𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐹𝑜u𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝐽𝑎𝑘𝑒 "𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑛" 𝑆𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠in

||5||

Blake came back to her senses after a while, the aftermath of the panic attack slowly seeping into her veins as she felt her body grow more and more tired.
With Hangman by her side, she didn't exactly know what to do... or say.
So she didn't say anything out of fear of potentially destroying the fragile moment they just shared. Out of fear that the cocky, selfish version she knew him as would come out again.
So she stayed quiet.
Until Hangman decided to speak up.
"Blake, you ok?" He asked with a softness in his voice that confused her. Clouded her mind with doubts.
He was desperate to hear any sort of confirmation after what he just witnessed. He was concerned, he had never imagined that such a strong woman like Tornado would have such intense breakdowns. He doesn't blame her, especially in this line of work, you can't guarantee your family that you would return home and that could take it's toll. However, something that concerned him even more was despite the short period that he knew her, she was able to climb over the walls he had built around his heart and made him care about her so quickly. No one managed to do that. He thought that over the years he had build strong walls around his heart, walls that were able to keep almost everyone out.
Keyword here, almost everyone.

Due to her lack of energy, the only thing she managed to say was a small "hmm."
But that was enough for Hangman. He was happy to hear that.
He helped Blake stand back up, only letting go when he was sure she wasn't going to fall back down again. However Hangman quickly realized he was mistaken when he saw that she was tripping over her own feet. Not entirely aware that she had to stand on her own two feet again.
"Nope, this isn't going to work." Hangman said while scooping her up and carrying her out the locker room bridal style.
Everyone else had left when Hangman and Tornado exited the locker rooms. The time they spent inside the locker room was longer than expected. Hangman was glad, he was not in the mood to tell others why he was carrying his co-pilot out towards the parking lot. There was that cocky side of him again, like it was just bubbling under the surface.
"Put me down, I can walk just fine." Blake stated. "I really don't need to be carried."
"Your actions earlier say otherwise."
Blake let out a huff in response.
She didn't need him, more importantly, she didn't want to need him. She knew all too well how that ended with people in her line of work. She heard enough stories and she did not feel the need to experience that herself. Which led to her protest against him. The movements she tried didn't have any affect whatsoever on Hangman's grip on Tornado. Her movements were weak and unsuccessful in the strong arms that were carrying her. They made her feel a kind of comfort, a kind of safety.
It wasn't until they reached the car that he put her down.
Blake looked up at him, seeing a calm look in his eyes.
And there it was again, the internal conflict inside of her, the doubts, the uncertainty.
"Thank you, Hangman, I'm serious, it means a lot." She eventually admitted.
A small smile hovered over his lips as he thought about the fact that she was thankful for him. He wanted her to be thankful for him. He wanted much more even tough he realized that those chances were very slim.
"It's Jake."
Her head shot up at that sentence. "What?"
"You can call me Jake." He said softly, like she was a fragile piece of porcelain that would break if he spoke too loud.
"Jake." Tornado muttered. Like she was getting a feel at how his name sounded when it came from her mouth.
"I like that." She smiled.
"My name's Blake."
It was Jake's turn to smile now and he hummed in acknowledgement, his head making one slow nod. It's was a fitting name for her, he thought.
"Blake, I like that." He said with a hint of amusement.
She scoffed at his joke, averting her gaze from him, looking towards the setting sun with a smile.
The close proximity the two had made him look down at her. Studying her, admiring her.
Blake looked back at Jake and realised how close they were actually standing.
She cleared her throat and discreetly moved a step back.
"Again, thank you. But I really should head home now."
Hangman smiled in agreement and also took a step back to make sure she was given enough personal space and to be able to open her car door.
He didn't move from his spot until her car was just a tiny spec on the horizon. Only then he headed home himself.
Blake arrived home rather quickly. The drive only took a couple of minutes since her house was just a few minutes from the base.
She really wanted to go to bed now. Ready to sleep off whatever she was feeling at the moment. She never thought him out of all people would help her.
Did she mind? Not at all.
Her head was on her pillow and her eyes were closed when she heard her phone on her nightstand go off. Grumbling under her breath she went to turn it off but when she read the message and especially who it was from, she wasn't so grumpy anymore.
Jake Seresin: You got home safe?
Blake Harper: I did, thank you. How'd you manage to get my number?
Jake Seresin: I have my ways ;)
Blake scoffed at the message, a ghost of a smile hovering over her lips. A faint ding grabbed her attention again.
Jake Seresin: Goodnight Blake.
Blake Harper: Goodnight, Jake.
After that she turned her phone off and got comfy under her blankets waiting for sleep to take over her body.

When she opens her eyes again, the room is dark. A light breeze flows through the room and makes her bare arms shiver.
Her neck is aching. She slept in a bad position again. She turns her neck to feel how much it hurts and winces when she turns her head too far. That's gonna be a bitch in the cockpit.
The time reads 5:45 AM.
Too late to fall asleep again. But too early to get up. Her bed felt too comfortable to get up. It's been like that as long as she could remember. Getting up was difficult. It felt like someone had put weights on her eyelids and limbs, weights so heavy that it was hard to wake up and get the day started. Weights that pulled her even deeper into the comfort of her mattress. And when she managed to get up, suddenly everything and everyone was loud.
Too loud.
Result?
A grumpy Blake.
In short, Blake was absolutely not a morning person. However, due to her job she had to be one. Much to her dismay.
Eventually, with a groan, Blake got up and left the comfort of her bed.

Wandering through her little house, with the sun slowly rising above the horizon, dividing the sky in fantasy-like colors, her mind was elsewhere. It was replaying the day before. Blake walked around on automatic pilot whilst thinking about it. Doing the daily chores that had to be done but mentally being absent, being stuck in that moment. A moment she wished didn't occur.
She's never had a panic attack before. It never had gotten that far. Sure she'd heard about it, but experiencing it herself?
Way more scary.
Why did she have it only now? She'd been flying for a year or 5 and it never failed to make her feel stressed or anxious. She knew the risks, she accepted it and yet the realization had come back and slapped her right in her face.
It made her question if she was able to pull off this mission. If she was able to handle Top Gun.

Jake had showed a side of him she'd never seen before. He had realized it too. That almost with a snap of someone's fingers his resistance crumbled around him, he followed her into that locker room because he knew. He knew the signs of a panic attack and saw those clear as day on Tornado. The tough guy act quickly dropped when he saw her in that room. He wasn't used to do such a thing around someone he barely knew, but deep down he knew that it was the right thing to do in that moment. And that was most important to him. Even if he had a certain image to hold up.