#TeamGossipingDads

[write4tomorrow]

Chapter 5: The Best Lies 

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x CIA Agent!Reader

Summary: During the training with Maverick for the mission, the pilots must also complete “hostile condition” training with a CIA interrogator (reader). Hangman thinks this type of training is a waste of time until the reader exposes him. Enemies to Lovers. 

Genre: Adventure / Fluff

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6 Epilogue (Complete)

 You swirled your drink and leaned back in your seat. It had been a difficult few weeks. 

The pilots that took your training seriously were doing well, but you knew that Maverick’s training was what mattered. The flying had taken it’s toll on several of the pilots and everyone was stressed about leaving for the aircraft carrier tomorrow. Tonight, you decided to leave the base early and went to The Hard Deck by yourself. Your beer tasted bitter in your mouth and you wondered if it would be easier or harder if you spent the night in the company of the Top Gun pilots. 

Despite your best efforts and your admittedly cold demeanor, you had become too close to all of the pilots. Rooster and Phoenix were probably your closest friends in the world, but you knew that they were the best pilots. You wouldn’t be surprised if Maverick chose them as part of the assault team. But even the other pilots had become your friends. Bob was the best karaoke partner; Fanboy always knew the punchline to the joke before you told it; Coyote never said no to a game of cards; Harvard and Yale taught you how to actually play Dogfight Football; and Hangman…

You two didn’t speak for almost a week. Almost. 

A week ago today you beat him in the interrogation game at The Hard Deck. Some of the pilots were still poking fun at his loss. You were glad to win the interrogation game, but you hadn’t heard his taunting voice in days. He was avoiding you like oil on water. At first you didn’t mind, but as you continued to listen to the Dogfights over the radio, you kept an ear out for his voice specifically. And as you did, you began to notice little things. 

The first time you noticed something was during a dogfight with Harvard, Yale, and Hangman. Predictably, Hangman left to chase down Maverick. But as he talked over the headset, you heard him almost methodically whispering lyrics. You had to really listen, but they were the lyrics to your favorite song. Thankfully you were alone, listening to the dogfight over a personal radio from the comfort of your room, but you hummed along to the melody. Rooster had played it the night before at The Hard Deck and you practically screamed the lyrics in the middle of the bar. Did Hangman hear that? If he was there, you didn’t notice him. 

The fourth time you noticed something strange was when Hangman, in the middle of a dogfight with Maverick, asked, “Hey Mav, why’d you never get married?”

“Sometimes I wish I did,” Maverick answered, “is this a new tactic? Try to distract me over the headset?”

“Was there ever a girl you could see yourself with?” Hangman pushed. 

“Hangman, why are you asking?” Maverick asked after a moment. 

“I’ve just been thinking about it…” was all Hangman said. 

The most recent time you noticed something was going on with Hangman happened when he tried to fly through the simulated valley for the first time. You were in the rec room with most of the other pilots, trying not to be impressed by Hangman’s flying. He was staying below the 100 foot hardeck and swerved left and right to avoid being targeted by the surface to air missiles. This was the fourth time he had flown this track. He was even beating his personal record while avoiding the SAM’s.

Coyote and Fanboy were having trouble keeping up. 

“Damn, Hangman, what’s got you flying so fast?” Fanboy’s strained voice came over the radio. 

“I’ve got a lot to lose,” Hangman answered. You rolled your eyes and heard Coyote give a small chuckle. 

“The ego,” you mouthed to Rooster. 

“Nothing can compare to a man in love,” Coyote said over the headset. Hangman just scoffed but you froze where you were standing. Rooster turned to you then and he looked as confused as you felt. Rooster raised his hands and shrugged, he didn’t know what it was about either. But you were eerily aware of the other pilots in the rec room with you. All of you had been listening to the radio but now a few people’s attention shifted towards you. 

But none of that compared to the fight you had with Hangman just hours ago. You were playing a game of cards with Coyote in the rec room. There were some other pilots around, but it was a game of poker and only you and Coyote were left in the game. Rooster, Phoenix, and Bob were looking over your shoulder while Payback was hovering next to Coyote. 

