Lock & Key: Part Five - B.B

A/N: I write a football scene in this and when I say football I mean American football. It physically pains me calling American football just 'football' as a Scot. But anyway, it's an American football scene and i have no clue how to play it :)

"Good afternoon, aviators." Your Dad announced as he walked down the aisle in the classroom.

"Good afternoon, sir." Everyone replied in unison.

You were sat on the second front row by yourself, Rooster on the opposite side by himself. Hangman sat behind you, obviously trying to gain some sort of attention but you didn't even give him a glance when you walked in. You and Rooster smiled at each other as you sat down, which was as much interaction as you'd had in the classroom over the past week.

"In light of the events that occurred yesterday, I think we as a team need to work on our relationships with one another." Your Dad spoke with a smile.

You quirked your eyebrows at him, unsure of why he was in such a chirpy mood.

"I want you all at the beach by the Hard Deck Bar in an hour. Wear something comfortable you're able to move around in. This is an exercise that is essential to take part in and I expect you all to be on your A-game. This is about teamwork and I need you all to work as well with each other as you can."

You didn't know what your Dad was planning but it already sounded fun.

"Hard Deck Bar. An hour. Go get ready, I will see you there. You're dismissed."

Your Dad walked back up the aisle and out the room, leaving you all sitting in a confused silence.

"Was that...our lesson of the afternoon?" Payback asked, turning around to face everyone.

You shrugged, "He'll have something up his sleeve."

"Do you know what it is, Locket?" Hangman asked from behind you.

You turned to face him, giving him a deadpanned look.

"No, Bagman, I don't." You rolled your eyes, turning back around.

He laughed, "Someone's on their time of the month."

"Shut up, Hangman." Rooster interjected from across the room.

You looked at him and he was staring Hangman down, an unimpressed and pissed expression on his face. You smirked and stood up, pushing your chair in.

"Whatever this exercise is, Hangman," You walked around his table and sat on the edge.

He leaned back in his chair, toothpick in his mouth, staring up at you with a cocky grin.

"You will fail horribly at it. Because you have no idea what it means to be a team player." You said, leaning in to articulate your point.

His grin faded into an annoyed straight-lipped face. You smiled in triumph and slid off the table, walking down the aisle and shoving the classroom door open, catching up to Bob in front of you.

-

You and your Dad biked to Penny's 20 minutes ahead of schedule. You don't remember a time your Dad was ever late for something. You got off your bike and stuck the helmet away, before walking up and into Penny's with your Dad following behind. The bar was quiet, only the sound of the waves in the background and the wind chimes that sung in the wind.

You walked in, knocking on the front door to alert whoever was inside. Amelia was sitting at the bar, a pen in her hand and sheets of paper sprawled out across the surface. Her face lit up and she jumped off her barstool when she saw you.

"y/n!" She exclaimed.

You grinned, opening your arms as she ran straight into you, nearly toppling you over. When Penny and her ex split up, you and your Dad were Penny's support from across the country. She'd facetime you a lot, and when Amelia grew older, you became closer and closer, and you felt as if she was your little sister. But you had only ever met her when she was a toddler. So this was a big deal.

"Hey, you." You laughed, squeezing her tightly and rocking her side to side.

"You look amazing!" She complimented, standing back from you.

"So do you! How are you?" You asked, wrapping your arm around her shoulders.

She nodded, "Good, finishing up school work."

You groaned, "Ugh, school work. I'm so glad I'm not you."

She laughed and escaped your hold, sitting back up on her barstool.

"I actually like school, thank you very much." She giggled.

You rolled your eyes, "Of course you do, you're so smart."

You reached to the bowl of peanuts she had sitting next to her and threw a few in your mouth.

"You're a pilot, y/n, you're smart."

You grimaced at her, "Not like you, though. I didn't enjoy being smart unless it came to pilot stuff."

