Praise with elation, praise every morning...

[Warren Worthington III]

(( OOC: Josh and Warren got married!
We decided not to do the wedding and reception themselves on-camera, because we couldn’t think of anything novel to do with them, there’s already a lot going on, and it seemed like Yet Another Party Thread would just drag.
So we’re cutting to after the reception, at a beach-house on some relatively unknown tropical island that a friend of Warren’s let him use for their honeymoon.
We can do the wedding or the reception on-camera as a flashback at some point, if folks are ever in the mood for it, or not.
I guess, technically speaking, this is an open thread… but seriously, is anybody going to interrupt Jorren’s honeymoon?))

(( OOC: Oh, also… yes, this is a honeymoon thread, but the content advisory is mild, if that. At least for now. ))[/b]

As their cab pulls into the beach-house driveway, Warren does his best not to be too obvious about his impatience.

It’s been a breathtakingly amazing day (OK, day-and-a-half). He’d expected his wedding day (and that phrase still gives Warren an incomparable thrill: they’re actually married!) to be a kind of blur, given everything they had to rush through to get it to happen, but it’s been the complete reverse: every moment feels engraved into his nervous system for all time. He can’t imagine forgetting any of it and he wouldn’t trade a minute of it for… well, for anything. Not even the bad parts. But at the same time, he’s been ready for quite a few hours now for the wedding day to end and the wedding night to begin.

Keeping his hands off (well, mostly off) Josh on the flight from Boston to New York hadn’t been too onerous, since they’d both been riding on the high from the wedding itself, their minds so tightly interwoven they’d kept answering questions in stereo (Warren laughs abruptly, remembering how close he’d come to answering when the Justice of the Peace had asked Josh the traditional “Do you take this man…” questions).

And the reception had been such an incredible outpouring of love and support that Warren’s growing desire to lead Josh off into a supply closet somewhere was quite effectively distracted, by Toni’s practical jokes and Drake’s toast and Ororo getting misty enough that Allerdyce actually managed to spike the punch and the obvious pride of Josh’s family (now his family as well, which is all by itself enough to nearly split his face in two grinning) and the dancing and storytelling and… everything.

The Blackbird flight to Jost Van Dyke would have been an opportunity if Ororo hadn’t ended up piloting. The original idea had been for Josh to handle that, but that turned out not to work out for a couple of reasons: first, Jost Van Dyke doesn’t actually have an airport; second, keeping the Blackbird hangared in the British Virgin Islands for two weeks instead of available to the X-Men is probably a bad idea. (Especially since Warren fully intends to keep his and Josh’s Blackberries turned off for most of that time. Sure, with Cerebro partly operational, Jake can probably contact them if he has to… but Warren had made it clear that doing so would have consequences.)

So Ororo had dropped them off, instead. And sure, she’d kept the cabin door closed so the newly married (and Warren is not really the type to “squeee!” about anything, but that is so an exception) couple could enjoy some (cough) privacy, but it was still a little offputting having her right there. (Warren suspects that it was more Josh’s reserve than his, really, but their telepathic rapport has grown so powerful it’s increasingly difficult to tell the difference. Anyway, the flight didn’t really take long enough to start anything serious in the first place.)

And the cab ride to the beach-house had only lasted ten minutes (no sense calling attention to themselves by landing a jet there, however stealthed), and besides the cab driver had just nattered on endlessly about hiking and frigatebirds and who-knows-what.

But, really, it’s not that big a deal, right? Besides, it’s not like this is going to be the first time they have sex (Warren’s pretty sure it will be their 81st, but he hasn’t really been keeping count after they hit 50 back in April), so it’s silly for him to be so excited about it, isn’t it? Except, silly or not, he absolutely is… and he’s fairly sure Josh is just as eager, if not more so, albeit a lot more tired.

Josh yawns broadly as they get out of the cab, and looks around at the sun peeking over the horizon. " What time is it?" It seems like they've been up for a very long time, yet he remembers all of it.

Warren is about to check his Blackberry when he remembers his promise to keep the thing turned off. "Around 7am, I think. Which back home is, um…" he can’t remember what the time-zone offset is, then grins abashedly when he realizes why "around 7am." I guess Josh isn’t the only tired one… He pays the cab driver, making a mental note to obtain some local currency tomorrow… or later today?... and grabs their luggage. "Good thing we packed light, huh?" he laughs, remembering their earlier discussions of whether they would even need a change of clothes.

[Warren Worthington III]

Josh
After the cab disappears around a bend in the road, Josh focuses his powers on the luggage. " Let me take that, sir... " He shoots a naughty look at Warren and takes his hand again as their bags float behind them. Their hands have been linked for almost the entire trip, and the glint of their matching wedding rings keeps catching his eye.

