#Am NOT tagging all the aviators

[mx-myth]

Little thing I wrote because everyone was throwing prompts around on the discord and I got inspired.

When Laurence was young, it was disappointing to be markless. He was never content with not having a soulmate, even with the informal arrangement he had with Edith. He remembers conversations spent together, wondering how long they would have to wait before their soulmates would be born and for their mark to appear.

He cares much less about it now. Perhaps he had felt belated horror after the initial shock ran through his crew aboard the Reliant as Temeraire first spoke and as black scales bloomed across his face. Laurence had felt nothing at the time, no physical sensation to signify the appearance of his soulmark. It was only when Temeraire was eating that Riley had stepped up and quietly told him of what had occurred.

It had taken him a long time to come to terms with having a dragon as a soulmate. But now Laurence wears his mark with pride. Black scales cover his left cheek, reaching down his neck and over the majority of his chest, inked across three-quarters of his arm and stretching down to mid-thigh. It is a huge mark, which would be looked down upon in the polite society in which he was raised. But why wouldn't it be large, given that Temeraire has dominated his life since he entered it?

Laurence remembers being reassured upon meeting the other aviators. Harcourt has lilies blooming up and down her back, she's said, and at times he can glimpse the edges of petals peeking up out of her collar at her neck. Granby has an entire bicep encircled with fire, which became immediately self-explanatory when Iskierka hatched, and even more so when he lost part of his arm. Berkley, in contrast to how large Maximus is, has scales scattered across the backs of his hands in Regal Copper red. James has Volly's colours painted up and down his legs. The Rolands both have blue and orange and white over their cheekbones. Even Little, who Laurence counts as an acquaintance verging on friend, has Immortalis around his wrists. Very quickly he learned that it was more uncommon for an aviator and their dragon to not be soulmates; his large and prominent mark apparently did a lot of work smoothing his arrival in ways he was unconscious of in the beginning.

He had worried also in the beginning whether the rumor was true that dragons didn't have soulmarks. He was afraid of him and Temeraire being different, more so than they already were. But on that front so too were his concerns put to rest.

Perhaps he should have known better. After all, he had known as soon as he looked into Temeraire's blue eyes and seen the storming, crashing waters of the sea within them, no shore in sight as the sky wheeled overhead. It was the sight that made him fall in love with the sea the first time and, he thinks fondly, scratching Temeraire under his closed eye, the sight that made him fall in love with Temeraire too.

(I have a fountain pen and so it doesn't dry up I try and write a little bit every couple of days. Most of it is temeraire-related; I'm thinking the ones small enough to not be fics technically I might post)

[james-spooky]

this is a test

[squidlyspace]

been busy but i hope yalls splatfest has gone well so far!! please take this doodle as an apology for no doodles in a hot minute!

[corvidexoskeleton]

Shoutout to the guy giving me weird looks at the costco food court line, who then proceeded to sit across from me and start praying while looking at me before eating his single slice of costco pizza

[i-am-slowly-losing-it]

Me when the sus is impostor????????????

CINEMRAFT??????????????????

[xhazzz]

Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader

Bagman

warnings: none.

summary: the cute blonde pilot trying to get your number. and you’re Maverick’s daughter, btw.

a/n: hi to anyone who’s reading this, its my first post so i hope you like it. This might be the first part to a small serie about how you and hangman fall in love. Anyway, enjoy. ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIST LENGUAGE, so feel free to correct me if there’s anything wrong :)

masterlist || request’s are open

READER’S POV:

Being back home felt strange, like traveling back in time. I remembered how, when I was a kid, my dad and Uncle Goose would sit Bradley and me on the piano and play and sing for hours. Now, here I was, standing behind the bar helping Penny on a busy night.

The Hard Deck was packed—classic for a Friday night. The jukebox music blended with the chatter of the crowd. The place had been full of naval aviators for over an hour, most of them still in uniform, using it as a strategy to attract women. I recognized a few faces—besides Bradley’s—since I had snooped through my dad’s files on the pilots he’d be training.

“What do I have to do to get the pretty girl behind the bar to give me another round?” one of the pilots asked, leaning his elbow on the bar and placing his empty beer bottles in front of me.

“Maybe you just need to ask nicely,” I said with a smile, grabbing the bottles to swap them for fresh ones. His uniform tag read “Seresin”. He was one of my dad’s squadron members. I wouldn’t deny it—he was very attractive: blond, green eyes, and every bit the charming prince. “Here you go, handsome.”

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he said, taking the beers but staying put, leaning against the bar more comfortably. “And if I wanted your number, would I just have to ask nicely for that, too?”

“Is that the line you use on all the girls?” I teased, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You think I’m one of those guys?” he said, pretending to be offended as he took a sip of his beer, never breaking eye contact. “Ouch.”

“I know pilots. You all pretend to be charming and different from the rest,” I replied with a sigh, wiping the bar with a rag. “You think you’re irresistible and that every girl falls for you—even with a stupid mustache, like Rooster’s.”

He glanced over, laughing, and spotted Rooster playing pool with the other pilots.

“The problem is, you’ve only met Chicken. I’m way better than him,” he said, making me pause and lean on the bar in front of him. Bradley had already told me about him.

“You must be Bagman,” I said, laughing.

“Hangman, sweetheart,” he corrected instantly, winking. Okay, he was very attractive. “How do you know my callsign?”

“Oh, trust me, I know way more than you think,” I said, winking back before turning to serve some other guys who had come up to the bar for refills.

It took me about five minutes to serve everyone, and the whole time, I could feel his eyes on me as he sipped his beer, patiently waiting for me to finish.

“So, since you know who I am, maybe you could reconsider giving me your number,” he said, leaning closer from the other side of the bar.

“I don’t know. I don’t think you’re ready for it.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad walk in and head straight for the bar to take a seat.

“Hey, darlin’. You know my usual,” my dad said with a smile.

I started preparing his whiskey the way he liked it, aware that Hangman was still waiting at the bar.

“I think I’m more than ready. It’s not every day I meet a gorgeous girl like you,” Hangman said. “All I’m asking for is your number—or at least let me buy you a drink.”

I laughed, shaking my head. Poor guy had no idea what he was in for. I garnished my dad’s glass with a slice of lemon and set it in front of him.

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

“No problem, Dad,” I replied, turning to face the blond pilot with my arms crossed. He took a sip of his beer and nearly choked.

“Dad?” he asked, glancing between me and my father.

“Is there a problem, Lieutenant?” my dad asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“No, sir.”, he replied, pressing his lips together.

“Then you’d better keep your fake charm away from my daughter,” my dad added.

I burst out laughing and leaned over to swap out the pilot’s beer.

“I told you, you weren’t ready for my number,” I said with a smirk before walking away to serve someone else. After saying goodnight to my dad, Hangman finally moved over to the pool table where Rooster and the others were.

“Poor guy, Dad. You scared him,” I said, approaching my father.

“I don’t care. No one’s good enough for my little girl,” he said, rubbing my arm affectionately. “Besides, if he’s really interested, he’ll have to work for it.”

The rest of the night passed quietly, picking up glasses and serving drinks until Penny told me I could clock out. Every now and then, I caught the blond pilot glancing my way, and I couldn’t deny I felt a little disappointed when he backed off after realizing my dad would be his coach. Maybe he was a jerk, like Bradley said.

After saying goodbye to Penny and my dad, I grabbed my denim jacket and stepped out of the Hard Deck. My ears welcomed the silence after the noise inside. As I walked toward the street, I heard someone coming out behind me.

“Hey, wait,” Hangman called out. “Have you reconsidered giving me your number?”

“You never quit, do you?” I laughed, crossing my arms.

“Not when it comes to the prettiest girl in the bar,” he said, mimicking my stance and stepping closer.

“You don’t even know my name—and I don’t really know yours, either, Bagman.”

“Hangman. And it’s Jake,” he said, closing the distance between us and extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Jake,” I said, shaking his hand. Mine was noticeably smaller than his, but they fit perfectly.

“Now that we’re properly introduced…” he started, still holding my hand.

“If you figure out my name, maybe I’ll give you my number,” I teased, pulling my hand away. “Goodnight, Jake.”

I took a few steps away and glanced back at him. He stood there, shaking his head and laughing softly, hands on his hips.

“Hope you’re free tomorrow night, sweetheart,” he called out loud enough for me to hear as I walked away.

“We’ll see, Bagman,” I replied.

__________________________________________________________

JAKE’S POV:

“Give me 200 more, Hangman,” Maverick shouted with a grin on his face, standing in front of me. This man was enjoying himself.

“What’s up with you, man?” Fanboy asked after finishing his push-ups. “Is it because of that girl last night? The one who didn’t give you her number?”

“She’s not just any girl, dude,” I replied between sets. “She’s Mav’s daughter.”

“No way,” my friend said, laughing. “Maverick’s daughter is what’s got you so distracted today?”

“Shut your mouth,” I muttered, noticing Rooster laughing at me from a distance.

By the end of the day’s training, we were all in the locker room, peeling off our flight suits. While everyone else was chatting about who should buy drinks tonight, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Not just because I didn’t get her number—though, to be honest, that didn’t happen to me often—but because she was truly stunning. I knew that the more I saw her behind the Hard Deck bar, the more she’d catch my attention.

“So, Hangman… last night you met Daddy’s little girl,” Rooster teased as he pulled on a clean T-shirt, followed by one of his ridiculous Hawaiian shirts. “Must be the first girl who didn’t fall at your feet.”

“Don’t start, Chicken,” I shot back, slamming my locker shut and leaning against it, arms crossed. “I’m sure that happens to you all the time.”

“You wish,” he said. “At least I can call her whenever I want.”

Rooster closed his locker and started walking out of the room.

“Don’t you dare, Bradshaw. I saw her first,” I said, following after him.

“God, how old are you? Eight? What is this, ‘I saw her first’?”

“Shut up, will you?” I sighed. “I can’t deny I’ve been thinking about her all day, and I don’t even know her name. But you, my friend, are going to help me.”

I threw an arm around his shoulders playfully, and he shrugged me off, pushing me away.

“So now we’re friends?” he scoffed, crossing his arms. “Y/N would never go for you anyway.”

“Y/N,” I repeated, biting the inside of my cheek with a grin. “Even her name is cute.”

“She’s not going to be one of your one-night stands, got it, Bagman?” Rooster said, walking toward the exit again.

“Come on, Bradshaw, I just want to take her out to dinner,” I said, trailing after him.

“Why don’t you ask Mav for her number? I’m sure he’d be thrilled to give it to you.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Chicken. I’ll buy you a drink too if that’s what you want.”

Bradley let out a laugh, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll buy all my drinks this week, and I’ll give you her number,” he said, challenging me.

“You’re insane. I’m not paying for all your drinking this week.”

“Then I’ll call her and ask her out myself,” he said, pulling out the keys to his old Bronco and heading toward it.

Was it worth paying this idiot for Y/N’s number? Even knowing she might turn me down again—and that her dad would punish me in every damn training session? Screw it. I’d take the risk.

“Deal,” I said, catching up to him at his truck.

“What?” Rooster asked, incredulous.

“I’ll cover your tab this week, as long as you give me her number and stay out of my way, Chicken.”

The idiot just laughed, pulling out his phone and typing on it. Seconds later, I got a notification—he’d sent me her contact info.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Bagman,” he said, climbing into his truck. “And just so you know, I wasn’t planning on asking her out. She’s like a sister to me, you idiot.”

“You’re an asshole, Bradshaw,” I shouted as he drove off.

______________________________________________________

READER’S POV:

I had just gotten out of the shower when my phone started ringing. “Unknown number.”

