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Hangman and Phoenix have what some people might call a history. They went to flight school together, though they were at Top Gun in different years. Coyote was with them, too, and the three of them were friends if not friendly rivals. Since then, Hangman and Phoenix have been deployed together, have been on leave together, and have remained friendly rivals. Even if they’d never admit it, they have a lot in common, and they get along.
One thing they have in common is Rooster. Rooster, who Hangman dated for three years before an amicable break-up. Rooster, who Phoenix went on five separate deployments with, became best friends with. Rooster, who they currently haven’t seen for two days, since the mission ended.
The brass is currently deciding what to do with the twelve of them- now that they have them all together, see how well they work, they almost don’t want to split them up again. Almost being the keyword there- there are a lot of arguments against establishing a permanent squadron, though there are a lot of them that are for it.
In that time, they’ve been given a week-long leave. The Dagger squad has met up at the Hard Deck both nights they’ve been home, but so far, there’s been no sign of Rooster. The only reason they know he’s alive is because Maverick comes by looking for Penny on the second night, says hello to all of them, and confirms when they ask that Rooster is okay.
Well, he doesn’t use the word ‘okay.’ He uses the word ‘fine,’ which they all know could mean a wide variety of things. So Hangman and Phoenix, who both have a very vested interest in Rooster’s health and safety, decide to team up.
They both know where Rooster lives when he’s on leave; an old house that used to belong to his parents. They take Hangman’s car, because he claims he’s not going to step within a ten-foot radius of Phoenix’s motorcycle. She teases him a bit, but they’re both too worried about Rooster to really mean it.
They make it to Rooster’s place fairly quickly. There’s only his car parked in the driveway, no sign of Mav. They glance at each other as they make their way up to the porch. Hangman knocks a few times, then goes for where Rooster keeps the spare key. Phoenix beats him to it, using her own key that Rooster gave her a year ago.
“He gave you a key?” Hangman asks in disbelief.
“Of course he gave me a key, I’m his best friend,” Phoenix snorts, unlocking the door. “Rooster, we’re coming in!” She calls it loud enough for him to hear no matter where he is in the house. Hangman steps inside behind her, a bit more cautiously. The house is completely dark, and Hangman reaches out to flick on the nearest light.
The living room is lit up with the glow of three steady light bulbs and one flickering one. Hangman scans the kitchen area to no avail; Phoenix has frozen.
“Nat?” Hangman asks, and then she’s moving. He spots what she’s going for a second later; Rooster is sitting on the floor, back pressed up against the couch. His knees are tucked up to his chest and he looks, for all intents and purposes, like he’s having a silent panic attack.
“Hey, Bradley, hey,” Phoenix says, crouching down in front of him. He takes in a huge breath and waves her off, and she raises her hands. “I’m not gonna touch you, don’t worry. Just take some deep breaths. Hangman-”
Hangman is already moving to the kitchen, digging around in Rooster’s cabinets that he hasn’t rearranged since they dated for a glass. He fills it with water and brings it over carefully. Rooster is still shaking a little bit, but his breathing is a lot better. It’s comical, almost, the way he and Phoenix are taking huge, open-mouthed breaths together, but Hangman isn’t going to laugh. He’s been there, he knows what it’s like.
“Hey, that’s better,” Phoenix says, and lucidity swims back into Rooster’s eyes. “There you are. Think you could drink some water?”
“Yeah,” Rooster manages to get out, voice a little hoarse. Hangman hands him the glass- his hands are shaking violently. “Maybe not,” Rooster corrects himself.
“We got you,” Hangman says firmly, reaching out with the glass. He helps Rooster drink and then sets the glass to the side, sinking down onto the floor next to the two of them. “You been doing this a lot?”
“Not terrible,” Rooster huffs. “They cleared me for the psych eval but I keep freaking out at little things. This is only the third time.”
“Third time in two days?” Phoenix asks, raising an eyebrow. “Have you been seeing your therapist?”
“Not since we got back,” Rooster says, shaking his head. “I should probably schedule an appointment while we’re still on leave.”
“You think?” Hangman asks. Rooster looks at him like he’s trying to glare, but trying to fight back a smile at the same time.
“Thank you,” he says, instead of cussing Hangman out, which was kind of what he was expecting. “Both of you.”
“Anytime,” Phoenix says. Then, clearly seeing the look Hangman is giving Rooster, she clears her throat. “I’m gonna go make a pizza. You got frozen, Bradshaw?”
“Only the best,” Rooster confirms, and Phoenix makes her way into the kitchen. Rooster looks at Hangman. Hangman looks back.
“I’m sorry,” he says eventually, and Rooster scoffs.
“You don’t have to apologize, I’ve already forgiven you,” he says. “ I’m sorry. For never telling you about Maverick.”
“You shouldn’t have to apologize for that,” Hangman points out. “I should be apologizing for bringing up your dad like that.”
“You may act like you’ve got a heart of ice, Jake, but I know better,” Rooster says pointedly. “You were trying to prove a point. It worked.”
“Yeah, it did,” Hangman says after a moment, grinning that cocky grin he knows Rooster loves. Rooster just rolls his eyes and shifts a little closer. Hangman opens his arms instantly, pulling Rooster against him.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Rooster says after a second. “Thank you for going against direct orders to do it.”
“We both did it,” Hangman says. “For people we care about. For people we love.”
Rooster goes still, then turns back. He’s fighting that smile again.
“Yeah,” he says, and there’s that expression in his eyes that Hangman hasn’t seen in a while, that look that’s full of adoration. “Yeah, we did.”