Events Eventuated
Rating: PG-13
Jean glanced wearily over at the coffee maker. It was eleven at night, he was trying to get a Black Plague paper done, the coffee wouldn't go faster, and dammit he still felt gross from the hangover from two days ago.
Ed looked up from his book, glancing at Jean with a slight yawn. He stretched and put the book aside, moving up beside the taller blonde to have a peek at what he was writing.
Jean sighed, smiling wanly at the boy over his shoulder. "'Lo. Any ideas on how the bubonic plague affected the twentieth century?"
''Yeah, we learn about it in school now...'' Ed rested his chin on Jean's shoulder. ''Just like all the rest of history.'' He stifled another yawn.
"You're no help at all. Go to bed." He typed out a few more words, squinting at the screen. His left hand groped for a history book. "I'm trying to build a case for the plague affecting science and warfare even to the point of the atomic bomb..."
''Good luck with that...'' Ed didn't move.
"Well, no, it makes sense. The plague contributed to an eventual decline in religious belief and that helped fuel the Renaissance and later the Enlightenment which gave us all sorts of nifty ideas --" he interrupted himself with a yawn. "Which eventually gave way to atomic theory."
''M'kay... When are you coming to bed?'' Ed yawned as well, leaning a bit.
"As soon as I get this done..." The coffee machine beeped. "Be a good person and get me a cup of coffee, please?"
''But how long is that gonna be?'' Ed reluctantly moved from Jean's shoulder to retrieve said cup.
"Hell if I know. I'm thinking about finishing this paragraph, then hitting the sack. It's not due for another few days." He took the cup from Ed with a murmur of thanks.
''That shouldn't take long then, right?'' Ed rested his chin once more on Jean's shoulder.
Jean gulped a mouthful of coffee. "Don't think so..." He thought for a minute, then typed a sentence out. "Your chin's pointy."
''M'sorry...'' Ed mumbled, sitting down and resting his head against Jean's leg instead. ''S'better?''
"Much, thanks." He got hit with a sudden brainstorm and typed furiously. "If you're that tired, you should go to bed."
''Dun wanna without you...'' came the half mumbled reply. ''I go, you're comin' too...''
Jean snorted. "That level of attachment can't be healthy..." The coffee had rebooted his brain and he was on a rip.
''Is it so wrong to want to fall asleep next to you?'' Ed nuzzled against Jean's leg a bit. ''Almost done?'' It was a silly question to ask, of course, but he still asked. He reminded himself of a child on a road trip, 'are we there yet?'
"Almost."
Ed sighed and closed his eyes. ''Okay...''
"Brat." He was pretty sure he had missed a few details in the paper, but he was too tired to worry. The coffee was good for momentary inspiration, but he'd have to hit the library soon.
''But you love me anyway.'' Ed retorted sleepily.
"M'm." He saved the file, setting his computer into warm shutdown. "I'm done."
Golden eyes blinked tiredly up at Jean and Ed somehow managed to get to his feet. In the past ten minutes he'd managed to go from being fully awake and functional to barely awake and slightly coherent.
Jean got up, groaning as his back creaked ominously. He lurched a few paces then fell, his upper body landing neatly across the bed.
Ed crawled up into a small space not occupied by Jean and just stared at him. ''C'mon...''
"M'comfy," he mumbled into the mattress. "Go 'way."
''Nuh uh... C'mon Jean...'' Ed tugged sleepily on his boyfriend's arm.
Jean sighed. "Bugger." He crawled up and nestled himself against the headboard.
Ed curled around a pillow and watched Jean, starting to get just a bit irritated.
The taller blonde yawned sleepily. He noticed the scowl on Ed's face and blinked, somewhat confused.
Ed sighed and stretched, proceeding to nestle right up against Jean.
Jean hummed happily, scrunching himself up to comfortably fit against Ed.
''G'night, Jean...'' Ed mumbled softly, trying and failing to suppress a yawn.
"M'mm..." Jean pressed a brief kiss to Ed's temple, then fell quickly asleep.
Golden eyes spared a glance at the sleeping Jean and Ed let out a soft, content sigh. One arm snaked around the taller man's waist before he too surrendered himself to sleep.
•†•
Ed awoke a bit earlier than he would've liked to. The run was shining in his face, so he pulled the majority of the covers over his head to block it out. Coffee would have fixed his mood a bit, but he didn't feel like getting up, instead wriggling back up against Jean to get comfortable.
The blonde in question grunted, slightly sullen at being used as a throw-pillow. It didn't help that something sharp and bony connected quite solidly with his stomach.
Ed refused to open his eyes, still hoarding the blanket on his face to keep the light out.
Still half-asleep, Jean lifted his head slightly. He growled at Ed's piggishness with the blanket, tugging on it.
