Jake Seresin Fluff - Blog Posts

Maybe We Can Be Friends (Part 3)

Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Autistic!Fem!Shy!Reader

Summary: You're sick. And a certain aviator is extremely worried...

Warnings/tags: Super super soft Jake, oblivious reader, mentions of being sick, lots of fluff, a bit of angst

A/N: I'm so so sorry it took me so long to write this. I really hope it was worth the wait.

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

Something's wrong. You can feel it even before your head's cleared enough for you to properly start waking up.

Chills are running down your body, your sinuses are burning, your throat feels like sandpaper…

You're sick.

You're still feeling pretty fuzzy-headed, but you know you're definitely too sick to go into uni.

You know you should tell Penny, but you don't even want to lift your head, let alone get out of bed and go downstairs. Your phone's on the bedside table, but with how exhausted you're feeling, it might as well be across the room.

Fortunately, you're spared the trouble of having to do either when Penny knocks on your door.

"Y/N? You going to get up? Sorry to sound like the mom here, but you're going to be late!"

Your throat feels too sore for you to speak properly, so you let out a weak, raspy groan in response.

The door opens, and Penny steps in, looking worried. "Gosh, Y/N," she mutters, looking you up and down, "you really don't look so good." Sitting down, she puts the back of her hand to your forehead. "Oh, honey, you're burning up. You must feel awful."

"Mmm." You just want to go back to sleep.

"No college for you today, of course," remarks Penny as she stands up. "I'll call and let them know. You just get some sleep, okay?"

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

It's mid-morning when you wake up again. Penny's sitting by your bed, scrolling on her phone, but she looks up when she hears you stirring.

"Hey, Y/N. How're you feeling?"

"Still not great," you croak, wincing at the sound of your own voice.

"Well, you're still pretty feverish, so that's to be expected. Do you feel like you're going to be sick?"

You shake your head. "I just feel tired, and achy, and like I never want to move again."

Penny nods. "I wonder if you've got this flu that's going around. Some of the Navy guys had it, and they must have accidentally spread it around town. Quite a lot of the teachers at Amelia's school have got it too."

"Must be making its rounds at uni, then…"

You both fall into silence for a bit, you because you're tired out, and Penny because she's wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"D'you feel like having anything to eat?" asks Penny suddenly. "Or watching some TV?"

"TV sounds good," you say. "I'm not really hungry, though."

Penny nods. "That's okay. By the way, I was going to take Amelia for a trip on the boat today-"

"But because I'm sick, you don't want to leave me alone? I'll be fine, you know…"

Penny bites her lip. "Okay. But just make you have something to eat. You don't have to eat now, but I'd prefer it if you had something to eat before I leave, okay?"

You nod. "Okay."

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

You meant to watch TV, like you'd said, but you end up getting so caught up in your thoughts that you completely forget, simply because there's just been so much happening that you need to process.

It's been kind of a weird time lately, and not just because it's been your first week or so at Penny's place after officially moving in.

Part of it's just because it's felt weird, living with your best friend, and finally getting full nights of sleep, but - well, you just can't really put your finger on it. There's a feeling of apprehension in the air, like something big is going to happen.

You haven't seen Jake since your last encounter at the bar, and - well, you're starting to miss him. Sure, he distracts you from your work, which can get annoying, but - you miss being distracted by him.

You miss him.

And it's not as if the rest of his friends aren't coming to the bar. Quite the contrary, in fact; you see Mav almost every night, the Hawaiian shirt guy is at the piano most evenings, and Jake's best friend is usually beating everyone else at darts.

It makes Jake's absence even more conspicuous, and, to be honest, you're beginning to worry. Is he okay? Did you scare him off? Was it something you said? Something you did?

Whatever the reason is, not knowing is driving you crazy.

Moping and worrying isn't going to get you anywhere, you know that; but it's so hard not to, especially when it's a guy that you like. And you like Jake a lot. More than you should, really.

