Soulbound (Final Space. Jackspeed fic)

Ch 2: A Cry for Help

(Years later. John and Jack don't work together on every mission, but they're on the same rotation/holiday schedule)

"Jack, I need help."

Getting a frantic call in the middle of the night, from a man who had no idea that they were soulmates, was not something Jaxx had ever expected to happen. The human captain rarely made contact over the holidays, even if they were technically friends. Still, the exhaustion was evident in his voice, even if it was hard to hear him over the wailing in the background.

"Alright," Jaxx found himself agreeing, without even asking what John needed.

"Thank goodness. I didn't know who else to call," John admitted, his voice drooping with exhaustion.

"It's fine. Give me your address, and I'll be there as soon as I can," Jaxx told him. He took a moment to jot down the address, before ending the conversation to call a taxi. Luckily, John was only a fifteen minute drive away.

***

When John answered the door, Jaxx felt his heart twist at the sight of his soulmate's disheveled appearance. The poor man's brown eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and there was more than a hint of facial hair on his normally-shaven chin.

"Thank goodness you're here, Jack," the captain said, practically dragging Jaxx by the hand as he led him toward the source of the crying. As they entered the living room, the Greytrexian caught sight of the tiniest human he'd ever seen. There was a dusting of blond hair on his head, and his sparkling blue eyes were wet with tears. At least, Jaxx presumed it was a he.

"His mother showed up a few days ago. She told me he was mine, and that he was my responsibility now. I haven't seen her since." Jack gave a dry, humorless chuckle as he ran his fingers through his messy and unwashed brown hair. "I haven't properly slept or eaten since then. He cries all the time, and won't sleep for longer than an hour or two at a time."

Jaxx drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Turning to his soulmate, he patted him on the arm. "It's alright, John. You go take a shower and a nap, and I'll see about quieting the little one down."

"His name's Gary. He's 6 months old," the man mumbled as he mounted the steps to the second floor. "What am I doing? I can't raise a child alone..."

But you're not alone. You have me, Jaxx wanted to say, but he kept the words to himself as he watched his soulmate disappear around a corner. Making his way across the room, he knelt in front of the carrier, and quickly swept the little human into his arms. The hatchling's cries cut off as blue eyes latched onto him in confusion and wonder.

"Hello. You must be The Gary. You're been driving my poor soulmate to the edge of sanity, sweetie," Jaxx whispered. The child's eyes only widened as they stared at one another. Grabby hands suddenly reached for his face, and Jaxx allowed it. The little one was clearly amused by his skintone, but it wasn't long before the hatchling gave a hungry whimper.

"Time to eat. Let's see what we should be feeding you," Jaxx said, shifting the child so that he was nestled in one arm while he fumbled for his comm. link. "C.A.S., I need information about human hatchlings."

***

(John's POV for a while, so Jaxx is "Jack")

John must have fallen asleep half-clothed, as he found himself waking up to the smell of eggs and bacon in the air. The house was miraculously silent, and the man half-hoped that Grace had unexpectedly changed her mind, and returned to reclaim the kid. It wasn't a nice thought, John realized, as he rolled over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. His parents always taught him to take responsibility for his actions — and Gary was his kid, whether it was convenient or not.