Nathan F. Chambers

AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER FOR RPTEENWOLF. Nathan Chambers +22 +former soldier +supernatural

[rpderek-blog]

ooc

The pack is full of super cuties, pass it on.

[rpelenaparrish-blog]

Jump The Gun || Elena & Nathan || Sidepack

[rpelenaparrish-blog]

Elena frowned, not having anticipated the question. She thought about it for a minute, the two of them walking in an uncomfortable silence. Well, the silence was uncomfortable on her end (she couldn’t really speak for him) because of all the things that popped into her mind.

What did she think about a lot? Well, there were quite a few things – how much better her brother was than her, how alone she was since her boyfriend died in the war, how much everyone hated her back in SLC, how much she wanted to light everyone back home on fire. She couldn’t really talk about any of those though, could she? Especially not that last one. Especially not with a stranger.

“Why do you care? I don’t even know you,” she bit out, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. “I don’t even know your name.”

She didn’t want to do this anymore. The sun was rising over the horizon, she’d just been running from a ghost, and she was tired. She didn’t have it in her to play this asshole’s games.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan’s eyebrows furrowed and he glanced at her quickly before turning his attention toward the rising sun, trying to figure out how the conversation had turned so quickly, what he’d said to make her snap. He shook his head.

“Sorry for trying to make conversation with you and get to know you,” he griped, although there was no heat behind his words. Normally, in situations like this, he’d probably get unnecessarily angry and tell her off before walking away, but something made him feel more patient with her, like he somehow understood her.

He returned his attention to her to see her staring at her feet and frowning. He sighed, grabbing her arm and coming to a stop. She stopped and glared at his hand, but he ignored it, waiting until she looked at him. When he finally had her attention, he tugged her hand free from where she had it tucked into her bent elbow, enveloping her hand with his. He offered her a small, hopeful smile. “Hi, I’m Nathan, I’m a piece of shit with no home and no future. If it wouldn’t bother you too much, I’d like to get to know you.”

[rpelenaparrish-blog]

Jump The Gun || Elena & Nathan || Sidepack

[rpelenaparrish-blog]

Elena listened carefully to what he was saying, agreeing wholeheartedly. She understood how difficult it was to define yourself. People were always changing. She, herself, was changing with each experience she had. She liked to think of it as growing, rather than changing, though.

Feeling the conversation had gotten far too serious for her liking, she crunched her nose at him.

She made a puking noise, earning an eye-roll from him, and smirked. “You’ve thought about this too much.”

[rpnathanchambers]

He raised his eyebrows at her, seeing right through her reaction. He knew that she was right -- he had thought too much about this -- but he also knew that she probably had too. Actually, he didn’t know too many people who hadn’t thought about this. Everyone doubted themselves and who they wanted to be. Some people were just better at hiding it than others.

“Alright, Miss Sunshine,” he drawled, smirking. “What’s something you think about a lot?”

[rpelenaparrish-blog]

Jump The Gun || Elena & Nathan || Sidepack

[rpelenaparrish-blog]

She felt her cheeks flush at his comment and she ran her hand through her hair, playing with it out of nervous habit. It was strange to have someone flirt with her like this. She hadn’t been this way with anyone in what felt like years – and it probably had been years. The last person she was like this with was Cassidy. A small twinge flared in her chest at the thought. She still missed him sometimes. Not usually, but…sometimes, when she realized how alone she was.

She peeked at Nathan from beneath her hair with a small smile, tugging at her shirt sleeve. “Thanks, I guess.”

[rpnathanchambers]

“You’re welcome, I guess,” he replied, mimicking her voice. She scrunched her nose at him and he chuckled, nudging her. “Seriously though, it’s perfectly fine not to know who you are. I don’t think any of us really know who we are, not really.”

“We can pretend or just choose not to think about it, but--” he shrugged. “--none of us really have ourselves figured out. We feel things or do things we can’t explain and just keep going through life like we know what we’re doing and where we’re going.”

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

In spite of the fact that seconds passed from the moment Nathan rushed upstairs, Jason felt like hours passed. Hours of him helplessly standing in the middle of his living room, arms close to his chest, with no light to reassure him whatsoever. His mind was a chaotic mixture of all kinds of emotions, ranging from irrational fear to utter confusion. Everything played out so fast. So incredibly fast and Jason was again left with nothing to do. 

He heard fighting and growling upstairs which made his mouth part slightly in complete terror. Sensing there is no time to spare, Jason quickly reached down near the couch and moved his hands over the coffee table in search of his phone. Recognizing a familiar pattern under his fingertips, Jason checked the stairs once more, before unlocking the screen and typing in Luke’s number. His attempt to call for help was soon interrupted, as the lights flickered and turned back on. Just as his eyes were accommodating to the brightness in the room, a silhouette appeared to be tumbling downstairs.

Jason jumped back up to his feet and stared at a middle aged men, wearing a black baseball cap and a wet, dark colored jacket, which was torn a little around the shoulder area. Jason’s phone dropped to the floor, as the man started to run towards him, pulling out something behind his back and threatening Jason that he’s going to kill him.

Almost as if by instinct, Jason’s eyes flashed a clear shade of white, his jaw clenching, eyebrows furrowing. The young druid’s powers manifested violently, as Jason extended his hand towards the man, making him stop dead in his tracks, before retracting his hand and pinning the intruder onto the opposite wall. The man groaned in pain and Jason tightened his grip over him, forcing his fist to break and release the gun he was holding so dearly to himself.