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

It's mid-afternoon when there's a knock at your bedroom door. "Hey, Y/N. You awake?"

"Yeah." You look up, and smile when you see Penny. "Hi, Penny. How was your trip?"

"Well, the engine failed again, so I think we're either going to need a new engine, or a new boat. But the trip went well until then."

You pull a face. "Oof. That's not good."

Penny grimaces. "Yeah. But anyway, how was your day?"

You shrug. "Kind of boring, to be honest. I wish I'd been able to go with you and Amelia."

"Even though I just told you the boat engine failed?"

"Well, it'd be an adventure, a bit of excitement. I need some excitement, really, to take my mind off-"

"Is this about Jake?"

You nod. "I feel like - I - like I said something wrong, or I offended him… I don't know, I just - I really miss him, and I don't know why."

Penny nods sympathetically. "I feel that way sometimes with Pete, you know. Him and Jake - they're kind of wild cards. You never really know what they're going to do next."

You wish you could inquire further, but the bar's going to open soon, so Penny has to go.

Unfortunately, you're not sleepy like you'd hoped you'd be, which annoys you, because you'd meant to sleep during that time, and now you're flat on your back, bored and miserable, but unable to sleep.

Not for lack of trying, either. You've tried soothing sounds of various types, soft music, and so on, but nothing's working.

Now, you're just trying to somehow slip into sleep by zoning out with your eyes closed. It's not really working, but at least you're resting, if nothing else.

Having your eyes closed makes you more focused on the sounds in the house. There's the pipes, the washing machine, the dishwasher…

And someone unlocking the front door.

Is Penny back already?

Then there's footsteps. Penny's, and what sounds like a man's. Probably Mav's.

But then you hear a soft knock at your bedroom door, and a moment later, Penny pokes her head in.

"Hey, Y/N."

"Hi," you mutter. "What's going on?"

Penny sighs, and smiles. "Jake's here, sweetie. He wants to see you."

Your brain's too fuzzy for you to really register what she's saying, but you mumble something along the lines of, "Okay…"

"Do you want to see him?" asks Penny. "You don't have to; I can ask him to come by when you're feeling better."

"I wanna see him."

A moment later, Jake's there, sitting on your bed. "Hey, Y/N. How're you feeling, honey?"

You're not really sure what to answer. You want to tell Jake that you're fine, but the words just won't come.

Jake gently rests the back of his hand on your forehead. "Oh, sweetheart. You're burning up."

You bite your lip, fighting the urge to cry. Not here, Y/N. Not in front of Jake.

Jake's hand moves to start stroking your hair. "My poor baby. Why didn't you tell me you were sick, sweetheart?"

"I wasn't sick yesterday," you whisper, wishing your eyes wouldn't water so much.

"Hey, it's okay." Jake's other hand moves to take yours. "It's not your fault you're sick. I'm just worried about you. Okay, sweets?"

"Okay," you whisper, closing your eyes.

"Oh, sweetie…" Jake wipes away the tears that start rolling down your cheeks. "You're gonna be okay. Please don't cry."

He continues murmuring sweet nothings in an effort to make you feel better, and you sniffle, feeling a bit guilty at the fact that a small part of you is enjoying Jake's fussing. He hasn't been this worried since that time at the bar, and you hadn't realised just how much you'd missed it until now.

"Stay?" you ask. "Please?"

"I'd love to, sweetheart, I don't know if Penny will let me. This is her house too, you know."

"Ask her."

"Okay. But first, I'm going to stay with you until you're asleep, okay?"

You're too sleepy to respond, so instead, you just allow yourself to enjoy this little moment with Jake.

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

You're barely awake before you realise that someone's stroking your hair.

It's Jake.

"You stayed," you murmur.

"That's right, sweets. I stayed. And I'm staying until you feel better, okay?"

"But what about-"

Your words are cut off by a fit of coughing. Sitting up sharply, you gasp and hack as you desperately try not to throw up everywhere.

