Author's Notes:

Oh- disclaimer, (forgot to do this last chapter)- no characters are mine, I'm only tweaking with them a little, no money is made, etc. etc.

So- Chapter two. If you've read the original version, this chapter is very different. I re-read it, and I thought it was a little bit of a stretch for Clay to break up with Jack just because of his imagination. This version is much more plausible, I feel. It's a combination of old chapter 2, 3, and 7, all rolled into one with a little extra too. I swear it's better.

Love ya'll! 3 Buroo

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Clay slumped in his chair, chin held in his hand, and scowled at the temple wall.

"…worst, most deluded couple ever…"

He snorted. He should have expected something of the sort to come up sooner or later…he wished it had come later, though…

…worst couple….

He shouldn't have even mentioned Chase.

Clay sighed.

He knew very well that Jack had once been absolutely head over heels for the evil master mind… but he had come to think that Chase had been pushed out by himself.

That Jack chose him over the older man.

…most deluded couple ever… including us….

"…guess not. I suppose Raimundo was right…maybe it just won't work between us…"

Clay's heart leapt into his throat but he shook his head at the thought. He was over-exaggerating everything. Jack said that he didn't mean what he said… it was just blurted out….it sure came out easily though….was Jack losing his taste for the cowboy?

No… no! He had laughed when Clay suggested Chase was gay. He had said that Chase wasn't gay… but… Jack had also said, just that morning even, that he was a villain… and villains lie… and he was laughing a bit too hard…

Clay pulled his hat off his head angrily and muttered to himself furiously, "I am bein' the most stupid paranoid jerk on this side o' the planet. Get a grip o' yourself Clay. Man up!"

An image of Chase and Jack sprawled next to each other on a bed laughing cruelly burst into Clay's head.

He shook himself violently. "stop it stop it stop it. Yer bein' stupid." And wiped what were definitely NOT tears from his cheeks.

Not ten feet away, Raimundo sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.

It had been three months since he had started seeing Chase, three whole months, and the duo still weren't making any progress in splitting the other couple apart which, of course, was the whole reason why Raimundo had gone to see the villain in the first place. And truthfully, it didn't seem like Chase really wanted to do anything about it. Whenever the wind dragon brought up Clay and Jack, Chase would just chuckle and say, "it will all work out in the end, little monk."

But it's been three months- and the 'end' was nowhere in sight. Clay was still visiting Jack every night, disappeared every weekend, and always came back happy.

Raimundo groaned.

Maybe… he should just give up on Clay… he was obviously infatuated with the red-headed… aggravating… psychopathic…goth poser… villainous-

SMACK

"Ouch!"

"Dangit!"

As Raimundo turned the corner, he had run straight into the object of his desire, Clay, who had been apparently absorbed in his own thoughts, just like Rai.

…wait… was he crying?

SUCCESS!!!!

"Hey- Clay? Are you ok?"

Clay forced a laugh out. "Yeah, buddy, I'm fine… you're not that heavy."

"What?? –Oh! Oh, you mean the walking thing… um, no, that's not what I meant. Um… are you like, crying, or something? I mean… it just looks like… umm… are you ok?"

Clay sighed shakily. "Uh, actually, no. I... uh.... it's not really that important I guess... jus' ya know... stuff."

Rai's heart stopped. It was horrible, almost villianous, to derive such hope, such pleasure from Clay's obvious heartache, but Raimundo had been spending the past three months with Chase, villain extraordinaire. Something was bound to rub off.

"Stuff?"

"Yeah."

Rai shuffled awkwardly as Clay did his best not to sniffle and tried to look manly in his sorrow.

"This... uh... this stuff wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Jack, would it?"

Clay snorted. Whether it was sarcastic or sneering, or it was an excess of phlegm, Rai didn't really know, and he answered, "Am I that obvious? I feel like such a girl. Pinin' away over some stupid argument. But I mean... who's he think he is, sayin' stuff like that? Deluded my great big-" and broke off into frustrated, unintelligible mumbling.

Rai's ear's perked up. "Gosh, Clay. I'm sorry. I... I don't mean to pry.... but uh... what... what did he say?"

"It was sorta my fault... I said somethin' and he reacted like he would... said somethin' stupid... said we were a 'deluded' couple."

"He said that? I can't believe he'd just come out and-"

"Well," Clay said, his ears turning slightly red, "He didn't say it in so many words..."

"Why are you so upset then? What did he say?"

"I... he... well... it's kinda real embarrassin' like... I said... I shoulda just asked you, but I mean... it's not exactly dinner conversation, ya know..."

Rai fixed his compadre with a look of desperate confusion. "What the heck do I have to do with this?"

"I..I... thought you were sleepin' with Chase."

Raimundo's world spun, his knees buckled, his blood drained from his face and he forcefully turned himself away from Clay, gulped once and made sure his voice sounded normal before he replied,

"And why would you think that?"

Clay shrugged, not looking at Raimundo probably out of embarrassment and Rai was never so grateful for lack of eye contact.

"Dunno. Stupid, huh?"

Raimundo forced a laugh. "Yeah. Stupid."

Clay tilted his head a touch to gaze thoughtfully down at Rai. "Well, anytime Chase's name was mentioned, ya'll got all nervous and looked like you were gunna puke... kinda like you do now. What's your deal?"

A brilliant, malicious plan suddenly erupted magnificently in Rai's mind. Every muscle in his face twitched as he toiled to not smirk, made sure to avoid Clay's piercing blue eyes and muttered cryptically, "I thought... something you needed to figure out yourself. Besides, if I had told you... Jack was... you wouldn't've... believed me...you seemed to really care for him you know-"

Clay looked like he'd been pummeled within an inch of his life and he hadn't even been touched. His face was pale and shocked, it looked like he was having trouble breathing and attempted to start a sentence a couple times before chocking out,

"He is."

"Who is?"

"Jack is."

"Jack is what?"

"He's... he's sleepin' with Chase. Isn't he?"

Rai didn't respond.

"ISN"T HE?"

Clay had never hissed before in his life. First time for everything, Rai thought. He looked up at Clay with as much false sympathy he could muster and said lowly, "Sorry man."

Clay opened his mouth, immediately shut it, opened it again, and then huskily whispered, "I gotta go."

Raimundo watched as Clay shuffled down the hall, his head hung low.

Rai knew he should be more sympathetic…he shouldn't have done what he did… he wanted the best for Clay. He wanted his cowboy to be happy. And he will be happy. Truly happy, not falsely happy like he was with Jack. He'd be happy with Rai. Wonderfully happy.

Soon. Once he broke up with Jack and got him out of his system. Soon.

Guess Chase was right… it was all working out.