#jake seresin x oc!sister

[child-of-of-the-sunshine]

I contain it anymore I have to give a sneak peek at what I’ve been working with help form @snapghoul thanks for being my beta

I kinda had this idea but had no idea how to start it and then I thought to Snaps twin AU with Jake and Tyler and yeah it kinda just happened

Soon pilots started flowing into the bar. Penny took Amila home, she watched as her second family walked in, but her brother's words were nagging ‘How long had it been, it had to have been since after she started dating Mr. CEO’ “You look deep in thought.” Bradley said coming over and getting beers for him and Jake “Tyler called.”She shrugged her shoulders

“Tyler? What’d he want?” Bradley questioned her, she just nodded her head “Bradley the hell you do my sweet Callie?” Jake asked walking up to the bar

“Tyler called her.” He commented, “Oh yeah, what did he want?” Jake leaned against the bar tilting his head, he knew Tyle would never call her during work “Offered me a job, wants another member on his crew.” She mumbled, opening two bottles for Jake and Bradley

Jake hummed and nodded, he and Tyler both knew how much she needed a change “Take it, sis, what could go wrong?” “A lot of things.” Callie rolled her eyes

[plutotcles]

HEY LOVER! ━━━ Jake Seresin.

→ back to. . . top gun.

PAIRING, Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Malorie "Raven" Bradshaw (OC)

SERIES SUMMARY, Six months after Goose died, Carole gave birth to their daughter: Malorie Bradshaw. 32 Years later, in 2019, years after she graduated from Top Gun herself, she is called back to join in on a special mission. However she wasn't prepared to face two ghosts of her past alongside the way — just to her luck, she has best friend Jake Seresin sleeping in the room next to her.

WARNINGS, Death, grief, angst and my poor knowledge about the Air Force.

O. ━━━ I DID IT, DAD, ARE YOU PROUD?

Malorie knows that her graduation from Top Gun is something that she should look forward to, however knowing that no one would be there for her put a damper on that.

I. ━━━ I THINK I'VE SEEN THIS FILM BEFORE.

If there was one person in the world that knew that last names meant nothing it was Maverick. So when Cyclone presents him the 12 aviators coming back for the secret mission, he is not all that interested. That is until he sees two familiar faces: Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" and Lieutenant Malorie "Raven" Bradshaw.

II. ━━━ DROWNING IN WHAT ONCE WAS.

The last person Bradley expected to meet back at Top Gun was his little sister, dressed up and way too close to Bradley's enemy number one from Academy times: Jake Seresin. After all the last time he saw her she was sixteen and on her way to become a Fashion designer in Paris.

III. ━━━ A FAMILIAR AFFAIR.

A day that was supposed to be just a normal work day turns disastrous for Malorie when she is faced with not one but two people from her past, but Jake can not watch his best friend struggle like this.

. . .MORE CHAPTERS COMING SOON!

[theharddeck]

i'll carry my bags just until i can hold you again (Jake Seresin x OC)

I'm gonna walk, if I have to run I'll stand on the highway and stop someone I'll cross the deserts and oceans, a river that's frozen I'll follow the stars just to find where you are You can count on me (x)

a Jake & Julie second chance Thanksgiving romance with fake dating, family drama, and fall festivities 💙

masterpost

[ratquesadilla]

3005 (chapter 3)

pairing: jake “hangman” seresin x fem! mitchell! oc

word count: 2231

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41505768/chapters/106035918

“it’s an existential thing”

a story where the return of north island's resident player leaves a girl with a lot of influence in a predicament.

chapter 2 - series masterlist - full masterlist

----

jake seresin was a confusing man. naval aviators were cocky and headstrong, no doubt about it. my own father was guilty of that. he would admit he was an asshole when he was at top gun, but uncle tom had a million stories. like that one time when he and goose got all of the pilots to serenade a lady he talked to once. 

but jake was different. he used shitty pickup lines and thought he was a gift from god with how well he could fly, he was a textbook dick. maybe it was me, but a single kiss turned him into a lovestruck idiot. like he had a proper teenage girl crush. there was something about that 6’0” blonde manchild that made me want to break my rule, let another pilot into my life. and now that manchild was on my doorstep, very drunk and very cute. 

“why is there a shitfaced pilot on my porch.” i said, sounding eerily like carole whenever bradley and i would come home after a night of teenage shenanigans.

“hangman here drank a little too much and bringing him back to base would be a huge no-no.” the aviator in front of me replied. 

“i don’t even know your name and you want me to take care of jake?” i questioned, rolling my eyes and reluctantly beginning to lead seresin into the living room.

“it’s coyote.” he said, extending a hand but quickly dropping it. realizing that i had my hands full with the manbaby in my house. “and you wouldn’t do it for free, were all going to fanboys lake house after the mission and you’re invited.”

“deal, but you have to pick him up tomorrow there’s no way in hell i’m waking up at the ass crack of dawn to drive seresin to the base.” i said, leading payback to the door. “and i need a real name, no callsigns in the house. caroles rule, not mine.” 

“javy machado.” he replied, almost at his car “thanks for taking care of hangman, we all appreciate it.” 

this was the last thing i imagined myself doing on a sunday night, especially after the events that transpired at the hard deck. it was bad enough that there was a passed out pilot on my (very nice) couch, but did it have to be seresin of all people? god? i thought, are you mad at me? if this is about me skipping church i’m really really sorry, but did you have to send me a very drunk jake as punishment? seresin was out cold, and it was very late, but i couldn’t leave him to fend for himself. i took his shoes off, leaving them by the door, and draped a quilt over his freakishly tall body. his legs were hanging off the couch, dangling like wilting flowers. part of me wanted to let him go in tomorrow terribly hungover, but i couldn’t. i left him instructions for carole’s magic hangover cure on the coffee table, and laid all the ingredients out in the kitchen. this is just so he doesn’t destroy your kitchen, i thought, and flying with a hangover is never a good idea. someone could get hurt. but the tiny voice in my heart told me otherwise, jake seresin captivated me. i wanted to know everything about him, and i wanted him to know everything about me. 

——

jake was gone when i woke up. so was the note, and everything i’d left out from the night before. the blanket covering the couch instead of folded on the armchair like it usually was. other than that it was like he was never here. i sat where he was sleeping just hours before, trying to figure out how jake managed to get that drunk. at his age he would be able to handle his alcohol, no doubt about it, so why was he more shitfaced than a teenage girl after homecoming? he was cocky but he was smart enough to know when to stop drinking, so a drinking game couldn’t be a possibility, so what the fuck was it? 

i thought about ask natasha, she would probably tell you the truth, but quickly shut the idea down. whatever he did last night was his business. 

——

the rest of the day was a blur; i ran errands, picked amelia up from school (penny was picking up the boat), and visited uncle tom. 

iceman was getting worse, we could all tell, but no one wanted to admit the worst. 

“he thinks of you like a daughter,” sarah said as i was leaving his office, “even if he already has his own.”

“i know.” i replied, tears forming in my eyes. i’d never call him that, but iceman was the closest thing i had to a real father. i’m sure if you asked bradley he would say the same thing. both of us were left fatherless at a young age and tom was there to fill the gap. “has my dad come to see him yet?”

“he was here earlier this afternoon, i didn’t mean to eavesdrop but pete got him to speak again.” 

“that’s good.” i whispered. my father and icemans relationship was complicated, there was an unspoken understanding that they were in love with each other. you could see it whenever they spoke, or hugged, or even maintained eye contact. tom iceman kazansky and pete maverick mitchell were in love, even if they couldn’t be together. it was a million types of love all combined into one unstoppable force. it was the love that carole had for bradley, the love that she had for goose. it was the love that every pilot in top gun had for flying. no matter how far they were the love they had for each other couldn’t be severed. 

i thought i had that with mark, i tried so hard to get that with him. all my life i wanted someone to get that love, to have that connection with someone. with mark it was a wanting to be stepped on feeling, i let him treat me like shit because at least he’d treat me at all. i did everything i could to replicate what pete and tom had, even if it meant staying with a piece of shit. 

“speaking of pilots coming by the house.” sarah said. “one of the returning pilots came over just before you got here. said something about needing to get your uncles blessing.”

“that’s jake,” i replied, a smile forming on my lips. i wiped the tears off my eyes with the sleeves of my jacket. “i didn’t think he would seriously come.”

“that boy is a keeper, none of your boyfriends have ever tried that hard to get tom’s approval. they were in there for nearly an hour.”

“did you hear what they said?” i asked.

“i did,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “but if you want to find out you’ll have to ask him yourself.” tears were forming again. 

“i love you, i really do.”

“i know baby, i love you too.” she pulled away, and began dabbing the tears off her cheeks with a tissue from her pocket. “you give ‘em hell mallory. 

——

the hard deck was slow tonight. the regulars were there, it was in their name after all, and a couple top gun boys came in. i wasn’t sure what their names were but i planned on learning. i closed early; there weren’t many people left after 12 on weekdays, and i was tired. visiting iceman was exhausting sometimes, especially when he wasn’t doing good. 

i took the scenic route back, stopping at the parking lot of the old blockbuster where iceman taught me and bradley how to drive. it got converted into a target when i was in college, and carole sent me a string of angry texts complaining about how the america she knew was being ruined. 

i stopped at the playground where bradley and i got high for the first time. we stole a blunt from lacey shank’s older brother and fought about where we would smoke it for a week before we got tired and did it on the swingset because we were paranoid if we left it at home any longer carole would find it. 

i drove past the pop up ice cream shop where i had my first kiss. it was the middle of july and i just wanted to get it over with, bradley left me to hang out with alyssa warner on the boardwalk so i grabbed the first boy i could find and asked him if he would kiss me. he tasted like salt and fish that had been left out too long. 

and i parked at the italian restaurant where mark broke up with me for the last time. we had planned to eat out for our 4th anniversary, but he was an hour late. i sat in the claustrophobic booth waiting for him to show up, and when he finally did i had reached my limit. i wanted to scream at him and hit him and do anything to get the last however many years of my life back, but all i did was tell him we were over and drive away. 

when i returned home i expected to see bradleys truck parked in the driveway. but instead of the dirty blue truck i was used to, there was a shiny black pickup in it’s spot. and there was a tall, blonde, aviator standing on my porch. it was dark, but the dim lights on the porch illuminated his face. bugs were drawn towards the light, and his eyes were drawn towards me as i began making my way towards him. “i talked to your uncle.” he said, leaning on the post by the stairs. 

“i think you mean admiral kazansky,” i said. strolling past him and sliding my keys into the door. “i may not allow callsigns in the house but you still need to respect your superior.” the door eased open and i began to take off my shoes as i entered the foyer.

“you don’t wanna know what he had to say?” jake asked, staring at the picture of me, carole, rooster, goose, and maverick framed and hung on the wall behind me.

“i’m sure you had only nice things to say about me.” i replied, “god knows you wouldn’t be standing here if anything negative came out of your mouth at tom’s house.” grabbing his hand i led him into the house. “close the door bagman, i don’t want to let spiders in.”

“what happened to no callsigns?” he joked as he began to unlace his boots, placing them by the umbrella holder. 

“i never said no nicknames, or petnames.” i responded, making sure to whisper the last part. “do you want dinner? i was already planning on cooking for two.”

“i’d love something to eat sweetheart.” the petname was apart of his regular vocabulary, no doubt about it, but something about the way he said it sent blood rushing to your cheeks. if i wasn’t in the middle of connecting my phone to the speakers, my hand’s would have started shaking like crazy. 

“pick up a knife and start cutting,” i said, deliberately turning away from him and towards the cool fridge in an attempt to pull the redness out of my face and towards somewhere less noticeable. after spending a little too much time in the frosty safe haven, carole was probably scolding me from heaven, lecturing me about wasting energy, i emerged from my hole and handed jake a packet of chicken. “cube that.”

“will do, m’lady.”

“less talking more cutting.” seresin was charming, there was no denying that. he had managed to win over tom and sarah, which was no easy feat, and he was determined. if he wanted something, he got it. as i bent over to grab a cutting board from the cabinet under the island, “let’s hear it for the boy” began playing over the speakers. unless you were paying very close attention to him, you wouldn’t be able to catch jake very quietly humming and moving (very slightly) along to the song. “oh my god!” i exclaimed. he turned around alarmed, a look of concern splayed across his face. “you like footloose!”

“jesus christ you scared me mallory,” he said, setting the knife down to grab my arm and spin me around. “but you’re wrong.”

“i’m never wrong.” i quipped, sticking my tongue out at him. 

“but you are.” he replied, letting go of me. “i don’t like footloose, i love it.”

“god you are so corny.”

“you know it baby.” jake said as he returned to his cutting. 

that moment played in my head for the rest of the night. everytime i looked at jake i could his arms spinning me around again, everytime we made eye contact. it was all i could think about. we made casual conversation, neither of us mentioning the other night. i didn’t want to talk about the creep and i assume he didn’t wan to talk about why he showed up at my house in the middle of the night blackout drunk. and when it came time for him to leave, i packed him leftovers and planted a kiss on his cheek. “i’ll see you soon seresin.”

[indynerdgirl]

Shut Up And Drive - A rivals to friends to lovers NASCAR AU

Race car driver Nichole ‘Nikki’ Bradshaw, daughter of the late, great NASCAR driver Nick Bradshaw and younger sister of Bradley Bradshaw, last year’s champion of the NASCAR Cup Series, is about to get her big break thanks to her uncle, the legendary driver Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. There is an open spot on his team for the upcoming season and he believes Nikki is finally ready to take on the Cup Series. But not everyone on the team thinks she has what it takes to make it in NASCAR’s highest level of racing. Her new teammate, Jake Seresin, is convinced she only got the spot because of her last name & connection to the team owners and not because of her own talent & skills as a driver. Despite the fact that Nikki has worked her way up from the Weekly Series just like every other Cup Series driver before her (including her brother), Jake quickly dismisses her as a threat in his attempt to win this year’s championship. Using Jake’s dismissal of her as motivation, Nikki is determined to prove to her uncle that he was right to put his faith in her as a driver and to prove the naysayers wrong.

