MCD: If you don't know who Spadefire is, nor do you know what Xiaolin Showdown is, you're gonna have a bad time.
/brick'd
Haha yeah, but seriously~ THIS IS A FANFICTION OF A FANFICTION. You're going to be super confused if you haven't read any of the FF author Spadefire's stuff. *points to the search bar in the corner* Look her up, seriously! You might not like OCs or Xiaolin Showdown, but she's the shit. Seriously. I love her. Too much c: Oh! And I have a Deviantart account now- "MCDoitsu". I'm probably not gonna post my stories there, but it's got fanarts that I've made of Spadey's stuff. So ja~
LE IT BEGIN~
The first of three shots!
(Also, the first part before the flashback was done before the entire rest of the story, so sorry it's a bit detached D:)
*A Spektoral shot- made-up word- noun: A single-chapter story referring to the singer Regina Spektor*
1- Patron Saint- JackXEmma
(angst, romance, drama)
Italics- lyrics/past events. Italics and bold- emphasis. Normal- description/present time.
She's the kind of girl who'll smash herself down in the night.
She's the kind of girl who'll fracture her mind till it's light.
She'll break her own heart and you know she'll break your heart too.
So darling, let go of her hand!
There was hurt in Emma. They had all suspected that, somewhere in the O'Reiley girl- maybe deep, deep, deep down, because at times, she made it look so easy, being cheerful and goofy- that there was something… blackened. Something she didn't like, or something that had happened. Over time, they became more acquainted with the backward-magical (and somewhat backward-minded) girl. Sometimes it was obvious, at other times, they nearly forgot. But there was a part of herself that Emma didn't like to share, didn't like to let loose- and that was where the problem began.
They had always known that Emma was strong. The swagger (and in the proper sense, not the derpy American sense, thank you very much) in her steps, the careless banter, the general aloofness- one does not simply obtain such qualities by genetics and heredity.
To put it into an appropriate phrase for our friend- behind every gleaming silver spoon and fork is a bent plastic spork.
And it was true.
(Not the spork thing, the part about Emma)
Her life had not been the easiest, as one could easily assume by the odd maturity she held hidden for one so seemingly young and goofy. The magic she cast whispered of hours upon torturous hours of studying and practice that eventually flowed from her body in quivering, excitable waves. To this day, one can easily detect the wisdom that stretched beyond her years, seeping from swirling chocolate eyes and from beneath calloused fingers. But what a person may not be able to detect is the tired mind that came with these factors.
Understandably, her heart and mind and body were worn down over time. Not in the way that she is skinny, thin, unhealthy- no, at a glance, Emma would seem perfectly normal.
It was more in the way of the internal stress one would suffer, after constantly beating themselves up, over and over and over again.
Yes, there was hurt in Emma. But there is no way, despite her telling you herself, to know if we are even scratching the surface or if we hit the nail on the head.
…
"Goodbye Clay."
"Emma!?"
"You'll probably see me again, don't worry. I just won't be the same."
The sound of blades cutting the air.
"Emma, are you ready to go yet?"
"Spicer!?"
'His voice is so loud, booming… even now he won't yell at me. The idiot…'
"Yeah, babe, I'm ready. I was just sayin' my last goodbyes and all that.
"Emma, don't do this-"
"Shutup, Clay-!"
"Jack, stop."
Someone pivoting on their heel in the dirt, footsteps.
A growl.
"Emma-"
"Oh calm your flaming hair! I gave him a hug, it's not like I was making out with him in the rain."
"Emma…"
'Dammit, Clay, don't talk to me like that…'
"Sorry, buddy. I…" the sound of rushed footsteps. "Clay, let go of my hand."
"Emma, stay. Please! It doesn't have to be like this! Ah' didn't mean to break your heart like ah' did-"
"Clay. Stop. I know you didn't. But I can't be swayed now. I've made some sort of terrible mistake and the universe is kicking me where it counts for it. Now just… just let go of my hand."
The sound of foot steps, an agitated "finally!", fabric and skin rustling, the blades starting up again and teeth grinding inside tightly-pressed lips and hurt.
It hurt.
So, so much.
And he only just realized it now.
…
…However, something tells me we have a long way to go.
~
She's been skipping days, spilling her drinks in the sink
and you know, she's never coming home-never coming home again
but when-when-when she open her eyes-eyes-eyes
beyond the chipping paint through the windowpane
'I should've seen it coming…'
Emma hadn't been acting normal.
