Defencelesslove - "let Me Dwell In The Fullness Of Summer"

Maple and Spruce    -    Linden Frederick , 2022,

American , b.1953 -

oil on linen, 16 x 16 in

—Fyodor Dostoevsky

The one with the Indie Drama, or wait, was that an Horror Movie? Or wait, maybe it was a Romcom?

Harringrove Week day 1

Prompt - Trapped

1.8k - G

***

It’s not easy being the protagonist of an indie drama about a young man wandering aimlessly around a small town, but Steve’s accepted his fate after years of trying to escape into another genre.

When he first hears that they’re closing the Blockbuster on Main Street, he’s sad. He’s had a hard enough time accepting that his childhood was over, and it’s been made even worse seeing all the places he’s grown up with, like the Chuck E. Cheese, and the Toys R’ Us, and now his beloved Blockbuster, where he and Tommy had spent many a Friday night selecting the perfect movie for that week’s sleepover, closing.

The real kicker had is when Steve picks up the morning paper to see an announcement that a branch of the insidious Spirit Halloween would be opening in the Blockbuster building in the coming weeks and is going to have a hiring fair in the parking lot in two days. He sighs, knowing he needw a job since his seasonal position selling ice cream at the beach had ended two weeks ago, and his father won’t stand for Steve sleeping in and loafing around for much longer.

Finishing up his blueberry bagel and cup of coffee, he boots up the computer in the den and get to work updating his resume, hoping that really fleshing out his duties at the ice cream shop, and the shoe store before that, and the call centre before that, will hopefully him get some kind of managerial position. He knows jumping from job to job doesn’t look great, ok? He didn’t choose the ADHD life though, ok? It chose him, and he’s just trying to do his best. He doesn’t need our judgement.

Steve puts on his best khakis and polo, and by some miracle combination of his resume, his charm, and willingness to work literally whenever they want, he gets the position of assistant manager. The hiring manager tells him that she’ll see him in two days to start store setup, and he heads home to make the most of his last days of freedom.

***

Billy’s elated when he gets hired at Spirit Halloween, working alongside Steve Harrington. He needs all the time he can get to convince the brunette they’re meant to be together.

***

Two days later, Steve shows up at the store to start getting the store ready for opening day, and the first person he encounters is Billy Hargrove, directing a wolfish grin towards him. “Hey, pretty boy, fancy seeing you here. Give me a hand with these shelves?” Great, Steve thinks, sighing. He can’t go five minutes without the antagonist of his movie following him around. Life can’t go too well for Steve Harrington, of course. What’s a drama without any drama?

They spend the day piecing together shelving and hanging up costumes, working as fast as they can to get everything set for opening day, because God forbid the local population doesn’t have access to cheap, synthetic wigs, fake blood, and headbands featuring any animal ears you could dream of, ready to be sluttified when paired with lingerie from the Walmart on the edge of town.

He can’t wait to go to Halloween parties and stand brooding in the corner as the world spins madly on around him, as a good dramatic protagonist does.

***

Billy knows how he looks. He does own a mirror after all. He’s tall, blonde, buff and handsome. His looks lend well to being the antagonist in a drama film, ready shake up the protagonist’s sad little life, but he knows he has leading man in a romantic comedy potential as well. Look at him, for godsake, with his million-dollar smile and curly locks. He could sweep Steve off his feet, he’s sure of it, he just needs to be given a chance.

He drove all the way from California thinking that his task would be to find a beautiful man to woo, to love and protect, and the first time he’d seen Steve in the school parking lot, he’d felt ready to take on the role. He hadn’t anticipated having to take on two whole years of playing an angry jerk, and it’s taken a toll on Billy.

He thinks he’s found the perfect way to transition into a workplace romantic comedy when he shows up for his first day at his new job at Spirit Halloween, and in walks Steve, looking like a leading man himself, with his swoop of brown hair and big doe eyes. He lets out a long-suffering sigh and rolls those big eyes when he spots Billy, but doesn’t say much, just gets to work.

Oh well, the quiet gives Billy more time to plot how to get Steve. He’s put a lot of thought into it in the past, but never serious time and effort, because it didn’t take long to start to feel like it was a lost cause, and he’d be playing the antagonist forever, feeling unworthy of Steve, while Steve himself fawned over gorgeous manic pixie dream girls that he himself thought he could never get, even though Billy knows in his heart of heart they’re meant to be together. He know it sounds nuts, but we’ve all gone a little crazy in the name of love, right?

Now though, he feels ready. His time has come.

