#Phoenix camera crew

[itwillbethescarletwitch]

Could’ve Had Anyone 

famous!actress!reader x bob floyd

The San Diego sun had the audacity to shine even brighter when she stepped out of the black SUV.

It wasn’t just that she was famous.

She was her.

The most photographed, most admired, most untouchably glamorous woman in the world. The kind of woman whose name alone could crash a website. Whose face hung in art museums and teenage boys’ lockers alike. She didn’t just walk onto the Top Gun tarmac—she graced it.

Sleek sunglasses. Designer boots. Wind-swept hair. A presence that made grown men stand straighter and forget their own names.

“Holy shit,” Hangman breathed. “It’s really her.”

“No kidding,” Rooster muttered. “Try not to pass out.”

“She’s even prettier in person,” Phoenix said, and she meant it.

And yet, when she reached Admiral Simpson, her smile was warm. Her handshake was polite, eyes steady, voice kind. She thanked everyone for the tour. She complimented the weather, said the jets looked incredible, asked real questions about the training program. For someone worth billions, she was shockingly… normal. Nice, even.

She took pictures with everyone—every pilot, every crew member, every starstruck staffer on the runway. She laughed with Fanboy. Complimented Halo’s braids. Teased Payback about trying to sneak in two photos.

And then she paused.

Eyes scanning the group again, like she was looking for someone.

Then, pointing just past the main huddle, she smiled.

“Who’s that cutie patootie over there?”

Every head turned.

Bob, who had been standing half-behind a jet wing, blinked in confusion.

“Me?” he squeaked, touching his chest like she couldn’t possibly mean him.

She nodded and beamed at him. “Mmhmm! Hi!”

She walked over like she had all the time in the world—no rush, no pressure—and when she stopped in front of him, she took off her sunglasses and stuck out her hand.

“Hi,” she said, sweet and sunny. “My name’s Y/N L/N. It’s so, so nice to meet you.”

Bob’s mouth opened and closed a few times.

“I—I’m Bob. Lieutenant Robert Floyd. It’s—um—it’s nice to meet you too, ma’am—I mean—not ma’am, I just—”

She laughed softly and shook his hand. “Bob. I love that. You’re adorable.”

He looked like his entire brain just shut off.

“I’ve been meeting so many people,” she said, still holding his gaze. “Would you mind taking a photo with me?”

His eyes went wide. “With—me?”

She leaned in slightly, teasing. “Well, you are the cutie patootie, aren’t you?”

Phoenix absolutely lost it behind him.

“Y-Yes,” Bob said quickly. “I mean, sure! Of course! Yes.”

She handed her phone off to someone nearby and stepped beside him, slipping her arm through his like they’d done this a hundred times. “Ready?”

Bob didn’t know how to be ready for any of this. But the camera flashed, and she smiled up at him again.

“Thank you,” she said softly, like he’d just made her whole day. “You were the highlight of my visit.”

And just like that, she let go, gave him one last smile, and turned to walk back toward the group.

Bob stood frozen in place, flushed from his neck to his ears, still holding his helmet like it might float away.

Hangman clapped him on the back. “The Y/N L/N just called you a cutie patootie and took a solo picture with you. You better laminate that memory, Floyd.”

“I think I blacked out,” Bob muttered.

Phoenix leaned in, grinning. “If you don’t ask her out the next time she visits, I will.”

Rooster snorted. “Like hell you will. I’m still recovering.”

Bob adjusted his glasses with trembling fingers. “Is this real life?”

Fanboy pulled out his phone. “Buddy, the whole thing’s on video. You’re gonna be a meme by tonight.”

———

“America’s Sweetheart & Her Navy Sweetheart”

“Are we sure you want this one?”

Delaney—assistant, social media manager, therapist in crisis—tilted her head at the phone screen.

The photo was perfect.

Y/N looked radiant, obviously. But it was the guy beside her—tall, glasses slightly crooked, blushing like a Victorian debutante—that made the shot so unexpectedly adorable.

The world had seen her with presidents. With Oscar winners. With the Met Gala’s best-dressed. But no one had ever seen her like this.

Smiling softly. Relaxed. Standing next to someone who clearly had no idea how famous she was—or didn’t care.

“He’s so cute,” Y/N murmured, sipping from her iced coffee, sunglasses perched atop her head. She was scrolling through the pictures again like she hadn’t already hearted every single one.

Delaney stared. “You really want to post it?”

“I really do,” Y/N said, brightening.

“Caption?”

Y/N grinned.

Delaney’s eyes narrowed. “You already thought of one, didn’t you?”

Y/N said nothing. Just passed her a post-it.

Delaney read it once. Blinked. Then grinned like a devil.

⸻

@yourusername

📍Top Gun Naval Program

✨found my wingman✨

📸: @delaneydoesit

⸻

It took six minutes for the photo to hit one million likes. Ten minutes before #cutiepatootie trended on Twitter. By lunch, “Bob from the Navy” had a dedicated fan account and trending TikTok audio.

Y/N pretended not to notice.

She was lounging in her dressing room, reading scripts, but her phone buzzed every few seconds with a new mention. Every gossip site was foaming at the mouth. Paparazzi were now camped outside the base—looking for him.

“America’s Sweetheart Gets Starry-Eyed Over Navy Boy.”

“Who is Bob from Top Gun??”

“She Can Have Anyone—and She Picked This Guy?!”

Delaney popped back in with a smoothie and the numbers. “We’ve got 47 million views across platforms and about sixteen thousand girls crying over Bob’s blush.”

Y/N looked pleased. “Good for them.”

“You planning on going back there?”

She didn’t answer right away.

But then, with a coy smile and a glance toward the corner of the room—where Bob’s photo now lived quietly on her vanity—she said:

“I might have left something behind.”

————

Bob didn’t even make it through the hangar doors before he got tackled by a wave of phones.

“BOB. BRO. BOB. YOU’RE FAMOUS.”

“Have you seen Twitter?! You’re a meme now!”

Phoenix shoved a phone into his face. On the screen was a screengrab of the photo—the photo—captioned in Comic Sans:

“me when my celebrity crush notices me and I forget how to speak English 😍”

Bob blinked. “Is that… me?”

“You’re on TMZ,” Rooster called from across the room. “Twice.”

