#top gun

[iluvbeingdelulu4evaaa]

I’ve never been so shook in my life. like this was too good like I’ll never be the same

The Odyssey | Bradley Bradshaw (18+) | Masterlist

The tale of the arrogant classics professor and the dwindling, soon-to-be-wed heiress that was failing his class.

warnings: enemies to lovers, power imbalance (professor / student relationship), age gap (22 / 33), will be smut, virgin reader, swearing, infidelity. warnings to be added on a chapter by chapter basis. 18+ minors dni

Prologue | March 1986

One | May 1986

Two | May 1986

Three | May 1986

Four | May 1986

Five | May 1986

Six | June 1986

Seven | June 1986

Eight | June 1986

Nine | June 1986

Ten | Late June 1986

Eleven | Late June 1986

Twelve | 1st July 1986

Thirteen | July 1986

Fourteen | July 1986

Fifteen | July 1986

Sixteen | July 1986

Seventeen | July 1986

[marvelwitchergilmore]

Just Ask Me

Summary: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x fe!Reader -> Hangman is used to getting what he wants, so what happens when he doesn't get you?

Disclaimer: Softer moments, Dagger Squad being a family, Hangman being taught a lesson or two though, Reader is Phoenix's best friend, Jake and Reader find common ground, getting lost in the store. Mentions of bullying and shitty friends but Jake helps out. Light swearing. Kinda a strangers/unlikely friends to lovers situation.

It was no secret Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin always got what he wanted.��

He was the best of the best in the air force, he had enough charm to fill an entire mythical city and he wasn’t too bad on the eyes, either. 

So, when you rejected him it was safe to say he didn’t know what to do. 

Of course, he’d been rejected before. But that was mostly in moments where he wasn’t actually trying. Maybe a quick ‘hey’ and a smile at a bar and there was a chance the girl would walk away. But leading you into a conversation, giving you his best smile and receiving one in return…

He’d never been rejected at that point. 

“No, thank you.”

Jake faltered for a moment. 

Nobody had ever been that polite in rejecting him, either. 

“But can I help you with anything else?”

Jake shook his head. “N-No, ma’am. Have a nice night.”

You smiled. “You, too.”

Jake kept looking back at you as he walked back to the rest of the Dagger Squad. 

“What’s the matter, Bagman? Crash and burn?” Phoenix asked. 

Jake didn’t say anything. Just walked back and sat on the edge of the pool table, his eyes still on you. Then he felt himself laugh; mostly because he was confused. 

“Yeah.”

Phoenix smiled, holding out her hand to Rooster. “Hand it over.”

Reluctantly, Rooster slapped a twenty dollar bill into her hand. “How do I keep losing to you?”

Phoenix examined the crisp bill. “Because I’m just better.”

Rooster rolled his eyes but Jake’s eyes remained on you. What had he done wrong? 

He’d seen you looking over at the Dagger Squad. You’d even looked in his direction a few times. So, after he went and got his drink, he walked over and struck up a conversation with you. You talked with him. He smiled. You smiled. It was going well. And then…no thank you. 

What had he done wrong?

Pocketing the twenty dollar bill, Phoenix reached for her jacket and handed the pool cue over to Jake. He took it, his eyes still on you. 

What had he done wrong?

“Well, this has been fun, boys, but I’ve got a go.”

Rooster turned to her, Jake finally peeling his eyes away from you. “Where?”

“Meeting a friend.”

“You have friends?” Jake asked her. 

“Funny.” 

However, as Phoenix stepped down and onto the bar floor, she didn’t turn towards the doors. Instead, she walked straight over to you. 

“What’s she doing?”

“I don’t know. Maybe thanking her.”

Jake just rolled his eyes, his entire body suddenly on high alert. But as both Jake and Rooster watched Phoenix with you, they realised rather quickly that this wasn’t your first meeting. 

Then they watched as you packed up your things, throwing your bag over your shoulder. You, and Phoenix, looked directly over at both of them and waved. 

Jake felt a shocked smirk grow on his face as he watched you and Phoenix leave, but Bradley was the first to laugh. 

“Oh, my god.” Bradley clapped him on the back. “She’s never going to let you live it down.”

“Come on, let’s just play.” Jake said as he stood up. But his eyes returned back to you as he did so, watching as you and Phoenix left the bar laughing. 

That’s what he did wrong; he went after Phoenix’s friend. 

And Rooster was right; Phoenix was never gonna let him live it down. 

Jake figured he’d never see you again. He’d never seen you before and Phoenix had never mentioned you so he could only presume you’d come in to visit her. But he did see you again. 

Four days later, just a little after eight in the evening, Jake ran into you. Quite literally. 

Turning round one of the aisles, Jake ran into a shopping cart. 

“Ooh, sorry.”

“Oh, my god. I’m so sorry.”

Looking at who had just ran into your cart, you were met with a familiar face. And he seemed to recognise you, too.

“You…”

Letting yourself relax, you smiled. “Hi, Jake.”

“You know my name?”

“You did introduce yourself and Phoenix has told me a lot about you.”

“All good, I hope?”

You shrugged. “Some stories are more entertaining than others, but…” You saw the flash of panic across his face but then you chuckled. “I’m kidding. I’m Y/n, by the way.”

Stretching over your cart, you held out your hand. He shook it. 

“Nice to finally meet you, I guess.” Jake replied. You laughed a little with a smile, averting your eyes from his for a moment. Jake’s eyes followed yours and landed inside your cart. 

“You throwing a party or something?”

It took a moment for it to click with you. “What? Oh, yeah. No, no. No party. I’m actually- I’ve just moved.”

“Here? To San Diego?”

You hesitated before nodding. “Yeah. Job transfer.”

“That sounds…”

“Stressful?” 

Jake nodded, admitting the truth. “Yeah.”

You nodded, moving your cart out of the way. “Well, it is. But everything is going well so far. Ooh, you wouldn’t know where the bedsheets are? I’ve been in here an hour already and still haven’t come across them.”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, they’re just down here. I’ll take you to them.”

So, walking beside him, he walked you across the store. 

