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Jacob is extremely excited but his steel composure doesn’t betray that excitement at all. At least he hopes it doesn’t. Faith smiles at him fondly when he meets her gaze though, and he can definitely tell that all his siblings can see he’s excited. He knows it’s stupid to be this excited over a damn concert but he can’t help it. He and his family look a little out of place with all the country folk that are dressed to match but Jacob doesn’t care. If anyone starts anything, he’s more than equipped to take them on.
He ignores the way that John is pointedly looking at him and he knows that John wants to make fun of him like the annoying little brother he is but Joseph nudges him with a stern look and the younger one reluctantly keeps his mouth shut. It’s fine since Jacob knows that if John makes fun of him for liking country, he can make fun of John for liking ‘girly pop music’ when he pretends to have a ‘high class taste’ and all that arrogant shit.
The idiot knows all the words to that 10 minute song that the one blond singer has, he doesn’t have a leg in this fight.
His attention is immediately grabbed when the lights above them move and focus on the stage where band instruments have been set up. In the center front of the stage, there’s a stool and two microphones set up, one at mouth height and the other at the height for a guitar.
Jacob’s heart thuds in his chest and he feels like a fucking schoolgirl for the excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach as Caleb Archer walks out with the rest of the supporting band. The man is insanely talented and normally Jacob didn’t give much of a shit about music, let alone country but the first time he’d heard the man on the radio, he’d gotten hooked instantly. John continually made fun of him but Jacob’s seen the way he bobs his head and mouths along to Caleb’s songs when they’re riding in Jacob’s truck together. Jacob’s played his music so much that his siblings know most of the lyrics to his songs too.
For a second, Jacob isn’t sure whether he should be embarrassed by that revelation or not. His attention snaps into focus when he hears the soft testing sounds of instruments over the speakers and the crowd around him falls quiet to listen and watch with anticipation. Even if it's just them all prepping, it’s still somehow amazing to watch.
The band test their instruments, making sure things are in order as Caleb lightly tweeks the pegs on his guitar and tests things out for a minute or so before he smiles out at everyone, earning a loud cheer from the crowd that lasts a good few seconds as the singer finally sits down on the stool and props his guitar up on his knee. Jacob’s heart thuds in his chest as he stares at the other’s warm smile and the musician's green eyes roam over the crowd. It feels genuine, not some fake smile that’s been pasted onto his face but as if the blond is actually ecstatic to be here.
“Howdy! It’s good to see y’all! Thank you so much for coming out tonight, I’m honoured to be here in Hope County! It’s a gorgeous little place and I’m certainly gonna be coming back here more than once!”
He grins happily at the cheer that it gets him and Jacob feels that he really is telling the truth. He knows that a lot of stars and celebrities have curated personalities they show off for the public but Caleb Archer doesn’t seem like a man who can lie. At least not convincingly. His stage presence feels the same as his real presence. Just some silly cowboy who wanted to play music and unintentionally got famous from it (according to every interview he’s done at least).
The singer glances behind him at the band to check they’re ready before he starts a countdown and begins to play, the crowd erupting into cheers as the concert finally begins. Caleb bobs his head as he sings, getting lost in the music as he strums his guitar and Jacob can’t take his eyes off him, even if he wanted to. It wasn’t like he wanted to though anyway. He feels John nudge him as if to say ‘you’re doing the very intense murder stare, cut it out’ that the redhead knows he does but Jacob can’t find himself to care or even attempt to tone it down. He doesn’t want to miss a second of this performance and his eyes drink in every detail, searing it into his brain like he wants it to be the last thing he sees before he dies. During the lulls between the songs, Caleb stops to talk to the crowd, clearly enjoying himself and the energy of the people before him, and Jacob barely acknowledges Joseph and Faith taking turns to press a bottle of water into his hand so he doesn’t pass out from dehydration. He has no clue what John is doing but it’s probably no good, knowing his baby brother.
