#my track record with going bouldering with guys is date is not good last time I went he tiirbed out to be a major dick

[alpinelogy]

Good news: I went bouldering with a cute guy, 11/10 experience

Bad news: everything else this creates

[buriedinbleach]

Second Chances - Ch. 2

For the record, I didn’t plan on this chapter being so long. I just got carried away. Hope I didn’t ramble too much!

Also, I promise your smut fix will be in the next chapter.

Chapter one

Fight Me, Damn It! (Its a Date)

It was almost a week before you saw Kensei again. Though that didn’t mean you were just slouching around in the meantime. You had work to do.

For the first few days after he had agreed to help, you excitedly watch the shop door with anxious anticipation every time the small bell on the shop door rings. But with each hour that passes you grow slightly more disappointed - and infinitely more pissed off when neither Kensei or Shinji appear.

On day three, you finally snap out of your funk, in utter disbelief you had allowed it to go on for as long as you had. What the hell was happening? You weren’t the type to sit idly by, simply waiting on a man to come and provide you attention. With a determined look on your face you think, ‘I was doing just fine on my own before that brooding, bulky, gorgeous-’ you nearly jump out of your skin when Kisuke’s playful tone interrupts your thoughts.

“What’s gotten you all fired up? Not that I’m complaining. You do look adorable when you’re angry - especially when its not at me.” You might not have been able to see his wide grin behind that damn fan he always carried, but it was obvious from the glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

“Fuck! Damn it Kisuke, stop sneaking up on me!” You clutch your chest, shooting him an icy glare. “And how do you know I’m not angry at you?” Kisuke simply shrugs, a knowing - smug - smile teases the corners of his mouth. As always, his sharp observant eyes see far more than he’ll ever admit.

You draw a deep breath before continuing. “I take it this means you’re ready to train? Finally.”

Shinji walks down the back hallway, pausing to lean in the doorway opposite Kisuke. “Actually doll, I’m gunna be helpin’ ya today.” He grins - a big toothy smile. For a fraction of a second you can’t help but let your eyes wander down the hallway past him, hoping Kensei was with him. Quickly, you shake your head to banish the thought before focusing your attention back on Shinji, staring at him with a predatory smile.

“Perfect. I was getting tired of losing.”

“I got news, kid. If ya think I’m just gunna lie back and let cha take me,” he pauses, cocking an eyebrow while eyeing you suggestively. The smug satisfaction and pride in his sly innuendo practically radiates from him like a shockwave until you’re hit dead on by the blast and left staring back - wholly unimpressed.

Even your best attempt ‘I will kill you’ glare couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. So you tried the next best thing - an outright threat, lowering your voice darkly. “Finish that thought Shinji, and I’ll finish you.”

“That a promise, doll?”

It was hard to be mad, you had walked right into that one.

With your thoughts so focused on Kensei, you hadn’t been able to strike back with your usual playful, stinging jabs at Shinji’s expense. Enough was enough. With a disgusted groan you pushed down the hallway, past Kisuke - giving Shinji a little extra shoulder check for good measure - and headed downstairs. One way or another you were going to get back on track. Whether or not that track included Kensei Muguruma wasn’t something you particularly wanted to think about right now.

***

Shinji is a much tougher opponent than you anticipated. Unfortunately.

By your third day of training with him, you couldn’t begin to count how many times you’d eaten dirt because of that skinny jerk. Each day, you were left exhausted, sweaty, and sporting a few new bruises. But it was all worthwhile to leave Shinji with a few new bruises of his own, getting back at him for every last one of his teasing comments. Not that it stopped him from making more.

Shinji was unsure of how long he had been fighting you off, but it was certainly long enough that your fatigue was becoming more evident, yet you never called it quits. He knew you were either extremely determined to improve, or slightly crazy - maybe a little of both. Shinji blocked a swing aimed straight at his face, noting the focused concentration in your eyes and decided it was probably both. He couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘Hell, if Kensei’s decides to keep his distance then maybe-’

Another swift lunge from you quickly refocuses his attention. Your chest was heaving with exertion, sorely in need of a break, but refusing to quit. Clearly he still couldn’t underestimate you - exhausted or not. Shinji grabs your wrist tightly, jerking you closer in an effort to control your movements.

“Finished yet?” He smiles. That damn aggravating wholly Shinji-esque grin of his was half the reason you kept fighting in the first place - he just didn’t realize it.

Your brow furrows with concentration as you shoot him a sharp glare. Opening your mouth to speak, you’re both left stunned when a much deeper voice comes out of nowhere, echoing through the room. “The smart answer would be yes. You’re too exhausted to do yourself much good right now. You’ll just end up with an injury.”

The heat immediately begins rising in your face the second you hear him, it spreads like wildfire over your body. Your eyes quickly dart up to find Kensei, staring down while you struggle to free your arm from Shinji’s unyielding grasp. He didn’t budge an inch, he simply stared back at you, his signature smile growing wider with every passing second.

“I’m not-” Shinji sweeps your legs out from under you mid-sentence, sending you sprawling onto your back with a harsh, hollow thunk. “Fine. I’m done for today.” You close your eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and stand to find Kensei and Shinji staring.

“Ah, don’t be too hard on her. The kids actually not half bad.” Shinji shrugs. You wanted to roll your eyes at his attempted half-compliment.

