Listening carefully, the sound of water slapping against their boat was quite clear. It was rhythmic to the point of being hypnotic, Jack's eyes closed halfway and snapped open quickly many times over a minute. His dozing off wasn't his fault but Chase's chest was just so comfy and made his other cheek as warm as the one facing the Sun light. Chase was never the type for taking off his shirt at the drop of a hat, but the heat was just a bit too intense today, the kind that's enough to get an uncomfortable sweat underneath your arms, and he felt he could sacrifice his modesty for a few hours. After all, it wasn't as if he could be modest in front of Jack, the boy had long since seen the martial artist in all his nude glory.

How long had it been since that first night, or that first morning, or those occasional afternoons and evenings when one of them couldn't wait? It seemed like so, so long, though he wasted little time in courting the much younger man, it was within five hours of meeting that they were sharing their first kiss. Hasty in some people's opinion, but he told himself if he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.

Whether the others, Heylin or Xiaolin were aware of their affair he wasn't sure, none seemed to be but quite frankly he didn't care either way. He would let them see and let them judge, they weren't their keepers, his one worry would be if the wretched Hannibal Bean uncovered it. There was the possibility the villain would use the information against him, threaten Jack's life to force Chase to be his subordinate or even manipulate the boy himself against him. That, he didn't even want to think about, it was too horrid a thought because it could so easily happen. Hannibal was the master of persuasion, he could literally plant the seeds of doubt in anyone's mind, and Jack, clever as he was, was highly gullible and vulnerable. He could still remember how easy it was to convince Jack to go to bed with him, so little convincing was needed.

That was why Chase had developed the habit of making sure Jack had some kind of body guard with him when he couldn't be with the boy. He didn't know whether or not all this over protectiveness was good for Jack, but it definitely helped him feel at ease. Chase told himself that if he was ever asked to stop he would, he told himself.

His thoughts drifted else where, not in any one linear direction but floated a little down each way, not a whole lot. Much like their boat. They moved, unguided, by an unnoticeable current, just like his thoughts. He thought about the insignificance of human-kind and whether or not it was possible that the gigantic thumb of Jupiter would one day fall from the sky to crush all of them like wood lice just as Jack had theorized. Deciding, who the Hell cares, Chase began to think about just how clever Jack really was. He was able to veil it with an air of naivety by asking the occasional ridiculous question, such as 'what is a dildo?', but every once in a while that great intelligence would slip out and let itself be known. Such as his theory that one day, as the universe slows down, the Earth would fall off it's axis and either spiral in to the Sun or collide with another planet. Of course, he said, it was just a theory, it was more likely the human race would be long gone before that, most likely from a nuclear war. Chase was glad that his lover was so very optimistic.

Also, Jack's dedication to learning was impressive, since living with him, he had managed to read all of the scrolls available, the ones Chase was able to carry the night he definitely had to leave the temple. As Jack also said, he'd rather know too much then nothing at all, sometimes he would add on that there were times he wished he did know nothing - idiots seemed so much happier. Then Chase thought what a nice day it really was, hot but not sticky, there was a slight breeze but it wasn't cold just cooling, once in a while it would weave in between their hair that tangled together in a mish mash of coal colour and electric red that glittered with orange sparkles from the Sun. And that made him think about how glistened in the shine of the Moon when soaked in sweat from a long night of, sometimes rough but always caring, sex and enjoying each other until the early dawn. And that made him have to think about meditating and Rounders to suppress a growing erection.

Jack was forcing himself to stay awake, he had dark circles underneath his eyes but he kept them as open as possible. To keep his mind occupied he looked up, over the top of Chase's bare chest,

"What are you thinking about?" Chase took two deep breaths before craning his neck to look at the boy.

"Just... about, how... happy I am."

"You great, big corn ball." A laugh burst from Chase's throat , it was so sudden it made Jack flinch in surprise. Once he had finished his chuckle fit he sighed, content and Jack laid his head back on his chest.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"No, not just yet... later." Chase sighed again as an answer, he wasn't going to complain.

He told the truth. He was happy, the happiest he'd been for centuries. He couldn't understand why the temple had so many issues with relationships when it made him feel this wonderful, as if he was full of energy yet completely relaxed at the same time. As long as he had Jack Spicer by his side he could fight Hannibal and Wuya at the same time, blindfolded, with one hand tied behind his back, balancing a teacup on his head. He didn't even care he had to face his once best friend, Guan, on the Heylin side. If he had moments like these, in the little boat with the boy that lay on top of him, he, with the other outcast monks, could fight and live till the very end.

He told himself.