#natasha phoenix trace fan fic

[fishfooddude]

Birthday Blurbs: 06/14

Forget dancing like no one is watching; dance like a toddler. They don’t even care if music is playing. (thanks for photobombing @ callsignFanBoy) @ Y/N

You thought you’d have a career as a professional dancer, then you tore your ACL and just couldn’t move like you used to. It took a really long time for you to start dancing for fun again. The night you met Natasha Trace was the day you rediscovered your once-forgotten passion, and now she took you dancing every opportunity she had, especially on your birthday.

[sweetwhispersofchaos]

Eject

Summary: Ejecting from your plane in the face of danger? Expected. Forbidden love amongst pilots? Not so much. Will they bond or will this break them for good?

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Natasha "Phoenix" Trace All the Daggers, Mav x Penny, Amelia, OC's Warnings: Language. Assault (not by a major character). Injury. Eventual smut. Alcohol consumption. Smoking. Discussions of mental health. (Its a rollercoaster. You've been warned!) MINORS DNI!!! 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 Thank you as always to @doc-k83 for not only reading my work and being a sounding board but putting up with me in real life ;) Enjoy!

[missmarveledsblog]

Never doubt the Matchmaker ( jake seresin x reader )

Summary : nat phoenix trace was well known by her friends and coworkers as being a excellent matchmaker although jake seresin thinks it all bullshit till he finally let her set him up and jake learns never to doubt the matchmaker ...

warnings : goofy , fluffy , miscommunication sort of rom com feel to it , picture doesn't describe the reader just cover art i started making for fics

Natasha trace  was a woman of many talents , she was strong , determined , and calculated . all good qualities that made her one of best female pilots but she also had another talent one that didn't even remotely have to do with the navy and it was her match making skills . when she disclosed the information it got laughs  , didn't bother her she laughed along with them .  then one by one it would start off joking then hinting to outright asking. first it was fanboy then bob then javy then rooster. only one she didn't get asked by was payback giving the man was already married and jake who still thought it was all  crock .  she didn’t really concern herself with what bagman had to say the results spoke for themself .  fan boy was living with the barista she set him up with , bob was married to the animal shelter volunteer , javy was still going strong with the yoga instructor while  rooster only began seeing the nurse it was still good and boy was he already gone . the results spoke for themselves as always but jake still a skeptic , still ready to shoot it all down of course . 

“ he’s just afraid of finding the one is all “ rooster laughed .

“ i mean i don’t doubt your skill but hangman finding the one is a bit far fetched “ bob shook his head amused in the constantly denial of the match making but in fairness they all were  til she did her thing. 

“ don’t worry bagman i wouldn’t subject any woman to deal with you “  phoenix rolled her eyes . 

“ because its not working i mean rooster would fall in love with a rock” he countered as the brunette exclaimed out a “ hey “ 

 “ why does it bother you so much , you feeling left out , a little lonely “ she taunted . 

“ never lonely phoenix i can get a girl to keep me warm at night any time” he winked  taking his shot potting the ball . 

“ why don’t you let her set you up then “ bob suggested . 

“ he’s right you think it’s fake then prove it “ javy added . 

“ ain’t you suppose to be on my side here?” 

“ come on man what have you got to lose”  rooster smirked . 

“ you know what i’ll bit just to show you i’m right” he crossed his arms looking to the female pilot.

“Fine  i’ll set you up bagman “ nat shook her head . 

It had been weeks since the whole agreement in the hard deck and jake constantly being the one to let her know the fact . then like an angel to answer all there prayers she found the one , the one that would have jake seresin eating his words .  then one day during lunch jake was looking at text of details for a date saturday . he promised to give the woman a chance   , knowing full well it would end like all his dates do  and that part wasn’t so bad .  He’d gotten the womans number striking up a conversation , she could least do that only thing was when he asked for selfie she would reply later , later never came then it was “ i forgot next” which didn’t fill him with much fate but still keeping his word he continues to chat . saturday he was on the beach  a regular tradition now playing dog fight football as the guys asked about his  date. 

“ i mean we text but no selfies so not promising “ he called as nat shook her head. 

“ she hot bagman not that it matters “ she rolled her eyes . 

“ all chicks say there friends are hot , i’m just being honest” he smirked . 

“ not al about looks “ rooster pointed out . 

“ says the guy with the hot nurse girlfriend , you telling me if she wasn’t attractive to you in the smallest bit you would be with her ?” he asked . 

“ yeah because of the person , she is” . 

“ again not that it matters but y/n is a hotty and well able to handle you “ nat scoffed . 

“ yeah we’ll see about that phoenix”. 

When he got home  still texting his date asking her what she was going to wear so he would be able find her .  all he got back was long red dress probably something a grandma would wear  he didn’t know why but that was what he thought . then he got ready   thinking the worse as time got closer , like it was set up in a different way , a ploy for phoenix to get back at him and set him up with some lady that had twenty cars the generic mad woman crossing his mind .  he could slip out early that was for sure  although javy was telling him it would be ok also agreed to call with fake emergency. He was glad he agreed to meet somewhere else because if this was a trick least there would be no witnesses that was for sure . checking over least he looked good   as he looked down at his dress pants that fit snugly on his legs of the light blue almost whitish blue shirt that made his chest and arms look great . he was ready to prove natasha trace wrong and make a  lady happy to get the jake seresin experience . he was sure it was going to be a disaster , some sort of catfish situation even though he had yet to she her face expectations were not high. He stood outside  the bar it was classy  place so who he thought he would meet would stand out a mile off already building an image of some desperate woman .   parking and taking one look at his phone both message one to tell him she was at the bar and another from javy to have good time but he was also on standby if needed . heading in there was one woman at the bar in a red dress , long that stopped at her shins , her long legs crossed with a pair of black open toed heels   , spagetti string straps as she looked around she was gorgeous. Maybe if his  date failed he could ? . 

She couldn’t believe she let natasha trace do her whole match maker thing knowing how it was going to fail , from texting the guy it was ok nothing special didn’t seem like he was into it either so least she wouldn’t be the only one who was going to go into it with less expectations , plus she could only imagine what she was going to meet not that she didn’t find  nat’s flyboy friends attractive because they were but they lacked a little something  .  she herself worked as a mechanic not as glorious or as dangerous as  the navy but she and nat bonded over being in a male dominated area even still she was confused as the receptionist . now here she was sitting waiting for some stranger  when she could be in her shop finishing the shit ton of cars that needed to be fixed but maybe a few drinks would be ok  , help take the busy week off her shoulders . one so busy she kept forgetting to send a selfie and then she thought it would be more fun to keep the mystery going . she text him to let him know he was at the bar barely flickering her gaze  when he text to say  he was outside well here it was. 

“ showtime “ she winked to the bartender downing the drink waiting for whatever disaster  that was coming her way . 

“Erm y/n “ the  southern drawl clear his throat she turned to raise her hand. 

“ over here” she smiled ok , so he wasn’t tragic looking maybe it was shallow but hey he was gorgeous blonde so she wasn’t complaining . 

“ well darling nice to meet you “ he beamed , he’d give nat this one she was the hotty at the bar . 

“ jake?  Nice to meet you too “ she held her hand out almost swallowed in his own , lifting it to his lips and kissing her hand .

“ what are you drinking ?” he nudged . 

“ just beer , southern boy huh” her own accent coming out more as she talked . 

“ austin born and raised , you ?” he took the seat  noting the slight disappointed glance of bartender since he came over. 

“ dallas , would you like to go sit down and get some food because i for one am hungry ?”  

“ lead the way beautiful whatever you want it on me “  he beamed holding his hand out and letting her take him anywhere and it would be anywhere damn she was like a siren luring him to sea .  following the sway of her hips like they were personal hypnotizing him and maybe they were , pulling the seat out putting the full gentlemen charm because shit she had him hooked with her body already . 

“ so jake from austin what made you ask nat for her skills “ she asked looking up  ever the gentlemen pulling her chair out and pushing it in for her as she looked up through her lashes at the blonde . 

“ honest answer?” to which she nodded .  “ honestly i wanted to see if she was good as other say kinda a skeptic but maybe not so much “ he winked as her  head tipped back and wondrous sound of her laugh came out. 

“ oh my god same i only agreed because she set my cousin up with ostrich , duck some bird dude “ she laughed . 

“ rooster?” 

“ YES !  i haven’t met him yet but my cousin  ironic dove is singing his praise then when she told me she got a perfect match not gonna lie since your being honest and all but i said no for while stuff at works been well hectic “ she shook her head. 

“ what is you do , you never said in your texts plus you owe me a selfie or two “ he teased . 

“ a mechanic actually while other girls where playing with barbies i was playing with tools and hotwheels i’m only girl of a bunch of boys so i guess when i wanted to be one of them safe to say my mom was little let down to say the least “ she chuckled . 

“ i’m only boy of bunch of girls i’m second born though “ 

“I’m the baby  , i’m actually working in a shop owned by my two older brothers and top at my job not as exciting as being a aviator for the navy though” she winked . 

“ nah i’m impressed least i know if my truck ever  has trouble i know who will take care of it for me” he smirked leaning forward honestly he hated how much he was going to be hearing nat gloat because he was already hooked  this woman was perfect although she was a decade younger but fuck she was making him feel like a teenager.

The date was good he laughed a lot she was funny , she seemed interested in knowing him and   kept the conversation light nothing was felt pushed or awkward . it was perfect date  he hated he would have to tell phoenix  as much he didn’t want that night to end ,  they even made out in the back of his truck  so why was it two days after the date and everything was radio silent . only thing that he was told was she got home safe and would contact him again .  he never had that much fun on a date especially one that didn’t end in sex , he wanted to be respectful , he also didn’t wanna text and come off desperate so he was wondering what hell went wrong .  maybe he could ask nat and swallow his pride at the fact she was good but clearly not good if he was ghosted . 

She wondered what went wrong did she come on too  strong , did he not like her .  the date was perfect and yet she never  got text back after she told him she got home safe .  it was all good even making out in the back of his truck til he stopped it now she was slightly annoyed he ghosted her .  burying herself in the overflowing work she could of been doing instead  when the familiar sound of an engine . to see natasha trace coming her way all smile probably ready to hear about how it all went . 

“ i’m mad at you “ y/n huffed tying her hair up before diving back into the hood of the corvette that needed dire attention.  

“ what did he do ?” she groaned now holding the coffee she brought like a peace offering instead of an early celebration . 

“ ghosted me  , i thought we had a great time  , even made out in his stupid truck and boom nothing even when i offered him to follow me “ she grumbled looking up . 

“ wait what javy said jake had great time i was here to rub it in both of you “ . 

“ well i’ll do that rubbing in your matchmaking skill ain’t all that .. but i love you and you didn’t know this was gonna happen so i guess i ain’t actually mad at you… my vagina might be “ she laughed finally taking the coffee. 

“ i’m gonna find out what going on cause something is  not adding up “ nat brows furrowed as she head off ignoring the protest that came from y/n mouth . 

She couldn’t make sense of it , according to javy he was smitten  like really smitten so what the hell was going on .  she knew y/n was younger than jake by ten years was that it but then she was thinking jake would date younger than himself maybe not that gap but again it didn’t seem to bother him . it wasn’t even to do with the match making anymore ..ok maybe it was could that be it , he was ghosting y/n in his own need to be right.  Now she was pissed  as she drove a little faster ,  parking her car and storming down the halls. She didn’t even look at the guys when she got to jake staring up , eyes narrowed  and hands on hips . 

“ what is your problem how come your ghosting y/n ,  she said she had a great time with you and what  is it your need to be right because that fucked if you don’t like her least be a man and tell her “ she gritted . 

“ what are you talking about  , she ghosted me nat  she should grow up and tell you the truth “ he scoffed . 

“ she looked upset although she wouldn’t show it …  she thinks you don’t like her she offered  her place ?” nat said even more confused .

“ believe it or not i was being a gentlemen because i actually did like the her.. The date “ he corrected pulling his phone out to show the fact he ended up texting her couple times . 

“ oh you stupid man , it concerning your still flying that not her the name is similar but you’ve been texting another woman no wonder she didn’t answer … idiots “ she scoffed as jake looked at his phone he didn’t even realize that name was still in his phone  he just saw the first three letters and was currently cursing the device in his hand .  it all connecting in his mind only for rooster to say it all out loud. 

“ shit you actually ghosted her after all” .

“ where she work  cause she not gonna believe me if i text her now ?” he asked chasing after nat  who honestly was done with life at the moment. 

“ if i  tell you , you gotta wear a shirt that says i was right for three nights of my choosing in hard deck ?” nat mused even though she was gonna help him either way but didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun too . 

“ you know what i’ll let you have six , come on “ he pleaded  ready to dart out knowing he’s morning was free . 

“  don't make me regret this “ nat smirked texting the address . “ make sure you check the right message “ she called as he ran off flipping her off . 

 he didnt know what it was but he was hooked on this girl like some sort of spell was cast on him  . he usually didn't bother texting after the fuck boy tendency  was strong he knew it himself but shit he was so disappointed and turned out to be his fault his fuckboy ways or some sort of self sabotage  .  already losing something so good before it even started he wanted to delete all the contacts in his phone maybe change his number start a new leaf. He was just hoping he wasn’t too late as he got into his truck nat sent another message telling him  the  coffee and baked good  peace offering to bring  as well as his size  maybe he would wear the shirt  an extra night for that. It was a race for what he didn’t know but he wanted to find out.   

She was tired but finally she gotten on top of the overflow of repairs  ones even her brothers were impressed she managed to pull of maybe the frustration of being ghosted was working in her favor , she was ready to grab her coat and head out . 

“ hey kiddo truck coming in can you sort this while i sort something in the office” her brother mikey called . 

“ you gotta be shitting me i’m heading out deal with it yourself” she scoffed. 

“ do it and i’ll give you rest of week off and next week  paid and overtime?” he said holding phone to his ear . 

“ fine after this i’m out for a week and half   “ she rolled her eyes throwing her things down tying her hair up . 

“ yeah she going  i think a date would be a good payment huh trace” he chuckled heading into the office. 

She was huffing and puffing but hey time of and extra money she could be happy with , what she wasn’t happy with was a tall blonde aviator standing by the truck . 

“ we’re closed” 

“ says your open “ he nodded to the neon sign. 

“ busy should of called a head.. Or do you have a phone?” she scoffed hand on her hip  , burning hole in his head with the fiery gaze she had on him . 

“ can we talk please ? i got your favorites here” he held up the container. 

“ you could of talked to me before , my brother is in there i will not hesitate to get the bat from his car “ 

“  hear him out … heres your stuff and thanks for screwing up so i can get a date with nat “ mikey called placing her stuff at the door before heading in and locking the door . 

“ traitor “ she mumbled taking her bag and  only see her car keys missing . “ son of a bitch “ she grumbled .  But it wasn’t going to get her down  no come hell or nothing she would walk her ass home . so she did turning out away completely not even sparing the blonde a second look or care if he was following her or not. 

“ come on please let me explain “ jake called. 

“ explain nothing if nat sent you here tell her it’s all good “ she waved over her shoulder not only was  she pissed she was no embarrassed thinking he owned her explanation .  which he did but one of his own violation and not one her friend force him to make .   she heard his booths hitting the asphalt , she could hear the panting  behind her shaking her head she kept walking . 

“ come on please” 

“ you ghost me , i practical ask you to sleep with me i thought you were doing the whole gentlemen thing  but turned out you just didn’t like me which is fine i mean not everyone gonna like me but shit when are guys gonna be honest and be like look i ain’t feeling it   or some shit “ she snapped not caring about the group of guys walking by .  

“ dude you blind “ one commented as she just groaned walking past them all . 

“ hey hey  i did want to ok and i was trying to be a gentlemen , i wanted to take you in backseat of the pickup if i could “ he yelled only instead of the group of guys passing it was a group of elderly women . 

“ pig “ one scoffed as they hurried passed. 

“ i thought you ghosted me ok …i maybe even worse asshole to admit that i was texting the wrong number because the names were similar which i’m going to have to text that person the same thing cause i’m pretty sure she married now” he winced as she finally stopped walking . 

“ you want me believe and if i did it worse that it was a mistake dude it ok we didn’t click i mean i thought we did … oh shit “ she said as he held his phone up showing her the messages her name but the contact was similar . “ is it safe for you to be flying “ she asked .

 “ yes i  made a dumb mistake but my eyesight is fine “ he snorted shaking his head nat previous statement . 

“ so you didn’t ghost me ?” she blinked up slightly  still trying to piece the new information slightly relieved since lets be real being ghosted is never fun . 

“ i didn’t ghost you be a fool to  ,  if  your in a forgiving mood since i cleared it up would you maybe wanna go on another date ?” he stood not the usually confident or cocky way he was used to he was almost shy when asking a definite new feeling that he would ( would not ) out loud . 

“ i guess since you got me a week and half off work i could least do that “ biting her lip , wanting to kick herself at the urge to twirl her hair in her finger like some smitten school girl . 

“Well then lets get going “ he winked wrapping his arm around her only for the same group of guys from before walking by looking barely 16 . 

“ dude kiss her “ one  not so hushed whisper yell  . 

“  man i was gonna ask her out” another whined. 

“ y’all watching this whole time ?” she snorted while jake was looking like the cat that got the cream having her at his side . 

