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he'd heard by word of mouth.
not from her, but by whispers on the wind, a friend of a friend of a friend. at first, he'd dismissed it as untrue; there was no way in hell he was a father. the odds of that were... well, as it turned out, hayley chase was a little more chaste then she'd have people believe. as it turned out, he was the only possible contender for the baby she'd been carrying. and though it had taken nearly eight months from that night, he'd found her.
his jaw trembled and teeth chattered in the cold as he moved up the mountain, beyond freezing but only soldiering on through sheer will. he was nothing, if not determined, and perhaps he ought to received some credit for that. he'd missed the last eight months of consequence for one stupid night, but he'd been making this trek for nearly three weeks, tracking down the brunette with the charming grin and the laugh that could carry for miles. he didn't know her, not well, but the few memories he had of her were pleasant ones, and he crossed his gloved fingers in hope that she'd remember those. she might remember that jackson wasn't some sort of asshole, that he was a decent guy who just hadn't known. and, in his defense, she hadn't even tried to tell him.
in the distance, he saw it, the lodge. it started as a small dot, and the closer her drew, the more it began to take form in the wintry landscape. he'd been focused so intently on the scene that he hadn't seen her, the form drawing closer from his right side, a woman in a white parka escaping the treeline and heading for him.
❝hey,❞ she called against the wind, and that voice, that voice stopped him in his tracks. ❝are youâ€â€❞ she stopped. when he shifted his gaze to her features, he saw the look of recognition cross it; in all those months, she hadn't forgotten him. if nothing else, that certainly helped his ego, but he didn't smile. no, he was too distracted by the emotions crossing her features. surprise, panic, then anger.
❝what the fuck are you doing here?❞
( please don't respond until i respond with hayley !! )
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☁ her heart was pounding in her chest as she stood there, staring at him. the father of her child, the man who's name she didn't even know, was here. why? was fate so cruel that he'd stumble across the group she'd called her own?
❝because apparently i'm a father.❞ his words were sharp, but in his defense, his tone was more tender. he took a step towards her, and she took one back instinctively; his eyes seemed to sense this, a look of hurt flashing through them as he stopped moving, heaving a sigh.
❝no, you're not,❞ she said immediately, ❝hope isn't yours.❞
❝i know she is hayley.❞
❝no she's not.❞ she said again, sharper this time, and she took on the role of aggressor in that moment, stepping towards him, jaw clenched and fists balled, ready for a fight. ❝she's mine. i dealt with the pregnancy alone, i dealt with the nightmare of a birth alone. i'm the one who's sat up every single goddamn night watching her, making sure she keeps breathing. you donated some materials, but i built the goddamn house. you weren't around for a second of it, and that's not an accident.❞
her monologue ended, and the look of hurt in his eyes was visible, but she didn't stop for a second to pity him, or fret over how he felt. raising a child alone was a nightmare, especially considering she'd never had parents of her own, but the thought of him walking in and trying to take some guardianship over hope made her blood boil. she didn't know him, she didn't know what kind of man he was, and she couldn't trust him over her child.
he recuperated, but the hurt in his eyes, in his tone, stayed. ❝i would have been, if i'd known. by the time i heard about you, you were shacked up on the top of a mountain. i came because i missed the start of her life, but i don't want to miss anymore. you let all sorts of people join this group, i've heard about it. you help people who've tried to burn the place down. you're a good person, let me prove to you that i am.❞
there was something about him. about his dark, earnest eyes; about the set of his lips, in a wounded pout; about the frown lines that had begun on a young face. ❝you've got one strike. fuck up and you're out.❞
that, it seemed, was enough for him. he sighed in relief and they stood there, staring at one another, until he cleared his throat. ❝so, hope is her name?❞
❝yeah. what's yours?❞
❝you really don't remember?❞
❝one strike.❞
❝jackson. jackson kenner.❞
hayley's dark eyes searched his features for a long beat, and she cleared her throat, nodding to the lodge over her shoulder. ❝c'mon then, come meet everyone. and myâ€â€❞ she stopped, clearing her throat, ❝our daughter.❞
JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES
Tomorrow could say that Hope was a genuinely pleasant baby. For the few times he'd been able to interact with her, she seemed like a happy, sleepy newborn. He'd always had a strong paternal instinct - or at least, he'd always nurtured his paternal instinct - so maybe he was a bit more doting than a man like him ought to be, but Hayley didn't seem to mind and he never went overboard.
