Possibilities (Homestuck, JakeJane)

[SpamKey]

So, one of the ships that I just reeeeealy want to become canon (even though I like DirkJake I just can't see it happening in canon again) is JakeJane. I just feel like after all Jane went through, she deserves Jake. And Jake needs someone grounded to curb his silliness.

(coughplusihaveanocilikefordirkthatiamwritingastoryforcough)

Aaaaaaanyway, this is just fluffy fun with sick Jake! Because who doesn't like to torture Jake?

Not sure if this counts as post-Sburb or no-Sburb AU. Can be read either way.

---

Jane sighed as her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw Jake's skull icon flashing on the screen, and frowned in mild irritation. What was it this time, she wondered? Love problems with Dirk? What should he say to Dirk? What's a good idea for a date with Dirk? The possibilities were endless.

"Perhaps I've been talking to Roxy too much." She murmured in her slightly accented voice, rolling her eyes at her sarcastic thoughts as she opened the Pesterchum app.

golgothasTerror began pestering gutsyGumshoe

GT: Say Janey are you there?

GT: Please reply im in a bit of a pickle here.

GG: Yes, Jake? What seems to be the problem with Dirk?

GT: No problem. Its only that, well...

GT: Gadzooks this is hard to say out loud.

GT: Or *type* rather i suppose.

GG: Well what is it then?

GT: Well its just that i er

GT: Well we broke up. Dirk and i that is.

GG: Wait... What?!?

GT: Well dirk and i had a bit of a scuffle and broke it off.

GT: Im not entirely sure what happen to be honest.

GT: But i suppose the tension was already thicker than a thieves convention

GG: Wow Jake, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?

GT: Well see thats kinda why im here. Caught me red handed i suppose *loosens collar*

GT: The thing is

GT: Golly this is hard to admit.

GG: What's the matter, Jake?

GT: Well, ah

GT: Just go open your door please? I promise on my grannys grave it isnt a trick.

Jane frowned slightly. As much as she appreciated a good prank, Jake was making her a bit nervous. But, in keeping with her resolution to trust her friends more, she typed "Alright." and went over to the door to her house. Once she opened it, she gasped.

There stood Jake, soaked in rain and shivering, a weak smile on his face. "Hello there, Janey." He said, his normally strong, confident voice weak and raspy. He was leaning against the doorframe. "Would be a dear and let your old chum inside?"

"Oh, Jakey! Get in, what were you thinking, standing out in the rain like that?" Jane cried, rushing Jake inside. She quickly took off his soaked jacket and got him wrapped up in a blanket on her couch before Jake could say another word.

"S-sorry Jane, I just wanted to be sure you'd let me in f-fir--" He broke off, coughing. Jane bit her lip worriedly until he stopped. "Sorry." He croaked, wincing as his throat burned.

"You're sick, Jake, you should have known better than to go out in the rain!" Jane scolded, rushing off to the kitchen to make some hot coco. She came back to see Jake stifling a sneeze in his fist, and cough a bit more, before he looked up and accepted the steaming mug with a shaky smile.

"Th-thanks Jane." He said quietly. Jane sat down on the couch next to him, sipping her coco as he did the same, punctuated by the occasional cough or sneeze.

"So... Dirk kicked you out, huh?" Jane asked, more inclined to be sympathetic now that she saw how pathetic he looked; usually neat hair disheveled and soaked, green eyes tired, snuffling and sneezing, coughing so his voice was hoarse, hunched over and just generally looking like a kicked puppy.

"Well, it was more of a mutual thing." Jake mumbled. "I'd been thinking of calling it quits with the chap for a while now. It didn't cross my noggin that it was his house until I'd already said it." He laughed sheepishly, but it made him start coughing, so he stopped. "Not the brightest thing that's occurred to me to do, eh?"

"Still, he didn't have to kick you out in the middle of the night, when it's pouring rain!" Jane said indignantly. "Didn't he know you were sick?"

Jake merely shrugged. "It wasn't this bad until a little before I arrived here." He said quietly. He looked downright miserable. "I'm sorry to do this to you, Janey, but Roxy has John over, Jade's off galavanting with Dave, and Rose's at Kanaya's tonight, and... I just didn't know who else would put up with me." He finished meekly.

