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double-j · 1 year

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Two to Tango Part 2 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley lets you play cat and mouse with him all day long. But at night, it's a battle to find out who is really in control.

Warnings: Adult banter, swearing, smut, angst

Length: 4200 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This fic was written for a request! Thanks for reading! And please check my masterlist for more Top Gun fun.

Part 1

Bradley watched you stroll into the locker room like you hadn't just kissed him. You were either totally unaffected by what you just did, or you didn't want him to know you were a little riled up too. He groaned as he pushed through the men's door.

As discreetly as he could, Bradley ducked into one of the shower stalls and started to peel his muddy clothes off. The locker room was already filled with steam from all of the other guys running the hot water, but Bradley wasn't able to focus on getting cleaned up just yet.

As he removed his compression shorts, he looked down at his erection and groaned. He'd been fine until that little smack to his cheek. You hit him just hard enough for it to sting, and then he thought about you doing that to him in bed.

"Oh, fuck," he grunted as he wrapped one large hand around his cock. He stumbled toward the faucet and turned on the water, letting the warm spray wash over him as he jerked off. He needed to be quiet; he was literally surrounded by the others in the stalls next to him. He bit his lip and stroked himself at a steady pace, picturing your smug face as you slapped him.

Apparently it had been too long since Bradley got laid. He was reacting to you like a teenager, which should have been embarrassing; he was old enough that you called him old man. But you were just the type of woman who always got him worked up. He liked them cute and bossy, and it didn't hurt that you had seemed completely disinterested in him before you kissed him.

And you were cute enough that he'd want you more if you ran hot and cold with him. And now he was thinking about you on the other side of the wall, in the ladies' locker room, running your hands all over your own body.

His hand felt good, but he had no doubt yours would feel better. Bradley tipped his head back and stifled a moan as he came all over his left hand. He felt a little dizzy as he let the steamy water wash over his body, and he started to clean himself up.

Would you kiss him again? Or pretend this never happened? He was already anxious to get you alone and find out.

----------------------------

Bright and early the next morning, Bradley walked with Coyote to the cafeteria, opting to bring his own teammate this time instead of sitting with the Air Force guys. He still wasn't sure if you had tricked him yesterday at breakfast, or if he had walked into that trap himself. Either way, you had been on his mind all evening while he was trying to fall asleep.

He knew you would be a distraction as soon as he saw you. He'd let himself jerk off to the thought of you, let himself think about fucking you, but now he needed to focus on the rest of this week. Bradley and his teammates had to beat your team.

"Morning, Tango," one of the Air Force aviators said, and Bradley looked up to see you strolling in wearing your flight suit with the sleeves tied around your waist. You were wearing a black tank top, and when Bradley made eye contact, you winked at him.

He almost moaned around his bite of oatmeal as you walked past with your chin held high. Coyote smirked. "You like her," he murmured softly. Leave it to Javy, always the quiet one, to call Bradley out on his shit.

"Doesn't matter. She doesn't like me, man," Bradley replied as he drank his entire cup of coffee.

Coyote snorted and shook his head. But actually, Bradley wasn't sure how you felt about him. The kiss and the slap were hot, but Bradley was convinced that you were just trying to throw him off.

Distraction, he thought to himself. He tossed his trash and walked to the classroom with Coyote. He found the spot at the back of the room labeled Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw and slipped into the seat. Then his eyes settled on the name placard next to his, and of course it was yours. And of course he liked your first name.

A four hour lecture sitting next to you? He might not make it. He propped his elbows on the table in front of him and massaged his temples.

"What the hell is your problem?" Phoenix asked as she strolled past him and took her seat at a different table.

"Just trying to figure out why I'm being punished."

Phoenix rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic. We'll be in the air after lunch. You usually enjoy these lectures."

"Mmm," he hummed, because now you were walking into the classroom. You found your spot and sat down gingerly next to him, chatting sweetly with Hangman of all people and ignoring Bradley completely.

"Morning, Tango," Bradley finally said, forcing you to acknowledge him next to you.

"Old man. I didn't notice you there, sweetheart," you said, clearly pretending you were surprised to see him. "Have you decided what you're going to call me today? Something to complement incompetent and inexperienced?"

"I tried to apologize for that," he reminded you. "Yesterday....outside the locker rooms."

You turned toward him and bit your lip. "Yes, you were very....sincere."

"And you were very handsy," he whispered as the flight instructor entered the room.

You pressed your lips together. "Yeah...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know anything about you... if you have a wife or a girlfriend or something...shit, I shouldn't have kissed you without permission."

Bradley examined your face; you were actually sorry. But he wasn't sure if you were sorry for kissing him, or just for neglecting to confirm if he was single and consenting.

He wanted you to kiss him again. "I'm single. And consenting."

Your mouth opened and you gaped at him before biting your lip again. He watched you grin as you asked, "Exactly how much are you consenting to, old man?"

"Good morning!" Class was beginning, and absolutely everybody was now facing the front of the classroom except for Bradley. He peeled his gaze away from your profile and faced the front as well.

He opened his lecture booklet and scrawled one word in the corner of the first page. When he nudged it a little closer to you, he watched you lick your lips as you read Everything.

Then you took your pen and wrote one word in neat handwriting before pushing the booklet back toward him.

Perfect.

Bradley groaned softly and it felt like all of his blood rushed away from his brain and directly to his cock.

He was struggling to sit still, paying more attention to you twirling your pen out of the corner of his eye than the actual lecture. Those fingers had been touching him yesterday. Bradley had just given you permission to touch him again. The only problem was, he wasn't sure you and he would even be able to have time alone this week. The schedule was packed.

He saw you hold your pen up and deliberately drop it on the floor between your chairs. "Oops," you murmured.

Bradley watched your dip toward the floor, running your fingers down the length of his leg, touching him through his flight suit. He was straining against his compression shorts, dying to touch you.

Only three hours and fifty minutes of this lecture left.

------------------------------

"Tally! Tally! Bogey, six o'clock, Phoenix!" Hangman shouted. Bradley quickly doubled back to help his teammates. The Naval aviators had taken to the air first, participating in a timed drill. The mission was simple: shoot down the enemy aircrafts as fast as you can.

"Break right, Phoenix," Bradley told her, and he watched her navigate exactly as he had hoped she would. It gave Coyote a chance to eliminate the final opponent from the dog fighting scenario.

"Yes!" Phoenix cheered. "Nicely done, guys. Although I must say, I really miss Bob. He would have spotted them way sooner than we did."

Bradley smiled as he undid his mask and dropped altitude. He followed the other three Super Hornets down to the runway, and he was climbing out of his jet just in time to see you and your teammates walking across the tarmac.

"Good luck, Tango," he told you, trying his best not to convey the want he felt when he looked at you.

"I don't need luck, Rooster," you told him with a smirk, and Bradley watched you start up your ladder while he followed Phoenix to the tower.

The Air Force aviators would need to beat a time of thirty minutes and fifteen seconds if they wanted to earn more points than the Naval aviators. And when Bradley unzipped the top half of his flight suit and drank some water, he listened to the radio as your team took to the air. It was immediately obvious that although you were most likely the youngest member of your team, you were clearly the leader.

"Tango! Angels three, two bandits!"

Your voice was strong and commanding through the radio, and Bradley was intrigued. "Hit the firewall, Killer!"

"Tally two!"

Your team seemed to work together just as well as his team did, and now Bradley was a little nervous. He could literally see two hundred dollars and his pride slipping through his fingers. But you sounded like magic to his ears.

"Hit it hard! Final Bandit!"

And when your team ended with a winning time of twenty-nine minutes, Bradley wasn't even surprised. He had underestimated you just two days ago, and now he was going to keep paying for it.

----------------------------------

Bradley took his time on the way to the locker room. You were ahead of him in points, and the Air Force was leading the Navy. And as much as it pained him to admit it, he was dying for more of your attention. All you had to do was look at him, and he started getting hard. Every time you talked to him, he wanted to touch you again. You were so self assured, he couldn't get enough.

You were walking toward the showers, chatting with Coyote. Javy appeared apologetic when Bradley looked at him, but that didn't stop him from making you smile and laugh. Bradley waited for you to walk past, and you paused when Javy went into the men's locker room. When you gracefully stepped right up to him, you let your fingers rest just below Bradley's belly button. His whole body clenched as you stood on your tiptoes, brushing the tip of your nose against his. He was instantly leaning down, trying to get his lips on yours, but you had pulled away enough that he could see your grin.

"You're so slow, old man. Let's see if you can pick up the pace later. Three one six five."

Bradley moaned as your fingers drifted further south before you turned and stalked into your locker room. He loved being teased and toyed with; no woman had ever treated him like this before.

"Oh, shit," he whispered. 3165. That must be your room number. Fuck, he had to walk gingerly into the locker room and pray that nobody would notice his erection. And no jerking off today, no matter how badly he needed it. He'd wait for you.

So he got cleaned up, did his hair and put on one of his Hawaiian shirts. Then he and Phoenix ordered a pizza and ate it in her room. "Why do you look so nice?" she asked. She was wearing a sports bra and oversize sweatpants. "I'm exhausted and probably going to pass out as soon as we finish eating."

"No reason," he muttered, folding a slice of pizza and biting off half of it.

"Ohhhh," she said, when she finished chewing. "It's Tango. I knew the two of you would end up either fucking or fighting. It could have gone either way. But I must say, if you're sleeping with her, you'll definitely lose your bet."

Bradley frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Let's just say I'm not about to make a wager with Killer anytime soon," she said with a smirk.

Bradley snorted. "You're hooking up with that big guy? He's like two feet taller than you."

"He's big everywhere, Rooster," she told him, and Bradley grabbed another slice of pizza and left with a grimace.

Should he wait around a little longer? Or head to your room? Fuck it, he was already on his way up to the third floor. Might as well see if you're actually in your room. 3165. He raised his hand to knock when the door across the hallway abruptly opened.

"Don't knock!" you said, dashing out and grabbing his hands while you laughed.

"Huh?" he asked, surprised to see you coming out of a different room.

You were trying to contain your laughter as you pulled him across the hallway and into room 3164. "That's Killer's room. I was just fucking with you. Trying to see if you'd actually show up."

"Seriously?"

You were grinning as you pulled him into your room and closed the door. "You look so cute in your Hawaiian shirt, too. Killer would have snarled at you, showing up like you were his booty call."

Bradley was trying not to laugh, but he could feel his lips and mustache twitching with amusement. You were wearing your black tank top and some short shorts. "You know, something tells me you'd have laughed if Killer threatened to punch me."

You nodded as Bradley backed you up to the wall inside the tiny room. "I probably would have, old man."

Bradley scooped you up, holding you by the thighs and pinning you against the wall. You gasped as he pressed himself against you through your shorts, but you still had laughter on your lips.

"You know what's not funny?" he asked softly, your hands coming up to grab his shoulders.

You bit your lip and squeaked as he pressed you harder into the wall. "Tell me," you demanded, still grinning.

Bradley smirked at you as he lowered his voice until it was rough and raspy. Then he squeezed your thighs and said, "It's not funny how hard I'm going to fuck you."

You gasped and licked your lips. "Tell me more, sweetheart."

Bradley was the one smiling now; your pupils were blown wide as you focused on his words. "You're leading me in points, Tango. I gotta make it so I have an advantage tomorrow. If you can't walk straight or sit right, I think that might give me the upper hand."

"Oh," you gasped, and Bradley lowered his mouth to your neck. He listened to you whine as he teased and then soothed your soft skin with his mustache while he ground his hardening cock against you. "Okay, show me what you got, old man."

Bradley tipped your chin up with his nose and sucked on your neck. "You're not going to be calling me old man when you see what age and experience can get you."

You were whining a little bit as he tossed you onto your bed and watched you start to scramble out of your shorts.

"There's no rush, Tango," he whispered, watching you as he took his Hawaiian shirt off and draped it across the back of the chair. You were laying on your back on the narrow, twin-sized bed, your nipples straining against your tank top and your tiny underwear barely covering your pussy. He reached down and ran one long finger along your seam through the lace fabric. When you bucked up off the bed, he grinned and said, "I like to take my time."

You moaned and Bradley watched you turn your head to the side. Your cheeks were flushed now. "Please," you whispered, easing your tank top up your torso until your tits were on display for him.

"Damn," he muttered, stroking your nipples gently with his thumb and making you mewl. "You done being demanding then? You like to switch it up in the bedroom? Let me control you?"

"Fuck," you gasped as he moved his hand lower and dipped his fingers into your underwear. You just looked up at him where he stood and sucked in a deep breath. "You should be so lucky, Rooster. I'll be in charge of everything."

He slipped one finger down along your clit and watched you squirm. "You keep telling yourself that." Bradley eased his large body on top of yours at the same time his finger dipped inside you. He kissed your lips softly, before rubbing his mustache along your tits.

He worked his fingers, never giving you more pressure on your clit as you rocked your hips up against his hand. Your pussy was wet and silky, and his cock was throbbing now, but he was determined to make you wild for him.

He licked and sucked on one breast and then the other, switching each time you started to really whine. "Rooster!" you hissed, bucking hard as you took a second finger followed by a third. Bradley could feel how hard you were gripping him, and his hand was starting to cramp, but he kept going.

"You like that, Tango?" He gently took your nipple between his teeth and gave you some pressure there until you were practically screaming and pawing at the back of his head.

"Yes!" you screeched, your gasping voice breaking on the word. Bradley crooked his middle finger inside you and watched you shake your head back and forth against the pillow. You had your feet planted on the bed, absolutely riding his big hand for everything he was worth. "Fuck!"

"Yeah, I'll fuck you in a little while," he promised, keeping that same soft, steady rhythm with his thumb. "But first, let's get you off like this." He leaned in close to your ear and licked your neck as you came on his hand, legs shaking and babbling nonsense. "If you like my hand this much, you'll never survive my mouth and my cock."

"Oh God," you whispered, looking up at him like you were finally ready to let him take charge. He waited until your hips stilled before he withdrew his fingers and tasted you there.

He smiled. "You taste good," he whispered, and when you parted your lips for him, he slipped his three fingers into your mouth. You moaned and sucked on him, licking between his fingers and dragging your tongue across his palm.

Suddenly Bradley felt less in charge than he had a moment ago. You kept his fingers between your lips until he was groaning, then you said, "Where's this magical mouth you told me about?"

Bradley climbed on top of you, tipped your chin back and kissed you hard on the lips. He fucked your mouth with his tongue, pausing only to yank your tank top completely off your body. Your mouth tasted like your pussy, and he couldn't wait to get himself squared away down there for some more.

You brought your fingers up to tangle in his hair, and Bradley's kisses became more controlled, more languid. He would be damned if he rushed this instead of proving to you that the rest of him was just as impressive as his fingers.

Your hands felt too good on his neck and and behind his ears, and as he settled his full body weight down on you a bit more, you were thrusting up against him, wrapping your leg around his hip. "Don't rush it," he whispered against your lips and you moaned so loudly, his cock felt like it was going to break his zipper.

But you grabbed him roughly by his hair and pushed him further down your body. "I want your mouth on my pussy."

"Fuck," he groaned kissing and tasting your tits as you guided him down. Bradley licked your belly and pulled your tiny underwear down, pressing his lips all over your newly exposed skin.

He looked up your body as he took your underwear down your legs and dropped them to the floor. You met his eyes and bit your lip as he spread your legs wide. "Pretty," he murmured, pressing his lips to your clit. You were soaking wet and your fingers were still tugging at the roots of his hair as he licked the full length of your slit.

He forced a slow pace, refusing to give in to your tugging and whining. But when Bradley heard you moaning his call sign as he swirled his tongue over your clit, he had to slide one hand down to adjust himself. He sucked on your clit softly until it sounded like you were going to start crying, and then he had to unzip his jeans. His dick was painfully hard, but thankfully you were now moaning, "Fuck me, Rooster. Please!"

"Shit," he almost yelled, releasing you and standing. He took off his undershirt and dropped it to the floor before yanking his cock free from his jeans and underwear.

"You look good, old man," you whispered, still out of breath as you rolled onto your stomach on the narrow bed.

"I still don't know how old you think I am, Tango." As he toed off his shoes and socks and guided the denim fabric down his legs, Bradley groaned. "I don't have a condom."

You smiled up at him over your shoulder, reaching out to grab him by his dick and pull him closer to the bed. "If you're clean, you don't need one," you whispered, releasing him and getting on your hands and knees at the edge of the bed.

Bradley was practically panting at the sight of your ass and pussy, bare and ready for him. He grabbed you by your left hip and guided himself to your opening with his right hand, relishing the feel of you and the depraved sounds you made as he pushed and pushed until he bottomed out.

"Oh, God," he groaned. He should have masturbated earlier. What the hell was he thinking? This felt too good. Thankfully you were already pretty far gone, your face buried in the bedding as you got louder with each thrust. Your body looked like it was made for this as he watched his cock disappear into your pretty pussy over and over again, you ass bouncing with each thrust.

"Harder," you gasped, and with a devilish grin, Bradley slammed into you.

"You like that? I like it, too. Gonna love it when you can't sit in your cockpit tomorrow," he promised, fucking you hard until you were clamping around him. Your thighs were shaking as you met his body each time he bottomed out. "Fuck, fuck, where do you want me to cum?" he asked. But you were in the middle of your second orgasm now, and there was no way he was going to get a solid answer out of you. So Bradley pulled out, and within seconds, he was spurting his cum all over your ass and your back.

"Oh," he gasped, gripping himself and looking at the gorgeous mess he had just made. "Beautiful."

You were still scrambling around on the bedding as you more or less collapsed onto your stomach, and Bradley looked around for something to clean you up with. He spotted a travel sized pack of tissues next to your bag and started to wipe his cum off of your pretty skin.

"Did you make a mess on me, old man?" you asked softly, turning to look back at him with a smile.

"Sure did. Looks pretty though," he rasped as he finished cleaning you off.

You just laughed and tried to stand up to no avail. Bradley scooped you into his arms and got you both settled onto the bed with you halfway on top of him. "You can cum inside me tomorrow night if you want to."

Bradley grinned and kissed your forehead. "You want more of me, Tango? Enjoyed that, didn't you?"

You just laughed and said, "Okay, I'll admit it, you're a good lay."

Bradley narrowed his eyes at you. "Just a good lay? I thought we were kind of having fun here. You know, all the dirty talk. All the tension."

You looked at him like you weren't sure what to say, but you swallowed hard and whispered, "It's just sex."

Bradley felt like he'd been hit in the gut. "Right," he grunted. "Right." Shit, he needed to leave before you could tell he was annoyed.

You stretched out and yawned, and Bradley slipped out of your bed. He got dressed quickly, avoiding looking at you as he zipped his jeans. He threw his Hawaiian shirt on and headed for the door without buttoning it. "See you tomorrow night?" you asked, sitting up completely naked in bed.

Bradley glanced your way one time and then left without a word. As far as he could remember, he had never done the walk of shame. He'd sent girls packing in the middle of the night before, so he supposed this must have been how they felt. But it was barely nine o'clock now, and he had to sneak back to his own room and think about how cheap you'd made him feel.