“I feel like I’ve been put in a dryer and then put back on my feet. I have no idea where anything is in this store.”

Jake chuckled. “I felt like that. Each store had a different layout than the ones I was used to. But, you make enough late night runs for a box of pens, you tend to find your way around.”

“Figured it would have been for protein powder or something?”

Jake shrugged. “That, too.”

You felt yourself laugh a little. 

“They’re just down here.”

“Fabulous,” you almost exclaimed as you took in the rows of different materials and colours. 

“You’re probably best getting something light. The days are gonna be heating up pretty soon. It can get cooler at night but cotton is probably gonna be your best friend.”

You nodded. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Scanning the shelves, you picked out a few different ones. However, the final one remained on the top shelf. Then it fell onto its back. 

“Shit.”

“Here.” Lightly pushing the cart out of the way, Jake reached up and pulled it down before handing it to you. 

“Thanks.”

Standing in front of you, Jake smiled. “Anything else I can help with? I mean, I probably know this store like the back of my hand by now.”

Looking up and down the aisle, you made a decision. “Furniture packs?”

Walking backwards, a pleasing smile on his face, Jake extended his arm. “If you will follow me, Ma’am.”

For the next thirty minutes, Jake helped you find everything you were looking for in the store. All the while, you both talked. Swapping a few short stories on how you both came to San Diego, where the best pizza places were, and how you’d met Phoenix. 

By the end, Jake helped you pack up your groceries and walked you back to your car. 

“So she just pushed them into the pool?”

You nodded. “With as much force as she could. They never bullied me again, though. After that, we became inseparable.”

“Well, I can tell you, she hasn’t changed much.” Jake placed one of the bags into the back of your car. “I mean, probably less pool pushing. Though, she probably thought about it during training. But, still.”

You chuckled. “Doesn’t surprise me.”

Finally packing up your car and placing the cart back into the shelter, Jake quickly rounded your car and opened your door before you could reach for the handle. 

You smiled. “Thank you.”

“Here to serve, ma’am.”

You chuckled, rolling down the window as Jake shut your door. 

“Thank you, for your help.”

Leaning on your door, Jake shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”

“Guess I’ll see you round?”

Jake nodded, trying to hide his smile. “I guess so. I hope so.”

You smiled. “Goodnight, Jake.”

“Night, Y/n.”

As Jake walked back to his car, he watched as yours rolled away and headed in the opposite direction back down the street. 

Jake saw you again just a few days later when he walked into The Hard Deck. 

You and Phoenix were sitting in one of the booths at the back, talking. The rest of the Dagger Squad were dotted around the place. Some at the bar, some out at the back and some by the pool table. 

And as he walked over to the bar, his eyeline falling back on you as even just the thought of you sent something pounding in his chest, Rooster came and stood beside him. 

“Doesn’t matter how many times you try, Phoenix won’t let you.”

Jake puffed air from his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bradshaw.”

Rooster just smirked, tracking Jake’s gaze from where it kept flicking across the room. 

“I think you do. Or else you really are as stupid as you look.”

Clapping him on the back once more, Rooster disappeared with his beer bottle towards the pool table. 

“Penny, my dear.”

Paying for his drink, Jake seemed to check himself over. 

“You look handsome.” Penny smiled as she dried a bar glass. 

Jake felt himself laugh a little. What was he doing? You were just a person. And you’d already said no. 

With a little more confidence, Jake headed towards the pool table and took up a cue with Coyote. But after two games, his confidence took a shot when Phoenix stood from the booth and you followed her. 

Both of you lent against the fence barrier and watched as they each moved around the table, taking their shots. 

And each time you were in Jake’s view, he missed his shot. 

“Getting rusty, Hangman?” Bob asked, already having noticed what effect you seemed to have on Jake. 

Glaring at Bob, Jake tried his best to focus on the shot. But there was something still stopping him. So, taking another look at you, Jake saw you looking at him. 

You raised your eyebrows a little, silently questioning him. Then you took a slow drag of your beer. 

Standing up, Jake cleared his throat and avoided the looks from the rest of his squad as he moved around the table. It took him a moment, but he finally made a successful shot. 

That continued for another two rounds until Jake found himself unable to even look at you without his stomach doing enough flips to send him dizzy. 

So, pushing Hangman aside, Phoenix took his cue and the game continued between her and Rooster. 

“How’s the move coming along?” Jake eventually managed to find his voice, though his eyes remained on his feet. 

“It’s…coming.”

Jake looked up at you. “That bad, huh?”

You shrugged. “I’m getting there. It’s just taking a little longer than I thought.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Flatpack furniture with no instructions.”

Jake folded his arms. “But it’s a side table.”

You laughed. “It’s got twenty-six pieces.”

“What?!”

You nodded. “Yeah.”

Jake watched you for a moment as your attention went back to Phoenix and Rooster as he beat her. 

“Can’t be better at everything.”

Phoenix laughed. God help Rooster. 

“We’ll see.”

Leaning into Jake, you whispered. “She’s gonna kill him.”

Jake smiled. He knew that to be true. But as they broke in the next game, Jake turned back and looked at you. 

“God, you’re beautiful.” He thought to himself before another set of words left his mouth. 

“I could help you.”

“What?”

“With your furniture. I could help you.” Jake clarified. “I’ve got a couple free days coming up and I’ve got nothing else to do. I could help.”

You peeled back for a moment, your eyes flicking over every inch of his face. You smiled a little. “You’d do that?”

“I know we didn't meet under the most conventional circumstances, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help you.”

You studied Jake for a moment. 

“Okay.”

That was how a week later, Jake had turned up at your home with Phoenix in tow. Once she got wind of Jake offering to help you, she’d already given him a warning. 

“I know you like to flirt-”

“I’m not flirting.”

“But she’s my best friend. So, if you hurt her in any capacity, I will end you.”

Jake shifted in his seat. “Duly noted.”

When Phoenix let herself into your home, she called out for you. 

“Upstairs! Please tell me one of you can read Swedish!”

Looking at each other, Jake and Phoenix realised what they’d got themselves in for. 

Three hours later, the three of you were sitting on your office floor figuring out how to build your wall library. 

