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happypopcornprincess · 2 years

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The Wedding Bet Date

Pairings - Hangman and Phoenix (Enemies to Lovers)

Premise - When "Phoenix" Trace made a stupid bet, she did not expect Jake "Hangman" Sersin to be thrown at her face out of nowhere. Now they are stuck together, forced to confront a past they are trying to forget.

Warnings: Major Spoilers for Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), suggestive language, mentions of sex.

Word Count: 7.6 K

A/N - I knew it! When I saw Top Gun Maverick, I just knew that something has happened between the two and that they either liked each other or slept together at least once. The way Hangman looked at Phoenix like he was daring her to say something >>>> 😭😭😭

I'm going full ballistic on this one babe, imma write this with my whole ass heart, Haenix FOREVER 😭❤

This is my first ever Top Gun fanfic, so I hope y'all like it.

This was requested Anonymously, whoever you are, thank you <3

Thank you @bradshaw-fanclub @bradshawsbaby @bradshawbaby @roostersmustache for being fabulous and producing content that can only be described as absolute perfection. This one is dedicated to you. Thank you for inspiring me <3

My Main Masterlist || Send your requests here!

Two months after the events of Top Gun: Maverick

Saturday

"All I'm saying is that you could have just called him back. He did give you his number." Bob said to Phoenix as he sipped his chilled beer.

It was a lovely Saturday evening at Robert's house with just the two of them. They were sitting on his back porch, lounging on the beach chairs overlooking the ocean and sipping beer. His girlfriend, Maria, was visiting him and had asked her to stay for dinner. And well, how could she say no to homemade enchiladas when she could smell how delicious they were?

After the uranium mission, Bob and Natasha have grown quite close. The mission made them develop a sibling-like relationship, they trusted each other with their lives. Some part of Bob will always be grateful to Natasha for saving his life. A part of Natasha wanted to protect him at all costs even though she knew he was one of the most capable ROIs out there.

"He wasn't my type." She said, placing her empty beer bottle on the floor. "Mav and Penny's wedding is in four days, you have to bring a plus one. He was plus-one material." Bob said, after Natasha didn't call back a poor sod, she had a one-night stand with. "Bob, if I had called him back and asked him to be my plus one to a wedding, he would have gotten the wrong jest." She lets out a long sigh, thinking about her one-night stand last night. She sneaked out of his place at the crack of dawn and hasn't spoken since.

"You can't do it alone, Nat. Everyone has a date. You need to have someone to go with." He speaks. "Fine! I'll go to The Hard Deck and the first guy to walk in from the door will be my date to Mav's wedding. Happy?" She gives him a fake smile baring all her teeth.

He laughed, adjusted his specs, and says, "Sounds good to me. I would love to see what frat boy or middle-aged drunkard you end up with."

"Shut up!" She pushes his shoulder.

—/—/—

Maverick and Rooster were helping behind the bar when Nat, Bob, and Maria walked in. Penny announced she would be closing the place for a week because of her honeymoon. Since then, everyone has been flooding the place.

"Remember the bet?" Bob asks her slyly.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." She mocks him.

"Look who it is!" Bradley yelled from the bar. Nat runs up to him and hugs him from the other side of the bar. "Hey, Penny!" She waves at the bride-to-be excitedly, as Bradley slides her a bottle of beer. "Hello there, Phoenix." Pete steps up behind Bradley wearing a pink apron, a towel on his shoulder, and holding a lot of beer mugs.

"Looks like domestic life suits you a lot sir." She smiles at his attire.

"Penny made me wear this," he says with a straight face.

"Isn't he the cutest?" Penny comes up behind him and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Pete turns red and ducks his head in shyness.

"Okay kids, let's keep the environment PG. Please?" Bradley shouts up and they all share a laugh.

Nat sipped her beer, thinking of how she could not have been happier for her friends. Having realized they were meant to be since Pete sneaked her on a flight back in '86, Pete and Penny were settling down without wasting any more time. Bradley finally got the family he had always wanted.

She could dream of this, right? A small, happy family, someone she could be in love with forever.

But then Bob nudges her and she is thrown back to reality. He points at the door where she could see a silhouette of a man about to enter the bar. She straightens, realizing how badly this could go south.

The door opens, and she sees a brown boot stomping on the hardwood floor. When her eyes travel up to see who the mystery man she will have to go to the wedding with is, she chokes on her drink.

—/—/—

Jake "Hangman" Sersin was not a man of commitment. As he enters The Hard Deck, he is already skimming through the crowd, searching for a girl to take home. As his eyes travel to the bar, he looks at Bradley, Pete, and Penny standing in a circle, laughing at something as they serve the drinks. He smiles looking at the lot, happy for his friends to find a place.