It’s been a long day. They’d had to get up pretty darn early for it all, and it had taken more than a little luck to get everyone and everything they’d needed together long enough to get married… but somehow, it had worked. Even with Jubilee absolutely refusing to sit next to Sam on the Blackbird, and Storm’s dress not coming back from the dry cleaners with everything else, and one or two paparazzi skulking around the city, having heard from God-knows-who that the Dalton-Worthington wedding was going on at one of the churches. Somehow, all of it had come together long enough for him to marry Warren.

And that thought is enough to leave Josh permanently happy: once the wedding itself was over, the entire reception could have gone up in flames for all it mattered. Fortunately, it had gone rather well, though most of it was a blur. Josh had been in such a supremely thrilled state of mind that the FBI or the NSA or some other upset acronym hadn’t broken in the windows and attacked their friends and family that it was all just… perfect.

"Let's get going and check this place out."

[Warren Worthington III]

(( Mild content advisory. ))


Warren returns the look with a smirk. "Gee… seems a shame to waste your TK on mere luggage, don't you think?" He almost drops the house-key as Josh demonstrates his ability to multi-task telekinesis, then recovers and opens the beach-house front door. " Besides, the house isn't exactly what I'm most interested in 'checking out'…"

Which is certainly true, but Warren also has to admit that Darren's house is lovely, especially with the morning sun coming in through the glass wall and the French doors that overlook the beach. It's not quite lovely enough to make him ignore the oppressive heat of a beach-house that hasn't been used for months, though, and he starts looking around for air-conditioner controls – or at least some openable windows – before he's distracted by the sound of luggage dropping heavily to the living-room floor and Josh's arms sliding around his neck.

" This isn't all a dream, is it? Because if it is, I'm gonna wake up and sock you." Warren's own hands rest lightly on Josh's waist, and for just a moment it feels like they have all the time in the world to just stand like this, alone and together. "If it's a dream, it's not a bad one… and getting to wake up and do all of that over again might be fun, don't you think? " Josh is clearly feeling the heat also, and Warren leans forward to lick a bead of sweat off his husband's (and, again, that entirely uncharacteristic squee!) neck, the timeless feeling gives way to a sudden, and entirely pleasurable, urgency.

Josh laughs. " Maybe. I never thought that our wedding would go off without armed guards breaking down the doors to the church. At least based off our dates, anyway." He presses their bodies together, leaning up for a kiss while maneuvering them both backwards a few steps to topple backwards onto a chaise lounge, ending up straddling Warren. " Now I've got you right where I want you!"

[Warren Worthington III]

(( Mild content advisory…suggestive, but not graphic ))

Josh's arousal is obvious and enflames Warren's own, transforming pleasurable urgency into sudden driving need. His trembling hands pull Josh's shirt-tails out of his pants and slide along smooth, sweat-slippery ribs as they kiss.

He's only slightly distracted by the way the chaise lounge juts into the base of his wings, but after a moment he decides even the slightest distraction is unacceptable on this particular night; he prepares to roll Josh over onto the floor when he remembers there are significantly better options.

Are you sure this is where you want me? It no longer even feels strange to continue the conversation uninterrupted while their lips and tongues are locked together. There's a waterbed in the bedroom… and a Jacuzzi… Despite his thoughts, Warren's hands continue to roam underneath Josh's shirt as if he had no intention of ever leaving their current location.

Waterbed? Josh looks down at the lounge chair they're currently occupying. Convenient, yes, but was probably wanting in the comfort department for anything more than a few minutes. Yeah... you're right. Josh gets up off Warren, tucking a few fingers in his waistband and pulling him along towards the master bedroom. We'll worry about the luggage later.

"We h-have luggage?" Speech is easier, now, cogent thought shattered by the way Josh leads him down the hall, and Warren follows a step behind, enjoying the tug of Josh's fingers on his belt. As they enter the bedroom he pulls off his own shirt, letting it fall to the floor, then sniffs skeptically under his arms and tilts his head towards the master bath. "Bath first, maybe? We could wash the travel sweat off… before we replace it with more interesting sweat..."

Josh waggles his eyebrows as he turns around, letting his free hand slide across Warren's sweat-sheened bare chest. " That would be nice. I'm actually kind of sore from the trip…" Warren fumblingly unbuttons Josh's shirt as they stumble towards the bathroom. The view of the ocean from there is just as breathtaking as the one from the living-room, but receives almost no attention from the distracted couple.
Josh sits on the side of the tub and turns on the jets and the faucets, while Warren tosses Josh's shirt to one side and starts gently massaging Josh's shoulders. "Mm… yeah, you're all knots… can't have that. Have to get rid of the soreness… before we replace it with more interesting soreness…" Josh relaxes into Warren's hands as the tub starts to fill, then concentrates briefly.

