#jack drabble

“There’s something I want to try.”

Jack glanced at you while you did your bicep curls. “What’s that?”

“Well, you would say you’re pretty strong, right?”

This caused him to pause, but you didn’t. “Yeah, why do you ask?”

You glanced over at him and grinned. “Do you think you could do push-ups with me on your back?”

Jack almost dropped his weight on his foot. “What?”

Shrugging, you said, “Well? Do you think you can do it? I’ve seen other boyfriends do it before. I’m just curious if you can as well.”

“I think I could.”

“Then prove it.”

It was dumb and he knew it. But seeing the smug smile that held a hint of hopefulness on your face compelled him to do it. Besides, the extra weight would be good for his workout. He didn’t see a downside to it at all.

So he put away his weights and got into a push-up position. You squealed with delight and sat on his back. His arms didn’t even move.

“Alright, can you count them?”

“Yep! How many do you think you can do?” You asked, being careful not to move too much.

“Let’s start with ten.”

“Okay, ten it is. Ready? Go.”

And so Jack started doing ten perfect push-ups. You counted each one and occasionally added some encouraging words as you did so. He found that they weren’t as hard as he thought. So when you reached ten, he kept going.

You wobbled a little, expecting to hop right off after he hit ten. When he kept going, you righted yourself and continued counting. Excitement found its way into your voice and you praised him even more as he kept going.

However, at fifteen, he paused. “I think that’s as much as I can do.”

“You can’t do five more?”

The disappointment in your voice made him try. You encouraged him as he did five more. Pausing at twenty. Jack could feel his arms start to shake.

“C’mon, Jack! Five more! You can do it! I believe in you!”

Taking a deep breath, he pushed down to complete five more. They were agonizingly slow, but with your words of love and your hand ruffling his hair, he managed to do twenty-five. It was then you got off of him and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you! I love you so much!”

As you scratched behind his ears, his tail thumping on the ground, he admitted, “I’ll keep working on it until I can do one hundred.”

“Well given what he just experienced, I didn’t think there would be a better opportunity!” he defended himself, popping open another beer.

You sighed, rubbing your temples. He was right. Jack may only technically be a year old, but he had the body of a 21-year-old, and he was half (more than half, with little to no grace) human. It wouldn’t be healthy for him to be unaware of at least the basic mechanics of what humans do to reproduce, but you had a suspicion that Dean’s version of “the talk” wasn’t the basic mechanics of safe sex.

“Well, what exactly did you tell him?”

He rolled his eyes dramatically. “Oh, c’mon. I just had this conversation once, I am not about to rehash it with my little sister.”

“I don’t need you to tell me how to woo a woman in bed, Dean! I need to know that you taught him about the importance of consent and how to wrap it up!” you exclaimed.

“Of course I-” But you cut him off before he could finish. You decided it would just be best to talk to Jack yourself. At least then you would know that Dean didn’t talk to him about anything that he couldn’t just find on Pornhub.

As you approached his bedroom, you could hear the coughing. It was getting worse. You felt your heart drop. It killed you that you had yet to find a single piece of information that could help him within all of the hundreds of lore books in the bunker’s expansive library. 

You knocked softly on the door. “Jack? Can I come in?” You heard some shuffling and the door opened a second later.

“Y/N, of course.” He smiled at you sweetly, moving to the side and allowing you to come in. You sat awkwardly on the edge of his bed, picking at your cuticles. You couldn’t help but notice that his trash can was filled with bloody tissues.

“How’re you feeling?” you decided to start with.

“I’m feeling better. Well, not better, really. But I am no longer bleeding from my nose and fainting,” he said as happily as ever. You always admired his positivity.

You nodded and smiled, trying not to let it show how worried you truly were. 

“Rowena will be here tomorrow. She is going to help us figure this out. We aren’t going to give up. I promise,” you assured him, taking his hand into yours for a moment, releasing it when you remembered why you had come to his room in the first place. 

