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whatisreggieshortfor · 2 years

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After Vaanu

Five years after you left with Vaanu, they’re ready for you to come home.

Jake x M!MC

Their faces flashed in front of your eyes. Diego’s bright eyes as he talked about some movie you had never seen, Grace’s cautious smile as she talked about something she was afraid no one would find as interesting as she did, Michelle’s concentration as she worked to help dress wounds on the others, Quinn’s unwavering optimism even as her body fought against her, Jake’s lazy grin as he asked you to marry him- even though no one imagined they’d actually get out alive.

Five years, my child. You are living in your memories again?

“Huh- Oh, uh, I’m sorry, Vaanu. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate that you allowed me to continue living with you, rather than absorbing my energy back into yourself. But I-“ You shook your head.

You miss your friends. You miss your love. I understand. I could not fix the world if I left you behind. My essence needed to be cleared for the world to be repaired.

“It’s okay, Vaanu. They got their families back. They got their futures back. And I- well, I still carry them with me.” Your mind once again filled with memories of laughter, and love. Fear and bravery.

Vaanu looked over at its missing piece, watched the love and grief that filled your eyes, and wished it could be honest about what it knew. But then the surprise would be ruined.

“To five years, everyone.” Diego raised a toast as the rest group raised their drinks in return. The nine other former Hartfeld students, the pilot, and the former Vaanti ely’shar sat on a beach together, reminiscing, “And to Y/N.”

Jake’s eyes were misty, the ghost of a smile on his face, “Do you think Boy Scout’s happy?”

Quinine gave him a gentle smile, “I want to say yes. He made the decision he did to give us a chance to see our families again. And think about what we’ve managed to do since then? Grace and Aleister got married and had a baby. Zahra and Craig, Sean and Michelle, Diego and Varyyn. I think he’d be happy to see us now. And he loved you so much-“

“Loves, Quinn.” Grace interrupted quietly, “Don’t forget that Y/N didn’t die that day. He just left with Vaanu.”

“Right.” The redhead gave a firm nod, “He loves you. You finally got to make your case and earned your freedom to be able to see your family again. I’m sure he’d be overjoyed to know that you finally got to make Rebecca proud.”

“If only he could know, Ariel.” Jake sighed.

“There is a way for him to.” Aleister interjected, gently, as if trying to gauge response.

“What are you talking about, Malfoy? My husband’s lost somewhere in space. We got no idea where. So unless-“ Jake narrowed his eyes at the poorly hidden excitement in Grace’s face, “Unless you two have something to share with the rest of the class…”

“Oh, Aleister, I can’t wait any longer. Can we please tell them?”

The taller man sighed happily as he gazed at his wife, “I suppose we have to know. Zahra, if you would please join us over here while we explain.” He paused as the three of them stood in front of the rest of the group, “Over the course of the last five years, Zahra, Grace, and myself have been at work. As my father was deemed insane by his spouting of Crystal people, I was able to use my access to his DNA profile to assist Zahra in hacking into his systems. I’ve inherited Rourke International. With my financing, Zahra’s technical skills, and Grace’s gift for science and mathematics, well…”

“Last week, we were able to finally track down the end of the trail of Vaanu’s energy!” Grace excitedly interrupted, “Zahra and Aleister have been at work for years developing a ship that will take the willing parties into space. We can get Y/N back!”

Jake’s face was slack, disbelief clear as his eyes welled with tears, “If you’re pulling my leg, Brain Trust, I swear-“ His voice cut out, a choked sound leaving him as Michelle and Sean reached over, each gripping one of his shoulders.

“I assure you, we are quite serious.” Aleister answered, a small smile on his own face, “I will not be taking the mission, as I promised Reginald all the love and care my father would never give. Grace and I agreed that one of us should stay behind with our son.”

