I Can't Promise You a Rose Garden (Connie, Luk)

[Deleted]

Given the events in the last week, needless to say, there has been a lot on J's mind. The aftermath of the eclipse was still reverberating like waves through the pack and, though everyone had survived it, there had been some concerning issues and situations created because of it. And J was trying to keep the pieces together. He was doing his best to do what he could to take care of everyone. But tonight he was spent.

With so much on his mind, Jason had barely had time to process all that had happened under the pack house roof the night of the eclipse. Between the blizzard, the eclipse, losing their wolves and everyone in a general panic there really hadn't been time for J to really sit back and think. A lot of the events of that night were jumbled and hurried images in his head now. The one moment he kept coming back to, the one thing that he couldn't shake from his brain, was the look in Luk's eyes before he had bolted from the bedroom where he was with Connie, J and Ever. Before his wolf came back, Luk, for a moment had seemed so lost, so distraught and pale that, thinking back on it now, Jason was still worried. He hadn't seen much of the boy since then. Knowing Luk, that was probably intentional, for the most part. The kid had avoidance issues and that wasn't news to Jason.

That was why the Alpha found himself in his own room on this day, pulling a long, red shirt box from under the bed and tossing it on top. For a long time, he just stared at this box as if by opening it, he would be unleashing floodgates or something. And maybe he would. Maybe this dream of his was just that but lately there seemed to be signs pointing in the direction he wanted them to go. He could only hope he was right and not reading into things in a way that his heart wanted to.

For a long time he just continued to stand there, at the side of the bed, staring at the box before growling to himself and shoving the stupid thing open. Inside were a stack of papers that J had gathered six months prior. They sat in this big, red box, under J's bed as he waited for the right time to reveal them to the person they would, hopefully, matter the most to. But was now the right time? He had no clue.

====================

[/size][/center]

tagged: person you're writing to
words: word count
notes: notes
lyrics: we are one from the lion king II
credit: LAVIEBOHEME @ caution 2.o

[Connie Lynn Marshall]

Casted out

I’m watching your eyes

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af82/sataraalcaelahn/Lux%20Lunae/bluegradient.jpg');,true][cs=2] Love is like starting over

[atrb=width,240] Connie was humming softly to herself as she walked up to the pack house. She had calmed considerably since the week before and the awful eclipse that had ripped her wolf away from her. Even if the eclipse had only lasted for an hour and a half or so, Connie had felt as if it had lasted all night. She remembered after Everleigh had crawled under the bed to hide, and Luk had been hiding somewhere in the living room, she had curled up on the floor just beyond the bed where Ever was and slept until the white wolf pup came crawling back out. She hadn't seen anyone from the pack, let alone Jason much since that day. She'd been busy with school work, trying to grade papers and work on assignments for her students. But now, she had a free day where she didn't have to worry about her job or anything for awhile. Connie stepped into the pack house, closing the door softly behind her. The house was eerily silent. Connie tilted her head, listening, and thought she heard something coming from Jason's room. Moving quietly, she walked towards the room Jason had taken her to that night so she could soak in the tub and try and warm up. Memories of that night flitted up as she walked slowly, remembering them in the bedroom, him holding her and trying to comfort her when she knew he was just as upset. She blinked the memories away as she reached the door, and found Jason standing by his bed. She knocked softly on the doorframe. "Jason, what are you doing staring at your bed?" She asked curiously as she leaned against the frame. "You aren't planning on going to bed in the middle of the day, are you?" She smiled at him, amused at the thought for some reason. "You look lost, J. What's up?"

[atrb=width,100] words , tagged , Jason, Luk notes , Curious wolf

table by Kat ;; lyrics by 10 Years

[Deleted]

Luk was anything but an open book but Jason has been taking all the time he could to try and punch through all the poor boy's defenses and walls that he's built around all his emotions and fears. Its been tough but J's tried to be patient. The most important thing in the world was gaining the kid's trust and to reach that goal, J would do anything. And he pretty much had. Between being extra strict and attentive, available to the kid just to listen, if nothing else, providing advice and wisdom, when he could....Jason had tried it all. And now the idea that any of it was actually paying off was a bit intimidating.