Noticing the agonizing look on his face, Jason felt powerful, but in control of himself. Not wanting to release him yet, the druid clenched his other fist, levitating the broken debris and pointing it at the man.

“I dare you to move One. More. Inch.”

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy was vaguely aware of the lights turning back on and a loud thud resounding downstairs. He let Nathan go deal with it and slouched forward, momentarily resting his forehead to the floor and closing his eyes to compose himself. His neck ached where the man’s fingers had dug into his pressure points and his airways felt bruised. He coughed out a rough breath and focused on slowing his heart rate. 

It had been a long time since he’d felt that scared. He knew what he looked like to other people. He knew he acted like a “tough guy” who would kick the shit out of someone without a second thought, but he knew that there were people out there who were stronger and smarter than he was and he wouldn’t always win. He was okay with that. But when that guy had him pinned to the wall, he didn’t feel okay. He had been genuinely afraid to die. That scared him. It scared him because he hadn’t felt afraid in such a long time. He hadn’t had anything to really care for, to live for. But that was slowly changing. He was changing.

Drawing in one last breath, Cassidy slowly pushed himself up off the floor and approached the stairs, hesitant but also curious.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan heard Cassidy drawing in ragged breaths behind him, but was assured by the steady pounding of his heart and the smooth movement of air to his lungs. Nathan slowly descended the stairs, hyper-aware of the fact that he was still in his supernatural form. Reigning in his anger, Nathan briefly closed his eyes and grit his teeth as his features slowly shifted back to normal. The werewolf’s t-shirt hung loosely from his frame, the back ripped from being stretched too far. The pants still sat comfortably on his waist, but seemed a bit more stretched than before. He really hoped the werewolf wouldn’t be expecting the clothes back. 

Nathan still felt some anger coursing through him, but he strained to reign it in. Having Jason see his form in the dark was one thing, but seeing him in the light was another entirely. He knew that regardless of whether Jason saw him clearly, he would owe some sort of explanation to the teenager.

But Jason also had some explaining to do. 

When Nathan reached he bottom of the staircase, he saw the man against the wall, his feet dangling in midair as Jason stood across from him, his hand raised and his eyes white. Nathan understood then that Jason wasn’t a warlock, but something similar like he had been expecting. What that something was, however, Nathan didn’t know.

Drawing his attention away from Jason, he eyed the man calculatingly. He didn’t look familiar, but that didn’t mean much. There were a lot of men after him and Cassidy and they could always be trying to throw Nathan off by sending new people in whose scent he wouldn’t recognize. He glanced between Jason and the man and approached the man slowly, narrowing his eyes.

“Who the fuck are you?” Nathan demanded, stopping a few feet away.

The man sputtered, spitting in Nathan’s face and squirming against the hold Jason had on him. 

Nathan’s eyes flashed gold and he let out a threatening growl, flaying out his fingers and extending his claws. “Don’t fucking test me.”

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

A few drops of cold sweat began forming on Jason’s forehead, as the young boy reached with his hand to stop Cassidy, only to be left behind, noticing Nathan’s gestures in the dark and staying away. There wasn’t much he could do actually. “Don’t go… Cassidy…. I can… I can call the cops,” he whispered, but Cassidy was already climbing up the stairs. Nathan on the other hand just stood there, completely still and looking as if he was focusing really hard on something. 

“Nathan…?” Jason whispered again, voice breaking, as he shifted his look between him and the staircase, already starting to see things that weren’t there in the dark. Lightning flashed a few times, only adding to the dreadful atmosphere. Cassidy’s footsteps were barely audible and Jason couldn’t decide if that was a good or a bad thing. Anything could happen at this moment, but Jason chose not to think too much about all the bad outcomes.

Jason’s body started to shiver, as he brought his arms to his chest, crossing them and keeping himself as quiet as possible. He swallowed anxiously, turning around himself for a few times to check if there are more intruders. His heartbeat almost seemed to have overcome the loud thundering outside, his pulse raising with each second. And then he heard it.

A loud thump was heard from upstairs and someone groaned in pain. Jason didn’t even have the time to react to it properly, as Nathan’s body began convulsing, his back starting to arch outwards, inhuman growls coming from his mouth. Jason’s eyes widened in panic and fear. He couldn’t hold back a petrified gasp and took an immediate step back, being careful not to fall. The loud beating of his heart was so intense at that moment that Jason felt like his lungs were gonna collapse. Panic flooded his veins, but with a desperate determination, he stood his ground and tried to even out his breathing. 

Keep it together, Jason. Keep it together.

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy was pinned to the wall with hands to his throat, gasping and pawing at the man’s fingers in an attempt to free himself. He had been in this position a few times before within the past year, but none of his attackers had had the intention of actually killing him. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared about the possibility of dying and — objectively — he didn’t. But the thought of Jason being downstairs and this man being inside his house made him want to fight.

The feeling of being under attack brought him back to the war, when he’d had to watch his back at every turn and every man without a U.S. uniform on either became his target or his captor. The man in front of him was a target and Cassidy was fighting for his life.

But Cassidy was out of practice. He was sluggish with malnourishment and slight intoxication. And he wasn’t nearly as strong as he once was, as much as he tried to keep up with it. 