Jane knew she should have been peeved; this was the guy who had remained oblivious to her feelings for ages, and was too afraid to confront them when they did come into light. Jane should have sent him right back out into the rain, slammed the door, and not looked back. But...

Jake was still her friend, and Jane would be lying if she said she didn't still harbor feelings towards him. And he had finally broken up with Dirk...

Jane shook her head. He's sick as a dog, stupid, she told herself. Don't take advantage of him!

Just then, Jake sneezed a few times, doubling over, and ending with a coughing fit. Jane reached over and rubbed his back while he waited it out. He looked up, shivering. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Jane said quietly. "You're sick, you can't help it." Her hand found its way to his forehead, then brushed his hair back as she frowned in concern. "You're burning up, Jakey!"

"Am I?" He muttered listlessly. He sneezed a few more times, then moaned. "I don't feel good, Janey."

"I know." Jane murmured. "Let's get you into some drier clothes, okay?"

Jake nodded, and forced himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly, but Jane caught him, and helped him upstairs to her room. She found a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that weren't too small. She left Jake to change, and he did so quickly, grumbling slightly about how they weren't shorts.

"No no," Jane said sternly when Jake tried to go back downstairs. "You go rest. I'll be up in a minute."

"But--Jane--" Jake stammered, coughing. "I won't take your bed. It wouldn't be proper."

"Jake, you're sick as a dog!" Jane replied heatedly. "It wouldn't be proper for me as your host to let you sleep on the couch!"

Jake tried to protest, but a sudden sneeze silenced him. "If you insist." He said, abashed. He went back into the bedroom, while Jane went down to the kitchen.

Jane looked around the kitchen, thinking. What to make for a sick person? Well, chicken soup was the obvious choice, of course, but if there was Crocker-Brand soup then Jane hadn't found it yet. So she whipped it up home-made, using some chicken she found in her fridge intended to be her dinner, but it was easy enough to repurpose for soup. A boiling pot, a carved chicken, some herbs and spices, and a glass of water later, dinner was ready. She took a bowl up to Jake, another lying on the tray next to it for her.

When she got there, she was pleased to see Jake tucked under the covers. He seemed to have tried not to muss up the bedding too much, and was sitting there, waiting. He looked weak and shivery still, but dry and less miserable. Jane set his tray on his lap and picked up her own bowl.

"J-jane, you really didn't need to--" Jake started, surprised.

"Jake, you're sick. Just let me take care of you." Jane insisted. "Besides, you know I love cooking!" Jake laughed slightly, then coughed.

"By golly, you do, don't you?" He said, smiling. Jane smiled back. Jake suddenly blushed. "I-I promise to be out of your hair by tomorrow, Jane, honest. I'll figure something out--"

"Jake, you're my friend, you can stay as long as you need to." Jane said, shaking her head. "To be honest, I'm glad for the company. Roxy's been so caught up with John, she's barely had time for her bffsy."

"Jade's been busy with Dave, too." Jake said, sighing. "Everyone seems to be singing with the doves, eh?"

"Except you." Jane pointed out, then immediately regretted it, as Jake's face fell like snow off a melting snowman. "Sorry!" Jane cried. "Oh, gosh, sorry!"

"It's alright, lass." Jake said, looking down at his soup. "It's just... Golly, it's weird being on my own again. A bit of a relief, to be honest, but... Not quite all sunshine and roses, either."

"I understand." Jane said, smiling a little ruefully. "You can talk to me about it, if you like?"

Jake laughed a little bitterly, but it turned into a coughing fit, so it stopped. "I tormented you enough with my romance talk, Jane. Good gravy, I'm not about to make the same mistake twice. Or, for the zillionth time, rather."

"It's okay, really." Jane said. "I don't mind."

Jake looked at her for a bit, until he sneezed. "Maybe tomorrow." He said, setting aside his finished soup, looking suddenly exhausted. Jane grabbed his tray and set it aside.

"Good night, Janey." Jake said, already half asleep. Jane hesitated, then reached out and brushed his hair back.

"Night, Jakey." She murmured, then took the dishes downstairs, and set up camp on the couch.

Maybe things weren't perfect. Maybe her chances were slim. But now... Well, the possibilities were endless.

And she knew exactly which one she was going to make come true.

