Bad Habits

It was two nights after Jacob had shifted.

Nate was on the usual cliff that overlooked the national forest. His senses expanded, observing any and all movement in the forest.

After his first night of patrol, during which he ran around the forest the entire night, he had thought of a more efficient way to survey the area while avoiding making any sounds potential enemies could hear.

This was what he came up with.

Scribbling on the notepad on his lap, Nate thought of the pack.

It had also been two days since he had visited the pack house. Knowing the stage Jacob was in was critical and intimate, he didn't want to disturb them. Instead, he had been conversing with Sam through texts, making sure to give him updates on everything he'd observed in the forest over the past nights—which wasn't a lot.

A couple of hikers who made camp and a bunch of teenage hippies who thought it was a smart idea to start a bonfire in the forest.

Nate had to scare them off with a swarm of bats he had made friends with. They lived in a small cave close to where he was currently sitting, writing the lyrics to his newest song.

Shaking his head as he thought of that spectacle, Nate continued humming while observing the forest and working on the song.

After that night, he had safely guided Jacob to the pack. Bella had pestered him for answers the first night he got back. Nate had made an excuse, stating Jacob was going through some personal things he needed to deal with and that he would tell her when he was ready.

He believed it would be enough, but he had underestimated her nosiness. She kept calling him every chance she got, sending voice notes, and constantly trying to ask what had occurred that night.

But he didn't budge.

Nate, who stopped writing in his notebook, read over a line from the lyrics a couple of times before he sang it aloud to test it out.

My bad habits lead to late nights ending alone, - he sung, testing the lyrics to see if they conveyed what he was hoping they would.

Nate, whose thoughts were occupied by many things, looked at the dark sky with a crescent moon.

He stared at it for a while, the moon illuminating its dim light across the dark sky, reminding him of how a certain person had illuminated his dim world with her presence.

As he thought of her, his echolocation, which was on full throttle, subconsciously directed his observation to where Nate knew she lived. And there she was, fully awake on her bed, reading a book late into the night.

He didn't realize he was watching her until he heard the flapping of a bat's wings and felt a weight descend on his shoulder.

He snapped out of the small trance and looked at the bat on his shoulder.

*Here again, Lord,* the bat said, making Nate shake his head a little. He had tried getting them to call him by his name, but they seemed adamant that he was their king and stuck to calling him Lord.

"Yes, like I said the other night, I'll be here a lot," he told the bat. If anyone else were here to see this, they would have called Nate crazy for talking to the bat like a person. But to him, who was already used to it, didn't even give it a second thought.

*Well, we are ready if you need us to scare away any more of those blood bags. You need only call on us*, the bat, which Nate had named Bruce, said. Nate only nodded as the bat flew away.

He went back to observing Leah before his phone went off in his pocket.

"Who's texting me at this hour?" he said aloud, clearly confused, as he reached into his pocket and found a message from Leah.

Nate, who saw the message, suddenly stood up so fast that he created a small breeze behind him.

Looking at the message that said "Are you up?" Nate couldn't help but feel a small shiver. Considering he was just watching her read a book, it seemed like a perfect coincidence. But he shrugged the thought off before typing back:

"Yeah, late night work."

He wrote, thinking of what he should write next, but Leah beat him to it.

"So, are you going to make a girl wait, or are you gonna ask me out on that date we agreed on?"

Nate, who read the text, felt both ecstatic and nervous. He thought for a moment about what he should say before typing:

"Are you free tomorrow?"

He wrote, looking at the screen while he paced back and forth on the rock, waiting for Leah to reply.

"I'm free tomorrow; it's Sunday, so no work," she replied. Nate smiled as he saw this before typing:

"Great, pick you up at 14:00?"

He asked, his head racing with thoughts about what they could do together. Then his eyes landed on the discarded notepad he had been sitting with earlier, and an idea formed in his mind.

"Sounds perfect," she answered, making Nate smile even more. Then his phone went off again.

"Anyway, it's getting late. Goodnight."

Nate, reading this, wrote a goodnight of his own before he sighed and looked at the crescent moon, half-covered by a cloud.

