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Because It's You | Jacob Black Oneshot

Word Count: 11.1K Paring: Paul Lahote x Female!Reader, Jacob Black x Female!Reader Requested: Yes [@nyctophilia710: "Could you do a Jacob Black x Pregnant Reader One Shot. Y/N was a girl who recently moved to forks Washington, with her father Charlie Swan. The younger sister of Isabella Swan. Y/N falls for a guy named Paul Lahote, ends up getting pregnant with his child, who then cheats on her. Heart broken Y/N goes to an old friend Jacob Black, who she hasn’t seen in years and to much surprise Jacob Black imprints on his pack brothers pregnant ex girlfriend."] Story Description: After (Y/N) Swan moves back to Forks, Washington to live with her sister and her father, she meets one Paul Lahote. Even if her heart had always been spoken for by her childhood best friend, she still falls into a whirlwind romance with Paul that ends with a pregnancy and a betrayal. Can Jacob accept her even in her situation once they are fatefully bonded? Warnings: foul language, teen pregnancy, cheating, implied sexual relations A/N: An eternity and three days later, I finally worked on this request, but at least it's a long one 😬😬 and even though in this household we are Jacob haters, I loved writing him here. Hope you enjoy and that I did the request justice. 💖💖 Also, I'm thinking of doing a part two to this. Should I? My content will always be free, but if you’re feeling particularly generous, you can leave a tip on any of my posts to support me and my love of writing or buy me a coffeeTikTok • Instagram • Business | MASTERLIST If you’d like to be tagged in any other story: click here Make sure you have my notifications on so you know every time I post!

Because It's You | Jacob Black Oneshot

Moving was something (Y/N) Swan was already used to. With her mother trailing her up and down, following Phil Dwyer until they finally settled in Florida. But the novelty of living in a hot crowded state had grown old and something inside her was calling to the coldness of Forks, Washington.

She didn’t understand the sudden urge to move back to her birthplace, but it remained incessant inside her. Growing every day that passed. Her skin itched for the gloomy nature of Forks. The rainy days, the freezing winters, the chilling winds, and the smell of the pines. Long gone was her love for the humid air, the bustling streets, and the burning sun of Jacksonville.

“Mom, can I talk to you?” (Y/N) peeked her head into her mother’s bedroom one day.

Renee smiled and patted the empty spot on the bed beside her. “Of course, honey. What’s up?”

“For some time now I’ve been thinking about moving to Forks with Bella and dad,” she confessed. “It’s not that I don’t like living here, don’t get me wrong. It’s simply that something keeps calling me over.”

“Oh, (Y/N), you don’t need to feel bad for wanting a change in scenery,” Renee consoled. “And I know that your father will be absolutely thrilled to have you there. And even though I will miss you a lot. I, more than many, understand the need to find a new pace.”

“I’m so happy you understand, mom,” she beamed. “I promise as soon as I can I’ll come and visit you. And I’ll call you as much as I can and send you messages.”

“Maybe you’ll finally get Bella out of that weird funk she’s in over that boy.”

“First loves are something that are hard to get over. That’s something you taught me.”

“Oh, me and my ramblings,” Renée chuckled. “Do you need any help packing up?”

“I’ve got it,” (Y/N) smiled. “Thanks, mom.”

The girl packed excitedly, a morose feeling creeping up her back. It wouldn’t be her first time in the cold and rainy lands of Forks, Washington. But it would be the first time she would remain there for the foreseeable future. A mix of nostalgia and anticipation crept through her veins and made their home in her heart.

The hardest part was saying goodbye to her mother. She would miss the woman’s sporadic need to change things up. Whether it was a wall color, a couch, or even a state, their household was always in a constant state of evolution. (Y/N) could never say her life felt monotonous.

Still, she embarked on the seven-hour journey to Washington, ready to start her new life and answer whatever call the town had made to her. She could feel it deep in her bones that there was a reason moving to Forks was the right decision for her, and she couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

Sleep overtook her two hours into the flight, her brain shutting down as tiredness flushed it. One second her eyes were focused on a book, the next, her head had fallen against the side of the plane and flashes of images started fluttering behind her eyelids.

But (Y/N) could not understand the visions that her subconscious played for her. She saw a gigantic wolf with russet-colored fur. She saw the back of a man with short brown hair and tan skin. She saw tears. But what jolted her awake was that she saw a baby. And the stewardess welcoming the passengers to Port Angeles, Washington.

She quickly gathered her things, unable to shake the image of that baby from her head. She couldn’t erase the image of the child’s coal black hair, its soft tan skin, its unforgettable big brown eyes. Every feature of the tiny baby had sewn into the very fibers of her brain. But she had to squash it down. To believe that what her imagination had conjured was only that, her imagination. (Y/N) was starting a new chapter and she did not want a silly dream to set off the tone for the rest of her book.

“I can’t believe how much you’ve grown,” Charlie Swan beamed as his eyes fell on his younger daughter. “I swear only yesterday you were a little girl asking to learn how to ride her bike.”

“Hey, dad,” she smiled, wrapping her arms around her father’s waist, sinking into the warmth of his body. “Can’t believe it’s been almost three years since I’ve seen you.”

“Yeah, three years too long,” he chuckled. “But I’m glad I’ve got both my girls with me now. Even if Bella is not quite herself right now.”

“Don’t worry, dad. We’ll get her back to being herself in no time.”

“I sure hope so, kiddo,” he sighed. “Now let’s get you home.”

Both Swans rolled suitcases and carried bags to the cruiser, joy wrapping around them comfortingly. (Y/N) had always loved visiting her dad. Even if it was only two months of the year, she enjoyed spending time with the awkward and lovable man.

Charlie had always tried hard to be a good father. He’d done everything he could to fit a whole year into eight weeks, trying with all his might to form a strong relationship with his daughters. He had always felt guilty for letting Renée take them without much fight, but he had believed it was the best decision for all of them. Even if he could only see his girls for a small amount, they would know how much they were loved.

“I have to warn you, kiddo, Bella is not herself,” Charlie finally spoke. “She’s kind of like the living dead. She goes to school, she goes to work, and she locks herself in her room. It’s like she’s stuck in autopilot and can’t turn it off.”

“Well, it’s her first-ever boyfriend. She’s probably still reeling from the fact that she lost her first love.”

“I guess,” he sighed defeatedly. “I just want her to get better. A boy is never worth your tears.”

It wasn’t long until they were parking in front of the house. The night was quiet, somehow unaware that there was now a new resident in its midst. Even the house had no idea that she had come home. Everything was just as she had remembered. From the couches to the curtains, to the dated kitchen, it was stuck in time.

“You’ve still got your same room,” Charlie smiled. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I kept it the same. We can change it up any time you want though. Buy some new paints and sheets or whatever.”

“Thanks, dad,” (Y/N) responded in kind. “And I’ll take you up on that offer. It’s been a while since I’ve liked bright green paint on my walls.”

“Alright, kiddo. Why don’t you go ahead and turn in for the night? Bella is definitely already in bed so you can try and catch up tomorrow afternoon after school,” he offered. “You start on Monday anyway, so you won’t see her until she comes back.”

“That’s done. I’m honestly exhausted and will probably sleep in,” she sighed contentedly. “Well, good night, dad.”

“Night, kiddo. Welcome home.”

Her childhood bedroom was truly exactly like the last time she had seen it. The walls were painted a painful neon lime green, the sheets a shade of teal that seemed too bright for the darkness of the night, and books and dolls littered shelves on the wall. She quickly felt like she had never left home. Only a couple of months into being sixteen and she had regressed to her thirteen-year-old self.

She could see herself spending her summer days in her room, playing make-believe, and imagining what it would have been like to spend more than two months living in Forks, Washington. She dreamed of how it would feel to spend the freezing winters bundled up in front of the fire and drinking hot chocolate. To watch the snow fall as she breathed in the scent of pines and damp soil. To know more of the souls that lived in the small town and the reservation.

After her eyes ran across the room, they fell on a little wolf carved out of redwood. She had forgotten it had existed, but looking at it then made a smile spread across her face. It was choppy and amateurly made, but it had been a sweet token of appreciation from a dear friend.

They had been but ten-year-old kids playing around the barn behind the Black residence. Jacob Black had been excited to show (Y/N) something he had made her, his face lit up with excitement. He dug into the pockets of his too-big-fit cargo pants and pulled out the little wolf.

“Mom used to say that wolves are a totem of protection,” he said sheepishly. “I want to make sure you have something that’s always protecting you. Even if it might seem like it’s all make-believe, but good vibes and everything.”

“It’s beautiful, Jake,” she had smiled. “I’ll keep it with me always.”

“Good, I don’t want anything to ever happen to you.”

“What’s that?” Bella had asked, joining the kids after going to the bathroom. She was already a head taller than the other two, and the fact that she was thirteen already was evident in how disinterested she had been to spend time with her sister and their friend. “It looks bad. Like you couldn’t have spent more than five bucks on it.”

“I made it,” Jake had peeped, his skin turning a deep hue of red. “I spent a whole month working on it.”

“Oh,” she had answered, taking it from her sister’s hands and inspecting it. “It’s cute.”

“Well, I think it’s amazing.” (Y/N) had snatched the totem back. “And it’s mine so your opinion doesn’t really matter, Bella.”

“It’s okay, (Y/N). You don’t have to say it’s good,” Jake shrugged. “I can take it back.”

“No, you have it to me, and I love it. You can’t take gifts back.”

She couldn’t believe she had forgotten the little totem had existed. She ran her fingers over the carved fur, the lopsided snout, the painted black eyes, and the slightly sharp ears. It was still as beautiful to her as she had thought the first time she had seen it. And it made her think of the boy she had grown up with.

It made her wonder how he looked. How tall he had become, how long his hair could have gotten, how broad his shoulders could have become. She wondered if his smile was just as bright, if his hugs were just as warm, and if his laughter was just as melodious. She wanted to know if he was still the same boy she had loved since she was a kid.

The next morning, rather the afternoon, she had woken to the sun beaming on her face. Even in the midst of the January snow, the sun was as bright. (Y/N) stretched out the soreness in her muscles, the seven hours sat on a plane taking a toll on her body. She rolled out of her bed, her eyes taking a second to adjust to her new surroundings. She wasn’t back in her room in Florida, wondering which shorts she would wear to take on the ravishing humidity and heat. She was in Forks now, rummaging through her suitcases for the warmest sweater she owned.

After she had gotten dressed, she noticed the note that had been taped to the door, her father’s scribbly handwriting evident from far away. She took the paper in her hands, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Thought you might need some wheels to get around, kiddo. It might not be too new, but it runs perfectly. You have Jake to thank for that. Keys are on the kitchen table. J

The girl took off in a run, excitement running through her veins. Before going outside and seeing her new car, she stopped by the kitchen grabbing the keys and a chocolate chip muffin. Outside, a 1971 baby blue C-10 Chevy pickup truck was parked on the driveway, a thin sheet of white snow covering the car. It had been the very car she had been obsessed with since she was a kid and she had started to love cars just like Jake had.

She sat on the driver’s seat, turning on the engine, allowing the car to warm up. Her eyes unconsciously closed, reveling in the rumbling of the car and the warmth that the heater blew. The truck sounded beautiful, as beautiful as she thought it would have been in the 70s, maybe even better. Her fingers traced the inside of the car. She touched the gear shift and the steering wheel. She grazed the stereo that had definitely been replaced and the soft leather seats that had been clearly upholstered. It was perfect.

Jake had outdone himself with the car and it had made her heart flutter that he had put so much care into fixing it. All she wanted was to thank him. And that’s exactly what she had planned to do.

She remembered the road that led to the La Push reservation like the back of her hand. She had spent so many summer days there while her father worked, and she had been excited every single day she went there. The same excitement she felt as she parked by the beach to wait until the high school let out and she could finally see Jacob.

