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Jay stretched tiredly, back cracking a little as he yawned. "An' dat, as dey say, is dat, ami." He sighed, pushing red hair out of his face and looking over to his companion before eying up the empty street around them. "One more happy bunch headin' for better times...Ah hope."
"All finished for the night then?" Jean-Paul asked, stretching his arms up over his head and yawning, "If so I'm looking forward to getting to bed and sleeping for a long time, same for you I imagine, eh?"
"Mostly. Need t' sort ou' who turned up an' who didn't firs' so the others can find out why." Jay tapped his satchel bag. "Hey, fancy goin' for a coffee or somethin' before we head back to d' school, ami? May as well do it over waffles, Ah guess."
"...waffles? I am all kinds of for waffles." Jean-Paul would never argue against any kind of starchy food that came with syrup.
"Figured as much." Jay chuckled, hands going in pockets as he jerked his head. "C'mon, beaver-boy, dere's an all-night place not far from here. Ah want bacon." He started leading the way. "How're y'all managin' wit' Parent Week, anyway? Cain' imagine y'all get t' see your folks often."
"Yeah, they're lingering a bit, they're taking off in the morning. Going to do something with Reed and them before my uncle has to get back home so he can go back to work." He walked beside Jay, bouncing a bit to wake himself up some. "They hadn't seen Jeanne-Marie for a while."
"Non? Oh, she was livin' in wit' the nuns, right?" He chuckled a little. "Gotta wonder how they managed wit' the gang that makes up your sister's head, ami." The place wasn't too far, and judging from the disinterested looks the pair got as Jay pushed open the door they were used to the winged mutant, at least. "Ah'll pay."
That earned a slight look from Jean-Paul. "They managed badly, apparently. God knows they probably made her worse in that regard." He took a big sniff of the air, smiling as he could smell the delights of breakfast food and coffee. "Oh thank God...I can pay for myself though, you know."
"Ffft. Y'all been through enough shit. Ah want t' pay, Ah'll pay." He ushered JP into a booth away from the two other customers, sitting with a sigh as a sleepy waitress started to head their way, a cafetiere of coffee and two mugs in her hands.
"I imagine we've both been through a good deal of shit." Jean-Paul didn't argue but being paid for was just a...thing. He put on a smile though, taking his seat and then taking his coffee. "Thanks, Jay."
"No problem." He placed his order - waffles, bacon, syrup - and poured out his coffee, yawning a little. "T' be honest, mine's more confusin' than it is shit. You're d' one who got arrested, eh?"
"I wasn't arrested." He groused slightly. "I just got taken in for questioning. They've taken a few others as well I think...just...not in front of everyone."
"Sorry...touchy subject." He admitted, looking down at his cup.
"Ah can see dat." Jay nodded, smiling a little. "Ah've heard rumours, ami...y' mind clearin' up for me? Jus' Ah don' like t' make assumptions based on what Ah hear from other people about someone Ah live an' work with."
Jean-Paul did not want to talk about this. He just wanted it to die down already. "Well...what have you heard?"
"Bits. Mos'ly about a previous arrest." Jay's eyes over his cup was serious. "Listen, JP. Everyone has skeletons in dere closet. Hell, even Ah do that go a bit beyon' punchin' my stepdad. Y' know Ah don' pry int' shit, but this is slightly more'n jus' me bein' worried here."
"I know that, Jay. I was arrested previously." He did admit and none too happily to do so.
"Right." Jay nodded a little. "What for? Look, Ah trust y'all, JP. Enough dat if you say you didn' do whatever it was, Ah'd probably believe y', because if Ah'm honest Ah've known murderers an' you ain' one." He ignored the pout he got from the Darren in his head at that. "But Ah need t' know."
"It was terrorism, just like what's being talked about. I turned myself in."
Jay watched his friend for a couple of long moments, before nodding. "Did y'all actually do anythin' terroristy? An' Ah ain' talkin' about terrifyin' nuns, from what Ah heard dey kinda deserved dat." He grinned.
"I was running messages for them." He nodded. "I didn't know what it was for but I should have. I just didn't want to."
"Well, dat ain' quite blowin' shit up, ami." Jay chuckled, still watching him. "Bein' a messenger boy ain' nothin' to be proud of, but Ah wouldn' say it's exactly gonna point th' finger at y'all for murder either. An' like Ah said...everyone has skeletons. Hell, jus' about everyone at d' school's hidin' somethin', even me."
"They were blowing shit up. That's the instructions I was running for them."
He paused. "Yeah, but it weren't you doin' it. If you hadn' run messages, dey would have foun' someone else. You weren' settin' d' charges an'-" He stopped as food arrived, waiting until the server had gone. "-an' den blowin' 'em, were ya?" He put his cup down.
"No, no. I turned myself in after I finally read the instructions." He shook his head vehemently. He eyed the people in the mostly empty eatery, making sure they weren't glancing over or overhearing.
"Well den. Ami, Ah used to shuttle explosives. Ah jus' never got caught." The smile was a little mirthless, but it was a smile. "Not dat it matters now. But look, Ah believe y'all. Whoever killed dat man - an' frankly, Ah don' think it was anyone at d' school - was a sick fuck, an' you ain't one of dem." He took a bite of waffle. "Ah'll vouch for ya."
"Seriously?"
"What, seriously tha' Ah did tha' or seriously tha' Ah believe you? Because both, dude." Another bite. "Seriously."
