Work Text:
“Oliver,” Sara drawled, slumped over the living room table. “I’m dying of boredom.” It was a chilly autumn afternoon in Sara’s apartment. The two had been studying and doing practice problems for two hours at this point. The ginger’s hair was about to catch on fire from all the gears turning in her mind.
“You haven’t even finished half of your problems yet,” Oliver reprimanded. The house was empty besides the two of them, leaving them with nothing but their thoughts and math equations.
“Don’t you ever get bored?” Sara asked, ignoring Oliver’s comment. She turned her face from the table to meet Oliver’s. “Do you just do math problems all day long every day?”
“Of course not.” Oliver scoffed at the ridiculous suggestion. Sara sat upright to look back at Oliver who was sitting on the couch with his own math work in his lap.
“What do you do then?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like… your hobbies. What do you do for fun?” Oliver fell silent at this question for a moment.
“I play the guitar…?” He replied.
Sara’s face fell flat. “That doesn’t count.”
“How doesn’t that count, that’s a hobby!”
“Cause I already know that about you! Plus, that’s only one hobby. What else do you do?” Oliver fell silent once again. This time, he was unable to offer anything else. “That’s it? Really?”
“Of course that’s not it!” Oliver defended. “I… like listening to music…”
“Okay, can you say anything that’s not music related?” Sara turned to fully face Oliver, propping up one arm on the couch. “Like, do you watch movies?”
“Not really.” The blonde shrugged his shoulders.
“What.” Sara’s body went limp with shock. She suspected he didn’t have many interesting hobbies- but not watching any movies? That’s preposterous.
“What?”
“You don’t watch movies?” Her gaze pierced his soul with judgment.
“Not, like, actively.” Oliver avoided eye contact, suddenly embarrassed about his lackluster watch history. “I’ll watch whatever movie that Joe wants to watch occasionally but that’s about it.”
“Wow,” Sara said deadpan. “That’s sad, even for you.”
“Wh-” Oliver was taken aback by Sara’s harshness. “Well, what kind of movies do you watch then?”
“I love horror movies but I’ll watch whatever honestly.” She replied nonchalantly. A chill ran down Oliver’s spine.
“Horror movies? Really?” He asked, face twisted into a sort of grimace.
“What, you don’t like them?”
“I’ve never really seen one but-”
“WHAT!” Sara stood straight up and looked down at Oliver like he had just admitted to murder. Oliver retreated into the couch at her reaction. “You’ve never seen a horror movie?”
“N-no…” Oliver replied quietly. This is possibly the most scared he’d ever been of Sara.
“That has to change.” Sara marched over to the TV and crouched down. She began rifling through the drawers. Oliver watched her pull out a movie case, inspect it carefully, and either put it back in the drawer or put it into a growing pile.
“Hmm…” Sara mumbled. “No, not that one.”
“Uh…” Oliver muttered and was ignored. “Sara?” Again, he was ignored. Sara shortly after walked back to the couch, putting the pile of Blu-rays on the table.
“Okay, here are the movies that I like that I think you would like too.” She spread the cases across the table, covering the notebooks and textbooks that were promptly forgotten about.
“You want to watch one now?” Oliver asked.
“Yeah,” Sara met eyes with Oliver for the first time since she hovered above him with the rage of a thousand suns. “Don’t you?”
“Well, w-what about the math?” Oliver felt his cheeks heat up at the sudden strong eye contact.
“We can do that any other time.” She waved her hand in dismissal before returning to the array of gory movies.
“Isn’t it kind of late?”
“It’s only like…” Sara checked her phone. “Eight. And it’s a Friday.” She met eyes with Oliver once again but took notice of his nervous behaviors. “Are you- are you scared?”
“What? No!” Oliver turned away from Sara, trying to exude false confidence. “Horror movies don’t scare me!”
“Then why does it sound like you’re trying to get out of this?” She teased. Oliver swallowed thickly, knowing he’d been caught.
“I just… don’t want your dad to get mad at me.” He lied poorly.