You sat and chatted to her for a little while, enjoying being able to actually converse with her in real life. She'd grown up so much and you couldn't believe it. She was nearly your height, too. Your Dad came in and they greeted each other more casually, clearly having seen each other prior.

"Sweetie, do you want to go a swim?" Your Dad asked you, standing by the open double doors.

You looked out to the sea and you had to admit, it looked inviting.

You turned back to Amelia, "Want a swim?"

She shook her head, "I'm nearly finished. You should go in. I'll catch you later."

You smiled and wrapped your arms around her quickly.

"Love you." You mumbled against her hair before releasing her.

She grinned, "Love you, too. Now go."

She shooed you away and you laughed, walking out to the beach with your Dad.

It was a humid day but it wasn't too hot. The sun was getting low, nearly verging onto sunset, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The waves lapped against the golden, Californian sand gently, and the light breeze in the air spread the salty, fresh, sea smell.

You and your Dad set out a few deck chairs and you both stripped to your swimsuits. You pulled your white cami-top over your head and took off your denim shorts and placed them on one of the seats, flipping off your sliders and leaving you in just your triangle black tied bikini top and black bikini bottoms.

You turned to your Dad and he sat his sunglasses on the chair, giving you a look you knew all too well.

"Don't say it." You shook your head with a smile.

He smirked, "Race ya,"

"Motherfu-"

He raced ahead of you and you groaned, running after him. Your feet were slow on the soft, hot, sand. But once you got to the wet, firm, ground, you sped after your Dad. He may be fast - but he's not in his 20's anymore.

"On your left, Maverick!" You announced with glee as you ran past him.

"Oh, come on!" He exclaimed behind you.

You laughed into the summer air as it breezed past you, flowing your hair in the wind. You hit the water and kept going until you could successfully leap into the cool sea. You dove in, swimming a bit further out so your feet didn't touch the ground. You swam back up to get some air, wiping your eyes and looking behind you at your Dad who had left you by the shore.

"Dad!" You shouted.

He laughed, grabbing his chest, "I didn't say I was going in!"

You scoffed a laugh and shook your head, "Shame on you!"

He blew a kiss to you and started to walk back up the beach. You smiled, watching him as he walked away. You loved how happy he was here. You were scared when you first came that being back at Top Gun would remind him of Goose, especially seeing Rooster. But something about the Californian sun and the amazing people that lived here, he seemed happy. Really happy. And you were glad.

You lay flat on your back, letting your head go back and your hair float in the water. Your ears submerged and every noise was drowned out. It was silent underwater. You took deep breaths and closed your eyes, letting the water cool you down and the sun beam on you.

You floated like that for a while. Until you heard a ruckus of noise, even under the water. You sighed, knowing it was time for whatever exercise your Dad had planned. You lifted your head up and kept your legs kicking underneath you, looking to the beach to see everyone crowding around your Dad. You watched, not wanting to get out now.

They all cheered and seemed extremely happy about what was about to happen. You still had no clue.

"Locket!" Your name was shouted by Phoenix.

You waved at her and started swimming back to land.

You saw your Dad throw a football to Rooster and you cursed to yourself. Of course he picked football. You should've known. You swam far in enough so that you could walk out of the water in the least awkward way you could. And you spotted that Rooster was shirtless already.

Rooster was flipping the football up in the air and catching it, gesturing to Payback to go long and catch it. Payback ran backwards, holding his hands up and getting ready to catch the ball. Rooster lifted his arm and threw the it, Payback catching it perfectly.

Payback flipped it in his hands and went to throw it again, but someone in the water caught his eye. You. His mouth dropped open and his attention was completely averted from the game of catch with Rooster.

"Payback?" Rooster called to him.

Payback threw the ball back to Rooster, nodding his head towards the water. Rooster furrowed his brows, unsure of what he was supposed to be looking at. He held the ball in his hand and turned his head to look behind him.

He felt like a cartoon character when they see something they want: heart eyes popping from their sockets. His whole body turned to look at you as you came out of the water. You rose from the sea, sliding your hands from your roots to the ends of your soaked hair, your body in a tight, black, bikini dripping as you walked somehow effortlessly out of the water.

