Paige plus Jono plus sunscreen

[x-foliate.livejournal.com]

December 15ish. In Mexico.

They had put Jono on the couch when they’d carried him in; it was cooler in the living room than it was in the bedrooms. Which made no sense when you thought about it – Jono couldn’t feel the difference anyway – but it was the thought that counted. Paige had settled at one end of it, his legs in her lap from when he had stretched out, and was reading quietly.

It had been about half an hour already and Jono had shown no signs of coming to yet. Until his toes twitched; he had been walking out barefoot.

Paige glanced over at him; she could pretend it was all she had been doing this entire time. She waited for another sign of life if you will, finger holding the place in her book.

The next thing to move was Jono's hand which he raised to his forehead before opening his eyes. "What the hell?" he asked, the words bleary and blurry like drunken thoughts.

This was her cue to put down her book on the end table and find her soothing voice. “You had a bit of a… spill.”

Jono gave the livingroom a disoriented glance before focusing on Paige. "What do you mean?"

“It means that you fell down and didn’t get up. You fainted.” She tried to not look amused at that and mostly succeeded. “I don’t know much more than that.”

There was a pause as Jono tried to process whatever had happened. "I don't-" he started, letting his hand flop down, then bringing it back up for closer inspection. "Why are my nails painted?"

“Before you go accusing me, I didn’t do it,” she said quickly, holding up her hands. “I assume it was Alison’s doing since who else in the house can paint nails?”

The confusion was almost tangible as Jono peered at his glossy nails a moment longer then raised himself on his elbows, looking at his legs in Paige's lap. "So I just fainted?" he asked dubiously, now a little sharper.

“No, Jono, I’m lying. Clearly I drugged the food that you don’t eat and took advantage of you while you were knocked out,” Paige replied evenly.

"Oh," Jono sat up and slid his feet down from her lap. "I'm surprised I still have my clothes on then." He gave a frown at his nails again, not knowing if he liked them or absolutely hated them.

“I’m very creative in my molesting.” Paige watched his movements carefully, mindful of a relapse. “How are you feeling?”


"I'm all right," Jono replied, running his hands through his hair and dislodging some sand from it. "Just a bit fuzzy. Kind of like-", he paused thoughtfully. "Like after the dampening field in the Danger Room."

Paige filed that away for later, nodding. “Good. I don’t think I could carry you if you fell down again. Considering the giant hole in your chest you sure weigh a lot.” She stood, doing her best to disguise the way her back and knees cracked from the amount of time she’d been sitting perfectly still.

Nonetheless, Jono glanced at her when her knees popped, then went back to picking at the nail polish. "I have heavy thoughts then, I suppose," he said.

Paige looked down at him and grinned. “Leave it be.”

"You think?" Jono turned towards her briefly, then suddenly tugged off the containment shirt before laying back down on the sofa. The glow was dimmer than usual even in the daylight. "I'm just going to stay here a while," he muttered, closing his eyes.

“Yes,” she answered, leaning down to kiss the corner of his eye. “It’s hot. Rest well and call if you need anything.” Paige decided not to mention that she’d probably be coming to check on him every twenty minutes or so.

Jono opened one eye, softly amused. "Only every twenty minutes? Are you sure that's often enough?" Then his amusement shifted to chagrin. "I'm sorry. You thought that very loudly."

Paige turned, startled for a moment before covering a laugh. “Not your fault. By twenty I meant ten, you know.” She returned, leaning over the back of the couch to look at him. “You could save me the trouble and come sit outside.”

"And have the sun in my eyes?" He reached up with his hand and ran the back of it along Paige's cheek, the nail polish cool against her skin.

Paige shivered a little, feeling her heart hitch. Then she smiled, almost dangerously as something came to her, and thought quite hard on the fact that she would be taking off the shorts and t-shirt for her bathing suit. It was outside after all, and she wanted to see if she could get a tan still. Purely professional. “We could probably get you a pair of sunglasses, but if you insist.”

Jono let his hand drop on his stomach, just above the waistline of his lowslung pair of baggy shorts. "Sunglasses would help," he admitted slowly, practically feeding on the image Paige was presenting him with.

Paige circled around and offered her hand. “Goody then. I’ll help you out. Come on.”

"I'm not an invalid," Jono protested mildly, but let her help him up, then held onto her fingers as she led him towards the door.

“Never said you were,” she said gently, slipping her fingers out of his to put her arm around his waist. “Just a little wobbly and even that information doesn’t leave this room.”

He fitted his side against hers, automatically turning his head as if to brush his cheek against her temple. But he jerked his head back when the glowing tendrils from his chest got too near to her face. "So where are those sunglasses you mentioned?"

Paige smiled up at him as they walked. “By the door with my sunscreen. Probably wouldn’t be good if the girl with the skin mutation went and got herself skin cancer, hm?” She picked up the glasses as they walked by, slipping them on his face.

"That makes two of you then, doesn't it?" Jono pushed the glasses up on his nose, sparing a brief moment to wonder just how odd he must have looked right then. "You and Angelo, with skin mutations."

