#╰––– » 「 ☾ 」 𝗶𝗰. ┊ leah's more of a wolverine

[sherunsfaster]

@wastheheart continued from here

leah wasn't sure what carried her inside the cullen residence. her relationship with her mom was still strained, between her insistence on keeping the peace between leah and emily and the fact that her mother seemed completely fine with moving on with charlie so quickly. the complete fracture between the two packs may have been healed over some since renesmee was born, but thankfully jake had decided to keep the two packs separate.

entering the threshold of the cullen home, she is thankful it seems that esme is the only one home. the offer of food and a place to stay makes her feel a bit bashful. despite how long leah had let the species divide dictate her demeanor toward the cullens, esme never once got discouraged by leah ignoring the food brought to them outside or refusing to wear the clothing brought to her. those few weeks, leah lived in her wolf form far more than she had since she'd gotten it.

a slight upturn of her lips that counted as a smile these days accompanied the shake of her head at the offer for food. ❝ i'm not hungry, but -- thanks. ❞ being home was reminding her of everything she still had to lose. especially if they couldn't convince the volturi that renesmee wasn't dangerous. ❝ are you feeling hopeful? from what i've overheard -- the volturi don't seem too reasonable. ❞

[sherunsfaster]

a small amused smirk as jamie clearly felt just as awkward after openly commenting on her scent. a hint of relief washed over her too because it couldn't really be that creepy if they both had noticed how the other smelled. it was a sense after all. no different than commenting on his bright blue eyes or how his brow furrowed when he was hesitating to tell her something. at least, that was what she was going to tell herself. ❝ far from the underside of a buffalo, and points for a unique comparison. ❞

confusion was written all over her face at his comment about his sister. ❝ might work for witchy sisters. worth a shot. when's the last time you saw her? ❞ there's a bit of a flare of anger at the thought of his sister trying to force herself into his life, but she suppressed it, apart from narrowed eyes and an almost imperceptible downturn of her lips. after everything she had been forced to go through, she was a big advocate for people getting the choice of who they wanted to be, which included where they wanted to be. there's still a lot of mystery with jamie, the pair had shared almost nothing of their pasts with each other, but had grown accustomed to having someone in their present.... someone to pass the time with and talk about the stupid day to day problems with.

then jamie was talking again and she quietly listened, her eyes trained on him even when he wasn't fully looking at her. body language was a big part of communication and she was interested to see if his gave anything away... though his confession was tragic enough. she wanted to ask what his biggest regret was, but she didn't feel entitled to that information. even a spill your guts over the campfire of the vampire flesh that had just nearly killed you had to have its limits. leah wanted him to feel supported, but not pushed and she knew herself how delicate that line was. she didn't want to disappoint him. he had opened up to her and he could just as easily shut back down and pull away if she said the wrong thing. ❝ you aren't the worst thing you've done, jamie. your family should know that. we all fuck up. ❞

and those fuck-ups varied in significance and the outcomes of them could be drastic. but she had a hard time believing that the jamie she knew would do something heinous -- and if he had -- his teenage brain could partially be to blame. ❝ you deserved to be saved. i would do it again in a heartbeat. you're not a piece of shit. i know you. and you know me, right? i would never waste my time palling around with an asshole. ❞ the shapeshifter felt immense relief when she had seen that jamie was still alive. his scent in the area had pushed her to get to the area faster.

the idea that there were wolves even bigger made jamie a bit on edge, what if one of them had found him instead of leah... would they have even known though? did she have some sort of special tracking skills- was he supposed to ask more questions or just let things settle in silence between them? his racing thoughts were sidetracked when leah mentioned he smelled good... suddenly his face filtered through three different shades of red and he scratched at the back of his neck nervously. he wanted to ask- he wanted to ask her so badly what he smelled like, but his defense mechanism when nervous was to goof off and joke. "so not the underside of a buffalo, that's a relief I was worried...

you smell nice too, i mean, even with my regular human nose, you smell nice- in a not weird way, i mean i don't.. i don't sniff you- ok well.. .i feel weird now." it was always easy to tell when jamie was nervous or embarrassed because he always ended up laughing in a way that made him blush. Leah was the first person to not treat him like a completely brainless moron with no idea of what he was doing other than breathing. that was part of what seemed to draw him to her so much, her patience and understanding- her kindness and there was so much beneath the surface that he kept locked away, but pent up and he could at times sense the same with her, but there never seemed to be a good time to ask... not until then. she'd literally transformed into a wolf-- traumatic secrets didn't seem like the worst thing to share anymore.