“I don’t see you lining up to help, muscles.” You grumble, dusting off your pants in an effort to avoid looking into those serious, studious brown eyes. Kensei watches your hands smooth over your hips - zeroing in as they accentuate your butt - in long sweeping gestures. His eyes linger over every curve your fingers trace, completely fixated before finally snapping out of his trance.

His gaze meets yours before he opens his mouth to speak again, noting the ferocity in your eyes. They sparkled with life, trapping him. Kensei couldn’t look away. “You need more conditioning before I’ll fight you. You’d just end up getting hurt.”

Your mouth begins moving before your brain has time to process the words, “Oh really? You seem to think pretty highly of yourself, tough guy. Fine. Do your worst.”

The slight cringe that briefly flashes across Shinji’s face should have been your first clue that you had made a huge mistake. The corner of Kensei’s mouth twitching into something like a smirk should have been your second. He looks positively mischievous. Instead, you were too busy trying to feign disinterest while sneaking glances at Kensei’s bulging biceps as he crossed his arms across his broad chest.

Kensei couldn’t keep his amusement hidden when it finally reached his eyes. For the past week he had done everything possible to keep his mind off of you. Running, lifting weights, cooking, even forcing himself to listen to Shinji and Hiyori’s constant fights - nothing worked. That gorgeous smile, your playful voice, images of you fighting with Yoruichi - your face glowing with the effort of all your hard work. ‘What I wouldn’t give to see that glow after-’

He quickly shook his head, burying that particular train of thought. This is not the right time. “I’ll come by tomorrow morning at 6. Shinji, we should get going.”

“I’m supposed to work for Kisuke tomorrow. I can’t just drop what I’m doing.”

There was that feisty attitude again. Shinji stands by, casually leaning on a nearby boulder while trading glances between the two of you. He couldn’t wait to see Kensei’s reaction. It wasn’t every day he came across anyone who had the nerve to talk back to someone with Kensei’s temper. Yet, he couldn’t feel even the slightest hint of rage radiating from his spiritual pressure.

He shook his head, ‘Man, he’s got it bad already.’

“Ah, we can handle things around here without you, ___-chan. Don’t let me get in your way.” Kisuke calls breaking the silence. He looks down at the three of you from under the shadowy brim of his wide hat, perched on a boulder as if he’d been there the whole time.

Your shriek of surprise immediately draws three sets of eyes back to you. “Damn it, Kisuke! Stop doing that!”

***

You quickly found out that there seemed to be no end to Kensei’s energy - or his ability and seeming desire to torture you. You could have come up with about half a dozen - very good - ways to discover that his stamina knew no bounds, but none of them involved these kinds of conditioning sessions.

Each morning without fail Kensei waited outside your apartment for you to appear, bright and early. Arms folded across his chest, an adorable scowl knit across his brow, he stared off into the distance with determined focus. The minute Kensei heard your door shut, his head would snap back in your direction to watch your approach. Somehow he always managed to look relieved as soon as he caught the first glimpse of you and yet, plagued with doubt and indecision all at once. Just as quickly as it would appear, it was gone again and Kensei went back to grumbling at you to begin.

“So, how are you planning on-” yawn “trying to kill me today?” You lift your arms above your head in a long stretch, letting your eyes reflexively close. Kensei’s eyes follow the slow reveal of your stomach as your shirt lifts ever so slightly before forcing himself to look away.

“A 5k run outta wake you up. After that, we’ll head to the gym. C’mon.” Kensei doesn’t bother waiting for your grumbling protests before he begins jogging away. You reluctantly follow, trudging off at a slow pace. Well, if you have to endure this agony, at least you could stare at his ass while he runs in front of you.

As if he could read your self-satisfaction, Kensei turns around to look at you. “The hell are you doing back there? Hurry up, you should be trying to beat your best time!”

You groan, making a show of dramatically rolling your eyes before sprinting up ahead of him, mumbling complaints. Kensei always easily kept pace with you during your runs, always trailing about a foot behind. Far enough to give you space, yet close enough to silence your protests almost before you made them. Though his words were almost always chastising, he almost sounds… amused? As much as you hate the grueling pace he sets, you begin to complain just to draw him into conversation, in hopes of catching that hint of a smile on his lips when you glance back.

Kensei learned the real advantage to his position - trailing behind you - early on. Eyes hidden, he’s given a completely unobstructed view of your body as you run. He could take his time lingering over every line, memorizing the shape of each curve. No matter how tired you are, your eyes always sparkle with life when you look back at him, you were always smiling - even when you tried your best to look annoyed.

‘Gods, she’s gorgeous. No, shit. Don’t get attached.’

Finally, your apartment was within sight again, just around the corner from Kisuke’s shop. You slow to a jog before stopping in the front yard. Winded, you bend forward to brace your hands on your knees, breathing deeply, feeling like you’re about to drop - you really want to. You eye the soft grass at your feet. It beckons to you, cool and inviting, as soft as a cloud.

Glancing up, you see Kensei breathing easily with a look of genuine confusion as to how you could be so damn tired already. His chest glistens with a hint of sweat under his shirt, but he’s otherwise unphased. Damn him. If you weren’t concerned about the spots developing in your vision you might take a moment to stare. Instead, you look back at the grass again, carefully reconsidering your plan for cool relief - that would only be admitting how tired you really are.

