There's No Place Like Home
Sep. 29th, 2003 05:31 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
chesamus.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ds_flashfictionThe schmoopiest thing I’ve ever written, but I couldn’t get the Wizard of Oz out of my head. 693 words.
“Thanks for coming over, Frase. I really appreciate it.” Ray grabbed another slice of pizza as he waited for the movie to start.
“I consider it an honor that you would want to share this tradition with me.” I knew it was a tradition, although the origins of it were somewhat of a mystery. Horror movies had no holiday connotations of which I was aware, and pizza was not close to the traditional menu.
I could also tell that Ray understood my confusion. “Hey Frase, you get two sets of in-laws in the same city, both convinced the other is starving you, and presto! enough turkey to last you until Christmas. By Thursday night, Stella and me were ready to swear off birds ‘til Easter. So Friday meant no school, no work, no football - just scary movies and pizza.” Ah, so it was a Ray tradition, not an American tradition. “Course I’ve done it by myself last couple of years, but now I got you so...”
I almost choked on the bite of pizza I was in the process of swallowing, but I tamped down the voice in my head that wanted to shout at the thought that Ray ‘had’ me and grabbed my water instead of my partner.
Thirty seconds into the opening credits of the first movie had me questioning Ray’s definition of scary. “Ray, this is the Wizard of Oz!”
“Yeah, so?” Ray’s eyes didn’t leave the screen.
“But I thought you said the tradition called for scary movies?”
He still looked at the screen, but I could see a blush blooming on his cheeks. “Tornadoes, witches making death threats, killer trees - you don’t think that’s scary?”
“Well, I suppose, under certain circumstances, some people might find them frightening-”
“And those flying monkeys - you can’t tell me those flying monkeys don’t creep you out-” Oh dear, I’ve obviously made a faux pas of serious proportions.
”I admit that the monkeys did frighten me as a child.”
“Yeah, so there you go.”
The movie unfolded on the screen much as I remembered, although the color of the restored print was more vivid than memory. Ray watched the movie as though he was still that small child, watching with wide eyes that clenched shut at the sight of the apple-tossing trees and again when the villianess’ winged minions swooped in to torment our heroes. I don’t believe Ray was even aware that his hand clenched my forearm from their first appearance until Dorothy threw the bucket of water to end the threat.
It was only when the closing credits scrolled across the screen that Ray removed his hand with a sheepish grin. “Sorry Frase, I guess I’m a bit of a cowardly lion, huh?”
Corny even for Ray, but it only served to further endear him to me. “Never cowardly Ray. Were I to compare you to any of the characters in the movie, I believe it would be the Scarecrow.”
Ray laughed a little. “Bet that’s cuz I dress like one, right?”
“No, Ray. Because you are a man of extraordinary ability and common sense who has a habit of underestimating himself.” I gazed at his profile. The heat was back in his face. I could see his throat working as he swallowed back whatever he was going to say. And finally I gathered up my courage. “Of course, if you were indeed the scarecrow, I for one would never have left Oz.”
He whipped around to face me. “Is that - you got a thing for scarecrows, Frase?”
I took a deep breath. “I have a thing for you.” An eternal pause, but he put his hand back on my forearm, this time in something akin to a caress.
“So instead of heading home to the black and white lands, you’re thinking that maybe you might stay here in the windy Emerald City. I can deal with that.” The smile under that experimental, straw-colored hair was almost blinding as he leaned over and touched his lips to mine.
The first kiss was everything I could have hoped, the second better than I could have dreamed.
“I think I am home, Ray.”
“Thanks for coming over, Frase. I really appreciate it.” Ray grabbed another slice of pizza as he waited for the movie to start.
“I consider it an honor that you would want to share this tradition with me.” I knew it was a tradition, although the origins of it were somewhat of a mystery. Horror movies had no holiday connotations of which I was aware, and pizza was not close to the traditional menu.
I could also tell that Ray understood my confusion. “Hey Frase, you get two sets of in-laws in the same city, both convinced the other is starving you, and presto! enough turkey to last you until Christmas. By Thursday night, Stella and me were ready to swear off birds ‘til Easter. So Friday meant no school, no work, no football - just scary movies and pizza.” Ah, so it was a Ray tradition, not an American tradition. “Course I’ve done it by myself last couple of years, but now I got you so...”
