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missathlete31 · 1 year

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The Way You Shake And Shiver

Summary:

Hangman gets the first air to air combat kill in three decades

He doesn't handle it well

Warning for suicidal thoughts, PTSD and a whole lot of angst

Jake Seresin is the toast of his squadron. He’s the toast of the whole damn carrier. Everywhere he goes people are slapping him on the back with congratulations and a promise of drinks as soon as they get back to shore.

He knows that soon he will be the toast of the whole Navy, once word spreads. All he ever wanted in life was to be the best, to be admired for his skill and his tenacity, to show his parents that he wasn't the kid to treat so poorly for all those years. He wanted to be the man people could be proud of, if only anyone cared enough about him to be.

He's the toast of the Navy now, yet he doesn’t feel proud. Instead he feels dead inside like the man whose life he ended.

The first air to air kill in three decades, the only active duty pilot with a confirmed kill, all these new prestigious titles to his name and Jake can't stop the nauseous feeling in his stomach every time someone brings it up.

His hands haven’t stopped shaking since it happened.

Jake has been accused of being reckless in the air many times but in reality he actually over-thinks. His entire flight is spent thinking of movements and reactions. He watches everyone and everything in the sky with him and he has an uncanny ability to interpret other pilots’ flying patterns and using it to supposition their next move.

It was how he knew exactly where the bogey was going to be.

It was also how he knew that his wingman was never going to get out of the way in time.

Jake takes the shot quickly the second he hears his wingman, call-sign Yankee, shout that the bogey has tone on him and the enemy’s first missile just misses. Hangman hits his trigger with no hesitation, before even his own brain can fully comprehend what he has just done. The next second there is a fiery wreck of an enemy jet sinking to the ground and his radio is bursting with chatter.

Jake still doesn’t know how he makes it back to the carrier without throwing up or crying.

Instead the blonde departs his plane to cheers and celebration. Dozens of bodies crowding him as they commemorate someone else dying. He is being embraced by men who have threatened to punch him in the face multiple times before when he was deemed too cocky. He is being showcased by the same squadron that has used his call-sign as a sneer against his character. His squadron leader takes his arm and throws it up in victory, when not twelve hours before that same hand had pushed him aside calling him a jackass and a wasted space.

How quickly things have changed.

Yankee comes forward, shouting something about Jake using him as bait but nobody is listening; they are too excited for something to applaud about. Jake knows that the other man is not going to let this go lightly. Yankee is a popular guy on the ship and a natural story-teller. That New York swagger is going to try to turn Jake’s achievement around and yet Hangman can’t help but be a little thankful, he doesn’t want recognition for something like this.

But for now Yankee is pushed to the sideline, Jake is front and center, and Captains and Admirals are lining up to shake the young blonde pilot’s hand.

When Admiral Fitzgerald, the highest ranking man on the ship comes forward, Jake can’t help the gulp of nerves he swallows down. “Congratulations son” the older man says as though he ended a war instead of ended a life. The Admiral moves in for his own handshake and Jake only manages a tiny nod as he feels the man’s eyes accessing him. “You made us proud today” and dear God he sounds it, Jake thinks as traitorous tears sprout. “Thank you Sir” he gets out before the Admiral leaves and Jake can escape the claustrophobia of the deck.

He’s thrown into debriefs where he watches his hands shake violently and his CO laughs about the adrenaline of the fight.

He gets checked out in medical where he watches his hands shake violently and the medics tells him that rest is his best medicine.

He heads back to his bunk where he watches his hands shake violently and he tries to sleep this day away, the day he became a murderer.

He watches his hands shake violently and he hopes in the morning everything will be better.

If only it was that simple.

Sleep doesn’t come to those that are wicked, and Jake is left wide awake with nightmares plaguing.

And still his hands shake.

The ship is days away from port and Jake doesn’t know if he will make it. He doesn’t know how he can make it. He can’t sleep without seeing the enemy’s jet go down, can’t walk the halls of the ship without one of his crewmates bringing it up to him. Yankee has embraced that Hangman is not going to be the villain in this story and now forces the blonde to answer detailed questions about the whole situation as if he knows how much his teammate is struggling. He asks what Jake was thinking as his missile launched, asks if he thinks about the rebel forces cursing his name as they bury their own, wonders aloud to him about the family wishing him dead. Yankee makes sure to bring up in front of everyone that Jake's hands always seem to be shaking, his face green most morning, and laughs with some of others about war not being for pussies.

Jake channels his entire Hangman persona and gives a quip about celebrating too hard. He laughs about the enemy's loss and says at least people are talking about him. He tells Yankee that jealousy looks good on the dark haired pilot before he retreats into his room and throws up another meal as he hates himself a little more for daring to make light of his actions.

Because Yankee is right, somewhere in the world a family has been informed their loved one is dead because of Jake. A family is broken in the worst possible way because of him. A squadron is missing a piece, a plane has never landed, a pilot has never come home, all because of Jake. Having such an impact on the world, causing this event that ripples out all around him, causes an existential crisis of mammoth proportion that seems to swallow Jake whole.

Jake’s father always told him that he would amount to nothing. He would leave no legacy, no mark on this Earth. Jake wishes his father had been right.

He doesn’t understand how the world continues, how the rest of the crew on the boat still talk and joke and go about their days. Jake feels like he is sinking in the middle of the ocean, working as hard as he can to make it to the surface only to see nothing but open water all around him. He’s lost out to sea, with only drowning to look forward to. He musters up enough strength to not draw attention to his daily struggles from the others though no one is really looking at him anyway. No one cares about Jake Seresin the person, all they care about is Hangman’s confirmed kill.

All except one person.

Jake met Natasha Trace back in flight school. She was tough and talented, two things that Jake admired. She also seemed to hate him with a passion, which only made him fall in love with her faster (he blames his messed up childhood for that). Being stationed on the same carrier together meant that Jake got to see her quite a bit. He wasn’t surprised to see she was similar to him in a lot of ways; a loner most of the time, perfectionism making more people turn away than turn towards them. If Jake was a better man he would have tried to have been the friend Phoenix needed; would have tried to win her over and become close, not that anyone could convince Natasha Trace of anything she didn’t want to do.

Unfortunately the only language Jake knows when it comes to Natasha is asshole and just like in school, most days the only words they exchange are insults and barbs. After his mission, he expected her to be the first one to shoot down the prestige that has been raining down on him from all the others, yet it seems the female pilot is avoiding him as much as she can now on their carrier. It actually takes three days after his confirmed kill for him to even see Natasha. She is in the galley throwing away the rest of her lunch when Jake walks in and their eyes meet. Suddenly Jake’s hunger is gone and he heads back out the door, pushing past other sailors who grumble about the inconvenience but let him pass.

He hears the first time she calls his name, his call-sign, formality laced in her tone, but Jake keeps walking. She hollers again, louder, more insistent, but Jake is a master at running away and he can see the corner of the hallway in sight.

“Jake” Natasha yells now, loud and annoyed and her typical attitude when it comes to the cocky blonde. He can’t pretend anymore, the crowd thinned enough that Jake has to have heard her. He turns around and offers her a smirk, “Phoenix” he drawls, as his accent tings on the last syllable.

