#roosnix

Phoenix isn’t even sure when she made the decision, but she knows it deep in her bones. She’s going to do this. It’s terrifying and it’s going to throw a terrible wrench in her career plans. It doesn’t make sense, but she wants this.

Rooster watches as Natasha stands with Bob, pool cue propped against her hip. They're laughing, conversation flowing easily despite them only meeting earlier today, and Rooster feels something twinge in his chest. He knows he shouldn't feel this way, not after the radio silence from his side, but he can't help it.

So he does the only thing he can think of, unplugging the jukebox and taking a seat at the piano. His fingers drift over the piano keys, pressing a couple of notes, and he can tell the moment Natasha's eyes snap to him because he feels them on the back of his head. Then, she does indeed come over, brushing a hand across his shoulder.

He looks up at her, a smile ready just for her, and she's smiling back, the sight loosening something in his chest. He loses himself in the singing, the bar becoming a live creature as everyone sings too, but he can only hear Nat, his eyes seeking her every chance he gets. Her flushed cheeks and bright eyes make his fingers itch to trace along her cheekbone.

But the song ends, and the bar gradually calms down again. Someone plugs the jukebox back in, and he slips out into the open air, stealing one last glance at Nat and Bob laughing about something, the quiet WSO blooming under her attention.

The Hard Deck's doors shut behind him, and he breathes in the fresh sea breeze, his hand moving to where Natasha had nailed him with the pool cue.

Someone steps out, the noise from the bar growing louder for a moment before the doors shut again. Natasha comes to stand next to him, her shoulders straight, back strong.

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

He gulps. "I'm not jealous."

She stares at him with that knowing look, and he huffs a quiet laugh. "Fine, I am jealous," he says. "I missed you, Nat."

"You could've said something, you know."

"I- I don't have an excuse."

They stand side by side, quiet and peaceful.

"I missed you too," she says at last, a teasing grin coming over her face. "You're jealous of Bob?"

Bradley groans. "Don't tease."

"I should. You deserve it."

He brings an arm around her shoulders, and she goes willingly, hugging him even as he groans into her hair that she should have mercy.

She laughs, pushing away with a playful punch to his shoulder.

"It's good to see you, Roo."

It feels like Rooster’s whole universe shifts when he lays eyes on Phoenix for the first time. Someone introduces them. Rooster can’t be bothered to remember who it was; he only has eyes for Phoenix. He does his damnedest to ignore her, going so far as to pay attention to whatever bullshit Coyote and Hangman won’t shut up about and not watch Phoenix like he’s some sort of creep. He might even be doing a decent job of it; at the very least no one’s pointed out the way he can’t seem to stop staring at her. “Nothing’s better than flying, the rush you get as the ground falls away below you,” her voice cuts through the noise, and okay, maybe he isn’t doing such a great job of ignoring her. “It’s literally better than sex.”

The first time Bradley Bradshaw meets Natasha Trace he puts his foot directly in his mouth and never really recovers. The bird strike changes things.

A rooster/phoenix fic

She doesn’t know what the rules are here, doesn’t know what he’s willing to share, if she should push at all. She’s never pushed him in the past, always taken only what he’s willing to share, when he’s been willing to share. It’s at least half the reason things are as complicated as they are.

All the rules got murkier when they added sex to the mix. She was so sure nothing had to change between them, that it would be easy. Stupid of her, really. She’s not quite sure when that changed, but it did, and now it’s so much harder to figure out these new boundaries.

Phoenix makes plans. She knows exactly how her career is going to go. She has a timeline for making Admiral. This was never part of the plan, but she'll figure it out.

Wrote some rooster/phoenix fic, thought it was going to be relatively short now here we are at chapter one of ?????

Author: Brenda Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Top Gun (Movies) Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3329 Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Pete "Maverick" Mitchell/Natasha "Phoenix" Trace/Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell/Natasha "Phoenix" Trace, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Natasha "Phoenix" Trace Characters: Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Natasha "Phoenix" Trace Additional Tags: POV Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Polyamory Negotiations, Reunions, Phoenix Deserves The World, Including Two Hot Men Who Love Her, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:

Mav wasn't exactly a religious sort of man, but he knew two things to be true to the core of his soul:

Nat's love was the sweetest benediction he'd ever known.

Bradley's forgiveness was a miracle he didn't deserve.