---

So, this can be a one-shot, or I might continue. I dunno. We'll see.

[SpamKey]

So, nobody's paying any attention to this whatsoever (probably because Jane/Jake is criminally unsupported, because fangirls just love their yaoi) but am I going to update my original fics that are getting a lot more attention and support, and actually have followers waiting for an update? Nope! Ima update this instead. Because screw common sense. I was just in a car crash and I'm gonna indulge myself, gog dammit!

So more Jake/Jane fluffy goodness! Hooray for my OTP that will never be canon because F%#$ YOU HUSSIE (but seriously I love you). So on with the fanfic!

---

Jane woke up first; her couch was surprisingly comfortable, so she had had a good night's sleep. Despite this, it took her a bit of thought and the sound of coughing from upstairs to remember why exactly she was sleeping on the couch.

The sound of Jake coughing his lungs out was enough to stir her into action; Jane quickly rushed upstairs and burst into her bedroom to see Jake hunched over on the bed, now transitioning from coughs to a sneezing fit. Jane sat down at the edge of the bed, rubbing his back until the fit subsided, leaving him winded.

"S-sorry..." Jake stammered vaguely. "I didn't wake you up, did I...? I t-tried to be quiet..."

"No, I was already awake." Jane said. "Are you okay?"

"F-fine and d-dandy--" He sneezed a few more times, grabbing a fresh tissue out of the box on the nightstand. "J-just... S-spiffing..."

Jane frowned and felt his forehead. "You are not 'fine a dandy', Jake, your fever's gone up. Wait here, I'll be right back with some medicine, okay?"

"A-as long as you scurry right back..." Jake mumbled, settling back under the covers, but still shivering. "I-I don't quite fancy being alone r-right now..."

Jane all but ran back down to the kitchen, and the only thing keeping her from sprinting back was the full cup of water in her hand. She helped Jake drink the pills down, which he only did reluctantly, as his throat hurt.

"Janey, really, l-let me k-keep some d-dignity..." Jake laughed, coughing slightly, at Jane's fussing. "'M fine, r-really..."

"Jake, you are not find, running a fever is not fine!" Jane said, half exasprated, half worried. "Just let me get a thermometer..."

"D-don't go!" Jake yelped, then winced as his throat burned in protest. "I-I mean... Please..."

Jane bit her lip. "Fine. I'll... I'll stay." She said finally. She sat down in the chair next to the bed that she had pulled up last night for dinner, "So... Did you want to talk about Dirk?"

Jake sneezed, then laughed weakly. "I have a sneaking suspicion that if I t-tried, I'd just end up b-babbling like a senile nanny." He said. He looked almost back to normal when he smirked, but paler and glassy-eyed. Jane smiled weakly.

"I suppose you're right about that." She admitted, running her hand over his burning forehead again. As she pulled it back down, Jake grabbed it, and held on.

"Th-thanks for letting me stay here..." He murmured, his voice listless and stuffy. "I'm sorry to b-be such a b-bothersome chum to you all the t-time..."

"You're not bothe--" Jane tried to say, but Jake interrupted her.

"I am, though." He said, breaking off to sneeze a few times. Jane handed him a new tissue. "Th-thanks. But I'm always a bother, all the time. Always going to you about Dirk, always asking you for f-favors, always--" he cut off again, sneezing a few more times.

"Alright, fine. You're a bother." Jane said before Jake could try and continue. "But that's okay. You wouldn't be Jake English, of rogueish, adventurous, movie-going fame without the obvliviousness, social awkwardness, and yes, general bother." Jane smiled. "And a true friend doesn't ask their friends to change for them."

Jake opened his mouth, then closed it. "A-assuming you are not, in fact, a hallucination from my garbled-up marble set of a brain, then thank you." He muttered, closing his eyes. Jane smiled.

"Anytime, Jakey." She said as he drifted off to sleep.

---

Eventually, Jane found the courage to attempt to remove her hand from Jake's so she could move around, and found that he was too out of it to notice. She pulled out her phone, answered a few pesters from friends, then just as she was about to log off, she got a pester from the last person she expected; Dirk.

timaeusTestified began pestering gutsyGumshoe

TT: Hey, can I talk to about something?

