-insert dramatic title here-

[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


“ Hey, “ he protested as he paused midway towards popping a puff into his mouth. “ This is like the best two-person game ever. Jenga and solitaire can’t even come close to ‘most pathetically lonely games’. And I’m a ravenous, bottomless pit, anyways. “ He munched down another couple of pieces of popcorn and picked up his dice, cupping them in his hands.

“ I will beat you this time. Jenga is made of skill, this game is sheer losers’ luck, and God knows I’ve got plenty of that, “ he smirked.

-----

It was a long, vigorous, and bloody battle, the two of them had.

Jeremy was winning for the first three games, and after the second he suspected Joshua of foul play -- allowing him to win, that was -- until he lost by about a hundred and fifty points. After that, it was on, and they bantered back and forth, tying twice and losing or winning by a sparse few points for a good three games in a row. By the time Jeremy finally looked at the clock, it was two in the afternoon, they had played eleven games of Yahtzee, and he was all Yahtzee’d out. Probably for the remainder of his life.

“ T’was a brutal affair, “ he said darkly, lifting the piece of paper they’d been using to tally their individual scores and raising his pencil dramatically. “ But we shall see who has the last laugh here, you swine. “

Math wasn’t ever his strong point, but he calculated the score three times and then ran off to fetch a calculator from his desk in his bedroom, returning to plug in the numbers with severe intensity across his face as he typed, finally slumping back in his bean bag chair with an expression of sheer and utter disbelief on his face. He stared at the papers, the calculator, and the dice, and then looked up at Joshua.

“ We, sir, have come to a tie, “ he said simply, though in a tone that declared that he himself didn’t quite believe it. “ We have a perfect tying score of exactly two thousand, one hundred and seventy-six. Now, I am going to feel safe in assuming that the powers that be are trolling on us, but otherwise this puts us at a standstill, and we must decide upon another test of strengths and weaknesses to end this cat’s game, “ he added thoughtfully, staring at the man carefully.

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

Yahtzee was the best two person game? What kind of strange opinion on games did Jeremy have? Then again, Joshua had never been a fan of wasting time with games like Yahtzee or Jenga as a child. Actually... he had never been a fan of wasting time period growing up. It was something that he had always been taught not to do. So instead he merely let out a small, thoughtful hum. "Sure, Jeremy." he said, clearly amused. "Whatever you say, and bottomless pit or not, remember what's for dinner. So try to save some room." he pointed out as Jeremy picked up the dice and got ready to start the game.

"That sounds like a challenge... and it's one i'll happily accept." Joshua smiled and leaned forward and with that, the game began.

-------

He didn't know how long they played, or even how many points he had, but all he knew was that an hour or so into it he was tired of the game. When voicing his annoyance for the game, it was taken as an admitted defeat and it was only his pride that kept Joshua in playing the game. It was so... uneventful. Rolling the dice and picking a strategy and hoping for the best. It was... luck. Something that he, apparently, had little of.

He failed miserably for most of the first half of the game. Picking the wrong numbers and making the wrong moves. It wasn't until Jeremy started to suspect him of losing on purpose, which he honestly wasn't this time, did he start to win. It was pure luck... which made it frustrating! About the time they began to tie, it was a battle that went back and forth. Jeremy would lose, then Josh would. It would be close then one of them would pull forward and BARELY take the lead. It was a game of cat and mouse... and not very entertaining. But it was what Jeremy wanted to do.. so the older man bit his lip and dealt with his boredom. Jeremy was set on playing Yahtzee, so that was what they were going to do.

Until finally, whatever God there was smiled down on him, and Jeremy ended the game. The man let out a sigh and leaned back against the couch, him having somehow ended up sitting on the floor next to Charlie so that he was able to be closer to the table and not have to hunch over it every turn, when the boy spoke. "Brutal indeed." he agreed, resting his hand on the dogs head. Charlie had taken quick advantage of her master being on the floor and had rested her head into his lap, making Joshua unable to move unless he wanted to disturb her. "Swine.. pft. For that you can do your own math." he said stubbornly.

Watching Jeremy struggle to figure out their points was, he had to admit to himself with a smile, incredibly cute. Math was obviously not the boys strong point. He did the math and redid it and redid it before finally running off to find a calculator. Joshua peered across the table at the numbers and memorized them quickly before sitting back down, running the figures through his head as Jeremy did the same on paper. He, somehow, managed to finish the calculations in his head the same time as Jeremy with his calculator.

A tie... but he would let Jeremy think he knew that first.

