Not A Leech Lover, I Swear (L.C)
FANDOM: Twilight PAIRING: Leah Clearwater x Female Swan Reader WARNING: Lil’ bit of Cullen and Bella bashing, sorry. I personally don’t mind them, but we all know our girl Leah is Not keen on them at all. CATEGORY: F/F WORDCOUNT: 3,833 SYNOPSIS: Y/N comes with her sister, Bella, to see Jacob and the others, only to meet the beautiful but fiery Leah who imprints on her. A/N: This is the first fic I’ve written in ages, just wanted to do something simple to get back into writing. Hopefully, this isn’t too awful. Thank you for reading :)
You rolled your eyes as Bella and Jacob walked a few steps ahead, her body angled away from his while his intense dark eyes never left her, following your sisters every move. Bella was beautiful, there was no doubt, with dark hair cascading down her back and simple features that complimented her round face. You didn’t like to compare the two of you, but you were sure she was prettier, how else did she have not only Edward and Jacob but Mike Norton falling at her feet wherever she went?
You weren’t bitter though. Nope, not at all. You were just...observant.
“Are you sure this is a good idea? I am the vampire girl, remember?”
She asked with what sounded like a timid tone but you could see the underline of the smirk playing out on her face, the need for reassurance, for validation from Jacob. You wished she would just choose one already and stop dragging him along. Edward was nice, but so was Jacob and it physically pained you to see the kicked puppy expression he often wore every time Bella turned him down - often in the cruellest ways she could.
Jacob didn’t get a chance to respond before four men just as large and muscular as Jacob, all shirtless in denim cut-offs, came jogging out of the house wearing matching grins. You recognised Quil and Embry from Jacob’s garage as they started into teasing conversation with Bella, and Jared and Paul from when Bella slapped Paul in the face. The memory still made you wince in embarrassment. You had tried to tug Bella away that day, away from the smirking men, away from Jacob who she continued to hurt, away from the reservation where she seemed to do nothing but cause trouble.
But no, Bella had never listened to you before, you couldn’t imagine why you would have thought she would that time either. Bella always knew best, it was just the way your life worked.
The men continued to poke fun at Jacob, Paul even leaning forward to smack him slightly with a laugh. You could see the pink forming on your sisters' cheeks and the way Jacob’s strong jaw seemed to lock in annoyance, the shifter refusing to meet eyes with anyone but especially Bella.
“Alright, you can all shut up now,”
He grumbled with a shake of his head. You tried to block out their conversation and instead shoved your hands into the pocket of your jacket, looking down at your boots in the mud as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. You weren’t even sure why you were there. Bella had originally wanted to leave school just on the back of Jacob’s bike so it was only the two of them, but Jacob had seen your face fall at the idea of being stuck at school with a moping Edward and he had instead decided to take your car down to the reservation so you could come too. You were grateful for not being at school with your sisters' mind-reading boyfriend, but you would have rathered they dropped you home before coming.
You didn’t feel like being the third-wheel to whatever type of not-a-relationship relationship they had going, not to mention if you let anything slip in your mind while around Edward Bella would kill you. You weren’t sure why it was only you being held to that standard because you were damn sure Jacob made no effort of controlling any of his thoughts around Edward and you were sure they were a bit more graphic than your own.
You hadn’t even noticed the figure out the corner of your eye come stomping forward until she was only a few feet away. You couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful woman who stood tall with radiant copper skin that even the miserable weather couldn’t wash out, and black hair that seemed to shine despite the overcast of the sky. Even in a simple pair of denim shorts and a beige tank top she still looked stunning, miles of tanned legs and biceps toned with muscle on display. The Quileute beauty hadn’t seen you yet - but she had seen Bella and you had a feeling your sister was about to wish she hadn’t.
“Y/N, Bella, this is Leah Clearwater...Harry’s daughter,”
Jacob seemed to add as an afterthought with an awkward cough, not meeting anyone’s eyes. You prayed Bella wouldn’t say something stupid or offensive to the woman.
“Hey, I’m really sorry about your father.”
Leah stared at Bella with such a ferocity that you weren’t even sure the woman was aware of your existence, something that filled you with equal parts relief and anxiety, like if this woman didn’t look at you then your entire life would be over in an instant. ‘What the hell, Y/N?’ You thought incredulously to yourself.
“If you’re here to torture Jacob some more, feel free to leave,”
She spat, her intense eyes filled with something you could only describe as utter loathing. You could see Bella visibly wince, and while you felt bad for your sister, you also couldn’t help the small feeling of smugness that crept to the surface. It was about time someone had called Bella out on her treatment of Jacob.
