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In the five months since the mission and everyone returned to shore safely, the whole Dagger crew had fallen into a comfortable rhythm. With their incredible success, the Navy – along with some good words from both Cyclone and Maverick – had made them a special mission team. They were tasked to both fly and teach emerging dangerous missions that continued to pop up with the current state of international affairs.
Between the group that had flown the actual mission and those that stayed behind on the carrier, there was more than enough down time for everyone to become close friends. They often mixed up who flew with who on training and teaching sorties so that they could become the most cohesive group of naval aviators on this side of the equator. Inside jokes formed, family histories were told, relationships were mended. Mostly.
Jake and Bradley still seemed to be on each other’s bad sides regardless of the smiles shared on the carrier after Jake saved Maverick and Bradley’s asses. The tension that could be felt when the two were in a room together was so thick it could be cut with a knife, and the speed at which they argued with each other at the Hard Deck after a long, grueling day was a lot like going Mach 2. At least that was the way Bradley described it to Natasha one night when she was over at his place.
“I just don’t understand why he has to be such a fucking asshole!” Bradley shouted as he paced, running a hand through his hair, gripping it and pulling at the top.
“Bradshaw, calm down, Jesus,” Tasha said after taking a sip from her beer. She had to be used to these outbursts from Bradley and Jake by now, since she spent enough time with the both of them. “He’s probably just jealous of your flying or something.”
Bradley let out a frustrated grunt and sat back down on the couch with a huff. He was gripping his beer bottle so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Phoenix reached forward from her spot on the recliner to save the bottle from suffocation or Bradley’s hand when he inevitably broke it.
“So what happened today?” Phoenix asked him. “Did he leave you hanging again?” She was using a mocking tone, but her and Bob had been left to fend for themselves plenty of times to know it was realistic.
“No, for once he didn’t,” he sighed. Bradley opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it and just scrubbed a hand down his face. Tasha didn’t say anything, she knew she didn’t need to.
A phone chime sounded from the kitchen counter, saving Bradley from having to explain himself. He got up with the intention of checking the phone as well as grabbing himself and Tasha another beer.
“Holy shit. Tash, come here,” he called from the kitchen.
She slowly got up, knowing that it was either a warning message from Mav about a set of orders they were about to get handed tomorrow or Warlock letting them know they had a new class arriving next week. It was never anything they couldn’t handle.
When she entered the kitchen, Bradley shoved his phone in her face and a beer into her hand.
“They’re sending us to Florida,” he said.
“Oh so this was a good ‘holy shit,’” she deadpanned.
“I guess.”
Bradley was more interested in the itinerary that had been sent out along with the location. He scrolled through the details, seeing that they were heading to NAS Pensacola to do a demo of their mission that brought them together for the pilot trainees and maintenance sailors and airmen. Seemed more like a vacation than actual training. They had done nothing but fly high stakes training sorties since they got back, so flying round in thick Florida airspace sounded like a lot of fun. A nice break.
***
Two days later, half the team was at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, bags checked and ready to get some of the sun and sand down in Florida for a few days. Though they were going for an actual purpose that wasn’t vacation, they couldn’t help but feel giddy at the idea of getting out of Nevada.
Jake and Bradley had hardly spoken since a few days before, but of course they were tasked with actually flying the jets out to Pensacola. The rest of the team flying commercially had taken all their overnight bags, so the crew taking the Hornets out only had to worry about the gear they were wearing. Thankfully, Phoenix, Bob, Payback, and Fanboy were also flying jets out so they could keep the two from shooting the other out of the air. Jake already had two confirmed air-to-air kills, he didn’t need another one, especially when the guy was on his side. Militarily speaking.
Rooster, Phoenix, and Bob launched from NAS Fallon first, getting well on their cross country flight to Florida before Hangman, Payback, and Fanboy joined them about 15 miles behind. They didn’t normally talk on comms when flying together, needing to stay in the proper headspace to be able to make their decisions as quickly as possible, but on a low-threat cross country they could chit chat a little bit while between Air Traffic Controllers.
“Bob, what’s the first cocktail you’re ordering when we finally touch down?” Rooster asked, having already been asked the same question by Phoenix. “I assume something fruity?”
Bob hummed through the radio, deliberately breathing heavily to make everyone listening cringe. “I’m thinking maybe a margarita. Strawberry, but with extra lime and a sugar rim. Add an umbrella so I can get the full effect.”
Everyone laughed over the radio, but secretly they all thought it sounded delicious. At their local bar, they knew enough to not order anything with more than three ingredients, so they were all excited at the prospect of drinks they could enjoy slowly and not just to get drunk. Although, there would be plenty of that going on as well.
Hangman’s voice came crackling through their radios. “Bob, I’m going to need you to order me one of those, too, because that sounds incredibly refreshing after a day of flying with you yahoos.”
A collective groan sounded over the radio, but it was soon mixed with laughter. It would be a long flight if they couldn’t laugh at each other. They were hanging out somewhere over the midwest, turning on their targeting pods and staring down at the checkerboards of farm fields sprawling below them. It was a peaceful flight for once, no one trying to shoot them down, real or simulated.
Since they were heading east and dealing with time zones, they would be landing in Miami around 1800, just enough time to shed their gear and get changed for the bars. They didn’t have to report until 0900 the next morning, so they were all excited about getting to hit the town. Maybe do a little dancing, get a little drunk, take someone back to their hotel room if they chose to.
The rest of the flight went off without a hitch and it was about four hours later before they had finally landed, debriefed, and stowed their gear for the night. The other part of the team wouldn’t land for another couple hours, leaving the six who took the F/A-18s would have a bit of time to get a head start on them.
The group had to take two Ubers to get to the hotel the Navy had put them up in, with their small bags they were able to take on the jets and the fact that it was a Friday night, they could only manage to get small cars to pick them up. Hangman, Rooster, and Phoenix were stuck in one car together, Phoenix claiming the front seat and leaving the two men – who still hadn’t spoken much – to be smushed together in the backseat.
Tasha’s bag had claimed the middle seat, leaving Bradley and Jake to squish theirs either on their laps or between their legs. Bradley tried not to think about the way Jake’s knee was warm against his own or the way his legs were splayed outward to fit his bag between them. It’s not like he had a choice of where his legs were going, it was a fucking Ford Focus and even though Bradley had a couple inches on Jake, Jake still didn’t fit into the backseat all that well. Both men looked out their respective windows as Phoenix made small talk with the driver, deftly avoiding questions about their jobs and diverting the conversation to how long he had been driving Uber and whatnot. Bradley noticed how Jake’s jaw tightened when they hit a small bump that pushed Bradley’s knee harder into Jake’s, but was still definitely not thinking about it.