TT: Like, full-on feelings jam up in this bitch? Cause Roxy's too busy macking up John and Dave is... Dave.

GG: Of course, Dirk. What seems to be the problem?

TT: Well, Jake and I broke up last night.

TT: We had a fight and he moved out.

TT: And I know we've had fights before, but this one felt kind of... Final, you know?

TT: And yeah, that's pretty much it.

GG: Well, I won't lie to you, Dirk, I already knew about it.

TT: Fuck, how?

GG: Jake is kind of... In my house. He came to me for a place to stay. :B

TT: Oh.

TT: Is he okay?

GG: Not really.

TT: What do you mean "not really"?

TT: He didn't seem too torn up about it when we broke up.

TT: Like, he wasn't in fucking tears or anything.

TT: I swear to god it was a mutual break-up.

TT: We had a fight, calmed down, feelings-jammed it up, and he left.

GG: Oh, it's not about the break-up!

GG: It's just he's really, really sick!

TT: Oh.

TT: Shit.

TT: I mean, I knew he had a bit of a cold, but he swore up and down it wasn't a big deal.

TT: Being macho I guess. He fucking excels at that.

GG: I know, he told me it wasn't so bad until just before he got to my place.

TT: Fuck, he didn't walk there in that fucking storm, did he?

GG: I think so.

TT: God damn it.

TT: I would have given him a ride, if he'd asked.

TT: I mean, I'm not a total asshole.

GG: I know, but you know Jake.

GG: He always has to be the "manly man".

GG: I could hardly get him to stay in bed! :B

TT: Yeah, how'd you wrangle that one?

TT: Last time he was sick it was all I could do to keep him in the house.

GG: The night-time cold medicine helps, since it makes him all drowsy.

GG: But I don't know if he could go out if he wanted to. He had quite the fever.

GG: I'm a little worried to be honest.

TT: Dang.

TT: Well, just keep an eye on him, okay?

TT: We're still bros. I don't want him dying from a head cold from hell.

GG: I'll do my best! :B

GG: Was there anything else you wanted to talk about? With your break-up, I mean.

TT: Not really. Just wanted to get it off my chest. To someone who wasn't AFK, I mean.

GG: If you're sure. But I'm always here if you want to talk!

TT: Thanks, Jane. You're the best. But I'll try and hit up Roxy for a feelings-jam later.

TT: Take care of Jake.

GG: Will do!

timaeusTestified ceased pestering gutsyGumshoe

Jane sighed, setting aside her phone. At least Jake didn't seem to be lying about it not being a messy break-up. How uncharacteristically mature of those two. Roxy was going to have a fit.

"J-Janey?" Jane jumped. Jake was half sitting up, looking at her. "Who were you pestering...?"

"A couple people." She said. "Dirk." She finally admitted.

"Ah. Did he explain about our whole kebal?" Jake asked.

"Yeah. Sounds like it really wasn't a messy break-up." Jane said, smiling slightly. "He is also concerned for the health of his bro."

Jake nodded, seeming relieved, then sneezed and grimaced. "I'm feeling a bit more coherent now." He said finally. "Do you think we could move downstairs? Maybe watch a movie or two?"

"Sure, Jake." Jane replied, already mentally preparing herself for the volley of crappy movies sure to come. She helped him down to the couch, then scurried back upstairs and brought the blankets off her bed back down. Once Jake was all wrapped up in his cocoon, Jane sitting next to him on the couch, they settled in to watch "The Fifth Element", which was a bit of a relief to Jane, as it was actually a good movie.

At some point, Jake's head managed to find its way to Jane's lap, which Jane was startled to notice when the movie ended. Jake was fast asleep, so she just turned on another movie and settled in, indulging herself and petting his hair. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, too, until she woke up to someone saying, "Oh, you two are in so much trouble."

---

Haha, cliffhanger for the nonexistant audience! Muahahahahaha my evil knows no bounds!

[oliverthequeen]

Wow! I like it! Trust me, it's super cute! JakeJane is super adorable! I believe it works better than most of the other ships out there, well, possibly i'm not sure. Yay! You're gonna continue it! I'm here, if that means aything!

(Sorry my wording is bad, I'm not good with my words!)

[jadeharley]

i'm here 2 tell you your audience is alive and thriving .

this is tooooooooooo cute . omg

[SpamKey]

OH MY GOD FANS!!!