“But I rigged up Iris’s old hologram program, made a few adjustments to it, and a piece of Grace will stay behind with him. The hologram will also serve as our communication system, and I’ve updated her to understand your pop culture nicknames. The real Grace will be riding as my copilot, so to speak.” Zahra smirked. “But we aren’t sure how long this will take, so if any of you don’t want to go, or if you can’t get away from responsibilities-“

“Ah, Skrillex, you already know my ass’ll be on that ship. Even if Vaanu absorbed Y/N back into itself, maybe it’d let me see ‘im again one last time.” Jake couldn’t help the hopeful smile on his face, “The rest of these guys might have things they need ta do, but me- I just gotta let my sister know I’ll be back this time.”

“You’ll need a doctor for this trip, no doubt. Space does funny things to the human body.” Michelle grinned, “I guess I can tag along.”

Estela shrugged, “I just took down a dictatorship, I need to get away for a while anyway.” The others blinked at her, unsure if she was serious, before deciding it best not to question it. “Besides, Vaanu may not be the only alien form out there, and most of you are probably still useless in a fight.”

Diego snorted, “I’m coming! That’s my best friend!”

“You’ll need someone to cook food every day! So I’m in! Resident chef back in the hoooouse!” Ran cheered.

“I think all of us are.” Craig and Sean grinned.

Aleister nodded, “For all of you that will need to step away from work, my assistant is already preparing documents to show you taking part in an outreach through my company. There will be virtually no existence of this trip.”

Jake just gave him a watery grin, “When do we leave, Aleister?”

Within two days time, the eleven of them were onboard a shuttle that seemed impossibly large. Grace defended that by saying that Aleister insisted each couple have separate rooms, in case they were on different watch shifts, to ensure one didn’t interrupt the others sleep.

“Okay, everybody!” Grace spoke enthusiastically, “For the beginning of the trip, we’ll just take turns running the show, but after a couple of weeks, we’ll be taking turns in the hyperstasis tubes that Rourke designed to save oxygen and food- but don’t worry! Zahra and I changed them so there won’t be any medical issues upon awaking, and the two of us will be alternating our shifts so that one of us will be able to operate them safely!”

It wasn’t long before they were breaking atmosphere, most of them marveling at the stars, except for one.

Jake sat almost completely still, nearly looking like a statue as he sat in the seat Grace had guided him to. The others shared worried looks, wondering if he was okay, before Quinn finally decided to voice their concern, “Hey, Jake…” she waited, but it was as if he didn’t hear her, “…Jake?”

Sean looked a little concerned, but Diego’s eyes lit up with an idea, before anyone could question it, he called out, “Yo, Top Gun!”

Jake’s head snapped over immediately, retort ready, the old nickname sticking in his instincts to respond before he realized who it was, “What’s up, Pop Culture Petey?”

“Quinn called your name a couple times, dude. Wanna tell us what’s on your mind?”

Jake looked almost pained, like he was still wrestling with the idea to open up to them again, but the words seemed to dislodge from his throat as he realized how much he trusted them, “…what if- what if he doesn’t remember us? Remember me? What if he- what if he doesn’t feel the same anymore?”

Various ranges of shock filled their faces, before a snort rang out and everyone turned to see Zahra trying to hold in her laughter. Craig was the first to follow suit, until eventually everyone was laughing as Jake scowled at them. Quinn took his hand, giving him a bright smile, “The chances of Y/N not still loving you, are about as good as the chances that I had a healthy childhood.” Jake’s scowl vanished at the mention of her Rotterdam’s, but Quinn continued, “From the moment he entered that cockpit to check how much longer the flight would be, we could all see it. The way you both looked at each other. And I know you know that. You two are meant to be.”

“Heh.” The pilot cracked a small grin at her, shaking his head, “I said that to ‘im once. After me and Katniss over there found ‘im, when we got separated after the whole MASADA b.s.” His eyes took on a nostalgic appearance, “We were sittin’ in a time rift of a place that looked like home. You’re right, Ariel. Guess I’m jus’ nervous.”

“And that’s okay!” Quinn beamed, “We’re all right there with you!”