They pulled up to the hotel after what felt like an eternity to Bradley. The three jumped out, thanked their driver, and made their way inside. The three had arrived just after Bob, Payback, and Fanboy, so they checked in quickly before Phoenix shot off a text to their group message asking for room numbers. Payback and Fanboy replied with the same room number, much to the surprise of the others. On a trip like this they almost always got a room to themselves, so this caused the rest of them to wonder who their roommates would be. Not that it mattered to most of them, they were all good friends so having to share a hotel room and bathroom for a couple nights wasn’t going to change anything.
Since neither had a WSO, it wasn’t a surprise that Jake and Bradley were stuck together for this trip. It had happened once before on a short deployment to Sigonella, Italy, and they got through it only because they were on split shifts and rarely had to see each other. If they were forced to see each other, everyone was sure they would have taken each other’s heads off. How they were going to make it through these next couple of days was anyone’s guess.
Jake and Bradley followed Phoenix down the hallway to the block of rooms the Navy reserved for them. She waved goodbye with a reminder to meet in the lobby in 30 minutes, changed and ready to get hammered.
“Who would have thought Tash would be the one to facilitate the debauchery?” Jake joked, trying to lighten the mood a little bit as they trudged down a few more doors to their own room.
“Literally anyone who has spent more than 2 days with her,” Bradley shot back, double checking the key he was given with the number on the door and sliding the key through the door lock.
Jake hummed a noise indicating he agreed with Bradley and the two walked into the room. Jake was looking down at his shoe, noticing it was untied, as he crossed the threshold and was met with a wall. Well, a warm wall made up of muscle and a soft t-shirt.
“What. The. Fuck,” Bradley whispered, dropping his bag on the ground at his feet.
Once Jake had recovered from bouncing off Bradley’s back, he looked up and saw what made Bradley stop dead in his tracks. Jake’s bag dropped onto the ground next to Bradley’s, and Bradley looked over to see Jake’s mouth opened slightly as he took in the sight.
Someone had fucked up and put them in a room with only a king bed instead of two queens. Or at least a pull-out couch. Just one bed.
“Um,” Bradley started, but if he was being honest, he had no ending to that sentence and just let it trail off.
“I’ll go down and tell them to fix it, put us in another ro-” Jake said, but before he could finish he was cut off by a loud knock at the door.
Bradley picked up his bag and tossed it on the bed before going to answer the door. He opened it to a stunningly dressed Phoenix in a black top and jeans as she tapped her foot against the floor impatiently.
“Let’s get a move on, boys,” she said. “I just got a text from Halo that said they just landed, so if we want to get a head start on them we have to leave now.”
Bradley checked his watch incredulously. “You said 30 minutes, it’s barely been 10?”
“Yeah they landed early, so chop chop,” she said, turning on her heel to get back to her room so they could change.
By the time Bradley had shut the door and turned back around, Jake had changed clothes and snuck into the bathroom, leaving Bradley alone in the room with the singular bed and his own thoughts.
Before Jake could finish up in the bathroom, Bradley slipped out of his t-shirt and into a tank top and button up, followed by a pair of gray shorts. He put his hands over his face, grabbed a key and left the room after banging on the bathroom door to tell Jake he needed to hurry.
Bradley shuffled down to Phoenix’s room so they could walk down to the lobby together to wait for Jake. Payback, Fanboy, and Bob were already down there, sipping on drinks from the hotel bar so they could pregame the head start. Bradley could feel a headache coming on that he knew would make him cranky if he drank anything other than water that night.
The five of them were talking amongst themselves when Jake finally came out of the elevator, causing Bradley to suck in a breath. Jake was wearing a tight black t-shirt that showed off his shoulders and chest paired with an equally tight pair of jeans that showed off his thighs. Bradley glanced around hoping no one noticed the catch in his breath. Thankfully, it looked like no one did.
Tasha was fanning herself dramatically while Jake was met with a round of cheers from the boys as he approached. He bowed to the cheers and smiled and laughed. Bradley caught Jake’s eye for a split second and felt his stomach drop. He was met with the same look he had been getting for the past five months: a questioning look that was bordering on uninterested. He tried not to let it show on his face, but Bradley was getting discouraged with trying to make Jake his friend – or more – for once and for all. He was getting nothing in return but sarcastic comments and blank stares.
And when Jake had started to say he was going to get the front desk to switch their room so they wouldn’t have to share a bed, Bradley had almost decided to give up altogether. He hadn’t meant his “what the fuck” to be heard anywhere but his own head, but it slipped out somehow and may have royally screwed up his chance.
After everyone had finished at least one drink, they set out for a bar within walking distance of their hotel. It was easy to find one not too far away and soon everyone was a few shots deep, even Bradley. He was staying away from actual drinks for the night, and luckily no one seemed to notice as long as he partook in the shots that seemed to flow endlessly to their table. At some point the rest of the Dagger crew showed up and filled in as though they were never missing from the party. That was the beauty of their team, the seamlessness.
Bradley kept shooting glances over at Jake the whole night, occasionally locking eyes and then quickly looking away before Jake could see the blush traveling up his cheeks. The blush that was only from the alcohol and nothing else.
At one point, Bradley was distracted from his conversation about the best Thai dishes with Fritz when he heard Jake talking to Phoenix about their predicament back at the hotel. He was explaining how there was only one bed in the room, and he thought that Bradley had gone to the front desk to change it.
“I was with him the whole time, he never went to talk to them,” Bradley heard Phoenix say.
“Oh,” Jake said. Bradley couldn’t decipher the tone over the noise of the bar, more only able to read his lips. He was forced to pay attention to his conversation with Fritz once again when he was nudged in the elbow, having presumably asked a question.
“I’m sorry, what?” he asked Fritz, and he repeated the question. “Oh yeah, dude, red curry is my favorite, totally.” He paused when he saw Jake heading for the bar. “Um, sorry, I’ll be right back.”
Bradley saw Jake leaning over the bar, jeans hugging his ass nicely, and took a deep breath before going to stand next to him.