“Mhm,” Paige replied, ignoring the implications. “I hear that new Shinobi kid has a mutation very similar to Kitty’s. You’re going to be the only unique one left soon.”

"Oh, joy," Jono rolled his eyes behind the cover of the black glasses. "That's exactly what everyone needs, isn't it? Another me." He drew from Paige's hold carefully, if not a bit regretfully, and crooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his shorts. "So, anyone find out why I passed out? Or were you all too busy painting my nails?"

“Don’t be rude, Jono, it’ll give you wrinkles,” Paige chirped, leaving Jono to maneuver down the sand hill himself as he clearly didn’t need her help. “I already told you, we’re not positive what happened and I’m not one to go around handing out speculations.” She tossed out her blanket on the sand.

The sand was comfortably warm under Jono's bare feet as he half slid, half walked down it. "I'm just not that comfortable knowing that could happen again and not know what causes it," he stated the obvious when he reached the blanket and the girl on it.

Paige stretched out, lolling back to look up at Jono and gave him an amused look. “Really. Like we’re going to *leave* it. You should know better than that, especially when I’m involved. I would never just let you get hurt.”

Jono glanced out at the sea before settling down next to Paige, knees drawn up and arms resting on them. "I suppose so," he acknowledged.

Closing her eyes against the sun, Paige smiled a little. “Believe it.” She lifted her t-shirt over her head, bathing suit underneath, and placed it, now folded, under her head as a pillow. Her smile turned peaceful as she settled again.

It took a while for Jono to relax enough to be able to lie down next to her. He folded his arms under his head, tilted a little so he could watch her. "I'll try."

“That’s all I can ask of you,” she drawled slowly, letting her accent glimmer through. “Mm… heat’s getting to me and I’ve only been outside a moment.” Paige made a grab for the sunscreen, found it to be too far away and gave up. “I don’t have to fret about you and burning do I? I’m never sure. I figure there’s a lack of worrying about skin cancer, but otherwise?”

"I don't know," Jono made to shrug, but it didn't really work when he was lying down. "Probably not. I can't even feel really hot." Then he fished the bottle of sunscreen up with a lax hand. "Were you looking for this?"

Paige opened one eye to regard him and his retrieval. “Yeah,” she replied. “Unlike like y’all, I still burn and peeling is so much more painful and messy compared to husking, not to mention just plain useless.”

"And lobster red isn't really a good colour for you," Jono observed, hefting the bottle in his hand thoughtfully. "I could offer to help you with this."

“No, I’m more of a sky blue kinda gal,” Paige returned, opening her other eye to watch him fully. She doesn’t say anything more, just blinks slowly and waits for his decision.

There's nothing more Jono could have said about colours without the conversation turning to black and the many applications of it, so he wisely chose to keep quiet. He regarded the bottle instead, then sat up suddenly, looking down at Paige. "Do you want me to?"

Paige snorted, giving Jono a look. “Stupid question. You’re the one who’s been listening to me think, accidental or not. Obviously, yes.” She sat up slowly, letting herself enjoy the stretch of her spine. “Besides, I can’t reach my back.”

"Who knows, that might've just been the voices in my head," Jono declared, popping open the bottle cap. He looked at Paige over the rim of the sunglasses. "Where do you want me to start?"

“At the very beginning?” she replied a little cheekily before glancing over her shoulder to give him a grin. “My back would be good, though. I can reach the rest since you’ll most likely get bored.” Paige lifted her hair up, twisting it around and pulled it over her shoulder.

Jono rolled his eyes at the mention of bored, but obediently poured a puddle of sunscreen on his palm, then rubbed his hands together, warming the liquid before touching it to Paige's back. He smoothed it on her skin without a word.

Closing her eyes and biting her lip Paige stayed perfectly still for a long moment before letting herself relax a little under his hands. There was something undeniably different about being touched by Jono, especially like this, and it was really all she could do to hold back a little whimper. She repeated a quiet mantra in her head, careful to not let it get too loud around him and sighed. “You’re very good at this.”

The stroking and rubbing of the sunscreen into Paige's back may have taken a longer moment than strictly necessary, but Jono felt he couldn't fault himself with that. Physical touch was comforting, even when he tried very hard to deny it from himself. "Must be natural talent," he murmured, still unable to withdraw his hands.

Paige clenched her hands tight, letting out a low moan of something vaguely decipherable, although very vaguely, as he pressed especially hard against her shoulder. “Tense? Me? What are you talking about?” she said quietly, before craning her neck slightly to give him a view of her smile. “You really can’t have me believe that you’ve never done this before. Gorgeous as you are?”

It was like magic words had been spoken. Jono tensed and let his hands slip away from her and turned away from her smile. He looked over the sea. "I never really used to visit beaches. I hated getting out of the city, I thought everywhere else was boring."

Paige stilled and let out a tiny sigh. Convincing herself, she rolled around to face him, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting.”

"No, I should get used to it," Jono shrugged, curling his slightly slippery hands around his knees.

