One-word chack prompts belong to Crystallicsky.
Warnings: male/male relationship, use of Xiaolin Showdown characters against their will, references to adult activities but no actual descriptions (I strongly support CS's rules for the one-word prompts), cursing, more romance than anything else, but some stupidity and angst (it can't be avoided), oh, and did I mention it's chack?
81. Jet- Chase stepped out of the jet's cockpit to the chill of cold rain and the cheers of the deck crew. Listening to the greetings of ungrateful men and women who had done nothing but run around in circles when he needed help, Chase couldn't help but think of the mysterious pilot of the noncommissioned F-4 Phantom who had managed to find his black aircraft in the turbulent storm clouds and guide him back down to the aircraft carrier. Remembering the plane, he turned to go thank the man only to see an officer sneaking back inside the control tower while everyone focused on the Asian pilot. A flash of purple lightning revealed Chase's savior, and he couldn't help but smile as he recognized the red-dyed hair of the young man who had caught his eye a month ago. He would have to go and personally thank the young unsung hero later.
82. Always- "Chase?" Jack called as he stepped into the training room his lover was currently using. Chase had been practicing his kicks and punches in dragon form. Caught off guard in the middle of one such kick, Chase's strike caused the log he was practicing on to splinter rather than shatter like he'd hoped. Chase spun to face his mate, shifting back into his human form with suspicious speed. "Just as I thought." Despite the dim light of the candles decorating the walls Chase could see the disgruntled look on Jack's face. His mate continued to speak, "You don't like me seeing you in your dragon form, do you?" Chase's surprised and guilty expression was more than enough confirmation. "You big immortal crybaby! You honestly think I'd stop loving you because of your dragon form?" Jack stepped closer, his expression softening. "I love all of who you are. I always did, and that's not going to change any time soon. Change back and I'll prove it." Chase was hesitant, but did as his love requested. Jack watched as Chase shifted back into his reptile counterpart. He looked the immortal over, memorizing every feature before wrapping his arms around Chase's neck and nuzzling his cheek against the side of the long snout. Jack let his fingers dance over his dragon's bony spines while he planted gentle kisses along the creature's muzzle, releasing a pleased hum when two clawed hands gripped his waist and a thick tail curled around his ankles.
83. Dedicating- Chase grit his teeth and stared coldly at the cloaked figure approaching him, steeling himself for whatever his new fate might be. He certainly wasn't expecting the stranger to pull down his hood and reveal a ghostly white young man barely out of his teens with wild red hair like fire in the strong wind and eyes that burned a similar unnatural hue. A familiar black fang tattoo under the stranger's left eye caught Chase's attention. This was the notorious Black Jack Spicer?! "Well look what we have here boys!" Spicer's voice held a slight lilt common to the streets of British cities, but it was refined unlike the half-educated slang of a sailor. "Looks like you're in a bit of a bind, Captain." The pirate said, adding a teasing tone upon speaking Chase's title. Chase pulled his head back and dropped his calculating glare when the man dropped into a crouch to face him, the smell of hard lemon candies filling his senses. "To tell the truth, we're in a bit of a bind as well. Our ship's fairly battered from a privateer attack. Whether you like it or not, we're going to raid this ship and use it to fix our own vessel. You do have the choice to come with us, though. Come peacefully and accept my orders, and I'll drop the lot of you off at the next port." Chase was thoroughly confused. "Why would you offer something like that? How do you know I won't go back on your offer? I have twenty men to your ten." "True, and that's exactly why I'm offering. In these times where privateers are being laid off and forced to become pirates it's hard to trust even one man with your life, but to find a captain so skilled that he has twenty dedicated sailors under his command is impressive indeed. I dare say it'd be an injustice to let Davy Jones get his hands on a fine specimen such as yourself." "What exactly does that mean?" Chase demanded, but all he got in response was a toothy grin. Chase gave a sigh. "You've already taken the ship and have us all at your mercy, Captain Spicer. Now the safety of my crew is first priority so I accept your offer." "Wonderful. I think we'll get along just fine, Captain…" "Chase Young." he answered as a man with a green mohawk and a black web tattooed over one eye bent and cut his bindings. "Very well, Mr. Young. Let's get to work. I'd like to be out of here before that storm hits us," he pointed to an ominous dark spot on the horizon, "and I'm sure you have similar sentiments."