Cassidy’s automatic reaction to being strangled was lash out with his feet, but the man was a step ahead of him, using his lower half to keep the former soldier pinned to the wall.

Fuck, Cassidy thought. As often as he’d imagined himself dying, this wasn’t the way he thought he would go.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan’s steps were loud on the staircase, his feet feeling heavier in this form, and he felt the floorboards shake underneath his weight. He grunted and blew air between his extended canines, flexing his clawed hands. Cassidy and the man were at the top of the landing, with Cassidy’s eyes rolling and the veins in his neck straining. 

A thunderous roar grew in Nathan’s chest and he opened his mouth wide, letting the sound reverberate from his mouth. The man holding Cassidy had little time to react as Nathan stepped forward and gripped his shoulder from behind, roughly pulling him back and away from the strangled soldier.

The man was spun around, brought forward long enough to see Nathan’s angry orange irises and to have Nathan roar in his face, before he was thrown in the direction of the staircase, where he lost his footing and tumbled down. Nathan turned back to Cassidy, who had collapsed to his knees and was grasping his neck, gasping for air. Cassidy met his gaze and nodded weakly, waving a hand at him to go back downstairs.

Nathan hesitated, watching him with speculative eyes, before grunting and gazing down the stairs, listening intently to the man’s heartbeat.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

“Is everything… okay?” Jason asked hesitatingly, already swallowing the huge lump down his throat. He eyed both Cassidy and Nathan, noticing their tense shoulders and serious looks on their faces. Just when things cooled down a little… 

He didn’t wait for them to respond, fearing he might start a conversation that would be hard to walk out of alive, and instead played the movie without further ado. The following hour went incredibly silent, even though a few funny scenes played out, none of them really laughed. Jason tried to break the atmosphere by pointing out a few ridiculous moments, only to get a silent chuckle every now and then. He kept stuffing his face with more snacks, hoping to postpone the inevitable. And that was the end of the movie.

But the movie ended sooner then expected. All power went down inside the house in a few seconds, thunder still roaring outside. Jason’s eyes widened and his fists clenched around the sofa he was sitting in.

“What was-” his words were cut off by the loud alarm that was triggered upstairs, in Jason’s room. He gasped in fear and instinctively grabbed Cassidy’s hand, squeezing it and looking at him and Nathan in silence.

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy absolutely hated his friend sometimes. Honestly, if he wasn’t the only friend he had Cassidy probably wouldn’t even tolerate him. Well, no, that was a lie. As angry as Cassidy got at Nathan sometimes, he really had no room to talk. He wasn’t any better. Plus, how could he hate someone who saved his life? Although, what the point was of Cassidy being saved when he was spending his life on the run was beyond him.

Cassidy just wished that Nathan wasn’t like a bomb waiting to go off. He’d already had one bomb explode in his face, he didn’t need another. He knew Nathan couldn’t help it though. It was in his nature, it was his way of protecting himself and the ones he loved. Maybe he had a short temper, but at least he never directed it at anyone he actually cared about — well, he never directed his violent tendencies toward the ones he cared about.

Cassidy was thankful for Jason’s attempts at relieving the tension, but the tenseness of Nathan’s shoulders never loosened. His friend was being unreasonable, but Cassidy was used to it by now.

When the television flickered and then went dark, Cassidy tensed. He glanced sideways at Nathan to see his eyes flash momentarily before returning to their normal color. He felt Jason’s grip his and turned his attention to the boy, noticing his rigidness in the dark. The alarm startled Cassidy and he looked up at the ceiling, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What’s that?” he questioned Jason, listening as the boy stuttered out an explanation of it being the alarm in his bedroom. Cassidy felt the clamminess of Jason’s hand and frowned, knowing that the boy was scared. He carefully lifted himself off the couch and squeezed Jason’s hand before moving toward the staircase, ignoring Nathan and Jason’s whispers.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan grunted angrily when Cassidy ignored him, his eyes flashing a golden brown as he strained to hear what was happening upstairs. He glanced sideways at Jason and putting a hand out when Jason went to go after Cassidy. Nathan grit his teeth and listened, paying special attention to the quick, but soft footfalls of the former soldier as he ascended the stairs. He heard another set of footsteps upstairs and felt himself tense.

Through the sound of the alarm, he could hear someone’s ragged breathing, as if they’d just scaled the side of the house. Nathan furrowed his eyebrows, glancing toward the window and concentrating to listen to any movement outside the house. Not hearing anything but the scuffing of shoes upstairs, he returned his attention to the noise in the house, making sure that there was only one other person.

He breathed in deeply, trying to catch the scent of the intruder, but didn’t recognize it. The scent was different than any of the ones floating around the house and, thinking about it, Nathan didn’t think he’d smelled it anywhere in town either.

Nathan stood impatiently, body tense and ready for a fight, and listened to Cassidy as his footsteps got closer to the intruder’s. Nathan knew Cassidy was approaching the intruder like he was in war, like he would be killed at any second -- and maybe he would. Tension and anxiety grew in Nathan’s chest, the worst conclusion jumping into his mind. What if someone had followed him? Bugged his phone? What if the people from the hotel hadn’t been so clueless about his presence after all?

