#Jake seresin imagines

[bloatedandalone04]

Don’t Ever Leave My Side

➪the one where you finally let jake take you out on a date after countless rejections, but it turns out that the guy you convinced yourself he was, isn’t who he is at all.

Warnings: smut, fluff, pda, unprotected sex, swearing, pining, oral (f receiving), jake being whipped bc i missed writing for him

Word Count: 4.7k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡

You weren’t sure why you had reapplied your makeup for the third time now after deciding that it didn’t look good enough. And you opted to leave your hair how it normally looked right after a shower and to not touch it, but here you were, hastily curling it as you checked the time on your phone for the fourth time since plugging in the curling iron. 

None of it mattered at all. It was just a stupid date. One stupid date you promised Jake Seresin you’d go on with him, that was it. 

The guy had been asking you out for months now, and you’ve shut him down every time since you knew how he was with the women who frequented the Hard Deck. He was a player, in the sky and on the ground, and you wanted nothing to do with it, which is why you’ve rejected him more times than you can count on both hands. 

Yet he was persistent, the fucker. To get him to stop, you agreed to go out with him the last time you bumped into him, and that date was scheduled for tonight. In exactly four minutes, but you were planning on being late just to fuck with him, because there was no way you were going on a second date with him. No way. No.

You just finished your hair when your phone went off with a text, and you glanced down at it as you unplugged the curler and set it down on the counter. 

Jake Seresin: I’m here, gorgeous. Hope you’re prepared for tonight ;)

For some reason, reading that gave you butterflies in your stomach, and you quickly typed out a response before setting your phone down and pulling on the simple black dress you picked out for tonight.

Nice. I’m not ready yet.

The dress was tight around your torso area but got looser around your thighs, and the straps were so thin, you had to wear a strapless bra so it didn’t look dumb. The hem around your chest was lace and provided a small amount of cleavage that left nothing to the imagination, so yeah. It was very simple. 

After checking yourself a respectable three times, you slide on your ankle boots and grab your purse. 

You wondered if Jake was annoyed that you took so long to get ready since he read your text but never responded to it, but you were wrong as you opened your front door and saw him leaning against the passenger side of his truck with a stupid fucking smile on his face. “Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted as you huffed and turned to lock the door. When you made your way over to him, Jake moved out of the way and opened the passenger door for you. “You look stunning.”

“Thanks,” you drag the word out a bit as you hop up onto the seat and place your hands on your lap as he shuts the door behind you. A few seconds later, he was sitting beside you in the driver’s seat as he put the truck into drive. “Where are we going?”

Jake grinned over at you as he flicked the radio on, and some country song began playing quietly through the speakers as he answered, “It’s a surprise. Shocking, I know, but if I’m only getting one shot at this, I’m gonna do it right,”

“Great, I love surprises,” you mumbled, looking out the window before quickly looking back at him once you further processed his words. “And there’s no if, Jake. You are only getting one shot at this.”

You weren’t sure whose head you were trying to get that through at this point. 

But Jake wasn’t fazed as his grin grew. “Better make sure I don’t fuck this up then,” he said, glancing over at you. “I promise, I’ll make it count.”

He sounded so excited and he looked hot in his jeans and button up and jacket. You hated it, because you’ve seen him with other girls before, and he never put on this nice of an outfit, and he never gave them the amount of attention he’s already given you since you left your house. 

And you were even more annoyed when he pulled into a parking spot right outside your favorite Italian restaurant ten minutes later. You looked at the bright sign that said the name of the restaurant with squinted eyes before looking over at Jake. “Why are we here?”

Jake looked a bit panicked for a second as he paused mid-way through taking off his seatbelt. “Is this not…I thought this was your favorite place to eat at,” he sounded nervous now and you loosened up a bit as you took off your own seatbelt. 

“It is,” you confirmed, “But how did you know that?”

Jake looked more relaxed as he finally let his seatbelt go and opened the door. “Bird Boy told me,” he said and you groaned. 

“Damnit, Rooster,” you muttered as you grabbed your bag and reached for the handle, but Jake was already there and opening the door for you. “I’m going to yell at him the next time I see him.” You state as you get out of the truck.

Bradley was your best friend, and the guy who had witnessed a lot of your rejections to Jake firsthand. You weren’t all that surprised that he felt a little bad for the blond and helped him out with this, because your best friend was a decent guy and one of your favorite people. But you were still going to yell at him.

“Really?” Jake laughed as he placed his hand on the small of your back and led you towards the doors of the restaurant. “Because I can’t stop thanking the guy, and that’s kind of a big deal for me.”  

You huffed out a laugh in return as he guided you inside, and a few minutes later you were sitting at a booth with him with your drinks placed in front of you. Your menu was flat on the table while he held his up, his eyes flickering over the options as you subtly watched him. 

“What’s good here?” He asked, “This is my first time in this place.”

You picked up your margarita with a shrug, “Everything, from what I can tell,”

Jake glanced at you over the top of his menu, his brows furrowing as he realized that you didn’t even look at your own. “What are you doing? What’s wrong?”

You set your drink down and leaned back against the booth. “I know what I’m getting. I get it every time,”

Jake’s lips turned upwards at that as he set the menu down and slid his water closer to him on the table. “Oh, you’re one of those people, huh?” He asked with a smirk as he sipped a bit of the bland drink. “You don’t like, I don’t know, trying something different?”

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it?” You offer with a raised brow as you watch him set the water back down. “You’re seriously not drinking tonight?”

He shook his head as he closed the menu and pushed both yours and his to the edge of the table. “No. I want to be sober the whole time so I can remember this night with vivid detail. I think you deserve that,”

Your face heated up as you cleared your throat, his words doing a number on you as you sat up a bit. “What are you getting?” You quickly change the subject as you felt the sudden urge to kiss the guy you’ve been avoiding for months now. 

“What are you getting?” He asked back and you narrowed your eyes as you told him your usual order. “Perfect, I’ll get that too. Maybe I’ll like it enough to order it every time I come here.”

And that was how you found yourself eating identical meals not long after, and a blush seemed to be stuck on your face as you answered every single question he had for you. Your favorite color, your favorite song, the teacher you hated most in high school, your worst dating experience, all of it.

For some reason, this wasn’t bad. This wasn’t bad at all. Talking with Jake felt easy, like you could do it all the time and never complain about it. Why was this shaping out to be kind of the perfect first date? Why was he kind of being the perfect gentleman? 

He seemed so interested in you, like how he was during the build ups to him eventually asking you out. You were beginning to feel bad about constantly saying no, because you were actually having a really good time with him. 

“Well?” You started as Jake asked for the bill. “How was it? Will you be returning just to order that every time?” You gestured to the empty plates in front of you and Jake shrugged as he took out his wallet. 

“It wasn’t bad. Your taste in food is pretty decent,” he hummed as the waitress, who had been checking Jake out the whole night and who hadn’t been looked at by him for more than a total of six seconds, placed the bill on the table. You reached for your own wallet but he stopped you and handed you his keys instead. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Wait in the truck for me, okay?”

You take the keys from him and give the waitress a soft smirk as you stand up, noticing the scowl that had formed on her face as she heard the affectionate nickname Jake gave you. 

Less than a minute later, Jake was beside you in his truck again as he backed out of the parking space with one hand. You were feeling a bit shy now as you looked over at him and took in just how handsome he actually is. “Thanks for tonight,” you say quietly as he pulls out onto the road. “It was kinda…it was fun.”

“You think it’s over?” He laughed softly as he glanced over at you in the dark truck. “I only get you to myself for one night, you really think I’m just taking you out to dinner?”

Your face heated up for the hundredth time tonight as you quickly broke eye contact. “Oh…where else are we going?”

Jake looked back at the road as he drove with one hand, and you were sure he wasn’t aware of just how hot that was. “To the place we first met,” he answered simply and your eyes widened a bit as you laughed.

“The Hard Deck?”

“Yeah,” he grinned over at you. “I have to show at least one person from work that I actually managed to get you to go out with me. And Bird Boy doesn’t count.”

You weren’t entirely sure why, but that had you smiling like a love struck teenager the whole ride, and when you arrived at the Hard Deck, you allowed Jake to lead you inside with his hand placed firmly on your hip. 

A few of his coworkers smirked at him, a few looked beyond shocked, and then there was Bradley, who avoided eye contact with you as soon as you entered the bar. Okay, so maybe you wouldn’t be yelling at him later. 

The Hard Deck was rowdy as usual, but Jake wasn’t paying attention to anyone but you, and you realized just how much you liked being the center of his attention. 

And he was completely sober as he held you in his arms as the two of you swayed to an old song playing on the jukebox. He looked content and so handsome, you had to look away as you mumbled, “Okay, so maybe this isn’t so bad after all,” and pressed the side of your face against his chest. “You kind of planned the most perfect first date, Jake. I’m actually so surprised.”

Your head vibrated a bit when he laughed and tightened his hold on you as if he was scared to let you go. “Well, when you’re determined to make someone fall head over heels for you, you’ve got to put in a bit of effort,” he said and your whole body heated up in a blush. “So, uh…does this mean there’s gonna be a second date?”

You pull back slightly and look up at him. “That depends on you,” came your quiet response as you slid your hands up his back. “You’ve been the most perfect gentleman tonight, and you’ve been so sweet, but will it be like this every time? Or was this just a show for tonight?”

Jake lifted a hand and brushed some of your hair behind your ear, his thumb stroking your cheek after. “You deserve to be treated right, and I want to be the person to do that. I want to be the perfect guy for you, Y/n. You’re special to me,” he said and sounded so genuine, you had no choice but to believe his words. “Give me a chance to show you that I’m not the stuck up ladies man you think I am. I’m falling for you…and I don’t want to mess this up.”

There it was. Jake had just put his heart on his sleeve for you, and now it was completely up to you what happened next. 

You press your lips together and look down at the wooden floor of the bar. “I was wrong about you. You’re not the player I thought you were. And honestly, I don’t care about how many women you’ve been with. The guy you’ve been tonight…it’s a different side of you, Jake. Or maybe it’s who you’ve been this whole time and I’ve just been too stubborn to see it,” you murmur and place your hands flat on his chest as you look back up at him. “The guy you are right now, I can see myself with him. With you. Tonight has been…perfect, in every single way. You’ve been perfect, Jake.”

There was your own confession that, early this morning, you would’ve never said out loud, but things had clearly changed. 

Jake smiled and leaned down to brush his lips against yours in a teasing kiss. “You haven’t seen anything yet, sweetheart,” he whispered against your mouth before pulling back to look into your eyes. “So why don’t we skip right to the part where you agree to a second date?” He asked in a deep voice as he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer to him.

You laughed, looking up at him with unguarded eyes. “I think it’s safe to say you got that second date. And the third. And the fourth,” you grinned, curling your fingers around his jacket as your gaze intensified a bit. “Tell me something, does the perfect gentleman kiss on the first date? Because that teaser you just gave me wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy what I’m feeling right now.”

Jake’s smile grows before he leans down and presses his lips to yours in a searing kiss. It starts off somewhat soft, and he lets you take the lead as you kiss him a bit deeper, and then his tongue was pushing past your lips and brushing against yours. 

It was clear from the kiss that he had been holding back his desire for you for months, and you suddenly didn’t regret pushing him away so much, because it allowed you to feel every inch of his want for you with every brush of his mouth against yours. 

After a few more seconds, he breaks the kiss. “There you go,” he murmured, his thumb brushing against your puffy bottom lip. “But that’s just one of many. I plan on kissing the fuck out of you on every single one of those future dates.”

A content hum leaves your lips, a feeling of excitement for the future settling in your bones as you lean up and kiss him again. Soon enough you’d become addicted. You were sure of it. 

Your fingers slide into his hair as the music continues to play and the patrons of the bar chat amongst themselves, not paying either of you any attention as you lose yourselves in each other. 

Jake’s hands grip your waist tighter, pulling your chest against his. “You’re mine now, Y/n,” he mumbled when he finally broke the kiss after a few minutes, and you held back a squeal at just how good that sounded. “I’ll make you happy, I swear it.” 

You bite down on your lip and trace the sides of his face with your fingers. “Any chance the perfect gentleman takes me to bed on the first date?” You playfully asked, but you were also very serious, even if you thought that you should probably wait to have sex. Maybe until the second date. That seemed long enough. 

“Patience, baby,” he rasped, tugging at your bottom lip with his thumb. “A perfect gentleman knows how to build anticipation.”

He tucks a few strands of hair behind your ear as you hum quietly, threading your fingers through the hair on the back of his neck as you try not to squeal again at the cute pet name. 

“Besides, I have a feeling you’re going to be worth the wait. I know it’ll be…fucking amazing between us,” he added, brushing another soft kiss to your lips. “Don’t worry, by the end of our second date, I’ll give it to you so good, you’ll still be sore when we go on our third date.” 

You grin excitedly and nod. “It’s okay,” you whisper, “I can wait. I know that now, Jake. You’re worth the wait.”

Jake smiled down at you before kissing you one last time then taking your hand and leading you towards the bar. 

-

A couple weeks, and several dates later, you and Jake are officially together and crazy in love with each other. 

The realization that you had only pushed him away for so long because you were so into him was a tough pill to swallow, but when you finally got it down, you threw yourself headfirst into this relationship with him, and neither of you planned to look back. 

It became official shortly after the first date, where he drove you home, kissed you sweetly, then left you wanting more. By the end of the second date, Jake stayed true to his promise and fucked you so good into his mattress, you were addicted by the time the sun came up. 

You’d both been insatiable since then, which wasn’t all that surprising. The chemistry between you two had been undeniable from the start, so of course the sex was fucking amazing. 

Now, having just gotten back to his place after your eighth date, you and he can’t keep your hands off one another as you stumble through his front door, your mouths connected and your hands all over each other. 

You pull off his jacket and let it fall to the floor of the entryway while he helps you slide off your heels, your mouths meshing noisily together. He kicks the door shut before reaching down to grab the backs of your thighs, never breaking the kiss as he lifts you into his arms. He begins to walk towards his bedroom, his hands gripping your thighs tightly as he pulls away. “I’m gonna take you slow and deep tonight,” he mumbled against your lips. “Wanna drag it out this time.”

He was referring to the previous date, when he fucked you hard and fast into his couch while you screamed your throat raw, and the reminder of it just turned you on even more. 

Jake lays you down on his bed before standing back up and working on ridding himself of his belt. You lean back on the bed, pulling your dress off to leave you in a matching black lace lingerie set that paired sinfully well with your thigh high stockings. 

Leaning back on your elbows, you spread your thighs and beckon him to you with a curl of your finger. “Come here,”

Jake’s eyes darken as he takes in the sight of you. He’s seen you naked countless of times by now, but seeing you in something so effortlessly hot was something else, especially since he knew exactly what the black fabric was hiding from him. 

His hands reach down to pull off his belt and he shrugs off his clothes, leaving on his boxer briefs for now and showing off just how hard you made him through the thin material. 

Crawling onto the bed, he positions himself between your thighs, his lips peppering kisses along your stomach as his fingers tease the edge of your panties. “God, you’re fucking stunning,” he mumbled, running his fingers over the flimsy fabric. “Tell me, baby, were these expensive?”

You hum, looking down at him as you shrug. “A little, but not too bad,”

Jake smirked, mumbling a quick, “Good,” before he ripped the delicate fabric and tossed it aside, revealing your slick folds to his needy eyes. 

“Jake!” You gasped, your eyes widening as his big hands gripped the backs of your thighs and spread your legs a bit wider. 

“I’ll buy you more, one in every color,” he promised, grinning up at you before looking back down at your heat. He runs his fingers through your wetness, a satisfied hum leaving his mouth, “You’re so wet for me, baby. All for me.”

Then he was burying his face between your thighs, his tongue poking out to lick a stripe up your entrance before sucking on your clit. “Oh, fuck,” you whined and he groaned, sending a jolt of pleasure up your body. You shuddered, your muscles tightening as you reached down to tangle your fingers in his hair. “Just like that, Jake. Feels so good.”

Jake’s tongue pressed more firmly against your clit while his fingers gathered more of your wetness before sinking knuckle-deep inside you. He fucks them in and out of you as his teeth gently nip at your sensitive bundle of nerves, and you fell back onto his pillow as he devoured you. 

The sight of you looking already so fucked out with your hair draped across his pillow had him refraining from bucking his hips against the bed, because it was something he had been dreaming about seeing for months. He was still kind of shocked that he could now see it whenever he wanted.

“Fuck,” you gasped, arching your back as he guided your legs to rest over his shoulders. Your fingers were pulling on his hair pretty hard, and he fucking loved it. He loved every single second he spent with you, and he couldn’t get enough of your sweet taste, your soft moans and the fact that you had finally, finally given him the chance he’s been craving for so long. 

You were finally his, and he was never letting you go. 

“Cum for me,” he mumbled, flicking your clit with his tongue as he curled his fingers deep inside you. “Cum all over my face, baby. Let me taste it.”

If there was one thing Jake knew how to do, it was to spew the most filthy fucking things to you. And he knew you loved it. He found that out pretty quickly the first time he took you to bed, and he was more than willing to delve into your desire for dirty talk. 

Like he suspected, your mouth parted in a loud moan as you tugged harshly on his hair, and a second later you were coming on his tongue and fingers. “Jake…holy fuck, baby,” you moaned as you writhed against his face. “Fuck…feels so fucking good.”

The taste of you on his tongue makes him groan, and he continues to ravish your pussy until you’re shaking and whimpering incoherently. Once you settled a bit, Jake lifted his head, his lips and chin soaked with your release as he grins up at you and begins to place kisses along your stomach while he pushes his boxers down. 

He hovers over you, his hands squeezing your breasts through your bra as he teases your quivering heat with the tip of his cock. “I need you, baby,” he mumbled, reaching down to grip his base as he coats himself in your arousal before slowly pushing inside you. “Fuck, you’re tight.” He groaned, dropping his head to your shoulder as he started to slowly rock into you.

His hand moves from your chest to grip your hips as he picks up the speed a bit, his body fitting perfectly against yours with each deep thrust,

“There you go,” he rasped, kissing along your neck. “Take it all, baby, every inch.”

You moan loudly as you arch your back, and you guide his hands around you to the clasp of your bra. “Fuck, Jake, you feel so good,” you whimpered, wrapping your legs tightly around his waist. 

Jake hums, expertly unclasping your bra before guiding the straps down your arms, all while keeping the pace of his thrusts. His eyes immediately lock onto your breasts, now bare to his dark eyes as they bounce with every movement. “You’re a fucking dream,” he mumbled, leaning down to wrap his lips around one of your nipples as he rocks his hips against yours. “You make me lose control, every single time.” He grunted through ragged breaths, his cock brushing against every hidden spot deep inside you. 

“Jake,” you moan desperately, guiding his mouth to yours in a messy kiss. “I love you.”

He groans, kissing you again as he feels himself close to coming already because you felt that fucking good. “I love you, too,” he rasped, his words muffled against your mouth. “So fucking much.”

You moaned, tugging on his hair as you lazily met his thrusts halfway. “I’m close,” you mumbled and he groaned in both pleasure and relief as he reached down to rub circles against your clit. 

“Me too,” he muttered, pinching and pulling at your bundle of nerves. “Cum with me, baby. Let go for me.”

A few seconds later, you were coming for a second time, but on his cock, and a couple thrusts later, he was too. He filled you up as his body shuddered, his lips pressing soft kisses to your neck as he fucked his seed deep inside you. 

Once you were both spent, he collapsed gently on top of you, keeping his cock lodged inside you as he cuddled you against his chest. “Stay with me tonight,” he begged quietly, turning you both on your sides and tucking your head under his chin. 

You smiled, nuzzling against his sweaty chest. “Where else would I be?”

Jake smiled back, pulling you impossibly closer. “What about tomorrow? Will you stay here tomorrow, too? We can have breakfast in bed,” he offered with a teasing grin on his lips. 

You hummed, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Pancakes or waffles?” You ask instead of answering him, confirming that you will be staying at his place for the remainder of the weekend. 

“Pancakes,” he replied, pulling back to press a chaste kiss to your lips. “And bacon. A fuckton of it.”

Even though this wasn’t the first time you would be spending the night in his arms, Jake still felt beyond happy that, after months of pining over you, he was given the chance to experience life with you. He was also really fucking excited to spend tomorrow morning with you in his bed. 

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he mumbled, holding you a bit tighter. “Wanted you.”

You go silent for a few seconds before pulling back to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long,” you whispered, tracing the curve of his bottom lip with your finger. “Truthfully, I didn’t think it could be this good. I was so wrong.”

Jake shakes his head, taking your hand in his and pressing a few kisses to your knuckles. “Don’t be sorry,” he said quietly. “It was worth it, all of it, if it meant we’d end up like this. Together.”

He leaned down to kiss you deeply, and you returned it instantly. “I love you,” you mumbled against his lips as you gently gripped his face. 

“I love you, too,” he said back and meant it with his whole heart as he rolled you onto your back again and settled on top of you.

Because without a doubt, his heart had been entirely yours since the second he saw you, and he knew that, he was just finally able to make you see it too.

[disturbedbeautywrites]

Surrender - Jake Seresin Imagine

Warnings: Just a tiny fight between you and Jake. Has a happy ending though for the most part. 💕

The once warm and inviting house that you shared with Jake was now quiet and cold, your sniffles being the only thing that could be heard as you sat down on the floor in your bedroom. Your legs were pulled up under you, your breaths coming out rapidly and uneven. You had been crying for so long now your head was pounding and you could barely breathe.

The fight had been stupid. It had been about him leaving his laundry on the floor right by the hamper, but it had exploded into a whole argument that ended in a screaming match. Jake had gotten tired of the fight and had stormed out and now according to his location he was at the hard deck. You almost felt a level of envy that your boyfriend could go and be with his friends and get a beer when he was overwhelmed. You had moved to live with him from back home in Texas and you were still getting used to living in Miramar. Your friends on base were few and far between and the ones you did have you shared with Jake.

It was isolating, especially during times like this when the two of you weren’t on good terms. You were both stubborn and each refused to apologize first. You sat with your back to the wall, head leaning back against it as you tried to will some air into your lungs. It didn’t happen easily and you could feel your chest aching as it expanded and contracted with the breath.

A shaky hand reached down for your phone as you checked it to see if Jake had reached out, disappointment settling into your bones as you saw the only text that you had was from Bradley. ‘We got him.’ Damn him and his ability to know that you would be worried about your boyfriend. You let out a frustrated huff as you slowly stood to your feet and walked into the living room, deciding to try and put everything out of your mind as you watched a movie. You put your favorite on, curling up on your couch with a blanket over you. You allowed yourself to get comfortable, settling in as you allowed your nervous system to slowly calm down. It wasn’t easy and it resulted in a few more tears rolling down your cheeks as you realized how quiet the house was without Jake. You had been through deployments with him, but this was a different kind of quiet and a different kind of solemn. This was almost worse, though you knew he was at least not in harms way right now. The daggers had him and wouldn’t let him do anything stupid.

The light of the TV started to illuminate the living room, though it did little to make you feel any better. You were exhausted, both mentally and physically. You laid your head back on the couch, wanting to just rest your eyes for a bit. However, you soon ended up falling asleep.

