Jake Hangman Seresin X Reader - Tumblr Posts - Page 2

Not the only Cowboy 

Summary: Jake had never been the type of guy to fall first, maybe you’ll be the one to change that. 

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Tag list

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Heart's getting soft (Jake "Hangman" Seresin x fem!reader)

Summary: It felt so nice, so normal. Having you in his arms, as you laughed and chatted with his sisters and mother. For a second, he forgot it was all fake.

A dash of angst, lots of fluff, a little smut, and a Christmas fake-dating trope.

Warnings: dysfunctional families, cursing, friends to lovers, fake dating, bed sharing, slow burn, mutual pining, very brief miscommunication, smut, unprotected p in v, very brief oral (f receiving), fingering, breeding kink, not beta'd.

A/N: Finally! I started this thing back in November but anytime I opened the draft I just kept staring at it. It's finished!! I didn't plan on this being so long, but oh well. There's still 1 day left of my 700 follower celebration

Wordcount: 18K

There weren't many things that left Lieutenant Jake Seresin terrified. Fear was a pretty unfamiliar word for him. He was raised not to be afraid of anything.

When he was four years old and cried in his parents’ room, because he heard a noise at night, his father scolded him.

Men don’t cry.

When he fell and scraped his knees, he swallowed the whimpers that were threating to escape and stood up, acting as if the blood trickling down his leg didn’t bother him at all.

You’re weak. I didn’t raise you like that.

When he was 17 and the girl he was dating broke his heart, he never showed it. He told her she couldn’t possibly hurt him, if he never loved her to start with. She couldn’t see through his lie. She couldn't see the broken pieces of his heart lying on the floor.

Love is pathetic. It makes you weak.

When his best friend’s plane was almost shot down, his eyes started tearing up and his throat got tight. He blinked the tears away, without anyone even noticing they were there in the first place. He never showed fear in front of anyone else, instead he bottled all of his emotions up. Javy was okay, after all. What was there to cry about?

Emotions were a weakness and he wasn’t supposed to be weak.

He didn’t fear heights, instead enjoying the rush of adrenaline he felt anytime he was up in the sky. He didn’t fear death, after so many brushes with it. He knew everyone would die one day and he seemingly made peace with it. Yes, there were still some things on his bucket list he wanted to experience, but he felt like he still had so much time to do them. There was no rush.

But one thing that still made the hairs on the back of his neck stand, his heart drum wildly in his ears and his blood run cold, was his father.

Commander William Seresin was a tough man.

He never cried, wanting to keep the image of this heartless, cold monster, because he thought that would make people respect him. He never told his children he loved them, never hugged them, never showed positive emotions. How else would they learn discipline? Love won't teach them to be tough.

Commander Seresin wasn’t a good father, he was far from it.

How can a father make his own children feel so worthless? He always hid his insults behind “words of encouragement”, because he wanted his children to be the best.

You should be better. This isn't anything to be proud of.

As if that made hearing those words any easier.

For this very reason Christmas was a sore subject to Jake. He didn’t spend it with his family since he moved away from home when he was 18.

He missed his mother’s cooking and decorating the gingerbread house with his sisters. He missed sitting around the Christmas tree and watching those dumb Hallmark movies in the living room, even if he complained the whole time.

His mother was pleading with him, begging him to come home this year. He had his answer ready, on the tip of his tongue: I have a mission, I won’t be able to make it there for Christmas. But hearing his mother’s desperation made his heart clench painfully.

So now here he was, having a dilemma, and there was only one person that could comfort him. You.

You and Jake met back at Top Gun all those years ago. You didn’t start off as friends. Hell, he was sure you wanted to punch him any time he as much as looked at you.

Jake was an arrogant asshole, everyone knew that. So of course he started out by teasing you and flirting with you. You didn’t take his shit and humbled him. And as hard as it was for him to admit, he’s been whipped ever since. At first it was just a stupid crush, one that made him feel like a 13 year old, who kept twirling her hair and giggling as she wrote in her pink little diary with one of those fluffy pens.

But then the years went by, without hearing much about you. He thought his luck has run out and he wasn't going to see you again. It's not like he could just reach out to you. You weren't exactly friends.

And then you got called back for the mission. After so many years, you met again at Top Gun. You were just as beautiful as before, just as feisty, but something changed. You were softer when you spoke to him, welcoming. You still bickered like children sometimes and teased each other, but you also became somewhat of a safe haven for each other. Without ever saying it out loud.

Somewhere along the line, after things started to blur between friendship and something more, he fell in love with you. You did too, but Jake was a blind man. He never believed someone like you could ever want someone so broken. If he only knew you had so much more in common, that you were just as broken, he might have changed his mind.

That didn't mean he didn't hope. His eyes lit up anytime you hugged him, or called him over to your place to watch a movie and cuddle. He felt like he was going into cardiac arrest anytime you were near him. He’s pretty sure everyone figured it out by now; not like he could do much to hide it anyway.

Jake’s tired mind wasn’t able to catch up with how fast his legs took him to your house. You didn’t know about Jake’s family issues, nor his own. But just being close to you could bring him a peace of mind like nothing else could.

He found you sitting on your terrace, in a warm Christmas sweater with Rudolph on it, what he presumed was hot chocolate in your hands and a fluffy blanket wrapped around you to protect you from the cold. You looked so cute. He smiled unconsciously, before he realized he was staring at you. He cursed under his breath, realizing just how fucked he was. Running a hand down his face, he walked up to you.

When you finally noticed him, you grinned, pulling up the blanket so he could sit down next to you.

“Hi.” Jake swore his heart skipped a beat, hearing your tired, soft voice.

“Hi, Angel.” you smiled, rolling your eyes affectionately at your callsign.

Of course, you got it from Jake. He was always teasing you with cheesy nicknames, but for some reason, this one stuck. You were mad at him at first, but you got over that with time. He found the death stares you gave him absolutely adorable.

He still kept telling people, very proudly, that he gave you your callsign.

Jake sat down next to you, pulling you closer to him, wrapping the blanket around the both of you. You handed him your cup and he took a sip.

“God, how can you drink that?” he asked, grimacing. He knew you had a sweet tooth, but this was too much, even for you.

“It’s hot chocolate, Jake.” you scoffed.

“It’s too sweet.”

“It is not.” you protested. He loved how defensive you got over the smallest things. Teasing you was always fun.

“You’re gonna get diabetes.”

“Well, it will be worth it.” He shook his head at your antics, but his smile gave him away.

A comfortable silence took over, before Jake frowned, looking at you. “What are you doing out here?”

“It's supposed to snow.”

“So you decided to freeze your ass off?"

“Why do you always have to ruin my fun?” you pouted, trailing your nails down his chest, the action making Jake’s heart beat faster. It was unbelievable how easily you turned him on. He had to bite his tongue in order not to tell you how much he wanted to take you on this fucking bench, before he ruined everything.

“I mean look at it, it’s beautiful.” you said, nodding your head towards the view in front of you. Jake hummed, running a hand down your arm.

You started telling him about the movie that you watched, which you thought he would also enjoy. Small things like this always made his heart leap, knowing that you were thinking about him just as much as he was thinking about you.

But halfway through he stopped listening to you, instead turning his face to look at the sky. The moon was full, illuminating the street even through the slight fog. Every house on the street was decorated with Christmas lights, some more than the other, and he realized how right you were. It was indeed beautiful. He didn’t think there was anywhere he’d rather be than here with you in his arms, right now.

When he didn't respond, you realized he wasn’t listening to you, and although you wanted to be offended, you sensed there was something bothering him. Jake didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but you sometimes knew him better than he knew himself.

“Okay, talk.” you said, putting the hot chocolate (that was now cold) on the table, turning your body towards Jake. He whined at the loss of your body warmth against him, reaching his hand out to pull you close again. You sat farther away from him, dodging his attempt, and gave him a stern look.

Jake sighed. “Talk about what?”

Your gaze softened when you heard his defensive tone. “What’s going on, Jake?”

“What do you mean? Nothing is going on.” He deliberately avoided looking into your eyes, hoping you wouldn’t push it. But you just looked at him, your eyebrow raised, your face screaming something along the lines of Cut the shit. He still didn’t know how you figured him out so easily.

“My mom wants me to go to Texas for Christmas.” he said quietly, so quietly you almost missed it.

Although Jake didn’t talk about his family, you could sense there was some tension. Anytime his father was brought up, his jaw clenched, his eyes void of emotions. It was just a fleeting moment, so short you wouldn’t have even noticed, if your eyes weren’t always on him.

“And you don’t want to?” you asked, shuffling closer to him.

Jake let out a humourless chuckle. “Not really.”

“Why not?” you asked, instantly noticing how his body tensed next to you. You winced, regretting your previous question. You didn’t want to push him too much, scared that he would just build those walls you were pretty sure you already knocked down back up. “If I’m pushing, you don’t have to answer.”

“No, it’s-it’s fine.” he let out a shaky breath, running his hands through hair.

“I don’t really have a good relationship with my father. He’s not really the loving parent type, y’know?” If that wasn’t an understatement.

“Yeah, I get that.” you said, thinking back to your own parents. You knew exactly what he meant. “You don’t have to go. You can just make something up.” You reached your hand out to wrap it around his wrist, rubbing his skin with your thumb.

Jake nodded. “I know, I thought about that. But my mum will be sad and I haven’t spent Christmas with them in years.”

You hummed. “How can I help?”

Jake caught your hand, intertwining your fingers with his, still avoiding your eyes. “I didn’t come here because of this, I just-“ He couldn’t find the right words to express how much you helped him without even knowing it. “You-“

“I what?” You caressed his hand with your thumb, hoping to soothe him. You knew Jake was shit with words, especially when it came to talking about his emotions. Sometimes he got frustrated with himself for it and you wanted to let him know that it was okay.

“There's just something about you that makes me forget about everything else when I'm with you." You looked at him, a little surprised at his admission. He turned to look at you, knocking your knees together. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice I always come to you after a hard day or if neither of us can sleep.”

You smiled softly, your heart clenching in your chest with the affection you felt towards this man. “I did notice. I’m honoured.”

You bit your lip, thinking about something. “Would it help if I was there with you?”

You spending Christmas with him? He would definitely say yes. You spending Christmas with him and his mother and sisters? He would also say yes. You spending Christmas in his childhood home, with him and his whole family, which included his father? Hard pass. The last thing he wanted was for you to find out what kind of a childhood he had, so you had just another reason to write him off as a lost case. As if he didn't already give you enough of them.

Jake shook his head. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. Don’t you have plans with your family?”

You sighed. “You’re not the only one who’s family sucks.”

“I’m sorry.” he said sincerely. You did mention that you weren't on the best terms with them, but he didn't know it was so bad you weren't even going home for Christmas.

If you weren't spending Christmas with family, would you be spending it alone? Maybe he should tell his mom that white lie and just stay with you. Hang a few mistletoes around the house so he could kiss you at least once and then laugh it off afterwards.

You shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s okay. If I have to deal with your issues, at least I can ignore mine.”

Jake pouted at you, acting offended. “Mean.”

You grinned. “I am.”

As much as he would've loved to say yes, he shook his head. “Still. You don’t know what you’d be getting into.”

You rolled your eyes, exasperated. “Jake. Just answer the question.”

He sighed. “Yes, it would help me immensely if your cute ass was there to calm me down.”

“Then I can come.”

“What should I even tell them? Hey this is my friend Y/N, she’s here because I don’t want to deal with dad’s bullshit alone this year?” That sounded ridiculous and weak. His father wouldn't even let him step through the threshold if he told them that. 

“Lie and tell them I’m your girlfriend. We’ve been dating for a while, but you didn’t want to tell them unless we knew it was serious.” Jake was taken aback a bit at how quickly you came up with a cover story, before he even really realized what you said. You wanted to play his girlfriend. 

Girlfriend. Which meant there would be hand holding and hugging. Not that you've never done that. But you've never done that while pretending to be his girlfriend.

This would be different. And maybe...maybe he would finally get to kiss you. But now wasn't a good time to think about all the things he'd like to do to you as part of your little plan.

Oh, you were good. It was getting harder and harder to say no.

You sensed that he was contemplating, thinking about this whole thing. You knew Jake enough to know what would work on him. “Tell them I don’t have anyone to spend Christmas with either. And since you’re such a lovely boyfriend, you don’t want to leave me alone, so you’re bringing me home with you.”

Jake groaned, closing his eyes. “God, you’re so good at scheming. It’s so hot.”

You giggled, the sound stirring something deep inside him. He wanted to make you laugh all the time. 

Jake sighed then, finally nodding. “Okay. I will call my mom tomorrow.” It's not like your suggestion was so bad. He just hoped it wouldn't end in a catastrophe. He looked at you one last time, wanting to make sure that you thought this through. “Are you really sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.” He looked at you, still not convinced. “Let me be a little selfish." You smiled softly, sadness passing through your eyes for only a brief second. "I don’t want to be alone either.”

“You won’t have to be ever again.” When you looked into his eyes, you knew he meant it. You looked down at your intertwined hands, your cheeks flushing with warmth.

Both of you stood up, as the night got a little colder. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you into a warm hug. “Thank you, sweetheart.” You buried your face into his chest, inhaling his cologne that you loved so much, before finally saying goodbye. You watched as he walked away, disappearing into the night.

That night, Jake lied awake in his bed, unable to sleep, his mind too occupied with you. He thanked the Gods he didn't even believe in, and his lucky star, that he got to meet you.

The next morning, Jake woke up to a text from you, reminding him to call his mother. He smiled, sending you a short response.

Javy, like the amazing friend he was, was hyping him up through text messages, reassuring him that this was an amazing idea. Wasn't spending time with you alone exactly what Jake craved?

Maybe Javy also had a selfish reason for doing this. He just couldn't watch you two dance around each other without either of you making a move, while Jake whined about how much he liked you. It was becoming unbearable to the point he was thinking about spilling Jake's biggest secret to you in order to help his friend (and himself).

Jake clicked on his mom's contact, finger hovering over the call button. He found at least 20 reasons why this was a bad idea and 20 reasons on why this could go terribly. But those 10 reasons on why you playing his fake girlfriend was the best plan you ever came up with were enough for him. There was no one else he would want to do this with. So he called her and waited anxiously, before she picked up. 

“Jake, sweetheart. Is everything alright?” He could hear the worry in her voice, which made him smile. 

“Hi, mom. Everything’s fine.” he reassured her, making her let out a breath. “Oh, good. Made me panic a little bit there.”

She always worried. He might've been an adult, old enough to take care of himself, but that didn't mean her mind was at ease. Jake could still remember her cries when he told her he was joining the Navy.

At least one of his parents cared.

“Don’t worry, everything’s fine. Just wanted to ask you something.” 

“What is it, honey?”

“I was wondering if I could bring someone home.” Jake closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. Why was it so hard to say those words out loud? He practiced those exact words so many times in the past hour and he still couldn't get them out. Maybe if his father didn't teach him his whole childhood that loving someone would make him vulnerable and that it was a bad thing, maybe then it would be easier.

He sighed shakily. “My girlfriend. I wanted to ask if she could come with me.”

He heard as she took in a sharp breath. Was she shocked that he was dating someone? Was she shocked that he was bringing them home? Or shocked he was going home at all? “Oh, honey. You didn’t even tell me you were dating someone. What’s her name?” He could hear the smile in her voice, which made him smile in return. 

“Her name is Y/N. We’ve been together for a few months, but we wanted to keep it quiet until we figured out where we’re heading.” It's a good thing he got pretty good at lying about anything by now. It came completely natural. At least this lie wasn't going to hurt anyone.

“Oh, of course. Is she not spending Christmas with her family?”

“She doesn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with, mom.”

She cooed sympathetically. “Oh, poor thing. Of course she can spend Christmas here. You never brought anyone home, I’d be so happy to meet her.” I'm happy you're going to meet her too. It's not you I'm worried about.

But Jake knew there was no point in making his mother sad, so he didn't say those words out loud. “That’s great. Thank you, mom. I will tell her that. How are you?”

“We’re getting by, baby. The last few months have been chaotic thanks to our newest family addition.”

Ah, yes. His little nephew, Noah.

“I can’t wait to meet him.” Jake smiled, thinking about the little boy. He got his sister's eyes and her personality. At just two months old, he was already just as stubborn as her.

“I’m glad you’ll be home for Christmas.” His vision blurred slightly as he teared up. “Me too, mom. I have to go now, we will talk later, okay?”

“Bye, honey. Tell your girlfriend I said hi too. Love you.”

“I will. Love you too.” He ended the call, letting out a breath.

That part was done. Now he just needed to make sure both of you would survive the holidays.

“So you’re going home with him for Christmas?” Phoenix asked, while you were sitting and drinking at Hard Deck. Rooster was sitting next to her, munching on some peanuts, giving you a questioning look.

He was way too judgemental for someone who was sitting in a Hawaiian shirt in the middle of December.

“Yeah, why?” you shrugged, acting like it wasn’t a big deal. But it was and you were freaking out. You were about to go to Texas with Jake, meet his family, all while pretending to be his girlfriend.

Rooster and Natasha looked at each other, before giving you the are you serious look.

Rooster spoke up. “That doesn’t sound very friendly.”

Natasha agreed with him. “His parents were okay with him bringing a stranger to their home? On Christmas?”

Oh. Right. You forgot to tell them the most important part. “He told them we’re dating.”

Their eyes widened, mouths hanging open. “What?!”

You rolled your eyes, groaning. You should've guessed they would make a big deal out of it. “I told him to say that, there’s no need to panic, jeez.”

Phoenix turned to Rooster with a smirk. “I bet you 20 that they’re going to fuck at some point.”

“At this speed, it will take them 20 years to get there. You will get a dollar for every year.”

Bradshaw thought he was really fucking funny with that quip. He didn't even realize he was in love with Natasha yet, so you're one step ahead of him.

“Can you guys stop? Me and Jake are friends.” Just friends. Unfortunately, that was true. And it didn't bother you at all. Nope. 

Rooster raised an eyebrow. Were you really that blind? “Friends my ass. You’re way more than friends. Don’t tell me you didn’t think about banging him. I saw how you looked at him when we were on the beach.”

Of course you were drooling when you saw him running in the sand shirtless, skin all shiny as if someone poured a whole bottle of baby oil on him, which made him look like a model during a calendar photoshoot. 

You groaned, exasperated. “He’s hot, you can’t deny that. But you know Jake. He doesn’t do relationships.”

“He didn’t do them before. Have you not noticed that he didn’t sleep with anyone for months now?” Matter of fact, you did notice. You kept looking at him at the end of every night you spent at the Hard Deck and he never once even looked at another woman. Maybe he just got bored of meaningless one-night stands? But Bradley didn't share that opinion. “Unless he's practicing celibacy, I'd say he's waiting for someone special."

“Why wouldn't he tell me then? He's the most confident person I know, if he wanted me he wouldn’t keep that a secret."

Bradley shrugged. “He's probably just as scared to lose you as you are.”

You were about to tell him just how dumb that sounded, because this was Jake you were talking about. Jake, who wasn't scared of anything. But what if there was at least a small chance that they were right? Before you could overthink it, Rooster spoke up again. “Anyways, we will see after you come back. Trust me, there is something going on there.”

Natasha smirked teasingly. “Pack some pretty lingerie, I feel like you will need it.”

“Fuck off.” you grumbled. 

That's when Jake walked over to the table, putting down your drinks. “Did I miss something?”

You shook your head, sending your annoying friends a death glare. “They're just being asses.”

“Say the word and I will fight them.” Nat and Bradley looked at each other, as Jake wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

“My hero. But there's no need for violence.” Jake grinned at you, before getting into a conversation with Rooster.

Natasha nudged you with her foot under the table, while you shrugged innocently.

Throughout the days leading up to your flight, Jake was restless. He wanted to make sure everything would be perfect. He warned his family not to bring up any embarrassing stories, hide all the baby pictures, not be too pushy or overbearing. Everyone reassured him that it would be okay. They never saw Jake like this, so concerned about what someone else might think of him. His mom teased him, telling him how cute it was. 

And then there was you. He wanted to make sure you weren't nervous, or that you didn't change your mind. So the next step was to talk about boundaries and make up a story on how you got together, all while hoping that one day, he could take you home and you wouldn't have to pretend anymore. 

"So, I assume we can do all the things we usually do, like hugs, hand holding and cuddling?" Jake asked, sitting on your couch as you both ate the take-out he brought. You nodded in agreement. That wasn't too much PDA. You could definitely do that.

Jake hummed, digging his fork into the rice. "What about kissing?" he asked, looking at you to gauge your reaction.

You stopped chewing, as you looked up at him with wide eyes. "Kissing?"

He shrugged. "Cheek kisses, forehead kisses. Maybe a small peck here and there." You were just imagining what it would be like, finally being able to feel his lips against yours, when you felt his foot nudge yours to bring you back to reality. "But if you want we can fully make out in my room, I don't mind."

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. But you agreed to the kisses anyway. How could you not?

"And how did we get together?"

"Obviously, you fell in love with me as soon as we met the first time years ago. After lots of begging from your side, I relented and finally went on a date with you." He grinned at you, wiggling his eyebrow.

You scoffed, shaking your head. "Not a chance in hell you're telling that to someone."

Jake laughed but nodded. It didn't take him long to come up with a better story. "We met again after a couple years and I finally had the balls to tell you I've had it bad for you since we met for the first time." If only the whole sentence was true.

You nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah. That's a good story."

After that night the days went by in a blur, before the calendar was showing the big X, the day of your flight.

You were squeezing his hand the whole flight, trying to take his mind off the things that made his thoughts race. But before either of you knew it, the taxi was turning into the street, his house visible in the distance. 

“It’s gonna be okay.” you reassured, giving him a soft smile. If his heart wasn't already beating out of his chest, it would definitely sped up right at this moment. You were almost there. Inside his childhood home, where his parents and siblings would all meet you and welcome you with open arms. Except for his dad. And isn't that exactly what he's been terrified of since you brought this up? It's terrifying, knowing that you might look at him differently once you find out what kind of a person his father is. 

The car stopped in front of a big 2 story house, decorated from top to bottom. Jake took in a shaky breath, squeezing your hand briefly. “We’re here.” 

He handed the money to the driver, as you both got out. Like a gentleman, he took your luggage, and lead you inside. 

You heard the rushed footsteps coming towards you, before you saw his mom standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes. "Oh, I can't believe you're here." She hugged her son, as you quietly watched, taking in the peaceful expression on Jake's face. You knew he missed his family. He talked about them a lot. You were glad you could be here to support him as much as you could.

His mom pulled away, looking at you. "Mom, this is my girlfriend Y/N." Jake introduced you with a smile. 

"It's so nice to finally meet you." you said politely.

As it turns out, the Seresin's are huggers. "Come here." She pulled you into a tight hug, before looking you over. "I'm so glad my son brought you home." 

"I'm glad I can be here, Mrs. Seresin." you said, hoping you were making a good first impression. You really wanted them to like you.

"Call me Pam." She waved her hand with a chuckle. "Go and unpack. I prepared everything you might need, but if I forgot anything just let me know."

"Thank you, mom." She nodded, looking at her son one last time, before leaving you two.

"Come on, sweetheart." Jake took your luggage and lead you upstairs into his room.

You whistled, surprised at how not-Jake his room was. "I definitely imagined your room with a bit more playboy posters."

Jake put his hand on his heart, acting insulted. "How judgemental of you." 

If his father wasn't so strict, he definitely would have had them, but you didn't need to know that.

You took your time to look at all the medals hanging on his wall back from his school days, before looking at the only picture he had framed in his room. It was of him and his sisters, back when they were younger. You smiled, putting the picture back down, before unpacking your stuff.

Jake kept stealing glances at you, still in disbelief that you were really here, in his home. He was about to spend Christmas with you. 

Once you were done, you went back downstairs to wait for his sister. Jake made you sit down on the couch, after his mom assured you she didn't need any help in the kitchen. He brought you a tray of cookies, as you quietly watched some Christmas cartoon playing on the TV. 

The door opened, both of you looking up when you heard someone complaining under their breath about the snow. You instantly recognized Jessica from the pictures Jake showed you. Jake took your hand, both of you standing up to walk over to her.

She looked up, her eyes twinkling with the reflection from the Christmas lights. She had a big smile on her face, showing her excitement. Jake let go of your hand to hug her, but she shooed him away, looking at you expectantly. 

Jake rolled his eyes. He knew his sister would instantly love you, why was it surprising that she was more excited to meet you than to see him? “Jess, this is Y/N, my girlfriend. Y/N, this is my younger sister, Jessica.”

You smiled at her, a little unsure if you should shake her hand or hug her. So instead, you just stood there awkwardly. “It's so nice to meet you.”

Luckily, she didn't seem to mind. Instead she took charge, walking towards you with open arms. “Oh, come here.” She hugged you tightly, like she was really looking forward to this. Which was surprising considering that Jake only told them that you were dating two weeks ago. “It's nice to meet you too. I can't believe he kept you away from us for so long!” she looked at her brother, scolding him, before she let you go to hug him. 

“I had my reasons.” Jake whispered, not wanting to think about that right now. He was just happy to see his little sister.

She sighed, nodding with a sad look in her eyes. “I know you did.”

She turned back to look at you, while taking off her coat and scarf. “How are you finding Texas?”

“It's nice.” 

“She's lying, she hates Texas.” You rolled your eyes, silently thanking Jake for throwing you under the bus like that. Traitor. He just couldn't let go of that time when you told him (after way too many tequila sunrises, so it's not like that should count) that you despised his accent, country music, cowboys, and all of Texas.

One of those was a lie and that was his accent. You only said you despised it because you didn't want him to know the effect it had on you.

Also the cowboy thing, was maybe half a lie. He was wearing that stupid fucking cowboy hat and looking so good, it took a lot of self-control not to do what Big & Rich were saying. You didn't really know where you would find a horse to save, but you had already picked the cowboy you wanted to ride. 

And okay, maybe you didn't hate country as much as you said, especially when Carrie Underwood was playing. You knew some of her songs word for word. But he didn't need to know any of that. 

She scowled jokingly. “How did he convince you to get together with him, then?”

“His good looks and charm?” If she only knew that the only reason you became such good friends was because her brother was absolutely unbearable and wouldn't leave you alone and maybe you kind of liked it. And now, years later, you weren't strong enough to resist his charm.

Just then, a man walked through the door, holding a baby car seat. Jake shook his hand, exchanging a few words, before Jess introduced him to you. “This is my fiancé David and our son, Noah. David, this is Jake’s girlfriend, Y/N.”

“It's nice to meet you. She hasn’t stopped squealing the whole way here, she couldn’t wait to meet you.” You laughed, happy that Jake's family was so welcoming and kind. You heard a small cry coming from the car seat, as you both finally looked at the baby. He was covered in a fluffy blanket, only his little face visible. Both you and Jake cooed, as you saw his little pout transform into a grimace, before his cries got louder. 

You wrapped an arm around Jake's torso, leaning your head on his shoulder. “He's so adorable.”

Jess chuckled, shaking her head. “Want to borrow him for a day?”

“If you guys want to have a night off, you can leave him with us.” Jake offered, looking at you for approval, as you nodded. 

“Okay, we're definitely taking advantage of that offer.” 

David nodded, grinning. “As cute as he is, we're exhausted.”

Jess looked a you pointedly. "We should definitely have a girls night. Leave the kid to the men, go out, have fun. Drink.” 

Pamela walked in, interjecting. “If Jake can let go off her for more than 5 minutes, that is.”

All of you laughed, except for Jake, who found it very not-funny. “Stop.”

His mom shrugged. “It's true. The poor girl hasn’t had a second to breathe since they arrived.”

Everyone slowly left the hall, leaving you two behind. 

Jake groaned, burying his face into your neck. “I'm regretting this already.” His breath tickled you, making you squirm in his arms as you laughed. 

“I'm not. They're nice.”

He sighed, pulling away from you slightly. “Yeah they are.” 

You could feel how tense he was the whole time, knowing he dreaded the second his father would walk through that door. Your heart broke for him, as you wanted nothing more than to hold him in your arms and comfort him.

You held his face in your hands, making him look at you. “Hey, everything's gonna be fine. I'm here.” He nodded reluctantly, really wanting to believe your words. 

“Come and eat, you're probably all starving.” Pamela shouted, getting your attention. 

You walked to the dining room, before Jake spoke up. "We're not waiting for dad?"

She shook her head. "No. He said we should start without him."

You sat down next to Jake, who reached out to hold your hand under the table, making you smile. You all chatted, as everyone kept asking you all about your relationship. 

It felt so nice, just sitting there with Jake. You got a glimpse into what it would be like to be his girlfriend and you loved every second of it.

The laughter died down when the front door opened, all of the Seresin's getting uncharacteristically quiet. 

You saw the change in Jake the second his father walked in. He pulled away his hand from yours, his smile vanished, his relaxed posture became tense as he straightened out, almost like the person wasn't even his father, but his superior in the Navy. It made sense. He did mention he followed in his father's footsteps. Just like he mentioned that he was a Commander. You should've realized this sooner from everything he told you. Jake probably never had a father, a parental figure. Instead he had a military man, who wanted to form a mini-me out of his child. A perfect soldier. 

Which was why he wanted to be perfect at everything, why he was the most competitive person you ever met. Why it was so hard for him to let anyone in. 

He didn't want anyone to see how imperfect he truly was. If only he know that was exactly what you all loved about him. Hangman was a selfish, egoistical bastard. Definitely someone his father would be proud of. But Jake Seresin was the sweetest, kindest human, with the biggest heart. That's why you fell in love with him. 

You frowned when you saw his jaw clench, wanting to reach out, so he would know he's not alone. But you were scared he would get defensive and that would only hurt and embarrass you. So instead you just gave him space, hoping that he would tell you if he needed you. 

His father walked towards his seat, sitting down. Jake gulped, swallowing the nerves, before speaking up. “Dad, this is my girlfriend Y/N. Y/N, this is my father.” His voice wasn't soft or carefree like a few minutes before. It was monotone, almost harsh.

His father finally looked at you two, eyeing you quietly.

“It's nice to meet you, sir.” you smiled, lying through your teeth. You were sure he knew that though, if not even his children were happy to see him. 

William hummed, but didn't do anything else to acknowledge you. He looked at his son, sneering. “I'm surprised you’ve found someone that wants to put up with you.”

The fake smile on your face disappeared, your blood boiling as the man sitting opposite you started to eat his dinner as if he didn't just insult his child. What a piece of shit. 

You could feel your heartbeat ringing in your ear, too scared to look at Jake. You didn't want to see the heart-broken look on his face. But once you had enough courage to face him, what you saw was even worse. Your Jake was gone, in his place was sitting a man drained of any emotion, his face blank, almost like he was detached from reality. Cold and distant. 

It almost made you cry, with how much your heart ached.

You decided to reach out your hand, intertwining your pinkies. His finger twitched, making you think he would hold your hand, but he didn't make any move. He just sat there, staring ahead. 

It was a defence mechanism he developed in his childhood. Act like you don't feel anything, make everyone else believe you don't feel anything and maybe one day, you can make yourself believe that it doesn't hurt.

Everyone continued to eat their dinner in silence, except for Jake. He couldn't eat, feeling like he was going to throw up any second. He could already picture it; once you got up to his room, you would tell him that this was too much for you. There was no way you could ever love someone like him. He was going to lose you. 

You hoped the tension would die down eventually, but his father didn't share your sentiment. 

"You would think that at thirty years old, you would at least have a higher rank. As my son, it's your duty to make your family proud. You need to be better." he grumbled bitterly, disdain coating his voice. "I didn't raise you all to be disappointments." Did this man hate his own children for him to talk to them like this?

You really tried to bite your tongue and keep it in, but you couldn't. Not when you heard how he talked to his own son. So you took a breath, trying to keep your voice steady, but to no avail. You were too angry for that. “Your son was one of the top 12 graduates from Top Gun. He has 2 confirmed kills.” you said through gritted teeth, your voice laced with venom. “He's an amazing pilot and an even better person.” You hoped Jake knew how much you meant that. 

You stood up, trying to form a smile as you looked at his mom apologetically, before looking back at that poor excuse of a father. "If you will excuse me. I lost my appetite." 

You needed to calm down, before you ruined anything even more. But you had more than enough things you still wanted to say. 

As soon as you were out the door, Jake's fist clenched, nails digging into his palm, as he looked at his father with anger. "Can I be dismissed?" 

He nodded, before making sure he knew he already formed an opinion about you. "You should teach your girlfriend some manners." Jake knew what that meant. He couldn't even keep his girlfriend in line? What kind of a man was he?

Jess joined the argument, having much less patience than her brother. She didn't try to keep her voice low like him, didn't try to hide the tears in her eyes. At least she learned how to handle her emotions, unlike him. "She's right and you know it. You should learn to appreciate your children before you end up all alone." 

"Like there would be anything to miss." his father said, without any anger in his voice, which was felt even worse. It meant he has already given up on them.

Of course. One of his daughters had a child out of wedlock. His other daughter was dating a woman. And his only son wasn't man enough in his eyes.

