Bahahaha! I was kind of going for the creep out factor. Peter was a little creeped out too (as you'll see at the end) but really, the problem is the definition of the word. To Danny, it isn't blood, it's a warrior bond. The wording is unfortunate but he doesn't see it the way Peter does.
Apologies but I'm still going to be splitting them apart. *sad face* See, Danny seems pretty adamant on the whole 'forever' deal when he leaves. He's going to be gone for at least twenty years before he gets to see Peter again as his home and people mean so much to him. Yes he loves Peter but that isn't enough for him to stay and allow K'un L'un to fall. They both have obligations and commitments that pull them in different directions. The drama is kind of what I'm going for. Their reunion is going to be cute, awkward and fun to write at the same time. I can't wait!
Same warnings guys, you know the drill. M for Mature, boys loving boys.
I own nothing.
The crowd roared, cheering for Scorpion. They seemed one entity with the force of their cries.
"Don't take it personally. You're a…" Danny reassured softly, almost drown out by the cheering crowds.
"Infidel?" Peter slumped, feeling rather unloved. "Yeah, got it."
"First you taint our ceremony, now you taint our traditions?" The Scorpion bit out as he approached quickly, only stopping when he was a foot away from Spiderman. "Your suit is offensive!"
"So is your breath but do I complain? No," He made a negative motion with his hand, tone obviously sarcastic, "Because 'I' am polite."
Danny rolled his eyes, fighting not to laugh in such a serious situation and Scorpion turned on his heel, walking away to crouch at the starting line. Spiderman moved to the line as well and readied himself.
The elder monk stepped forward and clasped his hands together beneath his sleeves.
"Warriors, remember that the Return to Shao Lao exposes the heart of any man through both physical and mystical trials. May you face them all with honor and courage."
The gong sounded and they both rushed off, racing for the stairs up the mountain.
"One side, one side! Let a spider through!" Peter flipped over him and continued on up the stairs, earning an angry growl from the other teen. "Woo hoo! Yeah!" He cried out as he slid down the other side, right into a clearing with a group of men wearing Danny's dragon on their chests.
"Spi-der! Spi-der! Spi-der!" They chanted, waving their arms about.
"What? For me? Now this is what I'm talking about!" Peter grinned, running over to help them cheer him on. He slapped some fives, did a few chest bumps and busted out some moves before his guilt set in.
This is no game. Remember, arrogance comes before the fall. Peter's brain helpfully reminded him in Danny's voice.
Before he even had time to feel bad, he was sinking quickly into the ground.
"Uh… A little help here? Guys?" He called out, only to watch the men dissipate into thin air. "Oh." He blinked. "So the mystical challenges are like illusions. Could have mentioned that little detail Sensei Danny." He muttered, even as he was pulled completely under.
The Scorpion passed, smirking as he ran around the pit of quicksand without a backward glance. Peter managed to loosen one arm and attach a web to the closest tree, enabling him to pull himself out. He crawled out of the pit and shook off the sand wearily, having used a lot of his strength to pull. He allowed himself a moment to breath before pushing on again, racing faster than he had before.
There's no way I'm letting Danny lose because I was too busy preening. He pushed himself harder and soon came to a huge pit filled with long poles standing on end, letting out a small 'eek' as he slid to a stop. "Looks like a long way down…" He gulped.
His Spider Sense hit him suddenly and he allowed his body to do what it did best, get itself out of trouble. The reflexes that came with his Spider Sense tended to be faster and more unpredictable than any move he could think of. He ducked under the blade that came his way and dodged the fist that followed, leaping out onto a pole. Scorpion followed, pressing his attack.
"You're fast!" Peter mockingly praised the teen as he did a few handsprings to get away. "Not in the head or anything but still. Wow!"
The comment elicited another growl and a blade aimed straight for his face. Peter caught it this time, thanking his Spider Sense profusely. This place really did something to his extra sense and he liked it.
"Ooh, I caught it! And that's not grape jelly is it?"
Angered even more, Scorpion pressed forward again, using sweeping kicks to try and knock him off balance. After a few dodges, he managed to send Peter flying with a multiple kick attack. He grasped the first pole he could for dear life and breathed a sigh of relief even as the move played itself back in his mind.
"You're the ninja on the bridge!" He pulled himself up on the pole. "You were trying to keep Danny from coming home!"
"Ninja? Only you would dare use so insufficient a term to describe a K'un L'un warrior!" Scorpion retorted, obviously annoyed.