The smaller blonde gave in, letting the blanket go in favor of nuzzling his face up under Jean's chin instead.
Right before Jean dropped back into his nice, warm nap, someone pounded on the door and Luce's voice caroled cheerily, "Coffee, little ducklings!"
Ed groaned softly, loath to move from where he was. But coffee did sound good, and he slowly uncurled to stretch.
"His timing sucks," was all Jean was willing to say before he snugged back into the comforter.
''M'mm...'' Ed nodded, dropping a quick kiss on Jean's cheek and sliding out of bed. He managed to get to the door without falling down, that was a good sign, and opened it to give Luce the gift of a sleepy glare. ''Why d'you hafta do that...''
Luce grinned in the general direction of a sleepily growling Jean. "He's so edible half-asleep. Did I interrupt anything?"
''Sleep...'' Ed growled, about ready to slam the door in his face for that comment.
"Kidding! Well, no, but I brought a gift." He held two gigantic styrofoam cups of gently steaming coffee just barely out of Ed's reach.
Ed eyed the cups, just the smell waking him up a little more. ''If it's a gift why are you holding them where I can't get them...''
"M'mm... because I'm evil incarnate and I fancy your boyfriend?" It was hard to tell if the tall man was kidding or not.
''Get out of here, I'll make my own coffee...'' Ed just glared, but still not with the level of vehemence he would have used had he been fully awake.
"You sure have a piss-poor sense of humor in the morning." He raised his voice slightly. "Jean. Here, boy. Coffee!"
The tall blonde rose slowly from the bed, turning around and snarling, "I am not a fucking dog!"
''Just hand over the coffee and maybe this can go without incident...'' The smaller blonde was functional enough to know that the tone Jean was using usually meant bad things would happen to the person it was directed to.
"Right oh!" With a crescent-moon grin, Luce handed over the cups and disappeared.
Ed nudged the door shut with his foot and steered back towards Jean, holding out one of the cups. ''I wish he'd stop doing things like that...''
Jean neatly ignored him, being stuck in a grade-A sulk. He hated dogs with a passion and being called one made the proverbial hackles rise.
Ed sighed and went to put the drink down, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and sipping his own. ''Because you won't even listen to me when he does...'' he muttered to himself.
Jean curled around himself, intent on pretending the world didn't exist. Denial was a comfortable state of being.
''Your coffee is going to get cold if you keep that up you know...'' Ed set his cup down as well, moving over to comfort the taller blonde. ''Come on...''
The sulky man growled a warning, but it wasn't a very good one. Besides, Ed was used to his early-morning sulks and would probably ignore it.
''If you won't snap out of it for coffee, what will you snap out of it for?'' Ed nuzzled up against Jean.
The growl turned into something close to a purr. "Coffee's fine," Jean murmured.
A triumphant smile flashed on Ed's face and he moved away from Jean just long enough to snatch the two cups and return, offering Jean his again.
Jean took his, sipping gingerly at the hot liquid. "How the hell do you do that?"
''Who knows...'' The smaller blonde snuggled up next to Jean again, happily sipping his own drink.
"One of these days, I'm going to have a sulk that you can't get me out of," he remarked, peeling the sippy cap off the cup and peering into the liquidy depths.
Ed just smiled. ''We'll see about that. I can't imagine anything that would get you into one that bad...''
"Neither can I, short of you sleeping with someone else." He nibbled on the edge of the cup before taking a long drink.
''But you know I'd never do that to you...'' Ed snuggled closer, still just sipping his coffee. He really didn't need it so much right now anyway. He was perfectly content just to sit here and do nothing all day.
"M'mm..." Jean sighed. "I'm going to have to go to the library later today... I don't want to, but I'd like to pass my history class..."
''Hm...'' Ed moved away again to set his cup on the bedside table before returning to his snuggling. ''How late is later?''
"Noon-ish."
''What time is it now...'' Ed looked up at Jean, rather than at the clock.
"Nine-ish. I think." He scowled. "What time did I get to bed last night? Was Iden in here before or after?"
''I stopped paying attention to the time around eleven, I don't remember him coming in but maybe I just didn't notice.''
"M'mm." Jean yawned slightly.
''Anything you want to do before then?'' Ed shifted to curl up against Jean. If the answer was no, he could at least get comfortable for a while.
"That's up to you, I think..."
Ed smiled and slid his arms around Jean's waist. ''Just finish your coffee and I'll think about it, then...''
"You thinking is a dangerous thing," Jean mumbled into his coffee.
''If you say so...'' the smaller blonde murmured lazily against Jean's side.
"It's true. You can get me into a lot of trouble..." Jean trailed off dreamily.
Ed chuckled and sat up, nipping up under Jean's ear. ''Is that so? I'm no troublemaker...''
