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The lights and noise of the hard deck just seemed all too loud tonight.
“You’ve barely touched your drink, Catch, what’s the deal?”
Ever the ignorant, Hangman had chosen the perfect night to start noticing the world outside himself.
“Tired” she replied, giving her best ‘I promise I’m ok and please go back to paying attention to someone else’ look, following it up with a sip of her drink to really seal the deal.
Jake sat down at the stool to her side, narrowing his gaze as his eyebrows furrowed slightly, his elbow coming to rest on the tabletop that Catch’s drink was solely occupying just a few moments ago.
“You’re a terrible liar, Sam”
He was right, after all. If she was honest, she would admit to him that she’d tweaked her back a few days ago getting out of her jet. If she was even more honest, she would admit that it hadn’t let up in the last three days’ worth of training and now what was originally ‘not a big deal’ was becoming ‘at least a bit of a deal’
But she had no intention of being honest.
“I’m not lying, Jake” she turned to face him as she spoke his name, narrowly avoiding a wince as her back twisted “It’s been a long week”
“That it has” he took a sip from the glass he was holding “All the more reason to enjoy yourself, rather than sitting here looking like you’re plotting an escape plan”
“Was I that obvious?” she spoke sarcastically and feigned offence before letting out a halfhearted sigh.
“Might as well be written all over you”
Sam rolled her eyes, switching her focus to take another sip of her drink, half hoping that Hangman would lose interest and disappear when she turned away.
However this time, she wasn’t so lucky and managed to turn at just the wrong angle, sending a white hot shot of pain down her back. The world fuzzed at the edges, the loud noises of the Hard Deck becoming just a little bit quieter. The breath caught in her throat as she let out a string of curses in her head. As the pain settled and the world came back into focus, she reached for the glass in front of her, only to be met with a tanned hand on her forearm.
“Ready to talk yet?” Jake’s voice was low and even. The familiar teasing, taunting tone that often accompanied his words was absent, instead replaced with what Sam could only hear as sympathy.
His hand moved, passing her glass to her as she finally made eye contact with him.
His eyebrows were raised, but missing the condescending tone, waiting for her to make the next move.
“I’m ready to go home” she replied, looking up at him sheepishly, not quite knowing what to expect from him.
“That I can do”
And he was up, the last of his drink finished and a hand outstretched to her, silently inviting her to come with him. Sam’s mind was blank, but the offer was too good to refuse.
She placed her hand in his, and he responded with a quick squeeze.
“Did you drive?” he questioned.
“Came with Phoenix” she replied, voice quiet and tired, the effects of the day and the past few minutes weighing down like a ton of bricks. Damn, she would be glad when she was finally home.
It seemed that Jake read her mind, and with a light tug of her hand, placed it in the crook of his elbow as he walked them both out.
“Night guys, see you on Monday!” Hangman hollered to the rest of the group.
A chorus of farewell came in reply, the rest of the dagger squad seeming to understand the effects of a long week. That and the fact it was getting awfully late. Thankfully, no one was questioning why the pair was ready to turn in for the night. And why they were turning in together.
The evening air was cool and still, Sam felt a shiver as the cold tracked down her neck. Jake shifted so his arm was wrapped around her shoulders, partially taking some of her weight, to which she was very glad. He felt warm, warmer than she had expected, but not uncomfortably warm. His strong arm was secure and comforting around her shoulder as they closed the gap from the door to his car.
“Why are you doing this?” Catch asked as they neared Hangman’s car. Ever the modest type, Jake had recently upgraded to a beautiful Porsche not unlike the one that belonged to Penny and claimed prime parking at the Hard Deck.
“I’d been watching you all week” he started, reaching for his keys in his pocket, his other arm never leaving its perch on Sam’s shoulder “There was something out of character with you and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it”
“Never knew you paid so much attention to me”
“Clearly I’ve been doing a good job then” he looked down at her with a smile as he reached for the door “Just take it easy getting in, ok?”
