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captain’s orders

Summary:

Jackie sits on the edge of Natalie’s bed, legs crossed like she owns the place. "Look, I know you don’t care about any of this right now, folding laundry, eating properly, not sleeping in jeans. But you were a part of the team, and as your former captain, I'm gonna pick up the slack."

Natalie finally steps further into the room, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "Why do you even care?"

For a moment, Jackie’s perfect smile falters. She glances away, back at the messy pile of Natalie’s notebooks on the floor.

"I don’t know," she says softly. "Maybe because you act like no one’s supposed to."

A beat passes.

Natalie swallows, throat suddenly dry. She can’t remember the last time someone cleaned something for her without wanting something in return. Or stayed in her room longer than a night.

tldr: jackie breaks into natalie’s house and starts playing housewife to her.. until it’s not just playing anymore. natalie eventually is more than ok with this.

Notes:

hi pookies this is my first dive into writing fanfiction in years, but i first wrote fanfiction in 2015 starting with OUAT on wattpad lol so i’m a bit rusty but i am so hyperfixated on yellowjackets rn i had to try my hand again. i have like 17 ish chapters outlined, the later chapters will be longer. i have a longer jackieshauna AU planned and i’m kinda using this as a writing warm up but i also am a multishipper and i love jackie with almost any of the yj girls tbh so. this is my attempt at a yellowjackets no-crash post high school AU, set vaguely in the late 2000’s bc i wasn’t even a thought in the 90’s and i don’t know enough about the pop culture then for it to feel authentic enough. featuring jackienat in a quieter, slightly angsty but intimate slice-of-life fic. housewife!jackie and bartender!natalie
english is my native language so if theres any mistakes its just me fucking up 😭 i hope yall enjoy lmk if yall want more of this <3

Chapter 1: green (?) pizza

Chapter Text

Natalie kicks the gravel off her boots as she steps onto her porch, ashing her cigarette out on the rotting porch, years of decay and neglect apparent. She fumbles with her keys, cursing under her breath. The air smells like warm asphalt and grass clippings, another boring summer day in New Jersey.

She pushes her front door open lazily and then walks straight to her bedroom, wanting a long peaceful nap after her shift at the bar.

When she enters the doorway to her room, she freezes abruptly.

Jackie Taylor is standing in her bedroom, wearing a scrunchie on her wrist and one of those pastel little cardigans over a tank top she probably woke up early to color coordinate for. Jackie's polished, clean and glossy look is so out-of-place in her messy room Natalie is stunned silent for a couple of seconds.

Clothes litter the floor of her room, trash overflowing from her mini trash can she sometimes remembers she has. Her ash tray is full and empty beer bottles are embarrassingly lying in her bed. This would be just another day in her room if it wasn't for Jackie in the middle of it sorting her dirty laundry into different piles.

"…What the hell." is all Natalie comes up with. Sure, Jackie was her soccer captain all throughout high school, hell, the Yellowjackets even won Nationals, but they were never more than teammates. To see her uninvited in her room is jarring to say the least.

Jackie looks up and smiles casually, like this is an everyday occurrence.

"I was wondering when you were coming back Nat, I was getting worried. I'm separating your darks and lights, don't you know you can't wash them all together? The colors will bleed together."

Jackie says this with the same disgusted pout she often used to make at practice when a teammate would show up late, or not give their all.

Natalie drops her bag on the floor and huffs out, "What the hell are you doing in my house..?"

"I'm helping you," Jackie says like it's obvious. "Your room's like a disaster zone. There are two old slices of pizza under your bed, and I swear one of them is green."

Natalie blinks at her, unsure if she's still high from her walk home earlier or if this is actually happening. "How did you even get in here? The fuck?”

Jackie shrugs, "Your back door's unlocked. Also, the screen's ripped, so maybe fix that before someone sketchy comes in and tries to murder you."

Natalie balks, "You're the sketchy person I should watch out for. You broke into my house to, what, play maid?"

