Open Post

[helpdesk_hero]

There's Just No Helping Ninjas


Open Post for All Your David Alleyne/Prodigy Needs. TFLN overflow, PSL ideas, requests for starters, your wish is his command. After all, Technical Support is there to assist.

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[helpdesk_hero]

Forgive him, David can't help but chuckle at the idea of buying new nails. Something tells him that his boyfriend wouldn't have the patience for a salon and the time it would take to get fake nails put on and looking 'masculine'.

But then he quashes the chuckle and offers open arms to his lover.

"I'm sorry too. I swear if you'd come in a fraction of a moment later you would have seen me take a swing at him for that. I'm... I'm going to be resigning from the Young Avengers in the morning. At least active missions. I don't think I can comfortably work with them in the field anymore. Not after all of the mess and history there. But JP, mon coeur, my heart and my love, I would never choose another man over you. Or woman. You complete me."

[speed_of_snark]

Part of him really wants to resist that embrace, to stand apart in his pain. It's a bad part of him, but a very old part too.

He steps forward into David's arms, exhaling deeply with a shudder.

"Don't do anything rash," he says. "I can't really fault the guy for making a move. You're pretty irresistible."

He presses his face against David's neck. "I DO trust you. I do, David. It's not you, it's me. I am just so used to people leaving me. And. Before I headed home... I was reminded of our age gap. And it just hit me in a bad place. But I trust you wit' my life."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I've kissed nearly half of the team, and the thing with Tommy it... it's wrong. It's bad. I can absolutely blame him. He had a chance."

He had a chance and David didn't want that anymore. He wanted the speedster his arms wrapped tightly around Jean-Paul to keep him there. Just for now. Just let him have this.

"Fuck whoever reminded you of the gap. I don't fucking care about that. I'm not leaving you. Trust me. I'm not going."

[speed_of_snark]

"I agree. I'm just saying maybe yell at him and hash it out before you quit. You bring a lot to that team, and I think you enjoy it."

Jean-Paul laughs a little, although it's strained. "It was my sister, and she didn't do it to be mean." He hugs David tightly.

"I reacted so poorly. I have no good excuse. And I ruined our night."

[helpdesk_hero]

Yeah, well, David might have a word with JP's sister tomorrow. He doesn't think JP needs to hear that stuff. But he squeezes his lover one more time.

"No. I refuse to let this be ruined. Go, give me like, ten minutes. Go outside, go be somewhere else for a bit. Then come back. Pretend it's the first time tonight. We go from here like that didn't happen. We don't let anyone or anything ruin tonight. Neither... neither of us have had this before, right? The one year mark?"

David's thing with Nori was about seven months. This is big for him too, JP. This day is everything for him. He wants to make dinner. He wants to make sure his gifts are ready. He wants tonight to be good. And he definitely needs to shower and change.

[speed_of_snark]

"I've had a year mark," Jean-Paul says, pulling back enough that he can see David's eyes. He touches his cheek gently.

"But not wit' you. Alright. I'm going to leave, and come back." He smiles.

"Take two, ouais?"

[helpdesk_hero]

“Ouais. But make it twenty minutes. I need a shower and the over needs to preheat.”

Because Jean-Paul had gotten in earlier than expected. And he had a lot of ground to cover.

“And if you are good, you can have your present before dinner.”

[speed_of_snark]

"At least twenty, yes."

He kisses David's cheek before he steps away. His body still feels shaky, his stomach cramped. "See you soon."

He leaves the apartment, pausing only to grab his gym bag, and just stands in the hallway for a moment. Eventually he takes the elevator down to the building's gym.

About half an hour later, he heads back up. He's used the gym showers, so his hair is still damp but je doesn't smell like sweat. He opens the apartment door and peeks his head inside. For a terrible second he fully expects to see Tommy again.

"Allo," he says. "I'm home."

[helpdesk_hero]

The apartment has had time for a transformation since Jean-Paul left. Quite a bit of one. He walks in to that sort of romantic soft jazz that David adores, to candles on multiple surfaces and a new bottle of champagne not as expensive but David HAD paid handsomely to have it delivered on short notice, and of course the scent of cooking coming from the kitchen. David had been very busy. All washed, dressed up fancy, with dinner cooking in the oven, a dessert going through final touches before he was ready to put it in the fridge to chill, and upon hearing Jean-Paul's voice he threw on the last garnishes and picked up a tray of freshly baked appetizers.

Yeah, David had ALL THE STOPS pulled as part of his plans for the night. And he refused to let Tommy spoil it. Instead he walks from the kitchen and into the living room with a tray of light nibbling sorts of treats and he smiles at Jean-Paul.

"Welcome home, love."

