Praise with elation, praise every morning...

[Warren Worthington III]

(OOC: it’s OK, you can look now)

> " I’m sure I can find a mop or something in here somewhere..."
> " I think there was one in the kitchen… I can grab it, hon. "

"Thanks!"

As much as Warren wants to chase off the neighbor couple and return to the far more interesting coupling they’d interrupted, he’s unwilling to be actively rude to Darren’s friends. And actually the two seem like nice enough people… they’re obviously not entirely comfortable with having mutant neighbors, however briefly, but it’s equally obvious that they’re doing their best to make Warren and Josh feel welcome.

So with the cleaning of the front porch and chatter about the best local markets and gossip about common friends (including an awkward few minutes spent avoiding the topic of Warren’s financial state and his parents’ boycotting of their wedding), an hour or so goes by before the neighbors leave.

Warren looks back apologetically at Josh as he closes the door behind them. "So… you can imagine how much I hate to make this observation right now, but we really ought to get going if we’re going to get any groceries bought before the shops close. I’ll make it up to you tonight, though... and by way of a promissory note…" He kneels down on the couch next to where Josh is sitting for a long, slow kiss, then pulls away slightly as it escalates.

"Seriously… tempting as it is to bring you upstairs and leave our clothes down here, we’re both going to regret it when we’re having industrial pancakes for dinner. Another few hours and we can have the next two weeks uninterrupted, right?" He’s talking as much for his own benefit as Josh’s, if not more; the temptation to test the theory that man cannot live by love alone is strong, and would probably be overwhelming if they hadn’t already gotten at least partially dressed… not that clothing presents much of an obstacle to a determined telekinetic, granted.

With one thing and another, it takes them a while to make it out the door and into town, but they manage it before it’s too late to buy anything.

[Warren Worthington III]

(( OOC: much, much, delayed continuation of Jorren's honeymoon... nothing too steamy yet.))

Initially, Warren is surprised by how quickly the markets start closing – it takes him a minute to remember the odd schedule he and Josh are on. After all, they’d only started their day in the early afternoon.

It’s all right with him, though – the little shops are delightful, granted, but he and Josh have plenty of time to finish their shopping expeditions later. The important thing is that he’s laid in enough supplies to last them through the next few days without having to leave the house.. a prospect he’s rather looking forward to. And with the sun setting over the horizon, the wind coming off the ocean is pleasantly cool after a hot day – perfect weather for a slow walk along the surf back to their beachhouse.

"Hey, I thought I should mention that today was amazing. " Lunch on the wharf had been good, and poking around the market had been fun, even if it had been cut short.

Warren nods, kicking off his shoes and tying the laces together as they walk. "It was. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed… if I hadn’t promised your mom I’d encourage your college work, I’d be tempted to extend our vacation by a couple of weeks. Or maybe months."

Of course, he doesn’t really mean it: enchanting as this little getaway in paradise is being, they both have important work waiting for them back home. Not to mention that he can’t afford to be a beachcomber anymore; they’d have to pay rent somehow. But it’s a nice idle fantasy, just the same, and he’s in no hurry to terminate it. "Or maybe a couple of years," he adds thoughtfully, pausing for a slow sweet kiss before they continue walking.

The warm tide laps around his ankles, and he idly trails a wingtip in the wet sand, his other wing wrapped loosely around Josh’s waist. The sun has finished setting by now, and the moon isn’t too bright, and the night sky is filled with stars.. not the isolated little dots of light he’s used to, but huge swaths of them streaming through the sky. "I never understood before why they call it the Milky Way… you can't see half of these stars back home, even on a clear night. I never knew night skies could be like this."

Which is a funny thing, he realizes, given that he could have gone to places like this any time he wanted. But he’d never been interested as a kid… he’d always been more interested in the cities, the bright lights, the big buildings… and after his wings grew in, he hardly ever left the grounds… and after Alcatraz, well, everything had changed then… and now, here he is, enjoying his first clear night sky in paradise with the only man he’s ever wanted to share it with. It’s a good life.

Josh tosses his flipflops onto the deck and circles his arm around Warren's back, tucking a pair of fingers just into the other's waistband. His eyes rove across the sky for a minute. "No. I thought the Institute was isolated, but this pretty much beats it completely. Think you see more stars than someone with normal vision?"

Warren shivers at the touch of Josh's fingers on his hip, at once eager to return to their beach-house and reluctant to let this moment end, and enjoying the tension tremendously. "Beats me… I’ve never gotten around to counting the ones I can see," he replies with a chuckle, then points to a faintly pulsing light he can barely make out. "Since you ask, though… hm… there… do you see that one? The pulsing, kinda pinkish one?"

Josh scans the sky briefly in the direction Warren's pointing in, but none of the lights appear to be pulsing to him. "Not really. I shouldn't be surprised - your vision is amazing." Which it really is - Warren's vision astounded even Hank, and Josh has always thought that vision was one of the best enhanced senses to have. I wouldn't want a super-sense of smell like Logan... he's always sniffing around like an animal. He sometimes wondered whether Logan could tell when people had sex based off their scent - sometimes the guy had an annoying smirk for no apparent reason.