A couple of hours later you were awakened out of your slumber by the front door opening, your body jolting awake as you saw Jake coming in and trying to be quiet. It was now really late in the night and you could just barely make out his frame as he slid his shoes off and closed the front door as quietly as he could. “Babe?” He called out and you didn’t know whether to answer or not so you just stayed quiet. You were still hurt by the fight and weren’t sure if you were ready to face him yet. However, when he spotted you sitting up on the couch, that was all out the window.

You were both illuminated in the dim light of the TV, hearts equally broken and on display for the other to see. You could see the way his face was crinkled with worry as he took in your appearance. He hated to make you upset and you knew that, but you both had been so heated that you had to separate for the time so you could calm down. You were both hard headed and hot tempered and it was a nightmare when you both clashed together. “I’m sorry.” The words left his lips first and you were almost shocked, though you didn’t let it show. “I’m so damn sorry.”

You felt his arms wrapping around you in a hug, his lips pressing into your hair as he pulled you close. You were expecting to be assaulted with the smell of alcohol as he held you, but it never came. He went to the bar and didn’t drink. He must’ve been as torn up as you were all night. The thought broke your heart as you reached up to hug him back, face burying into his chest as the tears started to fill your water line again. They were hot and heavy as they rolled down your cheeks one at a time. “It’s okay, I’m sorry too.” Your words were a quiet murmur in the room, almost feeling like a whisper as he desperately pulled you closer.

Your two bodies fit into each other perfectly, each filling in the gaps that were left as your soft breaths filled the emptiness and the quiet left. “Can we be okay for the night and talk things through tomorrow?” Your voice again felt like a whisper, but the exhaustion was starting to take you over again. You had cried out all you could earlier and the toll was still there, despite the nap you had just taken. You felt worse than when you had actually fallen asleep. “We can talk whenever you’re ready.” Jake’s voice was deep with its own exhaustion, his accent coming through a little thicker as his words slurred slightly. It was something that always made you weak in the knees and now was no exception.

You nodded your head, feeling his arms wrap around your back and down under your knees, picking you up in his strong arms. You leaned against his chest as he carried you to the bed the two of you shared, your eyelids feeling heavy. You listened to his heartbeat and his breathing, letting it soothe you as you tried to push down the feelings of sadness and anger that still lingered in your body. You were okay. Jake was okay. The two of you would work this out. You always did.

He carefully sat you down on the bed, pulling the covers back as you crawled in between the sheets. You looked up at him and he got ready for bed and climbed in beside you, looking at you for permission to hold you. When it was given in the form of a nod he pulled you against his chest, his arms wrapping around you as he pressed his nose and lips into your hair. “I love you,” Again, his accent was thick with sleep and emotion and it made your heart ache. “I love you too, Jake.” Sure, things weren’t perfect right now, but when you both had time to rest and could think more logically, you would be able to talk out the dispute that had happened. After all, you and Jake could make it through anything.

[i314flix]

[ 7:23 A.M. ] “god, ____, you’re killing me here.”

you glared at jake. you wanted to retort that if anyone had the right to claim that they were being killed at this second, it would be you, thanks to your annoying fever. after all, you have been glued to your bed since yesterday, only getting up when you needed to pee or wished to rummage through the fridge, trying to find something to eat that your appetite might be kind enough to accept. so far, a half-glass of orange juice has managed to get down your throat, as well as a few spoonfuls of rice porridge.

“how the hell am i supposed to leave you like this?” he added when you didn’t answer. “should i make a call and say i’m rejecting the deployment?”

“is that even allowed?”

“no. i’m pretty sure they’ll throw me in the brig and give me a bad discharge or something.”

“then you should leave now, jake.” you weakly pushed his thigh. he was standing beside the bed, dressed in his naval aviator uniform, this permanent worried expression etched on his face. “i promise, i’ll live. it’s just some stupid cold.”

he didn’t move.

“jake.”

“what do you expect me to do?” he raised his arms up in frustration, voice raising a bit. he sometimes had the bad habit of converting his concern into a display of anger. “my girlfriend’s sick. her temperature’s not lowering, she lives alone, and i’m about to leave her for three months because my job demands it. i’m sorry if i want to ditch my patriotic duty for a goddamn day!”

you sighed. you weren’t sure how you were going to make the situation better either, and being scolded by jake didn’t help. it only worsened your headache, this ringing bothering your ears heightening for a second.

“shit, i’m sorry.” you suddenly heard jake mutter almost immediately when he finished talking, and he crouched down to your level, placing a hand over cheek. “i did it again, didn’t i?”

“turned your anger on me? yeah.”

guilt washed over him further. “i’m sorry for being a dick. you didn’t deserve that.”

“it’s alright, babe.” you placed your palm over his hand, a small smile making its way on your lips to appear stronger than you were. “we both know this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. we’re supposed to be sneaking in a quickie before i drive you to the airport and instead i’m sick.”

jake laughed at that. “i hate that i can’t even kiss you right now.”

“i know. i hate it too.”

“i hate that i need to leave.”

“if only you didn’t have to.”

“you sure you’ll be fine?” he asked.

“yeah, positive.” you replied. “i mean, this isn’t the first time i’ve been sick on my own. i’m a grown woman. i can take care of myself.”

“that’s another thing i hate.”

“don’t worry.” you kissed his wrist. “once i’m back on my feet, i’ll tell you.”

that seemed to ease him a little. “i expect you to tell me you’re okay as soon as possible, alright?”

“i’ll even write it in paragraph form with pictures if you want.”

“i’m being serious.”

you smiled wider, sheepish. “yes, sir. i’ll update you as soon as possible.”

he rolled his eyes at your playfulness and leaned in to give your forehead a long kiss. “don’t forget to drink your meds on time. i’ll tell marjorie to check on you every now and then.” marjorie was your elderly neighbor who had a dog you often looked after when she had lengthy errands to do.

you nodded once more, and with a final kiss on your cheek this time, jake said his farewells (reluctantly) and was out of your apartment by the time you were threatening to call coyote to haul him away.

[sappy-seresin]

Little Insomniac (J. Seresin)

Pairing: Jake Seresin x roommate!reader

Summary: You're dealing with an ongoing struggle to sleep, and Jake wants to help. Volume Two

Warnings: nothing really, just fluff.

Word Count: 3k

MY WORK IS ORIGNIAL AND IS NOT TO BE COPIED OR REPOSTED ELSEWHERE. Be kind and don't steal other people's writing, thank you.

Gif creds: @jakeseresins

Jake stirs awake before his alarm has the chance to go off. Yawning, he wipes the sleep from his eyes before groggily reaching for his phone to check the time. 5:45, it reads, though he has to squint to make sure because his eyes are still bleary from just waking up. He lets himself yawn one more time before moving to sit at the edge of his bed, a gentle grunt falls from his lips as he enjoys his first big stretch of the day, preparing his muscles for his usual morning run.

Knowing that he’ll have plenty of time to get ready once he’s back, he swaps his sweatpants out for a pair of running shorts and slips on a coordinating shirt. He turns toward his bedside table to grab his headphones, immediately sticking them into his ears and scrolling through his phone to find his playlist, “Run Like Hell.” His head gently bobs to the best of the music once he’d hit shuffle as he finishes getting ready by sliding his running shoes on.

He makes sure to walk quietly as he passes your room. You won’t be waking up for another hour, at least, and he’s not keen on giving you a wake up call sooner than you have planned. He accidentally woke you up one morning shortly after the two of you signed this lease and it resulted in a rather heated reprimand from a rather hungover, half asleep, version of you that came stumbling out of your room with a baseball bat thinking someone broke in. Since then, he’s intentionally light on his feet, careful not to cause another scene.

Jake smiles at the memory of your disheveled state. You were slightly tipsy from the night before with pillow lines on your face and an unruly bun knotted on top of your head as you incoherently scolded him for nearly giving you a heart attack. In that moment, all he could do was blink at you like a deer in the headlights, trying not to focus too much on the fact that all you were wearing was an oversized shirt that covered everything above your mid thighs, leaving your toned legs on full display.

His trip to memory lane is clouded with confusion when he notices light radiating through the hallway from the living room. He got home after you did last night and swore he shut the lamp off before retreating to his bedroom. His feet carry him toward the light, stopping in the tracks when he notices your form on the couch. You’re seated comfortably with your feet splayed on the coffee table balancing your laptop on your knees, wearing that same damn t-shirt.

“What’re you doing up? You never beat me,” he questions, pulling one earphone out and adjusting the volume on his phone so he can hear you. His presence had gone unnoticed by you, so the sudden question made you jump in, your head snapping toward him in shock.

“Jesus Jake,” your hand flies to your heart in an attempt to ease its rapid beating, a quiet “whew” falling from your lips as you compose yourself, tilting the screen of your laptop down so you can see him better. “Why do move so quiet? You scared me half to death!”

“Sorry darlin’, I didn’t mean to scare you. Just surprised to see you awake so early. Like I said, you never beat me,” there’s an apologetic smile etched onto Jake’s soft features. He scratches the back of his head sheepishly, his eyes never leaving you when he moves into the kitchen to grab a water bottle, promptly opening it and taking a swig. He stalks back to the living room, wordlessly offering you the water, which you gladly accept.

“Can you actually categorize it as beating you if I haven’t slept?” you ask after gulping the cool liquid down. You hand the bottle back to him, nuzzling deeper into your position on the couch when he moves to sit next to you, pulling his other earbud out so that you know you have his full attention.

He stares at you in confusion after processing what you said. Sure, your sleeping patterns have always been odd to him, but a night of not seeming at all raises several questions, “You didn’t sleep?”

“No,” you sigh, completely closing your computer and discarding it onto the coffee table in front of you.

“Why not? I thought you said that you're ahead at work and don't have to stress about extra planning?" He slings his arm over the back of the couch, his fingers barely brushing across the fabric of your t-shirt. He ignores the temptation to drop his hand from the coach so that it rests fully on your shoulder, knowing it's not the time to tease the butterflies awakening in his stomach at the faint smell of your perfume.

"I am," you affirm looking over at him, his close proximity has you feeling at ease with a hint of bashfulness. "It's not work. It's nothing like that really. I just-I don't know, I can spend the entire day exhausted but I'm wide awake as soon as my head hits a pillow."

Jake nods, pulling his attention away from you to ponder if there's anything he can do. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, he returns his gaze to you, taking notice of the prominent bags under your eyes. Your exhaustion coats your features, coating you with a dreamlike state while you zone out on nothing. He bumps your shoulder gently, stealing your attention back. "Is there something bothering you?"

Your head shakes in response, an involuntary yawn falling from your parted lips. You pull your legs up to your chest, hooking your arms around them to hold them in place, and it takes everything in Jake's power to not focus on the fact that the movement made your oversized t-shirt rise up. He clears his throat, returning his thoughts back to the conversation rather than continuing to mentally admire your effortless beauty.

"Okay," he hums, "Well, can you at least take the day off to let yourself rest? I'm sure you'd crash if you got in bed now."

"I can't," you groan, running a hand over your face in frustration. "We have a major meeting today, and I'm running it because ninety-five percent of the team can't manage to do their jobs." There's a sympathetic look sent your way which only adds to the helplessness embedding itself in your entire being. All your impending schedule brings you is an unshakable dread due to how desperately sleep deprived you already feel.

"Okay," he repeats, standing from the couch. "Well, since you can't get out of it today, what do you say we go grab breakfast at that coffee shop you like downtown? My treat. It's not sleep, but it's the best I can do unless you're willing to let me call your boss and telling him to postpone the meeting."

You blink at him, a lazy smile twitching at the edge of your lips. "You know you don't have to do that right? I'm a big girl and can caffeinate myself."

"I know, but I want to. Besides, there's no way in hell I'm letting your sleep deprived ass drive yourself around town today. The last thing this town needs is a delirious Y/n Y/l/n operating a vehicle. Now, how about you go put some pants on so you don't catch a public indecency charge?" He's shooting you his signature 'Seresin smirk' now, which you can't refuse, so you take his outstretched hand and let him help you up.

******************

A few days later, you're parked in that same position on the couch with your legs strewn over Jake's lap as the two of you watch the latest episode of 'The Rookie." There's been a comfortable silence in the room for awhile now, both of you fully engrossed in what's playing on the screen. Jake's fingers periodically draw circles against your clothed shins, a mindless habit of his that you've grown to love, while he makes a few side comments about Tim and Lucy's relationship Which you, being a lover of the slow burning couple, always agree with.

The episode comes to a close, leaving you both with anticipation for the shows continuation next week. Watching the Rookie became a weekly tradition when you became roommates after Jake came home from the bar one night, interrupting your peaceful binge watching. He made fun of the show at first, but forced you to restart it completely because he wanted to be completely caught up on everything it had to offer before deciphering whether or not he liked it. It took measly three episodes and he was hooked, which he denied by telling you he only watches it to bond with you. The way he lost himself in the screen, laughing and cracking jokes, was a tell-tale sign that he was hooked.

“It's late, I’m gonna head to bed,” Jake tells you after several unspoken moments, standing from his comfortable position and carefully repositioning your legs on the cushions. He stretches with a hefty yawn, running a hand over his face. You wordlessly watch him, enjoying the extra gravel to his voice that always comes when he's tired. “Want me to turn the lights off?”

“I'll get them. I think I’m going to be up awhile," you decline, straightening up to reach for the journal you left on the table before he came home.

“Still not sleeping?” He yawns again, watching as you get situated in a manner that tells him you are gearing for a long night.

You scoff, shaking your head in response to his question. One glance his way fills you in on the fact that he wants more of an explanation than that. "I've averaged maybe eight hours total this week, if you can count the baby naps my assistant lets me take during breaks. I swear I could run a marathon and still not be exhausted enough to encourage my body to rest."

“What about this? How about you let me take you to bed and we’ll try something new to help you sleep," he offers. Hope fills his green eyes momentarily before draining when you snort comically.

"Hangman, are you using my sleep deprivation as an excuse to get in my pants? I know I'm undeniably attractive, but that's a new level of low, even for Jake 'the heartbreaker' Seresin," you hadn't meant for the words to spill from your lips and regret them almost immediately. Yet, your raised eyebrows challenge him rather than showing any sign of lighthearted remorse.

“I’m going to blame your hostility on sleep deprivation instead of taking what you just said personally,” there’s a playful grin curved onto his cheeks as he peers down at the disdained expression you’re directing at him. “Now, come on grumpy, let’s get you some sleep,” You groan when he grabs your hands, shifting his weight so he can pull you off the couch. You fight against him, not wanting to let go of the comfortable position you’d fallen into. “Jesus, would you stop being a brat.” He can’t help but laugh as you continue making yourself dead weight to lessen his chances of dragging you off the couch. “Fine, two can play at this game.”

“What-JAKE,” an involuntarily squeal of surprise bubbles from your chest when he bends down, both his hands on your hips, and slings you over his shoulder effortlessly. He laughs as you smack against his back while he flicks the lights off, guiding the two of you toward your room.

“Put me down peasant,” you chant through your own fit of giggles. He simply shakes his head at your antics, carefully weaving through your bedroom before dropping you on top of your bed in a heap. Your giggles die down the longer you admire his lighthearted expression. You cough to try to keep yourself from ogling him like an idiot. It’s hard not to when he’s staring at you like you’re the creator of the jet planes he loves so much. “Couldn’t have given me a gentler landing?”

Jake rolls his eyes, feigning a scoff. “You asked me to put you down, and I put you down. Don’t go giving me a bad yelp review because you weren’t more specific, princess.” There’s a slight twinkle in his eye as the nickname flows off his tongue, smooth as silk. You mentally curse the involuntary heat rushing to your cheeks at the pet name, unable to suppress a bashful smile.

“Fair point,” you reply simply, fighting to keep yourself from spiraling at the sight of your roommate still towering over your splayed figure. He’d showered about an hour ago so his normally styled hair is laying against his forehead comfortably, the scent of his body wash ghosts your nostrils as he scratches the back of his neck, making it even harder not to swoon because he smells so good. “Are you going to tell me what your master plan to help me sleep is, or should I go ahead and preorder extra shots of espresso to keep me functioning tomorrow?”

Jake straightens up at the realization that he’d gotten sidetracked from his initial plan, a dubious grin plasters itself on his face as he moves to turn my bedroom light off, carefully making his way back to my bed in the dark.

“Jake, I hate to break it to you but simply putting me into bed isn’t going to help me sleep, if that’s all it took-what’re you doing?” Your question is left unanswered as he pulls the covers back on the side of the bed you’re not laying on, pausing to stare at you through the dark.

“I’m climbing in bed,” he states like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, fully situating himself under the covers. You stare at him like he’s got two heads, not understanding how his master plan to get you to sleep involves him fully being in bed with you. You’ve had daydreams about curling up in bed with him, falling asleep to the even rhythm of his heart beat, but those were simply fantasies about the man you have a complicated crush on because, well, he’s your roommate. Of course, the two of you are close enough that you’ve fallen asleep on his shoulder on more than one occasion but it’s never been intention and those moments definitely haven’t occurred in a bed.

“You’re in my bed,” you observe, still frozen in place on top of the covers.

“Yes, Y/n, I’m in your bed. Now, would you stop being difficult? Get your ass up here and let me do my job,” his voice is gentle but holds a certain demand that has you obliging immediately. Climbing up next to him, you allow him to lift the covers so that you can slide under them. You leave a comfortable amount of space between the two of you, though it feels awkward with the heat radiating from his body. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What? You told me to climb in with you, so I climbed in with you?” An exasperated groan sounds from his side of the bed, earning an embarrassed blush from you, completely at a loss as to what you did wrong. “It’s not my fault that you’ve managed to leave out legitimately every detail of your master plan.”

In response, Jake’s arms wrap around your waist, immediately tugging you closer to him until you’re practically laying on top of him. “Get comfortable, sweetheart,” he murmurs simply, as if him holding you in your bed is a normal occurrence that shouldn’t have a fit of butterflies going rampant in your stomach. “Stop overthinking it and get situated.” His request comes after a few beats of you remaining frozen in the awkward position he pulled you into. You lift your head to meet his eyes, looking for affirmation that you’re hearing him right. When his hand trails over your face to brush your hair from your eyes, you suck in an audible breath, the gentle touch sending shivers down your spine as he leans his head close enough to yours that his breath fans against your face. “Let me hold you tonight."

"Okay," you breathe, carefully rolling onto your stomach. You shift yourself just enough to comfortably rest your head against his chest, fully allowing yourself relax into him as the faint sound of his heartbeat greets your ears. Jake's arms find a home around your waist again, a content sigh falling from his lips at the fact that you're fully nuzzled into him.

"Comfy?" His question is hopeful as he mindlessly draws comforting circles on your back, the simple movement paired with the comfort of his arms already causing your eyes to grow heavy.

"So comfy," you yawn, melting into him further. One of your hands fist his t-shirt while his find a spot in your hair, gently massaging your scalp.

"Good," he kisses the crown of your head, secretly feeling pleased by the way you're already fighting to keep your eyes open after seeming confident that he couldn't do anything to cure your insomnia. "Get some rest, sweetheart." You don't need his permission to sleep, but his words are the final thing you remember before slipping into a sweet slumber.

Jake knows you're out by the way your body grows a little heavier. Light snores fall from your lips every so often, warming his chest at the fact that you feel safe enough to let him assist you. While tiredness scratches the back of his eyes, he can't keep himself from observing your sleeping figure, a soft smile curves onto his lips at the adorable sight. As your roommate, he doesn't want to admit it, but he's dreamed of a moment like this from the second the two of you signed the lease for this place. Neither of you had been each others first choice in the roommate department, but after so long of roommates falling through, he proposed the idea and you accepted. You were friends back then, but weren't close enough for sharing an apartment to feel normal. Yet, when the time came to move in, your lives melted together seamlessly.

Jake's hand continues weaving through your hair, the act making him feel soft while you sleep soundly on his chest. He can't help but admire your peaceful features now that all signs of stress and exhaustion are erased from your face. You've always been attractive to Jake but right now, while you're snoring softly on his chest, he swears you're the most beautiful sight he's ever laid eyes on.

It's harder for him to continue fighting his own sleep the longer the peace of the night weighs on his eyelids so he carefully shifts the two of you into a more comfortable position. He holds his breath when you stir, but releases it when your head lulls back to place on his chest.

"Sweet dreams, pretty girl," he finds himself whispering, giving you one last glance before letting his eyes flutter shut. They snap back open when you mumble incoherently in your sleep, a sigh rolling from your parted lips.

"I love you Jake," the words are slightly slurred when they roll from your tongue, but Jake hears them clear as day. His eyes widen in surprise, never having heard you utter those words. He feels humbled by the unconscious confession, his heart swelling at the thought of the words holding an unshakeable truth.

******************

A/n: Another Jake fic while I continue working on Fawn Volume 2! I'm hoping to have the second part of Fawn posted before the week ends, I'm just finding that I'm pressuring myself with it a little because I love the storyline in my head so much that I'm scared to mess it up :')

Part Two

[crazyk-imagine]

The Rules of Friends with Benefits

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Pilot!reader (Sparrow) Characters: Pilot!reader (Sparrow), Jake “Hangman” Seresin, Javy “Coyote” Malachi, Robert “Bob” Floyd, Penny Benjamin, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Beau “Cyclone” Simpson (breifly mentioned) Warnings: Fluff, angst, happy ending, mentions of smut, illusions to sex, not as graphic as it could be, the rules are like a voice over to the scenes, no one knew what was going on, everyone made a bet when they noticed a change, Bob was the only one to say reader and jake got together, penny making a joke about the dagger squad being his children, reader and cyclone don’t see eye to eye (implied), never bet with the dagger squad

Word Count: 4,321

A/N: A little background on Jake talking to Bob about being his back seater. The reader was originally Jake’s after she finished her practice round (as punishment, for both of them). Then Cyclone called in the only one he felt would be the man for the job, Bob. 

- Reader’s unmentioned call sign in Sparrow hence Jake’s Wings nickname

- Javy jokingly told Jake to ask reader about a fwb situation but never thought he’d actually do it

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

You never thought you'd ever be asked something as insane as he just did. "I'm sorry, what?" 

He throws his head back and takes another shot. "You're acting like no one's asked you this before, Wings." 

You clench your jaw, annoyance filling you once more. "I'm not doing this with you." You scoot your chair back. 

"I'm sorry." 

You pause, "you're sorry?" 

"I," he sighs. "I told Coyote this was a stupid idea." 

"What was that?" You ask, curious as to what he mumbled. 

"Would it be so bad to sleep with me?" 

"Yeah. I don't want to catch anything," you say with a snarky smile. 

He doesn't find it as funny. "You know that's not true." 

"Is it though?" 

"Just because I may sleep with a few different women when we're off, doesn't mean I'm not careful." 

"Yeah," you reach for his drink, taking it for yourself. "I'll believe it when I see it." 

"Do you want to do this or not?" 

"Why me?" 

"What?" 

"Why did Coyote suggest you ask me? No, better question, why did you agree to ask me?" 

He's quiet. 

"I mean, did you think I'd be easy or something?" 

He realizes just how badly this has already begun and he needs to stop it before it gets worse. "I've got to stop you right there because that's not- that isn't,” he sighs. 

“How about we start with, why you want to “fraternize” with coworkers?” 