Jake thumps you on the back until your coughing dies down. "You okay, sweets?"

"Does it-" gasp - "look like I'm okay?"

Jake chuckles. "Stupid question. Sorry, sweets." His hand resumes stroking your hair. "So, you want me to stay with you for a bit?"

Your heart skips a beat. "Just so long as Penny doesn't mind."

Jake smiles softly. "I don't think she will." He's watching you carefully as he speaks, which makes you feel shy. "Do you need anything, sweets?"

"Can I have some water, please?"

"Sure." Jake stands up. "I'll be back in a minute."

It feels like a lot longer than a minute when Jake finally gets back with a glass of water.

"Sorry that took so long, sweetie," he says gently. "Penny wanted to know how you were doing, and if you needed anything else."

You just nod, and go to take the glass, but Jake puts it on the bedside table.

What's he-

Sitting back on the bed, Jake helps you sit up, making sure to put some pillows behind your back, before holding the glass to your lips, and helping you drink.

After taking a few sips, you're ready to go back to sleep. Even drinking water seems to be tiring you out.

"You should probably take some medicine," remarks Jake. "I'll go see if Penny has any."

Before you can protest, he's sitting by your bed again with some medicine.

"I wanna sleep…" you mumble.

"No, sweets, you gotta take the medicine," says Jake gently. "It'll help you feel better."

You grumble, but take the medicine anyway, before lying back down, and preparing to go to sleep.

"You sure you don't want anything else?" asks Jake softly.

"Mmhm."

"Okay." Jake strokes your cheek gently. "Well, if you need anything, I'm right here."

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

"Hey, Y/N?" It's Penny. "You up?"

"Yeah," you reply.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come to the beach with me."

You smile, even though she can't see you from behind the door. "Of course I would! I've actually been feeling kind of cramped the past day or two. I'll be out in a minute."

It's been a few weeks since Jake's first visit, and while you're feeling much better now, you can tell that he's still worried about you. He's been using a much gentler tone than usual, and he's been much more attentive, making sure you're comfortable whether you're sitting or lying down, getting you stuff (even when you could have easily gotten it yourself), and so on.

It was sweet at first, but you were starting to feel a bit stifled, which is why you're kind of glad that he had to go back to work for a bit, even though you do miss him when he's gone.

Your uni isn't going to let you back in until you're better (Jake made sure of that), and you'd have been pretty bored, just staying at home with nothing to do, if it wasn't for Penny. You've both been able to spend some more time together, but this is the first time in a few days that you've managed to get out of the house.

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

"Seems like Jake's more into you than I thought," remarks Penny, as you both walk down to the beach.

"What do you mean?"

Penny stares at you like you've just gone crazy. "Seriously? You still don't think Jake's into you?"

"Well, no, I know he's into me, but…"

Penny throws her hands up in despair. "Y/N L/N, sometimes I don't know what to do with you! Haven't you even noticed what he's been doing the past few weeks?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Hey, Penny!"

It's Mav, grinning all over his face. "Oh, hey, Y/N. You feeling better?"

Wait, he knows? "Uh… yeah. Yeah, I'm feeling better." How does he know?

"Mav!" yells one of the pilots. "Get back to the game!"

"We're taking a break!" replies Mav.

There's a chorus of 'ooh's from the other pilots.

"Hey, Y/N, Jake's over there," says Penny, like you hadn't already noticed. "Go say hi."

"Penny, I don't know if that's-"

Penny gives you a shove. "Go on."

Nervously, you shuffle towards the beach, half-hoping that nobody sees you.

No such luck.

"Hey. Y/N, right?"

It's one of Mav's pilots. She looks friendly enough, but - well, you're always nervous around strangers.

"Yes. Um - hi…"

"My callsign's Phoenix, but you can call me Nat." She smiles. "Jake's told us a lot about you."

"He has?"

