I've had this idea to write this story based off of my own childhood as a child with a chronic illness for a long while, but I've never had the time to actually write it until now. I absolutely love Jackson/Deuce and I want to write about them more often. I've also been looking through some of my old fanfics and if this fanfic gets positive feedback I think I may reboot some of my old favorites I never had the time to finish. I really miss writing for you guys. Anyways enough of the cheesy stuff, Here is "Where You Are" I hope you enjoy. Please leave a review if you do. ~Discoballmind
Dribble. Fake left. Shoot. Score. Get the rebound. Pivot. Swish. "Keep it up Jackson." The boy told himself. He had been on the court for an hour now, the longest amount of physical activity he had had in a long time. The Normie dribbled the casketball back to the line and then sprints, dibbling towards the basket, but right before he went for the layup, he tripped over his own feet and fell forward. Jackson went reeling and ended up flat on his face. "OOF!" The boy said upon contact with the cold, hard ground.
"You okay there bro?" Another voice asked. Jackson jumped, he was so focused on his own game he didn't notice when the other boy started to watch him.
Jackson looked up and saw a figure in front of him with an outstretched hand. He grabbed onto the other boy's hand and was pulled right back up to his feet. "Thank you." Jackson said, somewhat embarrassed his fall had been seen.
"I'm Deuce." The boy introduced himself as Jackson finally got a good look at him.
"Whoa." The Normie thought with a slight blush coming to his cheeks. "He's totally cute."
"I was "watching you play from over there. You're pretty good." Deuce said. The gorgon subtly checked out the boy in front of him. Just a little shorter than himself the boy stood. Black hair with a yellow streak sat atop his head and the piercing in his eyebrow caught Deuce's eye. Unbeknownst to Jackson, Deuce thought the Normie was pretty cute too.
"Do you want the court? You can go ahead and play, I was just leaving anyway." Jackson said quickly. He really wasn't planning on leaving but he didn't want to be a court-hog. Deuce shook his head and motioned for Jackson to pass him the ball.
"Nah, you don't have to leave. You up for some one on one?" Deuce said with a cocky smile. Jackson matched his smile and bounced the ball towards him.
The two played a fierce game and by the end of it, Jackson's panting had grown to an alarming rate. He tried to suppress it in hopes that Deuce wouldn't notice, but after almost an hour of playing he couldn't contain it any longer. "I...Think...I...Have...To...Go..." He said in between each wheezing breath. The gorgon gave him a concerned look.
"You okay?" Deuce asked with a crooked eyebrow.
"Yeah...Fine..." Jackson lied. Deuce didn't buy it, but didn't press the issue any further. He bounced Jackson the ball and gave him another smile. As the boy walked away at a rather quick pace, Deuce realized he hadn't bothered to ask the name of this not-so-mysterious stranger.
Deuce couldn't help but think about the strange boy he met as he walked home, but after awhile his mind began wandering to other things, like the Clawculus test he had tomorrow that he totally didn't study for.
Jackson flopped belly first onto his mattress the second he walked through his bedroom door. Exhausted didn't even begin to cover the level of tiredness he felt at that moment. He was so deep into his relaxation that he practically jumped out of his skin when he heard his mom's voice from the doorway.
"Just getting back sweetie?" She said, and Jackson knew from the soft, kind voice it was Mama Jekyll talking to him. Being the child of Dr. Jekyll herself, Jackson's mom also had split personalities, Mama Jekyll and Mama Hyde. Mama Jekyll was much softer and more patient, while Mama Hyde was blunt and right to the point, but Jackson loved them both the same.
"Yeah mom, you wouldn't believe it, I played casketball for a whole two hours today!" Jackson said excitedly while sitting up to face his mom. She couldn't help but smile when she the glimmer in her son's eyes. She sat down on the edge of the bed and tousled his hair lovingly.
"That's amazing Jackie!" She cooed, using a pet name she had called him since birth.
"And I met this super cool monster guy and I played against him, I lost but I had so much fun!" He practically yelled out of joy. Mama Jekyll smiled again.
