#jay kelso hates horror movies it’s true

[stvrchaser]

omg omg omg ur such a lifesaver w ur requests for jay kelso being open! but how about going to the drive in movie with jay!! maybe a lil kissing here and there 🤭 n e ways i appreciate all your work! <3

drive-in

( note ) : ahh!! i loved this prompt sm. it gave me an excuse to write teeth-rotting fluff and temporarily retreat to a fandom i abandoned a while ago. the it miniseries had two episodes (I think??) and idk if drive-ins usually show series. if not, let’s say they do for plot purposes. the two episodes are like 3hrs total anyway so it’s a somewhat passable movie length. i just wanted to include a horror movie moment (because jay canonically gets scared easily and i couldn’t not use that to my advantage)… so here we are. have fun!!

oh. and can you tell by reading this that bullying is 80% of my love language? /j

( pairing ) : jay kelso x reader

( words ) : 1700

There’s a certain charm to Point Place. Most people dream of living in the city where time slips by faster than they can keep up with. They seek the thrill in busy streets and sleepless nights. Personally, you don’t think small towns are too bad. Point Place isn’t too bad. Of course, you might be a little biased.

The city doesn’t have a Jay Kelso. It doesn’t have the local ice-cream shop Jay took you to on your first date. It doesn’t have the old gazebo where you waited out the rain on your one-year anniversary. It doesn’t have a weekly drive-in at the local park where you spend hours critiquing movie plots and laughing at stupid jokes over milkshakes and burgers.

There’s only one place you’ll find that — home.

There’s a loud boom over the speakers, the kind they pair with a loud crescendo to evoke that sense of suspense. It shakes the ground and everything that touches it, startling your boyfriend. His hands find your own and grips them tight. When you look up, you see his eyes are squeezed shut.

“Why do they keep doing that?” Jay sounds breathless, his cheeks flushed from knowing that you’d definitely felt him flinch. It’s endearing, really.

“Why do they keep doing that?” Jay sounds breathless, his cheeks flushed from knowing that you’d definitely felt him flinch. It’s endearing, really.

“It’s a horror franchise, babe. If you wanted something more quiet, you should have just asked me to read the book. Less sound effects and pointed teeth.” You make a show out of baring your teeth, imitating the snapping jaw of the werewolf on-screen.

“There’s a book?” he asks, finally opening his eyes. You think he’s joking, at first. Like he’s about to say something about how waiting for the movie is just so much easier. But his brows are settled into that look he gets when he’s really confused. You sit upright, startling Jay with the suddenness of your movement.

“There’s a— What do you mean ‘There’s a book?’ It’s Stephen King!” He stares blankly. “You’re kidding. He’s published like thirty novels.”

“Well, none that I’ve read.” You roll your eyes.

“Well, duh. When was the last time you picked up a book?”

“I read!” he bristles.

“Comics don’t count.”

“I read other things! I don’t have an A in English for nothing.” You want to say something about how class novels don’t count either but you decide against it. He is smart, really. He’s easily distracted, sure, but Jay is a lot more knowledgeable than he lets on. He’s particularly good at reading people, what they like and don’t like. It’s probably why he gets along with everyone.

“Alright, fine. But please tell me you’ve watched some of his other films.” He shakes his head. ”No? Not even Carrie? The Shining?” You think your pitch rises with every question, baffled by this new revelation regarding your boyfriend’s lack of horror movie knowledge. “Jay, I don’t know how I feel about this.” He rolls his eyes at your dramatics.

“I’m just not a big horror fan!” That, you know, is a gross understatement. Jay can get scared by so much as a light breeze. You refuse to confirm nor deny whether you find pleasure in taking advantage of that very fun fact.

“Fair enough. Some people just scare easily, I guess.”

“Not me, though,” he huffs a defensive, albeit nervous laugh.

Oh, that’s cute.

“Really?” you challenge.

“Uh-huh. It’s gonna take a lot more than a movie to scare me.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

⋆

“Just imagine this happening in real life. I mean, it’s terrifying. This guy can just get inside your head. Sure, ghosts and stuff can be scary. But at least you can move out or… perform an exorcism for that. How do you tell an ancient omnipotent alien to get out of your head? I don’t even have to be afraid of one specific thing, but if I’m creative enough, who knows what I could come up with? Like… a flesh-eating centipede the size of a crocodile. What do you think he’d shape-shift into if he was trying to scare you?”

You’re only slightly thrown off to be met with silence. Your mind is running through a thousand words a minute, theorizing about hypothetical evils and mind-reading. The absurdity, all too welcome, is only manageable to the extent that you’re still aware of where you are, who you’re with, and how said person seems to have stopped breathing.