And then his eyes shift to Nat and Bob sitting on the bar, looking at him like deer caught in headlights. He gives them a puzzled look, walking up to them trying to figure out why they looked so horrified.

"Hey, Bob, and Phoenix. Hope you are doing well?" He couldn't help but ask that as a question.

"Yeah... I'm fine. I'll leave." Saying so he abruptly gets up from his seat, gives Natasha a pitied look, and walks away grabbing the arm of a beautiful woman sitting next to him.

"What's up with Bob? He didn't even introduce me to his girl," he asks Nat.

"Maybe he doesn't want you near her, Hangman," she says, looking him dead in the eyes like she wanted to beat him up.

"Okay, what's going on? I thought we were done roasting the shit out of each other. Why are you looking at me like that?" He points to Natasha's eyes.

"She made a stupid bet," Bradley leans over the bar, slipping on his aviators, looking at them with a mischievous grin on his face, "She said she would show up to Pete and Penny's wedding with the first guy who walks into the bar after her, and that's," he dramatically waves his hands to Jake, "you."

Natasha saw the exact moment Jake's face turned from one of absolute confusion to one of absolute amusement. He looks at her and laughs out loud, throwing his head back.

"Oh, Trace!" he chimes, stepping closer to her, "It will be my utmost honor to be your date to the wedding." He puts his hand on his heart, smirking at her.

"Whatever" she chugs down her beer and makes her way out of the bar toward the beach.

"This is going to be so fun to watch," Bradley says under his breath in a sing-song voice. Jake slides a 10 to Bradley for his beer, takes it, and runs after her.

—/—/—

Natasha looks behind her to see Jake coming toward her with a bottle of beer in his hands. "Phoenix." He nods towards her, smirking as he takes a sip from the bottle.

Natasha’s gaze lingers on his neck, and his jawline, involuntarily her mind wavering off to a very specific memory.

She is kissing him, sucking on the skin of his neck as Jake’s hands travel towards her thighs. In no time, he had picked her up and put her on the table, his hands reaching towards where she needed him the most.

Jake looks at her, realizing what she was thinking about. Before he could say something, she begins, "Look, I get that you got some girl ready for the wedding. If you don't want to do this, I'm okay with that."

Jake stills.

What did she think of him? Every girl he had interacted with since he came to Miramar was a one-time thing. They flirt with him, he shows them a good time. Then they go away ready to tell their friends about that one time they hooked up with a fighter pilot. That's all he ever was. Sometimes he thought he was hitting it off with someone who genuinely liked them. However, he would give them his phone number and they would swear they would call him and he would wait, but it was the same radio silence.

He didn't have anyone to take to the wedding, and Nat's offer wasn't that terrible. It would be a one-time thing.

Just like last time.

"Phoenix, how could I possibly miss out on this golden opportunity of going out with you? I'm thrilled." Natasha rolls her eyes.

"So, you're in?"

"A 100 percent." He smiles, offering her his handshake. She shakes his hand, saying, "if you mess up, I'll end you."

"I don't doubt otherwise" he smiles looking at her.

Sunday

It was a Sunday, and Nat had her entire day planned. Reporting to base every morning at 7 am as part of the Navy left no time for her. She planned on taking a long bath today, applying a mask, and watching a reality show to relax.

What she did not expect, was Jake honking in front of her Navy-issued house while she was in a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head. She didn’t have time to take it off as he was already ringing her doorbell.

So, she opened the door to see him dressed in jeans and a casual t-shirt, taking off her aviators thinking about a smart comeback for Nat.

“Don’t say something you’re about to regret Sersin.” She says. He defensively raises both his hands in front of him and replies, “I was just coming over to ask you out for shopping for the wedding.”

"What shopping?”

“I need a suit. And I guess you need a dress?”

“I have a dress.”

“No, you don’t.” he smiles, knowing Natasha won’t show up to the wedding wearing an old dress.

“Fine, I’ll buy one afterward, happy shopping.” She was about to slam the door when he held out his hand, preventing the door from closing.

“C’mon Trace, we are going together to the wedding and I need a proper suit for that, and I can help you find a dress. I grew up with two elder sisters. I know enough about women’s fashion to…”

“You need someone to help you find a suit, don’t you?” Nat chimes in. Jake closes his eyes and exhales, nodding in defeat. “Yes.” He looks at her to see her smiling, “Wait in the car, give me five minutes," she runs inside as he steps down the porch stairs, smiling to himself thinking about her smile.

---/---/---

“Come on princess, this is getting out of control!" Nat sat in the waiting area shouting towards Jake’s booth, where he was trying on his fourth suit.