Jackie rolls her eyes. "Don't be dramatic, it's not like I'm a total random. Don't think of it as breaking and entering, it's like… supervising."

"Supervising what, exactly?"

"Your life." Jackie says, fluffing a pillow like she's in a Southern Living magazine. "Or trying to, I'm your captain."

"The soccer season ended eight months ago, Jackie."

Jackie shrugs again, nonchalant. "Leadership never ends."

"That's a cult like thing to say."

Jackie sits on the edge of Natalie’s bed, legs crossed like she owns the place. "Look, I know you don’t care about any of this right now, folding laundry, eating properly, not sleeping in jeans. But you were a part of the team, and as your former captain, I'm gonna pick up the slack."

Natalie finally steps further into the room, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "Why do you even care?"

For a moment, Jackie’s perfect smile falters. She glances away, back at the messy pile of Natalie’s notebooks on the floor.

"I don’t know," she says softly. "Maybe because you act like no one’s supposed to."

A beat passes.

Natalie swallows, throat suddenly dry. She can’t remember the last time someone cleaned something for her without wanting something in return. Or stayed in her room longer than a night.

She exhales, eyes flicking to Jackie’s hand resting on the comforter. Clean, French-tipped nails. Hands that should look out of place in this mess. But they don’t.

"I was gone for a couple of hours." Natalie says. "That’s how long it took you to invade my life."

Jackie grins. "You call it invading, I call it efficiency."

Natalie looks at her. Long and hard. Jackie meets her gaze and doesn’t flinch.

"…You touch my cigarettes, and I’ll burn your parents’ fancy house down."

"Deal."

is all Jackie replies with, her smile like a mischievous cat who just got the cream.

Chapter 2: protein pancakes

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Natalie wakes up the next morning to the smell of something cooking.

At first she thinks she must still be asleep and dreaming, because if there's one thing Natalie doesn't do, it's being domestic.

She sits up slowly, squinting at the unfamiliar cleanliness of her room. Her ashtray is empty. There’s a glass of water and two Advil sitting neatly on the nightstand like some hotel room service. A single pink tulip in a cup that was definitely used for vodka last week.

Natalie stares at it, then she hears a voice humming from the kitchen. It sounds like the tune of some Spice Girls song, something Natalie can totally see Jackie liking. Then she freezes and double takes. Jackie's voice? In her house?

Did Jackie stay the night here? Is all Natalie can focus on in her head. The night before is a blur, she can't remember much after she told Jackie she could stay. Except for herself grabbing and then downing a pack of Coronas from her beat up fridge.

She pads out into the hall in a sleep shirt and boxers, her wolf cut wild and eyeliner smudged and cakey from falling asleep in it last night. She finds Jackie in her now pristine kitchen, counters gleaming and table set like she's in a retro homemaking ad or something. She even has an apron on, which she knows for damn sure she doesn't own. Natalie could never have imagined this is what she would do with her weekend.

"You’re still here?" Natalie croaks, voice adjusting to being used after being passed out for hours.

Jackie doesn’t flinch at Natalie's disbelief in her tone and greets her warmly, but with a bit of amusement in her eyes. "Good morning to you, too, Nat."

"You slept here?"

"I slept on your couch. You snore like the devil."

Natalie ignores the dig at her snoring and rubs her eyes. "You cooked something?" she says, still mentally adjusting to the image of Jackie in her kitchen.

"Pancakes. Protein ones. You need nutrients, Natalie, I’ve seen your fridge. There was only a lime and a beer inside. That’s not a proper breakfast." Jackie frowns, clearly unimpressed by Natalie's lack of self care.

She flips a pancake like she was born to be in a damn Crate & Barrel commercial. Natalie watches her, dazed.

"What the hell is this?" she mutters. "Like. What is this bit you’re doing." She says, moving her hands in an exaggerated hand gesture, like she can't believe what's in front of her still.