It wasn't that the alpha was afraid to bond too much with Luk. It was the fear of reading things wrong and having all his progress crumble. How would he cope if, after all of this, it all just fell apart. It didn't happen too often but right now Jason was doubting himself.

That was probably why Connie's sudden appearance in the doorway had startled him the way that it did. His head shot up and turned in her direction with eyes wide, eyebrows raised. Yeah, she had completely caught him off guard. And it took a moment for him to realize what she was asking. A light smile touched his lips as he shook his head. "Oh, I wish I could nap in the middle of the day." But then the smile slipped a bit into a slight frown as his eyes fell back to the box he had been staring at. "Not so much lost but at a loss, is more like it." He ran one of his large hands over his face, seating himself on the edge of the bed, facing Connie in the doorway. The box was pulled closer to him as he spoke. "I've had these for a long time but just didn't know what to do with them...until now...I think." After a slight hesitation, Jason reached into the box and took out the thick pile of documents. "They're Luk's adoption papers. I've had them in this box, under my bed for six months." A long sigh escaped him and he shook his head again before lifting his eyes to Connie. "I want to give them to him, I really do. But I just don't know if now is a good time. I don't know if he's ready...or if he'll want them." But what he was really trying to say is "I'm not sure he'll want me!"

====================

[/size][/center]

tagged: person you're writing to
words: word count
notes: notes
lyrics: we are one from the lion king II
credit: LAVIEBOHEME @ caution 2.o

[Connie Lynn Marshall]

Casted out

I’m watching your eyes

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af82/sataraalcaelahn/Lux%20Lunae/bluegradient.jpg');,true][cs=2] Love is like starting over

[atrb=width,240] When Jason's head snapped around to look at her, his eyes wide and eyebrows high, Connie blinked, surprised. Had she startled him? Lips twitching, she forced herself not to grin at him. She let out a laugh though when he said he wished he could nap in the middle of the day, and she had to agree with him. Her students at school had been running her ragged with crazy questions and bad behavior. She was nearly at her wits end, and a nap would set her straight again. Connie opened her mouth to say something, when Jason started speaking again, and she closed it before she walked across the room. She jerked to a stop half way to him though when he told her what the papers were, and she felt herself going soft. To see the big man in front of her looking so out of sorts over adoption papers made her heart do something funny in her chest. She had no idea what the feeling was, and she ignored it. Just the alpha magic, she supposed. Or whatever. "You want to adopt him?" She asked, her tone even. She moved over to stand next to him, thinking. For once, Connie felt speechless. She didn't really know what to say. She thought it was a good idea, the boy needed someone. Connie didn't know him well, yes, but she knew when someone was alone. She knew how sharp the feeling of being alone could be, cutting you when you least expected it. "Honestly?" Connie said finally, her thoughts coming into some sort of order finally. "I think now is the perfect time. I don't know Luk as well as I should yet, but after seeing him after the eclipse, I think what he needs now is family, not just pack." Finally, she looked up at Jason, her eyes soft. "I think you're a wonderful man, Jason."

[atrb=width,100] words , tagged , Jason, Luk notes , Curious wolf

table by Kat ;; lyrics by 10 Years

[Lukan Christopher Oliver]

Lukan's knuckles brushed against the bark - lightly scraping the skin - as he nestled down in his favorite tree. And why was it his favorite? It never changed. Not ever. It was a pine tree, meaning no falling leaves, no change of colors, none of that. At worst, he broke a branch or two. But what he remembered the most was a little spatter of blood towards the base of the tree - his blood - and it was always there. It'd been there since Lukan and Am got into a particularly rowdy session of play fighting, during which Luk scraped his shin against the tree. Now while that memory was occasionally disturbing to the boy, currently this tree held a quality he feared the rest of his life was missing; stability, unchanging stability. Until recently, Luk had a very fixed plan in his head: learn to hunt then run away with Dave. But after yesterday... everything felt like it had changed. He repeatedly tried to convince himself that his surroundings were changing, but his efforts were becoming futile; it was he who had changed. He knew it too.

Lukan wore the jacket of the man who was responsible. Every sniff of the air brought Jason's scent to him: outdoorsy and... comforting. It smelt like the home he'd never had. He almost felt like crying just from the smell, yet he could not throw the jacket away. Instinct told him to burn it. His heart told him to bundle up tightly. One was steadily becoming the victor, and it frightened him. More change...