He felt his jaw drop. "That is the longest way of saying 'yes' that I've ever… agh!" The teen looked down to see a giant snake coiling up the pole and around his legs. "Uh, I have a snake on me!"
"A final embrace before you leave this world and I take K'un L'un." The man turned and continued on his way to the goal.
"I'm starting to hate Kung-Fu!" Peter groaned as the snake constricted tighter and tighter. No! "Danny… needs me…"
The blonde's voice replayed in his mind. Patience takes practice and practice makes perfect. The spirit of a K'un L'un warrior beats in you.
"Stay cool." He breathed out slowly. "Focus… be still. Be calm." He released the rest of his breath as the snake practically melted away. "Deadly snake finger trap?" He whine as he looked around to be sure it was gone before running after Scorpion. "Not cool!"
He pushed himself harder than ever, closing the distance quickly.
"What do you get for the K'un L'un-atic who wants everything?" He quipped, surprising the other warrior from behind with a fist in his face. "A K'un-uckle sandwich. Sorry I couldn't work L'un into that one. You know, nearly getting snaked and all." He jerked his thumb behind him.
"You may be more skilled than I gave you credit for..." Scorpion grudgingly admitted as he stood back up.
"Why does everyone say that with such a surprised tone?" Peter pouted before being attacked yet again. He fell to the snow, aching from each blow.
"The crown!"
"No!" He tried to get up but his head was pushed into the snow again as Scorpion stepped on him.
"It's mine! You are exactly the failure I expected as I cross the finish line first!" The man ran through the ribbon and picked up the crown, a sadistic smile on his face. "No different than the golden haired outsider who would dare be king."
Peter stared, frustrated and helpless, as the man put the crown on his head.
"Danny… I'm sorry… I let you down." His heart dropped into his stomach, making him feel ill.
"Instead, a true son of K'un L'un will rule them all!" Scorpion placed the crown on his head and held his arms up, congratulating himself and accepting the cheers only he could hear.
"Wait!" Peter called out, knowing it was hopeless. "You can't let your pride lead you!"
Coins began to fall from the sky over the other man, covering him quickly until he could no longer move.
"What is happening?"
"You need to stay calm! Be patient!" Peter warned, moving closer.
"Help me! I can't breathe!" The man panicked, doing the exact opposite of what he'd said.
"That's it! The real finish line!" The brunet looked past the pile of coins and struggling warrior, running to the side and webbing his way around the obstacle.
"Help me! Please! Help!" The pleas cut off with a gasp for air.
Peter turned back, frowning. I really don't like him… but I can't just leave him. Gotta love being a hero… He back flipped into the pile of coins and jumped back out with Scorpion, slightly surprised at how easy it had been. I guess the illusion is for him and not me.
"You have to learn to Zen out more dude. For reals." Peter admonished sarcastically.
"ARGH!" Scorpion yelled as he pushed himself away from his savior and sending his blade to wrap around his ankle. "How dare you touch me?"
"Agh!" Peter yelped as he was dragged by his foot off the side of the mountain. "Someone never learned to say 'thank you' in ninja grade school!" He shot a web back to the top and swung himself up only to see Scorpion sitting on the throne.
"I win! I am king! K'un L'un is mine." The last part was spoken in a deadly growl.
"No!" He yelled back. "Iron Fist deserves that throne!"
"The contest is over my friend." Danny's soft voice interrupted his train of thought.
"But Danny!" Peter protested, putting his hands up in an attempt to explain. His left hand was grabbed by Danny's sensei and raised into the air above their heads.
"The Return of Shao Lao goes to the warrior Iron Fist by proxy of his honorable champion the Spider!"
"No! I crossed the finish line! I claimed the throne! I am king!" He sounds dangerously close to having a temper tantrum…
"This was not a battle of physical or combative skills. Shao Lao reveals the true heart of a man. With honor comes victory." The sensei replied calmly, turning to Spiderman. "We misjudged you Spider. It appears that you could teach us a thing or two about humility… and honor." He turned to Danny as the blond approached, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You chose wisely, like a king must."
"This is not right!" Scorpion growled.
"Brother, calm yourself." The blond suggested softly.
"You're worse than this impure outsider scum. You left paradise! You left us!" He bit out as he lashed out at the blond, sending him towards the edge of the mountain. "You left me!"
Scorpion threw his knife to set him off balance, causing Danny to bend backwards to avoid it and pushing him further back. The blond almost fell but grabbed the knife as it was pulled back to its master, allowing it to pull him back onto even ground.