"No, it just seems to follow you wherever you go."
''Not my fault...'' Ed rested his chin on Jean's shoulder. ''You done with that yet?''
"Almost." He sipped it again. "I'll have to thank Luce. After I pound him into mulch."
''At least you're thanking him at all.'' Ed let out a sigh and kissed Jean's neck. ''You have a planned time you'll be doing that?''
"After I get him for the collar, I think."
''When will that be do you think?'' Another kiss, this time a little closer to his jaw.
"As soon as I can convince Aiden to put itching powder in his bed." He paused. "But I have to go after him for that stupid kiss, too. Damn, he really seems intent on pissing me off, doesn't he?"
''Seems like he's just trying to piss me off too...'' Ed eyed the cup in Jean's hand and sighed again, nibbling on the taller blonde's earlobe to keep from asking if he was done yet.
Jean ducked his head. "Ed, stop distracting me. I'm plotting revenge."
That earned a pout. ''Can't you plot revenge later?''
"Depends on what you want to do to distract me."
''You done with that coffee yet?'' Ed leaned forward a bit, back to nibbling on Jean's ear.
"Mmph. You know, I was more expecting you to come up with some excruciating tortures yourself." Jean was struck with a horrible thought. "Unless you like the idea of me in a collar..." He blanched white at the very thought of it.
''Wouldn't dream of it.'' Ed moved his arms up around Jean's neck. ''That would just be weird...''
"Thank God." Jean tried to maneuver his coffeecup so he wouldn't spill any while drinking. Dribbling coffee down his chin was not something he enjoyed doing, and he liked spilling it on Ed even less. Sometimes the kid squalled like a disenfranchised banshee.
''Should I move?'' Ed murmured, not really wanting to, but giving Jean the option anyway.
"Move your arm, preferably. You're fine." Yes, in the morning, coffee was more important than Ed. Sue him.
Arms back at Jean's waist, Ed was content for now to just tease the taller blonde's neck with gentle nips and licks. At least until Jean was done with his coffee.
Jean drained his cup. "Don't you have a paper you're supposed to be working on?"
''It can wait for the library...'' Ed nipped a bit harder than he'd meant to.
Jean flinched. "Be careful, will you?"
''Sorry...'' Ed soothed the spot with his tongue. ''I didn't mean to...'' He sighed and rested his head against Jean's shoulder.
"M'mm... I know. But it still hurt."
''Sorry...'' Ed snuggled close.
"I told you, it's all right..."
Ed sighed again, moving around a bit so he could sit in Jean's lap, head nestled up under his chin.
"Why so glum?" Jean absently toyed with the loose ends of Ed's hair.
''Who said I was glum? I'm comfy.'' Ed replied, stealing a quick kiss. ''There's nothing wrong with that, right?''
"Nope. I --"
Iden didn't even bother to knock before opening the door. Not like the two blonds would even notice if they were doing... things... They hadn't before, and Iden sorely wished he had some sort of mental bleach to wash out the images. "Morning?"
Ed was loath to move from where he was, so he didn't. ''Morning...''
"Oh, good. I didn't want to have to undergo the nagging feeling that yes, spiking my own eyes out would be a good thing with roommates like you two." He closed the door, leaning casually against it. "Anything new happening?"
''Not really... Uh... What did you mean by the whole spiking your eyes out thing anyway...'' Ed wasn't actually sure he wanted to know, and had a good idea of what it implied already.
"Let's just say you don't always hear me knocking." He smiled faintly at the horrified look on Ed's face. "Don't worry, I've learned my lesson."
Ed buried his face against Jean's shoulder. The thought that Iden had... Oh god... That brought up another horrifying thought. If they didn't notice Iden... Who else could have seen them? That, combined with the knowledge that Ashton tended to make random unexpected visits made Ed feel almost sick.
Jean coughed a little, bright red. "We probably could have lived without that..."
"So could I," Iden said wryly. "Fortunately, I seem to be the only person with that particular brand of bad luck."
Ed didn't appear to care, face still buried against Jean's shoulder so he wouldn't have to show off his blush.
Iden wandered over to sit on his bed. "Any ideas on why Luce made the rounds with enormous cups of coffee for the six of us this morning?"
Finally, Ed managed to slide out of Jean's lap to sit next to him. ''So it wasn't just us? I've got no clue... But it doesn't seem it was drugged or anything...''
Iden chuckled. "So suspicious? I don't really blame you, what with everything he's done to you two. Luckily, he's leaving for Thanksgiving, so anyone who's staying doesn't have to deal with him."
''Well, that's good for those staying. I've been hounded into going home, too, even though I don't really want to...'' Ed scratched the back of his head a bit, stifling a yawn.
"How come?" Iden asked, in his incurable, but well-bred, nosiness.