“So, do you come here often?” Bradley shouted over the din.
Jake whipped his head around to see who had sidled up next to him and Bradley was met with a soft smile. “No sir, I’m from out of town.”
“Well lucky me then,” Bradley said, turning his head to face the bartender running around behind the bar. He could see that Jake had a flush on his cheeks, very likely from the alcohol. The bartender handed Jake two bottles and a small tray with a round of shots. Jake pulled one off and handed it to Bradley before taking one into his own hand. The two threw the shots back, only exchanging a glance before Jake headed back to his seat and leaving Bradley at the bar.
Picking up two drinks for Phoenix and Fritz, Bradley walked back to their group of tables and settled in a seat next to Tasha.
“Weird to see you two not trying to shove each other’s heads into a concrete wall,” she remarked, a knowing smile forming on her lips.
“It’s the alcohol,” Bradley scoffed.
“Come on, Bradshaw, I’ve literally been watching you making eyes at him across these tables all damn night.” She paused to let Bradley look at her incredulously. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, just fuck already.”
“Excuse me?” Bradley feigned shock. The shots were hitting him a little harder than he had anticipated. “That is not going to happen.” And then after a beat. “Not tonight anyway,” he mumbled.
Phoenix laughed and said she was going to the bathroom, leaving Bradley alone at his little round table. He played with the straw in his third shirley temple – he had to save face somehow and make everyone think he was drinking along with them.
A couple hours later, the Dagger crew was headed back to the hotel after finally deciding that they should probably sleep at least a little since they had a run through of their impossible mission tomorrow. Halo and Phoenix split off to their room, Omaha and Fritz to theirs, Payback and Fanboy, and so on until only Jake and Bradley were left in the hallway. Neither of them said anything as they closed the short distance to the room that never got switched.
Bradley hesitated when putting the key in the door, attempting to think through his actions and then ultimately deciding that he was better off just shutting off his brain and going with his gut. The two walked into the room together and stopped next to each other as they stared at the bed, all of their bags thrown haphazardly across the room.
“I’m going to, um, yeah,” Jake stuttered as he walked further into the room to presumably grab his bathroom bag. He picked up the bag once he had located it and proceeded to lock himself in the bathroom.
Bradley sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh and pressed the heels of his hands into his temple in an effort to ebb the pain from his persistent headache. What the fuck? He thought. Literally what the fuck. There was one bed, it’s not like either of them had never shared a bed with another man. All they had to do was sleep. Except Bradley was now remembering that he decided to shut his brain off, so he was dealing with the part of him that was really apt to notice how attractive Jake was. Sleeping was easy, fighting his own brain was proving to be harder.
Jake came out of the bathroom a few minutes later wearing a worn out Sugarland t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. Bradley couldn’t help the grin that slowly spread across his face.
“What, Rooster?” Jake said accusingly. “Just because we’re roomies for the weekend does not mean I’m giving up my comfortable lifestyle.”
Bradley got ready for bed, and a few short minutes later, he was faced with the obstacle of having to sleep in the same bed as Jake Seresin. The man sober Bradley pretended to not be able to stand and tipsy Bradley was wildly attracted to, apparently. He took a deep breath that he hoped went unnoticed by Jake laying in the bed already.
“Ready for bed, little Roo?” Jake teased.
“Shut up, Hangy,” Bradley bit back – albeit with no malice behind it – using a name he knew Jake hated.
Jake sneered back and rolled over onto his side to face the wall. Bradley crawled into bed, trying his best to stay as far on his side as possible without falling off, and ultimately failing right away. He managed to catch himself with one leg on the ground and a fist full of sheets before he fell all the way down. Jake flipped his whole body around at the commotion.
“Damn, Bradshaw, I didn’t think you were actually drunk,” he laughed. Bradley shot him a glare and got back into bed without falling this time.
Bradley laid on his back staring at the green light of the smoke detector on the ceiling, trying to make the silence between him and Jake’s back a comfortable one. He knew there was no reason to say anything, Jake was scrolling on his phone, content to lay there, half a bed apart from Bradley, until they both fell asleep and morning eventually came. Bradley, however, was less content.
“So,” he started. “Sugarland, huh? Never would have pegged you for a Jennifer Nettles fan.”
Jake locked his phone and rolled over to face Bradley. “Says the one who knows Jennifer Nettles.” He huffed a breath, a small smile on his face. “My mom was a big fan. She took me to my first concert when I was 9, and every concert since then was with her. When Sugarland came on the scene, every time they came to Texas we went and I always got a shirt. She loved them a lot.”
“Past tense?” Bradley asked.
“Um, yeah,” Jake sighed. “She died about ten years ago now. Cancer.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Bradley said, unsure of how to comfort him, or if Jake even wanted it. Bradley was no stranger to dead parents. “My mom passed away when I was in high school.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jake echoed. “And I’m sorry for bringing up your dad in class all those months ago. I don’t know if I ever apologized for it, but I really am sorry.”
Bradley didn’t really know how to respond to the apology, so he stayed silent and stared at the ceiling.
“So I know how your dad died, but I don’t know anything else about him.” Bradley picked up the questioning tone in Jake’s voice. “If you don’t mind me prying a little,” he tacked on at the end.
“No, not at all,” Bradley began. “Yeah, so he was Maverick’s RIO and, in all honesty, I was only four when it all happened, so I don’t remember much about him. I do remember that he was always singing, though. He started me on the piano when I was really young, and my mom kept me going after he passed. I remember that he loved my mom a lot, and he loved flying almost as much. Because of that, Maverick was around my whole life, too.”
By this point Bradley had rolled onto his side to face Jake. Jake’s face seemed to be telling Bradley to keep going, so he did.
“Yes, I’ve known Maverick my whole life. He was kind of a second father to me. We had our falling out, but you know about that by now.”
“So, did Mav and your mom ever, you know, get it on after your dad died?” Jake wiggled his eyebrows.
“Ew, Seresin, no!” Bradley whisper-shouted, reaching out to shove at Jake’s shoulder. “Mav was never… interested. So to speak. There was someone else.” Bradley shut his mouth quickly, before he said more, knowing he already said too much. This part wasn’t his story to tell.
“Someone else?” Jake asked. “Is it someone we know?”
Bradley sensed Jake had an idea about who it was, they were all there at the funeral, they saw how Mav was acting the few days after.
