InsaneJournal

Who: Billy Horrible and Tinkerbell
When: After this conversation, March 9
Where: Movie Theater, etc.
What: A movie
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete



Tink was looking forward to getting out of her place. There had been so much strangeness in the world lately, she really just wanted to get out, go see a movie, have popcorn and soda, perhaps a little chocolate, and forget the real world for a little while. She showed up a little early, turned a five dollar bill into a pocket full of quarters, and headed into the tiny arcade attached to the theater’s lobby.

It was probably no surprise that Billy was already in the arcade. He’d wandered in a bit earlier than Tink had specified out of a stupid sense of excitement. Even though she hadn’t asked him specifically to the movie, the fact that she’d been pleased enough to go with him had left him feeling a little -- well. Happy. Stupid. You name it.

So. There he was, mashing buttons on an old Tekken machine and definitely winning against the computer.

Tink wandered over and stood behind him, looking around him at what he was doing on the game. It was... button mashing, to be sure. But sometimes that was the best way. She waited while he played, then stepped a little closer as he was winning, grinning.

Of course, there was nothing that broke a man’s winning streak like a really cute girl standing way too close. He looked over, surprised to see her there. “Oh--” he said, forgetting about the video game almost entirely. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Tink grinned. Then gasped and pointed at the screen. “Look out!” He was... uh... about to lose the game.

“Wha--oh shi--” But it was too late, because in the time he’d taken to realize what was going on, the finishing blow had been taken. Billy sort of pouted about it. But then got over it. Because that was what he did. Okay, not really, but it was what he did this time.

“Sorry.” Tink said, giving a little wince and a hiss. “Bummer, dude. But you got a great score, anyway.” She said, then leaned back a bit on her heels. “Been playing long? I hope you weren’t waiting for a long time.” She’d only just arrived.

Bummer, dude. Only Tink could say that and still manage to sound cute. He stepped away from the machine and gave a weird, awkward kind of shrug. “Not too long -- just figured I’d leave my place before I got distracted by anything and forgot --er. You know.” he did that. Billy could be the worst at keeping plans, sometimes.

Tink raised both eyebrows. “Forgot?” She asked. Not exactly flattering, really. That he might forget about her? She didn’t want to dwell, though, and gave her head a little shake, pulling some quarters out of her pocket. “What are we playing next?” They could probably spent the whole afternoon in the arcade.

“Not like that,” Billy said quickly, flushing a bright pink. “Just -- you know. Lose track of time?” Maybe she didn’t do that. Well. Now he looked like a jerk, he supposed. “Err-- whatever you want to play?”

“So long as there are no zombies.” Tink said, more than willing to move to the next subject. “I could play anything. I’m really good at jabbing buttons and making Street Fighters do what I want them to do.” She said, giving him a grin. “We can try that one?”

“No zombies?” Billy seemed tickled by that, utterly amused, even as they moved to the Street Fighter game to which she was referring. He fished some more coins out of his pocket and plopped them on top the machine.

“Yup.” Tink picked a couple of quarters out of the stash in her hand, and put them into the machine, too, then pocketed the rest and clicked the start button. She had to be the guy who sparks with electricity. And then she mashed buttons aimlessly while they played, laughing and making her character jump around like crazy. She obviously wasn’t that competitive while playing this game, and didn’t care if he won.

Billy was competitive, usually. But mostly only in higher stake scenarios -- he was pretty sure that playing video games at a movie theatre arcade didn’t count as that. Still, he was pretty good -- this was an old game -- one that he’d been playing since he was tall enough to reach the joysticks, and his skill showed.

“So,” he said as they played, eyes glue to the screen. “Did you pick out a movie?”

“No,” Tink said, mashing buttons with gusto. She wasn’t doing terrible for someone who was basically keysmashing on an arcade game that was as old as she was. “I figure when we’re done here we can just go buy tickets for whatever’s playing next.” She said, then frowned a bit when her character was KO’d. Not that she’d been trying that hard. She turned her head a little. “Ooh, air hockey!”

Not even gloating over his win a little bit, Billy grinned at her enthusiasm. “That’s next?” He said, and it was clear agreement with her plan for movies, too. Video games were more fun than movies, anyway. Although he wasn’t too sure how great his air hockey skills really were.