It was slow, but she lowered herself into the passenger seat, not without protest from her very stiff and very sore back. Once settled, a few deep breaths calmed the pain a bit and she leant her head back against the headrest. As the world once again came back into focus, she noticed Jake’s hand, warm and strong, resting on her thigh as he rubbed small circles with his thumb against the fabric of her jeans.
“How you feeling?” he was crouched outside the open door, one hand on her thigh and the other on the side of the seat, eyes intently trained on her, studying the expression on her face.
“Like I’m ready to be horizontal”
“That sounds like my cue then”
A quick squeeze of his hand and he shut the door, walking to the driver’s side and setting off to Sam’s place. Luckily, she lived close to the bar and he’d been around a few times for various reasons. It was a terribly kept secret that the pair had gotten close in the time that they’d known each other, never more than friends having dinner together after a long day or offering to pick each other up on the way to base. She was thankful for that fact now.
Sam didn’t miss the quick glances in her direction as he drove, and she trusted his ability as a driver as much as she trusted him in the air. As much as Hangman could be a jerk at times, she knew that Jake himself was a trustworthy and kindhearted soul, and she was lucky to have Jake by her side tonight.
The pair made their way inside, and Sam was especially thankful she’d left a small heater in the corner of the room, the room was the perfect, cozy temperature and she was about ready to melt into the carpet then and there with relief.
“Couch” Jake instructed, steering her towards the plush couch that occupied much of the living room.
Sam moved slowly towards the couch, Jake’s warm hands now around her waist, guiding and steadying her as she lowered down to rest.
“Thank you Jake” she spoke, barely over a whisper, settling back into the comfort of the pillows behind her “You’re a lifesaver”
“Just rest, ok” he spoke “Don’t go anywhere”
“Wasn’t planning on it” she replied as he disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a glass of water as he took the spot next to her on the couch.
It was a welcome reprieve, to just sit, with no expectations on her. The week had been absolutely relentless. Between briefings, air trainings, mission logs and paperwork, there had been barely minutes to spare. And (barring Hangman) she thought she’d done a good job at hiding her conundrum from the rest of the squad.
“C’mere” he scooped her legs up and placed them over his lap, and her head came to rest on his shoulder “Better?”
“My saviour” she chided.
“Drink” he placed the cup in her hand and worked to pop a few Advil and Tylenol, handing them to her, which she gratefully took, her head still heavy on his shoulder.
The weight of her, the steady, even breathing he could feel against his side, her soft skin underneath his. It was all intoxicating. He was hoping he wouldn’t find himself in this situation before he could tell her how he felt, but was fearing that the train was getting closer to the station and it had no brakes.
“Want to tell me what happened then?” he took the now empty cup from her and placed it on the side table.
“I don’t know exactly” she started “But I think I was climbing down from the jet the other day and twisted my back wrong”
Jake was listening intently, his hands rubbing long, slow strokes up and down her legs as she spoke. She did her best to focus on what she was saying, not the way his hands expertly dragged over her. While she couldn’t see him, she knew he was studying her, taking in every movement that she made.
“Seemed fine at first, then it just kept getting worse. I could barely get out of bed this morning”
“Why didn’t you say something?” his voice vibrated through her chest.
“Thought it would get better on its own”
“You’re worse than us boys”
“You really know how to make a girl feel better don’t you?”
A low laugh shook through Jake’s chest, and he smiled.
“I think you need some good R&R this weekend then”
“Mhmm” Sam replied, suddenly feeling very sleepy.
“How about we get you to bed?”
“But I’m so comfy here, Jake” she snaked a hand around his waist, pulling him in closer to her. He was still so warm. God, why were boys so warm and comfortable?
“And your back will be worse in the morning if you sleep here”
She knew it was true, but hated to admit it. She truly could stay here forever, fusing their bodies together for eternity. However, they both had to show up for work on Monday, so becoming a museum piece wasn’t really an option.
“Yeah, ok” she moved her hands to start to push herself off the couch but a strong hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Nuh-uh” he jibed “Who said you’d be walking up the stairs?”