Nathan’s anger spiked when he heard Cassidy’s back hit the wall and his choked gasp for air. Nathan’s hands curled into fists and his eyes blazed a vibrant orange, his bones aching as they shifted and reformed themselves, his canines elongating and protruding from his mouth, his bottom canines longer, curved, and sharp. His shoulders grew further apart and the region between his shoulder blades raised slightly, forming a hump. Hair gradually grew along his body, his nose flattening.

He roared in anger and fled up the staircase before his transformation was complete and before Jason could witness any further. He’d never revealed his supernatural form to a human before, no one other than his fellow soldiers. Then again, Jason had his own secrets, didn’t he?

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

Jason’s eyes were now focused solely on the screen, little drops of cold sweat starting to form on his forehead. He didn’t dare to look at Cassidy and Nathan getting up and leaving, already aware of Nathan’s suspicion. Swallowing nervously, Jason stuffed his mouth with some more snacks and tilted his head to the side, catching on some raised voices coming from the kitchen.

He tried to stay calm as much as possible, but his mind soon became overcrowded with every possible worst case scenario that could play out. “Should I… p-pause the m-movie or?” he cleared his throat and asked, shivering at the way his voice echoed in the now empty living room.

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy glanced warily between the direction Nathan went and Jason’s wide eyes, swallowing his mouthful of snacks roughly. He cleared his throat and leaned forward, dropping the rest of his handful back into the bowl before following after Nathan.

Shoving his hand into his pocket, he went to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers. “You wanted a beer, right Nath?”

When Nathan was silent for too long, Cassidy glanced up at him slowly. Nathan’s eyes flashed a darker color and Cassidy flinched, returning his gaze to the floor. This was what made Nathan so hard to get along with. When he lost his temper, there was no way to calm him. You either had to let him have his tantrum or get the shit kicked out of you. Cassidy had only been on the receiving end of Nathan’s uncontrollable anger a few times. He didn’t have much desire to experience it again.

[rpnathanchambers]

“The fuck are you hiding from me?” Nathan demanded, closing in around Cassidy. 

Cassidy backed away on instinct, his hip catching against the counter. He hissed between his teeth and glared at Nathan. “Fucking prick.”

Nathan grunted angrily, eyes narrowing and his teeth beginning to elongate. “What are you hiding?”

Cassidy rolled his eyes, shoving at Nathan’s chest. “Alright, porker, calm down.”

At first, Nathan didn’t budge, but after a moment he breathed in through his nose and took a reluctant step back. 

Judging that he was a safe distance away, Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t know much, alright? All I know is that Jason has...powers.”

“What kind of powers?” Nathan demanded, his longer teeth beginning to recede.

Cassidy frowned. “I don’t know, man.” He waved a hand in the air in front of him. “He made a beer bottle explode on accident.”

Hearing Jason from the other room, Cassidy twisted and grabbed the beers off the counter, turning back around and lifting an eyebrow at Nathan. “Get a hold of yourself, man. He’s a fucking kid.”

Cassidy pushed by Nathan and yelled back to Jason that they were coming. Nathan stayed in place for a moment, staring angrily at the counter. He didn’t have a whole lot of experience with the supernatural, despite being one. He knew that Jason was something similar to a warlock, if a warlock wasn’t what he was. And Nathan knew to be wary of other supernatural.

Gritting his teeth, he headed back toward the living room. This would either end well or terribly. He really hoped it wasn’t the latter. He would kill Cassidy if he got them mixed up in something that was none of their business.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

“Sure thing!” Jason said excitingly and pressed play. He leaned back and shifted in his seat, trying to find a comfortable spot. “The beer is in the fridge,” he added and nodded at Cassidy and Nathan, “at least what’s left of it”. He returned his attention to the movie and took one of the snack bowls, placing it in his lap.

After a few minutes of silence, Jason’s thoughts drifted off, as he kept remembering all those movie nights at Stuart’s house. The way they peeked through their fingers, kind of interested in all those gruesome horror movies, but also terrified at the same time. The way they laughed their asses off during basically every comedy that Stui recommended.

“Oh, I should’ve turned the light off,” Jason shook his head and turned around, flashing his eyes for a moment to make the light switch turn off.

Shit.

Realizing what he just did made Jason’s face look petrified, as he hesitatingly glanced to the side to check if Nathan noticed anything.

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy frowned, feeling slightly sorry about how much beer he had already taken from Jason’s refrigerator. Instead of grabbing another, he settled for grabbing a handful of snacks from one of the bowls on the table. As he shoved a handful of the salty snacks into his mouth, he felt his mouth get dry and yearned for a beer to chase it down.

He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, chewing slowly and swallowing roughly. When the light shut off on their own accord, Cassidy stiffened, staring determinedly at the movie on the screen and reaching blindly toward the bowl on the table for another mouthful. He could feel Nathan shifting beside him, but didn’t dare to look and see his reaction to Jason’s powers.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan crossed his arms tightly over his chest and slouched against the couch, idly watching the movie as it started. He had enjoyed the movie the last time he’d seen it -- well, what little he’d actually watched of it. He’d been a bit...busy...with other things to really watch the whole thing.

Hearing Jason’s comment and noticing the lights immediately go off, he furrowed his eyebrows and glanced to the side in time to see Jason’s eyes return to their normal color. His eyes narrowed and he glanced at Cassidy sitting next to him, who tensed and shoved more food in his mouth. Curling his hands into tight fists, he elbowed Cassidy sharply in the side and raised his eyebrows when his friend looked at him with his mouth open, showing the food in his mouth.

