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Today is an incredibly rare occasion, the kind that only happens a couple of times per decade. Grian’s best friend, Gem, wants to go watch a film. Grian has to wonder if Hell will freeze over soon. She has watched about 10 films total in her entire life, Grian estimates, and she has never showed any intention of changing that, until right now.
Then again, out of those 10, at least 3 are Twilight films, so it at least tracks that the one she wants to watch now is about vampires too. As soon as October rolls around, every studio is on a rush to release their very own horror blockbuster. The one Gem wants to watch is the newest creation of the established director duo Owen J. and Apokuna, and although they're not always Grian’s cup of tea, this one seems like it'll be an interesting deviation from their usual format, so he's intrigued. Not that Gem would know about any of that, she probably just wants to watch it because she likes one of the actresses.
Their local cinema is admittedly a gorgeous place. It was built in the early 50s, and even if the seats aren’t the most comfortable ever, the overall experience makes up for it. Today, though, the beautiful polished floors and spiraling staircases are full to the brim of young girls ready to fawn over the hot vampire actors or something.
Grian is fashionably late as always, so Gem is already waiting for him there.
“Come on, Grian, you’re the one who suggested we met up a bit earlier!” she says, dragging him around through the crowd. There’s a wider variety of people than Grian had assumed. Maybe there’s other stuff premiering as well.
The cinema has a series of self-service machines to buy tickets from, and luckily for them, they’re all taken except one. Gem walks up to it with conviction, but Grian stops her.
“Wait, Gem, that kiosk is broken. The card reader doesn't work,” he explains. “We should get them from the 3rd ticket window, we'll get a better service,”
Grian walks her towards the ticket window queues. They seem to have more people working now, so it’s moving fairly swiftly.
Gem looks at him bewildered.
“… Okay? That's weirdly specific.” She narrows her eyes at him, immediately suspicious. Unwarranted. “Do you come here often?”
“A normal amount?” Grian tilts his head, confused. “I have a membership card,” he adds.
“You have a membership card?” Gem repeats, as if Grian had done a crazy lore drop. “I didn't take you for such a cinephile!”
“It's a good investment!” Why is he defending himself at all? “And I've given Tim the number so I get points from his purchases as well.”
Gem hums in response, apparently accepting that part of the explanation.
“But why the 3rd booth specifically?” she asks, not fully sold yet.
He grins, all teeth.
“Because the clerk is a really funny guy.” He can't contain the mischievous tint that colors his voice. “He’ll rant about literally anything, and it is so funny to watch.”
Gem’s face immediately falls.
“I cannot believe you made me come here early to flirt with a guy.” She rolls her eyes, but in the lighthearted way she does when she still finds the situation amusing.
Grian squeaks, scandalized.
“I'm not flirting with him!” he splutters. “And you're the one who wanted to watch this film in the first place! Else you wouldn't catch me dead here.”
“Yeah, sure, Mr. Membership,” she remarks with a smug smile.
“I don't even like vampire films!” he insists. “It is because of your celebrity crush that we're here!”
Gem doesn't get to argue back, because a new voice calls out to them.
“Hey, Grian!”
Grian turns, and gets to watch Scar light up upon seeing him. His green eyes widen, and Grian swears they even twinkled. He straightens up in his seat to face him, and his slightly wrinkled button-up shifts to hug his chest tighter. In the horrendous light of the ticket windows, he looks as if he’s seen an angel.
“Glad to see my favorite customer is back!” He shoots him his usual lopsided smirk. “How can I help you today?”
“Two tickets for Oakhurst: Bloodmoon, please,” Gem asks, at the same time as Grian whispers to her:
“Watch this.” He turns to Scar with a wide grin. “Hey Scar, I’ve been watching Andor like you said,” he comments casually, only sort of masking the anticipation in his voice.
Scar leans in, excited. “You have? How are you liking it?” His eyes are definitely twinkling now. “It got picked as part of the NYT top 100 best TV shows we’ve had this century!”
“Ehh, do you really think so?” He gives Gem a side-eye. She’s staring at him with one of the most deadpan looks he’s ever seen. “I don’t know, I’m on season 2 already but I’m thinking of dropping it. It’s going really slow.”
