Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown nor any of its characters, nor do I make any profit or attempt to with the writing of this or any of my other pieces.
Warning: Homosexuality, mild violence, mentions of death, and slight gore. Don't worry, guys, it's not as gory as it sounds. XD
Jack wearily blinked his eyes open and tried to move. He froze when he realized that something was holding him down. He visibly relaxed when he saw that Chase's strong arm curled protectively around his waist.
As before, Chase was already awake. When Jack awoke, the redhead freaked out some at his master holding him, but when Jack calmed down, Chase smiled. "Good morning, Jack," he murmured, kissing the goth's ear. "How did you sleep?"
Jack chuckled lightly, "Great. You?" he asked, placing his hand on Chase's.
"Excellent, since I had you by my side." Chase butterfly-kissed Jack's cheek. "Any dreams?"
"Ehh, not really," Jack answered with a small smile, "Normally when things are going good for me, I don't have dreams and even if I do, I don't remember them."
"I've had...really weird, really vivid dreams." Chase frowned. "I once had a dream that I swapped bodies with a hobo in Los Angeles."
Jack slowly turned his head around to stare wide-eyed at his lover for a moment. Then, his smile broadened. "I can top that. I once had a dream that I was the States 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, and I was shot in that theater. The really weird part is that everyone was speakin' Russian for some reason."
"I can top that," Chase said with a grin. "I had a dream that I was a dinosaur terrorizing London, but for some reason I got stuck in a tar pit where Buckingham Palace is supposed to be."
Jack chuckled loudly. "Oh, yeah? One time, I dreamed that I was a pen."
"You...you were a pen, Jack?" Chase looked flabbergasted.
"Yeah, the kind you write with," Jack answered, "I saw the world through the eyes of a pen. In the dreams case, I had eyes." He paused. "It was very disturbing."
"That's...really weird. What kind of people used you to write?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Dunno, but it was in some sort of English class. The next morning, I woke up with a killer headache." Jack explained.
"Too much use, perhaps?" Chase raised an eyebrow and gently petted Jack's head.
"Yep, then, at one point, the ink ran out and the person started shakin' me," Jack said with a shiver. "This is why I like it when things are goin' well. I don't have to deal with freaky alternate realities."
Chase shuddered. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Jack..." He kissed Jack's hairline softly.
Jack closed his eyes and smiled. "What can I say? My imagination runs a little wild. However, things are going well now, so I won't have any of those weird dreams."
"Good, that's good." Chase smiled. "Are you going to have good dreams now?"
"Not sure," Jack replied, shifting a bit in the bed to get more comfortable, "Like I said, I probably won't even remember my dreams or I just won't have any. Better than havin' nightmares though."
"Of course, I understand~" Chase kissed Jack's forehead. "So, what would you like to do: lie in bed for a few more minutes...or hours," he added the last part with a chuckle. "Or would you like to get up and procure breakfast?"
"I think I'm gonna go with Option B. Breakfast sounds great." Jack answered.
"All right." Chase stretched, sitting up. "Is there anything in particular that you'd like?"
"Scrambled eggs and sausage," the teen replied immediately as he sat up as well.
"Good, good~" Chase got out of bed and started doing a few stretches. "You can go ahead and shower first, if you'd like."
"Cool, thanks," the red-head said, hopping out if the bed, "Where's your shower?"
"Mmph." While going through the sun salutation sequence, Chase looked up and pointed to a door off to the side. "It's there."
Jack practically skipped off in the direction, entering the bathroom. Towels were already set off to the side, so he quickly removed his clothes once the shower was turned on. The youth waited until the shower was at the right temperature before stepping in.
With a deep breath, Chase finished his sun salutations, dropping smoothly to a pigeon pose, breathing in time to the running water in the bathroom. Breathe in...breathe out... Chase kept his forehead to the floor, focusing on the sounds of his breathing.
Jack stood underneath the showerhead, breathing in the cooling steam. He silently reflected on his current situation. He knew that his training would take time, but he was confident that Chase knew what he was getting himself into. The sooner his abilities improved, the sooner he could show those Xiaolin losers and those other idiot Heylin his true power.
Once Jack had shampooed his hair and cleaned himself fully, he stepped out of the shower, turning the water off as he did so. He quickly wrapped towels around his body and crept back into Chase's bedroom.
Chase was so focused on his breathing that he didn't even notice the water turning off, or Jack entering the room.
The boy was quiet so as not to disturb his master, moving over to search in one of the drawers for clothes. He eventually found another pair of pants and a shirt.
Chase didn't notice Jack until he stood up to perform the next pose. "...Oh! Jack, you're done." He straightened out. "You were so quiet, and I was so focused, I didn't hear you."
Jack turned around, pulling his pants up. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."
"No, you didn't startle me. It's fine." Chase leaned over to give Jack a kiss. "Was the water temperature all right?" Even though he had been living there for centuries, Chase still did battle with the water temperatures in his volcano fortress.
"It was nice," Jack replied, sitting down on the bed to pull his shirt on. "What was that you were doin'? Yoga?"
"Yes, contrary to popular belief, yoga isn't just some soccer mom exercise. It clears your mind, relaxes your muscles, and increases flexibility," Chase said. "Perhaps we shall do some in our training."
"Awesome," Jack responded, "What else are we gonna do today?"
"Hmm, I was thinking about checking up on the Xiaolin monks and seeing what havoc we could cause~" Chase purred.
"Oooh, that sounds like fun," Jack giggled with evil glee. "Can I blow something up when we go there?"
"But of course, my beloved Gremlin~" Chase cooed, nuzzling Jack. "Just let me shower and we'll be off~"
Jack stifled a giggle at Chase's new nickname for him, finding it strangely fitting. "I'm gonna go downstairs and eat, if you don't mind," he said, already turning around and heading out the door.
"I don't mind at all." Chase smiled. "There's plenty of food in the kitchen; go ahead and start. I'll be there in a few moments." He picked out some clothes before starting off to the shower.
As he left, Jack watched Chase for a moment more, smiling contentedly. Then, he headed down to the kitchen to satisfy his stomach.
The water was just as comfortable as Jack had said it was, and Chase quite enjoyed his shower, humming to himself softly as the water ran down his back and chest.
Jack fished around in the fridge, eventually finding eggs and some sausage and proceeded to make his breakfast. Luckily, it was one of the few things he knew how to make.
Although he would've liked to stay in the shower for hours, Chase's stomach was growling like the dragon he was, and he got out, towel-drying his hair (he didn't trust hair dryers; they would only damage his hair) before dressing and heading down to the kitchen.