She catches up to him quickly and the two square off. She watches him for a moment, scrutinizing like she always does with him. Her dark eyes narrow at his hooded eyes, “you look like shit,” her lack of manners is always refreshing to him except for today. He feels exposed. “Guess I went a little hard in the partying last night,” he excuses, “I don’t know if you’ve heard but I got the first active duty-“

“Oh I heard” Nat interrupts and Jake can’t find the words to describe how relieved he is to not have to say it to her. The woman in front of him takes a step closer, still accessing, still reading him better than anyone else on the whole damn ship. "I heard the day it happened" she explains further.

“No congratulations?” Jake pretends to be wounded, “I guess jealousy does that to a person.”

“I’m not jealous” she looks around them, notices that they are all alone in the hallway now, “I’m worried about you.” Her words dripped with a concern that punches him right in the gut.

It should be so easy to be nice in this situation. So easy for Jake to thank Natasha for being the closest thing he has to a friend in the Navy besides Javy Machado. So easy to tell her that she should be worried because he’s not handling this well, thank you very much. His lack of sleep, barely there appetite and constant perch of being on the cusp of a breakdown, proof of it. But he can't say all that, not to her, can't let her see the weakness that resides inside him. Instead the blonde gives another god awful smirk, “Worried that you finally have to admit I’m the superior pilot?” he goats, “I’m the best in a generation they are sayin'."

She ignores his bragging, looking down and seeing his hands, his fingers shaking. Nat’s own hands shoot forward, centimeters away from grabbing his before she stops, the invisible force of their lack of camaraderie working as a barrier. When she looks back at his face, hands still poised out from his, Jake’s breath hitches and he turns, running away like the coward he will always be.

That night, as he fails again to get any meaningful sleep, Jake shuffles his exhausted body up to the flight deck. Its pitch black out with only a skeleton crew on duty, seniority meaning that higher ranking officials are given the normal sleeping hours. Nobody even looks at him as he makes his way to the railing, his shaky hands finding purchase on the cold metallic bar.

He isn’t sure what draws him out here until he smells the salty air and a calm settles over him. Jake has spent the last few days trying to find his place in his new world but it seems that no matter how hard he tries he just can’t. He has taken a life, killed someone and his body will continue to rebel against him in every way it can until he pays his penance.

A life for a life.

The ocean around him is cold in April but nothing is colder to Jake than his own heart. He always thought he was strong for everything he had gone through growing up but now he knows the truth, Jake is weak. He is weak and he is broken, both unfixable. His only hope, his only respite, lies before him in the dark abyss of the waves.

He’s read of PTSD wreaking havoc on soldiers’ minds, the guilt of actions beyond their control crumbling their foundations until nothing is left standing. He never thought it would be him; but as he stands, prepared to meet his maker, Jake begins to understand his own diagnosis. He has spent days being praised for an action that will haunt him forever, celebrated for it even. His CO has informed him that at the end of the month he will receive a commendation for the kill, something to wear on his uniform as a stark reminder for the rest of his serving days.

Jake knows he will never be able to survive it.

He can’t survive now. Not when every day he wakes up with the weight of his actions pulling him under. The feeling of snuffing someone’s life choking him as he struggles to take a breath. The nightmare of someone’s last moments reappearing every time he dares to close his eyes. He knows that when they reach shore he will be forced to tell his actions again, to more Captains and Admirals and even other pilots. He knows that his entire career will now be defined by murder.

He can’t bear the thought of it.

It’s not an easy decision, Jake has overcome so much in his life that he thinks it is almost sad that this is what pushes him over the edge. But he is tired, so, so tired and the thought of finally finding some kind of peace and rest is enough to get him to make up his mind.

He closes his eyes and let’s his remaining senses take in this final moment. The smell of the ocean, the sounds of the waves, the tranquility at his fingertips, the end of his private war.

“Jake” a voice calls, and like a child caught out of place, Jake startles back from the railing guiltily, a blush on his cheeks in the chilly night air.

Turning, he sees Natasha walking forward; Navy issued pajamas hugging her body, her normal bun gone and her beautiful hair whipping around in the harsh wind, “Jake?” she speaks again taking another cautious step forward, as though she was moving towards a wounded animal and not a six foot grown man who has killed another.

He has killed, and yet here Phoenix comes, moving closer to him. For all her attitude and lack of charm towards him, Natasha still feels like a ray of light every time she is in his vicinity. Jake’s world feels a little less dark as he watches her come closer, his heart feels a little less dead.

He knows he doesn't deserve it.

“I think you’ve been out here long enough Jake” Natasha informs him knowingly, as though she has gathered his intention just by the few seconds she's been out here with him. Knowing Phoenix like he does, she probably has. “Time to take it back inside" she nods towards the doors.

There’s nothing in the world he would love more but he knows he can’t survive another night alone, another night of battling guilt and misery with no one on his side. He clears his throat, “I’m good,” he tells her, looking back at the water to keep himself on task. “I just need a few more minutes-“

A strong hand reaches over and pulls Jake back by his shirt. Suddenly he’s assaulted with the warm smell of vanilla as Phoenix comes between him and the railing. Her dark eyes watch him silently, seeing his broken soul as he tries to bite his lip to prevent a sob at the thought that someone has finally chosen to stand between him and danger. “It’s time to go back inside now Jake” she says again, more insistent, “you’re not finding what you need out here.”

“How do you know” he rasps, cursing the brokenness that has crept into his voice.

Her smile is sad but it still manages to warm something in his belly, “because” she tells him softly, taking a gentle hand to his chest, so close to his frozen heart, “I know the real you” she whispers, "and you don't want to do this."

He shakes his head and sniffles back a sob lodged in his throat. He can't allow her to see him like this, to see his flaws so perfectly on display, "I just need air."

Nat's face contorts, as though she feels the pain raging within him herself, and maybe she does, as she moves in closer, pushing her hand harder into his chest. "This isn't the answer" she informs, taking a moment to look behind her at the dark ocean, at Jake's plan to escape his own torment, before she turns back to him. "Whatever you think that will solve, it-" her voice breaks and Jake looks up to see her brown eyes glistening with unshed tears in the moonlight, "it won't."

"It's what I deserve."

A look of fury passes over Phoenix's face, but like a flash fire it's gone quickly. In its place she looks at Hangman with nothing but concern and care, "No it's not. You are not the monster you think you are" the woman shares with a hand rising to cup his cheek. It spurs the first feelings of calm that Hangman has felt in decades. Nat must pick up on it because she refuses to lower her hand, "I know you're struggling right now," she strokes his face gently, "I do, but I also know how strong you are-"

He leans into the touch with closed eyes, unable to stop himself when a sob ripples from his throat, “I’m not strong-“

“Yes you are” her voice is closer, and he can feel her slowly steer him back towards the ship’s doors with a hand around his back, her smaller frame making her arm barely come around his body, “you’re the strongest man I know Jake, and you’re going to get through this.”

He shakes his head, opening his green eyes to see the tears have finally fallen from her brown ones. He takes his own hand up and reaches to wipe the water away from her beautiful face. "Please don't cry for me" he begs, "I'm not worth it."