“He wouldn’t get mad at us for watching a movie together.” Sara laughed lightly. Oliver took a glance at the movie covers on the table. A man with a chainsaw, an ominous house, a skull with eyeballs. The upsetting visuals made Oliver grimace again. Sara noticed and giggled at this vulnerable side of Oliver.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” She looked up at him with mocking doe eyes.
“Yes, I’ll be perfectly fine!” He insisted.
“Great! Let’s pick out the movie then!” She smiled brightly before the two began dwindling down the list to choose from.
“How do you feel about gore?” Sara asked with intense and focused eyes.
“Uh, it's fine I guess,” Oliver replied.
“What about jumpscares?”
“They’re annoying but not too bad.”
“Okay…” Sara carefully made another two piles: yes and no. After careful consideration, she held up a Blu-ray with the cover of a woman crying in front of a field. “I think this would be a good one.”
“Hm, never heard of it,” Oliver said after reading the title.
“Of course you haven’t, you’ve never seen a single horror movie.” Sara laughed before turning on the TV and putting the Blu-ray in. “But that changes today.” Oliver gulped anxiously. The lights were flicked off, the movie previews began rolling, and Sara walked into the kitchen to pop some popcorn.
‘It’s okay Oliver,’ He thought to himself, wiping his sweaty palms onto his pants. ‘The movie is fake, nothing can hurt me.’ He turned his attention back to the TV. Shots of a bloody man laying on the floor flashed in between text. Oliver’s hair stood straight on the back of his neck. ‘A preview for another horror movie… The real thing hasn’t even started yet.’ He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on sounds rather than pictures. Popping, humming, tapping coming from the kitchen. Screaming, squelching, snapping from the TV. The disturbing sounds from the living room seemed to overwhelm the sounds from the kitchen, slowly filling Oliver’s mind wholly. His thick eyebrows furrowed in distraught. Sawing, slicing, sirens echoed in his ears, conjuring less-than-pleasing imagery to match the audio.
“Boo!” Sara whispered in Oliver’s ear causing him to jump and shout. “Woah, I didn’t think I’d scare you that bad.” Oliver looked at Sara, breathing deeply to catch his breath and calm his racing heart. His forehead began to sweat and he felt more anxious than he’d ever felt in her presence. Sara sat down next to Oliver and put her hand on his.
“We don’t have to watch the movie if you don’t want to…” She said quietly, her face full of concern. The touch of Sara’s hand seemed to put the scary images and sounds at bay as Oliver’s mind was suddenly more fixated on the small, soft, warmth on the back of his left hand.
Oliver let out a long sigh. “No, I’ll be okay. We can watch the movie.” Sara kept eye contact with Oliver for a moment longer, her eyes seeming to say ‘Are you sure?’. Oliver did not give her any reason to believe he was lying so she pressed play on the menu. The screen quickly turned black, darkening the entire apartment. It was in the dark that Sara swiftly pulled a blanket off the top of the couch and over the two of them.
“Is it ok if we share a blanket? We don’t have any other ones.” Sara asked as she prematurely got comfy on the couch.
“That’s fine,” Oliver replied, thankful for the dark room concealing his blush. Sara wasn’t exactly cuddling up to him, but she was only a few inches away- her legs radiating heat onto his. Suddenly Oliver felt as though he could make it through the movie.
*
After about an hour of jumping in his seat, trembling, and fighting the urge to cover his eyes and peek through his fingers, Oliver made it through his first horror movie. At some point, Sara’s dad came home and asked what was going on. Sara told him they were watching a movie. Richard looked at the grotesque scene of blood and gore before looking back at Oliver’s pale face. He offered him an empathetic expression before running and hiding in his room so as to not be roped into the watch party. An empty bowl of popcorn was lightly illuminated by the credits rolling on the TV.
“So, how was it?” Sara turned to him, halfway down the couch, with the brightest smile. “Your first horror movie!”
“Yeah, it wasn’t that bad.” Oliver lied. Underneath the blanket, he was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were white. In his balled-up fists, he was sure there was a puddle of sweat.
“What should we watch next?” Sitting up on the couch, Sara began sifting through the pile of movies that still littered the table. Oliver felt his stomach drop.
