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“You look beautiful.” Jean-Paul mutters.
Kyle nods in agreement, not being able to say much, as Jean-Paul nibbles on his neck. Kyle was pushed up against a wall, his legs wrapped around his torso, and his hands messing with his hair.
Jean-Paul lifts the oversized NYU sweater Kyle’s wearing, cold hands making him flinch, as they rub against his sides. “Mmm.”
“You have no idea how much I missed you while you were away.” Jean-Paul nibbles Kyle’s ear, earning a small gasp.
“I was in Washington for a weekend.” Kyle yanks on Jean-Paul’s hair and kisses his forehead.
“Still too long.” Jean-Paul whines.
“Maybe you should come with me next time.” Kyle suggests. “Stevie’s been dying to meet my hot-new-Canadian boyfriend.”
“I’m Quebecois.” Jean-Paul corrects.
“I’m going down there next month.” Kyle kisses one of Jean-Paul’s cheeks. “You should come with.”
“As much as I’d love to meet your family,” Jean-Paul sighs. “I don’t think travel’s going to be a possibility. The plane ride alone-”
Kyle groans. “You’re a speedster,” He argues. “You could be there in two seconds flat, no plane ride necessary.”
“Yes, but think of I’ll the things I’m going to have to carry.” Jean-Paul continues. “It’d be a nightmare to…”
Kyle places another kiss on Jean-Paul’s lips. “Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
Jean-Paul gives a sigh. “I’ll think about it.” His hands move underneath Kyle to better support him. “Now…”
Kyle let’s out a chuckle as Jean-Paul lifts him across the room and tosses him onto the bed. Their lips press against each other as Jean-Paul climbs on top of Kyle, tossing his shirt to the other side of the room as he dose so.
Kyle runs his hands against Jean-Paul’s chest and lets out a hum.
“See something you like?” Jean-Paul smirks and wiggles his eyebrows.
Kyle rolls his eyes and pulls Jean-Paul down for another kiss. “You’re lucky your hot.”
“Oh please, you love me for more than just my looks.”
“I do?”
“Yes, my charm, my personality, my talent.” Jean-Paul lists. “All equally contributing factors to your undying love for me.”
“I suppose you have a point.” Kyle kisses him again and brings Jean-Paul’s hands back down to his sweater. “Now, enough talking and more-”
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Kyle was interrupted by the sound of small patters beating against the door. Jean-Paul turns away from the man underneath him and glances at the door.
“Papa…” A meek little voice calls out.
Jean-Paul is on the other side of the room before Kyle can sit up. He opens the door, and Kyle can see a toddler standing in the hallway. She was dressed in pink pajamas and clutching a toy rabbit by it’s leg. She bit on her thumb shyly as she glanced at the man standing above her.
“Mon étoile,” Jean-Paul hunches down on his knees, her runs a hand through Joanne’s hair. “What are you still doing up?”
Joanne doesn’t say anything and instead glances over at the man lying on her father’s bed.
“Hi Kwyle.” Her three year old lips greet.
“Hi.” Kyle gives a sheepish wave as he tries not to let his embarrassment show.
There’s no way Joanne could have known what they were doing but the discomfort of being caught still hangs over Kyle. He sits himself up and crosses his legs, as Joanne pushes past her father.
“Twhat you doing?” Joanne climbs up on to the bed, her little legs kicking as she tries to pull herself up.
“Umm…” Kyle says.
“Kyle and I are having a sleepover.” Jean-Paul states simply as he hauls Joanne onto the bed. He sits the little girl on his lap. “We were just about to start a movie.”
“Movie.” Joanne reaches for the remote on Jean-Paul’s bedside with startling accuracy. “Bweauty and Beast.”
Jean-Paul sighs. “You know what, Joanne.” He takes the remote from his child’s hands and gives it to Kyle. “Let’s let our guest pick the movie.”
Kyle has been on the receiving end of several rants from Jean-Paul concerning Joanne’s obsession with the Beauty and the Beast movie. Over the past three months the speedster has been forced to watch it over and over again.
Kyle takes the remote and clicks around until he finds the search bar. Giving Joanne a conspiratorial glance he decides: “Beauty and the Beasts.”
Joanne claps her hands wildly, the slapping of her palms is almost loud enough to hide Jean-Paul’s groan of despair. As the Disney logo flashes on screen, Joanne crosses her legs and moves to the edge of the bed eagerly.
“Why do you hate me?” Jean-Paul leans his head against Kyle’s shoulder as they settle against the pillows.
“Shush, movie’s starting.”
Joanne sings along to “Belle” with eagerness, Kyle quotes to parts he remembers, and despite his earlier protests Kyle can hear Jean-Paul mumbling the words to “Gaston”.
