Top Gun Imagines

34. Lip Gloss (Hangman - Jake Seresin)

(Published July 21, 2023) 

   "Hey baby doll." 
   I paused in stirring my drink with my straw at the sound of a very familiar voice trying to get my attention.  Only one man called me that and only one man had that smooth confidence in his tone.  A small smile toyed with my lips and I tried to get it under control before turning on the bar stool to greet him.  
   "Hangman," I acknowledged.  
   His smirk was softer than usual as he nodded once to me.  "Haven't seen you around here in a while." 
   "Haven't been here in a while.  I've been working overtime to make up for the roommate we lost," I admitted, reaching out to pick off a fleck of grey fuzz on his otherwise crisp uniform.  
   His eyes followed my movement before returning to my face.  "That usually makes people more desperate to hit the bar." 
   "You know I never come with I'm tired or feeling off.  Bad things are more likely to happen that way." I shrugged.  "I'm guessing you've been diligent about coming, though?" 
   He moved to the bar stool next to me and leaned an elbow on the bar top.  "Yeah.  You miss places like this when you're in the middle of the ocean." 
   "I bet."
   I took a sip of my drink before offering it to him.  He grinned, accepting it.  He would never order the fruit flavored drinks for himself because it wasn't 'manly enough' even though he actually really enjoyed them.  And since we had shared germs before when he had asked me to make out with him to scare off a stalker several months back, I figured he wouldn't squawk about me sharing with him now.  Glancing around, I tried to spot the woman he might have picked out to give his attention to tonight.  I didn't see anyone that caught my eye, so I figured he was just in need of a friend to talk to, which was a position I enjoyed filling.  
   "No date tonight?" I asked anyway, taking back my drink as he handed it to me.  
   He shook his head, his eyes also scanning the bar briefly.  "Not in the mood for mind games.  We leave on that deadly mission tomorrow, so I don't need distractions tonight." 
   "Then you came to the wrong place," I teased lightly.  
   He gave me a half hearted smirk.  "Actually, I didn't.  I came to find you.  And here you were." 
   "That serious, huh?" 
   He bounced his head in a few short nods.  
   "Want to grab a booth and talk about it out of earshot, or does eavesdropping not bother you?" I asked, lowering my voice a bit so the music would cover some of my words.  
   "Oh, I don't care if anyone hears." He snickered a little.  "I don't tell people secrets.  They're bound to get out if you do." 
   "Very wise," I agreed.  "So, what's up, then?  Since you obviously sought me out for a reason." 
   "Well..." He paused before giving me a mischievous grin.  "I'm going to tell you a secret." 
   "Are you nuts?  You ought to know better." I scolded playfully.  
   He laughed.  "And typically I do, baby doll.  However, there's a very important reason for this." 
   I pressed my lips together, hoping to look serious since I knew that was what he needed right now.  He reached over and gently took my hand in both of his.  His large hands swallowed mine, and their callouses felt foreign against my skin.  Still, it touched my heart a little at the same time as it worried me.  I had a feeling this meant whatever the secret was, it was vital information that he was telling me for a good reason.  Little did I know... 
   "Now, this is top secret, classified, do not tell anyone information, okay?" He stated, leaning a little closer so he could lower his voice.  
   I nodded, placing my free hand on top of his.  "I'm not going to promise anything, but I also have no friends or popular social media sites so you should be fine."  
   "Be serious." It was his turn to playfully scold me.  
   "I am!" I narrowed my eyes at him, fighting the smile trying to sneak onto my lips.  "Are you going to tell me, or are we going to sit here and draw unwanted attention all night?" 
   "Good gravy," He muttered under his breath as he tried to cough back his laughter.  "Alright, here's the gist of it.  Tomorrow several pilots are going to be chosen for a dangerous mission and it's not exaggerating to say that someone might not come back from it.  I'm in the group that the leader has to choose from.  I doubt I'll be chosen even though I'm a damn good pilot because he has his favorites, but if I do by some odd chance, I want you to know something very important in case I don't come back.  I really appreciate you and I want you to know that you're probably one of my best friends.  And if I do come back here, I'm going to prove it to you somehow." 
   I gave him a soft smile, but couldn't help but throw out another joke.  "And here I thought I had no friends." 
   "Keep up the teasing and I'm going to kiss you." He warned.  
   "Like you haven't done that before!" I quickly continued before he could try anything.  "But I'm glad I could be here for you, Hangman.  In all honesty, I don't have a lot of friends and I value the time you spend chatting with me." 
   He took his hands from mine and sat back on his barstool.  "Yeah?" 
   "Yeah." 
   "So you'll be at my funeral if I die?" 
   "Depends if I can get the day off of work." 
   "Wow, I see how much you value me." 
   "I was kidding!  Of course I'd be there, if they told me in time."  
   "They will.  I've told my family about you." 
   "Why?!" 
   "Because they wanted to know if I had any friends that I didn't irritate to death and the only one I could think of was you." 
   "You've got a good reputation, huh?" 
   "Eh, I tend to rub people wrong." 
   "I can't imagine why..." 
   "What did I say about teasing?" 
   "Yeah, you keep threatening."
   He stood, closing the distance between us in that one move.  "You shouldn't dare me, doll." 
   I grinned up at him, not all that concerned.  "Why not?  It gets the desired reaction."  
   "So you want to be kissed?" He leaned closer, his lips only inches from mine.  
   "It's bound to happen at some point." I shrugged as if I couldn't care less.  Truth was, Hangman was damn good looking and damn good for conversation, so having him this close made my heart beat strangely.  
   He smirked before snaking a hand to the back of my head and bringing his lips to mine.  He was surprisingly gentle with this kiss, unlike the last time, but he lingered once again.  His fingers tangled in my hair as he slowly pulled his lips from mine.  I opened my eyes quickly, finding his still closed as he pulled away.  When his did open and he saw me watching him, he smirked.  
   "What's funny?" I asked casually.  
   He released me and sat back down on his stool, resting his cheek on his hand.  "I don't know that you can handle keeping two secrets." 
   "I'm sure it's not that hard." I played along with his little game, grinning.  "I haven't spilled the first one yet." 
   "Well," He paused, likely for effect.  His eyes flickered from mine to my lips before he continued.  "I don't know what lip gloss you wear, baby doll, but it's the best thing I've ever tasted on a kiss." 
   I couldn't help but blush at that.  "Is that so?" 
   "Mhm," He chuckled, getting to his feet and leaning over once more, this time to whisper in my ear.  "Don't think I can let myself die tomorrow, knowing I'd be missing out on coming home to it." 
   And with that, he strolled away to join his friends at the pool table.  I watched him go, grinning slightly while happiness bubbled in my chest.  Who knew that little old me would end up best friends with an arrogant pilot?  I shook my head, turning back to my drink.  
   As I did, Penny caught my eye.  She was wiping out a glass behind the bar, giving me a knowing grin.  I shook my head again, hoping to tell her that it wasn't what she thought.  She just smiled and turned to help a different customer.  
   I peeked back over my shoulder, wondering how many of his pilot friends thought the same thing Penny was.  They were all laughing about something, but Hangman was laughing, too, so I couldn't tell if they were giving him crap or not.  Not that I thought he'd care.  He was a pretty tough guy.  And I certainly didn't care.  Both Hangman and I knew what was between us.  Others could think differently if they needed to.  Rumors didn't scare me.