“How can something have this many pieces?”

“How can two fighter pilots with engineering degrees not know how to build a library?”

Jake sat with the instructions in between his legs, reading back over the pictures. 

“Wait. I think I’ve got it.”

Phoenix sighed before pushing herself up to stand. “Well, while you get a handle on that, I’m gonna order food.”

As she left the room, going into your kitchen to find the menu, you stayed with Jake. 

In the time Phoenix was gone, you and Jake sat feet to feet across from each other and had built the first half of one bookcase. 

“Will it stay?”

Silently both you and Jake prayed that it would hold as you both let go at the same time. Risking it, he shook it a little. But it remained intact. 

“Yes!”

High fiving, you both continued to build the rest. 

“Alright, food’s ordered. I’m gonna pick it up. Are you two gonna be okay while I’m gone?”

You nodded. “We’ll be fine. Ooh, Nat, make sure they give me extra dip this time. They forgot it last time.”

Phoenix took her orders and left. 

“Do you really have enough books to fill this thing?” Jake asked as he fastened some of the screws down. 

“Yep. Is that sad?”

Jake shook his head, which surprised you. Even before you’d met him, the way Phoenix had talked about him made him sound like the only book he’d ever read in his life had probably been in an English class in highschool. Even then, you doubted he’d have actually read it. 

“No, not at all. I think it’s pretty cool.” 

“Do you like to read?”

Jake looked up at you, a light expression on his face. “You sound surprised?”

“Wha- no. No, not surprised. Just…” You tried to search for a word to use. 

“Relax, it’s okay. I get it. I don’t seem like the type who reads.”

“But you are.”

Jake agreed, starting on the second bookcase with your help. 

“Loved reading since I was a kid. Obviously, I preferred books with planes in ‘em but…it was an escape. A world where I didn’t have to sit in class and be given the future profession of office worker.”

You smiled, finding joy in listening to him. There was passion in his voice as he told you about his childhood books. You even found you’d read some of the same ones. 

“I don’t get much time to read now. Mostly, it’s just textbooks.”

“You’re welcome to borrow one, anytime. God knows I have more than I know what to do with.”

Jake smiled, graciously. “Thanks. And, I promise, if I ever borrow one, it will be returned in the condition I found it.”

“Ah, a true book lover.”

Sharing a pleased look, you and Jake stood and started to shift the book cases around the room. And you tried not to get too distracted at the fact he could pick one up on its own. 

Granted, they were light. But you had tried and the best you, or anyone that wasn’t militarily fit, could do was shuffle it along the carpet in increments. 

With Jake holding the ladder steady, you drilled the hook into the wall before he lifted the bookcase back up and you secured it in place. 

By the time you reached the third one, Natasha had opened your front door again. “Got the food! I’ll set it up in the kitchen!”

Hooking it into place, you admired the finished product before carefully walking back down the ladder. 

“You okay?”

“Yep.”

Both of you stood back and admired the empty cases. 

“Just need the shelves.”

“And the books.”

You smiled. “And the books.”

However, it was downstairs where Jake came to learn of how many books you actually owned. 

Midway through eating pizza, you opened up the walk in pantry door and pulled out a cardboard box. 

“Let me help.” Natasha told you, but with strain in your voice you declined. 

“I’ve got it.”

It landed on the counter with a thud. Opening up the folded lid, you were all greeted with the smell of books. 

What followed was another two hours of mapping out shelves and organising books into alphabetical order. Something Jake seemed to do pretty quickly. 

“Not just a pretty face.”

Thanking them a thousand times over for their help, you watched as they drove back to base and you were left to tidy what you could. 

However, the next day you found yourself with a surprise visitor. 

You were midway through rearranging the furniture in your living room when someone knocked on your door. Opening it, you found Jake stood on the other side. 

“Hey.”

“Hey, sorry. I know I should have called-”

“It’s no problem. What’s up?”

Jake looked at his hands nervously. He was holding a box of lightbulbs. 

“I had some extra in my garage and thought you might wanna use ‘em. They’re only collecting dust and it would save you a trip to the store so-”

You smiled. “If you know how to fit them, I’ll happily accept them.”

“Really?”

You nodded. “I would fit them myself but if my family finds out I went near a light socket, I think they might actually send me to my grave.”

Jake laughed, “Why?”

Inviting him in, you closed the door behind him as you explained the story. 

“It happened when I was 12. I was helping my dad change a couple of the lightbulbs in the house and I'd seen him do it enough times that he trusted me to do it myself. Only, each time I did, I kept getting electrocuted.”

“No.”

You nodded. “You’d think it’d be a fluke. Faulty wiring or something. But, dad tried – he did nothing different. But it worked. I touched a bulb and it blew up. I tried again when I was 17 and it happened again. At college, me and my roommates tried. All worked for them and blew up for me.”

“It’s a good job I know how to change a lightbulb then.”

As Jake got to work doing that, you went back to rearranging your living room. However, when he returned, he stood in the hallway for a moment. 

The sofa was at a diagonal in the middle of the living room. The side tables were at opposite ends, and you seemed a little lost. 

“Do I want it to be cosy, or more open?” You asked, out loud. “Open means there’s more airflow, but it also means I’m left with this massive empty space.”

“Why not try it both ways? If you don’t like it, switch it back.”

With his help, you did it both ways. And neither worked. 

And there weren't many ways left for you to arrange your living room. So, you flipped a coin. 

Open it was. 

Finally moving everything back into its place, you and Jake collapsed on the sofa. 

“Who knew moving could be so stressful?”

“More stressful than piloting a plane going a thousand miles an hour?” You asked. 

Jack nodded. “Okay, you’ve got a point. Hey, when do you start your new job?”

“Technically, I already have. I work from home three days a week. Because of the move, I don’t actually have to go into the building until next Wednesday.”

Jake looked at you. “Wanna do something that isn’t rearranging furniture?”

“Yes.”

Standing up, he held his hand out to you. “It requires standing?”

He chuckled. “I’m afraid so. Come on.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Taking his hand in yours, you did your best to ignore the butterflies you felt float along your stomach. But standing almost chest to chest with Jake Seresin made those butterflies go from floating and fluttering their wings to an entire tornado being created. 

