[Modern Family] Ch: 26 [Brains, Fans, and Kiss] (Patreon)

AN: Didn't get time to edit. Let me know if you find any mistakes.

==

For the next few hours, Jason actually kept his promise and behaved himself.

He and Alex moved through the museum at a slow pace, stopping at the interactive displays, old photographs, recorded interviews, historical documents, and exhibits about prejudice, discrimination, civil rights, propaganda, and how people reacted during major social conflicts. Some areas let visitors make choices during different scenarios before showing the possible consequences.

Alex read almost everything.

Jason kept up surprisingly well.

Every now and then, Alex caught him staring at a date, name, or fact for slightly too long, and she immediately knew he was saving it for their quiz later. Jason noticed her doing exactly the same thing.

Neither of them mentioned it.

By the time they finished going through the main sections, watched a few short presentations, and went back to one exhibit Alex wanted to check again, Jason finally looked at his watch.

Almost three in the afternoon.

They stepped outside into the warm Los Angeles air, and Jason stretched both arms above his head. “You know, when you said you wanted to choose our second date, I really wasn’t expecting an educational endurance test.”

Alex adjusted the strap of her bag as they started walking. “You agreed to the museum without complaint, and the quiz was entirely your suggestion. You are responsible for your current situation.”

Jason looked at her. “I’m starting to regret creating rules against myself.”

“You should have considered that before challenging me.”

Jason nodded slowly. “There’s the confidence I was waiting for.”

Alex gave him a small smile. “Confidence is reasonable when it is supported by evidence.”

Jason laughed. “And somehow you made trash talk sound academic. But, thanks to you, I learned something new.”

..

<Alex's Commentary>

Alex sat with her hands folded neatly across her lap, though the small smile on her face kept ruining any attempt to look completely serious.

“I already knew Jason was intelligent, so that part wasn’t exactly a revelation. What I didn’t know was whether he could spend several hours doing something I enjoy without getting bored, making stupid jokes every thirty seconds, or acting like I dragged him into academic prison.”

Her smile grew slightly.

“He actually paid attention. He read the exhibits, asked reasonable questions, and somehow kept up with me without turning everything into a competition.”

Alex paused and adjusted a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well, technically, he did turn it into a competition when he suggested the quiz.”

She looked away briefly before another smile appeared.

“That was surprisingly hot.”

A short silence followed while Alex clearly reconsidered how much she wanted to admit.

“I mean, most guys would probably suggest making out behind the museum or something equally predictable. Jason looked at me and basically said, ‘Let’s memorize everything and compete later.’”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly.

“That apparently works on me... Like really works on me.”

Alex shifted in her seat and tried to regain some dignity.

“And the winner gets to ask the loser for one thing within reasonable limits, which sounded perfectly innocent when he suggested it.”

She paused again.

“Then I started thinking about what I might ask for.”

Her cheeks warmed slightly.

“Those thoughts became considerably less academic and more on the side of... 'it might get dirty'... if you know what I mean.”

Alex cleared her throat and straightened her posture.

“Anyway, Haley said he’d eventually get bored whenever I picked something educational.”

A satisfied little smile appeared.

“She was wrong.”

<Alex's Commentary End>

..

Alex smiled, happy that he didn’t ditch her or make too much fun of her date choice. She would also get to prove Haley wrong when she got home.

They walked down the sidewalk for another minute before Jason placed one hand over his stomach.

“Okay, quiz later because I’m starving.”

Alex nodded immediately. “I agree. We have been here for several hours, and I am becoming considerably less interested in historical education than I am in lunch.”

Jason glanced at her. “That might be the most casual thing you’ve said all day.”

“It was still grammatically correct.”

“Of course it was.”

They didn’t have to walk far.

Just around the block from the museum, they found a small cafe sitting on the corner with large windows, a few outdoor tables, and a chalkboard near the entrance advertising lunch specials.

Jason looked through the window.

“Looks busy enough that the food probably won’t kill us.”

Alex looked at him. “That is an extremely low standard for choosing a restaurant.”

“I’ve survived worse standards.”

Jason opened the door for her, and Alex walked inside.

The cafe smelled like grilled meat, coffee, fresh bread, and something sweet coming from behind the counter. A display case beside the register held cakes, fruit cups, sandwiches, and a few desserts that immediately got Jason’s attention.

They spent a couple of minutes checking the menu.

Alex ordered a grilled chicken panini with mozzarella, tomato, spinach, and pesto. She added a bowl of tomato basil soup and a fresh lemonade.

Jason went with a bacon cheeseburger loaded with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, and cheese, along with seasoned fries and an iced coffee.

Then both of them stared at the dessert case.

Jason pointed toward a thick slice of chocolate cheesecake.

“We’re splitting that.”

Alex looked at the slice. “I was going to suggest the same thing.”

Jason smiled. “See? Relationship compatibility confirmed.”

“One shared dessert does not qualify as reliable evidence.”

“It’s enough evidence for me.”

Jason paid while Alex picked up the numbered table marker.

They moved away from the counter and started looking for somewhere to sit. Most of the cafe was full, though one couple near the window looked like they were getting ready to leave.

Jason pointed toward the area.

“That table should open up soon.”

Before they could move toward it, someone suddenly stopped beside him.

Jason turned.