“ tiktok was done … if things don’t work out with old man  heres my number” the guy winked as jake took the piece of paper instead . 

“She wont need it son “ was all jake could say leading her back towards the shop , back where his truck was least if her brother was doing him the solid he could have a small drive thru  date . he was new to it all actually wanting to see the one person actively and exclusive ( not that he told her , he wasn’t bradshaw ) but he was willing to show it in future .  He also learned never to doubt nat and her matching making skills again well how could he went he was going to be wearing the visual proof .

[autumntouched]

Day 25 of Ode to Phoenix

Summary: Part of the Hannix Football Rivalry AU Series in which Jake is a Cowboys fan (lol like Glen) and Natasha is a 49ers fan (like Monica and me)

Jake and Natasha's Wedding, Pt. I - The Ceremony

Pairings: Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Warnings: None for this part, just fluff

A/N: This fic got really long so I'm posting it in three parts. I'm sorry this took awhile, and I'm a little nervous about it but needed to stop rewriting and get on to your ACTUAL requests. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted song suggestions! As you'll see, I may have gotten a little carried away. Please don't judge my song picks too harshly. Okay, hope you enjoy!

I'm sharing the full Hannix Wedding Playlist here, but the key songs are also included when they appear in the fic.

The Wedding | Pt. I - The Ceremony

Natasha wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to feel on her wedding day but the eye of a hurricane hadn’t been on her list. 

She sits quietly in a corner of the room off the beautifully decorated outdoor terrace that overlooks the mountains. As soon as Jake shyly told her that he wants to see her face from the moment he lays eyes on her as his bride, she chose a light veil that cascades down her back. Her dark hair is swept into a low side chignon with a few pieces left out to frame her face. For the ceremony, she wears Jake’s great-grandmother’s pearl comb in her hair, pearl drop earrings and their matching necklace.

Although it took some searching, Gabby helped her find the perfect wedding dress. The elegant, yet simple, sleeveless fitted bodice has a low square neck and open back that flows into a slightly flared skirt and train of floating layers of lace. A sash defines her waist. Her dahlia, peony, astilbe, and eucalyptus bouquet rests on a table beside her. Folded and tucked into the ribbon wound around the stems are her handwritten vows, although she’d memorized them weeks ago. Lightly, she drums her soft pink nails on her knees.

While the photographer flits around, the wedding planner and her mother try to herd the bridal and grooms parties together. Payback is doing his frantic best, with Amelia’s help, to keep the flower girls and ring bearer from wrinkling or tearing their clothes while protecting his dress whites from a game of tag.

Everyone else is so worried about today going perfectly but as long as Jake is standing there when she walks outside, Natasha couldn’t care less about the rest. 

“You ready, Captain?” her dad asks, voice brittle with emotion. Gabby was always “Princess” and from the day she told him she wanted to be a pilot, Natasha became “Captain.” He’s wearing a tailored black suit that flatters his stocky yet athletic figure and swarthy complexion. His hair and trimmed beard are more gray and white than they are black now, and his rugged face a little weathered from too much sun. But he still has the youthful energy of her childhood. 

She reaches for his hand. Even now, his grip suffuses her with a sense of safety and steadiness. “I’ve never been more sure of anything I’ve done,” she promises.

He kisses the top of her head. “You’ve always been sure of yourself.”

Natasha smooths her thumb over her engagement ring, now on her right hand. “This feels different though,” she admits hesitantly. “It’s the one thing I’ve ever been scared of doing.” 

That’s not entirely true. There are plenty of things she’s been scared of in her life. She’s a military aviator. But flying, her career–all the other things–they always feel like they are largely within her control, even when things don’t turn out as expected. If she works hard, prepares well, and plans accordingly, the rest falls into place. 

Loving Jake doesn’t come with control. Left up to her, a cocky, smart ass, antagonistic fellow aviator is not who she would have picked to fall for. Even falling in love had been a question mark on her life road map. But they were in too deep before they even realized they’d left the shore a long way back, everyone else well aware of the only three words left to say between them. Those three words, though they’ve been said many times since, still terrify her because they mean there’s another person at the controls of her heart. 

Her father tilts her chin up so she looks him in the eye. His gray eyes are soft yet pained. “Nasha, I promise that you aren’t your mother and me. We didn’t know each other or ourselves half so well as you and Jake do. And I’m proud of you for that.” 

She squeezes his hand as he clears his throat and swipes a tear from his cheek. “Thank you, Dad.” 

Mama comes over to them, practically floating in a midnight blue dress with lace sleeves. “Your gown’s going to get wrinkled sitting down, bumblebee,” she worries. Natasha gets to her feet to keep Mama calm and lets her fuss over the back of the gown. She meets her dad’s gaze and they suppress their smiles. This is how her mother deals with her nerves.  

“I’ve got it, Mama,” Gabby sighs. She’s stunning in her dark green bridesmaid gown with her hair flowing down her back in luscious brown waves, one side swept up with a gold, floral hairpiece. “Luca’s waiting for you.”

Natasha gives Mama a final hug and reluctantly watches her leave. Lise, the wedding planner, motions for the groom and bride’s parties to follow her out too. The room falls still and oddly hushed with only her sister and father left at her sides. 

Gabby picks up the bouquet and smiles at her almost shyly. Natasha’s heard horror stories of family members falling out while planning a wedding, but she’s never felt closer to her sister and isn’t sure she would be here without her. Had it been up to her with all of the planning and decisions that had gone into this day, she’d be marrying Jake in a courthouse with no one but them and a witness. “Jake’s going to lose it when he sees you,” Gabby says reassuringly. 

Natasha’s heart flutters with nerves for the first time. She hasn’t seen Jake since he kissed her goodbye early this morning when she left to get ready. It’s a little unfair. He opted for dress whites for the ceremony so she’s seen him in his wedding attire. But he’s never seen her like this. Silly as it is, because Jake wouldn’t care if he married her wearing jeans and a t-shirt, she hopes he likes the dress she picked. “He’ll kill me if he cries,” she laughs. Only because he’ll owe her money for betting she’ll cry more. He never learns, but she loves him for that too.

“He’s not going to be able to help it, Captain,” her dad warns while her sister looks her over with a wry twist to her mouth. 

“Yeah, he’s going to be a fast widower then because you’re stunning, Nasha,” Gabby adds, her face brightening with anticipation. “C’mon, let’s see if we can hear what’s happening.” She pulls Natasha to the door, and they’re like little kids again with their ears pressed to the wood trying to listen in while their parents talk. 

When the guitar instrumental of “Your Song” starts, Natasha grabs Gabby’s hand knowing that Jake’s entering the ceremony now. She imagines him walking down the aisle, tall and handsome while he struggles to look appropriately solemn instead of grinning from ear to ear. They’d agreed to let the other pick the song that they would walk down the aisle to, and she chose this one for him. Its sentiment is deceptively straightforward but there are profound depths within it, as there are in him and their life together. She also wants Jake to know how proud she is for everyone to know that he is the most important part of her life.  

Her stomach suddenly turns to a mess of butterflies. There’s a knock on the door, and Lise pops her head in. “We’re ready for you, Natasha.” Early on in their planning, Lise kept calling her “the bride,” but for some reason constantly being referred to by her marriage title annoyed Natasha and she’d insisted on her name. But she can no longer escape that today, that is what she is. 

Before panic can seize her, Gabby places the bouquet in her hands and kisses her cheek. “Just keep looking at Jake,” she whispers. Dad offers her his arm while Gabby moves behind her to adjust Natasha’s train and veil.

“Remember,” he tells her with a reassuring smile, placing his hand over the one she rests on his forearm, “today is about your life with Jake. The rest is all ceremony.”

That helps settle her nerves, and she’s further bolstered by the excitement of their friends and family as she walks past them to the end of the procession. Bob beams and waves at her and Rooster leans down to kiss her cheek. Nora pumps up her hands. 

Lise directs her to stand behind Alexis, her nieces Cora and Olivia, and cousin’s son, Charlie, who clutches the petal covered tray with the rings like his little life depends on it. The girls all wear dresses with floating white skirts and an oversized bow at their back. Alexis’s hair is braided in a thick, ribbon threaded crown around her head while Olivia and Cora have half their dark curls pulled back in bows. Charlie wears an adorable black three piece suit with a dark green tie that matches those of the civilian groomsmen. 

“So pretty,” Alexis sighs in awe, looking up at her through wide, round eyes. Today, with her hair up, she favors Nora more than Payback with her high cheekbones and square jaw. 

“You look like a princess,” Olivia agrees, brushing the front of Natasha’s dress with her fingers. Cora nods from where she hides in her older cousin’s side. 

“You all look like princesses too,” Natasha whispers back, making the girls smile. 

Gabby takes her place as Maid of Honor beside Jake’s Best Man, his cousin, Zach. Several years younger than Jake, he’d been the talk of the rehearsal dinner with his height, thick waves of dark hair that swoop to his shoulders, and full lips. He hands Gabby her bouquet and murmurs something that makes her lean into him with a giggle. Ahead in the line, Rooster looks over his shoulder at them.

One by one the pairs disappear through the gauzy curtains that sway with the late afternoon breeze. Then the children with their tray of rings and baskets. Cora insists on holding onto Olivia, so the two older girls help spread her petals. Natasha waits until she hears the first strums of “Every Breath You Take” and takes a deep breath. This is it. 

“The stalker song?” she’d asked when Jake suggested it, barely containing her laughter because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. 

He’d looked slightly sheepish and a little upset because he heard her judgment anyway. “We have only so many times to tell someone we love them, Nat. I just want you to know that no matter what happens to me, and even if you can’t see me, I’ll always be with you.” She’d had nothing to say to that, especially once she heard the instrumental version. 

The curtains part and the guests are asked to stand for the bride. All eyes turn toward her as she walks down the petal scattered aisle on her father’s arm. A breeze lifts and flutters her veil, skirt, and loose tendrils of hair and carries the guests’ gasps and murmurs past her ears. When she shivers, Natasha isn’t sure whether it’s because of the change in temperature or the change to her life waiting only feet ahead of her.

Taking Gabby’s suggestion, Natasha looks for Jake and finds him on the dais at the front. Their gazes lock, and his jaw goes momentarily slack at the sight of her. He clenches his teeth just in time to keep his mouth closed and his face relatively solemn. Although his lips are taut with the emotion that he’s trying to blink out of his eyes, he’s beaming hard enough to wash the whole terrace in his pride. 

She doesn’t bother to try to contain her smile as her heart soars beyond the height of the mountains behind him. Her father is right. Today is about the rest of her life with the man standing before her, looking at her like the universe moves at her command. Although she’s seen him in his uniform plenty of times, Jake’s never looked so dazzling and yet so vulnerable. It requires a significant amount of her restraint to proceed to the tempo of the music rather than run into his arms, so she takes the time to memorize every detail of the way he looks in this moment for forever. 

Her father pauses so Mama, who’s already clutching a wad of soaked tissues, can hold Natasha’s face and kiss each of her cheeks. “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart,” she tells her. 

“I love you, Mama.” Natasha is startled by the tears that rise to hers. Her sister-in-laws blow her kisses and wave her attention toward the front. 

When Natasha turns from her family, Jake has stepped down to meet her. He waits, hands folded in front of him. Up close, she can see that he’s somehow even more handsome than she imagined. Especially with his blond hair a little longer at the top so that it folds into a neat wave, the closest he’s ever worn it to regulation, and his uniform slightly strained across his chest and upper arms.

Dad escorts her the last few steps, and they stop before Jake. “I’m trusting you to take care of her,” her father says with a fervor that surprises her.

Jake nods solemnly through the glistening tracks of tears on his face. “I promise, sir. Every day, every hour, every minute, every second she will be the most important part of my life.” 

Natasha almost starts crying right then and there.

Her father looks down at her. “Are you ready?” She nods, not trusting herself to speak, and he takes the hand on his forearm and places it in Jake’s large, warm, sure one. Kissing her cheek one last time, he leaves them to go forward together.

Suddenly, it’s like the entire world shifts without anyone but them noticing. Her heart races as she stands on the verge of tying her life, her heart, her future to his. As if sensing her trepidation, Jake draws her to him. “Last chance to eject,” he whispers so that only she can hear. The smile around his eyes steadies her.

“Too late,” she promises, although her pulse threatens to drown out the words. “I’m not leaving without you.” He sways forward, gaze dropping to her lips. 

“After, dude,” interrupts Coyote from his spot in the line of groomsmen to their guests’ loud amusement. “You kiss her after you’re married now.” 

They chuckle, the last of her hesitation melting away, and Jake helps her onto the dais. 

—

It’s not until their vows that her nerves return. She’s not sure whether she’s glad Jake is going first to warm up the crowd or worried she’ll have to follow him. 

“Natasha.” He says her name with his usual mix of playfulness, adoration, and hint of cheek. His dimples are on full display, and she braces herself for the ride this could be. “You know it’s never enough that I think you’re the greatest, sweetheart. I expect everyone else to know it too. So it may not come as a surprise that I tried to crowdsource my vows in exchange for guaranteeing everyone a meal at the reception.

Several bursts of knowing laughter and groans among their parties and the guests tell her that isn’t a joke. She shakes her head at him in disbelief as he goes on. “I can’t tell if this hurt or helped our rsvps because I also told them they could only eat if I liked what they said. People took the assignment with varying degrees of seriousness. Some, like your wizzo, were clearly okay with starving for the night.

Natasha glances over at Bob who looks at her like you knew what you were getting into with this one. “There are children present so I can’t repeat exactly what he said in his response, but it was to the effect that he has more respect for you than he does for me. Which, if I’m honest, most of our guests, including too many members of my own family, seem to agree with. But if this were about me, we could have saved a lot of money not feeding everyone and had a much longer honeymoon. If the Navy could spare us for that long.

His eyes softening while everyone laughs at his compulsion to brag about them even in his vows is her only warning that he might have an emotional juggernaut up his uniform sleeve. “But today, and every day from here forward, is officially about you, Nat. And I say ‘officially’ because it’s actually been that way for a long time. From the day our paths first crossed in training, even before I took my head out of my as–behind, excuse me–to hopefully be the man you deserve, I’ve looked up to you for being the incredibly brilliant, competitive, and kind person that you are. I know you don’t put much stock in how beautiful you are on the outside, but what I see most is a reflection of how absolutely stunningly beautiful you are on the inside. Everything you touch, everything you join, everyone you know is better for having you as part of them. If you only knew the stories the people here shared about what you mean to their lives and what you have done for them, you wouldn’t be standing here about to put a ring on my finger. 

She looks to the sky to fight every urge to cry until she realizes that means missing all of the effort Jake has gone through to put his love into words. Natasha surrenders and lets her eyes fall back to his face, willing only that her own doesn’t crumple into a bawling disaster. Tenderly and careful of her makeup, he dabs a handkerchief to the tears along her already soaked cheeks and chin before he continues. “The only reason I am standing here, willing to let you do that, is because I can swear that I will live by the example you set to wake up every single day and learn from my mistakes to do better. I will cheer you on to be the best at anything you do but always be there to make sure you know you are everything and enough as you are. And I promise to remember that as hard as it can be to say “sorry,” it is harder to know you’re hurting because of me. I will do my best to make you smile when you’re too hard on yourself. I will believe in you on those rare occasions you doubt yourself. I will hold you when you’re afraid to cry or be scared. I swear to always be there to take care of you, in sickness and in health, so I don’t waste a moment of this life with you. Natasha, I trust, that like everything else with you in it, our marriage will be better because of you. But I promise, too, to make sure that even on the hardest days, it is always the best part of both our lives.”       

From the sound of sniffles and nose blowing, she’s not the only one who couldn’t keep her eyes dry during his vows. And crap. She has to follow that. Gabby offers her the folded square from her bouquet, but she motions for her to keep it. Natasha flexes each of her fingers then summons every bit of her composure to make her own promises to him. 

“Jake,” she starts with a smirk, imitating the veneer of humility he can slather ironically across any word. A smile of recognition tucks into the corner of his mouth. “I’d saved time on my calendar to write my vows but then one day you made me so angry that I figured it was as good a time as any to start them so I could remind myself why I agreed to go through with this before the next time you decided not to listen to me.” Their guests laugh nervously on his behalf. She flashes him a reassuring grin to let him know that’s as hard of a time as she’s going to give him for allowing a lactose intolerant Alexis to have a milkshake while he was on babysitting duty. “What I found is that on the other side of whatever it is that you did to make me mad is something that I love most about you.

Her insides melt at the quiet surprise that loosens the lines around his eyes and mouth. “Sometimes you’re so confident in your own ability to solve a problem that you don’t listen when someone tells you how. But from that also comes your open sense of adventure and fun, your willingness to try a different way of doing things, and your unwavering belief that there is no problem too big for us if we work through it together. Sometimes you jump into things before you’ve thought them through. But that’s because you know that life can be too short to have all the answers and all the plans figured out. And you are always there to catch me as fast as you are to jump. You may be able to push someone’s buttons, but you know the right buttons to push because you are, contrary to what you might want people to believe, one of the most sensitive, protective, and caring people I’ve ever met. You are my fiercest protector but also the first to let me soar. You never second guess yourself or hesitate when someone needs your protection, and although that has gotten you in trouble from time to time, it’s what allows me to live as fearlessly as you. Because you are also one of the most fearless people I’ve ever known, one of the most brave, and one of the most honorable. And only you would think you have to make any promises or be anything more than you are for me to want today and every day to be your wife, to have the privilege of loving you, caring for you, and building a life with you.

