alittlereadingcorner

[alittlereadingcorner]

Oh, I forgot how this story pulls at my heart. I didn’t even know I was holding my breath until I got the the last word.

Bradley being the strong one for his friends.

But poor Javy and Jake. I do hope Thena makes it through!

Heart rates and late night calls

Pairing; Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x reader, Javy 'Coyote' Machado x reader (platonic), Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x reader (platonic)

w.c; 1.7k (i am SO SO SORRY for the short length of this chapter)

Warnings; night terrors/nightmares, angst, mentions of death, a few mental health issues, i think that's it...? let me know if i missed anything!!

Previous chapter| masterlist| next chapter

“Come on, slow poke! Aren’t you meant to be the fastest pilot?” your hair stuck to the sides of your face as you ran along the shore. Crushing your bare feet into the wet sand and taking them just as swiftly, laughing as you tipped your head back. 

“Hey! I'm not the one who holds the record for fastest pilot who is a runner! Slow down, Thena!” Jake shouted from behind you, struggling to keep up with you cheetah like pace as you ran through the coarse winds. 

He quickly was able to catch up with you, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind, picking you up. He felt your chest vibrate against his, laughing. He felt your hands smack his arms and wrists, trying to get out of his grasp. 

“Jake, stop!” He heard you laugh, almost hysterical. 

“Jake! Stop, you’re hurting me! Please! Jake!” your shouts and pleas were drowed before he felt your body go limp in his arms. Unmoving. Unbreathing. 

You laid there, in his arms. Unbreathing, unaware of the man struggling to breathe. He felt like he was being pressed from the chest down. You were limp, unaware of all the life that was booming around him, miles away. Fuck. no. no, no,.

He came to wake with a heaving breath. Chest swallowing any amount of air it could grasp onto. It was a dream. Fucking christ it was a dream. Thank god…

He reached to grab the glass of water on his bedside table, galloping it down within seconds and setting the glass back down. He glanced towards his phone, then to his clock; 3:45 AM. 

Taking a deep breath, he reached for his phone, unconsciously mapping his way towards a familiar contact and pressing dial.

“Hey, it’s J- Hangman, not sure when you're going to end up hearing this message. Your phone is currently turned off and you’re…asleep. Yeah, I think that's a good way of putting it. You’re sleeping. And here I am talking to a voice machine because-” He sucked in a sharp breath, his chest tightening as tried not to let the salty tears that were gathering in vision flow. 

“I never thought myself capable of feeling things like this, but then you come along, throw a middle finger right in my face, flip my world upside down, and have proven me so very wrong on that.

“I’m scared-'' his mouth betrayed him another time as he let your name flow out of it like a prayer, repeating it until he felt like he could say something else. “Please, forgive me for leaving you. Forgive me for being an asshole, I will do anything this world requires of me to get you back, to feel you in my arms, safe, sleeping soundly on my chest, like you were the night of your breakup. Please, please, Athena, i..love you, please, wake up”

He was sobbing. Slipping off the bed and onto the makeshift bed beside the wooden frame, clutching the phone to his chest. He had never cried like this before. Not a time that he can remember from the top of his head. Maybe when his favourite tv show got cancelled because it wasn’t getting much views. He knew this was pointless, leaving a message like this, one that you probably won’t end up hearing. But this…this was pain. This was agony, something he had never felt before. A stab so sharp in his chest that the G’s he pulls during training felt lighter. His heart felt like it was being dipped in acid and then ironed. He didn't want to lose you. 

And in that moment he realised he has fallen for you. Smacked himself right into the massive gates of love, and let himself in without permission.

He realised he is in love with the one woman that despises him.

And he could bet his life on the fact that you didn’t love him…did you?

...

It was after training had finished that all the Top Gun pilots had decided to visit you. Bradley, Halo and Payback were the last ones to arrive outside your hospital room. They were able to catch a glimpse of her, multiple drips and wires hooked up to her, an oxygen mask attached to your face, slow breaths misting up the plastic. A thick white bandage was wrapped around your head but before they could look any further, they were being ushered towards the waiting area by the nurses where Jake and Coyote sat. 

Phoenix wasn’t discharged but was cleared to walk around the hospital for the rest of her stay. 

Rooster currently stood at the end of the hallway, having been the only one who was willing enough to talk to the doctor about his friend’s condition. The rest sat in the old wooden plush chairs, scared that they would end up hearing something that they didn't want to.

You were as much of a good friend to him as the rest of them. He was one of the few that actually has had a posting with her in the past. Both graduated from the academy in the same year. He’s seen you in your element, flying recklessly yet so elegantly that he almost thought your callsign to be Zeus or something related to the god of the skies. 

He wished he had met you earlier, during your early college or training days- when all you had done was cause havoc for the pilots and admirals. It made him think of his dad and Maverick- the name still tastes so bitter in his mouth but he is trying to forget him- the headaches they caused at the towers and it was so similar to the stories that his colleagues told him of Athena. 

“How is she?” There was a noticeable tense to his voice, uncertainty, that perhaps he was going to hear something he didn't want to. 

“She’s stable, for now. Due to the altitude of impact, she did not sustain any injuries near her major organs,” Rooster lets out a breath that he wasn’t sure he was holding as he nods in understanding. Prompting the older man to continue; “However, the material- most likely a polycarbonate- scratched dangerously close to her which caused traumatic brain injury.” 

The pure shock on Bradley's face must have said something because in the next moment, the bearded man ushers him to a nearby chair and sits him down. This cannot be happening, no, its too close to home. Especially for him. 

His heart feels like it is moving to his throat, threatening to spill out. “Wh- what does this mean? Is she going to wake up?” 

The man only lets out a sigh, not sure of what to tell the young man beside him. “We aren’t sure, we will run some scans and MRI’s but that's the best we can do. I’m sorry” patting him on the back, he moves away to give Bradley some space. 

Rooster returns him a tight smile before letting out a long breath. Running two hands over his face to try and wake himself from this nightmare. He doesn't know how long he sits on the uncomfortable metal chair for a minute? Maybe thirty? Before he hears the shuffle of feet, combat boots. 

Peeking his eyes open, he scans through his blurred vision to find his friends, wearing similar looks on their faces, dread, concern, anxiety. 

A single look between him and Coyote is exchanged before he feels his eyes burn, salty tears gathering in front of his vision as he tries to wipe them away. Immediately he feels a set of arms around him, the familiar scent of lavender and sweat hitting his nostrils as he lets himself be surrounded by it. Clinging onto Phoenix, mindful of the bandages wrapped around her torso. 

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” She whispers to him, almost as if they are exchanging a secret. 

Bradley only sniffles into her neck, letting out a shaky “yes”. 

The soft murmur of his voice is heard by everyone around him. Or at least felt. Javy is wearing the most broken look anyone has seen on him. The rest disperse quietly. Trying to find their own way to deal with the surge of emotions that just hit them. 

It’s ridiculous how life plays its cards, taking away the ones you hold dearest away from you in an instant and before you know it, they’re gone. Forever vanished with the wind. 

You don’t wake up the day, or the day after. Or during the week that follows up to the mission. The lack of your presence is felt throughout that time, the pilots were distracted to say the least but every morning the broken look on Coyote and Jake’s face reminded them who they were doing this for. Who they would see, unmoved at the end of the day as they visit the hospital at the end of the day. 

Coyote visited you everyday with your favourite takeout in hand, hoping he would see your smile, sat on the hospital bed, complaining about how your hair looked after two weeks of not brushing it. 

Jake came when he could, he couldn’t bear seeing Coyote sat by your side everyday. Crying as he holds your hand in his. He came when he could because he couldn’t bear to see your face, the face that always morphed into disgust or annoyance when it settled on him. He couldn't bear to see those lips that uttered the most beautiful laughs and held the most dashing smile he had ever seen. He couldn’t… 

Bradley visited you a few times, telling you stories about his time after his academy graduation. One day, something came over him, he ended up telling you about his dad. In a hushed, quiet tone. 

“He was one of the best pilots i knew,” he sniffled, wiping away a rogue tear that fell to his cheek, a few others warping their way towards his scars and down his chin.

“You are the only one that comes to a close second y’know?” he lets out a strangled laugh, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “You are impressive, my Thena, i miss you” he softly takes your iv’d hand in his, mindful of the drip injection attached to it. “Everyone misses you. Coyote has stopped eating, has to be reminded by Nix every night, and even then he ends up eating the takeaway that he brings you after work. 

“Jake…Hangman’s a mess” Rooster chuckles, slightly in disbelief of the words that he is about to tell you. “I’m pretty sure I heard him cry in the lockers yesterday after everyone was gone, staring at a photo of you- it was your official military photo for god sake!”

The heart rate monitor beside him is beeping. A steady heart rate. Nothing. Another day, not a single sign of you. 

taglist:

@topaz125@alittlereadingcorner@inthestars-underthesun@blue-aconite@madikiel007@merakiaes @nicolemval @potato-girl99981@enigmalynne@kkreneeee@lemur46@breezemood@harrycherrylove@dempy@emorychase@elicheel@cookielovesbook-akie@simpformarvelvillians@sbrewer21@certifiedsimp13 @bussyslayer333 @roostersrooster @whoreforseresin@arson-tm @2guysonascooter@fogle97@fandom-life-12 @fandomunite2107 @wolfiealina @crthurston @luckyladycreator2 @a-beaverhausen @rooster-84 @lumpypoll @startrekfangirl2233 @littlebadariell @birdy-bat-writes

[alittlereadingcorner]

Oh, my heart.

Taking Jake’s clothes so that he talks to you…I love it!

Right Side of My Neck

jake ‘hangman’ seresin x fem!reader

summary: a mixup of washing gets the attention of one of the pilots who’s clothes are draped all over you

warnings: it’s quite a cheeky story, flirty, fluffy, funky the three f’s i live by

callsign: athena ‘thena’ for short

a/n: I LOVE THE CLOTHES MIXUP SCENARIO SO MUCH IT HURTS I CANT EMPHASISE THAT ENOUGH

In the laundry room, stood a very puzzled Jake. The blonde pilot scanned over the basket of washing he’d just taken out of the dryer to take it back to him room, in his mind he’d thought he’d gotten through a whole wardrobe full of t-shirts considering he’d been working out so extensively throughout the week. ‘Must be getting good at keeping things clean’ he thought to himself, not knowing that the real reason his shirts had been going missing was due to a washing machine bandit that just so happened to go by your callsign; ‘Athena’.

“Hey man- isn’t that your shirt?”, Javy asked Jake as he’d finished doing his last set of push ups. Today was “Gym Day” which meant that the entire squad had to work out together, it was Maverick’s idea. You’d finally finished your last of squats before taking a quick water break, the shirt you’d accidentally stolen covered nearly the entirety of your black spandex shorts but you didn’t have any other pairs as the other options were in the wash.

“Oh shit- Thena’s been stealing your shirts!”, the pilot laughed to himself as Jake geared at him with great distaste. Jake had found the culprit. Of all people, he was surprised it was you, Jake and you had certainly butted heads a few times before, most recently it was a debate at who the better pilot was, which he knew was himself. Was this your way of getting back at him?

As you were about to start your next set of exercises, Jake strutted towards you.

“Hey Athena, nice shirt.”

You smiled, “Thanks,” was all you said before putting your headphones on before beginning to lunge. Jeez he thought to himself, could anyone be more blunt? You didn’t seem to realise that that shirt was his, or maybe that was just part of the game you were playing, and if it was, it was going to get really old very quickly.

The next few days consisted of Jake loitering in the washer and dryer room, waiting for you to come in and get away with stealing even more of his laundry. But you never did. Did you seriously not have washing everyday? He considered that it might’ve been a thing with women, but in reality it was just because he worked out, a lot.

Then, the day came when you’d finally decided to put all your dirty clothes to wash. Jake had never been more ecstatic to catch you red-handed with another one of your t-shirts in clutch. But when he’d practically busted down the door to the washer room, you were there, except you didn’t have anything of his.

“Uh- Jake, you okay?”

“Pshh yeah, yeah- course I am! I- uh… how are you?”, he tried to play off.

“I’m good, thanks, you coming to collect washing too?”

“Mhm, yeah, let me just squeeze past you,” he said as he wriggled his way around you, basket in hand to delve into the dryer to get his own clothes.

“You coming to the Hard Deck tonight?” you asked as you were about to walk out the door.

“Javy mentioned something about it, I’m still deciding on whether or-.”

“C’mon Seresin, have a break from working out, it’ll be fun,” you cooed in encouragement.

Jake contemplated for a brief moment before ultimately deciding; ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’

****

“That’s really how you got your callsign?”, you laughed hysterically. Jake Seresin had told you that he got his callsign from the fact he was a champion at the actual ‘Hangman’ game in middle school.