"darn..." he replied softly watching the flames when she explained how the movies had it wrong and to give up his buffy aspirations. "I was hoping to use the stake through the heart on my vampire of a sister so she'd stop trying to track me down and drag me home." he tested the waters slightly, but still felt the pull to clam up and stop. leah's sudden shift was easily caught though and his own facial expressions did a number on trying to decipher where in her thoughts she'd gone to. he wanted to ask, he wanted to pry- but he didn't want her to snap... he didn't want to anger her or ruin what they had. but he wanted to know more- maybe he didn't need to know, but he wanted to.

"when i was seventeen um... I..I messed up really bad, it's uh..my life's biggest regret and there's nothing i can do to fix it or change it- it's kinda solidified me as um...if you hadn't found me out here today- it would've been something my family probably would've celebrated." he glanced sideways towards leah as the fire crackled around the limbs. "I'm.. i'm not a good guy- i'm actually... i'm kinda a fucking piece of shit- i'm not saying my sister's really a vampire but my mistake costed her everything and i probably didn't really deserve to be saved today." he exhaled quietly. "so, thanks for giving me a second chance even though i didn't listen the first time."

[sherunsfaster]

@wastheheart continued from here

the shifter had softened to the cullen matriarch in her time in jake's pack. maybe she hadn't admitted that out loud, but there was the potential for edward to squeal on her. though, he would more than likely want to tune out leah's thoughts as much as leah tended to tune out the thoughts of all of the guys when she was phased.

however, the fact that she cared was evident all over her face when esme came back to the house clearly injured. the scent of whoever had done this to her was burning leah's nose and being committed to memory.

❝ or i can go get jake and we can kill it. ❞ tension's been high and she wouldn't mind getting another chance at taking down a tic that had no problems hurting others -- even other vampires. while it hadn't crossed onto the reservation, that isn't really their jurisdiction anymore. and jake would want to protect the people outside of the rez too -- and the vampires living inside the house they were guarding for the sake of bella.

❝ you think it's a nomad? or a newborn? ❞ hopefully there weren't any more scorned vampires out there raising up armies, but leah wouldn't put it past the luck of their generation's pack. or the fact that the freaky vampire counsel now knew of the shifter's existence.

[sherunsfaster]

"I know it won't be the same, but I'm not abandoning you... I just -- need a break from this place. There's too much pain here for me." Being in Jake's pack and away from their childhood home for some time had given her a little bit of peace but it hadn't been enough. At the end of the day, La Push was her home and she couldn't imagine leaving forever, but she needed a breather to let herself heal from everything that had happened.

"She'll let you come up. Maybe not every weekend, but some. And I'll come home. I'll call you every day or multiple times a day if you want. I'm going to miss you so much, but I -- need to do this for me."

"It's not the same..." Now he would be alone here; alone to deal with everyone and everything that happened here now. Everyone else in their pack had already imprinted it seemed and were busy dealing with those relationships. Even his own mother had moved on, and while Seth was much more accepting of Sue's relationship with Charlie than his sister was, it didn't mean that he didn't still feel like he was losing his best friend.

"You really think mom's gonna let me just come up there whenever I want? She's already going to be down one child, I doubt she'll let me out of her sight, even on weekends..."

[sherunsfaster]

she visibly tenses when the nickname nearly slips out. it shouldn't be a surprise because it wasn't that long ago that he had sent jared of all people to fetch her from jake's pack, the only place she had found any sense of peace probably since before sam had been missing for those two weeks. everything had been so much worse instead of better when she found out the truth about everything. while sam tried to keep pda to a minimum around her, it still happened. she still had had to sit in a kitchen that should have been hers and pretend that she didn't want to tear her eyeballs out at any hint of closeness between him and emily or the talk about the wedding. a few arguments with her mom ultimately led her to agree to be a bridesmaid in the wedding and maybe she was hoping this move would give her an easy out. surely she could be easily replaced. what she wants to say is that he can't keep doing this to her, but the emotional vulnerability there was something she wanted to avoid. even after all this time, the fact that he wants her close makes a part of her heart hope that the imprint isn't as strong as the legends say... that a part of him still loved her, more than he should. and what is she but a hypocrite if she's hoping for the demise of happiness that he and emily had. ❝ our precious little parasite family is moving on, back to alaska. and jake's going with them. the pack doesn't need to be so big anymore. and i just -- i need a change. every corner of the rez reminds me of my dad. ❞ or emily, or him. ❝ --and i still want to barf every time i see charlie swan kiss my mother. ❞