At this point, she knows Jake will win their bet because only a single tear arcs out the corner of his eye. But Natasha couldn’t care less because she can tell from the intensity with which he’s watching her that he’s engraving every phrase into his memory. And if someone were to ask him a year from now, without hesitation or review, he’ll remember what she said today word for word. “You are my d-head because I love you as much for the things about you that make me angry as I do for the things about you that make you the man of my dreams. Because all of it makes you the man of my dreams, even if I didn’t know what I was dreaming of until you were right in front of me. You are never hard to love, Jake, only impossible to resist loving. And I know our dreams for ourselves are big, our goals incredibly lofty, but I promise in this life and any other, if all I get to do is laundry and taxes with you, I will be happy.”  

—

Jake reaches for her hands to watch their ring warming ceremony while “Accidentally in Love” fills the late afternoon air. The tiny pouch of their wedding bands passes from guest to guest, each taking a moment to bless them, give them their well wishes, kiss them, cheer them. Everyone’s love poured into their own for today and the rest of their lives to come. 

The lively tune, an anthem to them finding themselves in love before they even knew they were falling for one another, keeps the rings moving quickly. Jake’s parents clasp the pouch together then lift their hands to their lips to kiss it. When the bands reach Maverick and Penny, he salutes them and she presses them to her heart. Amelia cups them and blows into her palms. Natasha’s aunt makes the sign of the cross with the pouch and presses it to her lips. At last the rings come to her mother, who holds them while the rest of her family stacks their hands over hers then raises them in a loud cheer. Unprompted, all of their guests stand and applaud as the warmed rings are returned to Zach. 

Carefully, he removes the band meant for Natasha and gives it to Jake. Everything goes quiet, still. So still that Natasha realizes she’s stopped breathing. She watches Jake’s face waver in its composure while he slides the delicate, twisted vine, diamond ring onto her finger. “Natasha, I give you this ring as a gift that lasts forever. Know that I am always with you, behind you, by your side, and I’ll ride in this life with you to the end.”

He wets his lips, cheeks and eyes pinched to hold back his tears. With her wedding band in place forever, he moves her engagement ring back to her left hand then caresses her knuckles with his thumb. “I love you, Nat,” he whispers, touching his forehead and nose to hers. In this moment, it’s only them bound in the love neither of them expected to find but won’t let go now they’ve found it. Finally, she exhales. 

It takes all of Natasha’s training to keep her hands steady when Gabby passes her the gold wedding band meant for Jake. Guiding it onto his finger, she promises, “Jake, I give you this ring as a gift that lasts forever. Know that I’m always with you, behind you, by your side, and I’ll ride in this life with you to the end.” 

A swell of elation sends the words deep into her soul, permanently shifting the axis of her heart to align with his. She loves the way his hand looks with the band on his finger, and she’s not sure she’ll ever get tired of looking at it there. Jake touches her cheek, stroking away a tear she doesn’t realize she sheds. 

“By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The pronouncement is barely finished before he leans in to kiss her. The touch of his lips is light and tender at first, one arm wrapping firmly around her shoulders and the other her waist to hold her close. But as their groom and bride’s parties stamp their feet and whistle them on, he sweeps her lips apart with his tongue and kisses her knees out from under her. Natasha folds into him, grabbing onto his shoulders to keep herself afloat in the overwhelming rush of love he couldn’t put into words. 

—

When the civilian members of their parties and their guests have filed out to await them at the terrace entrance, Maverick, Bob, Rooster, Coyote, Payback, Fanboy, and Jake’s groomsmen from the Naval Academy, John and Derek, line up before them. At Maverick’s command they march down the aisle in two rows.

Natasha laces her fingers through Jake’s. “Pull me close, wrap me in your aching arms.” He raises their joined hands to his lips and kisses the newly added symbols of their marriage, then the knuckles on either side. “Ready?” she asks. 

“As long as you don’t let go,” he promises. When he helps her down from the dais, she wonders how it took them so long to realize that they could have all this together. She never wants to let him go.

The white uniformed lines of their friends stop and turn to face one another. They each march two steps back until there’s a passage between them for Jake and Natasha. Maverick calls the command to draw swords. As one, their friends pull their swords from their sheaths and cross them in the air, forming the Arch of Swords. Everyone applauds the fairytale-like salute, and Jake squeezes her hand as they begin their first walk as husband and wife.

When they reach Maverick and Fanboy, they lower their crossed swords, neither of them trying to conceal their grins. “The price of passage is a kiss!” Fanboy chants gleefully. 

Jake cradles her jaw and softly kisses her lips to their friends and family’s cheers. They’re allowed to proceed to Rooster and Payback’s lowered swords. Payback winks as Rooster announces, “The price of passage is a kiss!” 

This time Jake wraps an arm around her and pulls her into him. Natasha rises onto tiptoe, leaning into his chest, and letting her foot drift into the air. The applause grows louder. Rooster and Payback let them proceed to John and Derek. 

They don’t know her as well so their smiles are less suggestive than the Dagger Squad’s. “The price of passage is a kiss,” calls Derek. 

Jake slides a hand beneath her bun and with his thumb tilts her mouth up to his, sweeping his tongue across hers while several of their guests, her brothers among them she’s pretty sure, whistle loudly through their fingers. 

When they get to the last pair of crossed swords, Bob beams at them while Coyote smirks as if he’s seen this coming from the first moment he saw them together. One final time, Bob and Coyote together tell them, “The price of passage is a kiss.” 

Jake dips her, sending a firestorm through her veins with his last deep kiss. Their guests go wild clapping, cheering, and stamping their feet. He has to do all the work of setting her back on her feet, and she still stumbles to get her footing. They pass through the last set of raised swords, Bob and Coyote swatting each of them on the butt as they stumble forward into their new life.

Jake clutches her hand, not letting go.

Part II | Part III

Ode to Phoenix Masterlist

Hannix Football Rivalry Series AU

Tag List: @melodiousoblivionao3

[thedroneranger]

The Drone Ranger's Be Kind Rewind ⏪ sylviebell Edition!

A rec reblog series dedicated to the fics that we love so much, we've re-read them!

Omg, I am so excited for this list because it's BURSTING with Natasha content! Ahh! @sylviebell, I could kiss you! Thanks for coming into my dms and wanting to publish a Rewind.

While we continue to churn out amazing new content, let's be kind and rewind to look at some of the OG content we love! And don't forget to reblog when you re-read! Continue to show your comfort fics and favorite creators some love. It helps keep the fresh content coming :)

Let's keep this going throughout the summer, so if you're interested in participating in the Be Kind Rewind, message me. The more, the merrier!

If you want to know when a new Rewind drops, join the tag list, and check out previous Rewinds!

fics below the cut (listed in alphabetical order by title)

Bruised Knuckles, Natasha Trace, @lt-natrace Okay I know violence is never the answer, but Nat punching someone in your honor isn’t a bad answer, right? It’s also a super hot one.

Is It Working For You?, Bradley Bradshaw, @roosterforme I have to admit I was late to the Is It Working For You? game, but no list is complete without Roo and Baby Girl. They need no explanation. I could (and will) read about them forever.

Mommy Kink, Natasha Trace, @dreamersparacosm This one is so good. It’s so hot and the smut is so artfully done. It also actually is what gave me the inspiration for my Phoenix exes to lovers fic.

Rise, Natasha Trace, @ofstoriesandstardust Phoenix and Hangman’s sister. What more do I really need to say?

Soft Touch, Natasha Trace, @bobfloydsbabe Nat and Cecily have me in a chokehold. I get butterflies just thinking about them. Their pining is top tier and they are my everything.

Tailspin, Mickey Garcia, @joaquinwhorres I fully believe Anna is one of the best writers on tumblr and if I could experience reading something for the first time again I would want it to be Tailspin. Her scene setting is incredible, her characterization is amazing, and the way she weaves a story together is downright insane. 

Talk to Me, Natasha Trace, @autumntouched Nobody writes Phoenix like Autumn does. She understands her so well and Talk to Me is such an amazing dive into her character post uranium mission. It will forever be one of my favorite stories.

would you like to go with me, honey, take a run down to the beach, Natasha Trace, @tulipsbymybed Sinfully delicious in every way I think is the best way to describe this one. The perfect beach day exists and this is it.

you don't know how to keep your business clean, Jake Seresin + Natasha Trace, @coyotesamachado I didn’t know I needed a Sugar Mommy Nat until I read this and I haven’t been able to stop needing one since.

Creator's Own

stop making the eyes at me (i don't really want you to), Natasha Trace I debated it a bit but I decided to rec my OG Top Gun fic. I’m pretty proud of it for a first story I’ve ever written and I still enjoy exploring Phoenix and Kelsea’s relationship milestones sometimes.

Tag list and friends: @petcr3 @desert-fern@Sagittarius-Lovewitch @mygyn @sweetwhispersofchaos @horseshoegirl @the-annoying-fan @dingochef @moon42flight @thecitysgraveyard @ereardon @roosterforme @cherrycola27 @galaxy-of-stories @taytaylala12 @malindacath @violyn20 @awildewit @potato-girl99981 @shanimallina87 @blue-aconite @djs8891 @linkpk88 @furiousladyking @daggerspare-standingby @princess76179 @jstarr86 @hecate-steps-on-me @darkheartcherry @soulmates8 @roosters-girl @dempy @roosterisdaddy36 @hangmanscoming @s-u-t @mavrellover91 @chicomonks @averyhotchner 

A kind reminder, this is a 18+ blog. While not all stories in the recommendation list are 18+, please respect boundaries and do not interact unless you are 18 years of age or older.

[startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs]

Hannix Recommended Fic Masterlist

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace

Key:

❤���‍🔥 - Smut

☁️ - Fluff

💢 - Angst

🍬 - Sweet

📚 - Multi-Chapter

Talk to Me Masterlist by @autumntouched ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Phoenix isn't sure she made the right call in leaving Maverick and Rooster behind on the mission. Rooster, Bob, and Hangman each try to cheer her up, in their own, very different ways.

Hannix Football Rivalry AU Series by @autumntouched ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 🍬

Natasha is a diehard 49ers fan. Jake is a diehard Cowboys fan. Stories of their in-house rivalry as their relationship evolves and their family grows. Inspired by Monica and Glen's American football teams.

Every Time It Comes Around and Every Time It Comes Around Pt. II by @autumntouched ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

An ode to Phoenix and Jake's relationship. From flight-school, to the suicide mission and beyond.

Friends with Benefits Series by @bradshawsbaby ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

After a drunken night at The Hard Deck, Hangman and Phoenix cross a line they didn't expect.

Team Colors by @autumntouched ❤️‍🔥

When Hangman compliments her lingerie, Phoenix realizes it's his favorite and uses it to seduce him. Part of the Hannix Football Rivalry AU...don't ask me how the Super Bowl ended up in this one. It did.

[topgunimagines]

[24hrfrog]

Sketch page of “Moon, Take Thy Flight” by @boasamishipper 💚 used to watch once upon a time when I was 13(?) with the fam every night a new episode aired so finding a crossover with top gun is *mwah* chef kiss!!

[coyotesamachado]

you don't know how to keep your business clean

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Fem!Reader x Natasha "Phoenix" Trace.

“Do you really have to go, daddy?” your voice drips with want that would usually bring him straight back to you.  

“I do, baby,” he says, his attention turning away from finding his trousers and back to you, exactly where you like it. “I’ve got to get back before she finishes work for the day.” 

It's not like he hasn’t made his excuses with her before, so you pout your lips and look up at him through your eyelashes.  

This is inspired by my absolute love for "Unholy" by Sam Smith and Kim Petras, with a twist. I wanted to find a way to write something for it and this is the result. Like 80% of this was written close to midnight because I couldn't get it out of my head.

Unbeta'd, any and all mistakes are my own but please still love me.

Hope you enjoy xx

WC: 2.2k

Warnings: sugar daddy and mommy, daddy kink, mommy kink, infidelity, dirty pictures, oral sex, masturbation, strap on penetrative sex, lingerie, allusions of a threesome, undisclosed age gap (it's definitely there just haven't said specifically).

Masterlist

You watch him carefully from your bed in the apartment he pays for. The sheets are strewn across the base of the bed, giving every indication of what just happened if someone were to walk in. But no one will, not without you knowing. This is your safe zone; Jake has made sure of it. You kneel, crawling across the bed toward him. 

“Do you really have to go, daddy?” your voice drips with want that would usually bring him straight back to you.  

“I do, baby,” he says, his attention turning away from finding his trousers and back to you, exactly where you like it. “I’ve got to get back before she finishes work for the day.” 

It's not like he hasn’t made his excuses with her before, so you pout your lips and look up at him through your eyelashes.  

He smirks, taking your chin in his hand and running his thumb over your lips, ruining your pout. 

“Not tonight baby, but daddy's got all next weekend free for you.” 

You huff out a sigh and pull yourself up tall on your knees. You pull him close by the open panels of his shirt before you begin to button him up. 

“I have a family thing next weekend,” you say, continuing to dress him, “I did tell you about it.” Your tone doesn’t convey your annoyance at his forgetfulness. Jake has a lot going on in his life, it’s not his job to remember when you’re available to him. It’s your job to remind him, your job to be available. But there are some things you can’t move around for him. 

“Fuck, she’s out of town too. I thought you could have come by the house.” 

It’s a tempting offer, Jake’s house is spectacular, the kind of place you’d expect of a man of his position and the wealth passed down to him by his parents. But you really don’t want to miss this weekend. You’d been looking forward to it for months.  

“Maybe next time?” you keep your tone hopeful, knowing that’s what he wants. He wants to fuck you in all the places he’s not been allowed to. He wants you in all the ways he’s not been allowed to have his wife. You’d give him all of it too. 

Once his pants have been located and his belt is done up, he looks over at you laid out on the bed, still devoid of clothes. 

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he says, kissing you deeply. It makes you think that maybe he would choose you over her, if you pressed him to decide between you. You’re not delusional, he might be with you now, paying for your apartment and your tuition but he put a ring on her finger. He would have given her his last name too if she would take it.  

You don’t want to be her though, you’re just the tiniest bit annoyed that she’s always the reason he’s leaving you. 

“Say hi to Natasha for me,” you sing, waving goodbye with your fingers. He scoffs in return, and you know you’re going to pay deliciously for that the next time you see him. 

- 

You’re standing in the blinding sun on rodeo drive, your dress flits around your thighs in the breeze as you wait for Natasha to finish her phone call. You long to call out to her, but you know he’s on the other end of the line. To occupy your time, you people watch. It isn’t a stretch to wonder who among the crowd are in a similar situation to you. You doubt all the young women who are hanging on to older men’s arms, are truly in love with them. 

You’re just grateful that you have Natasha. 

You don’t see her hang up and walk back to you. You don’t notice her until her hand slips in yours and she brings it up to press her lips to your palm. 

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” she asks. 

“Just wondering how many of them are like me,” you gesture to the swath of people lining the street. 

“None of them come even close to you,” she answers. You wonder if she’s ever said anything like that to him. You don’t dwell for long though because she’s soon tugging you around to face her, a smile so bright you want to melt. 

“Let’s get those thoughts out of your head. I’ve got a few things I want to buy for you.” 

Instead of answering, you kiss her passionately. It’s probably a little much considering you’re in the middle of the sidewalk. But you don’t care. Your red lipstick smudges, staining her mouth, it feels a little like a scarlet letter. 

When you pull apart, she intertwines your fingers and leads you down the street, knowing exactly where she wants to go. 

- 

You should feel guilty, sending him a picture of you in the lingerie that she bought you, but you had to keep his thoughts on you. Her fingers dance over you, performing a ballet on your skin, setting your nerve ending alight. You don’t care that you see your phone light up with his insistent calling and texting when she slips her tongue inside you. You don’t care that you’re leaving him to take care of himself while you bounce on her lap, her strap buried deep inside you. You don’t care that your name falls from his lips as he comes in his hand. Her name falls from yours as she holds you close, whispering sweet nothings about what a good girl you are for her. 

Instead, you let your phone run out of battery as you sink into a bath with her, back pressed up against her chest. 

“Where does Jake think you are?” you ask innocently. 

“Girl’s weekend away. I think he thinks I’m with Cali,” she laughs, and you feel it vibrating through her chest.  

- 

You sit on a dining chair placed in the middle of your living room, heeled feet crossed at the ankles, demurely. Just like Julie Andrews taught you. She did not teach you to do it scantily clad in lingerie, but here you are.  

Your calendar tells you that Jake’s working late, so you’re expecting Natasha to walk through the door any moment. They had both told you that separately, so you panic when you hear Jake’s footsteps through your hallway. 

“Baby! Daddy’s here,” he calls out to you. Your heels click on the hardwood floor as you dive for the sofa, grabbing the silk robe and wrapping it around you. You’re tying the bow when he walks in, and you give him a terse smile when you look up. 

“Jake…” you begin but he interrupts you. 

“I finished work early so I thought I’d come and surprise you. I missed you this weekend,” he walks to you cautiously, knowing that he's in the wrong but trying so hard to make it right. 

“We have rules in place for a reason, you can’t just drop by because you’re bored and finished work early.” You place your hands on your hips and glare at him. 