[sarahsmi13s]

I’ve got two fics coming at you tomorrow (2/14/2023) 🥰🥰

Duckie - Chapter 4

and

J and S - Lavender Kisses

[ereardon]

FIC AUTHORS SELF REC!

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love! 💞

Thank you for tagging me @seresinhangmanjake 🥰

Before I Knew — Jake Seresin x Floyd!sister Reader Jake gets Bob's little sister pregnant during a one night stand. Oops! That Summer — Bradley Bradshaw x Reader Bradley Bradshaw spends one summer living with the daughter of his late parents' best friends. But she was given one rule: Don't fall in love with the boy in the attic. Friends Don't — Bob Floyd x OC Bob's best friend moves to town but she's holding onto a secret that could change everything. Golden Hour — Bob Floyd x Bradley Bradshaw x OC love triangle A Hart of Dixie AU, Dr. Olive moves to small town Georgia and falls for the town's two heartthrobs — Dr. Bob Floyd and local attorney Bradley Bradshaw. As It Was — Jake Seresin x best friend OC Jake's best friend Abby falls for Bradley Bradshaw — and it irks Jake to no end.

→ Tagging: @blue-aconite @bobfloydsbabe @horseshoegirl @teacupsandtopgun @gretagerwigsmuse

[callsign-dexter]

Requests are opened!

This Masterlist does have 18+ fics in it so please heed the warnings.

All fics are separated but I do:

9-1-1

9-1-1 Lone Star

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Criminal Minds

One Chicago (Chicago Med, PD, and Fire)

The Rookie

Top Gun

Top Gun Maverick

Twister

Twisters

I will do:

Sister!Reader

Daughter!Reader

x Reader

A/N: All fics not underlined means that they are planned and a wip this just helps me to keep track of what fics I need to do.

A/N 2: All fics are fem!reader unless stated otherwise or requested otherwise.

Series

(Discontinued) I'm Already There (Bradshaw!Sister)

My Daughter, My Heart (Jake Seresin x Daughter!Reader, OC!Elizabeth Taylor x Daughter!Reader)

Whisper in the Wind (Natasha Trace x OC!Benjamin Bradshaw, Natasha Trace x Daughter!Reader, OC!Benjamin Bradshaw x Daughter!Reader, Bradley Bradshaw x OC!Wife!Leah Winters)

Storm Warning (Javi Rivera x OC!Wife!Olivia Owens, Javi Rivera x Daughter!Reader, OC! Olivia Owens x Daughter!Reader, Tyler Owens x OC!Sister!Olivia Owens, Tyler Owens x Niece!Reader)

Universes

A Forever Home (Grace Ryder x Daughter!Reader and Judd Ryder x Daughter!Reader, Grace Ryder x Judd Ryder)

Baby Bradford: A Little Fighter (Tim Bradford x Daughter!Reader, Lucy Chen x Tim Bradford)

Blizzard (IceMav x Daughter!Reader, Maverick x Iceman)

Firecracker (Evan Buckley x Daughter!Reader)

Little Birdie (Bradley Bradshaw x Daughter!Reader)

Littlest Halstead (Jay Halstead x Daughter!Reader)

Little Nash (Bobby Nash x Daughter!Reader)

Lil' Severide (Kelly Severide x Daughter!Reader)

Mini TK (TK Strand x Daughter!Reader, Carlos Reyes x Daughter!Reader, TK Strand x Carlos Reyes)

Our Little Girl (Jake Seresin x Daughter!Reader, Bradley Bradshaw x Daughter!Reader, Jake Seresin x Bradley Bradshaw)

The Firehouse Miracle (Eddie Diaz x Daughter!Reader, Evan Buckley x Daughter!Reader, Eddie Diaz x Evan Buckley)

x Daughter!Reader

Top Gun

One Chicago

9-1-1

9-1-1 Lone Star

The Rookie

Twisters

x Sister!Reader

Top Gun

One Chicago

Fics

Top Gun

One Chicago

The Rookie

9-1-1

9-1-1 Lone Star

Crossovers

Fight to Survive (9-1-1 x Criminal Minds) (Evan Buckley x Nash!FBI!Reader)

Burning Jealousy (One Chicago x The Rookie) (Kelly Severide x Paramedic!Reader)

Love in the Danger Zone (One Chicago x Top Gun Maverick) (Bradley Bradshaw x Halstead!Pilot!Reader and Kelly Severide x Halstead!Pilot!Reader)

Operation: Mischief (9-1-1 x 9-1-1 Lonestar) (Owen Strand x Wife!Reader)

[hangmansgbaby]

Hi!!! Can I request a one shot where reader is mav’s daughter/Bradley’s “sister” but she doesn’t have a good relationship w either because she’s always been in Bradley’s shadow. Instead of her moving around w MAV she was sent to boarding school and Bradley always says that Mav just didn’t want to deal w her and things like that. Reader and Jake are dating (bonding over daddy issues lol) and it’s apt of angst between Mav Bradley and reader and fluff between jake and reader 😭

Always Darling | 1 | J.Seresin

Summary: No one was prepared for what was going to happen walking into the Hard Deck that day. Maverick wasn’t prepare to see in daughter and nephew for the first time in 20 years nor the memories seeing them would bring up. Bradley wasn’t prepared to see the girl he saw as a little sister, let alone see her all over Hangman. Willow was not prepared to see both of them in class that next morning, let alone how small she’d feel like she was back in perfect Bradley Bradshaw’s shadow all those years ago. But when she finally confronts him? Their mission may be in jeopardy.

Pairings: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x OC!Willow "Vixen" Seresin, brief mentions of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x OC Daughter!Willow "Vixen" Seresin and Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x OC God Sister!Willow "Vixen" Seresin

Warnings: angst, fluff, daddy issues

Note: none :)

Apr 2024 note: I did end up updating this into an OC as I dont write my series as a reader insert anymore.

Word count: 1.4k

Masterlist | Always Darling Masterlist

"What do we have here?" Hangman shouts smugly. "If it ain't Phoenix!" Hangman leans against the pool table as the Phoenix walks up to him.

“I missed you!” Willow hugs her.

“I missed you too.”

"And here I thought we were special, Coyote. Turns out the invite went to anyone." Willow elbows her boyfriend's ribs, walking straight back over to the table.

"Fellas, this here's Bagman." Phoenix introduces him to the boys behind her.

"Hangman."

"Whatever." Phoenix smiles sarcastically. "You're looking at the only naval aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill."

"Stop." Hangman acts humbled, causing Willow to laugh.

"Mind you, the other guy was in a museum piece from the Korean War."

"Cold War. Different wars, same century."

"Not this one." Willow smiles, pulling the pool cue from Coyote’s hands.

"Who are your friends?" Coyote asks.

"Payback."

"Fanboy." There's a brief pause before he questions, "Who’s she?”

"Vixen.“ Jake answers, pulling her around the table to stand in front of him. He positions her to where her back is against his chest. “My beautiful girlfriend.” Jake kisses her temple as she laughs, pulling away from him.

"Hey Coyote." Phoenix greets.

"Hey."

"Who's he?" Phoenix asks.

"Who's who?" Coyote questions before the attention is turned to the man sitting in the barstool nearby.

"When did you get in?" Coyote asks.

"Oh, I've been here the whole time."

"Man's a stealth pilot." Hangman chuckles.

"Literally." Coyote chimes in.

"Weapons system officer, actually."

"With no sense of humor." Hangman sighs, handing Phoenix his pool cue, walking to the bar.

"What do they call you? Willow questions.

"Bob.”

"No your callsign." Payback asks.

"Bob."

"Bob Floyd? You're my new backseater? From Lemoore?"

"Looks like it. Yeah." Bob nods.

"Nine ball, Bob." Phoenix hands him the pool cue. "Rack'em." She takes the extended cue from Willow who walks after her boyfriend.

“Penny my dear. I’ll have 4 beers on the old timer.”

“Better be getting one for me too.” Willow bounces up to the bar top.

“I could never forget my best girl.” Jake’s southern drawl flutters out. Willow leans into his side as Penny returns with their drinks.

“Hey Willow! You back too?” Penny questions, wiping down the bar as they pick up the bottles.

“Yea. How have you been?” Willow smiles.

“Good, ya know I just saw-“

“Willow?” Willow glances behind Penny to see none other than her father sitting on the other side of the bar.

“Maverick.” She nods curtly.

“Sweetheart-“ Maverick tries but she shuts him down.

“Don’t. Not here.” She shakes her head, turning away from the bar. “Let’s go Jake.”

"Bradshaw!" Phoenix calls. "Is that you?" Willow snaps her head around.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She groans. The pornstache and tacky Hawaiian shirt caught her eye.

"This is how I find out your stateside?"

"Yeah, I just thought I'd surprise you." Bradley smirks, walking up to the pool table just in time for Phoenix to pull back on the pool cue causing Bradley to double over in pain from the impact.

"I guess I surprised you back." Phoenix says, turning around.

"It's good to see you." Bradley smiles, as he stands up.

"Good to see you too."

"Bradshaw, as I live and breathe." Hangman says, returning from the bar. He hands out the beers he brought back before removing the pool cue from Bob's hands.

"Hangman. You look good." Rooster nods at him, already annoyed.

"Well, I am good, Rooster. Real good. In fact, I am too good to be true." Hangman answers looking around at the group. Willow groans, sitting in one of the barstools nearby.

"So, anybody know what this special detachment is all about?" Coyote asks.

"No, mission's a mission. They don't confront me. What I want to know: Who's gonna be team leader? And which one of y'all has what it takes to follow me?" Hangman says, making a couple shots on the pool table.

"Hangman, the only place you'll lead anyone is an early grave." Rooster retorts.

"Well, anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel." Willow snarks.

Hangman leans against the pool table. "But that's just you ain't it, Rooster? You're snug on that perch, waiting for just the right moment, that never comes." Hangman says, stopping when he is inches away from Bradley's face. "I love this song." He smiles, walking away.

"Well he hasn't changed." Phoenix says.

"Nope." Bradley eyes Willow, offering her a smile. She just scoffs and walks towards the door.

“Darlin, where are you going?” Jake calls, pulling her to a stop.

“I…” she struggles with the words, hearing the piano radiate through the room. “Fuck.” She groans, glancing behind Jake as Bradley starts singing. “Can we just go home? Please?”

“Yea, baby of course. Let me go pay off our tab. I’ll meet you at the truck.”

“Okay,” Willow nods, quickly walking out of the Hard Deck.

“Willow! Wait up!”

Willow glances behind her to see her father following behind her. “No. I’m not doing this with you now.”

“Willow, come on. You can’t still be mad.”

“You sent me to boarding school!”

“You were a trouble stu-“

“Right, troubled.” Willow scoffs, laughing lightly. “I just wanted my dad to see me. Treat me just like he did perfect little Bradley Bradshaw.”

“I didn’t treat you any differently.” Pete defends.

“Oh really? ‘Bradley’s going to state champs,’ ‘Bradley got straight A’s,’ Bradley this and Bradley that!” Willow shouts. “But did I get any praise? No! I get one B and immediately it’s ‘well when Bradley took that class!’ I am so sick of you comparing us! He’s not even your son!”

“He’s been through a lot.” Mav says, but it only makes Willow’s anger worse.

“So have I!” Willow shouts. “I lost everything. Mom! Uncle Goose! Aunt Carole! You! I lost people too!”

“Me?” Mav questions.

“Yes you! You left as soon as you dropped me off at boarding school and never came back!”

“I did what was best for you!” Mav retorts, yelling.

“Yea, whatever helps you sleep at night asshole.” She mutters, turning away from him. “Go back to perfect Bradley.” Mav had since walked away but only to be replaced.

“You think I’m perfect?”

“Piss off Bradshaw! I am not in the mood.” Willow groans, still walking towards Jake’s truck.

“Come on! You seemed to have plenty to say a minute ago.”

“You know what? I am so sick and tired of you thinking you’re better than me!” Willow shouts. “Always telling me how I should feel, or act. You’re nothing but a spoiled ass little orphan who can’t take no for an answer.”

“Same old Willow. I don’t blame your dad for leaving you at that school. You were always too much to handle.”

“Oh that's it!” Willow goes to charge him but is interrupted by Jake walking up.

“Everything alright out here?” Jake asks, jogging up to Willow.

“Yea, let’s just go home.” Willow pulls him with her to the truck, immediately climbing inside.

“You okay?” Jake questions after about 5 minutes, halfway to the condo they rented.

“Yea, just… can we not talk about it?”

“Of course.” Jake smiles, his hand rubbing circles into her thigh.

Willow retreated to the master as soon as Jake parked the truck.

“Darlin?” Jake followed her in. He quickly dropped their things by the door and followed her into the room. “Darlin what’s wrong?”

Willow immediately curled into the bed. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” She sighed, willing herself not to cry.

“That's fine. We can just lay here, okay?” Jake sits on the bed, opening his arms for Willow to slide into him and she does. Her cheek resting in his chest, one arm over his torso while both of his wrapped around her. “You know I love you right?”

“Of course. You know I love you?”

“Always darling.” He plants a kiss on her forehead as she slowly drifts to sleep. “We’ll get through this detachment. Together like everything else.” Be gently kisses her head again before drifting to sleep himself.

[child-of-of-the-sunshine]

Mood boards

Snap hasn’t seen these yet hehe 🤭

Callie Seresin-Owens

Seresin-Owens Siblings

Scott and Callie

[plutotcles]

I DID IT, DAD, ARE YOU PROUD? ━━━ Jake Seresin.

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PAIRING, Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Malorie "Raven" Bradshaw (OC)

CHAPTER SUMMARY, Malorie knows that her graduation from Top Gun is something that she should look forward to, however knowing that no one would be there for her put a damper on that.

