#hagman

He would never admit it, but Jake had missed his nights with the Dagger squad. It must have been at least three years now since the Uranium mission, and each of them had gone their separate ways again, back to their respective bases and gradually losing touch as they hopped from one country, ocean, and ship to another. 

“No one else here yet?” he asked, sauntering over to the bar where Penny had already grabbed him a beer - “Thanks, m’dear,” he nodded to her quickly.

“Coyote was here, but he slinked off with a girl ogling his uniform about ten minutes ago and we haven’t seen him since,” Bradley snickered, standing to clasp Jake’s hand and pull him into a brief hug, slapping his shoulder, “Payback and Fanboy are due in a day or so, they only got back from a deployment yesterday apparently.” Jake nodded as he sat, taking a sip of his beer as he listened.

“Speaking of deployment, does anyone know why we are all back again?” Bob asked.

Jake shook his head, “Not a clue, got the call a few weeks ago – must be a challenge if they needed me to keep you all in check,” he joked, laughing as Phoenix rolled her eyes. 

“I can see you haven’t changed much, Bagman.”

“More than you would think,” he rebuked quickly, glancing at her over his lifted drink.

The music was loud and the bar hot as the four caught up, retelling what they could of the events of their lives over the last three years. Nat and Bob had managed to score some deployments together after Mav had put in a good word about the duo – the pair was now easily the best pilot/WSO team in active service. Jake had heard a few quick stories of a pair that was dominating every mission in the Pacific – he should have guessed it would have been them. 

“How’s the girl back home, Roo?” Nat asked, standing to join him in a game of darts. 

“She’s good, been a year now.” “And she’s good with the porn ‘tache?” Jake joked, sitting back and twisting in his chair a little to watch.

“She loves the porn ‘tache,” Bradley hit back, “especially when I-”

“You know what, I take it back,” Jake grimaced, trying to hate the way Rooster smirked with his little win, but realising that he had actually direly missed the back-and-forth.

The evening continued pretty much along these lines – jokes, drinks, and games – as if they had never been broken up in the first place. As the clock slowly ticked towards nine, Jake finally stood, slapping his knee lightly, the group’s heads turning towards him. 

“I best be heading home,” Jake stood, picking up his jacket. 

“Not like you to be having an early night, Bagman,” Rooster teased as he took another sip of his beer, Jake just shook his head sniggering as he slung his jacket on.

“I’ll walk back to the bunks with you, had a long day myself,” Bob began to stand up himself,

“Oh I’m not in the bunks this time round,” Jake stopped him, the group looking at him confused as Bob halted his movements halfway through standing up. Catching Phoenix's knitted brows, his face lit up with a smirk, “I’m in the married quarters.”

Rooster nearly spat out his beer, coughing a little as he tried to regain his composure, Bob patted his back as he shook his head and held his hand up to signal he was okay before lightly wiping his chin. “Excuse me?” Phoenix nearly shouted. “Am I missing something?” she glanced at his hands which were hooked through his belt loops but didn’t spot a ring.  

Jake continued his sarky smile as he fished his dog tag necklace from beneath his top. Sure enough, a gold band hung there, contrasted against the cool silver. 

“Well I’ll be damned,” Bob sat back down unceremoniously.

“Who the hell did you convince to marry you?” Bradley asked, still in disbelief. 

“You can come and meet her if you like?” Jake offered, jokingly gesturing towards the bar door after tucking the necklace back safely away. He had never seen them down their drinks and gather their jackets quicker. 

“We have been sitting here for nearly three hours and you didn’t mention you had a wife? Or husband, I suppose…” Nat grilled him

Jake shook his head as he led the way out of the bar and down the beach back towards the base. 

“Wife,” he affirmed. “We are private, I suppose – only way to avoid drama in the Navy.” 

“You’re not fucking with us right? Like, you actually sat and paid attention to one woman for longer than a week,” Rooster teased.

Jake rolled his eyes, “Do you really think so lowly of me?” He turned slightly to look at him but continued to walk.

“I just wasn’t expecting that out of the four of us, you would be the one to settle down first.”

“Jealous, Rooster?” Bradley huffed out his nose in a half laugh. 

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” 

The married quarters were a little distance from the main bunks for officers without families. The compound was a little more self-contained for those with husbands, wives, and children to keep away from the rowdy bunches of single naval recruits causing havoc in their downtime. 

“Damn, this place is far nicer than my spot,” Rooster whistled, looking around as Jake unlocked the main door. “Hey Nat, fancy getting hitched for a free upgrade?” he joked, smirking

“In your dreams, chicken boy,” she laughed.

Jake swung the doors open before heading up the stairs, taking two at a time before he stopped at another door, opening it to reveal a comfortable flat, a few moving boxes strewn around and half opened.

