#Jake Seresin whump | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

missathlete31 · 1 year

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Someone In Your Corner

Summary: Hangman, struggling to deal with his nightmares after the mission, goes for a run in the California heat. When he gets himself into trouble he finds a surprising ally on his side.

Aka if Maverick is MavDad meet DaggerMom

Hey look, yet another Jake Seresin Whump/Angst fic….. also known as the only thing I know how to write lol! Enjoy!

Two week after the Uranium mission and Jake "Hangman" Seresin was struggling. The Navy had given them all a month's worth of leave, a ridiculously long time in Jake's opinion but extremely sought after for all the others. There was a mandatory week of debriefs and discussions, most of which Jake hovered in the back and only answered when he was addressed directly, but then they were free to go. The whole squadron seemed to have gotten plane tickets to head back home, the suicide mission making a lot of them place things in new perspective. Jake of course would rather perform ten suicide missions than even think about going home to Texas. Javy had invited him back to New Orleans with him and his family but Jake declined. He loved the Machados; he spent enough holidays over there to think of them as the closest thing he'd ever get to a real family, but he knew Javy was still shaken up from his G-Loc incident and the mission in general. He deserved a chance to decompress with his loved ones instead of trying to entertain Jake.

So Jake waved his best friend off at the airport on the third day after the start of their official leave and went back to the barracks to find a notice on his door. It seemed that the temporary living quarters they were supplied for training was being revoked now that everything was over. Jake had vaguely heard one of the others talking about it at the bar but he didn't realize it applied to those that weren't going home as well. He assumed he would be allowed to hang around base, maybe convince Admiral Simpson (or at least the more agreeable Admiral Bates) to let him jump into a few hops to keep his skills sharp. Those plans were scrapped though as both Admirals informed him in no uncertain terms that none of the Daggers would be allowed back in the air until they were given the all clear from both medical and psych. Jake was already cleared on the medical end but all psych evals were to be conducted after the team returned from leave. He wanted to push to get his moved up but Cyclone only gave him that un-amused look that he usually reserved for Maverick, and Jake figured it wasn't worth the fight (he was still on shaky ground for disobeying direct orders on the carrier that day- and for getting the rest of the flight crew to go along with him).

So now not only was Jake alone on North Island, he was also forced to find new housing. With no real other options, he checked into a random motel that was far from luxurious with its outdated decor and questionable activities for it's by the hour patrons. Jake found he didn't mind though as long as he used his own sheets. Also besides a few quick visitors a few doors down, Jake was virtually on his own in his section. This was a huge benefit for the blonde pilot as he found himself dealing with an added difficulty now that the mission was over: debilitating nightmares.

It was embarrassing for him to admit but Jake had always struggled with nightmares. As a child in an abusive household he was always so tense and on edge, especially at night after his father had had a couple of drinks in him, that he found his dreams were filled with running away from monsters that looked vaguely like his parents until he woke up screaming. After receiving punishments for waking anyone up with his pathetic cries, Jake learned to muffle his terror to much quieter levels, though the nightmares always held a grip on him for those formable years. As he got older and into his teen years, Jake's real world seemed to be worse than any dream ever could be and sadly that was what quashed his night terrors for a few years at least. When he left home and joined the Navy he felt freer than he ever had in the world and he finally learned what the term 'sleep like a baby' really meant.

It didn't last for long though because after his first confirmed kill, Jake's nightmares came back. He was forever dreaming of being back in his plane, sometimes shooting down the Bogey, other times the Bogey catching him first. He had nightmares where he shot his wingman down instead, his whole squadron condemning him for the action. Other times it would be his squad shot him down because they were protecting themselves from Hangman leaving them like his call-sign dictated. These dreams circled through Jake's sleep cycle for weeks until Javy caught on before he was sent to ship out again and noticed the dark bags under his best friend's eyes. Though Javy knew better than to push Jake towards any sort of professional therapy from the Navy that could ultimately keep him grounded, he did force his best friend to talk to him more about what was troubling him and to find healthy outlets for his anxiety, fear, and guilt. Jake's favorite method became running.

Jake already enjoyed running from when he was a kid and needed an escape at home so using it to relax from work stress as well came fairly easy. He took to jogging around bases in the morning, night or whenever he just felt a little overwhelmed. Javy would join him if he was able, though normally he cut out about half the miles while jokingly calling Jake a robot for being able to run so much. It was therapeutic and it worked, especially when he ran at night, as Jake felt his body become so tired he went off to sleep without any dreams at all.

But then this mission happened.

First it was Coyote's G-loc; the sounds of Maverick trying to stir his best friend back to consciousness before he crashed into a mountain staying with Jake even during waking hours. In dreams it was worse, Maverick never getting tone in time, Coyote's scream over the radio before he burned up in his jet. Jake would wake up each time with tears in his eyes and would struggle to not call his best friend right there and then. Jake also dreamed of the bird strike. Though he pretended to be indifferent, he really did care about Phoenix, she was one of his oldest friends, dating back to his Flight School days. That nightmarish day, after being so close to losing Javy, to then hear her and Bob forced to eject, it broke something in Jake. His dreams featured the two not ejecting in time, or sometimes different pilots were up there but with the same results. The worst nightmare was when Jake was in the air with them and he listened to Phoenix scream at him that because he left them hanging, the birds hit their plane instead of his. Both Bob and Phoenix's last words were wishing it was Jake instead. Maverick would share the sentiment on the radio as the two planes watched the other go down. When Jake woke from that particular dream, he usually felt so gutted all he could do was sit up in silence.

There were moments from the actual mission that attributed to his night terrors as well of course. First it was Dagger one going down, the others blaming Jake for not being good enough that Maverick had to take the spot of team leader to ensure the others survived and therefore sacrificed himself. Then he would hear Dagger Two going down and there was the guilt of having Bradshaw die after all the mean things Jake had said and done to him. But the worst was Jake's rescue of Maverick and Rooster. Jake couldn't count the times he would close his eyes (both awake and asleep) and see the damn missile that was headed right for that old F-14. He never told anyone outside of his debriefs with the Admirals but that missile was shot and deployed and not even seconds away from killing both Captain Mitchell and Bradshaw. He had had no time to spare.

Every night during the week of debriefs Jake would dream of being too late, of watching that missile kill his CO and his wingman in a fiery blaze as bright as the sun. Jake would be forced to call on the radio that he hadn’t reached them in time, would land on the carrier not to celebration and hugs but dirty looks and tears. One night the nightmare was so bad, felt so real, that Jake actually called Rooster just to hear his voice. The groggy other pilot thought it was some kind of joke and didn't respond incredibly kind but Jake hung up the phone with tears of relief in his eyes anyway. He would take a sarcastic Rooster over a dead one any day.

Last night Jake dreamed of the man he shot down. His second confirmed kill but it wasn't any easier. He dreamed of the man's family, his children growing up fatherless like Rooster did. A whole family lineage cursing him for taking away the man they loved most. When he woke up Jake only had a few seconds before he was puking in his toilet, no chance of falling back to sleep again. His count of hours slept in the week at a sickening level. He knew he should be worried, knew that he should address his problems with someone but everyone else was dealing and he didn’t understand how he couldn’t. He wasn’t one of the Daggers, he wasn’t the one completing the suicide course. He didn’t go into G-Loc or get hit with a bird strike. He wasn’t shot down and he wasn’t stuck behind enemy lines and scrambling to get home. Jake was just the spare; sure he had a lucky shot, but he did nothing more. He didn’t deserve to bother anyone with his lack of sleeping. He would get it sorted, just like he always did.

As the day progressed and Jake's lids got heavier he thought about his techniques to combat his nightmares in the past and looked for his running gear. He hoped to kill two birds with one stone, run enough to clear his mind but also to make himself so exhausted he would fall asleep right away. The pilot put on his sneakers and reached for headphones before heading out the door. He knew it was going to be hot but the minute he was outside he felt like a wall of humidity was surrounding him. It wasn't the ideal running conditions but Jake grew up in Texas where heat was a part of everyday life. He threw off his shirt knowing it would be soaked in a second and headed out.

—————————————————————————-

Penny Benjamin wiped another hand across her brow as she turned to another box. She knew she shouldn't have chosen Tuesday to do inventory especially when the weather forecasts all called for the height of the heat wave to hit, yet here she was sweating in the back rooms of the Hard Deck anyway. She wished Maverick was around to help, though he was abnormally chaotic in a tight setting, at least the man could have helped with the lifting. Pete however, had taken Bradley for a 'getting re-acquainted trip' aka a 'get our crap together' trip up in Northern California. Penny was so happy to see the two trying to make things right and she knew it meant the world to Pete.

It did leave her alone though and with all the other pilots of the squadron gone on leave and Amelia visiting her father, Penny hated the quiet. Even doing normal chores around the bar made her ache for the loud and boisterous group she had grown to love. She hoped they were at least all trying to heal like Maverick and Rooster. She wasn't given all the details from the mission but she knew there were a lot of close calls and that for everyone to return was lucky, bordering on miraculous. Penny felt lucky herself every time she got to see Pete's smile again.

As the morning progressed and the heat got too much Penny opted to go over some sales numbers and to save the inventory for later. Grabbing her books, she headed for her usual table outside, the umbrella giving only the most miniscule relief from the heat.

She looked up as she watched a man run on the beach. He looked vaguely familiar but it wasn't until he was a bit closer that Penny realized it was Hangman. She had been surprised this morning when she saw the man arrive at the beach to run. She had assumed Hangman like all the others had gone away for leave. Clearly this wasn’t the case as the pilot putt his ear pods in and started his jog just as she first opened up to do inventory. Penny glanced at her watch and saw it was close to an hour later then since she had first arrived, and yet Hangman was still running. A hint of worry bubbled in her stomach but she learned that Top Gun pilots tended to be work-out fanatics, Hangman no exception.

As the man neared, Penny raised her hand, "Hangman!" she called but she wasn't surprised when the man kept running, no doubt lost in his music and training. She watched him for a minute, not immune to admit that the sight of the muscular shirtless blonde running along the beach wasn't the worst thing she's laid her eyes on. She shook her head at her silliness and turned back to her sales book figuring she would chastise the man for ignoring her later when he came in for some beers tonight.

Thirty minutes later the same figured appeared for the third time since she sat outside and Penny's brow furrowed. She knew Hangman liked to run but this was getting a bit excessive. She was familiar with his two mile loop, she had walked it with Amelia many times herself, but never this many times, nor in this kind of heat. When she included the time she was in the basement, she knew Jake was running much more than was normal or healthy on a day like today. It was nearing noon, the heat for the day was at its worse and she had heard an air quality alert on the news this morning. Jake ran with no water bottle, no shirt and if she had to guess no sunscreen. He just ran, and ran, and ran.

Perhaps it was the mother in her or perhaps it was just the concern for a pilot she had grown to care about over the years, but Penny refused to let Hangman run past again without at least taking a little respite. She stood herself up from the table and headed towards the sand, waving a bit to not startle the runner. As she got closer she noticed Hangman's gait was off, he seemed to be listing to the side with each step. Her concern mounting, Penny hurried forward a little faster, her heart dropping when she noticed Jake had started to stagger. "Hangman you alright?" the barmaid hollered, but instead of a verbal response Jake fell to one knee. "Jake!" Penny called as she watched the blonde collapse complete to the ground. He landed face first in the sand and the older woman felt herself fall next to him, a gentle hand reaching for his shoulder to help roll him over.

The man lying before her looked so far from the Hangman she knew that Penny gasped. Jake's normally lively green eyes were closed, his skin pale and his breath raspy. She gently nudged his face, trying to stir some kind of reaction and felt her heart relax a fraction when Jake gave a low groan and took a wobbling hand to brush hers away.

"Hey Hangman you with me?" she tapped his cheek again, worry increasing when she felt how warm his body was and yet she didn't notice much sweat on his body. Familiar with signs of overheating but in no way a doctor, Penny looked back towards the Hard Deck and hoped to see someone around that could help her. Unfortunately it seemed they were alone. She turned back to the blonde and saw his eyes were still closed though his body seemed to want to move. “Jake honey, can you hear me?” she asked again.

“P-Penny?” Jake murmured and finally those green eyes were open if barely past slits. He seemed to take a good look at the woman leaning over him before all the rest of the color in Hangman’s face disappeared and he rolled over to his side. As he retched out what Penny disgustingly assumed was his breakfast, she tried to run a soothing hand over his back but again she faltered at how hot his body temperature seemed to be. She reached to pull him back to face her carefully, allowing his back to land back in a clean portion of sand before trying to meet his eyes, “Jake, you with me? Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, yeah” he didn’t sound convincing, “’ll good.”

“I think you’re overheated, I need to get you inside.”

“No-“ he shook his head weakly, his voice low and gravelly, “-m fine…. Just-… just overdid it a bit. ”

Penny moved to brush back his damp hair from where it was plastered with sand to his forehead, “You really over did it, okay” she tried to give a reassuring smile but her concern was too great and it became more of a grimace, “you need to get out of this sun and get some water in you. You think you can stand?”

It didn’t look like Jake would be moving any time soon but when Penny gave him a small pull the pilot managed to follow the momentum enough to get himself standing. It wasn’t pretty and Hangman looked ready to puke again at least three different times, but he held it in and allowed Penny to throw his arm around her shoulders. The two took a moment to gain their balance before they started with small and slow steps all the way back to the Hard Deck.

The walk was long and tedious. With each step that they got closer Jake’s movements got sloppier and the weight Penny had to support seemed to double. When she finally got him inside, Penny deposited Jake to the nearest booth and ran for a cold water bottle and some towels. She ran them under the coldest water she could get and started to place them over Jake’s chest, his neck and his forehead. The man didn’t even flinch. “Keep those there” Penny ordered as she moved to grab more water bottles, “and take small sips of water.”

Jake tried to follow orders but when he moved his hands to open the bottle, they were shaking so bad he dropped it. He went to get his body to pick it up but instead he slid down to the floor, his back against the table’s leg. Penny heard the commotion and came running, finding the pilot out of it and on the floor of her bar. “Jesus Jake, I think we need to get you to the hospital” she told him, “This is way worse than over heating-“

“No” Jake shook his head, his eyes unfocused, “’m –ok-“

“Honey” she got him standing again, “no you’re not. Hang on, take a seat for a minute and let me get my keys. I have to lock up the basement and then I will take you.” She led him back towards the booths but didn’t wait for him to sit, instead running to her bag and car keys.

Meanwhile the blonde had teetered after her, following towards the bar and knocking over a stool followed by another, "shit” he cursed, “’m sorry. Y-you can just call m’ an uber" Jake slurred softly, now leaning heavily against the bar, “’t’s no bother.”

"Absolutely not, and I said to sit Jake" she ordered, manhandling him towards the booths, "sit before you collapse again."

"'M -fine-"

"No you're really not." Her eyes must have shown her anger and concern because Jake seemed to melt into the cushion of the seats. Penny gave a nod and then ran to lock up her basement door and lock the inventory room. When she got back to the bar she noticed Jake’s head was leaning down on the table. “Hangman?” she questioned, but the man didn’t stir, “Jake?” When she still got no answer, she hurried over and took one of the water bottles, emptying it over the man’s head in a frantic shake, “Lieutenant Seresin!” she yelled and was luckily awarded with a dazed Jake shaking his wet hair out in confusion. “-enny?” he murmured sleepily, “did it rain?”

“Something like that” Penny lied, moving to grab the man out of the booth once more and get him towards the exit, “now come on honey, we’re going to the hospital.”

“-Don’’ feel so g-good.”

“I know, but we’re going to get you all fixed up” she promised silently praying that she could deliver on such a statement. If she was honest with herself Jake’s condition was really starting to frighten her. He collapsed three times already, he threw up on the beach and his body temperature was frightening high. She had tried cold compresses but they didn’t seem to make a difference. He was incoherent and confused; his body a shaky and unstable mess when he was normally frighteningly in control.

They got to Penny’s car quickly; fortunately she parked in the closet spot this morning. She helped lay Jake out along the back seat, sparing a second to take a hand to his forehead where she still felt the heat radiating off his skin. She pursed her lips but didn’t say anything, instead starting her car and cranking the A/C, hoping that it would help cool the pilot down.

For the first few minutes of the ride, Jake stayed silent and if it weren’t for Penny looking towards him in the rear view mirror every few seconds she would have thought he was unconscious or worse. Instead she watched as the man took shallow wheezy breaths, praying they get to the hospital quickly so he could get real help.

After a few more minutes of silence, Penny heard what sounded like a throat clearing in the back seat. Jake’s voice sounded fractured when he finally spoke up, "'why-you helpin' me?" he whispered from the back, 'm a bad person. A bad person with no one left.”

"No you're not honey" Penny immediately argued back, watching as Hangman’s eyes closed and his face scrunched up in pain, "you're a good person. I know that and so do the others."

"Asshole to them.... always a jerk..."

"I think they've started to see all that for what it is.” And she really believed that. The Hangman that strutted around the Hard Deck all these years was a show, meant for entertainment and for keeping people at arm’s length. Penny, no stranger at pushing people away herself, could recognize the signs easily though she knew it took the others a while to see. “You earned your teammates’ trust” she continued with what she hoped sounded reassuring. Jake didn’t seem to react to the words though, so Penny tried to push a bit more remembering what Maverick had told her the night he returned after the boat docked, about how Jake had saved his life, “you showed them the true Jake Seresin during the mission. They see it now.”

“They all left, ‘m alone again.”

“You’re not alone sweetheart”

“I should be, ‘ve killed people” Jake announced next and in the driver’s seat Penny stilled. It’s not that she doesn’t know this fact, she’s heard Hangman address it before but hearing Jake speak the words so matter of factly while he himself was so broken, exhausted and barely conscious, Penny’s heart clenched. “You were just doing your job, Jake, it’s different.”

“No” he shook his head minutely, “’t’s not.” He sniffed back what sounded like a sob, “can’t sleep, just see it again and again… All my mistakes... all the early graves… all my fault.”

“Nothing was your fault Jake, you saved lives that day. You saved Maverick and Rooster-“

“see them die every night…. ‘m pathetic-“

“No you’re not, you’re so brave honey” she felt a tear fall down her cheek as Jake let out another raspy sob, “so, so brave.”

“’ can’t even sleep anymore” Jake moaned, “just wanna sleep-“

“We can get you help for that” she urged, “there are people that can help-“

“No one can ‘elp me” his head lulled to the side, “I…can’t be fixed.”