Hangman was grinning like the cat that ate the golden retriever. “My guy. You broke the internet. You broke it.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Bob muttered, cheeks already burning. “She just asked for a photo—”

“SHE POSTED IT,” Fanboy yelled, pointing at the giant screen someone had wheeled in. “With the caption ‘found my wingman,’ Bob! Her wingman!”

Payback looked personally offended. “I’ve been trying to go viral for years. This man just blushed and now he’s the Navy’s newest sex symbol.”

Bob pinched the bridge of his nose. “I—I’m not—”

“Shh,” Phoenix said, holding up her hand dramatically. “Wingman of the Year is speaking.”

“Guys—”

“No, seriously,” Rooster said, laughing, “what does it feel like to be America’s Boyfriend?”

“I’m gonna throw up,” Bob said earnestly.

Just then, Cyclone’s voice boomed from the hallway.

“Lieutenant Floyd.”

Everyone froze.

Bob straightened like he was about to be court-martialed.

“Yes, sir?”

Cyclone appeared, holding up a tablet with the photo in question still open on screen. “Would you care to explain why the Department of Defense is getting press requests for your dating history?”

Bob blinked. “I… I wouldn’t?”

Cyclone sighed, muttered something about “celebrities and chaos,” and walked off. But not before he added, “Tell her thanks for the recruiting spike.”

Everyone erupted again.

“She made you the poster boy for patriotism!” Fanboy whooped. “They’re calling you ‘Top Gun’s golden retriever boyfriend’ on TikTok!”

Bob buried his face in his hands. “This is a nightmare.”

Phoenix patted his back. “It’s a fairytale, sweetie. And she picked you.”

Bob peeked through his fingers. “Do you think… she was serious? About me being the highlight of her visit?”

Hangman, for once, didn’t joke.

“She could’ve taken a picture with anyone,” he said, voice unusually soft. “And she chose you. That means something.”

Bob blinked.

Then his phone buzzed. Again.

And when he looked down, his heart stopped.

A DM. From her.

Y/N L/N:

Hey, cutie patootie. Any chance I can come back for that second photo? 😉

Bob let out a noise that could only be described as a strangled squeak.

“Everything okay?” Phoenix asked.

He looked up. “She wants to come back.”

And just like that—chaos erupted again.

————

Bob had checked his reflection eight times before she arrived.

Phoenix had to physically take his glasses off his face to clean them herself. “Bob,” she said, “you’re fogging these up with your panic.”

“I’m not panicking,” he said, panicking.

“You’re wearing cologne.”

“It’s just—I thought I’d try something new.”

Rooster smirked. “It’s giving: ‘I’m calm, cool, and collected while my celebrity crush returns to base to maybe fall in love with me.’”

Hangman leaned against the lockers. “It’s giving: ‘he practiced what he’d say in the mirror all morning and he’s gonna forget every word the second she smiles.’”

“Thanks, guys,” Bob muttered, already red.

Then the hangar doors opened.

And she stepped through.

Y/N L/N. The Y/N L/N. Actress. Icon. Billionaire. Dressed casually like the cameras weren’t following her every move online. But what hit Bob the hardest wasn’t the press or the way the whole hangar paused just to look at her—it was the way she beelined straight for him.

Like she was looking for him.

“There you are,” she said with a grin. “Hi, Bob.”

The way she said his name—sweet and familiar, like she’d been thinking about it—nearly sent him to the floor.

“Hi,” he croaked.

She smiled brighter. “I wasn’t sure if I’d get to see you today, but I’m really glad you’re here.”

“I—I work here.”

Y/N giggled, and Bob blinked like a deer in headlights.

“You’re so cute,” she whispered, like it wasn’t going to set off every alarm in his brain.

Phoenix watched it unfold with her arms crossed and a smug grin. “We’ve been saying.”

“Oh!” Y/N turned to the others. “You’re his squad, right? You all were so sweet last time.”

Rooster elbowed Bob. “We’ve got a good one here.”

“He’s our best guy,” Fanboy added. “Smartest in the air. Saved my ass twice.”

“Three times,” Payback corrected.

Hangman chimed in, half-teasing: “Don’t let the glasses fool you—guy’s got a heart of gold and he’s low-key the funniest one here.”

Bob, mortified, ducked his head. “They’re exaggerating.”

But Y/N wasn’t listening to them anymore. Her eyes were already locked back on Bob.

“You’re kind of a hero,” she said with a soft little shrug, like it wasn’t a big deal—but it was.

“I—I wouldn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to,” she smiled. “They already did.”

Then she caught sight of a jet behind him and gasped. “Is that yours?”

Her hand reached out instinctively—like she forgot about the cameras, the audience, all of it—and wrapped gently around his arm.

“Oh my God, is that the one you flew in? That’s so cool—can I see inside?”

Bob might’ve blacked out for a second.

“You wanna see my jet?” he said, dumbly.

“I mean, yeah,” she beamed. “I came back to visit you—and, okay, maybe the plane too.”

She was still holding his arm.

“Tell me everything,” she said, leaning in. “Like—what you do in there, how it works. Please. I’m so curious.”

Phoenix whispered, “Breathe, Bob.”

Rooster added, “This is the best day of my life.”

Bob swallowed hard. “I—I sit in the back. I’m the weapons systems officer. I help the pilot navigate, track targets, communicate with command. I—uh—I read a lot of maps.”

Y/N looked at him like he’d just recited Shakespeare.

“I love smart guys,” she said softly. “You’re just full of surprises, huh?”

Then she grinned. “Show me how it all works?”

Bob blinked. “I—y-yeah. Yeah, I can show you.”

And the second he helped her climb up the ladder into his jet, the rest of the squad turned around like we are NOT watching this man fall in love from five feet away.

She actually climbed in.

Like, willingly. With a bright-eyed smile and a soft little “Oop!” as Bob offered her a hand and helped her settle into his seat—his seat, the one no one but him ever sat in—and now she was swiveling her head around like this was the most exciting thing in the entire world.

“Oh my God,” Y/N whispered, running her fingers over the side console, wide-eyed and glowing. “This is insane. I don’t even know what I’m looking at but I love it.”

Bob climbed in behind her, carefully easing into the front seat. His hands shook a little as he adjusted the straps of his harness—not because he was nervous, but because she was in his jet. Y/N L/N was literally sitting in the space he spent most of his life in, looking like she belonged there, like she might never want to leave.