“Hello?” I answered, putting it on speaker while wrapping myself in a towel.

“Hi, Y/N,” said a voice on the other end. It was the blonde pilot from the Hard Deck.

“How did you get my number, Bagman?”

“It’s Jake to you, sweetheart,” he said. Even though I couldn’t see him, I knew he had that stupid grin on his face. “So, are you finally going to let me take you to dinner?”

“Don’t you ever get tired?” I asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Not when it comes to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

I laughed and stayed quiet for a few seconds.

“Pick me up in 30 minutes. I’ll send you the address,” I said, smiling.

“At your service, ma’am..” he replied, and I hung up.

It was just dinner with Hangman. What could possibly go wrong?

[gothcsz]

part seven of the neighbors series. oh jeez, we are back at it again with another heart wrenching part to this building series. don't ask me where in the timeline this lands because i don't even know—all i do know is that this one hurt me a little more than the others 🖤 as always, thank you to the beautiful anon who sent in this prompt. i love love love creating this with you all 🖤

javier peña x f!reader. ~2k word count. again, nothing too extreme to tag!

“Guess who won dos entradas al cine?” (two tickets to the movie theatre) you sing-song as you approach Javier, a pair of ticket vouchers held triumphantly in your hand and a wide grin lighting up your face. 

Javier looks up from where he’s seated on the edge of the courtyard fountain, the familiar ember of a cigarette glowing between his lips. He narrows his eyes behind his tinted aviators, giving you that signature blend of teasing skepticism. “Who’d you have to flash to get those?” 

You roll your eyes and drop onto the fountain beside him, the cool stone beneath you a welcome reprieve from the heat of the day. “I am offended that you think I’d flash someone for movie tickets.” You cross your legs as you say it, the move shifting the hem of your work dress just high enough to reveal the soft curve of your thighs beneath sheer stockings.

Javier’s gaze dips immediately, a slow drag of his eyes over your legs before his tongue sweeps across his lower lip.

He knows he should stop. Should keep his admiration of you in check. But he can’t. You’re too pretty to not gawk over.

You’re oblivious, like you always are, as you hold the tickets up again, completely lost in your own excitement. “We had this silly competition in the office, and these bad boys were up for grabs.” Your voice is bright and animated, and it’s all he can do not to focus entirely on how alive you look when you’re happy.  

A plume of smoke curls into the air as he exhales, buying himself time. “So, what movie are you gonna go see?” 

You falter for a moment, your confidence dimming ever so slightly as you hesitate. Your teeth catch your lower lip in a nervous habit he’s seen a dozen times and never fails to find endearing, and you glance at him from under your lashes.

That look alone could kill him.

“I’m not sure… actually,” you admit, your voice softening as you toy with the edge of the tickets. The question sits on the tip of your tongue, uncertain.

Is it a good idea to ask him? It’s been weeks since the two of you had a moment to really do anything outside of these stolen midday chats or rushed exchanges in the hallways.

You miss the ease that used to exist between you, but what if he doesn’t feel the same? 

After Javier’s little episode in your apartment during your date, things seem to have settled into a steady, almost predictable rhythm. You’d thought about asking Mateo to join you for this outing, but he’s away on some business trip for the next two weeks.

Things between you two are fine—casual, a few small dates here and there, nothing to write home about. It’s enough to keep your head above water, to keep romantic daydreams about the handsome DEA agent next door from completely taking over. 

You haven’t heard much from Javier’s side of the wall lately either. No muffled moans or the rhythmic creak of his bed frame emphasizing his nocturnal activities.

Out of sight, out of mind, you tell yourself. If you don’t hear him entertaining half of Bogotá, your feelings for him can stay dormant, tucked neatly into the recesses of your heart.

So, you figure it’s harmless to ask him to go to the theater with you this weekend. Friends catch movies together all the time, right? Besides, his life is unpredictable—he could get called into some crisis at a moment’s notice. No pressure.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come with me,” you ask, your voice soft but hopeful. “We can pick the movie when we get there.”

The way you ask, with that shy, almost hesitant charm, makes Javier’s heart do a ridiculous flip. He has to school his expression, keep his face neutral so he doesn’t show just how much your offer delights him. His instinct to tease nearly ruins the moment, though—he’s this close to asking about your little banker boyfriend. 

But instead, he soaks in the fact that it’s him you’re asking, not Mateo.

Whatever the reason, the thought of spending an evening with you—even if it’s just watching a movie—makes him feel like a giddy teenager, like the crush he’s been nursing forever has finally acknowledged him.  

“Makin’ time for me in that busy schedule of yours? I’m flattered, cariño. That sounds like a good time. I’m in,” he replies, taking a slow drag of his cigarette to mask the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

You light up instantly, a bright smile spreading across your face. “Tú eres el que siempre está ocupado,” (You're the one who is always busy) you tease, testing the waters with your Spanish.

He huffs a quiet laugh, his dark eyes glinting with approval. “Tienes razón,” (You're right) he concedes, tipping his head in acknowledgment. “You’re gettin’ better and better. Pretty soon, you’re gonna be speakin’ better than me.”

Your cheeks heat at the compliment, and you can’t help the nervous giggle that slips out. “Highly doubt that, but thank you. How does Friday night sound? Meet me in the hallway at six?”

Javier tilts his head, feigning confusion as his brows knit together. “Lo siento, no hablo inglés, ¿puedes repetirlo?” (I'm sorry, I don't speak English. Could you repeat that?)

You bite your lip to keep from laughing, playfully narrowing your eyes at him as you pause to get your words right. “Encuéntrame en el pasillo a las seis el viernes,” (Meet me in the hallway at six on Friday) you say carefully, hoping you nailed the grammar.

His lips curve into a proud smile, his mustache twitching as he nods in approval. “Te veré allí. Good job, cariño.” (I'll see you there)

It’s almost eight when you knock on Javier’s door, your fingers fidgeting nervously as you wait.

Maybe he got tied up with work—God knows his job has a way of swallowing him whole.

Or maybe it just slipped his mind, which wouldn’t surprise you either; he does have a lot on his plate these days. 

Still, you’d been looking forward to this little outing, putting a little extra effort into your outfit, remembering all the little things that had happened to you during the week to share with him so he could get a good laugh out of them.

You wait a moment longer, but there’s no answer. A small pout tugs at your lips, disappointment sinking in. You tell yourself you saw this coming. It’s Javier, after all—unpredictable, chaotic Javier. You shouldn’t take it personally. 

But the tiny sting of hurt manages to land on that sore spot in your chest with his name tattooed over it. 

It’s okay, you think, pushing the feeling down. You’ll just reschedule. No big deal. It’s not like you don’t have other things to do—there’s that crossword book you picked up earlier to practice writing your Spanish. A quiet evening in doesn’t sound so bad. You’ll catch him later, maybe tease him for standing you up. 

You’ve barely turned the knob on your apartment door when the sound of laughter fills the air—a warm, familiar chuckle that makes your heart leap.

You freeze, turning toward the sound, your excitement flaring to life at the prospect of your plans not being canceled after all.

But the flicker of hope is short-lived. 

The door to the building swings open, and there he is, an arm wrapped possessively around the waist of a stunning woman. She’s tall, effortlessly beautiful with her curly brown hair, her laughter lilting as his lips graze her neck.

Your stomach drops.  

So he hadn’t forgotten because of work. He’d just… forgotten about you. Or chosen not to remember. The realization sears through you, twisting in your chest.

You feel rooted in place, unable to look away as your mind scrambles to catch up. 

Then his eyes find yours.  

The world seems to grind to a halt. Everything else fades—the woman on his arm, the noise of the building, even the ache in your chest.

All that exists is the intensity of his gaze locked with yours. His flirty, careless smile vanishes, replaced by something you can’t quite name. Guilt? Regret?  

It doesn’t matter.  

You wrench yourself away, slipping into your apartment before he can say anything. The door closes with a soft click, and you sag against it, chest heaving as you fight to steady your breath. Your eyes sting, but you refuse to let the tears fall.  

It’s not just that he stood you up. That’s not what makes the embarrassment swell in your throat. It’s that you’d been excited to spend time with him.

That you put in effort to your appearance, that you saved specific topics to discuss solely with him.

You’d allowed yourself to believe that your friendship mattered as much to him as it does to you.

But now, standing here with your heart feeling scraped raw, you’re starting to see it for what it is: your friendship only exists when it’s convenient for him. When there’s no one else in his bed, when he’s not risking his life in the streets.  

You bite down hard on your lip, willing the tears to stay put. You won’t cry for him. Not tonight. Not again.

Like clockwork, three steady knocks land against the door, each one reverberating through your back as you stay pressed against it. You don’t move, your hands curled into fists at your sides.

Should you answer? Or let him stand out there, forgotten as easily as he forgot you?

Your jaw tightens, anger sparking to life in your chest. It tempts you to yank the door open and unleash every ounce of frustration, to scream at him until your voice gives out, until he feels the intensity of all the feelings he stirs inside you.  

But you don’t.  

Instead, you straighten your posture, brushing away the stubborn tears that slipped past your defenses. You take a steadying breath, clearing your throat before finally opening the door.  

“Hola, Javier,” you greet, your tone clipped and flat.  

There he stands, every bit the picture of remorse. His brown eyes are soft, almost pleading, and his hands are shoved in his pockets like he’s trying to make himself smaller. “Cariño, I’m so sorry,” he starts, his voice low and rushed. “I got hung up at the office, then had to go out and vet some leads we got—”  

“It’s okay,” you cut him off with a tight smile. “It happens.”  

He flinches at your tone, guilt etched across his face. It’s written in the way his shoulders slump, the way his mouth opens and closes as if searching for the right thing to say. He knows he screwed up. Knows he let you down.  

The truth? He had forgotten. At first, it was the chaos of his job pulling him in a dozen directions, then following up on a tip from Helena.

But when they met at their usual spot, the drinks came easily—too easily. Her attention had been familiar, her touch comforting, and one thing led to another, as it always did with her. He hadn’t thought about anything else until he walked into the building and saw you.  

Until your wide, hurt eyes locked onto his and knocked the breath right out of him.  

“I’m free all day tomorrow,” he says now. “We can reschedule. I’ll even take you out to dinner to make it up to you.”  

There’s something so damn sincere in the way he looks at you, the way his tone drips with regret, that for a split second, you almost cave. Almost.  

But then you remember what’ll happen as soon as he leaves. He’ll go back to his apartment and you’ll have to hear him fuck her.

“No, Javier. Don’t worry about it,” you say firmly, each word clear with resolve. “I’ve got a busy weekend.” It’s a lie, but it feels necessary, a barrier to protect what little dignity you have left.

“Have fun vetting your lead.” You let the words hit their mark.

His expression falters, and you see the exact moment the weight of them sinks in, his lips parting as if to respond, to defend himself, to say something. But you don’t give him the chance.

With a steady hand, you close the door in his face.

The soft click of the latch is louder than it should be, final and resolute. You lean against the wood, staring blankly ahead as the quiet settles around you.

