What if? (P2) || Jake/Reader || Draft

Overhaul (3/3) 🔞

"Any luck yet? I just got back from Hometree. He wasn't there." Trudy calls in as she steps into Norm's mobile base.
The next room over is where four separate links stay. "I'm not seeing Jake in any of these beds." She goes up to each monitor, checking on the health status of each person. "Bert's in the back one, and there's an empty one next to him. It's just you and Norm linked in up front. Maybe Jake's linked in at the main room indoors?"

"Christ." You breathe out. "How the hell do we go losing an almost nine foot tall avatar?"

"I'll check around. Max isn't answering his comms, maybe he's asleep for the night or preparing for the festival."

There's only one place you haven't checked just yet.
The old creek he's always bring you to. Hopefully he'd lost track of time or maybe the battery wore down on the communicator.

It's not too terribly far, but your heart still races as you rush to get over there.

You see the smallest figure made of blue in the distance, and the closer you get — the more you realize his Avatar isn't moving in the slightest as he lays on the flat stone next to the creek.

"Jake?" You try anyways, kneeling down and placing your hands on the empty shell of a form.
You move to connect your braid to it, the quickest way to know if anything's wrong — and thank god it still breathes and beats all the same as you do.
Falling asleep isn't something to accomplish without switching consciousness, so perhaps he's stuck in a sort of meditation.

You're so worn out from running after kids all day, it doesn't hurt to rest on his chest and keep your leg hooked around his. Give it a few minutes and get comfortable, see if he's just taking a break.

He would have called in if he were abandoning the avatar for the day.

Just as you decide to finally get up - you feel his hand come up along your back just before kissing your forehead.

"Jake?" You ask as you shift to sitting up beside him. "Where the hell have you been? We've been looking all over for you."

"Shit. Really?" He groans as he lifts himself up and shakes his head a bit, definitely a bit groggy for the first few minutes of linking back in.
"I'm sorry. I took a break for a while to shower and eat before the festival tonight. Tsu'tey wants our students to take over hunting for it, so I'm sitting this one out and enjoying not rushing to get there."

"Where are you linked in from? Trudy said you aren't in the mobile link."

"I'm at the drivers room back at hells gate. It was closest to the showers and our room."

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay. You had me freaked out. Everyone else was looking for you so I figured I'd stay here in case you came back. Good thing I did."

"I would have been back sooner-" He starts to stretch before even thinking about standing. "-but something caught my eye while I was cleaning our bedroom."

"Huh? What do you mean? Did one of the kids bring in something?"

He mysteriously leans forward and shifts his weight onto his palms as he crawls toward you - until he's inches away.
"Nope. You."

"I ... don't understand."

"You left your tablet open on the nightstand."

"Okay? I do that a lot." You scoot back a foot or two - a little unnerved with the grin he wears. "Especially when I'm in a hurry."

"Typically I shut it off so your battery doesn't die and plug it back in, but a few choice words caught my eye." He explains, staring downward at your lips as your eyes narrow in confusion.
"You really don't remember what you read last night?"