How You Make Me Feel (Jake Peralta x Reader)
Characters: Jake Peralta, Charles Boyle
Fandom: Brooklyn 99
Tags: Mutual pining, idiots in love, fluff
Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff and reader is super smitten
Word Count: 3,7k words
Summary: After Y/N has a nice gesture with Jake, his reaction causes a rollercoaster of emotions that culminate when he takes actions on how Y/N’s gesture made him feel.
AO3: Link
A/N: This is the last Jake fic for now, I promise! During my rewatch of the show, this idea has just been floating around my head for weeks until I finally managed to write and finish it! I’m just a sucker for Jake bottling his feelings up until he eventually opens up. I hope you lovelies like it!
Jake Peralta x Gender Neutral Reader
Being Jake’s friend wasn’t always easy. He could be a lot sometimes, he was always busy, addicted to work… worst of all, sometimes you felt like you appreciated your friendship more than he did. Maybe because you were starting to suspect that the relationship had stopped being enough for you when those strong emotions arose in you.
Still, you wanted to be a good friend. For that reason, and knowing he was working many hours, you dropped by the precinct to visit Jake. Besides, you liked his coworkers, they were all very nice.
“Hello!” You greeted everyone, waving at Terry as you passed by his desk.
“Y/N” Charles said through grit teeth. “You’re here…”
“Relax, Boyle” Jake playfully told him, even as he turned to you. “You’re still my best friend”
“Take that, Y/N!”
“Good to see you too, Charles”
“What are you doing here?” Jake asked you, putting an end to your brief interaction with his friend.
“Well, my life is boring without your annoying presence” You teased him, dropping a paper bag in his desk. “And while I’m here, I wanted to bring you a little snack”
Jake grinned, excitedly opening the bag like a child on Christmas. He gasped in awe when he pulled out the cupcakes you had brought for him.
“Yes!” He exclaimed, veraciously biting one of them. “You’re the best, Y/N!”
Charles loudly cleared his throat, causing Jake to roll his eyes at him.
“You’re still my best friend, Boyle” He tiredly repeated, even offering him some of the food. “You know Y/N is Y/N”
“Is that good or bad?” You teased Jake, earning an adorable grin from him that made your heart race.
“Good, obviously, free food!” Jake’s playful tone turned to sweet. “You really didn’t have to do it”
“I know, but I wanted to” You shrugged, slightly flustered at the loving way with which he watched you. “You deserve to treat yourself, and since I care so much about you, I thought I could do it for you”
Jake sighed, staring at you for a moment. Then, however, his expression shifted. It changed from fond adoration to alarm and it finally settled on panic. Frowning in concern, you stared at him.
“Jake?” You called him, watching how he rolled his chair away from you. “What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing” He nervously chuckled, rolling even further. “I just… remembered I have something to do in the, uh… in the break room”
“What…?” You couldn’t finish your sentence, because he had already jumped to his feet and rushed to the room, where he closed the door after him.
“What did you do to him?” Charles uttered, glancing from Jake to you in outrage.
“I didn’t do anything!”
“You’re smothering him, Y/N!”
Suddenly feeling anxious, as your nice and normal day had turned upside down, you backed away. A troubling feeling settled in your stomach, very different to the butterflies you usually felt around Jake. Deciding to let things be for now, you left the precinct and walked home, having some time to think about what happened.
_
Two days had passed. You didn’t have any news from Jake, even though you texted him and called him to no avail. A part of you feared that you had somehow upset him, that you had overwhelmed him and scared him away. You did have gestures like the one from the other da often, maybe they had become too much for him. The more you thought about it, the more you realized your affections could have smothered him. Sure, Charles was also a lot, but he didn’t have feelings for Jake. Maybe Jake had seen through your affection, realized that they were caused by something stronger than platonic love.
You had given him space, but you needed to see him again. That was why you were heading for Shaw’s. Like many other evenings, you expected to find the detectives of the 99 having a few drinks at the bar. However, you found with something unexpected.
“Y/N!” The very object of your thoughts came rushing outside of the bar. “What are you doing here?”
You gawked at Jake, suddenly speechless at the sight of him. The butterflies swum in your stomach, and you had to take a deep breath to calm yourself. How you had missed him, not knowing anything of him for two days... His contagious energy, his adorable smile... You shook your head to focus.
“Hi” You breathed out. “I was just hoping to catch you here… maybe we can talk? You seemed a little put off the other day”
“Uh…” Jake clenched his jaw, throwing furtive glances over his shoulder to the inside of the bar. “I don’t know about that...”
“I see” You made an effort to smile, to pretend like his refusal didn’t break your heart.
