Fuck, my throat is dry. Jack thought, as he groggily woke up. He sat up slowly, groaning as his body protested. The soft hum of the propulsion system was his only warning before a JackBot spoke.

"Master, you have awoken. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Water." Jack said hoarsely, not sparely the bot a glance as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It had been a while since he'd gone on a project bender like that and man, his body wasn't a fan anymore. A glass of water was held out to him. With a sigh, he took it and gulped it down, wincing at first.

After clearing his throat a couple of times, he handed the glass back to his bot and stretched. "How long was I out for?"

"You were asleep for 17 hours, Master."

"No wonder I feel like shit." Jack ran a hand through his hair before making a face. "Get the shower ready and get some waffles started. I want a full report on Chase's project once I'm sat at the table."

"Yes, sir."

The hot water felt divine as he scrubbed himself down. Jack took his time, really reveling in the feeling. It had been a long fucking week. He opened his garnet eyes, looking over the black marble of his shower. It had seriously only been a week, huh? A week since the monks came storming in. A week since Jun Jie… He closed his eyes.

Cao Jun Jie. The MIT mechanical engineering graduate who liked goth music and anime. Even with the extra year Jack had under his belt from the Sands of Time, Jun Jie was still five years older than him. He'd been so sweet to him, with compliments and affection. Jack had been so caught up in how Jun Jie made him feel, like for a while he was getting what he wanted from someone who looked just enough like…like…

Jack chewed a bit on his lip, shivering as he leaned against the cool marble. But that was just it, wasn't it. He looked like him, but he wasn't him. And Jack hadn't been himself either. Jun Jie had been dating the persona Jack had created for the public. This nice, philanthropic robotics genius who was revolutionizing the technology of the world to better humanity. The mask to hide behind while he got his tech into every home in the world, every nook and cranny of the globe.

The fog was wiped off the mirror as Jack looked at himself. It was incredible the difference two years had made. He brushed out the red locks that reached his shoulders, making a mental note that he should probably have one of the bots give him a trim. He found he rather liked having longer hair. He pulled the front half back and secured it with a simple hair tie. He rubbed moisturizer all over himself, taking extra care over the dark black line under his left eye.

Once Jack finished dressing, he walked to his kitchen. A steaming stack of waffles and cup of coffee were waiting for him. He smiled softly, patting the robot that stood at attention next to the table before he sat down.

"So, what's the status?"

"We have pulled the chip from the tracker and deprogrammed it. The base program is ready for coding."

"Excellent. Has Chase been updated?"

"He was lasted updated before you were put to bed, sir."

Jack blinked, pausing mid-bite as memory flooded back in. "Oh…right." He flushed slightly. "Right…" He sighed, finishing his breakfast. He took his coffee with him to the lab, looking back over his notes and materials.

Chase watched him from the corner, arms folded in front of his chest as he considered the younger man. His recent revelations had left him…confused. But he had a mission at hand and he wouldn't be deterred. Still, he waited until Spicer had set his coffee down before speaking up.

"Spicer." The reaction was immediate and made Chase smirk. A squeak, though not as high pitched as it once was, as Jack whirled around with wide eyes. It was a reaction that truly never got old.

"Chase! Uh, hey…I haven't gotten anything done, I, er…just woke up…"

"I am aware, Spicer. You were…quite loopy, the last time I saw you."

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah…sorry bout that. I got really in the zone and…"

"Stayed awake, yes, your robots informed me."

The flush the crossed Jack's cheeks was such a soft pink, Chase found it…endearing. He forced that thought down, taking a step closer to pick up one of the graphs Jack had shown him the last time.

"You were saying you'd found the frequency and could track it."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm pretty sure I can modify one of the Shen Gong Wu trackers to locate this energy signature instead. Though, I'm not sure how long it'll take."

"For reconstruction? I don't want some bulky contraption."

Jack leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. "No, the unit is small and should be easy to conceal. It's the programming."

While they spoke, the only one aware of the front door opening and the approaching footsteps, was Chase. As Jack delved into why reprogramming would take an indeterminate amount of time, Chase used a subtle illusion spell.

"…and even then, we can't be sure if it'll be that accurate. Seeing how all of this is theoretical to begin with."

"Jack?" The new voice made both men turn toward the doorway to the lab. Standing there, was Jun Jie. He looked between the two, seeming a bit unsure of himself. Jack was stiff, staring at him with wide eyes. Why was he here? How was he going to explain there being a Jin Dynasty warlord in his lab?

He glanced at Chase and Jack felt his mind floundering. Instead of the familiar bronze armor, the immortal man was sporting rather modern attire. A black turtleneck under a brocade suit jacket decorated with bronze dragons, simple black slacks, and a citrine eye belt buckle.

"Am…I interrupting something?" Jun Jie finally said, helping kick Jack's brain into gear.

"Yes." He hissed, stepping forward. Jack looked at Chase again, his mind still reeling at what the man was wearing. "Excuse me a moment, please."

Chase noticed a fire in Jack's eyes and smiled, shaking his head. "I'll take tea in the other room. Let me know when we may proceed." He looked to one of the bots and it followed him out of the lab. Chase shot Jun Jie a look as he passed that gave the other chills.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked once Chase had left. He crossed his arms, not looking Jun Jie in the eye.

"I…I wanted to talk."

"About what? You made yourself pretty clear."

"Jack, please.." Jack looked up. Jun Jie had been walking over but stopped. The look on his ex's face was…frightening. Like nothing he'd seen before.