She found a spot on the beach, sitting on a piece of driftwood, watching as the waves rolled in and out of the shore. Even in winter, the reservation was always just a bit warmer, a bit cozier. (Y/N) had always enjoyed the time she spent there just as much as she loved Forks. She loved going to bonfires and splashing around on the beach. She loved the people that lived there and how welcoming they had always been toward her.

A loud hooting broke (Y/N)’s trance, her head snapping to the right end of the beach, not too far from her, where three boys were shouting from the top of a cliff. They were all tall and of deep-tanned skin, their hair chopped similarly, and something she could only assume was a tattoo on the right biceps of each of their arms. She couldn’t believe they were thinking of jumping into the ice-cold ocean, much less than she could believe how little clothes they were wearing.

Her eyes focused on the way the first one jumped, going straight down with a joyful scream before he slipped effortlessly into the water. He disappeared for a second into the dark waves, before he resurfaced with a cocky grin on his face. As he swam to shore, the second boy jumped and her head snapped to see him plummet just as flawlessly into the water.

“You’re not from around here,” a voice called her attention. It was the first boy. His dark brown hair was dripping, the drops falling onto his bare chest. “I would have remembered a pretty face like yours.”

(Y/N) could feel her cheeks growing red, the warmth that filled her body pooling in her face. “I’m not from around here, you’re right,” she smiled. “I’m from Forks. But I used to come here a lot when I was a kid.”

“And why haven’t you been here since then?”

“I just moved back,” she responded. “I’m (Y/N) Swan.”

“The sheriff’s younger daughter,” he said with a grin, sitting next to her. “I’m Paul Lahote. And on behalf of all the residents of La Push, I formally welcome you back to Washington.”

“Well; thank you, Mr. Lahote,” she chuckled. “It’s good to be back.”

“So, are you back for a visit or are you back for good?”

“And why would that be important information, Paul?” (Y/N) smiled teasingly.

“Well, if you’re just here for a visit then I won’t ask you out,” he smiled deviously. “If you’re here for good, then I’m not leaving until you say yes.”

“What if I say now?”

“I don’t take no for an answer.”

“Good,” she grinned the same way he had. “Because I was going to say yes.”

That very afternoon (Y/N) went home with a smile on her face, a new number in her directory, and a forgotten boy pushed into a dark corner of her brain. Her head had been filled with the image of a new one. Paul Lahote’s face had engrained itself in her, sending a rush of dopamine and serotonin through her body.

It wasn’t long until weeks had passed, and she seemed to be spending more and more time with one Paul. She had started visiting the reservation more and more, but it had never been to see the one person she had promised herself to reconnect with. She was spending her time with the Lahote boy, doing much more than just talking. She was sure that she was falling in love. At least she hoped that’s what it was.

Her schedule had become packed. It had been completely occupied by school, long dates in Port Angeles and the rez, and trying to get her sister out of the funk that had started to make the house reek. (Y/N) had grown tired of it and so had Charlie. Bella needed to make a change, for herself and her family.

Though as more time passed it seemed that Bella had found something to occupy her mind. The older Swan seemed to be in the house less and less, leaving early on weekends and coming home late, mimicking her little sister’s behavior. If she wasn’t at school or at work, she would be out of the house with the one person (Y/N) had seemed to forget.

“Why do you think she hasn’t come see me?” Jake had asked Bella one day as they worked on the motorcycles. “She’s been here almost a full month and I have yet to see her.”

“I don’t really know,” she shrugged. “She’s barely in the house when I’m there and I honestly haven’t asked.”

“I just thought…”

“Why haven’t you gone to see her? When I got here you were one of the first people on the welcoming committee.”

“Yeah, and look how well that turned out for me,” he chuckled dryly. “I just want it to come from her to want to see me. I don’t wanna ambush her.”

“Is this about the little crush you used to have on her when you were kids?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he blubbered.

“It was obvious you two liked each other. You would get so red in the face and nervous when she was around,” Bella laughed. “You would get all flustered and tongue-tied, it was cute.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“A blind person would have seen it,” she grinned. “But it doesn’t matter now.”

“What’re you talking about?” Jake questioned, his brows furrowing in curiosity. “Why doesn’t it matter, Bella?”

“She’s been dating one of Sam Uley’s friends. Uh, Paul Lahote I think he’s called,” Bella responded. She could see anger surging through him, his body shaking slightly with ire. “She basically spends all her time with him. I’m surprised you haven’t run into them here.”

“I haven’t,” he spoke through gritted teeth. “He’s not a good guy, Bella. You need to tell her to stay away from him.”

“You and I both know that no one can tell (Y/N) what to do,” she chuckled slightly. “And why shouldn’t she date whoever she wants? He hasn’t done anything bad to her.”

“But he will,” Jake spat. “Paul Lahote is bad news, and it won’t take long before he breaks (Y/N)’s heart.”

“Why do you care so much, Jake?” Bella pushed, for some reason growing annoyed at her friend. “She’s old enough to do whatever she wants. No, to be with whoever she wants. It’s not really my place to tell her who she can or can’t date.”

“You’re her older sister, Bella!” the boy exclaimed. “Why do I care? Why don’t you care enough?!”

“I do care,” she argued. “But I also know what it’s like when people start to comment on who you can and can’t be with. I’m not doing that to her.”

“So, you wouldn’t stop what happened to you from happening to her?” He was blind with anger now. He had closed any space between them, staring her down. “You would rather let her be heartbroken and try and protect her from getting hurt? You’d rather both of you be miserable than spare her the pain that I know she will be in? You have a chance to spare her heartache, Bella. You owe your sister that much.”

“What about you, Jake?” Bella added, standing her ground, and facing up to him. “Why don’t you tell her that Paul is such a bad guy? Why don’t you spare her all this hypothetical heartache instead of forcing me to do it for you? Or are you too scared to face her since she has someone else to occupy her time?”

“If she hasn’t come to see me, it’s clear she didn’t want to,” he said, his voice clearly broken. “But I am begging you. Tell her. It’s not a matter of how, but when he will do something to hurt her.”

“(Y/N) can make her own decisions,” Bella responded. “Heartbreak is a part of life. She’ll get over it.”

“Like you have?” Jacob called as the girl had started to make her way to her car. “If something goes wrong, it’ll be on you, Bella.”

“No, it’ll be on the both of us.”

But they didn’t know that moment would come sooner than they could have thought.

(Y/N) had not been feeling well for at least a week. Her body felt sore, and her stomach felt uneasy. Nothing she ate stayed down long enough to fill the unbearable hunger she seemed to have. She felt as awful as could be and she was ready to pass out by drinking the cold and flu medicine she was holding in the pharmacy.

But as she perused the aisles of the brightly lit establishment, her eyes fell on the sleuth of pink and purple boxes that were yelling at her. It was a hard thing to fathom, but it was a perfectly plausible explanation to how she was feeling. Her symptoms, and the fact that she had missed her monthly in January, were to the book the thing she was most dreading.

Time seemed to warp as she drove home, two pink boxes buried deep in her purse. One second, she was cowering from the cashier, embarrassed as she placed the boxes on the counter. And the next, she was making a beeline to the bathroom, locking herself inside as her father and sister called for her.

She had never thought five minutes could ever feel so long.

Five minutes and she would know if her whole life was about to change.

Dread was the only feeling that washed over her. As the seconds counted down, she could feel her heart dropping. Deep down, she knew what the answer would be. She knew that when the time was finally over, she would l have to accept her new reality. It was daunting. She was only sixteen and she was on her way to face one of the most life-changing events that anyone could go through.

(Y/N) could have never thought that a pink cross on a piece of plastic could be so permanent. She was holding the pregnancy tests in her hand, the two of them producing a very dark pink plus sign. There was no denying that they were positive. There was no denying that at that very moment, inside her body, was a bundle of cells multiplying to create a baby.

“Hey, kiddo,” Charlie called out from the other side of the door. His voice startled her, making the tests clatter loudly against the sink. “What was that? Is everything okay, (Y/N)?”

“Uh, yeah, dad,” she choked out as she finally opened the door. “Everything’s fine. Just knocked over the toothbrushes.”

“Are you sure, kid? You look paler than a ghost.”

“I’m fine, dad,” she said, trying her best to give a convincing smile. “I actually just remembered I have to run out for a bit. Miriam just texted me and I forgot to give back her science textbook and she has a test tomorrow. I’m gonna go give it to her.”

“Okay, honey. As long as you’re okay,” he responded. Charlie could tell there was something lingering underneath his daughter’s smile, but he could see how hard she was trying to hide whatever it was. “Be careful on the road, alright? And don’t come home too late.”

“I will. I’ll, uh, see you guys later.”

In an instant, she was back in her truck and speeding down to the reservation. At that moment, she needed Paul’s comfort. She needed him to tell her that everything would be okay, and that they would figure things out together. She craved feeling his warm arms around him and listening to the soft coo of his voice as he calmed her down. All she wanted was him.

She reached the Lahote residence in record time, jumping out of the car and running to the front door. (Y/N) knocked against the blue-painted wood frantically, calling Paul’s name incessantly. She knew his father wouldn’t be home that night, taking night shifts was something he was prone to and that day had not been different. The girl rapped on the door, over and over again, until it finally swung open.

“(Y/N)!” Paul exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here, baby? I wasn’t expecting you.”

Overwhelming anxiety burst inside the girl and all she could do to not break down in front of him was to wrap her arms around his waist tightly. “We gotta talk, Paul,” she cried softly. “It’s… I don’t know how it happened l, but… I’m just so scared.”

“What’re you talking about, (Y/N)? You’re not making any sense.”

The youngest Swan couldn’t find the words to tell him. She wanted what she said to be perfect. For there to be no flaw to her monologue that could make him desist of the idea that this was what was meant to happen. That maybe it was a sign that they were always meant to meet and be together for the rest of time.

But a voice suddenly burst the delusion that (Y/N) had built in her head. “Paul, baby, come back to bed,” the voice whined. “Get rid of whoever’s at the door.”

(Y/N) released herself from Paul’s grasp, feeling as though his touch had burned her. He looks like a deer caught in headlights, surprise opening his eyes. “Who is that?” (Y/N) asked sternly, making the boy scramble for words. “Do you have another fucking girl in your room right now, Paul?”

“It’s not what it looks like, (Y/N).”

“Not what it looks like?! She just called you back to bed, baby,” she mocked. “I am pretty sure you’re not in there helping her with homework.”

Paul’s shocked expression didn’t last long. His agape mouth and huge eyes were instantly replaced by a stoic mask. “So, what, (Y/N)?” Paul spat. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Nothing wrong?!” (Y/N) yelled. “You’re cheating on me! How can you think you haven’t done anything wrong?”

“How could I be cheating?” he shrugged. “You and I were never exclusive.”

The girl felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Her chest tightened, squeezing out whatever little breath that was left in her lungs. She felt warm tears fall from her eyes before she could do anything to stop them.

“I thought you actually loved me,” she said with a broken voice. “Did I mean nothing to you?”

“Look, (Y/N), you’re a great girl, but you had to know this was gonna end sooner or later,” Paul said. “Let’s just call this what it is, a fling. We were just having fun.”

“It wasn’t a fling to me! I fell for you, Paul! I loved you.”

“I’m sorry, (Y/N, but I thought you knew what this was,” he sighed. “We were never gonna last long anyway.”

“I can’t believe this,” she said to herself. “I’m such an idiot. How could I have ever believed you?”

“At the end of the day, I hope we can still be friends.”