He shrugs. 

You raise a brow before the corner of your lips twitch upwards. “Do you like me, Hangman? You wanna see me in a whole new light, perhaps.” 

He shakes his head, letting out a huffing chuckle. “I’m glad to see you’re enjoying this.” 

“Oh, I am. I see it now. You want to sleep with me because... you’re desperate, none of your usual hookers are available and you’re stressed.” 

"Okay, they're not hookers. They were... nice women who-" 

"In other words, they were horny." 

He huffs, "you gonna let me talk or not?" 

You raise your hands and scoot back into your seat. 

"I think it'd be beneficial for us to do this kind of thing. Like you said, I'm stressed, and I know you are too. This line of work isn't the easiest." 

You gasp, "you're joking. I thought it was so easy." 

"See, that- that attitude right there I would love to-" 

You pause, licking your teeth. "You've thought about this before. You're a dirty, dirty man." 

"Hey now-" 

You shrug, "I don't blame you. I've overheard girls talking about you. Really makes a girl think." 

"So?" 

"If we're going to do this, we're going to need to establish some boundaries... or rules, I should say." 

"So- so we're doing this?" He was not expecting it to be this easy. 

You nod, "you make a valid point and I need something to help me take care of my stress." 

"I think I'm going to need another shot." 

"Go order us another round while I think of some rules." 

He doesn't need to be told twice as he walks towards the bar, easily calling Penny over. 

You shake your head before grabbing a napkin and jotting a couple of things down. 

Jake doesn't pay attention to any of the few women practically throwing these onto him. 

It surprises Pete and Penny when they see him, shrug these ladies off and away from him... until he walks back towards you with a smile on his face. 

-

Penny glances over at her boyfriend with a raised brow. "That's not going to end well." 

"Maybe." 

"You're really trying to argue with me." 

"No." 

"You are." 

"I- no." 

"Go take these to your kids." 

"They're not mine." 

"They might as well be." 

-

“What are you writing there, Wings?” 

You glance up at him, moving your arm to hide what you’ve written. “Not much, just... jotting down a couple of things.” 

He sets your usual order to the side, (unknowingly, he subconsciously) wants all your attention he can get. 

“A few rules, mainly. We can add more once we, you know, start this.” 

“You sound so excited.” 

You roll your eyes. “Don’t give me attitude. You know we should have some rules, even if one of us doesn’t always want to follow them.” 

“Oh, now you want to bring up our past. Well, what about the time when-” 

You push yourself off the stool and cover his mouth. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. God you’re a child, licking my hand, really?” 

He shrugs. 

“I’m going to remove my hand. I want to hear nothing from you, you jerk.” 

He nods. 

“These are a few basic things I felt were necessary to get out there.” 

“Makes sense to me.”

Rule #1: No discussing the deal with those who aren’t either of the pertaining parties

“So, you’re looking exceptionally glowy this morning.” 

You shake your head, not giving into what your most trusted pilot friend (only female friend) and ally’s comment. “Glowy?” You ask, sitting on the bench as you tie your shoes. 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about and don’t even pretend like you don’t. You’re not a very good liar.” 

You snort. ‘If only you knew, Nat.’ 

“Okay.” You grab your bag and head out for the day. 

“Is it that guy you told me about the other day?” 

“Which one? I’ve been a little... out there lately.” 

She doesn’t raise a brow, knowing you’re testing the waters, trying to find someone who’s benefits worthy before trying to settle down. 

“What guy?” You sigh and turn around to find the devil. 

“Bagman,” Natasha groans before yanking you with her. “We’re leaving. Go bother someone else. I want to enjoy the rest of my Thursday.” 

“Too bad. I hear gossip and what is a guy supposed to do, other than listen and enjoy of course.” 

Javy walks up behind the blond. “Have you seen him since?” 

You turn to narrow your eyes at the two of them, praying to all and any god listening, to make sure neither of them talk about this. 

Jake’s smirk only widens. 

You regret starting this with him. 

“Was he any good?” 

That question gets her to stop. “What?”

She grimaces, “why would you want to know that Bagman? You not getting enough of your own, you need to ask others for their night out, so you have something to get off too?” 

He’s quick to react, “what no! What’s wrong with you?!” 

“Me?! You’re the one asking if the guy she slept with was any good and you’re getting pissed as me?” 

He struggles to give a well-timed response and the two of you walk away. 

-

Once you’re in her car and buckled in, you text the idiot. 

SparrowBird 

“If you plan on breaking rule 1, let me know so I can figure out where to bury my embarrassed body” 3:22p Sent Read 

“Idiot” 3:24pm Sent Read 

WannabeCowboy 

“It wasn’t my fault, Wings” 3:26pm Sent Read 

SparrowBird 

“Sure, it wasn’t” 3:26pm Sent Read 

WannabeCowboy 

“I swear it wasn’t” 3:28pm Sent Read 

SparrowBird 

“We’re not in a relationship” 3:30pm Sent Read 

You feel bad about texting him about your non-existent relationship for some reason? Maybe you don’t want to make him sad thinking about it. 

WannabeCowboy 

“I know” 3:34pm Sent Read 

SparrowBird 

“They can’t know” 3:39pm Sent Read 

“I don’t want anyone to ask questions. You know how nosey everyone can get” 3:39pm Sent Read 

It’s true, everyone from your group is too damn nosey but it’s not why you told him they can’t know. 

WannabeCowboy typing…

Rule #2: No sleeping with other people (that includes dating)

“Sorry, darlin’ but I’m afraid I can’t tonight.” He easily turns her down, something he hasn’t done... ever. 

“What? Why not?” She leans in closer as if that would persuade him into changing his mind. “Am I not pretty enough?” 

“Oh no, you are. I just- uh- I’m too busy.” 

“I saw the girl you came in with. She’s the one you always talk about, right?” 

He says nothing. 

“She’s the one you always come to me about. She’s the reason you’re always so stressed, remember?” She tugs at the collar of his shirt. 

He reaches up and gingerly removes her hand from him. 

She pouts. “Is she finally giving you some attention or something?” 

He nods, “or something. So, even though you were, I say again, great. I can’t. I have to get back before she comes over, searching for me. I think I’ve let her drink melt enough tonight.” 

She rolls her eyes, “whatever.” 

He smirks as he turns around, walking away. He’s never felt this much satisfaction rejecting a girl before. ‘Is this why you did?’ He reaches beside you to give you your drink. 

“Here you go, Wings.” 

“Must you continue with that god awful nickname?” You ask, silently hoping he doesn’t stop. It’s special. 

“It’s my humanly duty.” 

You click your tongue against the roof of your mouth, “see I don’t think it is, in your mind maybe.” 

He takes a sip of his drink. “Who was that guy that swooped in, not even a minute after I left to go to the bar?” 

“No one important.” 

“You sure? It looked like he was trying to do more than talk to you.” 

“He was, which is why I turned him down.” You avoid eye contact and take big gulps of your drink, staring out the window watching the sunset and the ocean waves crashing. 

Jake takes this opportunity to stare at you, wondering how someone like yourself would ever want to be in a “friend” with benefits situation with him. 

He can’t lie and say he’s not happy that you agreed to it, because he is. Oh, he is. 

But there’s another thought that comes to mind. 

You could easily find someone else to relieve your stress, he knows you can so why change that now? 

You look down at your phone when it vibrates against the table. You open it and find a text from that one guy you went to the bar with months ago. 

BarGuy 

“Hey. You in town?” 7:33pm Sent Read 

You glance up, checking to see where Jake’s attention is. 

He’s chatting with Javy, who must’ve come when you were too into your thoughts. 

SparrowBird 

“Nope. I don’t think I’ll be back in town for a while. Sorry” 7:45pm Sent Read 

After that you decide to turn off your phone, making a mental note to delete his number. 

He was a genuinely nice guy but the more you... hangout with Jake, the more you get to know him. 

“You two down for a round of pool?” 

You chuckle, “if you mean, are you two ready to get your asses handed to you by a woman. Let’s play, Coyote.” 

Javy eyes follow you as you walk towards the pool tables. “That’s the girl you want?” 

Jake’s offended. “What does that mean?” 

“She’s scary.” 

A hearty chuckle escapes him. “What?” 

“She’s got that crazy look in her eye. I think she plans on killing me.” 

“Now, who’s dramatic?” 

He pats his buddy’s shoulder before walking away. “Still you, man.”

Rule #3: No having sex without protection

One minute you’re in the air, the next you’re being berated for not doing what you felt was unnecessary and going against orders. 

You were so annoyed and then as soon as you stepped through the locker room door, you knew what was going to happen tonight. “What are you doing here?” 

He shrugs, “I thought you might want a little… company tonight. I know, it was intense today.” 

You roll your eyes and walk down the hallway, Jake on your tail. “I’m not talking about this with you.” 

“You don’t have to talk, Wings. I mean, you’re already going to be a mess underneath me for the first part-” 

You grab the collar of his flight suit and slam his back into the nearest wall. 

He barely flinches. 

You lean in, “could you have said that any louder?” 

There’s that stupid smirk again. 

“I can scream it if you want me to?” 

You let him go and stomp down the hallway, heading back to your place. 

-

Bob swerves around the corner, catching your body exiting the door before it closes. He glances between the door and an unkempt Jake. 

The smirk falls from his face when he notices Bob. “What are you looking at Baby on Board?” 

He shakes his head, “nothing. You ready to go in the air?” 

“As if you need to ask.” 

He regretted it as soon as the question was asked. 

Jake wraps his arm around the other man’s shoulders. “Let me give you a few pointers on being my back seater.” 

“I’d rather not.” 

“Too bad.” 

-

He called you as soon as he left, teasing you… in a non-Jake way. “I got your favorite.” 

You furrow your brows and not because the characters on the tv show you’re watching are doing some interesting things for a comedy show. “My favorites?” 

“Yep. Favorite dinner, drink, and desert plus some whip cream which could be used later.” 

“You’re just trying to persuade your way into my pants.” 

“I’ve already been there but I’d like to visit again.” 

“God, you’re annoying.” 

“Which makes the sex better.” 

You roll your eyes. “Are you almost here?” 

“Just pulled in, sweetheart.” 

‘That’s a new one,’ you think. 

After dinner you two sit down and finish the season of your most recent binge. 

You don’t remember who started it, but you wound up in your bedroom and you pulled away from him. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, this- this is good, but it’d be even better if I knew you had protection.” 

“Protection?” 

You blink once. “Don’t tell me you’re seriously this dumb.” 

He looks offended but you don’t focus on that and continue talking. 

“I’m not talking about protection to save us from a bear attack, Seresin. I’m talking about the more important protection, you know, like a condom. We’ve been over this before.” 

The corner of his mouth curls. “What’s got you in such a mood?” 

“As if you don’t know?” You’re tired of the games he’s been playing with you since earlier this morning, at work no less. 

Your annoyance rises as you think about how easily he teases you in front of everyone, almost like he wants them to find out. But this is the only thing you’ve been looking forward to since your “talk” with Vice Admiral Cyclone. 

You get tired of trying to unbutton his shirt and rip it off. 

“You got something or not?” 

He glances between you and his, now destroyed, shirt. “I do.” 

“Good, I have some of my own so we’re both fine.” He pulls off the rest of his shirt before reaching down for your own, pulling it up to your chest. He leans down, kissing along your neck before moving down to, as you say (the next morning), attack you. 

“I don’t need you to take your time.” You grab him by his neck, holding so you’re a mere few inches apart, “it’s sweet but I need you and I need you now.” 

“I like what you’re telling me to sweetheart.” 

There it is again.  

Rule #4 No kissing

You close your eyes, head tilting back. 

As much as you hate to admit it, it feels so good… and you don’t want him to know. Jake has a big enough ego; he doesn’t need anything else to expand that. 

He knows it’s good, that he’s good; he’s holding back so he doesn’t let go too early. He wants to make this last, unlike the other times you’ve been together or any other woman he’s been with. 

Your grip tightens on the sheets, trying your best to not lift your hands and scratch him. 

God knows there doesn’t need to be anymore “talk” in the locker rooms. No marks, no more talks; it’s as simple as that. 

He doesn’t try to slow down or stop (when does he). His pace is relentless. 

You shiver when his lips move up against your neck, you don’t mind it though even if both of you agreed to this being a rule. 

Maybe you’re getting soft or maybe you’re giving in to the feelings you’ve been denying for so long. You can’t think too much into it as your body is moved closer to him, your hands slip onto his biceps. 

He lifts your lower half higher so you’re resting on his lap and begins nipping at your jawline. 

Your nails slowly dig into the skin of his biceps, he doesn’t mind. 

He pecks your check and then corner of your mouth. 

You let out a shuddered breath, stomach twitching at the sensation in your lower body and his intimate gesture. 

He lifts his head off you, studying your expression, wanting to see how close you are. He can’t help it and leans down, capturing your lips with his. 

You’re quick to fall into a rhythm with him. 

You know there’s no turning back, you’ve gone too far, you’re in too deep. 

No matter how many rules you two made, it was doomed from the start. 

There was always something between the two of you no matter how much you tried to deny it.

Rule #5 No falling for each other

“Would it kill you stop looking at your phone like that?” 

Jake’s head snaps up. “What?” 

His friend clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You’ve been staring at your phone over the last few minutes.” 

“And?” 

“You look like a sad puppy whenever you check the notifications and find that she hasn’t responded.” 

“No, I don’t.” 

“You do. Next time you do, I’ll take a photo.” 

“Coyote-” 

The man shakes his head. “Nope, don’t even try. You won’t win.” 

He rolls his eyes. “I hate you sometimes.” 

“No, you don’t.” 

This gets the blonds mind thinking. 

Could he really be becoming a different person because he has actual feeling you? Is that why he gets, well like this, now? 

He shakes his head, he couldn’t have feelings for you, right? 

Javy turns around to find his friend gone, he purses his lips because he knows the main reason why Jake left but did, he really have to leave him on his own? 

They drove to the bar together and he needs a wingman tonight. 

-

You open the door, “hi.” 

“Hey.” 

“What made you come over? I thought you had plans with your boyfriend tonight?” 

He doesn’t join in on the chuckling. 

“Okay, you usually laugh when I joke about Coyote, what happened? Are you okay?” 

He nods. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just-” Missed you is what he truly wants to say. “I was a little stressed after this afternoon.” 

You nod your head, “I kind of figured you would be. It wasn’t easy today.” 

And then you two wound up in your bedroom. 

He stares at you, like he did earlier when you walked through the door at base this morning but… something’s changed since then. 

Have you always looked this serene even while his hips snap against yours over and over again? 

How did he not realize that you're the one he wants to go out with and take on the most magical and memorable dates? 

Is this what Javy has been implying this whole time? 

He begs you to open your eyes, but you don't hear him. "Sweetheart," he takes a deep breath, not wanting to let you know how good he's feeling (now that he knows what he feels for you) because if he does, he'll moan. 

"Open your eyes. I need to see you... fall apart for me,” he adds in normal Jake fashion. “Do it for me,” and then he says something he’s never done before and calls you by your first name. 

You struggle to open your eyes and bite your bottom lip, close to sucking it in so a witty comeback doesn’t escape you and ruin the mood. 

"There she is," he smiles, leaning in. His eyes trail over your face, memorizing every blemish spot, acne scarring, and anything else you may see as an imperfection that he's going to forever classify as absolutely beautiful. 

The look in his eyes is much different than previous times. It's like, he's seeing you for the first time. 

You can feel the change coursing through your body (and not just because he's slowing his pace, wanting to draw this out). 

He hovers over you for a minute and then leans in closer to your face, his eyes travel over every part of it he can. He's trying to see if it's okay for him to do this and finds no objections, dare he say, you're even leaning up and meeting him halfway. 

Neither of you can think about how you're breaking rule number four and five, as you kiss him until you can't anymore. 

You two barely part, breathing the other in as you catch your breath. 

It just became more than a friend with benefits situation, and it’s become more complicated than it should have, which led to your blowup.

You lay side by side, staring at the ceiling trying to comprehend what happened and what this means. 

He turns to his side, watching you, something he’s never done before. “You, okay?” 

“Yep.” 

“Doesn’t sound like it. Usually there’s a little more heat to you.” 

“Maybe I don’t have any more heat.” 

“Like I’d believe that.” 

“Why don’t you just go home?” 

His brows knit together in confusion. “Woah. What just happened?” 

“What do you mean? I’m just helping you get out of here faster. I mean, you’re already out the door by now. Why take your time tonight?” 

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me, and I don’t care how long that takes.” 

“Well, I do.” You push yourself out of your bed and throw on the top you were grabbing your underwear and bottoms. “You need to get out.” You turn around and find him sitting up, watching you. 

“Okay, I hear, and I will, but can I just ask one thing?” 

“What?” You snap at him. 

“Why are you trying to throw me out of here so bad?” 

“What?” 

“I don’t have any other plans tonight; in fact, I ditched Javy so I could come see you.” 

“Am I supposed to be grateful?” 

“I’m not saying that.” 

“Sounds like it.” 

“Would you stop trying to push me away?” 

“I’m not trying to push anyone away. I think,” you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “I think this was a mistake.” 

“What? Our deal?” 

You run a hand through your hair, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah, I do.” 

He gets out of bed, grabbing his boxers. “I don’t believe you.” 

“Yeah, and I don’t care whether you do or not.” 

“You care more than you want to admit.” 

“Why do you keep saying that? As if- as if there’s more to us than there really is,” you say, voice cracking with emotion. 

“Because I know something’s changed. For you and for me.” 

You shake your head. 

“It’s true,” he reaches for you, hands on either. “I’ll be the first out of the two of us to admit that I broke one of our rules.” 

You don't even know how to respond. 

"I broke the one rule we created because we already knew we were doomed." 

"Which one?" 

"One of the important ones, especially with what we do. You remember the conference we had not too long ago about how being in a relationship with your coworker isn't a good idea because of all the drama that can come with it." 

It takes you a minute to realize what he's talking about and once you do, you let out a quiet, "oh." 

"Yeah, that one. I can't stop thinking about you, you know?" 

"Really?" 

"Always, never stopped. Even when we supposedly hated each other. You were still there, lingering and that's why I knew it should be you I ask." 

"Is that what made you come up with this idea?" 

"Not at first. It was kind of Coyote’s idea.” 

“He knows?!” 

“No,” he shakes his head. “No, no one does... but he and Bob might suspect something’s up.” 

“What?!” 

“Hey, hey,” he pulls you close. “They’re not going to say anything unless we tell them to. You know Bob and I vouch for Coyote. And they know better than to mess with my girl.” 

You pull back, “your girl?” 

“I thought we went through this already?” 

You pretend to think about it before shaking your head, “nope, pretty sure we didn’t.” 

“Alright, fine. Would you do me the honor of being the one I get to call mine?” 

You shrug, “I guess.” 

“Oh, that’s how we’re going to play this.” 

“Yeah, whatch’ you going to do about it, stud?” 

“Throw you back into that bed and show you.” You smile before launching yourself at him. “Take me away... or go home.” 

He moves his hands from your thighs and slides them closer to your behind. “I’m starting to think you like my punishments.” 

“Me? Never, what makes you say that?” 

He smiles, shaking his head and gently sets you down letting you crawl wherever you think you can. 

-

Natasha turns her head, curious as to what she saw from the corner of her eye. “Did you get attacked by a suckerfish?” She asks, with a smirk.

You shake your head, “if only you knew.” 

-

“Damn, Hangman. You wind up in bed with a werewolf?” Reuben asks. 

“It was brat night.” 

A few of the others start snickering. 

-

You two see each other from afar, he winks, and you smile. 

Bradley, Mickey, Reuben, and Natasha are losing their minds. 

No one sees but Javy slides a twenty over to Bob. “It’s always the quiet ones.” 

Bob smirks and slips it into his pocket.

[callsign-dexter]

Together Against the World

Request: ok love bare with me on this plz lol 😂

so I was wondering if you could write a hangman x sister reader?

like maybe the little sister is significantly younger than hangman but after some incident he got full custody of her (you can choose what happened) and maybe the dagger team don’t know until they see him playing with her on the beach so they go over and question him about it and he explains but they are all in shock (because who could not be after seeing someone like Jake with a kid) at first they think the reader is his kid but Jake explains that even though legally you are we are only his sister. Maybe even the reader falls and gets hurt and Jake goes into full on loving parent mode.

maybe the reader is like 5

anyways sorry for the word dump and this is 100% your choice sorry for my bad punctua

Pairings: Jake Seresin x Sister!Reader

Warnings: fluff, angst, car crash

Masterlist

Nobody ever thinks that a tragedy could happen to them until it does, they always think “That’ll never happen to me.” but the funny thing about tragedy is that it doesn’t care who you are. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin thought the same way until he got the news that his parents and his 1-year-old sister, you, were in an accident and it had instantly killed his parents and that he needed to come pick his sister up from the hospital in Texas. You had some broken bones and some cuts and bruises but you were ok. Jake had to go to court and fill out paperwork and go before a judge for him to get full custody of you considering that your sister had been in the picture for a while. Besides Jake wouldn’t let anyone else have you after all he was your favorite.

4 years later you were now 5 years old and living your best life with your brother and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Sure, you moved a lot but as long as you had Jake nothing mattered. Jake loves having you around and wouldn’t change a thing and it changed his life for the better. He hadn’t been picking up random chicks from the bar and his drinking was cut down considerably. Not many people knew about you and Jake liked to keep it that way, it was a way to protect you, the only people that knew about you were the ones that needed to know like the higher-ups in the Navy. Jake hated pulling you out of schools and shoving you into new ones but all that would change after this special detachment you had brought it up one night during dinner before the move. Jake had noticed you were quiet and that concerned him since you were a mini version of him.

“Jakey?” You asked as you pushed food around on your plate.

“Yes, Peach?” He asked you, Peach, a nickname that came from you eating and loving peaches.

“Are we ever gonna stay in one place?” You asked him, looking at him with green doe eyes. Jake stopped eating and looked at you.

“I promise after this special detachment I’m putting in a request for a permanent station.” He said and you nodded “Finish your supper and get ready for bed I’ll be up to read to you after I clean up.” He said and you nodded. You both finished and you were off to get ready for bed. As you were getting ready for bed and Jake was cleaning up, he began thinking to himself about how your whole life was uprooted. He hated that you couldn’t grow attached to babysitters or make friends because you ended up moving in a month after getting to the new station. He promised to himself that he would put in a request to stay at Top Gun just so you didn’t have to keep moving around. As he finished up putting food away and cleaning the kitchen, he headed upstairs in your rental base house and to your room. As he was walking, he was looking at all the boxes packed and ready to go and when he reached your room and saw all of the boxes that had yet to be unpacked, he felt sad and frowned but that didn’t last long because he looked at you smiling at him. He read to you until you were asleep and then he turned the light out and cracked the door. Jake didn’t go to bed right away, instead he sat on the couch and grabbed his computer and started to look at a house in lovely Miramar. He figured he would move a week before that way he could get you settled and buy some furniture. After an hour of searching, he found the perfect one close to the beach, base, and schools and they had good ratings. He smiled and requested an appointment to look at it when you both arrived there in the morning. Jake closed his laptop and got ready for bed himself.

