Chase wouldn't admit it to him, but he spent a large amount of time watching Jack sleep.
Being a dragon, he required far less rest than Jack did as a human anyway, so as they lay in bed every night, Jack snoring away, Chase would watch him. The teen was kind of fascinating to him, so many aspects of his being intrigued Chase, and when he slept he took on a dormant state so heavy, that these qualities became clear, or the ancient warrior at least had time to think on them. It especially helped that Jack was unable to talk whilst he slept- that was always a distraction.
Since that day in the forest when Chase had quite literally swept him off his feet, they had spent most nights sharing a bed, the redhead had all but moved into his palace and Chase had gone as far as to provide him a room to store some of his belongings in. But when it came to sleeping, they always shared a bed.
Even in the dark of the bedroom, Jack's skin glowed white, as pure as the bedsheets draped over his bare back. His face was pressed into the pillow, turned towards Chase, his expression serene.
It must have been early in the morning, between 2 and 3am probably, a time at which even the dragon was getting tired. Chase could feel his eyelids getting heavy, but just a moment longer of watching Jack would be worth it.
The young man had fallen into his role quite easily, his body adjusting to and accommodating the dragon's every need, and his manner calming. He could still be shrill and excitable, but so much more often than that he was just enthusiastic, in a sort of preening way. Chase found it very endearing.
Jack's snoring elevated as he gulped in a breath, and his eyelids creased deeply.
The ravenette could tell he was waking, he was so finely attuned to the teens breathing and heartbeat by now, that it was obvious,
He quickly clamped his own eyes shut however, knowing that being caught watching Jack would only raise questions from him, and then Chase would never get to sleep himself.
The redhead blearily opened his eyes and blinked a few times to become accustom to the dark,
He'd had a troubling dream, nothing he could remember now, but it left him unsettled enough to wake.
Jack yawned and shifted against the mattress, rolling his shoulders as best he could from his position lying on his chest,
When he was once against comfortable, he took a deep breath in through his nose, and opened his eyes once more to look over to Chase.
He was a little difficult to see in the dark, even lying right beside him. His black mane of hair fell around his shoulders and face, as well as covering the skin of his back. He blended into the inky shadow, almost like he was part of it.
Jack released another long breath, this time it came out as a soft sigh,
Chase was a beautiful creature, as attractive as he was intimidating and powerful. The redhead couldn't quite believe his luck that he was the one who had been chosen by him.
He nuzzled into the pillow beneath his head, but kept his one uncovered eye on the man, watching his almost complete stillness.
The ravenette spoke a lot about Jack's scent, but the teen had found that Chase himself had his own subtle aroma, one that inexplicably calmed him whenever they were alone.
It was warm, sweet like spice and varnished wood. In moments of heat, usually when they were in the act, the scent became heavier, and Jack liked to press his nose to the other man's perfumed neck and shoulders. Just breathing him in.
It wasn't often that he got to see Chase whilst he slept -for a long time Jack was convinced he didn't- but tonight he was glad for the opportunity.
At the beginning of their relationship, if that was indeed what to call what was between them, virgin modesty had prevented Jack from saying a lot of things. What experience he already had, what he was willing to give, but also what he wanted himself. Chase taught him to vocalise those sorts of concerns and soon he felt like they were equals, for the most part.
Now however, there was still one thing he felt like he couldn't say.
Jack bit the inside of his lip, wincing a little,
He wanted to say it, because he was sure it was true. He'd never been so sure of anything really.
"Chase?" the teen asked softly,
The man in question did not react, he was incredibly tired now, he felt heavy and useless, hardly a state he wanted Jack to see him in.
The redhead frowned, but then given what he was building to, remembered that he'd rather Chase were still sleeping when he finally got around to saying what it was waiting on his tongue,
He dampened his lips a little, starting to feel the pull of sleep again, and attempted to blink it back as best he could, hoping for a few more seconds.
Jack sighed, his eyelids closing shut despite the protest,
"I love you Chase",
Chase gave the slightest of twitches, unsure if his tired mind had misheard. There wasn't much else Jack would've said though, and it was hard to deny.
Seconds from slumber, the ravenette all but smiled, surprising even himself,
He couldn't help but admit it: it was nice to know what Jack felt for him, even if he thought, he wasn't sure he could reply.
0o0o0
Jack was starting to wish he'd kept his mouth shut, even if he'd only said it to himself (as far as knew).
Those words had unlocked something in him, he couldn't help it, he couldn't stop thinking about that word,
It was cliché, but it truly was having a real effect on him.
Love.
A handful of days had passed since his utterance of it, and he felt awful now, just awful.
He jabbed at the mangled motherboard before him, pressing his soldering iron to the surface and making it crackle,
He'd retreated into his work rather, anything to avoid how he was feeling and the one thing that made it all the worse too.
Jack was almost ashamed to say, he regretted using the word 'love', and he was starting to resent Chase because of it in a way,
He resented him, because the more he thought on his own feelings, the more it became clear to him that Chase did not feel the same way.
They may have been having sex, a lot of sex, but Jack now only cared about the fact that he was totally infatuated with a man who just wanted him for that pleasure.
Chase was using him.
And the teen was furious that he'd let himself realise that. Now he couldn't escape it. It was a truth to him.
His hate felt as real as his love, if that were at all possible- he wasn't sure it was.
Jack wafted a string of smoke from his field of vision, and stared down at his work, frowning,
In turn, Chase watched him from the doorway, unbeknownst to the teen.
Chase had noticed the change in Jack, although he couldn't say he knew what had caused it. It had also been so gradual that he couldn't even say that he knew when it had started either.
The redhead was withdrawn, that was probably the best way to describe it,
It was as though his personality had halved in size, and now he was quieter, becoming solitary, even disinterested, Chase would say.
Usually they wouldn't have sex every night, but to the ravenette, the amount of time since the last occasion seemed oddly drawn out for example,
The amount of time since their last real conversation also seemed a little too long.
As unlikely as it sounded, Chase enjoyed the times that they talked, it was always intellectual, or enjoyable at the very least. The topics more often that not fell somewhere within the categories of history or art, but of course with Jack as one half of the exchanges, science was not off limits either.
But there had been no conversations. Not even about science. Not even about whatever Jack was working on now.
Chase unfolded his stiff arms and sighed, starting into the room,
To his surprise, the redhead heard him coming, and put down his soldering iron as the dragon approached, turning to regard him,
If Chase didn't know better, he would have said that the other man was almost pouting at him, and he of course put that down to the strange distance that was stretching between them.
"What're you working on?" Chase asked, stopping by the bench, one hand coming to the table top,
"Eh, work" Jack replied, looking down to the waiting wiring,
The ravenette frowned,
Monosyllabic-ism was another symptom of this odd mood the teen was in apparently.
There was no point skirting around it or avoiding the issue with small-talk, at least, that was how Chase felt,
He let out another sigh, and placed his hands on his hips, cocking them slightly, "Jack?" he asked firmly,
He didn't answer however, his eyes still focused on his work, his expression blank,
Chase tried not to assert authority over the teen anymore -apart from in the bedroom on occasion- but this also seemed like an appropriate moment to do so,
"Jack" he snapped again, almost raising his voice to a shout.
Jack winced and looked to him, his eyebrows downturned in concern and perhaps even upset,
"Yes?"
The dragon stifled a growl, and sucked at his teeth, "What is wrong?" he asked, speaking in a measured tone.
The redhead looked resistant to respond, he looked resistant to talk at all, and as such he bit his lip, avoiding eye contact again,
"Nothing" he mumbled,
Chase quickly became incensed, "Don't mumble Jack!" he shouted, "You know how I feel about that. Talk clearly",
"Nothing! Nothing is wrong!" Jack's eyes then widened, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, not quite believing that the exclamation had just come from him.
The ravenette managed to stem his own shock and instead found himself becoming all the more angry, "Perhaps you'd like an opportunity to answer again Jack, raising your voice to a simple question is hardly a reassurance",
He gulped and his cheeks became hot, an uncomfortable sweat spreading across his forehead and upper lip, "I- I don't want to say" he said softly, making sure to at least enunciate each word.
Chase appreciated his honesty. He sighed, some of the frustration defusing, "If you don't say what's bothering you, then we can't fix the problem Jack",
The redhead was reminded of a similar phrase that the man had used early on in their relationship:
"If you don't say what you want, I can't give it to you Jack",
The teen was blushing so deeply, his every pore leaking sweat from nerves and the intense heat that hung between them,
Chase was between his legs, one hand resting on his stomach that lay bare, his shirt in a tangle, pushed up under his armpits.
Jack gulped and closed his eyes, embarrassed,
"Don't close your eyes, look at me" the ravenette said quickly,
He begrudgingly did as he was told, and looked to Chase, feeling the fear starting to rush through him,
"I want to see your eyes" he said, his other hand going to the redhead's cheek, and caressing it lightly, "Don't be scared" he said in whisper,
"I'm not-"
"I can smell it on you"
Jack's blush deepened, he'd almost forgotten that he could do that.
"Just tell me what you want, I'll do it Jack" Chase continued, "I'll make you feel as you please, just tell me"
'Make you feel'.
And he had, that had been one of the most wonderful evenings they'd had together.