Because there weren't enough days left to tailor a suit to fit Jake, for the first time in his life he was getting a readymade suit. Which is why he can’t decide which one to choose. If the black suit’s trousers fitted him like a glove, the blazer was short. He found that the vest of the white suit was too tight when the jacket of the suit was just right.

“Okay! I swear this is the last one.” He says and steps out of the trial room, too frustrated to even look at his reflection. He steps out looking at Natasha, who was sitting in front of him scrolling through her phone.

“How is it?" he asks, and she looks at him.

---/---/---

Natasha knew as irritating as he could be, Jake was a handsome man. It was confirmed to her by the light gray three-piece suit he was wearing as he stepped out of the trial room. She tried. She tried not to give him a reaction but her jaw hung open.

The suit was flawless, and it looked perfect on him.

“Damn Trace, I must be looking hot if I made your jaw drop.” He cocks his eyebrows at her. Nat tried to say something but she was rendered speechless. Finally, she managed a small, “Yeah, you look good.” And got up abruptly.

Jake’s eyebrows rose up at this, he asks, “where are you headed?”

“I… have to buy a dress. And you’re not allowed to see me in it.” “Why?”

Natasha smirks, looking him directly in the eyes, “Well, I want to see your jaw drop." And leaves.

Jake stands there until a voice from his right shakes him out of his trance. “Your wife is a feisty one. Don’t lose her.” He looks to his right and sees an old couple smiling at him knowingly. He politely smiles at them and walks back into the changing room to get out of the suit.

He’s buying it.

---/---/---

“That looks unhealthy.” Nat looks at him as he bathes his fries in ketchup. She takes a fry and eats it with a fork. They had stopped at a diner to grab lunch after shopping for the whole day.

“I’ll do 20 more push-ups to burn it out.” He says, his mouth taking a big bite of his hamburger.

“Good for you.” She says, laughing at the bit of sauce on the corner of his mouth.

“What?”

“You… you got some sauce on your face.”

“What?” he rubs off his face at a completely different spot.

“Here, wait.” Nat takes a napkin and wipes off the sauce on his face.

Jake’s heart raced as a memory of her flashed in front of his eyes.

She softly caressed his face, a moan slipping past her lips, “Jake.” Not Sersin, not Hangman, Jake. He swore as he smashed his lips on hers. He wanted her, he wanted everything she had to give. Her soft hands responded by grabbing the back of his neck and bringing him closer.

“Sersin? Are you okay?” His eyes turned back to her as she looked at him smiling brighter than the sunlight.

“Nothing, I just… I recalled something.” “What?”

“Your dress. I still haven’t seen it.” He says, desperate to divert his attention from her distractingly beautiful hands. Someone takes their manicure seriously.

“I’ll show it to you at the wedding.”

“What if we don’t match? I’m wearing charcoal, what if you show up in an outrageous green or something?"

“Sersin! I would never for my life wear green to a wedding.”

“So it’s not green.” He smiles.

Natasha rolls her eyes, “It’s lilac.”

“Lilac. I can do with that.” He mostly nods to himself and digs back into his hamburger, while Natasha eats her fries with a fork.

Tuesday

“Where. Are. You?” Nat asked with gritted teeth.

It was the Bachelor and Bachelorette of Mav and Penny. While the boys were hanging out at a bar downtown, Penny’s party was at her house. Jake was supposed to be her ride to Penny’s before heading to Mav’s party. And he was 20 minutes late.

“I’m sorry I can’t make it Phoenix.” A cracked voice came through her phone.

“Why? What happened?" she asked.

“I got food poisoning.” He speaks.

"Yeah, I'm willing to believe that Sersin. The next time you want to ditch me, make a better excuse.” “Trace I…”

She ends the call.

Natasha arrives at Penny's after taking an Uber 10 minutes later. When she entered the house, the party was already in full swing. Penny’s friends were there, and so were some of the female aviators from the base.

She finds Callie, known by her callsign 'Halo', in the lot, standing next to Penny. She was wearing a short white dress with a plastic crown and a bride-to-be sash. She looked so happy and cheery that it made her heart melt. She quickly walks to them and hugs Penny. “Penny, you look amazing!”

“Thank you so much, Nat, you too look gorgeous!" she says after glancing at the sundress Nat was wearing.

“I am so sorry for being late, Hangman bailed on me. He was supposed to be my ride here.”

“Oh, don't be silly! It's fine ” She gives her another hug and gets ushered by some of her friends. Not a second later, Halo grabs her hand and takes her to a corner. “Did you just say you were coming with Jake? Like, Jake Sersin?”

“Yes, it’s a long story.” she gives her an awkward smile.

“Are you guys dating?” she asks with wide eyes.

“No, No! I made this stupid bet and now I’m stuck with him,” she says, taking a glass of champagne and ready to get drunk.