Warren grins at the compliment. "You know, I had a telescope rig set up when I was a kid... 9 or 10, I guess I was. I was on an astronomy kick at the time... haven't thought about that in years. I wonder if I can see better on my own than I could back then... I can't really tell." Not to mention that the curve of Josh's upstretched neck is distracting his attention. "Besides which, I've got better things to look at these days. "

Josh grins, stepping carefully around a jagged chunk of shell. He leans in to peck Warren on the cheek, and notices his stare. Subtly, he shifts his angle to Warren's lips, and draws him close, sliding his other hand onto Warren's narrow waist. After a minute, he lets out a sigh and fixes Warren with a look. "You have too many clothes on."

Warren laughs. "I think this might be the first time anyone has ever accused me of that. " He looks both of them over and shrugs, his attempt at a nonchalant pose utterly ruined by the increasing excitement readily apparent on the surface of his mind. "I Seems to me we're both wearing about the same amount... though I suppose I'd be open to negotiating a coordinated reduction in clothing. That is," he adds with a smirk, "…assuming you're not too tired? "

Josh looks wounded. " You know, if you wanted you could have started things off last night. I would have woken up sooner or later... " He grabs Warren's hand and yanks a towel off the railing, and then leads him closer to the water.

Warren laughs as Josh spreads the towel out in the sand just at the tide line and guides him down onto it. "I suppose. I prefer you awake for the preliminaries, though... far more fun that way." He runs a wingtip along Josh’s jaw, enjoying the involuntary sigh that escapes his husband’s lips, by way of demonstration.

" Now, I'm prepared to surrender my top if you are. As a demonstration of my willingness to negotiate..." Josh pulls his shirt off slowly, and throws it in the general direction of the beach house.

Without thinking about it, Warren tracks the shirt's trajectory as it flutters to the sand, but his attention is almost entirely occupied by the way the moonlight glints off Josh's skin. "Mm… now, you see, we have a bit of a problem. Much as I appreciate your goodwill gesture, I'm afraid you haven't considered the consequences of how incredibly hot you look shirtless in the moonlight. You've completely changed my valuation of our relative assets now, and I'm no longer entirely open to a straight trade. " He slides his hands down Josh's ribs as he talks, then across the surface of his taut stomach before starting to undo Josh's belt buckle. "I think I’m going to have to insist on seeing more of your (ahem) hidden agenda before I commit to full disclosure."

Josh’s belt drops, forgotten, to the ground as Warren slides it out. He catches Warren’s hand as it slides under the waistband of his jeans and raises it to his lips. "Not so fast. I've got to see some kind of ski-- er, some kind of gesture before I'm prepared to continue. I've got assets to guard. " This last he's able to say with a straight face, but bursts into laughter immediately after.

Warren manages with significant effort to maintain a straight face of his own, even when Josh cracks up. "Well, I can't argue with that... and significant assets they are, at that. All right, then... if you insist. " He unbuttons his shirt with his free hand, and shrugs out of it with the help of his wings before unzipping Josh's jeans. His other hand stays where it is, brushing lightly against Josh's lips. "Welcome to paradise, Mr. Worthington... I love you."

Josh relaxes into Warren's touch, but blinks at Warren's words. "You know, it's strange to hear that, too. I ought to get my driver's license changed. " He runs a hand down Warren's arm, and lightly traces a finger across Warren's abs. When he reaches the button on his jeans, Josh flicks it open, then focuses his attention back to Warren's face. "I thought I should let you know I bought new underwear for this moment. Let me know what you think. " His voice is mock-serious.

Warren is about to point out that Josh is the first "Mr. Worthington" in many decades to not have some suffix attached, but decides that bringing up his family right now would definitely qualify as one of the stupidest things he'd ever done. Fortunately, Josh's hands do a fine job of distracting him. "New underwear, huh? That would explain why you were so modest about getting dressed this morning. I guess it's time to unwrap my first wedding present, then... but, one thing at a time. " He kneels on the beach blanket in front of his husband, closes his eyes as he slides Josh's jeans down to his ankles, running his palms slowly along Josh's muscled legs as he does so. Only after he's done does he open his eyes, and for a moment it's all he can do to avoid bursting out laughing at the novelty briefs Josh is wearing, with little cotton wings flopping to either side of his bulging package. Those had to be a gift from Drake. The moment doesn't last long, though, and then his attention is far more engaged by the bulge itself. "And now to unwrap my second present, " he grins, sliding his hands back up to Josh's hips.

To his credit, Josh is able to keep a straight face through the entire maneuver. When he'd been out shopping with Bobby and the two of them had seen it, he'd initially thought the black bikini briefs at the gag store were ridiculous... but Bobby had talked him into it. The wings had mostly sealed the deal, as did the price - it was markdown from Valentine's Day. My Cupid is sexier, though. Josh lets his eyes trail down Warren's body.

He breathes out slowly as Warren runs hands along the surfaces of his body. The temperature is perfect, and the sand is still holding remnants of heat from the day, resulting in a nice, warm towel. Josh shudders slightly in anticipation as Warren's fingers slip around the briefs' rather insubstantial waistband.

It takes more self-control than Warren actually has left to finish stripping Josh slowly, however much he likes the idea in principle. Instead, he shoves the amusing-but-currently-simply-obtrusive briefs down out of his way.