The smell of eggs and sausage made his stomach growl again, and Chase entered the kitchen with a smile. "How's your breakfast, Jack?"
Jack was already seated at the table, scarfing down his food. "I 'ade 'u a pate." he said through mouthfuls of food, gesturing to a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage from across the other end of the table.
Chase chuckled; Jack sounded adorable through his food. "Thank you, Jack, it looks delicious." Chase took his seat and began eating.
"Maybe after we pay our little visit to the monks, we can get some stuff for my lab." Jack replied, finishing up his breakfast.
"All right, that's doable." Chase swallowed his food. "Anything else?"
"Don't think so," Jack said, picking up his plate and heading over to the dishwasher.
"All right." Chase finished his own plate before taking it to the dishwasher as well. "Shall we be off?"
"Yep," Jack said with excitement, "I just want to change first."
"All right." Chase gave Jack a quick kiss. "I will meet you in the citadel, and from there we shall leave."
Jack smiled back at his master before running off to get dressed.
With a smile back at Jack, Chase headed to the citadel. The citadel was made with lighter blue and white stones, giving it an aesthetic, calming glow. Chase often meditated in the citadel, but today, he simply waited for Jack to return, leaning against one of the pillars with a smile.
Jack felt much more complete in his black pants and trench-coat. He pulled his traditional goggles back over his head, as he walked down the long hallway to find Chase. Chase patiently waited for Jack in the citadel, checking his watch every now and again. Jack found his master immediately and stepped up next to him. He tapped his shoulder lightly to get his attention.
Chase smiled, his shoulder twitching slightly as Jack tapped it. "There. You look very much a traditional villain, Jack." He kissed Jack softly. "Are you ready to go?"
Jack kissed back softly. "Thanks, and yeah, I'm ready."
Chase nodded. "Good. We're going to teleport there in order to save energy. Do you think you can make the trip?" Chase remembered the first time he teleported with Jack, and the goth genius didn't take it very well.
"I think I'll be okay this time," Jack assured him, latching under the elder man's arm, just in case he wasn't.
"Okay." Nodding, Chase took Jack's other arm firmly. "Ready?"
Jack nodded without hesitation, mentally preparing himself. Magic crackled in the air around them, expanding and increasing as Chase prepared the spell. The air suddenly contracted, and they were whisked away to the Xiaolin temple, appearing just outside the temple's borders. Jack felt a little dizzy, but was able to stay on his feet.
"Are we here?" he asked, since his eyes were shut tightly.
"Yes, we're here." Chase held him steady. "Just outside the border of the temple."
"Sweet," Jack said, blinking his eyes open to see the temple. "This is gonna be fun."
"It always is." Chase grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Ready to get started?"
Jack grinned devilishly and rubbed his hands together as he nodded. Taking Jack's arm, Chase went down the hill to the temple.
"All seems quiet," he said with a chuckle.
"Far too quiet," Jack agreed, "I think something needs to be done about that, don't you?"
"I agree." Chase chuckled. "Let's go down there and do something about that, shall we?"
Jack snickered, trying to hold in his evil glee, as they approached the temple. Soon, the two Heylin men stood beside the temple, listening for any sound of the denizens that lived there.
"What do you wanna do?" Jack asked Chase, still grinning.
"Hm..." Chase listened quietly to the goings-on of the temple. "I don't hear anything yet. I think we've arrived early, everyone must still be asleep." Smirking, he turned to Jack. "Should we...give them a nice, rude wake-up call?"
"Capital suggestion, my love," Jack approved in a weird accent for no apparent reason, "I know where they sleep. C'mon."
Chase chuckled, following Jack to the sleeping quarters. "What's with the accent?" He whispered.
Jack hesitated before he answered. "I'm a very strange person," he said nonchalantly, "Sometimes I say and do weird things. After living alone for so long, I think I went just a bit crazy. It's best to ignore it." They arrived immediately outside the monks bed-chambers.
"I think it's charming~" Chase whispered, toying with some strands of Jack's hair. "Now..." He turned his attention back to the snoozing monks.
Jack blushed a smidge at Chase's sweet comment, but turned his attention towards the sleeping warriors as well. "Awww, don't they look so peaceful when they're asleep?"
"So peaceful...When they're sleeping, that is." Chase grimaced. "Peace bothers me, especially when it has to deal with the monks."
"Then, we shall change that," Jack decided, stalking across the room to where an immeasurably sized gong was hanging. He picked up a nearby stick and grinned evilly. "Time for revenge."
"Excellent~" Chase rubbed his hands together evilly. "Do it."
Jack's grin broadened and he shut his eyes and swung.
The gong sound was almost deafening.
Chase flinched at the sound, reaching up to cover his ears. "I probably should've done that first..." But it was a small price to pay to see all the monks falling out of their beds and yelling.
Jack began cackling like a madman, as the monks began to rack their brains to focus on their current situation. Kimiko was the first to speak.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" she shouted angrily, pointing at them.
"Because why the fuck not?" Chase chuckled at the Dragon of Fire. "We're Heylin, we don't need rules."
This crude statement only made Jack laugh even harder. Kimiko scowled angrily at him. Raimundo stepped forward until he was face-to-face with the dragon man.
"You'd better leave, man, or we'll whup you and your pathetic apprentice's ass. There's four of us and only two of you." he growled.
"In case you have forgotten, Dragon of Wind, one of me equals about ten or twenty of you," Chase snorted. "So your threat is as empty as your head."
Raimundo growled fiercely, his face turning red, as his hands balled up into fists at his sides. "Alright, that's it," he said, before he lunged himself at Chase.
"Hmph. Too easy." Chase effortlessly grabbed Raimundo and threw him over his shoulder without a second thought, smirking as Raimundo hit the wall behind Chase with a "CRUNCH!"
"Would anyone else like to try?"
Instinctively, the three remaining monks slipped into their battle poses, eyes narrowed menacingly. By this time Jack had finally ceased his hysterical laughter and grinned at Chase.
"I'll take that as a yes," he commented.
"Very well, then," Chase slipped into his own battle pose, watching the monks for any sudden moves.
Omi lunged himself at Jack, as Kimiko and Clay made for Chase. The two Dragons showed off their signature moves as they tried to take the warlord down, while their comrade kept Jack busy.
"Pitiful," Chase thought, dispatching Kimiko and Clay with ease. Sure, it might be an advantage to attack first and take your opponent by surprise, but when your opponent was Chase Young, it was one of the worst moves you could make.