“N-next?”
“Yeah! You can’t just watch one horror movie!” Sara cheered. Oliver quickly planned an escape.
“It’s getting pretty late though…” The blonde lifted his phone to Sara’s face, shining brightly in her eyes causing her to squint as she read the time. 10:48 pm.
“It is pretty late,” she agreed. “I guess we’ll have to meet up again next week!” The phone turned off just after Sara shined Oliver another bright smile. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should be happy or scared. He walked out of Sara’s apartment stiff with fear and into his own. Joe popped out of the bathroom to greet his brother.
“You’re back late. Were you really tutoring for that long?” He asked while brushing his teeth.
“No, she made me watch a horror movie…” Oliver grumbled as he walked to his room.
“ You watched a horror movie?” Joe asked.
“Yup.” Oliver shut his door promptly.
“Huh,” Joe spat out the toothpaste before continuing quietly. “What is that girl doing to you?”
*
From then on, the two met every Saturday to watch a horror movie, not by Oliver’s choice. It was another chilly autumn night in Sara’s apartment when Oliver let himself in.
“Hey!” Sara greeted. “I was just making some popcorn.” Oliver hummed a response as he slipped his shoes off. The two had fallen into a sort of routine as the weekly tradition carried on. Sara would text Oliver the lineup for the weekend and Oliver would show up every Saturday at 7 or 8 pm. Sara would pop the popcorn and Oliver would get himself comfortable on the couch.
“So, tell me about this movie,” Oliver said as Sara came back with the popcorn.
“Basically, this guy and his family go up to this secluded hotel and agree to watch it for the winter while it's closed to the public. I won’t say anything else because of spoilers but it’s a classic, really.” Sara replied as she sat down on the couch.
Oliver nodded in response. Within the few weeks of movie-watching, Sara and Oliver had gotten much more comfortable in each other’s personal space. Sara often propped her legs up on Oliver’s lap for a better viewing experience. They even found themselves play fighting at some points, usually when Sara would make fun of Oliver for being scared.
Without further ado, Sara pressed play and the movie began before she got into her usual feet-up position. The first half of the movie went rather well with the building tension and rising action. Near the climax, there was a jumpscare that caused Oliver to jolt in his place. Sara raised her head from her pillow to smirk at Oliver.
“Are you alright down there?” She asked in feigned concern. Oliver decided to get back at the girl who’d been teasing him relentlessly for the past few weeks. He forcefully grabbed hold of both her feet that were placed on his lap with one hand. Sara jumped out of her skin and fully raised herself upright.
“Are you?” Oliver teased, still holding Sara’s feet. The ginger felt her face heat up in embarrassment. The two held eye contact for a moment- Sara watching for Oliver’s next move and Oliver deciding it. He then raised his other hand in the air dramatically, letting it hang in suspense before bringing it to Sara’s feet. Sara erupted in laughter as she was tickled. She writhed and squirmed on the couch, trying to free her legs from Oliver’s iron grip. She then sat up and pried Oliver’s hand off of her feet, using a free hand to attack his side.
“You know I’m not ticklish,” Oliver said in a strained voice as he struggled to keep Sara at bay.
“It’s not fair!” She laugh-yelled. Oliver began tickling her sides to which she squirmed even harder. Sara struggled to get his hands away from her sides as she caught her breath. “You have to be ticklish somewhere.”
“Nope,” He shook his head. “Nowhere.” Sara gave Oliver a doubtful look before tickling various parts of his body. His armpits, his sides, his feet. No reaction. Sara sat back, dumbfounded.
Oliver sat back with a smug on his face, “Told you.” Sara thought of one last place to try, a place she was very ticklish herself. The girl dove for Oliver’s hips with her hands. At the moment of impact, Oliver felt sparks fly up his body and shock his spine. He began gut-laughing.
“Ha!” Sara laughed in triumph which was drowned out by Oliver’s own. As she tickled his hips, Sara found herself struck by his reaction. She had never seen Oliver smile so wide let alone laugh this hard. His dimples more prominent than ever. Sara stared intensely at Oliver’s face in order to burn the rare image into her mind.
