Whumptober 2022: 24. Fight, Flight, or Freeze
Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, f!reader
Word Count: 1428
TW: Angst, Arguing, Accidental Slap of Partner, Lead Up to Smut
Note: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for looking this over for me! 💕
Part One, Part Two
As Jake Seresin stuck his head out to make sure there was no one else around on the runway, he still couldn’t believe he had been selected to return to Top Gun as one of the Navy’s best pilots. He had always considered himself as one of- if not the best- active pilot on duty, yet it was nice to finally be acknowledged as such. And the only thing that made all of this even better was the fact you were here with him.
A few years ago when the two of you had met on the first day of Top Gun, Jake was instantly smitten. However, it had taken a lot of work on his part to get you to give him a chance, yet once you had, the two of you had become inseparable. Even when Top Gun was over and you had each been given different assignments halfway across the world from each other, your connection never faltered.
Now you were back where it all started and you were together. Despite the danger of the mission and despite the conflict Jake had with a few of the other pilots, he hadn’t been this happy in a long time.
Once he knew the coast was clear, he motioned for you to follow him. Giggling softly, you hurried after him as he weaved between the planes parked on the tarmac. “Jake, what are we doing out here?”
“You said you wanted to watch the sunset together and this is the best spot on base to do that, now hurry up!” He continued on until he made it past your plane parked on the end of the line. Then he turned to watch as you scurried after him. “Come on, Zipper! Move that ass! I know you’re slow in the air but I thought you would at least be a little faster on land!”
When you finally caught up, you playfully shoved him. “You’re a real jackass, do you know that?”
But as Jake stumbled back, he grabbed your hand with a smile and drew you flush against his chest. “Yeah, but I’m your jackass.”
“Yeah, you are,” you murmured, wrapping your arms tightly around him.
Jake bent his head down to nuzzle your neck. “So, Zips,” he muttered as his lips traced the curve of your jaw. “I might have brought you out here for another reason besides just the sunset. Have you ever done it in the cockpit of your plane?”
You chuckled softly as you whispered, “Loads of times.” Your smile broadened at the surprised expression on his face. “What? Did you think you were the only adventurous one?”
“No, I just…. I don’t know.” He blinked rapidly as he tried to readjust his seduction plan. “I just wasn’t expecting that answer.”
You shrugged. “Every pilot does it at one point or another. It’s like a right of passage. However…” You ran your hands up his chest until you reached the zipper at the top of his flight suit. Then as you stared deeply into his eyes, you began to slowly lower it. “Have you ever done it on the wings? It requires perfect balance, perfect coordination between partners. It’s a thrill very few can say they’ve shared.” You had finished unzipping the suit to his hips and had placed your hands on his chest again to slide the suit off his broad shoulders, but he grabbed your hands before you could.
You looked up at him, your brow scrunched in confusion. Jake reached out and ran his hand down the side of your face before tenderly cupping it in his grasp. Pulling you in close, he paused when your lips were just centimeters from his. Then, in a voice that was dripping in lust and longing, he whispered for the first time, “I love you.”
A smile slowly spread across your face as you whispered back, “I love you too.” And then your lips were on his.
As the two of you devoured one another, Jake’s hands slid your jacket from your shoulders as yours returned to his flight suit. Slowly and without pausing your frenzied embrace, you began pushing Jake backward until his shoulders collided with the side of your plane. As he let out a soft grunt of surprise, you tugged on his bottom lip with your teeth as you pulled away. Then with a wink, you pulled off your shirt and pants, leaving you standing in nothing but your undergarments.
As Jake marveled at the sight before him, you grinned and nodded toward the plane. “Give me a boost. Then we’ll have some real fun.”
The next week was far more intensive than any of the recruits imagined it would be. The Top Gun instructor, Maverick, was living up to his reputation of being one of the most reckless and innovative pilots any of you had ever seen. It seemed at first that no one stood a chance at beating him. Yet, slowly but surely, the team was improving and a few squad members (Zipper and Jake included) had even managed to get Mav out a few times during practice.
However, as time went on, the tension among some of the team began to grow. The fact that only a handful of you would actually be chosen for this mission hung like a dark cloud over the group and sooner or later, everyone knew that cloud was going to burst.
