Summary: In which Caleb is one person, Michael is two, and you might actually learn three things.
Warnings: N/A
Notes: Mogar's costume design is based on buttskuns Minecraft Survival design.
WordCount: 2902
“You're a dirty fucking cheater!” screeched Gavin, jumping to his feet and pointing accusingly at Caleb who sat on his bedroom floor.
Caleb threw his hands up as he insisted, “I didn't cheat! I won fair and square!”
Gavin turned to the doorway, where one of his permanent guards was standing, and declared, “He was screen looking again, wasn't he Robert?”
A small amused smile came over his face. “I couldn't tell Mr. Free.”
“Liar,” Gavin replied.
Caleb just watched, a fond smile on his face, as the Prime Minister's son walked around the room asking the guards if they had seen the Denecour cheat.
As he began to approach the secret service, Caleb declared, “Now that's just pathetic. They're on my side, why would they agree that I'd cheated?”
“Because even American's understand that screenlooking is a dick move,” Gavin shot back. Caleb couldn't help the laughter that bubbled from his throat. “What about you Arthur?” He put his hands on his hips as he leaned close to the secret service agent. “Do you think the first son is a screenlooker?”
Arthur kept a straight face as he answered, “I don't think first son is the correct term.”
Gavin threw his hands in the air, “I just can't win with you American's and your presidency and your-”
He was cut off by his bedroom door slamming open and the ease with which guns came out and pointed at the door hardly surprised him.
Caleb followed the line of Arthur's barrel to the intruder.
The boy in the doorway was wearing a simple sweatshirt with grass stained jeans. Brown curls spilled over the edge of the beanie he wore, curling around his ears and his eyes were glinting with anger.
“You,” he growled, Caleb was surprised to hear a Jersey accent rather then an English one, and lifted a finger to point at Gavin.
He heard Robert sigh before saying loudly, “Arthur, you can all stand down. He's one of Mister Free's friends.”
“I'm going to rip your intestines out and feed them to you,” the boy hissed, lunging forward and grabbing the front of Gavin's shirt.
None of Gavin's men made a move, most still putting their pistols back in their belts. He thought he heard one of them whisper, “That's the least creative one yet.”
Gavin was laughing, holding his hands out in front of him, “I didn't do anything, Michael! I've been in England all week.”
“You lying sack of shit. The two of you were all over the Russian news!” the boy, Michael, screeched. “Geoff told me I could have him for what he did to Lindsey. You had absolutely no right to-”
“I had every right!” Gavin screamed, finally standing up to the other. Caleb felt his eyes widening a bit, unused to hearing his friend this angry. Michael apparently felt the same behind he let go of Gavin's shirt. “You're so caught up catching him that you don't do anything else anymore! You don't talk to me or Ray anymore, Jack says the only time you talk to him is when you think he's got information, and Ryan hasn't seen you since September! All we wanted to do was help you, Michael.”
Michael stared at him for a long time before taking a step back. He nodded towards Caleb, “Whose this?”
Gavin took a deep breath then answered, “Caleb Denecour. He's the son of-”
“President Denecour. Yeah I know who she is, Gav.” Michael pursed his lips. “I should go.”
“Stay!” Caleb insisted, when the boy began backtracking towards the door. He heistated when the boy actually focused on him before saying, “I've been in London for almost two weeks now waiting for my mother to finish her business. It's nice to have a slice of home and from what little I understood of that conversation, you could use some video games to let out a little bit of steam.”
Although he looked just as surprised, Gavin nodded in agreement. “Caleb is right. You should stay a while Michael.”
Michael glanced between them for a moment before flopping down onto the floor. “Alright but we're not playing that fucking Mari0 shit. You're an asshole with the portals.”
“I keep telling you there's no point in owning the mashup if you aren't going to use the portals!” Gavin squeaked.
That was the first time Caleb Denecour met Michael Jones.
He fell a little bit in lust with angry eyes and dirty jeans that day. In exchange, Gavin gave him a full name [“Michael Jones, he's from Jersey”] and a phone number.
(----------------------------------------------------------------------) You [2:35pm]: Hey
Michael [2:37PM]: Who is this?
You [2:37PM]: Oh sorry
You [2:38PM]: It's Caleb. Gavin gave me your number
Michael [2:39PM]: Why??
