" Twice ? Damn, Winnie, You Might Even Have Me Beat There. " She Jokes About Killing Him And He Can't

" twice ? damn, winnie, you might even have me beat there. " she jokes about killing him and he can't help the smirk that flickers. he leans in, voice low, and with a familiar sardonic humour that not many could handle says, " eh, you'd be doing me a favour. " but as she continues, he stays quiet, let's her talk. isn't quite sure what he's expecting. then it comes and he smiles and it isn't teasing or sarcastic or anything in-between. it's genuine, soft, so unlike him some might never believe it. " that's cool, " he responds, and in a weird way he feels . . . proud of her ? knows all too well how coming out can feel. " we're a pretty decent club. i mean, there's the occasional asshole, myself included, but overall it's not too bad. " grin grows briefly, then fades. a moment of quiet before he asks, “ how long have you been out for ? ”

"well, luckily for you, i've actually done that TWICE. there's so much for you to learn about me," she jokes, pushing herself back on the swing. there was comfort in kai and the park-- the need to be young and innocent again. it seemed kai needed that just as much as she did. "well, that is good news. otherwise, i'd have to kill you." a funny statement, coming from winnie of all people. the girl couldn't even kill a spider. "i guess an ear for now. maybe advice if you think i'm stupid or whatever. which, would be a very valid response." something she wouldn't have agreed with back when everything was fresh. "so, i'm..." the word gets caught in her throat. she's been out for three years, but hasn't really talked about it. at least not verbally. it's almost as hard to say it to kai as it was to say it to her parents. "bisexual," she finally gets out. "but, that's new. well, not NEW, but, like, new, i guess... it took a long time for me to be okay with saying that."

" ow, ronnie ! " ace exclaims dramatically as the paintbrush hits his leg, far too lightly to warrant any reaction at all. " i mean, that's a guess. could be less, could be more. time feels distorted. " with a sigh, he follows suit and stands to his feet— they somehow no longer feel connected to his body, but the more he moves the more that changes. " surprise me, " he insists, hurrying now that his legs are no longer numb, " i'll eat anything as long as there are very little greens in there. " isn't longer before he disappears, only to reappear moments later with a relieved smile on his face. " what did you go for ? "

the confession from ace has a dry paintbrush flinging from ronnie's side of the room to his, counting on her aim to knock him in the leg. "a whole hour ?!" she's laughing despite her disapproval, standing to give her limbs a much needed stretch. "it's almost like you want a uti or something." her phone is pulled out, uber eats screen glowing like a beacon. "and a stomach bug apparently. but, not to worry, your saving grace is here. what are we ordering ?"

SET IT UP (2018) dir. Claire Scanlon

it's nice to hear, that someone thinks she's irreplicable in a sense, even if it is ( in her mind, at least ) only when it comes to dance. growing up it had never mattered how many awards she won, how man lead spots she landed, how many people she outdanced. nothing was ever good enough for her mother, and her father never said much of anything at all. simply nodded his head in agreement to everything his wife said, paying no real attention. she doesn't quite know what to say, feels a swell of emotion in her throat, always so quick to swallow it back down. " well, you have to say that— " he doesn't, and she knows fine well he doesn't— " but thank you. i know no one could ever take yours. " because it would never be the same, and she would never trust another dancer to handle her body the way he does. to move with her so in the way he seems to do so effortlessly. nova doesn't believe in fate, because to believe in it would prove the world to be rather cruel considering the fate of their pasts, but one thing that almost convinces her it could exist, is the way it feels like they were born to dance together. light laughter echoes, head shaking as she listens. " only you could try and make something better and somehow make it worse, " nova responds, but there's a softens to her tone, teasing weaved between. " no girl wants to hear that, trust me. even if it is friendship based. convenient implies it would also be easy to drop me if i no longer was easy to be around. " he grabs her hand, and she finds it rather silly how her breath seems to hitch in her throat, how overly aware she is of the fact he still hasn't let it go. they'd held hands at least a hundred times on stage, during practise, so why does it feel so different now ? nova blinks, does her best to keep her gaze on him, takes her a beat longer than it usually would to response. " no, " is her honest answer, and she shakes her head again, tender smile as her gaze softens. " and i don't want to tame the dancing beast, " tone playfully mimics, " i like it exactly as it is. " and she wouldn't be here, this version of her, without him.

