In a fleeting thought, Bruce couldn’t lie: it was a decent plan, he’ll give them that. In wanting to find amusement in the situation, he bit his tongue, resisting the urge to give them better pointers for next time. Solid execution, six outta ten. Although, maybe triple check I’m not Batman next time. A ghost of a smile crept onto his lips. It helped pass another moment. That’s all he really could do without garnering suspicion. Pass another moment until the GCPD—or most likely, one of the Birds—arrived on the scene.
But until then? Bruce was bored.
Bruce Wayne Week 2022 Day 1: Heart of Gotham
Written for @brucewayneweek because I have no self restraint and have been looking for an excuse to write DC fics and this was too good to pass up
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
“Cover” more or less to the fic I’ll be posting chapter 1 of in the next few days. I make myself laugh.
Follow the artist I commissioned this art from btw!!! their instagram is @/beriikekii as well as their tumblr.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
I did a little ladybug drabble last night, forgot to post it on Tumblr :P
Description: A dark alleyway cloaks two heroes in darkness. As Chat Noir holds Ladybug in his arms, he doesn’t feel blood soaking through her suit. In fact, there’s barely any blood at all. This fills our feline hero with false hope. Something to cling onto for dear life as his own personal hero does exactly that.
Sorry for being late, it's been a really busy week which is my only explanation for horrible writing :'D
Under the cut as well because fanfic on mobile sucks:
I haven't gotten the idea of long chapters apparently, so whoops. In reply to the guest, Snowflake, Jack's afraid of the washcloth because it would wipe all of the makeup off, so instead of his face just being a bit blue around the eyes, it would be a bit more vibrant all over his entire face. So, instead of just looking sickly, it'd look unnatural.
I also apologize for Hiccup's name, some people do Henry, Henrick, Herrick, and I chose Herrick because I like'd how it sounded X'D. Enjoy the chapter, feel free to PM/review with any questions, I'll gladly answer :D
Sorry for the late update, but good news! The series this fic is based off of, I got to meet the author, so that was great! You should check her out because she's super sweet.
Ya' know how the disclaimers go, all rights go to their owners such as Dreamworks Animation and Disney Hyperion. Characters from How to Train Your Dragon & Rise of the Guardians and based on the series Project Paper Doll by Stacey Kade.
Enjoy~ (oh god it's 2010 all over again ~ isn't a thing anymore, huh?)
Help me.
Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed, the clarity of the unspoken message was, to say the least, disturbing. It was almost as if he could hear Jack's voice, but the young man's mouth wasn't moving. In fact, his face was just about frozen in a terrified expression aside from the slight tremble of his lower lip. Odd.
Don't just stand there, dork, help me out.
This time it was urgent, and Hiccup was beginning to wonder if he'd gone insane. How else would all of this even be possible? Jack was weird, but that didn't mean he was capable of anything like that.
Either way, something about the washcloth was obviously scaring him and Hiccup felt inclined to help him. Probably had something to do with the voice in his head telling him to do so. His eyes scanned for something he could use as a distraction, though he wasn't even sure that was what Jack wanted. Couldn't he have been a little more specific?... The voice... in his head.
As if to answer his unstated question, the teen gave a slight encouraging nod before turning back to the black haired woman in front of him, "This really isn't necessary, Miss Lockhart... I'm fine..." he forced a smile through gritted teeth.
Hiccup's eyes eventually locked on the woman's desk, specifically on a glass jar filled three quarters of the way full with cough drops. Without thinking, he shoved it off the desk, wincing when it hit the ground, shattering. Glass shards scattered across the floor, and the woman dropped the washcloth to the ground, eyes wide.
"Herrick!" she scolded, stepping away from Jack, who stood up wobbly and inched his way out the door.
"Wasn't me! Well uh... lunch hour's almost over.. I gotta go..." before the woman could say another word, he dashed out the door. Hiccup's eyes darted around the hallway, spotting a head of white dodging other students. He raced down the walkway and grabbed Jack by the shoulder, "What was that about?!"
Jack's eyes were wide, staring at the slightly shorter boy, "What was what about?" he tried to appear calm, though his fingers fidgeted with his hoodie strings nervously. Jack looked like an overall wreck, really, with the blue surrounding his eyes and still-trembling lip.
What was Hiccup supposed to reply with? Uh, the voices in my were telling me to save you. Yeah, no. The auburn haired teen tilted his head a bit, pulling the both of them into the bathroom and water fountain area, "You ran from the nurse's office... but you're sick right?"
