Return to Sender [Jake]

[Morgan Tonaya]

After the momentary scare over James’ attack, hearing Jake’s voice had made things a little better. Some nagging part of himself still sensed that Jake was a lot closer to danger than they both thought. Reminding himself he was not a precognitor, Morgan resigned himself to cleaning house to bust the stress. Granted, in Morgan’s home cleaning house generally meant dusting a few things before becoming engrossed in a comic book.

This was one such house-cleaning.

Morgan sat in the middle of his spare room cross-legged like a five year-old, staring at the glossy pages of the Green Lantern and stroking the tattoo on his wrist. He prodded the page with his toe and flipped it, leaning back over the book. He knew almost every word of dialogue down to the letter, he wasn’t sure why he was reading it, but he just liked the idea of Hal Jordan so much. The man without fear. He smiled absently as the read the last few words of the comic, sighing as he slipped the flimsy paper-back shut and slipped it back into a plastic cover.

The moment the comfort of the super-hero universe was gone, he began to worry again. Foot tapping slightly, Morgan leaned over and looked down the hallway, thinking to Jake’s shirt hanging in his closet. It wouldn’t hurt to have him over to pick it up. To see his face and make sure he was alright. Chewing the side of his thumb as he made the decision, Morgan reached into his pocket and dialed Jake.
The machine picked up…again. Morgan usually wondered if Jake screened but could never figure out a reason to screen from a cell phone. He couldn’t figure out a reason for most of the things Jake did. Morgan’s voice leapt quickly out of his throat after the beep.

“Jake! Your shirt…I have it. You should…come get it. Or something.” He said, his nervous speech slowing down as he rolled his eyes at himself. “Seriously though, I’m still freaked out about this attack on the school.” After a moment’s pause. “I want to see you. To make sure you’re alright. Get back at me or come on over. Thanks.” He hung up, feeling a little foolish, but not enough to take back the invitation.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Since Morgan's call, Jake too had been worrying. He'd heard from Gabe what had happened at the school, about his acquisition of a list of possible meta-human recruits. He hadn't ever thought Morgan would end up involved in this, though it was a naive hope. Morgan worked at Hammel, of course he was going to find out about the attack soon, and Gabe... well, Gabe could never do anything without going over the top. It had been one of the things that had drawn Jake to him in the first place.

He had assured Morgan that he was fine, but now he was worried for the blonde. Surely Gabe didn't need anything from him, so he would be safe. That's what Jake told himself as he stared down at his feet. He could only hope that Morgan would keep his head low and out of Gabriel's way... without knowing what the danger was. He took a few deep breaths and continued to reassure himself. This was nothing, probably just Morgan overreacting, and things would be okay.

Well, they'd be okay if Jake hadn't gone and got himself invested in Morgan when he knew from the moment he said he worked at Hammel it would be a bad idea.

Needing something to do to clear his mind, he retreated up the stairs and decided to take a shower. It had worked quite well, actually, as the warm water not only washed away his sweat, but Jake's worries as well. It was while he was in the shower that he heard his phone go off again, but he just let it ring. Whoever it was could wait a few more minutes and if it was that important, they'd leave a message.

After he'd finished his shower and toweled himself off, he turned the phone on speaker to play the voice mail while he got dressed and he couldn't help but to smile at the sound of Morgan's voice, even if his words were less than happy. Once the message ended and Jake pulled on his shirt, he picked up the phone and sent the man a quick text: "Just got out of the shower, be over in a couple minutes." Grabbing his car keys from the bedside table, he headed out to the garage.

It wasn't long after that when he pulled into Morgan's driveway. Running a hand through his still-damp hair, he stepped out of the car and up to Morgan's door, then rapped his knuckles against it. Truth was, Jake wanted to see Morgan too, to make sure that he really was okay after learning about what had happened.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

Letting out a loud sigh when Jake sent the text, Morgan pressed his phone against his chest with relief. He let his head flop against the back of the couch, the crown of his skull touching the wall behind it as he closed his eyes. Well at least Morgan knew he was alive. He was ecstatic to hear that Jake would coming by, however, because then he could set sights on the other man and be perfectly sure everything was alright.