Nat nods. "Yep. Oh, how are you feeling, by the way? Jake told us you got sick."

"Yeah, I'm - I'm okay now. Um… how many people know - that I got sick?"

"Pretty much the whole squad, and probably the whole base, too. Oh, and whoever was at The Hard Deck a few weeks ago."

"Whoever was at the bar a few weeks ago?" you repeat incredulously.

Nat gives you a funny look. "Penny didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Nat grins. "Well, Jake got into the bar, saw that you weren't at the counter, and ran up to Penny, asking her where you were. And when he heard you were sick…"

"What?" Your heart's pounding so hard that your chest's beginning to hurt. "What happened?"

Nat's grin widens. "Well-"

"Oh, hey - um, Y/N, right?" It's the guy with glasses.

You nod. "Hi."

He holds out a hand. "I'm Bob. Nice to meet you."

You shake it rather hesitantly, and give him a smile in return.

"Hi, Y/N," remarks another guy, smiling at you. "Turns out Hangman really does have a girl. I'm Coyote, by the way."

The other pilots, who've all been gathering around, also introduce themselves, some asking how you're doing, others simply stating their name or callsign. It's a little overwhelming at first, but their friendliness soon puts you at ease.

"Guys?" It's Jake, pushing his way through the group. Concern flashes in his eyes when he sees you, and he rushes over, standing protectively in front of you. "Hey, guys, don't crowd her. She gets overwhelmed easily."

"No, no, it's okay," you hastily reply. "They weren't crowding me."

But Jake still looks worried. "Let's get you to a bench, sweets. You'll tire yourself out."

You're about to protest, but when you see the concern in Jake's eyes, you don't have the heart, so you let him take your arm, and lead you over to a bench.

"You sure you're okay?" he asks as he sits you down. "You're not too tired?"

You can feel tears welling up in your eyes at Jake's concern, but you do your best to deflect them with a laugh. "Jake, I'm fine."

Jake doesn't look convinced. He opens his mouth, but just then, you hear Mav.

"Alright, guys, back to the game!"

Jake doesn't run off like the others, instead hovering beside you as Penny comes over.

"Hey, Jake."

Jake manages a small smile. "Hey, Penny."

"Hey, Y/N, I was thinking we maybe go get a few drinks before the bar opens. You don't have to bartend tonight if you don't feel up to it, though."

You smile. "Drinks sound good."

"Hey, Hangman, game's starting!" calls Rooster.

"Just a minute!" Jake turns to you. "You gonna be okay?"

You nod. "I'll be fine."

As you stand up, Jake takes hold of your arm to support you. "You sure you don't want me to drive you home?"

"Jake, I'm getting drinks with Penny. And it's literally a five minute walk from the bar to her place. I'll be fine."

"Okay, well, if you need anything, just call me, okay? Or text me."

You nod. "Okay."

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

"I wish he wouldn't worry so much," you tell Penny, as she pours you a Coke.

Penny nods as she hands you the drink. "I know what you mean. Mav's kind of like that."

You take a sip of your drink. "You know, I never found out what happened that night at the bar."

"How do you mean?"

"When Jake found out I was sick, and then came bursting into my room. You remember?"

Penny smiles. "How could I forget?"

"Well, Nat told me some of what happened…"

"How much?"

"Up until the part where you told him I was sick. But I didn't hear what he did. What did he do?"

Penny's face grows serious. "I've never seen someone more terrified. He looked like he was about to have a breakdown. He literally begged me to let him go and see you. I didn't want to at first, because I thought you wouldn't appreciate having your rest interrupted, but…"

"But what?"

"I didn't really have the heart." She sits down beside you with her own drink. "Look, Y/N, I know you think I'm crazy, but - I think - I know - that Jake's in love with you. Like, head-over-heels. He adores you."

Tears rush to your eyes. "I knew he liked me," you mumble, "but I had no idea…" You put your head in our hands, trying hard not to hyperventilate. "Oh, my gosh. And I just - ohh…" You turn back to Penny. "I - What am I supposed to do? He'll probably hate me now."

