* wcrstbehaviior

“is jurassic park not whimsical?” milo inquired, his eyebrows furrowing together as he looked at his companion, “i would’ve thought any movie about dinosaurs would be just that,” he added with a shrug as he leaned back against the couch, his smile quickly returning to his face. “oh well, you’d have a better idea than me- should we get snacks?”

“Ah- well- no,” Jack grimaced. “Not exactly.” Perhaps he was overestimating Milo’s ability to watch these movies. The boy had such a light demeanor, seemingly free of worry. There was the possibility that certain aspects of both movies would be simply too dark for the boy to handle. Jack had no idea what kind of experience that Milo had with death, thrill, ghosts, and the like. “No, it’s not exactly whimsical. It’s good, but if it’s...too much for you, let me know and I’ll turn it off.” He moved to join the other back on the couch. Jack would typically be annoyed if he had to censor viewership for anyone else, but for whatever reason he understood a little more where Milo was coming from and therefore did not mind. “Yes, snacks. Let’s do it. We can order from places that do delivery, or we could do Favor. The world is ours.”

* wcrstbehaviior

it felt like not a day went by where milo wasn’t discovering a new form of earth technology, it was amazing. for years he had an entire galaxy at his finger tips, infinite things for him to discover. yet, it was here, on earth where he’d truly discovered the most. “why not watch both?” he responded, a mischievous grin appearing across his face as he looked at his companion. “well duh.”

“Both sounds good. Let’s do Jurassic Park first, so that we can finish off on a bit of a whimsical note,” he decided. He scooted across the floor so that he didn’t have to stand, inserting the tape into the player. Feeling the tape sink into the device was satisfying. “Have you seen either of these before?” he asked, finally standing and stretching as he turned to look at Milo. He kind of hoped that the other was clueless about these movies, as it was always enjoyable to experience someone’s first reaction to certain beloved cinematic masterpieces. 

* wcrstbehaviior

despite the other’s usual lack of interest and all around negative demeanor, milo found himself growing to enjoy spending time with jack. or perhaps, he was just starting to like jack. he found the other’s sarcastic nature to be rather comforting, as odd as it might sound. “i believe it’s the first one,” milo offered with a shrug as he turned the case over in his hands, “i know what dinosaurs are!” he replied, excitement clearly visible in his words. “no, not really, i just paid the lady like twenty dollars.”

Jackson appreciated the vintage, however VHS was something fairly recent enough for him not to endow any value to it. However, classics like Jurassic Park and Ghostbusters that were simply too good to ignore, no matter his antipathy to the other tapes. “Well, up to you then, between these two. You choose,” he said, pushing the two options toward Milo. “I’m down with either. Are we gonna turn this into a whole day-in kind of situation with blankets and food?”

* wcrstbehaviior

milo frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together at the mention of junk, however he got over it rather quickly as he found himself laugh. “you know what they say, one man’s trash is another’s treasure!” spoken like a true smuggler, perhaps he had spent too much time with his father. “well, i don’t think there’s any way of knowing that until we look at them!” he insisted, quickly switching his focus to the boxes of video tapes, as he pulled a few out. “let’s see here’s something called space jam? that could be fun, space is very cool! and here’s uh ghostbusters? ghosts are also cool!”

“Wait,” Jack’s body language visibly perked up. “You have Ghostbusters? Like, the first one?” He rolled out of his seat and joined Milo on the floor where the tapes were spread out. “Jurassic Park as well? Damn, you got classics, you must have paid something for them, right?” He flipped through a couple more tapes. “You know what dinosaurs are, right?” he asked. Unlike his usual attitude, he wasn’t being sarcastic. He genuinely wasn’t sure Milo had heard about dinosaurs quite yet, and if he hadn’t then Jurassic Park might be the optimal movie choice.

a meaningful and relatable tweet

“Where do you dig up this junk?” Jack questioned, his voice carrying a snide tone but subtle hints of good-humor were there. He had quite grown used to Milo’s company. Every time the other discovered something new about Earth, he came running to Jack, either for an explanation or for a show-and-tell. Jack found it annoying, but he couldn’t help but continue the interactions. Milo was genuine, a far cry from many of the other people he deals with on a daily basis. “I can’t imagine that you found any tapes worth watching. People only sell the ones that are worthless to them.”