“It was Admiral Kazansky, wasn’t it?” Jake said, answering his own question.
Bradley nodded his head as best he could while laying sideways in a bed. To get a little more comfortable, he propped his head up on his hand, elbow resting on the pillow. Jake adjusted so he was facing up toward Bradley.
“They first got together back in ‘86 when they graduated from TOPGUN. Deployments split them up here and there over the years, but they always found each other on the other side.” Bradley paused when Jake shifted his legs so their knees were touching. “They both made it a lot easier when I was figuring out some stuff about myself in high school.”
Jake had a confused look on his face that prompted Bradley to continue.
“I’m gay, Hangman. I like men,” Bradley deadpanned, internally hoping Jake wouldn’t hop out of the bed and run down the hall like his ass just got lit on fire.
“Oh,” was all Jake said. Then after a beat, “Me too. I like men, too, I mean. I’m bisexual, if you want to put a label on it.”
Again, Bradley remained silent, but this time he didn’t return his gaze to the ceiling and instead kept his eyes locked onto Jake’s. Neither of them said a word, the only sound in the room was the humming of the air conditioner unit and their even breathing. Jake’s gaze flitted away for a second – Bradley thought it was to glance at his lips, but he wasn’t that full of himself – and slowly brought his knee up farther to fit between Bradley’s.
Bradley’s arm was still slightly outstretched from when he had shoved Jake earlier and he raised it to brush a stray piece of hair from Jake’s forehead back into the rest of his normally perfectly coiffed hairdo. Jake leaned into the touch and shifted even closer to Bradley.
With the way his arm was propping up his head, Bradley could feel Jake’s soft breath against his bicep.
Fuck it, Bradley thought, and leaned forward to gently press his lips to Jake’s.
Jake tasted like mint toothpaste with a hint of whatever liquor he was drinking earlier in the evening. He seemed to melt into the kiss underneath Bradley, his hand coming up to fist into Bradley’s shirt. Bradley, in contrast, moved his hand down to rest on Jake’s waist and tighten his grip just slightly. It was a soft kiss, nothing seemed to be expected on either end, but Bradley set the pace, as Jake seemed to be content with letting him lead. Bradley rolled Jake farther onto his back and moved to hover over him slightly.
They broke apart after a while, a string of spit connecting them still. Neither man said anything but both kept their breathing relatively steady, though Bradley felt like he was gasping like a swimmer coming up for air. Jake’s eyes searched Bradley’s face, seeming unsure of what he was looking for, but before he could open his mouth to get a word in, Bradley surged forward again.
The kiss was more insistent this time. Jake’s hands were roaming around Bradley’s upper body, occasionally, he slipped a finger underneath the hem of Bradley’s t-shirt or snapped the waistband of his boxers. Bradley held himself up with a hand on either side of Jake’s head, not straddling his waist yet but working his way up to it.
Jake pulled back a second time. “Wait, Bradshaw, hang on,” he breathed.
They stared at each other for a second before Jake seemed to gather his words enough to finish his thought.
“Not tonight,” he said.
Bradley was confused. “What are you talking about?” he asked.
“I want you to fuck me,” Jake said simply. “But not tonight.” He paused and smiled when Bradley sucked in a breath.
Dramatic bitch, Bradley thought.
“I want you to fuck me, but I want you to take your time,” Jake continued. “I want to take you apart first, sucking you off and making it the best damn head you’ve ever gotten. And then I want to let you do whatever. You. Want.” He punctuated each word by leaning up to press a kiss to Bradley’s collarbone. “Take your time thinking about it, but I don’t put out on the first date,” he said with a wink.
Bradley didn’t have a damn thing to say to that, his mind was racing at the prospect of having Jake Seresin at his mercy. He wanted to see his face while he opened him up and hear what he sounded like when he finished him off.
Jake pulled Bradley down by his t-shirt one last time so he could kiss him before rolling back onto his side, back facing Bradley. Bradley scooched forward to press his chest to Jake’s back and wrapped an arm over the top of Jake’s torso, leaving the tip of his pinky finger to rest just under the waistband of Jake’s boxers. He pressed small kisses into Jake’s neck and shoulders until Jake’s breathing steadied and Bradley could tell he was asleep.
If he’s being honest, Bradley didn’t sleep that much that night.
***
“Good morning Rooster,” Phoenix said when Bradley opened the door to her incessant knocking. “Did you sleep well?”
Bradley grumbled something about not talking to him before he had coffee – and Tasha knew he wasn’t a morning person – and reached behind him to grab his go-bag with his gear and flight suit in it. Jake walked out of the bathroom at that same moment and Phoenix looked past Bradley to wave at Jake and then waggle her eyebrows at Bradley.
“Not a word from you, Tash,” Bradley said as he pointed a finger at her chest. “Nothing.”
She shrugged and turned to head back down the hall. Bradley followed closely behind her and stepped out of the stairwell. The others were waiting in the lobby so they could all stop and get coffee before heading to the base for the demo flight. Bradley heard footsteps coming up behind him quickly, but before he could turn around there was a hand grabbing his ass.
“What the—” Bradley started. Before he could finish his sentence, Jake walked past without looking at him, but Bradley could see a huge smirk on his lips.
Bradley stared after him, but eventually followed him out the door once he realized the others were watching him. He was still in a daze after last night and was bound to spend the entirety of his day thinking about how he was going to take Jake apart once they were done playing Navy pilots for the day.
It wasn’t near the first time Bradley had flown since the mission five months ago, but today was the first time he would be forced to actually re-live the mission that almost killed him. He wasn’t exactly excited but he would push through and be fine. Besides, he had a mission that didn’t involve flying once he was done. Just having Jake there, the person who was the reason he was alive, made it a lot easier for Bradley.
The ride to the base was quiet after the coffee, none of them spoke, just trying to get into the headspace for flying. It was easy to fall back into the rhythm of mission planning – especially when they had already planned and flown said mission – and being around each other was comfortable, familiar. They weren’t going to do much of any actual mission planning that day anyway; they were only going through the motions for the intelligence personnel and pilot trainees that were stationed there. Most of them didn’t get a chance to work with a full team of instructor pilots, so it was an opportunity for the Dagger crew to teach.
