Work Text:
“Fuck!” Jack cursed for the ninth time in the span of forty minutes, slamming a pencil down on his worktable. His other hand snatched the newest half baked blueprint from in front of him, crumpling it before adding it to the growing pile behind him. He had been at this for three hours, trying to come up with a new project that he could work on. Something useful that could help him advance past the creative slump he found himself in. Improvements to his Jackbots. Something to help out around the citadel. A new kind of combat robot. Something! Anything!
Jack let out an anguished groan, hiding his face in his hands as he came to the realization that his brainstorming session would end in failure again. This was the fifth night this week. The fifth night that he snuck down to his lab in the middle of the night. The fifth night that he left the comfort and warmth of Chase’s arms to pursue a fleeting idea that crumbled once he sat down at the table. The fifth night that he hated himself because no matter how much he willed it, he couldn’t come up with a single good idea.
The desire to create was there, and it wasn’t like he couldn’t think of things to build. He could do that just fine. The problems just arose when he tried to think of anything practical to build. Sure, he could build water resistant Jackbots. But that wouldn’t stop Kimiko from melting them into molten waste with her fire. Nor would it stop the other monks from annihilating them with their bare hands.
Yeah, building security cameras for the citadel would be easy fucking peasy. Not only could he get everything done in a single day, but he could also add motion sensors, lasers, facial recognition, and all of the other bells and whistles that he could think of. But what would be the point of that when his lover had super cool jungle warrior cats to defend his home? Chase Young already had a defense system that was far better than anything that Jack could ever dream of.
Maybe he could build replicas of the Shen Gong Wu, since he kept losing them all the time. Jack contemplated the idea for a moment, thinking back to the mystical objects. What would he even make a replica of? What could he make a replica of? As far as he knew, the Shen Gong Wu operated on magic and other worldly laws. One of them was a heart that could bring any inanimate object to life, for fuck’s sake. Would he even be able to replicate something like that?
Jack placed his chin in his hand, pursing his lips as he continued to ponder the idea. Something like the Heart of Jong might be near impossible to recreate without some sort of magical means, but maybe he could manage something like the Eye of Dashi? It was just a fancy necklace that shot lightning for the most part. But then he would need an infinite power source. One that was capable of shooting a powerful burst of lightning at will. And the only source of infinite power that he knew of would be….the Eye of Dashi itself. He could make a watered down version of it, since tasers existed, but there was no point in doing that. It would just be a waste of time and resources.
“Fuck…” Jack hissed out the curse as his face slid back into his palms. Another idea for the scrap bin. He already lost count of how many crappy ideas he thought up tonight.
He did have ideas, they were just lame ones. By the time he came up with a project and forced himself to dribble out a preliminary sketch, he already had a handful of flaws for each of them. The further along he got, the longer the list became. Ways the invention could be destroyed. The existence of better things that served the same purpose. Complications with the project's materials. Every fucking one of his ideas came bundled with a long list of problems! A frustrated cry tore itself from his throat.
First Raimundo kicked his ass in his most recent showdown. Then he kept messing up when Chase was trying to train him. And now this. The one thing he was good at was robotics and he couldn’t even do that right.
The sound of claws clicking against metal brought the genius out of his thoughts. Jack lifted his head, meeting the gaze of one of Chase’s warriors. The lioness sat in the doorway, her head tilted and her auburn eyes watching him.
“Hey there, Aiyana.” Jack gave a little wave, forcing his mouth into a grin. “How are the rounds going?”
Aiyana gave a snort in reply, flicking her tail before strolling over to where Jack sat. His hand reached out to scratch behind her ears, earning a content hum from the lioness’s throat as she sat beside him.
“Boring, huh? Well, on the bright side, I guess there’s not too much for you guys to worry about tonight.” Jack mused. Not that break ins were a common occurrence in the citadel. In addition to his warriors, Chase had several precautions to prevent such a thing; magical barriers, hidden entrances, the natural landscape, and others that Jack probably didn’t even know about. People still tried of course, but Chase’s warriors usually took care of them before they got too far.
Jack removed his hand, watching as Aiyana nodded in agreement. Her gaze softened as she glanced up at Jack once more.