“You’re… a fucking… sadist.” You whisper in between panting breaths, glaring. Kensei simply smirks, huffing out a quick laugh as he watches you stand, straightening to your full height.

“Hurry up, we gotta get to the gym.” Kensei takes a step, ready to turn away when your choked grunt stops him in his tracks. He watches you double over, clutching your waist with a grimace.

Forgetting himself, his care and concern temporarily outweighs his desire to keep his distance. He crouches down next to you, voice strained with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Cramp.” Another choked grunt, more panting for air. “I’ll be fine.” You try waving him off and force a smile, but the look on your face comes across far more troubling that you had intended.

Kensei’s movements and voice are forceful, all business. “No you’re not. Get your arms up.” He pulls you up by your shoulders to stand and grips your hips, turning your body to face him. The weak protests you attempt to sputter out fall on deaf ears.

Kensei slides his hands up your body, brushing over your skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. He quickly catches your arms and holds them above your head. You’re suddenly hyper-aware of his searing touch on your wrists, the proximity of his body to yours - inches away. So close you can feel the heat radiating from him, smell the airy hint of sweat on his lightly tanned skin. His own deep, even breaths remind you to breathe.

You both stand frozen, trapped in one another’s gaze. Faces growing hot, but unable - unwilling - to move for what seems like an eternity.

Finally, Kensei gently releases you, hesitantly taking a step back - just one. “We should probably call it quits for the day.”

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” You nod.

”Oh, uh no.” You fight to keep the disappointment you feel from showing on your face. You had gotten used to your morning routines together, even if it was torture you would endure it if it meant spending time together. “I’ll come by when you’re done with work or whatever Kisuke finds for you to do. I’ll spar with you… if you want.”

Your broad smile says more than your words could, trapping Kensei’s gaze as you nod. “Am I finally conditioned enough, sensei?”

Truthfully, Kensei had deemed you sufficiently conditioned to spar with him a week ago. He kept up the pretense of workouts to get more time alone with you, not that he would have admitted that to anyone - even himself. “Just be ready to work hard. I’m not going easy on you.” His grumbles and attempt at a warning only make you smile wider.

You both share an unspoken thought as your eyes meet briefly before you part ways outside your apartment. The time you spend together, no matter how battered and exhausted you were by the end of it, no matter how many sassy quips you throw at him, was the best part of both your days.

***

Kensei wasn’t lying. He had no intention of going easy on you during training. After one week sparring with him, he had put you in the dirt almost more than Kisuke and Yoruichi combined. But without fail, you got back up every time, coming at him with everything you had. Even landing more than a few exceptionally targeted blows, much to his surprise.

Although, that was partly due to the constant coaching you received from the sidelines. Like clockwork, someone always managed to be around and available to give you pointers each afternoon that Kensei stopped by. Yoruichi, Kisuke, Shinji, Ichigo - hell, even Jinta made his way downstairs. Though he spent decidedly more time yelling at Kensei or trying to attack Shinji than doing anything legitimately helpful. Kensei gritted his teeth through it all, his frustration growing, wishing he could get even a few minutes alone with you again. His slim patience for the supportive onlookers and their constant appearance had run out along time ago.

Kensei walks into the shop that afternoon, training bag slung over one shoulder, looking even more agitated and annoyed than usual. But he immediately notices the stark silence that surrounds him. No Tessai, no Yoruichi, and no Kisuke - though he did have a knack for randomly popping up when you least expected. Even you were nowhere to be seen. He tightens his grip on the handle of his bag in frustration before marching off downstairs.

You were alone. For the first time in over a week there wasn’t another soul in sight. Oblivious to his presence, you turn your back to him, leaning down and-

Kensei froze momentarily, watching you stretch before forcing himself to keep walking. ‘She just had to be stretching. Flashing her amazing ass,’ he threw his bag down with a loud thud, making you jump. Kensei scowls, concentrating entirely too hard on rifling through his bag.

“Oh, hey.” You give him a slight wave and walk over in his direction, but Kensei’s eyes remain focused on his task - pointedly ignoring your greeting. You watch him continue to unpack his bag, your eyes narrowing in a frustrated stare as he takes out his gloves and pulls them on. “You don’t intimidate me you know.”

Kensei doesn’t miss a word, but he still refuses to look at you. He flexes his hands, testing the tension and fit of his gloves. “That’s because I’m not trying. You’d know if I wanted to intimidate you.” Finally, he turns towards you without a trace of a smile on his face. He takes a few steps in your direction until he stands inches away, and stares.

A smart person would have felt an icy chill running down their spine at the intensity of that glare. His biceps flex and relax with every fist he makes, even the slightest twitch of his fingers is marked by the bulging muscles. Those arms alone look like they could snap you like a twig without so much as breaking a sweat. Instead, the heat of his gaze pools straight to the pit of your stomach, like a cauldron bubbling, about to boil over at any second.

Kensei takes another step forward, secretly delighted with the hitched breath you draw, but his face remains just as stoic and observant as ever. His eyes travel down your face, settling on your lips. He loses himself briefly, studying the way you purse your lips before sighing quietly. Kensei’s fingers twitch at his side, aching to run his thumb over your soft bottom lip, to lean down and kiss you.

