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Needless to say, after the insanity at the airshow everyone is a little amped. With a combination of wanting to celebrate their win and needing to wind down from the leftover adrenaline, there’s nothing for it except to meet up at one of the local bars for a drink.
Mahoney, Tackleberry, and Jones are seated at the bar. The three of them are in the middle of recounting the scene of Lieutenant Harris getting fished out of the river. Jones perfectly mimics the sound of air bubbles rising to the surface before popping and everyone laughs.
Mahoney’s eyes land on something behind Tackleberry’s back and his face turns serious. “Uh oh, Tack.”
Tackleberry frowns. “What?” Before he can turn around to see what Mahoney is looking at, a familiar voice says his name and Tackleberry stiffens. “Mahoney-“
Mahoney claps Tackleberry on the back and slides off his stool, motioning for Jones to follow. “Good luck with that Tack. We’ll catch you later.”
Tackleberry manages to get one question out before they slip away. “Does she look mad?”
Mahoney glances at you briefly before making a face. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
In the next breath, you’re suddenly standing in front of Tackleberry with your hands on your hips.
Tackleberry offers you a tentative smile.
“You jumped out of a goddamn plane?!”
He winces. “Affirmative.”
“You didn’t even have a parachute!” You catch his surprised look. “That’s right- Hooks told me all about it. What kind of Looney Tunes shit is that? What if you had fallen and broken your neck? Then what?”
Tackleberry shrugs. “It was the only way to apprehend the criminals, and I have undergone training on potentially risky criminal apprehension maneuvers.”
That honestly doesn’t surprise you- Tackleberry is constantly seeking out training and further learning opportunities relevant to his job. You may not always fully understand how passionate Tackleberry is about certain things like guns and tactical maneuvers, but you admire his tenacity and how eager he is to learn.
Tackleberry touches your arm. “My job always comes with a certain level of risk- you know that.”
You sigh. “I know. I just worry about you and I needed to let myself freak out a little.” You’ll wait until the two of you are back home to start working on making him promise to at least make sure he has a parachute before doing something like that again.
Tackleberry wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you into his side.
You rest your head on his shoulder. “I’m glad I wasn’t there because I probably would have had a heart attack, but I am sorry that I missed seeing you in that leather flight jacket.”
Just how much information did Hooks give you? Tackleberry wonders.
“Well, they did let me keep the jacket…” Tackleberry gives you a look that somehow managed to be both coy and knowing. “I’ve got it in the trunk of my patrol car.”
You go still for a moment, imagining. That jacket paired with his tight patrol pants that hug his ass perfectly… “Buy me a drink and then put the jacket on or me when we get home and I’ll consider forgiving you. Deal?”
Tackleberry grins. “Affirmative.”