Bradley took his time getting his gear ready once they were finished with the teaching portion. Now came the hardest part: actually getting in the air and flying the damn thing. He was taking deep breaths in the aircrew flight equipment area as he slowly zipped up his G suit. The others had already finished getting dressed and were on their way out to the jets, but Bradley couldn’t get himself to snap those last few buttons. Through the blood racing in his ears, he didn’t hear the door open and someone walk in.
“Rooster?” a voice said behind Bradley. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
Jake grabbed Bradley by the shoulder and turned him around. Neither of them said anything, but Jake had started to take deep breaths while maintaining eye contact with Bradley and soon Bradley followed suit and began to calm down.
“It’s just training. We won’t even be flying over water. There are no real enemy aircraft,” Jake said, raising a hand to card it through Bradley’s hair. “I’ll be in the air with you every step of the way. I’m flying Maverick’s part of the mission, you know that.”
Bradley just closed his eyes and relished the feeling of Jake’s fingers in his hair as they made their way to the back of his head and lightly scratched through the short hairs there. He made a soft sound and leaned into the touch.
“Better?” Jake asked and Bradley nodded. “Okay. Let’s go show these new little officers how it’s done, yeah?”
The two of them walked from the building and out to the flight line together. The jets were all lined up, the morning sun glinting off of cockpits and causing Bradley to squint. Jake passed by Bradley, giving him a smile and his hand a squeeze before going to his own jet. Phoenix, Bob, Payback, and Fanboy were already in their jets, doing all their pre-flight checks and just about ready to go. Feeling better about the whole thing, Bradley climbed into his own and they were all in the air in no time.
Bradley had to continue his deep breathing as they got the mission underway. The people on the ground would be watching the flying feed through the Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation pods they were each carrying on their wing and listening to all the comms between each member of the flight. Bradley knew he had to keep his bearing, and hearing Jake’s voice through the radio was helping him. Not just the prospect of what he had ahead of him that night, but the fact that Jake was the one who had saved him, saved Mav, was his whole reason he was even getting to keep flying.
They finished the mission without any issues and the debrief went smoothly, Bradley able to keep any emotion out of it and wear his pilot teacher hat to show what they should have done differently and what worked well. It was easy to go through the motions with Jake by his side but he was also making it extremely difficult. Jake was a constant, warm presence; his hip was always touching Bradley’s while they were bent over a table together or his foot was tapping the side of Bradley’s while they sat through lunch with the young pilots in training as they asked Jake and Bradley questions about being at TOPGUN. It was easy to give the usual canned answers about how it was a good experience but pretty grueling training, but Bradley’s mind was on the hand that kept squeezing his thigh. He was doing his best to keep from sporting a half chub, but it wasn’t going all that well and all he wanted to do was get the hell out of his flight suit.
The whole day, Jake and Bradley had been amicable, not going for each other’s necks and not screaming at each other. Bradley could tell the rest of the team thought it was odd, but he watched as Phoenix kept whispering in everyone’s ears followed by understanding flash across their faces. He knew she wasn’t going to keep quiet, but he at least thought it would maybe take a drink or two for her to spill the beans. Not that there were any beans to spill. Nothing had happened between him and Jake, but Phoenix did know that Bradley felt some type of way about Jake and that there was only one bed in their room.
Once they were finally done for the day, the Dagger crew shed their flight suits in exchange for their going-out-clothes. The group that had flown the F/A-18s out from Nevada – Phoenix, Bob, Payback, Fanboy, Hangman, and Rooster – were flying commercial back, and the others – Halo, Fritz, Yale, Harvard, Coyote, and Omaha – would take the fighters. The commercial flight wasn’t until 1300 so they were prepared to get sufficiently drunk that night, but the others decided to go back to the hotel to sleep.
Once they arrived at the bar, Payback and Fanboy made a beeline for a pool table before getting a drink so they could secure a spot for the night. Phoenix and Bob followed suit after they snagged a drink, Phoenix throwing a quick glance over her shoulder to where Bradley was still standing at the bar with Jake.
“What’re you having?” the bartender shouted over the noise of the bar.
“I’ll have a whiskey coke and he’ll have a Shiner,” Bradley told him, earning himself a squeeze on the elbow from Jake.
“Ooh, Bradshaw, I get all tingly when you take control like that,” Jake said into his ear. “Do a little more of that tonight.”
Bradley gave him a look after he was handed the drinks that was immediately met with a gaze from Jake that said he wasn’t kidding. Bradley lowered his gaze to look pointedly at Jake’s lips which prompted Jake to dart his tongue out to wet his lips. Jake reached out his hand and took the beer from Bradley, letting his fingers linger on Bradley’s.
Someone behind them was trying to elbow their way between them on their way to the bar, so the two headed to the pool table where the other four had planted themselves.
“Seresin, that was some A plus flying today, man,” Fanboy said when they arrived. “I know why Maverick flew the mission himself, but you would have been just as good a fit.”
Jake waved him off and sipped his beer. “Pssh,” he scoffed. “Anyone could have done it.”
They were all careful not to talk about work too much outside of being there and that’s what Jake was trying to pass it off as, but they all also knew that there was no way any other pilot in the Navy could have flown that mission. Bradley just watched the interaction with muted interest, his mind was elsewhere.
Elsewhere being undressing Jake in his mind.
Tasha nudged Bradley’s elbow to get him out of his trance. “Dude, you are so gone on him,” she said.
“What? No I’m not,” he whisper-shouted back at her. “If only you knew…” he trailed off.
“I’m not going to ask you to finish that sentence because I do not want to know.” Tasha got up off her chair to take a pool cue from Payback and thrust it into Jake’s hands. She took the second one from Fanboy and re-racked the balls to start a game with Jake.
Tasha was not going easy on Jake, the whole team knew she was the best pool player out of all of them, but he was playing it off well and kept his signature megawatt smile on his face. He bent over the table to attempt to knock the thirteen ball into a corner pocket and finally made it. Bradley didn’t even try to hide his eyes staring at Jake’s ass, the pants Jake was wearing hugged it nicely.
As Jake straightened up after missing the nine ball shot, Bradley came up behind him and bent him back over.
“Here,” he started, grabbing Jake’s wrists and guiding the pool cue to point at the cue ball on the table. “If you hold it here, like this, you’ll have more control over it. Makes it easier to put some English on the ball.”