Rooster's heart rate rose and he knew it. He gripped the ball, his bottom lip instinctively tucking between his teeth. He probably should've worn something other than jeans, because he could feel the fabric tightening ever so slightly.

You kept your eyes on him as you came out of the water, unsure if he was gawking at you or just staring blankly. You couldn't see his eyes through his blacked out aviator glasses, so you had no clue.

He was practically drooling at you. The low sun shone a shadow on you that made your tits look amazing, and your shape look flawless. He noticed how your waist dipped in, and your hips flared out, your gorgeous legs flowing down to the sand.

You walk up to Rooster and without a second thought, you hit the ball up out of his hands and caught it in your own. He hardly reacted to it. You smirked and threw it to Hangman, who was also basically stunned at the scene unfolding in front of him. He caught it messily with a flinch and smirked at you.

"Eyes up, Rooster." You commented, a cheeky smile on your face.

You walked up the beach to the deck chair, retrieving your cami-top and shoving it on over your head.

"Alright! Everyone knows the name of the game. I'll pick two team leaders as Rooster and Hangman." Your Dad started.

You exhaled with a cringe, watching as the two men glared at each other before standing farther away.

"y/n, you're with Hangman." Your Dad nodded his head.

You rolled your eyes but nodded, walking over in the sand to stand next to one of the men you hated most.

"Dream team, Locket." Hangman nudged you with his elbow.

You couldn't help a smirk. Hopefully this would bond you two.

Your Dad had teamed you, Payback, Bob, and Fanboy in one team, with Phoenix, your Dad and the rest in Roosters.

"That's not fair, you get Maverick!" Fanboy exclaimed next to you.

Your Dad shrugged, "Can't have father and daughter in the same team, that would just be an automatic win."

You laughed and the rest of your team grimaced sarcastically at the comment. Hondo was refereeing and he got everyone to get into formation.

You passed Rooster and you gave him a comical up-and-down look. He gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. You laughed at him and he smiled back at you.

"You've grown up, by the way." He commented.

You walked slowly backwards and so did he as you spoke.

You looked down at yourself then looked to him, "Yeah...you haven't."

He nodded, licking his back teeth, "Your tits grew in, I see."

Oh, you bitch.

"And your pube-stache turned into a porn-stache." You pouted your lips and tipped your head.

"How classy." You added.

He smirked and shook his head, holding his hand up and then flipping you off. You gasped, shaking your head in disappointment at him disrespecting you like that.

He gave you a smile and a wink, lowering his sunglasses to do so and then pushing them back up with his knuckle. You smiled and winked back, biting your lip.

You couldn't help the butterflies that soared in your stomach. You swear you could feel him staring at you the whole time Hondo was explaining some extra rules for you all to follow. You didn't want to catch his eye. But it was almost painful not to. The burn of his stare penetrated your body, up and down.

The game started and your team at the beginning wasn't working well. Hangman was a ball hogger. And it was pissing you, and everyone off. You did win a few points but Jesus, he was difficult to play with.

Disappointingly, Rooster's team was winning so far. But you couldn't blame them, they had your Dad. It was just like handing them the win. They seemed to have great communication skills, which your team was lacking.

After they scored again, you called your team in for a group huddle. Everyone met in a circle and you stared down Hangman opposite you.

"Hangman, you've gotta pass the ball, okay? This is getting ridiculous." You lectured.

You couldn't help how competitive you were. It was in your blood. You wanted to win against your Dad and Rooster. You needed to. And Hangman wasn't helping.

"Hey, you guys can't keep up." He shrugged.

"That's because you just get the ball and run. We don't have a chance. They're winning because they're working as a team. They're communicating. We're not. We have to start using everyone to their assets, okay? Come on, guys, we can do this." You said to the team.

Everyone nodded and Bob put his hand in the middle, "We can't lose against the old man...no offence, Locket."