SHE’S   RIGHT,      OF   COURSE.         but   then   again,      leah   was   usually   always   right.         he   learnt   that   when   they   were   together,      her   presence   often   𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐   him   in   a   way   nobody   else   had   before   her.         it’s   selfish   of   sam   to   ask   her   to   stay   here   when   he   offers   so   little   in   return,      but   knowing   that      &      having   the   strength   to   𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗   are   two   different   things.         right   now,      he’s   weak;         focused   solely   on   the   𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠   𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭   that   often   bears   down   on   his   shoulders   whenever   she   isn’t   around.         how   much   worse   that   ache   will   be   when   she’s   as   far   as   seattle.         it’s   cowardly.            —            so   far   from   the   strong,      mature   leader   people   EXPECT   him   to   be.         his   whole   life,      others   have   turned   to   him   as   a   guide   as   he   filled   the   role   of   absent   father   turned   𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚊   and   that’s   trained   him   to   be   able   to   make   the   tough   decisions,      as   long   as   they   were   the   right   ones.         not   tonight   though.         apparently   tonight,      𝘩𝘦’𝘴   𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨   𝘵𝘩𝘦   𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴,      a   rare   honesty   breaking   through   the   usual   stoic   barriers   he   keeps   up   to   avoid   the   wolves   hearing   too   much.               ＂         lee         .   .   .         ＂               fond   nickname   almost   slips   out,      catching   it   just   in   time   to   break   mid   sentence   while   taking   another   step   closer.               ＂         i   don’t   protect   you   because   you   want   or   ask   for   it.         i   protect   you   because   i         .   .   .         because   you   belong   here,      with   us.         the   pack.         ＂

[sherunsfaster]

damn this woman. how does every visit to her restaurant always leave leah in a better mood than she came in with? what if she needed an excuse to be her brooding self after dealing with another shithead hunter stumbling onto her case. ❝ afraid not, miller. gotta protect the masses from the spectacle of me being nice. this is an invite only presentation. ❞ 

She's trying to keep a straight face- she's trying so fucking hard, but she isn't straight so she fails miserably. "Can I record the speech or is that pushing a good thing too far?"

[sherunsfaster]

he's only inciting more concerns in her mind about his past, but she covers up her curiosity. maybe one day she would let him know that it was okay for him to be open with her about anything, but for now she would let it go. she wasn't entitled to his past and can only hope that he has found some peace separating himself from it. leah had started to heal from the toxicity pack life had been and the haunting guilt of her father's death just from joining jake's pack. despite playing guard dog to the leeches with the knowledge that sam's pack would kill them too if they had to, she had some happy moments for the first time in almost two years at that point. ❝ well i'm still here, even after you decided to wander into the forest after i told you not to. so i guess you'll have to up your dumb stuff game. ❞ it's meant as a joke, a hope to lighten the mood a bit and give him an easy out to stop reflecting on the past if he wants it.

a small wave of relief encompasses her to see him talk animatedly about his childhood. at least jamie did have some memories that he held fondly. ❝ look at us, finding more similarities between us buried in our cagey pasts. maybe if you're lucky i'll invite you over next time i make my dad's fish fry. everyone on the rez was itching for an invite to harry clearwater cookouts on those rare sunny saturdays. ❞ her smile reaches her eyes, already craving the food herself, though that's an easy feat for her metabolism.

❝ not boring. ❞ she laughs along, with a shake of her head. ❝ guess i'll have to see the cliffs for myself before i question your sanity though. the ones at home can be pretty tall and the water pretty choppy. ❞ the wolf pack definitely only added to the rumor mill when the guys had made jumping off the cliffs regardless of the weather their favorite way to pass the time.

