hangman meets 'thena
wc: 1.7k
synopsis: word is, there's a new pilot on board carrier air wing nine, and she flies for the VFA-14, the Tophatters.
main masterlist
athena-verse master post
a/n: the highly requested hangman and athena meet blurb, let me know what else you'd like to see from this universe, especially things that exist outside the storyline. or even if you just want more of certain characters. This serves as a precursory understanding to Jake and Athena, it probably doesn't answer every question about them, but it might help you see their foundation a bit better. but special shoutout to @djs8891 @tgmreader @rory-cakes and @fanreader75 for asking specifically about hangman and athenas dynamic (mentions at the end as well)
You’d heard of him, everyone active had. The only active aviator with a confirmed kill, never mind that your dad had two.
Hangman was exactly what you expected if you were honest.
Phoenix, who had taken an instant liking to you as soon as you’d been reassigned to the Tophatters, had filled you in on all the Lemoore gossip. Phoenix flew with the VFA-41, the Black Aces, also based out of Lemoore, and in fact, on the same carrier as you, Commander, Carrier Air Wing Nine. Her first order of business was getting you caught up on the carrier, that included learning the players, and while she was happy to introduce you to different Naval officers, the only one she warned against was Hangman.
Someone really should have told her that at your core, you were your father’s daughter.
Let it be known, you did not go looking for him. He appeared in all his Ken Doll Aviator glory as you were doing a morning check on your F/A 18E. Apparently he also flew an F/A 18E, ‘Nix on the other hand had an F/A 18F, as she normally flew with a WSO.
He approached, full of cocky attitude, and maybe it was all the years being raised by both Ice and Mav, but when he spoke it was like you could understand him just as fluently as you did with them. You could see where Nat was coming from with “honestly, Athena, Hangman in two words? Texan Douchewad.”
“Well, Howdy, darlin’, scuttlebutt was that there was a new girl on board, glad to meet you, name’s Hangman,” was his introduction.
You couldn’t help the smirk when he said girl, “Isn’t the hallmark of a proper southern boy, that he’s, well, proper?” you shoot back, eye brow quirked. “I’m a woman, not a girl.”
It was fun, watching the way his smirk melted, how his brow furrowed, as he tried to catch up.
“You-”
“Phoenix gave me a run down, but to be honest, I’ve always preferred forming my own perceptions,” you shrug, as you continue your check.
As you brush past him, you aren’t surprised to hear him following after you. “Ah, so my reputation precedes me then?” he muses, and you can see the way he uses his charm and humor to cover, a shield of bravado, too bad he didn’t realize you were raised by bravado.
“Not exactly, though I did see your plaque at Top Gun, to be fair, I saw Phoenix’s too,” you shrug again.
“So you’re the fresh blood, huh?” he prompts, and finally you turn and smile at him.
“I guess fresh blood is better than being called new girl. Name’s Athena, you’d do well to use it,” you tell him, smile in place.
“Athena? As in th4e Greek goddess of war and wisdom?” he asks, brows furrowed down.
“That’s the one,” you nod, moving to check the landing gear.
“Athena as in, the Naval Aviator who climbed through the ranks and had two separate stations before she went to Top Gun?” he follows up and you turn.
You turn to face Hangman, and now your brows are pulled, “How’d you know that?”
“I keep tabs on things that pique my interest,” he shrugs, and your lip curls on the end. “Rumor was you had Admirals arguing over who got you under their command…”
“Nice to meet you Hangman,” you decide finally, climbing back from under the plane, and offering him your hand.
“Pleasure’s mine, Miss Athena,” he smirks back. “It true your old man flew too?” he tacks the question on as he shakes your hand.
You can see it in his eyes, nepotism, you know it’s where is brain’s gone. It’s like you couldn’t escape it, everyone assumed that’s how you got as far as you have, as quick as you have. They were wrong.
“Yeah, mostly f-14s though, nothing with the juice of my baby,” you straight up lie, so what if your dad was still flying? So what if he was probably flying f/a-18s or something experimental? No one but you needed the specifics, and you’re pretty sure it wouldn’t help you fight against the nepo-baby claims. Too bad no one realized how much of a detriment being attached to Maverick actually was. It made most of the higher ups uneasy about taking you on, unsure if you’d inherited your father’s need for speed and reckless streak, you had, but you were just better than him at keeping it in check, if Ice taught you anything, it was that — “ice cold, kiddo, no mistakes.”
