March - Falsettos Oneshots

I'd Rather Be Sailing

A/N: Boats. 

"Whizzer, are you sure about this? What if we fall in," Marvin asks me, holding onto my arm nervously. I roll my eyes and shrug him off. Dejected, he drops his arm to his side and looks down, as if he were a little kid that had just been yelled at.

"You're not going to fall in. I've done this plenty of times, so just relax and sit down. I've got this." We've only been together for a month now, although Marvin continues to insist that it has been two. I don't fully trust him yet though. After all, he's still married with a child, and I'm hardly ready to be committed to a relationship, let alone with someone like him. This is one of our first real dates, which is only possible due to his wife taking their child to some sort of chess competition a few hours away. For a nine, almost ten year old, that kid must be smart. I wouldn't know, since he doesn't trust me enough to let me meet him. I guess as long as neither of us wants to open up, we'll be locked in a stalemate of some mistrust. But in any case, maybe this date will lead to the development of more feelings between us.

"I'm still worried. How long have you been a sailor exactly?" he questions shakily. He actually looks pretty scared. Funny, I've never seen him this worried before. For some reason, I want to comfort him, which is strange since I have never cared this much about any other partner before. Maybe he is the one. Slowly, I wrap my arms around him and place my head on the crook of his neck. Taken aback, he steps back, before relaxing and returning the embrace.

"It will be fine, and whether you believe me or not doesn't change that. Look, I'll make sure you don't fall in, and if you do, I'll save you. I've been doing this for a long time now. Ever since I was a kid. And I'm perfectly capable of protecting you," I say, kissing his cheek gently. I step back and hold his chin, forcing him to look me in the eyes. "You're safe with me."

Marvin takes a deep breath and nods, smiling what seems to be the most genuine smile I've ever seen from him. Expecting him to be ready to proceed, I turn around, but he rushes at me again, throwing his arms around my neck and simply holding me from behind. My heart starts racing as my brain stops working, and I stand rooted in place. It's not an unpleasant feeling, but it's definitely new. I think-I could be wrong, but I think this is what love feels like. I think I love this crazy, selfish, beautiful man. Though I don't approve of everything about him-like his hideous sense of style-I certainly love this.

Forcing myself to react, I lift my arms to hold his in place and lean back into his embrace. I close my eyes and let myself just be in the moment. After a while, which still feels way too short, we separate. I grab his hand and all but drag him to the boat, looking over my shoulder to flash a wide grin at him. He smiles back, though not nearly as excitedly, likely due to remaining nerves. Oh well. Releasing his hand (and almost immediately missing the warmth of it, though I would never admit that), I step onto the small sailboat I got last year. Meant to fit only one or two people, this beauty has never done me wrong, being the perfect option for a date night, and watching the sunset from the sea is one of my favourite things. Glancing up at the sky, I see that the sun is just about to make its descent past the buildings in the distance. Hurriedly, I nod at Marvin to join me, but he still seems hesitant. Maybe if I...

"Hey, Marvin. You can't seriously be afraid of a little boat?" I say in a mocking tone in an attempt to get him to man up and join me. He narrows his eyes and grits his teeth slightly. It's working. I just need a little more. "Aw, is Marvin afraid of a little water? Don't worry it won't bite." That's all I needed to get him to snap.

He rushes at me, successfully getting onto the boat. I let out a relieved sigh, but before I have much time to breathe, I notice that he's still advancing on me.

"M-Marvin?" I ask, my entire snobby demeanor fading as I see the level of pure rage in his eyes. I shrink down a bit, breathing shakily while I attempt to convince myself not to cry, out of fear that it would escalate the situation further. I'm not a person to let myself be scared, but right now I'm terrified.