pretty please
pairing: jackson x f!reader
rating: pg (they kiss)
genre: fluff, little bit of angst, werewolf au, slow burn
word count: 2,588 I'm sorry I got a little carried away ok?
warnings: mentions of midterms and finals, studying (lol)
summary: your new boyfriend, jackson, turns out to be a werewolf.
author's note: full plot & additional warnings will be linked here (link coming soon), lmk if you'd like to be tagged maybe?
You often found yourself in the library during the day, studying and doing homework or taking a break and watching anime. You had been sitting there for an hour or so, and it was starting to get busy. It always did around midterms and finals; you were just glad you found your own small table to sit at.
You were working on a paper when someone came up, smiling a bit awkwardly. “Hey, would you mind if I sit here? I’ll be quiet, I promise,” He says, hesitating to sit down. He had an accent that you couldn’t quite place, as it only happened with some words.
When you finish the sentence you were typing and look up, you do your best to hide your surprise at how handsome he was. He was absolutely stunning, making you question your own appearance. “Oh, um, sure,” you say, your cheeks flushing with heat as you make room for him.
“I’m Jackson, by the way,” He says as he pulls out the chair and sits, getting himself comfortable across from you.
“I’m Y/N,” you respond, still blushing.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he says, offering a charming smile as he pulls out his laptop.
The next week at the same time, he showed up again and asked, “Y/N, is it alright if I join you?”
You nod, a shy smile finding its way onto your face. “What are you studying?” you eventually ask him, tilting your head slightly.
“Business,” Jackson says, glancing up at you with a smile. “Actually, it’s my masters and I’m focusing on international business. What about you?”
When you tell him, he listens intently and asks polite questions- the right ones, too. Not the usual ones you always get.
The next week you’re running late and stop at the vending machine to grab your favorite candy. Going to your usual table, you do a double take when someone is already there. You pause awkwardly, only to realize it was Jackson waiting there with a second cup of coffee.
“Oh, hey Jackson,” you say, blushing as you join him.
He smiles at you, pushing one of the cups towards you. “I got you a coffee, just the way you like it.”
You suspiciously tilt your head, taking a sip, only to be surprised that it was the way you liked your coffee. “How did you know?” you laugh, getting out your laptop.
“I know some of the workers,” he sheepishly admits. You laugh and open the candy, offering him some.
“I shouldn’t, I’m on a diet,” he says with a pout.
“Oh, come on,” you scoff, raising an eyebrow.
He playfully rolls his eyes before grabbing a piece.
Soon, every Tuesday you would meet up with Jackson in the library. Before midterms, it became every Tuesday and Thursday until finals, when it was almost every day. It was on one of these Thursdays that he asked you, “Are you free tomorrow?”
You tilt your head, wondering what he was getting to. He seemed to always have plans on Fridays during your normal study time, and you tried not to study too late since the library closed early. “Uh, no, I don’t think so? Why do you ask?” you respond.
“Well, I was thinking that I could take you for a date! If you wanted to, that is…”
You could tell he was a little nervous, and you realized you were staring at him blankly. You let out an embarrassed laugh, nodding. “Yes, sorry, I was just… yes, I would like that,” you admit, shaking your head some.
“Great! I can pick you up after your class tomorrow? Just make sure you dress warm!” he says with a grin.
“You already have a plan? What is it? Tell me~?” you ask, pouting a little bit.
“Nope, it’s a secret!” he laughs, smiling brightly. “You have to wait until tomorrow to know!”
The next day, you woke up early to get ready. You wore warm clothes like he said, and did your makeup cutely but not excessively, especially since it seemed like you would be outside. In class, you were extra fidgety and kept checking the clock. It felt like time slowed, but you knew it was from your anticipation.
Right on cue as class ended, your phone vibrated. Checking it, you noticed a text from Jackson saying he was outside the building.
You all but run out of the classroom down to the parking lot, finding him standing outside grinning.
“Will you tell me what we are doing now?” you ask, giving him your puppy dog eyes.
“Maybe,” he teases, leading you to his car. He opens the door for you and even shuts it, getting in on the other side. “Does hiking sound okay? Then takeout and a movie at my place?” Jackson asks. You see a hopeful glint and the worry in his eyes, and your smile grows.