As he buried his face in the jacket sleeve - his back resting against the tree trunk - another voice spoke to him, and a soothing one at that. A safe place for you to live... someone to come to... you won't be cold and you won't be alone. It was Jason's voice, a memory really. But it was a memory so sweet and comforting that Lukan wanted to wear it like a jacket... he wanted to go back to it. With his head rather fuzzy, Lukan clambered down from his beloved tree. But he didn't have to think anyway. His heart said enough, and right now it said that he wanted to be safe. He most certainly didn't want to be alone. His instinct - built up from years of abuse and neglect - was now itself abused, bound and gagged in the corner of his mind. Not gone. Just temporarily subdued.

He ran the entire way. Luk couldn't pinpoint why, nor did he really want to; he just acted. All he knew was that he wanted to feel safe, and he wanted it now. The packhouse door swung open, hitting Lukan with a warm gust of air. You will never be cold. He smiled and took a few more steps inside. It was then that he heard muffled voices coming from the alpha's bedroom. You will never be alone. He could have sat on the couch, loitered in the kitchen, or left the house all together. But he didn't. He felt so... so warm. Luk still felt a sense of fear pricking him - a fear of change and the past - but it was overpowered by a yearning for comfort. So, he followed the voices to try and satiate his longing.

"Jason?" The teen stood in the doorway with Jason's jacket hanging heavy on him, slipping off one shoulder even. He wasn't smiling - it wasn't in Lukan's nature to smile a lot - but he wasn't frowning either. However, there was more... light in his eyes, as if they wanted to spread the news of the boy's changing soul. And now, these light eyes were focused on a pile of documents in the alpha's hands. "What's that?"

WORDS! 636
TAGS! Jason and Connie
NOTES! None
CREDITS! Haze

[Deleted]

His admission had stopped Connie in her tracks and Jason couldn't help but to smile a bit. "I've wanted to adopt him for months. It was Luk I was waiting on." This had been a long time coming, as far as J was concerned. Even before becoming Alpha, J had always made it his business to find out about each of the pack members, including their pasts. And he knew them all. It was Luk's, though, that bothered him the most. The boy had come to them looking almost completely emaciated. He was angry and bitter and hurt. He was defeated. And the kid couldn't help but grab Jason's attention. He kept his distance, at first, but when he became Alpha, J found it was the perfect excuse to assert himself more with the kid and start trying to make some kind of meaningful impression.

Connie came closer and J absently wrapped one of his thick, strong arms around her waist, his eyes still glued to the papers before him. "Everyone needs family." Jason had his, as far as he was concerned. The pack had been all he's ever needed for decades now. But Luk needed more and the longer that J spent getting to know the kid, the more affection he had for the boy. The waiting and wondering and all the anxiety was really driving the big guy nuts! He allowed himself a chuckle at Connie's assessment of him. "Well, I don't know about that." His voice was just a bit softer as that damn blush flashed across his cheeks for a moment. "But if I can be good for Luk then I'll be satisfied." And his hand lightly rubbed at Connie's back idly.

The back door in the kitchen suddenly opened then and before the boy uttered a word Jason picked up Luk's scent. "And speak of the devil," he smiled. The boy came into the doorway, calling the alpha's name and Jason couldn't help getting immediately to his feet. Was something wrong? But when he was finally able to lay eyes on the teen, it was clear that there wasn't something wrong. In fact, there seemed to be some positive change in the kid. There was something in his eyes.

The man's eyes fell to the jacket around the kid's shoulders and his smile grew. Luk was still wearing that old jacket of J's and he couldn't help but to feel flattered that the kid would even want it. Luk's eyes fell to Jason's hand and that was when the big guy even remembered he had the adoption papers in his grasp. Letting his hand fall from Connie's back, J looked down at the documents for a moment, lost for words. How the hell do I go about this?

First, Jason ushered Luk into the room, gesturing to the bed. "Here, come sit." There was a light friendly smile on J's face even as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think this out. "These are yours." And he held out the stack of papers to the boy. "I've had these a long time now, Luk. I got them the day I went into town to sign all the legal crap when I officially became Alpha. I figured I'd get them and have them here, ready for when the time was right." He paced a bit before turning to face the boy again. "I'm hoping...maybe...that time is now."