Scar frowns, his jaw hanging wide open. “What! You, mister, you can’t just drop-” He interrupts himself, as something clicks inside his brain. “Ohh, you’re on the wedding arc. Oh my God, yeah, that was insufferable! But you must persevere, Grian! Never give up, never surrender! The show gets sooo much better later, you have to trust me!” Scar dramatically clenches his fist.
Grian giggles. “I don’t know man, I’m not sold on it, and it’s been a few episodes already…”
“It’s the best show that’s been released in the last couple of years, Grian! Give it one more chance! And then come tell me about it,” Scar winks at him, then turns towards Gem, who was still observing the whole interaction with a judgemental look. “Two tickets, was it? I assume for the upcoming session at 6:30?”
“Yes exactly! Are there any seats left around the center?” she tries to pick up their conversation back again, but Grian isn’t done yet.
“But Scar, how long does the wedding last for again?” he insists in a petulant voice. “I thought season 1 was alright, but it’s not giving best show of the century? I didn’t love it as much as everyone else seems to have.” Grian pouts. “It just didn’t feel very Star Wars-y.”
“Grian, the last episodes of season 2 are some of the best Star Wars I’ve ever seen. They are so good,” Scar says, in his most serious and intense tone that he only ever uses when he’s talking about Star Wars. “You haven’t even seen Queso yet! It’s a shame that they decided to include a wedding scene,” he sighs. “People should stop getting married.”
Grian bursts out laughing, and even Gem, who was trying to appear mad, snickers in disbelief as well.
“What?” he manages to get out between giggles. “That’s quite the jump in logic!”
Scar furrows his brow, and Grian knows he’s about to launch on a passionate spiel that he feels very strongly about, like he feels about most things.
“Weddings are the worst things ever,” he declares. “I was at my aunt’s wedding once, and I was obviously there by obligation, but they clearly didn’t even want me there so why invite me in the first place? I shouldn’t have shown up. They-”
“Grian, our movie is starting in about 7 minutes,” Gem interrupts, trying to hurry up their absurd interaction. “We need to get going if you want popcorn.”
“Two tickets, coming right up!” Scar exclaims, then shoots Gem an apologetic smile as he hands her the tickets. “Row 7, seats 10 and 11, they should be in the middle. Have a nice movie!”
He sneakily gives them a 10% discount and Grian walks away with a giddy smile.
“So, it seems a wedding is off the table,” Gem starts. “But you definitely need to invite him out for coffee or something instead of holding up the queue!” She jabs her finger in his chest.
“I don’t like him like that!” Grian screeches.
It’s not very convincing.
The film turns out to be very good, way better than Grian expected. Gem happily declares that it’s the best thing she’s ever watched, so she’s not touching the cinema again in at least 3 years. And if Grian that night dreams of green eyes turned red then that’s his business alone.
“Grian, mate, I don’t want to go to the cinema with you again,” Jimmy breaks the news to Grian over their fast food lunch. “We’ve been there thrice this month, and I know you went there with B last week too.”
He also went with Martyn, and even tagged along to thirdwheel Joel and Lizzie once, much to their dismay. He doesn’t correct Jimmy, and instead takes a bite out of his burger.
“Do you even have the money to be going this frequently?” he insisted.
“I have a membership card,” Grian deflects, mouth still full. “You have the number too.” He points at Jimmy with a fry.
“Well, I still don’t have the money for it,” he sighs, putting down his burger. “You can go on your own or something if you want to see that film so badly.”
“It’s one of the favorites for Best Picture at the Oscars!” Grian pouts. “It’s a foreign film, but-”
“Mate, I don’t know what’s sparked this new love of cinema you’ve got, but you could get a Netflix subscription or something,” Jim interrupts him. “There’s no need to be going there weekly.”
Grian tosses the fry at him.
“Fine!” he exclaims, getting up from his chair. “I’ll go on my own, then! God forbid I want to spend more time with my dear friend Tim!” That’s a lie and they both know it.
He grabs Jimmy’s burger, takes a bite out of it, and storms out of the diner, ignoring Jimmy’s complaints.
Fine, so maybe his excuses are getting old. Whatever. He can go to the cinema alone. It’s a respectable activity. He’s going on his own to watch a world-renowned foreign melodrama like the well-read sybarite he is.