“Me? I’m doing fine.” Jack lied. He wasn’t, but he didn’t want anyone to worry about him. This was something that he could handle alone. He just needed to work through it and let it pass, just like he always did.
Aiyana, however, wasn’t buying it. She glanced at the clock on the wall before quirking an eyebrow at the man in front of her. Jack checked the clock and instantly wished that he hadn’t.
It was 3:28 in the morning.
“Oh shoot! I didn’t realize how late it was, ha.” The chuckle sounded fake, but hopefully Aiyana didn’t realize that. “Thanks for the reminder, I’ll get to bed right away! Just gotta pack up!”
Jack clumsily pushed the words out of his mouth, trying and probably failing to sound casual.
“Anyway, I don’t wanna keep you from your duties and stuff, so I’ll let you go.” The grin on his face was strained, and he was pretty sure that Aiyana could see right through it.
But if she did, she didn’t show it. She nodded before heading toward the door, only turning back once to see Jack pretending to pack up. Once she left, Jack slumped back down in his seat, feeling defeated. He didn’t want to go to bed. It would be admitting failure again. But now he definitely knew that he was on borrowed time. Aiyana was the second warrior that he turned away. The first was a panther named Basile. Jack had gotten lucky with him. Yes, Basile was concerned about his master’s lover being up so late, but Jack convinced him that he was working on a surprise for Chase. A lie, but one that the panther bought all the same. Then again, maybe his begging and pleading not to wake up Chase also played a part in it...
Regardless of Basile’s reasoning for leaving him alone, Jack knew that Aiyana wouldn’t be so lenient. He was ninety percent sure that she already saw through his fibs, and she would have no trouble waking her Master up if she knew Jack’s well being was at stake.
She would wake Chase up, he would stomp down to the lab (or maybe teleport down to the lab if he wanted to be quicker), scold Jack for not taking his health more seriously, and drag him up to bed. Such was the routine for the past few days. Jack could feel a sense of dread wash over him. It was only a matter of time before a sleep-deprived, irritable Chase Young joined him in his lab. They might even have another fight. The redhead hid his face in his hands again.
They couldn’t go on like this forever. Sooner or later, Chase would realize how useless Jack was, grow to regret his choice to court him, and then break up with him. Then Jack would lose his first long term relationship. All because of his mopey shit.
He was so lost in his self loathing thoughts that he didn’t feel the hand on his shoulder until a voice accompanied it.
“So is this another bad habit that we’ll have to break?” The voice whispered in his ear.
Jack refrained from hitting the ceiling, but the shrill scream that left his throat was probably loud enough to wake the dead. He ripped his face from his palms, whirling around and coming face to face with Chase Young, clad only in a black silken robe.
“H-hi there, Chase.” Jack did a feeble little wave. Oh, God. Chase did not look happy. His mouth was pulled into a scowl as he glared down at Jack through narrowed eyes.
“This is the fifth night that you have snuck down to your lab at an ungodly hour.” Per usual, Chase cut straight to the point. He took a seat next to Jack, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Why is that?”
“I just got inspiration in the middle of the night, that’s all! I came down here to uh...build a new robot?” Oh fuck, that last part came out as a question. Jack felt like smacking himself. And judging from Chase’s deadpan stare, he might have wanted to do the same.
“Would you like to try that again? With the truth this time?” Chase instead gritted out.
“That is the truth.” Jack proceeded to lie. His lover let out an irritated sigh, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. Jack shrunk back, preparing himself for the inevitable argument that would ensue because of his stupid actions.
But it never came.
Instead, Chase took a calming breath before removing his hand and peering up at Jack again.
“You have developed a habit of overexerting yourself.” Chase’s voice lost its hardened edge. Now there was just the underlying concern that made Jack’s heart ache. “First, it was during our combat training. I originally thought that you wanted to expand your martial arts skills. To rely less on your machines and the Shen Gong Wu. I was proud and I was more than happy to assist you.”
Jack shrunk further in his seat as Chase continued.
“Then, you began insisting on forcing yourself past your limits. You trained until you were physically exhausted and even then you begged me to let you continue. You were physically abusing yourself. We put a stop to that.”
“Yeah…” Jack said. He cringed as he remembered the discussion that resulted in one of their first real fights.