Of course, this is normal of someone who has just been rejected by the one they love.
But that had happened weeks ago…
Emma had avoided Clay after it happened, but of course, that had not worked. Clay didn't know how it happened, but somewhere in her heart, she decided that being friends with Clay would work out, just like it always had.
However, this was not like it always had been.
She was acting funny. Not eating an entire meal when she would usually stuff herself, emptying her drink in the sink and going to bed early. Avoiding eye contact with everyone, not just Clay, and disappearing for hours at a time into her room or off the temple grounds.
She was anxious about something, he told himself as he observed her leave the dining room once more.
But what?
"Escape…" he answered his own earlier question, bitterness present in the harsh whisper.
"What'chu talkin' 'bout Willis?" "Pssssht, don't be a worry wart~" "Clay, I'm fine!" "Clay, if you ask me again, I will grind you up into poke-food for my Charmander."
'I should've been able to see through it…'
An image of her smiling face appeared in his head suddenly, but he couldn't see her eyes. It was as if they weren't there at all…
Anyone that knew Emma well would've-should've- been able to see it. Her eyes often, although not all the time, portrayed her emotions and thoughts.
She avoided eye contact…
And suddenly something made sense, he thought as he laughed dryly, still standing in the field behind the temple where she'd made her last stand as a member of the Xiaolin side.
It had become dark out… how long had he stood there? Hours? He'd assume so…
'She just… up and left…'
Like there was nothing to it.
Just grabbed onto the Heylin boy's jacket and zipped off without even a backward glance…
The usually tough warrior blinked back tears, pulling his hat down on his face to hide his upset look.
This… nothing could hurt worse than this. Nothing.
~
Lies lies lies
Her patron saint, broken and lame
and absolutely insane for learning
that true love exists
"Emma!"
"Hey, don't yell at me like that! It's not my fault you needed your ass whooped."
"But still! We're friends! At the very least, could you lighten up when your little dragon friends order you to kill me?"
"Jack, if I wanted to kill you, I would've turned you into a zombie and then shot you, because then I wouldn't feel guilty."
"…You watch too much Walking Dead."
"Try and stop me and I'll bite your fingers off!"
"HAH! Cheat codes are boss!"
A loud thud and a screech.
"SCREENLOOKER!"
"NOOKSUCKER!"
"DON'T BE JELLY JUST 'COS YOU WISH YOU HAD A FLYING TANK LIKE ME!"
"DON'T BE A SORE LOSER JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET THE LAST PIECE OF PIZZA!"
Suddenly, a ringtone.
~DON'T YOU WISH YOUR GIRLFRIEND WAS HOT. LIKE. ME.
A moment of pure silence, then laughter, glorious, uplifting laughter.
"Yo."
"Oh, Spicer! You scared the jebus out of me- what the heck?"
Shuffling, of the nervous sort.
"I-it's a flower, duh! Don't you know what to do with a flower?"
"...Well, I use it for magic, right? So like, I dunno… I could make the leaves attack someone or something… Heh, why's your face so red, Spice-head? Did you actually eat that chili mix I gave you?"
"No! J-jeez, you're so-" an annoyed sigh, more shuffling.
"There. Keep it in your hair now, okay? You… uh-uhm…"
"Spicer…?"
"Youlookpretty!"
…
A chuckle.
"Subtle, Spicer, subtle."
Emma knew it. She could feel it. Something big, something important, and something she wanted to postpone just a little longer.
She sighed, pushing the thought away, putting on her brightest smile before practically skipping toward her crush, unaware of the figure that watched her, his eye makeup cracking with the way his face twitched when she handed a home-made cookie to the earth idiot.
"…Jack…I, I can't-"
An angry, impatient, upset huff, visible in the cold air.
"Look, I know you like that dumb Rock-"
"-Clay-"
"-Whatever- the Xiaolin guy. But…" the sound of a shoe scuffing the ground, the voice sounding smaller to Emma as Jack turned away from her. "…I…I'd be willing to wait."
"…Jack…"
He waved over his shoulder and stepped away, the loud crunches in the snow the only sound he left her with in the slowly-drifting flakes.
Silence. It's uncomfortable, so much different than what they're used to in the library.
"…Clay?"
"Hmm?"
He turned to her, watching her expressions mold themselves for a few seconds.
"O-on second thought, nevermind…"
That statement leaves a little hole in his chest.
