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Entry tags:	defeating commander jonathan johnson, original

Thank you, everyone.

Defeating Commander Jonathan Johnson, Mission Twelve

Author: Mushroom
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers:
luinthoniel for being the first person who even bothered to read this.
chastity_rowan for the initial ideas.
chameme for coining “The Liberation Frontier of Showers”
My brother for the nonsensical words that created a new world and language.
Notes: Thank you for all those who supported this series. May the Force be with you. Always. This series has always been one big metaphor of my life, so I hope you understand the symbolisms brought about by the geek boy and his lover.




MISSION TWELVE: FINAL FLIGHT


***


“Sam struggled with his own weariness, and he took Frodo’s hand.”- Return of the King






Love made Dave Austin an artist, a public speaker, a counselor, a cosplayer, and a space hero.

Not only that, he wanted to play hockey as well.

Dave left the room at exactly three o’ clock a.m. It was freezing outside so he grabbed Colin’s parka (without even noticing it) and tucked it under his arm. He did not wear it. It wasn’t his.

The young man bounded down the staircase in a somber mood, his steps creating a soft noise. Dave Austin’s pace was hurried but his face exuded a mysterious sort of peacefulness, as if his questions were all answered, in bright paper that was laid before his eyes. Dave Austin looked strong and proud and—if you look closely—quite handsome. The mousy brown hair of his wall-merging days became a shade of chocolate, the kind you’d like to dip your fingers into and lick them clean afterwards, in the most shocking of ways. These are the after-effects of realization. (A procedure that would highly benefit those who wish to become good-looking, but only a few recognize it.)

Dave was whistling the Power Rangers theme song. It tickled him in such a way that he began to laugh at himself.

He finally reached the open road behind the row of apartments, the place where he secretly watched the street hockey players in their games and practices. This time the field was empty, save for a few open garbage cans.

He stepped through the gate just as Colin landed on his butt.

“OUCH!!! Oowww…” The redhead whimpered and rubbed his aching bottom, only to slip and drop on the wet pavement once more.

This time Colin remained seated, with a brilliant pout on his face. Dave’s hockey stick was close to his chest, and he wiped it with his sleeve in an attempt to remove the muck.

“Colin,” Dave breathed.

The freckled boy jumped and spun around so quickly that you could see his eyes widen animatedly. “Oh. I borrowed this for a while,” he placed the hockey stick gently in front of him, and looked at it with guilty eyes. “…is it okay?”

The self-hatred flared up again as Dave Austin looked at Colin’s thin figure, but his pride made him pretend that he did not notice.

“You need more practice. Your buttocks have a dangerous attraction to the floor.” Dave placed the parka on Colin’s shoulders and urged him to stand up. (The first contact of skin against skin made both men smile involuntarily.) They both sat down on one of the empty benches, with a humble distance between them. Dave was holding a Commander Jonathan Johnson issue in his hands, and was leafing through the pages silently.

He spoke brokenly after a pregnant pause. “You didn’t tell me he died.”

Colin laughed, and it was foreign. “Wonderful, isn’t it? Nobody expected it would happen. I didn’t, and I’m supposed to be a Liberation-phile. The story’s much better that way, so I have no regrets.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

The other nodded rapturously. “Yes. Anyway, he’s not dead exactly. It says here…” Colin flipped the pages of the final edition himself and pointed at the last page, “…that the Commander sacrificed himself in order to save planet Earth, and the whole ship exploded. It only ends there. Who knows, he might be alive! He’s super-powerful, anyway!”

A huge bomb coded InfinityX30 was planted inside the Chambalatra 300 after their infiltration of the Kaldop base, in Mr. Coreslayer’s final attempt in destroying the Terrestrial Forces once and for all. The Crompay Alpha AMP fleet realized this too late, and had no choice but to veer the ship in another direction before it entered the Earth’s surface.

The Commander ordered his fleet to save themselves as his last wish. He maneuvered the Chambalatra 500 himself, the gift of the Earth Army to him when he attained his superior ranking.

