Chapter Text
The night is still young and the air is chill, making Amy shiver a little as she throws another peanut into the air.
Jake is on the phone with Holt a few feet behind her, and she takes this time alone to do what he suggested she does before leaving — get some more practice. She chuckles as the peanut lands on the ground, far away from her mouth, then immediately grabs another. Amy Santiago is not one to accept defeat so easily.
She will succeed, and she will do so before Jake is back so that she can show him her progress.
Amy has to hand it to him: if she was first scared about what would be in store for her after she lost her bet (she knows her friend, and knows how far he can go for the sake of a joke), she’s now pleasantly surprised by the turn this night is currently taking. She’s actually, very genuinely enjoying herself right now. As it turns out, this date-become-impromptu-stakeout was exactly what she needed to take her mind off everything that’s going on in her life.
AKA., her newfound ability to hear people’s thoughts… through songs.
She’s not so sure how her ‘power’ works yet, and the thought of it still completely freaks her out, so a distraction is more than welcome. She throws the new peanut into the air, failing once more at catching it mid-air. She pauses for a second, looking down at the bag as she tries to think of a better strategy. That’s when a new (infallible this time, she thinks) idea pops into her head.
She can see Jake heading her way before she can put it into practice, though, so she stops herself to give him her full attention instead. “What did Holt want?” she asks, curious.
“Just checkin’ in. How are you doin’, any progress?” He reclaims his seat next to her, sounding more interested in their game than the phone call, so Amy doesn’t insist to know more about their Captain.
She’s actually more than happy to share her new technique. She grabs a bunch of peanuts, a playful smile gracing her features as she answers, “Yep. Watch.” Then throws them all into the air. And if most of them still fall on the ground, she at least manages to catch one of them this time. “The key is volume,” she tells him with a full mouth and pride shining inside her eyes.
In front of her, Amy can see Jake’s face light up with an amused smile.
“I see that.” He nods. Her own smile turns into a full grin. “Okay. My turn.” He then takes a peanut from the bag to throw it in the air as well. Once again, he catches it in his mouth like a pro.
They keep on playing and laughing and teasing each other for a little while after that, until silence naturally falls upon them. They still snack on the peanuts — only in a more conventional way this time. Amy can feel Jake’s gaze linger on her as her own eyes are staring in front of her, focusing on the eventual arrival of their perps, but she doesn’t pay it much attention nor does she read much into it.
At least, until she hears some music suddenly ringing into her ears. She’s spent enough times with Jake over the past few years to immediately recognize the tune despite herself; and even though she internally prays for the sound to come from somewhere around the neighborhood or even his old, broken car below, Amy soon has to accept the dreadful truth that he is about to sing to her when she turns her head to face him. Or well, his inner-self or whatever her power is allowing her to hear without him being aware of any of it.
Jake greets her with a soft, almost shy smile — something very different from the playful grin he constantly wears. He looks more serious this way; it’s a very unusual sight to see.
Amy’s heart stops for a full second while the music gets louder and she closes her eyes, praying for it to stop. This can’t be happening. Not now.
Not him.
And yet it is, as Jake’s singing voice takes over the otherwise completely silent rooftop. He gently grabs her hand in his and the first lyrics flow out of his mouth.
Your eyes whisper “Have we met?”
Across the room your silhouette starts to make its way to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks, like passing notes in secrecy
This is, admittedly, not the first time she hears him singing (and to be honest, his voice is usually quite agreeable to listen to) — Jake has a tendency to sing a lot during car rides or long stakeouts, or even after one too many drinks. Hell, it’s not even the first time she hears him singing this particular song; he’s a true Taylor Swift fan, after all. But it is the first time he does so unknowingly and, more importantly, that he seems so serious about it, his voice low and his eyes piercing right through her as he keeps holding her hand. This is the first time that he lets out the words with actual meaning to them.
The intensity with which he’s looking at her sends goosebumps running down Amy’s spine while she struggles meeting his gaze. Her cheeks and ears and neck are on fire, burning with a blush.
“Jake…” she calls, hoping to stop this whole thing from happening, but it’s in vain. He doesn’t hear her; this is all happening in her head, after all.
(It’s in her head but the feelings described in the song are all too real — that much Amy knows.)
As he reaches the end of the last verse before the chorus, Jake slowly stands up to face her, a smile still tugging at his lips while he softly lets out the words without ever leaving her sight:
And it was enchanting to meet you
He then bends down on his knees in front of her, closer than ever; she can feel the weight of his body against her. His smile his brighter than ever under the street lights.
All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you…
Then, when the rhythm of the music picks up, he quickly, very unexpectedly lets go of her to stand taller on his feet, bursting the lyrics at the top of his lungs with newfound confidence. For just a second, Amy misses the feeling of his warm hand covering her own, but she soon represses the thought at the back of her mind, especially when Jake leaves her side to stand higher on the rooftop, where he went when they first arrived here.
This night is sparkling, don’t you let it go
I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
This night is flawless, don’t you let it go
I’m wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you…
He performs a pretty elaborate choreography while following the lyrics, and Amy would laugh (and be lowkey impressed at his skills) if she wasn’t so confused right now. She can’t deny she’s spending a great night — she wouldn’t go as far as calling it flawless, though — with Jake (or at least, was until he started singing), and that this ‘date’ actually turned out better than some real nights out with people she was interested in, but still. This was supposed to be a joke. The end of a bet they started a year ago.
She didn’t imagine he would have such feelings for her — Amy, his colleague and friend. Just friend.
Oh, and there is one more rule, his word from earlier come back to her mind. You’re not allowed to fall in love with me.
Could he really… like her?! As in a romantic way?!
If she is to believe the lyrics of the song, then he does indeed.
This is a lot to take in at once (and definitely a very weird way to learn about what’s going on inside his heart). Amy wishes she could disappear through a hole and not have to deal with all of this — especially when Jake eventually gets down from his vantage point to sit back next to her, his hand finding her own again as he sings the last lyrics of the song, his voice full of raw emotion and quieting down with each new word that passes through his lips.
Please don’t be in love with someone else
Please don’t have somebody waiting on you…
Her own mouth feels dry when the music eventually stops, his hand leaves her, and everything goes back to normal around her.
“What?!” The look of awe in Jake’s eyes is now replaced with utter confusion as he frowns in her direction and what she can only assume is an expression of shock painted across her face.
Amy clears her throat, forces a smile. “Nothing. I thought I saw something,” she lies — because how could she tell him the truth?! —, nudging down below. Jake doesn’t question her; his attention is soon drawn from her face to what might be going on down there, grabbing his binoculars to look closer at the scene.
She can’t help but watch him from behind for a beat with her heart heaving in her chest before she does the same as him. She lets out a sigh, shakes her head to bring her focus back on the case.
He’s clueless, but she knows. Jake Peralta is in love with her.
And Amy really doesn’t know what to do with this new piece of information.