“You said you wouldn’t laugh, look at you!” he laughed back, he couldn’t help but join in with your giggling, it was infectious. You were always the same when drunk; bubbly, smiley and so much more relaxed. Jake had noticed that you changed completely, he theorised that it was because being around those you were close to, you were yourself. You didn’t have to put up a front, because at work you were always on the ball, serious and pretty up-tight. Not that Jake really minded if he was being honest with himself, he liked when a woman would be stern with him, put him in his place.

But he wouldn’t ever date a colleague. He didn’t like to admit it, but he’d seen enough rom-coms to know enough. Sure most of the time it’d end up all ‘lovely jubbly’ in the end, but in this line of work, he’d thought it be best to just, not, for his sake at least.

“Seresin, you surprise me everyday y’know that,” you slurred over your words, which caused Jake to laugh a little. You were kind of cute when you were drunk.

Snap out of it, Jake.

“What can I say, I’m a man of many a mystery.”

“Wanna know something?”

Please don’t say it.

“What would that be, Thena?”

“I wanna get out of here, really bad,” Jake sighed in relief, “I wanna be in my bed all cosy, and I need greasy food.”

“Well, that can be arranged, I’ll take you home.”

“Gentleman Jake-,” you started to giggle again, “A smell a new nickname.”

“Alright, let’s get you home.”

****

“Hold on, you said you can’t change your haircut?”, you question the blonde pilot in the drivers seat on the way back to the barracks.

“Nope, it’s strict rules appointed by the Navy, I don’t mind the haircut anyway,” he peered over to you, your eyes shining in the sunlight, lips curled up into a soft smile as you said;

“It looks good anyway,” your head turned to face the sunset hovering over the sea line in the distance, the burnt oranges that collided with the dusty rose painted in the sky was so calming to you. Whereas Jake was feeling the complete opposite. He didn’t even know what he was feeling. Butterflies maybe. It’d been that long, he forgot what it felt like. He couldn’t like you, he can’t like you. It would go against the promise he made himself before getting into Naval Academy that carried on with him when he got into Top Gun.

Never fall in love with your colleague.

He repeated this to himself the entire way back to the barracks. But he couldn’t help but glance over to you, your eyelids getting drowsy, you were seemingly dosing off to sleep for short periods of time. It was nice to see you at peace for once. You got so frantic and frustrated at work, Jake thought that you didn’t even get sleep many nights because you sometimes came into work so tired. He never asked, no matter how much he tried to buck up the courage to do so, he never really had the chance to.

After what felt like long drive back, you’d made it to the barracks. You’d actually fallen asleep while nearing the end of trip. Jake didn’t want to have to wake you up, but he needed to get you inside to make sure you were safe.

“Hey,” he whispered, “Thena,” he lightly shook your arm, “sweetheart, you gotta wake up.”

Shit.

He’d never called anyone ‘sweetheart’ before, let alone you.

Slowly, you awoke to see the blonde pilot with his hand on your shoulder, “is it morning already?”, you joked.

“Haha- very funny, c’mon let’s get you back to your room.”

You tried your best to stand up, however your legs refused to let you do so. You couldn’t help but laugh at your situation, because you knew Jake had to do something about it. His solution was to carry you; bridal style.

You’d never felt so much care from this man, the entire time you’d been at Top Gun.

Jake had never been so in love the entire he’d been at Top Gun.

Jake had managed to make it do your door, but there was one issue, he didn’t have the keys.

“It’s all good, I’ve got it from here now Seresin.”

His name had never sounded so rich until he heard it fall from your lips.

He placed you down, your feet able to touch the ground once more and hold you up. You unlocked the door, you got one foot in before saying;

“Wanna know something else?”

Please. Don’t. Say. It

“The only reason I started stealing your t-shirt was so that you’d finally speak to me.”

Jake didn’t know what to say. He was shocked, and impressed all at the same time.

“Athena-,” his heart had never beat so fast, it felt as if it was about to burst out his chest. In this moment he didn’t know what to say or even do.

“I do see the way you look at me, whether that be when we’re in the break room or even when you look over at me in the briefing room.”

A rosey pink colour, similar to the shade plastered across the sky, lit up on Jake’s face. Before he could say anything else, you grabbed him by his shirt and kissed him, having to get on your tip-toes to reach his lips. Butterflies turned into fireworks as Jake reciprocated your embrace, his hands coming up to cup your face. When Jake asked himself; ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’, his immediate thought was that he’d fall head-over-heels for you even more than he already was. Nevertheless, he was wrong, it wasn’t. You both smiled in between the kiss, knowing that this had been a long-time coming.

You drew yourself back, “The right side of my neck still smells like you, you have great taste in aftershave.”

A smile pulled on Jake’s face, “Why thank you, I take great pride in my musk.”

“Never say that again, you’ll ruin the moment.”

You both laughed, your head falling into his chest, he placed a soft kiss to your temple and rested his head on yours. His warmth gave you the same comfort as the sunset had earlier this evening, he was like your personal sunset. Jake having you in his arms was what he’d wanted ever since he first laid his eyes on you.

“Okay, I need my bed now- but promise me one thing.”

“Anything, Thena.”

“Talk to me,” you said, gazing up at him, “and let’s make this a regular thing.”

“I have no objections to that whatsoever.”

“Goodnight, Seresin,” you uttered planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Night, sweetheart.”

As he walked away, you looked back at him once then closed your door, now yearning for him to be near you again.

But he looked back two times, so he could remember this clearly as the night he’d felt butterflies from the girl who’d reminded him that love isn’t a bad thing when it’s with the right person.

a/n: so, little backstory i have; jake was one to experiment with relationships back in the day, but never found the right fit, and seeing his parents relationship it made him want to never step foot near the thing called ‘love’. i see jake as being reluctant to being in a committed relationship and as being one to keep his feelings to himself, hence why he never speaks to the reader in case something he’s been feeling slips out.

tag list!;

@hangmanapologist @sebsxphia @thesluttyarchivist @beachbabey @rhettabbotts @mothdruid @everythingitcouldbe @lt-bradshaw @auroralightsthesky @t-nd-rfoot

[alittlereadingcorner]

Once again, oh my heart!!!

Something Special | p. 2

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x gn!pilot!reader

Part One Masterlist

Summary: You wanted to hate Rooster for everything he'd done. But you still wanted him to come home. To you.

Word Count: ~1.2k

Warnings: Angst. Allusion toward death. Fluff

A/n: Sorry for the wait on this, life's been a lot. I hope this fixes some of the hurt from the first part lol. I'd love to know your thoughts, thanks for reading! <3

--

You muffled your angry screams into your pillow, fingers gripping the case to have something to keep you grounded. After all these months of guessing, hoping, that you were important to Rooster, he dropped “I love you” before leaving, perhaps for the last time. You threw the pillow against the wall, collapsing on your bed as your fists balled tighter.

Part of you wanted to hate him, to chew him out for what he said to you. It wanted to push him again and again until he was stumbling back, away. Until he couldn’t hurt you anymore. He could fly toward death as much as he wanted then. And you weren’t sure how long you sat with that hatred, minutes slipping past like weightless seconds.

It wasn’t until the other part of you began to appear that you came back, and you realized that you hadn’t said it back. You hadn’t told him that you loved him too. That made your legs move, make your body pace back and forth along the room. It brought on the first hiccup of tears, your hands grabbing your crumpled pillow and holding it to your chest, trying to calm yourself. See, you wouldn’t be crying if you just hated him and didn’t care about him. But you did.

Shoving your tear-stained pillow over your head or playing music loud enough to hurt your ears couldn’t block out your frantic thoughts, or the noise of people excitedly running past your door. Everyone seemed to be trying to get updates on the mission, hurried gasps echoing through the halls when they caught a snippet. Everyone except for you.

It had started in your stomach, the prodding and fluttering that threatened to make you nauseous. The feeling spread outward, down your legs and up your throat until you were almost choking on it. It left your fingers twitching, picking at your nails, and teeth chewing on your cheek. You had told Rooster good luck, and you meant it. Truly, despite everything that’d happened.

And he’d need it if it really was as dangerous as it seemed.

Your chest didn’t rise like it should have, as if a weight refused to leave you. Inhales and exhales felt shallow, never enough. Not when you thought of Rooster up there fearing for his life, his heart pounding through his body.

Moving your hand to your chest, feeling your own irritated heartbeat, you thought back to flattening your fingers across his shirt weeks ago, searching for that pulse in the dark. You’d gotten news one night that your dad was sick, back in the hospital, and it didn’t look good. With watery vision and an emptiness trying to swallow you whole, you heaved yourself out of bed and went to the only place you could.

Rooster had opened the door within seconds of your knocking, probably hearing the sound of your sniffling on the other side. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you in and holding you as if nothing else mattered in that moment. 

In between your staccatoed breaths, he rubbed a hand down your back and murmured, “It’s okay, baby. Wanna talk about it?”

Your throat still felt tight, your crying still racking through your body. So you shook your head and mentally remembered to apologize for soaking his shirt later. But he just walked you to his bed and laid with you, whispering reassurance against your forehead. And your palm found the space above his heart, letting its beating lull you to a calm only he brought.

Your fingers clenched against your own shirt now, an ache inside still existed from his words – from the secrets he’d kept from you. Yet, you couldn’t find it in yourself to wish pain back on him. After all, you’d gone in there yelling at him because you didn’t want to see him hurt. 

Frustration bubbled up to a soft groan in the back of your mouth. You just wanted things to go back to normal, to quiet moments between the two of you and the way he made you laugh so easily. Like that terrible joke he always told people… why a pilot’s least favorite movie is The Little Mermaid.

“Because it’s an Ariel assault,” you whispered, shaking your head as a hint of a smile ghosted your face. 

As you wiped your eyes, attempting to rid your body and mind of the last of its tears, you caught snippets of raised voices passing down the hallway. With more strength than you thought you had in that moment, you crossed the room and crept the door open. You found several people making their way toward the front of the base. 

A pilot you didn’t recognize told you, “They’re on their way back. C’mon.”

In a bit of a daze, you followed. Your feet moved faster as worry ate its way through you, whispering into your ear. What if it had gone all wrong? What if Rooster wasn’t with them? What if he hated you after all that’s happened?

Nearing the entrance, you pushed through the crowd of people. You barely felt the warmth of the sun along your body, your hand coming up to block its brightness. The air buzzed as you saw glimpses of Phoenix’s dark hair, her face tired but happy. Bob stood near, wide smile and bright eyes under his glasses, but sweat drenched him. A question of whether that was a sign things had gone wrong ate at the back of your mind.

Hangman appeared next to them, clasping Maverick on the back. They cheered along with the group of pilots joining them, but where was…?

A breath knocked from your lungs when that laugh rang out, that voice that breezed along your skin. Then you saw him, that stupid mustache that you loved and those warm eyes as they connected with yours from afar. You couldn’t help the grin spreading across your face, especially not once he squeezed around people, fighting through as he made his way toward you.

A giggle escaped your mouth as you did the same, not stopping until he stood in front of you. Where he belonged, with his arms around you and pulling you in close. Where you belonged.

“I’m sorry,” he told you, words spoken against your cheek. You clutched onto the back of him, not caring what this all meant for you two or what anyone might think. He was here. He was alive, and so were you.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” you said, pressing into him. “I’m sorry too.”

He pulled back, shaking his head, and you already missed the feeling of him. “No, I was an idiot, and I should’ve told you. Was just scared… like you said.” He kissed your forehead, letting himself breathe against you. “You’re all I thought about up there.”

By that point, your smile had grown so wide your cheeks began to ache. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Knew I had to make it back.” His body rocked side to side with yours, oblivious to anything happening outside the two of you.

You gave him one last squeeze before leaning back, brushing a thumb along his jaw. “Well, for what it’s worth,” you said, unable to draw your eyes away from his, “I love you too.”

--

@reidslovely

[alittlereadingcorner]

Oh my heart!!!

Something Special

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x gn!pilot!reader

Masterlist

Summary: “Oh, am I supposed to break orders just for you? Like you’re special or something?” OR You aren't sure where you stand with Rooster, but you know he didn't tell you that he might not make it back from the mission.

Word Count: ~1.7k

Warnings: Angst. Swearing. Sadness, some more angst

A/n: This one's pretty sad, I might do a part 2 to make up for it lol. I'm just a sucker for angsty Rooster though. I'd love to know your thoughts, thanks for reading! <3

--

The path your heavy footsteps took felt sickeningly familiar, your body knowing the way to his room with your eyes closed. Stalking through the barrack’s halls, you turned corners with only one thing plaguing your mind, torturing it. 

Other pilots passed your reddening vision, ones that you might’ve smiled at on other days – but not today. Not even to Coyote still laying in the med bay you passed as he recovered from passing out. Not when your fist balled so tight your nails dug into your palm and your throat tightened with each step, threatening to choke you out before you ever made it.