Your heart pounds against your ribs, the fiery ache of anger and something sharper—betrayal—coiling in your chest.

started a tag list for my works here, so if you're interested— pls check it out 🖤

🏷️ : @persephone-girl . @magneticecstasy . @thundermartini . @pepperstories . @greenwitchfromthewoods . @maiyart . @pedrohoe04 . @natalieispunk . @thewisesalmon . @bitchesuntitled . @puddles221b . @swankyorange . @bbyanarchist . @thottiewinemom . @heyhihello-4771 . @danaehldy . @sunflowerfive . @libre-sol . @harriedandharassed . @untamedheart81 . @moel-jiller . @honeyedmiller . @alexxavicry . @oldenoughtoknowbettersstuff . @almodovarispunk . @southernbe . @readingiskeepingmegoing . @pedrito-is-punk7 . @mrs-hardy-hunnam-butler . @la-vie-est-une-fleur29 . @lover-of-books-and-tea . @mysterious-moonstruck-musings . @pigeonmama . @piercethevic03 . @marisemonteiroo . @samanthajonees . @yellowbrickyeti . @bambisweethearts . @dontlookatme121 . @cherrysugarx . @half-moon16 . @dinanabuu . @sunshinefive . @angiewatson .

[roosterforme]

i have a lil Mr. Right Now thought! we all know Kylie is a sour jealous mean girl sooo what would happen one of those times she does come to the Hard Deck looking for someone and she tries to flirt with Jake not knowing Darlin is there like what would happen 👀

Okay, but what if Darlin' isn't there at all? What if it's very early on in their relationship, and Darlin' isn't 21 yet? Jake knows a bit about her roommate from what Darlin' has told him, but he doesn't know what she looks like. And he's out at the bar for someone's birthday or a celebration of some sort while Darlin' goes to see a movie with a different friend.

This girl was annoying. She was either tipsy or pretending to be, and Jake watched her run her hand along Mickey's arm as she talked to him like they were old friends. Then she did the same thing to Javy. Then she headed toward Jake as he sipped a whiskey sour and tried not to groan.

Tag chasers were a given at the Hard Deck, but usually they weren't so young. This girl looked the same age as you, and now Jake just wished he had canceled his plans in favor of spending the night with you.

"Hi," said the annoying girl, stepping up into his personal space like he was supposed to be impressed. Even before he met you, he was starting to realize taking the easy route each night made him feel bad the next day, and that was definitely what this one was looking for.

"Hi," he drawled, slowly taking a step backwards only to find himself bumping into the pool table.

"Are you an aviator, too?"

He thought about lying, but ultimately grunted, "Yeah."

"God, you're hot," she said without hesitation as she started to reach for him. "My name's Kylie."

Jake caught her hand in his, and at first, she looked absolutely delighted. Then her expression soured as he said, "Kylie? I think my girlfriend is your roommate." When he said your name, she pouted.

"You're Jake?"

"I am."

She tried to lace her fingers with his, saying, "It's really nice to meet you. Too bad she's not here tonight."

Warning bells went off in his head. Even after he made it clear who he was, she was still trying to touch him.

"Yeah.... it's too bad," he replied. "Nice to meet you." He walked away from her, but he'd keep this exchange in mind for the future.

[whoopsyeahokay]

October Sun

summary: you'd never been shy about sharing what you knew about the dead. to hide in plain sight was a decision you'd made behind your mother's back, all while respecting the warning she'd given you those many years ago. because, really, who would believe you?

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.

tysm for all the love u guys 😭

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.2

It was the first real day of spring, the sun shining and the breeze warm, and Mathilda had coaxed you and Xavier outside for lunch. You sat in the grass beside the bleachers and were lazily watching the football team run drills when you spotted Maddie and Simon.

They joined you when you waved them over, closing the circle, Maddie beside Xavier and Simon beside her putting him to your left.

You'd seen the way Maddie and Xavier looked at each other, bashful glances and pink cheeks when they thought no one noticed. They'd been cute for each other since you'd gone to the Gorrorcon screening of Grindhouse as a group last month. It was rare that Xavier tagged along for the gory movies, but as soon as you'd mentioned Maddie's name, he hadn't needed much convincing.

While the others chatted idly, your attention drifted, tracking a footballer who appeared to be coaching a boy dressed head to toe in denim. The boy looked uncomfortable on the field, held the football like it was a baby he might drop, and grimaced when the footballer jogged backward a few yards and signaled for the ball.

You knew who they were. Knew you shouldn't be casual about witnessing a moment they thought was theirs. Only, you couldn't help yourself. The footballer was handsome. Not hot or fit or fine. Handsome. With dark, fluffy hair and soulful eyes that you wished softened for you the way Xavier's did for Maddie.

Wally Clark, stadium namesake, died doing what he loved.

Even from afar, you could see the way the muscles in his arms bunched when he tossed the ball, had to wet your lips when his shirt rose to reveal a pale stripe of skin. Instead of the sweatpants he usually donned, he wore shorts that, in different circumstances, would've earned Wally a dress code violation. Barely there, they clung to him like paint on a canvas, accentuating the curve of his ass and thickness of his furry thighs.

Have mercy...

"Leave our sweet flower alone, you know she's saving herself," Mathilda said, pulling your attention back to the conversation happening around you.

The comment she'd responded to had to have been about your virginity. A realization you shook your head at while Mathilda made herself the picture of an angel. It was one of several tactics your friend group employed to violently drag you back to earth whenever your head was in the clouds.

Xavier chuckled and nudged Mathilda's shoulder with his.

"What I miss?" You asked, glancing between the others, still a little dazed by the image Wally made on the field.

Unfortunately, Simon didn't know the rules and, curiosity piqued, asked, "Are you really?"

"Am I really what? Saving myself?" Simon nodded. You grinned, shameless, and stretched your arms above your head as if embracing the sky, "Of course I am," then dropped backward to lie on the grass.

That wasn't entirely true. Simply, your virginity wasn't something you ruminated on, having never been in a relationship, but you'd also long since accepted that you couldn't do what Mathilda had done, finding an interested partner at a concert and losing it for the sake of getting it over with. "I'm surprised Tilly didn't tell you."

Mathilda scoffed, "About your ghost?"

"Ghost?" Now Maddie was intrigued, glancing between you, Mathilda, and Xavier, seeking answers. "You're saving yourself for a ghost?"

You rolled your head toward her and winked through your aviators, laughing lightly at her shocked expression. You could tell she wasn't sure what to make of it, hovering between interested in hearing what the hell you meant by that and concerned that you were that delusional.

"So, you wanna die a virgin, got it." Simon turned to look you in the eye, expression straight for all of three seconds before he started to shake with laughter.

You sat up and swatted at him; he grabbed your wrist and dragged you to his chest, giving him the angle he needed to grind his knuckles against your scalp. He released you when you shrieked and dug your elbow into his stomach.

Once you'd both settled, "How would that even work?" Maddie wondered, raising a hand to list her thoughts on her fingers, "I mean, a) say you guys can get physical, would it be like sleeping with a corpse?" Ew. God. "And b) don't ghosts haunt the places they died? So, if there was a ghost here, you guys would have to do it in a classroom or...the janitor's closet—" "Another nail in the coffin of Romance." Xavier said. You were surprised and somewhat gleeful that Maddie was willing to lend genuine consideration to such an absurd topic, to the point you didn't see the harm in revealing, "Actually, ghosts can roam as far and wide as they want. They aren't confined the way we are. I mean, they could get stuck in a loop if their death was that traumatic, but, for the most part," You smiled at her, "Ghosts can haunt wherever their spooky little hearts desire."

It's not as if anyone really gave credence to the things you said, anyway. Proven when Simon launched into a tirade that drew a lot of inspiration from a show in the Flanaverse.

Hide in plain sight. An idea you'd concocted when the witchcore revolution had exploded on tiktok, alt kids everywhere boasting a collection of healing crystals and excusing their behavior on Mercury Retrograde. Even your mother had taken advantage of the era, promoting her services via heavily filtered videos she had your sister film.

As far as everyone was concerned, your weird ghost lore was a matter of personal opinion and not the result of your family's unique and extensive library.

‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗

"Now what?" Simon asked, phone pressed to his ear, as he watched you retreat into the school. Probably questioning his sanity with every step after the conversation he'd just had with you.

"I don't know." Maddie admitted, picking her nails, "I really needed to believe it was true." Even though, before she'd died, Maddie had been skeptical about your sense of the supernatural.

While you'd been in the bus shelter with them, Maddie had argued at Simon to confide in you about his ability to see her. Thought, prayed, that you were perhaps too afraid to admit you could see her, too. Only, it'd become increasingly clear that you weren't faking how Maddie didn't exist in that moment with you at all.

Maddie's chin fell to her chest, eyes sullen. "She had no idea I was right here, I—" She groaned roughly and fell back against the glass, hands scrubbing her face. "—I don't know what I thought she could do to help, I just..." Hoped you'd have answers; maybe had a way of getting Maddie unstuck so she could roam further than the boundaries of the school grounds.

Too bad it was, as you'd put it, a fraud.

Simon itched to console Maddie, hated that he couldn't. He could tell she was conflicted, emotions warring between sadness and anger and resentment. You'd let her down, whether or not you'd meant to, and it stung.

"Hey," Simon said, trying to infuse some positivity into his tone, "We'll figure something out. Until then, I'll just keep doing the heavy lifting."

Maddie turned her head and regarded him softly, "I don't want to keep putting you in situations like that." She remembered Mr. Anderson manifesting behind Simon that night in autoshop, a tinge of menace in his demeanor, and winced.

"It's not like I have anything better to do." Simon shrugged and gave what amounted to a smile, "I got all this free time since my best friend went missing."

A pungent silence crept in and hung in the air between them, neither willing to address that went missing was putting a delusional spin on it.

💀___________________________

PART ONE - PART THREE

also available on AO3!

MATERLIST

[justabigassnerd]

Patience Worn Thin

Pairing - Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Mitchell!reader

Word Count - 2,300

Warnings - harassment, violence, injuries, alcohol, drinking, angst, fluff

Summary - after seeing someone bother Bradley one too many times, you take matters into your own hands

A/N - hey y'all I'm back with another anon request and I hope I did it justice! I am the most unconfrontational person on the planet so this was a little out of my depth but it's always good to try new things. as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

“Hey babe, me and the Daggers are heading to the Hard Deck for a couple of drinks. Want to come?” Bradley says in his usual soft tone as he sweeps you up into a hug, holding you close as if he hadn’t seen you in years when in reality he had simply gone upstairs for a few minutes and just returned downstairs.

“If they’re okay with me tagging along.” You say, curling your arms around Bradley and resting your head just above his heart and listening to the gentle thudding of his heartbeat.

“They’re always okay with you coming. If they weren’t, they’d have to deal with me and Mav.” Bradley says, his soft chuckle rumbling against your ear before you lift your head off his chest, laughing to yourself as you visualise your boyfriend and your dad teaming up against all the Daggers. While you were Maverick’s daughter, you weren’t an aviator, instead, you had opted to work in nursing and found yourself working in a hospital local to where your dad and boyfriend worked.

“Guess we’re going to the Hard Deck then.” You say with a soft smile as you look up at Bradley as he looks down at you, leaning down to press the gentlest of kisses against your lips. When you both pull away, Bradley’s phone buzzes and he lets out a soft sigh, pulling it from his pocket and inspecting the text displayed.

“We better get a move on. Apparently, I owe Jake a darts match and I fear that if I don’t show up soon my callsign might change from ‘Rooster’ to ‘Chicken’.” Bradley says with a laugh as you move out of his embrace, laughing as you imagine him being called ‘Chicken’ day in and day out at work.

“Let’s get you down to the Hard Deck then. Can’t have my boyfriend being seen as someone afraid of a darts match against Jake of all people.” You say, patting Bradley’s chest before moving past him to get yourself ready to head to the bar.

When you are ready, you head out of the house with Bradley and get into the passenger seat of his Bronco, smiling as Bradley instinctively rests his free hand on your thigh as he drives, singing along to the radio under his breath as he goes. Eventually, he parks outside the Hard Deck and the two of you get out and head into the bar together.