There was so much Penny wished to say, so much she wished to correct but before she got the chance she was pulling into the emergency driveway entrance of the hospital and screeching her brakes to a halt behind an empty ambulance. “Please!” Penny hollered from her window at the two paramedics heading out the exit doors. Both stopped and looked her way, “please I need help” she urged to them.

The two women hurried forward, following Penny’s directions to the back seat, “he’s in rough shape, can you help me get him inside?”

“I’ll get the backboard and gurney” the younger of the medics announced, running back to her rig. When she returned the three women were able to lift Jake up and onto it, the two medical professionals beginning to wheel him inside, Penny hot on their heels.

“Ma’am you can’t leave your car here” the security guard tried but Penny ignored it and just continued to follow the gurney wheeling Hangman further into the hospital. Getting a ticket was the least of her worries, even getting towed. All she cared about was making sure the blonde pilot in that bed got the care he needed.

She followed them through into the emergency room where Jake was taken into a corner make-shift room with curtains closing it off. A nurse started asking Penny questions about Jake’s age, medical history, and if he had any allergies. She tried to answer to the best of her abilities but the truth was she didn’t really know. Jake Seresin had been coming to the bar for years but Penny couldn’t even tell the hospital if he was allergic to peanuts yet alone any medication he was on; she just never bothered to get to know him that well. She vowed if they got through this debacle, she would find out, resolved to pester Jake with so many questions he would have no choice but to tell her everything. She looked forward to it with a spark of hope.

Suddenly an older man came forward from the other side of the curtain, ripping it open with an intern on his heels, “What do we have?” he asked, not looking away from his patient on the bed.

“32 year old white male, fading in and out of consciousness, feels excessively warm to the touch-“

The doctor sighed and put on his glasses, his thinning hair reflecting the light as he knelt down on his work stool, and started to lightly examine Jake’s face and chest, “what’s his name?”

When no one else replied Penny realized the question was addressed to her. She swallowed her nerves, “Lieutenant Jake Seresin” she told him.

“Navy?”

“A Navy pilot, yes.”

“Why did you bring him here, shouldn’t he be on base?”

Penny shrugged, realizing she never even thought about taking Jake back to North Island, her mind just drove them to the first hospital she could think of, “this was closer” she explained instead.

The doctor hummed but continued his examination, “okay Lieutenant can you hear me?” when the blonde gave no response, the doctor turned to one of the nurses, “get me a temperature reading now” he ordered.

“Right away Doctor” and the nurse hurried to get the thermometer.

“What happened to him?” the ER doctor asked, shining a pen light as he used a hand to hold open Jake’s eye lid.

“He collapsed on the beach,” Penny supplied dutifully, still watching with what felt like a heavy weight on her chest, “he had been running and I think he might have over heated-“

“In this heat, I’m not surprised. Order a toxicology report, I don’t like his pupil dilation.”

Penny felt her temper flare, “He wasn’t drinking” she shot back, “he’s exhausted.”

“Let’s take the family out of the room-“ the doctor also added, rolling his eyes to his staff. As a nurse went to remove her, Penny listened as another rattled off Jake’s temperature. The minute his nurse was done saying 105 degrees, the ER doctor began sprouting commands, his voice a lot more concerned and worried than it were not two minutes ago. Penny knew 105 was dangerous, even deadly, but seeing doctors and nurses run in frantically made the woman more scared than she could ever remember being in her life. A curtain was pulled and her view was gone, and Penny felt her heart stutter as she wondered if that was to be the last time she would ever see Jake again. What if he died? What if she was too late getting him help, waited too long in the bar locking up a damn inventory closet when she should have been calling an ambulance and getting the poor man help. Her legs buckled for a moment but the nurse at her side kept a strong hand on her arm that kept her standing. “Here we go” the nurse told her steering her to the nurses’ station, “Fran” she called and one nurse was replaced with a different one as Penny was handed off once more.

“Okay” the nurse named Fran began, an iPad in her hand and glasses on her kind face, “let’s begin. Patient’s name was what again?”

“Lieutenant Jake Seresin.”

“Age?”

“32.”

“Occupation?”

“Naval Pilot.”

She typed faster, then opened her mouth to ask more but Penny beat her too it, "please" she begged, "is he going to be alright?"

Fran seemed to scrutinize her for a moment, his brown eyes boring into Penny over her glasses, “What is your relation to him again?" she questioned.

Penny stuttered for a moment, but then found her confidence, "I'm- I'm his aunt” she declared daring someone to disagree. The nurse didn’t argue, just typed something on her iPad, “and your name?”

“Penny Benjamin.”

Fran nodded and motioned towards the waiting room, “okay Ms. Benjamin, take a seat and I’ll send a doctor to talk once he finishes his evaluations.”

"But can’t I go back in?“

“You’ve done everything you could for the Lieutenant; now leave it to the doctors.” Fran placed a comforting hand to her arm and squeezed gently, “your nephew is in good hands.”

“What if I didn’t do enough, I tried to put cold compresses, and the water, but he could even grip it properly and I never made him drink-“

“Shhh” the kind woman placated her, “I’ll let the doctors know. I’m sure they will put him on fluids right away, you just sit here.”

“T-Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, I’ll be back later.”

Penny watched her go, falling into the hard waiting room chair and taking her head into her hands. She wanted to scream in frustration and worry, but she knew that wouldn’t help Jake. Instead she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

A hand on her arm a few minutes later made her jump. She looked up; expecting a doctor or nurse but finding herself staring at the same security guard she had run past before. The man looked sheepish, clearly feeling guilty for startling her. Penny pulled her fingers through her long brown hair to try to look even a semblance of normal but the security guard didn’t seem to judge. “Ma’am” he began, “I’m sorry to bug you but I really need you to move your car, we got ambulances that need to unload in those spaces and you’re blocking them.”

She looked back at him, her face reddening in mortification; she had completely forgotten about the car she had left parked in the emergency entrance. “I’m so sorry, Sir, I was so panicked before-“

He shook off her apology, “believe me I’ve seen it a million times before. Just move it now and we can both pretend it didn’t happen. I know you got more important things to worry about.” He offered a hand to help her standing and Penny took it gratefully, rising from the chair and heading to the automatic doors leading outside.

Penny moved her car like directed and then took back her seat in the waiting room. She noticed others sitting around, none paying her much attention, everyone lost in their own worlds of worry and fear.

This was why she hated hospitals, especially waiting rooms. It was a place where time simultaneously stood still and yet rushed by. People waited in agony over people in actually agony. Some people were here for last goodbyes while others welcomed new lives into the world. It was a place of overstimulation and over emotion and yet Penny couldn’t imagine herself being anywhere else at the moment. She would wait here as long as it took until she knew Jake would be okay.

About an hour later, a tall man approached the nurse’s station and Penny watched as he was directed to her. "Ms Benjamin?" the dark haired doctor called dressed in scrubs, "my name is Doctor Rask,” he held out a hand for Penny to shake, her grip lacking from her fear, “I’m your nephew's doctor” he told her soothingly.

"Hi" Penny breathed out, trying to control her nerves, "how's Jake?" she asked after no preamble.

If he thought she was rude the doctor didn't comment, instead he went right into Jake's diagnosis. "Lieutenant Seresin has a severe case of hyperthermia, more specifically heat stroke. His body temperature was 105 when you brought him in and that was with the cooling methods you tried to do prior. With a body temp that high our biggest concern is always going to be organ failure."

Penny clutched her hands into fists; the feeling of her nails in her palms the only thing keeping her together. She focused on the slight pain as she struggled to find her voice, "did he-... is his organs... are they okay?"

"He is extremely lucky” the doctor explained, “We don't see any evidence of organ failure but we will monitor him closely for the next few hours to be sure."

"That's- that's good news."

Dr. Rask spared her a comforting look, "it is, especially with how overheated he was but he's not out of the woods yet. Lieutenant Seresin was also severely dehydrated and extremely exhausted. His fine motor skills were so impaired upon admission that the ER doctor ordered a toxicology report because he was convinced Lieutenant Seresin must have been drunk. He wasn't of course but the Lieutenant admitted to being unable to supply the last time he had a full night's sleep."

Penny sighed, "he just got back from a serious mission Doctor Rask, it affective him deeply-"

"I understand," the doctor cut in gently, "and believe me I'm sympathetic but I suggest he find someone to talk to about this. He is beyond normal exhaustion levels which is extremely dangerous, not only in his profession but in all matters of his life."

"I agree. I plan on reaching out to his CO to discuss this as well."

The doctor softened, "we can also recommend people for him to talk to if he didn't want to go through the Navy. My father served and I know firsthand how people can be hesitant to show weakness to their superiors. It’s dangerous and they end up denying themselves the opportunity to get proper help."

"Thank you, I worry about that as well but I can promise you I will personally make sure Jake gets the help he needs, even if I have to drag him myself."

"He's lucky to have you" Doctor Rask shared with a smile.

Penny shook her head, her eyes falling to the floor, “I don't know about that” she admitted softly.

"I do” the doctor told her kindly, “You saved his life getting him in here so quickly."

"So he will be okay?"

"Well like I said before his organs look undamaged which is the best news for his case. He is still on cooling pads right now as we try to lower his temperature safely. We also have him on multiple IVs to increase his fluids and nutrients."

It certainly didn’t sound like he was okay but Penny took the doctor’s calm attitude as a good sign. Still she would only feel better once she could see Jake with her own eyes, "Is he awake?" she asked ready to run to his room if she found out he was.

Doctor Rask shook his head, "we gave him a small sedative which I would normally be against but Lieutenant Seresin was very restless in the room from the over exhaustion. I feared he would tax himself further. It should wear off in a few hours but he will be exceptionally groggy. Do to the severity of the heat stroke and the strain on his body; I want to keep him overnight for observations."

"Can I see him?"

"I would prefer not if I'm honest” he managed a sympathetic look when he noticed her face fall. “It's important for him to stay resting. In his heightened state and with the weak sedation, any disruption could cause him to wake before he's ready and that's the last thing he needs. Rest is his best medication at this point."

"I understand" and she did, no matter how much it broke her heart to think of Jake waking up alone in the hospital.

"If you leave your info with the nurse, I'll call you personally when he wakes, or any other member of his family."

He doesn't think he has any family, Penny's mind automatically corrected but she didn't bother saying it out loud. Besides, she learned many years ago that family went far beyond blood no matter what the medical world said. "Thank you Doctor, for everything."

"My pleasure and make sure Lieutenant Seresin thanks you as well. Like I said before, you saved your nephew's life today Ms. Benjamin, a few more minutes out there and we would be having a very different conversation."

She shuddered but gave her thanks anyway before turning back to her waiting room seat. She knew she had hours to kill before Jake would be up and she could see him so Penny took out her phone and scrolled to Pete’s name. She knew she needed to call the man, knew that the minute he heard something was wrong with one of his pilots he would want to be informed and be there. She wondered for a moment if perhaps she was overstepping until she remember Jake’s sad words in the car. This was a man who thought he was alone in the world and even worse, he thought he deserved to be alone in the world. He thought of himself as a killer for doing his job and pathetic for not being to handle his emotions and his PTSD properly. His hyperthermia would be treated but Penny knew that Jake Seresin had a much longer road to recovery once he was discharged from the hospital. Penny knew that she, Maverick, Rooster and the rest of the Daggers would be there for him every step of the way. They were a family now and that’s what family does.

Her mind made up, Penny hit the call button and brought the phone up to her ear, ready to call on the reinforcements.

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topgun-imagines · 7 months

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Day 8: Pick Your Family

Pairings: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw

Synopsis: Who knew that a text about Thanksgiving dinner could lead to the end of Bradley and Jake’s relationship?

Note: is it short? Yes. Am I very proud of it? No. But here you go.

Warnings: Religion, same sex relationship, homophobia, break-ups, brief mentions of abuse, family trauma & arguments.

Word count: 1.3k

Thanksgiving was never a fun holiday in the Seresin household. The day was always stressful for everyone involved. Jake’s grandmother would take on the responsibility of making all the food, his mother would try to entertain the younger Seresin siblings while his father remained locked in his office as if it were any other day. At the end of the day, everyone would gather around the large oak table to eat the delicious homemade meal. Dinner was usually eaten in silence, however, there were more than a few times when that table became the place to air your dirty laundry. Those times always made Jake look forward to leaving that house. This year was no exception

However, there was one small thing that had changed this year. Jake was no longer single when Thanksgiving rolled around. About five months ago, Bradley Bradshaw had finally grown the balls to ask Jake out. And while Jake agreed to go out with him at the time, he had never regretted that decision more than he did right now.

The eldest Seresin sibling had just been notified by his younger sister of the date and time of this year's Thanksgiving celebration. Even though the time around the table was usually awful, the food was delicious and Jake got to see his grandmother. So, the pilot made a point of attending every year. The meal was set to take place a few days after Thanksgiving day, in about a week's time. While this may have seemed like a no-brainer to anybody else, this was one of the most important decisions in Jake’s life.

He had already had Thanksgiving dinner with Maverick and Admiral Kazansky, Bradley’s family. It would be weird to tell his boyfriend that he wasn’t allowed to come to his family's dinner. Especially given the fact that he was currently sitting on the couch in Iceman’s living room. Bradley was in the kitchen, helping the older men tidy up.

Of course, Jake wanted to be able to take the man he loved with him to visit his family. He wanted to parade him around and show him off. After all, it was what Bradley deserved. However, that simply wasn’t an option. If Jake knew for a fact that he could bring Bradley into that house without having everyone berate the two of them, he wouldn’t be thinking twice about inviting the mustached aviator.

But he knew that would never be the case. Jake knew that the second he walked through that door, holding Bradley’s hand proudly, his father would lose his mind. George Seresin was a very religious man. Ever since he was young, his father had shoved the family's religion down Jake’s throat. Sunday mornings were spent at church. His mother would regularly host a bible study with all of the other women from the church. While he knew that his grandmother would support anything that made him happy, he knew his parents wouldn’t be as gracious.

One time, just before Jake graduated high school, he had tried to go out with a guy in his class. He knew it was a mistake the second they stepped into the diner. In the corner was one of the women who attended his mother's bible study. There was a sour look on her face for the rest of the afternoon. By the time Jake got home that night, he was positive that his mother had already been informed of his dining partner. He had never been more correct. He had never seen his parent so pissed. For the first time since he was a boy, his father had slapped him.

That memory left a look on his face so sour that even Bradley noticed when he walked in. “Everything okay, baby?” Now, the nickname that would usually make his smile made his insides burn. Jake remained silent. With furrowed brows, Bradley moved to sit beside his boyfriend. He could see the text on his phone from the corner of his eye. “Your families having Thanksgiving dinner in a couple days?” It was posed as an innocent question, but Jake couldn’t help but look for the hidden meaning behind it.

The blond pilot cleared his throat. “Yeah,” Nodding with a clenched jaw, Jake tried as hard as he could to avoid eye contact with his concerned boyfriend. “Yeah, I’m heading out in two days.” Instantly, Bradley’s eyebrow rose. Jake had specified that he was going, not that they were going.

Jake didn’t seem to want to talk about it anymore, so Bradley took it upon himself to ask the question he was dreading. “Any chance I’m coming with you?” There was a soft smile on his face. One that quickly disappeared when Jake stood from the couch sharply.

“No, Bradshaw,” Jake never called his boyfriend by his last name since they got together. “Just me. You’re not coming.” And suddenly it all clicked. Instantly, Bradley knew why Jake didn’t want to take him to meet his family.

The blond pilot moved to leave the room, choosing instead to join Iceman and Maverick in the kitchen. Bradley stood, not ready to put the conversation to bed yet. “Are you ashamed of me?” The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Did he want to know the answer? Not really. Did he need to know the answer? Definitely.

Jake froze, keeping his back turned to his boyfriend as he sucked in a sharp breath. “We’re not talking about this right now.” And then he stepped out of the room. Surely Bradley wouldn’t try to have this conversation in front of Mav and Ice. Right? Oh, how wrong he was. The mustached aviator followed him into the kitchen where the older men were chatting happily and laughing quietly.

“No,” It was firm, so firm in fact that it stopped the conversation between Mav and Ice dead in its tracks. “You’re going to tell me. Right now.” With one look shared between the two, Mav and Ice left the room wordlessly.

Dragging a hand down his face, Jake spun on his heel to face the upset pilot. “What do you want me to say, Bradshaw?” His arms were thrown out to the side, a humourless chuckle falling from his chapped lips. “You’re not coming. End of story,” Bradley’s mind began working a mile a minute, trying to decipher what had changed so drastically that Jake wouldn’t even attempt to persuade his family to open up to the idea of the two of them. There was only one possibility that came to mind. “I can’t fucking do this,” Jake scoffed and grabbed his jacket. “I’m leaving.”

Their backs were turned on each other when Bradley spoke next. The hope and joy that was once in his voice was long gone by now. “Why can’t you love me?” It all seemed to click at that moment. Regardless of the amount of times that Bradley had told Jake that he loved him, he had never heard anything close in response. The kitchen remained eerily silent. The kind of silence that made your skin crawl. But Bradley felt numb. No skin crawling, no emotional pain, no anger. Nothing.

Bradley wanted to spend the rest of his life with Jake. He was willing to sacrifice anything to be with him. However, it seemed like the sentiment was not returned. Jake wasn’t even willing to try. Why couldn’t he just love Bradley? Was that too much to ask? Bradley realized that it must have been the second that Jake walked out the door without another word, plunging the house into a horrifying silence.

a/n: Hope you enjoyed! Join the taglist!

Tagging: @ohtobeleah @xoxabs88xox @bradleybeachbabe @oldermenaremyreligion @els-marvelvsp @kmc1989 @nyx2021 @callsignharper @seitmai

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a-reader-and-a-writer · 2 months

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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Summary: Jake isn't worried when he is called to stand trial for his actions on the Uranium mission. After all, he saved Rooster and Maverick's lives. Who cares if he had to disobey orders to do so? However, Jake's about to learn this case isn't just the formality he thought it was... Word Count: 1864 Notes: Part of @whumpthemusical's event for Day 2- Wicked: "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". Thank you so much to @green-socks for looking this over! 💗

As Jake Seresin strutted through the doors of the courtroom, his signature smirk spread across his face, he didn’t have a doubt in his mind he’d be walking out these same doors in a few hours with the exact demeanor. This was nothing more than a formality. The worst that would happen was he would get a stern talking to or possibly a light slap on the wrist. But it wouldn’t be anything he couldn’t bounce back from.