“Grab your jacket. Meet me on the porch?”

“Yeah, okay.”

Two minutes later you locked your front door and walked with Jake to his car. Once more, he beat you to your door and opened it up before he closed it for you and walked around to the driver’s seat. 

Twenty minutes passed before he was pulling up outside the Hard Deck. 

“I don’t think it’s open.”

Jake hopped out of the car, as did you. “It’s not.”

“Then why are we here?”

“You’ll see. Follow me.”

Walking up to the door, it opened up and you both walked inside. Anytime you’d been at The Hard Deck, it had been packed to the walls. But at that moment, it was empty. 

“Penny?”

Walking backwards out of a swinging door, Penny came through carrying a heavy box. “Oh, good. You’re here.”

Without warning, she dropped the box into Jake’s arms. Getting a steady grip, he hoisted it a little higher. 

“I’m picking Amelia up from school. They’re hosting an emergency PTA meeting so I might be back late.”

Jake shook his head. “No worries. We can keep the bar going til you get back.”

Penny smiled. “Thank you.”

As Penny grabbed her jacket and left, Jake said nothing but saw the look you gave him. 

“You’ve wrangled me into work?”

Jake shrugged, a shit-eating grin on his face that he was struggling to hide. “Maybe.”

You chuckled and followed him outside to the back deck. “There’s no ‘maybe’ about it.”

Jake shrugged again as he looked out to the sandy beach and the slow beating waves. “Can’t deny it’s a slightly better view, though.”

You looked out at it. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Sitting down on one of the picnic benches, you sat across from Jake whilst he pulled things from the crate. Napkin holders, sauce bottles and salt and pepper shakers. 

And for the next hour, you both sat in the cooling sun filling each one of them. 

“So how long have you been helping Penny?”

“A while now,” he told you. “It started out as an after-work detention.”

You felt a small laugh rise up. He was a grown man being given detention. 

“Oh, no. What did you do?”

“I left my wingman behind. Mav couldn’t get through to me, so he sent me to Penny.”

“And did she?”

Jake nodded. “Yeah. Well, her and Amelia did. Penny told me more about what happened between Mav and Goose.”

“Rooster’s dad?”

Jake nodded. “They flew together but died after an emergency went wrong. Mav was torn up for months. He’s better now, obviously, but…it stays with him. Then Penny made a point to me; I’ve never lost a wingman. I’ve left plenty behind, but I’ve never lost one.”

You screwed the cap onto the salt and pepper before taking another two and filling them. 

“And then the first full day I spent here – before I’d just spent afternoons or late nights. But it was my first full day. Penny got called away to the docks after she dropped Amelia off at the mall; she was meeting friends for her birthday.”

Pushing some more napkins into the holder, Jake packed it back into the crate and moved onto the next.

“Only, an hour later, Amelia came through the front doors with tears streaming down her face.”

Slowing down with the refilling so you could spend longer with Jake, you continued listening to his story. 

“Her friends had ditched her. One of the other girls had turned up and basically took over everything and made sure to leave Amelia out of it. She didn’t want to call her mom and she knew she’d be busy, so she came to the bar.”

The image of Amelia wiping her tears away as quickly as they fell would probably never leave him. Anytime he’d met Amelia she’d been happy – and she’d been practically bursting with fireworks when her mom agreed to let her go to the mall with her friends. 

“That was when things started to change for me.” Jake told you. “Seeing Amelia the way she was. She’d been left behind on her birthday, of all days. And not one of her friends called her.”

“They didn’t know she’d gone?”

Jake shook his head. “She tried to find them. She searched the whole mall until one of the security guards stopped her. ‘Told her he’d seen a group of them leave ten minutes before.”

“No!”

“I knew it wasn’t the same; losing someone in the air and being left alone on your birthday. But it made me realise something. I was like her friends. If something had happened to my wingman…I wouldn’t have known. It makes me feel bad, the fact it took Amelia being left alone on her birthday for Mav’s message to get through to me, but it worked. Haven’t left my wingman since.”

You smiled a little as you looked at him. “So what did you do when Amelia came back?”

“Well, she sat at the bar top doing her homework for an hour before I managed to get it out of her why she was back early. Then we made a day of it; I made her favourite foods and taught her how to make a cocktail. Penny would never let her behind the bar but after the day she’d had, how could I say no?”

“I’m guessing Penny doesn’t know about this?”

“She knows about it now. Amelia had to make a science project and her mixology seemed a little too advanced for someone who’d never been allowed behind a bar.” 

“And you agreed to make a cocktail?”

Jake hesitated for a moment. “Well, it was a mocktail. I might be a rule breaker, but I am responsible.”

Once you’d both finished restocking, you went back inside with Jake and placed one of each thing onto the tables, whilst he carried the crate beside you. 

“You said this job was after-work detention. Is it still?”

Jake chuckled, lightly, and shook his head. “No. That ended a while back, but I asked Penny if I could stay on. I help out every now and then. Fills my day when I’ve got nothing to do and,” Jake looked around. “I don’t know. There’s something nice about seeing this place calm. Penny’s put a lot into this place and we all respect it.”

Watching Jake admire the place around him, you smiled. His gaze finally landed back on yours and his expression softened as he looked at you. 

You moved onto the next table, and the next, and the next, in quiet silence. 

But as you reached a familiar booth, Jake felt the memory rush back to him. But as you scooted across the seat to place the menus and items together, a question left Jake’s lips before he could fully stop himself. 

“Did you know who I was when we first met?”

You looked back at him a little confused. “What?”

Jake looked around a little just to simply move his feet. Why had he asked? Fuck it. He’d already asked. 

“The day I hit on you. Well, tried. Did you already know who I was? From Phoenix?”

You relaxed a little, realising what he was talking about. “I didn’t know your face, but…yeah. I’d heard stories from Phoenix. She also warned me that if one of you were going to hit on me, it would have been you.”

“Is that why you said no?”

You tilted your head a little. You’d gotten to know Jake over the last two weeks and something told you he wasn’t asking because he was trying to heal his ego. 

