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Part 2 of In Between Fudge and Needlepoint: A Jack Fenton AU
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Published:
2020-10-03
Completed:
2020-10-05
Words:
1,961
Chapters:
2/2
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21
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86
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681

Fenton Men Don't Cry

Summary:

Fenton men didn't cry. Crying was a sign of weakness, weakness that couldn't be tolerated. Ever. It didn't matter if your sister just died a few months ago. Or if you were only eight years old. Weaknesses like tears just weren't acceptable. But Jack Fenton was willing to change that for his son. If your kids are the future, don't you want them to grow up in an emotionally healthy environment?

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Big Kids Don't Cry

Summary:

He was eight years old now. He wasn't allowed to cry just because he missed his sister. Even if she was gone forever, and he'd never be able to talk to her again. Even if it really was all his fault, no matter what the grown ups said. He was a big kid now, and big kids don't cry. At least, that's what Pop always says.

Or...

Jack Fenton didn't grow up in the most emotionally supportive household. But it was the '70s. That was normal, right?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Jack sat on his bed, and looked at the picture of him and Sara, three months tomorrow. That’s how long she had been gone. Three months. He kept that picture in his room by his bed, because if he didn’t then the only way he’d remember her was the way she died. He’d never forget that. He started crying, tears fell onto the picture and he felt guilty. She was gone. She was gone for real and it was all his fault. No wonder Ma barely looked at him anymore! No wonder Pop seemed angry all the time! It was all Jack’s fault.

He needed to grow up now more than ever, because crying was something little kids and girls did. He was eight. He shouldn’t be crying like this. He could almost hear how Sara would respond to all his thoughts about this.

  ‘Jackie! It was an accident! Nobody blames you for what happened, except you. And do you know how mean it is to say that big kids and boys can’t cry? Ma and Pop love you so much Little Jackie.’ She would have held him close. The thought of that just made him sob even harder.

It was getting harder and harder to cry quietly. If he wasn’t extremely careful, Pop might hear, and he’d just get mad. Or worse, he’d look guilty. Jack never liked when Pop looked guilty. He hugged himself as another sob tore through his body, this time he couldn’t help making a sound.

There was a sudden sharp knock at his door. Oh no. “Jonathon. We’ve talked about this.” Pop stood in the doorway, for someone that was as lean as he was, he managed to take up the entire space. “Fenton men don’t cry.”

“S-sorr-ry Pop. I-I jus-st reall-ly miss her-r.” Jack tried to apologize through his tears, but it was hard, his words came out in a gaspy stutter.

“I know you miss her Jonathon. I do too.” Pop sighed heavily. “But think about your poor mother. Think about what she’s going through, she just lost her only daughter!” Pop leaned heavily on the doorframe, he looked sadly at his son.

‘I lost her too.’ Jack couldn’t help thinking, but he’d never say something like that out loud. Especially not to Pop.

“Look, Jonathon. I’m gonna let this slide this time, but you need to start getting control of your emotions. I don’t want you going and getting soft on me son. Understand?” Pop sounded resigned, like he had already had this conversation multiple times before. Jack didn’t trust his voice to come out strongly like he wanted it to, so he just nodded. “Good. Get yourself cleaned up, it’s almost time for dinner.” With that Pop left the doorway and went back downstairs. Jack sighed. He’d get himself cleaned up in a moment. First he needed to calm down. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

 

 

Jack stood in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, staring at his tear-streaked cheeks in disapproval. “Crying is for little kids. And for girls. Not for eight year old boys.” Jack stubbornly reminded himself, he ignored Sara’s voice in his head telling him it was okay to have feelings. “I’m too big to let myself cry like this.” Jack looked himself in the eye, daring the tears that were starting to form to fall. They called his bluff. “No.” Jack scrubbed at his face angrily. “No. No. No! I’m a Fenton man, and Fenton men don’t cry! Pop said so!” Jack splashed cold water on his face, hoping that would make it stop.

“Jonathon?” Ma. She looked sad, she always looked sad these days. “Supper’s ready.” She said, kindly smiling as Jack took deep breaths to calm himself down.

“Thanks Ma. I’ll be out there in just a sec.” Jack gave his mother as big a grin as he could. Pop was right about one thing, Ma was having a hard time since Sara died, he saw the dewdrop tears that were always hanging on her eyelashes. Jack had to be strong so she didn’t need to be.

“Alright. Hurry on up, I know how big that Fenton appetite can be.” Ma said with a small smile. Jack grinned even bigger, if he could fool Ma with a Thousand-watt grin, he could fool anyone. “I love you Jackie.” Ma said softly as she walked back to the kitchen.

“I love you too Ma.” Jack said, following. Not noticing that he had his own dewdrop tears resting softly on his eyelashes. (If at supper Ma gave him an extra big cup of lemonade, to help him feel better, no one mentioned it.)

Notes:

I know this is an AU that I made up, but somebody needs to please go and give Jack a hug. Like seriously, I made myself sad with this. I know it's not really that good, and that I overexplain in some places, and underexplain in others. But still. I tried. Do I get a gold star for trying?

Chapter 2: When You Can't Sleep, Come See Me. (It's gonna be okay)

Summary:

Jack can't sleep. Maddie worries. Danny's having a really hard time lately. Jazz just wants everyone to be okay.

Or...

A few weeks after The Accident, nobody in the Fenton household is doing all that well. But maybe that's okay.

Chapter Text

Sara’s bright blue eyes stared blankly at the sky, her black hair framed around her face, her blood covered everything. Suddenly her eyes moved to look right at him, she grinned maniacally, her teeth were covered in her blood. Then suddenly Vlad helped her up again, his face was still covered in the terrible sores, his eyes were still flashed that horrid bright blue. “Honestly Jackie. Did you ever think you’d be able to do anything right? Life with you around is just an accident waiting to happen!” Sara’s head moved to an unnatural angle.