Warren gasps as he feels Josh's TK interact for a second with his own aura, vaguely aware of his belt unclasping and sliding out of its loops to fall to the floor, more crisply aware of the button of his waistband snapping open. know how much you enjoy that..., Josh thinks with a grin. "You know, happy as I am right now, I'm kind of glad it's over. Keeping track of all the reservations, rentals, deposits... not to mention the guests! I was worried that John was going to flip out on someone and torch the ceremony. "

Warren closes his eyes, letting his massaging fingers be guided by Josh's subliminal awareness of where the muscular tension is. " I was more worried about Jubilation, myself... can I tell you how thrilled I am that someone talked her out of jumping out of our wedding cake? But I know what you mean about Allerdyce. And, of course, with our history I kept expecting some terrorist group or mutant menace or zombie Magneto or something to come crashing in through the door... "

Josh rolls his eyes. " If she'd jumped out of my wedding cake she'd have been advised to drop Genetics next year… unless she's a masochist, that is. Oh, that's nice." His shoulders drop about a quarter-inch from their previous slightly hunched position, and he can feel his lower spine cracking as his new husband carefully twists his torso around. " Ororo emailed me my class-list yesterday… it's going to be an interesting year!"

Not wanting the work-talk to distract attention from the real point of this evening – as if that were even possible – Josh turns around further and unzips Warren's pants as he talks, using his hands just for the pleasure of watching Warren shiver when they roam a bit. "And how's your fall shaping up, professor? We'll be able to grade papers together now..." He wiggles his eyebrows and tips his head up for a kiss.

Warren leans down for a quick kiss, which becomes slower and more involved as Josh slides his pants down to his ankles. At the same time he slips his feet out of both sandals and pants and presses his thumbs against the base of Josh's neck, rubbing them in small, firm circles. "Nothing too outrageous, I think, " he replies as he straightens back out, then focuses his own telekinetic aura on unzipping Josh – with a frustrating lack of success, fatigue and distraction interfering with his ability to control his TK, which is limited in scope to begin with – as he continues talking.

"I'm just getting used to the, um, larger courseload. The… uh… the most surprising thing was the… hmf!... the Smith boy signing up for second semester of …damn tiny clasp! Mutants & Politics. Boy doesn't have nearly the… *(&#!@... the, um, amount of attitude he lets on, really." He gives up, finally, releasing Josh's shoulders to finish the job with his hands, pulling pants off in one smooth motion, right over Josh's shoes. " I think the water's ready, by the way. How about you?"

" I don't think I realized how much I want this until now. " Josh laughs a little when he realizes the sentence applies to multiple urges. The jaccuzi looked wonderful, but he was also looking forward to some quiet time with Warren, without other students, professors, archenemies, or media. "Let's go, Wings..." With a grin, he slips a hand into Warren's boxers, exploring a while before dropping them to the ground.

Warren sighs with pleasure at Josh's touch, then laughs suddenly as he looks at the boxers he's no longer wearing. "Hah! And here I'd intended to wear something sexier for my wedding night. Oh well…" He slides one wing underneath Josh's knees and tips him up, catching his head with the other, ready to drop him into the steaming water before realizing Josh isn't entirely undressed. "Wow… clearly I'm just not paying enough attention to the details tonight… I mean, this morning." He shrugs. " Well, you're the real telekinetic in the family... you've got ten seconds to lose the rest of the clothes before they get soaked." He lowers himself slowly into the blessedly hot water as he talks, enjoying the feeling of jets pounding against his thighs and back as he suspends Josh above the surface with his wings.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Real telekinetic in the family. Regardless of their respective levels of proficiency with the ability, it was odd to think of Warren as part of his family. But he is! The thought brings Josh a fresh burst of happiness, which was happening more and more often lately. He put it down to emotions running high due to the wedding, but secretly he hoped Warren would never cease to elicit that kind of reaction.

Not expecting to be picked up, Josh almost topples over before he's caught in Warren's wings. "Oops" He looks at his shoes, and the laces undo themselves quickly. The shoes leap off, skidding into the corner, and the socks soon join them. Finally, only his boxer briefs are remaining. " Want to give me a hand? I see yours are free... "

Warren looks over Josh's supine body appraisingly, then nods, applauding enthusiastically. He waits just long enough for Josh to get the pun, then concentrates carefully and Josh's boxers go flying off to join their scattered clothing. A moment later, Josh is lowered carefully into the steaming water. Warren continues to appraise Josh's body, though.

" You know... it's funny. This is hardly the first time I've seen you naked, but... it's different, now. You know? I didn't really think it would be, but it is. It's… I don't even know how to say it, or if there's words for it. I… oh, Lord, here. Like this." He tries to open up the surface of his mind wider than their normal rapport, letting Josh's telepathy pick up the feelings he can't seem to put into words.

Josh resurfaces from the plunge, and leans back into Warren, whose hands return to their earlier task of massaging tension out of his now-wet shoulders and neck. Tentative telepathic thoughts begin to trickle in over their shared bond. " Yeah, I know what you mean " He turns around slightly to climb partially into Warren's lap. " It is different… you're my husband now " Josh rocks back slightly, and adds in a wondering tone " I don't think I've said that out loud before. It sounds strange... but right." He kisses Warren lightly on the lips.