“Come with me to get a beer,” he ordered tightly, not waiting for an answer before getting up and making his way into the kitchen.

[rpjasonblake]

me: hoe don’t do it photoshop: *smart sharpen fucks everything up* me: oh my god

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy: f-word? You mean fandango?

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan: No, I think he means firkin.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

Jason shifted a little in his seat and nodded, cheeks reddening slightly. “Oh well…” he murmured at the compliment, glancing to the side to check if Cassidy was being serious. He played with the remote in his hands for a few moments, trying to remember a few good movies he could play. Fearing his choices might come off as ridiculous or completely uninteresting, Jason wanted to hand the remote to Cassidy, but hearing them say that they’re okay with whatever, Jason swallowed a tad nervously and opened his USB directory on the TV.

“The couch is more comfortable than it seems, don’t worry. I’ll leave the fireplace as it is, but you can shut down the gas valve and turn it off if you want to,” Jason said, navigating his way through the folders and shifting his look between Nathan and the screen. 

He paused for a moment and slowly started to scroll down the movie list. “So, um… Hunger Games, Maze Runner, bunch of Marvel movies, Interstellar, zombie stuff, creepy horrors and some- yeah skipping that… anyway, um… take your pick!” Jason laughed in embarrassment, trying to scroll as fast as possible through the countless romantic movies that Luke and he watched for the past month and spare himself the uncomfortable comments.

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy frowned, looking through all the movies that he knew absolutely nothing about. Of course, he’d heard of a few of them in passing, but he very rarely watched TV or stayed up to date with pop culture. A life on the run tended to keep him pretty distanced from the rest of society. Cassidy had spent the past year moving from bar to bar, drinking until he could barely stand, and passing out in the middle of fucking nowhere.

He was once again reminded of what shit he was.

He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Nathan and hoping he’d have some sort of answer.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan ground his teeth together, a habit he had when he was thinking. He noticed Cassidy’s glance and sat forward, clasping his hands together and leaning his elbows on his knees as he looked through the movies. He recognized a few of the titles, but none of them really caught his interest. Movies like The Hunger Games and Maze Runner really paled into comparison to the society that was already in the works -- to the way the government and the military already operated.

Seeing a movie he’d watched once on the rare occasion that he spent an evening with a one night stand, he nodded at the screen and pointed. “Guardians of the Galaxy is a good one. Funny.”

He shrugged and sat back, putting his feet up on the coffee table. “But, as I said, I’m up for whatever.” He didn’t really know any of the other movies anyway.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

Jason shook his head and smiled fondly. “Nah, I’m alright. It’s really no big deal. I’m sure your friends would’ve done the same.” And that was the truth. Jason didn’t care about any counter favors. He knew what it meant to sleep in the streets, even if it’s just for a day. He also figured that neither Cassidy or Nathan have any idea about where to go next, so this seemed like they could use a helping hand.

"You just have to decide where you’ll be sleeping so I can bring the pillows and blankets,” he added and nodded, before continuing. “Until then, I have a bunch of movies if you guys would like…” The atmosphere in the room seemed much calmer than an hour ago and Jason’s chest didn’t feel so heavy anymore. He relaxed in his seat and focused his attention to the TV.

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy felt himself tense a bit at the mention of his friends. Because would they have done the same? Maybe a few years ago, but now? He wasn’t so sure. So much had changed since they’d been in the army together. He had changed. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to go back to who he used to be. 

He didn’t think they could ever get that friendship back. If they knew the truth, they might understand…but there was no way he could do that to them. Not now. Not with how good they had it in Beacon Hills. His friend, the deputy. Who would have thought? And Selene. She was just as feisty as ever. He wondered what she’d been doing with her time out of the military, but he knew he could never bring himself to ask.

Sighing, he sat back in his seat and smiled at Jason, clapping a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Thanks Jas, you’re a good guy.” A good kid is what he wanted to say, but he thought better of it.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan side-eyed his friend, lifting an eyebrow in question when Cassidy glanced his way. Cassidy merely shook his head and returned his attention to the TV. Nathan narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing, but let the subject drop. He wouldn’t bring it up in front of Jason anyway. He knew better than that by now. The less people knew about them, the better. Neither of them wanted to jeopardize anyone by doing something stupid.

Nathan cleared his throat and let himself relex, rolling his head to the side and stretching his neck. He glanced at the television screen, frowning in contemplation. “I’m good with whatever. As long as it’s not some war movie.”

Because none of them even compared to the real thing. Plus, Nathan knew that neither he or Cassidy wanted to relieve something like that, no matter how fabricated and inaccurate the depictions were.

“As for where we sleep,” he glanced at the other two, observing them for a moment before returning his attention to the TV. “I can take the couch.”

The guestroom probably reeked of werewolf.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

Jason shook his head and pulled away from his thoughts. He looked back at Cassidy and Nathan, nodding at both of them and putting on his usual friendly smile. “Of course! And don’t worry, you’re free to stay as long as you need. I appreciate the company,” Jason shifted in his seat and leaned towards Nathan. “We’ll talk about the payment later though,” he joked and laughed lightly. Truth was that Jason really liked the company. Living alone in such a big house had it’s pros and cons, but overall he wholeheartedly welcomed anyone who wanted to stay or just hang out.