“oh.” jamie laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck to calm himself down when she explained that not every mistake had to be punished. that was definitely news to him. in a hollow attempt to sound like he didn’t grow up under the iron fist of an abuse father or sister he tagged on an, “right— i mean, i know that… just, you know the dumb stuff i did before i knew it was dumb, that stuff.” he only made it sound worse, but he convinced himself it sounded like knowledge rather than him suffering for merely existing in a home that was never welcome to him.

the mention of fishing drew his attention and an excited smile formed on his expressions, lighting up his eyes once more. “i used to fish with my brothers all the time growing up, we’d camp out down by the river and spend the days chasing the currents and everything swimming in them.” jamie smiled at leah again, wanting more and more to ask her more about herself. she was growing on him quickly like moss on rocks. everything she shared made him feel even closer to understanding their bond and the fact she didn’t view him as some evil creature who only focused on himself— it was new to him, to not have someone want to hang around without wanting something in return. she was becoming more important to him than he knew then.

he tossed his head back with a laugh and shrugged. “I have a healthy respect for the water just not for myself.” he joked. “what do you mean, are you calling me boring— don’t i give off a desperation for adrenaline and adventure?” he asked with another laugh.

[sherunsfaster]

she truly couldn't be more excited and was even more grateful that the pack mind link didn't work when they weren't phased. that sounded like straight hell. she had gotten okay at tuning it out and keeping her mind busy to not let her mind wander while phased, but she couldn't imagine dealing with it when all the time. ❝ probably only long enough for it to heal. maybe he'll at least run back to his imprint with his tail in between his legs. or whine to sam about it. could be risking supervised patrols with sam. ❞ at least that was a punishment leah was exempt from. when she was getting mouthy with the others usually sam kept her on with her brother.

"Hysterical," She snorted. "Right. Well, he'll get a taste of hysterics later, that's for fucking sure." Angel couldn't care less about what any of the boys, save for Jacob, thought of her or the way she handled her anger. As Leah pointed out, she bore the 'unfortunate' curse of being a woman first & a member of the pack later. That perception of them was never going to change in any significant way. Instead of changing to fit their conception of who she should be & how she should act, the young shifter would unapologetically be herself. "Gonna make every second count," She said.

"Maybe if I split up his lip enough, that'll teach him to keep fucking quiet."

[sherunsfaster]

❝ exactly. nobody knows they haven't been living life until they've had an afternoon with lively jamie. ❞ relationships where people appreciated her sarcasm and dry humor were always appreciated. the super mushy stuff made her uncomfortable. it had all been used up with sam and despite being over her teenage love story, the darkened memories of broken promises were impossible to separate from spoken proclamations of emotions and adoration. but she had always been a bit of a teasing person. her dad had been quite the jokester and passed some of that along to her.

❝ please, at least the kids with their vapes smell like cotton candy and watermelon. he could at least be polite with a vanilla cigar once in a while. ❞ she was actually looking forward to the beach. the sound of the waves always brought her back home, much like the sound of the rain pounding on the roof of her cabin when it downpoured. it was nice to be at a point in her life where the sights and sounds that reminded her of her childhood didn't also twist into reminding her of the terrible last two years of her teenhood. ❝ come in with you? hmm. maybe we should stop by my place quick. if you think you'll be able to brave the cold water. ❞ she wouldn't mind going in her underwear, but other beach-goers would definitely have something to say about that.

Jamie's face lit up at her sarcastic quip and he laughed with a shake of his head. "You know, I knew there was a reason I liked you, Leah... you really understand the the plight of humanity that hasn't been graced by my existence yet." he laughed again, his cheeks a warm shade of lively red. Her banter was the next best thing alongside her willingness to befriend him. He'd been so quiet and closed off when they'd first introduced themselves, it had just been one of those odd tip toeing around each other meetings and he didn't know where it changed. But he was more than happy it did, what it'd evolved to was something more than he had words for.

"Come on now, you can't tell me you don't love smelling that burnt.. shit scent he puffs out all night." Jamie teased again, sticking his hands into his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels for a moment. "I brought blankets if it gets too cold and towels too if... you wanted to come in with me." his small smile was slightly devious like somehow he was just planning to drag her into the tide with him even if she screamed and refused.

[sherunsfaster]

❝ i'm happy you feel comfortable enough to share with me. and hey, i have a great memory. so rather than his presence being erased, you've spread it. now i know lee was your confidant, someone that liked to celebrate and live life. someone that may have never met him otherwise now knows about him. that's something. ❞ she had held onto the pictures of her dad and all of his clothes that still smelled like him with a death grip. it was hard when she noticed her father's scent disappearing from their home and his belongings. there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think about how much she would give up to change that moment of her life.

