Jay & Jono - 2 ?s
Nov. 21st, 2024 11:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsJay asks Jono two questions.
It was nice to be alone and not have to perform happiness, or even just a lack of emptiness and tiredness. Jay couldn't even do that in his suite with Sam around, so what he had taken to calling a practice room (which was really just what had probably once been servants quarters but had good acoustics) had come to be a refuge. He could take his guitar and have an excuse to be alone for a while, even when he didn't play it and instead just let himself teeter on the edge of actually having to process the emotion that came with anything.Bottle it up, Guthrie, ain't nobody wanna hear your belly-achin' and have you make trouble no more..
He startled at the door opening.
"Fuck- sorry, didn't realize anyone was in here." Jono thought, backing up with a jerk as he saw Jay, guitar case thunking against the wall.
"Lordy!" Jay yelped, having never experienced telepathy before. But it was like he heard a voice right in his head- a British voice at that, which must mean it was Jono's. He pressed his hand to his chest, rubbing at the fading scar there for a moment.
"You gave me a fright there, I didn't know you could do that."
“Sorry, I usually ask first. But hands full and - sorry. Jono stammered, wincing a bit.
"It's okay," Jay said and hoped that his face didn't betray that he was maybe less okay with it than he'd like to be. Having anyone speak in your head was just- it was invasive. Especially for someone as private as Jay. "You can come in too, if'n ya like. It's alright," he said, readying a smile. He was a performer after all. A musician. And so was Jono- both a musician and performer. He wondered...
"Really, it's fine- I can use the light writer if you'd prefer. It's not a big deal. I also can't like...see anything? I can just sort of talk and maybe hear something if you're directly thinking at me and I'm right next to you. I promise I couldn't pry even if I wanted to- which I don't." For the first time in a while Jono wished he had a mouth so that he could better emote- a grimace would be very appropriate right now.
Awkwardly he came into the room, trying to appear significantly more at ease than he was. Did Jay know about what Paige had told their mother? If Jay knew, did he know it was fake?
That assurance that even if Jono wanted to that he couldn't do much more than speak into his head really did put Jay more at ease and he gave Jono a nod to indicate that. "I'd been wantin' to speak to you anyways," Jay said, which was a convenient white lie. He did have two different subjects he wanted to ask Jono about anyways.
“Oh?” Jono asked, trying not to feel panicked at the idea of one of Paige’s brothers looking for him. The relationship was fake and yet the fear was very real. “What did you need to talk to me about?”
"Two small things," Jay assured Jono. He blinked at the look of panic in Jono's eyes. Now what did he have to be panicked about. That made his second question jump to the front. He was still pretty sure Jono was gay, but he had heard about Paige gettin' a boyfriend she hadn't told him about and even if it weren't Jono, he might know. Paige'd be more inclined to tell a friend than him. "You know who the guy Paigey's datin' is?"
“Oh. That…..for some reason while you all were in Kentucky, very glad your sister’s safe by the way, but Paige apparently got into a fight with your mum and then told her that I’m her boyfriend? We definitely are not dating and she sprung this on me after the fact. I’m happy to keep up the lie if I makes her more comfortable with whatever was going on there but I don’t really know why she did it.”
Oh. So he was just being Paigey's beard, if that term could apply to Paige. Just a way to get Mama off her back. So he didn't have to worry about his only big sister having a boyfriend after all. "To keep Mama from gettin' on her about gettin' married soon, I bet," Jay said with a shrug. "So she ain't datin' anyone for real?" He asked to clarify.
“Not that I’m aware.” Jono said. “What was the other thing?”
"You were in the rock scene in England right?" Jay said, trying to be casual. "You ever met Lila Cheney?" He had to know what people thought of her, if anyone had any clue what she'd done to his brother.
Jono's entire demeanor changed in an instant. He was no longer uncomfortable but now visibly annoyed. "Thankfully I've never actually met her. Before she got popular enough to book a tour, we opened at some of the same festivals, I know we played at some of the same venues in London- never heard a single good thing about her." Well, except from his ex, Gayle had liked her music, but Jay didn't need to know that. "One of my mates met her in a pub bathroom, said she was fucking insufferable. A rich poser bitch who thought she could do whatever she wanted with no consequence. She had a reputation from stealing from other acts, not just songs but stuff. I'm glad we never played with her. Why?"