Now it was (Y/N)’s turn to be completely aghast. She had borne her heart to him; she had given him her time, her body, her soul. She had trusted that he returned the sentiment, even if it was a fraction of what she felt for him –that would have been enough. But he didn’t. He never had. And he was asking her to remain in his life as a friend with a sickening grin on his face.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to claw out that smile he was giving her. Still, deep down, she wanted him to choose her, to want her, to need her. She wanted him to be devastated that he was losing her, devastated that he had hurt her. Instead, he was giving her empty promises of friendships, and devaluing her as nothing more than a way to pass the time. She was carrying his child and he wanted them to be friends.

“You know what, Paul? You can take your friendship and shove it up that girl’s ass,” she spat. “I don’t want you to call me, I don’t wanna see you, I don’t wanna even remember that you exist. You will regret this, Paul. You don’t even know how much right now.”

(Y/N) got into her car, ignoring Paul’s calls of her name. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry and revel in the fact that he was the one that had made her spill tears. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how deep her hurt was.

Only when she was in the safety of her truck and far enough away that he couldn’t see her did she allow the water to stream down her cheeks. It was an overwhelming surge of emotions –betrayal, heartbreak, sadness. All she wanted was to not feel that way, not anymore, not ever again.

In her distraction, she didn’t notice the person crossing the street. Only when she was seconds away from crashing into them did she look up and slammed on her brakes. The stranger braced themselves, their hands landing on the hood of her car, their face shielded by the hoodie they wore. Until they raised their head and (Y/N)’s world came crashing down.

The brown eyes that stared at her unmistakably belonged to the one person she had yet to see since she had come back to Forks, Washington. He seemed frozen for a second. Standing there in the middle of the night, staring at a specter from his past. All the questions she’d had about him, answer in a swift second.

Jacob didn’t understand what Sam had meant when he had explained imprinting. The shift in gravity, the way your whole being seems to incline toward that one person. Nothing else matters but them. He thought it was fiction. A way he could explain choosing his ex’s cousin after breaking her heart. But at that very second, he knew just how true it was.

The second he locked eyes with (Y/N) he felt it in the pit of his soul. He was almost sure he could see the way his world had changed, and everything became her, became about her. In that instant, he could feel her sadness. Whatever pain was tormenting her, he could feel it wrenching its way into his own heart. All he wanted was to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be okay.

Instead, he kept quiet. He looked into her tear-streaked eyes, and he ran. He ran until his legs were burning with pain, until his lungs were begging for air, until his whole body hurt to be near her again. He understood Sam, but he didn’t want to. He had even gone as far as trying to force himself to imprint on Bella, that way he could forget the void that (Y/N) had created in his heart.

(Y/N) had avoided him for over a month. She had come home, and she had yet to even show her face to say hello to his father. She had preferred to run to the arms of Paul Lahote and forget the people that cared about her.

Most of his childhood he had hoped for a moment like this with her. A sign from the universe that she was the person meant for him. Even at his young age, he knew what love felt like. Jake had experienced it the moment he laid eyes on (Y/N). But she had made the decision to invest her time with someone he knew would only break her. A guy that would use her until there was nothing left and discard her the second he got bored.

And something told him that’s exactly what Paul had done.

He didn’t know where he was going until he was standing in front of the blue-colored door, banging loudly against it. “Paul!” Jake screamed. “Open this god-dammed door!”

“What the hell is up with people tonight?” Paul grumbled as he swung the door open. “What the hell do you want, Jacob?”

“What did you do to (Y/N)?” the boy said, fuming.

“What’re you talking about, Jake?” Paul pretended. “I haven’t done anything.”

“I just saw her, driving away and absolutely destroyed,” he seethed. “So, I’m gonna ask you again. What the hell did you do to her?”

“Why do you suddenly care about her, Jacob? It’s been over a month, and you haven’t even said hello to her,” he deflected, a mischievous laugh leaving his mouth. “Could it be because you just imprinted on her? Maybe you should be worrying about that rather than trying to pick a fight with me.”

“We’re not talking about me, right now. Now, I’ll be the bigger man and not access your thoughts, because I don’t need them to know what a jackass you are and that you’re the one that hurt her,” Jacob retorted, squaring up to Paul and staring him down. “So, I will ask you one last time before I beat the shit out of you for absolutely no reason, what the fuck did you do to (Y/N)?”

“I just reminded her that what was happening between us was just a bit of fun,” he shrugged, chuckling. “It’s not my fault she built up a whole fantasy in her head about us.”

“She was in love with you, and you broke her heart,” Jake scoffed. “Tell me was it worth it?”

“What was worth it?”

“Losing the best girl you could’ve had by your side all for a night of fun.”

(Y/N) didn’t take much time to dwell on why Jake had run away, or why her heart wrenched tighter as he left. She could only process one thing at a time and the most pressing matter was the fact that she was pregnant, the baby’s father had cheated on her –or sort of cheated—and she was left to decide what to do all by herself.

The second she got back home, she ran up the stairs and into her room. Once more ignoring her father’s calls to her name. She simply wanted to sink into her bed and disappear, to make every bad thing that had occurred in the last hour disappear. If that was only a fraction of how her sister was feeling, she never wanted to know the expanse of that pain. All she wanted was for things to stop.

“Hey, kiddo. Can I come in?” Charlie knocked softly on her door. He couldn’t bring himself to pass the threshold. Not without her confirmation. It wasn’t until she nodded softly, her face mostly shielded by the pillow she held tightly, that he entered the room. “Talk to me, (Y/N), what’s going on? And I’m assuming this isn’t about a textbook.”

“It’s not,” (Y/N)’s broken voice peeped. “I screwed up, dad.”

Charlie sat beside her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her. She shifted her hold from the pillow to her father, enjoying the comforting warmth from his body, allowing it to ease the pain she felt. As she settled against him, he had started rubbing her back, letting her empty herself of tears on him.

“What happened, kiddo?” he said, trying his best to not let his voice break as he stared at his youngest daughter. It was the first time he had seen her so distraught, and it broke him just as much as he had broken when Bella had been in that kind of pain. “I’m sure we can fix whatever it is, but you’ve gotta talk to me, kid. I can’t fix it if you don’t talk.”

“You’re gonna hate me for it,” she sobbed. “And I can’t take you hating me, dad.”

“Honey, there is absolutely nothing in this world you can do that will ever make me hate you,” he said, staring deeply into her reddened eyes, a hand on her wet cheek. “Even if you tell me right now that you’ve killed someone, I could never hate you.”

“You can’t say that, dad,” she chuckled. “You’re the sheriff.”

“No, but it made you laugh,” he smiled. “Now, come on, tell me what’s wrong, (Y/N).”

(Y/N) finally sat up, unable to face her father as she confessed what happened. She could not witness the look of disappointment she was sure would befall on his face. “I found out I was pregnant tonight,” she sighed defeatedly. “I went to see the father when I told you I was going to Miriam’s house, but I caught him cheating and I couldn’t even tell him. And now, I’m pregnant and alone, and I don’t know what to do, dad. I’m so scared.”

Instead of anger and displeasure, her father surprised her by wrapping her in a tight embrace. He cooed her as she sobbed into the hug, letting herself fall apart in Charlie’s arms. She had been so sure that he would yell at her, chastise her for being a stupid child. But he had never been that type of man, and he never would be. “Oh, honey,” he said as he smoothed down her hair. “You’re not alone, kiddo. You’re never going to be alone in anything as long as I’m around.”

“I screwed up, dad,” she cried against his chest. “I don’t know what to do and I’m terrified.”

“Well, we’ll go to the doctor as soon as we can and we can weigh out your options,” he offered. “It’s up to you whether you wanna keep it, if you wanna give it up for adoption, or if you don’t wanna have it at all.”

“I don’t… I don’t think I wanna give it up, dad,” (Y/N) responded sheepishly. It was the first thing she had told herself. No matter what, she wanted to go through the pregnancy –with or without Paul. “Even if I have to do it by myself, I want to have this baby.”

“Again, you’re not alone, kid,” he smiled. “And if keeping the baby is what you want then that’s what we’ll do.”

“He’s right, (Y/N),” Bella added. She joined her father and sister on her bed, a soft smile stretching the corners of her mouth. “I know I haven’t been there for you for a while –I haven’t been me for a while—but you are never alone. You will always have us.”

“That’s right,” Charlie beamed, his two daughters wrapped in his arms. “We’ll take it one day at a time, kid. And let me know the kid’s name. I might have a way to scare him straight. You think a night in a jail cell would do?”

“That’s illegal, Charlie,” Bella laughed. “But, for him, I think it’s worth it.”

“He’s not worth even another thought,” (Y/N) joined. “But thank you for offering, dad.”

“Sure thing, kiddo,” he grinned. “Now, I’ll still make that doctor’s appointment as soon as possible and we’ll see what our next steps are. You’ll also have to tell your mom, but we can do that together. You should get some rest right now.”

“Thanks, dad. For everything.”

“You’re never alone, kid. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

“I’m so sorry this happened, (Y/N),” Bella said as soon as Charlie had left the room. “I should have prevented this.”

“There was no way you could have known, Bells,” she sighed. “Paul is just a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing.”

“But I did know. Not about the cheating but that he was a bad guy. Jacob told me.”

At the sound of Jacob’s name, her heart panged. The very boy that had been in her head since she was little. The very boy that had run away from her only an hour before. “Don’t blame yourself,” she added. “I don’t think I would have listened to you. I was so blinded by him that I would have probably fought you about it. It’s on me that I didn’t see the signs.”

“No, (Y/N). It’s on him for being a shitty guy.”

“I guess,” she chuckled. “But I’ve also been a shitty person. I’ve been here for such a long time already and I haven’t gone to see Jake. I’m a horrible friend.”

“Unfortunately, that I can’t spin,” she grimaced. “But so is he. Contact goes both ways, and he hasn’t come to see you either. And he’s been avoiding me for a while too.”

“I saw him tonight,” she added meekly. “I almost ran him over.”

“You did?! What happened?”

“He ran away,” (Y/N) shrugged. “He stared at me for a second and then he ran.”

“That boy needs to stop disappearing like that,” she sighed. “He came over the other night. Told me he was avoiding me for a reason that he couldn’t explain. I’m gonna go confront him about it tomorrow.”

“Can I come? I think seeing you yell at him will cheer me up.”

“I think having you there will make him more nervous,” she grinned at her sister. “And I don’t know if that’s better or worse.”

“Why would he get nervous?” (Y/N) questioned, her curiosity quickly peaking. “It’s just me. Bella’s little sister.”

“Are you serious?”

Bella was staring at her like she had muttered the dumbest words she had heard, but she had only said what she truly believed. Jake had always had a crush on Bella and (Y/N) was just her little sister. “He’s always been in love with you, Bells,” she said. “It’s obvious.”

“Oh my god, you are serious,” Bella said in disbelief. “You know it’s you he’s always been in love with. It's so painfully obvious.”

“What’re you talking about? He was always hanging around you when we were there, he even sought you out when you came to live with Charlie. Sounds to me like he’s always crushed on you.”

“Okay, first of all, the only reason he was always hanging around me was when you were around. He only used me as an excuse,” she retorted. “And when I came to live in Forks you were the first thing he asked me about. He’s been in love with you since we were kids, (Y/N). I honestly can’t believe you never noticed.”

“How could I if I really thought he liked you?” the girl cried as she covered her face in embarrassment. “Oh god, I’m an awful person. The only reason I went after Paul was because I thought I had no chance with Jake. Now I’m definitely never gonna have it.”

“Why not? You’re a great catch.”

“I’m a single pregnant teen that hasn’t even finished high school,” she told her sister. “Sure, great catch.”

“You’re also kind, you’re smart, you’re beautiful, and anyone would be lucky to have you by their side,” Bella said with a smile. “And if Jake can’t see that then he’s not the right guy for you. It’s not like he’s the poster child for perfection.”

“But why would he ever be with me when I tried to replace him with Paul? Jake knew he was a bad guy and that I chose to be with Paul over him.”