"No."
"But you sai-"
"I'm not sick, end of story," Jack glanced at the wall clock. Twenty-seven seconds, then this conversation could be over and the bell would ring.
"You look really sick, I mean-" he made a small gesture with his hand to Jack's face, "Your skin..."
"I'm aware of my skin, Hiccup..." Jack mumbled. Fifteen...fourteen...
Hiccup bit his lip, unsure how to reply, "But you... I just..." he rubbed his upper arm before dropping his hand, "I want an explanation after school..." his voice was hesitant, though intended to be threatening.
"Uh huh," Jack smirked, "Anything else, mom?"
A glare answered his question and Jack took the opportunity to turn his back and walk away, concealing a proud smile, turning the corner into the bathroom as the bell rung.
...
"Jack!"
Said teen's locker door slammed shut, bonking him in the head, but Ana didn't seem to notice, bouncing up and down.
"Guess who aced their health quiz again?" she questioned in a sing-song voice.
"Jimmy Neutron?" he responded dully, rubbing his temple. That washcloth back in the nurse's office didn't seem like such a bad idea now.
"No," the young woman forced a glare before grinning again, handing him a piece of paper, a small '100 %' in that illegible handwriting every teacher seemed to have, "Isn't that great?" the brunette snatched the quiz back, holding it to her chest.
"Just as great as it every week," the boy chortled, pulling his books to his chest somewhat protectively, "But I'm glad you're happy," Jack shook his head, "We skyping tonight or..?"
"I'll text you if I can," the girl smiled, "I gotta get home, I forgot to feed Baby Tooth this morning," Ana stuffed her paper in a green folder, giving Jack a small wave with her even smaller hand before skipping off.
"Bye," Jack laughed to himself quietly to himself. It was always hard to keep a conversation going with that girl; she was always so busy.
Jack's thoughts stopped when he heard someone clearing his throat next to him, and Jack frowned, "I thought you were joking about the whole mom thing."
"I'm a curious person," Hiccup shrugged.
"And I'm a person who really values time alone," Jack secured his lock and began walking down the hall, hoping the teen would get the idea.
"Could I have some answers without the sass?" Hiccup followed, having trouble keeping up. Through the crowd of students, Jack seemed to have a knack for plotting exactly how he'd make it out the door, whereas Hiccup had to go at a slow pace to avoid collision or tripping.
"Wasn't that just sass?"
"No it was a request."
Jack bit his lower lip, "True. But I told you before, I didn't feel sick. I left. What's the big deal?"
"People don't just have blue skin one minute, then come back back with healthy skin the next," Hiccup laughed, almost a nervous one, "People don't have blue skin in general!"
"I don't have to explain anything..." Jack persisted, sighing once he got out the front door. No way was he losing this kid in the crowd now that they were outside.
"But it's just no-"
"They don't know what it is," Jack blurted out, "The doctors, they don't know why. It happens sometimes," sure, lying might not have been the best option but who'd want to hang out with a diseased freak who could potentially be contagious. It would be the best way to keep this kid out of his life.
Hiccup's face went pale, "Oh."
"Can I go home now?"
The auburn haired teen looked up at the taller of two. He wasn't sure how likely his story was, but he couldn't think of any other possibilities. His expression softened into a sympathetic smile, but shook his head, "Do you want to? Or do you just want to avoid the topic?"
"You don't really give up do you?" Jack laughed nervously. He was tempted to keep talking to Hiccup, he seemed friendly enough (a bit stubborn, but friendly nonetheless) and Jack didn't want to make him feel rejected. It wasn't like he was making any commitments, just accepting an invitation to chat, "...And if you're willing to avoid the topic, yeah, that'd be cool."
...
How could you have let your abilities get so out of hand like that, Dumbass? Jack criticized himself, kicking a pebble on the side of the road of which he had been walking on. Idiot. Back at the nurse's office, Jack could have easily used his skills, for lack of a better word, to knock over that cough drop container without communicating with Hiccup like that. The poor kid (who had made an opposite turn five minutes ago) had probably gone home thinking one of them was a freak. Most likely himself. If that was the case, it would be better for both of them in the long run, but Jack's guilty conscious would not handle it well.