“Stop! Stop!” Oliver pried her hands off of his hips and held them above their heads. He quickly caught his breath and composed himself. When he managed to look Sara in the eyes, he was surprised to see her bright red face illuminated by the TV. Oliver took a second to realize what position they were in: Sara leaned into him with him holding her hands in the air. His face flushed immediately.
However, instead of separating and going back to their earlier positions, Sara took Oliver’s left hand in hers as she laid her head down on Oliver’s leg. Oliver felt his heartbeat quicken as she placed her head on his leg and pulled his hand down to his side.
The two watched the remainder of the movie that way until the end. They weren’t really watching the movie though. Both of them were busy asking themselves how they ended up in this situation and if their hands were sweaty. Only when the credits started rolling did they break their hold.
Sara rose from Oliver’s lap and sat up next to him. “So… what’d you think?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“I-it was good,” Oliver coughed. He hadn’t actually followed the movie at all and he basically knew nothing of what just happened other than that they just held hands for half an hour.
“I’m glad you liked it…” Sara replied. The two sat in a bashful silence until the credits finished and the screen went dark. After Oliver’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see Sara’s face rather close to his. He saw the white glimmer of her eyes and the shadows from her bone structure. But he also saw the shine of her lips, tempting and alluring like a siren’s song. Sara’s eyes cast down on Oliver in a way he could not describe. Feeling a knot form in his stomach, he decided he should leave before things escalated out of his control.
Oliver cleared his throat anxiously before speaking in a whisper. “I guess I should go home then.” For a second, Oliver thought he could see Sara’s face drop in disappointment in the shadows of the living room. But it was quickly reshaped into a small smile.
“I guess you should.” She replied. Oliver quietly picked up his things and said goodbye before rushing through his apartment and into his room. Without turning his light on, Oliver slammed his door shut and threw himself onto his bed. He took a minute to let his pounding heart calm down as he stared up at the ceiling. Images of Sara’s tantalizing lips and her conflicted eyes poked through Oliver’s thoughts. He absent-mindedly brought a hand up to his lips and touched them lightly.
“What just happened?”
*
Despite the awkward tension from last week's session, the two friends still agreed on watching another movie the following week. As usual, Oliver let himself in the apartment around 7:30.
“Hey,” he said to Sara who was facing the microwave in the kitchen.
“Hey!” She replied, turning only enough to show that she acknowledged his presence but not making eye contact. Sara was wearing a pair of gray lounge shorts and a baggy green t-shirt that was once her father’s but now claimed as hers. Her hair was straight and silky as if she’d showered just before Oliver came over.
“What are we watching tonight?” Oliver asked, trying to keep the situation normal like it’d been before. Sara sat down next to him with the bowl of popcorn in her lap.
“It’s about this guy watching a mentally unstable girl in a house on an island by himself. He’s also chained to the house so he can’t leave. And there's a toy rabbit that drums randomly.”
“Ah, something fun and light-hearted,” Oliver said sarcastically. Sara laughed at his joke and elbowed him in the arm. Oliver took this as a sign that maybe things weren’t as awkward as he thought they were. Sara stood up to turn off the light and start the movie. She then sat down and grabbed the blanket. Oliver then began to wonder where Sara would sit.
‘Is she going to go back to the same way she used to lay? With her feet up on me? Or is she going to put her head on my leg again? Maybe she’ll lay her head on my shoulder?’ Oliver wondered. As Oliver was lost in his thoughts, Sara grabbed a pillow from the end of the couch and placed it on Oliver’s lap. The sudden feeling jolted Oliver out of his thoughts and into the present situation. Sara laid her head in Oliver’s lap, laying sideways before she turned to face Oliver.
“Is this okay?” She asked in a sweet, soft voice. Oliver raised his hands in surprise as his temperature rose rapidly.
“Uh, yeah. That’s fine.” He replied nervously. Sara turned to face the TV again as the movie started.
‘What. the. Hell. ’ Oliver thought to himself, processing what just happened. ‘ Shit, where do I put my hands?’ He flailed his arms around slightly for a while before deciding to put one arm on the armrest and one over Sara’s waist. The boy was surprised to feel how perfectly his arm fit in the nook of her waist, like a puzzle piece.
