A Little Laughter Left In Me... (Laughing Jack x Reader)

Nightmarish Wonders

(*This chapter contains violent content that may disturb some readers.*)

Moving out..?

They... were permanently leaving..?

"Y-You're leaving for good..? You're never coming back..?" Tears flooded your eyes, and without any effort to stop them they slid down your cheeks.

Both of them stopped what they were doing and rushed to soothe you, wiping away the tears and kissing your head.

"Oh, sweetie, no! We won't be gone forever! We'll come back to visit when we get enough money!" Your adoptive mother insisted, and you sighed in relief.

Never getting to see them again would only break your heart even more, it was a pain you didn't want to experience.

"O-Okay... that's nice..." Your lips quivered as you tried to smile, only inviting them to hug you again.

"You've proven to us that you're capable of running this place on your own, there's plenty of savings to help you pay the bills in case you need it, and once you find a new job you can do even more! Once we're gone this house is all yours! Isn't that great?" Your adoptive father smiled back, ruffling your hair.

The idea of having the house all to yourself for more than just a few months was crazy, you never thought you'd make it that far under these conditions, let alone without any effort.

"It's... amazing." You wiped away a stray tear, smiling happily this time.

"Exactly! You basically get to do whatever you want... as long as you're responsible for it afterward." Your mother playfully glared as she said the last part, making you laugh.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys, though..." You sniffled, pulling them in for a third hug.

"We're going to miss you too, even more than we already did the first time we left!" (M/n) started sniffling herself, and went to find some tissues so both of you could blow your noses.

"You're a strong woman, (Y/n), we have faith that you can handle things here. Don't you forget we love you, and when you call we'll answer, okay?" (F/n) put his arm around your shoulders, planting another kiss on your forehead.

"I'll never forget it, Dad." You leaned into him, enjoying the warmth.

"I still can't believe it... it's gonna be all about us for..- years to come, maybe!" You raised your hands for emphasis, Miles barking and spinning around excitedly.

Miles was skeptical about the idea at first, but as he came to understand what you were talking about he became more upbeat.

"We can do or go wherever we want! The others can, too! I can't wait to tell--..." You paused, and Miles froze in place, immediately looking at you afterwards with another look of worry.

Though that familiar sadness started creeping in, you sighed and shook your head, telling yourself you'd just have to be patient. Despite the heartache you knew this was still a time to be strong. If your adoptive father were in the room he'd say something like: "You're a solider without a uniform. March on, even if he's not there.".

"...He'll come back soon, I'm sure he will." You said, reaching out to pat Miles' head, and he climbed into your lap.

"Y'know, you could be a professional comfort animal." You giggled, Miles looking at you both confused and interestedly.

"They're technically called 'Emotional Support' pets. They're trained to help their owners feel better, basically. You do a pretty good job without any training, though." Miles nodded, nuzzling against your arm.