You spotted his door, the one you’d knocked so quietly on for months now so no one would hear – only for him to kiss you breathless on the other side of it. But you didn’t bother to give him any warning this time. The hinges creaked as you threw the door open, screaming at you to stop before this all started. Your eyes found Rooster’s as he startled, sitting up from his bed with a hand on his chest.

“Jesus, you scared the shit out of–”

“Shut up,” you told him, almost relishing the way hurt flashed across his face. The door clicking closed behind you was the only thing accompanying your ragged breaths you couldn’t care to hide. “When were you going to tell me, Bradshaw?”

His eyebrows sunk together, his head tilting to the side. “Oh, of course. I’ll tell you right away about whatever vague thing you’re yelling at me about,” he said, his voice coming with a slight bite.

“You’re an ass. You know that?” You crossed your arms, gritting your teeth so hard your jaw began to ache.

He let out a disbelieving laugh as he stood. “And you’re a stubborn dick. Now that we’ve exchanged pleasantries, can you actually use your words and tell–”

“Are you going on a fucking suicide mission? Is it true?”

You already knew it was. But your face hardened, refusing to show him any emotion. Covering up the heart on your sleeve. Maybe you should’ve started this with honesty, that you were more hurt than angry, more scared than anything. But the deep ridges of your rage felt comfortable, right, for what he’d done to you. Or hadn’t done.

Rooster’s mouth opened and closed, his mustache twitching as he struggled to say anything. You just raised your eyebrows, waiting for him to tell you that somehow this was all a misunderstanding. You could handle looking like an idiot, but this? The truth? You weren’t so sure.

His hand dragged down his face, the brown of his eyes void of its usual warmth that you often sought out – passing in the halls, across the table in boring meetings, standing before your plane with your heart in your throat.

“Who told you?” he asked, looking everywhere but you. And his question brought a horrible realization in front of you, trickling down your spine alongside other secrets he kept from you. 

“Rooster,” you gritted out, forcing your voice to stay steady. “When Coyote couldn’t fly, and they were looking for someone to replace him… did my name ever come up?”

The silence left between you two vibrated, buzzing so hard it ached in your chest. “Tell me you didn’t talk to Maverick, or Cyclone for christ’s sake, and convince them not to pick me.” Too many moments passed, his face unyielding and so unlike the man you’d come to know. When he didn’t answer, just shifted his body from one foot to the other, you tiredly whispered out, “Bradley…” 

“Who told you? The mission is confidential.” Rooster moved toward you, his jaw hard set and ticking. You weren’t on the mission – thanks to him apparently – but with being at the same base, you’d found opportunities to get bits and pieces out of Hangman and Maverick. The fact that Rooster didn’t tell you though weighed heavier on your mind.

“Is that why you didn’t tell me? Because it’s confidential?” you spit out, voice mocking. It was a valid reason, but he told you everything against your lips, bodies facing one another on his too-small bed in between dusk and dawn.

He came closer still, angry breaths filling the space between you two as his eyes refused to leave yours now. “Oh, am I supposed to break orders just for you? Like you’re special or something?”

That made you pause, the first time you’d done so since learning the news. Your gaze unfocused, drifting down until they fell on his hands. Hands you had once trusted to hold you despite everything else going on – now they merely looked like a stranger’s. Had you so badly misunderstood where you fit into his life?

With a sad laugh, you shook your head as you thought out loud, “Yeah, guess I thought so. Especially when you’re going off to get yourself killed.”

A groan came from the back of his throat. “I… this is bigger than us. I just–”

“It’s fine,” you told him, raising your hands up in surrender. As you stepped back, you could’ve sworn his fingers twitched, shifted toward you just an inch. “It was my mistake.” Your voice came out as a whisper when you opened the door, letting it close behind you softly. Biting the inside of your cheek, you didn’t let tears fall until you made it back to your bed, alone.

–

You didn’t hear the news from Rooster, that he’d been chosen to go on the mission. No, you’d picked up on it as the whole base seemed to come alive as the day neared. And he stood at the center of it. You’d done your best to avoid him and his usual routine that you had memorized just to sneak spare moments together here and there.

Time you might have had to yourself was spent in the gym, or anywhere but your room in case he decided to come by. You knew he hadn’t though, not with the mission hanging over his head. 

It wasn’t until the morning of the flight that you saw Rooster again in the hallway outside the locker rooms – you on your way in to change for a workout, him on his way out, carrying his flight gear.

“Oh,” you said, stepping back so you didn’t bump into his chest. You stared at his helmet, the design on it so him. And all you could do was focus on your even breathing as he cleared his throat.

“Wasn’t expecting you here,” he said, his voice void of the anger it had before.

“Could say the same.” You still kept the grit to your words, unable to let them go as he stood there before you – ready to go on a mission he wouldn’t let you take. 

Rooster nodded, pursing his lips. “I, uh, couldn’t wait around. Too many nerves, so I got ready early. Before we head out on the aircraft carrier.”

“I know how that is,” you breathed out, knowing you should offer him some sort of reassurance. But couldn’t he offer the same? Give you something to hold onto besides hope. Hope. As if that could make you feel any less helpless standing back here while he soared above. Alone.

You nearly couldn’t take the silence crackling between your bodies, hanging much too heavy on your already aching shoulders. Picking at your nails, you were about to wish him luck when he spoke up.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, exactly?” you asked, voice tight as you stared at and through him.

You saw the way his jaw ticked for just a brief moment before he let out a long breath. “For not telling you the truth… about everything.”

Trying to focus on the grounding feeling of your arms crossing over your chest, you whispered, “But you’d do it again if given the chance, wouldn’t you, Rooster?”

His chest heaved when he answered, “Yes, baby, I would.”

And you couldn’t stop the scoff that escaped your mouth – at the pet name, at his answer, at everything he seemed to stand for.

“Were you trying to protect me from danger, or were you protecting yourself from this?” you asked, gesturing between the two of you. “That fear you’d have of me flying up there, of getting my chance to be more, is what I now have to live with. Maybe forever if you don’t come bac–”

“I’m coming back, okay?” You stared him down like you didn’t believe him, and you weren’t sure he believed it himself.

Shaking your head, you gritted out, “And if I had gone on this flight, said this exact BS you’re trying to tell me, you wouldn’t have batted an eye? Bradley, you’re a fucking hypocrite and you’re god damn scared.”

“Of course I’m scared!” he shouted, moving forward until his body pressed against yours. “Maybe I don’t make it back, but you will. You’ll be here, and you can keep living.”

His anger seethed from him, his throat straining. Still, you pressed your hands against his chest, pushing him back. “Or it could be you here, on the ground and safe. Since when do you get to choose who lives and who dies?”

“Since I lost my fucking parents, that’s when. If I have the chance to stop from losing another person I love, I’m going to take it,” he said, ripping your hands from him. His eyes, now turned dark and pupils large, moved frantically across your face. 

Your stomach sank, dropping down, down, down and turning to stone. “Don’t,” you whispered, the corners of your eyes beginning to sting no matter how much you begged them to quiet, to dry, to shove any emotion away.

“I…” he stammered, reaching out to grab you again. “It’s true, I love you.”

Gritting your teeth, you turned your head away. “Don’t, Bradley. You don’t get to do this to me.” Tears finally spilled over and onto your cheeks. The feeling that this conversation was a goodbye seeped through your skin, settling into your bones.

“Please,” he begged, grasping onto your arms. Maybe you loved him too, maybe that’s where your unyielding rage stemmed from as he caused you this pain. But you wouldn’t let that hurt you, not when him dying would kill you.

You grabbed his hands, giving them a final squeeze. “Good luck up there.” The look of his tearful face as you backed away wouldn’t leave your mind, not when you refused to leave your room until you were sure Rooster was gone.

--

@reidslovely

[alittlereadingcorner]

"’I want to take you out for dinner,’ he says softly. ‘I want to make you laugh. Not leave you like this. Huddled up on your couch, fighting so bravely to hold back those tears you don't want anyone to see, let alone me.’"

This line got me feeling so soft.

Title: Friendly Fire

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x girl next door!Reader

Rating: T for language and brief mentions of sleeping together

Word count: 1.5k (I swear, it was supposed to be shorter than that...)

Summary: You and Jake are frenemies but when your date goes wrong, Jake is the one who comforts you.

You and Jake had known each other for years, pestering each other, constantly bickering, and maintaining this friendly hostility together.

However, you saw the string of women who paraded in and out of Jake's apartment on a regular basis. So even though he might flirt relentlessly with you, it wasn't going to amount to anything. You were never going to be yet another notch on his bedpost.

Whenever Jake returned to his apartment drunk, you made sure to arrive at his door the next morning, bright and early, clanging pots and pans, carrying a plate piled high with a big, greasy breakfast.

"Morning, Sunshine!" you practically yell.

You're definitely, totally, 100% NOT distracted by his bedhead and bare chest or the loose gray sweatpants that are barely hanging onto his hips.

(That's a lie. You are very, very distracted.)

Jake screws one eye shut and glares. With a voice still raspy from sleep, he growls, "What. the hell. are you. doing?"

"Just wanted to check in and see how that hangover was treatin' you, buddy." You shove the plate of food in his face, making sure he gets a big whiff of greasy bacon. "Brought you breakfast!"

He grimaces and pushes the food away.

"You're a little shit, you know that?"

"Aw, Seresin, do you sweet talk all your girlfriends like that?"

He hums and leans in until you can see the gleam in his eyes that makes your stomach flip-flop.

"Nope," he says. "I only save that for you, sweetheart."

You hum right back, mimicking him, and you reply with false sweetness, "Call me sweetheart again and I'll ram this bacon down your throat."

Jake huffs a laugh and braces a hand on the door frame. It takes a lot of effort to keep your gaze on his face and not stare at the sight of his bare torso, all...muscled...and...and...close enough to touch...

(damn it)

"You know, with that oh-so-warm-and-friendly bedside manner, it's amazing you don't have a boyfriend," he says.

You clench your teeth because...that stings. A little. But you won't let on.

So you push the plate into Jake's chest, spilling eggs and bacon all over him.

"Clearly you're feeling much better so I'll get out of your hair."

Sometimes, when Jake and his Dagger Squad buddies are hanging out at Penny's bar, playing pool, you crash the party just to fuck with him.

You pretend you're a newbie at pool, and Jake looks all smug like he's going to slaughter you. But you let the bets pile up for a while and that's when you utterly wipe the floor with him.

Which makes you VERY popular among his buddies. Meanwhile, Jake looks like he swallowed a lemon.

You can't help taunting him, tilting your chin up as you pick up the pile of cash on the edge of the table and wave it at him.

"How do you like the taste of being the loser, flyboy?"

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds, pinning you with this unblinking stare, a little smile at the corner of his mouth. There's definitely a shift in the air between you that makes your skin crackle.

"Double or nothing," he says, a challenge in his voice.

You stow your winnings in your pocket.

"Hell no. I won, fair and square, and I'm going to enjoy rubbing your face in it for the rest of the night."

He just shakes his head, huffs a laugh and leaves you to your boasting.

But when you overhear Jake's buddies whispering among themselves, speculating that you've definitely slept together because "they've totally got this eye sex thing going on," that's when you make a hasty exit.

A few weeks later, you make a huge effort to get a date, you get dressed up and everything. And when you happen to cross Jake's path in the hallway of your apartment building - completely by accident - you take advantage of it.

Jake raises his eyebrows as his gaze sweeps over you, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Wow, look at you. Fancy. Where are you off to?"

"I have a date," you declare, putting as much smugness into it as you possibly can.

"Really? Well, good luck."

Which leaves you blinking in surprise because you'd expected some kind of smartass reply.

"That's it?" you ask before you can stop yourself.

Jake shrugs. "Was I supposed to say something else?"

"I mean...I thought you'd crack a joke at my expense like you always do."

"I guess there's a first time for everything then."

He walks away and you're a little stunned. You don't quite know what just happened.

Your date does not go well. You waited for several hours but your date stood you up and wouldn't return your texts or calls.

When you drag yourself home, you're fighting back tears, making plans to cuddle up to a pint of ice cream. You fumble with your keys at your apartment door when Jake comes around the corner with a bag of garbage for the trash disposal.

"Ah, there she is. Cinderella has finally returned from the ball. Did you find your Prince Charming?" Then he skids to a stop at the sight of your bloodshot eyes and his smile vanishes instantly. "Whoa. Hey. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just...fuck." You drop your keys and you're this close to completely falling apart right there on your threshold.

You expect Jake to bolt in the face of your emotional mess. Instead, he shoves his garbage into the disposal and retrieves your keys, sliding them into your lock easily.

"Come on," he says with surprising gentleness and a hand at the small of your back. "Inside."

"I just - I'd like to be alone - "

"Too bad. You're stuck with me for a while so you'll just have to deal with it."

He leads you to the couch and then, to your amazement, kneels and tugs off your shoes.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with the Jake I used to know?"

