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terrickweek2025 · 3 months ago

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A Simple Favor

SEASON 2 SPOILERS!

for @terrickweek2025

word count: 2.3k

prompt: betrayal (this is technically for the wrong day but I did want to post it today for @icy-book's birthday)

cw: angst

notes: this takes place like 2-3 years before the start of season 2. I'm bad with my timelines so if that doesn't make sense shhhhhh. this is definitely not my usual wheelhouse, but I did enjoy writing this. happy birthday Icy! (also I literally just finished writing this no beta we die like Doug)

Terry wondered if he was getting just as paranoid as Lark. All day he’d felt the sensation like he was being watched. Something just at the edge of his periphery, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He’d tried scanning the area with magic, and once he could’ve sworn that he just felt something, but no luck. And he could only look over his shoulder so times before he started getting weird looks.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” his date, Veronica, asked him, “You seem on edge.”

“Uh, yeah,” he did his best to give her a reassuring smile, though he had no idea how convincing it actually was, “just a bit stressed from… work… is all.”

“Oh, well we can end things early tonight if you’re too tired, I completely understand.”

“No,” Terry took her hand and smiled. “Being with you relaxes me.” He did genuinely mean that. He liked Veronica, he liked her a lot. And even if it was only their fourth date, he could see things going pretty far.

“I’m glad you feel that way.” The two of them walked hand in hand in the cool night air through the park, simply enjoying each other’s company. After a while Veronica slowed down, looking quite serious. “So, Terrance.”

“Yeah? “

“I like you, a lot,” she bit her lip, “I like what we have and I want to keep seeing you.”

“I feel the same way, “ Terry gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m glad, “ she brightened up a bit before steeling herself again, “I just feel you should know, if we are going to keep seeing each other and this thing is serious, that I have a kid.”

“Oh!” Terry didn’t know quite what to say. He didn’t mind at all, he just didn’t know what exactly was the appropriate reaction.

“She’s thirteen. Her name is Theresa, but she actually also goes by Terri.”

“What a coincidence, I like her already.” Terry grinned, “Thirteen huh? I’ve got friends with kids around her age.”

“So… you don’t mind? “

“Not at all. As a matter of fact—”

There! There it was again. That feeling of being watched, even more intense this time. It wasn’t just a feeling anymore either. It was more tangible, a presence, a… scent. And a scent Terry recognized all too well, no matter how many years it’d been. Something somewhere between wood smoke and incense.

“Terry? Are you okay?” Veronica asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Talk about shit timing. He had to get her out of here. “Um, no actually. Look, I hate to do this l, and I promise it’s not because of what you just told me, but I really have to go. I promise I’ll call you okay?”

She looked crushed, though she hid it the best she could. “Um, okay. I’ll be waiting on your call.”

Terry watched her leave, chest tightening.

“Ooh, yeah, she definitely hates your guts now. A real shame, she seems nice.” A voice said from behind him. Terry whipped around, swinging as he went. He’d always been the stronger of the two. But to his surprise the blow was easily blocked and parried, with his weight being used against him. He somehow ended up pushed up against a tree, wrists held above his head, a razor sharp tail close to his throat.

“Nicholas.” Terry spat out.

“Now is that any way to greet an old friend?” Nick flashed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh and this,” Terry looked pointedly down to the tail at his throat, “is friendly to you?”

“Hey, you swung first.”

“What do you want?” Terry hissed.

Nick’s eyes slid away from Terry’s face for a moment. “I need to ask a favor.”

“You’ve got a funny way of asking for one.”

“I— oh for fucks sake” Nick’s tail darted away from Terry’s neck and into his pocket, snatching out his phone. He looked Terry in the eye. “I’ll let you go if you promise not to attack me and hear me out.”

Terry thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Fine.”

True to his word, Nick let him go. Terry rubbed his wrists. He didn’t remember Nick being that string, especially with just one arm. He looked at Nick. “Can I have my phone back? “

“I think not. I’d prefer you didn’t call for back up, considering what happened the last time we were all together.”

“You mean the time I asked you for a favor? I don’t know what makes you think I’d do you one now.”

“Because this could solve all our problems.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“There are literally hundreds of other worlds out there, if not more. The problem is getting to them.” Nick explained, “You knew how to get to hell, which is why you needed me. I’ve spent the last ten years searching for access into any of them. Terry, I’ve found one I think could be perfect. And the access point is just about two hours from here.”

This was bullshit. It had to be. Terry himself and everyone at D.A.D.D.I.E.S. had spent just as much time looking for the same answer. For it to fall into his lap like this, hand delivered by the person who had the most reason to hate him… it just wasn’t possible.

“Why come to me with this?” Terry asked.

“I need a sorcerer, they’re not exactly easy to come by.”

“I know for a fact hell’s got a few of those. Hell, you’ve got a decent amount of magic yourself.”

“And all their magic, like mine, is touched with The Infernal. The portal I found is non reactive to natural phenomena, and extremely volatile to everything from hell. I need magic that doesn’t have Satan’s stink on it.” Nick’s voice got louder. “You think I didn’t try other options? You think I want to be here, asking you for help?”

Nick looked… desperate. It didn’t look good on him. Something tugged in Terry’s chest. Something he pushed down.

“I can’t trust you.” Terry said.

“The feeling’s mutual.” Nick sighed. “Look, the sooner we fin a solution the sooner our lives go back to normal. Wouldn’t that be nice? No more everyday battle, no more looking over your shoulder, no more constant worry about the safety of those you care about. I— I could see my son again.” Nick’s voice cracked. Badly. Terry reached out a hand without even thinking but Nick batted it away. “Don’t… don’t patronize me man. Are you helping me or not? “

Terry gave it a last thought. “Fine.”