"You think you can just come back and rule us? You're tainted!" The black and green clad warrior pressed his attack, trying to keep Danny off balance.
The blond avoided each attack as though he was perfectly at ease, easily landing a kick square on his opponent's jaw and sending him careening to the snow. The man got back up, growling.
"I left on a quest for knowledge to better myself." Danny replied calmly to the accusations. "You stayed, brewing in anger and spite. That's why you attacked me in New York."
"You knew he was the ninja?" Peter asked from the sidelines, slightly miffed. Took me a while to see it…
"Of course I did. We trained together for years. But I'd hoped he'd see the error of his ways before it came to this. If anyone has dishonored K'un L'un, it's you Scorpion." Danny took his stance.
The man howled with rage, throwing his knife again, only to be stopped by Danny's Iron Fist. The knife crumbled and he looked on in shock.
"Two Iron Fists?" Peter gaped; glad his mask was covering his expression.
"K'un L'un rewards the worthy. He truly is the one." The sensei replied, looking on at his student with a pleased smile as he took down the other warrior with a few well-placed blows.
"Please… mercy! I was blind!" Scorpion begged, anger and desperation mixed in his voice.
"Yes, you were. You have much to learn." The monk looked down at the fallen warrior. "And I sincerely hope you do. In exile."
"Wait… when did you get your eyesight back?" Peter asked, turning his back on the bit of drama going on.
"Before the race. But I did not need eyes to see that I had picked an honorable champion." Danny smiled at him.
"So… I'm like… the chosen one?" He grinned behind the mask.
"Let's not push it…" His friend grinned wryly back and all felt right in the world. Until he remembered why he'd done this in the first place.
"So… yeah…" Peter started awkwardly, feeling the tension between them like it was a thick mist. "Talk about a Kung-Fu adventure…"
"I just call it life." Danny replied, chewing on his lower lip.
"Have fun." He turned away slightly, wanting to avoid the look on Danny's face. "You know, ruling the kingdom and all…" He didn't expect the sudden hug. The blond squeezed him tight, expression heartbroken. For once, Peter didn't have anything to say. He just hugged back.
"Daniel." The sensei interrupted their goodbye. "We were thinking…" Danny dropped Peter and turned to his sensei. "If more outsiders were like your friend… Perhaps all of K'un L'un would benefit from their leader walking among them. At least for one more year."
"One year…" Danny smiled brightly as he bowed, almost not believing what he was hearing. "And I will return to take the mantle I have so graciously been given. Thank you, Master."
"Sweet!" Peter felt relief flood through him as he picked up Danny and moved him to the side, feeling rather possessive, and offering his fist to the sensei. The blond paused, knowing he should probably stop his lover right there... "Lay one on me Sensei Shortstuff!"
He was knocked through the doors and out onto the snow before he could even blink, Danny racing after him, undecided between amusement and admonishment.
"Ow…"
"Peter, it's the middle of the night! Where were you? I was so worried!" Aunt May cried as he walked in the door, Danny by his side. She'd obviously been pacing, the house phone in her hand.
"I… I'm sorry Aunt May…" He replied, happy expression deflating quickly. They'd called SHIELD before the flight back but it had completely slipped his mind to call his aunt. "I…"
"It's my fault Aunt May." Danny stepped up, grabbing Peter's hand in support. "My family showed up and I didn't explain anything before leaving with them. Peter just followed me to make sure I was okay." He looked down at the floor. "If I had told him what was happening…"
"I still would have followed you." The brunet retorted crossly, folding his arms over his chest. "I should have called and said something… sorry for worrying you Aunt May."
The older woman looked between the two, blinking a few times before crossing her arms and looking pointedly at their clasped hands.
"And how long has this been going on? Hmmm?" She hid a smile at their slightly panicked expressions. "Oh don't worry boys. I suspected something was going on. Wish you'd have told me a long time ago though! You two are so cute!"
"Oh… well… We're an item?" Peter shrugged awkwardly, looking to Danny. "For another year at least. Danny has to leave… and take over the family business." He finished lamely.
"What?" Aunt May's expression plummeted. "That's so sad!"
"I have a duty to my family." The blond replied sadly. "Though it saddens me to have to leave so soon."
The older woman dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve before pulling both boys into a hug.
"Oh… you poor boys. Well, it's not forever at least right?" She stepped back, a small smile on her lips.