The Daggers sitting in the front row of the galley didn’t seem to share in his optimism based on the looks they were shooting in his direction. Ranging from leg-bouncingly nervous to a glare so intense it could burn a hole through steel, all eyes followed him as he passed, and he shot them a wink just for the fun of it.

They had spent the last few weeks warning him to take this case more seriously. After all, if he lost and they threw the book at him, it was almost guaranteed he would be permanently grounded, if not discharged from the Navy. But Jake knew he had nothing to worry about. He had saved the lives of one of the most accomplished pilots in the last several decades and the life of the pilot who completed the mission without the help of a targeting system. He was the hero who saved the two lost Dagger aviators, heroes in their own right.

Yes, it was true he had defied Cyclone’s direct orders to do so, but sometimes even in the military, split-second decisions had to be made in life-or-death situations where you didn’t have time to wait for updated orders. Everyone knew that. So while Jake understood why they had to go through with this court-martial trial, he already knew what the outcome would be.

Rooster was the first person to take the stand. He recounted every detail leading up to Jake’s just-in-time rescue, including a detailed and moving description of what it felt like pulling the ejection straps just for them to fail and knowing, with all certainty, that he was about to die—only for Jake to arrive and save them just as the enemy fired on them. Jake couldn’t believe it, but he even found himself moved by Rooster’s words and the way his voice choked up a little when he mentioned being spared a similar death to his father. And if this touching story was getting to him, it must be heartrending to the panel of judges!

Then it was Maverick’s turn and his deposition was just as powerful as Rooster’s. He praised Jake’s skills during training and his quick actions that saved his and Rooster’s lives on the mission. But the part that made Jake sit up a little straighter and his grin get a little bit wider was when Maverick cited an instance when he had done something similar in the past and it had been deemed a necessary action by the former Admiral Kazansky. And the icing on top of the cake was when Maverick added he believed Iceman would have approved of Jake’s actions that day.

As Maverick stepped down, Jake turned to look at the other Daggers, wishing he had one of his toothpicks to flip just to emphasize how sure he was that he had this in the bag.

But Jake had started to celebrate too soon.

Hondo was the next one called to the stand. The Warrant Officer couldn’t even look at Jake as they questioned him. He tried his best to turn things around in Jake’s favor, but there was little he could do when he had been in the control room and explicitly heard Cyclone order Jake to stand down. Hondo was also the one in charge of all of the deck preparations including take-offs and landings, so this whole ordeal didn’t bode well for him if it was determined that Jake was allowed to take off due to a failure on his part. Regardless of what happened today, Jake did hope his actions didn't get the other man in trouble. While he was positive Hondo would have done anything within his power to get Maverick and Rooster back, Jake had acted alone and no one else should be responsible for that.

Warlock was next to testify. He refused to elaborate on any of his responses, simply giving one or two-word answers that left little for the court to work with. But just like with Hondo, Warlock couldn’t deny the facts.

Had Jake taken off after Admiral Simpson had refused his request to provide cover? Yes.

Did Admiral Simpson retract or change his order before Jake took off? No.

Was it true that while Jake rescued Maverick and Rooster, it was without explicit permission to do so? Yes.

As he finished and walked out past where Jake was sitting, Warlock gave him a small, sad smile and a nod, and all Jake could do was nod back.

For the first time, Jake wasn’t smiling.

However, despite their less-than-stellar testimonies, it wasn’t until Cyclone took the stand that a pit formed in Jake’s stomach. Everyone knew Cyclone was a hard-ass stickler for rules and regulations and while the man had shown no ill-will towards Jake for his defiance of his orders, it quickly became clear he wasn’t going to defend him either.

By the time Cyclone was excused, Jake was nearly hyperventilating in his seat. How had he been so certain only an hour ago that there was nothing to worry about and now there was every chance he was about to lose everything. He could feel the eyes of all of the Daggers boring into the back of his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at them. Seeing the pity on their faces—he couldn’t handle that right now.

But then, it was his turn to testify. Walking slowly towards the stand, Jake wracked his brain for anything he could say to justify his actions. To make this all go away. But there was nothing he could do. Except…

When Jake sat down, the prosecutor began her questioning. Each one covered much of the same ground the others had already testified about. They were mostly yes or no questions and any time Jake tried to elaborate, he was cut off. But then they got to the final question:

“Lieutenant Seresin, in your own words, can you please explain to the court why you chose to disobey a direct order from your commanding officer despite knowing the possible consequences of your actions?”

Jake stared down at where his hands lay clasped in his lap. He had briefly practiced what he would say over the last few weeks; just a line or two about saving Rooster and Maverick’s asses, maybe even ending it with a clever jab about the right Dagger finally joining the mission, all told with his usual arrogant charm. But that was before it hit him what he was about to lose if this trial went wrong. How his entire world could come to an end on the word of the five people in front of him.

He was a pilot. It wasn’t just what he was, it was who he was. He was Lieutenant Jake Seresin. Hangman. The only active duty pilot with one—no, two confirmed air-to-air kills. He graduated top of his class at the academy, placed first during his time at Top Gun. He had medals and accommodations and had completed missions that would leave other pilots pissing their pants from just reading the briefing. He loved what he did, and goddammit, he was great at it. Possibly the best.

But now all of that was about to be taken away from him. So, he did the only move he had left—he told the truth.

Clearing his throat, Jake leaned forward to speak into the microphone. “I, um, I…I was just…”

Taking a deep breath, he started again. “Look. I know how this must look. Anyone who knows me knows I’m an arrogant son of a bitch who can outfly almost anyone and I never let them forget it. I understand that based on what you’ve heard, it probably seems like I was just trying to be the hero, to prove to everyone I should have been on the mission all along instead of Rooster. But I didn’t disobey orders to satisfy my own pride no matter what it looks like.”

Glancing down at his hands again, Jake was unable to look at any of the dozens of faces staring at him. “Yes. I was mad when I wasn’t picked for the mission, but I was only mad at myself. This was a team mission and I only ever flew to inflate my ego, not to benefit my team. Maverick made the right choice making me the spare. Then I heard him get shot down and all I could think was if I had just been better, maybe I could have been there and done something to save him. That’s why I originally asked to launch and provide air cover for the rest of the Daggers. Maybe I couldn’t help Maverick, but I could make damn sure the rest of the team made it home. However, I was told to stand down…and then Rooster was hit—”

Jake was surprised to find a lump growing in his throat and tears starting to prickle at the corner of his eyes yet he pressed on. “One of the first things they teach you when you start to fly jets is you never leave a wingman behind. It’s like when you’re a kid and your parents say to never swim alone. So when I heard Maverick and Rooster were alive and back in the air…I didn’t even think about asking for clearance. I had two wingmen who needed me and I wasn’t going to let them face down those 5th Gen fighters alone. I just…I just wanted to be the team member I should have been from the start.”

As he finished speaking, not a sound could be heard in the courtroom. Jake couldn’t remember the last time he had been that honest or raw with anyone and now he had opened up to an entire room of people, most of whom were friends or colleagues. He wasn’t quite sure he would ever be able to face the Daggers again, but if it meant he got to keep flying, it would be worth it.

With the testimonies finished, the panel filed out to deliberate. Jake rested his head on the table he was seated at and wondered how agonizingly long he would have to wait to learn his fate.

Fifteen minutes later, the panel returned.

Jake felt as if he were going to be sick. Long gone was the flashing grin and the arrogant gleam in his eye. No, right now Jake Seresin’s heart was racing faster than he had ever flown and he struggled to keep back the tears that were burning in the back of his eyes.

Rising to his feet, he stood at attention as he faced the men and women about to determine the rest of his life.

Taglist: @green-socks, @lorecraft, @heart-0n-fire, @mayhem24-7forever, @the-untamed-soul, @inglourious-imagines, @airhogger, @piscesvancouverite, @straightforwardly, @bonnieelizabethparker, @srry-itshockeyszn, @flyinlove, @fandomhopped, @sweetheartlizzie07, @yjwnoot, @wanderdreamer, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @callsign-phoenix, @shanimallina87, @forever-sleepy-sloth, @blue-aconite, @notroosterbradshaw, @dezthegeek, @blessupblessup, @cherrycola27, @phoenix1389, @nicangelinee, @smells-like-perfect-senses, @boringusername3, @petlaufeyson, @cycbaby, @topguncortez, @footprintsinthesxnd, @fantasticcopeaglepasta, @writercole, @onebigfangirlworld, @wkndwlff, @ravenmoore14, @clancycucumber230, @mamachasesmayhem, @slightly-psycho-multifan, @kmc1989, @ohtobeleah, @roosterforme, @deppresseddyslexic, @horneybeach1, @mandylove1000

#fic #whump: the musical #jake hangman seresin #hangman #jake seresin #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun: maverick #rooster #maverick #hondo #warlock #cyclone #angst #trial tw

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topgunslut · 1 year

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rescued (part 1)

pairing: jake ‘hangman’ seresin x f!reader, established relationship

read part two here!

cw: near-drowning, protective jake, slight panic, probably drowning inaccuracies, paramedics, crying, loving penny <3, jake being an asshole, probably navy inaccuracies, hospital, undressing infront of a doctor, slight medical terminology

requests are open!

the football drifted farther into the wet sand as the wave pulled the tide back, getting ready to crash. you chased the oblong ball as it rolled back with the current.

it was dog-fight football day. after the uranium mission, the dagger squad made it a weekly occurrence to play offense and defense at the same time in front of the hard-deck.

usually, you and penny sat on a blanket on the sand, having a small picnic while gawking at your boyfriends, respectfully. but today you decided to join in on the game, which everyone, especially jake, had been begging you to do.

the football halted when it met a rock, and you reached down to grab it.

“y/n!” urgent screams from the shore bounced into your ears.

confusion was written over your face but it soon disappeared as you looked up at the massive wave that towered over you. as if it were in slow motion, you watched as the wave descended right onto you. your body plummeted to the ground, knocking the wind out of you. on cue, you tried gasping for air but instead ocean water filled your throat.

that was the last thing your remembered until you felt somebody carrying you bridal style back up to the shore. “y/n, open your eyes for me,”

you started coughing aggressively, the salty water going all over your chest or spilling back into the ocean. jake, who you figured out was carrying you let out a relieved sigh as he continued the short walk back to the rest of the gang.

your throat burned not only at the seawater coming back up, but also embarrasment from your stupidity. hiccups combined with sobs and coughing were definitely not pleasant on their own but when combined, it felt like you were slipping under the waves again.

“put. me. down!” you managed to get out with the cocktail of emotions and physical reactions in your way. you wanted to just act like whatever just happened didn’t, you just fell jokingly and jake ‘saved’ you, showing his heroic side.

“not a chance, sweetheart” his words caused you to start flailing around, trying to get free of his grip while more panic to set in. his grip around your frail frame got stronger.

“stop moving, you’re going to hurt yourself,” jake scolded you, sounding angry and it did nothing but make you feel more embarrassed. your plan would have fallen through anyways because penny was already on the phone with the paramedics and the dagger squads concerned faces met yours.

jake set you down on your towel that was already laid on the sand from your earlier attempt to soak up the sun. the sun was about to set and jake had his raybans ontop of his dirty blonde hair, getting a better look at you. he brought his lips down to the top of your wet head, pressing a small kiss into your salty roots.

“yeah, she’s concious,” penny spoke into the phone. you were grateful for the group of friends that you had and for the fact that they stayed calm in high stress situations juxtapose to yourself.

immediately your bloodshot eyes went to find the eyes of the man who pulled you out of the water, jake but instead they met with everyone elses. you groaned and tried to speak but nothing came out but small coughs. phoenix came up behind you and gently rubbed your back.

you hissed when the adreneline lowered and you felt a sharp pain in your thigh, glancing down to see a long scrape that had yet to be bleeding. thankfully it didn’t go any deeper than the dried skin on your leg, but it still hurt like a bitch.

jake had appeared, sitting behind you on your towel so you could lean on him.

“there you go,” jake gently rubbed your arms. maverick popped a squat in front of you, with a tiny flashlight in his hand. he shined in it each of your eyes, making you see spots.

“pupils are PEARL,” he said. after the uranium mission, maverick thought it was a good idea to get everyone in the dagger squad some sort of medical training. he had already had some, from being in the navy for so long.

“i’m fine, i promise, guys,” you said hoarsly, “i just took a little bit of a tumble!”

“a tumble my ass, you nearly drowned! you went unconscious for fucks sake,” jake said, his tone making you feel like an idiot. for some reason, jake had been acting cold.

“tumble or not, the emts will be here in a few,” maverick said, tucking the flashlight back into the small first aid kit.

soon enough, the paramedics parked on the street and after a few examinations, they instructed jake to take you to urgent care so that you could be seen by a provider. he decided he and maverick just take you over to miramar where he could get you right in at the infirmary.

you sat up in the hospital bed, looking at all the ivs in your arm, anxiously waiting for the scan results. your grumpy boyfriend who went outside to talk to maverick didn’t help. based on his attitude, you wouldn’t be surprised if he just left.

“how’re you holding up?” penny walked past the curtain with a bottle of apple juice and your phone in her hand. you eyed your phone.

on cue, the infirmary doctor walked in and scanned his card on in the computer, logging him in. “y/n, how are you feeling?” he continued to type a few things into the computer.

“horrible, like i got hit by a big fat bus,” you whined. penny set the apple juice and your phone down on a near table and felt your forehead. her motherly instinct was enough to make you at least try to smile.

“i’m sorry, that’s usually normal. you’re very lucky you got out of there. when you were pulled out of the water, do you remember coughing up fluid?” he asked, rolling over to the bed on his stool on wheels whilst pulling his stethoscope off and putting the tops in his ears. you nodded.

“just going to listen to your lungs, make sure there isn’t any unwanted fluid in there. can i ask you to slip the top of your gown off?”

you didn’t care that some man was going to probably be looking at your tits but the cold man who would soon walk through the door sure did. you were too exhausted to feel uncomfortable or awkward, it was purely medical.

without much effort, you pulled one of the strings in the back of your hospital gown and the top of you was left uncovered. the slight chill of the hospital made your nipples stiff which was to say the least a little embarrassing but it wasn’t like you were turned on.

he pressed the cold metal piece just below your left breast and then your right, instructing you to take a few deep breaths. in the midst of your second deep breath, the door swung open to reveal a not so calm jake.

he didn’t know how to feel once he saw you but he slowly shook his head at you with a glare, that felt like an arrow shot into your fragile, already cracked heart. you looked away from him.

“alright, your lungs sound nice and clear,” the doctor grabbed a freshly printed paper from the hidden printer next to the computer and scanned the results. “matches your ct scan results perfectly.”

penny helped you tie your hospital gown back on.

“everything looks normal, i’ll get the nurse to help you with your ivs and your discharge papers,” the doctor walked out of the room, making sure to sign out of the computer.

“tylonol will be your best friend for the next 48 hours. if you still have aches in three day, pop back in and we’ll see what’s going on,” the nurse carefully removed the ivs and gave you the clipboard with the papers proclaiming your discharge. you gave her a forced but grateful smile as she left.

you swung your legs over the side of the hospital bed to get into the clothes that penny had grabbed from your house before she came by.

“i’ll give you two some privacy,” penny stepped out, leaving you with jake. aches flooded your body as you stood to grab the clothes but you put on a brave face even though your eyes prickled with tears.

minus the bra, you eventually got dressed while jake stayed leaning against the wall, watching you the entire time. “you just want to show the whole world your tits, huh?” jake mumbled while he grabbed your hand, helping you get up. that was the last straw.

“i’ll be at pennys for the next few days,” you said, frustrated with your boyfriend, opting out of staying in your shared home. the best you could, you walked out of the hospital room.

by the time jake followed after you, you and penny had left.

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a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 7 months

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Nevermore

AI-Less Whumptober 2023: 11. Fainting, 19. Left Behind, 23. Forced to Watch, 28. Oxygen Deprivation Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, f!reader Summary: When there is a malfunction during training, Rooster is forced to watch as his world comes crashing down. Word Count: 1153 TW: Character Death, Oxygen Deprivation, Passing Out, Panic Notes: Thank you to @topguncortez for looking this over for me! 💕 Part of @ailesswhumptober's event

Bradley groaned as he sunk down deeper into the rec room couch. He absolutely hated these training days. Most of the time he was stuck in this tiny room for hours just waiting for his turn to get into his plane and then he would maybe get an hour up in the sky—if he was lucky. And there was very little to pass the time in here besides one uneven foosball table, a handful of magazines from the mid-2000’s, and a radio connected to the planes currently in the air.

It wasn’t so bad depending on who he was waiting with. But since they had downsized the Dagger squad, he was currently alone with Hangman as his only company. While the two of them had cleared the air and moved past most of their past grievances, it was still awkward hanging out one-on-one like this so they usually just kept to themselves. If only Bradley had been able to switch places with Coyote today. Then he and Hangman could have kept each other occupied while Bradley could have spent this waiting time with you.

It had been bittersweet when Phoenix was promoted out of the Dagger Squad. She more than deserved it but everyone knew the squad just wouldn’t be the same without her. However, Bradley had been overjoyed when he learned you were selected as her replacement to fly with Bob.

He had first met you a few years ago when you were both stationed at the same base. It was instantly clear there was a connection between you and things had gotten pretty serious pretty quickly. However, when you found out you were being transferred a few months later, the two of you mutually agreed long distance wasn’t for you and you parted on great terms. But ever since you joined the Dagger Squad, it was as if no time had passed and you both had picked things up where you had left off.

Neither one of you wanted to put much pressure on the relationship by talking about the future, but Bradley already knew that now that he had you back in his life, he never wanted to let you go again. He just hoped you felt the same way.

Ten minutes later, Bradley had just begun to doze off, lulled to sleep by the constant chatter over the radio, when suddenly Bob’s tone shifted, his words sharp with an edge of concern and nervousness. “Hey, Raven, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Somethin’s wrong…”

Bradley bolted upright on the couch at the labored sound of your voice. Jumping to his feet, he tore across the room and snatched the radio receiver before anyone else could. It was highly frowned upon for those waiting in the rec room to use the radio, but Bradley didn’t give it a second thought as he called out to you, “Rae? Raven, what’s happening?”

