Things you said 21. (On top of the world) but make it another titanic reference
okay we're jumpin right off THIS post:
Arthur felt his heart and stomach drop simultaneously, a sick feeling welling up in him as he hugged both arms tighter around himself.
"I- why would you say that?" He snapped, though he sounded more pitiful and frightened than angry. "Why the fuck would you say that? I- I can't do this, John, we-"
"Arthur-" John started, but barely managed to form anymore words underneath Arthur's fresh panic.
"We need to leave, we need to-"
"Arthur," John persisted, just commanding enough to be heard.
Arthur stopped, pushing out a shaky breath as he tried to rein himself back in. It didn't help at all.
"Arthur," John repeated one last time, a gentler tone back in his voice, "just breathe. Please," he urged. "You're spiraling."
"In, slowly," John interrupted. Arthur obliged to the best of his abilities. "Good. Now out. There... Again." He gave Arthur's right elbow a light squeeze before returning their left hand to Arthur's chest, feeling for his heart. John once more found himself wondering when he'd picked up that habit- resting over Arthur's pulse whenever he knew he was upset.
There was a tinge of guilt to John's tone when he next spoke. "I didn't mean to alarm you; I should have thought a little more before I'd said that. It slipped my mind that you wouldn't understand the reference I was making."
"I-..." Arthur began, sounding a bit steadier despite how his thoughts were still somewhat scattered. "I don't understand why you'd reference something like that anyway. Especially when we'd just talked about what I'm afraid of."
John huffed out a sigh in spite of himself. "I know. I'm sorry. But there's-... Do you remember what I said? One of the first things I'd said about the Dark World, how it doesn't abide by the laws of time in the way this world does?"
"Mh..." Arthur thought for a brief moment. "Yes, but-"
"There's a film. Released in nineteen nintey-seven. It's a romanticized iteration of the events by the same name: The Titanic."
"'Ninety-seven...'" Arthur muttered, baffled. "'Romanticized?' Why the fuck would they romanticize that? It was a tragedy!"
"I don't know, Arthur," John breathed, loosely closing his hand over the front of Arthur's shirt. "People like to look for love in tragedy. I suppose it comforts them."
"That's-" Arthur started, then stopped himself. He brought his right hand down with a sigh. "...Yeah. I suppose you're right."
"...You suppose a lot of things, Arthur," John tested.
Arthur huffed out a soft laugh at the dig, sounding calmer now. "You did it first, this time." After a moment of hesitation, he stepped back to where he knew the railing at the edge of the deck was, and leaned against it, facing out to sea. "...What was it about that moment in particular?" He wondered, a gentle curiosity in his voice.
"When you referenced the film. I'm assuming it was something specific."
"...Oh. Yes. Well, there are two main protagonists who... become involved-"
"'Involved?'" Arthur asked, feigning naïveté.
"You know what I mean, Arthur," John snapped, though there wasn't any real bite to his voice.
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle in response. "Then say it."
John hesitated for a moment. "...They're in love." He tried not to notice the way Arthur hummed when he said that. "There's a man, Jack, and a woman, Rose. Jack is poor, and the only reason he's on the ship is because he won tickets for the voyage in a game of poker. Rose is wealthy, and engaged to a man who doesn't understand her or even make the effort to. Jack and Rose meet and they..."
"They fall in love." Arthur shifted so that their left elbow was propped up on the deck rail. John moved their hand so that Arthur could rest his chin on it.
"Yes. At first sight, almost. There's a... a chemistry between them. They're drawn to each other. But because it's not proper, they sneak around for the most part, so that nobody on the ship who would ruin their love affair catches wind of things. And there's a scene, where Jack takes Rose to the bow of the ship at sunset, when nobody else is around. He wraps his arms around her waist, and then they look into each other's eyes, and..." John trailed off.
"Oh," Arthur responded plainly.
There was a moment of quiet between the two of them, with John suddenly feeling timid and Arthur wondering how to proceed.
Ultimately, John broke the silence. "It's... not to be confused with an earlier scene, in which Jack stands behind his friend in the same spot and shouts, 'I'm king of the world.'"
"Nothing, I-... My first thought was, 'is that not how I make you feel?' but that's- stupid," Arthur laughed at himself.
"You... didn't have to agree with me, John, I already acknowledged-"
"No," John insisted with a soft sort of urgency, "that-... That is how you make me feel." The confidence in his voice sent a chill running down Arthur's spine. John tried not to notice how he could feel the heat that had crept into Arthur's face.
"I-..." Arthur began, but trailed off about as soon as he'd started, finding himself at a loss for words. He pushed out a sigh, then shifted his head, and pressed a soft kiss to to the palm of his partner's hand.
