Summary : Jake is known for driving like he flies, fast, reckless, fearless… Except apparently when you are in the car with him.
Pairing : Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Fem!Reader
Important info : Your call sign is Lightning ⚡️ :)
Disclaimer : this is my first fic yayyy !! :) English is not my first language so apologies for any grammatical error, also I do not live in the US so sorry for any inaccuracies, and also I have absolutely zero knowledge of the US Navy, that being said, enjoy !!💞
Word count : 2.4k
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Everybody in the squad learned a long time ago that being in the same car as Jake Seresin when he was behind the wheel, meant fearing for your life.
Every single one of them had a story to tell.
One day, Phoenix came into the ready room, sheer fear in her eyes, muttering something that sounded like “how the fuck did he even get his driver’s license”, after going on a grocery run with him.
One night, when the squad had carpooled to drive over to the Hard Deck, Rooster, Coyote, Fanboy and Payback all had sworn they would never ever set a foot in Jake’s truck again, as they slammed into their favorite corner booth of the bar.
Even Bob, sweet Bob, had said after Jake drove him home one night, that he would “prefer not to be in a car when Jake is driving again”.
Not that you would know, having never experienced Jake’s driving for yourself. It was one of the few advantages of hating Hangman, you would never be caught in a car with him.
Maybe hate was a strong word, perhaps “not liking him” would be more correct. Truth be told, he irritated you in a way you never would have thought could be humanly possible. The man was cocky, arrogant, full of himself, selfish…. And the list goes on. Ever since joining the squad you never ceased to wonder how this guy even had friends, but Phoenix kept insisting that “when you really know him, he’s not all that bad”. Still, you failed to see it despite having known him for quite some time now.
But right now, Jake’s driving was the least of all your problems as you were currently desperately trying to start your car after a grueling day on base.
“Please just start” you pleaded after turning the car key for the nth time. But it was useless, your car still wasn’t starting.
Today had been exhausting, in a way it hasn’t been for a long time, and this was really not what you needed right now. As you were about to try for the eleventh time, knowing it was in vain now but plainly refusing to accept it, a knock on your window startled you.
“Jesus Christ Hangman !” You exclaimed, rolling your window down as your heart was beating frantically in your chest. “Warn a girl next time !”
“Well that was me warning you, should I have yelled from the other end of the parking lot to announce I was coming over ? Would that have been preferable ?” He all but answered in that smug, self amused drawl that was just so… ugh so him.
“Fuck off.” You retorted, already rolling the window back up.
“Oh my god, Lightning, I was joking, Jesus can you take a joke ?”
You just glared at him for a second, not at all in the mood to entertain his antics.
“Fuck off.”
“Okay someone is in a mood… Anyway as I was originally coming over to say, get out I’m dropping you home.”
You couldn’t contain the small, incredulous laugh that bubbled out of you.
“Yeah, right.”
Jake frowned then.
“Well I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the chances of your car starting in the next thirty minutes are approximately close to zero, everyone’s gone, so your only option is to let me drive you home.” There it was again, that smug “I know better than everyone” tone, God it infuriated you.
“I’ll call a cab.”
“Are you really about to spend 30$ on a cab when you have a free ride offered to you so nicely by your beloved squad mate ?” He asked with a smile that you wish you could say wasn’t charming.
You took a second to consider it then, I mean he was right, spending money on a cab when you could get home free was pretty stupid. As you took the time to truly weight your options, not wanting this day to be any worse than it already had been, you missed the way Jake was looking at you. A small, almost soft, smile on his lips and the lights of the parking lot reflecting in his jade colored eyes as he waited for your answer, uncharacteristically patient.
“Okay, I’ll just call a mechanic tomorrow.” You declared as you stepped out of your car, the option of the free ride, even if that ride had to be spent next to Hangman, clearly winning against a pricy cab.
“Now that’s a smart decision.” Jake praised, “Dare I say the smartest you’ve ever made.” He added, unable to not tally on with a snarky comment.
But perhaps the smartest decision you’ve ever made was the one you made next, choosing not to dignify him with a response as you took the initiative to begin walking to his truck.