“So..” you hesitated. “Dean mentioned to me that you and him had a talk?” you prompted, hoping that would be enough for Jack to spill the beans on what Dean had said.

“Yes, he told me how sexual intercourse works!” he nodded excitedly. Before you could reply, he continued.

“Dean said that when I am attracted to someone, I will feel the strong desire to be with them, in a way that I don’t feel with everyone else. He said that I will specifically feel it in my penis.” Your mouth hung open for a second, taken aback by his bluntness.

“Oh yeah? What else did he say?” Now you were curious.

“He said that, usually, I will know if the person reciprocates these feelings because they will communicate them to me in some way, but if I am ever unsure, then I should ask before “making a move” on them, because I wouldn’t want to make them uncomfortable.” You were unable to hide your surprise. You shouldn’t have doubted your brother.

You decided that you felt comfortable enough to leave the topic alone. 

“I am glad to hear that that conversation went well, Jack. I just wanted to check on you, so I will let you rest now-” You got up to make your way to the door when Jack grabbed your hand, pulling you back down to his level.

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Oh boy. You braced yourself.

“Of course, Jack.”

“Have you ever had sex?” Well, there was no turning back now. 

“Yes, Jack. I have had sex,” you answered honestly.

“Did you enjoy it?” he asked innocently. 

“Well,” you started, looking around the room awkwardly. “I have had sex a few times. Some times have been more enjoyable than others. For me, it just mainly depends on how comfortable I am with the person I’m doing it with.” You brought your eyes back to him to find that he was staring at you intently. 

He nodded, processing what you had said.   

“Dean told me that my first time should be special. That it should be with someone who means a lot to me.” Dean Winchester, a romantic.

“That was very smart of Dean to say. I would agree that the more special the person, the better it is.”

“You’re the most special person I know. I would like very much for my first time to be with you,” Jack said nervously. You could feel your eyes grow ten times wider than they should be and you racked your brain, trying to think of what to say. Luckily, Jack continued before you had to.

“When Dean and I were on the hunt, Harper asked me if I believe in love at first sight. I didn’t answer her, but I knew that in my heart, I do. I believe in love at first sight because you were the first person I saw after I was born.”

You could feel yourself blushing what you knew to be a vibrant shade of pink. You’d had feelings for Jack since he came into this world, and now he was confessing his love to you and asking you to take his virginity. You tried not to pass out on the spot.

You were silent for a moment too long and Jack began to backtrack. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay, I know it’s probably asking a lot-”

Before he could say anything else, before you could overthink it, you cupped your hands around Jack’s face and pulled him into you, pressing your lips into his and moving your fingers into his golden hair.

Jack hesitated a moment, taken by surprise, but soon began to move his lips with yours. He tasted sweeter than you imagined and you were impressed by how naturally it came to him. His hands went to either side of your waist and you pushed him back onto his pillows, climbing on top and straddling him. You moved your tongue across his bottom lip, asking for entrance, which he quickly granted.

You could feel him growing hard through his sweatpants and the sensation of it made you move your core against his. An involuntary moan came from the back of his throat and his hands moved to cup your ass. After another moment, you were both out of breath and you pulled back to stare into his lust-blown eyes.

“I would love to be your first time, Jack.”

 You think about the day you told the boys you’re staying behind to live a normal life with someone you met doing research. You at least wanted to give it a shot.

 You wish you could say it was the same now as it was then, but then if it were you wouldn’t be standing in front of the hotel door with your duffle bag. You tighten your fist, inhaling the muggy air as you tell yourself this is the road you need to take. Ever since... you lost your way. Ever since you started drinking more whiskey than water. Ever since you stopped sleeping through the night. Ever since your mother died.

 You clench your jaw as you hear the door rattle open.

 “-first, then we’ll head to th..th...” Dean stops short of slamming into you and stutters as he looks you up and down.