“But!” He piped up, showing you a nervous smile. “Maybe we could go grab a bite”
“There’s food inside… Besides, it’s really cold outside and-”
“But I really want to take a walk with you, Y/N!”
“So you want to be around me?”
“Y-Yeah… why wouldn’t I?”
“You’re not mad at me”
“Of course not, Y/N!”
“Then… you don’t want to talk about why you have been avoiding me?”
“Well...” He let out an awkward chuckle, looking over his shoulder again as he moved quickly to put an arm over your shoulders. “You know what? We could talk about… about... D-Die Hard”
You stared at him, completely baffled. Even if that movie was one of Jake’s favorite subjects, he was behaving in a strange way. You could tell there was something off.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! I just don’t want to talk about that right now”
“Okay… but don’t you think it’s gonna be awkward between us?”
“Nah” He chuckled, but right after there came a very loud silence. “T-Title of your sex tape?”
“Jake, what the hell is going on with you lately?”
“What? Nothing, I’m normal, I’m cool…” He vehemently nodded. “Cool cool cool cool cool”
“Um…” You gulped, shifting in the spot as you tried to understand what was happening. “How about we just go inside and hang out with the rest?”
That would at least make it less awkward. Hopefully the others would help Jake loosen up, whatever his problem was. It worried you that his strange behavior had something to do with you.
You made to walk into the bar, your hand already resting over the doorknob. Just as you were about to swing it open, Jake stopped you.
“No, wait!” He exclaimed, startling you so much that you jumped slightly. “I… uh…”
“What’s the matter, Jake?” You insisted, turning to him in anguish.
“I suddenly got very dizzy” He put a hand over his eyes, heaving a sigh of exhaustion. “I actually feel a bit faint”
“Are you okay?” You rushed to stand beside him, urgently linking your arm with his and trying to keep him steady in case he faltered. “You do look a bit pale”
“Y-Yeah” He dangerously swayed, gulping in what you assumed was unwell.
“Jake!” You exclaimed, positioning yourself before him and firmly holding him by the shoulders.
Suddenly, you were very close together. You didn’t remember ever being this close to Jake, and it flustered you so much that you lost the ability to speak. Up close, you noticed his eyes were deep and beautiful, filled with a soft kindness that made your heart flutter. They had a light of their own.
“I’m okay” He assured, suddenly speaking in a whisper. Jake was staring into your eyes, and it made your cheeks burn. You hoped you weren’t blushing.
“Are you sure?” Frantically, you pressed your hand against his forehead. At least he didn’t have a fever.
“Yeah” Jake chuckled, moving your hand away. “I’m just a little... lightheaded”
You were too, but yours certainly had to do with the way he was staring at you and the fact that you were in love with Jake. A chuckle of disbelief escaped you. What a moment to realize how deep your feelings were. You didn’t just like him or have a crush on him. No, you were in love with Jake Peralta.
“I’m glad to hear that” You said to explain your outburst. “A-About you being okay, I mean”
Jake nodded his head, letting out a shaky exhale. His cheeks were now of a subtle pink shade. You frowned, fearing he was actually sick. Maybe he got cold, it was certainly freezing outside.
“Can we sit down?” He asked you, backing away much to your dismay. Or to your relief, you couldn’t tell.
“Yeah, sure... sure, sit down and rest for a moment”
Jake plopped down on the side of the pavement, sighing in relief. Begging your enamored mind to behave, you towered over him for a moment. Thinking of ways to help him, you stood there in deep thought.
“Do you want a glass of water?” You motioned over to the bar. “I could go in and get one for you”
“No, no, no! It’s fine, I just...” He immediately took your hand to stop you, making it hard for you not to gasp at the sudden and intimate gesture. “Stay with me, will you? I… don’t want to be alone”
“Sure, I’ll stay with you, you look a little under the weather” You slowly sat by him, which seemed to reassure him. “Is that why you’re being weird?”
“Yeah, I… I guess I just feel a little weird”
“You… you can…” You cleared your throat, suddenly feeling very shy under his gaze as well as by the offer you were about to make. “You can rest your head in my shoulder, it might help with your dizziness”
He stared at you for a moment. Then, and without a word, he slowly leaned his head against your shoulder. Taking advantage of the fact that he couldn’t see you, you allowed yourself to smile at the closeness. If only you could tell him how you felt. You had to. After things had settled a little, you would. He didn’t seem too bothered by your presence any more after all.
“Better?”
“Yeah” He lightly nuzzled your shoulder. “Much better”
You stood very still, still a bit tense around him while at the same time fearing that he would move if you did. Jake suddenly patted your knee, chuckling in a cute way.
“Relax, Y/N, don’t worry about me”
“I always do, Jakey… You know I care about you”
Another silence arrived, and you wished you could read his mind. Were you smothering him again? You gulped when you made the sudden connection that those were the very words that made him freak out last time.