“Then, months later, you began pouring yourself into your studies. The subject itself didn’t seem to matter. History, magic, astrology, you would take anything so long as you could spend hours on it to distract yourself from whatever was bothering you. You became sleep deprived. You frequently forgot to eat and drink. That time, I recognized your actions for what they were, and we put a stop to that as well. Before it got too out of hand like the first incident.”
Jack swallowed the lump in his throat, giving a curt nod in reply. He remembered that conversation too. It was calmer, and it didn’t end in a shouting match. But by the end of it, Jack still felt ashamed and guilty.
“And now, we have this.” Chase started, motioning to the work area around them. “You have fallen into the same self destructive tendencies. Forcing yourself to work through your exhaustion to produce a new invention and distract yourself. Am I correct?”
“Um…” Well, Chase wasn’t wrong. His eyes drifted up, meeting Chase’s as he tried to come up with some sort of rebuttal. Something to prove the other man wrong. Of course nothing came, and any excuses he had fizzled out and died under Chase’s gaze.
“Yeah. I guess I have.” Jack finally sighed out. “I just can’t come up with anything good to build.”
“Is that why you’ve been overworking yourself again?”
“You bet, ha.” Jack let out an exhausted chuckle. “All of my ideas are so lame.”
“Oh, is that what all of these papers are?”
Jack’s gaze followed Chase’s hand as the immortal bent down to pick up one of his discarded blue prints. He unfolded and straightened out the sheet, looking at one of Jack’s many failed ideas.
“Interesting…” Chase mumbled, his eyes not moving from the draft in front of him. The immortal seemed completely engrossed in the print, apparently unaware of the anxiety setting in his lover’s stomach a few feet away.
“So with this device, you could bend metal to your will, correct?” Chase asked, turning the blueprint to face Jack. The redhead squinted in the low light, trying to decipher what his lover was showing him.
It was one of his first ideas of the night, a preliminary draft of an invention he dubbed the Ferrokinesis Gloves. He drafted the idea thinking about how cool it would be if he had his own Heylin element, just like the monks each had their own special element. At first he tried to come up with a way that he could control one of the monks’ elements through mechanical means, but he eventually came to the conclusion that none of those elements really fit him. Really, if he somehow did develop a magical control over a certain element, it would definitely be metal. He worked with the material his whole life, and it only seemed natural that he come up with a way to control it.
Thus, he sketched out the idea for a metallic apparatus that he could slip on and off of his hands. The apparatus would be able to expel a powerful magnetic field, allowing him to attract or repel metal as he saw fit. He could fling weapons at his opponents and become untouchable with certain metals by repelling the material itself.
But then again, not all metals were magnetic. Brass wasn’t, copper wasn’t, zinc wasn’t and aluminum wasn’t either. And those were just the ones that he could think of off the top of his head. Jack was sure that in his brain dead, sleep deprived state, he was probably missing countless other metals that weren’t attracted to magnets. Plus, the monks usually used the Shen Gong Wu as weapons, and who knew what metal those were made out of. Most of the time, his opponents just used their fists anyway. A magnetic force field wouldn’t do anything against those and with that revelation, Jack scrapped the idea.
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t really do much against the Shen Gong Wu. Pretty lame, huh?” he forced a grin on his face.
“No.”
“Huh?” Jack’s grin faltered.
“Your invention has potential, and your preliminary work is very well done.” Chase hummed. He picked up another blueprint and examined it.
“You actually think they’re good?”
“Some of them could use some work, yes. But all of them would have some use.” Chase looked up at Jack. “Were you under the impression that they were not good enough?”
“Well...yeah. I didn’t think they were good enough. They all had a bunch of flaws and stuff. None of them felt good enough and...I guess I didn’t feel good enough either.”
“I see.” Chase sighed. “That is a feeling that I know all too well.”
“You?” Jack asked. The very idea seemed laughable. Chase Young, inadequate? Impossible! The man was the epitome of perfection in everything evil and beyond.
“Your feelings of inadequacy aren’t uncommon.” Chase said. “Even I fell victim to them when I was younger.”
“When you were a monk?”
“Yes, and to combat them, I used the same coping method that you are using right now.”
“Building inventions…?”