You smirked, placing your hand on top of his, "None taken. Let's beat him."

Everyone smiled, putting their hands on top of yours and Bob's. Hangman stubbornly stood, not putting his hand in the middle. You stared at him, forcing him to look at you.

"Are you gonna let Rooster beat you?" You tried.

He licked his teeth in thought, before giving up his pride and placing his hand on top. You smiled at him and he gave you a small smirk.

"Red team on three. 1, 2, 3- Red team!" You all chanted in unison, lifting your hands in the air.

You all hyped yourselves up and discussed each other's role's before getting into position. You squatted, placing the red ball between your legs. You had been chosen for centre because of the leadership and communicative skills you had. Well...that's what you told the rest of the team. You were just excited to scream at them and tell them what to do.

Phoenix squatted opposite you and you gave each other a supportive smile. You looked behind her and Rooster was getting ready to grab the ball.

You couldn't help but stare as he stood, hunched over slightly, his shoulders and collarbones looking defined and muscular, and his abs dripping with sweat. You couldn't believe how fit he had gotten. How buff he was. You didn't even realise you were biting your lip until he caught your eye behind his sunglasses. He licked his lips, pushing the glasses up his nose and running a hand through his sandy hair.

You averted your eyes, looking to Hondo for the blow of the whistle.

Everyone suddenly went quiet, staring at the whistle and just waiting for the high pitch sound to commence the game.

Suddenly, it blew, and you gripped the ball and threw it between your legs, feeding it to Hangman. You turned, watching and running up behind him and the team as Hangman fed the ball an absolute belter to Bob, who managed to catch it mid-air, before running and passing it to Fanboy who ran faster than you've ever seen him run before.

You screamed in encouragement, jumping up and down, knowing he was about to score a point. He managed to skirt past Rooster and he threw the ball past the line your Dad had drawn in the sand. Your team all jumped and cheered in joy, high-fiving each other.

Your Dad clapped and stood next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

"I'm tapping out, guys." He said, holding his hand up to the group.

"No!" Phoenix protested, everyone joining in when they realised what he said.

You squinted at your Dad next to you, the sun right in your eyes.

"Come on, Mav, one more game!" Rooster pleaded, flipping the ball in his hand.

Your Dad shook his head, "I'm out. Keep winning, blue team. Don't let her beat you." He said, tightening his grip around you.

You groaned, ripping his arm from you. He jogged away, laughing and you stood, giving him the finger behind his back. Hondo gasped, checking to see if your Dad noticed. He turned back to you in pretend shock and you held a finger to your lips. He smirked and told everyone to get back into position.

Your Dad sighed, sitting down in one of the deck chairs and watching the game commence, catching his breath. Penny walked down the beach to him, a water bottle in hand.

She came up behind him, brushing a hand over his bare shoulders and handed him the bottle. He looked up at her and smiled, thanking her and taking the water.

She sat next to him on the other chair, watching you all play the game. Penny and your Dad laughed in unison as they heard you shout at Hangman.

"She's so competitive." Penny smiled.

"Wonder who she get's it from." Your Dad commented.

They continued watching the game and both of their eyes widened as they saw Rooster run towards you and lift you, throwing you over his shoulder. You squealed and laughed, slapping his back and kicking your legs, ordering to place you down. But he wasn't.

Your Dad stayed silent, a fond smile on his face as he watched you. Penny looked next to her, trying to analyse his face.

"Might need to watch out, Pete. I think there's something there." She commented, looking back as Rooster finally placed you back on the sand.

You both hesitated before you ran towards him. He ran away from you, both of you just dropping the game completely to chase each other.

"I think there's always been something there." Your Dad told Penny.

She nodded, "I think so, too."

You chased after Rooster and he ran straight into the water. You stopped ankle-deep, not wanting to go any further. You stood, hands on hips, watching as Rooster backed into the water.

"I'm not chasing you that far." You told him, holding a hand over your brows to shield the setting sunlight.

