#Jake hangman Seresin

[overwhelmed-alien]

Jake keeps a weird looking chicken plushie in his truck and shakes it at people when they cut him off.

“MY BOYFRIEND WILL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!!”

*angrily shakes a chicken at them

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 163

*Bradley, bringing Jake home to meet his parents*

Jake: *Seeing Goose and realizing Bradley will always be hot no matter his age* Thank the lord

Carole: *Seeing the same look she had when she met Nick's parents for the first time* Amen

[butterflybuckethat]

Tiny Red Dress

Notes: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Fem!Reader (1.5k words)

(feel free to make requests but I make no promises!)

Summary: Jake asks for your help to make a girl jealous.

Warnings: None

🦋 Masterlist 🦋 Part II

Hangman needed something from you. He’d asked favors from you before—covering shifts, running errands, etc.—but none specifically because you were a woman. 

“You’re a girl, right?” He asked the morning after a particularly rough night at the Hard Deck. 

“Bad start, Seresin.” You had just left the locker room, hair damp and soaking into your t-shirt. He waited for you, still in his flight suit with his hair tousled from the helmet. There was no denying Jake was attractive, especially with his cheeks a little sunburnt. It sometimes felt as if he was specifically put on this Earth to test you, your own personal chiseled red apple. 

“Look, PJ” he started and extinguished all your goodwill. 

PJ was a call sign given to you during a particularly awkward game of 2 truths 1 lie when you revealed that after getting your pilot’s license as a teenager, you managed to swindle a bunch of rich people to pay you boatloads to fly them around California. It was supposed to stand for Private Jet but when he said it, you knew he meant Plain Jane. You heard him joke about it to the guys. 

You stepped around him, making your escape down the long hallway. But he followed, singing some sob story about some poor girl who wanted nothing to do with him after a one night stand. 

“Maybe you just weren’t that good,” you called behind your shoulder. 

He barely acknowledged your retort except for the smirk you could clearly hear in his voice, “Oh, it was good.”

“And you just want me to bear witness?” You were leaning against your car now, in the parking lot which he had followed you to.

“Wow, PJ. I didn’t realize you were into that sort of thing.”

“I just thought you needed reliable back-up with the guys since your “unbelievable” prowess is genuinely un-believable.”

He boxed you in, hands at either side of you, with that cocky smile still plastered on his face, “I want you to help me make her jealous.”

—

“Ha!” You practically snorted as you yanked your car door open forcing him back in the process. “Good one.”

But he blocked you from closing it, arms stretched wide. Jake was close enough now that you could smell his citrus aftershave mixed with jet engine fuel. “I’m serious.”

Your lips parted in surprise. 

“I asked Phoenix, but she wanted nothing to do with this.”

Every time you let him open the door a crack, he ended up slamming it in your face. 

“I’ll make it worth your while.” His tone was practically salacious. You understood how this worked on people, and even though you knew better something in you wanted to keep playing with him. Not that you had much of a choice. 

“How’s that?”

“You’ll get the male attention I’m sure you’ve been sorely lacking.”

“Bye, Jake!” You tried pulling your door shut but he prevented you, again. 

“Wait, wait!” He sighed, “Come on, I’ll do anything.”

You cocked a brow, “You handy with a drill?”

The following evening you received a text from Hangman: meet me at the bar in an hour. 

And then another immediately following: wear something hot. 

You had half a mind to show up in your sweats but as you looked around your newly bought condo with all your artwork and photographs sitting in their frames against the wall, you thought better of it. You wanted that gallery wall so badly and had been collecting the pieces for it for years but it was such an undertaking to actually execute. But now, you could just get idiot to do it for you.

.

The Hard Deck was in full swing when Hangman arrived, making a beeline for the pool tables in the back corner where Rooster and Coyote were mid game. 

It was still early, he arrived about twenty minutes before you were supposed to, but Daniela was already there, commanding the bar. 

It wasn’t often that Jake wanted more from his hook-ups but she was smoking hot and they had a great time together and it’s not like he wanted more more… She didn’t flat out refuse him either, just kind of dismissed him, and he needed a way to regain some of the power. 

He wouldn’t have asked you if he had any other options. It’s not that he thought less of you per se, he had just never really thought of you like that at all. You were one of his teammates, nothing more. 

Jake forced himself to stop staring at Daniela, focusing instead on heckling Rooster. He liked Daniela, maybe. He liked the way she seemed to suck up all the attention in the room, how wonderful it felt when she chose to direct it towards him, and did he mention the sex was really good?

“Did you get Phoenix to go along with your plan?” Bob asked, sipping around the paper umbrella in his drink. 

“No,” Jake sniffed. “I got PJ.”

The guys exchanged a look, one that he couldn’t decipher. So, never one to shy away from confrontation, he asked them. 

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

Jake rolled his eyes; Rooster was always so sincere. “Ready for what?”

“I don’t know…”

“That.” Jake followed Bob’s gaze to find you in the tiniest red dress he had ever seen and he could’ve sworn his heart stopped. 

.

You took an acting class in college and could totally do this. You straightened your spine, refrained from pulling on the hem of the dress that had been in the back of your closet for god knows how long, and mouthed “is that her?” to Jake across the bar. 

He and the guys stood in a line staring at you, mouths agape, nodding. You couldn’t help the thrill that ran through you. 

Getting into character, you flipped your hair and slipped through the crowd that seemed to gather around this girl and sat next to her at the bar. Even Penny did a double take at the sight of you. 

You needed a way to get this girl to notice you and took the opportunity when Penny set down a bright red drink in front of her. 

You leaned forward slightly, pointing at it with the brightest most genuine smile you could muster, “That looks so good! What is it?”

“A Dirty Shirley!” She said and slid it in front of you to try. You’d had one before of course but took a sip anyways and exuberantly asked for one also. 

When you spun on your stool, you saw the boys in the exact same position and gestured for Hangman to get his ass over to you already. You wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. And he did, within three strides he was all over you. 

You spread your thighs, leaning back against the bar, and pulled him by the shirt between them—only enjoying his wide-eyed look a little bit. 

“Hi,” he breathed, hand ghosting over the bare space above your knee before you pushed it down to your skin. 

“Did you miss me?”

.

Jake could feel his palms sweat but didn’t want to take his hands off you. For a guy who usually had too much to say, he sure couldn’t think of anything now. You were waiting for his response. “Yeah, of course,” he said but it came out all weird. 

How did he not know? How did he not see it? See you?

He needed to say something. “You’re—“

“Meet me in the bathroom,” you said, loud enough Daniela to hear you. Shit, Daniela. But then you scooted around him, body pressed right up to his, and she completely disappeared again. He followed you to the dark hallway that led to the restrooms in a trance. 

“That oughta do it.” You said, checking your phone with complete indifference. 

“Y/N,” he spoke softly. “I—“

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” You peeked at your phone again. “Okay, Bob says she’s looking in our direction.” 

Jake couldn’t help but smile at how giddy you looked outlining the next steps of your plan. 

“—then just say something like…” You made your voice all deep in imitation of him, “‘wouldn’t be fair cause I would just be thinking of you’ or whatever dumb shit you say.”

He laughed. 

“You ready?” You asked. 

He tried to think of a way to get you to stay, to let him put his hands on your waist, “Wait, how are you getting home?”

You waved him off, “I drove,” and he had no choice but to follow you back out into the crowd. 

You were stomping a bit, in a huff, and spun like a swivel back at him. 

“Bastard!” You shrieked and slapped him, hard. When the bar went quiet, you winked whispering that you would see him at your place tomorrow. And he, like the rest of the Hard Deck, watched you leave. 

The bar returned to normal but he was still watching the door. 

Seemingly sick of waiting, Daniela came up to him first. “Hey, Jakey.”

“Hey.” He responded. 

Daniela directed him to look at her with her perfectly manicured fingernail. “Do you want to come home with me, baby?”

And, to his own surprise, he really didn’t. 

Part II

[allaboutalf]

If Glen Powell didn’t get to kiss Miles Teller after he saved his life at the end of Top Gun Maverick then he doesn’t get to kiss Daisy Edgar-Jones at the end of Twisters. The universe balances things out.

That’s why Glen Powell is for the bisexuals.

[hardballoonlove]

❤️❤️❤️

Jealousy at Mach Speed

Jake Seresin had a reputation.

It wasn’t exactly unearned—the cocky smirk, the smooth Southern drawl, the way he could charm just about anyone within five minutes of meeting them. It was part of who he was.

And usually, you were fine with it. You knew that, despite the way women threw themselves at him, Jake was yours.

But tonight? Tonight, that logic was a little harder to believe.

Because as you stood at The Hard Deck, watching some girl drape herself over him, laughing a little too hard at something he said, you felt a sharp sting of insecurity settle in your chest.

Jake didn’t push her away. He didn’t tell her to back off. He just stood there, smiling, sipping his drink like he didn’t have a care in the world.

And suddenly, all the old doubts—the ones you thought you had buried—came rushing back.

Maybe you weren’t enough for him.

Maybe he’d realize that soon.

Maybe he already had.

You didn’t say anything right away.

You just grabbed your drink and made your way to the other side of the bar, setting up camp next to Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, who immediately raised an eyebrow at your sudden mood shift.

“Alright, what’s wrong?” he asked, taking a sip of his beer.

“Nothing,” you said, too quickly.

Bradley snorted. “Uh-huh. And I’m about to win Pilot of the Year.”

You didn’t respond. Just took a long sip of your drink, staring at the wall.

Rooster followed your gaze across the bar—right to Jake, who was still talking to that girl. Understanding dawned on his face.

“Y/N,” he sighed, “you know Jake isn’t interested in her.”

You shrugged. “I don’t know anything.”

He groaned. “Okay, no. We’re not doing this.” He stood up. “I’m getting him.”

“No—Bradshaw I swear—”

Too late.

Jake turned the second Rooster called his name, eyes instantly locking onto you. His face shifted, brows furrowing as he excused himself from the conversation and made a beeline for you.

“Sweetheart,” he said, voice low as he reached you. “Everything okay?”

You plastered on your best fake smile. “Peachy.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “Try again.”

You huffed, crossing your arms. “I don’t know, Jake. Maybe you should go ask her.”

Jake blinked. “Wait, what?”

You gestured toward the blonde at the bar. “She seemed really interested in whatever you were saying.”

Realization hit him like a brick wall. His eyes widened slightly before his expression softened.

“Oh,” he murmured, stepping closer. “Sweetheart…”

You shook your head, looking away. “Forget it. It’s stupid.”

Jake didn’t let that slide. Instead, he gently tilted your chin up, making you look at him. “It’s not stupid if it’s bothering you.”

You sighed. “I just… I don’t know. I saw you with her, and I just started thinking… why me? You could have anyone.”

Jake’s eyes darkened—not with anger, but something deeper.

“Y/N,” he said, voice firm. “I don’t want just anyone. I want you.”

You swallowed, feeling your resolve crack. “Yeah, but for how long?”

Jake exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “Sweetheart, forever isn’t long enough when it comes to you.”

Your heart stuttered.

Jake cupped your face, his thumbs brushing over your cheeks. “You think I don’t notice every little thing about you? The way you scrunch your nose when you’re trying not to laugh. The way you pretend to be annoyed when I flirt, but I see that little smile.” He leaned in, resting his forehead against yours. “The way I feel like I’m home whenever I’m with you.”

