Chapter Text
Corie and Sam sat side-by-side as the big screen showed bright in the dark, atmospheric theater. The movie in question that they had the pleasure of watching was Brokeback Mountain. It was one of Sam’s favorites—him being a queer man after all—and he wanted to spend some time with his close friend. He just needed an excuse, and luckily, Corie was very willing to go.
yeah, of course i would!
Sam could’ve stared at that text message for hours if he tried hard enough. It was almost pathetic. He could even envision their face as they sent it, the way their eyes would light up upon seeing the invite, the way they’d smile as they got up to leave—
Jesus, Sam, get a grip, he thought, trying to shake the thought from his head and focus back on the movie, but he quickly realized it was a futile attempt. He was a cliché, just another person in the same, prophetic situation. He just didn’t want to believe he had fallen for them. It was weird, right? He had to be a creep. He had to be. Corie didn’t want him. They never had.
Brokeback Mountain suddenly felt like a very fitting movie to be watching.
Sam tried to focus on the movie, he really did, but his gaze kept shifting to the individual in the seat next to him. Their own gaze was fixed on the screen, eyes wide as they watched the two cowboys argue. They looked encapsulated with the scene unfolding, and he felt a pang in his gut. What he wouldn’t give to have them look at him like that—so focused and fiercely devoted. But no, he didn’t want to compromise their friendship. How stupid it all seemed when they were alone. When it all closed in on him and made it feel as if they were the only two in the room. Or at least the only two that mattered.
The movie was a distant memory in his head, abandoned until Corie’s voice—God, that voice—broke through his daze.
“Uhh…you good?” They asked, a slight tilt to their head and a whisper to their voice as they popped a handful of popcorn in their mouth.
Sam blinked. “Huh?”
“You’re staring. Did you…need something?”
“Oh, sorry,” He mentally kicked himself. “You like the movie so far?”
Corie smiled, nodding. Sam could’ve sworn his heart skipped a beat. “Yeah! I just wish Ennis would admit he wants a life with Jack.”
He nods solemnly. “Don’t hold out hope. It gets worse.”
Corie made an indignant noise, prompting a group behind them to make a louder shushing noise. Corie rolled her eyes, mumbling something about “causing a bigger disruption,” but ultimately stopped talking. She turned her eyes back to the screen, their gaze now completely focused on the movie.
Sam found that he missed their eyes on him, and the way she scooted closer to his seat was not lost on him either.
He swallowed thickly at the new proximity, the theater suddenly feeling a lot warmer than it did beforehand. He unzipped his jacket, taking it off despite the chill and hanging it on the back of his seat. He’d never felt so nervous in his life—he could only hope it wasn’t obvious.
The next 30 minutes or so passed by achingly slowly. Sam tried his hardest to stay locked in to the movie. He really did. But Corie was a talkative person, so every time he got his focus back, there was a tap to his shoulder or a whisper in his ear. It was so endearing and so infuriating at the same time, and he couldn’t bring himself to tell them to stop. That would mean admitting it was affecting him, and he was not prepared for the amount of questions they were inevitably going to ask him. And he ran out of layers to remove an hour ago. So he had to endure their enthusiasm, despite the way his mind was racing with thoughts that had nothing to do with the movie at hand.
It was close to the end of the film now. Sam had managed to survive this long, and eventually he had gotten to a point where he no longer felt like he was going to explode. He and Corie had spent the last few minutes bantering back and forth with one another, and he had almost completely forgotten just how deeply infatuated he was with them. Almost, being the keyword.
“You’re not serious,” Corie said with a giggle, wiping their eyes as Sam recounted a story about the first time he ever watched Brokeback Mountain.
“Why am I friends with you again?”
“Well it really all started in that server when we bonded over hating Troy—”
“Shut up!” Corie laughed, shoving Sam playfully, the contact feeling like fire against his skin. Sam could feel his face heating up, watching her delight and her joy. It was radiant. He needed a distraction and fast, his eyes landing on the popcorn bucket between the two. He reached his hand towards it, sticking it in and moving to grab a handful. He had just wrapped his hand around the popcorn when he felt his finger wrap around something else. His heart almost stopped.