"No bit," Jackie says sweetly. "Just being helpful. Taking care of my–"

"–If you say 'teammate,' I’m kicking you out."

Jackie grins. "I was gonna say 'favorite person in this gross house,' but sure. Teammate works."

Natalie scowls, but takes the plate Jackie hands her. She sits, and pokes at the pancake suspiciously like it's going to bite her if she gets too close.

"How did you even cook these? I don't have shit in my fridge."

Jackie rolls her eyes. "It's called going to the store, Nat. You could try that and waking up before noon sometime."

Natalie scoffs, and then finally takes a bite of the pancakes Jackie made for her.

It’s… perfect. Fluffy. Warm. Delicious. It tastes like someone who knows how to follow a recipe and measure things. Natalie can't remember the last time she had a home cooked meal, her mother letting her fend for herself her whole life. Fast food and gas station meals are all she eats on the regular.

"Jesus," she mumbles. "How are you good at everything?" Natalie spits out, annoyed but also impressed at the same time.

Jackie sits across from her, beaming. "I’m very competent. People forget that because I was prom queen."

Natalie snorts. "People forget because you show up in other people’s houses uninvited and start cooking like Betty Crocker."

Jackie leans on her hand, watching her eat with a smirk. "You didn’t throw me out, though."

Natalie looks at her over the rim of her coffee mug that Jackie brewed for her to go with the protein pancakes. "I didn’t think you’d still be here when I woke up."

"Well, now you know. I’m persistent."

~

Jackie shows up again. This time with grocery bags filled to the brim with ingredients and snacks piled high. And Windex. And a tiny potted plant that she calls "her emotional support succulent."

Natalie answers the door mid-cigarette. "You cannot keep doing this." She says, but she has a slight smile on her face, clearly not too bothered by Jackie's presence.

Jackie breezes past her like she owns the place. "Your house is a disaster. You need me."

"I need..? What if I had a girlfriend? This would be so weird." Natalie scoffs out, bewildered still at the nonchalant way Jackie has suddenly inserted herself into her life.

Jackie pauses. Looks her up and down slowly, like she was born to read people with one look of her big hazel eyes.

"You don’t."

Natalie raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Confident."

Jackie just smiles and heads to the kitchen. "I’d be better than her anyway."

Natalie leans against the wall, cigarette forgotten.

"…Jesus Christ," she mutters, watching Jackie put away yogurt and oranges like she’s lived there for years.

And god help her, Natalie smiles.

~

Natalie comes home a few days later after another shitty shift at the dingy bar she works at to find her laundry done. Her sheets changed. Her guitars dusted. The small house smells like lemons and lavender.

She walks in slowly, quietly, like she’s intruding in her own home.

Jackie’s in the kitchen again. Cooking pasta this time, dancing to a Fleetwood Mac song on low volume. She’s humming along, twirling the mixing spoon in the sauce freely. If Natalie didn't know any better, she'd say this is Jackie's house and she just stops by here occasionally to sleep between shifts.

Natalie stares at her, gawking at her like she's watching an exhibit at the zoo.

Jackie turns, catches her watching, and smiles like it’s the most normal thing in the world. "Hey. You’re back earlier than I thought you'd be."

"I live here," Natalie says blankly.

Jackie shrugs. "Yeah, but you’re like a ghost. I’m haunting you, technically."

Natalie walks forward, slow. “Why are you still doing this?”

Jackie pauses, spoon halfway to her lips. "Because I want to."

"That’s not a real reason."

Jackie sets the spoon down, walks toward her. There’s pasta sauce on her cheek. She doesn’t wipe it off.

"Okay," she says, voice quieter. "Then maybe it’s because I enjoy taking care of you. I heard from the other girls that were on the team. You haven't been taking care of yourself properly. Sue me for wanting to help you out, I guess."

Natalie stares at her. Every part of her wants to reject it, mock it, throw up some joke or close back in on herself and retreat into her usual biting sarcasm.

But she simply asks, "…Do I get to take care of you too?"