Chase knew that Omi would go after Jack, and as soon as he saw the bald monk going after the genius, he shifted battle stances. Despite his progress in training, Jack was still no match for Omi.
Jack was surprised by Omi's attack, but quickly dodged the incoming monk and jumped in the air to avoid Omi's incoming kick.
"Impressive," Chase murmured, stepping back to watch Jack and Omi spar. Jack had improved much more than Chase had anticipated...this would be worth watching.
Omi aimed a punch at Jack, but the teen grabbed his fist and twisted his arm, prompting a sharp cry from the youngest monk. Jack smirked and threw him to the side carelessly. He turned his head to see Chase staring at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Oh no, I'm just pleasantly surprised with your progress," Chase crowed. "Very nice." Smiling, he clapped.
Jack grinned dopily at his master's praise and unfortunately did not notice Omi's recovery. The monk was up in an instant and shot out his leg, kicking Jack square in the jaw.
"You still have to work on your hubris, Jack," Chase murmured, dragging Omi away from the goth. "You're getting over confident."
Omi let a battle cry and landed a mighty kick against Chase's lower abdomen, causing him to be released. Jack's head shot up just in time, to see Omi charging towards him. The evil genius dodged Omi's attack and ran quickly behind Chase.
"You may have a point there," the teen said warily, rubbing his injured jaw.
Chase grunted as Omi kicked him in the abdomen, and he dropped the little monk. "Of course," he muttered to Jack, rubbing his abdomen as the genius came over to him, "The same could be said for me."
Omi conjured up his elemental powers crying, "Wudai Neptune, WATER!"
A huge wave of water rushed towards the two Heylin men. Jack let out a shriek of terror and made for the hallway. With a sigh, Chase reached up and murmured a Heylin spell, a shield coming up to protect himself and Jack from the wave. Jack had squeezed his eyes shut awaiting the monstrous wave, but slowly opened them, when nothing hit. He slowly came back to Chase's side as Omi beat against the shield, trying to get through.
"I didn't know you could do that." he confessed, staring at the fascinating shield of magic.
Chase crossed his arms confidently. "Many years have taught me how do master magic. You will learn how to do this eventually."
"I can learn magic, too?" Jack asked, amazed. "I thought you had to be, like, chosen or something to do that."
"Hey, if they can learn magic, so can you." At "they", Chase motioned to the monks, who were picking themselves up off the floor.
Jack hummed thoughtfully at this, briefly picturing himself practicing such wizardry. He internally scoffed at the idea, but decided not to share his feelings with the warlord, lest he be lectured.
"I'm going to the Wu vault," he said offhandedly, as he walked away, momentarily walking on top of Kimiko's body carelessly.
"See if you can find the Serpent's Tail," Chase called.
"Okay," Jack called back. He had absolutely no idea why Chase would want that particular Wu, but shrugged it off, deciding that his master knew best.
Chase meandered around the hall, monitoring the monks and making sure they didn't get up. Jack fished around in the Wu vault, searching for as many useful Wu as he could find. He found the Serpent's Tail, the Golden Tiger Claws, his beloved Monkey Staff, the Ruby of Ramses, the Mind Reader Conch, and the Shadow of Fear. The teen grinned, despite himself.
Meanwhile, back in the temple, Omi raised his head up from the ground to weakly inquire, "Why have you taken Jack Spicer under your wing, Chase Young?"
"Because I see a potential for evil within Jack Spicer that none of the other Heylin do. In the right hands, he could become a powerful villain like myself." He smirked. "He's only been under my tutelage for a few days, and he was able to thwart your attacks quite splendidly. I'm very proud of him."
Chase still didn't want the Xiaolin side to know that he had taken Spicer as a lover yet-he didn't want the monks to use their relationship to their advantage until Jack was stronger. Chase hoped that in a few months or so, depending on Jack's training, that time would come.
Raimundo raised his head up, as well. "Man, Spicer has no clue what he's doing. He's lucky he isn't hurt or worse. You'll eventually throw him off to the side. He'll never survive as a warrior."
Anger bubbled up in Chase's gut, and the Heylin prince morphed into a dragon almost immediately. "Let's see, Pedrosa, you have two options: shut your mouth, or end up in my stomach~ Lao Mang Long isn't the only thing I eat."
Raimundo's green eyes widened with sudden fear and he wisely shut his mouth, as Jack chose that moment to enter the room again. Jack glanced between Chase and the monks curiously. "Is there a problem here?" he asked.
"The monks questioned my authority on taking you in as my apprentice," Chase said, smoothly morphing back to human form. "They don't believe you're capable enough of handling yourself."
Jack shot a look of pure anger at the monks, growling fiercely. He said nothing, but his stare explained his feelings plenty. Jack's cold glare proved that he was no longer a weak-willed child. He was Jack Spicer, Evil Genius, as well as Chase Young's apprentice. Kimiko found herself completely terrified by his gaze.
Chase purred in approval at Jack's growl and glare. "Excellent~" "I think that's all that needs to be said," Chase said with a nod. "Now Jack, are you ready to leave? Or would you rather stay and wreak more havoc?"
"No, I think we bothered them enough," his apprentice answered.
"Then, we shall be off." Wrapping an arm around Jack's shoulder, they teleported back to the evil lair.
Once they were back, Jack barely paid attention to his slight feeling of dizziness. He turned to Chase excitedly. "Did I do well?" he asked the elder man.
Chase nodded, patting Jack on the shoulder approvingly. "You did spectacularly, Jack, and I can only see things going up from here."
"Sweet!" Jack exclaimed, pumping his fist high in the air. His anger had washed away, now he instead felt incredibly content with his master's approval.
Chase chuckled. "However...the difficulty in your training will increase as you move on. Remember, the mind gives up before the body does." He stared sternly at Jack. "Do you think you can handle it?"
Jack nodded eagerly. "I'll try my best," he promised honestly, "I...I may not succeed, but dammit, I won't give up, unless my body does!" Hearing Chase's praise was like music to Jack's ears and he wanted to be able to hear it again.
"Good, that's good." Chase clapped Jack on the shoulder as the slab of stone rose up to their entrance of the volcanic lair.
"Ooh, can we go shopping for the furniture for my new lab?" Jack inquired, remembering their earlier discussion.
"Of course," Chase shrugged. "Speaking of your lab, is there anything else that you need to get for it aside from furniture? Any equipment, tools, et cetera?"
"Oh, definitely. We'll need to go everywhere." Jack replied, pulling a notepad out and began to jot down the many things that he was in need of.
