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

(‘s alright. Night!)

Matt gave a small laugh, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck.
“No problem, amigo,” he said softly. “Comó siempre.”
“What?” Lou mumbled.
“For always,” Matt translated, resisting the urge to smack Lou over the head. But one, he couldn’t reach him, and two… well there wasn’t a two, so he was darn near close to doing it.
“Yeah,” Lou said innocently. “Nous avons votre dos.”
Matt narrowed his eyes. “Learn Spanish.”
“Learn French,” he rebutted.

_{(Translation: “We have your back.”)}

“Never your fault,” Matt added, though his tone held a slight charismatic flair. He gave Marco a cheerful smile, as if trying to encourage a silver lining.
Lou glanced from the two back to the TV, then his phone on the coffee table. The screen was alight with a muted alarm.
“Shoot,” he muttered to himself quietly, narrowing his eyes. “I gotta go let Bean out ‘n feed him.”
His words were slightly muffled by him tucking his face back into the blanket. There wasn’t necessarily an easy way for him to time jump around this… his so called “ability” banked a little less on teleportation. It was only time. He could turn back the clocks to where his house never existed, but he couldn’t hop from house to house.

Matt raised an eyebrow at the comment of “strange man,” but before he could question it, Lou replied.
“No, no, not if you don’t want to,” he began, folding a portion of the blanket over. He looked over at Jay, the annoyance— that he had to get up— prominently across his face. He slowly untucked his arm from behind the other man, pushing himself from the couch and stretching.
“I was gonna say you could stay here, hijo, but don’t worry about it,” Matt said, getting up to at least walk the Frenchman to the door.
“Maybe some other time. Addie wouldn’t mind?” he asked, brushing the hair from his eyes.
“You kidding? Addie loves you,” Matt answered, pausing the movie.
Lou shook his head with a yawn. “Alright.”
His gaze shifted back down to Jay and Marco. “You want us to walk you home on the way?”

Matt wagged his head tauntingly at Marco, a smile tugging at his own lips.
He followed Lou to the door, stepping in front to open it. He called back to his sister, telling her they’d be walking the other back, and that he’d either be back soon or crash at Lou’s place, whichever came first. She called back in confirmation, and the men were out the door.

“All of what?” Lou snickered. “Having us get our butts kicked in bowling? You’re welcome.”
He squeezed Jay’s hand lightly, giving him a mocking smile.
“But all jokes aside, thank you, too,” he said, slightly quieter and leaning in. His smile stayed put. “You’re pretty darn fun to be around.”

Lou turned his gaze back to the sidewalk in front of him, a slight skip in his step. He was happy. Clearly. And for the first time in a while… he was present, and only wanted to be.
They walked for a while, Matt occasionally pointing out some landmarks they came across. Old abandoned churches and statues and the like, all lit up by the night lights.
They finally came to Jay and Marco’s hotel, and Lou held a slight frown on his face. He didn’t want to have to let go of the warm hand in his own.

Lou gave a discreet wink at Jay, implying that sleep was optional for him, at least. He gave a sweet smile, following suit and latching his arms around Jay’s waist.
“You were the one who said you couldn’t stay, might I remind you,” he teased. “Gotta live with those mistakes~.”
Matt flicked the back of Lou’s head. “C’mon, hermano. Bean’s waitin.’”
“Ah— right,” Lou said, although he hadn’t forgotten. He just didn’t want to move.

“Of course,” Lou said, his voice holding a pleasant ring to it. “I’ll call you.”
He reluctantly took his arms from around the other man, stepping aside. Matt took no time in locking an arm around his shoulders, veering him off. He knew if he didn’t, Lou might have never left. And at the moment, Matt was more concerned for the dog than his friend’s love life.
“Matt—,” Lou began, but the man cut him off.
“It was nice meeting you both,” he said with a loose smile. He nodded at the pair, his chocolate eyes reflecting the soft light of the moon. Lou squinted, clearly offended.

Matt nodded a goodbye, yanking Lou with the arm around his shoulders. They walked back to Lou’s apartment, down a few blocks. Lou ran inside, grabbed Bean, and walked him out. The puppy was excited to see them both, wiggling and wagging his tail frantically.
Lou leaned against the railing as Bean sniffed around the sidewalk’s trees. He looked up to Matt, cocking his head.
“You can stay if you want— It’s kinda late,” he mumbled with a shrug.
“Alright. Gracias, hermano,” he said tiredly. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Sure has,” Lou said, scoffing. “C’mon.”
He flicked his head, gesturing to the door. Matt followed after him, and soon Bean. Lou picked the pup up in his arms, shutting the door after him and walking over to the kitchen. He poured a bowl of kibble for the pup, going over and sitting on the couch. Matt was already there, sliding through his phone.

Matt looked over, keeping his voice low as he asked, “You really like him, huh?”
Lou, without looking up, replied, “Of course. Why?”
The other man shook his head, glancing out the window. “I don’t know. I just haven’t seen you like this
since—.”
“Hey,” Lou mumbled, cutting him off. He looked over quickly, narrowing his eyes. “Not yet.”
“Lo siento,” Matt replied. “I’m just happy to see you like this again.”
Lou nodded, watching as Bean teetered over to the couch. He had crumbs from the kibble on his fur and looked innocently gleeful. Lou got all excited— Bean following suit— as the man lifted him up, beginning to play with the pup. Bean gnawed on his fingers, using his paws to hug Lou’s wrist. Lou let out a smile as Bean playfully growled. Although, with Bean’s size, it sounded more like a squeaker toy.

Bean calmed down after a while, soon falling asleep in Lou’s arms. It didn’t take long for Lou to drift off either, snuggling up with the small puppy and a couch cushion.
Matt looked over, gave a slight smile, and clicked off his phone. He kicked back on the couch, taking a folded up blanket and draping it over Lou. He then looked up to the ceiling, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.

(Sure. Want me to go?)

(Alrighty)

Lou woke up, his tired eyes blinking away the morning drowsiness. Bean was still cuddled in his arms, sleeping peacefully. Lou made sure to not disturb the pup as he sat upright, taking a deep breath in.
The couch was empty, and Lou soon figured out why when Matt’s voice sounded behind the kitchen counter.
“Buenos días, mi amigo,” he said, looking up from his phone. He propped himself on the table with his elbows, crossing his legs behind the counter. “Took you long enough.”
“What time is it?” Lou yawned.
“…. seis y media,” Matt replied, looking at the digital clock.
“Six thirty?” Lou mumbled.

“Si,” Matt answered, looking back to his phone. “Por qué? You got somewhere to go?”
“No,” Lou replied, flopping back into the couch. He put Bean on his stomach, scratching the pup’s head. “Just wondering how early ‘too early’ is to text Jay.”

“I think any time before like… nine is too early,” Matt said, walking over to grab his coat. Lou pushed himself to his feet, keeping Bean in his arms as he walked over to his room.
Before shutting the door, he murmured, “Good point.”
He dressed himself, grabbed his coat and Bean’s leash, then met Matt at the door.
“I wanna get breakfast, if you don’t have to be home too soon,” Lou said, followed by another yawn.
“Nah, I gotta get back,” the man replied. “Addie and I are doing some stuff for the theatre today.”
“Alright,” Lou said. “Let me walk you back.”
And with that, the three were out the door.