He quickly caught up to you and made a show of opening the car door on your side when you both had reached it, you let out a chuckle as you settled on the passenger seat. When Jake had himself settled on the driver’s side, you warned :
“No funny business, I don’t want you playing Lewis Hamilton while you’re driving me home.”
“If that was a take at trying to insult my driving, let me remind you that Lewis Hamilton is a seventh time world champion.”
You all but glared.
“I know he is.” You say, already beginning to feel exasperated again, “I was actually referencing all the tales which recounts your awfully fast driving, you know given the fact that the streets of San Diego are not a fucking formula one circuit.”
“Alright.” He scoffed, “Who has even said I drive too fast ?”
“Everyone Jake. Literally everyone.”
The man had to audacity to roll his eyes all the while a small smirked still danced on his lips.
“Well Lightning” he declared, turning the key in the ignition, “maybe this will teach you not to believe rumors.” The self amused drawl which was apparently stuck to his tone only irritated you further.
You purposely made a show of grabbing the handle above the door, and Jake’s reaction did not disappoint. He rolled his eyes, more exasperated than playful this time, and it made you smile. It wasn’t easy getting a reaction like this out of Jake, usually he was the one smirking and you were the one being left to fume over whatever comment he had smirked that day. So you definitely made a mental note of his driving being a sensitive topic as Jake was driving you out of the parking lot.
“Oh” You remembered, “By the way my address is….”
“I know where you live Lightning.”
Your eyebrows raised in surprise at that.
“Okay, creepy.”
He took a second to give you a “are you serious right now ?” look, before turning his gaze back on the road. God, did it feel good to be on the other side of the teasing for once. You were certainly starting to understand why Jake acted the way he did sometimes.
“May I remind you of the numerous times I dropped Phoenix at your place ?”
“Still, was it enough times for you to memorize my home address ?”
He let out an incredulous scoff at that, and you couldn’t contain the victorious smirk that broke out on your face. But Jake quickly got back on his feet, as he so often did.
“As a matter of fact, yes it was Lightning, I’ve got a great memory.”
You let out a small chuckle.
“Whatever you say Hangman.”
A surprisingly rather comfortable silence filled the car as Jake merged onto the freeway. By now you had released the grab handle, seeing that there was no real use for it and deciding to stop tormenting Hangman with it, at least for now. The freeway was shockingly empty at this hour, and now you definitely expected Jake to revert to his usual antics, the ones you’d heard the rest of the squad complain about endlessly. You kept waiting for it, hand ready to shoot out to grab the handle again in case of an abrupt acceleration.
But after a few minutes… Nothing.
You peeked at the dashboard, he was driving ten miles under the speed limit. Now you knew you should have shut your mouth, let him drop you home in silence, because really, what good could come from stirring up the subject again…?
But the urge of teasing him got the best of you.
“You really want to convince me don’t you ? I mean come on Hangman, anybody, hell even I would floor it right now !” You laughed gesturing at the empty freeway in front of you.
“For your information” He began, speeding up just a bit, meeting the speed limit but not exceeding it by a mile, “I am not the fucking public danger you think I am, I only speed up a little when the road is empty, I’m not stupid, I wouldn’t put other people in danger because I like to go a little fast.”
“Well, from what I’ve heard from Rooster, it’s not just a little fast…”
“That’s because that’s Rooster, the man doesn’t even know what fun looks like and is fucking scared of speed.” He grumbled that last part out.
“Well you just said you only floor it when the road is empty, it’s empty right now why don’t you do it ?” You inquired.
Jake gave you a brief indecipherable look before turning his gaze back on the road.
“You just not gonna answer me ?” You pressed.
A small smile made its way back onto his lips, jade eyes fixed on the horizon as he took the exit to go to your place.
“Nope.” He said emphasizing the ‘P’.
After fixing him with what you hoped was an exasperated glare, you forced yourself to tear your eyes away, choosing to finally drop it once and for all. Deciding, instead of looking at that infuriatingly perfect face of his, to look at the landscape you knew all so well, driving to base every morning and back home every night. For some reason it felt different to have Jake next to you while doing this commute, strangely intimate.
