Unnatural History, "Caught In-Between" ch.2, rated T
Fandom: Unnatural History
Title: Caught In-Between
Chapter Title: 2: Process of Elimination
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: R/M
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairings: Henry/Maggie, Jasper/Maggie, & hinted Jasper/Henry
Warnings: polyamory, UST in later chapters.
Disclaimer:: Cartoon Network owns Unnatural History. I only borrow and play.
Notes: In progress. OT3 fic, with mature situations to be added later. (Once completed I'll post to the UnH comm here at LJ.)
URLS: FFnet | AO3
Story Summary:As a strange heat wave hits DC, the gang becomes involved in a mystery that enhances their feelings for one another, with a new fertility artifact as a possible cause. Henry x Maggie x Jasper. In-progress.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Two: Process of Elimination
Jasper was staring at him. At least, he had hoped he would stare at his cousin so long and hard that it would annoy him, and then Henry would spill the highly anticipated details. However, he wasn't even bothered by it. Jasper supposed that Henry had endured much more trying things at whatever country in whatever strange custom he was exposed to before coming here. If his cousin could stop his heart at will, Jasper assumed his cousin could endure pretty much anything.
"So you're not going to tell me?" Jasper asked, intently watching Henry from the other side of their shared bedroom. Henry drew his attention away from whatever tattered book he was reading and shot his cousin a perplexed look.
Jasper sighed noisily. "Dude, who do you possibly like?"
"Oh," Henry said, his expression a seemingly constant state of serenity. He smiled amiably, but his brow furrowed. Jasper couldn't believe he had to think about it. Again. Shouldn't he already know?
Henry met his cousin's inquiring eyes. "I haven't decided yet. I'm still... thinking it out." He made a motion to turn back to his book, but Jasper continued to grill him.
"Well, can you at least tell me who you think you like?" Jasper asked, sounding irritated.
"Jasper, it's like a process of elimination. The incident with Madison made me think about the girls that are generally nice to me at school, yet how I feel about them individually. I've taken some time to think about it..."
"And?"
"I've found out that the only girl in school who I have any feelings for more than the others is Maggie," Henry admitted, and Jasper sucked in a heavy breath.
"Maggie?" Jasper squawked out.
Henry nodded with a smile.
"So, you like Maggie?" Jasper asked with a hint of jealousy.
"More than the others," Henry clarified earnestly, and he drew his eyes away from Jasper's heated glare and seemed to daze into mild pontification. "I believe the reason is that I don't know those other girls, and I know Maggie because we're friends, and because well, the three of us have been through a lot together. Plus, Maggie is more intelligent and certainly more interesting than the other girls in school, as far as I know."
"So what... does that mean you're going to, like ask Maggie out, then?" Jasper asked, snorting with hostility, and Henry finally clued in and noticed his cousin's aggravation.
"Jasper, I'm sensing from your aura that you're mad because you like Maggie as well, and ultimately, you were here first, and you think I'm infringing on your territory," Henry said, cocking his head. "Am I right?"
"No! Wait... what?" Jasper sputtered with an awkward laugh. He looked away from Henry's gaze and glared at the ceiling. In a very low mumble he replied. "I do not..."
"Do you know what I also discovered?" Henry added, ignoring Jasper's petulant flustering.
Jasper turned his head. "What?"
"I also realized that I like you and Maggie equally, that I could never choose one over the other for any reason, if it were small or even if it meant life or death," Henry confessed.
Jasper stared dumbly at him for a moment and something dawned on him. He sighed heavily and plopped backward onto his bed in annoyance. "Henry, so what you're really saying is you don't like anyone like a girlfriend right now?"
"No... I'm saying I don't know," Henry said with a wink.
"I still think you're an alien, or worse, a pod person," Jasper said, catching his breath. "Whoa, you worried me for a moment."
"Why are you so upset about Maggie? I could... potentially like her more in the future; is that what you're concerned about?" Henry asked.
Jasper smiled mockingly and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Henry, have you ever been the third wheel in a group? Have you ever been left out? No, I don't think so, because you've always been in charge."
"That's not true..." Henry said, sliding out of his hammock. He walked over to Jasper's bedside and looked down at his exasperated cousin.
"Henry, you have mad skills from all over the world. I'm surprised girls aren't throwing themselves at you," he said bitterly. He tilted his head. "Well, Madison did... I guess."
