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Deb had been getting suspicious. Jackie and Shauna had been doing their best to sneak around her when Shauna was transformed or partially transformed, but she kept giving them this look when they snuck down the morning after a full moon like she knew something they didn’t. It was making Jackie paranoid.
“We have to tell her.” Jackie paced around Shauna’s room.
“Jax, there’s no way I can just tell my mom that I’m a werewolf.” Shauna watched her pace from the bed.
“Isn’t it better than if she accidentally finds out? You can do it on your own terms.”
“Seems like I’m doing it on your terms,” Shauna grumbled. Jackie stopped her pacing. She took a deep breath and let her tense shoulders drop with her exhale.
She turned to Shauna, who was glaring down at her lap. Crossing the room, Jackie sat down next to her and grabbed her hand.
“Sorry, baby,” Jackie kissed Shauna’s shoulder then pressed her cheek there. “It’s your decision…I just think Deb already suspects something and is concerned about you.”
Shauna’s tense form under her head slackened as she sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll still be there with you, no matter what.”
Shauna’s cheek came to rest on Jackie’s head, nuzzling into her crown, but she didn’t say anything more.
Jackie dropped it for the night.
——————————
They didn’t return to the conversation, and Jackie tried not to think about it much. In the days that passed, Deb had still been giving both Jackie and Shauna looks whenever she was home when they came back from practice or went up to Shauna’s room.
After a week of these looks, Shauna finally caved over the weekend when they were cuddling in bed. She was lying on top of Jackie with her head tucked into Jackie’s neck as Jackie played idly with her hair.
“I think I’m gonna tell her,” Shauna mumbled into Jackie’s skin. Jackie’s fingers paused when she realized Shauna was finally talking about it again.
“…yeah?”
“Yeah,” Shauna nodded. “You’re right, she keeps giving me these looks…like she’s just waiting for me to admit it. She also asked me if you’d finally gotten a dog recently despite your mother’s allergy because there was so much dog hair when she vacuumed my room.”
Jackie couldn’t see Shauna’s face at that moment, but she knew she was probably pouting. She very maturely decided to not poke the wolf about how cute she was being.
“What’d you tell her when she asked?” Jackie’s hands moved to run up and down Shauna’s back soothingly.
“I…kind of just ran out of the room and said I had to go do homework.”
Jackie hummed. “Probably better than whatever lie you would have come up with.”
There was a light nip at Jackie’s neck that showed how Shauna felt about that statement. She could nip Jackie all she liked; it didn't make that statement any less true.
“What’s your plan? Do you want me there with you?”
“She’s off the next couple of days, so maybe we can tell her tomorrow. Make her breakfast before breaking the news.” Shauna propped herself up on her elbow to look at Jackie. Jackie smiled at the use of ‘we’.
“Sounds perfect.” Reaching up, Jackie tucked some hair behind Shauna’s ear.
Shauna’s lips lifted up into a small smile before she leaned down to kiss Jackie. Their lips met softly. There was no urgency to deepen the kiss. There was just the comforting presence of being with each other. Being connected.
Their lips moved against each other gently until they drifted off to sleep, their foreheads and noses touching.
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They woke up early the next morning. On her days off, Deb normally woke up around mid-morning, so they had an hour or two before she’d wake up. That is, if they didn’t accidentally wake her up with the noise they’d make while preparing the food.
Jackie had never been the best at cooking, so Shauna had quickly relegated her to prep work while Shauna manned the stove. It was probably for the best, as the omelettes they were attempting would definitely end up as scrambled eggs in Jackie’s hands.
Shauna was busy cooking the bacon while Jackie loosely chopped ham, onions, and peppers to throw into the omelettes. Jackie also started a pot of coffee, knowing Deb had at least three cups a day.
They worked surprisingly well together in the kitchen—now whether that was because of any natural synergy or because Shauna had both the senses and reflexes to know where Jackie was at all times to avoid her was anybody’s guess. They had the radio playing low as they cooked, and Jackie hummed along to the songs as she chopped. By the time the bacon was done frying, Jackie had finished all of the prep work. She watched as Shauna combined the eggs into a bowl with the fillings and seasonings, then poured the bowl out into the bacon pan.
As Shauna focused on the pan, Jackie moved behind her, wrapping her arms around her and propping her chin on her shoulder to get a better view of the pan.