When the hologram announced what would have been night time for them on Earth, Diego wandered over to Jake as they joined Varyyn, Zahra, and Craig for the first watch. “Jake…I’ve got a question for you. And I don’t want you to feel like you need to be defensive or- I mean he’s been gone five years and-“

“You wanna know if I saw anyone else while Y/N was gone. That right?”

Diego gulped back a small number of nerves at the look in the pilot’s eye, “….yes.”

Jake sighed, “I ain’t been with nobody since he left. My sister set me up on a date. Once. About two years back. But I made ‘im uncomfortable. He could tell I was comparin’ ‘im to my husband. He left within the first ten minutes. She ain’t tried since. I’ll be honest with Y/N about it.”

Diego nodded seriously, “I don’t mean to make it seem like-“

Jake shook his head, “Naw, I get it, Petey. He’s your best friend, you’re just looking out. Just…let me wait for a day before I tell him. Just enjoy seeing him first.”

Diego shook his head, “As far as I’m concerned, that wasn’t anything. But I trust you to know what’s best for the two of you. Even if you had- ya know, I think he would have understood. He’s been away…gone, for five years. I don’t think he expected you to go through life alone when he left.”

“I ain’t been alone.” Jake shook his head, smirking, “I’ve had the Odd Squad backing me up.” Your best friend laughed, knocking his shoulder against the pilot’s.

They were getting closer, following the trail Grace had mapped out. It was close to three months, floating around in space and taking turns in hyperstasis. Michelle insisted on staying out of the tube, just in case anyone had any medical issues that would need tending to, and no one was dumb enough to fight her about it. Sean was on watch when a beeping on the control panel snagged his attention, “Hey! Grace, what’s this indicator?”

Grace hurried over, looking over the instruments before beaming back at him, “That means it’s time to wake everyone up.”

You were lost in your memories again when you heard it. The voices, talking to each other as they seemed to be searching for something. Climbing onto a crystal formation, you followed the sound until you saw them. “Vaanu! You promised you’d stop with the mirages!”

It is not me, my child.

“If it’s not you then what else-“ the words lodged solidly in your throat as you stared back at Vaanu.

They have traveled a great distance for you. Are you not going to greet them?

You vaulted off the crystals without another word, racing across the planet’s surface, until you collided with the first body you could reach, “If this is a dream, I never wanna wake up again.” You muttered desperately into their chest.

The laugh that rumbled through felt like your memories, as did the arms that wrapped around you, “Come on, Y/N! We came all this way, let us see your face!”

You pulled back to look your best friend in the eyes, grinning at him with a watery smile, “You’re- you’re real this time.”

“Aw, you’ve been dreaming about us again?” You turned to see Sean, and sped over to wrap him a hug as well, when he pulled back he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, “Come on, now, the others are over this way. We split up to search.”

You couldn’t focus on how long the walk was as you followed the two of them, but you heard Craig clear as day, “Chyeah, boiiiii! Y/N!” He rushed over to you this time, lifting you off the ground, while Zahra offered you a lazy fist bump. Though even she couldn’t hide her grin.

Estela and Quinn were next, and you lifted Quinn onto your back to keep moving when it became clear she wasn’t going to let go on her own. Grace wrapped both of you in a hug when you found her and Varyyn.

“I can’t believe you guys came all this way…” You sniffled, happy but tearful to be reunited with so many of your friends.

And then you heard him.

“Believe it, Boy Scout. I told ya I’d cross every mile of space to get ya back.” You barely registered Sean lifting Quinn off your back as you blinked, trying to clear away the daydream.

“Top Gun…” Your voice was choked, and your feet moved before you could tell them to, carrying you into his waiting arms. “I’m so sorry, Jake. I didn’t want to leave you- but it was the only way and-“

“Shhh, baby, I got you.” Jake pulled back long enough to wipe your flowing tears with his thumbs, even as his own streamed down his face, “I get it. Yeah, it sucked. But at least I wasn’t alone. Thanks to you, we all found a family to hold onto. People we could remember ya with. I would’ve given anythin’ to have ya with me, but thanks to the Brain Trust and Skrillex over there, I get to have ya back in my arms where ya belong.” You sniffled, at a loss for words, and just wrapped yourself firmly around him. Belatedly, you noticed Michelle watching the scene with her own teary smile, and you reached out to clasp her hand in your own, hoping she understood how much you loved her as well without letting go of your long lost husband. To your mild surprise, she threw her arms around the two of you, and you felt the others join, until you were in the center of a group hug of your favorite people. Pulling away, you dabbed at your eyes, keeping a firm hold on Jake’s hand, “I missed you guys more than you could possibly imagine. Vaanu tried to help- it used to make visions of you, but I couldn’t hold them.”