WARNINGS, past abusive relationship!, mentions of drinking, death, absent family and family issues

The day of your graduation was one of the happiest moments in the career of every Top Gun student. — The moment that all the hard work, every restless hour spend sweating into the uncomfortable material of a flight suit and the days and weeks wasted on sea, away from the ones that loved you finally paid off. The best of the best, the elite... there were many words for what they had accomplished but none could compensate for the feeling of standing on the podium, knowing that this was your moment.

As the day of her own graduation arrived on a sunny Friday evening with just the right temperature to be in a stiff uniform, Malorie did not the share excitement that made most of her classmates grin widley and roam around the base as if they were floating. Instead she was nothing but a miserable face, watching her classmate embraced her mother with an aching heart and a grip to her dogtags, her callsign Raven, a homage to her dad's call sign Goose, daintly engraved in them.

Growing up Malorie had always envied the little girls with their fathers, perhaps that was why she barely visited her godfather Ice as time moved forward, the sight of him with his daughters leaving a bitter taste.

Nick Bradshaw had died, years and years ago in an accident. He had been a Top Gun student just like Malorie was — He too had found comfort thousand feet up in the air, G-forces pushing your body in your seat, your vision tunneling, seconds from passing out — Her father had found his life and purpose in a F-14. He also lost it in a F-14.

It had been supposed to be just a training session just like every other day when the plane got caught up in turbulence and came plunging to the ground. When ejecting her father had hit his head on the canopy and had died moments later from the consequences in the arms of his best friend and pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. When his body had been retrieved after the accident they had found two pictures in the inside of his flight suit: a picture of a one year old Bradley wrapped up in his mother Carole's arms and the first ultrasound picture that had been taken of Malorie.

For the years following that it had been Malorie, Bradley and Carole against the world. Pete and his Wingman Tom "Iceman" Kazansky had swooped in to help immediately but no one could ever replace the man that was Nick Bradshaw.

Years later when the grief had settled and the emptiness in the heart was nothing but a subtle ache that followed one everywhere life had finally started to feel like it was alright and the Bradshaw family was finally content again. Until they weren't anymore.

It had come so quick and unexpected, Malorie hadn't even realized what was happening until it was almost over — One day her mother was dancing around the kitchen in a summer dress, giggling and singing and the next she was in a hospital bed, the life nearly entirely drained from her face as he watched her kids with a ghost of a grin, "I love you so much, my babies. I would never leave you.", she had said and Malorie had believed her.

Her mother died the morning after, one hand grasping Malorie's and the other one ruffling Bradley's hair.

It was then that shit truly went down.

For a brief few years Bradley and Malorie, 15 and 13 of age by the time their mother had been buried, had lived with Mav — It had been a chaotic few years. Malorie loved Mav. He was the closest thing to a father, she ever had but he was not cut out to be a family person. He wasn't suited to stay at home and cook at least one meal a day.

When Bradley was 17 he decided to follow their father's footsteps and enter the Naval Academy — He had been overjoyed and even promised to take her for a joyride one day but his excitement was shortlived when he got the call that his papers had been pulled by none other than Maverick.

Malorie didn't even process what was happening, all she knew was that Bradley had left over night and wasn't returning her calls anymore. Another person had left her.

The last remaining piece of family she had was Pete then and when the final moment came for him to leave to, Malorie was already predicting it. She had come so accustomed to people leaving, she didn't even bat an eyelid when he pulled her papers too and she came home that night to the house empty and the few things that solely belonged to Mav gone — He had called her that evening but she hadn't picked up.

She was on her own.

Over the years, Malorie had still stayed in contact with Ice and even visited from time to time, especially when she had entered the Academy in 2008 and Ice had just risen to Rear Admiral. He was the reason, why she had showed up to her graduation in the first place.

As Malorie made her way around the place, she could already see her uncle near the podium alongside the other admirals. He stood proud and tall, stoic as his call sign suggested but Malorie knew the man that stood beneath that cold exterior. He smiled warmly as she spotted her amongst the crowd, waving her over.

"Uncle Ice!", she greeted him, sighing as he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. He didn't blame her — To Ice there had been nothing better than his graduation from Top Gun, he had spend all day basking in the attention he was getting but Malorie had gone through too much for that.

"Hello darling," he beamed, pulling her into a sweet hug, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm getting by.", Malorie muttered and Ice watched with a heavy heart as her eyes darted around the crowd, hastily searching for someone, "He is not coming, is he?"

He lowered his head, "I don't think so."

Her shoulders slumped but she knew it was her fault for thinking her brother would show up in the first place. Malorie wasn't even sure if he knew that she had followed his example and had joined the Navy.

When Malorie had enlisted in the Academy in 2008, her brother had just entered his last year — Malorie had known that he was there, that she would inevitably one day run into him, still when the moment had come her inital reaction had been to bolt but Bradley hadn't even acknowledged her. He had walked straight past her, not even gifting her the relief of a last glance. Looking back now, Malorie wasn't sure if it was because he had simply deemed her as not his burden anymore or if he genuinely hadn't realized who he had bumped into.

After that incident, Malorie had decided to stay as far away from her brother as possible but that didn't mean that some part of her — The seventeen year old girl that had been left and abandoned to fend for herself all those years ago wished for him to come back and tell her he is proud of her.

"I'm sorry.", Ice muttered, taking her hand in his for a brief moment of comfort, "I know it's not much but I'm proud of you and god knows your dad would be too.", with one hand he brushed the multiple medals that graced her chest, smiling fondly.

Malorie felt her eyes well up with tears. She wished she had met her father.

"Now go and make some acquaintances. Can't have you rely on me for dating advice forever.", he grinned, although his face fell as he broke into a coughing fit.

Malorie frowned, "Are you okay?"

Ice wheezed painfully but nodded, "I've been having this sore throat for a few weeks now but I'm gonna be fine," he relented when he saw her face twist with worry, "Probably just a cough."

Malorie nodded but her frown stayed persistent.

"Go!", he stressed pointedly with a swift motion of his hand. Malorie rolled her eyes but complied.

The ceremony had wrapped up well over an hour ago but the place was still lively with friends and family celebrating all around. Malorie felt herself become frustrated — The chatter and laughing gave her a pounding headache and her body yearned for a strong drink and a cigarette.

She knew she should be packing. Tomorrow she would be reporting to deployment first thing in the morning but that was tomorrow and tonight she could still live.

Just as she was about to leave for her car, a warm hand grasped her arm, not painfully tight but tight enought to make her halt in her movement, "What? You wanna leave without saying hello?", a familiar voice teased.

Malorie's head snapped around to face him with a genuine grin, "Jake!"

Jake Seresin had been in her brother's graduation class — His reputation hurried ahead of him and Malorie had originally made it her mission to keep away from him. She heard the stories — Hangman, they had called him and Jake prided himself with his call sign. He basked in the pleasure of leaving people to hang out to dry for just a slight moment of glory just to himself. Jake Seresin had been everything Malorie was afraid of becoming but that was before, when all she had of Jake were whispers in the halls and brief moments during training.

But things had changed — Jake had changed. At least in Malorie's eyes.

Malorie remembered the night vividly — the dimly lit hall, the sound of pounding footsteps running down the hall, the face of her boyfriend distorted in fury.

Malorie had been in love once. The relationship had started of tender and sweet and she had once even thought that they would last forever. However her carefully build up paradise had crumbled down slowly and tediously just three years later. Malorie had noticed the change in him quite early on — The way he would pry more every night about the people she talked with that day, the way his grip tightened on her ever so slightly whenever she talked with another guy, just tight enough for it feel uncomfortable but not enough to hurt. It was all so painfully oblivious and still when it came down to that very night in the Academy Malorie felt like she walked straight into a wall with no warning.

Her boyfriend had laid his hand on her more than once in their relationship, he had always made it up in the morning with breakfast in bed and a bouquet of her favorite flowers but that could never take back the bruises and the scars and the mornings spend in the bathroom, trying to cover it up. Over the months it had gotten worse and worse and when the time came around for Malorie to leave for the Naval Academy, her boyfriend had reached his breakdown. The thought of Malorie being constantly surrounded by men who were all trained and confident with him being thousand miles away was enough for him to go absolutely crazy.

Every day after school Malorie would open up her phone to hundreds of missed calls and angry messages. She tried to reason with him every day that she was there to focus on her career and that he was the only one she would ever love but to no avail.

Malorie had never expected him to actually show up at the Academy, rapping against her door in the middle of the night. But he was there. Malorie remember stepping inside the hallway with him but she had barely closed the door behind her when he already pounced at her with his fists.

This is how I die, Malorie had thought in that moment — and she had felt at peace with it.

But her boyfriend couldn't even get many hits in when suddenly there were rapid footsteps racing down the hallway and he had been ripped away from her — Jake Seresin, her savior in uniform.

Now he was here, once again a shine of light in a world of darkness. The one to show up when no one else did.

"Raven!", he smiled, pulling her in a tight hug, "I am so proud of you! Man, watching you up there had me almost emotional."

Malorie frowned at his words but melted into his embrace nevertheless, "What are you doing here? Were you that bad that they only let you graduate now?"

"Please", Jake scoffed, detaching himself from her but still keeping a comforting hand on her back, "I'm here for you, you dummy. Need to make sure everyone knows my favorite girl is a badass pilot."

"Your favorite girl, hm?", Malorie hummed, leaning her head against his arm, "Well your favorite girl was just about to get the fuck out of here and get herself a drink."

Jake grinned, showing off a row of perfect teeth, "Now we're talking.", he feigned a bow, extending one arm towards the parking lot, "After you, madame."

Malorie's car — a red Pontiac GTO with white vinyl upholstery was her pride and joy. She had bought it all the way back in 2006 after she had saved up every paycheck she got since her 16th birthday for it. It had been with her through everything: Moving out of her childhood home into her first apartment, moving in with her boyfriend, the Naval Academy. It worked like that too. The car itself was from 1964 but had been remodeled to have an upgraded engine, factory AC and a MP3 radio upgrade just before Malorie bought it. The air conditioning had stopped working in 2010 mid-drive and when you wanted to play a song the only sound that came out of the speakers was rustling and murmuring, it smelled like wine and cigarettes in it but nevertheless Malorie would never sell it even if it was the last thing she would do.

"Your car is still driveable?", Jake exclaimed in disbelief as his eyes fell on the red Pontiac sitting in between a Jeep and an Audi, both obviously a recent purchase, like an outcast.

Malorie nodded proudly, absentmindedly brushing the hood of her car. Jake watched her every movement, his always so cocky, confident exterior melting every so slightly at the girl he had grown so fond of.

"C'mon", he muttered, snapping himself out of his daze, "I'll drive — I think you need that drink more than me."

The bar they went to was stationed right at the beach, it was run down and stiffy but the prices were cheap and the drinks strong so it was a popular choice amongst the Top Gun students. Jake and Malorie sat down in a booth next to the window and immediately ordered a beer each.

"So, Hangman", Malorie started as they were settled, "Aren't you supposed to be in like... Cuba?"

"Spain, actually," he corrected, clearing his throat, "I'm on leave right now. I came home yesterday."

Malorie halted in her movement, "You came home yesterday? What are you doing spending your time in this filthy bar instead of with your family?"

"Wanted to be here for you, 's all.", he murmured under his breath, taking a big swing from his beer, "Had to pull a few strings but I'm here, aren't I?", he stopped, starring at his beer intensely.

"But... why?", Malorie stressed, leaning slightly forward to have a better look at his expression.

Jake visibly hesitated for a moment before he too leaned forward, swallowing deeply, "Your my favorite friend, Mal. I didn't want you to be alone for your big day."

Malorie felt her heart swell at his words — He had driven all this way just for her? Her own brother hadn't even texted her in years and here Jake was trading precious hours with his family solely so that Malorie had someone there for her graduation, "Jake Seresin, you fucker, you're gonna make me cry.", she giggled, bringing the one hand that wasn't occupied to where her heart sat. It thumbed rapidly against her rip cage under her fingertips and Malorie swore it would leap straight out of her chest if Jake continued to look at her with so much care and love.

After that particular night in 2008 Jake and Malorie had spend more and more days and nights together and even after Jake's graduation they had still talked and texted almost everyday. At first it had felt unfamiliar and menacing to have someone love and care for you so deeply after being abandoned on the side by so many. Malorie remembered waking up every morning thinking that that would be the day that Jake finally left her too — But that day never came. Even almost four years and thousand miles later Jake was still there, going above and beyond for her.

"Don't flatter yourself, Raven.", Jake teased, retrieving his hand and Malorie couldn't help but scoff: That was the Hangman, everyone knew.

They stayed in that bar for another three hours, talking and drinking the night away. Malorie knew that things would change when the morning came and she would leave for deployment but for now she could stay in this moment forever — When it was just her and Jake and when for a moment, she found where she belonged.

[bradshawssugarbaby]

Home For Christmas - Jake Seresin x OC

A/N: This is my entry for @bellaireland1981's Winter RomCom Writing Challenge, with the trope childhood friends. I was watching a lot of romcoms last night and felt inspired, it's definitely heavily influenced by 13 Going on 30, Just Friends + Sweet Home Alabama. (I realize only one of those is set in the winter, but I digress). I'm debating a part two/epilogue as well, if anyone is interested! Also super proud of this one, because it's the longest fic I've ever written.

pairing: Jake Seresin x OC

warnings/content: none, lots of fluff and pining. Jake's been promoted to Captain. Probably a lot of inaccuracies.

word count: 7.7k (literally my longest one yet, I'm sorry)

tagging anyone who might be interested: @littleenglishfangirl, @floydsmuse, @sailor-aviator, @mamachasesmayhem 🤍

December, 1999

“Jake! Jake, wait up!” 

“Run faster then, I gotta get home before the street lights come on or my mama’s gonna be so mad she won’t let you come over tomorrow!” 