“Roo...Oxygen’s not working…Ca-can’t breathe…

No. That can’t be right. The oxygen systems are always inspected before every flight to ensure something like this doesn’t happen. You had been given the all-clear this morning along with everyone else. Yet as he continued to listen to the radio, it was abundantly clear that you were struggling for every breath.

“Lt. Floyd.” Oh shit. Cyclone was monitoring training today. “Is your oxygen compromised?”

“N-no, sir. It’s just Raven’s.”

This was both good and bad news. On one hand, at least Bob wasn’t also being affected and he would be able to stay alert and focused on the situation. But on the other hand, if something happened to you, there was little he could do to help. He didn’t have any steering or altitude controls in the back seat and all emergency overrides were out of his reach.

Grabbing the radio, Bradley carried it over to the window so he could try and see what was happening. Luckily, there were a few clouds covering the worst of the sun’s glare and he could just make out the planes far off in the distance. Two were circling at a normal altitude, but the third seemed to be steadily climbing.

Cyclone must have noticed this too because his voice crackled out of the radio, “Lt., drop altitude to below 10,000 feet immediately and return to base…..Raven? Do you copy?”

“....can’t….breathe….”

“Why is she still going higher?” Hangman murmured as he approached the window to stand next to Bradley.

It seemed counterintuitive but Bradley thought he understood what was happening. Right now you wouldn’t be thinking logically about how to fix the problem, you’d just be straining to get air into your lungs. He could almost see you with your arched back, wide eyes, heaving chest….and fist clenched tightly around the stick as you unwittingly climbed higher and higher.

But then your plane seemed to level out for just a moment—before it began to plummet towards the ground.

Hangman inhaled sharply, “Oh my God…”

“Raven! Raven, wake up!” Bob’s voice was frantic as he cried out, “We’re going in! She’s unconscious and there’s no one on the stick!”

“No, no, no, no!” Bradley screamed, his fist slamming into the window over and over. This can’t be happening. This can’t be…

“Altitude dropping rapidly! Raven, please! Wake up! What do I do?”

“Lt. Floyd…eject.”

“What?” Bob sounded horrified at Cyclone’s command. “No. I can’t. I have to do something! I have to help her! Just tell me what to do!”

“There’s nothing you can do but save yourself. Now eject. That’s an order.”

“But–”

Hangman snatched the radio receiver out of Bradly’s hands and yelled, “Bob, you have to punch out right now! Your chute won’t save you if you go much lower.”

“I can’t…I can’t leave her.”

Hangman turned to Bradley, his face a mix of pain and sorrow as he held out the receiver. They both knew what needed to be done.

Squeezing his eyes tight to keep his tears from falling, Bradley grabbed the receiver and whispered, “Do it, Bob. She’d want you to.”

There was a momentary pause. Then, “I’m sorry.”

A loud bang blasted through the radio as the canopy was torn open and Bob’s seat jettisoned from the plane. Bradley looked out the window, his eyes scanning the sky until he just barely made out the tiny plume of color that had appeared as Bob’s cute deployed. It would be a rough landing, but he had ejected just high enough that he should be alright.

The same couldn’t be said about you.

Bradley sank to the floor as your plane spiraled closer and closer to the ground, bile rising in his throat at the knowledge there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to save you now. All he could do was watch it happen.

Then, just before your plane slammed into the ground in a fiery explosion, he heard one final word whispered through the radio.

“...R-Rooster?”

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letthewhumpbegin · 6 months

Text

Obsession - Top Gun: Maverick

Fandom: Top Gun: Maverick Characters: Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell Prompt: Worked Themselves to Exhaustion Word count: 2756 Warnings: mentions of collapse / fainting, exhaustion.

A/N: this story is already posted on my FF.net and AO3 account, but now posted onto here as well.

Their new mission was a tough one, maybe even tougher than the bombing of the uranium enrichment facility.

It included an extremely difficult route to fly, full of circumstances and obstacles to keep in mind, such as enemy bases, air defence missiles, tree tops and other structures that could be flown into. Combined with the low altitude and higher than normal speed they would need, it turned out to be a near impossible mission to master.

Maverick and the team of younger fighter pilots were training for nearly three weeks now, and, so far, no one had yet been able to fly the required route without 'crashing' their jet. Not even Maverick himself.

Hangman found it all extremely frustrating. Even though they had five months to train, considerably longer than their last mission together, it nagged at him that no one had been able to fly it yet. Most of all, that he hadn't been able to fly it yet. Never before had Hangman been this affected by a mission. It kept him up at night, stressed him out during the day, and eventually led to him pulling all-nighters to cram as many mission-details into his head as he possibly could.

Tonight, he once again sat in Top Gun's communal kitchen well past midnight. All the aviators stayed in dorm-like rooms at the academy, with this living room-like kitchen being a sort of common room for them.

Hangman had chosen to sit here so as not to wake up his roommate during this stay. He was roomed up with Rooster, something, he suspected, Maverick had done on purpose to have the two of them get on better terms a bit. Their previous mission had definitely laid a base of acceptance and respect between the two of them as aviators, but this stay as roommates together made that Hangman had to admit he actually started to appreciate Rooster as a person.

Hangman sat at the large dining table in the kitchen. Maps, charts, mission specifics and jet manuals all lay strewn across the table and on the floor surrounding his chair. Even though he had trouble keeping his exhausted mind focused, he willed himself to keep reading everything there was, and try and remember every twist, turn and obstacle of the route they would need to fly. For three nights in a row he had gone by on a maximum of an hour and a half of sleep, and if it was up to him, he wasn't going to get much more tonight. Even if he slept, it was an uneasy slumber that didn't do much to get him any sort of rest. The symptoms of his fatigue already showed, but he refused to give into them.

His flying had been absolutely abysmal today. Deep down Hangman knew that was undoubtedly caused by his extreme lack of sleep, but he didn't admit to that. He was Hangman after all: he was good, very good, and wasn't brought down by something as trivial as lack of sleep. Still, there had been a very close call today, in which he nearly crashed his F18 into a hillside for real. Something like that had never happened to him before, and his weakened reflexes must have played a large part in that.

Now that he sat here, for the fourth night in a row hard on his way to pull an all-nighter, Hangman felt himself start to spin out of control. A distinct tremble had started in his hands, and he couldn't get it to stop. He was sweating, even though it was quite cool here in the kitchen, and whenever he moved his head, the room swam around him. Hangman was faintly aware he was crossing every line he had, but was so obsessed with making this mission work, that he didn't even care. He would sleep or rest when he mastered this mission, but until that time he allowed himself nothing.

"What are you doing?" Hangman was startled by Rooster suddenly standing behind him. He hadn't heard his fellow-aviator come in at all. "Studying," Hangman answered curtly. Rooster frowned at all the paperwork strewn across the kitchen. "Why?" Hangman ran a trembling hand through his hair. "I need to make this mission work. I have to be able to fly it."

Rooster mulled that over for a second, as something started to dawn on him. "How long has this been going on?" He asked suspiciously. "Come to think of it: I woke up yesterday in the middle of the night, and you weren't in our room. I figured you might have gone to the bathroom, and I fell asleep again quickly. But now I'm starting to think you were 'studying' as well." "I was." Hangman admitted instantly. "Fourth night in a row, and I still can't do it." He growled in frustration, slamming his fists into the tabletop.

Rooster raised an eyebrow in surprise, sitting himself down on a chair on the opposite side of the table. "Aren't you a bit harsh on yourself? I mean, even Mav hasn't flown this thing yet." Hangman vigorously shook his head, looking slightly deranged as he did so. "Then I'll be the one to do it." Rooster took a deep, slow breath. He could see the situation exactly for what it was: this mission had become an obsession for Hangman, and definitely not in a good way.

"Okay, you've got to stop this," Rooster intervened. "This isn't healthy anymore." "No, I've got to finish this," Hangman snapped. He looked absolutely disheveled now and on the edge of a nervous breakdown. "And I'm fine, by the way." Rooster scoffed, but spoke calmly. "Yeah, well, try telling me that without your hands shaking." "Rooster," Hangman growled, "you really need to…"

Hangman fell silent mid-sentence. Suddenly the room spun around him. Cold sweats broke out all over his body, and there was the distinct feeling of losing control over himself. He got to his feet as a feeling of panic spread through him, but that probably was the dumbest move he could have made. Immediately, the room spun even more and his vision darkened. And before he knew it, he slumped to the floor and blacked out completely.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Rooster muttered urgently. There was not much he could do to prevent Hangman from going crashing to the floor. He couldn't say he was surprised to see this happen, though. Hangman had worked himself into exhaustion in his obsession over this mission, and now paid the price for it.

Rooster ran around the table, dropping to his knees beside Hangman. They had their differences, sure, but in this case of emergency, Rooster didn't hesitate to offer his help. He immediately pressed his fingers to Hangman's neck to feel for a heartbeat, and was relieved to feel the rhythmic thumping of the vein.

Rooster knew he needed some assistance, but with everyone sleeping that wasn't the easiest thing to arrange at the moment. "Help!" He called out at the top of his lungs. "Need some help over here!" Rooster wasn't keen on leaving Hangman alone right now, especially with his fellow-aviator still out cold, so he just wished someone would be woken up by his cries for help.

Rooster turned his attention back to Hangman. He lightly tapped Hangman's cheek in an attempt to bring him back to consciousness, but was not able to rouse him. As his basic medical training had taught him, Rooster carefully turned Hangman onto his side, closely monitoring his condition until he would wake up again or until help would arrive.

The sound of barefoot, running footsteps coming down the corridor that led to the communal kitchen announced someone had heard Rooster's cries for help. A few seconds later, Maverick came to a skidding stop in the doorway.

"What happened?" Maverick looked horror-struck from the papers strewn everywhere, to the clearly unconscious Hangman lying on the floor and Rooster kneeling next to him. "Did you guys fight?" "No," Rooster answered quickly, "he passed out, because he's barely slept for four days. This mission has become an obsession for him, Mav."

Maverick blew out a deep breath. He had noticed something was off with Hangman, especially today, but hadn't been able to lay a finger on it. And now he knew… "That near crash today was probably no innocent mistake either?" Maverick frowned. Rooster shook his head. "I don't think so. Fatigue must have compromised his concentration and reflexes. He shouldn't have been flying today." "That's a conversation I will have with him some other time." The concern was evident in Maverick's voice. "Let's get him off the floor first."

Almost as if he had heard those words, Hangman groaned softly and stirred. It took a few seconds for him to open his eyes, but finally he looked ahead, still dazed. "What happened?" He mumbled weakly, "why am I on the floor?" Rooster scoffed. "Because you're an idiot, and decided to work yourself into exhaustion." Maverick held up a hand to silence Rooster, quietly signalling this was not the time nor the place for a reprimand.

Hangman sluggishly blinked a few times, before he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. "Slowly, take it easy." Maverick was ready to catch Hangman in case he would go down again. "I'm okay," Hangman mumbled, passing a hand over his face. "Bit dizzy, still, though." 'We can call one of the doctors in, if you want to?" Rooster suggested. "No, it's alright," Hangman answered softly, "if you guys would be so kind as to help me back to bed. I think I just need to sleep this off." "I'll agree to that for now," Maverick agreed somewhat reluctantly, "because it's the middle of the night, and you do need rest, but tomorrow you're seeing a doctor, just to be sure. And that is happening whether you like it or not." Hangman nodded, accepting defeat. "Okay."

Maverick and Rooster helped Hangman to his feet. He needed a lot of support, but leaning on both his fellow aviators, Hangman finally managed to stand. "You good?' Maverick asked, worried. Hangman looked anything but steady on his feet, and it wouldn't be surprising if he collapsed again at any given moment. "I can make it," Hangman answered through clenched jaws. He wasn't quite sure if he indeed would be able to make it back to his and Rooster's room, but he was way too damn proud to be carried back there. Rooster could see right through him, but didn't mention it. "At your tempo."

Hangman took a tentative step forward. He knew he had done all of this to himself, but he didn't quite trust the strength of his own legs. To his relief, he found that he could walk, albeit slowly and somewhat unsteadily.

Getting back to their bedroom took a while. Hangman needed to stop a few times along the way and seemed in constant danger of collapsing again. He had to admit he was completely spent by the time they had reached the bedroom. Just this short walk had drained him of the little strength and energy he had left.

Maverick and Rooster helped Hangman lie down on the bed. He didn't even bother to change his clothes, that was how tired he felt. Hangman pulled the sheets up to his chin and rolled himself onto his side, facing the wall next to his bed, and back turned to Rooster and Maverick. The consequences of what he had done suddenly weighed down hard on him. He felt so ashamed that he had let himself get this obsessed with their mission, and had allowed himself to spiral completely out of control. He now sure paid a price for it, because he felt like utter shit. Both mentally and physically he had exhausted himself.

Hangman heard Maverick and Rooster converse behind him in hushed voices. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but about a minute later he heard footsteps, a door open and close, and then silence. Hangman instinctively knew he was now alone with Rooster once again.

"Thanks for checking in on me," Hangman mumbled just loud enough for Rooster to hear. He was well aware that if Rooster hadn't decided to come look for him tonight, things might have been a lot worse. And if things hadn't turned out the way they had tonight, he sure would have stepped into his F18 tomorrow, and quite possibly crashed and killed himself for real.

After a short moment of silence, Rooster answered. "Anytime. Just promise me never to do anything like that ever again." "I sure won't," Hangman agreed without hesitation. He closed his eyes and felt his body grow heavy. It took only a minute before Hangman had fallen into a deep sleep.

---

Hangman slowly awoke. He didn't move and remained lying with his eyes closed. His bed was still way too comfortable, and he could still feel the fatigue in his bones, so he wasn't really planning on getting up anytime soon. The rustling sound of a page being turned made Hangman realise that he wasn't alone in the room. He slowly opened his eyes now to look over his shoulder, and found Rooster sitting on the other bed.

"Welcome back." Rooster spoke without looking up from the file he was reading. Hangman slowly rolled himself onto his back, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "How long was I asleep?" Rooster checked his watch. "About 20 hours." "Come again?" Hangman was astounded to hear that number. He had expected it to be a few hours, not almost an entire day. "You even slept through the doctor examining you this afternoon," Rooster commented airily, still not looking up from the page he was reading. "He thinks you'll be fine, by the way. Nothing a few days of absolute rest won't cure." Hangman nodded slowly. "And you have been sitting here all day?" "We took turns," Rooster answered, finally meeting Hangman's eye. "But since I sleep here, too, I got the night shift." "So someone has been sitting here all day to watch me sleep?" Hangman frowned. Rooster gave him a stern look in return. "You collapsed, remember?" "Actually, I don't remember much of it." Hangman slowly sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands. "The last few days are a bit of a blur, to be honest." "I wonder how that came to be," Rooster replied sarcastically. "I know I did this all to myself," Hangman slowly shook his head, "and trust me when I say I feel guilty as hell about it."

A short while of silence was finally broken by Rooster. "You scared the shit out of me, you know that? I honestly thought you were a goner there for a moment." Hangman chuckled wryly. "You? Concerned for me?" "Yes." Rooster snapped back, maybe a little harsher than he meant to. "So what?" "I– I'm sorry…" Hangman stammered. He realised that his airy response did not go down well with Rooster, and he couldn't quite blame him for it.

Rooster threw the file he was reading on the floor beside his bed. "No, I'm sorry," he admitted with a hefty sigh, "I know we're not necessarily what you would call friends, but seeing you go down like that… it had an impact on me." Hangman knew this was a lot coming from Rooster, which made him appreciate it even more. "Thank you, that actually means a lot." Rooster shifted a little uncomfortably on his bed. "And I'm glad you're okay." "Well," Hangman chuckled, "I assume Maverick will still want that talk with me tomorrow. So after I survive that, then I'll really be okay." "Yeah, good luck with that." Rooster commented sarcastically, "he sounded ready to skin you alive." "As he should." Hangman lay back down. "I deserve every second of that, but first I'm going to have a whole night of sleep, cause I'm still tired as hell." Rooster nodded in agreement. "If you need anything, I'm here." "Thanks, buddy." Hangman already had his eyes closed.

Rooster watched his fellow-aviator silently drift off to sleep again, and felt the stress and worry of the day finally start to lessen. Yesterday's events had scared him shitless, but he was glad to see Hangman was on the mend again. Rooster lay down as well, casting one final glance at Hangman already fast asleep, before switching off the lights in their room. "Sleep tight."

#top gun maverick #top gun: maverick #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #glen powell #miles teller #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #whump #whump writing #whump fanfic #whump fanfiction #ltwbwriting

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topgunruinedme · 2 years

Text

Seen not heard - DADvrick

Synopsis: Rooster and Payback pull a prank on Hangman, not realizing it could have been fatal. Maverick and Iceman step in to help the pilot recover.

"He will never be allowed to fly again; do you realize that?"

Word count: 4,023

On A03

Main Master list, Hangman Master List, Prologue.

A/N: I wrote this on my phone so they may be mistakes.

It had been a long eventful day. Maverick managed to shoot him down again despite his best efforts the old man just wouldn’t go down, and then he had to deal with the teasing Phoenix dealt out. As if she herself had not been shot down by the man. He was beyond tired, but he had stayed back after class to look at some old flight manuals. If he was going to beat Pop’s he needed to be in the same court, he couldn’t do that if he didn’t have the ball.

He hadn’t realized how late he had stayed; he hadn’t realised the light in the look had long past dimmed and the crickets had started chirping. He glanced at the clock passingly before realizing it was almost 8 pm, he stood and rolled his shoulders back with a groan. These chairs were certainly not made for long-term use, he winced as his back cracked loudly in the quiet room. He let out a yawn as he collected his book and pen before stepping out into the hallway towards the parking lot. Thank heavens the classroom he had picked wasn’t far, he really didn’t want to walk halfway across base to get to his truck.

It was awfully quiet for a Naval base at night, he could faintly hear a few janitors and the occasional Admiral talking in their office. That’s why he loved studying at night, it was so much more peaceful. The world was sleeping around him, he stepped out into the parking lot; glad to see his truck, his lip twitched in relief. He had hardly made it two steps towards his truck before it happened.

Jake didn’t have any time to react when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled away from his car. His keys and books slipped from his grip, and he fought his capture. His shout was muffled by a hand as he was dragged backwards down a familiar hallway. He saw the classroom he had been studying in passingly as he attempted to dig his feet into the ground to stop them, he only achieved in the souls of his shoes creating a loud squeaking noise on the polished floor before one of his captures kicked his legs out from under him; forcing him to lose his leverage as he was dragged along.