“Why do you want to know? Truthfully?”

Being under your comforting gaze in that moment made Jake feel heat rise directly from his feet. 

Taking a deep breath, he told you why. 

“Because I want to know if you said ‘no, thank you’ because of me, or because Phoenix warned you away.”

For a moment, you smiled and Jake didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t mocking, or amusement. 

Scooting out of the booth, you stood in front of him. 

“Jake, I said ‘no, thank you’ because you did what every dude in a bar does. They walk up, no matter how nice their smile is, and expect that after a conversation I’ll give them my number. If Phoenix had wanted to warn me, she would have shown me your picture. If a guy wants to go on a date with me, he should just ask.”

Jake stood there for a moment a little dumbfounded. So, if that night he’d just walked up to you and asked you on a date, you would have said yes? If he’d asked you in the supermarket, you would have said yes? 

Did you still want to-

“She’s telling you to ask her out, idiot.”

Whipping his head to the side, Jake found Amelia at the bar unpacking her school bag. Jake’s eyes flicked over to you for a moment. You were looking at Amelia with a thankful smile before turning back to look at him. 

After nearly giving himself whiplash a couple of times, Jake’s gaze finally landed back on you, a light smirk on his face. 

“Y/n.”

“Yes, Jake?”

“Would you like to get dinner with me tonight?”

“As in a date?”

Jake nodded, and you smiled. 

“I’d love to.”

[moonagedaydream14]

is anyone else obsessed with the married hangster theory/hc? because i cant stop thinking about them as icemav 2.0 and i will not be convinced that icemav was platonic *hand waves at canon*

[angelaristotle]

Just had to repost this because

1) It's actually gorgeous omg

2) SLIMAV

slimav 🐻🐻‍❄️

[kcsplace]

top gun silliness

[hurtcomforted]

old men icemav who love using slang words completely wrong around the daggers, and completely on purpose. at any opportunity, they don't hesitate to very proudly explain that bradley taught them.

[brewersbrain]

rewatched this again,,, trust a fic is coming

obsessed with mavericks little smile

[lieutenantfloyd]

Rooster: I don’t need any more friends. I already have four. Bob: Don’t you mean five? Rooster: *looks directly at Hangman* Rooster: No, I’m pretty sure I meant to say four.

[robertsfloyd]

Perfect Alpha

bob floyd is a big, broad, sweet, gentle alpha. he is the perfect alpha. you're his aggressive, growling omega. and he loves you so damn much. this is the story of how you met

no tgm abo? i got you, boos

warnings: 18+, abo dynamics

in the military, bob floyd was surrounded by alphas. in his family, he was surrounded by alphas. it came as a surprise to nobody when he presented as one. 

well, almost nobody. when he presented, his body became physically bigger. taller, shoulders broader. he had gone from a small, nothing of a man to a big, hulking alpha. 

a perfect alpha. 

before presenting, nobody had wanted him. the omegas he knew were all saving themselves for an alpha and all the betas he knew were taken. 

not that bob minded, he didn't want his first time to be because his rut forced him into it. no, he wanted somebody he cared for, maybe even somebody he loved. not just a rut partner that threw themselves at him because they could smell his oncoming rut.

a mate, that was what he wanted. someone he could love outside of his ruts. someone he could mark, someone he could scent all over. someone he could spend the rest of his days loving. 

with his job, it didn't seem likely. 

natasha had her mate, met before she went back to top gun. the separation was hard on her, bob knew, counting down the days until she was reunited with her love. alpha and beta relationships weren't uncommon. unconventional, sure, but you couldn't help who you loved. 

bradley had a mate, too. an alpha and omega bond. bradley couldn't stay away from her, so she came with him to top gun. attached at the waist when he on base. it was sweet really, the way bradley nosed at her scent gland while she attempted to talk to jake. 

that was what his alpha instincts yearned for.

bob had never heard an omega growl before. growling was a reaction most common in angry or scared alphas. omegas whined. they cried, retreated in fear, never growled.

the first time bob heard an omega growl was in the hard deck. 

the scent of alpha filled the space, entirely too overwhelming. he wasn't sure how betas like jake and mickey could stand it. the loud chatter and barking laughs spoke of alpha arrogance.

bob sat there, water in hand, just watching. he might have been an alpha, but he was still a silent observer, not quite ready to speak up. 

a perfect alpha he might have been, but he was still the same anxious, slightly awkward guy he was before he presented. 

but then the omega growl cut through the chatter.  

the bar fell silent. for the first time since penny opened that afternoon, the bar was silent. every alpha had their heads turned towards the door of the womens bathroom. 

he caught sight of you between the heads of the other alphas. you strode through the crowd of alphas, so damn confident. 

and, suddenly, bob could see why. he watched as another alpha picked himself up from the ground, cheek red from where you had hit him. goddamn, what kind of omega hit an alpha? a gutsy one, that's what kind. 

you walked past him and he breathed you in. fuck, your scent enveloped him, wrapped him up like a present. it went right to his head, making him dizzy. 

he nearly fell off out of his chair. 

but you walked past him, as if you weren’t as affected by him as he was by you. you didn't spare hin a glance. 

instead, you joined your friends. several betas and another omega. even on the other side of the hard deck, he could still smell you. 