Fanboy coughed behind them and Phoenix snickered – she knew this would happen. Jake just nodded and followed along as he pushed his ass back a little bit into Bradley’s hips. He stood back up from the table and Bradley stayed flush against him.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Bradley whispered in his ear. He was sick of waiting, he flew his mission, he played naval aviator, he wanted his reward. Jake nodded quickly. “I’m going back to the hotel, I think, I’m getting a little sleepy,” he said louder for the rest of the group to hear. “Does anyone want to join me?”
“I think I’ll head back, too,” Jake said after he peeled himself from Bradley’s front side. “Tough day of flying, I need to sleep.”
Bob just shook his head. “Oh my god, you two are the worst,” he said. “Would you just get the fuck out of here already?” He sounded hostile, but he had a big smile on his face. Bradley could tell Bob knew what was coming; by the look on his face, he had helped Tasha orchestrate the whole plan.
Bradley was on a mission to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible. Jake was a few feet behind him, but keeping the pace well.
As soon as they arrived, Bradley grabbed onto Jake’s hand and pulled him into the elevator. When the door shut, he pounced. Bradley shoved Jake up against the wall, one hand threaded through Jake’s hair with the other on Jake’s hip in a bruising grip. His mouth hadn’t made its way to Jake’s yet but was latched onto the side of his neck and sure to leave a mark. Jake kept his eye on the elevator door, just to make sure they weren’t going to scar some kid when they finally opened, but worked his arms around Bradley’s middle and down to rest on the swell of his ass. As Bradley sucked particularly hard on the muscle where Jake’s shoulder meets his neck, Jake let out a whine and tightened his hands around him.
“Rooster, hey wait a second,” he started.
“You are not stopping me this time,” Bradley lifted off Jake’s neck to whine.
“I’m not stopping you, dumbass, we’re just almost at our floor.”
Bradley came out of the little horny trance he was in to compose himself enough to walk from the elevator to their room. He stayed close behind Jake the whole short walk, and as soon as the door latched behind them, he was back on Jake as if nothing had happened.
He kept Jake pressed up against the door, but this time he finally went in for a kiss. Bradley worked his way into Jake’s mouth quickly, his tongue licking its way in and winning over the space. Jake melted into the kiss like he had the night before and let himself be manhandled for a minute before seeming to remember the promise he had made.
“Listen, Bradshaw,” he panted when he pulled away. He was trying to focus but it was hard with Bradley pressing kisses down the side of his neck. “Don’t you remember what I said last night? You can fuck me, but I get you give you the best blowjob of your life, first.”
At that, Bradley stopped what he was doing and gave Jake a hungry look. It was just enough of a pause for Jake to take control and spin them around so Bradley was the one against the door and at the mercy of the man in front of him.
Jake ran his hands up and down Bradley’s upper body and slipped one hand underneath his shirt. Bradley gasped when Jake’s hand found a nipple and began to squeeze and roll the sensitive area. He let his head fall back against the door with a quiet thud as Jake started to unbutton his shirt and slip it off Bradley’s shoulders. They let it fall to the floor quietly.
Jake leaned in and replaced his hand with his mouth to suck a mark onto the skin around Bradley’s nipple, causing Bradley to let out a quiet groan.
“Come on, Roo. Let me hear you,” Jake said between kisses to his chest. Bradley sucked in a breath at the nickname normally used to mock him being used in this context. “Now you’re getting there. If this is going to be the best blow job of your life, I need to hear you to know it.”
Bradley let out a low sound from his throat as he pulled Jake up gently by his hair so he could kiss him one more time. Jake let himself be pulled and pressed himself flush against Bradley’s body. Bradley could feel how hard he was through both pairs of jeans, which were annoyingly still a factor in this situation.
Jake pulled away again, but this time he quickly sunk down to his knees and went to work on Bradley’s belt and button, all while pressing feather-light kisses to Bradley’s hip bones. In no time, Jake had Bradley’s shorts undone and worked them off his legs to toss them to the side. All that was left were the boxers.
Bradley couldn’t believe what was honestly happening. It’s not like it was a surprise, Jake told him exactly what was going to happen, but the fact that Bradley had even gone so far as to have the situation even be brought up was still beyond him. From the time he had met Jake the second time a few months ago after all those years, all he wanted was him in his bed and an unlimited amount of time to have his way with him.
His attention was brought back to the events unfolding in front of him when Jake snapped the waistband of his boxers. With a grin, Jake pulled down the boxers to let Bradley’s cock slap against his lower belly.
“God I knew you’d be perfect,” Jake said, awe prevalent in his voice. He didn’t take his eyes off Bradley for a second before he brought his hands up to grab at Bradley’s hips.
“Fuck, Hangman,” Bradley punched out through gritted teeth.
“Tell me what you need, baby,” Jake breathed on his lower abdomen, back to pressing kisses there.
“Need your mouth. Now,” Bradley said.
At that, Jake licked a stripe up the underside of Bradley’s cock, eliciting a loud groan from Bradley. Jake ran his lips down the side before giving the base a small kiss and then running his lips up the other side. He paused at the tip, looking up at Bradley with his eyes wide and pupils blown so wide they were overtaking the irises. Jake smiled at Bradley looking down at him and kept eye contact as he took all of Bradley into his mouth.
Bradley’s hands immediately came up to knot his fingers into Jake’s hair and pull. Jake groaned around Bradley’s cock, making Bradley use everything in himself to keep from thrusting his hips forward. Luckily, he didn’t have to try that hard as it seemed Jake noticed his restraint and used his grip on Bradley’s hips to gently pull them forward. Bradley got the memo and shallowly thrusted into Jake’s mouth. Jake was able to take Bradley well, letting him hit the back of his throat without gagging much.
Jake was so beautiful like this, mouth open wide and taking Bradley’s cock in and out with no struggle. The hint of tears shined at the edges of his eyes but he kept them open and locked onto Bradley’s.
“God, Seresin, you look so good like this,” Bradley breathed, taking one hand out of his hair and resting it on the side of Jake’s face. “Taking me so well. You run your mouth so much it’s no wonder you’re so good with it.”
Jake let the idea of a smile and a hint of mischief show in his eyes and pushed back against Bradley’s hips to take back control of the situation. Bradley let his head fall back against the door and let Jake pick up the pace. He brought one hand to hold onto the base of Bradley’s dick while still letting his mouth do the majority of the work. He sucked hard on his way up, letting the tip rest against his tongue when he got to the top.
“Ah, fuck, Hangman,” Bradley started as he tugged on Jake’s hair to pull him off. “Don’t wanna come yet.”