Chase glanced over at Jack's list, already bumping some things down. "You can take that and that off your list," he said, pointing to the items. "Those I already have."
"Neato..." Jack said in typical geeky fashion, already planning out their shopping trip in his head.
Chase snickered at the goth's choice of words. "'Neato', Jack?"
"Shut up!" Jack said playfully shoving Chase, "I'm a geek. I get excited over this stuff."
"Yeah, but using the word 'neato'?" Chase couldn't help but keep chuckling.
Jack punched him in the shoulder. "Jerk," he hissed, but was still smiling, "C'mon, quit laughing and take me shopping!"
Chase shrugged off Jack's blow like it was nothing. "All right, all right. Where to first?"
"The nearest mall!" Jack declared, pointing his index finger in the air. Then, he immediately dropped it and said calmly, "I'm sure we can find most of what I'll need there and then, we can go to the hardware store."
"Very well, then." Chase took Jack's hands as the magic bubbled around them. "To the mall!"
As they teleported, Jack said to Chase, "Y'know I think you should probably change into something more casual. I think we might attract too much attention if people see a guy in armor and I know you hate it when people stare. Can you change by magic?"
"I'm already one step ahead of you." Just as he said it, Chase's clothes started to morph from full-body armor into a dark green sleeveless sweater, black jeans, and black flats. "Is this "normal" enough?" He smirked.
Jack's eyes traveled down Chase's body, looking like they were going to pop out any moment. "Uhh, yeah," he stated, obviously impressed by how the casual clothes fit him.
"Jack? Helloo~?" Chase waved a hand in Jack's face. "Are you there? Earth to Jack! You look like your eyes are about to fall out of your head!"
Jack snapped out of his entranced state, glancing around, realizing that they had arrived at their destination. "S-sorry, it's just, umm..." he shifted from one foot to the other. "You look really nice," he mumbled and grabbed Chase's hand, as he began to walk swiftly through the mall and tried to conceal his blush, so that others couldn't see it.
With a few quick strides, Chase caught up to Jack, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Oh? You like my clothes, do you?" "That's right, Jack hasn't seen me dressed in clothes other than my training gi and my armor. This must be quite a shock to him~"
"Shut up," Jack mumbled, as they walked, his blush now looking quite obvious. "Stop looking so smug."
"Oh?" Chase snickered. "But you seem to like it when I look smug?"
Jack growled at him, but didn't reply. He loved Chase and one of the main reasons he loved him was because the man was such a magnificent bastard. However, it was a two-way street. Chase could be evil towards Jack, as well.
"Jack?" Chase glanced at the genius. "Did I cross a line?" "Is something wrong?"
Jack glanced back at him and slightly rolled his eyes. "You can be so stupid at times," he commented, but tightened his grip on Chase's hand, subtly reassuring the man that he wasn't overly angry, just annoyed. He still knew very little about relationships, but he did know that couples could argue and annoy each other sometimes. However, that didn't mean that they didn't love each other. Jack found himself feeling slightly better that he was just hanging out with Chase. It gave him a chance to learn even more about the man.
Chase frowned slightly. "Yes, I can be." He hadn't had a relationship this steady in decades, so slipping into the not-so-familiar pattern was strange to Chase. Welcome, surely, but still strange. "I'm sorry."
Jack scoffed lightly and squeezed Chase's hand. "It's okay, this stuff is still new to me, too." He said still staring straight ahead, trying to locate the directory. "I'm just bein' oversensitive."
Chase tugged Jack over to the directory. "No, you're not being overly sensitive. It's your first serious relationship; you're allowed a degree of sensitivity. I don't fault you for that." He smiled at Jack, trying to reassure the goth.
Jack smiled back at him. "Thanks. We both have stuff to work on, I guess." The youth turned back to the directory, squeezing Chase's hand back, simply enjoying the fact that he could.
"We'll work it out," Chase said, coming to a stop in front of the directory, squeezing Jack's hand in reply. "Now, what are you looking for here?" He tapped the tower of plastic and directions.
"Anyplace that I can get some strong, sturdy desks and cabinets," Jack answered, scanning the board. "Ooh, that's perfect!" he decided, pointing at one of the names and began to pull Chase in the direction he chose.
Willingly, quietly, Chase went along with Jack, pleased to see that the goth genius was enjoying himself. He smiled.
The two Heylin entered the store, Jack gazing at the different sizes of desks, shelves, tool cabinets, lamps, and so many others. "Ooh, I could use that for my blueprints and that one for sketching. Aww, dude, this one comes in black!" the goth began to babble with excitement.
Chase couldn't help but laugh as Jack darted through the store, pointing at things and exclaiming. His mirth was more out of amusement than teasing-really, it was Jack's enthusiasm that made Chase chuckle. It was infectious.
Jack had practically forgotten that Chase was even there, despite the fact that he was still tightly holding onto his hand. After a few minutes, an employee found them.
"Hello, how can I help you today?" she asked nicely.
"Um, yes. We're looking for some desks?" Chase asked politely-or at least, as politely as a centuries-old evil overlord could be.
"Yeah, ones that are really sturdy, preferably painted black...ohh, and maybe with some of those little hidden drawers in there!" Jack added ecstatically, making gestures with his hands. The girl blinked owlishly at him, but nodded politely. "Of course, please come with me." she said as she began to walk down the aisle.
Chase chuckled as he followed Jack and the employee. "You're very excited, aren't you, Jack?" He tugged on Jack's hand playfully.
"You bet!" Jack answered immediately, glancing back at him. "This is the first time in years that I've gotten new equipment."
The three arrived at a computer, where the sales-girl began typing out what kind of furniture Jack wanted.
"And which one of you gentlemen will be paying for all this?" the employee asked.
Chase glanced at the price of the desks. Being an overlord, he'd amassed enormous wealth to rival even the Spicer family. The price of a work desk, even an elaborate desk such as the one Jack described, was a minute one, barely even registering in his finances. The desk was a necessity, and a very reasonable one, at that.
"I can pay for it," he offered, turning to Jack. "Unless you would like to?"
Chase didn't mind either way: Jack had his money too, unless his parents cut him off. And even then, Chase didn't doubt that the genius had his own funds from his robots and other gadgets.
Jack blinked at Chase, mildly surprised that he had offered to do such a thing. Then again, since he was now officially living with the man, he supposed that it only made sense.
"Sure, if you want to, it's fine with me," Jack said, squeezing his hand and smiling cutely at him.
"All right." Chase nodded. "Have you found the one you like?"