“Look, I don’t know how tomorrow’s gonna go, but I think it’s best if you do come with me.”

“Why? What could go wrong?”

“Just rest tonight and I promise everything will be answered tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she responded, still not understanding her sister’s reluctance to answer. “Well then, good night, Bells. I’m grateful you’re my sister.”

“I’m grateful too, (Y/N). Good night.”

“Night.”

The next day couldn’t come soon enough.

(Y/N) had spent the whole night tossing and turning in her bed. The daunting realization that she was growing a human being inside her weighing on her like a thousand bricks. She was set on her decision. She wanted to keep the baby and she would do it without Paul. But he wasn’t the boy that was running through her head anymore. Instead, she could not stop thinking about what Bella had told her. She was still hesitant to believe that Jake loved her. He’d never given her any indication that he did, at least not ones she had noticed.

“Ready to go?” Bella asked, breaking (Y/N) out of her trance. “Got the car all warmed up already.”

“Yeah, just a sec.” The youngest Swan gave herself a once over, trying to look perfect. No, trying to look strong. “I’m ready.”

The sisters talked and laughed like they hadn’t the whole time they had been reunited with each other. They had both led such different lives at that point that it felt like they had abandoned the other. But that wasn’t far from the truth. At the end of the day, they would always have each other’s back.

Bella parked her truck near the Black’s house, killing the engine before she turned toward her sister. “Look, I don’t know how to explain this, but you might hear some things that sound almost made up,” she said. “But they’re not. As crazy as it might sound, they are 100% true.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Bella?”

“I just –ugh—I don’t know how to tell you this without sounding like I’ve lost my mind,” she said, her eyes begging her sister for reassurance. “But, if you really wanna be in Jake’s world, it’s only fair that you know the truth. About him… and even about Paul.”

“Paul? What do you know about Paul?”

“Do you remember the stories Billy used to tell us when we were little?” Bella started, carefully picking her next words. “The stories about the reservation and their ancestors?”

“Vaguely.”

“You remember the stories about wolves and cold ones, right?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “But those were just legends and stories to explain the divide between lands. What about them?”

“They’re real, (Y/N),” Bella finally admitted. “Every single thing that they told us is real.”

“Come on, Bella,” the girl smiled, not too convinced by her sister’s words. “You’re telling me that you dated a vampire. And, what? That Paul and Jake are werewolves? That’s completely fantastical. Vampires and werewolves aren’t real. Next thing you’re gonna tell me that the tooth fairy and Santa Claus exist?”

“I’m serious, (Y/N),” she said firmly, her sister’s laughter dying as soon as she looked into Bella’s eyes. “I’ve seen it. It’s real”

“So, you’ve seen Jake turning into a wolf and seen your ex drink blood? What about that doesn’t sound made up?”

“Fine,” she resigned. “If you don’t believe me. Maybe you’ll believe Jake. Now, come on.”

(Y/N) followed Bella to the red cabin, her words swimming around in her mind. Talk about the supernatural had never been something her sister had been interested in, and there she was claiming that it was all real. It couldn’t be. It was just too much.

“We need to see him,” Bella said as soon as Billy opened the door.

His eyes ran from her to (Y/N), thinking over what his response would be. “He’s not in,” the man responded.

But Bella would not give in. She knew better. “Okay, I’m sorry,” she said before stepping aside and pulling (Y/N) with her. “But we really need to see him.”

“Girls!”

(Y/N) didn’t understand what was happening. She felt like she was stuck in a bad dream where no one was making any sense. When her sister opened Jake’s bedroom door and she saw him sleeping, the girl felt her heart squeeze once more in her chest. Ever since their encounter the night before, it hadn’t stopped doing that. It hadn’t stopped calling for him.

“He looks exhausted,” (Y/N) whispered.

“I think I know why,” her sister muttered, her gaze falling on the four figures that were walking up to Jake’s house. “Wait here.”

“What why?” the younger girl questioned before following her sister’s sightline. “Why is Paul here?”

“If you still don’t believe me, you’ll believe me now.”

Bella marched out of the house, leaving her sister reeling with more and more questions.

“She told you,” Billy’s voice startled her. “You don’t believe her.”

His words seemed to want to be questions, but she could tell he was merely stating facts. “How can I, Billy?” she said. “We’re talking about the existence of supernatural creatures right in our backyard. Those things are stories you tell kids to feed their imagination. They can’t be real.”

“It is,” Jake’s voice joined. She turned to face him, any unease dissipating as she looked into his dark eyes. “I promise I’ll explain everything, but right now. I need to make sure your sister doesn’t get hurt.”

“What’re you…?”

Before she could finish talking, she heard her sister yelling outside. She followed Jacob out of the house, all in time to see Bella slapping Paul straight across the face. And everything that happened next seemed to muddle.

Where Paul stood in a split second was a silver-furred wolf baring its teeth toward her sister. Then, Jacob ran past her, jumping over Bella and transforming into a russet-colored wolf himself. The same wolf she had seen in her dream. The two animals fought each other, all teeth and claws, all snarls and growls. Even as it happened before her, it was still just as unbelievable.

Once the two wolves had disappeared into the tree line, did the older man of the group speak up. He told Jared and Embry –the two boys she had met that fateful day on the beach—to take her and Bella back to someone’s, named Emily, place. The duo quickly followed orders, jumping into the bed of Bella’s truck, never looking over to (Y/N).

The older Swan motioned for her sister to join them, telling her to get back in the car. But (Y/N) was still reeling. She still felt like she was trapped in a harrowing nightmare, waiting for the second she would wake up. All she could think of was the dream that had shaken her as she arrived in Forks. Because it hadn’t been a dream. It had been a premonition.

(Y/N) had yet to say a word, simply following the others to know what to do. Whatever they said or did, she wasn’t sure. The world around her had blurred and nothing made sense. At that moment, all she wanted was to know that Jacob was okay. The very fabric of what she knew reality to be had been changed and all she wanted to do was make sure that he was safe.

She didn’t even notice when she had entered the little house. Her gaze was far away, her mind completely disassociated from the situation. Emily, who she now knew was Sam’s fiancée and she couldn’t stare at, had offered her food or something to drink, but she couldn’t even respond. She simply shook her head and sunk into the background.

Everyone was speaking of werewolves and vampires like it was the most normal thing in the world, but it wasn’t, and (Y/N) knew that. And it seemed that Emily could tell that the girl was finding the information hard to digest.

“It gets easier,” she told her, breaking her out of her trance. “I know right now it might seem like nothing makes sense, but you get used to it.”

“I just saw two men rip their skin and turn into massive wolves,” (Y/N) finally spoke. “Don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“I know how you’re feeling. When Sam told me for the first time, I was sure he had lost her mind,” she smiled. “Something tells me that once Jacob talks to you a lot of things will click into place.”

As Emily handed her a glass of water, Sam walked into the house, kissing her deeply. They were the definition of being in love. She couldn’t help but feel it when she saw them. It was what she had always dreamed of, and it was what she thought she had with Paul until the night before. It was what she had once wanted with Jacob too.

After Sam came Paul and Jacob. They were wearing matching scowls, walking as far from each other as possible. Paul entered the house, his eyes never landing on (Y/N)’s. Suddenly, the house went eerily quiet. Now knowing that they all shared thoughts, the girl knew that everyone was aware of what had happened between her and Paul.

(Y/N) felt like the walls were closing in on her and the looks of pity all the guys had given her finally made sense. She could barely breathe, and her heart hammered harshly in her chest. She needed to get out, she couldn’t be in the same space as him. Not right now. She tried to stumble out of the house, clutching at whatever she could to stabilize her body.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Bella tried to draw her attention, following her sister outside. “You’ve gotta breathe.”

But she couldn’t. Her lungs were aching, and her throat felt tight. Already, her vision was blurry with tears “I-I… I gotta…”

“Breathe, (Y/N). Breathe.”

“I can’t,” she struggled. “I-I… I can’t.”

Then, warm arms were wrapping around her, a hand running through her hair. “You’re okay, (Y/N),” Jake whispered. “I need you to breathe with me, okay?”

She nodded softly, her sobs choking her. Still, she followed the movement of Jacob’s chest, taking shaky breaths in and blowing them out seconds after. They could have been there forever and (Y/N) would have never known how much time had actually passed. But at some point, her breathing stabilized and she felt like her body was functioning properly.

“There you go,” Jacob smiled. “See? You’re okay.”

“I think I’m going crazy,” she chuckled dryly. “Nothing makes sense.”

“Let’s go for a walk, okay?” She nodded in response. “We’ll talk later, Bella.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” she said. “Make sure she’s okay. I have some words for someone else right now.”

Jake and (Y/N) walked side by side, neither daring to say the first word. The truth was, there was just too much unsaid between them and they had no idea where to start. There had already been so much change in a day that they didn’t know how much they could take.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” Jake finally spoke. “Firstly, for the way you found out about all of this. And secondly, for me running away last night. I’m sure you have a million questions.”

“I do,” she chuckled, staring down at the way the creek they were walking through rushed beneath her feet. “But I also want to apologize for not going to see you as soon as I got her. I actually tried… that’s when I met Paul.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, (Y/N). I didn’t seek you out either and I’ve been beating myself about it ever since,” he sighed. “I should have told you about Paul. I should have protected you from him, but I didn’t, and he broke your heart.”

“It’s not on you, Jake. It’s not on anyone but him. He knew what he was doing and that’s that,” she said. “But I don’t really want to talk about him. I want to know about everything else. You’re a werewolf.”

“Last time I checked, yeah,” he chuckled. “Only a few people in the tribe have the gene. It gets triggered when there are vampires in the area.”

“Bella’s ex and their family.”

“Yeah, and any that are passing by,” he confirmed. “Our job is to protect people from them. We keep it a secret because of the treaty our ancestors made with them decades ago. We can’t reveal their identity and we can’t reveal ours without revealing theirs. And people can’t fear what they don’t know of. ”

“Then, did they break the treaty by telling Bella?”

“They didn’t tell her about us, I kind of did,” he continued. “I was ordered to cut ties with her, but I couldn’t so I pointed her in the direction of the truth. She found out all by herself.”

“So, Bella knowing I understand. She already had knowledge of this whole world from that Edward guy,” (Y/N) started. “But why me? Why am I allowed to know all this? It can’t possibly be because she took me to your place. Billy would have stopped me from going outside but he didn’t.”

Jacob stopped in his tracks. That was the moment the truth needed to come out. He had to confess everything he’d ever felt for her and how the universe had decided to make it an unbreakable thing. All he hoped was that she didn’t push him away after.

“Being a shifter comes with more things than the ability to transform into a wolf,” he started, finally facing her. “You get superhuman strength and speed; you heal faster; you basically stop aging. And you gain the ability to imprint on someone.”

“Imprint?” (Y/N) questioned looking into his eyes for the first time since she had left the cabin. “What is that?”

“In the simplest of terms, it’s basically the moment you lay eyes on your soulmate,” he continued. His heart was beating faster, and he was sure his skin was flushing to a deep shade of red. “It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like gravity shifts all of a sudden. You’re not bound to the earth anymore, you’re bound to that person. You become whatever they need. A friend, a brother, a partner.

When I ran into you last night, when you almost ran me over with your car…”

“Sorry about that,” she chuckled. “That would have been horrible bad luck. To run you over with a car you fixed.”

“Eh, I would have healed,” he smiled. He was glad to see her lighter. Her laughter, the most beautiful music to his ears. “But when we looked into each other’s eyes I imprinted on you. That’s why I ran. That and the fact that I knew Paul had hurt you. I could feel your pain and your sadness, and as much as I wanted to comfort you, I needed to give him a piece of my mind.

But I should have stayed with you. I should have told you everything that I’m about to tell you now.