“i discovered this thing called a VCR today,” milo spoke with excitement in his voice, his eyes wide as he lifted his head to gaze at the other male. since his arrival, and subsequent decision to stay on earth- milo had wasted no time familiarizing himself with the planets culture. from converse sneakers to baseball, he was learning so much. television was only his latest obsession, followed closely by movies, and now a VCR. he had no clue that it was such an arcane form of technology, he just knew it was fascinating. “and there are all of these tapes! they just gave them to me! i don’t know where to start, there’s got to be a hundred,” as he spoke he gestured to the boxes in front of him. “want to watch something?” @jacks-onian​

* undcrlings

his mood effectively ruined, milo continued to sulk- sinking even further into the couch. he was grateful for his friend’s attempt to understand- but he was certain no one could relate to the embarrassment that he was feeling. he made a name for his self as a pilot and pod racer, and here he was unable to beat a silly video game! what would people think? he’d be ruined! sighing, he shifted, allowing his friend to gently massage his shoulders as he exhaled. “but i’ve been piloting for years! and the controls are much harder than this!” he explained, his voice raised as he once more felt a wave of frustration. “i ought to write this nintendo person a letter! tell them how it should be done!”

“Maybe you ought to. Don’t know how far it would get in our current situation.” Jackson’s mood was considerably lighter than that of his company, however he still couldn’t quite empathize with the situation. At least, he couldn’t understand the extent of the frustration over a mere video game. It seemed to him that the things to be frustrated about were their encasement and other issues that came along with it, and video games were found somewhere at the bottom of the list. “We could keep practicing, and I’m sure you’ll catch on quick. Or we could find something else to do.”

* undcrlings

mikhail was still annoyed, but he refrained from firing off a heated remark or storming off in anger, once again realizing the value of company. allowing a small sigh to escape from his lips, he pulled his knee to his chest, resting his chin on top of it. “sure,” he responded, a faint smile spreading across his face as he turned to look at the male. “truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Jackson answered almost immediately. It wasn’t much of a consideration. Although he liked talking about himself from time-to-time, finding something to do was more important, and he figured answering truths would do little in the way of curing boredom. 

Jack’s eyes widened in shock as the other threw a fit, having come in last in Mario Kart. He wasn’t sure how to go about comforting him; after all, it was just a game, and although Jackson was competitive, he was usually only competitive about things he felt mattered, tennis for example. ��It’s alright, Milo,” he consoled, suppressing a nervous laugh. An arm wrapped the back of the couch, and his hand rested over the back of Milo’s neck, his thumb and forefinger pressing into a soft massage over his shoulders to pacify him. “People play this for years of their childhood, and that’s why they are so good at it. If it was too easy, nobody would play, and Nintendo wouldn’t get any money.”

“stupid controller!” milo cried out in frustration, throwing the piece of plastic on the ground as he crossed the finish line in last place. “stupid game,” he added for good measure, a frown appearing across his face as he turned to look at the male sitting next to him. “i don’t get it! i’ve been racing since i could walk, yet when it comes to this stupid game,” he spoke, gesturing towards the tv, “i can never win! it’s not fair!” he finished his rant with a sigh as he sunk into the couch, arms folded across his chest and a pout on his face. @jacks-onian​

* undcrlings

“no,” mikhail responded, perhaps a bit too quickly and definitely too hostile, his eyes momentarily narrowing as he looked at his companion. he despised stereotypes, and he wasn’t afraid to make it known. if this was how their evening would be spent, he’d much rather be alone. “that would be ideal,” he responded with a nod, his anger momentarily forgotten as his gaze turned to the street below, “i would hate to miss the first snow,” he mumbled.

Jack smirked, satisfied at the rise he had gotten from his comment, no matter how mild it had been. “Yeah, me too,” he agreed. He was already missing the fall atmosphere, so thinking about missing the Christmas-time mood was just another layer of disappointment that he’d rather not think about. “Wanna play truth or dare?”