Callie takes the glass away from her. "No, you are not getting drunk tonight.” Natasha looks at her accusingly, “why may I ask?”

"The party’s about to get wild! We need someone sober to keep us in check. And that’s you.”

“What about Amelia?”

“She’s a child.”

“So why is she holding a champagne glass?”

Both women whipped their heads towards Penny’s rebellious 15-year-old daughter, locking eyes with her.

She bolted, with the glass. And they bolted after her.

—/—/—

After As soon as Natasha and Callie had Amelia under control (two grown women tackling her in the hallway before she swallows the champagne), they began helping around the party so that Penny wouldn't have to do anything. It was a nice evening.

Penny laughed and drank as she shared stories. Nat met some of Penny’s friends who were naval aviators in the 80s and 90s. They collectively geeked over the advancements and technological differences between their planes and eras. In addition, she learned a lot about fighter planes that you don’t find in the books, things that can only be known from experience.

When it was time to leave, Nat and Amelia, the only two sober people, called Uber for guests heading to their homes. They set up the living room and guest room for people staying at their place. As she waved goodbye to the last of the guests, a familiar blue Hondo rolls up to the driveway. Bradley looks out of the window to greet Nat, “How was the bachelorette?”

“It was flawless. What are you doing here?”

“Dropping these idiots to their homes, I’m the only sober person left.” He looks behind him, and Nat follows and is met by the image of Fanboy, Bob and Payback cuddled together in the backseat.

“heyyy Natasha!” a slurred voice comes from behind her to see Callie stumbling down the porch steps. Nat helps her into the backseat after slapping Mickey’s arm to scoot over. He grumbles something in Spanish that even she couldn’t make out but makes space for Callie to sit in the back seat.

“what’s up with Javy?” she asks as she sees the six-foot-something pilot sitting in the front seat frowning at the road ahead.

“Oh, he’s in a foul mood. His bestie didn’t show up.” “Wait, Jake wasn’t at the party?” she asks, confused.

“Yeah, I called him and he said he had the stomach flu. He canceled last minute; I didn’t have any time to check up on him. I’ll drop by his house tomorrow… Wait, Nat where are you going?” he asks as she starts to walk towards the house.

“Bradley, I’ll see you tomorrow. I… I recalled something I had to talk about with Penny.” She climbs the porch steps, quickly entering the house to see everyone settled for the night. She finds Amelia talking to a girl who looked like she was in her twenties. She bids them a quick goodbye and runs to her car, ready to go to Jake’s.

He was telling the truth.

Oh my god, how could she not realize this?

He missed Mav’s party. Jake Sersin, the biggest party animal of the Dagger Squad, would never miss a bachelor party.

This was serious.

---/---/---

It was never this disastrous. He closes the bathroom, after cleaning the basin for the fourth time that day because his dumbass decided to throw up in it, instead of the toilet.

He had food poisoning before, but it wasn't this severe. His whole body was aching, and his stomach was hurting. He should have listened to Natasha when she said that the hamburger was a terrible choice to eat at 3 in the evening. He also drank three whole bottles of beer that night just to spite Coyote.

“Sersin?” He stops on his way to the bed. Did he actually hear it, or was he dreaming? She can’t really be here.

"Sersin, are you there?” Nope, that was her voice. Funny how he could recognize her voice anywhere, even high on painkillers at the moment.

“Coming.” He manages to get out and walks toward the living room. As he enters, he sees Natasha standing in the middle of the room, frantically looking around. She was wearing a cream floral dress that reached just a bit below her knees, and her hair, oh, her hair! They were loose, the top half bound in a loose bun at the top.

He tries not to remember the last time she was at his house, in a somewhat similar outfit. “Hey.” He says, remembering that she cut his call before he could explain to her that this was not a prank and that he was actually sick.

Nat looks at him, his posture, how he was leaning against the wall trying to seem cool. The look on his face and dark circles revealed how tired he was. In a loose shirt and sweatpants, he looked like he would faint.

She felt terrible for cutting off the call, now that he could see he was telling the truth. “How are you?” "fine. Just, feeling really tired.”

She steps closer to him, “Jake, I thought you were pranking but then Bradley told me you were not at Mav’s party…”

“Hey, it’s alright, you didn’t know. I don’t blame you Trace." Seeing how her eyebrows scrunched together, her face itched with worry, he said, "It's fine."

“Did you eat?” she asks, finding his eyes as he avoided them.

“Yes.”

“Sersin.”

She calls out accusingly. “What? I did. I had a banana before taking my medicine-"

“A banana?”

“-And two apples. The doctor told me not to eat anything heavy, so I had some fruits. I kind of threw up earlier-“

“You’re vomiting!”