She puts her own hand on top of his, pins it against her face, “Yes you are. I can’t lose you Jake” she tells him unabashedly, “and I’m afraid I am.”

It's too much, her words and feelings too much, for someone as soiled as Jake 'Hangman' Seresin. Natasha doesn't deserve to be wasting tears on someone as evil as him. He clears his throat and confesses, the guilt too much, “I killed someone” he reminds her. He expects her to rip her hand away, to remember what he has done and show him the disdain he deserves.

Instead all he sees is more sadness from the woman in front of him.

“Yes” Natasha agrees, never one to lie or sugar coat, “you did. You did your job and something terrible happened-“

“They don’t think it’s terrible” Jake motions to the ship, “everyone is celebrating me.” He scoffs, “I’ll forever be known as the man with the air to air kill.”

She shakes her head at his words, disappointment clear though even his moroseness he knows it's not directed at him, “we both know you’re much more than that.”

“Then what am I?”

“A good man” she answers quickly, the words sharp as tacks. They pierce his heart and he feels like he’s bleeding out, but at least he’s feeling something again besides the guilt that has swallowed him whole. “Now come on” she offers a hand.

He looks at it for a moment before shaking his head, “I can’t-" he cuts off, the first snivel of emotions letting loose outloud, "I can’t sleep. I just keep thinking about w- what I did and how when I get back to shore, I'll-" he hesitates, not sure how to articulate his fears of being expected to go back to the real world and continue to live.

“Javy is already waiting” Natasha looks as though she can read his mind, “and I lined up someone to talk to."

"What?" Jake chokes wetly, the urge to see his best friend- his brother, squeezing his heart " You called Javy?"

"Of course. He's on leave so he's going to meet us both at the dock. You'll see him the minute we disembark" She gives Hangman a warm embrace, hugging tight, earning another thaw to his heart. “You’re not alone in this Jake” she promises not daunted at all by the loud sobs now rocking through the man’s body, “we’re going to help you through it. All of us. Together."

Natasha leads him back inside, the door closing behind them and the taunting of the waves outside finally leaving him. Jake is brought back to Natasha’s bunk where he is gathered into her smaller arms and wrapped with all the blankets the woman owns.

Jake feels the pulls of his exhaustion finally winning out and he closes his eyes. Just as he is about to sleep he feels a kiss on his temple. Natasha’s whisper of “sweet dreams” is the last thing he hears before he finally succumbs to his exhaustion.

And for the first time since he shot the plane down, Jake doesn't dream at all, just sleeps. In the morning he finds Natasha still next to him, her tiny body his protection from the cruelty of his own mind and memories.

Jake's hands are still.

Four years later and Jake heads back to Top Gun on a special deployment, his excitement to see Coyote the one thing keeping him grounded until he sees Natasha enter the bar. Immediately he brightens, heading over to cut her off, ignoring the two lackeys she’s managed to pick up.

It’s been awhile since he’s seen her, even longer since they got along. After Phoenix saved him on the carrier that day she kept her promise, getting him a therapist and combined with Coyote, getting him the help he needed to process his actions and continue to serve his nation like he was doing today. Once he was back in a good headspace, Jake decided to take one last gamble, decided to tell Natasha how he really felt, to confess his love for the woman and convince her to give him a chance to prove how good of a man he could be.

He drove all the way to Lemoore to meet her after a deployment, a bouquet of flowers in his hands as a welcome home, only to see her running and jumping into the arms of one Bradley Bradshaw. The two left in the mustached man's Bronco and Jake learned that while Natasha might have liked him enough to help him, she would never like him enough to love him.

His already fragile heartbroken again, Jake brought Hangman back with a vengeance. His cocky smirk became permanently attached as he berated other pilots especially Natasha when they were in the air. The woman always met his challenges with sarcasm and disappointed looks until finally she gave up, treating Hangman with the disparagement he knows he earned.

It doesn’t mean his heart doesn’t ache when she glides through the Hard Deck easily just like the planes she’s mastered.

“If it ain’t Phoenix” Jake drawls, his personality set to asshole, and his lines falling naturally from his mouth. He lugs his pool stick with him as he moves closer, “and here I thought we were special Coyote” he gripes. His best friend remains silent but observant, sidling up behind him as Phoenix stops right in front of Jake’s face with a smirk. “Turns out,” the blonde pilot plants himself on the pool table, “the invite went to anyone.”

Natasha’s face is just as assessing as it normally looks when she sees him and her eyes narrow when she knows their game is on. “Fellas” she addresses the men behind her, “this here’s Bagman-“

“Hangman” he corrects, still smiling, willing to take her banter if it keeps her eyes on him longer.

Her brown orbs roll, her annoyance obvious, “whatever” she murmurs, her head lulling up slightly. And then she goes for the jugular, “You’re looking at the only Naval Aviator on active duty with a confirmed air to air kill.” She says it with nonchalance but Jake knows she’s trying to wound him. Her words purposeful like everything she does or says. He would be lying if he said it didn't break something within him.

He can feel Javy's eyes on him but Jake plays his part, giving Phoenix a faux shy murmur of "stop" as though he welcomed her words when instead he wants to scream that he is so much more than the confirmed kill and she should know it.

She’s the one that convinced him after all.

“Mind you” and Jake’s eyes move back to Natasha’s lips as she hits him with another cheap shot, “the other guy was in a museum piece from the Korean War-“

“Cold war” Coyote jumps in, knowing that Jake won’t.

“Different War” Random lackey number one begins, “same century.”

“Not this one” Lackey number two finishes.

Coyote forces introductions but Jake’s no longer caring. His eyes still watching Natasha throughout the interaction. As the night progresses and the beers flow, Jake moves to talk to the woman but he is shot down as her attention jumps to a certain mustached man in an ugly Hawaiian shirt. Jake knows his night is over. He does his little dance with Rooster like normal, says nasty and asshole things to the others to cement his status as biggest dick on the team (and not in a good way), and then he’s sneaking out after throwing out some old timer for Penny as Rooster sings that damn song on the piano again.

As he leaves the bar he notices his hands shaking once more, the panic that he has worked so hard to quell, coming back with just a few words from the woman he loves and a reminder of the red on his ledger. He makes it back to his housing without incident, falling upon his bed and burying his face in the pillow as he tries to stifle his scream of anguish. Of all the people to bring up the kill, he never wanted it to be her. Natasha saw him that night, she saw him at his worst, and she saved his life from doing something he can’t ever bring up again.

She used his worst moment against him and though he knows he deserves it, it still stings that it was her that sunk that low with him.

She was always supposed to be better, and yet Jake ruined her like he ruins everything else.

A knock on his door startles him and Jake wishes it would be her. He wouldn’t even want an apology, just a chance to see in her eyes that she only threw out those words because he changed on her but she knows her Jake is still somewhere inside.

He can be that Jake for her.

“Dude you in there?” It’s not Natasha, but Javy, the only person left in Jake’s corner. "Hey man? You awake?" his best friends asks quietly. Jake can hear the way he is leaning up against the door and for once the blonde is thankful that he has had the foresight to lock his door. It isn't that he doesn’t want to see Javy, he just knows the man will want to try to help any way he can and Jake doesn’t deserve that. He doesn’t deserve anything good.