Morgan practically flew off the couch when he heard Jake’s knock. It was a good thing that it was indeed Jake’s knock because when the blond threw open the door he launched himself blindly into Jake’s chest, wrapping his arms around the brunette with bone crushing desperation. “Hallelujia.” He murmured against Jake’s collar bone, his eyes squeezed shut. “Get in here.”

He said, leaning back and smiling at Jake with a warmth only brought out by intense relief.
Jake looked just fine. Absolutely nothing to speak of any damage. While Morgan had known that it was completely irrational to have needed or wanted so desperately to see Jake, now that he was hear he felt legions better. He waved his hand, eagerly ushering Jake inside and shutting the door. Tucking his hands in his back pockets, his smile only widened. “I’m really glad to see you. Your shirts upstairs.” He said, jabbing his thumb towards the steps as he wandered that direction.

“I washed it and hung it up, so its all clean.” Morgan called, realizing that the box of comics (one of many) he’d been digging through was still in the middle of his spare room. He’d have to remember to shove that back in the closet with the others when he got the chance…

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake was surprised and slightly bewildered at the sudden appearance of Morgan. One moment the door had been opening and the next, the man was latched onto him like his life depended on it. Not that he minded, really, because he'd been on the verge of doing something similar, but Morgan had beat him to it. His laughter at the blonde's praise was soft and he lifted his arms to wrap them just as securely around Morgan. "Going to say you missed me now?" He teased, his cheek resting against Morgan's temple.

As Morgan leaned back, Jake looked him over to make sure that he was indeed okay. Gabe had said his plan went off without a hitch, but Jake just wanted to be sure. He reluctantly unwound his arms from around Morgan before stepping inside and slipping off his shoes. "Told you I was fine... but I liked that greeting." He was smiling nearly as bright as Morgan now, shaking his head as the man started rambling. Yeah, he was perfectly fine. Maybe a little shaken up, but who wouldn't be under the current circumstances?

He followed Morgan as he started towards the stairs and then stopped, giving the man a curious look. "What's your rush?" He lifted his hand and cupped the blonde's cheek, laughing. "But thanks, for my shirt that is." His thumb brushed over Morgan's cheek and he smiled fondly at him. He didn't want to let onto just how worried he'd been for Morgan, but he knew it would probably show.

Jake had gotten himself into precarious situations before, but nothing quite topped this. He and Morgan should have been enemies. If anything, Jake should have just been using him, but he had absolutely no intentions of it. What he really wanted was to protect Morgan and keep him as far away from MSAD as he could while still being with him. It was a complex thing, indeed.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan actually responded to the kiss by bucking up his head, nuzzling under Jake’s chin as if he hadn’t seen the other man in years. “Maybe. If you’re lucky, smartass.” He chided, his anxiety almost completely melted away. There was still a nagging bite of anxiety in his stomach, but he didn’t feel that would leave until the attacker was put away.

Rambling, along with his laughter and wide smile, was Morgan’s safe place. It kept the silence from closing in. If his mouth kept moving he wouldn’t have to think about the attack. He wouldn’t have to worry about Jake’s safety. He wouldn’t have to wonder who was next, what was going on, or where this stomach churning turn of events was going to take everything. If he just kept talking, he wouldn’t have to think. Fine? Barely.

Smiling absently, Morgan gripped Jake’s wrist, his thumb strong the hand against his cheek. “I want to make sure you don’t forget it again.” Morgan explained innocently, his heart thumping harshly at the look in Jake’s eyes. His talk with James had been so recent, but it still rattled his brain slightly that he felt so strongly for Jake. He had definitely accepted the fact that he truly cared for Jake beyond caring for a friend, but everything was happening so quickly it was…just jarring.