"You're my husband. We were partners before, in life, in combat, whatever, but now I've got your back for all eternity. And I can't think of much that's hotter than that." His hand emerges from the water and begins to massage the nape of Warren's neck. " And I don't think I've told you yet how proud I am to say I'm married to you."

Suddenly overcome by emotion, Warren pulls Josh tightly against him, his face buried against Josh's chest, tears flowing freely. After a moment he relaxes his grip, letting Josh's body settle back onto his lap as his hands returning to working their way methodically along Josh's spine, but he otherwise doesn't move. "I love you," he murmurs, just loud enough to be heard. " Always."

Josh wraps his arms around his husband's torso, nuzzles into his neck. Always. He's suddenly glad for the jacuzzi in more ways than one - some of the water droplets on his face didn't orginate in it. He closes his eyes, and rests his head on Warren's shoulder as he enfolds Warren's mind in his telepathic embrace. “You know, you could have a lucrative career in the masseuse industry…”

It's hard for Warren to tell what's more profoundly soothing at the moment... Josh's head nuzzled into the crook of his shoulder, or Josh's arms wrapped around him, or the supple give of the long muscles of his back under Warren's probing fingers, or the action of the water, or -- most likely the winner -- the way all of that is refracted through Josh's mind and into his. His own eyes close, and he settles more comfortably against the back of the tub, idly contemplating uses for the water-jets once they're ready.
Neither of them is sure how long they stay like this; time stretches out as the mix of hot water, jets, and a husband's gentle arms relax them.

===================================

Warren is brought smoothly out of his reverie when he realizes his hands have worked their way down to the base of Josh's spine… and he can tell, both from the echoes Josh's mind is broadcasting and the way Josh's body is slumped bonelessly against his, that most of the tension he'd set out to relieve is gone. Ordinarily that would be a good time to move on, but he's reluctant to disturb that relaxed and tranquil sensation just yet. So he just keeps working his way along Josh's thighs and calves as the sun continues to rise above the ocean.

Still later, he gently tilts Josh's body back, onto his wings, and takes a long moment to enjoy the sight of his husband's smooth, muscular body before starting to massage his feet. Josh's mind ripples, and he tilts his head up to gaze sleepily into Warren's eyes. I can't believe I'm… falling asleep on my wedding night… um, wedding… He yawns widely, his voice fading in and out as he continues "morning… I'm really…" tired… but we were gonna "I was really looking forward to…" to…" "…" His eyelids flicker for a moment, then slide shut.

He's nowhere near as tired as Josh… his accelerated metabolism processes fatigue poisons as readily as other toxins… and the truth is he'd been rather looking forward to it himself. Parts of him still are, in fact. But he smiles fondly as he carries Josh's wet, sleeping body to their bed, kisses him lightly on the forehead, and sets off to open some windows. All in good time, my love, he thinks gently over their link, which he can somehow tell is still active even though Josh is asleep, And we have all the time in the world.

[Warren Worthington III]

It takes Warren the better part of a couple of hours to unpack their luggage, bank the hot-tub, and generally open up the house, in the course of which he becomes aware that there doesn’t seem to be any actual food… or at least, nothing fresh. Powdered milk, powdered eggs, canned everything. What am I supposed to do with this?

Of course, it shouldn’t surprise him: it’s a vacation home, anything fresh would spoil between uses. They should have done some shopping when they arrived, but they were both too tired, and most places wouldn’t have been open yet. In fact, the supplies he found are probably intended for use in case of hurricanes, and he makes a mental note to replace them later.

Of course, he could go shopping now. But that would involve getting dressed again, and he finds himself reluctant to do that. So he does the best he can with what’s available, setting some plausible breakfast supplies on the counter and mixing up a pitcher of milk in the fridge before finally going to bed.

Josh, still unconscious and faintly damp, nestles unconsciously against him, and Warren sighs contentedly as he wraps his arms loosely around Josh’s body, vaguely aware of their mental link still operating.

That’s a new development: until now, their link had only operated when Josh was awake, or at least Warren was only aware of it then. Now it seems continuous, or the next thing to it. The last year with Josh has made Warren enough of a romantic to consider it some kind of consequence of their marriage, and that might even be true… though of course it’s just as likely to just be a consequence of their ongoing joint training, and the timing a coincidence. Doesn’t matter… ‘s nice either way… he thinks sleepily, savoring the light touch at the edge of his consciousness as he drifts off to sleep.

It’s still daylight when he wakes, but the sun is no longer streaming in through the shuttered window. He wakes far more slowly than he’s accustomed to, his mind chasing after tantalizing dream-fragments… something about being with Josh on a landscape comprised entirely of cloudbanks and sea-foam, all of which grows increasingly vague as he wakes. Pretty soon he’s fully awake, and only the way he’s pressed up against Josh’s back and the way his blood is pulsing through his body gives him any clue about the content of his dreams.