"Alright" Javy sighs, "I just wanted to check on you, you kinda split really quickly over there” he hesitates, clearly wanting to say more. Another hand hits his door, “I know what she said in there but you know she didn’t mean it. You guys just need to-“ Javy trails off for a moment, “it will work out” he offers instead and Jake can picture his best friend's worried frown, "Alright I guess you’re asleep already, long flight in taking its toll. If you need anything” he offers as parting words, “you know where to find me." He gives one more tap on the wood for good measure, "‘Night Jake."

Jake listens as Coyote’s footsteps head away leaving him all alone once more. He looks down at his hands, the hands that have killed; the hands that have destroyed countless people’s lives and he sees that they have begun to shake once more. The weight that took so long to free himself of is back as well, settling on his chest and drowning him with bad thoughts.

He wants to be mad at how far he has fallen back into his despair but his love for Natasha will always win out and he makes a promise to himself. He’s not sure what this mission is going to entail for them all but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s something serious; especially if they brought back all the best Top Gun has to offer. Jake steels himself, forces his mind to relax as he declares right then and there in his shitty temporary housing that no matter what is called upon for this team, he’s doing it. He is taking the spot; he is taking the shot, he is leading them all to be the best of the best, if only to protect the others and especially her from having to do what he had to. He will do anything to stop Natasha from dying inside like he has.

With his new resolve he looks back down at his lap.

His hands finally stop shaking.

#top gun maverick #glen powell #jake seresin #top gun hangman #top gun #top gun fanfiction #top gun movie #jake seresin fanfiction #monica barbaro #natasha phoenix trace #top gun phoenix #hannix #javy machado fic #javy coyote machado #greg tarzan davis

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at-thestillpoint · 5 months

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break my heart, bring it back to life aka the other half of the fwb fic top gun: maverick | phoenix/hangman | m | 10k words

“Natasha—” “Will you please stop thinking so much and just let me make out with you?” They’ve been drinking, she just dumped a douchebag’s worth of dead weight. There are a thousand reasons why this is a bad fucking idea, and yet, when he looks down at her and she meets his eyes with a sardonic lift of her eyebrows, she looks like she does during pre-flight: clear-eyed, in control, like she knows exactly what she’s doing.

#hannix #dispatches from my google docs #sometimes the fic decides it's done #and sometimes you decide you're done with the fic #remember when i was like “it'll be short!” ? that was a lie.

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beyondthesefourwalls · 1 year

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Hell Bent, Heaven Sent

Summary: Truthfully, Jake didn’t like anything that she made him feel. Annoyed. Inferior. Submissive. But she also made his heart speed up and his palms sweat and despite everything, he felt better when she was with him. Natasha Trace made him question everything about himself.

Pairing: Jake Seresin x Natasha Trace (Hannix)

Word Count: 1.9K

Warnings: Language, smut (oral, f receiving, and pv). Kind of a dom/sub dynamic with dom!Nat and a subby!Jake

Notes: Apparently, I write Hannix now. And I have to be honest...I'm not mad about it. This was so much fun. @greatszu submitted a request for my TGM Blurb Party with the following prompt: Hannix, Smut, Desk, "Fuck, harder," and the blurb ran way with me and became whatever this is, lol. I hope you like it, honey!

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Jake knew if looks could kill, he’d be dead. He could feel Phoenix’s eyes burning into the back of his head and he didn’t have to turn to look at her to know she was glaring.

He had pushed a little too far this time, and he knew it. Still, though, he wouldn’t apologize. Not until she did first.

“Do I make myself clear?”

Mav had been lecturing the two of them for upwards of twenty minutes, though Jake had drowned him out after the first five. Still, he nodded his head, replying in the affirmative. He heard it echoed from where Phoenix was sitting behind him in the otherwise empty classroom.

Giving the two of them a final look, Mav let out an impressive sigh before turning on his heel and leaving the room. The door slammed behind him and almost immediately, Phoenix was rising from her seat and stomping toward him. He cursed when her hand went to his hair, yanking his head back by the blonde strands.

“What the fuck, Nix!”

“Let’s get one thing straight, Bagman,” she hissed, and Jake felt a stirring in his khakis. “You are not better than me. And you will never, ever speak to me like that again.”

Jake’s breathing picked up at her words, each one shooting through him like a spark. He hated the effect she had on him.

He swallowed thickly, fighting to keep his voice snarky and even - defiant in the way he knew got under her skin.

“Didn’t know you were so insecure, Tracey.”

He knew the name would set her off, and he wasn’t disappointed. She tightened her grip in his hair, pulling his head further back. “I’m insecure? Funny, you were the one throwing a temper tantrum and bringing our personal life into the sky.”

He gritted his teeth, unable to deny that she was right. “You kissed him right in front of me.”

“What, you’re allowed to mess around with other girls, but I can’t? You said you didn’t want to be exclusive. I’m just following what you wanted.”

He doesn’t respond, his jaw aching from the effort of keeping his mouth shut. Phoenix scoffed from her position over him and he felt her release his hair, not bothering to be gentle; she never did, and he hated that he loved that about her.

“I don’t have time for this. I’m already late,” she told him. He looked up just in time to see an almost cruel look pass over her features. “I have a date tonight. Maybe he will talk to me with a little more respect, or be interested in something serious. Unlike you.”

Something that felt like devastation curled in his stomach. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and he didn’t like it. Truthfully, Jake didn’t like anything that she made him feel. Annoyed. Inferior. Submissive. But she also made his heart speed up and his palms sweat and despite everything, he felt better when she was with him. Natasha Trace made him question everything about himself. It was for that reason that after their first hook up, when she rocked his world, that he had said he didn’t want anything serious. He had been eating his words ever since.

Phoenix was nearing the door now, and Jake knew he couldn’t let her leave. Not like this.

“Please don’t go.” His voice was soft, barely audible, but it was loud enough that it caught her ears. She halted, whipping back around to look at him.

“Why shouldn’t I?”

The words, the truth about his feelings and his desperation for her, clawed at his throat. He wanted to confess everything to her, but he stuck with the basics for now. He would lay himself bare to her later, if she let him. “There hasn’t been anyone else. Not in a while.”

Phoenix scoffed in disbelief, folding her arms over her chest. “I saw you buy some blonde of questionable age a drink last night.”

Jake shrugged, tracing shapes into the desk in front of him. He can’t bring himself to meet her eyes in his vulnerability. “Wanted to make you jealous. Kind of backfired on me.”

He doesn’t know if it’s because she can sense how he’s struggling with his feelings, or how hard he’s trying, or maybe she just knows he’s being sincere with his words, because Phoenix doesn’t say anything at first. She lets his words sit in the air and eventually, she walks back over to him. He doesn't look at her until she hooks her finger under his chin and forces his back. He fought back a groan.

“Make me jealous, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said. She looked like she was considering him.

“You haven’t slept with anyone?”

