30 Day OTP Challenge-Day One

Holding Hands

Chase didn’t enjoy being surrounded by people. Not many were aware of it, but he had a mild case of claustrophobia and therefore, didn’t normally appear in public places.

Though, ever since a certain red-headed, evil genius came into his life, he began to (almost unknowingly) change a few of his habits to please the teen. Chase didn’t change who he was (that would be a ridiculous and foolish thought for anyone, especially Jack to think), but he made the effort to keep his lover entertained. Jack rarely asked him for anything because he really didn’t need to; Chase would willingly go the extra mile to fulfill the boy’s wishes. There was a small part of the warlord’s brain that almost jokingly told him that Jack had secretly trained him to act in such a way, but the man tried to ignore it.

However, it was times like these when he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Here he stood, in a long line waiting to purchase drinks and food. Next to him was his consort, who looked beyond bored, since he had a short attention span, especially when it came to waiting. The dark warlord flicked his eyes to his side to observe the evil genius and inwardly scowled.

This was the one that made him so crazy? That required him to actually take another person’s feelings into account? The one that he would kill for if anyone dared try to hurt him?

Jack finally became aware that Chase was watching him and turned his head to his lover. He gave him a cute smile, silently expressing his gratitude for the outing.

The elder man felt his own eyes soften and casually looked away.

Yes, this was the one.

Suddenly, he felt a slightly warm pressure in his hand and peered down to see Jack’s pale hand in his own. His eyes widened in shock and horror.

Jack was trying to hold hands with him?!

He instantly tried to bring his hand back, but quickly realized that the boy was gripping onto his hand tightly. Chase glanced up at the boy, who had resumed staring around the theater and didn’t even seem to notice that his master was a bit perturbed at the moment.

An evil warlord was absolutely, in no uncertain terms, not meant to hold hands. That was just so…cutesy.

It was one thing to go out with him to places that Chase would normally consider too mundane for him, but this was taking things way too far, at least for a public matter.

Chase opened his mouth to say something, but was jerked forward by Jack, who brought them up to the front of the line where a new window had opened.

At the counter, a blonde teenager probably roughly around Jack’s age, who looked like she was wearing way too much make-up, smiled politely at the two men. “How may I help you?”

Chase winced. Her voice was so perky it hurt his sensitive ears. Gods, it was even higher than Jack’s voice. Speaking of which…

“Uhh, yeah,” Jack said after a moment of thought, “I’d like a large popcorn and one water—what do you want, babe?”

“Anything that isn’t caffeinated,” the elder man deadpanned, glaring at the girl at the counter.

While the employee looked a bit frightened by Chase’s cold glare, Jack barely gave the hostility any thought, instead ordering, “Make that two waters, then and…ooh! Some Twizzlers as well.”

A little shakily, the young woman followed his instructions very carefully, all the while darting her eyes back at Chase as though she was waiting for him to attack her. With the dark stare he was giving her at the moment, no one could really fault her for thinking such an awful thing.

Once the order was paid for, Jack practically skipped to the theater, Chase stalking behind him. He was silently glad that Jack was carrying everything, which meant he wasn’t trying to hold hands with him anymore. Then, he realized that he hadn’t discussed the earlier event with his lover.

“Spicer?” he asked as he came up beside him.

“What?” Jack replied, glancing back at him, eyes wide and vigilant.

“You tried to…hold hands with me before,” Chase stated.

“…yeah…and…?”

The dragonlord sighed. “Spicer, I am an evil overlord. I don’t engage in such acts.”

Jack squinted one eye shut and halted in his steps, tilting his head to the side. “I don’t understand. What do you mean by ‘acts’, exactly?”

“Holding hands, Jack,” Chase growled lowly. “I don’t hold hands.”

Jack snorted in sudden amusement at this statement.

Chase snarled and was ready to scream at him for his disrespectful attitude, but the goth began to babble before the warlord could say anything. “You don’t ‘hold hands’? Oh, come on. Give me a break, Chase. We’re a couple. It’s natural for couples to do things like that. What? Are you gonna say that you won’t kiss me either?”