The concert feels like it lasts forever but also not long enough and eventually, the lights are turning on so people can see as they begin to leave. Jacob knows they should go and head on home since it’s getting late, but he needs a minute to get his thoughts in order. The concert had been everything he was hoping for, and Caleb Archer was a lot prettier in person than he’d thought. He knew the man was handsome (Hell, everyone knew that) but… He was very, very attractive. Whoever the hell was going to end up with him as a husband was going to be extremely lucky.
Jacob dimly registers John’s voice speaking behind him, and his first response is to roll his eyes when he finally realises baby brother is speaking about him to someone. Probably complaining about being dragged here, knowing him. He turns around and his second response is to be absolutely horrified when he sees that John is speaking to the singer who has decided to come hang out in the crowd, security following right behind him.
“Your set was brilliant, my brother, Jacob, is a huge fan of yours, you know.”
John casts the blond a dazzling smile before meeting Jacob’s gaze and smirking at him like the little shit he is. Jacob is going to put bright pink hair dye in his shampoo and glitter in his wardrobe when they get home. The singer smiles at him warmly as he registers that he’s the brother that John is talking about and Jacob swears his heart stops dead in his chest “Oh yeah? Thanks, I’m glad to hear you like my music.”
John nods, the smirk never leaving his face as he stares at Jacob “Oh yes. I’ll admit, I’m not one for country but Jacob plays your music so much that I practically know all your songs by now. Like I said, he’s a very big fan. Even listened when you were first starting out. He’s been there from the beginning.”
A laugh leaves the blond and he rubs the back of his neck “Aw thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. Honestly, when I started making music I didn’t think it’d take off. I just did it cause I wanted to, y’know?”
Jacob finally manages to remember to respond, simply nodding with a quiet grunt of agreement.
He wonders where Joseph and Faith are so they can do him a favour and kill John for him. Or at least drag him away so he can kill John later.
Caleb’s pretty green eyes settle on his old uniform jacket that he still wears because it’s comfortable and familiar, eyes roaming over the patches and he smiles “Army man, huh?”
Jacob clears his throat, angling his arm to show off his division patch “Yeah. Marksman with the 82nd Airborne Division. Been discharged for a long time though.”
Caleb grins at him warmly as if they’re speaking about some inside joke “Med Corps. I couldn’t help but notice you during the concert. You're certainly the unique type of guy.”
Jacob is certain that he means the scarring that covers his face as well as a lot of his body and his heart squeezes hard for a moment. He made peace with his scars years ago but sometimes, that self-hatred tends to pop up and it is ripping at him right now more than it has in a long time since his favourite musician seems to be blatantly pointing it out.
John’s smile has gone sharp, his eyes have an edge to them like he’s about to strangle the singer and the blond seems to realise the implication of his words, his tone utterly horrified as he stammers “Oh no! I didn’t mean your scars- Jesus Christ, no! God, knows I got those too!” He quickly yanks down the collar of his shirt to show off burns that looks just as bad as Jacob’s scars and seem to travel further under his clothing, and the vice grip around his heart lessens. He didn’t know the blond had those. He’s pretty sure he’s the first to know about them.
“Sorry, I didn’t- God, I didn’t mean it like that at all. I don’t think sometimes, I’m sorry.” He sighed before speaking “I just meant that you got the uh… The stance, y’know?”
John looks at him confused, the anger in his eyes dimmed now that the blond has cleared things up and shown his own scars “The stance?”
“Y’know. The stance.” He straightens up, squaring his feet and his presence completely changes as his face goes hard and the blond actually looks intimidating before he relaxes with a smile and all that intimidation just melts away “Army stance.”
John barks out a laugh, hand landing on the other’s shoulder in understanding “Ohhh, yes. I absolutely get what you mean. My brother stands like that all the time. It’s his natural stance now.”
Caleb chuckles, offering Jacob a smile “Ah yep, sounds about right. Took me months to break the habit and I still do it now when I’m not thinking. Your brother’s got that Marksman stare too.”
John looks at him, grin wide like a Cheshire cat at the prospect of more ammo to use against his dear older brother “Oh? What do you mean?”