“No Jake really I - ”
Her words were cut off by his arms scooping her from the couch, tucking her body close to his chest as he walked up the stairs. Without much fight left in her, Sam relented, once again resting her head against him as they neared the bedroom.
She was surprised by how small she felt in his arms, protected and relaxed.
“Comfy clothes?” he asked as he placed her on the bed.
“Closet, take your pick” she replied, bracing herself against the edge of the bed with her feet on the floor “The purple jumper would look good on you”
“Glad your sense of humour is still intact” he laughed, pulling a pair of joggers and an old Navy issue t-shirt from the drawers and tossing them onto the bed “Up”
She stood to her feet, fighting back the winces as her back stretched out.
“Didn’t think this would be how you’d undress me for the first time” she joked.
“Hopefully won’t be the last, sweetheart” he replied, voice low and close to her ear. He was close to her again, hands at her waist as he leant forward and placed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck.
Sam let out a breath, even his lips were warm.
“Could you pass me the shirt, please?” Sam asked and Jake leant around to grab it off the bed.
She pulled her shirt over her head, throwing it towards the laundry bin in the corner of the room as Jake turned back to meet her.
“Fuck, Catch” he stopped in front of her, drinking in the sight in front of him “You weren’t wearing a bra this entire fucking time?”
Jake Seresin, near flabbergasted in front of her. That was something she didn’t think she’d ever get tired of.
It was also a terribly kept secret how much the both of them had been pining for each other for quite some time, never quite crossing the threshold of making a move, but enough to make it known to them and quite a few others around them.
“Can I have my shirt please?” she raised her eyebrows playfully at him.
“Arms”
Sam rolled her eyes but obliged, raising her arms above her head and Jake slowly lowered the shirt over her, the back of his hands ever so slightly dragging down her skin as the fabric followed. Her skin burned where he touched her, she relished in the feeling.
As the shirt fell past her face, their eyes met, both filled with more emotions than they could name.
“How long until your back is better?” he whispered into the space between them.
Sam laughed lightly, eliciting a smile back from Jake. It was the smile that she loved so much. One that reached all the way to his eyes and lit up his whole face, the smile that not many people got to see. Not Hangman’s smile, Jake’s smile.
With his arms still tight on her waist, she leaned forward and finally closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his gently. In turn, he pushed back, deepening the kiss, leaning back into her as his hands clawed deeper into the skin at her waist. He nipped at her bottom lip, and she replied by lacing her tongue into his mouth, swiping it across his own.
All lips and teeth and tongue, the kiss was red hot with longing and want.
As Jake pulled her a little bit closer to him, Sam stiffened, her breath catching in her throat.
“Oh fuck” he pulled back again, hurriedly scanning her face as it screwed up in pain.
A few deep breaths later and she nodded, opening her eyes to look at him again.
“Sorry, are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m alright”
“Sorry”
“Don’t be” she reached a hand up to cup his jaw, feeling him relax into her touch “Another time”
“Yes ma’am”
Sam laughed lightly as she took off her belt and slipped her jeans off, kicking them in the corner along with her shirt. She saw Jake reach for the joggers he’d taken from her drawers but stopped him before he got there.
“Too hot, I’ll get heatstroke too”
A low growl from Jake was her reply “You’re killing me darl”
“You can look but don’t touch”
“Easier said than done, sweetheart” he kissed her neck again “But I’ll give it my best shot”
“There’s a couple of old shirts in the drawers too if you want one, they might fit you”
“As you wish”
Jake busied himself with finding a t-shirt from the drawer, settling on another Navy issued PT shirt Sam had kept from a deployment years ago.
By the time he’d gotten into it and had shed his jeans as well, opting to sleep in his underwear as well, Sam had gotten herself comfortable in the bed, and Jake followed suit, pulling close in beside her.
A tangle of arms and legs, the two settled in, finding themselves quite comfortable sharing the bed together.
“Hey Catch”
“Yeah Hangman?”
“I got your back”