Jake hadn’t been digging for dirt necessarily, but when he stumbled upon the old photo of Maverick and a man named Bradshaw who looked eerily similar to Rooster, all the pieces fell into place. He did a little more research and found out what had happened all those years ago. It was just what he needed to knock Rooster off his high-and-mighty perch.
And before long, he had the perfect opportunity to use his information. Maverick was chewing out the entire squad for failing today’s exercise. Most people just took his criticisms and comments, but not Rooster. He refused to back down and shot his own remarks right back at Maverick until it came to a head. And that’s when Jake saw his chance.
"That's no time to be thinking about the past." Jake shot Rooster a pointed glance.
The other pilot stared back at him darkly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I can't be the only one that knows that Maverick flew with his old man.” Jake watched both Rooster and Maverick’s faces go white as they realized what he was talking about.
You grabbed his thigh and squeezed it hard, sending him a warning. “Jake, don’t.”
But Jake had finally found his way to knock Rooster off his high horse and he wasn’t going to pass it up. So, he ignored your pleas and continued, “Or that Maverick was flying when his old man-"
Rooster leaped to his feet and dove at Jake. "You son of a bitch."
Jake was on his feet in seconds, fully intent on fighting back, of finally getting to take his frustrations out on Rooster, but all the other recruits also swarmed around them, quickly trying to separate the two men.
Everyone was yelling and pulling at him, the voices blending into a single cacophony of noise. However, your voice stood out as Jake struggled against the hands trying to hold him back.
“Hey! Stop it! Jake! Stop! I said stop!” You grabbed his arm as you tried to drag him away from Rooster, but Jake spun towards you at the same moment causing him to strike you across the face.
The room went silent as you stumbled back from the force of his hit and you clutched your cheek. Everyone, including Rooster and Maverick, froze as they stared at you and Jake. Jake’s eyes grew wide as he realized what he had done and he took a few hesitant steps toward you with his arms outstretched, “Zips, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-”
You swatted his hands away as you glared back at him, your face a mask of fury tinged with a slight edge of pain. “Get away from me, you asshole.”
“Zipper, come on. Please, I d-”
You shoved him away harder as you grabbed your stuff and hissed, “Don’t follow me.”
Then you pushed past him, your shoulder driving into his arm. As you reached Rooster, you gently took his hand and nodded towards the door. He nodded back and allowed you to lead him out, neither one of you looking back even as Jake continued to beg for your forgiveness.
When he had slunk back to your shared quarters a few hours later, Jake found you sitting on the couch with an ice pack on your cheek. You had just shot him a dirty look before muttering, “We’ll talk about this in the morning once we’ve both had a chance to calm down.” But now it was morning and neither one of you seemed any calmer.
As he walked into the kitchen, he saw you sitting at the table, a faint bruise standing out like a brand on your cheek. Jake slowly eased himself into the chair across from you, his eyes downcast under the intensity of your gaze. “Zips, I am so sorry. I didn’t know you were there and I just whirled around. I would never lay a hand on you like that. You’ve got to believe me.”
You sighed angrily. “Jake, I don’t care that you hit me. I know that was an accident and you would never purposely hurt me. What I do care about is that you did that to Rooster in front of everyone. Hell, you also dragged Maverick into it! What the fuck were you thinking? You don’t rub a guy’s dead father in his face and expect to come out looking like the good guy.”
“I was just telling the truth! And honestly, it explains a lot about Rooster as a pilot. He’s always so hesitant and overly cautious, but now everyone knows why.”
“Did you ever think that if he wanted everyone to know about his dad he would have mentioned it a long time ago? You had to know that this wasn’t okay. What were you hoping to get out of this? That Maverick forgot what happened to his RIO and how it might affect Rooster and now that you reminded him, he would just decide to make you team leader? Did you even think about what would happen after you shared what you knew? Or were you so focused on sticking it to Rooster that you didn’t think that far ahead?”
Jake hesitated. “I mean…. No… but everyone deserved to know!”