“Want me to grab you a drink? I’ll be designated driver if you want?” You say, turning to face Bradley almost the moment the two of you entered the bar.

“Are you sure?” Bradley asks, soft enough for the moment to be just between the two of you but loud enough to be heard over the noise of the bar.

“I’m sure. As long as you’re okay with me driving the Bronco of course.” You say with a small smile as Bradley rests a hand on your waist, the other digging in his pocket and holding the Bronco keys between the two of you.

“There’s no one else I’d trust to drive her.” He says, grinning as you take the keys before leaning forward and pressing his lips to yours.

“Bradshaw! Get your ass over here!” You pull away with a giggle at Jake’s voice ringing clearly over the noise of the busy bar and Bradley rolls his eyes.

“He really knows how to pick a time, huh?” Bradley mutters, winding an arm around your waist and guiding you over to the Dagger's usual spot near the pool tables and dart board.

“Hey, you brought y/n!” Jake greets you enthusiastically as the two of you approach, instantly approaching you, arms outstretched for a hug that you’re more than happy to give him, pulling away and greeting the other Daggers with hugs before returning to Bradley’s side.

“Okay, I’m going to grab you a drink now. Beer?” You say to Bradley as he nods.

“That would be great, thank you.” Bradley says gratefully, kissing the top of your head before letting you cross the bar to talk to Penny.

“y/n! How lovely to see you.” Penny greets you happily, smiling as she leans up against the bar to talk to you.

“It’s good to see you too, Penny.” You say, smiling at Penny.

“Beers for you and Bradley?” Penny asks, instinctively reaching down to the fridge that contains the beers you and Bradley like to drink.

“Just one for Bradley. I’ll take a soda.” You say, pulling out your card and handing it to Penny to start a tab just in case you and Bradley wanted more drinks throughout the evening. Penny soon hands you your two drinks and you thank her with a smile before turning and heading back over to Bradley who was standing with Jake near the dart board.

“Here you go.” You say, holding Bradley’s beer out towards him as he takes it gratefully, pressing a soft kiss upon your lips in thanks.

“Get a room you two.” Jake grumbles, plucking the darts from the board and handing some of them to Bradley.

“Just you wait until you get a girlfriend. Then me and Bradley will be saying it to you.” You say with a laugh as Jake rolls his eyes. You then make your way over to Natasha and Bob, sitting with them and making conversation with them as Bradley and Jake play their darts match.

An hour or so later, after Jake and Bradley are finally done with their final match, you get up, excuse yourself to the bathroom and leave the group to their own devices for a few minutes. However, when you return, you can’t say you were impressed with the scene before you.

When you leave the bathroom, shaking the remnants of water off your hands, you see a woman almost draping herself over Bradley who doesn’t look entirely comfortable with her proximity. You could tell he was saying something to her, but you didn’t know what it was. You soon crossed the bar and sidled up alongside Bradley, wrapping your arms around his middle and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Hey babe. Who’s your friend?” You ask innocently, turning to look at the woman who had at least had the decency to take a step back.

“I’m Mia.” She says, barely giving Bradley a chance to respond, making you fight the urge to roll your eyes.

“Well, nice to meet you, Mia. If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend some time with my boyfriend. It's our first time seeing each other in months. You can understand that, right?” The lie comes quickly and easily to you. You weren’t the biggest fan of sounding possessive over Bradley but after seeing how uncomfortable he had looked you didn’t want this person ever coming near him again. With a huff, Mia rolled her eyes and stalked off. The moment she was out of sight you turned to Bradley.

“I didn’t mean to speak for you. I could tell you weren’t comfortable.” You apologise quickly, stopping only when Bradley kisses you, words catching in your throat.

“Don’t apologise.” Bradley whispers after pulling away enough to speak, lips brushing against yours with every word spoken. You nod your head slightly at his words before pulling away, determined to spend the rest of the evening with your friends and forget about the incident that had happened as you hoped it was a one-time event.

Oh how wrong you were.

Bradley had gone to the Hard Deck a couple of times while you stayed home or had work and each time had come back complaining that Mia had been there and had been completely disregarding his obvious boundaries and ignoring that he had a girlfriend, having been convinced it was a ploy to keep her away, he had told you. Bradley had told you that all of the Daggers had tried to help him keep her away, but she was a lot more persistent than they expected. All you did at the moment was hug Bradley tight, feeling awful that he was going through that without you to help him before you spoke up.

“Next time you go to the Hard Deck, I’m coming with you.”

True to your word, the next time Bradley and the Daggers organised a time to go to the Hard Deck, you made sure you were free to accompany Bradley. The two of you arrived at the Hard Deck, walking in hand in hand as your eyes immediately scoured the bar looking for Mia, letting out a small, satisfied sigh when you couldn’t see her. Maybe she’d gotten the hint after all, so you allowed yourself to relax as you crossed to the Daggers, greeting them all with a smile.

The evening progressed pleasantly, everyone laughing, playing pool, or gossiping about the new Top Gun recruits. Then the all-familiar bell rang signalling that someone would be paying for a round for everyone in the bar.

“I’m going to grab us all a drink.” You say, instantly excusing yourself to grab a drink for yourself and all your friends.

When you returned to the group, Mia was there. She had apparently escaped your skimmed searches of the bar and snuck in the moment you moved away from Bradley. You approached the table Mickey and Javy were sitting at and placed the tray down, immediately turning around and approaching her.

“Excuse me, I was very polite the first time that we met but I don’t appreciate that you keep trying to force yourself on my boyfriend and make him uncomfortable. Please leave him alone.” You say, firmness sneaking into your voice as you position yourself next to Bradley, noticing how all the Daggers immediately have their attention on you, ready to step in if needed.

“You’re clearly lying to yourself if you think that he could ever be your boyfriend. He’s way out of your league and much better suited to be dating someone like me. Besides it’s not like he was saying no.” Mia says with a snarky tone as she folds her arms across her chest, raising an eyebrow as she looks you up and down.

“He wasn’t saying anything! Isn’t that enough of a hint for you?!” You cry out, growing more enraged when Mia just shrugs.

“I can tell when men like what I’m doing. Besides, men never say no. I know it can be hard to accept but sometimes men prefer people like me over people like you.” Mia’s chosen words enraged you so much that you did something you never thought you’d be capable of doing.

You punched her.

You would’ve regretted it had Mia not attacked you back. She practically pushed you to the floor and you were quick to drag her down with you, pinning her to the floor and just giving her hell. You couldn’t even recall what you were doing, you were just so blinded by your rage and this woman’s audacity. You kept throwing punches and slaps, as did Mia, a fair few coming into contact with you until you felt two muscular arms wrap around your middle and drag you off Mia and the moment you were clear, you were vaguely aware of Jake and Reuben stepping in between you and Mia as a barrier.

“y/n, honey, you need to calm down.” Bradley’s soothing, gentle voice whispers in your ear as he hauls you away from the chaos and holds you carefully in place, his eyes shining with worry as Natasha appears alongside him while Bob rushes to fill Penny in on what happened. Bradley guides you to the bar, sitting you on one of the stools while Natasha follows Penny to get you an ice pack. The second Natasha returns, Bradley takes the ice pack and holds it near your eye where he could tell a bruise was already beginning to form. You could hear Penny calling for Mia to be escorted out and given a ban from the Hard Deck and all you could think about was how grateful you were that she wouldn’t be around to bother Bradley anymore.

“I appreciate you defending me, y/n but you didn’t need to do this. You’re hurt.” Bradley mutters, eyes scanning you for any more injuries while he holds the ice pack in place.

“I couldn’t let her treat you like that. I just snapped.” You admit, looking up and making eye contact with the man you love.

“It happens to the best of us. I bet Mav’s done something like that before, it’ll be where you got that from.” Bradley says, smiling lightly as he changes the subject to bring a smile to your face which he was successful in doing.

“There’s no way dad hasn’t punched someone in the defence of someone he loves.” You giggle, wincing lightly when Bradley applies a little bit more pressure accidentally to the tender area, which of course makes him apologise instantly.

“I have to admit. It was really attractive seeing you defend me like that.” Bradley muses, moving the ice pack away from your eye and setting it on the countertop.

“Really?” You ask, feeling your face heat up at his words.

“Really. No one’s ever defended me like that before. It just means a lot more because it’s you.” Bradley says softly, cupping your face softly and leaning in until his lips meet yours, the kiss alone conveying everything Bradley needed to say. You both pull away when you hear the Daggers calling for both you and Bradley and you laugh as you glance from them to Bradley who lets out a soft chuckle and shakes his head.

“I think we should head over so you can talk to your fans, huh?”

[butterfly-stitches]

INSTINCT.

[ Explicit ] // MDNI

AO3

Pairings: Russell Adler x Bell, Frank Woods x Bell Ensemble: Russell Adler, Frank Woods, Alex Mason, Reader, Bell (Implied Fem!Bell), Helen A. Park, Eleazar "Lazar" Azoulay, Lawrence Sims, Jason Hudson

Warnings: Alternate Universe, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omegaverse, Military Inaccuracies, Medical Inaccuracies, A/B/O Prejudice, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Torture, Medical Experimentation, Accidental Knotting, Knotting, Claiming Bites, Animal Instincts, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Scenting, Scent Marking, Older Man/Younger Woman, Hurt/Comfort, Mildly Dubious Consent, POV Second Person, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Summary: Betrayed by your own and left for dead, you were captured and interrogated by the enemy. But you gave them nothing. Desperate times call for desperate measures as the saying went. And by it, the use of MK-Ultra. Melding you into something more manageable. Making you believe that you work alongside the CIA and have known Adler for many years. But what your capturers didn’t expect was the byproduct of transmutation in the after process of menticide. Turning you, an alpha, into an omega. Now Adler and the rest of the team must learn to adapt and adjust to an omega in their military pack. All while trying to stop the puppeteering machinations of a once dormant Soviet spy network led by a man, and your old pack alpha, known only as Perseus.

But having an omega on the team only makes things more complicated than necessary. Especially one so unpredictable and so fresh out of MK-Ultra. An alpha and an omega naturally gravitate towards each other like a binary black hole. And no one, not even a highly desensitized alpha like Adler, can deny their instincts forever.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: variable.

Words: 2,272 Summary: In which you are remolded …

“You’re sure?” 

Outside a bright white lab room, in a just as bright hallway, two figures watched from behind a one-way glass window. The tall one had a cigarette tucked in the corner of his mouth, puffing away leisurely despite the building being a smoke-free area. It was well-ventilated enough was his reasoning, stress was another. But the woman next to him didn’t complain nor comment, being an avid smoker herself. 

Nonetheless, the woman beside him nodded at the question.

“I am.” 

The man inhaled, his cigarette glowing brighter at the end with his deep intake. The woman next to him’s answer slowly seeped in his head. It was a heavy thing to process. His fatigue-addled brain only made it harder for him to come to terms with it and the situation that would follow. 

Smoke fell from the man’s marred lips.

“Run those tests again.”

But the woman right beside him didn’t move, shifting the clipboard that she cradled in her arms instead. Pages and pages of test results from various trials, medical and psych evaluations, were fastened to it. But she didn’t need to look them over again to double check and verify what they all indicated. She knew.

“Already done — they all came to the same conclusion.”

The man next to her was silent once more. His cigarette burned idly between his fingers as a thin smoky thread swirled away from the smoldering end. The woman handed him the clipboard, giving him a glance here and there as he flipped through the pages meticulously. Cigarette clamped between his lips as he read through the results. But the man found that it was as she claimed it to be. The test results were indicating the same thing; the subject’s designation status had indeed regressed. 