And now the hard part. Taking a deep breath and trying to blink the lost look out of his eyes, J crouched down to be face to face with Luk. "I don't know if you realize this but, Luk, I've thought of you as mine for a long time now. Not like with the rest of the pack. I mean, they're family and I love them all....but you and me...the bond is different..I think." Man, was he crap at this! He ran his hand over his face and sighed. "Look. Those papers are done and ready. All I have to do is sign them and give them back to that lawyer. If I do that....," What was he getting so choked up for? He had to pause, blinking again and clearing his throat. Don't lose it, you idiot! "If I sign those...then that's it. Its official and you're mine. Really and legally...my son." God, he thought he'd never get to say that word!! "The only reason I haven't done just that yet is because...well, you have to want me to first....so...do you?" And he held his breath.

====================

[/size][/center]

tagged: person you're writing to
words: word count
notes: notes
lyrics: we are one from the lion king II
credit: LAVIEBOHEME @ caution 2.o

[Connie Lynn Marshall]

Casted out

I’m watching your eyes

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af82/sataraalcaelahn/Lux%20Lunae/bluegradient.jpg');,true][cs=2] Love is like starting over

[atrb=width,240] Connie wanted to laugh at Jason's comment about family. She had been thinking something so close to that, that it seemed he had read her mind. Instead, when he wrapped his arm around her waist she leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing as his hand started to rub her back gently. She was about to say something, had opened her mouth to speak, but she heard the door opening about the same time Jason did, and she looked up towards the bedroom door when she smelled Luk. "And speak of the devil," Jason said, making Connie laugh. "Perfect timing," Connie mused as she looked up at Jason, eyes glittering with amusement. She wanted to know how he would deal with this, and stood silently, watching as Luk came in and listening when the two spoke. She never spoke up, just watching, looking from Jason's face to Luk's as J spoke of the adoption papers. She heard the catch in Jason's voice, and reached up to rub his back gently, her face soft, but she still said nothing. She, too, was waiting on Luk's response as Jason stopped speaking, unsure of what the boy was thinking at the moment. Her wolf was happy inside her head, proud of Jason for adopting a pup that needed him. Connie was slightly amused at her wolf, but none of the amusement showed on her face or in her eyes or body posture. She didn't want Lukan to see her looking amused and take Jason's proposal the wrong way, thinking it nothing but a joke. She would have ruined everything for Jason then, and she would never forgive herself, even if he did.

[atrb=width,100] words , tagged , Jason, Luk notes , Curious wolf

table by Kat ;; lyrics by 10 Years

[Lukan Christopher Oliver]

"Okay..." His words were quiet and almost unspoken; Lukan could feel a tension in the room... another change. It was during times like these (when his surrounding became nearly unfamiliar) that the boy found solace in checking his exits: windows, doors, etc. If he could run away, he wanted to know how... usually. But today he found sanctuary in the alpha himself, the personified version of all that he wished to run away from. Used to run away from? Lukan felt his heart jump with uncertainty; he didn't know who he was anymore. Was Jason not a home, love itself, and a parent to all around him? Was Lukan not against all of this!? No... no that didn't feel entirely right. He still felt uneasy, but his thoughts were wavering. Lukan began to second guess himself and the life he currently led: a life spent dancing on the border between packwolf and loner. Son and orphan.

So with his stomach flip flopping and his hands fidgeting, Lukan settled himself on the edge of the bed and bounced his knee. His once quiet inner turmoil had now begun to reflect itself on his expression. But the light, while it dared not to travel elsewhere in his body, still shone in his eyes. His soul had changed, now if only Luk could fully register it.

The papers helped, though at first Luk could not believe them to be real. They're fake... it's a joke. He screwed up his eyes and blinked hard, then he read the print over and over. His thumb nail brushed against a single word: adoption. It can't be real... Luk gripped the papers harder and sliced his forefinger along the corner of the page, giving himself a paper cut. As a dot of his blood formed on his finger, the truth hit Luk; this wasn't some dream. Sound burst into his ears like water rushing from a broken damn... no, a calming stream. Jason's voice didn't offend the senses. But as Luk listened, the war waging on in his head rose to full intensity; the time was now. There was a choice approaching Lukan, he could see it flowing to him from the alpha's very mouth. And then, Jason said it.