"Y/N, honey, he's not going to hate you. And this isn't your fault. You had no idea. Just - talk to him, the next time you see him. I'm sure he'll understand."

You nod. "Okay. I'll do that."

Penny smiles. "Good. Now, how about-"

"Hey, Penny?"

It's Jake.

"Yeah?"

"Mav said he left something here, a watch or something?"

Penny gets up. "It's in the back room. I'll go get it for you."

Your heart jumps as she leaves the room, and you turn nervously to Jake.

He smiles at you. "Hey, sweets. You okay? Not too tired or anything?"

You shake your head, wishing you could find your words.

Jake moves to sit next to you. "You sure you don't want me to drive you home?"

You bite your lip, staring into the distance as you piece together what you're going to say.

"Y/N?"

You jump when you feel his hand on your shoulder. "Sorry. Just - thinking."

"You look tired," he says gently. "You sure you don't want to go home?"

You take a deep breath. "I - um - look, Jake, I - I'm really sorry for how I acted today - and the past couple of weeks. I - I didn't realise-"

"Woah, woah, what's all this, baby?"

"Penny told me what happened that night in the bar. I - I had no idea you were so worried, and I've just been acting like an ungrateful - brat."

Jake looks genuinely confused. "Since when did you act like a brat? The first night I came to visit? You were sick, sweetie. I didn't expect you to-"

"No, no, it's not that. It's how - how I - batted your help away."

"Batted my help away?"

"You know, snapping at you today - um, deliberately doing things myself…"

"Oh, sweetheart. You weren't being a brat." He sighs. "I guess I was a little too overprotective, and I'm sorry about that."

"You're sorry?" You can feel a lump forming in your throat. "You've got it all backwards. I'm the one who's supposed to be apologising; I'm the one who-"

"Y/N." Jake takes your hand. "Hey, Y/N, look at me." When you do, he continues, "You haven't been well, okay? And I can tell that you're still not back to your full strength. Please don't upset yourself over this, sweets. I'm not mad, okay?"

You nod. "Okay," you whisper.

"That's my girl." Jake smiles at you.

You're both silent for a bit. Jake's started unconsciously stroking your hand, which you're really enjoying.

"Jake?"

He looks up. "Yeah?"

You're suddenly nervous again. "Um, I - I just wanted to say that I like you. A lot. I - I think I - love you, actually…"

Jake's silent, and for a moment, you're scared that you overstepped.

But then he smiles, and you're surprised to see tears in his eyes. "I love you too, sweets."

There's a long silence as you both look at each other. Jake's resumed stroking your hand, and you don't want to speak in case he stops, or you say something wrong.

Then you both hear cheers, and turn to see Jake's fellow pilots grinning at you.

"Guys!" protests Jake, and you're amused to see that he's embarrassed. You've never seen him embarrassed before in your life; you didn't even know it was an emotion he was capable of.

"So, um," you move closer, trying to ignore the pilots, "does this mean we're dating now?"

Jake chuckles. "Are you asking me out?"

You blush. "No! Well - I just don't really know where to go…"

"We could go to that fast food place," he suggests.

"It's not very romantic-" you begin.

"I can find another place," Jake says quickly.

"No, no, the fast food place is fine. I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, sweets. I know what you meant. But are you sure you're not too tired?"

You nod. "I'm okay. Just - maybe if we make it a short one..."

Jake smiles. "Of course."

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

As you walk to Jake's truck, a realisation suddenly hits you.

Jake turns around at the sound of your laughter. "What's so funny, sweetheart?"

You smile. "There never was a watch, was there?"

"A watch?"

"Mav sent you in to find his watch, and Penny said it was in the back room."

Jake laughs. "Those little-"

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

As always, I do not give permission for anyone to copy my work, post it elsewhere, etc.