Shit. His attempt at teasing you had backfired horribly.

You take in a deep, shaky breath, afraid that your knees might give out any second while desperately clinging to your composure. “Still not intimidated.” Though you try your best given your current condition, your voice isn’t at all convincing. You’re left breathless and dizzy for all the right - or wrong - reasons.

Kensei smirks, “Still not trying. C’mon, let’s go.”

After nearly a solid hour of sparring, you were doing even better than usual. Kensei briefly wonders if the lack of an audience really helps your concentration that much before your leg comes flying at his head again. Close one, you nearly caught him that time. Kensei narrows his focus on you, smiling with confidence. Gritting your teeth, you try to concentrate - pushing that sexy grin out of your mind.  

‘I’ll give you something to smile about you grump.’

Lunging forward, you distract with one hand and strike with other. Or at least, that was the plan. Kensei was always one step ahead of you. He caught one wrist easily, before you have time to process what was happening, he’d traps the other in an iron grip. ‘Damn. Now I know why he was smiling.’

Kensei pushes you backwards, your feet drag uselessly against the ground in a desperate attempt to stop his momentum, to turn this to your advantage - somehow. But the gesture is futile. Kensei pins you against the closest boulder, crushing you between the rock and his body. You struggle in vain, kicking at his legs, wrenching your arms in an attempt to free your wrists trapped on either side of your head. Nothing worked.

Breathing heavily, your mind races to find a way out of this predicament without having to admit defeat. You weren’t about to give Kensei the satisfaction of knowing you’d been beaten - but he already knew. His smug smile said it all, he just needs to hear the words fall from your lips. Kensei’s smile begins to fade as his eyes travel down from yours to settle on your perfect mouth once more.

Realization strikes you both simultaneously. For the second time today you’ve forced yourselves together. Kensei’s large frame presses tightly against your body, his hips digging against yours. He’s acutely aware that your squirming attempts to free yourself have stopped, but he doesn’t back away. Not now.

His eyes flick over every inch of your face quickly like the fast, jerky movements of a hummingbird, judging your reactions, measuring your quick breaths. The heat from his body penetrates through your thin clothing, settling in your core. His scent fills your nostrils with every rapid, shallow breath you take - warm, earthy, with a hint of soap or cologne, but its nearly drowned out by sweat and musk. Its overwhelming - delicious - and making your thoughts hazy. You retain just enough awareness to feel his grip on your wrists relax.

Kensei’s eyes meet yours once more - searching. He leans in slowly, ready to back away at the slightest protest, but he hears none. Instead, your head lifts from the boulder to meet him as his warm lips touch yours. His kiss is gentle - caressing - each light brush of his lips sends a tingling rush down your spine; his slow, deliberate pecks morph slowly, becoming longer and deeper. He sucks on your bottom lip, begging entrance you happily grant with a long sigh.

He releases your wrists, one rough hand cups your cheek delicately; the other falling against your hip, his thumb brushes lightly - circling - over the bare skin of your hip underneath your shirt. Kensei’s tongue slides softly into your mouth, flicking over your teeth before finding your own, relishing in your taste. Finally, he pulls away to look at you, with one last soft touch of his lips on yours.

“Does this mean I can take you out now?” He smiles, looking into your dazed eyes. Sighing, you wiggle your fingers experimentally, only just realizing that your hands were free.

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you pull him close for another kiss, your lips ghost over his before breaking into a playful smile. “You better.”

A lithe black cat lay perches on top of a nearby rock, overlooking your sparring session. Her sharp, golden eyes studiously observed everything over the past hour. She stretches, a long - languid - arch before standing. Casting one last glance down she watches your fingers wind through Kensei’s hair as he presses forward, passionately claiming your mouth with kiss after kiss. Her eyes glint with a hint of amusement before she saunters off, slipping back upstairs - completely unnoticed.

[icecoldflames]

Razzle Dazzle (Sanders Sides)

Human AU

Romantic Loceit

***

Logan sat determinedly on the bench, staring out at the large ice skating rink. The zamboni was making its way around the rink, leaving smooth ice behind. He was going to try to skate again after seven years.

When he had been younger, the Winter Olympics had always been Logan’s favourite just because of the ice skating. He had so many memories of just sitting in front of the TV, gaping at the skater who seemed to defy gravity. It hadn’t seemed possible, it had looked like they were flying.

When he had been six, his mom had enrolled him into ice skating lessons. He had quit when he was ten to focus more on school.

But now that he was 17, he was feeling nostalgic. He hated to admit it. He had created a bucket list of things he wanted to do before he graduated and ice skating was one of them.

So, Logan had rented a pair of ice skates. They were black and felt bulky on his feet and he hoped he wouldn’t fall—he could recover from a broken bone but not a bruised ego.

Once the zamboni drove off the ice, all the little, excited, kids flooded out of the gates.

There were quite a few people surrounding the rink, all of them taking advantage of the general skate which was open to all ages.

Logan waited patiently until a good clockwise movement developed on the rink before standing up and slowly stepping onto the ice.

He put one foot in front of the other and slowly merged himself into the steady stream of people making their way around the ice.

It was a foreign feeling, at first. The skates were too awkward and his feet slipped and slid all over the place.