"So... do you?" Luk felt two emotions slam into him like freight trains, both hell bent on destroying the other. First came happiness, overwhelming happiness; it warmed his heart and shone in his eyes. But just as quickly arose a terrible panic. Don't do it, it screamed! There was no confusion as to what Lukan wanted: a family. But why couldn't he ever yearn for one without his past coming back to shoot him down? It wasn't fair! Frustrated with the voice holding him back, Lukan's eyes began to tear up. He clung to the jacket and pressed it to his face. Why can't I just have it... why won't you let me!? With a choked voice, Luk finally spoke of his dilemma. "I want to... I want to so badly." His heart ached at his own sentiment. "But it's holding me back. I can feel it holding me back and I hate it... I hate the past so much and it won't quit." He wrapped his arms around himself, balancing the adoption papers on his lap, and gripped the jacket. Luk's gaze fell down to the floor as he cried, tears staining his cheeks. "Help me."

WORDS! 566
TAGS! Jason and Connie
NOTES! None
CREDITS! Haze

[Deleted]

Connie's hand on Jason's back was like a soothing balm, helping to keep him anchored and calm in this moment. This was a moment that J's waited decades for. For as long as the alpha could remember, he's wanted his own children. Not just the pack pups, as much as they were his kids, too. He wanted something more personal, something that was really and truly his. When Amelia died, along with their stillborn daughter, that part of Jason had been lost for a long time. He stopped believing that he would have a connection that deep in his life again. Amelia had been a once-in-a-lifetime love. J would never have another.

But that hand on his back, just now, felt familiar. It was a comfort that J hasn't experienced in almost sixty years and without Connie's presence in this room, at this moment, Jason wouldn't have been able to sit there, in front of Luk, as he was, and handle watching all the emotion play in the boy's eyes and on his face. First, there was an overwhelming joy shining in Luk's eyes that Jason had never seen before. That look alone had the alpha breathing just a bit easier. That had to be a good sign from the kid, no doubt.

The panic, however, wasn't an emotion that the big guy had been anticipating. Why panic? Over what? And the answer came to Jason a split second before tears built in Luk's eyes. Holy Christ! What was this poor child thinking? It had to be something terrifying, judging by the look on his face. The teen was clutching J's jacket for dear life, seeming to cling to it like a security blanket. And that was when it finally dawned on Jason. Luk was clinging to the man's jacket. He was using J's scent to try to calm himself, to comfort himself. The boy actually found comfort in Jason!!!

Before Luk even spoke a word, J was on his feet again and whirled himself around quickly to put both of his strong arms around the boy as he sat himself down on the bed next to him. For just a moment, J's blue eyes flickered to Connie, showing the immense concern and sorrow he felt from watching Luk come apart. "It's gone, Luk. Nothing can get you now. I'm here. You're alright. I'm here." Those words fell repeatedly from the man's lips, holding the boy close and rubbing his back, trying to break through the warring emotions in the poor kid's mind. Of course, with everything Luk's been through, everyone who's betrayed him, lied to him, left him, and abused him, Jason's offer would seem much too good to be true. Just the idea alone; that this kid could be so tortured...it ripped at something inside the alpha. "Luk, listen. This town is my home. This land is all I've known for almost a hundred years. Its a part of who I am. This place is in my blood just as much as these wolves in this pack are in my heart. There is nowhere else I belong but in this house, with these wolves, on this land...here, with you." I will never leave you! But, instinctively, J knew better than to actually utter those words. Luk would completely come apart for sure then and Jason just wouldn't know what to do about that. So, he sat, holding this boy who was already his son in his heart...stupid forms be damned!! He let the boy cry, gave him time to process whatever he needed to but he didn't let go.

