Torture Jack? Torture Eret at the same time? How was I supposed to pass that up? This is set before Broken. I wanted to show Jack interacting with Thomas and Primrose before I write that anniversary party Rapunzel mentioned in Broken Part I…
In Laws
"When you and Merida get married, you should change your name to DunBroch."
Eret looked over at him, brow raised. "'When'? Don't you mean 'if'? We're not even dating."
Jack rolled his eyes. Merida and Eret could hide behind that "just friends" excuse all they wanted, but the fact they cared about each other as more than friends was so obvious it was almost painful to watch.
"And just because you're happily married doesn't mean the rest of us have to be."
"That's exactly why I know you want to marry her," Jack said.
The line ahead of them moved, and they both stepped forward. Apparently everyone had decided they needed coffee at the same time, because the first Starbucks they had found was in the middle of a rush. But they had already placed their orders, so it was too soon to leave and find one that wasn't so busy. Even if they did have the time to do so. (Which they didn't.)
"So being married makes you an expert in how the rest of us feel?"
"Sure," Jack said, grinning. "I notice you don't deny it."
It was Eret's turn to roll his eyes.
Jack just grinned.
Sometimes he still wished he hadn't let Rapunzel's existence slip to Eret. But sometimes, it was nice having a friend he could talk to honestly. His marriage to Rapunzel had a huge affect on his thought process, and even just who he was. As long as the rest of the team didn't know that, they could never understand them. He liked the others well enough, but it was kind of hard to establish a friendship when he kept such an important part of himself hidden.
"I thought you were old fashioned," Eret said.
"I am," Jack said. "But Eret Eretson? Com'on. What were your parents thinking?"
Eret didn't answer… but the way his eyes shifted, he obviously saw the point.
"Why are you even thinking about this?"
"I think about weird things when I'm sleep deprived."
The door opened before Eret could respond. Jack's head jerked around as a woman with bright pink hair came in.
He exhaled in relief.
"Would you stop that? You've been jumpy since we got off the plane."
"Sorry," Jack muttered.
"What's wrong?"
"I've been in California too many times." It was kind of true. Though not quite for the reasons Eret would think. "This source of yours better be on the level."
He had been just about to head home, after three and a half weeks away from Rapunzel. But while he had been throwing things in his backpack, Eret had come in and asked him to back him up withle he met with a source.
Jack had scowled, but agreed. Mostly because he knew it was what Rapunzel would want him to do. As had been confirmed when her response to his text had been encouraging.
Since this wasn't technically an assignment, they had taken a commercial, overnight flight. Neither had gotten much sleep, hence why they were stopping at Starbucks before the arranged meeting.
And lack of sleep tended to make Jack paranoid.
Eret started to respond, but a barista called out their orders.
Jack grabbed his mint chocolate chip Frappuchino (extra whipped cream), while Eret took his iced coffee, and they headed back outside. To the horrific heat that was Southern California in late July. Not Jack's favorite environment by any stretch of the imagination.
Their rental car was in the closest parking spot they had been able to find… which was almost two hundred feet from the Starbucks door. All the spaces directly at the walkway had been taken, so they had to cross the asphalt (dodging a Mercedes that screeched around the corner).
Jack was seriously thinking about taking off his leather jacket – which he almost never did when he wasn't at home, or in the GUARDIAN gym. Right now, he didn't care how cool it looked, or that it was his mental armor. His dark blue tshirt clung to his back and chest as the heat alone caused him to sweat. He really hoped they wouldn't end up running. He would probably get heatstroke.
His powers wanted to flare, to bring his body temperature back down to his usual sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping them in check was starting to cause a dull stress headache at the base of his skull.
"Jackson?"
He froze with his fingers curled around the handle of the passenger door on the rented Lexus.
No. No, no, no. They weren't even in the right part of LA.! This should not be happening.
But he knew that voice. It wasn't the same as Rapunzel's. But it was similar enough that he could never fail to recognize it.
Eret looked at him over the roof og the car, a silent question of whether or not he should be on guard.
With a sigh, and a shake of his head, Jack turned towards the voice. Just as Primrose Corona reached him. Followed by her husband. Of course.
"Hey," he greeted, trying not to let his frustration show.
Primrose he could handle. Whatever her opinion of him, she was too polite to let it show. Thomas, though… how well he and Thomas could pretend to get along basically depended on how close Rapunzel was to them. If she was in the same room, they could be civil (most of the time). If she was in the same building, or at least the city, they were okay. But right now, Rapunzel was pretty much on the other side of the country.
Jack had no problem with his father-in-law. He just knew that the man had serious issues with him. For which he didn't blame Thomas one bit.
He really didn't have the energy for this.
Why couldn't they have ignored him? Why did they have to be so polite?
"What are you doing in California?" Primrose asked.
"Work," he said.
"I just spoke with Rapunzel last night – she didn't mention you would be in the area."
"I just came up last night," he said. "I'm just in town for the day."
"Jack." Eret came around the car. To some it might look casual, but Jack recognized that this was his friend coming to his aid in a fight. A fight Eret might not understand, but that he still recognized as a fight.
"Oh. Eret, these are my wife's parents: Thomas and Primrose Corona."
He said a silent prayer of gratitude that Eret was the one who knew the whole situation, so this didn't become as awkward as it could have been.
"Hi." Eret reached forward to shake Thomas's hand, every bit the proper professional of their cover. "I'm Eret DubBroch—Eretson!" He actually looked horrified at his slip. And the sudden change startled the Coronas. "Eret Eretson"
Jack quirked an eyebrow, starting to smirk as he watched Eret's face start to turn bright red.
"Did you just—"
"Shut up," Eret muttered. "Just shut it."
The Coronas watched the exchange with obvious confusion.
"Sorry," Jack grinned. "We were talking about his girlfriend's name a minute ago."
"She's not my girlfriend." It came out strangled.
"Keep telling yourself that."
"I hate you."
"You work for Lunanoff Corporation then, Eret?" Thomas asked.
Eret nodded. "Jack and I work together in PR."
And if anyone called Lunanoff Corporation to check that cover story, the receptionist would confirm it. Tsar Lunar operated the GUARDIANS under the cover of his business, and every agent had a cover.
"We actually have an appointment to get to," Eret said. "If you'll excuse us."
"Of course." If Thomas' expression was any indication, he was wishing his wife hadn't called out to Jack at all.
"Yeah," Jack nodded. "Have a good day."
"You too, Jackson," Primrose said.
He was thoroughly relieved when they turned away, and he finally pulled open the car door. As soon as he was inside, drink in the cup holder, he buried his face in his hands, trying to gather his thoughts.
The driver's door opened, and he heard Eret slide it.
"Well, that was a disaster."
Jack grunted something in response.
"They really don't like you."
Jack shook his head.
"What did you do?"
Jack exhaled. "I eloped with their daughter, and made her live in the woods on the other side of the country while I travel all over the world for work."
"I can see why they're annoyed."
"So can I," Jack admitted, running his hands through his hair. "I'm not sure they'd like the truth any better, though."
He took a long drink of his Frappuchino. It cooled his mouth, the sweet taste coating his tongue. But didn't do much for his general state.
"Hang on." With an exhale that drained his lungs, he let go of his powers. He couldn't hold them back anymore.
The sweat on his back and chest froze instantly, frost spreading over the door, and up the window.
"Sorry," he muttered, when Eret shivered at the sudden change in temperature.
"Who needs air conditioning?"
"Don't we have an appointment?" Jack said, looking over with something close to a glare. "Let's get this over with."