84. Camera- "We'll conclude our visit to the Ancient China exhibit with a glimpse of the Dark Warrior's Tomb. Won't that be exciting?" The nasally monotone voice of the tour guide made Jack want to punch him, but he restrained himself, instead examining the new burial artifacts that had been brought back from China. The cases were filled with wine vessels called Hu kept in their original pairs and Gui—food vessels made of bronze. On the walls hung bronze knives and iron swords with lacquer-painted sheaths. A small army of stone statues depicting tigers, lions, and panthers stood sentinel in a side room; they were apparently meant to protect their lord in death. The tour guide led his group through a door between two 6-foot slabs of pure jade with carvings of men turning into dragons on them. "Here we have the tomb of the Dark Lord. The Chinese guide that led the expedition did not call it a tomb but a prison. The legend goes that the Dark Lord was once a brave warrior who turned evil. He became almighty, having both inhuman martial arts and the ability to turn into a dragon. His fellow warriors tried to stop him, but found that he was immortal. It was all they could do to trap him in the coils of the bronze dragon statue you see before you." Jack had to stand on his tiptoes to see over a hefty woman's feathery hat. A Chinese dragon stood on a raised stone platform, its scales gleaming dully in the fluorescent lighting. It was coiled like a snake crushing its prey and easily towered over the jade tablets back by the door. "It is said that if one speaks the Dark Lord's name then the magical seal will break, and the world will fall into darkness. Luckily for us, no one can read the ancient dialect let alone pronounce it so the warrior's name has been lost in time. Let's move on, shall we?" The man led his group back the way it had come, leaving Jack with an elderly couple and four boys. The old woman took a photo of the dragon before stowing her camera and walking off with her husband. The boys were busy shouting as many names as they could think of like the immature little brats they were in Jack's opinion. Jack walked over and gave a snort at some of the names. "You honestly think Hannibal Roy Bean is a super villain name? Please." "Then you try." a blonde snapped, his friends snickering. "All right." Jack looked the dragon over before locating an engraving in old Chinese. "That would be his name right there." Jack pointed. "Yeah…well…it's not like you can read it!" The boy stuck his tongue out at the goth. "Sure I can, and I'll gladly do it. The world could stand to benefit from some real evil in this high-on-its-own-fumes economy-run hell of an era." Jack turned from the boy who wore a strange look on his face and began to decipher the letters in his head. "I'm not sure but I think it says "Chase Young"." Jack's translation was confirmed as everything began to quake and the lights flickered out only to be replaced by a glowing gold light escaping a large crack that ran right down the middle of the bronze dragon. The boys ran while Jack just stood there in awe…that is, until the blast of the dragon shattering threw him up against the wall. It took a minute for the stars to clear from Jack's vision, but when they did, the sight was more than impressive: Standing there on the stone dais surrounded by shattered bits of bronze and haloed by the sparks of broken lamps stood a dark haired man with blazing eyes dressed in full battle armor. Jack studied the man and decided the closest comparison he could make would be Adonis and Ares combined with a hint of pure darkness. "Wow." was Jack's eloquent response.
85. Powder- Chase sat before the Indian village bonfire, allowing people to come up and inspect him, at times bringing their faces close to examine his gold eyes in the poor lighting. After everyone had settled down, warriors in cloaks of fur and feathers began to dance around the fire, their faces obscured by wooden animal masks. The albino youth he'd begun to name Jack (since he couldn't pronounce his Indian name without said Lenape bursting into laughter) came up and sat next to him. The chief came forward and threw a powder onto the fire, stunning Chase with green and purple hued flame. The dancers became still and the crowd fell silent, but this did not register in Chase's mind as Jack turned to him and offered his hand. Chase felt himself drowning in those fire-lit rubies but managed to place his hand in the young man's despite his stupor. He became confused when Jack removed his hand, reaching both hands back behind his head and pulling off one of two necklaces Chase had somehow missed. They were matching bone carvings of wolves. Chase bent his head so Jack could easily place the charm around his neck. When it was done Chase was dragged to his feet and into the midst of a sudden dance with a delighted Jack and the rest of the celebrating tribe. It would not be until later that he learned he had just been married to Jack and accepted into the Wolf Clan.
