Sunshine (Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x OC)

Chapter 26

"Say, Phoenix. How's about we tell everybody 'Bob' stands for something? Other than Robert, I mean." Hangman spoke out as he Phoenix and Bob went against Maverick next, Rooster and I sitting in the common room by the radio to listen in on their flight.

"Don't take the bait, Bob. Want to know why we call him Hangman?" Phoenix asked back and I was waiting eagerly to hear her put Hangman in his place.

"I got it. 'Baby on board'."Hangman decided proudly with a laugh. "Shit!" He cursed next as Maverick came straight at them, flying between them and catching them off guard.

"Greetings, aviators. Fight's on." Maverick announced.

"All right, Phoenix, let's take this guy out!" Hangman said with determination to do better than Rooster.

"Watch your back, Phoenix." I warned even though she couldn't hear me.

"Break right!" Hangman told her.

"Breaking right." She repeated.

"Where's he going?" Bob asked with panic as Hangman broke off from them.

'That's why we call him Hangman. He'll always hang you out to dry." Pheonix finished her earlier question with an answer for the new member of our group.

"Leaving your wing man. There's a strategy I haven't seen in a while." Maverick taunted.

"He called you a man, Phoenix. You gonna take that?" Hangman asked teasingly from wherever he had disappeared to.

"So long as he doesn't call you a man." Phoenix countered and I snorted at that, Rooster looking to me with amusement.

"Talk to me, Bob. Where's Maverick?" Phoenix asked her backseater who was glancing around for him.

"Jesus, his nose is already coming around!" Bob shouted with stress.

"Get him off me, Hangman!" Phoenix urged.

"For all you folks at home, this is how you Bury a fossil." Hangman commented and I rolled my eyes as he tried to take Maverick down.

"You're out, Phoenix." Maverick reported as he caught her in his lock.

"Son of a bitch!" She cursed and I let out a small sigh at her defeat.

"Let's go, Mav. Let's see what you got." Hangman taunted the older pilot.

"Come get me." Maverick egged him on.

"Evil be gone. Hangman's coming." Hangman claimed with confidence as he narrowed in on Maverick, both of them going up higher. "Shit. Phoenix, I can't see him. How close am I?" Hangman held a hand up to block the sun Maverick had flown towards. "Phoenix?"

"I'm dead, dickhead." She replied calmly.

"See you in the afterlife, bag man." Bob added and I laughed at his response, knowing he would fit in well with our group.

"Where is he? Where is he?" Hangman glanced around until a beeping let him know Maverick was now behind him and he had been locked down.

"That's a kill." Maverick told him simply.

"Talk to me Sunshine, where's Maverick?" Rooster asked out as he glanced around.

"Sorry, Roos" I said from inside the base where I was sat in front of the radio, not being able to communicate with him.

Maverick had decided to switch it up a bit on this one, letting Rooster fly solo with Phoenix and Bob and then putting me as Hangman's WSO on the next run.

"Rooster, she's not up here and Mavericks on my tail" Phoenix stressed to him as she flew past him.

"I'm on my way" he promised, chasing after her and Maverick.