Natasha regarded him with her eyebrows furrowed. "You good, baby on board?" she asked, as mickey crouched in front of him, projecting his comforting scent. 

it shouldn't have been possible to miss someone you didn't know. but he missed you. you had been near him for less than a second and he already fucking missed you. 

he held a hand over his chest, feeling his beating heart. "i...i think i'm in love," he muttered as he stared up at Nat. she had to know this feeling. this must have been what it was like for her when she met her mate.

overwhelming and all too much. he was going to be sick.

apparently, it was written on his face. standing up straight, mickey hooked his arms under bob and pulled him up from his seat. "come on, big guy," he muttered and dragged him through the hard deck.

once in the bathroom, mickey rubbed his back as bob threw up into the toilet. his throat burned each time he emptied his stomach. "all because of that omega, huh?" mickey asked as he leaned against the wall.

wiping at his mouth, bob nodded. all because of you, an omega that growled your way through the hard deck.

the smell of the alpha nearly had you on your knees. shit, it was so strong, something you could have gotten you drunk. no other alpha had this affect on you before. none of the alpha's that had attempt to court you, none of your heat partners.

you looked around for the source of the smell. none of the alpha's crowding around you were doing it for you, and it certainly wasn't the alpha your friend was making out with.

you looked towards the group surrounding the pool table. a balanced mix of alphas and betas. not the one with the moustache, his omega clearly on his lap, and not the one flirting with the beta.

you breathed in the scent again.

there were only two alpha's it could be. the dark haired woman watching her friend struggle towards the toilet. or the one struggling towards the toilet.

you stood as you sniffed again, looking like a bloodhound on the hunt. the scent could have made you drunk, but it wasn't because of alcohol.

his scent, you realised. him. the one leaning on the beta to get to the bathroom.

the minute the bathroom door swung shut, his scent dulled and you sank back into your seat. his scent no longer had a hold on you, and you missed it.

the whine that left your lips was pathetic and had you scrunching up your nose. this wasn't you, not over some alpha, anyway.

patiently, you sat. your eyes were trained on the bathroom door, waiting for the alpha to emerge. his scent should have been filling your nostrils; you should have been getting it straight from the source: his scent gland.

"jesus," your beta friend muttered as she looked at you. you didn't look like you had just smelt your alpha. your alpha. you looked half feral and on edge. like you were ready to attack.

"shut up," you grumbled and folded your arms over your chest.

finally, the alpha emerged from the bathroom. a beta held onto him, slightly shorter than him with close cropped hair.

you had never seen an alpha with glasses before. his pretty blue eyes shone behind the glass as he stared at you across the bar. you slipped out of your seat and stood up straight.

this wasn't how it was supposed to go. you were supposed to run into each others arms and blindly scent each other before introductions. that was what happened to all of your taken omega friends. but your head was raised, looking like a meerkat on guard.

the beta beside him patted his shoulder, but he gently pushed him away. a gentle alpha. your stomachs did flips.

you couldn't move as he strode towards you. long legs he didn't look used to carried him across the hard deck. you had heard of an alphas body changing once they presented, becoming taller, broader. most got used to it almost instantly, but this alpha looked like a new born lamb.

this alpha looked adorable.

he got as close to you as he dared. close enough that you could touch him if you reached your arms out. not so close that he would be invading your personal space.

his cheeks were dusted pink as he looked down at you. "hi," he said, his voice deep but still a squeak. "i'm bob."

a gentle alpha, an adorable alpha, a nervous alpha.

a rumble started in your throat, a purr that you couldn't control. "bob," you repeated through your purr. his scent grew more intense around you, and it took everything you had not to let it get to your head.

the rest of the room was lost to the both of you. nobody else mattered, but the alpha in front of you. "bob." you repeated it again, your purr growing louder.

you gave him your name, listened as he said it back to you. your name on his tongue nearly had your knees buckling.

you stepped forward, sucking in a deep breath, taking all of him in. his scent was even more powerful now that you were so damn close. he caught you, held you up when his scent finally went to your head, pulling a whine from you.

it was nearly enough to trigger your heat, but you kept a hold of it, doing everything you could to stave it off. not here. not now. that would have just been embarrassing.

"i've got you, 'mega," he whispered, pulling you against him. "i got you."

his nose touched the top of your head and you let yourself melt into his touch. "alpha," you whispered, not caring for the eyes on you. your purr grew louder as his did, chest rumbling in time with his.

[military-newsboys]

Rooster: How do you usually meet people? Ice: I'm retired. Rooster: From meeting people? Ice: I know enough people already.

[katiecanblog]

Slider: What's got you so happy?

Mav: Ice called me pretty.

Ice: THAT is not what I just said.

Mav: Actually, he called me pretty annoying, but I'm focusing on the positive.

[carmenell]

[marie-swriting]

Lucky - Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

Summary : Bradley comes home from a six months deployment and you two cannot stay away from each other.

Warnings : Minors please do not interact as this one shot has more sexual themes than usual, though there is no smut, fluff, marriage proposal, happy ending, maybe some grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language, tell me if you see some or if I missed any warnings.

Word count : 2.9k

French version (will be published 26/01/2025 at 9pm)

Song inspiration : So High School by Taylor Swift

“Class dismissed.” you state to your students who barely hide their joy. “Don’t forget your paper on Aristotle and Nicomachean Ethics for next Friday. You can send it by email or hand it to me in class, I don’t care, just don’t be late.”

You close your computer and start putting your stuff in one of your bags while saying goodbye to the students who are leaving the room. You answer a few questions before turning off everything and leaving the University as you’re finally on weekend.

You go to the parking lot for the professors while checking your phone. You hoped you’d found a text from Bradley who has been on deployment for the past six months but nothing. You sigh and hope he’ll call you tonight. You know he should come home soon yet you can’t wait to see him again, you miss him.

Once you arrive at your car, you open the back door and put your two bags on the seat. Focused on what you’re doing, you’re not aware of your surroundings until you hear a voice behind you.

“Excuse me, Miss, I have a question about today’s class-”

“Bradley!” you exclaim with a big smile while you turn to face him.

Without wasting a second, you run to him and jump in his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist and hiding your face in the crook of his neck. Bradley catches you easily and holds you tight while smelling your perfume that he missed so much. You look up and passionately kiss Bradley. You run your hands through his hair, needing to make sure he’s really there. Bradley kisses you back with as much energy. 

“Get a room, you’re on University grounds!” 

Your colleague and friend’s voice Savannah interrupts your kiss. You look at her and see her teasing expression on her face. Bradley puts you down and takes your hand in his.

“Thank God, you’re finally back, she’s gonna leave me alone now.”

“Don’t worry about this, I’ll keep her busy.” Bradley replies to your colleagues with eyes full of innuendos.

“I wasn’t asking for all the details. See you Monday.” she laughs before leaving.

“See you Monday.” you say before turning back to Bradley. “I thought you were coming back in two days.”

“We finished early and I wanted to surprise you.” he says while pecking your lips.

