anxiety worse, which was the last thing he needed when he was shaky from frightening images. “Yeah…” he replied quietly. “I think I’ll be better once we get home.” When it was just him and Danny and no one else. He nodded in confirmation. “Let’s just get a pizza… and go watch a silly cartoon or something,” he suggested as Danny kissed his warm cheek. Zeke managed a small smile. “… I love you,” he mumbled, burying his face against his friend’s shoulder briefly before they started heading out. “I think there’s a pizza place just around the corner… We can stop there?” he suggested quietly. If it was too crowded, though, he might get too nervous to go inside. “Unless… Maybe we should just go home and get delivery.” He felt a little bad for being so uncertain and indecisive, but looked up for Danny’s input, because he always helped him make decisions.

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Danny’s time with Zeke was, for lack of a better word, precious to him, and he wouldn’t give it up for anything. That it was interrupted in such a manner was dissatisfying, to say the least. Not only did they not get to see the movie they intended, but Zeke had become agitated and distressed because of it. There was no use in regretting his actions or constantly thinking of what all he could have done different…but it was regrettable. They would just have to make the best of it. That wasn’t so bad, though. They always did. And as long as it was time spent together, Danny was okay.

Danny nodded at Zeke’s suggestion. “Yes, I should be able to,” he agreed. Though as they approached the front and the customer service desk…it seemed they weren’t the only ones with the same idea. It would likely take a while to get through the line of other customers demanding their money back or complimentary tickets to another showing of their choice. “This may take more time than we have…” he said. Danny looked up at Zeke, not wanting to make a decision the younger man would be uncomfortable with. “What would you like to do? Stay and get the refund, or forego it this once?” It would be an unfortunate loss of money that they didn’t have much of to begin with, but it also wouldn’t hurt them too much.

“Okay,” he said with a smile. “Pizza it is.” They could afford another night of pizza as well, he rationalized. Danny would just make sure they ate something healthy for the next few days. Danny ran his fingers through Zeke’s soft hair as he rested his forehead against the shorter man’s shoulder. “Mm, I do too,” he said softly, returning the sentiment before letting Zeke back up. Danny thought over Zeke’s suggested plan for pizza, then quickly came up with one more appropriate. “How about we call the pizza place now, and the pick it up on the way home? I’ll go inside and you can wait out by the door if you like.” That shouldn’t be too difficult for them, right?

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Zeke was happy to wait for a little while to allow Danny to get his money back… But once he saw the line and agitation that they would have to deal with, he stiffened slightly and pressed himself even closer to the older boy. “Yeah…” he agreed in a shaky voice, not looking forward to being around so many closely crowded, unhappy people. “I… I-I think I would rather go. I can pay you for the tickets, I feel bad…” Zeke’s head drooped guiltily. “I’m sorry…” He hated how often his anxieties made things difficult for both himself and his best friend, and would never take Danny’s endless patience and understanding for granted.

He did perk up slightly at the promise of pizza. “Thank you~” he cooed happily, still shaky but momentarily distracted by one of his favorite things. Zeke glomped onto his friend’s arm. At least pizza usually wasn’t too expensive either, especially if they could get a coupon or special or something. He let out a content hum at the feeling of Danny’s fingers in his hair, not caring how it might look in public. That was one of the odd things about Zeke – he was endlessly worried about what people thought of him when he was by himself, but when he was with his roommate, their physical displays of affection never crossed his mind as being unsuitable for the public. “Oh, that’s a good idea,” he agreed with a nod. Of course Danny would come to the most logical decision – he always did. “Do you want to just get the usual?” He’d have his friend do the calling too, of course.

They slowly made their way towards the exit, Zeke still holding carefully onto the older boy’s hand. “What should we watch when we get home?” he asked softly. “Maybe something on Netflix?” Preferably something animated and silly to hopefully distract his mind before he went to sleep tonight.

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The money would simply have to be sacrificed in this case, as the two men were not blessed with the luxury of time nor the patience(though it wasn’t really patience) to deal with such a large crowd. Danny thought it was unfortunate, and was a little disappointed for the loss of the money, but it was worth it in his opinion if it kept Zeke’s anxiety from becoming too agitated. “Don’t worry about it,” he said to Zeke’s apology. “I’ll make up that much in tips in no time.” As long as he got one busy night at the lounge, then it was hardly a problem.

He did wish that their usual diet of pizza wasn’t so common, though it was unavoidable sometimes, not just because it was Zeke’s preference(and Danny liked it a lot too). The older man didn’t always have time to prepare them something healthy, so it was good to have a backup that wouldn’t take much time. That was the good thing about pizza, and probably why he allowed the two of them to indulge in it so often. Danny smiled as Zeke clung to him, nuzzling his temple affectionately into the taller man’s shoulder. To anyone else, they probably really did look like a couple, though they were simply best friends who had grown unavoidably close over their lives. Danny nodded, letting his hand fall from Zeke’s hair and to his pocket to pull out his phone. “The usual sounds best,” he agreed, pulling up the number on from his contacts list. He punched the call button and waited for someone to answer.

Once the pizza was ordered, they made their way to the exit and down the street, Danny hand wrapped firmly around his best friend’s to ensure they didn’t get separated. “Hmm,” he hummed as he considered the question. “Has anything new come out?” he asked. “Otherwise, we can just watch BoxTrolls again.” Danny allowed their hands to swing spiritedly as they walked towards the pizza place.

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Despite Danny’s assurances that it was alright, Zeke still felt bad, and it showed in the droop of his head and the sag of his shoulders. “Okay…” he replied guiltily. “If you’re sure…” Zeke already was thinking of ways that he could make it up to his roommate – like cooking breakfast and washing the dishes for a week, or something. Not that his breakfasts were nearly as good as what Danny made, though…

Zeke didn’t share such hesitancy to eat pizza like his best friend, and honestly would probably eat the stuff all the time if it wasn’t for Danny’s cooking and getting after him. There would be a lot of things he would do or not do if it wasn’t for his friend, really… Zeke was incredibly fortunate to have him. He smiled fondly down at the shorter man as he nuzzled against him, feeling his heart give a pleasant skip in his chest. “Great,” he replied happily, glad that he didn’t need to ask Danny to call, that he just did it without asking. “Thanks again…” How many times had he had to thank his roommate tonight?

Hopefully they would get to the place at the right time, he mused to himself as they walked. Zeke didn’t want to have to awkwardly stand around while they waited for their pizza to be done. “Um… I’m not sure. We can look when we get home,” he replied, looking up as he thought. “I like Boxtrolls too, though. Or How to Train Your Dragon.” One time he’d tried to make a Toothless costume for Cheeto, but had failed miserably – the ferret was much too squirmy, and he wasn’t the best at arts and crafts anyway. Zeke chuckled slightly and looked down at their swinging hands, already feeling better now that they were out of that place. “Do you ever miss New York pizza?” he questioned aloud, thinking back to their younger years. “There was that place not too far from school that we always went to…” Maybe that’s why he was addicted now.