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Oof. Tango, he is clearly into you! Hope you guys enjoyed this part...more to come soon!

PART 3

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#honestly living for bradley going on his first walk of shame #way to go tango #top gun fic rec #bradley rooster bradshaw #daggers reblog challenge

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double-j · 1 year

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Crash and Burn || Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Summary: Request! Y/N and Jake have a very… chaotic relationship. Many ups and downs between the two Naval Aviators. One moment they’re fine the next they are at each other’s throats. Everything goes wrong for the duo in training when Y/N catches Jake’s jet wash as he tries to show off for Maverick. Hurt/Comfort. Readers call sign is Jinx.

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Y/N

Word Count: 4,000+

Arrogant. Cocky. Selfish.

Just a few words to describe your least favorite classmate, Hangman. He had mastered the art of getting underneath your skin. Phoenix always told you to play it cool around him or he’d just keep doing the same. You never learned your lesson always arguing back when he had to say some stupid misogynistic thing about female pilots. You had to hand it to Phoenix though, she never let Hangman work her up.

You hadn’t known him prior to Top Gun like your other classmates had. They gave you a forewarning when it came to Jake. Watch your back or he’d be the one shooting at it. You didn’t believe it at first, but you learned.

Quickly, you understood their warnings toward him. The world revolved around Jake Seresin to Jake Seresin. You dreaded when Mav called your name to go up in the air with him. You had yet to have any sort of success when you flew with Hangman. It always ended up in one or both of you being taken down by Mav. Jake never communicated with you always throwing you off your game. He was so good at making you feel less than.

Today was no different. You heard your name paired with Hangman’s drawing a subtle sigh out of your mouth. You let your head rest against your palm as you thought over your options. You didn’t have a back seater today. Fritz called in sick with the flu leaving you flying solo, something you rarely did. You could beg Mav to switch the teams up or you could deal with it. You opted for the first option.

Heaving your body out of your desk you slowly made your way to your teacher while the rest of the class went to the locker rooms. You really didn’t think you had it in you to deal with Jake today. Not sleeping well the previous night due to getting into a heated argument with an ex-boyfriend all your energy was zapped. Certainly not a good combination to be taking an F-18 up in.

“Mav,” You paused waiting for him to look up to you, continuing only when you had his attention, “Fritz is sick today. Don’t you think another team should go up with Hangman?”

He shook his head looking down at whatever he was working on, “No, Jinx.”

“But I don’t have a wizzo.” You frowned knowing it really didn’t make a damn difference today. You were just running the first half of the course. You didn’t really need Fritz until it was time to train to drop the bomb.

He shrugged, “You’ll fly without a back seater today. Understood?”

Letting out another small huff of annoyance you nodded, “Yes sir.”

“Good, now go get ready. You and Seresin are up first.”

“Course we are.” You nodded leaving the classroom slowly to go get changed. You’d been lucky to avoid being teamed up with him the last few training sessions, but your luck seemed to end today.

Jake was interesting to you. You certainly didn’t hate the man, but he made it so hard to actually enjoy his presence. He always had that stupid cocky grin on his face like nothing could knock it off. You had only seen him slip up with Rooster once other than that he was his usual arrogant self.

Changing quickly, you knew the faster you were up in the air the faster your session would be with Hangman. Exiting the women’s locker room, you made your way to your jet. Going through the pre-flight checklist thoroughly you didn’t hear your teammate approach you.

“Going to be able to keep up today, Jinx?” Jake leaned his frame against your jet taking a full look of you. A soft smile formed when he saw just how focused you were on your task at hand, hardly paying him any attention. He’d never admit it, but he lived for moments like this with you. Moments where he could study you without the world knowing just what he was doing.

He met you at the Hard Deck the night before Top Gun. You seemingly knew Phoenix and Rooster from a previous deployment. You quickly grabbed Jake’s attention with that pretty smile and angelic laugh. Jake swore he could hear your giggle across the bar. A sound so pretty he’d never dare to admit it to anybody.

He grabbed your attention in any way that he could. Even if it meant being the bad guy in your reality. At least you were paying him the attention he craved from you. Quickly, he found what pressed your buttons and made sure to press them whenever he could. Just to get into a debate with you. He loved it. He adored you.

Looking up at the interruption you kept the level head on your shoulders. Trying to do what Phoenix did so gracefully, “Can you just fly the mission? Not pull your usual bullshit Seresin?”

Placing a hand on his chest he feigned hurt, “I’m wounded Jinxie.”

Ignoring him you continued, “Can you? For once.”

Smirking he started sauntering off, like he owned the damn air strip, “Doubtful darling. Gotta be fast.” He threw you a wink before disappearing into his jet.

Rolling your eyes, you tried not to let him get the best of you. It was typical Hangman behavior. One that you would never be able to crack it seemed. You thought maybe you’d be able to in the beginning. You should’ve just listened to Rooster and Phoenix instead of trying with him. All it ended in was arguments every single time you tried to have a normal conversation with the man. You couldn’t lie though, there was something so damn appealing about Jake Seresin that kept you crawling back for more.

Signing off on your paperwork you hopped into your jet. Placing your helmet on you smiled as you took in the front dash. You just loved this. It never ceased to amaze you just how lucky you were. You were able to fly jets across the world. Meeting new people and finding new cultures never got old to you. And you got to fly around on top of it all? You loved every single second of your Naval career. Not having a single regret about all of your adventures.

Taxing onto the runway you waited behind Hangman as he got the all clear. He was Dagger One in this scenario, and you were Dagger Two. Thankfully, all you had to do was keep up with him and not have him on your ass chirping you every five seconds. You hated flying as Dagger One with Hangman as your wingman. It felt like your heart would burst from the sheer stress of trying to deal with him.

You got the all clear taking off finding Hangman in the straightaway. You accelerated already noticing how fast he was moving before you even begun the timed trial. Mav raced in beside the two keeping an eye out, “Two minutes fifteen seconds until target. Time begins when Hangman clocks it. Good luck.” Mav flew off above watching the duo from his eagle eye view.

“Ready Jinx?”

You were honestly surprised he gave you any warning before he took off, “Ready when you are Hangman.”

“Let’s turn and burn baby.” You heard the clock begin. Locking your eyes onto the back of Hangman’s jet you decided he wouldn’t be getting away from you that easily this time.

You kept up for the first thirty seconds before he punched it even further, “Hangman you’re going to fast!” You yelled into your mask trying to accelerate yourself. You started losing him as he only punched it even further.

“You’re not going fast enough!” He countered.

Your eyes lowered knowing he wasn’t going to let up so you sped up as much as your comfort level would allow you, which still wasn’t fast enough, “Hangman slow down!” You began pleading with the asshole pilot.

“Speed up Y/N!”

He never used your real name. He was challenging you. Sighing to yourself you kicked it up a notch not feeling all that great with your speed and closeness to the ground, “I can’t keep up!”

You heard him audibly groan into the comms, “Jesus Jinx, fine.”

Your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as his jet dropped speed suddenly. You knew you didn’t have enough time to slow down, or you’d plow right into the back of him. Decelerating at the same time you dipped slightly to avoid crashing right into him, “Shit, Jake what the fuck was that?”

“You said to slow down so I did.” You could practically hear the cockiness lace his voice from a mile away.

“Not like that you fucking asshole.” You sighed this time feeling your heart rate go down a bit. You’d had many close encounters in the jet but nothing like that.

“Hey Jinxie. Calm down.”

“Jesus,” You grumbled positioning your jet back up behind his, “Just go Seresin.”

You weren’t sure what happened but one second you were fine the next your right engine was out and your left one started sputtering, “Fuck.” Internally cursing you didn’t have a back seater to help you talk yourself through the next few minutes. Thankfully your training kicked in.

“Right engine out. No Fire. Restarting. Left engine compromised.” Calmly you spoke into your mask.

“Jinx?” You heard Mav’s voice come in.

“Jinxie what’s wrong?” Hangman’s voice chimed in right after Mavericks. He failed to see you behind him as he sped back up.

Desperately you hit the right combination of buttons, but nothing seemed to feed the engine the fuel it needed. “Shit. Not responding. Climbing to 5,000.” You pulled you plane into the climbing position trying to buy yourself some time.

“Jinx. What’s going on?” Mav sounded concerned.

As you were in the middle of pulling up your heart sank hearing another alarm go off, “Oh shit. Left engine out. No fire. Attempting restart.” You managed to stagger out. Again, you attempted to refuel and refire the engine

Mav came down to your level eyes wide seeing neither of your engines burning, “Jinx eject!” He sounded a bit panicked you noted.

Your training was kicking in though. You had maybe five seconds to try again. After that you’d have to eject or you’d be toast, literally.

“Restarting right and left engine.” Ignoring Mav’s orders, you punched and prayed the engines would respond.

“Jinx eject now!” Maverick commanded you.

“Fuck! Eject Jinxie! Now” You didn’t see Hangman come back around surveying the situation he believed he put you into.

No sign of life from your jet really caused your heart to sink knowing you really only had one option now. Your heart started racing seeing how low to the ground you already were, 2,000 fucking feet. This was going to hurt, “Fuck, ejecting.” You pulled the handle from underneath your seat sending you into the air.

The next thirty seconds felt like a blur as you were free-falling in the air. Your parachute worked it was just terribly disorienting. You’d trained for this but had never had to do it in the field. Shuddering, you heard your jet crash into the desert below. This wasn’t going to be very easy to explain to the admiral.

You knew you were far too low to the ground when you were in the jet to make a graceful landing. You just didn’t expect how bad it would actually hurt once you hit the rocks of the desert below you. You hit the ground hard and fast, the parachute not having the proper amount feet to descend to really break your fall.

Rolling to a stop as the back of your head hit a boulder immediately you knew something wasn’t right. Hardly being able to keep your eyes open you attempted to stand up only falling right back into the same spot you rolled into, “Fuck.” You groaned closing your eyes feeling terribly weak.

You didn’t see any blood on your chest or legs which was a very good sign, but you just couldn’t keep your eyes open. The only way you seemed to stay coherent after cracking your head against the bolder was fluttering your eyes.

Hearing the faint mumbles of Mav and Hangman you couldn’t really make them out. You tried to stand again but miserably failed as your legs shook far too violently to stand on their own. A small tear fell down your face as the feeling of utter defeat began to take over. You had never experienced your body giving out on you so dramatically before. It was humbling when you couldn’t even stand on your own two feet.

Trying to keep your eyes open you focused on the words coming through your comms. You faintly heard Maverick, “Jinx, please copy.”

Before your eyes completely gave out on you, you heard another soft, “Jinxie please!” Sounding awfully familiar to Hangman’s usually annoying voice.

Opening your mouth, you so desperately wanted to let them know you were alive. You were okay. But you just couldn’t seem to get the words out.

“Mav, I didn’t see a parachute, did you?” Shit, they thought you were dead? You were risky but not risky enough to kill yourself.

“I think I did. Fuck. Jinx, please copy.” He tried you one more time a little beside himself. He’d witnessed the entire accident in horrifying detail taking him right back to his own accident from years prior. You pulled your plane up just as Hangman punched it immediately shutting your right engine down and compromising the left with the wash he left behind. He’d seen it several times out in the field but nothing that bad since his own accident.

Frustrated that you couldn’t communicate with your teammates you began to cry more opting you to slide the helmet right off your head to get some fresh air. Feeling a warm trickle down the back of your neck you hesitantly turned your helmet over revealing a rather large crack near the base of it. This was a very bad sign.

Slowly you placed a hand to the back of your skull slightly horrified at the red blood that coated your hand entirely. Fuck. You knew this wasn’t good at all. Trying to stay conscious you unzipped a pant leg off your flight suit planning to use that as a cloth to apply pressure to your head wound.

With all your strength you had left you leaned your head against the boulder placing the piece of flight suit in between praying you had enough pressure to keep you awake while you waited for rescue. Realistically you knew you only had to wait a few minutes before a team of medics were on the way. They were probably already halfway to you. All you had to do now was keep your eyes open. You could do that.

Grabbing your helmet, you decided to listen to the air chatter knowing at the very least it’d keep you focused on something rather than falling into unconsciousness. It pained you to hear the desperate plea’s from not only Hangman and Mav but command as well. It seemed as if everybody was trying to get you to respond.

Again, you attempted to speak only to be met with the utter silence of nothing coming out. It’s like the rock knocked your ability to speak right out of your own head. It was a rather gut-wrenching feeling to not be able to say a word. Just to let them know that you were okay. But you couldn’t. Your body simply refused.

Another few minutes passed which felt like hours as you sat there in the beating sun. Just as you were about to give into the darkness you heard the helicopter above you. Looking over a few vehicles approached in the distance. A small smile flickered on your face knowing they finally made it to you.

Before you knew it a few medics approached you quickly triaging the situation. They realized how incoherent you really were as you tried responding to their questions but couldn’t seem to talk.

“Hey Jinx. We’re going to patch you up alright?” A familiar face leaned down brushing the hair out of your face, “Just try and stay awake, okay?” It clicked that it was your team’s physician. He knew you very well taking your vitals and stats all the time.

“Let them know we’ve got her. Critical care.” You heard him say before placing something cold around your neck.

“You’re going to be alright. We’re taking you to the base hospital.” He smiled softly at you before he gave the next round of orders to his team.

The next while was a blur of you floating in and out of consciousness mixed with tons of people asking you too many questions. None of which you could answer as your voice was still missing.

Finally, you were able to sleep given the okay from a worried looking doctor you’d never seen before. You couldn’t seem to care as unconsciousness swallowed you whole.

The faint beeping brought you out of the deep slumber you were in. Rolling your head to the side you spotted Hangman sleeping in the chair next to your bed. Initial confusion rolled over you and you unfortunately heard the beeping pick up pace rapidly.

The change in background noise brought Hangman out of the light sleep he was in. He had been waiting on you for the last twelve hours or so. Refusing to leave your side until he knew that you were okay.

The initial prognosis given to them wasn’t great. The medics noted you as delirious, out of it, non-responsive before you went out completely. It worried him beyond belief. Especially knowing it was likely his actions that got you here. Mav kept trying to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault, but you got caught up in his jet wash. Just like Mav did all those years ago. It’s a freak occurrence and 99% of the time jets handle it fine. You were just one of the unlucky ones.

He looked over to you seeing your panicked expression. His face softened as he realized how much this must be for you, “Hey Jinx. You’re in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

You felt some sense of relief knowing he was real. Sitting right there. You weren’t dreaming. You were back to the land of the living. You nodded recalling having to eject from your jet. You don’t remember much after that though.

“Can you speak?” He scooted the chair closer, so he was right up on the bed, right next to you.

“Yeah.” You managed to croak out. Your throat was feeling rather dry. Likely from all the sand and dirt you inhaled out there.

Grinning at the sound of your voice he grabbed your hand, “Good, let me go get a doctor.” He began to stand up before you stopped him by grabbing at his hand like he just did yours.

“No!”

He paused cocking his head to the side studying you curiously, “Just give me a minute. They’re going to ask a lot of questions and…” You paused not sure if he was even listening. This was Hangman after all. To your utter surprise he had his eyes locked on you, soaking up your every word. You decided to continue, “My head really hurts. I don’t want to talk to them just yet.”

Sighing Hangman looked all too conflicted. What was five minutes anyway? On the other hand, if your head really hurt you that bad why didn’t you want to see a doctor? Didn’t you want the help? Opting to go with your wishes he sat back down making a note of the time, he wasn’t going to give you more than the five minutes you requested.

“Thank you.” You smiled softly seeing him sit there against his better judgement.

“Sure. Are you alright at least?”

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath in, “I’m okay. I just don’t feel great.”

“You scared us up there. You scared me.” He admitted whispering it almost so you couldn’t here.

Mustering a small halfhearted laugh, “Like you really care Seresin.” His face dropped immediately after your comment. Meaning it in more of a joking manner you didn’t think he’d take you so seriously.

“Why would you say that? Of course, I care Y/N.”

“One less pilot you have to deal with.” You kept trying to joke with him, but he wasn’t letting you. Taking it far more seriously than you were.

Shaking his head he grabbed your hand, “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

He groaned. Frustrated that he wasn’t so great at showing real emotion, “Acting like I don’t care. I do care. A lot.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” It slipped out way faster than intended. You didn’t want to make him feel like a total asshole, but your concussed brain had other ideas.

Head down Jake sighed, “I’m sorry Jinxie. I really am. I never would have thought… I wouldn’t have done that if I would have known…”

“It’s okay Jake.” You shushed him. You had never seen this side of the cocky Jake Seresin before. You weren’t even sure if Jake had a more human side to him. All it took was you nearly cracking your head open to get him there. Who would’ve known?

He shook his head, “It’s not though. What happened to you. Seeing your plane go into freefall and not seeing you eject was hell Y/N. And then you didn’t respond? Mav and I could only think the worst.” His stare could have bore holes into the back of your head.

Cheeks heating up you turned away from him, “Well, I’m still here.”

Jake smiled picking your hand back up feeling the urge to have you close, “Thank goodness for that.”

Stitching your eyebrows together you looked him over, “You going soft on us?”

“Not on us.”

“What?” You asked him sincerely.

“Only for you.”

Sucking in another breath you turned on your side to face him completely, “What do you mean?”

“I can’t lose you Y/N.”

Where was all of this coming from? While you had to admit he was an incredibly attractive guy you never thought in a million years he’d be going for you. All the two of you did was bicker back and forth. Sure, it never got nasty but the two of you could never agree on the same thing. Not even toppings on a pizza. There always had to be an argument between the two of you.

“Are you saying you like me Jake?” eyeing him curiously you couldn’t take your eyes off of him as you anxiously waited for his answer.

He looked up at you. Studying your face for any sign of contempt. For any sign that your repulsed by the sheer fact that not only did he have a full-on crush on you. He was sure he just might love you to.

Nodding his head in agreement it he finally admitted it out loud, “Yes Jinxie. I like you.”

Smiling to him you grabbed one of his hands this time, “You know we aren’t in middle school anymore Jake.”

“Hmm?”

“If you like someone you can be nice to them. You know instead of making them eject and landing them in the hospital.”

Chucking he looked you right in the eyes, “I’m sorry Y/N. Would you give me a chance to prove I’m not a middle school boy?”

Returning his laugh you squeezed his hand, “I’d love to get to know adult Jake.”

“Friday. 6 o’clock. I’m picking you up and taking you out to a nice dinner.”

Raising your eyebrows you took another long look at him, “I can’t wait.”

#okay this is adorable plz #top gun fic rec #jake hangman seresin #daggers reblog challenge

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double-j · 1 year

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Did We Miss Something

☑︎Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Sweet Nothings Masterlist

☑︎ Pairing: Jake Seresin x Y/n Seresin (Mitchell)

☑︎ Word Count: 9 k

☑︎ Warnings: Infertility, IVF, Adoption, Dad!Jake, Teacher/Mom!Reader, Kindergarteners, bad foster parents, child neglect, protective Rooster, protective Jake

☑︎ A/n: Holy shit, I had the hardest time writing this. Life has not been kind lately in the school sense and health sense, but I still wanted to give you guys something. Anyone thats stayed with me and is still reading (even after this long extent) thank you and I love you!

