Il libro di Jaylos

Animals

taken from: Skypan on Ao3

Dating Jay is kind of like dating a cat.

For one thing, he constantly needs cuddling and affection, and then other times Carlos tries to give affection and finds it was the completely wrong time. Some nights Jay will crawl into Carlos's bed and silently put his arms around him. Carlos will pull him close and gently rub his back, pretending he doesn't feel how tense his boyfriend is. Then the next morning Carlos wakes up to an empty bed. When he tries to ask about it, Jay pulls away from him, all smiles and changing the subject.

Another thought is how Jay walks and acts. He struts like he owns the place, like he could get anyone in the room (and often he probably could. He holds himself with the self-confidence and grace of a cat. He jumps onto and off of high things, and if you've ever seen him in a fight, you know he's willing to use his claws, especially if his family is in trouble (family being Carlos, Evie, and Mal).

A little fact that crosses Carlos's mind that makes him smile is that he definitely acts like a mother cat sometimes, pulling Carlos out of danger by the back of the neck and carrying him off to safety. That sounds like a metaphor, but at times it is often literal. If Carlos is about to get in a fight with someone (which happens quite a lot if someone dares insult his boyfriend, his best friends, or his DOG) then Jay will catch him by the back of the collar and drag him back. If Carlos keeps trying Jay scoops him up bridal style and carries him back to their room before he can do anything he regrets. Of course at first people made fun of Carlos for this, but they soon stopped when Jay or Carlos himself got to him (Jay can't always be around to protect the other guys).

Finally, there's the gift giving. You know how cats will leave a dead bird on your doorway because they think you're too stupid to feed yourself? Well it's not uncommon for Carlos to wake up with a part he was looking for, or a new jacket, or a box of chocolates on the end of his bed. Usually this is followed with Jay blushing and mumbling some excuse before finding somewhere else to be. Carlos thanks him for the part he needed and Jay blushes and mumbles about how he "obviously couldn't find it himself and was staying up too late doing it, not letting me get any sleep" before hurrying off to do some training. Carlos tries on his new jacket and smiles at Jay in the mirror. Jay blushes right through his ears and mutters that he "is so cold all the time and he needs to take better care of himself, honestly" before running off to find the library. When Carlos finds the chocolates he sits down with Jay and shares them with him. Jay blushes as Carlos sucks a bit off chocolate off his thumb and can't even find the words for an excuse. Instead he just leans in and kisses the chocolate off his mouth.
......

If you asked Jay, he'd tell you that dating Carlos is kind of like dating a mouse.

I mean, first of all he's shy and smaller than all of the rest of the VKs. He's also always been kind of mousy, way more focused on his books and inventions than he ever was in being properly evil. A lot of people on the Isle would also say he was never interested in doing anything physical, but that's never been true. There's a very select group of people who grew up with Carlos who know just what a gift his dancing is - Heck, the kid's never lost a dance battle! Just like a mouse, he's full of surprises.

Plus mice (and rats, yeah yeah) are used for experiments in labs because they're so whip smart. And you don't need to use cheese (or chocolate) to lure Carlos through a maze, the longing for answers are enough for him. He'll solve any puzzle he's faced with, and just like some mice, he certainly has spent lots of time in the lab.

He's also been thrown under the bus, just like mice. After all, despite the fact that they're cute, small, and usually just trying to survive, people put out deadly traps for them all of the time. People scream if they see them coming, and sometimes will even get cats just to try and rid themselves of the mice. Someone had once tried to do that with Jay and Carlos. Clayton was in the information and goods gathering business on the Isle because he had managed to smuggle in the parts for a computer and then put it back together. However, a simple computer was no match for Carlos who often wanted some of the info he had, or else was forced to get it by other people. Clayton printed all of his files and deleted them off the computer. He also hired Jay to protect the files, because he knew that even physical copies wouldn't be safe from the nimble son of Cruella. What Clayton didn't know was that Jay, although being tough and big and generally an unbreakable wall of muscle, had a soft spot for the white-haired boy. At the time Carlos was thirteen and Jay fourteen (going on fifteen thank you very much).

When Carlos slipped through a window on the third floor, Jay was waiting for him, but stopped dead in his tracks. Not that anyone could have guessed, but Jay had a MAJOR school-boy crush on Carlos. Carlos wasn't even aware of it, but he did know that Jay was staring at him in a hungry, star struck sort of way at that very moment. Never one to let an opportunity slide, Carlos batted his eyelashes and leaned in a little too close to Jay - And off he went with the files safely in his bag. Clayton was furious, but Jay's secret was safe with the threat that he'd rob him blind. Not long after Carlos and Jay were the best of friends, although neither brought up that meeting again.

Finally, mice startle easily. Ever had a pet mouse in an atrium? You know how you're not supposed to tap the glass? Well Jay learned pretty quickly not to tap Carlos's metaphorical glass. He'd jumped out at Carlos once, intending to just scare him, and Carlos had punched him right in the nose before leaving a scratch down his cheek and a bite mark on his arm. Carlos had been a little embarrassed after, but mostly angry. Everyone knows he's jumpy, Jay! Another time Jay had frightened Carlos late at night with a pretty real impression of a dog, and Carlos had burst into tears. That scared Jay a lot more than when Carlos had attacked him. Worst of all, Carlos hadn't spoken to him for a month after that! He had iced him out completely! After that Jay learned not to scare Carlos.

Jay isn't sure how this game of cat and mouse started, but if he had to be a cat for someone, he sure is glad it's Carlos.