Jackie smiles like the sun. "Eventually. But you should know that I’m very high-maintenance."

Natalie smirks. “No shit.”

Jackie leans in, casually, earnestly and with no hesitation or restraint. "You’re getting used to me." Happily smiling like she just won one of those corny game shows.

"I’m afraid of you." Natalie says, but her expression proves she's anything but.

“You love it.”

Natalie doesn’t answer.

She just lets Jackie go back to humming and cooking, realizing in that moment that maybe she could get used to this.

Notes:

natalie is on her way to be #whipped for jackie. the slight angst kicks in next chapter even if this is a domestic fic and yes shauna is going to be involved! we need that jealously dynamic asap to spice it up but dw this is 100% jackienat endgame lol

Chapter 3: burnt toast

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Shauna first notices something is off when Jackie shows up to brunch wearing a gingham dress.

Like, a full-skirted, Martha Stewart nightmare; paired with cherry lip gloss and a bouncy ponytail.

Shauna stares at her over eggs Benedict.

“…Okay. Who is he?”

Jackie blinks innocently. “What?”

“You’re glowing.”

Jackie giggles. Giggles. “Shauna.”

“No, seriously. You’ve been skipping our Thursday movie nights. You bailed on our designated Mall Day with Tai and Van. And yesterday I saw you buying matching oven mitts at Target.”

Jackie sips her iced tea, eyes wide, lips glossy. “They were on sale.”

“And a couple days before that, you bought a casserole dish. And a cake stand.”

“I’ve always liked to bake.”

“You used to burn our toast every time you toasted bread, Jackie.”

Jackie just smiles demurely and twirls her straw. “People can change.”

Shauna leans forward. “Are you dating some guy?”

Jackie blinks. “No.” she replies, with a blank look.

“That was the most suspicious ‘no’ I’ve ever heard.”

Jackie shrugs, all fluttery lashes and oblivious charm. “You’re being dramatic.”

Shauna narrows her eyes. “Then let me meet him.”

Jackie’s smile falters just slightly. “There’s no man to meet.”

“Oh my god, is he old?” Shauna whispers frantically. “Is this a sugar daddy thing? Or like... some washed-up college athlete with a lifted truck? You’re a trust fund baby Jackie! I know you don’t need money that badly.”

Jackie bursts into laughter, but it’s light and breathy, not her usual bark of a laugh. She waves a hand, dismissive. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You’re acting like a wife,” Shauna hisses.

Jackie leans in, lips pouting slightly. “Maybe I like it.”

Jackie.

“I’m just being domestic and living my best life. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

Shauna pulls back, her eyes scanning Jackie’s face. The pink cheeks. The daisy earrings. The soft cardigan over her gingham dress.

“Are you okay?”

Jackie just smiles.

“Jackie, seriously. You rarely act like this over a guy.”

Jackie tilts her head and looks at Shauna with an annoyed expression on her face. “Who said there was a guy? I told you there’s no man to meet. You always assume stuff about my life.”

Shauna’s jaw drops. “What the hell are you talking about? What am I supposed to think? Are you pranking me or something? Are you still mad about the… Jeff incident? I don’t know if I can grovel anymore.”

Jackie stiffens at the mention of Jeff but then bats her lashes. “I really don’t know what you mean, Shauna.”

Shauna’s eye twitches.

“You’re playing dumb. You never play dumb.”

“Jackie,” Shauna breathes, grabbing her wrist. “Look at me. Are you okay? Is he controlling you? Is he mistreating you?”

Jackie stares at her, now genuinely confused at where Shauna’s mind is jumping to. “Mistreating-?” She questions, but Shauna cuts her off.

Shauna continues to ramble. “You’re covered in flour half the time, you’re talking like a 1950s refrigerator ad, and now you’re playing dumb? Jackie-

Jackie tries to pull her hand back, but Shauna won’t let go. “God, I thought you got over your whole jealousy complex Shauna! This is just embarrassing at this point.”