* undcrlings

mikhail couldn’t care less about what jackson’s favorite season was, but rather than expressing his feelings, he stayed silent. the loneliness of the dome was starting to effect him, and he didn’t want to chase off someone willing to talk to him. still, he couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the other bundled up in a scarf. “this is nothing compared to a russian fall,” he mused, a small frown appearing across his face as his thoughts briefly turned towards his home. “but i suppose you make a good point,” he added with a shrug, as he joined the other, his feet dangling off the ledge. “i wonder if it will snow inside the dome.”

“Are you a Russian who always talks about how cold Russia is?” he questioned testily. His fingers wound absently through the fringe at the edge of the scarf. Blinking over at the other, he tried not to appear so absorbed in thoughts and so opted to continue talking, fearing any break of silence would cause the conversation to stagger and die. “I doubt it, but that would be nice. Maybe- just maybe- we can get out before the first snow, and we won’t have to live to see the answer to that question.”

@undcrlings​

“Fall is my favorite season,” he said to Mikhail. His voice lacked real enthusiasm, and actually seemed a little bit bitter about the fact. “This isn’t what fall should feel like, though. It should feel breezy, and crisp. I think the dome is standing in way of the ideal autumnal atmosphere.” He slipped the scarf off his neck, bundling it up in his lap, kicking his feet over the edge of the roof, dangling three stories up. “I suppose we should be used to it, but the changing of seasons makes our whole situation seem so immutable.”

cheryl blossom, a certified lesbian™  

“Dunno what the fuck pod races are,” Jack replied sullenly. “But there’s nothing to do around here, anymore. I mean, if you want to watch a movie at the theater, you actually have to set up the film and screen yourself. It probably doesn’t take a technical genius, but right off the bat I wouldn’t know how to do that.” He tossed another Skittle into his mouth, a candy of which he would never run out, his successful raids of four snack machines wielding a bountiful loot. “Do you play tennis?” he asked, though somehow doubted Milo had even heard of the game.

“i’m gonna go fuckin’ nuts if we don’t get out of this dome,” milo announced his discontent, loudly, as he took another swig from the bottle of alcohol clutched in his hand. “this place is like so god damn boring,” he added, though his particular discontent with his current location expanded far past the dome. a child of space, milo preferred exploring the cosmos to spending time on a single planet. “what do you even do around here? i haven’t seen any signs of pod races,” he continued, his eyes narrowing as he turned towards his companion, eagerly awaiting an answer. @jacks-onian

* alexander-kaligaris

“So’s mine,” Alex chuckled, rolling the empty glass softly between his palms. It was empty - for now. “Don’t think so.” It wasn’t uncommon for people to recognize him, but Alex was unsure about this setting. He had forgotten most of his schooling years, to be honest, and it was a little embarrassing to forget the name of an old classmate. “You could say that. I’m Alex.” He reached his hand out in a greeting, an alcohol induced smile playing across his lips. 

Jack shook the hand briefly, but didn’t care for holding on too long. Something about the other was beginning to unnerve him. Nothing had gone wrong, but the vibes radiating between the two of them made him wary. “Jackson Windsor,” he liked to name drop every now and again, sue him. If nobody had heard of him, they’d heard of the name Windsor; and if it weren’t in association with the crown in Nottingham, it was in association with one of his siblings. Every professor had to teach a Windsor in their classes at least once at the Academy. “So, more shots, or was chatting me up the goal since you set eyes on me?” he mockingly fluttered his lashes.

“Oh, please, come in, Steph, make yourself at home,” he whispered harshly from the other room as he heard his sister invite herself in whilst shouting at the top of her lungs, thoroughly displacing Jackson from the world into which his book had transported him. He threw his feet over his bed and stood up, sauntering to the door and leaning against his frame, his cold eyes turned on Stephanie. “Can I help you?” he asked pointedly.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do! I’m not a goddamn baby anymore.” The door to Jack’s house slammed closed behind Stephanie as she stormed into the living room, her eyes bright with anger. Fighting between Steph and Rhea wasn’t uncommon, but Steph normally was the measured one. Slamming herself down into Jack’s couch, shaking like a leaf.

@jacks-onian