He laughs softly and props his forearms on the couch on either side of you.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened? Or do I have to pry it out of you?"

You scrub a hand over your face because you really don't actually want to tell him but you know Jake is as stubborn as they come and he won't leave you alone until you give him something.

"My date stood me up. I mean, it's nothing new. But I thought...I guess I got my hopes up. It's stupid, I don't even know why I'm upset."

Jake frowned. "Because your date was an asshole. That's why."

You snorted. "Yeah, seems to be the story of my entire dating history in a nutshell right there."

"Then let me take you out to dinner."

For a heartbeat of silence, you are utterly speechless.

"You realize the irony of that, don't you?"

"Would you spell it out for me if I said pretty please?"

You shoot him an annoyed look. "Jake, you just accused my date of being an asshole. But now you want to take me out when you're the biggest asshole in the entire history of assholes."

"Ouch," he says with a smirk, completely unperturbed by my bluntness. "Don't sugarcoat it or anything. Tell me how you really feel."

"You're a big boy. Your gigantic ego can handle a little bruising."

"So is that a no? Or do I still have a shot?"

You sighed and sank deeper into the couch, glancing away.

"Come on, Jake. Now you're just making fun of me. I'm not in the mood."

Jake cups your chin and tilts your head up to look at him.

"I'm not making fun of you. I'm serious."

Then he brushes his thumb over your lower lip and it feels like all the breath is sucked out of your lungs in an instant.

"I want to take you out for dinner," he says softly. "I want to make you laugh. Not leave you like this. Huddled up on your couch, fighting so bravely to hold back those tears you don't want anyone to see, let alone me."

He thumbs at your cheeks, wiping away a stray tear you hadn't managed to hide.

"And then," Jake added with a coy smile. "I want to take you home and kiss you goodnight."

You sniff and scrub your hands over your face, trying to summon a barb of sarcasm to get you back on your feet again.

"What if I don't let you kiss me?"

Jake studies you for a moment. Then he curves his hand over your knee, his thumb moving in soothing circles.

"I'm not afraid of a challenge, sweetheart. If you want me to work for it, I'll be happy to do that, too."

You tug at your earlobe self-consciously as your cheeks heat, pleased at Jake's words.

"Well...what did I tell you about calling me sweetheart?"

"Would you prefer I call you my girl instead?"

Oh.

Oh holy hell, that just took your knees right out from under you. You've lost all pretense now and you just laugh in disbelief.

"Okay, yeah, I've got to hand it to you, that was pretty smooth."

Jake grins. "I knew I'd wear you down eventually."

So that's how you found yourself tucked under Jake's arm on the couch that Saturday night. Netflix flickered in the background while you and Jake sparred with your spoons over a pint of ice cream.

Masterlist

[alittlereadingcorner]

Bradley baking as a hobby, and being a really good baker sounds like a dream!

The fact that Hangman gave his mom’s number just so he could get homemade lemon bars.

brown butter cookies

summary | baking started to become bradley's coping mechanism after the uranium mission

pairing | bradley bradshaw x fem!reader

warning | angst, fluff, mentions of the mission, PTSD

word count | 1.0k

Bradley could have died that day and he still couldn’t comprehend that. Flying back to San Diego, Bradley couldn’t talk to anyone, not even Maverick. All he had thought about when his plane was going down was you. 

He didn’t have many memories of his dad but the most vivid ones were when officers had come to their house, telling his mom about the news and next his dad’s funeral, remembering how Maverick had presented the folded flag to him. 

Since that, he didn’t want that to happen to you, he didn’t want you to feel the way his mother did when his dad died, how she barely went out some days, the light leaving her body. 

You were waiting at the base when they came back, you and Penny waiting in the parking lot. Seeing the squad make their way out, Maverick already running towards Penny, you saw Bradley slugging himself behind Mav. 

Scared out of your mind, you ran towards your husband, happy that he was back home but wondering where the damage was done. 

“B.” You whispered, cupping his cheeks. Sniffling, Bradley started to cry, wrapping his arms around you, pushing his face further and further into your neck. Your eyes were wide, Bradley had never been like this after any mission, you stayed quiet, hugging him tightly. 

“C’mon let’s go home.” That seemed to get him out of your touch, wiping away his tears, letting you guide him to the bronco. Sitting in the driver's seat, you looked over at Bradley who just broke down into tears. 

“Bradley!” You called out, seeing his chest heaving, seeing that he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. “B, can you hear me.”

“I almost died.” He choked out, turning his head towards you, “I almost died and all I thought about was you being alone.”

You couldn’t help but tear up, that was always your biggest fear, hearing that Bradley never back from a mission. Leaning over the console, you wiped away his tears, kissing him softly. Bradley cried softly, resting your forehead against his. 

Driving home, you held onto his hand the entire time pulling into the driveway, Bradley let out a shuddering sigh. 

The navy had given the team 2 weeks off, and gave you the number of the therapist on base. The two of you talked it over and agreed on going twice a week.

Soon the mission had been 2 months ago, the dagger squad now staying at TOP GUN. 

One thing he learned at therapy was finding an activity outside of his job. Bradley tried sports, volunteering, and soon found out it was baking. 

Carole had always made the best cookies when he was little, and passed down the recipe to him before she passed, something he just kept in one of her boxes. 

Coming home from work, it was warm inside the house, warmer than usual and smelt amazon. 

“B, what are you making? It smells wonderful.” You gushed walking into the kitchen, “Oh my!”

Cookies were everywhere, on every counter space that was available. Bradley was standing over the sink, the hand mixer on, not hearing you come in. 

“Hey.” He smiled, seeing you walking. Letting out a snort, you saw the apron that was yours around him, covered in flour and sugar. “I made cookies.”

“For the squad.” You probably had to guess there were at least 5 dozen cookies cooling down. 

“Why?” You asked, grabbing one off the cooling rack, “These are so good!”

“My therapist said that I should find an activity or a hobby.” He shrugged. Bradley never talked to you about his sessions, not that he had too but it seemed like it was making progress because you hadn’t seen him so calm and happy since the mission. 

“And their brown butter cookies, some with chocolate chips and with a little salt on top.” He answered. “It was my mom's recipe, I found them in her boxes and I made a batch and then ended up spending the rest of the afternoon making them.”

“I didn’t know you were such a good baker.” You smiled, taking another cookie. “You should make brownies next.”

Coming into work the next few days, Bradley came with boxes and boxes full of cookies giving them to the squad, letting them just assume that it was you who were making them. He didn’t really talk about his PTSD he still had, the nightmares, staying up all night because he’s scared that if he’d go to sleep he wouldn’t wake up. 

Maverick was probably the closest to know what was happening with Bradley, somewhat in the same position as him, his near death experience, but wasn’t his first nor will it be his last. 

“It tastes exactly like your moms.” Maverick commented as they started fixing up one of the F-14s. Bradley let out a small smile, happy that he remembered and that the two of them started to mend their relationship.

“It feels nice.” Bradley hummed, “Makes me forget about everything, and now Y/n wants me to make more desserts now.”

“You're gonna be a PTA dad in the future.” Maverick snorted, “Bringing treats for all the parties.”

“Shut up!” He huffed. 

-

“Try.” He offered you a piece, soon enough, baking became a normal thing for Bradley now, making something new every couple of days. “Hangman’s mom sent me her recipe for lemon bars.”

“Hangman's mom.” You were amused, “Since when did you talk to her?”

“You don’t need to know who I talk to.” He said playfully. “And anyways, Hangman gave her number, apparently he heard about my new found talent and wanted some.”

“You might need to start charging now, this is turning into a side business.” You took another bite of the bar, “I think you were a baker in your past life.”

“Hey, if being an aviator ever comes to an end, I’ll own a bakery.” He smiled, slightly liking the idea. 

“Gonna name it after me?” You let out a breathy laugh. 

“Name it after my girls.” He said adamantly, “You and my mom.”

fin.

[alittlereadingcorner]

Baking cookies and dancing with Jake in the early morning hours? Oh yes please!

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday

Pairing: Jake Seresin x f!reader

Warnings: Absolutely none. This is pure fluff. So, so fluffy. Very cheesy.

AN: You ever get one of those thoughts were it's all you think about, and you have to immediately do something about it because you love the idea so much? Yup, that's what happened with this. (This song is so beautiful to me, so I had to choose it. And I absolutely LOVE this so much.)

Summary: Jake catches you up making a midnight snack, listening to your music. So, he decides to take over the radio, and have a dance with you.

~

You smile in surprise when you feel Jake's hands slowly wrap around your waist. Resting his chin in the bend of your neck. You bring your hand up to hold the back of his head. Playing with his wild, bed hair. Kissing his cheek.

"Did I wake you up?" Your voice is soft.

"Hmm, no." He mumbles. His voice groggy and deep. Loving to hear his sleep voice. "What are doing up sweetheart?" He raises his head. Looking down at you, your eyes meet his sleepy stare. He moves his hands, so they hold your sides.

"I can't sleep." You answer.

"What I should be asking is, what are doing up cooking?" He raises a brow at you. Your lips slowly pulling into a grin. The look of total mischief on your face makes him laugh.

"Don't laugh! I'm hungry." You say playfully. Making him laugh harder. He turns you so that you are facing him. His hands massaging your hips. Comfortable silence filling the room. His sage green eyes deeply looking at you.

A look of passion, as he adores you. Simply admiring his girlfriend who gets up at midnight to bake. Who listens to music as she does so. Who is looking lovingly at her boyfriend. You bring your hand up, tracing your hand across his features. Moving the strands of hair that hang in his face out of the way. Cupping the side of his face. You watch as he closes his eyes. Leaning into your hold as he takes a deep breath.

You watch as the stress pours off of him. All his worries washing away. The wight being lifted off of his shoulders. Watching him relax. As you look at him, you think about how lucky you are. That when he is having bad day at work, or if something is bothering him, he can come to you and be okay. That you are his safe space. You are his home. Knowing that you are his comfort, it brings you peace. Makes you feel like you have done your job right. It confirms your questions of rather you are doing things right.

He raises his head. His eyes opening, he says nothing. He reaches for your phone. Pausing the song you had playing. Searching for a certain song. "You desperately need to update your playlist. Come on," He speaks. Looking down at you.

"This coming from you?" He smiles. Chuckling at you. Knowing that you have a point. That he can't win that argument. He sits your phone back down. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday by Boy's || Men playing.

He grabs one of your hands, placing it on his shoulder. He takes your other hand in his. His other hand holding your side. He starts to sway with you. Not saying anything, he looks down to see you smiling. A look of surprise in your eyes. You rest your head on his chest. Listening to the steady beat of his heart and the harmonizing of the song that plays. He kisses your forehead. Starting to rub gentle circles with his thumb on your side.

Now it's time for your stress and worries to pour off of you. The gentle touches of his hand, his voice humming the song smoothing you. Calming you. You look up at him. Loving the fact that you are the only one who gets this. The only one who gets to see Jake like this. Gentle and caring. You feel blessed that you get to have this side of him. That the world sees this 'selfish' aviator, but you see a man that is all heart and would do anything for you. If he didn't care, he wouldn't be in the kitchen at almost one in morning dancing with you while you wait for your cookies to finish baking. Or he wouldn't make playlist for you. And when he did make a playlist for the both of you for the first time, you wanted to get on one knee.

You would do anything for him. And now as he spins you. Taking you in his arms. This small thing he is doing for you, isn't small to you. It means the world to you. This. Now. This moment you will treasure forever.

"Jake?" You suddenly speak.

"Hmm?" He hums.

"What's our song?"

"What do you mean?" He furrows his eyebrows.

"Like 'our song'. You know, a song that reminds you of our relationship. Songs you dance to at one in morning." You laugh. His smile growing.

"Well, I think... there are too many songs, honestly. Has anyone told you that you listen to too much music?" He raises his eyebrows, his tone playful.

"Now you're just trying to be mean." You chuckle. He twirls you. Holding you close to him. He tries to speak, but is cut off by the timer on the oven going off.

"My cookies!" You gasp in excitement. Leaving Jake standing there. Abandoning him. You take them out. Your smile wide. Jake walks over to your side. Looking down at you. Watching you get so enthusiastic about something so small.

You walk over to the cabinets, getting a plate and a spatula to get the cookies up with. You put each one on the plate. You go to sit on the counter. Jake seeing you, he picks you up. Sitting you down. Standing in between your legs. His hands resting on each side of you on the counter.

You take a cookie. Holding it up. "Here. Try it." He leans his head forward. Doing as you say. He takes a bit out of the cookie. Looking into your eyes that beam with excitement.

"Wow." He says with a mouth full. You take a cookie for yourself. Happily eating. "I have to say; these cookies are pretty damn good." He continues.

"Aren't they?!" You beam. The both of you eating the hot fresh chocolate chip cookies.

