Chapter Text
[ Approximately one year later ]
Jean sat in his car after completing another food fetch order, leaning back in his seat with a strawberry energy drink. He still kept up his delivery job, though with more releases of his music Jean was able to cut down on the days he had to deliver.
He checked the address of his next order, a soft smile coming across his face in recognition. It had been a while since he’d been there.
He refreshed his phone to make sure Johnny hadn’t texted him, Jean was a dry texter but he always tried to respond to Johnny’s texts promptly. They were stupid a lot of the time, most of the time, but merde if it wasn’t charming as hell that Johnny felt the need to send his lover a picture of every cute bird he saw.
When it came up clear Jean began to drive, largely being able to get there from memory. He hadn’t driven there in some time, but how could the directions not be engrained in his head?
The place seemed to still be the same, the usual checkered tiles and some upbeat music playing on the speakers. Jean was taken aback from the image of his swooning sweetheart being replaced by someone else before snapping back to reality. Johnny was off at college, and Bev, the new person he’d hired, was working in his place.
“Oh hey! Pickup order for you, right? Strawberry milkshake?” she asked, handing Jean the drink with a smile.
“Ah, oui,” Jean said, hand around the container but still looking around the area. “Sorry, Jean hasn’t been to this place in a while. It’s strange how little it’s changed.”
Bev let out a polite little laugh. “Hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right?”
“Yes…yes.” Jean stood in that place a little too long before leaving. It felt odd being in a place where he used to be so known, so recognized, to then being just another customer. But that was life, wasn’t it? A series of going from stranger to regular, and regular to stranger.
As he drove to the location, Jean couldn’t help but think about how many days left until he could see Johnny again. His classes would be done in a week, and Johnny would get to come back to Jean and stay with him for longer than a measly week. Johnny had moved out of his apartment so over the summer he’d be staying at Jean’s apartment. Amir had immediately scheduled a vacation to take up the whole summer when he heard that. “Jean, I am overjoyed you have found someone that makes you this happy, but if I have to live with both you and that off-key singer every day I will end myself.”
Jean pulled into the hotel parking lot, double-checking the room number when he noticed the odd instruction. “Come into the room to give it to me, you ain’t got to knock.” Jean hesitated, but after a moment he paced into the hotel lobby, taking a right and ending up at room 111.
He raised his hand to knock for a moment before lowering it, turning the door handle and surprisingly being able to open the door slightly.
“Err, I have your order here—” Jean stopped out of shock as he opened the door and saw Johnny, his Johnny, lying on the bed facing the door with his head propped up by hand and one knee bent. The real kicker though, was that he was wearing that damn bedazzled jumpsuit from his first performance.
“Why thank you, stranger,” Johnny teased with an absolutely delighted smirk on his face.
“Jean- Wh- He thought you wouldn’t be here until next week,” Jean said dumbfoundedly, setting the milkshake on the nearest surface, he hardly looked, eyes locked on Johnny. It was a shock he was able to keep himself from simply dropping it on the ground.
“Surprise! Gosh, you had no idea how hard it was keepin’ this from ya, kept wanting to tell ya ‘bout my flight and all that,” Johnny said with a little laugh. Merde, how Johnny managed to be such a dork while looking absolutely divine always escaped Jean. “You like my outfit, sugar? Think I remember you mentioning once or twice that you thought that it was alright.”
That was an understatement. Johnny looked damn gorgeous with how it glittered against his body, and Jean let him know that plenty (with maybe a few ‘you’d look better with it off’s thrown in there’—). “You are a fucking tease, you know this, yes?”
“Oh you love it. C’mere, I missed my boyfriend,” he said, patting the space beside him.
Jean sighed with a smile and sat next to him, his hand resting on Johnny’s waist. “You are forgiven, only because Jean Loo isn’t going anywhere now.”
Johnny grinned, pressing a kiss to Jean’s nose. “Well then, hope you have a good time now. Wouldn’t want my favorite regular unhappy now, would I?”
“Jean Loo could never be unhappy with mon oiseau chanteur, now hush, Jean wants to hear you sing.”
The strawberry milkshake sat on the table untouched for hours. It melted and melted until it was sticky and cloying in a way that would stick to skin forever if touched. It was overpowering and indulgent, and it was far, far too much. Both of them were too much. But that’s what made it so sweet.