“Why? What does this change, huh? Except now I’m pretty sure Maverick will never pick you as team leader. Because a leader sure as hell wouldn’t have done that to a team member.”
“Well, who else is he going to pick? You?” Jake scoffed but then froze as he realized what he had said.
You went perfectly still, staring at him with a look of hurt betrayal on your face as you whispered, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I just meant… Come on, babe, don’t make me say it,” Jake sighed.
“Say what?”
Jake squeezed his eyes together tightly, preparing for the fallout of what he was about to say next but then he opened them to stare directly into your eyes. “Maverick’s gonna pick the best pilot for the mission, regardless of if he likes them or not. And, I’m sorry, but that’s just not you.”
For a moment, your mouth dropped in utter disbelief. But then, all the pain and all the shock shifted into rage as you yelled, “I can’t believe you!”
“It’s not like what I said was wrong. Sure, it might not have been very nice, but do you honestly think you’re a better pilot than I am?”
“As a matter of fact, I fucking do! It’s not always about being the fastest or the smartest. It’s about being fast, being smart, and being reliable, Hangman. All my times are close to if not equal to yours. And I’ve managed to outmaneuver Maverick in practice just like you have. But I have never left my wingman to fend for themself in order for me to claim my victory. Can you say the same?”
His jaw clenched at your mocking, accusatory tone. You never called him Hangman unless in a professional setting and the way you threw his callsign at him now felt like a low blow. But before he could fire back a response, you continued your rant. “You give Rooster such a hard time about being too cautious or playing it too safe, but at least I know when I’m up in the air that he has my back. I can’t always say the same for you.”
Jake felt like you had just slapped him in the face. “So, what are you saying? That you would rather have Rooster as your wingman than me?”
A sudden silence filled the room, his unanswered question hanging in the air. Jake knew you wouldn’t lie just to hurt him nor to save his feelings so whatever you said next would be how you truly felt. And as he waited with bated breath for your answer, you stared down at the floor. But then, you raised your gaze until it was level with his and said bluntly, “Yes. In a real-world situation, outside of training, then yes. I would rather have Rooster covering my tail because I know he’ll always be there.”
Your words cut Jake down to his very core. He knew he could be a self-centered flier, but you really didn’t trust him to have your back? Yours? It was too much to take.
Jumping to his feet, Jake said, “I’m leaving.”
You stared at him incredulously. “Where the hell are you going to go? You’re scheduled to fly today and have to be on the tarmac in less than an hour!”
“It doesn’t matter. And I don’t care what you tell them, but I earned a day pass for winning that bet the other day against Hondo and I’m using it.” He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and stalked over to the door.
You took a few steps after him. “Jake, come on. You’re really doing this? We’re having a fight about you not having my back, about you not being there, and you’re leaving?”
Jake grabbed the door handle but then turned to look at you over his shoulder. “Apparently, that’s what I do. I guess you shouldn’t be surprised.” And then he yanked the door open and stormed out, heading towards the exit of the base.
I’m in an arguing mood and i wanna fight chris over stupid shit until he fucks the shit outta me. “Why didn’t you take the trash out already?” “Why is there a dish in my sink??” “Why is the towel wet and on the floor???”
Ooh mood!
Eventually you end up naked and he doesn’t even fully have his sweats off, just pushed down to his thighs and he’s finally pushed into you, slowly sliding every inch of himself in and he says
“aww where’d all that talk go, I finally got you to shut up, sweetheart. is that what it takes, for me to stuff you full of my dick, fuck you stupid? that’s what you wanted though huh?”
and you’re only able to nod and whimper at him as he bottoms out
you feel that delicious pressure bloom over your tummy and you’re just clinging to him, blinking up at him trying to spit something back at him but you can’t
he’s right though, it’s exactly what you wanted to happen and you’re very happy with the outcome
What Lily managed to keep well hidden from her beloved network was her temper. She always went after her husband and sons for the smallest things, and the manor was often filled with her ranting and raging. Maurice, a defensive man, was not one to take it or to let his sons be berated, so his and Lily’s disagreements always escalated into heated arguments.
But they never stayed angry for too long, and they had ways of making it up to each other; after all, five sons didn’t come out of nowhere.