Jake stood up from the table abruptly, knocking his glass over. His hand was shaking, jaw clenched as he tried to control himself, before he did something he would regret. Instead he tried to think about you, about what you've done for him. He looked at his sister, to make sure she was okay. She nodded for him to go, as she also stood up from the table, before he left. 

The door to the room opened and you heard Jake’s footsteps coming closer and closer to you. Your back was turned to him, as you watched the snow that was falling. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice hushed.

Was he really asking you if you were okay? You sighed, turning to face him. “I’m sorry for that. I just couldn’t listen to him berate you.” You lasted exactly two minutes. Not too bad. Usually, you would have been much harsher if someone insulted the people you cared about.

“Come here.” he said, outstretching his hand. You hesitated for a second, before taking his hand and stepping closer towards him. Jake pulled you into his arms, your palm coming to rest on his chest to feel his steady heartbeat. His hand came to rest on the side of your face, thumb caressing your cheek softly. “I’m not mad at you, okay? Don’t think that even for a second.” he assured you.

“You stood up for me, that was…” He could never find the right words. But they weren't needed. You understood. You always did. 

“Of course I stood up for you. He was talking bullshit. You’re great at what you do, Jake. You know that. Don’t second guess yourself.”

He smiled, kissing your forehead. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

No matter how dysfunctional his family was, you knew there was no place you would rather be than here with him. “Me too.”

As it turns out, his father barely stayed at the house. The marriage between Jake's parents had been crumbling for years, the love long gone. 

The good thing was, after you and Jake calmed down, you could return to the living room knowing that his father would be gone.

You were ready to apologize to everyone as soon as you stepped in, but they didn't even acknowledge what happened at dinner. 

Jessica looked up, Noah in her arms. "Look who woke up." She stood up, walking towards you two. "Wanna hold him?" She looked between you and Jake, waiting for you to decided who should hold him first. 

You looked at Jake, nodding at him. "He's your nephew."

"And you're my girlfriend." Jake grinned, the word rolling off his tongue with ease. He loved the feeling in his chest whenever he called you that. He also loved the way you looked up at him with wide eyes, flustered. "You can hold him first."

You nodded. "Hi." You took the baby into your arms, sitting down on the couch with him. You booped his little nose, while he looked at you with wide eyes, mouth open as he let out little gurgling sounds. "You're so cute!" He grinned at you, as if he understood what you just said. You caressed his chubby little cheek with your finger, feeling content just sitting there with the little one.

Jake watched as you cradled little Noah in your arms, his little fingers wrapped around your finger. As if he needed another thing to add to the list of things that make him soft for you. He was whipped. He could hear Javy's voice in his head, the one that was always telling him to finally make a move. But what good would it do if you would kill him soon anyway? Because if you kept looking at him with those eyes, while grinning at him, his heart would eventually give out. 

“You're in love.” Jessica teased, coming up from behind him suddenly. 

“What?” he scoffed with an incredulous laugh. Was he really that transparent?

Who was he kidding? Of course he was.

Jess knew her brother. He never looked at anyone the way he was looking at you. But she also knew how hard it was for him to accept his feelings. He never knew how to handle them. She hoped he would realize he deserved to be loved, just like everyone else. And if there was one person that could make him realize that, it was you. You were strong and stubborn, keeping Jake in line. It was like you were made for each other. 

She had half a mind to just let it go, knowing that Jake wouldn't admit it, but decided against it. There was no fooling anyone. “I've seen the heart eyes you've been giving her.”

“Well, she looks good with a kid on her arm.” That at least wasn't a lie.

Jess smirked, a knowing look in her eyes. “You just wish it was your kid, don’t you?”

Jake shook his head, but the smile on his face was enough to prove her right. “Maybe in a few years.”

Her smirk softened into a smile, as she patted his shoulder. “You would be a good dad.”

He looked at her, surprised. “You think so?”

“I know. You always took care of us. Of me, Kim, mom. You wouldn't be like him. I know that."

He didn't really think about fatherhood that much, but when he did, he thought about his own father. Jake's biggest fear was always that he would turn out to be like him. What if he became a coward like him? What if he couldn't love his child right? What if his kid grew up to hate him? Hearing those words coming from his sister meant more to him than she would know. “Thank you.”

She smiled at him, before nodding in your direction. “Go after your girl, she looks like she needs the help.” Jake looked at you, chuckling when he saw you trying to pry your hair out of Noah's hands. 

"Need some help, baby?" Your heart almost burst out of your chest at the nickname, while Jake, oblivious to all that, reached out to help you untangle your hair from Noah's fingers. 

"Thank you. You wouldn't believe the strength these babies have." Jake wrapped an arm around your waist, leaning into your side. "Here, hold him." You handed the little boy over to Jake and regretted it instantly. 

Did seeing Jake with a baby make your hormones go crazy? Did it make you feel absolutely feral, because you wanted him to put his baby in you, while your heart also beat wildly because it was the most adorable thing you've ever seen? Yes, yes and yes.

You blamed his big, strong arms and the way he used that soft, baby-talk, while holding the little one so carefully, like he was scared he'd break any second. His protective nature always made you a little horny, but god, this was new. It was too much. If he continued on like this, they'd have to sedate you, before you started acting like a rabid dog. 

Jake caught your eye, smiling at you. You hoped he didn't see the drool in the corner of your mouth. 

You were thankful he didn't call you out on your obvious staring, instead, he just smiled at you. "Want to go for a walk?" 

You nodded, as he passed his nephew over to his sister.

Jake took you out to walk around the streets, both of you admiring the beautiful Christmas decorations. He wanted to reach out and hold your hand, or wrap his arm around your shoulders to pull you closer to him, but he decided against it. 

Instead he tried to take his mind off of how much he wanted to hold you and started a conversation. “So? Did you enjoy today?” Except for the part where you went toe to toe with his father, of course. 

His soft smile got bigger as soon as he saw your contagious grin as you practically started skipping next to him. “Are you kidding me? Your nephew is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.”

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. “I bet we could make a cuter one.”

You swore your heart stopped for a second when you heard those words, but you tried to not let it show. You hoped to god it didn’t show. Instead you grinned again, nudging his shoulder with yours. “Wanna be a daddy, Seresin?”

He really had stop getting affected by you so easily, but hearing you say that word…let’s just say he wouldn’t mind hearing it a few more times, in a different situation. Not like talking about you having his baby wasn’t making him feel some type of way either.

He tried to clear his head of the dirty thoughts and get back to the conversation at hand, but with him thinking about you all pretty and round, while pregnant with his child, it was hard.

“Yeah, one day.” he smiled and you could feel the happiness radiating off him as he thought about it. “I always wanted to have kids, a big house, a happy family.” He looked at you for a second, then back at the ground. With you was left unsaid. “Something that I never had.”

You wrapped your arm around his, leaning your head on his shoulder, while continuing to walk. It wasn’t comfortable at all, but you were yearning to be close to him so bad, it didn’t matter.

Jake leaned his head on yours for a second, kissing the top of your hair.

“I’m just not sure if I could be a good parent though.” he sighed. “I didn’t really have the best example growing up.”

You shook your head, squeezing his arm to make him look at you. Both of you stopped walking, turning to fully face each other.

“You’d be amazing.” you reassured him with a smile. “I’ve seen you with Noah. You’re amazing with him.”

“Yeah, but having your own is different after all, isn’t it?”

You nodded. “It is. But I know you, Jake. You just have to let people in. Work past your issues. I feel like you talking to me about this so freely means you’re on a good path.”

He looked at you, not believing that a person like you really existed and chose to be friends with him. Every day you surprised him more and more, and he should’ve gotten used to it by now, but he still couldn’t help but feel surprised about how amazing you were. “You’re so incredible, you know that?”

“I try.” you giggled, the sweetest sound he ever heard. Was there anything he could ever find at least slightly irritating about you?

He pulled you closer to him, his cold fingers caressing your cheek. “You're way too good for them. They don't deserve you.” he said in the softest voice you’ve ever heard him talk in, and you saw the unshed tears glistening in his eyes. It made your heart thump wildly in your chest.

At first you were confused, before you understood who he meant. Your family. What did you do deserve someone like him in your life? You weren’t sure, but you were grateful nonetheless.

You smiled, biting your cheek to stop your lip from wobbling. “Let’s go back inside, I’m freezing.”

Jake nodded, turning around to walk back towards his house, his arm wrapping around your shoulders. He let out a breath, closing his eyes for a second to savour how good it felt to have you this close. “Want me to warm you up in our bed?”

You glared at him jokingly. “Stop pushing your luck.”

The words just kind of went over your head. You haven't really thought about what he meant. Which meant you didn't understood why he was acting so weird once he closed the door to his room behind you.

“So.” Jake started, looking awkwardly around the room, which was very out of character for him.

“So?” you looked at him confused.

He motioned to the bed and you realized why he was acting the way he was. Of course, there was only one bed. Of course, you were going to sleep in one bed, because you were dating. Not like you’ve never shared a bed with friends before. But you were never attracted to those friends.

“Are you cool with sharing?” he asked, scratching the back of his neck. He hoped to god you would be. This was the thing he’s been looking forward to the most. But if you didn’t want to, he’d respect your decision. It’s not like he’d ever do something you weren’t okay with.

You just chuckled, rolling your eyes playfully, trying to act like you weren't about to jump out of your skin. “If you can keep your hands to yourself.”

Jake sighed, looking you up and down. “Can’t promise anything when you look like that.”

You shook your head, turning away to hide your grin from him.

“Wanna take a shower first?” he asked, switching on the light in his en-suite bathroom, before he looked back at you with a smirk. “Or we can share.”

“I will go first. Thanks for the offer though.” You gathered everything you needed, before walking to the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Jake let out a breath. The day turned out better than he expected. He had you here with him and that was all that mattered. 

Minutes later, you walked out of the shower. Jake wanted to make a joke about how long you were inside and that you probably already used up all the hot water, but the words died on his tongue the second he looked up at you. He felt like a cold shower was exactly what he needed right now. 

You, oblivious to what was going on inside his head, wrapped a towel around your head. “The shower’s all yours.”

Jake stood up, clearing his throat. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

He couldn't look away from you. The way his shirt (which you denied stealing from him after an impromptu sleepover at his place) barely covered your thighs, leaving your legs exposed. He could see your hard nipples through the material, and as you turned around to look for a pair of socks in his drawer, the shirt rid up enough to expose your black panties and your round ass. He had to bite his lip to not let out the groan threating to leave his mouth, as his hands itched to touch your soft skin. 

He walked over to you just as you found the perfect pair of fluffy socks, but instead of heading to the bathroom like you thought, he paused in front of you. He reached for the hem of your shirt, pulling you closer to him. Your legs moved on their own accord, a little wobbly.

He wanted to kiss you, touch you, pull you on top of the bed and show you just how much he wanted you. Goosebumps rose upon your skin, as you rolled your bottom lip between your teeth, biting down. You could hear his heavy breathing, before he swallowed and let go of you. He looked you over one last time before leaving to the bathroom. You were tingling all over, confused, but really turned on. 

How were you going to survive this week?

Once Jake got back, he saw you laying there in his bed, wearing his shirt, looking so cute and hot and his heart and dick both agreed that it was the best sight he's ever seen. 

Meanwhile you were just about to lose your mind, seeing him only in his boxers and knowing that he would be sleeping like that next to you.

He laid down next to you, turning the light off. His arm was behind his head, as he laid on his back, while you were on your side, facing him. 

You cuddled before. He could just shuffle closer to you, pull you into his chest. No big deal.

He turned suddenly, so he was also on his side, before putting his hand on your waist and pulling you closer to him. He could hear your steady heartbeat, as he ran his hand up your bare thigh and side. He inhaled sharply when he heard a small noise coming from you, before clenching his fist into the hem of your shirt.

Your hand was on his warm chest, his heartbeat steady under your palm. You had to fight the urge to ran your hand down his abs, as his soft breathing slowly lulled you to sleep.

The last thing you remember before falling asleep, was Jake pulling you flush against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you. 

Waking up in Jake's arms for the very first time felt so good, you were questioning if you were really awake.

When you looked at him, you were mesmerized by how pretty he looked. You were looking at the way his eyelashes kept fluttering softly, when he suddenly spoke up, spooking you slightly. 

“You're staring.” he said, his voice deep and hoarse, as he opened one eye to look at you. 

Flustered, you looked away from him, rolling your eyes. “Can't help it.”

Jake grinned, pulling you closer to him to kiss the top of your head. He hummed, nose brushing along your jaw. "Good morning, beautiful.”

His good mood was contagious and there was no stopping the smile forming on your face. “Morning, handsome.”

“How did you sleep?”

You haven't slept that good in years. His body kept you warm all night, like your personal heater.

“Good, and you?”

Jake sighed, content. “I woke up with the most beautiful woman in my arms, so.”

You had to bury your face in his chest, hoping he wouldn't see how flustered he made you. “Shut up.” You pulled your face away, looking into his eyes when you felt how empty your stomach felt. "Breakfast?" 

Jake thought about it for a second, before he caged you underneath him, careful not to put his whole body weight on you. "Or we could stay here, like this." 

You laughed, wrapping your arms around him, caressing his back. "Until?"

"Forever."

"Forever sounds good." If only it was that easy. You smiled softly, kissing his cheek. You didn't even realize what you did, but Jake did. He was surprised you couldn't feel his heart beating out of his chest. "But I'm hungry."

He groaned, kissing the side of your neck where your face was buried, before standing up. It was your turn to get all worked up over how good his lips felt on your skin, even for that brief second. 

"Stay here." he said, putting on some clothes, before running downstairs. He came back a few minutes later with a tray.

“Breakfast in bed?” you asked, sitting up.

Jake hummed, kissing the top of your head. “My girl deserves the best.”

You smiled, shaking your head, as you both ate, content to just sit with each other in silence. That was the best thing about your friendship with Jake. There was no awkwardness when neither of you talked, you just enjoyed each other's presence.

When you got downstairs, you were instantly ambushed by Jessica and Kim, who arrived in the morning.

Kim gasped, looking you over, before looking at her sister. "You were right, she's gorgeous."

You were looking between them, a little embarrassed, while Jake only stood there, proudly showing you off.

Kim noticed you standing there, playing with the sleeve of your hoodie, before she realized she hasn't even introduced herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, manners. I'm Kim. Welcome to the family." she said, pulling you into a hug, which made you laugh. "Hi, I'm Y/N. It's so good to finally meet you."

"You're telling me!" She pulled away, punching her brother in the shoulder. “Jake talks about you so much. We had a little bet going on about how long it will take him to ask you out.”

Jake talked about you to his family?

Jake froze for a second, his mind going blank. He told them not to bring those things up. "Can you not-"

Kim waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, hush. You're already dating, what does it matter."

“Mom told me about the dinner yesterday." She gave her brother a sad look, before looking at you with an appreciative smile. "What you did was very cool."

You felt Jake’s arm curl around your waist, as he rested his chin on your shoulder. "I just couldn't listen to the bullshit he was saying." You shrugged, like it was no big deal. You had no idea that it meant the world to Jake.

"Still. I'm sure Jake appreciates it." As if to show she was right, he squeezed your hip, before kissing the top of your head affectionately. 

Jess cleared her throat, changing the topic. “Anyways, mom is already planning your wedding. Speaking of which, summer or winter wedding?”

You were taken aback, as you stuttered out a response. “I-I think fall?"

Jess cursed under her breath, turning to leave. “We will have to re-plan everything from the start.”

You looked at Jake with a raised eyebrow. “They're just kidding, right?”

He gave you a look, before taking your hand and leading you to the living room. 

There were presents and wrapping papers scattered across the floor, as Jess and Kim sat next to the Christmas tree, wrapping the presents.

Jake pulled you into his lap, as Pamela sat down next to her daughters, to help them. 

"You guys are so cute." Jess cooed, as Kim nodded. "I've never seen Jake so in love. I'm happy he found you."

Indeed, Jake was a very good actor. You almost believed him yourself. You smiled. "I'm happy I found him."

It felt so nice, so normal. Having you in his arms, as you laughed and chatted with his sisters and mother. For a second, he forgot it was all fake. 

You turned to look at Jake, noticing how quiet he was. “Tired?”

He had a far-off look in his eyes, as if he wasn't present in the room at all. “Hm?” He rid himself of the thoughts swirling aimlessly in his head, before looking at you. “Oh no, just thinking.”

You hummed. “About?”

“Stuff.” he shrugged and you knew you wouldn't get anything else out of him right now.

“Fine, keep your secrets.” you teased.

“You two would have really cute kids.” Kim spoke up.

“I know, I said that too.” Jake grinned, thinking about it. You and him having children. You having his children. The thought always made his heart race. He felt you squeeze his hand, as you relaxed against his chest. 

The hand that wasn't holding yours was laying on your ribcage, dangerously close to your belly. He wanted to put his hand on it, just for a second, to imagine what it would be like. The perfect life with you.

“Well, when am I gonna have another grandchild?”

Jess rolled her eyes. “Mom, leave them alone.”

Kim squealed, agreeing with her mother. “No, I need another nephew or a niece to spoil.” She looked at you two expectantly, waiting to know when you were planning to take your relationship a step farther.

You looked at Jake, raising an eyebrow jokingly. “Well, Jake?”

He scoffed. “Why are you looking at me? You will be the one that has to carry the little spawn for 9 months.”

“And you're the one that has to make the spawn.” 

While you were having a little staring contest, his sisters already started talking about how they would spoil your child. Since the attention wasn't on you anymore, you found enough courage to lean closer and whisper into Jake's ear seductively. “Wanna go upstairs and practice, daddy?”

You felt his whole body tense, his fingers digging into your ribs. You looked at him innocently. “Did I say something wrong?”

Jake chuckled, but there was no humour to it. “You know exactly what you said.” he rasped, voice so low it sent chills down your spine. “You'll be the death of me.”

After David and Noah got back, you spent most of the time with Noah in your arms, which made Jake pout like a little kid. He just wanted to hold you and have you to himself for a few minutes. 

All of you were having an amazing time, but the good mood only lasted so long. 

His father arrived, making himself known by slamming the door so loud you were sure even the neighbours heard it. 

You squeezed Jake's hand, hearing his shallow breathing in your ear. 

His father walked into the living room, eyes searching the room, until he found Jake. "Son." He motioned for Jake to follow him and you reluctantly let him go. You watched as he walked out of the room with a worried expression and the way everyone else was acting didn't really help you calm down. 

Jake closed the door to his father's study, not bothering to sit down. He knew his father wouldn't have anything nice to say to him.

"She's a pretty one. Mouthy but pretty." Jake's first clenched, as he gritted his teeth. 

"Is that why you called me here?" He didn't want to ruin Christmas for his family, but if his father insulted you once, he couldn't be held accountable for whatever he'd do next. 

"How long do you think this one's going to last? How long before she decides you're not worth it?" It felt like Jake's been stabbed in the heart, as his father brought up his greatest fears without any regards to how it would make him feel. 

"She's not like that."

William shook his head. "You have so much potential. She's only going to slow you down. Kids, marriage, love. That won't make you happy."

Jake chuckled humourlessly, licking his dry lips. "Stop acting like you care about my happiness. You don't even know me."

"I know enough. You're my son. We're not good with emotions." Jake clenched his eyes shut, trying not to think about his father's words and how true they were. "She's going to leave and it's going to hurt. Better end it now before you can get too attached." 

He didn't say anything, just stood there leaning against the door with his head hung low. 

"Do you really think, that once she gets to know who you are inside, she's going to stay?" 

Jake looked up, shaking his head. "You don't know Y/N. She's going to stay."

His father hummed, raising an eyebrow. "Is she?" He didn't even try to hide the disappointment he felt for his son. "She's going to find someone better. There's always someone better."

"You're just bitter because there's no one left in this world that cares about you. But I won't let you ruin this for me." Jake stormed out, angry. You stood up, reaching for his arm as he rushed out the back door, but he shook you off. 

"He's going to the tree house." Kim said, giving you your coat. The words you wanted to say died in your throat, as you swallowed. I'm not sure he wants me to follow him.

As if Kim saw your inner struggle, she smiled. "Trust me, he needs you."

You put on your coat and boots, before following him. Behind their garden, there was a small forest filled with trees. You followed the path, noticing a big tree house in the distance. 

Once you finally got there, you climbed up the ladder, finding Jake sitting on the old, worn-out carpet. 

You sat down next to him, putting your hand on his shoulder. “Jake?”

He smiled, leaning into your touch without looking at you. “When I was younger, I always sneaked out past my bedtime to come out here.” He could still remember the stinging sensation his father's palm left behind after he came hoke covered in mud and rain one time. He climbed down the stairs quietly, in his pyjamas and slippers, before running out of the house, only a small flashlight to in his hand. He wasn't scared of the dark or the animals that were lurking there. He knew who the real monster was. “It was always so peaceful and calm. I didn’t have to listen to my parents fight, or my sisters cry in the other room.” His voice broke a little, as a tear fell from his eye. “This was my safe place.” He smiled, before it turned into a grimace as the tears kept coming. He finally turned to look at you apologetically. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. I’m so sorry for all of this.”

You shook your head furiously. “Hey, none of that.” You reached out, brushing his tears away. “I want you to know that whatever he said was a fucking lie, okay?”

He looked anywhere but at you, trying to pull his face away, but you didn't let him. “No, Jake, look at me.” you begged quietly. “Please, look at me.”

It was hearing your voice break that made him finally look at you. You smiled, caressing his face. “You’re amazing. You’re so brave and courageous and kind when you want to be.” Both of you laughed at the last part, knowing it was true. “I don’t regret coming here, because the thought of you having to go through this alone scares me more than whatever your father can do or say. You achieved so much and everyone else is so proud of you. Don’t let him ruin you.”

You pulled him into a hug, wrapping your arms around him as tightly as you could. “He’s not going to scare me away from you.” you added, hearing the pained whimper escape from his throat as he buried his face into your neck. “I’m so glad I met you.” he whispered against your skin softly, as you smiled, thinking back to the first time you met. 

When you got back, after everyone made sure Jake was okay, he pulled you away from them. "I'm going for a run to clear my head. Will you be okay here?"

You nodded. "Yeah, go. Just be careful, the roads are slippery. It was freezing all night." He always got butterflies when you acted so protective and caring. It was just one of the reasons he fell in love with you. He wanted to pull you in and kiss you breathless, right under that fucking mistletoe you were standing under, obliviously. Instead he nodded, giving you a tense smile. "I will be."

While your boyfriend went for a run, you decided to help his sisters bake some cookies. Somehow it evolved into you sharing embarrassing stories about each other, but mostly about Jake. 

When Jake got back, he found you all laughing in the kitchen, an album with his baby photos open in front of you. He groaned, ready to tell everyone off for breaking their promise, but then you looked at him, your eyes twinkling and your smile so big it was hurting your cheeks. You walked up to him, kissing his cheek. "Did you have a good run?"

He nodded dumbly. "Yeah."

You grinned. "Good. Go shower real quick and get ready. We're going to the Christmas market." He shook his head with a smile, but did as he was told.

You decided to facetime with Nat and Bradley while Jake showered. You didn’t really have time to keep them updated, which was probably for the better given the last 12 messages you had that were all asking if you have already banged.

But right now you needed to get some things off your chest.

“So, how are things?” Nat asked.

“Tense.”

“Between you and Jake, or his family?” You wanted to tell them about the previous night, the way Jake looked at you and how he acted, but ultimately decided against it. 

“Between me and his dad, between him and his dad.” You sighed, running a hand through your hair frustratedly.

“But the rest of the family loves me.” 

Bradley scoffed. “Of course they do, who wouldn’t.” But that wasn't why they've been dying to talk to you. He bet Natasha another 20$ that you would be the one to make the first move, while Nat's convinced it's going to be Jake. Both of you are stubborn as hell, so it can be either, really. “What about you and Jake? Come on. Don’t leave us hanging. That’s your boyfriend’s job.”

You ignored the fact that he called him your boyfriend, because in the last two days you got so used to calling Jake that, you barely even noticed it anymore. Before you could decide where to start,  the words were spilling out of your mouth. “He told me we would have cute kids.”

Nat punched Bradley in the shoulder, telling him she was closer to getting her 40$ than before. “Jake wants kids? Jake wants kids with you?”

“I’m sure he was joking.”

“Come on, stop doing that." 

Just as you were about to answer, the door to the bathroom opened, Jake walking out in just a towel wrapped really low around his hips. You couldn't pull your eyes away from his Adonis' belt, as you imagined just trailing that V shape with your finger. Or mouth. You moved your eyes up, over his very nicely shaped body, over his six-pack and his pecs and that definitely wasn't the outline of his cock under the white towel, right?! 

“You okay?” Nat asked, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah, just uh-” Everything was fine. Your brain just stopped working, because it got overheated. 

Bradley knew who you were looking at like that. You were going to kill him for this but it would be worth it. "Is that drool?" he yelled out, making you screech as Jake laughed in the background. 

"Fuck off!" you said through gritted teeth, before ending the call. You were mortified, unable to look Jake in the eyes. Instead, you were already drafting the message you were going to send to your best friend for being a dickhead. You squeezed your eyes shut, hoping you would just die on the spot, so Jake wouldn't get to tease you about this. 

You opened your eyes, rather reluctantly, when you felt his hand on your chin, as you met his green eyes. Your eyes strayed, again, but it's not like he could blame you for that. The towel was like, really, really low. Like, you were scared it would fall off low. 

“See something you like, sweets?” Jake teased, his face so close to you you could feel his hot breath on your face. You gulped, nodding. “You know I do.”

Jake's smile widened, his face leaning closer-

"We're leaving in five minutes!" Kim shouted, before you heard her footsteps disappear as she ran down the stairs. 

Jake swallowed, nodding his head with a small smile, before he picked out some clothes and went back to the bathroom to get dressed. 

You just kept sitting on the bed, wondering what would have happened if Kim didn't interrupt you. Was he really about to kiss you?

You couldn't get that thought out of your head even as Jake pulled you through the crowd of people an hour later. His hand was holding yours in a tight grip, as you walked next to him. You got separated from his family halfway through, almost as if Jake did it on purpose. Which he did. He wanted to spend some time with you alone, without anyone else. 

“Jake?” You were both admiring the lights, when you heard a feminine voice somewhere from behind you, making both of your head's turn. You found a pretty blonde looking at your boyfriend, an unfamiliar feeling in your chest. You should've expected to run into a few of his exes or one-night stands. Why was it even bothering you?

“Stacy?” Jake asked, almost like he didn't believe the luck he had to meet her here. You had to ignore the urge to roll your eyes, as Stacy ignored your presence. Maybe she was too busy ogling Jake and didn't even notice you were there. Who could blame her. 

“Hi. Oh my god, it’s been so long since the last time I saw you. How have you been?” 

You could feel the jealousy running through your veins like lava, setting everything on fire, when you heard him chuckle. “Great, great actually. I just came home for the holidays with my girlfriend.” 

It was over as soon as he looked at you with that heart-stopping, panty-dropping smile, as he wrapped an arm around your waist to pull you into his side. You guessed that Stacy and him didn't end on good terms, otherwise why would he keep up the charade when his family wasn't near? 

You saw her smile drop when she saw you, turning into a bitter grimace, which made you smile. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“Yeah, I’m so happy she finally got to meet my mom and my sisters.”

“Have you been dating long?” She wasn't giving up. Damn. How desperate can one person be to try and get with someone's boyfriend in front of them? You eyed her, hoping she caught the judgy stare you gave her. 

“Few months. Definitely not long enough for me to say that I’m looking forward to spending forever with her, but…” Jake spending forever with you? That almost got a laugh out of you. You needed to admit though, he was a good actor. 

“I’m so happy for you.” she said in a high-pitched voice, something you both knew was overly-affectionate and fake. Her face screamed something entirely different. “I have to go now. But hopefully we will see each other again soon.” Hopefully not. She kept her eyes on Jake the entire time, as if waiting for a response. But she didn't get any. It did make you feel a little smug. You leaned into Jake's side, smiling into his coat. 

When she realized Jake wasn't going to say anything, she looked at you. “It was nice meeting you…” she trailed off, realizing she didn't know your name. “Y/N." you introduced yourself with a grin. "Likewise.” Not.

She said her goodbye, before leaving.

You looked up at Jake. “Ex?”

“Something like that.”

You nodded, looking away from him, a bitter feeling taking over as you thought about her. You were envious of whatever they had together. 

“You okay?” Jake asked, pulling you out of your thoughts. 

“Mhm.” Oh yeah, just peachy. 

He was looking at you with an unreadable expression, a smile on his face. He reached for your hand, intertwining your fingers with his. “Let’s go, we still have to buy the best gingerbread cookies you’ll ever eat.”

“The best? You’re setting the bar a bit too high, don’t you think?” you teased.

“Trust me on this. You’re going to love it.”

And he was right. They were the best gingerbread cookies you ever had. He also bought you hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it. 

You moaned as you took a sip of the drink, savouring the sweet, chocolatey taste, while it warmed you from the inside. "This is the best hot chocolate I've ever had." 

“Can I get a taste?” Jake asked innocently. 

You stopped walking, handing him the drink. “Here.” 

Instead of taking it, he pulled you closer with an arm on your waist, not giving you any time to panic before his lips were on yours. He sucked on your bottom lip, before you felt the tip of his tongue asking for access to your mouth. You almost dropped the cup when his tongue met yours, the moan he let out starting a Niagara Falls in your panties. 

He pulled away not long after, giving you one last dizzying kiss. “You’re right.” he said breathless, staring into your wide eyes. “Taste’s amazing."

Were you just supposed to go about your day as usual after that? Because it was definitely affecting you more than it was affecting Jake.

So the first thing you did once you were back at their house was locking yourself in the bathroom to call Natasha. To no one's surprise, Bradley was there with her.

"He kissed me!" you said as soon as she picked up, not giving her the chance to even say hello.

"What?" she exclaimed. "Tell me everything."

What was there to tell, really? That was pretty much the whole story. "He just...kissed me. And now he's acting like nothing happened. It was probably part of Jake Seresin's fake-girlfriend premium package." you groaned frustrated.

Bradley, the voice of reason, spoke up. "Just talk to him about it." And if you were braver, you would have agreed because you knew it was the easiest way to find out if Jake felt the same way. But you weren't so talking to him wasn't an option.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship over a meaningless kiss."

Bradley sighed, fed up with you two dancing around each other, but understood. "Jake's head over heels for you. I'm sure he's going to bring it up later."

"I hope so." you said with a sigh, as you listened to Nat and Bradley while they told you everything that happened in the last few days that you missed.

But neither of you actually brought up the kiss. Jake acted as if nothing happened and you were doubting yourself too much to ask him what was that about. You were scared he would dismiss it, find out that it didn't mean to him nearly as much as it meant to you. 

But the tension could have been cut with a knife. It was unbearable. And everyone noticed.

"Are you two okay?" Jess asked, once she caught you alone. 

Were you okay? You weren't sure anymore. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Both you and Jake have been acting a little weird ever since we got back." You felt like you were backed into a corner.

"No, it's-" It wasn't okay. You sighed. "It's going to be okay. This has just been a bit much for the both of us." you smiled, trying to make yourself believe your own words. 

She bought it though, nodding with a small smile. "Yeah, I get that." Before she left the room, she looked at you one last time. "Don't let him push you away." 

"I won't." you promised. 

But it was hard when Jake refused to meet your eyes. When he left the room as soon as you stepped inside. How he spent way longer in the bathroom than you knew was necessary, just so he didn't have to talk to you. 

"Jake." you called out his name as soon as he walked back into the room, but before you could say anything, the words you dreaded were coming out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry." he sighed, not even looking at you as he pulled back the covers and laid down on the bed. "About that kiss." he clarified, like you didn't know what he was sorry for. Was that all it was? An action he regretted doing? As a final stab, he answered your silent question. "I shouldn't have done that."

So you were right. It really meant more to you than it meant to him. You nodded. "It's fine. We talked about the boundaries, so it's-" You took in a sharp breath, your eyes tearing up. "fine."

You laid on the bed as far away from him as possible, turning your back to him. Jake's heart clenched in his chest. He wanted to reach out and pull you into him, but he couldn't. He tried to ignore the way you trembled as you tried to hold back your sobs. He tried to pretend he didn't hear the soft whimpers leaving your mouth. Tried to make himself believe he didn't want to wipe your tears away and comfort you. 

No weaknesses. No weaknesses. No weaknesses.

Maybe his father was right. Still, he didn't regret a single second of loving you.

He stayed up for a long time, long after you fell asleep, just watching you in silence. And if a few stray tears fell, wetting his shirt, no one needed to know that. 

But what else was he supposed to do after what he overheard? You found the kiss meaningless and didn't want to ruin your friendship over it. He would make sure it wouldn't get ruined.

When Jake woke up the next morning, your side of the bed was already empty. For a second he panicked, running to the closet to look if your stuff was still there. He let out a sigh, when he saw that dumb Christmas sweater he bought you last year, before putting on his sweats and running downstairs. He found you sitting in the kitchen, alone.

