TAGGING → Jonah Ellis and Elliot Rose [ peglegelliot ]
LOCATION → Jonah’s Room
TIME FRAME → March...? (>_>)
GENERAL NOTES → None
Elliot flipped through the pages of his text book with just a hint of anxiety. Jonah and him were good, they really were, but having to have this inevitable talk about the ~future and all that bullshit still made him nervous. He jumped suddenly as the dorm door jostled open. Elliot had let himself in earlier, it was likely just his boyfriend returning after classes. Keeping a thumb on his page, El craned up from the couch to holler, "Hey, Jo!"
Jonah made a beeline for Elliot the second he heard him call out. He tossed his stuff onto the couch as he passed by. Then he bent down to plant a kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "Hey yourself." He grinned, taking a seat next to him and looking over his shoulder at what he was doing. More schoolwork, nothing exciting. Surely not as exciting as what was weighing on both their minds as of late. "So do you still want to talk about it?"
Elliot smiled at the kiss, moving over on the couch to make room for the two of them. He quirked an eyebrow at that wording and made fun of his boyfriend. "Do you not want to talk about this now? I think, I think it would be good to figure out, for both of us." God was he awkward. Elliot shrugged, he wouldn't force it.
Jonah pulled his leg up onto the couch so he could face his boyfriend. "Yeah, I do." El had a point, it would be good for them to figure it out. The year was winding down fast and before they knew it they'd be graduating. It was just a bit nerve wracking to get started, but might as well jump into it. "I know I'm being a spaz about this, it's just a lot to consider. Do you know where you're going for college?"
Elliot "It's okay," he replied automatically. He was nervous about this, too. Claim deadlines and confirmations were coming up and he knew it would just be better to get this sorted out. "Uh, yeah I do, only 'cause they're giving me a good deal. But why don't you say where you want to go first.. I don't want to be like, going somewhere all the way across the country.." Elliot held a couch cushion across his chest and gave an awkward nod.
Jonah nodded. Right, the other unsaid part of that was claiming Elliot, which was really the only way he could go to college at all. They'd get to that next, for now it was easier to focus on something more normal. "Well, I was thinking California. I got into a bunch of schools, and UCLA offered me a bitching scholarship." Considering his lack of funds, it was hard to turn that down. "What about you? I bet you got into some kick ass schools, didn't you?" He teased, lightly nudging the other's side.
Elliot grinned a little easier this time, nudging the other back. "Fuck, me too." He laughed with relief at how easy that had been. "I got into some other places too, but UCLA's my best option. They're basically paying me to play soccer for them." This could be good, he thought to himself. Going to the same college, maybe as a claim or whatever, that could be good.
Jonah breathed a little easier at that, managing a laugh as well. "That's a relief." He'd been worried about that, especially since his second choice was Florida. "I think I just wanted to get the hell out of this cold." He smiled at his boyfriend though. "That's fucking amazing though. I'm happy for you, and for us." Because as selfish as it was he still really just wanted to be near Elliot, even after they graduated. "This is good for us then, like a good sign." That they could actually work out well and everything.
Elliot "We're so fucking smart, both going to UCLA. They have some killer aquariums over there, right? That should be good." He smiled back. He couldn't wait to get out of this awful weather either and spend all his time with Jonah in the sun. "Yeah, yeah, it's very good." Elliot moved over and leaned against his boyfriend's arm. It did seem like a good sign that they'd both chosen the same college, and hopefully they'd be able to stay together there as well.
Jonah laughed at Elliot's comment. "Hell yeah, of course we are. We're getting out of this place and moving onto bigger and better things." He declared, smiling all the while. It was exciting to think about, like a weight off his shoulders knowing that the two of them were headed towards the same place. That was a start and hopefully their paths could keep twining together, though that did beg the question of the other thing on his mind. He wrapped his arm around Elliot to pull him close. "So to go to UCLA, you kind of need to be claimed..."
Elliot knew that was going to come back, obviously. It seemed that they had more or less been skirting around that issue for the last month. "I do kind of need to be claimed, yeah." He reiterated, looking up at his boyfriend. Elliot reached around and entwined his fingers with Jonah's and just sat there for a moment. "I don't.. I don't want you to claim me just so I don't go to the markets, though. I dunno, I know our relationship isn't really traditional, but.." He shrugged, unable to further convey what he was feeling.
