A/N: Hello gang! We're getting more things out into the open! Enjoy!
Kim's boyfriend can turn into a giant wolf on command. She mulls over this development on the car ride home, watching him from the passenger seat. He seems completely normal, not like there's this huge, looming secret hanging over his head. He catches her watching and grins when she blushes.
"What's going on in your head?" he asks, a faux calmness settling over his features. Instantly, Kim wants to smooth away the stress. She puts a hand on his shoulder, marveling at the warmth there.
"Is the heat a wolf thing?" she asks. Jared nods, taking her hand and holding it. She's a little worried about him only having one hand on the steering wheel, but they're only a few minutes from her house.
"Yeah, wolves run hotter than people. It's how this whole thing started actually. I ran this crazy fever and like, 12 hours later, exploded into a wolf," he says.
"Crazy," she mumbles, lacing her fingers through his. They pull up to her driveway and Jared cuts the engine, the two of them sitting in silence for a moment. Kim can see her brother and her mom peeking through the living room windows at them.
"Jared," Kim starts, feeling suddenly brave. "I love you."
For a moment Jared doesn't say anything, just stares at her. Kim's confidence drops by the second.
"You… what?" he asks, looking incredulous.
"I love you," she repeats, a pinch louder. "A lot. And I really wanted to tell you for a little while now, then you told me this big life altering secret, and I thought that maybe that meant that liked me a lot too, and trusted me—"
Kim's cut off with a firm kiss, Jared's strong hands coming up to cup her face. The kiss deepens, his tongue slipping into her mouth and Kim's brain short circuits. Kissing Jared, especially like this, is something she'll never get used to.
He pulls apart with a sigh, just far enough to look her in the eye.
"You love me?" he asks, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones.
"Yeah," Kim whispers, suddenly robbed of speech. "A lot."
Jared kisses her again, softer this time, lingering longer. When they pull apart again, he beams at her.
"I love you too," he says. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."
This time, Kim kisses him, looping an arm around his neck and pressing closer. Jared's arms wrap around her waist, and Kim can't remember a time when she felt so warm and secure.
"I have something else to tell you," he whispers in between kisses.
"What?" Kim asks, distracted. Jared's moved onto her neck, peppering soft little kisses all over so it feels like she's catching fire, without any of the pain.
"There's one more thing about being a wolf," he says, pulling away. Kim presses her fingers to her overheated cheeks, ready to listen.
"It's called imprinting," he starts slowly. "It's like finding the one person you're supposed to be with, like you're drawn to them. You just become whatever they need you to become. Sam said it was for like, genetic insurance or something."
Just like that the magic moment's ruined. Kim leans all the way back into her seat, drawing her knees up to her chest. Her stomach drops and a hollow, cold feeling creeps into her chest.
"So," she says, struggling with the words. "None of this is real?"
"What? Of course, it's real! What're you talking about?" Jared asks, voice bordering on hysteric. Kim levels him with a look and he quiets.
"Everything you feel about me is a product of this imprinting thing, right? Like you don't actually have a say in what you feel?"
"That's not fair," Jared protests, frowning at her. "I love you."
"I know you think you do," Kim replies, dropping her head to rest against her knees. "Look, if you'd met me without the wolf thing, do you think we'd still be here?"
Jared hesitates before saying yes, but that's all Kim needs. She won't force him into a relationship he might not want to be a part of, no matter what spiritually mumbo-jumbo dictates him.
She gets out of the car despite his protests and hurries inside. There, she ushers her family away from the windows before rushing upstairs, fleeing into the safety of her room. Jared's car is still in the driveway, she notices, peeking through her blinds. Luckily, her room is still dark, so she's pretty sure she won't be seen. After a few more minutes, the truck rumbles away and Kim flops onto the bed.
There's a soft knock on the door, but Kim has no patience for her mother's comfort right now.
"Go away!" she calls, burying her face into the pillows. The knocking persists until finally Kim wrenches open the door. To her surprise, it's Eric, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
"Mom's on the phone right now, but I wanted to just…" he trails off, looking anywhere but her. "I know his nephew, you know. Me and the guys could go egg his car or something, or TP his house."
"What?" Kim asks, confused. Eric looks up this time, a hard look in his eyes.
"Jared. I could make Parker take me to his car and I could egg it or something. And Parker and his mom still live at home, so his address is still in my school directory. I could go TP the house," he explains. Suddenly, Kim launch's herself at her brother, hugging him tight. Eric tries not to struggle, finally going limp until Kim lets him go.
"You alright?" he asks, coming in and sitting at her desk. Kim shrugs, taking a seat on her bed.
"I don't know, Eric. It feels like everything should be working out perfectly, but I know it's all fake, you know, and even if Jared wants to live in his fantasy world where this is all his choice I can't, because it's all forced, you know?" Eric stares at his sister, more than a little confused.
"Uh, that made like, no sense," he says.
"I know! That's the problem! All of this is so screwy!" Kim laments, falling face down into her pillow once again.
"Man! If this is what being in a relationship is, then I don't ever want a girlfriend," he mutters. Still, he comes to sit next to Kim, patting her hip awkwardly.
"I'd say everything is going to be fine, but that's lame," he says. "I'm not ever going to repeat this, but you're really cool. And if Jared's too stupid to see that himself, then he's a loser and you don't need him."
Kim wriggles until she can put her head in Eric lap, squeezing his skinny waist. He grimaces, but lets the comforting embrace happen. It's then that their mother walks in, cooing at how cute they are. That seems to be the final straw, because Eric shoves Kim off his lap and runs out of the room, embarrassed.
"You alright?" Donna takes Eric's place, stroking her hair.
"I'll be alright," she mumbles. Talking to Eric really did make her feel better.
"Of course, you will, sweetheart," Donna assures her, pressing a kiss to Kim's head. The weird thing is Kim believes her. There's a part of her that promises her things will be fine in the morning, when she can go and talk to Jared again.
A/N: Welcome to frank discussions about imprinting and agency, which will spill into next chapter. Let me know what you thought!