[speed_of_snark]

Jean-Paul sees that smile and he cannot help but return it fully. In spite of the unease and hurt, in spite of his own shame at his reaction, the thing he most feels is love.

"Oh, David," he says. He drops his bag by the door and walks over to kiss David's cheek. "You are an angel. Come, sit wit' me and talk."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Talk?"

The point wasn't to talk. But he nods and is kissed and sits with the treat of tasties and tilts his head.

"I thought tonight was for a bit more than talking."

[speed_of_snark]

Jean-Paul takes the tray and sets it on the coffee table so he can lean in and kiss David full on the mouth.

"It is," he says when he pulls back. "Don't worry. But one of the best parts of my day is getting to come home and hear about your day, or about somet'ing you saw or read. Just your thoughts."

[helpdesk_hero]

His day? Oh dear. For a moment he hesitates, thinking of Tommy. Which is clear from how he grimaces in distaste. Then he lets it wipe off of his face and he tries to smile.

"There was an evil sorcerer trying to conquer the world by altering leylines and forcing them to flow through Topeka, Kansas. The team brought me in because I understand the theoretical forces of magic a lot better than Wiccan does."

[speed_of_snark]

At the grimace, he gives David's hand a squeeze. He's willing to start the night over, but Jean-Paul won't ignore the facts in favour of comfort. It's just not in his nature.

"Well, I can certainly understand that Kansas might be evil, ouais," he says dryly. He shakes his head. "You understand most things better than most people, my love. It's what makes you such a valuable asset for this shit."

He kisses David's hand before he lets go in order to reach for the snack plate.

"Rough day for my darling."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I'm just lucky I understand magic, even if I can't do it," David agrees, smiling at his lover kissing his hand. "What was your day like?"

[speed_of_snark]

"The opposite of Wiccan," Jean-Paul snorts. "My day? Pretty uneventful, to be honest. Mostly just dull financial meetings. I left early to get some shopping done." He smiles softly. "I my have gone a bit overboard. My sister talked me out of buying you a car."

[helpdesk_hero]

Shopping? Wait, for him? David is left staring at him in momentary shock. He had not gotten Jean-Paul a lot of things. Just... things he'd put a lot of thought and emotion into.

"I don't know that a car would be wise anyway. I sorta wrecked every jet I've ever piloted and all."

[speed_of_snark]

"Point. And this is New York, it's more of a pain than anything."

Jean-Paul, as bad as he is with emotions, truly is the type to shower someone with gifts in an attempt to prove his affection.

"Thank you for cooking. This is great."

[helpdesk_hero]

And they'd mostly pay a lot of money for a car, and then a lot of money to park it. But the thing was, Jean-Paul didn't need to prove anything. David knew he was loved. His partner showed it in other ways. Taking him skiing, nearly losing the will to live without him, trying to subtly suggest that maybe one day they might wed. No, David understood he was loved. Quite a bit.

"This is merely the warm up," David promises, his hand moving to lay on his lover's knee. "But don't eat too heavily. You promised to show me the city from the sky."

[speed_of_snark]

Jean-Paul puts his hand over David's. "You just say when you want to go, my love. I'll take you as high as you can stand."

[helpdesk_hero]

"It could be that I can't stand very high. I've only been flying a few times, and one of them was me being teleported over the lake behind the mansion and nearly falling to my death."

Not that he expects to be dropped. At all. But he wants to see it. To get to enjoy it.

[speed_of_snark]

"And that's okay."

Food forgotten for the moment, Jean-Paul turns fully to David and presses a soft kiss to his lips.

"David? Merci."

[helpdesk_hero]

At least Jean-Paul works with him and his very reasonable fear over not being able to fly himself. Human survival instincts will always still be there. But he accepts the soft kiss and even when Jean-Paul pulls back he stays there, eyes mostly closed, smiling to himself in pleasure.

"You're welcome. I don't know what for, but you're absolutely welcome."

[speed_of_snark]

"For this. For giving us a do-over, so that I don't ruin a very important date."

He laughs suddenly. "Don't hit me, but is this literally the FIRST time anniversary or the first planned date?"

[helpdesk_hero]

See, mentioning it means undoing the redo, but David tries to ignore that. And David had ruined the thing too by by bringing Tommy back here. His fault.

"I'm not going to hit you. You had no reason to think of the day being important last time. Neither. It's the anniversary of waking up and making you waffles and having you agree to let me stick around. It's the anniversary of talking after I came back to bed with you, and before we had what was probably the third or fourth time. It's the anniversary of the day I left my sweatshirt here which you were wearing one of the times I came over again another day. It's the anniversary of you looking at me and smiling and me seeing that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance."