"Clay, care to explain to this little lady why that friend o'yours is in your bed?" Mrs. Bailey's painted nails almost digging into her apron sent a nervous chill up Clay's spine and his neck stiffened. 'Well, shit.' The cowboy cleared his throat roughly, keeping his eyes glued onto his mother instead of straying to the side-where it was clearly obvious that Raimundo and Kimiko shared awkward grins in trying to confirm old suspicions.
"Y'see, mama...poor Jack was just cold. I figured he could-"
"Ya could've come to me for help, baby! I had extra bed sheets. Hell, we have plenty to spare!" It was a good thing his mother wasn't as close-minded and old-fashioned like his father. Obviously, she knew her son was lying to cover something else-something she also suspected as soon as she laid eyes on Jack. But that didn't worry her, unlike the worry of how her husband would react upon finding out about her son's preferences.
Clay shot a slight glare his Brazilian friend, signaling with a quick crack of knuckles that he was going to get him once they were out of his mother's sight. Raimundo just chuckled nervously to which Omi asked several questions.
"Why must they argue over who is in Clay's bed? If I was cold, I would also-" Kimiko's hand was quick to cover his mouth.
"Yeeeaaaah-um so hey, Clay? How is your dad?" The dragon of fire didn't want things to get any more tense with Clay's mom and Raimundo finding Jack Spicer in Clay's bed, bundled up and comfortable as if he spent a wonderful night sleeping there. All this tension had Clay thinking and wondering just how things got this far.
"Reversing mirror!" Omi was sent crashing back by the sudden backlash in an attempt to knock Jack away with the Fist of Tebigong. Jack's infamous evil laugh echoed in the below-zero temperatures of Gaurishankar as gloved hands reached for the newly-revealed Shen Gong Wu. "The Polar Paws are mine, cheesehead!" He laughed again, shoving the wu into a pocket of his winter coat and pressing a button on his watch while sending some insults to a snow-covered Omi. Several Jackbots quickly swept him away towards his bystanding jet, dropping him into the flight deck to make a quick getaway.
"Oh no y'don't!" The redhead didn't turn quickly enough and was knocked back with incredible force.
"Hey! Watch it! I paid good money for these leather seats!"
"You'll be paying for much more when I kick your sorry behind. Hand over the Wu, Spicer." Jack snorted, not feeling the slightest bit threatened by the bigger Xiaolin dragon. He stepped back quickly when he noticed Clay pull out the Tangle Web Comb from his vest. The albino's quick reflexes handled the situation swiftly as he called out the Reversing Mirror once more. Clay found himself unable to move his upper half-or talk-struggling to free himself and stumbling over, his ten gallon hat landing several feet away.
"That's one for Jack and none for the thick-headed cowboy." He placed a boot on Clay's right side as if he were big game shot down in a hunting trip. The crooked smirk pasted on Jack's pale face irritated the blond cowboy. "Man, I am really killing it today!" To add onto Clay's anger, Jack got a hold of his hat and wore it, laughing in hopes of getting something out of Clay for his own amusement.
In all of his larking, Jack had forgotten about the other three Xiaolin Dragons-until a bolt of lightning shot through the deck past his shoulder. "Agh! That'll take days to fix!" He kicked Clay away to make room to pilot away from the monks, with hands fastened onto the steering levers as he managed to turn the jet around. His plans were to drop the cowboy off with the others (he wasn't that evil to let the Texan freeze all alone) and make a quick landing to fix some of the damage that Kimiko had made with the Eye of Dashi. "Ready for your delivery-hey! Where'd he go?"
"Tnngld web cmmb!" A muffled shout was the last Jack heard before he lost control of his jet. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he watched the snowy earth spiraling and his Jackbots attempting to help soften what would be a crash landing. A fatal crash landing.
"Are you frickin' kidding me? Do you have a death wish, or are you just that soft in the head?!" Clay's winter coat was white from the snow clinging onto the fabric, his face not showing the slightest of emotion as he patted down his body. "All my bots, my jet, my GPS-gone. So tell me, 'Texas'. You got some sort of navigational system in that big head of yours? How about your hat? Does it have a compass? This is just great-" A large gloved finger silenced him and Jack tensed up when he noticed just how close the other was. The cowboy hat was removed from red hair and placed back on its original owner's head.
It was unsettling how calm the Texan was, even after what Jack was sure would have been certain death for the two had his Jackbots not gotten in the way of the impact. Now that he thought about it, he noticed his Jackbots had wrapped themselves around both passengers to ensure their safe landing. He was glad he had installed those safety chips the week prior.
"I ain't got a clue 'bout where we are, but we gotta find the others."
"Woah, woah! We? You go find your squad of losers 'cuz I sure am not giving up the Wu." He placed a hand over the pocket where the Polar Paws were safely stored. Clay looked in confusion, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat.
"I never said anything about Shen Gong Wu. You're gonna freeze to death out here, and that's all y'have to worry about?" 'Odd fellow,' thought Clay, watching Jack wrap his arms around himself to try and warm up.
"Yeah, well still. I'd rather not gang up with you lot. This evil genius always has a plan."
"You're more stubborn than the bulls back home." There was no way they could tell which direction to start walking-not even a smoke trail from the jet's damages. Heavy gusts and slight snowfall prevented Jack from using his Hellipack to save his own skin and he knew it well.
"Fine. Where to, Mr. 'I'll-use-the-tangled-web-comb-at-the-wrong-time'?" The blond ignored Jack's remarks, looking up to see nothing but peaks and white. Calling out for the others could result in an avalanche-and that was the last thing they needed. The sounds of metal on metal resonated with Jack looking through the scraps of what was once his jet and several Jackbots. Hopes of finding at least one working piece of technology faded quickly and Jack kicked the snow in frustration. "This is your fault, y'know."
"I'm well aware o'that." Not the response Jack was hoping for as it only added onto his frustration. "If we can't find them, I guess they'll hav'ta find us." Jack growled a curse under his breath in disbelief of what he just heard.
"Riiiiight..so we just sit and wait? Wow, I'd have never thought of that," Jack replied sarcastically while he rolled his eyes. "Our butts will freeze if we sit out here, numbskull. We need shelter." No reply was heard from the cowboy who started walking towards a steep section of the area. Jack had no other choice but to follow, even if he didn't like the idea of clinging onto a Xiaolin monk for safety.
This is my first story up, so please enjoy! I hope you Clack lovers do, at least! Feedback appreciated.