Worried, you opened your mouth to say something else. You didn’t know what, but you needed to fix it before he distanced himself from you again.
“Jake?” Charles suddenly poked his head out of the bar, staring at the two of you. “It’s ready, you can come in now”
“What are you talking about?” You muttered, wondering if you had somehow stumbled upon some sort of police work. At least, that would explain Jake’s strange demeanor.
“You’ll see” Jake replied, taking a deep breath as he softly pulled you up.
Your heart began racing. Moving in a daze, you stood to your feet and looked at the two of them. Both Jake and Charles were smiling, sharing a look of rapport that somehow had a fondness to it.
Following after them, you finally stepped into the bar. As soon as you did, you pressed your hands against your mouth to suffocate a yelp. Everyone in there yelled ‘surprise!’ and welcomed you with bright faces and big smiles.
Trying to understand, now more than ever, you gazed around. Hanging from the ceiling was a big banner that read ‘you’re the best, Y/N’ and the entire bar was full of decorations. You could see your favorite colors everywhere. As well as that, the tables were filled with your favorite foods and drinks. Like that wasn’t enough, it was when you glanced back at the people there staring at you that you realized it wasn’t just the 99 there. All your friends were there, even some that you were sure you hadn’t introduced to Jake and the others yet.
“Surprise!” Jake grinned at you. “I realized how cool and sweet you are, how you’re always having those little gestures of yours and I wanted to do something for you for a change”
“It was my idea!” Charles intervened, beaming as he looked from him to you. His sudden change of mind seemed suspicious, but your mind was too busy with the actual party to think too much about that.
“Yeah, Boyle helped me figure out what I could do to thank you for everything”
Mouth agape, you turned to Jake. All you could do was gawk at him. A few hours ago you thought he hated you, or at the very least that he was very annoyed with you and needed some time away from you. Now, he was making a big display of his affection for you, with all the people you loved and all your favorite things. Even if he hadn’t put that much effort into it, the thought alone rattled you. The fact that he had gone out of his way to surprise you, to do something so beautiful for you…
“You” Was all you could mumble, trembling slightly as the sudden urge to cry reached you.
“I know, I know” Jake showed you a forced grin, opening his arms and readying for a hug. “I’m the best and you loved the surprise”
A part of you wanted to throw your arms around his neck and hug him tight, but the other part wanted to run away. After those awful those days, finally finding him and talking to him to only worry about him being sick to then him pulling that stunt...
It all become too much.
Only dedicating an apologetic gesture to all the people there, you ran out of the bar. Tears were already feeling your eyes, and your chest burned with a new sensation that felt like an extension of the love you had for Jake.
Astonished, you sat down in the sidewalk in a daze and tried to take everything in. To breathe, since it had suddenly become a little hard.
It all started making sense. Why Jake was so adamant on not letting you go inside the bar, why he was acting so weird... Was he distracting you until everything was ready? So he wasn’t sick… and that moment you had shared when you thought he was...
“Y/N?” His voice startled you again, but you didn’t look his way.Turning your head, you wiped your tears in embarrassment.
A brief moment of stillness followed. After a bit of hesitance, Jake finally joined you in the sidewalk. When he did, that prior moment of sitting there with him seemed to linger with you, and you felt all those emotions you felt before, with one exception. While that fondness for him had doubled, so had your confusion mixed with some anger and frustration.
“We’re back here again” He joked, surely hoping he could break the ice that way.
None of you talked for a moment. None of you moved for several seconds either. The only change came from Jake, who sighed and put his leather jacket over your shoulders as you shrunk over yourself in a mixture of cold and shock. Even after that endearing gesture, you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything. That was, until Jake piped up again.
“Come on, Y/N…” There was no trace of his playful and joking tone anymore, replaced with a serious and slightly worried one. “Can you talk to me? At least say something”
You pursed your lips, finding that you couldn’t keep it all in anymore.
“No! You scared me!” You repeatedly punched him in the arm, punctuating each word with a new hit. “I thought you hated me and then you insist on staying with me and then you come up with this? I’m freaking out!”
“Ow, ow, okay! I can see that!” Jake took you by the wrists, putting an end to your attack. “I’m sorry!”
“Explain yourself, Peralta”
“You called me Peralta… am I in trouble, Y/N?”
“Jake...”
“I know, I messed up… it’s all my fault…” He realized he was still holding on to your wrists, so he immediately let go of you. For the first time, it angered you to miss his warm touch. “I know you’re mad at me, and the surprise only made you more angry. I see that now”
“What? No…” You finally turned to him, becoming flustered once more when you locked eyes. “That’s not why I ran away”
“Then why did you?”