I love you, (Y/N). I’m in love with you and I have been since I even knew what love was. I have wanted to tell you since I gave you that whittled wolf I made, but I never had the courage to. And even if you don’t feel the same for me, I need you to know that, with or without the imprint bond, you have been and always will be it for me. My heart has been yours since the moment our dad’s brought us together and it will be yours until the day I die.”

Tears were now falling from (Y/N)’s eyes. She had waited for so long to hear those words and it made her heart swell as she finally did. But she feared he would take them back as soon as she told him the truth. Imprint bond or not, no teenager wanted to become a father, especially of someone else’s baby.

“You say that because you don’t know everything,” she sobbed, turning her back to him. “There’s another reason why I was crying last night that has nothing to do with Paul cheating.”

“(Y/N), nothing you say will change what I feel for you,” Jake said, running his hands over her arms. He tried to turn her back around, but she wouldn’t budge. “What is it, huh? Just tell me, (Y/N).”

“I’m pregnant, Jake,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I’m keeping it. And Paul has no idea. I went to tell him as soon as I found out and caught him with someone else. I don’t even know if he would care that the baby is his.”

“Is that all?” Jacob asked softly. “You think that’s enough to change my mind?”

“It would change anyone’s mind, Jake!” (Y/N) flipped around. Her eyes were red and streaming out tears faster than she could stop them. “We’re only sixteen. The last thing in our minds should ever be starting a family. We should be thinking about what college we’re going to or what countries we want to see, not about shitty diapers and feeding schedules.

What is happening is happening to me. I’m the one that’s pregnant and I can’t burden you with someone else’s child. I can’t do that to you. Why would you ever be okay with any of this?”

“Because it’s you,” he smiled. “And why do you think you or that baby could ever be a burden to me?” His hand cradled her cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the streaks that stained her skin. “I want everything that comes with being with you. The good, the bad, and the ugly. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, (Y/N). And I meant it when I said that there’s absolutely nothing you could do or say that would change that.”

“But I can’t do that to you,” she repeated, her voice breaking in pain. “I can’t do that to someone I love.”

Jacob’s mouth stretched into a wide smile, his eyes searching hers for any sign of deception, but it wasn’t there. All he saw was a girl in love that had been broken by someone else. “You love me?” he asked happily. “Is that what you said?”

“Of course, I love you, Jake,” she smiled softly, the tears still falling from her eyes. “I’ve loved you for so long it hurts. And that’s why it’ll hurt more to let you go.”

“(Y/N), I need you to listen to me and know in your heart that what I am telling you is the absolute truth,” he said lovingly but sternly. He needed her to believe him. He had lost her once and he would never do it again. “I want you. I want all that comes with being with you. I want to be there when you start showing; I want to be there when you go to the doctor; I wanna be there when that baby comes into this world, and I will be there every moment after. I will love that child as if it was mine because it’s part you –it’s already perfect.”

“You really mean that,” she smiled. Her hands were placed on his chest, her eyes gazing into the dark brown of his. “Why? Why do you care about me so much? I don’t deserve it.”

“You deserve the entire universe, (Y/N),” he beamed. “You deserve love and happiness, and I know I can give that to you.”

All the younger girl could do was smile as she stared up at him. If she had been dreaming, she did not want to wake up. Not now. Not after the nightmare was over. She needed to prove to herself that she was awake.

She stood on her tiptoes, stretching as far as she could while she pulled Jacob down by his shirt. She crashed her lips onto his and allowed herself to get lost in that moment. Everything around them stopped. The ocean had quieted, the wind had stopped blowing, and the sun had stopped beating on their skin. It was them and only them at that moment, surrounded only by their love and affection for each other.

“Thank you, Jake,” she smiled as they finally broke apart, their foreheads pressing against each other. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words.”

“I think I have some idea,” he chuckled. “I have been waiting since we were kids to tell you.”

“Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess if either of us had,” she teased. “But, honestly, I would have it any other way.”

“I love you, (Y/N),” he said before kissing her once more. “I love you today, tomorrow, and forever.”

“Well, I love you more. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to show you just how much.”

As they walked back to the cabin, Jake’s arm draped over her shoulders, (Y/N) stopped in her tracks suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Jake worried. “You feeling okay?”

“I haven’t thought of this, but what if Paul does want to be in this baby’s life? I mean, he has no idea that I’m pregnant.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he smiled. “If he does, he’ll have a lot to make up for. And I’ll make sure he is very apologetic for what he’s done.”

“You can’t just go around fighting him you know?” (Y/N) laughed.

“Don’t worry. He knows not to confront me with his fists –or paws—anymore.”

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tgmsunmontue · 3 months

Text

Online & Anonymous 13/16

Hangster. Explicit. Years before they meet in person Bradley and Jake strike up a friends-with-benefits relationship online. And then something more like an actual relationship.

Odd year = Bradley's POV and Even year = Jake's POV

>>Bradley chatting (bold and italics)

>>Jake chatting (italics)

2005/2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

2018 – Jake

When he’d first uninstalled Grindr he’d missed talking with Nick, the routine and just having someone who knew him so well. He’d been so glad he’d agreed to join his sister and her family on a trip to Disney World. He’d gotten to properly spend time with his nieces and brother-in-law for the first time, time in which to try his best to ignore everything that had gone wrong. He’d babysat his nieces so Susie and Neil could go out for an early dinner just the two of them. It had been the perfect distraction at the time, not allowed him to mope or constantly second-guess his decision. He does that plenty when lying in bed alone at night.

Then he’d been deployed and he’d hooked up with Rooster again in the two short weeks they’d had that overlapped, using it to soothe his bruised ego again after working through the realization that Nick didn’t want him. Doesn’t want him. He thinks about what Rooster said about not being emotionally available and he wonders what he meant by that. Wonders if he’s emotionally available and how you can check. It’s something he’d normally talk to Nick about and he’s not doing that. It doesn’t change the fact that he trusted him and Nick hurt him, he didn’t think he would be or could be hurt, but there he has it. He mentions it to Javy and he’s sympathetic, telling him it hurts because he cares. That the more he cares, the more it hurts.

Javy also tells him that caring is not a bad thing or a weakness, and he guesses Javy and him are just going to have to agree to disagree, because he feels like an idiot. He doesn’t want to care for anyone like that again. Doesn’t want to hand them the power to hurt him so easily without even thinking about it. Still, he misses Nick with a deep ache in his gut and he opens up the app store at least twice a week and wonders if he should reinstall Grindr. He doesn’t ever respond to the SnapChats of the morning coffee cup, the now daily apology and reiteration of his love.

One of the positives that has come out of it is that his relationship with his sister is the best it has ever been. All the time he’d previously spent chatting with Nick, he now spends chatting with Susie. Taking pictures for his nieces and face-timing with them all once a week. He has a laminated photo of him with his three nieces, all of them wearing the over-priced Mickey Mouse ears and hopped up on sugar and excitement, that he carries with him and puts up to remind him that he’s not alone.

Not anymore.

… … …

He struggles to think about it as a proper breakup when he never even met him, but it’s been a year since he uninstalled Grindr. He still gets the almost daily cup of coffee picture in Snapchat, although so many of the images are blandly generic he’s sure Nick is going to stop for good any day now. He can’t bring himself to delete his last link. Time has softened his anger somewhat, although the hurt still feels fresh. The urge to reinstall Grindr is only there every other week, sometimes even less. When he walks into the rec room on base in Jacksonville and spies Bradshaw he can’t help the feeling of smugness when Bradshaw’s eyes sweep over his body and the corner of his lips twitch. He’s definitely not going to feel any urge to install Grindr with Bradshaw around to distract him.

Of course they fall into bed with each other, the thrill of being deployed on land and having plenty of room in an actual bed and already knowing just the right ways to drive each other mad. He’s not going to martyr himself and deny himself good sex. Bradshaw is a considerate and generous lover, even if that never extends past their hookups. Jake has to wonder whether Bradshaw would be like that with his partner, imagines he would be, he’s seen Bradshaw with his friends at least. Jake wants that, but he can't bring himself to admit that to Bradshaw, and he's pretty sure he'd have to either be vulnerable or talk about his emotions. Or worse, a deadly combination of the two. He doesn’t want to trust Bradshaw, he might trust him professionally, he’s a decent aviator. Trusting him with more doesn’t come easily. Probably won’t ever come, if he’s being honest. Part of him wonders what if though, what if Bradshaw wanted more than this fuck-buddy, current non-carrier-screw thing they've got going on. So until he either finds someone he actually feels like he can just be himself with, or... Well, he's not quite sure what the alternatives are.

He’s not expecting it when he walks into the rec room a few weeks later and spies Rooster sitting on one of the sofas and Bambi is curled up on his lap. He blinks, because she’s not meant to be here, not currently part of any of the squadrons on base. She’s in civvies but as he gets closer he realizes she’s crying and Bradshaw is rubbing little circles on her back, mumbling apologies under his breath and Jake’s blood runs cold. What the fuck is Bradshaw apologizing for?

He forces himself to remain indifferent, ignore the little flare of jealous possessiveness that that’s his fucking lap she’s in. People may know he and Bradshaw are fucking, but they’ve also made it blatantly clear to people that that’s all it is. Something casual. He doesn’t have any actual claim over Bradshaw, and he’s pretty sure Rooster is fucked up over whatever relationship he imploded last year… which actually could have been with the woman he’s currently comforting. He and Bradshaw haven’t exactly bared their souls about… well. Anything. Bradley might just like having regular sex with guys but actually want… well. Bambi.

“Hangman. Hey.” Jake jerks his head in response, not sure what he should say. Everyone else is giving Bradshaw a wide berth, the crying woman a general deterrent because they’re all smart. “Her fiancé broke it off.”

Jake blinks.

“You’re not…” he doesn’t finish his thought, because he realizes just how stupid it will sound. He knows Bradshaw is single. Now. If Bambi is seeking out Bradshaw then he’s obviously not the fiancé in question.

“I’m not… what? The fiancé?” Bradshaw asks, and he sounds amused. Bambi is making little hiccupping laugh; tears having come to an end and she’s looking at Jake like she knows exactly what he and Bradshaw do behind closed doors.

“I’m going to go wash the snot off my face. Be right back,” Bambi says, pushing off Bradshaw’s shoulders and sniffing, but the knowing smirk she gives Jake just has him smirking back. He’s got nothing to be ashamed of.

“For the record Seresin, I'm gay. Definitely not keeping that a secret from you of all people. Candice and Natasha are my closest friends. But that’s all they are. Friends.”

“Candice?” Jake asks, although he’s guessing it’s Bambi’s actual name.

“Bambi,” Bradshaw says and Jake nods once. “Were you looking for me?” Bradshaw asks then, one eyebrow quirked and Jake rolls his eyes. He hadn’t been, he and Bradshaw don’t hang out. They message each other short and sharp messages with a You free? or a slightly more direct DTF? Answered with either a No, or a time. They don’t eat meals together, or sleep over, or do anything else together. He’s starting to realize that he might need to risk something of himself if he wants to have someone that he gets to have all that with. Doesn’t know if that would even be possible with Bradshaw, but if he’s going to try with someone, it might as well be with someone he already knows he has great sex with.

“I wasn’t looking for you, but I’m looking now,” Jake offers, because he’s not going to say no if it’s going to be offered, although he suspect Bradshaw isn’t going to ditch his best friend.

“I’m going to be a good friend tonight and make sure she gets what she needs, be that pints of ice-cream or shots of tequila.”

“Or shitty movies and hours bad mouthing men,” Jake offers, because that’s what Susie had suggested when she’d finally ferreted out of him in his most melancholic moments.

“She normally saves that for hanging out with Nat, but I’ll let her know it’s an option.”

Jake almost says something about joining them, but he’s not friends with either of them. He tips an invisible hat and leaves Bradshaw and Bambi to commiserate.

