A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Jason out here being a good man to the hilt.
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As Carol rather sloppily and desperately tries to kiss him, Jason has to admit… it is VERY tempting to go along with this. Not just because the older woman is still very attractive despite her age but also because a sexual retionship with Carol represents leverage that Jason is pretty sure he’s not going to be able to get anywhere else.
… Unfortunately, his conscience won’t let him go through with it. As badly as he wants to make Carol more attached to him, he can’t do so in such an underhanded and scummy way. The older woman is so vulnerable right now it isn’t even funny… and Jason just isn’t enough of a scumbag to take advantage of that fact.
Reaching up, he pces his hands on Carol’s shoulders and begins carefully, almost gently extricating himself from her grasp. At first, she clings to him desperately, fighting him every step of the way and kissing him all the more needily. But then, to her credit, Carol seems to realize what she’s doing and abruptly ceases her efforts to force herself on him, allowing him to pull away as she stares up at him with wide, puffy red eyes.
“I… I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Jason is pretty sure she’d leap out of her chair and flee the situation if he didn’t have his hands on her shoulders still. He can feel her body tensing up under him to do precisely that. That’s why Jason doesn’t let go. He holds her in pce and gives her a compassionate smile.
“Hey… it’s okay, you don’t need to apologize. Still… you’re better than this, Professor. It was just a moment of weakness.”
That, as it turns out, is the wrong thing to say. Carol’s face scrunches up and the tears begin flowing again as the clearly broken woman shudders in his grasp.
“N-No… I’m really n-not. You don’t k-know… everything I’ve k-kept from you…”
Jason furrows his brow. He assumes she’s talking about the vibrator still buzzing away in her cunt. Or maybe the fact that she was fully masturbating in here before he’d interrupted her. That, as it turns out… isn’t quite it at all.
“The internship… I can’t p-promise the internship w-will actually happen.”
What?
Jason freezes in pce, but fortunately Carol has turned her eyes downward, to her p. She’s looking at her own hands as she expins through the tears.
“My s-sabbatical wasn’t exactly m-my choice. A-And I might n-never go back to the f-firm… I can still p-put in a good word with you, but n-nothing will be guaranteed…”
Well. That changed everything, didn’t it? Except… did it really? Jason can’t help but take a moment to really process Carol’s admission and the full breadth of her deception. It’s a betrayal, pin and simple. And if she’d told him this even two weeks ago, Jason would have been beside himself with anger and grief.
That internship represented the next step in his best possible future, after all. A glimmering shard of hope in a jagged and unforgiving world. Or rather… it HAD represented all of that.
The truth was, Jason didn’t need the internship anymore. Would he still like it? Sure… but at the same time, his entire world had changed rather dramatically recently. He had powers now. He had a Cape Identity. Soon, he would have a proper costume. And the way his power worked, he would only get stronger and stronger.
On top of that, he might be able to seal away Endbringers of all things with enough time and energy. In the face of all of that, interning at a w firm seemed so much more… pedestrian. It was no longer the light at the end of the tunnel for Jason, but rather just something to work towards, something almost… rote in a way.
So when he finally finds his voice, the words that spill out of Jason’s mouth… he actually means them.
“That’s alright.”
Needless to say, he couldn’t have shocked Carol Dallon more if he tried. The older woman’s head snaps up, her eyes whipping to meet his eyes as she stares at him incredulously. Jason just smirks, enjoying having caught her off guard.
“Who can say where I’ll be by the time the internship becomes relevant anyways? Maybe I won’t even want it by then…”
It was a distinct possibility. But of course, for poor Carol, he might as well be talking another nguage.
“Wha- but that internship is e-everything to you! It’s the e-entire reason you’ve been TAing for m-me! I’ve r-run you ragged specifically to d-drive you away and you’ve c-clung on against all odds f-for something that you m-might not even want?!”
Jason tilts his head to the side, not quite sure how to take the admission that Carol had been worse to him just because she couldn’t guarantee the internship and instead of simply telling him that much, she’d hoped to drive him away and make him quit of his own volition. That… that made him a little angry.
Still, in for a penny, in for a pound.
“I suppose I have my reasons. As for you… you were right, Carol. You’re a mess. And you’re not as good of a woman as I thought you were.”
Carol freezes in pce at Jason’s matter of fact judgment. She trembles, looking mere moments away from breaking down again… but Jason still has ahold of her shoulders. He squeezes down tightly, causing her to gasp as he looks her dead in the eye.