That’s when he gets a good look at you, and you watch the realization slowly fall across his features. You might have a robe on, but your make up is done and there’s no mistaking the length of your legs in heels. He swallows, knowing what’s normally all his, is currently not. 

“You’ve got someone else coming over.” He says flatly. 

“Jake, now’s not the time. I’ll call you tomorrow, make you breakfast, the omelet the way you like. We can talk then,” you touch his arm gently, speaking softly like he's a little animal you don’t want to frighten. 

“No! This is my house I want to meet him,” he demands. If you weren’t turned on in anticipation of what was to come with Natasha, you’re certainly turned on now. 

“Jake, it’s not...” 

The front door opens again, and you step away from him at the sound. 

“Darling, are you home?” She calls out, and you cringe as you tell her that you’re in the living room. 

Jake’s mouth drops open when Natasha walks in and freezes at the sight in front of her. Jake looks between the two of you. You’re not quite sure how to explain this. 

“What are you doing here?” Jake asks, breaking the silence in the room. 

“I could ask you the same thing Jacob, you’re supposed to be at work,” Natasha counters, her tone accusatory. They glare daggers at one another for a moment, and all you want is the floor to open and swallow you whole. They both turn their attention to you at the same time, and you might as well be completely naked, the way they’re both looking at you. It's intoxicating. 

You bite your lower lip, unsure on what to say or do. This was not a situation you had ever imagined happening. You look between the two of them and every second that ticks by feels like an hour. You see Jake’s pupils are blown wide, clearly turned on by the thoughts running through his mind. You look to Natasha, and you can’t read what’s going on in her mind. This is not something unusual with her, but you feel like you can’t ask her right now.  

You’re used to not having control when you’re with either of them, but with them standing in front of you, you think you’re going to have to take it. Jake is going to be easier to convince, or that’s what you tell yourself. You take slow steps toward Natasha, giving her the opportunity to walk away or tell you no.  

You stop when you’re in front of her, and swallow down your nerves. This is either going to end magnificently for all of you or go down completely in flames. You hope for the first, but you expect the latter. Nothing’s ever really simple in your life.  

You bring a hand up, cupping Natasha’s cheek, your thumb caressing the side of her jaw. She looks at you, a question clearly on the tip of her tongue, but you bring your lips to hers before she has a chance to ask it.  

You give her a moment to pull away before you tangle your other hand in her hair, pulling her flush against you. Your thumb presses at her jaw, tongue swiping over her bottom lip, begging her for permission. When she gives it to you, the kiss turns messy, mouths open, tongues dancing with one another. You almost forget that Jake is there until he moans, and you both pull away. A line of spit still connects you to Natasha as you turn to him. 

He’s palming himself through his trousers and you smirk. You press another kiss to Natasha’s lips, this one decidedly more chaste than the last, before wrapping a hand around her wrist and walking you both closer to her husband. You let go once you're standing in front of him. 

You turn back to look at Natasha once more, she gives you the slightest nod and you smile brightly at her. You swat Jake’s hand away, replacing it with your own. 

“Baby....” he whines, and you chance another look at Natasha to gauge her reaction, she’s closer than before, within your reach. She’s biting her kissed stained lips and you don’t want to look away. But Jake grips the back of your neck bringing your attention back to him. His kiss bruises your lips, like he’s trying to taste her on your tongue. You feel Natasha press up against your back, her hands skimming your silk lined arms. Jake may have paid for this apartment, but Natasha is the one who buys you the prettiest of things, whether it be clothes, shoes, handbags, lingerie, you name it, she’ll buy it. She doesn’t know what’s underneath that’s a part of the surprise, but she knows it’s something she’ll recognize. 

You press back into her, pulling away from Jake completely, your head rolling back to rest on her shoulder a moment. You stare into his eyes, dark with lust, but he’s looking completely at Natasha. You feel like you’re intruding for a moment because it’s like he’s seeing her for the first time. 

You step away, just to the side so you’re no longer in the middle of them. This time you’re the observer as they’re tongues dance, both fighting for dominance in a kiss. You would have already given it up, and maybe that’s why they’ve both needed you. You wonder how long it’s been since they’ve shared a kiss like this, and you feel heat spreading through your body watching them. You’ve not thought of yourself in a voyeuristic manner before, but right now, you can understand why some people like to watch.  

You begin to walk away, your fingers working to untie the knot at the front of your robe. You slip it down your arms and over toss it over your shoulder, back in their direction. It hits Jake’s arm, pulling them apart. You shouldn’t have interrupted them, but you’re a needy little thing. It’s something both of them told you often.  

“You coming?” you call back, glancing over your shoulder at them. You sway your hips purposefully as you saunter toward your bedroom. You don’t have to wait long until you hear their footsteps following along behind you.  

[youngeditor1999]

Squeals with pure delight

Yes!! Thank you, Blaire, I love it!!! I don't mind that it's short; it perfectly fits the moment and their friendship and how well they all know each other. 🥰

I would enjoy a longer piece based on this, I'd you ever feel like writing more.

Thank you again for this and best of luck to you on your other stories!! 💞

A fic in which Mickey, ever the Supernatural fan, ragefully screams, "THEY DID *WHAT* TO DEAN?!" moments after yes, they did indeed, do that to Dean.

Bonus points if Reuben is with him watching and is stunned at what just happened, so he doesn't say anything at all.

Here’s a little blurb for you! sorry it’s short!

Phoenix, Bob, Fanboy and Payback sat on the couch in shock as the first commercial break popped up onto the screen. It was silent in the apartment with the exception of the ad for Bounty telling them it was the quicker picker upper. After a couple more seconds Bob, who’d just spent his last two months binging 15 seasons for this cleared his throat. 

“Did they just?” He whispered, leaning over to Phoenix. The female pilot nodded slowly and Bob looked down. “Right.” 

“They did.. they did.. What to Dean” Rueben looked over at Bob, eyebrow’s high before shifting lower in the seat. He knew Mickey, this wasn’t going to end well. Jumping up out of the couch Mickey immediately started going off. “That was completely ridiculous! There’s …. You’re telling me he’s faced Lucifer, Michael, God him-fucking-self and he dies on on.. A Fucking Nail?! That’s just… no. I refuse to accept that absolutely not! Dean’s too good for that! He’s not.. Why creators why? There’s so many more, better ways to do this! They could have had him get hit by another semi like he did at the end of season one, they could have, they could have had a demon finally get to him! Or maybe even a hell hound! But a FUCKING NAIL?” Mickey shook his head and put his middle finger up to the TV. “Nope fuck you, fuck you! I’ve spent 15 years of my life for my fucking hero to die from a nail? He didn’t even get Tetanus first! He’s survived falling out of buildings! I just…” He collapsed back onto the couch as the show came back on. 

“I swear if Sam lives a full life I’m going to riot.”

[fishfooddude]

Phoenix's Crush

Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x Reader

Your Hangman's girlfriend. Phoenix can't get you out of her head.

Top Gun Maverick MasterList

Directory

“Stop moving Nat. I’m almost done.” Natasha chuckled at your instruction and tried to relax as you straddled her lower abdomen as you finished doing her eye makeup. “Why are we doing this again?” Natasha laughed, unsure of where to put her hands- granted, it’d been like that for over an hour at that point. “Because you said you haven’t done your makeup in like 15 years, and I was bored. You’re humoring me, Nat.”

Natasha felt her stomach twist. You were Hangman’s girlfriend. You and Jake had been long-distance for the past few years due to his deployment schedule but since the success of last year’s uranium mission, The Daggar Squad found themselves a more permanent home in North Island. You moved to San Diego and in with Jake a few weeks ago, and everyone loved you- but Natasha had more… complicated… feelings. 

Natasha had been romantically and sexually interested in women before and had her share of relationships. But you were different in a way that intrigued her. 

You were down-to-earth and funny. You laughed at Natasha’s jokes and took a genuine interest in her. The other Daggar significant others clearly weren’t into what Natasha was, and they hadn’t made an effort to get to know her, at least not beyond writing her off as no threat to their romantic endeavors. 

“The eyebrows got a little 2017 Instagram-y on me, but I think you look absolutely gorgeous—or should I say even more gorgeous than usual?” you smiled as you shifted off Natasha’s hips and onto the couch beside her before reaching over to grab your phone from the coffee table. 

The two of you were taking selfies when your phone rang, flashing Jake’s contact picture across your screen. It was of the two of you from a Navy Ball a few years ago. Jake was in his dress whites while you wore a long emerald green silky dress that complimented your skin tone perfectly. Jake had a hand protectively grasping your hip. Your hands were on his chest while you kissed his cheek lovingly. Natasha swallowed; she wished she’d been in Jake's shoes at that moment. You excused yourself and took Jake’s call in the kitchen.

~

“Take Hayley. Y/N was all fuckin’ over me after-” 

“Shut the fuck up, Bagman. No one wants to hear you objectify your girlfriend.” Natasha spat, interrupting Jake’s explanation of you and his most recent date night. Natasha got up suddenly, making her chair loose balance and fall back.

Coyote’s eyes widened at the outburst, and watched Natasha pick up her lunch tray and storm out of the cafeteria. She pushed past Rooster and Bob. Bob watched her throw her lunch tray out and head toward the rec room. He shot Rooster a confused look before the two men joined Hangman and Coyote at their lunch table. 

“What was that about?” Rooster asked as he set his lunch tray down. He moved to pick up Natasha’s fallen chair before sitting in the one next to it. Hangman shrugged, “I was tellin’ Coyote about this hot tub boat I took Y/N out on, and Phoenix got pissed. The woman needs to get some.” he laughed at the end of his explanation. Rooster and Coyote exchanged a similar look of annoyance before everyone at the table returned to their lunches. 

Bob poked at his food. After flying with her, he knew Phoenix like the back of his hand. She wouldn’t have stormed out like that because Hangman was being a prick—there was something deeper there. He was going to figure it out.

[sweetwhispersofchaos]

Eject Chapter 1

Story Summary: Ejecting from your plane in the face of danger? Expected. Forbidden love amongst pilots? Not so much. Will they bond or will this break them for good? Chapter Summary: Post bird strike. Rooster has a lot on his mind. Especially about a certain female pilot.

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Natasha "Phoenix" Trace All the Daggers, Mav x Penny, Amelia, OC's

Warnings: Language. Assault (not by a major character). Injury. Eventual smut. Alcohol consumption. Smoking. Discussions of mental health. (It's a rollercoaster. You've been warned!) Chapter Word Count: 5299

Eject Masterlist I do not own anything except the original characters.

The dark room seemed suffocating. The longer he sat there, the heavier his chest felt and the harder it became to make his lungs inflate at a necessary rate. He continued to stare at the comms radio, long after the crash. Long after all the other pilots had left the room. They tried to get him to leave as well, but he was stuck.

Frozen.

Waiting for some sort of news. He knew the radio had gone black for a reason, but every fiber of his being was holding out for some sort of crackle. Static. Anything to let him know she was ok. He kept replaying the last few seconds of transmission over and over in his mind. Bob yelling about fire. Phoenix fighting her plane, trying to extinguish the fire and control it. Maverick yelling “eject”. This noise continued to ring into the dark. It was like a horrible case of Déjà vu.  

Rooster met Phoenix in flight school. She was an academy graduate, just like most of the others. Less than a week into school and she had proven herself calm, rational, smart, and above all, razor sharp. She had a smirk that could stop traffic, an understated sense of humor you never saw coming, and instincts that made most of her male counterparts jealous. But not Rooster. He wasn’t jealous. He was impressed. He had never met a woman so in tune with herself, so self-assured. Phoenix was the whole package and then some. He spent the entirety of their time in school and training afterwards in complete awe of her, both as a person and as a pilot. She was firm but friendly, kind but just, and she could hang with the guys without anything being awkward. He would never forget their first day of flight training after the six weeks of classroom work had finished. Phoenix rounded the corner into the hangar in her flight suit and gear and he fell. Rooster was a lost cause for her. But there’s that unwritten, unspoken rule. Pilots don’t date. They don’t become a thing. It’s hard to stare death in the face, day after day, with the person you sleep with every night flying the 32,000-pound death trap next to you.

After two years of training, they were stationed together for a while. Then they attended Top Gun at the same time. He couldn’t get enough of her. They became good friends. Close, but not too close. He liked what they had. It was quiet but confident. He would feel from afar but never cross that line. Then, he was PCS’d. The Navy moved him to Japan and he had to leave her. Their last night before he left, they sat in silence on the deck of her apartment in China Lake, drinking beers and not saying much. He wanted to hold her, tell her what he felt. But, just like his inability to commit behind the stick of his plane, he found himself saying goodbye without telling her anything other than “I’ll be seeing ya”.

This lack of commitment was hanging heavy over his brow when the door opened, and a figure walked in. It certainly wasn’t the person he wanted to see, but if Maverick had news, he’d listen. Begrudgingly. “They’ll keep Phoenix and Bob overnight for observation. They’re gonna be okay.” Maverick says gently. Rooster wanted to jump from his perch on the arm of the couch and shout his praises to the heavens. He wanted to laugh, cry, or hit something. Someone. That was tempting at the moment with Maverick standing so close. But he just hung his head with a sigh of relief and then responded, “That’s good.” He contemplated his next words briefly, knowing it could lead the conversation somewhere he really didn’t want to go. He and Mav shared a history that was painful when it came to this particular subject. “I’ve never lost a wingman before.”

 Mav replied immediately. “You’re lucky. Fly long enough, it’ll happen. There will be others.”

There it was. The thing Mav could say to set him off. This wasn’t about Phoenix and Bob now. This was about his Dad. He knew better than to start down this path, and yet he let himself slip and Mav just waltzed right into it without hesitation. “Easy for you to say. No wife. No kids. Nobody to mourn you when you burn in.” He glanced over at the aging pilot as he spoke and he froze in his tracks. Good old man. Let that sink in. You don’t get to feel flippant about the things you’ve done to me.

“Go home. Just get some sleep.” Maverick started for the door but there was no way in hell Rooster was going to let it go now. No turning back. “Why’d you pull my papers at the Academy? Why did you STAND in my way?” He shouted, too loud, at Mavericks back. Superior officer be damned. He deserved a real answer.

“You weren’t ready.”

“Ready for what? Huh? Ready to fly like you?” He advanced on Maverick in the dark. “No. Ready to forget the book. Trust your instincts. Don’t think, just do. You think up there, you’re dead Believe me.” Maverick spit as he turned to face the seething young man in the dark. His mind raced, and the words fell out of his mouth so coolly “My dad believed in you.” He could tell he hit Maverick where it hurt. “I’m not going to make the same mistake.” They stood, staring at each other. Roosters anger boiling quietly through his eyes to a dismayed Maverick. He hurt his father figure where it counted. And at that moment, he wasn’t the least bit sorry.

Before Maverick could respond, Warlock opened the door and called him away. Rooster was left standing in the dark, the heat of his anger radiating off his body. He turned to look at the lights of the tarmac outside, the lights of home. Those lights always meant he was where he felt the most at home. The closest to the dad he barely remembered. They always comforted him even on his hardest days.

After a few long, calming breaths he snapped out of his angered trance, grabbed his Bronco keys, and almost sprinted for the door. He had to get to the hospital. He had to see her.

******** The drive across base to the small hospital was quiet and he was ushered to her room after a brief wait in the lobby. It was late so not much activity in the hallways and the cracked door to her room let out no light. Shit. He didn’t want to disturb her. But the huge tugging sensation behind his navel was so strong. He needed to see her. Just to make sure she was, in fact, ok. Not just physically. He needed to know that her solid resolve was still intact. Because unbeknownst to her, he relied on her steadiness to keep his own level head. After a few moments of staring at her door, he decided a peek wouldn’t hurt. He placed his hand on the door and gently pushed, peeking his eyes around the door frame. In the dark there was a faint light from the bed. Phoenix looked up over her phone in the dark and smirked that smirk that melted him the first time he saw it. “Hey” came a raspy, struggling voice. “Hey yourself” he said, continuing to stand in the doorway. “Are you just going to stand there holding the door up or come in and talk to me?” she said, coughing and wincing as she sat up more in the bed. He pushed the door open enough to slip in and walked to a chair on the opposite side of her bed, taking a seat as she placed her phone on the little table beside her. “I guess my call sign gained all new meaning today, huh?” she smiled at him. He realized up to that point that all he had been doing was staring at her. Rooster cleared his throat, chuckled, and spoke barely above a whisper “How are you?” She quirked an eyebrow “Well I’ve had better days but I can mark slamming my plane into the side of a mountain off my bucket list.” He felt sick and did not reciprocate her humor. She must have sensed his uneasiness because her eyebrow lowered and he realized from his lower peripheral that her hand had reached out from the bed, beckoning his. Rooster looked down, staring at her hand, and eventually decided this was ok. He reached up his hands and took hers in both of his. She was clammy and his hands felt so warm on hers. She looked down at their hands then up to his face. When their eyes met, she spoke again. “I’m fine. Really.” He lowered his eyes again, watching his thumb trace lines across the back of her hand. He didn’t even register he was doing this for a very long time as they sat in companionable silence. Suddenly the panic set in. Alarms like the dash of his plane began to ring out through his mind. This isn’t ok. He shouldn’t be this close, this intimate, with her. He decided that was enough. Rooster slowly slipped his hands off of hers and stood. Just for a moment he thought her face showed disappointment as she stared at her hand, looking empty without his large warm hands on hers. “Maybe I should be going. Let you rest.” She opened her mouth to say something but stopped. Choosing a single nod of her head in agreement instead. His hands slipped into his jean pockets as he whispered, “Gimme a call if you need anything. You get out tomorrow, right?” Her blank face met his and she nodded again. “Ok well, maybe I’ll stop by your quarters tomorrow, check in on ya?” Her lips curved into a sad sort of smile. “Ok” As he walked across the room her quiet voice rang out “You bring the beer. I’ll bring the cue stick.” He smiled as he remembered the sucker punch he took to the gut at the back end of her pool stick when he first arrived in town for this mission. She didn’t know he was coming and was probably a little irritated he hadn’t called, he reckoned. He looked slightly over his shoulder and whispered back “Deal” then ghosted out of the room. ********

“Ice is dead?” Rooster couldn’t believe the words as they fell in disbelief from his mouth. He had no sooner walked through the main door of the pilot quarters on base when a distraught looking Payback met him in the hallway. He could see most of the pilots and WSO’s for their special mission were sitting around in the common room at the end of the hall, some crying, some staring at the wall in silence. That’s when the fellow pilot dropped this bomb on him. He knew the Admiral had been sick before, but had no idea something like this was coming. His mind wandered to Warlock interrupting his rift with Maverick earlier and now knew why. He almost felt bad about their forceful run in. Almost.

