xp_logs | Jay & Catseye (Reply)

Jay apologizes to Catseye by means of hot chocolate and he tries to explain why there's things Warren doesn't need to know right now.

"And here it is," Jay announced as he came around and stepped over the back of the couch, settling into it to present his craft. "The world's shittiest hot chocolate made by Sir Jay Guthrie of Kentucky, U.S.A." He held it out for her, smiling because he needed to make a ritual of his apology to her. "Ah reckon it's actually really good," he confessed. "Ah just can't let you get comfy with mah skills."

"You cannot be a sir Jay," Catseye giggled, taking the cup from him. "You need to be born in England to be a Sir." She was far too interested in Shakespeare and his culture for her own good sometimes. "Hot chocolate is good especially when it has bugs in it. Do you put bugs in your hot chocolate Jay?"

"Hell no," Jay said and got up to get his own. "That's just wrong Cats. Screws with the taste, don'tcha think?" he asked and shook his head. "Next thing Ah know, you'll be telling me about chocolate covered grasshoppers - which, by the way, Ah don't eat either."

"But maybe that is why it tastes like the shittiest hot chocolate?" she suggested innocently. "Grasshopper would make it better! Especially if you put them in melted chocolate. Ladybugs are bestest but grasshoppers are good too!"

"That's just gross," he said, even though he didn't feel it was gross for some reason. No, instead, it made him salivate. "Allright, we ain't talkin' about this. It's making me... feel weird."

"I will bring you some grasshoppers and we can melt chocolate for them later," Catseye agreed with a nod, sipping at her hot chocolate. "What are we talking about?"

"Me and you.. Warren too sorta," he said as he stepped over the couch again and settled in beside her with his own cup. "Yanno, what we should sorta keep between us."

"About what is private?"

"Yeah, like Ah don't wanna keep stuff from Warren but we just started and it's kinda heavy to be dropping all the bad stuff on him so soon."

"But Warren likes you and he would like to help with the bad stuff," she pointed out, tail twitching.

"Things are good between us. Ah don't wanna wreck it yet." Jay shifted and tucked his leg under him, setting the hotchocolate down on the coffeetable. "Look, relationships have stages, sorta. People don't always need to know the bad stuff right away. The fact that Ah'm blue and have metal wings are reminder enough that bad stuff's already happened. Yanno?"

"No..." She tried to figure out what he meant but didn't understand. "What is bad about being blue and having metal wings? And why would Warren helping you with bad stuff wreck the...
relationship?"

"Cause Ah wasn't blue before. People thought Ah was pretty, normal, with red wings. Now they're scared of me or like so infatuated that they don't wanna leave me alone. Warren's good for me and Ah don't wanna screw it up cause Ah'm still dealin' with it." Explaining this wasn't easy and he knew it would only complicate more.

"People here are not scared and they do not... not leave you alone," she pointed out. "People here think you are still pretty and normal. What is to deal with? You are like Cammie and think you are not special and not good but like Cammie that is wrong."

Jay sighed, splaying his hands out. "Ah just don't want him to know, kay? Ah really really like Warren. There's somethin' about him, but Ah don't wanna mess it up okay?"

"I do not understand. You do not want Warren to know what?"

"Stuff that we talk about. Nightmares and what's in them. Who's in 'em."

"Oh! Okay! What we talk about is private! I understand!" She sipped more hot chocolate and frowned. "I am sorry I told Warren something private Jay."

"It's fine." He leaned back in his seat and lifted his foot up so it was almost draped in her lap. "Ah'm sorry Ah lost mah shit. Night's bad for me, like the worse times. Ah dunno of you wanna keep up our sleepin' dates cause Ah worry Ah'm gonna hurt you."

"I like napping with you and I am not afraid. You will not hurt me." She'd been sliced once or twice but had never told him- her healing factor served her well and she was confident it would continue to keep her safe and that Jay would never deliberately hurt her. "Besides I keep you warm when Warren is not there right?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "You do. And you do keep 'em nightmares away." In fact, she kept a lot of things away and Jay couldn't help but move over and curl up with her by putting his arm around her. "C'mere--"

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, Catseye snuggled up to him and burrowed her face in his chest. "Have you seen Sphinx statues in front of buildings before? They guard things and I am like a Sphinx statue while you are sleeping I guard you from the nightmares."

"Yeah yer somethin' all right," Jay mused as he shifted slightly, then, as an afterthought, stretched out on the couch and pulled her with him. As aggravating as she could be, the thought of her protecting him softened him a lot and he buried her between his own body and the back of the couch, resting his cheek against the top of her forehead. "Besides Warren, yer the only one Ah feel good to get this close to," he admitted.

"Since you changed you mean?" she asked gently, butting his cheek with her forehead affectionately.

"Yeah. Since that but even more so than that. Ah dunno. Before Ah wasn't near people cause Ah didn't wanna be. Now Ah wanna be but Ah don't. Make sense?" he asked without looking down at her.

"Not at all," Catseye admitted sheepishly.

He shrugged but not enough to make her uncomfortable. "Don't worry about it."

"But I like to understand things and I do worry about you because you are Colony."

"Colony?"

"It is a cat's special family," she explained. How come everyone knew dog pack and lion pride but not cat colony? "Colony is the bodies you help with food and shelter and protection. Cats will die for their colony cats."

That was startling and Jay lifted up, looking down at her. "Cats Ah don't want you dying for me, yanno?" he said. "That ain't something you need to worry about."

"It does not matter what you want. Colony does not work like that," she answered, almost apologetically. "Sorry Jay. If it makes you feel better I do not want to die so I will try very hard not to."

If she hadn't been so serious, Jay would have probably laughed about this. Instead, he could only meet her eye, hold it because he didn't know what else to say.

Catseye held his gaze without blinking. It was a cat thing. After several moments she licked his nose to try to win the game by making him turn away or blink or laugh.

Jay laughed and pulled back but then his arm swung frantic and he lost his balance.

Except he didn't fall.

Looking behind him, Jay was hovered half way between the floor and Catseye, balanced on the edge but not quite. Some of his wing was out, pressed into the flooring to stop him from falling. "Whoa, that's never done that before."

Catseye sat up and frowned at the wing. "Aren't you making it do that?"

"Nope," Jay replied and sat up. When he turned, the wing slipped back into it's disc. "Huh, that's almost defensive."

"Your wing moves on its own without you moving it? It is protecting you and making sure you are not hurt all by itself?"

"Yeah, or maybe Ah'm just over tired from work yesterday. Look Ah'm gonna go lay down in mah room, wanna come?" It was better than crowding on the couch.

"Oui!" Catseye answered emphatically. "That is French for yesyesyes!"