“I think we’re talking about totally different things, that or you’re being uncharacteristically agreeable, but yes. You should.” Paige crossed her legs. “I told you you’d get bored. And by bored I meant upset with me.”

"Female logic," Jono lowered the sunglasses at bit and gave her a look, brown eyes narrowed against the sun. "If by bored you mean upset with you."

Paige looked a little wry, picking up the bottle to continue working. “Fine. Upset with yourself because of me.” She poured a small pool into her palm and with her fingers rubbed it into her neck and collar.

Jono pushed the glasses back into place, but only to mask the directness of his look as he watched Paige spreading the liquid on her skin. "That's nothing new," he said with some asperity.

“No, but I wish it was something old,” she replied but with much less bite. She tapped his nose with a finger leaving behind a white sunscreen smudge.


He wiped the smear off with the back of his hand. "It'll get old," he said, showing a surprising amount of optimism.

Paige tilted her head, rubbing the last of her lotion into the side of her neck before starting on her arms. “Now I’m worrying that your fainting spell jumbled up something in your head but I’m certainly not going to check it out for a while.”

"Yeah, enjoy while it lasts, sunshine," the words were laced with affection.

Stretching out her legs to work on them, Paige couldn’t help but grin. “Sure you can’t give me hints on how to bring it back every now and again? I promise, I won’t do it in public or anything, just when we’re alone. No image ruined there.”

"Your thoughtfulness blinds me," Jono raised a hand to shade his already covered eyes. "I don't know," he admitted then. "Maybe passing out really did shake something loose."

“That must be it.” Paige stole his sunglasses, well, her sunglasses actually, and put them on her own nose. “The fact that I am essentially coating myself in a slippery subtstance in your direct line of vision has nothing to do with it. I clearly do not have to wear less clothes more often.”

Eyes automatically narrowing into dark slits, Jono didn't even try to hide looking at Paige now. "Although I wouldn't object if you continued to wear this knotted piece of string more often."

Peering over her sunglasses Paige smirked at him knowingly, pausing in her ministrations to her skin. “Maybe if you’re really good. During that alone time where you’re all pleasant and not ruining your image.”

"Oh, right," Jono let his eyes run down Paige's legs, then back up again. "Then."

Paige leaned in a little closer, over both her and his legs. “I would enjoy it now, though. It probably won’t be warm enough at home for a while.”

"That's true," although by the look in Jono's eyes, he wasn't thinking about the same home Paige obviously was. His hand stole up her arm, smoothing across her shoulder.

Taking this as the only welcome she’ll get, Paige stretches to kiss just before his ear. She pulls back just a hair to murmur lowly, “Then again, we could always turn up the heat in my room.”

And that, in return, was all the invitation Jono needed to slip his arms around Paige and pull her as close as he dared with his chest open. "I like the way you think," he says, softly and intimately into her mind.

Paige made a noise resembling a purr, closing her eyes against the gentle caress of his words in her head. “Good. Now you like me for my body and my brains,” Paige replied lowly, testing his ear with her teeth.

"It's hard not to like you for your brains when I can practically see them," Jono drew little patterns on her back with his fingertips, concentrating on the way her teeth worried his flesh. "And by your brains I mean your thoughts. They're getting rather apparent."

“Way to use the feminine logic, Jonothan,” Paige teased, slipping a hand up his arm to hold herself steady. “Would you like me to get some training when we get back? Learn to control them? I’m sure it must be terribly distracting.”

"I'm so sharp I'll cut myself," Jono replied with a bit of sarcasm, leaning his cheek, or what was left of it, against hers. "Don't bother. I'm not complaining, am I?"

Paige chuckled, reaching up to stroke his hair. It was soft beneath her fingers, with a little grit from the sand and tossed from the wind, and she liked it like that. “I wasn’t sure. You make it hard to tell sometimes.”

"I'm complicated," Jono was now slowly tracing the curve of her waist, as if he was marveling the way it dipped from her ribcage and rose to her hip.

“You’re a lot of things, aren’t you,” Paige asked without actual question, going back to enjoying the feel of Jono’s skin under her mouth.

"Without a doubt," Jono asserted, somewhat self-deprecatingly, then lapsed into silence, concentrating more on the feeling of Paige in his arms. And the faint touch of wind from the sea, the smell of warming saltwater not very familiar to him.

Comments

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

Sarah and I are jealous.

<3

[x-shinobi.livejournal.com]

Well, if you don't maim Shinobi too badly, something could be arranged, I'm sure.

In summer. Too damn cold out right now. Gah.

<3

[x-foliate.livejournal.com]

You may borrow Paige's room. Or Angelo can come stay with Paige for a while and then you have your room to yourself. Or Jono can come up and you have the basement to yourself.

See? Teamwork is fun.

[x-foliate.livejournal.com]

Go snog Shinobi, dear.

*hugs and is pleased*

<3

(DO IT)

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

We're working on it.

If they'd both cooperate...

[x-shinobi.livejournal.com]

They're both very stubborn. I don't think mistletoe'd help, even. It'd probably do more harm than good, even. :>

Blessed UST, though. Everyone loves UST.

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

And cute. We have that in abundance.