Top Gun Imagines

56. Exhausted Little Girl (Hangman - Jake Seresin)

(Published November 11, 2024) 

   Yawning over my coffee, I struggled to focus on the text message before me.  It said something about Thanksgiving, but I was too tired from my overnight shift to understand it at the moment.  I clicked the power button on my phone to put it to sleep and dropped my head onto my arm.  I knew I ought to climb into bed, but it was just so far away.  One whole room away.  Which felt like a continent at the moment.  
   An alarm went off down the hall and I managed a groan.  Jake was about to get up for work.  He was the last person I needed to see right now, with his smarmy grin and teasing about how I was always tired.  I lifted my head and began to push my chair back, but I only managed it at a snail's pace.  By the time it was back far enough that I could stand, Jake was already standing in the doorway.  His hair was standing up every which way and he was clad in only a tight t-shirt and dark grey sweatpants.  I turned my gaze away, not wanting his well sculpted chest in my dreams again.  
   "G'morning, sleepyhead," He greeted too cheerfully for this hour.  
   I gave him a half hearted glare in return, which sparked that damn smirk to light up his face.  
   "Oh, you're still alive," I deadpanned.  
   "Don't sound so disappointed; I might think you don't like me," He retorted smoothly.  "Rough night?" 
   Running my hands over my face, I didn't respond.  There wasn't a point.  My brain wouldn't be able to counter his remarks at this stage of exhaustion.  
   Suddenly, he was right behind me and his hands found my shoulders.  He began a firm massage that felt heavenly, and it took all I had to not sigh in relief.  Objecting wasn't an option, even though I knew I was going to regret letting him continue later.  He was going to lord it over me for a week solid.  Still, he was easily working the knots out of my back, suddenly making it hard to hate him.  His large, strong hands were perfect for massages.  
   After a while, his hands slowed.  He gently gathered up my hair, pulling it away from my face and letting it fall over my back where his hands had been.  I tried to blink some sense into my head.  Gripping the table, I stood up and turned to look at him.  His blue eyes watched me closely, though that smirk was still toying with his lips.  
   "You should get to bed, Gabby." 
   I rolled my eyes.  "I'm getting there." 
   He stepped closer, making me sway a little as I instinctively leaned a little away from him.  He didn't seem to notice.  Instead, he bent down, swept my legs out from under me, and lifted me into his arms, bridal style.  I threw my arms around his neck to steady myself, making his smirk widen a little.  Then, he walked out of the kitchen, carrying me as easily as if I was a stuffed animal.  Why'd he have to be so strong and capable this early in the day?  
   "Uh, you can put me down," I tried to object.  
   "Not happening.  You look like you're about to pass out, and the last thing we need is a nurse with a concussion." 
   "I wouldn't get a concussion.  There's nothing up there to hurt right now," I mumbled under my breath.  
   He chuckled, obviously hearing my grumbling.  Pushing my half closed bedroom door open a little wider, he slipped into my dimly lit room.  I had been in such a rush to get to work that I hadn't made my bed, so he was able to just set me down on the mattress without having to worry about pulling the blanket back.  Sinking into the comfort of my own bed, I gathered up the blankets and snuggled under them, not even caring that he was watching.  He stood over my bed, arms crossed with that smile still in place.  
   "Thank you, Jake," I finally stated sleepily.  
   "Anything for you, little girl." 
   His reply was so soft that I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly.  He had already turned and left, closing the door softly behind him.  As my eyelids fell closed, I tried to repeat his words in my head to see if there was another possible sentence he had said that I could've confused it with.  Nothing came to mind, not that that was a surprise.  There wasn't much conscious mind left, due to how tired I was.  
   As I drifted off into a deep sleep, one thought pricked me until I had to acknowledge it.  Jake might like me after all.  Once that thought had been actually stated, though, I was out like a light.