#Carole Parkinson | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

saiilorstars · 2 months ago

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Ch. 40: Continuous Battles

Fandom: Harry Potter (Hogwarts years 1-7) Pairing: Draco x OFC

taglist:@ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @foxesandmagic @kmc1989 @caplanbuckybarnes

Story Masterlist // Romina’s Masterlist

Fanfic • Ao3 • Wattpad

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Romina was half asleep when she pulled herself together enough to head out for breakfast. She was not expecting Angel to be so chippy and loud greeting her in the morning.

"Ready for breakfast?"

"Mhm," Romina nodded. "You want to take me there? I might fall asleep on the way."

Angel chuckled. "It would be my pleasure." He interlocked arms with her and headed out of the common room with her.

"Something like that," Romina mumbled. "I had these weird dreams...just so bombarding. I kept waking up like every hour."

"That sucks," Angel said, leading her up the stairs. "You're not the kind to have bad dreams."

"No, I left all the stuff from last year behind me," Romina said with a sour smile. "Because trust me, I have plenty of material to dream about that could re-traumatize me all over again."

"Maybe it's just the stress getting to you."

"The school year just started, Angel. I'm not that behind on work yet."

"I wasn't talking about academic stress, Romina," Angel said and gave her a sharp side-eye. She knew what he meant and sighed. He had been present last night when she and Pansy had a row about the dumbest thing. "You really should try to just, I don't know, ignore her or something," Angel said.

"It's not as easy as you think. She's everywhere. I literally changed dorms to get away from her!"

"Yeah, Carol was really happy about the switch too. She'd never say it but she's kind of scared of Pansy, always has been growing up."

Romina snorted. "Nobody should ever be afraid of Pansy. I'm not scared of her, she just aggravates me."

They entered the Great Hall and went straight to the Slytherin table where their friends were sitting.

"I need some dark roast coffee stat," Romina said as they sat down together.

"You drink dark roast coffee for breakfast?" Angel chuckled.

"Sometimes," Romina shrugged. She had to pause to cover her yawn.

"Oooh, did somebody not get enough sleep last night?" Pansy's voice stopped the pair. She had come along with Millicent, the two going straight for the open seats near Draco, Crabb and Goyle.

Romina lamented that her bad morning was even worse now. "I'm not—Parkinson, keep it to yourself. I'm too tired to deal with you today." She should have at least a few hours to really wake up before she had to insult someone.

"I know," Pansy said, far too sure of what she was saying. "You know, I figured that since you keep ruining Draco's day, somebody should ruin your nights."

"What…? What did you do to me?" Romina left her breakfast as it was. Her eyes flickered between Pansy and Draco, expecting one of them to give her an explanation. Had she been less focused on the shock, she would've realized the flash of confusion on Draco's face.

"Simple nightmare potion," Pansy explained. The malicious glint in her eyes was strong and proud. "Even an idiot could make it."

"And an idiot did," Angel said, earning a brief glare from Pansy in return. "That is very low of you, Pansy. What were you thinking?"

Romina was flabbergasted. Her mind spun to think of when Pansy had slipped that potion to her. It was infuriating not knowing. "So this was some revenge ploy? A sleepless night?" She scoffed. "And really, Draco? Getting Parkinson to do it on your behalf? Beyond lazy!"

Draco glared and pointed his fork at her. "Would you stop calling me 'lazy'? I didn't ask anybody to—"

Romina rolled her eyes, not wanting to hear a word from him. "You're just pathetic. Instead of just apologizing for such a horrendous act, you make it even bigger!" She glared over at Pansy; the latter couldn't be any happier with the results.

"Better luck next time, I suppose," Pansy shrugged, her tone ever so calm.

Romina barely resisted the urge to throw her goblet upside Pansy's head. She pushed herself up from her seat and stormed away. It's too early, it's too early...

"Oswell!" She heard Draco's call not too far behind her.

Oh, God no. She picked up her pace in the hallway, deciding to head back to the common room instead. "Leave me alone!" She yelled back. "Go back and sit with your dear partner in crime!"

"I didn't ask Parkinson to do anything for me!" Draco expected the hard scoff Romina sent his way. It was the only place he could start. "It wasn't my idea!"

"Oh please!" Romina whirled around, finding he was closer to her than she thought. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

Draco's face expression was nothing if not incredulous. "Because I didn't do anything?" He was sure that was the best reason he could offer. "I'm guilty of many things, Oswell, but of this? No."

Romina still seemed mighty unconvinced. She folded her arms. "Yeah right! I just want to know when Pansy slipped it in. Was it while we were arguing last night?"

"Ask her! I didn't do it!"

Romina started backtracking from him. "Forget it, I don't believe you! Just know that I will get you back for this."

"Oswell, if you would just—"

"No! Don't say another word to me!"

Draco rolled his eyes at her. She had no idea. "But listen—"

"Not another word!"

"You don't want me to say anything else?"

"Exactly!"

"Even if it's actually important?"

"Yes!"

"Okay. I won't say anything else then," Draco promptly said. His small smile was confusing but Romina didn't want to give him any more of her time.

She turned around to continue on her way but the moment her foot stepped forwards, she found the ground wasn't there. She was at the staircase. She flailed and fell forwards—she never made it down. A strong tug on her arm yanked her back before she slid off.

Next thing Romina knew, she was looking at a smug-faced Draco right in front of her. "Didn't know you'd be falling for me, Oswell," he said. He really couldn't help it. It was too big of an opportunity to let pass.

Romina's scowl was imminent. "I...hate you! You saw me about to fall!"

"You told me not to say another word," Draco reminded her. He laughed when Romina tried to smack him, or at the very least "tap him" as she'd claimed she'd done the last time. She was locked between his arms no matter how much she attempted to free herself.

"You're an absolute jerk!" And perhaps a strong one at that. Romina groaned at her failed attempts. "Let me go before I punch you!"

"What? Not comfy?" Draco was clearly enjoying the moment. He could smell her rosy scent perfectly. Now he wondered if it was her hair or her perfume. Did she wear perfume?

"I am very prepared to throw both of us down these stairs," Romina declared.

Draco laughed earnestly for the first time in a long time. "You are very competitive, Oswell. Gotta say, I like it. You're making my days fun."

Romina scoffed, head turning away. "Please. Couple days ago you said I was being ridiculous."

"And I stand by it but you're funny when you're plotting. And kinda cute."

Romina's head snapped back in his direction, tilting up to meet his gaze. His silver-blue eyes were already on her, filled with nothing but confidence.

"That a bother?" he asked her.

Before Romina knew it, she was shaking her head slowly. Speak! She blinked at her own stupidity. Warmth flourished up her neck and face within seconds. SPEAK! "You…" This wasn't working—holy shit this wasn't working! She shoved Draco far away from her. "Stay away from me!"

Draco laughed and by God it was a graceful laugh too. Romina wanted to shove him down the stairs.

"C'mon Oswell, can't we call it a truce?" He asked, sending her a smug smile. "I think it would be better if we plotted together."

"In your dreams," Romina spat and went down the steps.

Draco would take it as a win that she hadn't yelled this time. Piece by piece. He just had to put those pieces together. He turned to head back for the Great Hall.

"Where'd Romina go?" Angel bumped into him under the threshold. "Did you say something to her?"

"Sod off, Angel," Draco snapped. "This is none of your business."

"It is when you're continuously messing with Romina. I just went over this with Pansy back there and I'll tell you the same thing: back off."

"Yeah, you're not as threatening as you think you are," Draco said. "But I suppose I can give you points for effort."

Angel glared at him. "I mean it. Romina's taken enough crap these past years. You're supposed to be her friend—Pansy was supposed to be her friend — but you keep trying to make her life miserable."

"I am, but she's being a little difficult right now. Just a bump in the road, certainly nothing you need to stick your nose into. I mean seriously, are you trying to be overly blatant with that crush? It's been almost four years, Angel. Remember what I told you during our second year?"

Angel rolled his eyes. "No."

When Draco smirked, Angel knew that whatever was about to come out of his mouth was going to be infuriating.

Draco was happy to repeat himself. "The sad part is, she's never going to notice you." He clapped Angel on the shoulder. "And I was right. Four years." He wiggled four of his fingers and laughed on his way into the Great Hall.

Angel drew in a deep breath, a very deep breath, and balled his hands into tight fists. He had to calm himself before he did something he would regret, and worst of all do something that could hurt Romina along the way.

~ 0 ~

Romina had found small ways to appease her desire for revenge. Pansy Parkinson would not be making a move against her for a good while, not when she had undiluted bubotousse pus to deal with. Romina thanked Madame Pomfrey for the second lesson and the glorious opportunity she unknowingly provided. Pansy couldn't prove that the accidental squirt of pus wasn't accidental at all. She could complain all she wanted up in the hospital wing. That Thursday, Romina would focus solely on the double session of DADA, their first session of the term. It had been pushed back for some reason, though allowing for the extra Herbology lesson.

Romina sat down beside Hermione and was surprised to see that the girl wasn't there yet. She looked back at Harry and Ron who sat in the desk behind them. "I'll bite, where's Granger? She's never late and much less for the first class of the year."

Both Harry and Ron shrugged their shoulders, equally confused.

"She's been zooming through meals," Ron said. "Dunno where she gets into lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Romina remarked. "She seems kinda upset, though. Did you two do something?"

"That's offensive," Ron said sourly, glancing at Harry for some help.

Harry was frowning. "Of course not, Rom. Whatever Hermione's up to, we'll end up learning about it soon enough. Like the Time Turner."

Romina had to give him the point. Just as she was turning to face forwards again, she caught sight of the bushy haired Hermione zipping into the classroom.

"Made it!" Hermione said in utter relief when she plonked down beside Romina.

Romina eyed her friend curiously and slightly concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Course! Yeah! Why do you ask?" Hermione eagerly started pulling out her book and quill and parchment and everything else they would probably need for the class.

Romina still watched her strangely. "Just...curious…"

Shortly afterwards, Moody finally entered the classroom. He made his way up to the front, commanding silence with his bare walk. "You can put those away—those books," he started, his gruff tone startling the class, "You won't need them."

Hermione was deeply disappointed unlike Ron who couldn't put his book away quick enough.

"I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions?" Moody didn't exactly wait for any hands to raise. "When it comes to the dark arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many unforgivable curses there are?"

Unsurprisingly, Hermione's hand was the first one in the air. Moody gave her the nod to answer. "Three sir."

"And they are so named?"

"Because they are unforgivable. Use of any one of them will…"

"Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban. Correct. Now the ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do. I say different!" Moody said with a particular snap in his tone. "You need to know what you're up against, you need to be prepared, you need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum other than the underside of your desk Mr Finnigan!"

Finnigan jumped at the sudden call of his name, all heads turning his way while Moody went up to the chalkboard.

"Aw no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head," Finnigan murmured to his partner.

Moody threw a piece of chalk in his direction but went on with the class as if nothing happened. "So, which curse shall we see first? WEASLEY!"

Ron jumped. "Y-yes?"

"Give us a curse!"

"Well, my dad did tell me about one...the imperious curse."

"Ahhh yes, your father would know all about that. Gave the ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why." Moody opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a jar with a spider inside it. As soon as Ron saw it, he leaned away as if the spider was about to come his way. "Hello. What a little beauty. Imperio!" Moody raised the spider into the air with his wand. "Don't worry. Completely harmless."

The class watched as the spider went side to side, up and down, in circles. Snickers started erupting when the spider was sent over the tops of several students and soon enough most of them were laughing. Ron certainly didn't laugh when the spider danced over his head.

"Get it off! Get it off!" He slapped his own head in an attempt to rid himself of the spider. The class roared with laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Moody chose Draco to silence amongst the class by sending the spider to his nose.

Much like Ron, Draco swatted his hands over his face to throw the spider off. There may have been some extra laughing with the sight.

Mad-Eye sends the spider onto Draco's face.

"Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only do did you-know-whose bidding under the influence of the imperious curse," Moody explained, "But here's the rub, how do we sort out the liars? Another.. Another…" His gaze swept over the class for another volunteering hand and to everyone's surprise, Neville did it. "Longbottom is it?" Neville nodded silently. "What is it?"

"There's the um...the Cruciatus Curse," Neville responded, gaze slightly downfallen.

"Correct! Correct! Particularly nasty. The torture curse. Crucio!" Moody said, and suddenly the spider was writhing. Its legs were twisting and turning in angles that it shouldn't be.

Romina's face twisted with fright. She really wished she wasn't sitting upfront. What was more odd, at least to her, was that it seemed Moody was lost in the spell, focused solely on the pained spider. "Professor?" she decided to call, though not sufficiently loud enough.

"STOP IT! Can't you see it's bothering him, stop it!" Hermione yelled suddenly, Everyone near her looked at her but realized she was looking not at Moody but at Neville who couldn't be more positively disturbed.

Moody gave the spider a break and looked at Hermione. "Perhaps you could give us the last unforgivable curse Miss Granger."

Hermione shook her head defiantly, a very surprising move for the other students.

Romina then raised her hand, expression emotionless. For a fourteen year old girl, it should be rare to know it but she wasn't exactly raised like the rest of her companions.

"Oswell," Moody gave her the nod. Romina swore that he knew, and why wouldn't he?

"The murder curse," Romina said, hands balling into fists over the desk.

"The killing curse," Moody corrected for technicalities.

"Is it not the same thing?" Romina challenged and earned a small smirk from the man. "Avada Kedavra," she said slowly and clearly.

"Avada Kedavra!" Moody's wand emanated a green flash of light that instantly stilled the spider in the air, Romina and Hermione flinching when it landed on their desk. "There is no countercourse for this, no blocking either. Only one known person has ever survived it and he's sitting in this room."

It was fairly quick how Harry's excitement for the class vanished in a matter of seconds. He couldn't wait to see the end of the session so he could hide under a rock from all the looks.

"I can't believe he actually used those curses," Hermioe muttered when they were finally free. Moody took a head start out of the class, ironically, as if he had somewhere else to be.

Romina slid out of her seat and cast a wary look at the chalkboard that was full of notes on said curses. She had to admit that Moody's teachings were very different from their previous professors' styles. "We can only hope this was the worst lesson to learn."

"Fat chance," Ron said, nearly exclaiming. He was the only student who remained excited about the lessons.

"Harry, you alright?" Romina asked, noticing how quiet their friend was as he put away his roll of parchment. She had a pretty good idea what he was thinking about. The last unforgivable curse was the reason he was an orphan.

"Yeah, course," Harry said quickly, even throwing on a fake smile for show.

"Neville's not," Hermione said, watching as Neville walked out of the classroom in a sort of haze. Hermione was quick to follow, prompting the others to then follow her.

"Oswell," Draco called, standing up from his seat when Romina was to walk by. "I heard what you did to Parkinson…"

Romina had long ago mastered her innocent expressions, even in the face of accusers (Draco) and the suspicious (Hermione). The latter had figured it out a while ago and wasn't backing down despite Romina's assurances that she didn't do anything.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Romina said, shrugging her shoulders.

Draco tilted his head at her, eyes narrowing on her with a small smile. "Yeah, sure." Romina shrugged, truly committed to her role of innocence.

"Rom!" Harry called by the doorway. Thinking it wasn't enough, he marched over to grab Romina's arm. "Whatever he's saying, don't even bother responding!"

"Even if she did, she knows she's lying," Draco said, eyes still glued on Romina. "Isn't that right?"

Romina opened her mouth to shoot down such accusations but Harry never gave her the chance. He yanked her away.

"Rom, I've told you not to provoke him!" He began to say once they were out in the hallways.

"I didn't!" Romina exclaimed in a mix of laughter and incredulity. "Why does everyone think I'm doing it?

Hermione heard the last question and had the answer up and ready. "Because you are doing things. Did he accuse you of hurting Parkinson? Because if he did, I hate that I agree with him."

"Hermione!" Ron was horrified. "How could you ever agree with Malfoy of all people?"

Hermione gestured towards Romina. "Because she is doing that stuff and one of these days, you're going to push too hard, Romina, and you'll get really hurt."

Romina scoffed, entirely unconvinced. "C'mon, Neville looks terrible right now." She walked towards the boy who had become like a statue in the hallway, staring endlessly out the window. "Neville?" Romina approached him slowly and cautiously.

"Oh, hello," he cleared his throat to say. He turned away from the window, looking as if he was trying to wake up from a dream, probably a bad dream. " interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm-I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neville, are you alright?" Hermione asked him despite the answer being clear as day.

"Oh yes, I'm fine," Neville said, his tone just a pitch too high, "Very interesting dinner—I mean lesson. What's for eating?"

Neville didn't always make sense but this was too strange even for him. Concern filled each of the other students as Neville continued his efforts to make a coherent conversation.

"Um, Neville…" Harry had started when Moody of all people was returning.

"It's alright, sonny," the professor put a hand over Neville's shoulder, "Why don't you come up to my office? I have some books that might interest you." Neville didn't exactly look eager to go with Moody but since no one said anything, he had no choice but to walk.

"What was that about?" Ron asked as soon as they were alone.

"Something we don't know, clearly," Romina said, watching after Neville and Moody. "The way Neville acted...there's something on his mind."

"Some lesson, though, eh?" Ron cracked a smile. "Fred and George were right! Moody really knows his stuff, huh?"

"I'm pretty sure what he taught us wasn't supposed to be on the syllabus," Romina shook her head. Hermione agreed.

~ 0 ~

Romina was acutely aware of Pansy's dirty looks in the days after her unfortunate puss mess had been cleared. There was nothing Pansy could do to prove that anything malicious had been done to her and it was just infuriating, Romina knew it and she was proud of herself.

Now as the drawing of the Goblet of Fire was nearing, many students of all ages had taken a liking to hanging in the very room where it was being kept to watch those potential candidates drop their names inside the goblet. Romina came in that afternoon and immediately spotted Hermione sitting at the bleachers with a book in her hands. She was a little wary to greet Hermione due to the matter with the SPEW stuff.

Romina, much like everyone else that she knew of in Gryffindor, were all a little tired of hearing Hermione's badgering to join her elf welfare club. Romina admired Hermione for taking such an initiative but she really doubted that it would go anywhere. She saw Harry and Ron milling around the Goblet, as much as they could anyways. There was a circle barring anybody from getting too close to it.

"Whatcha doing?" Romina startled the pair of boys behind them. She smirked when they jumped and turned her way.

"You know, just looking," Ron said, shrugging casually even though his eyes were sparkling with yearning for the Goblet.

"Mhm," Romina nodded sarcastically, "And I suppose neither of you have attempted to put your name in there?"

"We can't, Rom," Harry said, "Not of age."

"Has anybody come to put their name in?" Romina curiously asked. She gave the room another look and saw that Carolinha had come in and had made the mistake of starting up a conversation with Hermione. No doubt the Gryffindor would be pulling out one of her SPEW badges.

"Angelina from our Quidditch team did half an hour ago," Ron said, giving a big thumbs up. "Oh, and I heard Cedric Diggory did too."

"Really?" Romina raised an eyebrow, absolutely dazzled with the idea.

"Not you too, Rom," Harry rolled his eyes.

Romina giggled. "He's just cute. And mysterious. And polite." Ron made a yapping motion with his hand, making Harry snicker and Romina frown. She smacked Ron's hand down. She was about to scold him for that bit when she heard familiar voices entering the room. Looking back, she saw Draco, Crabb and Goyle laughing about something.

"Oh great," Harry muttered and soon Ron was donning the same face.

"You know I heard that Warrington from the Slytherin's Quidditch team put his name in," Ron remarked, shaking his head. "Can you imagine if we had a Slytherin champion?"

"Well," Romina's tone was sharp enough to have both him and Harry wincing. She folded her arms over her chest. "You guys are sure making me feel welcomed."

"You know we don't mean that about you, Rom," Harry was cautious when he patted her arm.

"So, everyone else, then?" Romina tilted her head. "My friend over there, Carolinha," she pointed over to the brunette speaking with Hermione, "She's pretty great. I'm sure Hermione is talking her ears off right now but my girl Carol is too sweet to cut anybody off. And her brother? He's the same. Harry, you know Arden since we were dumb kids. Are we calling her bad too?"

"No, of course not," Harry shook his head. "Sorry." He did have the decency to look a little sorry which was why Romina elected to move on from there.

"Were there any Ravenclaws who put their names in?"

"We're not—"

"We've done it!" They heard the voices of Fred and George announcing. They hopped up to the first bleacher, looking mighty happy about something. They commanded the attention of the whole room with it.

"Thank you, thank you, well lads we've done it!" George exclaimed.

"Done what?" called Romina, fairly curious of what they were cooking up now.

"The Aging Potion my dear Ali—"

Romina caught the first part of her nickname and immediately glowered until they fixed it.

"My dear Romina," Fred began anew, "It is the Aging Potion! One drop each. We only need to be a few months older."

"You can't possibly think that'll work," Hermione said, shaking her head. The twins rapidly came up to her seat, forcing Carolinha to scoot away a bit so they could lean on both Hermione's sides. "Dumbledore drew the age line himself." She made a nod towards the circle around the flaming Goblet.

"So?" challenged George.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something pathetically dimwitted such as an age potion."

"That's why it's so brilliant!" Fred exclaimed, straightening up along with George.

"I mean...they could be onto something," Romina whispered to Harry and Ron who both chuckled with her. Sometimes, you don't need to think so much. The solution was simple and straightforward.

"Ready George?"

"Ready, Fred!"

Both twins interlocked their arms with each other and drank their potions. They then hopped off the last bleacher and walked up to the Age Line. They paused for a moment before taking synced steps forwards. And they made it through.

Everybody cheered for them—mostly everybody—as they walked confidently up to the Goblet of Fire and dumped their names inside. They high-fived each other as the flames ignited behind them. But, just like that, the flames exploded and threw the pair out. Smoke covered them and most of the room for a few seconds.

When it cleared up and the twins sat upright, they were sporting heavily long beards that matched their new set of grey hair.

"You said.." George pointed at his brother.

"You said," accused Fred.

They lunged at each other. Most of the room cheered as they rolled and fought each other, including Ron himself.

"I stand corrected," Romina shrugged to Harry. "Point to Hermione."

"Yeah," Harry said, unable to hold his laughter in.

Romina had to move carefully around the groups of students lest she wanted to be caught up. Some people were really into the growing fight. Among those were even Crabb and Goyle, something Draco wasn't too pleased with.

"That's what you get for hanging out with idiots," she told him. "Blaise, Theodore, and Angel busy or something?"

"Zabini and Nott have zero interest in this until names are actually drawn," he retorted. "And as if you don't know that Angel has newfound animosity towards me."

Romina paused and looked at him. "What? What did you do?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Like you don't know."

"I don't. Usually, you do something."

A loud bang startled the pair. Karkaraoff was leading the Durmstrang boys into the room, forcing the crowd to separate. Even the twins had finally given up trying to kill each other. Romina was sure that most of the attention was going towards Victor Krum, the star of that school. She was absolutely dumbfounded when he and Draco exchanged nods.

"Since when do you know Krum?" she had to ask. It was a force beyond her, honestly.

Draco smiled smugly. "I do know how to expand my networks, Oswell. One of the many talents instilled in me."

"The others being…?" Romina made a gesture for him to list them specifically. She doubted the list would be long.

The Durmstrang boys were on their way out of the room, each of them having slipped their names inside the Goblet.

"Show off," Romina huffed at Draco after he'd waved at Krum.

"Me? Never," he smirked.

Romina shook her head at him. "I'm surprised you haven't bragged about this. I would've expected the whole school to know about it, actually."