“Must’ve been nice, having a leg up like that,” he’s still smiling as he talks down at you.
You match his smile and catch the flicker of confusion in his eyes as you walk up closer to him. “It was, see, it prepared me for a lifetime of dealing with cocky naval aviators and their inflated sense of bubble wrap bravado.”
“That all?” he presses, staring down at you, the two of you now face to face, staring hard at each other, but you caught the little twitch of his eye at your term.
“No,” you smirk before turning and walking away, “but I’ve got a hop to prep for, see you around Hangman.”
…
He finds you in the Mess later that day. You’d just returned from morning drills with your squad, and was eating with Phoenix.
“Ladies,” he greets, setting his own tray down in the seat opposite you.
“And I’ve officially lost my appetite,” Phoenix decided, standing up. “Athena, I’ll catch you later, I’d say it’s nice to see you, Bagman, but we know better,” she states, grabbing her tray, patting your shoulder and walking away.
“You sure know how to clear a room, Hangman,” you note, eyes flicking to Phoenix over Hangman’s shoulder, Nat was clearing her tray and pauses to look back and roll her eyes dramatically as she looks at Hangman’s back.
Your lip twitches and you lift your glass of water to cover up the smile threatening to split your lips.
“Bubble wrap bravado,” Hangman repeats back to you, echoing your statement from yesterday.
“What about it?” you challenge.
“Explain it to me,” it’s not a question, not in how it’s phrased, but you understand that he is asking.
“Protective to an extent, easier to pop than you think, so long as you apply the pressure properly. Problem is, everyone knows when it does, it’s usually a bit loud,” you explain, and he seems so incredibly focused on you.
You didn’t mind the hyper-focus though, you’d coined the term a long time ago. It had originally been for a different boy, one with a temper, but who you’d watched grow up. Ice had thought it an apt descriptor, he’d even taken it to describe a few officer’s he’d interacted with over the years.
“Hmm,” he hums, eyes glued to yours.
“You disagree?” you ask.
“No. I think you hit it on the head,” he admits and your lips curl up just the slightest bit, at least he seemed honest… cock sure and stubborn too, but honest.
“A naval aviator for a father was a lot of things, Hangman,” you admit, hesitating for a moment, deciding how much you wanted to say. “It was limited time, and firm goodbyes. It was getting behind a yoke for the first time when I was 12. It was learning ranks at the same time I was learning how to do multiplication,” you say, and you study how his expression changed which each revelation. “Having a Naval Aviator for a father might have given me a home field advantage, but that’s all it did. The rest, the wings, the assignments, I earned those,” you tell him seriously.
“Sure you did,” he nods along condescendingly, but his eyes betray his curiosity, and for now, that was enough for you.
You smile again at him, though this time it is a bit sour. “You don’t believe me, that’s fine, fair even, to be skeptical. But you should know, you’re gonna eat crow when you realize how wrong you were,” you tell him seriously, before standing up with your plate and glass, and walking away.
…
You get your chance to prove him wrong just a few days later when the Tophatters get assigned to a drill with both of the other squadrons on board the carrier, the Black Aces, and the Vigilantes. Meaning both Nat and Jake are in the air with you.
After is the first time Jake looks at you with something other than cocky contempt. As if seeing you fly up close resolved some of his concerns, but there’s still something there. He was waiting for the other shoe, too bad no one told him that you’d had both feet firmly on the ground since you signed your life to the Unites States Naval Services.
You get paired with him about a month and a half later for a cover assignment for an emergency evac of a SEAL team.
Normally assignments were set within squads, but it was an emergency evac and the carrier was docked. You and Jake had been the closest to the carrier at the time who were qualified, and so you were the two who were sent off. You flew south into South America, and while a lot of the details were later labeled as redacted, Jake never questioned your ability after. Nor should he. You saved his life.
He did however decide that meant you were friends, much to the immense annoyance of one Natasha Trace.