Your breath caught in your throat. “Jake…”

“I don’t care about any other girl. Never have. Never will.” He pulled back just enough to meet your eyes. “I’m yours, Y/N. Only yours.”

Tears pricked at your eyes—tears you hated because damn it, you were not a crier.

Jake noticed, of course. He kissed the corner of your eye, then your cheek, then finally—finally—your lips.

It was slow, deep, filled with every unspoken word between you.

When he pulled away, he smiled softly. “You believe me now?”

You let out a watery laugh. “I think so.”

Jake chuckled, pressing another kiss to your forehead. “Good. Because I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

And just like that, the storm passed—leaving nothing but love in its wake.

[military-newsboys]

Rooster: it was a calculated risk!! Mav: it was a cross-your-fingers- and-hope-for-the-best risk. believe me, I know the difference.

[bellaireland1981]

Update….

Hey all! I PROMISE my WIPs will be updated….

*Finding Freedom….. I’m at the funeral part for Ice and I was struggling before because I just love him but since Val passed I can’t make myself sit and do it! BUT…. I promise it’s coming…. Just be patient with me.

*Chasing The Future… there’s one more part… maybe two where it starts to wrap up then maybe a one shot or two looking into the … well…future lol

*Stepping Up Part 3…. Honestly most likely to get finished first lol. I love this one so much and it’s really helped my block!

*one shots…. I might have a couple of short (ok let’s be real it’s me) one shots hitting just to shake things loose for writing!

Anyone feeling inclined… feel free to message me or send me an anon message (a nice one please or I’ll Turn off anon) with requests of any couples or storylines I’ve finished you’d like a peak into their lives…. Bonus if you have specific events in mind.

***HUGE*** Thank you to everyone for following and reading and interacting. I love you all! ❤️❤️❤️

[mynameismckenziemae]

I Love You Two

Part 13

(previous part here, next part here)

Bradley Bradshaw x OFC x Jake Seresin.

Summary: Natasha isn’t happy to find you and Bradley in a compromising position. A bet is made before the boys deploy.

Warnings: Adults (18+) only! MDNI! Smut, voyeurism, m/m, dry humping, female masturbation, ass play, etc.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

“What the fuck?!”

It’s not Jake.

It’s Nat, and she is not happy.

“What is it?” Bob asks, thankfully out of sight.

“It’s-no! Just wait there a second, Liv’s half-naked,” she turns to reply, before zeroing in on you two, absolutely furious. “Get dressed.”

“It’s not what you-“ Bradley’s response is cut off by her slamming the door. “I thought she hated Jake.”

“Shit,” you whisper, reluctantly taking your hand out of his pants.

“I’m back,” Jake calls from the front door, “I swear Bob’s car is in the parking lot…” he trails off, likely when he sees Nat and Bob standing outside your laundry room.

“Shit,” Bradley echoes, resting his forehead on yours.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

“What are you guys doing here?” Jake asks as he sets down the pizza, sounding much less nervous than he feels.

“I asked Liv if I could borrow something for the Gulls game tonight,” Nat scowls, crossing her arms, “she said she wasn’t home but she is. Bradley’s here too…and fuck, Jake.”

Bob’s arm lifts to reach for her but he drops it with a small frown, remembering she wants to keep their situationship under wraps.

“What?” Jake’s stomach flips at her calling him by name for the first time, but he hides it, resting against the counter. “What’s wrong?”

“I found them-I didn’t knock because she said she wasn’t home and they were-“

“About to fuck in the laundry room,” Bradley finishes as he walks out behind you, using your body as a shield to hide his erection.

Bob and Natasha’s head whip to Jake when he laughs.

“Couldn’t wait for me, huh?” He pushes off the counter to kiss you.

Your heart feels like it’s going to pound right out of your chest when he pulls away.

“You knew-know…about this?” Nat sputters, looking between the three of you. Bob’s expression, as usual, is unreadable. “About them? Fucking? And you’re okay with it?”

“More than,” Jake replies over his shoulder before his hand slides into Bradley's curls and pulls him in for a sweet, but quick kiss.

Bradley’s chest rumbles in approval as he chases Jake when he pulls away, his semi twitching against your ass.

“What the…you’re…all three of you?” Her eyebrows raise even higher.

“Yeah,” you answer with a small smile.

“Uh…okay then,” her lips purse as she nods, “is it just sex?” she blurts out, “It’s just sex, right? I mean, I don’t mean to pry but I don’t want to see anyone get hurt-yes, even you, Bagman.”

You almost laugh at the way she narrows her eyes at him, hating to admit it.

“It’s not just sex,” Bradley answers, “it started that way but…”

“But it turned into more,” Jake adds when he trails off.

“I didn’t know you swung both ways,” is the first thing Bob says.

“I didn’t either,” Jake chuckles, “well, I guess I did, but I never admitted or acted on it until Roo.”

“Okay,” Nat replies, her mind obviously going a thousand miles a minute.

“Look. We all care about each other. I know it’s not conventional, but-“

“Fuck conventional,” Bob interrupts, turning pink when everyone looks at him.

“Yeah,” Nat adds after a beat, smiling when Bob glances down at her hand sliding into his, “fuck conventional. If you’re all happy I’m happy.”

“We are…well, I am,” you laugh when Bradley rolls his eyes. “Will you keep it between us for now? It’s…we’re not ready to come out with it yet. I’m glad you guys are understanding but not everyone is.”

“I get that,” Nat says before nodding to her and Bob’s still-enclosed hands, “we’d appreciate the same.”

While it wasn’t forbidden for members of the squadron to fraternize, it wasn’t exactly encouraged.

“Of course,” you nod. Jake and Bradley do the same.

It’s obvious to you that Nat has a million questions but they have to leave not long after finding her something to wear so they don’t miss the beginning of the game.

“Queso and margs Friday?” She asks by the door, “We need a girls' night.”

“Works for me,” you agree, “You guys have fun!”

Bradley is waiting for you to close the door to finish what Natasha interrupted.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

“So,” Nat takes a sip of her margarita, “both huh?”

“Yeah,” you bite your lip coyly, “both.”

“At the same time?”

“Yep,” you answer, “well, not yet. We’re working up to…that, but yes.”

You continue when she quirks a brow in question. “I’ve never done anal before and neither of them are small.”

“I knew Bradshaw was packing,” she murmurs mostly to herself.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

It’s after 10 and you’re pleasantly buzzed from the margaritas and a little bummed by the time you get back to your apartment. Nat mentioned that their squadron would be on the carrier training for 3 weeks starting Monday, but at least they would have some phone privileges.

It’s dark when you walk in, but both Jake’s truck and the Bronco were in the lot.

If it weren’t for the soft sighs and sounds coming from your bedroom you’d think they were asleep.

You tiptoe over and peer through the half-open door.

Clothes thrown off haphazardly and clad only in boxerbriefs, they’re on your bed, dry humping like teenagers.

“So beautiful,” Bradley murmurs, sitting up and running his hands down Jake’s chest, touching and squeezing like he can’t get enough, “all muscle and hard edges; the perfect contrast to Liv’s soft curves.”

The tequila is making tears prick your eyes.

That’s what you tell yourself at least.

Jake inhales shakily; also affected by Bradley’s sweet words.

“Never going to let either of you go,” Bradley continues. Jake nods in agreement before he dips down again.

The air crackles with intensity at the touch of their lips, brushing once, twice, before kissing with a fierce tenderness. It’s like you can feel the shift in their relationship; the vulnerability and deepening of their feelings for each other.

It’s too intimate to interrupt, but it sparks your own arousal like a live wire; racing through your veins and settling between your thighs so quickly you hold the doorframe to steady yourself while your other hand slips inside your shorts.

“God Jake,” Bradley pants as he lifts up, flipping Jake onto his stomach beneath him, pulling his boxer-briefs down before shoving off his own. “I can’t wait to be inside you,” he continues, covering Jake’s back with his front, leaving biting kisses across his shoulders and neck.

“Please,” Jake gasps, arching his back and his ass up into Bradley’s groin, “I want it. I want you to.”

Bradley shudders, pausing as if he’s considering it before continuing, “Soon baby,” Bradley grits out the promise, “soon. But we can do this for now.”

You bite your lip to keep from whimpering when Bradley pulls the lube from your bedside drawer, popping it open and pouring a generous amount into the crease of Jake’s cheeks before settling back atop him. There’s a paused moment of shifting and adjusting before they find their rhythm with a synchronized groan, your clit pulsing in response.

You’re already on the brink watching the hard lines of their bodies soften as they move against each other. Bradley’s ass clenches with each thrust, alternating between sweet kisses and harsh sucks across Jake’s shoulders.

Jake’s expression is scrunched with pleasure, soft “uhs” pushed out between his lips with each roll of Bradley’s hips.

“Close,” Bradley chuckles breathlessly as if he can’t believe he’s about to cum from this, pressing his sweat-dampened curls to the middle of Jake’s back. “I’m close.”

“Cum on my-“ Jake cuts off with a strangled moan when Bradley sinks his teeth into his shoulder.

“What’s that, princess?” Bradley pants, goading him even if he’s just as wrecked, “where do you want me to cum?”

It’s not directed toward you, but your pussy clenches nevertheless. A soft sigh escapes when you push two fingers inside, pushing you all closer to the edge.

“O-on me,” Jake’s flush deepens before he tries to hide his face in your comforter.

But Bradley slides his hand into his hair and pulls Jake’s head back, licking a stripe up to his ear, “Where on you? Hmm?”

“M-my ass,” Jake stutters, gasping when Bradley nips his lobe.

“What do you say?” Bradley prompts, sounding composed yet his hips start to lose their rhythm.

“Please?” Jake all but cries, “Please cum on my ass!”

Your head drops to the door frame with a light thunk, teetering on the edge as Bradley pushes himself up.

“G-good boy,” he grits out, left hand gripping Jake’s cheek, spreading his ass open as he jerks himself with the right. “Oh,” he groans hoarsely. His cheeks are red and ruddy as his head falls forward, unable to look away as he paints Jake’s clenching hole with his cum, “Oh fuck Jake.”

Your eyes flutter closed as your release crests too, wave after wave of pleasure washing over you.

But Jake’s startled whimper pulls you back into your body while you’re still twitching from the aftershocks.

Bradley’s still breathing hard as his fingers run through his spend, gathering it before he gently presses one into Jake’s hole.

“That’s it,” Bradley rumbles, pleased. His voice is low and gravely like it always is after he cums, “Yeah, take it.”

It makes you clench. With your fingers still inside, the soft brush of your palm against your clit makes your breath hitch.

“Fuck!” Jake gasps, his hips stuttering, unable to decide whether to rut into the bed or back towards the intrusion.

“Goddamn,” Bradley chuckles as he slowly fingers fucks him, “you open up for me so well, princess. I can’t fucking wait to own your ass.”

Jake whines, hands finding your pillows and gripping hard as if he’s holding on for dear life.

Roo soon finds Jake’s rhythm and adds another finger. When Jake jolts, you know he found his prostate, fleetingly touching it with every other thrust.

Your fingers curl inside you and your eyes try to roll back as you toe the edge again, waiting for Jake.

“Please,” Jake begs, “pleasepleaseplease let me cum.”

“Mmm,” Bradley hums, a pleased smile pulling at his lips that Jake is waiting for permission to cum. It turns a little sinister when he presses directly on his prostate and Jake’s whole body tenses.