“You sit back here?” she asked, pointing to the panel of screens and buttons in front of her.

“Yeah,” Bob said. “I—I manage all the tech. Radar, targeting systems, communication. Kind of like the guy behind the guy.”

She looked up, clearly impressed. “That sounds like a lot.”

“It is,” he admitted. “But I like it. It’s… it feels like where I’m supposed to be.”

Y/N smiled, this kind of soft, private smile—like she liked that answer way more than he meant her to. “That’s really cool.”

She looked at the helmet tucked beside his seat. Gently, she reached for it. “Can I…?”

“Oh! Um—yeah, of course,” Bob said quickly. “It might be a little big—”

He didn’t even finish the sentence before she was pulling it over her head with both hands and giggling as it sank just a little too far down her face.

“How do I look?”

Bob’s voice died in his throat.

“Perfect,” he said quietly.

Y/N pushed the visor up and blinked at him, and Bob almost forgot how to breathe again.

“I don’t get it,” she said after a beat, setting the helmet in her lap. “How are you not married? Or dating someone? Or at the very least, mobbed every time you walk outside?”

Bob flushed so hard he felt it in his scalp. “I—I don’t think people really notice me.”

“I notice you,” she said plainly, like it was a fact. “You’re thoughtful. Sweet. You have kind eyes. And you saved your friend’s life. You don’t think people notice, but I think you just don’t realize how worth noticing you are.”

Bob blinked. Stared. Tried not to pass out.

She smiled. “You’re blushing.”

“I—I’m always blushing,” he said faintly.

Y/N reached out, brushing her fingers gently against the sleeve of his flight suit. “I like it.”

And then—God—she just… rested her hand there. Like it was natural. Like it belonged. Like she wasn’t the most famous woman on Earth holding onto a guy who’d spent his whole life learning how to stay small.

Bob didn’t say anything.

He couldn’t.

Because her thumb was gently brushing across the patch on his arm.

And she was looking at him—really looking. Like he was someone she’d been waiting to find.

“Is it okay,” she asked gently, “if I take a picture in here?”

Bob blinked, startled. “Of course—I mean, yeah. Yeah, that’s totally fine.”

Y/N gave him a grateful smile and pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. “I won’t post anything classified. Promise.”

He laughed under his breath. “You’re probably more careful than half the people who actually work here.”

She leaned back against the seat and angled the camera just right, catching her reflection in the canopy glass with all the panels glowing softly around her. A quick click. Then another. She turned slightly toward him.

“Do you mind getting one with me?”

Bob froze.

“In here, I mean,” she added quickly. “We don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable—”

“No!” he said a little too fast. “I mean—no, I don’t mind. Not at all.”

Y/N smiled like he just handed her the moon. “Okay, come here.”

He leaned back slightly, trying to get into the frame behind her without knocking anything important. The proximity alone nearly did him in—her shoulder brushing his chest, her phone held high between them, her perfume subtly filling the small space of the cockpit.

She angled the phone, checked the lighting, then whispered, “Smile.”

He did.

God help him, he did.

Click.

She glanced down at the picture and beamed. “This one’s my favorite.”

Bob didn’t even ask to see it. Just knowing he was her favorite anythingmade his head spin.

The rest of the visit flew by in a haze. She climbed down from the jet with his help—thanked him again, touched his arm again, asked the others about the air show schedule, then got whisked away to meet with the base commander for a quick tour. She hugged Phoenix on her way out. Promised she’d be back soon.

But just before she disappeared around the corner, she glanced back at Bob—gave him a little wave. Just for him.

And smiled.

Bob stood there long after she was gone, helmet still tucked under his arm, lips parted like he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.

Phoenix came to stand beside him, arms crossed.

“Hey, loverboy,” she said. “You might wanna check your phone.”

He blinked down, startled—and saw that he already had seven missed messages. Three missed calls. Two voicemails.

Because Y/N’s assistant had posted.

⸻

📸 @delaneydoesit

✈️💋 “backseat beauty and the brains that fly it”

#TopGun #YNLN #BobNation #betterthanmaverick #callmeMrsFloyd

The post featured three pictures:

1. Y/N alone in the cockpit, head tilted playfully, sunglasses on, the helmet in her lap.

2. A shot of her and Bob together in the plane, his glasses slightly crooked, both of them smiling like they’d won the lottery.

3. A blurry candid of him helping her down from the ladder, one hand holding hers, the other steady at her waist.

The comments were already blowing up:

@selenagomez: oh she’s in love.

@pilotwivesunite: WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE WENT BACK FOR HIM

@aviationfan69: bob is all of us. we are bob. bob is america.

@ynlnupdates: can confirm she did say “he’s the cutest” out loud in front of everyone

@roosterdaddy: as a pilot and a man, I salute you, Bob.

⸻

Bob didn’t say anything.

Didn’t even look up from the screen.

Phoenix patted his back, amused. “You’re a national treasure now, baby. You better start practicing your red carpet smile.”

He was already blushing.

And somewhere across the base, Y/N was laughing as her assistant read the comments out loud, heart full, cheeks warm, and only one name echoing in her head:

Bob.

———

The hangar was quiet. Late afternoon light spilled through the high windows, casting golden stripes across the floor. Most of the squad had cleared out, letting the adrenaline of the day wear off in the locker rooms or the parking lot.

But Bob was still here. Still trying to breathe normally.

Because she was still here too.

Y/N lingered by the nose of the plane, running her fingers along the cool metal with a curious little smile, her assistant off somewhere taking calls. Her hair was up now, sunglasses on her head, and she looked impossibly cool even while doing absolutely nothing.

Bob didn’t realize he was staring until she turned.

And walked straight up to him.

“Hey,” she said softly, smiling like they were old friends. “I was hoping I’d catch you before I left.”

He blinked, managing a nod. “Y-Yeah. Still here.”

She tilted her head. “I was wondering if… it would be okay if I got your number?”

Bob stared.

Not because he didn’t hear her—but because every nerve in his body just lit up.

“My number?” he repeated, voice slightly cracked.

She nodded with a soft laugh. “You don’t have to say yes. I just— I’d like to talk again. If that’s okay.”

“Y-Yeah,” he said quickly, fumbling for his phone. “I mean—yes. Please. Of course.”