☑︎Library (Follow for updates! I no longer have a taglist.)

The sudden weight on your chest stirs you from your slumber, and though the room is dark you make out the little figure clinging on to you. The moonlight just barely lights the room enough for you to clearly see Grayson, well as clearly as sleepy you could see. His hands are clutched to your blanket and the small movement of your hand across his back gets his attention.

“Hi, Sweetpea.” Your voice is groggy though it still causes Gray to nuzzle farther into your chest. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“Laine left me, I got cold.” The words take a moment to register, though when they do you sit up faster than you ever have. Gray is still clutched to your chest, though you tighten your hold on him at the possiblity of Laine disapearing. Your eyes adjust and flitter room, Gray shifts in your hold and holds on to you in silence, waiting. Jake still hadn’t woken up, the man could sleep through a tornado, which he had when you visited his parents last year. It wasn’t a fun experience, to say the least. Just as your arm is about to smack him and make him get up with you, you catch sight of a little ball of blonde hair peeking out from under the blanket, laying on his chest.

A sigh leaves your body as the tension in your shoulders drops and you lay back down, contemplating if you wanted to risk Laine waking up when you moved her or if you should just let the both of them sleep in the bed for the night. You pull Gray farther into your chest as he nuzzles at the soft blanket and his small hand holds onto the hand you have wrapped around him.

You realize that neither of them would be going back to the other room tonight and so, you move Gray to get him under the covers with you. He finds the sleeve of your pjs and holds it, thumb rubbing the material as he falls back to sleep. Jake arms move slightly and for a minute you worry that he’s going to squish Laine. But instead, his arms wrap around her, as he rolls onto his side to face you, they’re both still asleep, yet grasp onto each in a near death grip. The small nuzzle she does against Jake chest, just under his chin fills your heart with a kind of love you feared you would never get.

Your eyes trail down to Gray and even after he’s fallen asleep, he holds on to your shirt. You place a kiss to the crown of his head, before checking the clock. 2:30 you still had 4 hours before you had to get up and as you settle back in the bed, you make a mental note to thank Jake for insisting that you needed a King size bed.

...

It’s not a random weight that wakes you up this time, but instead a pair of giggles and Gray quietly telling Laine to stop. Your eyes peel open, Gray is still settled by your side and he gives you a tiny smile before cuddling back into you at the realization that you’re awake. Jake and Laine had shifted again through the night, and she once again rests on his chest. Though as you move, her bright blue eyes flash to you, and give you a small smile, before she goes back to tapping on Jake’s nose.

He'd move every so often and the pair would start laughing. It’s during one of their giggling fits that you see Jake’s eyes open. He gives you a quick wink, before pretending to be asleep again. A smile rests on your face as you glance at the alarm clock, you still had 10 minutes before it would go off. It’s only 6:20 and while you knew the twins were morning birds, you hadn’t realized just how early and yet cheerfully they woke up.

A loud squeal from Laine and the small jump Gray does back into your chest, pulls you from your thought. You look over in time to see Jake grabbing Laine and rolling to lay on top of her. He doesn’t put his whole weight on her, though traps her just enough that she’s stuck under him in a fit of giggles. A look of worry and teasing crosses Jake’s face as he looks at you and Grayson.

“Gray have you seen sissy?”

Gray erupts into a fit of giggles while shaking his head, as Laine tries to wiggle out but can’t manage. Jake’s eyes find your own and you’re sure that your smile matches his.

“Darlin’, have you seen Ms. Madelaine?” You laugh at his overexaggerated reaction, as his eye’s pass over her small form more than once. “I just can seem to find my little darlin’ anywhere.”

“Mr. Jake!” She finally gains Jake’s attention, though upon “realization” of where she is, he starts a massive tickle war between the two.

You laugh at the pair, the both of them are identical rays of sunshine in every sense that would cause someone to assume Jake was Laine’s father. You roll to lay on your back, shifting to pull the blanket up closer to your chest, in hopes to enjoy the last few minutes before your alarm goes off. Your eyes close and when the small form climbs up to lay on your chest and relax with you, you instantly wrap your arms around Gray. Your hand lightly combs through his hair and the small sigh he releases brings you a type of comfort you never knew existed. Your body sinks farther into the bed as Gray’s breath evens out, your own breath slipping in time with his.

You don’t notice as Jake slips from the bed to turn off your alarm and holding onto Laine as he makes his way to the kitchen, leaving the pair of you to get a few more minutes of sleep.

...

Jake slowly makes his way down the hallway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as Madelaine leads the way to the kitchen. Her small blonde curls bounce along the way and the excited squeal she gives when Jake asks if she wants pancakes, has his heart clenching and willing to do anything to hear that kind of joy from her every day.

Jake goes about getting the few ingredients, though the sight of Laine trying to watch but not wanting to get in the way, has him picking her up and sitting her on a part of the counter. Close enough that she could see but was also a safe distance from the stove.

“Alright little lady, Gray and CeCe are resting up, which means we have full control of the kitchen.” The smirk and raised eyebrows that Jake gives Laine, has her give him a look that’s nearly identical.

“Does that mean we can make purple pancakes?” Her eyes are hopeful, though a small flash of doubt crosses her face as if she shouldn’t have asked the question in the first place. Her chin dips slightly, though Jake is quick to tip it back up and give her a smile.

“That is exactly what it means, but we also need to make a special color for Gray.”

“Blue, he loves blue!”

Jake shakes his head with a smile at the small nod of confidence she gives him and gets to work mixing up a batch of pancake mix.

...

Laine had somehow found her way onto Jake’s hip; she was still small enough that Jake could easily hold her with one arm while cooking with the other. She had been whispering small requests to him as her head laid on his shoulder. Together they had made almost every shape, with and without chocolate chips.

The soft tune of country music floats through the kitchen as the pair drift around the room, not quite dancing together but close enough. With every sway, dip, or turn Jake did caused Laine to break out into a fit of giggles, face tucked into Jake’s neck as her small arms wrap around him.

“Jakey?” Her small voice piped up over the music.

“Yeah, Sweetheart.”

Her small face pulls away far enough that it causes Jake to stop cooking and look at her, giving her his full undivided attention. A single curl falls in front of her face, though before she can try and move it, Jake does. It causes a small smile to break out on her face before she then brushes a “fallen” strand of hair off Jake’s face as well.

“Have you ever rode a horse; like the cowboys in the song?”

The question has Jake laughing at the small error in tense, while also not expecting the question but positive that she was going to love his answer.

“I have.” He pauses as Laine bounces in excitement, eyes wide with wonder as she takes in every word he says. “I grew up on a big farm, with lots of horses and chickens and cattle, babies and mommas.”

“I wanna go, can we go?”

Jake catches himself, more than ready to tell her yes. To have his mom and dad meet them both, to see them experience everything he did and more as a child. Though the reality comes crashing in like a bucket of cold water, and he can only whisper a small maybe against the back of her head as he hugs her.

“Sissy?”

The sound of Grayson has Madelaine wiggling and slipping from Jake’s hip to nearly crash into Gray as he rounds the corner. Jake catches the sight of Laine adjusting Gray’s glasses, before muttering a quiet sorry for knocking into him.

Jake’s eye’s float up as he sees you coming to rest against the wall behind the twins, Laine grabs Gray’s hand and pulls him to the table and the pile of purple and blue pancakes.

...

The smile that Jake gives you barely reaches his eyes, as he watches the twins. Your quick to find home behind him and wrap your arms around his waist. You sway gently as your hands hold one another and you place a soft kiss against his shirt between his shoulder blades. The music drifts through the kitchen and has the twins wiggling in their seats as they eat. The morning sun shines through the kitchen window and casts them both is a glowing light that almost feels like a call from the universe.

Jake turns in your hold, ducking down to give you a kiss before you have a chance to ask why it looks like he wants to cry. The round of giggles that break out causes you and Jake to separate, to find both Laine and Gray making kissy faces at you. The pair go back to eating while Jake flips off the stove and leans back on the counter holding you.

“He’s never that expressive,” an overwhelming sigh rolls through your body as you sink farther into Jake’s hold. “not even at the school with just Laine and I.”

Jake hums against the curve of your neck, placing a gentle kiss against it. His voice is barely a whisper against your neck, though you can hear the pain coated words perfectly.

“I forgot for a minute, just before you came in.” It’s your turn to hum, a wordless way of telling him to go on. “Laine asked me if I had ever ridden a horse, and when I told her yes, oh baby, her smile was the sweetest thing I’d even seen.”

“They do have the sweetest smiles.” Your voice holds a lightness that eases the tension in Jake’s shoulders. “I told her about Mom and Dad’s place, and when she said she wanted to go, I damn near promised that we would.”

His voice catches and has you turning your head to look up at him, you place a gentle kiss on his jawline, before whispering a small I know. Neither of you needed to say how much the reality of getting to be with the twins for only the weekend rocked you to your cores. They had only been with you for a night and yet somehow it felt like they had been here forever.

Your hands trace along Jake’s arms, before looking up at the clock. You needed to go to the school prior to heading to base, just to make sure that everyone knew where they were going and to get a head count.

“Alright you two, we need to get dressed so we aren’t late.” You get small nods in reply as they both place their plates in the sink and come to stand in front of you and Jake. Your hand racks through Laine’s hair, the bundle of blonde curls a mess atop her head.

“Come on sweet girl, let’s go fix your hair before we get dressed.” Laine grabs your hand, and you give hers a small squeeze before you head to your bathroom. You glance back as you make your way to the hallway to check on Gray, though Jake’s already got him lifted up as the pair talk.

...

You had done two small buns in Laine’s hair per her request, before doing your own hair and makeup. She was entranced by you as you put on a coat of lipstick, before giving her a smile.

“You’re pretty.”

Your heart swells at her words and the childlike whisper they hold. You gently raise your hand and brush it across her cheek, before delicately booping her nose and earning you a giggle.

“I think you’re pretty.”

Your words have her shyly smiling and cause you to lift her chin, to place a small kiss on the crown of her head. Her hands twist the tulle of her pink skirt; the baby pink is a harsh contrast against the navy-blue shirt she has on. Though she had insisted on wearing it, and you couldn’t say no. Plus you were excited to see Jake’s face when he realized that the shirt, was in fact, the one that he had boughten all those weeks ago. How she had snuck hers and Gray’s shirts into her bag was beyond you, though you didn’t care to question it.

Her legs wiggle on the bathroom counter as you put away the few elastics and hairbrush before you grasp onto her waist and lift her to the ground. Her hand finds yours again, as the pair of you walk out to find Grayson and Jake. You find your way to the smaller second bathroom, where Gray sits on a stool in front of the mirror as Jake combs his hair back.

They don’t notice you for a moment as you stay outside in the hall and quietly listen to Grayson ask questions about Jake’s plane. It's when you hear Jake mention letting Gray sit in the F-18, that Madelaine makes your presence known.

“I wanna sit in it too!”

She gains both of the boy’s attention, while Gray finds you instantly and gives you a small smile. Jake eye's land on Madeline as she does a small spin and the biggest smile breaks across his lips. He helps Gray down from the stool and gives him a small wink that makes Gray giggle as he comes to your side.

Another high-pitched giggle echoes in the small bathroom as Jake lifts Laine and settles her on his hip again. He stares down at her shirt, before placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

“Jakey, you don’t think I look silly? I wanted to dress up,” her hands gently flare out the tule skirt. “but had to wear my plane shirt.”

Jake’s hand comes to brush against the small bows in her hair, causing her to lean farther into him. “You look perfect, my little darlin’.”

He instantly has her perking up, while you feel a small finger poke at the side of your leg and look down to see Gray wiggling his nose before his finger motions for you to come down. You bend down as you give the small boy a smile, as he gets onto his tippy toes to lean closer to your ear.

“Could we maybe ride with Mr. Jake?” He pauses and Jake looks down at you in question, though you patiently wait for Gray to continue.

It’s when you feel his fingers start to twist in your shirt you pull away to look at him. He doesn’t lift his eyes to look at you, but you’re fairly certain you know what’s going on. You twist on the ball of your feet so Gray is standing directly in front of you before you lean in now to whisper to him.

“Are you worried about everyone crowding the planes?”

Your hand had found its way to the side of his face, and the small nod he gives you makes your heart ache. You knew that Gray had severe anxiety and would most likely be attached to you all day. You also knew how excited he was and that he was only trying to find a way that he could see the planes, but not be surrounded with excited children.

“Sweetheart,” Gray stays close to your side as you look up at Jake, who had been listening to Laine talk her little heart out. “Gray would like to know if he and Laine can ride with you to the base?” You would tell Jake about Gray being worried when he wasn’t listening and hope that your eyes are conveying enough information to Jake that he doesn’t question it.

“That what you want, bud?” Gray looks up when he hears Jake and gives him a small smile with a quiet ‘yes please.’ Laine finally slows her babbling about different sea animals, as she realizes that they would now be riding with Jake while you went and got the other kids sorted. Her smile widens immensely as she looks at Jake and gives him a small smirk, replying to Gray for him.

“That’s a great idea, Gray! That way we can keep track of Jakey and make sure that we get to see all the cool stuff, that nobody else sees.”

You stifle a laugh and look at Jake, who looks slightly stunned at the little firecracker in his arms. Gray bounces on his toes lightly, fully agreeing with his sister and no longer caring if Jake says yes.

Jake clears his throat before setting Laine on the ground, “Right you two, go get your bags.” The pair gives you a small smile before they are heading down the hall, chattering excitedly about everything they are going to see. Jake’s hand wraps around your waist and pulls you in. Your hands rest against his chest as Jake places a small kiss on your neck.

“You know she reminds be a lot of this self-assured, slightly cocky pilot I know.” Jake hums in your neck before nipping you, causing you to laugh.

“Just wait till she gets ahold of Chicken.” He pulls away from your neck looking at you with a teasing smirk. “It’s gonna be like a sneak attack, a miniature Hangman to give him hell.”

You pat his chest shaking your head at his and Bradley's never-ending antics against one another. Just last week Bradley had stolen the lunch you packed. It would have been fine, but it was a Wednesday. Meaning that Bradley had not only stolen the taco soup you made Jake, but stolen the brownies you made for his mid-week treat. Jake had been looking for the perfect way to get back at Bradley since.

“Don’t let her rip into him too much, Gray is there to be the counterweight.” You both laugh at that, they truly did even each other out. Jake leans in to kiss you, before pulling away and heading out the find the twins. The three of them congregate at the front door, as Jake double-checks that each of them has their water bottles and bags. You smile at the sight; he might have been a cocky asshole sometimes. But when he loved, he loved hard, and the sight before you was pure Seresin love and pride.

“Alright, darlin’ we will see you in a bit.”

Each of the twins yell goodbye; Laine blows you a kiss, while Gray waves, before Jake ushers them out and down the drive. They could do the smallest things, and yet still steal your heart.

...

The drive to base had been easy enough, each of the kids had gotten buckled in their booster seats without a fuss and Laine had once again requested for control of the music. Jake was not at all surprised when the same playlist that had been playing in the kitchen this morning echoed through the speakers. Letting the little girl wiggle in her seat, as she hummed along, singing a word every now and then if she knew them.

Jake had kept the music low, so he could still talk to the kids and answer any questions they might have. The Laine had asked a few questions along the way, mostly pertaining to who all would be there and if they were nice. Jake had assured her that the team would love them and that you and Jake had already told them about the twins.

Gray on the other hand had really been the chatterbox surprisingly. He had listed off facts that he knew about planes while asking for confirmation every now and then from Jake. Gray might have been on the shy side, but Jake couldn’t have been more thankful for this alone time with him. When it came to planes and anything related to the squadron, Gray lit up and his small shell became practically non-existent.

Jake slows the truck into a parking spot near the main office, while he would usually park closer to the separate building for Top Gun classes, he knew that you would be coming to the front office first. The dagger squad was supposed to be leading the tour, but you wanted to see your dad, as well as double-check with Cyclone that bringing the kids was okay.

Jake turns around in his seat after he puts the truck in park, looking over his two smiling blonde carbon copies. His sunglasses sit on the bridge of his nose and the khaki uniform would have fooled anyone into thinking that today was a normal day. That Jake Seresin was back on base, that Hangman was in his natural habitat and about to school his students in how they couldn’t fly for shit.

But the smile that rested just below the glasses was not the smirk that usually rested on Hangman’s face. No, Jake Seresin had a full-blown smile on his face and looked beyond the part of an excited father that was getting to share an important part of his life with the munchkins he loved.

“We ready?”

Laine gives Jake a strong nod, followed by an even surer ‘yup.’ While Gray gives a smaller ‘yes.’ Jake helps Laine get out of the truck as her eyes flash around the base taking in everything, quietly assessing the few people she sees walking around while staying safely next to Jake. Before Jake can help Gray down, he stops him, hands sitting on Gray’s small waist trying to gauge how he was feeling. You had texted Jake on the drive and he had quickly read the message just after parking.

His heart ached for the small boy as your words echoed in his mind, “If he needs to, just let him cling onto your leg. He’ll ground himself but just needs support. He hasn’t had a panic attack lately, but he usually can calm down with deep breathing and eye contact. Also, try not to let Laine see if he has one, it sends her into her own spiral of worry.”

“Bud,” His icy blue eyes find Jake’s green ones, timid and worried. “you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ll be with you the whole time.” Gray’s eyes soften as he stares at Jake, silently assessing if he could actually trust Jake. Jake gives him a small smile, which causes Gray to return one before giving Jake a nod. Jake lifts him from the truck placing Gray at his side, before locking the truck.

Laine grabs one of Jake’s hands, while Grayson takes the other and Jake gives him a small squeeze which earns a smile. Jake’s eyes then find the small spitfire that holds his hand in a death grip, tightening her small hand every time she got excited.

“Darin’ what did we talk about on the way here?” Jake’s tone is teasing and the sneaky smile the Madelaine gives looks like pure trouble.

“That mustache man’s name is Rooster, but I get to call him Chicken.” Jake gives her a look that is silently saying ‘and?’ “and if anyone asks, 'specially Ms. CeeCee, I did not hear it from you.”

A self-assured smirk rests on Jake’s face, and he gives her a quick wink followed by a “that’s my girl.”

Her hand tightens around Jake’s and a smile breaks across her face at the words. She follows his actions with her own, a small wink is aimed back at Jake that fills him with pride, as well as a tiny bit of excitement. He couldn’t help it if the prospect of having a mini hangman around caused him to make sure that trouble ensued.

The three of them cut across the lawn, making their way inside to find the rest of the squadron. Jake knew that you wouldn’t get here until 9:30 or so, depending on how bad the traffic was. Madelaine bounces up the front steps, while Gray remains by Jake’s side and quietly looks at everything. There weren’t main people in the main build, hell the group never usually hung out in the “main” rec room, but instead made the one in the west wing their designated spot.