The next morning, he was up bright and early moving boxes into his truck and the mini trailer had hitched to the back. When he got to your room, he was sure to be quiet and got all of the boxes and then he decided to wake you up. “Hey, Y/N/N. Time to wake up. You can sleep in the truck.” He said and he heard you groan but you woke up and rubbed your eyes and nodded he raised your hands up and he chuckled. He stood up and picked you up and carried you out to the truck. He gently carried you down the stairs and you clung to him like your life depended on it and true to your fashion you fell asleep on him. He swore you could fall asleep anywhere and he was envious of it. When he got you situated in the truck he went back and did a once through making sure both of you had gotten everything as well as grabbing your sheets and comforter. When he got back to the truck you were still sleeping like a rock and he chuckled and shook his head, he tossed the sheets and comforter into the trailer in a box and then he got into the truck and started the 5 hr. drive from Lemoore to Miramar.

2 hrs. into the drive you had woken up and he kept you entertained with anything he could and you both stopped and got food at an IHop and then were back on the road. The rest of the ride was filled with off key singing and games. Your big brother was your world and everything you wanted in a male figure. “Are we there yet?” You asked, looking up at him and Jake chuckled.

“15 more minutes.” He said

“Fine.” You huffed but rolled your eyes and sighed and he chuckled. “But 15 minutes is too long.” You whined.

“Play on your tablet and it’ll go by faster.” He said and you grabbed it and your attention was focused on that. Music was playing softly in the background for Jake’s entertainment. True to his word 15 minutes did go by fast and you were pulling into a neighborhood and you looked up and forward your brow.

“Jakey?” You asked and he looked up.

“What’s up, Peach?” He asked

“What are we doing?” You asked

“Looking at a house.” He said and you nodded. He parked in the driveway and got out and then got you out and sat you down and then he saw the relator walk up to him.

“Good afternoon! I’m Alicia London. You must be Jake Seresin. I must say you have a beautiful daughter.” She said and Jake shook his head and smiled. He got that all the time.

“Yes, I’m Jake but this is my sister.” He said as you hid further into his leg.

“My apologies!” She said, embarrassed.

“No worries, ma’am.” He said

“Shall we have a look at the house?” She asked and he nodded. As you both were getting a tour, he was loving it especially the backyard. As they finished, he was smiling. “So, what do you think?” She asked.

“It’s perfect. I wanna go ahead and buy it. It’s in my price range and it’s a good distance from the base and school.” He said and she seemed shocked.

“Of course, Mr. Seresin. I’ll get the paperwork started and you can move in today.” She said and he nodded.

“That would be great. Also please call me Jake. Mr. Seresin has since passed.” Jake said and she nodded and walked out of the room he turned to look at you.

“What do you think?” He asked and you seemed to look around for a minute.

“I like it!” You shouted and he smiled. Alicia walked back in.

“Good news! You got the house since no others were interested in it and here is the key.” She said and handed it to him. “All I need you to do is sign the papers and then the rest can be handled at a later time.” She said and he smiled. “I’ll get out of your hair and let you settle in and I’ll be in contact.” She said and he nodded and left. Jake started to move everything in with your help and once everything was set up you both went shopping. First you went to furniture stores and found everything you both liked and then the grocery store. The furniture was delivered the same day and in about an hour everything was put together and ready to go.

When Jake dropped you off at your new school the next morning he had stopped by the bank and got everything sorted and now it was time for him to figure things out like finding a babysitter for you. He met with a lot of people but he settled for an 18-year-old that was going to school and needed a part time job named Bailey. When he went to pick you up from school you were in much better spirits and loving Miramar.

===============================

A week passed quickly and now it was time for him to go and meet his squad while you stayed home with your new babysitter. When she got there, he introduced you two and both of you hit it off. As he was preparing to leave, he got down on your level “You be good for Bailey and do what she says. Understand?” He asked in a parental tone and you nodded.

“You got it, Jakey!” You said and hugged him he hugged you back and turned to Bailey.

“If you have any problems or questions don’t hesitate to call. I should be back by 10:30.” He said and she nodded.

“You got it, Jake.” She said and he bid you both a goodbye and then left. When Jake got to the Hard Deck nobody else was there but he didn’t have to last long because Javy was calling out his name and they greeted each other.

“Long time no see man!” Javy said and they both smiled.

“You got that right!” Jake said as they grabbed drinks from Penny and they thanked her and walked over to the pool table and dart board.

“How’s Y/N doing?” Javy asked, taking a sip from his drink.

“Settling in better than i expected. She loves her new school and her babysitter.” Jake said, throwing a dart and then taking a drink of his beer. They continued to talk until the other showed up and after having a little argument with Bradley and throwing someone overboard along with Rooster playing the piano, it was 10 PM. “Well, I better get going.” Jake said and that shocked everyone.

“Leaving so soon, Hangman?” Bradley said and Jake just scoffed.

“Like you would want to know.” He said and walked off and out of the bar confusing his teammates.

“What do you think he is hiding? A secret family, girlfriend, or kid?” Natasha said and everybody shrugged and chipped in their answers but Javy, he knew the truth.

===============================

Jake got home right at 10:30 and parked in the driveway and headed inside. Everything was probably neater than he left it and smiled. He walked into the living room to see his baby sister and Bailey curled up on the couch and he smiled. Bailey noticed him and smiled “She wasn't too much trouble, was she?” He asked as he walked over and stroked his sister’s hair. Bailey shook her head.

“Not in the least bit. She is the sweetest little girl ever. She didn’t put up a fight when I told her to brush her teeth or get changed for bed. She wanted to stay up but as soon as we put on the second movie she was out like a light.” Bailey said standing up making sure the girl didn’t fall off the couch and Jake smiled.

“Good, she seemed to really take to you. It’s not often that happens.” Jake said as he pulled out his wallet and gave her the money.

“I really like her too. If you need me anytime, let me know.” She said and Jake nodded and walked her to the door and made sure she got her car safely and then locked the door. He walked over to Y/N and picked her up and she clung to him like her life depended on it. He walked up the stairs and to her room and gently put her into bed.

“Good night, Peach. I love you.” He said and kissed her forehead and got ready for bed himself.

===============================

Every time after training instead of going out to The Hard Deck or hanging out with the squad he would rush out of the locker room that way he could go and pick up his sister from school and hang out with her. “Hangman, you coming to The Hard Deck?” Nat asked as he collected her things.

“Nope. I got some stuff to do and someone that I need to take care of.” Jake said and headed out without a word again confusing the group.

“He’s hiding something. I wanna know what it is.” Bradley said and again they all nodded and carried on with their day and night. Javy hadn’t said a word wanting to keep Jake’s promise that he wanted to keep her a secret until they knew everything was going to be ok.

===============================

The day of the dogfight football came and they, besides Javy, were determined to get an answer out of Jake as they started playing, they didn’t bring it up. They agreed to bring it up when it was well into the game that way, he would be too focused on the game to think about anything else. “So, Hangman. Have you got anyone back home?” Bradley asked as they set up for another hike. Jake smirked.

“That is none of your business, Rooster.” Jake said as they continued to play the game. It was well into the day and the game when they decided for a break. Jake went and got his drink and checked his phone and about dropped it when he saw that he had several missed calls from Bailey and he instantly called back making sure that nobody was around him.

“Bailey. What’s wrong?” Jake asked as soon as she answered the phone.

“Jake, I’m sorry I called you so many times. Y/N’s school called and said that she had an accident at school and they rushed her to the ER. We’re still here.” Bailey said and he could hear in her voice that she was panicked.

“No, I’m sorry that I didn’t have my phone on me. I was busy with work. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Did they say what happened to her?” Jake said, already throwing on a t-shirt and grabbing his stuff.

“No, they didn’t or at least not to me. We’ll see you when you get here.” Bailey said and they hung up.

Jake walked over to Maverick, and he smiled at the young aviator but frowned when he saw his face “Everything ok?” Maverick asked and Jake shook his head.

“My sister is in the hospital. I need to go.” Jake said and Maverick nodded, he knew all about Y/N then again it was in Jake’s record.

“You go to her and take Javy with you. Tell Y/N I said hi.” Maverick said and Jake nodded and rushed off, Maverick knew those two were best friends, but not before Javy caught him.

“Everything ok with Y/N/N?” Javy asked and Jake shook his head “I’m coming with you.” He said and Jake nodded and they headed off. This didn’t go unnoticed by the rest and they instantly went to Maverick.

“Where are they off to?” Bob asked out of curiosity.

“Jake had an emergency he needed to tend to and Javy went with him.” Maverick said not wanting to spill his secret. Nobody said anything too worried about their team members.

===============================

Jake and Javy made it to the hospital in record time and went to the front desk and they led her to her room. “Jakey! Javy!” you said excitedly.

“Hey, Peach and Bailey.” Jake said and hugged you carefully.

“Hey there, Sweetie.” Javy said and then the doctor walked in.

“You must be Jake. I’m Dr. Zeke.” Dr. Zeke said and shook his hand.

“Yea that’s me. I’m her brother. What happened?” Jake asked as Bailey and Javy stepped out of the room to give them some time to talk.

“It seemed like she took a fall on the playground and was unconscious for a minute and when she woke up was a little disoriented so she was brought her. Over the few hours we have been keeping an eye on her and she seems to be improving. She’s actually ready to go home.” Dr. Zeke said and Jake nodded and they talked more and then he was signing discharge papers and they were heading home. The rest of the day and night was spent cuddling and watching movies. Javy and Bailey had left the hospital.

===============================

The mission came and went and was successful. Everyone was spending the much-needed time off the second day off they had gotten the announcement that they were officially a squadron. It was spent mostly at The Hard Deck, the beach, or with each other, surprisingly. Everyone but Jake, that is, he was spending it with you. “Jakey?” You asked as you were eating lunch and he looked up at you.

“Yes, Peach?” He asked back.

“Can we go to the beach?” You asked excitedly and he smiled.

“Of course! Do you wanna go after lunch?” He asked and you nodded enthusiastically. He chuckled “Ok, finish up and then go and get ready.” He said and he watched you quickly eat and then scamper off. He then got himself ready and a bag ready and when you padded downstairs he smiled and you two headed off to the beach. The truck ride was filled with music and singing and occasionally laughing. Jake found a spot and parked and now you two had sat off towards the beach and the water.

===============================

The Daggers, as they were officially called now, were at the beach hanging out and playing some dogfight football. As they were sitting on the beach talking and laughing along with sharing stories. A shriek caught Bradley’s attention and looked up "Is that Jake... with a child?" Rooster asked, squinting against the sun, looking at what may be his wingman. This caught everyone’s attention and looked in his direction. What they saw was Jake and a little girl in the water and Jake holding her up as a wave came up.

“I believe it is.” Nat said as they watched the both of you come out of the water/

“Should we go say hi?” Bob asked and everyone nodded so they got up and headed over. Jake saw them coming when he turned his head and he sighed, they were going to find out sooner or later. “Hey, Jake.” Bob said when they reached him.

“Hey guys.” Jake greeted and then he felt a tug on his arm and he looked down to see you looking up at him.

“Jakey?” You asked and hid further behind him while looking at the group of strangers.

“Y/N/N I want you to meet Natasha, Bradley, Bob, Ruben, and Mickey.” Jake said pointing at each and every one of them. Everyone greeted everyone and then you saw Javy.

“Javy!” You yelled out and ran to him and hugged him and he quickly picked you up and hugged you.

“We didn’t know you had a kid.” Bradley said and Jake shook his head.

“Not my kid. My sister.” Jake said as Javy put you down and you ran off to start building a sand castle as everyone went and sat down. “I got custody after our parents got into an accident when she was 1 and nobody was willing to take her.” Jake said a little mad at his siblings but he would never give you up for anything.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Bob said as you came up to them and pulled Bob up and to your sand castle so he could help and Bob couldn’t say no and he already loved you.

“She’s a good kid and once she warms up to you, she’ll be your friend for life.” Jake said and smirked pointing to Bob and you as an example. It wasn’t 10 minutes later you both came back to the group and you went to Bradley and stared at him, more specifically his mustache “Yea, Peach I had the same reaction.” He said and everyone chuckled while Bradley rolled his eyes but smiled. You touched it and then giggled and then went to your brother’s lap and sat down and then snuggled into him and was out like a light.

“Peach?” Mickey asked and Jake chuckled.

“Yea, she absolutely loves peaches.” He said and they chuckled.

“Jake, I’m glad you told us about her. She is so adorable.” Ruben said and everyone agreed.

“My old squad never cared and I didn’t trust them. The only people that know about her are the higher-ups, Maverick, Cyclone, Warlock, and Javy. But that is because she is on my record and Javy was there when I got the call and when I went to pick her up.” Jake said and Javy nodded conforming to it.

“If you need anything, I mean anything. We are here for you no matter what.” Natasha said and Jake smiled while everyone agreed.

“Thanks guys, that means so much to me.” Jake said as you moved slightly. He was very glad that he told them about you. Now he didn’t have to hide you and he had more help than ever especially when Bailey couldn’t make it. Your family just expanded to many cool aunts and uncles. You were going to be so protected.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

[spidey-d00d]

Him Part 2

Hangman x reader, Rooster x reader

Tw: cursing, heartbreak unedited asf

Summary: Jake confessed his love for you and Bradley overheard, what are you going to do?

Word count: 2.8k

Hi guys! This is the very long awaited part 2 of Him, original summary: “You’re with him and not me! You’re in love with him and not me!” This is very angsty and I’m sorry if it is horrible writing, I’m not on a laptop and i also haven’t written anything in probably a year but i miss it so much and I’m trying to come back with some of my free time! I’m going to tag a few people that asked to be tagged when i posted the original story so I hope you guys like it! I’m sorry it took absolutely forever for this to finally come out but I’m hoping a part 3 will be coming in the very near future if y’all like this enough! Enjoy!

@dempy @budugu @theroosterperch

Weeks had gone by now, you were still with Bradley, happy, and still avoiding Jake and all of the stares he gave you. The two of you hadn’t spoke besides if it involved work and you were okay with that because in your mind you had been battling yourself. You knew it wasn’t fair to Bradley, you doing all of this thinking behind his back as he thought the two of you were blissfully happy, but you couldn’t ruin something for thoughts that you weren’t sure were even true.

You played back countless encounters between you and Hangman and some of them threw up red flags that you should’ve noticed in the beginning. Times in dogfight football where he consciously let you win, being the only one to bring you the beer that you like when the group was hanging out in the bar because he knew you hated their usual, sometimes actually covering your ass when flying and many more. It was something you noticed he didn’t do for anyone else, and that Bradley didn’t do for you.

Bradley was the best though, he was everything you thought you were looking for. Caring, sweet, listens to you, opens doors for you, loves your family, and he was stable. He was everything to you but there was something missing. There was always something that didn’t fit all the pieces together and you weren’t sure what it was.

You snapped out of your thoughts when you were greeted by your favorite beer appearing in front of your face at the hard deck. Smiling graciously at the blonde haired man standing in front of you with a stone face you thanked him and took the beer as he went back to the pool table.He had been slightly cold to you since your talk in the room at the hangers after the exercise. You wanted to talk to him, you really did but you didn’t know what to say.

You watched as some of your team played pool and you waited for your other half to arrive. U weren’t sure how long it would take for Bradley to get here so you just waited patiently. You joined in with laughter as Hangman pulled another win and Payback groaned in defeat, again. Jake had racked up a high winning score against all of the Dagger squad and now it was a score of 12-3 Hangman against the entire squad. His smile shined brightly and beautifully as he laughed along as everyone gained on him for cheating. You couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful he was in this light. He really was pretty and no one could deny that.

The liquid courage burned through your body as you randomly stood up and came up next to him, looking up as he towered over you and tapped on his arm. It gained his attention though he knew you were there, his hair standing up on the back of his neck at your proximity. He always knew when you were around. Looking down at you he quirked an eyebrow, “Can we talk?” You asked, his eyes burning through yours making you look anywhere but his eyes.

Nodding, he led the both of you out of the back door and onto the deck overlooking the beach. There was a beat of silence as you both stared out at the ocean, watching the sun fall behind the horizon. It was beautiful out here. He cleared his throat taking your attention back. “What did you want to talk about?” He tone was hard, like he was trying to keep himself from being vulnerable again. You understood why.

“I-um I don’t really know.” You answered truthfully. You don’t know why you decided this was a good idea, you didn’t know what was going on in your head and you hadn’t gotten your thoughts together before asking him to come and talk. “Alright then I’m heading back inside.” He answered quickly before turning around which made you panic for some reason.

“Wait, Jake.” You rushed out, spinning around to see his back towards you. He stopped hesitantly, slowly turning back around, “What Y/N” He sighed looking at you, tired. You knew he was beating himself up about what he said, but you still weren’t sure what he meant by it.

“Is what you said true?” You asked, avoiding his eyes. You heard him sigh, looking up at the sky for a quick second before looking back at you. “Is what true?” He played dumb.

“Don’t do that, you know what I’m talking about because I’m not the only one that’s been thinking about it for weeks.” You admitted. His eyebrows twitched up in surprise for a second before he face went back to unfazed.

“It was true, but you’re in a relationship and it was stupid and unfair of me to tell you that.” Jake said with sadness to his voice. In truth, Jake had been beating himself up since that day. He knew that you wouldn’t reciprocate what he felt, you two were just friends, teammates. You were in a relationship and he understood where you were coming from when accusing him of wanting to ruin your relationship.You were with his enemy, of course you thought that he wanted to ruin what Bradley had, but what you didn’t know was that he would do anything to make you happy, even if that meant he was unhappy.

“Why would you tell me all of this now? After i got into a relationship? After we were friends for months while i was single? Why now?” You asked, desperation in your voice as you gripped onto your beer bottle for support.

He didn’t understand why you were so torn up about it, you were happy with Bradshaw. “Because I’m an asshole remember?” Jake defended. He was going back to who he was as you hated it.

“Don’t do that. Don’t deflect. Why would you tell me this now?” You doubled down with force in your voice. You wanted to know. Maybe this would help you figure out what was going on in your head.

“Because I have loved you for a long time and I’ve tried showing you that for a while and you never saw me that way. Do you know how much it hurts to finally admit that you love someone and for them to throw it to the side and say nothing but that you are a horrible person and are trying to ruin their lives? I poured my heart out to you since you couldn’t take any hint that I liked you and all you could do was throw it to the side and tell me that I’m an asshole and that I’m trying to ruin your life.” He broke and poured everything out, taking a few steps towards you and closing the distance to where you were almost chest to chest, looking up at his heartbroken blue eyes. Being this close, he could see the tears welding in yours, and how hard you were trying to keep them in.

Silence loomed between the two of you, nothing to be heard besides the noise muffled coming from inside the bar, the ocean hitting the sand and the mix of your breathing. The sound of the door opening and closing was muffled by his speech since you didn’t hear Bradley come onto the back deck. His presence wasn’t know until a throat was cleared and both you and Jake broke out of your staring contest to see him standing there, flicking his eyes between the two of you.

Your heart broke. You knew he heard everything and you didn’t know what to do. “Bradley.” You breathed out as you saw the rise and fall of his chest from his heavy breathing and the heartbreak on his face. He said nothing as he just turned around and went back into the hard deck at a quick pace. Your first instinct was to run after him, and you did before stopping short of the door and looking back at Jake. The torture on your face trying to decide where to stay was all he could see. You debated for a second and that made you feel even worse for Bradley. He didn’t deserve any of this.

“Go.” Was all that Jake said with a sigh. A single tear fell watching his jaw twitch. “Please just stay here, I’ll be back.” Was all you said after running back into the bar. You could see the Hawaiian shirt start to make its way out the front door and you moved fast towards it. “Bradley!” You called out but your calls were ignored.

You finally made it outside and found him almost to his truck. You sprinted after him calling his name but he continued to ignore you. “It wasn’t what it looked like, please!” You begged him as you reached his truck that he was opening the door to. He slammed his door in anger and started towards you with a pointed finger,angry.

“Then why did it just look like Hangman was just confessing his love for you and you just standing there and letting him?” He roared, chest heaving in anger. Maybe it was what it looked like.You were at a loss for words for a second, not only his words asking you by surprise but his anger outburst coming at you paralyzing you in fear. Men didn’t scare you till the anger came through, then you weren’t sure what to do. Flight or fight wasn’t an option for you, paralyzing fear was though.

Shaking his head and headed back towards his truck, as you snapped out of it. “I didn’t know what to say Bradley, its not like i asked him to admit his feelings for me!” But you did. You begged to know why he told you what he did weeks ago, but for some reason him telling you that he loved you wasn’t what you were looking for.

“So you’re telling me that you don’t have feelings for him too?” He asked, standing next to his open door, ready to get into it and drive away. You stood there, mouth opening and closing looking for an answer. You didn’t know, truly. You felt something for Jake but you weren’t sure what it was and you were on the verge of figuring it out when Bradley made an appearance.

Your lack of answer gave him all he needed to know and he started getting into his truck. You rushed to the open window, tears now freely flowing down your face. “Bradley I’m with you! I’m here with you, please don’t do this.” You sobbed trying to get him to stay. You weren’t sure what you were fighting for but losing him like this wasn’t the plan. None of this was the plan. You were happy, what happened?

”But you have feelings for him, so you’re not really with me.” Was all he said as his truck roared to life and he gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. “How do I fix this?” You cried, holding onto his truck hoping that he wouldn’t leave.

Bradley sighed, rubbing a hand down his face and finally looked at you, heartbreak in his eyes, looking at the desperation in yours. “You don’t. This, you and me, were over. You can go be with Hangman now, i don’t care what you do as long as it isn’t with me.” His words tore through your heart. You never meant to hurt him, you were just trying to figure out what was going on.

“Please Bradley don’t do this.” You begged him, “I’m with you, I’m here, why can’t you see that?”

“Because of him.” He clenched his jaw, as he nodded his head behind you. You looked back and saw Jake watching the two of you go through this exchange. You lost all the breath in your body as you stepped back trying to regain it, Bradley had shifted his truck out of park and started to roll off. “Bye Y/N” Was all he said as he pulled out of his parking spot and drifted out of the lot.

You sobbed, holding your chest before regaining your composure and your breath and now your attention was turned. You looked back at the entrance of the bar where the blonde still stood, watching you. Marching up to him with heat radiating off you, you walked right towards him and pushed against his check with anger.

“Why would you do that?” You roared. “You were supposed to stay away. You just made me lose everything!” You said while repeatedly pushing him back, and him just taking it stone face. Your sobs racked through your words, “You made me lose everything.” You pushed one last time before letting defeat take over and collapsing, but you never made it to the ground as he wrapped himself around you and held you while you cried.

Gripping at his shirt you tried regaining control but the sadness kept taking over. You never wanted to hurt Bradley, you didn’t want things to end like this, or at all. You just wanted to know what was going on with your head and your friendship. You knew having something too good to be true like your relationship with Bradley would come to an end but you didn’t know it would be to this extent.

Jake held you as you finally calmed down, being able to control your breath and slightly your thoughts. You didn’t want to move though, because then you would have to face him and the fact that you just broke up with your boyfriend and fell into the arms of the man he just watched confess his love for you. Your life was so fucked up and complicated and you wished this was all just a dream and it would be over when you woke up but you weren’t naive enough to know that wasn’t how life worked.

