A Little Laughter Left In Me... (Laughing Jack x Reader)

~Bonding despite Secrecy~

"Hey! (Y/n)! Ya there?" You heard your father's voice speak from your walkie-talkie, making you jump in surprise. You'd almost forgotten all about him.

Liu released his hold on you with a curious smile and you scrambled to fish the little device out of your coat pocket. You put a finger to your lips to tell him to keep quiet, and he nodded in understanding as you pressed the button to say your reply, trying your best to conceal your nervousness.

"Yeah, dad, I'm here. What is it?"

"I'm over the wall! Did you find the house?" He asked excitedly.

You gulped, but Liu didn't seem all that nervous.

"Go ahead, tell him. I'll just sneak out before he gets here." Your brother winked, and you sighed a little in relief before answering the question.

"Yeah, I found it, but... let's just say the place has seen better days." You shuddered when you looked back at the bloodstains nearby, causing Liu to give you an empathetic look.

"Ah... so... bloody?" Your father seemed hesitant to ask.

"Very." You stressed.

"Well, don't worry, once I get a look at the place we can head out if you want. Did you at least find anything salvage-worthy?"

"I found a picture of me with the whole family back when I was really little." You told him.

"Really?? You've gotta let me see it!" He surprised you with how interested he was, but you just giggled to yourself, making Liu grin.

"This guy sounds like fun." Your brother whispered.

"He is, trust me." You nodded to him, then resisted another laugh as you continued to speak through the device, feeling like you were back to being a little kid causing mischief again.

"The house is all the way down the road, just keep heading straight until you see one with a broken window and a door covered in yellow tape, plus there's-uh, some blood on the driveway." You informed him.

"Alright, let me know if I'm there in case I can't tell. See you soon, sweetie!"

"See you when you get here, dad."

Then he ended the transmission.

You took a breath, leaning against the wall beside Liu as you tried to collect your thoughts. You have yet another thing to hide from the oblivious man that loved you like you were his own flesh and blood, but you knew deep down that it would be worth it.

"Is it bad that I can't wait to see your home?" Liu sounded a bit embarrassed, but you laughed and put your arms around his neck, bringing him in for another hug. He hugged back eagerly, squeezing you a bit and nuzzling your head with his own.

The way he did this reminded you of Jack every time he held you, and you unwillingly recalled how homesick you were, remembering all the warm and comforting embraces you'd shared. You missed the poor clown that was probably missing you twice as much. You found yourself loosening your hold slightly and frowning, sighing faintly through your nose as you felt your heart sink.

"What's the matter?" Liu seemed to notice your sudden change of mood, and looked down at you with both concern and confusion.

You gave him a weak half-smile.

"It's nothing really, there's somebody back home that's probably worried about me, I convinced him to stay at my house to keep Miles company while I was gone."

"Oh? And who might that be?" You seemed to pique Liu's interest, and he gave you a look of wonder.

You felt your face flush, and you buried your head in Liu's shirt. Your heart was thudding wildly in your chest, replacing the once dismal feeling within with bashfulness. You'd tried to leave Jack out during your little rundown of the group because, besides the fact that you missed him, imagining what Liu would think if you described him made you uneasy.