She handed him hers without hesitation.

He typed it in carefully, checking it twice. Then handed it back.

Y/N looked at the screen. “Bob Floyd,” she read aloud, smiling softly. “I’ll text you.”

He tried not to look as stunned as he felt. “Okay.”

She lingered for half a beat longer, then gave him the gentlest touch on the arm.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For everything today.”

And just like that—she was gone.

⸻

Two weeks passed.

No text.

No call.

No new post with his name anywhere.

At first, Bob kept checking. A dozen times a day. Every buzz in his pocket made his chest jump. But as days turned to a week—and then another—he stopped.

He just… stopped hoping.

She’s a billionaire, he reminded himself. She travels constantly. She probably forgot. Or changed her mind. Or—

Or it was just a sweet moment to her. Not… not something real.

He never said anything out loud. Just kept his head down, flew his drills, smiled politely when Hangman joked about his “Hollywood girlfriend.”

But inside?

He felt like he’d dreamed the whole thing up.

⸻

Until one night.

Bob was lying on his couch, glasses slipping down his nose, a rerun humming softly on the TV, when his phone lit up.

Unknown Number:

Hi Bob. It’s Y/N. I’m so, so sorry it took me this long to text you. Please don’t think I forgot. I’ve been to five countries in two weeks—Australia, Japan, Glasgow, New York, and now finally San Diego again.

I’ve been thinking about you this whole time.

Can I take you to dinner?

He read it twice.

Three times.

Then let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

His fingers hovered above the screen.

Then, finally—

Bob:

You had me worried.

A minute passed.

Then:

Y/N:

I know. I’m sorry.

Let me make it up to you?

And just like that…

Hope came roaring back.

———

Bob had never gotten dressed so slowly and so nervously in his life.

He changed shirts three times.

Debated cologne.

Put on a jacket, took it off. Put it on again.

He even cleaned his glasses twice, just in case. Because Y/N L/N—the most famous woman on the planet—texted him and said, Can I take you to dinner? Like it was the most normal thing in the world.

It wasn’t.

And it definitely wasn’t normal when she sent the location with a simple:

“Come hungry :)”

When he pulled up, Bob did a double take.

It was Joe’s Diner. A little 24-hour joint he knew well. Kind of rundown, all-day breakfast, the kind of place you could get pancakes and a cheeseburger at the same time. Local favorite.

But tonight?

The neon sign was glowing—and every booth was empty.

Except one.

Right in the corner.

With her.

She was already seated, sipping a milkshake with a red-and-white straw, grinning when she saw him through the glass.

Bob walked in slowly, trying not to trip over his own feet. “Hey…”

“Hi!” she said brightly, standing to greet him. She looked insane. Like she just stepped off a magazine cover—jeans, heels, a tight black top and diamonds like they were casual. Hair loose. Smile soft.

And still—somehow—completely down to earth.

“I hope this isn’t too much,” she said, biting her lip. “I tried to pick somewhere low-key. But when I got here it was packed and I got nervous and I kind of… rented the whole place out.”

“You what?”

She cringed playfully. “It was just a little panic move. I didn’t want people filming or asking for pictures while we were catching up, and I—I tipped!” she added quickly. “A lot! And I gave everyone working tonight $500 each. Just as a thank-you for letting me be a drama queen.”

Bob blinked.

“You rented out a diner… to get pancakes with me?”

She smiled. “Yeah. I missed you.”

He swallowed. “That’s… really nice.”

“You’re really nice.”

She sat back down, gesturing for him to slide in across from her. “I hope you like breakfast for dinner.”

“I do,” he said as he sat, heart pounding in his ears.

“Good,” she grinned. “I already ordered. I got waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns… and a milkshake.”

He blinked. “All that for you?”

“No,” she laughed, nudging his foot under the table. “For us.”

⸻

The food came fast—heaping plates of breakfast heaven—and Bob couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to her. Like nothing had changed. Like the weeks apart hadn’t happened. Like he wasn’t sitting across from the most beautiful, famous woman in the world while she poured syrup like a child and kicked her heel against his under the table.

She asked about his flights. His callsign. His favorite movie. If he liked dogs or cats. If he’d ever been to France.

And when he turned the questions on her, she answered just as openly.

Her eyes sparkled when she laughed. And Bob couldn’t stop smiling. Not once.

By the time they were finishing their second milkshake—sharing it this time—Bob didn’t want the night to end.

Neither did she.

Outside the diner, the night air was cool and quiet—except for the low murmur of four very serious-looking bodyguards stationed at every possible entrance and exit.

They stood at full attention, one by the curb, two by the diner’s double doors, and one tailing discreetly behind as she walked with Bob to his car.

Bob had never felt so… important. Or awkward. Mostly awkward.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying not to look like he was floating on air.

“I had a really, really great time tonight,” she said softly, slowing her steps as they reached his car.

Bob nodded quickly. “Me too. I… yeah. It was amazing. The waffles, and the shake, and you—uh, not that you’re—no, I mean—you’re amazing, I just meant the diner—the night was amazing, with you, and—”

Y/N giggled, cutting off his ramble with a gentle touch to his forearm. “Bob,” she said, and he shut up immediately. “Can I…?”

Before he could ask what she meant, she leaned up and pressed the softest kiss to his cheek.

Bob went rigid.

She pulled back just a few inches and blinked at him, shy for the first time tonight. “Was that okay?” she asked, suddenly unsure. “I—I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. That might’ve been—”

“That was more than fine,” Bob blurted out.

Her smile bloomed slow and warm. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

She paused. Tilted her head.

“…What if I actually kissed you?”

Bob blinked. Then swallowed. “Like… kiss kissed?”

She nodded.

“Oh my God please.”

She laughed—full and sweet—and before he could process it, she leaned in again, this time meeting his lips with hers.

It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t too much. It was… perfect. A little hesitant at first, then deeper when Bob finally remembered how to move. His hands hovered at her waist, not quite touching, until she pulled him just a little closer by the lapel of his jacket.

One of the bodyguards cleared his throat.

They pulled back, breathless.

She looked up at him through her lashes, smile dizzy and sure. “Now that’smore than fine.”

Bob was red. Like full-blown scarlet. But he was smiling, too.

“Should I… text you again?” she asked.

Bob nodded quickly. “Please.”