All was quiet for a moment save for the uncomfortable loudness of Jarod chewing on a chicken leg while everyone else shifted uncomfortably, not really saying anything. Eventually, the brunette beauty’s eyes trailed off from Bella and onto you.
When her dark eyes met yours it was like everything fell into place, as if your life had been some kind of unsolved maths problem before that moment that could never quite be solved. A warm flush descended upon your cheeks and down into your belly, a pleasant feeling comparable to drinking hot chocolate on a cold day or curling up in bed with a heated blanket. A feeling of home, comfort, safety.
Her eyes widened, lips parted ever so slightly and it made you want to leap forward and kiss them- You nearly shrieked at the thought. What had gotten into you? You didn’t know this woman and here you were thinking about kissing her?
It didn’t change the fact that she looked at you like no one ever had before, like you were important and needed. She looked at you as you imagined the characters of your beloved romance novels looked at each other, with both passion and protectiveness. You were lost in her dark eyes and you weren’t sure you ever wanted to be found. You couldn’t bear the thought of the moment ending, of her looking at anyone but you that way. The thought replaced the warmth in your stomach with a painful cold comparable to the time you accidentally touched Edward’s skin when walking past. Cold, hard, uncomfortable. You never wanted her to break the stare being traded between you, never wanted anyone to interrupt the moment-
“Holy fucking shit,”
You heard a voice whisper in amused awe behind you, either Embry or Paul. You ignored it and kept staring at the beautiful woman, but instead, her copper cheeks flushed an angry red and she turned and stormed off, not looking back once.
You glanced around the group in confusion and mild irritation, taking in the confusion of your sisters face, then the dumbfounded look on Jacob’s face while Embry, Paul and Quil wore amused smirks. Jarod just kept chewing on his chicken.
You couldn’t explain it, but every part of your body was screaming to follow her, to make sure she was okay. You wanted to chase her and assure her that she was alright and that you hoped she was healing after the death of her father and that she deserved happiness. You weren’t sure where these thoughts were coming from, why you had such an intense need to make sure this stranger was happy. It was then the words of Jacob came to mind when he had been explaining the relationship between Sam and Emily earlier in the car. “Suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does. You would do anything, be anything.” Imprinting.
The breath seemed to have been sucked from your body at that moment, the world around you spinning. You, the sister of the resident ‘vampire girl’ had been imprinted on by a wolf? The thought made your skin tingle with both excitement and dread.
Something drove you forward, an invisible force that screamed at you to chase after her. Suddenly it wasn’t you in control of your legs but this invisible force urging you forward. Unconsciously, you began to follow after her.
“Y/N,” Bella snapped, her hand shooting out to close around your arm as you took a step forward. You shrugged her off with ease and hurried off down the path where you had seen Leah go, trying to block out the sound of their voices behind you.
“Fun, isn’t she?” You heard Jacob say snidely regarding Leah and you fought the urge to turn around and give him a piece of your mind, but finding Leah was more important than Jacob’s snide comments.
The path Leah had taken was one into the forest, sounding you with serene sounds of birds and the gravel crunching beneath your feet. The trees blocked out what little sun the day had to offer and instead you found yourself descending into the dark, wondering if there was a big bad wolf waiting to eat you up. The thought made your cheeks hot.
“Leah!” You called, the basic shoes you had slipped on for school not cooperating with the rough terrain under your feet as you hurried towards the figure stalking away. She slowed slightly but didn’t turn, her long legs (not to mention superhuman abilities) giving her an unfair advantage over you. Huffing in annoyance, you attempted to push yourself further.
“Leah, please, wait,”
You begged, pushing yourself to hurry to catch up to the she-wolf. In your clumsy attempt to catch her your foot caught on a root and you let out an alarmed cry as you went crashing knee-first into the rough ground beneath you, feeling the rocks tear at your thin skin as pain shot through your lower legs.
You barely even have time to register the pain before pleasantly warm hands were wrapped around your forearms softly, big brown eyes staring down at you with thinly-veiled fear as they took in the extent of your wounds - a scraped knee. You were fairly sure you’d live unless the intensity of Leah’s stare melted you into a puddle first - something you were all too sure was possible at the way your stomach flipped at her proximity. Once again you were all too focused on her plump lips, how they parted slightly as she stared down at you with an unreadable expression.
You cursed yourself for not being able to stay focused around the beautiful woman. Sure, you had crushes before, but this - this was nothing compared to those school girl crushes of the past. If the woman in front of you asked you to jump off one of the highest La Push cliffs as your sister had, you weren’t sure you had the ability to say no.