So he peered up curiously as the boy leaned back and stared with a look of utter disbelief on his face. Joshua chuckled and watched Jeremy look back and forth from the calculator to the paper to the dice and then, finally, to him, and spoke. Yes, it was as he had thought. It was a tie. He gave a simple look of amusement and watched as Jeremy seemed to act it out as if it was the worst possible thing to have ever happened. That or the most surprising. It was obvious from his tone that he was doubting his math, or doubting the possibility, but Joshua had come to the same conclusion. It was, in fact, a tie.

"Another game of strength's and weaknesses?" he asked, eying Jeremy curiously. "We can't just be happy having a tie?"

xxxxxxxxxxx_______________________________________________ l☺l________

[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


“ Josh, how long exactly have we known each other? I’d think that by now you should have discovered that I do my best to make life difficult for everyone around me in every situation I approach. And aside from that, having a tie means I didn’t win. I will not stand for this injustice! My purpose in life is being denied me. That purpose being constant irritation. “

He stood up and put away the dice and papers back into their respective places in the box, a hand resting on his chin as he studied the older man with a sort of studious observation, eyes narrowing suspiciously before he snapped his fingers. “ I have a proper challenge. You accept, of course. I’m not giving you an option. “ He shrugged simply and walked over into the kitchen with the bowl and box, putting each away before he returned to the living room and stood in front of the television, sneaking something behind his back.

“ A marvelous challenge, this will be, “ he smirked. “ And one where your skills and talents fail you terribly, you and your pristine memory. The one who makes it the longest without laughing, chortling, chuckling, smirking, snickering, sniggering, guffawing OR verbally or non-verbally quoting, wins. “

Jeremy held up the copy of Monty Python, a wicked smile across his face, and turned on his heels to insert the disc into place, flipping on the television and adjusting it to the correct channel before he bounced over to the couch and plunked himself down beside the man, folding his arms over his chest and crossing his legs as the menu popped up. He hit play, and looked at Gagnon.

“ It’s on. “

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

"But it also means that you didn't lose." he pointed out with a small amused smile. Jeremy seemed to be intent on winning... meaning he wasn't happy with just calling it a tie and moving on. To Joshua's luck, it seemed that the tie was going to be settled with something that wasn't Yahtzee because he was putting the paper and the died away back into the box. Joshua let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. While the boy said he was trying to make his life difficult, and everyone else's, being difficult would have been making him play one more game of that awful dice game. Anything Jeremy came up with he could be happy with. Anything other than Yahtzee.

The boy seemed to zone out for a bit before suddenly straightening and snapping his finger. "I would accept regardless of if you actually gave me a choice." he said pleasantly as he nudged his sleeping dog gently. She stirred and looked up at him curiously before standing and trotting off down the hallway. Likely to get into the dog bed that Jeremy had provided for her for the stay. Joshua pulled himself off of the ground and back onto the couch. After a moment he stood and stretched, straightening out his jeans and his t-shirt and running his hands through his hair and over his face to wake himself up before he dropped back onto the ground with a sigh. Better. Now he was going to be able to stay awake just a tad better for whatever challenge Jeremy was going to think up for the pair.

He waited for Jeremy to return from the kitchen patiently and when he came back.. it was clear that the boy had some kind of sneaky plan. He raised an eyebrow and watched curiously as the boy spoke. A marvelous plan, hm? What kind of marvelous thing had the boy come up with in the ten seconds he had left and gone into the kitchen? One where his talents and memory.. failed him? Joshua blinked. Now he was very interested. The one who made it the longest without showing any kind of amusement won...? What exactly-

Then he saw the DVD. Ah.. Monty Python. Joshua chuckled. "I disagree. I think my skills and memory will make this challenge easy for me." he said cheerfully. The only hard part to get through was going to be his French Solider... but he knew that pair weren't going to make it that far. Jeremy had just, after all, seen a life performance and musical of his favorite movie. He was full of giggled and quotations. There was no way he was going to make it past the credits and the crediting the moose. He smiled as Jeremy turned to put the DVD into the player and fix the TV.

Besides, if he found himself starting to be amused, he could easily think about work. The school, the amount of paperwork he was going to have to do, the preparations he was going to have to make to get on the plane, and the things that he was going to have to do when he got home. There were a million things that he could thing about while the movie played. So long as he distracted himself from it all, he would be just fine.