He was happy for her; parenthood was a rare occurrence nowadays, and she was showing herself to be an exceptional mother. He didn't exactly know who the father was or where he was, but Tomorrow had... Sort of assumed the worst; a loving partner, killed tragically before Hope was born. Even that was an optimistic way of viewing it, since the father easily could be a deadbeat who'd left Hayley to raise Hope alone. It seemed the latter option was the correct one however.
"Titan, stay." Tomorrow said, for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon. The young dog simply tilted his head and wagged his tail, and quickly jumped up whenever Tomorrow moved away. Tomorrow sighed, deciding that he needed a break before trying a new teaching technique.
He was heading towards the kitchen, when he saw Hayley enter the front doors with an older man on her heels. He opened his mouth to greet them, and his welcoming words turned loud as Titan sprinted over to jump at the two.
"Titan! Down!" Tomorrow yelled, rushing over to grab the dog by the collar and drag him away. "Sorry, he's still learning." Tomorrow explained, face hot in embarrassment. He took a few quick breaths, and kept one hand on Titan's collar though the dog had sat down.
"Uh- Who's this, mi- um, Hayley?" Tomorrow stuttered, reminding himself that Hayley didn't like to be prefaced with his standard "miss". It felt weird referring to her with just her first name, but he didn't want to annoy her by ignoring her wishes about it.
'cus it don't make a difference anyway
tags - 26yrs - 6'1 - he/him - representative of fl
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jackson's eyes danced across the foyer of the lodge as they entered, clearly interested in it. he took in the couches and chairs, the hissing fireplaces and the bodies that had positioned themselves near them for the heat. finally, his eyes landed on a dog bolting towards them eagerly, a smile overtaking his features; he'd had a few dogs growing up, and his heart always warmed at the sight of them.
the man that followed the canine, calming the creature and apologizing for the behavior, directed his question at hayley instead of him, inquiring who he was. he had youthful features, though he pegged the man at about the same age as himself, perhaps even a little older than the twenty-five year old.
stepping forward, jackson offered out a hand to shake, fingers calloused from an obvious life of manual labor. ❝jackson kenner, i'm hope's father.❞ he introduced himself, but quickly shifted his gaze from the man to hayley, clearing his throat, ❝speaking of her, where is she? i want to meet her.❞
hayley visibly tensed at his introduction, causing a pang in his chest. ❝she's napping. you can meet her when she wakes up. and after i get to know you.❞ that made him tremble just a bit. jakson was entirely willing to play the part of an ex, but her words made it apparent that their fling had lasted little more than a night. he wasn't entirely sure why he wanted these people to care, but he didn't want a reputation of some sleazy playboy. he was a decent, honest guy who generally dated the girls he slept with.
almost impulsively, he glanced at tomorrow and spoke without thinking: ❝she's the only one night stand i've had. i'm a decent guy.❞ and immediately he regretted saying that, because this man was a total stranger, and it was unlikely he in any way cared about who and what jackson did with his free time.
JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES
Tomorrow scratched behind Titan's ear nervously as the man looked him over, and then stepped forward to introduce himself. Jackson Kenner... Hope's father? Tomorrow tried to mask the surprise underneath a clearly strained smile in an attempt to be welcoming while he glanced at Hayley for guidance.
Jackson wanted to meet Hope, which seemed like a fair request considering he'd sired her. Still, Hayley seemed tense and snappish towards him, so Tomorrow figured they hadn't exactly left each other on good terms. He blinked at Jackson's explanation, flushing slightly in embarrassment; he didn't really want to know about this relative stranger's personal life.