“Jake, your mama’s not gonna say no to me comin’ over and you know it.”

“Jenna, how you ever gonna keep up with me when I join the navy and start having to run a few miles every day?”

Jake turned around to face you for a moment, running backwards with a grin plastered on his face, his baby-faced cheeks red from the cold, his green eyes full of mischief as he watched you try and keep up with him. His sandy blonde hair stuck out slightly from underneath his Dallas Cowboys baseball cap, a handmedown from his older brother that he rarely left home without since Matt had given it to him. He stopped running, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, the cold air stinging his throat as he panted. You finally managed to close the distance between the two of you, raising an eyebrow as you panted, your own cheeks ruddy from the combination of cold winter air and physical activity. 

You and Jake had been best friends as long as you could remember. In eleven years, you couldn’t name a single time where the two of you had as much as had a disagreement, or went more than a few hours without talking to one another. Your mothers had been best friends in high school, and you two were destined to be best friends since birth - born four days apart in the same hospital, living on the same street and having your first play date at 10 and 7 days old. Jake was four days older than you, and he never let you forget it when it came to matters where age or maturity played a role. However, where Jake had four days more experience in the world, you had multitudes more experience in dealing with hardship than any eleven-year-old child should have. 

Where Jake had the picture-perfect family - a mom, a dad, an older sister, an older brother and him, all living in perfect harmonious happiness, never as much as a doubt as to whether or not there was love in his household, you had the opposite. An absent father, an only child, and a mother who worked two jobs to try and make life better for the two of you, you spent almost every waking minute with Jake and his family, not only as an escape to experience the happy, blissfully carefree life he lived, but also, as a favour to your mother, with Mrs. Seresin often volunteering to care for you when your mother had to work late or work on weekends. 

You were at the Seresin home almost every night, with Jake’s mother fussing over her best friend’s daughter, helping her lifelong friend however she could in guiding her little girl, you acting as the surrogate daughter that part of her had always wanted. Jake’s father trying to fill in the blanks where your father had lacked - offering to coach sports teams and including you in games of catch with Jake and his brother, taking you and the boys to get new baseball gloves or soccer cleats when needed, taking the three of you for ice cream after a big achievement in life. Jake’s 16 year old sister, Bethany, would take time to do your hair in the mornings before school whenever she had a chance, offering to do it in all the fun styles she and her friends wore, the kind you were often envious of, passing you old tubes of lip gloss she had lingering around in her backpack on your way to school, encouraging you to use them to your hearts content.  Even Matt, who at 14, thought his brother and his brother’s friends were the most irritating beings in existence, had offered you old sports jerseys of his that no longer fit, teasing you the same way he’d tease Jake, treating you like the little sister he never had. 

Until this past summer, you found yourself wishing most days that Jake’s family would just adopt you, let your mother move in with them and the two of you could just officially be a part of their fun, bustling family that served as your cheerful escape from life. However, when elementary school ended in June with middle school looming around the corner, Bethany had pulled you aside to talk to you about the transition between schools. 

“You know, middle school is…different. It’s not bad. It’s just…things change sometimes. You and Jake might start going on dates with people from school, and it might change your relationship. It happens,” She’d said matter of factly, not mincing words as she shrugged her shoulders, fixing her frosted eyeshadow in the mirror before turning to face you again.

“You might even develop feelings for each other.”

At the time, her words didn’t hold meaning for you. You and Jake had been best friends since Jake was four days old. Your moms were best friends. You practically lived in their home. There was no way things could change between you. You could never have a crush on Jake. He was Jake, the boy who would hide under his mama’s kitchen table with you and a flashlight, swapping baseball cards with one another, the boy who, when you were six-years-old, you’d witnessed eat an entire package of Oreos, then laughed at as he proceeded to throw up an hour later from the sheer volume of chocolate-vanilla sandwich cookies he’d consumed that day. Jake could never be someone you’d have a crush on. He was your best friend. That would never change.

It was two weeks later when Jake had been on the baseball diamond, pitching an inning of Little League with you in the stands watching on. His baseball cap had been flipped backwards to mimic one of his favourite major league players, his green eyes narrowing in concentration with every pitch he threw out. His golden blonde hair poked out the front of his baseball cap, much like it was doing today, on this cold January evening. His focus was on nothing but baseball, while yours was on everything but when it came to him. When he happened to look your way during the game, you felt a weird feeling in your stomach - a bubbling sensation, like nerves that couldn’t be settled. Your cheeks flushed, turning a pale pink as they became warm to the touch, reddening slightly as you felt Bethany’s gaze fall on you, a grin forming on her face as you proved her right about how your feelings were evolving for Jake. 

Since that day, you’d found yourself continuing to crush on him, each day your feelings grew deeper and more intense than the day before. At this point, you almost swore you could see yourself marrying him one day. You had to admit, you knew everything there was to know about him, you always had fun with him, and he was always happy to see you - you were convinced you two could be as happy and as in love as his parents were someday when you and Jake got older. You’d never tell Jake, you just hoped and prayed that he’d realize one day that he felt the same way about you as you felt about him. You knew there was always the chance that it might not happen, but you didn’t want to think about that.  In fact, as far as you were concerned, you hoped that there was never a day where Jake didn’t love you as wholeheartedly as your little eleven year old self loved him.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ 

Present Day

“Jake, please, come back. I miss you,”

“I miss you too, Jenna, I’m coming home to you. It’s always been you.”

The ear-piercing screech of your phone’s alarm blared from your nightstand, interrupting your dream as it screamed at you. You rolled over in bed, groaning as you clumsily stuck your hand out, feeling around on the wooden side table for your phone to silence it and allow yourself a few more moments of peace and quiet before you had to start your day. The last think you wanted right now was to let this dream slip away on you - it was the closest you’d ever find yourself to Jake professing his love for you after all these years, and you clung to it whenever it cropped up in your mind as you slept. 

Jake had always been the one-who-got-away for you. You spent your entire middle school years trying to hide your feelings for him, refusing to break until he said how he felt first. You were 13 when he got his first girlfriend, Tiffany Donaldson, a girl in your class. Tiffany was pretty and popular, something that you couldn’t claim for yourself in either case - growing up with Jake, you were seen as more of a teammate or a sister-figure than anything else, despite his sister’s best efforts to help you shake that connection somewhat. After Tiffany, you two had begun high school, and Jake made the football team, and the baseball team. As the school’s star runningback and starting pitcher for the varsity team, Jake was popular beyond words. No one could hold a candle to him, and as his popularity soared because of his athletic prowess in school, you faded further and further back into obscurity, the limelight falling from you and onto someone new each time Jake began dating another girl. Eventually, by the time graduation rolled around, you and Jake had all but fallen out of touch with each other outside of family get-togethers shared between your mothers. 

You had just worked up the courage to tell him your feelings at the graduation party Jake’s parents had thrown for you both, convincing yourself that it was perfect timing - Jake had accepted an offer at the University of Texas at Austin, keeping close to home as he planned to study finance, his secret talent having always been math. You’d accepted an offer to study communications at the same school, and with both of you remaining local, it would be the perfect time to tell him how you felt and attempt a relationship with him, or so you thought.

Before the words could even leave your mouth, Jake was excitedly pulling you aside at the party, stopping outside of his childhood bedroom, the place where the two of you had often played as kids. His green eyes were full of excitement as he looked at you, causing your heart to race as butterflies fluttered in your stomach, making it hard to concentrate on his words. You almost didn’t hear him when he spoke, you were so transfixed on him. If the news had been anything else, you probably wouldn’t have even registered what he’d said the first time. You could still hear the excitement in his voice as he told you his news, and still feel the ache in the pit of your stomach as his words fell on your ears.

“I got accepted! I’m going to the Naval Academy, Jenna, can you believe it? I’m going to serve in the Navy, just like I always wanted. I’m going to be the best aviator they’ve ever seen. Just you watch.” 

Jake’s voice was practically buzzing with excitement as he’d told you his news, and it took everything you had in you to not fall apart as he spoke. While you knew he’d always dreamed of being a naval aviator, as long as you could remember, the news hit you like a ton of bricks, unexpected and hard as it rendered you speechless, leaving you nodding your head and smiling like an idiot while inside you wanted nothing more than to scream out how you felt. You knew this could never work out between you now. Your chance was gone, moving away to Maryland and joining the Navy before you’d even had a second to realize what was happening when he spoke. 

That was 17 years ago, and the moment still haunted you from time to time, more than you’d like to admit to anyone. At first, you’d kept in touch with Jake and his family, seeing Jake when he came home for holidays and such at first, but then, as you and Jake began entering your first romantic relationships as adults, you found yourselves including each other less and less in your lives. With each boyfriend you had, you realized more and more that you could never love them the way you loved Jake -he’d always be your first love, regardless of how he felt in return. When Jake graduated, he’d been stationed at NAS Lemoore, swapping Maryland for California. You’d still hear the odd update from your mother, who remained in touch with Jake’s parents, but otherwise, you didn’t ask much about Jake’s adult life. You knew he’d never married, that he’d become a Top Gun graduate, and held true to his word about becoming one of the greatest fighter pilots in the United States Navy, but other than that, you knew little about his life now. Last you had heard, last Christmas, he’d been stationed in San Diego. 

You sat up in bed, yawning and stretching your body out before heaving a heavy sigh and shaking your head to rid yourself of thoughts of Jake. You were preparing for a trip back home to Texas for the holidays, spending three weeks back with your mother, part of you wishing and longing for Jake to be visiting his family at the same time, while the other part of you prayed he was staying in California or serving a tour so he wouldn’t be able to be there while you were. It had been close to 15 years since you’d seen him, and the last thing you needed was to be reminded of how you strongly you felt. You didn’t need the help from seeing him. The memories of him were more than enough to keep you clinging on. 

Your phone rang and with bleary eyes, you picked it up, pressing the green button to answer the call.

“Good morning, sweetheart!” Your mother practically sang out in a voice that was far too cheerful for anyone to have at this hour. 

“Hi mama, what’s up? My flight doesn’t land until this evening.” 

“Well, I was talking to Mrs. Seresin about Jake, Matt and Bethany…” Your mother’s voice trailed off as she spoke, and you felt your breath hitch in your throat at the mention of Jake.

“Mhmm?” You responded as you stood up, balancing the phone to your ear with your shoulder as you folded a sweatshirt and set it down neatly on the bed, waiting to be packed.

“It turns out both of us are having our kids home for Christmas! Bethany’s coming down from Dallas with her husband and their little ones, and Matt’s coming from Oklahoma City with his fiancee, and Jake’s flying in on leave from California. He’s made his way up to Captain now, you know, Jenna. He’s made quite the career for himself.”

“Mama, I don’t need a sales pitch on why Jake Seresin is the perfect man for me, ok? He hasn’t seen me in years. He probably wouldn’t even recognize me if he saw me.”

“You never know. But I expect you to dress nicely for their Christmas party. You and I have been invited to join them, and I already said you would gladly be attending.”

“Of course you did. So Jake will be there, then?”

“I think his flight lands just before yours does today, actually. His mama and I were actually discussing if we should just carpool together to pick you both up like back when you two were in school together. Remember that? We used to take turns carting you kids back and forth from home to school.”

“I remember, mama. Don’t worry.”

“Anyway…we were talking and it turns out, Jake happens to be single.”

“Mama, why would I care that Jake’s single?” You replied, trying to sound as level-headed as possible. 

“Please, Jenna. You really think I don’t know about this crush of yours you’ve been harbourin’ for years?” You could hear the laughter in your mother’s tone as she spoke, and it stung, almost as though your feelings had betrayed you.

“Mama! I haven’t had a crush on Jake in years. Not since he left for the Navy.”

“Of course not…just, do me a favour? Wear something nice for that Christmas party, ok?”

“Sure, Mama, whatever you say.”

You finished the conversation with your mother and let out an exasperated sigh as you tossed your phone onto your bed beside you. You had to be at the airport in three hours, leaving you little time to completely reconfigure your wardrobe for the next few weeks at home in Austin. Peering into your closet, scanning the items as they sat on wire hangers in the tiny space, you frowned, realizing that nothing was worthy of a reunion with Jake after all these years. At the back of the closet, you found a black, form-fitting sweater dress that you hadn’t worn in years, but, as you held it up to yourself in the mirror, you figured it could work. Part of you hoped this reunion could be the thing that’d remind Jake of what he was missing out on for the last 17 years. 

As you finished packing your suitcase, you zipped it closed with a sigh, shaking your head as you tried to calm your nerves before getting yourself ready for your flight. There was a chance you could see Jake at the airport, and you knew you had to look your best, just in case. 

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ 

The flight from Chicago to Austin was the most painful three hours of your life. You tried to focus your attention on anything but Jake, but every movie saved on your phone, every book on your tablet, and every thought that crossed your mind was filled with him. You tried reminding yourself that he could be a totally different person from who he was when you were 18. That he could look completely different, act completely different - that he may not even know who you are anymore. The thought of Jake forgetting you was suffocating, closing in on you a little bit more every time it creeped into your mind. You took a deep breath as you departed the plane, your eyes scanning the crowd for your mother as you gripped your carry-on. Your face went white as a sheet as you saw her standing with Mrs. Serensin, both of whom waved frantically with excitement as they saw you.

“Jenna! It’s been so long, darlin’, how have you been? Your mama’s told me lots, but I feel like it’s no substitute for getting to see you in person!” 

“Hi, Mrs. Serensin! I’ve been ok, how have you guys been? Haven’t seen you in about, 15 years? I think I saw y’all the one visit after Jake shipped out, but I haven’t been home much for the holidays, Mama’s usually up in Chicago visiting me.”

“We’ve been good, Bethany has two boys now, Easton and Dylan, and Matt’s met this girl, Alexis, she’s wonderful, a real sweetheart. He’s gettin’ married next summer. “

“Oh, that’s great news!” You replied cheerfully, fighting the instinct to bite your lip as she failed to mention where Jake was at in life. 

