Ship: Zach/Jacob, Barbara/Melissa, absolute crumbs of pre-slash Gregory/Janine
Summary: Movie night at Jacob and Zach's is uneventful for everyone but Gregory. Day six of Miya and Mia's Tickletober: movie!
“Gregory, my man!” Jacob greets cheerfully, opening his door fully, “dap me up!”
Gregory narrows his eyes, bringing his hand up to force Jacob’s down where he had left it for a dap. “Hi, Jacob.”
“No worries, brother,” Jacob smiles, “give me your jacket!”
Gregory tries to suppress a smile at Jacob’s awkward affections, handing him his jacket and the bag with the wine he had brought. “Thanks, dude.”
Jacob grins wider, grabbing both from Gregory and walking towards the kitchen, “Ava cancelled, but everyone else is in the living room.”
Gregory nods, walking towards the living room, following the sounds of conversation. He makes his rounds, saying his hellos to Zach, Barbara, Melissa, and Janine. Barbara and Melissa are cuddled up on one of the loveseats, sharing a bowl of popcorn, raisinettes sprinkled throughout. Janine is on one side of the couch, Zach on the other, space for both him and Jacob to sit if he’d like. He considers it for a moment, looking between the spot and the other loveseat, until Janine pats the cushion next to her. He complies, flopping down, barely any space between the two of them.
Jacob returns with more snacks and some drinks, struggling to hold everything before inevitably dumping it all on the coffee table. “Alright! We have wine, beer, and extra snacks in the kitchen, but this should do us for now!”
Jacob slumps down, cuddling into Zach, who has the tv’s remote in his hand. He cues up Scream, the franchise the group had decided to binge this weekend. Janine had recommended they try to watch all the classic horror franchises throughout October. Of course, it took some convincing for Barbara and Melissa, though Gregory had been in from the beginning since it had been suggested by Janine, he found it hard to ever turn her down.
The group gets comfortable, getting all of their snacks and drinks while the movie pulls into its opening. All is calm and serene in the beginning, or, as calm and serene as the atmosphere of watching a horror movie can be. About halfway through the movie, while Billy is making his appearance at the video store, Gregory notices Jacob squirming. He assumes he’s just getting restless and fidgety, knowing that Jacob is not the type to stay still for long, until he hears quick breaths coming out of his nose, as if he can't breathe.
“You ok-” Gregory turns his head to look at Jacob and sees that his face is red, nose scrunched, and he observes for a moment. When he sees Zach’s fingers moving quickly over Jacob’s side, he puts the pieces together, and can’t help the grin spreading over his face. Yes, Jacob can be over the top, and sometimes, only sometimes, Gregory is annoyed by it, but mostly he just puts on a face to hide his fondness. This time, he's not doing such a great job at hiding it.
He watches this game between Zach and Jacob, he thinks maybe he should look away, they may not be able to see him since the room is so dark: is he intruding? Either way, he can’t tear his eyes away from how cute and unguarded Jacob looks.
In the background, the movie’s score swells as another death happens on the screen, and Gregory sees Zach’s fingers move down to Jacob’s tummy. Jacob screeches, arching forward and covering his face with his hands.
Melissa laughs, throwing a kernel of popcorn Jacob’s way. “C’mon kid, the movie’s not that scary.”
“S-sorry,” Jacob stutters in response, and Gregory almost thinks he can see Jacob’s ears turn pink in the dim light, “t-took me off guard.”
Janine scoffs, though she can’t see Jacob’s predicament from her spot, “Really, Jacob? I totally saw that coming.”
Gregory watches as Jacob takes a shaky breath, Zach’s fingers having returned to his sides, “I-I must’ve g-gotten distracted.”
“Whatever you say, scaredy cat,” Melissa teases, another kernel of popcorn flying in Jacob’s direction.
Gregory turns his attention back to the movie after the interaction, though he does hear Jacob’s laughter continue nearly silently throughout the movie. He figures it’s best to keep the secret to himself for now, though he can't stop himself from thinking about the fact that Jacob had never tried to pry Zach's hands away. Planning on keeping his knowledge of the incident a secret, Gregory decides that maybe he’ll ‘accidentally’ discover it another time, maybe it’ll finally make it easy for Gregory to show Jacob his appreciation for their friendship.