You[2:40PM]: I asked for it
Michael [2:41PM]: Why??
You [2:45PM]: No reason really. I had fun playing video games with the two of you so I thought it would be fun to talk again.
You [2:34AM]: FUN SLEEPOVER GAME: Play COD in the middle of the night at the white house and see how long it takes for Secret Service to burst in on you in your boxers.
Michael [11:00AM]: Sounds Brilliant
Michael[11:00AM]]: Is it always like that?
You [11:05AM]: Not usually. They’ve been on edge lately though.
Michael [11:06AM]: Any idea why?
You [11:07AM]: Not a one.
You [11:08]: Hey do you have Mile high Club? I’ve been trying to get it all night.
You [6:48PM]: Did I tell you that the first time I met Gavin I thought he was eating the Canadian Prime Minister’s daughter out?
Michael [6:50PM]: ????????????????????????????
You [6:52PM]: I was meeting them to have lunch, Barbara and I kinda grew up together so I would take a plane up when we were in the northern states for campaigns, and he was under the table trying to find a fork.
Michael [6:56PM]: I don’t know if it’s more shocking that you thought Gavin was straight or that you’re timing could actually be that horrible.
You [3:35AM]: My dad gave me a speech earlier today about how I should be more careful with who I talk too because some people like my mothers title more then me.
You [3:35AM]: So we’re actually friends right? It isn’t just in my head?
Michael [3:37AM]: Yeah we’re friends.
Michael [3:39AM]: Did you know that there are 336 dimples on a regulation gold ball?
Weeks later, Caleb pushed open the door to the roof and sighed as he bare feet hit the cold concrete and wind pushed against his face.
They were in New York for his mother to give a speech and Caleb had found it all too exhausting to be President Denecour's son rather then Caleb Denecour the seventeen year old. Rooftops were one place where he could get away from all of it without having his security detail stuck to him like a shadow.
He padded across the roof, phone heavy but silent in his pocket, and looked for a place to sit.
“You’re going to get hypothermia.”
Caleb’s head snapped up to stare at the speaker.
Sitting on the air conditioner was a boy Caleb recognized from news articles, online fanclubs, and the folders on his mothers desk.
Mogar wore bright yellow pants with brown stitching around the pockets and light brown kneepads. His boots came up farther in the front to act as shin pads. Spiked black cuffs signified the end of the actual boot. On his torso he wore a peach shirt with a sleeveless hoodie over it. The actual hood of the garment had bear ears and a nose. He had a pair of elbow pads and gloves which matched the pads on his knees and boots respectively. A bright orange visor shielded his eyes and the microphone that typically fell near his mouth has been pushed down.
The files on his mother’s desk called Mogar a pyrokinetic.
The online communities called him the real life love child of Johnny Storm and Bruce Banner.
“I’ll be fine,” Caleb said after a moment, when he had shook away the starstruck feeling. “It’s not too cold yet.”
“This is New York,” the superhero answered. “The temperature is gonna drop soon and it’s not gonna be so warm afterwards.”
“But you can’t get hypothermia instantly so I’ll be fine.” Mogar made a sound in the back of his throat but didn’t say anything else. Caleb found himself staring at up at the superhero for several moments before he asked, “Why are you up here?”
“Do I have to be fighting monsters every moment?”
Caleb shrugged, “That’s all I ever see you do.”
He didn’t know where the sudden courage came from, not that he was exactly afraid of a superhero but this was for all intents and purposes a total strange, but he grabbed the edges of the ladder and made his way up to sit next to him.
There was silence for a while after he had sat down next to Mogar, but soon the superhero said, “Did you know that the sperm of a mouse is actually longer then the sperm of an elephant?”
“Nope,” Caleb answered after thinking about it. “How’d you know that?”
Mogar shrugged, “I read random fact websites when I’m on stake outs.”
Caleb hummed, kicking his feet, before questioning, “Are you on a stake out now?”
The other froze for a second before saying, “Not exactly. My fiancee…My ex-fiancee got hurt in an accident a while ago and she doesn’t remember me anymore. She lives across the street. I don’t normally come up here to watch her, for the record, but she’s got a date tonight and I just want to make sure he treats her right.”