“No. Not in a while. I tried,” he admitted. He took a deep breath, gathering what courage he could muster. He let his hands go up to settle on her hips, tugging at her belt loops, grounding himself with the feel of her. “They weren’t as good as you. Not after what we did. I couldn’t…you’re better. I only want you, Nix.”

If she read between the lines of what he was saying, she took mercy on him and didn’t say anything. Instead, she pushed her hands back into his hair. She stared at him for a long moment, so much so that Jake shifted in his seat, nervous and flustered under her intense gaze. There was a shift of tension in the air and Nat took a step back from him and back toward the door. He missed her presence and felt that emptiness immediately, but she surprised him when instead of opening it and leaving him alone, without her, she flipped the lock into place. She doesn’t meet his eyes again until she was leaning against the desk at the front of the classroom. She didn’t need to say a word; he’s on his feet and walking to her just by the way she looked at him.

He reached out to touch her but stopped when she held up a hand.

“You want to prove yourself? That you only want me?” she asked. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off with a single shake of her head and two words.

“Show me.”

Jake’s breath hitched. Nat didn’t stop him when he reached for her this time. He was quick and efficient in undoing her belt and the button and pulling down the zipper of her uniform pants. He groaned at the black lace panties he discovered when he pushed the khaki’s down her smooth, toned legs. Without a second thought he was dropping to his knees right there in the empty classroom.

He inhaled deeply as he pressed his face directly to her covered core. It had been over a week since she let him get this close to her and despite his best efforts, he had missed her. He kissed over her warmth, delighted that he could feel how damp the material was and that Nat wasn’t as unaffected by him as she presented herself to be. His mouth watered and he tugged on her underwear, pulling them down and letting them rest off to the side with her khakis and boots. He was nearly panting with how bad he wanted her.

He moaned loudly as he got his first taste of her. The initial roll of her hips into his face only raised his excitement. Phoenix raised her leg until one was draped over his shoulder, opening herself up for him further. Jake licked at her folds, nearly frenzied by her taste and scent surrounding him. He nudged her clit with his nose as he fucks her with his tongue and delights in the way she keens, knowing that, right now, it’s just for him.

“Good boy,” she praised. Jake only got harder from her words and it took all his willpower not to reach down and palm himself through his uniform, his cock aching for relief.

Her wetness coated his face and he gripped her hips tighter, holding onto her so firmly that he knew she’d most likely be left with a physical reminder of this interaction. He twirled her clit around his tongue once, twice, three times before he wrapped his lips around it, humming in the way that he knew would have her falling apart. She squeezed her thighs around his head and he knew she was almost there. He was determined to bring her pleasure, his own nothing but a fragment of an afterthought in the back of his mind. He couldn’t get enough of her. He released her clit and kept running his tongue over her, lapping as much of her up as he could. He whined when Nat pulled his head back by his once impeccably styled blonde hair.

“Take your pants off,” she instructed him, still slightly breathless from her release.

He was trembling almost as much as she was when he climbed to his feet, fighting with his belt and zipper until he’s pushing them down his legs. They caught on his boot and he nearly tripped right into her as he tried to shake them loose. He blushed when she chuckled at his fumbling movements, but he can’t let himself get too embarrassed. He’s too eager to touch her again; too eager to be close to her.

Nat turned to face away from him, the lower half of her body on full display as she leant against the desk and stuck her ass out invitingly. Jake knew better than to think her submissive display meant that she wasn’t still in charge.

Sliding into her felt like both a gift and a privilege. His whole body shuddered with pleasure as he bottomed out, and he took a moment to revel in how amazing she felt around him. She didn’t let him get away with it for long before she was pushing back into him, telling him what she wanted.

She was good at that. So good that he could do nothing but obey her.

Phoenix, his Nix, was everything he didn’t think he wanted in a woman. She was loud and brash and she beat him at almost everything. She taunted him and pushed his buttons like no one else could and truly, it would be easier to hate her. But he didn’t, far from it. She unlocked feelings in him that he found himself craving, and in return, craving her.

“Fuck,” she panted, throwing her head back and clutching at his hand that he had planted on the desk beside hers, “harder.”

“You want more?” he asked, adjusting his angle.

“Yes. Give me more, Jake. Be a good boy for me and give me more.”

The words made him shiver, a whimper escaping from his throat. He pressed harder into her and sped up the thrusts of his hips.The sound of his skin slapping against hers as he gave into her demands echoed around them.

“I’ll give you everything you want,” he promised her. “I’ll be so good for you, Nix.”

Her pussy clenched tight around him and his hips stuttered as a whimper escaped. He grasped onto his self control as much as he could, desperate to keep from coming before she did.

“Prove it,” she challenged, echoing her earlier words. Even without seeing her face, he knew she was smirking. “Make me cum, Jake. And then maybe I’ll consider you being all mine.”

-----

Masterlist

Notes: This was something. Let me know your thoughts :)

#alli writes #jake seresin x natasha trace #hangman x phoenix #hannix #jake hangman seresin #natasha phoenix trace #tgm smut #hannix smut #hannix drabble #tgm fic

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reiverreturns · 8 months

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right my darlings, im getting to the point where i need a kick up the ass to make any headway on getting my writing discipline back. since i keep flitting between three ideas and not progressing any, please tell me what i should write to break my funk. the pressure will mould me.

i am in no way shape or form gauging interest because these will all eventually get written, i just need some goddamn accountability to kickstart the engine again after [redacted] months off.

#normally i hate hate hate the idea of these kind of polls but honestly im going around in circles #and sometimes what i need is for someone else to set my direction #love and kisses to anyone who responds #or reblogs that would also help #also ik ik this is all tgm #watch me break free of my bonds with my ac pacrim AU absolutely no one asked for #reiverwrites #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #top gun fic #polls #cant believe my first poll on tumblr is this nonsense and not like rating the colour of cats noses #bobnix #sereschace #hannix #mavdad #no tagging of the mututals this is cringe enough as it is

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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.

Tag List:

@tuiccim @parkjammys @akinrawsx @asteph22 @iamthebeth @thefandomqueenuno @onlyhereforthefics @yikesdameron @savedfanfics1992 @amigaytho @hoennsficrecs @samwilson-mylove @xbuchananbarnes-deactivated @jenniweaslee @anna-phora @fluffyprettykitty @ladiesluver

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hopeless-nostalgiac · 1 month

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WIP Game...

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

@mrsmungus tagged me, but I'm not sure she knew what she was asking for. I have lots of unfinished stuff. Lots. And all my stories are categorized in their own folder, so often the fic title isn't in the file name or it's the abbreviation and the chapter/scene. But here they are!

WFG_11

NYN_Scene 2

to be wanted (by you)

Fresh Draft CMH

LIG_2 Sensitivity

Football Dilemma

Separation Anxiety

The Villa

TC2_Secret

Night Five fresh draft

Homefront

The Waiting Room

Q3_Landing

Next_part2

soft colors_hannix

Tags to play: @wanna-be-bold @pro-bee @loudlooks @indestinatus @television-overload (my brain can't remember anyone else - join in if you want!)

