When Jake meets a woman at the Hard Deck, the last thing he expects is for her to be a Navy Seal. And not just any Seal, the Commander of Seal Team 3. She's beautiful, smart, dangerous, and everything about her just makes him want to get close. Her...
Warnings: a little hurt/comfort, flirty Jake (yes that is a warning), it's mostly fluff this week
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The recovery from the pain inflicted was long and arduous, and there were days where Bear was 10 seconds away from just saying 'fuck it' and quitting. But Jake was always there, offering both a steady presence and a shoulder for her to cry on in the midst of her frustration. He never judged her, and despite everything she did to try and push him away from her so that Jake, her Jake, didn't see her like this, he wouldn't budge from her side.
"Why are you still next to me?" She had asked him, eyes welling with tears as she struggled to take in another deep breath. "Why haven't you given up on me?" Her voice was cracking under the strain it took her to try and draw a full breath and the weight of her feelings of failure. Walking for longer than an hour was too much of a strain on her lungs, and forget running. Her lungs burned at the thought and she was so close to bursting into tears, if only she could catch her breath.
It broke Jake's heart to see her this way, this insanely strong woman reduced down to the foundation of her character, sitting amongst the rubble that was her life. He loved her. Every fiber of his being was drawn to her, had been since they had met, and now, watching her struggle physically hurt. "I haven't given up because I love you," he replied, wiping her tears away. "Because you went through all of this because of me, so I am here. And I will be here until you tell me to leave."
Bear had nodded, grimacing as she took his offered hand and grunted when Jake pulled her to her feet. "I would do it again." Her eyes were full of the same conviction that was clear in her voice, and Jake could help but smile sadly.
"In a perfect world darlin', none o' this would've happened," he told her, holding her close, savoring her nearness in the privacy of the gym at 0200. "We'd already be together, you would kick my ass all the time and I'd love you more for it. Maybe we'd be on a date right now," he mused aloud, smiling at his thoughts.
"Yeah? Where would you take me?" Bear glanced up, catching the tenderness shining in the green eyes above her. She could feel the love radiating from Jake, could feel it just as she felt the warmth of his body against hers, felt his arms wrapped around her waist and lower back.
Jake hummed, smiling at Bear. "You can never go wrong with the classics right? Movie then dinner, maybe a walk if we weren't ready for the night to end just yet. That sound about right?" His heart hammered in his chest, just hoping he hadn't read her wrong. "Maybe I'd kiss you for the first time too?"
But he hadn't and if Jake hadn't been holding her up, Bear's legs might have given out on her. "It sounds perfect," she admitted, grinning up at him. A hand wound its way up to cup the back of Jake's head, pulling him close. "I love it. Definitely would have won you some points, Flyboy." Bear knew that she had a wide grin on her face, mirroring the one Jake was giving her, and she couldn't help but lean in and kiss him fiercely.