However, it was kind of like riding a bike. By his third cycle around the rink, he was no longer walking and, by the sixth round, he was tentatively gliding.

Logan was quite proud of himself. He hadn’t fallen once, and he wasn’t about to jinx himself. He had just opened up his black zippered sweater to reveal the dark blue shirt underneath when he heard the shout.

“Incoming!” An unfamiliar voice called out suddenly a child’s body was sliding across the ice, slowly passing Logan. He was wearing a yellow hoodie and white skates.

Logan just managed to stop before slicing through the boy who he now just realized was not a child but a boy around the same age as him.

Logan outstretched a hand. “You should wear a helmet,” he glanced at the guy’s dark brown hair which was sprinkled with bits of snow from his fall.

The boy took Logan’s hand and climbed back onto his feet. “Thanks,” he said as he began to brush the snow off of his pants.

When the boy didn’t respond to Logan’s comment, he repeated himself. “You should wear a helmet. You could get severely hurt. With all these sharp skates and everything.”

The boy just grinned impishly and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m fine.”

Logan opened his mouth to argue but the boy interrupted him. He extended an arm. “I’m Janus Moluccan.”

Logan closed his mouth and hesitantly shook it. “Logan Sanders.”

Janus cocked his head to the side. “You a beginner? Like me?” He began to skate again, his arms flailing around like a windmill.

Logan followed along, concentrating on his own technique rather than Janus’ distracting limbs. “Not quite. My mom put me in skating lessons when I was six. I stayed for four years but then I was going to middle school and wanted to concentrate more on my studies.”

Janus wrinkled his nose and his eyebrows drew down. “Ew, school.”

Logan’s eyes widened in shock. Had he heard correctly? “School is very important. You have to have an education—“

“—I’m just kidding, jeez. You sound like my counsellor at school.” Janus rolled his eyes. He lowered his voice. “Janus, Janus, Janus, you have to focus more on your school work if you want to do well in life.” His voice returned to normal and he rolled his eyes. “But school won’t help me get to my dreams.”

Logan quirked an eyebrow. “Which is what?” Thousands of possibilities rattled through his brain.

Janus raised his arms up dramatically. “A professional ice skater!” He glanced over at Logan. “Preferably compete in the Olympics.” Janus tried to do a spin but landed flat on his butt instead.

Logan helped him up for the second time that day, and thought in his head that Janus should have probably started at a much younger age in order to train to become an Olympic skater. But he bit his tongue instead and nodded. “Oh.”

As they began skating again, Janus began to ramble about skating and all the research he had done about the different spins and jumps.

“—And then there’s the axel jump. It begins with a foreword takeoff and it’s super cool to watch.”

Logan could never lie and say that Janus was a good skater but he could say that Janus had done his research, something Logan could admire.

By the time the hour and a half was up, Logan was feeling weary and completely drained. Janus, on the other hand, seemed full of energy. He reminded Logan of his friend Patton who never seemed to run out of energy.

As Logan stepped off of the rink, feeling strangely tall, he turned over to Janus with a small smile. Logan had to admit, the guy was growing on him. “Hey, you only fell twice!”

Janus’ eyes sparkled. “Are you going to be here next week too?”

The thought hadn’t crossed Logan’s mind until now but there was no doubt about his answer. “Of course.”

Janus grinned. “Great.”

***

The next week, Logan felt strangely cheerful as he waited for the zamboni. He had even brought his old bike helmet for Janus to wear so he wouldn’t break his skull.

Over the past week, he had watched multiple ice skaters and even the recordings his parents took of the yearly ice shows he was in when he was younger.

He had searched up when the show would take place this year and it was less than a month away.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Janus’ voice asked, bringing Logan back to the present. He stepped carefully over the bench and sat next to him.

Logan shook his head. “Nothing.” He pulled out the helmet with a small smile. “Here, I brought you this. You can’t very well skate in the Olympics if your innards are spread across the ice like a painting.”

Janus grinned and took the helmet. “How poetic of you,” he replied with a wry smile. He put on the helmet and fastened the strap. “Thanks, though.”

On the ice, Janus seemed much more daring than last week. He tried to do little bunny hops, tiny spins, and even tried speeding down the rink like one of those rambunctious children. Most of his tricks ended up with his butt firmly planted on the hard ice.

Janus grinned as Logan pulled him up after taking a hard hit trying to stop as a kid whizzed past. “I don’t know what I’d do without you here. I’d probably scoot around the ice.”

Logan only fell once. Janus had persuaded him to try to skate backwards and he had accidentally bumped into Janus, lost his balance, and sent the both of them tumbling to the ground.

They began skating again, talking about Yuzuru Hanyu when Janus uncharacteristically stopped in his tracks and turned to face the wall. He let out a curse word.

Logan skated over to him, worried. “What’s wrong?”

Janus put his hands up to hide his face. “My...my Chem teacher is here.” His eyes were wide with panic. “I failed the last couple of my Chem tests and Ms. Sansa reprimanded me, saying that she better not see me at the ice rink until I get my grades up.”

“I can tutor you.” The words were out of Logan’s mouth before he even thought about them.

Janus looked over at Logan skeptically. “Really?”

Logan shrugged. “Of course. I’d love to help you.” He paused and glanced out into the sea of people on the rink. “Where’s Ms. Sansa? What does she look like?”