“Honey, I’m home,” he called, unable to stop himself smiling as Bradley jokingly gagged behind him. “I brought some people for you to meet.”

Throwing a muslin towel over your shoulder, you emerged from one of the bedrooms, smiling as you saw your husband trailing three of who you presumed to be the infamous dagger squadron behind him.

“Nice night?” you asked as he moved to kiss your cheek. 

“Of course,” he swung around to face the group awkwardly standing in your small living room entryway. “Believe me now?” he asked him, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you into his side for a brief moment.

You stepped forward and offered your hand to Nat, who was at the front of the three, “I’m presuming you’re Phoenix,” you started shaking her hand, “Then Rooster, and… Bob?” 

“Ye-yeah, that’s us,” Bob nodded, “You seem to know a lot about us?” he asked as you moved to shake his hand. 

“Well, of course, you’re Jakes’s closest buddies. It’s just a shame it took us this long to finally meet,” she smiled. You missed how they all looked at him bewildered at your little hit of truth. 

“I’m [y/n] - it really is so good to meet you all at last. Do you want anything to drink? I think we have some beers in the fridge, and some water - we haven’t had a chance to properly go to the store yet so I’m afraid that’s all I can offer.” “Beers would be great, thank you [y/n]” Nat spoke up. You smiled, moving to the kitchen to grab them.

“Closest mates, eh?” Bradley asked smugly. 

Jake rolled his eyes as he fell back onto the couch, gesturing for the others to do the same, “shut up.”

You came back with the drinks, handing them out before Jake pulled you into his lap, allowing you to perch on his knee to prevent you from having to sit on the floor. 

“Sorry if I am behind on this, but when on earth did you get married – how did you even meet – when?” Nat asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees as she took a sip of her drink, trying to get a grip on the sight in front of her.

“[y/n] here was the aircraft controller at my home base,” Jake began, glancing up at you, his eyes not leaving your face as he admired you. “How was I supposed to not fall in love with that voice in my ear every day,” he said lovingly. “After talking to her through comms for weeks, I finally got a glance of her at a mess do – and I was a goner from there.” 

You blushed as you listened to his retelling. 

“And why weren’t we invited to the wedding?” Bradley asked, slinging his arm over the back of the sofa as he settled back fully. 

“Well it was all pretty quick, unexpectedly,” you continued as Jake took a drink. “We got engaged and were going to plan taking time off for a full-on wedding back in Texas, but then Jake got orders for a six-month deployment and I was off to fill in on another ship on another mission last minute, so off to the courthouse we went – there and then.” 

As you finished your story, a small cry came from the back bedroom. The trio’s heads whipped round at the noise, “no way…” Bob started. 

“I’ll get her,” Jake gently moved you off his knee and let you settle back where he had been. You couldn’t help but snuggle into the warmth he left behind. As Jake disappeared from view, Nat looked back at you,

“If you are being held against your will, blink twice,” she joked.

You couldn’t help but laugh. “J joked you might say something like that,” you smiled, leaning forward to grab his bottle from the table and take a sip. “Don’t worry, I was on the other side of his comms unit every day – every time he went up, I knew what I was getting myself into.”

“And you still said yes?” Bob asked. 

“Crazy, I know,” you chuckled as Jake reemerged carrying a toddler, no older than one, on his hip, her bright blonde hair confirming that she was indeed, his. 

“I wish she would settle like that for me,” you cooed.

“What can I say, she’s a daddy’s girl,” Jake smiled back before glancing back down at his daughter, the small girl clinging to his shoulder and babbling. “This is Elena,” he introduced her as he turned her to look at everyone. The toddler looked at them before Jake placed her down gently, watching as she slowly toddled over to you, using your knee to find her balance, and then to Bob, who offered her his hand to balance her as she continued to fuss around the group.

“She’s confident,” Nat commented, a light smile on her face.

“Gets that from her dad,” you smiled down at Jake who had resigned himself to sitting on the floor at your feet, leaning against your legs, watching Elena like a hawk in case he needed to dive in to stop her falling or walking into the coffee table. 

As you all continued to chat, you felt Jake’s hand wrap itself around the calf of your crossed leg, his calloused fingers slowly dragging themselves up and down the skin absentmindedly as he intermittently contributed to the conversation – mainly to refute any embarrassing claims made about him both from you and the rest of his squad. 