"Stories about me get told anyways, Oswell. You wouldn't believe the ones I've heard." The way he smiled ever-so-widely warned Romina those stories had to be ego-inflating.

"Yeah, not interested."

"Oh, c'mon, you'd…" Draco trailed off when Madame Maxime led her Beauxbaton students in.

Romina rolled her eyes heavily enough to make her feel twinges of pain. "Are you going to finish that sentence?"

"Mhm," Draco nodded, but no actual words came out afterwards.

"Seriously!?" Romina huffed and looked away, soon noticing that the same thing was happening to every other male student in the room. "For the love of God!"

The Beauxbatons each dropped their names inside the Goblet and turned, in a neat line, after Madame Maxime who promptly led them back out. By the time Draco came to, Romina was long gone.

~ 0 ~

Arden was nose deep into her Unfogging the Future book before class when she heard the noise of someone dropping into the seat beside her. She looked up and frowned. "You're not Parkinson. I can't decide if that's better or worse."

"I've got a problem, King," Draco said, frowning when she snorted in return.

"No, you've got many problems but there's not enough time in the world for me to list them."

He decided to ignore Arden's little jab. "It's Oswell."

"Shocker."

"She's continuously pissing me off and I would rather fix it before this becomes permanent."

Arden put her book down on the table, now deeply interested in where the conversation was going. "You actually want to fix things?"

Draco nodded. "It's got to be better than having to look twice when she's around. Her apt for retaliation is commendable but also a growing pain in the ass."

"Fair," Arden agreed. "But you do know what you have to do, right?"

"If I knew that, I would not be here, would I?" Draco gestured to his current seat. He had managed to shake off being Arden's partner this year and he would like to keep it that way. She got stuck with Pansy which was a win for him. The never ending jabs at each other were hilarious to watch and hear.

"I know what happened in the forest," Arden said, keeping her voice low, "And you were out of line. That's what Romina's upset about. And instead of apologizing, you made it worse by turning it into a game of tricks."

"She started it," Draco drowned. "Have you met her?"

"Yes," Arden said slowly, "Since I was seven. And you're right to be wary of her when she's in this mood. Back in our muggle school, this girl basically did the same thing to Romina and it did not end until Romina was suspended from school for a whole week."

"What she do?" Draco curiously asked. Being a troublemaker wasn't really part of Romina's personality. Mischievous was, but a full on troublemaker wasn't.

"She grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the girl's hair in one snip." Arden could still vividly remember the screaming she and the rest of her family had heard coming from the Oswell residence next door that same night. She didn't see Romina for a full month after that.

Draco was frankly bemused and stunned with what he heard. "She did not," he said, barely holding his laugh in.

Arden nodded earnestly. "She did. I love my best friend but she has a nasty temper when things get too much. If you don't want to end up like Gale Perry, apologize now."

"I will do no such thing," Draco said, shaking his head. "I want to see how far Oswell will go with this."

"That wasn't the point of my story!"

"Yeah, and it was better. Thanks King, you actually can help sometimes." Draco promptly got up from his seat and moved on up the steps towards his actual spot.

Arden made a face, her teeth gritting together as she realized the conversation did not go the way it probably should have. She had the feeling Romina would kill her if she found out that she'd basically spurred the games on.

~0~

A few days later would have Angel finding an empty spot with Draco, Theodore and Blaise at their table in the Great Hall. It was a study session, the first one of the year.

"Didn't expect you to sit anywhere near here," Draco spoked quietly as Snape was making his rounds.

Angel shook his head. "I've been thinking. What you said a couple days back?"

"I say a lot of things, you'll have to be more specific."

"Stop acting dumb!"

"It's not an act, mate," Blaise remarked, snickering with Theodore when both Draco and Angel sent them the same glares.

"I'm being serious," Angel said.

"So was I," Blaise said.

"Eyes on the essay, Zabini," warned Draco. Blaise shrugged and continued to scribble over his parchment. "And as for you—" Draco glanced at Angel beside him, "—what the hell are you talking about?"

"In your own fantastically mean way, you've pushed me to act with Romina," Angel said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess tough love really does work."

"No," Draco said sharply, "I did not do 'tough love'. I don't do 'tough love'. I didn't do anything."

"More like he never does anything anyways," mumbled Theodore which, once again, sent him and Blaise into another fit of snickers.

"This time you did," Angel insisted. "I mean, it's been almost 4 years and I should, logically, be able to do something. So, I thought I'd maybe ask Romina if she wanted to go together on the first Hogsmeade trip that's scheduled."

"It's funny…" Draco said slowly, eyes flickering to the side, "I don't remember…"

Angel made a face at him. "What?"

"I don't remember...asking to hear this conversation."

Blaise and Theodore laughed and eventually had to duck their heads to keep it covered before Snape heard. Angel deadpanned the two; they could never take anything serious.

"You can't stop being sarcastic for a minute, can you?"

"Oh, I wasn't being sarcastic. I was being honest," Draco clarified, "Because I'm pretty sure nowhere in my previous conversation with you did I give you the idea that I would want to talk about this."

"I was just letting you know—"

"Why?"

"Because you and Romina have entered this little war with each other and since you're both my friends I would rather you put an end to it already."

"Yeah, I spoke to King about that and it's not happening. Did you know that Oswell had a record? I'm talking about a serious record." Days after talking with Arden, Draco was still impressed with the story. He would've given anything to see Romina cut that muggle girl's hair.

"Draco, c'mon," Angel said, "It's been—what?—two weeks since this started? It's getting tiring. She did not appreciate the exploding ink bottle you left for her, by the way."

Draco's smirk didn't express disappointment. "I sure enjoyed it."

"I'm just telling you to back off already. It's not funny anymore."

"On the contrary, I think it's quite fun," Draco shrugged. "You're just boring, Angel. That's going to have to change if you're actually going to do something for the future."

Angel would've liked to strangle him at that point. "You just can't take things seriously!"

They heard the heavy footsteps of Snape nearing them, cutting the conversation short.

~0~

Romina had just finished dotting her last 'i' on her letter she was sending to her grandmother when she heard somebody coming into the common room. She looked up briefly to catch sight of Blaise walking in, shaking his head about something that seemed funny.

"Never thought I'd see the day when Blaise Zabini laughed," she called from her spot. She'd recused herself to one of the individual tables by the wall to complete her homework.

Blaise stopped in the middle of the room to scoff. "You're not funny, but I will admit that what you're doing is rather amusing."

Romina made a face as her eyes landed on her letter still in her hands. "Writing a letter to my grandmother is funny to you? That's a sad sense of humor you got there, Blaise…"

"I meant with Malfoy and Paes! You know they're arguing over you, right?"

Now Romina was the one laughing. "What? Last time I heard, they weren't exactly on speaking terms."

"Yeah, because of you," Blaise pointed. "It's funny as hell but I'm also a little concerned they're going to end up hurting each other."

Romina stopped to seemingly ponder. "Well...are they still arguing right now? Think I can catch them?"

Blaise shook his head at her. "Great, you can't take things seriously either!"

"I can too!" Romina said, but her lips were already curving into a smile that would no doubt turn into a laugh if she pushed it. "I just...like fun stuff. What exactly are they arguing about anyways?"

"Well…" Blaise swayed his head, "Angel is demanding that Draco apologize to you for whatever he did to piss you off."

"I like Angel," Romina nodded, "Everybody should listen to Angel when he says that I'm right."

"He didn't say that—"

"That's what I heard, Blaise."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Can you just fix it, please? It's bad enough that I have to hear Draco complain about your incessant retaliations. I don't want to hear him bickering with Angel too over you. You are not that special."

Romina raised a hand to her chest, feigning offence. "How rude. But I commend your bluntness. I'll talk to Angel."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to fix things with Draco already?"

"Yeah, if you want me to take the loser's path." Romina snorted and went back to folding her letter nice and perfectly. "Losing's not my style, Blaise. I'm talking to Angel. She smiled to herself when Blaise groaned and headed for the hallway.

Later on, Romina gathered her things to bring them into her dorm. There was still enough time to get her letter to the owlery before dinner. She was coming out of the common room altogether when she saw Angel coming down the stairs.

"Hey!" He greeted her with his typical cheery smile. "Not getting dinner already, are you?"

"No, I've got a letter to send to my grandma," Romina waved her envelope in front of her. "Wanna come with me?"

"Yeah!" Angel nodded, turning on his heels to walk with her. "Everything good in that letter? I mean��your grandmother's okay?"

Romina chuckled. "Yeah, I'm just letting her know that I haven't really gotten a chance to talk with Madam Maxime yet."

Angel snorted into a laugh. "Why would you want to talk to her?"

"Apparently, she was the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy when my grandmother went there. They're close, I guess."

"Oh boy. What would you even talk about?"

Romina laughed and shook her head. "I have no bloody idea! As far as I can tell, my grandmother was this pristine young woman back in her day and I—" she put a hand on her chest, "—don't have a lick of pristineness in me. I've heard rumors that I have a big mouth, actually. And by 'rumors', I mean Arden."

"You're just fine," Angel patted her arm. "Perfect, actually."

Romina smiled shyly. "You're too sweet." She led the way up the stairs in silence until they reached the last one. "So, Blaise and I were talking earlier…"

"Really?" Angel's heavy disbelief was simply too amusing not to laugh at.

"We can talk civilly sometimes," Romina said, sobering from her laugh. "And he was saying that you and Draco have been arguing. Angel, you don't have to fight anyone on my behalf. I think I can handle it on my own."

"I can't help it, Romina," Angel shrugged. "I don't like seeing you get hurt and I definitely don't like it if someone's doing it for fun."

"Draco's not hurting me, first of all," Romina said, shaking her head. "It's harmless jokes that I willingly participate in. In fact, I'm pretty sure I started it."

"Yeah, but only because you're upset. I know it, I see it." Angel stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, forcing Romina to do the same. He turned to face her and looked directly into her dark eyes. "You're laughing and smirking but I know that Draco did something really bad to hurt you."

Romina absolutely didn't like the way he read her with ease. She wanted to avoid Angel's gaze. "He didn't hurt me."

"Not physically, that much I know for sure," Angel said. "But he did something to...to deeply upset you."

"He disappointed me and when he didn't apologize, he pissed me off." Romina shook her head. She started walking quicker than before. She was not going to show any tears, no sir.

"And that's why I'm demanding that he apologizes," Angel was quick to follow after her.

"You're wasting your time, Angel, he's not going to do it anytime soon!" Perhaps that was what hurt Romina the most. "And I don't want him to do it because somebody demands him to. It wouldn't change anything."

"Hey," Angel grabbed Romina's arm to stop her altogether, "See this is what I mean."

"It's not your fault," Romina said, gently taking his hand off her. "Ironically, I suppose it's not completely Draco's fault either."

"What? You just said—"

"Sometimes I can't help wondering who I would have turned out to be if my parents had raised me," Romina said quietly. "If I had lived with everybody who thought as twisted as they did." She genuinely shuddered at the idea each time she thought of it. "I got lucky. My parents are murderers. Under their influence...I don't know who I would've become."

"Your situation is not the same though," Angel gently pointed out.

"I know, but our parents...Angel, they ingrain stuff. Their past can very well be our future."

"Romina…"

"I understand myself, Angel," Romina cut him off before he said anything else, "And I may be daft but last year was terrible for me and, as surprising as it may sound, Draco actually helped me. People thought the worst of me but he didn't. He never did. Somewhere inside him there has to be a shred of genuine guilt and if I have to annoy him until we graduate for him to finally own up to it, I will."

Angel couldn't take the fact Romina was both smirking and overly determined. It was kind of scary how determined she was. There was no way in hell anybody would be talking her down.

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aceoflove · 9 months ago

Text

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆Hello Darlings!!!⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

I'm Bee. I'm a uni student who adores fandoms from across the galaxy

Pronouns: She/Her

I adore writing.

