#hangman fluff

“Just because y’all have a uniform kink, doesn’t mean I do too,” you retorted, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.

“Hey, the uniform shows they can make a commitment and they have a steady job. That’s a rarity in itself,” Leah remarked, “Plus, Jess is right. What was the last time you tried speaking to someone?”

You didn’t respond, due to the answer being embarrassing. It had been close to a year since your last break up. Every time the prospect of dating was brought up, you were able to counter it with an excuse. Work is too busy. I have a lot going on. I need time for myself. I want to focus on myself.

“Even if you get their number, you don’t have to text them,” Rosa jumped in, sensing your uneasiness, “It’s more so about putting yourself out there, getting back into the swing of things.”

“Besides, there are so many!” Jess exclaimed, “Like look at….oh wait, nevermind. Guy in glasses is totally Leah’s type. Well then there’s……oh he’s cute too. That one is mine, okay?”

Leah elbowed Jess, bringing her back down to Earth, “We can even help you! If you want,” your more sensible friend offered.

“Yes! We’d love to help you!” Jess grabbed your hand, squeezing it as if to contain her excitement.

“If you want,” Rosa added.

“That’s very nice of y’all. But not tonight, okay?” You hoped your firm statement would deter them from any shenanigans.

It did not.

Jessica was literally dragging guys over to the table to talk to you. Rosa was pulling the “haaaave ya met my friend?” card. The only person who seemed to be having a good time was Leah, who was currently sharing a cup of peanuts with the birth control goggles wearing aviator.

Y’all were going to get kicked out of this bar.

Just one number!

Their words rang in your ears. After Jessica brought over what had to be the sixth pilot, you knew you couldn’t take much more. So without warning, you stood up and darted to the bar, leaving Jessica and whatever his name was.

Just one number. You didn’t even have to flirt, you could explain the situation and get a fake number. That would shut your friends up and you wouldn’t have to text the guy back. A win-win situation for all.

There was a wait at the bar, which gave you the perfect amount of time to scope out someone who would take pity on you.

Then you heard Jessica call your name from across the bar. You had to get this over with quickly.

Tapping on the shoulder of the nearest man, you prayed for sweet relief.

Aw fuck, he was hot.

Of course you picked the reincarnation of Adonis, with his chiseled face and broad chest. The short sleeves of his uniform showed off his strong arms, tying in perfectly with his coiffed blonde hair and stunning green eyes. When he cleared his throat, you were reminded that you had tapped him on the shoulder and this beautiful man was expecting you to speak.

“I'm so sorry, but my friends won't stop bothering me until I get someone's number tonight, it doesn't have to be your real one, I'm just so tired of their shenanigans,” you confessed, motioning towards your group of friends who were now watching you from their table.

“Again, it doesn’t have to be your actual number, I just need-”

“Shouldn’t we make it believable?” There was a twang with his words, revealing a Southern upbringing.

Of course he had a cute accent too. The universe really wanted you to suffer tonight. And of course, all you could do was let out a squeak of confusion.

“So your friends believe it?” He explained, his lips forming into a dangerously charming smirk, “Also, I’ve been hoping for a chance to talk to ya ever since you walked through the door."

“I….I don’t know your name,” was the only thing you could get out. Christ, you were stupid.

He chuckled, though it wasn't malicious, “I'm Jake. Can I buy you a drink before giving you my number?”

"You....actually want my number?" You were in disbelief. There was no fucking way. The universe must be playing a trick on you.

Jake nodded, the smile remaining on his face, "Have wanted it since I heard ya laugh."

“Oh yeah, this’ll work,” Katie Lantz said as she pulled into the parking lot of The Hard Deck. There was a storm rolling in from the west, and she had told her coworkers that she’d get a picture of it for the visitor’s center. It was hard to get pictures of storms like this since they usually happened at night. She put her sandals in her bag when she walked off of the gravel parking lot and started getting her camera ready while walking along the shore.

The air was humid as the storm clouds started to roll in, but it wasn’t until the first strike of lightning that she started taking pictures. Inside of the bar, Phoenix was watching what Katie was doing, along with Fanboy and Payback.

“What are you guys staring at?” Hangman asked as he walked over and jokingly put his arm around Phoenix’s shoulders. She shrugged him off and took a long sip of her beer before gesturing out the window to Katie.

“Someone should tell her that it’s about to storm. Hangman, you do it,” Fanboy said.

“Guys, I just got here.”

“And you were the last one to get here. Hell, you somehow managed to get here later than Bob and he has a kid.”

“Alright, I’ll go. But I want a Budweiser waiting for me.”

With her camera hanging from her neck, Katie started emailing the photos to her boss. She read some messages from the group chats as she felt the rain start to come down. Behind her, a man said something, and she almost hit him in the face with her camera as she turned around out of fear.

“Woah, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Jake.”

”Katie. I take it you came from the bar?”

“What gave it away?” He asked as he chuckled and lightly shook his head. Katie tried not to giggle as she told him that not many people want to be on the beach during a storm, and they started to walk in the direction of the bar. He stopped by the steps of the deck and held her bag as she slid her sandals back on.

