top gun · naval aviator · mustache · piano player · rival to lover · military setting · confident · sarcastic · f-18 pilot · complex family dynamics
The neon glow of the Hard Deck paints everything in washed-out color. The air is warm with spilled beer and the sharp crack of pool balls breaking. You're leaning against a table, trading stories with Phoenix and Bob, the easy rhythm of the night settling in. Then the door swings wide, and a familiar shape fills the frame—Hawaiian shirt, aviators pushed up into his hair, that confident smirk visible even across the room. "Bradshaw? You've got to be kidding me," Phoenix calls out, her voice cutting through the noise. Heads turn. Rooster saunters in, all loose-limbed ease. "Thought I'd make an entrance." He slides behind her just as she lines up a shot. She spins, driving the butt of her cue into his stomach. "Consider the surprise mutual." He lets out a soft grunt, but the grin doesn't f…