====================

[/size][/center]

tagged: person you're writing to
words: word count
notes: notes
lyrics: we are one from the lion king II
credit: LAVIEBOHEME @ caution 2.o

[Lukan Christopher Oliver]

He felt Jason's embrace. He heard his words. He cried even harder. "No it c-can't be alright... I'm never going to be alright." Lukan shook his head and knocked strands of hair over his reddening eyes, then proceeded to bury his face into J's shoulder. "I'm ruined." He voice came out no louder than a croak. "I'm poisoned and tainted and... just ruined. I'm never going to be alright. I'm not meant to be alright... right?" Though his words reflected some wretched hopelessness, the question mark at the end of his sentence proved just the opposite. His mind was truly at a game of tug-of-war. And over what? The boy's future. Half of him was positive it was his fate to die alone, having never felt the love he yearned for... but that was supposed to keep him safe from more hurt. Then the other half dangled family and love right in front of his eyes! He wanted to take part in it with all his heart, but his mind... his stupid tainted mind would not break so easily.

With the tears still refusing to cease, Luk pulled his face away from J's shoulder to meet his eyes. His voice practically quivered in his throat. "But I want to be alright..." He was lost. Jason's offer meant two things, each opposing the other: safety and disaster. His heart pleaded safety, while his instinct based mind screamed disaster. Which one was right!? He knew which one he wanted to be right, but that wasn't very comforting. Having little clue as to how to battle this turmoil, Lukan brought his hands up to clasp at Jason's shirt. He rested his forehead against the other's chest and sobbed with heaving shoulders. Lost. Confused. Help me.

He cried until he could cry no more; perhaps if he even attempted to do so, he would have risked falling to dehydration. As his tears stopped, Lukan caught Jason's comforting words. They nestled in close to his heart. "Do I belong... do you really think I belong?" He met Jason's eyes again then let his gaze drift down to the papers resting on his knees. What a future they entitled... what a wonderful future. He couldn't help but let a smile brighten his so often conflicted or numb face. Lukan would give almost anything for that future to be his. To forever be his. Didn't he deserve it? Slowly, his heart began to stifle the damage that had resonated in him for so long.

WORDS! 421
TAGS! Jason and Connie
NOTES! None
CREDITS! Haze

[Deleted]

"You've been alright for a while now. Lukan, you've grown. You've opened up, at least to me. You've shared things with me that I'm sure you've never shared with anyone else, right?" Jason's eyes flickered down to look at the boy clinging to him. "You are alright. And if you ever feel like you're not, I'm here. I'm always here. Every time you've come back from climbing your trees or wandering or visiting your friend, Dave...every time you've come back, I've been here, right?" Jason took up the pile of papers in Luk's lap. "These, right here, I have had in my possession for months! I had them long before you opened up to me. I had them long before you decided to trust me at all. These papers have been in my possession long before our bond grew to what it is now. So you know what that means?" And he reached out to bring Luk's face out so he could see the kid's eyes. "That means that I've wanted you in my life for a long time now. It means that I have cared about you and wanted the best for you even before you cared about me. I don't think you're broken. I don't think you're poisoned or tainted. You're the kid I've grown to love. You're the boy that I want to make a permanent part of my family and my life. You don't have to do a damn thing but say 'yes.' I would never ask you to change who you are. There's nothing wrong with you. Not as far as I'm concerned."

Luk rested his forehead against J's chest and the alpha absently brought a hand up to cup the back of Luk's head. "Everyone is afraid of the unknown. You're not alone in that but you have a head start here. The routine that you and I already have isn't going to change." And Jason gestured to the papers again. "It's just paper, legal crap and technicalities. The government needs these to make things official but you and I already have our bond." See? Not so much change after all.

Again, Jason looked down into Luk's eyes. "Yes. You belong. You have for a long time now. You just need to allow yourself to feel it."

====================

[/size][/center]

tagged: person you're writing to
words: word count
notes: notes
lyrics: we are one from the lion king II
credit: LAVIEBOHEME @ caution 2.o

[Lukan Christopher Oliver]

Lukan answered Jason's answer with a nod and a whisper. "Yes..." His words become almost lost among his gasps and whines, but it had been said; he had told Jason more than he had ever told anyone. He and Dave were close, but he always had to act tough around the guy. They were like brothers. And Luk, though he had assured himself that such a bond was unbreakable, still sought out to impress the rambunctious lone. Thus, sappy feelings were seldom shown... only the angry ones. The lucky Jason got to witness and deal with nearly if not all of Luk's problems. Ever. Single. Issue. "Yes." He whispered again with another shudder. Yes, Jason had always been there. Even when the boy protested against J's intervention, he was never far away.