This is my second blog, but I've barely posted my writing anywhere, so I thought why not! I also thought that I could post my art here!

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆Fandoms + Characters⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Ask about ships, I will most likely do anything from the fandoms except incest. The ask will be deleted if it breaks those rules/my personal rules

Platonic Only ✯

Set Ship (one that will be present as a background one if appropriate) ۵

𓆸 Marvel:

Tony Stark ۵

Natasha Romanoff

Bruce Banner

Thor

Steve Rogers

Clint Barton

Wanda Maximoff

Pietro Maximoff

Loki

Spider-Man

Peter Quill

Gamora

Nebula

Rocket ✯

Groot ✯

Drax

Mantis

Adam

Cosmo ✯

Kraglin

Kamala Khan

Bruno Carrelli

T'Challa

Shuri

Scott Lang

Sam Wilson

Bucky Barnes

Pepper Potts ۵

Carol Davers

Yelana Belova

Kate Bishop

Shang Chi

𓆸 Narnia:

Edmund

Lucy

Peter

Susan

Caspian

Eustace

Aslan ✯

𓆸 Harry Potter:

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

Ron Weasley

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Draco Malfoy

Blaise Zabini

Pansy Parkinson

Luna Lovegood

Ginny Weasley

Neville Longbottom

Oliver Wood

Cedric Diggory

Mattheo Riddle

Regulas Black

Sirius Black ۵

James Potter

Remus Lupin ۵

Lily Evans

I may be inexperienced with writing for some fandoms, but feel free to ask if I do know the fandom!

Ones that I am less confident in, but will write for include:

𓆸 Top Gun (both):

Maverick

Goose ۵

Carole ۵

Iceman

Rooster

Phoenix

Bob

Hangman

Fanboy

Payback

Coyote

𓆸 Across/into the Spider-verse:

Miles Morales (Both)

Hobie Brown

Gwen Stacy

Peter .B

Mayday ✯

Miguel O'Hara

Pavitr Prabhakar

Spider-Noir

Spider-Ham ✯

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆Notes⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

𓆸 I can do ships and x reader.

𓆸 I don't do smut.

𓆸 I can do requests, but they maybe a little slow

𓆸 Is this self indulgent.... yes

𓆸 I don't do some AU's, so if I don't do your AU request, I'm sorry

𓆸 I am straight cis and white so I am sorry if I do get representation wrong, I will try to do my research if it is specific and I will ask people around me to get it accurate as possible

𓆸 Please ask if you don't know!

𓆸 I may post OC's and their stories too

𓆸 I am open to talks btw!

Thank you my darlings!

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bearsinpotatosacks · 2 years ago

Text

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

They went back to silence as Mav sobbed. He wanted to crawl into Ice’s arms again, pretend that none of this had happened and that Bradley was just celebrating graduation at a friend's house. But the other knew he and Ice weren’t there anymore. Bradley was god knows where and Ice had just admitted that he didn’t trust Maverick anymore. There was no one left now.

~~~

Maverick tells Ice about Carole's wishes for Bradley's future and they make a plan. But will the cracks forming in their relationship be able to withstand the oncoming storm?

Words: 8112

This is also on my AO3, this is also from my post I made previously, thanks for all the encouragement

Stepping outside, the fresh summer air pierced the thick clouds of grief he’d been suffocating in all day. Funerals were never easy for him even though he’d been to far too many. He didn’t remember his dad’s but had vague memories of empty rooms and a deep sense of shame to grieve a man who was a supposed traitor. His mother’s had been just as quiet. The Mitchell’s weren’t a large family. His grandparents were dead or too frail to care for him after his parents died.

There hadn’t been many for a while after that. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to don his funeral clothes until he was old and grey, or until he was the one being mourned, if there was anyone to mourn him at all.

Then, Carole’s father died and he adorned his stiff black suit once more. That familiar itching feeling as he stared at the mourners. People stared back. He was there for moral support and hadn’t met many of the Edwards, that being Carole’s maiden name, family and it showed. The well fitting suit seemed to swallow him as he stared back at them all. A child in an adult’s body. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Goose’s had been agonising. He didn’t have enough rank to warrant the full shebang. He’d only reached Lieutenant Junior Grade, one rank above an Ensign, a fact that played around in his head like a broken record, one that he just couldn’t process, the pill he couldn’t swallow, how little life Nick Bradshaw had lived and how it was all his fault. He hadn’t even reached twenty-six.

Yet again, after that heartbreak, he’d begged the stars above, prayed to a god he didn’t believe in to make sure he wouldn’t have to go through that again. Well, either he had bad karma or maybe God just didn’t like him, because here he was again. Heart broken and bleeding in front of him on the floor. Morose laughter echoing in dark rooms behind him. And that sinking feeling that he didn’t belong here, that he’d done something so wrong that he should be laughed out the door, swallowed up whole into hell.

He’d wished he’d been the one to get terminal cancer most nights, just so Carole could be here instead. She’d know what to do. She’d put her life to good use instead of pissing off Admirals and getting his guardian angel, Captain Thomas Kazansky, soon to be Vice Admiral Kazansky if he carried on the way he was going, to save him. Bradley would be better off with his mother around, not some half-father, half-uncle that he was trying to be- and failing.

He collapsed on the front porch of Carole’s mother’s house. In all the chaos of navy life and his grief for Goose, he almost forgot she had a whole family out there that loved her. Although, her mother wasn’t in the best health, Parkinsons had taken control and she now had a carer living with her at all times. Carole and her sister, and the brother that was off galavanting somewhere, they never knew, didn’t have the money to put her in a home so relied on the generosity of the local hospice.

This meant that Bradley’s Nana couldn’t care for him, and his aunt was too far away, living in Houston, for him to live with her. That, and the fact that Carole had ensured Bradley was left in Pete’s custody after she died. She’d left that in her will, her swoopy handwriting, smudged with tears, writing:

To my darling Pete, I leave you all of Goose’s belongings, that ceramic chicken you made me buy for the garden, and Bradley.

You’ll need each other more than you know. And there’s only one person I know who will finish raising him the way I want.

With some help from Ice and Viper, now retired, he got himself placed as a test pilot in Kingsville, as close to a commuter’s job that Mav would ever get. He’d be starting in a few weeks, after the mourning period had gone and Mav was in need of something new to distract himself with. And he’d now be a full-time parent to Bradley.

Bradley.

He heard him in the company of the various other ‘86 Top Gun Graduates. Slider, with his new wife Siobhan by his side, were telling him about his stories as a commercial pilot. It was a path most Naval Aviators took after a while of combat, it kept you in the air, and the paychecks and good views were an added bonus.

That kid was struggling so much Mav didn’t even know where to start. He had experience, of course, but his parents had died before he even really understood the concept of death. Bradley had been lucky enough to only be four when his dad died. Carole’s death had been different though.

There hadn’t been much escape, except school. When Maverick was away, Bradley found himself caring for his mum and himself despite her insistence that she was still capable enough. He was sleeping in her bed now, wrapped in Carole’s grandma’s quilt that still had a strange mix of Carole’s floral perfume and the clinical stench of the hospital.

Mav wondered what form his grief would take. It had already started to form as Carole got closer to the end. He was careful, every action took thought because he now knew, in such an intimate way that no child should ever have to know, what death was. Yet, he was also angry.

Although it was now his summer break, he’d be entering his Sophomore year of high school in September, in his last few weeks of school Carole and Mav had received a few phone calls about Bradley getting into fights. Some kids were being cruel, as kids could be, about his dying mother and something must have snapped within him. Apparently his friends had to drag him off one of the tormentors just to get him to stop.

Mav didn’t really know what to say to discipline him. That’s where Carole and Ice had stepped in. It was right that he defended his mother, but perhaps he shouldn't go as far to almost give the kid a brain injury. Bradley was getting tall, he was the best batter in his baseball team already, and was growing up strong. Maybe he didn’t know his own strength sometimes.

The deck creaked as someone else joined him. He knew the footsteps in an instant and some part of the knot in his stomach eased. It was Ice.

“How are you doing?” He asked

Mav looked at him as he sat down. He sighed and leant into Ice’s touch. It was second nature to go to him. He let him guide his head down onto his shoulder and closed his eyes.

“Yeah, that was a stupid question,”

Mav pulled away and let his head drop into his hands as a whine escaped him. He didn’t know how he could cry any more but he did. Hot tears ticking his cheeks and making his hands slimy.

Ice rubbed his back, “Come on, talk to me.”

He’d gotten better at comforting him after that time in the lockers after Goose died. They knew each other better now and Ice knew that if not prompted, Mav would rather keep everything inside. All the bad feelings were easier to deal with when you didn’t have to deal with them.

“I’m not cut out for this.” He said simply.

“For what?”

Mav looked up and let Ice follow his gaze to look at Bradley. He was laughing through tears.

“Carole made you his legal guardian for a reason, Mav, she trusted you with him, she knew you’d look after him,”

“But I can barely look after myself!”

Ice shook his head and let out one of those half laughs you do to make a point rather than to laugh at anything, “You’d always do anything for that boy, you wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“What do you mean?”

Mav thought back to Carole’s last days. The raspy sound of her breathing and the click of the life support machine. She was barely lucid, high on so many pain meds that in the end she’d thought he was Goose. But in the chaos and pain, she’d made him make a promise. And he couldn’t say no.

“Carole asked me something, before she-.” He hesitated on that last word, it didn’t feel real yet. “-before she died.”

Ice went to say something else but he just held up a hand. He was still processing it all. Just saying it made him feel guilty, like it was a secret he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone.

“She made me promise to make sure Bradley didn’t fly.”

Ice wasn’t surprised by a lot, or at least he knew to hide it well. Mav knew his poker face when he did but right now it was too slow. His brows furrowed as he ran a hand through his hair, sans iced tips that he’d had when they’d met eleven years ago.

“W-why would she do that? It’s all he’s wanted to do his whole life.”

Mav knew why. He remembered every time Bradley mentioned how one day he’d fly and how Carole had gripped something nearby, knuckles white. In hindsight, he could see all the signs so clearly. Her smile fake, not reaching her eyes and barely covering up the fear. And it was fear, not anxiety. Pure fear. The kind that only came from losing someone so close to you and possibly losing another to the exact same thing.

“She doesn’t-didn’t want Bradley to die the same as Goose, couldn’t lose him too, not after what happened to his dad,” he said.

“But, that was because of a technical fault, by the time Bradley’s trained they may not even be using F-14s anymore!”

Ice rarely raised his voice, too. It would be concerning if Mav didn’t know why he was doing it. It hurt him too, what he’d have to do. Part of him was just as confused, the other part, though, was on Carole’s side. He couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to him. He had to stop himself from wrapping him in bubble wrap some days. He had some of Mav’s qualities that he wished he didn’t.

“You can’t deny she’s partially right, though?” Mav insisted, he wouldn’t have Carole’s memory ruined.

“I guess, I’m worried for the kid too but to stop him from flying all together?”

Mav shrugged, “You can’t deny that he’s not ready.”

“I can’t,” he said, his voice low. “But to stop him entirely, not give him a chance to grow and get himself ready?”

“He’s already changing, Ice, it’s hard to think he was the same kid who was so excited to see the vultures at San Diego Zoo,”

They both laughed at the memory. They were visiting Ice in the summer of 1994, just after ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ came into effect and they were all celebrating Maverick and Ice being allowed to show their love.

“Yeah, he spent ten minutes just staring at them.”

“And it’s just as hard to think that he was the same kid in that car accident after they won their baseball league, calling for Carole and seeing his dad.”

Mav had barely been consolable when he’d heard about that. He was somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean when it happened. Luckily, the higher ups were understanding enough to give him a week to be there for him. Seeing Bradley, who was already looking so much like his dad, in that hospital bed with all those wires had almost killed him off. If Carole hadn’t needed him he probably would’ve, but she’d needed his strength to carry on, so he was there, every time.

“But he’s getting careful, considerate, he knows how close the line is and he’s making sure he doesn’t cross it,” he said. “And that’s good for most jobs, but if he wants to be a Naval Aviator, he can’t live like that, and I fear it’s only going to get worse as he learns to live with this grief.”

“Then you talk to him, maybe if he knows, then he can work on it and be the best Aviator he can be.”

“Don’t you think I’m going to try that!” Mav snapped.

Ice held up his hand in innocence then pulled Mav back in for a hug, “I know you will, you won’t stop trying until you get the outcome you want, I know you,” he lay a kiss on his forehead, so gentle it was like a ghost. “I’ll help you with anything, you know that, right?”

He nodded. Closing his eyes, he appreciated the darkness behind his eyelids. The sun had started to peek through the trees and it was getting unbearable. Everything was already too much and now he had to do this.

“I know,” he whispered. “I just know I’m going to lose him.”

“Maybe there’s a way that you won’t.”

“I mean, I can hope but-”

Ice shook his head and lay another kiss on his hair, “No buts, we’ll figure this out, we’ve got time yet.”

“Yeah, at least we’ve got that.”

