Archive of Our Own

[You]: Weather is hell. Still stuck at work. I'll text you when I'm on my way <3

You didn't think much of it when you sent the text to your friends Marc and Layla. Well, you thought you'd send a quick text so they don't worry and wait for you but you didn't expect much of a reaction other than maybe a text back telling you to stay safe.

When you finally escape work you get caught in the worst rainfall you'd experienced in a while. Standing just outside of your workplace you're fighting against your umbrella, one of the cheap ones, but it refuses to open. Your workplace wasn't too far away from Marc and Layla's flat and you did promise to visit them for dinner today. And yet the thought of arriving at their doorstep soaked to the bone makes you grimace. As you're groaning and cursing quietly, a cab stops right in front of you. You ignore it, thinking maybe one of your colleagues had the foresight to call a cab in this weather.

You hear a car window being pulled down but what really catches your attention in that moment is a familiar sounding voice.

"I think that umbrella is broken."

You raise an eyebrow, looking up, ready to give, what you assume is a stranger, a look for stating the obvious. The face looking at you makes you do a double take instead.

You see Marc, a cabbie hat pulled over his face, leaving just enough space for you to see his eyes peek out under it as he leans out of the car window. It takes you a bit before you notice the different accent; the way he dresses and holds himself being another sharp contrast to Marc and Steven.

You stand there dumbfounded, blinking like he had caught you in his head lights. He takes in your response and chuckles.

"I'd introduce myself but I think we should do that in the car. Hop in."

Your body launches into motion thanks to the promise of someplace dry. You quickly walk around the car and get inside. Buckling your seatbelt in, you take in your surroundings for a moment before you place your definitely broken umbrella on your lap.

You turn towards Not-Marc-and-also-not-Steven and reach out, offering a handshake as you introduce yourself.

As he takes your hand you notice the well-worn leather gloves he wears. The leather feels smooth against your skin.

"Pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Jake. Jake Lockley."

You smile and take him in. He is smirking at you and oh you've never seen that look on that face before. Ignoring the warm fluttering in your stomach you finally let go of his hand just a few seconds late of being appropriate.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Jake. Not that I don't appreciate getting to know you but", you look at him, at who is essentially a stranger in a familiar body, and can't help but feel the same comfort and safety you feel with Marc and Steven, "Why are you here?"

Jake raises an eyebrow at you, his face a perfect depiction of disbelief. "You texted us, cariño. Did you really think we'd let you walk in this weather?"

Oh .

You're not sure if it's his words or the car's heating that suddenly make you feel so warm. It's a small gesture but knowing that you're on their mind, that they care for you like this, fills your heart with joy.

You thank him, your smile growing wider. He returns the smile, his more triumphant and cocky, and turns back to the road.

"Shall we then? We wouldn't want to keep Layla waiting. If I hadn't already been getting my keys as soon as we got your message she may have jumped on her bike herself to get you.", he tells you with a wink.

You can't stop the startled laugh that escapes you. You can see all too clearly in your mind's eye how that would have played out. That now familiar warmth spreads through your body even further knowing that Layla thought of you too. Enough so to drive through the rain on her bike to make sure you were safe.

You feel the car move as Jake starts driving you to their home. "I reminded her that unlike her bike, my car would actually keep you from being completely drenched by the time you got here," he continues.

You lean back in your seat and admire the man next to you. Just like your first meeting with Steven you're overcome with this strange feeling of dissonance. On one hand you're looking at a familiar face, a familiar person and yet on the other hand there is a stranger sitting next to you, driving you calmly to your destination. Without being able to pinpoint why, you know you're safe with Jake even if you don't know much about him yet. The way his hands glide over the steering wheel, the way his head moves as he keeps an eye on traffic; he just seems so at ease. And yet you can see the corner of his mouth curled into that devilish little grin he gave you earlier. If you had to describe Jake in one word it would be 'playful'.

"See something you like, cariño?"

His voice pulls you out of your musings and you realize he must have felt you staring at him. You clear your throat in embarrassment.

"Sorry, it's just…", you trail off, unsure of how to explain why you were drilling holes into his head with your eyes.

The sound of Jake's laughter fills the car. With his unwavering grin he glances at you before turning in gaze back towards the road.

"I get it. It must be strange for you. At least I got to know what you're like before today."

You blink at him confused and tilt your head to the side. "Did the others talk about me?" you ask, wondering what insights Marc, Layla and Steven had given Jake before he decided it was finally time that you met him in person too.

Jake hums thoughtfully. "Eh, that's not quite what I meant," he answers a little sheepishly, "When you talked to Marc in the past there was always a chance that one of us was, let's say, 'listening in'."