❝ if you ever need to -- talk about him. or you're having a hard day missing him... you can aways talk to me. everyone experiences loss differently, but i understand it. my dad -- i lost him when i was nineteen. ❞ he had a heart attack when he witnessed my first phase because i was the first female to do so in the history of the tribe. those words were left unsaid. she may have mostly come to peace with everything that had happened, was now on good terms with all the guys back home... but she only wanted to let jamie know that she could relate to him, not overshadow his moment with her trauma. trauma that -- apart from her father's death -- people may consider rather juvenile.

leah placed her warm hand on his shoulder and gently rubbed it a couple of times as he explained that he felt obligated to go to the party. ❝ don't apologize for sharing, i'm happy to listen... and you don't have to go just because you told them. you can say something came up, use me as an alibi. i had a flat tire an hour away. something like that. ❞ she finished the drink in front of her and flagged the bartender down to close out their tabs. either way, she didn't think they'd be sticking around much longer. ❝ or we can go, make an appearance, and the second you're ready to get out of there we'll leave. after i kick your butt in cornhole because i don't need your assist on that. ❞

"you’re the first person I ever told about … Lee." jamie said his name with reverence and deep rooted sadness. "I’ve uh… i've always been too scared or- paranoid to talk about him. i though that talking about him might, it might wear away the memories of him or erase him from this world even more.” He pinched the skin between his thumb and forefinger with his other hand, running circles with the pad of his thumb over the skin; trying to brace himself for what felt like a sudden tsunami of emotion hurling right towards him.

"and I don’t want him to fade away, I don’t… I miss him.” his eyes watered but he kept the tears at bay, not one to really show emotions or cry for that matter. repress and deny; that was his motto. courtesy of john dutton himself. "I miss him a lot. Him and I shared more secrets with one another than anything else; there was just, stuff that we couldn’t share with the rest of the family; not in a way they’d understand. and I miss that, and I wish it would stop hurting." he laughed to himself, but it was a broken noise that shook just as much as the rest of his voice.

he hadn't planned on telling leah anything, certainly not that much anyway, he didn't want to weigh her down- she meant too much to him and he didn't want to jeopardize their friendship if he got too real. "and i really don't wanna go to a party where people are gonna be happy and celebrating and getting drunk because all i'll think about is how lee liked parties and he liked celebrating and he liked... life and he didn't even get to live his." he finally looked at leah that time and rubbed the space of skin along his collarbone and shoulder. "sorry for the overshare." he glanced back to his knees. "but i told them i'd go so... if you want you can..be my plus one, I'll let you beat me in cornhole..." he said the last few words in a doofy sing song tone to try and mask any grief that was still lingering at the door.

[sherunsfaster]

leah almost smiles when bella agreed that the boys deserved it. it was nice to talk to someone with sense, rather than the imprintees that drooled over their imprinters as much as it happened the other way around. leah knows she didn't handle everything in the best way and has built up quite the reputation for herself. not to mention furrowed brows and narrowed eyes were almost a constant staple in her facial features -- especially when her mom was flirting with her dead dad's best friend aside from billy black mere feet away from her.

❝ i guess i do too, you're right. but seth is important to me and being away from home is -- harder than i expected. ❞ leah surprises herself with admitting that to bella of all people, but before now, her entire life has been on the rez in the same house. while she wasn't even a two hour run away in wolf form from home, she still worries that the guys would need her when the next vampire catastrophe happened and she wouldn't be able to get back in time.

❝ maybe if they wait a little bit longer before that stage out of respect for my dad i'll accept it. ❞ it's nice to see her mom smile and laugh again since it all happened, but when her tongue is thinking faster than her mind, leah almost catches herself asking if something was bubbling under the surface before harry's death with how seamlessly the pair seemed to start flirting.

bella can’t hear leah’s tone, but she can read her lips. she can see her shifting facial expressions, and she pays attention to her body language. she can tell the other girl is being sincere. as sincere as she could be, at least. bella relaxes a bit, and a half-smile tugs at the corner of her lips. “true, they do deserve it sometimes,” she agrees. her voice is soft compared to the lively background chatter, but from what jake’s told her, the shifters have really good hearing. she clears her throat at leah’s observation and shrugs her shoulders.

“i do have a lot on my plate,” bella admits. school, volunteering at the forks library, her babysitting gig for some extra money, maintaining the house … but being busy and having all these opportunities and goals and dreams fueled her. bella had never been happier. where she was in her life right now? she felt alive. “besides — everyone has their own stuff too, you know? i’d say you’re pretty busy yourself,” she points out. her face grows more relaxed at the comment about charlie and sue. she even jokes back.