“Because I was overwhelmed! A second before that I was tense and scared and worried, and the next I realize it was all a diversion to finish preparing a surprise party for me?”
“Rollercoaster of emotions, huh?” He smiled, but stopped doing so when he saw your expression of annoyance. “My bad...”
“I’m still mad at you!” Conveniently, you decided to leave out the part where you were profoundly relieved that everything was okay between you two. “You couldn’t have told me that everything was okay? Answer my calls or my texts?”
“I know, and I’m sorry!” Jake sighed, somehow in a similar way that he did when you thought he was sick. “I was just worried that if I talked to you, I would tell you and ruin the surprise, I was so excited about it! I could finally make you feel the way you’ve been making me feel all this time”
You tilted your head, watching him and considering if his words made up for it.
“Keep talking...”
“Look” Jake sighed, daring to gently rest his hand over yours. Whether he knew it or not, that greatly soothed your anger. “When you brought me food the other day, I just realized how much I care about you and how it made me feel and… I freaked out”
“How it made you feel?”
“I.. uh… well...”
“Jake?”
“There’s a small chance that I have.. feelings for you” He quickly said, letting go of your hand and timidly averting his gaze. “Like... I like like you”
“You like me?” Your expression of astonishment and confusion turned to an amused smugness. “You like me… you… like like me”
“I can’t help it! The way you always look after me, and you’re so sweet and so beautiful... and you’re super smart and fun and...”
“Jake...” You tilted your head, watching him in adoration.
“Stop looking at me like that, Y/N...”
“You like me...”
“Fine!” Jake suddenly erupted in loudness. “I’m so lost in love with you that I couldn’t even find my way with a map, happy?”
“Yes, I am” You chuckled, now overwhelmed with joy. “I’m just... surprised that you told me”
“That’s Boyle’s fault” Jake rolled his eyes, still avoiding your gaze. “The other day he told me that you probably liked me and I was already thinking the same thing”
“That’s why he was so nice to me today, and why he helped you prepare all that” You glanced at the bar, remembering about the party. Despite it all, you chuckled at Charles’ demeanor. “He realized I don’t want to take his spot as your best friend”
“No, he’s actually really excited about the thought of us together” Jake bit his lip, frowning with a vulnerable expression that made you even softer for him. “Just... pretend I didn’t say anything, okay?”
“What, why?”
“Because I know I haven’t been the best, and you’re probably still too overwhelmed to say anything in return” Jake clicking his tongue in annoyance to himself. “I don’t want to pressure you on top of all, you’ve been having a bad few days because of me and after confessing my feelings for you I understand that you’re not ready to-”
“Jake?”
“Yeah”
“Shut up”
Before he could object, you placed your hand on his nape and smashed your lips against his. You surprised even yourself with the impulsive movement. Jake even yelped against your mouth, but relaxed instantly after. His hand came to cup your cheek, and for the first time the contact didn’t feel shocking or flustering to you. It felt right, it felt comfortable and warm and magical.
Your lips danced at the unison, filling you with more butterflies that you thought possible. It was a passionate but tender kiss, imbued with all those things you hadn’t told each other. You didn’t need words any more. Your answer and your reciprocal confession was written in the loving way you lingered. You could read his apology in the way he sweetly held you against him. You poured your forgiveness in the exchange, expressing relief and happiness and adoration only with your lips and with your hands on his neck and on his chest. He in turn reciprocated with his other hand falling on your hip, delicately squeezing to express his love.
Reminding you that there existed life outside of you and him, Jake breathlessly pulled away. You felt out of breath too. He happily chuckled, resting his forehead against yours.
“Wow… I’m light-headed again” He moved away to properly gaze into your eyes.
“Stupid” You chuckled at his joke, taking your hand off his neck but refusing to let go of his shirt. “You weren’t even sick”
“But I was dizzy” He gravely told you. “That’s what how you make me feel… i-in a good way, of course”
You grinned, so wide that your cheeks hurt. It seemed like the tables had turned and now he was the flustered one.
“C’mon, Peralta” You playfully said, taking his hand and standing to your feet, dragging him with you. “Let’s go inside to enjoy my party before you get too sappy”
“Too late, you’re the love of my life!” He exclaimed, even if he violently blushed after his outburst.
“You don’t have a middle point, do you?” You said, kissing his cheek to calm him.
Jake shrugged, following you into the bar. People were still waiting at Shaw’s, ready to get the party started once you returned.
Somehow, you were very tranquil now. Maybe it was the relief of knowing things were definitely okay with Jake. More than okay, in fact. Or maybe that rush of happiness, excitement and confidence was just how he made you feel.
Reblogs and comments are appreciated!! // Masterlist
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