“So we’ll make you better. Together.”
That brings a glimmer of hope to Carol’s eyes. She looks like she doesn’t want to believe it… like she can’t believe what he’s saying. However, paradoxically, she also wants to. She desperately wants his help, he can tell.
“H-How?”
Jason pauses for a moment, an idea coming to mind that… well, he’d already decided he wasn’t going to fuck Carol Dallon today. Not when she was like this. However, it seemed obvious that she needed some kind of firm hand in her life. And it had worked for Vicky, right?
“Stand up.”
Carol stiffens at his chilled, authoritative tone but then quickly hastens to obey. The chair she’s sitting on is pushed back as she stands there, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Bend over the desk.”
The older woman’s breath hitches… but again, she doesn’t refuse his instruction. She does avert her eyes however, looking away from him as she pnts her hands palm down on the desk.
“Ass out.”
A whimper leaves Carol’s lips, one filled with both trepidation… and anticipation. She does as she’s told all the same. Yep… if it worked for Vicky then…
Still, he’s not just going to do it without getting some informed consent.
“I’m going to spank you now, Carol. For lying to me. For abusing not just my trust but also my work ethic. I’m going to punish you and then I’m going to forgive you. Do you understand?”
“… yes sir…”
Her voice is tremulous and quiet as she answers him. Jason decides not to comment on the ‘sir’ part, even as he focuses on the task at hand. She’s still clothed, even if there’s a sex toy he’s not supposed to know about under her skirt and panties. Regardless, her ass is right in front of him… waiting for her punishment.
Without further ado, Jason brings his hand down on Carol’s left ass cheek for the first time.
SMACK!
“A-Ah!”
Carol squeaks, jumping in response, but Jason doesn’t let up. Truth be told, he’s a little upset with her… maybe more than a little upset with her. After all, even if he didn’t know for sure if he actually wanted the internship at this point in time, he’d still worked his ass off for it. And now he found out Carol had made things doubly hard for him, all in an effort to make him give up on his dream all of his own volition.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
If she wasn’t such a fucking mess of a human being, he’d wash his hands of her. If the fa?ade he’d thought was the real ‘Professor Carol Dallon’ all this time had been the truth, he’d probably be raging, angry beyond belief.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Fortunately for Carol, she was a wreck. Doubly fortunately, he wasn’t the same young man she’d been abusing for months now. Instead of being furious with her, he’s merely somewhat irate. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve every bit of this though.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Finally, after alternating between her ass cheeks across ten spankings, Jason pulls his hand back. Carol is trembling, bent over her desk still, clearly waiting for the next strike. Frankly… she might have enjoyed all of that, Jason is forced to acknowledge. But she probably wouldn’t enjoy trying to sit down for the next day or two. His blows hadn’t been very soft.
“We’re done, Carol. And I forgive you.”
Slowly straightening up, Carol Dallon looks at him with wide eyes.
“You… y-you do?”
Jason smiles, able to mean every word of it because ultimately, he’s grown beyond needing her or her internship thanks to his powers. Not that he’s going to tell HER that.
“I do. You wronged me, Carol. But you’re sorry, aren’t you?”
The older woman nods rapidly at that.
“At the end of the day, you told me the truth though. You admitted what you’d done and sought atonement. And now you’ve paid the price for your actions. So between the two of us… everything is forgiven. You’ve taken the first step on your path to being a better person.”
Carol’s breath hitches. Jason can tell his words have a huge impact on her. Honestly, part of him isn’t sure why. In her eyes, he’s just some college student. Barely half her age, really. By all accounts, Jason shouldn’t be able to influence Carol one bit. And yet… he also gets it. Clearly, she’s been spiraling for a long time now. And nobody has stepped up to offer her so much as a hand in support.
Is it any wonder then that she seems to be clinging to him despite them not even having sex?
“What… what’s the second step?”
Of course, that doesn’t change one simple truth… Jason doesn’t really have a single clue what he’s doing here. No, seriously. He doesn’t actually have any experience with this kind of thing, other than ying down the w with Vicky. And despite everything, Vicky and Carol’s situations are NOT the same. Not by a long shot.
He’s flying by the seat of his pants here, but letting Carol know that sounds like a bad idea. So instead… he makes shit up on the fly, like he’s been doing.