~~~~

“I just can’t believe it’s all sent off, it doesn’t feel real,” Bradley said from the kitchen table.

Mav chuckled and did his best to hide the growing fear in his eyes. Despite all his efforts over the years to try and divert his passion away from actual flying, Bradley still hadn’t caught on that they didn’t want him to fly. He’d only just applied to some normal universities instead of putting all his hopes on getting accepted into the Naval Academy.

And why shouldn’t he? He had recommendations from some of the most commended Naval Aviators still in the Navy. Hollywood, Wolfman, Chipper, Sundown. He’d asked him and Ice too, but they’d made some excuse of them maybe being too close and the navy perhaps seeing this as favouritism rather than an actual recommendation. That was bullshit, of course, Iceman was a Vice Admiral and the Navy’s posterboy for just about everything. Anything he put his name to got done, everything he touched turned to gold.

“I know, chick, how about you go and call your uncle Slider? I’m sure he’d want to know all about it.”

“Okay!” Bradley said and ran upstairs to use the landline.

He had to get him out of his hair for a moment. He hadn’t been able to stop him from applying, so now he had to do something he wished he hadn’t needed to do. He’d have to pull his papers.

Ice entered the kitchen, came up behind him and snaked his hands up his sides. Kissing his hair, he turned him around, placed down the knife he was using to chop and changed his focus to his mouth. His hands came up to stroke his cheeks, Mav placed his hand on his and sighed as he kissed him. He loved those “Honey, I’m home kisses”.

“So, he still applied, then,” he said, his voice not showing the excitement most people thought they’d be feeling.

He had some business in Texas. Now he had the authority of an Admiral, the Navy was throthing at the mouth to give him all sorts of important things to do and places to go. Luckily, he’d used this interest in himself to make them let him stay with them for a while. Mav was testing the new F-18 jet, one that Bradley would hopefully never fly- no matter how much he needled him for top secret info over dinner.

“What are we going to do then? Hope he gets rejected?” Ice sat down at the table and pulled a chair out for Mav.

Mav took it, staring at his hands as he came to the conclusion he’d wished he never had to come to. Ice gave a weak smile as he lay his hand on his. He always seemed to secure and put together, coincidentally like a block of ice, but he knew that he wasn’t always. Yet, right now, he preferred to pretend he was just as strong as he was making himself seem.

“We can make sure he gets rejected.”

“What? Pull his papers?”

Mav couldn’t get the words out to speak. If he did now he’d burst into tears. He wanted the earth to swallow him whole, he deserved nothing more.

Ice let out a whistle, “That-that’s going to take a lot of explaining, to the Navy and to Bradley, I mean, that conversation is going to be tricky to get right, to make him understand what his mum wanted.”

“That conversation won’t happen.”

Sitting back in his chair, Ice was confused again. His hand drifted from Mav’s to cover his mouth.

“You’re not going to tell him at all?” He said, his voice was barely audible, a soft whisper. “You’re just going to make him believe he’s not good enough? Mav you can’t do that.”

“What? No, I wouldn’t do that to him.”

“Good,” Ice deflated. “Because for a second there I thought you weren’t going to tell him about Carole at all.”

Now it was Mav’s turn to be confused. How couldn’t Ice get it? He was a smart man, why couldn’t he just get it?

“I’m not.”

Ice almost jumped backwards. His confusion turned into a strange mix of disbelief and rage. He’d never seen him like this. In every argument and spat he kept his cool and made sure not to say anything he’d regret, it pissed Mav off a lot whenever they came to a head. He was a bit of a hot head, he knew that, and when angry, lost control of what came out of his mouth.

“But, how? How can’t you tell him? She's his mother, he deserves to know,” Ice said, raising his voice. “ What, do you think his own mother didn't know what was best for her son?"

Ice screeched his chair across the floor as he splayed his hands out in front of him. Mav did the same. His rage was starting to rise now, breath coming out through his flared nostrils as his hands began to shake. He had to be careful now, had to make sure he didn’t say something he didn’t really mean.

"I'm not saying that and can you stop putting words in my mouth!”

“Then what are you saying? Because from here it sounds a lot like you’re going to lie to the kid!” Ice spat. “Because you're the one saying you're not going to tell Bradley what his mum wanted for him, which he should know, it's his future that we’re meddling with.”

“Meddling? Is that what you think this is? Meddling like we’re playing a game? Is his life a game to you?” Mav had to try hard not to raise his voice too much to alarm Bradley.

“No, is it to you?”

“No.”

“Well it sure seems like it is.”

Mav clenched his hands into fists. He tried to take deep breaths but his vision began to get clouded by anger. Ice seemed to be too. He almost never snapped like this.

“It’s his life, Mav, I understood if you’d let him know it was Carole, be honest, but not telling him that really makes it seem like you’re playing with him.” Ice heaved, getting mad in a way he’d never seem him. “It’s his future you’re messing with.”

"I know that, you think I don't know that? That's exactly why I'm doing this, because Carole's his mum and I don't want to ruin that for him."

Mav thought back to when he found out his dad died. It was so far off and faded he was confused if it was real at all. He remembered thinking his dad was a hero, knowing it deep in his gut in a way he couldn’t shake. Then he’d been told what he did, and his image of his hero of a father was shattered by the apparent knowledge that he was a coward, a traitor, a deserter who didn’t deserve remembering. He couldn’t let Bradley go through that too.

"What will you say then? What will you tell him?" Ice said.

"That's he's not ready,” Mav replied like it was obvious. “It's not a lie, we both know he's not, we both want to protect him.”

“I know we do, but this isn’t the only way and that is not the only reason why, so why are we going to lie to him?” Ice smacked his hand against the other, as if being physical would make his point come across more.

"Stop making me out to be the bad guy here!"

"But it is a lie!” Ice shouted, fully shouted, loud enough that they both knew Bradley would hear, when he spoke next, Ice had lowered his volume. “Tell me, honestly, if Carole hadn't made you promise not to let Bradley fly, would you still be doing this?"

Mav looked away. He knew the answer and hated the almost smug look on Ice’s face when they both realised it.

"Exactly.” Ice said, this time with a glimmer of something else in his voice. “You're going to lie to him and sow seeds in his head that he's not good enough when he is.”

So that’s what this was about. Ice had opened up to him about his family life. From the outside, it seemed perfect, parents, sister, even a dog. They’d grown up in the suburbs outside of San Diego living on the wages of a two star Admiral. To anyone outside it was everything a child could want.

What you didn’t see from the outside was the expectations of his parents. He couldn’t just have a high GPA, it had to be perfect. He couldn’t just take one AP class, he had to take them all, couldn’t just be in the debate club, he had to be president. Even when it came to his naval career, his dad made sure he knew that he had to fly the best, fly the most accurate, be so technically perfect that no one was even close to comparing with him. It was only in meeting Maverick that he started to break free of that restrictive life, while still keeping with it in his form, of course.

That must be why he was so insistent that he doesn’t meddle. He doesn't want Bradley to have that life, not like he had it. What he couldn’t see was that this was nothing like that. He wasn’t doing this for his own enjoyment, if he hadn’t promised, he wouldn’t be doing this at all.

"But we both agree that he's not ready, so why is me telling him that sowing seeds of doubt?" Mav said.

He thought of all the years he was kept in the dark about his dad. He wished people had told him the truth instead of just treating him like shit without actually telling him what they meant. He’d had to learn his father was a traitor by himself, and had to wait even longer to find out the truth. If he could just make Bradley see that everyone was trying to protect him, then he wouldn’t be left strounging for answers like he was.

“Because you’re still not telling him the truth! You’re only doing this to make yourself feel better, to make you think you’re doing the right thing for him and not yourself!”

“How am I doing this to feel better?” Mav pushed into Ice’s space, all his focus was going into not escalating this further than it had to go.

“Because you’re controlling everything, telling Bradley a half truth so you don’t feel bad for not doing what Carole wanted.”

Mav snapped at that. He was sick of this. Fuck his focus, he hadn’t been this mad in a while, not for good reason anyway. And here was Ice acting all high and mighty, as though he hadn’t helped him do this, as this he hadn’t had just a big a role in this as he had. And he said he was doing all this to make himself feel better.

“I’m doing all of this for Carole!” He forced himself not to scream that, because maybe if he yelled then Tom would get it. “I’m not telling him it was her so he can still have her. I thought you got that but I guess you’re too dumb for that.”

Ice smacked his forehead and laughed. It was cruel. His smile was like a shark. They were back at Top Gun, back in those locker rooms with that petty rivalry and strong emotions. At least this time it was over something worthwhile.

“I should’ve known you’d regress to insults, I expected more from you, thought you might be mature but no.”

He could kill him right now. He was seeing red and might just go too far. If it hadn’t been for Bradley upstairs, he did everything for Bradley these days, he might actually commit murder.

“Just stop acting so high and fucking mighty and maybe I won’t have to.” He seethed through gritted teeth.

“I I I, you’re making this all about you and you know what,” Tom lent forward, they were glaring directly at each other now. “I’m fucking sick of it, sick of you making this seem like this is what Carole would want, that she’d want you to mess with her son’s life instead of just doing what she said, that she’d want you to ruin her legacy all in the name of making yourself feel better.

“Well fine, but I’m not going to be a part of it, not anymore.” Ice spat.

He walked into the hallway to grab his coat off the hook. He hadn’t even taken his shoes off yet. With a strong movement, he yanked the door open and stormed out into the yard. Pete followed without question. He wasn’t just going to leave this there.

“You’re already a part of it, you’ve been helping me this whole time,” Now they were outside, Pete felt he could shout like he’d been wanted to this entire time. “Ever since you became an Admiral you’ve been acting like you’re the king of the fucking world, well maybe the Navy thinks that, but you know what Tom?”

He seemed taken aback by him using his real name. They only ever used their proper names when something was serious.

“What?”

“You’re not.”

He could slap him right now, his hands were itching to, it was the same rush he got to push it further. This had already escalated, what harm would going a little further do?

“And stop pretending like you know what Carole would’ve wanted, you two weren’t that close, you’re just using her to hide your own guilt and then pushing that I’m doing the same to make sure you have someone else to blame.” Mav stepped back and swung his arms out. “Well fine, go and do that, but know that you didn’t know her at all, there’s a reason she made me promise to do this, because she trusted me, she trusted me to do the right thing, and she obviously never told you because she knew you’d mess it all up.

“You’ve always been like this, always been high and mighty with some other thing to blame, your dad, the Navy, it’s never you. You act like you’re this gift from God when you’re really this pathetic suck up who pushes people away instead of taking a single goddamn risk in his life.”

Pete didn’t even know where this was coming from. He didn’t believe it. He knew he didn’t and Tom knew. Sure, if it was fourteen years ago, back when they first met, sure, but not now, not after all they’d been through together. But Pete just wanted to see if he could finally make him snap. He wanted that high and mighty attitude ripped off his face.