"I just-" Jack began, biting his lip, "When I became your- your mate? I thought that it would be more than this"
Chase blinked, he certainly hadn't expected anything along those lines, he wasn't even entirely sure he understood what the teenager was saying to him.
He licked his lips and quirked an eyebrow, "'More'?"
Jack was the one getting frustrated now. He knew that Chase was ancient, effectively on another plane of existence, but sometimes he felt like the man could still spare a little emotion, especially in regard to him.
No wonder the redhead felt the way he did,
"We- we fuck, a lot. And it's good, it is, but that's all there is to being with you, the fucking"
Jack wanted to be doing something to distract himself, like walking around the room- that would help. His eyes were jumping about that space, looking everywhere but at Chase, imagining all the different places he could be stood now, and all the different things he could have said. Had he said 'fuck' too much? It was more than likely as a possibility, but he didn't know. It was too late to take it back, it was too late to take back any of it.
"I thought being with you- being your 'mate' was more than that- the fucking" he continued, starting to stumble over his words, pausing and starting sentences over,
Jack knew he had to get to the main admission out though, otherwise there would be no point to what he had already said.
He licked his dry lips and finally looked back to Chase, whose expression was blank, if not still patient in the face of this new information,
"I love you Chase, but all you want, is to fuck"
To his own surprise, Jack didn't feel scared anymore, as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt as though he'd taken back some power. His chest swelled a little, and he loosely folded his arms across it, giving the other man an expression of defiance, asking to be proved wrong.
Chase unfolded his own arms in response and swiped out his tongue to dampen his lips,
With a lack for a better word, he was feeling a little spurned, not that he'd give that away on his face.
He had no idea Jack felt this way, and to make matters worse, he wasn't all the sure as to why he did anyway,
"I've- tried" the ravenette began, looking to the ground,
Jack blinked and dropped his cold stance a little, now confusion and concern creeping in in its place,
"If I didn't-" but Chase faltered and stopped himself, his lips moving wordlessly,
The redhead had never heard him unsure of himself, it made him almost uncomfortable to see.
"Jack-" he began again, talking softly, "-when we lie together, if the act was just about my needs, if all I wanted was my own pleasure, then why would I touch you like I do?" he looked up to the teenager now, meeting his eye,
While Jack appeared nervous, Chase was the one who was having trouble reigning in his emotions.
"Jack, would I care about how you feel? Would I seek to make you feel me?"
The young man blushed at the thought but didn't respond,
The ravenette continued, "If all I wanted was to be pleased, would I- would I take the time to taste you?" he asked.
Jack's eyes bulged, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to stick up. He could vividly recall Chase 'tasting' him,
He was now moving a little closer to the redhead,
Despite still feeling dejected, Chase could already smell the change that was overcoming Jack because of his words, his stench of regret was increasing.
Chase didn't want him to feel regret though, he just wanted him to understand,
He looked the young man up and down, his tone briefly becoming huskier at the thought of what he was suggesting, "Would I take the time to taste every part of you?"
Jack nearly choked, but settled for letting out an awkward cough,
Chase was still moving in, as if approaching a skittish animal; he was of the opinion that proximity would help him convey exactly what he was feeling, even without saying it.
"Would the sound of your voice draw me in the way it does, if all I wanted was sex from you Jack?" the ravenette then said, gripping the edge of the work bench that they still stood by, steadying himself,
Touching the redhead in any way was completely off the cards, but Chase still needed to occupy his hands. Especially as he was coming to the end of all he had to say, and he was still questioning how far would be far enough, how much was appropriate to say.
How much did he have to confess to before the other man would catch on?
"Jack if- if the sight of you didn't light up my very soul, would I-" he coughed, clearing his throat as his words became quiet, "Would I feel like that, if all I needed was to fuck you?"
Jack was at a total loss for words,
How could he respond to that? How could anyone?
In the pit of his stomach, an odd feeling was starting to settle, not one that most people in the business of evil were familiar with,
He thought that it might be guilt.
Chase was laying himself bare, he truly was, and he was doing it specifically for Jack.
The ravenette looked down and shook his head, "I don't say it Jack-" he stated, "I don't know if I can after fifteen hundred years, but I have done everything I can to show you how I feel" he coughed, his voice barely above a whisper now, "Now I know I need to find a better way. I-I'm sorry, I'll try harder"
Jack was overcome, and all he could think to do in the situation, was to throw his arms around the man before him, to grip him tightly and try and discern through touch where to go next,
Usually it would be a ridiculous notion to do such a thing, obviously Chase was against public displays of affection, but even in their own home, he was dubious of them. Their bedroom was the place for that, and even then, they held one another, they didn't hug.
Jack did it anyway however, his arms finding hold above his height, around Chase's neck, and his head pressed to the man's collar,
After an uncertain amount of time had passed, Chase's arms curled around Jack in turn, holding his body against his own,
The ravenette lowered his head and rested it on the other's shoulder, taking in a deep breath.