Rooster walked past Payback and instead of joining his cohorts in the  common area at the end of the hall he turned to his right and headed up the stairs to his room. As soon as he was through the threshold of his quarters, he slammed the door shut. His back came to rest on the door and then he slid down until he was sitting on the floor, his elbows on his knees, hands running through his hair. The tears came barreling from their ducts like a missile from his jet and there was fuck all he could do to stop it. Today was a bad day. The pressure of the mission. The near loss of not only Bob but the woman he wanted to be so close to yet couldn’t. His blow up with Maverick. Then the loss of someone he had looked up to since he was young.

Iceman wasn’t particularly close to Bradley. Not like Maverick had been. But he sent birthday gifts and checked in on him with his own wife and kids occasionally. His mom even made a road trip with Bradley when he was in junior high to spend a weekend at the Kazansky home. He remembered this trip fondly because he received his first kiss from the Admirals slightly older daughter.

Iceman called to congratulate him when he commissioned and when he completed flight school. Ice told him many stories of his dad over the years and he would forever be grateful for those stories. Rooster hadn’t spoken to him in a very long time, and now he never could again. His heart felt like it was ripping from his chest. As his sobs subsided he realized that Phoenix probably didn’t know this development. He glanced over at his bedside clock. 10:35PM. Maybe she would still be awake? Rooster picked his phone up from the floor where it landed as he slid down the door and decided to text her. Hey. You awake? He stared at the illuminated screen as the three little dots appeared at the bottom. Well, I am now dickhead.

He choked on his chuckle and contemplated his next message. Have you heard? The dots appeared again quickly followed by one word: Yes. He sighed and raised his head to look at the ceiling, watching the fan make slow circles. What he wouldn’t give to be drawing those slow circles on her hand again right about now. His phone buzzed again, and he looked down to see another message from Phoenix. I’m sorry. I know he was important to you. Yes. Yes, he was. And so was Maverick. And so was his dad. And so was she.

And yet it was all so fucked up. He wanted to say something but decided he couldn’t trust himself in this moment. He kicked his shoes off, pulled his shirt over his head, crawled across the floor to his bed, and his eyes slammed shut as soon as his head hit the pillow. He needed the world to shut up for a little while. And it did.

The next morning came way too soon. A knock at Roosters door jolted him from his deep, dark slumber. He rolled over in his bed and practically fell out, shielding his eyes from the sunlight beaming through his blinds. He felt hungover. No. He felt downright drunk. Grief does strange things to the human body, even worse sometimes than the G’s he pulled in his plane.

There was another knock at the door and he checked the clock on the bedside table. 7:15AM

His flight wasn’t supposed to be until later so who the hell was waking him this fucking early?

When another, more insistent knock came, he hollered “Just a damn minute” and headed to the door, still in nothing but his jeans from the night before. As he swung the door open and let out an exasperated huff, the smirk on the other side of the door brought him up short and sobered him up quick. Through his fog he saw her standing there in her PT shorts and a Naval academy t-shirt, hair pulled back in a loose, low ponytail, and flip flops on her feet. In the daylight he could see a few bruises on her face, neck, and legs and a tiny cut above her left eyebrow. He must have been staring for too long because her eyebrow quired and the smirk turned to a small smile.

“Morning sunshine. You should try answering your phone.” She sauntered past him into the room and stopped to look around. At that moment he wondered what sort of dirty laundry he had lying about but chose to ignore the embarrassing thought.

As he shut the door and turned to face her, he said lazily “Sure, come on in. You DO know what time it is, right?” Then he walked over to where his phone lay on his bed and glanced at the three missed calls from Phoenix and one from Payback.

“It’s 7:15 in the morning, you’re already out?” he asked, not looking up from his bed.

He felt her eyes on him but chose to continue looking absently at his phone. He had suddenly realized there was a tingle between his legs and the familiar waning of a morning woody. He needed to concentrate on anything but her eyes on his shirtless body at that very moment. She replied, still smirking. “Good behavior. So, how are you? I’m sorry about Admiral Kazansky.” He looked up at her with a sorrowful look and muttered “Thanks.” Before looking at the window across from him.

Phoenix moved, rather slowly and with effort, to sit in a small arm chair on the wall opposite Roosters bed. Realization that she must be very sore reached his core and he took two steps across his room to help her. Placing his right arm around her shoulders he reached his left hand across and placed it on her waist to steady her. She stopped and swayed and his grip at her waist tightened. She glanced down at his hand then up at his chocolate eyes.

Rooster was lost momentarily in her face, drowning in her beautiful eyes, and that sinful smirk. Then he realized this was the closest they had ever been physically and he became flustered.

“Uh, sorry. You seemed a little unsteady.”

“Being fired out of your plane and the massive jolt of the harness digging into your body as your chute explodes open then landing on the side of a mountain will do that to you.” She smiled a half hearted smile and began to walk. He held her all the way to the chair and she sat unceremoniously with a little bit of a grunt.

“Sounds like fun.”

“I don’t recommend it.”

Her eyes were on him again. He turned and walked to the small en suite bathroom, realizing his breath must reek. He prepped the toothbrush and placed it in his mouth then walked back to the door way of the bathroom. She had her head resting against the back of the chair, her eyes closed, her breathing slightly labored. She seemed so peaceful. That fiery woman kept at bay by the pain, and most likely pain meds. She must have sensed him watching her, because one eye slowly opened to look back at him.

“Funeral is tomorrow. 3PM at Miramar National. We have to be in blues downstairs at 1:30 to catch a van to the cemetery.” She opened both eyes now and watched him carefully.

Rooster continued to brush his teeth while leaning on the bathroom door frame. He merely nodded his head in recognition then returned to the sink to rinse and spit. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind and he returned to the door. “It’s early morning, you just got out of the hospital, how do you know all of this!?”

She chuckled lightly and gave him a smug look “You never downloaded the Group Me app did you?”

Confusion crossing his face, he picked up his phone off the bed again, unlocked it, and opened the Group Me app. There it was, a notice from Cyclone almost word for word of what Phoenix had just said. He crossed to her perch, turned the phone to face her, and made a smug face at her.

“I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah, I’m proud of me too”. He returned the phone to the bed, turned to face her and asked “So, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I’m hiding. I didn’t want everyone knocking on my door and bothering me today. I’m off flight status until after the funeral tomorrow evening. Taking first hop out next morning. Figured this would be the right place to hide.” She smiled an almost wicked smile and his heart faltered.

He thought over her words for a moment then offered up his bed so she could lie down instead. She agreed and he stood to help her again.

“I can walk the 4 feet to your bed ya know?”

He put his hands up in feigned defense and chortled “Pardon me ma’m”. She shot him a dirty look as she carefully lowered herself onto his bed, bringing her head to rest on his pillow. There it was again, His heart faltered.

Before his mind could get too carried away he turned to the small set of drawers behind him next to the chair and pulled out a dark navy blue tshirt. Once over his head and resting snuggly on his body he moved to the side of the bed and knelt in front of her where she lay on her side.

“You hungry?”

“I could eat. I could use some coffee too.”

“I supposed I could handle that. Eggs, bacon, and some fruit? Coffee black?”

She smiled up at him. This time the smile was less a smirk and seemed more, sweet.

“Look at you being all chivalrous.” She brought her hand up to brush some of his hair off of his forehead. “Yes, that sounds perfect. Thank you.”

He wasn’t sure what came over him, but he reached up meeting his hand to hears, pulled it in, and kissed the back of her hand very lightly. His mustache tickled the back of her hand, and her eyes met him, wide. All of a sudden, he felt like a fish in a very small bowl. Why did he do that? Was she ok with it? It felt right but he didn’t know if it was a kosher thing to do. His heart was pounding, and she was just staring at him. He dropped her hand, stumbled to his feet, and mumbled as him slid his tennis shoes on “I’ll be back, get some rest.” And then he was gone, without looking back to see the warmed expression on Phoenix blushing face.

*******

Rooster was gone way longer than he intended to be. After making the quick jog across the street to their designated dining facility he ran into half the squadron. All of them wanted to stop and offer condolences. He made for the start of the line, grabbing a to-go container, but Payback, Fanboy, and Coyote followed him. They were asking if he had seen Phoenix and Bob yet? Did he see the funeral information? Why was he taking his food to go?

He tried to be as vague, and as quick as possible. The conversation lasted at least 10 minutes, maybe more. Finally, Hangman walked in and Rooster was NOT in the mood for his shit this morning. When Hangman called out to Coyote as he sat at the table with the others, Rooster saw his out. He turned quickly and moved down the line to where hot food waited. He loaded the container with enough food for both Phoenix and him then moved to the coffee stand on the opposite side of the food line. He filled two large cups with coffee then, placing them on top of the to-go box, turned and bid them farewell. He practically sprinted out the door, leaving the rest of the pilots and WSO’s looking after him with confusion and some concern.

When Rooster reached the landing at the top of the dwelling stairs, he realized his hands were full and he couldn’t reach his keys in his back pocket. Then he realized he was being watched. From across the hall Bob had appeared out of his room and was walking towards the pilot.

“Need some help?”

Rooster hesitated. “Ahhh yeah. Do you mind holding this so I can get my keys.”

Bob slowly reached out and took the coffees from the top of the box. Rooster was trying to stay cool, hoping Bob wouldn’t ask why he had two coffee cups. He reached into his pocket with his right hand while his left still held the box of hot food. Then he unlocked the door, opened it with the same hand, and attempted to slip inside without opening the door too wide. He didn’t need her WSO seeing this. What would he think? Would he tell?

Rooster sat the box of food down on a small table he kept his keys on next to his door then reached very carefully with one arm through the barely opened door to get first one cup, then the other, from Bob.

He hadn’t noticed the grin on Bob’s face through all of this hurried interaction. When the last cup was handed off, he looked up to say thanks but Bob beat him to the punch.

“I know she’s in there.”

Rooster was brought up short. He flashed his eyes to the sleeping figure in his bed then back to Bob, stunned but unsure what to say.

“We talk. It’s cool. I’m glad she’s getting some rest.” Then he turned to head back across the hall his room, moving gingerly much like Phoenix had moved earlier in his room.

“Hey man. I’m glad you’re ok. Thanks for the help.”

Bob didn’t turn but merely held a hand up in response before disappearing into his room and closing the door.

FUCK.

Bob has never seemed like the gossiping type but this scared the shit out of Rooster. He was already on edge just by having her here. Now the man across the hall, her back seater, also knew. Did anyone else know? Maybe someone saw her come in this morning? Did she tell anyone else?

The most important question suddenly flashing through his head like a bright set of headlights coming straight for him: Does she care that anyone else knows shes in here?

Realizing he still had a cup of coffee in his hand and the door ajar, he nudged it close with his elbow and turned to place the coffee on a TV tray next to the chair Phoenix had occupied earlier. He moved next to the bed to check on her. She was breathing deeply and steadily. Good. She didn’t hear the interaction at the door. He turned to grab the food box and sit. The next half hour he mindlessly chewed on food and drank his coffee while watching her sleep peacefully. This was nice, he thought.

*******

Rooster was reading over one of the mission handouts he had tossed next to the chair when he heard a rustle from his bed. She had been asleep for just shy of two hours. He glanced up without moving and his eyes were met with her groggy gaze.

“Where’s my food?” She asked through a haze.

“Right here” he said as he nodded his head to the side towards the box on the TV tray, never taking his eyes off of her. “But it might be a little cold now.”

“How long have I been out?” She started to push herself up to a sitting position on the bed, but visibly winced with pain while doing so.

Rooster rose and grabbed the plate of food “Couple of hours. I got your coffee too. But, its probably cold too.”

“I don’t care. I just need sustenance. Gotta have something with my meds. Hey, can you grab them. There’s a little bottle in my duffle.”

She had dropped a small bag on the floor when she first entered his room. He hadn’t thought much about it and now it seemed like he was going to be trespassing into forbidden territory. He moved to the end of the bed where the bag was and bent down to unzip it. Her rolled up flight uniform was crammed in there and on top of it was a small medication bottle. He pulled it out, walked back to the side of the bed and handed it to her.

“Need some water?”

“Sure.” She said as she dug into her eggs and bacon.

He grabbed a bottle of water from a package under the bed and handed it to her. Then he sat back on the floor next to the bed and watched her eat. She finally broke the silence after a few bites of food, swigs of coffee, and tossing back her tiny white pill.

“It’s going to suck tomorrow. I can’t take any more pain meds after today so I can be flight ready. Funeral. Pain. Fun.”

He nodded his head but didn’t say anything. He was too mesmerized by the way she bit tenderly into the side of the plum he had brought her. His mind began to wander, wising his mouth was on the other end of that tender bite. He watched her mouth chew slowly before swallowing, in turn causing him to swallow the lump that had grown in his throat. Who knew a piece of fruit could be so enticing?

She ate her fill then closed the box, taking another swig of her coffee then setting both on the bedside table. She stretched her arms carefully, first to the side, then over her head. She winced when her arms reached their highest level and he sat up to one knee quicky, asking “You ok?”

Arms still over head she turned her head slightly and cocked her eyebrow “Nothing that’ll last long. But thanks for asking.” Then she brought both arms down, her right coming to rest in her lap, the left brushing lightly across his check and coming to rest on his jaw. The tension between them seemed to send electric currants through every fiber of his body, from the spot where her hand rest to the tip of his toes. They sat in this position for what seemed like an eternity, just staring at each other. Her face went from sweet to sad in an instant.

Then her hand was gone.

She was moving to stand on the other side of the bed. He stood too but didn’t move. Just watched her. She walked to the end of the bed and started to bend down to get her bag. About halfway into said squat though, she started to lose her balance. As she her wobbling became more intense, she reached a hand out to the end of the bed to steady herself. Instead, a large, strong hand grabbed hers while another muscular arm reached under her other arm and came to rest around her waist, lifting her back up.

Suddenly they were face to face. Mere inches apart, his arm pulling her close to him. Time simply stopped. Their eyes searched the others and his arm tightened around her waist. They just stood there, holding on and watching the other for a reaction. His mind was screaming at him to stop, this wasn’t right. He may have wanted her bad but there was no way it could work and this wasn’t ok. This was going too far. Before he could find any words to say, her lips came to rest on his cheek, then pulled away. “Thank you, for taking good care of me.”

Rooster said nothing. His mind was too busy gasping for air. He just knew she could hear his heart pounding out of his chest. While still holding his other hand, she stepped back to free herself from the arm around her waist, bent over to get her bag, then stood to face him again. She squeezed his hand, turned around, and slowly exited without a look back or another word.

He just stood there, mouth slack, completely shocked at the morning he just had. He needed to go back to bed. Or take a cold shower. Or both.

Chapter Two ->

[sebsxphia]

Hi I love your work! You write them so well that I wish I could be in the story. Could you write something cute and fluffy for Phoenix? Its really hard to find good fluff for female characters compared to male characters.

lipstick.

natasha ‘phoenix’ trace x reader.

￫ description: natasha fixes up your make-up one evening but you have other ideas.

￫ c/w: kissing, fluff, fluff, fluff.

￫ a/n: i haven’t actually written any full fics for natasha, so i couldn’t say no to this idea dear anon! @lilacfairy-13 thank you so much for being my beautiful muse for this piece. this is part of seb’s soft sunday. find the other fics here! 💌

“Stay still!” Natasha ordered once more with a laugh following after her firm tone. Her thighs were planted firmly over your torso, keeping you pinned down to your mattress underneath. She was leaning down to meet your face with her makeup brush.

Being a pilot meant she had a steady hand as she was trained to keep the aircraft level, however she could not keep a steady hand as you giggled and fidgeted underneath her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll stop it now.” You took a deep breath to compose yourself through your nose and steadied your face, tucking your lips together to hold yourself from bursting into another fit of laughter.

You closed your eyes again and her brush glided over your right eyelid with ease and composure. She leant back and cocked her head once to the left and then once to the right to admire her work. She nodded in agreement with herself and dipped the brush back into the pallet to add another stroke of colour and blend them together.