Jack peered over the girl shoulder as she scanned the page. "That one!" he said, pointing at one, "I want at least six of those!"
The girl stared at him, a little shocked at such an order, but nevertheless, began to fix the order up.
Six desks? Chase was surprised, but at more of what Jack said instead of the price. Six thousand desks would barely leave a dent in Chase's finances, but still, he had to poke Jack's side to get his attention. "Six of them?"
"Uh-huh, with my variety of robots, I'm probably gonna have papers, blueprints, models, and who knows what else covering every inch of my desks. Just one isn't gonna cut it." Jack explained with a shrug. "That isn't a problem, is it?"
Ah, so it was a necessary of space! Chase nodded. "It's fine by me, but you must use all of your desks." He chuckled. "I don't want to buy you six desks and have you only use one or two."
"Scout's honor," Jack promised, holding up his hand as the girl drew up the order, "Even though I got kicked out of boy scouts, heh-heh."
Chase chuckled, reminding himself to ask Jack why he got kicked out after they'd left the store. "Very well, then." He signed the order as the girl passed it to him.
"Is there anything else you'll be needing?" the girl asked.
"Some tool cabinets, please. Preferably the same kind as those desks if you got 'em," Jack answered. He leaned over and informed his master, "And don't worry, I'm only gonna need like two of these. Most of the weapons I might use, I'm probably gonna hang on the walls."
"That sounds doable," Chase whispered back as the girl hurried to the back to check.
"Cool," Jack said happily and waited for the girl to return, glancing around, looking bored.
"Is there anything else you're looking for?" Chase asked, looking at some things himself.
"Nah, they got some neat stuff here, but nothing I can't build myself." Jack answered, "I just can't build furniture very well. Especially when working with wood. Wood and I don't get along for some reason."
"Really?" Chase raised an eyebrow, grinning slightly. "Wood is not your friend, I take it?"
"Yeah, I guess metal is more my thing," Jack said with a shrug, "Ever since I got that chunk of wood stuck in my toe, when my mom made me take boy scouts, like I mentioned before, wood I just don't like each other."
"Aw~" Chase stroked Jack's hair. "How's your toe now?"
"I have a bit of a scar there, but it doesn't hurt and you can't really see it. After those jerk-off counselors stole my shoes, I had to walk around barefoot and what do you know? I feel a shooting pain in my foot." Jack explained, leaning his head on Chase's shoulder. "Right after I got out of the emergency room, I exacted my revenge on them."
Chase listened to Jack's story, nodding as the redhead went along before grinning wickedly at the end. "Your revenge, eh? Care to tell me how that went?"
Jack chuckled a bit embarrassed and stated quickly, "I mixed concentrated hydrogen peroxide and a liquid detergent together and when those two jerks snuck off campus, I found them and poured the foam it makes all over them. They managed to spin it that I came at them totally unprovoked and...I got kicked out."
Chase pulled Jack over and kissed him. "Wonderful~! That was a wonderful early start to your evil career~"
Jack scratched the back of his head and began to blush as he muttered, "It only works if you add a saturated sodium iodide solution..." Damn, even when Chase was giving him compliments, he still got all flustered!
"Still, you started out with chemical warfare." Chase chuckled. "That's very impressive."
Jack shrugged with a small smile and mumbled, "Thanks, Chase. I suppose I should get back into things like chemicals. I was always good at formulas and stuff."
At that moment, the employee reappeared, "Sorry the wait was so long. We do have the kind of cabinets you want."
"You're welcome~" Chase rubbed Jack's shoulders as the salesgirl came back with the message. "Excellent. Will they be ready at the same time as the desks?"
The girl nodded with a sweet smile. "Umm, before you both leave, I just have to say that you two make a really cute couple~"
Chase smiled at her. "Why thank-you, miss."
Jack's blush grew even worse and he nodded nervously in agreement.
"You're welcome," the girl replied, "Well, we ordered everything and you should have your supplies by tomorrow."
"Thank-you again." Chase nodded to her, squeezing Jack's hand. "Ready to go?"
Still blushing, Jack nodded and led Chase out of the store.
"Hey, Jack?" Chase frowned. "Is something wrong? You're all red. Do you have a fever?" He placed his hand on Jack's forehead. "You feel a little warm. Do you want to go home to lie down?"
Jack batted Chase's hand away. "I'm-I'm fine, jeez. Just...it's weird having someone say something like that pertaining to me and, y'know, you."
"Oh?" Chase raised an eyebrow. "Are you embarrassed?"
"Oh? Whatever gave you that idea?" Jack growled sarcastically, folding his arms moodily.
"I was merely trying to help," Chase said calmly, trying to defuse the situation.
Jack's anger slowly began to decrease and he looked back at Chase. "I know, I know."
The boy wasn't entirely sure what else to say, silently hating the fact that Chase was almost always right, so, he hugged Chase quickly and rejoined their hands and began pulling him in the direction of the food court.
Chase gave Jack a quick kiss, smiling slightly, happy that everything was more or less smoothed over. "Are you hungry?"
Jack nodded, deciding that it would be best to not actually say anything, since he still had the tendency to run his mouth and didn't want to say anything hurtful to Chase in the heat of the moment...although that kiss did help...
Chase checked his watch. "Well, it is almost noon. What are you hungry for?" He glanced around at the different restaurants in the food court.
Automatically, Jack pulled Chase over to the Subway part, the food he always ordered when he went to the mall. There was no one in line, since it was before the lunch hour so Jack immediately began to order. "I'd like an untoasted foot long meatball sub, Italian bread, please."
Chase waited patiently for Jack to place his order at the restaurant before placing his own. "I'd like a toasted foot long with roast beef, olives, peppers, chicken strips, and mayonnaise."
Once both orders were placed and given to the two men, Jack quickly found them a vacant table to sit and eat. They ate in silence for a few moments, until Jack asked a question clear out of the blue.
"Chase? Could I ask you a personal question?"
Chase smiled. "Of course, Jack."
"If you could go back in time and reject Bean's offer to stay a Xiaolin monk, would you?" the genius asked abruptly, his face serious.
"I wouldn't reject it," Chase said with a sniff. "I may detest that bean, but it was because of the Lao Mang Long that I am who I am today. I just wish he gave me the recipe and let me make it on my own." he muttered.
Jack made a thoughtful noise and resumed eating.
"Is your food good?" Chase asked between bites.
Jack nodded. "How's yours?"
"Pretty good, though I have to admit..." Chase inspected his sandwich. "I've never had Subway before."
