I'll Gamble Away My Time
Title: I'll Gamble Away My Time
Author: soporta
Rating: G
Pairing: Brendon/Spencer
POV: 3rd
Summary: “You need to have more fun,” Brendon tells Spencer one day while they’re at the park. For the schmoop_bingo cloud watching prompt. ~1000 words
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Title is from Beirut's "Nantes".
“You need to have more fun,” Brendon tells Spencer one day while they’re at the park, circling around the lake in the middle, on a date that had seemed, up to this point, perfect.
“Not true,” Spencer replies. “I always have fun.” Brendon raises a skeptical eyebrow at him.
In reality, Spencer has a very difficult time having fun. He always tries to, but in his adult life, with age, it gets harder and harder. There’s all this eminent pressure on him to act his age and being an adult simply isn’t fun, which is the issue. Every now and again, when he does go out with the intentions of having a good time, the moment is uncomfortable. When he tries to do something that’s fun for him -- when he goes to the amusement park, when he goes bowling, when he goes to a concert -- he feels, simply, too old. The uncomfortable feeling wasn’t there as a child, and even as a teen. But now, in his twenties, he’s too old for it to feel acceptable.
“Right,” Brendon presses, alerting Spencer back to the conversation. He purses his lips, thinking, and continues, “Maybe that wasn’t phrased right. You need to be more spontaneous. More willing to do things.”
Spencer frowns and says, knowing very well that he’s lying, “I always am.”
Brendon asks, “Are you having fun right now? Be honest.”
Spencer thinks. It’s been a nice day. The air is crisp, the sun is out, the park is green and smells good, and he’s with his boyfriend, who he loves more than he can put into words. He states, “Yes, I am.”
“Fun fun? Don’t confuse this with pleasant.”
Immediately, Spencer notices that this is exactly what the day has been. He asks quickly and defensively, “What’s wrong with pleasant?”
“Nothing,” Brendon tells him. “It’s just not fun.” Spencer rolls his eyes and abruptly, in the middle of the grass, Brendon sits down. He laughs at Spencer’s reaction -- his eyes bulge -- and lies down on his back.
“What are you doing?” Spencer quickly asks, because he already knows that they’re eliciting stares.
“I, for one,” Brendon declares, “am having fun.” He crosses his arms underneath his head, grins, and Spencer glares.
“How could this possibly be fun?” he asks.
“Cloud watching,” Brendon states, his voice carefree, genuine, and nearly convincing. “It’s fun. Put your shame aside and give it a shot.” Brendon looks up at Spencer, clearly waiting for him to listen. He says, “Come on,” and pats the ground next to him.
Spencer, not sure what to do, but knowing vaguely that he would like to have a good time, obeys. He lies down next to Brendon, situates his hands under his head like a makeshift pillow, but more than anything, he’s uncomfortable. “See,” Brendon continues, pointing up at a fluffy cumulus cloud, “that one looks like my dog.”
Looking at the clouds again, Spencer is confident he recognizes which one Brendon is pointing at. He laughs and says, “That looks nothing like your dog.”
“Then what does it look like?” Brendon asks seriously, turning his head toward Spencer and waiting for a response.
Spencer looks at the cloud again, before admitting, “It looks like a cloud.”
Brendon sighs, like he expected that response. “Use your creativity,” he explains. “And try again. What does it look like?”
Spencer looks again at the cloud, squints, tilts his head a little, and does his best to see something in it. He just can’t, though. It looks lumpy and cloud-like, and he can’t get past that until he sees a little piece sticking out from the bottom that resembles, more or less, a leg. Then he sees another piece on the right that could be a tail, and he’s about to confirm that it’s a dog when he notices a lump in the middle that looks like a wing. The pieces all come together, and he gets it. “I see a dragon,” he finally says. “With fangs.”
Brendon beams.
: :
They stay like that for a couple of hours. Spencer loosens up, and he starts to see what Brendon sees in the clouds. He knows at first that there are people around, some looking over at the both of them, but watching the sky, they soon seem less important. He can focus on the shapes, and Brendon’s voice. He can laugh -- genuinely -- at the ridiculous comments he makes, and even make a few of his own.
Brendon curls up with Spencer once the clouds start to disappear and the sky is replaced with streaks of bright pink. They watch the sun set, alone in the empty park. Brendon asks, “Did you have fun? Be honest.”
Spencer looks at Brendon and replies, as honestly as he can, “I had a blast.”
“Really,” Brendon quietly replies, “it’s not that hard.”
Spencer turns, looks at Brendon, and smiles. He says, “It really isn’t, is it?”
They stay until it’s dark out and they decide it’s for the better that they leave before the park closes and they’re kicked out. They go back to Brendon’s place, watch movies on his couch until three in the morning, and fall asleep there, still curled up next to each other. Not once does Spencer question what they’re doing.
He wakes up at seven, thank god, knowing that he has to get into work. His back hurts from laying on the ground so long and sleeping on a couch next to Brendon, who could very well be part rock. He’s exhausted, having only gotten four hours of sleep, but for once, the tired feeling is rewarding, because he knows it was from a good night.
He kisses Brendon, still asleep, on the forehead, leaves a brief note for him saying that he had fun the night before and that he’ll be back later, and heads to work, fully anxious to return and see Brendon again. To have fun.