Jonah felt awkward. He knew he needed to bring it up, but they were so not into the whole D/s thing and this was kind of weird to talk about. Important and necessary though, so he barreled through. Feeling Elliot's fingers curl around his own was comforting though, and he gave the hand a gentle squeeze as he looked at his boyfriend. "I know. It's..." He didn't have word for it either, it seemed. "Do you want me to claim you?" He thought he'd ask instead, seeing where El stood on the whole matter.
Elliot sighed, knowing that this conversation was likely making them both a bit uncomfortable. What he really wanted to know was if Jonah wanted to claim him. "I do, but, like I said, not just to save me from the markets. I can get a claim from my brother or a friend for that. " He didn't want to be claimed just because it was the natural progression of their relationship, either. Like a check list for them. "I think a claim should be like, much more important and more of a commitment and yeah.. not just that I have to wear a collar or whatever.."
Jonah nodded. "Yeah, I get it. I know I'm not the most Dommy Dom or whatever, but I get what a big deal claiming is. I mean, if I claim you, then you'd be mine." Which sounded pretty obvious, but the legal standing of someone belonging to him was weird. While he'd doubt he'd ever treat Elliot as a submissive, especially the way they're taught to here, the whole thing still meant a lot. It was serious and a huge decision to make, and he had to trust that they'd still be good together in the future for pretty much ever. "But yeah, I do want to claim you."
Elliot: ran a hand through his hear again. It was good that Jonah felt the same way, but he still wanted the specifics of the guy's opinions. They might very well be in this for the long hall, and he needed to make sure that this was all for the right reasons. "Okay but really, aside from you just wanting to claim me, like, what does a claim mean to you? What do you think would be different between us if we were in a claim?"
Jonah took a moment to think on that. He wasn't at his brightest when he was on the spot, and he really wanted to give thoughtful answers to these really big questions. "Well, for one, the commitment. It's a long term kind of deal, which is huge. I don't really know how knowing that would affect our relationship until we see it happen. I'm hoping that it's a good thing and that you really want this future with me. I know we talk about it but now we've really got to commit to it. I don't think I could treat you like a submissive, but I do know that I'd be responsible for you and that the things we do reflect on each other. "
Elliot "I know, I do really want it. But at the same time, it's like, we've honestly only been dating for four months and now we have to plan for the rest of our lives, y'know. What do you want to do after college, do you want ever have children? Questions like that that we need to figure out now." Maybe he was taking this a little too far, but they were all things he needed to know when being claimed for the rest of his life. "Well, yeah, that whole life isn't really for us. But, I hate to think that I'd end up reflecting badly on you.."
Jonah "I know, it's a lot more to think about. Hell, it's everything to think about. After college, the plan is to find work, isn't it always? I'd kill to work in one of the big zoos, San Diego or something, but I'll probably work my way up form something small. It'll be time consuming. I don't have a lot of money saved, so I'll probably try finding a job the second we land in LA." That was another thing to think about, the different schedules, especially if he worked and El was training most of the time. "Long term goals, yeah I want it all. A house, kids, a white picket fence. All the shit I never had." He looked at his boyfriend now, a bit more concerned. "What do you want?" Because if their future goals didn't line up, well shit. He wrapped his arm around Elliot, kissing the side of his face. "You're too fucking cool, you'd never reflect badly on me."
Elliot "Yeah exactly, a job, having a few kids, buying some stuff, retiring to Florida, and dying. Good, I can work with that." He nodded, having much the same plans himself. El raised his eyebrow for a moment when Jonah mentioned his childhood- they had to turn over that stone. "Yeah.. we'll definitely need jobs. I think I'll have to spend most of the time in practice though, and find a major and that stuff." He had primarily been focused on the soccer and financial aid aspect of the college, just hoping the academic part would reveal itself. "Mmph," He mumbled, being pulled against Jonah's side and smiling at him. Although it did little to ease his worries, it was a nice gesture.
Jonah almost breathed out a sigh of relief to hear that the both of them were working towards the same things. It was simple but it wasn't too much to dream for a happy life, was it? "You've got four years, isn't that the whole point of college? To find yourself and figure out what you're going to do. As long as we're there for each other through it all." Elliot didn't seem entirely placated, but the smile was nice to see.