As soon as everything was set up, which didn't take much time at all, the boy dropped onto the couch next to him and curled up into his usual.. sitting position. "Challenge accepted." he said pleasantly, curling his arm closer to Jeremy around the back of the couch to hang comfortably. He turned his head toward the TV and watched. The credits, as they were, weren't as hilarious as many made them out to be. Spelling mistakes and miscrediting along with the flashing of colors. Getting through the movie without smiling or laughing or quoting it was really going to be easy, even if he didn't purposely distract his mind away from it. Picking it apart logically piece by piece and thinking was going to be what saved him from chuckling or making a quotation slip-up. There were just... certain parts that he was going to have to really distract him.

xxxxxxxxxxx_______________________________________________ l☺l________

[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


“ Well, we’ll see about that, “ he replied, sticking his tongue out at the older man and folding his arms as he leaned back against his arm and the couch, the silly, mad credits beginning to roll, and then the movie began.

The last time they had watched this particular piece of cinematic beauty, he recalled, they hadn’t quite….made it through the whole thing with sensibility and normally-toned faces intact. In fact, they’d just about completely stopped watching it after the French Soldier bit, too… distracted to even move beyond it. He was perfectly determined to actually watch the movie all the way through, see it to the end this time, and prove that he wasn’t some hormonally imbalanced stereotypical nineteen-year-old horndog, mainly to himself and his brain. The brain that had, for most of his life, been bluntly convinced that he was incapable of feeling love, and therefore, incapable of feeling anything that might go along with that.

Apparently, his brain was no longer convinced of that, and was now instead plenty willing to support said hormones and the delayed raging they did through his system. It was rather unfair of his own mind to betray him like that, and he was irritated at it, but it didn’t matter enough for him to try and move away from Josh to disrupt the urge to move closer than he already was, or to resist leaning his head against the man’s shoulder. He was too busy distracting himself with trying not to snicker or quote anything as he had challenged himself and Gagnon.

Then came the French Soldier.

Jeremy made it perhaps halfway through the scene before he bust a grin and snapped, in time, “ You sons of silly per-sons!!! “ in his most accurate terrible French accent. He smiled only for a moment and then slapped a hand over his eyes, groaning aloud with dramatic misery and leaning to the side suddenly, flopping down onto the couch. He sighed.

“ Gets me every time, “ he grumbled.

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

Just as a precaution, Joshua took to thinking about work instead of the movie. While his eyes dimly focused ahead and on the television screen, his mind was a million miles in a different direction. He still had to pack. It was Sunday and he left Wednesday. He could pack Tuesday night and be ready easily without Jeremy noticing or realizing what was happening until it snuck up on them. He needed to make a phone call to the airport and verify his two seats and that they knew Charlie, a dog, would be flying with him as he had prearranged. When he got home he was going to need to go shopping. Bread, milk, eggs, juice. Anything that he had given to the neighbors and not wanted to throw away because they would rot and go bad in the two weeks while he was gone he was going to have to go to the store and rebuy. He was going to need to dust, clean, vacuum and wash. Counters and floors would need to be scrubbed after two weeks of no use. The bedrooms were all going to have a fine layer of dust over everything meaning blankets and pillow cases would need to be washed, meaning he might as well wash the sheets too.

He had almost a million things to do when he returned home! On top of that, there was going to be the mail he had to reply to. E-mails, paper work, bills. Even without things at work, he was going to have things at home to do. He had to check his office and he was going to need to clean that before the first day back to school as well. Papers needed to be signed... parents to be met with. He was going to need a full report about the vacation face to face from Ramone so that he really did get every detail. While it sounded as if it had been uneventful on campus, he needed to make sure that there was nothing that happened that Ramone just hadn't wanted to tell him about so he wouldn't have to worry about something he couldn't control while he was out of the country. That would be... very like Ramone.

Really, he had enough going through his mind and more, so distract himself from the movie for a half an hour was easy. He was still deep in his own thoughts, not really registering what was even going on on the screen, when he heard Jeremy burst out laughing and speaking. The man jumped, he had been so deep in thought that it had surprised him, and looked over. There was a moment of silence... then the boy smacked himself in the face. Joshua couldn't help but laugh. Oh.. right. They had a 'bet' didn't they? "Seems I just won." he said pleasantly, watching as Jeremy groaned and flopped down onto the couch, taking up the rest of what Joshua wasn't using to sit, and sighed.

"It's okay. Any good man would lose there to the French Solider." he teased with a smile, looking at Jeremy as he seemed absolutely defeated. Then again... it wasn't as if he had really been playing fair. Joshua had been zoning out through the entire thing and hadn't even been watching. He had, literally, been thinking about everything but the movie. It had stopped him from laughing and quoting and kept him serious... but it wasn't as if it was exactly fair.