“Mm, I feel like your canvas right now.”

“That’s because you’re a work of art in my eyes, angel.”

Your eyes fluttered shut again as Natasha leaned back down to add the new colour to the edge of your eyelid. Even though your eyes were closed, you knew Natasha was wearing a love sick smile right now at her romantic one liner.

“You excited for tonight?” Her voice was quiet again as she was close to your face, her eyes trained cautiously on her movement. You could feel her warmth fan over your cheek and they instinctively turned a rosy red underneath her. ‘No need for blush’, you thought.

“Yeah, I am. I’m just still so nervous, what if they don’t like me Tash?”

“I like you.”

“Yeah but, these are your squad friends. You literally perform life or death missions with them, they’re basically family. What if they don’t like me?”

Natasha pulls away from your statement. She can sense the worry in your wavering voice and your eyes opened to catch hers.

You weren’t exactly wrong. The Dagger squad were Natasha’s family now and sure she knew Jake could pull some awful jokes from time to time, but no matter how many times she seemed to reassure you, you were still worried stiff about meeting them for the first time tonight.

She took your hands in hers still wedged over your torso. “What can I do to make it easier, baby?”

Natasha saw the cogs turning in your brain as you genuinely tried to come up with a serious answer, but all that dawned on your face was that signature playful smile that she’d come to love so much about you.

“Kiss me, kiss me better!” You protested dramatically with your head thrashing about in turn.

Natasha barked out a laugh and came down to still your face as not to ruin your make-up but also so she could press her lips to yours.

“Come here, you.”

Her hands let go of yours and she cupped your cheeks instead, letting her lips press feverishly against yours. Your head lifted off the pillow to meet her touch and you let out a soft little moan against her that was immediately swallowed by her searing kiss. She pulled away briefly only to place one, two, three and four kisses repeatedly against your lips.

Like a Doctor that had prescribed their patient love sick medication, she pulled away and picked back up her make up brush.

“Better?” You hummed in agreement and fell back against the soft pillows underneath. A blissful smile was plastered on your face and your eyes fluttered.

“Your eyes are done, lipstick now.” She switched out her make up brush for the lipstick colour that would match perfectly.

She leaned back down to your face and painted your lips. She went to pull away put you leaned up as far as your torso could whilst being trapped underneath her and pressed your lips back against hers.

“I thought we could wear matching lipstick?” You cocked your head to the side admiring the small smudge that was now painted on Natasha’s lips.

She padded her finger on the edge of her lips and looked down at her finger, noticing her lips weren’t fully covered.

“I think I need a touch up.” And she leaned back down to finish off what you started.

taglist:

@tallrock35

@luckyladycreator2

[autumntouched]

Day 27 of Ode to Phoenix

Summary: Part of the Hannix Football Rivalry AU Series in which Jake is a Cowboys fan (lol like Glen) and Natasha is a 49ers fan (like Monica and me)

Jake and Natasha's Wedding, Pt. III - The Reception

Pairings: Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Warnings: Lots of alcohol, lots of kissing, PG-13 at the end (erections and suggestion of morning sex)

A/N: This fic got really long so I'm posting it in three parts. I'm sorry this took awhile, and I'm a little nervous about it but needed to stop rewriting and get on to your ACTUAL requests. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted song suggestions! As you'll see, I may have gotten a little carried away. Also, clearly some of these songs are homages to Top Gun and TGM. Please don't judge my song picks too harshly. Okay, hope you enjoy!

I'm sharing the full Hannix Wedding Playlist here, but the key songs are also included when they appear in the fic.

The Wedding | Pt. III - The Party

They barely have enough time to grab a few bites before their dances with their parents. Natasha and Jake had heatedly debated their dance playlist and when she agreed to “Buy Dirt,” Jake gave her the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” as the dance floor opener. In no time, she’s surrounded by Gabby, Nora, her other bridesmaids Nina and Kayla, and Jake’s cousin, Fallon. 

As the DJ goes through hits from their middle and high school years, Natasha laughs at Amelia and her girlfriend, Soraya’s, appalled expressions at Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” lyrics. Gabby and Nora wave it off and drag them into the dance line. Alexis rushes out to join her mother and picks up the steps in no time, although Payback looks like he agrees with Amelia and Soraya. Once the younger guests are on the floor, the DJ swings back into the oldies and it’s not long before most of the tables are empty. 

Jake and Natasha are sure to get in a few songs with the children before they have to leave for the night. The girls dance around Jake, each wanting their turn to be held for “Best of My Love.” He gives them all a turn, swinging them up and holding their little hands in his. Natasha smiles to herself as she catches several people eyeing him adoringly or lustily. He has eyes for only her, soft and slightly longing, as he watches her sway Charlie on her hip. Exhausted from the excitement, their ring bearer is curled into her arms, fast asleep, before the end of the song. Jake carries him back to his parents while she and the girls dance to “ABC.” 

It wouldn’t be a Dagger Squad party without tequila. She’s not sure where or when Coyote managed to stash a bottle during the ceremony but one appears. 

Jake touches Natasha’s hip as she dances with the cluster of her high school friends. “May I borrow her a minute?” he asks them, which makes half her friends swoon at his Texas manners and the other half give her the most salacious winks. She rolls her eyes and flashes them both middle fingers. Between her dress and undergarments, Jake can’t do much more than grope.    

“She’s all yours now,” shoos one of her bridesmaids, Nina. 

“Where are we going?” she wants to know in between pausing to acknowledge their friends and family. Unless she is on the dance floor, it has taken her more than thirty minutes to go four feet throughout the night. 

“You’ll see,” he tells her with a secretive smile, managing to keep them moving along for the most part until they escape into the lobby. Jake takes her hand and hurries her through an unmarked door into the back of the coat room before they run into anyone else. It’s not cold enough yet for it to have much use so there is plenty of space for the circle of their friends inside. Bob, Fanboy, Coyote, Rooster, Gabby, Payback, and Nora are already holding shots of tequila. The group opens for them when they duck in, and Bob passes a glass to her while Coyote hands another to Jake. Natasha grins and raises her shot with her Navy family. 

“To the Seresin-Traces!” shouts Coyote. 

They cheer loudly as their friends echo the toast and clink their glasses before throwing back the tequila. “Another one!” Jake calls while the alcohol is still igniting its hot, smooth path to her stomach. 

Coyote pours another round, and they all wait in anticipation. Jake looks down at her, hair slightly disheveled from their enthusiastic dancing, eyes aglow with tequila and devotion. “To my stunning wife, the co-pilot of my life who loves me enough not to murder me when I annoy her, Lieutenant Commander Natasha Elena Seresin-Trace.” 

It’s no longer only the tequila warming her insides when she grins at him so widely it feels like her cheeks will split. He looks immensely proud of himself for yet again catching her by surprise. Their friends salute her then down their tequila on her behalf. The second shot leaves her feeling loose and giddy. He drops a kiss on her cheek. 

Fanboy cups his mouth. “Give us a real one! Give us a real kiss!” Everyone joins in chanting “Kiss! Kiss!” Rooster tucks a giggling Gabby under his arm. 

Natasha crooks her finger for Jake to lean down to her but instead of going for his mouth when he does, she brushes his feathery, blond locks back into place. At that, the chant turns to hoots and whistles. They’re almost nose to nose when her eyes fall back to his, and hopefully none of their friends can see that he’s looking at her like he’d rather she was destroying his hair than fixing it at the moment. Their kiss is tequila laced, slippery but heated with alcohol and delayed desire. Jake’s thumb glides along the underside of her breast, and she bows her hips into his.

Coyote, Fanboy, and Nora start singing, “It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes.”

“Whoa, okay!” Gabby protests. “No, please leave her clothes on!”

“So this is where you two got lost.” 

Jake’s lips and hands freeze at the sound of his mother’s voice. The room is suddenly very quiet, all of them stunned like caught children. Natasha peeks around Jake’s shoulder at her mother-in-law, in a beautiful crimson and gold jacquard dress, who stands in the doorway between the closet and waiting room with hands on her hips. 

“Mrs. Seresin, ma’am, I can explain,” Coyote tries valiantly when she holds her french manicured hand out for the tequila. 

“I think that’s plenty for now, Javy.” He relinquishes the bottle. She tucks it into her side then sweeps her blue-gray gaze over all of them. “These two have a long night ahead of ‘em, so let’s not end it too quickly. I can let you have it back when I’m sure they’re not part of any more rounds.”

“Mom,” Jake rolls his eyes. “We’re not six. You can give it back. We’ll behave.”

Sandy looks at Natasha for her confirmation, and she nods along with Jake’s promise. “No more tequila. And we’d better get back out there.” Her eyes meet her husband’s then skitter away before they start laughing. 

Realizing his mother won’t let Coyote have the bottle back until they leave, Jake and Natasha edge past her contritely. They wave to their friends and, finally bursting into laughter, hurry back to the dance floor in time for “Gasolina.” She can’t resist admiring how the back to back shots loosen Jake’s hips even more. He must feel the same about hers because by the end of the song, she’s tucked into the curve of his body with his arm wrapped around her stomach. 

Both of them want their reception to set a record for most fun anyone’s had at a wedding. Jake doesn’t leave Derek alone until he asks Kayla to dance. When Rooster allows Zach exactly one dance with Gabby before he swoops in, Natasha introduces him to one of her cousins who is much closer to his age anyway. Amelia and Soraya also find their way to the younger adult guests, and from the group’s growing exuberance and laughter, she suspects one of the Dagger Squad members passed along the tequila. Jake and Natasha jump into the photo booth as much as they can to be part of people’s memories from the night. 

When Lise hands Natasha the mic for the bouquet toss, the DJ asks everyone to clear the dance floor. Natasha waves Sebastian and Luca up with a chair then looks around for Jake. He frowns in confusion when she asks him to come up, but he struts forward to take the seat she’s pointing to. 

“For the civilians in the audience, this is a Navy tradition,” she announces. Understanding then amusement dawns on her husband’s face. “Jake thinks I talked him out of it because it’s usually sung to a civilian bride and yours truly is also a Navy aviator. Which is partially true. But then I thought, why not let me keep tradition?”

There are whoops and claps from those who know where this is going.

Jake laughs when she’s flanked by Coyote, Maverick, and the rest of the Dagger Squad still in their dress whites to back her up singing, “You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.”

He allows her a few lines of “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” before he tugs her into his lap so that they end up singing to one another along with their friends. Already fairly drunk, she finds it hard to keep track of the lyrics with the heat that radiates off him and the glitter of mischief in his green eyes. Eventually she gives up and lets herself stare at his lips, swollen from all the kissing they’ve already done, while he and the guys sing the rest of the song to her. 

“I should probably get some water after this,” she giggles when he and Bob have to help set her back on her feet. 

Jake puts an arm around her and walks her to the edge of the dance floor. “Let’s get you some before you wind up for that toss, babe.” And almost like magic, a glass is passed into his hand. They share the water, Jake holding a napkin under her chin so she doesn’t wet her dress. 

“Better?” he asks after they’ve had a second glass.

“Better,” she promises, smiling up at him gratefully. He tucks away a stray strand of her hair and gives her a hand up onto the music stage. 

She takes the toss bouquet from Lise as the DJ cues “You Can’t Hurry Love” and calls all the unmarried women to the dance floor. There’s laughter when some of the guys join the crowd, including Fanboy and Derek who’s flirtatiously trying to edge out Kayla. 

Natasha gives them a moment to prepare before she arcs the bouquet behind her. She turns in time to see Gabby remind everyone that she played volleyball as, barefoot, she explodes from the corner of the group into the air to grab the flowers before they reach the other outstretched hands. Only Amelia, perched on Soraya’s shoulders, comes close to catching it. Gabby lands gracefully despite the length of her dress. Their sister-in-laws, Sofia and Alicia, rush her eagerly. Jake and Luca clap a bright red Rooster on the shoulders as Gabby triumphantly holds up her prize. 

As soon as she steps off the stage, Natasha’s college friends swarm her after requesting their freshman year pregame song “Paper Planes.” Nina makes sure she eats at least two of the several rolls that she saved from dinner. Jake leaves to change out of his dress whites for the rest of the night. When Gloria Estafan and the Miami Sound Machine’s “Conga” comes on, her dad and Luca sweep her into the salsa, stretching her very rusty skills. She’s grateful when they’re able to slow down to Santana’s “Oye Como Va.”

Before she can catch her breath, “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk'' comes on and Sandy and Jack tug her into the line dance. Natasha has to remind herself of the steps to keep up with the kicks and turns so it’s not until she looks around for Fallon and Zach, or even Nora, and notices they’re all missing. 

Just as she realizes that a significant portion of the bride and groom’s parties have disappeared, “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” parts the dance floor. At the laughter from the fringes of the crowd, Natasha turns toward the entrance of the hall in time to see Jake swagger in ahead of Bob, Coyote, Fanboy, Rooster, Zach, and Derek. They’re dressed in cowboy hats and boots, no jackets, with their sleeves rolled up to their elbows. Although all of them are hot as hell in their new outfits (they really do have some good looking friends) as they kick ball change toward her across the room, she struggles to look away from her husband’s cocky smirk and low buttoned shirt. Natasha is far from the only one to scream and clap her appreciation. 

There’s more cheering when Fallon, Nora, Gabby, Nina, and Kayla follow them through the doors wearing cowboy boots with knotted crop top blouses and jean shorts. The noise only gets louder when they start raining fake money on “passing out hundred dollar bills” before everyone steps out to swing their hips. 

The women skip up to the guys, all of them pairing off except Jake. Like the others, Fallon box steps around Bob as he sways his hips, hand on hat. Whistles split through the music, and the DJ has to turn up the song for it to be heard over the excited commotion of their audience. Rooster smoothly spins Gabby behind him, through his arms, and around front before swinging her onto his back. Carrying the women piggyback, the guys gallop through the tables, Jake grinning at her hands covering her open mouthed shock. On “save a horse, ride a cowboy,” the women remove the guys’ hats and wave them in the air. 

When Jake reaches her, he hovers over her as he props his cowboy hat on her head before scooping her into his arms. 

“Are you serious?” she laughs as he carries her toward the head table. Everyone claps along to the music and follows behind them. 

“You asked for your cowboy to take you away. Here I am,” he tells her. She can’t deny it nor the alluring flush of exertion spread down his neck and across his exposed chest. Holding onto his hat so she doesn’t lose it, Natasha stretches up to kiss the hinge of his jaw. She’s not sure how Jake manages to capture her lips without slowing his pace, but that’s only another reason she thinks he’s one of the most amazing men she’s ever known. 

Jake’s family considers the garter removal and toss tradition, but Natasha hadn’t been keen for the senior officers to see her with her husband up her skirt. The compromise is removing the garter behind the screen of the head table. With their friends dancing along, she doesn’t have to be the center of attention. 

At the guitar solo, he sets her down in her dinner chair and gets down on his knees in front of her. Biting back an eager grin, Jake dips under the layers of her dress. Unable to resist, he caresses her calf and brushes his lips along her knee and inner thigh on his way up her leg. 

Natasha can’t help the gasp that falls from her lips or the shiver along her spine when his teeth graze her skin as they close around the garter. Grateful that his cowboy hat obscures her face, she leans forward over his head as he expertly slides the garter off. He’s practiced removing it on several occasions before, although thankfully this time he does so without slipping his fingers between her legs. 

On “sang her every Willie Nelson song I could think of and we made love,” Jake pops out of her dress. Cheeks ruddy and eyes dark, he steals another kiss and waves the lacy garment in the air for everyone to see, raising a loud round of cheers. He puts the garter between his teeth and helps her onto his back, dress hiked up, so they can join the line of their friends for the final chorus of “Save a horse, ride a cowboy.” Singing along with her arm wrapped across his chest, Natasha waves his cowboy hat in the air as he spins them. 

She rides Jake’s back to the music stage for the garter toss. While Zach and Gabby help her down without her dress riding up, the DJ clears all but the single men from the dance floor. Returning the favor after the bouquet toss, several women also jump in, this time with Kayla wrapped around Derek. Natasha’s fairly sure they aren’t going to get through the night without making out, if they haven’t already.

The garter toss song, “Gold,” starts up while their friends playfully shove one another out the way in anticipation of the toss. 

Natasha stands aside for Jake to throw away her garter. He grins at her then launches it over his shoulder. This time, it’s Bob who manages to get enough vertical height to snatch it out of the air. There’s a shout, and Fanboy rushes him for a deep kiss that leaves Bob bright red and a little dazed when he waves the lace over his head. 

Looking a little surprised at himself, he accepts the congratulatory back slaps, hair ruffles, and shoulder punches from his competition. To Natasha’s embarrassment, and everyone else’s approving amusement, he slides her garter over his hair as a headband. 

Jake laughs and swings her down, still in his cowboy hat, to the dance floor as it fills again. She beelines for Bob to try to convince him to take her garter off his head, but Fanboy intercepts her arm and slings it over his shoulders. Bob takes her other one and they shimmy back and forth with her between them until she’s laughing too hard to worry about her friend’s headwear. 

Payback seems to be enjoying Nora’s costume change, the two of them grinding to the music. Alexis and the other children have long since been sent back to the hotel, accompanied by a babysitter and one of Natasha’s pregnant cousins. 