Vaanu floated over, I apologize. I thought it warranted the surprise this time.

“Whoa! Poltergeist can talk!”

You snapped your head over to Jake, “You guys can understand it?”

Unlike on Earth, here in my home planet I can project my words directly to each of you.

“Speaking of your home planet, how is it that we can all breath here and stuff?” You had never really pondered Craig’s question before, assuming that you could because Vaanu could.

Y/N has a body developed for Earth’s conditions. To sustain his form I had to alter the conditions here to match.

“Vaanu…” You hesitated in asking your question, unsure how much the answer would hurt, “How long can they stay here?”

You watched as the ghostly shape cocked its head, They can survive here as long as they like, did you not want to return with them?

“I-I can go back?”

It nodded, and you could almost feel it’s happiness, I could not take you back, without risking leaving an imprint of my energy again. But they have found you. They can take you back.

You looked into each of their faces, tears still streaming down your cheeks. Jake gave you a smile, “What d’ya say, Boy Scout? Ya ready to go home?”

“Home…” you mumbled the word to yourself, “I don’t think I have one.”

Diego shook his head, “Course you do. You’ve had one this whole time, it’s been waiting for you.”

Your brow furrowed as you looked at him, and he just sent a pointed look at Jake. You smirked, “That sounds pretty good actually.”

Jake hadn’t let go of your hand the entire trip back to the ship, until he handed you a bag. You looked at him curiously, noting the way his cheeks flushed and he wouldn’t look at you, “It’s- it’s your clothes and shit from the island. Kept it in case.” He shrugged, but you surged forward and pulled him into your arms. He inhaled shakily, tightening his hold for a few seconds before he pulled away and cleared his throat, “Julio Child is toiling away in the kitchen. Hurry up so we can get down there.” You snorted to yourself, turning around and pulling some clothes from the bag, not particularly caring which outfit you chose, before starting to pull the old clothes off. You heard his sharp intake of breath as you pulled on new pants and tried to find the front of your new shirt, and attempted to suppress the smile you felt twitching onto your face as he fingertips brushed with a featherlight touch over your back. “This is…this is new.”

“Vaanu did it. So I could carry everyone with me. Everyone that had my back is immortalized on it.” Neither of you spoke above a whisper as he marveled at your tattoos.

“There’s Petey’s dog…Katniss’s dragon…Cap’s Eagle…Ariel’s mermaid…Malfoy’s snake…” you followed the pattern in your head as he whispered each one, and you could almost feel the frown in his voice when he reach the end. “You- There’s no wolf?”

You felt your lips curl into a smile as you mused out loud, “That pesky lone wolf. Where did he run off to?” You turned to your husband, face twisted in faux concentration, finger tapping your chin. You recognized the moment he saw it, his eyes alighting on the wolf design emblazoned on your chest, as his fingers slowly reached out to trace it.

Jake groaned, low in his chest, as he buried his face in your neck, “Ya makin’ me not even want to join the others.”

You chuckled to yourself as you brushed your fingers through his hair, “Just for a little while, please? I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

He heaved a sigh, “The things I endure for ya. Fine. But no shirt. Let them see your pretty new ink.”

You laughed loudly as he pulled on your hand, dragging you out into the hall and toward the dining area.

You felt light for the first time in five years. Back with the people that brought you to life, and gave you the love that made it worth living.

Masterlist

#endless summer #choices #choices fanfic #choices endless summer #choices es #jake mckenzie #Jake McKenzie x mc

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