… … …

“Hey Bambi…”

“Hangman. Enjoying your current deployment?”

“You know it,” Jake replies with a grin, takes a drink as he watches the pool games while he waits his turn. “Sorry about your fiancé.”

She looks a little surprised and Jake guesses he’s not exactly known for showing his more empathetic side, but he does have one, even if he does keep it under wraps most of the time.

“Thanks. Knew it was coming, but the reality hits different. Would have hit Nat up but she’s in the middle of the Pacific right now.”

“Lucky for you Bradshaw was available.”

“Lucky for you too, huh?”

Jake shrugs, takes a sip of his beer, because there’s no point arguing.

“Hangman, you look good…”

“I am good Rooster.”

“Ugh. Get a room already, I do not need ringside seats to this show…”

“You’re welcome to leave,” Bradshaw says, leaning in to give Bambi a hug while she shoves him away half-heartedly.

“Yeah yeah, whatever Flower.”

“Flower?” Jake asks over the mouth of his beer bottle, because he feels like this might be a story the embarrasses Rooster, and he’s always in the mood to hear those.

“Yeah, he started wearing these godawful Hawaiian shirts a couple of years ago. You can’t miss him. Man doesn’t know the meaning of subtle.”

Bradshaw’s rolling his eyes and giving her the finger, but Jake knows him well enough now to know it’s done with deep-rooted affection rather than disdain or any actual annoyance.

“I thought it was because I stink like a skunk and you nicknamed Nat Thumper after she had that bad landing and because you wanted us to all have nicknames from the Bambi movie…”

“Well, that too of course,” she says with a laugh and Jake

Something is niggling in the back of Jake’s mind but he can’t figure out what.

… … …

Weeks later he’s lying in his bed, heart rate returning to normal as he watches Bradshaw walk out of the bathroom where he’s disposed of the trash, used towel and facecloth. Considerate, cleaning up after himself.

“So you had something serious with someone,” Jake murmurs, because he knows it’s true, remember Bradshaw turning up at his base housing looking… awful. Telling him he’d just ruined the most important relationship in his life.

“Had being the key word there I guess,” Bradshaw says, and he’s shrugging his shirt back on, but it’s slower, eyes contemplative as he looks at Jake.

“Did he, uh, know about…” Jake isn’t quite sure what he’s asking, but he wants, no, needs to know if Bradshaw was cheating or…

“Me having sex with whoever I want? Oh fuck…” Bradshaw says. “Did you think I was cheating on someone every time we were hooking up?” Bradshaw asks and Jake doesn’t school his face fast enough to disinterest before Bradshaw is looking shattered. “Holy shit. You did. Fuck.” Bradshaw is letting out a long breath and scrubbing at his face with his hands, suddenly looking tired and resigned. “It was an open thing on both sides because of both of us being deployed all the fucking time. We had an understanding.”

“Had,” Jake repeats, feels a little relieved.

“Yeah. Had,” Bradshaw says, and Jake’s stomach twists unpleasantly because everything about Bradshaw right now is screaming sad sad sad, the downturn of his lips, faraway expression in his eyes, dejected rounding of his shoulders and Jake has to stop himself from just getting up and giving him a hug.

“Sorry man.”

“It is what it is. Nothing to do with you. But also nothing to do with Bambi either.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“It's fine. Fuck. Sorry. God. I hope I never made you feel like you were complicit in my non-existent cheating. You must have thought I was the biggest asshole out there.”

Jake raises an eyebrow, because he’s not going to disagree with him, not when he thinks Bradshaw is kind of an asshole. He kind of likes it, now that he knows not to take it personally and Bradshaw sometimes just gets a serious disapproving look on his face when he zones out and it’s not usually directed at anyone in particular.

“Yeah yeah, takes one to know one,” Bradshaw mutters, but his lips are twitching with amusement now and Jake doesn’t let himself laugh out loud, but he does smile back slightly, matches Rooster’s amusement with his own for once and it feels… nice. Definitely better than the moment of deep sadness of before. “We've been hooking up for over two years and you're finally asking me questions about... Well. Me “

“Guess my curiosity finally got the better of me.”

“Huh. Well. Not much to say.”

Jake doubts that, but he’s not going to call him on it. Not right now at least.

“How long were you guys together before you fucked it all up?”

“Ten years I guess. Ish.”

Internally Jake gapes, a little cartoon version of himself having its jaw hit the floor. He’d never have guessed. Rooster is a dark horse. Also that he didn’t argue with Jake about fucking it up, considering Rooster sometimes seems to argue with Jake for the simple joy of disagreeing with him, he doesn’t argue about things he knows he can’t win.

“Ten years Rooster? Wow. You're real comfortable sitting on your perch there aren't you...”

“Other people would say I have staying power.”

Jake snorts and shakes his head, can’t help but be a little amused at the innuendo because it’s also accurate as hell.

“So you’re over him then?”

The look he gets then is sharp and he can almost see Bradshaw shutting his out again, when he’s only just made the tiniest amount of headway.

“Nope. Not over him. As I told you last year. Emotionally unavailable. Off the market...”

Jake raises an eyebrow, because he’s pretty sure what they just did has Bradshaw very firmly on the market.

“Sex is different. I’m working through shit, my uncle has me going to fucking therapy,” Bradshaw mutters, and Jake remembers him mentioning an uncle having cancer. “The guy I want to be with, well, I did fuck up and we’re not currently talking and I’m having to figure out how to be okay with that. It’s a whole process.”

Jake blinks, because Rooster is giving him ammunition for days, admitting that he actually fucked up, not just Jake making a joke of him being the one to fuck up and actually being right about it. He feels a bit like a jerk, although Bradshaw doesn’t seem too worried. And seems even happier to talk. This is all new territory for them. He really wants to ask what Bradshaw did to fuck up so badly, but they’re fuck-buddies, not friends. But he can open up a little himself, that’s trying to meet him halfway.

“Well, I’ve never had a relationship at all.”

It feels like a lie the moment he says it but also he knows what he has, had, with Nick wasn’t a real relationship, not compared to what Bradshaw is talking about. Bradshaw has gone completely still, eyes a little wide.

“I get it. You aren’t emotionally available, no interest in anything more than hooking up…”

“Uh. No. Not really. I’m sorry.”

“Figures.”

“Look, Hangman, if I could…”

“Forget it. Just… forget I ever said anything.”

“Maybe the next time we see each other…”

“I’m not waiting around for you Bradshaw,” Jake mutters, regretting bringing it up at all, crosses his arms across his chest and inspect his nails.

“Not asking you too.”

“I'm not going to be anyone's second choice either.”

“No. I don't suppose you are. You deserve to be someone’s first choice.”

That hurts more than he expects it to, because he wasn’t Nick’s first choice, isn’t Bradshaw’s either, and empty platitudes about what he deserves are just that.

Empty.

… … …

They don’t hook up again, not because Jake doesn’t want to, but he’s pretty sure Bradshaw thinks he was getting attached or some shit and is putting distance between them. When he gets new orders he feels so fucking relieved. Two weeks leave he can use to visit his sister and nieces, hopefully regain some form of equilibrium and then leave this behind him. He doesn’t seek Bradshaw out to say goodbye, but he’s there waiting anyway.

“Take care of yourself Seresin.”

“Fuck you too Bradshaw.”

Bradshaw’s lips twist in such a way, like he maybe deserves it, deserves Jake’s anger. Jake reaches over and slaps his shoulder, tries to take the harshness off his words by grinning, because he’s not angry, not really. Disappointed more than anything, and he didn’t exactly have high hopes or anything.

“Give ‘em hell Bradshaw.”

“You too Seresin.”

… … …

He arrives at his sister’s house via Lyft under the cover of darkness. He has no intention of bumping into anyone else, accidentally or not. It’s late and all his nieces are asleep, but Susie lets him peer into their bedrooms and just watch them for a few moments.

“They’re going to be so excited tomorrow when they wake up and you’re here,” Neil says, handing him a beer.

“You didn’t tell them I was arriving?” Jake asks, feeling a little hurt that they didn’t tell them he was coming, like they maybe didn’t trust that he was coming.

“They’d still be awake if we’d told them, figured you’d appreciated well-rested and happy nieces rather than grumpy and irritable demon spawn.”

“Those are your kids you’re talking about…” Jake says, grinning around his bottle of beer, his anxiety quickly dissipating at the explanation.

“And I love them so much but am not blind to their bad sides. Unlike some parents out there who think their kids can do no wrong.”

“Speaking of parents, how are mom and dad?”

“I don’t know. I’m not currently talking to them,” Susie states grimly.

“What?” Jake asks, looking between Susie and Neil, confused. She hadn’t mentioned anything like this in their weekly catchups, although he usually avoids mentioning or asking about their parents.

“Well. They found out about you coming on holiday with us, and they told me if I was going to expose the girls to… well. You can imagine what they said. I said that all I was doing was letting them get to know their uncle who loves them to pieces, sends them postcards from all around the world and serves out country and who just happens to be attracted to men.”

“Susie… you didn’t.”

“Well. It was probably overdue right? I just never felt brave enough before.”

“Fuck me…”

“Jake!”

“Sorry! Fudge. Fudge me…”

Neil is snorting in amusement and looking between Jake and Susie, like he’s waiting for something else to come up and he raises his eyebrows expectantly.

“What?”

“We’re talking about moving to California to be closer to Neil’s family. You could move your base to there, right?”

“Yeah. I could. Susie, my home base can be anywhere, it doesn’t change where I spend my leave.”

“But if you’re home base is North Island that’s where the Navy would send you back to, and you could get a house nearby and have family nearby.”

“I… yeah.”

“Is that something you’d be interested in?” Neil asks, because he actually asks, rather than assumes of steamrolls like his older sister tends to do. She knows it too if the alightly abashed look on her face is anything to go by.

“I, yeah, I would be very interested. But… you really want to leave Texas? Our family?”

“Yes. I love Texas, but I love my kids more. And family is what you make it.”

“Okay then.”

… … …

He knows they’re serious about moving a couple of days later when he finds them looking through properties for themselves and then open another tab with listings of apartments which would suit him better. He doesn’t ask about their brother, expects that that relationship is a lost cause considering how like their father Caleb is. He allows himself to feel sad about the fact he’ll likely never know his niece and nephew there, but it makes him even more grateful for Susie, Neil and their three girls.

He’s been to so many princess tea parties in the last few days, his hair brushed and had glittery clips and ties put in it he’s given up even doing it in the morning, lets them have free reign and threatens death to Susie if she ever lets the photos she takes see the light of day. He learns more about why Susie seems adamant about moving away, some of the things his oldest niece says about not being allowed to wear shorts, or riding a bike because Granny says they’re not for girls. It leaves him silently fuming and he knows it’s got to be playing a part as to why Susie wants to get them away.

He visits a lawyer and gives her access to his accounts, tells her he trusts her and Neil to find him an apartment that suits him, that he’s not picky. He also adds her as an emergency contact beside Javy and walks her through the processes of what happens around deployments, because if she’s going to be in the same state as him he’ll have someone to wave goodbye and greet him when he gets back. Family.

… … …

“So, any special guy in your life?”

“Uh. What?” Jake asks, taken by surprise. It’s his last night before he has to drive and report in tomorrow. Other than finding out he was going through a breakup when they’d been at Disney World, which had been the easiest and simplest explanation when it had happened, she’s never asked about that before and he has to do a double take.

“Well, last time I asked you’d just broken up with a guy called Nick. Just wondering if you’ve got someone new… Boyfriend? Partner? No secret husband?”

“Jesus Susie…”

“Should I take that as a no?”

“It’s…” he sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, scrubs a hand over his face. “It’s complicated.”

“Oh, I’ve heard that before.”