“I’m Y/N, Y/N Swan,”
You blurted out, wincing at your desperate tone. Leah’s plump lips tugged in amusement, not quite a smile, but close.
“Leech Lover Jr,”
She said with a strange combination of amusement and terseness, her warm hands never letting go of your forearms, although you certainly weren’t complaining. You were so distracted by the pleasant warmth pulsating through your arms that you didn’t even register her words for a moment, your features morphing in disgust as you eventually did.
“No thanks,”
You said with a crinkled nose, disgusted at the thought.
“I like my girlfriends alive.”
You fought a snort of amusement at the way her eyebrows comically raised at your comment. Using her momentarily stunned expression to your advantage, you stood from where you had landed on your knees in the dirt, Leah whose hands were still tightly closed around your forearms having no choice but to stand with you. The blinking she-wolf seemed to then realise she still had a hold of you and with a quick pause, she dropped her hands awkwardly back to her side, an unreadable expression on her serious but beautiful features. You fought to hide your disappointment at the lost contact.
You both stood in silence for a few moments, you looking everywhere but at Leah and Leah seemingly unable to take her curious eyes away from your face. Your cheeks heated under her intense gaze. You opened your mouth to say something at the same time she did and then you both paused again in frustration, Leah gesturing with your hand for you to go first. You took a deep breath, preparing for her reaction.
“You just imprinted on me.”
It wasn’t a question because you didn’t need an answer. There was no other way to explain her shocked look or the packs' comments or the way your body just seemed to need to follow her and make sure she was okay. You had cared about a lot of people before - Charlie, Bella, your mother on a good day, Jacob, but never had you felt this kind of...intensity? A primal urge like hunger or thirst, she had suddenly become another nourishment your body needed to be filled and would starve without.
Leah blinked a couple of times in what you supposed was shock, her expression one of a woman who had just been slapped with something she certainly wasn’t expecting.
“How do you know about imprinting?” She demanded and if it was aimed at anyone else you would almost see it as aggressive, but you could see the genuine curiosity playing out on her face and you knew then she didn’t mean any harm.
“Jacob told us a bit about it,”
You explained with the shrug of your right shoulder as if Jacob sharing tribal secrets was no big deal. You knew it was, but you figured if you could play it off then maybe she wouldn’t tear him a new one. From the irritated noise that bubbled in her throat, you got the feeling he wasn’t going to escape it no matter what you said. Oh well, you tried, now you just had to hope they’d let you watch.
“So...it’s true?” You prodded gently.
“You imprinted on me?” Leah didn’t say anything for a few moments, causing anxiety to bubble in your stomach uncomfortably and for your skin to tingle with goosebumps, the hairs of your arms standing on end. You writhed your fingers together, trying to concentrate on the throbbing pain of your scraped knees and not nausea bubbling beneath the surface. Why wasn’t she saying anything? Had you got it all wrong? Perhaps she hadn’t imprinted, perhaps you just had a sudden crush and she stormed off because your staring had made her uncomfortable. Yes, that was it. Why would this strong, beautiful woman have imprinted on you? She was a warrior of her tribe, a protector of humans, fierce and deadly. Why would she imprint on you? The sister of the resident ‘leech lover.’ God, you must have come across as ridiculous, chasing after her talking about imprints. You were nothing but a silly little girl.
You fought the hot tears trying to form behind your eyes and instead quickly rubbed them away with a sniffle, taking a step away from the she-wolf.
“I’m sorry,”
You blurted out, taking another step back, ready to run back to Emily’s house and beg Bella to take you home. After this, you would lock yourself in your room for a week straight with ice-cream and never go near the reservation again, not after the humiliation. If Jacob wanted to see you he could come slum it in Forks.
“I got it wrong, I’ll just go-”
Before you had a chance to walk off, a warm hand shot out to grasp your arm, not harshly. You turned and your eyes connected with her dark ones, your breath nearly stolen from the intensity of them. You never thought yourself one of those people who could ‘read’ peoples eyes and tell their emotions, you left that to Jasper Cullen, but staring into her eyes you could see swirls of emotions mixing together and you weren’t sure just how that made you feel. All you knew was the feeling on her hand around your arm seemed to make everything bad in the world disappear.
“I did,”
Leah confirmed with an unreadable expression and you nearly passed out on the spot. Imprint, she had imprinted on you. A part of you already knew that deep down but it didn’t stop a hundred new emotions, many you weren’t familiar with, taking over your body.
