#idk if filipino empanadas are much different than spanish and latin empanadas but they are also my favorite snack

[mrs-lockley]

no i don’t think you understand just how personal this is to me-

empanadas

You take Jake out on a date.

Warnings: Jake is paranoid but not his fault, he deserves all the love. He's also hinted to be a little neglectful of himself. Not proofread. Word count: 1,599 GN!Reader, no use of Y/N.

Recently went to Freight Island and had some amazing empanadas and so created this mostly self indulgent fic.

Jake wasn’t a fan of loud and open spaces.

He preferred the comfort of the flat, where the smells and sounds were familiar, where there was no-one but him and you (and Steven and Marc, he supposed). Now, with the loud music and chatter from other diners, he felt on high alert. He needed to know every exit and know exactly where everyone was and what they were doing. It was drilled into him, and he could feel every nerve ending tingling with being on high alert.

You could see how tense he was. He had barely looked at you since you sat down. Maybe this was a bad idea. You wanted to surprise him with a date night, since you hadn’t seen him for a while. You’d found a newly opened food market, where each kitchen was made from old shipping containers, each a different cuisine. A few of your friends and colleagues had already been and had gushed about the place to you, telling you all about the atmosphere and the music, and how much of a good time they had. You had been itching to go for a while until the opportunity arrived.

You had a look at the menus and the food all sounded delicious, and you were excited to bring Jake to try Mia’s Arepas, the South American kitchen. He’d mentioned a few times how he hadn’t managed to find a good empanada place since settling in London, and when you found that there was a South American themed menu you immediately thought of Jake and booked a table.

But now you weren’t so sure you should have come. You should have probably picked a different place to go to with Jake. Maybe a smaller, quieter bistro. But then Jake would have missed out on the empanadas, and your attempts to make them in the past had landed like a lead balloon, and you just wanted him to be happy. Your heart shattered at the look on his face, his eyes darting around at – what it seemed like – each individual in the room before they landed on you.

You lightly sighed. “We can go home, if you want.”

He blinked at you, looking at you as if surprised you wanted to leave. “What?”

“I can tell you’re uncomfortable, so we can forget this and go home.”

Jake opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His brow lightly furrowed as he looked at you. You both sat in silence for a minute, Jake contemplating what to do next and you waiting for his answer. You wouldn’t be upset if he wanted to leave, you did kind of throw this on him when he got home from driving all day. He looked exhausted and you had demanded he get changed so you could take him out. You should have been better; you should have been more considerate.

But you were just excited to spend time with him.

“I’m happy to be here, mi amor,” Jake finally answered.

His stiff posture said otherwise.

You sighed before reaching across the table, your palms facing up, waiting for him to take your hands. He did, after some hesitation, and you immediately held his hands, your thumbs stroking over the warmth of his skin, hovering over an old scar every now and then. You both sat there, in silence, as your thumbs continued back and forth until you felt him relax just a tad.

You bit your lip nervously at his silence. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to be here. I’ll be happy just to be with you. It doesn’t matter where we are.”

Jake’s shoulders sagged a little as he breathed a small sigh. “I…we can stay. I’m okay.”

You raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a pointed look, asking him a silent question. Jake nodded before sitting back, his hands leaving yours, trying to look laid back, but you could still see his eyes darting around the room. You would give him some credit; if he says he can handle it, then you would let him handle it. But you were okay to leave when he was.

You pull up the menus on your phone, leaning forward towards him as you rest your elbows on the table. You scroll through the menus as you talk him through them. The website explained that you had to order through the online app (something you’d already downloaded in preparation for tonight), so you showed Jake the food options. “Let me know what you want, love, and I can order it.”

Jake blushed at the nickname, something you tried to hide your grin at. Jake took your phone from you and scrolled through the app, looking at the foods available. You watched him, a dreamy look on your face. He was so beautiful; his beautiful, warm brown eyes, and his curls, loose for once instead of slicked back and away like Marc liked to wear them. Steven and Jake had overruled Marc recently in trying to change up their looks. Jake wanted facial hair, Marc wanted no change, and Steven absolutely put his foot down on they compromised on growing their hair out a bit.

“They have empanadas here?”

You blink at Jake, his voice shocking you out of your reverie. He smirked at you, having caught you blatantly ogling him. Your cheeks warmed as you nodded at him. “Yeah, it was mostly the reason I wanted to bring you here.”

“Haven’t found any good empanadas in London.”

“You haven’t tried these ones yet.” Jake grinned before passing your phone back to you. You smile at him as you look down at the menu. “I’ll just order some of these then.”

“Get a beef one and a cheese one. With extra hot sauce on the side. Please.”

You snort at the quick manners at the end, adding the food to the basket. “Anything else?”

“I’ll have an arepa too. Surprise me.”

You nod before adding on a chicken arepa with avocado and mayo. You add on your own food and order yourself some drinks before paying and placing your phone down. You smirk at him. “Now we wait.”

“I’m starvin’,” Jake muttered. “Haven’t had the chance to eat today.”

“You’ve got to start looking after yourself, Jake,” you reprimanded.

He shrugged at you. “Steven and Marc look after the body just fine.”

“But it’s not just about Steven and Marc, it’s about you too.”

Jake looked at you with an unreadable look on his face for a moment before he reached across the table, and you took his hand again, and like before, started stroking your thumb up and down against him. “I’m okay, baby.”

“I worry about you,” you say. “We haven’t spent much time together recently and I’ve missed you.”

Jake opened his mouth to reply, but you were interrupted by the waitress bringing over your drinks, giving you both a smile before walking away. You look back at each other, Jake looking at you with the softest of smiles, barely there if you didn’t look at him properly. “I know you worry. I’m sorry. I’m not the easiest person to be around and I’m trying to get better. For you. And the boys, I guess. Steven’s been on my case a little bit for not drinking enough water.”

You give a small laugh as you let go of his hand, reaching for your drink and taking a sip. “In his defence, I believe him. I don’t think you do.”

“I’m on the road every other day, when do I have the time?” Jake asked defensively, taking a gulp of his own drink (definitely the opposite of water).

You roll your eyes. “I’m going to start leaving bottles of water out for you before you go.”

Jake ignored the pang in his chest; no-one had ever cared for him before, until he’d gone ‘public’. Despite his unwavering dedication to safeguarding others, Jake was always taken aback when you, and even Steven and Marc, show him the same concern. Accustomed to assuming the role of protector, Jake is surprised by the depth of your love. He didn’t think he would ever have anything like this.

He experiences a mix of emotions ranging from awe and gratitude to a touch of discomfort, grappling with the idea that someone cares so deeply for his safety and happiness.

You understand his essential need to protect and you get it, accepting that it is an integral part of who he is, but you just wanted to scream at him to take a minute and relax. You were a team. He needed to accept others were looking out for him just as much as he was looking out for others.

“Okay,” Jake finally said, nodding. “I’d appreciate that, thank you.”

You give him a smile as the waitress came back with the food you’d ordered, asking for any extras. You both thanked her before she walked away, looking at the foods in front of you with wide eyed excitement. “This all looks so good.”

Jake gave a nod, already grabbing a wrapped-up empanada. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

You looked at him and sighed happily as he took a bite of the beef empanada. You loved him so much, even when he was stuffing his face like a man who hadn’t eaten in months. After chewing for a moment, Jake groaned, his eyes practically rolling in the back of his head as he dipped the pastry into his tub of hot sauce. You laughed. “Good?”

“The best empanada I’ve had in years.”

Tagged - @eonnyx, @transparent-shark