"What? You made a mistake? You want me again?" The ferocity and venom made Jun Jie shrink back.

"I…I'm sorry I hurt you. Please, this isn't like you." Something about that statement clicked. Jack's arms fell to his sides as he looked at the other. It felt like he was seeing him clearly for the first time. This man was Cao Jun Jie. He wasn't Chase Young, the man Jack wanted, had been in love with across two different timelines.

Jack took a deep, shaky breath. He needed to play this right. He'd worked so hard build this image so trick the world into handing him everything he wanted. So Jack Spicer needed to do something he was very, very good at. Lie.

"I…I'm sorry, I…" Jack's tearful voice immediately had the desired effect. Jun Jie looked so guilty when the albino man looked back up at him, making him feel a sense of vindication. "I don't know what to think! You didn't even let me explain before you stormed out! I let you in, Jun Jie. You know I have a hard time trusting others. You broke that…"

It was driving the guilt further in, more so when Jack shrank back from Jun Jie's attempt to physically comfort him. The man bit his lip, his expression pained. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought, Jack could tell.

"Jack, what can I do? Please, I'll do anything!" Desperation. Good.

"…I…I need time." He sniffed, peeking up at Jun Jie in a way that he knew tugged the other's heart. It was evil, but then again, so was Jack Spicer.

Jun Jie let out a breath, seeming to deflate slightly but more relieved with that answer than the initial ferocity. "Okay. Just, tell me your limits. A little at a time. Okay?"

"…okay." Jack hugged himself, not returning the smile but nodding with a slight encouragement. One of the JackBots came over to escort Jun Jie out, leaving Jack to regain his composure.

Down the hall, in the sitting room, Chase had broken a teacup. He ignored the robot that was tidying up the mess of spilled tea and porcelain fragments, instead focusing on quickly calming himself. He was near enough to hear everything but not enough to catch the scents of either man. What he had heard, however, made the dragon in him seethe. He was too close to lose Jack Spicer now, especially to some pathetic mortal whelp that held the barest resemblance to himself. Chase couldn't just make the problem disappear, either. Not if he wanted to get the Dragon of Metal unequivocally on his side.

When Jun Jie came into the room, he spotted the lavishly dressed stranger. The man got to his feet, leaving a setting for tea behind for a bot to clean up. It was bizarre, Jun Jie thought, how looking at this man felt like looking at his own face with one of those beauty filters on.

"Sorry for that." He apologized with a polite smile, "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"I'm sure," Chase spoke with a superior tone, looking at his doppelganger with boredom and a hint of disdain. It was chilling.

"…I don't think I caught your name. I'm Cao Jun Jie, Jack's-"

"Ah yes, Spicer's ex-boyfriend. I think I recall him mentioning you." Chase enjoyed the sting in the mortal man's eyes he saw as he spoke, "I am Yong Chénglóng."

"Oh, um…are you a client of Jack's?"

"We've worked together on and off over the years. I intend to make that a more permanent situation, so I suggest that you-" His eyes glinted as he looked at Jun Jie, the barest hint of fang flashing as he spoke, "Stay out of my way."

With that, Chase was walking away back toward the lab. Jun Jie felt his knees shake as the bot escorting him nudged him toward the door. That man…something wasn't right.

Jack had mostly composed himself by the time Chase stepped into the lab again. To the warlord's surprise, when Jack pulled his hands away from rubbing at his face, the dark black mark was intact. It took a moment of the two looking at each other before one of them spoke.

"Chase…what're you wearing?"

"Hmm? Oh, this is simply an illusion." He flicked his hair back and the spell melted away. The old familiar armor was a kind of comfort for Jack, but he felt a little cheated out of seeing the more defined shape of Chase.

"I've never seen you do that before. The modern outfit was a good look." Jack smiled, though it was a tired one. And man, was he tired. Tired enough that he didn't react very quickly when Chase walked up to him and caught his chin in a hand, running a gloved thumb over his signature face marking. "Ch-wha-Chase?!"

Chase ignored the flailing and the confused outburst, looking at the mark. "What is this? I've never seen such resistant makeup."

Jack froze a moment, the emotions in his face and the scents he was releasing making Chase all the more intrigued. "It…it's not makeup. It's a tattoo."

"You had this permanently put on your face?"

"It's been permanently on my face since I was, like, three."

Chase stared at the young man before him, whose red eyes were cast away and brows were scrunched. "Spicer…" He slowly traced the mark with his thumb, feeling Jack shiver under the touch. "Jack. What do you mean?"

Jack couldn't help the flood of words that came forth. How could he, with Chase Young touching him so tenderly and asking in a tone that sounded like he cared?

"It…my mom has some siblings, and her youngest brother was kind of…not all there. He was getting into tattooing when my mom first brought me over to the States to meet her extended family. Uncle Bobby thought I looked 'metal' because of my coloring and that I'd look even more so if I had a tattoo… They didn't realize we'd both disappeared until they heard me screaming. He got two lines on my face before my parents got me out.

I was too young to get it removed so it healed and I had this, permanent thing on my face along with everything else." He finally looked up at Chase, giving another tired smile. "When I got into the goth stuff, I started using makeup to shape it into something I liked. Owned it. Then, I got that tattooed to cover up the original."

Chase studied the young man before him, letting this new information soak in. "Spicer, you truly are full of surprises. I think you've earned yourself a long rest after today." Before the younger man could argue, the dragon lord's hand moved to his neck and squeezed. He caught Jack as the albino fell unconscious, mind ablaze as he carried him to his room.