I almost choked on the bite of pizza I was in the process of swallowing, but I tamped down the voice in my head that wanted to shout at the thought that Ray ‘had’ me and grabbed my water instead of my partner.
Thirty seconds into the opening credits of the first movie had me questioning Ray’s definition of scary. “Ray, this is the Wizard of Oz!”
“Yeah, so?” Ray’s eyes didn’t leave the screen.
“But I thought you said the tradition called for scary movies?”
He still looked at the screen, but I could see a blush blooming on his cheeks. “Tornadoes, witches making death threats, killer trees - you don’t think that’s scary?”
“Well, I suppose, under certain circumstances, some people might find them frightening-”
“And those flying monkeys - you can’t tell me those flying monkeys don’t creep you out-” Oh dear, I’ve obviously made a faux pas of serious proportions.
”I admit that the monkeys did frighten me as a child.”
“Yeah, so there you go.”
The movie unfolded on the screen much as I remembered, although the color of the restored print was more vivid than memory. Ray watched the movie as though he was still that small child, watching with wide eyes that clenched shut at the sight of the apple-tossing trees and again when the villianess’ winged minions swooped in to torment our heroes. I don’t believe Ray was even aware that his hand clenched my forearm from their first appearance until Dorothy threw the bucket of water to end the threat.
It was only when the closing credits scrolled across the screen that Ray removed his hand with a sheepish grin. “Sorry Frase, I guess I’m a bit of a cowardly lion, huh?”
Corny even for Ray, but it only served to further endear him to me. “Never cowardly Ray. Were I to compare you to any of the characters in the movie, I believe it would be the Scarecrow.”
Ray laughed a little. “Bet that’s cuz I dress like one, right?”
“No, Ray. Because you are a man of extraordinary ability and common sense who has a habit of underestimating himself.” I gazed at his profile. The heat was back in his face. I could see his throat working as he swallowed back whatever he was going to say. And finally I gathered up my courage. “Of course, if you were indeed the scarecrow, I for one would never have left Oz.”
He whipped around to face me. “Is that - you got a thing for scarecrows, Frase?”
I took a deep breath. “I have a thing for you.” An eternal pause, but he put his hand back on my forearm, this time in something akin to a caress.
“So instead of heading home to the black and white lands, you’re thinking that maybe you might stay here in the windy Emerald City. I can deal with that.” The smile under that experimental, straw-colored hair was almost blinding as he leaned over and touched his lips to mine.
The first kiss was everything I could have hoped, the second better than I could have dreamed.
“I think I am home, Ray.”
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no subject
Date: 2003-09-29 11:02 pm (UTC)I took a deep breath. “I have a thing for you.”
Awww, this is just the sweetest thing ever ... ::warm fuzzy weebies:: And boy, how I love that schmoop - you can feed me more anytime!
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Date: 2003-09-29 11:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-29 11:04 pm (UTC)And that movie used to scare me, too!
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Date: 2003-09-29 11:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-29 11:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-29 11:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 01:53 am (UTC)it IS a scary movie
Date: 2003-09-29 11:19 pm (UTC)I bet Frannie sees herself as Dorothy....
Re: it IS a scary movie
Date: 2003-09-29 11:26 pm (UTC)t Frannie sees herself as Dorothy....
I don't think Dief would do as Toto, tho. He would have ripped the Witch's throat out first thing and the movie would be over (not to mention the damn cat that started it all).
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Date: 2003-09-29 11:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-29 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-29 11:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-29 11:57 pm (UTC)not too schmoopie for me at all.
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Date: 2003-09-30 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 01:36 am (UTC)*sigh* There's no place like home....
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Date: 2003-09-30 01:53 am (UTC)Your icon is wonderful - damn he's cute!
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Date: 2003-09-30 02:19 am (UTC)The only thing that scared me about Wizard of Oz was the tornado - a fear that I still have today, though I live in virtually tornado-free New York. Likewise, I got a life-long terror of tidal waves by watching the Red Sea swallow the Egyptians in "The 10 Commandments." Yes, I was a strange child.
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Date: 2003-09-30 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 04:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 11:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-30 11:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-02 07:24 pm (UTC)You really perked up my long, slow Thursday afternoon.:)
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Date: 2003-10-03 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-04 10:20 pm (UTC)