A/N: Per request of my lovely Erin, I have written a little story about Jake and Piers sharing their Valentine's Day. I've never done anything with this couple, so I hope it turned out alright. Send some reviews so I know, yeah? I'm still open to requests for pairings, as well.
Piers x Jake
If it weren't for the biting cold, Jake might not have been in such a foul mood. Well, he probably still would have been, because it happened to be Valentine's Day. And once again, he was going to be spending the day alone. It wasn't that Jake anything against the stupid holiday, exactly. It was just that he had been on his own for as long as he could remember, and he didn't need an official day set aside to remind him of the fact.
The sun was blindingly bright that day, giving the illusion of warmth, but the air was stinging at his face and hands as he scurried across the parking lot of the hospital with his head down. Jake hated the cold more than he'd ever admit, and when the automatic hospital doors parted for him, he couldn't have been happier.
"Hello, Mister Muller," the reception said, her tone eager and peppy. She tugged at the ends of her long blonde hair and smiled up at him, the kind of smile that was a bit too friendly for just any visitor. She'd told him her name once, but Jake had never been good with names, and even after weeks of coming here she was still just known as that one blonde girl. Anyway, whenever he had to come to the hospital, he was a little preoccupied with other things, namely the needles being jabbed into every part of his arms.
"Hey," he replied, leaning against the desk casually. "Doctor Hayes ready for me yet?"
Licking her lips in an unnecessarily slow manner, she glanced at her computer for a few seconds. "Looks like he got called into surgery and will have to reschedule," she answered. "Sorry about that. I can keep you company if you like?"
Jake caught onto her double meaning and gave her a passing glance before stepping away from the desk. "Thanks for the offer," he drawled sarcastically. "I'll just go say hello to Piers, I guess."
Jake knew the steps to the soldier's hospital room by heart. With all this blood transfusion business, which Jake would openly admit he didn't understand at all, the unlikely pair had been spending more time together in the past few weeks than Jake would have expected in a lifetime. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, the soldier wasn't that bad of company, and since being brought to the States he was pretty much the only person Jake had anyway, what with Sherry off doing Supergirl things.
The mercenary raised a hand to knock, hoping Piers wasn't sleeping or something like that. A moment later, there came a soft 'come in' from the other side of the door, so Jake turned the knob and entered the room. It was a pretty standard hospital room, a small window and a television that only seemed to play daytime reality drama shows. Then there were the machines, heart monitors and IVs and all, and finally the bed where Piers lay.
"Hey, Jake," he greeted, his voice full of sleepiness. He looked like hell, though after what he had been through it was only to be expected, and he looked much better than he had upon arrival. After the first two weeks of injections, the swelling in his arm had started to go down, and by three the skin had started growing back. By five weeks they were able to remove the bandages from his eye, revealing the scarred flesh that surrounded the area. "Happy Valentine's Day."
Jake closed the door behind him tightly, but made no movements into the room. He always felt a bit out of place here, like he just knew he didn't belong in Piers' world. And he didn't really. Piers and Jake had shared an unspoken rivalry from the moment they met, and now he was helping to save the man's life. It was funny how things always seemed to work out like that. How their lives, and everyone else involved in all the bioterrorism mess, were so entwined no matter how hard they tried to break free.
"You too, Puppy," Jake said at last, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "Sorry I didn't bring you flowers or anything," he added with a sarcastic smirk. Piers laughed a little, then clutched at his side like the act caused him too much pain. Jake felt a pang in his chest, though he wasn't entirely sure why.
Sighing a little, he went to sit on the edge of the bed, careful not to shift the weight too much and hurt the dark haired man. "Did they give you any idea of when you'll be out of here?" He asked, keeping his blue eyes focused on his hands, which were folded in his lap.
Piers shook his head. It seemed that ever since he'd arrived here the doctors had been dodging that question. He was starting to think they were going to keep him forever just because they liked studying him. "I'm sure it'll be soon," he said in the most cheerful voice he could manage. He'd been trying to stay brave and positive through all this, especially whenever Chris came to visit.
Jake, however, was incredibly good at reading people, and he could hear the way Piers' voice rose an octave, giving away his own lingering fears. With slight hesitation, he reached out across the bed and took Piers' hand lightly in his own. "Hey, it's gunna be fine," he assured him gently. "Soon you'll be your old self, okay? You'll be back to saving the world in no time."
Piers had never seen this softer side of Jake before, the one that let down his walls and revealed the heart hidden within. He felt the hot sting of tears but blinked them back, forcing a smile onto his lips. "Thank you," he said sincerely, giving Jake's hand a squeeze. "For everything."
"Don't mention it," Jake responded, rolling his blue eyes. Releasing Piers' hand, he rose from the bed and moved to the door, feeling the claustrophobic need to get out of the confined space. "Seriously," he added, glancing over his shoulder. "Don't. I'd hate to have to kill you for telling people I'm nice or anything."
Piers chuckled, adjusting the blankets that covered his body. "I wont," he assured the younger man. "Wouldn't want to tarnish your reputation."
Jake gave him one last smile before pulling open the door. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the soldier's quiet voice calling him back. "You could stay," Piers murmured, his brown eyes searching the mercenary's face. Jake didn't know what he was looking for exactly, but he was pretty certain he wasn't going to find it. "I mean, unless you have a hot date or something."
Jake scoffed at that. While the idea of staying in the hospital room with Piers didn't seem entirely appealing, it sounded better than returning to his one room apartment and spending the night by himself.
"Fine," he said roughly. Closing the door once more, he returned to the bed, where Piers had scooted over to make him more room. On the way he grabbed the remote, and once he had settled in as comfortably as he could, he flipped through the channels. He settled on some sappy love movie involving a ship and a forbidden relationship. It was Valentine's Day, after all.
They watched in silence. Jake might have forgotten Piers was there at all if he hadn't reached out for his hand and linked their fingers together. Jake resisted the urge to pull away, figuring that right then Piers needed the reminder that he wasn't alone. And, if he was being honest, maybe Jake needed that too.
Piers fell asleep with his head on Jake's shoulder, and the redhead smiled. They were bonded now, brothers in arms and in blood. It offered a small sense of comfort. A reminder that he wasn't alone, that no matter what came next, he would have someone at his side to help him fight back.