“Aye aye, lieutenant,” Jake said with a wink and a kiss to the tip of Bradley’s cock. He stood up and shed his own shirt as he did so, being the only one of the two with any clothes still on. His voice was raspy and his lips were slick with spit and precome as he leaned in to kiss Bradley. He pressed his whole body against Bradley’s while Bradley let his hands fall to Jake’s hips to slip underneath the hem of his jeans. He made quick work of the button at the top and even quicker work of pushing the jeans down Jake’s thighs to make them pool around his ankles with the boxers following suit.
“Now as much as I want to get this show on the road,” Jake said, pulling away from the kiss momentarily. “I would also like to not get fucked next to the door where anyone can hear. However, if that’s something you’d like to explore, I’d be willing to try it next time.”
How Jake could still be so mouthy while he was this close to having a dick up his ass was beyond Bradley, but he nodded anyway and dropped his hands to cup under Jake’s ass to lift him up by the thighs. Jake let out a surprised yelp but let himself be lifted and wrapped his legs around Bradley’s hips. Jake leaned in to let Bradley capture his lips in another bruising kiss. They broke apart once they reached the one bed in their hotel room – the whole reason any of this was even happening – and Bradley let Jake fall to the bed. He followed quickly after him and grabbed Jake by the wrists, pinning them above his head.
Jake let himself be pliant underneath Bradley, melting into the kiss just like he had for all the others before. Bradley ravaged his mouth, biting down on Jake’s bottom lip lightly and sucking on Jake’s tongue whenever he had the chance. Jake rolled his hips up to meet Bradley’s, whining when he didn’t get the friction he so obviously wanted.
“You told me to take my time thinking about what I wanted to do to you,” Bradley said. He was now making his way down Jake’s chest, leaving marks in his wake and letting his fingers trail down his sides. Jake’s hands stayed firmly pinned above his head even though Bradley was no longer holding them there. “And I took my time. I took all damn day while we were flying thinking about how I would take you apart piece by piece.” He punctuated each word by biting lightly on Jake’s nipple. “How beautiful your face will be when I stretch you open first with my fingers and then with my cock.”
At those words, Jake gasped and moved his hands down to Bradley’s head this time, trying to guide his mouth to where he really wanted it. Jake’s dick had been widely ignored this whole time – Jake intent on pleasing Bradley – but it wasn’t unnoticed by Bradley. He was doing everything he could to not go straight for it. He wanted to take things slowly.
“Ah ah ah,” Bradley taunted. “You keep those hands above your head. Can you do that for me, princess?”
Jake nodded and slowly moved his hands back above his head to grip the pillow that was behind him. He needed something to hold onto, and the pillow would have to do if it wasn’t going to be Bradley’s hair. Bradley continued his way down Jake’s body and left even more marks. Bradley felt something like a sense of pride knowing that they were going to fly home tomorrow and no one was going to know what was under Jake’s clothes or who put those bruises there.
Bradley got off of Jake for a split second to reach for the lube in his bag on the ground. Jake whined at his departure, but smiled once he saw what Bradley was doing.
“Came on this trip with some expectations, eh Bradshaw?” he asked, his smile growing into what could only be described as a shit-eating grin.
“Always have to be prepared, Seresin.” Bradley squeezed a large dollop onto his fingers and began to warm it up in his hands. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be, Roo,” Jake said and Bradley could see he gripped tighter onto the pillow in his hands in anticipation, contrary to the smooth tone of his voice.
Bradley breathed a small laugh and moved a hand down to tease the tight ring of muscle at Jake’s hole. He was expecting it, but he still relished the sound that came from Jake when he started to put pressure there. Jake immediately shifted his hips closer to Bradley, as if trying to make things go faster, but Bradley had something else in mind.
“Gonna take this so slow, baby,” he said, leaning down to press small kisses to Jake’s hipbones and deliberately still avoiding his cock. For now. “Gonna get you nice and ready to take me, and then I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’ll be glad you’re flying commercial tomorrow.” Bradley slid a single finger in until it reached the second knuckle. Jake’s mouth dropped open, but no sound came out.
Time to change that, Bradley thought. He pulled his finger out slowly, but as he did, he leaned down to give Jake’s cock some attention. Bradley pressed light kisses up and down the length of it as he pushed his finger back inside Jake. Jake still didn’t let out a sound, but sucked in a sharp breath. Finally, Bradley grabbed the base of Jake’s cock and took it into his mouth.
“Fuck!” Jake cried out. “Jesus, Roo, warn a guy next time.” He was panting through gritted teeth and still doing his best to keep still.
“You’re doing so good for me,” Bradley said. “Keeping still, but you’re not quite loud enough.” To punctuate that statement, Bradley gave his finger a twist inside Jake. Just as he expected, Jake let out a loud groan.
“Roo, please,” Jake whined.
“Please what?” Bradley asked, pulling off Jake’s cock with a pop.
“Need you in me now.”
“Fuck, Hangman, you’re hardly stretched,” Bradley said, but he added more lube to his fingers and added a second.
Jake cried out again and this time his hands lifted slightly from the pillow he was gripping. He put them back down quickly but thrust his hips up into Bradley’s mouth. Bradley gagged slightly, but he could take it, and he doubled down on the pleasure for Jake and swallowed around his cock while it was all the way in his mouth. At that, Jake moaned again while Bradley scissored the two fingers he had inside of Jake.
“Now, Bradley,” Jake pleaded. “Ah– fuck! I can take it.” Bradley reveled in the sound of his name – his real name – on Jake’s lips
Jake seemed to know what he could handle, so Bradley removed his fingers and sat up. Jake whined at the loss of a warm body against him, but he was immediately satisfied again when he saw Bradley rolling a condom on.
“Hurry it up,” Jake complained.
“So mouthy,” Bradley said as he lined himself up with Jake’s entrance. He teased Jake with the tip there and leaned down to kiss him and to shut him up. Bradley would never get tired of kissing Jake; he always let himself be guided by Bradley and melted into it every time. Jake knew how to use his mouth when he wasn’t talking. He licked his way into Bradley’s mouth to deepen the kiss.
Bradley could tell Jake was distracted and he knew it was his time to strike. He continued to kiss Jake, but he pushed his hips forward until he was halfway seated inside Jake. He gasped as Bradley slid in and Bradley breathed a laugh against Jake’s cheek.
