auf wiedersehen, darling (Jim/Karen)

[dollsome]

Title: Auf wiedersehen, darling
Pairing: Jim/Karen
Word Count: 372
Summary: Jim and Karen discover that The Sound of Music just isn't quite as cheerful when you're a grown-up.
Author's Note: For challenge #1, 'movies,' over at office500. WHICH WILL LIVE, DAMMIT! If only because I force it to. And, look, I'm blending my Elsa issues with my Karen issues! I've got mad skillz, y'all.




“Ouch,” Jim says through a mouthful of popcorn, shaking his head in pretend dismay. “Boarding school threats. Ice cold.”

Karen hasn’t seen The Sound of Music since she was ten, and it’s not like she was exactly broken up about that or anything, but it’s Sunday afternoon and apparently, they’re one of those really thrilling couples who can’t find anything better to do than watch ABC Family. (Which, if you want to know the truth, she doesn’t really mind. Lazy afternoons with Jim make this feel less like Scranton and more like home, whatever that means.)

“You know,” she decides after a moment’s consideration, “I think she gets a bad rep.”

“Oh yeah?”

Karen shrugs. “Well, yeah.”

“Enlighten me, Filippelli.” He turns to look at her when he says it, and there’s a little bit of a smile curling the corners of his mouth up.

“Well,” she says, and pulls her legs up onto the couch so she’s sitting criss-cross, her right knee over Jim’s leg, “it’s pretty obvious the Captain’s got all kinds of emotional issues, and Elsa’s the one who gets to have all the fun breaking down those barriers. And then as soon as all the hard work’s done, this cute little nun breezes on in and steals him away.” She pauses – for impact (and maybe so she can take a second to convince herself that she’s not paranoid or overidentifying or anything). “That sucks.”

Jim frowns a little. “I never really thought of it that way.”

“That’s okay,” she says, and doesn’t realize until afterward that it sounds like she’s forgiving him for an apology he didn’t even make. “I don’t think you’re supposed to.”

“But still,” Jim protests, and grimaces back at the TV screen. “Now this is just depressing.”

Karen bites her lower lip. “Yeah.”

They change the channel just as Maria’s coming back, because who needs shiny happy musical reunions when you’ve got reruns of That 70s Show? Jim chuckles along with the laugh track; the sound is warm and comfortable, and she feels so stupid for worrying in the first place. (And yet.) He wraps his arm around her like it’s the easiest thing in the world; she leans into him.

Comments

[honey-wheeler.livejournal.com]

You know, I was watching The Sound of Music when it was on the other weekend (like, uh, three times or something - whatever, I was avoiding studying for licensing exams!) and I realized I'd never noticed how royally screwed the poor Baroness got when I watched it as a kid. I mean, dude, sucksville for her, right? And poor Karen. Sigh.

All of which is to say: nicely done and *sniffle*.

[dollsome.livejournal.com]

It's tragic, isn't it?? I always liked the Baroness when I was little, because . . . she was pretty, and that's all it really took to make me happy, but then when I did the play last year and actually kinda got into her brain and stuff . . . it's upsetting! And unfair! And super-sucky! And that's how I managed to ship The Sound of Music wrong. I am almost talented in that way. ;-)

And, aw, thank you so much for reading!