“We better get going, Julie, Jake’s plane’s about to land,” Your mother said as she grabbed Mrs. Seresin’s arm excitedly, nodding her head.

“Oh, I thought Jake landed earlier?” 

“He was meant to, but his flight got delayed, he’s landing in a few minutes now, I think.”

You nodded your head slowly, reluctantly following behind as your mom and Mrs. Serensin led the way to Jake’s terminal, biting the inside of your cheek as your eyes followed the signage as you walked past. You tried your best to focus on something, anything, but your nerves but so far, your nerves were winning. You were terrified. What if Jake hated you for not staying in touch? What if he forgot all about you? What if you were the last person he wanted to see? What he if came through those doors with a surprise girlfriend on his arm?

“Ma!” You heard a voice call out. You looked up to see a tall, handsome man with neatly combed blonde hair, piercing green eyes and sunkissed skin. His naval uniform was still perfectly pressed without a crease on it somehow after his flight, and he looked perfect. You knew in an instant that it was him.

“Ms. T?” He chuckled as he shook his head, pulling back from his mother’s embrace as he gave your mother a heartfelt hug, before pausing as he looked at you, a warm smile on his lips as he nodded his head, his blonde eyebrow cocked upwards in surprise. 

“Jenna?”

“The one and only,” You shrugged with a smile as you tried your best to play it cool, forgetting for a moment that at 35 years old, you shouldn’t be getting tongue-tied and start giggling like a schoolgirl over a crush. The mere fact that you still had a crush on Jake was enough to make you feel like a fool.

“It’s nice to see ya, Jenna,” Jake nodded as he wrapped his arms around you, enveloping you into his embrace. You breathed in the scent of his cologne, notes of whiskey and cedarwood encircling you as his grip remained tight, yet comfortable around you, as if he was hugging his long lost friend, which, he was in a sense. 

“Nice to see you too, Jake,” You nodded once as he pulled away, a soft smile on your lips as you looked at him, trying to commit this moment to memory before it drifted away on you. 

You swore out of the corner of your eye, you saw your mothers exchange a look with one another, a secret signal to one another, as if a master plan of theirs was underway, and everything was beginning to come together before their eyes.  

As the four of you headed out to the car together, you caught yourself repeatedly stealing glances at Jake. He hadn’t changed hardly at all since you saw him last, apart from gaining some muscle, and his cheekbones and jawline becoming a bit more defined as he’d aged. He looked incredible for 35, if you didn’t know him, you likely would have guessed he was barely 30, and you couldn’t help but feel yourself fall deeper with each stolen look at him. 

“So, you’re Captain Seresin now then?” You raised an eyebrow as you looked at him, hoping to break the silence brewing between the two of you.

“Yeah, this past April! I didn’t expect to get it, to be honest.”

Jake’s cheeks reddened as he smiled at you, trying to appear modest as he spoke of his accomplishments in the Navy since you’d last seen him. He had always used to have an ego so big that it’d rival some of the aircraft around in size, especially as a teenager - he was good and he knew he was good when it came to sports. It was part of what drove the two of you apart, but around you? He was modest like he always had been before, acting embarrassed by the achievements he’d otherwise never shut up about. If you didn’t know any better, you’d almost think Jake was nervous around you. Jake Seresin, the only service member on active duty with multiple confirmed kills, the US Naval Air Force Captain who’s served for the last 17 years without as much as a scratch on him, the man who graduated top of his class from the Top Gun program, where only the best of the best are selected to participate. Jake Seresin had no need to be nervous about impressing you. He could have impressed you by simply looking your way - but for some reason, he was nervous around you, reduced to a blushing, modest mess.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ 

“Jake’s such a lovely boy,” Your mother said as she sipped her morning coffee, eyes fixated on the news program on her television set. 

“He’s 35, mama, he’s hardly a boy now.”

“Fine, Jake’s a lovely man, he’s still just as sweet as I remember him being when he was young. He comes back to visit whenever he gets a leave and stays for a few days, and he always stops by to say hello - he even asks about you sometimes.”

“He asks about me?”

“He sure does, he asked Julie about you the other day, in fact. He was asking if you’d be home this time at Christmas. Seems you two always come back to visit on opposite schedules and never run into each other. He was saying he’d like to see you again, Jenna.”

Your mother’s words hung in the air for a moment. You took a sip from your coffee mug and furrowed your brow as you thought it over. You dismissed your mother’s words as nothing more than an attempt to set you and Jake up on a date, one that you figured Jake wasn’t going to be a willing participant of. 

“Oh Mama, hush, he probably just said that to be polite because he figured I’d be coming home for the holidays anyway.”

“Jenna, why are you always so stubborn?” Your mother frowned, shaking her head as she let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m not stubborn, I’m just…practical. I’m the only one who seems to realize the fact that Jake and I haven’t seen each other in 17 years, Mama. We’re not the same people we were when we were 18. He could be a serial womanizer with a series of broken hearts left behind waiting for him in California for all I know. He could have 17 kids by different women, or be a serial killer, Mama. I literally know nothing about him anymore.”

“Jenna Elizabeth Taylor, you’re just being ridiculous now,” Your mother frowned as she shook her head, sighing, “I think Julie would have mentioned it if Jake was a father, and do you really think he’s the type to go around breaking hearts for fun? Besides, how could he be a serial killer if he’s busy flying around on missions all the time?”

“You’re missing my point, Ma.”

“No, Jenna, I think you’re missing mine,” She sighed, setting her mug down on the table as she pursed her lips, “My point is, I know you’ve been holding out for him for years. He’s asked his mama about you, he’s been asking if you were coming home, he stops in to see me whenever he comes home - do you really think he’d do all that if he didn’t still feel something for you?”

“Mama, I’m not going to make a fool of myself and throw myself at him, contrary to what you think would work.”

You heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, and when you turned on your heel, you stood face to face with Jake, now sporting a fitted pair of acid-washed light denim jeans and a burnt orange Texas Longhorns football jersey and a brown corduroy bomber jacket shrugged on over top. His blonde hair peaked out from behind his beloved baseball cap, you’d swear it was the same one he’d been wearing since he was 15 if you didn’t know any better, this hat looked like it had been through hell and back.

He’d let himself in through the unlocked front door, almost certainly at your mother’s previous insistence or invitation. His cheeks were blushing again, his green eyes darting between the two of you, a blonde eyebrow cocked upwards as his gaze landed on you.

“Throw yourself at who?” He chuckled, flashing a set of perfect white teeth your way as gave you that same grin that he always did when you were kids. It was the kind of smile that always got him out of trouble, and sometimes, into trouble, depending on the situation. 

“No one,” You said quickly, shooting your mother a warning glance as you shook your head, a few strands of light brown hair falling free from your half-assed ponytail that you’d thrown it up into the night before for bed. You realized that Jake was now standing in your mother’s living room while you were sporting an oversized old Texas Longhorns tee and a pair of sweatpants - not ideal attire for seeing a man you were attracted to in, regardless of your protests about your feelings to your mother. 

“Right,” Jake nodded his head, but the tone in his voice told you he didn’t quite believe a word you were saying, “I know this isn’t a great time, but Ma wanted me to check and see if you and Ms. T were still able to make it tonight, she wanted me to ask in person, and she wanted me to see if you needed my help bringing anything over, she said you were bringing your famous taco dip, Ms. T? I can bring the dish over now for you if you’d like, Ma’s cleared out the fridge of anything that isn’t a necessity for the party so there’s tons of room.”

“Sure, Jake, honey, it’s in the fridge, Jenna can show you where, I just have to run upstairs and grab something to send to your mama’s with you,” Your mother said as she stood up, heading off up the stairs quicker than you could say a word, leaving you and Jake alone in an awkward stance, nothing but the sound of the morning news to fill the silent void between you, until Jake cleared his throat again before pointing his index finger towards the kitchen.

“In here? I’m sure I can find it if you need to go upstairs and get changed.” 

“I’m fine, not like you haven’t seen me in pajamas before, Jake.”

“Well, in my defense, last time we were like, 12.”

“I’m sure you’ve seen a woman in an oversized tee and sweatpants before,” You shrugged nonchalantly, pretending to be completely unbothered by the fact you felt like you were dressed like an absolute slob right now. 

“Alright, lead the way then,” Jake nodded as he followed behind you. 

You felt his eyes make their way down your body, and you swore you could hear him muttering something under his breath as he sauntered into the kitchen after you. You couldn’t make out what he had said, but it sounded almost like a “Jesus Christ” before he coughed and averted his gaze as you turned to face him. You opened the fridge and grabbed the dish containing your mom’s taco dip before setting it on the counter for Jake to take home. You raised an eyebrow at Jake as you caught him staring in your direction, a look of bewilderment on his face. 

“You good, Hangman?”

“Hmm?” Jake said as he shook his head, an awkward laugh escaping his lips as he raised an eyebrow at you, “How did you know my callsign?”

“Because it’s on the back of your jersey, genius.”

Jake raised an eyebrow as he looked down, as if he’d forgotten what shirt he was wearing today. He nodded his head and laughed as he ran a hand through the back of his hair, scratching the back of his neck as he looked back up at you. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m good. Just, uh, jet-lagged, I think.”

“Jet-lagged? Isn’t only two hours behind us in San Diego?”

“You can still feel jet-lag with a two hour difference, Jenna.”

“I’m not stupid, Jake, I know that, but you seem…distracted? Not tired.”

“I’m fine, honest,” He nodded as he shoved his hands into his front pockets, looking around the kitchen as you checked the fridge for the extra shredded cheese and green onions your mother had prepared the night before to top the dip she’d made. 

“Suit yourself, Jake,” You laughed as you set everything out on the counter for him and nodded, “If you give me five minutes to get dressed, I’ll help you bring it over.”

“Five minutes? God, I remember you taking 30 minutes to get ready when we were kids.”

“I was 12, it was 2000, I needed more time to perfect my lip gloss routine. Now I just have to put something warmer and nicer on than a t-shirt and sweatpants.”

“Fair enough, I can wait here. Your mama said she’d back down in a minute with something for Ma anyways.”

“Right, I’ll be back down in five.” 

You turned around and headed back up the stairs, sighing softly to yourself as you entered your childhood bedroom, opening your suitcase as you grabbed out a pair of jeans and a vintage crewneck sweatshirt. You tidied your hair up into a neat ponytail before heading back down the stairs to meet Jake, who was currently talking to your mother in the kitchen, his body leaning against the counter as he spoke. Jake looked up at you, straightening his posture as he saw you. He picked the taco dip up from the counter, along with the reusable shopping bag your mother had packed up of the extra ingredients. Sitting on the counter next to the food was a gift, perfectly wrapped with a gold bow and a tag written out in your mother’s sleek handwriting. Jake’s mother and yours had always exchanged gifts with one another, and it warmed your heart in a sense to see the tradition still carrying on for them. 

“So, you enjoy living in Chicago?” Jake asked, watching you as the two of you headed back from your childhood home, Jake having insisted on walking you back so you could spend some time catching up, even if just for a few minutes. .

“Yeah, it’s a change of scenery. It’s different from Austin for sure. How’s San Diego treating you?”

“It’s pretty good, I like being on the beach. I do miss home sometimes though,” He laughed softly, giving his shoulders a gentle shrug as he looked around at the street you grew up on, just a couple of blocks away from his own childhood home.

“I mean, yeah, I miss my mom sometimes when I’m in Chicago, but, I know it’s easier for me to come home and see her than for you to come home and see your family.”

“Jenna? Can I ask you something?”

“Mhmm?”

“Do you…do you regret leaving for Chicago?”

“No, I wouldn’t be where I’m at now if I hadn’t left. I have a really good career in public relations, and I’m happy with where I’m at professionally. I wouldn’t have gotten that if I stayed in Austin, just like you wouldn’t have gotten as far in the Navy if you hadn’t gone to Annapolis.”

Jake stayed silent for a minute, his eyes looking everywhere but at you, avoiding your gaze. You could sense tension between the two of you. The Jake you knew growing up was never awkward, and never stopped talking - had he really changed that much since he’d left? You couldn’t see the Navy taming him to the point where he became reserved, Jake had always been so outgoing, so full of self-pride that it often came off as cocksure arrogance, but most of the time, it was out of sheer disbelief that he’d made it that far. You looked to him, his hands firmly in his pockets as he let out a huff, his breath turning to vapor in the cool December air. 

“I should really get going,” Jake nodded slowly, checking his watch as he looked back towards the street, “I promised Ma I’d help her set up.”

“Right, right, I’ll see you in a couple hours? Mama and I’ll be there.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you then,” Jake nodded, a warm smile on his features as he turned to start heading back.

You let out a heavy sigh, mentally kicking yourself as you realized you’d just let another opportunity to tell Jake how you felt slip away from you. As you headed up to your bedroom to get ready, moving quickly to dodge any questions from your mother, who was probably desperate to hear how your alone time with Jake had gone. 

You shut the door behind you, sighing again as you sat at your old vanity table, brushing through your hair and sectioning it with a claw clip as you began straightening it, trying your best to calm your nerves and make a decision on how you were going to approach Jake. You wanted to tell him, desperately, how you felt, but, part of you couldn’t help but cling to the fact you might regret it. That you might be disappointed and find out that Jake never felt the same about you, and that he never would. Or that he’d be in a relationship with someone else back in San Diego, someone prettier, younger, smarter, better. 

On the other hand, did you really want to commit yourself to never telling him how you felt? Letting the door shut on the one man you’d loved the longest, the most, and the hardest in your lifetime? Could you really be happy with anyone else? What if something happened to Jake while he was serving and you never got the chance to share how you felt? What if, somehow, there was the off chance he felt the same way about you?