“I’ll try not to wait another two weeks.”

“I’ll survive,” he promised, and meant it a little too much.

She kissed him once more on the cheek for good measure before her security detail politely reminded her it was time to go.

But Bob stood by his car, lips tingling, heart thrumming, eyes locked on her retreating figure like he’d just watched a miracle walk into the night.

Because maybe he had.

———

Bob walked into the hangar the next morning like he’d just discovered heaven. Or touched it. Or made out with it behind a classic 1950s diner while four bodyguards pretended not to look.

He had that kind of dazed, floaty, not quite all the way here look about him. Hair tousled. Coffee half-sipped. Smiling to himself like an idiot.

And the squad? Oh, they noticed.

Phoenix clocked it the second he walked in. “No. No way.”

Payback leaned over. “Bro. What is that face?”

Bob blinked, snapped halfway back to earth. “What? What face?”

“You’re grinning,” Fanboy said, pointing. “You never grin. You… barely smile. You smirk at best.”

Rooster walked by with a protein bar and raised a brow. “Did you get laid?”

“Bradley!” Phoenix hissed.

Bob choked on air. “No! I—God, no! I mean—not no, I just—wow, what?!”

Phoenix crossed her arms and smirked. “Okay, so not laid. But something happened.”

Bob’s ears were already going pink. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh, it’s a huge deal,” Payback grinned. “You haven’t even taken your backpack off. You’ve just been standing there smiling at the floor like a golden retriever in love.”

Fanboy leaned in. “Tell us.”

Bob hesitated. Bit the inside of his cheek. Then—

“She kissed me.”

“OH—”

It was like a bomb went off.

“NO. NO WAY.” Rooster shouted.

Phoenix straight-up slapped his arm. “You’re lying!”

Bob held up his hands. “Swear to God. At the diner.”

“She kissed you?” Payback repeated.

Bob’s smile got a little dreamy again. “Yeah.”

Fanboy let out a slow whistle. “On the cheek or…?”

Bob didn’t answer.

“Oh my god,” Phoenix whispered. “You got kissed kissed.”

He nodded.

“You got kissed,” Rooster said, pointing dramatically. “You got full-on superstar, movie-premiere, Hollywood-kiss kissed.”

Phoenix looked ready to explode. “Okay, so when’s the wedding?”

Fanboy gasped. “Did she post again?!”

Everyone immediately whipped their phones out, and sure enough—

@ynln

📍San Diego

🎬 had to see my pilot again before flying out to shoot the next movie 🤭💋

[photo of her in the cockpit next to Bob, hand on his shoulder, both of them beaming — and Bob? Blushing like hell]

And then the caption below the pic:

@ynln:

also, someone tell lieutenant floyd that i’m gonna marry him if he keeps being this cute

Rooster screamed. Phoenix looked like she was going to pass out. Fanboy started pacing in a circle with his hands on his head. Even Payback was speechless.

Bob stood there, stunned silent, staring at the screen.

Phoenix grabbed his arm. “She posted that? About you?!”

Bob nodded faintly, barely breathing.

Fanboy turned to him, deadly serious. “Do you know what this means?”

Bob blinked. “That… she likes me?”

“That you’re America’s Boyfriend now,” Fanboy said. “And also maybe her future husband.”

Payback grinned. “How’s it feel to be the luckiest man alive?”

Bob, still dazed, just whispered: “Unreal.”

———

Bob was pretty sure he was dreaming when the email showed up in his inbox.

Subject: 🎬 You’re Cordially Invited

From: Y/N’s personal assistant

Ms. Y/N L/N formally invites Lieutenant Robert Floyd and members of the Top Gun program to attend the official U.S. premiere of her upcoming film “Starlight Syndrome” in Los Angeles, California. Transportation will be arranged. Tuxedos required. Press will be present. Photos encouraged. Please RSVP within 48 hours.

Phoenix screamed when she found out. Literally screamed. Rooster nearly choked on his gum. Hangman tried to act unfazed, but even he ended up checking the mirror twice after hearing what the dress code was.

But Bob?

Bob just stared at the invite like it was written in gold. Like it might disappear if he blinked.

It had been two weeks since their diner night. Two weeks of silence. Two weeks of maybe she forgot or maybe it didn’t mean as much to her. He’d told himself not to get his hopes up. He tried not to check his phone. Tried not to look at the diner pic she left in his messages. Tried not to imagine her red carpet photos with someone else.

And then—this.

“You okay, Bob?” Fanboy asked, glancing at him.

Bob looked up slowly, blinking back into reality. “…She remembered.”

⸻

Cut to:

Red Carpet Night

She’s in some GOWN that looks like it cost six months of rent. Diamond earrings. Hair curled like old Hollywood. Makeup perfect, but not tooperfect—still the soft-eyed, sweet-talking girl who once whispered, “sorry, was that fine?” before kissing him behind a diner.

Bob steps out of the black SUV in a fitted tuxedo he nearly passed out putting on. Everyone looks great, but the second the press cameras see him—

“Lieutenant Floyd!”

“Bob Floyd, over here!”

“Are you the pilot she mentioned in her caption last week?!”

“Are you dating Y/N?!”

Bob freezes. Phoenix leans in. “Don’t lock up, just smile and wave like a politician.”

And then—she’s there.

Coming down the carpet in heels that cost more than his car, glowing,smiling, her eyes scanning through the crowd until they land right on him.

She walks right up to him and grins. “Hey, Lieutenant Floyd.”

Bob clears his throat. “Hey, Ms. L/N.”

She laughs softly, slipping her arm through his like it’s the easiest thing in the world. “So glad you made it.”

“You invited me,” he says dumbly.

“And you came,” she says, then pauses. “Sorry I didn’t text sooner. Press tour had me all over the globe. again. I didn’t forget you. Not for a second.”

Bob blinks. “You didn’t?”

She leans in, brushing her lips against his cheek again, soft and familiar. “Of course not. I’ve been thinking about you the whole time.”

And the flashbulbs? They explode.

——

As soon as she spots the squad getting out of the black SUV, she beams.Instantly waves them over, not caring that half of Hollywood is watching.

“There they are!” she says to the press with a laugh, her earrings glittering as she turns. “These are my guys!”

She doesn’t wait for them to approach—she walks toward them in her heels like she’s floating. Her team freaks out behind her. “Wait, Y/N! Stay in your mark!”