Wishing the sun would rise faster.

--------------------------------

The forest was slowly being illuminated by the rising sun as Nate still sat in the same spot, finished with the lyrics of his newest song, a small smile on his face as he watched the red-orange sun rise in the distance.

Nate, who was still engrossed in watching the sun rise, felt his phone go off once again. He already knew who it was—the same person who had texted at the same time yesterday when he was done with the patrol.

It was Sam.

Come to the pack house, the message read, confusing Nate. He tilted his head but stood up nonetheless, stretching his body until a series of popping sounds echoed.

"I guess that's what happens when you don't move a muscle for hours," he muttered, wincing at the cracks and snaps his joints made.

Nate slowly inched toward the cliff before inhaling deeply. Letting his body free fall, the wind rushed against his face with powerful pressure. Nate spread his arms and caught the air's scent before detecting a wind stream. Like a suction, the current pulled him in, and he glided through the forest with impressive proficiency.

This was Nate's most recent ability—gliding.

He could ride the air like a tunnel, giving the impression that he was flying. In truth, he was simply gliding with the wind. He couldn't decide where the wind would take him, but he could shift between different currents to somewhat direct his path.

It wasn't as efficient or as fast as running, but it was fun.

Nate changed the air current a few times before stopping his gliding a short distance from the pack house. He ran the rest of the way, halting in front of the house as a familiar foul smell hit him.

"Ugh, I don't think I'll ever get used to this smell," he said aloud, knowing the pack members heard him approaching.

"Nate's here," Embry announced as Nate entered the house, scanning everyone present. He spotted a face he hadn't expected to see, seated in a wheelchair.

"Billy?" Nate said, stopping to observe the man, whose stone-like face was fixed on him, watching his every move.

Billy and Nate silently observed one another, the moment stretching until Billy slowly rolled forward. Nate, still standing near the door, remained motionless, watching the man approach until he was right in front of him.

"Thank you," Billy said, his stony features softening into a grateful yet regretful expression as he extended his hand toward Nate. After a brief pause, Nate clasped Billy's hand.

"No problem. Just helping out, is all," Nate replied.

Billy shook his head. "No, you could've left him alone, but you guided him to Sam and the others despite Jacob's rabid-like state. So, thank you," he explained sincerely, prompting a smile and a nod from Nate.

"No problem," Nate said again, smiling as he let go of Billy's hand. He heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Jacob emerged from the back room, his hair cut short, his muscles more defined, and the iconic Quileute pack mark visible on his shoulder. Nate couldn't help but smile.

"Look at you," Nate said, walking toward Jacob, who smiled back.

"Nate," Jacob said, moving closer before pulling Nate into a hug. Nate, surprised, reciprocated nonetheless.

"How are you feeling?" Nate asked as he released Jacob. The others in the room smiled, observing the interaction.

Jacob's face became unreadable for a moment before he nodded. "A bit unbalanced, I guess, but Sam says I'll get used to it soon," he said. Nate nodded but paused, noticing Jacob's expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nate asked, hearing Jared and Embry laughing in the background.

"They weren't lying when they said you smelled like blood," Jacob said suddenly, waving his arm in front of his nose. Jared and Embry burst out laughing as Nate shot them a side-eye.

"Trust me, Jacob, you don't want to start comparing stinks," Nate joked before steering the conversation.

"I'm guessing they already told you what I am?" he asked.

Jacob's smile faded into seriousness as he nodded. "I don't care about that. You're still Nathaniel Swan, Bella's cousin," he proclaimed, Nate's eyes widening. Jacob continued, "And you also safely guided me to the guys, so trust me, I'm more than good with what you are."

Nate, surprised by Jacob's acceptance, smiled. "I appreciate that. Thanks."

Paul suddenly butted in, slinging an arm around Jacob's shoulder. "Well, if you're done with the buddy bonding, I've got something to show this little pup. Let's go, Jacob." He guided Jacob out of the cabin, Billy following close behind. Jared and Embry, still chuckling at the earlier comment, went along too.