"trust me, i don't think anyone is capable of taking your place." he doesn't find anyone to be comparable. maybe he's biased ( he's definitely biased ) but there's no one in nova's league. and, should any company or choreographer disagree, it's them with the issue. he thinks the world of nova, likely because he thinks the world of himself and she's the only one with the ability to keep up. plus, thinking of nova and her abilities distracts from the fact that he's only a few years from retirement. there's always teaching and choreographing to fall back on, but the thought of being done with all of this... it's dizzying.

apollo has become a creature of habit. wake up, train, dance, come home, go to sleep, do it all over again. he despised dance growing up, and still has complicated feelings about it to this day. still, how do you just walk away from something you've spent thirty years perfecting? he was a few years older than nova, so she still had that going for her. perhaps that's why he continued to push her. so, he'd still have a dog in the fight even after he was out of the game.

"you've seem to have taken offense to my use of the word EASY," he replies with a shake of his head. despite growing up surrounded by girls and women both at home, at school, and at dance, apollo was very bad at understanding them. "what's wrong with something easy and convenient?" nothing in apollo's life had ever been easy or convenient, so finding something that was both was a breath of fresh air. "trust me, i had plenty of other options. if anything, you're the only one brave enough to stick around." he grabs her hand off his chest, slowly bringing their hands down in between them, but hasn't let go. "and, yeah, maybe i didn't think you'd make it-- but that wasn't you, that was my history. but i'm glad you feel accomplished. do you feel like you've tamed the dancing beast?"

kyro watches her intently as she arranges the flowers, a soft laugh escaping when she mentions writing a thank you note. it's one of the many things he finds so endearing about her— a small gesture that not many would think of, but that speaks volumes about her caring heart. when he thinks back on it now, there was never any chance of him not falling for her when he did. celeste james had a way of stealing hearts, and his had never stood a chance. even now, as just friends, there's a tug on his chest as he watches her move around the kitchen. some might say the warmth feels a lot like coming home. a thought he's no longer sure he's allowed to have. " did i miss you ? " tone teases, fingers coming up to tap against his chin, " let's see . . . " a moment passes, but his eyes give it all away long before his mouth does. " of course i did. i always do. " how could he not ? " i mean, who else will laugh at my jokes ? " kyro is quick to add, clears his throat to try and elevate some of the tension, but it's there. it's bright, thick. unwavering. his smile grows at her thanks, and he nods in response before quirking a brow. " you're thanking me for flowers when you've basically cooked me up a feast ? i think i should be thanking you. " he leans into her orbit just a little, such a natural pull. " but you know this means i have to return the favour, right ? it's only fair. "

"i'm glad you think so." beaming, eyes focused on the bouquet held in front of her. it's beautiful, bringing a warm feeling to her. if there was one thing celeste had always appreciated about kyro, it was his thoughtfulness. the way every day, even the ones that weren't important, came with a little bit extra. she's thankful for their relationship, glad that they'd been able to maintain it over the years. "i'm gonna have to write her a personal thank you note." she's reaching under her sink for a new vase as she muses over his next question, giving an audible hmmm. it's loaded, and she was sure he knew it, but the simple answer was, "yes." she came up with the vase, filling it with water and arranging the flowers inside. her eyes soften as she looks over at him, head tilted as she gives him a once over. just to make sure everything is where it's meant to be. "did you miss me ?" it had been a while since they'd had the same day free on their schedules, both dedicated to their careers. hers had always been more lenient than his, the editing she had meant to do tonight put off for tomorrow. "there is a right answer, by the way. oh ! and thank you," she gestures toward the vase, moving to turn off the stove. "for the flowers."

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012) dir. David O. Russell