“Jay? Ja-ay!” you try to snap him out of it.

“Nothing, duh. I think I’d know if a creepy clown was trying to manipulate me, thanks.” He’s pale as a ghost, clearly unnerved. You’re cruel, and he’s unlucky.

“Really? Not even if a spider started crawling on you?”

“Y/N,” Jay warns, sensing the mischief in your tone, low and taunting.

“I wouldn’t go to sleep with my mouth open tonight, if I were you.”

“No, no, Y/N don’t put that into my head,” he whines. You grin.

“The creepy crawlies are out to get-cha!” You reach for the nape of his neck, fingers crawling upward to imitate his eight-legged foe. Jay’s eyes widen in horror. Before you know it, he’s scrambling for his car keys.

“Nope! Nuh-uh! Not doing this. Going home now, thank you!”

“Oh my god, Jay!” you call after him.

The couple to your right hisses an angry scolding in your direction. In your opinion, that was a hell of a lot scarier than the face-painted clown with a preference for human flesh. Jay doesn’t seem to notice that though because he’s climbing into the driver’s seat, face pale. He looks a little bit sick.

“Jay, baby, I was just messing with you.” He shakes his head profusely.

“First it’s centipedes, next it’s spiders. I don’t even wanna know what else you can come up with. I’m already not sleeping tonight. I’m gonna try to keep it to a one-night maximum.”

“Jay.” He looks at you through the rear-view mirror. “Ja-ay. Can you look at me for a sec?” You crawl after him, wrapping your arms around the backrest of his seat. There’s only an inch of space between your mouth and his neck. Your steady breath, and the softness of your voice, eases the tension in his shoulders. “How about this? If you watch the whole thing with me and still feel scared, I’ll sleep over at your place tonight. I’ll protect you from any killer clowns and creepy insects, hm? What do you think?” He takes ahold of your hand, looking at you through the mirror again with a slight grin. You can tell he’s holding back, biting at his cheek to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upward.

“Is that a promise?” You press a kiss to his knuckle.

“Cross my heart, hope to die. I can throw in a pinky-swear in, if you need it.” With your free hand, you raise a pinky to his face.

“Oh, shut up.”

“You love me.” He grumbles through your fit of laughter. When your breath evens out again, you’re surprised to see his expression change. Jay's eyes crinkle with a smile. Not his usual teeth-baring grin, but the blissed-out turn of the mouth that holds all weight in his gaze, alone. Sincerity. Admiration. Love.

“I do, don’t I?” You’re momentarily stunned by the intimateness of this moment. The sudden vulnerability is so unexpected that all you can do is press a kiss to his cheek – a silent acknowledgement of his affection as if to say ‘I love you too.’

Like most days, you slip back comfortably into childish banter.

“But I still don’t get why you like this movie so much.”

“It’s a classic. Besides, doesn’t The Losers Club kind of remind you of us? Tight-knit friend group in a small town, spending the summer together?” He tilts his head to the side, seemingly deep in thought.

“Does that make you Beverly?” You open your mouth, but hesitate to respond. Jay raises his brow, intrigued by your tentativeness.

“I was thinking Richie.”

“Huh. You know what? That checks out. Trashmouth Tozier’s got nothing on you.”

“Damn right.” You clap an approving hand for his shoulder, reaching back to the abandoned meal you’ve left in the back of the car. Jay, with his impeccable timing, decides to return the attempt of humiliating you just as you reach for your milkshake. Admittedly, it’s well-played. You’d be proud if it wasn’t you he was trying to make fun of.

“You sure it’s got nothing to do with your crush on Bill?” Your jaw drops, surprised.

“I do not have a crush on Bill!” Your voice gives you away, sounding undoubtedly guilty, almost reminiscent of the turbulence in Jay’s voice when he insisted that he wasn’t scared. Turns out, you’re both terrible liars when it comes to each other. It’s quite humbling. “Well, maybe a little.”

“I knew it!”

“Hey! I’m allowed to like things for multiple reasons.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you’re here for the power of friendship.” He waves a dismissive hand.

“See?” You play dumb to his sarcasm. “Now you’re getting it.”

“You’re so lucky I like you.”

“Does that mean we’re staying?” You flash him a sickly sweet smile. With a sigh, Jay finally surrenders.

“Fine. But I’m holding you to that promise. You’re coming over.”

“Good.” You shift back to where you were seated, facing the large screen again. “I really wanted to get through all of the scenes with Bill.” He gasps, feigning offense with an exaggerated hand to his chest.

“First of all, how dare you?”

“You love me! Remember that!”

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