Nate shook his head before turning toward Sam and Emily, who sat near the kitchen. He approached them with a light smile.

"Everything seems to be going well," he said, gesturing with his thumb behind him toward Jacob and the others.

"Yes, thanks to you," Sam said.

Emily smiled at Nate. "I hope you ate all the muffins," she said, getting off Sam's lap.

Nate nodded. "Yeah, trust me, they were devoured," he said, thinking about how his uncle and Bella had polished them off. Emily smiled at his response before excusing herself to make some food.

"So?" Sam asked, prompting Nate to lean against the counter.

"So," Nate echoed.

"You didn't visit us for two days?"

"Yeah, I knew you had your hands full with Jacob, so I didn't want to disturb you guys," Nate said, nodding toward the side door where they could see Jacob and the others laughing and talking.

"I appreciate the thought, Nate, but you should know you're as much a part of this pack as Jacob is now," Sam said, nudging Nate.

"Thanks," Nate said softly, feeling his phone buzz. He pulled it out to see a good morning text from Leah, which made him smile.

Sam noticed the shift in Nate's expression. "I see things with you and Leah are going well," he said, grinning.

Nate turned to him, blushing lightly. "Calm down," Sam said, laughing. "I'm okay with it. If anything, it's good for both you and Leah. You're a good match."

"We have a date today," Nate admitted shortly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Do you have a plan?" Sam asked.

An idea sparked as Nate thought of the notepad with his new lyrics. "An idea is forming," he said cryptically, exchanging a knowing smile with Sam.

Just as Sam was about to press for details, commotion erupted outside.

"What the hell?" they both said simultaneously. Nate, already suspecting the source, moved toward the sound with Sam.

Outside, Paul and Jacob, fully shifted, were going at each other ferociously.

"Is that okay" Billy, who was sitting on his wheelchair, worry etched on his face asked

Sam sighed. "They'll be fine. This happens all the time—just let them tire each other out," he reassured Billy, who looked concerned.

Meanwhile, Nate checked the time and decided it was best to leave and prepare for his date.

"It's time for me to go," he said, catching Sam and Billy's attention.

"Alright, same thing tonight?" Sam asked. Nate nodded.

"See you around, Billy," Nate said, disappearing into a black blur before Billy could respond.

"Did he just…?" Billy asked, gobsmacked at how fast Nate disappeared.

"Yeah, he did," Sam replied, still bewildered by Nate's abilities as he turned back to watch the two boys, whose sluggish movements suggested they were finally tiring out.

-------------------------------------------------------

Pulling up to Leah's house, Nate looked at the lone building nestled in the grassy field, surrounded by trees.

He took a deep breath to steel his nerves before getting out of the car and walking over to the house, climbing the small flight of stairs.

Now standing by the door, Nate could hear everything happening inside the house—the three heartbeats surprisingly beating in sync.

Nate, who could tell the door was about to be opened by the faintest heartbeat, which suggested it belonged to the youngest person, knocked faster than he intended. Before he could process it, the door burst open, revealing Seth, wearing the biggest grin Nate had ever seen.

"Nate!" Seth practically shouted, hugging him. The sudden gesture surprised Nate to no end.

What is it with today and hugs? Nate thought, patting the boy's back awkwardly before stepping back. He locked eyes with the boy, whose happiness was radiating, though Nate couldn't help but notice the faint smell of wet dog. He squinted in surprise.

"Hey, Seth," he said slowly, still thrown off by the odd smell. But he chose not to dwell on it.

"You good, buddy?" Nate asked, observing Seth's over-the-top enthusiasm.

Seth, hearing the question, shook his head so quickly Nate worried he might get whiplash. "Good?" Seth repeated, making Nate nod hesitantly.

"I'm more than good! Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought Leah would never go on a date after Sam!" Seth exclaimed, surprising Nate, who smiled as he heard someone approaching from inside the house.

"I thought she was gonna die old and alone," Seth continued, earning a shout from inside the house.

"SETH!"

Both Seth and Nate turned to see Leah walking toward them, her expression a mix of irritation and embarrassment.

