@spectormcrc
Jean-Paul hated needing to play catch-up. He was always one to be on top of things— to be in the know, keep the secrets, have the intel. It was years of experience that got him there. But things were constantly changing and recently he was pulled into a bigger world than he had ever been in before.
The world was what it was and Frenchie would adapt. That he could deal with. But when it came to Marc..
The time spent apart from him was a gut punch. They had already gone through something terrible and traumatic together— something that Marc hadn’t technically survived and Jean-Paul couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He had survived that, and survived the shock of his best friend knocking on his door after being saved by a god. If they could get through that, they could get through anything right?
Marc disappearing hurt. Time went on and now it was time for the dreaded catch-up. It was easier to jump right back in with Jake, and whatever feelings he had towards Marc were being dealt with. But now there was Steven, who hadn’t even known Frenchie existed.
It was all new, and Steven made him nervous. He was so different than Marc and Jake— sweet and kind and anxious, brilliantly smart and funny in a dorky way. That softness made Jean-Paul want to keep his distance, but it also drew him in. He was important to Marc, and so he was important to Frenchie. That was simple, but the rest was complicated.
His mind had wandered to Steven for a few moments as he glanced out the passenger seat window, Jake at the wheel next to him. The silence between them was comfortable, neither of them ever feeling the need to speak to fill the space. It was nice. Normal. Easy.
He turned his attention away from the views flying by, thinking of asking Jake if he wanted to stop by the restaurant for dinner. But just as his mouth opened, the car jolted to the side, veering out of the lane before settling back where it was supposed to be. Kind of.
Oh crap. The body language— it was panic and tense muscles and the car’s trajectory was unsteady. That wasn’t Jake.
Frenchie grabbed the wheel with one hand. “Everything alright? What’s going on?”