Finally working yourself up to face him, you sat up, wiping your face before looking at him. He had sadness in his eyes, and pity for you. He scanned over your face a reached up to catch a stray tear but you flinched away a flash of hurt flashed across his features but he covered it up quickly. You went to stand up and he followed your actions, both of you wiping off the dirt from your bodies from being on the floor. You kept your stare on the ground, avoiding looking at him.

“I gotta go.” Was all you said before trying to turn away before your arm was grasped and spun back around. “We need to talk about this.” He demanded, making you look up at him. “We need to talk about nothing Hangman, I need to go home and try to fix this.” You stated, but your arm stayed in his hand and you did nothing to move it.

“What are you going to fix? He’s gone and he knows you feel something for me too. You didn’t deny it when he asked.” He countered back. You didn’t know how much he heard but apparently most of it. You didn’t have anything to say back, he was right, but you weren’t going to let this go easily. “Bradley was here first, my priority lies with him, just because you come out of no where and admit that you have feelings for me doesn’t mean i will just up and leave him.” You spit out. You hated how you were treating Jake but the heartbreak and not wanting to accept that you and Bradley were over was taking over your emotions and you were letting them.

“They aren’t just feelings Y/N, I’m in love with you. Isn’t that enough?” He emphasized. You were so conflicted. “I-I dont know Jake.” You sighed. His face dropped and he finally let go of your arm. The cool air made the spot on your arm where his hand was just at even cooler and you felt lost without the contact. “Just go then.” He said calmly.

“Please Jake I can’t lose both of you, i don’t know what to do.” You started breaking again realizing that you might be making the wrong decisions all the way around. Losing both Bradley and Jake in the same hour would be torture for you, you couldn’t do it. “You won’t lose me, but we wont be how it used to be. I can’t do that to myself anymore.” Was all he said as he started back into the bar. You were frozen in your spot, you were going to lose him. You didn’t know what to do. You just stood there, staring at the door that he had entered through, losing sight of him, tears making a reappearance now.

What are you going to do?

[horseshoegirl]

Set Me Alight - Masterlist

Part 11: When the Storm Sets In - In Progress

📖 Jake Seresin / Hangman

💛Maeve (Midge) Spencer

🏷️ Slow burn, strong language -> this OFC swears like a sailor, Original Female Character, enemies to lovers, Camping/Hiking AU, Getting lost in the woods, Survival in the Woods/in a fire lookout, Mystery, Bullying, Shitty Friends, Flash Backs, Eventual Smut, post-college daggers, alternate Universe Daggers, Short OFC, forced proximity, tension, angst, eventual romance, eventual happy? Ending, stalking, and intense moments.

❗️18+ minors DNI. Ageless and blank blogs are blocked without warning.

❗️Reposting or binding fics, including designs, line breaks, banners or any graphic materials, is strictly forbidden without my written consent. Be a decent human being, and don't steal or copy people's work.

Summary: When you agree, somewhat apprehensively, to a week-long camping trip courtesy of your best friend Nat, you end up irate to discover Jake Seresin is also on the guest list. He's everything you hate, everything you want to believe you hate. Because the day you met him, he said some things he could never take back. Not to mention his nickname for you grates on your every f-ing nerve. But when the two of you get stranded in the Washington wilderness, it's not just the elements or the creepy feeling you're being watched that has you feeling trapped, it's the emotional baggage too. Struggling to survive the wilderness is one thing, but navigating the labyrinth that is "Jake the asshole" is another beast altogether. Somehow, you've got to deal with both if you're gonna make it out of these woods in one piece.

____

Not too sure how many parts this one will be, I'm kind of letting my mind take me where it wants to go!

Part 1 - Seventeen Going Under

Part 2 Abracadabra

Part 3 - You're so Vain

Part 4 - One way or another

Part 5 - I can't go on without you

Part 6 - Running up that hill

Part 7 - Paint It, Black

Part 8 - Salt & The Sea

Part 9 - The Woods

Part 10 - Mount Everest

Part 11 - When the Storm Sets In

More coming soon!

Thank you to @desert-fern (She did the wonderful title), @sarahsmi13s, @startrekfangirl2233, and @teacupsandtopgun for helping me brainstorm with this one!

[ruewrote]

𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙.

PAIRING: jake seresin x fem!reader WARNINGS: strong language GENRE: fluff SONG INSPIRATION: nonsense by sabrina carpenter WORD COUNT: 912

navigation | ask | top gun masterlist

this was now the fifth or sixth time that jake had tried to flirt with you, the previous attempts failing since you had shot him down.

you knew of his reputation and you weren't going to be another notch under his belt.

he probably thought you were just playing hard to get, but he got a little more frustrated every single time he got turned down, but was never forceful, he just didn't think he could like someone this much.

you didn't know what he was trying to prove or who he was trying to prove it to.

you already had enough on your plate, making drinks, wiping tables down. it was far from the first time an aviator tried flirting with you either for free drinks or for your number, of course you never gave it out because they all gave up quite easily or never put enough effort in.

not him though.

man was he persistent, it was nice just knowing that someone was thinking of you. yes he might think there's a possibility that he might be able to get into your pants, but a little flirting never hurt anybody, right?

fluttered eyelashes and small gestures like opening the door for you, him letting you walk in first not before sending you a winning smile.

tonight was no different then the others - well that was until a drunken dickhead decided to think it was a good idea to grab your ass.

as soon as it happened you turned around, fist meeting his nose knocking him onto his butt. shaking your hand a little whilst you kept staring at the creep on the floor.

grabbing his nose, he stood as the blood gushed out of his nose. his face full of rage, you soon regretted your punch when he towered over you, backing away he soon stopped when hangman slid in between the two of you, shielding you away from the guy.

"im gonna have to ask you to leave dude, you've crossed the line, the lady was lucky that she let you get away with just a bloody nose. i would've beaten you black and blue for that."

this just made the guy square up to jake, he stood a couple of inches shorted than the aviator, all jake did was firmly planted his feet where he stood, chest puffed out.

the coward ran out of the bar, seresin stood his ground making sure the guy was gone for good before turning to make sure that you were alright.

the whole bar went back to doing what they were doing previous to when the incident started, you didn't even realise that most people had stopped to watch what was happening - some of them ready to intervene if it had come down to it.

once he had scanned your body for any injuries his eyes landed on your hand, the one that had taken a blow not too long ago.

he lightly ran his thumb over your bruised knuckles as he held your hand, you slightly flinched trying to downplay the pain that you feel.

that led him guiding you to the backroom, penny smirking whilst giving you a nod which made you roll your eyes.

once you got there, he sat you down on a unopened keg, opening the freezer door finding an icepack.

you admired him as long as you could before he turned to make his way back over to you, gently placing the ice on your knuckles cradling your hand.

a sharp hiss left your mouth, which made him apologise profusely.

"ive never had anyone defend my honour before, honestly thought he was gonna lay me out flat after he stood up." that just made him shake his head with a small smile, keeping his eyes on your hand in his.

"you know i would never let anything happen as long as i was there."

you had never been this close to him before, so close that you could see the flecks of brown in his green eyes. feel his breath fanning your face, his eyes flickering down to your lips waiting for a response.

"i know. i believe that..." you both leant closer to each other, you were sure he could hear how fast and strong your heart was beating as your lips met his.

it was everything you dreamt of and more.

it felt right. you felt safe with him.

you pulled away with a wide grin on your face, a nervous giggle falling out of your mouth.

"worth the wait, now you stubborn woman will you please let me take you out on a goddamn date?" he playfully slumped himself against you, head on your shoulder.

of course your answer was yes, how could you say no to him?

after you walked out of the break room it must of been obvious that something happened from the hand holding, payback and fanboy started making kissing noises and rubbing there arms up and down their sides pretending to make out with someone.

everyone else in the bar started cheering which made you rest your head on jake's shoulder as a deep blush spread across your cheeks, all he did was shake his head and snaked his arm around your waist pulling you closer to him kissing your cheek.

"it's about damn time." looking over to see it was penny and pete smirking at you both.

the teasing was never ending of course.

© ruewrote.

[magnolia-among-the-stars]

lover (jake seresin pt. 11/12)

PART OF MY “WHATEVER THIS IS” SERIES WHICH CAN BE FOUND HERE

PLOT: Penny Benjamin’s niece works at The Hard Deck, saving the money she earns to get out of the west coast and put herself through Graduate School. What happens when a pretty boy pilot ends up as her fake boyfriend?

PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE / PART FOUR / PART FIVE / PART SIX / PART SEVEN / PART EIGHT / PART NINE / PART TEN / PART ELEVEN / FINAL PART

PAIRING: JAKE ‘HANGMAN’ SERESIN x Female Plus Size Bartender!Reader (Sunshine)

It goes without saying but I do not give permission for anyone to use my work or copy it somewhere else.

A/N: Surprise! Two chapters in 24 hours! I couldn't stop writing so <3 We're almost to the end here but if you want to see snippets of the couple, send in some requests! Don't forget that this is part of a Universe so you'll see these two in the other stories of the Whatever This Is Universe!

Jake turns you around, open palms pressing against the flesh of your hipbones to head toward the door into Penny’s home. You follow him with ease, falling into lazy steps at his side as you slip into the house. “Oh,” you reach out, going to grab your vase of florals when Jake stops you lightly.

“How about we wait until morning to grab those Sunshine? Don’t want to drop them on the walk home,” his voice is low, deep in your ear as his front presses against your back. The weight of him feels familiar as he takes deep and steady breaths, it shoots electricity through your nerves. You nod shyly in agreement and turn, tucking back into his embrace.

“You’re right,” you nod, drunkenly mumbling and he smiles gently. Holding you snug against him, Jake turns to say goodnight to your aunt.

“You take care of her,” Penny’s words sound threatening but there’s a warmth in her eyes as she takes in the couple in front of her. She knows the feelings the two of you have for each other, knows that she sees so much of who Mav became to her in the way you speak to each other. She’s forgiving to an extent, praying that Jake does things the right way this time.

You lean back, stumbling only slightly as you stabilize and slide your fingertips over his biceps before collecting his large hand in yours. You nod to the entry way, not noticing the flush speckling over Jake’s cheeks when he gnaws on his bottom lip at the site of you. You move as one unit together through the front door and down the porch.

It’s quiet in the streets of North Island, the crickets and the hum of the streetlamps mixing with the calm lapping of the waves crashing along the sandy beach ahead of you. Jake matches your slow footsteps, letting you set the pace to get home. He hopes you’ll slow even more, stumble slightly so that he can have more time with your hand clenched in his. He misses the feeling of your thumb dragging along the heel of his palm, soothing a tension there he didn’t even know was present. 

You stop suddenly and he’s too lost in his own train of thought to notice at first, until your arm is tugging him to turn around. He takes in the frown melting on your face, the glossy look of your lips as your tongue sticks out. He can’t tell if you’re going to cry or if you’re deep in concentration…perhaps it’s both as you pant your feet firmly into the pavement of the sidewalk.

“What’s wrong?”

“You almost died?” your whimper echoes across the empty street, sniffling back the wet snot from your senses. Flashes of his words rush through your mind again, that he’d had a scary event during one of their exercises and it brings up a wave of nausea up through your stomach. The emotional wave of everything that had happened over the last few weeks since the morning you woke up without Jake came crashing down on top of you and tears began to stream down your warm cheeks.

“Oh Sunshine,” Jake rushes forward, collecting you in his arms tightly. His hand scoops the back of your head, tugging you so that your forehead rested in the crux of his neck while he sweetly rubbed your back. He cooed, “I’m okay…I’m here.”

“How could you almost die on me without us fixing everything?” you whined, nose nuzzling against the column of his neck. If you weren’t so upset, he’d enjoy the feeling of your lashes giving him butterfly kisses along his skin. He smelled like a fresh mint julep on a summer’s day mixed with the smoky scent of a campfire and you snuggled closer to the heat he provided.

“I’m never leaving you again,” he murmurs into the crown of your head, meaning it with all his heart. “Not unless you want me to go.” You spend a few more minutes hugging under the orange glow of the street lamp and pull back, wiping your eyes. If you were tired before, exhaustion now seeped into your soul as you settled back into a steady pace. You reached your home before you knew it and a silence fell over the two of you as you held his hand still, moving up the steps to the front door. You turn around, staring down at him for a few moments with uncertainty.

Jake didn’t want to risk it, didn’t want to lose all the progress he had gained in the last few hours. He would take what he could get, take things at a snail’s pace if you asked it of him until he could earn back your trust and deserve you. You stared down at him with a blooming of anxiety blossoming in your chest. The small and drunken voice in the back of your mind begged you to ask him inside, ask him to kiss away all the pain of the last few weeks. Could you truly let him back in though? And if you did, would he stay this time? You weren’t sure you were ready to find out. You stared at him with an intensity, wondering what was going on inside of his beautiful brain.

“I should,” Jake clears his throat and glances down the street, starting to count the miles it would take to get back to his home from here. “I should head home.” He turns back to you, going week in the knees as you stare back at him with a wide eyed and starry gaze. Your eyes sparkled as you searched his face, narrowing as you reached out to touch his cheek tenderly.

“Do…” you take a deep and shaky breath, “Do you want to come in?” The question feels guarded and he doesn’t blame you after all that’s happened. He hesitates, afraid to let you down. Afraid to say or do the wrong thing again. But Jake Seresin is stronger this time. He’s learned from his mistakes and knows this time to say what he truly wants to say.

“Are you sure?” he sounds small, his voice wobbling as he takes a step up to get closer to you. He’s open, vulnerable in a way that makes your heart melt.

“As long as you’re still here when you wake up in the morning,” you replied, lacing your fingers together again and squeezing it reassuringly. He could feel your hands tremble and he leans forward, pressing his forehead against yours.

“I promise.”

You take his word, breath him in and press your lips to his slowly. He gasps slightly, moving his mouth against yours with a meticulous passion. His hands wind in your hair, tugging at the nape of your neck as he steps up again to tower over you. Your hands circle his waist, resting against his bum as you pull him closer to you and moan lightly.

Pulling away slowly, you sway a little from the daze of his presence. Staring up at him through your lashes, you lead him through the front door of your home. Through the dark living room and down the hallway, you make your way to your bedroom. He rounds the bed, tugging down the comforter and staring at you while you shed your shirt, discarding it before your skirt pools at your feet. He watches as you climb beneath the sheets before stripping down to his briefs and joining you beneath the covers.

“Please don’t leave,” your voice echoes in the safety of the darkness, afraid suddenly of this being a dream. That you would close your eyes and he would be gone.

He crawls in beside you, hauling you into his strong arms and securing you against his chest. You settle against him, listening to the rapid beating of his heart. “I’m not going anywhere,” he reassures you, smoothing his hands over your hair as you began to doze off. He smiles at the light snores escaping your mouth in clusters before he falls asleep himself.

The next morning, you awake in a start, jumping slightly. Hot skin is pressed against your tummy, pressed against your curvy thighs as you try to roll over onto your side. A groan bubbles up as the sunlight burns through the window. Your heart skips a beat as Jake’s hands slide along the bare roundness of your stomach with ease. “Good morning,” he grumbles, his morning voice sexy in your ear. You smile, pressing your lips along his forearm as you settle back into his embrace.

Taglist:

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[hanluex]

♡ YOUR BIG BABY — JAKE ‘HANGMAN’ SERESIN

bf!hangman x gn!reader | wc : 0.5k words | content : possible grammar and spelling mistakes, lowercase intended, established relationship, comfort (?), fluff, mentions of food, mentions of pet-names

“will you grab the chips, and i’ll grab the dip?”

you suggested, dragging the shopping cart from the front as your boyfriend kept trying to hang onto it from the back.

“mhm, yeah, okay.”

you stopped the cart, your brows furrowing as you looked at your boyfriend. “hangboy, are you even listening to me?!” you asked, crossing your arms over your chest.

“sorry, sorry.” he sheepishly smiled, fixing his posture as he stood properly. “can i go to the bathroom first, though?”

you nodded. “i’ll be in the dip aisle. meet me there after you are done, yeah?” you checked, getting a nod from the brunet.

as your boyfriend left for the bathrooms, you walked around the store, gathering whatever you needed for the movie night you two were hosting.

“all that’s left is the dip,” you muttered to yourself before remembering another item. “ah, shoot. we don’t have any detergent left either.”

not thinking much of your actions, you pushed your cart towards the household items section, trying to find the brand of detergent you usually use.

and just like that, you went on an entire tour around the supermarket, buying things you didn’t think you’d need, but threw them in the cart just in case.

it wasn’t until ten minutes later that you realized you were missing your annoying interrupter.

jake seresin was nowhere to be seen, and it was clear as you looked at the shopping cart in front of you.

without him to stop your impulsive purchases, your cart was practically filled to the brim.

as you were going on your phone, about to call your boyfriend, the supermarket’s public announcement system caught your attention.

“this is an announcement for miss y/n. please collect your child at counter 5. miss y/n, your child is at counter 5.”

you paused in your tracks, wondering if there was a slight possibility that there was someone with your exact name who lost their child — because, as far as you knew, you didn’t have any kids.

unless … of course, that’d make enough sense.

you made your way towards the aforementioned counter, and just as you suspected, the brunet sat on the stool, swinging his legs as he waited for your arrival.

“jacob!” you whined, seeing the workers giggle amongst themselves as they saw the way his face lit up as soon as he saw you. “my child?! really?!”

“you abandoned me!” jake pouted, grumpily crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at you. “you said you’d be at the dip aisle, but you weren’t.”

“i’m sorry about that. i got sidetracked.”

jake scoffed, gesturing towards the shopping cart. “yeah, clearly.” he sighed, scanning the items inside. “why do you need a chew toy? we don’t even have a dog.” he couldn’t help but laugh, amused by the items you had impulsively bought.

“it looks fun, okay?!”

“a chew toy, really? babe, i–”

“shush, you can’t say anything when you literally made a public announcement instead of searching for me!” you defended yourself, unable to hide your smile when your boyfriend pouted again. “you are just a big baby.”

“okay, yeah, i agree, but i am your big baby.”

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[bloatedandalone04]

Tell Me What’s My Flavor

➪the one where jake is a college professor and also your boyfriend.

Warnings: smut, fluff, age gap (12 years), past student/teacher relationship, oral (f receiving), swearing, unprotected sex, crying during sex bc it’s that good

Word Count: 4k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡ | THANK YOU FOR 5.4K FOLLOWERS

Jake’s fingers were dusted with white chalk, his old-fashioned ways refusing to let him use the laptop and projector to teach his lessons. Maybe he’d upgrade to a white board and marker one day, but that’s as far as he was going. 

His back was turned to his students as he wrote out the lesson plan for the last half of the class, which was pretty much textbook questions since he actually wanted people to use the things they paid for, and he knew for a fact that his colleagues didn’t use the textbooks much in their classes. 

He knew he liked his job a bit too much and/or was getting a bit too old since the soft scratching of the chalk on the black board was soothing to him, while he was sure the seventeen twenty year olds behind him were getting a tad irritated at the sound. 

Jake’s button up was slightly wrinkled from this morning, when you bunched it up in your hands as you made out in his car outside of campus for a good twenty minutes before class, and he hoped it wasn’t extremely obvious as to why the fabric was so scrunched up. The last thing he needed was for there to be gossip about what he got up to in his free time, and who he got up to with. 

God, you were so sexy and so beautiful, Jake still couldn’t believe you had chosen him to be your boyfriend when there were hundreds of younger guys on campus. But you told him you had a thing for older guys, and he had a thing for you. 

He’d been teaching at this school for about five years now, and he met you in his fourth year here. A year and a half ago, you were actually one of his students, and you were so confident and so stunning, he didn’t stand a chance. Though he tried not to, he fell for you hard, and thankfully you fell for him back, despite the twelve year age gap, with you being twenty three now and him being thirty five. 

It was hard to be both your boyfriend and your teacher, and fuck if it didn’t make him feel fucking guilty at times, but the two of you manged to keep it a secret so you didn’t get expelled, and he didn’t get fired. Secret kisses here and there, sleepovers at his apartment and quick hookups in his car were what you did for a good year, but that semester was over, and it was a bit easier now that he didn’t have to worry about his girlfriend getting offended if he gave her a justifiably bad grade since you weren’t his student anymore. 

That was one thing he made sure to do; treat you as equal in class so, one, no one questioned why he had a soft spot for you, and two, because you were there to learn and be graded fairly, and that was the least he could do, really. 

With that being said, because of the twelve year age gap, it sometimes felt a lot bigger when Jake realized that you were in pretty different places in your lives, with him well into his career and you trying to get started in one. Still, he wouldn’t change a thing (except for maybe falling for you while you were his student, because he still didn’t know how to explain that one to his friends), because he was in love with you, and you loved him right back.

You also made sure to remind him that you were so happy that he was so much more mature compared to all the losers on campus, and that shouldn’t make him feel so full of pride, but here he is. 

You still had to keep your relationship private for now, since you were still a student, just not his anymore. 

By day, Jake was a somewhat strict but also very easygoing college professor, and by night, he was your older boyfriend who would gladly spend hours on end fucking you into his mattress before falling asleep with you in his arms. 

He had just finished writing the instructions on the board when he glanced over at the door to the classroom, the small window revealing his favorite person standing in the hall. You gave him a flirty smile, tilting your head as you brought your hand up and waved your fingers at him, making his grip loosen on the piece of chalk. 

Even though he had just seen you this morning, your short skirt and cropped top still made him bite down on his lip as he tried to keep his cool. You curled your index finger, beckoning him into the hallway with you, then you brought that same finger up to your lips in a gesture for him to be quiet about it.

He raised a brow, smirking over at you as he dropped his arm down to his side. He knew exactly what you wanted, and he knew he wanted it too. Badly. 

The rational part of his brain screamed at him to turn away and apologize to you for it later, and reminded him how you and he needed to be careful, but the rest of him didn’t give a fuck. 

Jake turned to the class with a tight smile, tossing the piece of chalk onto his desk. “Sorry, everyone,” he said, giving his best natural smile. “I need to step out for a few minutes. Get started on these and we’ll pick up where we left off when I get back.”

That was a good cover, right? 

After he got a bunch of mumbled responses and heard the sound of multiple pages being turned, he quickly walked over to the door and stepped out into the empty hall with you. Almost instantly, your hands were on his shoulders and your mouth was against his as he pulled you into his arms. 

“I missed you,” you mumbled in between kisses, your hands bunching up his shirt again, similar to how you did it in the car earlier. “I’m sorry, I know I’m not supposed to interrupt your classes like this, but mine ended early, and I missed you.”

Jake groaned, his hands sliding down to squeeze your hips. “Don’t apologize, you can interrupt me anytime,” he murmured against your lips. “And fuck, I missed you too, baby.” 

He nipped at your bottom lip before pulling away and looking down at your outfit that was driving him as wild as it did two hours ago. Fuck, it had only been two hours and he missed you like crazy. What was wrong with him?

“God, you look so fucking pretty. So fucking sexy,” he huffed out, turning his head to make sure that the hallway was still empty as his hands slid up to brush against the gap of skin between the hem of your top and your skirt. “How am I supposed to focus when all I can think about is bending you over my desk and fucking you senesless?” 