‘This is weird. This is weird, right?’ He asked himself, glancing down at Sara who was actually paying attention to the movie. ‘Is this just because she just feels comfortable around me or it is because… she likes me?’ Oliver decided to ignore the thoughts and pressure on his lap by watching the movie. Since Sara and Oliver began watching horror movies, Oliver had actually grown a tolerance for scary things. He no longer trembled during unsettling scenes or jolted at jumpscares. During this movie, Oliver was able to actually enjoy the plot despite the ominous atmosphere throughout the entire film.
Near the end of the movie, Sara shifted her body to be facing Oliver who was intently watching the screen. Sara took the moment to admire the blonde. His eyebrows furrowed in acute concentration. His cheek slightly drawn in, most likely from him biting his cheek. His green eyes darting across the screen as he took in the scene playing. Sara felt a swelling in her chest grow with adoration as she observed this boy she’s spent so much time with recently.
The movie was concluding and Oliver found himself grinning at the screen.
‘That was actually a great movie!’ He thought to himself as the final scene played out. He continued to rave about the movie silently in his head with that small smile of admiration on his face. Sara felt something explode within her when she saw his dimples again.
“Oliver,” Sara said. Oliver kept his eyes glued to the screen as he knew it was near its conclusion.
“Yeah?” He replied, not looking down at her. While he was completely transfixed on the TV, Sara sat up from her spot in Oliver’s lap and was near inches away from his face, propping herself up on her arms.
“Oliver.” Sara put one finger on his chin and pulled his face to hers. The TV immediately cut to black, drowning the two of them in darkness. Again, Oliver’s eyes adjusted to the dark, and quickly realized how close Sara was to him: he could feel her breath on his face. Oliver’s entire body heated up at the close proximity.
“Sara?” He whispered. The room was dead quiet as the music cut when the visuals did, leaving the two of them in total silence. Oliver’s voice seemed like it bounced off of the walls and back into his own ears. His eyes darted down to her lips subconsciously and he recalled last weekend. It’s like they had done this before, but this time was different. The air seemed more suffocating than the last time. And hotter. Oliver was suddenly very warm.
When Sara didn’t respond to his first question, he asked again. “What is it?” Her finger lingered on his cheek as did her eyes on his. Oliver felt a hole being burned through his skull from the intense eye contact before she responded.
“I…” She started, so quietly, Oliver had to resist leaning in further to hear her better. “I want to kiss you.” Oliver felt his stomach do a flip.
‘ Is this real? ’ He asked himself. ‘Did she really ask me that?’ The blonde was sure Sara could hear his heart pounding in his chest since he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. Sara’s eyes flicked back up to Oliver’s from their previous place on his lips.
“Can I?” Her voice cracked. Oliver barely managed a nod before Sara was putting her lips on his. Sara’s finger on his cheek turned into a hand palming the side of his face. The two shared a soft and mediocre kiss once before Sara pulled her lips and hand away. Oliver fought the urge to follow her with his lips, wanting nothing more than to melt into her. Rather, he remained in his place, stunned and dazed.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I-” Sara began to back away before Oliver put a steady hand around her waist.
“Don’t be,” Oliver whispered. “Don’t be sorry.” He looked at Sara with eyes she’d never seen before. They looked hungry . Despite the reassurance, Sara looked away guiltily, her face a deep red. Oliver copied Sara and softly grabbed her chin and forced her to face him.
“Do you regret it?” He asked huskily.
“No,” Sara replied, swallowing thickly. Oliver inched closer to Sara’s face, glancing between her lips and her eyes, asking for permission without any words. When Sara closed her eyes, Oliver took it as a sign to continue.
He pulled her face in by her chin and locked lips again. Slow, soft, deep, and messy. Their second kiss was not perfect by any means. But it said everything it needed to say and more. Months of yearning and waiting, all conveyed through the movement of lips. As the two went on, the kisses got better. Their mouths seemed to align perfectly after a little bit of practice.