He nodded a bit. “Why don’t you just tell her about the two of you instead of letting go of her?”
“Because she got hurt because of me,” the superhero answered, without a trace of hesitation in his voice. “I refuse to let it happen to her or anyone else again.”
Caleb was quiet for a minute before saying, “Then I'll be your friend. What's your phone number?”
“I just said I wasn't going to let people get hurt because of me so why the fuck-”
“Even if I was your friend,” Caleb declared, “I wouldn't get hurt because of you. There are lots of people who would try to hurt the President's son.”
Michael clicked his tongue, looking away from Caleb and at the ground, “Who said I wanted to be friends with a twerp like you?”
“Caleb!” The boy looked up from the sandwich he was making, slathering mayonnaise along the toast as an egg sizzled in the pan, to find his mother strolling towards him with a bright smile on her face. “Making an egg sandwich?”
“Mhm yeah,” he said. “I was hungry.”
“What about I make us some potato salad to go with it? I haven't gotten to cook in years,” she shuffled around him to the kitchen.
He hummed, “It's fine. You've got work to do.”
His mother visibly deflated, “Oh. Are you sure? You used to love it when you were younger.”
He shrugged, “Things were different when I was younger.”
“Honey please-”
His mother was cut off by a loud rumble above them.
(-)
“-leb! Caleb you idiot! Where the fuck are you?” Caleb forced his eyelids open, something hard was covering his back and something soft laid under his stomach. His head pounded and his vision blurred in front of him. “Caleb!”
He struggled to wiggle free of the weight on top of him for a minute before giving up. He took a deep breathe and tried shouting, “I'm over here!”
Overhead he heard the sound of approaching feet before the weight was lifting off him. Two arms wrapped around his shoulders, yanking him up.
There was a tumble for a minute before they halted. The person behind him groaned. “God I hate you so much.”
Caleb blinked several times, trying to figure out where he had heard that voice before it hit him. He whipped around, staring into familiar brown eyes. “Michael?”
“Yeah.” Michael reached forward and flicked Caleb's head. “You scared me, asshole.”
Caleb bit his lip, glancing around at the rubble before saying, “What happened?”
“Bomb. The blast mostly just took out the roof but everything falling took the rest of the place down too. Your mom and you were the only ones we hadn't found yet.”
“You haven't found my mom?” Caleb shoved away from him, climbing to his feet as his heart raced. “We've got to-”
“Shut up you idiot. She's right there.” He followed Michael's finger to were two secret service agents were lifting his mother from the hole in the rumble that Caleb had just been pulled out of. “I'm guessing you threw yourself over here when the ceiling came down or something.”
“I don't remember....” Caleb turned his attention back to Michael. He was quiet for a minute, before his brain registered the orange visor pushed to Michael's forehead and the colors of the outfit he wore. “Hey Michael.”
“Mhm?”
“Why are you wearing a Mogar costume?”
Michael blinked several times before questioning, “Are you a fucking idiot?”
“No!” Caleb squeaked. “At least I'm not the one wearing a superhero costume way before Halloween!”
“I'm not wearing it for shits and giggles dumbass! I'm Mogar.”
“Oh.” Caleb stared at him for a minute before screaming, “What?”
Summary: Michael has planned a special weekend for Caleb when things for wrong.
WC: 1,100
AO3
A/N: A certain someone request a Caleb death fic so here it is. I hope you like it >///< Character Death [not too graphic?]
Master List of Fics
It’s been awhile since the last time Caleb and Michael went on a date, just the two of them. Which is why when Michael heard that the local zoo was holding a special weekend only alligator wrangling exhibit, he bought tickets right away.
It was to be a surprise, the wrangling bit at least. Michael had to tell Caleb not to make game plans for the Saturday because he wanted to go to the zoo. Once he heard this, Caleb started to bounce in his seat with excitement and leaped forward to place a swift kiss on Michael’s before bouncing out of the office to tell Ryan the news. The faint shout of ‘hi Ryan’ was heard and Michael chuckled at his boyfriend of 3 years antics. He took a deep breath of a weight settled on his chest.
This weekend was going to be the weekend.