The sun had already began to set, painting the sky in beautiful shades of pink and oranges. You took your phone out to take a picture, never failing to take one when the sunset was so gorgeous.
The drive was surprisingly smooth, and dare you say… peaceful ? You normally put on music while driving, and you never would have thought that you could endure a drive in complete silence with Hangman, of all people, sitting next to you, but here you are. After the day you just had, it was strangely comforting to just sit in silence next to someone, even if that someone was him.
Lost in thought, you barely even noticed when Jake took the last turn and stopped the car in front of your apartment building.
When you turned your gaze back to him, you found him already looking at you, an uncharacteristic soft smile dancing on his pink lips.
“Well, How was the ride ? I tried my best to keep the near-deaths experiences to a minimum.”
You let out a small laugh at that.
“And I noticed ! How noble of you Hangman, I’m definitely rating this Uber 5 stars !”
You both laughed lightly, and a beat of silence stretched.
“Are you not gonna open my door for me ?” You inquired with a raised brow and a teasing smile.
Jake chuckled and actually unbuckled his seatbelt, about to get out, but your hand shot out to rest on his forearm. His tanned skin warm under your fingers.
“Oh my god I was joking Hangman !” You exclaimed in a laugh. Never had you laughed this much with him, in fact, never had you laughed with him, period. “Thank you for the ride, and I appreciate you keeping me alive.”
The warm feeling under your fingertips reminded you that your hand was still on his arm, and you were quick to retract it, which Jake simply raised his eyebrows at.
You opened the door, got out and looked at him one last time before closing it.
“Goodnight Jake.”
It took him a second to answer, looking as if he wanted to say something else other than bidding you goodbye. But after a moment :
“Goodnight Lightning.”
You gave him one final smile before turning around and walking up to your building door, only hearing Jake’s truck drive away after closing the door behind you.
A few days later, the squad had agreed to go blow off some steam at the Hard Deck after another long and excruciating day of training. Phoenix had suggested carpooling, the Hard Deck parking lot could get crowded, especially on a Friday night.
“So who’s riding with me ?” Jake asked with a very on brand smirk as he swirled his car keys around his index finger.
“Go fuck yourself Hangman.” Was Bradley’s immediate response.
“Literally no way in hell bro.” Was Coyote’s.
Jake turned his gaze to Phoenix.
“I don’t even know why you’re looking at me, you couldn’t pay me to climb in that car with you.” Natasha dryly answered.
“No thank you man, I choose life.” Said Fanboy.
“I’ll drive with you.” Was all you said as you began walking toward Jake who was leaning against his truck.
Only a few seagulls could be heard in the deafening silence that abruptly fell onto the squad.
“Lightning” Bradley began carefully after a moment, looking at you as if you’d just confidently claimed the earth was flat, “have you lost your mind ?”
“Oh come on, I never would have thought I’d be the one to say this, but I actually think you guys are a bit hard on him. He drove me home the other night, he was way under the speed limit the whole time !”
At their incredulous and disbelieving faces you just playfully rolled your eyes, and made your way around the truck to climb into the passenger seat.
All of the squad was then left to look at Hangman, who looked impossibly smug, more than usual if you can believe it.
“Okay so when do you ever drive at any speed that is not under 30 miles above the actual speed limit ?” Rooster spoke again, apparently being the only one able to put into words the sheer incomprehension of the squad.
The biggest, and dare they say, most boyish grin they’ve seen on him broke its way onto Jake’s face.
“When I got precious cargo.”
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Author’s note : alright guys my first fic ever !! I hope you liked it, please don’t hesitate to leave feedback. Especially about the way I wrote Jake, my biggest pet peeve is out of character writing and that’s actually what was holding me back from writings fics. Do you think I made him too soft, not cocky enough… all of that. So yeah if you have any feedback on that or anything, leave a comment !!💞
tried to match their characters/body types to appropriate sports <33
rooster as a fencer, hangman as an equestrian, coyote and hondo as track&field (sprinter and shot put), phoenix and bob as shooters, fanboy as a skateboarder, and payback as a judoka!