"Good! I'm glad you're out having fun and meeting new people. You know you're gonna have to meet a bunch of new people when you go to this new school, right?" She hesitated before adding that second part. Jackson had never been the best at making new friends, and with all the moving around they had to do, it was hard for Jackson to keep friends for very long. He didn't seem to mind it, however, he was never one for being extremely social. He usually kept himself busy with his books.
"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna try my best." Jackson said skittishly. He knew his social skills weren't the best, but he really wanted to start this new school out on the right foot.
"This new place is gonna be great for us, Jackie, I can feel it." Mama Jekyll said happily while standing again. "Now, you need to get some rest before dinner. Also, I'd like to talk to Holt sometime too, I know he's a night owl, but will you let him know?" She asked as she got up and left the room.
Jackson and Holt had the ability to communicate completely in their mind. "Hey Holt? Mom wants to see you soon." Jackson though to Holt. The reply came a lot sooner than Jackson thought.
"'Kay dork, you take a nap I'll go hang with her." Holt said. "I hope she's not gonna yell at me for burning that hole in the couch because that was like totally not my fault okay?"
Jackson rolled his eyes and got ready to rest up. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, his body began transforming into his other half. It begins as a tingle in the bottom of his feet and the tips of his fingers and soon it grows into a slight burning sensation as his entire body bursts into bright flames and then, like magic, Holt is right there in place of Jackson. The transformation happened and Holt began to stretch out in his bed. He hopped over the edge of the bed and headed quickly downstairs.
"Hey ma, ya wanted to see me?" Holt asked, grabbing a chair at the head of the family's dinner table in the kitchen where Mama Jekyll was cooking dinner.
"Sure did! How was your day sweetie?" She asked while puttering around the kitchen.
"It was 'ight, I didn't get out much because Jackie-boy wanted to get some exercise, but he promised me all of Saturday so it's okay." Holt said as Mama Jekyll set down a plate in front of him. Dinner tonight was hot wings, Holt's favorite. "Mmm, looks de-lish, Ma!" Holt sang out in his booming voice. She smiled and went back to the stove to wrap up another plate and put it in the fridge.
"I put a plate in the fridge for Jackson, don't forget to tell him that, I'm sure he's gonna be starving when he wakes up." She said, taking a seat at the other end of the table. "So," She began after a slight pause. "do you know the boy Jackson met today?" Holt was eating rather ferociously, but he replied in between bites.
"Yeah, Deuce, he's pretty cool. A gorgon, I think his mom is Medusa." He replied after swallowing a particularly big bite. After he finished speaking he went right back to chomping on his food. Mama Jekyll just looked at him and chuckled.
"Holt, sweetie, you're gonna choke if you keep eating that fast, by the way you're scarfing it down you'd think I don't feed you!" She said teasingly. Holt rolled his eyes jokingly and began to chew slower. There was another pause in the conversation before Holt spoke again.
"Oh yeah! Jackie won't tell ya this, but he totally has the hots for that guy we met today." He revealed. He knew Jackson wouldn't tell her himself, so he thought he might as well say it, no matter how mad he would be. Mama Jekyll raised an eyebrow at this.
"Really now? Jackson with a crush? It's been a long while since the last time he had a crush." She pondered out loud. Then she very quickly pointed a finger at Holy. "You better not do anything to embarrass him Holt Hyde. He's sensitive you know." She scolded quickly. Holt laughed with a mouthful of chicken.
"I won't! I won't! Deuce definitely is a sight for sore eyes so I won't mess with Jackie." Holt said. His mom smiled, but still gave him a slightly uncertain look.
"You better not." She said again. "Now, you finish eating then you better start to get ready for bed. You both have big days tomorrow and I want you both to be ready." Mama Jekyll said while clearing the table after Holt had finished. "This new place is gonna be great for us Holt, I can feel it." She repeated to her other son.
When Holt had retired upstairs, Mama Jekyll found herself alone with a sink full of dishes and dishwater. She stared absentmindedly into the slightly dirty sink. "This place is gonna be great for us." She whispered to the reflection she saw on the surface of the water. "It's gotta be."