***

Steve’s starting to feel like he’s in one of those awful cringe comedies where nothing can go right, no matter how hard he tries, followed around all day by Billy chattering his ear off, always poking fun. And just when he feels like he can’t take it anymore, he takes a sharp turn into horror movie territory on Halloween night.

He and Billy are scheduled to close the store together, and they’ve just ushered their last customer on a panicked search through the slim remains of the store looking for a last-minute costume out the front door and locked it behind them, when the power suddenly goes out. It wouldn’t be that weird, except every other building in the immediate vicinity seems to still have it’s lights on.

It’s just them stuck in this d-grade slasher fic, ready to launch themselves right into the hands of a rip-off Freddie or Jason by going down to the basement to check out the fuse box with only the tiny penlight on Steve’s keychain to light their way. What kind of store has a basement anyway? That’s just asking for things that go bump in the night to come out and play. It’s the first time he can say he’s happy to have Billy, his personal antagonist, around.

Billy, who’s making Steve uncomfortable by going off their regular script tonight. He’s being too nice, too caring, too kind, ignoring the panicked look on Steve’s face, and the way he grips Billy’s arm for comfort as they walk further and further down into the belly of the store.

***

Billy puffs out his chest, his heartbeat picking up speed, proud of how quickly he’s able to fall into his destiny as a romantic lead, ready to protect Steve from what the other man imagines to be a gruesome fate.

“We should have brought a weapon,” Steve says suddenly, sounding panicked. He turns around and runs back up the stairs. “We definitely should have brought a weapon. Right?” Just as he reaches the top of the stairs, the door swings closed. Steve reaches out and turns the handle, but it won’t budge.

“Great. This is how we’re going to die. This is textbook horror movie shit. We’re trapped down here, and it’s only a matter of time before something kills us, or we go crazy and turn on each other. Psychological horror. That’s the worst.” By now, he’s stumbled back down the stairs, and he’s pressed up against Billy, gripping his muscled arm. Billy can feel him shudder. “You should be worried. Why aren’t you worried?”

“Can I let you in on a little secret, pretty boy?” Billy asks, chuckling.

“Uh, yeah?” Steve replies, still shaking.

Billy leans over and whispers in the brunette’s ear. “We’re not in a horror movie. This right here is a romantic comedy. And one for the ages at that. Right up there with When Harry Met Sally and Jerry Maguire. Our love story is destined to stand the test of time.”

Steve eyes him suspiciously, looking adorable in the faint light provided by his penlight. “How do you know?”

“Just a hunch. Can you trust me for a minute?”

Steve nods. “Sure.”

“Ok. I’m gonna kiss you, alright?”

***

Steve has no time to react before the knife goes right through his heart. The last thing he sees is Billy standing over his bleeding body, screaming in horror, looking around as he waits to meet his own end. Billy promised him this wasn’t a horror movie, but here they are, the screen slowly fading to black.

***

Wait a minute. Chris doesn’t write horror, so that can’t be right, can it? Let’s try that again.

***

Morning comes, and along with it, Caitlin, the manager, here to rescue them from the dingy basement.

Billy watches as Steve runs off with Jessica from cash, fully believing that she’s the one. He’s really found her this time. Who cares about poor Billy, sad and alone, with no one to love.

***

That still can’t be right though. Chris would never leave us with her two favourite guys separated by the fates. No, of course not. Let’s give this one more shot, shall we?

***

It would be so easy to scoff at Billy, tell him no, and work on getting out of this gruesome tale, but he suddenly finds that he doesn’t want to. And he doesn’t want to go back to his dull, grey, indie drama life, sitting around and waiting for the girl who’s going to magically make his life better. He wants to take a leap of faith. He wants to kiss Billy. Wants to kiss him silly, actually.

So, he doesn’t wait for Billy to kiss him. He leans forward, capturing Billy’s lips with his own, his eyes closing and his arms wrapping around Billy’s shoulders.

“Open your eyes, princess,” Billy mutters softly against Steve’s lips.

Steve does as he’s told, finding the world around him to suddenly be ten times brighter than it ever was before. The lights in the room are on, and he feels dizzy from trying to take everything in all at once. He looks down at his polo, unable to believe such a bright shade of pink exists.

He looks up at Billy, and it’s like he’s seeing him for the first time, bright eyed and grinning, all his focus on Steve.

Steve pulls him forward into another kiss and the credits roll on the dawn of a new day.

Third time’s the charm, don’t they say?

Susanna Majuri (Finnish, b. 1978, Helsinki, Finland) - 1: Kaksoset (Gemini), 2009  2: Saviour, 2008  3: Untitled (Kalan), 2007  4: Prairie, 2008  Photography  

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