SNORE!
Kyle’s startled out of “Be Our Guest” and turns to glance over at Jean-Paul. His head was pressed against the pillow, eyes shut, as his breathing continues. Kyle grabs a blanket from the end of the bed and tossed it over him. Placing a kiss on his lover’s forehead before turning back to the movie.
Kyle casts frequent glances at Joanne as the wolf chase plays out, remembering the movie scenes that haunted his own childhood. Mufasa’s death, the Flying Monkey scene from the Wizard of Oz, everything about All Dogs Go to Heaven. However, the little girl seemed unphased as the Beast rescued Belle and brought her back to the castle.
“Everyone knows her father’s a lunatic. He was in here tonight raving about a beast in a castle.”
“Maurice is harmless.”
“The point is Belle, would do anything to keep him from being locked up.”
“Yeah, even marry him.”
Kyle watches Joanne’s shoulders tense up as the scene plays out. Every time the camera pans to the doctor she squeezes her eyes shut as if she’s staring at something horrifying.
“Joanne?” Kyle asks. “Are you okay?”
Joanne shakes her head, and Kyle snatches up the remote pausing on LeFou being tossed out into the freezing cold. “Do you want to talk about it?”
If Joanne didn’t want to talk to Jean-Paul about what was going on earlier, he doubts she’ll share her secrets with him. Kyle had only been in her life for a few months after all. When the first met she spent the entire time clutching onto her father, barely speaking a word, only giving Kyle a small wave as he left. She had warmed up to him in recent months, but he wasn’t sure how close they were yet.
“The dwoctor is scwary.” Joanne mutters.
“The doctor scares you?” Kyle repeats for clarification.
Joanne nods, her head tilted downwards, eyes focusing on Jean-Paul’s grey sheets.
“It’s okay.” Kyle leans over to reassure her. “He’s not real, he can’t hurt you.”
“No, nowt him.” Joanne shakes her head. “Owther.”
“Otter?” Kyle raises an eyebrow.
“No, owther.”
It takes Kyle a moment to realize what she’s saying and then it finally dawns on him. “Oh other.” Kyle pauses. “The other doctor… your doctor.”
He remembers Jean-Paul telling him about how he had to take Joanne to the doctor’s the next morning.
“They want to run some test, draw some blood, make sure everything’s going okay.” He rambled. “So far we’ve been lucky.”
As a small infant, Joanne had tested positive for HIV. Something she likely inherited from her mother and had threatened her life in more ways than one. As a result, she had spent the first two months of her life in a hospital until the doctors declared her stable enough to go home with Jean-Paul. Despite this miraculous success Joanne still had to take medication, and most days it was a fight to get her to swallow it.
“You’re scared of going to the doctor’s tomorrow?”
“They have needles.” Joanne shudders, tears well in her eyes. “Dwon’t wanna go.”
“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Kyle reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder and gives it a small rub. “They just want to make sure your healthy.”
“I dwon’t want to be sick.” The tears are falling down Joanne’s face now. “Down’t like it.”
“I know, I know.” Kyle glances at Jean-Paul wondering if he should wake him up. “Do you want to watch something diff-oof!”
Joanne’s tiny body slams into Kyle, as she wraps herself around him. Tiny head bouncing as she presses muffled sobs into Kyle’s sweater.
“Everything is going to be all right.” Kyle glances down at Joanne, wiping the tears off her cheeks. “The doctor’s just going to test your blood, afterwards you’ll get a band aid, a sticker, and a lollipop.” He gives her a smile. “You like lollipops, right?”
“Yeah.” Joanne huffs. “Still dwon’t wanna go.”
“How about this?” Kyle gives her an offer she can’t refuse. “I’ll get you a whole bag of lollipops if you go to the doctor’s tomorrow? We’ll stop at the store on our way home.”
“You’re coming?” Joanne asks.
Kyle pauses, not sure what kind of reaction this will illicit from the child sitting on his lap. “Only if you want me there.”
Joanne stares up at him. “You pwomise to get wollipops?”
Kyle nods. “Cross my heart.”
She nods. “Okay.” And turns back to the tv.
Kyle clicks play and the “There’s Something” starts up.
He’s going to get an earful about this from Jean-Paul tomorrow. He imagines it going something like this.
“You promised her what?”
“You’re spoiling her.”
“Where am I even going to put a bag of lollipops?”
He’ll get over it though. As much as he’ll accuse Kyle of spoiling Joanne rotten, he’s so much worse.
Kyle’s eyes move from the tv and back to the little girl. Joanne’s eyes are filled with joy, her mouth showing off a toothy smile, her hands clasped in front of her.
Besides he’d give anything to see Joanne happy.