Henry leaned down and sat lightly at the edge of Jasper's bed while his cousin folded his hands together. Their gazes locked, and Henry gave his cousin an enduring pat on his hands. In a soft voice he reassured him. "I promise to never do that to you." He smiled lightly, resting his hand over Jasper's. Jasper didn't protest the touch. He watched Henry with relief, feeling grateful in this moment that his cousin was different from everyone else.
Henry was more caring than he'd ever known from anyone. If Henry did hurt him (like he thought he would with Maggie) he'd never know it, at least not intentionally.
Jasper sighed again. "You are so weird," he said with a lazy chuckle.
"So, is it okay with you that I like Maggie more than other girls?" Henry asked, clarifying.
Jasper rolled his eyes. "At least for now," Jasper droned.
"And you don't like Maggie beyond friendship either?" Henry asked, still making sure he wasn't stepping on toes - more specifically, on Jasper's.
"Okay, I like Maggie fine, but honestly, if it were more, it'd ruin our friendship. I mean, she's gorgeous and smart, looks good in black jeans..." Henry's single eyebrow rose slightly, and Jasper cleared his throat before continuing. "However, she's infuriating a lot, and we fight all the time. Now what kind of relationship is that?"
"A brother and sister one? Minus the black jeans thing, of course," Henry joked.
"Don't be an ass," Jasper snorted at him. "Seriously, I feel the same way you do... I think, still not sure about that... but I like Maggie equally to you. I could never choose one over the other."
"Then we are arguing about nothing," Henry said bluntly, which only seemed to counter Jasper's lulling irritation.
"Look, Henry, I'm sorry I bugged you about it, but if you started flirting and making out with Maggie in front of me, after she denied going out with me that one time, it would be weird, and frankly," he paused and his voice went soft and distant, "well... it would change everything."
Henry squeezed Jasper's folded hands under his palm, and Jasper met his cousin's eyes again, clear and innocent. No, Henry would never do anything like that out of spite. Maybe he would fall for Maggie because it was real, but would Henry ever leave Jasper out? Jasper didn't think so. It wasn't Henry's style.
"Are we done with this conversation then?" Jasper asked wearily.
Henry smiled. "You're the one who brought it up." He rose from the bed, and Jasper almost missed the warm, extra weight. He watched as Henry settled back into his hammock, and Jasper begrudgingly pulled out his Ornithology textbook, knowing full well he wasn't going to be able to focus on bird names too much that night.
Chapter Three
Title: Caught In-Between
Chapter Title: 2: Process of Elimination
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: R/M
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairings: Henry/Maggie, Jasper/Maggie, & hinted Jasper/Henry
Warnings: polyamory, UST in later chapters.
Disclaimer:: Cartoon Network owns Unnatural History. I only borrow and play.
Notes: In progress. OT3 fic, with mature situations to be added later. (Once completed I'll post to the UnH comm here at LJ.)
URLS: FFnet | AO3
Story Summary:As a strange heat wave hits DC, the gang becomes involved in a mystery that enhances their feelings for one another, with a new fertility artifact as a possible cause. Henry x Maggie x Jasper. In-progress.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Two: Process of Elimination
Jasper was staring at him. At least, he had hoped he would stare at his cousin so long and hard that it would annoy him, and then Henry would spill the highly anticipated details. However, he wasn't even bothered by it. Jasper supposed that Henry had endured much more trying things at whatever country in whatever strange custom he was exposed to before coming here. If his cousin could stop his heart at will, Jasper assumed his cousin could endure pretty much anything.
"So you're not going to tell me?" Jasper asked, intently watching Henry from the other side of their shared bedroom. Henry drew his attention away from whatever tattered book he was reading and shot his cousin a perplexed look.
Jasper sighed noisily. "Dude, who do you possibly like?"
"Oh," Henry said, his expression a seemingly constant state of serenity. He smiled amiably, but his brow furrowed. Jasper couldn't believe he had to think about it. Again. Shouldn't he already know?
Henry met his cousin's inquiring eyes. "I haven't decided yet. I'm still... thinking it out." He made a motion to turn back to his book, but Jasper continued to grill him.
"Well, can you at least tell me who you think you like?" Jasper asked, sounding irritated.
"Jasper, it's like a process of elimination. The incident with Madison made me think about the girls that are generally nice to me at school, yet how I feel about them individually. I've taken some time to think about it..."
"And?"
"I've found out that the only girl in school who I have any feelings for more than the others is Maggie," Henry admitted, and Jasper sucked in a heavy breath.
"Maggie?" Jasper squawked out.
Henry nodded with a smile.
"So, you like Maggie?" Jasper asked with a hint of jealousy.
