Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall x Mary Hawkins from Outlander.
Gift for the folks of Black Jack Randall Thirstposting Discord Server as promised (drawn directly on the reference photo), especially the people of Jackary nation šļøš«¦šļøš«¶.
Context: Possibly one of their pre-marriage "encounters" in which Black Jack taunts Mary too much and she reacts like "Fuck you" (she seems to be proceeding do it literally) šļøš«¦šļø.
Text insert done with the assistance of my bestie who is a graphic designer. Again thanks to @malicious-compliance-esq, @fitzjeams for the support on Discord š«¶š¹.
Please don't spoil my ship by mentioning other unrelated ships.
The words caught the beast off guard as he strolled through the quiet forest of Teldrassil, barefoot and allowing his ever-present trail of flowers to flow in his wake. Next to the tall blond had been a far shorter elf-shaped man, armed to the teeth in weaponry and dressed in form-fitting leather. While they were a stark contrast to one another, the words alone had drawn Jackary to a standstill.
āI... What?ā
It was right after a family feast, right after a great speech had been given about coming changes and freedom and how deeply the rogue appreciated the family he had built over the years. The pair had been laughing together, reminiscing about the past... And suddenlyā¦
Suddenly it made sense.
āDonāt fuck around with me like that, Lokā,ā Jack couldnāt help but awkwardly laugh as if it was some stupid joke that his cousin had decided to drop. If he, in his early life, was a sigil of life, his best friend was the sigil of death. They complimented each other, they went everywhere together. Of all things, Lokitan was the reason Jack wound up in Azeroth in the first place.
āI wish I could,ā Loki hummed, slowing to a standstill where he could finally light a cigarette heād fetched and drew in a deep inhale, calming the nerves that were rising in the conversation at hand.āI am fadinā away and I can feel it, wonāt be long now.ā
Jack stood silently in disbelief, the reason they had gone walking through an Alliance claimed territory wasnāt to simply ruffle some feathers, it was because it was where their journey had begun together. It was made clear when Jack looked anywhere but at his cousin, realizing he was in the near exact spot heād appeared in his own crash landing.
āSo, what? You brought me out here to--ā
āTo say goodbye, yeah.ā Cutting off the emerald, Lokitan lifted a crimson eye upward, staring for a long moment. He gave a small smirk. āItāll be alright, youāll be fine.ā
Would he?
Claws pushed through Jack's long, unruly locks of hair to pull them back and up into a ponytail, keeping the weighted tresses from his face while it gave him time to think, āSo just like that, youāreā¦ Youāre gone then. When--?ā As he questioned just how long Lokitan had left, when he turned to face his cousin, he could already see parts of the rogue turning brittle, fluttering away in the faint, cool breeze around them like nothing more than ash.
āWe have outstayed our welcome, you and I.ā Lokitan drew in another slow inhale of his cigarette, pondering over what he wanted his final words to be. āWeāve also been through a lot, ever since we were little. We always got into so much shit, heh...ā The shadowed dragon smirked to himself, baring a set of fangs in amusement. Bittersweet really, that it was to be Jackary he spent his final moments with when it had also been Jack that helped bring him into the world to cause chaos.
āDo you have any regretsā¦?ā Jack asked quietly, finding himself fidgeting with his own fingers.
āA few,ā Loki replied rather abruptly, wetting his lips while his vision raised to look up at the trees above, noting the stars beyond the greenery. āI regret not coming sooner to help you that night, I regret you binding your wings to service. I regret falling in loveā¦ā He trailed off at that point, seeming less inclined to want to discuss it.
Jack frowned further, still attempting to wrap his head around what was happening, and yet there he stood, speaking casually with the man that may as well have been his own brother, they were of flesh and blood. Two princes that ran away from home and carried their heritage only by name. Chaoti meant nothing in Azeroth. Jaden and Heran meant nothing, either. They were just names, something no one even blinked at. And of all of the travels the two had been through, the endless adventures or bickering or laughter or beauty or horror, suddenly it was justā¦ ending.
Just like that.
Everything had an ending, certainly, butā¦
āDonāt leave meā¦ā
Lokitan barked out a bout of laughter at that, smiling as he glanced over to Jackary, though he could see just how much the Emerald was hurting. Such caused that smile to falter. āI canāt stayā¦ā
āYou can....ā Jack furrowed, shaking his head a bit before throwing his hand out to the side. āYou of all people can stay! You canāt leave me..! YOU CANāT LEAVE ME, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!ā The voice echoed through the quiet trees, ruffling the feathers of a few birds that flitted away, the echo faded soon after.