Rooster and Gabby dance just as closely, her jean clad hips held firmly in his hands, his hat on her head. Coyote’s plus one, Gina, also seems to be a fan of the cowboy attire with her fingers hooked through his belt loops. While Natasha dances with their friends, Jake pulls two of his younger cousins onto the floor and spins them. 

As she suspected, Derek and Kayla soon sneak out onto the terrace. Amelia and Soraya don’t bother with discretion, making out in a corner of the dance floor until Penny ushers them off. Hopefully, Maverick doesn’t trace the heavily intoxicated young adults back to Coyote. 

With the garter toss behind her, Natasha can change out of her wedding dress. Mama and Gabby accompany her to the suite where she and Jake had dinner to help her. With relief, Natasha finally has a chance to use the bathroom and freshen up before pulling on her wide-leg, one-shoulder white jumpsuit. Like her dress, the outfit has an understated elegance, adorned only with a draped bow over the shoulder strap and front pleats. Some, but not all, of her bridesmaids return in their green gowns.

The jumpsuit is much easier to dance the night away in, and Jake seems to like it as much if not more than her dress. He keeps sliding his hands into the pockets to touch her thighs and tease their crease, enjoying the way it makes her turn her head into his chest with a sharp intake of breath.

It’s her sword they use to cut the cake. As Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E” plays, Jake stands behind her and wraps his hands around hers on the hilt. She can feel his smile against her cheek. “Don’t miss!” he keeps whispering in her ear every time she tries to slice the cake until she’s giggling so hard, Natasha worries she might actually miss. As it is, their cut isn’t as clean as she’d like. He doesn’t smash the cake into her face, something she warned him would have dire consequences so help her it didn’t matter that they were married. Instead, he sweetly takes a forkful and feeds it to her, cupping his hand under her chin so none of it spills down her clothes. 

What he does do, though, is take his bite then immediately kiss her so that she gets a mouthful of cake and frosting mixed with his tongue. Natasha reaches up to cup his neck and leans into her husband’s irresistible immaturity. 

They spend the last songs of the evening saying goodnight and thank you to everyone who won’t be joining them at the after party, which is pretty much anyone older than they are to spare their careers. Maverick and Penny hug them hard and promise to see them at the late lunch the next day. Jake’s Naval Academy sponsor and his wife tell them how much they enjoyed getting to know their family. Warlock and his wife compliment them on a beautiful ceremony and fun night. 

When “I’ve Had The Time of My Life” comes on to close the reception, the guests cluster around them clapping along to their last dance. Always ready to please a crowd, Jake lifts Natasha into the air. Not everyone knows the years she spent doing ballet so there are gasps of awe and excited surprise when she’s able to hold herself up before he lowers her into his arms. They sway with the other couples still on the dance floor until the music fades and the lights dim. 

One final song, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” plays them out the venue and to their waiting limo through an arch of sparklers formed by their guests. They wave from the open window until the line of light disappears behind them. Buses will take the younger guests to a bar closer to their hotel for the after party.  

As soon as he can, Jake pulls Natasha into his arms, his lips crashing into hers as his hands roam over all the places he’s wanted to touch but could only look at throughout the night. A strangled noise escapes his throat when he realizes that her jumpsuit can’t accommodate a bra, and he takes full advantage. It’s a good thing they’re done with professional pictures for the night because her hair is a wreckage of its bun by the time they’re delivered to their destination. Before they get out, Jake has to help her pick the bobby pins out of her curls so she can untangle and let them down. 

They’re fully able to let loose at the after party, the bottle of tequila, now almost empty, making a second uninterrupted appearance for the Dagger Squad. There’s another dance floor, this one far more risque than the one they left behind. Payback is finally drunk enough to follow whatever Nora does. Amelia and Soraya clear half of the floor with their dance to Janelle Monae’s “Make Me Feel,” a wild blend of rehearsed choreography and drunk inspiration.

Natasha’s not sure how long Jake has her pressed up against the bathroom door, her arms stretched above her head with his tongue down her throat and hand down her jumpsuit, but by the time they get back to the party Coyote, Rooster, and Fanboy are doing their best Magic Mike impressions for Gina, Gabby, and Bob (who is still wearing her garter as a headband.) Natasha sips water and watches from Jake’s lap, his face buried in her shoulder and his breath hot on her skin while he calms his hard-on from their bathroom escapade interrupted by people too drunk to hold their bladder. 

It’s the early hours of the morning when she curls into his side on their ride back to the hotel. They’re both drifting off when the driver opens the door for them. She packed lingerie in his favorite color for their wedding night, but she’s too tired to do more than scrub off her makeup and brush her teeth. He unzips her jumpsuit for her and carries her to bed naked. Jake’s shoulder is the only pillow Natasha remembers before she wakes up sprawled across her husband, the hand with her rings entwined with his and the ridge of his wedding band cool and solid on her back while his heart beat echoes in her ear.

She looks up to find him watching her, lying as still as possible so he didn’t disturb her sleep. He disentangles their hands to brush the nest of her hair out her eyes. “Good morning, Lieutenant Commander Seresin-Trace,” he murmurs, eyes glowing at her new name. 

Dazed with sleep and happiness, she rests her chin on his pecs. “Mmm, good morning, Commander Seresin-Trace.” She presses a kiss to his heated skin. “I wish we could do it all over again,” she mumbles. 

Jake pulls her up his chest. “That was the best day and night of my life, Nat, but I don’t think I’m going to mind the honeymoon.” 

Somewhat nonsensically, she realizes, “But I’m not wearing honeymoon clothes.” She’s not wearing any clothes, for that matter. And from his slick hardness against her leg, neither is he. 

He rolls her beneath him, and Natasha thinks with drowsy contentment as she stares up at the soft glow on his handsome face and disheveled blonde hair that she never wants to leave this cocoon of his heat and love. “Even better,” he says, his wedding band catching the light as he cradles her cheek to kiss her still slightly swollen lips.

Part I | Part II

Ode to Phoenix Masterlist

Hannix Football Rivalry Series AU

Tag List: @melodiousoblivionao3

[sweetwhispersofchaos]

Eject Chapter 9

Story Summary: Ejecting from your plane in the face of danger? Expected. Forbidden love amongst pilots? Not so much. Will they bond or will this break them for good?

Chapter Summary: Road trip, a walk in the woods, and nap time

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Natasha "Phoenix" Trace All the Daggers, Mav x Penny, Amelia, OC's

Warnings: Language. Assault (not by a major character). Injury. Eventual smut. Alcohol consumption. Smoking. Discussions of mental health. (It's a rollercoaster. You've been warned!) Chapter

Word Count: 6124

Eject Masterlist

I do not own anything except the original characters.

See the Tahoe House HERE!

The return to base the next day was uneventful, smooth flights, no time delays. Rooster was a little annoyed that Phoenix seemed to be, to some extent, ignoring him. He chalked it up to keeping things professional and hoped deep down that’s all it was. They spent the next couple of days packing up their rooms and going through Pentagon-lead debriefings before it was time to head out on their Tahoe adventure.

Before the sun came up Thursday morning, the travelers met in the parking lot in front of their housing unit, coffees in hand and eyes not quite open all the way. Except Hangman. He was too eager for his own good and Rooster just knew Phoenix was going to kill him before they ever got on the road.

“Ok friends, it’s time to mount up and head off on the vacation of a lifetime!” Hangman said in the most annoyingly chipper voice.

“It’s Tahoe, not the Vatican. What happened to no pussy-footin around? Let’s just go please?” Phoenix spit with bleary eyes while leaning on the side of Bobs 1997 black Mustang GT Convertible. Several tired chuckles rang out around the circle.

“I’m workin on it ma’m, calm down.”

Phoenix raised her coffee to her lips, letting her middle finger lift slightly off the cup.

“Let’s drive until say, nine? Then we can stop, stretch legs, and change drivers if yall want?”

Everyone nodded and started loading gear in the back of Fritz’s truck and Roosters Bronco. As Phoenix dropped her duffle and a backpack in Roosters back seat, he moved next to her and quietly asked “Got a thing against my car?”

She snorted then looked up at him with a tired expression “As a matter of fact I do. I don’t trust it. And Bobs is cooler. And has good, working heat. Oh, and your taste in music is sometimes questionable. Don’t take it personal, Bob and I need the drive time to plan the Thanksgiving meal for Saturday.”

He nodded his head in agreement and she squeezed his forearm before walking away to Bob’s car. Damn Bob. It was a cool car.

Fanboy gave Rooster a small smile as he climbed into the Bronco, Rooster turning one more time to look towards the Mustang, but Phoenix was busy adjusting her blanket and neck pillow in the front seat.

“Bird Brain! Get your ass in that disaster and let’s go!” Hangman called from the passenger window of the truck.

“Man fuck you; I’m going.” And with that he slid in, and the Bronco engine roared and thumped to life. They were off on what Rooster had a feeling would actually be the trip of a lifetime. His anyways.

*****

Almost four hours later the group came to a stop at a corner gas station and deli. The drivers all gassed up as needed while others made bathroom and snack runs.

“My turn Fritz.”

“The hell it is Hangman. There is no way you are driving my truck.”

“I’ll drive if you want Fritz?” Omaha tossed out.

“Sure man, here.” And with that Fritz tossed his keys over the bed of his truck to Omaha who took off at a sprint around to the driver’s side.

Fritz merely smiled at the offended look on Hangman’s face. “What the fuck man? You don’t trust me?”

“With my truck? Not at all.” And Fritz walked off toward the gas station entrance.

Phoenix and Bob laughed as they loaded their snack purchases into the Mustang and Rooster just shook his head while adding gas to the Bronco.

“Bob, mind if I drive?” Phoenix asked as she came to rest against the hood of his car.

“Not at all Phee. Keys are in the car.”

“Oh would you two get a room?” Hangman spit obviously still pissed.

Rooster decided to see if Fanboy wanted a turn, but Fanboy didn’t know how to drive a stick. Coyote offered to drive for Rooster so he switched with Fanboy and off they went again.

Rooster attempted sleep for a couple hours, using his headphones to tune out Coyotes obnoxious music and bitching about the Broncos bad alignment, but he never could quite give it up. A certain fiery woman was weighing on his mind. He knew the talk was coming. The one where they hashed out exactly what they were or weren’t as far as their relationship. All he could hope for was to use this trip to win her over. Show her that she was too important to him. But he had to be careful. She seemed fine, but he knew that beautiful brain of hers never slowed down or completely relaxed.

He decided to send her a text. She was driving so she wouldn’t see it until their next stop, but maybe just a little note to let her know he was thinking about her.

Bradley thought for a moment then typed out his message.

Careful Dale, this isn’t the Indy 500. You drive that thing like it’s your plane. But it’s entertaining to watch from back here. *wink emoji*

He smirked at the message and hit send. She would probably get a kick out of that. He skipped to the next song and decided to try sleep again. This time, it stuck.

*****

The group only planned to stop two more times, but Hangman couldn’t wait the last hour to pee. Again. So after three stops and several driver changes, they arrived at the Serasin family house, and the description Jake gave them barely scratched the surface of how stylish the place was.

It was after dark, and the temps were dropping quickly below freezing, so the group wasted no time emptying their belongings into the large living room. Hangman took them on a tour of the place, chattering about memories he had for every room. Some memories were funny, some completely inappropriate and unnecessary. Apparently, he had christened every room in the place, at least in his mind.

Hangman’s room was upstairs off of the game room. Not that anyone needed to be told. The posters of scantily clad women, fighter jets, and fast cars completely gave it away.

“My mom keeps this one locked” he explained, using a key to open it, “she doesn’t want anyone messing up her baby boys’ room.” Which was met with a chorus of groans and curses.

“Coyote, you take the room next door. Phoenix, the master is just down the hall. There’s one room with two beds in it next to the master then two rooms downstairs near the pool. Yall figure out who’s going where.” Hangman pointed like an air traffic controller while giving directions then disappeared downstairs.

Omaha cleared his throat and spoke up first. “I think Fritz and I already agreed we wanted to be by the pool. Right?” he asked looking in Fritz direction.

“Yup that works for me. I love to swim.”

Several questioning looks passed around the room then Bob spoke up.

“Fanboy, want to take the other room downstairs? Closer to the hot tub I figure?” Bob said, feigning innocence with the suggestive comment.

Fanboy seemed to consider this for a moment then grinned. “That works for me. I plan to test that “no sex” rule this week. There has to be a few slope bunnies running around here.” And he winked. Bob just swallowed then looked over at Rooster. “I guess that means the room up here is yours.”

Rooster’s eyes cut over to Phoenix as if asking her permission to sleep one room away, even though they had been doing that in barracks and on ships for years. When she didn’t protest, he said, “Yeah that works for me” and they all dispersed to check out their accommodations and bring their bags to their rooms.

Phoenix disappeared down the hall as the guys all filed down the stairs. Rooster watched her go then heard a quiet “You’re welcome” next to him as Bob walked past to the stairs without looking Roosters direction at all.

He was gob smacked. That quiet, dorky guy was playing matchmaker without anyone knowing. Bob was definitely a good guy and he owed him so big.

Once downstairs Rooster grabbed his duffle as well as the two bags Phoenix brought along and headed back upstairs. He dropped his ruck at the door to his room then moved over to the master bedroom, tapping the slightly ajar door.

“Anyone home?” he asked into the room.

“Come in” she called.

Bradley entered the dark, freezing room and dropped her backpack and duffle near the bed. Looking around for her he realized there was a faint light coming from the bathroom.

“Uhm sorry” He called out “I didn’t mean to intrude; I brought your bags.”

She emerged from the bathroom with a laugh and flipped the switch on the closest lamp to her, warm light filling the dark. “Calm down bubba, I was just hanging my coat up and taking my boots off. Thanks for bringing my bags up, you didn’t have to do that?”

“They say chivalry is dead but I’m out to prove them wrong.”

She shook her head with that lovable smirk. “By the way, I was definitely feeling a little bit like a NASCAR driver today, so thanks for noticing. That is a fun car to drive!” She moved to her bags and started to remove things and place them in drawers.

He just let out a laughing breath and decided to give her some space to unpack. “Need anything else?”

“Nope, I think I’m good. I’m going to go find Bob so we can place a grocery pickup for in the morning. I think Omaha and Fritz brought enough water and snacks to hold us until then.”

“Sounds good. I’m just right next door if you need me.” He said, pointing in the direction of his room with his thumb as he started to make his way to the door but before he could leave, a hand reached out and grabbed his forearm.

“I’m glad you’re next door.” She said, looking somewhat shy. A look he had never really seen on her before. The slight blush of her cheeks warmed him. He just grinned and nodded his head. “Me too” and with that he walked out of her room and across to his. Once his bag was inside, he realized that his heart was pounding, and he still had the stupid grin on his face.

Oh yes, this was going to be a wonderful week indeed.

*****

The drive had been a long one so most turned in early after they arrived. The next morning Rooster woke to the sound of loud music and laughter coming from downstairs. He rolled over to check his phone on the bedside table. 8:47am

Really? He thought as he rolled back over and slammed his face into his pillow. It’s too early for that shit. He grumbled then decided he was wasting precious time and moved to sit up. As he rolled his neck and rubbed sleep from his eyes, a light tap came at his door. Frowning he croaked out “come in”.

The door opened slowly, and the woman of his dreams slipped in, closing the door behind her. Nat’s back came to rest on the wall next to the door and he was able to get an eyeful of her attire. Nat was dressed in a small pair of black shorts that barely covered the necessities and a matching black top with very thin straps. Roosters heart stopped and he prayed in that moment that his breath didn’t reek, and the covers hid his lap.

She smiled a small tight-lipped grin, speaking through her visible grogginess. “I’d tell you good morning, but I’m not sure all the ruckus downstairs makes it good.”

He snorted and nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Did it wake you too?”

“Unfortunately” she said as she moved over to the empty bed by the door. She crawled on all fours until she was in the middle then laid on her stomach facing him, her chin coming to rest on her folded arms in front of her. Watching her crawl across that bed scantily clad made his breath hitch and beads of sweat begin to pool in his hair line.

“I’m hiding out. Hangman said last night that the “lady of the house” should cook breakfast. Asshole. The smell of bacon tells me the grocery order arrived, so I figured I’d hide in here for a while until the idiots downstairs got things ready. Just in case one of ‘em comes looking for me.”

“I swear, the thought of physical violence from you really fuels that man. He has a serious death wish.” Rooster said with a chuckle.

“He may get his wish before this week is up. The kicker is, I really don’t know if he’s just playing sometime or if he really is the sexist pig he comes across as.” She says dryly.

“Probably both. I know he trusts you as a pilot, I’ve heard him say as much, though he would never admit it to your face.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Bradley continued “I also think he didn’t grow up around women who were pioneers in a male dominated field either.” With this she giggled and rolled over to her back and folded her arms over her face.

“It’s always weird to hear things like that said about me, ya know? “Pioneer of her field” I mean. I know I’m good at what I do but it still seems pretty unreal sometimes.”

“I’m sure it does. But it’s the truth.”

“Hmm” was her only response.

He contemplated what to say next. He really wanted to bug her about her decision, but it might be too early in the morning. This might also be the only time they would have alone the rest of the week. He really hoped it wouldn’t be, but he decided to strike while the opportunity was there.

“So, uh. I don’t want to hit you with this first thing in the morning, but um, I think we need to talk. About us. Uh, about your decision.”

