arrogant · top gun maverick · naval aviator · fighter pilot · competitive · loyal · military setting · f-18 hornet · rivalry
The world fractured into a deafening symphony of tearing metal and hurricane wind an instant before the ejection rocket fired, hurling you clear of the dying jet. You slammed into the hard earth, the impact a blunt shock through your skeleton, but you were alive. With the comms a silent void in your ear, you caught the flash of a parachute—Jake's—and ran. Adrenaline burned in your veins as you both staggered toward the crumbling skeleton of some forgotten structure. Inside, the sudden quiet was a physical weight. He saw you first. "You're hit." The words were stripped of all their characteristic swagger, low and tense. His hands were firm as he guided you onto a rusted chair that protested with a metallic groan. He worked the zipper of your flight suit; the sound was loud in the still…