forum Time Travel, France, and Romance // OxO // Closed

Started January 18, 2020 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

(do we wanna just timeskip?)

By this time, they had moved on to the next location. Marco was still dragging Jay around while Jay purchased coffee at every coffee shop they found, guzzling it to try and stay awake.

Lou walked nervously and uncomfortably next to Matt, constantly fixing his shorter hair. It was re-shaved on the sides and trimmed on the top, looking sharp. He kept adjusting his jacket, rolling up the sleeves and putting his hands in his pockets.
Matt looked like he always did— a black long sleeve that seemed too tight with a coat over it and skinny jeans. He looked like he could be a model on the cover of men’s fashion. Honestly… Lou wouldn’t be surprised if he was.
Lou rounded the corner, stopping outside of Jay’s hotel. He nervously adjusted his glasses, giving Matt a sly smile.

Jay and Marco were waiting outside, talking. Jay was gesturing animatedly with his hands, while Marco had his hands clasped behind his back. Jay was in skinny jeans and a black t shirt, accompanied by a nice looking jacket. His brown hair had been combed just a little bit, and he wore a light smattering of makeup, courtesy of Marco. Marco, for his part, looked stunning. Slim, form fitting black pants, and a t shirt with the trans flag on it, with a black suit jacket thrown loosely over top of that. His curly hair had been styled just so, with sharp, stunning makeup.

“Well bonjour,” Lou crooned with a smile. All worries melted away when he saw Jay.
Louis gestured up to Matt.
“This is Matt, one of my friends from… like, preschool. Matt, this is Jay and.. Marco?” Lou said.
Matt held out his hand to the men, flashing a perfect smile. Lou wouldn’t have been surprised if it did the sparkle some cartoons did on TV.

Jay greeted Lou with a happy hug, kissing his cheek. "You look sharp." He complimented, then looked at Matt, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Matt. And yeah, this is Marco." He smiled.
Marco shook Matt's hand, returning the other man's smile with an easy one of his own. "Bonjour." He greeted.

“Hola,” Matt said, his Hispanic accent thick. He shot a slight wink at Marco, then turned swiftly to Lou.
“Me gusta este hombre,” he said quietly.
“For the last time, Matt, english or french,” Lou muttered with a laugh. Matt chuckled.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Matt replied. Louis shook his head, running a hand through his hair.
“Well, shall we?” Lou asked, turning. He looked quickly over his shoulder, smiling at Jay. “How good of a bowler are you?”
Matt whispered something inaudible into Louis’ ear. Lou turned a bright red instantly, looking extremely embarrassed.
Lou bit back, snapping a harsh, “Shut it.”
Matt just snickered.

Jay looked between Matt and Lou, curious as to what had been said, and shrugged. "Hmm. Depends on who I'm playing against." He replied with a soft laugh, sliding his hand into Lou's and twining his fingers with the other boy's.
Marco grinned a little, putting his hands in his pockets.

Lou smiled softly, happily holding on to the man’s hand. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m absolutely terrible at it.”
“He is,” Matt shot in with a chuckle, grinning. “A five-year-old could beat him.”
The Frenchman sighed with a shake of his head, keeping his smile. “He isn’t wrong.”
As they walked, Lou lowered his voice to address just Jay as Matt began talking to Marco animatedly. Most likely spewing jokes about Lou, but he didn’t necessarily care. He knew what he had signed up for.
“Sorry if you had to drink your weight in caffeine today,” Lou apologized.

Jay laughed, talking happily to Lou, looking up at the Frenchman with happiness in his hazel eyes. "Nah, don't worry about it. Half of it's the jet lag still." He replied with a shrug.
Marco smiled as Matt spoke, occasionally adding in his own jokes or facts about Jay, but otherwise rather quiet.

Lou walked until a giant LED sign came into sight, hanging outside a colorful looking place. It read:
“The Locomotive” in bold, calligraphy-like lettering. Lou hadn’t been there in a long while, but he knew it like the back of his hand. He and Matt had spent countless days here, but nonetheless, Lou still found a way to lose every time.
He pushed the door open with his free hand, having it linger open as Matt stopped it and let Marco pass before him. Lou kept Jay’s hand held gently, tugging him in slightly after.

Jay looked over at Marco. "Oi, go easy on the rest of us."
Marco's eyes glittered mischievously. "Who, me? Why on Earth would I do that?" He replied with a laugh, striking a dramatic pose and laughing.
Jay groaned softly. "Just remember that I know where you sleep."
"Is that a threat, monsieur?" Marco gasped in mock horror, putting a hand on his heart.
"Only if you take it that way."

Lou chuckled softly at the brotherly banter between the two, beginning to converse with the woman at the front counter. He took his shoes, gesturing for the others to do the same. Matt followed the lead and the two took seats at adjacent chairs, lacing up.
Lou looked up from his hunched position while tying his shoes. Normally, his hair would have fallen down, but with the way Matt styled it, it kept its position rather well. When he finished, he shuffled to the closest empty lane, inputting names already.