The further into the hallway they travelled the darker it got, why the hell was the lights turned off?

He struggled against his captures almost breaking free once when he shoved his elbow back into someone, the man grunted in pain and Jake's eyes widened at the familiar voice before he was recaptured. Tight grips on his arms and waist as they forced him into an office. There was a chair, it looked out of place - clearly being placed there for this purpose alone. Someone shoved their weight on him, forcing him to stumble blindly into the chair. The other capture did quick work at tying his ankles and wrists to the chair while he was retrained. He attempted to strain and looked around in the darkness to find something, a hint at his capture's, anything. His heart pounded in his ears, unable to move as the rope pulled around his chest as he threw himself forward attempting to dislodge it. He managed to dislodge it enough to sink his teeth into the man’s hand, and his capture jerked away with a cry of pain.

“He bit me!” a hand was thrusted through his hair grabbing a fair chunk of it and yanked his head back using their other hand to force his jaw open as something was forced between his teeth. “Shut up you idiot!” the other person hissed as the object in his teeth straps were tightened and dug painfully into the skin of his cheeks. It made swallowing hard, and he felt a moment of panic as if he was suffocating.

“Done,” the first person said stiffly as they yanked the rope tightly, “let’s get the hell out of here!” he stood and herded the other person out of the room. The small light in the hall allowed a small stream of light to tumble in revealing the face of Rooster and Payback.

“See you later” Rooster smirked, and Payback laughed, “let’s see him leave his wingman after this”, as they shut the door leaving him in pitch darkness.

Nobody will come for you, a voice that sounded frightening like his father muttered. They don’t care about a pilot like you, dead weight. You’re not even useful, just the spare.

His mind flashed back to the day of the mission when Maverick decided who was the mission leader. He hadn’t slept the night before too afraid to go to sleep spending most of the night throwing up, petrified. This was a suicide mission no one should be happy to go on. It was their job, to go where they are told. There was no guarantee they would come back from this.

He had known the moment Maverick stood in front of them all, he didn’t once take his eyes off Rooster. Don’t, don’t make that mistake he begged silently, don’t let the past get in the way.

But there was nothing he could do, “Rooster” the man declared anyway. Jake felt like his heart had dropped, he had tried. He had worked so hard to get here, he tried to get along with the others. He wasn’t going to pretend this wasn’t dangerous, he wasn't going to put himself in danger because the others were playing house. Why wasn’t he enough? He had tried to work with the others, he had gotten better. He had been flying successfully with the others, he tried to prove himself. He was the only one to pass the mission, the simulation. The only one to get close to the time, the only one to lead without complications or death, Rooster was the only one in the squadron who didn’t pass the mission!

He was going to get them all killed.

“The dagger spare will be Hangman”, dagger spare, that’s all he ever was a spare. Maverick was going to get everyone killed, no one was coming home from this mission.

His father chuckled in his ear; see boy they can see through you. Through that pathetic act, you put on. They can see you.

He wasn’t terribly surprised to hear Maverick go down, or that Rooster ever the stupid impulsive spoilt man he was went back after him getting shot down himself. He was relieved to see dagger, 3 and 4 return, even if they were grieving the loss of the others.

It was inevitable, he had warned them all in the beginning.

But then they had survived, somehow. Wrecking 2, two-million-dollar planes pointlessly in the process. He was ordered to go after them, Hangman fixing it once again.

He didn’t remember much of the time in the air, he said something about putting a tray up, trying to focus on his pounding heart in his ears and trying to force down his own panic. He heard Rooster laugh and forced himself to continue their usual banter. But once they were on the ground, he had been forgotten again, shoved to the side.

Maverick and Rooster reunited, and the crew celebrated, Javy came to his side silently and lead him away. Hidden in his rooms, his hands trembling and his chest constricting in the undeniable panic as his best friend held him as he sobbed. He had killed again, this time he hadn’t hesitated.

When he joined the celebration, everyone seemed to have forgotten his sacrifice, his kill. They ignored him, he sat at the table eating silently with Javy by his side as they watched Maverick and Rooster be flaunted and fawned over. He wasn’t sure he even wanted that; he was somewhat grateful he was so forgettable. His achievements were forgotten.

But they didn’t even acknowledge him in their squadron anymore, he didn’t attempt to sit with them anymore, receiving odd looks. “What do you want Bagman?”, they didn’t want him.

He wasn’t the best, not anymore, they didn’t need him anymore. He had spent every night worrying someone would come and tell him to leave, that Top Gun was only reserved for the best. His anxiety jumped every time he heard someone knock on the door, always keeping a go-bag packed and ready to go. For two weeks straight until they hit land.

His heart jumped, and he swore he had heard footsteps behind him. He strains his eyes to look out in the dark. A familiar chuckle entered the room, and he felt the blood in his face leave, and he pulled at the ropes in desperation.

“Did you really think you could escape me boy?” his father whispered as he leaned over his shoulder to whisper in his ear, Jake could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“I’ll make you pay for staying away so long” the man promised, Jake yanked harder at the restraints, feeling them chaff his skin and the pain of it rubbing them raw. He attempted to cry out waiting for the unforgettable whip of a belt on his back, only becoming more distressed when it didn’t immediately come as the room stayed silent.

Where was he? Why was he drawing it out? Why was he tormenting him?

“Why did you not get top marks, boy?” the man finally spoke again, Jake’s eyes tried to scan the room in confusion. His body jerked as the wind from the window caused the blink the smack against the wall, making a ‘bang’ flood through the room. He could feel sweat rolling down his back, which only prompted the next question.

“Why is your uniform in such disarray?” the man fumed, “Do you have no pride!”. Jake shifted his jaw as if to speak when his father cut him off, “Did I say you could speak?”. His tone was a cold and frightening one, he had become used to it early in his childhood facing down the furious man.

“Little boys are seen not heard” his father whispered softly, the familiar manter he had heard throughout his childhood.

“Stop your sniffing!” his father yelled causing him to flinch, he hadn’t noticed the tears rolling down his face. “Only little girls and weak men cry” he sneered, he heard the terrifyingly familiar snap of a belt hitting the air, and his father’s deadly voice “do I need to give you a reminder?”. Jake couldn’t stop the whimper he releases, his eyes screwed up in fear as he waited for the belt to strike.

Maverick signed as he searched through the hazardly stuffed documents he had put in his bag this morning before realizing he was missing one. Damit, it must still be in his office, he had no clue how he had missed it; he had just grabbed the entire lot and stuffed them in. although he didn’t pay attention to what they were, maybe it had just slid his notice. He ran a hand through his hair in exhaustion, it was already making itself aware. He hadn’t been sleeping well, he never did when Ice was away on meetings, he was thankful his husband had returned last night. Although he was glad to finally have a chance to get some decent sleep, he did everything but sleep last night. He left his bag on the bike as he started the short trip back to the office.

Slider had stayed to keep him company while Ice was away, while he appreciated the man’s concern, his taunting and misplaced jokes got old quickly. He really hoped the man was gone when he got home, he didn’t want a repeat of this morning. Slider had smirked at him over his cup of coffee, “Have a good night last night?”. Ice hadn’t even batted an eye at the man, of cause they spend most of their Navy career living in the same room. It was not something new to Ice, Maverick however still couldn’t get used to how casual the man was about sexy to have the gull comment about it to his face not even an hour after.

He stilled when he heard a noise, he frowned and flicked on the lights in the hallway. Why were they off? It was far too early for the janitors to leave yet. He heard it again. A small whimper, and then someone cried out, it was muffled but definitely there. He followed it to his office; he was not looking forward to interrupting two lieutenants who decided to try and have a tumble in his office as an idea of fun.

He opened the door with an air of caution.

Jakes’s eyes flew open when he heard the door open, light flooded into the room. Maverick stood in the doorway with a look of confusion and horror.

Please! Please help me, Maverick! Please chase away my monster! Don’t let him hurt me!

He hadn’t expected this, the terrified clouded blue eyes that were stretched wide. Visible strips ran down his face where tears had been previously, the red ball gap shoved between the man’s teeth preventing him from speaking. His arms were tied behind him on the chair the rope stretching across his chest all the way down to his legs efficiently pinning him to the chair, making it impossible to be in any type of comfortable position forcing him to sit up straight.

“Jake?” he rushed to the man; the boy was trembling in the chair. He pulled the boy’s head forward resting it on his stomach as he quickly undid the buckle of the gag. He carefully pulled it from Jake’s skin and gently urged the man to open his mouth wider to pull it out. There were distinct marks on his teeth where he had subconsciously bitten into the ball in an attempt to escape. He then allowed the man to rest his head against him as he rubbed the man’s undoubtedly sore jaw; his other hand running through the man sweat covered hair. Allowing the panicking man to pant against him, chest heaving as he whispered to him soothingly. It’s alright, just breathe. I’m here now.

“Are you ready to continue?” he asked softly, Jake whimpered “no? that’s ok we can stay here for a bit. Whenever you’re ready” he stroked the man’s hair softly. Very slowly, Jake’s breathing started to settle into a steady rhythm.

Jake nodded giving him permission to continue, he stepped back releasing him; stepped around behind him as he went looking for the pocketknife, he kept in his desk drawer. He heard the desperate whine, and Jake let out in distress.

“I know Jake, I’m going as fast as I can alright” he tried to soothe as he found the knife and rushed back to the man’s side. He grabbed Jake’s wrists and mumbled softly to the terrified man, “I’m going to start cutting now, try not to move”. Maverick focused on the boy’s grip that was holding his wrist desperate for contact as he pulled the rope away from his wrists to ensure he didn’t cut the younger man, wincing as the robe tightened somewhere else on his body; cut the robe thread by thread.

He waited anxiously as the robe strained against more and more weight until it finally snapped, cut through and dropped to the ground. Jake sagged forward without the strict rope holding him back, Maverick quickly shifted the knife out of the way, so the man didn’t skew himself on it. Jake cried out in pain when he attempted to move his numb arms, “they’re going to be sore for a little while, darling” Maverick said as he rubbed up his left arm carefully to his shoulder and then repeated it on the other side, paying extra time to carefully rub his raw wrists where the ropes had down the most damage.

“Alright, I’m going to move on to your legs next alright?” he warned waiting until Jake nodded, Maverick knelt to cut the robes around his ankles. He felt the man’s hand grip the back of his t-shirt. He was still trembling still, he stood back up chucking the knife to the side when Jake was free. “Alright I’m going to lift you Jake”, he warned lifting his arms under the man’s shoulders and knees standing adjusting to the man’s weight.

Thank God it was after hours, he stepped out into the hall quickly using the back hallways towards the med bay.

He moved swiftly not wanting to risk raking to much time, this may not have hurt the man physically but who knows what it did to him psychologically?

“I need help over here!” he yelled out as he shouldered his way into the med bay, startling the idle medical staff. Forcing them to jump into action as he placed the trembling man onto the bed.

He attempted to bring the covers over Jake to give him something to ground him, but it only made him panic more, “please don’t” Jake asked with a small voice. Looking up at him, “don’t tie me up again, I’ll be good” Jake whispered his jaw trembling. Maverick swallowed hard and gripped the boy’s hand, he wouldn’t leave him. He couldn’t.

He dug out his phone from his pocket confident he would be spending many more hours here and sent a message to his husband.

He stood in front of his class the next day after spending all night in the midday by Jake’s side before Ice took over. He stared at the empty chair in the otherwise full classroom he didn’t miss Rooster and Payback’s grins. Please no.

“Last night, there was an incident involving Lieutenant Seresin” he started sullenly, his eyes scanning the class; “I’m giving you a chance now to step up and take responsibility before I start my own investigation”. Rooster’s lips twitched and he nudged Payback who laughed, “it was just some harmless fun sir” Payback smiled, “Rooster and I, we just wanted to teach him a lesson”.

Ice stared at him from his crouched position beside him, “go, ill watch over him. I promise nothing will happen; I’ll get you the moment he’s awake” his husband promised with a kiss.

Maverick clenched his jaw, oh god please no. “Congratulations” he watched confusion fall over the class, “Lieutenant Seresin had been removed from active duty and handed in his wings. You have single-handedly dragged a man out of the sky for your own entertainment”.

The nurses looked at him in sorrow “I’m Sorry Captain Mitchell, He failed his physiological exam. I can’t in good conscience let him fly any time soon”.

“When?”

“He might never recover”

“What?” Rooster asked in shock, “we didn’t do anything to him!”. Maverick closed his eyes for a moment to retain his anger and despair, we didn’t raise you like this.

“What do you mean he won’t recover?”

“It will take time, a lot of time. He will need someone to be there for him. Every moment of the day-”

“I’ll be there, we both will”

He opens his eyes and forces himself to look blankly at the man, “There will be an investigation and a trial. Please hand in your wings”. Don’t make me take them.

He watched devastation and anger crawl onto Bradley’s face, this was like when he pulled his papers all over again.

Expect this time he hurt someone; he couldn’t stand for that.

He held out his hand palm face up as he watched Rooster stand and shove the pin into his outstretched hand storming out to the door, Payback was much quieter placing it carefully down on the palm.

“Bradley” he stopped the boy before he could storm out, his form almost vibrating in anger. Bradley stopped in the doorway standing stiffly but did not turn to him, this was exactly like his papers.

“He will never be allowed to fly again; do you realize that?” Bradley stood there for a moment before storming out, he had lost 3 pilots in a day.

The room was silent for the most of it, surprisingly it was Bob who broke the silence pulling his gaze away from the empty doorway the two men have long left. “Sir” Bob broached carefully sending him a concerned look, almost nervous “is he ok?”.

Bob was asking about Jake; he hadn’t even realized the two men were talking. But Bob seemed worried almost, “Stay after class Bob, Class dismissed” he waved his hand clenching his fist with the pins as the classroom emptied.

Bob silently stood and came to his side as they waited for the classroom to empty. Once the last person left, and the door slid shut, Maverick leaned back on his desk with a wearily sign.

“I’m not going to sugar-coat it, Bob. It’s not good” He held out a hand before the younger man could talk, “I can’t tell you what happened, but you can come to see him” he added hesitantly, “if you want that is”.

The WSO nodded silently and followed him without prompting, they walked down the busy hallways moving around people. Not once did Bob move from his shoulder, when had this happened? He didn’t remember Jake talking directly to bob once, surely this wasn’t a hidden in private friendship. He watched the man out of the corner of his eye, the man was fiddling with his book, bending it before soothing the creases out of It; moving determinedly but also attempting to keep to the same pace he was. He could see the man’s pace speed up almost anxious when the med bay came into sight, perhaps the man wasn’t aware of it.

Bob walked straight into the hospital bay without any hesitation walking past his husband to Jake’s bedside. He wasn’t sure if Bob just didn’t care at that point or if he hadn’t realised the man in civies was Admiral Kazansky but he didn’t stand at attention or salute. Ice let it pass silently moving to give the man space, Bob didn’t look at him once his attention was captured by Jake who looked at him with a dopey smile.

“Hey,” Jake said quietly as the younger man who pulled the man over the bed and brought him into a hug, “hey” Bob grinned at the man shyly.

Ice moved to the side and came to Maverick side, “How is he?” Maverick asked his husband softly. Ice signed and ran a hand through his hair, “It’s not good” he admitted, “they think he’s claustrophobic, he won’t let the nurses give him any blankets. I’m not sure how he’s going to get back into the cock pit Mav”.

“Well take care of him” Maverick smiled, Ice returned it and kissed his husband on the cheek as he pulled the smaller man in for a hug, “the spare bedroom is already set up for him”. Thank God Slider had left, he couldn’t deal with the man on top of this.

Maverick laughed softly, “God I knew I loved you for a reason”.

“Maverick?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Did you ever get that document you were after?”

Maverick mind blanked and he let out a startled laugh, after all, that had happened in the last two days, he had forgotten all about it. He laid his head back on his husband’s shoulder the man just rolled his eyes fondly.

A/N: What does everyone thing about possibly turning this into a series?

Tag List: @tallrock35, @inthestars-underthesun, @luckyladycreator2, @fortunatelycrazyyouth, @lgkoval.

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crinkled-emotions · 1 year

Note

Oh. G. You lovely human. I've come to humbly request more Jake. PLEASE 🥺

Hangman xOC (Or dealers choice. Whatever you're feeling) and impatient and frustrated with a Slow healing break

Thank you! I hope 2023 is kind to you!

“Impatient and frustrated” with “a slow healing break” with Jake x OC please?

Ah, Kat... you know me too well! I have been couting down the fics to this one I’m not gonna lie 😂

I've had this ready for about a week, but I had to wait for my wifi to sort itself out which was a BLAST considering hotspotting my phone to my laptop is straight up just a bad idea lmao.

Everyone, meet my new OC; Savannah! Nickname is Sav and she fits in nicely in the same universe of my Rooster OC (her name is Dee, short for Development but also known as Dee-saster to Pooty and Pooty only) who is remaining in the background for now.

Savannah barrelled down the hallways of the Navy hospital, dodging and ducking everyone in her way. She spotted the tall, broad form of Rooster standing outside a room and yelled for him, narrowly missing accidentally running into a patient walking past.

“Rooster!”

“Savannah, hey. Hey, take a sec. You don’t wanna freak him out more.”

“Is he okay? What the hell happened? Rooster, I swear to god, let me through-“

“-he had to eject, Sav. That’s what the hell happened,” Rooster said. He refused to meet her eyes, darting all over the place which was very unlike him. As much as he disliked Jake, she’d never had a problem with him personally and he’d always been straight with her. When he still shifted nervously Savannah froze, assuming the worst.

“How- what- is he- Bradley-“

“-he’s okay, for the most part, but uh- Cyclone is in there with him and Mav. You might want to give it a minute.”

“Is he in trouble?” Savannah asked, the fear building in her stomach. When Rooster shook his head, she ducked around him and pointed at Coyote, Jake’s right hand man and one of his oldest friends.

“Hey, Javy. Is my husband in the shit?”

“Nah, he did what he had to do, Cyclone gets that. Sorry I called like that, I hope I didn’t freak you out.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m not gonna lie, you definitely spooked me.”

Coyote got up from his spot beside Bob on the seats and approached Savannah, giving her a hug.

“It’s good to see you anyways,” he said. She sighed, resting her head on his chest.