“let them flirt. i like seeing charlie happy. who knows, maybe soon there will be wedding bells and then we’ll be sisters.”

[sherunsfaster]

a smile found her lips when he offered his name. jamie. she liked that. a lot of men were afraid to keep the nicknames that ended in a -y or -ie. rather boring, to commit to a bland name that had warranted a more youthful nickname in the first place, if you asked her. she opened up her hand to release the coins into his waiting one, her breath hitching when her finger inadvertently brushed against his. eww, when did she become a stereotype out of a terrible romance novel? about a minute ago, she supposed.

❝ don't worry about it. i was on a one track mission to find some beef jerky. i've been on the road all day. ❞ her stomach growled at the reminder that she was indeed, starving. she found his shy and somewhat bumbling demeanor endearing. did he feel it too or was that something that came with time -- melting under the adoring gaze of the imprinter? there had been extenuating circumstances between emily and sam at first and she had tuned out the love stories of the other wolves that imprinted -- so she honestly wasn't all that sure.

❝ i'm not -- local, i mean. i have a cabin a few hours west. but i'm from washington. ❞ leah bit her tongue as she realized she continued to share way more information than he was asking. people that liked to overshare usually irritated her -- as if they thought everyone in the world was fascinated by them or more likely, they were simply seeking attention. but she would sit her and listen intently to anything that jamie had to say to her. she wanted to know all of it. so maybe oversharing was a good way to get him to share in return.

she followed him into the store, it felt almost magnetic. like she needed to stay close to him and make sure he was protected. she may not have been chasing any monsters in this town, but she knew they lurked around most corners. ❝ you don't have to get me anything, really. it was nothing. but if you want to get me one, i wouldn't mind. ❞ a bit more of an awkward smile of her own followed up her sentence.

then, her mouth was moving before her mind had a chance to catch up to it. ❝ this might be a bit bold, but maybe you saved me from a sad lunch of jack links. -- would you -- uhh, want to get lunch with me at that diner down the road? unless you're local -- and have insider knowledge of where the best place to eat around here is. ❞

Jamie took a few frustrated steps out of the way of the grumbling man shoving past them, but his focus remained on the woman who looked more … awestruck than anything else really. She had warm eyes, inviting but… slightly more intense than he was used to seeing. His eyes followed her to the ground; not really all that concerned with the coins lost on the tiles, but when she spoke for some reason he couldn’t help but smile.

“sorry about that.. I tend to have that affect on people.. startling them I mean.” He stopped himself from rambling when the woman offered her name; subtly waiting for his in return. “Um..” he felt strangely caught off guard and the tips of his ears tinted red as he held his hand out to catch the coins from her fingers. “I-.” He cleared his throat to keep the nerves from raising the pitch of it. “I’m James— but I, people call me Jamie-sorry again about the door.” He didn’t know why his heart was beating faster than normal; she wasn’t the first pretty woman he’d ever interacted with, there was just something about her that made him want to impress her, maybe?

“so… Leah.” even her name felt nice rolling off his tongue. “are you from around here or just… visiting?” he looked around, ready to try and put on a good face if she said she was a local of the seemingly endless string of diners, dives and cozy constituents— of which two more plowed their way past the two of them; leveling them with half confused glares as if to say “move!”

awkwardly Jamie took a few steps back towards a magazine rack to allow Leah into the store. “if you’re from around here,” his eyes shifted back and forth and up the shelves of at least 20 different gum flavors then right back to her face. “I can buy you one of these giant licorice ropes, you know, as a condolence.” The last words came out as breathy, nervous laughter. “I can still get you one even if you’re not though.” His humor was slightly awkward and dry at best, masked by sarcasm and witty jabs.

[sherunsfaster]

it seemed that she struck a nerve, which was what leah was going for. one look at the blonde and it would be apparent to anyone that she was far from the barbie type. ❝ you know what they say... if the shoe fits. ❞ a stupid saying, in leah's opinion, but she was hoping not backing off would help her get the blondie to leave town.