Jack glanced up at him, surprised. "Never? I thought you were Mr. 'I've been everywhere and done everything'." he commented.
Chase shrugged. "Well, for the longest time, being an overlord came first. I didn't 'stop and smell the flowers', so to speak-I burned the flowers. Only now have I realized all the things I missed out on." He looked up at Jack. "I almost missed out on you."
Jack smiled cutely and looked back at his sandwich. "Are you sure you've never seriously courted anybody? 'Cause you're one hell of a charmer."
"I have courted others, but none as seriously as you," Chase said.
"How'd you court them, then?" Jack asked curiously.
"I didn't court them as directly as you. I did it more discreetly, through notes and flowers." Chase sighed. "It took a long time, and many of those relationships turned out to be not worth the time." Shaking his head, he took a bite of his sandwich. "Most of them couldn't handle my evil overlord-ness. I needed a dark partner, and the only one around was Wuya." He snorted. "Yeah, right. I wasn't that desperate. Even all those years ago, she still looked the same." Chase looked up at Jack. "But know this: if you were around at that time, I would've taken you without hesitation."
Jack grinned happily. "I don't think I could've survived well in your time. I hate not being around technology." the youth said honestly.
"I don't think you would've fit well, either," Chase said. "Technology suits you."
"I wonder if I would've been the Da Vinci of your time?" Jack wondered aloud.
Chase chuckled, finishing his sandwich and crumpling up the paper. "I don't doubt it, Jack."
Jack's grin broadened as he finished his sandwich. For the first time since sitting down, he casually glanced around the foot court and became a little shocked. He leaned over the table and whispered, "Umm, do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?"
Chase frowned. "I do, occasionally. Why? Do you?"
"Yeah, like, right now." Jack replied, tilting his head indicating Chase to look around at the dozens of people in the food court who were staring at them and whispering to each other. Some had actually stopped eating and were watching them in mid-bite.
Chase frowned at the people watching them. They didn't feel dangerous, merely unsettling. He growled a little. "Jack, let's get out of here."
Jack was a bit hesitant, preferring to be somewhere outside the citadel, but, like his master, was feeling creeped out by the stares. "Okay."
Chase stood up, grabbing Jack's hand and starting to walk out of the food court, all of the stares on their backs. "That is creepy," he muttered.
"What's wrong with people today? It's like they have nothing better to do? I mean, we don't look that weird, do we?" Jack asked.
"Of course not," Chase said. "I am not weird to you, and you are not weird to me. End of story."
Jack shrugged, evidently agreeing with him as they walked. "Guess they're just not used to people who look different from them. Ah, well. Let's go cause trouble somewhere else."
"Before we go, though, is there anything else that you need?" Chase asked.
"Nah, I think I got what I wanted." Jack replied.
"All right, then, let us be off!" Chase took Jack's hand. "Ready to go?"
Jack nodded. "Let's do it!"
"All right." Chase took Jack to a more secretive area in the mall, making sure that there wasn't anyone watching as they teleported back to the lair.
As they appeared in front of Chase's palace, they were surprised to see a certain Heylin witch standing outside. She didn't seem to notice their sudden appearance, instead opting to yell at the door and presumably Chase.
Chase groaned and rolled his eyes, though he chuckled softly as the door came slamming down on Wuya's head as it did now.
"That never gets old," he whispered to Jack.
"I know," Jack chirped and led Chase over the fallen door and into the citadel.
Chase snapped his fingers as the door went back up again. "Let's go check the tapes!"
"Ooh, good idea!" Jack exclaimed excitedly over Wuya poundings of protest from behind the door.
"Do you want me to get some popcorn?" Chase asked.
"Perfect!" Jack agreed immediately.
"Great!" Chase beamed. "The cameras should be there." He pointed to a nearby room. "I trust that you and your technological genius are more than capable of procuring the disks?"
Jack saluted him and skipped off to the room, smiling happily.
Chase chuckled at his lover's antics before going to the kitchen to start the popcorn, digging it out of a cabinet and tossing the bag into the microwave. He didn't use the contraption very often-preferring the stove and oven-but it was good for a quick meal before world domination.
Jack wandered into the slightly darkened room that housed the camera his master had installed. Onscreen, Wuya was still shouting angrily, looking more pissed off than Jack had ever seen her. As started loading the disks of Wuya being flattened, he noticed a small box labeled 'Intercom'. Jack never knew that Chase had one of those, but the acceptance of the thought came quickly to him, as he smiled evilly, a cruel plan forming in his magnificent brain.
Pop! Pop! Popopopopopop! Chase tapped his fingers on the counter to the time of the popping popcorn, frowning slightly when he didn't hear Jack leaving the control room. What's taking him so long?
Being the tech genius he was, Jack managed to hook up the intercom to the front of Chase's fortress. "Time to say hello to my old, dear friend...my very old friend." He cleared his throat, about to speak.
Once the popcorn had finished, Chase brought it with him to the control room to see what was keeping Jack. "Jack? Is everything-" His eyes lit up as he spotted that Jack had turned on the intercom. "Oh...Oh, I see~" He chuckled, taking a seat next to the goth. "Continue~"
Jack's grin widened and he slightly bent down, his mouth right near the microphone. He pressed one of the buttons to show the image of Wuya on the main screen. "Oh, Wuya~" he greeted in a sing-song voice.
Wuya glanced up, her beady eyes darting around her to see where the voice was coming from. "Who's there? Chase, is that you?"
The aforementioned Heylin prince nearly had to stuff his fist in his mouth to keep himself from laughing.
Jack had to hold back a laugh at Chase's reaction. He pressed his finger to his lips and turned back to the microphone. "Not exactly," he answered.
Wuya flinched. "Who are you, then? One of Chase's mangy jungle beasts?"
Chase, who was very fond of his cats (and they of him, in turn) took offense to that remark. "My jungle warriors are not 'mangy beasts,'" he growled. "They'd kick your rock warriors to the curb any day."
Jack snickered devilishly at Chase's statement. "I feel hurt, Wuya. You seriously don't recognize my voice?" he asked with a dash of sarcasm.
It took Wuya a few seconds. "Jack! You little worm! Where is Chase? I demand to speak with him!"
Chase made the "blah blah blah" gesture with his hand in response to Wuya's demand.
"Sorry, Wuya, Chase can't come to the phone right now. May I take a message?" Jack asked, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible.
"I refuse to answer to a worm like you!" Wuya spat.
"Didn't she just answer you?" Chase whispered.
"She's not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree," Jack whispered in reply.