But she just waves them off. She’s on a mission.

“Rooster, Fanboy, Phoenix, Coyote, Payback, Hangman…” she’s pointing at each of them, remembering all their names. “Come take pictures with me—please. I need at least a hundred.”

They’re all caught off guard, not used to being the ones asked for photos, but they rush in, adjusting ties, smoothing hair, suddenly aware this moment will be everywhere.

They take group shots, laughing, hyping each other up. She makes them laugh for the wide angles, does one where they’re all pointing at the camera like a boy band. And then:

“Okay. Solo shots. Come on.”

She poses with each one—smiling with Phoenix, pulling Hangman into a fake headlock, matching sunglasses with Rooster—but when it’s Bob’s turn?

She turns fully toward him, voice dropping just slightly. “Hi again.”

He’s already red. “Hi.”

She wraps her arms around him, warm and confident. “This okay?”

He nods quickly. “Y-Yeah.”

“Good,” she whispers, and leans her head on his shoulder for the photo.

The cameras go insane.

Click. Flash. She’s giggling in another. Click. Flash. She’s turned toward him, both hands holding his now. Click. Flash. One more, and she hugs him again, resting her cheek briefly against his chest.

“You’re gonna break the internet,” Phoenix mutters behind them.

Bob’s eyes are wide. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Hangman says, actually impressed. “You look like the lead in a romance movie.”

⸻

And when the photos hit Instagram that night?

Her official account posts a carousel.

📸🎞️ Premiere night magic

🎬: #StarlightSyndrome

💫: Thank you to the real-life heroes who showed up tonight—your support means the world to me.

(Also yes, Bob gives the best hugs.)

swipe ➡️

First photo: her and the whole squad, all grinning.

Second: her arm-in-arm with Bob, her cheek against his shoulder.

Third: them mid-laugh, eyes only on each other.

Fourth: just Bob, caught off guard in a tux, smiling small but real.

———

The venue is glowing—low golden lights, deep velvet couches, a live band in the corner playing sultry jazz that occasionally slides into pop covers. The crowd is dressed to the nines, champagne everywhere. But she’s not interested in Hollywood small talk. Not tonight.

Because when she walks in and sees them—the squad huddled around a table near the back, already laughing with drinks in hand—her smile lights up the whole room.

“There’s my table,” she says to her assistant, ignoring every producer who tries to pull her away. “Don’t let anyone drag me off. I’m going there.”

And she does.

She walks right over, hugs Phoenix from behind, taps Rooster’s glass with her own. Bob stands when she gets there—of course he does—and she gives him a grin before leaning in and kissing his cheek.

“Hi, Bob.”

He’s already red. “Hi. You—you look stunning.”

“So do you.” She sits right next to him. Doesn’t even hesitate.

⸻

She makes the rounds from there—laughing with Coyote over bad pick-up lines, cheers-ing Payback when he dares her to take a shot. She dances with everybody.

At one point, she pulls Fanboy into a spin. At another, she drags Phoenix out for a full choreographed moment when the band switches to Beyoncé. She even twirls Rooster like he’s the belle of the ball and he goes with it.

“Where’d you learn to dance like this?” Hangman asks.

“On set. You think I’m gonna waste those choreography lessons?” she quips, grabbing his hand and flipping it to lead him into a swing move before pointing dramatically to Bob.

“Okay—my turn. Come on, Bob.”

He freezes. “What?”

“Dance with me.”

“I—uh, I don’t really dance—”

“Lucky for you, I do,” she teases, grabbing his hand. “Let me lead?”

He can’t say no. So he lets her pull him in. It’s awkward at first—Bob trying not to step on her toes, her laughing gently when he almost trips—but she never lets go.

“You’re doing great.”

“You’re lying,” he mutters.

She laughs and leans closer, her forehead brushing his. “I don’t lie to you.”

⸻

Eventually they all collapse back at the table, flushed from dancing, laughing too loud, sipping drinks with messy garnishes and half-melted ice.

She looks around at all of them—grinning, bickering, teasing each other—and then looks at Bob beside her.

“This is my favorite table in the room.”

His chest tightens a little. “Yeah?”

She nods, resting her head briefly on his shoulder. “And you’re my favorite part of it.”

He doesn’t say anything. He’s not sure he could, not with his throat tightening and his heart thudding like that. But he doesn’t need to.

Because she’s still holding his hand under the table.

———

The after party was in full swing—music pulsing, people dancing, drinks flowing—but Bob had somehow ended up on the balcony. He wasn’t avoiding anyone. He just… needed air. Or maybe he needed to think. About the night. About her.

And speak of the devil—there she was.

She stepped out, her gown glimmering under the soft patio lights, her heels clicking gently on the tiles. She was holding two champagne flutes and passed one to him like it was the most casual thing in the world.

“You disappeared,” she said, smiling like she already knew where he’d gone.

Bob cleared his throat. “Just wanted some quiet.”

“Good. I needed a break too.” She leaned on the railing beside him, shoulder just brushing his. “This was nice. All of this.”

He smiled. “It really was.”

Then she turned slightly toward him, something playful in her voice.

“Do you think your friends like me?”

Bob blinked. “Like you? Are you kidding? They’re obsessed with you.”

She laughed, tipping her head back slightly. “What about you?”

And that was when it happened.

He looked right at her, soft-eyed, serious as ever, and—

“I was obsessed before I even met you.”

There was a beat of silence. A pause. Then his entire face turned red.

“Wait—I didn’t mean— I mean, I did, but not like—I just meant—”

She was smiling, watching him unravel, clearly trying not to laugh.

“I mean, I’ve always admired you. A lot. Not just how you look—God, not just that—I mean you’re obviously—you know—but you’re really… you’re so kind. And smart. And I just—okay. Yeah. I’m gonna stop talking now.”

She took a small step closer.

“Bob?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really glad you said it.”

He blinked. “Wait—what?”

“I’ve been obsessed with you since you stuttered out your name that first day.”

And then she clinked her glass gently against his.

“To quiet balconies and flustered pilots.”

Bob leaned against the balcony railing of her rented house in San Diego, one hand wrapped around a sweating glass of water, the other loosely tucked into his pocket. She stood beside him, the hem of her dress fluttering in the warm breeze, her elbow barely brushing his. They’d been talking about nothing and everything for the past hour. He had never felt more at ease.

