Birdstrike

"Jake," You called out, hearing the door close, "Babe, is that you?"

"Yeah, doll. It's me." You could hear the defeat and exhaustion in his voice.

"I'm in the kitchen."

He didn't speak again, but you could tell by the heavy footsteps that he was headed toward you.

You weren't expecting to see him tonight. Since his first round at Top Gun, you had been in an on-again-off-again relationship with Jake Seresin. The moment he stepped into The Hard Deck all those years ago, you knew it was all over for you. You fell in love with him. You weren't delusional; he was a naval aviator- he wouldn't be around long, but that wasn't going to stop you from falling in love with him.

Jake would still visit a few times a year when he was on leave; he'd even asked you to come to his family's ranch in Texas a few times. But you weren't in any kind of serious relationship.

Strong hands wrapped around your waist as you stood in front of the kitchen sink. He kissed the top of your head before leaning to rest his chin on your shoulder.

"Everything okay?" You asked, turning the kitchen sink off.

Jake was never this needy when he first came home. Well, not unless something horrible happened. Considering his job, it was always a possibility. But you also knew that there were many times that he couldn't tell you what was going on.

"Just a long day," He murmured. "And all I wanted when it was over was to see you."

"Want me to order dinner, and you can tell me about it?" You turned in his arms to face him.

He nodded, "I think I'd like that."

"Your usual?"

"Please." He kissed your forehead. "I'm gonna go shower while we wait."

You stretched up on your tiptoes and kissed him. His rough, calloused hands found their way under the hem of your shirt as he pulled you impossibly closer and deepened the kiss. That man could kiss you breathless in two seconds flat, and he enjoyed every moment of it. You broke the kiss only when the need for air became too much to ignore.

"Go shower," You smirked. "If you don't go now, dinner is never getting ordered."

He laughed, kissing you chastely. "Yes, ma'am."

########

You had agreed not to talk about the heaviness of the day until after you were both done eating and could devote all your attention to him. His phone had gone off a handful of times, all Dagger Squad members seeming to check in? It was hard to tell, but you started reading between the lines when Bradley texted you to ensure that Jake was with you and not home alone.

"Babe, I hate to ask this. But does your bad day have anything to do with the reason Bradley just texted me to make sure you weren't alone?"

"Yes," He let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know if I should be worried or impressed that he has your number."

"All of Dagger Squad does." You chuckled. "How do you think I keep track of you when you're not here?"

"Valid point." He turned and laid his back across the couch, his head on your lap.

"Talk to me, babe," You ran your fingers through his hair, his eyes closed at the contact.

"I almost lost Coyote today." He spoke softly. "He was in G-lock."

Your heart sank. Javy was Jake's best friend and wingman. They were practically inseparable from when they first arrived on North Island as Top Gun cadets.

When he opened his eyes, he had a thousand-yard stare, "Then Phoenix and Bob had to punch out because of birdstrike." He continued.

"Oh, babe," you cooed.

"This was all within minutes of each other." He continued. "I had to sit in the Ready Room and listen to Maverick call it out over the radio. Over and over, he called out Coyote's name just to try and pull Javy out of it." He let out a deep breath, "He almost wasn't in time."

"But he was," you reminded him.

"But what if he hadn't been?" He questioned. "What if Phoenix or Bob weren't able to eject in time? It's happened before. That's how Rooster's dad died."

You had heard the story of how Rooster's dad died, as well as a few other pilots in the Top Gun program. It was heartbreaking, and every day that everyone came home was a day you were extra thankful for.

"Jake," You spoke softly, cradling the side of his face. He turned into it and kissed the palm of your hand. "You can't let yourself live in that thought process. Accidents happen, and you can't keep reliving those moments. But you can keep the people you care about the most close to you and remind them every day how much you care."

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. You weren't oblivious to the fact that most people never experienced this side of him- the kind, caring, actual human side. A part of you always hoped he would share it with the rest of the world, but that wasn't likely to happen.

"I guess I don't do a good job at that," He spoke so softly you weren't sure you were supposed to hear.

"Vulnerability is courageous in its own way," You encouraged, moving your hand to rest on his chest.

He chuckled softly. "And dangerous."

"At times," you nodded, smiling at him.

He reached out and grabbed your hand in his. He intertwined your fingers and pressed a kiss to your knuckles. "You know that I love you, right?"

You were shocked by the concern evident in his expression, as if you may actually doubt his feelings for you.

"Jacob Seresin, I question many things in the world; but the fact that you love me is certainly not one of them." The smile that stretched across his face could have lit up the night sky.

"After this mission, I have no idea where they'll send me next."

"It won't matter. You always find your way back here." You squeezed his hand softly.

"What if we didn't have to worry about it?"

You looked at him with a scrunched forehead. There was no way this man was considering leaving the Navy, so what on earth could he mean.

"What if you and I never had to worry about where I was stationed. You could come with me."

"Jake, the only way that would happen is if we were married." You pointed out the obvious.

"I know," He looked down at your intertwined hands. The man, confident in everything he does, finally came across a situation that made him nervous.

"Oh," You let out a heavy breath, completely caught off guard by the direction of the conversation.

"I always knew that this was what I wanted, to marry you." He spoke again, "I honestly thought I'd ask in a different way. Probably at the beach or back at home on the ranch. But I've wanted to ask you for a while now."

You already knew the answer to his unasked question. It was always going to be yes. "You haven't asked me a question, Jake."

He laughed and rolled off the couch before kneeling in front of you. You had to bite your lip to keep from laughing.

"Will you (y/f/n) (y/l/n) marry me?" The tone in his voice and the smile on his face were more confident than a moment ago. He knew the answer. You would haven't have pushed him to ask the question if you were going to say no.

A giggle escaped your lips as you nodded your head, cheeks hurting from smiling so wide. You leaned forward, wrapping your arms around his neck, and kissed him.

He pulled back, still smiling down at you. "You haven't answered my question."

You rolled your eyes, still smiling, as he turned your statement around on you.

"Yes, a million times, yes."

He smiled, thrilled with your answer and satisfied he could turn your sarcastic response back on you. He closed the distance between the two of you and kissed you breathlessly.