“And also I need to put away some of the stuff in the guest room that I left out.” He explained, moving back up the rest of the stairs. “I tried to clean today, but Hal called to me.” He joked, laughing slightly as his own infallible dorkiness. “So I left the boxes out. And I need to put them away or I’ll never go outside again.”

[Jacob Lawrence]

He had almost forgotten how nice it was to have Morgan in his arms, punctuated with the way that the blonde nuzzled against him. It never failed to amaze him just how easily that Morgan could make him laugh, his words bringing up another series of chuckles. "Oh, I think I'm lucky." Lucky that Morgan actually wanted to be with him, that he easily bought Jake's lies, that he hadn't yet got in Gabriel's way.

He was really starting to hate that he had to keep lying.

Jake's eyes searched his face, as if looking for an answer to a question he hadn't asked. Morgan's hand on his own made him relax, a soft sigh escaping him. Being with Morgan was such a relief, a pleasant escape from the reality of his job. That, coupled with the face that he did really care about Morgan, would be what would keep him coming back, even if he knew it was wrong. "I won't... so long as you don't pass out on me again." He grinned, moving his hand to ruffle Morgan's hair before pulling it back.

He headed up the stairs after Morgan, snorting at the mention of cleaning. "Ugh, don't blame you. I hate cleaning." Not that he did hardly any of it around the compound. For the most part, Lala and Reese took care of the cooking and cleaning, and that was just fine with him.

"No! Don't turn into a hermit!" Jake laughed at the top of the stairs, glancing around the hall and examining Morgan's house a little better than he had the last time he was over. "Want some help?" Jake's arm curled around Morgan's waist, another testament to his inability to keep his hands to himself. "... and who's Hal?"

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[Morgan Tonaya]

Blushing furiously and digging the heels of his hands into his eyes with frustration, Morgan chuckled. “Ugh! I wouldn’t have passed out if you hadn’t have made me shoot tequila!” he whined, pointing an accusatory at Jake as he rounded into his room and pulled open the closet. “God I still can’t believe I did that.” He said with a sigh, shaking his head then leaning it on the doorjamb of the closet and laughing again. “Hopefully I didn’t say anything too terribly ridiculous?” He asked, looking over his shoulder as he reached in and produced Jake’s shirt.

“Memories a little fuzzy on that one.” He admitted as he held the garment out to Jake. It wasn’t as if he didn’t recall what had happened (though he still had suspicions of how the night ended), but he couldn’t exactly remember how everything had happened or what exact words had been exchanged. Not that he didn’t enjoy the memories he did hang on to…though his own boldness made him blush.

He tilted his head. “You hate cleaning? What’s so bad about it?” Morgan didn’t like cleaning, and he certainly wasn’t good at it, but he didn’t hate it. There were certain cathartic aspects do dusting and washing. Plus, while he was vacuuming he was free to dance and sing loudly with no judgment from his close-quarters neighbors. What could be better than that?

Morgan leaned his head back onto Jake’s shoulder when the brunette curled an arm around his waist, chewing his lip thoughtfully. “Yeah I could use the---“ He stopped abruptly and whirled around, gawking at Jake. “Who is Hal? Hal Jordan the Green Lantern you heathen!” Morgan gushed with grievous shock. “Who else would he be?” Morgan snorted, snatching Jake by the wrist and dragging the other man into the spare room. Gently pushing a toe against the long box packed full of comics, he nodded. “This box is full of his stories.” Morgan explained, smiling wistfully. “If I had the option of being a hermit I would be, just to read them all the time.”

Dorkout commenced.

[Jacob Lawrence]

The memories of the last night that he'd spent with Morgan were still relatively clear in his mind. Sure, there was a bit of a drunken haze over some parts, some words lost that really weren't that important, but for the most part they were in tact. And Jake was rather fond of those memories, thank you very much. "What, the tequila or the kissing?" He snorted, remembering how he'd fallen into bed once he'd got home with a huge smile on his face.