Jake watches as Laine jitters in excitement, stopping when they walk through the doors and trying to contain her excitement. Jake laughs at the small girl and while he wouldn’t normal do what he was about to, there wasn’t anyone around at for her to upset.

“Darlin’?”

The name instantly has her beaming at Jake, waiting for him to talk.

“You see that glass door all the way at the end of the hall?” She looks to where Jake is pointing, causing Gray to peek around from Jake’s leg to look as well. “Chicken should be down in that room, why don’t you go say hi. Gray and I will be down in just a minute.”

The words leave Jake’s mouth and without a reply she takes off down the hall, making sure not to run, even though she clearly wants to. Jake eyes watch as she gets to the door and goes in, before turning to Gray who is still holding Jake’s hand but has pulled away just a bit to look through the glass cases lining the walls.

Jake slides up behind him, before crouching down to talk to the little blue eyed blonde. Jake doesn’t say anything as he lets Gray look, seeing the way his eyes squint, before leaning up closer to glass. When Gray turns back around to look at Jake, the small boy gives him a smile before adjusting his glasses.

“It’s an F-14.” It’s not a question but a statement and has Jake leaning closer to the case to see the picture that Grayson was in fact talking about. A wide smile and laugh falls from Jake as his arms wrap around Gray to hold close, before picking him up.

“What other one’s can you see?”

A mirroring smile breaks out on Grayson’s face as Jake moves with him to another photo. Each answer has Jake’s heart filling with pride as he looks at the small boy is astonishment and wonder. Slowly they make their way around the case, Gray sits on Jake’s hip with one arm holding onto Jake’s neck. A small smile breaks across his face every time that Jake praises him.

“That’s Ms. CeeCee’s daddy.”

Jake stops to look at the picture Gray is pointing at, to find the one of Maverick and Commander Kazansky. He pulls back even more astonished, “How’d you know that, bud?”

“Ms. CeeCee has that picture on her desk; she told me.”

Before Jake can reply, the sound of a squeal followed by laughter has Jake setting Gray down after he tells him that they could look again later. Gray's hand fits perfectly in Jake's as the small boy gives him a chipper okay before heading to the rec room.

...

It was too early, it might have been 8:30 in the morning, which was not early at all. But for a day that they had off, none of them wanted to get up. They technically didn’t officially have the day off, but they were only supposed to be showing your group of kindergartens around.

Which they were all very excited about, but Rooster had made it known to everyone that you should have planned for later in the morning. The occasional muttered words of you being a little shit and that you purely picked the time because you were a terror of a little sister, had the group laughing. Enjoying the show of his discontent, while his head hung off the side of the couch.

Honestly, Rooster was the only one complaining. The morning was not going in his favor, not at all like the way he had planned when he woke up this morning.

You see, Rooster had a coffee shop that he got coffee from every single morning, like religiously. Not only was the coffee good, but there was a barista that Rooster had a crush on and per Phoenix's advice, Rooster had decided to try and get her number.

After pinning away at the poor girl for 3 months he was finally gonna make a move. Said plan had gone to absolute shit, he had ordered his regular order, and everything was fine. It was a normal morning, his hair looked good and he had a little bit of pep in his step.

The plan to simply ask her out when he was getting his coffee from her was solid. He had planned what he would say, planned how to ask for her number, and even thought of a few dumb jokes that might have gotten her to laugh. Though after she had handed him his coffee he completely froze; his mind had become a vast land of waste.

She had given him the sweetest smile and her voice was so light and sweet, that he had completely frozen. The only words that made it past his lips were, a word that slightly sounded like a slurred ‘you’re’ followed by ‘pretty.’

She gave him a small giggle and smile, as Rooster’s face had gone completely red. He'd gotten her to laugh, just at his own idiotic expense. Before she could say anything, he had hightailed it out of the door.

Leaving him to now, surrounded by the team as each of them poked fun at him. Phoenix had known that today was the day and asked about it first thing when she saw him. The shade of red that once again cover his face, told the squad all that they needed to know. It was out of love, Rooster knew that but how had he gone from a sweet-talking ladies’ man to barely being able to speak. He couldn't believe it and the squad made sure to place they comment of how to fix it, if he ever got the nerve to show his face to her again.

So, when a small little blonde girl with bows in her hair and a bright pink tutu looking skirt, showed up in the room everyone had instantly stopped what they were doing.

Madelaine wasn’t a shy child; no, she was more so the child that everyone knew was coming. She wasn’t a bad child, but she did have a lot of energy and the confidence of a grown man. A bull in a China hut as Jake's mother liked to call it. Explaining to you when you first met them, that when you had children to be prepared for miniature Seresins.

Laine's eyes moved around the room slowly, looking at each of them. Coyote had seen a picture of the twins that you had on your phone and knew who she was, but everyone else didn’t have clue. Sure, you and Jake talked about them, but no one had ever seen them.

No one says anything as she looks around, finding Phoenix, and giving her a massive smile. She then finds Bob, sitting quietly next to Phoenix and the small tilt of Laine’s head while she looks at Bob causes him to worry slightly. Bob’s eyes flash to Phoenix as the small girl starts walking toward him, how had such a small human have the presence of a grown man with a massive ego. Like Hangman size ego.

“My bubba has glasses like you.”

No one had been prepaid for how soft and gentle her voice was, taking that into consideration made her extremely less intimidating.

“Oh yeah?”

She gives Bob a small ‘yep’ before looking around the room. The sight of Rooster laying back on the couch, just barely paying attention to the small girl, has a massive smile breaking across her face. She slowly moves closer to Rooster, acting as if she didn't want to spook him away. Her tiny form comes to stand over the man as he lies on the couch, assessing the way his eyes move to meet her own. Her eyebrow cocks slightly in consideration before she spins around to look back at Bob.

“He the only one with a mustache?”

The question confuses the whole group as they all watch, eyes bouncing off one another in question. Where had she come from, and if she was one of your students, why weren’t you with her. Bob nods in confirmation and the wide smile that breaks across her face has him smiling in return. Phoenix and Bob share a look as Laine looks between the pair, giving them another smile that makes her look as sweet as honey, before turning around to find Rooster.

He had sat up when she had asked Bob the question and now as she stares at him, he’s unsure of what to do. That is until her small hand juts out to Rooster, clearly looking for a handshake. Rooster grasps her small hand skeptically, unsure of what the hell is going on.

“I’m Madelaine, it’s nice to meet you, Chicken.”

The words that leave her lips have his mouth dropping open, while a round of laughter breaks out around him. The reaction has Laine laughing too before she gives Rooster another smile. Slapping on the sweet and innocent act hard now.

“Sweetheart, who are you here with?” Phoenix seems to be the only one that can calm her laughter, the sight of a small girl wandering around the base had her worried and anxious about why such a small child would be alone.

Though before she can answer, Jake and Gray make their way into the room.

“Jakey, I met Chicken.”

The whole room turns to see a beaming Jake Seresin, holding the hand of a little boy. Though he drops his hand for a moment, as Laine runs to him to be picked up. Her arms wrap around his neck before he places a kiss on the crown of her head and takes hold of Gray’s hand that had grasped onto his belt for the moment.

The sight in front of them causes the whole room to pause momentarily, when had Hangman become a father. Because looking at the set of three and how they shared almost every physical feature, other than eye color, it appeared like you and Jake had children that you had been hiding for five years.

The sight doesn’t faze Javy as he’s the first one to make his way over and officially meet the twins. Laine gives Javy a big smile, while Gray remains glued to Jake, only giving Javy a small wave. Jake runs a hand through Grayson’s hair, comforting the small boy, who was clearly overwhelmed given the current circumstances.

“Alright, I guess we better do introductions. I’ve got promises to fulfill before Y/n gets here.”

Gray pops up at the mention of getting to see the planes, while Laine is already buzzing with excitement.

“This is Miss Madelaine," The small girl lifts her head from its resting place in the crook of Jake's neck to smile at the surrounding group. "and this is my new wingman Grayson.” Gray's eyes flitter around the room, not holding contact with anyone before looking back up at Jake.

Jake winks down at Gray who smiles brightly at him, happy to have the show of care and love. Everyone comes forward for introductions, each of them excited to meet the children that had consumed your and Jake’s life.

Phoenix can’t seem to get enough of them, especially Grayson who can’t stop smiling at the pilot as she talks to him. Jake watches as she tells Gray something, before taking him to talk to Bob. Bob's mention of his glasses has Grayson smiling bigger than any of the other pilots had gotten him too.

Laine teases Rooster again as she rests in Jake's hold, though blushes and hides in Jake’s neck when he teases her back. Though Payback and Fanboy gain Laine’s attention at the mention of going to the beach. She is quick to wiggle down from Jake's hold and rush over to the couch with the two pilots. The pair ask her if she likes the ocean and cause her to go on a tangent about the sea.

...

“No, really! Dolphins are the meanies of the ocean, look it up.”

Her hands rest on her hips as she says it, waiting for Fanboy to check and smiling triumphantly when he reads an article about it. Jake shakes his head at the girl, looking at Gray who had found his way back to Jake’s side after talking to Bob.

“You ready to go, Bud?” Jake’s hand brushes a piece of gelled hair back from Gray’s face, and though he doesn’t realize it, the whole room watches in shock at how loving and gentle Jake is with the boy.

“Yes, please. Bob said he’s a weapons system operator, can he come with us? He said he would show me his controls.”

Jake nods as he sends Grayson to go tell Bob to come on. His heart swells as he watches Gray happily run to Bob across the room. This was the most public interaction that he had seen from the small boy and though Jake hadn’t been around them a lot before, you had told him how shy Gray was in public.

“Little darlin’?” Laine spins around happily when Jake calls her, leaving her lesson about the ocean with Fanboy to listen to Jake. “Wanna go see my plane?”

“And sit in it?”

“That’s what I promised, wasn’t it?”

Jake’s tone is teasing and has Laine running from the couch over to Jake after telling Payback and Fanboy that she would tell them more later. Grayson and Bob appear still talking about different planes, though he doesn’t reach out to grab Jake’s hand. Gray checks to make sure that Jake is by him, making eye contact as a silent confirmation that Jake wasn’t leaving him, before focusing back on Bob.

“We got about 45 minutes until y/n gets here and I promised these two that they could see the planes early. So, if you wanna come, lets go.”

Laine is the first one slipping from the rec room, hand attached to Jake’s as she looks around. Bob and Gray had found a safe pace right behind Jake, staying close but also allowing Gray a baby step toward space if he wanted. Jake hadn’t expected each of the pilots to get up and head to the hangar with him, to be honest, though if it was him in their place he would have come too.

Gray hadn’t stopped talking about the different planes and unbeknownst to him, the small boy had now gained the attention of all the pilots. Javy had made it to the front of the group to walk with Jake and Laine. Not expecting the spitfire to grasp onto his hand, but gladly accepts her hold. Though Javy quickly learns that Laine always seems to have ulterior motives, as she bats her eyelashes and sweetly asks if he and Jakey would swing her. A laugh falls from both Jake and Javy as the pair look at each other, before Jake silently shrugs his shoulders. Looking back at the small girl; the smile on her face was one that he couldn’t tell no.

And so, with every couple of steps, Jake and Javy had Madelaine swinging up off the ground. The small squeals of delight gain the attention of the few younger pilots that Jake recognized as students. Though no one in the squad pays them any mind, solely focusing on the two small bundles of joy.

...

Rooster and Phoenix walk slightly slower than the group, still a part of it but back far enough that they could talk just between the pair of them. The sight of Hangman and Coyote swinging Madelaine doesn’t go unnoticed, as well as the small glances back that Hangman makes every so often to check on Gray.

“Are you seeing this?” Roosters tone is skeptical, he surely wouldn’t believe what was occurring right in front of him if he wasn’t witnessing it.

“I know, I can’t believe how much Gray knows about planes.”

Rooster all but stops in his tracks as he deadpans at Phoenix, mouth open and closing slightly, gapping like a fish. Phoenix hadn’t even noticed Rooster's harsh stop, too focused on listening to Gray list off statistics from a P-41, though the over-exaggerated hand movement finally gets her attention.

“No, Nat! I mean Hangman; when has he ever smiled as much as he is?”

“He smiles like that with Y/n.”

A frustrated huff leaves Rooster's chest and he can’t seem to figure out why no one else can see what he sees. That Hangman had turned into a gummy bear and more than he normally was with you. They looked like mini Sereins and Jake treated them like they were his. Hell, Madelaine was a damn copy of the cocky pilot all the way down to her attitude.

Phoenix notices Rooster’s baffled face and slows slightly, causing the group to separate from them further. Her lips form into a harsh line, as she raises her eyebrow slightly at Rooster, though the pilot seems to not have a clue about what he did wrong.

“I know that we give Jake a hard time, we all throw jokes, but don’t question this.” Rooster’s eyes flick toward the group and then back at Phoenix. “We all know how long they’ve been trying Roo; if this is what Y/n and Jake need then we support them. If this somehow turns into something more, we support them.”

The mention of you and Jake struggling with infertility has the smile on Rooster’s face dropping as he gives Phoenix a solum nod in understanding. Rooster had been a major person that you and Jake leaned on throughout it.

It had only happened a couple times with Jake while on base, and Rooster hadn’t heisted in taking over the class and letting Jake have a few moments. For you, Rooster had seen the sobs wreak havoc through your body and felt the hopelessness of only being able to hold you. He was your big brother and seeing you so broken, without a way to help, killed him.

The pair of them catch up to the group easily, as they had stopped to let the twins look at a jet taking off from the runway in the distance. Grayson was mesmerized and hadn’t taken his off of it till he could no longer see the plane. Madelaine had somehow landed back in Jake’s arms, as he pointed out on the horizon.

The sound of a small ‘wow’ gains Jake’s attention and has him looking down at Gray, who is already staring back at him.

“I wanna do that someday.”

Gray grabs back onto Jake’s free hand as he looks back out to see if any other jets were taking off. Though Jake’s eyes can’t seem to leave the small boy. Jake knew that Gray loved planes; but to see him look up at Jake and tell him those exact words that he had muttered to his father at such a young age, caused his eyes to gloss over and promise himself that he would do anything in his power to make sure Gray’s dream came true.

...

“How do I look?” The words are muffled behind the mask as Laine’s head sways slightly under the weight of Jake’s helmet. Her small form looks even smaller sitting in the cockpit of Jake’s plane and Jake can’t but want to talk a picture.

“You look perfect, darlin’. Smile for me, Ms. CeeCee is gonna want to see this.”

A giggle breaks from her chest as the widest smile covers her face. The round of giggle’s that breaks from her chest has Phoenix and Coyote laughing, even more so when she pokes her tongue out at Jake for a “funny pose.”

“Come on sweetpea, it’s time to let Gray have a turn.”

Jake unclips the side of the mask from his helmet, before moving to lift Madelaine out of the seat. One of her arms wrap around Jake’s neck, while the other holds his helmet secure on her head still. Jake sets her down on the steps, watching as Coyote takes her small hand and helps her down. Once safely on the ground Jake’s eyes flash up to look for Gray, though neither him nor Bob are anywhere in sight.

Jake chuckles as he makes his way down the steps, already positive that they’re in the second hangar where Phoenix and Bob’s jet resides. Both Fanboy and Payback had gone missing as well, no doubt with Gray as they couldn’t seem to hear enough about the different facts he knew.

“Gray and the boys went to our hanger.” Jake nods along to Phoenix, looking out to find Laine chasing Rooster.

“I figured,” Jake's helmet sways with every turn Laine makes, though she doesn’t falterer as she tries to ware Rooster down. “Little darlin’, come on we're going to go find bubba.”

Both Rooster and Madelaine stop to listen to Jake, while Rooster seems plenty happy to no longer be running, a small pout forms on Laine’s lips as she looks back up at Rooster.

“Chicken,” The name makes Rooster laugh, before lowering down to the small girl. Her voice lowers, so much so that he can barely hear her. “can I have a piggyback ride?”

Rooster’s smile falters momentarily, not liking how she looks down and the drop of her voice in worry. Rooster is gentle as he tips back Laine’s chin, the small frown residing on her face melts away when Rooster gives her a massive smile.

“Of course, you can.” His hand reaches out and tickles at Laine, causing another round of giggles accompanied by a full smile to break out. “Who am I to deny the princess.”

Jake silently watches as Rooster slowly gets Madelaine to open up, his chest tightening at the pair. She hadn’t told Jake anything when she had climbed into bed with him this morning, her small whimpering form had woken him up as she sat quietly at the side of the bed clutching the blanket you picked out for them.

The tears streaming down her face felt like a punch to the gut and when Jake opened his arms for her, she was instantly up and falling into them. Quiet shush’s and humming had calmed her and had her asleep in no time.

He didn’t know everything that the twins had been through, there was only so much that you could tell him when you weren’t positive of what all the twins had been through yourself. But after last night, Jake knew that letting Janice and Ed take them back at the end of the week was going to be one of the hardest things he would go through.

How could Jake willingly let two children go back into a house that he wasn’t even sure was safe? Not taking into account what the twins had shown or said, Jake wouldn’t have liked or approved of the foster parents anyway. He knew the moment that they came in to sign the paperwork this week, that they weren’t housing the kids out of love.

The small nudge against Jake’s shoulder has him leaving Rooster and Laine, to find a worried Phoenix looking at him. You and Phoenix were close and talked about everything under the sun, though he wasn’t sure what all you had told her. And he, well he only ever told Javy and Rooster sometimes, what was bothering him. More often than not he told Javy or just waited until he could talk to you.

You were Jake’s safe place, you understood and loved him when everyone else only saw him as an asshole. You knew the real Jake, the one that was vulnerable and worried that he wasn’t enough. That somehow, in some way he would disappoint you and his parents.

“You, okay?” the question rings out and causes Jake to question if he wanted to venture down that spiral right now.

“All good Phe, just trying to figure out some stuff.”

She gives him an apprehensive smile, though doesn’t prod, and follows him out to find the boys in the second hanger. Laine bounces with each step Rooster takes on his shoulders with Jake's helmet still sitting upon her head. It doesn’t take long for Laine to reach out for Jake as he gets closer, wanting to be back in his arms. The small girl slips from Rooster’s hold, and down into Jake’s awaiting arms. Jake's hand rubs gently at Laine’s back as she tightens her hold on his neck and nuzzles in deeper.

...

Jake slips his phone from his pocket to see a message from you, stating that you were 15 minutes away and asking how the twins were fairing. He quickly types back a response, before finding Gray up in Phoenix and Bob's plane, the others crowding around the base listening to Gray ask questions about the different parts that Bob knows like the back of his hand.

Laine wiggles in his hold, before quietly whispering in Jake’s ear that she would like to go see where Phoenix flies. Jake sets the small girl down and watches as she makes a beeline for the group. Fanboy helps her up the stairs and the pair giggle together, giving Bob wide smiles as he takes a picture of them.

Jake stays back, quietly watching the squadron accept the twins like they had been born into the group. Jake sees Bob pocket his phone after taking a few more pictures. Jakes calls out to him, telling Bob that he would appreciate it if he would send him the pictures. Jake gets a thumbs up, though isn’t looking at Bob long because the sight of the twins peeking over the side of the cockpit with their tongues out has him smiling.