Shauna stares.

“I knew something was off. Tell me who it is. I’ll kill him.”

Jackie suddenly laughs again, that same terrifying, too-happy little noise. Shauna doesn’t like the fact that someone else is making her laugh like that. Her laughter is usually music to her ears, but now it just echoes in her ears like a cruel taunt.

“Shauna, I’m fine. I just… like taking care of someone. It’s relaxing. I get to make breakfast. And clean up her socks. And organize her-”

Jackie’s mouth snaps shut, realizing her mistake too late.

Shauna squints. “Her?”

Jackie’s face goes as pale as a sheet. “…What?”

“You said her.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.

Jackie bites her lip. Her eyes widen again, but this time it’s not so dreamy, it’s panic.

Shauna gasps, hand flying to her chest. “Wait, is this about Natalie? Van told me she thought she saw you leaving her house, but I thought she was just fucking with me.”

Jackie’s mouth opens, closes, then opens again. “You can’t tell her I said anything.” Confirming Shauna’s fears. “We’re not like, official or anything.”

“Oh my god, Jackie-”

Shauna stands up, almost knocking over her chair. Jackie frantically tries to shush her, waving her hands, but it’s too late. Shauna’s brain is spiraling.

“You’re seriously playing housewife for Natalie Scatorccio?!”

Jackie shrugs helplessly, face red. “She needs me!”

Shauna’s hands go to her head. “Please don’t tell me you’re doing her laundry.”

“She doesn’t separate her colors!”

“I thought you were being brainwashed by some meathead jock and instead you’ve brainwashed yourself!”

Jackie pouts. “You’re being really judgmental right now.”

“I’m being concerned! You’re acting like a cult member!”

Jackie looks away, hugging herself slightly. “It makes me happy.”

Shauna stares at her for a bit. Gawking at the way Jackie is melting herself into this domestic fantasy for a girl who probably hasn’t washed a plate in three years.

“…You must really like her.” is all she can reply with.

Jackie nods.

Shauna exhales hard and sits down again.

“…Jesus. Why didn’t you just say it was Natalie? We used to tell each other everything.”

Jackie gives Shauna a loaded stare. “Yeah, until you fucked you-know-who behind my back.”

Shauna balks. “Okay, I walked myself into that one. I thought we moved past it.”

Jackie shrugs. “You’re still my best friend, but I don’t completely trust you again.”

Shauna sighs, resigning herself to the fact she shot down any chance with Jackie when she made the dumbest self sabotage of her life.

Then she pauses. “Wait, you said you’re not official? You’re doing this whole-” she gestures up and down at Jackie’s outfit. “-housewife shtick for her and you guys aren't even officially together?”

Jackie flusters, twisting her hands together. “I might have kinda just started showing up at her house one day.”

Shauna stares at her like she should be in the ward.

“You broke into Natalie’s fucking house?”

Jackie lets out an exasperated sigh, like she's tired of explaining this. “Why are you saying that like I was going to rob her or something? Jeez. I was just…helping her.” She says, like this is something everybody does.

Shauna rolls her eyes. She should’ve known, Jackie always assumes what people want. She almost misses Jackie doing that to her, instead of… Natalie.

Instead of snapping for once, she takes a deep breath and continues.

“Are you happy? Does she treat you right…?” she says earnestly. If she can’t have her, she’s gonna do her damned best to make sure whoever she ends up with treats her how she should’ve.

Jackie simply nods. “I’m the happiest I’ve been since I read that damn journal.”

Shauna nods back in acceptance, but lurking in her heart is that all-consuming, familiar envious feeling.