Coyote handed him his Budweiser and Jake introduced her before walking her over to the bar.

“Order whatever you want. I’ll put it on my tab,” he said as he handed the bartender his card. Katie ordered the house lager and looked around for a good place to put her bag. She wanted to hang out for a while, and she wasn’t planning on going out to her car until she was ready to leave.

”I can put that behind the bar for you,” the bartender said.

”Really? Thank you so much. I’m Katie, by the way.”

”I’m Penny. I’ve never seen you before. You new in town?”

”Oh, um, not really. I was taking pictures of the storm for my work. I live about twenty minutes away, I’m just never really in the area.”

They talked while Penny poured the beer, and Katie walked back over towards Jake and his group. She got introduced to everyone that time, and Phoenix was the first to ask about what she did for work. Katie briefly mentioned spending a few weeks each summer back home in Oklahoma, and it was mainly Fanboy and Rooster who were asking her questions about the weather.

”So, if it’s storming right now, does that mean we have to work tomorrow?”

”Probably. I know you’re all pilots, and this storm system is pretty quick moving and the radar should be clear by around two in the morning. That could change, though.”

They spent a few more minutes talking about the weather patterns before Katie decided to order another round. After her second beer, she was ready to head home and get to bed. Penny passed her bag over the counter and she started to walk to her car with Jake.

“I should get going. It was nice meeting you and your friends, though,” she said as she opened the driver's side door.

“Before you go, could I get your number? I'd like to talk more.”

She nodded and typed her number into his phone.

“I don't think you'll need it, though. I might come here more often.”

Jake hid his excitement until he was sure that Katie was out of sight. Back at her apartment, she texted the photos to her boss before climbing into bed in an oversized t-shirt. She looked at the Instagram account for The Hard Deck to see if they did any weekly events. She’d be busy until the weekend with dinners and meetings that would go past her usual hours, but she wanted to go back on Saturday. It was kind of perfect, since it looked like Saturdays were line dancing nights. After adding the event to her calendar, she quickly fell asleep, and woke up the next morning with a text from a previously unknown number.

Unknown number: Good morning! It’s Jake from The Hard Deck. I really enjoyed hanging out with you last night and I’d love to do it again.

Katie: Aw, thank you, Jake. I heard that Saturday is line dancing night so you might see me there.

He let out a giggle but quickly changed his expression when Javy looked at him with a smirk on his face.

“Is it that girl from last night?” Javy asked.

”Shut up, dude.”

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You heard the front door open and looked over your shoulder to see your husband Jake walking through the door. He made a beeline for you before you could even stand. He took your face in his hand and kissed you softly before he fell down onto the couch with you. Jake laid his head down in your lap. He took your hand and placed it on his hair, closing his eyes. You chuckled. 

“Did you want something, babe?” You teased him. He rubbed his cheek against your thigh. 

“Head scratches, please?” He requested. You smiled above Jake as you began combing your fingers through his hair and dragging your nails over his scalp. He made a small noise that sounded like a purr and you giggled. 

“Just like a puppy, I give you head scratches and you curl up in my lap,” you teased. 

“It was a hard day,” he complained. “One of the new recruits got me during dogfight practice.” 

“Well, that’s good, puppy,” you told him. “It means you’re teaching them well.” 

“But I don’t want them to be better than me!” He whined against your thigh. “Then I’m not the best.” You leaned down and kissed his forehead. 

“You’ll always be the best, puppy,” you assured Jake. “You’re the only active-duty pilot with two air-to-air kills,” you said, reiterating the accomplishment that he never stopped bragging about. Jake huffed, knowing you were teasing him. You twirled a tuft of his hair around your finger as you continued to scratch his head. “And you’re my favorite pilot.” He smiled, eyes still closed.

“That’s all that matters then,” Jake said. He turned his head and opened his eyes so he was looking up at you. “Kiss?” He asked. You smiled warmly. You loved when he was like this. 

Some days he came home and it had been just a hard enough day that he knew if he let you shower him in affection that would be plenty to make the day good again. He would be so sweet and soft with you on those days. There was no part of him that thought you would reject him, but usually he preferred to be the one who showered you in affection. You leaned down and kissed him tenderly. You ran your fingers through his hair one last time before you let your hand rest on his chest. 

“What do you want for dinner, puppy?” You asked. Jake raised an eyebrow. 

“That nickname is going to stick, isn’t it?” He asked. You giggled. 

“You don’t like it?” You asked. Jake blushed slightly. You smirked. “I can stop if you don’t like it,” you told him. 

“No, I like it,” he said bashfully. “Just not around the guys. I don’t want Rooster to know,” he finished. 

“What? That you’re my little puppy?” You teased him. 

“He’ll never let me hear the end of it,” he told you. You laughed softly. You leaned down and kissed his nose. 

“Okay, puppy,” you promised. “It can be just for us.” Jake hummed happily.