As you finished your makeup, taking a deep breath as you looked yourself over in the mirror, you nodded your head. You had to tell him. There was no way you could let him go back to San Diego without knowing. You couldn’t let this go unsaid any longer, if for no other reason than to give yourself closure. If he rejected you, you could move on - or at least, try to. You could finally let go of your feelings and meet someone, and try your hardest to love them with the same enthusiastic, all-consuming love you felt for Jake. If he felt the same way, you’d apply for a job transfer to Los Angeles as soon as possible, because a three-hour drive was much more manageable of a commute to see him than a flight from Chicago to San Diego. 

This was it, you were going to finally do it. You just needed to get Jake alone.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ 

“Oh, Jenna! It’s been so long, how are you?” 

Bethany’s voice was sweet as honey as she spoke, wrapping her arms around you in a warm embrace, as if she’d been missing you for years and the sight of you reminded her of just how much.

“I’m great thanks, Beth, how are you? Your mama said you have two boys now? Easton and Dylan?” 

“Yeah, they’re 6 and 4, they’re little handfuls like their uncles, but I guess that’s to be expected when you’ve got Jake and Matt as influences for you. My husband’s not much better.” 

Bethany laughed as she gestured towards Jake playing with Easton? Or was it Dylan? Jake’s unmistakeable toothy grin plastered on his face, his green eyes alight with joy as he lifted his young nephew up, tickling him, the young boy’s laughter filling the air as Jake continued to make him laugh. Jake looked up to see you with his sister, smiling as he set the boy down on the floor, ruffling his hair with his fingers before making his way over to you. 

“Jenna! Hey, I’m glad you came.”

“Told you I would, didn’t I?” You laughed, shrugging your shoulders as effortlessly as possible as you tried to play it cool, praying no one saw through the front you were putting up.

“Hey, Jenna, can I…can I talk to you for a sec?” Jake asked sheepishly.

You couldn’t mistake the look on Bethany’s face, biting her lip to hold back a grin. You caught Jake giving her a stare that could make any person stop dead in their tracks, his green eyes practically piercing through his older sister as she tried not to laugh. As you nodded your head, raising your eyebrow at the scene unfolding before you. You followed behind Jake as he led you upstairs to his old childhood bedroom. When he opened the door, you were confronted with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Old pictures adorned the wall, some including you and Jake as children, with ice cream covered smiles and skinned knees, baseball uniforms and halloween costumes, missing teeth and messy curls. 

“Ma hasn’t changed anything since I left home, I don’t even think she’s bought new bedding for this room.” He chuckled as he looked around the room, his large hands placed firmly on his hips as he stood in the doorway. 

“Still sleeping with those baseball player sheets you had as a kid?” You teased, eyeing the comforter on the bed, neatly made and pulled together, a sign of Jake’s time in the navy.

“You know it, I’m still a big kid, really,” He laughed, nodding his head as he pointed to a picture on the wall before looking over at you, “Remember this one? Your 7th birthday party, I think I snuck an extra little bit of frosting off your birthday cake and my mama almost killed me. She told me I had the table manners of a barn animal.” 

“You did, you used to chew with your mouth full too.”

“I grew out of it at least. I’m a little more civilized now.” Jake replied with a smirk, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to face you, his chest rising and falling as he took a deep breath before exhaling sharply. You could see Jake chewing at the inside of his cheek, nodding his head as his eyes met yours.

“I have to tell you something, ok?” He finally said, sighing heavily.

“I’m listening, Jake.”

“I should have told you this a long time ago, but…I love you.”

You sputtered for a moment, eyes wide in shock as he spoke. He frowned, clearly expecting a better reaction than what you’d given him. Jake shook his head and took your hand in his, stroking the back of your hand gently with his fingers, which were almost surprisingly soft and smooth to the touch.

“I don’t care if you don’t feel the same way. I don’t care if you just wanna be friends after hearing this, because even though the truth is, I'm scared to be your friend, I would rather have you in my life as a friend than not have you in my life at all. The last 17 years have been spent missing you and wishing I’d said something before I left. That I’d kissed you or held you, or said something, anything to you.” He frowned, nodding his head as he looked to the ground before continuing to speak, his voice beginning to tremble with emotion.

“I was stupid to just go and leave things there, but I’ve been paying for it ever since. No other woman has ever compared to you.”

Without another word, you gripped the front of Jake’s football jersey, using it to give you leverage to pull him in closer, your lips crashing into his just as he looked up at you to see what you were doing. Any initial hesitation either of you felt melted away into the kiss, your lips moving together passionately, Jake’s hands trailing their way down your sides to rest on your hips, pulling your body in closer to his. When he finally pulled away to catch his breath, he maintained a small distance between the two of you, speaking in a low whisper as he watched you bite your now puffy, kiss-bitten bottom lip.

“Is that your way of telling me you feel the same way? Because if you do, I want to take you on a date. And I don't care if it's in the day, or at night, or whenever, as long as it's a real date. And I wanna sit there and tell you how beautiful I think you are, Inside and out. How you’ve always been the most beautiful girl in the world to me, without a doubt. And I wanna have babies with you, and I wanna marry you, and I wanna tell you every day that I love you and I always have." Jake nodded, his cheeks blushing as he scratched the back of his neck again, waiting for your response to his rambling feelings.

“Jake, I’ve spent the last 17 years of my life waiting to hear you say that.”

“I know, I’m sorry, Jenna. I’m so sorry I made you wait.”

“Promise me something, Jake?”

“Anything you want, pretty girl.”

“Promise me you won’t make me wait that long again? I’m not sure I can wait another 17 years for you to ask me to marry you.” 

“Jenna, I swear to you, I’m not making you wait for anything ever again. I’d marry you tomorrow if I didn’t think my mama would have me committed for running off to get married three days after our reunion.”

“You’d marry me tomorrow?”

“With bells on, babe. With bells on. I’d marry you right here, right now, in my beat up Longhorns jersey, and drive off into the sunset with you in my truck if you wanted.”

“I don’t know about that, Captain Seresin,” You smirked, raising an eyebrow at him as you felt his hands caress your sides, “As tempting as that sounds, we do have 17 years of lost time to make up for.”

“And I intend to make up for every single second of that with you, Jenna. Here, Chicago, San Diego, I don’t care. I just want you. All of you, completely and totally.”

[ratquesadilla]

3005 (chapter 2)

pairing: jake “hangman” seresin x fem! mitchell! oc

word count: 2106

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41505768/chapters/105225681

“it’s an existential thing”

a story where the return of north island's resident player leaves a girl with a lot of influence in a predicament.

trigger warning for harassment and a little bit of violence in this chapter.

chapter 1 - series masterlist - full masterlist

----

when i was younger we would go to church every sunday. it wasn’t because we were religious or anything but carole thought it was good idea to force me and bradley to make friends. afterwards we would have brunch with the kazanskys and, depending on our behavior that day, bradley and i would get to pick out something sweet from the store before returning home. after she died i stopped going, but my sunday routine would stay relatively the same. instead of going to the store for a candy bar, i would go to the bakery for something sweet. church started at 10, but sarah liked being early so she arrived at 9:30, and ended at 11 so i had an hour and a half to drop off the contraband treats at iceman's house. 

tom was like my dad when i was growing up. i didn’t have maverick and bradley didn’t have goose so he was there to teach us everything we needed to know. when i was 13 he taught me how to play football, and when i was 16 he let me play with the navy boys. when i was 15 and carole was too scared to get in the car with a “reckless teenager”, he taught me and bradley how to drive. everyone knew he didn’t have much time left, but a lot of us were in denial. i saw how much pain carole was in during her last weeks, and i wouldn’t wish that on anyone else, so i was trying my best to make iceman’s final moments semi-enjoyable. 

when i arrived he was in his office. he was too weak and in too much pain to deal with anyone so he handed me an envelope and motioned towards his computer. “deliver this before please, it’s important” on the monitor. the words “captain pete “maverick” mitchell” were written on the front, each letter with a slight shake.

----

business around the base always slowed down around sundown. day shift contractors switching with their night shift counterparts, everyone else getting ready to go home, the heat radiating off of the planes distorting the sunset. i figured the top gun pilots would be debriefing so i headed towards cyclone’s office. 

“mitchell.” he said as i entered the room. he sounded annoyed, and he had the pissed off old man eyebrow thing going on. 

“cyclone.” i replied, trying not to smile. i respected authority but it was always funny to see him get all worked up. i was definitely mavericks daughter, no doubt about it. sassiness was in my dna. “i just wanted to pop in before i delivered this to maverick” i said while pulling the letter out of my bag.

“how’s iceman?” he asked.

“could be better, he’s trying his best.” cyclone nodded, silently acknowledging me. both of us knew he didn’t have much time left, and both of us knew without iceman there was no one to keep my father in the navy. “this is urgent so i’ve got to go, but it was good seeing you.” i said as i quickly left the room. i respected cyclone, but i couldn’t agree with his distaste for maverick. being around him too long always lead to us getting into an argument about one of pete’s rash decisions. 

i was used to the stares from top gun pilots whenever i visited the base. tom frequently had me deliver documents and other things from his house and the attention was fun. i never got involved with the navymen, though it was fun to see how far they would go to get me to notice them, but this time was different. the blonde “cowboy” from the night before had been in my brain for the last 24 hours. something about him drew me towards him. like how the moon was drawn towards earth. 

when i arrived at the hanger they were meeting in the debriefing was nearly over. stepping into the “room” (if you could even call an open hanger a room) i could feel the tension between my father and bradley. i could also feel a pair of blue eyes drilling holes into the back of my head as i walked towards the makeshift platform maverick was on. “that’s all for now, you are dismissed.” he said, mouth slowly shifting into a smile as he saw me. 

“dad!” i squealed, running to hug him.

“mallory!” he replied, lifting me up and spinning around. “you’re so big now.”

“god i’m not a teenager anymore.” i joked. “i haven't grown since i was like 16.”

“i’ll never get used to you being old.”

“you’re the old one, grandpa.” i said as my father dramatically clutched his chest.

“am i really that old” he cried out, pretending to break down in tears. time could change a lot, but it would never stop pete from his theatrics. we quickly caught up and i handed him ice’s letter. our conversation was cut short by him remembering the overdraft from the other night, and he quickly left to pay his long overdue tab. as i stood there i flirted with the idea of visiting the blonde pilot and the rest of the aviators in the ready room. 

is it worth it? i thought. i knew how navymen could be, especially pilots. i couldn’t put myself through months of no contact, which was only one of the worries that came with being with an active duty pilot. i must’ve taken too long thinking because by the time i got to the game room everyone was gone. boys are a headache.

the secret teenage girl in me must have taken over because i somehow ended up at the hard deck, for something other than work this time. i walked into the bar, the cloud of sweat and desperation immediately hitting me, and began walking towards the pool table. that corner of the bar was usually frequented by regulars instead of the top gun pilots that were currently inhabiting the area. Natasha was the first person to notice me. 

i met her years ago when Bradley was at top gun. i was finished with college so i was back at home taking care of carole. she wanted me to leave southern california, earn a bunch of money and be successful, but nothing could keep me from north island. it was my home, and nothing could change that. maybe i was so attached to the island because it was the one place i knew my father would always be able to return, we’ll never know. it didn’t matter if i didn’t know where he was, he knew i was here. 

Phoenix shouted my name as she ran to hug me. “oh my god it’s so good to see you!” i exclaimed. “it’s been forever.”

“last time i was here you were blonde.” she remarked, “and you had a boyfriend.”

“well i grew out the blonde, and we broke up a couple years back.” i replied.

“called it!” she shouted, reaching her hand behind her head to grab money from bradley. “no one in a relationship would be in a bar, alone, with a bunch of pilots on a sunday of all days.”

“you guys bet on me!?” 

“hell yeah we did. i knew that guy was bad news the moment i met him, i caught a vibe.”

“remind me to have you meet all of my future boyfriends, i need to see if your bad news detector is accurate.”

“oh it’s accurate all right, the girl bagman used to be with ended up being totally insane. i knew it from the beginning.” 

“bagman? what’s the story behind that one.” i questioned. my mention of him must have caught his attention because there was suddenly a very tall (very captivating) pilot eyeing us from across the pool table. 

“it’s hangman actually, and you can find out the story if you give me a chance. what d’ya say? save a horse ride a cowboy?” his southern accent coming out, especially during that last sentence. normally lines like that would leave me repulsed, but there was something about the pilot that made his stupid pickup lines work. his shit eating grin was quickly wiped off his face by Bradley “accidentally” hitting him in the hip with the cue in his hands. 

“next time you try to get with mal you should remember who she’s related too, bagman.” bradley spat out. he was obviously annoyed. my father was probably the source of that annoyance but i wasn’t here to play therapist. i wasn’t really sure why i was here, but listening to bradley complain about my dad wasn’t the reason. 

“oh i can handle maverick, what’s he gonna do? make me do extra push up’s because i’m an incredible pilot?” hangman shot back, cockiness oozing out of him as if he was a slug. 

“my father is the least of your problems. unless you’re totally confident that you can face uncle tom.” i joked. it didn’t matter how cocky he was, none of my boyfriends made it past iceman. hearing i was related to tom kazansky was like a punch in the gut for any aviator that tried to get my number, but hangman was doing surprisingly well at keeping his defeat hidden. “i’m heading to the bar does anyone want anything?”, the pilots all responded with various head shakes and no’s. i pulled up to the bar and ordered a vodka cran, feeling a pressure against my lower back.

“hey baby, i saw you walk in earlier. can i buy you a drink?” the mysterious man asked.

“no thanks, i’m not interested.” i replied, pushing his hand off of my back.

“what’s wrong? don’t you like me? i saw the way you were looking at me when you came in.” he said while grabbing my wrist. 

“whatever you thought you saw was bullshit, now leave me alone.” i tried to release myself from his grip, to which he retaliated by squeezing even harder. “i’m asking you nicely, please let go of me.”

“why would i let go? i bet you like this huh.”

“totally love it. do you do this to every girl you try to take home? harass them until they give in and go home with you?” 

