Chapter Text
“This is how I find out you’re stateside, Bradshaw,” Phoenix pulled the man down into a hug. Jake felt his breath catch as he heard the name of the man he’d been trying to avoid for the better part of two months. But the fates clearly were not on his side.
Jake took a deep breath, settling a cocky smile on his face and it nearly slipped right off. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw was still breathtakingly handsome. With his dark chocolate curls pushed over into soft waves, wire frame sunglasses covering honey brown eyes that Jake had committed to memory, and that small 70’s mustache that only seemed to work for him. Jake couldn’t help but roam his eyes over the tall man with a muscular build that definitely wasn’t hidden by the hideous Hawaiian shirt that was opened over a tank top.
“Bradshaw as I live and breathe,” Jake said, needing to be in control and act as if nothing existed between them. Well, technically nothing did or had. For the most part. He’d made sure of that.
Bradley pulled the sunglasses from his face revealing those intense eyes. He slowly folded them, his eyes raking over Jake as he hung them off his tank top. Jake fought the breath that caught in his chest, instead he dug the toothpick out of his pocket slipping it between his teeth as he pulled his mouth into a smile full of teeth as he bit the toothpick.
“Hangman, you look,” Rooster finally answered, his voice seeming even deeper, “ good.”
He wanted to run or possibly melt, by the way his insides felt it was probably going to be the latter. He needed to show Rooster he didn’t affect him. Jake pulled the pool stick out of Bob’s hand where he was leaning over to take a shot.
“Well, I am good, Rooster,” Jake responded, bending over and if anyone asked, no he didn’t arch his back to make his ass stick out more “I’m very good. In fact, I’m too good to be true.”
The other pilots sensing the tension between the two men, one cut in “So, does anyone know what this special detachment is about?”
“The more important question is, who are they going to make team leader?” Jake asked leaning against his pool stick looking them over before smirking “And which one of y’all has what it takes to follow me?”
“Hangman, the only place you’ll lead someone is an early grave,” Rooster answered. It stung. More than anything someone else has said. He couldn’t let Rooster know it affected him.
“Well, anyone following you would just run out of fuel,” he countered with a shrug “Because that’s just you ain’t it, Rooster? Snug on that perch, waiting for the right moment…. that never comes.” He moved around the table to act as though he’s getting back into the game before shouting when he heard the music“I love this song!”
“Well, he hasn’t changed.” He heard Phoenix say.
“Nope. Sure hasn’t.” Is the response right before the music cut off. His grip tightened on the pool stick as the fingers he knew well skimmed over the piano keys.
“Hey man, I know you two have never gotten along but what was that about?” Coyote asked, moving in close beside him so their conversation could be semi private. “You two usually give it a day or two before the insults start.” Coyote, Phoenix, Rooster and he had attended flight school together and over the years their share of detachments and missions.
Jake shrugged eyes landing on Rooster’s back where he sat down at the piano fingers testing out the keys to find the notes. He needed a drink.
A moment later he leaned on the bar with his elbow as he looked at the older man in an old flight jacket sitting at the bar. He sent him a cocky grin when the dark green eyes found him “Penny, my dear?”
The beautiful older lady turned to him with a questioning look.
He turned his entire body toward her now “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” His smile grew larger when she smiled, shaking her head at his antics. He’d known her since his days in Top Gun. And after one late drunken night of confessions and sorrow they’d become friends or more like Penny treated him maternally. She even had him over to dinner a few times over the years when he was on the West Coast.
“Only every time you order a drink, Jake,” she responded, knocking the back of her hand on his arm “Get off my bar, what do you want?” He grabbed his chest in fake offense before looking back at the man across from him who was watching their interaction with interest.
“Four more on the old timer?” Jake grinned back at the older man. Who raised his eyebrow at him.
“Please tell me this isn’t the new boyfriend, he’s a little young don’t you think?” the man asked, causing Penny to burst out a short laugh. Jake would have been offended if it wasn’t for his interest in Penny’s dating life. Was there someone he needed to have a talk with?
“A boyfriend? I’m hurt this is the first I’m hearing of a boyfriend,” Jake is now leaning fully on the bar. Penny glared at the other man before looking back at him.
“He isn’t my boyfriend, we’ve only been on a few dates. I haven’t told you because I don’t need you harassing an Admiral,” Penny responded knowing him. Jake lets out a loud gasp.
“Penelope Benjamin! An Admiral! Why you naughty rank climber-” Jake began but didn’t get to finish as the club soda nozzle was pointed at him. He threw up his hands laughing.
“Jake Seresin, I will soak that uniform with no remorse,” Penny threatened though her voice fluttered with amusement.
“Okay okay!” He surrendered, relaxing when she put it down “Seriously though an admiral? I didn’t take you for the type-”
Penny gave him a look of warning “And what exactly do you take me for?”