He probably feels like an idiot... and there went said conscious, Not to mention crazy. It's enough to harass someone over a medical issue which you don't have, but making someone think they have a mental condition... tsk tsk... Jack's 'conscious' was beginning to sound a whole lot like Black. Taunting, yet disappointed and drenched in disapproval.
Great. Not only had the man ruined his life, but now he was inside his head. Just perfect.
Jack approached his home, flipping up the shiny metal panel next to the gate, punching in the code (0318)
and waited for the click of the gate, shoving it open and swinging it shut once he was inside the bland yard. Shuffling up the stairs of the porch and into the house, Jack called out quietly, "North?"
"How was school?" the man's voice sounded from the kitchen.
"Fine," Jack lied through his teeth. He hated lying to his father, but telling the truth wasn't an option, "Work?"
"Fine," North replied in a mumble. Jack could hear clicking from the other room and realized the man was probably busy on his laptop.
"See you tomorrow morning..." Jack mumbled, setting down his stack of books on the dining room table and had retreated up the staircase before he could hear the man's reply.
...
Jack stared up at the white ceiling of his bedroom, arms wrapped around himself protectively, warm tears falling from his eyes, freezing cold by the time they trickled past his ear, jaw, neck, and absorbed into his shirt. That dream wasn't that off base, you know, Jack told himself. Silently, of course. No way was he getting past the lump in his throat or chapped lips which had stuck together, Sure, they don't have police officers working at grocery stores, but that doesn't mean they don't shop there, Jack had realized earlier in the day how bad it really was. If an officer had managed to find North the one time Jack had ever seen him speed, how long did he have?
How long until he would be locked up in the padded white-walled room again? White walls... Jack could feel his throat closing up. He needed to get out of this room... His eyes scanned for any sort of color, locking on the sky blue door which led to his bathroom.
Pulling his grey bedspread up and around himself, he took a wobbly step out of bed, then another, then another... What kind of sick joke is this anyway? Stick the kid in the room which looks exactly like his old torture chamber, it'll be hilarious, Jack reached out a trembling hand and turned the doorknob, stumbling into his blue-tiled bathroom, climbing into the bathtub, curling up into a fetal position. Hands clutching onto his comforter, he managed to steady his sobs aside from a few chokes here and there.
Suddenly a bitter laugh. Created to be fearless, and now all I feel is fear... I win, BGL, I win...
Thanks for all the reviews and stuff, they're really encouraging/helpful.
Put it under the cut for all you mobile users if anyone actually still uses that app.
Back with another chapter :D It wasn't as long as I'd planned on, but it felt like a good time to end it. Oh! And though I mentioned the series this is based off of, I didn't mention the author's name.
So yup this fanfiction, though the plot doesn't have to do much with it, the backstory and a few other elements are based on The Rules by Stacey Kade (part of the Project Paper Doll series)
Also, I'm feeling more sick than usual so sorry about the writing.
Happy reading!
Jack stared down at his tennis shoes with a bored expression as he leaned against a rounded support beam, "Nooorth, just pick some cookies so we can go, my feet are starting to get sore," the boy whined as he tore his gaze from his dreadful footwear.
Jack's feet had an odd shape, long toes and an abnormally wide metatarsal area. His foot was also flatter than most, which made wearing shoes a pain, quite literally, so the teen preferred not to wear them when he didn't have to.
North turned his neck to look at him, beard following his movement, "Jack, I don't ask for much, just give a man some time to pick out his treats carefully, hm?"
Jack huffed, arms crossed over his chest, "Well I'm going to check out and go to the car," Jack shuffled out of the grocery store aisle, walking as if he were stepping on nails. He could hear a deep chuckle as he got further away, "Thanks for the support!" he called to his father sarcastically.
Once he had gotten to the checkout counter, he opened up the cooler attached to the candy and magazine racks, grabbing a bottled iced tea. He set it on the conveyor belt and smiling as he handed over two dollars and taking his receipt, "Thank you," he said with a smile and turned to his right, about to walk out the door when an officer stopped him.
The man took the bottle from Jack without a word, nodding his head in approval when he saw the 'Paid for' sticker on the side of the tea, "Here ya go, kid."
Jack took the bottle back with a polite smile, "Thank yo-"
The man arched an eyebrow, staring at the teen's outstretched hand, "Blue?" his confused expression was replaced with wide eyes, "You're it, aren't you?" he said with a hint of disgust, but his eyes were filled with greed.