86. Ark- Although Jack was admittedly not very evil, Chase was constantly reminded that his love thoroughly enjoyed it. This was one of those moments, Chase decided as he watched Jack laugh cruelly at Nazis being slaughtered by vengeful spirits flying out of a golden ark on TV.
87. Wages- Jack leaned on the bakery counter, propping his head up with the heels of his hands while he listened to 3 Doors Down on his ipod and pondered on the reason he was working a minimum wage job when he could be out doing something, no, anything better. He looked up when the bell over the door rang and found himself staring at Chase Young. "So this is what you're doing when you aren't out tagging school property." the class president teased. Jack pulled out his ear buds while answering, "Actually, the local mafia meets in the back and I'm a member. I'm just working here to throw off the cops." "Ah, I see. Does the mafia have lemon poppy seed muffins?" "We sure do, and you can have your choice of tea with it on the house." "My, organized crime is sounding rather nice. I just might have to join. And green tea is fine for now." Chase said as he handed over three dollars and received his muffin and a Styrofoam cup with a white plastic lid. He sat down at a window seat and began eating his muffin. In the middle of a bite he happened to look down and caught a glimpse of his napkin. He quirked an eyebrow, pulling his breakfast from his lips as he read the phone number, and smiled.
88. Nail- Chase pounded in the last nail and gave the railing a test shove, nodding his head in approval when it refused to budge. He stood and looked up through the light drizzle of rain that signaled the coming of the torrential storm. Up in the rigging a spot of red marked Jack Spicer's movement along the mast's yard as he finished repairs on the mainsail. "Captain! Are you done yet?" Chase called up as he neared the mast. "I am. I'm trying to get a good look at the storm so I can estimate its speed and unfurl the sails accordingly. I can't have them ripping again." Chase cast his gaze over the dark red sails patched with bits of white from his ship-turned-derelict. "You need to get down before the winds become too strong, Captain." Chase called. He watched Jack put an old brass telescope back into the bag at his waist before grabbing a rope and sliding down—a task made easier by the fingerless leather gloves he often wore. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Young," Jack spoke as he landed on the deck and patted dirt from his breeches, "however, it would seem you're the one in danger." Chase was about to question the statement when the pirate grabbed his shirt front and pulled him hard, saving him from having his head knocked clean off his shoulders by a large plank hefted by a burly pirate. Instead he ended up pinning the young captain to the mast, his hands on either side of the pale face which seemed so much more delicate beside his large calloused hands. Chase stared at the man in his arms confusedly before Jack chuckled and leaned over to speak softly in his ear. "I must say I like this position far better than my previous one in the rigging. View's infinitely better as well." "Be that as it may," Chase hastily pushed himself off the albino, "we have a storm to outrun." "Quite right. I'll just go help the boys with the anchor." Jack strode off, smirking to himself at the thought of the blush he had undoubtedly caused the poor naval officer.