His gaze remained largely fixed on your toddler, who was still fussing between your guests, taking a particular liking to Rooster and his funny moustache, which she had been keen to touch and try to work out for herself – much to his amusement. The funny face she pulled when looking at it closely made Jake laugh,

“She really is my kid – that’s how I feel about Rooster too, darlin’” he smiled at her as she fussed to be put back down and toddled over to him, laying in his lap and fussing with his spare hand. He reached up to take his necklace off, removing his hand from your leg momentarily to allow him to wrap the chain around a few of his fingers securely. He then handed the tags to Elena, watching as her face lit up at something new to mess with. His hand found your skin again as his tags immediately went into your daughter’s mouth, Jake’s grip on the chain stopping her from pulling them too deeply and choking. It was clear that she found the cool metal distasteful as she pulled them back out and started fiddling with the shiny objects, her tiny fingers playing with the wedding ring he usually wore so close to his heart. 

It was safe to say that he had never been happier. The sound of your comforting voice had always been a beacon of hope for him – particularly when he was on tricky missions and it came sailing over the comm unit with news and tactical information. It was your job, yes, but god did it feel just like you did it for him sometimes – and how he relished in these self-indulgent daydreams. 

Hearing you now, chatting happily to three of the six people he had arguably gone through the most with with his daughter babbling with his wedding ring in his lap, he felt truly complete. The feeling of your fingers mindlessly playing with his hair as you continue your conversation with Bob made his heart swell and his whole body relax. 

“We should probably head off,” Bob mused, watching how Elena’s eyes were closing slowly on Jake’s thigh, Jake not far off sleep himself as you continued to play with his scalp. 

“Of course,” you nodded and smiled, standing with them, “It really was nice to finally meet you. I hope I’ll catch up with the rest of the team soon too?”

“Of course you will, honey,” Jake had stood carefully and kissed your head lightly. 'I'm going to pop her back down for the night, I’ll see you all on deck in the morning,’ he nodded and wandered back to your daughter’s nursery as the others called a few goodnights. 

“I’ll speak to you all over comms tomorrow, I suppose,” you smiled as you all made your way to the door. 

“Jake seems so different nowadays, I don’t suppose you have managed to change him in the air too, have you?” Bob joked as he threw his jacket on. 

You couldn’t help but snicker, “He’s still Hangman if that’s what you’re asking – incredible pilot, incredibly cocksure.” You couldn’t miss the mild disappointment on Bob’s face, “I wouldn’t have it any other way, though, and I know you wouldn’t, either. Besides, there is a reason he is up for Captaincy after this mission," you mentioned casually as you opened the door and leaned against it.

“He’s WHAT?”

Tags: you lot all loved the little snippet I put out, so I presumed you'd be interested in being tagged - I hope that's okay!

“Shit, my side,” you winced, grasping at it and screwing your eyes tight. Your breathing quickened as you tried to breathe through the pain. Jake crouched beside you, having abandoned his helmet to one side, 

“How the hell did you even manage to slip?” he asked, putting his helmet down as he glanced over you quickly. 

You continued to breathe rapidly, panicking a little. The reality of what had gone down that night really started to hit you. “I was just panicking, I guess?” you started, trying to shift yourself to stand up again but swearing as pain shot through your side. “I guess I was shaken after the failure, my legs were too shaky, I -”

“It’s okay,” Jake’s calm voice surprised you a little as he tried to calm you down. For once, he wasn’t cracking jokes. “Can I take a look?” he asked, indicating at your side. You nodded, your breathing still uneasy as he reached for the zip of your suit. You couldn’t help but try to pull away as a reflex, jaw clenching as pain coursed through your side. You refused to let yourself cry, not in front of Hangman of all people. Your limbs were still shaky, and it continued to rack your body even as you tried to relax, the adrenaline still dousing through your veins – of course, it didn’t help that Jake was so damn close to you. He was arrogant, yes, but not even you could deny his good looks and the way he was being so gentle with you was unnerving, but not unwelcome. 

"You have got to calm down before I fix you up, alright?" he said softly, halting his movements and looking right into your eyes. Somehow, the man who always managed to rub you up the wrong way, be it with a cocky comment or ditching you in the sky was being oddly therapeutic and you were … thankful? 

You nodded, biting your lower lip as you tried to sit still. He helped you peel your flight suit off your shoulder, dropping it around your waist as he inspected your side. A deep bruise was already appearing just below your sports bra. Jake rested his hand against your side as he checked you over for any cuts or scrapes, pressing gently along your arm, shoulder, and back to try and work out exactly what was going on. 

You cried out as he got to your side, his hand resting lightly on your waist as he apologised. “That does not look like something my first aid kit is gonna cover,” he tried to be light-hearted about it, “How do you feel otherwise?” he asked, checking your pupils, “you didn’t hit your head did you?”

“No,” you murmured as he lightly grasped your jaw, moving your head from one side to the other to check your hairline, “I think my ribs took the brunt of the impact,” you shuffled uncomfortably, two of his fingers were resting lightly against the pulse point on your throat and you begged your heart to calm down. You could feel the calluses on his hands against your softer skin, the contrast blooming a heat in your chest as you tried not to think too much about where else you wanted to feel them. 

