feargach | closed; everyone i hold holds me strangled; jasper & jean

So you're not hungry... but you haven't head breakfast. [Jasper leans on the arm of his chair towards Jean as if staring very intently at him, looking for an answer. He takes another puff of his cigarette and only leans back when its time to exhale.] Come on, you're an athlete and you're trying to tell me you skip breakfast? [He clucks his tongue at that.] I mean I skip breakfast but that's 'cause I run on coffee and cigarettes and usually sleep way past the morning.

Periodically.

[ Jean was an athlete but he was also under Riko's thumb for most of his life. He's missed more than a few meals and this morning he had been the one choosing not to eat, though, the knots in his stomach and nausea had made it too dangerous a prospect. ]

Are you hungry?

[Jasper nods at that.] I'm kinda always either really hungry or really sick and I'm not even sure which way I'm leaning right now. [He shrugs, the kid was ridiculously flippant.] You want some coffee? I can have one of the guys bring us some coffee? French people love coffee, right? Maybe a croissant? [Jasper hold the fuck up what are you doing.]

[ Jean thinks to himself that it's probably the running on cigarettes and coffee that make him really hungry or really and not able to distinguish at the moment -- but he doesn't voice that, of course. ]

Have you ever met a French person? [ Jean asks, thinking better of the question too late and he swallows. ]

My apologies. [ He apologizes for the bit of a sassy question. ]

I do like coffee and croissants. [ But doesn't everyone? ]

[Jasper barks out a laugh at that.] Okay so you're the first French person I've met but I like coffee and croissants and I'm not even French. [He cocks an eyebrow though, head tilting as he stubs the butt of his cigarette into the crystal ashtray.] Why are you saying sorry, what happened? [Because really Jean he didn't make the same mental leap as you.

He leans forward to the desk and presses a button that looks like an intercom, asking for someone to send in some coffee and croissants.] We'll consider it a welcome home breakfast.

[ Jean doesn't answer immediately and instead he studies Jasper as he orders them breakfast. 'welcome home' seems an odd way to describe this and he's not sure he's had a home ever sense his parents sold him and he's not sure it'd be wise to start thinking of this as home in any way. There would just be more room for something bad to happen or disappointment which is bad in itself. ]

It really wasn't a proper thing to say before. That's why I apologized.

Oh shit, well don't worry about that man... I mean unless you start saying things that are really mean or something you don't have to apologise. [He shrugs.] Unless you say something Theo doesn't like... then he'll probably put you in the hospital. But I'll ask him real nicely if he'll be peaceful for now.

[ Jean gives a nod, though it's unlikely that he would be able to help himself if he ever slipped up again in the future. ]

What kind of things does he not like?

People insulting me... people being rude to me... people taking advantage of me... people being mean to me, or about me. [He shrugs.] There's a long list.

It does not sound like it will be a problem then. [ Jean murmurs quietly. He exhales, his fingers rubbing against each other and still anxious and restless in this situation. ]

[Jasper misreads his anxiety and reaches out for Jean's shoulder, squeezing it lightly with a smile.] Hey... I'm just kidding, Theo's fine he's just super protective.

[ Jean tensed instinctively at the touch but then relaxed after a millisecond at least. He is not particularly worried about Theo exactly but he gives a nod of understanding or perhaps agreement. ]

[Jasper feels more than he sees Jean tense up, an eyebrow raising as if he was going to ask a question before shaking his head and filing it away for later. At that moment a tray is pushed into the room with coffee and croissants on top which is left beside Jasper who stands immediately and dismisses the server.] So, Frenchy... how do you take your coffee?

[ Jean exhaled slightly when the server came in and then just as quickly was dismissed. ]

Just black. [ He answers immediately, a brief furrow of brow at the new nickname. ]

Just black? Easy... [He pulls out a coffee cup and sets it on the table beside Jean before picking up the French press and pouring some into the cup. He then sets about making his own cup and filling it with a ridiculous amount of sugar and creamer. He places the tray of croissants complete with jam and butter between the two of them before returning to his own seat. Once there he takes a big gulp of his drink, watching Jean expectantly.]

[ Jean simply nods in confirmation of the fact. He then watches how Jasper makes his own coffee and it's surprising to see that much sugar and creamer. He can't remember the last time he saw someone use that much, if ever. He exhales and it felt weird the other basically serving the coffee and such. He doesn't say as much because what if he manages to offend in some way. ]

Thank you. [ He says and he still feels a nervous twist in his stomach but he sips at the black coffee. He didn't drink coffee all that much, honestly. It wasn't the most healthy drink choice after all but he'd never really put anything frivolous in it when he did. ]

Wouldn't a different beverage suit you more? [ He asks in that vein of thought. If you have to put so much into something to make it taste good maybe other things would be better. ]

No problem man, any time. I was a barrista for like five minutes a year back.
[Until his foster parents found out he'd been working a job on the side to earn his own money and that'd been very quickly pulled to a halt.]

A different drink? [Jasper just shrugs.] Nah man, there's not a lot of drinks out there that give both warmth and energy. Besides, I like sweet things, I've got a sweet tooth. [He also didn't need to mention that the high volumes of sugar helped to counteract the effects of his other vices.]

[ Jean shrugs then at the explanation. He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth or at least he thinks that he doesn't since he never really was able to indulge in things like that. Maybe if he did he'd find out that he does have one after all. He doesn't think that's going to start just because his owner changed. ]

I drink water most of the time.

[Jasper just rolls his eyes to the heavens and shakes his head wryly.] Water has to be the most boring thing in the world... I legitimately don't think I even drink water. [He doesn't drink water, never by itself at least.] Its boring, right?

It's healthy. [ Jean answers automatically, which isn't really an answer to the question that was asked but he finds maybe he doesn't really know how he feels about water. It's just how it always was. ]

I like it. Maybe I am boring.

Healthy... healthy... [He says the word with a rising wave of almost-hysteria.] Jean you're like twenty-something years old and you're worried about being healthy. [He shakes his head sadly, reaching out almost subconsciously, reaching out for Jean's shoulder and a mock sad expression on his features.] Who hurt you, man?

closed; everyone i hold holds me strangled; jasper & jean

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