3
THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW PROMPTS.
ROUND FOUR WILL OPEN AT 10PM EST ON MONDAY THE 14TH.
ROUND THREE
closing at 5000 comments
Please read the [rules] before commenting!
REMINDER: THERE IS A SPOILER POLICY IN PLACE UNTIL 7 MAY.
PROMPT FORMATTING:
Alphabetize pairings. They will be archived that way!Put [RPF] before RPF prompts ( Read more... )
“This is beautifully filmed,” he said.
“Yes,” said Natasha. “I thought you mind find the cinematography interesting.”
“It was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars,” said Clint.
“You are both bad people,” Bruce said, still with a hand on his forehead.
“Oh, does it have a tragic ending?” Steve asked.
“Oh. I. Can’t.” Tony said.
“Shut up and watch the movie!” said Natasha, in a voice that indicated it would be in everyone’s best interest to do this. Tony managed to stifle his commentary by eating popcorn and Bruce just shook his head at random intervals while disappearing into the couch.
No one spoke. Until-
“Wait. What?” said Steve, after his mouth opened involuntarily. “Is that-?”
“Yes, yes it is,” said Natasha.
“They are gay cowboys,” Steve managed, and Tony appeared to be holding back tears while Bruce had managed to slump even further into the couch. “This is a movie about gay cowboys.”
“JARVIS, pause the film, please,” said Clint.
“No, we don’t need to pause it, we should-”
Natasha put a hand on his thigh and smiled. “Steve. I thought this would be a good way to introduce you to current attitudes about...sexuality. The movie offers a portrayal of attitudes that you might find very familiar from, you know-” she waved her hand, “-but also presents us with a modern perspective at the same time.”
“It was nominated for an Oscar,” Clint said.
Steve glanced around. They had all known, and he didn’t like being the brunt of a joke. On the other hand...these were things he should know, if they had changed so dramatically. “I see,” he said. “OK, then.”
And, admittedly, at the end, he had teared up, because - well, because. Natasha had patted his leg again, nodding her head in sympathy.
“Well, thank you,” he said, and stood quickly before anyone could say anything else. They waited until he was a good deal down the hall before speaking, but they underestimated his hearing.
“Cruel,” said Bruce.
“What? Should we have taken a field trip to-” Clint began.
“We haven’t really done much experiential learning,” Tony said. “I think we should. I am very much in favor in moving onto Stage 2, or whatever we want to call it-”
“Who are you people?” Bruce asked.
Steve shook his head and took the stairs down to his room. He wasn’t tired, physically, though he felt like he should be. It was like phantom pains. He sat at his desk and opened a notebook, picking up one of his pens. He had found that writing things down and keeping lists help to clarify things. He turned to the page where he had started In the 21st Century... and carefully drew a bullet point. He bit at his lip. It is acceptable to engage in homosexual relationships, he wrote. He looked at it.
He thought about Bucky, always conceiving him as the stronger one, the bigger one, even after the serum. How much he wanted - he thought about other boys in their neighborhood, growing up, and how he used to furtively touch himself in bed. In his sleeping back as they pursued the SS and HYDRA. How he had told himself that it would pass, that he would settle down like everyone else, that he loved Peggy and that...
He bit his lip again and decided to take a shower - the indulgent kind that the shower in his room was meant for, with the water jets all over and the soothing mist that he always had JARVIS circumvent for a more standard, comfortable flow. He let himself slump against the tile and relax in the steam and tried, as hard as could, not to think.
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