“If you want to learn how to cook, we should be standing the other way,” Shauna spoke softly as she pulled in the edges of the egg with a spatula, letting the extra uncooked egg fill in that spot. Jackie sighed and shook her head.
“Why would I want to learn how to cook when I can just have you cook for me? Then I get to sit back and enjoy the view.” Jackie traced circles against Shauna’s hip and stomach.
“Uh-huh, and when I’m not around to cook for you?” Shauna sprinkled some cheese in the middle of the egg then flipped the half carefully over, but the edge of the omelette still ripped. “Damn it,” she muttered to herself, “I guess this one will be one of ours.”
“Then I guess I’ll just get take-out…or wait for you to get back,” Jackie answered Shauna’s question, pressing a kiss to the back on her shoulder. Shauna didn’t respond, instead flipping the omelette over to finish it up.
The other two omelettes went similarly, but Shauna chose the best of the three to give to her mom. Jackie detached herself from Shauna’s back during the second omelette in order to set the table and finish up the coffee. Neither she nor Shauna really drank coffee yet, so she just poured juice for them—apple for Shauna and orange for herself.
By the time she and Shauna were finishing up, they heard the telltale sign of Deb making her way down the stairs. Jackie hurried back into the kitchen right as Deb reached the bottom of the stairs.
“It smells great down here—what’s the occasion?” Her head tilted slightly. It was such a Shauna mannerism that Jackie couldn’t contain a smile.
“Um, well,” Shauna started, unsteadily. Jackie reached down and grabbed her hand, threading their fingers together in silent support. Deb’s eyes flicked between the two of them, then dropped to their hands. Shauna squeezed her hand tighter. “I have something to tell you.”
Deb looked back up to Shauna, and her eyes softened. “Okay, you can tell me anything.”
“You say that…but this might be more shocking or—or unbelievable than you might think.” Shauna’s hand tensed, and Jackie rubbed her thumb gently against the back of Shauna’s hand in an attempt to soothe.
“Shauna, I love you no matter what, okay?” Deb moved further into the kitchen.
“…even if I’m different?” Shauna glanced down at the floor.
Deb immediately closed the examining distance and placed a hand on both Jackie and Shauna’s shoulders. “There’s nothing wrong with being different, even if it can seem scary.” She looked at the both of them with nothing but love. “I’m always here for you—both of you.” Jackie wasn’t entirely sure why she was also being comforted, but she’d never refuse Deb’s comfort.
“Okay,” Shauna nodded. Deb squeezed their shoulders and returned her nod.
“Why don’t we sit down and eat the breakfast you made before it goes cold?”
With that, they each grabbed a plate then headed to the table. The conversation lulled as they ate breakfast, but the tension in the air eased a bit. Breakfast was a short affair, only a handful of minutes before forks and knives were being placed back on plates.
“Now, what did you want to tell me?” Deb sipped absentmindedly at her coffee.
“Mom, I’m a werewolf.”
Deb coughed, placing her coffee cup down and massaging her sternum. “—what?”
“I was bitten in July, and ever since then I’ve turned on full moons.” Jackie reached out to hold Shauna’s hand again. “—but, Jackie has been helping me control it.”
Shauna took a deep breath, but Deb was still staring at her slack-jawed. “W-wha—you’re telling me you’re a a—were…”
“A werewolf,” Shauna finished for Deb.
“Are you sure? Maybe you’re just confused—I’ve never met another…werewolf.”
“I’m sure, mom.”
“Should we show you?” Jackie turned to Shauna, “maybe you should show her. It took me a few minutes to come to terms with it, too.”
An embarrassed flush bloomed across Shauna’s cheeks. Jackie let go of her hand, to slide her grip up to her forearm.
“Fine. Just, please don’t freak out.” Shauna conceded. Jackie reached out with her other hand to place it on top of Deb’s. Deb just watched Shauna, her brow furrowed.
Shauna closed her eyes, and Jackie watched as her face slowly started to morph into more lupine features. She had become used to it by now, but Deb gasped as Shauna’s ears grew pointed and canines poked out from behind her lips. When Shauna opened her eyes, they flashed gold as they always did, before settling back to their usual brown. Deb took this all in wide-eyed.
She stood from her seat and moved around the table, stopping next to Shauna. Taking Shauna’s face in her hands, she tilted it from side to side as she examined it. Jackie could see the change from concerned mother to astounded medical professional. “Does this hurt you at all?”
