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xp_logsPaige and Jono get back to their hotel after the events of Glamor Machine and have a heart-to-heart.
As soon as Jono and Paige set foot in the room they'd booked for the night his arms were tight around her, shaking hands cradling her head to his shoulder. He had the distinct impression of a man who wanted to cry but couldn't seem to let the wetness around his eyes fall.
The stress of the situation hadn't left him yet. He was still tense, still wary, still looking over his shoulder, thinking through every word he heard as if it might have ten different meanings he'd never thought of before. He was still scared.
"Gods Angel, you scared the fuck out of me. I'm so happy you're alright I could kiss you."
Paige hugged Jono back just as tightly. He clearly needed it and the pressure helped with some of the residual overstimulation from being iron for so long. “Hey, it’s ok! I’m here and we’re safe and- wait…say that last part again?” She couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. Paige pulled back slightly to look him in the eye.
Jono stiffened a bit. Oh....he hadn't realized he'd thought that out loud. Well.....between this and having accidentally sent her the wrong playlist...he couldn't exactly hide from it anymore. "......I said I could kiss you. Which is stupid because it's not physically possible and obviously not something you want."
Paige frowned and almost shook Jono out of frustration. “What do you mean obviously? I’ve been into you for a while! Of course you could kiss me!” How dareSam be right she not figure it out sooner?
"I'm sorry, what?" Jono asked, trying to keep his mind quiet and still. How embarrassing would it be to project things on accident right now. "I don't even have a mouth! How could I kiss you? It's stupid."
“I don’t know, we’ll figure something out!” Paige moved her hands up to cup Jono’s face. “Maybe I can kiss you instead?”
"No go back. What do you mean you've been into me for a while?" Jono thought. It was probably a good thing he didn't have a heart anymore, it would have beat out of his chest by now otherwise.
“You're hot, Jono. Of course I’m into you!” It had been obvious to apparently everyone else, she thought Jono just wasn’t acknowledging it. “…Did you really not notice??”
"I thought- you weren't responding to when I was flirting with you and then I thought you were a lesbian because of the carabiner thing and so then I wasn't flirting with you and then I found out you were bi and by that point I knew how guys in your hometown treated you like some sort of fucking Barbie doll and then I felt bad for liking you when you wanted a friend and- no....I didn't." He was thinking too fast. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He used to be better at this. It used to be so easy to know when girls thought he was hot, but of course that was back when he was hot. Wait...no, that felt wrong, like he was insulting Paige's tastes.
Paige could feel the nervous energy radiating off of Jono, so she took a step back and dropped her hands. “Ok, hold on. You flirted with me? When?? Also you thought I was a lesbian because I own a carabiner? It’s just a clip to hold stuff? And…ok, you’re not wrong about home, but you don’t need to feel guilty because you like me. You’re not acting like an entitled jerk, you’re fine.”
"Paige....I made you a mixtape. I gave you a ring off my hand, tried to give you my jacket. I call you 'angel'. I made you a bracelet with my guitar strings. I made you meals for an entire week when you were tired....also we've already covered that I thought you were flagging, we don't have to bring up me being an idiot again." Jono's brow furrowed when she stepped away and took her hands in his, squeezing gently. "I...just thought you didn't feel the same."
Paige turned bright red and covered her face. “I…am a fucking idiot, oh my god.” Her siblings were never going to let her live it down. Or her cohort. Or her friends at the mansion. Fuck, how was she this stupid??
"You are not an idiot." Jono said firmly. "Don't ever say that again."
Jono held her hands more firmly and pulled her closer again. "I also just....remembered that I learned how to do something....a while ago...if you're comfortable with it."
Paige squeezed his hands and gave half a smile. She was definitely stupid, but it was kind of Jono to not think so. “What did you have in mind?”
"Would you trust me to go into your mind? Not just talk but to be there?" He asked. "I'm not explaining it well, but it might let me kiss you. Sort of. It will feel real at least."