“That sounds wonderful!” you tell him.
“Great!” he says, starting to drive. “You’ll love it! I go here quite often, and it’s very pretty. I’ve seen some deer and some really neat birds before there.”
“Oh, really? Do you know what kinds of birds?” you ask, curious.
“Well, I’m not sure since they’re not the same as back home, but definitely some owls! I went out later than I should have been that time. And I don’t know if it was a falcon, eagle, or hawk. But those too.”
“I think we have all three here,” you laugh.
“Well, that really doesn’t help identify it any, now does it,” he laughs with you.
“Not in the slightest,” you giggle.
“Well I guess if we see them, maybe you’ll know,” Jackson says, turning onto a gravel road.
“What am I, a bird expert now?” you laugh more.
“No, you’re just a native here,” he responds with a little pout.
“Still not a bird expert,” you point out.
“I know, but you will know better than me,” he reasons.
“Maybe, maybe not,” you say, shaking your head as he parks in a small parking lot.
“We are here!” Jackson says, turning off the car. He leads you over to the map by the trail entrance, glancing at it once before heading down.
“We’ll follow the blue markers this time,” he says, pointing them out on the tree.
“What do they mean? You didn’t give me time to read the map,” you say with a huff.
“They mean we’re going the correct way,” he tells you smartly.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”
“I know. And there’s nothing you can do about it but follow me and find out,” he teases you, taking your hand and leading you.
You’re both careful not to trip over any of the roots or loose rocks, and you start getting glances of white.
“Is that a river?” you ask, glancing at what looked like ice.
“Uh, maybe,” Jackson responded in an unbelievable manner. Of course he knew, he just wasn’t going to tell you.
Eventually, you made it to more of a clearing. Jackson didn’t even have to point to what it was he wanted to show you. You stood in awe instead.
Winter was definitely there, and you knew that since the little fountains on campus were frozen over. But this, this was a sight to behold. The entire river had frozen over, and what must usually be a gorgeous waterfall had frozen over. The water had frozen against the rocks, sharp spears of it dangerously hanging from the main body of water. You swore if the sun was just right, you could see some of the water on the very inside running down inside the thick, frozen ice.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Jackson asks you, his voice hushed. All you could do was nod.
The next Tuesday, you got to the library first. “Want to go on a second date?” you bluntly ask him when he joins you.
He laughs before smiling, nodding. “Of course, I’d love to,” Jackson assures you.
You’re not sure if you can ever end up choosing a favorite date by the time finals end. Your last “date” was taking him to the airport. He was going home for the break, and you wanted to take him.
“I guess this is as far as we can go, huh?” you ask sadly, looking at the security checkpoint.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Y/N,” Jackson says, fidgeting with his ticket some as if he were nervous.
“Well, I’m sure everything will go well…” you say, almost more nervous than he was. “I mean, you’ve flown lots of times before, so this shouldn’t be any different…” you start to ramble in an attempt to console him.
He chuckles a little, gently putting his hand on your shoulder before tilting up your chin.
“Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?” Jackson softly asks, his dark eyes meeting yours.
Your heart leaped in your chest. You thought of him as your boyfriend, but you weren’t sure if you were official or not, so it made you a little nervous. But at his question, your lips smiled on their own, and you nod as much as you can for his hand holding onto your chin. “Yes!” you whisper.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks, causing you to blush and nod. Once given consent, he kisses you sweetly.
“I promise I’ll be back soon, okay?” Jackson says as he pulls away and picks up his things.
“Alright… be safe,” you tell him, feeling your cheeks burn.
“I will,” he assures you, kissing your cheek before leaving.
A few days later, when he was over jet lag, you face timed him. You were eating breakfast at the time, and he was eating dinner.
“How are you?” You ask, happy to see him again and hear his voice.
“I’m doing much better now that I get to see my beautiful girlfriend~” he coos playfully, causing you to laugh.
“Okay, okay. How was the plane trip? How are things going back home?” you ask, wanting more details.
“It went well, don’t worry. I am home safe, although it is a bit hectic at times,” he assures you.