"I’m 17, soon to be 18. Tough years, what can I say," Jason joked again, noticing how both Cassidy and Nathan raised their eyebrows. This was probably the part where Jason said something more about himself, but his tongue was kind of refusing to speak. He swallowed a tad nervously and hesitatingly continued. "I grew up in an orph… in um… Oregon and m-moved here like a y-year ago with my… f-foster mom. Or step mom. Yeah. Whatever…" he clenched his jaw and laughed bitterly. "I was just telling Cassidy about h-her…" At this point Jason was moving into some uncharted territory, since he never got a chance to fully explain his life with Jennifer to anyone besides his pack.

"She worked as an English teacher in Beacon Hills High. We um… we lived here for s-some time and then…" Jason paused and swallowed the lump in his throat, forcing a smile on his face. "We had a fight and she left… it’s kind of comp-complicat… complicated," he murmured and stuttered throughout his words and kept tapping his foot against the floor somewhat anxiously. 

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy listened carefully, picking up on all the things Jason wasn’t saying. He frowned and grabbed for his beer, sipping at it to keep himself from asking invasive questions. He didn’t want this to be any harder on Jason than it already was. He really didn’t need to be telling him or Nathan any of this. They were both just thankful for the place to stay. Although, Cassidy was curious and wanted to know more. He would keep his mouth shut about that though. He didn’t want to pressure Jason into sharing anything he didn’t want to.

He forced a small smile, knocking the lip of his beer bottle against Nathan’s. “Hey, if anyone knows complicated, it’s us two. Right, Nath?”

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan snorted and nodded, taking a sip from his beer and eyeing Jason calculatingly. He swallowed carefully and slid forward a bit on the couch. He wasn't entirely surprised that Jason was only 17. He had guessed as much when he first saw him. He was, however, surprised that he didn't have anyone left. He wondered how he got away with not getting sent to another foster home after Jennifer left. Perhaps this kid had more secrets than just being friends with werewolves.

He cleared his throat, realizing he'd been staring, and lifted his eyes to the wall as he took another sip of his beer. 

"It's really nice of you to let us stay here," he said after a minute, a genuine smile pulling at his lips for the first time as he looked back at Jason. "If there's anything you want us to do, let us know." He glanced at Cassidy, feeling his previous anger and tension fading a bit. "We could actually pay you if you want...or pick up some things from the store...clean up around the house...whatever you want, man." He turned his smile back to Jason, hoping to ease the weariness in Jason's eyes, if only a fraction.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

"Oh, I get it! So how come you’re not staying wih them?" Jason asked with interest, but regretted it again as soon as Cassidy exchanged a few nervous glances with Nathan. He could have sworn Cassidy wasn’t acting so strange when he was alone and the tension that was building up between the three was frankly making Jason uncomfortable in his own home. Fearing any further questions could be inappropriate, Jason cleared his throat and added. “But I get what you mean. And traveling seems fun…”

Jason wanted to ask where were they from or at least where were they heading, but figured the army guys must be secretive about themselves and their whereabouts. Especially since, from what Cassidy told Jason, the army they were in wasn’t so ordinary. Jason let his mind wander off a bit, as his eyes were fixed on the bowl full of snacks in front of him.

She stays silent. Not wanting to make eye contact, she stares at the floor with an emotionless expression on her face. “You literally force me to tell you every single detail of my life and yet it’s so hard for you, so fucking hard for you to tell me why are there bloody clothes in your wardrobe?!” She turns around completely, her shoulders shiver. I shouldn’t have yelled so much. Now I hurt her. “It’s not blood, Jay.” That’s all she says and walks away. Why is she being so silent? It doesn’t fit her. At all. I go to bed, but I can’t fall asleep. I hear her walking downstairs. I hear the front door opening; her car starting up and driving away. Why is she doing this to me? I know how to keep a secret. I want us to be friends. What’s going on with her?

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy sighed, getting irritated with the odd tension in the room. He felt uneasy with Nathan in the same room as Jason. He was just waiting for one of them to say something to make the other suspicious or angry. Cassidy didn’t like being in the middle of this. He wasn’t used to playing the mediator. That role usually went to Nathan, who held Cassidy back whenever he got into a fight.

"We already had the motel room booked and didn’t want to intrude on my friends," he answered nonchalantly, sitting back and taking a sip of his beer. Seeing the same far-off look in Jason’s eye that he saw earlier, Cassidy slapped his hands over his knees to snap him out of it, looking between Jason and Nathan with lifted eyebrows. "So, yeah, we’d really appreciate staying here if you’re alright with it, Jas."

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan looked at Cassidy with raised eyebrows. Jas? Cassidy had a nickname for this kid now? He snorted and shook his head. It took a moment to understand what Cassidy was trying to do and after a moment Nathan forced himself to relax and smile at Jason.

"Yeah, that'd be great," he answered. He took a sip from his beer before scooting forward to set it on the coffee table. "We'll be out of your hair soon enough, I'm sure." He cleared his throat. "I'll go look for another place to stay tomorrow." He glanced up at Jason with a shrug. "I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."

He saw Cassidy visibly relax beside him and refrained from rolling his eyes. However he'd met this Jason kid, Cassidy had somehow come to be fond of him. Nathan didn't understand that. Cassidy didn't like people. Then again, Nathan had been making quick judgments about Jason ever since he walked through the door. Maybe he could give the kid a chance, if only to see what Cassidy liked so much about him.