 “Long time, big guy.” you look at him through a mess of hair, blowing in front of your face as the wind creeps between you two.

 “What’s wrong?” Dean says with a stern urgency, skipping any pleasantries, “You’re supposed to be-”

 “I was looking for you two, so I followed the usual signs. I saw the Impala parked outside the door.” You thumb over your shoulder pointing at the black shining beauty.

 Dean shakes his head like he doesn’t understand, but a face pops up behind his shoulder curiously. You blink slowly before pushing the hair out of your face, “Sam, you’re looking smaller and completely unlike yourself.”

 The boy disappears out of the doorway and you curiously peek over Dean’s shoulder to watch as he walks up to Sam and inspects him up and down. You are half entertained and half confused until Dean puts a hand on your shoulder to bring your attention back to him, “What happened?”

 You bite your lip as you feel a burning behind your eyes and tightening in your throat. “She’s gone, Dean.” you shake your head.

 “Did- was it?” Dean loosens his grip, but doesn’t let you go.

 “No. Leukemia.” You take a deep breath just as Sam appears and pushes past Dean to wrap you into a bear hug, “Come inside.” he says.

 Sam leads you to middle of the room when a table starts vibrating, “Hold on,” he says and runs over to grab the phone. He hisses a few angry words into the phone before waving at Dean and motioning to the receiver.

 Dean looks over at you uneasily and Sam hangs up the phone, “Listen, we really have to go, but I swear to you we will be here for you as soon as we can.” Sam says pleadingly.

 “Of course.” you try not to make eye contact with the guys, and Dean gives you a pat on the back before running out the door, “Jack, take care of her until we get back.”

And they were gone.

 You feel a whoosh of air as the door slams and you stand silently in the middle of the room. You seemingly forgot the existence of somebody else in the room until he speaks at you, “I can take the couch. Why don’t-”

 You clear your throat, “I’m not staying.”

 “But Sam and Dean,” Jack looks up at you and tries to read your expression. You stare at the floor so he gets up and walks right up to you. He places his hands on your shoulders and squeezes with a meaningful pressure, “I am going to take care of you.”

 A shudder runs through your body, drawing you to look up at him. He’s much taller than you realized, and without realizing that you were being drawn into his eyes, staring at him until you see a flicker of gold.

 Warmth washes over you and a sense of calm. You don’t remember ever feeling this relaxed.

 You inhale and realize you’re being intoxicated by this man’s smell.

 Shit. You think to yourself. The hair on the back of your neck raises and you realize you need to keep your distance from this one.

“…Jack! Jack, hi!” It had been a while since Horizon had last seen Jack, so when the girl finally caught sight of him hiding away in the debris of a construction zone on her way back from a walk within the vicinity, she wanted to take the opportunity to say ‘hi’ even if the boy was probably minding his own business. The girl carefully crept over large pieces of rubble, taking care as to not get her dress caught on anything, and gave the masked boy a bright smile and a wave.

The boy barely moved from his slumped position against a large, unfinished wall, with only a subtle twitch in response to her voice. Giving her no more than a sideways glance from behind that mask, Jack then looked away, absolutely silent. His breathing was unsteady despite having a proper passage of air flowing through him… No, it wasn’t an issue regarding his respiration so much as a horrendous lurching feeling of anxiety and dread coursing through him. No matter how many times he tried to breathe in and out, there was no comfort in doing so.

Ordinarily, Horizon made him feel at ease. There was just something about her that made him feel, for lack of a better word, happy. Her smiling face, her sweet voice, her warm embrace…

And yet, for some reason, now, there was nothing but apprehension. He couldn’t bear to face her, listen to her or even touch her now… How could he? Not after what Wilhelm told him…

“…Uh, Jack? Is… Is something wrong? I’m sorry, I’m not bothering you, am I?” Horizon had finally reached Jack, only for him to coldly dismiss her. The girl clutched the edges of her dress, tensing up slightly at seeing the usually friendly, if not reserved (but not outright cold!) Jack behave so strangely. 