89. Per- A fund-raiser carnival. Jack officially hated this stupid school, but he knew that he needed the school's funding to make his inventions and the library had the most up-to-date and in-depth information in the country. Still, didn't the school get enough money? Why did they have to have this stupid fair? Jack looked at his watch and signaled a fellow science club member to take over the Ferris wheel's controls. Jack gave it one last uncaring glance and grinned at the red and black-flame car he had painted while the club was building the observation wheel. Then he walked off, checking out the different booths students had set up before getting in a line full of girls as well as a few guys he knew. Imagine his surprise when he got to the front and found Chase Young in charge of a kissing booth. "Hey, it's great I caught you. I wanted to thank you for helping me to my room the other week." Chase nodded in acknowledgement before giving him an expectant look. "Oh, right. Kissing booth." Jack fished out a dollar while blushing. "So is it a one per person sort of deal?" "Generally." Chase said as he took the bill and put it in a tan metal box. "Although, if you kiss as good as you look I might just have to make an exception." Jack blushed slightly darker before giving Chase a devious grin. "Then pucker up and brace yourself because I'm about to blow your mind." Jack declared as he grabbed the boy's tie and leaned over the counter for a smoldering kiss.
90. Protocol- Jack attempted to find some space in the cramped elevator of the office building. It may have been his first day at his new job, but Jack was pretty damn sure that extensive pat-down by the Asian security guard at the front desk was anything but protocol. As the doors slid shut on Jack, his own reflection staring back in the bronzed mirror, Jack decided he'd have to return the "favor".
Jet- Sequel to Runway in Chapter 7. I have seen purple lightning. It was the fourth of July and we were watching fireworks downtown. The whole time the sky was filled with clouds and purple lightning streaked along them overhead.
Always- We all know Jack loves Chase's dragon form, but does he know?
Dedicating- Sequel to Infamous in Chapter 7. Jack's a cheeky blighter isn't he? Privateers were pretty much pirates who allied themselves with a country. This meant they got benefits and protection. The golden age of pirates began because countries made peace and laid off many of their extra forces including privateers who had no choice but to resort to pirating.
Camera- Boys, tell them not to do something and guess what they do? This one was fun. I looked up a museum's interactive website on Ancient Chinese tombs. Hu were wine vessels used to offer drinks to the dead in a ritual to honor ancestors. They were kept in pairs. Gui were lidded food vessels used for a similar purpose. I doubt there's two 6-foot slabs of pure jade anywhere in the world, but Chase deserved a bit of luxury for his tomb. Also, I have a similar opinion to Jack. Roy sounds like a cross between a serial killer and a circus ring leader. Hopefully I'm not the only one with a basic knowledge of greek mythology characters (there really was nothing else to read about those three years in Germany as a kid).
Powder- Sequel to Chapter 4 Shipwreck. A bit more history. Apparently the Lenape didn't have a marriage ceremony so I got to use artistic liberty. They do make it a rule to carry names through the wife so Chase is now part of Jack's clan. There are three main clans, but I couldn't bear to put them in the turkey or turtle clan so they got the wolves.
Ark- Indiana Jones reference! According to my dad the first and third movies are the only ones worth watching (this was his opinion before we went and watched the newest one, though. He seemed pretty happy with that one too.)
Wages- Continuation of Involved and Viewing from chapter 4 and 7. And fyi Jack is listening to "It's Not My Time". This is also a shout out to Foxyperv because she loves school-related drabbles and specifically asked for more of this series.
Nail- It's official. Pirate Jack's a flirt. In case anyone's wondering, Jack is captain and hasn't had to deal with mutinies because he's clever and loyal. His men trust him to protect their lives and know that he's clever enough to beat any opponent. Just in case anyone was like "Jack's too uke to be in charge of a bunch of pirates". I went and looked up some ship anatomy so no one would kick me for being politically incorrect. The yard is the horizontal part on the mast, and is used with square sail rigging. Continuation of Infamous and Dedicating.
Per- Continuation of the Whose series.
Protocol- Naughty Chase!
Man, writing He Who Brings Back the Distant One (HWB) really helped my writing block. I really appreciate all the positive feedback, too. I want you guys to know how important it is to me. I've learned a bit about what people look for and what they like in my writing so I've been able to improve a great deal. That's really important because I'm going into college and studying for an English major. So a special thank you to all my readers and especially to reviewers.
One last note. I myself am sometimes way too lazy for my own good, and I refuse to go to the trouble of logging on just to review. I'm sorry. For people who sympathize, I have enabled anonymous reviewing. Please be nice with it, and have a great week.