"So, how old are you, Jason?" he questioned conversationally, hoping to make them all feel a little less awkward.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

"Yeah, I know," Jason commented with a weak frown on his face, before raising his eyebrows slightly and asking. "About that; where did you guys leave your stuff?" Jason figured he must have asked too soon, considering the small amounts of confusion being splashed over their faces. He shifted his gaze between Cassidy and Nathan, but eventually looked down and clasped his hands together.

The storm was still raging outside, maybe even more intensely than a few hours ago. The brief silence was interrupted a few times by the thunder outside and some occasional murmuring between Cassidy and Nathan. Jason didn’t want to pry too much, but his brain eventually got flooded with questions. “You guys are on a trip to somewhere or just… visiting someone?” he asked hesitatingly, but got interrupted by his phone that started to vibrate on the table in front of him. He quickly leaned forward, seeing Derek’s name pop up, and pulled the icon to answer.

"Hello?" Jason answered and leaned back. "Something wrong?" he asked quickly after, feeling a bit surprised that Derek called this late. Well, it wasn’t exactly that late, but it was unusual for Derek to call. He was more of a texting person. “No, no, everything’s okay over here. Yeah. I have some…” Jason looked to the side, glancing for a moment at Cassidy and Nathan, before continuing. “A few friends are having a sleepover at my place so it’s all cool. Uh-uh. Yup, no worries. I got it covered,” he let out a silent laugh. “Thank you for checking up on me. Would you like to maybe come over for some pizza- Oh, okay then. Sure. Stay safe from the terrible weather. Okay. Bye.”

Jason hung up and looked at his guests with an apologetic smile. “Sorry for that. It was a friend. Where were we anyway?”

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy exchanged a look with Nathan, frowning. How were they supposed to explain why they didn’t have their stuff with them? He cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his neck, licking his lips. “We don’t have much. There wasn’t anything important in the motel room.”

He shared a significant glance with Nathan and Nathan cleared his throat, leaning over to whisper to him about buying some new clothes soon because he would have to burn his boxers after wearing a werewolf’s clothes. Cassidy gave him a warning glare, glancing toward Jason to make sure he didn’t hear.

Cassidy was going to answer Jason’s question, already having an answer ready, but stopped when Jason’s phone rang. He shared a look with Nathan and sat politely quiet while Jason was on the phone.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan sat with his beer sitting snugly between his hands, taking short sips off it for something to kill the tension he felt in his shoulders. He wasn't sure what Cassidy had told Jason and how much of what he'd told him was the truth, so he didn't want to say anything that dug them into a hole. He knew better than to talk too much about their situation anyway. The two of them hadn't lasted this long on the run by spilling their secrets to the first nice stranger they met.

He listened, half-interested, as Jason talked on the phone and he idly wondered who it was he was talking to. It sounded like some sort of family member, but he wasn't sure who it could be. From what Jason said, he lived alone. It sort of sounded like he was talking to a brother, but if that was true, why didn't they stay with Jason?

When he hung up, Nathan lifted his eyebrows. "Uh, I think Cassidy was just about to tell you that we were on our way through town, but ran into a few friends and decided to stay a while?" He glanced at Cassidy out of the corner of his eye, hoping he didn't cross any boundaries.

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

"Let me take that," Jason kindly offered and got up on his feet, walked towards Nathan and took the wet clothes in his hands, before making his way to the drier. He put the clothes in it and turned on the machine. He took a moment to wait for the cycle to start, wanting to make sure it’s gonna work. When everything was set up, Jason left for the kitchen, planning to offer the boys some more beer or pizza. As he passed by the living room quickly, Jason caught a glimpse of Nathan and Cassidy glaring at each other with words like "werewolf", "stinks" and "fuck" being silently spurted out a few times.

Jason pretended he didn’t hear anything and paced to the fridge. He took out two more bottles of beer and closed the fridge doors with a lump in his throat. Werewolf? He shook his head and quickly washed a few remaining dishes inside the sink. Maybe I heard it wrong. 

After taking care of the kitchen business, Jason made his way back into the living room and gave both of his guests a slight nod, holding two bottles of beer in his hands. He placed them on the coffee table and sat in a nearby chair, leaving the couch for the guys. “It’s not gonna take long… the clothes, I mean,” Jason said to Nathan and crossed his arms. “Anyway, I was just telling Cassidy that you’re welcome to stay. I live alone so it’s no big deal,” Jason continued and returned his attention to the television screen.

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy watched as Jason took the clothes from Nathan and left the room, leaving the former soldiers alone. Cassidy watched his friend closely, lifting a pointed eyebrow when Nathan returned his gaze. 

Nathan’s jaw twitched and he stood in silence for a moment, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he waited for Jason to be busy in the other room. When he was sure he wouldn’t hear, Nathan squirmed uncomfortably in the clothes and sat down next to Cassidy.

"They’re a fucking werewolf’s, man,” Nathan hissed, indicating the clothes on his back.

Cassidy lifted his eyebrows higher, looking Nathan over and pinching the fabric of the t-shirt between his index finger and thumb. “A werewolf?”

"Yes," Nathan hissed, shaking his friend off. "And they fucking stink.”

Cassidy rolled his eyes and sat back, running a hand through his hair. “Shit. Are you sure it’s a werewolf?”

Nathan huffed angrily, grabbing a hold of Cassidy’s shirt and tugging him closer. “I think I would fucking know what a werewolf smells like.”