"That's my cue," Seth said quickly, turning to Nate and giving him a thumbs-up. "Go get her, tiger," he added with a grin.

Nate laughed and returned the thumbs-up. "I will."

Seth took off running, likely for his life, leaving Nate chuckling lightly. His nerves were completely gone now as he turned to the reason he was there.

Leah, whose face was marred by a frown, approached from inside the house. She wore straight black pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and to Nate, she looked angelic.

"I swear, when I get my hands on that little…" She trailed off as her eyes met Nate's. His smile disarmed her, and her frown softened into a small smile of her own.

"I'm sorry about him," she said, stepping closer to Nate, who stood almost a head taller than her.

Nate shook his head, still hearing Seth's laughter fading in the distance. "There's no need to apologize," he said. Glancing toward the direction Seth had run off, he added, "If anything, it's kind of refreshing. I always wanted a younger brother, so it's nice to see what that's like." He smiled wistfully.

Leah, noticing the faraway look in his eyes, took a step forward and gently held his hand.

Nate turned back to her, his gaze sweeping over her outfit. He smiled and said, "We match."

Leah glanced down at herself and then at Nate, who was wearing black straight pants and a white T-shirt that fit snugly over his figure. She swallowed audibly, and Nate's smile grew.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Well, let's go, then. We've got a long day ahead of us," he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. Leah nodded slowly, and the two walked to the car, hand in hand.

"I never asked, but do you have any siblings?" Leah asked as they reached the car. Nate moved to open the door for her.

Turning to look at her, Nate shook his head. "No, just me. But I guess I consider Bella my sister, so I have her." He smiled, holding the door open for Leah before walking around to the driver's side and sliding into his seat.

"What about you? I know you've got Seth, but any other siblings?" Nate asked, meeting Leah's gaze. She shook her head, momentarily getting lost in his dark eyes—eyes she could've sworn had turned red during their last date.

"Well, I guess one sibling is more than enough for both of us," Nate said, smiling as he started the car. Leah snapped out of her trance and huffed.

"You have no idea," she muttered, making Nate laugh as he pulled out of the driveway.

"So, are you going to tell me what you've got planned for today?" Leah asked.

Nate turned to look at her, but before he could speak, she grabbed his face and turned it back to the road. "Eyes on the road," she said sternly.

Nate laughed, recalling how she'd done the exact same thing on their first date. Though she didn't need to know that he didn't actually have to look at the road to drive.

"Well," he said with a smile, "it's a surprise. So just trust me and be patient."

Leah huffed again but nodded. "Alright," she said shortly, still stealing glances at him as they drove off.

----------------

"You brought us to your house," Leah said, an unimpressed look on her face, which made Nate smile lightly, getting out of the car as Leah did the same.

"Well, yes and no, the reason we're here is in the backyard, so if you would follow me," he said, making a gesture that welcomed her to walk in front of him.

Leah, who stood next to the car for a moment, started walking before she passed Nate, who shook his head while smiling and guided her to the shed that was in the back.

"You said you wanted a tour, right?" he asked, standing in front of the door that was his sanctuary, to which she nodded before he opened it and said, "Well, step in then."

Leah only hesitated for a moment before she walked into the unusually big shed and was greeted by something she was not expecting. The entire shed was remodeled into a music studio. The walls were covered by sound-nulling foam while in the center, there was a recording setup with an electric keyboard that was connected to a DAW and a laptop.

"What is this place?" she asked, walking around, looking at the different instruments that Nate had in the shed. He had emptied his wagon trailer when his head was full of questions about his father and how he was alive, so the shed had finally come together.

He thought giving his studio a full makeover would take his mind off things, and it did—but only temporarily.

"This is my studio, or temporary one, I guess," he said, looking around at his work, not seeing Leah approaching the DAW and pressing the play button, which started playing the unfinished beat to his newest song.

Hearing the music playing, Nate approached Leah, who looked like she did something wrong before pressing the pause button.

"What was that?" she asked, pointing at the machine, most likely meaning the beat.