Rooster comes to stand beside Jake, as Bob helps the twins get out and to the ground. Jake’s eyes leave the pair to look at Rooster, who still hasn’t taken his eyes off the twins.

“So, these two going to be making me an uncle?” Rooster says it with a laugh, making sure that Jake knows that he is open to anything and doesn’t hold any contempt toward this newfound possibility of Jake and your growing family.

“I don’t know, and I can’t get mine or y/n hopes up.” A deep sigh falls from Jake's lips that finally causes Rooster to look at him. “But I know that whatever happens, I won’t be letting go of them unless it’s for a situation that would be better and more loving than what we can give them.”

“I’m guessing you’re referring to their current situation, that Javy mentioned?”

Jake’s jaw clenches at the mention of Janice and Ed. The pain of not knowing what exactly is going on but knowing that it’s enough to cause the twins to show signs of at least emotional abuse, if not more. If he found out that it ever was more, Jake wasn’t sure if there would be anyone that could stop him from settling up on behalf of the twins.

The chatter coming from the runway gains Rooster’s and Jake’s attention to see you with Mav and a group of children and a few parents. The chatter gains the twin's attention and has them setting off for you, in squeals of delight while still wearing Jake and Bob’s helmets.

The sight of you dropping to your knees to hug the pair makes Rooster’s breath catch. He watches you introduce the pair to Mav, who immediately lifts a smiling Madelaine as she talks about her helmet. Gray settles at your side, holding onto your belt loop as you introduce the group of pilots that make their way over.

“Guess that settles it.” Rooster’s voice is warm but holds a harsh tone that gains back Jake’s attention.

“They're a part of our family now.” Rooster’s gaze finally breaks from the group to look at Jake, as Jake watches an emotion cross Rooster’s face that he had only ever witnessed a few times. Those times being, when talking about his parents, after an asshole at the Hard Deck grabbed you, and the day of the Uranium mission after almost losing Mav. “I’ve had my family broken apart once, I won’t let it happen to you and y/n. And I sure as hell won’t let it happen to those two.”

#oh my GOD this is perfect #the adorable morning with cuddles and pancakes #laine teasing chicken and gray impressing everyone with his knowledge #and the whole squad adopting them as new best friends #plz i love #rooster ready to take on the entire department of children and families to make sure these kids stay with them #top gun fic rec #jake hangman seresin #daggers reblog challenge

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double-j · 1 year

Text

In The Mood For Chaos

"He knew her in a way no one else ever could."

“You corrupted her soul, what else did you expect”

🍒 Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Callsign Cherry Masterlist

🍒 Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Y/N 'Cherry' Bishop, Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Y/n 'Cherry' Bishop

🍒 Word Count: 7.3k

🍒 Warnings: Parental death, angst, POW and very sensitive topics, Bradley... idk what he's doing today lol, swearing, breach of trust, loss of friendship (and love...), protective Jake, protective Bob, mourning, a lot of crying, drinking, dark headspace

🍒 A/n: I would like to note that I know how sensitive this topic is and I want to caution anyone that is reading this. I could never know or capture all of the feelings that families go through, and if you have been through this situation or lost anyone while they were in the military, I'm sending you my deepest condolences and am sending you all the love.

🍒 A/n pt 2: I just wrote this in the last five hours and cried a lot. It wasn't supposed to be an angsty story, but we've got multi-layered characters here.

🍒 Library (Follow for updates! I no longer have a taglist.)

Your chest heaves as the sweat drips between the swell of your breasts, and the sound of your shoes hitting the packed sand keeps a steady tempo for you to run to. The sound of waves crashing barely reaches your ears, as you push yourself harder. You catch sight of the sun starting to peak up over the horizon, which causes you to check your watch.

4:45

4 miles in 45 minutes wasn’t horrible, but it was nowhere close to your best. You had woken up at 3, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. It was the same reaction every time you came back to San Diego, maybe it was how abruptly your grandparents took you away, maybe it was a visceral reaction that you had no control over, or maybe you were still that broken little girl.

It was most likely the latter, though you don’t allow the thought to float around long in your head. It’s how you had ended up running, any way to get away from the reality of the situation. Quiet literally running away from your problems.

The bay curves around, low tide with an expanse of sand that led right up to the house you rented. Your eyes cast across the bay and find the small white house, placed perfectly on the beach and close to the base, with a small dock off the back that connects directly to the harbor.

You only let yourself look at it momentarily as the sunrise lights up the expanse of sand, before focusing back on the path in front of you. A harsh breath pushes from your chest as you break out into a sprint, a gasp toeing the line of a cry. Your chest burns and you relish in the pain, anything to take away how your heart hurts.

You reach the pavement of the street that’s a straight stretch to the bungalow, 1 more mile. You had been pacing yourself, but as memories flash across your mind you could care less. You needed, to feel something that was physical pain, to prove you were still breathing. A sharp ache settles in your side, but you can see the front porch from a distance and so you push harder.

A grimace crosses your face as a metallic taste settles in the back of your mouth, and your chest aches, but you can’t stop not when you were so close. Another gasp releases from your chest and causes you to push that final step more.

You don’t make it to the door, the moment your feet touch the grass, you collapse. Your chest heaves in pain and have to spit out the mucus coating your throat. Though the tint of red proves that it was more blood than spit. You roll on your back as your gasps, turn into silent sobs.

Your body aches and screams at you for your reckless behavior, though you settle in the pain. Letting it pull you down and consume you completely. Your therapist had once told you that pushing this hard, was a form of self-harm. You stopped seeing her after that appointment, it wasn’t that you couldn’t come to terms with your trauma. It was the fact that it was the only thing, other than flying, that could clear your mind.

Besides, it wasn’t the worst thing that you could do.

No, you’d gone down that road while in high school. Jake was the only one that knew just how far things had gone. As much as you despised him now, for a long time he was your only reason to keep breathing.

...

You wipe the steam from the mirror, before towel drying out your hair. The sound of a door closing is followed by a knock on the door.

“Hold on Bobby. Your coffee is in the kitchen too.”

You hear a small hum in reply, and you laugh lightly. Bob was never a morning person and in the last two weeks, you had made sure that you had his coffee ready before he got out of bed. It’s not that you liked waking up early, but more so that sleep escaped you regularly.

You grab the oversized tee shirt from the counter, before slipping it on your frame. For going shorts, the old Texas longhorn’s shirt covered enough and it wasn’t as if didn’t Bob hadn’t already seen everything. One of the perks of living with each other for 4 years, it had become such a regular occurrence that it no longer phased either of you. You were quite positive that you could walk around naked, and the only thing Bobby would comment on would be the set of tan lines that adorned your skin over the past two weeks.

You slip out of the bathroom and head toward the kitchen, wanting to make sure that he had indeed found his coffee, but also that he didn’t steal yours. You almost laugh at the sight of his half-naked form leaning over the kitchen table, while keeping his coffee tucked in close.

Though the cup of coffee sitting opposite of him, has you smiling as you slip into the seat across from him. You slip your cup silently waiting for Bobby to at least get half the cup in his system before you try and hold a conversation. You glance at the oven, it was only 6:30 and you didn’t have to be on base until 8 and the drive was only 15 minutes. Your eyes fall back to Bob as an empty cup now sits between the two of you. You snicker as he rakes a hand threw his hair, it causes his baby blues to settle on you.

“It’s Saturday tomorrow, Bobby. Two whole days for you to sleep in.”

“Yeah, as long as you don’t wake me up.” His tone is teasing though your smile falls into a frown.

“I didn’t mean to wake you; it’s just being back here.”

Your words have his sleep-deprived brain clearing and the apology is already sitting at the tip of his tongue. Though you stop him before he has the chance, by giving his hand a small squeeze. His hand settles in yours and gives you a squeeze in return. You had lost so many people throughout your life and couldn’t have been more thankful that you had him.

The pair of you sit in silence, enjoying the quiet morning before the chaos of your everyday life commences. The past two weeks had been relatively calm, other than the sublet jabs that Rooster and Hangman like to throw at you. It was funny, and it only got worse as you stayed slightly ahead of them in all of the exercises. It had gotten to the point that you were just taunting them; dogfights were your favorite. Maverick had switched to having someone from the class be the enemy target and somehow.... by some luck unbeknownst to you, the three of you always ended up in the air together.

The three of you had kept the jabs surface level, nothing digging too deep that would actually cause damage. You weren’t willing to risk losing your place on the detachment or let some feud put anyone else in the squadron at risk.

Your eyes shift back to Bobby as he rises from his chair and takes both of your cups to the sink. His hands settle on your shoulders as he stands behind you and places a kiss on the top of your head.

“You don’t have to go through it alone, Cher.”

Your hand reaches up to clasp one of his hands, giving it a squeeze and a small kiss. While Bobby knew everything, it didn’t make actually talking about it any easier.

“Thanks, B.”

The nickname slips from your lips and causes Bob's hands to tighten, as a full laugh falls from his lips. You rarely called him B, and when you did it was used to break the tension in the air. That first night that the pair of you tried to see if you could be anything more, you had made a point that you wouldn’t be moaning Robert or Bob. So, B became the given name, and well... it only landed you two in a fit of laughter. It was your own personal inside joke.

...

Your eyes scan the hanger as you and Bob make your way to your seats, though as your eyes settle on a familiar face a massive grin appears on your lips. Bob had already made it to your seats, and you give his shoulder a gentle squeeze to get his attention from Phoenix.

You nod to the front of the hanger, toward the group of older gentlemen talking before the day starts. His eyes find the dark head of hair that had been missing for the last two weeks and gives you an understanding smile, before pushing your hip forward lightly.

Your boots echo through the hanger, and you can feel the different sets of eyes find your passing figure, though you pay them no mind. You come to a stop just behind the three men, waiting for Maverick to finish his sentence. You see Warlock’s shift to see you and give you a small smile, which makes your own smile grow as their conversation ends.

“Admiral.” Your tone is steady as you say it, and you quickly wipe the smile from your face as he turns.

“Lieutenant.”

His face remains serious as the pair of you stare at one another. You can hear the rest of the pilots behind you quietly talking about the pair of you, though you pay them no mind. Slowly the stern look turns into a full smile, though yours stays in place waiting.

“Hey, kid.”

The nickname makes a full smile break across your lips and for a moment you’re a little girl again. His arms reach out to hug you, though you’re already throwing yourself into his arms and grasping on like you were worried he might slip away.

“Hi, Uncle Beau.”

Your throat catches as you say it and cause Cyclone’s arms to tighten around you before letting go. The both of you pull back and give each other one last smile, before falling back into line. You nod at the other two men who hadn’t moved, each of them giving you a small smile. You give the three of them one last smile, your heart already finding some form of peace over the fact of having your godfather close.

Your smile falls as you turn and make direct eye contact with Hangman and Rooster, before brushing passed them to go sit with Bobby.

“Lieutenant Bishop,” Cyclone's voice echoes through the hanger and causes you to turn back around. “Come see me later, we’ve got a few things to talk about. One of them being Lieutenant Commander Adams.”

Your eyes widen slightly, the man might have only been your godfather, but he sure took the job of vexing any of your “friends” seriously. You can hear Bob laugh to the side of you and your arm punches out to hit him on the shoulder.

“Of course, Admiral.”

You sink down into the seat next to Bob who is still snickering beside you, “You think it’s about you and Adams in that f-18? What were you doing again?” Your face blanches slightly, though your eyes remain trained on the whiteboard. “Going over how well you could grip the yoke?”

You slowly turn to Bob, who has a cheeky smile taunting you. Your eyes find Payback, Fanboy, and Phoenix who are practically leaning over the back of your and Bob's chairs to hear. Each of them looks at you while trying not to smile, which they are failing phenomenally at.

“Fuck you, Robert.”

Your tone is anything but harsh, and a small chuckle breaks from your chest as you rest back in your chair.

...

Once again you had been chosen to be the enemy target for the dynamic idiot duo, by now you were sure that Maverick was doing it as a way of “therapy” for the three of you. The two of them stop at their own F-18s as you head farther down the tarmac, though Rooster’s voice yelling at you has you turning around to see what it was now that he was bitching at now.

“What do I have to do to get on the Cherry Popping List, Cherry?”

You almost let the words go over your head, though the small snicker at the in pulls you back. The comment and action not only affect you though, as you watch Jake tense up and glare at his wingman. If looks could kill, Rooster would be six feet under.

“Sorry, I’m not one to lower my standards.” A smile crosses your lips that has Rooster standing straighter. “Especially for pilots that can’t get into the Academy on the first go.”

You don’t wait to see his reaction, already knowing that Maverick holding his papers was a sore subject. You’d heard the rumor when the three of you were in the Academy, though hadn’t realized it was true until you heard Maverick and Rooster arguing last week.

It doesn’t take long for the three of you to get in the air, as you hear the pair chattering across the coms. You stay low level, just above the hard deck, waiting for them to get restless.

Rooster's voice cuts across the frequency again, “So Hangman, tell me, was she any good? Figure asking from someone with first-hand experience is better than nothing.”

Rooster's laugh echoes across the radio, and for the minute you give them, before you're officially pissed, Jake doesn’t say anything. You glance up and see their pair of F-18s right above you before you pop up. They’re separated just enough, and they have no clue that you’re just under them, soon to be on top.

“You should worry about your own sex life Rooster; I’ve heard quite a few underwhelming reviews.”

The sentence slips off your lips, though before either of them can reply you shoot up through the pair. Sending each of them off to the side in a barrel roll and now it’s your laugh that echoes across the coms.

“What the fuck was that.” Jake’s voice rings out and breaks up the laughing fit you were having due to them both gasping.

“It’s called, I’m about to kick your ass and win 50 bucks from Coyote.” They both go silent trying to figure out what you mean. You knew that the rest of the squad would be listening to the coms, specifically Javy. “Ain’t that right Javy? This will make ten-”

You're cut off before you can finish, “We’ve gotten tone on you six times.”

You roll your eyes at Rooster, as you bring the nose around and find the two of them.

“No, you’re right Rooster. You’ve done such a good job of coming in second, too bad there’s only one winner.”

You go silent after that, paying neither of them any mind. You need to focus and not worry about the birdbrains; you also knew that your silence unnerved them. Just another perk. It doesn’t take long for you to get behind the pair, though it’s Rooster who you have your eyes on.

He had constantly been trying to piss you off. While Jake made comments, dumb snappy comments, Rooster was like a lover scorned and picked at every little thing he could.

He’d almost brought up your dad the other day, after seeing a picture of your father and Cyclone standing side by side on a carrier. Both of them had been deployed and it was one that you personally had tucked away at home.

Though just as the words “Your father” slipped passed Rooster's lips, Hangman had thrown him a glare that silenced the man. For a minute you saw Jake, not Hangman, though the flash of his green eyes to you was quickly covered up and Jake was gone again.

You didn’t know if you could ever forgive either of them, you had never really thought about it until now, with every look that Jake gave you, you questioned yourself. Could you ever risk opening up like that again, giving someone that much power over you.

Sure, Bobby knew everything, though the “power” he had over you was different than Jake did. Jake held a power over you that terrified you, your bond ran deep and though it was broken, you had never been able you get rid of it wholly.

The pair of them split and you immediately follow Rooster, he’s just in front of you and with every second you’re gaining on him. You’d need to get tone soon; Hangman would be circling back around any moment and on your ass.

“Hey, Chicken” Your words cut through the radio before tone rings out alerting everyone. “Your dead.”

You hear Rooster swearing over the coms, though you're too focused on finding Hangman.

“Where’d you go Hangy.” Your voice is condensing and as it slips over your lips, you level out to find him directly in front of you. The pair of you heading directly for the other.

“Hey, Cher” His laugh has you gritting your teeth, though neither of you hit the button to get tone, even though you’re directly in line.

“You really wanna do this?”

“I missed our games, sweetheart.”

Every second brings you closer, and you can hear chatter echoing through the radio from the rest of the dagger squad.

“You should know better than to play this game, Jake.” The name slips out, though you don’t even realize you’ve said it.

“Just break off Cher, easy as that.”

“Then you do it.”

“Y/n Marie Bishop,” Bob's voice cuts through and gains your attention. “break off. Cher, you don’t need to do this.”

You don’t reply and Jake’s right in front of you now. He doesn’t say anything either and you silently wonder if still remembers how the pair of you played it in the Academy before he ruined everything. You’d gotten caught a couple times and had your fair share of ass chewings. Though if there was anything Jake was good at, was sweet talk his way out of anything. Even when a higher-up was threatening to ground you.

There’s a round of voices echoing through the coms, even Rooster freaking out slightly. Though they fall silent to your ears as one voice echoes out.

“Y/n” Your name falls from his lips so gently that it makes your heart ache. The last syllable of your name passes Jake’s lips and you both break hard right, just barely slipping passed the other.

You’re not sure how to feel knowing that Jake had remembered; did it mean anything or was it just a random fact he hadn’t forgotten?

...

Before you know it you're back on the tarmac, slipping your helmet off and tying your flight suit around your waist. The afternoon heat had become unbearable, and your sweat had made your damn shirt cling to you like a second skin.

You see Hangman and Rooster both climbing from their jets, chatting back and forth, though you can’t hear what they’re saying. Hangman catches your eye, though doesn’t say anything. Maybe he would have if the rest of the squadron wasn’t making their way across the tarmac, Bobby leading them as his lethal gaze settles on you, not wavering in the slightest.

You step toward Bobby, as his eyes asses your sweating form. His hands settle on your shoulders, and you give him a tiny smile, knowing that you were about to get your ass chewed.

“You’re, okay?” The question doesn’t surprise you; Bob had always made your health and safety his first priority when it came to ripping you a new one.

“Yes, Bobby. In one piece, and ready for the Floyd ‘I’m disappointed in you’ speech.”

The answer causes him to laugh, before pulling you in for a hug. A quiet whisper of comfort is muttered against your shoulder and has you tightening your hold before pulling away.

By now the rest of the group, as well as Rooster and Hangman had formed around the pair of you. Your eyes move around the group and each of them looks at you in stunned but apprehensive silence.

“Bob might not be ripping into you, but I sure as hell don’t wanna be there for when Cyclone gets ahold of you.” Fanboy’s comment has a smile breaking across your lips, as you pluck your sunglasses from Bob’s shirt pocket. Bobby clicks his teeth before a small chuckle pushes pasted his lips as he shakes his head at you. Your eyes leave Bob and you give the rest of the squad an award-winning smile.

“You would be surprised just how good I can sweet talk someone,” You move towards Fanboy, and pat his chest gently as you pass. “Especially when it comes to my godfather.” The words are thrown over your shoulder, though you keep walking as a round of questions breaks out.

“Seresin, let’s move it.”

Your tone is harsh, though has both you and Hangman questioning when he became Seresin to you again.

...

“What in the hell were the two of you dumbasses pulling out there?”

Cyclone paces behind the desk that both you and Jake stand at attention in front of. Though before you can answer, Jake speaks up.

