ax_main | Jean-Paul and Warren, Christmas Morning

After a morning flight in Montreal, Warren and JP discuss finding home... and who's the boss.

Warren touched down on the roof of the bistro, breathing hard and smiling. Of course, they’d seen the lights at night, but in the early morning frost and quiet there was something even more magical about Jean-Paul’s hometown—Jean-Paul’s home.

Fingering the choker he’d gotten the night before as a gift—and hadn’t been able to resist wearing to bed after—Warren stretched out his wings. “It’s a beautiful city,” he said, as if anyone needed to be told. For him, it was almost like being in one of the older European cities that hadn’t been gutted by war. Maybe not Bruges, but... something.

Look, his American was showing, but really, it was beautiful.

Jean-Paul lighted down beside him, coming in at an angle steep enough to be impossible with wings, but that was all easy grace to his breed of flight.

"There's a lot of history here," Jean-Paul agreed. "But I'd love Le Village even if the rest of the city were a slum. I think I'd be a very different person if I'd grown up anywhere else." Said by someone who was not yet old enough to vote or drink in public.

"No doubt in my mind." Warren smiled, watching Jean-Paul move. He flew like he did everything else, with that barely controlled energy. It was almost balletic, in that sense. Warren's gaze always followed him around any room, and he felt like he noticed different things every time.

Or he was just really into this dude. Either way.

"It feels like you. Part of why I wanted to see it so much. Sort of explains you." He smiled.

Jean-Paul returned the smile, sly and sharp-edged. "Oh, yes? Share your insights, then."

"Well, it's classically beautiful, obviously." Warren couldn't help it. Jean-Paul's 'sexy challenge face' did it for him. He moved nearer, shifting to face him and pushing his wings to one side, so he could lean a hip against the half-wall. "But if we're gonna get deep: food, good company, contentment. It feels like exactly the kind of place you'd want to come back to after rising to some crazy challenge somewhere far off."

"It took me a while to appreciate it," Jean-Paul admitted. He was just within arm's reach, but didn't step up to Warren just yet. "Running comes a lot easier to me than settling."

Warren nodded and smiled sweetly. "That's one of your few more obvious personality traits. What actually comforts you--that's the part that's harder to work out."

That got a blink of surprise out of Jean-Paul. "Seriously? I thought I was being rather obvious."

"The obvious answer would be making out and the gym," Warren said thoughtfully, rather pleased he'd gotten some surprise out of the guy. "Though food was also a given. The environment for the food is even more important. I've never seen you in it, exactly."

"It's mostly you and Simon these days." Jean-Paul finally tucked himself under Warren's free wing.

Warren pulled him close with the wing, so their warm bodies were close, his arm around Jean-Paul's waist. He kissed his hair. "Yeah. I feel that. But you get how it's interesting, right? Seeing what it was--before? Like this new environment? Like everything about you is crazy fascinating." He chuckled, even though he was being perfectly sincere.

Jean-Paul was quiet for a minute, but nestled against Warren as he considered his words. "You don't like to talk about home either. But I think it's for entirely different reasons."

Warren snorted. "Why bring down the party, right? Really, though, there's not that much to tell. It'd be kinda like... explaining endless business meetings." Since that's pretty much what life with his parents was. Thankfully, school had spared him too much of it, but still.

"Yeah, yeah." Jean-Paul squeezed his hand. "Makes it harder to get a fix on what comforts you, though. I've noticed you working yourself to the bone since we came out, trying to keep all the plates spinning." He half-smiled. "Not that we've been sitting with our thumbs up our asses. But I've noticed. And I want to be there when you need an aerie to come home to."

"Busted." Warren's smile went wry. It felt good to be away from it all, but it'd only been a day and Warren was already getting twitchy, wondering if he should be doing something. "But you are there to come home to. I don't... think I ever had that. I never had anything like you two," he admitted.

"I don't think Simon has either." Jean-Paul turned his face into the chill wind hurtling over the rooftops. "It's weird to think of myself as the one with the good homelife." He snorted. "Or a nurturer. I'm OK being the one that keeps you both fed, though. It's something I can still do, anyway."

"That's about all the nurturing Simon and I would know how to accept anyhow," Warren said with another snort. He rubbed his cheek against Jean-Paul's hair. "Much more and I think we'd both assume it was ironic somehow. Well, not from you, but..." he chuckled. "It's perfect, is all I mean to say. It's wild how things have fallen into place in that way. And gotten us here." He had no doubt he would've come out without them, but... it would've been awful. Difficult. Painful. This... not so much.

"Yeah." Jean-Paul reached up and hooked a finger under Warren's necklace, carefully towing him into a kiss. "I know I've said it... but I really am so proud of you. I know Shinobi thinks we're insane. So does Yurio. But I love that you did this for Simon."

Warren's knees went a little weak. Even more so than they had when he'd opened the box with the choker in it. He leaned down, forehead against JP's, wing tight around him. "They can think we're insane. We know we are." He chuckled. "I don't care, as long as I have you two." Another kiss.

"Well, good thing." Jean-Paul chuckled. "That's about all the three of us have left, non? But I've started off in worse situations. I don't mind building up again with you and Simon at my side." And Jeanne-Marie and Raymonde, of course, but... well, the context there was definitely different.

"Good." It was freezing out, but Warren felt so warm. Breathlessly warm. He was absolute putty for it, sentimental and sweet, and he didn't care. "No one's ever had my back before. I feel unstoppable. Also a little giddy. A lot giddy."

"Must be the altitude," Jean-Paul teased.

"Oh yeah. Totally the altitude." Warren kissed him again, putting everything he didn't know how to say into it. he slipped his fingers under Jean-Paul's waistband and gave a little tug round the side, too. He was grateful, happy, warm, excited, ready for another challenge. Ready for anything.