“So yeah, maybe I’m not going to tell him, and maybe it’s kind of shitty, but you know what? At least I’m trying something, at least I’ve tried everything I can think of to make what Carole wanted come true. Because that’s what I do, I reach out to people, even if the rules say I can’t or shouldn’t, I do that because I know there’s something more than the rules.

“You’ve never cared for anyone that much. I thought you did but I guess not, because otherwise, you’d be here with me, you’d do this with me, but I guess you’re still that ice-cold robot I thought had changed for me,” he lowered his tone. “But I guess you change for no one.”

Tom held his hand on the door of his car. There were tears in his eyes and Pete instantly went cold. He’d done it again, opened his big stupid mouth and taken things too far. He wanted to take it all back but knew he couldn’t.

“Alright, Pete.” He said, and Pete could tell he was trying his hardest to keep his tone level. “If that’s what you truly think then I should go.”

His chin wobbled. Tears were running down his face. He reached out for him but stopped himself.

“You know I didn’t,” he whispered.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have said it.”

Tom turned around and got into his car. He didn’t slam the door. There were no rude gestures and no physical violence. Just a lump in Pete’s throat that he couldn’t budge and a great wash of guilt he wanted to be clean of.

Bradley must have come outside as Pete watched Tom go. He had Carole’s grandma’s quilt wrapped around him again, he always did when he needed comfort.

“What was that about?” He said.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he whispered through the tears.

“Are you sure? It sounded pretty big.”

He racked his brain for an excuse, a lie to make sure Bradley didn’t find out now, “It’s been building for a while, Ice is an Admiral now, he has responsibilities and can’t just be my wingman, I guess I didn’t take it as well as I thought.”

Bradley stared at his hands as he wrapped them in the quilt. He stretched it around Mav.

“Is there anything you want me to do?”

“No, chick, it’s not your responsibility.”

Bradley stared at him. He could see Goose in that stare, all the times he knew he was covering for his insecurities and wouldn’t let it slide. However, there was also Carole, and how she saw through and dealt with his bullshit no matter how many times he screwed things up with another Admiral, or Penny Benjamin.

“How about we get pizza instead of you cooking?” Bradley suggested.

Mav sniffed and wiped the tears from his face, “I think that’s a good idea, you go and decide what we’re having.”

‘I guess Ice is just another Admiral I pissed off,’ he thought as he followed Bradley inside.

~~~~

The silence in Ice’s office was deafening. Maverick knew the words but couldn’t get himself to say them.

Ice had Bradley’s application in his hands. He had his future in his hands and they both knew this could only go one way.

“So, are you going to-” Mav started.

“Yes.”

They weren’t looking at each other. Maverick wished it was different. God, how he regretted saying those things. He’d give anything to be being chewed out for a stupid stunt than to be treated with Ice’s silence. It was worse in every conceivable way.

“I wouldn’t know who else to turn to,” he said. “No one else knows.”

He waited, then added, “No one else understands.”

Ice shuffled the papers into a neat pile and placed them on his desk. He picked up one of the pens laid in straight rows in front of him and noted something down on a piece of paper. This paper got added to the pile with a paperclip and put back into the folder it came out of.

“Once I send this,” Ice said. “He’ll be rejected.”

Finally, he looked at him. His blue eyes were soft like the summer sky, the wrinkles forming around them lax.

“There’s no turning back once that’s done,” he lent forward, it almost seemed like he was going to reach out and take his hand. “Are you going to be alright after this?”

Mav stopped for a second. His eyes widened and his body froze. He wasn’t expecting that.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Even he didn’t believe that.

“I know how much Bradley means to you, and doing this, it will push him away,” he said the next line impossibly soft, like they were whispering in bed together and not sitting in a stuffy office. “I want you to be okay.”

Maverick gulped. He couldn’t reply, couldn’t because then he’d burst into tears. They hadn’t talked much after their fight, and by much he meant at all. The only time they’d talked in the last month was Ice calling him to say he’d been given access to Bradley’s papers.

“You know I will,” he sniffed and huffed out a fake laugh. “I always land on my feet, right?”

Ice sat back. A shade of disappointment crossed his face.

“Right.”

Maverick saw this as his cue to leave. The atmosphere around him was getting even thicker, you could cut it with a knife.

He had to get back to Bradley anyway. He was staying with his aunt over the winter break and Mav needed to be back in time for the new term to start. Taking care of Bradley had been the only thing that had stopped him after this sort-of-breakup.

Ice stopped Mav by holding onto his jacket. His face was earnest and heartfelt.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I-we both said things we didn’t mean, right?”

Mav nodded. He hoped he’d ask if they could start again, but to no avail. Ice nodded and his shoulders seemed to loosen where he sat. His hand let go of his sleeve as Maverick headed for the door.

“His graduation is on June 6th,” he said. “Thought you might want to be there.”

Iceman nodded, “I’ll make sure to.”

There was nothing left to say. So Mav turned around and walked out with little hope in his heart for the months to come. The clock was ticking, he was running out of time and he could already hear each second passing by.

~~~~ It was a bright early summer day. They’d had the ceremony, had the pictures and were now milling around on the sports field. Bradley was deep in conversation with Ice, who’d flown in especially from San Diego just for this. They’d gotten back on terms again. No dates or kisses but close enough that Mav could see them getting back together in their future.

Their plan had worked, he sounded so maniacal saying that, and Bradley’s letter had come back saying ‘Rejected’. He didn’t understand, of course, he’d had all the recommendations, had the perfect grades, was captain of the baseball team and hadn’t gotten into fights, apart from a few around Carole’s death but the principle was lenient on discipline for those. All Mav could say so far was that it was lucky he’d applied to other schools. He couldn’t tell him, not yet.

He overheard his and Ice’s conversation now.

“So, which school did you go with in the end?”

“Oh, Virginia,” Bradley said. “Political Science.”

“Interesting, well you’ll do excellent at anything you set your mind to, you know that, right?”

Bradley looked down at where he held his cap in his hands. He couldn’t tell if it was the memory of his and Mav’s fight that was making him awkward, or the sadness he still carried from being rejected from the Navy.

“Yeah,”

“And don’t get yourself too worked up about your application to the Naval Academy, okay? They rejected your Uncle Mav and look at how he turned out,” Ice glanced at Mav as he drifted by.

“I can still join OCS after college, though, right?” Bradley said. “I could’ve joined straight out of high school if I wanted but my guidance counsellor thought a break at college might help me rethink.”

“I think they’re probably right.”

Mav wandered off to the refreshments to get another drink. He’d have to tell him soon. He’d have to before he left for college because he wouldn’t have him going around thinkin he wasn’t worthy. This meant that this was probably his last day with Bradley, at least for a while. There was a chance he’d understand, that he wouldn’t cut him out of his life, but he knew deep down that was close to impossible.

Far off, he looked at Ice and Bradley again, standing much closer than before. Bradley was lent down close to Ice as he spoke in his ear. He couldn’t see Ice’s face from here, and was too far away to hear but by their stances he knew it was serious.

His stomach dropped. Ice wouldn’t tell Bradley for him, would he? What if he told him about Carole? He wouldn’t ruin everything he’d planned, right? Right?

Then Bradley stepped back. His brows furrowed as his eyes widened. Ice turned his gaze to the ground as Bradley’s head snapped to Mav. By the look in his eyes, he knew. Knew about Mav pulling his papers and knew he hadn’t told him yet. He looked ready to pounce as the confusion on his face swirled to anger.

Luckily, or unluckily, he was pulled away by one of his friend’s mums. Mav heard the clock in his mind stop. The alarms were going off as he hurried to his bike to head home. He wasn’t running, he told himself, he just needed a few moments to think of what to say.

He waited for over an hour for him to come back. He turned his tie in his hands and wished he and Carole had swapped places. She wouldn’t have messed everything up like he had. Bradley would still have someone alive to take care of him, he’d still have someone to trust.

The slam of the door told him who it was. He didn’t have to get up to know. He knew by the footsteps, by the creaks of the floorboards and the shuddering breaths in the air.

He forced himself to look up at Bradley and knew he’d run out of time.

~~~~

A car pulled up as dusk was falling. He only looked up out of some blind hope that it could be Bradley, that maybe he changed his mind and was coming back to him. No. That wasn’t his car. He should’ve known, some of the things he’d said, dear god, they hurt.

He knew Bradley didn’t blame him for his dad’s death but hearing him say those words cut deep. It cut even worse when he’d said Carole would’ve been ashamed. If only he knew, he couldn’t, but part of him wondered if it would’ve been easier to just tell him everything. But then all his work would’ve been for nothing.

Instead of Bradley, it was Ice. He walked simply over to him and joined him on the porch stairs. They didn’t speak for a while. They watched dusk fall below the trees, and the fireflies dance around the sky. Lights turned on in other people’s houses. Fireworks sparked in the distance as cars pulled into driveways.

“Are you going to say I told you so?” Mav said.

“No.”

He couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. A great sob left him as he shuddered down and collapsed over his bent legs. Ice went to grab him but Mav pushed him off. There was no rage in his heart, not like the last time he was here, but a gaping disappointment instead.

“Did you have to tell him?” He pleaded.

“It was already his graduation and he didn’t know,” Ice’s voice drifted off. “I wasn’t sure whether you were going to tell him.”

Mav scoffed, then sobbed again as he looked up at the stars, Bradley was probably doing the same. He wished he knew where he was to comfort him.

“I told you in our fight that I would,” he sniffed.

“I know, I know, I guess I just didn’t know whether to trust you.”

“I know this isn’t the best time but I wanted to make something clear, before I go back to San Diego,”

“And what’s that?”

“I think we should break up.”

Mav laughed, honest to god laughter, “Haven’t we already?”

Ice looked down as he made his way down the stairs. That may have been cruel of him. Ice just stood there like a kicked puppy, maybe he was hoping for a different answer.

“Okay, then, just wanted to make it clear,”

Mav wanted to say something snarky, something like “Or to rub salt in the wound”, but last time he’d let himself blab hadn’t turned out okay. He decided to restrain himself. He didn’t need something else to feel guilty about.

As Ice slowly made his way back to his car, it must be a rental, Mav stood up. There were still tears dripping down his face. A mushy feeling of guilt sat like a rock in his stomach. It probably wouldn’t move for a while.

“Have a safe flight,” he called.

“I will do, if you’re not flying the plane,” he called back.

Mav laughed a bit, so did Ice. But he knew one joke wouldn’t fix anything. He watched him drive away as nighttime set in. He was in for a long night.

~~~~

Five years. That was the last time he saw Iceman. Five whole years.

They flew by, though. After the tragedy of Bradley’s graduation, he was finishing his first year of the Naval Academy now meaning that all of Mav’s efforts had been in vain and he hadn’t stopped him flying at all, Mav had gone headfirst into missions.

He’d reconciled with Penny for a while, before pissing someone else off and getting sent to Iraq. Ice hadn’t helped him with that one, he hadn’t heard from him at all, in fact. He’d heard that he was now a full one-star Admiral, in charge of Top Gun which he found ironic in some kind of way, but nothing from the man himself.

That was until a week ago. Ice had access to most records if he asked nicely enough, and he knew that he always asked nicely, and found out that Mav was stationed somewhere in California as a test pilot. From there, he must have found his landline number and given him a call.

Mav had just come into the hangar, he still didn’t believe he lived in a hangar now but there you go, when the phone rang. To say he was overjoyed was an understatement. The only person he had in his life was his Warrant Officer, Bernie “Hondo” Coleman, but no one else. Bradley had sent the ashes of every card he sent back to him. And it had been radio silence from Ice, so to hear from after all these years had put a spark back in him that he’d known was missing.

He knew it may be foolish, but he couldn’t help but wonder why now? Why did he contact him now and not, say, when Bradley graduated college? Mav had been there, even if he got the cold shoulder each time. The part of him that still loved Ice, it hadn’t died like he thought it would, was jumping for joy and screaming that it was because he still loved him. And he couldn’t help but believe it.

