Storybrooke OneShot – "Reduced Shakespeare"

Okay, I'm fairly certain this calls for a rather loud and enthusiastic disclaimer. I do not own YouTube, although I love it. I am not part of Reduced Shakespeare Company, although it would be amazing if I were. I am not Psy and therefore cannot take credit for Gangnam Style or its sick moves. And I am not a baby panda sneezing and scaring the crap out of its mother – I'm fairly certain pandas can't type. So please just don't sue me; I'm just a twenty-something year old who likes writing and being funny and making her characters look like idiots. And yes, I am aware that this is very short and in no way makes up for the fact that I still have not written the next chapter of Here and There. Honestly, this bit is purely for me. So…enjoy. :)

"'YouTube'? What fresh new horror is that?"

She sighed as she pulled him to her desk, bringing up the page in question from her favorites bar. "It's a website – you remember what I told you about those? – where people can upload videos of whatever they please. It's like television or a movie, but done by everyday people."

Hook still looked doubtful as he dragged a second chair next to hers and sat staring at the bright screen. "So…it can be about anything?"

Abby nodded enthusiastically, watching the video load anxiously. "Anything and everything. If it's possible, it's on YouTube. Now shush and watch." She turned to watch him rather than the screen as the familiar words began.

"Speak of me as I am, nothing extenuate, a one who loved not wisely, but too well. For never was there a story of more woe than this of Othello and his Desdemono! Uh! Uh! Oh! Ugh! Oh, Desi!" She chuckled, enjoying his reaction as Reduced Shakespeare Company's "Othello Rap" played out. It had become an amusing pastime of hers, to introduce him to something completely this worldly and observe his various reactions. From his apparent mirth and increasing smile, she could tell that this would be one of his more popular new toys.

As the laughter and applause of the screened audience came to a halt, Hook turned back to her, blue eyes vivid with amusement. She liked him best this way – bright, cheerful, amazed by whatever unusual tidbit she shared with him, and distracted from his various concerns and worries. He was often like this at night when they read, which was one reason why she allowed the activity to continue. Besides, he was an excellent reader and the whole venture was quite enjoyable overall.

"Well? What do you think?" she demanded.

"It was…interesting," he replied, half grinning as he so often did. She soon discovered that she was pleased to have caused it, a revelation she quickly pushed aside and ignored. The same was done to the slight fluttering in her stomach. "Are there others?"

"Other Reduced Shakespeare's? Loads. Here, let me find a good one…" She glanced at the screen, scrolling down and reading the titles as she went. Finding an appropriate choice, she clicked and let it load, hitting play once it had finished.

They spent much of the afternoon in such a state, Hook demanding more and Abby obliging. The topics of the clips spanned beyond Abby's original repertoire, introducing the man to a wide variety of pop culture favorites. She delighted in his near constant awe. It wasn't until much later, when Emma cracked the door to the study open to peer in, that their companionable interaction was interrupted.

Hook lay collapsed on the desk's surface, wheezing as he attempted to breathe through his heavy laughter. Abby's state wasn't much better as she slumped back in her seat, wiping the tears from her eyes as he brokenly muttered.

"It just…sneezed…and…and then the mother…" His words were cut off by another round of giggles from Abby, sending him back into hysterics. The two hadn't even noticed Emma's entrance, and when she spoke, she sounded highly amused.

"What on Earth are you two doing?" she cried over their noise, finally pulling their attentions from the screen. Hook's only response was a grin and further laughter, leaving Abby to explain.

"I was showing Hook YouTube," she stated, watching as the man reached for the mouse to click replay. She was nearly drowned out by his cries of mirth as he watched the video once more. "It seems he's a fan!"

Laughing, Emma shook her head. "You're ridiculous, the both of you. Come on, we're meeting Henry, Mary Margaret, and David at Granny's in five minutes. Pull yourselves together and let's go!"

Pulling them both to their feet, Abby yanked Hook away from the screen, closing the laptop as they marched after Emma. Still chuckling, Hook turned to give her a sly glance.

"Later?" he asked mysteriously, though Abby knew exactly what he was implying.

"You're on. Just wait until I show you Gangnam Style…"