You looked up at the sound of his footsteps, startled. "They went shopping for some last minute Christmas stuff." you explained, when you saw his confused look. 

Jake nodded, trying to ignore the palpable awkwardness in the room. 

"I made you breakfast." you said, voice so quiet, like you didn't want to be heard. 

"Thank you." You nodded, standing up to leave. Jake's hand reached out for you, pulling you back. 

Just tell her you're sorry. Tell her the truth. Tell her you love her. 

But Jake was a coward. He didn't say any of those things. 

"Want to help me devour those gingerbread cookies?" A quiet peace offering. It wasn't much, but it was a start. You nodded with a small smile, as he put the plate on the kitchen counter, both of you eating in silence. Until your phone pinged, the screen lighting up to show a new text message. Before you could reach out and take it, Jake was already smirking, having read it. "Natasha wants to know if you brought that lingerie and if you put it to good use?" He looked at you, raising an eyebrow. 

Oh. 

You were going to kill her. 

You jumped, reaching for your phone, but Jake put his hand behind his back. "Give it back." 

"No, no, no. What lingerie and why haven't I seen it yet?" You were back to joking and teasing each other, that was a good sign at least.

"Jake, give me my phone." you groaned, knowing that there was no way you were getting it form him. "She was just teasing me, that's all. I didn't bring any lingerie." 

He hummed, eyes trailing over your body. "What a shame." His voice was low, sending chills all over your body.

You and Jake were now chest to chest, as you tried to reach for your phone, your hand landing on his lower back. “Hey, don’t get handsy now.” he scolded you jokingly, making you roll your eyes. “I’m pretty sure it was you that said no inappropriate touching.”

“Shut up.” you grumbled, taking a step back. 

“In the kitchen, none the less.” He shook his head. “And to think I thought you were oh so innocent.”

You scoffed. “Just because I don’t do one night stands doesn’t mean I'm innocent.”

Jake smirked, straightening out. “Prove it.” he challenged, knowing you wouldn’t back down.

You were taken aback for a second, your heart pounding in your chest, before you nodded. “Fine.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh.”

Jake wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you flush to him. You gulped, hands shaking slightly as you put them on the side of his neck, before leaning up. You had to stand on your tiptoes, about to grumble about how Jake wasn't making this easier for you, when he leant down, connecting your lips. It wasn't soft, like the one in the Christmas market. It wasn't slow. No. This was passionate and hungry, rough, teeth clashing and tongues caressing each other. Jake kissed you exactly the way you dreamed about being kissed by him. 

You inhaled his scent, your lungs filling up with his cologne, as your hands tangled in his hair, pulling on the strands. This earned a groan from him, his fingers digging into your hips so hard they were about to leave bruises. His hands explored your body, trailing up and down your back, before settling on your ass, squeezing the soft flesh. 

You whimpered into his mouth, hands trailing down his pecs, playing with the chain of his dog tags. Jake pulled away suddenly, looking into your eyes intensely.

"What I said yesterday..." Oh. Here it comes again. You shut your eyes, trying to block everything out as you prepared for the blow from his next words. But it never came.

Jake held your face so gently in his palms, knowing that this might be the last time he has the chance to have you this close. "It's not that I didn't want to kiss you, I did. So badly." He took in a shallow breath, swallowing the lump in his throat. "But I heard what you said and I don't want to ruin our friendship either. If you don't want me, I will deal with that, but I can't lose you."

Your eyes opened, widening as you thought back to the conversation you had with Natasha and Rooster. Of course the idiot only listened to the worst part and misunderstood it.

You shook your head, clutching at his shirt, scared he was going to walk away from you and disappear any second. "You won't lose me. I thought the kiss was meaningless for you." You put your hands on the side of his neck, pulling him down so you were on eye-level with each other. "I wanted that kiss. And I want you to kiss me again."

And Jake did so without a second thought.

You were so occupied you didn't hear the front door opening, nor his family walk in. 

“Oh, are we interrupting?” Jess asked, as you pulled away from each other, embarrassed at being caught making out as teenagers. 

You could feel your body flush with warmth, scrambling to say something. You just kept opening and closing your mouth, stuttering, before getting out something that finally resembled a sentence. “No, I'm sorry.”

Were you sorry? Because if they haven't interrupted, you're pretty sure you would have ended up pressed up against the kitchen counter and you wouldn't be exactly opposed to that. Still, you were sorry for being caught, sorry that they had to see you like that. 

You looked at Jake, trying to see if he looked at least half as embarrassed as you, but you found him looking down at you, with a look in his eyes you couldn't really describe. It was soft and loving, and for a second you thought that maybe you should've listened to Natasha sooner. 

His mom waved her hand dismissively. She was young and in love once upon a time too. “Don’t apologize, darlin.”

Jess nodded, amused. “Yeah, I mean Noah was conceived on the couch here so.”

That got Jake's attention, making him look at her horrified. “Ew, what?”

“Hey, don’t act like you weren’t groping her ass when we walked in.” 

You hid your face in his shoulder. “Oh my god.”

Kim shook her head with a smile. “Still wanna help with dinner, or would you rather make out with my brother?” 

You pulled away from Jake, avoiding his eyes. “I will help with dinner.”

Jake on the other hand couldn't keep his eyes off of you. If Javy was there, he would tease him for that look he had on his face. He was smitten, whipped and he couldn't even try to deny it anymore. 

You felt him stare at you, as you looked up to find him smiling at you. You tried to hide your own smile, but it was hard when he didn't even try to make his staring subtle. 

Jake couldn't take the tension anymore. The way you were looking at him from across the room while biting your lip was driving him insane. 

You were only half listening to what Kim was saying to you, especially when you felt Jake's presence next to you. 

You caught his eye, raising an eyebrow. He caught your wrist, pulling you out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "Jake. Your family-" 

"Trust me, this is better than them having to watch us eye-fuck each other across the room." he said, closing the door behind him.

He pushed you against the closed door, eyes gazing into yours with a hunger you never saw in them before. He was breathing heavily, chest rising and falling rapidly, as his hands gripped your clothes. He wanted to tear them off you, but not before he could make sure that you knew what you were getting into. Because he was in it for the long run, and he hoped to God that you were too. So he licked his lips, putting his hand on your face to lean your head up. "Do you want this?"

The tip of his thumb was caressing your bottom lip, making your lips part. You nodded your head, not trusting your voice. But Jake shook his head, not moving an inch from that position. "I need to hear you say it." His tone was desperate, pleading. "I need to know that you want me." He leaned his forehead on yours, not breaking eye contact.

In that moment you saw the person Jake was trying so hard to hide. The scared, insecure man, that wanted to be loved so badly, but was terrified he wasn't good enough to be loved. You saw him now; all of him. The good and the bad parts equally and you loved all of them.

"I want you, Jake." Your voice was just as breathy, just as desperate. And all it took was one kiss and the promise of something more to come. 

Jake let out a disbelieving huff at hearing your words. "I want you too, baby." The second his parted lips touched yours, you were opening your mouth for him. Jake walked you blindly over to his bed, your hands pushing on his shoulders until he sat down on the edge. You pulled away from him to take off your shirt, as Jake looked at you in awe. You climbed on his lap, connecting your lips again, as he trailed his hand down your body, touching you everywhere he could. 

As good as your ass looked in the leggings you had on, he wanted them gone to get more access to the one place he desperately wanted to touch right now. Jake turned, pressing your back against the mattress, his fingers gripping the band of your leggings and pulling them off. He threw them somewhere carelessly, not pulling away from your lips for a second. 

He felt like he needed your lips on his to keep living. He needed you to breathe, like you were his oxygen. 

And in a way, maybe you were. 

You let out a breathy moan when you felt his hand sneak into your panties, as he found your clit with ease. "Jake."

He loved the way you sounded saying his name, while he pleasured you. He buried his face in your neck, revelling in the small sounds you were making as he played with you. 

"Need your fingers." you whimpered, tangling your fingers in his hair. Jake let out a shaky breath, nodding. His minds still hasn't fully caught up with what was happening. Like it was just one of his dirty, wet dreams that would end with him waking up painfully hard.

But your hands on his body reassured him this was all happening. It felt too real, too good to be a dream. There was no way his unconscious mind could come up with this.

He helped you take off your bra, before pulling your panties down your legs. You climbed up the bed to lay on the pillows, Jake going after you with a predatory look in his eyes that made you shiver. 

Once he was face to face with you, as he caged you under him with his arms on either side of your head, he started kissing your neck, biting, before soothing the soft skin with his tongue. 

Your hands were gripping his dog tags and the shirt he still had on. As you started pulling it up, he broke away to pull it over his head, before getting back to work. He kissed down your chest, licking and sucking on your hardened nipples, his big hands palming your breasts. 

You never really felt anything when guys did that, but you were convinced you could've cum just from watching Jake's tongue tease your nipple. It felt overwhelming. 

He kissed down your sternum and stomach, until he was face to face with the part of your body you really wanted him to lick. You whimpered as his hot breath hit your wet pussy, while he put one of your legs over his shoulder to get better access. You were writhing on the bed, silently begging him to do something. 

Jake was too mesmerized to notice just how much you needed him. His fingers slowly spread your wetness, as he pushed a finger inside you. He watched as his finger disappeared until only his knuckles were visible, before pulling it out. It was slow, he wanted to explore your body, before giving you what you wanted so badly. His pace was steady. In and out. In and out. Then he curled his finger up, hitting your sweet spot. You thought you were going to lose your mind, a conviction which only got stronger once you felt his tongue on your clit.

"Jake." you moaned his name, sounding so sweet for him. He added a second finger, picking up his pace. He was watching your face contort in pleasure, your hands gripping the sheets as you tried to silence your moans. 

"You're taking my fingers so well, pretty girl. Let's see if you can take three." He looked in awe as your pussy swallowed his fingers up, the other hand coming to hold your hips down so you wouldn't move around that much. "Looks so pretty. You're gonna look so good full of me."

You could feel your wetness gush out of you every time he pulled his fingers out, before thrusting them back again.

He pulled out his fingers, replacing them with his tongue. His hands were on your thighs, nails digging into your skin as he lapped up your sweet juices. 

"Jake. Please." you begged, needing more. When he didn't as much as look at you, you thought about the reaction you got for him to another word, and decided to play dirty. "Daddy." you moaned.

Jake groaned against you, eyes catching yours, before he pulled away. "That's so hot." He wiped his chin with his hand, gaze darkening. "Say that again."

"Please, daddy." you begged, breathing heavily. "Fuck me."

Jake smirked darkly, unbuttoning his jeans. You sat up, pulling down the zipper, before he finally took them off. You could see the prominent bulge in his black briefs, your hand reaching out to palm him through the thin material. He threw his head back in pleasure as you dipped your hand into his boxers, swirling your thumb on the head of his cock.

"Sweets." he warned in a low voice, knowing you were teasing him on purpose. You bit your bottom lip, grinning, as you pulled down the final piece of clothing, revealing the leaking tip. He saw the way you licked your lips, groaning, before he pushed you to lay down on the bed. "Want that mouth next time. But I need to be inside you now."

"Want to practice now, sweetheart?" he asked, voice raspy, bringing up the conversation you had a few days ago. You moaned, nodding your head furiously. 

Jake let out a whimper as he swiped the head of his cock through your folds, getting his cock nice and wet. "Yeah? Want me to put a baby in you?"

You whimpered, tears threatening to spill from your eyes because of how badly you wanted this man. "Yes, please."

"Beg for me, sweetheart. Beg for my cock."

"Please, please fuck me, Jake. I need your cock."

He finally pushed the head in, putting his hands on either side of your head to hold himself up, as his lips found yours again. You whimpered from the slight pain, as Jake slowly pushed his whole length in, bottoming out. He gave you a few minutes to adjust to his size, before he started moving.

He couldn't believe he was finally inside you. You were naked, moaning and writhing underneath him. 

He set up a steady pace, thrusting his hips so roughly, your moans were now a constant noise in the room. That, and the wet, squelching noises your pussy made, along with the slapping sounds of skin on skin. 

You wrapped your hands around his neck, bringing his mouth to yours in a heated kiss. His dog tags were cooling your warm skin, and the sight of the metal with his name engraved on it laying between your tits as they bounced with every move, brought out something possessive from somewhere very deep inside him. He growled, a deep, low sound, that made your walls clench around him.

"I love you." His mouth was moving, the words coming out without him having any say in it. That didn't mean he meant them any less. Your breath got caught in your throat, your eyes watering at his confession. He buried his face in your neck, moaning when you clenched around him again. "I love you so much, baby. You're so perfect for me."

Your heart was threatening to burst out of your chest from the happiness you felt, your hand going to the back of his neck to make him look at you. You could see the slight insecurity in his eyes, as if he was scared you would tell him you didn't feel the same. Like that was even a possibility. "I love you, Jake." 

He whined, kissing you, pouring all of his emotions into it.

"You're close, baby, aren't you?" he asked, feeling your walls flutter around him. You nodded your head with a hum. His hand trailed down your body, his fingers playing with your clit. 

"Come for me, sweetheart." he whispered into your ear, grunting when you dug your nails into his shoulders. "Cum so that I can fill you up."

"Jake." Your walls squeezed around Jake, as your orgasm hit you like a freight train. You've never cum so hard before, your vision going black as you let out a loud moan.

Jake groaned into your neck, thrusts becoming erratic and unsteady. "Fuck, baby."

"Cum inside me. Please." you whined. Jake thrusted into you a few more times, before you felt his hot cum fill you up, his hips stilling. 

Once you both came down from your highs, he pulled out of you, making you whine at the emptiness you felt. He laid down next to you, pulling you into his chest. 

"That was..." Jake started, not finding the right words to describe just how good it was. 

But you understood. You nodded your head, letting out a small laugh. "Yeah."

Jake never thought that the holidays would end with him dating the girl of his dreams, but life always throws a few surprises your way. A real Christmas miracle.

To make everything even better, his mom decided to ask for divorce. The relationship was dead anyway, and if that meant the holidays would be peaceful from now on, it was worth it. 

“I like her.” Pamela told her son, as you were both saying goodbye to his family, ready to go back home.

Jake smiled, looking at you affectionately. “Yeah, me too.”

"Don't let her go."

He chuckled, as you walked back towards him, leaning into his side. "There's nothing that could make me do that. She's stuck with me." he joked, kissing you.

“Come here." His mom teared up, bringing you into a hug. "Thank you for making my son happy.” she said sincerely.

“Thank you for raising such an amazing son.” 

You were meeting at Bradley's place to celebrate Christmas together and exchange some gifts with the rest of the squad. Neither of you talked to your friends about what happened yet and you knew Nat and Rooster were both waiting to ambush you as soon as you stepped through the door. Just like Javy, who's been pestering Jake ever since you two got back. Every head turned to the front door, as you and Jake walked in, laughing. 

Jake stepped under the doorway, pulling you into him with a grin. You raised an eyebrow questioningly, as he looked up innocently. You followed his line of sight, noticing the green plant, tied with a red ribbon. "Oh look. A mistletoe." 

You smiled, rolling your eyes at his antics. Still, you leaned closer. "I guess, it's tradition." Jake grinned wider, pulling you in for a slow kiss. Your friends whistled, not one bit shocked that this was happening. Once you pulled away, he smiled at you lovingly, before intertwining your fingers with his. 

Rooster and Natasha ran towards you first, looking between the two of you.

"You owe Natasha 40 dollars." you told Rooster with a grin, earning a laugh from Nat as she pocketed the money. 

Javy patted his best friend on the back, before giving you a hug. "I'm glad you two finally got your shit together, because this was becoming a little tiring." 

Both you and Jake laughed bashfully, as he pulled you into his side, arms wrapping around your waist. He kissed your temple, finding your eyes. “This Christmas might’ve been a disaster, but I’m glad I could go through this with you.”

“I’m glad I could be there.” You smiled, squeezing his hip. “I forgot what it’s like to be a part of a family.”

Jake smiled softly. “You will always have a family while I’m alive. I mean, my mom already calls you her daughter-in-law.” 

You grinned. “Can’t disappoint Pam, now can we?”

“Definitely not.” he agreed, pecking your lips.

Taglist: @shawnsblue @imahoeforchrisevans @eddiemunsonownsme

Angel by the Wing - SEVEN

Chapter Warnings: drunk idiot at the bar grabs the reader once but that’s it, mentions of domestic abuse

A/N: I have two more finals to go and they’re both essays. It’s the end of the semester/seasonal/clinical sad girl hours. This fic is consuming my brain. I will get to other requests soon but for now, enjoy our three sluts.

Series Masterlist

“Polynomials suck,” Amelia Benjamin declared as she slapped down her pencil on the counter. You chuckled at her declaration and pushed a bottle of Coke towards her. You were counting inventory at the bar while Penny and Gary worked in the back organizing the kitchen.

“When am I ever going to use this stuff?!” she moaned and buried her head in her hands. Rolling your eyes at her melodramatic display, you patted her hand and then ruffled her hair.

“If it makes you feel any better, I had to learn that stuff too. And look, I never use it.”

She let out a triumphant battle cry and dove back into her work, leaving you to grab the two chipped glasses you found. You pushed your way into the kitchen and deposited them in a trash can before leaning up against the counter next to where a very flustered, very stressed Chelsea stood staring at a mixology cheat sheet.

Keep reading

Seeing Red | Masterlist

According to the Red Queen hypothesis, a species needs to evolve and adapt in order to survive because its competitors are doing the same.

Or how a young woman who wanted to be a lawyer ended up being a well-known naval aviator, hiding a big secret.

Please note that half of these 'texts' were written as sneak peeks of future events that are subject to changes in case the writer decides to explore a different path or idea. Thank you.

Chapters

Conversations from the past: Red - Jake

Conversations from the past: Red - Javy

Ch. 0.5: Off with his head

Dagger babes - 1 - 2

Jake - Red

Ch. 1: A war between us

Ch. 2: Used to it / Dagger babes - 3

Little Mitchells

Liam's Protection Squad

Jake - Red

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Jake - Red

-

-

Red - Jake

Frat au is my literal lifeline

— 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐓𝐄

frat!jake seresin x f!reader

dagger squad college!au

summary: you didn’t like jake seresin. you tolerated him. if you hadn’t befriended bradley bradshaw, you wouldn’t have given him the time of day. he was everything you weren’t. delta chi’s golden boy, popular, desirable, and a charmer. you did not like jake seresin. so why did it hurt when he didn’t want you?

wc: a monstrous 8.6k

warning(s): 18+, fem!reader, no y/n (reader goes by nickname ace), mentions of sex/hookups, alcohol and drinking, weed (briefly mentioned), self deprecating thoughts, jake is lowkey an asshole, and language

a/n: this was supposed to be short, yet here we are. i hope you enjoy frat!jake as much as i do <3 as usual, huge thanks to @briseisgone love u hun.

𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃!

Keep reading

The longer that you stay, the ice is melting (Jake Seresin x fem!Reader)

Summary: Some people called you heartless or cold, but you were just trying to protect yourself. And then Jake Seresin knocked down the walls you so carefully built.

Warnings: swearing, fluff, feelings (lots of them), little bit of smut, it's just thigh riding, allusions to more smutty times, and angst, angst, angst, mentions of shitty families and trust issues (have you noticed that I absolutely cannot write non-dysfunctional families??), Phoenix and Rooster being the most amazing friends, some flashbacks in italics. The reader's callsign is Viper (let's ignore canon and pretend there was no one with that callsign in either of the movies) because it fits her. Did I mention angst? Idk, the ending kinda feels off so I might make a part two.

A/N: AND THE PAIN FEELS OKAY, IT FEELS OKAAAYEEEAAYY. Except it doesn't.

You mean to tell me I finally finished this thing, after 3 months?! Just to let everyone know, I'm writing a TGM mob AU, here's the masterlist, the taglist is on there too! Posting the first chapters this weekend. And on that note, if you like Jake Seresin fics, @whatislovevavy has an amazing series that is a must read! Seriously, it's so underrated but so good. The smut is so yummy, the tension made me feel all tingly. Can't get enough of it.

Reminder to change your content preferences so you can see smut even when our fics get community labels :).

Wordcount: 10K

You said goodbye to Phoenix, turning to walk in the opposite direction. The whole squad went to Hard Deck for a few drinks after a long, tiring week and it was time to go home. You were enjoying the quiet and peace when you heard footsteps coming your way from behind you.

You turned your head, spotting Hangman. It felt like all of the happiness you’ve felt until now was drained out of your body.

It wasn’t like you hated him, you definitely wouldn’t say that. You just thought he was an arrogant asshole and you’d rather swallow a box full of razors than be alone with him for more than 5 minutes.

He was hot to look at, but the second he opened his mouth, that magic was over.

“Y/L/N.” The way your name sounded coming out of his mouth…you wanted to throw up from his voice alone.

“Seresin.” you said cautiously, turning back around and continuing to walk. Why did you have the feeling he was following you?

It’s because he was.

He caught up with you, standing in your way to stop you from walking. You tried to walk around him, but he blocked you. “I was wondering…” You definitely weren’t interested in what was going on in Jake Seresin’s head, but you wouldn’t get rid of him until he told you anyway. “Tomorrow. You, me, some good Chinese take out?” he asked, looking at you with a grin, a toothpick in his mouth.

You kind of hoped he’d choke on it.

Your brows furrowed, looking him up and down, trying to find where he was getting all this audacity from. “Is that the best you’ve got?” you asked, annoyed. “Because if so, you’re pathetic.”

His grin fell and you tried to commit that look on his face to your memory. You loved destroying men’s egos.

“Step up your game, Hangman.” you yelled after him as you walked away.

Jake scoffed, biting down on the toothpick. “Oh, I’m going step up my game so good, you’re going to fall in love with me.” he promised into the night, even though you couldn’t hear him anymore.

And in the next few days, he did just that.

You found it weird. It’s not that Hangman never tried to talk to you or flirt with you before. He was notorious for that.

But he definitely never followed you like a lost puppy everywhere. It seemed you couldn’t get away from him, like he was glued to you. It was annoying.

Jake walked up to you as you stood in the hangar waiting for Phoenix, his hands behind his back. There was a smile present on his lips and you sighed. What did you ever do to be punished like this?

“So, since the Chinese wasn’t good enough for you-“

You didn’t even let him finish the sentence, already fed up with him. “It wasn’t about the Chinese, it was you.”

But he didn’t falter. “I have a better suggestion.”

“Can’t wait to hear it.” you mumbled under your breath sarcastically, knowing there was no way you were getting any peace from him.

“Museum of art?” Your head snapped to his, brows furrowed. “I know you love art.”

You had no idea how he knew that, but it didn’t matter. “You’re right, I do. But I’m still not going with you.” You started walking away from him and over to Rooster, looking back one last time. “Give up.”

He shook his head with a grin. Giving up wasn’t Jake Seresin’s style. “Never.”

You barely bat an eye now when Jake waited for you after a day of gruelling training.

You might have felt a little shocked to see the bouquet of flowers in his hands, but you weren’t about to show it.

“Gorgeous flowers for a gorgeous girl.” His smirk was irritating more than usually, the sunglasses hiding the one attribute you actually liked about him; his eyes. Which means he was out of luck today. You looked at the flowers, your traitorous heart jumping a little in your chest at the beautiful baby pink roses, complimented nicely by baby’s breath. It looked beautiful. So it physically hurt to say your next sentence.

“I’m allergic to baby’s breath.” you mumbled, not giving him a second to respond before you were walking away.

It was a complete lie. You weren’t allergic. But you would cut off both your arms before accepting something from him.

Jake Seresin changed tactics. Instead of just plainly annoying you, he now got you gifts.

And you were ashamed to say whatever he was trying to do was working, because anytime you looked at flowers now, you thought about him.

Anytime you were out shopping and tried to reach for your favourite chocolate, you could only see his big grin as he stood in front of you, which turned into a frown once you told him you were on a diet.

“Diet?” He scoffed. “You don’t need a fucking diet.” he said, shamelessly scanning your whole body, eyes stopping to admire your curves.

You rolled your eyes, huffing. Inside though? You knew you wouldn’t be able to keep up this façade if he continued like this.

You tried to remind yourself that this was Jake. He just wanted to sleep with you and the fact that he couldn’t get you so easily was exciting him. That was all.

Your heart still beat a little faster and a little louder when he looked at you like that.

Today was no different.

You felt exhausted. Your muscles were tense, and you could barely feel your legs as you walked. Work was hell.

You were trying to find Phoenix, who promised you a drink, but you had no luck finding her. Instead what you found, was Jake was sitting there, with two little kids. A little girl was sitting on his lap and a little boy was playing around with a toy plane.

Jake noticed you standing in the doorway, before beckoning you closer. The little girl looked at you in awe, her big eyes shining.

“Does she fly planes too?” she asked Jake quietly. He nodded with a smile. “She does.”

"Viper, these are my lovely niece and nephew, Noah and Mia." he introduced.

"Hi. I'm Y/N." Noah smiled at you, shaking your hand politely. Mia was a little shyer, waving at you as she buried her face in Jake’s shoulder.

"I like your callsign." Noah said in a cute, high-pitched voice. He had adorable chubby cheeks and a few front teeth missing, which you noticed as he grinned at you.

You couldn’t help but smile back, his happiness contagious. "Really? I like your jacket. It's very badass." The little boy giggled, his cheeks flushing at your compliment.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" Jake whispered to Mia, as they both looked at you. She nodded shyly, looking away as soon as you turned your head in their direction. Jake thought you were pretty. 

You cleared your throat, looking away from the his face, but you did notice his soft smile. “You're pretty too, Mia.”

She thanked you, deciding that she didn’t need to use Jake as a shield anymore. She pulled away from him, standing up. “Is uncle Jake also pretty?”

You faked a disgusted look, which made the kiddos burst into a fit of giggles. Jake grumbled something under his breath and against your better judgement, you thought it was endearing. This was definitely the best version of Jake you’ve seen yet and you kinda liked it.

"Want to come get ice-cream with us?" Jake asked, before Mia walked up to you to hold your hand, pulling you with her. "Yes, come get ice-cream with us!" Noah yelled, jumping up and down.

"I can’t. I have some stuff to do." Both kids looked at you sadly. You smiled at them, kneeling on the ground to be on their level. "Maybe next time when you're visiting uncle Jake we can go for an ice-cream together. What do you say?”

They thought about it for a second, before nodding, satisfied. “Okay.”

Jake didn’t care that you weren’t getting ice-cream with them. The only thing on his mind was that you called him Jake. You used his name for the first time since he met you. That was a win in his book.

You stood up when you saw Phoenix looking at you questioningly, before waving goodbye to the kids and smiling at Jake awkwardly. “Bye.”

“Bye.” He smiled, watching you until you disappeared behind the corner.

"What was that?" Natasha asked with a smirk. "You were being civil to Hangman?"

You shrugged. "There were kids present."

Natasha eyed you suspiciously, recognizing a bullshit excuse when she heard it. "Just be careful." she warned, instantly changing the subject of your conversation after that.

The truth was, none of your friends knew what got into Jake. Everyone knew he was stubborn and determined, but never when it came to his one-night stands. If he couldn’t get the girl he wanted (which you don’t think ever happened), he moved on to the next one.

So when days passed and he always went home alone, while trying to convince you that his bed was so much more comfortable and you should try it, people started talking.

You always just rolled your eyes and laughed, not believing that Jake could actually like you.

What was there to like?

You acted like a bitch since you met him, you were mean and cold. Everyone knew that. That’s why your callsign was Viper and why everyone called you the Ice Queen behind your back.

You had reasons for being like this. Reasons that no one knew, not even Bradley and Natasha, who you considered to be your best friends.

But god, was Jake making it hard for you to stay that way.

At first, he really was annoying you with everything he did. But now, you were starting to rethink everything you felt.

Payback invited all to his place. The men were all standing around the grill as every one of them tried to give their own opinion on how to grill burgers correctly. 

Jake was the only one not part of the chaotic conversation. You wished he was though. He was just standing there, leaning against the railing and looking at you unnervingly.

You shouldn't have looked back at him and hold his gaze, because he took that as permission to bother you again.

He was walking towards you with a beer in his hand, sitting down on the chair next to you. “Y/N.”

Halo and Phoenix were sitting next to you, up until the point when they went to get more drinks from the fridge and that brief second was enough for that little snake to slither in. 

“Hangman.” you said warily. “What do you want?”

Jake, ignoring your question and your unfriendly tone, sat down in the chair next to you. That last interaction made him think he was finally on the right path with you and he wasn't about to waste a single second trying to woo you. “How are you?”

“Good?”

He chuckled. “Relax. I just want to talk to you. You know, like friends.”

That made you look at him with a raised eyebrow. “Since when are we friends, Seresin?”

He winced jokingly. “Ouch, okay. Acquaintances?”

Sighing, you started to relax enough to let your walls down a little. “You’re not gonna give up, are you?”

Jake shook his head with a shit-eating grin. “Nope.”

You rolled your eyes, looking ahead and trying to ignore his presence, when he pulled his chair even closer to you. “I have a hypothesis.”

“Such a big word.” you cooed in a derogatory tone, which only made his grin widen, if that was even possible. But for the first time, you were actually interested in what he had to say.

“I think you hate me because you want me.”

You snorted. “First of all, who said I hate you?” Pulling off your sunglasses so you could look straight into his eyes, your blood pressure already started rising. “That would require me having any feelings towards you, which, I’m sorry to tell you this, but there are none." Jake tried to hide his grin, knowing it was only pissing you off more, but he just couldn't help it. He found it adorable how you tried to defend yourself. "Second, pretty egoistical of you. Have you ever thought about the fact that some people just don’t like you for you?”

Jake sighed, leaning back into his chair and taking a sip of his beer. “I did think about it, long and hard.” His voice dropped an octave lower when he said the last part and you subconciously rolled your eyes. “But I don’t think that’s possible. I’m just too lovely.”

“Sure you are.” You shook your head but you had a smile on your face. You continued sitting in silence next to each other and you had to admit it wasn't too bad.

“I don’t think you’re as much of a hard-ass as everyone says.” Jake said, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“I will have to change your mind real quick. Can’t have you thinking I’m getting soft.” You glared at him jokingly, but there was a smirk present on your face, proving that you didn't really mean it.

Jake shrugged. “We’ve been talking for half an hour and I already made you crack a smile.”

Standing up from your seat with a sigh, you looked at him one last time. “You’re right. Which is why I’m gonna avoid you from now on.” You walked towards Phoenix and Halo, as Jake shook his head affectionately. From across the garden, Harvard and Coyote were looking at him expectantly. He sent them the middle finger, which made Harvard laugh out loud.

You really tried to keep that promise you made yourself. You tried to keep away from him and not show him just how much he already wormed his way into your heart.

Maybe it would have worked. You would never know though thanks to an unfortunate incident.

Walking in front of the lockers, you heard a loud, harsh voice bouncing off the walls.

It was family day at Top Gun, so the place was full of kids and families, which made you want to run away. You did see Jake with Mia and Noah, waving at the kids as they admired the planes.

You didn’t want to ruin his time with his family, so you didn’t go there.

Maybe you should have. As you listened to the insult his father spewed his way, you realized you had much more in common with Jake than you thought.

You felt bad for standing there and listening, as you debated whether you should leave or go in and make some shit excuse so Jake could leave. You went with the second option.

You opened the door, making sure they heard you. Their voices quietened instantly, as you made your way over to them. Your face was neutral, no emotion showing as you barely glanced at his father.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Maverick needs us.”

Jake nodded, walking out with you right behind him. As soon as he was out of the locker room, he slowed down enough so you could walk beside him.

“You heard everything, didn’t you?” he asked, voice quiet as he looked on straight ahead.

You glanced his way, noticing his tense jaw and shoulders. “Yeah.” you admitted quietly. “Wanna talk about it?”

Jake chuckled humourlessly. “What is there to talk about?”

You stopped walking abruptly, hand settling on his arm to stop him. “You’re a great pilot, Jake.” you said with so much conviction and honesty, it knocked the breath out of him.

Jake just kept looking at you, mouth open in shock and eyes unreadable, so many emotions coursing through him.

“You know what would cheer me up?” he asked finally.

You tilted your head, ready to do whatever he asked. “What is it?”

“Come with me and I’ll show you.” He reached his hand out, waiting for you to hold it. You squinted your eyes, looking at him warily. “If that’s another one of your stupid lines, I swear-“

He chuckled lightheartedly, shaking his head. “It’s not, I promise.”

You nodded, putting your hand in his. “Come on then.”

The thing that cheered Jake up was apparently taking you and his niece and nephew to get ice-cream, which you promised them the last time.

The kids were adorable, you had to admit that. And spending time with Jake alone, without any of your friends present wasn’t that terrible either.

It also helped that he looked incredibly hot while acting all fatherly. You hated yourself for even thinking that.

Jake loved seeing you with the kids. It was clear how much you adored them and it didn't help his growing feelings towards you.