“Well, I ain’t met tons of Marksmen but what I’ve picked up on is that a lot of ‘em got this kinda stare like they still deciding whether or not they want to snipe you right there or let you live one more day.” He grins boyishly and Jacob’s heart skips a beat as he continues to speak “Though that might be ‘cause I’ve been annoying them by yelling at them while I patch ‘em up. People love doing the opposite thing of what will keep them alive, y’know?”
John laughs before he slides over to throw an arm around Jacob’s shoulders “Oh, I’m more than certain my brother wouldn’t mind you annoying him, would you Jacob?”
He manages a grunt as a reply, smoothly trying to shrug off John’s arm but the little shit holds tight “If you’re sticking around the area, I’m sure Jacob wouldn’t mind taking you to the range around here or something. You can talk about army things and all that. Or he can just give you a tour of Hope County. Jacob here knows all the best places to get good views, and all that good nature-y stuff. Discreet places where you’ll be able to get away from the public.”
The blond smiles at him, lips quirked into a very cute lopsided smile that Jacob is struggling to take his eyes off of “Well… I do like nature and hiking. Don’t got any gear with me though.”
The words leave Jacob’s mouth before he can think about them “You can borrow some of mine.”
He positively beams at Jacob and Jacob swears he can see the sun shining from within him. The redhead coughs awkwardly when the other thanks him earnestly and Jacob responds with a sheepish ‘It’s nothing’.
Joseph and Faith return from wherever they’ve been, and Jacob sees them with merchandise. Huh. It didn’t even occur to him to get any and he’ll have to thank them when he’s got the chance. Faith’s eyes widen when she sees who he and John are talking to and she looks at him as if to say ‘what the hell did we miss?’
Before he can answer though, John takes the lead smoothly, the people person that he was “Ah! Caleb, these are our siblings, Faith and Joseph! Faith, Joseph, this is Caleb.”
Caleb tilts the worn stetson he wears politely as he reaches his hand for them both to shake, one after the other “It’s real nice to meet you both.”
Faith flashes him a pretty smile as she shakes his hand “It’s wonderful to meet you too, I really enjoyed the concert. It was amazing!”
Joseph nods in agreement, his smile polite as he shakes Caleb’s hand “I don’t listen to much music but the excitement was infectious.”
Caleb laughs pleasantly, looking a little bashful at the compliments “Aw thanks, I appreciate it. John was just saying that Jacob knows the area well.”
Faith nods immediately “Oh yes, absolutely! Jacob knows Hope like the back of his hand. There’s this really pretty clearing that’s perfect for a picnic! We’ve been out there a few times as a family. Jacob found it on a solo hike.”
A soft grumble leaves Jacob, his cheeks heating slightly in embarrassment “I don’t think he wants to go on a picnic, Faith.”
“No no, a picnic sounds real good. I ain’t been on one in a long time. I think that’d be fun. Simple and easy, y’know? You can tell me your stories of serving, I bet you got some good ones. I'll share mine too.” The blond offers him an easy smile and Jacob’s heart stutters in his chest.
He’s so fucked, he’s getting feelings over the musician and he shouldn’t. The man is famous and really, it wouldn’t end well but the idea of going on a picnic with him, sharing stories about their time in service is really appealing and he finds himself nodding in agreement “Yeah, okay, we can do that.”
John speaks up, smiling like the sly bastard he is “Oh, you could stick around for dinner if you have the time? I’m cooking italian tonight.”
Joseph pipes up, nodding sagely in approval as if burdened with all the knowledge in the world as he speaks “John cooks very good pasta.”
Jacob can’t help the furrow in his brow “No- John, I’m sure he’s busy, he’s got other places to go perform.”
The blond cuts in quickly “Actually, I could make time. We’ve taken traffic and any hold-ups into account so… I could… I could make time. If it’s not too much for me to impose?” He looks at Jacob, eyes earnest and enquiring.
Jacob shakes his head “No- It’s not imposing at all. I- We’d love to have you for dinner.”