Jake took the shirt as Morgan offered it out to him, folding it over his arm and thanking him again. "Nah, not that I recall." There had been his constant giggling, his promise not to ruin the mood again, and his confession that he was scared of the dark; none of that Jake had found ridiculous. Amusing, exciting, and endearing were the words for it, not ridiculous. "Then again, I walked home shirtless without realizing it." And probably gave someone some late night eyecandy, but I'm sure they're not whining about it.

He shrugged when Morgan asked him his reasons behind hating to clean. "I got better things I could be doing, other than cleaning." Things like playing with the dogs, or hanging with Levi, or stuffing his face with ungodly amounts of unhealthy food. He smiled at the weight of Morgan's head on his shoulder, turning to press a kiss against his temple. "And why clean when I can come bother you?" Good to see his cheesiness hasn't faded since the last time he'd invaded Morgan's house/personal space.

Morgan's reaction to his question made Jake arch an eyebrow, starting to stalk "Hey! I'm not a hea-- okay, maybe a little." He laughed, letting Morgan tug him into the spare room with little struggle. "I don't know, some other guy you get drunk and make out with?" And now he was teasing, but it was affectionate teasing. I promise. He looked into the box that was packed with comics, then back at Morgan. "Well, I'd still like you, even if you were a hermit." And Morgan's excitement was just hilarious. Cute, almost painfully so, but hilarious.

"So this is your version of cleaning, huh?"

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[Morgan Tonaya]

The memories of the last night that he'd spent with Morgan were still relatively clear in his mind. Sure, there was a bit of a drunken haze over some parts, some words lost that really weren't that important, but for the most part they were in tact. And Jake was rather fond of those memories, thank you very much. "What, the tequila or the kissing?" He snorted, remembering how he'd fallen into bed once he'd got home with a huge smile on his face.

Shoving Jake (away from the direction of the stairs, heaven forbid the brunette take a tumble) playfully, Morgan shook his head. “Both! Mostly the tequila.” He winked, chuckling. “The kissing was livable.” Clearly the understatement was meant to be a joke, but even as he said it he thought back on the evening. The kissing was…awesome.

“Hey! Yeah!” Morgan said, suddenly looking quite stern as he swatted the back of Jake’s head. “What are you, nuts? Walking around town without a shirt in the middle of night…morning…whatever time it was!” He huffed, scowling for just a moment before his face broke back into a smile. “Next time keep put your clothes on when you leave.”

Whipping around, Morgan gave Jake another stern look. “You are the only man I get drunk and make out with. If Hal Jordan ever proposed something similar I would…” He thought for a moment, looking down at the long box and blinking widely. “I would die.” Morgan said resolutely, doing his best not to sound like a teenage girl. He huffed and shook his head. “Who is Hal Jordan…Shame.”

Flopping onto the floor and dragging Jake unceremoniously down with him, Morgan pulled the longbox into his lap. “You could always be a hermit with me.” He murmured, thumbing through the trade paper backs, clearly on a mission. “But I’m not sure that really counts.” Pausing and tilting his head quizzically at Jake, Morgan pursed his lips. “Does it count if two hermits are hermits together?”

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake flinched at Morgan swatted at him, putting his arms up defensively as he laughed "Hey, be nice!" But then Morgan left himself wide open, and a smirk tugged at the corner of Jake's mouth. He walked his fingers over Morgan's side, tugging him closer, then muttered against his ear, "Next time, I don't intend to leave until at least the following morning." Yes, if you're wondering, that was another shameless attempt to make Morgan blush. Or it could all just go sailing right over his pretty little head.

And then Morgan was back to his mancrush favorite superhero and Jake was just grinning. "Good to know. Although we can drop the 'get drunk' part." Because sober makeouts are just as fun. He shook his head at Morgan's reaction, resting one hand on the blonde's back. "I wouldn't let him get away with kissing you, anyways." He teased as he was tugged down to the floor, settling down beside Morgan and watching as he looked through the box.