“‘Course I trust you,” she said without hesitation. The big secret was out now, so she wasn’t worried about him finding too much.
Jono pressed his forehead to hers and focused on adjusting the astral plane, mirroring the room they were standing in. With more concentration he was able to not just see Paige standing there, but to put himself with her, his technically imaginary forehead pressed against her own technically imaginary forehead. He pulled back slightly and was finally for the first time able to really smile at her. "Hey."
“I…woah!” Paige blinked and looked around. It was their hotel room but also…not. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but it was slightly different. Until she looked at Jono. Smiling Jono, no bandages or hole where his chest should be. He looked happy. It was a bit unsettling. “What happened? Are we inside my head?” Was her accent stronger here?
"We are." He said, it was different talking with a mouth. It's still technically thinking but in here, in here it feels like talking. "I...did my best to make it as close to where we are as possible...I'm still pretty new at this kind of telepathy stuff."
“It’s good. You could probably do a lot with this if ya trained some…” Paige trailed off. Not what they came here to do.
She raised a hand to Jono’s face again and ran her thumb over where his bandages usually ended. “You know you don’t have to do this right? You don’t…I like you the way you are.” She hoped she was expressing that sentiment well.
Jono frowned, leaning into her touch almost greedily, like he couldn’t get enough now that he had it. “This is….this is just how I view myself…..do you……it’s just my face.”
“Oh.” There was…a lot to unpack there. Now was not the time for Paige’s schooling to kick in. “That’s ok, I’m not upset or anythin’. I just…you don’t have to change anythin’ about yourself for me. You know that, right?”
He could feel her disappointment, and despite her claims her upset, and it hurt. So much more than thinking she didn’t like him. “I’m not…..I haven’t changed anything. I just wanted to kiss you.”
Paige fucked up, she could feel it. Why was she so bad at romance? Was it a curse or something? (Not that she believed in those.) She hadn’t realized that this was how Jono still saw himself.
Trying for a more relaxed smile, she leaned into him. “So, kiss me, then.” They could have this conversation later, when they weren’t both so tired and stressed out from getting abducted by creatures from another dimension.
Jono moved his hands from hers to cup her face, fingers running gently over the tender spot behind her ear as he angled her face just right. He leaned down to kiss her tenderly, not pushing for anything more than the soft press of his lips against hers.
He could feel the fire within his chest bloom like a furnace someone had stoked with a bellows. But he was in control of it, for the first time ever it only felt warm.
Oh. Oh, Jono had done this before. And Paige, admittedly, had really only done it once during an ill-conceived one night stand. But, fuck, was it nice. She wrapped her arms around Jono’s neck, and, for once in her life, let someone else take control.
One of his hands moved to pull her in close by the waist until their chests touched as he titled his head some to deepen the kiss.
Like this in the mind scape they didn’t necessarily have to breathe, but he still pulled back just a hair, lips brushing against hers. “Fuck, you’re sweet. Better than I’d imagined, Angel.”
Paige practically growled as she grabbed the front of Jono’s shirt and pulled him back in, kissing him a lot harder and messier than he had kissed her. Why hadn’t they done this earlier? They’d known each other a whole year and they could have been doing this the whole time? Paige really was an idiot, no matter what Jono said.
Fuck, that was hot. He grinned into the kiss and nearly picked her up in an effort to get her closer. He could feel the ring he’d given her on the back of his neck where her hand rested, and the guitar string bracelet digging into the skin of his chest where her arm was pinned between them. He pulled back, regrettable, if only to ask, breathy and flustered. “Safe to- safe to say we’re no longer lying about you being my girl?”
“Very safe,” Paige huffed. “Anymore questions you wanna ask now while you still can? Or are you gonna keep interruptin’ with stupid questions?”
Jono laughed, warm and affectionate. “Just one-“ he promised, leaning down to press a soft teasing kiss to the side of her neck. “Do we have to make out standing up or can we move to the couch or the bed?”