So, anyway, sorry for the long wait, been... Lazy. Not gonna lie. Just lazy.

So anyway, here we go!

---

Jane's eyes flew open at the sound of Roxy's voice, which was halfway nervous, halfway gleeful. Jake, too, stirred, cough slightly before realizing his head was in Jane's lap, and sitting up quickly. This caused a wave of dizziness, so he leaned back into the couch, breathing deeply.

"Roxy!" Jane exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"We were supposed to meet up for hangouts, bffsy!" Roxy said, mock-pouting. "Starbucks at ten? You didn't show up, and you weren't answering your phone, so I thought 'what the hell?' and came here. Door was unlocked, anyone coulda gotten in, Janey. John came with me, that's why you're in trouble, btw."

"John... Oh no!" Jane exclaimed. "He didn't see Jake and I--"

"All cuddly kitten-ing it up? Nah, he'll be in in a sec." Roxy assured her. "But you know how he gets. All overprotective and shit, he sees Jake here..."

"Who here?" Jane face-palmed as John walked in, looking around. His eyes fell on Jane, who was mortified, Jake, who was uncomfortable, and Roxy, who was still a combination of nervous and gleeful. "Jake? What are you doing in Jane's house!" John exclaimed. Jake stood up shakily.

"Look, mate, let me explai--" He cut off, coughing. Jane stood up, got him to sit back down, then turned to a confused John.

"Look, Jake and Dirk broke up, Jake was sick, so I let him stay here." Jane said, trying to keep her voice soothing and not just embarrassed. "Nothing happened, I was just doing something nice for a friend, please don't freak out..."

She remembered John's freak-out the last time he had caught Jake and Jane alone together. That had not been pretty. At least Roxy was here to calm him down if he did freak out again.

John's eyes flicked back and forth between Jake, who was sneezing, and Jane, who was looking at him pleadingly. "Alright." John conceded finally. "But if I find out anything happened... Sassacre's holy ghost himself will be raised to rain a pranking hell upon the both of you." With that ominous comment, he backed out of the room, making "I'm watching you" hand gestured all the way down the hallway while Roxy struggled not to laugh.

Once John was out of sigt, Roxy turned to Jane. "Sorry for interrupting your cuddly times. But... Dang, you two broke up?" She directed this next comment at Jake.

"Y-yeah. It was a mutual thing, honest." Jake said, sniffling pathetically. "I just needed a place to stay, and Jane let me put up here."

"Yeah, Janey's too nice, ain't she?" Roxy said fondly, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Well, like Johnny said; you two be good! No funny business or I kick your ass, English!" Roxy, perhaps honestly or perhaps mocking John, also backed out of the room, only she was making kissy faces instead of vaguely threatening gestures. Jane and Jake glanced at each other and laughed.

"Well, that was certainly..." Jake trailed off, sneezing.

"Awkward?" Jane offered, handing him a tissue.

"I was going to say 'humiliating' but that works too." Jake said, coughing slightly. "I think I'm feeling a little better, on the bright side."

Jane hummed skeptically, and felt his forehead. "I think you may just be delusional, you still have a fever." She said, frowning at the heat in his head. "I'll get you some more meds, okay?"

Jake grinned sheepishly. "Worth a shot, eh?" Jane laughed as she walked off to the kitchen, returning with tea and pain killers. She sniffled slightly as she prepared the tea; her nose was running a bit.

She shrugged it off as Jake selected another movie; apparently his winning streak of good movies was over, since it was Tremors. Jane could only enjoy it, to coin a Striderism, ironically, but Jake seemed to genuinely enjoy it, which astounded Jane to no end, since it was clearly designed to be bad. Eventually the meds kicked in and Jake grew drowsy, falling asleep in her lap again.

Jane smiled at his sleeping face, before being interrupted by a small, dainty sneeze. She frowned, sighing. Knowing her luck, she was probably catching Jake's cold. He'd probably feel really guilty if she came clean about it, though she had to admit, she liked the idea of him taking care of her. Still, she'd hate to see him tear himself up about it. If only it would hold off until Jake was well enough to move back into his old place...