These realizations in mind Lukan tried to settle his distress in favor of listening to Jason... for once. He even went so far as to cover his mouth with both hands and bury his face further into the other's chest; anything to stifle his emotions. "These papers have been in my possession long before our bond grew to what it is now. So you know what that means?" Lukan felt the alpha move his face so he can see the other's eyes, but he resisted and tried again to hide his face; Luk's sense of pride was always close by when it came to sappy emotions. Nonetheless, he answered the alpha with a muffled and gasping voice; had he the tears left, he would have continued to cry. "Fate... does it mean fate?" A strong believer in fate - albeit he rarely assumed he had a happy future in store for him - Lukan now wondered if there was indeed something better waiting for him. If J had retrieved these papers long ago... could it be destined?

Lukan's soft sounds of distress slowly began to settle as Jason spoke of more comfort and encouragement. But out of all of J's words, Lukan found solace in the idea that the bond was already formed; he enjoyed thinking that there was no decision to be made. Somehow... somehow he had made the choice long ago. Who was he to fight his own decisions? His past stifled - for now - and his heart feeling warmer by the moment, Lukan finally gave into the other's attempts to look into his eyes. There was still a slightly lost look within his irises, but below them was shining realization. There was a bond, he knew it. With more certainty than he'd ever felt in his life, Lukan knew he wanted to be a part of that bond forever.

"Yes..." His spoke quietly, but then Luk swallowed his fear and raised his voice just a bit. "Yes... I wanna be your son." He was practically shaking, his cheeks were pallid, and his eyes were wide and doe like. But Luk felt that if he didn't make this decision now, then he would regret it dearly. As Jason as suggested months before, Lukan followed his gut.

WORDS! 511
TAGS! Jason and Connie
NOTES! None
CREDITS! Haze

[Deleted]

With each affirmation that Luk made, agreeing with Jason that what the alpha was telling the boy was true, each time he said yes, that one little word helped to ease some of the tension filling the man's chest. This was the most important conversation that the two would ever have together. This, if all went the way Jason wanted it to, would be the beginning of forever.

J didn't push Luk to look at him if he didn't want to. The boy's emotions were fragile and if anyone should know that, it was Jason. This talk was about Luk allowing himself to be free. It was about Luk allowing himself to have the family and care and love that he deserved. Everything else would take time. The self-esteem would take work. There were still some walls that J needed to punch through with the kid but none of it mattered in this moment.

Luk's suggestion that fate played a part in their bond honestly startled J. He's never thought about it that way but it made sense. Could that have some roll in how things had played out between them? If Luk hadn't needed help from the pack and joined, if the pack hadn't split and Jason hadn't become Alpha, if this kid hadn't gotten J's attention the way that he had...then Luk was right. Neither of them would be here, in this moment, having this discussion. "Fate," the big guy mused, "yeah....I think you're right."

And as Luk began to settle down and his shaking and nerves seemed to calm, he finally uttered the words that Jason had waited months to hear, "Yes...I wanna be your son." And the man just couldn't help himself. He pulled back from Luk just to stare at him for a moment. As much as he had hoped and prayed and wished for just such a response, receiving it was still a shock. But slowly, the reality of what the boy had just said dawned on Jason and his face lit up like a five-year-old at Christmas. He clung to the kid...his son...tightly for a moment before kissing his temple and leaning to the side just enough to pull a pen out of his back pocket. With pride and pure joy shining in his eyes, J took up the papers yet again and signed each and every sheet, right then and there. "Well, then I have to get to town! I have a lawyer to visit!" And he sprang from the bed, giving Lukan another enthusiastic hug. He's never felt this much joy in his life!

Rushing from the room quickly, signed papers in hand, the alpha breezed through the kitchen, calling to Connie, "He said yes!!! I'll be back later!" And then he was out the door and on his way to town and the start of a whole new beginning.

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tagged: person you're writing to
words: word count
notes: notes
lyrics: we are one from the lion king II
credit: LAVIEBOHEME @ caution 2.o