The following days were a blur of editing, playing games, and listening to Caleb go on about the different animals he was looking forward to at the zoo. Monkeys, elephants, alpacas, possums, you name it, he was excited. It made Michael happy to see the light in Caleb’s eyes shine as he spoke about their date, and Michael smiled back, his own light in his own chocolate eyes aglow with the thought of the single question he’s going to ask.
A shift in the mattress alerted Michael that Caleb was up and stretched his arms to his side of bed to wrap it around Calebs waist and pulled the man close to his chest. Michael nuzzled in close and gave a few feather light kisses behind Caleb’s ear and along his jawline. A stray hand made its way across Caleb’s chest and switched course directions and headed south to relieve the aching need that had Caleb moaning, aching back into Michael who worked his hand faster until Caleb shouted out Michael’s name and succumbed to the pleasure. Muffled I love you’s were exchanged as Caleb shimmied out of bed awkwardly and made a beeline to the washroom to clean and freshen up.
Michael made his own way out of bed and to the kitchen to wash his hands and start preparing breakfast. A big day deserved a nice breakfast. Caleb came up behind him and gave him a kiss and they ate in silence, just enjoying each others company. Soon, food was done and dishes were piled into the dishwasher and they headed their way out to the zoo, hand in hand.
Once they reach the gates, Caleb started to tug Michael’s arm in all directions, unable to choose what animal to go see first. Michael laughed at his antics before brandishing the two tickets he had bought for the alligator wrangling. Caleb laughed and the pair made their way over the to alligators where a large crowd of people were standing about in line. Michael flashed their passes and were ushered into the pen quickly with a zookeeper. Michael stuff his left hand in his pocket, the other firmly grasping Caleb’s own left hand. Both hands held something very dear to Michael, and he was bound and bent to make them meet. He faintly payed attention while the zookeeper explained what would happen. He would bring the the creature out from the sleeping dock and would tape the jaw shut. Once that was done, they would each take a turn to sit on the animals back and pose for photos.
They two nodded in understanding, and had a mini rock-paper-scissors tournament to see who go first. Caleb came out victorious and pat Michael on the shoulder in consolation. The zookeeper returned followed by one of the largest alligators the two had ever seen. And around its jaws was a single piece of tape, wrapped once around.
Almost instantly upon seeing that, Michael felt his stomach drop, and no matter how hard he tried to shake it, the feeling would not leave. He put a hand on his stomach as he watched Caleb step forward, a bounce in each one until he stood beside the beast and the keeper. With a final instruction, Caleb swung a leg over the animal and sat down, hesitantly place his hands on the jaw where the zookeeper instructed. A grin exploded over his face, at being so close to one of his favourite animals. He flexed his hands, which dug into the tape around the jaws and glanced up at Michael. He opened his mouth to say something when it happened.
The tape along the jaw started to peel away from being wet, and limply fell off. Michael took a step forward before being stopped by a different zookeeper and Caleb fell off the alligators back and onto his own. Seconds had not even passed when the tape fell completely off and the creature spun around and with a sickening snap, held Caleb’s leg in its powerful jaws.
His piercing screams echoed around the air, and he punched his fist into the beats muzzle, attempting to break his leg free. The alligator, not liking this, started to walk backwards, and each step brought its head flinging side to side and along with that, Caleb was tossed about like a rag doll.
The zookeepers snapped into action, attempting to pry open the palatal valve to release his leg, but Michael could only tunnel vision onto Caleb’s face, stricken with fear and panic, and behind all that, acceptance.
Michael struggled against those holding him back, wanting to be with Caleb, but they held firm. His vision kept focusing in on Caleb, smaller and smaller until he could no longer see, passed into unconsciousness. The screams of his love resonating through his mind as it no longer was able to function.
When Michael woke up again, he was lying on a hospital bed surrounded by some of his fellow Achievement Hunters. Gavin was talking with a doctor while Geoff held a crying Griffon. A hand reached out to his and grasped it. Startled, Michael looked over and say Ray, glasses off and eyes red. With a ragged breath, Ray snatched a small box from the table beside the bed and held his hand over Michaels. The movement caught the others attentions and Michael pried open the box, the small, simple ring he had picked out glaring back out at him. Ray’s hand squeezed his and a simple sentence crashed Michael’s world around him. Eight words tore at his heart, ripping him open and leaving it there for his own soul to break.
