Just gonna say that while I understand why Theo "just wanted to see Makayla", he had absolutely zero rights waiting outside her school. Like wtf was that? Creepy as hell! The squad had every right to get a warrant for his house and I do not condone them for that (Adam should not have raced into the interrogation room to 'beat him up' though). I get that Theo was under ransom pressure but they had every right to be angry and accuse him at first, no offense.
I also agree with everyone else who said that Kim and Adam should have been nowhere near the case.
pairing: jacob seed x deputy (theo ward)
summary: no-cult au. Jacob spends his nights at the local bar after falling for a certain woman who has been in too many bar fights to count.
warnings: alcohol and smoking of course. language. john. but it’s mostly soft. slight ns/fw just in case lol
a/n: anyways loving the idea of john and faith acting like old ladies who love knowing all the gossip and drama that goes around hope county...
---------------
She was always there, late in the night at the only bar in town- the only moderately proper bar in all of Hope County. Tall and beautiful, long black hair falling down her back in waves. She would drink heavily, dance in groups or alone, and laugh with friends and strangers alike.
There was something alluring about her that pulled people in. Jacob had never even spoken with her before, but he could feel that pull, stronger than ever.
Inside, she was so alive and full of charm, flirting unapologetically and as rowdy and unruly as the country men that crowded around her. There were a few times she had either stopped a bar fight or started one, throwing punches hard enough to knock a drunk out cold.
Outside, she’d sit on a chair with a cigarette between her lips, staring at nothing, all the life gone in an instant. Quiet and distant, only responding when someone told her goodbye as they walked out of the bar.
He had sat with her a couple of times, in an oddly comfortable silence that he found himself completely lost in. Neither would move for hours, just sitting outside the noisy bar, smoking or drinking without a word. Once, she jolted from her trance and looked around, sent him a gentle smile and ran her fingers through her hair. She had sighed heavily, flicked her cigarette onto the concrete and muttered a soft ‘good night’ to him as she left.
Jacob had been entranced ever since and he’d lie awake every night, thinking about the way her hair would fall over her shoulders, the curve of her lips when she’d smile, the way her body would move as she danced, the sadness in her eyes in the glow of the flame as she lit her last cigarette. The sound of her voice would ring in his ears as he finally manages to drift to sleep, even if only for a couple of hours.
John and Faith had been constantly bothering him about why he frequented the Spread Eagle every night now, when he hardly interacted with anyone in town, but he could never manage to tell them.
So the next night, they showed up, much to not only his, but to everyone’s surprise. Mary May watched the two walk in, eyeing them curiously. Theo and her group consisting of Hurk Jr., Sharky Boshaw, Jess Black, and Eli Palmer all paused their conversation to see the unexpected guests.
John walked in with a rather bored expression as his eyes scanned over every patron of the bar. Faith looked sweet and innocent but Jacob knew there was something mischievous under that smile of hers. The bar was full of people tonight, so they were on the hunt for the only reason Jacob was here.
As soon as they sat down at his table, the attention was gone like they had never interrupted in the first place. Yet, Jacob noticed Theo watching them and he couldn’t help but stare back, at least until Eli touched her arm and she looked away.
“Oh brother,” John smirks, still taking in the atmosphere. “You look more out of place here than I thought. Still, you fit in better than either of us could.”
Faith hummed and turned to him. “You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself. I almost imagined you were actually talking to people.”
“Dancing, even.” John interjects.
“No, definitely not that.”
Jacob rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his drink he had left untouched. “Shut it. Why are you two even here?”
Their sister gets up to go get drinks from the bar, while John leans back in his seat. “We just wanted to know what would make the unsociable and grumpy Jacob Seed leave his house every night for two weeks. I had some ideas, but they seemed more my style than yours. Faith was worried you were becoming an alcoholic, yet, that looks like your first drink.”
A commotion at the bar causes Jacob to turn away from his brother, watching as Theo talks with Faith, laughing together while she keeps the cousins at bay and away from the younger woman. Theo speaks to Mary May for a moment, to which Mary May scoffs and shakes her head, but pours more drinks.
Faith finally returns, a drink in each hand and she sits down, beaming. “That woman, she’s so funny. Sometimes I forget she’s a sheriff's deputy.”
“Isn’t she on leave? Something about showing up to work drunk, I think.” John hums in thought, his dark eyes following the woman as Hurk Jr. pulls her to the small dance floor.