John nods in agreement “Mhm, no problem at all. I’ll have to take a look over any NDAs you might have us sign though, I need to make sure my siblings retain their rights and all that. I’m a lawyer, you know how we can be.”
Caleb blinks slightly before he laughs “God, you’re right, I didn’t even think about that, I’ll get my manager on it. I don’t think any of you will screw me over to the press though, I get a good feeling from you guys.” He catches Jacob’s eye and gives him a playful wink, the redhead’s heart stuttering in his chest again and he only manages to nod in reply.
The sound of a phone alarm fills the air and Caleb curses before he fishes out his phone from his pocket. He clicks his tongue in annoyance as he turns it off “Ah shoot, time’s up. My manager said I could have 20 minutes on the floor before I godda head out. But seriously, it was really nice talking to all of you. Nice to meet you too, of course.”
He slides his phone back into his pocket before he’s rummaging through them again, digging out a worn, battered leather wallet and he flips it open with ease, sliding something out from one of the slots. He flips the wallet shut and slides it back into his pocket before he reaches to shake Jacob's hand firmly. Jacob feels something being left behind in his hand as Caleb pulls away “It was really nice meeting you, Jacob, I look forward to seeing you later.” He claps him on the shoulder, before rolling his eyes as one of the security steps forward to usher him back towards the stage.
The blond finally starts walking, looking over his shoulder to wink at the redhead before he breaks into a little jog and disappears backstage, and then Jacob finally looks at what's been left in his hand. He freezes in place at the sight.
It's Caleb's card. A personal one from the looks of it and Jacob can’t help but freak out slightly. Did this really mean that Caleb actually wanted to come to dinner with them? With Jacob?
His gaze lifts to where he last saw the musician disappear backstage, almost as if he's expecting him to come back and tell him it was a prank but he doesn't reappear to take the card from him.
Jacob feels Faith slide up next to him, pulling at his hand so she can see what he's holding before she gasps and clings to his arm “Oh my- Jacob!”
He snaps out of his shock at her reaction, Joseph looking confused as John inches closer to try and look “What? What is it?”
Faith looks around discreetly before leaning closer to whisper loudly to the other two “He gave Jacob his personal card!”
Joseph nods in understanding at the revelation, John grabbing onto Jacob's wrist to tug his hand closer to look at the card “Oo, let me look. Oh my, that's definitely personal.”
Faith nods vigorously, pushing Jacob's hand back towards his chest and looking around as if the lingering people around them would overhear their conversation and try to take his new prized possession “Quick, quick! Put his number in your phone before you lose it!”
Jacob lets out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, John beginning to laugh in delight before he speaks “Come on Jake, text him.”
The redhead scowls at the other before reluctantly pulling out his phone and they all crowd around as he tries to manufacture a decent text. Eventually he just settles on:
‘Hi, this is Jacob.’
John laughs hard at his awkwardness but it isn’t long until his phone is dinging with the text notification and they all eagerly look to see what the reply is.
‘Hey Jacob, I had a lot of fun talking with you and your family. I’m looking forward to Italian tonight :)) ‘
Jacob ignores whatever teasing John gives him as he stares at the reply, unable to help the slight quirk of a smile on lips as his heart thuds in his chest.
He's already planning where to take the singer in Hope. The best spots along the river to fish, the best little clearings to just lie in the grass and watch the sky, the best cliffs to get the most beautiful views of the county. He's sure he shouldn't get this wrapped up in trying to impress Caleb but he really can't help it. There's something about the blond that just makes Jacob want to make the man like him.
If that means jumping through hoops and making a fool of himself to impress him, then he's completely fine with it.
He barely pays attention as his siblings gather their things and lead the way out, Jacob instinctively bringing up the rear to keep his siblings in eyesight like he always does.
John drives them home, having strong armed Jacob into letting him drive them all there in one of his fancy cars since he didn't want to go in Jacob’s truck. His usual complaints of it being too cramped or whatever.
But if Jacob spends the whole trip home thinking about Caleb Archer, well, that's between him and God, right?