“Come on, Jake, let me hear you,” he said, calling back to Jake’s comment earlier in the evening. “If this is going to be the best sex of your life, I need to hear you to know it.” He sat up a bit and grinned down at Jake.
Jake looked so beautiful below Bradley, eyes open but glazed over with pleasure, hands white-knuckling the pillow above his head, and legs spread wide to fit Bradley between them. He darted his tongue out to lick his spit-slick lips and Bradley ran his fingers down the side of Jake’s torso to finally let them come to a rest on Jake’s hips with a bruising grip.
“So beautiful, Jake,” Bradley whispered as he began to slowly move his hips. “So pretty, and I have it all to myself right now.” A blush crept up Jake’s chest and flooded onto his cheeks at being called pretty.
“Do you like being called pretty, sweetheart?” Bradley asked. “Because it’s true. I’ve never had anyone prettier.”
Jake was chanting a mantra of “please, fuck, please,” and panted in time with Bradley’s thrusts. He arched his back and pushed his hips closer to Bradley to give him a better angle.
“Fuck!” Jake shouted and Bradley assumed he had hit the sweet spot. “Roo– Ah! Right there, Bradley. Fuck, fuck, don’t stop!”
Bradley picked up the pace slightly and once he saw sweat begin to bead on Jake’s hairline, he moved his hands from their place on Jake’s hips to give the attention to his cock.
“Come on, princess,” Bradlet said as he worked his hand up and down Jake’s length. He could tell by Jake’s erratic breathing and the precome at the tip that he was close. “Come for me.”
Jake picked up his “please, fuck, please,” mantra once again before resorting to no words and just heavy breathing.
“Fuck, Bradley, I’m so close, don’t stop,” Jake panted.
Bradley himself was getting close, but he was determined to outlast Jake. He worked his hand faster to get Jake even closer to the edge; he was already right there, and just needed to be pushed over the brink. After a few more strokes in time with the thrust of Bradley’s hips, Jake finally couldn’t keep his hold on the pillow any longer.
“Come on, baby, just let it go.” Bradley caught Jake’s hand as it came flying off the pillow and stopped it before it could attempt to help Bradley finish him off. They interlocked their fingers together and Bradley kept up his steady rhythm.
Jake kept constant eye contact while his release built to the breaking point and seemed to have one last moment of clarity before tumbling down over the edge. His eyes shut tight, mouth dropping open but not letting any sound escape. He painted white stripes of come over Bradley’s hand and his own stomach, thrusting his hips down onto Bradley’s cock and then up into his hand as he chased pleasure. Jake slowed his hips and Bradley slowed his and eventually pulled out.
“Holy fucking shit, Bradley,” Jake breathed. He laid on the bed as if he was boneless, fingers still laced with Bradley’s.
Bradley brought his other hand up to Jake’s face, meaning to simply hold the side of his face, but Jake took matters into his own hand and used his free hand to guide Bradley’s to his mouth. He took Bradley’s come-covered hand and sucked two of his fingers into his mouth.
“Oh fuck, baby,” Bradley gasped. He watched his fingers disappearing into Jake’s mouth and let his breathing get heavier.
Once Jake had licked them clean, he reached out both hands to peel the condom from Bradley and tie it off to toss it into the trash bin next to the bed. He beckoned Bradley forward so he was straddling Jake’s chest while still on his knees.
Bradley wrapped a hand around his cock and went to work on finishing himself off. Jake wrapped his hands around the back of Bradley’s thighs and propped his mouth open. Bradley groaned at the sight and pumped his fist faster, wanting to reach the same release as Jake. This time it was Bradley’s turn to adopt the “please, fuck, please,” mantra and he threw his head back and reached his other hand out to tangle his fingers in Jake’s hair.
“God, Jake, fuck, Jake, Jake,” Bradley panted through his teeth and in time with his strokes
Only a few seconds later, it was his turn to cover Jake’s face with his come, most of it landing on his cheeks and lips.
Bradley scooted back and leaned down to lick the come off Jake’s face where his own tongue couldn’t reach and then moved down to Jake’s lips to kiss him. It was a messy kiss as they swapped saliva and come. Bradley pulled away after a few minutes to throw his leg back over and lay next to Jake’s side. He pressed small kisses to the side of his neck while Jake slowed his breathing.
“Okay?” Bradley asked Jake.
“Fuck, Bradley, I’m amazing,” he said with his eyes closed. “This was so much better than I expected.”
“I told you it was going to be the best sex of your life.”
Jake took a deep breath and turned his head to Bradley. “Did you mean that other thing?” he asked in a small voice.
Bradley wracked his brain for what he possibly could have said that had Jake seeming anxious to ask. He finally landed on when he called Jake his. It was something he had said in the moment, but thinking back on it, he really did mean it. He wanted to keep Jake to himself. He didn’t want to let anyone else have him, didn’t want to let him out of his sight.
“If you want it, Jake, then you’re all mine,” Bradley said, kissing the tip of Jake’s nose and stroking a hand down the side of his face. “Not just for right now.”
Jake smiled and leaned closer to Bradley to softly kiss him. Bradley started to peel himself off under the premise of getting a rag to clean them off. Jake grunted and wrapped his arms tighter around Bradley, refusing to let him up.
“I need to clean us off, Jake,” Bradley protested. “Mainly you, you’re getting sticky. It’s gross.”
Jake huffed and rolled Bradley onto his back. He started to kiss down Bradley’s neck and stopped at his collarbone.
“What about round two?” Jake asked, beginning to slowly rock his hips against Bradley’s thigh. Bradley was seriously considering it, but it was getting late and his eyelids were feeling heavy.
“As much as I want to, Seresin,” Bradley started. “I’m sleepy. And I want to get at least a little clean and pass out.” He paused to think for a second and card his fingers through Jake’s hair. “That just means we get to save it for when we get back.”
“What no more Jake?” Jake asked Bradley. “I like hearing my name coming from your mouth. It sounds so nice.”
Bradley rolled his eyes. “Fine, Jake, ” he said in return. “When we get back, I will fuck you into the matress so hard you can’t walk the next day and you’re screaming my name so your neighbors will be too embarrassed to call me anything other than Rooster.”
Jake sat up a little and stared at Bradley because of his matter-of-fact tone and started to crack a smile.
“Aye, aye, Lieutenant,” Jake said and gave him a mocking salute.