Author: soporta
Rating: G
Pairing: Brendon/Spencer
POV: 3rd
Summary: “You need to have more fun,” Brendon tells Spencer one day while they’re at the park. For the schmoop_bingo cloud watching prompt. ~1000 words
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Title is from Beirut's "Nantes".
“You need to have more fun,” Brendon tells Spencer one day while they’re at the park, circling around the lake in the middle, on a date that had seemed, up to this point, perfect.
“Not true,” Spencer replies. “I always have fun.” Brendon raises a skeptical eyebrow at him.
In reality, Spencer has a very difficult time having fun. He always tries to, but in his adult life, with age, it gets harder and harder. There’s all this eminent pressure on him to act his age and being an adult simply isn’t fun, which is the issue. Every now and again, when he does go out with the intentions of having a good time, the moment is uncomfortable. When he tries to do something that’s fun for him -- when he goes to the amusement park, when he goes bowling, when he goes to a concert -- he feels, simply, too old. The uncomfortable feeling wasn’t there as a child, and even as a teen. But now, in his twenties, he’s too old for it to feel acceptable.
“Right,” Brendon presses, alerting Spencer back to the conversation. He purses his lips, thinking, and continues, “Maybe that wasn’t phrased right. You need to be more spontaneous. More willing to do things.”
Spencer frowns and says, knowing very well that he’s lying, “I always am.”
Brendon asks, “Are you having fun right now? Be honest.”
Spencer thinks. It’s been a nice day. The air is crisp, the sun is out, the park is green and smells good, and he’s with his boyfriend, who he loves more than he can put into words. He states, “Yes, I am.”
“Fun fun? Don’t confuse this with pleasant.”
Immediately, Spencer notices that this is exactly what the day has been. He asks quickly and defensively, “What’s wrong with pleasant?”
“Nothing,” Brendon tells him. “It’s just not fun.” Spencer rolls his eyes and abruptly, in the middle of the grass, Brendon sits down. He laughs at Spencer’s reaction -- his eyes bulge -- and lies down on his back.
“What are you doing?” Spencer quickly asks, because he already knows that they’re eliciting stares.
“I, for one,” Brendon declares, “am having fun.” He crosses his arms underneath his head, grins, and Spencer glares.
“How could this possibly be fun?” he asks.
“Cloud watching,” Brendon states, his voice carefree, genuine, and nearly convincing. “It’s fun. Put your shame aside and give it a shot.” Brendon looks up at Spencer, clearly waiting for him to listen. He says, “Come on,” and pats the ground next to him.
Spencer, not sure what to do, but knowing vaguely that he would like to have a good time, obeys. He lies down next to Brendon, situates his hands under his head like a makeshift pillow, but more than anything, he’s uncomfortable. “See,” Brendon continues, pointing up at a fluffy cumulus cloud, “that one looks like my dog.”
Looking at the clouds again, Spencer is confident he recognizes which one Brendon is pointing at. He laughs and says, “That looks nothing like your dog.”
“Then what does it look like?” Brendon asks seriously, turning his head toward Spencer and waiting for a response.
Spencer looks at the cloud again, before admitting, “It looks like a cloud.”
Brendon sighs, like he expected that response. “Use your creativity,” he explains. “And try again. What does it look like?”
Spencer looks again at the cloud, squints, tilts his head a little, and does his best to see something in it. He just can’t, though. It looks lumpy and cloud-like, and he can’t get past that until he sees a little piece sticking out from the bottom that resembles, more or less, a leg. Then he sees another piece on the right that could be a tail, and he’s about to confirm that it’s a dog when he notices a lump in the middle that looks like a wing. The pieces all come together, and he gets it. “I see a dragon,” he finally says. “With fangs.”
Brendon beams.
: :
They stay like that for a couple of hours. Spencer loosens up, and he starts to see what Brendon sees in the clouds. He knows at first that there are people around, some looking over at the both of them, but watching the sky, they soon seem less important. He can focus on the shapes, and Brendon’s voice. He can laugh -- genuinely -- at the ridiculous comments he makes, and even make a few of his own.
Brendon curls up with Spencer once the clouds start to disappear and the sky is replaced with streaks of bright pink. They watch the sun set, alone in the empty park. Brendon asks, “Did you have fun? Be honest.”
Spencer looks at Brendon and replies, as honestly as he can, “I had a blast.”
“Really,” Brendon quietly replies, “it’s not that hard.”
Spencer turns, looks at Brendon, and smiles. He says, “It really isn’t, is it?”
They stay until it’s dark out and they decide it’s for the better that they leave before the park closes and they’re kicked out. They go back to Brendon’s place, watch movies on his couch until three in the morning, and fall asleep there, still curled up next to each other. Not once does Spencer question what they’re doing.
He wakes up at seven, thank god, knowing that he has to get into work. His back hurts from laying on the ground so long and sleeping on a couch next to Brendon, who could very well be part rock. He’s exhausted, having only gotten four hours of sleep, but for once, the tired feeling is rewarding, because he knows it was from a good night.
He kisses Brendon, still asleep, on the forehead, leaves a brief note for him saying that he had fun the night before and that he’ll be back later, and heads to work, fully anxious to return and see Brendon again. To have fun.