Wordlessly, the man handed back the clipboard. Pulled the cigarette from his mouth and blew out the smoke with a long exhale, processing it with a newfound clarity. Still staring into the windowed wall from behind his dark aviators. Eyes still dead set on the coroner gurney in the far center of the room.

An alpha turned omega…

Well, that definitely threw a wrench into the works. 

Such a phenomenon wasn't empirically impossible – just extremely rare; intermittent and indeterminable. An idiopathic etiology of menticide in theory. Although not unprecedented. Alex Mason, another hapless guinea pig of MK-Ultra, had suffered the same thing. Over time, throughout the process, Mason’s designation status had wholly changed too. At the flip of a switch, his biology had altered entirely in order to adapt to his new status. As well as the entire rewiring of an already broken brain. But Mason's biological transmutation had not been as drastic as the subject’s. Not as non-sequential; Having only turned from being an alpha to a beta. 

Even the man’s own brief employment with the Advanced Technologies and Applications program in Eastern Kentucky couldn’t replicate or even culminate such results in their human trials and experimentations. Yet he was used to things not all going according to plan, adapting and thinking on your feet was a part of the job. But this… this was more of a major setback than he preferred. Omegas only made things more complex than necessary.

“Adler?” The woman next to him lifted her thin brow at him as he brewed in his thoughts. Concerned by his prolonged silence. But his eyes didn't move to meet her inquisitive look. 

“This doesn’t change our mission.” He informed her. 

“Clearly,” She said, turning back around to view the bright room in front of them. Just like the older man next to her. “But it does make things quite difficult, however.”

Adler exhaled a smoky breath. And, after a moment, asked. “How do you think we should approach this then, Park?”

The woman next to him audibly hummed. Lips pursed in thought as her manicured fingernails drummed on the back of the clipboard. “Well, I suppose we still stick to the plan. With minor adjustments of course.”

“Minor adjustments?” 

Agent Park nodded. “And more precautions, yes. The subject will need a lot more necessities than before. More support, more monitoring. Omegas can be quite… ”

“Needy.” He finished her sentence. 

Park, in turn, gave Adler a look, sharp eyes narrowing. Sensing his surly mood. “ Sensitive . Omegas can easily go into distress if their needs aren’t met, especially if they can’t adjust to new territory. Let alone a new pack. No matter how temporary it will be.”

Adler went quiet again. Half cigarette burned idly between his fingers. He felt the fatigue weigh down on him even more now. The caffeinated surge of energy from his dark roast coffee prior was starting to wear off. And another cigarette wouldn’t hurt as well. 

“Didn’t take you for such an advocate, Park.”

“Only when necessary. It's effective when I encounter stubborn men too set in their ways.”

The beta woman’s goading was lighthearted, he knew. An attempt to nullify the sullenness that was growing palpable in the air. But he brushed it off nonetheless, like a piece of lint on his shirt.

Park eyed Adler. Watched as he pulled his aviators off and rubbed a hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. Massaging at the stress gathered there, where his eyebrows knitted together and his eyes crinkled at the corners. Adler blew out a harsh smoke-filled sigh, hanging his aviators on his woolen vest. The bright fluorescent lighting was starting to make his head throb. 

“Adler. There’s no other contingency plan to fall back onto. In order to get what we need and when we need it, accommodations are necessary whether we like it or not. This is the only way.”

But Adler knew Park was right. To try and construct another course of action would only be detrimental in the long run. Time was going without a hitch or a hurdle. And who was he to ask it to change its nature? Results needed to be made and progress needed to be set into motion. 

“Guess, you’re right. We have no choice but to stick with the plan.” 

“With adjustments, of course.” Park added on.

Adler shifted forward, leaning his weight on the narrow windowsill. His aviators on the collar of his wool sweater vest clunked against the high clearance badge on his lanyard. They both stood there stationary, both occupied with their own thoughts.

“Hudson might burst a blood vessel over this.” Adler then said, breaking the silence between them. 

With a sardonic curl of her oxblood lips, Park only snickered. “Let’s hope so. It beats having him breathing down our necks for once.”

Adler didn’t say much more after that. Only stared into the lab room towards you – the sedated subject strapped to the gurney in the far center. A shallow crease soon appeared between his brows, tongue running across gritted teeth, tracing along pointed canines. 

An alpha turned omega…

How pathetic. 

It was almost pitiful. To witness how far the mighty had fallen. Not just for a Russian loyalist so high on Perseus’ totem pole, but as an alpha. For one’s very nature, one’s entire being to up and change. To crack and crumble under deceit and pressure. From a great redwood that stood tall against the gales only to be felled; whittled down until you were nothing but splinters of firewood. 

Admittedly, he had been impressed at first; Alpha to Alpha, face to face. Understanding of your disposition. Your stubbornness, your aggression, your loyalty to your pack’s idealism. Your piety to your pack alpha: Perseus. Even for a person betrayed by one of your own. Resilient to any traditional methods in their arsenal. Unbroken, unbridled. Even throughout the long hours of interrogation and torture. How shameful you were now. Pliant and pacified. An inferiority before him now. Adler supposed that you were never a true alpha in the end. There was always a weakness inside you it seemed. And such weakness needed to be culled.

But those grievances were more idiosyncratic, a disgraceful thing to his inner alpha. Your subjugation from MK-Ultra made you more useful now. Even if your brain was nothing but pulp and rind in the end. Omega or not, you were a vital asset now more than ever. 

And Adler would make sure to get use out of you. 

He was growing restive. 

Stuck in the office, sitting around all day, and doing nothing but paperwork. For a man of action like Adler, it was a fate worse than death. Like an addict, he was feening; an adrenaline junkie without an arrant dosage of the rush that came naturally within his line of work. What was supposedly a short-term position, lasting no longer than a few days, turned into a week of doing nothing but paperwork. He was a workaholic. But a white-collar worker was an antithesis to his very being. Being idle for so long was eating away at his composure and his patience wore paper thin.

But orders were orders. And protocol preceded him.

Adler had just finished up his tedious workload, eyes stinging from staring at papers all day, when there came a knocking on his office door. He turned just as Park opened the door, giving her a nod as she entered inside his space. The sterile scent of antiseptic and bleach clung to her, overpowering the stench of stale smoke and coffee in the room. A concentrated contrast that made Adler crinkle his nose at it. Feeling an urge to sneeze in order to clear his sinuses.

He watched as Park settled herself across the room, leaning against the filing cabinets in front of the desk. But even from afar, Adler could see her exhaustion. The droop in her usual head-held-up-high posture. Dark bags under her eyes, the blanch of her skin. Noticeable no matter how much Park tried to hide it with concealer and blush.

Adler leaned back in his chair, narrowing his eyes at her. “Any updates?” 

“Yes. The sedation was a success and the subject is recovering fairly well. Just a bit of sickness from being under sedation, largely for longer than was anticipated. But a full recovery is to be expected.”

He hummed. “It lasted longer than I thought.” 

The undercurrent of disgruntlement wasn’t lost on Park, especially as beta. So biologically intuited with the influx of emotions, even the slightest change. The beta woman adjusted the reading glasses on her face. 

“Unsurprisingly. First heats are unpredictable in how long they last. Some last a few days, even weeks. But even after, the heats that follow remain irregular. It takes months before they start to stabilize. Especially without an alpha to help.”

Adler made an interested noise. Mindlessly taking a sip of coffee that had long grown cold. “Seems intricate.”

“Quite so.” The beta woman let out a soft sigh, “But for the subject’s first heat to come so suddenly after MK-Ultra well …” Park paused then shook her head as if to stop her overthinking, “Well, no need to dwell on it further. It’s one less thing to worry about in Berlin. I suppose we were lucky in that regard.” 

“Hm, some are luckier than others.”

Park crossed her arms, eyeing Adler. 

“I suppose so.” She said, “But you know the procedures. You can’t be anywhere near the lab. You’re lucky you were even allowed to work, let alone be at the facility.”

“I can control myself.” He fished out a cigarette carton from the pocket of his leather jacket hanging off the coat rack next to him. “But filling out paperwork and filing it away all day’s not what I signed up for. S’not my job.”

Park smiled. “I think it quite suits you actually.”

Adler’s lips pressed tight, tapping the carton against his hand until a cigarette slid out onto his palm. “Do I have clearance, Park?”

She regarded him for a moment. “You do.”

“Good.” Adler settled the cigarette between his lips. “About time.” 

“You know patience is a virtue. Has anyone told you that, Adler?” Park exhaled out.

“All the time.” He mumbled behind his teeth, thumbing at his lighter. The cigarette in his mouth smoldered, catching the flame. And Adler inhaled. Then blew smoke out in a slow and steady exhale of breath. “But in my experience, patience is nothing but passivity and a goddamn waste of time.”

“As I said: stubborn men too set in their ways.”

Adler only huffed on his cigarette, lip curled at the edge. 

“We leave in a couple days. The subject will be ready before then.”

Park turned to leave but stopped herself, turning on her heel as she looked at the man quietly. “And Adler?”

He canted his head to the side towards Park standing in the doorway. Cigarette resting between his blunt fingertips, simmering low. Lips pressed into a fine line. 

“Happy Birthday.”

She then left with the shut of the door and the click of heels fading down the hallway. Leaving the pristine smell of the lab lingering in the office. Despite its strong scent, Adler found some relief with it. Back on the job and back on the hunt for an entity that had eluded him for decades. He lifted a hand up his face and over his scarred cheek. Delicately, calloused fingers ghosted over the plunging trenches of the Lichtenberg-like scar; a lightning strike incised into flesh. Jagged and complex. Starting from his chin, the rough terrain of his scars branched through his lips and across his left buccal plane like a tree canopy. 

A reminder carved deep into the skin; a failure that Adler would not repeat twice.

----------------------------------

A/N:

Critique welcomed and encouraged as long as it is constructive and polite (don't be rude/mean pretty please ◡̈ ).

[bearsinpotatosacks]

I'm glad you enjoy my post. I only don't use the term fridging because I think the terms been misinterpreted and overused to the point where ANY woman dying in fiction is classed as fridging. But the way you explained it in the tags really does make sense.

She died to give an emotional plotline to TGM but her death isn't shown to affect anyone in the story, which is the definition of fridging I think. Yet again, I wish any of the women were explored in a complex way like Maverick, Rooster and Ice but like you said, that goes against the target audience.

I do have to remind myself that Carole (and Bradley’s) purpose in Top Gun is probably to make Goose's death hurt more. That's who Carole was, and beyond that there's nothing else for her to do or be.

Maybe I just want some kind of mid-quel series between Top Gun and TGM to flesh things out. Like who Carole was before she died.

Also just realising she was definitely fridged because we weren't told when or how she died. Her only purpose was to die so there could be some emotional story beat, again, literal definition of fridging.

I love your interpretation of Mav and Ice. I love how realistic they both feel because well, they're white men in the Navy starting in the 80s. What it does make me wonder about Carole? I know you don't write for her but your analysis of Top Gun itself just made me wonder about her. Like whether she was a traditional military wife or just kinda met Goose and fell into it. Did Goose's death and the period between his death and her's change anything? Did it make her more skeptical of the military because of the cause of Goose's death or was her asking Mav to not let Bradley fly purely out of her hurt for Goose's death and not a moral/political thing also. PS. I read your Slider fic and absolutely adored it

well… i think any attempt to flesh out Carole’s character is gonna be completely based on conjecture, because we’re not given more than “slightly naive Christian woman who doesn’t always say exactly the right thing.”

But I think it’s helpful to remember where she fits into the narrative at large, and why: Carole Bradshaw is the villain of the Top Gun franchise. Top Gun is her villain origin story.