After his sister picked up the kids and all of his family left, not before giving you a few not too subtle looks while whispering to each other, Jake took you on a stroll on the beach. You talked about so many things, he made you laugh until your cheeks hurt. He just kept on surprising you.

Even now, hours later, you were still talking about the most absurd things.

“I hate sunflowers.” you said, scrunching your face in disgust.

“What? Why?” Jake asked in a high-pitched voice while laughing.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. I just don’t like them.”

“I think they’re pretty neat.”

“Now I know what flowers I’m gonna put on your grave.”

“Already want to get rid of me?” Jake knocked your shoulder with his and you had to look away from him once you saw just how close he was. The close proximity caused your fingers to brush against each other. You cleared your throat, pulling your hand away and ignoring his question.

But Jake wasn't ready to give up just yet. Not when he had you so close to where he needed you. "Nice night we're having, huh?" he asked, trying to make small talk. He knew you wouldn't get back to the previous teasing and talking his ear off. You just smiled, nodding your head as you avoided looking at him.

Jake sighed. “Can I ask you something?”

You looked at him, interested in what he wanted to know, humming for him to continue.

“Anytime I tried to talk to you before, you told me to fuck off. Not very polite by the way.” he scolded jokingly, making you chuckle. “Why was hearing those things my father said about me the moment you decided that we can be friends?”

You stopped walking abruptly, not really prepared for that question. And definitely not prepared to give an honest answer.

Jake stopped walking too, looking at you quiestioningly.

There were few minutes of silence where you just kept looking at your shoes, pretending they were much more interesting than they really were. “I know what it’s like when your own parents think you’re a disappointment.” you said so quietly, he barely heard you. And maybe that was your intention. Not to be heard.

But he did and he looked at you shocked. How could anyone think you were less than perfect in your own way? You saw his disbelieving look and chuckled. “You think I was born like this?” Cold. Heartless. Empty. Distant. You knew what everyone thought about you behind your back. “I had to protect myself somehow. If I acted cold-“ your voice shook as you continued to talk, “if I acted like a bitch, I knew no one would want to be close to me. Which means that no one could hurt me. I guess knowing that we have similar backgrounds just put things into a different perspective for me."

Jake knew that feeling very well. It was why he never had a serious relationship, why it was hard to let people in and see the real him. It hurt too much when they realized they didn't like what they saw. It hurt even more when they left.

You smiled sadly, thinking back to who you were a long time ago. “Trust me, I was very different before. Maybe if we met back then…” you trailed off, taking in a shaky breath. Jake wanted to know the end of that sentence. He wanted to know if you meant what he thought you meant.

“You’re not a disappointment.” He said with so much conviction in his voice it was hard for you to act unaffected. “Your parents must be crazy if they think that about you.”

Your bottom lip wobbled slightly before you bit down on it, ignoring the tears stinging in your eyes. “Thanks.” Your voice broke a little and you wanted to run away. A part of your brain was screaming at you for showing this vulnerable side to Jake. You couldn't even explaing why you let him see you like this, you just knew there was something about him that made you feel safe. It was too much. “We should go.” you suggested.

This was his chance. Maybe there wouldn't be a better time to ask you out than now. “No.” he said determinedly, looking into your eyes.

“No?” You gulped as Jake stepped closer to you, putting his hand on your cheek. His thumb rubbed circles on your skin as he held your gaze. Your heart was beating out of your chest, something you were sure he could feel. You wanted to stop him, walk away. But your legs were rooted to the ground. You were frozen in place.

Jake's movements were so slow and cautious, giving you time to pull away. You knew in your heart you didn't want to do that.

So when he started to lean closer, you tilted your head and let your lips touch his.

They were soft, moving languidly against yours as he kissed you. Every single coherent thought left your mind, as if there wasn't anything else in the world beside you two. Only you and Jake.

There were no fireworks and no butterflies. What you felt was so much better. Like you were a puzzle and he was the one missing piece you've been searching for so desperately your whole life.

You smiled into the kiss, thinking that if someone told you a few weeks ago you would be so happy to be kissed by him, you would have laughed. You would have never thought he would be the person you would want to give your heart to.

You just hoped Jake wanted the same thing.

The urge to keep kissing him was strong, but the need for oxygen was stronger. You pulled away, leaning your forehead against Jake's as you both panted.

Your eyes were closed still, fearing that if you opened them, the feelings of uncertainity would start to creep in. Jake ran his thumb over your bottom lip, making you take in a shaky breath.

As you slowly opened your eyes, you found him staring at you intently. His gaze was intense and the tension between you could have been cut with a knife.

A look of determination crossed Jake's face and you almost felt sick from how hard your heart hammered against your chest.

"Y/N?" Your name rolled off his tongue, his eyes mirroring the feelings you were trying to bury deep inside. Fear. Concern. Aprehension? You couldn't look away from them. It was the most human you've ever seen him. Today, this whole day showed you who Jake Seresin really was. And you liked it. "One date is all I ask." he said, voice low but soft, and pleading at the same time. You were enthralled by his whole being.

Still, you tried to cling to that last piece of sanity you had left, so you put your hands on his chest, pulling away from him enough to give you a few inches of space.

Your lungs were still burning, but you knew if you stayed like that any longer, you were going to ket him kiss you stupid, until you were stripped of everything that you were before.

"One date is all you get." Your voice was unusually soft, raw. You were scared that the more time you spent with Jake, the less you would recognized yourself, because you kept acting like the girl you were years ago. The one that disappeared, the one you missed and wanted to get back. The one you were scared to become again.

How much more pain can a person take? You didn't want to think back to these moments and feel hatred for the person that made you feel so alive. But what was the guarantee he wouldn't hurt you, like everyone else? Maybe it would be better to leave now, leave like this. When you only had the good memories and nice moments to look back on.

A look of disappointement flashed across Jake's face. He really thought you were going to give him a real shot at this. He tried to not show it, but you still saw it. And you relented. "Unless you convince me you deserve more."

That made his face brighten, an almost smile appearing on his face. He knew there was still a long way to go, but this was a good start. You gave him a chance, now it was time to convince you he was worth it.

"Pick me up tomorrow?" you asked, eyes scanning his face, looking everywhere but at his lips. You wanted to kiss him so bad.

"Yeah." he agreed, looking almost surprised that you said yes. Like he was waiting for you to reject him again.

You smiled, nodding, before kissing his cheek. Your lips lingered there for a few seconds and you swore you heard his breath hitch, before you started walking away from him in the direction of your house.

Jake, finally coming out of his stupor yelled after you. "Wear a dress!"

You shook your head but you couldn't hide the smile on your face or the feeling of happiness coursing through you.

Jake Seresin was making you feel drunk in love.

It's hard opening yourself up to people. It's like you're handing them a weapon and you're never sure if they're going to use it against you or not. You want to protect yourself from all the hurt and the pain, but you also know that it could potentially cost you your happiness. 

It's even harder when underneath all that is a little girl longing, yearning to be loved. When you wish someone would just hold you so you could feel safe in their arms. 

And this means there's a war going on inside you, because you can't have both. There is no love without pain. 

You tried so hard not to fall. Tried to tell yourself he wasn’t worth getting hurt over. But you felt your walls collapsing the more time you spent with him.

This is exactly why you tried to avoid him all this time. You knew Jake was charming, you knew how easy it would be to fall in love with him if you let yourself.

But the hurt that comes with it, you definitely weren’t ready for.

When you woke up and the first thing you thought about was Jake, you panicked. When you found yourself smiling at his texts, you panicked. When your heart beat louder and your palms felt sweaty anytime he was near you, you were panicking.

Everyone knew Jake wasn’t the relationship type. You didn’t believe he wanted anything more than a quick fuck from you. Of course you chose the best person to fall for.

Jake Seresin was able to crack your tough exterior, doing the impossible in the process: making you fall in love with him.

You needed to get this off your chest, so the first people you went to with this problem were Phoenix and Rooster.

“I’m going to die.” You were walking around in circles in Bradley’s living room for so long, his head was spinning.

Phoenix rolled her eyes with a groan. “You’re not going to die, stop being so dramatic.”

You stopped walking abruptly, turning to face the two people sitting on the couch. “You don’t get it. It feels like I can’t breathe and my chest feels tight.”

“Isn’t that a panic attack?” Rooster spoke up, helpful as always. Why couldn’t they accept that this was the worst thing that could have potentially happened?

You whined, stomping your feet. “This is different! I haven’t been in love with someone in years.” your voice cracked as you talked, tears gathering in your eyes. You didn’t want to cry. “This isn’t easy for me. Especially knowing Jake.”

Bradley sighed, patting the empty space next to him. You sat down, as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. “Listen, I know that Jake seems like an asshole most of the time. And he is most of the time.” You snorted, not sure if he was trying to help ease your mind or do the opposite and make you worry even more. “But I’ve never seen him try so hard to get someone before.”

You knew how painful it was for Rooster to say something positive about Jake. That was probably why he had an awkward smile on his face. You knew the two men bickered most of the time, so hearing this from Rooster made you feel a little better.

He brushed a strand of hair away from your face, tucking it behind your ear. “I think you should give him a chance.”

You bit your lip, looking at him hopefully. “You think so?”

Bradley nodded, giving you an honest smile. "You're incredible, of course he was bound to fall in love with you."

Your lip trembled as you tried to keep yourself from crying, wanting to tell Bradley how much his words meant to you. That’s when you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, as you pulled it out to look at who texted you. 

“That’s him.” You couldn’t keep the grin off your face, as you read Jake’s text. “He asked me to go somewhere with him.”

You jumped up from the couch, squealing a little, unable to control your emotions. “I have to go get ready, but I love you guys so much and thank you for listening to that.” You winced, thinking back to how dramatic you were just a few minutes ago. “God, I sounded like an idiot.”

Bradley smiled. “Anytime.” You wanted to ask if they didn’t mind that you were leaving so abruptly, but before you could even utter the words, Phoenix was ushering you out the door. “Go.”

When she shut it behind you, she walked back to sit next to Bradley, who leaned his head on her shoulder. “Why did you do that?” she asked, not understanding why Bradley gave you up so easily. Not like he could call dibs on you because he liked you sooner, but she definitely didn’t think he would be the one to encourage you to run into Jake’s arms, without even telling you that he likes you. She thought it was pretty cowardly of him.

Bradley played with the silver bracelet you gave him for his birthday. It had his callsign carved into the metal, the other side having yours. It was a little joke, both of you said you needed a frienship bracelet to remind you of the other when you were deployed. Not that he needed anything to remind him of you, you were always on his mind. But he liked the bracelet. You said it was a little gift to remind him that he had somewhere to belong.

He smiled at the memory, even though his heart never ached so bad before. “If Jake hurts her, I will kill him myself. But she’s in love with him, you heard her.” Nataha knew he was on the verge of crying, she could hear it in his voice. “I want her to be happy.” he said quietly, almost in a hushed whisper. If he said those words any louder, there would be no stopping the tears gathering in his eyes.

To Bradley's surprise, Nat was affected just as much. "I don't think anyone cared about her or loved her as much as you do. You just gave her up because you don't want to stand in the way of her happiness." Natasha said, choked up. She hated herself for not giving you signs that Bradley was in love with you. But it didn't matter anymore. She just wanted both of her best friends happy. "You're a good person, Bradley. And the most amazing friend."

“Stop, you’re going to make me cry.” he said as the tears rolled down his cheeks, both of them laughing even in their despair.

You on the other hand, were having the time of your life.

Jake took you the art museum, a small, teasing smile on his lips as you told him about all of the paintings. He loved listening to your voice, something he realized in the last two days.

Your hand was clasped in his and he had to stop himself from pulling you into the bathroom or back to his car so he could kiss you senseless.

But he could wait. It was all worth it when he saw you practically glowing, smiling more than he saw you ever before. And to know that he was the cause of your happiness warmed him on the inside.

As the night drew to a close, you were both sitting on the hood of Jake's car, talking and laughing. His arm was wrapped around your shoulders, piulling you into his side. Your head was placed on his chest a you listened to his steady heartbeat.

"I'm glad I gave you a chance." you said quietly, tracing patterns on his chest. Jake's gaze was on you, watching you. He didn't say anything, his throat clogged up with all the words he wanted to say, all the secrets he wanted to share. Instead, he kissed the top of your head, squeezing your body closer to his. You smiled, closing your eyes to savour this feeling. You wanted to stay in this moment forever.

"We should go." Jake said, voice distant and unemotional. The way he changed in mere seconds almost gave you whiplash. You pulled away from him, scared to look at his face and see something you wouldn't like. Your thoughts were racing, your heart beat faster as you nervously played with your fingers.

It was almost funny how quickly something so insignificant as a small change in someones voice could turn you, from a cold and heartless person into this unsure, anxious one. It would have been funny, if you hadn't been panicking the whole ride to your place if you said something wrong. If you fucked it all up somehow. If you were too much. If you scared him away because you came on too strong.

Or maybe you just weren't good enough, he decided that he didn't want you, you weren't what he hoped you would be. This was why you kept your distance. This was why you didn't want to give in. You knew it was a wrong idea. You shouldn't have come.

"Hey." You were pulled out of your thoughts by Jake's gentle voice and his hand on your chin.

You looked at him and he must have seen the terrified look on your face, because without a second thought he unfastened his seatbelt and reached over to pull you into a hug. You wrapped your arms around him, taking in his scent and enojoying the way his body fit perfectly against yours. It was uncomfortable, both of you were twisted and there was the console betweeen you, but it helped ease you mind just a little.

Jake pulled away a little, enough to look at your face, while still being able to hold you in his arms. "I really liked spending time with you." he said, trying to reassure you. You nodded, giving him a small smile that was anything but honest.

You tried to pull away from him and open the door, but his hand stopped you, shutting the door close again.

You sat there, unsure what he expected from you. You were starting to get angry from the mixed signals and the games.

He put his hand under your chin again, coaxing you to look at him.

He took in a shallow, shaky breath, opening his mouth to say so something. In the end he decided against it, and pulled your face closer to his, connecting your lips with his.

Your body relaxed, sagging against his as he continued kissing you slowly, tentatively. Like he didn't want to cross the line, an imaginary barrier he put there.

You put a hand on his shoulder, needing to feel him, to feel his body against yours, know that he was there, that he wanted you just as much.

You got the confirmation when he deepened the kiss, his tongue breaching past your lips, caressing your own tongue. It was wet and passionate and you were turning desperate with every passing second.

You were halfway sitting on his lap, your hands exploring his body over his clothes, touching and grasping everywhere. Jake wasn't doing any better. He was panting, revelling in the sounds you were making, the little moans and whimpers you let out, the whines as you begged for more and more and more.

You needed everything, needed all of him.

He pulled away, looking at you so intensely, the butterflies in your stomach started going berserk, flapping their wings against your ribcage, trying to get out.

"Want to come in?" You didn't even register opening your mouth or saying those words. It was like your body was on autopilot, your brain far too occupied with imagining Jake above you, as he thrusted into you and made you lose your mind, to control your actions.

Jake nodded, pulling you all the way into his lap and making you squeal, before he was opening the door and taking you into your house.

His mouth was on yours, as he blindly walked to your door. "Keys?" he asked between kisses. His hands were under your thighs, supporting you, your dress bunching up thanks to the position you were in.

Jake groaned as he felt your naked thighs, before you reached into the pocket of your jacket and thrusted the keys into his palm.

He pushed your back againt the door, his mouth not leaving yours as he tried to get the key into the lock, with no luck. You were getting impatient, moving your hips in circles to gain some friction. Jake groaned, squeezing your ass in a warning way.

When you continued doing it, he growled into your ear. "If you don't want me to fuck you right here where all your neighbours can see, stop."

You moaned, throwing your head back and essentially banging it against the wooden door, when Jake finally unlocked the door.

You looked for the light switch with one hand, your other tangled in his hair as he kissed down your neck.

He sat you down on the floor, both of you kicking off your shoes as you threw off your jackets, before Jake was picking you up again and throwing you over his shoulder, his palm slapping your ass. You laughed, a deep sound that made your belly ache, as he carried you over to your sofa.

"Since you like dry humping me so much, the only way you're getting off tonight is on my thigh." His voice was low and deep, and raw from your make out session. It sounded like he was in pain with how much he had to hold back and not strip you naked that moment.

He sat down, sitting you on his thigh, your legs on either side of his. You whined, moving against him. Your hands were on his chest, while his were on your hips, squeezing your curves and helping you move.

"Jake." you moaned his name, rubbing yourself against the denim jeans, creating a sweet friction that was enough to drive you crazy but not enough to satisfy you the way you needed, the way you craved.

"Be a good girl for me and stop whining." he demanded, sending shivers all over your body.

You wanted to be his good girl. So you bit your lip, closing your eyes as you tried to chase that euphoric feeling.

It was Jake who let out sounds now. He was moaning as he looked at you, pleasure written all over your face. Your dress bunched up enough for him to see your panties, the wet patch on them undeniable.

His hands moved from your hips down to your ass, squeezing and kneading the soft flesh.

You were panting, your forehead leant on his shoulder, your nails buried into his biceps.

The pleasure he felt just from having you use him like this outweighed the pain.

"That's a good girl." he praised, pulling a loud whimper from you. Jake smirked, his lips pressed into your neck.

Your noises got louder and more frequent, your movements becoming erratic. Jake's thumb rubbed circles on your clit through your panties, your body jolting before you felt yourself reach your high, letting out a loud moan.

Jake swore it was the prettiest sight he's ever seen. It was almost enough to have him cumming in his pants and he had to concentrate and fight from all his willpower in order not to. He wasn't done with you yet.

Jake kissed all over your face as you came down from your high. You felt embarassed when you saw the wet patch on his jeans but he cut you off before you could apologize.

"I lied." he admitted, and your heart fell. You looked at him questioningly, noticing his smirk. "Hope you're ready for another orgasm."

You grinned, kissing his lips as he stood up to take you to your bedroom. You were in for a long night.

Jake walked onto base the next day with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. The sun was shining on him, he could still feel the taste of you in his mouth and he had another night of drinking and fun to look forward to. Life was good.

Everyone eyed him suspiciously when they noticed how happy and carefree he looked. Bob gave Phoenix a confused look when he started whistling to himself, but she just shrugged

Hangman grinned at them, before walking over to Fritz, Coyote, Yale and Harvard, who were all standing a bit farther away, wanting to hear all the details.

Jake took off his sunglasses, loving the way all four of them kept his attention on him. It was Harvard who broke the silence with an exasperated whine. “Come on!”

Jake’s grin just got larger, if that was even possible. How could his friends ever doubted him? "Pay up." he said triumphantly.

"No fucking way." Yale, Fritz and Harvard were all in disbelief.

Coyote held up his palm, high-fiving his best friend. “Good one!”

"Did she actually let you fuck her?" asked Harvard, reaching for the 100$ that was promised to Jake. He handed it to him bitterly, shaking his head. He really believed you wouldn’t fall for his charm.

"Was she good?" asked Javy, patting his friend on the back with a proud grin.

Jake closed his eyes for a moment thinking about how good you felt, humming. "She was. Not gonna lie, might even miss her."

Because that's how it all started. The bet they made two months ago.

-

“Come on, man. Look at us." Jake motioned to himself and Javy. "Who in their right mind would say no?” he asked in utter disbelief.

Harvard shook his head with a chuckle. “Everyone in their right mind would say no.”

Jake disagreed. “Every single person in this bar would fall to their knees if we wanted it."

“I can count at least a few that wouldn’t.” Fritz interjected, making Jake scoff.

“Want me to go and make Phoenix fall in love with me?" he asked with a smirk. “Or Rooster?”

Fritz chuckled, shaking his head. “Nah, I don’t think they’re the most challenging people out here. I think there’s someone else that wouldn’t even touch you with a ten foot pole.”

“Who?” Jake asked, intrigued.

Fitz licked his lips, looking at Jake with the biggest shit eating grin ever. “Viper.”

Jake's face turned into a grimace as soon as he heard your callsign. The callsign you got because you were known not to take anyone's shit. You had a few people you let get close to you, others you kept at a safe distance. You were badass in the air and on the ground. Jake was more often than not at the receiving end of your insults when he did some dumb shit up there and you really chewed his ass out.

His friends didn't use your callsign as much as the nickname they gave you once you were called back to Top Gun- Ice Queen. You were cold and calculated, and attacked before anyone could attack you.

Your callsign fit you perfectly. You really were venomous. One bite and he would be dead.

He knew you didn't like him at all because of how he acted.

Fritz sighed. “I know, I know. She’s a tough one. I don’t think you could win her over.”

He didn't think. It was just a brief second of stupidity and his stupid mouth that he couldn't keep shut. The words were just rolling out of his mouth. “How much do you want to bet that I could?”

He enjoyed seeing the look of disbelief on their faces. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Scared you might lose?” he challenged.

Fritz thought about it for a second before shrugging. “If you’re so sure of yourself.”

His chest was puffed out with pride, a smug smirk on his face. He knew he could do this. “I am.”

Yale shook his head. “I’m with Fritz on this one. No way in hell are you getting her.”

“I’m gonna stand with my best friend.“ Javy patted Jake on his back in solidarity.

“You trust him that much?”

“Hey, I’ve seen him at work. He’s good at what he does.” Javy defended. Thruthfully, he wasn't all that convinced Jake's charm would work on you.

Harvard nodded. He would enjoy seeing Hangman's face after losing the bet and getting an ego-check from you. “50$ from each of us.”

“A bit cheap, isn’t it?”

Harvard sighed. “Fine. 100$. If you can convince her to get with you until my birthday you can have it.”

Jake frowned. “That’s in two months.”

“It will take some time to charm her, I’m just trying to make it fair.”

“Okay.” he agreed, reaching out his hand so they could shake on it. “No one else can know about this.”

Harvard grinned. “Scared they will tease you once she chews your ass out?”

“I will win.” said Jake confidently.

“Keep telling yourself. Maybe it will come true.” Fritz teased.

-

"You better be fucking joking, Seresin." He heard the growl coming from behind him, turning to see Bradley standing there, raging.

Jake gulped, knowing this was going to get ugly real quick.

Bradley was extremely fond of you, everyone knew that. He was one of the only people around you really trusted.

Jake knew he fucked up.

Looking around to make sure you weren't close by, he stepped closer to Bradley, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Whatever you heard, it's not what you think it is."

Bradley shook his hand off, backing away with an angry stare. "So you didn't have a bet going around?"

"That's-"

"You sleep with people for money now, Seresin?" he asked angrily. "A 100$? Is that all she was worth to you?"

Jake doubted that telling Bradley he was actually getting 300$ was going to help his situation.

"No, listen-"

"Make her listen." Bradley said defiantly. "You're going to hurt her once she finds out, so stop explaining to me. Go and tell her. It's on her to forgive you, not me."

Jake opened his mouth to protest, but nodded in the end. What he didn't expect was for Bradley to pull him over to you and Natasha.

You smiled at him and Jake swore he heard his heart break in half. You didn't deserve this.

"Jake has something to tell you." said Bradley, clapping him on the back harshly. "Go on then." he smiled at Jake, encouraging him to talk. But the way he was looking at him made everyone aware that he wasn't happy at all. Jake looked at you again, unable to open his mouth and say what he had done. How could he have done that to you? Bradley snorted. "Now you've got nothing to say?"

"What's going on?" you asked finally, looking between the two men. Your hands started to feel clammy and sweaty and you knew something bad happened.

"Tell her what you did." Bradley whispered angrily to Jake. "Tell her what a disgusting piece of shit you are."

Jake squeezed his eyes shut, taking in a shaky breath before he said those words out loud. "I asked you out because of a bet."

You froze, your heart hammering so hard you could hear it in your ears. You felt sick. "I-I don't understand." your voice shook, sounding like you were on the verge of crying. You didn't even notice the tears before they started blurring your vision.

Bradley scoffed, turning his anger on you. "You actually think he cared about you? It's Jake we're talking about here."

Jake fucking you over you could take. Somehow. But Bradley being angry at you and blaming you for something out of your control you couldn't. That hurt more.

He saw the way your face fell even harder and there was no stopping the tears now. His face softened instantly, but you were already walking away from him before he could apologize.

"You didn't have to be so harsh." Natasha reprimanded, angry at both men for hurting you unnecessarily.

"Fuck, I know." Bradley ran a hand through his hair, swearing. "Shit. 

Every single cell in your body was screaming for you to run. So that's what you did. You ran and Jake ran after you. He caught your arm, pulling you back, your back connecting with his chest. You turned to look at him with so much anger in your eyes it scared him. “You really are a heartless bastard, huh?!” you yelled, your voice brittle and high-pitched, making your own years hurt. “You knew-“ your voice broke, a lump that formed in your throat getting in the way. “You knew why I’m like this. You were the only person I told about it. And you still did this.” you cried, half of you hoping he would take you into his arms and tell you this was all just a big misunderstanding, the other half wanting him to disappear from your life altogether.

“Y/N, listen. I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I continued with the bet, because I couldn’t care about it less, once I got to know you.” he tried to convince you desperately. He didn't mean to hurt you. If he could take it all back, he would.

“I trusted you.” you accused.

Jake's eyes softened, feeling like he was being punched in the gut over and over again. You trusted him. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that.” you shook your head. “Don’t you fucking dare call me that and stand there like you didn’t know what you were doing. You wanted to win a stupid fucking bet for what exactly? To stroke your own ego?” You were right and he knew it. He made the bet not caring that he was going to hurt you. It was ironic, really, because out of the two of you, he was the heartless one. “God, and I stupid thought that-“ A sob left your lips as you realized just how naïve you were. Walking into Seresin's trap like that. He didn't even have to try that hard and that only angered you and hurt more.

“Everything I told you, I meant it.” Jake took your hand in his, trying to reason with you, make you see that it wasn't all a lie. “I love you.”

You shook your head furiously. “No. You don’t get to say that now.”

You walked away after that, feeling like there was nothing left to say, and Jake let you.

Bradley found you sitting in your car, tears streaming down your face and sobs wrecking your body.

It was a sight he never wanted to see. He never wanted for you to hurt. He felt a terrible sense of guilt knowing that he encouraged you to give Jake a chance. He should have known better.

Bradley opened the door on your side, crouching down beside you. He took your hand in his, holding it tightly. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're right."

"I'm not." he shook his head, angry at himself for telling you something so hurtful. He brushed away your tears with his fingers, making you look at him. "You're so amazing and sweet and beautiful. He didn't deserve you." You smiled even through your tears, thankful for having Bradley by your side. You should have fallen in love with him instead, he wouldn't hurt you like that. If only it was that easy to choose. "I think it's punishment enough that he knows what an amazing woman he just lost."

You let out another sob, pulling Bradley up from his position and opening your arms so he could hug you. You buried your face into his chest, his arms wrapping around you to hold you tightly against him as he quietly let you cry until you exhausted yourself.

He stayed with you there, his legs aching and feeling numb from being in the same position, his back hurting as had to slightly lean in, but he didn't care. He just wanted to hold you and bring you comfort.

Hours later, Jake debated in his head whether it was a good idea to knock on your door, but the knowledge that you hated him didn’t let him sleep. He knew it was his fault, he didn’t have anyone else to blame but himself for being a stupid idiot.

He also knew you’d probably never forgive him. Hell, he was lucky you didn’t knock his teeth out, which he definitely would’ve deserved. It would’ve been so much better if you got mad at him, but when he saw you cry and sob because he hurt you so bad, he wanted to beat himself up.

When Phoenix opened the door, anger written all over her face as soon as she saw him standing there, he regretted every decision he made that lead him to this moment.

“Before you beat the shit out of me…” he started, putting his hands up in defence.

Nat scoffed, shaking her head furiously. “The audacity to come here after what you’ve done.” Her voice was harsh and raw. If it wasn't so late, she would have definitely started screaming at him from the top of her lungs.

He would have deserved it, he knew that. That and more. He nodded his head, avoiding her eyes. “I know.”

“Then why the fuck are you here, Hangman?” she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her.

Jake took in a deep breath, gathering all of his courage to look at Natasha, while hoping she would see the honesty in his eyes. “Let me talk to her. Please.”

“No way.” She shook her head defiantly.

“I need to tell her how sorry I am.”

“You already did that. She doesn’t want to see you or talk to you.” Everything that needed to be said was said and she was ready to close the door in his face. But she relented in the last minute, reaching for the chocolates. “But I will take these, thanks.”

The door shut behind her with a loud bang as Jake hung his head low. He stood there for a few more minutes, before giving up and leaving.

As soon as he was sitting in his car, he banged his fist against the wheel in anger, cursing. "Fuck!"

Inside, Natasha brought you the chocolates, giving you a sympathetic smile. “Are you okay?”

“I will be. It’s not like this is the worst thing I’ve been through.” You shrugged nonchalantly. Your heart was already broken into pieces, long before you met Jake.

You would ge through this like you got through everything else.

Don’t show any emotions, don’t let him know how much it hurts, and this will be all over soon.

Jake didn't honour his life enough. That was the realization you have come to after he tried to get you alone so he could talk to you for the fourth time that day.

You were fed up and done with him.

If looks could kill, he would drop dead the second he looked in your direction, before running up to stop you in your tracks.

“Can we talk?” His was voice was pleading and rough, almost like he's been crying. And you really hoped he was. Looking at him, you saw something on his face that maybe resembled guilt. What a shame that you didn't care anymore.

You straightened out, as you continued to walk. If he wanted to tell you something, he needed to keep up with you. “What do you want to talk about, Lieutenant?”

Your voice was emotionless, cold and hard. It made Jake wince. His heart was breaking more with each second, as the realization that you would never forgive him slowly started to sink in.

He reached for your hand, stopping your hurried steps. You looked at him, shocked, feeling your heart in your throat. His eyes were boring into yours and you knew if you kept looking into them you would jump straight into his arms and forgive him. “Don’t do that.” he begged.

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t act like we’re-“ his voice broke, his breath shaking, and it wouls be a lie to say it didn't affect you, “like we’re nothing.”

“We are nothing.” you said, pulling your arm out of his hold. “There is nothing and never will be anything between us. I made a mistake and I regret letting you in.”

A look of hurt flashed across his face, his eyes becoming glossy. “I love you.”

“That’s nice.” You smiled, but there was no happiness behind it. “But I don’t think I can trust you anymore." you said, walking away from him.

Jake looked as you walked away, a strong feeling of hate towards himself engulfing his whole being.

The best person that came into his life just walked away from him and he wasn't sure if he could ever get you back.

I really, really liked writing this fic and it took me a long time to perfect it, so please, if you like it, leave a comment or a reblog. They always make my day and I love reading them! Support your writers.

Taglist: @shawnsblue @lemur46 @afterglowsb-tch13 @sometimesanalice @bradshawburner @tghock @classyunknownlover

Taglist is in my pinned post!

Jake "Hangman" Seresin Masterlist

I am currently taking requests for this character. My blog and all works are 18+. Minors DNI - you WILL be blocked.

* Indicates smut

Voulez-Vous

Lay All Your Love On Me*

Not Part of the Plan

Just What I Needed*

Honey, Honey*

Home Late

Hold My Hand

Dr. Feelgood

Louder Than Words

30/90*

Yankee Rose (series)

SOBBING, THIS IS SOOO GOOD

Red Carnations - J.Seresin

Summary: A Red Carnation signafies your heart aches for that person.

Jake left red carnations at your headstone every year, until he wasn't and you were staring back at him, alive.

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Pilot!Reader - Callsign: Hela.

Warnings: 18+, mentions of death, mentions of accidents/injury. Mentions of nightmares, fluff and some angst.

This is part II to "Middle Of A Memory" which you can find here.

a/n: woah. I didn't expect the two of these to get so much love but I am so happy it has! the long anticipated part two.. it's here! I hope this lives up to what everyone was hoping for. Thank you for sticking with me and having patience with me. <;3

happy reading!!

Year: One.

The summer sun was hot on his skin as Jake sat on the now green grass. The headstone stared back at him, “Y/N, “Hela” Y/L/N” he reads softly to himself as he reaches over, wiping some dirt out of the letters. “I can’t believe it’s been almost a year Hels” he watches the way the leaves flow with the wind, as if you were listening to him.

“I still can’t even listen to Foreigner without thinking about you,” he chuckles, running a hand along his face. He had stubble on his cheeks, choosing to take his leave to come to New York and see you. “I need to go home and see mom but she knows how much this means to me” he whispers, smiling slightly to himself. “I miss you so much beautiful” he stands and brushes some grass from his jeans as he sets down the small bouquet of red carnations.

His mother always saying that a red carnation means you were aching for that person. He smiles sadly as they sit perfectly on your headstone. He takes a deep breath and looks to the sky to prevent more tears from rolling down his cheeks. There was a knowing smirk on his face as he knew you’d be teasing him, all in good fun. He kisses his fingertips, laying them atop the stone, walking towards his hotel. 

“How’d it go?” His mom’s voice is soft on the other line, understanding. “It was nice, I felt her with me” he admits, pushing the hair out of his face as he walked the busy sidewalk.  “Are you gonna come home?” she asks tentatively, “I think so mama, I-” he chokes up then, biting back the tears.