It was Corie—or rather, Corie’s pinky. They had coincidently stuck their hand in at the same time, colliding with his and causing their pinkies to intertwine. His cheeks burned bright red, and he looked up to find his companion also blushing, too. His entire body felt hot. Was this really happening? Was he imagining it? No, he couldn’t be. This was real.
He was holding Corie's pinky. And Corie wasn’t pulling away.
He couldn’t tell you how long they stayed like that. Seconds felt like hours, and every time his brain told him to pull away, he couldn’t. Corie’s eyes burned holes into his. The eye contact was almost unbearable as they sat there, pinkies interlocked and blushing red, while none of them seemed in a particular rush to move. Sam noticed there was a sparkle in their eye that wasn’t present before—and call him crazy, but he swore he saw their gaze dart down to his lips.
“...Co-corie…” Sam mumbled, his voice quiet. Time had slowed to a stop. It was just them.
Corie didn’t reply. They could only look at him—Sam, who they had never truly taken the time to study. Sam, who they were just now noticing had the most beautiful looking eyes they had ever seen. Sam, who was looking at them like how no one had ever looked at them before.
Suddenly, the moment of awkward intimacy was over, as the overhead lights came on. The movie was over. Sam quickly removed his pinky from Corie’s—much to their disappointment.
“Ah,” Sam muttered, trying to change the subject. “How’d you like the movie?”
Corie coughed awkwardly, scratching the back of their head. “I don’t think I remember how it ended.”
Sam chuckled. “Yeah, me neither,” he replied. He was lying. He had seen the film before.
A moment of silence passed, and it felt way too long for comfort. Eventually, Sam decided to speak. So did Corie.
“I really like y-”
“-Do you wa—what?”
Fuck, Sam thought. Way to go, Sam.
“N-Nothing, fuck, it’s fine. I’m sorry. Don’t worry about it,” Sam stuttered out, suddenly feeling embarrassed about what he was going to admit.
Corie seemed to catch on. “No-no, don’t apologize. What were you going to say?”
“I…I like you. I really like you. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re so smart and funny, and you’re so cool. And you make such good edits. All of my friends adore you, and I want you in my life forever.”
Their heart skipped a beat. Them? He couldn’t possibly think that about them. There was no way. Sam was…well, Sam. It couldn’t get much more descriptive than that.
Corie swallowed hard, their face flushed red. “Well, I must b-be pretty cool then, if all your friends like me and m-my ed-edits. I’ve never felt…important...like that before.”
They instantly realized how embarrassing that sounded, so they covered it up with an awkwardly placed laugh.
Sam chuckled with them, his gaze warm as he piqued Corie’s nerves. “Y-yeah, well you are. You are important to me. I’ve never really…really…”
“Felt this way before?” Corie finished.
Sam smiled. “Yeah. I haven’t.”
“Me neither. I mean…I haven’t felt this way about anyone. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. I didn’t realize it until I watched Brokeback Mountain with you and interlocked pinkies—but we’re Jack and Ennis, Sam! Minus the married part, and internalized homophobia, and cowboys, of course, but we are! And I don’t wanna spend my life with someone else when…”
“When my life has been right in front of me this entire time…”
She inched closer, causing Sam to swallow thickly, and they held out their pinky.
“S-Sam, would you…k-kiss me? Make me y-yours for-forever?”
He froze, shocked by Corie’s forward request. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He thought he was dreaming, He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. He didn’t think he ever would. But he wasn’t going to deny them—his one true love, his world, his closest friend. Whatever Corie wanted, they would get.
He slotted his pinky in with hers, feeling a jolt of electricity shoot through him. This was real. They were in love.
Sam closed the painfully short distance between the two, and pressed his lips to theirs. Corie gasped, but quickly reciprocated, letting their eyes flutter shut as their pinky squeezed his tighter. The kiss was slow but passionate—every pent up feeling and notion of unrequited love melting away into each-other’s lips. It was intoxicating. It was bliss. They couldn’t get enough of each-other.
It seemed like years until Corie finally pulled away, out of breath and utterly enamored with the man in front of them. They smiled at Sam, eyes gleaming with affection. Neither one of them had to speak; it was clear how they both felt about each-other.
The movie had long since been done, yet their attention was anywhere but. All they cared about was the newfound love that had bloomed in this theater.
Their pinkies stayed intertwined and locked, as Sam leaned back in for more.