She's been distant…
And now she doesn't feel she can trust him…?
~
So darling, let go of her hand [x7]
you'll be to blame for playing this game
and learning that true love exists
The pain, the pain, the pain
Of knowing
Sobbing.
That was all he heard.
Heart-breaking, gut-wrenching sobbing.
And sniffling.
And hiccups.
But mostly just sobs.
And the source of that was in his arms.
"J-J-Ja-" a hiccup, "Jack! H-he-"
"It's alright Emma. I'm right here…"
He had always been.
Always on the sidelines.
And now he was benefiting from it, if only selfishly.
But as a bad guy, he found that he was perfectly fine with that.
He comforted her quietly, rubbing circles in between her shoulder blades, cradling her to him so carefully while she sat in his lap.
She trusted him in a time of weakness.
And that felt more gratifying than almost anything.
He would have her.
And she would be his.
He decided it right then, that he would not give up. That was his sole objective as they sat in a lone chair in the back of his lab in the basement of his house, her gently falling asleep from emotional stress and him already planning revenge.
The Xiaolin bastard would pay for what he did to his little magician, and he would pay dearly.
When she'd fallen asleep, he'd kissed her forehead and rested his chin on the crown of her head, her short, boy-cut brown hair tickling him slightly as he planned and plotted.
That true love…
"Spicer!"
"Greetings, Xiaolin dorks!"
Jack grinned devilishly at the sight of the monks already going into formation.
"Jack Spicer! Leave immediately or prepare for a most humiliating defeat!" Omi yelled at the floating evil genius. Instead of retorting with a rude little comment as usual, his grin only widened.
"Oh, I'm not here to start a fight, cueball."
Okay, so maybe he would use the rude comments after all.
The monks, minus the tallest, all looked around in confusion. Clay had become increasingly stiff in the presence of who he knew to be to blame for a lot of stress at the temple.
"Hasn't he told you?" Spicer asked, raising one red eyebrow in amusement. Three monks looked highly confused.
"What do you want, Jack?" Kimiko called out, eyeing him warily. Jack's grin nearly cracked his makeup.
"This is where I throw my head back and laugh!" and he did just that, mid-air in the dark, cold winter sky. His pure red hair was like a beacon against the gray of the sky, shaking with the excited laughter he let loose, unconstrained.
"Y-you really don't know!" He chuckled, wiping a fake tear from his eye. By now, Dojo and Master Fung had come out of the temple to see what was going on.
Jack sighed happily, enjoying the confusion he brought upon the monks.
Exists.
"Emma is mine." Spicer suddenly hissed, the wicked grin on his face smothered. "Because dirt-bag over here screwed up royally, his would-be gal is mine! All mine, heart mind and all!" he scowled, glaring specifically at the cowboy, whose body had seemingly drained of all life. Only now did the monks realize that Emma had not, in fact, shown up to fight Spicer.
"I knew you were scum, Spicer, but this is low, even for you!" Kimiko screamed. Jack's expression remained stationary. Raimundo stepped forward.
"Take whatever spell you put on her off, and release her before I have to personally beat the crap outta you!" he scowled but Jack simply smirked, an expression full of mirth and contempt.
"You think I would do that to her? I love her!" and there, it was out, puffing into the cold air on a cloud of vapor and floating gently to the earth. The whirring and vibration reminded Jack that this was not, in fact, a dream, but real life. The monks stood silent, dumbfounded, as Jack's momentary silence ended and he shouted at them.
"Yeah, stare all you want, assume all you want. Assholes. Did you ever, for one moment, think that I had human emotions? That, just maybe, Emma's temporary absences were times spent hanging out with me? Nope! I'm the bad guy with no life!" he ranted and raved, although his tone stayed the eerily same temper and volume.
"Well, now you've gone and fucked up, and she's with me now. She'll stay with me until she gets over the emotional damage this dirt wad," he pointed at Clay, "caused her, and then she does what she wants. But until then, she stays with me." He announced predatorily. The monks covered their eyes as Jack took off again, the cold winter air swirling almost magically, dangerously.
And as they all faced eachother, Clay looking at the snow, they knew that it had all gone wrong.
End One
MCD: JESUS FUCKING RICE. THIS. THIS. It's finalllllyyyyy doooonnneee! *collapses*
(I know you like Regina, so I made her the first prompt~)
Just in time for Christmas too! MERRY CHRISTMAS SPADEY, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE FIRST PART~