Marc had explained to you once how he and his alters communicated and that sometimes more than one alter could be present. You just didn't think much of it at the time. Now you are wondering what Jake or even Steven had seen of you without you being aware of it. And here you were agonizing over making a good first impression all while they already got to know you in a way. It made you feel self-conscious.

Your silence drags out longer than you mean to, caught up in what-ifs and maybes.

"No need to worry, cariño. We give each other privacy when needed," Jake explains with a wink before his grin fades and his face turns serious. Just from that you know he's not making fun of you or diminishing your worries, but takes them seriously, without you even having to voice them. It's a bit eerie how easily he can read you and yet his regard for your well-being comforts you. You don't know how but just Jake's presence seems to put you at ease.

You nod quietly before you remember he may not see it while still focusing on the road ahead. "Thank you, Jake. I guess I am just curious about what you and Steven have seen of me before.", you admit. Jake hums thoughtfully at your words and for a while the only thing you hear is the sound of rain pelting against the car as you wait for his answer.

"Does it matter?"

You blink owlishly at him, the question taking you by surprise. He turns to you for a moment, as you're waiting at a traffic light. "Think of it like this: whatever we saw of you made us decide to meet you. We saw this amazing person that has stolen the hearts of both our brother and our wife and we wanted to meet them too."

Your breath catches in your throat and you try your best to avoid his gaze. Suddenly you feel his gloved hand against your cheek as he turns your head to look at him again. There is a smile on his face, not the devilishly handsome grin from before but a soft curve of his lips.

"Believe me, the few glimpses I have seen of you through Marc's eyes can't compare to finally meeting you myself."

The flirtatious sound of Jake's voice makes your heart beat faster. It feels like time has stopped, your body frozen, completely enthralled by the man sitting next to you.

Both of you are startled back to reality by the incessant honking of a car horn behind you.

Jake turns back to the road, ignoring the angry car horns and continues driving. The spell he had over you is broken and you can finally breathe again.

The rest of your ride is spent in comfortable silence. You arrive at your destination faster than you expected and you're more than a little impressed by how effortlessly Jake handled the rush-hour traffic.

Jake parks his car close to their apartment building and steps out quickly. As you take off your seatbelt the car door on your side opens. You see Jake stand in front of the door, his leather jacket held over his head as a makeshift canopy. He steps back a bit, holding his jacket over you as you get out of the car to keep you dry while Jake himself seems unbothered by the rain soaking through his clothes.

You thank him again before the two of you make your way to the apartment building. As you stand in front of the building's entrance you wait for Jake to unlock the door but he keeps his arms up over you, jacket held tight, shielding you from the weather.

"The keys are in my left pocket. Could you get them for me?", he raises an eyebrow and looks between you and his clearly occupied hands and then looks down at himself. It takes a second before your brain catches on what Jake is asking you to do. He's keeping you safe from the rain so he can't get his keys. His keys which are in his pocket. Which you would have to reach into. His pants pocket. Oh dear .

You nod quickly, hoping your train of thought is not clearly visible on your face, and carefully stretch your hand out, very aware of how awkward this situation is or could be - at least to you. You didn't imagine you'd get this close to Jake when you got into his car not even half an hour ago. You try not to think about how close your hand is to certain parts of his anatomy as you reach into his left pocket. Quickly you pull his keys out and hold them up triumphantly. Immediately you turn around, avoiding his gaze and open the door so you both could get inside and out of the worsening weather.

You feel a bit embarrassed by your own reaction. You just got his keys because he couldn't use his hands! It's not like you touched anything you weren't supposed to! You didn't even feel anything that you shouldn't! And yet the previous innocent flirting between the two of you seemed to have dragged your mind into the gutter.

As you make your way to the elevator, your cheeks hot with embarrassment, you meet his gaze again. With his wet leather jacket draped over his forearm he looks at you, an amused grin on his face. He knows . Jake doesn't say a word but he's clearly aware of the situation he had put you in, and thoroughly enjoys your flustered reaction. And to your surprise you can't even be mad at him for it.

That charming bastard.

You stick your tongue out at him for his teasing and Jake laughs as you step into the elevator.

"You are adorable, cariño. I should pick you up from work more often," he winks at you as he says it, lips still curved into that flirtatious smile of his that makes your heart race.

The elevator goes up and you're getting closer and closer to their floor. You can't help but enjoy Jake's teasing, light-hearted as it is. Even though his friendly flirting may be the death of you one day. And yet you were looking forward to it. Your friendship was going to be interesting.