''I'm only going back because my mother asked me to...'' Ed shrugged.
"And your father?" Iden could sometimes be labeled a 'pest', Jean thought idly. Even though he was curious too, but he knew Ed well enough not to talk about something the smaller blonde hadn't already brought up.
Ed toyed with his hair a bit. ''I hate him... We always fight...''
Jean put a hand on top of Ed's head. "Eh, don't feel bad. At least your parents aren't sending you letters about how you would've been better off in the military."
''Doesn't mean I'm going to enjoy my holiday...'' Ed found a tangle and winced, reaching for his brush.
Jean rolled his eyes and tossed the brush to Ed when the kid couldn't reach it. "It's only a week, you're not going to die. If it's that bad, Uncle Paul extends an invitation to get your ass down to Ohio for Christmas with me and him. He says he's going to bribe you with more books."
''Really? He doesn't have to bribe me to spend the holidays with you... But if he insists I can't turn down the books!'' Ed grinned a bit, snatching a tie from the nightstand and holding it in his teeth until he finished brushing his hair.
"M'm... he managed to get his hands on a copy of The Golden Chain of Homer, apparently. He also has a library of stuff you can pick through. Being a bachelor, he's a bit of a bibliophile, if you haven't noticed." Jean winced as Ed shifted his weight and hit his numbed leg. "Ouch."
''Wow...'' was all Ed could think to say. ''I could learn to like him, as long as he doesn't keep asking me things all the time... It's a bit unnerving...''
Jean grinned. "He's just making sure you won't kill me in my sleep." The grin turned into a grimace when he stretched out his leg. "Ow. Pins and needles from hell."
''Right...'' Ed plucked the tie from his mouth and pulled his hair back into its usual ponytail.
Iden smiled at the two blondes. "So I'm assuming that a Christmas party will be in order before we all leave for holiday break?"
''As long as somebody other than Lucifer is fixing the drinks...'' Ed ran the brush through is ponytail once just to make sure it wasn't tangled before setting the brush aside. ''And mistletoe is a Really Bad Idea.''
Iden tried to spare Ed's feelings by not grinning outright. "I'll be diplomatic and not inquire which of the two worst-case-scenarios would be worse for you."
Ed just tried not to glare. Getting anybody drunk would not be good, but setting up mistletoe so Luce or Ashton could take full advantage of it was even worse. He would almost rather be drunk than have to watch somebody else kiss Jean.
"Luce may not even come," Jean pointed out, getting to his feet and wobbling over to the closet.
''It's the perfect opportunity to piss us both off. Why wouldn't he come?'' Ed was only trying to be logical.
"It's a Christian holiday. He claims they give him a stomach ache," Iden said with a scowl. "It's just his excuse to go off with his... erm... catamite."
''Whatever...'' Ed shrugged.
Jean ran a hand through his hair. "But he may decide to be Evil and Sneaky," he said glumly.
''My point exactly.'' Ed nodded. ''But I can't think of what could happen that would be bad as long as there's no mistletoe and he's not in charge of the drinks.''
"Dunno," Jean said, a touch of humor in his voice. "Catnip in the cookies?"
Ed rolled his eyes.
Iden frowned. "But catnip only affects cats, not humans," he pointed out. "It would do nothing other than taste very odd."
"Never mind," Jean said, the corner of his mouth quirking. "It was a bad joke."
Ed didn't find the thought very funny. It completely slipped his mind at the time that catnip was like an aphrodisiac to some cats.
Jean reached up to grab a sweater. "Is this going to be a gift-giving thing? Considering I'm a starving college student, I don't even have the money to buy Ed a gift."
''Then maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea... It's not really fair if some people can't afford to contribute...'' Ed commented.
Iden smiled happily. "It won't be a problem."
''... Okay...'' Ed pondered what that meant. ''Either way, there's plenty of time between here and there to plan...''
"True. And I promise not to put catnip in the cookies," Iden said, still smiling.
Ed idly fidgeted with his ponytail. ''Right...''
Iden got up. "Well, I just need to grab some books and I'm off to the library. Luce is off-campus for the day now, so you don't have to worry about him until seven."
''That's good to know...'' Ed got up and moved to the window, then back to the bed, seemingly unable to sit still at the moment.
"See you. Shall I drop by so we can go to supper together, or just bypass the room entirely and kick Luce out to share a room with Ashton?"
Jean had the grace to blush.
Ed occupied himself with his ponytail again. ''I think supper sounds fine, don't you think, Jean?''
"Yep."
Iden grinned. "I'll come get you two at seven. See you then, kids!" He shut the door firmly -- maybe a little too firmly -- behind him.
Ed looked to Jean then. ''We've still got some time before noon...''
"That we do," Jean allowed.
''Then come here...''