"Yeah…" They both said, looking at each other and then away again.
"Well, you two get up to bed. It's been a long night. Peter, you and I will talk more tomorrow after we've both had some sleep." She shooed them up the stairs tiredly.
"Yes, Aunt May." Peter nodded and headed up the stairs, Danny right behind him and both completely silent.
Once behind his closed door, they both stripped to their underwear and sat on the bed beside each other, feet on the floor.
"You must be angry with me." Danny's voice was soft.
"To say the least, yeah." Peter braced his elbows on his knees, turning his head to face the blond. "I didn't get mad earlier because I thought I'd never see you again."
"I'm sorry…" The blond clasped his hands in his lap, looking down at them.
"I'm not sure I'm okay with that just yet." He replied honestly. "I thought we were supposed to be honest with each other."
"Yes." Danny nodded, accepting his lover's ire. "I should have told you. I didn't want to admit to myself that time was running short… and then this all happened." He turned his head to meet Peter's eyes. "If you hadn't come though…"
"You'd have been fine, kicking Scorpion's ass all over K'un L'un." Peter interrupted. "I guess… I just feel a bit redundant."
"I promise I'll do whatever I can to fix that. There's no one else more important to me right now." The blond replied earnestly. "I… love you Peter. Back on the bridge, when I realized I'd never see you again…" He looked away, a light blush staining his cheeks. "And everything you went through for me…"
Peter's jaw dropped, not having expected the confession at all. I know I don't want to be without him… is that love?
"I… I'm not sure I know how I feel." He put his hand in his lover's to stall the look of rejection he saw coming. "But I know that I want to find out."
Danny beamed at him, eyes suspiciously glossy. He released the hand to wrap his arms around the blond to pull him backwards towards the pillows. After a few awkward seconds, they were able to get under the covers and into a comfortable position for sleeping. Peter savored the feeling of his lover behind him, still reeling a little from the day's events. He'd had his mind blown so many times on his little journey to Danny's home… Speaking of which…
"Did it have to be Scorpion?" He whined plaintively.
The blond sighed, propping himself up on his elbow. "Really?"
"What? It's just… the whole 'brother' thing…" Peter shrugged, turning his head to face the blond. "It's a little creepy."
"We're not blood, I told you that. We were raised as monks together. There is nothing barring anyone from sexual contact. It's actually the best way to open up all of your chakras at once." He rolled his eyes with a small smile.
"Oh." Peter blushed, laying his head back down. "Okay then. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Danny placed a kiss on the back of his neck and lay back down, putting an arm over Peter's ribs and pulling him close.
So! Not the longest chapter but it's over three thousand words. Sorry there's no sexy time! Hope you liked it!
Time for a bit of a treat!
This is a small snippet from the first chapter of the Sam/Peter story that I'm thinking of calling 'Evolution'. Background details are as follows: Peter joined the Avengers at the end of Danny's year. It's been five years since he left. He's helping Black Widow with undercover work. As a stripper *grin*.
It's still a major work in progress but I really needed to write out some of the ideas I was getting.
Evolution
Peter felt his heart jump into his throat momentarily but didn't stop moving as his eyes met a pair he hadn't seen in five years. Natasha is obviously fucking with me, sending Sam of all people to be my contact in this sort of situation. He knew she hadn't given up on the matchmaking but this was ridiculous. He'd been undercover for over a year to help her with this mission and could have completely blown it the moment he saw Sam. Luckily, I'm not the little kid I used to be. Joining the Avengers after Danny left was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he moved his way over, closer to the other man, keeping eye contact as he slowly removed his jacket to reveal his bare chest. He could see Sam swallow thickly, cheeks blazing red in his embarrassment.
Well good. If I have to do this at least we're both uncomfortable. He thought, somewhat uncharitably. That's what he gets for taking off without warning and not staying in contact with anyone.
Peter allowed his smirk to show, enjoying this small one up over the other brunet, as he made a rather provocative move with his hips to shed the loose pants he'd been wearing. He'd missed their arguments almost as much as he was still angry at the other man for disappearing.
With his clothes dwindling fast, he sauntered up to the center of the stage where a pole was now rising. The second it clicked into the roof, he was on it, spinning in ways that might make anyone else dizzy and showing off his honed gymnast physique. With his super strength and special Black Widow training it was rather easy to make the whole routine look effortless. The effect on the crowd was obviously positive as they cheered him on but Sam just looked like he'd been sucker punched.