Cassidy saw his friend’s eyes flash a golden brown and automatically flinched away. He held up his hands. “Alright, fuck’s sake, Nath. Calm the fuck down.”

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan grunted and released his friend, his eyes returning to normal color as he sat back against the couch. He rubbed his back against the cushions, trying to rid himself of the stench of werewolf, but now that he had been exposed to it, he started to notice the smell was all over the house. 

He grit his teeth in agitation and glared at Cassidy. "This is your fault. What the fuck are you doing in this house?"

Cassidy opened his mouth to respond, but Nathan shook his head, turning his attention to the door as Jason entered the room. Nathan saw the kid's hesitation and noticed the beer in his hand. He reached for it gratefully as soon as it was sat in front of him. He wasn't much of a drinker, not in comparison to Cassidy anyway, but he knew he would need something strong in his system to keep him calm.

He lifted his gaze to meet Jason's when he spoke of living alone and he raised his eyebrows in silent question, knowing better than to ask. He popped the top of his beer and took a brief sip, weighing his options. He really didn't want to spend the night in a house that reeked of werewolf, but what other choice did he have? They couldn't go back to the motel and they couldn't check into a new one. Those would be the first places they looked for them.

He pointedly didn't look at Cassidy as he nodded, "That'd be nice, actually. Thanks. We, uh," he paused, licking his lips. "We got kicked out of our motel room."

[rpnathanchambers]

Doomed From The Start || Sidepack

[rpjasonblake]

"You and Nathan are welcome to stay the night… as long as you want to," Jason said to Cassidy after he waited for Nathan to go and change. He scooted a little closer to Cassidy and shrugged. "I just hope I wasn’t pushing too much with the clothes. He obviously hates the color," Jason added and leaned over Cassidy to take a look if Nathan is done. Apparently, it took him a while.

In the meantime, Jason brought some snacks and let his mind drift off a little. “You know, last time we had guests it was like a year ago. Maybe even more.” He rolled his eyes and chewed on the salty chips. “Jennifer forced me to stay just because I, and I quote, bring the best out of people, and since the guests were a couple of teachers from school, she thought we’re gonna leave a good impression. The food was good though.” Jason chuckled and brought his knees up to his chest.

"They talked about something so boring I swear I was this close," he brought his index fingers close to one another, "to actually falling asleep during dinner. Jennifer loved to talk about poetry and that kind of stuff. She was, after all, an English teacher. She’d really get into all that, you could totally see it in her eyes.” Jason let out another chuckle and looked at Cassidy briefly. “And when the teachers left, she’d ramble for hours about how the meat was overcooked, how she totally bored them with literature, and then my job was to compliment her meal and make a little fun of the way she spoke. Yeah, we were a good…” He stopped and swallowed the word that nearly left his mouth. He blinked a few times and murmured more to himself than to Cassidy. “A good team.”

Looking to the side, he noticed the frown on Cassidy’s face. “I didn’t tell you about Jennifer before? S-Sorry. I always think everyone knows about her.” Jason shook and raised his head. “S-She was my foster mo-” He paused again, as Nathan entered the living room and leaned against the wall. It looks good on him, though. 

[rpjordancassidy]

Cassidy glanced sideways at Jason as he offered for them to stay the night. With the way Nathan was acting toward Jason, he was a little surprised that Jason still felt comfortable having them in his home. There were obviously things he didn’t know about them and Nathan had yet to prove to be a nice guy. He was on the edge of seriously questioning Jason’s judgment when he made the comment about the clothes.

Cassidy cracked a smile, ducking his head to hide it and softly shaking his head. He was glad that Jason was so oblivious to Nathan’s odd behavior. Cassidy, himself, didn’t know the whole story behind it, but he knew it had something to do with…well, things.

He was happy when Jason brought out some snacks, automatically stuffing his face with chips to keep himself from talking too much. The last thing he wanted to do was say something he’d regret — like more secrets that Nathan would most likely murder him for. He listened companionably to Jason’s story about Jennifer, quirking his head to the side as he listened. He hadn’t heard about Jennifer before and he was sort of wondering where all this was coming from. He silently wondered what had happened to Jennifer, if she had been someone who betrayed Jason.

Cassidy tried to smile when Jason looked at him, but found himself unable to muster one. He knew the feeling quivering in Jason’s voice far too well. Loss.

He shook his head when Jason started apologizing, ready to tell him that it was okay. He stopped when Jason stopped, however, and looked up at Nathan leaning against the wall. Cassidy waited, trying to gauge Nathan’s reaction. There was something seriously off, but Cassidy couldn’t figure out what it was.

[rpnathanchambers]

Nathan's skin was crawling as the unfamiliar scent coated his arms, torso, and legs. He held his wet clothes loosely in his hand, trying (and failing, if the look on Cassidy's face was any indication) to keep the scowl from his face. The mere scent of the werewolf made his blood boil. With each calming breath he took, the stronger the scent of the werewolf got.

"You said something about a drier?" Nathan questioned shortly, his voice faintly strained as he tried to limit his breathing. The sooner he got out of these damn clothes the better he'd feel. He vaguely wondered if stripping down into his boxers would be appropriate or not, but tossed the idea aside when he remembered there was a teenager in the room. He would have to put up with the stench, no matter how uncomfortable it made him.