Jake and Jean-Paul

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Freshly back from Canada, Jean-Paul finds an unexpected -- though thoroughly welcome -- presence waiting in his suite.




Well, this settled the matter, didn't it? A week in Montreal, and returning to the school still felt more like coming home than anything they'd done in the last few days. The thought was oddly liberating as well as a bit depressing, especially atop the news of Yvette's accident, and Jean-Paul would have spent a few moments contemplating this if he hadn't noticed the overnight bag sitting on his couch. Curiosity peaked, he headed toward the bedroom. The sight of Jake nestled in his blankets drew a tired smile from the speedster and dispelled any lingering notions of brooding.

Jean-Paul settled on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through Jake's mussed hair.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

Jake started awake at the touch, confused and disoriented to find himself not in his own bed. "Wha...oh." He blinked up at Jean-Paul for a moment, then smiled sleepily. "Hey, you're home," he murmured, turning his head to kiss Jean-Paul's palm. He reached up and snagged the front of the other man's shirt in an attempt to pull him down for a kiss and encountered no resistance at all.

Jean-Paul made an appreciative noise against Jake's lips, not attempting to speak until they came up for air.

"Best greeting I could have hoped for." He nuzzled Jake's cheek. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah." he brushed Jean-Paul's hair back and kissed him again to buy a little more time; he had the feeling that the speedster would insist on going to the medlab if he knew what condition Jake had brought Cammie back in. "I gave Cammie a ride home late last night, and figured since I was heading this way, I'd surprise you." Inwardly, he winced; it sounded a bit more like 'I was looking for an excuse to sleep in your bed' than he'd intended, but at the same time, it was better than 'I brought Cammie back after she passed out from me stitching her up so that Dr. Grey could make sure she wasn't going to die.'

"Consider me surprised and appreciative." And likely being lied to, but he'd wring the real reasons out of Jake later. For the moment, he was just pleased to see him. "I am assuming you haven't been fed yet. How does a shower and breakfast before going down to meet the car sound?"

Jake pretended to ponder. "I don't know. I have been waiting an awful long time to meet this alleged car of yours..."

"I should warn you, you do not get to meet my car looking like something that was just kicked out of bed."

This earned him a pout, followed by another kiss. "Then I suppose I'd better let you wash me and feed me," he said mournfully.

"Such a trial for you, I know." Jean-Paul's words dripped false sympathy. "To the bath."

Jake found it somewhat disconcerting that he kept reaching for Jean-Paul as if he were afraid the other man was going to disappear, as if he'd missed him. "You were right, by the way," he admitted as he dragged himself out of bed and towards the bathroom. "I did need six towels. Or at least enough that I didn't mind sacrificing one of them."

Jean-Paul blinked. "Already? Does this have anything to do with why you were in my bed?"

Mentally, Jake smacked himself upside the head. He had to stop having conversations before he was fully awake. "Um. Cammie had a minor wound, and she knew she couldn't poison me, so she stopped by my place so I could bandage her up." He stepped in close to Jean-Paul and nuzzled behind his ear in an attempt to distract him. "I'll tell you all about it once we're in the car?"

Jean-Paul stopped dead in his tracks. "How minor?"

Fucking fuck. "Minor. She lived through my utterly inept ministrations; it can't have been that bad." He looked Jean-Paul dead in the eye. "I gave her a ride back because I saw it as an opportunity to surprise you when you got home, not because she was on death's door." Just half-conscious and badly stitched.

Jean-Paul wanted to believe that. It meant something that Jake wanted him to believe it, though it was probably best not to think too deeply on the possible motivations for that. Finally, he leaned in and kissed Jake again. "Your bath is waiting."

Jake relaxed visibly at that, wrapping his arm around Jean-Paul and trying not to act like he'd just dodged a bullet. "And then the car?"

"Then food and then the car. I am not letting you pass out behind the wheel."

Jake brightened. "That means I get to drive!"

======

Jake, Jean-Paul discovered to his relief, was not only a good driver, but he was also quite at ease behind the wheel of a fast car. He drove them out into the country, hugging the curves in the road with an easy confidence, a satisfied smile never leaving his face. He turned to Jean-Paul as they pulled to a stop at a deserted intersection, the smile growing into a grin. "I like your car," he declared.

"So I have noticed." Jean-Paul was, as ever, ill-at-ease as a passenger, but was doing a doing an admirable job of keeping it off of his face. "I am beginning to think I shouldn't leave you two alone together. So...you said you would explain about Cammie?"

Jake turned back to the road, fingers drumming the steering wheel, the smile disappearing as he considered. Right, he decided, putting the car in gear and turning away from the mansion. He didn't say anything for a minute, concentrating on driving. "She got in a bar fight," he said finally, raising his voice to be heard over the wind. "Someone went after her with a beer bottle, got her across the chest." He traced a finger over Jean-Paul's pectoral, in the vicinity of the scar over his heart. "It wasn't bad, just bloody. I patched her up enough to keep her from bleeding all over everything and brought her to Jean."

"Eyes on the road, s'il te plait." Jean-Paul shook his head. "Did you think this news was so terrible that I would fall over from shock if you told me? She would not be the first friend of mine to be injured."

Jake sighed, frowning at the road ahead. He had a vague idea of where they were in relation to where he wanted to be, but was a little shaky on the details. He turned left at the next intersection. "You seemed fairly concerned, but she's fine. Like I said, she survived my shitty patch job." He glanced briefly at Jean-Paul. "And I wanted you for myself today."

"Oh, the boy is good." Jean-Paul relaxed against the passenger seat. "I missed you. I honestly contemplated flying down the other night just to see if you'd gotten in yet."

"The boy" smiled at that, twining his fingers through Jean-Paul's and bringing his hand up to his lips briefly before letting go to downshift. "We got back Wednesday," he said as he pulled the car off of the road. "And I wish you'd been here. Three days in Madripoor with Adrienne and Garrison was...frustrating, to say the least."

"Wednesday I was plucking up the courage to go visit my parents' gravesite the next day. I might have preferred Madripoor." Jean-Paul glanced around at their surroundings: a deserted dirt road flanked on either side by disintegrating rail fences. Beyond the the fences were stands of scraggly, neglected apple trees in fields overgrown with weeds. "Was there an axe murder you wanted me to witness?"

Jake smirked at him, one hand sliding up to toy with the hair at the back of Jean-Paul's neck. "I was looking for someplace secluded so I could show you how much I like your car."

"Oh, I see. It is all about the car." Jean-Paul smirked and stole the keys out of the ignition. "Just how much do you like my beautiful car, Jacob?"

Jake unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in, his free hand sliding up the inside of the speedster's thigh. "It's a very nice car," he murmured into Jean-Paul's ear. "And it's possible that I missed you." Lips trailed over outer ear. "Maybe."