❝ these vampires are dangerous. a lot of hunters don't seem to know there's more than one type. ❞ leah could tell off scent alone which ones she would need to burn and beheading them without the aid of phasing would be an absolute bitch. this was one of those times. she just hoped she wasn't about to run into any familiar faces. ❝ this is me letting you know you're in over your head here. ❞

Claire may have just walked away and let the stranger handle the vampires, after all she had no real personal reason to need to hunt them herself. But, she was no Barbie. She refused to be someone that would just be played with by others. "Barbie? That the best you could come up with?"

It wasn't often that Claire came across other hunters that she didn't know. The blonde crossed her arms, "Looks like we'll have to see who gets to those vampires first. I didn't come out here, just to be told that someone else called dibs on them." Even if Jody would probably be delighted for Claire to simply return home without going into a vampire nest.

[sherunsfaster]

❝ fuck dean and i'll tell him that myself next time i see him. ❞ she had begrudgingly grown fond of both winchester brothers through her association with castiel, but she had been itching for a chance to tell them off about how they treated castiel as a tool, a failsafe weapon, instead of a friend. someone that had risked everything for them, particularly dean. he deserved support, patience, and kindness... and she doesn't think that she's the right person for a job like that. even if she wants to be.

❝ you're useful without your powers. we'll work on being better next time. that's all we can really do... and please stop worrying about my safety. i know i'm mortal but -- my body can heal serious injuries, you've seen it. ❞ maybe it was time to tell him how much a shifter's body could heal from... but she didn't like dwelling on the fact that jacob black had almost died to save her, even all of these years later. his screams while the leech rebroke his bones, every last glare from everyone in her life over it... those were memories permanently burned within her brain. her brown eyes trained on his while he started to relax, she held out her hand in an offer to help him back to his feet. ❝ i can help you out with the warm shower. i have good water pressure at home and you can sit there as long as you want. ❞

Castiel glared angrily at the overgrown tree stump covered in moss and one ugly mushroom trying to stake its claim on the entire ring system of the trunk. "It's not just one failure- it's....it's everything, it's all of it. I thought I was doing the right thing and I was wrong- I trusted the angels and now my grace is gone and I'm a human, I thought Dean would give a fuck and instead he kicked me out- I gave up everything for him and he threw me away like i didn't mean anything, like we weren't even friends.

I tracked this thing down- i found it's nest i took out the others i found the victim- he was alive I could've saved him- I could've done it and I got caught instead and it's fucking unfair!" he slammed his shoulders back against the tree, clonking his head and quickly grabbing the back of it with both hands and leaning forward to press his forehead against his knees. "I hate being this... i want to be useful again- i want to help you and I want...." all the exhaustion of defeat got to him in a very human way. "I wanna sit down and take a shower... and be sad." he let his achy head go and looked back at Leah, less glaring, more stubborn brooding. "i don't want you to get hurt and i can't do anything to help you and i worry about you constantly...i just do." his tone softened along with his features.

[sherunsfaster]

her advanced healing is going to get her out of this, she's sure of it. the only thing she knew that slowed it down was venom but there was no way that whatever she had just faced was a vampire. maybe there was something else, but she could feel the bleeding already starting to slow. it would still be at least a few minutes before she would be able to move, but she would grin and bear it to make sure jamie got out of here. guess she'd have to come back for the monster when everything was sorted and she had more help. the scent was burned in her nostrils, so she was convinced that she would be able to track it down.

her senses would alert her if the thing was coming back. for the moment, she ignored the pain as he pulled her against him and leaned into the moment. the hand that had been holding his was now gripping the front of his shirt. brown eyes are on his as she let him speak, but she immediately darted them toward her leg and abdomen again when when the words 'you mean more to me than anyone everywhere' reverberated through her. it felt like a vice in her chest, but she's realized that she cared about him too. they had tiptoed around the elephant in the room for long enough, pretending that they weren't falling for each other and were simply friends that understood each other without everything in their pasts being spoken about.

swallowing down her fears, she turned to face him again. she would die trying to kill that monster if it came back, because she couldn't fathom letting jamie sacrifice himself too. but she's finding a tough time finding any words at the moment. instead, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his with a firm kiss. one that stated they were both going to make it out of this because they had to. ❝ i like you too. more than i've let myself like anyone in years. even if you're stubborn in the worst way to not listen to me when you know i'm right by now. ❞ there's no irritation in her tone, though him insisting on staying with her was very reminiscent of the night he'd not listened to her warnings about staying out of the forest. ❝ i need a couple more minutes and then we'll both run. high tail it out of here and i'll call for backup on the way. you're going to have to try to keep up with me. ❞

his hands are still pressed to a large gash on leah's leg that seems to open even worse whenever she takes a breath. when she reached for one of his hands he let her take it- ignoring the discomfort of how the blood squelched in her hold. he blinked away his own fear and anger at the situation when she started to talk.