But it wasn't like he was going to tell Jeremy that was how he had won.

"Maybe next time." he said, patting the boys head gently. "Now we can at least watch and enjoy it, right? And hows your head... you smacked yourself kind of hard." Joshua tried not to look like his overly concerned self.. but knew that he was failing miserably. It wasn't every day someone smacked themselves to hard in the face and fell over... well.. this was Jeremy... but still. Without waiting for a reply, the man bent down and leaned forward, kissing the boys forehead gently and pulling back, smiling. "Come on. Let's finish the movie, shall we?" he said cheerfully before sitting back up.

With both hands rested comfortably back into his lap, he turned his head back to the screen just as the French Solider's began to toss things - the cow most notably - from their castle. Joshua chuckled lightly and leaned against the couches arm rest on his side. Perhaps this time... they would actually be able to focus on the movie. Their last attempt, and first as a couple, hadn't really worked well. They had gotten... distracted before the movie had even really started. This time it was a half and hour into it already and it seemed to so far be going well... or, at least, for him.

Kind of... perhaps... at least he was focusing a little bit.

xxxxxxxxxxx_______________________________________________ l☺l________

[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


Jeremy grumbled more plaintively, sitting up again and rolling his eyes. “ My face is fine. My pride, however, has been shot with a cannon, and is now condemned to sit at a level of miserable suffering. “ He shook his head, glancing up as Joshua leaned over him and pecked his forehead with a light kiss, then sat upright. “ Ugh, fine. I suppose. “

He sat up along with the man and leaned against his shoulder again, and allowed himself to snicker and quote as he pleased, now that he had lost due to his impulsiveness. Maybe his ADHD had done him in, the need to talk and move and such on a regular basis of about,… every three minutes. That had to be it. Him and his damned mental downfalls, they always did him in, always made him stumble. Terrible things.

After a while, Jeremy stretched and, without really thinking, leaned to the side over Joshua’s lap, looking at the television but sort of resting on his chest. One hand was curled up against his torso and the hand rested lightly on Gagnon’s knee, the other outstretched over his opposite thigh and the hand resting on Jeremy’s shoulder. It was a comfortable position and he didn’t realize exactly how odd and awkward it was to sit like this until about a full minute after he had already laid that way, and he wasn’t about to comment on it.

The movie went on, and he stopped paying attention, once again, though this time it wasn’t his hormones’ fault, it was his. He made it another half an hour, paying attention not to the foolish commentary and the wild antics of the characters, the Black Knight, the carnivorous rabbit, etcetera, but to the sound of Gagnon’s breathing behind him and the feeling of his chest rising and falling, the warmth of his lap against Jeremy’s cheek. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore, and though he didn’t want to move, he spoke anyways.

“ Is this as completely and utterly awkward as I think it is? “ he inquired. “ And once again, I hate to ask, are either of us paying attention to the movie anymore…? “

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

Of course his pride was down! The 'challenge' had been his idea and he had lost miserably! The older man chuckled and allowed silence to fall over the room as the boy agreed to finishing the movie. Silence didn't last long. Now that the pair were able to giggle and quote freely, there was much of it. Much of it coming from Jeremy's side. Joshua had been distracted only moments before by much more serious manners and had to wrap his mind back around the fact that he was now relaxing and joking around. Watching a movie that he loved with the person he loved. For him, switching gears so quickly was a bit difficult and fairly hard to do. Eventually, however, he was able to focus on the movie and laugh fully at something.

It was about that point, however, that Jeremy deemed his sitting position uncomfortable. He stretched then moved, Joshua not paying attention until he was... being leaned on? He jumped and moved his arm quickly so the boy - who didn't seem to even realize what he was doing - could lean forward and settle against his chest, one hand on his knee and the other curled up against his chest. It took a fraction of a second for his face to turn a bright shade of pink, and another second for his hear to start rapidly to beat in his chest. He adjusted himself and hesitated a bit before putting his awkward arm, the one closer to Jeremy that he had been forced to move, around Jeremy's shoulders comfortably.

But the movie went on. Eventually his heart slowed to a far more normal pace and his face cooled to a lighter pink... but even so, he found himself unable to really focus on the movie. Jeremy was curled against him..., he was so close to him. How was he expected to focus on something so unimportant as the movie with Jeremy so close? Before had been different... he had purposely been trying to avoid focusing on the perfection of a film... now... now when he wanted to, it was impossible. Just like last time. He, personally, did not see this time nearly as awkward and unnerving as the last time this had happened. Last time they had been unable to focus simply because their relationship had been something totally and completely new. They were questioning what to do, how to do it, whether or not they were sitting right for a new couple.

