Whoops. (For Jean!)

Nero's mouth didn't open once. Even when he was interrupted, he just let Jean speak. He was in the wrong here. There were no words to get out of this, there was no way of explaining things away. The best thing he could do was listen to him, and try to go from there. He had to bite down on his lip when Jean told him not to "pretend" he was better than he is.

It wasn't until Jean forced him to look up at him that he really seemed to understand how much he hurt him. That first statement was a lie; here, his mouth opened, almost in surprise over what Jean was saying. So when Jean asked if he understood, and mentioned that it doesn't help his insecurity, Nero could feel himself breaking in two. He really fucked up here. Even when Jean moved to raise his fist, Nero didn't flinch, didn't move; if Jean was going to hit him, he was going to take it, he was going to let him. He deserved it.

"Jean…" Nero trailed off for a moment, getting lost in his own thoughts. He didn't want to make this less than it really was. "God, I'm so sorry." His shoulders slumped. He even moved to look away from him again, but he caught himself and brought his gaze back to meet Jean's. "I…would never patronize you. Maybe it's just me, but your submission holds are killer." Probably not the best thing to start with, Nero. As if he realized that, he shook his head for a moment. "No. That's…not where I should go with that."

He breathed slowly for a moment, before reaching down to take the fist that pressed into his leg, holding it in both of his own. "Jean…this probably isn't stuff I should be admitting after…what, two dates? But to me…I don't see you as my equal. You're like a prince to me. I just want to make you happy, and to see you smile. I want everyone to see you as I do, because they wouldn't dare to not take you seriously then. You're…perfect to me, Jean. You've done everything I've wanted, you've treated me like your equal, even knowing and…I get so distracted by the idea of you being so happy that you've won that I don't think about it."

He breathed out after a moment, letting his hands reach up and move to try and rest on Jean's shoulders. If Jean was going to hurt him, he resigned himself to it. "Of course I can understand everything you're saying. I mean…I'm a prince who ran away from my own responsibilities in order to what, go around the world and fuck boys? But then I met you, and I…Jean, I can't help but feel like I'm not worthy enough to be with you. Shit, I can barely even be serious for five minutes in a row." He slumped a bit more, still trying to meet Jean's gaze. "So I'm sorry. I never ever meant to make you think that I was trying to…to not take you seriously as a wrestler. I would take you seriously in anything you do. It just so happens that you're pretty damn amazing as a wrestler, and as long as you're happy…well, that's all that matters."

Jean felt his anger start to rise again when Nero joked about his submission holds being too good, but started to dial back that feeling when he quickly corrected himself. His eyes watched Nero with intense scrutiny as he cupped Jean's fist in his hands, daring him to try to kiss it or smooth things over with honeyed words. Instead what he got was a surprisingly honest look at Nero's perspective.

Upon hearing this, perhaps there was some truth to what Nero was saying. They had only known each other two whole days, gone on two whole dates. They'd barely scratched the surface of each other's personalities, and were acting based on what limited knowledge they had. Was there really a way for Nero to have known that Jean would be happier to know he'd given it his all and still lost, without telling him explicitly? But even so, Jean had still asked him specifically not to do that, and yet he did it anyway, trying to make Jean happy without respecting his boundaries.

Nero's hands came to rest on Jean's shoulders as the man continued to explain himself. In the end, all Nero wanted to do was to make him happy, it was all done with the best intentions. And because of that, Jean was finding it harder and harder to find blame on him for that. "I....appreciate what you've tried to do for me Nero, I really do. The fact that I mean so much to you, and that you to me....But I'm just not the kind of person who is wholly satisfied by getting whatever they want just handed to them, and I don't think you are either. What's more, trust is a really important aspect of any relationship; if I can't trust you to keep your word for something silly like this, how can I trust you as a boyfriend? I know you did so with the best of intentions, but now the seed of doubt is there...."

Jean slowly leaned forward and let his forehead rest on Nero's shoulder, hands clasped together in his lap. He let out a long sigh as tension drained slowly from his figure, as did any lingering hard feelings towards his partner. "I forgive you, though, in case you were wondering....and I'm sorry for punching you..." He hoped that it wasn't hard enough to cause any real damage, and not a huge bruise either.