“The shorter woman with pale skin who looks like she could fight Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and win.”

Even though Janus’ description of his Chem teacher wasn’t that descriptive, his eyes instantly found the woman. She was across the rink who seemed to have an aura of importance around her. Many of the skaters around her seemed to keep away from her, creating a bubble around the woman.

Logan wasn’t very informed about pop culture but he did recognize the name Dwayne Johnson. “She does look like she could beat up The Rock.” He paused. “Any rock, really. A boulder.”

***

A couple days Logan found himself setting up his dining table with last year’s Chem material.

His parents were out on a dinner date and probably wouldn’t be back until late. They promised him that, anyway.

The doorbell rang and Logan practically tripped over himself as he rushed to the front door.

When Logan opened the door, there was Janus. He was wearing his usual yellow hoodie and a pair of jeans. A yellow backpack was slung over his shoulders. Logan amusedly wondered what Janus’ favourite colour was.

They settled at the dining table. Logan glanced over at Janus awkwardly. It felt strange seeing Janus here—in his house. It was too quiet. He was so used to seeing him at the rink. “So,” he began, “do you have your old tests? We should go over them to see what mistakes you made and so you can learn from them.”

Janus flushed a deep pink and scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, sorry. I really didn’t think you’d need to see my old tests.”

Logan blinked. “Oh. Um. That’s completely fine. Just tell me what you need help with.” He slid the textbook closer to Janus.

Janus flipped to the index and glanced at it. “Well, I always had trouble with figuring out the limiting and excess reagents. I just can’t remember the steps and, even then, I can never get the right answer.”

“Okay, that's a good start.” Logan said with a nod. He began going through his old notes. “Alright, so, let’s begin.”

Halfway through—Janus seemed oddly quiet—Logan decided to stop for a break. He got himself a glass of water and gave Janus a can of pop.

Logan glanced down at his carefully written notes before glancing back up at Janus. “Why do you want to be a professional ice skater?”

“Because I love doing it. I love feeling the wind when I go fast and I want to be able to fly, well, as close as possible.” A little smile grew on Janus’ face. “I just really love it.”

Logan nodded. He wished he had something that he loved doing. But everything just seemed to be...average. Everything he did he didn’t love but he didn’t hate it either. It was just necessary. It was how his life was supposed to go. Highschool, then college, then a job.

He thought of the ice show which was coming up. “Are you planning to go to the ice show?” He asked.

Janus’ face flushed. “I-I…um…” he stuttered and looked down at the table.

“What? What is it?”

“I…I can’t.” Janus’ shoulders sagged. “My cousin’s getting married. I would love to go, but I can’t.”

“Oh,” Logan said, feeling a lump form in his throat. He pulled his Chemistry textbook back towards them. “Here, let’s go back to studying.”

***

That week, Janus didn’t show up for the general skate. Nor did he come the next week. In the third week, Logan didn’t even bother to show up. What had he done? Was it something he had said?

Logan was usually a logical person but whatever happened between him and Janus, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He went over each and every conversation they ever had and Logan scoured it for something he could have done wrong. It ate him up and he didn’t even feel like doing his homework which usually got his mind off things.

The day of the ice show, Logan glanced down at his ticket he had bought weeks ago and wondered if he should go. Logan sighed. Whatever. He had bought the ticket, he might as well go. If not for his sake now, he’d do it for young-Logan’s sake.

He dressed up in a casual black shirt and tie and jeans before heading out, feeling slightly somber as he drove to the ice rink.

As he walked inside, he gave his ticket to the lady and wondered what it would be like if Janus had said yes to his proposition. Would they buy snacks and share popcorn and cotton candy? Would they have had a good time? What would have happened when they were in the car after the night was over? Would there have been a kiss? Logan instantly pushed this thought down, feeling a heavy blush cover his cheeks. What was he thinking? 

It was only after Logan bought a bottle of water and found a seat that he realized that he hadn’t taken a program. At this point, Logan was feeling too gloomy to bother getting back up to find one. It didn’t matter anyway—he didn’t know anyone performing.

When the lights finally dimmed and the announcer introduced the first performer, Logan felt transported once the lilting music came on. The performer was a teenaged girl in a simple white dress. Logan enjoyed the dance of her sweeping across the stage, feeling completely at peace with himself.

Act after act skated onto the rink, some of them were a bunch of little kids who were obviously new to skating and some others were older and looked to be seasoned performers. After each one, Logan felt blown away and breathless. He wished he hadn’t quit when he was younger.

“It’s almost the end of the night, folks,” the announcer boomed over the loudspeakers. “We have one more performer to grace your presence. He’s been skating since he was five years old, and plans to skate for the rest of his life: Janus Moluccan!”

Logan choked on the sip of water he had just taken and a couple of the audience members around him glanced over. Janus Moluccan? The Janus Moluccan that could barely make it around the rink without falling? The Janus Moluccan who fell on the ice more often than he actually glided? The Janus Moluccan Logan tutored? That Janus Moluccan?

And indeed it was. The beginning notes of Chicago’s Razzle Dazzle began playing, the lights turned a bloody red, and Janus Moluccan swooped onto the ice wearing a black bowler hat and a heavily sequined, black, one-piece outfit. He looked so different without a piece of yellow clothing on.