“-would you just listen!”

“Listen to what? How horrible it is to have an empty stomach when you have food poisoning! Please tell me you drank at least 4 liters of water.”

“…”

“Jake! Oh god.” She pushes her hair back, "Take a seat, I’ll make you something.” Saying so she heads to the kitchen.

He tries to follow her, saying, “Trace it’s 11 pm. Just go home, I'll be fine!" but stops when she looks at him two seconds from popping out and engaging in a diss match with him.

“I’ll be in the bedroom.” He says and leaves, not waiting for Natasha Trace to unleash her full wrath on him.

Some 20 minutes later Nat enters his room holding a bowl and a bottle of water. He sits up straight at the end of his bed. The bowl was filled with bananas cut into small pieces and mixed with yogurt. “My mom would make that when I would get sick. It tastes better than it looks I swear.” She sits next to him as she handed him the bowl. He takes it wordlessly, staring at it as she takes a seat next to him.

When he took a bite with a spoon, he didn't know if it was hunger, but it tasted absolutely incredible. She added a bit of sugar so that it doesn’t taste bland.

"Thank you," He smiles as he scoops up a big bite ready to dive in. He looks at her, their close proximity, her body so close to him. She looked so cute sitting next to him, her face angelic in the low lamp light of his bedroom.

“It’s getting late. Can you stay here tonight?” he slips up. Realizing what he just said, his heart races. “I guess.” She smiles and agrees. She gets up from the bed, heading towards his closet. "Anything in here I could change into?” she asks looking back at him. “Uh, there are some sweatshirts you can wear”

She pulls out an old sweatshirt and some shorts and heads to the bathroom. She comes back, wearing his sweatshirt and shorts, that hung off of her. Jake thought she looked beautiful in it. If this was any other situation, he would have made a comment or two about her having a crush on him to come to his house at night. But he just couldn’t.

“I’ll sleep on the couch.” She says, searching for his eyes that were already looking at her. “Okay,” he responds, unable to find words to say otherwise. Natasha leaves, and Jake lies on the bed, trying to catch some sleep when the fact hits him like a brick.

She called him Jake.

Wednesday

The next morning, he wakes up to the blaring sound of his alarm. He shuts it off and heads out to the bathroom. He freshens up and gets to the kitchen, gets a bowl, and is about to empty some cereal in it when his eyes fall on Natasha.

She was sleeping peacefully on the couch, strands of hair escaping from her loose bun and hanging over her face. She looked ethereal in the morning light.

Jake kept staring at her and was shaken out of it when she stirred and opened her eyes. She slowly gets up and checks the time on her phone, her hair falling over her shoulder like a curtain. She had let it grow out after the Uranium mission. Her gaze then falls on Jake, standing at the kitchen counter looking at her with what she could only decipher as awestruck.

“You’re up,” she replies, smiling at the fact that he looked much better than last night. His bed hair was still there which made him look adorable. While Jake tried to find the right words to say, his heart was pounding in his chest, threatening to burst out at any moment as he tried to find the right words to say.

“Yeah, I… I slept well. What about you?”

“It was fine. I have to get going, have to report at base soon.” The statement made him look at the watch on his counter. It was 6:20. In order to wrap up all work before everyone went on leave the next day, they had to report at 7 a.m.

“Stay for coffee?” Jake says as Natasha gets up to fold the sheets. “Okay.” she smiles brightly at him. Someone is a morning person, thought Jake.

“Just make it black with-”

“-two sugars and a teaspoon of cream. I know.”

Natasha stared at him for a moment. She recalled her early days at Top Gun when every day she would run into Jake at the coffee shop on her way to the base. And he would mock her under his breath from behind as she ordered her coffee. That was two years ago.

“You actually remember that?” she asked, shocked. “Of course, I do,” he smirks as he hands her a mug filled to the brim with coffee, as he sat down on the couch. He pats the seat next to him and she flops on the couch.

“Thank you for this Sersin.”

“It’s alright… Trace.” He says her last name with hesitation, almost saying ‘Natasha’.

“Last night,” he begins, leaning back on the couch, “I’m really sorry for bailing out on you like that. I was intending to call you sooner, but my head was inside the toilet for the better part of the day-”

“Jake, it’s fine. I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t believe you and I was really rude. I thought this was some kind of prank you were pulling on me”

“Why would I prank you about me being sick?” a laugh escapes his lips.

“I don’t know, maybe because you’re a butthead.” she laughed, and not the subtle laugh she always did. She threw her head back, showing her teeth and scrunching her nose and Jake’s heart did a somersault.

“Butthead, huh, now that’s a word I haven’t heard since middle school.” he lightly pushed her shoulder. “Hey!” she pushed him back, putting away her coffee mug to spar with him with both her hands.