“How did you come here?” you ask as you stare at his white and blue Hawaiian shirt, your favorite.

“Jake dropped me off. Savannah told me at what time you finished your day so I patiently waited for you, almost patiently.” 

“She knew?”

“How was I supposed to surprise you without an accomplice?” Bradley rhetorically questions with a smile.

“You’re lucky I love these kinds of surprises. Oh, no! There is nothing in the fridge.” you suddenly exclaim. “I wanted to go grocery shopping tomorrow so I could make your favorite meal. You’re messing all my plans up with your surprises!”

“We’ll eat something at the Hard Deck, I told the Squad we’ll be there tonight.” he reassures you while helping you to get in the driver side of the car.

“Oh, I thought we’d spend the night alone.” you say once Bradley is in the passenger seat.

“Don’t you worry,” he starts as he kisses your cheek, “I intend on spending the whole day with you in bed tomorrow, but first we have to be social. After that, you can do whatever you want to me.” he smoothly whispers in your ear.

“You pervert!” you yell, faking being offended and gently hitting his shoulder. “I wasn’t thinking about that. Okay, maybe I was but still!” you admit after he gave you a look. “I missed my boyfriend and I wanted to stay in his arms in an innocent way.”

“Innocent, sure, I believe you.”

Following his sentence, you roll your eyes but laugh nonetheless. Bradley turns on the radio while you drive out of the parking lot. He takes your right hand in his as the first notes of Great Balls Of Fire comes out of the car radio. Bradley doesn’t need to hear more to start singing and you quickly follow his lead. 

And at the Hard Deck, most of the people present sing along with Bradley while he’s at the piano. You can’t help but tenderly look at him as he’s being the life of the party. How you missed watching him having fun at the piano surrounded by his friends! You couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to start the weekend. 

After he made the whole Hard Deck dance and sing, you and the Squad go play darts while Jake puts some music on. Javy is the first one to play, he’s close to the bullseye. With a cocky look, Jake goes after him and does better than Javy. Meanwhile, you talk with Natasha and Bob while Bradley has his arm around your shoulders. He only leaves your side when it’s his turn. After Bradley, Reuben is next then, they inform you you have to play. At first, you refuse, knowing you suck at darts and yet, you end up accepting. Without any surprise, you shoot far from the bullseye. 

You all keep playing and you keep missing the bullseye. Annoyed, you ask Bradley to help you which he happily does. You put yourself in front of the target, Bradley behind you as he takes your hand in which you hold the dart and raises it while giving you indications in your ear.

“You know,” Jake starts, “if you wanted advice from a professional, you should have asked me, not birdbrain.”

“She just wants an excuse to be close to Rooster.” Coyote says with a teasing tone.

“My offer stays the same, I’m a better company.”

“Shut up, Bagman.”

Jake laughs at Bradley’s sentence, glad to know he got under his skin. Bradley stops paying attention to Jake and focuses on your body against his. Bradley takes advantage of this moment to put his free hand on your hips while guiding you, then you throw the dart and for the first time of the evening, you’re close to the bullseye. You let go of a happy scream before turning around and kissing Braldey to thank him.

“We got it, you’re in love, can we continue the game?”

You don’t pick up Hangman’s remark and go back to Natasha and Bob. Finally, you stop playing as you want to lose this victory so you keep talking to your two friends. When Bradley leaves you alone one more time to play, you go to the bathroom.

Once you leave the stall, you wash your hands and when you look up to the mirror, you’re startled as you find Bradley behind you.

“You idiot, you scared me!”

“I was looking for you.”

“I went to pee, is it illegal?” you joke.

After drying your hands, you turn around to face your boyfriend; without wasting another second, he walks to you and puts his hands on your hips before pressing his lips on yours, you quickly respond to his kiss. Bradley gets you closer to him while you wrap your arms around his neck. Bradley’s tongue finds its way to yours and for a moment, you forget where you are. Bradley puts you next to the sink while his lips go from your mouth to your neck and you wrap your legs around his waist; you try to stifle your moan against Bradley’s shoulder.

“Bradley, we should stop.” you say without any conviction. “The others are just outside the door,” you add as he kisses your lips before going back to your neck again, “and anyone could walk in.”

“As if you want me to stop.”

“Of course, I don’t want you to stop.”

“I don’t see the problem, then. I can be quick.” Bradley affirms with a cocky smile.

His kisses go from your neck to your collarbone while his hand leaves your hip and slowly goes down to your thigh. Reluctantly, you take his hand and Bradley looks up.

“Earlier you were disappointed we wouldn’t be alone and now you’re stopping me. I’m confused.” he exclaims, laughing and frustrated. 

“We haven’t seen each other in six months, we are not having a quickie in the Hard Deck’s bathrooms.”

“What do you want me to do? I want you.”

“Take me to bed or lose me forever, Bradley Bradshaw.”

“No need to tell me twice. I’m closing our tab, go grab your purse.”

With a big smile on your face, you leave the bathroom and go find your friend to grab your stuff.

“What are you doing?” Natasha asks. 

“Braldey is tired, we’re heading home.”

“Tired, Bradshaw?” Natasha laughs as soon as she sees him coming and taking your hand.

“Freaking tired, yeah. See you guys.” He says while he leads you to the exit.

“Use protection, I’m too young to be a godfather!”

Bradley gives Jake the finger following his sentence while you leave the Hard Deck, laughing like two teenagers. It is safe to say, it’s the first time you’ve gone home from the bar that fast.

After spending a whole day on your own at your house, you decided it was time to be social again. After all, Natasha is leaving for a deployment in a week so you want to make the most of it while everyone is here. 

Sunday afternoon, you’re all at the beach. Guys are playing dogfight beach football while you and Natasha are laying on your towels, sunbathing and enjoying the view; and by enjoying the view, it means you are staring at your shirtless boyfriend as he throws the ball at his friends.

“Please, stop it.” Natasha sighs.

“What?”

“You may have your sunglasses on but I can still tell your eyefucking Rooster.”

“Is it a crime to check out my boyfriend?”

“When you’re next to your single friend, yes.”