He smiles at that… it’s not such a bad life when the best part of your dreams turns out to be right there with you when you wake up… and devotes a few moments to gently encouraging Josh to wake up before guiltily deciding to let him sleep. He’s more fun when rested, anyway…

There’s no clock in the room, and his Blackberry is still in his pants, piled on the floor by the hot tub… so all he knows is that it’s some time after noon, and that Josh is still sleeping soundly. On careful consideration, though, setting his clock by Josh sounds like a lovely plan… their day’ll start when he wakes up.

In the meantime, he pads downstairs and starts making pancakes – or at least as close an approximation to pancakes as powdered milk, powdered eggs, flour, shortening, and sugar will allow.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

In the morning, Josh slowly comes to, and lets out a small sigh, burying his face in the pillow and pulling the sheet closer around him. Mmmm… whatever he’d been doing the night before, it had left him tired, and he’d obviously gotten enough rest to recover, because he felt great. Do I have class today? No, it’s still summer break…

A minute or so later, the unfamiliar scent of the pillow is what ends up alerting Josh that he’s not in his bed back home. Where the hell am I? His eyes flutter open, and he’s in an unfamiliar room.

Almost unfamiliar, anyway. I’m in the Virgin Islands, with Warren. And… Josh lifts his hand, and a unobtrusive (yet still foreign-feeling) band sparkles on it. Suddenly, the entire last 36 hours or so floods into his mind. “Two weeks in paradise with Warren… I can deal with that, I think.” Josh grins and sits up in bed. Where are you, anyway? Idly, he pings Warren, who seems to be downstairs. Down in a minute.

Josh climbs out of the bed and crosses to the glass patio doors, which look out over the Caribbean. “Wow.” He hadn’t quite realized how amazing the view was when they’d arrived - everything had been shrouded in darkness. The blue-green effect of the water was mesmerizing. Josh slides the door open, and lets the cool sea breeze ruffle through his hair. He takes a breath in. Can’t really get that at the Institute.

He steps out onto the patio, and suddenly realizes that he’s not wearing anything. After a second of extreme embarrassment, Josh surveys the area surrounding the vacation home. It was completely deserted, and the house’s nearest neighbor was a ways down the beach. Still, I’d better not tempt fate. He slips back into the bedroom, and starts for the stairs, hesitating slightly.

It seemed a little salacious to bounce downstairs in the nude. It was their honeymoon… however, he was pretty hungry. And if he waltzed into the kitchen like this, breakfast was probably going to be delayed. Josh rolls his eyes slightly, but internally he’s not sure whether he'd rather have breakfast or sex.

In the end, his stomach wins out, and he quickly makes his way down the staircase from the loft after finding a pair of pajama pants. Josh spots Warren at the kitchen counter and walks over, circling his arms across his husband’s chest. He plants a kiss on Warren’s lips from behind. “Thanks for letting me sleep. This place is… I don’t know how to describe it. What’s on the menu?” Josh raises an eyebrow, and looks over the packages and canisters assembled. “This all looks, um, interesting. I guess we should have done some shopping…”

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren’s a little startled to realize he knows exactly when Josh wakes up, though he can’t quite figure out whether it’s because of changes in his husband’s breathing patterns or because of some subliminal telepathic signal.

It could be either: on the one hand, their mental rapport seems to be growing more sensitive on a daily basis; on the other, this is the first time since they first got together –Lord, is it really less than a year ago? – that they’ve had this much solitude. Not that it matters, really, he’s just idly curious.

> Down in a minute.
Miss you already…

Now that he’s paying attention, he’s actually amazed by how well he can keep track of Josh’s activities upstairs just by listening. Normally he tries hard not to listen to what’s going on in other parts of the building – too many things he’d rather not know about, frankly – but now, when it’s just them and the ocean and the very occasional boat or car in the distance, he can let his guard down, losing levels of tension he didn’t even know he had. He wonders if Josh has the same experience with Warren’s being the only human mind in his range.

He’s briefly tempted to fly up and join Josh on the patio – after all, if he’s going to give the neighborhood a free show, they may as well make it worthwhile, right? – but then Josh goes back inside. Well, kitchen is good, too… we’ve never done that… he thinks not-at-all-idly, then laughs at his own disappointment when he hears Josh digging through luggage and the slide of cloth on skin. Oh well. I guess at least one of us should be wearing something if we’re going to actually eat any breakfast…

> " Thanks for letting me sleep. This place is… I don’t know how to describe it. What’s on the menu?"

Warren returns Josh’s kiss, overcome by a profound feeling of intimacy, surprised that something as simple and domestic as making breakfast together can be so powerful. Of course, he knows half of that is that it’s their honeymoon, and most of the rest of it is that they’re not sharing either the kitchen or the building with several dozen teenagers, but it’s still an astonishing feeling – which makes him forget Josh’s actual question until the state of the counters more or less answers it for him.