Shauna shrugged at the question. “I’m mostly used to it. Sometimes the full body transformations hurt, but Jackie’s been helping me.” Shauna glanced toward Jackie, not turning her head as her mother still examined her. Deb looked at Jackie, who nodded tentatively, trying to relieve the tension in the air.
Deb let go of Shauna’s face and went back to her chair, slumping down into it and rubbing her temples. “This is not what I thought you were going to tell me,” she mumbled as she massaged her head.
Jackie’s brow furrowed, and Shauna looked at her, confused. What else was there for Deb to be suspicious about?
“…what did you think I was going to tell you?”
“I thought you were finally going to tell me that you and Jackie are dating.” Deb said toward the ceiling as her head tilted back.
Jackie’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. She had forgotten that Deb didn’t know about their relationship. It wasn’t like their behavior with each other had changed all that much, so Jackie had no idea how Deb knew. When Jackie looked at Shauna, her features had returned to normal, and she mirrored Jackie’s wide-eyed look.
“Um,” Shauna cleared her throat, “I actually have to tell you something else, too.”
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Deb looked back at Shauna, “please don’t tell me that vampires are real.”
“I, uh, don’t know about that one,” Shauna took a deep breath, “Jackie and I are dating!” The confession left her all at once. Jackie smiled in some awkward attempt at reassurance, raising her hand in a small wave, before Shauna snatched her hand back down, linking their fingers together. Shauna’s shoulders were tense, as if preparing for the worst reaction.
Neither of them were expecting Deb to burst out into laughter. Her face dropped into her hands briefly as her shoulders shook. She quickly managed to collect herself, looking back up to them, and running a hand through her hair. “I know, sweetie, but thank you for telling me.”
“Right, um…” Shauna nodded, her shoulders dropping.
“How did you know? I thought we were pretty careful about acting like we always do around you,” Jackie fiddled with her half empty cup of orange juice with her free hand. She was met with an unimpressed stare and a raised eyebrow.
“Exactly. You two have never been subtle. I’ve been waiting to have this conversation since you were five years old, and I walked in on your first wedding.” Jackie immediately flushed under Deb’s scrutiny, and a quick glance to the side at least revealed that Shauna was faring no better.
“I mean, kids have fake weddings with each other all the time,” Jackie tried to defend.
“That’s what I told myself after the first one, by the eighth one it was getting harder to explain away. The tenth was a particular favorite of mine. You asked for Shauna’s hand so sweetly, Jackie, that I couldn’t deny you.” Deb shrugged. Jackie buried her face in her hands, too embarrassed to look Deb in the eye. “Since then, I knew you loved each other, and it was only a matter of time until you both figured that out.”
“You asked my mom for my hand in marriage?” Shauna snickered from next to her, and without even looking Jackie knew she had an unbearably smug look on her face.
“Shut up—we were eight, and I wanted to do it properly,” Jackie ground out through her teeth, face still covered by her hands.
“And you used to pretend you were feeling unwell so that Jackie would come by to look after you and kiss it better,” Deb said pointedly, making Shauna groan.
Jackie’s head shot up at that to look at Shauna, who had dropped her head against the table. Jackie could see the tips of her ears turning red, poking through her hair.
Stifling a laugh, Jackie poked Shauna in the side of her head, “sounds like you love me.”
Shauna’s hand swatted Jackie’s away repeatedly as she continued to poke at Shauna’s head. “I do, but right now I don’t know why,” Shauna grumbled.
Deb’s laughter brought them out of their teasing, and they both looked over to her. She sighed wistfully and smiled. “You’re my girls, and I love you both—no matter what. Shauna, I don’t know…exactly how to go about you being a werewolf, but I’ll do my best to help wherever I can…and thank you for being there for her, Jackie. I knew giving you her hand was the right decision.” Deb winked, and Jackie grinned, feeling nothing but warmth and acceptance.
Pushing her chair back, Deb stood from her chair and extended her arms out. “Come here,” she motioned the girls in with her hands. They both surged from their seats to fall into Deb’s arms, wrapping around each other in a group hug.
“That really explains all the dog hair I’ve been finding,” Deb mumbled into the tops of their heads. Jackie and Shauna burst out into laughter, unable to hold it back.