“I’ll try to stop, I can’t promise you anything, though.”

“You’re disgustingly cute together.” she states before marking a pause. “I’m glad Bradley found you.” your friend sincerely affirms.

“I’m lucky I found him.”

“You know, before meeting you, Bradley didn’t really believe in love. I mean, he believed in it, just not for him. He’s always idealised his parents and he thought what they had was rare so he never worked hard on his relationships. Why be in a relationship if he can never have what they had? Then, he met you and everything changed. I had never seen him this happy before.”

“He never told me that.” you say with a bittersweet smile. “I had never been this happy before him either, you know. I’m not saying I wasn’t happy in my past relationships, I mean the ones that went well, but they have nothing to do with what I have with Bradley. With him, it’s easy, full of passion and love.” you explain, briefly looking at Rooster. “Every time I look at him, I just feel… so high school, as if I was a teenager having a crush for the first time, though I never experienced that, I had my first boyfriend at nineteen. I know, it’s stupid, we’re in our thirties, we’re not kids anymore but I never thought I could find a relationship that pure. For the first time, imagining a future with someone is simple. No matter which one it is, married or not, kids or not, as long as we’re together, I’m okay with it.”

“We like to tease you a lot, but we genuinely hope you two will last.” Natasha smiles before looking ahead of her. “Well, speaking of the devil, your prince charming is coming.”

Bradley trots around to you, his sunglasses on and his body glowing in sweat. The minute he’s in front of you, Bradley gets down and pecks your lips. He sits on the sand, next to your legs. 

“So, did you win?” you ask him.

“Look at Hangman and you’ll have your answer.”

Knowing Jake wasn’t in his team and that you can hear the blond man screaming they cheated, you easily understand Bradley’s team won.

“I deserve a hug.” Bradley states, getting closer to you.

In an instant, you put your hand against his torso and push him away.

“No way, you’re sweating too much. Go for a swim and then come back.”

“Alright, Ma’am.”

Without a warning, Bradley picks you up and runs to the water while you protest. You ask him to put you down while you both get in the ocean. You hold onto him as best as you can, ignoring Bradley’s sweat you criticised a few seconds earlier. 

“I don’t want to wet my hair.” you inform, hoping he’ll leave you alone.

“I’ll do your hair routine, promise.”

“I don’t care, you better not drop me.” you jokingly threaten.

At first, Bradley pretends he’s letting you go before diving in the water with you. The second you get your head out of the water, you splash Bradley, pretending to be mad.

“War is on, Bradshaw.”

While you keep laughing, you try to get your revenge by making Bradley fall in the water. In the end, you spend the remainder of the afternoon swimming and bickering. As promised, in the evening, Bradley does your full hair routine to make amends.

During the week, when you have some free time, you stay with Bradley at your place to watch American Pie. You have your back against his torso as you both lay on the couch. This movie which is more of an erotic comedy than a romantic one actually means a lot for you two. You shared your first kiss while watching the first American Pie movie. 

Before that moment, you had gone on two dates, however none of you had made the first move yet. For your third date, you invited Bradley at your old apartment and you decided to watch this movie as you hadn’t seen him in a few years. On the couch, you were close but not too much. As John was using the word ‘MILF’ to describe Stifler’s mom on screen, you made a joke which made Bradley laugh and without waiting any longer, he kissed you. 

That was three years ago and to this day, it’s a memory you still cherish; so it’s no surprise American Pie became your movie. As you get closer to the iconic scene with John, Bradley holds you tighter to him before turning the volume down a little bit, catching your attention.

“I still remember how nervous I was before kissing you. I think I never was that anxious to kiss a girl before.”

“Was I that scary?” you joke.

“You were too good for me, still are. I can’t believe you want me. You know, I also remember the first time I saw you.”

“When I was at the Hard Deck with Savannah.” you state, fondly thinking back to that moment.

“No, at the beach.” Bradley corrects, making your frown.

“What are you talking about? We met at the Hard Deck on a Friday night. I remember it perfectly.”

“We talked for the first time at the Hard Deck, but I saw you for the first time before that.”

“I’d remember if we had met before.”

“It was about two weeks before that night at the Hard Deck.” he explains with a smile. “You were at the beach, reading Symposium by Plato in Ancient Greek. You caught my attention instantly. It’s not everyday you find someone reading in Greek, especially Ancient Greek. At one point, you looked up, you probably were waiting for Savannah and as soon as I saw your face, I was caught off guard, I had never seen someone that beautiful before. I wanted to talk to you but I got a call from TopGun to deal with some paperwork and when I came back, you weren’t there anymore so as soon as I saw you again at the Hard Deck, I didn’t waste another second.”

“You never told me that.”

“I was waiting for the right moment.”

“What do you mean?” you ask as Bradley stands up from the couch and invites you to do the same. “What are you doing?”

“The first time I saw you, I knew I had to talk to you,” Bradley nervously starts, “And like I just told you, I had missed my chance the first time and I got lucky because I saw you a second time and that’s when I finally met you. At that moment, I didn’t know how much you’d matter to me, I knew one thing, though, I had to get to know you and that’s what I did. And I never regretted this once. We’ve been together for three years and I want more.” he says while putting one knee down and taking a jewellery box out of his pocket. “So, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“My God, yes! Of course, I want to be your wife.” you exclaim, throwing yourself in his arms and kissing him.

The second you break the kiss, Bradley starts breathing normally again and he takes the ring out of the box before putting it on your finger. As you look at the ring more carefully, you recognize it. You saw it in several pictures, it’s his mom’s. Bradley didn’t hesitate a second before choosing this ring to propose. He always told himself if he was lucky enough to find half of the love his parents had, then he’d use his mom’s ring. And when you came into his life, you proved to him how lucky he was because with you, he found a love as extraordinary as Nick and Carol’s, if not more.

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

[forsty]

short boyfriend with tall (blue) boyfriend

[top gun (maverick), avatar AU]

[nyree2712]

Top Gun - Incorrect Quote 55

Maverick: That was a joke, say ha

Viper: Ha

Goose: Now do it again

Viper: Ha

Slider: Congratulations, you are officially the life of the party.