"no!" he exclaimed, exasperated and terrified that leaving her was signing her death certificate. "i can't-- i'm not leaving you, you can't make me... i... please, i don't wanna lose you- i don't want to leave and never see you again, please..." his voice shook and he knew it. "if you die, i'm dying with you. i'm, i'm not leaving you, not now."

he swallowed down fear and embarrassment and scooped her up against his legs, holding her close. "i'm staying here with you, i'm staying till you're alright, i'll call someone- anyone who can help, but i'm not leaving you i... you mean more to me than than anyone anywhere. you- you make me feel a thousand times less stupid for having emotions and making mistakes and getting pissed at myself. you make me happy and you make me laugh and you make me feel like... like you really like me and i've never had someone like you in my life before. i've never liked someone who liked me back... if you die- i'm fucking going with you because... because that's what you do when you like someone." alarms blare in his head- because he knows that if her body does repair it now he'll have to live forever with the knowledge that he just confessed his feelings for the first time ever to someone who could literally chew his head off.

[sherunsfaster]

he wasn't wrong. this was the worst time for a conversation like this. a woman that had let her first heartbreak and everything that had come along with it emotionally stunt her and a millennia-old angel that was very new to the whole emotions thing to begin with admitting that they saw each other as more than friends while they had two powerful demons chasing after them. but she wasn't about to admit that she loved him and admit that she should have done this at any other time. nor was she fully going to admit that she was genuinely worried they weren't going to claw their way out of this.

she found his nervous rambling endearing. it was cute that he was struggling to find a way to complete a thought and often times that was how she felt around him. likely what led to the confession spilling out of her without a second breath. if her emotions were hard to handle, surely his situation was amplified by a lot more.

she opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again when she felt him pull her close. it really was so damn dark in here, she could barely make his face out even as they stood chest to chest with enhanced vision. then, his hand was on her cheek. her pulse skyrocketed, but she pushed back the fear that came along with being intimate with someone she truly cared for to return the kiss, her hands gripping the fabric of his shirt covering his shoulders, pulling herself impossibly closer. when it was over, she pressed her forehead to his, not ready to let the moment go immediately.

despite the desire to kiss him again, she bit her lip and took the tiniest of steps out of the embrace. ❝ alright so -- we definitely need to make it out of here now. any ideas? maybe if we hurry i'll have enough time to carve a couple of devil's traps into some bullets -- buy us some time. or phase. they'll definitely be thrown off to find a wolf in here. ❞ though she wasn't in love with the idea of disfiguring the vessel enough to get the demons to flee to another host.

his brows knit together, a deep crease formed between them and his eyes darkened in color when she began. he had to bite his tongue from lashing out at her when she brought up how perfect moments didn’t exist in their line of living. he listened through shallow breaths to what leah was saying all the while choking back the sensation of falling apart.

he let the silence expand between the two of them when she stopped talking. he tilted his head back to shut his eyes and slowly opened them to stare up at the dark swirling around them before a sigh escaped his parted lips. he was so used to rejection and never truly belonging, he was so used to being the commodity; only kept around and brought out in times of desperate measure and despair. but this was different; she expressed real- genuine emotion.. feelings for him.

“leah…” he finally spoke her name, shifting so that he could actually face her if this was their last few moments of bliss. “are you still going to… when we make it out of this alive; will you still…” he captured his bottom lip with his top and looked away, his expression was soft and desperate and… he felt a bit pathetic over it all. like a child trying to win their love with a pocketful of candy or a sticker. “i feel the same way.” he admitted, exhaling the air in his lungs that felt like they were being crushed to death with his admission of very human emotions for leah. he could feel the blush creeping across his face and was grateful for once to the darkness wrapped around them. “and when we make it out of here, maybe… maybe we can…” his nerves suffocated hi ability to form sentences and he could feel the danger nearing.

fuck it. leah was right, they may not make it through the night and he wasn’t going without the chance to make it right. he pulled her close, cupping her cheek gently with a rough and calloused hand before leaning in to capture her lips in his. it was short, but filled with a fervor he’d held inside long enough.