Summary: Days after the mission, The Dagger Squad has decided to stay a week with Maverick before going off to visit their own families. Though Hangman and Rooster have made up, Hangman feels as though there are still some roadblocks between them, so he takes some advice from Phoenix. (Dialogue inspired by this prompt)
Warnings: sickeningly sweet
The morning had been pretty quiet, most of the Daggers being away from Mav’s. Phoenix and Bob had gone grocery shopping for snacks and things that Mav had run low on since seemingly adopting the squad. Javy had gone to get a book from Barnes & Noble, apparently his favourite author had released a new one some time during the mission and he was only now finding the time to grab it. The rest of the squad, Jake wasn’t sure of.
Well, except for shirtless Bradley Bradshaw making eggs at Mav’s stove.
Jake awkwardly clears his throat when he enters the kitchen, and Bradley whips around, ceasing the humming he had previously been doing while stirring the eggs.
"Bet those are the crunchiest eggs ever made,” Jake quips, grabbing a piece of bacon off the island, “do you even know how to cook, Bradshaw?”
Bradley scoffs, rolling his eyes as he watches Jake chew the bacon, “I have you know, I am an excellent chef.”
“If I asked Mav would he say the same?” Jake asks, eyebrow raised.
“Why would you ask Mav?” Bradley asks, head tilted.
“I mean, he’s like your dad.” Jake laughs.
“Seresin,” Rooster grits, jaw suddenly tense, “what did I say about talking about my dad?”
Jake’s eyebrows shoot up and he stammers out an apology that seemingly falls on deaf ears. He gets up from where he had sat at the island in favour of walking to the living room, regretting the previous interaction. He shoots Phoenix a text, asking her if she has any solid advice on how to lessen the tension between himself and Rooster. She responds immediately.
Tash: Hi Hangman!! It’s Bob :)))
Tash: Phoenix is driving but she said “I’ve known Roos for a long ass time, and sometimes his panties just get in a twist, there’s nothing you can do but let him realize he’s being a baby.”
Hangman texts back, letting out a sigh.
Bagman: it’s not just this time, he kind of always assumes the worst with me, is there a way to get him to lighten up with me?
Bagman: i already feel like an ass for bringing up his dad during training
Bagman: i don’t know why, but i just need him to know that i’m trying to be better, and i care about him
Once again, almost as soon as they saw his typing bubble stop they were ready to shoot him a response.
Tash: Still Bob!
Tash: Who knew you were such a softie?
Tash: Tash said “there is one thing; he’s really ticklish. It makes him a little embarrassed, but he feels connected with people when they tickle him, it’s like a play-fighting thing.”
Bagman: tickling? tash, we are 2 adult men
Tash: She said “just trust me, Bagman.”
Jake grins to himself, and, just as he’s about to put his phone down, it pings again.
Tash: One more thing; Tash said go for his tummy last.
Bagman: gr8, will do ;)
Just as Jake goes to put his phone down again, Bradley walks into the room, placing a plate on the coffee table in front of Jake before sitting down next to him on the couch, his own plate in hand. Bradley puts his own plate down and breathes in like he’s gonna speak, but remains silent.
A minute of thick silence passes them before Bradley finally breathes in to speak again. “Jake, I,”
“No, no,” Bradley shakes his head, “no, this one’s on me.”
Bradley awkwardly fiddles with his hands, taking a minute to collect his thoughts.
“You were right when you said I’m kind of always on my high horse,” Bradley says as Jake laughs, “don’t laugh! You can be an asshole too.”
Jake grins, “I know, I know. But I’m trying not to be.”
“I know, trust me, I see that, Jake, I do,” Bradley scrambles out, putting a hand on Jake’s knee. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you, I know you didn’t mean it any way, it’s just between the comment at Top Gun and the whole thing with Mav... I was just being a little reactionary.”
Bradley goes pink, and he can’t help but break eye contact. They’re silent for another beat before Bradley finally concludes his apology, “and, well, you were right.”
“Don’t I know it and aren’t I always?” Jake says, southern twang on full display, “now, why don’t we see if this knocks you down off that high horse?”
“What do you- Jahahake, whahahahat the hehehehell?” Bradley screeches out at Jake manages to poke his ribs until he’s stuck in the corner of the couch, unable to escape Jake’s tickly fingers. “Thahahat tihihickles!”
“Uh, duh, Rooster,” Jake says with an over-exaggerated eye roll, “had to figure out some way to humble you.”
Rooster giggles, trying to flip himself over and failing hopelessly. He tries to grab for Jake’s hands, but his erratic movements are too much for Rooster’s tickle-addled reflexes. “Stahahap! Jahahake nohoho!”
“No can do, buckaroo, the doctor called for the full treatment,” Jake teases, noting how Bradley’s ears turn pink, “damn, you squirm harder than a rodeo bull.”
“ahahare youhohou- ahahare yohohou reheheally mahahaking Texhahahas refeeheherences?” Bradley laughs, arching when Jake gets a spot at the bottom of his spine.
“Best state,” Jake says, a coo on the tip of his tongue as he watches Rooster giggle himself pink, “they say everythin’s bigger there, but something tells me that your laugh is about to be the biggest of all.”
Jake’s fingers dart all the way up to Rooster’s armpits, causing the other man to squeal, shaking his head back and forth.
