#javy gives bradley the shovel talk

[dumbpilots]

ok hear me out:

combat photographer bradley bradshaw. swings a gig photographing the daggers (thanks uncle pete). spends a lot of time around the base snapping photos of the daggers in their flight suits/service uniforms. and if he spends a long time going over the (quite frankly, ridiculous) amount of photos of a certain blond lieutenant, well... he's editing (and it's no one's business but his own).

---

"isn't this mission supposed to be classified?" - bob

"he's just so talented! how many people do you know that can photograph a super hornet at that speed?!" - mav

"wow... this photo almost makes me believe hangman has a soul behind those eyes" - nat

"hey, bradshaw. i think it's time for a little conversation between the two of us..." - javy

---

(and when they finally fall into bed together for the first time, bradley stares down at jake's body, canvassing every aspect with his eyes, drinking him in)

"i'd tell you to take a picture because it'll last longer, but i know you've got plenty of me already" - jake

"it'll never be enough" - bradley

[whohasthecards]

Random headcannon or thought.

Bradley and Jake starts dating and BOTH Iceman and Maverick gives Hangman an individual shovel talk. However, instead of being intimidated, Jake just smiles and says, "I'm glad the big chicken have you in his corner, sir, he's very lucky to have you. And from the stories he tells me? He knows that he is."

Maverick and Iceman are stunned, but just nods and dismisses him.

Throughout the next couple weeks as more people find out about their relationship, more people from the Dagger Squad gives Hangman the shovel talk. Some even implying that he's lucky to have Bradley and doesn't deserve him. Hangman simply nods and agrees.

Bradley doesn't know about the shovel talks.

Not until Coyote gives Bradley one of the harshest talks in the world. That he better not hurt Jake, again.

Bradley and Jake dated a couple years ago, but Bradley left Jake heartbroken with no explanation because he had issues. In the process, giving Jake his callsign and even isolating him from his peers. Jake did nothing to deserve that. It took Bradley a while to realize the damage he'd done, and he's spending every moment with Jake making up for it.

Javy also tells Bradley to get his friends to lay-off Jake. Bradley is confused before Javy explains how everyone has been giving Jake shovel talks and implying he doesn't deserve Bradley.

Bradley is horrified because if they knew the whole story it was him who didn't deserve Jake. He shut that down harshly.

Jake calms him down by saying, "It's good that you got a flock of birds at your wing, Roo."

But Bradley shoots back, "They're your team too Jake, they shouldn't be acting like this."

Later on, the whole team finds out the whole story and they feel conflicted about how to treat Bradley and Jake. They do feel guilty for making assumptions about they relationship.

Jake contemplates what happens and although he is happy that Bradley have people watching his back. He is bitter that his reputation made so many people doubt his commitment to Bradley, and how so many people made assumptions that weren't true.

A part of him is jealous that Bradley had a family who would stand behind him. Father-figures, uncle-figures, best friends/siblings, teammates, and more. He's happy for Bradley, but to him, watching Bradley interact with them is like watching them through a wall of water. Everything is tinted and blurred differently, and there will always be something separating him from what Bradley considers normal.

At least, no matter what happens, he always had Javy on his 6.

-----

(Eventual happy ending where they're all found family and stuff and misunderstandings are cleared, and some people who gave Jake the shovel talk gave Bradley the shovel talk.

Unexpectedly, someone who follows Javy in giving Bradley the shovel talk is Cyclone.)

[h4ngm4n]

coyote is such an underrated character and i fucking love the idea of him and hangman being really close friends.

i'm not sure how they became friends, but i always picture it as javy seeing jake and immediately deciding that he wants to become friends with him. and maybe it takes awhile for jake to allow javy to become close, as jake's never had someone so genuinely want to get to know him in a nonsexual manner, but it happens.

and jake slowly allows javy to get to know his backstory and allow javy to see him vulnerable. and javy tells jake all about his life, and i love the idea of javy welcoming jake into his family. like meeting his mom and his siblings, (and if javy has a partner, then meeting them and becoming friends with them), and jake becoming apart of javy's family, as all of javy's family saw jake and decided that this boy need a hug and a support system.

like in the scene where rooster tells jake that he'll lead people to an early grave, the camera pans to javy, bob and fanboy. and when fanboy laughs, you can see javy's smile immediately drop and he turns to fanboy like 'what the hell are you laughing about? that's my friend'. like javy being protective over jake, because he knows that jake uses his grin and his words to protect himself. javy genuinely cares about jake and won't allow anyone else to hurt him if he can help it.

i like to think that javy has seen jake at his worst moments, moments of anger and pain and grief. he's seen jake at his best moments, when he got accepted into top gun, when jake is smiling genuinely and not his normal grin-as-a-shield smile. he's always been at jake's side, and jake has always been at javy's side for as long as they've known eachother.

and if hangster happened??? like i love the idea of javy giving bradley the shovel talk cause jake doesn't have anyone else to do it. (somebody else put this HC out but i forgot who so im really sorry but i hope you know that its great). but javy is all like jake is my friend, and i don't want to see you break his heart (again?)