Oh shit. He quickly cleared his throat shooting a glance at the other man who was wearing a grin that said he knew he’d walked himself into this one.
“Well Penny, as someone with personal experience with Admirals, they tend to be hard asses with no humor,” Jake supplied with a shrug hoping Penny would let him off the hook.
“Kid has a point,” the man answered, earning him a frown from Penny.
“I bet Ice would love to hear that you agree, Pete,” Penny gave him a knowing look which Jake didn’t understand. Before her eyes turned back to him “I’ll have you know Jake my father was an Admiral.”
Jake’s brows rose slightly; he didn't know that about Penny. Granted they never talked about their parents. Only briefly when he’d mentioned his mom had abandoned him when he was 10 and his father was military. But he’d left it to ambiguity.
“And you still decided to go on a date with one?” Jake asked, his face pinched with concern. This caused the man known as Pete to bark a laugh. Penny moved for the hose and Jake knowing Penny doesn’t bluff scooped up his beers moving away.
“Yeah! You better run,” Penny called after him.
It wasn’t a few minutes after leaving the bar that the ‘Overboard’ bell rang. And Jake never missed the chance to throw someone out, moving with Javy behind Pete.
“Sorry Pete, it’s the rules,” Penny’s eyes were full of mischief as she looked at her old friend. She turned to Jake and Javy “You two know what to do.”
The two picked the smaller man up with ease, carrying him to the door and tossing him into the sand. Jake gave him a mockery of a salute.
“It’s been fun Pops, come back anytime,” With that Jake headed back inside. He moved back to the bar to make sure Penny was okay and the man hadn’t been truly bothering her.
“He’s an old friend I haven’t seen in a few years, he didn’t know I owned the bar,” Penny assured him.
“Good, didn’t want to have to kick two asses into shape,” Jake responded, getting a questioning look from Penny “What was the name of this Admiral again? I don’t think I caught it the first time.”
Penny hummed before replying, “That’s because I didn’t tell you. Nor will I until I’m sure about us. I don’t need you getting kicked out the navy for threatening an Admiral. I’m old enough to pick and choose the men I bring into my life.” And before Jake could ask she shook her head “And no Amelia does not know. So don’t go pestering her either.”
Jake pouted “I don’t pester.” Penny tilted her head “Okay may a little. But it’s all in good faith.”
“I know Jake, I promise before you leave North Island, I’ll have you and Amelia meet him for dinner, if I decide to take this further,” Penny promised him and Jake had to fight the feeling in his chest. And Penny, always in tune with Jake, placed a hand on his arm “You’re my kid now too. Whether you like it or not. Now get back to having fun.”
Jake nodded, blinking rapidly before moving to the restroom. He loved his father, the man has always given Jake what he needed or wanted. But Penny gave him a piece of the love he’d been craving for years.
He was washing his hands when he heard the bathroom door open. He looked up into the mirror to see Rooster standing behind him. Jake paused, holding eye contact for a long moment before snapping out of it and finished washing his hands.
“This how it’s going to be Jake?” Rooster demanded. Not Hangman, not Seresin. Jake. A shiver ran down his spine. Reminding him of the last time Rooster had said his name. But Jake couldn’t find words fast enough “Turn around and look at me.”
Jake sighed before reaching for paper towels finally turning to the attractive man.
“I don’t know what you want me to say Rooster,” Jake answered finally.
“How about a ‘sorry I left without a word in the middle of the night’ or a ‘I’m a dick for sleeping with you for two weeks and leaving’ anything along those lines would work,” Rooster’s anger from those two months ago still evident. He stepped closer to Jake backing him against the sink only a few inches between them.
“I am sorry,” Jake finally sighed but he could barely hear himself over the pounding of his heart. Rooster was too close. He could smell his rich deep sandalwood and mahogany cologne. It always made Jake relax a little just by the nearness of him.
“Sorry? That’s it? No note. No text. Radio silence. I asked you to be my boyfriend and I gave you time to think about it,” Rooster hissed, his two inches of height on Jake feeling rather significant at the moment as he bent over him. Or maybe it was the fact he was sinking on the counter. “We slept together the same night and you fucking ran out on me.”
“I don’t date men-” Jake began but the door clicked open and gave Jake his opening, he slipped past Rooster and out the bathroom. He’d meant to say he doesn’t date men in the navy. But that wasn’t technically true. He didn’t date at all. He’d seen how much his Dad loved his Mom. How much she’d loved him. But she’d still abandoned them. That’s just what Seresins did. His grandfather had abandoned his grandmother. Left her with 6 kids and a farm in South Texas. And then there was the fact that no one knew he was gay except for his Dad, Javy, Penny and Amelia. Most people assumed he was straight. And he liked it that way, made his life easier, it was hard enough being in the Navy.