“It was my idea, sir.” Both yours and Cyclone’s head whip to look at Jake in bewilderment. “I wanted to make a point that this mission was serious, that it is life or death.”

Cyclone hums though his eyes don’t leave your own, “and you thought playing chicken, with government property, was the proper motivation.”

A sharp nod comes from Jake while his eyes remain dialed in on the bookshelf behind Cyclone.

“First of all, even without hearing the audio from the coms, I would always know this was something Lieutenant Bishop orchestrated.” Cyclone’s eye glances at you, though you’re quick to move your center focal point to something behind him. “Secondly, don’t think that I forgot about the shit you both pulled in the Academy.”

Your eyes follow Cyclone’s gaze to Jake as he mutters that last word. By the way, Jake’s eyes widen slightly and the harsh tone of your godfather, you know that your flight habits are no longer the topic at hand. The silent stare-down between them would be unsettling, if you didn’t know how big of softies, they both were. The clearing of your throat has them snapping out of the daze.

“I’m not grounding you, not when the mission is so close.” A sigh you didn’t realize you were holding leaves your body, you had yet to be grounded in your career, and the thought honestly scared you. The closest you fell to your parents was in the sky. “But I promise you, if either of you pulls that shit again, I’ll ground you the second the mission is finished.”

While you knew that Cyclone was being a hard ass, was because it was his job. On base, he would always be Admiral before Uncle, though the flash of worry in his eyes tells you that it wasn’t his only reason.

“Lieutenant Seresin, you’re dismissed.” Jake glances at you as he leaves though your focus remains forward, silently trying to figure out just how much Cyclone knew about yours and Lieutenant Commander Adams’ agreement. The clicks behind you and the sight of your uncle sighing so heavily does nothing to ease your worrying mind. A nod of the head to the chair directly across from his own causes you to sit.

“What did Adams tell you about the mission?” Your head cocks slightly, this was defiantly not the direction you thought and prepared yourself for.

“Only that Jake and Bradshaw were going to be here.” There you go again, how had he in such a short amount of time, have you back to using his first and last name. You had stopped using them after everything and started only calling him Hangman. He hated when you called him by his callsign, always said it was too impersonal.

Your uncle’s silence paired with the tick in his jaw, causes your chest to tighten. He was never this serious when it was just the two of you, that wasn’t the type of relationship you had. The last time you remember seeing him like this was the day your grandparents took you back to Texas, while you bawled and clutched onto him and your Aunt Julie begging them to change your grandparents’ mind.

“Y/n, Sweetheart, we need to have a talk.” You quietly suck your teeth, and your eyes instantly land on the file Beau sides across his desk. The bright red letters spelling out classified aren’t what catches your attention, it’s the black letter under it, in such blocky letters ‘BISHOP’ glares back at you.

“Honey,” your eyes leave the smile, and the small tremble in your bottom lip, confirms to Cyclone that you have an idea where the conversation is happening. “you were so young when everything happened. I didn’t have the clearance to tell you, even if I wanted to.”

You force a harsh breath through your nose, silently begging for whoever controlled the universe to not break you absolutely with whatever lies with those pages.

“But with you getting placed on this mission, Commander Kazansky, and I both agreed that you should know. That you had a right to know.”

The words catch in your uncle’s throat and have your eyes flashing to him. You wish that you’d have stayed focused on the file because seeing the eyes of one of the strongest men you know lined with tears makes it all worse. Makes whatever you’re about to read more real.

“What part of the story wasn’t true? What’s it have to do with this mission?” you’re surprised that he can even hear you, with how quietly the words slipped passed your lips.

“We’ve been watching the location, where the Uranium plant is for a long time, honey. It wasn’t a plant back then, it was supposed to be some ragtag militia group that broke off Russia’s military.”

Your hands twist in your lap as you boot intently taps on the floor. You can’t bring yourself to grab the folder, too consumed with the voices bouncing around in your mind. They hadn’t told you much back then, just that it was supposed to be an in-and-out mission. Things went wrong, and they lost him. They’d given you minimal details, you were only seven and you’d never questioned what happened.

Because you knew what happened.

Didn’t you?

“We didn’t have the right intel and it wasn’t until we were right over them, that artillery that rivaled ours at the time, started going off.”

A harsh breath leaves your uncle as he turns and pulls a 5th of whiskey from a bottom drawer. The seal is still intact and the snap of it echoes threw your ears, as your eyes slightly blur in and out of focus. A glass is sat in front of you, though you can’t seem to make a move for it.

“Your dad’s plane went down in a clearing; it was the perfect spot. The safest crash site we could have asked for.”

The shake of your uncle’s hand as he downs the rest of his glass has your gaze, you’d never seen him so unkept. Beau Simpson was the top of the top, the United States Navy’s poster child for god’s sake.

“He was gonna be fine, we’d already called in e-vac.”

The shake of his voice as your eyes refocusing and the red-rimmed eye’s staring back at you aren’t one’s you’d ever seen before. Not in this capacity at least.

“They appeared out of nowhere,” your jaw clenches and it’s surprised your teeth haven’t cracked. “they had him out of his plane, before any of us to circle around and get a shot.”

Your body lurches forward slightly and it feels like all the air had been ripped from your chest and the ringing in your ear only gets louder as your uncle talks.

“We were able to bring him home, the week before your mom passed.”

You hadn’t had a panic attack since you were a teenager, though the way you gasp for breath as the words break from you. “That was three years later.”

How you ended up pacing is beyond you,

“don’–” your hands brace against the back of your chair as you rock back on your heels. “Don’t tell me that they had him for three years.”

“That they held him captive for three years before you could get him.”

Your legs fall out from under you and cause you to harshly crash to the floor. Your breath shutters, as you wrap your arms around your knees. Your eyes fall in and out of a hazy as flashbacks of his funeral filter through your mind. “He was alive for three more years, and you swept it under the rug. They had a funeral...”

Your eyes meet Cyclone’s as he watches you, and it breaks you even more. He was fully prepared for you to hate him. You can hold his gaze, instead, you find the folder that lies on the desk still. Without a second thought, you scramble up for it, you knew that whatever it was going to break you. But you had to know.

Cyclone's hand lands on it at the same time yours does, holding it firmly on the desk.

“Sweetheart, you know now. You don’t need to see; I shouldn’t have even gotten the folder out.”

“I need to. I need to see just exactly what I’m going up against, the reason that I’m going to fly this mission and kill every last one of them.”

Your throat is raw with pain, though the drip of hate that seeps from it echoes even after the words died out.

The folder slides from your uncle’s hold and you grasp it cowering back to the corner of the room settling against the wall. The file just sits in your lap, and your hands shake while they ghost over the top though you make no move to open it. Cyclone doesn’t move from his chair and by the time your fingers pry the file open, you don’t know how long you’ve been sitting in silence.

The top page is just logistics and a few photos of the landscape you’ve studied endlessly over the last two weeks. Even after 23 years much hadn’t changed, sure they had a runway and a couple more buildings now, but you and your father had studied the same location.

Your tears had stopped falling by now, the realization that your mother had only lived long enough to get buried with your dad settles in. She had been so numb and broken, but still holding it together for you. Nights that you cried yourself to sleep, yelling at the universe for taking him from you. And yet she knew.

She knew that he was somewhere, possibly dead, possibly captive...

Death would have been easier, clean-cut. Without the constant wondering.

Without the small piece of hope that you’re, she held until the very end.

The next page has your stomach turning, and your hands shaking as they ghost across the page. Tracing the fuzzy images, and even though your heart aches, you could feel that blank numb feeling settling in with each page you flip. It’s the last page that kills something within you, your body acting on its own accord as it starts to shake.

It was your father

the lacerations lining his back and chest

the caved in eye socket and broken jaw

the burns and carvings spread across every inch of skin

it was your dad

but the once bright blue eyes were dimmed

dead

he was dead

three years of mutilation

23 years later and now you finally know

but even still it didn’t change that he was gone.

And somehow it felt like a piece of you was too.

Your feet push up from the floor, though the shaking in your hands remains. Your foot sets are slow and careful as you place the folder back on your uncle’s desk. Though the last page remains in your hands, slightly crumped from the grip you have on it.

Those first years in Texas were hard, you missed your parents, but you knew they were together at peace. Now, there still together and at peace... but the truth tares into you in a way that their death hadn’t even been able to.

“Y/n, sweetheart?”

You can barely find the strength to lift your eyes, and the sight of heartbreak looking back at you is only worse. Your head shakes, though the words can’t seem to form. You knew that he would want you to talk about it, but you couldn’t. Not with so much more on the line with this mission. You could finish what your father started; you could do one last thing for him. You would let the pain consume you for the next two days, but when Monday came, you’d shut it down.

Your nose sniffles and your eyes ache. You were tired, so emotionally and physically tired. A knock at the door pulls Cyclone’s attention though your eyes stay settled on the folder. You hear the voice and while you would usually have some snip to say to him, you had nothing. The whiskey bottle sets on the edge of the desk and the hand gripping the god-forsaken page reaches out and grasps it. Your hand drifts off the side of the table, you can’t seem to find the strength to carry it and so it just hangs at your side.

You turn to find a silent Rooster staring at you, they had been talking but stopped at some point now both of them quietly watching you. Your eyes glance back to Cyclone and you can see that he wants to talk, to protest your leaving.

“Not today. Not tell I finish this fucking mission.” Your empty hand points at Cyclone, though your voice lacks your usual conviction.

You can hear him start to say your name, though before he can you sidestep passed Rooster and leave. Your shoulders brush and cause the pilot to turn and watch your disappearing figure. Rooster glances back to Cyclone, though he doesn’t meet Rooster's gaze. His eyes stay settled on the folder on the desk and just barely Rooster can make out your last name.

...

The sound of the Hard Deck door has Bob’s head snapping up in hopes to see you. Jake had shown up two hours ago and said that Cyclone kept you to talk. It didn’t seem like anything out of the normal, plus Cyclone had made the comment about Adams, Bob was sure that you both were just having a good catch-up and laugh.

Though the uneasy face of Rooster coming through the door gains his and everyone else’s attention. It’s a little busier tonight, but Rooster makes it through the crowd in record time and aims straight for Bob.

“Something happened.” The comment is aimed at Bob, though it gains the attention of the whole group and causes them to surround the pair.

“What are you talking about?” Bob was usually meek and mild around the group, though with you missing and Rooster now, his voice comes out hard and demanding.

“Cherry, Y/n.” The use of your name doesn’t go unnoticed and the sight of Rooster now racking a hand through his hair and pacing causes an uneasy feeling to settle over the group. Before Bob can reply, Hangman’s voice cuts in and if you’d have heard it, you would have known that it was Jake. At that moment he was your Jake again.

“Bradshaw, stop fucking pacing and talk.”

“I don’t know what happened. I had to talk to Cyclone about some paperwork, but when I got to his office Y/n was there. Just standing in the middle of the room, gripping onto some paper and not saying anything.” His pacing starts up again, though he keeps talking. “I was just going to ignore it; tell Cyclone I’d talk to him Monday. But the look in his eyes as he watched her, he was barely holding it together. Before I could leave Y/n grabbed the 5th of whiskey and went to leave, she was a shell, guys. Cyclone tried to stop her, and I don’t know what she meant, but I’d never heard her sound like that. Broken, completely vacant.”

“What the fuck did she say Rooster?” The curse word falls from Bob’s lip so naturally, it would call for some attention, though with the problem at hand, no one seemed to notice.

“She said ‘Not today. Not till I finish this fucking mission.’ The words were barely a whisper and then she was just gone. I caught sight of a file on Cyclone’s desk, was classified but it had Bishop blocked out across it.”

You and Bob had this location rule, that you would always keep it on for each in case something happened, and he had never been so thankful. He hears Hangman release a round of curse words as the group talk trying to figure out what to do.

The small dot that lights up Bob’s phone has him releasing a breath, though the location was on the edge of the water, and he didn’t have any idea where you would be around there.

“I’ve got her location, but I don’t ha–”

The phone is ripped from his hand by Jake and before Bob can say anything Jake shoves the phone back into Bob’s hand and turns to leave.

“You’re not going to see her, Hangman.” The comment halts Jake and causes him to slowly turn around and assess Bob. “You’ll just make it worse; you need to say here.”

Jake’s shoulders tense up and the five steps to Bob only take him two. The pair of them stand eye to eye and causes Javy to try and slip in between them.

“Floyd, don’t fucking test me right now.” Bob doesn’t falter at the words and instead steps that inch closer. “You might know a lot, but this, you don’t know fucking shit.”

Jake’s voice cracks slightly and Bob’s stance softens slightly.

“I know exactly where she’s at and I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it’s about. So, I’m gonna go and if you try and stop me, I’ll put you on your ass so fucking quick.”

“Thought she didn’t mean anything to you anymore?”

“She has and always will mean everything to me, Floyd. And right now, she isn’t Cherry. She’s the little ten-year-old that I hugged and held every day that first summer. That little girl needs me and I’ve fucked up a lot, but this. You would have to kill me, to stop me from helping Her.”

...

How you ended up back here, you’re not sure. Call it survival mode that took you back to your safe place. You hadn’t been here since you were fifteen, when you and Jake had flown in for your mother’s, and you guess your father’s, five years.

You’d stripped out of your flight suit after you finished 1/4th of the bottle, finding a pair of shorts in the back of your jeep. Then found your way out to the little cove, it was just off the trail you ran this morning and from it, you could watch the one place that should have been your forever home. But lost the glimmer and shine after they died.

You lift the bottle and the lightness of it has you looking at it in wonder of how you had already put over half the bottle away. Your toe’s dig deeper into the sand as you take another drink. The tears flow from your eyes freely and the burning sensation that should be in the back of your throat is missing.

The sound of feet walking across the slippery rock path, that’s slowly disappearing as the tide rises, gets your attention and you find the one face that you're surprised to see and yet not at all surprised. Jake was the only one you’d ever brought here, he was the only one you trusted enough once upon a time.

“Are you Hangman or Jake today?” Your eyes cloud over and cause you to look back out at the water as he stops just to the side of you. “Cause there’s only one of them that I’m gonna talk to.” You try to sound strong and sure of yourself, though the end breaks through with a small laughing cry.

“Hey, Darlin’.”

The name causes a sob to release from your chest and finally breaking down around the only person you’d ever let fully in. For this moment none of the bullshit matters, you’d need him. You needed your Jake, and he’d come.

His arms wrap around you as your chest heaves, and you can’t seem to catch your breath. Though the hand against the back of your head and the chest you rest against feels like home. He rocks you gently, whispering soothing words against the crown of your head, separated by a kiss every now and then.

Time seems to escape you, though you know it’s been a bit because the tide has risen, and yet Jake hasn’t let go of you once. Your breathing has finally slowed and matches his, grasping onto the one thing that has always grounded you. Even through the bullshit, the thought of Jake, not Hangman, but Jake always settled you.

“What happened, honey?”

Neither of you had talked, other than Jake’s quiet muttering, you had disconnected. You pull back from the warmth of his chest before your eyes then fall to the crinkled piece of paper sitting under the whisky bottle. You don’t make a move for it, you couldn’t look at it again. One of his arms slips from around you to grab the paper, and the small whimper that leaves your chest has Jake’s other hand tightening around you.

“I got you.” You cling to his shirt as another kiss is placed on the top of your head. The sudden tension that rips through Jake’s chest confirms that he’s finally looked and knows exactly who he’s looking at. Anyone could see the resemblance between you and your father, but Jake had come to know him on a deeper level. Through each picture, letter, and tearful night Jake knew him through your eyes. He knew what he meant to you.

Another shaky breath falls from your chest, at the thought of the image and Jake is quick to discard it. He leans back from you, to look at you, needing to see what was racing through your head. He lays a hand across your cheek and gently wipes the falling tears away.

“That was three years after his funeral.” He’d never seen you so broken, not even during the first years you lived in Texas. His brow creases in question and the words fall from your lips so vacantly. “They had him for three years, Jake. They... they... they”

The sentence doesn’t make it passed your lips, as another sob breaks from your chest. You fall back into his chest and the arms wrapped around you hold on to you a little tighter. You miss the shutter breath that matches your own, the harsh breath that shakes through his chest. The words try to break from your lips, but only quiet mutters bounce off of his chest.

“I know, darlin’.” You miss the tear that falls from him. “I’ve got you; I’m not going anywhere.”

You stay like that, curled up in Jake Serein’s lap. The home that you lost. And somehow found again.

He was your Jake again...

#sobbing forever #thank u rooster for being kind for once #and thank u jake for being jake and not hangman #bob perfect as always ready to fight hangman if he's not going to be what she needs #top gun fic rec #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #daggers reblog challenge

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double-j · 1 year

Text

I Never Saw You Coming And I'll Never Be The Same

✦Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Better Man Universe

✦Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Single!Mother, Jake "Hangman" Seresin!father x son relationship

✦Word Count: 3.1K

✦Warnings: So much fluff, sick day, dad!Jake, sick reader and child, protective!Jake,

✦A/n: I just wrote this today, I had no plans and it just happened. My Maty is sick and we spent most of the day cuddling, this is what it produced.

✦Library (Follow for updates! I no longer have a taglist.)

The chatter around the locker room revolving around the Friday night plan at the Hard Deck falls to silent ears, as Jake checks his phone for what felt like the millionth time. You hadn’t messaged him all day and his worries were eating away at him. It wasn’t that he needed you to text him all the time, though last night you had mentioned Maty not feeling the best and now without a word from you his mind seems to be spiraling.

Rooster shrugs the worn Hawaiian shirt over his shoulder, though Jake’s worried expression catches Rooster’s attention immediately. A nudge to the shoulder pulls Jake’s attention from his phone, long enough for Rooster to ask what gives.

“Just worried about Y/n, gonna go over to the office and check on her.” The words are muttered as Jake’s eyes focus back on his phone.

“Was over there this morning, Cyclone said she called in sick.” Rooster's tone is light, though Jake can’t help but worry. You and Jake had been officially together since November and Jake couldn’t be happier with the fact that you and Mathew were permanent fixtures in his life.

While you still had a hard time letting Jake help you; you were still worried that at any moment Jake may decide that you weren’t the hassle. Which led to you avoiding him when the smallest inconvenience uprooted your life.

Said inconvenience now manifesting through Maty, and possibly you, being sick. With a nod of thanks to Rooster, Jake slips his jacket on before leaving the locker room while dialing his mother’s number.

Jake pulls up to your small house and it almost looks like no one is home, though the single flicking light of the living room tv gives you away. It took Jake longer than he intended, but with his mother's advice, Jake made it to the nearest pharmacy and collected every children’s cough, cold, and fever medicine a four-year-old could have. As well as, a few different cold medicines for adults and at his mother’s behest a new fuzzy blanket for you, and the new toy story movie for Maty. Jake grabs the shopping bag from the backseat, before trudging up the steps and gently knocking on your door. It takes a moment, but eventually, he can hear you moving around behind the door.

...