"Erm- Okay? Nice to meet you, Mr. Kenner? I go by Tomorrow." Tomorrow said, voice uncertain. He wasn't sure how to proceed with that information, so he lead Titan back. "No need to stand in the doorway. Uh- come sit down, and you can tell us a bit more about yourself." Tomorrow said, trying to subtly guide them back towards the fireplace. He kept glancing at Hayley for confirmation, gauging if she wanted him to be welcoming towards Jackson or not.
'cus it don't make a difference anyway
tags - 26yrs - 6'1 - he/him - representative of fl
[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: calibri; font-size: 8pt; color: #484848; line-height: 22px;"]jackson spoke, a look of mortification manifested on her face. hayley's jaw dropped, her eyes opened, and she stared at the man with a look that seemed to say i'm going to murder you. when he glanced at her, he seemed to see this, and his face grew red with embarrassment.
❝no one cared about that, jackson.❞ she said aloud, voice wavering with embarrassment. ❝literally no one asked.❞
tomorrow invited him to sit, and he obliged, and after a moments hesitation, she moved to sit as well, positioning herself across from him. ❝so what's your deal?❞ she demanded.
❝what's my deal?❞
❝your story. why you're here. who you are as a person.❞
jackson surveyed her features for a moment, and she watched as his eyes danced from person to person, before settling back on her. ❝i was four, when the world ended and all that. don't really remember life before, but we never moved from our house, never left. grew up in louisiana, just outside of new orleans, on a little farm my dad owned. my mom died before the power went out. cancer. my dad raised me alone, i like to think he did a pretty good job. we fed ourselves, took care of ourselves. sometimes people rolled through, we'd help them, like you know.❞ his gaze lingered on hayley, causing goose bumps to rise on her flesh at the memory of the night she'd shown up to the little farmhouse with tyler, the latest friend and traveling companion she'd made. after... everything, she and tyler had left, and a week after that had parted ways, heading separate destinations. that was how it'd always been, people and places always temporary.
❝is your dad...?❞ she trailed off, tone soft, unable to ask the question. marcus had been kind to her when she'd met him, but he was older, and when she'd last seen him he was moving about with only a cane.
❝he's okay.❞ jackson confirmed, and she nodded in relief. he cleared his throat, glancing about. ❝i know everyone's probably got their judgement's about me, but i'd just like it to be public knowledge that hayley left me because, as she says, commitment's not her thing. i liked her, and i would've had her stick around, if she would have.❞
hayley scowled at his words, at his little psa. ❝i didn't realize i was pregnant. i had places to be, things to do. louisana wasn't the end goal.❞ she muttered, arms crossed. her gaze shifted from his face to survey the room, landing on brendan. she looked at the boy for a long minute, then to jackson, then back to brendan, sighing. ❝brendan,❞ she called to him, swallowing the lump in her throat. ❝can you bring hope down?❞
JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES
Tomorrow's eyes caught Brendan approach silently, but he paid the boy little mind. He knew Brendan was probably going to stand and stare, and hopefully he'd refrain from yelling or snapping but Tomorrow had no idea what went through the boy's mind.
They all sat, and Tomorrow winced at Hayley's continued snappishness. He didn't blame her, though Jackson's continued insistence it wasn't his fault he'd been a deadbeat was... Well, it made things awkward, and it made Hayley mad, and Tomorrow was silently sort of wishing he could leave. But he needed to be here, as a mediator so Hayley didn't rip Jackson's head off or something; she didn't seem like the type, but she also seemed very angry.
Jackson's story was simple, but nice. He didn't mind hearing about Jackson's life, though he knew the information was mostly for Hayley's benefit. Tomorrow shifted uncomfortably as Jackson once again iterated that it wasn't his fault for not knowing of Hope's existence, and Tomorrow mentally sighed. He folded his hands over his lap and perked in surprise as Hayley asked for Brendan to bring Hope down; he supposed it was going to happen sooner than later, so he shouldn't be too surprised.
Uncertain of what to say, he fell silent. He noticed how Brendan was careful to keep the baby out of Jackson's reach, as well as his own; he felt a bit hurt he was being lumped in with Jackson, but he tried not to let it show.
'cus it don't make a difference anyway
tags - 26yrs - 6'1 - he/him - representative of fl
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