Day Twenty-Three: No, You Won't Understand, Ever
Characters/Pairings: Jake/Rose; Lao Shi
Rating: T
Content warnings: death mentions; violence mentions
Don't forget that you can find me on tumblr: we - are - all - of - legend - now and that my ao3 account is wearealloflegendnow (even though I haven't posted there yet)!
~TLL~
"What did you do?"
Jake tried not to sound completely angry about it but he couldn't keep the heat from his voice as he met his grandfather on the roof of Gramps' shop. It was a scene that could have taken place a million times and likely had but Jake had never hated his grandfather more than he had tonight.
"Do?"
"Don't play innocent," Jake said, not letting his dragon form drop as he paced the roof. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Standing near the centre of the roof in his small, forever dignified human form, Gramps folded his hands into his sleeves and stared evenly at Jake.
"I do not know what you mean."
All Jake could think about was throwing his grandfather off the roof, no matter that Gramps would probably catch himself before he hit the ground. It would make Jake feel better.
"Where," Jake growled, "is Rose?"
Gramps' face was impressively blank, although his eyebrows rose slightly. "Ah. That."
That?
That?
THAT!?
Jake was so stunned by Gramps' nonchalance that he stopped pacing and faced his grandfather, his mouth hanging open. The memories cascaded through Jake, the way that Rose laughed, every promise they had made about growing old together even though they were only seventeen, the first time that he had seen her face. Rose wasn't that. Rose was the love of his life.
"Where is she?" Jake asked, not liking the way that Gramps would no longer look directly at him, instead staring off to the side.
"Jake, this nonsense had gone on long enough. Neither of you were interested in seeing sense and I wasn't about to let this continue any longer."
"What? What nonsense?"
"You cannot be dating your mortal enemy! I have told you time and time again that this was not going to end well and that it could not be allowed to end well."
"She doesn't want to be my enemy! She doesn't want to be in the Huntsclan. Fu has been trying to help me research ways to get her out! You should be on my side too!"
Jake was trembling now and he wasn't sure if it was from fear or rage.
"Jake, I know that you think this thing is love between the two of you –"
"Because it is."
"And I know how hard it is to let go of someone who is your first love but you have to. You are more than just Jacob Long, do you understand? You are the very first American Dragon. You are a legacy. You are duty and honour and everything that is right with the world. She would see our world dead and slaughtered at your feet. You cannot be together and I have tried to explain that to the both of you but neither of you would hear it."
"You are calling Rose and the Huntsclan the same thing," Jake argued. "She is different and after all of these years you should have cared enough to know her better. If you would open your eyes and actually get to know her, you would see everything that she has done for us. For me. She loves me too, Gramps, the same way that I love her. Why won't you see that?"
"I see things you don't!" Gramps shouted, his cheeks turning red as his temper flared. "I know you think you understand the world but you are just a child! You need to trust me. You need to trust that I understand the things you can't!"
"No, you won't understand, ever," Jake snapped. "You just proved that! You don't care about me, or my heart, or what is actually right and honourable. You're afraid to fight for something real. You're afraid of the Dragon Council finding out that the Huntsclan has a double agent working for us. You're afraid to find out that I was right all along about her because you were too blind to see it. You're afraid that you don't understand and you should be because you are wrong. About her, about me, about what our future is."
Jake stalked toward Gramps but Gramps didn't flinch or even transform. Gramps was breathing heavily and still wouldn't look Jake in the eye but he made no effort to move.
"Now, tell me, where is Rose? What did you do?"
"You needed to be apart," Gramps repeated. "You couldn't be together."
"What did you do!?" Jake shouted, ready to pick Gramps up and shake him, no matter what fight would ensue. Jake knew he was stronger than the old man now and he wasn't afraid to fight for Rose.
"The Huntsman was very interested to know about her extracurricular activities," Gramps said evenly.
This time, Jake couldn't control himself and he shoved his grandfather as hard as he could. Lao Shi transformed mid-tumble, his blue dragon form rising up to finally look Jake in the eye.
"So, to punish me for falling in love, you went and worked with the Huntsman?" Jake growled through gritted teeth. "After all that about loyalty and honour, you are the one who actually cooperated with our enemies?"
"It was the only way to save you!"
"You killed her!" Jake grabbed his grandfather by the shoulders, locking them together. "You understand that, right? She's dead!"
Jake was openly sobbing but Gramps didn't even try to look ashamed.
"It's what was best for you."
"No, it was what you wanted."
"When you are older, you will understand," Gramps said confidently. "I know it does not feel like that now but you will. I know it."
"If I ever understand what it is like to be a monster, I'll kill myself before taking anyone else down with me," Jake swore, his voice shaking. "I hope one day you understand what you've done."
Jake could have stayed. He could have fought Gramps on that roof and he could have won and they both know it. Jake didn't want to do that. Hurting Gramps would just make Gramps feel like he was right for doing what he did because look at what a bad influence Rose had been on Jake and, honestly, Jake was too disgusted to keep looking his grandfather in the face. He pushed Gramps away from him and then he took to the air, not sure where he was going, just knowing that he had to be alone.
In a world without Rose, Jake knew that he was going to be alone forever.
