Chapter Text
Rosa, Jake and Ryan were hanging out at a bar, standing around drinking beers and laughing at their dumb jokes. It had been a long, strenuous day of drills, and the three needed to blow off some steam.
“Hey, so…I have something to tell you guys,” Rosa said, trying to act like she wasn’t nervous.
“What’s up?” Ryan asked.
“Well…I’ve met this really cute girl, and we’re going on a date this weekend. Just thought I should let you guys know I’m bisexual.”
“What? You’re a dyke? Ha, good one, Rosa!” Ryan said, laughing.
“No, I’m being serious,” Rosa said, expression darkening.
“Thanks for telling us, Rosa. I accept you. And Ryan, please don’t use that word, especially when it’s directed at somebody,” Jake said, frowning.
“You’re okay with this, seriously? You’re okay that our friend is a fucking faggot?” he spat, face flushing a deep red.
“Quit talking to her like that, man!” Jake yelled. “And yeah, I am perfectly okay with her being bi.”
Rosa’s eyes pooled with tears, and she tried desperately to choke them back.
“I…I’m gonna go,” she said quietly, and grabbed her jacket and left.
“Rosa, wait!” Jake called after her, but she hurried out of the busy bar. “You better fucking apologise to her tomorrow, Ryan.”
“No way in hell I’m going to apologise to that faggot. It’s her who should be apologising, for lying to us about what she is.”
“When the fuck did she lie to us?” Jake asked, incredulous.
“Every day she didn’t tell us the truth about what she is. I need to know what kind of people I’m around.”
“Are you fucking hearing yourself right now, you dick? Rosa didn’t and doesn’t owe us any personal information about herself. Be grateful she felt like she could fucking open up to you in the first place. Congrats on destroying her fucking trust.”
Enraged, Jake stormed off. Once the cool night air hit his face, his eyes began adjusting to the dark, and he started to search for Rosa. She was nowhere to be seen on the street, so Jake sped off in the direction of her apartment, seriously worried for her. She’d hinted at experiencing some mental health issues previously, and he feared her safety was in jeopardy. He’d never seen Rosa express any kind of sadness before in public, even when they’d dealt with some gnarly shit, so the crying was not a good sign.
He reached her building and raced up the stairs two at a time, and then banged on her apartment door.
“Rosa? Rosa? Let me in, Rosa, please!” he called.
Hearing no movement inside, he pulled out the key he had. Reluctantly, Rosa had agreed to swap keys with him - on the strict understanding that it would only be used in emergencies - just in case something happened to either of them in the line of duty. Confident this would be deemed an ‘emergency’, Jake opened the door.
“Rosa? It’s Jake. Where are you?” he called.
Seeing light peek out from under the bathroom door, Jake rushed to it.
Inside, Rosa lay slumped against the sink, eyes closed, open wounds covering her forearm. An empty packet of pills and an empty bottle of whiskey lay abandoned next to her.
“Rosa! Rosa, can you hear me?” he yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.
Rosa mumbled something, and Jake let out a breath. She was still alive.
“Rosa, come on, I need you to throw up for me. Can you do that?” he asked, slapping her cheek gently.
“Mmm…can’t,” she moaned.
“Come on, yes you can.”
Jake hauled her upwards and over to the toilet, where she knelt and he held back her hair, rubbing her back. After coughing and gagging for a few minutes, Rosa started to throw up, shuddering as she vomited the entire contents of her stomach - including the pills and whiskey - into the toilet bowl. When she was finally done, she collapsed backwards into Jake’s lap, wiping her hand on the back of her mouth, and started to sob.
“Oh, Rosa, it’s okay, I promise you,” Jake said, wrapping her arms around her.
Rosa cried in his lap for a while, clinging tightly onto him. When she had nothing left to cry, she shakily stood up, limbs wobbling.
“Water. I need water,” she rasped.
“I’ll help you to the couch, and get you some water,” Jake said softly.
“Okay.”
Jake guided her to the couch, handing her a glass of cool water.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Don’t chug it.”
He quickly threw the empty pill packets and whiskey bottle in the trash, and wiped over the bathroom floor and toilet with cleaning spray. Finding the razor blade Rosa had used in the sink, he washed the blood off and slipped it into his wallet - he’d get rid of it in a sharps bin later. Opening the medicine cabinet, he found antiseptic wipes and bandages, and headed back to the living room.
“This is gonna sting,” Jake said.
“I don’t care,” Rosa replied.
She barely even flinched as Jake wiped over the angry red cuts, old white scars staring him in the face. Carefully, he wrapped a bandage around her arm, and then wrapped his arms around her again.
“I’m sorry you had to see that. You should’ve just left me.”
“Left you to die? Come off it, Diaz.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, voice thick.
“Don’t be sorry.”
“I just…I just felt like I couldn’t do it anymore. I hated myself for so long for liking women, and it’s only really in the last few months that I’ve got comfortable with my sexuality. But to hear Ryan say those horrible things…just set me right back. I felt like killing myself was my only option.”
“It’s never your only option, Rosa. For every dickhead like Ryan in the world, there’s so many people that love you. I love and support you unconditionally.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you want me to go?”
