(teehee im so excited, enjoy this emotional rollercoaster. But also- ugh i really like jack and I cant wait for you guys to see why. You wont see it this chapter though.)
When you pull up to your parents' stereotypical picket-fenced house, Jack pulls in right behind you, his car rumbling to a stop. Both of you step out in near sync, your footsteps meeting on the sidewalk like clockwork. You adjust your jacket against the chill, glancing over at him.
Jack seems… hesitant. His usual swagger—the kind that always bordered on arrogance—has been replaced by something unfamiliar: tension. His shoulders are hunched, his hands jammed into his jacket pockets, and his expression looks as if it’s carved from stone. Normally, he’d already be halfway up the driveway, flashing that cocky smile that always made your parents melt. But now, he lingers by your side, rooted like a tree in the concrete.
"You ready to see them again after so long?" he asks, his voice casual, but the edge of apprehension isn’t lost on you.
You scoff. "Nope. I don’t even know why I agreed to this. I can’t believe they sent you to get me after all this time."
Jack shifts on his feet, his weight shifting awkwardly from one side to the other. "Uh… yeah. I don’t know why they did either..." His words trail off, his eyes skimming the ground like he’s looking for an escape hatch.
Something about him is off, and it’s enough to make your instincts prickle. You squint at him, searching his face for answers he’s not offering. "You okay? You’ve been acting… weird the last couple of days."
"What? No—yeah, I’m fine," he says too quickly, plastering on a smile that does nothing to disguise the strain tugging at the corners of his mouth.
You don’t press. You know Jack too well. If he doesn’t want to talk, pushing him will only make him dig his heels in deeper. And yet, a flicker of suspicion gnaws at you. He’s hiding something.
Your gaze drifts to his car, parked haphazardly behind yours. The sight of it stirs a memory from earlier this morning when you’d peeked inside and noticed the backseat crammed with clothes, boxes, and random odds and ends.
"Why’s your car full of stuff?" you ask, more to fill the uneasy silence than out of genuine curiosity.
Jack freezes for half a second—just long enough for you to notice. "Huh? Oh—that." He shrugs, his voice light, but his eyes refuse to meet yours. "I’m, uh, cleaning out my apartment. Just haven’t had time to drop it all off yet."
The lie hangs between you like smoke, thin but acrid. You want to press, to unravel whatever it is he’s hiding. But as much as Jack has his walls, you have yours. If he wants to talk, he’ll talk. Until then, you both fall into a rhythm of pretending everything is fine, as if the façade is all that’s keeping you both upright.
The weight of unspoken words presses down on you as you turn toward the house, the bright white picket fence looking more like a cage than the emblem of a happy home. Jack lingers a moment longer beside you, and for a fleeting second, you catch a glimpse of something raw and vulnerable in his eyes before he turns away.
Jack doesn’t give you a chance to ask anything else, stepping up to the front door with a determination that feels rehearsed. You follow a few paces behind, unease twisting in your stomach.
Something about tonight feels wrong, though you can’t quite put your finger on it.
Jack knocks, the sound sharp and decisive, and the door opens almost instantly, like your parents have been eagerly waiting.
Your mother appears first. She’s a plump woman with Jack’s dark hair but your eyes—a genetic quirk that should feel like a connection but doesn’t. Her smile stretches wide, her gaze locking onto Jack as if no one else exists.
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Death Of Me (William Afton X Reader)
Fanfiction(Read the before i begin section for more details) When you anticipated that Henry Emily would be your sponsor for your apprenticeship, it came as a shocking disappointment to learn that his business partner, William Afton, would be stepping in inst...