“god why do you have to be such a bitch.” he complained. letting go of my wrist to take a sip of his beer. 

“i prefer the term army brat, dick.” i spat at him, stomping on his foot with my heel. my sudden attack startled him giving me a chance to get up from the bar and head towards the exit. oh my god how fucking hard is it to be decent, i thought. as soon as i was outside i ran for my car, fumbling with my bag to try and find my keys. why is there so much shit in here? everytime i thought i found it i just pulled out a lip gloss or a hair tie. anything but my keys. i was freaking out, plain and simple.

“you know if you were a little nicer maybe you’d have a boyfriend!” the creep shouted, hobbling out of the bar. “maybe that’s why you’re a bitter cunt! cause you can’t get fucking laid!”

“fuck.” i whispered. he was getting very close, very fast. “you really don’t wanna do this” i tried to sound assertive but i was fucking terrified. 

“what’re you gonna do? slap me?”

“next time, maybe don’t use your shitty moves on a girl from north island.” i said, kneeing the creep in the balls. “that’s for ruining my night.” he bent over, grabbing his crotch. looking up for a split second before i punched him in the face. “and that’s for putting your hands on me.” i reached into my pocket, finally finding my keys. 

“that was badass.” hangman shouted from the side of the parking lot, walking towards me. “you gotta teach me some of your moves sometime.”

“how much of that did you see?” i shouted back.

“enough.”

“i’m not doing this tonight bagman, i’m tired and i’ve sworn off navymen.”

“it’s jake.” he was 2 feet away at this point, and still getting closer. “jake seresin.”

“well,” i paused, “jake.” he was very very close now. “you can get my number when you prove you deserve it.” closing the gap between us and pulling him into a kiss. 

“i can do that, yeah” he whispered as i pulled away. i could feel his stare lingering as i got into my car. 

“goodnight jake. i’m looking forward to seeing you soon.”

[loveforaugust]

my sister’s wedding / j. seresin

pairing: jake seresin x reader, best friend!reader x bradley bradshaw, bradley bradshaw x oc

summary: while you love your sister’s new husband bradley, you most certainly do not love his mouth but good looking co worker

“I truly never thought I’d see me sister this happy until she met Bradley,” you were finishing off your maid of honor speech, laughing into the microphone. “They complete each other, if Sarah said she wanted to moon, Brad would do anything to get her the moon. Sarah traveled the world with him, seeing Japan, Florida, and sunny California. If anything proves true love, it’s these two. There’s no one I’d be happier to have as a brother, welcome to the family, Brad. And congratulations to you both!”

Bradley and Sarah gave you a hug, you laughed as Sarah had tears down her face. “Better take care of your wife, Bradshaw.” You teased, rubbing her back gently. You wandered over to the bar, swaying slightly as you waited in the long line.

“Beautiful speech up there,” the guy behind you spoke up. You smiled happily turning to meet his bright green eyes. He was taller than you wear, hair gelled into neat strokes. He was wearing a matching blue suit to your dress.

“Thanks! I’m Y/N, bride or groom?”

“Jake, I fly with Bradley.” He shook your hand. “What’re you drinking tonight, Y/N?”

“Strictly champagne for me! I’m on orders to make sure nobody gets plastered and ruins the wedding!”

“Well I’ll be on my best behavior. I’m a known wedding crasher.” He smirks as he orders a champagne for you.

“Ooh please share Lieutenant!” Your eyes lit up as you stared at him.

“I tend to leave a trail of broken hearts at these events. Especially military weddings.” Jake tipped the waiter and you walked towards the dance floor. You laughed at him as he explained one of his buddies weddings that he’d attended last month.

You learned all about his special name (he called it a call sign) and what had earned him that nickname. “In my defense, I’ve gotten better. That was like 10 years ago. I’ve been promoted since then too.”

“You’re something else, Jake.”

“Is that a good thing? Or should I be concerned?” He teased, leaning against the post beside you. You smiled up at him, a warm feeling covering your face.

“I’m still trying to decide myself!”

“Would a dance help you consider?” You laughed and grabbed his outstretched hand, setting down your drinks and allowing him to lead you out to the dance floor. A slow song played, one of the many Sarah and Brad had picked for their playlist.

“You know you’re not too bad of a dancer.”

“So my dancing skills are subpar, I’ve made you laugh like three times, and I’ve got a steady income, what else can a guy like me do to impress you?” He swayed you softly to the music, his hand resting on your waist gently.

“Ah the ultimate question. Real talk, Lieutenant, how often are you gone? Would you like a housewife or a spouse, and how many kids?” You quizzes him, gently brushing a strand of hair from your face.

To be honest, you hadn’t made your mind up about him yet. He was gorgeous and charming, and surprisingly nice but you almost needed to buy yourself more time to decide if you wanted him to break your heart or not.

“I go where the Navy calls, as of right now, we’re holding a permanent station out in Miramar. We haven’t been deployed for any missions besides the one but I believe that’s my new permanent base.” He raised his eye brows at you.

“That’s so convenient. I actually work in San Diego.” You informed him. He smiled at you.

“What do you do?”

“Pediatric doctor, I work in a hospital.”

“Impressive, how’d you decide to do that?”

“Helped me and Sarah through our childhood. She was sick a lot so we were in and out of hospitals. I saw what they did first hand and was just inspired. How about you? How do you wake up one day and just decide to fly a jet?”

“Well, Y/N, I’m a legacy. My dad did it, his dad before him did it and so on and so forth.” You nodded you head, watching him closely. The dimple in his cheek was showing up and he had the whitest teeth you’d ever seen.

“Staring awfully hard, darling, anything you’d like?” He teased, biting back a smirk. You rolled your eyes.

“You’re quite the charmer, Seresin.”

“Have I charmed you into a date yet?” You held up your fingers, signaling how close he was. “Ooh so close, do you need another compliment? Anymore questions I can answer?”

“One last thing: your thoughts on marriage.” You laughed lightly.

Jake looked over at Bradley and Sarah laughing and dancing with each other. “I think once you find your person, there’s nothing more romantic than making that kind of promise.” You smiled up at him, shaking your head.

“You just seem like the perfect man. Hiding any dangerous qualities under there? Or just the normal amount like the rest of us?”

“I’d say the normal amount.”

“Well you’ve persuaded me. Congratulations, are you free next Tuesday?”

“I’ll pick you up at 8.”

[blue-aconite]

let me drown || chapter V - jake's summer part II

Summary: 

Warnings: Swearing, a lil bit of angst

Word Count: 3.7k

Pairings: Bradley Bradshaw x OC (past), Jake Seresin x OC (future)

Authors Note: It's been forever since I've updated this series but we're finally getting somewhere! Minors DNI. Each chapter will be labelled with warnings individually.

Thank you to my beta @a-reader-and-a-writer, you're amazing! ♥️

California, Lemoore Naval Air Station, Spring 2019

Jake was cooling down on the treadmill after his morning workout when Javy’s name flashed across his phone. He lowered the pace on the machine as he answered the call. “Hey man, what’s up?”

“You’ll never guess what I just found out!” Javy exclaimed, a tone of excitement obvious in his voice. 

Jake rolled his eyes. “Uh, you found out Phoenix finally grew tired of your gossiping and decided to leave?”

Javy gasped on the other end. “If you’re going to be mean, I won’t tell you.”

“I’m very sorry for being so inconsiderate of your feelings, will you please share your news with me?” 

“You’re such an ass.” Javy complained and Jake could picture his best friend’s expression.

“Anyway, I found out where Bradshaw is now.” He sounded smug, like he was sharing something he shouldn’t, which was probably the case. 

But the tidbit of information intrigued Jake. Thanks to Bob, he knew something must have happened for Thea and Bradshaw to call it quits and for Bob to request a transfer across the country to get his sister away from Virginia Beach.

“Do tell.” Jake said as he looked around and found himself in a now somewhat deserted gym. Turning off the treadmill completely, he wiped it off before picking up his bag.

“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone. Nat swore me to secrecy.” Javy whispered conspiratorially, like he was leaking top-secret government information.

Jake rolled his eyes as he walked back to his bunk. “So you’re not supposed to share this with me?” Coyote hesitated for a moment, making Jake smile. “I swear that I won’t utter a word of what you’re about to tell me.” 

“No, I’m not supposed to share but now that you’ve sworn…-” Javy dragged out the ‘o’ before continuing. “He’s off the coast of Japan, with the Golden Warriors.” 

“I knew the Warriors were deploying, I spoke with Badger when I was visiting Athena and he said they were leaving after Christmas.” Jake recalled, remembering meeting up with his friend from flight school while in Virginia Beach.

They discussed the new information for a while and Jake made sure to leave Thea’s name out of it. He still didn’t know anything except for what Bob had told him. And while he knew Javy would keep his trap shut, he didn’t want to speak about something he had limited information about.

“Well, I guess they broke up? Do you know why?” Javy asked.

Jake sighed. “No. Bob just told me it was over and that Thea wasn’t doing so good.”

Coyote hummed. “Well, count me in for dinner. I haven’t seen Floyd in forever.” 

Jake promised to text the address Bob had given him before they said their goodbyes and hung up. 

It still bothered him that whatever had gone down between Thea and Rooster, Thea was the one who was suffering for it. He wanted to be there for her but he also didn’t want to push his luck. After his last message, he hadn’t reached out, deciding that he would let her decide if she wanted to continue the conversation. He wanted to let it happen on her terms. 

His stomach still fluttered whenever he thought of her but Jake tried his best to push it aside. Even if Thea’s smile made him feel like he could soar, he stayed true to his words to be her friend. 

Javy had teased him relentlessly about his crush, taking the opportunity that he was the one pining for once and not the other way around. 

Thea had texted him back but their correspondence was inconsistent at best, a few late night messages here and there. Jake was happy she wanted to speak to him at all, so he gladly told her about his day or whatever he thought she’d enjoy reading about. He’d sent some book recommendations, remembering how she had talked about how she needed to get back into reading books while they met in Virginia. 

After forwarding the address that Bob had given him to Javy, Jake decided the best way to stop obsessing over tomorrow was to just try and not think about it. He could at least try.

On the way over to the Floyd residence, Jake felt oddly nervous. He hadn’t seen Thea since his trip and he was excited. It would be nice to talk face to face instead of the texts they had exchanged. 

Javy had picked up on his nerves on the way over and snickered but Jake made sure to shut him up before they arrived. 

“Just be quiet about it, yeah? Can you do that?” He asked as they walked up to the cottage, a bottle of wine and a freshly bound bouquet for Thea. 

Javy laughed, bouncing on his toes. “You’re very adorable, Hangman. But yes, I will be quiet. I’m looking forward to meeting the girl that’s made you all cute and shit.” 

Jake retaliated by punching Javy in the arm playfully as they waited for someone to open the door. They could hear footsteps from within and after a few moments Bob opened the door, bbq tongs in one hand. 

“Hey, come on in!” He invited, beckoning them inside. “Shoes off, please. Thea has weird rules.”

“FLOYD, c’mere boy! It's been too fucking long.” Javy grabbed onto Bob before the poor man could escape, trapping him in an embrace whether Bob wanted it or not. Jake shook his head at Javy’s actions, subtly looking around the hallway. When he found no sign of Thea, he turned his focus back to Javy and Bob, only to find both of them already looking at him.

Javy was wearing a shit-eating grin while Bob was observing him with a calculated stare. It wasn’t hostile but Jake felt exposed under the older Floyds’ gaze so he held out the bottle of wine as a distraction. “Thanks for having us, man.”

Bob rolled his eyes, stepping forward to trap him in an one-armed hug. Jake returned it, careful not to crush the flowers. 

“I’m glad you could make it. Yes, you too Javy.” Bob joked as he led them into the kitchen. There were boxes in the hallway and a few more stacked against the corner of the living room. 

Bob offered them both a beer as they sat down at the kitchen island, an offhand wave towards the boxes. “Sorry about those, we haven’t really unpacked everything yet.”

“Do you live here or on base, then?” Javy asked, taking a handful of peanuts from the bowl Floyd offered.

“On base, I’m just keeping a few things here for storage. Thea doesn’t mind and most of the boxes are hers anyway.” Bob said as he grabbed a few plates from the cabinet. 

Upon closer inspection, Jake could see how bare the cottage looked. There was furniture and the like but it lacked a personal warmth. It made sense though, it hadn’t been long since the siblings arrived. 

Jake wondered how it would look after Thea put her personal touch on the place. Thea herself was so warm and kind, so maybe that was her choice of decorations too. Jake hoped he’d get to see what it looked like then.

“So, when do I get to meet this sister of yours? I’ve heard a lot, and it feels like I know her already.” Javy clapped his hands together as he looked around.

Bob pointed to the open sliding door leading into the backyard. Jake could spy a wooden deck and grass beyond that. 

“She’s outside by the grill. C’mon.” Bob took the plates with him. Jake grabbed the pitcher with water and followed him outside. 

As promised, Thea was standing behind the grill placed on the deck, staring at the ocean that could be viewed from the backyard. She looked smaller than Jake remembered, curled in on herself. His heartbeat picked up as he studied her, feeling strangely at peace now that he was in her presence again. He had missed her, despite their brief interaction last time they saw each other. 

“Tiny! Come say hello!” Bob called, breaking his sister out of whatever trance she was in. Jake could tell that her smile wasn’t genuine as she approached them, but said nothing. Javy beat him to greet her, smiling gently. 

Jake watched as Javy extended his hand and introduced himself, trading hellos. He felt uncertain about how he should approach her. She had hugged him goodbye after their roundabout of golf and lunch but he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate now. 

“Earth to Jake. Hello?”

He was broken out of his inner monologue by Javy smacking him on the chest. Jake slapped his hand away and refocused his attention on Thea. She was standing close to Bob now, almost hiding behind her brother’s 6’2 ft frame. 