“…No. You’re not.” He finally managed to spit out in a low tone, though his voice sounded hoarse and strained, as if he were forcing himself to talk while physically unable to. 

“…T-Then, what happened? Are you okay?” Horizon crouched by his side, about to rest her hand on his shoulder before he jerked away, holding a hand up to stop her. “…Huh?! Uh… I-I’m sorry.” She bit her lip, hiding her hands away in her lap, scared that she did something that upset the boy. 

“…No. No, you… You shouldn’t be. Fuck, goddamn it. I should be the one who’s sorry.” Jack said, choking slightly on his words as if fighting back tears. 

“But… why? You didn’t do anything wrong…” Horizon protested in a meek voice.

“No, no, no. No. You don’t… You don’t understand.” Jack stammered, bringing his hood further over his face in shame. “You wouldn’t say that if you really knew…”

“Knew what? Jack, please… You can tell me anything… and I promise, I promise I won’t think any differently of you… I-I…” Horizon was slowly beginning to tear up, her heart aching to see Jack like this. What happened to make him this… scared? Jack always seemed to be so brave, always putting himself in danger if it meant finishing his job or… protecting someone. So to see him like this was nothing short of unnerving.

The boy gritted his teeth, silently cursing at himself at the sight of Horizon crying. How could he? How could he do this to her? But she needed to know at least this much. If she knew what could possibly await them should they continue to see each other at this rate… would that even change her mind? 

He couldn’t let anything bad happen to her. She didn’t deserve to suffer any longer because of him, and knowing what dreadful fate could possibly await in the future outweighed any possible chance they had at happiness together now.

…That’s right. Maybe they never even had a chance.

Jack thought himself a fool for trying to believe otherwise.

And Wilhelm’s threatening words repeated in his head over and over and over again.

“You have been wasting too much time, of which you have a very limited amount. Remember that. Should you continue to waste it on such frivolity, there will be dire consequences not only for you, but for every party involved. That girl included. Surely, you must understand the attention you’re garnering from the others.”

After a long pause of hesitance, the boy finally spoke again.

“I can’t see you anymore.”

Horizon blinked, feeling as if her heart skipped a beat. It took a good while for his words to register in her mind but once they did, she felt them pierce her chest. 

“…Huh…? Wh-What? Wait, why…? That’s… That can’t be! We can still see each other… I-I know you’re busy a lot and… And…” Horizon was slowly losing her train of thought, her mind frantically spiraling in all sorts of directions. But the thought of not being able to see Jack again pervaded her mind and struck her down.  

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” Jack apologized, finally taking his mask off so that his voice wouldn’t be muffled. Finally communicating with the girl more clearly, the boy shook his head and slowly started to get up, albeit with some unsteadiness in his step. “I can’t… There’s so many things… you need to know… but you can’t.” 

“Why not?!” Horizon pleaded, raising her voice in a desperate cry but not before she caught herself and covered her mouth with both hands, feeling bad for shouting at Jack. “I-I’m sorry… Jack… but please… Please don’t go… Please don’t…! I-I want to help! I want to do something to make you happy again! So please… just tell me… what could I do…?”

“…Forget about me. Go with ARMY and Giga. They’ll keep you safe and make you happy. Please just… Please… Make this easy for me.” 

“Jack… Y-You… promised…!” The girl’s tears began to cascade down her cheeks, pained hiccups interrupting her sobs and pleads. “You promised… we’d… we’d be together… and-”

“Horizon, I’m sorry. But I couldn’t promise anything. I said I’d try. Try. And I tried my hardest, okay? Please… understand. But we can’t… we can’t be together. We can’t see each other anymore. It’s not safe for you. It’s… not safe for me. It never was.”