Janus swept through the ice almost lazily, turning this way and that, jumping, spinning. Logan was on the edge of his seat. In the very middle of the program, Janus jumped up, spun around so quickly that Logan couldn’t even count the rotations, and landed a graceful double axel. Logan was too astounded to clap along with the rest of the audience members. What had happened to the clumsy skater he had met at the public skate all those weeks ago?

The very last note finally played and Janus finished his spin in the very centre of the rink, his eyes shut and his face tilted upwards.

The crowd burst into applause and, this time, Logan was brought out of his stupor to clap along too. He only had one question running through his head: why had Janus lied to him? Why had he faked being a beginner skater? It didn’t make any sense.

Janus began bowing, facing the side Logan wasn’t on first, then turning around and bowing facing him. For a split second when Janus lifted his head, he and Logan met each other's gaze. Janus’ eyes widened in shock while Logan just stared at him, feeling as though he had just woken up from a dream.

As the crowd began making their way to the exit, Logan wished he had taken a video of Janus’ performance. He was so much in thought that, as he walked into the massive lobby adjacent to the rink, he didn’t hear Janus run up behind him until he called out. “Logan! Logan!”

When Logan turned around, Janus was still in his outfit—bowler hat and all—and Logan noticed a light sprinkling of fine, yellow, glitter on his cheeks. Logan couldn’t help but smile. “Janus, you were incredible.”

Janus looked slightly taken aback. “You aren’t mad that I deceived you?”

“I’m not mad,” Logan said, shaking his head. He pulled Janus into a quieter corner. “I’m just confused. Why’d you do it? What was the point?”

Janus didn’t say anything for a long time. He bit his lip and just stood there, thinking.

“Good job, young man,” an old lady said, passing by, with a smile. “You did lovely.”

“Thank you Ms,” Janus nodded politely before looking back at Logan. The woman continued on her way.

“Sometimes,” he started slowly, “when I do an activity with competitions, exams, and tests, it can drain the fun out of said activity. Like school, for example. I like learning but school just...kills everything I like about it. Skating isn’t exactly like that but sometimes I need to...need to just have fun skating rather than worry about shows, competitions, and the future. I need to have fun skating because that’s how this all started for me.” Janus gestured to himself and Logan just realized he was still in his skates. “I want to fall, I want to laugh, and I don’t want to worry about whether my form is perfect or if I didn’t do a spin good enough.” Janus stopped suddenly. “Does that make sense?”

“Yes, but that still doesn’t answer—”

“And, when I meet people who aren’t aware that I’m an ice skater, on the ice, they usually get insecure and nervous or they think I think I’m better than them and it just gets really uncomfortable for both parties. I didn’t think...whatever we had or have or…” he said this haltingly and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath before continuing. “But I thought it would be a one-time friendship kind of thing and didn’t think it would complicate anything but then I saw my skating coach at that public skate and it really dawned on me then that I couldn’t keep lying to you but I didn’t have the courage to do so because I really like you and...I dunno, do you like me?”

“I do.”

Janus breathed a sigh of relief. “But does that make sense?”

“It does. All of it. Just, one question.” Logan cocked his head to one side. “Did you really need Chem help?”

Janus grinned and Logan felt his heart flutter. “No. That’s the one subject I’m actually good at.” Janus paused for a moment, suddenly becoming awkward. He glanced up at Logan. “Is this the part where we kiss?”

“I think it is.” 

Logan didn’t care if he had yellow glitter on his face in weeks to come. Because, sometimes, it was good to have some razzle dazzle in his life.

[moviemavengal]

If you haven’t seen Spyder, and want no spoilers before you see it, watch this spoiler free review of the film I recorded moments after seeing it.

I warned you ….. SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!  (but not the whole plot)

The first thing you should know is that I am a Mahesh Babu fan.  I’ve seen several of his films, and my favorites are probably Athadu (killer disarmed by love!) and Pokiri.  Unfortunately, my first Mahesh Babu film in the theater was last year’s flop Brahmatsovam.   It’s been a long wait for the next Mahesh film, over a year.  I think he took the lessons from that flop, and hooked up with a quality director.  My friend Kartik even sent me a quote from Mahesh about that flop:

So anticipation has been sky high for this film Spyder.  Expectations, too.  I felt it was a decent film.  Not perfect, but it had some notable sequences that were unique and something fresh I had not seen before.

I walked out of the theater satisfied, and I was surprised that several young men who cared enough to come to the very first 2 p.m. show were disappointed.  Maybe the hype was so high nothing would have been enough.  They said the second half was not a “practical” plot.  I think they wanted a more grounded story, like Pokiri or Athadu.  From the trailer we could see there would be huge boulder rolling down a street crushing cars — and that sequence was certainly in the film.  The last half felt almost like a disaster movie or a superhero film with buildings collapsing and villains wanting to crush people with huge boulders!  So, not realistic, but it didn’t bother me one bit.

Are all those village Telugu dramas with machete fights with one hero fighting 20 men realistic either?

AR Murugadoss set up a tight cat and mouse thriller between Mahesh and our big villain.  Mahesh is some sort of spy analyst.  I got the sense he worked in the equivalent of the Indian FBI.  He’s monitoring phone conversations ostensibly looking for terrorists and the like, but almost like Minority Report he prides himself on preventing crimes before they happen based on something he’s overheard.  He saves a young girl from being robbed and dishonored by a goon who has convinced her he’s going to marry her out of town.