“Why is it hectic? You’re on a break~ you need to relax!” you tell him with a huff.
“I know, I know, don’t worry, I am,” he again assures you.
“You better be,” you huff back, pouting slightly.
Just like that, your library dates were replaced with virtual ones. Some days you could only talk for a few minutes, some days you went on for hours. Every now and then, he even would sing you to sleep. You always slept well when he would.
When Christmas came, he ended up sending you a cd of songs he recorded to help you sleep.
When the semester started up again, you would meet in the library Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays this time. You sat at the same table, but also flirted more when you studied. You made sure to keep up your grades, since they were incredibly important to you.
After the initial start up hump of the beginning of the semester, you started to remember something strange about Jackson that you had forgotten or just hadn’t had the time to realize before. It wasn’t quite a gut feeling of danger, but a feeling of something was wrong. He would get sick nearly every month for a few days without fail. In the last week of January, Jackson was out sick for over a week.
The following Monday, Jackson comes back to the library, and you immediately perk up. “Jackson, how are you feeling? Your roommate told me you were sick,” you ask him.
“I was, but I am feeling much better now,” he assures you, smiling.
You felt the tug in your stomach, and you knew he was lying. “Jackson, you get sick more often than… well, anyone I know. What’s wrong?” you insist.
He sighs, his smile faltering. “I have an immune disorder. I don’t like talking about it much, but I often get sick,” he tells you.
You believed him until your introductory anatomy course went over autoimmune disorders. He didn’t fit any of the basic descriptions for them. You ended up choosing to do a paper on the topic, so you ended up pressuring him more when he was at your place for a movie date night.
“Jackson, I’ve been working on a paper for autoimmune disorders. I may have to narrow it down to one in particular… So, I was wondering what one you had?” you ask him, wanting to be a supportive girlfriend.
He sighs and seems irritated about it, and you couldn’t quite tell what was wrong. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I just… I feel like I can’t tell you…” he admits, shocking you.
You felt like you had told him everything. You told him about your asthma, how your therapy sessions went, what you wanted to improve on, your insecurities about your body, even sexual things you had thought about eventually exploring with him.
But he couldn’t tell you this? After you told him about your mental health issues? You were shocked and speechless.
After a moment, you finally catch your thoughts. “Jackson… you know you can tell me anything, right?” you say softly, frowning and not realizing you were tearing up.
Jackson’s face softens, and he pulls you into a hug, rubbing your back. “I’m sorry, I know. You’re right,” he soothes, sighing slightly. “I just… don’t want you to hate me or think I am a freak or anything,” he further admits.
“Jackson, I love you. I could never,” you whisper. It was the first time you had said that.
His heart melts at your words, and he started tearing up. You pull away, and he cups your cheeks.
He lets out a short sigh, making up his mind. “Alright baby. Well, I’ll just say it,” he tells you, now opting to hold your hands. Jackson gently squeezes them as he admits, “I’m a werewolf.”
You pause, staring at him as you replay his words in your mind. You then pull away and laugh, shaking your head. “No, seriously Jackson,” you say, feeling anxious. Why would he lie to you?
“I am being serious,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair.
“Then-then prove it,” you say, but it comes out as more of a question.
Jackson sighs softly, tilting his head some. “Alright. Count to ten and come into your room,” he says, going in.
You huff, counting out loud.
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
“Four.”
“Five.”
You stand up and head towards your room.
“Six.”
“Seven.”
“Eight.”
“Nine.”
“Ten.”
You turn the doorknob and say, “I’m coming in now.”
You open the door and are immediately greeted with a massive wolf. Oddly enough, he had the eyes of Jackson.
You quickly shut your door, knowing you weren’t allowed to have pets in your building.
“Um…” you begin, staring at him in confusion. You look around the room, wondering where Jackson was, only to notice his clothes on the floor. “So, you’re really-?” you begin, looking at the wolf again.
He nods and you groan, covering your face with your hands.
You hear him jump off the bed, and after hearing snapping and popping, you glance up and see Jackson pulling his pants back on. You quickly look away, your cheeks heating up as you try not to stare at his well defined body.
“Told you so,” he murmurs, smirking because he knew.