This time.. it was the closeness that was making it hard to focus. Five minutes passed... ten.. twenty... thirty. He found himself not quoting or really enjoying the movie, but paying attention to Jeremy. It wasn't as if he was doing anything odd... no. He was fine. Joshua found himself paying attention to the boys breathing. Enjoying how he felt under the older mans arm. How nice it felt to be so close and to hold him so casually, as if it were something that was normal and completely and utterly fine. As if... it wasn't awkward. In reality, it shouldn't have been. They were adults. Something so easy as watching a movie and holding the other really should have been easy.

So why wasn't it?

As if he was reading the older mans mind, Jeremy broke the silence. There was no moving, but a simple glance down and he could see Jeremy's face was tinted with the same red, if not more, that his own face was. Joshua smiled. "Not as bad as you might think." he commented, trying to make it seem... perhaps a little less awkward than it actually was. Even if it was awkward, it wasn't something that he wanted to end. Awkward did not necessarily mean uncomfortable. "And.... no. I don't think we are." he said after a moment with a laugh. It was a tad sad how, again, neither of them were paying attention to such a good movie. It was, in all reality, one of the many things that brought them closer together. It was something that they had in common that was so wonderful.. but watching it together was no longer - at least for now - something that was even possible.

He sighed. "What a shame. We might as well turn it off and find something else to do if we're not going to watch it. There's no need to let it run aimlessly." he said, glancing up to the movie then back down to Jeremy curiously to wait for a reply. After all... it was a waste to let it run and for them to just... ignore it. They surely could find something else to do, like take a walk, rather than sit and pretend to watch. "Or do you want to keep trying to watch it?" he asked with a small smile. Regardless of what Jeremy picked - because it was Jeremy's pick because it was his birthday - he would be happy with it. Finding something else to do that was less awkward would be fine... but sitting with Jeremy and pretending to watch the movie was fine with him to.

After all.. it was time spent with Jeremy.

xxxxxxxxxxx_______________________________________________ l☺l________

[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


He sighed. “ Oh, well. We made it longer than the last time. I don’t even think we made it much past the French Soldier part before we -- “ He stopped short, face reddening. “ …Yeah. Anyways… “ he went on, voice trailing off for a moment.

When Joshua asked what they should do, Jeremy hesitated before turning over onto his back and laying there with his head on Josh’s thigh, sighing and crossing his legs over the couch arm. “ Well. I think it would just be wrong to the movie to continue playing it, “ he said finally, looking up at Joshua with still faintly-red cheeks. “ I think if we try and continue watching it, we’re just going to sit here awkwardly for the next hour and end up in another uncomfortable situation, and then we’re stuck. “ Throwing his hands up lightly, he let them drop onto his stomach and shrugged.

“ We could go for a walk. Or eat lunch -- we should do that. We should eat. I’m starving. With the Yahtzee and the everything we never ate past breakfast. Oh, I know. We could go for a walk THEN go eat lunch. Go out to eat or something. You want to do that? Whatever works for you works for me, I‘m just hungry now. “

He finally decided to sit upright, turning and looking at Josh for a long moment, hands holding him up on the couch. He smiled lightly, leaning over and giving him a light kiss on the lips, then pulling away. “ I love you, “ he said quietly. “ A lot. “

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

Joshua's face turned red about the same time that Jeremy's did. They made it longer this time before they had... gotten.. distracted. He cleared his throat and laughed lightly. It was... funny how bringing something up like that was awkward but... funny at the same time. That was going to be a memory they had any time they picked up that particular movie in the future so there was really no escaping it... and the only reason they had made it this far was because the pair of them had been trying their best not to laugh. Really, the best way to do that wasn't to focus on things at work or what he needed to do, but on Jeremy instead. That seemed to be better and far more efficient.

The older man blinked and watched as Jeremy laid fully on the couch now, head in his lap, instead of getting up and turning the movie off. The man smiled and moved one hand into the boys hair while the other continued to rest in... what was left of his own lap. This was comfortable as well... he had no complaints. Other than they were supposed to turn the movie off and find something else to do. He smiled down at the boy and barely noted that he was talking. It was when he noticed the boys lips moving did he have to zone in. Like Joshua had said, he agreed it would be wrong to keep the movie playing... just for a totally different reason. He did make a good point however. If the pair tried to finish the movie then they would be sitting there awkwardly for the rest of it and wouldn't have been able to enjoy the movie to its full extent. There... was just no way. He hummed lightly and watched as Jeremy threw his hands up into the hair in a dramatic way and chuckled. "Then...?"