"The latter...it's none of my business what you used to do, I figure." He sighed, souching as he put his chin in his hand. "I just...people keep giving me the eye when I walk by now, you know? I just...really don't like it."
"Eh. Blood will out, ami." Jay gave him an easy grin. He really didn't think JP was capable of murder, but...still. He'd watch him. "Y' best bet is ignore it. D' killer'll be found and d' people givin' you d' eye will hafta apologise, mmm? Jus' imagine dat an' start practicin' your smug face." He chuckled.
"I don't think I can quite feel up to practice my smug face just yet...not until I know this all isn't going to wind up on my head."
"Oh please, ami, it's jus' as likely to end up on Eddie's. Or Darren's. Or mine, f' dat matter, if dey find out about d' Fringes." Jay shook his head. "Y'all need to relax." Argh! Eddie. He'd been trying not to think about that. He shuddered a little."
"Okay, Frankie. That's easier said than done you know. It's just...I almost wish I was going back with my Aunt and Uncle, even though I love it here...I don't love it now."
Jay gave JP a long look. "Ami, you run away an' y'll prove dere's reason to doubt, dat you've got somethin' to be scared of. It don' work. Besides, you go, Ah'm back t' doin' this run alone an' Ah've only jus' got myself back down t' eight cups of coffee in twelve hours." He sighed. "Look. Let's jus' concentrate on gettin' y' through dis for now. Jus'...no rash decisions, oui?"
"I'll try." He sighed, rubbing his temple and gladly tucking into the food. "There's still reasons to be here, after all; Reed, you, helping you out."
"Well den, you hold onto 'em. Trus' me, ami, dere's always a better thing waitin' for ya." He dove into his bacony waffles again. "Ah mean...look at me. Years of dealin' wit' Jameson, an' suddenly Ah found out Ah got a dad an' a brother Ah never knew about. Y've still got friends, JP."
"Yeah, how are you taking to your new family then?" Jean-Paul was glad for the subject change if he was honest.
Jay shuddered. "Talkin' of sick fucks...Eddie is definitely one." He half-joked. "Uh...a while back Ah uh...Ah slept wit' him. He keeps bringin' it up in d' creepiest ways you can imagine. You have no idea how long Ah've spen' scrubbin' in dat shower, ami."
"....OhmygodwhatthehellIcan'tbelieveyoujusttoldmethatIneedtofindabanjoandgoplayunderneathEddie'sdormroomwindow."
It took Jay a couple of moments to process what the hell the speedster had just said. "...Did y'all jus' breathe at all? An' no." He pointed a fork at him. "No y'all don't. Dat was said in complete confidence. Ah'm already gonna hafta live wit' the hick comments from Darren, Ah do not need it from you."
"Pleaaaaaaaase?JustonechorusofDeliveranceIpromise!JusttoEddie,nottoyouIpromise.OrmaybeI'llrunintohisroomandcolourouthisteeth!"
"Dude! Breathe, seriously, y're makin' me feel like Ah'm gonna choke." Jay chuckled. "Non. No Deliverance, no teeth - y'all do realise Ah'm from d' Deep South, righ'?"
"And I feel sincere pity for you over that fact every day." He reached over and patted Jay's shoulder. "But just imagine Eddie smiling not aware."
Jay considered this for a moment, before nodding a little. "D' temptation's dere..." He murmured, before shaking his head. "Ah doubt he'd get it. He's Brit, ami."
"Yeah, questionable teeth is sort of a stereotype for them anyway...not usually a true one but still. It'd be more for our own amusement though. Especially if he went to class with it."
Jay chuckled. "Well, what y' do in your free time's up t' y'all, ami. Jus' be aware Ah'll deny all knowledge if he catches ya." He rubbed his face. "Ah have Eddie Brock as a brother. Ah dunno whether t' be proud or terrified."
"Terror, sheer terror...I'm very sorry for you and will also promise to not make any jokes about using you as the stripper for Darren's party with him."
"Oh, Ah got - wait. Y'all were seriously gonna have me as d' stripper? Ami, about all Ah can do is a badly coordinated fan-dance." Jay shook his head. "Well...unless he kills himself on d' next mission, gets killed by someone else or Ah kill him t' get him to shut up about d' one time we ended up in bed, Ah'm stuck wit' him. 'Least Dad's a good guy t' drink wit'..."
"Not seriously, I have to live with you after that!...though now I want to see you try and do a fan-dance." He snorted, shaking his head at the images going through his head. "Yeah, your dad is pretty cool."
"It's called 'open y' wings and smash shit'. Ah'd like t' think it'll get me t' Hollywood one day." Jay said blandly. "Get me drunk enough an' Ah might." He finished up his waffley goodness and sat back with a sigh. "Dat's better."
"Yeah, this is a lot better." He admitted, smiling a bit. "Thanks Jay, I needed this."
"'Salright ami, Ah'm a friend, it's what friends do." Jay grinned easily. "We need t' stick t'gether now more'n anythin', because if we don' look out for each other, no one will, an' this shit's doin' its job of dividin' us, right?" He shrugged. "Y'all need anythin', you come t' me, an' if Ah hear someone smack-talkin' ya, Ah'll take 'em down."
...This, of course, didn't mean he wasn't going to be watching the other lad closely. You know. Just in case. Skeletons tended to come out when they were most inconvenient.