He shrugged, "Then I win."

You cocked your head, "Win what, exactly?"

"This game."

You studied his face for a moment. His stupidly goofy smile and his quick breath. You debated for a moment going back in the water but decided against it, taking the loss.

"Fine. You win." You threw your hands up and turned on your heel, walking out of the way of the waves and up the damp sand.

You began to hear wet splashes behind you and a huge grin grew on your face as you felt him getting closer to you. You looked behind you and he was only a few yards from you. You squealed and ran away, back along the water to the rest of the team.

But he caught up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and lifting you up. You screamed, kicking your legs and gripping onto his muscular arms. Your back was pressed against his bare chest and you cursed at the feeling of dampness seeping through your white top.

"Rooster!" You protested, unable to stop the belly laugh coming from your mouth.

He laughed into your hair, making a shiver crawl down your spine at the closeness of his mouth.

"Stop resisting," He chuckled.

He walked with you in his arms into the water and you screamed, knowing he was about to throw you in.

"Rooster! No! I swear to God, don't throw me in!" You wriggled against him but you were no match for the strength of his arms.

"Too late, Locket, we're already here." He said matter-of-factly.

You groaned, leaning your head back against his shoulder and accepting your fate.

"I hate you." You giggled.

He smiled and you could feel his cheek against yours.

"I hate you too, Mitchell."

And before you could say another word, his arms flung you into the water. You splashed and swam, coming up to the surface a few feet away, kicking your legs underneath and wiping your eyes.

"Oh, come on! That's so not fair! You have to get in, too!" You said.

He shrugged, folding his arms, "I didn't bring my trunks, so...no."

You scoffed and shook your head. A thought popped into your mind and you couldn't stop your body from executing it. You were already swimming closer to him and you noticed how the rest of the group were making their way towards you two.

"Had enough have you?" He asked, looking down at you as you swam to him.

You stood up in front of him, letting the water drain from you. You knew the white top you had on would now be see through. But you enjoyed the look Rooster gave you as he looked at you. He removed his sunglasses, placing them on top of his head like he wanted you to know he was checking you out.

You felt your breathing speed up and your chest was rising and falling embarrassingly fast. His eyes scanned down your body and then back up, but stopping on your tits. The white top - now transparent - was dripping wet and showing off the black bikini top underneath that was tiny enough that a lot of cleavage was showing.

You kept your eyes on his. His eyes had turned dark, and the bronze sun glowing across his face had made his clenched jaw seem even sharper. He finally tore his eyes from your chest and looked at you.

You smirked and so did he. You stepped closer to him, hitching a breath before placing both of your hands on his forearms. He looked down at you as you kept looking up at him. He tensed under your touch and you could tell he was trying to flex a little, too.

You let your hands glide up his smooth arms to his shoulders, where you turned him so his back was facing the knee-high sea behind him. He was so oblivious, you had to hold in a laugh. You gripped his shoulders and you could swear he gasped a little.

"Rooster?" You asked quietly.

"Y-yeah?" He stuttered.

"This is karma." You said with a smile.

His eyebrows furrowed for a second before you shoved him, sending him backwards and toppling over his feet and into the water.

You burst into laughter, the rest of the group erupting in cheers and laughter behind you, too. You left the water and joined the group, all watching as Rooster shook his head and wiped his eyes, running his fingers through his hair and looking up at everyone. He was just sitting in the sea, only his neck and head above water.

Hangman stood next to you and nudged you with his shoulder, giving you a nod of appreciation. You smiled up at him and nodded silently back.

"That was mean, Locket." Rooster said, pointing at you.

You pouted, "Aww, what a shame."

"Right, everyone! First rounds on Mav!" Hondo exclaimed to the group.

We all cheered and started walking back to the bar. You looked behind you and Rooster was getting out of the water, Payback hanging back to walk with him. You smirked at him, before squeezing the excess water from your hair and turning forward to walk back up the beach.

It felt just like old times.