Jake chokes on a sob when Bradley hesitates, “I-“

“You can cum,” Bradley interrupts, cursing lowly at the way Jake’s ass tightens around his fingers like a vice as he cums with a raw, ragged groan.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

You recover before Jake does and watch as Bradley’s role shifts from hard dominance into soft nurturing.

It’s quiet, but Bradley’s gentle touches and sweet murmured praises speak volumes as he cleans him, smiling when Jake turns his head for a kiss.

Your heart flutters as you feel yourself falling more in love.

But it doesn’t stop you from pushing the door open a a few minutes later, startling them both.

“Come on guys,” you cross your arms, “I just washed the comforter.”

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

“I don’t want you to go tomorrow,” you sigh Sunday afternoon, plopping down between the boys on the couch, “It’s not fair, either. You’ll have each other and I’m stuck here all alone.”

“I don’t want to go either,” Jake agrees, playing with your hair when you lay your head in his lap.

“Me either,” Bradley lifts his arms so you can put your legs on his thighs, “but it’s only three weeks.”

“Three weeks is a long time without sex,” you argue.

“You do realize we can’t either,” Jake quirks a brow, “there’s a no fraternization rule.”

“Yeah,” you roll your eyes, “because that’s stopped you before.”

Jake looks away with a sheepish smile.

“I could go three weeks without getting off,” Bradley muses out loud while he massages your calf.

“I could too,” Jake agrees, “It would suck, but I could.”

“Sure,” you laugh, knowing neither could make it more than a few days without rubbing one out.

“Why don’t we bet on it,” Bradley says, heat flashing when his eyes meet yours before flicking to Jake’s. “None of us get to cum until we’re back. First one to give in loses. Loser has to do whatever the others want.”

“Alright,” Jake grins cockily, like he has this in the bag.

Your eyes narrow, wanting to slap or kiss that smile right off his face.

“Fine,” you sit up with a huff, refusing to look at either of them.

“Oh c’mon Livi,” Bradley murmurs hotly, leaning in to kiss your neck, “it doesn’t start until tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Jake breathes against your other ear, goosebumps rising under his hand trailing up your arm, “and I promise we won’t make you do anything you won’t like.”

Melting under their touches, but his words make you stiffen.

“What do you mean, ‘we won’t make you do anything you don’t like?’” You ask, turning to look at him, arching a brow.

“When you lose,” Bradley answers for him, wearing a smarmy grin that mirrors Jake’s.

It falls from his face when you suddenly rise, stepping out of their reach.

“There’s only going to be one loser,” you say, facing them as your thumbs hook into the underwear you’re wearing, letting them fall to the ground before pulling off a ‘US Navy’ tee you slipped on earlier, leaving you completely naked, “and it won’t be me.”

You refuse to smile until you turn to walk to your bedroom.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

A/N: Welllllll, Natasha and Bob know. Bradley and Jake are getting more intimate with each other and there’s a bet. I wonder who will cave? 🤔 Also 👇🏻

As always, any interaction is appreciated but I LOVE hearing what you think in the comments/reblogs! Seriously, feedback helps me more than anything.

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added/removed):

@writtingrose

@blindedbythelightt

@phoenix-rising-starbird-one

@dizzybee03

@shanimallina87

@lexixstewart

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[carmenell]

a Top Gun:Maverick Mighty Ducks AU would be so cute ... (everyone please watch The Mighty Ducks and before you ask, no it's not a good movie)

Mav is a lawyer (dusting off Mitch McDeere) and gets into legal trouble because he's an idiot that is going through a lot of stuff and thought getting behind a wheel after a few drinks wouldn't hurt (it does.)

He gets sentenced to 500 hours of community service and finds himself coaching a pee-wee ice hockey team (really? what the hell does he know about hockey, he only watches it on TV.)

Begrudgingly he gets to the park where he's supposed to meet his team and groans when he sees one particular dark haired kid with the biggest toothgap known to man. Because of course his ex-best friend's kid would play ice hockey, fantastic.

So he tries not to wince when Bradley's eyes light up and his excited "Uncle Mav?!" reaches his ears because damn he hasn't seen the kid in three years - since the accident.

There's also this other blonde kid that keeps looking at him with suspicion, especially when Mav keeps stumbling over his words in front of his single dad. It's not Mav's fault that Jake's dad is the ice hockey legend Iceman ... and, in contrast to his name, really fucking hot.

Mav is surprised they even have girls on the team but only until both Natasha and Callie whack him in the shins with their sticks at the same time.

So anyway, apparently Mav is a coach now.

[k9effect]

I lowkey wanna redo/touch up this comic and fully render it, I think about it all the time still,,,, theres a lot of panels that I just love, even now

The Hangster Nightmare Comic!

[Click for better quality, reblogs and tags are HIGHLY appreciated as this took a very long time <3]

Full comic below the cut!

[screewithahat]

watching tgm again enjoy my notes . I love this movie

skipping the first 15 minutes bc I only care ab the daggers /silly

mav please PLEASE get a profile picture for your husband thats not just “ice”

rooster I see you looking at hangman’s lips. I see you.

GRR THE WAY HANGMAN CLOSES THE BAR DOORS I LOVE MEN!!!

”damn straight!” hangman just so we’re clear *you* are not straight

“let’s try not to get fired on the first day” sorry I CRINGE SO HARD every time that line is said WHY DOES HE SAY IT LIKE THAT.

I NEED BRADLEY BRADSHAW CARNALLY

AND JAKE SERSIN GOD THE PUSH-UPS THEIR SO HOT.

hangman watches his boyfriend and this random old man he dosent know beef out in a nose dive and goes whattt the fuckkkkk

”he pulled my papers” bradly rooster bradshaw you said that in the most sad wet pathetic cat voice ever

chilling about and then the flyboys picture come on screen and I get HIT with twink mav. I love him

thinking about how amelia is the only gen z so she could clock all their tea with saying the silliest things and none of them would know what she means

MAVERICK PLEASE FOLLOW THE ROAD LAWS YOU JUSY BLEW COMPLETELY PAST A STOP SIGN. PLEASE. GOD I KNOW YOUR STUPID BUT AT LEAST FOLLOW THE ROAD LAWS !!!!!!!

wait so who exactly is the enemy here. in tg its the soviets bc that’s what the whole movie was made for, get people in the navy to fight in the cold war. WHO DID WE HAVE BEEF WITH IN 2022

rooster I see your gay ass looks at hangman. I know what you are.

hangster is icemav but hangman is mav and rooster is ice im not elaborating that is correct

hangman’s so gay it loops back to misogyny

gay ass push of your boyfriend rooster I see you going for the tit

already crying over my old man icemav and all ice did was text mav

ice has a “wife” (we all know he’s married to mav) but still has a picture of him and his boyfriend framed

mav just wants to talk to his husband bc that’s his husband but his husband said no we have to talk about our job rn I know your struggling you don’t get to bottle it up

”it’s time to let go” so hey, im sobbing. “I don’t know how” I WILL SOB HARDER.

“the only reason im here is you” men will say anything but I love you

MY BABIES (old men) I LOVE THEM SO MUCH WAHHHFHEJWHW WHH I love old men yaoi

OH ID KNOW THAT WISTLE ANYWHERE !!! “football scene came on the screen” I DID TOO

bradley helping his uncle up is actually so sweet like they hate eachother but he’ll help his uncle out :(

BOB MY BELOVED!! I LOVE YOU BOB!!!!

AGAIN MAV. THERE IS A STOP SIGN THERE THAT SOMEONE (YOU) KEEP BLOWING OFF.

skipping another 5 min bc I do not care for mav being in love with a woman in my heart he only has eyes for ice

I ALWAYS CACKLE AT MAV AND AMEILA JUST STARING AT EACHOTHER

I ALWAYS FORGET BOB AND PHEIONIX GO DOWN I KNOW THEIR OKAY BUT MY BABIES

oh shit it’s the pulled my papers scene time to start sobbing BRADLEY MY BABY WAHHHH

”no kids. nobody to mourn you when you burn in.” so hear me out. I jump. MAVERICK IS NOT RECOVERING FROM THAT EVER AURGERRRR BRADLEY YOU BASICALLY ARE HIS KID !!! YOUR HIS GODSON!! HIS NEWPHEW!!! YOU CANT BE SAYING THIS!!!!! (actually he can his hate is justified)

“my dad believed in you. im not gonna make the same mistake.” STOP STIP STOP STIP STIP STOP STIP SOTP

ices funeral :( im gonna stand and salute the whole time idc how cringe I am it makes me so sad. especially now after val passed.

the. the way mav pushes his wings into ices coffin. im. sobbing. curled up in a corner sobbing and holding my knees. crying sobbing pissing shitting

”mav u are grounded >:((“ “nuh uh…”

my cat is watching as eagerly as I am w mav completing this mission to prove it can be done

I like how the screen gets bigger during the more intense scenes . idk random but !! I love film

mav I see you with wings didnt you push those into ices coffin? yeah that’s what I thought you stole ices wings. you gay ass.

boat

“talk to me goose” I shouted so loud my cat looked at me with concern .

bradley you are sooo pretty

“give em hell.” again, men will say anything but I love you.

PLANE!!!!

my mama just called me. she asked what I was doing and when I said watching top gun maverick she let out the loudest sigh and just went “oh jeez…” SORRY MOM I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!

”talk to me dad” so. you just stabbed me. deep. in the heart. my baby.

I like the little fun fact that rooster hitting his head in the pop up wasn’t planned at all it just happened and the directors thought it worked well and left it in

boom explosion explosion

“rooster status!” “HUGB” giggling I know he’s at like 9-10 Gs rn but it’s so funny

“we have to circle back!” THATS HIS UNCLE IM SOBBING.

”do not engage!” you think he’s gonna listen he learned shit from his uncle hes not going to listen

i know mav is getting shot at but he’s gotta be freezing cold with the snow covering him

THE ABSOLUTE LOOK OF DEVASTATION FROM HANGMAN WHEN ROOSTER DOSENT RESPOND THATS HIS BOYFRIEND.

mav pushing rooster to the ground will forever be my favorite thing

“you told me not to think!” “oh fuck I guess I did say that” “yeah. you did.”

“your not serious” bradley be so fr thats your uncle mav he’s ALWAYS serious ab stupid shit

“let’s start running.” “yeah run- run!” MY SHAYLAS!!!! guys I love uncle mav so much it’s my favorite thing besides goose

“why are the wings coming out mav.” my stupid baby I love him so much

“you’d go after them if I wasn’t here.” “but you are here.” MY SHAYLAS

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!” me when math class showed up with letters and numbers below zero

“cmon mav do some of that pilot shit!” I will never get over the parallels of goose and rooster they are my shaylas I love them both so much im gonna explode them

”im sorry goose” JUMPING!

“hey hangman you look good.” “I am good rooster, im very good” MEN WILL SAY ANYTHING. BUT I LOVE YOU.

“please don’t tell me we lost an engine..” “alright! I won’t tell you that”

“captain michell!” “sir!” just call him uncle mav we know you wanna

“thank you for saving my life.” “it’s what my dad would’ve done” IM GOING TO EXPLODE ON THE SPOT

ROOSTER AND MAV WORKING ON THE PLANE TOGETHER MY SHAYLAS MY FAVORITE UNCLE / NEPHEW DUO BUDGEHWHWHAGHRGRRRRJWWAHHHH

roo going to see mav’s little collection of photos and knocking next to his dad i’ll cry

okay banger movie. my sibling came out of their room at the very end and went “didnt you JUST watch that movie” and I did. I did less then a week ago

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 159

Phoenix: Why is Jake crying?