Before Jack had a chance to react, the officer grabbed his wrist and reached around to pull at the other so they were held again one another, tea falling to the tiled floor, "Ooh I'm going to get a promotion because of you, boy."
Jack's eyes widened in fear, about to croak out North's name but shut his mouth. Sure, Jack would be going back to the lab but there was no reason North should get in trouble, too.
Police sirens were sounding outside, but Jack was too shaken up to wonder how the man had managed to call in a report that fast without him noticing.
Jack turned his neck, trying to look at the man, "P-please," he began to plead, "No..."
…
Jack's eyes shot open, a warm liquid dripping down his face, unsure whether it was sweat or tears. It was probably both. An alarm was blaring, and Jack quickly sat up, fingers trembling as he unlocked his android, turning off the alarm he had set the night before.
He slid his legs out from under the covers, ignoring the cold air when it made contact with his skin and stood up. Forcing his left leg, which was asleep, to move, he made his way to the full body mirror attached to his closet door. Jack's puffy eyes grazed over his reflection before looking down at his hands with shrunken shoulders, sullen expression.
…
North had been scrolling through the local newspaper website when he heard a chair squeak as it was pulled out from under the table. Without looking up, North mumbled, "Morning, son..."
"Morning, Father," the teen replied dully as he bit into a granola bar.
North had given up trying to commence conversation after Jack had lived there for a year. The only times they talked were when something neededto be said or on rare occasions that Jack would begin a conversation.
A half hour passed by and Jack stood, chair squeaking again, "What time are you getting home?" Jack asked quietly.
"Five."
Jack nodded, "See you then..." he mumbled, zipping up his grey blue hoodie (it helped distract from his abnormal skin color) and scooping up his books, walking out the front door.
…
"Dad! I'm leaving for school!" and auburn haired boy called, hoisting a dark brown backpack over his shoulder, almost toppling over at the weight, smacking his temple on the front door frame, "When are they gonna allow e-textbooks..." he mumbled as he rubbed his forehead, turning the handle of the door.
"Herrick! Come here for a minute we need to talk."
The boy's mouth twitched, "I told you, it's Hiccup..." he mumbled inaudibly, but turned around and walked back through the small living room and into the kitchen, "Yeah?"
There was a man standing next to the counter, pouring himself a mug-full of coffee, eyes trained on the boy, "You remember that meeting I told you about yesterday about the department, correct?"
Hiccup resisted an eye roll, "Yeah, 'correct'," he mocked, though his father chose to ignore it.
"BGL decided to let us in on the rumored case of a missing project..." Hiccup vaguely recognized the company acronym. It was a laboratory about fifteen miles from their home in a part of town he didn't go to that often, "But it wasn't exactly what we were expecting..." the man bit his lip, lost in thought.
"Meaning..?" Hiccup glanced at the clock on the wall, "Kinda on a schedule, Dad."
The man looked back to his son and shook his head, "Just let me know if there's any unusual behavior at school, okay?"
"Wha-" Hiccup shook his head. He was already pushing it if he wanted to stop for coffee and he wasn't particularly interested in the conversation anyway, "Uh alright. See you tonight," the green-eyed boy shook his head and rushed back to the front door.
"Mhm..." came a muffled reply as Hiccup raced outside and into his car.
…
"They don't even have police officers at grocery stores, Stupid," Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes at the inaccuracy of his dreams, burying his face in his arms after pushing aside his lunch tray.
Jack continued to scrutinize his dream in his thoughts, head in arms, when an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.
"Is uh... is he okay?"
A voice he recognized as Ana's spoke up after a moment, "I'm not sure, he's been a grump all day and-"
"I'm fine, Tooth," he smirked to himself, knowing the nickname would make her quiet down for a while, "I told you, I didn't get much sleep last night," Jack turned around to face the boy, the one he vaguely recognized as the boy from the bathroom the day prior.
The boy's eyebrows knit as he looked at Jack's face, "Yeah... you look like it."
"Meaning?" his eyebrow arched.
The other teen cleared his throat awkwardly and tilted his head slightly with narrowed eyes, "Around your eyes... I don't know, it's just an odd color..."
"He's right, Jack," Ana frowned, "Are you sure you aren't feeling sick?"
Shit.
"I uh... maybe a little..." his face was hot, unsure what he should have said. If he had said no it would be too suspicious, but if he had answered yes...
"I could take you to the nurse," he boy offered, biting at his lower lip, seeming concerned.