Jay felt absolutely vindicated to know that know one who knew her liked her and leaned back a little to bask in it. "Jes' wanted to know what people who might know her think o' her. Sammy and I got talkin' about her, and I was wondering if you'd ever met her." Jay actually had the electric, the same model that Lila Cheney had, in his lap. "Apparently she and me got the same type of guitar, so it came up. Was just curious."
He didn't want to give Jono any indication of why he had actually asked. That was Sam's business and he weren't going to go spreading it.
"Must've cost you a pretty penny." Jono said. "I saved up for mine for what felt like forever."
"It was a gift; don't know how Sam could afford it," Jay lied, unaware that the guilt that curled in his gut was evident in his face and more importantly on the base of his mind, like a rot.
Jono's brow furrowed. "Are you okay? You look...upset."
Guilty was a better word, but that didn't make any sense to Jono. This was Jay, Paige's brother who was from Kentucky and had moved into the mansion only just in January, supposedly never having been outside of Kentucky before that.
"Jes' speculatin', I guess," Jay said, trying to pull back his sense of guilt. Sam had said he had nothing to feel guilty over, anyways.
"You an only child?" He asked Jono, suddenly.
"Yes.....Paige has repeatedly told me it's apparently obvious." Jono replied, slightly teasing. Maybe that would help get Jay's spirits back to the sort of baseline sad he'd picked up from the other man in their previous interactions.
Jay smiled at him wryly. "Then you ain't never had to feel the pain a' bein' a brother," he joked. "Don't worry about me lookin' upset. Y'just get guilty for existing, sometimes, when you got a big family. Like you ain't enough of whatever brother they want you to be."
He hadn't told anyone but Julia about that feeling. He didn't know why he told Jono.
"It don't mean nothing at all and is right foolish, at the end of the day."
"Yeah I- I think you can get that feeling without the big family too." Jono replied awkwardly, feeling far too vulnerable for a random afternoon. "Say- you don't happen to know anything about the folklore where you're from do you? I asked Paige but she went on some long rant about 'outsiders' not knowing anything but then also her not knowing anything...."
Jay nodded. "You like folklore? Ain't that just different from Paige," he joked. He stretched his arms above his head. "What're you wantin' to be knowing?" Then, figuring that might be broad, he said. "Paige ever tell you 'bout the Devil's wife?"
It was nice to be alone and not have to perform happiness, or even just a lack of emptiness and tiredness. Jay couldn't even do that in his suite with Sam around, so what he had taken to calling a practice room (which was really just what had probably once been servants quarters but had good acoustics) had come to be a refuge. He could take his guitar and have an excuse to be alone for a while, even when he didn't play it and instead just let himself teeter on the edge of actually having to process the emotion that came with anything.
He startled at the door opening.
"Fuck- sorry, didn't realize anyone was in here." Jono thought, backing up with a jerk as he saw Jay, guitar case thunking against the wall.
"Lordy!" Jay yelped, having never experienced telepathy before. But it was like he heard a voice right in his head- a British voice at that, which must mean it was Jono's. He pressed his hand to his chest, rubbing at the fading scar there for a moment.
"You gave me a fright there, I didn't know you could do that."
“Sorry, I usually ask first. But hands full and - sorry. Jono stammered, wincing a bit.
"It's okay," Jay said and hoped that his face didn't betray that he was maybe less okay with it than he'd like to be. Having anyone speak in your head was just- it was invasive. Especially for someone as private as Jay. "You can come in too, if'n ya like. It's alright," he said, readying a smile. He was a performer after all. A musician. And so was Jono- both a musician and performer. He wondered...
"Really, it's fine- I can use the light writer if you'd prefer. It's not a big deal. I also can't like...see anything? I can just sort of talk and maybe hear something if you're directly thinking at me and I'm right next to you. I promise I couldn't pry even if I wanted to- which I don't." For the first time in a while Jono wished he had a mouth so that he could better emote- a grimace would be very appropriate right now.
Awkwardly he came into the room, trying to appear significantly more at ease than he was. Did Jay know about what Paige had told their mother? If Jay knew, did he know it was fake?
That assurance that even if Jono wanted to that he couldn't do much more than speak into his head really did put Jay more at ease and he gave Jono a nod to indicate that. "I'd been wantin' to speak to you anyways," Jay said, which was a convenient white lie. He did have two different subjects he wanted to ask Jono about anyways.