His heart thudded against his chest as she smiled timidly at him. Thea didn’t speak so Jake decided to go first. “Hi, Thea. It’s nice to see you again.”

Thea awkwardly looked around, wrapping her arms around her midsection as to protect herself before greeting him. It hurt him to see her look so small.

“Hi, Jake. It’s good to see you too.” She was more soft-spoken than he remembered but when she smiled at him, Jake still felt those flutters return. 

Bob and Javy moved away towards the grill, chatting animatedly and leaving him and Thea by themselves. He wanted to ask how she was doing, how she was feeling and if there was anything he could do. But Thea beat him to speaking. 

“I picked up a few of those books you recommended.” 

While it wasn’t what Jake was looking for, Thea looked so on edge that he figured it was a safe topic for her. Revisiting his earlier attitude about space, he smiled happily. “I’m glad. I hope you enjoy them.”

Thea smiled then, a tentative small smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Crime isn’t really my thing but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to branch out.”

After hesitating, Jake decided to stop beating around the bush. He opened his mouth to ask her if something was bothering her but Bob interrupted him, calling out that the food was ready. 

Thea made a vague gesture towards the seating area. “We should join them.” She almost looked relieved to be interrupted, as if she could sense what he was about to ask her. 

DInner was pleasant, the conversation between Jake, Javy and Bob flowed easily but Jake kept an eye on Thea through the entire meal. She participated whenever Javy asked her something or Bob turned to her but she was more subdued than he remembered from his dinner with the siblings back in Virginia. 

Whatever Bradshaw had done, it had obviously done a real number on Thea. And Jake hated that. He hated that his gut feelings about the man had been correct. Bradshaw was the same man he remembered and he loathed that Thea had seemingly paid the price for his actions. She deserved better. 

“So, Bob mentioned you graduated from UPenn? Architecture, right?” Javy asked, directing his attention to Thea. 

Thea nodded, putting down her glass. “Mm. You know anything about it?”

Javy laughed, chewing on a potato. “I think my cousin’s wife is an architect and I know you guys design buildings. That’s about it.” 

They all laughed and, with some more prompting, she launched into an explanation of her degree and new workplace. She lit up when describing the project she’d been put on and it was clear that this was her passion. 

“Okay, I admit defeat. You guys do a lot more than designing buildings.” Javy mused.

“Yeah but I know that’s what most people think about when they hear the word architecture.” Thea assured him, stabbing a broccoli with her fork.

They had let Thea talk without interrupting but it felt safe to ask questions now. “What’s your focus?” Jake asked, leaning back in his seat. 

“Focus?” Javy asked at the same time as Thea answered his question. “My main one is landscape architecture but I’ve done some projects in interior design as well.” 

Javy looked bewildered between the two of them. “There’s different fields?”

Bob snickered behind his glass, the upturn of his lips making Jake smile in return. Thea smiled as well and Javy grimaced. “I did not know that. Interesting.”

She angled her body towards Javy more, explaining the different types and what had prompted her to choose that specific field. 

Jake took the opportunity to turn his questions towards Bob. “So, how’s Taylor?”

Bob shrugged. “She’s fine.”

“You don’t sound too sure.” 

Bob faltered, shifting uneasily. “She was supposed to hand in her notice. She said she could find another job here, that she was willing to move but when I asked her about it, she admitted that she hadn’t turned it in yet - and she couldn’t give me a straight answer as to why.”

Jake’s heart went out to Bob, who was obviously struggling with this dilemma. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t understand though, you said she was coming with us.” Thea spoke up, having listened in on their side conversation.

“She’ll be here, Tiny.” Bob reassured but it didn’t sound as confident as Jake guessed Bob wanted to come off as. 

The conversation came to a halt, nobody knowing how to continue. A few moments passed before Bob spoke up. “It’s fine, you guys. Does anyone want coffee?”

They all helped clear the table, the tension from the previous conversation ebbing away. Thea shooed them from the kitchen, rinsing the dishes in the sink. Javy and Bob took her gesture to heart and headed back outside but Jake decided to linger. 

“You don’t have to stick around.” Thea busied herself with the plates, keeping her eyes on the sink. Jake leaned against the kitchen island, shrugging his shoulders.

“Figured you could use some help.”

Thea laughed, a genuine sound this time and Jake’s heart did a somersault in his chest. He immediately scolded himself silently for his reaction, keeping his face neutral. “What?”

“I know you three haven’t been around each other in a while. You really want to help me load the dishwasher instead of catching up with your friends?” Thea snorted, rinsing another plate. 

Jake rolled his eyes. “I’ll have you know my mama raised a gentleman, I’m nothing like those two heathens who just abandons a lady with chores.” 

He went for the joke, hoping that it would ease up on the slight apprehension he could feel from her. She was smiling but her body language told him she wasn’t totally at ease with him. He wondered why. 

“Hangman! Get out here!” Bob called, waving at him through the window. 

He turned towards Thea but she waved a hand in the direction of her brother. “Go. I’m almost done here. Take the mugs with you, please.” 

He did as she asked before casting one last glance her way as he left the kitchen. She didn’t notice, busy with cleaning off the counter. 

He watched her through the window, noticing how she relaxed slightly the moment she was alone. Trying to not feel hurt by Thea’s apprehension, Jake took a seat again, easily catching up with the conversation between Coyote and Bob.

No one mentioned anything when Thea didn’t join them again until he and Javy were standing on the porch, saying their goodbye’s. 

Javy trapped both Thea and Bob in a hug before either could protest, which made him smile. Jake was used to his best friend’s behaviour but Bob looked like he might have forgotten since they were all together last time. 

“Listen, don’t be a stranger! You need anything, just give us a call. If Bob can’t help you, of course. And when she gets here, I’d love for you to meet my girlfriend. I think you two would like each other.” Javy rambled, adding himself to Thea’s contacts. 

“Nat’s visiting?” 

Javy nodded happily. “In two weeks. Maybe we can all go out to dinner?”

“Sounds good! We’ll plan later.” It doesn’t go unnoticed how Bob chose to not put Thea on the spot by asking her to tag along even though the invitation was there. Jake echoed his agreement instead of saying anything and Javy immediately started planning a group chat.

Turning slightly towards Thea, Jake decided against a hug, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. “It was good to see you again. Like Javy said, if you need anything -”

“Thanks,” she interrupted, biting her lower lip, “I appreciate it. I’m glad you guys stopped by.” 

They waved their goodbyes when he’s reversing out of the driveway and Jake could feel Javy’s eyes trained on him.

“What?”

Javy shrugged. “Nothing. Thea seems nice. A bit quiet though and sad.”

He didn’t answer, instead choosing to focus on the road despite it being nearly empty. He didn’t want to think about all the reasons Thea had changed so much since he first met her. While she was still there, Jake could see how much the breakup from Bradshaw had changed her.

“But I liked her and most important of all, I can see why you’ve got a massive crush on her.”

Jake snorted. “It’s not like that.”

“Sure it isn’t. Man, she’s been the only thing you’ve talked about since visiting Oceana. And, I’ll admit, I did tell you to not get involved because she had a boyfriend and a protective older brother. Also because I didn't want to see you get hurt, y’know?” Javy had taken on a more serious tone now.

He continued without letting Jake talk. “And at the time, I was right. But maybe you should now.”

The last part made Jake turn his head, eyebrows rising. “Seriously? Were you not at the same dinner as me? She was uncomfortable around me, although I don’t know why.”

“Maybe you should ask her why? You can’t fix it if you don’t know what’s wrong.” 

Jake pulled into the parking lot, killing the engine. “I don’t want to back her into a corner and it’s not like she owes me her friendship or anything. We hung out twice and while we really clicked, something has obviously changed. I’ll see if she even wants to spend time together first before making demands.”

“You know, you’re smarter than people give you credit for. I guess you’re more than just a pretty fa - HEY!” Javy swatted his hand away as Jake tried to slap him on the side of the face, laughing as he ran away.

“I’m reporting you. You can’t go around damaging government property!” Javy cackled as he headed in the opposite direction. Jake flipped him off even though Coyote couldn’t see him.

“Sleep with one eye open, Machado!”

“I’ll talk to you later, Hangman!” was the only answer and Jake could hear him still laughing in the distance. 

Javy had sent him 10 snaps when he got back to his room but he went straight to bed, wanting to catch some much-needed sleep. 

And despite everything, Jake thought about Thea as he fell asleep.

“Can I ask you something?”

Bob shrugged. “I don’t guarantee an answer.”

Jake hesitated, sparing one moment to wonder if he should ask or just forget about it. Floyd didn't seem to notice, immersed in his phone. 

“Have you heard from Taylor?”

Bob fixed him with a stare that reminded him of his own mother, one eyebrow slightly higher than the other. “That’s not what you want to ask and we both know it. But to answer it, not really? We’ve texted back and forth but she still can’t give me a straight answer.”

“You don’t seem too worried.” Jake observed.

Bob sighed. “I am but I also have other things to think about.”

Throwing caution to the wind, Jake voiced his concern. “Like Thea?”

Bob rolled his shoulders back, cracking his neck. “I still worry about her. I thought moving here would help and it has but I guess I was being a bit too convinced it would fix everything. And the whole situation with Taylor isn’t helping, at all. I feel like I’m being stretched too thin at this point.”

Jake felt bad for his friend, wishing he could help. “If there’s anything I can do to help, I’d be down. Don’t want you to run yourself into the ground worrying about everyone.”

Bob huffed, cracking his knuckles. “I’ve been worrying about Tiny since the day she was born, it’s not going to stop anytime soon.”

He was reluctant to add to Bob’s burden but a question had been eating away at him since dinner last week. Jake had tried to let it go but he couldn’t. 

“Thea appeared a bit off at dinner. Which isn’t a surprise, considering what has happened. But I couldn’t help but notice that she seemed uneasy around me. Uncomfortable. I’ve been chalking it up to just being nervous but something has changed.” Jake spoke slowly, spilling his thoughts.

“I know it’s not my place and you said it’s not your story to tell but even I can see that whatever happened between her and Rooster has hurt her. And I just want to help.”

Jake knew he sounded a bit pathetic at the end of his rant but he didn’t care. He was worried about Thea, and Bob to an extent, and while his reputation painted him as a man who only cared about himself, Jake did care about his friends and family. 

Javy was right, he could be an asshole but not when it came to the people closest to him. 

“Do you really want to know what happened?” Bob asked, observing him with a calculated look that oddly enough made Jake sit up a bit straighter, as if he was being judged. 

He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not as much as knowing what happened but about helping and being there for your sister. I really care about her.”

Bob closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. “I’ll tell you. But you have to understand, not even I know everything. She won’t say anything but I know there are still things she hasn’t told me. But promise me one thing, same as I promised Thea concerning Rooster.”

“What did you promise?”

“I promised I’d stay out of it. That I wouldn’t go after him.”

Jake cleared his throat, trying to picture Bob hunting Bradshaw down. It wasn’t crazy but he had a hard time imagining it. But if Thea had made Bob promise not to, he would as well. “Well, I swear I won’t hunt him down.”

Bob laughed humorlessly, clenching his jaw. He was angry, Jake realised. “After I’m done telling you, you might want to.”

Taglist: @wildbornsiren​ @ryebecca @imjess-themess @reels-and-wheels @antiquitea @writercole @hederasgarden @yanna-banana @bobfloydsbabe @hollandorks @anniesocsandgeneralstore @ereardon @luminousnotmatter @roosterscock @thedroneranger @fandomxpreferences @top-hhun @princessmisery666 @bradshawsbitch​ @a-reader-and-a-writer @green-socks @angstybluejay @seresinhangmanjake @ayorooster​@notroosterbradshaw​ @indynerdgirl @gigisimsonmars @girl-in-the-chairs-void@bradshawbabes @unhinged-btch @horseshoegirl @sadpetalsstuff @bradshawbaby @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @ummjustfics​ @septemberrie​ @somenamewithepineapple​ @seresinsweetie​​ @crescentwolf​ @seresinhangmanjake​ @waklman​ @roosterforme​ @rosiahills22​ @dempy​ @i0veless​ @ilovewriting06​ @kmc1989​ @demxters @amortentiadrops @teacupsandtopgun @hangmanscoming

@dizzybee03 @buckysteveloki-me @aczhang777 @lynnevanss let me know if you want to be added/removed

[justalonelyslytherin]

Legacies - Series

Series summary: Growing up as the Admiral's Daughter Ana knew two things: she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps as a naval aviator and she wanted to do it on her own. Not as the Admiral's Daughter but as Ana Kazansky, or rather Lawson as per her mother's maiden name.

Returning to Top Gun for a special detachment proves to be much more complicated than she had anticipated. Between the shifting relationship with one certain colleague, the nearly impossible mission parameters, and her father's illness things are becoming hard to handle.

Pairings: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Ana Theodora "Teddie" Kazansky, Callsign 'Ghost'

Additional characters: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, all other canon characters involved with the mission, brief appearances of other Kazansky!OC's

Warnings: see each chapter for specific warnings, slow burn, enemies to lovers-ish, canon character death, talk of death and dealing with the loss of a loved one, cancer/sickness, canon level violence, military inaccuracies

Notes: This is not intended to be us navy propaganda in any case. I have no connection to the us navy (or the military in general) & I do not condone their actions. I simply fell in love with tg:m & the characters and want to indulge in my fantasies about that series. While Ana technically is an OC, some might still consider this in the realms/lines of also being able to be considered a 'Reader' (different peeps have different lines where what becomes one and the other) which is why I decided to tag this story as both reader & oc

A/N: I have to thank @writercole a thousand times for helping me sort out the plot!

The name of my OC is inspired by @icemankazansky86 "Russian Iceman Kazanskys Headcanons" who graciously allowed me to name her after Ice sister & grandmother

The header is made by me, and all the dividers were made by the lovely @/firefly-graphics

taglist: open, message me or comment to be added, will be put as reblog

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17