automatic stop, bradley bradshaw

thirteen.

SKYE HUMMED ALONG TO THE SONG IN HER HEAD, WHICH just so happened to be 500 miles, putting ice into her lemonade. "what's got you in such a good mood?" katia asked as she watched her best friend move about the kitchen.

"i'm just feeling good." she replied, smiling to herself.

katia then gave her a look. "what happened with rooster then? you seemed pretty upset with him when you dragged him outside."

skye laughed. "yeah, because i was." she shook her head, a smile on her lips. "but then we talked about it, and he explained himself and i explained myself and.. he came over here and we had dinner."

"wow. that's kind of adorable." the other woman replied, putting her hair up into a bun. "what's that?" she pointed to the brown jacket on their stool.

skye looked over at it for a second even though she already knew what katia was asking about. "that's bradley's jacket." she said, trying to make her voice as nonchalant as possible.

the blonde's eyes widened. "that's his jacket?" she pointed at it.

"yeah." skye nodded, trying to downplay it.

"he left his jacket here?"

"yeah." she said. "i mean i was going to just take it to him today."

katia nodded, a small smirk on her lips. "okay."

"what?" skye asked, taking in the mischievous glint in her best friend's eyes.

"you're riding a motorcycle to work." she said.

"yeah?"

"and when you're on the motorcycle, you're not going to have anywhere to put the jacket."

skye rolled her eyes. "what are you getting at, exactly?"

katia smiled. "you're going to have to wear rooster's jacket all the way to base."

"no." she groaned, putting her head in her hands. "okay, come on. it isn't a big deal. it's just a jacket."

the blonde picked it up, looking at the patches that adorned the dark brown leather. "yeah. a jacket with his callsign on it and patches that correspond to all of the squadrons he's flown with."

skye looked at it, shaking her head. "it's not a big deal, okay? it'll be fine." she said, though it was more to herself than it was to anyone else.

"will it not be a big deal to him?" katia asked, laughing as skye groaned again, shoving her arm.

"shut up." when skye moved to head out the door, katia held up the jacket, a smirk on her lips. "thanks." she spoke in a sing song voice, taking the jacket and putting it on.

she hated to admit to herself how comfortably oversized it was on her, and how much it smelled of his cologne. she also hated to admit that she knew what that smelled like.

"it looks good on you. katia said, laughing as skye turned to give her a look. "no, no i'm being serious."

"thank you." she said as she put her helmet on and led the way down the road. something about the wind in her hair made skye feel a sense of comfort. she'd grown up riding her dad's motorcycle any chance he'd give her, and had gotten her own as soon as she could legally drive it. since she wasn't going to be flying today (no way after the fiasco the day prior), her hair was left down underneath the helmet, cascading in curly waves down her back. well, down the jacket. 

skye and katia arrived at the base together, parking in the same spots they always did. the brunette closed her eyes for a moment in annoyance as she noticed the bulky truck already parked in the lot. rooster, of course, hadn't arrived later than normal, like she'd been hoping for.