Grabbing one after another, next thing you know the both of you have eat the entire plate of cookies. Now sitting there, his hand resting on your thigh.

He clears his throat, straightening his posture. "Come on. Let's get back to bed."

"Can we watch a movie?" You ask and he glares at you. Making you grin.

"I suppose." He speaks.

"Yay! I get to pick." You say as he lifts you in his arms. He rolls his eyes at you even though he wouldn't take anything for seeing you get so happy.

[alittlereadingcorner]

Oh my goodness, this was such a cute meet cute!!!

return to sender

pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x reader

summary: you’ve been getting your neighbor’s mail for the past few months and you were okay with it, but now came a time to finally talk to him about it 

warnings: light swearing, neighbors meet cute, bradley's biceps bc god damn they deserve a warning of their own (2.5k)

navigation + taglist

The first time you got someone else’s mail, you didn’t think anything of it. Bradley Bradshaw, it said, 1987 Pennsylvania Court. That was a few doors down from your place, and they were just letters, you could just drop them off in his mailbox the next time you went out. No big deal, it was just one time. 

Then one time became twice, which eventually turned into a third, fourth, fifth time, and so on. Letters soon became bigger envelopes, which didn’t actually fit into his mail slot. 

So you started dropping them on his doorstep, leaving them for him to find the next time he left the house. Knocking on his door and giving him his mail seemed like it would be too much of an endeavor for your poor social skills, because you’d seen Bradley Bradshaw around from afar sometimes, but you’d never said a word to him. No, he was big and tall and scary looking, and as much as you hated to pass judgment on people you didn’t actually know, probably a jerk. 

So yeah, sticking them in his mailbox, leaving them at his door and hightailing it out of there was the best option for everyone. It meant you didn’t have to confront him and tell him that his mail was being sent to the wrong apartment, and he didn’t have to waste his time talking to you. Win win for both of you. 

That all went out the window today, when you opened your door to see the biggest box you’d ever laid eyes on sitting on your welcome mat, the mailing address on the top flap spelling out none other than motherfucking Bradley Bradshaw in large, bold letters. Upon trying to lift it, you very quickly found that you couldn’t even get it to budge more than an inch. 

Looks like you were going to have to talk to Bradley after all. 

After giving yourself a pep talk (and hyping yourself up and going through all the things that could possibly go wrong) you marched your way over to his place, practicing what you were going to say to him the whole way. 

You exhaled one last sharp breath through your mouth, licking your lips nervously before knocking on his door, once, twice, a third time. Faint footsteps came from inside, the clicking of the lock a few seconds after, then the door swung open. 

Nothing could’ve prepared you for the person standing in front of you. It was Bradley, of course, but up close for the first time. For once, you could see him in his entirety, and holy fuck was he hot. Clad in a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts, he looked unfairly good—a far cry from you in your stretched out leggings and frayed sweatshirt from fucking college. He was tall and broad and tan and about a dozen other words you couldn’t even think of right now, not when all you could do was barely control your reaction to seeing him. You wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was a ‘loading, please wait’ signal flashing above your head. 

His gaze landed on you hovering awkwardly on his doorstep, offering you a polite smile. “Hi, can I help you with something?” 

“Hi. I live a few doors down from here and I think there’s been some sort of mistake with the post office, because I’ve been getting your mail for the past few months.” You blurted, pressing your lips together right after the words left your mouth. Way to ease into it, loser! 

Bradley’s eyebrow’s furrowed, mouth turning down into a confused sort of frown. “Uh…no, I don’t think so? My mail’s been getting here just fine everyday.” 

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been dropping it off in your mailbox every time I get it.”  

His eyes widened, mouth dropping open the tiniest bit in…was that shock? Surprise? Possibly guilt? Maybe a mixture of all three. “Shit, really?” You nodded. “Oh god, I’m sorry, I didn’t even—I didn’t notice.” 

Honestly, you were expecting him to be a dick about it, but here he was, apologizing for something that he couldn’t have even known was happening all this time. It was throwing you for a loop, because you’d built him up in your head to be kinda mean and scary, but he was actually really nice. 

“Um. It’s—it’s okay. Just thought I should let you know.” 

“I guess I should be thanking you then.” He smiled warmly, and you had to fight the urge to turn tail and run. Bradley Bradshaw had the kind of smile that had the power to throw your whole plan out the window. 

See, you’d banked this entire interaction on him being an asshole. You’d tell him to come get his package, he’d do it, somehow fix the whole mail delivery problem, and then you’d never have to talk to him again. Problems solved, no reason for you to have to take this any further. 

Except he wasn’t an asshole at all, which made you feel like an asshole. 

“I’m Bradley, by the way,” He offered, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “Which you already knew, ‘cause you’ve been getting my mail for months. I never got your name though?” 

“Y/N.” You replied, shifting your weight to your other foot. He repeated it, bobbing his head in acknowledgment. Hearing your name come off his lips was…well, the only way you could describe it was weird. It sounded somehow better than you’d heard it come out of anyone else’s mouth. “Right, so that’s not actually what I came over here for. Well, it was to tell you about the mail thing, but also something else. You’ve got a giant package.” Your face burned lava hot as you realized what you said and what it sounded like you were saying (two very different things, by the way). 

Bradley coughed abruptly, choking on his own breath at your words. He pounded on his chest a few times to recover before speaking. “I’m sorry?” 

“Your mail—a really big box. Sent to my apartment. Again!” You exclaimed, attempting to salvage your dignity and this downhill spiraling conversation. You could see Bradley was trying to keep his composure so as to not make you feel any more mortified than he could clearly see you were, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. He’d brought up a hand to rub at his mustache, effectively covering most of his mouth, but the beginnings of a smirk curled the edges of it, his eyes glinting in barely contained amusement at your blunder. “There’s a giant box that belongs to you on my doorstep and I can’t move it, so can you just…” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll come grab it.” He nodded quickly, grabbing his keys and stepping outside. He shut the door behind him, gesturing for you to go first. “Lead the way.” 

You started the walk back to your place in dead silence, keeping your eyes trained on the sidewalk so you wouldn’t have to say anything to Bradley. You’d rather stew in your own humiliation and impending misery than initiate another conversation. Or think about how attractive he was, but that was besides the point. Totally, completely irrelevant. 

It was going pretty well, but then, he spoke. “So, when did you move into your place? I can’t say that I’ve seen you around here much.” 

He was trying to make small talk, you could tell. Probably to avoid having to dwell on the very awkward situation from moments prior. And as much as you didn’t want to make any more of a fool out of yourself than you already had, it would’ve been rude not to answer. 

“Been here a few years. I keep to myself mostly though.” Mainly to avoid situations like this. 

“Ah yeah, I’m usually not here too often. My job takes me a lot of different places, so I’m typically gone for months at a time.” He replied casually, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“Long business trips?” 

“Sorta. I’m Navy. Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw, naval aviator—at your service.” Navy, interesting. Now you were wondering how those broad shoulders fit into a jet. 

“So you zoom around in the skies for a living?” 

“It’s a little more than that, but yeah, pretty much,” He snorted, said broad shoulders shaking with laughter. Damnit, even his laugh was endearing. It was getting harder and harder for you to justify making this thing with Bradley a one off. “Maybe I could take you up in my jet one day, give you a taste of what flying free feels like.” 

Was he…flirting with you right now? 

You finally looked at him, raising a curious eyebrow. “Really?” 

“Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s extremely against the rules. I can’t do that, I don’t—I don’t know why I said that.” Bradley admitted, offering you a rather embarrassed smile. 

You didn’t know how to respond to that, but good thing you’d arrived back at your place right at that minute, the huge box on your doormat instantly distracting him. 

“No way! I’ve been waiting for this thing for ages!” He exclaimed, squatting down to run his hand along the cardboard. He turned to you, eyes alight with pure joy. “You wanna know what it is?” 

You didn’t feel like you really needed to know, but from the way Bradley was beaming at you, you found yourself actually growing a little interested. “What is it?” 

“This fancy new coffee machine one of my buddies has been raving about. Apparently it’s supposed to brew like, the best coffee ever. I really think he might be exaggerating a bit, but Hangman’s fairly reliable when it comes to cool things.” 

Your brow raised in curiosity. “Hangman?” 

“His callsign. Mine’s Rooster.” Weird, but somehow it seemed very fitting. 

Bradley hefted the box into his arms with ease, resting it on a raised knee as he attempted to get his arms around it. His biceps bulged with the effort, and you had to make a conscious effort to avert your gaze. God, those things had to be bigger than your head. 

“Thank you again for dropping off my mail all this time, you really didn’t have to.” He said earnestly, fighting another smirk. Oh, he definitely caught you looking.

“I didn’t mind.” You replied quickly, feeling your face grow warm again. “Thought they might be important things. Naval aviator paperwork, maybe.” 

“Right. Well, I’ll let you get on with your day,” Bradley chuckled. He shifted the box a little higher up in his arms, and you looked anywhere else to stop your eyes slipping to his flexing biceps yet again. “But hey, if you ever wanted to chat or hang out or something since we’re neighbors, feel free to swing by. We could try out this coffee machine, see if it’s worth the fortune I spent on it.” 

You hesitated in your response. You knew it wasn’t anything serious, just some coffee between two neighbors, but the weight of it hung heavy in the air. Did you really want to make this more than a one time thing? 

Bradley was really goddamn nice, and as pathetic as it might’ve sounded, just that was enough to make your answer lean towards yes. But he didn’t need to know that yet. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to pressure you for a response right this very minute, so you just nodded. 

“I’ll keep that in mind. It was nice to meet you, Rooster.” You were slightly teasing him about his callsign, but it didn’t look like he minded one bit. One side of his mouth lifted into a smile, dimples on full display. 

“Call me Bradley,” He insisted, brown eyes not unlike the coffee he was offering up boring into yours. “Please.” 

“Okay. Bradley.” He looked pleased at that. “See you around, I guess.” 

“I sure hope so.” 

-------

It was weird how frequently you did start to see Bradley around after that. You’d stopped getting his mail, but sometimes you’d catch a glimpse of him through your window on one of his daily runs, and a lot of the time you somehow left the house or came home at the same time, which resulted in more conversations with each other. 

He’d always go out of his way to say hi or good morning to you when he spotted you, even if you had your head down or your earbuds in, and one time he even scared the living shit out of you by tapping your shoulder when you were looking for your car keys in your bag. Turns out you’d somehow dropped them near his car (which you didn’t even know was his car), and he was on his way out too when he spotted them. 

Things like this happened so often, you began to get used to Bradley. Talking to him became easier, less nerve wracking. It got to a point where you even started to look forward to seeing him out and about, because your interactions always ended up leaving you in a better mood. He was funny, charismatic as hell, and definitely easy on the eyes, and as much as you were afraid to admit it at first, you started to like him a little more than you knew you should’ve. Part of you thought that he might like you too, but you just weren’t sure. 

Yeah, he was a little flirty with you, but you just chalked that up to it being part of his personality. No way he was actually serious about it. That was just who Bradley Bradshaw was. 

Or so you thought.

The answer to your wonders came in the form of a stack of your mail in your mailbox one day a few weeks after the whole giant package fiasco. There was a sticky note attached to the top one, a message scrawled across the paper in small, messy letters. 

These were mixed in with my mail today. My my, how the tables have turned. Here’s my number in case the post office decides to make this a new thing. - Bradley 

You had to hand it to him—Bradley sure knew how to make his mark. You smiled to yourself, phone in hand, fingers entering his number and tapping out a message before you could even take a second to dwell on it. 

y/n: that offer for coffee still on the table by any chance? 

You set it face down on the kitchen counter the moment after you pressed send, walking away from it like that would quell your nerves as you waited for Bradley’s response. But really, what was the likelihood that he was going to see your message in the next—

Ding.

It was pathetic how fast you bolted back to the kitchen to snatch up your phone. 

Bradley: Absolutely. Tomorrow at noon sound okay?

y/n: sounds perfect

Unbeknownst to you, Bradley had also been waiting anxiously for your text, digging his phone out of his pocket the second he felt it buzz, hoping his not-so-subtle way of slipping you his number wasn't too forward of him. He couldn’t help the stupid grin that stretched his lips as his eyes read your text over and over again. It would be perfect. 

Now if he could only figure out how to actually work the goddamn coffee machine, it would be even better. 

add yourself to my top gun maverick taglist!

[alittlereadingcorner]

Oh my heart!!!!! Javy!!!!

Javy blurb/headcanon request: Javy being a supportive, adorable and reassuring bf!! <3 So Javy's gf isn't much of a cook or baker but she wants to impress Javy (bc she loves him and maaaaaaaay be a little insecure that she's not really a homemaker like other Navy wives & gfs??) so she cooks him different meals (they don't always come out right lol) & he gives his opinions and advice. After lots of trials and errors she successfully makes one of his favorite dishes? or not lol. The ending as usual is up you lol

Okay I love this idea so much. And this is just me going go off some things my sister's friend has told me about the culture of living on military base for the beginning of this <3

TGM blurb masterlist

Being a Navy spouse was that there was always an underlying air of competitiveness with the other spouses on base. Wives and girlfriends of other pilots constantly showing up to barbecues and other get togethers with a complicated dishes and perfectly decorated desserts in an effort to one up the other spouses.