“That’s definitely next!” Tink said, tugging quarters out of her pocket and slipping them into the machine. The moment she pushed the little thing in, the air started. The little paddles started to float, and a puck spit out on one side. “I haven’t played this in ages, but I was really good in my day.” She said, then grabbed the puck and started the game.

“In your day?” Billy couldn’t help but give a laugh at that, because she was still quite young -- younger than he was in any case. “I remember -- kind of sucking at this. You know -- the pucky thing can hurt when you hit it wrong.” Eloquent, Billy. Truly.

“...you got hit by the pucky thing?” Tink asked, actually a little impressed that he’d gotten the pucky thing so far off the table. She lifted her paddle thing and gave the pucky thing a whack, trying to get it off the table. Always curious. Always trying to make awesome things happen. Not always succeeding.

Billy couldn’t help but give his weird little half-spoken laugh. “Not like -- in the face. Er. You know you hold it wrong?” He grabbed his own paddle, demonstrating, knuckles definitely in the wrong area of the grip. “Gives you a good whack.” He hit the picky-thing back into her zone. Is that what they were called? Zone? Side? Eh.

“Ohhhhhhhh.” Tink said, then laughed. “I thought you meant...” She picked up the puck and swirled in the air, giving a little ‘woosh, woosh, woosh’ as if the puck was moving in slow motion coming toward her face. She made a horrified expression--also in slow motion-- and then pretended to have the puck smack her in between her eyes and fall back down to the table.

...it was spectacularly dorky.

If by spectacularly dorky, she meant -- well. Disgustingly cute. Billy had to fight back against the way his stomach kind of flipped when she did that. It was just. So cute. He couldn’t help it, right? The way she was just so unreserved and unembarrassed about doing the silliest of things. It was -- well.

He couldn’t even think of a good reply, because, well, he was just staring at her with a weird smile.

Tink clapped the pucky thing down with her paddle thing, and gave him a sheepish grin. “Keep your knuckles tucked in,” she said, then whacked the puck toward him. Maybe she’d catch him off-guard, and get the puck past his defenses, into the goal on his side. Now she had her game face on. A look of determination, with the tip of her tongue sticking out just a little as she concentrated on the game.

Snapping out of it, Billy blinked and gave a little twitch -- as he was wont to do-- and then shook his head. “Yeah, right of course.” He would not look at her game face too intensely, else he might just start it all over again.

He whacked it back -- although it hit the side of the table and then pinged back and forth wildly for a moment. Billy kind of sucked at this game.

Tink didn’t mind. She was pretty good, all things said and done. Though, she was a little distracted by his twitch. She found it endearing, and a little, well, distracting. But she turned her eyes back to the game and watched the puck clinking around wildly. She reached forward to whack it again, sending it toward him. Maybe she’d let him win a little. Maybe.

Or? Maybe he’d let her win just by being completely ineffectual at this. Her shot slid into the little hole, and she gained one point on him. But her smile was cute and funny so he didn’t really mind it so much.

He’d lose many times over if it made her happy.

“See? I toldja I was good at this game!” Tink said, happily. She gave him a bright smile. Of course, so much of this game was the luck of the bounce, wasn’t it? And your opponent’s delayed reaction time. Tink couldn’t take all the credit for that score. Then again, even if she was losing, she loved this game.

In the end, she didn’t need to worry about loving it less if she lost. Because she totally won -- Billy rubbed at his inevitably bruised knuckles with a rueful sort of expression. Of course he’d gotten them cracked a few times -- he was sure at this point it was just something that happened in that game. Even if Tink didn’t seem any worse for wear. Still.

“So?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. “Time for popcorn yet? I mean. Movie.”

“Yes!” Tink was riding high off that win. So, they each had one, that made it even, right? Tink liked things being even. She still had some quarters in her pocket, maybe for after the popcorn? Er, movie?

“Let’s go. Whatever’s playing next, right?” She said lifting her wrist to look at her watch (because she was one of the few people left on the planet that still wore a wristwatch) and glanced at the time. “So long as it’s not a chick flick, or a zombie one.”

“Fair,” said Billy, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans even as they walked over to the ticket-seller or whatever they were called and peered at the board of movie listings. He liked zombie films, but could respect it if she didn’t.

“That Wizard of Oz one is playing in fifteen minutes.” Tink said, glancing at her watch again. Because she had one, and had to use it. “That’s good for popcorn, right? And Icee? Please tell me you like Icees.”