Considering the entire mission had been classified and redacted, you weren’t able to explain a lot of it to her, but when Jake started choosing his words a little more carefully she did her best not to start anything either. When he started sitting with you in the mess, she eyed him carefully. And when he started following you around in any downtime that lined up, she kept her mouth shut.
She found a new case study in the two of you, the outward and obvious differences between Hangman with Athena, and Hangman without. Her eyes jumping from how easily you let your guard down with him, and how utterly soft Hangman could be when he thought no one was paying attention.
Natasha, to her credit, had tried, desperately tried, to get more information out of you regarding your budding friendship, but all you would ever offer was a simple, “people tend to be more complex than what meets the eye, ‘Nix, I’m proof of that. So is he, and so are you.”
She decided then and there, you had way too much tact and patience, and maybe, just maybe, that was what Hangman needed.
...
everything: @butterfly-skinnylegend
athena’s tags: @omgbrianab @smoothdogsgirl @bazellawriz @sbrewer21 @inky-sun @djs8891 @rory-cakes @geeksareunique @je6291 @whoismurphyslaw @kee-0-kee @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @thespillingvoid @youdontknowe @burningcoffeecupp @mrsevans90
...
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player!killer and anomaly!dust
since these ideas have been invading my brain lately, i feel like i need to ramble about the toxic (doomed) kist potential they have.
imagine the game world of dusttale trying to correct itself ever since the anomaly/virus that is killer entered it. so things in the world start to glitch and don't make sense. a character repeats their lines over and over without stopping. shortcuts stop working properly. character stats inexplicably get messed up. goners start appearing to warn dust and killer about the end of the world. it's nearing its doomed timeline trajectory, and yet dust will not give up trying to salvage his universe. in his mind, there's one surefire way to get everything back to normal: exterminate the virus that is killer.
dust and killer (and the goners and the almagamates) are not affected by the glitches because they are anomalies, glitches detached from the world already. to killer, this means enlightenment and freedom. he doesn't understand dust's attachment to the underground, his dogmatic beliefs about justice and the greater good for the monsters. doesn't dust want to ascend to be something "real", rather than the npcs that the rest of the monsters are? doesn't he want to escape from the control of the player? why would he want to obey to the whims of a dying, boring, constricting world anyway? if dust can't see it, then killer will make him see.
the thing is, dust is a difficult monster to persuade. sure, killer can kill him again and again (chances are 50/50 on who will win anyway). but dust always bounces back, more vindicated in his retaliation and belief that killer needs to be gone. the thing is, when you want to break someone down, you need to be the thing they fear the most. killer is already that, isn't he? he's a future of a sans, of dust's own past. this is what dust could have become. killer is what dust has become - a sans doing the work of the no-mercy player.
"aren't you bored of doing the same thing over and over again? aren't you crazy from repeating all these useless cycles only to reach the same conclusion again and again?... oh wait, you already are!"
and dust - what can he say to all that? is it true? is it not? who cares - the only satisfaction he can have is wiping that smirk off that face. killer knows intimately beings like dust - not only because they were the same person at some point, but also because dust is a control freak with a savior complex as well as survivor's guilt. deep down inside, dust cannot fathom losing. he has poured too much, sacrificed too much, to get this far. and he won't stop - not until he reaches his happy ending, which will never come. so he'll forever be stuck down here, repeating his worst nightmares again and again in a hell of his own making.
the only variable in dust's life is killer. gradually, dust treats killing other monsters as a job - an important yet thankless job that someone has to do. the only kill in which he feels something is of his brother... and killer. with killer, dust is filled with something - maybe it's joy, maybe it's hate, it's hard to tell when apathy is his usual state.
and the thing is, the opposite of love isn't hate. it's the lack of love - it's apathy. he feels something for killer - an attachment, an obsession, a possessiveness. "only i get to kill him", "he's my kill", that's what dust thinks. he rationalizes that thinking of course - killer reminds of him too much of himself, the person he hates the most. but there's that fear every time he kills killer - fear that killer will never come back, leaving dust with his empty broken world and voices in his head. and he fears killer will know it, somehow.