But Jake was quick.

He caught her wrists before she could punch him and pulled her in. Natasha yelped as her chest hit him, their faces so close to each other. Jake forgot to breathe. And so did Natasha. He leaned forward, testing waters just like the last time, and no matter how desperately Natasha tried, she too leaned forward.

His lips were soft as feathers. Unlike when Natasha's brain was fogged with lust, she was clear as a day this time. Their lips worked in sync as Jake held her from the back of her neck. Natasha slipped her hand under his shirt, running her fingers across his chest. They were lost in each other, exploring their bodies as it was their first time, so much so that they didn’t hear the front door open.

They didn’t hear the footsteps as they approached the living room, nor the sudden silence in the atmosphere.

They broke out of trance only when they heard Bob.

“What the fuck?”

Phoenix pushed Jake away and turned around to see Rooster and Bob standing in the middle room, mouths hung open. As Jake sensed the tension in the air, he wasn't sure whether to breathe or not. “How did this…” Bob began to question the situation but Natasha was looking at Bradley looking at her clothing, Jake’s sweatshirt, that he has seen him in enough times to recognize anywhere. He was picturing them in another situation. Anyone with a functioning brain would make the same assumption as Bradley.

“I didn’t know that you two…” Bob’s voice was drowned out as Natasha stood up and looked at the three men, currently undergoing a lot of revelations at the moment. “I’ll see you all at the base, I have to go” giving Jake a look he would later decipher was a look mixed with embarrassment and longing, Natasha practically ran out the door towards her car.

—/—/—

“Bob, stop doing that,” Natasha whispers at him.

Since arriving on base, Bradley and Bob had teamed up on standing away from Natasha and Jake and staring at them ominously. “How did this happen? I just want to know because I’m trying really difficult to gaslight myself into believing it was a fever dream.” Bradley joins in, coming behind Bob.

“It's… ugh,” she grabs his arm and drags him to the couch in the common room and Bradley follows. They sit down and pick up a book lying on the table, just in case it looked like they were planning a coup.

“You remember Jason?” she begins.

“That two-faced son of a bitch who dumped you over text after cheating on you with his co-worker? Yes, I remember him.” venom dripped from Bradley’s voice as he recalled how heartbroken Natasha was after the incident.

Many did not know about Jason. Bradley did because at the time of her breakup he was the one to bring her ice cream and watch the 90s movies just to curse the ridiculous plot. Bob did because she told him after watching how he and Maria were meant to be, telling him about her biggest heartbreak.

“So, two years ago, the night he texted me, I drove to The Hard Deck to drown myself in alcohol. Penny was there to look after me." she sighs, recalling the night. “It was late, there were not a lot of people in there. Jake was there.” Bob and Bradley looked at each other in surprise. “He was coming over to just chat I guess, but I did a shit job of hiding my tears. One thing led to another and... we slept together.”

The three stayed silent for a while, and then Bob spoke up, “He manipulated you into sleeping with him while you were drunk!”

“No, No! Bob, I had like two beers. I wasn't even drunk. Everything that happened, it was consensual.” She sat up looking at both her best friends.

“Okay, okay we get it. But today at his place…”

“I don’t know, I just looked at him and… just…” she struggled to find the right words, an explanation as to why she kissed him.

There was none.

“You like him, Nat?” Bradley asked softly, holding her arm. “I don't know.” she took her head in her hands and exhaled.

—/—/—

It was a long day. He tried on multiple occasions to talk to Natasha, but she kept ignoring him. Bradley and Bob didn’t make it any easier, giving him a blank stare the entire day. It was a miracle the entire base didn’t know about this till now.

He sits in his car, heading home to wallow in his grief alone. The wedding was tomorrow, and he had no idea if Nat would still attend with him, after everything that had happened. He hears a knock on the window of his seat, finding Javy there. The man squinted at the window, knocking again for him to slide down the glass.

“Care to give me a ride, Jake? I hitched a ride with Payback, but he bailed on me." He laughed softly.

"Get in." He opens the door so he can climb into the passenger seat. Their houses were a block apart, so on the way, they caught up on everything. In between his flu and the arrangement with Nat, he had no time to talk to his best friend from the academy. He told them about the bachelor party and how Fanboy and Payback got too drunk and sang three Justin Bieber songs on karaoke until Pete himself begged them to stop. They laughed with tears coming out of their eyes as he showed him the video he took at the party.

As Jake pulled up to the driveway of Javy’s house, he turned to look at him. Javy smiled at him and asked, "You like her, Jake?"

Jake’s smile dropped as he looked at Javy. How did he… “Oh come on man! You really thought I wouldn't know? I see the way you look at her. Like she hung the moon and stars for you.”