"Well, that's why we're here," he said, smiling at her before explaining, "I thought maybe I could borrow your ear so you can help me work on my newest music," he said, smiling at her, which made her surprised more than anything, because Leah knew how such a process was intimate. So him asking her to help meant he trusted her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, more for herself than for Nate.

Which made him only smile and nod. "I'm trying something different, and I thought another ear would be good. I would have asked Bella, but... I thought this would be a good way for us to get to know each other," he said, which made Leah's heart skip a beat before she nodded.

"Let's do it," which made Nate smile.

"Alright then," Nate said, seeing the excitement in Leah's eyes before they got to work.

Nate, who wasn't used to working with someone, was surprised how well he and Leah understood each other. At first, he wanted her to only listen and give her input on things he should change in the beat, and that's how it went for the first hour. They talked both about the beat and themselves, getting to know each other while they worked on the song. Before long, Nate thought of teaching her how he made the different sounds, only to find out she was well-versed in it.

Leah reminded Nate that she worked at a music store and that there were certain perks to working there, and one of them was learning a lot about music. After that, Nate embraced her thoughts and ideas fully, and before they knew it, both of them were having the time of their lives.

They had been working so long that they had to order food, which made Leah judge Nate by the fact that he was the pickiest person on Earth. She had suggested buying pizza with pineapple, to which Nate had called her a freak, both of them getting a laugh from that.

Nate had even heard when his uncle pulled up to the house, having gone fishing, and Bella returning from wherever she had been for the day. But in truth, Nate was so distracted by Leah's charm that, for the day, all of his worries had gone out of the window.

His mother's death, his father still being alive, his circumstances, and Anna.

All of those, in the presence of Leah, were like an afterthought, and he loved it.

"Sigh," Leah sighed, as she stretched her back, while Nate was finishing up the beat, looking him over like he was a different species entirely.

"How are you not tired after that?" she suddenly asked, Nate turning to look at her, as he smiled before saying, "I'm used to it," before finishing it completely.

"I guess that's it," he said, standing up slowly and walking backward to stand next to Leah, who was looking at him in a new light. She had learned a lot of things from Nate this day, and she was surprised, to say the least.

How such a person was both smart and so handsome was a shock to her.

"What is it?" Nate asked, getting Leah out of her thoughts. "Do I have something on my face?" he said, touching around his face as Leah laughed and shook her head. "No dummy, there's nothing there," she said, taking his hand that was touching around his face as Nate smiled at her, both of them locking their eyes and staying that way for a moment, before Nate heard a crash from inside the main house, which got him out of his trance.

"Alright," he suddenly said, Leah also letting him go.

"So what now?" she said, an awkward atmosphere descending on them. Nate's eyes wandered to the leather notepad that was on the desk before he said,

"I guess now, we test it," he said, going to the mic and looking it over to see if it needed any adjusting, before setting everything up, confusing Leah.

"What... what do you mean testing?" she said, Nate being done as he went behind the mic.

"Well, I usually have a habit of just going at it before recording or anything to see how well the music and lyrics mesh together," he said, Leah still confused.

"But do you even have the lyrics ready?" she said, assuming that beats were made before the lyrics, and in some cases, they were, but in Nate's case, he always made the lyrics first and then, with the help of the lyrics, set the tone for the beat.

"Well, that's already taken care of, so sit back and just lend me your ear," Nate said, going to press play as he slowly took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, Leah just taking a seat, not knowing what else she could do.

As the music started playing, many things flashed in Nate's eyes, but the images that were most vivid to him were his nightly excursions from the past couple of days—his patrols.

So with that in mind, the first line of lyrics came out of his mouth.

And to say Leah was surprised was an understatement.

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh

Every time you come around, you know I can't say no.

Every time the sun goes down, I let you take control.

I can feel the paradise before my world implodes,

And tonight had something wonderful.

My bad habits lead to late nights endin' alone.

Conversations with a stranger I barely know.

Swearin' this will be the last, but it probably won't.

I got nothin' left to lose, or use, or do.