Coyote: Well, Bradley got drunk at the bar so Jake took him to their home

Coyote: When he asked Bradley to como to bed with him, Rooster said "No, thanks. I'm sure you are lovely but I have a boyfriend and I love him very very much" and went to sleep on the sofa

Phoenix: So he's crying because his boyfriend is too good?

Hangman: Shut up, Nix you wouldn't know about good partners

Bob: *The partner - OFFENDED*

[butterflybuckethat]

Tiny Red Dress ✯ Part II

Part I

Notes: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Fem!Reader - This is my first attempt at smut 😭 (1.4k words)

Warnings: Smut, no actual sex but pretty close, mdni!

This is for y'all: @lomlbuckybarnes @sisterslytherinog @fandomhopped @ohhdarlingxo @shawnsblue @saltyturtlejudgeflap @callsign-magnolia @calirindo

🦋 Masterlist 🦋

Jake showed up two hours early from your requested time and you were nowhere near ready. The guy was never early, priding himself with being exactly on time—with military precision, of course—but not today when you ignored his knocking for twenty minutes because you were sure it was your horrible neighbor Judy who never seemed to buy her own sugar. 

“You’re early,” you said, still in your oversized Navy t-shirt and sleep shorts. 

“I brought coffee!” He handed you a to-go cup from the hand not carrying a toolbox, much too chipper for 8 A.M. on a Saturday. 

“How’d you get in the building?”

“Tyra buzzed me up.” Jake said, distracted by your apartment. It was the first time he’d been there and hadn’t expected it to be so green. For some reason, he would have assumed you had a black thumb, maybe because you all spent so much time on base. Who’s been watering your plants?

“Another one of your conquests, I’m sure.” You rounded the corner into your kitchen, putting the island between you and Hangman. 

“Am I just some slut to you?” He smiled. 

“Absolutely.” You said and planned to stop there but curiosity got the best of you, “Speaking of which, how was your night?”

—

Jake didn’t want to tell you that he didn’t go home with Daniela. He showed up early because he was sure that seeing you back to normal, bleary-eyed and bed-headed even, would snap him out of whatever that red dress did to him. But it didn’t. Not even a little. “You know I don’t kiss and tell.”

But he did. Frequently. You didn’t want to push but you noticed his smile falter and wondered if something happened. You lingered a little after you walked out of the Hard Deck. You saw Daniela walk up to him. You saw them talking. You left after that, sparing yourself from the scene of them leaving together, but you couldn’t imagine anything happened but that. Did it not live up to his expectations?

Jake saved you from inquiring further by digging through your pantry, “Don’t you have anything besides sugar cereals?”

“What, my Trix aren’t good enough for you?” You reached to grab the box back from him but he yanked it away.

Jake bit his tongue. “Haven’t you heard of a well balanced breakfast?” He towered over you, holding the cereal box well above your head.

“Yeah,” you rolled your eyes. “Sucrose and Red 40. What else is there?”

“I don’t know. Protein, fiber…” Jake trailed off, enjoying himself more in this moment, with you looking up at him like a cat plotting its attack, than he had in a while. 

You jumped, hand outstretched to grab the box, catching Jake off guard. On reflex he tried to catch you, palm slipping beneath your shirt to find the expanse of your back where he should have felt the band of your bra.

He sucked in a sharp breath and the cereal box fell to the floor, scattering little puffed flowers across the kitchen tile. “I-I’ll clean this up,” he stammered. “You go get dressed.”

.

You retreated to your bedroom, at a complete loss for what the hell just happened. Hangman had seen you in casual clothes before, covered in sweat and grime from long training days, bloody and exhausted but he had never reacted like this. Jake had always been calm, collected, and completely in charge. But this was…whole new territory. Did Daniela hurt him? 

“You want to go to the beach later?” You yelled. The main reason you decided to buy this condo was because of its proximity to it. Sure, you were totally house poor now but you spent most of your time at work anyway. 

You couldn’t decipher his response but it sounded something like an affirmative. You had never known him to pass up a beach day; and despite how much he usually annoyed you, you were enjoying his company this morning. So you slipped on a black bikini beneath your cut-offs actually looking forward to the day ahead.

Jake remembered being cool once, maybe. There was a slight chance he’d always been a bumbling idiot and this was his own personal Twilight Zone episode on the perils of an overinflated ego. He texted Bob a quick I’m cool right? And looked under your sink for a dustpan. He was just glad he had dodged the beach bullet.

He had seen you in a bathing suit before, during team building exercises with Maverick, but he wasn’t sure that was something he wanted to deal with right this moment. 

His phone buzzed with Bob’s reply: are you sick??? 

That was probably it, he thought, he needed to do whatever chore you needed done and isolate himself before the brain dead spread. 

“The dust pan is in the front hall closet,” you said emerging from your bedroom. You needed to dig through the pile of freshly laundered clothing on your couch to find a shirt and didn’t think much of Jake seeing you in just your bikini top.

“I thought we weren’t going to the beach.” Jake looked wide-eyed. He felt like he was back in middle school, when his attraction to girls was new and not fully within his control. 

“Oh, sorry. I just assumed—“ You stopped dead once you caught a glimpse of his face. “Oh my god!” You couldn’t help your grin. Suddenly it clicked, why he was acting strange, Jake didn’t find you so plain anymore. “You’re so into me.”

Jake groaned.

“Admit it.” You prodded.

“Admit what?” He rubbed his face, so pained by this entire interaction. 

“That you’re obsessed with me.”

.

You made it your goal to make him absolutely miserable for the rest of the morning and boy were you succeeding. You never did find that shirt, but you did blow out your hair because, more than anything, you wanted him to admit that he found you super crazy scorching hot.

“You know, I have been needing a good drill.” You had your back up against the wall he was working on. The gallery wall was nearly complete, all Jake needed to do now was install the screws and actually hang the artwork. “Really I just haven’t had anyone to teach me.” You bit your lip, “Would you teach me to drill, Jake?”

His hand slipped, the drill bit missing the screw entirely and making a hole in your wall. 

You couldn’t help but laugh, partly in disbelief. You could believe the effect you were having. 

“You think this is funny?” He said, setting the drill on the floor to box you in. 

“Kind of.” You looked up at him through your eyelashes and pushed back your hair to expose your neck. It was as if the character from last night had taken over and it almost scared you how much you liked it. 

This was the most turned on Jake had ever been in his life and you hadn’t even touched him. His initial contact was hesitant, tracing up your arms and along the strings of your bikini. 

He kissed your neck and nuzzled his way down to suck on your pulse point. Your breathy moan went straight to his cock.

God, he couldn’t fucking believe it. Jake got bolder, pulling you flush against him by the belt loops. He kissed your clavicle, breath heavy, and flicked your hard nipple through the triangle of your bikini. 

It was nearly painful how hard his dick strained in his jeans thanks to your breathy whine. 

You turned to face the wall, ass grinding into him. It felt incredible. You felt incredible. 

You pulled your hair aside so Jake could watch as you popped the bow of your bikini knotted around your neck. “Fuck,” he swore as the top fell. “You’re so fucking hot.”

He reached around you to touch your breasts but you grabbed his wrists and moved them down to your hips, letting him control the speed. 

You ground faster and he couldn’t help but buck into you. “Baby, wait,” he whispered, “I’m gonna—”

You laughed, tying back your bathing suit before you turned to face him and his wet jeans. “Did you—”

“Yeah,” he said completely breathless. “I can’t believe it.”

“Can’t believe Plain Jane made you cum your pants?”

Jake actually blushed and satisfaction bloomed in your chest. 

“Find me on the beach after you deal…” You gestured vaguely at his crotch. “And don’t forget to finish the wall!” You said, already out the door. 

[lilstarfish88]

Sympathy for the Devil (Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Pilot!OC)

For as long as Carly “Devil” Spencer and Jake “Hangman” Seresin have known each other, they haven’t gotten along. What happens when Carly, a pilot notorious for her vengeance in the sky is sent on a suicide mission? How will it affect her and her team? How will it affect the man who has been hiding his feelings for her since they met?

Warnings: Suicidal themes, violence, language, injury descriptions, captivity, torture

4 Chapters - 11k Words

This floats between second and third person point of view, it’s almost a reader insert. Apologies for any inaccuracies and mistakes in advance. This is my first fic!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1

Carly Spencer carried her duffle bag across the hot tarmac of the military base runway. She was on her way to San Diego from where she’d been stationed in Afghanistan for the past year. Being a fighter pilot almost guaranteed moving to different countries and bases multiple times a year, but this move was different. She’d received the order to go back to Top Gun along with some other pilots to prepare for a mission.

She wondered who else would be training for this mission with her, and what kind of mission it would be. Probably nothing good considering the callback of multiple pilots to Top Gun.

The flight out of Afghanistan was cutting it extremely close to when you needed to be at the base, but finally the plane landed in San Diego. Everyone else was already gathered in the hangar and seated to listen to Maverick teach about the mission. You immediately recognized many of the pilots in the room. Rooster, Phoenix, Payback, and Hangman. You hadn’t seen Hangman since the assignment you had before shipping out to Afghanistan. Despite his arrogant demeanor, unpredictable actions, and the fact that the two of you didn’t exactly get along, he was actually kinda charming. You didn’t want to admit it, but you really did like him. Maybe things would be different this time.

When Rooster saw you walk in, he sent a warm smile your way along with a wave. Your eyes scanned the room for an empty seat, the only one happened to be next to Hangman.

His eyes met yours as you sat down, “Man, you look like shit Spence, too hard to dress up like the rest of us huh?”

“Fuck off Seresin.” Your voice was low.

Maverick greeted everyone and his eyes landed on you, sitting there, still wearing your fatigues covered in Afghan dirt.

“Devil, nice of you to finally join us.”

“Sorry sir, flights out of Afghanistan aren’t exactly quick.”

He smiled, “Oh I’m sure they aren’t. Heard you became an ace over there, is that true?”

At that moment all eyes were on you.

“Yes sir, that’s true.” you replied.

Memories from your time in the Middle East flooded your mind. The last year you had been stationed there you’d experienced the worst of the worst. After being shot down and held captive for five days, you’d finally escaped and made the long journey back to base, the memory made you shudder, but you couldn’t think about that right now.

“Good to know my training did you well. That also means you’re the only Ace in our group, besides me of course,” Mav said, “Let’s get started.”

The objective of the mission was to take out a munitions factory just outside of Bagram. Only one jet could be sent in due to sanctions in the city limits, and the sanctions also prevented unmanned strikes. The plant is heavily guarded by anti aircraft guns, and jets were on patrol to defend it in case of an attack. It would be a dogfight on the way in and on the way out, and an unfair one at that. Maverick asked the group if they had any questions. Nobody wanted to say a word. Phoenix looked at you worriedly. This was a suicide mission.

Rooster finally spoke up, “So, uh, how do we decide which one of us is going to go?”

He had asked the question that nobody else wanted to.