“Hey, Coyote,” you said slowly, “What was up with Hangman the other day?”

“What do you mean?” Coyote said. He was looking at you over the top of his cards. You knew you shouldn’t pry, but the pilots were leaving for the mission tomorrow. This may be your last chance to find out. Luckily, Phoenix knew where this conversation was going. 

“You said Hangman was in love,” Phoenix answered. You watched Coyote’s eyes dart back towards his playing cards. Payback turned a nervous expression toward Coyote. 

“It’s someone we know,” you whispered. After watching these pilots for weeks, you knew their ticks and tells. Coyote was trying to hide something from you and Payback knew what it was. 

“Look, it’s probably not even that serious,” Payback said, trying to cover for Coyote. 

“What do you know?” Rooster asked. You leaned forward in your chair, watching the two pilots in front of you. Neither of them spoke. Knowing the power of silence, you let the quietness become louder. 

“Hey, y/n,” Bob muttered from behind you. Remaining silent, you chose to ignore him. You heard Phoenix shush him until… 

“y/n,” Phoenix said. You heard something hesitant in her voice. You let out a breath and turned around to face Bob and Phoenix. But they weren’t looking at you. They turned toward the doorway of the rec room and you were surprised to see that even Rooster was looking that way. And when you realized why, you understood Phoenix's tone. 

“Let’s talk in my office,” Cyclone said. He was standing in the doorway, awkwardly nodding at the other top gun pilots in the room. You nodded and tossed your cards down on the table and Coyote groaned. 

“I should have called your bluff, Ice Queen,” he said with a smile. “I would have won.” You laughed with him and gave Bob, Phoenix, and Rooster a comforting look. 

“See if you can find out anything else about Hangman,” you instructed. They all nodded and you followed your father out of the rec room. 

The meeting with your dad was short. He asked how you were doing, how the pilots were, what you thought of the mission tomorrow, and if there was anyone you would recommend to sit out of the mission. 

“Halo might be a weak link,” you confessed, “but everyone else - at least everyone that has been attending my classes - seems to be eligible for the mission.” Your dad nodded at your words. 

“You’re still planning on going with us to the aircraft carrier tomorrow?” Your father leveled you with a look. You only nodded. There was something else going on and you could tell that your father wasn’t telling you something. 

“It may not be a good idea,” Cyclone finally said. You felt your eyebrows pull together but patiently waited for an explanation. Cyclone ran a hand over his hair and continued: “I’ve noticed that you… distract some of the pilots. You’re attached to them. You wear your heart on your sleeve.” 

“Are you kidding,” you laughed, “they call me Ice Queen. I don’t think I’m wearing anything on my sleeve.”

“You care about them,” Cyclone said. He let a small smile creep over his face as he looked at you. “You get it from your mother, you know.” 

“I’m going to the aircraft carrier tomorrow and I plan on being in that control room during the mission,” you said but then added, “sir.” Your father locked eyes with you for a moment and he eventually nodded. He looked out the window and sighed. The sun was still above the horizon but it was quickly setting. 

“I think you distract the pilots but you also motivate them. Mav agrees. It’s no secret the effect you have on them. Sometimes Mav can’t get through to them but you can. The way you talk to Pheonix and Bob, your relationship with Rooster, Coyote, Hangman-”

“Hangman?” You interrupted. Your father only raised one eyebrow in your direction. There was something about the look coming from your father that made your neck feel warm. Were you blushing?

“We’re leaving the base at 0600 tomorrow. Be ready.” Cyclone said, dismissing you. Gladly, you left his office and made your way to the rec room. But something was wrong. There were shouts coming from the rec room and you knew those voices. 

You began running down the hall and could tell that Rooster was arguing with someone. It took a lot to get Rooster to that level of rage and you knew that it couldn’t be good. Where were Pheonix? Bob? What happened? 

“It’s none of your business what I think of y/n or who I talk to about her.” 