“Jack… Jack…!” Horizon cried, reaching for him, practically crawling on the ground but the boy kept his distance, not allowing her to get within arm’s reach. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… but please… don’t… don’t leave me…! L-Let me protect you…! I-I… I can… get help… I can do my best to help… so please… Please!”

“Horizon! Stop!” Jack snapped, clenching his fists at his sides. His tone was now harsh, his face contorted into anger… but the tears flowed down his face as well. “Just… stop. This can’t go on. I’m sorry. I can’t tell you how sorry I am… I should never have done this… if it meant that we’d have to be apart in the end.”

“Jack… I just… want to be with you… for however much longer…! You’re… You’re my friend… one of my best friends and I… I-I… I…” Horizon’s sobs were caught in her throat, the girl beginning to choke and splutter slightly from excessive crying. “Please… I don’t know… what I’d do if you left…”

“…Horizon… I just want you to be happy.” The boy finally mustered up the courage and turned back, grabbing hold of her shoulders and catching her by surprise after practically given the cold shoulder prior. “That’s all that matters, okay? There’s a lot that I haven’t told you… I haven’t been able to… but no matter what, regardless of any of that, I still lo- We… We’re… we’re still friends, okay? Even if we have to be apart, we’ll be friends, forever.” He brought his hand to her cheek, caressing her face and giving it gentle strokes. And through his tears, he managed even the tiniest of smiles.

Horizon nodded, sniffling all the while as she brought her own hand to his, resting it atop. The girl returned his smile with a giggle, his words of slight reassurance to her… but there was still that doubt in the back of her mind.

“But… what about you…? I want you to be happy too…”

“Every moment that I spent with you has already made me happy, Horizon. You’ve brought so much happiness, I don’t even know if you could fully understand… I feel it, right here.” The boy pointed to his chest. “It’s warm. Really warm. So don’t worry about me, okay?”

“But… I will… b-because I care about you… and… a-and… waaaah….” Horizon choked, collapsing into Jack’s arms for a hug while wailing into his chest. The boy jolted slightly but caught her regardless, squeezing her body into a tight embrace. 

“It’ll be okay… Horizon, you’ll have people to watch over you. Keep looking for the people you’re looking for and never give up, okay?”

“O-Okay…”

“…And maybe some day, we might be able to meet again. But for now… I have to go.”

“…” Her arms coiled around even more tightly.

“…I’m sorry… but I will never, ever forget you.”

“I-I… I won’t either… I-I will… always, always remember you! A-And pray for you…” 

“Good. Then I have nothing else to worry about.”

“Jack… I’m going to miss you…”

“I’m going to miss you too, Horizon.”

“…Jack? Could I ask you a favor? Just this once before you have to… go.”

“What is it?”

“Can you hold me as I sleep? I-I’m sorry if this is… weird b-but… I just… I just want to be with you for however much longer… m-maybe even dream about you too- B-But that’s weird too… I-I’m sorry… Maybe not…”

“No, no it’s okay. I don’t think it’s weird. I actually… wouldn’t mind that. As long as it’s a happy dream.”

“If it’s with you, t-then it is! Oh! I-I’ve had a lot of dreams where everyone’s together and it’s bright and sunny out… You were there, ARMY and giga too! We were smiling and being happy together… You and ARMY weren’t fighting at all, hahah~” The girl snuggled up against him, closing her eyes to imagine such a scenario once more. The more she dreamed of it, the more she could look towards a happy future…

“Yeah?” Jack chuckled, playing with her hair. The boy held her tenderly, as if trying to take in as much of her warmth and radiance before he’d have to leave. “That sounds nice, honestly. Even I… get tired of fighting all the time.”

Horizon smiled, feeling a gradual yet comfortable weariness come over her. “But you’re still so strong and brave… even heroes… need a break…”

“…” Jack gulped. Hero? No, he couldn’t be. He was nothing of the sort, in his eyes.

But if he could be at least that much in hers, then he was satisfied.

