𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫

❝ 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 ❞

✈ ✈ ✈

IT WAS GAME TIME.

Maverick had called Faith up at five in the morning, reminding her to dress in her casuals for the beach.

So, that's where they were currently.

Faith was clad in a white tank top with a black bikini top under it, matched with ripped denim shorts. She stood beside Maverick, pushing her aviators that had sunk down the curve of her nose upwards, hands by her waist.

Maverick's giving them the rules, "Today, we're going to play a game. Dogfight football. Offense and defense, together. Teams are gonna be led by me and Captain Kazansky."

And then he turns in her direction, fist out in front of him, "Best of three?" Faith nods. The two Captains engage in a game of rock, papers, and scissors to see who chose first.

First, scissors, Mav, and rock, Faith. Everyone cheers and whoops. Then, paper, Faith, and rock once again, but it's Mav. Phoenix claps Faith's shoulder, and everyone leans forward in anticipation. Finally, scissors, and.......

Scissors.

The squadron groans. Faith and Maverick look at each other through their aviators. They look at the shore of the sea next. And then they're yelling and readying themselves for a race, "Winner chooses first!" Faith and Maverick take off, running beside each other. Maverick looks to give her a smug smirk, leading forward.

Faith growls as she runs, throwing heavy pants out as she catches up to Maverick, leading. She touches the furthermost wave, turning back to return as her speed increases even more, putting her hand out to clap Jake's.

"Captain Kazansky wins fair and square!" Jake is announcing loudly, drawing cheers and whoops from the others. Faith closes her eyes, face contorting as she pants heavily, placing both hands on her waist. Just then, Maverick claps Natasha's hand, grumbling under his breath as he walks to stand in front of her, glaring like a child through his aviators when Faith shakes Natasha's hand.

"Alright, Phoenix." Faith chooses first.

"Payback."

"Hangman." Natasha groans at Faith's choice.

"Uh, Fanboy."

"Coyote." Jake laughs out loud, reaching for his best friend on the same team as him.

"Omaha."

"Bob." Phoenix and Faith whoop, each giving him a hand to stand by their side.

"Fritz."

"Yale." Faith nods at the man who walks over.

"Halo."

Only two remain. Harvard. And Rooster.

The two Captains share a glance. Through said glance, they're conversing. Faith jerks her head in Rooster's direction, before jerking it back to Maverick. The Mitchell rapidly shakes his head no, jerking his head in Rooster's direction and then back to her.

Maverick takes his aviators off, giving her his puppy face. It was less of a puppy face, more of an eyes widened thing, but, he'd done it too many times and she knew exactly what it meant.

She looks down at her feet in the hardly packed sand, sighing loudly, before announcing her final choice in deep reluctance, "Rooster." The man tenses, looking up from the ground to turn his eyes to Faith, meeting her gaze through his aviators. He stays silent, pointing his index to his chest, brows raising in surprise.

Faith nods, crossing her hands over her chest, before jerking her head in her team's direction and yelling out a little harshly, "I don't have all day, Lieutenant Bradshaw."

The two Captains then begin to bicker over their choice of football. Both of them wanted offense, the red ball. Hondo cuts in, thankfully for the Captains' teams, suggesting to flip a coin. Payback hands a coin to the assistant pilot, and everyone looks at him in shock, but they turn their attention to Maverick who starts yelling and jumping in joy at his win for offense.

Payback and Jake have to pull their leader back when she's stepping in the other Captain's direction.

When everyone's a bit settled, the two teams move back in opposite directions, deciding their centers. Both Captains opt for quarterback for their teams.

Hangman and Payback go head to head. Faith points a finger in Maverick's direction, pushing her aviators back upwards on her nose, and Maverick repeats the same.

Hondo sounds the whistle.

Hangman throws the football backwards, and Faith catches it, dodging Payback who's right before her. She guards the ball safely to her chest, looking to her side, then frontwards as she searches for her team. Rooster's right there, waving his hands at her. Throwing out a breath and jumping in her position, she throws the ball to him.

Rooster catches the ball with his two hands, running backwards and scoring a touchdown. Faith's team roars, cheering his name as she stands in her place, scoffing out a chuckle as she sees Coyote and Bob nudging Bradley's shoulder and twisting their brows up and down.

Phoenix nudges Faith's shoulder, pinching her best friends hip in teasing. The older woman slaps, gently, the back of Natasha's head who winces with a chuckle, rubbing the back of her head.

They line up once again, switching quarterbacks and centers. This time, everyone chooses Rooster as the quarterback, and Faith as the center.

At Hondo's whistle, Faith is throwing the football towards Rooster, turning around to watch him catch it. Maverick is making his way from the far back of the opposite direction, rather rapidly running towards Rooster. Catching a glance of the other Captain practically charging and not even ten feet behind her quarterback, she's making a run to tackle Maverick.

Faith pushes Maverick to the side once she's beside him, watching the Captain fall down, before she's running after Rooster, trailing behind to guard the quarterback.

Thankfully, Rooster reaches the line marked with their bags without much obstruction and turns back around as Coyote pats his back in victory. Kazansky's team is cheering loud once again.

Maverick seems to have huddled up his teammates for a brief moment, and Faith takes the moment to feel the air around her. The only thing she can feel, though, is sweat across everywhere on her body. Her top was practically glued to her, as she moves it back and forth in an attempt to feel some air.

Deciding she had enough of the sweat-glued top, she takes it off, revealing her toned muscles and abs, and also her faded scars. She'd grown to love them. Even if it was the tiniest bit, it was progress.

Phoenix whistles at her bikini top-clad best friend, "Damn, Captain." The others howl too, before Maverick's slapping the back of their heads out of nowhere. He makes sure there's a mental note in his head to make his tackles even harder this time.

Faith looks around at everyone, and the thought of success crosses her mind. Slowly, extremely slowly, they were forming a team. They were forming a squadron who knew, not only to fight for themselves, but for their other teammates. This was the perfect way to do it.

She unintentionally catches Rooster's eyes, freezing in her spot when she does so. Her brows raise, and she brings a hand to take her aviators off, and he follows, doing the same. He raises his right hand, giving her a tiny wave, before he's walking in her direction.

Perplexed at the sandy blonde's actions, she stands still, waiting for him to approach her. Maybe there was still a chance for them.

But then, Hangman is pulling her hand from behind to get back in formation. When she doesn't budge, the green-eyed blonde is turning her around with a twist of her arm, wrapping his arms around her waist to hoist her on his shoulder.

Faith lets out a loud laugh, punching Hangman's back as she feels her stomach against his shoulder. "Let me down, you little shit!" Hangman shakes his head, walking over to their side of the makeshift sand field they'd set up, and letting her down on her feet once they reach the spot marked for the quarterback.

From the spot Faith had froze in barely two minutes ago, Bradley Bradshaw glares at the man who'd picked her up and away from when he was about to finally talk to her. The man just watches as Faith smiles at Jake, before he's running away from her as she chases after him besides Phoenix.