for killer, it's always a game to see who's the winner and who's the loser. it's a struggle for control, with the controller and the controlled. and with the player gone, dust should belong to him now. an eternal playmate, after everyone else has disappeared from his life. and like, it's totally therapeutic to beat up and mess with the guy who reminds you of yourself, right? totally not a self-esteem issue waiting to be explored or anything at all. it's funny how much they match. "look, we both wear red!" exclaims killer as he points to his own red soul and dust's red iris. determination pulls them together, and determination will break one of them in the end, and it's not going to be him. he'll persevere once this world rots away, while dust will be trapped by his own volition.
maybe, just maybe, he'll whisk dust away once the end comes. and they'll find another playground to re-enact their play again. killer will take and take and take, until all they are is dust.
Oh, I will ruin you
It's a habit - I can't help it
I will only break your pretty things
I will only wring you dry of everything
And if you're fine with that
If you're fine with that
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footballers reacting to a younger player calling them dad (long as hell version)
anon requested it n so it shall be!! ngl for some a the teams i simply googled "youngest player on INSERTTEAMHERE." ive never written formal fic for football so i apologize for this being iffy n also for the SHITTON of innacuracies theres bound to be. oh n also that everyone talks like a twenty year old american college student
leo:
"Thanks, dad," Warren said nonchalantly as Leo helped him up off the ground. He had stumbled a little and fell during the last part of training.
Leo only narrowed his eyes a little in response. Dad?
Poor Warren clasped a hand over his mouth, seemingly mortified. "I'm so sorry," he said, chuckling even though he didn't look like he found anything funny. "I guess I just- And then- Yeah I'll, uh, get going now." He scampered away not once looking back.
Leo got to thinking as me made his way back to the locker room. He's used to being called that; he has children of his own. But he's never considered a teammate of his as his own child. Sure, he was helpful, a mentor maybe, but fatherly wasn't how he would describe his behavior with his younger teammates.
There was only one thing to do, obviously. Ask a younger teammate.
When he got to the locker room he approached Neymar, who didn't notice him at first.
"Ney."
His friend's face brightened upon noticing Leo was there. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked, before taking a swig of water.
"Do you see me as a father figure?"
In response, Leo was met with Neymar choking and coughing. "NO, GOD NO-" he stopped to cough again and catch his breath. "WHAT GAVE YOU THAT IDEA?"
"Nothing, jeez, calm down."
---
ney:
"Woah, not like that, you could hurt yourself," Neymar told Bitshiabu. He was doing an new training excercise incorrectly, and the last thing PSG needed was a good player pulling or straining something.
Neymar took a minute to show him how to do it properly. "Thanks, dad," the seventeen year old said sarcastically. Despite the snark, he appreciated the help.
Neymar just laughed in response, but for the rest of traning the thought kept bouncing around in the back of his head. 'Dad? I was acting like a dad? Some of them see me as old enough to be their father?'
Well, he was a father, but that was different. His teammates were much older than Davi.
Oh, gosh, was he getting old?
Later in training, when he saw Leo, he grabbed the poor man by the shoulders without so much as a hello. "Leo. Do you think I'm getting old?"
In classic Leo fashion, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere than here, interacting with someone. "Well, technically we all are... You're older now than you were yesterday, so I guess you are get-"
Neymar let out an exasperated sigh, unhappy with that answer.
His next victim was Sergio, who's phone conversation he interrupted to ask him the question of the day.
"Do you think I'm getting old?"
"You interrupted my conversation with Lukita to ask me if-"
"JUST ANSWER."
"SURE, I GUESS. I DON'T CARE."
Damn. Neymar was gonna have to get hammered tonight. To prove he still has it in him.
---
milly:
"What about you, Milly? Any fun weekend plans?" Andy asked. Some of the team were talking about the plans they had for the free weekend they had coming up.
"You bet; I have a date with my new book and chamomile tea."
This earned him a few eye rolls, most noticably from Trent. "Aw, that's so boring! Robbo and I are hitting this new club Saturday night, aren't we, mate?" he reached across the kitchen island to fist bump his friend. "Surely you've got something more fun in mind."
"I might fire up the grill if the weather allows..." Milly started. "Oh, and I should probably get my car checked out; it's been making this weird noise."