“I thought it was because she got into a fight while in uniform and smashed a man’s windows.”
He knew little about her, only what his brothers grieved about, since she was the one that arrested Joseph for one little accident. Jacob sighs and attempts to tune the two out, listening to the music that doesn’t sound so obnoxious anymore, watching as the woman who seemed to be the topic of everyone’s conversation lately, dances with her friend.
She was beautiful even then, under the hand painted colored lights, sweat trailing down her neck and strands of her hair clinging to her skin. Her movements were clumsier tonight, the alcohol hitting her harder than he had seen it, but at the same time, she was more sober than most of the people around.
When he looks back at John, there’s a knowing gleam in his eyes and he smiles, raising a brow, but doesn’t say a word. He may have been freed from answering questions for tonight, but he knew John wouldn’t let him carry on in secret forever.
The rest of the night was spent with Jacob having to suffer through John and Faith’s constant chatter, listening to drunkards sing terrible karaoke, and trying to drown his newfound feelings which never seemed to want to die. His siblings grew tired and eventually left, leaving Jacob alone with the off-duty officer and her dwindling group of friends. Sharky was passed out at the bar, Hurk Jr. was in the bathroom for what seemed like eternity, while Jess and Eli had left around an hour ago. Jacob had noticed the soft touches from Eli that Theo had received all night, but chose to ignore whatever meaning they could hold.
The night ended with Theo and Jacob sitting outside in silence like usual, but something was off. Theo was restless, leg bouncing as she smoked and stared off into the night. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her next move, which came sooner than expected and completely out of left field.
“Do you want to go home with me?”
Jacob turns to look at her, slightly shocked to see her staring back at him. There was no one else there and she wasn’t on the phone, so she was definitely asking him. The silent gazing lasts far longer than needed, but he isn’t sure how to answer.
Theo laughs, shaking her head quickly. “Sorry, you can forget that.”
However, Jacob stands and pulls his keys from his pocket. “Should we go now?”
Her blue eyes watch him for a moment and then she jumps up, pulling her keys from her pocket. He follows behind her on the drive to her home, which isn’t far as she had told him and it’s not long until he’s walking through her front door and she’s pulling him in for a kiss.
Jacob welcomes it, his boot kicking the door shut and his hands holding her against him. He takes in the way she tastes, the way she feels and smells and her soft moans as his fingers grip her waist. He’s pinning her against the wall as her hands slide over his throat to the back of his neck.
Theo pushes off the wall, tugging him by the shirt into her slightly messy living room, seating him on the couch. Without a moment to spare, she was on top of him, kissing him hungrily with her hips grinding against his. As she tugs on his belt, she smiles against his lips and starts to chuckle, leaning against his shoulder.
He frowns, hands moving over her thighs to hold her waist, attempting to pull her back. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m sorry,” Theo gazes at him and smiles, fingers grazing over his jaw. “I was just thinking how funny it was that we always saw each other at the bar but only now-” She can’t finish her sentence, tilting her head as she tugs his belt again, knuckles brushing against his stomach.
“I hate that bar.” Jacob grumbles quietly and then sighs as he settles back into the couch cushions. It wasn’t an honest truth, but all and all, he wasn’t there for any other reason.
Theo’s smile slowly vanishes and she leans away, blue eyes narrowing at him. “You do? Then why did you go every night?”
A familiar moment of silence settles over the two as they stare at one another with mixed emotions. She’s confused and slightly hurt, but the lust and hunger was still there. However, Jacob was completely memorized and dazed the longer he watched her, his heart jumping in excitement at every movement.
“For you.” Was his soft reply, wondering if it was something he would have ever said sober or to anyone else. Words more romantic than a man like him was capable of.
Theo takes a breath, blinking and then moving her hand at his waist to under his shirt. “Really?” He nods and places his hand over her wrist as she moves up his torso. She smiles again, softer, and leans down, lips close to his. “I’m glad you showed up.”
The corner of his mouth pulls into a small smirk and his lips are light against her skin. He hums and closes his eyes, placing his hand on the small of her back and moving her closer against him.
“We usually bar hop and I don’t always go out-” She sighs in content as he places slow kisses against her throat. “I stayed every night to see if you’d be there.”
Jacob smiles and makes his way back to her lips, careful and steady, savoring the sharp taste of cinnamon whiskey. “I’m glad you did.”