A guy around eighteen or nineteen stood there holding a soda. He wore faded jeans, sneakers, and a dark gaming shirt. At first, he just stared at Jason like he was trying to place his face.

Then his eyes widened. “Wait! You’re The Grid, right?”

Jason froze.

Alex slowly turned toward him.

Jason looked at the guy, then at Alex, before looking back. “Uh... yeah. That’s me.”

The guy’s face lit up immediately. “Holy crap, dude! I knew it. I watch your videos.”

Jason blinked, then smiled.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah! I found your channel from that hardest boss fights video.”

Jason immediately held out his hand. “Man, that’s awesome. Thanks for watching.”

The guy shook it quickly. “My roommate and I watched your Sherlock Holmes streams too. We were arguing about that cursed umbrella theory for like two days.”

Jason burst out laughing. “No way. That stupid umbrella actually escaped the stream?”

The fan laughed. “Dude, people were talking about it on a forum.”

Jason looked genuinely horrified. “I accidentally created umbrella lore.”

Alex looked between them. “I am beginning to regret asking what the cursed umbrella was.”

Jason turned toward her. “You had to be there.”

“I am perfectly comfortable with having missed it.”

The guy laughed again before looking back at Jason. “Your worst games video was hilarious too. Putting Larry at number one started a whole argument on this forum I use.”

Jason grinned. “Good. That means it worked.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You deliberately wanted people to argue?”

Jason glanced toward her. “I wanted passionate discussion.”

“That sounds suspiciously like a convenient euphemism.”

Jason placed one hand against his chest. “I’m an artist. Please respect the process.”

Alex gave him a calm look. “You reviewed terrible video games and encouraged strangers to fight about rankings.”

“Exactly. Art.”

The fan laughed hard enough that a few people nearby looked over. “Man, this is crazy. I’ve never actually met someone from YouTube before.”

Jason scratched the back of his neck. “Honestly, I’ve never had somebody recognize me outside before either, so this is kinda new for me too.”

The guy looked even more excited.

“Can I get a picture with you?”

Jason paused for half a second.

Then his smile came back.

“Yeah, sure.”

The guy pulled out his phone and looked toward Alex.

“Would you mind taking it?”

Alex accepted the phone. “Certainly.”

Jason moved beside the fan while Alex stepped back slightly.

“Try not to make me look terrible,” Jason said.

Alex looked at the screen. “That depends on how cooperative your face intends to be.”

Jason pointed toward her. “That was mean.”

“It was accurate.”

She took two pictures, checked them, and handed the phone back.

The fan looked at them and smiled.

“Awesome. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Alex replied.

The guy looked back at Jason. “Seriously, keep making videos. Your commentary’s way better than all gaming stuff out there because you actually explain things instead of just screaming every five seconds. Love that man. Really appreciate all the hard work.”

That hit Jason harder than he expected. He smiled, though this time there was less joking behind it. “Thanks, man. Seriously. That’s pretty much exactly what I’m trying to do.”

The fan nodded. “I’ll catch the next stream.”

Jason lifted his hand slightly. “See you there.”

"Ah! I almost forgot. I'm Fred8900. My real name is Fred too. So, I'll leave you two alone now, or else I'll keep yapping on about games like what are you planning on streaming next?" Fred asked.

"I was thinking of playing Team Fortress 2 and maybe doing a couple of challenges tomorrow night," Jason replied.

"Cool, cool... I'll catch up then. See ya." The guy walked back toward another table, where two of his friends were already staring at Jason and whispering.

Jason stayed in place.

Alex watched him for a few seconds.

He slowly turned toward her.

“I just met a fan.”

Alex started walking toward the table that had just been cleaned. “You’ve got hundreds of subscribers, Jason. Statistically, you already had several fans before this afternoon.”

Jason followed her while still looking slightly stunned. “Yeah, but those were internet people. This one had legs.”

Alex stopped beside the table and stared at him.

Jason immediately realized what he had said.

“You know exactly what I meant.”

“I genuinely hope I do,” Alex replied as she sat down.

"Well, you better get used to it because in a couple of years, I'm gonna be world famous and there will be so many fans wanting to meet me and take pictures..." He sat down and looked lost in his happy thoughts. "...and I have to hire security guards..." He noticed Alex's amusing smile. "...Oh. You look happy."

Alex said, "Keep going."

"Oh, you think me yapping on and lost in my dreams will give you an edge in the quiz, don't you?" Jason said with a confident look as he leaned forward. "Come closer, let me tell you a secret."

Alex got curious and leaned forward. Their faces were really close.

"You look really hot in those glasses. God knows I've imagined certain things about you. And now I'm gonna kiss you." He touched her chin and looked into her eyes. "Close your eyes."

Alex's heart was hammering like a jackhammer. 'I'm a hottie.' She closed her eyes.

Jason softly kissed her. It was a simple lip kiss. When he pulled back, Alex was stunned and felt a little dizzy. She smiled and blushed and realized...

"You did that to break my concentration, didn't you?" She narrowed her eyes. 

"Think whatever you want. I just told you the truth," Jason said with a smirk as their order arrived. 

"Uh-huh. By the way, what did you imagine about me?" Alex asked. 

"Win the quiz and ask me for a demo or the truth," Jason winked.