𑣲 saturday, 04:00am. 《 not proof-read i'm sleepy ash 》
ᚑ ᚑ you haven't slept properly for these past few days. you're pretty much aware that you missed most of the moonlit nights by forcing yourself to stay awake, instead of getting your deserved rest.
james noticed. of course he would. he always does whenever it comes to you. it's always, always so obvious enough even though you made some attempts to make up any sort of excuse, which obviously doesn't work on him.
he did consider of scolding you for it, telling you that you shouldn't sacrifice your very much needed slumber even for a job. or worse, whenever he is away on a mission and clearly missing from home, you would've do it again and again while being unbothered.
simply because he isn't there at home with you. no one else to reprimand your stubborn self.
but today is different. he got a week off, at least— that's what he's informed with, and he's determined to make you fix your horrible sleeping schedule which is a clearly obvious behaviour by now.
"sweetheart, come to bed."
"james, i can't, i—" you tried to refuse while your eyes are already in a swollen-ish state, shaking your head slightly but it didn't last when he ultimately, and swiftly lifts you into a bridal style to bed, earning a surprised squeal from you.
"i won't accept any refusal from you, love. you've been sitting there for hours."
"the bed is starting to get cold without you."
every words that you wanted to speak out as a reply dies down in your throat, beginning to feel guilty as james settles you properly next to him, pulling you closer to the natural warmth he seemed to provide as always.
he never once lets go of his hold around you, planting a kiss atop of your forehead and gently run his thumb along your features— whichever he could reach.
and when he stopped just near where your eyes are, he tenderly attempts to soothe the swollen spot around it; where at this point your eyes has shut on its own from his touch alone.
dear god, you're genuinely, utterly exhausted. he has every right to be mad and scold you for whenever he wants to, and he truly did.
but not for long, no. he couldn't stay annoyed at you no matter how much he wants to at times.
he fears he loves you a little too much. he couldn't even contain the small chuckle from escaping past his lips upon witnessing the sight of you, already falling into your needed slumber just within a few seconds.
with a final peck upon your cheeks, your forehead, and even your nose, he murmurs a simple 'rest well, darling' closely for your hearing only.
even when you failed to realize it as much due to your current state.
I was amused by this rather “freaky” bit of Edwardiana, especially since I always got the feeling that Charles Dana Gibson, when drawing the Gibson Girl, was at least partially fantasizing about being stepped on or something.
"He had dark, rather cruel good looks and very clear, blue-grey eyes. slim build; a 3-inch long, thin vertical scar on his right cheek; a 'cruel' mouth; short, black hair, a comma of which rests on his forehead."
ᚑ ᚑ "james, stop stealing my food from the fridge!"
"well, technically, it's 'our' food since we share the same living space." james replied with such nonchalance to cressida, which earns a displeased side-eye glare from monroe.
"no."
"try to actually cook or buy your own food."
james simply ignored the two— his signature smirk returning within a second when he begin to notice your arrival within the room, seemingly carrying two cutely packaged meals, happily walking toward his direction.
"and what do we have here?"
"oh." you lifted the meals up with such a joyful expression, the bits of the scent manages to waft through the air. "just something to eat."
"and i bought some extra, in case if you haven't eaten."
james accepted one of the extra meals with such ease as you handed it to him; his smirk soon being replaced with a knowing smile as monroe and cressida stares straight at you in unison, to which you returned with genuine bewilderment.
"what..?"
cressida crosses her arms, appearing to be a tad bit amused than per usual. "you're going to spoil him if you keep doing that."
"well.."
you scratched the back of your head, "i assumed you and monroe probably didn't like this specific type of meal, so—"
"ah, another reason proven as to why you're my favourite."
oh?
your eyes widened ever so slightly upon hearing james' sudden remark, clearly catching you by pure surprise.
monroe scoffs under his breath, saying between the lines of 'we didn't ask for your input' and 'ass'; grabbing a can of drink from the fridge before shutting it a little louder than intended, walking away afterward with a small, occasional grumble.
cressida on the other hand, however, hasn't allowed her amused expression to leave her face even once, shaking her head a bit as her eyes are still on you and james.
with gradual yet calculated movements, james saunters closer to where you are, lowering his voice and leaning slightly closer to you.
"come on," he gently grabs onto your elbow, beginning to lead you towards somewhere else within the safehouse. "i know a spot."
and while all that is happening, you remained a tad bit perplexed by the whole situation, much to james' own personal enjoyment, mixing together with one that could be considered as sheer endearment.
Ang Huling El Bimbo the Musical: thoughts and feelings
[SPOILER ALERT]
Can I just say I love the subtleness of the musical and how it just tells its message through the storytelling???
It touches a whole lot on the Drug War that the current administration is waging against the poor Filipinos who are more victims than the main perpetrators themselves. The end of AHEB which only shows Joy's death and the subsequent lamentation of her family and old friends as the perpetrator who now holds a political position as a councilor goes scot-free is saddening but feels true with what happens in the Philippines. The people who are at the bottom chain are caught or killed while the ones running things get to sit in their high chair.
I also love how the other three main characters Eman, AJ and Hector represent the three divisions of the Filipino middle class and their actions towards the injustices and aggression Joy, who represents the poor and oppressed, faces tell a lot about their positions and views. When none of them could save Joy from being raped, their actions tell a lot about their position. Their positions in the future also dictates where they came from.
Emman who seems to be part of the lower middle class and is also an activist shouts the hospital, focusing more on comfort although might not do much is the kindest of the choices. Going to the hospital would be a direct action to help Joy who is in distraught atm cope. It's also important to see that although Eman got a government post like he dreamed (to change the system), it's the system that changed him instead. With someone from a poor background and no backing, he works hard everyday and is rarely home because he has to "prove" his worth. His career is banking on how hard he works and he forgets that the reason he dreamed of this in the first place was to help advocate for better change in the Philippines and take care of his family with his wife/sweetheart.
AJ who is at the very middle of the middle class chooses the police instead, relying more on the legal system that probably would seem like a fair judge ( probably to imply his trust on the system who perhaps would be fair to him but unjust to others) and his focus on the social aspect of it, aka how other people would perceive what happened. The middlest middle class whose position on the pyramid is dependent on how others perceive you hits too hard for AJ who becomes a successful businessman. He gets a wife, knowing full well that she would simply be a decoration for him to keep appearances, as he is in fact gay. AJ might know some people here and there but to primarily keep his connections, he has to look the part and in exchange for that, he hurts his wife and continues to hide who he truly is.
And God, Hector, this fucking bastard, I hate him but he represents the Upper Middle Class rhetoric so well. Hector tells everyone to keep quiet, to not do anything, overglorifying Joy's trauma and hardship as her being strong. And that speaks so much about how the upper middle class operates, how it's the upper middle class who rarely if ever listens, because although they might not be as powerful as the Filipino Oligarchs, they are pretty much the people living the "Fiipino Dream" and to keep their position, the upper middle class turns a blind eye to the suffering of the Filipino poor. Hector who had always lived comfortably chose to protect his own comfort even in the face of grave injustice. Hector makes it in life too. He's got the resources and the connections, just enough to get him a famous name as a tv director but being in the upper middle class means you still have to bow your head to those with power, to the great oligarchs who control how things go. You see Hector who is "a famous director", under the orders 'from above' has to make his series about ratings than the story itself. He has to accept people with connections into the movie because despite his position that many Filipinos dream about, he isn't exactly the omnipotent hand that can control everything.
God this musical feels so real. The characters too also just represent so much of the struggles of Filipinos, of the lapses in our society and how it continues to harm us and those around us. Please watch The Huling El Bimbo.
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