Raising an eyebrow at Morgan's absent rambling, he reached over and placed his hand on the other man's forehead. "I think you're delirious." Smiling, he scooted across the floor until he was at least touching Morgan, ever the greedy little attention whore that he is. "I suppose we could both be hermits. I'll just invade your shell." He laughed to himself, then leaned over to place his chin on Morgan's shoulder.

"What are you looking for, anyways?" His eyes were focused on the box, even as his hands began to wander again, his arms wrapping themselves around Morgan's midsection. Jake had often failed at the game of keeping his hands to himself, which Morgan will learn many times over, especially if he does nothing to curb Jake's touchy-feely habits. Turning his head, he watched the expressions on Morgan's face before tipping his chin forward and kissing Morgan's cheek sloppily.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

“Assuming I don’t put you out before that.” Morgan mused idly. Flying over his head? That was an understatement. Morgan rarely got much of anything, and Jake’s attempts at subtlety were by all means included in that. “But I can’t really have you running home drunk and shirtless again, can I?” Morgan asked, tilting his head so that he could peck Jake shyly on the lips.

Chuckling, Morgan shrugged playfully. “I don’t know. If you had to fight Hal Jordan for me…I might just sit back and watch.” He looked over, quirking an eyebrow. “Light versus Shadow…pretty clichéd, but awfully exciting, don’t you think?” Morgan could barely get out the sentence before he began to laugh. He couldn’t see Jake fighting anyone, let alone a real-life version of Hal Jordan. Shaking his head, he rolled his eyes. “You’re the only man for me Jake. No worries about me running off with a man in spandex.”

Morgan screwed up his face for a moment in confusion. He wasn’t sure if there was a double-entendre in Jake’s shell comment (usually there was) and if there was he wasn’t quite sure he thought it was sexy. Shaking his head, he simply continued his digging. “I’m just excited. There is a difference between delirious and EXCITED!!” Morgan punctuated the last word with a gasp and some strange excited noise something like a squeal (very manly, that one) as he pulled a hard back compilation from the back of the box.

“This” Morgan hissed triumphantly, clutching the book excitedly in his hands. “Is for you to read.” He added with bright-eyed glee, placing the book lovingly in Jake’s lap as he squirmed out of Jake’s loose grasp. Though he knew Jake could read the title, he just had to say it out loud. “Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn. The best retconned post-crisis origin story of Hal Jordan, my hero.” He explained, though it didn’t occur to Morgan that all of his comic-book terminology probably wasn’t helping Jake understand his excitement any.

[Jacob Lawrence]

"Oh that's cold." Jake laughed, shaking his head. "What if I sat on your doorstep and whined until you let me back in?" And you know, if he were in the right state of mind (or the wrong state of mind, I'm not sure which is the correct word here) I wouldn't put it past him to do just that. Guilt trip much? Still, he smiled at the little kiss, his eyes warming. It was funny how Morgan could make him relax so easily, even after he'd been so sick with worry before.

Morgan's laugh, as always, was impossible to resist. "Hey, if I'm fighting for you, there's no way I'd lose!" A huge grin spread across his face as he slid his fingers into Morgan's hair, brushing it back and then cradling the back of his head in his palm. Morgan's words made that familiar warmth flare in his chest again and though he released a soft chuckle, he leaned forward to nose against the blonde's temple. "I think I liked the sound of that." His voice was soft, almost a whisper, and his bottom lip grazed Morgan's ear.

And then Morgan was squealing and totally ruining the moment (hey, he promised not to do that!) and Jake buried his face in his hand, laughing quietly. It was a welcome break, however, as Jake was starting to feel a little concerned at how much he cared for Morgan already. He enjoyed being with him, hearing his laugh and seeing his smile, but above all else, he wanted to protect him from Gabriel. Jake knew there'd be hell to pay if he ever found out about Morgan, but one look at that face and Jake just felt so at ease, like this was right even if he knew it wasn't.

Examining the book in his lap, Jake opened it up and casually flicked through the pages. Morgan's explanation was about as helpful as a flat tire and Jake just fixed him with a rather blank look. "Uh, the best... what?"