However, over the next hour, sneezes and coughs became the norm, growing in intensity and frequency almost as if to spite Jane's previous thoughts. It was all she could do to keep them quiet so as not to wake Jake, but after another two hours, her efforts failed her, and Jake whispered "Janey?"

Sleep appeared to have done him good; perhaps he hadn't been lying about feeling better, since his eyes seemed brighter, his voice sounded clearer, and his over-all manner seemed stronger. He sat up as Jane regarded him, guiltily smothering a sneeze in a tissue.

"Feeling better?" She asked, before being cut off by another sneeze. She opened her eyes to see Jake looking devastated.

"Oh, gadzooks, Janey, I got you sick, didn't I?" He asked guiltily. Jane just glanced away, smiling sheepishly.

"I guess so." She said quietly, partly out of embarrassment, partly out of a sore throat. She coughed deeply as Jake felt her forehead.

"Oh, jumoing jehosa phats, Janey, I'm sorry!" He cried, grabbing her in a sudden hug. Jane gulped in surprise, but lifted her arms to hug him back.

"It's not your fault, Jakey." She said. Jake pulled back to look at her, a fierce light in his eyes.

"No, I got you sick, so I'm going to get you better again, alright?" He said. He leaped up and dashed into the kitchen, enthusiastic as ever, with a boisterous "Back in a jiffy!" over his shoulder. Jane smiled and leaned back. Maybe, for once, being sick wasn't going to be a bad thing.

---

So there! Fluffy fluffy fluff-fluff! Now it's Jane's turn! Also, protective John and mischievous Roxy, always fun! Hope you enjoy!

[SpamKey]

Yaaaaaaaaay I'm making more!

---

Jake rushed around the kitchen, not really even doing anything yet. He wanted to help Jane feel better, since it was kind of his fault she was sick, and after she had been nice enough to let him stay with her, too, but he honestly had no idea what to do to fix a cold. Dirk had taken care of him several times, but Dirk's immune system was almost inhuman; he never got sick enough to justify Jake taking care of him. Thinking about Dirk gave Jake a pang of regret. He hoped it wouldn't be a friendship-ruining breakup. They had been mature about it, but still... It was a physical impossibility for there not to be awkardness after a breakup of any sort.

Jake thought back to how Jane had taken care of him instead. There was soup, sitting by his bed, talking, movies... Oh yeah, and medicine. Those parts were kind of blurry, though. He had begun to suspect that she had used the nighttime version to drug him up. All the sleeping was probably why he was feeling so much better. His nose was still clogged, and his lungs felt a bit gunked-up, but his throat had stopped hurting and he wasn't sneezing and coughing every two seconds anymore, plus his fever was gone.

On a hunch, Jake checked the fridge; as he suspected, leftover soup. He got out two bowls after rummaging around in the cupboards to find them, and microwaved two servings of soup for them both. He got water and found the bottle of cold medicine--sleepy time, only partially to get her back for that--and found the daytime cold meds for himself. While the soup was heating up, Jake rushed back out to the living room to give Jane the meds.

"Here, this'll help..." He said, pouring out the medicine. Jane smiled weakly and drank, coughing slightly when she was finished.

"Th-thanks, Jake." She said, shivering. Jake cursed himself.

"Oh I must be dumb as a bag of penny candy!" He muttered, grabbing up all his blankets and wrapping Jane in them, fussing until they were just right.

"Jake--" Jane cut off, sneezing. "Really, you don't need to--"

"No, Jane, you took care of me, and christ on a motorbike, I'm going to take care of you!" Jake said fiercely. The microwave dinged, and he jumped, rushing back to the kitchen, missing Jane's giggle.

Jake soon came back out to the living room, balancing two bowls of soup and two cups of tea he'd whipped up on a tray, setting up their impromptu lunch on the coffee table, which he brought right up against the couch for convenience' sake.

"Thanks for doing this, Jake." Jane said, taking her bowl. "But are you sure you're feeling better? I mean, you were pretty sick." She sneezed again as she said this.

"Aces!" Jake said, shooting double pistols and a wink, causing Jane to giggle again. "But really, Janey, don't worry about me! Just focus on getting better, I'm not leaving until I'm sure you're right as rain, promise!"