You grinned, your teeth digging into your bottom lip as you hummed. “Well, we have fucked on your desk more times than I can count on both hands,” you mumbled, your fingers coming up to smooth out the collar of his wrinkled shirt. “I’m surprised you can even focus in there at all when you know that you’ve made me cum so many times on that very desk.”

“Don’t remind me,” he groaned quietly, placing a soft kiss to your jaw, “Every time I sit at that desk, all I can picture is you bent over over it while I rail you from behind.”

You laughed quietly, covering your mouth as you also looked around the hall again. “That’s a really pretty picture,”

Jake nodded in agreement before lifting his hand to caress your face. “Dinner at my place tonight? I’ll cook and clean up, and then we can pick up right where we left off here,” he offered, eyes darkening a bit at the thought of getting you all to himself later. 

“You know I’d never pass that up,” you reply, leaning up to steal one last kiss. “Am I sleeping over again tonight?”

“Absolutely,” he answered, “I plan on keeping you in my bed all weekend long, baby.”

You grinned in excitement, “Sounds fun. I love you. Think of me during the rest of your class,”

“I will,” he laughed, stealing one last kiss of his own before stepping away from you. “I love you too. Now get out of here before you get us both in trouble.”

You gave him a firm nod, a poorly hidden smile on your lips as you turned around and quickly made your way towards the exit doors at the end of the hallway, and Jake was already counting down the minutes left until class was over and he could have you back in his arms. 

-

After Jake finished with his classes for the day, he returned home and spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up his apartment before getting started on dinner. In the year and a half he’s been with you, he learned that you have a rather plain palate since you usually just skipped meals or ate out (he remembered he was a similar way when he was in college and barely had time to actually make himself a proper dinner), but you liked pasta quite a lot. Which, to be fair, is a pretty simple dish, but he’d make it for you as often as you wanted it, and you wanted it tonight. 

Just after six, he heard the door open and close quietly, before your voice called out to him. Then you were peeking your head into the dining room, a pretty smile on your lips as you met his eyes from across the room. “Hi,” you murmured just as he set the plates down. 

“There’s my girl,” he grinned, reaching for you once you entered the dining room and pulling you into his arms. He peppered your face with kisses as you set your bag down by the chair, your quiet laugh making his grin widen. “I missed you. Dinner’s ready when you are.” 

You gave him a grateful smile as you pulled away. “Now? I didn’t get to have breakfast and I skipped lunch, so I’m kinda starving,” 

Jake hummed, raising a brow at your lack of care for yourself, and he was actually very happy that you had him to look after you since he was sure you’d forget to eat a lot if you hadn’t started dating him. “Of course, but first,” he mumbled, grabbing your wrist before you could turn away. He pulled you back to him and pressed a deep kiss to your lips, his fingers cradling your jaw. “There. Now we can go eat.”

Your face was red as you sat down at the table, your eyes raking over the simple yet tasty looking pasta. “God, you’re so romantic,” you sighed dramatically before smiling up at him as he pushed your chair in for you. “Your exes are so fucking stupid for letting you go. But now I got you.”

You leaned up towards him and he moved down to meet you halfway for a chaste kiss. 

“Thank you, Jake, this is perfect,” you whispered against his mouth before pulling away. “Just like you.”

“Oh, I don’t know about perfect,” he laughed as he sat down next to you at the table. “Perfection is overrated, flaws are interesting. Luckily for me, I have a lot of those.”

Jake was aware of just how fucking stupid that sounded, but he’s spent the last seven years of his life as a teacher. It was kind of impossible for him to not over-analyze and over-explain things at times. 

He was also very aware of just how domestic this whole thing felt, and he would be lying if he were to say that he hadn’t been craving this feeling for quite some time now. 

“Besides,” he added, not wanting to sound like a total fucking geek in front of you, even though he kind of is one. “If I was perfect, I probably wouldn’t have ended up with you in the end because I wouldn’t have gotten broken up with.” 

You laughed and shook your head as you picked up your fork and took a bite. “Speaking of…” you trailed off once you finished chewing, and your leg brushed against his under the table. “We haven’t really talked about that much. How many girlfriends did you have before me?” Your voice held no hints of jealousy, just curiosity, so Jake knew this wasn’t a test and he didn’t have to be careful with this topic. 

He reached for his beer he opened before you got here. “Um…there was Jenna for about two years, then there was Hannah for just under one. I had a few short flings here and there, but nothing all that serious. Not until I met you,” he answered, “You’re different, someone I actually connect with in more ways than one, even if you are a brat sometimes and pull me out of my classes.”

You hummed and smiled over at him, leaning your chin on your hand as you purse your lips. “Am I…you know, the youngest girlfriend you’ve had?” You asked, and this time you sounded a bit hesitant. 

Jake set his beer down and reached for your hand instead. “Well, yeah,” he replied, “But don’t sell yourself short, baby. Yeah, we have a bit of an age gap, but that doesn’t really mean anything. I may be a bit older, but you bring out a side of me I didn’t even know I had, and I reel you back in when you need me to. We balance each other out damn near perfectly, I’d say.”  

You nodded and squeezed his hand. “Yeah, we do…and you…see us lasting?” You murmur, looking down at your half eaten plate with a faint blush on your face. Now you sounded vulnerable, and Jake hated it, but you didn’t let him answer before you continued, “I know we’re at different places in our lives, but I know that I want you, Jake. You’re the first boyfriend I’ve had who’s made me feel like this; so good and seen and, well, you don’t treat me like a child. You treat me like I’m your world, and I just…I love you, more than I thought possible, and I want to know if you see a future with me. Could you see yourself, you know, marrying me?”

Jake’s eyes flickered between yours, and he knew that you were putting your heart on your sleeve right now, and he wasn’t about to say the wrong thing. He set his fork down and got up from his chair, only to kneel next to yours. “Baby, I see a lifetime with you. You’re not just my girlfriend, you’re my partner. Yeah, my life has been pretty fucking great, but then I met you and I don’t see a future without you in it,” he took your hands in his, stroking your knuckles with his thumbs. “Yes, I do see myself marrying you. That would make me so fucking happy, but further down the road, when we’re both ready for it.”

The uncertainty in your eyes faded, and you smiled down at him as you turned to face him properly. “So this is a real thing?” You asked, leaning down to press your forehead to his. “We’re good?”

Jake laughed under his breath before nodding. “We’re more than good. We’re solid, baby. You and me, and I’m not going anywhere,” he nuzzles his nose against yours, murmuring the words he’s known since he met you. “You’re my forever girl, now and always.”

A soft whine left your lips, and you seemed to have forgotten all about the rest of your dinner as you pushed him back onto his heels before you got up and moved to straddle his lap. “I love you,” you whispered, wrapping your arms tightly around his shoulders as you kissed him deeply. “It’s so stupid how much I love you. You’re all I think about. When I’m in class, all I can think about is when you were my teacher and we’d have to pretend we weren’t fucking in your bed the night before.” 

Jake groaned, kissing you again as his hands settled on your waist. Your words had him also thinking back to when he’d have to make sure he didn’t spend his entire lesson looking at just you and thinking about how you’d be at his apartment with him once the class was over. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he grunted, his hands sliding down to grasp your ass. “The things I wanted to do to you. Fuck, I need you. Right now. Fuck dinner.” 

You squealed as he easily stood up with you clinging to his front, his lips pressing to your neck as he made a beeline for the hallway. “Are you going to make love to me, Jake?” You whimpered as you pulled at his hair, trying to rub yourself against his abs as he carried you into his bedroom. 

“Yeah, baby. I’m going to kiss every inch of you and make you feel so good,” he promised, laying you down gently on his bed. He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor before he crawled on top of you, one of his knees sliding between your thighs as he connected your lips again. His hands pulled up your sinful little crop top and tossed it aside before reaching behind you to unclasp your bra. Once your top half was bare, Jake pulled away from your lips and began placing open mouthed kisses to your skin, whispering anything that came to mind. “You’re so beautiful, my gorgeous girl. My forever love.”

“Jake,” you gasped, leaning back on his pillow as his hand slid up your skirt and brushed along your clothed core at the same time his mouth wrapped around one of your nipples. “Please…please.” 

Your hands pulled at his hair in a way that had him groaning against your soft skin. “Patience, baby,” he murmured, pulling away from your chest as his hands tugged down both your skirt and panties and let them join the rest of your clothes on the floor. Then he was burying his face between your thighs, parting your folds with long, slow strokes of his tongue and moaning at the sweet taste of you. 

His nose bumped against your puffy clit as his tongue slid inside your warmth, his hands wrapping around your thighs to spread them even wider as he ravished you. “Fuck,” you cried out, tangling your fingers in his hair. “Oh, God…just like that.” 

Your sounds were music to Jake’s ears, and they only spurred him on. His hands gripped your thighs tighter, his lips wrapping around your clit as he sucked on it, coaxing more and more of those sweet sounds from your mouth until your back was arching and your hand was pulling harder on his hair. “Come on, baby,” he murmured, flicking your bundle of nerves with his tongue. “Cum for me. Let me taste you.”

Not long after he said those words, you were writhing against his bed and coming on his tongue. Your sweet taste coated his mouth and chin, and he licked up every drop until you were shaking and softly crying his name.

He pulled away from your sensitive core and crawled back up your body, his lips finding yours in a deep kiss as he muttered, “So fucking beautiful,” and ground his erection against your hip. 

You moaned against his mouth, kissing him back messily as you pulled him impossibly closer to you. Your legs wrapped around his waist, your shaky fingers unzipping and pushing down his jeans as you bucked your hips against his. “Please,” you whimpered, still shaking in his arms. 

“I’ve got you, baby,” Jake hushed you softly, cradling your face with one hand while his other reached down to grip the base of his cock, and he slowly entered you with one smooth thrust. “Fuck…you’re so tight.” 

He held still for a few seconds before beginning to move, finding a steady rhythm as he rocked into you with deep, slow thrusts. His hand slid beneath your knee, hiking your leg up higher on his hip as he found an even deeper angle, and the soft whine you let out went straight to his head.

“That’s it, sweet girl,” he rasped, keeping your leg wrapped firmly around his waist as he sped up just a bit, his eyes fixed on the gentle sway of your breasts. 

“Oh, God,” you cried out, squeezing your eyes shut as your head tipped back on the pillow again. Your moans were loud as you turned your head and buried your nose into the fabric that smelled like his shampoo and body wash. “Jake.” you whimpered, and he could see the tears gather along your waterline as he fucked you slowly into his mattress, letting you feel every single inch of his cock. 

He leaned down, pressing a deep kiss to your mouth as he cradled your head. “I’m right here, baby,” he whispered, “I got you. You’re so perfect.” He knew that made him a hypocrite since he said that perfection was overrated, but here you were; stunning in every way possible and so damn right for him. That was the only way he could describe it. You. Perfect. 

Jake’s hands were all over your body, caressing every curve he knew so well as your moans got louder and more frequent. “Fuck…I’m not perfect, Jake. You are,” you mumbled, pressing your forehead against his. 

“Shh, yes you are. You’re so fucking perfect, flaws and all, and everything that makes you the woman I fell in love with,” he grunted, peppering kisses along your face as he thrust a bit faster into you. “You make me happier than I ever thought I could be. You’re everything, baby. And I promise, no matter what, you’ll always have me.”

Jake was sweating a bit, his release creeping up on him from how good your body felt, and he wanted this to last forever.  

“Jake, fuck, I’m gonna cum,” you warned quietly, wrapping your legs tighter around his waist as you tugged on his hair. The slick sound of your bodies meeting over and over again grew louder as you let out a soft cry of his name, then you were shaking in arms once again. 

His heart had never felt this full, his whole body thrumming as he rocked into you until he came deep inside of you, his vision blurring a bit at the intensity of it all. “Fuck,” he groaned, burying his face against the side of your neck as he shuddered through the aftershocks. “I love you.”

Jake wrapped you up in his arms, cuddling your body against his chest as you both tried to catch your breath. “I love you too,” you mumbled, tangling your legs with his. “Thank you for dinner…even though we didn’t actually get through all of it.” 

His lips turned upwards as he laughed, brushing his nose against yours. “Our priorities shifted,” he muttered, running his hand up the back of your thigh as he nuzzled his face against your shoulder and closed his eyes. “Need to rest my eyes for a sec, baby. Wake me up when you’re ready for round two.”

Your soft laugh had his smile growing, and that’s how he fell asleep, wrapped up in the arms of the person who had quickly stolen his heart, and he hoped like hell that you never gave it back to him.

Because as long as you had it, he knew he’d spend the rest of his being so fucking happy with you by his side.

[disturbedbeautywrites]

Ticking time bomb - Jake Seresin Imagine x bestie reader

A/N: okay so you guys loved protective Jake in the first blurb, so here’s some more of him. This can be a stand alone or read as part 2 to Her protector

Warnings: cursing, verbal abuse, mentions of physical abuse, and Jake being protective again

The next week following the family day cookout were beyond tense in your household. You lived with your current boyfriend Nathan, and the fighting the two of you were doing just kept getting worse and worse. You were sleeping on the couch almost every night, you were crying yourself to sleep, and you were in a hole of despair. You had barely seen Jake since he stood up for you at the cookout, Nathan making sure he stayed far away from you. It absolutely broke your heart, but you felt trapped with absolutely no other choice.

It was a typical Saturday night, Nathan was out with his squad and you were at home watching a movie by yourself. You were curled up on the couch watching the notebook when he stumbled through the front door drunk as can be. “Hey, baby..” he started, trying to lean against the wall. “I saw your piece of shit ex best friend tonight. You’ll be happy to know he seems totally fine without you.” The words stung as you sat up, tears rolling down your cheeks. They couldn’t be true, could they? There’s no way Jake would just not care about you like that.

“You’re lying.” The words were a whisper that barely registered, your mind questioning if you even asked the words out loud. “I’m not. He is completely fine without you.” He had a shit eating grin on his face that absolutely broke you. You let out a shaky breath and unlocked your phone, a picture of you on Jake’s back instantly coming up. You two were in high school in this picture. Jake had just got done playing in a championship game and they had won and his mom had wanted a picture of the two of you to celebrate. You had missed school for two whole days to watch him play and the two of you had the biggest grins on your faces. He couldn’t be right. There’s no way.

You typed up a text to Jake asking how he could care so little about you and the response was clearly him being flabbergasted. What on earth are you talking about?

That sealed your fate with Nathan. Him, lying to your face about your friendship with Jake. “Fuck you.” That was all you said as you walked out to your car, tears rolling down your cheeks. It has been bad this week, but this was the lowest point. You felt so isolated and alone. Your phone rang repeatedly with calls from Jake, all of them going unanswered as you sat in your car numb and disconnected. What even was going on anymore?

You just sat in your car in the driveway , watching the rain pour down your windshield. It was like Mother Nature was in tune with your emotions and she was playing with the weather. You felt your phone vibrate again and you checked it, seeing Jake’s name pop up from a text message. Fuck it, I’m coming over.

And with that, you knew you had no choice in the matter. You sat for what felt like seconds, but you knew it was longer than that. You saw Jake’s headlights come into view and you numbly opened your door, seeing the boy immediately come into view. “Oh, Peach..” his voice was quiet, a tone only you got to see. He looked you over quietly, making sure there wasn’t a single scratch on you. His nostrils were flaring with anger as he took you by the hand and carefully helped you out of your car and into his truck.

No words were shared as you laid your head against the window, your eyes watching as the lights of the town blurred by. You closed your eyes and managed to try and keep your breath steady and normal.

Jake kept his eyes going from the road to you, his chest aching in a massive way. This was his fault. He introduced you to Nathan. It had ruined his entire plan for that night at the party. He had his friends in on it and he was going to have them pick you two for seven minutes in heaven and he was going to confess his feelings to you in the closet, but of course, Nathan took you over that night. He let out an audible sigh that got your attention, eyes shifting over to his as he stopped at a stop light. “He said you didn’t care about me anymore.” Your voice was quiet, barely a whisper that broke the quiet tension between the two of you. The blonde boy scoffed, looking at you incredulously, “Please. You are one of the only people in the world I care about besides my mom and sisters.” You felt a blush rise up in your cheeks as you looked down at your lap. You knew it was true.

“I know,” The words were a bit stronger than your last ones, a small smile gracing your lips as the two of you pulled into the driveway of the house that Jake shared with Bradley, the bronco parked in the other slot in the driveway. “Can we watch the losers?” It was your favorite movie and it would cheer you up instantly. He agreed and the two of you made your way into the house. You curled up on the couch under a blanket next to Jake.

You were watching the movie one second and then the next Jake felt a weight on his arm and you were knocked out. He chuckled quietly and attempted to keep watching the movie until he eventually passed out on the couch next to you.

The two of you slept like that for a few hours until you heard raised voices and you stirred from your sleep slowly. “She’s not here, just leave.” That was Bradley’s voice. “Seriously, man. Get the fuck out.” That was Jake’s voice. “I know she’s here, I saw your truck in my driveway Fiona hit.” And there was Nathan. You let out a shaky breath as you finally came too and stood up from the couch, it squeaking quietly under you.

“Baby, I know you’re in there.” You could hear Nathan and he sounded like the man you fell in love with, your heart shattered. “Please come home. I’ve been up worried sick about you all night.” You could feel your throat constricting and you could feel Bradley and Jake both looking at you. You looked down at the floor, thinking.

You could see Jake wanted to approach you. He wanted to tell you to stay, but he didn’t. It wasn’t his place. “Please baby girl, I’ll stop drinking for you, I promise.” And those were the words that did it, you took a few steps forward and moved between the two aviators and into Nathan’s waiting embrace. He kissed your forehead, apologizing profusely. You could visibly see Jake’s heart break as the two of you walked away, Nathan promising to never hurt you again.

However, little did you and Jake know, that you would show up at his house just days later black and blue and needing him more than ever.

[i314flix]

the one where jake seresin likes to call it ‘welfare checks’ whenever he’s checking how you are—but let’s be real, everyone knows that it’s only an excuse he uses because he can’t seem to erase the uneasiness he feels whenever he knows you’re not fine.

pairing: jake seresin x fem!reader

word count: 5.8k

rating: NC-17

content: fluff, light angst, enemies to lovers au; ft. naval aviator!reader

warning/s: swearing, alcohol consumption, making out, sexual innuendos, daddy issues(?), mentions of feeling pressured, mentions of drunk driving (nobody drunk drives here though), mention of a near death experience, most likely wrong info about naval aviators and the nature of their job sksks i'm sorry this is strictly fiction okAY

opening note. idk how this ended up being almost 6k LMAO. but anyways, i was so inspired to write this one scene (which you can read below) and ended up just adding so many details and back story that now here we are???? hope you guys like it though! jake seresin brain rot is real and i'm admittedly a goner for—as glen once put it—navy draco malfoy 😭

Jake knocks on your door three times, patiently waiting and looking around the street as if he’s afraid that someone followed him here. He knows that it’s unwise to be at your doorstep at this hour, but he was done eavesdropping and subtly asking around about your absence, bothered that it’s been almost a week and you haven’t been attending training like you should be. He heard Phoenix tell Bob that you were taking a short break because of the near-death experience you had while flying along the course last time, in fact almost quitting entirely if it weren’t for Maverick who instead offered you to breathe for a few days and then come back to see if you still wanted out of the mission. You were considered by your fellow TOPGUN graduates to be one of the captain’s top candidates to lead the mission, so Jake understood why Maverick didn’t let you off the hook that easily.

A few seconds pass and he contemplates on knocking again or leaving, deeming this idea as ridiculous—but then he sees the lights open and you’re peeking through the curtain of the small window beside your front door, disappearing again only to unlock the dozen locks on your door and opening it to greet Jake who meets your gaze immediately.

“What the hell are you doing here?” is the first thing you say, flummoxed by his presence. You and him aren’t exactly the closest among the crew, and there have been several times in which you’ve displayed how annoyed you were by everything Jake either says or does.

“I’m visiting you,” he answers, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why?”

“Because you haven’t been in training for a week now. Are you quitting or something?”

You stare at him, appearing in deep thought or perhaps attempting to read his mind, and suddenly, you’re closing the door.

Jake widens his eyes in surprise but is quick to extend a hand out to prevent you from doing so.

“Really?” he complains. “You’re going to slam the door in my face?”

“Look, Hangman,” you begin, sighing and making your tired state known, “if you’re here to give me shit, don’t, because I have no will to show you the patience I typically have on a normal basis.”

“I’m not here to give you shit.”

“Then what are you here for?”

“I told you—I’m visiting.”

“For what? To make sure that I’m not going back so that Maverick can assign you as team leader?”

He rolls his eyes. “No, I’m here to make sure you’re doing okay. I heard you’re doing fine, but I just wanted to see it for myself.”

You’re quiet again, and you revert back to staring at him, as if you’re waiting for him to admit that this is just some prank. Jake doesn’t say anything though, he just returns your stare, appearing sincere for once, worried and waiting for you to realize that he’s not aiming to piss you off every time an opportunity presents itself.

You open the door wider. “Now you see me.”

“You doing good?”

“I’m doing good,” you affirm. “Just… I don’t know. Going through some stuff. Mixed thoughts—feelings—I don’t think you’d understand.”

“Try me.”

“I don’t want to bother you.”

“I’m here and it’s past 11 p.m.,” he says. “If I didn’t want to be bothered, I would have done this welfare check another time.”

You snort at the term he used in visiting you. “Are you sure? You don’t peg me as a good listener, to be honest. I don’t want to pour my heart out and end up listening to your life story instead.”

“I’m not like that. I could be a good listener if I tolerate the person enough.”

“You hate me, though.”

He laughs. “I don’t hate you, Goldie.”

Goldie. Jake liked your call sign because he liked the way you scowled whenever he was the one who utters it. The story behind the name was that your very first squadron saw a picture of you wearing these ridiculous platform gold sneakers when they were snooping around your Facebook profile, finding a photograph taken years ago by your mother at some family gathering you no longer remember. Eventually the joke turned into them calling you Goldie, and when the callsign review board was held, every member of the squadron voted for it to be your call sign and got it approved.

“I find that hard to believe,” you say. 

“I just like driving you insane,” he admits with a smirk, and now you’re more reminded of the Hangman you know. “It gives me great pleasure to get under your skin. You never know how to fake that look on your face whenever you’re mad—it’s very funny.”

“You’re a dick.”

“Sure.” He shrugs.

The edges of your mouth twitch. “Fine, come in. I have beer. Or wine if that’s what you prefer.”

Jake contemplates about it—because like what he thought of earlier when he arrived on your porch, it’s unwise to be here. It wasn’t like in TOPGUN or the Hard Deck wherein there were other people around you for him to always be cautious of his actions; he’s afraid that he slips up or let his repressed romantic interest in you get the best of him since he has you alone.

At the same time however, he just didn’t care enough about the consequences for him to miss this chance of getting to know you better. 

“Beer would be nice,” he tells you as he steps inside.

You nod and turn to head to the kitchen.

The house is a standard bungalow. When you walk in, you’re met with the living room, and then a few steps away from that is the kitchen. On the left side of the house, there’s a hallway leading to what Jake assumed to be the bedroom and washroom. He takes a seat on the sofa upon your instruction, scanning his surroundings and taking in the actuality of the situation he allowed himself to be in.

