Jack grunted a little as he was placed back down on the bed. Master Fung had told them that Jack was most likely just sore from his injuries and hadn't hurt himself further.
"You're an idiot." Chase said.
"I know, I know. You've only told me like ten times in the past minute." Jack wanted to put a pillow over his face, no longer wanting to be scolded.
"I don't like seeing you hurt, alright?" Chase sat himself down on the chair next to the bed.
"You seemed to like it before we got together." Jack muttered.
"I was mostly amused by your reactions." Chase admitted. "Sure, I've been the cause of it a few times, whether it was physically or verbally. But that was because I didn't want to really get to know you, to get attached to you beyond knowing of existence." Chase started playing with his fingers, plucking at the cloth that covered them. "I've already told you about my past mates and I didn't want to risk nor deal with the heartache of losing another one." Jack made sure to stay silent, Chase rarely spoke like this. "Now that we're mates, I refuse to allow you to get hurt and it happened anyways. I feel like a failure since I couldn't prevent it."
"It's me, Chase. I always get hurt to some degree. I'm a clumsy guy." Jack said with a weak laugh, already breaking his attempt to not speak.
"Clumsiness has nothing to do with the reason for your injury. If I would have made you stay behind, Raja and Zelda would have stayed as well and you wouldn't have to almost kill yourself to save Raja." Chase finally looked at Jack. "I love you too much to see you like this."
"You...You..." Jack's face flushed and he struggled to say anything for a moment. "You love me?"
"After everything we've been through, you'd think it'd be obvious." Chase let out a soft chuckle.
"But you've never actually said the words before." Jack protested.
"Do the words have to be said in order for the feeling to be known? I'm sure all of the gestures and all of the other words I have spoken have said those words loud and clear without the actual syllables being formed." Chase took Jack's hand and pressed his lips against the white skin.
"That was romantic as hell." Jack leaned towards Chase.
"I do try every now and then." Chase took his hand and cupped Jack's jaw.
"Sometimes I wish you'd try a little more often."
"Then I wouldn't be me."
"I guess that's true." Jack shrugged before moving forward more and kissing Chase.
"That's going to haunt me for the rest of my life." Raimundo said, his tongue out as he and Clay stood at the open doorway.
"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer, creep." Jack stuck his own tongue out at the two.
"If I wanted-"
"Save your arguin' for the Showdowns. We need to change Jack's bandages or he'll be here longer." Clay juggled the bowl in his hands, the weird looking green goop sloshed around a little.
"Can't blame me for wanting to have a little fun while he's down." Raimundo shrugged, tossing the roll of bandages back and forth between his hands.
"Can we not and say we did?" Jack asked, not the biggest fan of the wet, cold and gross solvent.
"Only if you don't want to get healed and get out of here." Raimundo said.
"But-"
"Settle down partner, the sooner we do this, the sooner it'll be over with for twenty-four hours." Clay went over to the small desk that sat on the other side of Jack's bed and placed the bowl down on top of it. Clay pulled out a pair of scissors from his pants' pocket and started cutting off Jack's bandages.
"Can I tell you something?" Jack asked, watching the blade slice through the cloth and feeling it lightly touch his skin.
"Go ahead, talkin's better than awkward silence and practically hearing your pal's glare on me since I'm touchin' ya." Clay said, giving Chase a quick smirk as he pulled the bandages off.
"It's actually my...'pal', I wanted to talk to you about." Chase stiffened a little at that comment. Why does he need to talk to Clay about him? "You're a stereotypical cowboy, you're from Texas and all, aren't people like that usually against...this?" Jack pointed at himself and Chase while Clay put his hands into the solvent.
"You ever see Brokeback Mountain?" Raimundo started laughing at Jack's facial reaction to Clay's question.
"Brokeback...isn't that the film you said we need-" Chase was cut off by Jack making loud and random noises.
"You've seen it!" Jack yelped from the cold when Clay applied the solvent to his chest.
"No, but Kimi explained what it was when I walked in on her watchin' it." Clay said. "Calm down there, fella, I'm almost done." He added when Case growled at him.
"Someone's a little over-protective." Raimundo chuckled. "I'm just waiting for him to grab Jack and be like 'mine'."