With everyone moving around so often and never staying quite long enough to make real friends off of base it usually ended in a at least somewhat friendly competition between the spouses of who had the best new recipe to flaunt or who's front lawn had the best display of flowers. Everyone both trying to keep themselves busy between deployments and trying to outdo one another.

However you were never much of a homemaker, your cooking skills often ending in disaster and you could barely keep a cactus alive even with all your effort. Instead focusing your time and energy on doing your own job, hobbies you were more interested in or actually spending time with your husband rather than all day in the kitchen or garden.

And Javy never minded it a bit, he happily took over cooking duties whenever he was home because it was something he enjoyed doing. More than content to have you sitting on the kitchen island kicking your feet as you caught him up on everything he missed and letting you be his favorite taste tester as he tried new recipes.

Javy always making sure to stalk the freezer with homemade meals that you could reheat before he left for a deployment so you wouldn't rely on takeout and bowls of cereal as much. Simply put, cooking and baking for you was his love language. Often waking up to pancakes in

You tried to return that love to him more times than either of you could count, a endless memory of burnt anniversary dinners and undercooked welcome home cakes only to be met with his arms around you and loving reassurances in your ears of "You tried for me and that's all that matters sweetheart." and "Here, let me show you how I would make this.".

Never once anything but understanding, if anything he found it endearing that you never stopped trying for him despite the need to break out a fire extinguisher more than once, something he jokingly teases you about to this day.

That was all until he walked through the doors of your shared home to freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, no smell of burning hitting his nose in the slightest as he walked into the kitchen to find you smilingly proudly with a plate of cookies in your hands, patiently waiting for him to come home and try.

Javy would never mention finding the Tollhouse cookie dough wrapper in the trash can later that evening. Instead letting you be proud of yourself, if anything for the mere fact that that they weren't raw on the inside or burnt to a crisp, as you both munched on them while watching a movie together. A secret that you both kept to yourselves as you soaked in all of his praise

[alittlereadingcorner]

Top Gun Scenario Game - Valentines Day Addition

(Link to Scenario Games Masterlist)

Rules/What you do: Just match the month/day/letter to yourself and you got yourself a cute little scenario to imagine lol. I know these come off as a data farming thing, but I don't want your data lol. So don't even bother reblogging with your own info if you don't want to, but reblogs are still appreciated, so others can play along as well.

A/N: I also take these scenarios as writing requests as well (only when requests are open obviously- and it depends on the character). Also, there are only like 4 female characters in these movies, so I just put them in randomly lol.

*words in (parentheses) are alternate options/additions.

-

Your Birth Month:

January: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

February: Your Choice

March: Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw /or/ Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace

April: Ron 'Slider' Kerner

May: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

June: Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia /or/ Penny Benjamin

July: Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky

August: Javy 'Coyote' Machado /or/ Callie 'Halo' Bassett

September: Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

October: Robert 'Bob' Floyd

November: Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson /or/ Charlie Blackwood

December: Reuben 'Payback' Fitch

------

Your Date of Birth:

1: Takes you on a picnic. 2: Buys you your favorite flowers. 3: Surprises you after being gone. 4: Takes you to a fair. 5: Makes you dinner. 6: Buys you a giant stuffed animal. 7: Gets you your favorite chocolates/candy. 8: Gives you hand-picked flowers. 9: Takes you to mini golf (or bowling) 10: Writes you a love letter. 11: Takes you to a fancy restaurant. 12: Takes you stargazing. 13: Sets up a pillow fort for a movie night. 14: Gives you random gifts throughout the day. 15: Dances with you around the house /or/ takes you out dancing 16: Takes you to a museum. 17: Gives you a handmade gift. 18: Takes you to the beach (or takes you sailing) 19: Takes you to the (drive-in) movies. 20: Gives you a promise ring. 21: Takes you on a trip. 22: Gives you homemade chocolates/cookies/etc. 23: Writes you an anonymous love letter. 24: Takes you to an arcade. 25: Gives you a necklace/ring/bracelet/earrings. 26: Cooks dinner with you. 27: Takes you to an aquarium. 28: Surprises you with breakfast. 29: Takes you to an observatory. 30: Leaves you cute notes randomly throughout the day. 31: Surprises you with a weekend away.

------

First Letter of Your Username (Or Name):

Bonus: 'And...''

A-G: It is your first Valentines Day as a couple.

H-M: They ask you to be their s/o

O-U: It is also your anniversary.

V-Z: They propose to you

-----

I apologize if your combo/matchup does not make sense, it is hard to make sure that every single combination does.

I know these come off as a data farming thing, but I don't want your data lol. So don't even bother reblogging with your own info if you don't want to, but reblogs are still appreciated, so other can play along.

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @imaginesfire, @rexit-mo, @onuen, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

Top Gun Taglist: @malindacath, @hotch-meeeeeuppppp, @sarcastic-sourwolf, @stargirl-05, @persephonesportal, @springflwer07, @pockyandme, @iceman-kazansky, @soultrysworld, @averyhotchner, @linkxneptune, @creativitybeware, @callsignmaverick5, @phoenix1389, @writerfulltime,

[alittlereadingcorner]

This was the Jake story I needed to start my day.

In Your Dreams

Plot: Though annoyed by Jake, you have a crush on him. Jake, enamored by you, mistakenly comes off as always joking about his feelings. Misunderstandings ensue, Jake needs to make amends.

Prompts: "In your dreams!" "Every night actually." + The Classic: "Are you flirting with me." "Have been for the last year, but thanks for noticing." (changed slightly) + Thinking your crush asked someone else to be their Valentines, but then they ask you. + "What are these for?" "Valentines Day." "Why?"

Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Gn!Reader

Requested By: @youngcroissantturkeyworribler; I combined two of your requests

Warnings: A slightly suggestive joke made by Jake, but it's not that bad.

Words: 1.4k

-

Your eyes drifted over to Jake as he laughed at something another pilot said. Your eyes grazed over his face, and you felt a familiar ache in your chest.

Looking back down at the book in front of you, you let out a soft breath. Why did you have to fall for him? He was arrogant and full of himself. You two bickered and purposefully teased and tricked each other constantly. People could never guess if you were really friends or not.

But, you knew he was also funny, and secretly caring - a side you got to see once or twice yourself. Plus he was very handsome. Damn him.

Your mind drifted back to a conversation you overheard him having with Coyote earlier that day. He was planning on asking someone out for Valentines Day. You didn't stay to listen, you couldn't bare to hear him talk about his feelings for someone else.

From the corner of your eye, you saw someone sit down beside you, but didn't bother to look. Not until a voice spoke, a little closer to your ear than you were expecting.

"What's so interesting in that book?"

Looking over, Jake's eyes locked with yours and for a moment you seemed to forget how to breath. As your eyes moved past his shoulder, you realized the other's had left, and the room was completely empty.

Smacking the book closed you began to get up before you handed it to him "Find out for yourself"

Jake looked down at the book and frowned "Jane Eyre, seriously?"

You smiled "It's a classic."

"It's depressing."

"Don't act like you've read it."

He rolled his eyes lightly but didn't retort, instead he changed the subject "You got any plans tonight?"

You sighed softly "Not particularly why?"

"Wanna get some dinner?"

You paused for a moment before you turned to face him "What do you want?"

He seemed stunned for a moment before he let out a soft laugh "What?"

"You never offer me food unless you're trying to get a favor out of me so what is it?"

He smirked and leaned forward, setting his hands down on the table, your book underhand "What if I just want to have dinner with you?"

Leaning on the table in the same manner, you met his eyes glaring softly before taking your book back from him, causing his hand to hit the desk.

"Yeah right."

He rolled his eyes lightly "Okay, maybe I do want something."

"What's that?"

"Maybe I'm in the mood for dessert?"

Meeting his eyes again as you shoved your book back into your bag, you saw a suggestive smirk as he raised one eyebrow.

"Ew." You said softly trying not to laugh, this was not the first time he used pick up lines on you, but it always came off as teasing and mocking.

"In your dreams." You said with a tone of sarcasm.

"Every night actually." He retorted quickly.

Moving to leave you spoke over your shoulder "You need new material."

"Y/n."

The tone in his voice made you stop and turn back.

"What if I'm being serious?"

"Being serious with what? Are you saying that you are actually flirting with me?"

"Have been for the last year, but thanks for noticing."

Your heart skipped a beat as your chest clenched. You didn't trust this. You couldn't. Jake could be cruel without really realizing it.

"Don't play with me Jake. Just because you're bored doesn't mean I deserve that."

Jake's face fell as you turned and left the room. His chest clenched tightly as the door closed with a loud echoing bang.

You seriously thought he was joking? That he was just playing with you? Trying to use you?

To be fair, he couldn't blame you for misunderstanding him. His flirting always came off as a joke. He heard it in his own voice every time. He never meant it to, but it was like he was protecting himself from rejection so he never let it seem too genuine.

But he hoped that maybe you could see through it. That you knew he was being honest. But obviously, he was wrong, and he couldn't even blame you for it.

Looking at the clock, he took in a deep breath. He needed to do something properly this time, something you couldn't misunderstand.

--- --- ---

As the sky got dark and the base got quiet, you laid in your bed, relaxing as you read your book and occasionally scrolled through your phone.

You saw texts from the others showing you they had gone to the Hard Deck. Some of them tried to get you to come, but you refused. You assumed Jake was there, and you weren't in the mood to deal with him. You were afraid you might expose your feelings out of anger if he disingenuously flirted with you again.

Hearing a knock on your door, you frowned as you looked at the door for a moment. You figured it was one of the others seeing if you wanted to go out with them.

When you opened the door, and saw Jake standing there, hands behind his back, you felt a mixture of annoyance and butterflies.

After a moment of silence lingered between you, you finally spoke "What is it?"

He smiled softly as he lowered his head for a moment before he brought out a bouquet of pink roses from behind his back.

Your heart started hammering in your chest as you slowly took them.

"What are these for?"

"Valentines Day."

It wasn't even Valentines Day yet,. You narrowed your eyes slightly "...Why?"

He let out a soft laugh "Okay, they are also because I wanted to apologize."

You leaned against the doorway rose your brow "Yeah? For what?"

"For being to vague to be understood."

That was definitely not what you were expecting.

"What?" You asked with confusion obvious on your face.

"Oh, you thought I was going to apologize for the crappy pick up lines and failed flirting? Nah, that was real, as much as you don't want to believe it."

You were stunned, and he could tell so he continued.

"I wasn't kidding when I said I've been flirting with you for the last year. I really have. I was just too stupid to realize how dishonest I came across."

"So, you've actually been flirting with me?" He nodded "Why?" You asked with a soft chuckle.

A look of bewilderment crossed his face, before he felt guilt ripple through him. You really didn't see how he felt about you. And he knew it was all his fault.

"Because I like you, a lot. I always have, since the moment we met."

A thousand thoughts were racing through your mind, and as you watched Jake, you realized there was no humor, no joking tone behind his words. He was being honest. He was telling the truth.

"You're not joking?"

He shook his head "I am not."

"What about the person I overheard you talking to Coyote about?"

He frowned "What?"

"The one you were going to ask out for Valentines Day?"

He cocked his head to the side and smiled "You mean you?"

You wanted to believe that was what he was going to say, but it still made your breath hitch in your throat.

He leaned forward a bit and spoke with a softer tone "You're the only one I've even thought about asking."

You glared, almost playfully, acting as though you didn't believe him. Before a small smile stretched across your face.

"So, you really aren't as arrogant and blind as I thought."

He laughed "I certainly hope not."

You grinned in response as you looked back down at the flowers "I guess I was blind myself, not seeing what you wanted me too."

His grin softened "It was my fault. I hid behind my fear of rejection. I'm sorry you thought I was playing with you."

You hummed lightly under your breath "I know a way you can make it up to me though."

"Yeah what's that?"

"Take me to dinner."

A grin spread across his face again "I can do that."

"I'll get dressed." You said as you stepped back to close the door before pausing "And thank you for the flowers Jake."

He smiled "Are you thankful enough that I can get dessert?"

As his smile turned into a shit-eating grin as he referenced his joke form earlier you rolled your eyes and slammed the door in his face. You couldn't repress a grin as you heard his laugh from the other side.