“Here you go.” You hand him an opened beer and he mutters his thanks, watching you go to the chair near him and plop down.

There’s silence, the two of you just drinking. You engage in small talk for a while, conversing about the most trivial things and matters that he’s not that even keen to know. The topic bounces on and on, until he can’t help but finally break it, impatient now and wanting to know what’s really been going on with you for the past few days.

You smile, amused by his little outburst. “You really want to talk about what’s bothering me?”

“I'm certainly not here to drink and talk about how hot it is on the beach.” He points out. “Just get on with it. You don’t have to tell me your whole life story. Just tell me why you’ve been gone since the accident.”

He catches you wince at the mention of an accident. “I’m resting.”

“You’re resting?”

“Yeah. It’s what Maverick wants me to do. He insists that I take a breather and then go back once I’m feeling better.”

“And have you been feeling better?”

“No,” you admit. “Actually, I…” you hesitate, flickering your eyes to Jake who’s listening intently. “Fuck, I don’t know why I’m telling you this. You’re the last person I should be—”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not comfortable with it.”

“I know. But that’s the thing, Hangman,” you say. “I think I have to tell someone about it or else I’ll end up more conflicted about the whole thing. And you know what? You might actually be the right person for this.”

“How come?”

“Because I don’t give a damn whether I have  your approval or not.”

He scoffs out a laugh. “Wow. Thanks, I guess?”

You grin; you loved teasing him as much as he did the same to you. “I’m planning to quit.”

His hand halts as he’s raising it to get another sip of the beer. He didn’t expect you to drop the bomb that quickly. “What?”

“I want to quit.”

“Because of what? Because of a near death experience? I know your record, and this isn’t even the first time you experience an occurrence that involved—”

“It’s the third time,” you clarify before he’s even done speaking. “I promised myself I’d quit if I almost ended up dead three times.”

“That sounds ridiculous. You know that, right?”

“I never wanted to be a fighter pilot, Hangman.” You confess and he’s stunned by the revelation.

It seemed impossible and untrue. You graduated at the top of your class and you have the reputation of being one of the best in the field. Your leadership skills were top tier, your flying was superb, and you were fearless in the face of danger. He didn’t understand how a person who didn’t want this occupation to have all those qualities and be an overall amazing naval aviator.

“You’re lying,” he says, not knowing how to reply to that other than accusing you of being a liar.

You lean back on your chair, bringing your feet up and holding your knees together. “It’s because of my dad. It’s the typical shit you hear about a daughter wanting her dad’s approval. He’s just… he used to be a fighter pilot himself—and then he got into an accident, lost one of his legs after it happened, and got forced to retire.” You bring the rim of your beer bottle to your lips. “I think he was depressed for a while. He didn’t talk that much anymore and when he did, he was always so angry. Mom always encouraged him to talk to a therapist, just to release all the pent up frustration he must be feeling about what happened, but he refused. He didn’t believe in therapy. He was convinced that he could solve it all on his own.

“Anyway, I don’t know what I was thinking, but I thought if I could live the life he couldn’t continue and be a naval aviator myself, he’d feel better—or at least, he’ll be the father I used to have. Turns out I was right. Do you know how much he changed when I told him I sent an application to the Naval Academy? He was so pleased. He did a complete 360. Suddenly, it felt like I was his daughter again. It was clear to me then that if I wasn’t Goldie, I wasn’t anyone worth knowing.” You bite your lip, trying not to get emotional. Jake can see that, noticing how your lips are slightly quivering and how you’re avoiding eye contact. “But in a way, I still had some self-respect left. So that’s why I told myself that if I almost get myself killed in three different instances, I’d quit and I wouldn’t care about what Dad thinks. I’ll just go and live my life how I’d want to live it.”

“And last time was the third time.” He reiterates.

“Yep.”

He nods and downs the last gulps of beer.

There’s that silence again, but it’s not awkward. Jake is absorbing everything you just shared to him and you’re trying not to regret the fact that you told all of that to Jake. It’s a story you’re not used to disclosing to just anyone, especially not to someone like Jake who before this night was the reason why your temper was often brought to its highest limits. Yet you can’t deny that a huge weight has been lifted off your whole body thanks to the impromptu venting session; you appreciate the manner in which he stayed quiet and let you finish talking, not once interrupting and not once taking his attention away from you.

“Does Maverick know about this?” he asks.

“Yeah. I’m already drafting my request for resignation.”

“You know that most of the time, those requests get rejected, right?”

“Yeah.” You groan, finishing your beer as well. “But I don’t care. I’d at least try. Then if they won’t allow me, maybe I’ll just orchestrate a fourth near death experience and—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Jake cuts you off and you raise your eyebrows at him. “I don’t like what you’re implying.”

“I was just joking.”

“It’s not a good joke. You know better than to joke about things like that.” He’s serious, the most serious you’ve seen him in a long time.

He’s right. You know he is and it pains you to admit it to yourself. You swallow hard, abruptly ashamed. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just all over the place these days.”

“It’s fine.”

“I was being stupid.”

“You’re going through a hard time.”

“I’m sorry for trauma dumping.”

“It’s alright, Goldie.”

You stand up, getting his empty bottle and trudging to the kitchen to place them on the counter. “If you want to go, you’re free to. It’s late.”

“I can stay here if you need company.”

You laugh humorlessly. “I don’t need babysitting.”

“It’s not babysitting.” He pushes himself off his seat and follows you. “I just don’t feel good leaving you in this state. You’re clearly not okay.”

“I’m okay,” you correct him. “Like I said, I’m just all over the place these days. I need time alone to think and be sure of what I want to do.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’d be a great loss to the Navy if you quit.”

You snort. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do. Why do you think I like pissing you off? It’s because you’re competition. You’re almost as good as me.”

You’re leaning on the counter and Jake’s standing beside you, his hand a few inches from your waist. 

“Actually, I’m better than you, Hangman.” You smirk. “And maybe so is Rooster. He’s certainly better than you when it comes to being a leader.”

“Yeah, but I’m faster than him.”

“You’re reckless compared to him.”

“I can beat him in a dogfight.”

“He doesn’t leave his teammates behind.”

“Yeah, he forces them to go as slow as he is.”

“It’s not a bad thing. He’s being careful.”

“Slow doesn’t equate to being careful.”

“It doesn’t matter. I like him better than you anyways.”

“You like him better? You sure about that?”

You don’t know how it happened but you’re suddenly standing very close to Jake, your faces tilted towards each other that you’re certain if one of you moves any nearer, you’ll end up kissing. You’re reminded of how the squadron often teases you both, saying that the reason you bickered a lot was because of the sexual tension that both of you shared, but you always made an effort to deny it, declaring that there was no way in hell that you saw Hangman in the sense and you’d rather make out with a frog than the said cocky pilot.

Being in this situation with him right now though? After sharing a beer and letting yourself show your most vulnerable side to him? Seeing how genuinely concerned he is for you? How he actually see you as a highly skilled and capable naval aviator? It messes with your head a bit, makes you think that maybe you’re just really excellent with pretending that you’re not affected by his stupidly handsome smile, or drawn to gazing at his toned body whenever he’s in his uniform, or distracted when he’s sputtering off nonsense meant to rile you up and instead you’re noticing how pink his lips are, how soft they must be, how dozens of girls have fallen victim by his charm and how good he must at working those lips of his…

“You’re staring,” he whispers.

Your eyes move up. “What?”

Jake grins, like he understands what’s happening at this second. “You’re staring at my mouth, Goldie,” he says. “Is there something on my mouth?”

You shake your head. Your cheeks are warming up. Your heart is beating faster. You’re aware that he’s teasing, that he wants to get a reaction from you, and you’re annoyed that he’s getting what he wants. “It’s late,” you repeat your statement from earlier. “You should head back. Get some sleep.”

He thankfully steps back and you exhale.

“When are you coming back?” he asks.

“I’m not sure.” You start leading him to the front door. 

Once you’re there and opening the door for him, he stops for a second, looking at you. “Hey, if you need someone to talk to… you can call me, alright?”

You find yourself smiling in amusement. “Tonight doesn’t make us friends, Hangman.”

“Good.” He returns the smile, sly and that teasing glint still in his eyes. “I don’t want to be friends.”

Before you can quip back a reply, he’s saying goodnight and marching down the steps of your porch, going inside his car and driving off.

****

You came back two days later and returned like you never left.

He didn’t talk to you again after that night. You didn’t call if ever you did need someone to talk to, and he didn’t approach you unless he really had something to say. You two weren’t avoiding the other per se; there just wasn’t a need to be within the other’s vicinity nor the obligation to initiate the conversation that much. However, in Jake’s case, he wanted to check on how you were doing, especially after being briefed on why you were having second thoughts about your position in the Navy—he just didn’t think it was okay for him to do so, not when he had a feeling that you didn’t want acknowledge the fact that you did tell him your story out of everyone in the squadron.

Eventually, it was decided and announced by Cyclone that Maverick would be appointed team leader to conduct the mission, seeing him to be the most fit among the graduates he was supposedly training for the job. Maverick chose Phoenix and Bob to accompany him, picked Rooster along with Payback and Fanboy to head the second strike team, and assigned Hangman as the emergency action pilot.

Jake saw how you were disappointed not to be given responsibility for anything for the mission, which didn’t make sense since you didn’t even want to be here in the first place. He figured you must have been looking forward to being appointed nonetheless, maybe driven by your desire to make your father proud still that you were willing to go on this dangerous operation to please him.

“Hey,” you called just as he was about to hop on his aircraft. “Be careful out there, okay?”

He grinned, tilting his head at you in a mocking manner that makes you regret for saying anything. “Are you going soft on me, Goldie?”

You scoffed, but you were flashing him a grin in an instant. “You wish. I just don’t want you to get yourself killed so I can do it myself.”

“Yeah, that’s totally why.”

“Shut up, Bagman.”

He gave you a wink before carrying on with what he was doing while you made a show of rolling your eyes before walking away.

After that, despite how the events weren’t as smooth sailing as you liked, nobody ended up arranging anyone’s funeral and Jake was even hailed as one of the heroes since he successfully saved Maverick and Rooster when they were heading back to the carrier. 

And now, the whole squadron is doing some kind of post-mission celebration. It’s held in the Hard Deck, the bar near the naval base, and as Jake drinks with the rest of the crew and secretly relishes how everyone no longer saw him as only an arrogant pilot but an arrogant and reliable pilot, he finds himself trying to spot you among the crowd of aviators and every significant staff that made this mission successful, wishing he can know what are your thoughts about what has happened today.

“You see Goldie anywhere?” Jake asks Javy, placing the empty bottle of beer on the counter.

Javy scans the area and shakes his head. “No. But I think I saw her going out earlier.”

Jake nods.

Without further ado, he decides to go out of the bar and try starting his search there. He’s grateful he doesn’t need to explore the whole seaside to spot you plodding to where he’s guessing your car is parked, your legs wobbly and all, appearing you’re preoccupied with no regard to your surroundings that allow him to catch up beside you inconspicuously. As soon as you notice him though, you’re blinking multiple times, pausing for you’re surprised to see him here when you know he should be with the others.

“Jake,” you say, and he ignores the odd feelings that erupt in his chest upon hearing his name from your lips. “What are you—”

“Welfare check,” he explains. “Where are you going?”

You laugh out loud. He realizes you’re a bit drunk. “These welfare checks are becoming frequent.”

“It’s the second time. Don’t exaggerate.”

“Two times is too much for you.”

He changes the subject. “You’re not planning to drive home when you’re drunk, are you?” 

“No, I’m not that stupid.” You scoff. “But I was planning to sleep in my car, just until I’m feeling okay to drive.”

“I can drive you home.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Let me do it anyway.”

You stare at him and he holds the stare, green eyes piercing through yours that you can feel right in your core. You’re mesmerized, caught in the moment, similar to that time in your kitchen, and before you understand your actions, you’re handing him your keys and going to the passenger’s side.

****

You don’t verbally invite him in but he follows you regardless, taking the sign of you opening the door wider for a few seconds as he walks from behind the invitation itself. You allow him to act as some shadow as you cross the living room and go to the kitchen to get a water bottle from the fridge, no words spoken from the both of you, and it’s only when you turn around to say something that it’s dawning onto you how it was maybe a bad idea to have him over.

You trust Jake as a man who won’t take advantage of you, but you don’t trust yourself with the thoughts you’ve been having about him lately. After that night when he did his first ‘welfare check’, you couldn’t shake him off your mind as fast as you usually could; you’ve spent a lot of your free time thinking of him and how you don’t exactly hate being in his presence like you’ve been telling yourself. Worse, you’re considering how you might truly be attracted to his infamous charm, captivated by that Texan accent and confidence whenever he went, steering the attention of everybody in the room.

You watch him take slow strides in your direction. You’re not moving, you’re not attempting to get away, and when he stops directly in front of you, your heart is doing that thing again—palpitating and striving to burst out of your ribcage.

“Are you going forth with your resignation?” he suddenly asks.

“Not yet, I suppose. I talked to Maverick about it today, and he’s offering to endorse me to the Admiral and Vice Admiral to make me an instructor in TOPGUN.”

“And are you taking it?”

“Maybe.”

The lights inside the house aren’t open. It’s only the lamp you had beside your sofa; its warm hue illuminates your faces and creates this sense of intimacy that you can’t brush off. Jake’s expression tells you he’s in deep thought, as if he’s having a dilemma of his own, and you’re under the impression that perhaps he’s confused with what’s going on right now as much as you are.

“If you take that job, then you’re staying here, aren’t you?” he guesses, and you shrug.

“Most likely.”

“Then there’s no chance we’ll be deployed again in the same squadron.”

“I wouldn’t say there’ll never be a chance again but—it’s a high possibility,” you say. “Why? Can’t stand to be directly in the same team as me anymore?”

He chuckles. “Partly.”

“Partly?” you exclaim. “You really don’t like me that much, huh?”

“It’s not that. You think I’d be here if that was the case?”

“You said the other day you didn’t want to be friends.”

“Yeah, and being friends is still the last thing I want with you.”

“Fine by me. My feelings are very much mutual, I assure you.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you’re not understanding what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“I mean I’m glad we won’t be placed in the same squadron again because there wouldn’t be a conflict of interest.”

You’re left speechless, the implication of his words causing you to overthink. Is he telling you what you think he’s telling you? Are you completely missing his point? Is he just messing with you? Playing mind tricks to have you wrapped around his finger? Whatever it is—whether your suspicions are right or not—you don’t let yourself think about it further, for this tension between the both of you is heightening and there’s a voice in your head that tells you to kiss him to find out what he really sees you as.

So you do. You kiss him, closing the gap between your lips and throwing your arms around his neck to tug him closer. It’s probably because you’re drunk that you’re brave enough to execute such a crazy gesture; you think how liquid courage indeed does wonders to your brain and your ability to know what’s wrong and right. And you can literally hear the gears in Jake’s brain moving as he stands there, hesitant at first to reciprocate, but eventually succumbing to it with an intensity you didn’t know he’s capable of giving, a hand falling on your hip while the other presses against your cheek, his fingertips inching forward to your hair that you quietly moan at.

Every sense you have is enhanced as the two of you make out. You can discern the pounding of your hearts; you can hear every pleased sound he makes as well as yours; you’re aware of every action he does, what he decides to do with his hands which moves to your waist, to your back, and lower… and even lower than that… 

However, it ends as fast as it starts, and before you can properly react, Jake’s already breaking the kiss.

 He looks grudging. It’s clear that he didn’t want to stop. “You’re drunk,” he whispers, an explanation to why he still did.

“Just tipsy,” you correct, about to try kissing him again but he dodges it, instead placing a lingering kiss on your cheek that spreads chills all over.

“We’re not sleeping together unless you’re sober.” His lips are on your ear, and you’re awfully getting mixed signals. It’s like he’s saying no yet continuously seducing you.

“I’m not that drunk.”

“I drove you home because you are.”

“No, you insisted on driving me home.”

“Because you were planning to sleep in your car, Goldie. Come on, are you seriously arguing with me on this?”

You groan, frustrated. Your head is starting to hurt because of the aftermath of the kiss and the thinking and the analyzing when it comes to what he’s saying to you and the actions he’s showing tonight.  “Am I getting the signals wrong? Isn’t the reason you went here because you want to sleep with me? You just told me you didn’t want to be friends—because obviously, friends don’t fuck.”

Jake’s laughing once more. It certainly doesn’t seem you’re sober from the way you’re talking to him, too blunt and careless. “You didn’t read the signals wrong. I do want to sleep with you.”

“Then why are you rejecting me? I’m practically begging here. It’s goddamn embarrassing.”

“____,” he utters your name, still grinning in amusement yet his features are softer now as he stares at your half-lidded eyes boring into him, “if you were any other girl who’s asking me, I’d gladly sleep with you. You’re not some girl though—and I don’t want to fuck this up.”

“What?”

“I want to date you.”

“Okay, hold on.” You whip your head back in shock but you’re not pushing him away which Jake takes as a good sign. “Are you kidding? You better not be messing with me right now.”

“I’m not messing with you.”

“There’s no way in hell you want to date me, Hangman.”

“I’m pretty sure I do.”

“You don’t even know me that well.”

“It’s not like I’m asking you to elope and run away with me.” He chuckles and steps away, giving you a bit of room to breathe. “I’m just saying I like you and I want to get to know you better.”

You stare at him, waiting for the punchline that’s never going to arrive. “You’re nuts.”

“Hey, you’re the one who kissed me.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I thought you only wanted sex!”

“I still want sex.” He smirks and you squint at him in distaste. “But after a couple dates maybe. I take it slow with women I actually like.”

“You take it slow? You?”

“In relationships and in bed—if that’s your thing.”

“God, you’re giving me a migraine.”

You head to the part of the kitchen where you have a pouch of medicine for instances like these. From your peripheral vision, you see Jake already getting your unfinished water bottle to hand it to you as soon as you popped the aspirin in your mouth. 

“We can talk about this tomorrow,” he says. “You should rest.”

“I should wake up from this nightmare.”

“I didn’t know jumping on me and begging for sexual intercourse was part of your nightmares, Goldie.”

“Fuck you.”

He grins. “Go to bed. I’ll leave right after.”

“How are you going back to the Hard Deck?”

“I’ll book an Uber.”

“Okay.”

You let Jake usher you to your bedroom, saying that he’ll visit you first thing in the morning. You tell him that he doesn’t have to bother but he replies that he needs to do another welfare check which you roll your eyes at, reckoning that it was cute the first time but now it was getting old and corny. He just laughs at you, for what seems like the nth time that evening, the reality of what happened between the both of you is beginning to sink in—and you’re not freaking out anymore. You think you kind of like it; you like the idea of Jake taking you seriously and conveying how serious he is by making his intentions clear.

“Good night, darlin’,” he says, brushing a portion of your hair away from your face.

You take a deep breath. You still kind of want to jump on him still but you immediately push those inappropriate thoughts away.

“Good night, Jake.”

****

The next day, a huge part of you genuinely thinks that everything that transpired last night was only an infuriating almost-sex dream. 

You would have slept all day if it wasn’t for the heat of the sunlight seeping through your windows. When you opened your eyes, you saw that it was past 11 a.m. and your head was already killing you, causing you to sit up and head groggily towards the kitchen to wash your face, brush your teeth, and find the aspirin that could help with the headache. You’re the type of person who prevents a matter from worsening while it’s still possible, and you don’t want to spend the rest of your day wincing and complaining about your condition when it could easily be solved.

The moment you swallow the medicine, your brain thinks it’s the perfect time to bombard you with memories of what commenced the day prior. In an instant, you’re remembering the drinking, and then Jake driving you home, that odd tension between you two, and—oh, God. The kiss. The conversation after the kiss. Jake confessing what he felt for you and what he was going to do about it now that he said it out loud.

As if on cue, a knock pulls you away from your thoughts and like a robot, you mechanically go to your door to greet whoever it is that’s on the other side. You don’t even have the energy to peek through the curtains first like you usually do, and you realize that it’s a huge mistake that you forgot that step because once you’re swinging the door open, there’s Jake on your porch.

“Woah, not so fast.” He puts a firm hand on your door as you attempt to shut it on his face, very reminiscent of the other night. “I see you’re not planning on using an amnesia card on me because of yesterday.”

You grimace at the reminder. “Go away. My head hurts and I can’t deal with you today.”

“Good thing I bought hangover soup then. Can I come in?”

“No.”

“What if I say please?”

“Still no.”

“Alright, come on,” he’s still resisting the force you’re putting on the door to close it, “at least take the soup.”

You glance at the paper bag he’s holding and reach for it. However, he slyly moves it to the opposite direction.

“Hangman.” You grit your teeth.

“If you’re taking the soup…” he trails, “then that means you’re agreeing to a date. Will you still take it?”

It’s ridiculous. It’s such a middle school tactic, you think—yet there’s a little something fluttering inside your chest, a bit amused at how Jake is approaching this. There’s truly nothing like a man who goes out of character for the woman he adores; from the manner in which he’s acting, it’s apparent that he’s not afraid to show you a side of his personality that isn’t the usual macho, cocky, and self-absorbed one. Somehow, even if you’re aware that he’s going towards the cheesy route, you’re digging it.

With a roll of your eyes, you snatch the paper bag from his grasp and saunter back to your kitchen.

“Are you coming in or what?” you call, noticing that he hasn’t stepped in.

He strides to where you are, this cheeky look on his face as he reverts to his standard overconfident self. You remark how he goes after you, soon caging you by the sink while you’re getting the utensils from its designated cabinet to use for this so-called hangover soup he brought with him. You’re not fazed despite the proximity and how this scene mirrors last night when you face him, even raising your chin a bit higher to appear further composed.

“I knew you couldn’t resist me,” he says.

Jake makes a familiar show of his eyes flashing from your eyes to your lips, smirking, and just when you think he’s leaning down to continue where you left off, you tease him by placing a palm on his face and gently shoving his face away.

“Shut up, Bagman.”

gentle reminder: this author is a sucker for validation so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about this! ♡

[sappy-seresin]

I was Born to Love You (J. Seresin)

Pairing: Jake Seresin x Reader

Summary: You're the one Jake was born to love, and he creates gentle moments to remind you. Based on Ray LaMontagne's "I was Born to Love You."

Warnings: None, honestly just toe curling fluff.

Word Count: 2k

A/n: MY WORK IS ORIGINAL AND IS NOT TO BE COPIED OR REPOSTED. Be kind and don't steal other people's writing, thank you.

Gif creds: @unicornships

You’re in the kitchen of your and Jake’s shared home, knee deep in making dinner while Jake clinks around in the living room, having said something about music making the already soft atmosphere better. You smile to yourself as he clicks through several songs, imagining his tongue slightly jutted out of his mouth in concentration as he searches for the perfect melody to set the tone.

“There it is,” you hear him mutter after a lull of silence. Being focused on the task at hand, you miss the sound of Jake’s feet padding closer to you.

"Our song?" You point out, a fond smile tickling the corner of your lips as you glance at Jake over your shoulder. Butterflies dance in your stomach at the effortless elegance surrounding him. He's wearing a content grin, a hum of affirmation rumbles from his chest as he melodically approaches you with an outstretched hand.