~

Notes:

natalie will be back next chapter dw. jealous shauna is.. definitely something 😂 their canonical miscommunication always makes their dynamic interesting. jackie rlly said idk what you’re talking about cuz why would a man be here?? shauna highkey is gonna have to watch jackie be happy with nat in this bc she still sleeps with jeff in my au! still love my evil shauna tho don’t get me wrong but this is not your time to shine!

my tumblr: lainesequella
if yall wanna send me asks abt jackie ships i would love it

Chapter 4: tomato soup

Notes:

changed the rating to explicit so if you don’t wanna read smut later on in the story, back out now! i wasn’t planning on writing any but the last part of this chapter i got lost in the sauce 😣 nothing too explicit yet but we will see what develops, it probably won’t be for another few chapters as i have the next few basically almost fully outlined. i’ve never fully wrote smut before so if it sucks srry but i feel like i've read enough yj fics for it to be at least be decent, if not good. i have like over yj 100 bookmarks that i’ve read so i feel like i’ve studied for this exam lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Natalie stares at her closet.

It’s pristinely clean.

Not just “I kicked my pile of laundry into a corner” clean. She can tell Jackie has been washing and folding her clothes, even color-coding them.

Natalie simultaneously feels terrified, impressed, and if she’s being honest… she finds it a little hot.

She can faintly hear Jackie humming in the kitchen again. Making lunch or reorganizing the spice rack or solving world peace, who knows. All Natalie knows is that this girl has taken over her life like a very determined and beautiful hurricane in a dress.

She walks into the kitchen and leans against the doorframe.

Jackie doesn’t notice her right away. She’s standing at the stove, stirring tomato soup in a saucepan and humming along to the radio. She’s clearly enjoying what she’s doing, completely comfortable in Natalie’s house now.

Natalie watches her in silence.

“…So are you like my common-law wife now or what?” She asks, blunt as ever.

Jackie turns, confused but amused. “Huh?”

Natalie gestures vaguely. “You’ve been cooking for me. Cleaning my house. Folding my laundry. I think you drove me to the DMV last week.”

Jackie shrugs, turning back to stir. “You needed someone to take you.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Natalie stares at the back of her head. “Okay but like… why?”

Jackie doesn’t turn back around. “Why what?”

“Why are you doing all this? Shouldn't you be hanging out with Shauna or something?”

Now Jackie stops stirring. She sets the spoon down carefully. Turns back around, hands on the counter behind her, and looks at Natalie with something… almost shy in her eyes.

“I like you, Natalie. You’re so completely yourself. No one else is like that with me.”

Natalie shifts uncomfortably. “Yeah but like… people like me all the time. They don’t randomly alphabetize my pantry. At least not without something from me in return.”

Jackie rolls her eyes. “My affection isn’t conditional Nat. I’m not some sleazy dude at a party.”

Natalie feels a pang in her chest, realizing Jackie may just genuinely enjoy her presence. The feeling of being cared for without having to give up a piece of herself feels foreign.

“…Huh. I guess I never considered you enjoyed spending time here at my house with me. It feels.. nice.” She admits, a bit reluctantly still.

Jackie smiles, small and sweet. “This is just my way of showing that you deserve non-transactional love, I guess.”

Natalie gawks, and with genuine confusion in her voice, she asks Jackie a question. “By turning into a 1950s caricature?”

Jackie laughs softly. “I’m not trying to be someone else. This is just… what I want to do for you. You have so much chaos around you all the time. I enjoy giving you some calm.”

Natalie stares at her. The way Jackie is just standing there, completely sure of herself, as if there’s nothing weird about this at all.

“…You’re serious.”

Jackie nods.

“I tease you about it all the time.”

“You also said my banana bread made you believe in God again.” Jackie replies, smirking.

Natalie crosses her arms. “…So what, you wanna be like… my girlfriend or something?”

Jackie tilts her head. “I thought I already was.”

Natalie almost flinches at her brazenness. “What?”

“I mean… you kiss my cheeks sometimes. I sleep over. I make you coffee. You like it when I fold your shirts and pack you lunch for your shifts at the bar..”

“I never said I liked that.” Natalie huffs.

“You didn’t have to,” Jackie says, smiling. “You’ve been more relaxed. Plus, I know you never eat real lunches when you work.”