(Commander Jonathan Johnson of the Crompay AlphaAMP X13-0GB fleet wasn’t perfect. He was beatable. He was human; he had lives to protect, and a life to live. Blowing up into fragments of space rubble wasn’t the most wonderful of deaths, but it made him even more heroic than ever. Dave Austin thought that he would be happy if his rival vanished, but now he came to respect the Commander and even admire him. Because nothing is lovelier than forgiving yourself and the man that reminds you of you.

Commander Jonathan Johnson was defeated at last. Not by Dave Austin, not by the Kaldops, not by Mr. Coreslayer and the Doom-jecters. Not by Death.

He was defeated by his eagerness to save. He was the loser that conquered in life.

It was a defeat worthy of honor.)

No wonder Colin loves him. His love for Jonafuck is more twisted than I expected. Jonafuck was spoken out of habit, and with a definite association.

“…And if he’s alive, where would he be?” Dave entertained Colin; he was now brave enough to move closer to his friend by a few inches.

“…He’s somewhere.” Colin whispered. “I can feel him.”

“You feel him.” Dave echoed, edging closer.

“Affirmative,” Colin said, and his shivering ceased.

“Where is he?”

Closer.

“…He’s very near.”

The frosty air dissipated when their knees touched.

Dave closed the graphic novel and sighed. “I read all of the novels just a while ago, when the room was empty. First time I actually read something seriously. This is good stuff, this Liberation Frontier of Showers. The surface is difficult to understand, but now I know. I should’ve read this long ago, to save myself from my latest stupidity.”

Colin placed his hands on his knees and smiled, looking towards the horizon. “I thought that if I interacted with people who were like me, I would feel a sense of security. I was feeling so lost these months. Since people tease me and make fun of me loads of times, why don’t I join those who are geeks as well? I didn’t know they would also be so…so discriminatory. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard what they called you, Dave. I eavesdropped in one of their secret talks, and they were calling us names. They were saying that our…relationship is disgusting.”

Dave made a squeaky noise.

Colin looked at him softly. “…Everyone’s been saying that, huh? I didn’t even know. I bet you did. Oh poor Dave, you were the only one who had to hear all the things everyone was saying about us.”

Dave shrugged. “I’m used to it. Besides, who cares about them, anyway?”

“That’s right!” The redhead pumped his fist into the air with a crazed grin. “I don’t think our relationship’s disgusting! I think that it’s COOL!” Dave laughed and tried to stop him from standing up and losing his balance. After a few minutes of crazy shouts of “We’re COOL!” and “We RULE!” They both settled down on the bench again (one of the apartment windows were shut snappily; apparently a neighbor was awakened by the rude noise of pesky teenagers). This was the power of youth in all its glory.

Dave and Colin finally sat down and stifled their laughter by sucking their cheeks, and it only made them laugh hysterically again because of their expressions. Then came the awkward silence; both friends missed each other so much, and they wanted to talk the whole night and probably for many, many nights, but they were rendered wordless at the best moment.

“I was so lonely,” Colin whispered. “…When I heard it too late.”

Dave wanted to beat himself up for being too silent for so long. Colin had the right to know what the people thought of him. He remained oblivious all these weeks while the rest of the world laughed behind his back. Dave thought he was protecting him that way, but it only caused confusion in the end.

Dave stood up and shook his head furiously. “There’s no time for loneliness, because time should be spent happily! Yes, we wasted enough time. Don’t worry Cole, I’ll never tease you when you read Jonafuck again! I know he makes you happy, and I wish you happiness. I always have been. It’s my—I know you’ll think I’m the biggest weirdo in the universe if I say this—pleasure to see you smile like an idiot. I’m sadistic that way.”