"Dance with me," though it's a request, it comes out as more of a statement and you know 'no' won't be an acceptable answer.

"I'm making dinner," you remind him, a slight whine lacing your voice. You love treating him to home cooked meals when you have a night in, and he loves it when you do so, but sometimes, he just wants to dance with his favorite girl on his arm.

"Dance with me, Darlin'," he murmurs in your ear, catching you in his arms with his chest flush against his back. His lips graze your ear as he speaks and he promptly presses a chaste kiss on the skin just behind it, knowing you're always putty in his hands when he does that. "Dinner can wait." You sigh, melting into his chest, letting him know that he's won. His gently spins you around in his arms, wordlessly guiding you to the middle of the dimly lit living room. Unbeknownst to you, he lit several candles and turned down the lights while you were distracted in the kitchen. The simplistic romantic setting has you swooning further as Jake guides your hands to rest around his neck, promptly sliding his to rest just above your spine while he smiles down at you, humming with the beginning lyrics of Ray LaMontagne's, "I was Born to Love you" playing through your vintage record player.

You give me a sign, you give me a lift Take me home when I've done my shift. You give me a loan when I'm stone cold broke Get me high, when I need a toke.

"You're quite the charmer, Lieutenant," you smile, tracing circles across the exposed skin on the nape of his neck as you sway to the music, following his lead. A blush tints his cheeks, partnered with the bashful smile you love to be the reason behind.

"Only for my favorite girl," he admits, his voice is husky as his breath ghosts your face. The glimmer in his eyes makes your knees feel weak, just like it does every time you catch it being directed at you.

"I was born to love. I was born to love, I was born to love. I was born to-" plays through the speakers, adding to the warm hue covering the room as the two of you lose yourselves in each others eyes and rhythmic movements. You're both engrossed in each others company now, lost in each others eyes as you whimsically move through the candlelit room, enjoying the way the lighting lights up each others features in the simplest, most beautiful way.

Your breath gets caught in your throat at the look in his eyes. You've been together for years, and aren't new to the awe that twinkles in his green orbs as they drink you in, but that doesn't mean the gesture doesn't have you feeling like a puddle of goop beneath his feet every time you witness it.

"Times were tough, we made it through. We tasted the rough, so let's save the spoon," Jake sings along with the song, effortlessly twirling you before bringing you safely against his chest again. "All the time I was hurting you, got to believe that I was hurting, too." You're convinced that your own lovesick smile can't get any wider as you drink him in.

This song immediately carried significance in your relationship the first time the two of you heard it while slow dancing at a mutual friends wedding shortly after you started dating. The two of you knew that you loved each other, to a certain degree, before you heard it, but the lyrics immediately affirmed how you'd both been feeling after months of tiptoeing around it.

"Y/n Y/l/n, I think you're my person," he'd confidently, yet bashfully, uttered halfway through the second verse. His cheeks were tinted with nerves and whiskey as his eyes blearily captured your content exterior. Your eyes were doe-like as you blinked up at him in adoring surprise upon hearing his confession, but they quickly filled with tears of astonishment when he finished his next though. "I think I was born to love you." His expression was hopeful once he'd gotten the words out, dread dancing through his chest at the chance that you didn't feel the same way. Feeling vulnerable and out in the open wasn't something that Jake Seresin was used to, but he brought his heart out on full display in the moment, leaving himself exposed while awaiting your response. Taking a few seconds to process what he said, your hands cupped his cheeks to pull his attention away from the self doubt you could feel wafting off of him.

"Jake Seresin, I think I was made to love you too," you promised him with a tearful smile, losing your breath when he kissed you so passionately that your head spun.

"Sing with me baby," Jake requests, pulling your attention from the flashback. You easily tune back into the song, leaning your head against his toned chest as the two of you softly sing along with the chorus, the lyrics pouring from the two of you so easily that an outsider looking in may believe that you'd written them yourselves.

"I was born to love. I was born to, born to love, I was born to-." The two of you sing in whispered voices, further soaking each other in as you melt into him again.

"You're the only one I can talk to The only one I can really read I know you give because you want to Don't you think it's time you learn to let yourself receive?" You press a chaste kiss to his neck after the verse finishes, letting your lips ghost against his skin as you continue murmuring the lyrics to him, enjoying the way they sound through his Texan accent. His chins rests itself on top of your head as he recounts the way those words always make his heart clench due to their unwavering truth.

This specific verse is one that Jake has always connected with on a deeper level. You've been his safe place ever since he met you, and are the only person he's let see even the most broken parts of him. He's the same for you, and has been reading you like you're his favorite book that he can quote without skipping a beat.

Knowing that intimacy wasn't one of Jake's strong suits, you willingly jumped in and began showing him that he didn't have to carry the pressure of being the strong one all the time. You catered to every need that he'd allow you to without even blinking, because if you knew anyone that needed unconditional love, it was Jake Seresin. He quickly carried an immeasurable amount of gratitude for that, and swore to himself that he'd return the favor as soon as you'd let him and willingly receive love yourself.

"Can make you smile, can make you sing Just wanna give back a little bit of what you give me. I could sing you a song, play you a tune I know it's just a little thing, but it's something I can do."

Having been friends for a season prior to diving into each other, Jake had witnessed a small portion of your previous relationship, which tainted your own ability to accept love, though you never faltered in gifting it to others. You've always seen the value in caring deeply for other people's hearts and exemplifying that fact through your actions, but situations and relationships in your own life made it nearly impossible for you to return that favor to yourself. Jake made it his sole purpose to help you realize that you were just as deserving of love as the people you care about, if not even more. He wanted to give back all the love that you'd given him and, more importantly, he wanted you to be able to give that same kind of love to yourself. He did everything in his power to see it through.

"I was born to love, I was born to I was born to love, I was born to"

As soon as your friendship shifted into a hint of more, it was impossible for other people not to see that you were meant for each other. The way that you complemented each other so effortlessly never went unnoticed.

You know that couple that captivates everyone's attention due to their aura every time they walk into a room? That's you and Jake. Hell, that's been you and Jake before you and Jake fully existed. The eye-catching chemistry between the two of you has always melted the hearts of bystanders graced by your presence. The two of you carry the type of love that most people only dream of experiencing as you waltz through this life together.

I was born to love you I was born to love you.

The song finishes, but the two of you continue swaying in each others arms, not quite ready to let the fleeting moment pass just yet. Jake's hand cups the back of your head as he pulls away far enough that he can see your face in its entirety. Feeling shy under his attention, you glue your eyes to the floor, your entire head moving in an attempt to hide the emotions swirling in your chest.

Jake tuts his tongue, hooking his forefinger underneath your chin and dragging it upward so that your eyes lock on his again. He pauses, admiring the gentleness of your face, allowing his eyes to speak for him.

"I was born to love you, Y/n Seresin," he gushes, voice sultry and true, as he captivates you with his endearing expression. His thumb slides across the soft expanse of your cheek, resting at the space between your jaw and your neck.

"I was born to love you, Jake Seresin. And I'll gladly spend every day proving it," you promise, grinning at him now. He sucks in a sharp breath, overwhelmed by the love practically oozing from both of your pores. It takes a lot to render Jake speechless, yet you manage to do it every time you remind him just how loved he is by you.

Another beat of silent pining takes place before Jake's pulling you in for a brain scrambling kiss. His lips are soft against yours, molding together so easily that you can't help but believe they were sculpted just for you. You melt into him, each of you losing yourselves in each others kisses. You fall limp against his brute chest, merely putty in his mans hands as he lock his words in with his mouth, letting it do all the talking now. A new song queues itself up, but it's unnoticed by the two of you, the songs long forgotten as the dinner you were working on grows cold on the stove. Minutes feel like hours as you drink each others existence in, letting everything else fade away as though nothing else matters.

Nothing else matters to you as long as you can feel Jake's heartbeat thumping to the same rhythm as your own, your mind jumbled by even the simplest of kisses from him, and vice versa.

When you've found the person you were born to love, everything else in the world changes. Colors appear brighter. Aromas feel stronger. Darkness goes unnoticed. Somehow, love has the power to both amplify and extinguish everything around those lucky enough to experience it. You and Jake wouldn't have it another way as you bask in each others company, swaying gently to a never-ending stream of melodies as the world around you fades away.

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

A/n: One of MANY Valentine's/fluffy fics in my drafts. I had this whole plan to spend the day making mood boards and posting fics, but got sidetracked by inspiration for a personal photoshoot. I will be posting more Valentine's Day inspired fics over the course of the next few days, this is just the one that I finished last night and wanted to post before the day was over. I hope you enjoyed it!!

Tags/moots: @atarmychick007 @b-radbradshaw @teacupsandtopgun @fanboygarcia @bradleybeachbabe @rosiahills22

My taglist is still a work in progress, lmk if you want off of it, and I'll make sure not to tag you anymore!

[imaginedreamwrite]

Pretty Like A Devil

Part 2: The Hard Deck

San Diego, California was a far cry from the northeast corner of the United States that you had come from. You traded the Great North Woods that spanned from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont to New York in the New England area, for the infamous golden state.

The Sunshine Coast, as you’d heard Vida call it, was the place where you would find refuge and escape your broken engagement.

You were leaving behind the beauty of thick dense clusters of trees, and inescapable fall beauty for endless sandy beaches. You would be trading the kind of nature that raised you, for the oceanic siren’s call.

The Great North Woods had been part of the process, and a necessary change to help you heal. It was a transposition of scenery, a part of your past, as you shifted your focus to piecing yourself together.

There was little you knew about the golden state, apart from the things you had learned in school, and you’d never been to the West Coast. You were getting a first-hand account of San Diego, Fightertown according to some, the city that Vida had fallen in love with.

It was indescribable, the first view you’d gotten of the coastal shorelines from the plane—both sandy beaches and towering rocky cliffs.

There was an undeniable draw that you had felt to the state already, and that was before the plane had even touched down. Though you had been expecting to be swept away by the state like Vida had, you didn’t expect for it to happen so quickly. Nevertheless, even after just touching down, you felt as if you could breathe deeply and cleanly for the first time.

The deadweight of your broken relationship and your ex-fiancé had felt as it was left behind in your home state.

Even if the feeling was cliché or as overdone as it may have seemed.

“Our place is literally five minutes from the beach, you could walk there. It’s remarkable.” Vida’s own harbouring excitement had almost boiled over when she picked you up from the airport.

You had suffered from lingering anxiety you had felt at the beginning of the flight. It had come from a mild fear of everything that could go wrong would go wrong, though it seemed to be replaced with eagerness once you saw the coast.

And now that you were out of the airport and in Vida’s Jeep on the way to her house, the remaining anxiety had dissipated.

You hadn’t just left behind your ex-fiancé and the relationship that had been broken by infidelity, you had left behind your family. While your mom and your sisters had understood your need to leave, to find an escape across the country, they would miss you. And you would miss them.

The goodbye you shared with them was difficult to swallow, regardless of you having your best friend to lean on in California, it was still tearing at you.

“You said you know someone whose looking for help?” You wanted as many distractions from your thoughts as possible, and having yourself thrown headfirst into work was the start.

You wouldn’t have cared if you worked as a waitress in a cheap and greasy diner, or if you were scrubbing floors in a school. You wanted to find work, you wanted to throw yourself into a job to start earning money, to find yourself a place of your own. Even if Vida and her fiancé told you that there was no rush for you to get your place.

“It’s a bartending job, I know you said you’d never bartended before, but it’s a real relaxed place. The owner is wonderful, her name is Penny. Trust me, this will be good for you.” Vida’s bright reassurance was effective, it had given you a greater sense of reprieve to know that you wouldn’t have to search long.

“Does she know….” you hesitated to finish your question, you had rendered yourself quiet as you glanced out the window of her Jeep. The coastline was beautiful, it was something you were eager to explore.

It had been another draw, another captivating sight that had pulled you further into immediate fondness for the San Diego sights.

“We’re going to go there now, if you’re okay with that.” Vida was asking you for permission as if she weren’t the one controlling the vehicle, and you were.

“Is she that desperate for work, or is it a favour?” You had finally rehashed your question, giving it a new light.

As it was asked, you turned your head and looked at Vida, your eyes sweeping across her as she hummed under her breath. Whether she was ignoring your question or she simply hadn’t heard you, it had come to the same result: verbal silence above the muffled background of the radio.

“Vida—“

“We take care of each other, we’re family.” She had talked over you after you spoke her name, her eyes, and tone of voice casting reassurance on you. “Penny is a fantastic person, Rooster and I are really close to her and Mav.”

“Rooster?” You seemed surprised, again, by the name her fiancé went by. You had known his name, Bradley Bradshaw, but it never ceased to catch you off guard when she called him by his callsign. “Right, that’s what you call him.”

“Everyone has a callsign. Bradley’s is Rooster, Pete Mitchell’s is Maverick…” Vida seemed to grin to herself, giggling under her breath with a shake of her head. “Oh, just wait until you meet Hangman.”

“Hangman? What kind of name is Hangman?” You mumbled under your breath, your eyes drifting toward the sand parking lot Vida was pulling into.

The bar she was speaking of, The Hard Deck, was a solitary building on the smooth and warm sand with its back to the ocean.

The front of the building seemed to be made of medium-dark wood shiplap and had a small porch at the front with an overhanging cover. The HARD DECK signage was written with faded red LED lights that matched the faded white trim.

“Wait until you see inside, it’s so much better inside.” Vida had parked and turned the engine off, slipping the keys into her jean pockets.

As you got out of the vehicle and followed her, you felt like you were craning your neck to try to get a look at everything before you.

Your cheap, worn shoes had sunk lightly into the sand as you made your way to the front door, climbing the two dark stained wooden steps that led to the entrance. The main door to the Hard Deck was made of light-medium wood with heavy hinges, and you’d grabbed the brass handle and yanked the door open, allowing Vida to pass first.

Your first impressions on stepping into the bar was nothing short of amazement. There was nothing insignificant about the bar, nothing that wasn’t completely captivating. To your left, once you stepped inside, was a booth tucked into the corner of the bar, the leather U-shaped seats and small wooden table looked intimate and comfortable.

On the walls were memorabilia and artwork depicting the kind of jets and fighter pilots that manned them. There was a single light hanging above the table, a pale yellow light ensconced in a brass fixture.

Across from the front entrance was a series of smaller seating areas with matching tables and blue leather chairs. There was a series of them along the wall, leaving a space between the seating arrangements and the bar to walk, though.

Though the floor was seamlessly laid out with dark grey wood to match the aesthetic of the dark wood, there was nothing about the bar that didn’t draw you in.

The Hard Deck was beautiful, unabashedly so.

“This is incredible.” You were in complete awe of this place, and you truly didn’t know where you wanted to look first.

Maybe you were drawn toward all the artwork on the walls, or the endless white cups bearing the images of different airplanes on the side, hanging from certain areas of the bar.

“Wait until you see it when it’s officially open,” Vida nudged you with her elbow, directing you toward the main feature of the building.

The bar itself was a seamless and large oval in the centre, one which had been set up with beer on tap at a station in the middle. There was an equally respectable set of liquor bottles that had been arranged to the left of the beer.

You had taken a seat beside Vida on the side of the bar that was closest to the door. As you sat and slowly took another look around, you heard the door opening to the kitchen. Although, you had still been looking around when you heard a woman speaking to you.

“Penny Benjamin,” the woman standing on the other side of the bar extended her hand.

Her long dark brown hair was loose and free-falling over her shoulders and down her back, her blue eyes were settled on you in an interested and speculative glance. You had extended your hand for her to shake, giving her name in exchange for hers, and then you withdrew your hand and fell into silence.

It was only after a minute of the silence that she spoke with nothing less than a cordial tone and a kind smile.

“So you are my new bartender. Have you ever worked as a bartender before?” It appeared that she didn’t have any previous expectations that you had, and you were sure Vida would’ve already told her that you hadn’t—it seemed, however, that she wanted to hear it from you.

“I have more experience on the receiving end than I have making drinks.” You’d felt that unsettling bubble of minute panic rising beneath your skin. It was an after effect that had seemingly worsened since you caught your ex cheating, though it was intensified in certain situations.

“You’ll start easy on the beer, and you’ll be my runner.” Penny’s attention had been cast behind her, at the sign she had posted on the wall that was hanging beneath a large bell.

“Disrespect a lady, the Navy, or put your cellphone on my bar you buy a round…” You read the sign slowly, processing the message slowly and with interest. “That happen often?”


“More than you think.” Penny had offered you another smile and then crossed her arms over her chest, her attention briefly falling to a clock on the wall. “Come back tomorrow at 5. I’ll run you through the system, and we’ll get you thrown right into it.”

“Thank you.” You were grateful for the opportunity to have work sooner than you expected, especially in a place that seemed so relaxed and close to the beach.

It seemed like just as soon as you had gotten to The Hard Deck, you were gone again and heading to the house.

While Vida had mentioned that her and Rooster’s house was five minutes from the beach, you hadn’t expected it to look or be as cozy as it was.

Though Vida made sure to tell you that Rooster had lived on base when he was considered to be on active duty, and spent his time here when he was free. There was a certain charm and character to the house that hadn’t fit the aesthetic of the houses surrounding Vida’s, and you enjoyed it.

The house had charm, and it was clearly well-loved if the personal touches were anything to go off. On the front porch, with an overhanging roof, there was a porch swing set against the wall decorated with nautically designed pillows. There was a rumpled blanket between the armrests and the pillows, and a book resting on the material.

On the front of the door was a hanging sign. It was a standard welcome sign that had been made with thick rope against a black background.

“There are four bedrooms, and I have your guest room all set up.” Vida had stepped by you to unlock and open the door, welcoming you into the front entrance.

While the decor was simple, it was clearly embossed with personal touches from both Vida and Bradley—one of his coats was draped across the couch, and there was a stack of books Vida had clearly just bought.

“Up the stairs are two of the bedrooms—the main bedroom and the room Rooster is using for an office, of sorts.” Vida had taken off her shoes before she stepped aside, allowing you to drag in your luggage.

You set it by the front door before you took off your shoes and set them aside, taking a slow look around the room that had exuded personal charms that fit both Vida and her fiancé. There was a picture of Bradley, you assumed it was him, as a child with his mother and father.

The three of them sitting on the bottom steps of what you assumed was a boardwalk. Besides the first picture you had seen, was another picture of his father, someone who was also a pilot, standing outside the plane he likely flew.

“It’s just going to be us tonight.” Vida had broken your silence with a gentle prod, directing you to follow her to the guest room she set up for you.

The room you would have would be off the main living room and down a small hall, a private space for you. It was far enough away for you from Vida and Bradley, when he was here, wherein you wouldn’t be able to hear them.

“Thank you, Vida. For everything.” You had recalled your gratefulness and extended it again, with a tight and lingering hug.

She was your best friend since childhood, and she had helped you more than you could ever quantify. You didn’t think you could have ever thanked her enough for the way she and Bradley had given you a fresh start.

“We’re best friends, we’re practically sisters. It’s what we do for each other.” She pulled away and rested her hands on your shoulders, her eyes searching yours and yours searching hers. “I missed you, Y/N. I’m damn sorry for what happened, but I’m glad you’re here.”

********************************

The Hard Deck was a popular place, as you had come to find out when you had started your first shift as a runner and waitress.

While Penny had managed mixing drinks and taking care of the people sitting at the bar itself, you had been busy on the floor. You hadn’t known what to expect when you had started at The Hard Deck, however both Vida and Penny had told you how popular the place was—with both the navy and locals.

While you had known that before you started, and you had been told that by Vida herself, there was nothing like first-hand experience.

Your first shift and day as the new bartender and waitress had begun at 5 pm, like Penny had stated. You had been given a rundown of the tap systems, the POS system and anything you might have needed to access during your shift.

It was a quick rundown before the first few people had entered the bar and taken seats near the back.

“You weren’t kidding when you said it was popular.” You had remarked to Penny after you stepped behind the bar to start pouring beer, the glass in your hand cooled from the alcohol and the chilling station.

As you focused on pouring beer from the tap, you had raised your head as the door to the bar opened. Your eyes were fixated on the appearance of three men and a woman in khaki uniforms from the navy, bearing their ranks and last names.

Of the three men, only one seemed to carry an air of arrogance that was easily detectable even from where you were standing. You had set the filled glass down and reached for another once, watching the arrogant navy man from the corner of your eyes as he seemingly hung behind his friends.

“They’re a little wild, but they won’t give you trouble.” Penny had commented on the place your attention landed, specifically on the man who remained behind.

“Hangman,” Penny greeted him with a sly grin, her hands on her hips and her blue eyes focused on him, “you survived your last flight.”

“Penny, my dear, nothing can take me out.” His voice was teeming on the edge with a slight twang of a southern accent, Texas was your best guess. “You’re new.”

You finished pouring the third glass, setting it on your tray, before you finally looked at the cocky pilot. He was leaning against the bar, forearms resting against the edge, with a cocky grin on his face.

His dirty blonde hair was pushed back out of his face in a soft yet small coif, and his blue eyes were flitting between yourself and Penny as if waiting for an introduction. His jaw was strong and firm, almost angular, and he almost certainly was the kind of man you could have called a fuck boy.

You turned your head, glancing at him with furrowed eyebrows and your lips pursed. Penny called him Hangman, a person Vida said she couldn’t wait for you to meet, and that made you question why she wanted you to meet him.

“Wow, Sherlock, you’re something else.” You responded to his flagrant claim with a sarcastic bite, and a roll of your eyes.

Was it possible for someone you just met to already get under your skin and invigorate your irritation?

It seemed probable for the cocky pilot, the man who seemed to radiate pretentiousness and confidence to a fault.

It shouldn’t have been possible for someone you had barely spoken to, someone you had met for less than five solid minutes, to aggravate you like he had.

“Got a name, new girl?” He rebuffed the sarcastic remark with a grin, and leaned closer to you. “Or should I just call you sweetheart?”

Your pursed lips became a scowl, and your teeth had ground together. You grabbed the tray of beer and carted it off in your hands, ignoring him and his air of arrogance.

“Don’t like sweetheart? How about sugar?” He called after you, and you knew you could feel his grin as you walked away.

You wove in and out of the crowd of people to deliver the ordered beer, your irritation at the pilot only growing when you noticed him still sitting there when you got back.

“Gonna give me an answer, sugar?” He was pressing with that stupid grin still on his face, only now he had an empty shot glass in front of him.

“Hangman,” you replied to his flirtatious laced comment with his callsign, further aggravated by him, “I’ve heard of you.”

Really, all you had heard was his callsign and Vida’s eagerness that you meet each other. Though she hadn’t given you much to go on, you couldn’t posit why she was so excited for you to meet, you’d barely spoken to him and you already wanted to deck him.

“Good things, I’m assuming.” He was shameless when he ordered another drink, a beer this time, and laid a bill on the counter. “Sweetheart, a beer.”

“You know how to use your manners? Or you think you’re above saying please?” You swiped the bill from the counter and handed it off to Penny. Your eyes narrowed in contempt when his grin only seemed to widen into a full bore and bright smile, and a laugh had slipped from his lips.

“I like you,” Hangman, as you’d only known him, had stood up straight when his beer had been set on the bar top, winking at you before he stepped away. “Keep the change, sweetheart. Maybe it’ll lighten your mood.”