You hadn’t planned for anyone to come over tonight, Penny had brought over a soup your mother made during lunch, and more than anything you wanted to crawl into bed for the night. Though a restful night’s sleep was far beyond what you would be getting tonight, and possibly the next couple nights. Mathew had a horrible time with his lungs when he got sick, after getting croup when he was only one, it became a regular occurrence in your life. Though this time felt like it was even worse, the nebulizer was barely helping and every time you got his fever down, a new coughing fit would ensue.

Not only had Maty been sick, but in the past few hours you could slowly start to feel your body drain. It had started out as a slightly sore throat you noticed last night while doing steam rounds in the shower with Maty. Now along with the sore throat, came a chest-wrenching cough and a terrible migraine.

You slowly shuffle to the door, feet clad in a pair of fuzzy socks that Jake had gotten you for Christmas, as well as one of Jake’s hoodies that dwarfed your frame. Your porch light is blinding when you open the door and the sudden rays of light have you wincing.

“Oh, Sweetheart.”

Your eyes find Jake’s and you try your best to give him a smile, though it's near impossible. A small whine from the couch has you turning away from Jake and leaving the door open in a silent request to come inside.

Mathew moves on the couch, as he wraps the blanket tighter around himself, and looks around the room for you. You hated seeing him like this, your baby was usually so independent and happy. But when he was sick, it was like he was a whole different child. His eyes find yours, before flittering behind you to Jake causing the tiniest small to cross his lips.

“Jakey.”

“Hey, Bubba.”

Jake’s voice is quiet and the only other noise in the room comes from the forgotten tv. You turn back around as Jake slips off his shoes, and you hear the sound of a few bags being sat on the floor. You blame the slight delirium of not seeing them on the pounding in your head, but at the sight of them now your heart aches.

“Baby, what are you doing here?” You try to sound happy, though your voice sounds overly tired and the small yawn that falls from your lips makes it even more apparent.

“I hadn’t heard from you today and when Rooster told me you called in sick, I got worried.”

A smile crosses your face and the small thank you that falls from your lips has Jake reaching out and wrapping his arms around you.

“I’m gonna get you sick, Jake.” You shuffle in his arms trying to pull away, though his hold on you tightens as he places a kiss on the crown of your head.

“I don’t care, nothing was going to keep me away from my two favorite people.” You pull back from his hold, and you see nothing but unfiltered love.

The sound of Mathew having a coughing fit pulls your attention from Jake, who is already moving to wrap his arms around your miniature self. Mathew welcomes Jake’s hold and is more than happy to bury his face in Jake’s neck. Jake doesn’t falter while his hand rubs Mathew's back, as Maty cough’s harshly into his shoulder.

The sight of them tugs on your heart and you can’t help the way you snuggle up to Jake causing him to wrap his free arm around you. The three of you stay in the position as Mathew’s cough finally settles and you tug the sleeves of Jake’s hoodie to cover your hands.

“My chest hurts, momma.”

Your eyes open as you pull back from being buried in Jake’s side to find your overly tired and sore four-year-old. Jake’s hand rakes through Mathew’s hair, as his green eyes flutter between you and Jake. Your hand rises to check Mathew's forehead and the small increase in temperature has you looking at the clock to see if you can give him another dose of medicine.

“Baby, momma’s going to get some medicine for your head and then I think we need to do another round in the shower.” The tiniest whine confirms that he heard you and Jake places another kiss on the crown of your head before settling on the couch, rocking Mathew gently from side to side.

The quiet whisper of your voice letting out a small shit, has Jake looking toward the kitchen where you disappeared. Your figure reappears and you can’t stop the tears from forming in your eyes. You were overly tired and didn’t feel good, and now the realization that you had run out of children’s Tylenol has them falling from your waterline.

“Sweets, what’s wrong baby?”

The gentle tone of Jake’s voice causes a shuttered breath as another sob falls from you. He didn’t need to be here, you weren’t his problem, you were a grown woman and yet a small bottle of liquid Tylenol had you in tears.

“I’m out of Tylenol and have to get some, but you shouldn’t be here taking care of us on a Friday night.” Another sob falls from your lips and has Jake rising again after he sits Mathew down on the couch, his blanket draped over his small frame.

Jake’s arms wrap around you and tuck you in, just like he had done to Mathew moments ago.

“Sweets, with you is the only place I ever want to be. You became my number one priority the moment you told me off in Cyclone’s office, while you drowned in paperwork.”

A smile tugs at your lips and you place a small kiss against Jake’s chest.

“Plus, I already went to the store and picked up everything we could need.”

His cocky tone has you pulling away in question, and the smile on his lips makes your stomach flip. Your eyebrow raises in question, though before you can even question him, he answers. “I wasn’t exactly sure what you would need,” his free hand scratches at the back of his neck, and before your eyes, you see a rare sight. Jacob Grant Seresin is blushing in embarrassment. “Well, I called my mom. I didn’t know what to get and figured that she was the best person to ask, plus I didn’t want to get the wrong stuff. She walked me through everything, and I made sure to check the age requirements for Maty. He is safe to take everything I g–”

“Thank you.” Your words cut off his rambling and cause him to lean into the hand you place against his cheek.

...

You sort through the bag of medication and the number of different kinds has a smile crossing your lips. After Jake had given you the bag to sort through, Maty was more than ready to be wrapped back up in his arms and instantly wrapped his arms around Jake’s neck when he picked the small boy up.

You stop in the hallway as you come back from the kitchen and though you’ve seen the pair be loving in main ways, the two of them wrapped in a blanket as Jake whispers in Mathew’s ear may be your favorite sight.

“Hey, sweetpea,” Your voice and hand against Mathew’s back has him stirring, pulling away from Jake’s neck as his eyes droop low. “You gotta take this, my love. Then we can get in the shower, and clear up your chest a little more.”

A small nod is the only reaction you get, before placing the small cup on Mathew’s lips and tipping it back. Your reach out to take him from Jake, though he is quick to grasp onto Jake, intertwining his fingers as he huddles farther into Jake’s chest.

“Baby, we need to get you in the shower.”

His small voice is muffled against Jake’s neck, though you can make out the quiet plea to stay with Jake. Your hand rubs up and down Mathew’s back, as you look back at Jake’s face unsure of what to do. Mathew needed to get in the shower, but you also knew that if he cried, his cough and chest would worsen more than it already was.

“What if we get in the shower together bub, while momma rests for a minute?” Mathew gives a small nod, while still remaining tucked away. Jake sees the questioning look on your face and smiles slightly.

“You’ve still got a pair of my swim trunks tucked away. Right, Sweets?”

It’s like a light bulb goes off in your head, “Yes, from Labor Day weekend!” and has you heading down to your bedroom in search of them. They’re stacked under the pair of sweatpants and tee shirt that Jake left here for when he stayed over.

You turn to head back out to the living room, though instead find Jake and Mathew in his room picking out a pair of swim trunks as well. Mathew is still latched onto Jake’s neck, while he riffles through the blue and white dresser. You don’t hear the conversation the pair is having, though the sight of Maty whispering in Jake’s ear pulls on your heart.

“I found them.”

Your voice causes them to turn, and Jake holds up a pair of swim shorts in a different shade of blue. Jake gives you a smile, before sitting Mathew on his bed and turning to you.

“Bubba, you let momma help you get ready and I’m going to change in her room, but I’ll be right back. Okay?”

A small hum leaves Mathew’s lips and gives Jake enough confidence that the four-year-old isn’t going to have a breakdown from him disappearing. You give Jake a small smile as you trade shorts, though he stops you in the doorway. Your tired eyes lift to meet Jake’s stare as one of his hands settles on your waist and the other comes to rest on your cheek.

“You’re doing an amazing job momma.” The comment has you sighing and your head falling forward to rest on Jake’s chest. You knew that you were a good mom, Mathew was your whole world, but hearing it from someone else filled a gaping hole in your chest. Especially given the fact that it felt like your whole world was crumbling around you. You hated seeing Mathew sick, but the fact that you were sick as well and that you weren’t working at 100% to take care of him, ate away at you.

“I love you.” You whisper the words, before placing a kiss on Jake’s chest.

The hand resting on the back of your head comes around to grasp your face once again, tilting you to look up at him.

“I love you.” Before you can even protest that you’re sick and shouldn’t be kissing, Jake’s mouth descends upon yours. His lips feel like home, and you take the moment to savor the kiss. It wasn’t as if 10 seconds longer would change the fact that Jake was now most likely going to get sick. You pull away from the kiss, though the warning look Jake gives you, has the reprimanding words slipping from your mind, and instead wrap your arms around his waist once again.

“I love you both, so much Sweets.” A second kiss is placed at the crown of your head before Jake slips from your hold to go change.

Mathew gives you a small smile from his bed that has you going over and giving him a hug and kiss. Maty was usually so independent that you rarely got the chance to baby him anymore, though now you miss the spunky boy. You slowly help him remove his jammies, before slipping into his swim trunks and picking him up to go find Jake.

Mathew tucks his face into your neck as you leave his room, and you automatically place a gentle kiss on his head.

“Love you, momma.”

“I love you too, my sweet boy.”

You find Jake leaving your room at the same time you leave Mathew’s, and he is quick to take Maty from your hold. Reminding you that you are in fact sick as well, and don’t need to add to the strain your body is already under from the virus.

With a flick of your wrist, the shower starts, and the small room instantly starts to fill with steam. You flick a few drops of peppermint oil into the shower to help open up Mathew's chest. Turning around you find Jake, with Mathew on the counter, while gently rubbing his back. Mathew’s eyes remain closed as he leans against Jake, only opening slightly when Jake bends down to ask him if he was ready to get in.

They slide the glass door open and step through to sit on the bench seat, though before you can close the door Jake catches your arm and gives it a gentle tug to get your attention.

“I’ve got him now, Sweets. I want you to go lay down, you don’t have to sleep, but your body needs the rest.”

“M’kay.” The word is slightly slurred and, at the moment realize just how tired your body was. You give him a small nod and tell both of them you love them, before sliding the glass door shut and go to leave the bathroom.

You pause at the door and listen to the pair. The water had woken Mathew up and given him a small bout of energy.

“How much do we love momma?”

You can’t see Mathew's reaction though you’re sure it’s one with his arms spread wide open. Jake’s teasing tone, “Hole bunch?!” followed by a tiny giggle confirms it. You go to leave though; the sound of Mathew’s small voice causes you to halt again.

“You love momma, Jakey.” You can tell it’s not a question. “Do you love me too?”

His voice is so raw from coughing, though you can hear a definite tone of unsureness. The room is quiet for a moment, the only sound being the water hitting off the white tile.

“I love you so much, Bubba.”

You hear the crack in Jake’s voice, and you know that he is tearing up silently. Jake wasn’t someone that showed people his emotions, though with you and Mathew, inside these four walls Jake never held anything back. He didn’t need to, not when he knew that you loved him just as much as he loved Mathew and you.

“You will always have me, Maty. No matter what happens, I will always love and protect you.”

You have to step out of the bathroom, before Jake finishes, not wanting to worry either of them by hearing you cry. You didn’t know how you had gotten so lucky with Jake, how he had decided that you were worthy of a love that ran so deep, that it felt like you had known each other for your whole lives. The type of love that proved time and time again, that Jake would always love and protect your baby like he was his own.

The tears gathering on your waterline fall as you lay down on your bed. As you let your body sink father into the comfortable mattress, and sheets that still smelled like Jake.

...

You shift of the bed, has your eyes opening abruptly, and moving to get up. Though Jake’s hand on you causes you to lay back down and shift around to face him. Mathew's small body lies between the two of you, as small snores emit from him, and he curls farther into Jake’s chest.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Thank you for taking care of him.”

Your words are weighted and tired as your eyes flutter to stay open. Jake slides closer to you, settling Mathew farther on his bare chest as the small boy rolls farther into him while grasping his blanket. Jake pulls you toward him as well and you settle on the arm that Mathew lays halfway on. Jake’s other hand comes around to settle on your waist, incasing the both of you in his hold.

“Sweets, don’t you ever thank me for taking care of him.”

You cuddle farther into Jake and slowly fall farther back into the restful slumber. Jake silently lies listening to your even breathing, which evens out to match Maty’s. He shifts gently, pulling the pair of you closer before placing a kiss on the top of each of your heads.

“Always gonna take care of you, Sweets. My baby boy and his perfect momma.”

#they are perfect and i love everything about this series #makes my heart hurt in a good way #top gun fic rec #jake hangman seresin #daggers reblog challenge

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double-j · 1 year

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Mr. Lieutenant Sir

☑︎ Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Sweet Nothings Masterlist

☑︎ Pairing: Jake Seresin x Y/n Seresin (Mitchell)

☑︎ Word Count: 5.9 K

☑︎ Warnings: Infertility, IVF, Adoption, Dad!Jake, Teacher/Mom!Reader, Kindergarteners, bad foster parents, child neglect, flirty Javy, protective Jake

☑︎ A/n: Never believe that I'm actually on hiatus, I finished this two days ago. Suprise

☑︎ Library (Follow for updates! I no longer have a taglist.)

A giggle leaves your lips as a pair of arms wrap around your waist and pull you away from the pile of dishes soaking in the water. The record player quietly plays in the background, and the lack of noise from the living room is a clear indication that Javy either went home without saying goodbye or he’s fallen asleep on the couch. The latter most likely, given how he never leaves without a hug and goodbye.

“Javy fall asleep?”

You get a hum in response, though it’s muffled against your neck as Jake gently kisses along the curve of it. With a shrug of your shoulder, Jake lifts his face and allows you to turn around and face him. You lean against the countertop, while your hands wrap around Jake’s neck and run through the hair at the base.

“Remember when you told me that for share time, Gray couldn’t stop talking about a model airplane he had?”

Your head gently nods as you enjoy the close moment with your husband. Mrs. Adam had gone out and bought little model planes for both twins when she saw the shirts that Jake had picked out. It was the sweetest thing, and you were so thankful that she not only cared but supported you and Jake every time you showed up with something for the twins.

“Well, I talked to your dad last week and asked about the possibility of the class coming to the base for a field trip.” Your hands stop and a smile graces your face, eyebrow popping up in the way of saying ‘oh really.’ “I didn’t want to tell you until I got a yes, but Mav told me tonight that Cyclone gave him the go-ahead.”

“Really?!” Your smile slowly grows, and your mind is already spinning up a plan of how to make everything happen. “The kids would love that, all of them. Of course, I’ll need to send out permission slips and a Friday would probably work be–”

“Sweet Girl, slow down.” The words cut off your ramble. While Jake rubs at your arms in a comforting fashion. “We have time baby; we will work it all out.”

You nod, but your smile remains the same. Since you started teaching you had always thought that it would be fun to take the kids on a field trip to Top Gun. Though the opportunity had never arisen, especially during the first couple of years. You were a new teacher and still wary of your abilities in handling 20 5-year-olds off school grounds. Now, you were more than confident that you could handle it, especially with the parents you knew would be volunteering. Your excitement may have also stemmed from how much you knew that the twins would enjoy themselves.

...

“Eyes on me and clap three times, my little darlings!” Your voice echoes over the busy classroom, though at the request 20 little faces turn to you and clap or snap like you requested. “Very good! Now before you go home today, please give me your permission slips for our field trip this Friday. If you do not have them, come and talk to me.”

Your eyes scan through the classroom, each of your kids happily smiling while they take their permission slips from their go-home folder. Though your eyes eventually settle on Grayson and Madelaine. The pair of them sit quietly together, neither of them moving to take out a permission slip.

They had been oddly quiet all day, Gray was normally quiet though he always talked with you and Laine. While Laine was your little chatterbox in class who talked to everyone, though today neither of them said more than they were requested to. It had been eating away at you since you noticed it this morning and you had hoped that by this afternoon it would be better. Though as you look at them now, it only appears to have gotten worse.

The ringing of the bell pulls your attention back and has you focusing on the whole class again. A small line forms in front of you and your teaching aid Melissa, each of the kids waiting to hand you their signed slip. You give each of them a smile as they walk past and hand you their slip while following Melissa out to the pickup area. You count as they go past and as the last child in line goes out the door, your head pops up after only counting 18 heads.

Your eyes immediately find the twins, who are slowly putting their books away and looking as if going home was the last thing that they wanted to do.

You glance out to the hallway, checking to see if Melissa was going to come to tell you that Janice had actually shown up. Though the hallway is empty, clearly meaning she hadn’t arrived yet. Not worrying about the incompetent woman, you head over to the twins hoping to find out what has been eating away at them all day.

“Hello, my little munchkins.” Your voice gets their attention and Gray gives you a small smile, while Laine looks at you in defeat. You crouch down beside the desks, leaning over to fix the new glasses on Gray’s nose. “What’s going on? Why are my two favorite people so blue?”

You wait for the sassy comeback, though you don’t get one and a frown settles on your face. You rise from them and head back over to your desk, while they both silently watch you.

“I was saving this for a special day, and I think that today is that day.”

You rummage around the desk drawer until you find it. Usually, you would have Mrs. Adams give the children things that you had found for them, but last month you had found an antique children’s book that was in near-perfect condition and knew you had to buy it. The pair excelled in reading, and you knew that they would love to have a book of their own, instead of checking them out from the library.

You turn back around with the leather-bound book, only to find both Gray and Laine leaning over their desk trying to get a closer look. You give them both a smile, before placing the book down on Gray’s desk.

“I found this and knew how much you both enjoyed reading. I thought that it might be special for you, to have your own book that can take you on adventures and to different worlds anytime you want.”

The both of them smile happily, though as Madelaine opens it a small frown settles on her face. She looked toward Grayson who had yet to touch the book and now sported a small glare. Her eyes look towards you and your heartaches at the pain swimming in the baby blue.

“Can you keep it safe for us Ms. Cece?”

Your brow furrows in question, though before you can comment Gray speaks up.

“I got in trouble after my glasses got broken, I didn’t mean to run into things, but it just happened.” His voice is small, and you can barely hear him over the pounding in your head. You were positive that they were talking about Janice and her husband, but your mind was still reeling over the revelation.

“That’s why we don’t get to go see Mr. Jake and his plane.” Laine huffs as she says it and the way she crosses her arms would have made you giggle in any different situation. “They took everything as punishment, even our little model planes.”

It was like everything around you had turned off, and all you could think or see was the twins crying. The pair of them getting in trouble for things that aren’t their fault and how Janice and her husband shouldn’t have foster children at all. It didn’t matter whether they had the twins or any other children, you would be just as mad. They had no right to treat innocent children so harshly. It wasn’t just what you had found out today, it was the buildup of information you had learned over the last 4 months, and you had finally reached your breaking point.

Madelaine’s small sniffle pulls you from your thoughts and the sight before you almost break you completely. You were used to Laine comforting Gray; being the protector out of the two of them. Though now it’s Gray that holds onto Laine’s hands while resting their heads against one another. He doesn’t say anything, but just holds her and provides the safe space they’ve always had. The proximity of one another, their other half that made them whole.

Before you can think better of it, you lean forward to hold the pair. The sniffles subside momentarily as they both look up at you, before crawling into your lap. They both cling onto a shoulder as you whisper sweet nothings and rock them side to side.