“Oh?” Jono asked, trying not to feel panicked at the idea of one of Paige’s brothers looking for him. The relationship was fake and yet the fear was very real. “What did you need to talk to me about?”
"Two small things," Jay assured Jono. He blinked at the look of panic in Jono's eyes. Now what did he have to be panicked about. That made his second question jump to the front. He was still pretty sure Jono was gay, but he had heard about Paige gettin' a boyfriend she hadn't told him about and even if it weren't Jono, he might know. Paige'd be more inclined to tell a friend than him. "You know who the guy Paigey's datin' is?"
“Oh. That…..for some reason while you all were in Kentucky, very glad your sister’s safe by the way, but Paige apparently got into a fight with your mum and then told her that I’m her boyfriend? We definitely are not dating and she sprung this on me after the fact. I’m happy to keep up the lie if I makes her more comfortable with whatever was going on there but I don’t really know why she did it.”
Oh. So he was just being Paigey's beard, if that term could apply to Paige. Just a way to get Mama off her back. So he didn't have to worry about his only big sister having a boyfriend after all. "To keep Mama from gettin' on her about gettin' married soon, I bet," Jay said with a shrug. "So she ain't datin' anyone for real?" He asked to clarify.
“Not that I’m aware.” Jono said. “What was the other thing?”
"You were in the rock scene in England right?" Jay said, trying to be casual. "You ever met Lila Cheney?" He had to know what people thought of her, if anyone had any clue what she'd done to his brother.
Jono's entire demeanor changed in an instant. He was no longer uncomfortable but now visibly annoyed. "Thankfully I've never actually met her. Before she got popular enough to book a tour, we opened at some of the same festivals, I know we played at some of the same venues in London- never heard a single good thing about her." Well, except from his ex, Gayle had liked her music, but Jay didn't need to know that. "One of my mates met her in a pub bathroom, said she was fucking insufferable. A rich poser bitch who thought she could do whatever she wanted with no consequence. She had a reputation from stealing from other acts, not just songs but stuff. I'm glad we never played with her. Why?"
Jay felt absolutely vindicated to know that know one who knew her liked her and leaned back a little to bask in it. "Jes' wanted to know what people who might know her think o' her. Sammy and I got talkin' about her, and I was wondering if you'd ever met her." Jay actually had the electric, the same model that Lila Cheney had, in his lap. "Apparently she and me got the same type of guitar, so it came up. Was just curious."
He didn't want to give Jono any indication of why he had actually asked. That was Sam's business and he weren't going to go spreading it.
"Must've cost you a pretty penny." Jono said. "I saved up for mine for what felt like forever."
"It was a gift; don't know how Sam could afford it," Jay lied, unaware that the guilt that curled in his gut was evident in his face and more importantly on the base of his mind, like a rot.
Jono's brow furrowed. "Are you okay? You look...upset."
Guilty was a better word, but that didn't make any sense to Jono. This was Jay, Paige's brother who was from Kentucky and had moved into the mansion only just in January, supposedly never having been outside of Kentucky before that.
"Jes' speculatin', I guess," Jay said, trying to pull back his sense of guilt. Sam had said he had nothing to feel guilty over, anyways.
"You an only child?" He asked Jono, suddenly.
"Yes.....Paige has repeatedly told me it's apparently obvious." Jono replied, slightly teasing. Maybe that would help get Jay's spirits back to the sort of baseline sad he'd picked up from the other man in their previous interactions.
Jay smiled at him wryly. "Then you ain't never had to feel the pain a' bein' a brother," he joked. "Don't worry about me lookin' upset. Y'just get guilty for existing, sometimes, when you got a big family. Like you ain't enough of whatever brother they want you to be."
He hadn't told anyone but Julia about that feeling. He didn't know why he told Jono.
"It don't mean nothing at all and is right foolish, at the end of the day."
"Yeah I- I think you can get that feeling without the big family too." Jono replied awkwardly, feeling far too vulnerable for a random afternoon. "Say- you don't happen to know anything about the folklore where you're from do you? I asked Paige but she went on some long rant about 'outsiders' not knowing anything but then also her not knowing anything...."
Jay nodded. "You like folklore? Ain't that just different from Paige," he joked. He stretched his arms above his head. "What're you wantin' to be knowing?" Then, figuring that might be broad, he said. "Paige ever tell you 'bout the Devil's wife?"