Jane smiled weakly. "Good." She murmured, but Jake didn't quite hear it. He turned on the TV--Jane requested a "Pioneer Woman" episode she had recorded, since it had a pie recipe that she really wanted to try some time--but barely made it five minutes after she finished her soup before falling asleep. She slumped sideways onto Jake's shoulder, leaving Jake sitting there, wondering if he should do something.

He decided he didn't mind--whatever was comfortable--and let her stay there. Now that he wasn't drugged up on cold medicine, he could enjoy the television (it was hardly Lara Croft, but still) and switched it to some old, black-and-white movie when the episode was finished. He glanced down as Jane snored lightly, smiling at how cute she looked. He blinked at that thought.

He knew Jane had once had a crush on him, and maybe once upon a time Jake might have reciprocated. But then the whole thing with Dirk happened--and the whole... Incident. Jake really had loved Dirk, but it just wasn't working out, due to problems on both sides. Both Jake and Dirk had grown up more or less void of human contact; for Dirk that meant that he sought out human contact wherever possible. For Jake, that meant that he needed his alone time, more than most people. It seemed weird, considering their respective personalities, that Dirk would be the one craving attention and Jake would be the occasional introvert, but there it was. That had been the main issue; neither could give what the other needed. If Jake was a little more tolerant, if Dirk was a little more patient, it might have worked out. But the fact of the matter was they weren't, and little things like that can make all the difference in a relationship.

But Jane... Jake had tried not to think about the issues with Jane. It was simply too embarrassing for him. How had he gone that long, completely oblivious to her feelings for him? And after that whole... Incident, he hadn't had the courage to face the fact that he had screwed up big time. He still didn't have the courage. Or he thought he didn't...

But would Jane even still be interested in him? Even after all he had done, or more importantly, hadn't done? The thought seemed too crazy to contemplate. But still... It might just be worth a shot?

Jake had once heard Roxy say that the problem between him and Jane was that neither was willing to make the first move, for fear of being rejected. Jake still didn't feel ready to make a move; especially so soon after his breakup with Dirk. He didn't think Dirk was the type to get all fussy about "proper grieving periods" for relationships, but Jake just didn't feel confident enough to do it. He had just broken up with his long time boyfriend. He needed some time.

Jane murmured something in her sleep, smiling and wrapping her arms around him. Jake chuckled weakly, adjusting himself to a less awkward position without waking her up. She was kind of adorable, with her mussed-up hair, slightly bucked teeth, lopsided glasses, and sleepy grin.

Just when Jake had started to doze of, a surprised "Oh!" roused him.

"What? What is it?" He asked, half expecting to see a robber or something similar. But the room was empty.

"Oh, it's just--" Jane broke off, sneezing. She extracted herself from under Jake's arm. "N-nothing." She squeaked.

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, confused. "I half expected to see us beset upon by villains."

"Yup!" Jane said quickly. "A-okay!" She coughed again, a longer fit than previously. Jake, concerned, leaned closer and rubbed her back.

"You alright, Janey?" He asked when she'd finished. She nodded dazedly, turning away to sneeze a few times. Frowning, Jake felt her forehead.

"Alright." He said firmly, gently easing her up. "Bed time for you. I could fry a half-dozen eggs on your head."

"Please don't." Jane murmured. Jake laughed, helping her up the stairs and into bed, before running back down to grab the blankets. Once she was all wrapped up, she looked like she was about to fall asleep again, but before she did, she said, "Jake, you look tired."

Jake felt tired, too, but Jane was getting sicker and Jake was on the mend, so he merely smiled and said, "I'm spiffing, Jane, don't worry--"

"Come on, just lie down with me." Jane muttered, already half asleep. She shifted sideways and patted the bed. "Please?"

Jake froze, blushing. There was no way this was proper, but... Well, she looked so cute and sleepy... And it was her house, it wouldn't be proper of him to deny a request...

"A-alright." Jake stammered. He eased his way beneath the covers, gingerly settling into a comfortable position. He tensed up slightly as Jane, feverish and already half asleep again, snuggled up next to him. Jake considered pulling back to a more acceptable distance, but she was still shivering and felt feverish... He didn't want to wake her up, and if this kept her warm...

Eventually, Jake drifted off to sleep, and awoke to a squealing "Oh shucks buster!"

---

Hehehe... I think it's going to get awkward >