“What? No! I trained to the point of physical and mental exhaustion!” Chase hissed. “I wanted to do anything to drown out the self-deprecating thoughts telling me that I wasn’t good enough, just like you!”
Chase took a deep breath, lowering his voice before continuing.
“I didn’t see how negatively my actions were affecting me, but luckily, my teammates did. And they intervened, just like I am intervening with you right now.”
“And now you don’t feel crummy anymore?” Jack asked.
The look Chase gave him answered his question, but it wasn’t the answer that he wanted.
“I have my days, Jack. My point is that there are healthier ways to cope with negative feelings.”
“Like what?”
“I usually meditate, but I have a feeling that wouldn’t work for you.” Chase said. “Perhaps you would like to talk about it?”
Jack clamped his lips shut, crossing his arms and looking elsewhere.
“There isn’t anything wrong with trying to use negative feelings as motivation to do something productive. The issue is when you forgo basic necessities to do so. Necessities like eating. Keeping yourself hydrated. Getting the proper amount of rest.” Chase said.
“Got it, mom.” Jack huffed. His voice lacked the usually playful tone he saved for bantering with Chase. Logic told Jack that his lover was right, but it didn’t make him feel any better.
“You’re irritated.”
“Yeah.” Part of him hated how Chase was right. How he could read him like an open book. Jack sighed. “Not with you though.”
“I see.”
“It’s just….me.” Jack continued. “I keep fucking things up.” He hung his head as he continued.
“I got my ass kicked at the last showdown, lost the Mask of Rio, and I almost ended up stabbing you at our last training session.”
Chase of course blocked Jack’s clumsy blunder no problem, but it was still awful and embarrassing. And what if Chase didn’t have his lightning fast reflexes? Then Jack probably would have impaled him through the stomach! He could have killed his boyfriend!
“I failed at everything else, so I thought that I could at least build something useful!” Jack’s tone became more frantic as the words streamed from his mouth. “Robotics is supposed to be my thing, but I couldn’t even do that right! So now, I’m here, for the fifth fucking night trying to come up with an idea that doesn’t suck ass and failing miserably at it!”
“Jack…”
The redhead felt two hands close around his own, untangling the pale digits digging marks into his palm.
“It’s alright.” Chase’s calm voice wafted out. The younger sighed, closing his eyes.
“You really think so, Chase?”
“Of course.”
Jack opened his eyes once more, meeting Chase’s gaze as the other man gripped both of his hands.
“You forget that the monks have years of training. You only have a few months of it.” Chase said. His thumbs traced shapes into Jack’s skin.
“Yeah, I know.” Jack sighed out. They just kept improving, learning how to use cooler elemental techniques and stuff. What did he have? More impressive robots that they could destroy? Big whoop.
“However, you have taken significant strides since we began your training.” Chase continued. “The monks have a tendency to rely on crutches to win. Shen Gong Wu, their elemental abilities, or their teammates. Things that most people wouldn't be able to stand up against. You have none of those things, and yet you still manage to best them.”
“Once in a while…”
“Far more than any other mortal could possibly dream of.” Chase clarified. “You should have more confidence in your abilities.”
Jack stayed silent, even when he felt his face heat up. His eyes drifted downward as he heard Chase get out of the seat across from him. The other man put his hands on Jack’s shoulders, running his hands up and down the younger’s arms before returning to their original place. He began to massage Jack’s shoulders, trying to take away some of the stiffness in his lover’s form.
“Your martial arts skills will improve with the proper training.” Chase spoke soothing words as he continued his ministrations. “Someday, you’ll even surpass the monks. While they continue to rely on their chosen crutches, you will develop your own unique skills. You already have them beat in quite a few things. Would you like to hear what they are?”
Jack knew that Chase probably wouldn’t be able to see his curt little nod, but he did it anyway. No way in hell he was trusting his voice not to stutter and stammer.
“You clearly have all four monks beat in terms of intelligence. You are a genius, after all. You create spectacular creations everyday. Artificial intelligence, mechanical armies, a functioning time machine, and others that I’m currently unaware of. All created from your hands with metal and circuitry.”
“There’s some fire too. Because of the welding.” Jack felt like smacking himself as soon as he chimed in, but Chase didn’t seem offended at all. He heard the other man chuckle before he spoke again.