"In your dreams." You repeated, knowing he heard you as another laugh echoed through the door.

xx End xx

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @imaginesfire, @rexit-mo, @onuen, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

Top Gun/Jake Taglist: @malindacath, @hotch-meeeeeuppppp, @sarcastic-sourwolf, @stargirl-05, @persephonesportal, @springflwer07, @pockyandme, @iceman-kazansky, @soultrysworld, @averyhotchner, @linkxneptune, @creativitybeware, @callsignmaverick5, @phoenix1389, @writerfulltime, @readingwithatorch

[alittlereadingcorner]

"’You deserve to be loved fiercely and boldly and I hope I'm lucky enough to be the man to show you what that's like.’ He finishes and you turn your head to face him the best you can.”

Jake being sappy? Yes please!

But also, Bradley and Jake coming to the rescuer, only for Bradley to call you Jake’s girl? Yes.

I'm Trying, But He's So Hot

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x female!reader

TW: mild violence, swearing, fluff

Summary: You're doing your best to resist Jake, but it's becoming impossible.

Word Count:1.6k

You're standing behind the bar, trying and failing to stay on task. This morning keeps replaying in your head and you don't realize you're spilling beer all over the counter until you hear a man raise his voice. 

"Hey!" He shouts and your eyes snap up to look at him like a deer caught in headlights. "Fucking watch it!" He bites and you frown before it's quickly replaced with a smirk. Oh, this is going to be fun. 

You point to the sign with your finger and reach up to ring the bell loudly. "No disrespecting women." You spit and the man tries to lunge over the counter. 

"You bitch!" He screams and you leap back, narrowly escaping his grasp. Everything that happens next seems to happen in slow motion. Bradley is the first one to reach you, Jake trailing closely behind. 

He yanks the man back and he spins around to get in Bradley's face. "Mind your own business." He growls and Bradley stands tall with a hard expression. 

"We don't harass women here. Especially Jake's girl." He replies cooly and the man scoffs. You don’t even have time to question the title Bradley gave you as the scene unfolds.

"Who the fuck is Jake?" He barks and you watch with wide eyes as the blonde pilot steps up behind him. 

"Me, asshole." He fumes and the man whips around. Jake blinks at the man daring him to do something and you see his fist clench at his side. You’re about to warn Jake but the words die in your throat. He must have seen it too because before the man has a chance to do anything, his fist connects with his jaw.

You gasp loudly as your hand flies up to cover your mouth and your brain struggles to comprehend how quickly things escalated. How quickly Jake knocked a man out for you, without so much as a second thought.

The man collapses in a heap and Jake immediately turns to scan the room for you, not sparing the dickhead a second glance. His eyes find yours and you see the exact moment he registers your presence. The storm raging in his emerald Irises immediately calms and his body language relaxes. 

He climbs over the bar, not taking the time to walk around, and within seconds his hands are on your face turning it from side to side as he checks for injuries. You stare up at him with doe eyes and feel your knees wobble. It's subtle, but Jake notices immediately and concern covers his features.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He asks and you shake your head the best you can with him holding it. It feels like your brain is lagging, struggling to catch up with what's happening as he leads you over to a bar stool. 

Once you find your voice, you take a deep breath and frown. "I could've handled that." You whisper and Jake leans in so that his arms are on either side of you, caging you against the bar. You can smell his cologne, it's sweet and spicy and so Jake. 

You take a shaky breath when you realize this is the second time today you've been close enough to see all the specks of color in his eyes and Jake fights back a smirk. One of his hands comes up to move a piece of hair off your face and you do your best to hide the effect it has on you. 

"I know you could've, sweets. But you shouldn't have to. Certainly not when I'm here." He breathes and you gulp when his breath fans across your face. Jake's eyes dart down to your lips and your tongue slides across them out of habit. 

"So you're my big bad protector, huh?" You quip, but it comes out as more of a stutter, and Jake leans in a little closer. 

"Do you want me to be?" He asks and your senses go into overdrive. You're completely consumed by him. His raspy voice washing over you like a tidal wave, his strong muscles bulging next to you, the heat radiating off his body. 

He searches your face for a moment and before you can stop yourself, your hand reaches up and tangles in the hair at the nape of his neck. You hear his breath stutter and your next move surprises even you as the only thought in your mind is fuck it.

You pull him down and his lips connect with yours, immediately moving in sync. His tongue swipes across your bottom lip and you open your mouth just enough for him to slip it in. You moan quietly when you taste whiskey mixed with mint and your mind goes completely blank. 

The rest of the world melts away and you're kind of pissed that you could have been doing this the whole time if you weren't so damn stubborn. You feel Jake's hands cup your face as his thumbs rest on your cheekbones and you melt further into him. 

The two of you only pull apart when you hear loud whooping and turn to see what the commotion is. The entire squad is standing by the bar cheering you on and Jake chuckles while giving them the middle finger. 

He leans back in to give you another kiss and when he pulls back again, you find yourself struck silent for the second time. No one has ever been able to render you speechless, certainly not man, and you inwardly groan at the cliche. 

Jake takes a step back and turns to Penny who waves him off, seemingly already knowing what he's going to ask. He takes your hand without another word and pulls you to your feet. The warmth from his hand as it wraps around your waist seeps through your shirt and you're sure you'll find his touch burned into the flesh when you look later. 

He leads you outside and down to the beach where the two of you sit down. He spreads his legs and pulls you over him, resting your back against his chest as he holds you. It's silent for a few minutes as you listen to the waves kiss the shore before your voice rings out into the night. 

"This doesn't mean that I'm going to be nice to you." You snark jokingly and his head falls back with a loud laugh. 

"Wouldn't expect you to be. Your attitude is one of the things I love most about you." He murmurs and you hum contently. 

"What else do you love about me, G.I. Joe? Stroke my ego so maybe it can compete with yours." 

You feel his chest rumble with a chuckle and he kisses your shoulder. "Well, I love all your nicknames for me, even if they are meant to be mocking." He answers and you smile to yourself. 

"I love how you don't take anyone's shit and how you can eat just as much as me." He continues and you roll your eyes, but remain quiet. 

"I love how stubborn you are and that you respect yourself enough to make me earn you. You're worth every ounce of effort and as much as it sucks, I'm glad the men before me didn't see that." He mutters into your hair and you lean back further into him. 

"You deserve to be loved fiercely and boldly and I hope I'm lucky enough to be the man to show you what that's like." He finishes and you turn your head to face him the best you can. 

"You would never live it down if your friends heard you being so sappy." You tease and you squeal when he tickles your sides. 

"If you ever breathe a word of it I'll have no choice but to kill you. I have a reputation to uphold." He says with mock sincerity and you snort. 

"I'd like to see you try." You challenge and he shakes his head. 

"You're nothing but trouble, you know that?" He sighs and you give him a toothy grin. 

"Yup and trouble never looked so goddamn fine." You retort and he shakes his head. 

"At least you're humble." He snickers and your eyebrows shoot up. 

"You're one to talk. If your head gets any bigger it'll explode. You're just mad you finally met your match." You sass and he nips the side of your neck playfully. 

"I don't know about that. I think I still have you beat." He remarks and you pull a hair on his arm, causing him to yelp and jerk back. 

"Ow!" He exclaims dramatically and you cackle. "That's what I thought." 

He doesn't say anything else and the two of you sit quietly for a while longer before he looks at his watch. 

"We should probably get going. It's almost 11." He suggests and you turn around to face him. 

"You got a curfew or something, flyboy?" You ask and he just stares up at you. You're about to say something else when he suddenly tackles you into the sand. 

You flail around as he tickles you mercilessly, laughing until tears stream down your cheeks. "Okay, okay! I take it back!" You gasp and he removes his hands. 

You watch as he places his hands on either side of your head and hovers over you. You're breathing picks up and he has a shit-eating grin that you want to slap off his face. The thought is quickly erased when he leans down and presses a short kiss to your lips, effectively silencing you. 

When your eyes open again he's staring down at you with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "That's what I thought."

@drakelover78 @manyfandomsfanvergent @ssprayberrythings @disturbedbeautywrites @desert-fern @one-sweet-gubler @callmemana @luckyladycreator2 @bookchik26 @taytaylala12 @michalkasimp @xoxabs88xox @loveless-simp @withakindheartx @formulapierre @ccristata @shanimallina87 @chair-things @k-k0129 @izz-ayes-world @kajjaka @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @turningtoclown @phantomxoxo @rosiahills22 @gspenc @benhardysdrumstick @potato-girl99981 @dempy @cookielovesbook-akie @wellshit6

[alittlereadingcorner]

you wonder how he got his call sign

Song: Don't Blame Me by Taylor Swift

Paring: mickey garcia x reader (afab)

Warning(s): None, just pure fluff!

Word Count: 2,767

Summary: A little story on how Mickey got his call sign.

Call signs. No matter if you’re in the Marines, Navy, or Air Force, you get a call sign. Some badass ones like Iceman and Maverick may have a cool background if you assume, but in reality, most of them come from pretty embarrassing things. Like Payback for example and the amount of bets that he lost. Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia, on the other hand, has another story.

The first of artists covering other artists' songs first came out in the 1950s. Soon over half a decade later, cover videos started to come out more on YouTube. Singers like Sam Tsui, Christina Grimmie, Conor Maynard, and many others have risen to fame with their covers coming out in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Some have also got the chance to be signed to record labels and winning awards like Y/N L/N. To Mickey though, he doesn’t think of Grammy Award winner Y/N L/N, he thinks of Y/N L/N who he used to help record her cover videos in her bedroom or the backyard of her house.

Every Friday since meeting each other freshman year of high school, Y/N would drag Mickey out of their last period class and out of their high school in Miami to her house to start recording cover videos. As she uploaded her videos onto YouTube, her views went from a few hundred to a few thousand until one day.

“Mickey! Mickey!” The junior yelled her best friend’s name as she ran down the school hallway. “Where are you?”

“Yo! What’s going on?” Mickey closed his locker after grabbing everything he needed.

He turned to face the singer whose face was all red from the running as the screen of her BlackBerry Bold was in his line of sight. Squinting his eyes a little, he looked at the screen which showed one of the recent covers she uploaded.

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed. “One hundred thousand?”

“I know right!” The two of them started to jump together in celebration, ignoring the looks they’re getting.

“This is crazy!” Y/N said, still not believing that her cover of Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood reached that many views.

“You know what this means?” Mickey’s eyebrow was raised. “The chance of you getting signed to a record label.”

“Yeah, not happening,” Y/N let out a laugh. “Never in a million years.”

“Hey,” he gently squeezed her shoulder. “It’s going to happen. I have a good feeling.”

Y/N shook her head at her friend’s nonsense and dragged him to their first class of the day.

Years passed and their friendship grew even more. They shared homecoming and prom dances together. They had many all nighters studying for the AP tests they signed up for and working on college applications. The both of them dated people but their relationships only lasted for three to four months max because they both were missing something. Mickey still continued to help Y/N post her covers on her channel which grew after that one day.

Towards the end of the summer break after they graduated, the duo had to head their separate ways for college. They still kept in contact though by the emails they sent each other and visiting each other in Miami during breaks. With every visit, their feelings grew more without them realizing it.

Mickey had achieved his dream of getting into the Naval Academy and became a weapons system officer, getting the callsign Fanboy from his classmates seeing him geek out and watch Y/N’s covers. Y/N continued uploading her covers onto YouTube while studying literature at the University of Miami. It wasn’t until her senior year of college she got the best news of her life.

The sound of her sandals slapping the concrete sidewalk boomed as she ran down the concrete path which led to the park her and Mickey would sometimes hang out at. With his back facing against her, she leaped on his back which took Mickey out a little.

“Hey, you missed me that much?” Mickey laughed.

“Yeah, but I have some news,” Y/N answered.

“Which is?” He asked.

She didn’t verbally answer but she handed him the small stack of papers. Going through the papers, she saw the look on Mickey’s face as his face lit up with each page.

“No, you’re joking.” Mickey pulled her into a hug.

“I’m not,” she confirmed. “You’re looking at the newest artist signed with Atlantic Records.”

“You’re not going to forget me when you become famous right?” Mickey joked.

“Are you kidding? I won’t forget my best friend.” Y/N lightly punched his shoulder.

“Yeah, best friend,” Mickey sighed.

“What? Are you okay?” A quizzed look formed on her face.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mickey brushed off his emotions.

“Hey Mick, tell me what’s up.” Y/N held his hand which sent sparks through the both of them.

“You’re going to hate me when I do this,” he said.

“Do wh-” Y/N was interrupted when Mickey’s lips touched hers.

Butterflies and fireworks exploded inside them as their lips moved in sync. Detaching their lips from each other to catch their breath, they looked each other in the eyes questioning what just happened.

“Did that just?”

“Yeah.”

Kissing each other again, they confirmed that their feelings for each other were true. After the second kiss, Mickey decided to take Y/N for an early dinner to celebrate her getting a record deal and have a pre-first date date.

More years have passed with the both of them graduating with their degrees. Their relationship grew more as they became official. Mickey was out doing the five years required to serve after he graduated after the academy. Y/N on the other hand was busy writing and recording her first album. Constant filming for her music videos and traveling to promote her album.