The rhetorical purpose of the top gun franchise is: to make money, obv, AND to get people to join the navy. (to what extent it’s successful at achieving that latter goal is the topic of a different post… im certainly not the first to say it’s pretty easy to find an antimilitary reading of TG.) but if top gun is aiming to portray the navy as someplace you want to be, and someplace where you have to earn a spot to be (as I keep repeating over the last couple weeks, it’s all about honor), then Carole Bradshaw becomes the villain of the recruiting story of Top Gun: Maverick, because she (momentarily) prevented her son from joining the navy with the honor he thought he deserved, and she is to blame for the emotional through line of the entire movie. Thank God! we don’t have to blame maverick for fucking up and preventing Bradley from achieving his Dream Of Working As A US Military Contractor! we can blame his dead mom instead, so that maverick is still a good guy whom we, a moderately-conservative pro-navy target audience (🤑), can still root for & pay money to see.

so yeah narratively speaking she’s just a scapegoat. She has no agency in the story whatsoever, she’s only an object to receive blame. any backstory/reasoning/character we invent for her doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t really matter WHY she does it—whether she hates the military or not, narratively speaking we have to blame her just the same either way—it just matters that she does it. and then she has to immediately die so she can’t explain herself and maverick has to self-sacrificially take the blame. Because otherwise the plot of TGM wouldn’t happen, which would not achieve the rhetorical goals of making a bunch of money and getting kids to sign up for the navy.

[tgmsunmontue]

Season to Taste - 35/42 WIP

Explicit Hangster - Celebrity Chef Bradley and Naval Aviator Jake Seresin who have a relationship spanning the globe before they realize how tightly bound they are to one another.

PROLOGUE/ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN (interlude) ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FORTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN TWENTY (interlude) TWENTYONE TWENTYTWO TWENTYTHREE TWENTYFOUR TWENTYFIVE TWENTYSIX TWENTYSEVEN TWENTYEIGHT TWENTYNINE THIRTY (interlude) THIRTYONE THIRTYTWO THRTYTHREE THIRTYFOUR

Family tree if you need/want it.

(No new warnings apply if you've been reading along, but explicit sex, very mild (soft?) D/s, little bit of praise kink raising its head and some pins put in conversation points...)

CHAPTER THIRTYFIVE

                “Do you ever want to get married?”

                “One day. Why? You asking?”

                “You’ll know when I’m asking,” Jake says, poking Bradley in the side and making him squirm away from probing tickling fingers.

                “Yeah? You going to ask me huh? What about if I ask you first?”

                “Not really particular about how it happens to be honest… can’t imagine marrying anyone else. Can’t imagine my life without you in it…”

                “Jake…” He’s pretty sure Jake hadn’t said any of that to be overly romantic, just his natural sweet nature coming out and Bradley loves how soft he is with him. “I can’t imagine my life without you either. Don’t want to.”

                “Good. Glad we agree on that.”

                “Would you wear a wedding ring? Or engagement ring?”

                “Of course. Might be with my tags rather than on my finger though. You okay with that?”

                “Yeah. Of course I am.”

…            …            …

                Maria has been very fucking smug, tugging or patting his dog tags and the newly acquired ring that now hangs around his neck every time she gets within touching distance. She’s definitely not let him forget that she suspected Leo had a ring ready for him as well. He’s hugging everyone goodbye, and it’s odd flying out of Corpus Christi with so many of his family there, Leo and the Gallos as well, because usually he flies to New York to see him for a brief twenty-four hours before heading to his new station. But he’s going further inland for once, back to Fallon and he’s looking forward to it.

                He kisses Leo goodbye, ignores the catcalling and wolf-whistles his assembled sisters give. He’s newly engaged and he’s allowed to be very glad it’s only three months and that Leo already has plans to come and visit in only six weeks. For three whole nights, an entire weekend. Jake’s already looking forward to it, suspects he won’t step outside his base accommodation for the duration of Leo’s stay, given how his previous shore and liberty leave has panned out when Leo is there. He can’t wait.

…            …            …

                “You know… we could open a third Tartaruga in California. Now that you’re, you know, talking to your godfather…”

                “Don’t say godfather like that, we’re not part of the Mafia…”

                “I don't know, the family drama of it all, there being one man who holds all the power and everyone follows their orders or fears the repercussion? Sounds very Mafia like to me.”

                “Vi…”

                “Bradley…”

                “It’s… I don’t know if I’m ready to spread myself so thin again. Not with Ice’s health the way it is, and then the whole family thing. And now a wedding to plan…”

                “If you think you’re getting any say on the wedding with Jake’s sisters in the picture coupled with Silvia? I mean… I’d tell you to elope if I didn’t think they’d kill you both.”

                “Ugh. I know… and we don’t care about the wedding you know? We both care about the marriage, and having that little piece of paper to show just how committed we are. But…”

                “But it’s going to be a massive fucking family reunion of epic proportions and you better be prepared for your wedding ceremony to simply be one of the highlights.”

                “We’re both okay with that. It’ll be kind of nice. But I’m glad I’m not going to be around while they fight out where the wedding should be.”

                “I still think you should have two…”

                “Can you imagine trying to organize two?” Bradley groans, banging his head against her shoulder in an attempt to elicit some sympathy but she pushes him off.

                “You aren’t going to be doing any organizing anyway… Nonna’s olive grove would be nice. For a small and quiet ceremony anyway.”

                “Huh. Yeah… it would be. Civil ceremony anyway.”

                “Yep. And that will be the ace in Jake’s sisters’ hands…” Bradley snorts, rubs at his face and eyes, feeling very tired all of a sudden. “So. New restaurant?”

                “Ugh. How, why, is that an easier topic of conversation than my wedding?”

                “Because we don’t actually have to follow through on the restaurant,” Violet says with a laugh and Bradley groans, but she has a point. “And I was thinking, staying on theme but without using russo or arancione. How do you feel about Scheggia?”

                “Fuck no… that sounds awful. No-one will be able to pronounce it. And Splinter? Really?”

                “Thought it was fitting with the whole old-mentors living there… and how your relationship with them was for so long…”

                “Splintered. Haha. Very clever… Not like that now though.”

                “I know. How did Jake take it anyway, when you told him?”

                “Fuck. I completely forgot.”

                “Forgot? Or too busy fucking?”

                “Uh… both?”

                “Well, at least you’re honest.”

                “Yeah… I don’t know how to tell him. But I really need to.”

                “Well, you said you wanted to do it person, but you keep either conveniently forgetting or getting distracted…”

                “Sue me. My boyfriend is hot.”

                “Fidanzato,” Vi corrects and Bradley can’t help the fact that his grin gets wider.

                “Yeah. Fidanzato.”

                “Ugh. You’re sickening.”

…            …            …

                “I’m a promised man Phoenix.”

                “Yeah? Your Rooster finally propose huh?”

                “I asked him. Beat him to it.”

                “Of course you did. Well, I admit I have ulterior motives, but I’m happy for you Bagman…”

                “You’ll actually have to meet him now. Probably at the wedding if you’re on leave…”

                He wonders if he should try and introduce them when Leo comes to stay, except those are precious moments and he knows he doesn’t like sharing when he’s not on proper leave.

                “You don’t need to invite me to the wedding Bagman…”

                “With how much food there’s probably going to be, I need people that know how to eat…”

                “What are you implying?”

                “That you have a healthy appetite and you’ll appreciate the food, if nothing else.”

                “Hmm. I guess I can come. If I’m available.”

                “Glad to hear it. Date is still… undecided. Turns out my ancestors and Leo’s are all like, related.”

                “Uh… okay?” Phoenix says, and she’s grimacing and Jake runs through the words and realizes his mistake and laughs, shakes his head.

                “Oh. He’s not… he’d be like my fourth cousin once removed I think? But he’s adopted pretty much so… we’re not actually related. Fiancés now though.”

                “Yeah… what has that got to do with the date being undecided?”

                “Oh. Our wedding is going to be a massive family reunion I guess. I just left my sisters in charge with Leo’s parents, told them they can hash it out because as long as I’m married to Leo at the end of the day I don’t care what else happens…”

                “You don’t want to look good?”

                “Trace, I always look good.”

                She rolls her eyes at that and Jake just laughs, because nothing can bring him down.

…            …            …

                Six weeks fly by, and he flies out to California to visit Ice. Vi has insisted on coming with him, both to finally meet Ice and Maverick, and then to Fallon, saying she’s more than happy to get her own hotel room and entertain herself. It’s a little out-of-character but he doesn’t want to pry, because she’ll tell him if he needs to know. They don’t get as much time just the two of them any more so he’s happy to go along with it. He gets the taxi to drop her off at the hotel first before settling back for the drive to the base. He remembers vaguely coming here once as a kid, visiting Ice he thinks and he still has to figure out exactly how to break the existence of that relationship to Jake. Not that he expects Jake to be upset or angry, or even really surprised. Jake knows Slider and a couple of others that Bradley is more friendly with. None of them are as highly ranked as Ice though. None of them have quite the same reputation that Mav does.

                He hitches his bag over his shoulder, knocks on the door for the address Jake gave him and waits. Then the door opens, he’s being pulled inside by the strap of his bag, then it’s being taken from him and thrown toward the sofa and Jake’s mouth is on his for the briefest of moments before Jake is then kissing along his jaw. His fingers are on Bradley’s fly, pulling the zipper down and unhooking his belt with practiced fingers and he groans, wiggles a bit to help them fall down.

                “Fuck Jake…”

                “Mmm… missed you.”

                “Yeah? Never would have guessed…” Bradley says with a laugh, his head hitting the wall behind him as Jake palms his cock through his underwear. He’s been half-hard for the last twelve hours, since this morning when he’d fingered himself and slicked up the plug Jake has deemed his favorite. He’s rapidly shifting to full hardness with the attention and he wonders exactly what Jake has planned.

                “First time we’ve been apart since we got engaged…” Jake murmurs into the shell of his ear and he’s reminded just how sweet and sappy Jake can be. “I’m going to make you come so hard and so fast. Then I’m going to spend all day tomorrow keeping you right on the edge… see if we can make a new record.”

                “Fuck…” Bradley breathes, because sweet and sappy Jake is also hot and possessive Jake. Bradley lets himself melt and relax under his fingers and lips. “Yes please…”

                “Mmm. Thought you’d like that idea. Come on, let me take you to bed.”

…            …            …

                He learnt early on in their relationship that Leo really likes it when Jake marks him up, which is good because Jake has come to really enjoy leaving the marks. Learnt that he can make Leo come even harder if he presses on some marks a little. So he’s started leaving a couple the first time the have sex after they’ve been apart; has caught Leo looking at his reflection and running fingers over the marks with a soft smile on his face. Seeing that had made Jake finally feel like Leo liked the pain, wasn’t just saying words he thought Jake wanted to hear.

                “Did you do what I asked?” Jake asks, and he knows Leo will have, he’s never not followed Jake’s suggestions or instructions. But it’s how Leo responds to the question that Jake waits for, to judge just what kind of mood Leo is in. Jake will let it guide him, trusts Leo now to also say what he needs or wants.

                “Why don’t you check and find out…”

                Little bit bratty it is then, and he’s never spanked Leo, but sometimes he wonders. When he’s slapped his ass in passing, Jake’s definitely noted the sharp inhale, and if he’s looking for it the widening of Leo’s pupils with arousal. Of course, it’s not exactly conclusive evidence but maybe something worth exploring. To talk about when they have more time. Right now though he wants to simply gather him in his arms and sink his cock into him. Leo is so relaxed and trusting, it turns him on more and more each time.