And there it was.
"N-no, really I'm feeling fine, guys..." Jack looked at Ana for help but she shook her head, arms crossed over her chest.
"You're going with him, Jack."
His shoulders shrunk but nodded, "Fine," there was usually a line of students trying to get out of class at the nurse's office anyway, he could just leave after this kid left. Jack stood up with a sigh, "I can make it there myself you know."
"Uh huh," the other teen chuckled a bit to himself, sarcasm evident in his voice, "I'm Hiccup by the way," he introduced as they started to walk out of the lunch room and into the hallway.
"Yep."
"And you're Jack, right?" 'Hiccup' peered over at the other, tilting his head slightly.
"Mhm."
"We were in the same classes back in middle school, right?" the shorter of the the two questioned.
"Yup."
"Great conversationalist..." Hiccup mumbled, slim arms crossed over his chest with a slight huff.
Jack hadn't meant to appear rude, he just knew the dangers of getting close with someone- or too many people. He wasn't sure having more friends than the two he already had now would be a good idea. So, despite his guilt, Jack decided to leave it. Besides, being friends with him could potentially bring much more pain than just a bit of rejection from someone this kid didn't even know.
They arrived at the nurse's office a few minutes later, Jack ignoring any other attempts of conversation the boy made (surprisingly, many; this kid sure had stubbornness issues). Jack stared at the entrance. No line.
He gulped, "I..."
Hiccup raised a brow, "What?"
"Nothing," Jack mumbled, walking in, head down.
Hiccup followed him in, sitting at one of the two chairs against the wall. The room was set up much like a doctor's office, but instead of the bed lifted up high, it was a bit less than three feet off the ground.
The white haired teen sat on the bed stiffly and looked at Hiccup, "You can leave..." he tried to seem casual about it but it came out more urging than anything.
Jack held back a groan and sucked in when the nurse turned from her desk, "What's the probl- oh my," she stood from her desk and scrambled over to the shelf, "What are your symptoms?" came the muffled question.
"Uh..." Jack hadn't thought of what he should say, as he wasn't planning on seeing the nurse at all, "Headache..?" he bit his lip.
The woman didn't seem to notice his hesitance, grabbing a bottle of acetaminophen, pouring two into her hand as well as some water into a cup, handing it over and biting her thumbnail, "Your skin looks almost blue..."
"So I've heard..." he grumbled, taking a gulp of the water and slipping the pills into his pocket.
Hiccup's eyes narrowed a bit when he saw that. If he was really feeling sick wouldn't he be taking them? Maybe he was allergic but didn't want to cause a fuss. That seemed a bit unlikely.
The woman had been bustling around, gathering some blankets after insisting Jack lay down, pouring more water, then took a washcloth from the shelf and drenched it in water, about to put it on Jack's forehead but he flinched and pulled away, "I-I really don't feel too sick... I mean, I'm fine, I promise..." he laughed nervously.
"Hon... you aren't fine..." the woman frowned, attempting to put the wet washcloth on his forehead and he pulled away again.
His heartbeat sounded like an alarm, pumping hard and loud in his ears, face flushed with blue, only making the situation worse. Jack looked at Hiccup, lip trembling, but his expression sent a clear message.
Help me.
Horray for most cliche & poorly written endings ever :D
'Born' and raised in a lab until the age of eight, Jack is living with his adoptive father and is now trying to live out a modern teenager's life, trying to disguise what it is he really is; an escaped lab rat. Jack's plan is to hide in plain sight, but he has no idea how good he is at it, befriending none other than the son of the man responsible for finding him.
HiJack of course.
Listed under Romance and Sci-fi but it just has scifi as a theme not really a genre.
I'm so good at descriptions :'D
I'll also post under the cut since fanfic on mobile sucks.
Sorry for sucky writing ._.
Sorry for it being so short, hope everyone likes it! If I get good reviews, I'll most definitely continue it with much longer chapters. Also, though I have a basic outline for where I'm going with this, suggestions are most definitely welcome.
Though I'm changing some of the details and the longterm plot, this fic is closely based off of Project Paper Doll: The Rules.
Also I can't write out accents so I'm not going to try :'D
Out of all the places Jack could be forced to go for hours everyday, it had to be classrooms. Father always said it was for the best; someone like Jack needed to appear as normal as possible, which was harder than Jack had first anticipated, back in the third grade when he began attending school. A real school, that is.