He was so impossibly close to you – closer than he had ever been before, somehow. You could smell the remnants of his cologne mixed with sweat and jet fuel, a smell that should have been disgusting but only drew you in closer, it was addicting. You closed your eyes as you swallowed hard, trying to calm yourself down. 

The pain was the last thing on your mind by now, instead, all you could think about was Jake’s warm hand on your bare hip. You tried to remind yourself that it was there to help hold you up as he checked you over, but his touch was so comforting and so close to the top of your underwear that you struggled to think about anything else.

“Your heart rate is crazy high, I’m scared you’re going into shock,” Jake looked at you concerned for a moment, “I’m gonna radio for help, sit tight for a se…”

“It isn’t shock,” you blurted out, feeling your skin on fire as you quickly diverted your eyes away from him, looking anywhere but his eyes. “I’m fine, honestly,”

“[y/n], you’re clearly…”

“Honestly, Jake,” you said sternly, cutting him off again. “I-” You glanced down to where his hand was pressed firmly to the skin of your waist. To your utter embarrassment, Jake looked down too, and then a devious smirk broke out across his features. 

“No fuckin’ way,” he breathed a laugh. “Tell me you’re joking.” You didn’t think your cheeks could feel any warmer as you tried to reluctantly shrink away from his touch. He didn’t let you. “I thought you hated me, and here you are practically having a heart attack at my touch.”

“This is not the time to play games, Bagman,” you warned, trying to regain some control of yourself and the situation. 

“Well, I don’t think it’s the time to be getting your panties wet but here we are,” he sniggered. You went to smack his arm but gave in halfway through and winced. “Okay, sorry, sorry,” he laughed, jokingly ducking away from your half-arsed swing. “We really do need to do something about his bruising though, like, seriously I think you might have cracked a rib or two – I think I should get you to the med bay.” 

You looked down at your partially exposed side, you nodded as you realised just how bad you looked. “Do you think you can walk? Or will your knees go all wobbly?” he teased, the look you shot him would have hurt if he wasn’t riding high on his own smugness. 

“I think I can manage it,” you stood, but wobbled with a shot of pain, his hand reaching out immediately to steady you. 

“Let me help you at least,” Jake sounded sincere again, all notes of joking dropping out of his tone as he tied the loose arms of your flight suit around your waist and wrapped your arm across his shoulders, helping you limp slowly back towards the hangar. You settled into a slow stride beside him, not quite knowing what to say as you hobbled back inside.

That was until Jake perked back up again, that is: “You know you could have just told me you had the hots for me, right?” He didn’t miss how you rolled your eyes, 

“Jesus, Jake can we drop it?” you were beyond frustrated – you didn’t think you could be any more embarrassed if you tried. 

Of course you had a thing for your teammate. There was a reason he had a reputation as a lady’s man, he was drop-dead gorgeous and one of the best pilots you had had a chance to fly with, and, while smug, his confidence was just another alluring point that drew you in and wouldn’t let you go. 

“If I drop it I won’t be able to tell you that I’ve had a bit of a thing for you for a while myself,” he said so casually, making you stop dead in your tracks, Jake nearly pulling you forward at your unexpected halt. 

“Excuse me?” You were one of the few women Jake had never, ever made a move on and you had resigned yourself to a solely professional relationship.  

“Well, you always acted like you hated me! What can I say, it was a nice change of pace to girls throwing themselves at me. Not to mention the fact you’re a killer in the air, and incredibly easy on the eyes. But, given your coldness, I didn’t bother making a move.”

“Didn’t want to hurt your pride?” you sniggered, presuming he was joking, there was no other explanation for his sudden interest.

“Didn’t want to break my heart,” he replied, shrugging. You looked at him bewildered, your mouth opening and closing a little as you tried to work out what to say. He smiled almost bashfully as he watched the gears in your head turning,

“But you were always so standoffish, you –”

“And you weren’t?” he shot back playfully, taking your arm back over his shoulder again and edging you towards the doors again. 

“Touché.” 

“In all seriousness, now I know how you feel, I would love to take you out sometime – if you would let me?”

Your heart was beating so impossibly fast in your chest it was pulsing painfully through your suspected cracked ribs, “I-I would like that,” you nodded. You saw Jake grin impossibly wide in your peripheral vision, 

“I’ll pick you up whenever you’re all fixed up?” he asked, stopping to wait for your answer. All you could do was nod. “Great,” Jake moved suddenly, his arms wrapping around the back of your legs, the other cradling your back as he lifted you carefully. You yelped out as you winced at the sudden movement, 

“Sorry, but this is the quickest way to get you to medical so I can finally take you out,” he said, carrying you carefully, his smile never easing from his face.