Fight or Flight [Rooster x OC]

Chapter 5

They had only gotten a few steps from the study when Sassy and Tommy came barreling around the corner. Grass-stained and fresh from the yard, they were two tumbling bundles of terror. Sassy was the leader while Tommy was her constant sidekick.

"Rooooooster!" Sassy screamed before she threw herself at her target. Tommy, being younger and shorter, went for Rooster's ankles. It was like a well-coordinated WWE tag-team maneuver, but Bradley took on the challenge with a startled laugh. He caught Sassy out of the leap and somehow kept his balance when Tommy tried to tip him over.

"Hey, chill, he's not a football dummy," Kate said, making a face at her niece. The pigtail-wearing six-year-old stuck her tongue out and hugged Rooster like she wanted to strangle him.

"Hey, Sassafras," he said with exaggerated gasping, "You haven't grown at all." He disengaged her from around his neck and set her back on the ground.

"That's a lie, I've grown bunches," Sassy said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm six now. I'm almost in the first grade."

"Oh, excuse me, my apologies, miss," he replied, grinning. "Tommy, how old does that make you?"

"Nine," the kid declared boldly.

"No! You're four. He's just four," Sassy said, holding up that many fingers on her little hand and waving them at Bradley then Tommy.

"Uh-uh, nine today," Tommy said. He was still clinging to Rooster's legs, a small human vise grip.

"He's lying a lot," Sassy declared. "He's so four. He's not even in school yet."

"Am too, I go to schools."

"Baby school!"

"And you're both being aggravating," Kate said, rolling her eyes. She half-smiled at Bradley. "Want me to pull the barnacles off?" He had to be tired after a full day of training.

"Nah, I can take it," he said. The anger that had been simmering in his gaze had mostly melted away, replaced by his normal good humor. "I'm built tough."

"So you're a Ford truck now..."

"Gramma said it's dinner time," Sassy declared, like Kate hadn't already told him. "You can sit by me, Rooster."

"You're at the kids table," Kate said, "He won't even fit."

"That's rude," Bradley said, smirking down at Kate.

She shrugged. "All right, shove your ridiculously long legs under that table. It'd love to see it."

His grin widened. "I'm very flexible."

"He can sit on the floor," Sassy said petulantly.

"Is spaghetti for dinner?" he asked, starting to move forward. Somehow he remembered that Sassy's favorite food was spaghetti noodles. One leg was free from Tommy's grip, and the four-year-old wrapped both hands firmly around Bradley's right ankle. He was dragged along the floor like a spontaneous mop as Bradley and Kate headed to the dining room.

Sassy clung to Bradley's neck. "No, hot dogs and burgers, but I'm having butter noodles 'cause I'm Gramma's favorite."

"Me too," said Tommy.

"What, you guys have something against sauce?" Bradley asked. He tossed a grin over at Kate. "Hold on, are you having butter noodles, too, Katie?"

She bumped her elbow against his side. "I outgrew that years ago, thank you, very much."

"Just checking."

Laughter and chatter poured out of the formal dining room, along with the clinking of serving utensils and dishes. While her dad was normally seen as this cool, reserved guy, his family was anything but. Busy, loud, and active, the Kazanskys were always happy to welcome others to their table, and Bradley had a standing invitation.

Kate made eye contact with her mother and went to go help her bring food from the kitchen while her family swarmed Bradley. She could hear Dot scolding Sassy half-heartedly while TJ teased Bradley about the oh-so-secret mission he had been brought in for.

"He seems calmer," her mom said as she got the condiments out of the fridge and handed them to Kate.

"I can't believe Dad didn't give him a heads up," Kate said, shaking her head. "Sorta unfair to spring it on him."

"I think he's hoping the two of them will find some reconciliation."

"In a super forced way," Kate said. She bit her bottom lip and set the ketchup and mustard bottles on the counter. "Hey, um, how dangerous is this mission? They only send Maverick on the crazy stuff." And now they were going to send Bradley? He was a fighter pilot, so he practically lived and breathed death-defying stunts, but still. Her skin prickled.

"Honey..." Her mom closed the fridge door after getting out relish and pickles and offered her a small, tight smile. "I don't know. Your father hasn't told me much about it, but I do know Maverick's in charge of training and there's a small team going." She passed the relish and pickles to Kate, who arranged them in her arms so she could also grab a snack of napkins.

"That's more than I knew," Kate said. Navy-raised, she was used to watching her dad and his friends and then her own friends go off on missions, and she was well aware that not everyone came back every time. Fighter pilots didn't seem to see aerial combat all that often anymore, but that didn't mean there wasn't danger.

If Mav was involved, danger was guaranteed.

"I don't think everyone who's here for training is going on the mission," her mom said. She reached out and squeezed Kate's shoulder as she passed by, heading for the dining room and carrying some of the condiments. "So try not to worry too much?"

"I'm not worried." The lie felt fuzzy in her mouth.

As Kate followed her mom into the dining room, a hand swooped over and took the pickle jar from the crook of her arm. Kate smirked up at Bradley.

"After dinner, want to take a drive?" he asked, snagging the relish jar as well. "We can take the Bronco."

"Are we going to the bar?"

He shook his head. "I just want to drive." And get as far away as he could from Maverick without leaving town, if she had to guess.

She brushed her arm against his as she set the napkins on the table. "I think I'm up for that."