As soon as Jono and Paige set foot in the room they'd booked for the night his arms were tight around her, shaking hands cradling her head to his shoulder. He had the distinct impression of a man who wanted to cry but couldn't seem to let the wetness around his eyes fall.
The stress of the situation hadn't left him yet. He was still tense, still wary, still looking over his shoulder, thinking through every word he heard as if it might have ten different meanings he'd never thought of before. He was still scared.
"Gods Angel, you scared the fuck out of me. I'm so happy you're alright I could kiss you."
Paige hugged Jono back just as tightly. He clearly needed it and the pressure helped with some of the residual overstimulation from being iron for so long. “Hey, it’s ok! I’m here and we’re safe and- wait…say that last part again?” She couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. Paige pulled back slightly to look him in the eye.
Jono stiffened a bit. Oh....he hadn't realized he'd thought that out loud. Well.....between this and having accidentally sent her the wrong playlist...he couldn't exactly hide from it anymore. "......I said I could kiss you. Which is stupid because it's not physically possible and obviously not something you want."
Paige frowned and almost shook Jono out of frustration. “What do you mean obviously? I’ve been into you for a while! Of course you could kiss me!” How dare
"I'm sorry, what?" Jono asked, trying to keep his mind quiet and still. How embarrassing would it be to project things on accident right now. "I don't even have a mouth! How could I kiss you? It's stupid."
“I don’t know, we’ll figure something out!” Paige moved her hands up to cup Jono’s face. “Maybe I can kiss you instead?”
"No go back. What do you mean you've been into me for a while?" Jono thought. It was probably a good thing he didn't have a heart anymore, it would have beat out of his chest by now otherwise.
“You're hot, Jono. Of course I’m into you!” It had been obvious to apparently everyone else, she thought Jono just wasn’t acknowledging it. “…Did you really not notice??”
"I thought- you weren't responding to when I was flirting with you and then I thought you were a lesbian because of the carabiner thing and so then I wasn't flirting with you and then I found out you were bi and by that point I knew how guys in your hometown treated you like some sort of fucking Barbie doll and then I felt bad for liking you when you wanted a friend and- no....I didn't." He was thinking too fast. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He used to be better at this. It used to be so easy to know when girls thought he was hot, but of course that was back when he was hot. Wait...no, that felt wrong, like he was insulting Paige's tastes.
Paige could feel the nervous energy radiating off of Jono, so she took a step back and dropped her hands. “Ok, hold on. You flirted with me? When?? Also you thought I was a lesbian because I own a carabiner? It’s just a clip to hold stuff? And…ok, you’re not wrong about home, but you don’t need to feel guilty because you like me. You’re not acting like an entitled jerk, you’re fine.”
"Paige....I made you a mixtape. I gave you a ring off my hand, tried to give you my jacket. I call you 'angel'. I made you a bracelet with my guitar strings. I made you meals for an entire week when you were tired....also we've already covered that I thought you were flagging, we don't have to bring up me being an idiot again." Jono's brow furrowed when she stepped away and took her hands in his, squeezing gently. "I...just thought you didn't feel the same."
Paige turned bright red and covered her face. “I…am a fucking idiot, oh my god.” Her siblings were never going to let her live it down. Or her cohort. Or her friends at the mansion. Fuck, how was she this stupid??
"You are not an idiot." Jono said firmly. "Don't ever say that again."
Jono held her hands more firmly and pulled her closer again. "I also just....remembered that I learned how to do something....a while ago...if you're comfortable with it."
Paige squeezed his hands and gave half a smile. She was definitely stupid, but it was kind of Jono to not think so. “What did you have in mind?”
"Would you trust me to go into your mind? Not just talk but to be there?" He asked. "I'm not explaining it well, but it might let me kiss you. Sort of. It will feel real at least."