Jean-Paul was happy to linger with Warren, making out high above the street with the wind still whipping through their air as if they were still in flight. But eventually, they had to come down and make their way back into Raymonde's flat by way of the bistro. Simon was sleeping in, and Raymonde was in command of the kitchen. Jean-Paul made a promise to got down and help later, but for now, he was all for getting breakfast ready.

Warren trailed after him, careful of his wings while in the bistro, then sliding through the door. The smells and warmth of the place were just exactly what he'd been telling Jean-Paul about, what had spoken to Warren about how JP was who he was. Sure, JP hadn't started out here, but he was of this place now. Warren was enjoying just breathing it in.

"Command me," he said when they were back to the apartment. He tapped his necklace. "I can chop things? Or boil water? What's for breakfast."

"Going simple today," Jean-Paul promised. "Toast, eggs, and bacon. But if you want to put the tea kettle on, I'll adore you forever."

Warren laughed and hopped to it. "Shit, that's all it takes? Here I was ready to take a bullet or something."

Jean-Paul gave Warren a Look. "If you take a bullet for me, I'll assume you've gone braindead."

"I know, I know, you can probably, like, grab them out of the air or something. I'm just saying, I thought you'd be harder to get, eternally speaking."

"Non, I mean it, Worthington." Jean-Paul paused by the fridge regarding Warren seriously. "No taking a hit for me. I don't think I could live with that."

"It was just the wildest thing I could think of," Warren said with a gentle smile, holding up his hands in surrender.

He would absolutely take a hit for Jean-Paul. Without batting an eyelash. Or a bullet, come to that.

But obviously that wasn't something he should admit.

"Hmph." Jean-Paul drew him in for another kiss, this one rougher and more assertive, with his fingers tangled in Warren's hair. Most definitely as much about staking his claim as showing affection. "Just make sure it stays a thought," he said firmly. "Now go put the water on so I can feed the two of you."

Knees a little weak, Warren just looked at JP for a long moment, grinning and nodding. Then he said, "Yes sir," with a wink, and went to work. "You know, I've never done anything in a kitchen before I met you. Not a real kitchen. I've, like, made hot chocolate and microwaved things at school, but..."

"They say maintaining a relationship means having shared interests," Jean-Paul mused. He went to the fridge and brought out an armful of eggs, vegetables, and bacon. Despite this, he somehow managed to swat Warren's ass in passing. "Besides, it's to your benefit."

"No doubt," Warren grinned over his shoulder at the swat, lowering a wing so he could actually see JP at work. "I like it. I don't think it'd be as much fun without you giving me orders, but that could be a shared interest too, right?"

Jean-Paul paused in dicing onions and peppers, giving Warren a long look. "So...you really are into me bossing you around? You're not just humoring me?"

Caught off guard, Warren flushed. He was grateful his face was turned slightly away, but his wings betrayed him anyhow with a sudden fluff-and-ruffle. "Well, yeah. I mean I'm good at humoring people but not for that long.

"It's... nice. Really nice." He bit at his bottom lip, but a smile was forming too, just a little bit uncharacteristic and shy.

"Well, hell, angel. It's not like I'm going to stop." Jean-Paul put down the knife and turned to fully face Warren. He was suddenly grateful for Simon still being asleep, because he had no idea where this conversation was going to go. "But... it like, does it for you? I mean, I've noticed it seems to make you smile. Especially when you're knotted up like you've been lately."

Warren... hadn't actually thought about that, but JP was so completely beyond right. Wow. He rubbed at the back of his neck, the smile breaking through a little more. "It's always done it for me. Like, since the day we met--really met, I mean. In the cafeteria.

"I'm not saying I like anyone bossing me around. But when it's you... I mean, I trust you. Plus, you're hot." The smile was turning into something more recognizable now, edging out of shy and into playful. "I hadn't really thought about it, but, I don't know. It's kind of... freeing? Something?"

"Something." Jean-Paul laughed a little. "OK. So... I'll keep bossing you, then. Trust me, it's not a hardship. Should I get Simon in on this too?"

Warren licked his lips at the thought, then nodded and laughed. "Is that crazy? Do I sound crazy?"

"You decided you want to be in a relationship with me. You're utterly batshit." Jean-Paul grinned and reached out for Warren, pulling him into a tight hug. "Wanting to let someone else take the reins now and again? Nah. That's just a thing you do. We can keep doing it. Though... you know." Jean-Paul stepped back to look up at Warren. "Now that I know you like it, you might be in trouble."

Warren slipped a finger into JP's beltloop and gave a short tug. He bit at his bottom lip, an utterly hopeful look on his face. "Really? I feel like I might also like being in trouble."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jean-Paul stole a brief, biting kiss. "But. We should let Simon in on that too, hmm? Maybe table this for when the three of us have more privacy?"

Warren nodded. "Definitely on both points. I kind of get brain melt thinking about it." In "trouble" with Simon. God, seriously, he was gonna die. Like the good kind of death.

"Right." Jean-Paul smiled, following Warren's train of thought. Simon being forceful... definitely not something they saw a lot of. And the idea was definitely a turn on. "But all of that for later. I promise. Right now, weren't you supposed to be helping me?"

Another nod, and Warren turned back to the range, feathers rustling with something very like satisfaction. After a second, he said, "But--like, don't think I don't like everything as it is. And all the stuff we're doing and figuring out. I'm--so happy.

"It's pretty cool that you noticed though. I don't even know if I did."

Jean-Paul blinked. "Well, I'm your boyfriend, right? Lover, best friend, confidant, all that good shit. I should at least be taking notes on what makes you happy."

Warren flushed again, grinning with pleasure. "Yeah. True. Totally." He hoped he was half as good at it. "All that good shit. Times ten."