So he fills her in, tells her all about his online relationship with Nick. How he’d been stood up. Then his purely sexual relationship with one Bradley Bradshaw. He’s able to show her photos of him at least and he has to snort in amusement as she hums appreciatively under her breath.

“You have good taste at least…”

“Thanks?”

“So… Nick or Bradley. I think Bradley is a no-go. He sounds like he’s waiting for his guy to forgive him. And if he’s been waiting that long already then… well, he’ll probably wait forever.”

“Yeah, that does seem like a Rooster move.”

“So. That leaves you maybe talking to Nick, or trying to date elsewhere. I just have to ask you something. Are you perfect?”

“What?”

“Do you think you’re perfect?”

“No. Of course not. God. I am so far from fucking perfect…”

“Then why do you think he is?”

“What? I don’t,” Jake insists.

“He fucked up. He fucked up badly. But he’s also just a human and not perfect. People make mistakes… and when they admit they’ve done wrong? That’s huge. That’s a good sign. When they apologize for the hurt they’ve caused? Even better. You haven’t thought about giving him a second chance?”

“Yeah, that’s not exactly in my wheelhouse…”

“You gave me a second chance. Neil gave me a second chance. I kind of feel like he deserves a second chance.”

Jake looks up sharply at that, Susie is smiling tightly and he doesn’t want or need to know but she also has a point. Nick has admitted he made a mistake, apologized, continues to apologize everyday even without Jake ever replying, and he hasn’t told Susie about the morning cup of coffee picture, because he should maybe have deleted Snapchat, getting daily pictures is maybe a little creepy, even if it is just a cup of coffee.

“He sends me a snap every morning. His cup of coffee. Tells me he’s sorry and that he loves me.”

“Every day?”

“Most days, like… he’s maybe missed ten days in the last year?”

“Jake… that’s kind of sad, heartbreaking and creepy and sweet all at the same time…”

“I know.”

“I can’t tell you what to do. But as someone that cherishes all the second chances I’ve been given, I think if you reach out and offer one you’ll make him a very happy man. Or you’ll at least know for sure and can move on. Maybe allow him to as well.”

… … …

He doesn’t message straight away, doesn’t know what to say. He’s on a carrier in the middle of the Atlantic when he realizes he doesn’t need to send words. He sets his cup on the bench and takes a quick photo and sends it back in response to the morning picture and then turns off his phone, feeling anxious and panicky. They haven’t chatted in over a year, and he doesn’t want to rush into anything, doesn’t want to say that everything is suddenly magically okay. But the whole second chance thing seems like maybe that’s what Nick would like. And it’s totally up to Jake whether he gives him that or not. At the very least he needs to let him know either way.

He can do this.

He reinstalls Grindr, doesn’t want the messages disappearing after he’s read them, opens his notes app. Just because he wasn’t sending messages to Nick didn’t mean he wasn’t writing them. None of them fit what he wants to say exactly though so he doesn’t copy any of them. He realizes then that he never doubted that he’d find Nick still on here, that he might have deleted the app himself. Then again, if he’s still sending photos to Jake everyday then he figures he’s allowed to be cautiously optimistic.

He finally settles on something straightforward and simple and presses send, figuring an hour of deliberation is already too much.

>>Hi.

>>Jas.

>>Hi.

>>How are you?

>>I'm okay. I’ve missed you.

>>I think I'm a little messed up.

>>I miss you too.

>>Everyday.

>>I'm sorry.

>>And you aren’t messed up, although if you are it’s probably my fault.

>>No. You don't need to apologize. Not any more.

>>You were being honest with me and I didn't want to hear that truth.

>>And being messed up didn’t start with you. Probably hasn’t helped though.

>>Are you with him? I'm guessing not, considering you're still on Grindr.

>>No. Not with him. Wasn’t fair to him when I’m in love with you.

>>So. Not with anyone. Nor trying to be with anyone either.

>>Why?

>>Because I'd rather seriously try something with you first.

>>Oh.

>>Okay.

Jake chews his bottom lip, even though it’s exactly what he was hoping for part of him still hadn’t thought it was truly an option. Especially after so long. But Nick’s been waiting for Jake. Hoping as well.

>>I don’t expect you to want that. I’m just… putting it out there.

>>Wait.

>>Okay?

>>What do you mean okay?

>>I mean okay.

>>Let’s start again.

>>I still have feelings for you, and it seems like we need to either give us a go or move on.

>>Where are you right now?

>>Middle of the ocean.

>>Of course you are.

>>Put in a leave request now.

>>The two weeks before Christmas next year.

>>We spend two weeks together and either it makes us or breaks us.

>>Okay.

>>You want to wait until then?

>>I’ve waited this long.

>> I don’t want to rush back into this. And requested leave a year out is nearly always approved, barring terrorist attacks.

>>Be just our luck.

>>You’re okay with me making an ultimatum like this?

>>You’re giving me a second chance when I don’t deserve one.

>>You could have me naked on my knees for you for two weeks and I’d let you.

Jake is glad no-one is around to hear the little whimpering sound he lets out.

>>It won’t come to that. But a little groveling and body worship are definitely on the cards.

2019 - Bradley

#online and anonymous #Hangster #Sereshaw #hangman x rooster #Top Gun Maverick fanfic

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southern-god1 · 1 month

Text

Beer And Thunder: Thor and The Southern Avengers

Out of the clear blue Florida sky, there was a massive bolt of lightning, followed by an earsplitting crack of thunder that boomed for miles. The bolt of blueish lighting was immense, and persisted for a few moments, unlike regular lightning. The literal bolt from the blue shook the ground and left a deep crater, as though something had slammed into the Earth at high speed and with great force. From the smoking crater came a large hand, gripping the lip of the crater and hauling someone up.

The figure stepping from the crater was a huge man. No, not a man; a god. Standing at 6 foot 3 inches, he stood tall and strong, and would have loomed over many a mortal. He wore a suit of armored plate that weighed as much as an Abrams main battle tank, yet he barely felt it. His armor covered his chest, leaving his massive biceps free, ready to swing the immense hammer in his right hand. His long blonde hair fell down over his bright blue eyes, and he swept it away. Thor, Son of Odin, frowned in confusion. This was…definitely not Midgard. Or, not the Midgard he remembered. Where was the snow? The “big” and “strong” Viking warriors -small to him, like all mortals- come to offer him tribute and mead? The small mortals bowing before the mighty God of Thunder? And why was it so hot?!? It was hot and humid, like the fires of Muspelheim! In the far distance, he saw strange clusters of steel and glass, rising into the horizon. Ah, mortals! He begin to swing his hammer, before slingshotting himself far into the distance.

It was a fine day in Jacksonville, Florida. There was going to be a Gators game later that day and people were getting ready for tailgates; buying beers, brats, and Yankees to worship them as they enjoyed the game. Huge trucks drove through the streets, blaring both the AC from the vents and bro country from the speakers. That changed abruptly when something came slamming into the pavement, leaving a small indentation where it landed. A huge Ford slammed on the breaks, narrowly avoiding toppling into the hole, front wheels hanging into the hole. Baffled passersby got close, only to see a tall and muscular figure with long blonde hair standing in the hole, climbing out. He was tall, very muscular, and was already sweaty from the heat as he rose and took a look around, surveying the mortals.

“Ah, mortals! I have found you, at last. I am Thor, Son of Odin, God of Thunder, Lord of Asgard, and this land is mine to claim!”

Thor looked around, confused when they did not kneel before him in stunned worship. These mortals were quite tall, some even taller than him. They must be giants? Their words had a strange accent as they whispered.

“Who is he?”

“One of the Avengers?”

“Claim? This is Florida, not California!”

Thor had no idea of where he had landed; one of northern Florida’s biggest cities and the birthplace of Tim Tebow, Jacksonville was full of Southern men who did not take kindly to the idea of being “claimed”. He knew it was hot, and he was sweaty.

“Mortals! Bow before-“

Before he could finish his sentence, a booming voice cut through the crowd.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Thor turned to see a trio of men, each standing at least 7 feet tall, looming over even the Mighty Thor. One of them was a tall and thin -relatively, he was still quite muscular- figure with a scruffy beard, wearing an armored jumpsuit in grey and dark red. His hair and beard was dark brown, and a pair of intense green eyes peered at Thor as he hefted a heavy shield; it was clearly very sturdy, strong, and bore a red, white, and blue emblem Thor did not recognize. It was pointed at one end, enabling it to be used offensively and defensively.

The man next to him was not a man at all, at least Thor didn’t think so. Its flesh was shining in the Florida sun as though made of metal, and was red and blue. A central sphere glowed, as did the creature’s eyes. The only way Thor knew it was alive was that it spoke.

“Getting impressive energy readouts Cap.”

The first man nodded curtly. The third figure loomed over even his comrades; he was a bulky behemoth of a man, huge and beefy, with muscles that made even Thor look small. This impressed and confused Thor. He wore a tight-fitting shirt that hugged his arms, and a pair of mesh-like pants that did little to conceal his beefy ass. It was a mix of red and grey and blue and orange, an odd mix that managed to work surprisingly well. He said nothing, but his blue eyes roved over Thor. He folded his arms over his pecs and smirked, satisfied that he was bigger. The first man spoke again.

“Again, who the fuck are you?”

Thor hefted his hammer.

“I am Thor, Son of Odin, God of Thunder, Lord of Asgard! And yes, I am quite impressive, metallic imp. Who are you? It is clear that you are the lords of this land, aye? You must be related to Frost Giants! But this land is not yours; Midgard rightfully belongs to me. Do you intend to deny my righteous claim as Lord of the Nine Realms?”

The first man almost laughed.

“I’m Captain Confederate, and you seem to be lost; this ain't a damn renn fair…and is that a goddamn hammer?”

The metal man spoke to Cap, evidently the team lead.

“Uh, Cap; Thor was the Norse god of thunder, lightning, fertility, and trees. I think that’s Mjolnir, his hammer.”

Thor brightened.

“So you have heard of me. Good, the mortals still worship me!”

The third man unfolded his arms and strode forward.

“Thor, huh? God of Thunder? I’m Tim fucking Tebow, but you can call me Stonewall. Yer lookin pretty puny for a god, and you sure as hell ain't from here, so you ain't a god. Put down your toy before I have to break it.”

Thor grew irritated and indignant.

“You dare challenge my might, ogre? I shall claim this land for Asgard, and you shall kneel before your rightful Lord. Now, feel the wrath of the Mighty Thor!”

Thor aimed Mjolnir at Stonewall, and there was a huge blast of lightning, arcing from the mighty hammer and into the humungous football players beefy chest. To Thor’s astonishment, the hulking brute was knocked back maybe half a step, but was otherwise unharmed when the smoke cleared. Stonewall glared at Thor.

“That tickled. Now I get to break you.”

Taking two steps forward, Stonewall swung his huge fist at Thor, hitting him right in the chest and sending him flying into a wall. Thor was dazzled, but stood from the wall and charged forth. Just as this occurred, the tall Texan, Captain Confederate, took a running leap, vaulting up a truck and leaping from the roof, coming down as fast and hard as surely as a shell on Fort Sumter, his shield with the battle flag slamming down hard into Thor. The shield itself weighed several hundred pounds, and there were several hundred pounds of Texan muscle behind it as well, propelling the pointing shield down onto his head, a single tiny drop of divine blood falling from his forehead as he was propelled backwards by the impact. Thor roared and emitted a mighty blast of lightning all around him, throwing Captain Confederate back, though he swiftly converted the tumble into a deft roll backwards, already kneeling and using his shield for cover as he fired on Thor with his custom 1911. The bullets compacted into tiny metal discs upon impact with Thor’s massive muscles, completely useless. Cap frowned, concerned by this, as Iron Rebel hovered overhead, blasting Thor with his energy weapons.

The Alabama billionaire hovered in his armored suit, blasting Thor with his repulsors, but was confused. They didn’t seem to be having much impact. His AI, Jaxon, chimed to life.