> " This all looks, um, interesting. I guess we should have done some shopping… "
"Mm. Carrying you to bed from the local farmer’s market would have been a tad more of a challenge, though, so it probably worked out OK." He chortles at the sudden realization that, in a somewhat odd fashion, he actually had ended up carrying his spouse across the threshold, and shares the thought with Josh before continuing "The menu is mediocre coffee, reconstituted powdered milk, hopefully tolerable pancakes, some pretty good local cane-sugar syrup, entirely forgettable canned fruit soaked for not nearly long enough in mediocre rum, and yes, absolutely, shopping… but in that order, or we’ll be so hungry we’ll buy everything edible. " He nods towards the bowl of pancake batter as a dollop of shortening melts on the griddle. "I can also offer you the world’s worst omelet and very bad oatmeal with enough brown sugar to make it almost palatable, but on the whole you’ll be happier with the pancakes."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

When Josh comes around to the other end of the marble-topped island, he realizes that Warren is actually wearing nothing at all. Good choice, then, or there would be much less breakfast involved with our breakfast. The thought has its merits, but again… hungry.

The kiss is warm and sweet, and Josh relaxes into it. Afterwards, though, his survey of their available breakfast ingredients seems to shrink his hunger precipitously. As he steps away, Josh lightly rubs a hand just below Warren’s navel. “Watch that griddle. I’d rather you not damage the goods…” He catches Warren’s eye and moves off, grinning, to take a seat on a stool at the counter.

> "I can also offer you the world’s worst omelet and very bad oatmeal with enough brown sugar to make it almost palatable, but on the whole you’ll be happier with the pancakes."

Idly, he examines their potential breakfast options more thoroughly. After sniffing the canned fruit, Josh makes a face, and the can slides telekinetically across the counter, dropping into the garbage. “That’s disgusting. I’m not sure whether I’d rather face the canned fruit or the hurricane.”

A small smile makes its way onto his face. “Don’t make too much… as great of a cook as you are, your mutant powers involve feathers and sex, not alchemy. We should grab some dinner when we go into town, anyway.” Josh eyes the items. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

While he speaks, Josh grabs the coffee pot and pours two cups, setting them on the countertop. For a moment he looks around for coffee fixings, but then shakes his head, laughing, and pours a bit of milk into each cup. "Here... best I could do." Josh hands one of the cups to Warren, and takes a cautious sip. "Not bad, for having an infinite shelf life."

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Watch that griddle. I’d rather you not damage the goods…"

Warren grins. "Keep that up and I’ll be more of a target…"

Which isn’t a bad idea, actually, except: breakfast. Right. Such as it is.

He laughs out loud at Josh’s summary rejection of the fruit as he starts pouring ladles-full of batter onto the griddle. "No, seriously: tell us how you really feel!" He leans back for another kiss as the pancakes start to bubble.

" I suppose we’re lucky there was anything in the house at all…
I completely forgot about that when making travel plans. Of course, " he adds teasingly as he starts flipping the first batch, "…if some people hadn’t been so veeeeery (yaaawn) tired last night – um, this morning – we could have gone shopping then… not that we would have, I grant you. Which reminds me: have I mentioned lately how adorable you are when you’re sleeping? Almost made up for not keeping you awake…"

> " Is there anything I can help you with?"

He’s about to ask Josh to pour them both some coffee when he realizes it’s already happening, and smiles a contented little smile before taking a sip. "This… is actually not the worst coffee I’ve ever had. Good omen." He flips the batch of pancakes onto a large plate and takes a curious bite out of one. "Mm… not too bad, under the circumstances. It’s fuel, in any event."

He takes a deep breath as they step outside laden with coffee, pancakes, and miscellany, and lets it out with a happy sigh. "Aaaah! The sea breeze makes anything taste better, though. I have to admit I miss living on the coast, sometimes… you just don’t get mornings like these in New York. And the sun is glorious, isn’t it?" He spreads his wings out to full extension and stretches luxuriously, then nods at Josh’s pajama bottoms "Of course, you’re going to tan unevenly if you keep wearing those…"

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "…if some people hadn’t been so veeeeery (yaaawn) tired last night – um, this morning – we could have gone shopping then… not that we would have, I grant you. Which reminds me: have I mentioned lately how adorable you are when you’re sleeping? Almost made up for not keeping you awake…"

Josh looks slightly embarrassed. Of course, he knew that Warren was kidding. But it still seemed like a bit of a lame move to fall asleep on their wedding night (morning, really). They’d just had a really long day, and the water had been so very relaxing…

Knowing full well that Warren could sense his unstated apology, Josh sticks out his tongue. “Yeah? You were the one who massaged me to sleep. If you wanted me to put out, you probably should have been massaging other areas.” His mock tone is broken by Warren leaning over for another kiss, which goes on until the pancakes begin to emit a slightly charred smell.