That’s why he’d come all the way to San Diego on a Wednesday morning to have brunch. So he could see if they still had a chance. He didn’t want to sound too desperate but he hoped with all his heart that they still had a chance.

Then the door jingled as the man himself walked in. With someone else on his arm.

Who was that? He took them both in, waving albeit a bit confused, and tried to pinpoint her to no avail. She had dark blond hair in neat waves around her head, her brown eyes sparkled with a smile. Ice was linked with her, arm in arm. Mav noticed how close they were, hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder. They were close like they used to be, like they were when they were in love.

“Ice, it’s been a while,” he said, holding out his arms for a hug.

“It has, it has,” Ice said. “A bit too long if you ask me, all that fighting, well, I don’t think it was worth five years of silence, especially not with you going through such a hard time.”

Mav smiled. That was his Ice. The Ice that cared, the one that worked so hard to play by the rules because he knew that they were there to keep people from being hurt. This was his wingman, back again.

“Oh, I almost forgot-”

Ice pulled away from the hug and put his arm around the stranger, at least to Mav, next to him. There was something in the way he looked at her that rang alarm bells in his head. His hand held her waist so delicately, with so much care that it had to mean something. She held him back with just as much sincerity.

“Mav, this is Sarah, my fiancée,” Ice said.

Fiancée? No, no, no. Not fiancée. That would mean that Ice had moved on, and there was no chance for them. Why had he come here again? Why did he put his heart on the line for someone who had already broken it?

Alright, Mav, the voice in his head thought, it sounded just like Goose, it always did, you’re forty-five, not fifteen, hear the guy out.

“Fiancée, huh?”

“Yeah, he only proposed a month ago, it still doesn’t feel real,” Sarah said, with a completely normal amount of happiness in her voice that Mav still felt was completely unnecessary, like she was trying to hurt him more.

“Well, congratulations,” he managed to say.

“Thanks,” Ice said, “That’s what I reached out to you for.”

Mav felt his world shatter more than it already had. He had to nod and pretend that there definitely wasn’t a tornado destroying his insides at this very moment.

“Well, it’s great news, am I getting an invite or is this just to gloat?” He made a joke, somehow but his heart was breaking with every word.

“That’s kind of why I asked you to be here in person, not just on the phone or on an invite.” Ice smiled at Sarah, he could see the love in his eyes. “I came here to ask you to be one of my groomsmen.”

Groomsmen? He couldn’t just nod along in the crowds of people that there would no doubt be at this ceremony, Ice was a popular guy, but he had to stand up there with him and pretend that he was perfectly okay with it? What did he say? How could he say yes? How could he say no? Was there even a correct answer for this-

“Of course!” He heard himself say. “Anything for my wingman.”

Mav plastered on a smile as a server came their way and led them to a table. Ice and Sarah made all the subtle actions a loving couple made, ones he’d seen Goose and Carole do, ones he knew they’d done when they were together, all while his heart was breaking. Not for the first time, he wished it was Goose or Carole in his place, wished he could swap places and be in heaven for the day, although he knew he wasn’t going to heaven.

He gulped, he didn’t think he was going to get through this.

If you follow me, then you'll know this started as a post, then I basically live-blogged me writing this in a day. You heard that right, a day! I'm very impressed with myself!

There are some lines that I love: "A wolf in sheep’s clothing" "Prayed to a god he didn’t believe in" "It sounded like Goose, it always did"

Also the line "in the end she’d thought he was Goose" when Mav’s thinking about Carole's last days, is a reference to my fic 'Halfway to Heaven'. Give it a read if you like angst like this.

Thank you everyone who encouraged me writing this and thank you for reading!

Also thought I might tag the people who left comments on the original post and the liveblogging one because the response did give me a kick in the arse to write it (I'm also off work so that helped too lol): @vote-4-crow , @gracie81 , @saengak , @sliderkerner , @calkale , @vex-glitch , @aquwalawa , @misunderstood-with-ideas, @caveiratimida

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bqrneszn · 2 years ago

Text

─ : MASTERLIST + separated lists

( not created atm )

back to navi | *red : favs 2 write !

individual masterlist for each character.

★HARRY POTTER 9¾ ( MASTERLIST )

ft. harry potter, hermione granger, draco malfoy, fred weasley, george weasley, ron weasley, pansy parkinson, blaise zabini, luna lovegood, neville longbottom, theodore nott, enzo berkshire, mattheo riddle + poly !

★MARAUDERS ‽ ( MASTERLIST )

ft. marlene mckinnon, remus lupin, sirius black, james potter, lily evans, regulus black, tom riddle + poly !

★WEDNESDAY♣︎ ( MASTERLIST )

ft. wednesday addams, enid sinclair, tyler galpin, ajax petropolus, young! morticia addams, young! gomez addams + poly !

★TOP GUN ( 1986 ) ⁸⁶ ( MASTERLIST )

ft. tom 'iceman' kazansky, ron 'slider' kerner, young! pete 'maverick' mitchell, carole bradshaw, nick 'goose' bradshaw + poly !

★TOP GUN : MAVERICK ²² ( MASTERLIST )

ft. older! pete 'maverick' mitchell, bradley 'rooster' bradshaw, natasha 'phoenix' trace, jake 'hangman' seresin, beau 'cyclone' simpson, robert 'bob' floyd, reuben 'payback' fitch, javy 'coyote' machado, mickey 'fanboy' garcia, callie 'halo' bassett + poly !

★SCREAM♥︎ ( MASTERLIST )

ft. billy loomis, stu macher, dewey riley, tatum riley, randy meeks, sidney prescott, mickey altieri, derek feldman, roman bridger, jill roberts, amber freeman, chad meeks-martin, mindy meeks-martin, samantha carpenter, tara carpenter, anika kayoko, ethan landry, quinn bailey + poly !

★MCU ( MASTERLIST )

peter parker ( tom holland, tobey maguire && andrew garfield ), steve rogers, bucky barnes, natasha romanoff, miguel o’hara ( atsv ), miles morales + earth42! miles ( atsv / itsv ), gwen stacy ( atsv / itsv ), peter b parker ( atsv / itsv ), hobie brown ( atsv ), spider noir ( itsv ), pavitr prabhakar ( atsv ), moonknight ( steven grant + marc spector + jake lockley ), layla el-faouly, platonic! avengers, wanda maximoff, loki laufeyson, eddie brock + poly !

haven't fully explored !

★TVD // THE ORIGINALS ( MASTERLIST )

damon salvatore, stefan salvatore, elena gilbert, katherine pierce, niklaus mikaelson, rebekah mikaelson, elijah mikaelson

★MISC. ⅖ ( MASTERLIST )

yandere / oc's, vinny pazienza ( miles teller ), vanessa shelly

love letters

obx & others coming real soon i swear.

©bqrneszn , 2024 .

#📧 : navi !

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dhr-ao3 · 1 year ago

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Hymns of Influence

Hymns of Influence https://ift.tt/qpkVJXF by thebestintentions A Dramione Christmas Carol AU. Seven years post war. Scarred and shamed by his role during the war, Draco is cold, cruel, and relentless. Never again will he allow the world to see him as anything less than influential and powerful. That is, until one righteous witch endeavours to enlighten him and confront the parts of himself he’d rather ignore. All characters belong to JKR (what a wretch), and a ton of the plot is inspired by A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Words: 1466, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Lucius Malfoy Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Additional Tags: POV Draco Malfoy, Ghosts, Redemption, Post-War, will add more as this develops via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/IveYAUE November 15, 2023 at 03:59AM

#IFTTT #Dramione #Draco x Hermione

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brittasfan · 1 year ago

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Carole's got a cat.

#curious to know how her children and cat coped in the same space #was there scratches #carole parkinson #gavin featherly #series 4 #biggles tells a lie #the brittas empire

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ozkar-krapo · 1 year ago

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V/A

"Tellus #4"

(cassette. Tellus. 1984) [US]

youtube

#compilation #1984 #usa #contemporary #minimal #avant garde #piano #cassette #julius eastman #david weinstein #michael baron #paul dresher #carol parkinson #ellen fullman #john morton #david rosenboom

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twitchywoman · 6 months ago

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What is your favorite book about Parkinson's?

I am thrilled that the House has come together today to take a transformative step to fight Parkinson’s and atypical Parkinson’s which would save lives and give families like mine hope Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a form of atypical Parkinsonism First, the great news! This week, the Senate unamimously passed the National Plan to End…

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#Brian Grant #Carol Clupny #Dr. Maria de Leon #George Ackerman #Jon Palfreman #Kat Hill #Kristine Meldrum #Michael J Fox #Nancy Peate #The National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act (H.R.8585)#Tim Hague Sr #Tommy Burke

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notalkingbusiness · 2 years ago

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Carol & Daryl - Icons of the Apocalypse

Let’s start at the very beginning – do you know what “apocalypse” means?

Most people would probably say something like, “the end of the world” and that’s not wrong.

But it’s important to note that “apocalypse” doesn’t necessarily mean the end of everything. There’s got to be something left in a post-apocalyptic narrative – otherwise there’s no story to tell.

Let’s think about what apocalyptic narratives are all about.

According to Lois Parkinson Zamora (1989), apocalypse: “derives from the Greek apokálypsis, to uncover, reveal, disclose (the root is kalypto, to cover or conceal, and is familiar to us in the name of the nymph Calypso, who hides Odysseus for seven years)”. Apocalyptic stories are fundamentally concerned with uncovering or revealing and the best storylines in TWD stay true to this central theme: like how the apocalypse uncovered Carol’s strength and revealed Daryl’s softer side.

James Berger (1999) describes the apocalypse as a process that “burns and distils” – akin to a cleansing fire. This is interesting because Carol is repeatedly linked with a fire motif: she burned bodies in Season 4, she started a fire at Terminus, and burned Saviors alive in Seasons 6 and 9. And Carol references fire when she talks about her own journey from an abused housewife to a post-apocalyptic powerhouse:

“Who I was with him [Ed], she got burned away. And I was happy about that. I mean, not happy but . . . At the prison, I got to be who I always thought I should be, what I should’ve been. And then she got burned away. Everything now just consumes you.”

At this moment in time, every burning feels like another death. Every time Carol drops another facade (e.g., soccer mom, wolf, helpless woman in the slaughterhouse, queen, Commonwealth baker), she burns through another self. But the way I see it, each burning is like a cleansing fire and Carol’s getting closer to her real self each time. Every burning leads her closer to finally accepting her authentic self. Every burning brings her closer to achieving freedom and happiness with Daryl.

How does Daryl respond to Carol’s comments in Consumed?

He replies, “we ain’t ashes.”

Daryl’s response plays into another key component of apocalyptic convention as “the belief in a second chance underpins most apocalyptic thinking” (Maria Manuel Lisboa, 2011). Daryl doesn’t see Carol as depleted, or tainted, or beyond saving. There’s hope for her yet. And there’s hope for them to move forward together.

Hope is a word that comes up again and again with Caryl. They find hope in each other, and they inspire hope in viewers. And you know what? Apocalyptic narratives are all about hope. There are always some good people left and you see total strangers moved to kindness. The world may have altered beyond recognition, but it’s usually implied that there’s a better future ahead (it might just take a little while to get there).

Catherine Keller (2004) writes, “apocalypse transforms the object of fear into the site of hope”. And this is the thing that strikes me about Caryl – in a way, the apocalypse was the best thing that could have happened to them. The apocalypse allowed them to break free of their shackles, the apocalypse gave them a found family, the apocalypse made them become better versions of themselves. Most importantly of all, the apocalypse brought these two soulmates together. And Caryl have found hope, love, and comfort in one another from the first Cherokee Rose.

Carol and Daryl are icons of the apocalypse. They embody so much of what the genre is all about and that’s one of the things that makes their dynamic so compelling.