His face held the rich color of crimson as he held out a poster for Colin. “Anyway, here’s a Commander Whatsit poster for you. When you feel sad, you can stare at his abs, they’re splendid. I was staring at it a while ago, and he made me feel good…sorta. (Not THAT kind of good, though.) It feels good to know that he’s triumphed after…after all the crap that happened to him. I didn’t know he went through a lot. So, anyway…this man deserves all your love, Colin. He’s worthy of all the praise and devotion his fans give him. The Commander wasn’t born victorious; he trudged in muddy slopes and laser-eyeballs to grab victory. I think that’s just beautiful. I don’t even deserve wearing his costume (who knew that spandex was flame-thrower-safe?). So!” The poster was unrolled on Colin’s lap, and Commander Jonathan grinned at the two friends suggestively.

“There,” Dave smiled. “He should make you happy now.”

“Oh, I already have this poster…” With this remark Dave’s jaw fell, “…and I stare at it everyday. You’re right, he’s just so magnificent to behold, isn’t he?”

Dave stared in silence.

Colin rolled up the poster and rested his chin on his palms. “…And then…I stopped looking. I mean, I love him, but it’s just so tiring to be staring at him all day! I mean, it could help if he stared back with the same passion, if he...if I could feel him near me, as near as now, and…maybe, if he touched me…would I be happy? Yes I would, if he touched me. Actually, it doesn’t matter who touches me. It could be anyone; I’ll give that person the best smile I’ve practiced since I was three years old. It could be anyone, but nobody would even dare, I mean, who would dare…but I would love to be touched, even for just a while.”

Of course, it was the best time for Dave to show his touching skills.

All his secret frustrations and troubles—hours of waiting in line at department stores and playing tug-of-war with kids aged eleven and below for the latest Zoids toy—were centered on his eager hand, the hand that placed itself on Colin’s. It was a very convenient skill during cold weather; there were fingers that entwined, a process as natural as breathing on the redhead’s ear and falling in love with a geek boy.

This set him apart from the Commander, no matter how similar they seemed. Because in the end, Dave Austin could touch Colin Gulliver’s hand, could read him bedtime stories, could offer him tickets. This was the happiness no one else could give.

“I thought that you reminded me of the Commander so much, that’s why I forced you to wear the costume. You were the perfect Commander Jonathan Johnson! Gee, it was the other way around, after all!” Colin laughed again, and then blushed. “…You look good in the costume, you know. No matter what they say. I left the guild, and they all hated me for it. What am I saying?!”

All of a sudden Colin’s face was so red he looked quite adorable. “I mean, who cares about them anyway? They don’t care about me, they never did. They only found me worthy when I answered the entrance test (they were full of Liberation questions, so of course I knew everything!) and had a perfect score, and when they borrowed all my stuff. The guild thought I was a good asset for their team once the competitions come.” Colin started babbling to cover up his embarrassment, and the other squeezed his hand encouragingly.

“…Oh, did you get the backpack?” Dave said conversationally, going red in the face as well. Hands weren’t withdrawn.

Colin nodded shyly and showed him the prize, a black backpack that could be seen in any store. “Our team won. Of course we did. I know I went all mad because you didn’t act like Commander Jonathan Johnson in the role play, when what you did was probably what he would’ve done given the situation. I was so stupid back then. Am I making sense? Oh gee, I don’t know what I’m saying anymore—“

“Colin!”

“Oh!”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

(Apologizing is so hard to do, but once you talk to the person, and you miss him so much, everything you wanted to say just keeps on coming like a relentless storm.)

“There’s something else too. But I’m too dumb to say it.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry pretty much sums up everything, doesn’t it?”

“Not really. Not much. Errr…not yet.”

“Ouch.”

“What is it?”

Colin had a pained expression. “My butt still hurts.”

“Want me to make the pain go away?” Dave wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.

The other threatened to move away, and Dave pulled him back again with a second apology (accompanied with snickers).

“Remember the last time you slept in our bed?” Colin began. “After the Sci-fi con?”

“Yep. Sorry for rumpling the sheets…I was too tired to change, and I wanted to leave as soon as possible. You were awake when I left. Did I wake you?”

Colin shook his head charmingly. “No. I was listening to you. Did you know that you talk when you sleep?”

“Yeah. My mom thinks it’s so hilarious. She even records it for fun and listens to the tape with all our visitors. They leave the house scarred and disturbed.”