#tiva fanfiction #tat's writerly life #writing #hannix fic

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belowtheharddeck · 2 years

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masterlist

request are open! I'm open to write for pretty much all top gun characters :)

bradley "rooster" bradshaw

heaven in your eyes - you and rooster have toed the line between friends and something more since you first met, but one night you finally cross the line

when we're ready - after maverick and penny's wedding rooster and reader take a little time to wonder what their own wedding would be like (previously titled weddings)

pouting - “Would you write a Rooster Bradshaw imagine where he is pouty after he continually is interrupted him every time he tries to kiss his civilian wife between their friend, work, etc?

lazy mornings - a lazy Saturday morning with rooster

what happens in vegas - you and Bradley get drunkenly married in Vegas

wearing roosters hawaiian shirt while your secretly dating

the sweetest drunk - "Hi there! I saw your requests were open and I was wondering if I could request a Bradley Bradshaw x Fem! Reader (possibly wife) where they all go out and Rooster gets drunk so the reader has to take care of him and it’s super fluffy and cute."

jake "hangman" seresin x natasha "phoenix" trace

permission to kiss you - hours after the mission phoenix and hangman meet on the deck of the carrier and finally explore what's between them

javy “coyote” machado

dagger squad is surprised he has a girlfriend

#masterlist #top gun maverick #top gun x reader #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x reader #javy machado x reader #hangman x phoenix #phoenix x hangman #hannix

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sprngwillcomeagain · 6 months

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Hannix (Phoenix x Hangman, Natasha x Jake) AU: sweet nothings (they’re everything to me) update 🌟

link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44637271/chapters/112296133

(to the first 7 chapters!)

—

Hi, hello! Jen here. I’m not entirely sure who is still reading this fic but I hope someone out there is glad to know that I’m 8k words into the next chapter and I’m a little more than halfway through!

Natasha and Jake have been such a joy to write as a COUPLE (god. finally. I’ve been waiting for this moment for the whole 50k words of this fic before this chapter) and I’m reallyyyy trying to fluff things out as best I can to give you all the lovey gooey relationship affection between these two (with my usual sprinkle of angst of course)

I just wanted to give a little heads-up! It’s coming very soon. I plan to have it published by Monday (all things going well ofc) and I CANNOT WAITTTT!!

If anyone has been waiting for the next chapter since May, I thank you so much for waiting and I hope it makes you so happy.

……

Ready for a teaser?

……

"Where's everyone?" She asks. "The halls have been quiet since I got up this morning."

Jake presses a kiss against her forehead, "Maverick took them to check out this museum in town after breakfast. I know Bob and Javy wanted to host some sort of game night at Penny's tonight so they shouldn't be gone too long. Mav said they'd be back by lunch."

It goes unsaid but completely noticed that Jake had stood behind for her, and she feels warmth spread throughout her at how worried he must’ve been for her this morning just because she was so worried and anxious about talking to her parents.

Nat perks up slowly, resting a hand on his chest as she leans on her elbow. She has no reason to be anxious now, not when she thinks of their plans for the night. “Do you think they know how badly they're about to lose at Pictionary? We almost wiped the floor with them last time and I refuse to lose again.”

"I don't know about that, Nat,” Jake teased with ease, twirling one of her curls with his fingers. "Bob seemed pretty eager in dominos and Pictionary last time. He carried himself to first place and I actually would've been afraid of him if Mickey wasn't his partner."

"Mickey does make everything fun no matter what, doesn't he?" Nat agreed, dropping her arm and nuzzling back into her boyfriend's arms. She adjusts and gets comfortable again before saying the words she has been thinking of ever since she ended the call with her parents. "I feel really lucky to have you guys in my life. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Her vulnerability doesn't go unnoticed as Jake hugs her as tight as he can, pressing another kiss against her head with a hand cradling her cheek like she was one of the most precious things in the world to him.

"I feel lucky, too." He whispered to her. "I think all I feel is lucky when it comes to knowing you." A pause, "when it comes to loving you."

Nat doesn't cry but she spends a few minutes fighting the tears back before falling asleep cuddled up to the sound of the television on low and her boyfriend’s heartbeat under her ear.

—

There’s a tonnnn more where this came from. I can’t wait for you guys to see. Happy late thanksgiving!

#natasha trace x jake seresin #jake seresin #top gun maverick #phoenix x hangman #fics #natasha phoenix trace #top gun hangman #top gun phoenix #top gun movie #hannix lover #hannix au #phoenix x hangman fic #top gun maverick fics #ao3 #natasha trace x jake Seresin fics

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goddesspharo · 1 month

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fic: in heaven, lost my taste for hell Top Gun: Maverick (Jake Seresin/Natasha Trace, Natasha Trace/Bradley Bradshaw, Jake Seresin & Bradley Bradshaw)

"So Satan can ruin my wedding, but Halloween is too mainstream for him?" "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you, like, horrified about all of the devil worship half an hour ago? Suddenly, you can't wait to be a partner at Al Pacino's law firm." "It is possible to want to know what I'm in for without being thrilled that I have to go slaughter mountain goats if I don't want to explode on my way to Starbucks, Jake," Natasha says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I contain multitudes." (Or: the Ready or Not AU that no one asked for.)

#...fic: done. what has tumblr turned me into #it would not leave my head so now you get to suffer with me #sorry not sorry (slightly sorry)#time loops are so underrated #population of one on this island of extremely niche interests #top gun #ready or not #hannix #hangster #*

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annepsilvaauthor · 1 year

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Jake Seresin admiring his wife Natasha Trace Seresin at a Navy Gala 🥹❤️‍🔥

Gifs via the gorgeous @babyrooster

#i can't take this two #he says fucking wow #top gun maverick #monica barbaro #glen powell #natasha trace #jake seresin #hangman x phoenix #top gun phoenix #hangman #hannix #hannix drabble #top gun fic #hangman top gun

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missathlete31 · 1 year

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Pulled Strings

Summary: Jake Seresin is feeling stressed so he gets out his violin and begins to play. The only problem? He's not alone in the barracks today and some of his teammates are shocked to learn of his hidden talent.

This story came from the knowledge that Glen Powell was trained on the violin. Is it filled with unnecessary angst? Yes. Does it paint Hangman in a good light because it's the only way I know how to write him? Also Yes. Sorry about that.

Jake Seresin was used to stress, you didn't become one of the Navy's Top Aviators without being accustomed to it, but this mission was starting to become a bit much for even him. First it was the long suffering rivalry with Rooster. Jake didn't particularly hate Bradshaw, he just never understood him, or his proclivity to over-thinking. Sure, Hangman tended to stray a little far over the line of cocky, but he had faith in his abilities like every pilot attempting the skills they did on a daily basis should. Rooster's naivety was annoying for its sheer unsoundness. He was clearly talented, he wouldn't be where he was if he wasn't, so this faux, 'I don't know if I can go that fast or fly like Maverick' was just getting frustrating at this point.

Hangman knew he crossed a line when he brought up Rooster's father, and if he was honest with himself, he didn't even mean for it to land so wrong. He didn't mean to make it sound like he blamed Maverick, or that Nick Bradshaw's death was anything but a tragic accident. He only meant to light a fire under Rooster, to show Bradley and by extension Maverick that the mustached man was never going to be ready to fly if he didn't stop thinking and living in the past. Bradley did the team no favors, he did himself no favors, staying in his head instead of in the sky.