“How bad is it?”

“Well, it’s not good,” Phoenix said bluntly. Savannah lifted her head from Javy’s chest to glare at the other pilot.

“This is not the time to be quoting 9-1-1,” she said, but when Phoenix shrugged Savannah realised she wasn’t even mad because it was exactly something she would have done to cope had the shoe been on the other foot. Whenever Phoenix was stateside she and Savannah binged the show like there was no tomorrow- Bob had joined them last time and had surprisingly been down for the thirsting over the men and women of the 118.

The door to the hospital room opened and Maverick stepped out with Cyclone, his attention turning straight to his godson... who wasn’t looking all that great either.

“Come with me. The rest of you, give Savannah and Jake some space.”

Savannah watched Rooster and Maverick walk toward the exit, then turned her attention to Cyclone.

“Admiral Simpson, sir, how is he?”

Cyclone’s usually harsh exterior tended to melt when he was speaking to spouses. No one really knew exactly why, but they appreciated it nonetheless. Dee, Rooster’s wife (and another 9-1-1 binger), often commented that she appreciated the generosity Cyclone had displayed to her in the past, especially when it came to their kids.

“Well, Mrs Seresin, I have to be honest; he’s really lucky to only come away with the injuries that he did. The doctors said he could have snapped his back in two, or his neck, with the way he ejected.”

“And what are his... injuries?”

Cyclone stepped to the side, reaching for the door handle.

“Maybe you should go and see him, ma’am,” he said softly, so Savannah stepped into the room.

“Jake?”

Jake couldn’t even lift his head from the hospital bed, and Savannah could see from the door that he was flat on his back, completely silent.

“Oh, honey...”

Jake’s right arm was in a sling, right leg in a cast, and his face was all shades of black and blue. Savannah paused right where she was, a hand to her mouth. She knew she couldn’t lose it, not when he needed her, but her heart was going a million miles an hour and she knew he was going to lose his shit when the drugs had worn off. Swallowing the growing lump in her throat she approached the hospital bed, taking Jake’s good hand when he reached out to her.

“M'good,” he croaked and Savannah smiled despite the tears threatening to fall.

“I can see that, cowboy. God, fucking hell Jake, you really scared me. What’s the damage?”

“Pretty self explanatory,” he replied, gesturing to his arm in a sling and his casted leg, “broken collarbone and leg, some bruises in some very attractive places, and time off with a psych evaluation waiting for me on the other end.”

“Sounds like you’re lucky to be alive, let alone able to walk again.”

3 weeks later

Kneeling by Jake’s side of the bed, Savannah pressed a kiss to his forehead and gently shook his shoulder enough to stir him but not enough to make his collarbone hurt.

“You with me, Jake?” She asked softly. He hummed, frowning as he lifted his good hand up to scrub at his eyes.

“What time is it?”

“10, baby. C’mon, up and at ‘em, you need to do your exercises.”

“Fuck the exercises, they hurt and make me nauseous.”

“It’s not the exercises that make you nauseous, Jake, it’s the discomfort from the exercises.”

“Don’t act like you know what you’re talking about, Savannah.”

“And don’t act like you don’t need me to help you to the bathroom in the middle of the night,” Savannah snapped. They fell silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry,” Jake huffed, “I’m just...”

Savannah didn’t try and fill in the blanks for him, and Jake cleared his throat.

“It’s hard to go from the gym twice a day, dogfight training and constant stimulation to nothing. I’m batshit bored, my leg fucking itches all the time, my collarbone hurts and I just want to touch you but I can’t and it’s driving me crazy.”

“I’m sorry too, Jake. I’m not trying to assume I know everything you’re going through. I just want to help.”

“I can’t even- y’know.”

Savannah frowned.

“Pretend I don’t.”

Jake sat up, crossing his arms the best he could, the biggest pout Savannah had ever seen him muster crossing his features. She burst out laughing.

“Jake, I appreciate the thought, but right now? I’m just very fucking happy to see you alive. I don’t even care about that, there is plenty of time when you’re feeling better.”

She moved around the room, pulling their bedroom curtains open and passing Jake’s phone over. He did a quick check of his emails, yawning.

“Are you still okay to take me to that appointment this afternoon?” He asked, eyes still trained on his phone. Savannah hummed, opening drawers for clean clothes. She was still in her sleepwear despite being up for almost four hours- Jake had startled himself in the middle of the night and she’d found it hard to go back to sleep because her heart was racing almost as much as his. Eventually she’d given up and started getting her work done for the day so she didn’t have to worry about it; especially if the appointment went badly.

The unsettled feeling in her gut told her it was going to, and Jake wasn’t going to take it well. Coyote was on standby.

“Good afternoon Lieutenant, how are we feeling?”

“Not great, sir,” Jake complained as he settled on to the exam chair, glancing over at Savannah who took the crutches once he was settled. It had been a slow journey from their bed to the car, then from the car to the doctor’s waiting area, and then again from the doctor’s waiting area to the exam room. Considering Jake had gone three different shades of green and white, and he was now clutching the arms of the exam chair so hard he was probably going to leave marks, Savannah could tell he wasn’t comfortable.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Can you tell me a little more about what’s going on?”

Jake glanced at Savannah again, and she squeezed his good hand.

“It’s okay,” she reassured. The doctor waited, patiently, and finally Jake cleared his throat.

“I’m having trouble sleeping...”

As Jake started to explain what was going on; his inability to stay asleep for more than a couple of hours, the aches and pains, the nausea, the doctor listened intently whilst making notes. Finally, when Jake was done, the doctor gestured to his collarbone.

“Let’s start here, and see how we go. I want to get some more scans done, especially if you’re still in pain after three weeks. From there we can make a plan. Sound good?”

“Guess it has to,” Jake muttered. Savannah glanced at him, unsurprised to find him looking at her too. She sent him the most reassuring smile she could, but her gut still continued to clench.

The doctor put the x-ray films up on the screen for Jake and Savannah, gesturing with his pen toward where there was a plate in Jake’s leg holding it together.

“So, one of the screws has managed to dislodge itself, which would explain why you’re in so much pain. The break is a bad one, as you probably already knew, and it’s going to take a lot longer than the standard six weeks to heal. I understand you want to return to your career and your team, Jake, but I really need you to stay off that leg for as long as you can.”

“You- you mean... more bed rest?” Jake asked, horrified. Savannah reached over to squeeze his hand but Jake pulled away, eyes wide.

“More fuckin’ bed rest? It has been three weeks of nothing but bed rest and my wife having to help me to take a fuckin’ piss! I am tired of bed rest. No, fuck this, is there any other option?”

“-Jake, cut it out,” Savannah hissed through her smile at the doctor, trying to be polite but also ready to put Jake’s head in the ground. She could tell he was about to do a Hangman and be the biggest brat possible. When he tried to get up she put her head in her hands.

“Jake. Sit,” she begged. He glared at her, but did as asked. The doctor sat back on his seat, reaching for his notes.

“You still have a long road of recovery ahead of you, Lieutenant Seresin,” he said. Jake stared at his lap, and Savannah could almost feel the way he was shaking with frustration.

“Take a breath,” she whispered to him, turning her attention back to the doctor.

Back at home, Jake stumbled over to the couch and Savannah went into the kitchen, tossing her car keys on the bench and searching for a bottle of water. If she squinted hard enough at the clock saying 3pm, she could pretend it was 5pm. It was enough for her to wonder if it was okay to crack the bottle of wine yet.

“Sav?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you come here a sec?”

Savannah rounded the corner back into the living area, raising an eyebrow.

“You okay?”

“I’m sorry.”

She frowned, crossing the room to sit on the couch beside Jake, leaning into his side.

“The accident wasn’t your fault, Jake, it’s not like you chose to get hurt.”

“No, I’m sorry for how I behaved in the doctor’s office. I didn’t mean to- I’m just...”

“Impatient? Frustrated?”

Jake huffed, rolled his eyes, but then nodded.

“Yeah.”

“That’s understandable.”

Savannah snorted, reaching out to give her husband a kiss.

“Can I give you some advice?” She whispered. Jake studied her face for a moment, then he nodded.

“Always.”

“Take your time recovering, okay? The more you push yourself the more you actually set yourself back, and I know it’s the most frustrating thing in the world to you, but I need you to understand that if you come back too early, and something happens, you know they won’t let you come back for even longer if at all. I don’t want you grounded permanently until you’re ready to be on the ground.”

Jake was quiet for a moment. Savannah held her breath, waiting for him to start yelling. Instead, he reached for her and she buried her head into his shoulder.

“I love you,” Jake whispered. Savannah pinched his side.

“I love you too. Stop doing stupid shit, let Mav do the self-sacrificing.”

Jake pulled away from their hug, frowning.

“Hey, speaking of Mav, was Bradshaw at the hospital? I don’t remember seeing him.”

Savannah raised an eyebrow, nudging him.

“What, were you worried about him? I didn’t know you two were back to best buddy status.”

“We’re civil. His dad was killed in an accident similar to mine.”

“When I got to the hospital no one looked all that hot. I’ve never seen Phoenix’s hands shake like that. Uh, the others- the others left pretty quickly after I arrived, Cyclone and Mav sent them out- oh, hang on, I kinda remember Mav taking Rooster outside, and when I went to get some air I saw Rooster talking to Dee and he was smoking.”

“That’s not good. I’ll call him later.”

Jake winced and Savannah looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you still hurting? You can have another dose of painkillers now, I think.”

“No, I- I don’t want the pills. I just- thank you. For putting up with me.”

“It’s a struggle but we make it work,” Savannah teased, Jake rolling his eyes.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do, and it’s not putting up with you. It’s loving you.”

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ohtobeleah · 7 months

Text

Dark Red // Jake Seresin

Summary: Jake Seresin is usually pretty cool, carm and cock sure of himself. But when his wife has an accident? He hits the deck pretty hard.

Warnings: Character death. Mentions of car accidents. Fainting. Jake Seresin x F!reader.

Word Count: 2.7k

Author Note: Day Eleven of Whumptober. Prompt I chose: ‘Fainting.’ Thank you to @ailesswhumptober for the prompt list.

It was enough to shake you that was for sure. The sheer force of the car behind you that had run right up the back of you and sent your bonnet into the back of the car in front of you, practically sandwiching you in, was enough to rattle you.

It was enough to have the airbag deploying in your face, breaking your nose that would surely leave two very black and swollen eyes from the sinus pressure. It was enough to shatter the glass of your front and back windscreens like they were paper thin. The forces had crumbled the aluminum of your 1999 Ford Festiva with ease. Like a paper bag being trot on. The same car Jake was adamant that you finally upgrade from. The same care that you were so attached to.

Guess there wouldn’t be any love lost when Jake found out that your beloved Festiva was totally gone. She was to put it simply—unsalvageable. But at least you were able to walk away relatively unscathed.

“Would you like us to give your emergency contact a call?” Jake Seresin had been your best friend for just over ten years. The two of you had only just recently gotten married after dating for eight of those. There had never really been any real rush to put pen to paper and make all the legal arrangements and challenges. You were pretty content in the role you played in Jake's life. But when his career started to see him in more life threatening situations, he started to wonder what exactly he’d be leaving you behind with. It made sense on paper to get married and it made even more sense to share the Seresin name with the six month old fetus kicking it in utero. Little Baby Seresin.

“My husband’s at work—“ You sighed to the woman checking on your little boy's heart, strong and stable. No signs of distress from his end which was the best possible outcome. “You can probably just clean me up and send me on my way.”

“Hmm—“ Although there were no obvious signs, Linda Masters thought it would be in your best interests to stay overnight for observations. She was waiting to hear back from your OB. “I’d rather keep you in overnight, just to make sure baby doesn’t decide to change his mind.”

“Okay, but when you get someone to call, just make sure you let him know that we’re fine.” You were really insistent on that, you knew how Jake could get when it came to you. For someone who was usually so cool, calm and cock sure of himself, he could get a little flustered to say the very least whenever something involved you. “He doesn’t need to leave work, but he can definitely swing by with an overnight bag afterwards.”

“Oh boy.” You knew that voice from a mile away. “Seresins ganna go into cardiac arrest when he finds out that little miss is sitting in my Emergency Room.” Doctor Benjamin Ocka or more affectionately known by the Daggers as, Doc Ock, cooed as he came up to your bedside. “I was called for a consult?” He addressed the technician who was just packing away her ultrasound machine.

“Y/n Seresin, six months pregnant, sustained a broken nose and possibly sinus damage from her airbag. There doesn’t seem to be any other major injuries, just a couple of bumps and bruises.”

Ben chuckled as he assessed your nose, ears, eyes and mouth. Your bloodied nose was huge, swollen as swollen could be. He knew immediately that you were gonna be on bed rest for a few days. Especially when it came to the part in the healing process where your sinuses would swell so much that you wouldn’t be able to see.

“I’ll call Hangman shall I?” He sighed as he placed his little light into the top pocket of his doctor’s jacket and sat beside you. “Bubs okay?”

“Perfectly fine, we’re staying for a sleepover just to be sure.”

“I’m probably gonna need to readjust your nose.” He frowned softly as he kept assessing your face. “Little bit of surgery but we can discuss that once the swelling goes away—if you can breathe and can deal with a crooked nose for a small period of time I might like to hold off on non essential plastic surgery till after Baby Seresins here.”

Ben was Payback's husband. He was as charming and as a part of your little group as any of the spouses and all Roosters girlfriends were. He cared about the people who took care of his husband in the sky and made sure he got to come home every night.

“Sounds good, but yes—please, call Jake and let him know we’re fine.” You pleaded. “Lead with they're totally fine, if anything this is just a courtesy call from your wife to say that it’s take out for dinner.”

“He’s gonna flip out Y/n.” That was your moment of defeat. You sighed into the pillow of your emergency room bed and let your head lull to the side as you placed two very protective hands across your belly.

“I know.” You grumbled. “I know he is and he’s gonna be so happy about that damn Festiva too.”

***~***~***~***~***~***

Jake only wore a Garmin watch when he was on the ground because it was connected to his phone. He only wore a Garmin watch so that if someone called him during the day, all he had to do was look at his wrist and decide if the call was worth taking on the clock.

Jake only wore a Garmin watch for moments like these, where he sat in the middle of a debriefing on this afternoon's drills and saw Payback's husband's affectionate caller ID, ‘Benny Boy’ flash up on the screen.

“I gotta go.” Jake knew deep down Ben wouldn’t call like this if it wasn’t an emergency. “I’ll be right back.” Jake stood so fast that the feet of his chair made a high pitched squeak against the smooth concrete floor. All eyes were on him, colleagues and instructors alike as he rushed out of the hangar and fished his phone, which had been on silent, out of his pocket.

His heart nearly stopped inside his chest when his body and mind immediately knew what to ask as his thumb swiped over the screen of his phone before he held it up to his ear. Shaking, Jake knew that it had to be about you—why else would Ben be calling in the middle of the day when they were both on shift?

“What happened? Is she okay?” It took all the breath out of Jake's lungs when he spoke. He never wanted to get this call. If anyone ever asked him about his biggest fear in life, he wouldn’t say dying in a dog fight or crashing into the pacific. No. He’d say losing the love of his life. “Ben?”

“Hey man.” Ben tried to be as calm as he could be because really, you were fine. There was no cause for concern, just a broken nose. “Y/n had an accident, not her fault, distracted driver situation.” Jake felt like his entire world was crumbling around him as he took panic filled strides towards the locker room. “She’s fine, her nose is busted pretty good but other than that her and the baby are—“ There's a very loud, very audible thud on the other end of the line as Ben checks your lab reports at the nurses station. “Hello?” He questioned with concern laced in his tone. “Hangman? You there?” Ben knows he’s not. “Fuck—“

Meanwhile, on the floor of the locker room, laid Jake Seresin. Completely out cold and unresponsive as his teammates sat in their debriefing wondering what the hell had gotten into the newlywed man they all loved to hate and hated to love.

Jake had smacked his head on the corner of the long metal seat that ran down the middle of the locker hall. He was face down, bleeding pretty bad and had his cheek squished so hard into the grate on the floor it was gonna leave a mark when he peeled himself up. Like those parks you get when you have a killer nap.

The crimson red that pooled on the tiles was thick and spread thin into the grooves of the tiles. It crept its way across the locker room floor like vines. Jake was under, but even in his unconscious state you were the only thing on his mind. You smile, your infectious laugh, the way you looked carrying his son, so swollen and perfect. His wife. The love of his life.

“Can someone go get Seresin?” Mav sighed as he held the bridge of his nose behind the podium. “Rooster, go drag him back here before I send him up there blind.” Everyone knew it was an empty threat, but regardless, Bradley stood to his feet with an exaggerated sigh and headed down the hall in the direction of where he thought his wingman had gone.

Bradley wasn’t expecting to walk into the locker room and see what he saw. He was just trying to make sure Jake didn’t get torn to shreds for ditching during the debriefing. But to his shock horror—as he rounded the corner into the locker room, his heart jumped out of his chest at the sight of his wingman lying face down on the grime covered tiles. There was probably dirt caked into the grouting from when his dad roamed these halls.

“Holy crap—“ It was the first thing out of Bradleys mouth as he made his way over in a hurry. “Hangman?” The way Bradley said his wingman’s callsign was laced in pure panic. “Jake man, you okay?” Rooster shook Jake's shoulder gently at first—but when the six foot something blonde didn’t stir, he shook him a little harder. “Hangman! Wake up man, c’mon open your eyes.”

“Mmhph—“ It wasn’t a word, but a sound, and Bradley was happy with that as he rolled Jake over onto his side to start with.

“Jake you’re bleeding.” It was everywhere. Bradley looked around frantically to try and find what may have been the cause of such a head wound. But when his eyes locked onto the corner of the cold, old metal bench—he knew immediately. “Don’t move alright.”

“Y/n—“ Jake grumbled as he tried to sit up. “My wife.” It was pure need and adrenaline that coursed through Jake Seresins veins the second he’d come to. “I need to get to Y/n—“

“Woah, take it easy Hangman.” Bradley tried to steady Jake as he tried to stand. “You hit your head pretty hard on the bench, we should probably get you to medical?”

“Hospital—“ Was all Jake groaned as he stood, Rooster watched in horror as the blood gushed from Jake’s gash. It looked deep and angry, like he’d been cut almost through his skull. “I need to get to the hospital.” Bradley can’t keep up to save his soul. “Y/n—“ As Jake stands to his very unsteady feet, he mumbled your name over and over as his fingertips reach up to touch the crimson red dripping down his face. “Oh fuck my head.”

