Where Tommy dies and Jake decides to go to Pandora.
ᯓ★ C/W: MDNI. Death/murder mention, right place wrong time.
ᯓ★Pairing: Earth!Jake x Earth!Reader.
ᯓ★Word Count: 0.8K
ᯓ★ A/N: I really stopped my work and started spamming my docs I stg. I dunno!!! This just felt... right. I wanted to explore maybe Jake's grief and internal turmoil with Tommy, duty n all that. This is the same AU as UNINHIBITED! (you can check it out if u want). Whenever you see these new banners, it will be Earth!Jake centric just fyi. Love u guyz!!
Earth 2148
He was… not himself.
You noticed it as soon as you opened the door to greet him. His hair was wet, a blotch of purple decorated his cheekbone, even you, the one-semester nursing dropout-turned waitress, were able to see that it was the result of a bar fight.
You could still smell the alcohol on his clothes.
You held your tongue.
You both were in your kitchen. He sat in his chair and you were crouched over him, carefully pressing a bag of frozen portions to his face, watching for any signs of a potential fracture.
“It’s like a night's drinking can't end without someone getting hurt, huh? How ‘bout you start landing one on ‘em?” You were teasing, hoping to see his trademark smirk.
He didn’t react. His eyes were fixed on your features. Warmth bloomed in the apples of your cheeks, your eyes met— no, they didn’t.
He wasn’t looking at you. His eyes were looking in your direction, but you recognized that look. It was the same look he had when he was about to do something stupid— when he was about to act up.
Your tongue clicks.
“You’ve been off ever since you got here, you’re not saying anything, you’re picking fights— talk to me, Sully.”
Your eyes search his face, and it’s as if he’d just noticed where he was, because your eyes finally meet his and recognition flashes across his features.
“Tommy’s dead.”
The cold bites at your finger tips. The words don’t make sense strung together. They sound foreign. Wrong.
“What?”
Your words come out breathless. It was as if all moisture was sucked out of the room, and you were left choking on your own air.
“Tommy’s dead. Robbery turned homicide. Some agents found me outside the bar.”
Your hand falters and you decided to set the frozen package down, brushing the wetness away from his bruised skin. The bruise suddenly felt like an omen.
He’d lost his twin, a part of him. And you were trying to joke around. You felt ill.
“I… Jake, I’m so sorry, when did this… how are—“
His gaze drops, focusing on the faded linoleum under you.
He can’t meet your eyes.
Confusion-- dread fills your stomach.
“RDA offered me to take his place.”
Oh.
Your lips press into a thin line, you school your reaction, choking back a grimace.
“You’re not actually thinking of that.”
He shrugs. Anger pools in your gut, pressing into your windpipe.
“Everything is ready for him, I’m a carbon copy.”
“You’re a person who’s brother—who’s twin just died. You’re telling me you’re really considering working for them again? After everything?”
You felt desperation claw at your throat, your eyes frantically searched his. He couldn’t meet them.
“I ain’t got much here.”
It felt like a bucket of ice water being dumped on you.
The words die in your throat.
You remember that night, where the smoke was thick and you both escaped your minds for a moment.
You’d never talked about it, he never brought it up. You never pushed.
The room suddenly felt smaller. Like it had shrunk in the seconds you looked away.
He finally looked up at you, blue glinting in the dim light. He looked older, tired, as if he truly didn’t know what to do. Why had he come to you, if he didn’t have much here?
You both knew.
The first aid kit clicks shut. Your fingers linger on the latch.
“When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
You stand, but you can’t feel your legs.
The kit is put away, your back is turned to him but you feel his eyes on you.
You nod.
“How long?”
“Undetermined.”
A laugh slips out of you before you can stop it. Thin. Wrong. It sounded nothing like you.
You drag in a breath that doesn’t go deep enough, your palms laying flat against the counter, grounding yourself.
You hear the turning of wheels on old linoleum, he moves to you.
“You think I shouldn’t go?”
Your jaw sets. You couldn’t see him, you couldn’t see much, your kitchen turned into a blur. You couldn’t trust yourself, but you thought it sounded almost… hurt.
You shrug, like the words don't claw at your throat.
“I think you made your choice before you even got here.” You turn, arms crossing, guarding.
“You don’t come here when you’re unsure. You come here when you’ve already decided.”
You smile, but it doesn’t reach your eyes.
He notices it.
You see his lips part, hesitating—
“You don’t think it’s a bad idea?”
You knew what that meant.
You’re not stopping me?
But he was never one to ask, and you were never one to tell.
“I think it’s a terrible idea, but I know if you stay here, you’ll regret it more.”
You won’t stay.
He hesitates for a second, and then he nods, his head dropping ever so slightly. He tilted his head, his eyes meeting yours, like he wanted to say something.
That fic got me thinking yesterday, I was too tired to elaborate but like… Earth Jake? I don’t think he was bitter or angry all the time, I think he tried to make do with what he had. Like, yes, the bitterness and anger simmered any time he was reminded of how he quite literally gave up his normal life for a dying planet, but more anger towards the people who’s greed put him in that situation.
Like we see how funny and charming he is once he gets over his initial bitchy phase, and we all see how he doesn’t think twice about throwing hands for the right reason. Even after Venezuela!
Like, he lost the use of his legs so young! And if we go by like…. His skills in Pandora? Jake WAS(IS) hot shit on the field, he quite literally had to get ambushed to be stopped.
His body was his tool, he got shit done. He was a damn good Marine and loved it (until Yknow).
Im sure he was this idealistic, excited recruit coming into Venezuelan land. Probably brainwashed into thinking hes actually doing something good, being useful.
When he was younger, he probably always got into fights and often got in trouble for it, was thought of as a problem child…. They probably compared him to Tommy a lot.
Speaking of Tommy, I’d like to think their relationship mirror that of Lo’ak and Neteyam’s, but a lot further apart. They mention they’re not close but… twins man. I HC Jake knew something happened, probably a gut feeling, that’s why he was feeling reckless, drinking, showing off, fighting… He probably felt anxious, rattled, but Tommy’s death never crossed his mind.
He was the one supposed to do it all, he was supposed to get out, not Jake.
I feel like Tommy was charming, just like Jake, funny, teasing— but I feel like he would also be a lot more detached than Jake, call it emotional intelligence, call it repressing— he separates the facts from the feelings, that’s why he was so good at what he did.
And I also think that way of seeing things is what made their relationship so distanced. But the love was there man, they shared a womb. Jake had always lived being a twin, until he wasn’t one anymore, I wonder if he thinks about that sometimes, looking up at the Pandora sky...