Natalie goes quiet. Embarrassingly quiet.

Jackie steps closer. “I’m not doing this because I want to trap you or change you or whatever you’re afraid of. I just like you. Taking care of you makes me happy.”

Natalie looks down at the floor. Then back up at Jackie’s face.

And for the first time, she realizes something: this isn’t a performance. Jackie isn’t putting on some costume. She’s not being ironic, or desperate, or trying to get Natalie to owe her something.

She just likes her like this. She enjoys holding Natalie’s chaos without trying to fix her, she’s just quietly making her house easier to live in.

Natalie exhales. “…You’d make a terrifyingly competent wife.”

Jackie grins. “I’d be amazing. I’d color-code your mail and keep a spreadsheet of your moods and call your mom for you. I know you don’t like doing that.”

Natalie groans. “You would call my mom.”

“Mrs. Scatorccio and I have a very complex relationship.” Jackie taunts, as if she’s already been calling Natalie’s mother.

Natalie laughs, genuine enthusiasm in it.

Jackie smiles back, and a mischievous glint appears in her eyes. It’s like she knows she has something up her sleeve to get her what she wants, and what she wants right now is Natalie.

Jackie then leans in closer to her, like she’s about to kiss her on the lips.

Natalie balks for a moment. Sure, she’s kissed her cheeks a few times in passing, but they haven't actually locked lips.

Natalie then totally freezes, but then she realizes- she wants Jackie to kiss her. Actually, she wants to kiss Jackie first.

She’s so used to Jackie’s domestic takeover of her home that the thought of having her way with Jackie excites her, chills running down her spine at the very thought.

Natalie decides then and there. She surges forward, and cups Jackie’s soft face with her roughed up hands, looking into her wide hazel eyes with affection, no sarcasm or hesitation in her anymore.

Jackie startles a bit, looking back at Natalie with a surprised expression on her face. She looks like she was caught off guard by Natalie, like she wasn’t just leaning in to kiss her.

She gingerly kisses Jackie, and Jackie lets out a soft, pleased whine, like she’s been waiting for this.

Natalie feels a surge of possessiveness kick in at that sweet sound, wanting to hear more of Jackie’s pleasure. Usually Jackie is the one bossing Natalie around the house, telling her to sit down and relax and let Jackie dote on her.

But suddenly she wants, no, she needs to take charge.

She scrambles to turn off the stove, not wanting to burn her house down no matter how much she needs Jackie in this moment. She then abruptly grabs Jackie and shoves her onto the kitchen counter across from the stove.

Jackie lets out a surprised squeak and seems frazzled by Natalie’s sudden boldness.

“No witty remark back? You’re always so bossy, Captain. What happened?” Natalie teases, clearly enjoying this.

Jackie huffs clumsily and tries to retort back. “You- you surprised me! I leaned in to kiss you and you just kissed me, then shoved me on the counter like I’m a sack of potatoes or something.”

“The noises you’re making has me thinking you aren't truly all that mad about it.” Natalie says with a smirk, like she's proud she got that reaction out of Jackie.

Jackie’s eyes roll, but she lets Natalie keep her pinned on top of the counter, grabbing her collar and saying, “Shut up and kiss me some more then.”

~

They continue to kiss in the kitchen, surrounded by the smell of simmering tomato soup and garlic bread.

Natalie then lets herself think:

Maybe this isn’t so scary.

Maybe being cared for like this, like a thing to be cherished and doted upon isn’t a weakness.

Maybe Jackie being her bossy housewife would be the most badass thing either of them have ever done.

~

Notes:

ft. more emotional and vulnerable nat development, plus a reference to the scene where jackie fr compliments nat bc i had to. the fast burn is in full swing, i love you blunt natalie and assuming jackie. plus a peak at some role reversal spicy dynamics lmk if yall like or want this back to mature but highkey i think this au would be a hit mixed with smut bc its so domestic its like a sharp contrast