Despite them being hundreds or thousands of miles apart, they managed to keep their relationship alive. They had many video calls together and if she toured in an area where Mickey was at, he would watch her concerts with Reuben “Payback” Finch, who is the only person that knows her and Mickey are together other than close friends and family. When Y/N started to become more well known, she wanted to keep her personal life private. She did post pictures of her and Mickey together on her social media accounts but they didn’t show Mickey’s face.

On the eve of Mickey’s last deployment, she came back home with the living room of their shared house decorated with flowers and lit candles. In the space where their coffee table used to be, Mickey was on one knee holding a velvet box in his hand. With a short and sweet speech as tears ran down their faces, Y/N nodded her head saying yes to his proposal. A few months after Mickey came back from his deployment, the two had a small private ceremony with their close friends and family in a cabin up in the Santa Cruz mountains. Reuben as Mickey’s best man and Y/N’s college roommate as her maid of honor.

Luckily for Y/N, she could travel and stay anywhere with her job. With Mickey being moved from base to base because of his job, she would follow him while still making music while renting a house off base. From time to time she would have to travel and stay in New York for a little bit for meetings and to record her music. Thankfully when Mickey got called back to Top Gun, they resided permanently in a house that was only a fifteen minute drive away from base after the Dagger Squadron was made permanent in San Diego. Many dinners with her, Mickey, and Reuben were shared as they told stories of the other squadron members they met for the mission. Y/N continued to make music and released her next album which caused her to be away from Mickey to promote it and tour around Europe and North America.

After a day of training, the Dagger Squad decided to head to the Hard Deck for some drinks.

“Amelia has been depressed since the LA tickets for Y/N sold out,” Rooster said before taking a sip of his beer.

“Really?” Mickey raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, Y/N is one of her favorite singers. Ever since those tickets sold out the first day, she’s been blasting her music in her room and headphones,” the aviator answered.

The WSO nodded his head and excused himself. Taking his phone out, he checked the time to see that Y/N wasn’t on stage yet. Calling her and waiting for a few rings, she answered her husband’s call.

“Hey baby, what’s up?” She asked. “How was work?”

“It was good, got our asses handed by Maverick but that’s normal,” he chuckled. “How are you?”

“I’m good, just two hours before we head onto stage,” she replied. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too, but hey can I ask for a favor?” He asked.

“What is it?” She said.

“You know Rooster right?” Y/N hummed in confirmation. “Well, his little sister wants to see you in LA but the tickets sold out immediately. Is there any way you can get a ticket for her?”

“I’ll check, give me a minute,” she told him. “Stay on the line.”

Taking a sip of his drink, he waited for his wife while admiring the cooling winds of San Diego while the sun setted.

“Hey, you’re still there?” Y/N voice popped into his ear.

“Yeah, so what’s the verdict?” He replied, mentally crossing his fingers.

“Yeah, how many tickets do you need?” The singer asked. “Twelve plus your captain, his girlfriend, and daughter, that would be fifteen. Is that good?”

“Are you sure?”

��Yeah, we have more than enough tickets. Just tell everyone and I’ll send you the info. Also, all of y’all need a break from training.”

“Wow, I’ll tell everyone. Thank you for doing this. I love you.”

“I love you too. You can thank me later when you get to LA.” Mickey could already imagine the smirk on his wife’s face.

Hanging up the phone with a grin on his face, Mickey headed back into the bar and stood next to Rooster.

“I managed to get a ticket for Amelia,” he told the pilot.

“Wait, how?” The pilot questioned.

“I know someone who’s one of the guitar techs on her tour. I managed to get all of us plus Maverick and Penny a ticket,” he told everyone.

“Wait, we’re seeing Y/N in LA?” Phoenix started to fangirl a little. “Don’t mess with me Fanboy.”

“I’m not, I’ll text you the information into the group chat,” he confirmed.

“We’re going to see Y/N baby!” Coyote cheered.

While everyone celebrated, Reuben sent his WSO a smirk knowing who gave them the tickets.

*Concert Day*

“Mick, are you sure we’re supposed to park here?” Maverick asked as he got out of Rooster’s Bronco.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Mickey answered his captain.

“Because we’re by where Y/N L/N’s tour bus is,” Rooster added.

“Trust me, we can be here,” Mickey reassured them while pulling out his phone.

Making the call, they waited for a few more minutes before Y/N’s manager came out of the Forum with VIP passes in hand. Mickey greeted the manager and they handed Mickey the passes. All of the members were shocked when they saw the passes they got, questioning how Mickey managed to get these. All of them thought they were getting tickets up in the nosebleeds, but they were mistaken.

“Mickey!” The singer jumped into her husband’s arms when she saw him.

“Hello my love,” the Navy man mumbled before kissing her.

Everyone except for Reuben was shocked at the sight they were seeing. They couldn’t believe that one of their WSO’s was kissing the singer they would soberly and drunkenly sing out the lyrics while doing karaoke.

“I missed you,” the singer wrapped her arms around Mickey’s neck.

“Me too, four weeks is too long.” Mickey moved a strand of hair out of Y/N’s face. “Everyone’s here already.”

Y/N moved away from Mickey and saw his pilot standing there with a grin on his face. “Ru-Ru, it’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you again too,” the pilot returned her hug.

Letting go of the hug, Y/N looked at the rest of her husband’s squadron who had shocked expressions on their faces. “Hi, you must be Mickey’s squadron and you must be Amelia, is that right?”

“Y-Yeah,” Amelia stuttered as her idol stood in front of her.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Y/N smiled at her and looked at Maverick who stood behind her. “You must be Captain Mitchell. Mickey and Reuben have been telling me great things about you.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you m’am. Thank you for inviting us,” Maverick said.

“Anything for Mickey's adopted family,” Y/N smiled. “Also, call me Y/N.”

“I will if you call me Pete or Maverick,” Pete smiled.

“That’s a deal,” Y/N chuckled and faced the squad again. “Mickey, wanna introduce me to your team members?”

Mickey nodded his head and introduced his wife to the rest of the Dagger Squad. After the introductions, everyone headed to the greenroom.

“So, you’re telling me that Reuben knew that Fanboy over here is dating Y/N?” Hangman asked. “The same Y/N who won a Grammy and many Billboard Music awards?”

“Not dating, we’re married,” Y/N corrected the Texan.

“What!” Everyone yelled/exclaimed.

“Married for almost five years.” Mickey and Y/N looked at each other in admiration.

“You knew that already didn’t you?” Halo asked Reuben.

“He should, he was my best man,” Mickey answered for his pilot. “Also, who do you think Don’t Blame Me is about?”

“And I thought Bob over here had secrets we don’t know about,” Omaha chuckled.

“Nah, she’s the only secret that I have.” Mickey tenderly pressed his lips onto his wife’s.

Soon after that, the topic of conversation changed, promising them the couple would host dinner to get to know Y/N more.

After spending an hour or so in the greenroom, Y/N had to start getting ready for the show. Giving his wife one last kiss, he met up with the squad following one of the assistants to the VIP booth Y/N set them in. The booth provided food, snacks, and drinks for them while giving them a view close to the stage.

The lights in the venue started to dim down as the crowd’s cheers started to rise. The band started playing the introduction and the cheers from the audience elevated as Y/N rose into the stage.

Throughout the concert, the energy was amazing. Everyone was screaming and jamming out to the lyrics. All of the Dagger Squad and Penny and Amelia were enjoying the time they were having and thanking Mickey for the tickets. Mickey was pretty sure he saw Hangman and Coyote doing the choreography to I Did Something Bad.

“Alright, before we do this next song, how is everyone doing?” Y/N asked the audience as they replied with cheers. “That’s good. Fun fact, the person that I wrote this next song about is in the crowd tonight with his friends. This song is dedicated to him. Love you darling.”

Y/N sent him a wink and he winked back at her. The band started to play Don’t Blame me and everyone was taken to church by the way she performed it. The singer got down on her knees, belting out the high note which caused Mickey to form a proud smile on his face.

After a few songs and the encore, the last show of the tour was finished. Mickey and the gang headed backstage to see Y/N in a pair of sweat shorts and one of Mickey’s old t-shirts.

“You were amazing.” Mickey picked her up and spun her around.

“Thanks,” she laughed. “So, what did you guys think?”

Everyone started to compliment her performance at the same time. Y/N blushed because she wasn’t used to compliments they were giving her and let out a laugh.

“So, instead of driving back to San Diego this late, my producer is out of town and allowed us to use her house to sleepover,” Y/N told them. “What do y’all think?”

Everyone nodded their heads in approval and started to leave the venue.

[alittlereadingcorner]

“You snapped your head in his direction, ready to call him out for cheating, but you were cut off by Jake’s lips crashing onto yours. He pulled away quickly, muttered a small, ‘You really think I’d deny you anything, doll?’ then rushed off to join the restless group at the pool table. Leaving you to glance from the stray dart stuck in the floor and the man you were beginning to fall for at the pool table.”

Jake purposely messing up his own game of darts so that you could win?? Because he can’t deny you anything???!!!! 😭😍

Abs Sans Brain

Top Gun: Maverick - Jake “Hangman” Seresin x f!pilotreader [no use of y/n]

2.6k || Your date with Jake at the Hard Deck is crashed by the rest of the squad.

==== Genre: Fluffy, flirty, and funky

CW: Swearing, drinking

Author’s Note: I’m writing this before I start writing the fic itself. I’m shooting for 600 - 800 words. Please laugh at me when we see how wrong I end up being. Oh, and the reader is best friends with Bob because I said so. || cross-posted on ao3

===

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[alittlereadingcorner]

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! I love this so much!!!

Jake trying to keep his girlfriend a secret for a little while longer because he likes having her to himself!

Javy barely keeping it together and not saying anything! I love it!!

And Bob, figuring out that they are together? No secrets can be hidden from him!

And...and Jake keeping a picture in his locker??? That is too cute!!

the beanery

summary: jake goes from drinking the base’s stale coffee to bringing in cups from the cafe down the road from the hard deck, and the dagger squad is determined to find out why

pairing: established hangman x female!reader

a/n: the title? has almost nothing to do w the plot, but it’s the name of the coffee shop!!

— Javy was the first to notice, but it was only because he had gone with Jake to your coffee shop a couple of weeks ago. He had been talking to his best friend about some plans for the newest aviators, and didn’t realize Jake had an end location in mind.

“What’s that?” Bradley asked, eyes honing in on the white take-out cup that Jake was sipping from.

“Hm?” The blonde asked, pocketing his phone and looking at his wingman. “Oh, just some coffee from that new place.”

Javy took a swig of his own Thermos to hide his smirk.

“Oh? The one near the Hard Deck? Penny said the owner’s been in a few times to ask about some tax shit.”

Jake nodded absentmindedly, he already knew this information. “Yeah, they’ve got some good stuff.”

He met Javy’s knowing eye and sent him a look, and Javy was thankful looks couldn’t kill.

Before anyone else could get a word in, Pete entered the room alongside a dozen newly-adorned Top Gun students, raring to go up in the air.

Keep reading

[alittlereadingcorner]

“‘I want every part of you. I want late nights and study sessions. I want to be the first one you call and the last one you text goodnight. The good, the bad, all of it. As long as it’s you.’” 

And this is where I became a complete puddle of feels.

I didn’t know I needed a frat boy version of Jake until now, but I love it so much!!

— 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐓𝐄

frat!jake seresin x f!reader

dagger squad college!au

summary: you didn’t like jake seresin. you tolerated him. if you hadn’t befriended bradley bradshaw, you wouldn’t have given him the time of day. he was everything you weren’t. delta chi’s golden boy, popular, desirable, and a charmer. you did not like jake seresin. so why did it hurt when he didn’t want you?

wc: a monstrous 8.6k

warning(s): 18+, fem!reader, no y/n (reader goes by nickname ace), mentions of sex/hookups, alcohol and drinking, weed (briefly mentioned), self deprecating thoughts, jake is lowkey an asshole, and language

𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃!

Keep reading

[alittlereadingcorner]

Thena’s ex never deserved her. Never.

And Jake, oh sweet Jake confessing to her while she’s asleep??!! Um excuse me, that was soft and I loved it!

Jake fainting and then waking up and finding out that Thena is in a coma!!!! Oh poor Jake!!

But also...poor Javy!!! That’s his sister!!

Flashbacks and Surgeries Part 5

Summary: Jake is scared of losing his Athena. 

Word count: 3k, its long (thats what she said)

Warnings/Tags: Angst, soft!Jake. Jake being a simp, Fluff, breakups, Abuse, cheating (not by Jake)

A/n: i think this chapter is the epitome of a climax chapter or a filler chapter depending on how you like it. BUT we got two more chapter and an epilogue to go! I HOPE YOU ENJOYYY!! 

Previous part | Masterlist | Next part

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