Apparently, by the time he had even started to think about it, Jeremy had decided what the pair would be doing. A walk followed by eating out somewhere. It wasn't that easy, of course. His decision took a much longer verbal thinking process than just 'walk and eating out'. It was a walk, but lunch first. Followed by eating and mentioning not eating past breakfast (clearly the popcorn didn't count) before finally decided to take a walk and eat out. "That's fine with me, Jeremy." he said with a chuckle, helping the boy sit up gently. "I should go and change though before that..."

There was nothing technically wrong with what he was wearing. For him it just seemed... to casual. Jeans and a t-shirt? It was very normal. Very.... not him. He was so far from normal and casual that it almost hurt thinking about going out wearing it. If Jeremy commented he might - but only because it was the boys birthday and it would take more than five minutes to get ready and Jeremy was, apparently just starving - but the idea of getting up and changing into something else, black slacks and a buttoned shirt, sounded comforting.

He turned his head to comment to Jeremy only to see the boy... looking at him? Joshua blinked and smiled lightly. The boy looked... like he was thinking about something. He looked happy with whatever it was. Before he could comment on it, the boy leaned forward and gave him a light kiss, Joshua only just being able to return the affectionate gesture before he pulled away. What the boy said, like everything lately, made the man smile and turn a slight shade of pink. "I know." he said, reaching over to touch the side of the boys face gently. "I love you too. And i'm glad to see you smiling so much lately, Jeremy. It's very fitting." he added with a small chuckle before he leaned forward and gave the boy a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"I love to see you happy."

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[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


Jeremy smiled back at him as he was kissed and told in return, and Joshua mentioned that seeing him happy in turn made the counselor feel the same. He smiled a bit more broadly and touched the hand on his face, squeezing it and then bringing the knuckles up to his lips to kiss them softly.

“ I’ll let you go get all pretty again, then, “ he said, releasing Joshua’s hand and rolling off of the couch. He stood and stretched a little, relaxing. “ Your slacks and button-down and all that fancy stuff. I should probably get out of my pajamas, too, so as not to publicly humiliate both of us, you and your pretty clothing,“ he smirked, heading towards his room to get some more decent clothing on. “ Last one out’s a rotten egg! “

With that last little challenge fading in the air, he shut the door with a click and flipped on his light, heading over to his dresser and opening one drawer before selecting several articles of clothing. He set them on top of his desk and stared -- a white t-shirt, black jeans, mismatched socks, underwear. For some reason he felt strangely… disapproving of the combination -- normally he couldn’t care less as long as it was warm, and when couple with an appropriate coat, everything could be warm enough for his standards. But still…. He shook his head, put everything back, closed the drawers and stared at them before opening them again.

He repeated this process two more times before he finally selected a red graphic tee, a white undershirt, and gray jeans, along with a pair of boots he usually preferred not to wear due to the riding boot-heel they had and they usually made him feel more like a chick than he preferred. However, Michelle had bought them with him in mind, as they were insulated enough to survived an Alaskan winter, and he felt brave enough to wear them overtop a pair of green and black-striped and purple socks. Donning that and a thick sweater, he finally exited his room and looked round. “ Josh? I’m ready. “

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

Joshua smiled at the boy and, to his shame, couldn't withhold his face from turning a light shade of pink when his hand was kissed. That was... a very feminine thing of him to do and he was actually quite surprised he didn't get teased nicely for it. But it was because it was Jeremy that he had changed color... something as simple and kind as a kiss to his hand was a gesture that was enough to make him change shades. As embarrassing as it was, it was comforting and a sweet thing for Jeremy to do.

Then the moment was, of course, changed when Jeremy spoke. Joshua laughed and pulled his hand back as it was released. Go and get pretty.. of course. The man pushed himself and stood as well when Jeremy did and smiled as he watched the boy stretch. Slacks, a buttoned down shirt, and all that fancy stuff, eh? The man chuckled and nodded. "Only for you." he teased, smiling as the boy finally commented on his own outfit. Joshua had noticed hours ago, obviously, that the boy was still in his pajama's. It wasn't something that really bothered him, of course. Jeremy was happy and comfortable in what he was wearing, and the two had been enjoying themselves a considerate amount. Joshua noticed far less times than he would have normally, which was odd for him. That was, generally, something that would have been in the front of his mind at all times at a normal day. But... Jeremy did want to change into something better. As to, he said, 'not to publicly humiliate them' and again commented on Joshua's pretty clothes. Though it was said as a joke, not being something that really bothered the boy earning merely a smile from the older man.