sorry for the long post but i just love javy and jake friendship. if we ever got a top gun 3, i would love to have more insight into javy's character

[cryptid-in-your-closet]

Someone tell me which WIP I should work on instead of studying for my finals

You Have the Wrong Guy - in which everyone is giving Jake the shovel talk when it was Bradley who broke off their first relationship - Exs to Lovers, ft. dagger squad and class of 86’

Unpacking - how each of the daggers (and Mav) find out about trans!Jake - not romance centered but has the development and destruction and ultimately getting back together of Hangster, Javy is the best friend ever and deserves all the love, this is very self indulgent

Running - Jake has ran his whole life. If no one can catch up to him no one can leave him. Then he meets Javy. The man seemingly has unlimited  patience and always seems to be a step ahead of Jake. - character study, Macheresin, Jake has an absent father and issuesTM

Ballett AU (unnamed) - In which Ice is a Ballet instructor and Mav takes care of Amelia for Penny when he’s not test piloting the military’s newest planes. - plenty of misunderstandings, Icemav endgame but mistaken Mav/Penny, Penny&Sarah friendship

Dinner for Three - when Beau gets an invite to the Mitchell-Kazansky household he figures it’s something to do with the dagger squad, after all the first (and only other time) he was invited over was to celebrate the success of the dagger mission, what he was not expecting was a fancy dinner cooked by the handsome couple that are blatantly flirting with him. This is some cosmic joke, right? - Cyclone/Maverick/Iceman, might end up being smut but won’t promise anything, ft. Cyclone having a massive crush on Ice and reluctant feelings (ew) for Mav, surprise they like him too, Bradley shows up in here for some reason

Dadmral - the obligatory fic in which the dagger squad finds out Mav is married to the COMPACFLT - Pov Phoenix which is different for me lol, some texting, dagger squad and class 86’, Icemav, Ice is alive, Rooster gets smothered by his uncles who have missed him

Coming Home - Rooster fixes his relationship with Mav while working on the Mustang and getting awful (and some good) relationship advice - Icemav, Hangster, Mavdad, Icepops

Goose Been Knew - in which Goose has to deal with idiot pilots who clearly love each other (twice), don’t worry he has a lovely wife and partner to go complain to. - Goose lives, Icemav, Hangster, Slooserole, really just short bits of Goose putting up with Mav and then Rooster

Guitar - Bradley owns a guitar for reasons completely unrelated to his ex who he’s definitely not still in love with. That would be crazy. They’ve been apart for years. - Hangster Exs to Lovers, bitter Hangman, Phoenix and Javy are DONE, the rest of the dagger squad are confused

A Series of Weddings - Tom and Pete get married for the first time in 91’ despite what the world tells them they can do, they talk about it in 2011, they get married legally in 2013 when Ice is diagnosed with Cancer, talk about redoing vows and throwing an actual celebration in 2015 (they don’t), redo their vows in the spring of 2021. In 2023 they attend the Bradley’s wedding. - this is honestly one of my favs, inspired by this post, Icemav, no relapse of cancer, lots of weddings, love, and fluff, Hangster at the end, class of 86’

[the-missunicorn-intotheuniverse]

My Jake Seresin Headcanons (Part 2)

1. Complete nerd. Always got good grades and genuinely enjoys studying.  Absolutely loves Star Trek (wanted to become a captain because of Captain Kirk, his hero) and even learned Klingon by himself. Obviously a fan of Lord of the Ring (realized he was bi because of Legolas and Galadriel).  Obsessed with Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen is a Queen and he read all her books). But is super embarrassed of being a nerd, so only Javy knows this.    

2. Forever the middle child is the mediator between his older brother and his younger sister. 

3. His sister is very protective of him and she gave Bradley the most terrifying shovel talk.

4. Is a terrible cook, but is very good at baking.  He does stress baking as a coping mechanism when things are hard. 

5. Graduated from MIT summa cum laude.

6. Can't handle horror movies, but is a good actor so no one knows.

7. Afraid of snakes and spiders.

8. Uses humor and smiles when uncomfortable. 

9. Is a private person.

10. Push people buttons on purpose to protect himself.

11.  Very good at reading people and social clues.

12. Pick eater.

13. Is good at fighting but always avoids it If he can.

14. Went to a fancy boarding school. 

15. Is close with his grandparents. 

16. Had a strict education because of his high society family .  

17. Very self conscious about being rich.

18. Maverick tried to give him the shovel talk but it was so awkward.

19. Loves watching movies with Bradley because he makes the best  comments.

[thyknife]

all this shovel talk talk and all i can think of is a fic that’s like “five times someone gave jake a shovel talk and one time someone gave one for him” and the plus one is javy giving rooster the shovel talk of a lifetime and bradley and jake both cry for different reasons

Jake needs to be protected too 😔 he doesn’t have as many in his corner, and maybe he did that to himself, but that’s also kind of my whole point.