Caryl on!

#caryl

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newsiesjathrine · 1 year ago

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Part 2/2 of my completed masterlist

Chicago fire

Name

Portrayed by

Position

Seasons

Matthew Casey

Jesse Spencer

Lieutenant, Truck 81

Main[a]

Guest

Kelly Severide

Taylor Kinney

Lieutenant, Squad 3

Main

Gabriela Dawson

Monica Raymund

Paramedic in Charge, Firefighter

Main

Guest

Leslie Elizabeth Shay

Lauren German

Paramedic

Main

Guest

Peter Mills

Charlie Barnett

Firefighter, Paramedic

Main

Christopher Herrmann

David Eigenberg

Lieutenant, Engine 51

Main[b]

Dr. Hallie Thomas

Teri Reeves

Resident Physician

Main[b]

Wallace Boden

Eamonn Walker

Battalion Chief

Main

Brian "Otis" Zvonecek

Yuri Sardarov

Firefighter

Recurring

Main[c]

Randall "Mouch" McHolland

Christian Stolte

Firefighter

Recurring

Main

Joe Cruz

Joe Minoso

Firefighter, Engineer

Recurring

Main

Sylvie Brett

Kara Killmer

Paramedic

Main

Jessica "Chili" Chilton

Dora Madison

Paramedic

Guest

Main[d]

Jimmy Borelli

Steven R. McQueen

Firefighter Candidate, Paramedic

Main[e]

Stella Kidd

Miranda Rae Mayo

Firefighter, Engineer

Recurring

Main

Emily Foster

Annie Ilonzeh

Paramedic

Main

Blake Gallo

Alberto Rosende

Firefighter Candidate

Main[f]

Darren Ritter

Daniel Kyri

Firefighter Candidate

Recurring

Main

Gianna Mackey

Adriyan Rae

Paramedic

Main[g]

Violet Mikami

Hanako Greensmith

Paramedic

Some shows have one or multiple OCs like shameless and friends

House

Allison

Remy

Lisa

James

Once upon a time

Regina

emma

Ruby

Shameless

helene

Florence (oc)

Friends

Ross

Chandler

Monica

Rachel

Phoebe

Mike

Joey

Emily

Ben

Chandler

Leslie

Frank jr jr

Emma

Erica

Jack

Skylar

Amy

Austin

Jill

Elle

Emmett

Charlotte

Scott

Kate

Aaron

Carol

Susan

Elizabeth

Jack

William

Rose

Michell

Michael

Code black

Rox

Ariel

Ethan

Raza Jaffrey as Dr. Neal Hudson, an ER attending physician. A British-Indian former surgeon, his approach is quieter and more people-oriented, than his mentor Dr. Rorish. He connected with Christa during her first year of residency. In "Hail Mary", Hudson becomes a surgical attending, and is once again assigned to the ER (season 1).[7][8]

Bonnie Somerville as Dr. Christa Lorenson, a mature first-year resident. She was married with a son who died of brain cancer. Her experience and her divorce inspired her to attend medical school (season 1).[7]

Melanie Chandra as Dr. Malaya Pineda, a first-year resident (seasons 1–2). She went to medical school and did her internship at Angels Memorial, and is more familiar with the ER. She is a lesbian, who was once involved with a resident when she was a medical student.

William Allen Young as Dr. Rollie Guthrie, an ER attending physician with a very nurturing style; he takes Angus under his wing in his first days in the ER. Guthrie's wife committed suicide, a death that strained his relationship with his son, a surgeon. During season 2, Guthrie is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and undergoes corrective neurological surgery to delay the onset of symptoms. Guthrie had a daughter who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while Guthrie tried to save his son from a similar death.

Harry Ford as Dr. Angus Leighton, a first-year resident. His father is on the hospital board. He feels overshadowed by that and by the achievements of his older brother, a former resident, but slowly grows in confidence. In his second year he is encouraged to transfer and become a surgical resident.

Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dr. Mario Savetti, a first-year resident. He grew up poor and sees emergency medicine as his way out. He worked as a bartender before medical school.

Luis Guzmán as Jesse Salander, known as "Mama". A senior nurse who manages the residents, Jesse is tough but caring and supportive of the students. He and Dr. Rorish have a long-term, close friendship.

Boris Kodjoe as Dr. Will Campbell, Chief of Surgery. In season 2 he is assigned as the new Chief of the combined Surgery and Emergency medicine department in order to save costs, causing strife between him and Rorish. Campbell has a disabled daughter (season 2–3; recurring in season 1).

Jillian Murray as Dr. Heather Pinkney, a surgical resident who becomes involved with Mario.(season 2; recurring in season 1). He quickly ends it when he hears about her side relationship with Dr. Campbell. She gets in further trouble when it's revealed she's providing Angus with Adderall. When confronted by Campbell, she threatens to turn their past relationship into a sexual harassment case.

Noah Gray-Cabey as Elliot Dixon, a first-year resident in the ER (season 2-3).

Emily Tyra as Noa Kean, an ER resident and former dancer. She begins a relationship with Dr. Mario Savetti (season 3; recurring season 2)

Emily Alyn Lind as Ariel Braeden (season 3; guest seasons 1–2)

Shiri Appleby as Dr. Carla Niven, a former resident at Angels Memorial and Malaya's ex-girlfriend. She is diagnosed with leukemia while pregnant, and refuses treatment not wanting to harm the baby.

Christina Vidal as Dr. Gina Perello, the replacement Director of the Emergency Department at Angels Memorial, who takes over when Dr. Taylor is put on leave.

Gabrielle Carteris as Amy Wolowitz, R.N., a nurse in the Emergency Department.

Meagan Good as Dr. Grace Adams, returns to the ER after volunteering in Haiti. She is Dr. Neal Hudson's ex-girlfriend.

Season 2[edit]

Nafessa Williams as Charlotte Piel, a new first-year resident in the ER who was formerly a popular teenaged actress.

Kathleen Rose Perkins as Dr. Amanda Nolan, a psychiatrist at the hospital.

Season 3[edit]

Tyler Perez as Diego Avila, son of a hospital board member and a first-year resident. He drives the staff and patients crazy by filming them to make a documentary about the Angels ER.

Alex Lange as Max, a young cancer patient with whom Ariel strikes up a friendship, which turns into young love.

Rosewood

Morris Chestnut as Dr. Beaumont Darius Rosewood, Jr.[6]

Jaina Lee Ortiz as Det. Annalise Villa[6]

Gabrielle Dennis as Pippy Rosewood, Beaumont's sister[6]

Anna Konkle as Tara Milly Izikoff (TMI), Pippy's girlfriend/wife[6]

Domenick Lombardozzi as Captain/Detective Ira Hornstock[6]

Lorraine Toussaint as Donna Rosewood, Beaumont's mother[7]

Sam Huntington as Dr. Mitchie Mendelson (season 2; recurring, season 1)[8]

Eddie Cibrian as Captain Ryan Slade (season 2) [9]

Kamal Angelo Bolden as Ju-Ju

Andrea "Andy" Herrera

Jaina Lee Ortiz

Main

Dr. Benjamin "Ben" Warren

Jason George

Main

Jack Gibson

Grey Damon

Main

Victoria "Vic" Hughes

Barrett Doss

Main

Ryan Tanner

Alberto Frezza

Main

Recurring

Travis Montgomery

Jay Hayden

Main

Dean Miller

Okieriete Onaodowan

Main[b]

Maya DeLuca-Bishop

Danielle Savre

Main

Pruitt Herrera

Miguel Sandoval

Main

Guest

Robert Sullivan

Boris Kodjoe

Main[c]

Dr. Carina DeLuca-Bishop

Stefania Spampinato

Recurring

Main

Theo Ruiz

Carlos Miranda

Recurring

Main

Sean Beckett

Josh Randall

Recurring

Main

Natasha Ross

Merle Dandridge

Recurring

Main

Michael Dixon

Pat Healy

Recurring

Guest

Main

Molly

Pruitt

Pruitt Arike Miller

Anthony Edwards

Mark Greene

S [a]

George Clooney

Doug Ross

S.G

S [a]

Sherry Stringfield

Susan Lewis

S [a]

Noah Wyle

John Carter

S [a]

Julianna Margulies

Carol Hathaway

S [a]

Eriq La Salle

Peter Benton

S [a]

Gloria Reuben

Jeanie Boulet

S.G

Laura Innes

Kerry Weaver

S [a]

Maria Bello

Anna Del Amico

Alex Kingston

Elizabeth Corday

S [a]

Kellie Martin

Lucy Knight

Paul McCrane

Robert Romano

S.G

Goran Visnjic

Luka Kovač

S.G

Michael Michele

Cleo Finch

Erik Palladino

Dave Malucci

Ming-Na Wen

Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen

Maura Tierney

Abby Lockhart

Sharif Atkins

Michael Gallant

S.G

Mekhi Phifer

Greg Pratt

S.G

Parminder Nagra

Neela Rasgotra

Linda Cardellini

Sam Taggart

Shane West

Ray Barnett

Scott Grimes

Archie Morris

John Stamos

Tony Gates

David Lyons

Simon Brenner

Angela Bassett

Catherine Banfield

Greys anatomy

Maredith

Derek

Izzie

Alex

Amelia

Christina

Maggie

Zola

Teddy

Callie

Arizona

Addison

Lexie

April

Miranda

Rebecca

Erica

Sadie

Stephanie

Megan

Leah

Nicole

Eliza

Penelope

Heather

Tara

Catherine

Simone

Jules

Virgina

Margret

Lucy

Nicole

Sydney

Graciela

Megan

Laura

Heather

Sam

Dahlia

katherine

Private Practice

Kate Walsh

Addison Montgomery

Main

Tim Daly

Pete Wilder

Main

Audra McDonald[a]

Naomi Bennett

Main

Guest

Paul Adelstein

Cooper Freedman

Main

KaDee Strickland

Charlotte King

Main

Chris Lowell

William "Dell" Parker

Main

Taye Diggs

Sam Bennett

Main

Amy Brenneman

Violet Turner

Main

Brian Benben

Sheldon Wallace

Recurring

Also starring[b]

Main

Caterina Scorsone

Amelia Shepherd

Recurring

Main

Benjamin Bratt

Jake Reilly

Guest

Main

Griffin Gluck

Mason Warner

Books

lizzie

william

jane

edward

beth

benny

anne

fredrick

molly

richard

charlotte

sydney

allison

lucas

emma watson

mr. howard

catherine

henry

marianne

brandon

brach

amy

laurie

laura

amazo

margret

john

fanny

edmound

elinor

edward

anne

gilbert

annabeth

percy

wendy

peter

jay

daisy

nick

jordan

elizabeth

margret

elizabeth

peter

susan

anne

susan

jackson

anne

ellie

anne

ross

meg

beth

ellie

meg

riker

carrie

grace

anne

carrie

saun

laura

nellie

cora

laura

cole

sophia

katherine and michael

sophia

dylan

sebastion and maggie

penelope

carter

amira and martian

margret

milo

enzo and ansley

anne

andrew

honeymoon

ellie

leo

cara and foster

island

beth

micah

elodie and cody

island

grace

george

faye and zack

england

emma and atlas

nellie

connor

nova and kalen

anne and william

laney and michael

lydia

authour

cynthia

penelope

april rose

mara

bing

brandon

marcus

frank

lalani

frank

mary

caroline

jane

maria

sam

jackson

jolene

ricky

leila

charlotte

finn

annette

emma

alex

fitz

kitty

charles

matt

izzy

jhon

james

mrs reynolds

ricky

jim

mike

harriet

bobby

ryan

catherine

ausin

townes

annie

maddy

sam

vasily

jane

naveen

gigi

#chicago fire #one chicago #house #friends #code black #shameless #ouat #legally blonde #rosewood #err tv show #station 19 #errtvshows1994 #greys anatomy #private practice #books & libraries #television #writing #musicals

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