Then his phone buzzed in his back pocket.

He glanced at the screen. Mom.

“Give me one sec,” he murmured, stepping away a little, pressing the phone to his ear. “Hey, Mom—”

Her eyes were on him immediately. She didn’t even try to hide it. She could see the way his body stiffened before she could hear anything, see the way his free hand shot to his mouth, pressing against it hard like he could physically hold the sound inside.

His knees nearly buckled. He leaned hard against the balcony wall, his face dropping out of sight.

“Bob?” she asked softly, already moving.

He didn’t answer. The phone slipped from his hand and hit the wood with a dull thud.

She was there instantly, no hesitation, both hands coming to his shoulders. “Bob—hey. Hey, it’s okay, sweetheart, look at me.” Her voice was gentle but firm. “What happened?”

He turned to her, eyes already glassy, and in a choked whisper, he finally got it out.

“It’s my grandpa.”

A beat.

“He’s gone.”

The silence that followed was still—but not empty. She pulled him into her arms without a second thought, his face buried into the curve of her neck as his shoulders began to shake. Not a full sob at first—just breathless, body-wracking grief that broke through the careful calm he always carried.

“I’m here,” she whispered, over and over, her hands running up and down his back, her heart splintering for him. “I’m right here. I’ve got you. Shhh… I’m not leaving. I’ve got you.”

Minutes passed like that. She didn’t rush him. Didn’t speak unless he needed it. Just held him, solid and unwavering, while the sky dimmed behind them.

When his breathing finally slowed, he still hadn’t let go. His cheek was pressed against her shoulder, and his voice was barely audible.

“C-Can you come with me?”

She didn’t hesitate.

“Of course I will,” she said, tightening her arms around him. “Just tell me when we’re leaving.”

⸻

The next morning, her team was already mobilized before sunrise.

Flights were canceled. Meetings postponed. Her stylist sent condolences. Her assistant was on the phone coordinating with security.

They boarded her private jet just after noon—Bob sitting quietly by the window, hands clasped in his lap, while she curled into the seat next to him, fingers laced gently through his.

The six security guards kept a respectful distance. No press knew what was going on. She made sure of it.

The funeral was quiet and heartbreaking. Bob’s family welcomed her immediately, touched by her presence and her grace. She stayed two full weeks—meeting cousins, helping his mom with errands, holding his hand through every difficult moment. She was dressed simply, spoke softly, and never once made it about her.

She was just his—the girl who didn’t blink when he fell apart, who flew across the country to sit beside him at the hardest table he’d ever faced.

And every night, when the house fell quiet, she sat next to him on the porch swing with two mugs of tea. She never said too much.

Just enough.

———

It was late. Almost midnight. The crickets had taken over the soundtrack of the sleepy Texas town, and the porch swing creaked every so often with the rhythm of the night.

Bob had gone inside to help his mom with something in the kitchen, leaving her sitting alone with a cup of tea she’d made herself at this point. Familiar now. Natural.

The screen door opened behind her, and she turned to see a woman—older, warm-eyed, and sharp in that matriarchal way. Bob’s Aunt Carol.

“Mind if I sit?” she asked.

“Please,” Y/N said instantly, scooting to make room. “Of course.”

Carol sat down with a sigh, her hands folded over her lap. She looked at the actress—the actress—the same one Bob had had posters of on his bedroom wall since he was sixteen—and gave her a long, thoughtful once-over.

“You’re not what I expected,” she said gently.

Y/N smiled, not offended in the slightest. “I get that a lot.”

Carol nodded, still watching her. “You’re sweet. Not just in a polite kind of way. I can tell. You see people. You saw him.”

She swallowed, caught off guard. “I… I hope so.”

“He’s always been our quiet one,” Carol continued, glancing toward the house. “Shy. Gentle. Loves deeper than he lets on. Lost his dad young. Took it hard. Carried more than he ever should’ve.”

Y/N blinked back sudden emotion, nodding slowly.

“You holding him like that?” Carol said softly. “Out there when that call came? I saw it. I know what that meant.”

Y/N pressed her lips together, heart tight in her chest.

Carol leaned in slightly. “So I just have one question for you.”

“Okay,” Y/N said, barely above a whisper.

“Are you gonna break my nephew’s heart?”

The question didn’t sting. It settled heavy. Honest.

Y/N looked her dead in the eyes, shoulders square, voice unwavering. “No, ma’am. I’d rather someone break mine first.”

Carol sat back, studying her for one long moment.

Then she smiled. “Good. Then you’re welcome here. Anytime.”

Y/N let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

From inside, Bob’s laugh echoed faintly through the walls. She turned toward the sound, like gravity had shifted just slightly in his direction.

Carol watched her for another beat and said, “You love him already, don’t you?”

She didn’t deny it.

Didn’t even look away.

“…Yeah,” Y/N murmured, lips curling just barely. “I think I do.”

———

The house had quieted, humming low with the sounds of settling: dishwasher running, floorboards groaning under the weight of memories. The kind of silence that only came after a long day filled with too many emotions.

Bob stopped just outside the guest room, like he always did. He never let her walk alone, not even down the hall in his childhood home.

She turned and faced him at the door, her hand still on the knob. Her expression was unreadable—soft, but serious.

“Can you come in for a second?” she asked.

His heart stuttered.

He hesitated for half a breath too long.

“…Yeah. Sure.”

He stepped inside, standing awkwardly near the dresser while she sat on the edge of the bed. She motioned for him to sit next to her, and when he did, the mattress dipped with the weight of what he thought was coming.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, trying to keep it neutral, but his voice betrayed him.

She folded her hands in her lap, took a breath. “There’s something I need to say. And I’m a little nervous, so please don’t interrupt, okay?”

Bob nodded immediately. Scared stiff.

She met his eyes. Really met them.

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” she started. “I didn’t expect to come to a Navy base and meet someone like you. And I definitely didn’t expect that you’d be the one person I couldn’t get out of my head.”

His brows furrowed slightly, unsure. Guarded.

She went on.

“And when I asked for your number, I meant to text you the next day. But things snowballed. Press junkets, red-eyes, interviews… I didn’t even have time to breathe. And I thought about you every single day.”

Bob’s throat moved with a quiet swallow.