“You need your mama, you can admit it” she smirks but she knows her son. “My flight leaves in a few hours” he whispers, shoving his hands into the pocket of his jeans to pull out the keycard to his room.

“What flowers did you leave for her?” she asks as he shuts the door behind him, “red carnations”. She smiles sadly, nodding, “okay baby, I will see you soon then? Gracie is home too” he smiles at the mention of his sister.

"Of course, how is she holding up?” he asks as she sighs, she looks back at the younger Seresin who sat curled up on the couch with her father like she was six again. “She could really use her big brother right now” he nods.

“I will be home soon” she nods, knowing he can’t see her. “I love you” he smiles, “I love you mama” he hangs the phone up then, looking down at the text staring back at him. 

Raven: Thinking of you today. I found this and thought it might make you smile.. *1 attachment *

The tears he tried so hard to prevent started to fall freely. A photo of you and Jake, it was from when you first met him in Tennessee. He stood behind you, his arm across your chest as the two of you looked at the other, your smile was wide and Jake's eyes were dripping with love.

He sobs, his head falling forward as he sits on the edge of the bed. The two people in the photo were not ones he recognized. “It’s bullshit Hela '' he mumbles to himself, tossing the phone aside as he brushes the tears off his cheeks, taking a deep breath.

Jake landed in Austin almost two hours later. His sister's grin meets him in the airport. She covered her tears with a smile as he made his way to her, his own smile hiding his own tears. “Jakey” she whimpers as her brother approaches.

“It’s okay Gracie, c’mere” he’s dropping his bag and wrapping her in his arms, her head nuzzling into his chest. He can feel her sniffle against the tshirt he wore, kissing the top of her head, he squeezes her body. “I got you, let’s go home yeah?” he asks softly as she nods, wrapping her arm around his waist and walking to the parked car.

The car ride was silent, the radio played softly and the silence was almost deafening as the Foreigner song picked up on the radio. “Shit” she quickly reaches for the seek button or anything to turn the song off. “No” he stops her, looking at her with a wide smile.

“I want to hear it"

He admits as he turns the song up louder, looking out the window with his sunglasses perched on his nose. He couldn’t help but smile at the sound of Kelly Hansen’s voice filling his ears.

He can’t help but sing along softly. Gypsy smiles from her seat, looking at her older brother from her peripheral, he looked at peace for one of the rare moments in the last year.

Year: Three

The red circle stared back at him. Red and screaming as he stood in front of the calendar.

Three years to the date he’s been without you.

He couldn’t take leave this year and was stuck on base training. He shuts the locker with a slam and walks out of the locker room. The murmuring of the other pilots stops at his outburst, watching as he walks out of the room.

He puts the sunglasses on his face and walks past the squad room where the dagger squad sat. Gypsy looks up as her brother's boots walk along the linoleum floor. “What’s his problem?” Payback asks as she looks down at her phone. The date stared back at her. “It’s today” she looks at Raven who nods sadly. “I’ll go talk to him” Bradley stands, leaning down to kiss the top of Raven’s head, following the older Seresin.

Jake tosses his bag into the passenger seat of his truck, going to get in when Rooster's voice stops him. “Hangman!” he jogs up to the Chevy, looking at Jake. “Hey” Bradley looked at him, Jake's face was stone, he hid his emotions better especially in front of anyone on the squad. “I know what today is,” Rooster whispers, moving closer to him. “I expect you too” Hangman mumbles, looking at Rooster.

“You know I understand don’t you? I grieve my parents everyday” Rooster says, watching as Jake shuts the door to his truck gently. “I know you do Rooster and thank you” he nods to him in thanks, “I-I just need to be alone okay?” taking the aviators off, Rooster nods at the sadness in his eye. “Of course, I’m just a phone call away okay?” Jake nods, sending him a sad smile and climbing behind the wheel of his truck.

The living room was silent. Jake couldn’t bring himself to even turn the television on. He can hear the soft tick of the clock as the minutes go. He takes a deep breath before he’s grabbing his phone, pulling up the group chat with the Dagger Squad.

Coyote: Hard Deck?

Fanboy: I'm in!

Phoenix: Same!

Gypsy: Bob and I are gonna stay in, I’m not up to it.

He stops reading the texts, standing and shoving the phone in his pocket as he grabs his jacket and leaves the house.  The house still had so much of you even after three years, he took over your lease of the beachfront home. He couldn’t bear it going to anyone else.

He drove to the flower shop down the street, he knew what he was there for. The sweet woman smiled at him as the bell above the door dings. “Can I help you?” she asks as he smiles, looking around at all the flowers and plants lining the walls.

“Yes actually, do you have any red carnations?”

She smiles a wide smile, holding a finger to him and makes her way back to the back of the store.

The breeze was cold on his skin as he stood on the sand. The carnations were held securely in his hands as he took a deep breath, taking in the saltiness of the sea. Rooster notices him as he stands in the Hard Deck, grabbing his own jacket, he makes his way outside.

“Hangman?” Jake turns and for one of the first times in their friendship, Rooster can see the tears streaming down his cheeks. “Hey Rooster '' Jake is wiping his cheeks, turning back to the water. Rooster moves beside him, holding his hand out to him. Jake furrows his brows as Bradley motions to the flowers. “Let me have one” he mumbles as Jake takes the small bouquet and gives one to the man beside him.

“Red Carnation?” he asks as Jake nods slowly, “they mean you ache for that person, I’ve been leaving them for Hela for years” he whispers, voice breaking slightly. Bradley nods, smiling sadly at Hangman. “I can’t even look at the ocean the same now that she’s gone” Bradley is surprised at the confession as he nods. “I couldn’t go to the beach for a long time once my dad died” he replies as Jake looks at him with a sad smile.

“I know you didn’t know Hela but she was… so fun and she loved all things in life” he smiles sadly as he turns back to the water. “She’d want to be with the sea, even though that’s where she died,” he chuckles softly. Bradley nods, “tell me more about her'' he asks as Jake looks over at him. “Raven probably tells you enough” he chuckles, wiping his cheeks. “The basics'' he admits as Jake nods.

“She was very fun, always had a joke about something” he smiles as he chuckles, “I pulled her off the bar once, dancing to a scorpion’s song in Tennessee '' he smiles as Bradley nods. “I bet she was fun” Jake chuckles, nodding “she was”'.  Jake turns towards Bradley with a sad smile, “Thanks alot for this Bradshaw '' Bradley nods, reaching over and slapping his shoulder with a squeeze. “Of course,” he smiles.

Jake makes his way to the shoreline with Bradley, crouching down to let the Carnation flow with the water, watching as Bradley lets the one in his hands go. “Another year without you Hells Bell” he stands watching as the flowers float into the ocean.  “It never gets easier, does it?” he asks as Bradley stands beside him. "No, no it doesn’t but you have an army behind you” Bradley looks over at him as he chuckles, “you mean navy?” the two of them laugh.

“Let’s go get a drink, what was her favorite drink?” Bradley asks as they make their way up the sand. Jake laughs, looking at Bradley, 

“A sex on the beach” .

Present day.

Cyclone and Warlock watch the way the two of you look between each other. Jake takes in your state, the way your bruises are so fresh and how the split in your lip looked as it almost stung as you smiled at him.

“What-” he’s panting, looking around the room as it starts to feel small, he was not one to get claustrophobic but he was almost suffocated by the walls. “Can we have a minute?” he can’t believe he’s even hearing your voice outside of a Voicemail. Cyclone and Warlock nod, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind them.

He doesn’t notice as you make your way to him, hands moving from the pockets of your jacket. Jake could sob at the bruises on your knuckles as your still soft hands reached out for him. “Jake” you are whispering, reaching out to him slowly, his eyes meeting your bruised one. “How-” he’s shaking his head, pacing the room. You stand there, shoving your hands back into the jacket pockets.

The room is silent. The only sound is Jake’s boots along the concrete floors. “Say something” you say, standing in front of him as his boots stop and he turns to you. His heart aches as he looks you over. “How are you even alive right now Hela?” he asks, watching as you take a deep breath, watching over his face.

“I survived the crash Jake '' he nods slowly, his brows furrowed.

“Doesn’t answer how I buried you almost five years ago,mourned you for almost five years!” he looks at you, breathing heavily as his voice raises. “i-I was on the search team looking for you! We looked for you!” he yells, watching the way you almost folded up onto yourself. “They found me before you did” you whisper, looking up at him through your lashes. “I’ve been held up in an enemy camp since the accident” you can see his boots are in your vision.

“They finally realized they were getting nowhere” His hands are soft as they reach out for your cheek, you flinch against his hand. “Sweet girl” he whispers, thumb tilting your chin up to face him. He sobs at the look on your face, fear and pain. “I didn’t mean for you to mourn me Jake” you move away from him, you begin to pace. “Any of you, Gypsy, Raven” pushing the hair out of your face, wincing at the pain as you brush a cut on your eyebrow.

“Hela” he's reaching for you and soon his arms are around your body as the two of you fall to the floor.

He’s cradling you in his lap as the two of you sob, his chin resting on your head as he holds you closer. “My poor girl,” he whispers, kissing the top of your head as the sobs shake your body against his chest. “I’m so sorry” you sob harder, gripping his arm tightly as he shakes his head,

“You are here and alive baby” he whispers.

It felt like hours as the two of you sat on the office floor, held up together. “I missed you so much” you whisper, gripping his arm as he rocked the two of you. “I missed you even more baby” he whispers, kissing the top of your head. The knock on the door pulls the two of you to stand, Warlock and Cyclone make their way back in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, just wanting to check in” Warlock smiles sadly at you , you nod sending them a smile. “You can have Lieutenant Seresin back, thank you for bringing him to me Cy” Cyclone nods with his own smile, looking between the two of you.

Turning to Jake who is also wiping his cheeks, you smile and reach up to cup his cheeks. “I want you to go out there and fly, I know this is going to be hard to process but, we will tell the girls later okay?” he nods, kissing your palm.

You smile, leaning up to kiss the lips you waited years to kiss again. He pulls you closer to him by the waist as he chases your lips once the two of you part. “Promise?” you nod, smiling wider, “I promise”. He smiles, kissing your forehead as your eyes close.

“Fly fast” he smirks against your hairline, “Fly safe” he whispers back. 

“Jakey!” he stops at his sister's voice, turning to face her. “Gyps” he smiles at her behind his aviators. “Are you okay? You were in Cyclones office for a while” she’s panting, her helmet in her hands as he nods. “I’m alright Gyps' ' he walks past her with nothing more, walking past the rest of the squad to his own jet. You made your way through the halls of Top Gun, listening over the comms at what was happening in the sky.

“Don’t worry Phoenix, Hangman’s coming” you smile, hugging the jacket tighter to your body. Walking back to Cyclone’s office, he looks up from the papers. “Are you okay?” he asks as you watch the planes out the window. “I am. I-I got to see Jake and that means alot to me” you whisper, shoving your hands back into the pocket of the jacket.

“Thank you again Cyclone really” you look back at him as he smiles, standing. “Of course Hela, we are so happy to know you are back” you smile sadly as he gives your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Pilots are landing, would you like me to go out and get the other Seresin and Cain?” he asks as you nod, looking up at him, “bring both seresin’s in please?” he nods with a grin in the doorway, “you got it”.

The tarmac was warm as the sun was going down, Raven and Gypsy both doing their rounds of push ups when Hondo stopped counting. “Lieutenants Seresin and Cain, I need you both in my office please, when you are ready” he nods to Hondo, Cyclone makes his way back inside, passing hangman as he goes, “you too Hangman”.

Raven looks over at Gypsy and then looks at the older Seresin by the door. “What is going on?” She whispers to Gypsy as they make their way down the hallway. She stood beside her brother who remained cool as a cucumber. “Uh, Gypsy” he turns to the two of them, stopping them outside the office door. “You both are gonna be shocked and- I know it might be confusing” Gypsy furrows her brows, looking up at her brother.

“Jake, just spit it out” she defends, arms across her chest as he nods. Knocking on the door gently, he hears your soft come-in as he opens the door. Raven and Gypsy follow behind the older Seresin who’s shielding you from their vision, a smile so wide on his face it could light up a dark room, “ready?” he mouths as you nod with your own smile, “ready”.

“Raven, Gypsy” you look at your two best friends with a sad smile, hands still shoved in your pockets as the two girls gasp. “No fucking way” Raven starts pacing as she looks between you and Jake and then back at you. “There is no fucking way!” she points at you with a scowl on her lips.

“Jakey..” Gypsy whispers, eyes trained on you as she turns to her brother. You smile at the two of them, making your way to Gypsy and holding a hand out to her. “It's me, Gyps” she sobs, taking your outstretched hand, pulling your body into her own and hugging you tightly.

Closing your eyes, holding back more tears, you hug her tighter. “I’m so sorry” you whisper as she shakes her head, sniffling, “don’t you be sorry! You are here and alive!” she cups your cheeks, a shy smile on her face as you wince. You smile down at her, kissing her palm gently as she sobs with a wide smile. You look over in your peripheral as Raven continues pacing.

“Hold on” you whisper, walking towards her slowly, “Ray” you whisper. It was almost slow motion as she turned around and her hand connected with your cheek. Turning from her, you hold your cheek and close your eyes.

“Raven” Jake steps in, moving to stand between the two of you. She looks up at Jake with a sob. “How is this possible Jake!'' she yells, looking at him and then behind him, you are wiping your lip on the sleeve of your jacket.

“It’s true, Raven” he looks down at her as she sobs, slapping his chest as he brings her into a hug. “She died! She died and I watched her casket go into the ground!” he’s rubbing her back soothingly. “I know, I know,” he whispers with a nod, “so did I” he reminds her.

“Raven'' you move to stand beside the two of them as she looks over at you. She notices the fresh blood on your lip, the bruises along your skin as well as your swollen eyebrow. “I will tell you everything I promise” you say as she sobs.

“I watched them bury a casket Hela '' she whispers as you nod. “It was empty, they told my mom they couldn’t find my body. They couldn’t find it because it was already recovered” you whisper as her sobs slow. “Hela” she whimpers as you nod, a smile on your lips.

“It’s me, Ray” she pulls you into her body, hugging you tightly as you smile, looking up at Jake who can’t help the grin on his own lips. “It’s me Ray I promise” you whisper again, hugging her tighter. 

+

The nights were quiet. They were too quiet for your jukebox mind. The mug sat between your hands as you sat on the couch, the soft ticking of the clock above the television kept your focus. Knees pulled to your chest, you rested the cheesy Navy mug ontop of them. 

The faded Naval academy shirt sat down to your mid thigh as you focused on the soft ticking. So focused, you don’t hear the sound of the floorboard right in front of the bathroom creak. Jake leans against the wall that leads into the living room, he watches the way you looked off almost in a trance. His arms cross over his chest as he decides his next move.

He often found you there, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in the early hours of the morning. The two of you were in the Navy but you never got up before the alarm. That was until your accident. You would sleep a mere few hours and then he’d find you out on the couch. He pushes off the wall and walks towards you. His approach is slow so he doesn’t startle you, smiling softly as your eyes meet his.

“Lover” you whisper, sitting up to set the mug aside and looking up at him through your lashes. “Hey sweet girl” he whispers, sitting down on the coffee table to face you. “Did I wake you?” you ask as he shakes his head, elbows resting on his knees.

You've been home now for two months, you did your best to hide the emotions from everyone, hide the nightmares and hide the pain you still were feeling. He looks you over with his own sad smile, looking over your face, all your bruises were healed, a small scar remained on your eyebrow. He reaches forward and smooths his finger over it, watching the way your eyes fall closed. “Another one?” he whispers as you nod against his palm. “Sit with me?” you ask, eyes reopening to look up at him.

His heart clenches at the look in your eye as he nods, moving to lay on the couch, his head falling in your lap. “What was it like?” you ask softly, running your fingers through his blonde strands. “What's that?” he asks, eyes falling closed. “What were the years like? I feel like I missed so much” you admit looking down at him. “Hard” he mumbles behind a yawn, “so hard Hels, I-I had a hard time flying after the accident, they grounded me for about two weeks” he admits as your nails gently scratched his scalp.

“Raven finally talked some sense into me, told me you’d be pissed I was grieving so… hard? She told me you’d want me to try and fly and be the best pilot” you smile sadly, nodding as you sip the now cold coffee. “I would’ve told you to stop feeling sorry for yourself” you whisper as he chuckles softly, “I figured that, so I flew with a photo of you in the cockpit every single day” he admits as you smile sadly.

“Hela?” he asks, his speech slurred as you hum in response. “I want to marry you, ya know? I thought about how if you were still alive that we would be the hottest couple in the Navy” you chuckle softly, looking down at his now sleep filled eyes. “Are you asking me to marry you cowboy?” His smile is goofy and lopsided.

“Someday I will, the right way with a perfect ring and setting for us” you smile, patting his chest. “Let's get you to bed lover” he smiles, standing as you reach over, turning off the lamp beside you and following down the hallway.

The sun was bright in the sky as Jake stood on the tarmac. He watched as everyone got into their planes. “How is she doing?” Gypsy asks her older brother, he looks over at her with a hum. “Her nightmares are getting worse, barely sleeps” he admits, shoving the glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Poor thing” she whispers as he shakes his head, “She tries to hide them from me,I find her on the couch every night” he looks over at his sister with a sad smile.

“We will get through it though, she will, her bruises are healing and so is she, one day at a time” he nods, he wasn’t sure if he was reassuring her or himself. She nods, looking up at him, “Well, maybe if she feels up to it, bring her to the Hard Deck tonight! She should meet the squad!” she grins, walking towards Bob and Phoenix.

He nodded, making his way towards his own plane, climbing the ladder. Maybe going out to the hard deck, meeting and seeing everyone would help.

The Jukebox was soft and flowed through the open windows beautifully. You smiled, standing at the end of the stairs of The Hard Deck. This place brought back so many good memories for you.

Climbing the steps, you take a deep breath and push through the dark green door. The smell of beer and fried food filled your nose. Jake insisted he go without you, he wanted to give you a chance to come on your own time. You smile as you notice the back of his head at the pool tables, Raven and Gypsy as well.

“Hela?” you look over at the soft voice, Penny Benjamin is smiling behind the bar. She knew you were alive, Maverick told her about your arrival back on base, she remembered you from Top Gun.

“Penny?” you ask in a soft voice as she is rounding the bar and making her way to you. “I thought he was lying..” she whispers, smiling wider at the smirk on your lips. “Captain Mitchell is no liar” you smile as she laughs, pulling you into a hug.

Penny became a safe space for you, she listened to you cry about how much you loved your best friend when you attended top gun, how you would never be anything more than his wingman. “Would you like a sex on the beach?” she grins at the smile that was wide on your face, for once it met your eyes. “I would love one Penny” she makes her way back to the bar. 

The pool game seemed intense. You watch as Jake bends over to take the shot, smirking as you whistle behind your straw. The group turns at the sound, Jake smirks and takes the shot, standing back to his full height. “Hey sweetheart” he grins as he walks towards you. Looking up at him, you smirk ”Hi lover”.

He leans down kissing your lips with a grin. “Everyone” he wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you into his side. “I introduce to you, Y/N aka Hela” you smile. The group watches the way your eyes bounce through them all before a smirk breaks out on your face. “Let’s see, Coyote, Fanboy, Payback” you point to each aviator who nods with a smile.

“Bob” you smile at the WSO who shares a soft smile with you, “aka the love of Gypsy’s life?” you question the younger Seresin who blushes beside her boyfriend. Bob pulls her into his side by her waist. “Nice to meet you formally Hela” he shakes your hand as you grin.

“What did I miss?” you smirk at the voice, turning to face Raven and Rooster. “Bradley Bradshaw as I live an breath” Jake chokes on the sip of your drink he was taking as the squad try hiding their laughs.

Bradley stands in his Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses perched on his tank top. “Oh god there's two of them” you chuckle with a smirk moving closer to him, hands on your hips as you tilt your head.

“Nice to meet you formally Bradshaw” you hold a hand out to him as he shakes it slowly, pulling you into his chest for a hug. “It’s nice to finally meet you Hela” he whispers only to you, wrapping your arms around him, you grin.

“It’s so nice to meet all of you” you turn to the group, holding a hand out to Jake. “I'm sorry you've had to deal with Hangman for so long” he scoffs, taking your hand and pulling you into his side. 

The bar was still full by the A.M hours. Jake turns to his left, which he finds empty. “Oh no” he whispers to himself as Coyote looks at him with a raised brow. “What’s wrong?” Coyote asks as Jake sighs, “I can’t find Hela, which can only mean two things” he sighs.

The jukebox changes and he hears your laugh. He was happy to hear that laugh again, eyes closing as the opening notes of Scorpions “Rock you like a Hurricane” plays through its speakers.

You turn to face him a grin as bright as the stars as you hand penny the empty glass. You were on drink five by now, cheeks flush as you climb up onto the hard deck bar.

You walk the bar, singing to him the opening verse. You smirk, “my cat is purring, it scratches my skin, so what is wrong with another sin?” he grins.

“Gentleman” he turns to the dagger squad who watches as you circle your hips along the bar. “This is Hela” he smirks, handing his now empty beer to Coyote who takes it with a chuckle. He walks towards the bar as your dress sways with your hips, hands running up your sides, landing on your breasts. “Oh lover” you grin at the sight of him, moving to the edge of the bar to look down at him. “Hi beautiful girl, let's get you home yeah?” he asks as you shake your head.

Him and Penny share a look as he reaches forward, his hands are soft on the back of your knee caps as he is pulling you over his shoulder. Just like the night in Tennessee you are face to face with his jean clad butt.

You squeal, gripping his shirt tightly as he walks towards the door, his hand holding down the ends of your dress. “Penny, I’ll be back for our tab!” he yells back over his shoulder. “No worries!” she yells back with a smile. 

He holds your thighs with one arm as he opens the passenger side door, gently setting you against the warm leather seats. You fall into the seat, legs facing him as your eyes look up at him, full of love.

“Will you marry me cowboy?” he chuckles, hands resting on your knees as he smiles, “you know in a heartbeat”. He shuts the door after he gets you inside, a grin on his lips as he makes his way to the driver's side. He finds you there, messing with the radio.

“Play me something” you sigh, leaning back into the seat with a huff. He grins, messing with his phone as he plays the one song he knew would make you smile.

“Oh my god!” you laugh, looking over at Jake who smirks, turning out of the Hard Deck and onto the main road. You lean against the window, hair flowing with the wind as you sing loudly.

“When you love someone, it feels so right, so warm and true” you sing loudly and off-key.

Jake wouldn’t trade it for the world, five years without you coming crashing onto him.

Five years without this, without you singing to him at three in the morning.

“You make me feel alive Jake,” he smiles, kissing your knuckles as he pulls your interlaced fingers to his lips.

“I waited a long time for a girl like you Hela” you grin, falling back into the seat as you watch the world pass by you.

+

The office was stuffy as you walked in. The room was bare, nothing much to the walls but plaques. Full of mostly browns and begie paint covering the walls.

It was your first day back on base, you would be working with other victims of air accidents, still too nervous to climb back into the cockpit.

You walk towards the desk, head tilting at the small vase sat in the middle. Setting your bag down beside you, moving towards the small bouquet of red carnations.

Reaching forward, you pick up the small card that was placed in front of them, 

“For my favorite goddess of death, have a wonderful first day. J x”

+

those who requested to be tagged: @dempy , @laneyspaulding19, @peakascum, @angelbabyange,@mallerz, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy,@untoldshortsofthefandoms, @jstarr86,@lovemesomevesey,@f1maverick,@chloeforde, @callsignwidow - if i missed anyone, i do apologize, please pass this along!

thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope this second part lives up to what is everyone is hoping for. please share your thoughts as rebolgs as well as my ask box are always open!

if you enjoyed this fic, you can find all my other work in The Library.

THIS IS SOO GOOD!!!!

In Too Deep Masterlist

Jake Seresin becomes a Step Dad <3

Jake Seresin had sworn he was never going to be a father. He liked his life the way that it was, child-free, stress free and chaos free. Free being the key word. After falling for you, it becomes clear that Jake is in for an attitude adjustment, whether he likes it or not.

…

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

I can’t get over how well written this series is!! It feels like something straight out a movie!

i can’t wait to find out what happens between Jake and Brewer!

i’m heartbroken after reading this chapter 😪

Secret Sacrifices // Jake Seresin

Chapter Four: [Like Father, Like Daughter]

Summary: You receive news from your case worker about a family member, its sends you into a spiral. Bob is awol from the Hard Deck and Jake is constantly up to his old tricks.

Warnings: Death, mentions of witness protection. Jake Seresin x F!reader

Word Count: 3k

Author Note: Been trucking along at this series. Really trying to spend a little time each day writing a few paragraphs for some projects. And I really do LOVE these two.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Throughout history, there has always been a superstition that expands across many belief systems. Mirrors can be seen as a portal to another dimension; the reflection staring back at you is another version of yourself. Another version of you from another timeline or realm. 

If that were true, you’d give anything to trade places with the reflection staring back at you as you caught a glimpse of yourself in the small hallway mirror that hung for aesthetics. 

“What do you mean?” Your voice shook with confusion, this couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening. “Roger, what the fuck do you mean my dad died?” 

Roger Spague was your case agent. He had been assigned your case right after the funerals of your husband and son. Soon after everything occurred, you were encouraged to enter witness protection to safeguard your testimony. As the only witness who could help bring the men who murdered your family and organised a multilevel drug syndicate to justice, your word was more valuable than gold itself. 

“We couldn’t tell you,” Roger has always been a rather hard nut to crack. He took no bullshit and smiled very rarely. He saw the world for black and white more than he ever did grey. Morals were good or bad, nothing could be in between. “He, unfortunately, passed away a month ago, we’ve been informed of the burial site, Hollow Hills. However, we really advise against you visiting anytime soon,” Rogers’s monotone voice echoed in your head as you struggled to hold your composure. 

“Why? Why would I not run out this door right now to visit my father’s fucking grave you asshole!” You hissed into the phone. Surely this was all some sick joke or a nightmare that never ended. You couldn’t think straight, couldn’t breathe properly. You were almost certain your heart was breaking apart yet again. The shattering pieces would surely slice into your arteries, causing you the bleed out and be at peace with the pain you’d carried for over three years. 

“Because they could be monitoring the site, do you really want to risk everything you’ve worked so hard to protect?” Roger reminded you through the phone. At this stage, you were sure that all the tears you’d cried over the years had permanently stained your cheeks. Maybe one day you’d wake up with no more tears left to cry. 

“Roger–” You sobbed as you made your way into your bedroom. You slumped onto the side and crumpled in on yourself. The only support system keeping you up was your elbows digging into your knees “I can’t do this anymore.” 

“You don’t have a choice to quit this,” Roger, with his little sympathise and tunnel vision, reminded you. “You don’t get to leave this until those bastards are behind bars, and we’ve put too much work into this to have you throw it all away now.” 

“But he’s my dad,” You never got to say goodbye. You never got to tell him how much you loved him, how much you still and always will. You never got to hold your mother or comfort your sister. Everything you’d missed, everything you’d sacrificed was starting to outway the idea, the pipe dream of justice. You were, at the very basic explanation, tired of this life. “I need to visit his grave.” 

“Not until we know for certain that there isn’t anyone monitoring his grave just waiting for you to show up.” The reality was hard to accept, you didn’t want to accept it. But the fact of the matter was, that you have just lost another member of your family, and there was absolutely nothing you could do to help yourself forgive that loss. 

“Fuck you,” You spat as tears spilled over your lower lash line. “Fuck you and fuck all of this do you hear me?” 

“No skin off my nose there, just remember why you’re doing this, who you’re doing this for, Y/n.” Just hearing your real name, and hearing those syllables leave someone’s mouth made you feel real. That you were still a real person with real emotions and valid feelings. “Remember what’s a stake here, they get the chance to kill you now? Then what’s all this been for?” 

“I hate you–” Was all you were able to get out before you broke down completely, deciding that the floor was the best place to be. You hung up the phone and made sure to throw it as far away as you possibly could. 

The carpet soaked up as many tears as possible before you fell asleep crying, sobbing until your eyes could no longer remain open and a steady rhythm took over in your chest. Sleep….it never came easy, but you needed it. 

By the time you slowly opened your eyes again, the sun had risen higher in the sky and the ice cream you’d brought in your weekly shop was melted into a puddle of liquid. You knew as you slowly peeled yourself off the carpet that you had to get yourself together before you lost the plot. So you trailed out into the hallway and made your way back to the kitchen to put away your groceries. The bags still sat where you and Jake had left them on the island bench. 

“You’re okay,” It was two simple words, but the lies that read between the lines were big enough to make them seem like a whole novel of untruthful affirmations. “You’re okay,” Again you repeated the same two words as you unpacked your groceries. “You’re okay.” Hoping that if you said them enough……

You’d hopefully start to believe them. 

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

Cutting lemons was one of those mundane tasks you actually enjoyed. It gave you something to do while zoning out. You’d only been at work for roughly an hour before the patrons started to pile in after work. Naval men and women from all walks of life all heading to the local watering hole. It wasn't too long after you started on your fourth lemon that Jake made his appearance in your peripheral vision. There was no doubt that his proximity to you was the cause behind your palpitations. 

Jake stood on the other side of the bar, smiling his signature shit-eating grin at you while he watched your knife skills. 

“What's a guy gotta do to get you to handle him like that lemon?” Trust Jake to lead with the unorthodox hello. When you looked up and met your gaze, you knew you were in deep water. The smile that smeared itself across your face was as genuine as it could ever be. 

“I didn’t know you were into knife play Seresin?” You saw the way Jake's eyes slightly widened with promiscuous enlightenment at your reply. “You just after the usual?” You asked as you placed the knife you’d been using into the sink. 

“Yes ma’am, and to see the pretty barkeep,” Jake replied as he sat down on one of the empty barstools. He looked far too handsome in his flight suit, but you’d never tell him that. His ego was already inflated enough. 

“Penny! Hangman here to see you!” You called out as you washed your hands from all the lemon juice. Jake wouldn’t deny it if you asked that his eyes had dropped from looking at your hair to your ass as you turned around briefly to dry them on the rag that sat nearby. 

“I was talking about you–” He smiled as you turned back around to face him. His elbows were resting against the top of the bar, casually, like he was truly at home. 

“Bet you say that to all the ladies–”  You added as you picked up a glass, going about making Jake his usual order. 

“Nope, just you.” It was quiet, a little more serious with an underlying sense of admiration. Jake meant it, he thought you were gorgeous. From the moment he first met you, he saw all the beauty and grace that seamlessly radiated from your aura. “I think you’re beautiful, Brewer.” 

Jake's complement knocked the wind from your lungs as you held the glass at an angle and watched the amber liquid pool at the bottom. Slowly but surely filling the glass to the top with a perfect head of froth. 

“What did I tell you about flattery?” You sighed as you placed the beer down in front of the aviator who was slowly capturing your whole heart in the palm of his hands. Completely unaware that he was falling in love with a complete stranger. 

“That it won’t get me anywhere–” Jake grinned, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “But if I remember correctly, it did.” The sensation of having Jake’s lips pressed against yours came flooding back as the heat in your cheeks rose. “Let me take you out to dinner?” 

“Jake,” You had to sigh. “Not this again?” Playing a little hard to get wouldn’t hurt the man, would it? 

“Or come over to mine then?” Jake proposed with a cheeky Serein grin you assumed he got from his mother. 

“Oh yeah?” You chuckled as you let your hands rest on your bar, leaning in a little closer to Jake. “So I can contract whatever deceases you’re harbouring in that petri dish of a bachelor pad?” Jake pretended to be wounded as he placed a hand over his chest at your remark. You shook your head as you let out a small laugh. “I don’t think so, Seresin, but I’ll give you points for trying.” 

Jake sat there momentarily, just drinking in the sight of the woman who had slowly become his favourite person to be around. This was his favourite part of the entire day. Getting to come to the Hard Deck, sit on his stool by the bar and talk to you. He thought about you all day long. About all the ways you did our hair and those mom jeans that hugged your waist just right. He’d catch himself thinking about the way you humbly count your tips at the end of each night, or the way you laugh with Fanboy over the most insane things. He would often daydream about your smile, your eyes, and your ability to captivate the entire bar. 

“Fine,” Jake knocked his knuckles on the wood of the bar as he rose to his feet once again. “Suit yourself, but just for the record, I like my bachelor pad very much.” For as much as Jake truly did love his quick, tidy and rather put-together home, he sure wouldn’t have minded the slightest bit if you lived there too. 

“I think the local community of gonorrhoea would say the same.” You took the card Jake was handing over. “Starting a tab?” 

“Depends, what’s Bradshaws looking like?” Jake was always the first to add an extra beer or three onto Bradley’s outstanding tab. You were always the first person to turn a blind eye then doing so. As you looked up Roosters name in the system the number was much higher than you originally expected. It seemed as though the boys had well and truly been taking advantage of Rooster’s current love-hate relationship with the Hard Deck barkeep. 