Maverick took a deep breath, “One pilot from the group will be ordered to fly. One of you will be a reserve in case anything out of the ordinary happens. Now, the list with your training partners is up on the board behind me, so come take a look and head out to the tarmac.”

You let out a huff of air when you saw that your partner was Hangman.

“Aww c‘mon Devil how can you be upset when we make such a great team,” he teased.

Once everyone was on the tarmac, Mav explained your first training exercise.

“You’ll be in separate aircraft flying in a tight formation. This exercise will help you learn to trust your partners abilities.”

You and Hangman were the last ones to go.

“Hangman, moving into position,” he called out over the radio.

This exercise was incredibly simple, just fly a course in formation, what could go wrong?

“Oh fuck-,” Carly’s remark came through the radio, “Bird Strike! Bird Strike! Right engine is down, right engine is on fire! Deploying fire suppression, right engine is still burning! Dammit, there’s fire in the cockpit, I gotta bail out! Eject! Eject!” she exclaimed.

His eyes were wide, looking for her parachute as he circled back to the crash site. Finally he spotted her. She was lying next to her parachute, a few hundred yards from the remains of the jet.

“I have eyes on Devil, get medics out here asap, this is Hangman, requesting clearance to land.”

The fluorescent lights of the hospital burned into your eyes as you opened them. The surrounding room was bland, and the little beeps of the monitor beside the bed were getting annoying. You moved the blankets off of your body, checking for any injuries sustained during the crash. When you were satisfied that there were no major injuries, just a few cuts and bruises, a small burn, and a perpetual soreness. You pressed your call button, hoping that the doctors could fill you in on your condition. A doctor came into the room and said that you were okay and that your scans looked good. He also asked if you were ready to see some visitors.

“What visitors? How long have I been out?”

The doctor flipped open his chart, “Well according to this you’ve been out for about 8 hours, and there’s a guy that has been waiting to see you for a while.”

“Alright then, send him in.”

“How are you feeling?” Jake asked as he sat down in the chair beside your bed.

“Worse now that you’re here,” you laughed, then winced, “Honestly, I'm feeling alright considering I can’t remember a damn thing that happened after I ejected.”

Jake leaned back in his chair and stretched, “Well, how about I tell you while I drive you home.”

The doctor returned with your discharge papers and a set of clothes. After he disconnected your monitors and IVs you put on the sweats and T-shirt. After finding your boots in a bag with your helmet and ruined flight suit, you were ready to go home.

You walked towards his truck, and he opened your door before heading around to his. Why was he being so nice all of the sudden? Your address was already in the GPS, which was almost as confusing as him being the one to take you home instead of Bradley or Nat, but you were too tired to ask questions.

“You’re gonna have to take me back to the hangar, my keys are in my duffel.” you said.

“Your duffel’s in the back seat,” he said as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot, “Now, about what happened, you were losing altitude and the jet was on fire. You ejected, but part of your parachute was damaged because of the fire, so you had a really rough landing,” he explained.

“Damn,” you sighed.

The rest of the drive was silent, and finally Jake was pulling into the driveway in front of your little white house. You opened the back door of his truck and dug through your duffel for your phone and keys. His duffel was back there too. He grabbed the bag with your flight gear and your duffel.

“Oh I can get that,” you reached for the duffel in his hand.

“Nope, I got it, do you own this place?”

You shut the door of the truck and began walking to the front door, “Yeah, I’ve actually owned it since a little after our first time at Top Gun, the area’s just so nice, so whenever I’m not deployed I’m here.”

The door clicked open, you sure were glad to be home.

“You've got a nice place Devil, doesn’t look like hell at all,” he laughed.

“You’re such an ass.” She said only half jokingly.

The house had warm wood floors, and most of the walls were white besides some accent walls of gray blue. All of the furniture was a mix of wood and cozy fabric, and there were pictures scattered throughout. As he followed you further into the home he saw a bookshelf that was filled with models of different planes, plaques and medals from your time in the military, and right in the center was your Top Gun trophy.

“You can just set those behind the couch,” her voice carried in from the kitchen, “Are you staying with the rest of the team at that hotel?”

“Well I was until they cancelled my reservation, so I’m gonna see if Bradshaw will lend me his floor,” he laughed.

“I’ve got a guest room you can stay in if you want,” you offered as you walked back into the living room.

“That would be great, thanks Spence.”

“No problem, thanks for driving me home.”

This was his chance. His chance to redeem himself and hopefully reconcile a friendship with the woman he had fallen for and then hid his feelings for. He’d been hiding behind an especially bad attitude towards her since they met. It was the only way he could protect himself from the fact that she was too good to be with him. This mission was giving him the best chance in the worst circumstances. And maybe, just maybe he could find the courage to tell her how he really feels. “Okay, there’s towels in the closet at the end of the hall and everything else you need should be in the vanity of the guest bathroom. Just let me know if you need anything else, I’ll be in my room.”

With that you shut the door of your room. The clothes from the hospital dropped to the floor of your bathroom as you hopped in the shower, it probably wouldn’t be good for your wounds but the smell of jet fuel and dirt lingered on your skin. After exiting the shower, you started to re-dress your wounds, examining each one of them carefully. As soon as your head hit the pillow, you were out, and what felt like 5 seconds later your alarm was blaring.

Jake was ready for the day before her alarm went off, he had woken up before his own alarm and failed to go back to sleep. He had been sitting at the desk in the guest room for about an hour, and found himself reading one of the books he’d found in the desk drawer, occasionally replying to a message from Rooster. The doorbell rang and he heard her go to answer it. Now that there was no risk of waking her up, he left the room and wandered into the kitchen. Her toned frame was clad in shorts and a tank top. All of the damage from yesterday’s crash was on display, and so were her various scars and tattoos. Her hair was shorter than when he’d last seen her a little over a year ago. Now it was just long enough to grace her shoulders. She had changed so much since their first time at Top Gun years ago, but she was still absolutely stunning.

“I’m making eggs, bacon, and toast if you want any,” her voice snapped him out of his trance. She must’ve gone to the door for a grocery delivery.

“Yeah for sure, thank you.”

They sat down at the table to eat, and Jake spoke up, “So, are you still doing those engineering contracts on the side?”

“Yeah I am, been doing a lot of contract work for Lockheed Martin, helping develop new planes and such. I’m lucky that I can do that in my downtime between missions, and I can’t lie, the extra income is really nice.”

“Ever thought about doing that full time?” His question made her freeze.

She struggled to come up with an answer, “You know, I came real close about five months ago, but not now.”

With that she got up from the table and went back into her room. He didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable, but it made him question; what happened five months ago?

When she returned she was dressed in her flight suit.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yup, I’m drivin’ though,” she said with a smile.

Her slight southern accent was like music to his ears. He followed her into the garage, whistling when he saw her car.

“Do me a favor and don’t kill us on the way to work okay?”

She laughed, “I won’t, this car is my everything, been dreaming of it since I was a kid.”

It was a black Porsche 911 Turbo that she had gotten a few months before shipping out to Afghanistan. Even though it was almost ten years old, it was like a fighter jet for the road. She backed it out of the garage, and they sped off towards the base.

“Holy shit,” Jake breathed as he got out of the car.

“Seresin, you scream like a little girl,” you said with a laugh.

“I’m gonna have Bradley drive me back to your place tonight,” he said between heavy breaths.

“I’m gonna make sure Bradley doesn’t do that, and nobody else will either,” you teased.

He laughed, “Why would they ever do that to me?”

“Because they like me more,” you retorted as you walked into the hangar.

“Good to see you’re in one piece, Devil!” Bradley said as he walked over to greet you.

Phoenix waved her hand at you, beckoning you over to where she was sitting. Rooster gave you a quick hug and then started talking to Jake, so you went over to Nat. You’d been good friends with Bradley and Nat since you’d met them on a mission before you all ended up at Top Gun.

“What the hell is up with you and Hangman?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Nothing? We’re finally getting along that’s all.”

She glared at you, “So you’re just letting him stay at your house and driving him over here out of the kindness of your own heart?”

“Yep.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Listen Nat he’s been pretty nice since the crash yesterday and I’m not gonna be an ass just because we’ve had some disagreements in the past. I don’t want to go on this mission with regrets of how I treated people and I don’t think he does either, that’s all.” She didn’t need to know that you’d liked Jake for a while, nobody did.

“Did you tell her?” Bradley asked Jake. “No, we’re finally getting along better, I don’t want to ruin it.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to tell her eventually, but don’t worry, I’ll be your wingman.” He winked, and then started walking towards where Carly and Nat sat.

The two men sat down in front of you and Phoenix.

“Hangman, how’s stuff going with that girl you like?” Rooster asked abruptly.

“God help her.” Phoenix stifled a laugh.

“I haven’t asked her out yet, don’t want to ruin things between us.” Jake looked like he’d rather be anywhere else at the moment.

A part of you was sad about hearing that Jake liked someone, because you knew that he didn’t like you the way you liked him. You shouldn’t have fallen for him the way you did, but he was just so charming and funny and sassy, even if he was a little mean sometimes. He could have any girl he wanted, it wouldn’t be you.

“Why not just ask her out? What’s the worst that could happen?” Phoenix inquired.

Jake just sighed.

“You’ll never know how she really feels unless you ask, and yeah maybe things don’t turn out the way you want, but at least you can say you tried and move on.” You wished you could take your own advice.

Maverick came into the hangar and immediately pulled you aside into an office. He shut the door behind you, and let out a huge sigh.

“Carly, I don’t even know where to begin, I just, are you okay after yesterday?”

“Yeah I am, but that’s not what this is about is it?”

“No it’s not, I started looking over everyone’s files last night, and when I got to yours I just lost it. Hell, you’ve had 3 confirmed kills in the past year, that’s almost as many as my whole career, and then you get shot down and there’s no record of you for three weeks until you show up in the med bay at your base, and then you’re in the hospital for a month. What the hell happened, and why aren’t you retired?”

“Sir, with all due respect, I’ve only ever told one person about what happened in those few weeks and that's not about to change. The reason I haven’t retired is because this job is everything I have. I’ve got no family, just the people out there in that room,” your breathing was heavy, “What’s got you so broken up over me anyway?”

“It’s the fact that I have to send someone on that mission, and based on records alone you’re the best person to get the job done, but you shouldn’t even be here. You should be at home living your life however you want, and it kills me.”

“This is how I want to live my life Mav, you don’t need to worry about me.” With that you exited the office and sat down next to Nat once again.

She gave you a look, as did Jake and Bradley. You’d have to deal with their questions later. Maverick explained todays exercise. We would have to practice dogfighting that was one versus everyone.

“Alright, Hangman you’re dead,” Mav said over the radio, “Devil, you’re up.”

There were 6 different planes you’d need to take out to complete this exercise. You started flying, taking out the first plane in under a minute, then the second, then the third, only three left. Hangman and Maverick were on your tail, and Rooster was god knows where. You pulled up suddenly, pushing the throttle as far as it would go, inverting yourself into almost a loop. Mav split off to the right, and Hangman was in your sights, two clicks of the trigger and he was done. Now where were the last two? You looked around, and spotted them flying side by side above and ahead of you. They started to bank left, so you flew under and up at them, two more clicks and Maverick was done. You passed between the wings of his and Roosters jets. After a couple more maneuvers, you got Rooster in your sights and he was out as well.

“Congratulations, Devil.” Mav said as you hopped out of your jet.

