Chapter Text
Rooster shouldn’t be surprised to see Jake’s truck pull up. There were already dozens of storm chasing teams in the area, roaring up for the once in a generation storm season, and even though the man had been absent from the scene for the past two years he should’ve known Jake wouldn’t be able resist an opportunity like this.
He seems to be just as popular as ever, crowds rushing him as his truck plays some country song obnoxiously loud. He recognized the song as Same ol’ Me by Dierks Bentley, he’d grown to know Jake’s go to playlist by heart and idly wondered if he even updated the thing in the years they’d been broken up.
“Rooster, goddamnit, are you even listening to me?”
“What? Oh.” He glances back to Natasha. “I didn’t know Jake was still chasing.”
“Last I heard, he wasn’t. This isn’t gonna be a problem for you, is it? We’ve got important work to get done I don’t need you distracted out there.”
Jake finally seems to take in his surroundings past the swarm of adoring fans and his gaze settles on Rooster. They make brief expressionless eye contact before Rooster turns fully towards his teammate. “Why would I be?” Natasha doesn’t look convinced but he’s not ready to get into any deep conversations about his past relationships so he pushes past her and off to an open area.
He takes in the weather, switching from monitoring the sky and his iPad trying to gauge the wind profile. He carefully plucks a dandelion out of the ground, collecting the seeds in his hand before opening his palm, watching them swirl and fly away.
“Bradshaw. As I live and breathe.”
“Hangman.” He turns to take him in, sauntering up, cowboy getup and crooked grin just the same as it’s always been. “You look…good”
“Well I am good Rooster. I’m very good. In fact,” he takes a step into his personal space, “I’m too good to be true.”
“I thought you retired.”
Something like regret flickers across his face before the mask goes back up. “Just took a hiatus. You miss me?” All Bradley gives in response is look of disbelief. Jake goes on unperturbed, gesturing towards the Dagger Squad. “Still working for the old man?”
Maverick had founded the research team after his retirement from the Navy. Rooster was the first person he asked to join, which had been a huge milestone for them given their history. Rooster reluctantly agreed, mostly because of Mavericks connections getting them the best equipment on the market, and though he’d never admit it out loud, chasing together is what rectified him and his father figure’s fractured relationship. All of which Jake knew and Rooster prickled with irritation at the fact he’d even ask him that.
“What are you doing here, Jake?”
“Generational tornado outbreak, Darlin. Wouldn’t miss it for the world” He smiles extra wide at him.
“I mean what are you doing here talking to me.”
And the poker face falters again. Barely. “Well tell me how you really feel.” Rooster turns to glare at the clouds. “I’ll see you around.”
He saunters off, pretending not to be hurt.
Bradley huffs, gives a second for Jake to clear out, and storms back to his group.
“We’re going west.” His bitter tone cuts through whatever conversation the group was having. Mav gives him a concerned look, a couple others seem irritated by the tone and Bob simply looks confused at his abrupt change in attitude. He’d been geared up for the chase this morning but since Jake rolled up it threw him completely off. There was too much unresolved history he’d been suppressing but seeing the man had it threatening to bubble over. If he could just avoid him for the next week he could go back to trying to get over him in peace.
“Alright, let’s head out.” Mavericks voice snaps him out of his thoughts and the team spring into action, loading up in the trucks. Bob and Phoenix in one truck, Payback and Fanboy in the next and finally Maverick and Rooster in the last. Maverick had given them all call names when they had started, partially for fun and partially because of his nostalgia for the Navy.
Finding a tornado was easy, all of the team were proficient storm chasers but Maverick seemed to have a sixth sense for it.
“Bravo Vehicle in position, setting up Tin Man now. Over” Fanboy’s voice crackles over the radio.
“Charlie Vehicle headed back, Lion in position. Over” Natasha chimes in.
Mavericks driving like a bat out of hell, barreling to get in front of the thing. Bradley has one hand on the iPad and one with a white knuckle grip on the dashboard, bracing himself against the bumpy road. He swears Mav’s driving is scarier than the actual tornado.
“Go down this side street on the left!”
“Copy!” Tires screech as they make the abrupt turn.
“We can cut her off if we can get around to that clearing at three o’clock…oh no”
He hears the music before he sees the truck. Jake comes seemingly out of nowhere, windows down blaring Ain’t My Fault by Brothers Osbourne. Javy’s in the seat next to him, no doubt streaming everything going on. He pulls up right next to them and winks at Bradley.
“Try to keep up, darlin’!”
And with that he floors it and cuts right in front of them.
“Dammit! Maverick get in front of them!”
“On it kid.”
Maverick swerves wildly as Rooster looks anxiously towards the storm. It’s moving fast and Jakes little distraction is risking their ability to collect their data. They’ve got three military grade scanners, all they have to do is set them up on separate sides of the tornado and they’d have a 3D render, data that would be invaluable to prevention research.
“Mav you have to get around him we’re losing time!”
“I’m trying! The kids gotten a better driver since he was working with us.”
Just as he thinks Maverick has him Jake swings wildly. Maverick over corrects and rolls off course, breaking aggressively and rolling to a stop half off the road.
“Dammit!” Rooster hits the console as he watches Jake drive right into the clearing they were heading for. Right in the path of the tornado. The hydraulics of his ridiculous truck kick in, digging into the ground and locking his truck into place. Rooster steps out just in time to watch fireworks fly up into the tornado.
“Well you can’t say he doesn’t have moxie”
“Mav, I’m not in the mood.”
The walkie crackles to life and Phoenix’ voice comes through “Alpha Truck sitrep requested, over”
Maverick pats Rooster on the back and goes to explain what happened to Natasha, leaving him to seethe and watch Jake and Javy run around celebrating. He hears the whooping and hollering in the distance “You asked for it so we tried it and yes, you can shoot fireworks into a tornado.”