“I’ll take you to the hospital if you can remember what happened?” It’s the only way Rooster can think of putting two and two together. Why did Jake need to get to the hospital to see you? And why was he passed out of the floor of the locker room? “Jake? Why’s Y/n at the hospital?” It’s a question laced in as much concern as it is dread. You’re not due yet, what if something happened to the baby and that’s what caused Jake to break? “Is she alright? Is baby Seresin alright?”

The silence that lingered as Jake stumbled his way over towards the door had Rooster's heart caught up in his throat. He knew how much Jake loved you and his unborn child. He knew that the man with the bloodied forehead and the sure fire concussion would move mountains and part seas just to kiss a paper cut on your fingertip. So when Jake stopped in his tracks, swayed side to side as if he was going down again, Bradley knew something had happened that completely rocked Jake Seresins world.

“They were in an accident—“

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***

It was the way Jake came racing into the emergency room that worried you the most. He slammed right in for the doorframe like he either didn’t see it or like he’d been running a million miles and hour to get to you.

You hadn’t yet been moved from the emergency short stay area into one of the wards, which you were thankful for the second Ben spotted Jake stumbling towards you with a head laceration.

“Oh my god, what the hell happened?” You asked Rooster as he rushed in after Jake. He knew he was about to cop an earful. “Bradshaw, why is my husband bleeding?” You barely got to ask before Jake was at your side.

“He fainted when he got the call you were in hospital.” Rooster explained softly as he pulled up a chair for Jake to sit beside you in . “Here you, sit down man before the room starts spinning.” Bradley ushered Jake to sit as he reached out for your hands. “You and bubs alright? What happened?”

“We’re fine.” You tried to explain. “Nose is pretty sore but we’re fine.”

“Baby I swear I can’t ever lose you.” Jake began as he sat as close to your bedside as he could. It was the sweetest thing, although you suspected it was all coming from the concussion you knew your husband definitely had. “You or bubs.” Jake placed a gentle hand across your stomach. “My heart nearly burst out of my chest when I got the call.”

“I should probably take a look at that—“ Ben interrupted as he sent you a shy, all knowing smile. “Hit the hard deck, did you Seresin?” Ben chuckled to himself as he gave Jake's head the once over. “I specifically remember telling you that your wife was fine.”

“‘M’panicked, can’t lose her boss.” Jake replied softly as his eyes never left you, it pained him to see you like this. Bloodied and bruised, but alive. “I think I hit my head though.”

“He smacked it pretty hard on the corner of the metal bench in the locker room.” Bradkey added as Ben started to clean out the head wound at your bedside, he knew there was no point asking Jake to move when the answer was going to be a hard no.

“I’ll order a tetanus shot because that thing is grotesque and get some antibiotics sorted.” Ben stated as he worked, Jake however—he never took his eyes off you.

“Did you really pass out when you were told I was in an accident?”

“Can’t lose you.” Was all your husband mumbled against your hand as he kissed your palm. “Can’t lose you, won’t lose you or baby Seresin.”

“We aren’t going anywhere, love.” You sweetly replied as you reached out to caress Jake's chin. “I promise.”

“My head really hurts.” He whispers softly as you chuckled to yourself. “Gotta work on my landing huh?”

“Yeah bubba.” You sighed. “I need you around for the long hall.” As you gently stroked your husband’s chin you saw his eyes begin to roll as he swayed to the left. Jake's entire body stiffened as he lost all sense of direction, his surroundings were gone in the blink of an eye as he began to seize uncontrollably.

“Woah! Hey! HEY I NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!” Ben shouted as you watched on in helpless horror as he went with Jake to the ground. Placing him in the recovery position. “LETS GET HIM BACK PEOPLE!”

“Rooster, what's happening?” You sobbed behind your hands as tears poured down your face. “Jake?” It was the last thing you remembered before everything went cold and dark. The last thing you remembered seeing when you woke not a few moments later, was your husband and father of your child—hemorrhaging before you.

All because he bumped his head.

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***

Whumptober Tags 🏷️ @xoxabs88xox @oldermenaremyreligion @slut-f0r-u @emma-is-cool @armydrcamers @topguncortez @topgun-imagines @kmc1989 @els-marvelvsp @blindedbythelightt

#ailesswhumptober2023 #leahs whumptober masterlist #Jake Seresin whump #jake seresin x female!reader #jake seresin fanfiction #jake hangman fic #tw: whump #tw: death

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missathlete31 · 7 months

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Just A Scratch- Part 1

A dramatic angsty Hannix prompt:

Warnings: Phoenix is put into an uncomfortable and unwanted position at the bar so please be wary if anything like that sounds triggering to you.

It all happens so quickly. One minute Phoenix is heading over to Penny to get a round of drinks at the bar and the next second she is being pushed up against the panel-sided wall by a drunk man who's hands find the swell of her ass like they have a homing beacon. Before she can even react he is there, in her space and getting closer, face showcasing a smugness in the way he leers confidently down at her. She's been hit on before of course, and usually reacts better, but something about it happening at the Hard Deck of all places, an establishment that has become like a second home for all the Daggers, puts Natasha in such shock that she can only stare back at the man unmoving.

"Well aren’t you a sight” the man speaks; his breath hot on her ear as he somehow seems to come even closer into her personal space. Natasha can’t contain her shiver, her unease palpable as her mind screams at her to push him off and get out of there and yet her body stays put. It’s not like she’s drunk; Phoenix was the last of the Daggers to arrive and hadn’t even managed to get a drink yet but somehow she is as frozen as a deer in headlights as this stranger gives her ass another squeeze with a grin.

Her lack of fight emboldens the drunken man. Perhaps he is mistaking it for her being interested although from the way he has her virtually trapped against the far wall of the bar, Natasha has a feeling he is the type of predator that enjoys making his prey feel ensnared. She raises a hand and tries to push back, finding enough of herself to recognize she needs out of this situation immediately, but the man bats her attempts at escape away with a chuckle. “If you want to get handsy baby, I suggest we go some place a little more private.”

“Let me go” it’s the first Natasha has spoken and she would be embarrassed by the lack of power in her voice if she wasn’t so freaked out by the whole situation. The man shakes his head with a condescending look, almost as though he finds the female aviator adorable. “Oh sweetie, don’t worry, I’ll take care of ya-“

“I said-“ her voice raises as she pushes against the man’s chest again to try and find a path to escape, “let me go.”

“But we are having so much fun” one more squeeze to her butt and then the man is moving to cradle her face, framing the stands of hair that fall over her face. Natasha opted to wear civilian clothes with her hair down today, a decision she regrets as the man in front of her continues to show her no respect. She knows this sort of thing wouldn’t happen if she was in uniform, remembering all the times she’s been called a frigid stick up the ass when she told men no in her khakis. Channeling that power, that strength that she possess when she wears her Lieutenant bars and soon to be Lieutenant Commander if Maverick is right about the ceremony at the end of the month, Natasha gives another push, harder to the point the man actually stumbles a step. He isn’t deterred, merely smiling as he shifts a lock of her hair behind her ear and dares to kiss the spot of skin he removed it from. “Beautiful and a little feisty, my favorite combination-“

“Then you’ll love me” a voice announces and it would be comical how fast the drunk man’s head snaps up at the sound if the whole circumstances wasn’t so scary. Phoenix turns as well, finally feeling a moment of calm as she notices Hangman of all people have come over, his eyes assessing the situation quickly and picking up on her unease. He’s wearing his khakis’ as usual, one of the few Daggers to still dress in regulation despite being on their mandated month of leave. The military Ken doll look works on him though, usually combined with his infuriating smirk and winking sea green eyes. That’s not who stands in front of Phoenix right now though, the flirty and playful Jake gone, replaced with the stone cold killer that Nat only sees on missions. Tonight, Hangman looks livid, lips thin and eyes narrowed as he stares at the man holding Natasha hostage with a glare that would make smarter men run for the hills. The drunk doesn’t seem fazed though, or perhaps he has a death wish, because instead of backing off the man just scoffs Seresin’s way, “Find your own bitch” he warns, sparing Jake no more as he pushes back into Natasha’s body, a bulge in his pants hitting her hip and making this state of affairs a hell of a lot more real.

The pressure only last a second before the drunken man is ripped away from Phoenix and sent careening to the ground the other way. Before the female aviator can even process what is happening, Jake is in front of her, the expression on his face concerned though his eyes still look murderous. “Are you alright?” he asks immediately, his gaze scanning her for injuries while his hands hover without touching. Natasha knows she owes Jake some kind of thank you for saving her but something about Hangman being the one to see her so vulnerable and scared makes Phoenix raise her defenses, the defenses she should have had up from the beginning so she could have fought off the strange man herself. With embarrassment crippling her, she tries to roll her eyes, "I didn't need your help" she comments quickly, hurrying to hide the fluster off her face from the speed of the assault she just endured.

Jake barely blinks at her attitude, eyes still staring, still assessing, "But are you o-“ he’s cut off when suddenly a bottle breaks over his head, sending Hangman stumbling down to one knee from the force of the blow as glass rains all around them. Nat looks up to see her predator coming back, the other half of the broken bottle in his shaking hands, “you’re mine” he states, anger now in his tone from this delay in his conquest. He moves to take another step, but Hangman is up to the task, lunging up and tackling the man away from Phoenix once more.

The altercation has gained the whole bars attention at this point. The music of the piano cut away as everything descends into chaos. Natasha can see Jake land a punch before he is flipped over and lost in the movement of bodies converging on the two fighting men.

Phoenix is yanked immediately away from the wall and the fighting by Payback, who as the tallest of the group is able to spot her quickly as the other Daggers join the fight to back up Seresin. He deposits her over to Halo and Bob, a move that normally would anger Natasha for being ‘handled’ but she is still so shocked by the turn of events that she allows her friends to all but cocoon her in their safety. Pulled over to the side and out of the scuffle, Phoenix is able to watch as the men of her squadron rip the drunken man away from their teammate and throw him towards a corner booth. The man is bleeding from his nose and a split lip, and yet still he tries to fight his way away. Luckily the Daggers seem too formidable for him to overcome and they manage to box him in to the cushion, an image so similar to what the man did to her that Phoenix has to look away. She hears vaguely as Penny yells the police are on their way but Natasha’s attention soon becomes fixated on her savior. Jake is getting clear of the melee, Javy helping him over to a barstool, as blood covers the left side of his head and continues to trickle. Before she even thinks about it, Nat is moving, startling Bob and Callie with how quickly she is heading towards the bar top.

Just as she arrives Rooster is coming over too, handing Jake a towel to hold pressure as Javy runs to get ice. She watches Jake wince the minute the fabric hits his cut, the white of the cotton turning red quickly like it’s already done Seresin’s hair and skin. Natasha isn’t squeamish but the image is more than off-putting especially because it is her fault that the man is hurt anyway. Jake rubs his other hand along his jaw, showcasing the beginning of a bruise no doubt from a punch in the brawl.

Beside the injured aviator, Rooster lets out a long breath, “Penny is asking for an ambulance, just sit tight man-“

“Not needed” Jake moves to shake his head, and then as though thinking better of it, refrains. “I’m fine” though the way he teeters even while seated negates his entire argument. Bradshaw opens his mouth to argue but Nat beats him to it.

“Jake-“ Phoenix manages, because calling him Bagman right now feels wrong, “Oh god Jake-“ before she can say more, both men turn to look at her, wearing identical looks of concerns.

“Nat you alright?” Bradley asks at the same moment that Jake tries to stand and ask the same thing. Rooster pushes him back towards the barstool with barely any pressure, before turning to the female pilot again, “did he hurt you?” the mustached man asks.

“No, I’m fine. But, Jake he- God, I’m so sorry-“

“None of this is your fault Phoenix” Hangman answers, earning a look of approval from Bradley for not allowing Natasha to even try to feel any guilt for the night’s events.

“But- but your head-“

“A cheap shot, it’s nothing” though they can all see the wince when Jake tries to move the towel off. Bradley stands closer, looking over the top of Jake’s head, and giving a long whistle, “I think you’re going to need stitches Seresin” he shares gravely.

“I’m fine, it’s just a scratch.”

“A scratch that is ruining all your clothes right now” Bradley points out, emphasizing the now bloody collar of Jake’s khaki’s. It’s said with exasperation and concern, both Bradshaw and Seresin embracing the new level of friendship they had managed to reach after the success of the mission.

“Head wounds bleed a lot” the blonde reasons dismissively, “I’m good.”

“Yeah too good to be true right?”

Before Jake can reply to Bradshaw with his normal quips, Penny arrives, motherly concern on full display as she shuffles Jake towards the office where she keeps her first aid kit. Javy follows the pair, the four shots the man already had during the night making him more of a hindrance than a help, but still they manage. With Hangman gone, Natasha feels cold, not liking the man being out of her sight especially with him being so hurt because of her. As though he can read her mind, Bradley moves closer to Phoenix’s side, not touching her but providing comfort by making sure to block her from the view of her assaulter and the view of Jake’s blood on the floor.

Bob arrives with a glass of water, kind enough not to comment when Natasha’s hands shake when she grips it. Her WSO knows her better at this point than to ask her if she is okay, instead offering her a kind voice, “do you need anything?” he asks.

She shakes her head, “I’m good” she manages, naturally thinking of Jake with that choice of words and cursing herself when her lip wobbles with emotions. Bob, sensing all, places a gentle hand on her forearm “the minute he saw that man get in your space he was off” the bespectacled man supplies.

“What?”

“Hangman, I don’t think I ever seen him so worried. He didn’t even wait for Rooster or Coyote, he just barged on over to get to you.”

“Well you know how he likes to play savior” she murmurs though she hates herself for even saying those words out loud.

Bob eyes her for a moment, reading her mind like he always seems able to do, before shaking his head. “You know better than that” he speaks sadly, disappointment evident. “When I first met you all I thought you both were-“ he stops, pausing to follow Nat’s eyes that can’t seem to help but follow to the back room that Jake has left to go to. “You should talk to him. He- He’s not quite what I thought” Bob decides to share, squeezing his pilot’s arm one last time before giving her a moment.

Phoenix lets out a shaky breath. Its information she can’t process right now, not with the smells of the drunken man’s cologne and Hangman’s blood still under her nose. She wishes she could dismiss Bob’s observation as being misinterpreted but Natasha knows it’s not fair to Bob or Jake. In truth, she’s known Jake Seresin for a decade and though the man has been a thorn in her side, he’s also always been an ally. He’s pushed her harder than any other pilot or teacher ever has, and never looked down on her for being a woman like some of the other men has. In all honesty, if the turf war between him and Bradshaw hadn’t forced Natasha to pick a side, Phoenix knows Jake would be one of her closest friends, maybe even more at this point. They always had a good relationship, a give and take that kept things interesting and fun. She also isn’t blind; able to admit that Jake looks as good as he claims. Could it be that Jake feels the same way? Bob seems to imply as much, and the man’s deductions have been nothing but right since the day she met her WSO in the bar before the mission.

Natasha’s eyes turn back to the office door at the end of the hallway. The door is still closed and Nat knows that somewhere inside Jake is probably still bleeding because of her; hurting because of her. She wants to get to him, to thank him, to apologize, to hold his hand every time he wants to wince from the pain she has caused him. In the span of a few minutes Phoenix realizes that she cares for Jake Seresin, in ways that disguised itself as friendship and camaraderie but feels so much more now. She takes a few steps forward, ready to throw caution to the wind and just be there for the man, when the door flies open and a frantic Coyote runs out. His hands are red with Jake’s blood and the fear in his eyes are enough to almost stop Nat’s heart right there. “SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE” he screams, shocking the room silent, “NOW!”

And then everything descends back into chaos.

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topgun-imagines · 7 months

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Please please PLEASE send in whumptober prompts. Especially for the first few days.

The masterlist will be released sometime this weekend.

Also, @topguncortez and @ohtobeleah need help as well!

#whumptober #whumptober 2023 #top gun #top gun fanfiction #top gun x female reader #top gun x reader #top gun maverick #tom iceman kazansky #jake hangman seresin #top gun 1986 #whump prompt #tom kazansky whump #tom kazansky whumptober #top gun whumptober #jake seresin whump

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a-reader-and-a-writer · 2 months

Text

Drink With Me (Part 1)

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, f!reader, Vampire Apocalypse AU Summary: In the middle of a vampire apocalypse, no one is safe. But when an unexpected storm interrupts your separate scavenger missions, there is nothing he can do but wait and hope you make it back to his arms safe and sound. Word Count: 3631 TW: Blood, Vampires, Vampire Attack, Character Death, Helplessness, Biting, Clawing, Language Notes: Written for day 4 of @whumpthemusical's event for "Failure" from Les Miserables. And big thanks to @sunlightmurdock for reading this over for me! 💗

Series Masterlist

The deep rumble of thunder echoes like an alarm for those inside the store. Instantly, all three scavengers stuff whatever supplies they are holding into their various bags and bolt for the door.

Jake reaches it first and unwraps the metal chain twisted around the handle, dropping it with a clattering thud just as Phoenix and Rooster arrive. Throwing the door open with a bang, the sight that greets them makes their blood run cold and Jake nearly drops the overflowing paper bag in his arms.

“Fuck…”

Though they have only been inside for twenty minutes or so, the world outside has transformed. Gone are the splashes of blue sky peering out from between billowing pale gray clouds, and the shimmers of warm, sunshine beams through the trees. Instead, the sky has been invaded by black, menacing clouds that stretch as far as the eye can see, casting an infinite shadow across the parking lot filled with abandoned cars and shopping carts as another roll of thunder signals the imminent downpour.

It means they will be on their way.

“Go!” Rooster urges, dropping one of the value-sized packages of toilet paper he has stuffed under his arm so he is free to dig through his pocket. “I’ve got the door.”

Phoenix doesn’t need to be told twice and she darts out into the growing storm. Jake, on the other hand, hesitates for just a second before shifting the supplies in his already overloaded arms and grabbing the package of toilet paper. Rooster meets his eye just as he pulls out a shiny gold key, and Jake yells, “Don’t wait around this time. Move your ass!” and then takes off after Phoenix.