Jay smiled at Marco, then put on the bowling shoes, tying them on. He looked over at Lou, kissing the Frenchman's cheek contentedly.
Marco glanced over at Matt, half shyly, half flirtatiously, then put on his own shoes, running a hand through his hair. He adjusted his t shirt, the trans flag on display to any who looked.

Matt stuck by Marco’s side rather loyally, talking with him the most. But Lou didn’t mind sharing his friend.
Once the names were inputted, Lou picked up a 14 pound ball, trying to seem stronger for Jay. It took him most of his strength to continuously hold it with one hand, but he did it anyway.
“Marco,” Lou called, nodding toward the board overhead. “You’re up first.”

Marco blinked, and picked up a ball, weighing it in his hands, then nodding to himself. "Alright, alright." he replied, walking up to their lane. He thought for a moment, then threw the ball, watching it go down the lane with his head slightly cocked to the side.
Jay picked up a ball, holding it in his hands.

Lou bumped his shoulder into Jay’s, quietly getting his attention.
“Hey,” he said, just loud enough to be heard over the music. “How’d the museums go today? What places did your class end up dragging you?”

Jay smiled at Lou. "The museums went great! Marco babbled on and on about the LGBTQ histories that the museums weren't talking about, and he dragged me everywhere." he laughed a little bit. "And we went to…god, I don't remember the names."

“And I don’t blame you,” Lou said with a laugh. “I even live here and can’t remember half the names.”
Lou high fived Matt as he walked back from getting a tight par. Louis went up in his stead, rolling the ball with as much force as he could muster, only to have it hit a single pin.
He stared blankly at the lane as his ball appeared again. He picked it up, chucking it once more and hitting just a single other pin.
“I don’t know how you manage to do that,” Matt called as Lou walked back to the seat.
“You aren’t so bad that you fail, but you don’t manage to do anything impressive. It’s just so terribly. Es perfecto, tipo.”
Lou let out a laugh, shooting a glare at the man. Matt just put his hands up defensively.

Jay laughed a little, but now it was his turn. He managed, somehow, to hit absolutely none. He was laughing as he came back to the others, shaking his head. "Damn, I'm terrible."
"Yeah. Accurate representation of how often you get stuff right, though." Marco said with a laugh.

Lou glanced over at Jay.
“We have terrible friends,” he laughed, shrugging. Matt scoffed, waving his hand and dismissing the statement.
“Least I have you,” he continued, holding out his hand. “We can suck at bowling together.”

(gtg soon)

Jay laughed. "We do." He agreed, taking Lou's hand and kissing the other male's cheek. He snuggled close to Lou.
Marco stuck his tongue out at Jay. "C'mon, you know you love me, darlin'."
"Yeah yeah, whatever." He waved a hand at Marco.

Lou happily put his arm around Jay as Matt gave him an exaggerated wink.
“Sometimes they can be pains,” Lou said, loud enough for Matt to hear. As the man got up and walked over for his turn, he ruffled Lou’s hair, messing it up completely and having his glasses fall down on his nose. Lou frantically fixed it again, pushing back up the frames.
“You made this,” Lou said, pointing to his outfit and hair. “Don’t ruin it.”
Matt just laughed, picking up his ball and rolling. Of course, he got a strike.

Marco watched, laughing a little bit. "C'mon, Jay. How can you not love this face?" he pointed to his own face, grinning.
"Boy, that face is about as ugly as your ass." Jay shot back teasingly, laughing.
Marco rolled his eyes, and picked up his ball, ready for his turn.

Lou completely ignored Matt’s additional remarks as the man sat back down. Lou was too busy enjoying Jay by his side, his arm still around him.
“If you wanna ditch them, lemme know,” he whispered jokingly. “We could go dancing again.”
Of course it was a joke, but part of Lou couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

Jay let out a soft laugh. "Mm. Not yet, but we'll see." he replied, looking up at Lou with a happy smile.
Marco threw his ball, watching it roll down the lane with a faint, happy little smile. He turned around. "I'll have you know, Jay, that my ass is lovely." he stuck his tongue out, flopping into a seat.
Jay snorted. "If you say so."

Lou had to pry himself away from Jay to roll his own, resulting in the worst gutter-shot ever.
“Step it up for these Americans, hijo!” Matt said with a laugh. “Show them how we do it here.”
Lou rolled his eyes. “You’re not even French, dude.”
Still, Lou rolled, hitting exactly one pin. He dropped his hands, throwing his head back as Matt laughed hysterically.

Jay let out a little laugh, and kissed Lou's cheek. "Aw, darlin', don't worry about it." he gave a fake Texas drawl for a moment. "We both suck at this." he chuckled softly.
Marco was laughing as well, smiling.