You stopped in your tracks. You were only a few steps from the doorway and you knew that voice too well. Hangman. Something about hearing him speak in person for the first time in a week startled you. It made you take a step toward the door but quickly stopped as Hangman spoke again. 

“This is none of your business,” he continued. Before you could do anything, he walked out of the room and into the hall. He froze as he looked up to find you. Rooster, Coyote, Bob, and Phoenix hurried out but Hangman didn’t look away from your face. Instead, he let his cocky facade slide into place. 

“We’ll if it isn’t the Ice Queen herself.” Hangman slid his hands into his pockets as you walked toward him. Your steps were quick, decisive. No one spoke as you planted yourself less than a foot away from Hangman, glaring up at him. 

“Are you going to break your vow of silence, sweetheart?” Hangman taunted. You mentally kicked yourself, wondering how you could ever miss his voice. 

“Lieutenant, what is your problem?” You set your jaw and stared at him. A shadow fell over his face as he leaned in. His breath danced across your face. 

“You,” he answered. He pushed past you and his footsteps echoed in the long hallway. You were left looking at your friends’ faces. Coyote gave you an apologetic look before he left to catch up with Hangman. 

“He requested that you stay here at Top Gun tomorrow rather than join Cyclone, Warlock and Holdo in the command room.” Phoenix said. You blinked a few times. So that was why your father had wanted to talk to you. But if Hangman didn’t want you there…

“Where are you going?” Rooster asked as you began walking away. You weren’t sure where you were going but your body pushed you to move in the opposite direction of Hangman. Tears pricked your eyes and your breath was coming in small bursts. Rooster and Bob made an attempt to follow you, but Phoenix held them back. 

You were so distraught that you walked most of the way to The Hard Deck before you even knew what you were doing. By a stroke of luck, Penny had found you walking in that direction. She was driving into work and knew something was wrong by the look on your face. Without asking any questions, Penny chauffeured you the rest of the way and poured a drink for you when you arrived. You sat in a small corner, watching the other patrons in the bar slowly trickle in as the night continued. The beer in your hand had become room temperature, but you didn’t care as it swirled around in the glass. 

After an hour or so of swirling your drink, a couple of bodies appeared at your table. Wordlessly, a few of the Top Gun pilots took a seat, giving you warm smiles. Rooster, Phoenix, Bob, even Payback and Fanboy pulled up chairs. You didn’t have to fake your joy when you looked at each of them. 

“If every single one of you doesn’t make it back from the mission tomorrow,” your voice broke as you spoke, “I’ll kill all of you.” 

The pilots around you laughed and began doing their best to cheer you up. Unknown to you, Hangman watched from across the room.

Hangman and Coyote looked on as their friends slowly cheered you up at the opposite end of the bar. Hangman could tell you had been crying and something in his chest ached when he saw your face. He understood why Coyote had forced him to come. 

“Don’t do this to her,” Coyote said in a low voice, “don’t do this to yourself, man.” Hangman’s eyes were glued to you but he nodded at Coyote’s words. 

Hangman’s mouth went dry as Rooster took your hand and pulled you up from the table. The pilots cheered as your face split into a genuine grin. You and Rooster began dancing to whatever the jukebox was playing. Arms flailing, head shaking, and lips grinning, you looked like the cunning girl he had beat at pool so many weeks ago. 

“Just look at yourself, Hangman,” Coyote chided. Hangman turned his attention to his friend and was surprised to find himself smiling. Hangman gave his friend a good natured shove and walked toward you. 

“Ice Queen!” Hangman bellowed. Almost every head in the bar turned his way, including yours. The smile on your face slipped and Rooster took a small step in front of you. That didn’t stop Hangman from giving you an award winning smile. 

“I have a bone to pick with you.” Hangman stopped just a few feet in front of you. Being this close meant that he could see how your eyes were still a little puffy from earlier tears. Hangman cursed himself but carried on. 

“Please,” he held out his hand toward you. It took great effort, but he let his face soften. He tried to lay himself bare in front of you with just a look. And as he watched your face, he knew you saw something on his own. Of course, that didn’t mean you weren’t skeptical. You placed your hand in his, but didn’t budge. Instead, your eyes narrowed, waiting for him to make the next move. 