"Yeah yeah, we get it, dad, you're boring."
Milly didn't hesitate. "I am nowhere near old enough to be your dad," he said with his typical snark.
"You do act like it though..." the previously quiet Alisson chimed in, peering at his friends from over his coffee mug.
"And you're no spring chicken either," Milly remarked, which shut the goalkeeper up. "Will you lot ever get bored of the 'James is old' joke?"
"Aw, don't be like that, mate," Andy said with a hearty laugh, putting an arm around Milly's neck and ruffling his hair. "You know it's just because we love you!"
Milly sighed. Yeah, he did know, he supposed.
---
kdb:
"I mean," Alvarez said between passes. "You're practically his dad."
Kevin rolled his eyes for what was probably the third time during that conversation.
"Ah, shove it, you know I'm not that old."
"It's not about age," his younger teammate responds, accepting the ball Kevin passed to him. "You're always like... I dunno, dadish."
Kevin just gave Alvarez an absolutely bewildered look. "...Are you actually saying these words?"
"I'm serious, mate! You're always, y'know, taking him out for ice cream after training, making sure he gets home safe, whatever that means-"
Kevin brought up a hand to rub his temple. "Oh my gosh, I don't see him as my kid. Can't I just be nice?"
"No."
"Shove off," Kevin said playfully.
An amused grin crossed Alvarez's face. "Speak of the devil."
Kevin turned to see Erling walking up to the pair.
"Hey guys!" Erling said with a polite wave, and Alvarez waved back.
"You need anything?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah, actually," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you think you can give me a ride home after training? Jack drove me but he had to leave early."
"Of course, no problem," he replied without hesitation, and clapped a hand on Erling's shoulder for seemingly no reason.
Erling nodded happily in response. "Thank you, dad!" he said with a bright smile, before walking away as if what he said was completely normal.
It was taking everything Alvarez had in him to not start rolling on the ground with laughter. "What was that about not being his dad?"
"Shaddup."
---
luka:
It was actually Luka who started it.
Everyone entered the locker room very happy, fresh off a 44th minute goal from Rodrygo that had earned them the lead. The young player received hugs and claps on the back from pretty much every player. The attention was well deserved; the goal was a beauty, after all.
One of the last players to congratulate him was Luka. "Good job, hijo!" he said, hugging his teammate. "You were brilliant out there!"
"Gracias, papa," Rodrygo said, casual, even though he had never called him that before. "But it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't set me up for it!"
"Aw, aren't you the sweetest," said Luka, smiling proudly as he ruffled up Rodrygo's short hair beyond repair.
Rodrygo reached up in a futile attempt to fix his hair, and even though it wasn't said out loud, he got the feeling that he could call Luka that anytime he wanted.
---
luis:
Training had long since ended, and everyone was in the locker room, gathering their belongings and talking amongst themselves.
Luis and Kauan had been making small talk, with Luis telling his youngest teammate about some of his exploits and giving him some pointers.
"Y'know," Kauan eventually said. "You kinda remind me of my dad!"
Luis immediately burst into laughter, but it was out of genuine joy rather than condescension.
"Oh yeah?" he asked, not bothering to wait for an answer. "I'm not that old, kiddo. Now would your dad do THIS?"
Before his teammate could respond, Luis had taken Kauan into a light, non-painful chokehold n given him the strongest noogie he could muster, sending Kauan into a fit of giggling.
When Luis had mercy on the kid and let him go, Kauan needed a minute to catch his breath and compose himself.
Kuan gave Luis a sly grin. "Y'know, my dad does that to me all the time!"
"Damnit."
---
lewa:
It wasn't Gavi's day. Or his week, and it wasn't shaping out to be his month, for that matter.
He didn't know what was wrong; he just wasn't playing like his normal self these past few games. But the crushing blow was this game in particular, when he was subbed off in the first half due to his performance.
The atmosphere in the locker room after the game was still positive, however, as they had won. But Gavi wasn't participating in the celebrating and joking. He had changed and was just sitting by his locker, just... thinking. He hated sulking like this. He felt like he was being dramatic. Maybe he should go.