“Well, I learned lots of things about you. Maybe I should stay up all morning to learn all your SECRETS!” Colin grinned blushingly.

“Oh? What was I saying?” Dave rubbed his palms and cleared his throat in mock anticipation.

“Y-you were saying something like, ‘Colin, dearest! The toaster’s on fire!’”

Dave vaguely remembered Colin in an apron and him in a business suit, and felt sick in the stomach. THAT WAS ONE OF MY DOMESTIC DREAMS!!!! THE DREAMS WITH THE KITCHENS AND FIRE PLACES AND THE MINI-COLINS AND MINI-DAVES RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE!!! WHAT THE FUCK—

Colin started making wild gesticulations with his free hand. “There were some stuff I didn’t understand, coz you were mumbling and all, but then next was, ‘Honey, I’m taking FIFI with me to work’. I felt pretty bad.”

“Fifi’s the Golden Retriever!” Dave whispered, horrified.

His best friend’s face lit up, literally. “So Fifi’s a DOG! What else do we have in the dream besides a burning toaster?”

My years of dreaming in Victorian houses are finally exposed to the world. OH MY LORD. “It’s a Victorian home. There are two bedrooms. Errrr…” The situation was so awkward; Dave could see Colin blushing with a hilarious face, so he shut his mouth completely to stop himself from blurting out his fantasies of honey moons and second honey moons and nice, spacious bedrooms….

This was a wonderful time for confessing, now that both boys sported flushed faces and violent heartbeats. Dave recalled loving Colin for years in his memories; the various sacrifices and daredevil stunts he had to go through, and the different smiles Colin gave him in return. Those smiles were of relief, joy, and utter madness…and they were all delicious in the first taste.

“S-so, you p-probably like…uhhh…know what’s been going on these past days—err years.” Dave shuffled his feet and tried his best to keep a straight face when all he wanted to do was to bolt home, “And uh…I know it’s not the best way to call it, but I fancy you a bit, no a LOT, and it’s been going on since forever, and you can tell me to shut up now, because we’re best friends, and best friends don’t fancy each other, even if you’re brilliant. That is, love. Uhh, I love you.” The last words came out a gurgle, and the poor confessor started coughing madly afterwards.

The coughing fit lasted for a good whole three minutes, then Dave was finally tamed with a big whack on the back (courtesy of his one and only love). Dave Austin couldn’t believe he just blurted years of love like some frazzled teenager, so he gave Colin a weak smile and thought of years of pain and suffering as soon as they both got home.

Colin nodded understandingly, and the shy blush was replaced with a knowing smile. With this Dave knew.

“Oh Dave! This…this thing between us…can we postpone it for a bit?” The redhead whispered softly. “Sure, it’s there, and we can’t ignore it. And I don’t plan to. I like knowing and feeling that it’s there…it makes me glad. But I’m several steps away from grasping just…just HOW it all happened, and the years of my unawareness are finally taking its toll. I spent nights thinking about it and beating myself up, but I still haven’t recovered from the shock yet. You do understand, right Lieutenant?”

The wind blew furiously as the night aged, and Dave Austin thought he couldn’t stand another wait. But Colin’s hands were so warm, and his face was full of passion, that he forgot about his own reasons and finally—slowly and surely—returned to his patient, everyday, Dave Austin self.

The brown-haired boy. “What’s another year? I’m Super-man.”

“Yes. And you’re Dave Austin.”

A smirk. “That sounds cool.”

The shorter boy sighed in relief and winked. “I’m going to do the things you like, Dave. That’s why I’ve been practicing hockey. You’ve been to my conventions, so I’ll go to your games. I want to know you. I want to know everything, if possible. The stuff we do alone…let’s do them together.”

A secret handshake and the clasping of hands followed shortly. Dave Austin, in his love-struck adolescence, would’ve liked to embrace Colin and kiss him, but the wanting vanished (and would only come back months later) when they held hands. Both were afraid to discover other things, seeing as the mere act of holding hands was something too important to disrupt, and pushing things further might prove uncomfortable. Dave and Colin were quite happy just feeling each other’s fingers, discussing things they liked, and pressing their foreheads together with smiles. It was like being lost in space.