"Now, Wuya," he said turning back to the mic, "We're both adults. There's no need for name-calling."
"You are far from an adult!" Wuya responded huffily.
Deciding that he'd had enough of Wuya's bullshit (if you'll pardon my French), Chase waved his hand and the door came crashing down on her again.
Jack shook his head as he smiled. "It's almost sad really," he said turning to his master. "It's like she's incapable of not being a total bitch. Why did you let her stay with you anyways?"
"I kept telling myself that it was for the sake of evil, but even now that sounds really stupid." Chase shook his head.
"Hey, don't worry 'bout it," Jack consoled as he looped his arm around his shoulders, "I used to think that she was the only one that I could trust and look at me now! I've got the greatest warrior who ever lived (and is still living I might add) as my master."
"That's right~" Chase cooed, kissing Jack's forehead. "And I'm very proud of you. Oh look, she's getting up." He pointed to the screen, where Wuya was pulling herself out from the door.
"What a trooper," Jack commented with a smug grin as he leaned his head on Chase's shoulder, "She doesn't know when to give up, does she?"
"Nope." Chase snickered. "Is that an admirable thing, or a stupid one?"
"I'm gonna go with stupid," Jack decided with a nod as he lifted up the microphone again. "Wuya, go home. If you don't, you'll just get crushed by the door again and I really don't think that bony body of yours can take much more of that."
"I'm not leaving until I talk to Chase!" Wuya demanded.
With a sigh, Chase looked over at Jack. "...Here, let me." He motioned to the microphone.
Jack handed him the microphone willingly, still smiling in anticipation of what was going to happen.
"Wuya," Chase practically purred. "I hear that you've been asking for me?"
Wuya quickly stood up and dusted herself off. "Chase! I've been meaning to speak with you! What is Spicer doing in your lair?"
"That's for us to know, and for you to never find out," Chase said lazily, tipping back in his chair.
Jack came up behind his master wrapping his arms around the elder man's shoulders and laying his head on Chase's shoulder. "At least not for a long time," he commented.
"By then, you'll be able to kick Wuya's skinny witch ass off the mountain," Chase said with a chuckle, covering the mic so Wuya couldn't hear their conversation.
Jack buried his face in Chase's shoulder, laughing as quietly as possible, a few snorts sneaking out here and there. "Dear God, I can't wait for that day!" he said through his chuckles.
Chase nearly giggled as he watched Wuya dig herself out from under the slab of stone. "Neither can I!"
Jack revealed his face and stole a cute glance at his master. "Can you please get rid of her? I wanna spend time with you and not have to look at her ugly mug."
"But of course~" Chase purred, his fingers dancing over the knobs and pulleys and buttons in the control room. "Let's see...should my cats escort her out? Or will another whack with the door work?"
"Well, as amusing as crushing her with a door is, I say use your warriors, since she's apparently indestructible against it!" Jack decided, throwing one hand up in the air to signify his anger. "Stupid, old hag..."
"Stupid, old hag indeed," Chase murmured, whistling loudly for his jungle cats. Several appeared as Chase gave commands in another language for Wuya to be "escorted off the premises"-code for "get that bitch outta my house!"
The cats leaped at Wuya.
"Whoo!" Jack cheered with a childish tone, pumping his fist in the air. "Heck yeah! Tear her to pieces!" He paused and glanced at Chase. "Too far?"
"...Nah." Chase shook his head as his cats picked Wuya up and dragged her out of the base. "She still has some entertainment value, for now at least."
"True," Jack agreed, "But for now I'd kinda just like us to spend time together." As he spoke, he kissed Chase sweetly on the cheek.
Chase nuzzled Jack softly. "But of course~"
Jack nuzzled back and leaned in to kiss his master full on the lips, cupping his ageless face in snow-white hands. With a contented sigh, Chase wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, pulling the genius in closer to deepen the kiss. Jack pulled back for a moment to look at the elder man. For a long moment, he just stared at him with an indescribable expression. Chase remained quiet, waiting for Jack to speak first. The dragonlord did, however, move slightly to rest his forehead on Jack's.
"Chase?" Jack asked. "Do you-I mean, do you think...you'll ever get bored with me?"
Chase paused, confusion and concern written on his face. His mouth opened as if he meant to say something, but it shut with an audible click. A few moments of silence passed before Chase looked up.
"I...I don't know. At least, I hope I won't." Dear gods, that was a terrifying thought to think about. Tired of Jack Spicer! Impossible! But still...doubt nagged at the back of his mind, and for one of the first times in his long, experienced life, Chase Young wasn't sure of himself.
Jack probably could have burst into tears like a pussy or screamed at Chase for his words, but...he didn't. He moved to sit comfortably on Chase's lap and looked into his golden eyes. "I just...you talked about making me immortal and...I just don't want you to be stuck with me. Y'know, if someone more interesting comes along." He was surprised to find himself more worried about what would happen to Chase than what happened to him and his feelings.
"I don't want to be tired of you," Chase said earnestly. "And I do want to be with you forever, but...things could change. And if I give you immortality, but we split, you'll be stuck that way, possibly forever." He bit his lip. "Maybe I could get my hands on the Crystal Glasses and see far enough into the future to determine our fate." He glanced at Jack. "Or we could just wait. Get to know each other better. Find out more things. Become more comfortable." He shifted slightly so that Jack could settle better in his lap. "Things like that."
Jack managed to smile at these words, looking down for a moment to reflect. Then, he glanced back up at his master, gazing into his inhuman eyes. "I...I think that's a good idea. Getting to know each other better, I mean. We should be completely sure we know what the hell we're getting into here, y'know?" He raised his hand to the warlord's face to push aside a small stray hair. "As much as I detest the thought of us...breaking up, I guess, I'd much rather stay mortal and let us just go our separate ways. If you turn me immortal before we're totally ready, I'd just be around as a constant reminder of...y'know...what could've been."
"That's what I was thinking." Chase nodded, absently running his fingers through Jack's hair. "Besides, we've got time to kill." He smiled at the redhead in his lap. "And I'm perfectly content with waiting and watching and learning."
Jack's smile broadened at Chase's actions and words, shutting his eyes and leaning against Chase's significantly larger body. "Agreed. So, what to do wanna do?"
Chase nuzzled into Jack's hair. "Right now, I just want to hold you like this...is that all right?"
"It's more than alright," Jack purred happily, wrapping his arms around the elder man as he nuzzled back. "It's wonderful~" Being held by Chase fascinated Jack, especially when this man could kill practically anybody if he wanted to. He probably killed them in gruesome, awful, disturbing ways. "Chase, how do you normally kill people?" It was a weird question the red-head knew, but considering who he was talking to...