He didn't notice someone had approached him until he heard his voice.
"Gavi?" Robert asked, voice laced with concern. "What're you doing here all by yourself?"
The younger player just shrugged, blinking away tears that definitely weren't forming.
"May I?" Robert asked, gesturing to the spot next to Gavi on the bench.
Gavi just muttered a quiet "yeah," and Robert sat closely next to him.
Robert took a good look at Gavi, and for a moment he was reminded of his girls.
"You don't seem to be too happy with yourself," the man said.
"Can you blame me?" Gavi asked, trying not to sound sarcastic.
"Well, I understand. But I don't think you should be so hard on yourself," he put an arm around the young player. "You're talented, Gavi, and you're only going to get better from here. You just had a few rough weeks; it's not permanent. And I'm saying that because I really believe it." He smiled warmly at the young man.
Gavi would be lying if he said he didn't feel just a little bit better. He found himself resting his head on the other's shoulder.
"Thank you, dad. I mean- shit, I-"
Robert just chuckled in response. "It's ok, really, I'm honored," he said, holding the other just a little tighter.
---
sergio:
"Hey, dad? Do you-" Vini shut his mouth quickly after he realized what he had just said.
Sergio was on him before the young player could even apologize. "I'm sorry?" he asked, feeling kind enough to at least give the young player a chance to explain himself.
"I don't know, I guess I just got my wires crossed, or something-"
"I thought so. Just don't let it happen again," Sergio said, sounding less angry and more just... irritated. And with that, he left.
Much later in the day, Sergio found himself at Luka's place eating dinner with his teammate, as was pretty much tradition after training.
"Y'know," the team captain said between bites of what Luka made him. "Those kids of ours are really improving. I mean, they were always talented but, y'know..."
Luka just smiled and kept his thoughts to himself. He knew if he made mention of Sergio referring to the young players as their kids, he'd deny it faster than you could say Madrid.
---
pep:
"Don't overwork yourself, Cole, I don't want you getting hurt," Pep said to the young player. It was Cole's first training back after recovering from an injury, so he was prone to hurting himself again.
"Sure thing, dad," Cole said sarcastically.
Pep simply blinked at the young man. He had been managing a long time and had been called many things by all his players over the years. But this was definitely a first for "dad."
After a few seconds of silence, Cole could tell that his attempt at a joke was not well received. He simply stared at the man staring back at him, waiting for whatever stupid prize awaited, and kind of hoping he would just die right now.
"Laps."
Cole's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Hm?"
"Laps."
"Uh... don't you think that's too exerting? You just said I should take it e-"
"Laps!"
And without another word, Cole took off running. It wasn't until three laps in that he realized he never asked how many of these things he should do.
Shit.
---
klopp:
"We've won our last five matches," Darwin said.
"And it's raining outside, so traning will be, uh... Not as good," chimed in Harvey.
"And we promise to train extra hard tomorrow! Don't we, lads?" Cody asked, turning to his teammates, who nodded furiously in response.
"I still don't know if you can afford to miss it; training every day is important," Jurgen told the boys. There was a new movie out that the boys wanted to forego traning to go and see. Rather than sending one person to him to be The Negotiator, the boys thought it was better to approach him with their request all at once.
"But papaaaaaa!!" damn near all of the teammates chimed at once.
Jurgen clenched his expensive-ass teeth. These boys always knew how to get to him. He loved being reminded that they loved him and saw them as a father, as someone to be trusted and depended upon. He couldn't even remember when they started calling him that.
He loud out a long, overly-dramatic sigh.
"Fine."
In return, he received a chorus of cheers. An onlooker would think these boys just watched their teammate win them a penalty shootout.
In no time at all he was swarmed with hugs and "thank you, papa"s from too many of the boys to count.
The boys all stopped at the door when they saw their gaffer wasn't following them.
"Aren't you coming?" Alisson asked, eyes kind and welcoming.
"Do you want me to?" questioned Jurgen, looking at his boys' faces for signs of approval. Most of them just rolled their eyes at the suggestion that they didn't want him to join them.
Alisson approached him, took him by the arm, and dragged him to the door himself, Jurgen laughing while following him.
"Of course we do, papa."
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