“Yes, of course my love. My point still stands though. In all of my years, I have never met anyone who has a mastery over robotics like you do. Of course, your intelligence also carries over to your evil plans.”
Okay, Jack was gonna be honest. He was super glad that Chase couldn’t see his face right now. If he could, the older man probably would have teased Jack over how red his face was. It probably rivaled his hair by now, and they were only on the first set of compliments Chase had for him. He did ask Jack if he would like to hear what they are. Apparently in Chase’s eyes, Jack had multiple good points.
“You once told me how you managed to steal all of the monks’ Shen Gong Wu with only the Changing Chopsticks. You not only planted a convincing mole within their ranks, but you turned them against each other while you escaped. And they were none the wiser until it was too late.”
Jack couldn’t help but crack a small smile. He did have to admit, the Chameleon Bot was one of his better inventions. Maybe he could make an improved version of it sometime.
“And then there was the Sphere of Yuan incident….” Chase’s voice trailed off, probably oblivious to the cringe that spread across his young lover’s face. Of course Chase remembered that particular incident. The one where Jack double crossed him and stole his power. It used to be one of the high points in his Heylin career, but now it just made Jack feel guilty.
“Yeah, sorry about uh...stealing your power and imprisoning you.” Jack said.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Jack. I don’t hold any grudges toward you for that incident. On the contrary, it actually amuses me, remembering how you outsmarted me.” Jack could practically hear the smirk in Chase’s voice.
“So...you’re not mad about it?”
“Of course not. Your reign was short lived, but it helped my plans to deliver Omi to the Heylin move forward. More importantly though, it helped me see your potential for evil.” Chase pecked the top of Jack’s head. “I love this brilliant mind of yours. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I do. Thank you, Chase.” It was amazing how a few words could make butterflies erupt in his stomach. The small smile returned to Jack’s face.
“Mmmhm. Of course, even the best laid plans can fall apart, but when that happens you never let it sway you from your goals. Instead, you continue moving forward. Trying over and over again with new strategies. Your tenacity is also something to behold. It’s actually something that I admire about you.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. It shows inner strength. That’s another quality that you exceed the monks in. They have a tendency to give up when things are at their worst. You do not. ”
Chase leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Jack’s shoulders.
“And of course, I don’t need to tell you that you’re far more beautiful than any of the monks.” he whispered. Jack shivered, feeling his face heat up like a furnace.
“You really think so?”
“Yes.” The word rolled off of Chase’s tongue in a seductive hiss. “Your eyes and hair shine like rubies and your skin is like porcelain. It looks lovely laid out across the silk sheets covering our bed.”
“Chase!”
Jack’s squeak only made the other man chuckle.
“Forgive me, I couldn’t resist teasing you a little bit. I could say plenty more, but I think that I’ll stop here for today. I wouldn’t want you to combust with how red your face is.” Ah, so Chase did know that Jack was blushing. That figures.
Chase leaned his head against Jack’s, nuzzling it before speaking once more.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m feeling better. Much better.” Jack turned to face his lover. He was surprised that he didn’t have to lie to Chase again, trying to conceal his negative feelings. The deep despair and self-loathing thoughts that he felt when he first trudged down to his lab were gone. Evaporated by Chase’s warmth and kind words. “I guess that I have you to thank for that though.”
“I’m glad that I could assist you.” Chase hummed, retracting himself from his grip on Jack.
“No really, Chase. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.” A chuckle left Chase’s throat. “It’s not like I said anything that wasn’t true. You do have all of the qualities that I mentioned, and others as well. You simply need to have more confidence in yourself.”
“I’ll try.” Jack watched as Chase stretched a little.
“If you ever need a reminder, you can always come to me. I’ll gladly shower you in praise.” he said. This time, Jack actually saw Chase’s smirk.
“Come on, Romeo, let’s go to bed. Before you make my face any redder.” Jack mumbled the last part of his statement, but he was sure that Chase heard it anyway. Enhanced senses and all. If he did hear it, Chase didn’t comment on it.
“As you wish, Jack.” Chase said. He gripped Jack’s hands once more, teleporting them both to their bedroom as any feelings of inadequacy were long forgotten.