“I don’t want to be alone tonight. Which is lame, but anyway. Could you stay?”
“Of course I can. Do you want me to sleep on the couch?”
“Can you come to bed with me?”
“Sure I can. Come on, I’ll help you brush your teeth.”
“There’s a spare toothbrush under the sink that you can use.”
“Thanks.”
Jake and Rosa brushed their teeth, and then crawled into Rosa’s bed.
“Do you want to cuddle?” Jake asked.
“Yeah.”
Rosa settled under his chin, snuggling into him. His strong arms wrapped around her were so comforting.
“This is platonic, okay? Don’t be weird,” Rosa said.
“Of course. You’re like a sister to me.”
“And tell no one about this. The cuddling and, you know, me trying to kill myself.”
“Consider me sworn to secrecy,” Jake said.
They lay there quietly for a while, holding each other.
“You know…I was really scared, for a bit. I thought you were gonna die, Rosa,” Jake whispered.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise. Do you think…maybe we should go to the hospital? Just to make sure you’re okay.”
“Jake, I’ve been through this more times than I care to admit. If you throw up that fast after an overdose you’re absolutely fine, I promise you.”
“That’s what someone who wanted to trick me so they could die would say.”
“1000 pushups I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, fine. But if you die, how would you do the 1000 pushups?”
“Good point,” Rosa said, laughing.
“I love you, Rosa.”
“I love you too, Jake.”
He kissed her forehead, and they fell asleep curled up together, Jake’s arms safely around her.
**
The next morning when Rosa’s alarm went off, she groaned, reaching for the bedside table to turn off the harsh beeping.
“Morning,” Jake said, yawning.
“Good morning, Jake.”
She sat up, running a hand through her messy hair.
“Thanks for being there for me, last night. I really needed somebody, so…thanks.”
“I’m always here for you, if you need me, Rosa.”
“Thanks, man.”
“No need to thank me.”
“Alrighty. I think I’m gonna speed home so I can change before we have to be at the academy. But if you don’t feel like being alone, I’m fine with yesterdays’ clothes.”
“Go home, Jake. I’ll be okay, I promise you.”
“Are you coming in today?”
“Yeah. If I just proceed as normal, then I’ll feel a lot better.”
“If you’re sure. Are you definitely okay to face Ryan?”
“As okay as I’ll ever be to see his ugly rat face again.”
Jake laughed.
“I’ll see you in a couple hours, alright?” Jake said, kissing her cheek and getting out of bed.
“See you later, Jake.”
**
Rosa waited outside the academy doors for Jake before heading in for a long morning of drills. She didn’t fancy facing Ryan alone, and felt a lot better protected with Jake by her side. Thankfully, he stayed well out of the way of the two of them, but Jake noticed his eyes keep shifting over to them.
After absolutely rinsing Jake at all the drills, Rosa seemed to brighten up a little more. When the two parted to go into the respective changing rooms, she was laughing at her best friend’s usual antics.
Beginning to change in his usual spot in the corner of the changing room, Jake rolled his eyes when Ryan set up his stuff next to him.
“Crazy evening, huh?” he said, grinning.
“Yeah. Are you gonna apologise to Rosa?”
“Why did she run off like that? Crazy bitch,” he said, shaking his head.
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Jake said hotly.
“I’m disappointed, honestly, that such a sexy woman like that turned out to be a fag. You can’t blame me for wanting some of that,” he continued, making some lurid gestures. “I bet I could turn her, you know. One night with my magical dick and she’ll forget all about her weird homo desires.”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP, RYAN!” Jake yelled, punching him square in the face.
Reeling, Ryan stumbled back in horror.
“YOU DO NOT FUCKING TALK ABOUT WOMEN LIKE THAT, YOU PIECE OF ABSOLUTE FUCKING SHIT!”
The changing room fell completely still and silent, and Ryan righted himself, face purple with rage.
“Make sure you and that faggot fuck stay the hell away from me,” he said, walking away.
Everyone stared at Jake, but he continued to get changed, and then left the changing room.
Rosa was waiting for him outside, rolling back and forth anxiously on her heels.
“Hey, you took ages,” she said.
“Because I punched Ryan.”
“What?”
“He said more awful shit, so I punched him.”
“Jake, you idiot! They’re going to kick you out of the fucking academy!” Rosa hissed.
“I don’t care. I tried defending you with words, and it didn’t work. If I get kicked out for standing up for what I believe in, I don’t want to be here.”
“Jake, you didn’t have to do that for me.”
“I couldn’t sit around and let them say horrible misogynistic and homophobic things. Something had to be done about it, and guys respond best to violence.”
**
At the end of the day, Jake was called into the supervisor’s office, and he stayed in there a long time. Anxiously tapping her foot, Rosa waited outside for him.
As soon as the door opened, she stood up.
“What did they say?” she asked, heart rising in her throat.
“I’m not kicked out. And they said they can’t really punish me for it, because they have no proof I punched him. None of the guys will snitch, apparently. Everyone hates the suck-up shithead even more than they originally did now.”
“Oh, thank God.”
“I know right. Wanna get beers?”
“Sure,” Rosa said, grinning.