“Convince me to listen,” was all you said. Hangman rolled his eyes.

“Why can’t you just make this easy, y/n?” Hangman closed his hand around yours and pulled hard enough to make you stumble forward. Using your momentum, Hangman threw you over his shoulder and turned to leave. He saw Rooster, as well as a handful of other pilots, move to defend you, but Coyote stepped in their path. Hangman didn’t know what his friend said to the others, but they didn’t follow him as he carried you out of the bar. Rooster didn’t even make an attempt to follow you outside. 

“Hangman! Hey, Lieutenant! Lieutenant Seresin. Stop!” You were hitting Hangman’s back which only made him tighten his grip around your legs. He didn’t stop until he stood on the dark beach, a few meters away from The Hard Deck. 

“Lieutenant, put me down-” you huffed, still struggling. 

“Say my name,” Hangman said in a low voice. He felt you still in his arms. He couldn’t see your face but he knew you understood what he wanted. After a moment of silence from you, Hangman gave your ass a hard flick. You began to swear.

“C’mon,” Hangman said, “just let me hear you say my name and I’ll put you down.” 

“Jake Seresin, put me down now,” you said through gritted teeth. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Gently, he allowed you to slide off of his shoulder. He kept a grip on you until he was sure you had found your footing in the sand. He watched you then, your face lit by the distant lights from the bar. You looked furious. 

“Look, I know-” Hangman didn’t get a chance to finish. With all your might, you punched Hangman’s gut. He doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Still, he was a little satisfied to see you shake out your fist. 

“Are you kidding,” you wheezed, clutching your hand, “Why is your stomach so… so hard?” 

“No one has ever complained about how hard I am,” Hangman said with a pained laugh. You moved to punch him again, but Hangman had learned his lesson. He caught your fist as it sailed through open air. You pulled back but Hangman didn’t let go of your wrist. Instead, your breath caught as Hangman pulled your hand to his chest and he began to gently massage your palm and knuckles. 

“Did you hurt your hand?” Hangman asked with a fake pout. 

“What do you want, Lieutenant?” You glared up at the pilot. 

“I want to talk to you. Can I do that? Will you just listen, for once?” Hangman’s voice sounded frustrated but void of it’s usual bravado. You watched his face for a moment, wondering where this was going. You wanted to release your frustration. You wanted to punch him again. It would hurt, but it felt good to let your feelings out like that. 

The way Hangman was holding your hand  also felt good. 

“As long as you don’t stop doing that,” you finally answered.

“Yes ma’am,” Hangman grinned. 

“And if this is going to be a long conversation, I’d rather sit.” You quickly added. Hangman nodded and pulled you down into the chilly sand. You sat across from him and you had to lean forward for Hangman to keep massaging your palm. Your legs were crossed and so were his. Your knees were resting against his crossed legs. 

It wasn’t a comfortable way to sit and he noticed. Wordlessly, Hangman moved closer. He lifted his legs and placed them on either side of you so that they rested over your folded legs and his feet stuck out behind you. He silently raised an eyebrow asking if it was okay. You gave him a little nod. 

“You distract me-” Hangman began.

“So you had to go tell my dad?” You interrupted. 

“You said you’d listen.” Hangman glared. You apologized and motioned with your free hand for him to continue. 

“I think I hate you,” Hangman said, but he continued to speak before you could interrupt again, “You - and I cannot stress this enough - make my head hurt. Like the worst headache I've ever had. You’re just always… Something about you and that smart mouth of yours brings out the worst in me and it makes me want to be better. I don’t know what it is, Ice Queen, but you make me grind my teeth and for the first time in my life, when I’m up there, all I can think about is coming back down. I want to come find you in the rec room playing cards with Coyote and I want to go to The Hard Deck and see you singing with Rooster and Phoenix. I want to be the one dancing with you and I want to show you that I can spin you around better than anyone else in the whole bar. And even when I’m up in the air, I just… I know you’re listening and want to talk to you. And I hate it, y/n.” 