There will come a time wherein Colin would wake up, then going to movies would be more like dating, holding hands would become a desperate need, and sleeping on the same bed would become the biggest problem they would ever face in their entire life, for hormones are anxious to be satisfied in the male world.

Then the society would get used to such display of love, and will go on their busy lives. They will obsess over Hollywood stars, dance music, and latest romantic get-aways, and ignore the mystifying, complex and cohesive force between the two best friends. It was gravity, and no one can fight it. Dave and Colin would be just two boys who were quite different, so they resumed their daily routine of blending with the crowd. Of course, both boys would be discreet, never wanting to expose their secret, but instead showing it to the stars. Anonymity was a privilege they kept and nourished.

There will come a time when the two boys would grow, and they would fight sometimes, and make up. Some of the posters will be taken off and be replaced with newer ones, they will move out into another spacious room, and they’ll learn more things about each other; past boyish hobbies, other relatives, scents, flavors, Dave’s obsession with slim, Colin-ized feet, and a birthmark found on Colin’s inner thigh. The methods towards discovery were carefully implemented, and were never found by accident.

There will come a time, yes, but it will not come today. Both boys—one a former nobody, and the other one who never grew up—were perfectly fine just feeling each other’s heat. The future of a geek boy and his lover is something one can only imagine.


***


Meanwhile, somewhere beyond the skies, the Legendary Commander Jonathan Johnson floated aimlessly in the vast darkness of the universe, lost in the realm of heavenly bodies and space debris. Nobody knows if he is alive, dead, or a soul without a body. His gleaming outfit shined like one of the million stars surrounding him.

The Commander looked down at the planet he saved and smiled at nothing in particular.


***




MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

***

COME BACK SOON, SPACE RANGER JONATHAN JOHNSON!






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And so it came to pass that they’ve reached their limitations and invaded the R2-D2 bed comforters after the previous night, wherein both boys were too awake to pretend to be asleep. That was the evening after the time they watched The Liberation Frontier of Showers the MOVIE, and were completely moved by it. It was like watching a childhood fantasy once more, and the director succeeded in keeping the elements of the graphic novel to the big screen, even with his own interpretations.

That night, they just knew.

There was an embrace that lasted for five minutes or so, then awkward silence. Dave asked if he can, and Colin replied with a ‘sure why not’, and they hugged again, this time with joy. Dave wondered what would happen if they pressed their lips together, and he expressed his wonder aloud. Colin replied with a ’why don’t we try it’, and so they did. It proved a joyous experience, so they tried other things liking biting earlobes and wrestling tongues and…and now we come back to the invasion of the R2-D2 comforters.

Commander Jonathan Johnson smiled at them from his poster, and the other action figures gaped in fascination. The manifestations of their teenage years watched both boys do things they’ve never dreamed of doing—no wait, that was a lie. Dave dreamt of those things.

Suddenly Colin reacted violently, and stabbed Dave on the eye with an elbow.

“THE FU—“

“Sorry Dave,” Colin whispered. “It’s just that—I have to—I can’t…”

Dave rubbed his eye and sighed. “It’s okay Cole, I understand if you’re not ready yet…” He looked up to see Colin facing the television set, holding the remote control with gleeful hands. He gaped.

“Oh Dave, I completely forgot that tonight is the showing of the LIBERATION FRONTIER OF SHOWERS TV SERIES!!!” Colin exclaimed with shining eyes. He turned his face back towards the screen and clapped his hands as the opening theme blared in stereo surround.

Dave Austin smirked and folded his arms across his chest. Commander Jonathan Johnson vanished without a trace, but his legend remained in the hearts of many, including Colin’s. He finally sat down a few inches behind Colin and rested his chin on the redhead’s freckled shoulder.

Commander Johnson’s legend. HIS legend.

The Commander rises again.

Dave Austin must prepare for the second coming.


***

X-rated Files, complete.

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