Since the altercation, Jake had apologized. Maverick took it with a genuine look, his eyes lost in a past that Hangman knew he was fortunate to not understand but had callously brought up anyway. It probably would have felt better if Mav had taken a swing, but the older Captain just patted Jake's shoulder and told him to go get ready for his flight later in the day.

Of course then the dark haired pilot went up to run a hop with Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote.

Jake's initial plan was to reach out to Bradley for his apology as they hung around the ready room but before he could get the words, Coyote was in G-lock and Jake's heart seemed to stop. Javy was Jake's best friend, his only real family if he was honest with himself, and the thought of losing him that day made the ramifications of this suicide mission a lot more sickeningly clear. Hangman had shakily collapsed next to the radio once Coyote finally answered but then the bird strike happened and everything seemed to get even more clouded with emotions. Jake would never survive something bad happening to Javy but he in no way thought he would feel the same way about the others, not until he kept hearing Phoenix's voice calling that they were on fire, of Bob's panicked cries that they needed to eject, of Maverick screaming they couldn't save the jet. All three voices, combining with Mav's calls for Javy to pull up, were terrifying enough to cement into Jake's nightly rote of nightmares for the time being. Another strain from an impossible mission.

Hangman went to the hospital after Phoenix and Bob were picked up like all the others but somehow, once everyone was deemed more or less in one piece, it seemed only he and Rooster remained in the waiting room, both men needing to see their teammates with their own two eyes. Jake mustered his apology there and Bradshaw, reeling from the close call of almost losing Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote in the same afternoon, had only begrudging nodded.

Things weren't fixed, they never would be, but a truce was created. And, the asshole part of Hangman also wished he could point out to some of the others who still looked at him with disappointed looks, Rooster was now flying faster and giving Jake a run for his money in terms of being wingman. Especially now that it was basically written in stone that Maverick was flying; he had demolished the course the other day after the funeral.

It was a scary concept, a foreign concept, but Jake was suddenly finding himself thinking he might not be the one flying this mission. He had the speed, that much was never in doubt, and his target locks were getting better- still not the best, but certainly no worse than the others. No, Jake's deficiency was that he had no team; the others trusted him about as far as they could throw him, and he could tell from day one that Maverick held pride in pilots that could work together, not solo showboats. Hangman had overshot his landing field in this whole predicament and it was really throwing the blond Texan off kilter.

Jake wasn't used to failure, he didn't allow for it. He didn't have to worry about facing his parent's wrath for failure anymore, that bridge collapsed and burned the day he left for the academy, but there was so much expectations Jake had placed on himself because of them, so much need to prove that he was worth the time, the effort, the love that was never given.

Yet as the hours to shipping out crept closer and closer, Hangman seemed to find his place was being filled by someone else and the looming shadow of not being good enough was getting ready to block out his sun.

Hence the stress.

His normal stress reliever was running but the typical North Island sun was hidden in rainclouds this afternoon. The team was able to have their standard lecture but hops had all been scratched, leading Jake to feel restless as he paced his small housing. Normally rain wouldn't deter a run completely for the hot shot pilot, he actually found it quite peaceful, but he doubted Maverick or Cyclone would be as accepting and the chance of a reprimand for risking illness so close to shipping out dissuaded the blond. His next thought was the gym but Jake didn't have the stomach to run into any of the others, they were on better ground but not enough that anyone went out of their way to include Hangman, except Javy of course. Coyote had texted earlier to say that he and some of the other pilots had taken the short respite the weather had afforded them to get off campus, and from the lack of noise around him, Jake assumed he was the only one left in their housing block, which offered a unique opportunity. Hangman headed over to closet, pulling out the guitar case that was one of the few personal items he allowed himself. Opening it carefully, Jake reached for not a guitar but a violin, the mismatched instrument case his attempt at not allowing others to know his hidden talent. Playing the guitar was expected from a Texan, but a violin? Not something normally entertained from a cocky Naval Aviator.

Jake took our his bow and made sure to grab some rosin, greasing it gently and properly like he was shown so many years ago. When everything was ready he brought the instrument to brace against his neck and began to play, the notes coming easily as he moved through some scales and uncomplicated melodies. Immediately, Jake's shoulders un-tensed, the power of music always calming him, and he closed his eyes and pretended he wasn't back at Top Gun and training for a deadly mission but rather back home, in Midland Texas, playing in the orchestra room with Ms. Elliot, one of his most beloved teachers, as she watched him with a pride reserved usually for parents that Jake had never experienced before.

Quickly, Jake was transitioning to harder pieces, the melancholy of both the rain and his own disappointment in his performance thus far these past few weeks making him long for sadder and more drawn out music. He naturally went to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, skipping to the second movement so he could relish in the hauntingly dramatic opening melody.

Next he switched to Bach. Jake was not normally one for changing composers so quickly but he allowed it today, his fingers just playing with no real thought, his bow slicing across the strings as he integrated the two musicians a few times as the pilot sounded out his feelings. It was emotional for the blond, his own inadequacies coming out through the notes and Jake wasn't surprised when a tear, and then two, slowly trailed down his cheeks. He didn't try to wipe them, couldn't stop now that he was so engrossed in the music anyway, until he thought he heard a knock on his door.

"Bagman!" a familiarly angry voice called, "hey Bagman!"

Jake's fingers stuttered, his bow coming across jagged and letting out a screech that made goose bumps prickle on his skin. For a moment the blond stood there unmoving, shocked at the interruption to a point he didn't really know how to proceed. His guest, however, seemed undeterred.

"BAGMAN OPEN UP!" The voice called again and Jake finally recovered enough to put his violin down. He could sense the blush rising on his cheeks, the natural embarrassment of being caught, although he knew he had nothing to be ashamed of. He felt unsettled, not liking to ever be caught unaware, and Hangman couldn't help but curse himself for not ensuring that he truly was alone on base before he started playing. Hoping he could act it off as the radio, Jake put his violin back in its case carefully, but when he recognized Phoenix's knock for a third time, because of course it had to be the fiery female pilot that loved to give him shit on a good day that caught him, he jumped and slammed the case shut.

Striding over, Jake took one last second to wipe any remnants of the tears the music caused him away before swinging open the door. He schooled his mask in place and tried to look annoyed, hoping to throw Phoenix away quickly, but he was met with not only the dark haired woman but her WSO behind as well. The addition of Bob shouldn't have been surprising, they seemed to be attached at the hip these days, but it still made Jake's haunches rise, now seemingly caught by both of them.

They were all silent for a moment before Natasha gave a long suffering sigh, "finally" she drawled.

Jake narrowed his eyes, "What?" he questioned, his tone a touch too emotional to play off his normal Hangman persona, "What do you want?"

"I want" Natasha grumbled out in clear annoyance, "for you to lower that classical music crap you're blasting. We can hear it down the whole barrack."

In what should have been a relieving moment, since Phoenix wrongfully assumed Hangman was listening to classical music and not playing it, Jake couldn't help but scoff in an indignation he didn't quite understand. His temper flashed, "right" he sneered, his trademark cold smirk growing, "can't upset precious Phoenix, god forbid someone does something she doesn't like."