Nick’s face brightened into the kind of smile Terry hadn’t seen in a long time. That tug on his heart was back, and it was harder to pretend that it wasn’t. He cleared his throat.

“Can I have my phone back?”

“Hell no. At least not until you see that my idea is viable. I don’t need to others jumping me again when I least expect it.”

“I— I wouldn’t do that.”

“Yeah, real convincing. Come on.” Nick led Terry around the corner to where a convertible was parked. It was covered in flame decals because of course it was. “Hop in.”

Terry did and once Nick was in the driver’s seat they sped off into the night. Out of San Dimas, out onto the highway . The night air was cool and the stars were stunning. What felt like a million lifetimes ago Terry and Nick had spent their summers just like this. Open road, less worries, more freedom. Sometimes with the others, a lot of times just the two of them. A million lifetimes indeed.

“How long have you been following me?” Terry asked.

“Don't flatter yourself. Just today. I wanted to know how much of a problem you’d be to deal with.” Nick smirked. “Clearly not much. Guess brawling with presidents pays off.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Nick was silent for a moment before asking, “Why you? Lark I would’ve understood. He thinks this whole thing is his fault and it’s his job to fix it. He’s the mot desperate of all of us. And Sparrow will go with whatever he wants. Grant… I dunno. But you? You were my best friend, you were my— Just… why?”

Terry exhaled a long breath. “I don’t even know anymore. I’ve thought about it for years and I— I think I thought you would understand. I didn’t think things would end up this way. I figured we’d force your hand and you’d make the right choice.”

“The right choice?” Nick’s voice was dangerously low.

“That’s not—” Terry sighed again. “I don’t know. All of us were so miserable, so worn down. I thought if it came down to it you’d choose us.”

“My dad is the king of hell, I have a responsibility—”

“I know. I know that now, I understand better.”

Another silence fell between them. Then Nick spoke. “I wasn’t just following you around today. I stopped by Taylor’s school. He’s doing alright. Could use some more friends, but he seems happy enough. Cassie’s doing a great job.”

“That’s good.”

“Mhmm. He doesn’t need me. I’ve turned out worse then Glenn. At least he came home every couple weeks.”

The pit in Terry’s stomach grew deeper. He knew what it was like not to have a dad, and he’d taken one away from this kid.

“Did you ever think about taking him with you?”

“To hell? At the beginning yeah. But it was no place for a kid that young, a kid with no frame of reference for what was going on. Not to mention his mother had no idea about any of it. And now… now it’s too late. Can’t exactly show up with a gallon of milk, ya’know? Especially not with the FBI on my tail. I keep an eye on him, I’ll be there if he needs me, but until this whole thing is sorted out it’s better I keep my distance.”

“For what it’s worth I’m worry that Taylor had to go through all this.”

“Me too.”

They drove on in silence. Terry must have fallen asleep to the sound of the engine and that wood fire scent, because next thing he knew Nick was shaking his shoulder.

“We’re here.”

Terry looked around. They were out in the desert, on a patch of road as unremarkable as the rest of the highway. “Where’s here exactly?”

“Come on.” Nick started walking out into the desert, stopping about 20 feet away from the road. He looked back. “Come on, it’s hard to see from far away.”

Terry got out of the car and walked towards Nick, peering into the moonlit night. Sure enough, if he looked just the right way, there was a ripple in the air. “Oh my god.”

“Right? Watch this.” Nick picked up a stick and tried to poke at it. The stick stopped just short of the ripple, evidently unable to g any further. He then set his hand ablaze with infernal flame and reaches out to touch it. This time, the tips of his fingers just barely made it through before the ripple spat him back out. For a split second Terry caught a glimpse of something beyond. Nick looked at him. “Your turn champ.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“I dunno, just… magic at it.”

Terry sighed and got closer to the portal. He reached out towards it, and as his hand got closer it almost felt like it was being sucked in. “I don’t know about this.”

“Are you kidding me? This is it! It’s another world, it’s exactly what we’ve been looking for. This will fix everything.”

Terry’s hand crossed the barrier. It felt almost like a soft, fleshy curtain. He felt himself being tugged further in, all the way up to his elbow. “Nick, I don’t like thi—”

“Yeah I bet you wouldn’t. It’s not the best feeling. But hey, at least you won’t lose the arm.”

“What the hell—” The portal was all the way up to his shoulder now.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, it’s not like it’s a 1v4.”

“Nick!” Terry felt his chest being almost folded up into it, pulled in an unnatural way.

“I got stuck in here a little while back. It’s not like a full world per se, more like a pocket dimension. Kind of like the one Willy’s in. Definitely not pleasant, but I survived.”

Terry’s entire torso was inside the portal, his legs soon to follow.

“See the difference is, I had people who knew exactly where I was. Dad sent demons out here to get me in just a couple hours. You, on the other hand, don’t .”

If this thing followed any sort of natural logic, Terry’s legs should’ve been snapped backwards at the pelvis. As far as he could tell, nothing was broken, but it all just felt so wrong.

“A bit naïve, don’t you think? Following someone who hates you out into the middle of nowhere. I honestly didn’t think this gambit would be so easy.”

“Fuck… you…” Terry managed to spit out. His head was the only thing still sticking out.

“I’ve got demons in hell for that darlin’.” Nick leaned in, “It’s not a nice feeling is it? Being betrayed. Oh and before I forget.” He took out a paper seal and slapped it on Terry’s forehead. “Can’t have you figuring your own way out of here with magic.”

With that he pushed Terry’s head the rest of the way in. He just stared at the ripple for a moment before walking back to the car. Terry’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Nick looked at the screen. It was a text from Veronica. He shrugged before burning the device to ash in infernal fire. Not his problem. He opened up a portal to hell and drove back home.

#terrickweek2025 #day 6 - betrayal #submission

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