He only makes it to the edge of the parking lot before the first drops of rain begin to hit him. Big, fat, plops of water burst across his skin, becoming more frequent by the second. As he reaches the end of the street, Jake finds himself and his belongings soaked through, the water causing his already heavy bags to sag with the added weight. He’s only a few blocks from the church but with the dense clouds blocking all afternoon light from getting through, the potential danger makes that distance seem impossible.

Keeping his head on a constant swivel, he runs as quickly as his legs will allow with his extra cargo. The additional weight isn’t the only problem. With the bulky layers of backpacks, armful of paper bags, and the slippery packaging of the toilet paper wedged under his arm, he has to keep adjusting everything as he runs so he doesn’t drop anything. It’s a delicate balance of step–shift–adjust strap–wipe rain from his eyes–step–look around–shrug backpack up arm–step, but Jake eventually finds the perfect rhythm. After all, this isn’t his first rodeo.

The shadows taunt and tease him as he rushes by. He can’t be sure if something is hiding within them or if it’s just his paranoid eyes projecting his deepest fears. Though honestly, it doesn’t matter. Even if something is lurking in the darkness, his only hope is the safety of the church so he ignores everything around him and keeps running as another booming clap of thunder fills the air.

In about six minutes that feel like an eternity, Jake begins to make out the dim lanterns shining through the stained glass windows up ahead through the pouring rain. It almost seems too good to be true that nothing has leaped out at him in the darkness, and he just hopes that doesn’t mean they are preoccupied with someone else.

Slipping slightly in a puddle in the middle of the road, he rushes through the iron fence surrounding the church and scampers up the front steps. Using the heel of his boot, he kicks the door twice and it opens almost immediately. Practically falling through the door, Jake mutters a small thanks to Payback who slaps one of his backpacks as he passes. A few other people are moving around the small vestibule but he doesn’t see the one he is looking for.

Fanboy comes over to help him unstrap the bags hanging off of him and it is a relief once all the extra weight has been removed. Rolling his shoulders as water drips off of him onto the carpet below, Jake looks around in the dim lamplight and notices Bob handing Phoenix a towel as she strips off her water-logged jacket. She accepts it and as she begins drying off, she catches Jake’s eye. The two nod, before her eyes drift down to the toilet paper Jake had dropped at his feet.

“Rooster?”

Jake shrugs. “He had to lock up but he should be right behind me.” The door to the church burst open. “Speak of the devil…”

Rooster hurries into the dim space, shaking his head like a dog and sending water spraying in all directions. When he sees Jake and Phoenix staring at him, he asks, “All good?”

“I’m always good,” Jake smirks. He kicks the package of toilet paper so it skids across the floor to rest at Rooster’s feet. “And that’s on top of picking up your slack.”

Rooster’s eyes narrow. “I didn’t ask you to do that. I could have handled it on my own.” Pushing past Jake, he approaches Phoenix. “Any sign of trouble?”

She shakes her head. “We got lucky this time. We were sloppy. We should have noticed this storm moving in long before it got here. They could have snuck into the store and gotten us before we even knew they had come out of their holes. We need to do better or someone’s going to end up dead.”

He sighs as he wipes his hand over his face, knocking the water droplets clinging to his mustache to the floor. “I know, that’s on me. We shoulda had one of us guarding the door as a lookout but it was the middle of the day and decent weather I didn’t think…Next time we’ll do it by the book.” He takes one of the fresh towels Bob offers him. “Anyone else come back yet?”

“No, but the pharmacy’s farther away. They should be back soon.”

Jake is grateful Rooster only nods and doesn’t state the obvious. The pharmacy and gas station might be farther from the church than the supermarket, but only by a block or two. The other team must have heard the thunder too and even with the extra distance, there should be some sign of them by now.

He never should have let you convince him to let you go without him.

Over the last few days, an illness has been sweeping through the church. While most of the adults who got it seemed to be fighting it off relatively well so far, the children were not as lucky. None of them showed any signs of getting better, and last night, the first of them had succumbed to it. The only hope was to try and find something to treat them but that meant an extra supply run.

You had been pre-med before the creatures arrived last year and, while no expert, you had the most medical knowledge of anyone in the group. Having you be the one to go to the pharmacy was the obvious choice. And since Coyote had been spending the last few weeks in the garage next door trying to fix some of the equipment that might help them get power again, it was clear he should be the other runner so he could continue working while you searched. Which left Jake without a valid excuse for why he should go.

The group was also running low on food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and pretty much everything else so they needed the extra hands at the supermarket and Jake was one of their best runners—the perfect combination of speed and strength. You had spent all morning trying to reassure him it would be okay and you’d be back together before he knew it, but it did little to lessen the dread that settled in his stomach as he watched you hurry in the opposite direction, casting one last glance back at him with a smile and a wink.

What if that was the last time he ever saw you?

The roar of thunder suddenly gets louder as the door to the church swings forward once again and Coyote stumbles in. He is soaking wet and panting heavily as he struggles to catch his breath. However, the only thing Jake notices in that moment, is that he is alone.

Coyote barely has time to remove his backpack before Jake grabs him by the front of his jacket and throws him against the wall. Terror and anger coursing through him, he snarls in his best friend’s face, “Where is she? Where the fuck is she!”

“She’s coming! Damn, man,” Coyote yells as he shoves Jake off of him. Jake stumbles back, and Rooster places his hand on his arm, not really holding him back but the warning is clear. Seeing the desperation on Jake’s face, Coyote softens as he straightens his jacket. “I tried, but you know her. She wasn’t gonna leave without that medicine.”

“Then you should have waited for her! You shouldn’t have left her alone!”

“You know she wouldn’t let me do that either.”

“....Fuck!”

Jake yanks his arm away from Rooster’s grasp and begins pacing anxiously back and forth. He knows Coyote is right. You would lay down your life for any person here, but you’d be damned if you let someone do the same for you. At the first sign of trouble, you would have insisted Coyote returned to the church, probably swearing you just needed one more thing even if you had only just begun searching. Jake would have thrown you over his shoulder and carried you out kicking and pleading to let you get what you were looking for, but he couldn’t expect his friend to do the same.

“She’s going to be okay, Hangman,” Rooster says, still eyeing him cautiously in case he needs to restrain Jake. “She knows how to handle herself.”

“Handle herself? There is no handling yourself against a horde of those things,” Jake spits at him as he continues to pace. “She could already be dead o-or turned by now and we would never know. She’d just be gone for good and we’d never…I’d never…Ahhh!”

As he screams, Jake whirls around and slams his fist into the wall before slumping into it, all his rage absorbed into the wood leaving nothing but his fear and hopelessness behind. The room has fallen silent around him but he can feel every eye on him. He shouldn’t have lost it, but he’s never felt this helpless. Even when the creatures first showed up, he knew there were ways to fight back, to stand up against them. But as long as you were separated from him, there is nothing he can do but sit here and wait.

After a moment, Jake feels a hand gently grasp his shoulder and squeeze it. “She’ll be okay,” Rooster says. “Why don’t you go wait outside and be a lookout for her? I’m sure she’ll appreciate seeing you made it back safely too when she gets here.”

Jake nods slowly before pushing himself off the wall and shuffling towards the door. As he passes Coyote, his friend tries to reach out, his mouth opening but Jake shoots him a look that makes him close it without a word. Jake doesn’t really blame Coyote for leaving without you, but he’s just not in a place to hear an apology or give one of his own. So he keeps going until he slips out of the church.

Outside, there is a slight overhang that protects him from the worst of the storm, but he can still feel rain misting his skin as it is blown by the rain. Another roll of thunder rumbles overhead, shaking the steps beneath his feet. The storm has only intensified since they first heard it back in the supermarket, and there is no sign of it letting up anytime soon. Which means more of a chance they have come out to hunt.

Squinting through the darkness for any sign of you, Jake chants to himself, Come on, baby, come on, baby. Where are you? You got this, just please come back to me.

Suddenly, a slight flash of movement off to his left catches his eye. Through the faint light and the rain, he can just make out a shape hurtling towards the church at top speed. When it gets closer, Jake sags against the door as he recognizes the white t-shirt with his flannel pulled over it. You are still several hundred yards away but you are closing fast despite the several backpacks strapped to you and the pouring rain pelting your body.

But then Jake’s blood runs cold as he notices five—no six!—shadows right on your heels. They had finally arrived.

No one ever used the term “vampires” even though everyone thought it. With the creatures’ fatal reaction to the sunlight, ravenous taste for blood, aversion to holy ground, and ability to transform humans into other creatures through their bites, it was hard to categorize them as anything else. Maybe everyone avoided the term because they had been so desensitized by the onslaught of movies and television shows with their lame depictions or cheesy interpretations of vampires that the word no longer captured the true horror of the creatures terrorizing their lives. But whatever the reason, they have always only been called “the creatures” since mysteriously appearing just over a year ago.

At times, they can look just like they did when they were still human. There have even been instances when they held conversations with their prey before attacking. However, once their attack begins, it is a completely different story. With their unnatural speed and the spine-chilling hisses and growls that they make as they chase their prey, it is clear that whatever humanity they once had has long been twisted into something monstrous. And if you were unfortunate enough to get a closer look—which Jake had on a few harrowing occasions—the differences became blatantly clear. Their eyes were nothing more than black gaping voids; they had a set of daggers for teeth, each as pointed and deadly as the last; and their fingernails were several inches long and sharpened into ferocious claws that could rip skin from bone. All of it added up to things of nightmares, creatures of the night whose only goal in life was to kill and devour the living around them.

And right now, they have their sights set on you.

Jake takes a step forward to the edge of the steps, clutching the railing until his knuckles turn white. Even if there is something he can do to stop the creatures, you are still too far away. Your only hope is to make it to the safety of the church before they can reach you but they are closing fast.

The creature closest to you pounces forward and Jake yells out a warning he knows you cannot hear above the storm. However, in one fluid motion, you whirl around and swing the backpack clutched in your hand directly into its head before completing your 360° turn and continuing running at full speed.

Jake whoops in relieved exhilaration.“Fuck yeah!”

At this distance, he can just make out the smug smile that spreads across your face, reveling in your own badassery. God, he can’t wait to wrap you in his arms and squeeze you so tight and never let go. There had been some very close calls in the past, but today might take the cake. However, if he has his way, you’ll never leave his sight again.

Jake can tell the exact moment you notice him—your head perks up slightly and the smugness in your smile shifts into relief. Even while in the middle of running for your life, you have still managed to worry about him. Jake gives you two thumbs up and urges you on, waiting for you to cross the last street before you are in the clear.

But then the unthinkable happens. As you are just about to reach the gate of the church, you trip.

Jake can’t be sure if the heavy downpour blinded you or if your sneaker slipped in one of the fresh puddles. All he could see is one moment, you are about to fling yourself into the safety of his arms, and the next, you are skidding across the concrete on your hands and knees before rolling to a stop against the curb.

The blood oozing from your fresh scrapes swirls within the puddles as you quickly try to push yourself to your feet, but it’s too late. As you begin to rise, one of the creatures hisses and leaps forward, landing on your back and tackling you to the ground. In a flash, two, three, four more have joined it, each digging their claws into your skin or baring their teeth as they go in for their deadly bite. You are pinned down under the weight of them, and though you continue to fight for freedom, the agony and terror filling your screams make it clear it’s a losing battle.

Although it seems as if everything since your fall has played out in slow motion, it has only taken seconds in which Jake has been frozen in horrified disbelief. But finally snapping to, Jake launches himself towards the mass of teeth and claws that had descended onto your defenseless form as he screams, “No….No!”

But before he can get more than two steps down the stairs, half a dozen hands wrap around him from behind and draw him back into the doorway of the church. Jake flails and fights with everything in him, but even he’s no match for the combined forces of Rooster, Coyote, and Payback holding him back as he watches more creatures swarming towards you.

“Get the fuck off of me! We need to help her! No! What the fuck are you doing?”

Jake throws his head back and feels it make contact with someone else’s face. With a grunt, one set of hands loosens their grip on him and Jake tries to use this one chance to slip away to your aid.

However before he can, an arm wraps across Jake’s chest, locking him into a tight bear hug. Drawing Jake’s struggling body into his, Rooster murmurs in his ear, “She’s gone, Hangman. I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing else anyone can do for her now. It’s over.”

All Jake can do is watch helplessly as he witnesses the truth of Rooster’s words.

Although the creatures had ripped into you with their claws, so far all attempts to bite you have been blocked by one of the bags strapped to your back or hanging off your arms. However, the creature with its knee pressed between your shoulder blades seems to have discovered the trick. It leans over and, with a loud hiss, sinks its teeth into the meat of your shoulder just avoiding the backpack straps. You howl in pain as your back arches up, and the creature releases its hold for just a moment. Long enough for Jake to spot the dark, thick blood dripping from its mouth. Then with another snarl, it bites down again.

The metallic smell of so much blood seems to renew the other creatures’ determination to feed on you and they begin clawing at the backpacks, ripping them apart at the seams until they can toss the shreds aside and reach you. Medicine and supplies crash to the ground, either shattering on impact or getting smashed underfoot as the creatures continue to fight over your body. One-by-one more and more sets of teeth sink into your skin and with each one, another heartbreaking scream tears from your lips.

Jake has gone almost limp in his friends’ arms, unable to tear his eyes off the horror show before him. Blood, washed away by the falling rain, seeps into the puddles surrounding you, a red river running down the street. Yet even now, he can see you are continuing to fight, to try to free yourself from the creatures eating you alive.

But then Jake realizes something. You aren’t trying to get free. Or at least, you’re not trying to free all of you. As he watches, you manage to pull your arm from under one of the creatures and wrap your bloody fingers around the backpack you had been carrying in your hand as you fled. It was the only one that was still relatively in one piece.

Taking a few quick breaths, you flick your wrist and the backpack tumbles softly out of the way of the creatures and stops just inside the iron gate of the church. Seeing it successfully land within the sacred ground, all the fight goes out of you and you collapse weakly to the ground while more creatures swarm over you.

Jake had thought nothing else could be worse than listening to your wails of pain, and yet, hearing them grow weaker and less coherent as the venom floods your system and your blood is drained from your body is a whole other level of torture. Then, as yet another pair of fangs pierce your skin, your teary eyes slowly lift and meet Jake’s. The world seems to freeze for just a moment, and he watches your bloody lips softly form his name.

But before he can react, Rooster, Coyote, and Payback yank him inside the church just before Bob slams the door, and you are gone.

Part 2 coming soon!

Taglist: @green-socks, @lorecraft, @heart-0n-fire, @mayhem24-7forever, @the-untamed-soul, @inglourious-imagines, @airhogger, @piscesvancouverite, @straightforwardly, @bonnieelizabethparker, @srry-itshockeyszn, @flyinlove, @fandomhopped, @yjwnoot, @wanderdreamer, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @callsign-phoenix, @shanimallina87, @forever-sleepy-sloth, @blue-aconite, @notroosterbradshaw, @dezthegeek, @blessupblessup, @cherrycola27, @phoenix1389, @nicangelinee, @smells-like-perfect-senses, @boringusername3, @petlaufeyson, @cycbaby, @topguncortez, @footprintsinthesxnd, @fantasticcopeaglepasta, @writercole, @onebigfangirlworld, @wkndwlff, @ravenmoore14, @clancycucumber230, @mamachasesmayhem, @slightly-psycho-multifan, @kmc1989, @ohtobeleah, @deppresseddyslexic, @horneybeach1, @mandylove1000, @aczhang777

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gonnabreakhisheart · 1 year

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nearly 50,000 words in a year isn’t too bad ^-^ I only wrote three fics this year but lengthwise it’s been my most prolific <3 here’s to more angst in 2023! :]

#Top Gun Maverick #Jake Hangman Seresin #Spartacus #whump

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a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 2 months

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Drink With Me (Part 1)

Series Masterlist

The deep rumble of thunder echoes like an alarm for those inside the store. Instantly, all three scavengers stuff whatever supplies they are holding into their various bags and bolt for the door.

“Fuck…”

It means they will be on their way.

“Go!” Rooster urges, dropping one of the value-sized packages of toilet paper he has stuffed under his arm so he is free to dig through his pocket. “I’ve got the door.”

“Rooster?”

Jake shrugs. “He had to lock up but he should be right behind me.” The door to the church burst open. “Speak of the devil…”

Rooster hurries into the dim space, shaking his head like a dog and sending water spraying in all directions. When he sees Jake and Phoenix staring at him, he asks, “All good?”

“I’m always good,” Jake smirks. He kicks the package of toilet paper so it skids across the floor to rest at Rooster’s feet. “And that’s on top of picking up your slack.”

Rooster’s eyes narrow. “I didn’t ask you to do that. I could have handled it on my own.” Pushing past Jake, he approaches Phoenix. “Any sign of trouble?”

“No, but the pharmacy’s farther away. They should be back soon.”

He never should have let you convince him to let you go without him.

What if that was the last time he ever saw you?

“Then you should have waited for her! You shouldn’t have left her alone!”

“You know she wouldn’t let me do that either.”

“....Fuck!”

“She’s going to be okay, Hangman,” Rooster says, still eyeing him cautiously in case he needs to restrain Jake. “She knows how to handle herself.”

Squinting through the darkness for any sign of you, Jake chants to himself, Come on, baby, come on, baby. Where are you? You got this, just please come back to me.

But then Jake’s blood runs cold as he notices five—no six!—shadows right on your heels. They had finally arrived.

And right now, they have their sights set on you.

Jake whoops in relieved exhilaration.“Fuck yeah!”

But then the unthinkable happens. As you are just about to reach the gate of the church, you trip.

“Get the fuck off of me! We need to help her! No! What the fuck are you doing?”

All Jake can do is watch helplessly as he witnesses the truth of Rooster’s words.

But before he can react, Rooster, Coyote, and Payback yank him inside the church just before Bob slams the door, and you are gone.

Part 2 coming soon!

Taglist: @valoraxxx-blog, @m3laniehearts, @autumnleaves1991-blog, @rule107, @vintageleather, @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak, @slutforadambanks, @americaarse, @reneki, @ynbutbetter , @sugarcoated-lame, @imagineadream, @sadpetalsstuff, @salty-thembo, @rachelizabethgraham, @duckandrobin, @queenbbarnes, @grincheveryday @uselesslyromantic, @choochoo284, @littlebadariell, @thescarletknight2014, @dempy, @nik2blog, @dumb-fawkin-bitch, @shirley2996, @kkrenae, @zebralover, @startrekfangirl2233, @memeorydotcom

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