“Jack…” She whispered, nestling closer. “Thank you… for everything.”

“I should be the one thanking you.” 

“Heheh~”

“Thank you, Horizon.”

— Indeterminate amount of time later… —

It was getting late. The last thing that Jack wanted was for Horizon to have to go back home by herself, though the girl was still fast asleep in his arms. Poor girl must’ve exhausted herself from her crying. The boy would’ve fallen asleep as well, had the gears in his mind stopped but they persisted. There were a lot of thoughts going through his mind but even for just that moment, Jack tried to relax, keeping his composure. 

He already made up his mind. Even if Wilhelm forbade him from seeing Horizon, even with the fear of the other denizens of Hell seeking to lay their hands her, Jack wasn’t going to just allow them their way without a struggle. If there was one thing that Jack was, it was being similarly as stubborn and tenacious until the bitter end.

And until then, the boy could live knowing that he fought and lived as himself, with all of his might.

With a bit of effort from his end, Jack carried the sleeping girl in his arms, proceeding to then bring her all the way back to where he remembered her home to be. The boy had to keep track of a lot of things if he was going to maneuver his way through the industrial nation without too much issue… and well, Horizon’s apartment was one particular location he definitely kept a distinct memory of.

Once there (still hoping in the back of his mind that this was the right place), the boy carefully fished through the girl’s belongings to try to find her keys. As embarrassing as it was, Jack finally did get them and tried them on the door… with success. The boy let out a tiny sigh of relief as he entered, walking slowly and quietly through the girl’s home. Horizon stirred every now and then, but it seemed that she was fast asleep.

Admittedly, it was awkward to just… walk right into her own apartment like this without her permission. But the boy wanted to ensure that she was safely back home nonetheless. Finding her room, the boy then gently set her down, arranging her pillow and assorted stuffed animals so that they were all snuggled up against her. 

‘…God, she looked so cute.’

Very carefully, about as cautious as Wilhelm was in handling his flowers, Jack then arranged the blankets so as to tuck Horizon in safely. Making sure that everything else was in its proper place, the boy then sat beside her, leaning over to brush some of her hair out of the way of her face.

“…I’m really… going to miss you.” Jack whispered, lowering his head whilst fighting back the tears once more. “Horizon… I… I will do everything I can… to come back… I promise.”

“Until then… wait for me.”

But before he would have to return to Hell, Jack wanted to do one last thing… One very last thing.

He brought his face up to hers, just barely allowing some distance between the tips of their noses. Trying to keep himself from getting too nervous, Jack steadied his breathing, swallowing hard while silently yelling at himself to just do it already… 

…But this was creepy, wasn’t it? She was sleeping, for fuck’s sake… and he’d never done this before, what if he messed this up?

She wasn’t even awake for this.

Jack shook his head. This wasn’t the time for any of that.

Looking back down at the girl, Jack held his breath, slowly leaning back in for another attempt… but before his lips could reach hers, he stopped.

Just enough to graze her lips, but not enough for a kiss, he stopped.

And he cried.

“…I’m so… stupid.” He laughed quietly, roughly wiping at his face before the droplets would fall onto her face. Some tears did end up falling, however, slowly trickling down her cheeks… making it look as if she was crying in her sleep.

“…That’s not fair of me… I can’t do that.” Jack whispered, allowing his head to rest beside hers on the pillow. “Stupid… Stupid, stupid.” He chuckled under his breath, unable to stop his tears.

“…I’m sorry, Horizon. I… I’m sorry. Please, forgive me.”

“…I don’t want to go either.”

—

Horizon’s eyes fluttered open to what appeared to be the light of day, or the closest it could be to the light of day with the perpetual smog that blanketed the skies of the industrial nation. She stared at the ceiling for a while, before realizing that she was laying in her own bed, in her room, in her home. The girl slowly got up, assessing her surroundings…

How did she get here? She didn’t remember ever returning home… She remembered falling asleep in Jack’s arms…

…Jack.