Leah, who was hearing Nate's singing voice for the first time, couldn't deny it. She had a hunch after seeing his previous projects and the familiar names on them, like The Search, Only, and My Stress. But as she heard him sing, she knew for sure that Nate was NFS.

Though instead of ruining their date by turning the conversation in that direction, she decided to keep the information to herself and just listen to him sing the song they had worked on together.

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh

My bad habits lead to you.

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh

We took the long way 'round,

And burned 'til the fun ran out. Now

My bad habits lead to late nights endin' alone.

Conversations with a stranger I barely know.

Swearin' this will be the last, but it probably won't.

I got nothin' left to lose, or use, or do.

As he was coming to a finish, Nate couldn't help but marvel at how well the beat went with the song. He usually worked on rap music, which was his forte, but he thought of making something different after being inspired by the sounds of the forest and the howling of wolves. At the same time, he wanted to keep his usual message in the song, which was the unbreakable cycle of bad habits and how destructive they can be to a person.

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh

My bad habits lead to you.

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh

My bad habits lead to you.

As Nate finished the song, he locked eyes with Leah, who sat there, not saying a word, before she slowly started clapping her hands.

"That was..." She said, not being able to finish her sentence.

"It was," Nate confirmed, walking toward her as she stood up. Both of them just staring at each other.

There was a silence, which both Nate and Leah enjoyed, each just staring at the other, neither making a move, just basking in each other's presence, still affected by the song Nate had just sung.

Before Leah's phone went off.

"Sorry, I have to take this," she said, Nate nodding as he watched her walk over to the door, hearing her mother on the line, asking where she had been for so long.

Nate, who was more than anything surprised by the enigma that was Leah, just watched her as she finished talking to her mom and approached him.

"Hey, listen, I have to go home. My mom seemed a little pissed off, but I could tell it was because of my dad. Do you mind dropping me off?" she asked. Nate shook his thoughts of the crazy image his brain was forming of her in a white dress before saying, "Of course, let's go." They both walked to the car in silence, staying that way throughout the whole drive, though holding hands the entire way, their fingers caressing and tangling together.

When Nate stopped at Leah's house, they both looked at the house before naturally locking eyes again. This time, nothing was able to stop them as they inched closer and closer, until Nate could feel Leah's warm breath on his lips before capturing them in a light, chaste kiss.

The kiss wasn't long, but for Nate, it felt like an eternity. He smelled the intoxicating scent her body was producing, which, funnily enough, kind of smelled like wet dog. He didn't think about it at all, though, and instead, he could hear the blood rushing through her veins, which made his mouth water lightly, but in a good way.

Finally pulling apart, Leah and Nate looked at each other before Leah left without saying a word. Her actions spoke louder than anything she could have said.

Nate, who sat in the driver's seat, watched Leah go inside the house and listened to her raging heartbeat as she went all the way to her room and plopped down. Her heartbeat slowly calmed, making him focus on the sound a little more, before he thought it smart to head home before his uncle started asking questions.

Nate, who was the happiest he'd been in a while, kept checking on Leah with his senses while driving back home. Because of that, he missed the man in a green coat with blood-red eyes watching him drive off from the trees.

.

.

.

.

--------------------------------------

Hey guys, author here.

Well, it's officially out—the project I've been working on, House of the Dragon: The Blind Warrior.

Yes, I understand you guys mostly care about this fic, but if any of you would like to support me on that other fic, you're more than welcome to do so. But enough about my selfish sales pitch.

Here we have the longest chapter I've written yet. I know some of you don't like the music aspect of the fic, and you're here for the vampires and wolves, but unfortunately, it's just a part of Nate's character, so I hope you can understand.

I wrote my second, I guess you could call it, romance chapter. Not sure how well I did, so if any of you want to roast me in the comments, you're welcome to do so.

But anyway, as always, I enjoyed every second of writing the chapter, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Something else I'd like for you guys to do for me is comment—don't be shy! Ask questions, give me ideas, and most of all, send those stones, because they're gonna help me in the long run.

Anyway, I'm gonna stop my yapping. Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!