“And uh...how do you feel about that?” You asked awkwardly, and unaware of your own movements, you stepped closer to Leah, inhaling deeply at her presence. She smelt of the Earth and forest around you, of warmth and security. A faint smell of sweat and natural odour could be detected to - but it wasn’t unpleasant like sharing classes with boys after gym class. It smelt of her - and she smelt like home.
Leah, for the first time in the minutes you had known her, nearly smiled. It was close, a twinge of the lips, a dance in her eyes. You’d get her there, you were sure of it.
“I’m not sure,”
She confessed.
“I - Well, we didn’t think I could imprint,”
She said with a slight shrug and you didn’t miss the bitterness in her tone at that revelation.
“I was always the freak of the pack, the one who wasn’t meant to be there. They never stopped reminding me of it.”
It filled you with a wave of intense anger that the boys of the pack had made her feel so unwelcome, so unwanted. Jacob was no stranger to being shoved to the side, to be both needed but unwanted - he had dealt with that the entire time Edward had been gone, being used for what he could give but when it came to his wellbeing than being pushed away again. You couldn’t believe the boy you had grown up with as a brother could treat someone so poorly. You were definitely going to be having a conversation with Jacob later.
A flush of red-hot embarrassment played out on Leah’s face and she quickly took a step away, your stomach sinking at the loss of contact.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have unloaded all of that onto you-” She didn’t get to finish her stammered apology before you were in front of her, your arms wrapping around her slim waist before she had time to protest. You could feel her body stiff at the sudden contact, but you never let go, keeping her warm, soft body close to you. It wasn’t intentional that your face would be level with her breasts, but you weren’t complaining either. After a few moments of stillness, the forest quiet save for the steady drum of her heart and quick breaths, she brought her warm, strong arms up and wrapped them around you. You nearly melted there and then.
You stood together for several quiet moments, just enjoying the feeling of her warm embrace engulfing you and the sound of her heart against you. You didn’t want this moment to ever end - to ever be separated from her. The thought was painful in a way you couldn’t imagine. Is that how Bella felt when Edward left? Like something was missing? If it was, you suddenly felt bad for how terse you had been with her during the ordeal. In your defence, there’s only so many nights a girl can be woken up by shrill screams before it gets a bit ridiculous.
“So,” Leah started as the two of you separated from the hug, you with a slight frown at being parted from her body.
“No leech boyfriend or...girlfriend I need to worry about?” She joked, but you could see the genuine concern clear on her face. With who your sister was, you knew it was a valid worry, but it still didn’t stop the wave of nausea you felt at the idea of being with one of them. A literal example of the walking dead. Your disgust must have played out on your face because Leah let out a snort of amusement.
“No, definitely not,”
You said with a shrivelled nose turned upwards. You could see Leah mostly believe you, although you were sure you still saw a slither of doubt.
“I’m not a leech lover, I swear,”
You promised with a smile. That seemed to be good enough for her and for the first time, although it was only small, you saw Leah smile and it filled you with a warmth you didn’t know was humanly possible.
“Look, Leah,”
You began, taking one of her warm hands in your own. You tried not to let yourself get distracted by the heat that flooded you or the gentle pink of her nose.
“I don’t really know how this whole imprinting thing is supposed to work - I don’t think you do either, but can we just...try? Take it day by day, see what happens?”
You finished your little speech with a breath, hoping she hadn’t been scared off by your words. What if she didn’t want anything to do with this - with you? Maybe she wasn’t interested in imprinting, maybe she wasn’t interested in girls, or maybe she was but just not you. The possibilities were endless and your mind was dedicated to exploring every single heartbreaking one until a squeeze of your hand brought you out of your depressing fantasies and you were left face to face with Leah who had a small smile on her face and if you didn’t know better you’d even say a slight blush.
“I’d...I’d like that,”
Leah said with a soft tone, her hand never releasing yours, something you were eternally grateful for.
As you and Leah turned to walk back to Emily’s house, hand in hand, you weren’t sure how the future was going to play out - you weren’t any Alice, after all, but you felt a deep feeling of content in your stomach. You were sure as long as Leah was there, you’d be okay, everything would be okay. Not perfect, not without faults or arguments, but okay.
You had a lot of adventures in your life, from being chased by vampires to making sure one didn’t kill itself, but you were getting the feeling those were only the start of your adventures, and you were more than ready to make some new ones with Leah by your side.
Now, you just had to tell Bella.
Authors Note: Hey, thank you for reading! This is my first fanfic in forever so it’s probably trash, but I’m just trying to get back into writing regularly. Anyway, thank you :)