Fight or Flight [Rooster x OC]

Chapter 8

The waverunner bobbed in the water as Bradley and Kate sat sideways on it, tipping it to its right. While they kept the shore in view, they were far enough out that they could be considered alone. They had taken off their life jackets and slung them over the handlebars of the waverunner. It was peaceful out on the water. The wind was light and playful. Even though it was descending, the sun was quickly drying them out.

After about two hours of straight riding, weaving around other watercraft and letting the wind and adrenaline do its work, they had decided to take a break. Bradley had to admit, he wasn't quite as filled with rage as he had been before.

"He did what?" Kate asked, staring at him, her blue eyes lit with surprise and outrage. He had just finished telling her about what had happened during the debrief. "That jackass."

Bradley jerked a nod, quietly satisfied that she agreed with him. Hangman—he wished he had gotten a solid punch in there, that he had been faster getting to him. He was damn sure it would've made him feel a lot better to give Seresin a black eye for even mentioning his father.

"Jerk. Asshat. Moron. Stupid, smug, arrogant, ratface shitmonger."

Lifting an eyebrow, he turned toward her, his simmering anger abating at her steady stream of insults. She delivered them calmly and coolly, like the Kazansky she was, but he could see how upset she was on his behalf. "Shitmonger?"

"An official peddler of Grade A bullshit," she said firmly, lifting her chin.

He smirked. "Do remember that time your mom threatened to wash your mouth out with soap because you called TJ hellspawn?" She had been nine, he had been eleven, and she had been so mad at her brother that she had been thrown a My Little Petshop set at his head then called him hellspawn. "And then you did it yourself just to show you didn't care?"

She pursed her lips. "I didn't know it'd be so gross." Kate pulled the holder off her ponytail, letting her wild curls free. The light from the setting sun turned her blonde hair golden. "I was a little feisty thing sometimes."

"Was?"

The teasing earned him a shove from her, but she didn't pull away. Instead she leaned into him, a comforting warm presence beside him. "Jake enjoys getting under people's skin. And he really doesn't like you. Why is that?"

"We've never gotten along." They had only been stationed at the same base or on the same carrier for missions a few times, but each time had been a nightmare. "He wants everyone to acknowledge that he's the best."

"And he's not."

"Extremely not," Bradley said and then rolled his eyes. "He's good. I'm not going to lie and say he isn't one of the best. But he always puts himself first, and he's so—"

"Jake. He's just Jake." She waved a hand at the sunset as if brushing Seresin away. "I'm sorry he's gunning for you. He must be nervous."

Bradley snorted. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Really?" She moved back, shifting so she could look up at him. A quiet voice in his mind told him that he didn't like the sudden gap between them. "You don't think he's jealous of you at all? Or worried you're going to beat him?"

That...no. Maybe it had crossed his mind once. But it was farfetched, in his opinion. "Nah."

"I'm not going to shower you with compliments because God knows you have an ego too—"

"Hey."

"But! People like you, Bradley," Kate said. She held his gaze. "They trust you. And you and I both know not many people would follow Jake."

Phoenix had said as much when she had made it clear she didn't want him to wash out. Bradley run his hand back through his hair and roughed it up, still feeling aggravated on a certain level. Not all of that annoyance was aimed at Seresin. Some of it was still for Maverick. He had practically said that Bradley wasn't ready, that he wasn't good enough—

Kate's hand patted his cheek, once, twice. "Earth to Bradley."

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head.

"You were starting to get all scowly again," she said, "Which, I mean, you do you, I'm not telling you to not feel your feelings. Just don't get trapped in all that temper."

She had a point. If he let Hangman get to him, or if he allowed Maverick to wash him out, then he lost. He deserved to be here. Bradley knew he was a good pilot and qualified to go on this mission, no matter what Maverick thought or how much Hangman antagonized him. If he buckled down and focused, he could do this.

For a while, they sat in silence, the waverunner rocking in the water, the sun glinting on the surface's ripples. When he glanced down at Kate, her face was blank, expressionless. Those lively blue eyes were dull as she looked at nothing, her gaze somewhere in the middle distance. His chest tightened.

He had been so focused on his own bad day, he hadn't asked how hers had been or what was happening in the Kazansky household. Was it worse? Had her dad confirmed that the cancer was back? It had to be so hard for her, sitting in the house, watching him while he tried to pretend nothing was wrong, and she had to pretend that on some level she believed him.

Bradley looped his arm around her, pulling her against his side again. She tensed for a second, giving her head an almost imperceptible shake.

The smile she gave him was sharp, forced. "I'm fine."

"You just said it was okay to feel my feelings, what about you—"

"It's fine," she said, shrugging away from him. "It's okay."

He stared at her, wanting to help her and feeling an overwhelming rush of frustration at the pure fact that he didn't know how. "Have you talked to him—"

"Don't," she said. She combed her hair back with her fingers then let it drop again before starting over, braiding it this time.

That frustration bubbled up, pushing at him to fix it for her, even though this was something unfixable. He struggled with the irritation at being essentially useless to her. "How come we can talk about my problems but not what you're going through?" Hadn't she always done that, in a way?

"Because I can't," she breathed out, her fingers quickly finishing the messy braid. He was startled by the sheer panic that burned in her eyes. "I can't. Please."

"Okay," he said softly, tamping down his frustration. He brushed his fingers over a curl she had missed, tucking it behind her ear. "I just...I'm here."

"I know," she said. 

For a moment, she hid her face against him. Gently he stroked her back, wishing she wouldn't shove everything down the way she did.

Eventually she pulled back. "I think I'm going to go swimming." She swung a leg over the seat of the waverunner and pulled off her tank top, tossing it onto the seat. At least that would be semi dry, maybe. "Wanna go?"

He watched her, wondering if she was distracting herself or him, but he decided to follow her lead for now. "I'm right behind you."

As he braced against the waverunner, Kate dove into the water, disappearing under the surface. She stayed underwater while he took off his own tank, tossing it over hers. He jumped in after her as she resurfaced, treading water. Her smile was quick but genuine as she dove back down.

So many of his memories of her involved water. Kate and the ocean were linked together in his mind, along with thoughts of summer and understanding. As they got older, out of high school and into their twenties, Kate was one of the few parts of his life that stayed constant. He and his mom had moved around so much, and then there had been the couple years he lived with Maverick, but he couldn't point to any particular place and call it home.

For him, whether he could admit it out loud or not, being with Kate was like being home.