Her dark eyes flashed as her nostrils flared, "Rich coming from you, but I shouldn't be surprised that you would have no decency for any of the rest of us. Thinking you own the place like you always do."

"It was just music-"

"It was loud-"

"We were trying to catch up on some sleep" Bob stepped in, playing mediator to the two high tempered pilots, "been a little difficult since the bird strike." Phoenix immediately shot her back-seater a traitorous look, no doubt hating for the man to expose a weakness so easily to Hangman of all people. Jake, however, stepped back with a shaky nod, understanding more than anyone the debilitation of night terrors. "Fine" he spoke up, curt but not mean. "I'll keep it down."

Bob looked grateful, a smile rising on his lips, "thank you" he replied back and then when his partner stayed silent, he cleared his throat. He lifted an eyebrow towards Natasha and when the woman caught it she rolled her eyes, "thank you" she murmured, before turning away and moving to go back to her own room. Bob looked to follow before his eyes caught something left on Jake's bed. "Wait?" the bespectacled man spoke up questioningly and Jake followed his gaze to see the bow he had failed to put away in his haste, "is that yours?" Bob continued.

"Yeah?" Jake couldn't stop the defensiveness in his tone, "so what?"

"You were playing before?" Bob looked weirdly delighted, his excitement making Phoenix turn back around, "you weren't listening to music, you were playing it."

"Look Baby on Board-"

But Jake's words were cut off as Natasha stalked back over, "That wasn't Bagman" she explained with all the certainty in the world, "that was a recording." She turned to her partner, "like we said before Bob, it was like a professional."

Somehow such a off-handed compliment from Phoenix of all people made Jake's stomach flip and his cheeks reddened. He held back the urge to run a anxious hand along the back of his neck. When he looked up he saw Bob's knowing stare on him, "Violin?" the WSO asked softly, smiling when he saw Hangman's small nod in return, "it was beautiful."

"Hang on" Phoenix pushed back forward, now heading into Jake's room uninvited. "That couldn't have been you, you don't have a violin."

"I do actually" the blond moved back to his guitar case, "it's here." Somehow if he kept his eyes downcast, he could ignore the burning blush of embarrassment at exposing himself like this. When Hangman undid the buckles and showed the small string instrument to the duo in front of him, Bob gave a acknowledging hum but Phoenix's brow furrowed. "So you really play?" the shock was slowly leaving Nat's tone, replaced by a lift that made Jake worry. "Yeah" he nodded, green eyes watching as the woman kneeled down next to his instrument, "I do."

"Okay" her fingers ghosted over the strings carefully, "so play us something."

"Excuse me?"

"Play us something" she looked up at him, face challenging. "If it really was you" she goaded, "you should have no problem."

Hangman rolled his eyes at the dare, "I'm not some street monkey" he reasoned.

"Are you scared?" her dark eyes were bright with mirth as she took a seat on Jake's bed as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Jake would be lying if he said it didn't send his heart into a somersault at the sight. His feelings for Phoenix had always seemed to simmer within him, but time and angry barbs between them had cauterized Hangman's hopes of anything ever happening. To see her now, sitting in his room, waiting for him to expose such a hidden and beloved part of his soul, was preposterously frightening. "Come on" Phoenix urged, though her voice lost a lot of its edge and seemed more curious. "Your audience is waiting."

As Bob moved to take his desk chair, Jake picked up his bow and sighed, relaxing his shoulders to get into position. Jake knew he could play the piece he had been working on before but something about seeing Natasha sitting there in front of him, her right foot tapping against her left in her impatience, made him think of another song. He started the first few notes, the look of recognition crossing Phoenix's face as the popular sound of Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' filled the tiny room. Jake knew Natasha had grown up in California, but something about the East Coast crooner that was Sinatra and his mantra of 'My Way' always made the blond think of the fiery female pilot. Natasha Trace was a force to be reckon with on a good day, an immoveable stone on a bad. She was unforgiving in her quest to get what she wanted and yet her drive helped encourage everyone around her to want to be at her level. She was a brilliant pilot to watch and even better to fly with, and even though Hangman left her on that first day, he only did it because he knew she could handle herself up there in the skies. Her getting in the way of his shot was an unfortunate circumstance and though Jake could have easily defended his actions and explained the situation, he knew he would always be delegated to Phoenix's enemy rather than her friend. Hangman knew his place despite how much it killed him.

As the song came to a close, Jake finally opened his eyes to see the twin looks of awe on his teammates' faces. When he put down his bow, the blond pilot prepared for the teasing but Bob began with a round of applause that Natasha joined. "That was great" the bespectacled WSO announced, "really great."

"Thank you" Hangman turned to put his instrument back down, properly this time, avoiding Phoenix's look. The woman scooted to the edge of the bed however, to watch him, "he's right" she finally spoke up, "it was great."

Jake's cheeks flushed with barely hidden pride, "told you I could play" he countered, meeting her eyes.

She smirked, her expression playful, "guess it's par for the course for a rich kid like you. Must of had a whole bunch of hobbies to impress mommy and daddy."

Jake's face fell as he thought about his childhood. Yes his family was wealthy, but they were poor in everything else that mattered: love, affection, conversations, attention. He tried to hide his shudder when he thought of his Father's reaction to him choosing to study a girly instrument instead of spending more time with a pigskin. "Yeah" he finally gasped, his face pale from unease of the memories, "something like that."

Sensing she messed up, Phoenix leaned closer, allowing a hand to catch Jake's arm, "hey" she called, until she finally managed to get him to look at her again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." He closed the buckles on the guitar case and stood up from the floor. "Alright" he clapped his hands together, "concert is over now, you guys can go and get back to your naps or something."

Natasha sighed, "Bagman-"

"I said go" he nodded towards the door, "I don't think I need to show you the way."

Bob stood first, looking a little crestfallen, "well thanks" he murmured, heading out into the hallway. He didn't wait for Natasha, which was good as the short woman still hadn't moved from Jake's bed. Hangman crossed his arms defensively, "what Phoenix?" he shot out, his tone cold.

"Nothing" she shook her head before getting to her feet. She crossed the room and headed for the door, only stopping as her fingers gripped the door frame. As though debating with herself, Natasha waited a moment, then finally turned back around to look at Jake, "I guess we aren't always what we seem right?" she asked him, their eyes meeting.

"I guess not" he replied back, not exactly knowing what she meant but understanding enough to know that it went beyond the violin.

She nodded, "See you around Bagman" she called heading after Bob.

"Sweet dreams Phoenix" he whispered back, before shutting his door. He didn't go back to playing, honest in his hope that Phoenix and also Bob were able to catch up on sleep, but he felt he didn't exactly need to. The stress and uncertainty of what this mission would bring was still there but Jake felt lighter. He could only do what he could, could only prepare as best he could and have faith that the best possible outcome would unfold. He had to, because any alternative would break the blond beyond repair.

Also here is a link to the most beautiful cover of my way on a violin. I’m obsessed with it ❤️😊

youtube

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