It was a good thing that he backpedaled when he did; Nero could see that anger rising when he already decided that was the wrong thing to say. He was starting to understand Jean better now, and, given time, he would know Jean like he was just another piece of himself. But it was more to the point that Nero knew he had done wrong, and he knew that he was in the wrong. Jean had specifically mentioned not to do that, and he just…did it anyway.

As Jean spoke, Nero bowed his head for a moment. He should have seen it the way Jean did. He should have taken this into account before he decided to be selfish and do his own thing, and now…well, now he might have ruined an amazing relationship. But even the idea of being Jean's boyfriend made his head raise. None of the people before had ever been in that position of being considered as a boyfriend, and here Nero was, hoping Jean might one day consider him one. How the tables turn. "It was just the wrong way of doing it," he replied after a moment, nodding his head. "You're right. I don't like having things handed to them. But…I thought everyone else did. I thought I was the outlier, y'know? It still doesn't excuse what I did, but…I hope it helps you to understand it, so you can forgive me at some point. And…I'll work for as long as I live to prove that you can trust me." That was what hurt the most; Jean having even a seed of doubt about his trust.

When Jean leaned into him and rested against Nero's shoulder, the prince was surprised -- but he let his arms wrap around the smaller man tight. And he forgave him? Nero leaned down and kissed Jean's head lightly, before shaking his head. "No, don't be sorry. I deserved it. I probably deserved more than that. But you're always welcome to punch me when you think I'm being a dumbass." He tightened his grip on Jean for a moment, letting his eyes close. "Are you sure you forgive me? I…I hurt you." For a moment, he almost sounded like a child, lamenting over pushing another kid over in the playground, his own guilt eating him alive.

Jean allowed Nero to embrace him this time, letting himself be comforted by the strong arms and the tight hug. He really wanted to believe everything Nero was saying, and regardless of what had transpired, Jean firmly believed people deserved second chances. Now that they had a real fight about it, with feelings and desires out in the air, a real new start could begin. Any infractions in the future would be cause for another conversation, but at the moment, it was like a new slate was drawn.

As Nero asked him if he was sure that he wanted to forgive him, Jean felt his own pangs of guilt about the situation. Unknowingly he had played into the prince's insecurities and seized at his heart. Jean looked up at him for a moment, watching the man breathe with his eyes closed. He almost looked pained in a way.

"I'm not that fragile, Nero, I'll live" Jean murmured as he rubbed Nero's arm reassuringly. "It still wasn't a good enough reason to have punched you, but we're gonna move past that. I don't feel much like wrestling out the rest of the match, so how about we call it a draw?"

Nero held onto Jean tight, biting his lower lip. He could only hope that Jean was okay now; he never meant to hurt him, and he couldn't help but beat himself up about it, even when Jean admitted it was okay. But he couldn't mention any of that -- he had already spoken too much to his own insecurities, and he didn't want to just pile on more reasons for Jean to break it off before they really got started.

His mouth opened as Jean mentioned he wasn't that fragile, as if about to argue that it wasn't what he meant -- but he let his mouth close again. No, things were okay. "Draw is fine. Mind if I just cuddle you for now?" he asked, looking down at Jean, one smooth hand reaching up to touch his cheek lightly.

"Did you mean what you said? You wanna be my boyfriend?" he asked, looking at him with a bit of curiosity. "'Cause I may have slept with a lot of people, but I don't think I could say that I've had an actual boyfriend."

Jean laughed when Nero asked if they could cuddle, and answered his question by pushing Nero down by his shoulders onto the bed. He then rested his head on his shoulder, and popped his head up to kiss the line of Nero's jaw.

"Well, that's generally what people call each other when they're committed to seeing each other, no?" Jean mused as he snuggled up to him. Being the prince's first real boyfriend was a strange thought to him, he'd had plenty of other flings. "Don't be disappointed, but you're not my first. I've had two girlfriends and a boyfriend, and slept with other people, but hey, you're my first prince!"

Nero wasn't expecting such a physical response. He let out a soft noise in surprise before he fell on the bed, but his hands quickly reached up and around Jean, fingers brushing along his side. He leaned up and gave him a small, quick kiss to the nose, before resting his hands on top of Jean's boxers, surprisingly not trying to tug them off.