                Their clothes get shoved off without any ceremony and he loves that they’re still like this even after three years. He runs a curious finger between Leo’s ass cheeks, feels the flare of the plug, the slickness of lube. Captures Leo’s lips in another kiss, bites at his bottom lip and lets his fingers dig in hard on his hip, savors the prickle of Leo’s moustache against his lip and the jerk of his body toward Jake, savors the way his body jitters a little before he settles under Jake’s hands.

                He thinks of the times when he’s tied Leo’s hands with his apron strings, stopping him from touching himself, even though he won’t if Jake tells him not to. Remembers seeing the faint red marks the strings had left afterwards, not deep or cutting, but pressed into Leo’s skin and yeah, he really wants to talk about that as well, when they don’t barely have longer than forty-eight hours together. Right now Leo is shuffling up the bed on his back like an awkward looking crab, trying to push off the blankets with one foot while he reaches for Jake at the same time. Everything they need is already at hand and he follows Leo up the bed, presses him down and licks over a nipple before sinking his teeth in just to the side.

                Leo’s body arches off the bed but Jake is used to it now, was already pressing him back and digging his teeth a little harder, feels Leo’s cock jerk against his thigh where he’s grinding against him. Hard and fast. That’s what he promised. He reaches for the pump bottle of lube, gets his hand slick and then wraps it around both their cocks, slotting them together as he shifts and grinds, not letting go from where he’s sucking what will be a purpling bruise on Leo’s chest. One he can suck and press later and make Leo see stars.

                “Jake…”

                “Uh uh uh… hands above your head baby.”

                Leo squirms but does exactly what he asks, there’s no headboard with convenient slats for Leo to slip his fingers around. Instead Jake watches as he grips a pillow tightly, muscles in his arms flexing and he hums his approval, goes back to sucking at the same spot. He pulls back and sits up, stops stroking their cocks and lets go completely, looks down at the flushed splotches all over Leo’s body, mouth slack, eyelids flickering and Jake grips Leo’s hip and digs his fingers in hard before letting go and reaching up to slide two fingers into Leo’s mouth.

                “Make them nice and wet for me…”

                While Leo sucks on his fingers Jake taps on the base of the plug, a little meanly because he knows it’s resting on Leo’s prostate. Leo’s cock jerks and dribbles a little and Jake knows Leo probably hasn’t gotten himself off for two days; Jake just asked him to try. He’s pretty confident he has maybe done very well.

                “You been waiting for this a while?”

                Leo nods around his fingers, doesn’t stop sucking and Jake presses a quick kiss to the middle of his chest.

                “You’re so good for me…”

                Unlike Leo, Jake has come recently, but he’s hard, thinking about what he wants to do. Wants to fuck him until Leo comes. Twice. Hard and fast and then Jake can just lie behind him and grind away, take his time, really drag it out until Leo is almost crying from the overstimulation. He’d promised hard and fast. But he’d kept this up his sleeve, wants to surprise Leo with it because it’s something he’d mentioned in one of their phone calls. They’ve gotten very good at phone sex, but also talking when they’re apart is good too. Let’s them really dig into things sometimes. What they want to do to each other when they’re next together is usually a favorite, especially after they’ve already gotten each other off.

                He slides the plug out, gets more lube. Leo was clearly generous but Jake has plans so he uses more than usual and then wipes his hand in the towel. Looks back at Leo to find him being watched under hooded eyes and he slips his fingers out of his mouth and bends down to kiss him, wiping his fingers on the bedsheet. Leo is shifting, getting impatient and he slaps a hand on his hip to still him and Leo’s entire body shudders.

                Okay. Definitely talking about that then. Later though.

                He urges Leo over onto all fours, urges him to the edge so Jake can stand, knows this is going to be best for leverage and fuck he’s a gorgeous sight, body all flushed, ass in the air, hole slick with lube, shoulders pressed into the bed like he’s already bracing himself and yeah, Jake isn’t going to make him wait. Quickly wipes himself and reaches for a condom when he hears Leo mumble and he pauses.

                “I… you don’t… uh… we should talk about that…”

                “What?”

                “Condoms. I’m… uh.”

                Oh.

                Jake thinks he gets what Leo is trying to say, but yeah, they should apparently have several more conversations when they aren’t naked and in the middle of sex. He can talk about it though, pretend he is, watch Leo fall apart thinking about it. Knows he can’t see what Jake is doing so tries to be quiet as he tears the foil and slides the condom on.

                “You think about me fucking you bare?” Jake asks as he pushes in, and the little high-pitched whine Leo makes telling him more than enough. “So hot and tight around me baby. Feel so good. Always do…”

                “Jake…”

                “Yeah baby, I’ve got you…” He let’s his fingers grip as hard as he needs to, pulling and holding Leo’s ass and hips as he fucks into him, setting a brutal pace. “You want to feel me come inside you huh? You jerk off thinking about that?”

                “Yes.”

                Jake groans, thinks about it, thinks about just letting himself come and then going soft while still inside Leo’s body.

                “Fuck. Touch yourself… don’t hold back Leo, want you to come as soon as you’re ready. Come on…”

                He pulls out every little trick he knows, lets his pace pick up and shifts his angle to ensure the head of his cock is pressing into Leo’s prostate with every inward thrust, his fingers on his hips pulling and holding Leo to him, reaches around and scrapes his nails over one of Leo’s nipples before letting his hand travel around and scrape down the long line of his back, watches the skin turn white from the pressure as he watches Leo’s arm jacking himself off.

                “Come on baby… want you to come for me… be good for me now…”

                Leo comes with a sob and Jake runs soothing hands down his back and over his hips, lets himself just enjoy the closeness and the feeling of a job well done, a little smug that he knows Leo so well. He pulls out carefully, encourages Leo onto his side and further up the bed, makes a half-assed attempt at wiping away Leo’s come from the bed sheet. His hands are gentle now that he’s left plenty of marks to make Leo happy and for him to pay attention to later.

                Now is for him, and as he settles behind Leo and he thinks about the next time he does this, maybe even an early morning, not having to worry about fishing out a condom. Just sliding into Leo’s body and he groans as he pushes back in, rocking his hips in a slower longer drawn-out pace, because he’s going to keep doing this until Leo gets hard again and then, and only then will Jake let himself come.

…            …            …

                “Back with me…?” Jake asks, pressing soft kisses along his hairline and Bradley feels woozy, his blood still far too occupied elsewhere in his body to assist his brain with coherent thought.

                “Mmm. If that’s engaged sex I cannot wait for married sex…”

                “Baby, we’re like fine wine. We’re only going to get better as we age.”

                “You don’t like wine…” Bradley mumbles and feels Jake laugh rather than hears him.

                “God I love you.”

                “Mmm. Love you too…”

                He lies there in the quiet, lets Jake hold him close, obligingly takes sips of water when offered the bottle, can’t help the smile on his face. He’s just so profoundly happy, can’t imagine life getting better than it is right in the moment. His stomach rumbles and he feels Jake laugh again and it’s one of his favorite feelings, Jake holding him and happy.

                “I am planning on feeding you. I was hoping to take you out to dinner and introduce you to one of my friends, but she apparently has better things to do. She passes on her thanks and gratitude though, apparently I’m always in a much better mood when I come back from seeing you…”

                “Hmm. I wonder why that is.”

                “Sounds like something we should look into…”

                “Yeah? Do some research?” Bradley asks

                “Yeah. Definitely. Come up with a scientific method. Test it over and over…”

                “Yeah, okay. Let’s do that.”

THIRTY-SIX

[sorchathered]

shut up and kiss me already.

with BRADLEY BRADSHAW, please.

I AM DOING THIS BEGRUDGINGLY BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. 😂😂😂

He was infuriating. Bradley Bradshaw was the most infuriating, irritating man you’d ever met.

And you were absolutely in love with him.

The biggest problem? He wasn’t yours anymore.

He’d strutted into the Hard Deck with his stupid Hawaiian shirt and his aviators perched on his nose, and all the girls in the bar swooned. You didn’t have any real reason to be jealous; he wasn’t yours and honestly he probably never would be. But that didn’t stop you from being a complete grump the whole night, scowl etched on your pretty face as some tag chaser chatted him up at the bar.

“Why don’t you just go talk to him?” You heard a quiet voice say as you peered up from your second- no third glass of wine. Sweet Bob Floyd couldn’t stand to see his friends hurt, and he knew Rooster missed you just as much as you did him, the two of you just needed a push.

“I can’t. What would I even say? I ruined everything Bradley, I was scared of how serious we were and tanked it. Please take me back?” You scoffed, but patted your friend’s hand as a thank you for his kindness.

You paid out your tab and headed out, if you had to watch him take home another girl it might just kill you.

Just as you crossed the threshold you felt a hand on your arm, a gentle tug turning you right into the arms of the love of your life.

“Bradley- not tonight, I can’t do this-“

“Did you mean it? What you said to Bob?”

Shit. He’d heard you, and now you were going to have to pack up everything you owned and run for the hills.

“Yes but I-“

“No y/n, no buts. Stop overthinking it, shut up and kiss me already. I want you and you want me, there’s nothing else that matters baby.”

You melted into his touch as he pulled you close, tipping your chin up to kiss him as you fisted the front of his ridiculous shirt. When he’d made sure your knees were jelly and you had that glossy look to your eyes he pulled back, cocky smirk on his face because he knew if he could just get you to kiss him again you’d be hooked.

“Come on sweetheart, you know there’s no point in fighting it, you’re my girl and I’m not letting you go again. Now be a good girl for me and get your pretty ass in the Bronco, we’ve got some lost time to make up for.”

[baronessvonglitter]

Wip Wednesday

thank you @myownwholewildworld and @penascigarette for tagging me 🦋

For starters, I have chapter 2 of "Law of Attraction" which will be ready to go Monday, wherein we learn a little more about the early days of reader and Javi's relationship:

From the moment you'd met Javier Pena, who sold drugs to your friends behind the football field bleachers during your senior year of high school, you'd fallen for his bad boy persona. Motorcycle, leather jacket, aviators, cigarette resting between pouty lips, perfectly groomed mustache. He looked like the saxophone solo from "Careless Whisper". And out of all the girls who flirted with him, you were the one he wanted.  He'd whisked you away on his motorcycle, bringing you home so late that your parents forbade you from seeing him. But nothing could stop true love, that's what you had with him. Javier saw you, made you feel seen. He listened to you, big brown eyes studying your every feature, compelling you to kiss him, to do things you ordinarily wouldn't have.

And a spicy part from "The Girlfriend Experience":

Oberyn's lips brush your shoulder, humming appreciatively at your pleasured reaction. "That's it, pretty baby, feel it." His fingers join Ellaria's inside you, stretching you further. You grasp the satin bedsheets in fervent need. Oberyn's gold rings at the base of his agile fingers are cool against your heated flesh.  You fuck yourself against their fingers, kissing him and then her, their free hands grabbing at your breasts, cupping your ass, the three of you moaning and sighing in unison until you come hard, and when you open your eyes they're kissing in front of you.  "Let's give him a little show," you whisper to Ellaria, tucking a strand of her curly jet-black hair behind her ear. "Give him something to pump his cock for.."