"More than the others," Henry clarified earnestly, and he drew his eyes away from Jasper's heated glare and seemed to daze into mild pontification. "I believe the reason is that I don't know those other girls, and I know Maggie because we're friends, and because well, the three of us have been through a lot together. Plus, Maggie is more intelligent and certainly more interesting than the other girls in school, as far as I know."
"So what... does that mean you're going to, like ask Maggie out, then?" Jasper asked, snorting with hostility, and Henry finally clued in and noticed his cousin's aggravation.
"Jasper, I'm sensing from your aura that you're mad because you like Maggie as well, and ultimately, you were here first, and you think I'm infringing on your territory," Henry said, cocking his head. "Am I right?"
"No! Wait... what?" Jasper sputtered with an awkward laugh. He looked away from Henry's gaze and glared at the ceiling. In a very low mumble he replied. "I do not..."
"Do you know what I also discovered?" Henry added, ignoring Jasper's petulant flustering.
Jasper turned his head. "What?"
"I also realized that I like you and Maggie equally, that I could never choose one over the other for any reason, if it were small or even if it meant life or death," Henry confessed.
Jasper stared dumbly at him for a moment and something dawned on him. He sighed heavily and plopped backward onto his bed in annoyance. "Henry, so what you're really saying is you don't like anyone like a girlfriend right now?"
"No... I'm saying I don't know," Henry said with a wink.
"I still think you're an alien, or worse, a pod person," Jasper said, catching his breath. "Whoa, you worried me for a moment."
"Why are you so upset about Maggie? I could... potentially like her more in the future; is that what you're concerned about?" Henry asked.
Jasper smiled mockingly and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Henry, have you ever been the third wheel in a group? Have you ever been left out? No, I don't think so, because you've always been in charge."
"That's not true..." Henry said, sliding out of his hammock. He walked over to Jasper's bedside and looked down at his exasperated cousin.
"Henry, you have mad skills from all over the world. I'm surprised girls aren't throwing themselves at you," he said bitterly. He tilted his head. "Well, Madison did... I guess."
Henry leaned down and sat lightly at the edge of Jasper's bed while his cousin folded his hands together. Their gazes locked, and Henry gave his cousin an enduring pat on his hands. In a soft voice he reassured him. "I promise to never do that to you." He smiled lightly, resting his hand over Jasper's. Jasper didn't protest the touch. He watched Henry with relief, feeling grateful in this moment that his cousin was different from everyone else.
Henry was more caring than he'd ever known from anyone. If Henry did hurt him (like he thought he would with Maggie) he'd never know it, at least not intentionally.
Jasper sighed again. "You are so weird," he said with a lazy chuckle.
"So, is it okay with you that I like Maggie more than other girls?" Henry asked, clarifying.
Jasper rolled his eyes. "At least for now," Jasper droned.
"And you don't like Maggie beyond friendship either?" Henry asked, still making sure he wasn't stepping on toes - more specifically, on Jasper's.
"Okay, I like Maggie fine, but honestly, if it were more, it'd ruin our friendship. I mean, she's gorgeous and smart, looks good in black jeans..." Henry's single eyebrow rose slightly, and Jasper cleared his throat before continuing. "However, she's infuriating a lot, and we fight all the time. Now what kind of relationship is that?"
"A brother and sister one? Minus the black jeans thing, of course," Henry joked.
"Don't be an ass," Jasper snorted at him. "Seriously, I feel the same way you do... I think, still not sure about that... but I like Maggie equally to you. I could never choose one over the other."
"Then we are arguing about nothing," Henry said bluntly, which only seemed to counter Jasper's lulling irritation.
"Look, Henry, I'm sorry I bugged you about it, but if you started flirting and making out with Maggie in front of me, after she denied going out with me that one time, it would be weird, and frankly," he paused and his voice went soft and distant, "well... it would change everything."
Henry squeezed Jasper's folded hands under his palm, and Jasper met his cousin's eyes again, clear and innocent. No, Henry would never do anything like that out of spite. Maybe he would fall for Maggie because it was real, but would Henry ever leave Jasper out? Jasper didn't think so. It wasn't Henry's style.
"Are we done with this conversation then?" Jasper asked wearily.
Henry smiled. "You're the one who brought it up." He rose from the bed, and Jasper almost missed the warm, extra weight. He watched as Henry settled back into his hammock, and Jasper begrudgingly pulled out his Ornithology textbook, knowing full well he wasn't going to be able to focus on bird names too much that night.
Chapter Three