“I’m going to fix it, okay?” Gray nods, while Laine clutches on tighter to you. “It’s gonna be okay.” You mutter the words and this time you’re not sure if you’re saying them for the twins or for yourself. The silver lining of your eyes breaks and a few stray tears fall, though you’re quick to wipe them away. You didn’t want either of them to see you cry, the both of them needed a solid, strong pillar to clutch onto in their storm-filled lives.

...

Jake hadn’t made it home yet, and you couldn’t seem to relax. You had been on the move since you had gotten home, tidying up the house, cooking dinner, and starting a batch of laundry, all to avoid the pending conversation that would no doubt be confrontational.

Janice had arrived just as you were taking the twins out, the three of you had stopped crying and knew that someone would be arriving soon. You had asked Janice if you could give her a call tonight, not wanting to have the conversation in front of the twins, and she bitterly told you that you could. Yet here you were, avoiding it. The last conversation you had with the woman ended with you in tears and you could only imagine how this one would go.

You glance at the clock and find that it’s just after 5, Jake would be home around 5:30 and you wanted to be off the phone by the time he arrived. Jake had been more than vocal about the langue lashing he wanted to give them, and you knew if he had the chance, he would jump on it faster than you could blink.

You settle against the kitchen counter, forgoing the idea of sitting, you were high-strung, and staying in one place wasn’t going to happen. You finger ghosts along your contact list until you find Janice’s name, and the small note of foster mom makes you sneer. The line rings quietly, but also as if it was a blaring alarm until there’s a click in the line, followed by a loud what.

“Hello Mrs. Williams, this is Y/n Seresin, the twin’s teacher.”

Your fingers drum against the counter as you wait for a reply, though the only thing she gives you is a hum. Your hand rakes through your hair as you push off the counter and start pacing.

“I was hoping to talk with you about the twins if that’s okay?” The words are barely passed your lips, before Janice cuts in.

“What did they do now?”

Her voice holds such disgust and animosity that it stuns you for a moment and causes you to take a few deep breaths.

“Nothing, they are wonderful in class. I was actually calling about our school field trip this coming Friday.”

“Oh, so they came to you whining about not going, is that it?”

Her voice echoes through that phone and stuns you momentarily. Though when you hear her yelling the twin’s names, you’re quick to cut in.

“No, they didn’t say anything.” Your tone comes out harsher than you intended, though it does get Janice to stop yelling at or for the twins. “I noticed that they lacked a permission slip and wanted to reach out.”

You fear that the line has gone dead momentarily because the only sound you can hear is your own breathing. You pull the phone from your face and glance at it, to see that it is still on the call.

“Well, this Friday we are going out of town and even if we were in town, I’m not going to come chaperone. Not to mention, you are asking for 15 dollars for shirts. What do they need shirts for?”

You hear the door close and you glace to your side to find a smiling Jake. Though his face falls as he takes in your flustered appearance. You hold a finger up to your lips to stop him from talking, you couldn’t multitask right now.

“I really do think that this would be a great learning opportunity for Madelaine and Grayson.” Jake settles against the counter next to you, as he listens understanding who is on the other line without you having to say. “I don’t think that they should miss out on the experience, ma’am.”

“Listen here, unless you’re going to fork up the 30 dollars and be legally liable for them, not only Friday but the whole weekend, you need to shut up and mind your own business.”

You’re startled at her harsh words and your hate for the twins living situation only grows the more you talk to the woman. Though before you can reply, the phone is taken from your hand by a very mad Jake. Your eyes widen in worry, though he gives you a small smile that is in no way reassuring.

“Hello, ma’am. This is Lieutenant Commander Jake Seresin, I’ve heard that you have a few issues with the field trip my wife has planned.” You can’t hear exactly what Janice replies, though you know that it’s not what Jake deems acceptable to hear. You silently watch Jake, though his eyes don’t move toward you once. They remain in a harsh glare, facing the back wall of the kitchen. “Ma’am, I understand that you don’t want to pay the fe–”

Your eyes widen when you hear Janice’s voice echo through the phone. There weren’t main people that cut off Jake and the ridged body language, followed by the small click of his tongue is a clear sign of how little it happened. You would have laughed at how much she screwed up, but you can’t stop the way you grab onto Jake’s hand. Your fingers intertwine to get his attention, and your gaze silently pleads him not to go off on her. You didn’t know what the woman was capable of, and you were already afraid that this conversation would lead her to punish the twins.

“Ma’am, if you would’ve been so kind to not interrupt me, you would have known that I will pay for Grayson and Madelaine. I just need you to sign the paper so that they can go.”

Her voice lowers through the phone, and you catch a word every now and again, as you watch Jake toed boot tap away on your hardwood floors.

“They’re going to be in the safest setting that they have, probably ever been in. Not only will my wife and the other parents be watching them, but I will personally be watching them. So don’t tell me that your reluctance is because you are worried about them. I know what type of living situation you’re providing for them, and it sure as hell isn’t safe in any way, shape, or form.”

...

Jake couldn’t even lie and say that he hadn’t meant for his tone to come off harsh. No, he wanted Janice to realize just how pissed off he was. Pushing off the counter, he couldn’t help but pace, it had always helped him calm down growing up. The feeling of your hand loosening in his hold pulls his attention back to you. Taking a step closer to you, he barely listens to the squawking echoing in his ear and tightens his hold on you before lifting the back of your hand to place a gentle kiss on it. Your eyes watch him wearily before they soften, and your own lips meet the back of his hand.

“Look I don’t care what you think about my parenting.” The words pull Jake’s attention back to the conversation at hand. “I don’t care if the little shits go or not, even if it’s going to be a ‘great experience’. If you want to take them so damn bad, then do it. But I’m not paying for them, and you’ll have to figure out what to do with them for the weekend because we won’t be home.”

The harsh sigh that leaves Jake’s lips isn’t other than that; a smack in the face that the kid's wellbeing meant nothing to their foster parents, and that Jake didn’t know if he could fix it.

“Just sign the permission slip.”

He doesn’t know what else to say and doesn’t leave room for Janice to reply before he hangs up.

...

Jake settles the phone on the kitchen counter, before looking back up at you. Your hands are still intertwined while you cradle them in your lap. A sigh leaves the both of your lips, and a deep ache settles in your chest as Jake pulls you to him. Folding your form into his chest as he places a gentle kiss upon the crown of your head. How were you supposed to take the class on a field trip without the twins, it wasn’t fair.

“You think Mrs. Adams could keep a secret?” The words are whispered into your hair and cause you to pull back from Jake in question. “I mean we need to have a reliable witness for when we sign an agreement to take care of the kids for the weekend. I don’t know if it’s internally legal, but neither is Janice leaving the kids at the house alone.”

“Jacob Seresin, what in the world are you talking about?”

The cocky smirk you fell in love with settles on his lips and has you smiling in reaction, the ache in your chest easing slightly at the idea Jake is suggesting.

“The twins are going on the field trip and then staying with us.” A harsh sigh leaves his lips, and his smirk settles into a harsh line. “I won’t let her ruin this for them.”

Your heart blooms in love, once again left to wonder how you got such a loving and loyal man. Your hand slips from his and rises up to cup his cheek, as your thumb works across the frown.

“I love you.” Jake’s eyes fall on you at the comment, though no smiles are passed between the two of you. Your eyes say enough, together you would jump headfirst into the unknown. “I love you so damn much.”

...

“Javy, honey I love you.” Your eyes look to the pilot, who stands behind your husband while occasionally making flirty eyes with Ms. Reynolds. “But why are you here?”

Janice was supposed you come in today and sign the form stating that you and Jake would be legally in charge of the twins for the weekends, as well as be liable if something happened to them. Mrs. Adams had been easy to convince, going as far as to draft up the paperwork herself. It might not have been “law binding” but it sure did look like something a lawyer would draft up.

“Well Jake told me that he needed back up,” Your husband's eyes flash back over his shoulder and look at Javy in bewilderment. “this Janice lady scares him.”

The words cause you and Mrs. Adams to giggle, but it's Jake muttering that Javy only wanted to see Ms. Reynolds that has the pair of you cackling. The harsh knock against the door has all of your eyes fleeting to Mrs. Adams' office entry, the laughter in you quickly dies down as Janice and Ed Williams glare at the five of you. They each carry a small pack that resembles the totes you had bought the twins at the beginning of fall, though the dirt on them makes you question if they're the same ones.

“Well, aren't you all just peppy.” The pair of them drop the bags harshly, and the sneer that Janice gives you makes you shrink back slightly into Jake. You weren’t normally scared so easily, but the pair of them made you uneasy. Their eyes hadn’t left you, even when they addressed Mrs. Adams. Though as an arm wraps around your waist, your shoulders drop and relax further into Jake.

“Right, shall we get this finished up? Lunch will be over soon, and Melissa can only fill in so long.”

Mrs. Adams gives you a small smile that has you giggling. You loved Melissa dearly and she was one of the sweet people you had ever met, though the kids also knew how much of a pushover she was and often conned her into playing Heads Up, Seven Up.

“Yeah, we need to get on the road,” Ed answers Mrs. Adams gruffly as he steps forward to snatch the pen off the desk and sign without any other conversation. The topic of them getting on the road doesn’t go unnoticed, but you keep your questions to yourself for the time being.

Janice grabs the pen from Ed, and the smack of her gum has you glaring slightly. Her signature is messy and hardly legible.

“Which of you five are signing?” Janice flicks the pen out, scanning the room with it before flicking it into your open palm. You give her a small smile and thank you, though she only sneers in reply.

Your eyes flitter from Janice and Ed and back to Jake, who gives you a reassuring smile and a gentle squeeze. You move to sign the document, as Jake steps out from around you and you can hear him introduce himself. From the corner of your eye, you can see Jake’s hand clasping Ed’s in a handshake and the tight grasp Jake has on Ed is anything up-friendly.

Jake lets go only to slide in behind you and gently takes the pen, as a gentle hand settles on your back before signing. The both of you finish and the weight in your chest seems to lift as Mrs. Adams then signs as a witness and gives you a small wink and smile that makes your own grow.

It felt different, the document signed was so much more than just the twins getting to go to Top Gun. It felt as though something deeper had solidified and now you only had to wait for it to become reality.

Your attention is pulled back to the Williams as they move to leave without saying anything else, though you are quick to ask what time you could pick them up in the morning. Both stop in their tracks and a full laugh is released from each of them.

“I wouldn’t know Ms. CeCe.” Janice all but spits the name out as it were venom. “We’re leaving now, not our problem according to that little paper. Have fun with the little devils.”

You had heard the twins mention more than enough times that their foster parents weren't fond of them, though hearing them talk about the children with such hatred shocked you and angered you went in a way that was indescribable. You're stunned in silence momentarily and by the time you realize that you don't have booster seats for either of the kids, the Williams are long gone from the school.

The defeated side falls from your lips, as you're trying to figure out how you can get two booster seats before the end of the school day while still teaching. Jake's hand rests against the small of your back and the slight movement of it reels your mind back in.

“They didn't give us booster seats. I haven't even gotten anything set up yet for them to sleep on, I was going to do it tonight.” You don't direct the statement towards anyone in particular, but you know Jake will be the first one working to find a solution.

“Don't worry sweetheart, Javy and I will take care of it. We've still got a couple hours before we have to be back. We'll go get everything and drop off the booster seats, before heading back to base.”

The words are muttered against your temple before a gentle kiss is placed. You're quick to bring Jake’s hand resting on your waist up to your mouth, to place a gentle kiss of thanks on it. You glance at Mrs. Adams who gives you a smile before she announces to everyone that Melissa is undoubtedly being manipulated by the children. A round of laughs echoed through the room before you leaned up to give Jake a kiss, placing all the love and thank you that you couldn't say into it.

He gives you a small smile before clasping your cheeks and kissing you on the forehead, turning to drag an unhappy Javy away from a smiling Ms. Reynolds. Before they can get far Javy calls out to have you give Ms. Reynolds his phone number. Jake’s laugh echoes off the hallways before he calls out as well, telling you that he may be a little late getting home tonight.

...

You wave to Mrs. Paulson as she guides Allison across the street. Mrs. Paulson had been the one parent that you could always count on, and once again she came to your aid when she decided to help supervise the field trip. You had met her husband at a parent-teacher conference and had instantly fallen in love with the family. Not only was Allison a wonderful student, but her parents were always open to trying new ideas. She just gotten diagnosed with ADHD this last summer and the Paulson, Mrs. Adams, and you were working up the best plan to help Allison.

You glance across the street once more making sure that everyone has been picked, before turning around to find Gray and Laine lying in the front grass watching the sky. Today was warmer than usual and the 70-degree December weather was quite enjoyable. You see Gray point to the sky, causing you to look up to see what the pair have been intensely watching.

A smile forms on your lips as you see a jet fly overhead, one of the perks of being just off base. You had love planes growing up and were always on base when your father was home, seeing the pair of them just as in love with planes only warms your heart more. Your movement toward the twins has them looking at you as you settle on your back beside Grayson, so he now rests between you and Madelaine.

“I think they're doing drills,” You hum in reply to Gray, waiting for him to continue. “They’ve been running the same pattern since we laid down.”

“See, watch how the two side planes break off and the middle one breaks toward either one.” You glance at Madelaine, silently wondering when she had become interested in planes. “Maybe it’s Mr. Jake. He’s a good flyer, right Gray.”

“Right.”

They both sound so sure of themselves and you giggle at how serious they are. Jake was going to eat this up when you told him, just one more thing to add to the ever-growing ego. You lay with them for a bit, enjoying how they talk about each plane so animatedly. You glance at your watch and find that it's nearing 4:30; the three of you needed to get home to ready where the twins are sleeping.

Home.

The word jars you for a minute and you have to silently remind yourself that it wasn’t the twin’s home. The arrangement was only for the weekend, and they weren’t your children, no matter how much you wished that they were.

“Alright you two, we need to get going.” You rise onto your elbows and find the pair of them grinning at you. You had talked to them the morning after you called Janice and asked if they would be okay staying with you. You would never want to make either of them uncomfortable, and luckily they were more than excited at the idea of staying with you. More so when they realized it meant they would get to go on the field trip.

...

The car ride home was easy thanks to the pre-installed car seats, which you would have to thank Jake and Javy for. You had given Madelaine your phone when she had asked to pick the songs and unsurprisingly the five-year-old had put on one of your Spotify playlists that she continually requested during art time in class. Both you and Gray were happily surprised at her choice of 80’s hits.

The pair of them had sung the whole way home, putting on quite the show from what you could see in the review mirror. Their little voices filled that small car, flipping between words they knew, to just humming along to the tune.

You pull up to the house, the vacant parking space and dark house confirm that Jake was indeed going to be late tonight. Both of the kids are out of the car before you can even try to unbuckle them. Their eyes sparkle are they look at the white bungalow, bouncing on their toes at the sight of a front lawn and you can hear Gray whisper to Laine, asking if they were actually allowed to play on it.

The question hurts, such a simple request that had no doubt been denied before. Though before you can fall further down the rabbit hole, you grab the twin totes from the passenger seat. You were going to enjoy this weekend, make it the best experience for them both, and not think about everything else.

“Come on my darlings,” You glance at your watch and find that it's almost five. “We’ve got to cook dinner and get your beds situated for tonight, we’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

Both of them give you a massive smile and Gray is quick to latch onto your hand, while Laine walks up the red stone walkway. You knew that Gray got anxious when it came to new ideas and had expected him to be attached to you for most of the night.

Laine, on the other hand, would know the house like the back of her hand by the end of the weekend and most likely have Jake wrapped around her finger. More so than he already is.

To your complete surprise, upon entry into the guest bedroom, you found the white daybed completely set up with the bedding set you had picked up the other day. You and Jake had decided that for this weekend the twins could stay in one room together, you didn’t want to separate them and cause any unneeded stress. While you had thought you would be setting up the room tonight, Jake and Javy must have come by and done it after finding out that the twins would be staying tonight.

“Alright you two, what do you think?” You hadn’t realized just how worried you were about the twins liking what you had picked out for them. You had found a set of light and dark blue bed sheets that you thought would be appropriate. Then found each of them their own special blanket, Gray’s consisted of planes and the Navy emblem, while Lainie’s had turtles and other tropical fish.

You watch the both of them carefully as they walk into the room, taking in the plain white walls and the small book nook where you enjoyed reading. They move slowly through the room, fingers running over the dresser and then stopping at the bed. The totes fall from their hands, and they slowly pick up the blankets, examining the cotton as if they had never had a blanket to call their own.

You don’t move and the breath in your chest catches at the reality that is unfolding before you. How long had they gone unloved? How many nights did they cry wrapped in each other’s arms, the only form of protection they knew? Your eyes are misty, and you wipe at the awaiting tear before it can fall.

“Ms. CeCe, who are these for?” Laine asks with only the tiniest echo behind the words.

“They’re yours,” Your voice catches and causes both the twins to turn around. “I picked them out for you. Do you like them?”

A small hum comes from the pair as they clutch onto the blankets and watch you carefully. You give them a weak smile, though before you can let your emotions overwhelm all three of you the sound of the front door opening, and closing has you looking back out into the hall.

“Darlin’?”

The voice has Laine letting out a small squeal before she races past you, blanket in tow, and makes for the front door.

“Mr. Jake!”

Gray settles at your side, holding onto your hand as the both of you make your way out to the front hall. The sight of Madelaine clutching onto Jake as he holds her stops you in your track, and for a moment you forget that they aren’t yours and Jake’s children. How had they looked so much like Jake, with the perfect dirty blonde hair and the small award-winning smile.

Jake glances up at you and gives both you and Gray a smile before he runs a hand down the back of Laine’s hair. A quiet hello, little darlin’ just barely reaches your ears, though as Laine tightens her hold on Jake, you know you heard right.

“We saw you flying today, Mr. Jake.”

The small voice gains the attention of all three of you, and as you look down Gray only smiles back at you in hopes that you’ll confirm what he’s said. Though before you can say anything, Jake adjusts Laine onto his hip, and he walks to bend down in front of Grayson.

“Is that right, buddy?” A smile forms on Gray’s lip before he gives Jake a firm nod. “And how was I doing? Did I meet your standards?”

Gray nods once again, before Laine looks at him in question then turns back to Jake. “Gray says you’re the best.”

“That so?”

Gray’s hand tightens around yours before a hum and smile break across his face. “The best fighter pilot ever seen.”

You hear Jake’s breath catch before his free arm reaches out to grab Gray. A laugh breaks from Gray and any worry you had of him being uncomfortable around Jake, falls to silent ears. With one on each hip, Jake rises and looks at you, the both of you share knowing looks while the twins laugh.

Life had never felt this perfect. You and Jake had always felt whole like you weren’t missing a part of the puzzle, though an add-on would have been welcomed. But now, you both knew that the four of you were the complete puzzle. That without both Gray and Laine in your lives, a part of your puzzle would be incomplete for the first time.

#my heart!!!!!!!!!!#those sweet babies deserve all the love #top gun fic rec #jake hangman seresin #daggers reblog challenge

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