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[Morgan Tonaya]

The image of Jake whining and scratching at the door like a puppy made Morgan snort slightly and run his hand affectionately over Jake’s arm. “If you did that I’d have to ignore you and have you hauled off to an asylum…but I’d visit you in your white padded room.” He promised, sticking his tongue out playfully. “Maybe I’d even give you a doggy treat.” He added.

Morgan let his eyes slipped closed when Jake cradeled his head, sighing softly and leaning the side of his head against Jake’s forehead. The moment suspended time for a bit, and though Morgan only leaned into Jake’s embrace for a few seconds, he felt like he’d been there for a recharging year. “I think I did, too.” He replied in a whisper, opening his eyes to look over at Jake and grin stupidly.

“Would you really fight a superhero over me?” He asked (hey, the moment was already pretty much trashed. Morgan had a talent for that). That sort of sentiment was heartwarming all on its own, but for someone like Morgan (who often gauged his commitment to things by his willingness to do battle against a superhero) it all the more sweet.

He looked almost a bit hurt at Jake’s blunt confusion. Sniffing slightly. “Post Crisis. The Crisis is something that Happened in the DC Universe. Retconned…Retroactively rewritten to fit the events of the Post-Crisis universe. Origin Story…” Morgan paused, chewing the side of his thumb slightly. “Like Batman Begins. Only a book. And more awesome.” Beaming over at Jake, he shrugged. “Make sense?”

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jacob pretended to look hurt as Morgan threatened to ship him off to an asylum, laying his hand over his heart and sniffling. "You're so mean!" Hanging his head, Jake continued looking mopey, up until the point that Morgan offered to give him a doggy treat. That earned a laugh and a playful "Woof!" followed by "And if I had a tail, it'd be wagging." These two win at maturity... and by win I mean fail horribly.

As they separated, Jake let his knuckles graze over Morgan's cheek, sighing and shaking his head at the look on Morgan's face. He could easily get used to making Morgan smile like that and it was comforting to know that they were on the same page when it came to their feelings for each other. "Of course I would. You'd be cheering me on, right?" He poked at Morgan's chest, the corner of his mouth curled up.

He lifted his focus from the book to Morgan as he explained again. It made a little more sense this time around, but Jake was still mostly in the dark. (No pun intended.) "Uh, yeah, a little." But if it made Morgan happy, Jake would certainly try to understand his fascination with Hal Jordan, at least enough that he could use it to tease Morgan relentlessly. (Isn't he sweet?) He looked back at the box again and tilted his head to the side. "So... I'm guessing you have even more than this?" Don't get him started, Jakey.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

“Tough love.” Morgan said, screwing up his face in a mug meant to appear tough. Really it just looked silly with his eye squinched up and his jaw jutted out like a bull dog. He couldn’t keep up the faces for long before the muscles in his face started to hurt (only his smiley muscles were strong), so he gave it up in favor of laughter. “I bet it would.” He joked, snorting at the picture of Jake with puppy ears and a tail.

Wobbling slightly as Jake jabbed his chest, Morgan caught Jake’s wrist, pinning the other man’s hand near his heart. “Cross my heart.” He promised, grinning like a fool. Morgan was glad to be on the same page. He had never been a good liar, and hiding whatever he was feeling for Jake was even harder than hiding whatever else he decided to keep from the world (which was very little). After his talk with James Morgan had not only felt more comfortable talking about his feelings for Jake with whoever managed to ask, but with Jake himself.

Morgan sighed, a little put out that Jake didn’t seem to share his enthusiasm. He would just have to be converted. Following Jake’s eyeline to his box, Morgan chuckled. “There is that longbox and….oh…about thirty or so more? Maybe? I don’t even know.” He scratched the back of his head and looked up to the ceiling. “I mean I could tell you where any given trade is…but actually how many I have?” He whistled to indicate the impossibility of the task. “Too much counting!” He said jovially, waving his hand slightly.