He stops in his tracks and sighs. Does he really want to watch it that bad? The three-hour epic suddenly feels like a tall task.
Well. No use in worrying about it. Surely there’s other things screening.
He decidedly does not think about how maybe this is one point in Gem’s favor, about the film not being what interests him the most.
Grian stands outside of the cinema, staring at the posters displayed outside, and ponders which ones he’s already watched, which ones look absolutely unwatchable, and which he’d watch again. He’s almost tempted to go and watch Gem’s vampire film again. It was pretty good.
“Grian!” a familiar voice calls out to him, and Grian most definitely does not stumble with how fast he’d tried to turn around.
Scar is there, out of his uniform, wearing a comfy leather jacket and a v-neck that shows more cleavage than Grian had ever expected to see in his life.
He snaps his eyes back up.
“Scar!” he greets, feeling slightly out of breath for no reason.
“Well, hello there!” Scar smirks. “Come here often?”
Grian rolls his eyes. “First time, actually. What’s good around here?” he asks, leaning forward with a grin.
Scar’s smile widens, and Grian can feel that he’s about to say something atrocious.
“Me, of course! Scar Goodtimes at your service.” He winks, and Grian punches him in the arm. Lightly and jokingly.
“There’s no way that’s your actual last name!” he giggles. He can feel his cheeks warming up already, and a fun buzz blankets his senses.
“But it is!” Scar laughs. “Why, do you like it?” he waggles his eyebrows with a shit-eating grin and Grian hits him again. His face is surely on fire now.
“You did not- I thought you were against weddings!” he stammered.
Scar seems to remember that just now too. His eyes widen and he draws back a bit.
“Ah, true! You’re right! Um-”
“SCAR!!!” a booming voice interrupts them. A short man is standing at the cinema entrance, looking at them with a disapproving look. Grian wonders how much he’s seen. “X wants to talk to you,” the guy announces, and then walks away.
Scar makes a grimace.
“Boss is calling.” He turns to Grian with a way too hopeful look. “See you later?”
Grian nods, feeling a bit like a fish out of the water.
He breathes in deeply. He guesses he could now go buy the ticket for a second round of vampires, but there’s no point to it if Scar’s not clocked in yet really. He hangs around the cinema lounge for a bit, doing his best to ignore every comment his friends have made in the last few weeks. His brain does not get the memo, though, so they bounce around in his mind as he absentmindedly stares at the promotional cut-outs for Oakhurst: Bloodmoon. It truly had been one of Scott Smajor’s best roles.
Fortunately, he doesn’t have to be alone with his thoughts too long, because Scar soon walks out again from wherever he’d been. Still out of uniform.
“Oh, you’re still here, Grian!” He rubs his neck sheepishly. “I, uh, got fired.”
Grian blinks.
“What?!” He cackles. “What?”
He was quickly brought out of whatever contemplative mood he’d been in. He bursts into giggles as Scar’s face turns a lovely shade of embarrassed pink.
“Hey, that’s my job I just lost!” he pouts. “Can’t you console me a little bit?”
Grian smiles.
“No. What did you even do?” It’s strangely sinking in that he cares a lot about this stranger that he’s only ever been a customer to. He guesses they really became friends after all.
Scar avoids his gaze in a way that is too comical.
“…I apparently hold up the queue and chat with… customers too much,” he mumbles, twiddling his fingers.
“Yeah, I can believe that,” Grian snickers. “So, are you-”
“The upside-”
They both trip over their words, laugh, and start again.
“They actually still gave me a discount for two,” Scar continues. “In case you're not doing anything now.” He smiles. It's a bit crooked, and Grian can tell he's nervous, but hopeful. It's profoundly charming.
“I’d love to watch a film with you, Scar.”
Grian lets himself fall forward and hides his face in Scar's neck, smiling. Scar clumsily circles him with his arms, and Grian can feel how fast Scar’s heart is beating. It's in sync with his.
More than watch a film, Grian wants to fall into his arms and kiss him stupid, but he guesses it can wait until afterwards. Or maybe during the film. It's what Scott Smajor would have wanted, surely.