"Yeah, they do. Never really…met someone I wanted to be committed to, before you," he replied quietly, before trying to move away from that comment. "Damn, I thought I came across a virgin who was just goddamn amazing at sex, that you were born like that!" He grinned a bit, before kissing his head, tightening the grip he had on Jean.

Nero paused for a moment, before biting his lower lip. "Well…yeah, I know a bit about the boyfriend." He cleared his throat -- why, was that a blush on Nero's face? "I…might have been a fan of yours before I came to AFW. Got a couple of the matches from the federation on a whim, and…well…" He looked away, his face actually beet red. A first for everything, no?

Jean laughed as Nero joked about being a virgin, but in his mind he was slightly uncomfortable about it. Sure Nero admitted that he'd had a lot of sex, but Jean was another story. Drug-induced orgies were commonplace when his band was at its prime, and truth be told he wasnt sure how many people he'd slept with. The thought had never really bothered him too much before, but now that he was in another relationship, he felt that silly fear that he'd be rejected for it.

Luckily Nero's confession that he'd watched Jean's old matches quickly changed the track of his thinking before it got needlessly deep. He sat up, propping himself on his elbow as he grinned at him. "Oh really now? And just what do you know about him? Heh, do I even need to ask, that schoolgirl blush sure tells a lot" Jean teased as he reached over to pinch Nero's cheek.

"But forget about me, I want to know about you. You said you've never been in a real relationship, never gone on an actual date, but surely you've had crushes before? Any names I might recognize?" Jean asked as rolled over to lay on Nero's chest. He folded his arms in front and rested his chin down on them so he could watch Nero's face.

Had Nero realized he made Jean uncomfortable with his comment, he would have backtracked -- said something about how he didn't care who he was with before, he was just happy to have him now. Because he really didn't mind. To him, Jean was perfect the way he was, and anything that led him to this moment was meant to be. He'd have a chance to say it at some point.

Nero made a small scowl as Jean pinched his cheek, shaking his head. "Well, I know that I couldn't keep my eyes off of you in every match," he replied, giving him a small grin. "Especially in those two hentai matches. The strip match is probably my favorite, I was watching it before you…before you came over yesterday." So that was what was on Nero's laptop, that he rushed over to close it the previous day. "It's probably still open, I haven't touched my computer." Still that blush lit up his cheeks. So he had a crush on Jean before he met him? He was lucky to have been matched up with him, then -- and luckier to end up in the bed with him now.

However, he froze as Jean asked him about any crushes. He shook his head, biting his lower lip. "No, no real crushes. Just…one." He cleared his throat, looking up at the ceiling. He hadn't talked to anyone about this situation since he left, so talking about it now was a bit hard. "I had a small puppydog crush on this guy in my family's employ, one of our guards. Being the brother of my closest friend and advisor, I managed to meet up with him and sleep with him a couple of times. He took my virginity, actually. But…my parents found out, sent him to another job, and told me how I couldn't do that, not right now. It…was the main reason I left, really. I always had more fun spending time outside, with other people, and having someone I was getting close to just…taken like that…" He trailed off for a moment, before looking back at Jean, one hand reaching up to touch his cheek lightly.

"Mmm…sorry. Didn't mean to go on that much about it."

Jean felt a slight blush creep up his face as Nero admitted that he had liked his hentai PPV the best. It had been one of his proudest moments, defeating a world Tension champion and then fucking the life out of him. Sadly, that success hadn't made all his subsequent matches any easier. Nero was a bit sheepish about having watched the match on his laptop too, so they were linked in that regard.

Jean listened with real interest as Nero detailed the specifics of his one crush. He'd be lying if he said he didn't get a tiny bit jealous, and a tiny bit worried about him. Nero didn't seem to be completely over him, and he had been the catalyst for the prince leaving his homeland. "Was he cuter than me?!" Jean asked in a very accusatory tone, narrowing his eyes at the prince. He very quickly broke into a smile and a laugh, letting Nero know he was just kidding. "Nahhh, kidding, I know I have a better ass anyway"