The cocktail he was met with was indecipherably confusing. Normally he would say that he understood Jack (not including the past few days), but now he wasn't even sure he understood emotion at all.
Jack felt remorse, affection, guilt, adoration, pain and joy, it made no sense to him.
"Chase, I'm sorry" the redhead whispered, squeezing his eyes shut,
His grip now on the teenager's hips, the dragon pulled him away, all the more perplexed,
"What're you talking about?" Chase asked,
Jack blinked, his lips parting, "I'm sorry Chase, I said that I'm sorry"
"But why are you apologising?" he replied, "I'm the one that's made you feel this way"
The redhead shook his head, "No- no I- I was expecting too much from you too soon",
He arched an eyebrow, "What?",
"You're fifteen hundred years old Chase" the teen replied, "You've probably experienced-" he paused and smiled sadly, "You've probably had plenty of consorts and concubines. I'm the latest in a long list, and I don't know why I should expect anymore of you" the remorse was weighing heavy on him again. Jack felt like his ignorance was laughable even, "Even if by some chance I'm more…special? than any of them, how can I expect you to say that you love me after just a few months?"
If he thought he could've been, Chase would've said that he felt sick in that moment,
"But you are"
Jack's expression did not change, he either could not calculate what the dragon had just stated, or had not heard it all together,
"You are more important Jack" the ravenette said.
Over the passing centuries he had had a few partners, partners with which he lay with and did little else,
But none had been like Jack, and there had hardly been a 'long list'.
In all honesty, Chase had killed most of the bed partners he had had, and not in the passionate throws of sex either. He had killed them because he had wanted to, because at his core, the dragon could be malicious and wild, and it had grown tired of whomever he was with.
With each passing day however, Chase did not grow tired of Jack, it was quite the opposite,
With each passing day, Chase felt more strongly for Jack, more deeply.
"In all my existence, I have had but one mate Jack, and that has been you" the dragon said firmly,
He wanted to be reassuring, but most importantly, he wanted to be sincere,
He allowed himself a passing smirk however, "And yes, that is the word for it",
Jack blinked at him slowly again, as though he was only just catching up, "The word for what?"
"You" he replied, "You are my mate, Jack"
The redhead remained silent.
"True, I've never had one before, but I'm quite certain that that is what you are. The way I feel tells me that" Chase continued,
He then lifted one hand slowly, and touched it gently to the other's face,
Jack's skin was hot and smooth, and it was quivering softly under the contact.
"I just can't say it" the dragon admitted, "The word feels foreign, and in many ways it doesn't seem fitting to describe what I experience with you anyway. It's not quite enough"
"Wait wait wait" Jack said, babbling rather, "You mean that you can't say that you love me, because love isn't enough to define what you feel?"
Chase shrugged a little, "I suppose"
"Then you don't need to keep talking" the redhead replied quickly,
"What?"
To his surprise, Jack was smiling at him, his eyes wide and full of joy,
"That's all I needed Chase. I just needed to know how you felt about me, and if you say that even love can't describe it, then it must be a pretty special feeling"
The teens eyes were beginning to water, and mucus was threatening to drip from his nose,
"You care about me!" he all but squealed, tightening his grip on Chase and pulling him even closer.
Chase rolled his eyes but accepted the embrace,
Jack was still young, and for now the dragon could indulge his reaction- practically crying with joy, snivelling into his shoulder,
Perhaps when he got a little older he'd understand the gravity of Chase's words.
Jack was Chase's world, his every sense was overcome with him, and for that reason, he would have to keep him around. He would have to keep Jack around for the rest of his life, and being practically immortal, that was a lot to ask of him.
For now, Chase would happily take Jack as he was, and one day, he'd give him the option to make what they had more permanent.
The redhead begrudgingly pulled away from the hug after another minute or so, and pulled the back of his hand against his nose, sniffling in,
"Are you okay?" the dragon asked softly once the boy had regained his breath,
Jack smiled at him, and nodded, "Yeah I'm fine" his smile then widened into a huge grin, "You don't have to say it back but-" he blushed and bit at his lip, "I love you Chase"
"I know" the ravenette replied, smirking at him.
"I just wanted to say it properly" he said, his flush deepening, "Now, can we stop talking?"
Chase quirked an eyebrow, "Oh? What would you rather we do?"
Jack looked about, as though weighing his options in a very drawn out manner, before slowly placing his hands on the other man's shoulders and licking his lips in a less than subtle manner, "I think I could suggest one or two things" he quipped, "Couldn't you?"
The dragon rolled his eyes and placed his hands low on the other man's hips, "Definitely" he growled.