The pair headed down the hallway, Joshua huffing and deciding not to comment on the challenge, knowing he would likely lose regardless of if he accepted it, and made his way into his room. Once his door was securely closed behind him, the man removed his shoes and placed them back into their proper box (the original shoe box of course) then back into the suit case where he had gotten it from that morning. Once that was done, he changed his clothes and folded them before setting them aside to be washed and changed. His attire was... the usual. His black slacks, nice shoes, and a buttoned down medium blue shirt. He pondered on wearing a tie and decided he would wear one out later that night instead of now then headed out of his room once he deemed himself done.

"Jeremy?" he called, heading into the living room. To his pleasant surprise... he'd beaten the boy out. He smiled to himself and made his way to the door. He had just pulled on his jacket and scarf and was reaching for his hat when Jeremy came in. "By the door." he said as he grabbed the cap and turned, smiling seeing the boy. "I'm ready too." he said as he tugged the beanie over his hair and over his ears to keep them warm. He checked his pockets quickly, checking for his wallet, keys, and phone (even though he didn't need the last one), and said a quick good bye to Charlie. He patted her head and promised her a treat when the pair returned and made his way out of the apartment.

He waited for Jeremy patiently in the hallway and once the apartment was locked up, followed the boy for the stairs. "Did you have anywhere in mind?" he asked as the two stepped into the small main room of the hall way and headed to the door. "I can always drive us downtown and we can walk around the city to find something to eat or do." he offered. The pair had been around most of the area Jeremy lived in already. With their previous two walks... they had seen pretty much all that had to be seen. Paris was a large city and there was much more to it... if they went down town and went into shops (to keep warm mostly) Joshua could very sneakily purchase something for the boys birthday. There were a few things for himself that he did want to purchase, the idea of buying another suit before he left was bouncing in his head. A few designer branded shirts that he couldn't get in the states. Expensive, but ones that fit his taste perfectly.

Regardless if they went to the city where the shops were, he would be happy walking around with Jeremy. Where the shops were was also where the great food was. Nothing their sized to where they would be able to comfortably sit and eat, but most places had an outside covered place to eat... it was an idea if Jeremy hadn't thought about it. He was unsure about Jeremy and how the other boys feet were doing, but his own body was still aching from the previous days walk... not as if he was going to openly complain or reject the idea of a walk, of course.

xxxxxxxxxxx_______________________________________________ l☺l________

[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


He donned his hat and gloves and scarf, making sure that all possible bare skin was firmly sealed away against the chilled temperatures before he grabbed his phone and house key. Joshua had beaten him out -- which he groaned aloud and made a face at Gagnon for -- and headed out into the hallway while Jeremy locked things up. They turned and headed off down the walkway towards the stairwell, obviously choosing it over the cursed and unreliable elevator.

When asked if he had any ideas, Jeremy paused and tapped his chin in thought as they walked. “ Hrm….. Let’s just drive downtown, “ he said finally after a moment of consideration. “ Less walking and less cold. Less cold is always good. “ He shouldered and held the door open for Josh as they exited the building, and shivered. “ ALWAYS good. “

They turned down the street and headed for the parking lot where their transportation was parked, and Jeremy exhaled a stream of white steam. “I haven’t been downtown much. Usually too many people, and I don’t really like driving down there because of the crowding and the distance. But it’s early and it shouldn’t be too packed, and even so…. “

He turned and gave Josh a light smile as they reached the car. “ I think we’ll survive. “

They got in the car and waited for it to warm up, which took a good ten minutes or so to do as it was quite cold even inside the vehicle. Jeremy was fine with the length of time spent there, as of course it was also time spent with Joshua, and that made everything better even if normally he would have been sent running and screaming like a small child in the other direction. The counselor tended to have that effect on him.

Once the car was started, warm, and ready to move, they headed at a comfortable pace towards the downtown of Paris, and Jeremy turned to look at Gagnon. “ So. You want to go get food first, or walk around for a while? “

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

He was pleased, almost relieved, that Jeremy agreed to drive downtown before walking. It wasn't as if they hadn't been sitting all morning, because they obviously had, but... walking out in the cold where it was more likely to trip (again) was less than pleasing. Down town, where it might be busy, would likely be safer. More people had walked through it, it was more likely to be salted. They just had to deal with the people.. but the shops that Joshua wanted to go into and buy this from were large, open, and one that not a lot of people entered. Mostly because of price. Jeremy seemed to be in the same mind frame as Joshua was and quickly pointed out that less walking in the cold was better. "I can agree to that." he said cheerfully.