Before having moved in with North, he had had training, which included basic school subjects as well as cultural studies. In fact, Jack was quite advanced intellectually for a kid his age, and still was. He didn't even have an issue fitting in, the problem was, he wasn't allowed to. At least, not to his full potential.
He couldn't be popular, nor could he be a social outcast, it sounds like a simple enough rule to follow, but staying middle class in high school terms, yet remain invisible was a hard thing to do.
It wasn't like Jack didn't have any friends, he just wasn't particularly close to any of them. It was just the way it had to be, and Jack had gotten used to it. He was happy with the way it was, just him and Father. That was, when he was home...
Jack was pulled away from his thoughts as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Scooting his chair out from beneath the desk enough to position his legs on the side of his seat, he twisted his torso in order to look at the girl behind him with a raised brow.
"What is i-" his expression changed and he shook his head, "I know, we're getting tested on this," he mumbled so the teacher wouldn't hear, "I'm recording the lecture and listening to it tonight."
The young woman seemed pleased, "Good, I don't feel like tutoring you over the phone again. You have the worst reception..." the brunette mumbled back.
Jack let out a small huff, "It was sixth grade, Ana, let it go," he said in a quiet voice, turning back around in his chair before he could get caught.
Murmuring, "Yeah, yeah..." the sophomore turned back to her notebook, trying to catch up on the parts of the lecture she had missed.
Ana had the strange ability to be able to listen to multiple people at once and absorb everything each one of them said. What Jack would do for a brain like that.
About twenty minutes later, the bell rung and Jack rushed off to the boys' bathroom and into an empty stall. Fishing his phone from his right pocket, a stick concealer from his left, he turned on the front cam, biting his lip, "Dammit..." he mumbled, applying a bit of the concealer to his jaw where there was a hint of a blue tint to his pale skin.
After a few moments of inspecting his face for other spots the makeup had faded, he stuffed his things back in his pocket and walked out the stall door to the sink. Who knows how often the stall doors get cleaned. Jack turned the handle, glancing at the mirror in front of him. He grimaced, trying to wet down his snow white hair which was sticking up all over the place, giving up after a few minutes.
Dumb hair.
Jack grabbed a few paper towels the janitor had left on the counter, evidently not having time to actually refill the towel dispenser, and walked to the door, jumping back when the door opened for him, a boy on the other side.
"Hey," the kid greeted, a sweet softness to his usual (mildly) nasally voice, his green eyes no more than a centimeter below Jack's blue.
"Hey," he greeted back, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Passing by each other, Jack smiled to himself as he made his way to his locker and grabbed his history books, running off to class.
...
"Nooorth?" Jack called as he stepped into the house, backpack hung over his shoulder, "You home?" Jack closed the front door, opening the closet directly in front of it, hanging his backpack up on a hook. Turning to his left, he walked out into the open space, right side serving as a living room, right side dining room.
A large, almost rectangle shaped man with a long white beard, looked up from where he sat at the end of the dining table which was cluttered with papers, as well as a laptop and an empty microwave dinner container. North set down the cell phone, standing with a concerned but stern expression on his face, "I just got off the phone with Mr. Pitch."
"Oh."
"He'd called me, offering to recruit me for another search," North informed him.
Jack bit at his thin lower lip but nodded, "That's not too bad though, right? I mean... it's happened before," it was always happening, really, "They haven't found me yet," he gave the man a weak yet playful smile.
North shook his head, "That may be, but this time it's different... it's not just them anymore."
Jack frowned.
"They're teaming up with the police force, Jack. It won't just be a few dozen people looking for you anymore, Jack. You have to be more careful than usual."
The man's bushy eyebrows joined together, "You had better be unless you want to go back to the lab..."
Jack winced, "I'll be more careful."
"Good," North's stern expression was replaced with a smile, "There's some chicken and rice left over from last night, you can have that for dinner."
Jack held himself, arms crossed over his chest, "I think I'm just going to head to bed, I'll set my alarm early for homework," he sighed, "Goodnight..."
North sat on the couch in the living room area, flipping on the TV, "Goodnight, Jack."
Jack stared at the ground, taking off his shoes and tossing them in the closet, walking forward and past the living and dining room area, into a horizontal hallway, turning to his left and ran up the stairs into his bedroom.
Reviews and criticism would be great! If I end up writing a second chapter, Jack's backstory will be more clear, I kept it pretty vague in this chapter :)