You walked back to the hangar where everyone else was already gathered, chatter could be heard from the group, but they stopped as soon as you joined them. “Somethin’ wrong?” you asked.

“Let’s just say we’re all glad that you’re on our side.” Rooster said.

“Definitely,” Payback laughed. “So, we know you’re an ace, but how many kills do you really have?”

“Six”

“You’re fucking kidding right?” Rooster asked in disbelief.

“I’m dead serious.”

“And to think you had two when we graduated from Top Gun, that’s insane,” Rooster shook his head.

“That’s why we call her Devil, she escorts people to hell,” Hangman chimed in.

“Yeah, on one of her first training flights she and her wingman encountered a couple of enemy jets. One thing led to another and she had her first air to air kill under her belt. That’s also when we decided on her call sign,” Rooster elaborated.

You just sighed and shook your head. The group decided to go to the Hard Deck to get a few beers, and play some pool. There were only two weeks before the mission, and you couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Chapter 2

You were sat at a table with Hangman, Rooster, Phoenix, and Payback, still nursing your first beer.

“So what happened with Mav this morning?” Phoenix inquired.

“Yeah you looked pretty rattled,” Bradley said.

“He’s on my case about not being retired, says I shouldn’t even be here.”

Jake knitted his brows together, “Well is there a reason for him to think you should be retired?”

“I think it’s got something to do with my last deployment.”

“Afghanistan huh?” you nodded and after taking another sip of his beer Rooster continued, “A few weeks ago I was talking to a marine sharpshooter that had just finished his deployment there, and he told me about how he’d seen a pilot that had been shot down, and how he watched him make his way across enemy territory for about a day, said he probably never made it out of the city.”

It felt like you were back there, the worst time of your life was running through your head again and it wouldn’t stop. Every terrible moment, every little detail, all of it was still there as if it had happened yesterday. Your eyes scanned around the bar and you rubbed your index finger over your thumb; it was a nervous habit you had developed. Some pilot that you didn’t know was listening in on the conversation and decided to speak up.

“Maybe if he was a better pilot he wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place, I mean damn, it’s really not that hard to keep from getting shot down.”

If looks could kill yours would’ve. “You’re dead wrong.”

“How so sweetheart?”

You stood up from your chair, grabbing the back of it so that you didn’t do something that you’d regret.

You didn’t notice it, but Jake was immediately on edge. He was going to back you up if you needed it.

“Great pilots get shot down because they’re sent on the most dangerous missions, and despite what you might think, it is hard to not get shot down, especially when you’re dogfighting while dodging SAMs and anti-aircraft rounds in enemy airspace.”

“She’s right you know,” Jake’s eyes briefly met yours before he continued,“ you’ll change your opinion after being in a situation like that.”

His tone was condescending enough to send the guy to the other side of the bar.

“Carly you got any stories from over there?” Nat looked to where you still stood behind your chair.

“None that I’m itchin’ to tell,” you grabbed your keys from the table, “I’m gonna call it a night, we’ve got another long day tomorrow.”

Jake followed you out to the car, “Want to let me drive it?” He smirked.

“Over my dead body, Seresin.” You sighed as you got into the car.

“Thanks for having my back in there by the way, I appreciate it.” She sent a brief smile his way.

“No problem, I know you usually handle that stuff, but it just seemed like he really got under your skin.”

“Yeah,” she muttered.

Jake replayed the events of the night. That story Rooster had told had made you uncomfortable, he could tell by your eyes, you looked trapped, like you were looking for a way out. Then there was that pilot that you’d told off. He remembered what you said about your contract work that morning. Five months ago. Was she the pilot in that story Rooster was telling?

When you entered the house you headed to the kitchen, grabbed a water, and sat down on the couch. You just needed some time to gather yourself before bed, but Jake had other plans.

“That pilot in that story Bradshaw was telling, it was you wasn’t it?” His eyes flickered over the features of your face as he sat down beside you on the couch, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah,” you managed to say after a long deep breath. He just looked at you, brows slightly furrowed like he was waiting for you to elaborate. You rubbed your index finger over the top of your thumb, still unable to meet his gaze. Then you finally looked up at him, not knowing what to expect.

“I’m sorry.”

That might have been the last thing you thought he would say. You retreated to your room. The shower was hot, and your mind was trashed from the events of the day. You just hoped that Jake wouldn’t say anything to the rest of the team. Him knowing was already more than enough to deal with, and the thought of everyone knowing what happened over there, what you did, made you sick to your stomach. They would hate you if they knew, and they were all you had. You couldn’t afford lose them. You wrapped yourself in the blankets of your bed, desperately trying to fall asleep.

Jake looked up at the ceiling of the guest room. So many questions were running through his head. How’d she get shot down? How’d she manage to make it out of enemy territory alive? Why wouldn’t she tell anyone about any of it? Was she scared that it would happen again? He couldn’t process how you could risk going through that again on this upcoming mission. Then there was the fact that there’s a lot more to the story of what happened to you than anyone knows. She just bottles it up and deals with it on her own? That’s not healthy. He was getting a headache from just the little bit that he knew. Living through the whole thing would be hell. He just wished he could help you somehow; seeing you in distress was not something he enjoyed. With a yawn he turned off the bedside lamp and adjusted the covers, he needed to get some rest.

Your legs were bound to a wooden chair by ropes and your arms were tied behind your back. Your blood stained flight suit was around your waist, a tattered black shirt clung to your upper body, and your boots were no longer on your feet.

Your eyes flew open, taking in the surroundings of your bedroom. Your breaths were quick and heavy, and a few stray tears clung to your cheeks. The clock on the bedside table read 3:56. There was really no point in trying to go back to sleep when you’d need to be up in an hour anyway, so you decided to make an early run to the gym. You got dressed, filled a water bottle and returned to your bedroom to gather the rest of your things. This was the best way to de-stress after a nightmare. Fortunately this is the first time you’d had one in almost a month.

Jake woke up to the sound of footsteps in the kitchen. He could hear her filling a water bottle and grabbing her keys, but why so early? He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, neglecting to pull on a shirt and ventured out into the hallway that led to the living room. She came out of her bedroom as he reached the living room. She seemed surprised that he was awake. Her brows raised slightly and she glanced at his muscular frame, doing her best to be discreet.

“Why’re you up so early?” His voice was tired, and while he had noticed her look towards his bare torso, he didn’t mind.

“Couldn’t sleep, so I’m going to the gym. Sorry for waking you up.”

“It’s okay I’m a light sleeper, product of our line of work I think,” he softly laughed.

“You got that right,” she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes like he was used to seeing, “I’ll see ya later.” She disappeared through the garage door and Jake sighed.

He wanted to ask her so many questions. He wanted to understand why she would put herself in a situation that was very likely to end with her being shot down over enemy territory again. He also wanted her to know that he cared about her. She was lovely. Strong, motivated, brave, funny, smart, beautiful, and caring. She was wonderful. He just wished he could tell her that without screwing up their newfound friendship. He was afraid that she didn’t feel the same way about him. And even if she did feel the same way, there was a likely chance that he would lose her. Thoughts about her continued to flood his head while he made some coffee and eggs.

At the gym Carly was de-stressing with some running and then some yoga. She thought about Jake. What would he say if he knew about the nightmare. What does he think about the Afghanistan situation? He might not know the whole story, but he didn’t need to. He could still judge her and make assumptions. What if he told their team? What if he told Maverick? God that would be bad. She might have been over the nightmare but the fact that Jake knew about what happened in Afghanistan was eating away at her.

She drove home, listening to some classic rock on the radio. Once she stepped into the house, the smell of coffee was evident. Walking into the kitchen she found half a pot that was still warm. She poured a cup and went into the living room, where she looked at the morning news on her phone. Jake had heard her come in while he was finishing getting ready for the day. He wanted to talk with her about last night. He came out into the living room and sat down beside her on the couch. Their eyes met but no words were exchanged.

A somewhat comfortable silence was broken when Jake began to speak. “So, why haven’t you told anyone about what happened over there?”

“Y'all don’t need to know about it.” Her eyes were mean, they didn’t look at him, they looked through him.

“Listen I know you’re upset and you have every right to be, but I’m worried about you, keeping all of the awful things to yourself only does more harm.”

What had gotten into him? You knew he was right about bottling up those emotions and experiences, but still couldn’t bear the thought of the judgement you might receive from him.

“Why do you care?” she snapped.

“Because you’re my friend.” The expression on his face was a mix of hurt and confusion.

It looked like he genuinely cared about your wellbeing. As much as you liked him you still didn’t trust him fully, you couldn’t risk it. Your head was down, and silent tears rolled off your cheeks and on to the front of your shirt. Jake reached over and gently squeezed your hand,

“If you ever change your mind and want to talk about anything, I’m here to listen.” He let go of your hand and got up from the couch.

After you heard the door to his room shut, you went to your own room to get ready for the day. Training continued as normal. The mission was in two weeks. Even though everyone was continuing about everything as normal, they were dreading it. Everyone decided to go get dinner together after training. You sat between Jake and Bradley, and Nat sat across from you. The food was great. Almost every conversation blurred together at the table, but there were parts of a few that you could make out. Payback was talking to Hangman about a sports team, Phoenix and Rooster were discussing different types of music and what they liked.

This dinner was great, it was so normal, relaxing even. The waitress came over and asked how the check would be split, but you said you’d cover it. All of the pilots thanked you, and everyone went their separate ways. The drive back to your house was peaceful, just what you needed after a long day.

Jake hadn’t started his drive back to her place yet. Instead he sat in his truck with Bradley in the passenger seat. “How are things going between the two of you?”

“Not bad, not great. I still have no idea how to tell her that I like her.”

“Well you better tell her before she goes on that mission.”

“We don’t even know who’s going on that mission yet, and if I can help it, it’s not going to be her.” His tone was defensive.

“We all know who’s going, on that mission. She’s the best choice I know it, Mav knows it, and you know it.”

Jake knew that he was right, but he didn’t want to believe it. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way about me? What am I gonna do if she feels the same way about me, and then she’s just gone forever?”

“You don’t want to tell her because you’re scared of losing her?”

Jake didn’t say anything, he just rested his hands on the top of the steering wheel.

“Think about it, I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that Bradley got out of the truck.

Chapter 3

You could hear Jake slide the key you’d lended him into the lock. He walked into the living room where you were sitting.

“Hey, about this morning, sorry for snappin’ at you.”

“Don’t worry about it, I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you.” he said before heading to his room.

You and Jake continued to get to know each other better over the next week. Training took up most of the day, but before and after the two of you talked about music, tv shows, and life experiences. Things were good, you hadn’t had any more nightmares, and the two of you had a lot in common. Jake enjoyed much of the same classic rock that you did, you both loved flying, and you both loved a good competition. He told you about why he’d joined the Navy, and then you told him why you’d joined. You recounted the missions you’d been on together, and what you’d been thinking while flying them. There was only a week until the mission, and only four days of training remained. The whole thing still didn’t feel real. Three weeks ago you were still in Afghanistan and still thought that Jake Seresin hated you. Now you knew he didn’t, but it was all going to end.

Today would be more practice for the bombing part of your mission. It is imperative that the bomb is dropped on the main gas supply for the plant, then the lines that ran throughout would do the rest of the work. That combined with the munitions being produced there should make sure that the plant was inoperable for the foreseeable future. The bombing practice runs were solo, and the other pilots watched from afar on the ground. Eventually everyone was able to make the drop, and it boosted everyone’s confidence in the success of the main goal of the mission.