As the pair headed to the car, the older man couldn't help but turn to glance at Jeremy. He seemed perfectly comfortable and at ease... even though he had just agreed to get in a car for what was going to be at least a ten or twenty minutes trip depending on traffic and the situation in the streets. He hadn't even flinched making the suggestion... maybe he was no longer..? But that didn't make sense in the slightest. Jeremy downright hated traveling by vehicle. The small space was to much for him and the car he had was... quite a bit smaller than the one he had at home. Largely noticeable to him. He smiled warmly at the boy before digging his hands into his pockets and looking forward, focusing on walking as the pair made their way to the car.

"It'll be alright." he said with a smile. Jeremy seemed to be rethinking his decision to go down town... and the boy was right in what he had said. Downtown usually was crowded and it was a decent distance around. With the fact it was New Years and the festival was tonight, it was likely going to be more packed than usual, even if it was still early. "I've been downtown a few times already when you were at work. There are a few shops I wouldn't mind going in, and all of them are usually empty. They have the tall ceilings and the open floors that you're more fond of too. So even if the streets are crowded, we won't have to deal with them for very long." he assured the boy.

And even if they did... they would be fine as Jeremy had said. They would both be uncomfortable, for very different reasons, but as soon as they were somewhere open and by themselves the anxiety would disappear. He smiled at the boy again and unlocked the car quickly and got in, turning it on and shivered as the pair waited together. Jeremy seemed fine with that... he sat next to him with his door closed and continued to talk. It was... a bit surprising, he had to admit. But it was comforting to. Just knowing that the boy seemed to be okay now. Whether it was because it was just because Joshua was there or because he was beginning to get of that fear of cars and small spaces, he wasn't sure. But he was happy.

The car took its time warming up, but finally it was defrosted and warm enough to drive, Joshua waiting until everything was completely ready before moving, of course, and the pair were off. The drive hadn't been going to long before Jeremy spoke. He made a thoughtful humming noise and kept his eyes on the road. It was deserted so far, but they still had a bit before hitting the usual downtown traffic. "Well, if what you said in the apartment is true, you're dying to get something to eat." he teased with a small smile. "I'm fine with getting something to eat first. It'll be better to eat a late lunch now so we can put off dinner for a while." he said, thinking. If they ate dinner to soon, they would be hungry when they went to the festival. He knew that there would be good food there, but whether or not they were going to want to buy any was going to be the question. It depended on the.. usual Gagnon standards. Cleanliness, the people, and of course the food.

xxxxxxxxxxx_______________________________________________ l☺l________

[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


“ Oh, of course I am. I’m going to just keel over dead in your passenger seat any minute now if I don’t get something to eat, “ he replied sarcastically, resisting the urge to pretend to actually keel over. Normally and with anyone else he would have done it, especially if he knew it would annoy them all to high hell, but with Josh… for some reason, he resisted. He knew that Josh knew his taunts and teases very well by now, but there were always moments where Jeremy’s acting blurred the line, and he wanted nothing less than to make the man worry or be concerned. On top of that, he was in control of a vehicle moving over ice, and if Jeremy were to follow his instinct-based desire to flail and then go completely limp for thirty seconds on end, they just might die because of it. He sided with safety, just this once.

“ There are a lot of nice little restaurants in that area, and they all sound freaking amazing right now. But after lunch I don’t care where we go as long as it’s bigger than your apartment. I can last inside of your car for thirty-two minutes exactly but once it comes to stationary buildings my limits drastically shrink. Streets and outside stuff… not as bad. But if it has walls and a ceiling and it’s the same size as your car, then…. No bueno, “ he said with a slightly uneasy grin. “ But you know that. I’ve bowled you over because of that before. “

They drove on, heading towards the less-familiar downtown region and searching about the traffic and sparse crowds for somewhere to park. It was a challenge that nearly pushed them into playing ‘I Spy’, but thankfully it never came to that as it was discovered that a nice-looking restaurant they both seemed to approve of came complete with a parking lot. It was a small eatery, but it looked nice enough, and they did takeout, as well, which was amazing in Jeremy’s case should they decide to leave.

They stopped and climbed out, the younger of the two giving a full-bodied shake of relief as he waited for Josh to lock the car and head towards the front of the place. “ Do you want to stay and eat, or just go somewhere, or…? “ he asked, trailing off should any other options be present that he couldn’t think of.