Oliver pulled Sara in closer by her waist. She seemed to turn into a puddle in his arm, his sturdy hold setting fire to her stomach. To steady herself, Sara placed another hand on Oliver’s cheek. Their faces mashed together. They wanted more. Oliver pulled Sara onto his lap, making her straddle the pillow that she left there.
Oliver’s hands roamed her back as their tongues cautiously explored each other’s mouths. Sara’s hand drifted from Oliver’s cheek to the back of his head. She firmly gripped some of his hair while her other hand found its place on his chest. The two had to break for air. When Oliver leaned back and got a good view of Sara on his lap looking desperate and vulnerable, he felt something inside him churn. The dim light from the TV made Sara cast a shadow on Oliver. Even in the dark, though, she could see him. His ruffled hair, his eyes that seemed hazy in a way, his pinker-than-normal lips. The sight twisted Sara’s stomach and she plunged in for another kiss.
The two melted into each other’s mouths, kisses turning lazy and soft. Sara’s mind was going fuzzy when Oliver swiped his tongue on her lower lip, sending a shock through her body. Her breathing quickened before she got more aggressive with her kisses. She grabbed Oliver’s face with both hands and cradled it kindly as she wrapped her lips around his. Oliver returned the sentiment, placing both hands on Sara’s neck, pulling her in even closer.
Every touch sent shivers of exhilaration through Sara’s spine. She was about to pass out before she tore her lips away from Oliver and looked at him through hooded eyes.
“I like you, Oliver.” She said in a hushed voice. Even though the two of them were just making out, Oliver felt his heart swell at the confession. “I really like you.” She repeated, breathlessly. The boy chuckled lightly before pulling Sara’s forehead to his, looking back at Sara.
“I like you too, Sara.” He whispered back. Sara suddenly launched into a quiet giggling fit, covering her mouth with both hands. “What?” Oliver asked, his dimples remaining on his cheeks.
“We kissed before we confessed.” She managed to get out between laughs. Oliver too began to laugh and shake his head. After the two calmed down, Oliver initiated another tender kiss. He then dropped his hands to Sara’s waist before throwing his head back into the couch.
“Do you think it’s about time for me to leave?” He asked, lifting his head slightly to see Sara.
She held onto the hem of his shirt with a hurt look on her face. “Don’t leave…” Oliver felt a pang in his heart at the desperation in her voice. He raised his head to look her in the eyes.
“What would your dad think?” He asked.
“That we fell asleep watching a movie together,” Sara replied with a sly smile on her face. Oliver found it incredibly difficult to say no to the girl straddling his lap.
“I guess that’d be fine then…” He conceded. Sara clapped her hands silently with a bright smile before climbing off of Oliver’s lap and running into the dark apartment. Oliver lost sight of her quickly. He dropped his hands in his lap, on top of the pillow that he forgot was there. When he went to lift it, he decided it would be a better idea to keep it there for a while with an embarrassed cough.
“Here you go!” Sara whispered as she came back into the living room. She was holding another throw blanket similar to the one on the couch next to him. “For you!”
“I thought you didn’t have any other blankets?” He asked as he took the blanket from her. Sara’s eyes squinted playfully before she responded.
“That was a lie.”
“W-what?” Oliver asked. “Why would you lie about that?”
“I wanted us to be under the same blanket,” Sara sat down next to Oliver before putting her head back on the pillow on his lap. “Duh.”
Oliver laughed at the surprisingly devious plan that the girl in front of him made. He threw the blanket over his legs then bent over Sara’s face.
“How mischievous,” He whispered with a smile. He planted a kiss on Sara’s forehead before lifting back up to say, “Goodnight, Sara Lin.”
Sara lifted her head to kiss Oliver on the lips. “Goodnight, Oliver.”
*
In the morning, Sara’s dad walked into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and watch some news. Only when he approached the couch did he notice the two teenagers passed out on the couch, Oliver slumped over with his legs up on the table and Sara sleeping soundly with her head in his lap. Richard chuckled quietly before going back to his coffee.
“Kids.” He took his cup of coffee back to his room and watched the news there, letting the two sleep in.