…Jack?

Horizon glanced at her desk, noticing a small pile of flowers that wasn’t there before. The girl then got out of bed, picking up the flowers that had been left there. They were freshly picked and all of her favorites kinds of colors.

With a tearful smile, Horizon held them against her chest.

When we think of werewolves, we often see them as big, scary, and overly protective. You used to think the same way, that is, until you met Jack. Of course, he was big, scary, and overprotective as a werewolf. But when the full moon fell on a night with a thunderstorm, those traits went out the window.

Currently, he was curled up in your lap, pressed heavily against your thighs, and he was letting out the most pathetic whines. You had one hand tangled in his thick, soft fur, while the other was trying to scroll through your phone. You were trying to find solutions to make things easier for Jack, but with every roll of thunder, he’d headbutt you gently in the stomach. In an effort to calm him down, you’d give him a kiss on the forehead for each strike of lightning and each rumble of thunder.

“You’re okay, Jackie, I promise.” You assured him, which only earned you a whine. “I know, I know. It’s very loud for you and I’m sorry. But I promise I’m looking for ways to help. Just give me a moment and I’ll make things better.”

His big wolfish eyes looked like a puppy’s, making you melt inside. It also renewed your determination to find something to take the pain away. Which means you had to do the one thing you knew you’d regret doing: you called Ruggie.

“Hello?” His voice was groggy, as if you just woke him up. Granted it was one in the morning, but he's in the same dorm as Jack, so he should know how to best care for him. Besides, he was your only hope.

“Hey, it’s me. How’s it going?”

“Really? You called me this late to ask me how I’m doing? And on a full moon no less?” He groaned. "Can't you just let me sleep?"

You let out a little groan. "Ruggie, I wouldn't be calling if this wasn't important. Jack's really freaking out here. And you live with him in Savanaclaw. Besides, there's a thunderstorm going on right now. I'm sure this has happened before, where a thunderstorm has landed on the full moon? Is there any trick to make it easier for him?”

Ruggie let out a dramatic sigh on the other line. “You’re going to judge me for this but I have had to lock him in a closet before so I and the rest of the dorm can get some sleep.”

“That’s horrible.”

“I told you you were going to judge me.” He shot back. “Look, with Jack, I think just being with him will help. He’s strong and can take care of himself. When he's here at the dorm, he’d lock himself in his room on full moons or thunderstorms. That helped, but he would be exhausted and paranoid the next day. However, if he knows you’re right there with him through it all, I’m sure he’ll be okay. Just stay with him.”

You smiled. “That I can do. Thanks, Ruggie.”

“No problem. I’ll call you in the morning to see how everything went, okay?”

“Sounds good. And quit locking Jack in a closet.”

“Not a chance.” And with that, he hung up on you.

With a sigh, you looked down at Jack, who gave you the saddest eyes you've ever seen. You hugged his neck and buried your face into his soft white fur. “I’m sorry, Jackie. I know this is scary and very loud for you. But I want you to know that I am here and I’m not going to leave you, no matter what.”

A loud crack of thunder made you freeze and Chan whined. “S-sorry, Jackie, I just don’t like the loud, high-pitched thunder, you know? They always jumpscare me.”

You feel him sit up and before you could ask what he was doing, he licks your cheek. You smile and hug him even tighter. “Thanks, Jackie. You always know how to help.”

He snuggles even closer to you and you sigh. “You want to try and get some sleep? Worst case scenario we cuddle in bed until the storm passes, and sleep through the day tomorrow. I promise I won’t leave you. We can do whatever you want.”

Jack doesn’t respond, because he is a wolf, however he did get up and walk into your shared bedroom. You follow him into bed and curl up close to him. As thunder rolls, he lets out another soft whine, and you hum in response, keeping him close.

“I got you, Jackie. Nothing can get you as long as you’re in my arms.”