And last but not least, a Christmas fic about sleazy mall Santa Joel, who's gonna give you something to suck on, and it ain't a candy cane.. (thanks to @strang3lov3 for being my enabler)

Santa watches as you pass, cheap plastic beard hanging off, revealing gray scruff, his red suit wrinkled and stained. You track his gaze roving over your figure, fully concentrating on the jiggle of your ass under the short skirt you'd picked out in the hopes of getting a quickie. "God damn," you hear him mutter. "Merry Christmas, babygirl." he calls out. You glance back and see him pull the beard down, wiggling his tongue at you in a lewd manner.  Fucking sleaze. But your pussy is wet and throbbing, and this is the first bit of attention you've had all day. You respond by stuffing your tongue in your cheek and making a blow job motion. Santa licks his lips and subtly palms his cock over his fluffy red pants.

It's been a crazy post-Thanksgiving week but I am trying to get caught up with reading and tags and such. I promise I'll get to everything in due time ❤️

NPT for @almostfoxglove, @greenwitchfromthewoods, @itwasntimethatdidit40, @milla-frenchy, @evolnoomym, @inept-the-magnificent and literally anyone else who wants to show their wips 😉

[vicsnook]

Good Luck, Babe! Pt. 3 | Jake Seresin x Reader

word count: 2407

warnings: arguing, accident, surprises, etc.

notes: Hello hello! I am reporting 🫡 with the latest part to my Good Luck, Babe! series and guess what!? It will be 4 parts instead! I’m sorry in advance for the ending besties but I promise I’ll make it worth your while. Hope you enjoy and thank you for all the love on my other fics 🫶🏼 Please don’t forget to like and reblog and comment if you want to be added to my tag list. Now without further ado…

** 3 months later **

I roll out of bed to the smell of bacon and a smile creeps onto my face. No one prepares you for how difficult pregnancy is, thankfully Jake manages to make it almost bearable. Making my way to the kitchen, I hear him humming a song and I can’t help the butterflies in my stomach that I still get everytime I see him.

“Good morning, babe!” he says, chipper as ever. I never could understand how someone could have so much energy so early in the morning.

“Morning,” I croak out, my voice raspy. I make my way to the breakfast bar and sit down as he’s placing the plate down in front of me then kisses my forehead and sits down across from me to read the newspaper.

I clear my throat. “Are you excited about today?” Jake looks up and folds his newspaper, placing it back down on the table. “Of course! Everyone is finally back and we will finally know what our little angel is going to be. Are you?”

I nod. “Yeah, just nervous to meet everyone. I only know Mickey and that didn’t end the greatest, remember?” He shrugs, “Baby that’s water under the bridge. The only thing we need to be worried about is making it to the Hard Deck on time.”

“I still can’t believe Penny is opening later and letting us use it for the gender reveal.” I reply, shaking my head. “She adores you and so does Maverick. Now go on and start getting ready.”

I brush the crumbs onto my plate and hand it to Jake then make the way back to my bedroom or technically our bedroom since he practically moved in 2 weeks after finding out about the baby. The boxes in the corner loom over me as I head to the bathroom. A part of me still wasn’t ready to leave the apartment behind but Jake wants to move us into a house with more room.

“I’m going to get the cake! Be back in a jiffy!” He shouts from the kitchen and I smile, excitement creeping up on me about what our baby will be.

-

We pull into the Hard Deck parking lot 10 minutes later than we were supposed to be here and anxiety is taking me over. I fidget with the hem of my dress as Jake rounds the car and opens my door while taking the cake from me and setting it on top of the car.

He stares down at me and pulls me in for a kiss. The nerves dissipating as I feel his tender lips on mine. “There’s nothing to worry about, honey, they’ll love you.” He whispers against my lips, pulling me into a hug. His scent calming me down even more.

He grabs the cake on one hand and my hand on the other and we make our way in. The place is decked out in pink and blue decorations and there’s 2 tables overflowing with presents. I can’t help my eyes watering as I look around at everything these people have done for me and the baby without even knowing me.

“Bagman! You didn’t tell me your girl was way out of your league.” Said the short female aviator who I assumed was Phoenix as she pulled me for a hug. “Thank you, I’m Y/N. You must be Phoenix.” I say.

“Yes ma’am but you can call me Nat.” I smile. “Will do.” The rest of the group made their way over to us and introductions went smoothly. Mickey was a little awkward but I shrugged it off not wanting to let anything ruin today.

The afternoon went smoothly as we played games and I got to know the rest of the group better. Nat and Bob being my favorites with Rooster not close behind.

“Y’all mind if I steal my girl for this dance?” Jake asks Nat and Bob, his hand sneaking around my shoulders. “Not at all.” Replies Nat as he whisks me to the dance floor.

“Everything going okay?” Jake asks, twirling me around. “Better than okay. Thank you for this.” I reply, setting my head on his chest as the song comes to an end.

He pulls me to the table with the cake and I feel the nerves start up again. “Let’s cut this cake, I can’t wait any longer, baby.”

Everyone gathers around the table as Jake hands me the knife. My hand shakes as I grab it but Jake steadies it with his as we cut the cake and pulled out the slice. Pink filles the inside and I can feel the happiness filling the room around us.

Jake picks me up as soon as we set the piece of cake down and pulls me into a hug. Tears streaming down my face as everyone cheers around us. It’s a girl! It’s a girl!

But the cheers are quickly interrupted by Rooster at the piano.“This one’s for y’all, thank you for making Bagman almost tolerable.” He says, eliciting a few chuckles from the people around us and beginning to play “You’re gonna miss this”.

The rest of the evening flies by as we dance, eat, and open what feels like a thousand presents. Talking with Penny I feel a twinge of melancholy for my sister, who no doubt would’ve been ecstatic about having a niece but I smile through it.

Mickey comes up and asks to talk to me and I agree, following him to one of the booths in the back like on our first date. Jake’s eyes burning on my back as I take a seat.

“Look, I’m really happy for you and Jake but I just need to get this off my chest okay.” His cheeks red as he waits for me to acknowledge that I’m okay with him telling me. I nod. “I didn’t want to ghost you, Y/N. Truth of the matter is I really liked you, hell I still do. But Hangman came up to me the day after our date and asked me to. I owed him a favor and he called it in. I should’ve just said no but I didn’t want to get on his bad side. I’m sorry.”

I feel nauseous as the words sink in. My head spins as I get up, heading for the bathroom. I stumble to it but Jake is on my side before I can walk in. “What is it, honey?” He asks, following me in.

A part of me feels flattered that Jake asked Mickey to ghost me because he wanted me for himself but the other reminds me that Jake ghosted me once he got me and I’m angry again. I wet my face, drying it with the paper towel Jake hands me.

His face is filled with concern but I’m so angry that I try to push past him to head back out to the bar. But of course he stands in front of the door blocking me in. “Move!” I growl, trying to push him off the door.

“Honey, stop! What happened?” He asks, holding my arms to his chest to stop me from trying to push him. “What happened? Mickey told me. You made him ghost me, for what Jake? So you could have me all for yourself then leave me high and dry?” I spat, hot tears spilling down my cheeks as I look into his stupid green eyes.

“Okay, I know I messed up but I couldn’t just let him have you. I knew you were meant to be mine from the moment that you put me in my place, baby. I should’ve told you sooner, I know but with the baby and all I just couldn’t find the right time.” He replies, his eyes pleading with mine to forgive him.

“That was for me to decide Jake! I’m not your property. You can’t just go around cashing in favors because you want something someone else has!” I yell back at him, my face hot with anger. He sighs and lets go of my arms.

“I know Y/N and I’m sorry. I should’ve gone about it differently but I’m not going to lie and say I wouldn’t do it all over again to get to where we are now. I have tried making up for everything the past few months and I have changed for the better and you can’t deny that. If you want to walk out the door and end things for something that happened months ago then be my guest.” He finished off, moving to the side and allowing me to reach for the door if I wanted.

My legs felt shaky as I took a step forward. Conflicted on what I should do. On one hand I wanted to forgive and forget so we could move on and continue with our lives but on the other I was so upset that he kept this from me and I couldn’t help but wonder what else he wasn’t telling me.

“Is that the only thing you were keeping from me?” I ask, ready to reach for the door if I don’t like his answer. He runs his hands through his hair and I can see frustration fill his features. “Yes, Y/N. You know that everytime you ask anything, I tell you. Not to mention you have access to my phone and computer as well.”

I sigh, knowing he’s right about that. My brain is telling me to run for the hills like I always do but my heart is yelling at me to forgive him for the sake of our daughter. I take a step backward and look him in the eye and my resolve to be upset dissolves and I know I forgive him before I even say it.

“I forgive you, Jake but if I find out you are keeping anything else from me, we’re done. You know that I have trust issues and I will not raise my daughter in a household with parents who cannot get along. Understood?” I say, hardly recognizing my own voice that sounds almost vicious.

He takes one step towards me and whispers “yes ma’am” before crashing his lips into mine. His hands running up my back while mine find purchase in his hair and he groans as I tug it. But before we can take things further we’re interrupted by a knock on the door.

“One sec!” I yell, turning to the mirror and fixing my hair while Jake does the same. The reality of where we were setting back in.

We leave shortly after, thanking everyone for everything. My phone dings as I get in the car and I see I’ve been added to a group chat called “Dagger Squad + the girls” and I smile as we head home.

-

A loud knock on the door awakens me and I look at my phone to see that it’s only 4AM. Jake is snoring soundly so I grab the gun in the night stand and slide on some shorts then make my way to the door.

Looking out the side window I see a car I could recognize anywhere, Mom’s. Taking a deep breath, I set the gun down on the coffee table and unlock the door.

She pulls me in for a hug before I can utter anything and I let myself melt in my arms. God, I had missed her so much. Pulling away she pats my belly and I know she knows and that she’s not here by accident.

Wordlessly she follows me in and I start the teapot. I’m terrified that she’s going to be upset at me for not telling her about her grandbaby. But when I head back to the couch I notice she’s holding a box labeled Mer’s baby clothes and I know she’s not upset.

“She would have wanted you to have this, darling,” Mom says, handing me the box and I let the tears fall as I grab it. “I miss her so much Mom, I wish she was here.” I choke out, while she holds me in her arms and rubs my back.

“I know baby, me too. I know you hadn’t told me yet because you were scared of my reaction but I want you to know that nothing has made me happier. I think your sister picked her just for you.” She whispered, as she rocked me the way she did when I was younger.

“How did you know I was pregnant and that it’s a girl?” I ask, pulling back and wiping my tears.

She smiled, “That handsome man standing at the end of the hallway called me yesterday and told me. As soon as we hung up, I grabbed Mer’s stuff and drove straight here.”

I turned to see Jake smiling at us then turning to the kitchen to grab the tea I forgot I was making. My heart felt like it could explode with happiness in this moment.

-

** 4 months later **

Jake had been on a mission the past 2 weeks and we were getting closer and closer to the due date. Worry started to fill me up when I didn’t hear from him

last night which was when he was due to start heading back to port. I waddled out of Nat’s apartment as she followed closely behind me and helped me into the car.

Maverick and Penny both lived a short drive from Nat’s thankfully and when we pulled into the driveway he was already out the door before the car was in Park. The somber look on his face immediately sending shivers down my spine as he made his way to my side of the car.

“Y/N, I was just headed over to your place. There’s no way to sugar coat this so I won’t even try. Jake’s jet was in an accident and he’s in a coma. I found out a few minutes ago. I’m so sorry.” His hands held mine as I felt my world come crashing down. The words accident and coma reverberating inside my head.

Nat and Mav’s voices were muffled as I tried to soak in my new reality. Jake was in a coma. My Jake was in a coma. Unfortunately, I was then snapped harshly back to reality by the one thing I wasn’t prepared yet for, my water breaking.

Fuck.

click here for the next part!

taglist: @rosiahills22 , @harperdoodle , @weirdothatwritess , @mrsevans90 , @smoothdogsgirl