Jake turned red, and he couldn’t help but smile as his friend caught him red-handed.

"Just tell her before it's too late, Jake. You never know if you will get a second chance or not." With that, he gets out of his car and walks inside his house.

Jake sits in the dark for a while, sifting through the words that just fell out of Javy’s mouth.

He recalls the morning after when he smiled before opening his eyes, expecting Nat to be sleeping next to him, thinking about asking her out for coffee, or breakfast. And how devastated he was to find her absent, just a note left at his bedside written by her.

Thank you.

-N

On reaching the base, he found out she had taken a leave. When Nat returned, she had returned to how she had been, and their relationship had reverted to calling names and making fun of each other. He never asked her or told her about how he felt. He regretted that for God knows how long, and some part of him still does.

This was his second chance. And he has to take it.

Thursday

The Blue, a wedding venue in Miramar, was on a hillside just next to the ocean. It was a beautiful sunny day, the snowy clouds in the bright blue sky scattered like they would in a painting. The tent was set up for the reception, providing space for all 35 guests. The flower arch over the stage was decorated with beautiful blue and white daisies. The stage was cleaned and swept and set up with a mic for the wedding officiator. The aisle was white, with miniature plane charms hanging from each chair as the guests began to settle in them, all in awe of the atmosphere around them. Waiting for the bride and groom to arrive

The Blue was where Nick “Goose” Bradshaw tied the knot with Carole, and where Tom “Iceman” Krazansky said his vows with Sarah.

And today, it was hosting the wedding of the man who was closest to both of them. Fate was cruel to Pete for they were not here today. Nick being his best man would try to calm him by saying stuff like “It’s just five minutes Mav, and then you’ll be sipping margaritas with Penny in Hawaii” and Tom would just rile him up “Ten bucks you will cry like a baby watching her coming down the aisle” just to see what happens.

But as Pete looked in the mirror of his hotel room, wearing his black suit with a sad smile on his face, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked in the mirror at the man whose hand was on his shoulder. God, he looked so much like him. Bradley squeezed his shoulder. “They know Mav, and they are here. Both of them are.” Pete turned to give him a tight hug. It was impossible not to shed the tear he had been holding in since the dawn of the day.

—/—/—

Jake smiled at the duo, recalling how mere months ago Bradley was ready to throw hands with Pete. Now he is the one who would hand him the ring that was meant for Penny.

“Alright boys,” Pete says, wiping a tear and slapping a hand on Bradley’s shoulder, “Let’s do this.” the groomsmen got ready to walk out of the room and toward the stage.

The guests turned as the boys walked up the aisle, first Pete, and then Jake, Javy, Mickey, Bob, and Reuben behind him. They smiled and waved at people around them, some familiar faces from the base and some new. Jake looked to the officiator on the stage to discover it was none other than Hondo, their trusted 'push-up instructor' (a nickname that stuck after the dagger squad's first punishment).

The music played as everyone stood up for the bride to walk in. But it soon transitioned into “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins. In came Bradley in a crisp black suit and Amelia in a light blue frock wearing aviators, throwing flowers down the aisle while doing a whole dance routine. Everyone cheered and danced, and the boys couldn’t help but join them in the end.

Finally, Bradley and Amelia did a fist bump and took their places as the Best Man and Maid of Honor. The music changed, and Penny walked in.

He heard Pete’s breath hitch as soon as he saw Penny. She looked like an angel in the long white dress. Her dark hair was styled in a way that it was on a side. She held a bouquet of white and blue flowers, and unlike recent fashion, she wore a short translucent veil, covering her face. His gaze lingered from her to Pete, and then back again. He couldn't help wondering how two people could love each other so much, as their eyes were filled with nothing but love.

And then he saw a blur of lilac fabric right behind Penny.

Lilac.

Natasha came in view, her hair in a braided crown, holding a bouquet, and wearing that damn lilac dress. He felt warm in his chest, and the warmth slowly spread to his whole body as she neared. She was smiling at Pete, looking at how he was looking at Penny, and when her gaze turned to him, she smirked.

Jake forgot to breathe. As he took a long inhale, he realized his mouth was hanging open. His eyes found Natasha, now standing behind Penny on the stage, and she laughed at him.

Told you she mouthed.

And Jake couldn’t help but laugh himself. He now knew what Penny and Pete were feeling for each other. Because he felt the same way.

—/—/—

The opening notes of the slow song filled the air as the sun set down and the sky turned a beautiful shade of orange. Natasha took a long gulp of champagne, looking at Pete and Penny having their first dance as husband and wife.

She could describe the wedding as magical. It was magical.