The two of them scoop up their breakfasts and proceed out onto the patio. Josh sets his things down at the table and looks out across the endless ocean for the second time that afternoon. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Before long, though, his eyes stray to Warren's sculpted rear, which seems to have a bit more waggle to it than normal.

> "Of course, you’re going to tan unevenly if you keep wearing those…"

Josh restrains a snort. Somehow, I don’t think that we’ll be out here long enough for that… anything to get me out of my pants, hmm? Regardless, he takes a few steps over to Warren and wraps his arms around the other’s neck, pulling him into a lingering kiss. After they break, he sets a benign look onto his face. “My hero! Thank goodness I have someone watching out for that kind of thing. If you’d like to do the honors…?” Josh’s eyes stay focused on Warren’s but he scans the nearby area with his telepathy.

The neighbors aren’t around, right? I'd rather not put on a show.

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Yeah? You were the one who massaged me to sleep. If you wanted me to put out, you probably should have been massaging other areas."

"Damn! Now you tell me!" Warren responds with a mock-rueful slap to his forehead. "I’ll try to remember next time…" His half-hearted attempt at keeping a straight face dissolves into first laughter, then intent distraction as they kiss, then sudden dismay as the pancakes start to smoke. "Whoops! They weren’t going to win any awards to begin with; better not to tempt fate…"

Fortunately, they come out only a little charred, and Warren turns off the stove before pouring the rest of the batter onto it to cook from residual heat, then joining Josh out on the patio.

> anything to get me out of my pants, hmm?

Warren isn’t quite sure whether he was intended to “hear” that or not; the distinction is increasingly moot between them. "Hey, it’s hardly my fault they don’t make pants as interesting to look at as you are, is it? Take it up with the clothing manufacturers, I’m just an interested observer, here."

> " My hero! Thank goodness I have someone watching out for that kind of thing. If you’d like to do the honors…?"

"Do you even have to ask?" He pulls Josh onto his lap and is halfway to suiting action to word when he becomes aware of Josh’s concerns about being observed, which pauses him.

"Well, um… beats me, to be completely honest. It’s no secret we’re here – the only reason we haven’t been harassed by the press is the island government’s rather draconian attitude towards invasions of privacy… which is no coincidence, given how many high-profile types summer here. But it’s not hard to set up telescopes and telephoto lenses, so… well, frankly, any of those boats out there could be filming our every move." He shrugs, then laughs. "Not to mention that Fury probably has us under full-time satellite surveillance whenever we’re on a date… given our record, it’s the best way they’ve got of identifying global trouble-spots, right?"

He reaches around Josh’s torso to pour some syrup onto a pancake, which he rolls up and takes a quick bite out of before offering the remainder to Josh. "Guess it’s a good thing I’ve got you on my lap, huh? Guess I’ll have to return the favor…" He grabs another syrup-sodden pancake before leaning back on the lounge chair and casually flopping a wingtip onto Josh’s lap.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> But it’s not hard to set up telescopes and telephoto lenses, so… well, frankly, any of those boats out there could be filming our every move.

Josh grins. “You’re awful! Way to make me paranoid.” Whatever. It’s your honeymoon… you’re expected to do some racy stuff. Anyone who snaps photos of the two of us on private property is only asking for legal trouble. Never mind that you simply had to type in ‘Warren Worthington’ into Google to get as many nude shots of Warren as you wanted. It’s different now. And while the vast majority of the media had recognized that, as well, there were one or two photographers looking for an updated shot.

Despite it all, Josh slips a hand down over Warren’s and finishes helping him yank the sweats down. Josh wraps an arm around Warren’s back and takes a drink from his coffee mug. “I’ve only got two weeks to even out my bikini line, so I might as well start now.” He plants kiss on Warren’s cheek.

> Not to mention that Fury probably has us under full-time satellite surveillance whenever we’re on a date… given our record, it’s the best way they’ve got of identifying global trouble-spots, right?"

“Probably. At least Storm and Jake will find out if we get into trouble…” The implications of that aren’t lost on him, though, and he giggles a little.

>"Guess it’s a good thing I’ve got you on my lap, huh? Guess I’ll have to return the favor…"

Warren’s wingtip angles carefully into his lap, and Josh is touched by his concern. He touches his forehead to Warren’s. That’s awfully sweet of you, but the sooner I get over this naked hang-up, the more fun we can have. Josh trails a finger up the edge of the wingtip, and then slowly pushes it out of his lap. He takes a bite of pancake.

“So, anything you want to do while we’re here? You know, besides steamy lovemaking. Which is actually all I’ve thought of, so far.” He considers his own question for a moment, then answers it. “Oh, I told Bobby that I would buy him something from the Virgin Islands.” Josh stabs a piece of pancake with a fork and offers it to Warren.

[Warren Worthington III]

> "You’re awful! Way to make me paranoid."