“Sir, energy levels rising in the target.”

“Explain.”

Colin replied as he kept blasting Thor, pumping up the energy in the blasts, hoping they might prove more effective.

Thor grinned below, and locked eyes with him.

“Energy levels increasing dramatically s-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Thor emitted a burst of lightning directly at him, thunder rumbling through the cloudless Jacksonville sky. The suit was of course, fully insulated, but the sheer power behind the blast shut down his armor, and he dropped like a rock, slamming into the ground and attempting to reactivate his systems, cursing loudly as he did so.

The clang of Iron Rebel against the ground drew Cap’s gaze, and he rushed to his aid, still firing with one hand at Thor. Stonewall gave his partners a quick glance, and, almost sensing that Colin was ok despite having fallen from the sky, strode towards Thor. The bulky footballer walked forward casually, as though walking out to the middle of Gators stadium for the coin toss. He reeled back to punch Thor again, casually ignoring another blast of lighting as he drew closer. Thor, frustrated that nothing seemed to be hurting the Florida football colossus, hefted a nearby truck that had been abandoned, and hurled it at Stonewall. That caught his attention, eyes widening as it came hurtling towards him. Tim put out his arms, and, to Thor’s astonishment, he caught the truck and simply set it down, gingerly, as though he wanted to avoid breaking a fellow Southerners property. He continued to stride towards Thor, steps leaving small divots in the asphalt as he grew himself slightly bigger with casual ease, gaining two more feet in a few strides, looming over Thor. The thunder god hurled Mjolnir at Tebow’s head, which actually seemed to have an impact; the force behind the throw seemed to hurt, knocking his head back on his neck as though he had just received a strong punch to the face. His casual grin was now an irritated frown.

Thor held out his hand for Mjolnir, waiting for it to come back to him. It came racing back to him, but then, at the last second, the red and grey figure of Iron Rebel rocketed past, snatching Mjolnir from the sky. Iron Rebel was surprised by how easy it had been to chart the hammers course and arrange an intercept pattern. His systems had rebooted and he was eager to do something, so upon seeing him hurl his mighty hammer, he decided he could at the very least take away Thor’s weapon. The hammer strained, exerting force, trying to return to Thor, but Colin’s armor -and his muscles under it- was strong enough to keep it firmly held in his gauntlet. Thor was about to fry the iron pest when Tim Tebow slammed into him with all the force of fifteen freight trains, propelling him backward. His legs, which had driven even other Southern Gods back with their sheer driving force on the gridiron, pumped, combat cleats tearing into the asphalt, muscled arms pushing Thor back, and then pinning him. Thor fell onto his back, and felt an impossibly heavy weight on his chest; Stonewall’s huge combat cleat, pinning him to the ground as if he was a magnet stuck to it. He struggled, but couldn’t move.

“Unhand me, ogre!”

Captain Confederate strode forth, glaring down at Thor, and placed his shield against his throat, the pointed tip like a guillotine blade.

“I should kill you right now for what you’ve done. Challenging us, hurting my friends, causing so much damage. For challenging our honor…”

He pressed the tip into Thor’s neck, a tiny pinprick of blood oozing forth. He did not press it further, thinking. Stonewall spoke up.

“Thanks for that. First real fight I’ve had in ages. That hammer a yers packs a punch.”

Speaking of the hammer, Iron Rebel strode up, still holding Mjolnir, effortlessly keeping it from Thor’s hands.

“Please just cut his head off Jensen. I’m going to have to completely redesign the suit now.”

Thor let out an indignant roar, struggling anew against the combat cleat. Stonewall frowned.

“Naw, that’d be a waste. He’s big, strong, hot, just needs a haircut to get rid of that damn hippy hair and a Rebel Brew to become a real God. Let’s Southernize ‘im.”

Colin was alarmed by the idea.

“WHAT? No! I am NOT being partners with a walking Tesla coil! You saw what he did!”

Jensen paused, seeming to consider this.

“You recovered. Tim’s right.”

He pulled the shield back, resting it beside him, as he reached into a small pouch on his belt. Between his fingers rested a small metal vial, marked “SS-004 CONCENTRATE.” A heavily concentrated form of Southernizing agent, he kept a few vials on his person if he ever ran across someone worthy of ascension during a field op. He opened the vial’s lid.

“I heard ya like beer? Get ready for the best beer of your life. Yer about to become one of us.”

As Thor continued to protest, he leaned down and poured the vial right down his throat. The god spluttered, almost gagging on the substance.

Thor continued to protest the mortals when the scruffy one with a heavy shield poured something right down his throat. He spluttered as it splashed down, the intense taste of hops too much even for him. Almost immediately, a strange heat washed over him. Then, his eyes almost rolled back in his head from the sudden explosion of power blasting through his body. The warmth washed over every inch of his body, every atom suffused with energy and power. His biceps and triceps, already impressive, began to grow before the eyes of the Southerners. Thor’s muscles, be it in his boulder biceps, thunder thighs, princely pecs, or elsewhere, grew hundreds of times denser and stronger in moments, flooded with strength, strong as white titanium. His muscles and sinews stretched, bones popping as they expanded. Sweat covered his body anew, glistening in the hot Southern sun as he kept growing. His cock would be an impressive eight inches when completely soft, balls churning with superior seed as his DNA was augmented and remade into a hybrid of Southern strength and Norse divinity.

As if being diverted from one part of him to another, Thor’s long blonde locks receded back, becoming a much more conservative cut, as a beard grew out, thicker and mightier. His feet strained against his boots, growing several sizes in moments, stinking and sweaty. Thors mind began to change. He felt a haziness wash over him, clouding his memories. No longer had he been entirely Asgardian. No, his father had had some fling with a mortal from the South, and he was the result. A mighty hybrid, raised to take over when his father passed. He felt an immensely strong attachment to the South, having visited it and fallen in love, and now he fought alongside the Southern Avengers when he was not expanding the Asgardian Empire, which he ruled as God-Emperor. Thor looked around, wondering why he was on his back. His armor had expanded to accommodate his new size, but now bore motifs of miniature battle flags alongside norse runes, his dual heritages reflected in his armor and his accent when he spoke. Standing up, he opened his mouth to speak, but something else came out.

“BBBBBUUUUUUURRRRPPPP!”

The thundering beer-heavy shockwave of his burp shook the ground under his feet, and shattered windows already weakened by their fight. He flexed his immense white biceps, soaked in sweat, and proudly proclaimed.

“I am Thor - Son of Dixie!”

He smirked as he flexed, feeling absolutely at home in the Jacksonville sun. The others watched him in awe, and Thor was puzzled.

“What’s wrong my friends?”

Jensen spoke first, improvising quickly. He was pleasantly surprised by the results of the vial. Perhaps because Thor was a god to begin with, the results were especially impressive, making him into a very literal Southern God.

“Nothin Thor. That was just…a damn good burp.”

“Of course it was! What has happened here?”

Tebow spoke up now, clapping Thor on the back; he was delighted by the new stud, his muscles rivaling his own beefy muscles.

“Oh, we took down some terrorists. Made a real mess, but nobody got hurt. Ya did good today Thor. Now, let’s help em fix things up, then we all go out for some dinner?”

Thor nodded enthusiastically, and began effortlessly hefting vehicles that had been turned over.

Two Days Later:

The ground shook as the Yankees prayed, invoking their precious God, imploring him to save them, to deliver them from evil, to watch over them in their hour of need. The ground shaking was itself not unusual; Southerners frequently made the ground shake for one reason or another; walking, burping, farting, rumbling by in their huge trucks. But now the stained glass windows shook dangerously, quaking in their frames as if the saints themselves feared what was coming. They prayed harder. Then, a huge hand ripped apart the church steeple, massive fingers ripping apart the roof and steeple, sending beams falling down into the church and onto the terrified parishioners. The hand pulled away and the remains of the roof and steeple were casually tossed over the titan’s shoulder as if it were merely a beer can. A huge face bent down to peer at the puny Yankees; it was huge, filling the sky, a scruffy dirty blonde beard taking up a lot of the view, each hair easily three times the size of the largest man north of the Mason-Dixon. They didn’t recognize him, but that, again, wasn’t unusual. Southerners came and went, sowing havoc in their wake as surely as ozone follows lightning. He smirked down at the tiny Yankees, and chuckled, voice shaking the ground when he spoke.

“HELLO YANTS! ARE YOU PRAYING TO YOUR RIGHTFUL SOUTHERN GODS?”

The accent was not one they recognized; it was kinda Southern, but there was something else. This was confusing. He peered closer, and his huge lips pursed into an irritated frown.

“ANSWER ME, KNAVES.”

Knaves? What sort of person called someone a knave?

The terrified father seemed to regain some small measure of faith and stood, trembling but still standing.

“N-no, we are worshipping the one true God-“

He was cut off by an amused guwaff from the titanic stud looming over them.

“GOD? THERE IS NOT ONE GOD, PUNY BUGS, BUT AN ENTIRE RACE OF THEM LIKE ME. BOW BEFORE THE MIGHTY THOR, GOD OF THUNDER, PATHETIC YANTS, AND PERHAPS I SHALL TAKE YOU AS MY PLAYTHINGS.”

The terrified Yankees stared up in horror at the colossus. Since when did the so-called gods have dominions? Some were already on their knees, knocked down by falling debris, the quakes from his footfalls or the beer-scented wind from his booming voice. Others, however, refused to kneel, secure in their faith, albeit still alarmed. Thor titan waited for a few moments, before opening his mouth to speak again, only for a hurricane-force burp to rumble forth from his mega stomach. There was an ominous rumble and then when his lips parted, hell burst forth into the sanctuary.

The beer-and-protien-scented shockwave of gas and heat obliterated all the remaining stained glass windows as if purging the land of false idols in an act of masculine potency and southern rage, leaving not a trace remaining. The doors flew off their hinges, one door slamming into and through the store across the street, the other door reducing a passing Yankee to a bloody smear on the sidewalk. The walls bulged and strained, bulging out in crazy angles in some places, completely destroyed in some places. The inhabitants fared worst of all.

The sheer heat of Thor’s massive burp seared them, their screams utterly inaudible as they were cooked to a crisp, burned and charred in a few mercifully quick seconds before death supervened. They had literally been fried by the heat, skin forming a crust-like texture of flash-hardened burns.

A low whistle came from beside Thor. Stonewall towered beside him, having been watching beside Thor as he exercised his power.

“DAMN! YOU COOKED EM!”

Thor grinned with pride.

“DIDN’T KNOW I COULD DO THAT! I WONDER…”

He trailed off and grabbed one of the petrified Yankee bodies, still kneeling in terrified supplication, and tossed it into his gaping maw.

“NOT BAD! CRISPY AND WARM.”

He reached down and grabbed more, as Stonewall just laughed, thunderous laughter shaking the ground. This had been quite a fun way to see Thor in action, allowing Tim to gauge how he was acclimating to his powers. Evidently he was adapting quite well. He knew it had been a good idea to Southernize the colossal Nordic hunk, and this casual display of power and dominance seemed to confirm it. He smiled and patted his friend on the back.

“WANNA GO FIND SOME DUMB PROTESTERS TO STOMP ON, MAKE SOME YANTS BOW DOWN?”

Thor grinned.

“OF COURSE! MAYBE I CAN FRY SOME MORE!”

With that, the two stomped off, Cap joining them, having been busy stomping out a minor disturbance under his boots. The trio of titans stomped off to find more Yants to have fun with, knowing that they would tremble at the sight of the newest member of the Southern Avengers: Thor, Son of Dixie.

How Thor joined the ranks of the Southern Avengers! Hope y'all liked it! Lemme know that ya think; comment, send me a message, or via an ask -anon or otherwise-.

#southernization #southern avengers #story

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