āJackary... Donāt make this harder than it is.ā
āNo! Fuck you! Fuck you,ā Jack inhaled a bit, eyes narrowed when the unnatural sting formed in their corners. Each motion became a pacing step back and forth, his hair swayed behind him. Flowers and grass only further grew outward from his position only to die once close enough to the stand-still rogue. āYou brought me here. We came here together, I came here for YOU, WITH YOU! We promised each other weād never leave one anotherās side, you fucking LIAR! You promised, Lokitan Jaden! YOU PROMISED ME!ā
Watching the Emerald struggle with anything brought on the protective nature of the small Infinite. Through the beastās rapidly increased pacing, a hand reached over to suddenly grab Jackās arm to yank him over and downward into a tight hug.
Loki never hugged anyone.
āJackaryā¦ā He whispered softly, fondly in the captured drakeās ear. āYou have been the only one in our family, our past, or history that has ever shown me kindness and love. Youāve had endless patience, youāve also been a complete fuckwit and you deserve that scar on your chin for what you did, butā¦ Youāre going to be okay. Youāre going to move forward from this and you will find a new life, a new love, and a new family. You will find people you belong toā¦ Beyond our name, beyond our past transgressionsā¦. Someday youāll forget about the horrors..ā
āI donāt want toā¦ā When had Jackary hugged back? When had he been hunching and clinging so tightly that he could hear the groaning echoes of the leather giving way to the grasp? āPlease, Iāve had you with me all my lifeā¦ Pleaseā¦ I need someone to keep me sane, to keep me in check. Please don't go.ā
āYouāll find someone who will stand up to you and your bullshit. Youāll find a warm home again. I know thisā¦ā Lokitan sank faintly into the larger maleās grip, feeling the weakening sensation growing even more. āI know this because you have an air about you and people will find you addictive to be around. Keep your wings... Keep your wings and soarā¦ā
āDonāt make me stay here aloneā¦ā Nails bit into the leathers, though with every passing second, he could feel the tension of a body between his arms begin to wilt and crumble, he couldnāt even look. He couldnāt bring himself to see Lokitan fade away. A man who had saved his life and who had saved him from the horrors of his ex-wife. His best friend.
āI love you, Jackary Heran.ā
Those were the final words that escaped before arms found themselves collapsing around nothing but an ash pile of leathers and knives. The weaponry clanked when it hit the forest floor, leaving the black dust to cling to Jackaryās figure.
When had he dropped to his knees?
When had it become so dark?
When had rain gradually washed the ash from his skin?
When had Loki known he was going to die and why hadnāt he told Jackary about it?
Rock after rock, stone after stone, a small, unmarked grave was built, tucked away where no adventurer could find it unless they knew where to look. A sleepless night was spent marking the spot where the rogue had finally fallen.
When had this happened?
When did the memory of it start to fade?
A grave that would be of importance later, but that was for another story.
The night had been lively and perhaps the dragon had clung to those he recognized a bit too hard and a bit too long, Tris and Dice had been the center of his attention and world and even when Jack had met several new folk to pass the time. But in the end, when the party began to die down and Jackary found himself laying back on the deck of a familiar ship, his blurry vision was hazy, drunken in alcohol that he had consumed well after heād returned to a private ship deck.
Now alone and with his thoughts, he pursed his lips, wetting them in recollection of what he remembered versus what he had awoken to. The last time heād been on the ship, it was an invasion not much unlike the Legion and the Broken Shore, but of Horde and Alliance searching for the blood of Azeroth herself. It was a difficult time in life, Jack refused to return to land to face his grievances, his miscommunications and fears of his own partner all while fiercely guarding the demonās hard work and company headquarters. Perhaps if he had put more time into Darnath than the manās company out of his own insecurities and fears....
Drunk, alone, even his entire crew was gone, off celebrating a victory that Jack knew nothing of. His eyes began to grow heavy until lids fell closed, but the idea of falling asleep again had him snap awake, inhaling deeply to try and pull himself back into being fully awake. He sat up, groaning from the dizzy sensation before hands moved to course through blonde and green locks, letting the spiky mess fall to whatever direction it wanted to go.
No one home. Feral island, it was all the beast could do to rub his face firmly and think about where to go.Ā āDamnit...ā Came a low growl until finally he mage stumbled to his feet and began to trip himself forward. He knew he had one friend, one place he could track down and the Blacksmithās scent was still on him, still easily tracked. Though heād never truly been to Dicenneās place, intoxication would not deter Jackary from showing up at the Elfās doorstep to knock upon it, truly a hunter in his own right.
Invasion of privacy, or at least a friendly face, one that he trusted enough to try and place the past few years together. Of all things, he just didnāt didnāt want to face the reality of being alone, a fear that would still haunt his waking visions from being quite displaced. He could only hope in that moment, that at least someone would answer.