Warren realizes this really is a concern for Josh, so he resists the temptation to laugh. That said, though, he really does have difficulty taking it particularly seriously, given all the pictures and video of him that’s already on the Internet… especially given how much of that stuff involves him doing things he’s far more ashamed of than anything he might do on his honeymoon.

He’s about to suggest they both grab bathrobes when Josh changes his mind.

> the sooner I get over this naked hang-up, the more fun we can have

Warren chuckles. "Well, in public, anyway…"

> " So, anything you want to do while we’re here? You know, besides steamy lovemaking. Which is actually all I’ve thought of, so far."

"Well, yes, while we’re on the subject of clothing-optional fun… that’s pretty high on my list too. Though, that said: if we don’t get into town some time in the next few hours we’re going to face more hurricane-shelter supplies for dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast, so… mmm…" Warren loses track of what he was saying as Josh turns around on his lap to feed him pancakes, admittedly more distracted by the act of turning around than by the pancakes themselves, and starts idly contemplating other uses for cane-sugar syrup.

> " Oh, I told Bobby that I would buy him something from the Virgin Islands"

Warren responds with a sly grin, resting his hands lightly on Josh’s hips. You know, it’s beyond me why they’re called that, given how many people come here for clothing-optional fun… “speaking of which, I think maybe I’ve had enough breakfast for now… and we’ve still got a few hours before the food markets close in town… interested in breaking in that waterbed more properly?[/color]”

He lets his hands drift teasingly down the insides of Josh’s thighs, focusing his attention on the jar of syrup as it slides towards the edge of the table and – Ding-dong!

It’s not so much the doorbell that startles him, as the fact that there’s two people standing on the front porch that he’d simply failed to pay any attention to as they approached. Wow… more relaxed than I’d thought, apparently! "Um… hold that thought, I guess?"

He grabs his pants from the hot-tub room and slips them on as he heads for the door, oddly grateful that his anatomy is less obvious in moments like this than Josh’s. He doesn’t bother with a shirt, though… and regrets it when the middle-aged couple at the door step back, startled, at the sight of his wings and drop the casserole dish they were holding, spilling what appears to be chicken piccata all over the patio.

"Oh! Oh, dear, I’m so terribly sorry… you must be Warren, Darren said you’d be using the beachhouse for your honeymoon… we didn’t mean to intrude, but we thought maybe you hadn’t had a chance to go shopping yet, and…" The woman’s apologetic expression seems entirely sincere as she indicates the spilled lunch-plate, and Warren’s annoyance fades. "That was very sweet of you both, thank you! I’m sorry if I startled you… I know, it takes a little while to get used to them. Um… please come in, I’m sure I can find a mop or something in here somewhere..."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

(content advisory)

> “Speaking of which, I think maybe I’ve had enough breakfast for now… and we’ve still got a few hours before the food markets close in town… interested in breaking in that waterbed more properly?”

“Mmm… Waterbed.” If Josh had it his way, the two of them were going to make love in the Jacuzzi, the pool, or the ocean before they left. The waterbed would probably be good practice, though… As Warren’s erection begins to poke him, it becomes increasingly hard to think of anything else. Josh lets a breath out, and shudders as Warren’s hands brush his cock, which begins to stand at attention.

Josh spins around in the chair so he’s face to face with Warren, and lifts himself slightly, slipping a hand down to reposition Warren’s dick. He grins and opens his mouth to speak, when the doorbell goes off.

> "Um… hold that thought, I guess?"

“Um. What? Who the hell is that?” Josh sounds annoyed. It was one thing if they were just having breakfast, but things had been moving in a decidedly exclusive direction, and he wasn’t at all pleased with whoever was at the door. Warren had an extremely healthy sex drive, and it wasn’t often that one of them were interested when the other wasn’t.

Nevertheless, Warren carefully pulls himself up out of the chair, and Josh is left standing on the patio with a vaguely aching feel. As Warren angles for the front door, he realizes that it would be poor form for whoever it was to see him standing naked on the back deck. Quickly, Josh takes off into flight and lands on the upper balcony, walking into the bedroom.

As he walks across the room towards the staircase, Josh gestures at the dresser. The drawers slide open, and a pair of jeans leap out at him. He slips them on quickly, and a flowing white shirt flies across the room. Josh slides it on as he hits the top step, and troops down to the foyer.

> "That was very sweet of you both, thank you! I’m sorry if I startled you… I know, it takes a little while to get used to them. Um… please come in, I’m sure I can find a mop or something in here somewhere..."

Neighbors? Whoa, close one. That could have been awkward if we hadn’t heard the bell. What if they’d come around back and walked in on us having sex? That would have been interesting. Josh comes into view, and sees food spread out across the patio. He smiles at the couple, and looks over to Warren. “I think there was one in the kitchen… I can grab it, hon.” Josh dashes into the next room in search of cleaning supplies.