But then a girl he overhears being scared in an empty house is murdered savagely, along with the woman cop he dispatched to check on her.  And that sends Mahesh into a crisis, and then ultimately on a solo quest to find their killer.

Mahesh Babu, Rakul Preet Singh @ Spyder Shooting Spot Images

In the first half, we get a tiny little romance track with the adorable Rakul Preet Singh. He overhears her discussing wanting a “blind date” and I think wanting a friends with benefits situation (something that maybe didn’t translate fully in the subtitles).  He stalks her a bit, and she confronts him on it.  But she eventually agrees if he’s not in love with her it will be okay for them to go out.  There is a hilarious scene where she tries to explain this to Mahesh’s mother — who warns Rakul Mahesh is shy, just like his father.  “It took four years of marriage for my son to be born!”  LOL

There are a few flight of fantasy songs that show their feelings for each other, and a bit of their relationship.  The first song, Boom Boom, I liked much better in the film, than in the teaser snippets we saw.   That’s the first song, and for some reason has all white girl back up dancers!

When Mahesh goes on a hunt for the killer, he uses a viral video to try to find someone who’s seen him.  This film has a lot of cool use of technology, with scenes of Mahesh monitoring real time cell phone calls, searching through CCTV footage and the like.  It was all very clever, and kind of scary to think how much info these agencies can gather.  There’s a speech in the beginning that the analysts in Mahesh’s office are not to monitor calls for personal reasons, but obviously Mahesh breaks that by listening in and researching Rakul!

The back story of the villain was super creepy and really unique.  I’ve never seen anything like it, as an origin for a sociopath serial killer.  While other reviewers may quibble that this took time away from the main story and slowed down the film, I really liked this segment of the movie.  That kid was a good actor — good at being super creepy and evil!!

There are actually two villains.  Won’t spoiler why, but they were both good.  Bharat is one, but the big bad is played by S. J. Surya.  He was mostly excellent playing this sociopath killer.  There was on interrogation scene where he really gets crazy and it was over the top for me, but especially this scene above with the mask.  Whew!  So good at being evil.

At times in the second half, it felt like he was becoming an over sized super villain like in a comic book movie, though.  Maybe that’s what those young men at my screening were complaining about.  That and the rolling boulder of doom.

The first half of the film was really good, but there were some logical misses in the plot of the second half.  Rakul not telling Mahesh something crucial because she was in a snit with him was egregious.  Really?  You’re not going to help catch the murderer because you’re mad at your boyfriend?  And there were times Mahesh went alone into a situation when it would have been more realistic if he’d had back up.

There was one segment where he fooled a bunch of ladies who were watching a soap into helping him find a fugitive.  It went on for a long stretch and was pretty over the top, too.  But I do have to acknowledge to Mr. Murugadoss that I have never seen the like!

The CGI in a couple of crucial action scenes was not seamless, but I found the roller coaster fight scene incredible anyway.  Just the concept of it alone!  We get a snippet in the trailer but it was really something to see.  The ending has a building collapsing as Mahesh tries to save people.  That was another part that felt like this was a disaster movie rather than a grounded thriller.  But, still, the film didn’t end with the cliched fight sequence in an abandoned factory.

Mahesh has a preachy speech at the end about humanity and helping others without expecting rewards.  A bit long, and kind of a weird note to end the film on.

There’s also some plot holes as to how Mahesh is just going rogue in his job.  He doesn’t follow privacy rules AT ALL and gets all his buddies to just give him info for his solo investigation.  He’s working around the police and just ignoring their efforts.  He also kills one guy in front of a huge crowd, and seemingly has no repercussions at work or otherwise  It was definitely a take the law into your own hands kind of movie.  I was disturbed at that cold killing scene.  Mahesh’s character just has his own morality compass.  He’s the hero, so he’s always right.  Definitely not an examination of two sides like Vikram Vedha.

The background score by Harris Jayaraj was incredible.  It kept the tension taught throughout the film.  I have an issue with thrillers that don’t have good enough music to set the mood (Ahem, Malayalam thrillers….),  This score was a standout.

For the most part, AR Murugadoss has given us an exciting thriller with a great villain.  Mahesh just looks so cool in all the action scenes.  He has a couple of great fight segments.  Even the Boom Boom dance number sort of had fight choreography.  I liked Mahesh and Rakul’s chemistry in the songs and their sweet romance, although that isn’t the thrust of the film.  It’s mainly there as some nice comic relief from the darkness in the rest of the film.

Mahesh reacts emotionally to the death of the young girl and police officer in the first part of the film, but other than that does not show the range of emotion that he has in other films.  It wasn’t there in the script for him to do.  The film did have more of a story than a strictly action film like Vivegam, but didn’t pack the emotional punch I usually like in Telugu films.  Still, I left satisfied that I’d had a good rollercoaster ride of my own.

Another unique aspect to the film is that it was filmed in Telugu AND Tamil.  Mahesh is fluent in both languages, so they filmed each scene twice!  I attended the Telugu version (with subtitles, of course.)

  Movie Review #Spyder with some spoilers by @moviemavengal If you haven't seen Spyder, and want no spoilers before you see it, watch this spoiler free review��