Maverick approached you in the instruction room after training. “Devil, Admiral Kazansky has asked to see you in his office, don’t keep him waiting.”

“Yes sir.” Everyone looked at you as you left, and Rooster wished you luck.

You made your way into the Admiral’s office, and you greeted each other before he asked you to have a seat.

“Devil, it’s been a while since I saw you last, how are you doing?”

“Better since the last time we spoke.”

“Good, I wanted to talk to you and see how you were doing before the mission. Do you think you’re ready for it?”

“I have no doubt in my ability to complete the main objective of this mission.”

“I’m not questioning your ability to fly the mission, I want to know how you’re feeling about going back to Afghanistan and possibly ending up in the same situation you were in before.”

He was the only one who knew the full extent of what happened while you were over there. You were silent for a few moments, and your index finger rubbed against the back of your thumb.

“Well, honestly I hate the idea of being held captive again, but I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem this time. I’m a good pilot, I can get the mission done, and I don’t have to watch another one of my friends die. This is my job, my life, and I’m prepared to lose my life for this job, I always have been.”

The admiral just nodded. “Somehow I knew you’d say something like that. Maverick came to see me after the conversation he had with you last week.”

“Of course he did.”

“I didn’t tell him anything, only that you should be good to go on the mission, just do me a favor and try your best to make it back alive.”

“I’ll give it my best shot, sir.”

“Alright then, you’re dismissed.”

The next three days were full of more practice for the mission. Now that all of the training and practice was complete, there would be an official assignment for who would fly the mission.

“Are you ready for this?” Jake asked as he got out of your car.

“Yeah, are you?”

“Sure am.” He said with a sigh.

They walked into the hangar where everyone else was beginning to gather. Everyone was silent. The reality of the mission had been sinking in over the past two weeks, but now everyone had to face it head on. Maverick entered after a few minutes and began by giving a rundown of the mission again.

“All of you have shown great skill when training for this mission but as you know only one of you will be able to go.“

He paused, not eager to send someone on a suicide mission. Your eyes met Jake’s for a split second before Maverick continued to speak.

“Devil, you will be the pilot for this mission. Hangman I want you to fly out to Afghanistan as a reserve. Report back here on Monday at 6 AM. Take tomorrow to yourselves. The rest of you will have a new assignment by the end of the week. You’re all dismissed.”

Rooster, Hangman, Phoenix, and Payback gathered around you. Nobody knew what to say.

“Drinks at my place tonight y’all.” You smiled.

If you didn’t try to lighten the mood you’d break. You couldn’t break. The only thing you wanted to do was spend time with the people you cared about.

On the way back to your place you picked up a couple of packs of beer. Everyone arrived around 7 and hung out on the back patio near the pool. You, Rooster, and Phoenix eventually ended up in the pool. In spite of the circumstances, you were having a great time. You noticed Jake’s eyes look over your now bikini clad frame, it was safe to say that you were flattered.

“Hop in, the water’s great.” You said with a smile.

Jake just smiled back while shaking his head no.

Her friends were trying to stay positive for her sake, but the thought of losing her was getting to them. It was a stomach churning type of guilt and fear, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Eventually the air became chilly and the gathering moved inside. She was sitting beside Jake on the couch, still wrapped in a towel while drinking her beer. Jake hadn’t said much. He had been stealing admiring glances all night, just enjoying her presence while he still could. She took notice of his atypical behavior, but knew that it was because of the upcoming mission.

The rest of the night was spent sharing stories about your life, and favorite memories with your friends. As the night ended everything was bittersweet. This was the last time you’d all be together.

Payback wished you luck before he left.

Nat pulled you into a hug for what felt like an eternity. “Good luck Spence, I’m gonna miss you. You’re my best friend, always will be.”

“I’m gonna miss you too.” Your words were paired with a sad smile.

Bradley gave you a hug as well, “Carly, thank you for being such a good friend to me. If there’s anyone that can make it back from this, it’s you.” He gave you one last hug before heading out the door.

You showered and put on some comfy clothes before you returned to the living room where Jake still sat.

“That was a nice get together.” After he spoke the two of you sat on the couch for a while, surrounded by heavy silence.

“Jake, you’ve done a really good job of keeping my secret so far, and I need you to keep the rest of it for me, at least until I’m gone.”

You just needed it off of your chest, you couldn’t die feeling like you’d forever mislead the people you cared about most. They deserved to know the truth no matter how bad it was.

“I can do that.” Jakes brows tilted together in concentration and his eyes met yours.

You’d been contemplating telling him this over the past week, it seemed like he genuinely cared about you and wanted to help. Admittedly it was still terrifying, but if there were negative consequences, you wouldn’t have to deal with them for long.

“It started out as a standard bombing mission. Three other pilots and I were targeting a small military storage facility near Bagram, and we started taking fire from enemy jets and SAMs. We had no indication that SAMs were positioned there and they took out two of our jets almost immediately. There were two SAM sites and five enemy planes, god only knows how many anti aircraft guns were firing at us. My wingman and I-,” you were already struggling to catch your breath.

“We had taken damage from the anti aircraft rounds, and were still in a dogfight with these other planes, my wingman split off to take care of the SAM sites and succeeded, but he got shot down before he could target any of the jets. I took out two jets, but with the damage to the plane it was getting harder to hold them off. I did everything I could, but it still wasn’t enough. I took another hit, and both of my engines failed, there was no way I was gonna recover, so I ejected. That was probably the worst decision I’ve ever made. Really, I should’ve stayed with that plane til’ it hit the fuckin’ ground.”

Tears were silently rolling down your face now and you didn’t have the energy to care whether Jake was judging you or not. Nothing really mattered anymore.

Her last statement broke his heart. He knew that what she went through was bad, but if in hindsight death was preferable, it had to be truly horrible. She was crying and rightfully so. He had worried earlier when she was gasping for breath, but she seemed to be breathing a little easier now. She’d lost three of her wingmen already and it seemed like the horror was just beginning. There wasn’t anything he could say, he just needed to continue to listen.

“As soon as my feet hit the ground I was being shot at. I think I landed on the outskirts of a small military training camp. Between shots I ran to cover behind some crates, but it didn’t take them long to surround me. I thought they were gonna kill me, but they just threw me in a truck and we drove for a little bit. When they took me out of the truck I could tell that we were at a bigger military complex. They put me in a cell, tied me to a chair, and started questioning me. Wanted to know what my mission was, why I was flying there. They started by hitting me, first with their hands, then with various tools they had lying around. I still wasn’t giving them anything, so they tried electrical shock, and lemme tell you that shit hurts. Then they tried drowning. They kept at it for five days. That last day they were hitting me with a baseball bat, and ended up knocking my chair over. I slipped my legs out of their restraints when they left for a break. With my legs out I went over to their table of tools and got my hands free. I used that knife to take out the guard at the end of the hall, I killed him.”

Her voice had become almost a whisper, and then she was silent. She couldn’t even look at him.

“You did what you had to do to survive. Anyone would have done the same if they were in your situation.” He said while reaching over to grasp her hand.

A safe, grounding, comforting gesture. It put her more at ease.

She continued after an extended pause,“That morning that I was up early and said I couldn’t sleep, I had a nightmare about that last day.”

“Do you have those a lot?”

“Not anymore.” There was another long pause before she spoke again.

“I took a handgun off of the guard, and ended up finding the two guys that had been beating on me all week. I shot both of them. When I got outside I could see the fence surrounding the base, and in the distance I could see the buildings of the city. I made a run for the fence and climbed over, the barbed wire at the top tore me up pretty bad, but I kept running. God I hurt so bad. Every fucking part of me hurt.” She squeezed her eyes shut, and took her hand from Jake’s, wiping away more tears from her face and neck, before digging her fingernails into her palm.

She was shivering, like she was terrified that the words she said would come true again right now.

He carefully moved closer to where she was sitting on the couch and put his hand on her upper back. To her the feeling of warmth and pressure on her back kept her from spiraling into a place she hadn’t been in a long time.

“There was an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city that I ducked into. I needed to patch myself up real bad. Thank god they hadn’t found the sewing kit I keep on me for emergencies. I slept there that night, and started moving again in the morning. Every once in a while there would be groups of Afghani soldiers that I had to avoid. About four days later three of them came into the building I was hiding in. There was a firefight. I took out one of them before my rifle ran out of ammo and was trying to get away when I got hit by a couple of bullets.”

Her fingers gently touched a scar on her leg, and then found their way to her shoulder.

“One went through my shoulder and the other went right through my thigh. I dragged myself into the buildings stairwell and shot them from there. They were wearing combat gear so I took some of that, their food, another gun, ammo, and their medical supplies. I wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t gotten that stuff. And with my leg being injured it took me a lot longer to get where I needed to go. I traveled less in that last week than I had in the first four days. Finally I made it to a US Army outpost and they took me back to my base. That was six months ago. I had to stay in the hospital for a month, took another two to get back to flying the way I was. Now I’m here.”

She had stopped crying at this point, but looked over at Jake to find silent tears rolling off of his jaw. He still had his hand on her back

Everything was piecing itself together. She didn’t want to be seen as a bad person for what she did over there, even if what she did was just so she could survive. She wanted to be the pilot to go on this mission so that none of then people she cared about had to. She had the experience. She was right for the job, but he hated it. He hated that she had to go back and risk going through the same thing again. He wished that he could trade places with her for just a moment, so that she would have a break from all that was weighing on her.

Against what his mind was telling him, he slowly pulled her into a hug. He didn’t care what she thought of him right now, it was what he needed to do.

“I’m glad that you ejected and fought your way back, because if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have gotten to know how great of a person you really are. You’re a brilliant pilot, and a wonderful person, and I’m sorry for how I acted towards you in the past. You didn’t deserve it, and you didn’t deserve any of what happened to you over there either. If anyone else knew about it, they wouldn’t blame you for it. Hell I don’t. It was what you had to do to stay alive.”

He was glad that she was alive, and he was very glad to have gotten to apologize for how he acted in the past.

“I thought you’d hate me.” she confessed.

She was crying again. Her face was buried in his shoulder, and her tears soaked into the fabric of his shirt. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest. He didn’t hate her for what she did, and was glad that she was still here. His hand rubbed her upper back, and she began to speak again.

“I’m so sorry,” she gently pulled out of his touch.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

She was still somewhat embarrassed of how emotional she had gotten, but he was nothing but kind and genuine. That’s the Jake she liked, maybe even loved. Most people only saw the cocky and arrogant side of him, but under that demeanor was a caring person, and she was very thankful for that.

“Are you scared that it’s gonna happen again?” His hand moved to hold hers once again.

“Yeah I am.”

Chapter 4

The next morning Carly went to meet with her lawyer and make sure her will was in place and her funeral arrangements were ready. She also went for a long drive. She went up into the mountains and then headed back down and along the coast. By the time she got back home it was dark. Jake was in the living room and greeted her when she came in. Her bag was mainly packed, but she threw a few extra things into the pockets of her flight suit. Just in case.

