Screen Burn

Episode 18

"They're lovers," Mateo declared, studying the two men on Jake's laptop screen.

"What are you even basing this assumption on? Bucky just shot Steve."

"So maybe their foreplay is a little violent. Can't you see the way they look at each other? Bucky has his seductive gaze and Steve constantly looks like the heart-eyes emoji around him."

"Bucky doesn't even know who Steve is yet," Jake pointed out, still not convinced.

"But he likes what he sees. Who wouldn't? Chris Evans' shoulder-waist ratio makes me swoon."

"I prefer Scarlett Johansson."

"Forget that you're straight for just a moment and tell me which one you'd do. Steve or Bucky?"

"That is a ridiculous question," Jake protested, unable to conceive a world where he wouldn't be straight.

"I just want to know whether straight boys realize how gorgeous he is."

"Well... I'd choose Bucky then. I'm attracted to dark, brooding characters and Sebastian Stan does a pretty good job of playing one."

"Interesting. I thought you'd go for the golden boy for sure."

"Why?"

"You're too sheltered to understand tortured characters," Mateo answered, shugging.

"And you aren't?"

Mateo simply raised an eyebrow in response. This move conveyed the message that he didn't want to utter. Mateo's life differed from Jake's, as he had suffered more than Jake ever had. He had been forced to drop out of college to pay the bills his mother couldn't, while his father was in prison. Not only did he have a mental disorder, but he also lacked some of the resources required to combat it.

"Did you know there are quite a few people who ship Stucky?" Jake asked, trying to change the topic in order to make Mateo feel more comfortable. "Some of them even write fanfiction."

"Fanfiction?"

"Their own stories about Stucky, which they post online, most commonly on Archive of Our Own."

"Can you find smut on this website?" Mateo questioned, a wicked smile on his face.

"A lot of it."

Mateo made a pleased sound, reminding Jake of a purring cat.

"Please don't tell me you're going to read that."

"It would still be better than some of the Marvel movies."

"Age of Ultron was quite disappointing," Jake agreed.

"Reducing Black Widow to a love interest was where they lost me."

"There were a lot of problems with the movie. Using Pietro's death to shock viewers was a cheap move."

"Also, the lack of racial diversity, and using black men as sidekicks to escape criticism did not sit well with me," Mateo added.

"You know, when I invited you over to watch superhero movies, I did not expect to develop a hatred for some of them."

"Sorry, but not really. I'm just so used to seeing white, heterosexual people as superheroes that I can't help but complain. The comics have changed to get with the times but writers, directors and those who cast actors for movies still refuse to do the same."

"At least Deadpool is going to be depicted as pansexual in the movie as well," Jake commented.

He had been quite surprised to hear the news. He had assumed that the writers would avoid the topic of the hero's sexuality or write scenes that only depicted him as a straight character. The conversation with Colin that he'd had once came to his mind. Perhaps this movie could inspire other people to write characters that were diverse and had depth as well.