“Eh, he owes me a couple hundred.” You smiled softly back at Jake as you placed his card in the draw. 

“Yeah, start a table angel, gives me more of an excuse to linger,” Jake replied with a genuine smile, his eyes were soft and swirling with ease. He’d never felt this way about a woman before. You gentled him to a point where if you asked him tomorrow to run away with you, he’d follow you to the end of the world.

“I’m sure that’s called stalking–” You sighed as you turned around momentarily to pick up your knife and head back to cutting your lemon slices. 

“Consider me your biggest fan then, Brewer.” Jake grinned ear to ear as he took a sip of his beer, heading off toward the pool table where you knew he’d be for the next few hours.

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

The Hard Deck was rather busy for a Monday afternoon. The bar was in high spirits as you manoeuvred yourself around the floor collecting empty glasses and cans. You could feel Jake’s eyes burning into you as you spoke to patrons and cleaned up tables. But there was one person you hadn’t seen yet that you needed to talk to desperately. Bob. 

“Where’s our resident underage drinker this evening gentlemen?” You cooed as you made your way over to your favourite group of aviators. “And Nix.” You added as you gave Phoenix a side hug. 

“Haven’t seen him actually?” Fanboy replied, his answer wasn’t one you wanted to hear. Usually, if someone wasn’t here by this time of the night then they weren’t coming at all. You really needed to speak to Bob. 

“Do you think he'll be in?” You questioned as you let go of Phoenix and went about collecting empty glasses. You knew Bob had annual leave coming up, he'd been talking about it for weeks now. 

“Why the sudden obsession with Bob, Brewer?” Rooster chimed in. “You guys on the down low or something?” That very question had Jake's blood boiling. You could see the jealousy clear as day smeared across his face from across the pool table.

“I’m uh—” It came out before you knew what you were saying. “I'm seeing someone, casually, it's really new.” Your eyes very quickly glanced over at Jake who now wore that same smug grin that he normally wore. Only this time his eyes were swirling with administration. “It's not Bob, but I appreciate your interest in my love life, Bradshaw.” 

“Lord help the man who ends up under your control,” Bradley rolled his eyes with a deep resentment you couldn't quite understand. The feud between the pain of you was something that formed from a mere misunderstanding. Surely the two of you could let bygones be bygones and move on. 

“An apology will wipe that ever-mounting tab clear Bradshaw, you know that.” You teased as you made your way back to the bar. You could feel the back of your throat growing tighter, and the sting of holding back tears that had become an all too familiar sensation began to grow. You couldn’t keep yourself busy enough to forget your dad was dead and no one, not a single soul had told you of his passing until he was six feet under. No amount of work could keep your mind from trailing to all the memories that played aloud in your mind, drowning out the mundane chatter from patrons. 

“Can I get another beer sweetheart?” You hear one of the men say as he held his head up with the palm of his hand. He was using his elbow as an anchor, keeping him from slumping over onto the bar. 

“Sure, what are you drinking?” You facked a smile so easily readable that Jake saw right through it from across the Hard Deck. He could sense that you were off, something wasn’t right. One minute you were happy, the next he didn't recognise the look in your eyes. 

“Whatever you don’t mind tasting after you finish your shift.” The man said with the confidence of a much taller man. It made the damn burst inside you. Fuck this and fuck everything. 

“Careful, the succulent reminder of your own inadequacies walking this way might cause a scene real quick if you don’t back off.” The problem was simple, you’re doing it all on your own. Choosing to stay all closeted in your own little bubble, longing for love, friends and family. Scared of death, scared of life, taking it out on those who tried to get close. But as Jake walked towards the bar, you felt like you could rely on him. He made you feel safe even if being around you put him in unimaginable danger. “That’s what I thought too.” You chuckled to yourself as the man nodded and sighed. 

“You good?” Jake asked as he decided against following the first of many of Penny’s rules for the residence group of aviators. Mavericks rag-tag team of adopted children. The first and most important being no aviators behind the bar. Jake, however, didn’t care. 

“I feel like I’m rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic here,” You growled as you poured the man his beer. The last one you were going to pour him for the night. “My life is falling apart around me and here I fucking am pouring beers for America’s best and brightest tax-guzzling fighter pilots.” 

Jake could very much sense that something was wrong, this wasn’t like you. He thought, however, since your shared moment in your apartment yesterday, that he had some sort of upper hand here over all the others. 

“You need to take a break, just pause for a second.” Jake placed his hand softly on your shoulder as he stood behind you. Whatever was going on inside your head was bleeding out into reality. 

The feeling broke you. Jake’s touch, it wasn’t your husband’s. The man you got killed. It was Jake’s touch that broke you from whatever restraints you had tangled yourself in. The barbed wire that cut you right to your bones. 

“No, you can’t just pause, because in real life the trauma doesn’t just stop,” You broke as you spun around into Jake’s chest. He was quick to look around as people from all walks of life looked around to bear witness to your impending mental breakdown. He caught Bradley’s gaze before anyone else's. Even the man who had unintentionally started a war with the new Hard Deck manager was worried about you. 

“Penny–” Jake sighed as he looked over at the woman who still ran the show from behind the scenes. She nodded in agreement, a silent one. One where it was now Jake’s responsibility to get you out of the Hard Deck before you could draw any more attention to yourself. 

“Let's go outside alright? Get some air–?” Jake tried to reason with you as you shook your head and balled your fist into his white cotton T. Your eyes swirled with a pain he’d never be able to process. A pain so unfathomable it sounded fictional. 

“God doesn’t work that way or whoever the fucks in charge of this godforsaken hell I’m living!! You can do absolutely everything right and still…. Good, people, die.” 

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~**

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➱ 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

✄ 𝐚𝐨𝟑!

✿ 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲!

☏ 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐛. 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐬, 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞!

❝ ❞ 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭!

☹ 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤!

➱ 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬

☞ 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐲 ✧ 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 ✄ 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 ☿ 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐲

↣ 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 "𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫" 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰

𝐟𝐢𝐜

☾ ☽ 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 ✧ ✄ ☞ ☿

☾ ☽ 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

☾ ☽ 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 -- 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝟏-𝟏𝟖-𝟐𝟑

☾ ☽ this story is explicit! 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭. 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟖+. off the top of my head there's definitely smut, mentions of death, suicide if you squint, grief, violence, graphic descriptions. if you have questions about specific warnings, feel free to message me and I will be happy to give a breakdown of each chapter warning.

☾ ☽ 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

☾ ☽ 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 It’s been almost three years since the accident that took half of her, and Faye “Clover” Ledger seems fine, really. She loves her old house, she has a perpetually expanding vinyl collection, she’s got a job she likes on base, and she maintains a rigid routine. She’s grounded--literally. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw feels like he’s been homesick his entire life. He’s always on the move;  jumping from one squadron to another, living one mission to the next. Somewhere in between losing both his parents and carving a successful career as a Naval aviator, he’s never found himself a home. When a call to serve on a high-priority mission with an elite squadron brings Rooster back to Miramar, he finds that home. Except it’s not a house that he finds--it’s the former backseater that observes and records the mission for the Official Navy Record. 

𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐬, 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.

☼ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐮𝐭 ✄ ✧

☼ 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

☼ 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟.

☼ 𝐇𝐞𝐲, 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 ☿

☼ 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

☼ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞.

☼ 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐲𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 ✧ ✄

☼ 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

☼ 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

☼ 𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 ✄

☼ 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

☼ 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭--𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

↣ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 "𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐧" 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧

𝐟𝐢𝐜

✯ 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ✄ ☞ ☿ ✧

✯ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲)

✯ 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

✯ 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

✯ 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝟐-𝟒-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

✯ this story is explicit! 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐍𝐈! smut, language, sexual themes, violence, graphic depictions, drugs, death, etc. please think before you interact!

✯ 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬: #1 #2 #3

✯ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞'𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬: #1 #2 #3

✯ 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

✯ 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Before becoming a hotshot Naval aviator, Jake Seresin was born and bred in the small town of Silverkeep, TX. It’s only a short drive from Austin but feels like a different world entirely--all the houses are falling apart, people keep their rusty trucks unlocked on their front lawn, central air conditioning is rarer than a rainstorm, and everyone wears their best boots to church. His every waking minute is spent with his endearing group of friends--and most importantly: you. Riding your bikes to Silver Spring on Friday afternoons, drinking cheap beer around a bonfire after school, and making mixed tapes is what you all live for as your senior year drifts to a close.

He comes of age and falls in love with you, his best friend that he affectionately refers to as Filly. You’re the bull-headed, ardent, zealous girl he met in Sunday school before you were old enough to tie your own shoes. Somewhere between chain-smoking after baseball games underneath the bleachers and lying in the bed of someone’s daddy’s truck at the rundown drive-in, the two of you have been entirely dedicated to each other. You both think you’re in love. But your situation is a delicate balance of downright, darling devotion and paralyzing fear of rejection. This is to say: neither of you have the gall to do a damn thing about it. Your existence in the little world of Silverkeep is fragile--suddenly and easily disrupted when maturescence rears its ugly head. Sometimes very far apart and sometimes very close together, yours and Jake’s story spans across fifteen years. From Greensboro to Flaming Gorge, your paths are woven intricately by fated grocery store encounters and sprawling horse ranches. 

𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐬, 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.

✰ 𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 ✄

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲-𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐔. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤. 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮--𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬.

✰ 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 ☞ ☿

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲.

✰ 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐲 ✄

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐔𝐧𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

✰ 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐲 ☞ ✧ ☿

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝟖𝟎𝐬 𝐀𝐔. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐧.

✰ 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐮𝐩 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 ☿ ✄

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞. 𝐇𝐞'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠.

✰ 𝐈 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 ✧ ✄

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞. 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧.

✰ 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 ✧ ✄ ☞

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮--𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞--𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫.

✰ 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ☿

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭.

✰ 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 ☿ ☞

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

✰ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐲𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐲.

✰ 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐞 ☿ ☞ ✄

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚)

✰ 𝐒𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧-𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧-𝐁.

✰ 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 ☞ ✄

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚)

✰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧-𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰.

✰ 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐈𝐭 ☿ ☞ ✄ ✧

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞: 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚)

✰ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫. 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐝.

✰ 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 ☿ ☞ ✄ ✧

✰ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞: 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚)

✰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.

↣ 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 "𝐁𝐨𝐛" 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝

𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐬, 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.

❥ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐞 ☞ ☿

❥ 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

❥ 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐀𝐔. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐱. 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐭.

❥ 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 ✄

❥ 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

❥ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬.

❥ 𝐏𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 ✧ ✄

❥ 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

❥ 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫.

❥ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩 ✄

❥ 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

❥ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐬--𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐭-𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

❥ 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬 ✄ ✧

❥ 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮

❥ 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫--𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭.

When we were young

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x original female character (Carey Davis is you)

Summary: Jake and you had been friends since you can remember but as time goes on you can’t help yourself for falling for Jake. Because of fate and some other reasons Jake ends up marrying Melissa, your best friend, and your friendship with Jake falls apart. Years later, you and Jake find each other again and things haven’t changed as much as you thought, for better or for worse.

Childhood friends to almost lovers to strangers to lovers

Tw: Curse, drinking, smoking, shitty dad, mentions of divorce, bad writing and mistakes since English's not my first language.

Italics: Flashbacks

Part 2

1. When we were young

“My God, this reminds me, of when we were young”

You hear someone call your name, but the loud music and the noise of your friends laughing and talking doesn't help you to find whoever's calling your name. You frown lightly as you look around and when you can't find the person who's yelling your name you return your attention to the conversation your friends are having.

You take your glass of beer to your lips and you give it a drink. When someone taps your shoulder you can't help to jump slightly and you notice your friends’ eyes on the person behind you.

You rub your hand on your lips wiping away the trickle of beer that fell from your lips as you jumped. You turn around, only to find “BRADSHAW!” standing there wearing a hawaiian shirt and with a beer on his hand.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He yells at you since the music’s loud and with a huge smile on his face that he manages to infect you “I’m living here actually” you yell back and he leans his head closer to you so he's able to hear you right “Guys!” you yell at your group of friends and you grab Bradley by the arm “This one here’s Bradley, Brad, those are Penelope, Chris and Jackie” you say pointing at each one while you introduce them to Bradley, they nod at him as a greeting and Bradley raises his beer.

Bradshaw leans down a little again to whisper on your ear “Wanna get out of here?” You nod at him immediatly and respond with an almost unhearable yup. “Be right back” you yell at your friends, they nod at you and Chris blows you a kiss that you return to him.

You follow Brad as you both make your way through the crowd, you get to the stairs of the house and when you go down you start to hear the music further away. As soon as you step on the huge garden of the house you sigh and you put out the cigarrette against the wall and throw it in the trash can next to the door.

“How long have you been living here?” Brad asks you making you return your eyes to him “Six months, six months and a half maybe” You shrug and after taking a sip of his beer Bradley offers it to you which you gladly accept “You were definetly the last person I expected to find here” you take your hand to touch your chest and you fake being hurt “Ouch” He laughs and shakes his head “No, I mean like... the last time I saw you, you seemed so settled on Texas, wait! Are you still with Gareth?” You nod at him “I’m still settled, just not in Texas, and yeah, he’s actually here... somewhere” You point at the house when you explain that to him and he nods before making a gesture telling you to follow him.

"There’s some people I want you to meet," he says and you walk beside him. You basically go around the whole house to get to the other side of the patio where there is a group of guys sitting at a table drinking and laughing out loud. You approach them and the first to notice you is a tall guy with a mustache "Rooster, you've got my beer, right?"

Brad tenses a little bit and before he says anything the guy speaks up again “No worries, Bradshaw, who’s your friend though?” He points at you and you crack a smile “Carey, Payback, Payback, Carey” You're extend your hand and he shakes it nodding at you respectfully before turning his head to look at the crew "Anybody want a beer?"

The only woman on the table raises her hand and holds up two fingers on the air and Payback nods at her before making himself towards the entrance of the house. Bradshaw and you get closer to table and as if you were someone extremely important Bradley makes an anouncement to introduce yourself to the group.

"Guys, this is Carey. Carey, those are Phoenix, Bob, Fanboy, Fritz, Coyote and-" he stops pointing at them and clears his throat, trying to call the attention of the guy turning his back to you while he's talking to a woman, the guy doens't seem to care so Bradley points at him and calls his name, well, his callsign "And that's Hangman"

The blonde tall guy finally turns to pay attention to Bradley and when he looks at you, you notice his lips parting and you cross your arms raising an eyebrow.

"Melissa, you need to calm down" you were telling your friend Melissa while you were walking next to each other towards the football training yard "How am I supposed to be calmed? What if he doesn't like me?" You rolled your eyes at her "It's possible" Melissa stopped walking at turn to you bringing her hand to her chest, you giggled at her action "I'm kidding, Mel, I mean, Jake's an idiot but never a bad person" Melissa seemed to relax after you told her that and sighed "Don't joke about that, Carey"

You giggled again and started walking again with her following you. You got to the football yard and make your way through the already seated people on the bleachers. You ended up sitting on the third row covering your faces with your hands since the sun was exactly on you.

There were eight minutes left of the match and while you waited for it to end anxiously sitting and moving your foot, Melissa spent those eight minutes cheering the "team" when in reality she was cheering Jake, and Jake only.

The bell rings and that's when you know that the game's over. You noticed Jake jogging towards your direction and you waved at him, when he approached you he went for the hug but you stopped him quickly "Not sweating like that, Seresin" He rolled his eyes and without a warning attracted your body to his hugging you. You pressed your hands against his abdomen pushing him away and after a couple seconds he finally let you go "Jake! You're disgusting!" He giggled and then winked at you "You adore me"

You rolled your eyes at him giggling too "What the hell are you doing here, DVD? This isn't your natural habit" You rolled your eyes at the stupid nickname he used on you and then you pointed at Melissa "Jake, this is Melissa, she's my best friend... Melissa, this is Jake, but you already know that" You said the last part in a whisper, making Melissa laugh awkwardly and she waved at Jake, who gave her a smile and returned to look at you

"I thought I was your best friend" You touched his left shoulder and looked at him directly in the eye "You're not special, babe... Ew! I forgot your sweaty!" You quickly took your hand away from his body and he laughed at you making you laugh too "Anyways, I just wanted you to know each other"

Melissa was standing awkwardly beside you and for someone who usually speaks A LOT she was extremely quiet, Jake on the other hand was starting at you while he cleaned the sweat off his face with a little towel "You should come home for dinner tonight, you haven't visited us in three days, the family's started to worry" You rolled your eyes jokingly at him and nodded "Yup, I'm in"

Jake gave you a genuine smile and you smiled back "Okay, you better go... To clean yourself and we-" you grabbed Melissa by the arm "Should get going to class"

"Yes ma'am" He nodded at you and then stepped closer with his open arms to hug you making you stepped back raising you arm in front of you, making a stop sign "JAKE! STOP!" He only laughed and then said "Fine, I'll hug you tonight"

You giggled before turning around and started walking away with Melissa on your side, you didn't know exactly what it was but something made you turn your head to look at Jake once again, who was still staring at you as you were leaving.

///

You weren't exactly sure why you did it, it probably was the fact that she begged you the whole day, but there you were walking towards the Seresin's house with Melissa on your side

When you stepped on the porch of the huge house you noticed Melissa fixing her dress and you whispered to her "I told you to wear jeans" she shook her head in denial "How am I supposed to make a good impression on my future in laws wearing jeans, Carey?" You rolled your eyes jokingly as you scoffed and then you rang the doorbell.

Jake's youngest sister Leslie opened the door and as soon as she saw you she threw herself over you "CAREY!" You giggled while you hugged her and when you separated she turned to look at Melissa and you began to explain "She's Melissa, my best friend" Leslie hugged her too and then looked at me again, frowning "I thought my brother was your best friend"

"He is also my best friend, Les" She nodded at you, understanding, and then moved from the door so you could get in. It didn't matter how many times you've been here, it didn't ceased to surprised you how huge and gorgeous their house was. It was a huge rustic wooden house with some modern touches to it.

You went straight to the kitchen, knowing exactly who you'll find there: Jake's middle sister, Lauren, and their mom, Maria, hurriedly cooking dinner "Can I help you with something?" Both of them turned to look at you with a huge smile on their faces "DVD!" Lauren said excitedly making mama Seresin hit her lightly on the arm and you moved your lips telling her "It's fine", Lauren giggled and mama Seresin started speaking "You forgot about us, Carey"

You shook your head in denial still smiling at them "I didn't, Jake stopped inviting me" Mama Seresin moved to the sink to wash her hands "You know he doesn't have to, you're always welcomed" You smiled at her widely and she smiled back before moving closer to Melissa and she extended her hand to greet her, Melissa shook it smiling nervously at her "Ma, she's Melissa, Melissa, that's the one and only Mama Maria Seresin" Mel smiled at her and Ma said"It's a pleasure to meet you, Melissa"

"The pleasure's mine" She responded. You noticed Lauren struggling with a cooking pot so you spoke up "Let us help you, ma" You were sure Ma was going to answer with a "nothing" like always, but this time she put two cutting boards, two knives and a bunch of veggies on the bar of the kitchen "Can you help me cutting these?" You and Melissa nodded at her and sat on the bar chairs to start cutting the veggies.

It surprised you when Melissa finally said something "Why did you call her DVD?" Lauren laughed at her question "Y'know how her name's Carey Davis? Well, her initials are CD and where do you play those?" Melissa seemed to got it pretty fast and answered "DVD" Lauren nodded at her still giggling and even though the whole nickname was pretty stupid, you all laughed at it.

You heard the back door opening and you didn't need to look to know that Jake's home. He was wearing shorts, a black T and a cap, that he took off when he entered the house "Carey! Oh... Hi Melissa" He awkwardly waved at Melissa and she didn't hesitate for a second before waving at him back. Jake was confused, you could tell and you gave him a smile, almost like saying sorry for brought her over, considering that everytime after dinner you had a night talk before you went back home.

Jake cracked a smile that you read as it's fine and pointed at you "You owe me a hug" You turned in the chair and he made his way towards you and hugged you as soon as he was close enough to you, you graped you arms around his body and he leaned down his head a little bit and whispered on your ear "She's so in love with me, Carey" you put your mouth against his shoulder to avoid laughing out loud "I know, so don't be a prick with her" You didn't see your face nut you were sure that he rolled his eyes and then you broke the hug.

"What are we eating, Ma?" Jake asked her mom approaching her to give her a kiss on the forehead and then he messed up Lauren's hair, making her punch him on the shoulder "Chili, with veggies, that I hope are cut by now" You sat down on the bar quickly to finish cutting the vegetables and you noticed that Melissa finished cutting them already and was staring at Jake and she was not being subtle about it, making you giggle.

///

You brought the last pot to the table and sat down on the dining table at the same time as everyone else. You sat between Lauren and Leslie and Melissa was sitting next to Jake and in front of you. Mama Seresin was between Melissa and Lauren and John Seresin between Jake and Les. You noticed Jake tensing when his dad sat next to him and he looked for your eyes, you gave him a reassuring smile and Ma broke the ice "Well everyone, go ahead"

The rest of the dinner went pretty well, Jake's sisters were asking Melissa a lot about her and she was gladly answering them and somehow John Seresin wasn't throwing his classic hateful comments.

We were eating dessert when Melissa turned to look at Jake and then looked at me "How did you two become friends?". Jake looked at you and seemed to be waiting for you to respond first but you were waiting for him to respond, so when you responded, you did it at the same time

"When he hit me with a ball!"

"When we were in elementary!"

You both looked at each other and started laughing at the same time, he told you with his eyes to go on and you did "When we were on elementary I went to the restroom one day, and in our school to be able to get to the restroom, you needed to cross the sports patio, so yeah, I was walking towards the bathroom and I saw a group of kids playing basketball and for obvious reasons I moved to the other side of the patio to avoid being hit by them, but it didn't work anyway because when I was about to get into the bathroom I didn't saw a ball coming my way so it hit me exactly on the face-" you stopped for a second and you laughed at your own anecdote

"And well, it hit me, hard. My nose started to bleed and one of the kids ran on my direction and asked me if I was fine, I said yes although my nose was bleeding big time, he told me that I didn't look fine and after insisting a lot he took my to the nursing. He was so worried that he waited for me to came out even after the nurse told him it wasn't anything serious, he took me to my classroom after that and at the end of the day he waited for me on the entrance of the school, he apologized again although by that point I told him that I was fine for the eleventh time and he still didn't seem to accept it so I told him that if he was really sorry he will walk me home, he accepted and little did we know that we lived on the same street"

"That kid was Jake, obviously, and after that day he started waiting for me so we would walk to  school together and we've been inseparable since"

Jake looked at you with an expression you never saw in his eyes before, it was almost as if he was admiring you and when he noticed you staring at him, he shook his head and rasped his throat "She just can't get away from me" You rolled your eyes at him making him laugh

"Also, Carey is his only friend since my son is incapable of having male friends, he's like having another daughter" John Seresin spoke up for the first time on the whole evening and you noticed how Jake's jaw clenched and looked down at his hands under the table, you moved your left foot to touch his leg and he looked up at you forcing himself to smile.

Lauren broke the uncomfortable silence by saying "Let's pick up the table", you nodded at her and stood up taking one of the pots with you as Lauren was picking up the plates and cutlery, Ma was about to stand up too but Lauren stopped her and she mouthed a thank you at you, then Jake stood up too and took the other pot from the table, ignoring the fact that his dad was looking at him with a quizzical expression.

When you got to the kitchen you found Jake leaning against the bar with a glass of water on his hand "Jake-" he cut you off, not in a rude way though "It's fine, Carey, it's not like I care anyway" he was looking down at the glass of water but still you tried to catch his eyes "But you do care, Jake" he didn't say anything else and you didn't either, you just walk towards him and hugged him.

It took him a second to adjust and accept the hug but once he did he graped his arms around your waist and placed his head on your shoulder. You weren't sure how long you stayed like that but you separated abruptly when Lauren got in the kitchen, she looked at you and laughed "Geez, calm down" You were scratching the back of your neck and Jake took the glass of water on his hands again. Lauren walked out of the kitchen and you followed her, not without giving Jake one last look before going back to the dinner room.

“Jake Seresin” you say as he stares at you, completely surprised at your presence “From beyond the grave” He scoffs and walks towards you, he gets close to you, but not too close “Hi” he says and you give him a clearly fake smile. He opens his mouth to say something else but he’s interrupted by Bradley, who's seems to be confused at your interaction “You know each other?” You look at Bradley again and he's frowning. You both respond him at the same time.

“We were in school together”

“We were best friends”

Jake and you look at each other and if you knew him still, you would say that he was hurt by the way you described your relationship with him, but you don’t know him anymore so you can’t really tell.

Bradley’s looking at you both intrigued and with a playful smile on his face “You should rehearse that” he says playfully and leaves you to joins the rest of the guys on the table. Jake takes the beer on his hand to his lips and he frowns when he realizes that it’s empty “Want a drink?” He asks you and you nod at him as a response.

He starts walking to the house and you follow him, noticing how he’s turning his head to look at you until you get to the kitchen. Once you’re in it, you notice how the music is quiter than before and how the kitchen is not as crowded. You take a sit on the coffe table on the corner of the room. Jake opens the refrigerator and takes out two beers and opens them with the bottle opener embebbed on the wall, he extends his hand towards you and you grab the bottle, not without thanking him first.

He leans on the wall with his shoulder against the wall and you take a drink “So, how do you know Rooster?” You swallow the beer before responding him “He’s a friend of a friend, we were introduced a few years ago and we’ve been friends since then” Jake nods and takes a sip of beer “I assume you fly with him?” Jake nods again “Yeah, I do, but we’re not really friends” You’re the one nodding now and you’re unsure about what to say about that, but you don't have to think much because Jake speaks up first "How do you know I fly though?" He asks you and you scoff "Jake, I might not be your friend anymore but that doesn't mean I'm not close to your family anymore"

He raises and eyebrow "You're still close to my family?" You nod "Pretty close actually" He has that surprised expression on his face again and you begin to explain before he asks "I asked them not to tell you, if that's what you're wondering" he shakes his head slowly, like processing what I'm telling him and then he speaks again "So you live in Texas again?"

"I lived there for a while after college, but a few months ago I moved here with my boyfriend" He nods again and his expression is an unreadable one "And where is he?" He asks me and you make a hand gesture "He's in this party, somewhere" You take a drink of your beer again and you notice Jake's evading looking at you "What about you, Jake? Where's Melissa?" He turns to look at you abruptly when he hears that name.

"How would I know?" He says that with a cutting voice and it surprises you making you frown, he continues speaking "For you being pretty close to my family, it surprises me that you have no idea" You still have confused written all over your face so he finishes his explanation "We're getting divorced, Carey"

Your lips parted lightly and you feel your eyes opening in shock "I'm sorry, Jake" He scoffs "Are you really?" You roll your eyes at him and stand up ready to leave when he shakes his head and grabs you lightly by the arm "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that" You place your hand in top of his to take it away from your arm "Whatever, Jake, you clearly haven't changed" He shakes his head again and you speak again "I'm going to go find my-" You're cut off by an arm graping around your shoulders and a kiss on your forehead, Jake stops grabbing your arm and you realize who it is

"I was looking for you" you say making your clearly drunk boyfriend blush "And I was looking for you" he says and tips your nose with his index finger, he leans down to kiss your cheek and whispers on your ear "Are we leaving?" You nod at him and turn to look at Jake again "Jake, this is my boyfriend Gareth, Gareth, that's Jake Seresin"

Gareth opens his mouth exaggerated and points at him looking at you "He's Maria's son?" You nod and Gareth extends his hand to shake Jake's, which Jake shakes reluctantly as he asks "You know my mom?" Gareth nods "All your family, actually, I met Carey through Lauren" he slurs his words and you put your arm around his body to give him equilibrium. Jake looks at you, more confused than before and you just shrug.

"Anyway, I'll-” You correct yourself "We'll see you around I guess" Jake only nods and you turn around and start walking away almost dragging Gareth with you

You hear Jake's voice calling your name as you're stepping outside of the kitchen but you pretend to not hear him and you keep walking away.

When we were young

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x original female character 

Summary: Jake and you had been friends since you can remember but as time goes on you can’t help yourself from falling for Jake. Because of fate and some other reasons Jake ends up marrying Melissa, your best friend, and your friendship with Jake falls apart. Years later, you and Jake find each other again and things haven’t changed as much as you thought, for better or for worse.

Childhood friends to almost lovers to strangers to lovers 

Tw: Curse, drinking, smoking, mentions of divorce, hangman is secretly a softie but he’s also a jerk, mentions of protected sex in like one line lol, bad writing and mistakes since english’s not my first language.

Italics: Flashback

Part 1

2. Somebody else

“I don’t want your body but I hate to think about you with somebody else”

As soon as Jake opens his eyes he has to close them shut immediatly again since the way his head is hurting is insufferable. He grunts and curses under his breath as he squeezes his head with both of his hands. He rolls on the bed turning his back to his room’s wondow only to find a blonde woman, completely naked, sleeping next to him.

he lets out a heavy sigh and turns around again, half opening his eyes because of the light that’s entering his room. He sits on the edge of his bed for a while he tries to remember how he ended up on his partment with a girl but the only thing he seems to remember’s that he saw you again and then you left with your boyfriend and that’s about it.

He slides up his boxers and starts walking towards the kitchen.

Jake doesn’t waste any time and as soon as he gets to the kitchen he turns on the cooffe machine and leans on the kitchen island, dialing his mother’s number. It only rings once before he hears her mother’s characteristhic “JAKE!” and he can’t help himself to crack a little smile “Hey Ma!”

“How you doin’, baby?” Ma asks him as she cleans her kitchen and Jake yawns covering his mouth before answering “I’m fine, how’s everyone there?” 

“We’re all good, hun, we’re having a barbecue today” God, he misses that “God! I miss that” His mom smiles through the phone “And I miss you, Jake, we all do” Those words make him feel like he’s being hug by her and it feels great, especially because he really needed to hear that.

“Ma, can I ask you something?” Ma scoffs shaking her head “I knew you called me for something” Jake shakes his head too and lets out a quiet laugh “No, I mean, I did call you for something, I called you because I love you and I love talking to you” His mom rolls her eyes and articulates a simple “mmhm” waiting for her son to continue. “Why didn’t you tell me you were still in touch with Carey?” He doesn’t say it as a reproach but it still causes his Ma to tense after hearing the question “How do you know?”

“She told me” He responds and Ma can’t avoid cracking a smile “So you did find each other” Jake frowns at that, confused about what she said and what she means by that “What?”

“Well, I know she’s been living in San Diego and when you told me you’ll be stationing there I started to hope that you’ll find each other again, I just didn′t expect it to happen so fast though... How is she?”

Jake sighs “She’s got a boyfriend and she hates me, I think she’s fine”. Ma sighs too and even thought Jake can’t see her, she was giving him a pitiful smile “Rightfully so, Jake... and yeah, Gareth, he’s a good guy, did you meet him too?” Jake responds with a simple “mmhm” and Ma continues “If it makes you feel better hun, she always felt happy for your success, no matter how hurt she was with you, the least you can do is be happy for her”

He nods slowly, understanding but still processing the fact that he’s just finding out that you never stopped cheering his success even after what he did to you. His mother’s voice takes him out of his thoughts “Did you tell her about Melissa?” she asks and he puts the phone on speaker as he pours the hot coffee on his cup “I did... and I fucked it up after that”

“Of course you did, hun, you always do” Jake chuckles and gives his coffee a drink as his mom speaks up again “Are you going to see her again?” He shakes his head in denial and feels an undescribable pain on his chest that he tries to ignore by clearing his throath “Nope, I doubt we’ll bump into each other again”

“Hun...” She starts saying but Jake cuts her off “Nah, it’s fine, I mean, don’t I deserve that?” Ma frown slightly, not sure about what he meant exactly “What do you mean?”

Jake sighs again “I broke not only her heart but all of her like it was nothing, maybe the least I deserve is her hating me forever” Ma stares at the phone unable and unsure about what to say so the only thing that comes out of her mouth is “She doesn’t hate you, Jake”

Jake rubs his face with his hands before speaking up again “Anyways, Ma, I need to get ready and send Melissa the papers, can I call you later?” Ma nods slowly “You know you always can, hun, I love you”

Jake smiles while he says “I love you too, Ma”

He cuts the call and as he does he notices a text message from phoenix

Phoenix: Dinner tonight with the team, you in?

“It took you like two hours, Jake!” You said as Jake returned to the table with a tray full of ribs and mac and cheese “Well, it took you two hours to get ready to come here,so I guess we’re even”. You rolled your eyes at him and you were about to answer when your stomach roared, loud, making Jake and Melissa, who was sitting next to you, laugh “Geez! Someone’s hungry”

You kept your straight face for a second, pretending to be mad but it didn’t last long because you lost it and laughed along them “Can we eat now, pleaaaaase?” you asked and Jake nodded as he slipped into the sofa, sitting in front of you and Melissa.

