3 n 1 (Tracob)

☔️11☔️

"You know, after all these years, I think you'd be fine with having to get shots."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not, so hold my hand."

Jacob smiles and carefully grabs the blond's outstretched hand.

"Good morning, Troye, Jacob."

The couple smiles at the doctor, "Morning, Jeremy."

Dr. McKinnon sighs, "It's Dr. McKinnon at the office. Anyway. We ready?"

Dr. McKinnon sets two needles down on the padded table next to Troye.

Troye squeezes his boyfriend's hand as he looks at the syringes.

"Just look at me, baby."

Troye looks into the elder's eyes.

"You're okay," Jacob smiles. "It'll be over before you know it."

Troye's eyes squeeze shut, his hand gripping tighter onto Jacob's as he feels the first needle go into his arm.

The second needle sinks into his arm, a small noise of displeasure erupts from the back of his throat.

"Would you like a sticker?" Dr. McKinnon asks.

Troye rolls his eyes and blinks away the unshed tears from his eyes, "Shut up, Jeremy."

Jacob's head snaps up as his name is called.

Dr. McKinnon smiles softly at him.

Jacob stands up and walks to the back room.

"Hey, Jacob. How're you doing?"

Jacob shrugs, "I'm doing okay."

"I'm sorry to hear about Troye. He's missed around the office."

Jacob nods, unsure of what to say.

"You're just here for a check up, correct?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let's see. Looks like you're due for injections."

Quickly leaving and returning, Dr. McKinnon gives Jacob his shots before sending the boy on his way.

☔️☔️

After a three hour nap, that the man had not intended on taking, Jacob wakes up with a gasp.

He looks around the room and sighs upon seeing his living room, the TV giving a soft background noise.

He sits up and stretches with a yawn.

His phone vibrates with a new voicemail and he realizes what woke him up: a phone call.

He picks up the device and sighs at the unknown number's missed call notification.

Unlocking his phone, he goes to listen to the voice message, and deletes it after listening.

He freezes for a moment, looking at the list of voicemails he's received in the past.

He clicks on the most recent one from almost six months ago and presses his phone to his ear.

"Hi, Jakie."

Tears prick at Jacob's eyes as he covers his mouth. "I miss you. I wish you would've answered, I have great news! I'll just tell you later though, because I really want to hear your reaction."

It was the voicemail he received from Troye while he was still overseas.

Troye had called to let him know he was being sent home two months earlier than what was originally planned.

They had talked for an hour since that was as long as Troye could talk.

They discussed a lot of things they'd do when he got home.

One of those things being adopting a dog.

It would their first huge responsibility as a couple.

Troye was killed a week later.

There was no dog.

"I'll try calling back after dinner tonight, okay? So make sure you have your phone! Seventeen hundred, got that mister? That's five o'clock!"

Jacob was never good at telling or remembering military time.

"I love you."

Salty liquid slowly runs down the pink haired man's cheek as the voicemail comes to an end.

He sets his phone down and looks up at the ceiling for a moment before shutting his eyes.

He leans back against the couch cushions.

He takes a deep breath.

And another.

He opens his eyes again and reaches above his head and carefully grabs his favorite picture within the entire building off the wall.

He stares at the photo with a sad smile.

It was a photo of him and Troye wrapped in each other's arms.

Troye had just gotten back after a year of being away.

He could remember the moment like it was yesterday: Jacob was at the airport, Troye's parents and siblings next to him.

They waited excitedly for Troye's plane to land.

When it finally did, Jacob was at the plane's gate in an instant.

He had a huge smile on his face that he couldn't seem to get rid of.

The doors were propped open, and Jacob's heartbeat sped up, anxious for his boyfriend's touch.

After the plane was pretty much empty, the last few people walked through the doors.

Troye came out and immediately looked to his right in search of a familiar face.

"Troye," Jacob say, his voice cracking in happiness.

The blond's head snaps to his left, and a wide grin appears on his face.

He lets his bag drop to the floor as two strong arms are wrapped around his waist tightly but comfortably.

Jacob cries happily as Troye hugs his neck. "I missed you so much," Jacob whispers.

"I missed you more," Troye chuckles through tears.

The sound of a camera goes off and the two boys chuckle before pulling away.

"Way to ruin the moment, Mama," Troye laughs as he pulls the woman into a tight hug.

Jacob smiles and chuckles sadly at the memory.

"Thank you for your service, baby boy," Jacob whispers to nobody before kissing the picture gently and hugging it to his chest.

Jacob briefly wonders how Troye's friends were doing.

He had met a couple of his buddies at the airport once.

He wondered if they were safe.

Had they made it home?

Are they with their families?

He remembers one--Alex--having a new born baby girl that didn't know who her dad was besides through pictures.

And another--Chris--had lost a limb and was sent home to his two kids and pregnant fiancée to whom he was officially getting married to that following summer.

Jacob wondered about all of the incredible people he had met through his incredible boyfriend and wondered if he'd ever see them again and if they would recognize him even though it wasn't him they'd spent so much time with.

Jacob prayed for the soldiers fighting, asking god to bring them home safely, and for the fallen, for their heroism to be remembered.