“‘Course I trust you,” she said without hesitation. The big secret was out now, so she wasn’t worried about him finding too much.
Jono pressed his forehead to hers and focused on adjusting the astral plane, mirroring the room they were standing in. With more concentration he was able to not just see Paige standing there, but to put himself with her, his technically imaginary forehead pressed against her own technically imaginary forehead. He pulled back slightly and was finally for the first time able to really smile at her. "Hey."
“I…woah!” Paige blinked and looked around. It was their hotel room but also…not. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but it was slightly different. Until she looked at Jono. Smiling Jono, no bandages or hole where his chest should be. He looked happy. It was a bit unsettling. “What happened? Are we inside my head?” Was her accent stronger here?
"We are." He said, it was different talking with a mouth. It's still technically thinking but in here, in here it feels like talking. "I...did my best to make it as close to where we are as possible...I'm still pretty new at this kind of telepathy stuff."
“It’s good. You could probably do a lot with this if ya trained some…” Paige trailed off. Not what they came here to do.
She raised a hand to Jono’s face again and ran her thumb over where his bandages usually ended. “You know you don’t have to do this right? You don’t…I like you the way you are.” She hoped she was expressing that sentiment well.
Jono frowned, leaning into her touch almost greedily, like he couldn’t get enough now that he had it. “This is….this is just how I view myself…..do you……it’s just my face.”
“Oh.” There was…a lot to unpack there. Now was not the time for Paige’s schooling to kick in. “That’s ok, I’m not upset or anythin’. I just…you don’t have to change anythin’ about yourself for me. You know that, right?”
He could feel her disappointment, and despite her claims her upset, and it hurt. So much more than thinking she didn’t like him. “I’m not…..I haven’t changed anything. I just wanted to kiss you.”
Paige fucked up, she could feel it. Why was she so bad at romance? Was it a curse or something? (Not that she believed in those.) She hadn’t realized that this was how Jono still saw himself.
Trying for a more relaxed smile, she leaned into him. “So, kiss me, then.” They could have this conversation later, when they weren’t both so tired and stressed out from getting abducted by creatures from another dimension.
Jono moved his hands from hers to cup her face, fingers running gently over the tender spot behind her ear as he angled her face just right. He leaned down to kiss her tenderly, not pushing for anything more than the soft press of his lips against hers.
He could feel the fire within his chest bloom like a furnace someone had stoked with a bellows. But he was in control of it, for the first time ever it only felt warm.
Oh. Oh, Jono had done this before. And Paige, admittedly, had really only done it once during an ill-conceived one night stand. But, fuck, was it nice. She wrapped her arms around Jono’s neck, and, for once in her life, let someone else take control.
One of his hands moved to pull her in close by the waist until their chests touched as he titled his head some to deepen the kiss.
Like this in the mind scape they didn’t necessarily have to breathe, but he still pulled back just a hair, lips brushing against hers. “Fuck, you’re sweet. Better than I’d imagined, Angel.”
Paige practically growled as she grabbed the front of Jono’s shirt and pulled him back in, kissing him a lot harder and messier than he had kissed her. Why hadn’t they done this earlier? They’d known each other a whole year and they could have been doing this the whole time? Paige really was an idiot, no matter what Jono said.
Fuck, that was hot. He grinned into the kiss and nearly picked her up in an effort to get her closer. He could feel the ring he’d given her on the back of his neck where her hand rested, and the guitar string bracelet digging into the skin of his chest where her arm was pinned between them. He pulled back, regrettable, if only to ask, breathy and flustered. “Safe to- safe to say we’re no longer lying about you being my girl?”
“Very safe,” Paige huffed. “Anymore questions you wanna ask now while you still can? Or are you gonna keep interruptin’ with stupid questions?”
Jono laughed, warm and affectionate. “Just one-“ he promised, leaning down to press a soft teasing kiss to the side of her neck. “Do we have to make out standing up or can we move to the couch or the bed?”