He served you some food on a plate and put it in front of you, staring at you as you were concentrated and ready to start eating. You grabbed a rib and took it to your mouth.It was amazing, so amazing that you rolled your eyes as you were eating it and the only thing you were allowed to say was a “mmmmmm”

Melissa turned to look at Jake and he looked at her quickly before returning his eyes to you and you just shrugged. When you finished eating it you cleaned your mouth and spoke up “This is fucking good”. Jake nodded “Told you this ribs are the best” well, he certainly wasn’t lying, you thought

Melissa finished chewing and spoke up, for the first time in the whole afternoon “I have to admit that this is my first time eating this”. Jake, who had his attention on the rib on his plate, turned to look at her abruptly with his eyes wide open

“Are you serious right now?!” Jake asked, looking directly at her and she nodded nervously “Yeah... my mom’s not really a fan of meat” she said and shrugged as Jake was nodding slowly, like processing what she just said. “I just can’t believe you never tried ribs before, are you even a texan?” Jake asked her, with a serious face and you couldn’t help but giggled about it.

“Actually no, I’m from San Diego”, Jake looked at you and then at her again with a raised eyebrow and he seemed fascinated and curious about that fact “Why did you move here?” he asked her and you turned to look at your friend, who was failing to hide her exciment about being noticed and questioned about her by Jake “A few years ago my dad was stationed here while my mom and I were still living in California and my dad kinda fell in love with this city and asked my mom to move here, so we did”

“Wait, wait! Stationing? Your dad’s a pilot?” Melissa chuckled and nodded and you noticed how Jake’s eyes lightned up, then Melissa spoke up again “Yeah, how do you know?”

“I want to be a pilot too” he said causing you to opened your eyes abruptly and you frowned your eyebrows, it was surprising to you, but it wasn’t that he wanted to be a pilot that surprised you, it was the fact that he never told you that, and you knew that he didn’t have to tell you everything that he does but you couldn’t help to feel hurt about it “Do you” You asked and he guided his eyes to look at you

He shrugged “I mean, I’ve been contemplating the option for a while, but I’m still not sure” he said and you just nodded watching him returned his attention to Melissa and you weren’t exactly sure why but all of a sudden you were mad with Melissa althought you weren’t sure why

“My dad could help you with it if you want, I mean, he could clear some of your doubts and things like that” Melissa said and Jake nodded with a huge grin on his face “Yeah, that-that would be really cool actually”

Jake turned to look at you and and gave you a smile and you returned it, then he spoke up “Carey could give me your number so I text you about it”. He was staring at you and you forced a smile and nodded but you were feeling irritated about this whole thing but again, it was your idea to introduced them and you knew that Melissa was head over heels for Jake, so why were you feeling mad about it? 

You didn’t know and you also didn’t know why you stopped listening to them as you watched them talked like they’ve been friends since forever and decided and put all your atenttion on the food you had in front of you 

Were you jealous? No, you couldn't be, Jake was your friend, your best friend and you were his, you couldn't be jealous, also, you loved Melissa and you wanted to see her happy, right?

You shook your head and slipped out of the coach as you said “I’m going to the restroom” but none of them seemed to heard it.

///

After dropping Melissa off her house Jake turned to look at you as you had your atenttion on the road “She’s cool” he said taking you out of your thoughts and making you frown “What?” you said as you turned your head to faced him and he was the one that had his eyes on the road now

“Melissa, she’s cool” he said rolling his eyes and you simply nodded and looked at the road too, he didn’t say anything else and you didn’t say anything either. You both spent like ten minutes in silence until you noticed Jake slowing down and parking the car on the side of the street, you looked at him only to find him staring at you “Are you okay?” Your frowned, completly confused as why he parked the car and why he was asking you “mmh, yeah, I’m fine, Jake, why did you stop?”

He shook his head, causing his hair to messed up a little bit “No, you’re not, what is it?” he asked and you frowned even more “I have no idea what you’re talking about” he cracked a playful smile and you rolled you eyes “C’mmon, tell me”

“There’s nothing to tell you” You said and you were starting to feel annoyed at this whole thing, he must’ve not noticed it because he kept going “Wait! I know what it is, you’re jealous”

“I’m not jealous”

“You are jealous, Carey’s jealo-”

“I’M NOT FUCKING JEALOUS!” you cut him off, louder than you expected and he stared at you with opened eyes and then he shooked his head again “I-I’m sorry, I was just teasing” He said it with a sadness on his voice and you felt guilty “No, I’m-I’m sorry Jake” You rushed to say and he nodded without saying anything so you kept going “I’m not jealous, it’s jut that- why didn’t you tell me you want to be a pilot?”

He returned his attention to you and you gave him a little smile that he returned before speaking up “I was going to, you were going to be the first person I’ll tell once I was sure”

You turned to look down at your hands as you were playing with them and you quietly, almost unhearbly said “But now I won’t be the first” Jake frowned and he wasn’t sure if he heard you correctly “What?” You shook your head and faced him again “Nothin’, nevermind”

“No, what did you say?” You rolled your eyes again “Nothing, Jake, it doesn’t matter, can we go now?” He shook his head in denial and took the keys out of the steering wheel “It does matter to me, Carey!”

“You know what, I’m gonna walk” you said as you grab your bag and opened the door, heading out, and Jake followed you “Are you serious right now?” he yelled as you were walking away and you didn’t stop nor turned to look at him, but you felt him walking behind you “Carey! C’mmon! I dont’t even know why you’re acting like this”

“THAT’S THE PROBLEM!” You yelled at him without stopping your walk and you weren’t exactly sure when or why there were tears forming on your eyes

You step out of the car and fix the jumpsuit you’re using before starting walking into the restaurant. The girl on the entrance approaches you and asks you if you have a reservation, you shake your head in denial and tell her that you’re coming with Bradley Bradshaw. She nods at you and grabs her notebook, when she seems to find him on the list she says something like “Yeah, he’s on table 4, it’s outside on the terrace” and she points at the huge glass door that leads to the terrace.

You thank her and star walking towards it, you’re like an hour and a half later so everyone must be here right now, even Gareth. As you approach the table you noticed every single one of the guys, and girl, that Brad told you would come, except that there’s someone he certainly didn’t mention

JAKE SERESIN, again.

He probably wasn’t expecting you either because when he notices you his lips part a little bit. You’re not sure how long you stare at him but it’s like you get caught in the moment, and that moment is stopped by Bradley’s arm wrapping around your shoulders.

You notice that Jake’s also taken out of his thoughts by the shaven-head guy sitting next to him when he hits his ribs with his elbow causing Jake to throw his elbow away and giving a drink to the glass he has on one of his hands.

“You made it!” Brad says and you look at him smiling, kinda faking that smile “Yeah, I almost- Oh sorry guys, hello, hello!” You say as you wave at everyone on the table and they all return the waved and some of them say things like “Hi” and “How you doin’?”. You move your eyes seeing all of the people there and when your eyes get to Jake he nods at you as a greet and you do the same. You return your eyes to Brad “Where’s Gareth?” you ask him

“He left because he thought you weren’t coming” he answers you with a serious face and you’re not sure if he’s joking or not “Really?” you ask with your eyebrows frowning causing Rooster to laugh at you “Nah, he’s in the bathroom”

You roll your eyes while you giggle too and he guides you to your chair, luckily for you, you were sitting between Phoenix and Gareth and Jake was sitting on the other half of the table, at least it’s not going to be that awkward you thought. 

Like five minutes later Gareth returns to the table and gives you a kiss on the cheek before sitting next to you, you turn to look at him and he gets closer to your ear “When did you get here?” You move your head so your mouth’s on his ear now “Like five minutes ago” you whisper and then you both return your atenttion to the anecdote one of the pilots is telling.

You’re unsure about how long it’s been in between laughs and anecdotes told but you notice that the sky’s dark now, and because of all the drinking and eating you excuse yourself to go to the restroom.

When you get out of it, you don’t return to the table right away, instead you walk towards the exit of the restaurant and you turned around the corner of it, leaning your back on the wall and lighting up a cigarrette that you had in your bag. You exhale the smoke as you shigh throwing your head back

“Since when do you smoke?” he asks you and you don’t need to look at him to know who it is “Since when do you care?” shit you think after those words come out of your mouth, curtly and more agresive than you intened “I’m so sorry, that was-”

He cuts you off while he shakes his head and stands next to you with his back leaning on the wall too “Nah, it’s fine, I deserve that I guess” You don’t know exactly what to say and you also don’t know exactly why your heart’s beating faster than before, so you just put the cigarette in front of his face as a question which he responds to shaking his head lightly and moving your hand and the cigarrette away from his face “I don’t smoke”

You shrug and give it a smoke again, returning your atenttion to the sea, even though it was pretty dark outside and you can’t barely see it. You feel Jake’s stare on you but you try to ignore it, he returns his stare at the sea and like three minutes later he moves his head to stare at you again, this time you turn to face him “Jesus Jake, just say it!”

He scoffs and takes a second before speaking up “I didn’t know you’ll come, I promise” he says pretty fast and throwing his hands on the air, making you scoff quietly and nodding at him “Yeah, I figured”. He doesn’t say anything else so you turn to see at the sea again. It feels funny how you’re just as awkward as you were back then and how even though you both are silent it doesn’t really feel uncomfortable.

Jake takes his eyes to you again and just stares at you, without saying anything for a couple of minutes “I missed you” he finally says and it’s not the fact that he said that what surprises you, it’s the way your heart jumped as you heard that what surprises you and it takes you a microsecond to adjust at the way your heart’s beating at this point, you try to shake that feeling and act as if you feel nothing about it and sarcastically say “Yeah, right”

You look at him and his expression is serious and he doesn’t have that cocky smile on his lips “I mean it, Carey”

“Well, it sure didn’t seem like it, Jake” You say, letting all those feeling you thought you got over overcome you and your voice and throws his head back, frustraded and sad maybe? “But I missed you too, Jake” You don’t know what posseses you to say that but you do clearly shocking Jake or at least that’s what his face says. He clears his throat before speaking up again “I’m sorry”

Your frowned, confused about what he’s apologizing for “Huh?”

“I’m sorry... for everything, I-” He stops himself “I shouldn't have been scared and I shouldn't have done what I did to you, you-you didn’t deserve that”

You shake your head trying to stop the tears that are forming on your eyes and you feel your chest being punch and hurt by all the memories that are coming back to you as he says that. You stare at the floor, knowing damn well that if you look at him you’ll cry 

“I know you want nothing to do with me, I get that and I promise you that after tonight I’ll stop bumping into you but I really need you to know that I’m sorry for everything and if I could I would totally go back and make things right, but I know I can’t and again, I’m sorry”

He says that pretty fast, almost as if he was on a rush and you feel a lump creating on your throat and you notice a tear falling on the floor. Those were the words you wanted to hear from him since you were younger and now that you heard them you’re not exaclty sure how to feel about it. At this point the tears are coming out of your eyes non-stop and you star blinking fast to avoid them.

Jake’s never really been good with emotions so he spins on his heels nervously, wondering what he should do. He steps closer to you and places a hand on your shoulder, rubbing it slowly “I’m going back inside so they don’t suspect anything weird, is that okay?” He asks you with a soft voice that you haven’t heard in a while and you only nod, still looking down at the floor.

When he takes his hand away from your skin you feel your shoulder cold and empty, he’s about to return to the restaurant when he stops after hearing you calling his name “Yeah?” He asks and you finally stare directly at him and you find funny how the way the light from the restaurant’s lighting him makes him look like a god, even though he’s more like a devil “Thank you... for saying that, it means a lot”

He nods and cracks a little smile that you try to return, then he turns around and returns to the restaurant.

You weren't sure for how long you’ve been rolling back and forth on your bed so you grabbed your phone to check the hour: 2:44 am

You grunted annoyed about the fact that you couldn't sleep and you had classes tomorrow. You rolled again to put your phone on the night stand again when it started ringing

Jakey 

You didn’t even hesitated before picking it up “Jake?” You asked whispering and he answered you with his raspy voice “Were you up?” You nodded, even though he couldn’t see you and you answered him with a simple “mmmhm”

“Fine” he started saying in a whisper too “Do you want to talk?” you made another “mmhm” sound and moved on your bed to sit with your back against the backrest “I’m sorry for today, well, yesterday, I don’t know what happened”

You couldn’t see him but you were sure he was nodding before speaking up “Yeah, it was a strange day... but I really liked it” you didn’t know why you smiled at the but you did “Did you like it? Did you like seeing me losing my shit?”

“I like seeing you doing anything to be honest, even losing your shit” Your heart stopped for a whole minute and it wasn’t until you heard Jake’s voice again that you realized that you were still alive “I’m sorry, what did you say?” you asked him since you weren’t sure you really paid atenttion to what he said before “I said that you don’t have to feel jelaous about Melissa”

“Oh my god, are we going there again?” You heard Jake giggling through the phone and you smiled to yourself “Okay, let’s pretend you weren’t jealous today, yesterday I mean, but what I’m trying to say is that you should never feel jealous about anyone because you’ll always be my best friend and no one’s gonna change that, okay?”

“Geez Jake, you’re so corny” You heard him laughing laughter then and you laughed too covering your mouth with your hand “I’ll never tell you anything nice again, dvd”

“Noooo, I’m kidding Jake, I adore you too” you said in between laughs causing Jake to laugh along you

“Fuck!” Gareth grunts as he comes and gets outside of you, taking off the condom and throwing it in the trash can next to the bed, he gives you a kiss on the lips before grabbing his phone, you sit on the edge of the bed and you put on your panties and Gareth's shirt.

You stand up as you grab your phone from the little table next to the bed “I’m going to the kitchen, you want anything?” you say and Gareth shakes his head in denial still looking at his phone “No baby, I’m good”

You serve yourself some water as you get to the kitchen and lean on the island of the kitchen with your phone on the other hand, should you? shouldn’t you? You keep staring at the number, unsure wheter it’s a good idea to call him or not. FUCK IT you think and click on the green button. You’re shaking your feet anxiously as it rings for the third time and you start to regret calling before you hear a grunt on the other side of the call and a raspy voice saying “Hello?”

You feel nervous? for some reason and your mind goes blank so the only thing you’are able to say is “Jake?”

He wakes up completly after hearing your sweet voice and you feel your heart racing as you wait for him to respond “Yeah, it’s me, is everything okay?” He asks with an extremly quiet and soft voice but you catch a glimp of worriedness on his voice “Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just that... I really like seeing you today”

He stays silent for a moment and then he says “Well, technically it was yesterday but-” you cut him off by giggling and you hear him chuckling harder on the other side of the line “Shut up, Jake!”

“Okay, okay, sorry, go on” You shigh and keep going “It’s just that I was thinking about... yesterday and it remind me of how much I miss having you in my life and-” you stop yourself and scratch the back of your neck nervous, you’re not sure wheter you should say it or not and Jake’s not sure where you’re going with this but he can’t stop smiling at the fact that he’s hearing your voice “Would it be too crazy to ask you if you want to be in my life again?”

Jake’s smile got wider, he actually had not smile like this in years and you could feel him smiling when he finally speaks up “Nothin’ would make me happier, Carey”

Tag list: @kkrenae​ @malindacath​ @seresinhangmanjake​ @notanordinaryprincess95 @fangirling-4-ever @shanimallina87 @deeahhmaa @anya7802

Work of art.

Push-ups

Jake hangman Seresin x f!reader!pilot(roosters cousin)

Your call sign: y/cs

“So how about we make this interesting.” Coyote asks before getting up. “What do you have in mind?” “Push ups 200, you get shot down you do ‘em.” After everyone agrees, you all get ready and head out to your jets.

The first three get shot down fast, next up is Coyote and fanboy. They also got shot down very fast. The last ones going up, were you and hangman. You’d always been very competitive, especially when it came to your careers. You were all three up in the air for the longest and it was clear that hangman thought he’d win. His attitude worsening by the minute, you’d all been up there for 15 minutes when hangman finally got shot down, now just ‘cause hangman was dead and had to do 200 pushups and there was nothing you’d rather see than see him struggle you also really wanted to win.

After being in the air for 5 minutes after hangman left, you were getting tired but continued anyways. Right when maverick thought he had you, you pulled a stunt that no one other than the man himself would do, and therefore he wasn’t prepared for it. You ended up getting a lock on him and when the two of you got back down to solid ground every one congratulated you. You all stood and counted as maverick did his push-ups.

It only was there the bet that Coyote and maverick had made, and everyone else had joined in on, you and Hangman had also agreed on making a bet but you would only say it out loud once you’d won. And well since you’d won, you could now do whatever you wanted to hangman and while that sounded very nice, you ended up with a saying that you remember your aunt Carol always saying to your uncle goose.

So while at the bar, after getting a little tipsy. “So what’d you win?” Hangman asked. “Take me to bed tonight or lose me forever” clearly that caught him a little of guard since he almost choked on his beer, “excuse me, what’d you say?” “I’m sorry that was totally out of line, uh you don’t need to do anything” you answered now very embarrassed.

Hangman pulled you out the back door, “what’d you say?” “Take me to bed tonight or lose me forever.” You answered barely above a whisper. But soon you felt Hangman’s lips on yours, moving in sync. You moved your arms up to meet behind his neck, biting st his bottom lip.

𝓓𝓪𝔂 5 - An Aggressive Gentleness || Jake “Hangman” Seresin x fem!reader

Masterlist

Summary: Everyone knows Hangman is good, but you'll have a chance to discover that he simultaneously has a bit of a persuasive streak as well.

Warnings: smut (unprotected p in v, spanking)

Word count: 2325

Author: Rouge

A/N: the the prompt for today is: Spanking

Jake "Hangman" Seresin was one of the world's greatest and most successful pilots. He was a known womanizer, and he had as many downed planes as broken hearts among all the women he dated.

Yet, ever since you joined his team, he couldn't take his gaze away from you; you were not only a beautiful, young woman, but you also had a strong personality.

"I know there's a big age gap between you and me, Y/N," he said as the two of you finished the bottle of red wine that night, sitting together on the pier over the ocean. "But I really want to take you out. Would you be interested in having dinner with me one evening?" 

As a result, you both agreed to meet for dinner a few days later.

Despite your expectations, the dinner ended up being much more enjoyable than you expected. It sounded too good to be true. You teased, playing with your glass, "Maybe Hangman isn't such an asshole as everyone thinks."

You could feel his knee against yours under the table as you sat there staring and smiling at each other, your hand in his.

Of course, it could have been an accident at first, but when it returned, went away, and then returned again, all doubt was removed. It was done on purpose as a signal, a kind of request, to emphasize the request for a date. Again, perhaps a little old-fashioned, but extremely intimate and alluring.

Jake let out a little sigh, observing your face carefully as he said, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

"If I didn't interact with you on a daily basis and while on duty, I'd say you're an asshole," you concluded, scrunching your face. "You are charming, but you are a total asshole. However, I don't regret our dinner together."

Jake was certain he knew the game because he'd played it before; he was obviously used to dealing with stroppy little bitches like you. He was well aware of what you were doing and what you were up to. He seemed to be able to read you, understand what you were thinking.

He kept gently rubbing your palm and pressing his knee firmly against yours as he looked you in the eyes. "You have the most enticing eyes, Y/N," he murmured as he gazed deep into them.

A cocky smile spread across your face as you made a small yhym sound and rested your chin on your palm. "Just like the last girl, I'm sure." 

Since it wasn't the first time you heard those sweet words, you already knew what they meant. This was a popular saying among guys as if it were a kind of spell.

"I can see through your eyes that you are a passionate, intense woman. A woman who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. I notice a lot about you." As he accelerated, his foot landed on yours and ran up the side of your calf. You were his type, there was no doubt. This became especially apparent when his knee pressed firmly against your closed knees at first, then even more so after a moment or two.

You sighed heavily and decided to stop him. "I have to be honest with you - sweet nothings don't appeal to me at all. I've heard these things too many times to believe them."

Jake drew your hand to his lips. "Come to my flat, Y/N, and let me love you there," he said as he licked the back of your hand and looked you in the eyes.

“If you stop acting so weirdly sweet, I'll go with you."

Jake gave you a brief nod in response.

You took a cab to his apartment. It was a second-floor walk-up flat in a fairly large town house, nicely furnished in that fading elegant style that appeals to the well-to-do and aristocracy.

Hangman turned on one lamp but not the others. The street lights cast a nice, dim, romantic glow on the large lounge. He made no pretense that this was anything other than a sexual encounter. He didn't make small talk, offer you a drink, or request that you sit. None of that was necessary; he and you both knew it. You were there for one and only one reason - to have sex.

As Jake kissed you passionately, he took you in his arms. There was no preamble or asking permission; it was a wonderful kiss. As he held you tight, he moulded your bodies together and his lips found yours. While your lips touched, your mouths were closed, but as you pressed them together they slowly opened. As he licked your lips, he ran his tongue along your gums, over your teeth and into your mouth. Unlike the Hangman everyone used to know, he was patient, slow, methodical, and amazingly erotic. You could feel Hangman's hands running up and down your back.His hands fiddled with your bra strap, the waistband of your short denim skirt, which was just a whisker below your pubis line and the top of your bum crease, and the hem of the white, loose, short-sleeved top. 

Jake took your hand and led you to his bedroom.

The room was quite small, but it had a double bed. Although it was dim, you could still see each other. Standing beside the bed, Jake held your hand as you faced each other. Bringing your palm up to his mouth, he kissed its top; he took one of your fingers and softly sucked it, earning a moan from you.

You didn't speak, you'd gone beyond words, they simply weren't needed.

It wasn't long before Jake let go of your hand and stepped back a few feet. With his eyes glistening in the dim light flowing in the room from a streetlamp, he began undoing the button of his heavy, cotton, khaki shirt. Having fully undone his shirt, his fingers were now undoing his leather pleated belt. He was so confident and so assured, which you found very sexy and enchanting. Still, he didn't take his eyes off of you. “You’re so fucking pretty, Y/N.”

Reaching downwards, you grasped the hem of your top. You saw approval in his eyes as his belt came undone and he slowly pushed his zip down. Between the opened edges of his shirt, you could see that his chest was toned and muscular.

You both dropped your tops as if on cue. Jake's eyes wandered over your chest, focusing more and more on your round breasts, almost making you squirm with desire. Through Jake's masterful gaze, you became more receptive to his unspoken persuasions.

The silence was broken by Jake. His erection was evident and clear and gave him absolutely no embarrassment whatsoever. As you dropped your bra, he sighed, "You're so fucking hot, Y/N. What are you waiting for? Go on."

Undoing the brass button on the skirt, you slid the short zip down. The skirt slid down your legs as you wriggled it over your bum and hips. A surge of high-octane arousal surged through you when you looked into Hangman's hungry eyes. You soon pushed your panties down your legs as well.

As Jake took off his boxer shorts, his hardened erection rested proudly against his well-built abdomen.

Seresin reached for your hand, the one holding your panties, as you stood completely naked in front of him. He gently pulled them away from you. His eyes bore deep into yours as he rubbed his nose on the gusset, taking deep breaths as he did so, making animalistic noises at the same time. After that, he used your panties in a rather extravagant manner, rubbing them around his balls and up and down his erection without any embarrassment at all. As if to say don't you dare complain, he stared intently into your eyes before cupping his balls in your panties and rolling them around before pushing the silky underwear back across his chest. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you to him, pressing himself against you, moulding your bodies into one. As he cupped your round bum in his strong hands, his cock squirmed against you. Jake squeezed and kneaded your buttocks all the while kissing you hungrily; he stroked your bum, pinched it, rubbed it, and caressed it.

As you got your hand between your bodies, your fingers tingled with desire as they ran up and down his erection. It was everything an erection should be; hard, warm, smooth and slightly throbbing. 

You then went to bed.

Jake carefully positioned you on your front and laid beside you. The hand that wasn't tugging your hair had slipped down your back and reached your bum. He stroked it and squeezed it. Jake whispered, "You have the most glorious arse I've ever seen," as he stroked it softly. All he had done when you were standing beside the bed was repeated, but he now focused more on your cheeks. After easing your legs apart, he parted your bottom's cheeks. He spent ages running his fingers up and down that sensual groove, on, over and past your extra sensitive entrance to your anus, on the base of your spine in one direction and into your fully soaked pussy in the other.

All hell broke loose within your body and mind. You could not help but notice as your body shook with the various sensations that you were cumming without any form of penetration, without your sensitive clit being rubbed or your pussy's lips being stroked. “Jake!” You managed to whimper loudly, nuzzling your face into one of his pillows.

Jake smacked your bottom several times. Not that hard and not that much, but enough to make your bum sting and for you to recognise what he was doing. Nevertheless, the combination of the pain from him pulling your hair, the stinging from where he'd spanked your bottom and the pleasure he was giving you with his fingers made you cum, very heavily indeed.

You hadn't even finished your orgasm fully when Hangman turned you over. After what he'd just done to you, your pussy was still tender, and your breasts and nipples were still pulsating. As he moved up and held his cock against your lips, you willingly opened your arms and wrapped them around his hips. 

The moment he bucked his hips, forcing his dick completely into your mouth, you wrapped your lips around his rock-hard erection, gagging yourself.

Jake's hand hit your bottom quite hard, so much so that it jerked your head from his cock as Hangman turned you to your side a little, to gain better access to your bum. In a matter of seconds, he hit you twice. 

Putting his cock back in your mouth, you grunted. Each thwack and smack was probably harder than the last. He spread them over both cheeks. Pumping his girth in and out of your mouth, you gagged, reaching out to massage his balls.

Jake grunted lowly as he hardened. Seresin hit you several more times after he realized you weren't opposed to what he had been doing. Now he was doing it harder, and it was stinging, but not too painful. It was amazing to see that each time he smacked your ass, and since he'd found a sort of rhythm, his cock began to jerk inside your mouth. His hardening and growth increased with each smack. “Fuck, look what you’re doing to me,” he grunted, taking a fistful of Y/H/C hair, tugging on it a little. He was now spanking you with a steady series of blows that covered every inch of each cheek and occasionally drifted down to your thighs. Between each blow, his hand gently fondled your asscheek. 

With that gentleness combined with the aggression of the spanking, you experienced sensations you hadn't felt before. While Hangman grunted and groaned and mumbled how wonderful you were and what a magnificent bottom you had, you sighed and moaned at the pleasure you were receiving, taking his cock out of your mouth with a loud pop sound.

Jake then fucked you. Straightforward, you on your back, him on top, your legs wide open and wrapped around him. Jake’s thrusts were fast and strong; his bed was swinging with each of them. It was quite quick and hard. Like the expert he was turning out to be, he didn't offer or ask for more foreplay. After what Jake had gone on so far there was no need for more and he seemed to be acutely aware of that. He didn't need to get you wet and you didn't need to get him hard, what you'd been doing for the past half hour or so had done both of those necessities. 

“Fuck!” You screamed, digging your nails into his back, rolling your head back on his pillow. “Fuck you, Hangman! You’re so fucking good!”

“I’m good, Y/N,” Jake grunted into your ear, instantly turning his head to suck hardly on your exposed neck. “I’m very fucking good.” You were obviously soaked and your lips were bloated from the blood that rushed to them during the previous orgasms. No complaints, just a straightforward hard and fast fuck and that, to be honest, was what you truly wanted. 

After cumming together, Jake laid on top of you, pinning you to the mattress with his weight, then rubbed your cheeks and neck with his kisses. “Do you want to stay for the night?” He asked simply, rubbing his nose against yours.

Nodding to him, you slipped your hands into his hair and massaged his scalp. "Yes."

Despite his nakedness, Jake kissed you one last time before getting up from the bed. "I'll bring a pillow and towel for you."

As his thick, sticky cum ran down your inner thighs, you rubbed them together and bit your lower lip. You definitely had the best fuck of your life.

oh lorddddd

Hey, Neighbour! | DBF!Jake Seresin x Reader (18+)

Synopsis: Jake’s been having a problem recently, and when the power goes out next door, everything quickly comes to a head.

Warnings: dad’s best friend trope. Age gap. Reader is in her mid-20s, Jake’s around 40. Obviously unbalanced power dynamic. No use of Y/N. Reader’s dad has a name. Mention of reader having a piercing. Smut. Pure filth and pining. Smut. Oral (f receiving). Unprotected pinv. Creampie. Jake has no respect for his best friend’s furniture. Choking briefly. Please comment / Reblog, it’s greatly appreciated. Wc: 8.5k. Minors dni, you will be blocked.

…

Jake clicks the television off and pushes himself up from the couch, joined by his shadow of a German shepherd called Ace. They walk together to the sound of the meek little knock at his front door, Jake’s gym socks padding along his dark wood floors along the way.

It’s late. Too late for whoever is at his front door to be bearing good news. He twists the door handle and pulls it open, rolling back his aching shoulders. This late at night, he has a good idea of who’s going to be standing on his porch.

As expected, standing there and shivering in your dad’s coat and a pair of slippers, is exactly the last person that Jake was hoping to see.

You see, Jake has had a bit of a problem since he moved in to this neighbourhood.

Quite a substantial one, in the grand scheme of things, and one that seems to just be getting worse by the minute.

Suburbia was meant to be Jake’s reprieve from his bachelor lifestyle. His escapades have been worrying his mother to death for going on two decades now, and it came time that even Jake agreed that it was time to wisen up about his love life. With all of the deployments, and all of the time away from home, it had been beyond easy to never fall into anything serious. By the time he was twenty-nine, Jake’s longest ever relationship was two and a half months, which was alarming given the number of women he had encountered by then.

Two things happened that sent Jake here, to this cute little cul-de-sac in suburban San Diego, one — Jake’s job became more secure, and guaranteed that he would spend at least ninety percent of his remaining career here on the west coast. Second, he proposed to a woman. A beautiful woman, that he was so sure he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

She liked his house, it looked like the one her parents had raised her in. So, he bought the house and he bought a dog, and swore that he was going to try to settle down. Six months later, it was just him and the dog. Payton apologised profusely, and she’d apologise even more if he ever ran into her again, he just wasn’t right for her.

Things weren’t so bad though. Jake and Ace liked the peace and quiet, and the guy next door was actually pretty cool. Jack, the airline pilot with a mean golf swing and a great nose for the best sports bars in town. He’s a little older than Jake, with a hell of a lot more to show for it, including three grown up kids.

It’s been a couple of years now, and Jake’s practically part of the family. He knows everything there is to know. He’s there on birthdays, holidays, emergencies — he loves this family. But he has a problem.

His problem was manageable at first. So, Jack’s youngest daughter might have caught Jake’s attention at first. You were visiting home from college and you had stepped out of the car in a tight little pair of shorts and a tank top, and Jake just happened to be standing in Jack’s garage, helping him with a little project, when he first saw you.

And you were funny. Right away cracking some joke about Jake’s less than adept approach to projects around the house. Jake had laughed out loud without even meaning to, and then you’d turned your head and hit him with that mega-watt smile. Bringing new meaning to the term beaming.

God, that pretty fucking smile.

Your humour dances lightly on the nerves of others, like Jake’s, but sweeter. You’re well behaved and back then you had had a dreamy boyfriend who was in pre-med. Perfect in every way.

Even more reason for Jake to keep his hands to himself.

You were Jack’s kid. Jake wouldn’t ever cross that line. It’s just that sometimes… he had to remind himself of this boundary.

He hadn’t ever been close friends with someone where that was even a concern, and truthfully, he had been unprepared for meeting you. In all of the stories Jack told him, you were this cute little kid. Standing before him, you didn’t quite match the image he had of you in his head. This was truly uncharted territory.

Truth be told, there were times when Jake wasn’t so sure you wanted him to hang back. Even when you were still bringing that boyfriend of yours around, Jake caught the way you looked at him.

The way you tug those glossed lips between your teeth and grin around the straw of your drink.

If he was a better friend, or a stronger man, he might have been able to nip his little problem in the bud right away. He had tried, and you were living away from home then, so it was easier. But last month, you had moved back in with your parents and Jake’s life has been nothing but stress ever since.

On occasion, Jake thinks of how he would have to plead his case if someone discovered how he felt. You just don’t know what it’s like when she’s looking at me, man. I swear, I tried to stay away from her, I did.

It’s not his fault that Jack asked him to watch you while your folks were away on that cruise.

Jake’s gaze finally flickers back up to your wounded, hurt baby bunny, expression.

“What’s the matter, cutie? — You alright?” He reaches for you with one hand, gently grabbing at the crook of your elbow and guiding you towards him. That sad little look on your face tugs at his heart strings every time.

“Yeah, I just — I plugged in my phone charger and all the lights went out. I think I tripped a fuse,” All exasperated and frustrated at once, you push your hair back off of your face and frown at him. “Could you come take a look at it for me?”

Jake’s throat grows thick. Under your dad’s heavy work coat, Jake can see the thin white tank top you’re wearing and the blue checkered, boxer style pyjama shorts. But Jack asked him to take care of you.

“Yeah. Of course I can,” Jake nods his head and reaches down to tug at Ace’s black woven collar. “Come in a sec. I just need some shoes.”

There haven’t been too many occasions where you have been inside Jake’s place. Your dad comes here a lot and you’ve been sent over to collect him before dinner on occasion, or to deliver Jake some leftovers.