“Honestly Jack.” Vlad’s voice sounded hollow.

“You should just be glad you didn’t kill anyone this time.” Danny suddenly joined the other two in front of Jack. Danny’s eyes glowed bright green.

“No. No. Please stop. Please.” Jack whimpered and hid his face behind his arms. The three people he failed in life walked toward him threateningly. And just as they got right up to him…

 

Jack woke up in a cold sweat. Two weeks ago his son could have died in a lab accident. His son could have died because he didn’t lock the basement like he promised he would. Jack looked over at Maddie, she looked at him knowingly. “I had a nightmare.” He confessed. Maddie looked less than surprised.

“Are you going to go back to sleep?” Maddie asked, she sounded so tired.

"No. I don't think so." Jack shook his head gently. The images from his nightmare still vivid in his mind.

"Then could you do me a favor?"

"Always." Jack didn't hesitate. He'd never hesitate for Maddie. She's been going through so much lately, she almost lost her only son a couple weeks ago, for Pete's sake!

"Could you check on Danny for me? I'm worried, and he doesn't like it when I hover." Maddie bit the inside of her cheek. Jack looked over at the alarm clock.

“You want me to check up on our fourteen year old son, at 2:45 am?” He sighed, Maddie looked at him helplessly. He knew that she was in a rough spot right now. He’d do anything for her. “Alright. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Maddie gave him a tired smile. He reached over and brushed his thumb against her cheek, his heart clenched at the sight of the dewdrop tears resting on her eyelashes. “Love you.” He said as he took off his nightcap and made his way down the hall to Danny’s room.

 

Jack stood in front of his son’s bedroom, and he felt like he was intruding. He had expected Danny’s door to be closed. He had expected his son to be sleeping. But that wasn’t what he saw.

Danny’s door was wide open, and in plain view was Danny himself. Sitting on the bed, his head buried in his knees, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly, the sound of soft sobbing echoing gently around him. Jack’s heart tore itself in two at the sight. After two deep breaths, Jack knocked softly on the doorframe. “Dan?”

“Dad!” Danny startled, his head popped up in a way that might have been funny if it wasn’t just sad. “Di-id I wa-ake you up? Is everyth-thing al-alright?” Danny’s voice was a harsh whisper, and yet still stronger than Jack might have expected from someone who still had tears running down his cheeks.

“I’m fine Danny, you didn’t wake me up. Are you okay?” Jack stood awkwardly in Danny’s doorway, and looked his son over in concern. “Can I come in?”

“Um...I guess?” Danny gave a halfhearted shrug, and hugged his knees just a little tighter. “I’m okay Dad. I jus-st. It’s only th-that.” Danny started and stopped a couple times, Jack made his way over and sat down at the foot of his son’s bed, his eyebrows pinched in concern. Jack put up a hand to stop Danny for just a second.

“Dan, you don’t need to explain yourself to me. Especially not right now. You’ve been through so much these past few weeks...I’m so sorry son.” Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Danny could be going through. 

“You don’t need to be sorry Dad. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Danny almost looked confused. Jack raised an eyebrow, as his son wiped the tears off his cheeks.

“I may not have been the direct cause of your accident. But that doesn't mean that I can’t still be sorry that you went through that Danny. No one should have to experience something like that ever.” Jack didn’t need to tell his son about his own guilt. This wasn’t the time for self-pity.

“Oh. Okay. Are you okay Dad? You seem a little...off.” Danny said after a couple moments. Jack was a little thrown off by the question.

“I’m fine Dan. It’s just been a long few weeks.” Jack started. “I’m just glad that you’re okay physically.” Jack muttered, he looked intently at his son’s face, checking again for any sign of the boils that had overtaken Vlad’s face. (He was so lost in his own thoughts and concerns that he completely missed the brief look of panic that flashed across Danny’s face.)

 

“I guess all this has been hard on all of us huh?” Danny said after a brief silence.

“Yeah. It has. I’m never going to be able to forget that moment, right before you opened your eyes back up. I was so scared. I was worried that you had died.” Jack let out a humorless chuckle.

“I’m just lucky that you and Mom are the best scientists around.” Danny said, with a firm nod. “ Because the Fenton Portal works. And it didn’t kill me.” Jack smiled at his son’s ‘stern voice’, as well as Danny’s refusal to call it the Fenton Interdimensional Wormhole. “Could I...give you a small hug Dad?” Danny seemed to ask his knees, then he snapped his head up and said “I mean, if you want to! I don’t want to overstep any bounds or anything. Just like for three seconds, you know.” Jack smiled softly and opened his arms, and Danny made his way into them.

“Any time, if you ever want to. Or need to. I’m always okay with that Danny.” Jack said softly into his son’s hair.

 

After the allotted three seconds was up, Danny wiggled from his father’s arms. “Goodnight Dad. See you in the morning.” He said as he wormed his way under his blankets.

“Goodnight Danny.” Jack said as he firmly tucked the blankets around his son. Danny laughed and tried to wiggle free, but it wasn’t going so well for him.

 

As Jack made his way back to his and Maddie’s room, he stopped by Jazz’s door, and looked in on his daughter, sleeping peacefully. “Goodnight Jazzy-Bean.” He whispered to his little princess.

Then he made his way back into his own bed, turned to Maddie and told her that Danny was doing as well as could be expected. No reason to worry. At least, not at 2:45 in the morning.

Notes:

Is this whole fic just my way of saying that we need to let boys feel things and cry if they need to? Maaayybe.