Penny’s smile didn’t falter even a bit the whole day, and Pete was a blushing mess. She looked as Pete whispered something in her ear, and Penny’s jaw dropped. She hid her face in the crook of his neck as he laughed.

She has seen all her life the kind of love they shared. Her parents singing their favourite song as she sat in the backseat, her Cheerleader classmates kissing their Quarterback boyfriends after winning the game, the old couple walking down her college dorm every day holding hands, the barista from the coffee shop almost spilling the drink over herself as soon as the girl across the street came in for her order.

And now Penny and Pete.

They were true, and the cutest couple she ever came across.

She looked at the Dagger squad sitting around her, everyone lost in chatting and having a good time. Somehow Mickey and Javy had got hold of two sticks and were having a swordfight, and Callie and Neil (callsign - Omaha) were recording the whole thing on her phone, Reuben was holding on to his chair for dear life so he doesn’t fall down from laughing too hard and Maria was sitting on Bob’s lap as he rubbed circles on her back, looking at her when she was busy watching the newlyweds.

And then she found Jake, sitting next to Bradley. His hair was intact, and his blazer was open. He looked straight out of a movie. He had a soft smile etched on his face, as he looked at her.

"Bradshaw!" Amelia calls out, "I think we asked them to keep this PG.” Natasha looked behind her to see Amelia looking at Bradley and pointing toward the couple. Pete was kissing Penny and she was caressing his neck.

“Nah, I think we should let them off tonight. It’s their wedding after all,” he replied, raising his eyebrows at the girl in front of him.

She sits next to him, “so what does that make us, now that Pete and my mom are married?” Natasha now turned to the duo, looking at how the little girl was looking at Bradley with total confidence, and Bradley staring back with the same intensity. “Your adopted step-brother?” he furrows his brows as he says that.

The dagger squad sitting around him burst into laughter that instant. Amelia rolls her eyes as Bradley rubs his face with embarrassment. “I always wanted a dumbass brother. Let’s dance,” and she drags Bradley to the dance floor. Natasha watches as Bradley and Amelia dance together, and other couples join the dance floor.

“Care to dance?” Natasha looks to her side to see Jake standing by her, holding out his hand. She looks at his hand and then at his face, the smile on it. It wasn’t one of the cocky grins he did that made her blood boil, this was his genuine smile, his true self.

She takes his hand, just like he did two years ago at The Hard Deck when he took her off to somewhere she could forget the ache in her heart.

He escorted her to the dance floor, sneaking an arm around her waist and the other holding her hand. All while his gaze never wavered from hers. Natasha placed her hand on his shoulder and slowly started to sway to the music.

“How are you?” she asks him. “Great. Now that you are here," he smiles.

She laughed at the comment, scrunching up her nose. "Was that... Was that cheezy?” he asks her, heat rising to his face.

“A bit,” she says, returning her gaze to him. She wanted to remember this, him. The twinkle in his eyes, the loose tie around his neck, the texture of his grey blazer, and the small wrinkles around his eyes were adorable when he smiled for real.

Jake’s heart was beating fast, as he stared at the loose strands of Natasha's hair escaping her crown, how her dress felt under his hands, the dip of her waist, and her eyes. Oh, her eyes. He could swear that no one has ever looked at him the way she was right now.

“I wanted to say something.” Jake starts.

“Me too.”

“I am an idiot-”

“I know”

“-to not tell you this sooner. I wanted to for a long time.” He stops dancing and just looks at her.

“I-” he begins, he had so much to say.

Whenever she laughed or gave him the side eye when he annoyed her, her voice on his radio made him smile. It was her who made him feel like this, like...

Like he loved her.

But before the words passed his lips, he heard her voice, “I really like you, Jake.” And he swore he was done for right then and there.

“I really like you too, Natasha," he said, feeling giddy. Saying her name and hearing his name from her.

They smiled at each other, as Natasha gripped his hand tighter. Jake pulled her closer, their bodies flush together. They leaned toward each other in tandem, lips ghosting just inches apart as they looked each other in the eyes, and then, they kissed.

—/—/—

“I knew that was gonna happen!” Callie gasped catching Niel’s attention. They kept staring at Natasha and Jake kissing on the dance floor.

Mickey gave Reuben a confused glance and Javy nodded as he sipped his drink. Bob and Bradley looked at each other on the dance floor, smiling at the scene.

All in all, it was a happy ending for everyone.

Sequel! (Mickey Garcia x fem!Reader) || Call Out My Name

A/N - Thank you everyone for sticking with me till the end of this fic! if you liked it please let me know through the asks and the comments. Any and all requests, headcanons, and drabble requests about this AU is mostly welcome. Love y'all, Take Care!

Requests are open! Feel free to request anything.

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