“Who doesn’t like Icees?” Billy asked, as if slightly affronted by the idea of someone not. “The blue ones. Those are best.” He paid for both of their tickets without really thinking on it, signing a credit card receipt with a lazy, messy signature.

Tink had pulled out her little, leather, studded wallet to pay, but was pleasantly surprised. Wait, did that make this a date? That didn’t... “I’ll get the popcorn and the Icees!” She said, holding up the wallet. It had a faded Fall Out Boy sticker still on it. Rubbed off to the point that it was mostly dirty-looking goo around the outside edge.

Then she turned to lead the way over to the concessions, humming to herself.

“Oh,” said Billy, a little surprised, “I would’ve gotten that.” Because he secretly wished for dates all the time. Just, you know, secretly. He wasn’t trying to trick her into it or anything. She’d been the one to suggest going to a movie after all.

“It’s okay. Really.” She said, turning around to walk backward as they made their way to the concessions. It was all the better to see him and talk to him, though she worried a little about smashing into someone behind her. “I mean, I’m sorta the one who invited you out, right? I should pay.”

Billy shrugged, an easy and lazy sort of gesture because there was really no arguing with her logic. “Yeah, I guess that’s fair. In that case, it’s all about the M&Ms, right?” Those were the best of candies.

“Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.” Tink agreed with a bright smile, then turned around once they reached the concessions stand. “You’d better share.” She added, picking up a giant, movie-theater sized box of M&M’s and tossing them at toward him. “And we’ll have a large popcorn, please. And a large, blue Iceee.” She added to the lady working the register.

After paying for their snacks and carrying a bucket of popcorn that was larger than her entire torso (okay, not quite, but almost) she turned to lead the way into their theater. “Okay, important question,” she turned to him, very seriously. “Where do you like to sit in the theater? Middle? Middle, middle? Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys who hides in the back.”

“What? No.” Billy looked horrified at the very idea. Because no one sat in the back. Unless they were creepers. Which he wasn’t, thanks. But he didn’t sit in the middle, either.

“There,” he pointed -- it was the very first row of seats in the stadium seating area. It was the perfect location because the leg room was above optimal, and there was even a railing in front to prop their feet on.

“Awesome.” Tink said. Though it was slightly muffled, as she had a mouthful of popcorn in there. She turned to lead the way up a couple of steps then along the front row of seating, toward the very center. She took a couple of steps in each direction, staring up at the screen, and trying to figure out the exact, optimal viewing chair. Finally she chose, and flopped down into it.

It was only proper that he chose the seat to her right -- dominant hand is free hand! - stealing some of the popcorn before flopping down into the seat. “What’s the best M&M color?” he asked, as he fumbled with the packaging. He knew what his favorite was, but it was good to know her choice too. Because he kind of was the sort of guy who would pick them all out especially for her.

“Tan.” Tink said, giving a firm nod. Of course, Tan was her favorite M&M color. Up until it was replaced with blue in 1995.

He’d been ten at the time. It had been a big deal. But then, Billy had always liked blue, and since the darker brown had clearly been the superior of browns, he hadn’t really minded the change. “That’s cheating,” he said firmly, even as he managed to rip the bag open -- a few of the candies scattering over his lap and onto the floor.

She’d been 7. It was a huge deal. She remembered it well, as what kid of 7 or 10 years old didn’t love candy? Tink had a playful reply ready for him, but then he ripped the bag. Such a shame! She would have reached for the falling candies, but um... that would be reaching right into his lap. “Oh!” She frowned. “Party foul.” She said, then gave him a grin.

“All right. I guess maybe I like the yellow ones.” She added, then reached over to tug a couple of the candies out of the bag.

Party foul indeed. Billy groaned a little embarrassedly as he picked the mess from his lap and ate them. Five second rules didn’t apply to laps, after all. “Gotcha,” he said after a beat, already having it in his mind to pick out the yellow ones in the dark of the theater for her.

She wouldn’t hold it against him. Everyone spilled. It was like that book “everybody poops”... or something. At least her hands didn’t fly into his lap to try and save the fallen M&Ms. That was more of a third date activity. Cough.

Right! Movie! The previews came on, and Tink settled down in her seat, munching on the popcorn. She leaned over to suck some of the Icee out of the cup without taking it from the armrest cup-holder thingy, and then her attention was zapped to the screen. OMG PREVIEWS.