"Don't tempt me." Chase said.
"Could you not?" Jack raised his arms so Raimundo could wrap the bandage around him.
"There, all done. No need to give us the death glare anymore." Raimundo said and walked out of the room.
"Get some rest, relax." Clay said to Jack. "And don't break him before y'all leave." He said to Chase before leaving the room as well.
"How long am I stuck here, again?" Jack asked when they were alone.
"Several days."
"Gross."
x~x~x
"Nani, Niso! I'm back!" Jack called as he, Chase, Wuya, Raja and Zelda entered the lair. Nani went straight for her kits while Niso leaped on Jack, knocking the young man over.
"Off." Chase ordered nd Niso immediately got off of Jack, head lowered in shame from being scolded.
"It's okay, Niso. I just finished healing and Chase is being over-protective." Jack explained as he patted the top of Niso's head.
"Would you rather me not be protective at all?" Chase asked, watching Wuya yawn, stretch and walk off, most likely heading for her bedroom or to get something to eat. She probably didn't sleep while they were at the Temple. Chase didn't either, but he could go for a long time without sleep before actually feeling the true consequences of it.
"I love that you're protective, it makes me feel wanted, truthfully. But I don't want the warriors to get hurt because of it. Hurt everyone else in the world, not the warriors." Jack explained.
"You're supposed to be evil." Chase said.
"I'm evil, not heartless." Jack nudged Chase's side with an elbow. "Sound familiar?"
"Hush. I want to show you something before you get distracted again." Chase started walking off.
"You have something for me? When did you have time to get anything ready?" Jack asked, going after Chase.
"When you were sleeping." Chase stated and lead Jack to an open level, a radio sitting on the edge of the circle.
"Um...what?" Jack heard soft and slow music playing when Chase turned the radio on.
"You said you wanted me to be more romantic." Chase slipped off his armor and gloves, leaving him in his black slacks and long sleeved shirt. The warlord went back over to Jack and held out a hand. "Shall we?"
"I thought you didn't dance?" Jack said.
"I don't." Chase chuckled. Jack smiled and took Chase's hand, putting his other on the older man's shoulder while Chase put his on his waist. Jack almost fell over when Chase took the first step without warning.
"It's weird not being the lead." Jack said as he struggled to follow Chase. He stared at hi feet until he finally got it and looked back up at Chase. "So, what brought this on?"
"I already told you."
"Yeah, but when do you ever actually listen to me?"
"Do I have to make a list?" Chase asked, a brow raised.
"Please, don't. I can't handle any more of your lists." Jack sighed.
"How about this one? When you first fell into my arms, when you managed to trap me, when you used the Reversing Mirror to block and attack aimed for me, when you showed me your blueprints, when I saw your final drawing of me and when you hold my hand, kiss me or say my name."
"What is that a list of?
"Every time I knew that I love you." Jack's entire face went red and he paused, stopping their little dance.
"I...I...Oh, you big softie!" Jack lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Chase's neck and kissing him. Chase placed his other hand on Jack's waist as well and pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss.
"Can I get you guys anything? Some snacks? A condom? Let me know." Wuya said as she walked by, several pieces of fruit in her hands.
"How dare you quote that movie at me." Jack chuckled.
"What movie?" Chase asked.
"You haven't?" Wuya said to Jack.
"Not yet." Jack said back.
"You have to."
"I will."
"Right now?"
"Right now."
"What?" Chase was very confused as Jack grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room, Wuya laughing and following the two.
This might not have been exactly how he thought a relationship with Jack was going to be like, but he would never dream of or ask for anything different.
This was a fun little series. I hope all of you enjoyed Fighting Lessons.
Now, I have at least four different stories planned for this couple, but I'm not sure which one to work on first.
-A more silly one with Chase and Jack working in a factory together.
-A serious one with Jack making a huge mistake and changing his and Chase's lives dramatically.
-A normal(ish) love story with Jack joining the monks and Chase trying to convince him to come back to Heylin (Now in progress)
-A straight up smut with plot
Let me know which one you want to read next. It will most likely come out within the next week or so, maybe sooner or later.