“Not in public,” Chase quickly shot back. “I will not engage in such saccharine acts of affection in public.”

Jack furrowed his brow before widening his eyes in sudden realization. “Wow…”

“What?” the dragon snapped.

“Now I know what I sound like to you when I say stupid stuff.”

And with that insulting statement, Jack turned on his heel to go find their theater. Chase growled and quickly caught up with him.

“Are you going to have an attitude for the rest of the day?”

“No,” the evil genius answered calmly, his eyes staring straight ahead, “Are you?”

Chase snarled at his lover, resembling that of a rabid dog as he bared his teeth. Jack, however, barely flinched. “Chase, don’t do that. You sound like a big, old bear.”

Before his master could retort, Jack spoke again. “I don’t see why you’re so angry about something as simple as holding hands. I know, I know, you’re a big, scary dragon, who doesn’t show mercy and blah, blah, blah. But Chase, we’re together. You love me and I love you. Why should it make any difference who knows? No one cares. The Xiaolin losers and all the other Heylin know, so what does it matter if a few random strangers know? You told me once that you didn’t care what people thought of you, since they’re just inferior.”

Chase opened his mouth to tear Jack’s argument to shreds, but found that he really had nothing to say. The boy was absolutely right.

From the day Jack and he had established themselves as an official couple, Chase had warned everyone about what the consequences would be if any of them tried to hurt Jack. Even going as far as to explain in graphic detail. A few of them had actually puked from the disturbing mental images he gave.

“I like spending time with you, Chase, but it’s kinda hard to enjoy having such an amazing boyfriend if you can’t show off the fact every now and again that he’s your boyfriend.”

Chase didn’t respond, not even to correct him on the annoying title of ‘boyfriend’. Instead, he left the conversation hanging and merely walked beside his lover in silence.

They made their way into the right theater, the younger of the two, running up the stairs and yelling about where the best seats were.

Chase sighed to himself. He hoped the movie was at least good.

---

Jack cast a glance at his master who was seated beside him in the darkened theater. The movie was semi-interesting (not something he’d ever go to see on his own), but the goth was simply obsessed and elated by the mere fact that Chase had offered, no, asked to go out with him. For a full year now, Jack had been Chase’s consort and they’d gone out only a few times, here and there, but the evil genius had been putting his brilliant mind to good use, devising ways to get the Heylin warrior out of the house, or in his case, the citadel.

Chase, of course, immediately caught onto the fact that he was being stared at and met Jack’s gaze without hesitation. The teen was slightly holding his hand out to the elder man, palm upwards, giving him a look that the warlord knew all too well. His lower lip was slightly sticking out in what could be considered a pout and his eyes were wide and yearning for attention.

The dragonman sighed lightly and begrudgingly joined their hands together. Jack beamed brightly at him giving him a toothy grin that would have given his good side a run for his money as he tilted his head cutely. His lover rolled his eyes and tried to direct his attention back to the film that he had actually wanted to see.

However, his pressing need to snark couldn’t stop him from commenting about the action.

“I still don’t understand your insistence with holding my hand when we are out in public like this.”

“Chase,” Jack whispered in reply, “All couples hold hands when they go out on dates.”

“This is not a date, Spicer,” his mentor hissed back. “You are my consort. We are far passed the ‘dating’ stage. This is merely an outing.”

It was Jack’s turn to roll his eyes. “Date, outing. Tomayto, tomahto. Same thing.”

“It is not-” Chase began, but was cut-off by the abnormally skinny woman next to him shushing him harshly.

“People are trying to watch the movie, sweetie,” Jack said condescendingly with a sly smile on his face as he turned his head back to the film.

The warlord narrowed his eyes at the screen, gritting his teeth together as he growled, “I could crush your hand right now. Then, maybe you wouldn’t be so keen on holding hands with me anymore.”

Jack kept his grin and squeezed his lover’s hand as he whispered back, “No problem. I got two of them.”