Jake drove them to the base the next morning, and by 6 AM they were with Maverick on a plane to Afghanistan. They landed at the base several hours later. The soldiers showed them to a room with a couple of beds, and then took Maverick to meet with their commander. She was due to start her mission in a few hours, so she headed out to the tarmac to find her jet. Jake wasn’t far behind her, he was a reserve after all. They spotted Maverick talking to the commander beside a couple of F-18 Super Hornets. The two pilots completed their pre-flight inspections, and were briefed on the mission one last time. There was only an hour until she’d take off now.

Maverick wished you good luck, and gave you a hug before heading to the command room. You approached Jake briskly and took his hand, pressing something into his palm. He looked at what you’d given him, it was the key to your Porsche.

“No Carly, I can’t.”

“Over my dead body.” Those were her words when he’d asked to drive it.

“I want you to have it, drive it for me okay?”

He just nodded.

“Thank you again for listening to me the other night. You’re a great guy Jake. That girl of yours is gonna be lucky to have you.”

“It’s you.” His voice was barely audible, but you’d heard him.

“What?” You needed to make sure your mind wasn’t playing tricks on you.

“It’s you. You’re that girl, Carly. I’ve liked you since we met, but honestly I was afraid to tell you, and I didn’t want to ruin things when we started getting along.”

You couldn’t move for a moment. He liked you too. This whole damn time he liked you too.

“Jake I’ve liked you for a long time too, I wish we would’ve told each other sooner.”

You took a step toward him, and he took one toward you. In an instant your hand was on the back of his neck, and his hands were wrapped around your waist.

Their lips came together carefully, but lovingly. Tears were streaming down both of their faces, mixing together as they moved with one another. They pulled apart so that they could breathe, but stayed in each other’s arms.

“Devil, time to go!” one of the soldiers informed you.

“Im sorry we never got to be together.” She looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

“Devil! You gotta go! Now!” The soldier yelled again. Before Jake could say anything else, she let go of his hands, and in an instant she was gone. He watched as her plane took off, and a pit formed in his stomach.

Maverick had seen their interaction from the windows of the command room. All he could do was hope that by some miracle she made it back. Jake climbed into the spare jet, and even though he was trying to hide it, he still looked very upset. Her radio transmissions could be heard throughout the command room and in Jake’s ear. There was no way to see her position, satellites weren’t in place and she would be out of radar range.

“Target is in sight, I’ve got two bandits, 10 miles south of my position. Ground defense has engaged. Target acquired, bombs away. Direct hit!”

Her comms were quiet for a moment, “Smoke in the air! Deploying flares, I’m comin’ around. Splash one! Dammit, I’ve got five more bandits, coming from the west and east-” Her radio suddenly went dead.

One of the officers came over the radio, “Her radio isn’t coming back online. We lost her.”

Jake couldn’t breathe. She was gone. She was really gone.

“Fuck,” he slammed his fist against his thigh.

“Hangman, it’s over, she completed the mission, we’re done here.” Mavericks voice strained over the radio.

There was nothing he could do. A few more minutes passed. Still nothing.

He climbed out of the jet. Once his feet hit the ground he didn’t know what to do. To say he was distraught was an understatement. If he had just told her sooner. If he had been a better pilot she wouldn’t have gone at all. If he had told her how he felt earlier, maybe things would have been different.

Jake went back to the room with your things it. He laid down on his bed and just looked at the ceiling. A clock on the wall was ticking, almost like it was teasing him. Twenty minutes ago they had shared a kiss, and now they never would again. What could’ve been was running through his head. They could’ve gotten married, had a family, shared holidays and anniversaries together. He could’ve told her he loved her.

Another ten minutes passed and Maverick entered the room. “I’m sorry it had to be her.”

Jake didn’t say a word to him. It wasn’t Mavericks fault, but he had no one else to blame. Jake shut his eyes, laid his forearm across them, and tried to find any sort of peace. He didn’t know how long he laid there before the door to the room opened again.

Jake didn’t even open his still teary eyes before his voice strained, “Maverick I swear to god-”

“Jake? Are you okay?”

He immediately sat up, almost not believing what he heard. There she was, in the doorway, looking straight at him. They met in an embrace in the middle of the room. Clinging to each other as if their lives depended on it.

“I thought you- I thought you were gone.” he let out a shaky breath.

“I’m right here, everything’s okay, we’re okay.” She smiled up at him, the most genuine smile he’d ever seen.

The two of them sat down on the bed, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, just delighted in the presence of one another.

The door to the room opened again, and this time it was actually Maverick.

“Hey you two, there’s a flight back to the states leaving in an hour. Let’s go home. Oh and Carly, it’s good to have you back.” He smiled sincerely at them before making his way back down the hall.

Carly slept on Jake’s shoulder almost the whole flight back, making the trip feel significantly shorter. They arrived back in San Diego at around midnight. She suggested going to the Hard Deck for a celebratory drink, even though it would be dead on a Wednesday night. They noticed Rooster’s Bronco when they pulled into the parking lot. He’d be glad to see both of them. When they got inside they noticed Rooster sitting at the bar, along with Phoenix.

They had their backs to the door and hadn’t noticed that you or Jake had come in. You walked up behind them, Penny noticed, but didn’t say anything.

“Hope y’all poured one out for me,” you said as you laid a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Holy shit!” Rooster slid off of the bar stool to hug you.

“Oh my god!” Phoenix exclaimed. She also got up and hugged you. You stepped back towards Jake, and his arm quickly found its way back around your waist.

“No fucking way.” Nat just stared at where Jake’s hand was resting on your waist.

Rooster started laughing, “Yes way, glad you finally told her, man.” He smiled at Jake, and then at Phoenix, “That could be us y’know.”

“Keep dreaming Bradshaw.”

The four of you decided to play some pool, and eventually Maverick came in to see Penny.

“So how the hell did you guys end up like, well, like that…” Phoenix trailed off as she gestured to the two pilots, who were standing closely together beside the pool table.

“Turns out we had both liked each other for a while, but I told her how I felt right before she went on the mission.” Jake said as he moved his hand to rest on her lower back.

“The timing was really bad, but I’ve never had someone happier to see me walk into a room than he was.” She smiled while looking up at him.

The game of pool was long over and Maverick came to stand beside the table with the rest of you. “So Devil, what happened after we lost you on the radio?”

“Well the ground defense got a good hit on me after I took down the first jet, that’s when the comms went out. Pretty quickly, I took care of another. Five more were coming in fast from the east and west. The group from the east got to me first, two I shot down, one had to punch out. The two from the west arrived and I led them into the mountains. My jet took a good amount of damage, and I was almost out of ammo. I got some good hits on one and he bugged out pretty quick. The last one I couldn’t get off my tail, so I pulled up and turned hard right through a break in the mountains and then descended on the other side of this ridge. By the time he followed I was ready to take the shot. I’m just so glad I was able to make it back.”

“I think everyone else is glad you were able to make it back too.” Maverick smiled as he looked at the other pilots around you.

Jake carried their bags into the house. They were both exhausted from everything that had happened in the past two days, but they were ecstatic to be together. Jake sat her bag down behind the couch, just like he had a few weeks ago, and then started to carry his own to the guest room.

“You don’t have to sleep in there if you don’t want to,” she smirked.

He followed her into her room and they both settled under the covers. Jake had his arm around her shoulders and ran his fingers through her hair as she rested her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating and feel every breath he took.

“I love this. I love this so damn much.” She grabbed his hand, pulling it close to her chest.

“I love you.” The words escaped his lips before he could stop them.

It was probably too soon, but it was how he felt, and there was nothing he could do about it now.

“I love you too.” She didn’t miss a beat.

Their lips came together once again, moving in perfect harmony.

He still couldn’t believe that they were together, but he was loving every second of it. Just having her close to him was incredible. They eventually fell asleep in each others arms, and woke up the same way.

“I could stay here like this for the rest of our lives,” her voice was tired.

“As much as I’d love to do that, Maverick wants us to be at the base by 9, we’re supposed to get our new assignments today.” He said as they sat up against the headboard.

With an exaggerated groan she rolled out of bed; Jake wasn’t far behind her. They stood in front of the sinks in the bathroom, and he watched as she carefully applied her mascara. She watched as he ran a comb through his hair, making it more neat than it had been when they woke up. They just admired each other’s motions, how each one was intentional.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Jake asked as he did up the last button on his uniform.

“Fruit maybe? I’m not really that hungry right now.” She seemed distracted, almost nervous.

“Everything okay?” He looked at her, brows furrowed in concern.

“All good.” Her eyes stayed put on the concealer in her hand.

Jake went into the kitchen and started laying out things for breakfast. He made a few slices of toast, and cut them into triangles like his mom used to. He put some honey and butter on top and got the blackberries, raspberries and strawberries out of the fridge. By the time he had everything on the plates Carly had come into the kitchen.

“Thanks for making breakfast, it’s really good.”

To his surprise she had cleared her plate.

“You’re welcome, but I didn’t really cook anything.” He laughed and took their plates and laid them in the sink.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He said as he leaned up against the island across from her.

“I’m worried about our new assignments, but it’s stupid cause I’ve never been worried about it before.”

Before she had even finished her sentence Jake was at her side, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

“Why are you worried?”

“It might keep us apart, hell, we might not see each other again, I just-” Her rambling was cut short by a gentle kiss.

Her arms reached up around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

“We’re gonna be just fine, everything is gonna work out one way or another. I promise.” his voice was ever reassuring.

When they arrived at the base Maverick was there along with Admiral Kazansky. They sat down with the other pilots who had been a part of training for the mission.

Admiral Kazansky spoke first, congratulating you on the success of the mission and then handed it over to Mav to give the new assignments. He went down the aisle, handing each pilot a file with their name on it. Everyone got one except you. Jake opened his file and his eyes darted across the page.

“Where’s yours?” He whispered

“I don’t know.” You whispered back.

The other pilots had begun to look at their own files before Admiral Kazansky commanded their attention again.

“Due to the nature of this previous mission and the exemplary skill needed to complete it, the United States Navy has decided to promote Lieutenant Carly Spencer to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.”

When he finished speaking he walked over to you with your file.

After the briefing was over the two of you stood outside the meeting room, as did the other pilots. Mav and Ice were also talking and catching up. Everyone was discussing where they were going. Technically a new assignment wasn’t classified information.

“Congratulations on the promotion.” He smiled at you, and then continued, “Where are they sending you?”

“I don’t want to look. Where are you going?”

Jake held out his hand, silently asking for your file.

You handed it over to him with a huff.

The corners of his mouth tilted up, “Pensacola, Florida. You wanna know where you’re going?”

“Just get it over with.” She huffed.

He opened your file, eyes scanning it for the location, and when he saw it there was a clear look of shock on his face.

“Hon you’re gonna lose your mind.” There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.

You quickly stepped over beside him, and found the location listed in the file.

Pensacola, Florida

“Oh my god, this is amazing” You playfully hit his arm with the back of your hand. Your smile was beaming. It felt like a hundred pound weight had been lifted off your chest.

“See, I told you everything would work out.” His arm moved around your shoulders, pulling you in close.

“I’m so glad it did.”

Thanks so much for reading! I’d like to write more for Jake and Carly so if you have any suggestions please send me a message or let me know in the comments! 💕

[torchflies]

GUYS…

What if Jake first got his Hangman epithet because during his air-to-air he got shot down, his wizzo died and he became a walking, talking, flying miracle when he survived his…

atlanto-occipital dislocation; internal decapitation…

And got back in the air. 😧