You didn’t know when it happened, but at some point Hangman stopped massaging your hand. You sat, facing the arrogant pilot, one of your hands was held in both of his while your other hand lazily rested on his thigh. 

“Oh, now you’re silent?” Hangman let out a nervous laugh. “I think you’re clever and I also think that makes you dangerous. And sometimes I want to take you down a notch because I know you can take me down.” Hangman seemed to be looking everywhere but your face. He kept your hand close to his chest and you tried to find something to say.  

“But all I really want is your attention,” Hangman glanced up at you, meeting your gaze. “and I hate you for ignoring me. I hate you for making me watch Rooster sing with you. I hate you because you like hanging out with Phoenix and Coyote and even Bob more than you like seeing me. And I hate watching you smile at everyone but me. And I just hate myself because…” Hangman’s voice broke then. He looked down at his hands, still clutching your own. 

“I hate you.” Your voice sounded so distant. The crashing waves behind you were loud but all you could hear was your heart beating in your chest. 

You and Hangman looked at one another. Neither of you spoke and you used your free hand to touch his cheek. You felt little grains of sand on his skin. His eyes never left your face as you wiped away some of the sand. 

“Say it again,” Hangman demanded. His voice was different now and you liked the way his face moved under your touch. 

“I hate you, Jake,” you said. Hangman inhaled and something in you felt unbelievably fragile like a glass box teetering on the edge of a high shelf. 

“I hate you and I hate the idea that you...” You had to take a deep breath to fight the lump in your throat, “I hate that I don’t know if you’re going to make it back from the mission, tomorrow. And if you don’t, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with all this… hate.” 

“Well if that’s your concern, worry no more, Ice Queen,” Hangman said, bringing some of his bravado back, “rest assured, I’m the best. And I’m coming back tomorrow.” You rolled your eyes and laughed. Pulling your hands away from Hangman, you moved to swat his chest. He caught your wrist for the second time that night and, very slowly, brought your open palm to his lips. 

You told yourself to pull away. You told yourself this was a bad idea. But feeling Hangman’s lips against your palm pushed all thoughts out of your head. 

“Tell me you hate me again,” Hangman said, “you tell the best lies.” 

“Tomorrow, when you come back from the mission.” You promised. There was a challenge in your voice and you felt your familiar grin return to your face.  

“C’mon, Ice Queen,” Hangman said in a plaintive voice, “hate me tonight. Hate me now.” 

“Tomorrow,” you insisted. “when you’re back - safe and sound - I’ll hate you then.” Hangman raised an eyebrow, a little gleam beginning to show in his eyes. He took both of your hands in his.

“Tomorrow,” he began, “when I come back as the hero of the day, you and I are going to play your interrogation game by my rules. You’re going to answer all of my questions - no lies.”

“And you’ll answer my questions, too?” You asked. Hangman nodded and pulled you to your feet. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Hangman said, looping your arm around his. The two of you began walking toward The Hard Deck. You could see Rooster and Phoenix dancing with one another. Bob laughed with the other pilots around the pool table. And then you turned to glance up at Hangman. His eyes were already on you, an unreadable expression on his face. Thinking about what might happen tomorrow made your chest feel empty. So, if you held Hangman’s arm a little tighter or pressed yourself a little more against his side, you told yourself that it was better to enjoy it now than to regret it later. 

“Where are we going, Lieutenant?” You asked, turning away and hoping your blush wasn’t evident. He was leading you around The Hard Deck rather than back towards the entrance. 

“I’m driving you home,” He said with a shrug, “On the ride back, you can tell me more about our date tomorrow.”

A/N: Phew, chapter 5 is done and THE COMMENTS kill me. The support on this is so sweet. Literally the best motivation ever and @turningtoclown that hashtag is the best thing I've ever read. I am laughing so hard. @bluebunny780 and @teacactusworld your messages were so stinking kind.

Please let me know what you think of Ch. 5!

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