“Oh, you think this is bad?” Jake says, “this is only the start of my hands’ journey.”
He spiders in Bradley’s armpits before going lower, tasering his ribs. Bradley snorts whenever Jake hits a particularly bad one, squealing when he hits others. It’s like music, in a way. The cutest music that Jake’s ever heard.
Once Jakes gets bored of that, he goes down to knead Bradley’s sides, which causes the other man to scream, trying to kick his legs out, arms going everywhere. “FUHUHUCK! JAHAHAKE PLEHEHEASE!”
“Don’t worry, Roos,” Jake smiles, sincere and lacking any of his usual smugness, “we’re almost at the grande finale.”
Jake moves his hand to hover just over Rooster’s tummy, shaped like a claw and lowering menacingly every few seconds.
“No! nohoho! Jahahake dohohont!” Bradley pleads as he tries to both catch his breath and stop Jake’s hand. “I cahahan’t! Ihihi’ll dihihie!”
“You’re not gonna die, idiot,” Jake laughs, “but you might wish you did.”
Bradley’s laughter descends into silence when Jake’s hand starts to claw in circles around his belly button. He wheezes everytime he has enough air to audibly laugh, quickly descending again into silence. When Jake finally gets his belly button, tears prick from his eyes, laughter coming on loudly in bouts.
“UHUHUNCLE!” He screeches when he gets enough air to plead. Jake stops, giggling at the sight of Bradley, red-faced and smiley, trying to breathe as much air as possible.
When Bradley finally recovers, panting only slightly, he glares at Jake, “you’re evil.”
“That’s the goal, Roos, and I’m damn good at it.” Jake smiles, winking.
Rooster gets up from the couch, walking towards the kitchen.
“Where are you goin’?” Hangman asks, watching Rooster stop at the entryway.
“Just got to do somethin’, that’s all,” Bradley responds with a shrug.
“What about the food?” Hangman asks, “you’re not going to grace me with your presence?”
“Ive got a call to make,” Bradley grins, devilish and chilling, “to Javy.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Jake shouts, chasing Bradley out of the room.
How about 12 with Rooster & Hangman? I just need to see more of my himbos
12: Heatwaves by Glass Animals
Come to the ranch, Jake had said, meet my sisters, he said.
Rooster, love dumb and eager to please, had said yes, of course. He’s never been to Texas, and why wouldn’t he want to meet Jake’s family? Other than his dad, Jake’s family seemed pretty cool by the sounds of it, and of course Rooster would take the excuse to see Jake in a cowboy hat and double denim.
Yeah, Rooster had wanted to punch Hangman’s dad a few times because he had made some homophobic comments, and yeah, horses don’t smell all that great, but It had all mostly been good fun. That is, until a heatwave started four days into their trip, and then the power went out.
Jake, like the trooper he is, still went out in the heat to do the tasks his mom had asked of him, and he still went out of his way to give his nieces horseback riding lessons that had previously been on hiatus due to the mission. Rooster, however, being a California boy through and through, felt like death. He’s never dealt with crippling, humid heat like this.
When Jake gets to his childhood bedroom, Bradley is on the bed fanning himself, neck stretched so his face could be in the line of the small, battery-operated fan that Jake had picked up the day before. The power was still out and the room was slowly darkening, sun setting.
“I was just thinking of you,” Bradley says, smiling up at Jake.
“Oh really?” Jake says, sitting at Bradley’s feet, “like what you see, Bradshaw?”
“I certainly do, cowboy,” Rooster responds with a wink, “I was just thinking about how.. well,” he feigns sheepishness, “I was thinking about how someone that complains as much as you do had managed to survive in the pits of hell for so long.”
Jake lets out a surprised laugh, “you pretty-boy Californians are just too sensitive, s’all,” he drawls, “‘s not even that hot.”
“We are not,” Rooster insists, “California is plenty hot, but this is on a whole different level.”
“Just sounds like you’re sensitive to me.”
“Not true.”
“Is so.”
“Nope.”
“Oh really?” Jake grins that stupid, smug grin that gets Rooster riled up in every possible way, “if you’re not sensitive, this won’t bother you, I guess, Mr. California.”
Jake grabs one of Rooster’s ankles, putting it in a headlock and quickly spidering his fingers from Rooster’s heel to his toes. Rooster squeals before descending into panicked, giggly laughter.
“Jahahake, nohoho!”
Jake looks up at Rooster, watching his nose scrunch up as he giggles uncontrollably, “thought you weren’t sensitive, Roos.”
“Nohohot lihihike THIHIS!” Rooster’s shrieks when Hangman’s fingers start to tickle in between and underneath his toes. “NAHAHAT WHAHAT I MEHEHEANT!”
“Well, I’m no doctor, but this here looks like sensitivity to me, Brad,” Jake laughs, squeezing each of Bradley’s toes and watching as Rooster throws his head back.
“JAHAHAKE!”
“That’s my name, darlin’.”
“PLEHEHEHASE! TIHIHIHICKLES!” Rooster screeches, desperately kicking in hopes that he’ll throw Jake off.
“Fine, you big baby,” Jake giggles, letting go of Rooster’s leg and sliding up the bed, spooning his giggling boyfriend from behind.
Rooster takes a few minutes to get rid of his excess giggles, wrapping Jake’s hands in his. They lay in the quiet serenity for a moment, sun setting through the window.