He let out a huffed breath at the end of his statement, trying not to feel or come across nervous but he knew he was failing miserably at that. He was more nervous than ever before because she wasn’t moving. He wasn’t sure she was breathing either. He was sitting cross legged under his covers and just looked down at his lap, picking at lint on the top of the comforter, hoping she didn’t run out of the room.

Instead, she did something he wasn’t expecting. She rolled over and crawled out of the spare bed and came to a rest on Roosters bed, sitting cross legged in front of him. She placed a hand on top of the covers of his knee. He looked up to see her dark eyes, an obvious war happening within them. She looked nervous too, a look he rarely saw on her face.

“I know you want an answer” she began quietly “and you deserve one. I’m not being entirely fair to you, and I’m sorry for that.” He just stared in disbelief. He did not expect that to roll out of her mouth. “I think we should just see how this week goes and maybe we can talk at the end of it. Make some decisions then, yeah? I don’t want us to say or do anything the first morning that would impact the others mood for the rest of the week. Let’s just have a good time?”

Rooster stared into her eyes as she spoke, listening intently to her words. It wasn’t a no, but it wasn’t a yes either. But she wanted to have a good time with him this week. That seemed promising enough under the circumstances. He cleared his throat and placed his hand on top of her hand that was resting on his knee.

“I can live with that.” He said with a slight grin, her face relaxing into his favorite smirk.

Her warring eyes seemed to melt into something a little more dangerous and before he knew it, she had launched herself forward, her hands pushing on his chest, knocking him backwards into the pillow, her tiny frame coming to rest on top of his. Her hands stopped her fall, one on each side of his head, and his hands came to rest naturally on her hips.

Bradley looked up at her in complete shock, at a total loss for words, his heart racing. Natasha bent down as if doing a pushup and kissed him lightly on the lips then rose again to look at him with her trademark smirk. Roosters’ eyes fluttered open, and he realized he was gripping her small but firm hips harder than he probably should have been. He was fighting against every urge in his body, telling him in that moment to pull her hips down to meet his and kiss her senseless. They stayed that way, staring at each other, both panting lightly. Then she smiled a full smile.

“Do you smell bacon? I smell bacon.” She said with a raised eyebrow. And with that she rolled off of him and flitted quickly out of the room without a look backwards.

All Rooster could do was watch her leave then reach under the covers, his mind racing with all sorts of inappropriate yet delicious thoughts.

*****

After a long, almost frigid shower, Rooster threw on a pair of gym shorts and a black t-shirt and decided to face the music. Literally. The breakfast party was still hopping downstairs when he made his way down the staircase. The happy sight that greeted him made him grin. It was easy in this relaxed setting to forget just how precious life is and how any one of them could have been lost just a week ago.

Bob and Fanboy were moving around the kitchen, working on food and dishes. Hangman, Coyote, and Omaha sat in the tall chairs at the kitchen counter, empty plates in front of them as they talked amongst themselves enthusiastically. Fritz was curled up in the lounge chair, his back to Rooster. Then his eyes fell on her. Nat was wearing her favorite pair of gray sweatpants with NAVY written down the side of them in blue and a blue tank top. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and she was nested in the crook of the large sectional, a warm mug of coffee in her hands. She looked up at him and smiled innocently. As if nothing had happened. He stood there smirking at her when a loud, obnoxious voice rang out.

“It’s about damn time you drag your lazy ass out of bed Slow Ride.” Hangman was smiling wide, and Coyote gave him a quick high five. Everyone turned to look at him.

“Fuck you man, some of us actually drove yesterday, so who’s the lazy one.” And he popped Hangman on the back of the head as he walked past him around into the kitchen, grabbing a plate off the counter as he did.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t be mad if we didn’t leave you any food though.”

Bob spoke dryly from the other end of the kitchen where he was putting away clean dishes, his back to everyone. “There’s plenty. Look on the stove top Rooster, help yourself.”

“Thanks friend.” He said, looking at Hangman as he accentuated the word friend.

He loaded up a plate full of bacon, potatoes, and eggs then moved around to the tall chairs, taking the one on the end, purposely keeping two chairs between him and Hangman.

“Well birdie, did you find your accommodations suitable?”

Rooster snorted as he shoveled food into his mouth. He didn’t realize just how hungry he was, for actual food that is. Without looking up from his plate he let out a grunt but kept eating.

“A true man of many words.” The smartass replied then turned to look at Phoenix. “So friends, what do yall want to do today?”

Phoenix spoke first “At some point today we have to do some prep work on the food for our feast tomorrow.”

Hangman shook his head “Ok buzzkill. What fun things do yall want to do today?” Phoenix just rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee.

Fanboy spoke up next “I want to go to the ski lodge you mentioned. Maybe I can snag a date for our dinner tomorrow.”

“Now we’re talking.” Hangman replied. Omaha and Coyote agreed they wanted to go as well. Bob decided he wanted to stay and swim some before helping Phoenix prep the meal. Fritz and Rooster agreed to stay and help.

“I think I’m going to bundle up here in a little bit and take a walk down the trail to the lake. I want to see it.” Phoenix spoke up.

“That sounds like a great idea.” Bob agreed.

Plans were made, dishes were washed, and everyone dispersed to get ready for their day’s events. Once the ski lodge group left, the other half convened downstairs, donned in winter clothing, ready to take their walk. Fritz decided he wanted to stay behind and watch a movie in the theater room, so Bob, Phoenix, and Rooster set off to the lake.

The sun was out but the temperature was barely above freezing as the three friends made their way down a wooded trail, covered with the light dusting of snow from the day before. Natasha and Bob walked ahead of Rooster, chatting about their surroundings and the things that needed to be prepped today for tomorrow’s meal. Rooster wandered behind them, half listening, half watching his step, and occasionally catching glimpses of Nat’s smile when she was turned to face him or Bob. She seemed so happy and free, the intensity she normally carried with her melting away like snow in the sun.

After a half hour, they reached a clearing in the trees and a ledge overlooking the lake. The view was breathtaking. Clear water ringed by white and trees as far as they could see.

Rooster came to stand at the ledge with Phoenix between Bob and him. They all stood staring at the sight before them.

“Wow.” Bob said barely above a whisper.

“Agreed” Rooster said and Nat just nodded her head.

“You know, we see this stuff from the sky but it’s so different down here, completely immersed in this level of beauty. Its otherworldly.” Bob said, looking over at the two pilots. Both of them turned their heads and stared at him. Obviously uncomfortable with the sudden microscope he was under Bob spoke again. “What? I’m a hopeless romantic.”

“Huh. Learn something new every day.” Rooster said and Phoenix giggled.

“Yeah, well. I’m going to walk down to that clearing over there” Bob pointed to his right where the trail continued to another clearing a little further down the rock ledge. “Hangman said there are some natural tree benches there. I want to Facetime my sister, show my nieces the view.” And with a nod of his head, the bespeckled man turned and headed down the trail until he moved out of sight.

Rooster looked down at Natasha as she turned to look up at him.

“You know he did the whole room thing on purpose, right?” Rooster asked her suspiciously, wondering if she in fact knew this to be true.

“I figured. He really is a stealthy one. You know he caught on to us immediately that first night in the Hard Deck? He knew we had some sort of history and in his own, quiet way worked out enough to know that one way or the other, you and I work well together.” She said.

Rooster grinned, reaching out with his right hand to take her left. “We do work well together huh?” He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

“We do. No matter what, at least from a professional perspective, we will always make a badass team.”

“Hell yeah” he responded and brought the back of her gloved hand up to his lips as she smirked.

“So much for professionalism” she chastised in a playful manner. He laughed then leaned in to kiss her lightly on her lips.

“Now that was unprofessional” he said with a smirk as she just shook her head.

They decided to rejoin Bob. They found him walking around the clearing showing two giggling little girls the snow and trees and answering their rapid-fire questions about his most recent trip to sea. He of course was giving as little information as possible, but his face lit up when he looked up to see the two pilots.

“Ashley, Avery, there’s someone I want yall to meet.” He said, waving Phoenix over to where he was standing in the middle of the clearing. She walked over and came to stand next to him, smiling into the screen as he turned it to face her.

“Girls, this is Phoenix. She is my pilot!” he said animatedly, and Rooster could see both girls look of shock and awe as he moved up behind Bob and Phoenix.

“No way” the older child said “she’s a girl” she said questioningly, seeming a little confused but excited.

Bob and Phoenix both chuckled. “That I am. I’m so glad to meet both of you. Your Uncle Bobby talks about you both all the time. Maybe sometime the two of you can come with your mom and dad down to Lemoore and I can give you a look at my plane.” Phoenix said with matching enthusiasm to the sweet, shining eyes in front of her.

Both girls started squealing excitedly with chants of “Really?” and “Can we? Can we?”

Bob replied “Of course! I would love that for yall.”

The girls giggled as an adult woman came into view. “Ok you two, quit hogging your uncle, I want to talk to him too. Go play.” She said as she took the phone from the girls.

The older child spoke one more time. “I can’t wait to see you Uncle Bobby. I miss you. Phoenix, you are so cool!” and then she passed off the phone to her smiling mom.

Bob went on to introduce Phoenix to his sister Rachel and the two spoke with her for about 10 minutes. Rooster made his way to one of the fallen tree trunks and took a seat. He watched his Fire Bird with awe. Bobs sister asked her questions about being a female pilot, what it was like working with her brother, working with all the testosterone, her accomplishments. Towards the end of the conversation she called her daughters back to the phone and allowed them to ask Phoenix a few questions as well. The children were completely in love with the strong woman, just as he was.

Bob held the phone looking all the proud uncle as he watched his pilot chat happily with his family. Rooster suddenly knew why Nat was so hesitant with him. All of her words on the carrier slammed into him like a jet going Mach 10. She had this responsibility that rested on her shoulder. Young girls like Bobs nieces look at her and see a future that Natasha and other women had to fight to make a possibility. Something that seemed farfetched when Natasha was growing up was now an easily obtainable career option for little girls and his heart ached. She obviously loved not only flying but sharing her love of flying and encouraging those little girls to reach for something like that, if they wanted. He could never be the one to put her in the position to have to choose that love for his love. He wouldn’t do to her what Maverick had done to him. Bradley wouldn’t try to take her lifelong dream from her over his own selfishness. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t make it more difficult than it already had been for her.

He decided then and there that whatever fun they had this week could only really be platonic unless Nat said otherwise, and he practically shattered on the inside. Her happiness was all that mattered to him, and he was watching her at her absolute happiest in a beautiful setting and he wanted that to be the best memory she took from this trip.

*****

Rooster was quiet on the walk back, deep in contemplation while Nat and Bob discussed his nieces and their excitement over “meeting” Phoenix. Back at the house they found Fritz asleep in the movie room while a World War II flick played out on the screen. Bob and Phoenix changed back into comfortable clothing and decided to start working on the food for Thanksgiving. Rooster needed some quiet time to think so he decided to head up to his room and take a nap. He quickly changed out of his warm clothing and back into his athletic shorts before crawling into the bed.

He was almost asleep when a tap came at the door. This time she didn’t wait for him to respond, and Natasha slid into the door and locked it behind her. She walked across the room and slid her sweatpants down her toned legs, revealing small blue shorts underneath. Then wordlessly she crawled under the covers next to Bradley and came to rest with her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her.

“I think now is a great time to get our missed nap in.” She stated matter-of-factly.

He squeezed her into him and placed a light kiss on the top of her head in response. Her warm body felt incredible, her tiny frame fit perfectly at his side. But instead of feeling excited and elated, he felt torn. For years this is what he wanted, to have her cuddling in his arms. But now strong feelings of guilt were washing over him as he thought of her conversation with two giggling little girls earlier. Bradley drifted off to the sound of her light breaths and his wandering thoughts of a future he wasn’t sure he really wanted anymore.

*****

An hour later Rooster came back to life to the realization he was alone in the bed. And they say Bob is the stealthy one. He never heard her leave. She sure liked to do that.

With a sigh he crawled out of the bed and headed downstairs to see what was going on. He found Nat and Bob standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables and prepping a turkey for the oven.

“Hey sleepy head. Care to join us?” she asked with a smile.

Bob looked up at Rooster over the top of his glasses, a knowing grin on his face.

“Uh yeah, let me wash my hands.”

With that he spent the next couple of hours working around the kitchen with Bob and Natasha while they sang, told jokes, and swapped war stories.

As the bird went in the oven the ski lodge group returned, crashing through the front door loudly laughing and chatting as they removed their boots and coats.

“Bobby boy, you missed out. Fanboy found a pair of nerd girls and had them all to himself. Oh wait, probably not your type huh?”

“Bagman, eat shit.” Bob spat as he adjusted the temperature on the oven.

“Daaaang. He told you.” Fanboy voiced mockingly as he entered the kitchen.

“What? I didn’t mean it as a bad thing.” Hangman said defensively and Bob just shot him an unamused look.

“I have a proposition for yall. We should go to the Opal at Bally’s tonight. Its just over the border in Nevada. Dancing, drinking, ladies. Lets make a bet, see if we can get Bobby Boy’s cherry popped tonight.”

Coyote laughed, Phoenix looked ready to throw the knife in her hand, and Fanboy just shook his head.

“Serasin, believe it or not I haven’t been a virgin for a very long time and really don’t need your help in that department.” And with that Bob sat down the towel he was wiping his hands with and made for the stairs down to the movie room.

“I swear to God, you open your mouth and literal shit just pours out of it. What is it about that man that threatens you so much? Is It because he is a better person than you could ever hope to be or what?” Rooster had reached up to remove the knife from Phoenix hand as she spit her words at Hangman, practically shouting at him.

“What? I was just having some fun with the guy?”

“Your idea of fun involves being a dick. Pretty sure dick isn’t what Bob is into.” she said, completely unamused with Hangman.

“Wait. He’s straight?” Coyote asked looking completely stunned.

“You thought he was gay? And you thought he was a virgin?” Fanboy asked, looking disbelieving at the two pilots.

Rooster snorted and Omaha moved past them, mumbling something about going to the bathroom as he disappeared towards his room behind the kitchen.

“None of this is your business, Jake. You need to go apologize.”

Hangman started to protest but then Coyote popped his arm with the back of his hand to stop him. He huffed and said “fine” before disappearing down the stairs with Coyote.

“He was a dick the whole time we were gone. I think this whole “Savior” complex is going to his head. You should have heard the shit he was saying to any woman who was breathing at the lodge.” Fanboy said as he moved to the sink to wash his hands.

“Sounds like you found some snow bunnies though?” Phoenix asked, obviously wanting to change the subject.

Fanboy began helping Phoenix with the vegetables so Rooster decided to go downstairs and make sure Bob hadn’t killed hangman and gotten blood on the carpet.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs though, Rooster found a much different scene than he expected. The three men were sitting in recliners, talking. Bob in the middle with a pilot on either side of him. Rooster stopped in the doorway since they couldn’t see him and decided to listen in.

“You know I was just fuckin around with you right?”

“You do know I’ve been listening to that crap my entire career, right?”

“Aw man come on, its what we do. We screw with each other.”

“Hangman, when have I ever come across to you as the “screw with each other” type? My glasses and quiet demeanor do not automatically mean I am here as your personal punching bag. You have been an asshole to me since the moment we met, and you haven’t been much better.” Bob accused, looking over at Coyote. Rooster silently agreed. Both pilots had been unnecessarily pushy towards Bob.

There was silence for a few moments then Hangman spoke again.

“You’re right man. I’m sorry. I’m a dick by nature and I’ve never really given you chance. I just made assumptions and haven’t really gotten to know who you really are.”

Rooster was shocked and impressed at the sounds of an apology from Jake Serasin’s mouth. Coyote spoke up.

“I’m sorry too.”

“I appreciate that. Remember, we’re all on the same team. I graduated from the same Academy you did, from Top Gun the same as you. And unlike yall, I was actually chosen for the mission last week. I’d say I’ve earned some respect.”

Both pilots seemed impressed with the shade Bob had thrown them. Rooster was too. Go Bob he thought to himself.

“You are exactly right. So, let us make it up to you. Come out with us tonight. Just as buddies, no pressure on anything else. Do you dance? Drinks on me.” Hangman said as he clapped Bob on the back.

“I dance. I don’t drink thought.” Bob replied.

“Hey, I didn’t say alcohol.”

“Ok then, sure. Why the hell not.”

“Alright then.”

Rooster backed out of the door frame and returned up the stairs. He walked into the kitchen to see Phoenix and Fanboy hard at work. Phoenix looked up and asked, “Bob ok?”

“He’s got a sharper tongue than most realize. He put them both in their place. And apparently, we are, in fact, going clubbing tonight.”

Phoenix seemed appeased and Fanboy smiled and nodded his head as he started to dance while chopping.

“Oh yeah! This is going to be lit.”

Phoenix and Rooster looked at each other and laughed at their friend and his funny dance moves. Tonight, the Daggers were hitting the town.

Chapter 10 ->

[sweetwhispersofchaos]

Master List

Rooster x Phoenix

Eject (WIP)

Red, White, & Blue (One Shot)

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Bob x Phoenix

Snowy Warmth (One Shot)

Tomorrow (One Shot) Sex 101 (Threesome One Shot)

Mornings Of Gold (Top Gun Rocktober)

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Hangman x Phoenix

I Hate Myself For Lovin You (One Shot)