"Hmm..." Chase scratched his chin. "Multiple ways. Sometimes I use close proximity, but I prefer to stand on top of the nearest, tallest edifice and just rain down terror with various spells and Shen Gong Wu." He chuckled. "Sometimes I use my cats, if they dare enter my lair without permission." Raising an eyebrow, the warlord glanced at Spicer. "Why do you ask?"
"I dunno, just curious, I guess," Jack said with a slight shrug. "I've never actually seen you murder anybody, so I was just wondering." Then, another strange thought occurred to him. "What about mercy? I know that you're pretty honorable, so how do you decide when to give mercy to people?"
"I give mercy to those whom I believe deserve it, and it's based on whether or not sparing them is ideal for me." Chase rubbed his chin. "For example, I gave Wuya mercy because I believed that it would help me in the long run. And now? Pshht!" He shook his head. "Not at all."
Jack nodded in understanding, pressing his face against Chase's neck. He paused before asking his next question, unsure if he should ask something so personal, but took the leap anyway. "What was it like the first time you killed somebody? Like, how did you feel?" Then, he hastily added, "It's okay if you don't want to tell me."
Chase raised an eyebrow slightly, bemused about the questions, but not saying anything. Jack had a right to know more about him. "The first time I killed someone...I felt very strange. I was now more aware of what I was capable of, and it excited me that I could do more. I didn't really feel very guilty-in fact, I felt quite proud of myself, and I felt that he had deserved his death."
"Did it gross you out at all?" Jack inquired, strangely interested now, "Like how'd you kill him? Was it quick and painless or did you make him suffer? Did you snap his neck or stab him or something?" Jack knew it was disturbing to ask questions like these with such a nonchalant attitude, but he couldn't stop himself.
"I crushed his windpipe," Chase said breezily, cracking his knuckles. "Quick and easy, but I'm not sure how painless it was for him, but I sure didn't feel anything."
"Hmm," Jack hummed to himself. "Why'd you kill him?"
"He attempted to storm my fortress-not this one, but the first one I made-and rob it, and possibly kill me." Chase shrugged.
Jack hummed again, but this time, said nothing. Instead, he laid the side of his head against Chase's chest, shutting his eyes with content.
Gently, Chase ran his fingers through Jack's hair as he sat back in his seat. Closing his eyes, he propped his chin on top of Jack's head and breathed in deeply...
Jack peeked one eye open and glanced up, watching Chase with curiosity. He guessed the man was probably either meditating or just resting. He reclosed his eye and chose to pay attention to the elder man's steady heartbeat-the rhythmic, literally endless beating of the organ.
"He's listening to my heart-beat." Chase realized what the goth was doing almost immediately, and he took a few deep, steady breaths so that Jack could hear them.
It amazed Jack how Chase could never die. Yes, he was quite aware that there was a great deal of magic involved, but it was still to this day so shocking to think that the elder man's body couldn't-wouldn't-quit. Jack found this thought so soothing as well as the dragon's heart beating. Thump, thump, thump. Jack lightly nuzzled against Chase's chest, his eyelids opening and closing. He found himself feeling a tad bit drowsy from the steady beat, but he didn't mind that at all.
Chase noticed Jack's drooping eyelids, and he hugged the goth closer to him. "Are you tired, Jack?"
"Nah," Jack insisted, pausing a bit to yawn, "Just a bit drowsy."
"Would you like to rest more?" Chase murmured, snuggling closer to the goth.
"Doesn't matter," the evil genius replied back as he shook his head against Chase's chest. "Just as long as your here." Jack silently hoped that the elder man wouldn't be too upset with his constantly clingy nature.
"Don't worry, Jack. I'm not going anywhere." Chase leaned back in his chair, content with Jack's warm, gentle weight resting on his chest.
The boy mewed happily, curling his arms even more tightly around Chase's waist as he snuggled his head against the man's chest. How he loved the idea of being so easily reassured by his master!
"So cute~" Chase whispered, carding his fingers through Jack's bright red hair.
Jack squinted one eye shut and peered up at the man with his other eye. "You're not so bad yourself," he chortled with a smirk, his head still lying against Chase's broad chest.
"Why thank-you, Jack." Chase chuckled, kissing Jack's cheek. "I do try."
Jack snorted loudly. "Like you even have to try. You can roll out of bed in the morning and still look like a million bucks."
"You beat me." Chase nudged Jack. "Even when you're asleep, you look like a billion."
This time, Jack scoffed and looked away with a small smile. "Quit being such a flatterer."
"What, I can't pay my love some compliments that suit him?" Chase smiled, nuzzling into Jack's hair. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all~"
Jack grinned wider and blushed just a tad. "You keep making me blush. Quit it."
"But you're so lovely when you blush!" Chase pressed his lips to Jack's temple. "It matches your hair and eyes well."
This comment only made the genius blush even harder and chose to instead bury his head into Chase's chest, fruitlessly hiding his blush and smile. It was slightly embarrassing to be talked about that way, but Jack had to admit he did enjoy the compliments and attention, even though he still didn't slightly understand why Chase loved him so much. The man had told him how brilliant and supposedly beautiful he was, but it was still a bit difficult to get used to such praise and love.
So cute... Chase gave Jack a peck on the head, letting the genius cuddle up to him. Despite being a ruthless warlord, Chase really did enjoy cuddling with his lover(s). He yawned, a bit drowsy, and he stretched, shifting to get more comfortable in his chair.
Jack allowed him to shift, moving his body a little to give the other man more space. He laid his head back down against his master's chest, shutting his eyes instinctively as he did so. The pure comfort of the spot and Chase's presence slowly caused the red-head to begin nodding off. He wasn't exactly tired, per say, just unbelievably content.
Chase felt the drop in Jack's energy as the genius drifted off to sleep. With a smile, he tilted his head back to allow Jack to rest more comfortably on his shoulder. This...warmth, this peace...something he hadn't felt in many years. It was good. No, scratch that: it was great. Chase hummed contentedly as he lazily stroked Jack's spine with a finger.
Once Jack fell asleep, Chase carried the genius to his room, gently tucking him in to bed so as not to disturb his slumber. As the warlord was about to snuggle up to his lover, one of his Jungle Cats came padding into the room to inform him of activity in the north.
A/N: Finally, the next chapter is out! Huzzah! Hope you guys liked it! Sorry for the delay, but we do have lives. XD R&R!