It’s warm inside, and it smells like woodsmoke and leather. He’s been burning the candle that you got him for his last birthday. You inhale softly, shrugging the coat closer to your body.

In the times that you have been over here, you’re always surprised by how tidy he keeps the place. It’s not what you would have expected of a single guy living all alone.

Jake pulls some sneakers from a tidy shoe organizer disguised to look like an end table and crouches down to put them on his feet. Leaning over, something catches his eye between the heavy fleece of your dad’s unzipped work jacket.

“Did you get your bellybutton pierced?”

The question startles you, drawing attention to the fact that you had been craning your neck and trying to get a look into Jake’s living room. You turn your head, blinking as Jake straightens up and takes a step towards you.

He reaches out and before you know it, his warm fingers are stretching out across your chilled, just exposed navel. His thumb brushes over your soft skin, brows drawing together as he examines the dainty jewelry pushed through your skin.

Swiftly, you take a step back and his hand drops away from your body. “I’ve had it for years.”

There’s a silence between the two of you. Jake’s going to be kicking himself for that for weeks to come. He shouldn’t have reached out and touched you like that. He shouldn’t be commenting on things your father wouldn’t approve of. You’re too grown up for that.

“Huh,” He clicks his tongue, reaching just past your side to grab his house keys from the dish by the door. “C’mon, kid. Let’s go take a look at those lights.”

The shuffle of your slippers cuts through the awkward silence as you cross Jake’s front yard and into yours. It’s late November, and a cold night in particular too. Standing in just a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, the evening chill makes Jake’s arm hair stand on end. As you walk ahead, your back to him, Jake wonders if it has the same effect on you.

Thinking about his best friend’s daughter’s tits. He wishes the shame alone was enough to knock the thought out of his head. He wishes you hadn’t moved home. He wishes you weren’t leading him into your dark, empty house right now.

The entire house is pitch black, but Jake tests the hallway lightswitch in passing anyway. He notes the dubious look you shoot him back over your shoulder. Then, he passes by you as you stop to take off that big coat. It’s not something he wants to hang by and watch.

It’s cold as his shoulder brushes yours, and not just because it’s November. You swallow thickly, staring after him until he disappears into the dark. Your feelings towards Jake are complicated.

Well, they’re not. Your crush on him isn’t the innocent middle school crush that you used to have on an older figure, like a teacher. No, this is far from doodling his name in your journal. This man, and his thick, ridged abs and golden chest hair, is working his way into your dreams.

After the break-up, you had sworn off men for a while — and that was the right decision for you. But, it left certain parts of you yearning. And Jake’s right next door. From your bedroom window, you’ve got the perfect view into his backyard. The same backyard where he’ll work out in the blazing heat, sweat glistening along his tanned skin, along the ridges and valleys of his muscles.

No, this crush is far from innocent. It crossed the border into indecent weeks ago, the first time that you touched yourself thinking about him. It wasn’t your fault; he was tempting you.

You had returned home from work to find Jake hanging out in the living room with your father, not unusual, and you had joined the two of them. Your dad had started with a playful comment about Jake. Jake had returned the favour with a witty remark about your dad. You were just joining in on the fun, poking playfully at Jake’s age.

All too suddenly, he had turned sharply to you and pinched the soft skin between your ribs and hip, leaning dangerously close with a smirk on his face that made your head spin. In fact, you still remember the way your mouth had hung open as Jake had breathed out a chuckle and shot you that playfully warning look.

“You think you’re funny, huh?” He’d challenged, that eager look in those wild green eyes, his cheeks dimpling just slightly, fingers pressing into your side.

Since then, you can’t help but think of him closer, and closer.

“Jake, wait!” You call, dropping the coat onto a hook and kicking off your slippers, starting to rush after him. Jake cranes his neck to look back at you over his shoulder. “You should probably show me what you’re doing. Y’know, in case it happens again.”

“Sure. Come here,” Jake jerks his head for you to join him, extending his hand for you in the dark of the utility room. You swat around until your fingers graze his, falling silent at the brash way he grabs hold of your hand and drags you closer. Your ass briefly brushes his thigh as he guides you in front of him. Jake steps back, clearing his throat. The little red dot on the fuse box illuminates his fingertips as he reaches past you. “This is the switch you want, don’t mess with anything else or your dad’ll kill you.”

The corners of your lips twitch. There are plenty of things your dad would be furious with, if he knew you had done them.

Jake’s fingers curl around the switch. His cologne fills your nose. His massive bicep is inches from your cheek, and everything feels like electric as his other hand comes to rest on the bare space between your shirt and your shorts. You’re trapped between him and the wall in front. If you would push your hips back just an inch or two…

“So, you flip the switch off to reset it,” Jake’s voice is all gravel from yelling at the young pilots he instructs, and shouting over the top of loud music in bars. It drifts past your ears and makes you want to shiver as his fingers curl around the plush of your hip. “And then you flip it back on for the power.”

Suddenly, the lights come back on in the hall outside of the utility room. Jake’s got you cornered against the fuse box really, and with the washer and dryer to your side, the only escape would be to rush out into the hall. You’re not quite ready to make that move. You can hear the amusement in his voice. He can feel the way you’re burning with awkward embarrassment in front of him.

“Oh.” You say quietly. Jake chuckles from behind you, his hand trailing about an inch higher, taking some of the fabric from your tank top with it, pinching playfully at your newly exposed waist.

“Happy to help, kid.” He’s already drawing back, his hand pulling away from your electrified skin, the sound of his shoe hitting the floor and alerting you to the fact that he’ll be leaving before you even know it.

“Could I ask you for one more favour?” You turn to face him, biting sheepishly on your bottom lip.

“Sure. What is it?” He’d retile your entire bathroom for you if you asked him to. That’s what makes him wish he was a better friend.

There’s an art to the way you bat your lashes at him, knowing better than to get too close or put your hands on him. Just that deep, pleading look in your eyes is more than enough. “Will you finish watching my scary movie with me? — Kinda… freaked me out a little bit when the lights went out, is all.”

“… Yeah. Yeah, I guess I can hang out for a little.” You’re a good kid, and it’s just a movie. He can’t leave you over here all by yourself, scared out of your mind, now, can he?

Jake wonders if this is what your father had in mind when he had asked his most trusted friend to just be there for his daughter while they were away.

That same, trusted best friend, sitting on the couch with his chin propped up against his palm, and that daughter’s head resting against his shoulder. You could have sat over on the other end of the couch, or even in your dad’s armchair, but that defeats the purpose of asking Jake to stay.

“Fill me in. What am I missing here?” Jake asks, mostly to fill the silence. His arm stretches along the back of your couch, his knees parted obnoxiously and his neck awkwardly straight to minimise risk of him laying his head against yours.

Your hand comes to rest against his middle, eyes focused calmly on the screen. “So there are two timelines. The present, and flashbacks to like… maybe ten years ago. Ten years ago, the family bought this mirror, and…”

Jake’s fingers inch their way into your hair, trailing softly over your scalp. Your fingers brush over his middle as he massages your scalp. He listens to you explain the plot of the movie like he isn’t thinking about the way your nipples are pressing through the white fabric of your tank top.

“Freaky mirror…” Jake muses over the concept of the plot, squinting his eyes at the screen, his fingers slowing to a halt in your hair as he turns his head to look at you. “You gonna be able to sleep okay tonight if we watch this?”

You meet him back with a sheepish grin and an innocent shrug of your shoulders. “Well, I already started, so I need to see that it ends okay, or I’ll be freaked out.”

“Alright. Just making sure you’re not gonna try crawling into my bed tonight after you have a nightmare.” Jake teases, pushing his knees further apart and sinking down into the comfort of the grey fabric couch he helped the movers bring in here last August.

He didn’t push you away when you sat right next to him and curled against his side. He reached out himself and stroked his fingers along your stomach.

Confidence surges through you like a wave, swelling big enough for you to giggle and press closer to him. “Come on, would that be such a bad thing?”

“What did you say?”

The swell has passed and the wave crashes just like all the others do, breaking over an otherwise calm sea. You swallow softly, growing exceptionally still.

“I was just kidding—“

Jake’s fingers leave your hair and curl instead around the nape of your neck. He turns his head, attempting to get a look at your face. “No, no. Say it again. What did you say?”

You shake your head, pressing it closer against his toned stomach. “I was just joking. You wouldn’t mind it that much if I had a bad dream and had to come sleep in your bed.”

He’s quiet for a moment and the movie draws tense. The main character is creeping around in the dark, the music is building, and Jake’s far too quiet for your liking.

“Don’t joke about that.” Jake says quietly.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” You answer him, hugging your cheek into the dark fabric of his t-shirt. That way, there’s no chance of him seeing the shame on your face. Going after your dad’s best friend— you should be ashamed of yourself.

Jake rubs a palm over the stubble on his jaw, trying to focus on the screen in front of him. This movie can’t possibly take much longer.

He knows he has upset you. You’re uncharacteristically quiet, and he can feel you trying to sit still. He shifts his hips a little, reaching out and resting his palm against your waist.

Your brows draw together as the main character bites into the apple she was eating and glass shards drop to the floor in front of her. Jake feels your fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt. Sweat beads on the nape of his neck.

His thumb swipes back and forth over the inch of bare skin on your hip.

Jake glances down at you. Laying against his middle like this. It feels all too natural. He isn’t even paying attention to the movie. Truthfully, the only thing on Jake’s mind is how soft your skin feels against the pad of his thumb.

Imagining how soft your body would feel in his palms, every inch of your skin in his capable hands.

You gasp as the camera pans to the main character’s bleeding mouth, and the shattered lightbulb in your hands, twisting your head and burying your face in Jake’s shirt.

Jake flinches, his attention drawn back to the screen as his fingers curl into your skin. His face twists in distaste, groaning at the gore on the screen.

“Shit, you weren’t kidding about this being freaky.” Jake mutters with a soft shake of his head, shifting uncomfortably as his fingers massage at the pillowy skin of your waist. He swallows thickly, eyes dropping down to the way you’re nestled just above his waistband. He tries a weak chuckle, mind racing for something to lighten the mood. “What am I meant to do if I’m up all night after this, huh?”

You laugh softly against his stomach, pressing closer to the warmth of his rigid torso. Jake stares at the screen as he feels your open palm brush over his abdomen, fingertips grazing the waistband of his sweats by mere millimeters. He strokes your skin, setting his knees further apart by an inch.

Even with the score of the movie in front of you, everything feels so quiet. Even with the floor lamp to your right and the table lamp to your left, it all feels so dark. It all feels so slow. Truthfully, you imagine this is as close as you’ll get to understanding what it feels like to tightrope across Niagara Falls.

One misstep, a strong gust, the loss of balance in any capacity and its all over. The best friendship that your father has ever had, thrown away because you made a pass at a man far too old for you to begin with.

Then, Jake’s fingers break their almost surgically precise pattern. The tips stretch just slightly under the fabric of your tank top, reaching for the silken skin of your stomach. It’s brief, before they retreat to the safety of circling the skin that you’ve chosen to expose. You drop your gaze, watching all five of his digits follow their intricate pattern, and stretch under the cotton white of your top once again.

Maybe Jake notices that you’re watching him, or maybe he finally notices it himself, but he stops all at once. Fingers pulling back to rest platonically against your hip, green eyes trained seriously on the television, his lips stretched into a flat line.

“It’s okay,” You whisper without turning your gaze away from the screen. Jake doesn’t look at you. He feels your fingers brush across the top of his, curling through the digits, linking them together. “It’s okay, Jake. You can. I won’t say anything.”

Your parents aren’t going to be home for another eleven days. What’s Jake supposed to do until then, ignore your existence? — Avoid you entirely?

He wants this, and you’re on to him, giving him permission.

“Honey,” It’s caught somewhere between a sigh and a groan, an exhale of restraint and desperation all at once. He wishes he could at least pretend he’s half interested in this movie. “Don’t talk like that.”

Your brows draw together, eyes going wide as a child in the movie creeps through the house, headed for the master bedroom. Bloody sheets on the bed. A smashed plate on the floor. Jake’s hand gripping your hip. The child inches forwards, the music swells, a chill rushes down your back. In frame, the little girl rounds the edge of the bed and someone leaps out, bloodied and frenzied. Jake hasn’t been paying enough attention to gather who.

Neither one of you will care in a few moments.

The surprise makes you jolt, leaping up from your spot against Jake’s stomach, sitting upright all of a sudden, grabbing onto his forearm for support.

“It’s alright, cutie,” Jake breathes out in soft amusement, rubbing a heavy circle on your back. That’s the first thing he called you. When he’d seen you struggling to lift the icebox in the garage. Let me get that for you, cutie. And now, he has the nerve to pretend like it’s just you that has led the two of you here. “Maybe we should turn it off now, huh?”

Your heartbeat is already thudding in your ears and there’s no way you’ll be able to sleep after any of this. Fuck it. You turn, brace your palm against his shoulder, and take the dive.

Jake has thought about what those pretty lips feel like. Every time they stretch upwards into those pretty smiles, each time you sink your teeth into the bottom one. He should be prepared, in theory. Is there any way to prepare for something like this?

“Sweetheart…” Jake mutters against your lips, eyes screwed shut, hands reaching out for your hips. Pained, he gives a slow shake of his head. “Come on, we can’t do this.”

“But do you want to?” Your lips graze his. He feels the way you arch your back, knocking your chest into his, angling yourself in a way that just begs him to grab hold of your waist and drag you into his lap. You close your mouth, pecking softly at his still lips once more. “If you didn’t know my dad… you would. Right?”

Yes. Of course he would. He would be insane not to. He’s driving himself insane trying not to.

“But I do, and… and he trusts me.” Jake turns his head just slightly, but his hands reach for you. His big hands find your hips and grab onto them tight, hard. He just holds you right there. There’s got to be some kind of way he can regain some of the power here.

“I trust you.” You tell him, kissing his jaw tentatively. Delicate fingertips skim along the throbbing vein on the left side of Jake’s throat, reaching for the nape of his neck. Soft, slow kisses lead a trail to his earlobe, passing plains of stubble and angled bone. “I know you won’t hurt me, and I know you want me. It’s okay, Jake, I want you too.

“Fuck.” Jake swears, dropping his head forwards to rest against the curve of your shoulder. His fingers dig into your hips harder and harder. By the time Jake drags you forwards, his grip is so tight that you would have no choice but to follow. You fall into his lap, lips parted and eyes wide as Jake’s deep pine coloured eyes study your face.

You wait for him to speak again, but he doesn’t. Not for a long time. His fingers stretch up from your hips, reaching under the fabric of your tank top, extending across your bare abdomen. He stretches the brushed cotton further, taking it up with a gentle touch.

“Your father would kill me.” Jake muses as his fingertips graze the underside of your breasts, his eyes solely on your face. You smile back at him, only partly because your father is an airline pilot who couldn’t bench half of what Jake does on a good day.

“I won’t tell him if you don’t.”

Jake grits his teeth. It has started to rain outside now. That storm that channel four had promised is starting to roll in. The movie will be over soon. The rain will be the only sound on this entire street. This house is completely empty, beside the two of you. He exhales through his nose and pushes his hips up. He’s half-hard under you, and giving you another disapproving shake of his head.

“Little fuckin’ minx…” Jake curses you, his words fanning out across the span of your exposed neck, hot and cold all at once. “You get off on teasing me like this, or something?”

A smile works its way across those pretty lips. Jake could see more of that smile than he sees sunsets and he would still be pretty damn content. Your nails rake softly through the almost buzzed fade at the back of his head as you give a shake of your head.

“Well, it’s not teasing if we take care of it,” Your shoulders rise and fall in a soft shrug as Jake’s fingers trail further upwards, taking your tank top with them and exposing your breasts to the cool autumn air. The rattle of the air conditioning unit that your dad tells you not to mess with reminds you of the real culprit as your nipples harden and perk with the exposure. You lean back, bracing each of your hands on Jake’s knees, arching your chest out, letting Jake see the newly exposed skin. “If you’ll let me.”

His eyes are pretty when he smiles. When he’s staring at your tits, they’re hooded and hungry, a shade of green that threatens to draw you in and hold you captive. What a happy captive you would be. His hands grab at both of them at once, squeezing roughly at the supple flesh.

All at once, his mouth is on yours too. He’s sucking at your bottom lip, growling into your mouth. He smells of smoked wood and he tastes of scotch. It paints half of a picture. A lonely man sitting in his home alone on a Saturday night, burning a candle given to him by a girl half his age and drinking liquor older than he is himself.

You’re straddling his hips now, your bare thighs squeezing into the fabric of his grey sweatpants, pulling yourself closer with each hungry kiss. Jake’s touch is experienced, expert; he pinches softly at your nipple, anticipates the way your mouth will draw open in a soft gasp, and licks into your mouth the second that it does. He sucks softly at the tip of your tongue, revelling in the feeling of your soft breasts in his hands.

“Arms up.”

You’re such a good girl. The way that you comply with a wordless grin and bite at your lip once the tank top hits the floor has Jake in even more trouble than he was before. He kisses softly at the space between your tits, pushing them together in his hands, opening his mouth and pressing his tongue into your skin.

Men like boobs. Big boobs, small boobs — your shared gossip sessions with friends in college always led to the same conclusion, men don’t care. They bite, suck, grab regardless of size. It shouldn’t be anything new. But then Jake reaches your left nipple. His right hand palms at the underside as his tongue swipes in a circular motion, just before his lips clasp around the sensitive bud.

You know he’s watching you through those esurient green eyes, but you find yourself playing right into his capable hands anyway. Any leverage you may have had in seeming like his charms don’t work on you are washed away with the dulcet tone of your first moan. It spills from your lips, your nails pressing into the nape of his neck as Jake sucks expertly at the sensitive skin.

He pulls away with another ravenous exhale, something between a sigh and a groan. His hands feel heavy on your body as they paw at your chest with a capability you’ve never encountered before. His cologne is expensive and mature, a smokey blend that has you intoxicated and enthralled. His mouth is wet and eager, but oh, so slow as it explores the areas of you he has dreamt about.

The rain outside is growing heavier, like it’s learning to mimic the deepness of each of your breaths. The movie must have finished by now. Neither one of you is going to check.

His stubble prickles, rough and masculine, abrasive compared to the adept caress of his tongue. His right hand grabs forcibly at the nape of your neck, drawing the sweetest little squeak from your already open lips. You knew he would be better than the guys you’ve been with before, but not like this. He hasn’t even touched you yet.

Jake’s lips seem to pinpoint each and every nerve ending in your chest, sucking and licking at your skin through feverish kisses. The tenderness seeping away each time a breathy moan falls from your mouth, fanning out against his clothed shoulder. He pulls away from the top of your breast with his teeth, already knowing, in his years of experience, that that’s going to bruise.

Jake lifts his head, letting his eyes drift shut as you lean forwards and press your mouth to his neck. He can feel your nerves in your trembling fingertips, in the way your chest shivers when it brushes his, in the way your lips suck at his pulse point. But you’re doing so well. Dragging your lips along the length of his neck, biting softly at the skin just above his collarbone, feeling him shiver at the sensation.

“Off.” You demand, grabbing at the bottom of his t-shirt, feeling him grin against your jaw. He complies wordlessly, grabbing at the back of his shirt and yanking it over his head.

You’ve seen Jake shirtless plenty of times, wandering around his property or opening the front door without shame. You’ve always wondered what those muscles, that dusting of golden chest hair, would feel like up close. Forgetting that you’re being watched, your hands explore his toned torso. The line down the middle of his stomach, the sharp divide of his collarbones, the swell of his pecs.

“What’re you thinking?” Jake asks, brushing your hair back from your face tenderly, concern coating his features.

A bashful smile spreads across your cheeks as you watch your fingers ghost along the thick muscle of his shoulder. “That you’re really hot.”

Jake breathes out a chuckle, reaching up and grabbing at the back of your neck to cradle you against him as he pushes up from the couch and turns quickly, planting you on your back and covering your body with his.

“That smile is gonna get me in big trouble, sweetheart,” Jake wastes no time in pressing his mouth to your stomach, holding you by your waist as he sucks filthy kisses into your skin to mark his path downward. “You know that?”

“I know.” You answer back, just to tease him this time. Jake stops at your waistband as you giggle, looking up at you through hooded eyes with a devilish grin on his face. He drags his teeth across your hip, hooking his fingers into the sides of your shorts and tugging them down your legs.

“God, honey, you weren’t wearing panties this entire time?” Jake exhales, eye-level with the most intimate part of you and completely unashamed. Your mind fumbles for an answer, lips getting into position to finally respond when he leans forwards and licks a stripe through your soaked core. Then, he moans. His hands grab fistfuls of your soft waist and he goes in again, lapping hungrily at your excitement, groaning against your sensitive skin.

“O-Oh… Jake.” Your voice trembles, knees trying to press shut around Jake’s broad shoulders. He grabs firmly at your thigh, closing his lips loosely around your clit, flicking his tongue over the sensitive bud and making you jolt against him.

“Yeah, honey?”

“That feels really fucking good.” You tell him, closing your eyes finally.

“Attagirl. Just hold on, girlie, I’m gonna get you there.” He promises without once diverting from his apparent mission. If he’s as devoted to the Navy as he is to making you cum at this exact moment in time, the military is lucky to have him. You’re soaked, excitement pooling between your legs. Jake already knows he’s going to spend tomorrow cleaning this couch, and he wishes he cared enough to make better decisions.

“Look at this,” Jake breathes out as his gaze falls back down to rest between your legs. He couldn’t care less about the fucking couch. You swallow hard, practically aching for his touch. You’ve waited so long already. His index finger dips between your folds, his brows raise as he gathers your excitement on the tip of it. “Making such a fuckin’ mess for your old man’s best friend. Dirty fucking girl.”

He can’t see the way his words make you grin, but he can feel the way you reach for his hair and tug softly at those blonde roots, begging for more. He’s more than happy to give it to you. Jake groans against you, working his tongue in soft circles around the throbbing bundle of nerves. His eyes are still on you. Your eyes are closed — if you look him in the eyes then you’re going to get all embarrassed, and you’ll be damned before you let someone ruin how good this feels. Especially not yourself.

Jake’s hand trails up your naked torso, pawing at your rising and falling tits as you pant into the chilled air, sweat beading on your skin.

He’s gentle between your legs. More gentle than he could be. Pressing his stubbled mouth firmly against your core and working his tongue against you, each languid movement making you keen into him. The tip of his nose bumps your clit periodically. It feels like your head is spinning.

Dragging his mouth back up to your sensitive, throbbing clit, his free hand slides between your legs, he dips the tip of his index finger into you, then slides it in up to the knuckle and curls. Just testing the waters. It’s enough to earn him a moan, enough to have you grab a fistful of his short blonde hair, ensuring that he doesn’t get ahead of himself and lose pace with his mouth.

He slips his ring finger into you alongside his middle whilst his tongue works confidently along your core and back up to your clit. He lets go of your thigh and rests his forearm across your stomach, keeping you nice and still for him. Maybe he should feel ashamed of himself for how much he’s enjoying this.

All of those times he enjoyed the sound of your laugh, and sat with the afterthought of how much he’d enjoy the sound of your moans. It’s hard to be ashamed when it turns out he was right.

He scissors his fingers inside of you, making you gasp louder this time, pulling against him. You tug at his roots, he moans against your clit. You both shiver, and not because of that now thundering storm. Jake’s tongue flattens as he drags it along your core. He pulls his fingers from you and puts them immediately to work, taking over the pace on your clit, burying his face between your legs, curling his tongue into you.

Jake growls against you, his cock growing now uncomfortably hard in the confines of his sweats and his fingers and mouth switch places once again. After all the time he has waited, he doesn’t deny himself the pleasure of looking up at you, writhing at the feeling of him between your legs. All that does is make his sweats feel even tighter again. His fingers fuck into you mercilessly, curling and twisting, making you keen into his touch and arch your back and gasp all at once.

You cum with his name on your tongue and your fingers in his hair. The comedown feels like weightlessness. Jake doesn’t bother to ask if that’s the first time a man has made you feel like that, the adoration in your eyes as he comes in to kiss your mouth tells him everything he needs to know.

His mouth tastes like you, his chin is wet with your slick and his cock is straining against the grey cotton of his sweats, pressing in to your stomach. Jake’s fingers brush your hair back softly from your forehead, a sudden calmness in the green of his eyes as he studies the peaceful euphoric smile on your face.

“We don’t have to go any further—“

“Stop trying to be a gentleman.” You huff, lifting your head and kissing him hard, hooking your legs around his waist. Drawing him closer, you’re both painfully aware that the only thing stopping him from touching you is his sweats. “I want you.”

Jake pauses for a moment. Rain slams against the windows, and the television goes dark as it passes into standby mode. His hands squeeze softly at your waist, eyes darting downward at your naked body under his. He would be a damn idiot to say no to everything he has been fantasising about.

“You keep condoms here?” He breathes out.

Your eyes light up before him, gleaming with mischief. You give a confident nod of your head as a cunning little smirk spreads across your lips.

“There are some in my parents’ bathroom,” You can tell right away that he doesn’t like that idea, but that’s okay, option two was by far your favourite anyway. “Or, you could just cum in me. I won’t tell.”

“Jesus Christ.” Jake drops his head forwards to rest against your naked chest, panting out a dry laugh. His fingers bruise into your middle as he starts to consider the choices that have led him here. Once he feels composed enough to look you in the eye again, he lifts his head and squints seriously. “You did not just say that.”

“I want you to. I’m on birth control anyway.” Long gone is the nervous girl standing on his porch and asking him to fix her lights. There’s a devious, lustful look in your eye and Jake’s pretty damn sure there’s magic in that look. All he knows is that it could make him do just about anything you asked of him. “Please?”

Jake swipes his thumb along the curve of your jaw, studying the depths of your irises for just a moment. He leans forwards and kisses your bottom lip, sucking at the plush skin, pulling away with his teeth. You swallow as he sits back, pushes his sweats down his legs and frees his swollen cock. From under him, you’ve got the perfect view.

Every ridge and valley in those impossible abs, each follicle of hair that lines his tanned chest, trailing down below his navel and sitting neatly around his pubic bone, trimmed just as neatly as his navy-standard hair cut. His cock is a good size, considerable even when he’s got one of his large hands wrapped around its base. Wide too, throbbing red at the tip, bending just slightly to the left.

Just looking has your mouth running dry.

Fisting his cock, Jake sits back on his heels and lets his gaze fall down to your glistening core once again. He looks down at your pretty face, then lowers himself between your legs, pressing his chest into yours, kissing you dizzyingly hard.

“You want it?” Jake asks one last time.

“I want it.” You answer him, smiling softly back at him, squeezing your thighs around his hips.

You’re looking up at him with such trust in your eyes that Jake can barely stand it. His heart thuds in his chest as he guides the tip of his cock between your folds, hesitating just briefly. There’s already no coming back from this. There’s no way to make up for the things he has already done. You’re so special, and he wants this so bad.

Your mouth sucks softly at his throat, quiet, pleased sounds spilling from your lips as he grinds the tip of his cock against your sensitive clit. Jake kisses your shoulder softly, then lowers his head to rest there as he drags his cock down to your warm entrance. You gasp softly as he presses into you, pushing forwards until he’s buried and stretching you open completely.

“Oh,” You whimper against his earlobe, pressing your nails into the swell of his shoulder blade. “You feel really fucking big.”

“So fuckin tight.” Jake grunts, his throat thick with desire as he stills inside of you, thumbs bruising into your hips. “Sweet fucking girl. Feel like you’re made just for me.”

This makes you smile into the curve of his jaw, humming in soft agreement as he starts to slowly rock his hips. Lightning flashes outside of the window, and it doesn’t matter one bit. The rest of the world is a million miles away. In here, it’s just the two of you.

“Oh fuck,” Jake shivers, eclipsing your throat with his hand, pulling you in for a heavy kiss, licking into your mouth as he drags his hips back until it’s just the tip. You gasp sharply against him as he snaps his hips forwards until he’s buried into you completely once. “Fuck. You like that?”

“Yeah. I want it like that.” You whimper into his skin, hugging your legs tight around his hips. You moan eagerly against his lips, the sound catching in your throat as he squeezes at the sides of your neck and drives his hips forwards sharply, drawing an excited squeak from your parted lips.

Jake grunts, rocking himself into you hard and fast. He’s waited so long for this, and so have you. The way you’re clawing at his back makes him want to give it all to you. Leaving feverish kisses along your collarbones, he fills you over and over. You curl both legs tighter around his waist, leaning your head back as far as you can against the couch cushion to give his lips better access to your throat.

The living room is filled with the sounds of your sex. Your desperate moans, panting and hard. Jake’s pleasured grunts, muffled softly by the curve of your shoulder. His skin slapping yours. It smells like him, smoky and mature. Sweat beads along his back and his forehead as he keeps up that merciless pace, fucking you so hard that you couldn’t tell him your own name anymore.

Jake pulls back just enough to grab the backs of your thighs and pin them to your chest, hooking your knees over his shoulders, filling you even deeper than before, making you cry out.

“Jake!” You beg, babbling incoherently into the curve of his shoulder as he goes right back to the pace he set before. Fucking you hard and fast, scrambling your brain to the point that the only thing on your mind is the ravenous way he’s staring down at you.

Your walls are squeezing around him perfectly and the sounds you’re making are just driving him insane. It’s been a long time since Jake felt as crazy about someone as he feels about you. He pants into the crook of your neck as his fingers tug at your hair, making you moan out even louder.

“I’m gonna cum — fuck, honey,” Jake grunts out like he’s been punched, his eyes screwing shut as he reaches between your bodies and rubs uniformed circles around your clit. “Are you close? — Can you cum one more time for me?”

“Yeah,” You breathe out, already trembling as you squeeze your thighs tighter around him. “Just—“ You don’t have the words, so you just reach out and grab his hand. Jake swallows hard as you wrap his open hand around the column of your throat and look up at him with that big, trusting look in your eyes again.

He grits his teeth as he squeezes at the sides of your throat, watching your sweet face contort in pleasure. Your hand dips between your legs and replaces where Jake’s had been, rubbing feverish patterns on your clit. Your stomach tightens in knots, your breathing grows heavy and Jake’s cock drives into you at just about the perfect angle each time. You open his mouth to warn him, but it’s already too late. You couldn’t find the words if you tried.

All you can do is grab onto those thick shoulders and cry out his name against the salty skin of his neck. Jake slows just slightly, offering you some reprieve through your sensitivity. Trying to be a gentleman once again. The brain fog starts to clear, you lift your head and press your lips to your earlobe.

“Cum in me,” You pant out, grabbing his shoulder to steady yourself. Jake groans against your chest, nodding his head feverishly. “Just like that, Jake, please.”

He’s relentless, fucking your through the sensitivity of your post-orgasm haze hard enough that grabbing onto those broad shoulders is the only thing that keeps you down to earth with him. Jake groans desperately. He wraps an arm under your back and pulls you as tight against him as physics will allow. You gasp softly, taking your lip between your teeth as he fills you, his cock throbbing against your walls. He seeks out your lips and kisses you hard, somehow more desperate now.

“Fuck, honey…” Jake breathes out, pressing a lazy kiss to the curve of your jaw. He makes no effort to move at first. “You alright?”

“Better than alright.” You answer contentedly, a soft smile toying at your lips as lightning flashes outside once again. Jake chuckles tiredly, lifting his head and kissing your lips.

He sighs, moving slow as he slips out of you and looks down at his cum dripping from between your legs.

“Oh, shit!” You realize, sitting up quickly and trying to reach around Jake for something to clean it with. He hooks an arm around your waist and pulls you tight against him. Truthfully, from the moment that you had laid your head on Jake’s abs, you hadn’t thought once about the consequences of fucking him right here in this spot.

“Forget it, I’ll — I’ll fix this,” He tells you calmly, already regretting that he’s going to have to live with what he has done on this couch. “Come on, cutie. Let’s go take a shower.”

It’s clear that this is foreign territory for you. Not the sex, but what comes after. He didn’t get up and leave. He didn’t run away with regret for what he did. He ran soap across your body and found your pyjamas for you.

You swallow softly, walking to sit on the edge of your bed. Jake runs a hand along his stubbled jaw as he lingers in the doorway to you room. You can’t help but notice that he got dressed again. Including his shoes. He looks you over, sitting there in fresh pyjamas, staring at him with that worried little look on your face.

He hasn’t ever seen your room here. It’s probably the one room in the house he has never been in. He’s been wondering what it’s like.

But that isn’t why he’s standing there. He sighs softly and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I should go — I mean, Ace is over there by himself.” Jake says quietly. You nod at him. You should probably say something too, but truthfully, not all of your words seem to have come back into your mind yet. “Are you coming with me?”

“Huh?”

“Well, I don’t wanna leave you over here by yourself after that weird ass movie.” Jake answers you with a shrug of his shoulders. “I figured you could just spend the night. If you want.”

Your mouth twitches at the corners as you push yourself up from the edge of your bed, nodding eagerly at him. You’ve got eleven days until your parents get back in town, and Jake permitting, you’re planning on making the most of that.

…