“… Only you can answer that question, Carol Dallon. You’ve recognized that you’ve been a bad person. You’ve acknowledged that you’ve made mistakes. You’ve chosen to try and do better, and you’ve successfully made amends with me. But… I’m only one person, Carol. And I think we both know I’m not the only one you’ve wronged.”
Carol flinches, but Jason plows forward heedlessly.
“You have to decide where you need to focus your efforts at being a better woman next, Carol. It has to be you, and it has to be something you’re truly passionate about, or this is never going to work. I can’t be your conscience… I can only be a friend.”
It says something that Carol actually perks up at having a young man half her age call himself her ‘friend’. Especially when that young man is supposed to be one of her TAs. Still, he can tell his words have something of an impact on her all the same.
“I… I understand. Thank you, Jason. F-For everything.”
Jason hesitates briefly before finally nodding. A part of him burns to comment on the masturbation, as well as the sex toy still inside of her, but after everything that just happened between them, he knows it’s neither the time nor the pce. Nor will he be able to expin how he knows without exposing his powers.
In the end… this was probably the best things could have gone truth be told. Giving Carol one more nod for the road, he leaves her office, curious and hopeful to see what sort of impact his actions and words might have on the older woman.
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Ding!
Chaos Magic – Source – 1000 Points
You are now a natural wielder of Chaos Magic, akin to the myth of the Scarlet Witch, allowing you to warp reality. You can wield Chaos Magic subconsciously without needing constant concentration to sustain the magic, essentially able to do magic on autopilot. Your potential is limitless and you will eventually grow into one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, even without any training.
You now have 100 Points saved up!
The show must go on, Jason supposed. Even with everything about Carol weighing heavily on his mind, it doesn’t stop his power from rolling again hours ter. Staring, he can’t help but wonder why his main power seems so intent on giving him things connected to ‘chaos’. At least this time around it sounded better than the previous corruption-filled descriptions.
The thousand point price tag was a bit daunting, however. He didn’t see himself saving up that many points before something he wanted more came along… but given his current bank slot only cost a hundred, that was a problem for Future Jason to figure out.
For now, Jason picks up Scarborough Fair and banks Chaos Magic.
Keep!
Scarborough Fair Purchased. 0 Points Remain!
A moment ter and an ornate weapons case appears on the coffee table in his apartment. Jason tilts his head to the side and then reaches out and opens it up. As expected, there are four incredibly fancy pistols in the case. As well as bracelets and anklets to go around his wrists and ankles so they could connect to them, he supposed.
Picking up one of the pistols, Jason hums as he feels a connection. It was just like he’d been told. They were capable of channeling his magic the same way the Staff of Magnus did. However, they were not themselves capable of storing power in the same way the Staff was.
Still, thanks to the Transformation Pendant’s storage capabilities, Jason could effectively keep them hidden away until he needed them… another yer of firepower to bring to bear on tougher fights, and it only cost a hundred points too.
Heh, not that he’d been in any real fights yet anyways. Still… Parian would likely be done with their costumes sooner or ter. And then he and Taylor would go on their first patrol…
Before that could happen though, Jason had another tough decision to make. He was going to be seeing Vicky in just a few more hours and Taylor was busy so it would be just the two of them tonight.
Did he tell her about Carol? Did he tell her what had happened today? On the one hand, part of him felt like Vicky deserved to know. On the other hand, part of him felt that Carol deserved her privacy.
But one way or another, he needed to figure out what he was going to do.
-x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Tell Vicky about her mother's mental state and breakdown - 88%[ ] Don't tell Vicky about Carol's breakdown - 12%
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A/N: Will try to keep this up to date at the end of every chapter, get on me if I forget please. Though if it gets too out of hand, might have to change it at some point.
Jason's current banked points:
0 Celestial Points
Jason's current banked power:
= Chaos Magic (1000 Points)
Jason's current powers:
= Fsh Air (Gained in Chapter 1
= Transformation Pendant (Gained in Chapter 4)
= Keen Eye (Gained in Chapter 4)
= Blood, Death, and Demons (Gained in Chapter 6)
= Alchemical Prodigy (Gained in Chapter 8)
= Staff of Magnus (Gained in Chapter 13)
= Bind and Seal (Gained in Chapter 17)
= Hero of a Hundred Faces: Everyone's Leader (Gained in Chapter 20)
= Minor Regeneration via Blood Empowerment Ritual (Gained in Chapter 23)
= Restraining Order (Gained in Chapter 25)
= Focus (Gained in Chapter 28)
= Scarborough Fair (Gained in Chapter 30)