She scooted a little closer on the bed, her knee brushing his. “I know this isn’t normal. None of this is. I have six bodyguards and a schedule that’s insane, and you fly jets for a living and barely look at your phone.”

That made him smile, just a little.

“But I want to try,” she said. “I want you. I don’t care about the noise or the press or how different our lives look on paper. I care about the way you treat me. The way you look at me like I’m just a person. The way you make me feel safe without trying.”

He was frozen. Wide-eyed. She reached for his hand, gently easing it into hers.

“I don’t know how this will work,” she said, voice softer now. “But if you want to try, too… I’m in. No matter what.”

Bob blinked fast, then looked down at their joined hands like he couldn’t quite believe they were real. “I thought… I thought you were about to say this wasn’t gonna work,” he admitted.

She smiled. “I kind of figured you’d panic.”

“I was preparing myself for the worst,” he laughed nervously. “Like full breakup speech.”

She shook her head and leaned in, pressing her forehead gently to his. “No breakup. Just… beginning.”

He pulled back slightly so he could look at her, really look. And then, voice barely a whisper:

“I’ve wanted this since the moment you called me a cutie patootie in front of everyone.”

She laughed, breathless. “So… you’re in?”

Bob nodded, cheeks flushed, heart racing.

“I’m in,” he said. “Completely.”

[dashing-disaster]

Okay I either just had the best or the worst idea on the topic of Crash That Helicopter and someone else has probably already had the same thought just better but.

What if Tommy regains consciousness and realises he's trapped and his chopper is basically toast, including his comms. But his phone is miraculously okay. So he calls 911.

Meanwhile at dispatch, Maddie is having the Worst Time with morning sickness and runs to the toilet every 10 minutes until Josh decides to force her to go home. But she refuses at first because Kevin and Sarah are both out with the flu and Jessica unexpectedly quit last week to follow her boyfriend of 5 weeks to Australia and now they're short staffed. But Josh tells her it's fine they'll figure it out and pretty much throws her out. He has a small breakdown because they are seriously short staffed but luck just so has it that one of the long term dispatchers walks through the door right then (Debbie perhaps?) with her friend who used to work here but quit years ago and now lives in Phoenix (was it phoenix? I don't quite remember) buy she wanted to see the new dispatch centre and say hi to some people. And in walks no other than Abby Clark.

And Josh is still spiralling a little and she immediately offers to fill in for a few hours it's really no problem she still works in dispatch after all and she knows the systems and she'd love to help. And Josh, stressed but grateful accepts and ushers her towards a free desk. And Abby gets to work right away and she definitely still got it, she does one or two simple calls absolutely flawlessly and then in comes the third call and the voice is familiar.

And that's how Abby takes Tommy's 911 call, and immediately dispatches the best unit she knows because of course.

And of course he also immediately recognises her even though he's kinda dizzy and losing blood. They start talking. Not really about them but light things because Abby needs to keep Tommy awake and he's fading so she tries to keep his attention. So she tells him she's sent the 118, they're his old house right, but lots of new faces, actually she used to date his replacement and then broke his heart by walking away from him. And he laughs kinda pained. Actually, so did he. She pauses for a moment, then demands clarification so Tommy starts talking. And he tells the whole story for the first time since the break up, including the reasons. Some of them he doesn't even mention because it's Abby. Abby who maybe knows him best in the whole world because she's known him at his worst and somehow still loved him.

And Abby listens. And when he's finally done she let's out a long sigh and calls him a dumbass. And then she gets to setting his head straight. She gives him a proper dressing down and gets to the bottom of it. And finally she asks him if he regrets it. Yes. If he loves Buck. If course he does. If he wants him back.... Yeah. So she tells him to work for it, to fight for them. And when she's done giving him a passionate little monologue about love and relationships silence falls.

She calls his name. No answer, only sirens in the distance.

She calls his name again, more frantically and he's still not replying and now she's in tears because they can't both break Buck's heart like that, one of them has to fucking fix it!

Meanwhile the 118 has been racing towards the crash site, Buck antsy but determined and refusing to stay by the rig and let Eddie and Ravi handle it. Tommy needs him.

When they finally arrive it's a complete nightmare, debris and fire everywhere and they're taking far too long to cut Tommy out. Long enough for the TV crews to arrive and start broadcasting the whole thing live.

So Abby, still on the line with an unresponsive Tommy, hoping, praying, is watching Taylor Kelly report live from the crash site where the firefighter have started ripping through the remains of the helicopter. Until Bobby steps in front of the camera and forces them to shut it off because he has no idea what they're going to find there.

Which is also why he eventually makes the decision to pull Buck back after all. Between Eddie, Ravi, Hen and Chim there are enough hands already anyway, they've got him, Buck.

So that's how Taylor Kelly, who's still a bit pissed at Bobby for ruining her news piece, watches Buck disappear between the engine and the ladder truck looking like his world is collapsing and he might be her ex but of course she still cares. It's Buck, how can you not care about him? So she follows him and finds him just as he's breaking down. And she has no idea what's going on, she simply pulls him into a hug and let's him cry it out.

And when he csn breathe again he tells her. That's the love of his life there. His name is Tommy and he dumped him three months ago after he asked him to move in. And they both smile weakly before he continues.

He never told him. He only ever told her, and he didn't lie, he promises but it's never felt like this. And he never told him that he loved him.

Loves him.

And she says that maybe he should do that now then and nods at something behind him.

And there are Chim and Hen and Ravi and Eddie running towards the parked vehicles, pushing a gurney. And there's Bobby yelling for Buck to come get his ass into the ambulance, they have to leave right now.

And Taylor smiles and wipes his tears away and gives him a push. Go. Go and fight and tell him what you told me.

And he does.

[thecampfirescene]

therealjoelando: "Tacoma Washington 1989. Martha Plimpton, River Phoenix on guitar and Keanu Reeves always throwing rocks at me for some reason."

"In 1989 I had the opportunity of a lifetime to work on the movie I love you to death. Hired as a consultant, a pizza consultant... I also gave suggestions on the look of the pizzeria, and how the actors would operate in the kitchen together. I spent six weeks in Tacoma, working with some of the most talented people in the entertainment industry. What an honor it was to be there, I knew this was a special moment in my life and I captured as many images as I could with my old Nikon camera. Thank you to our Director Lawrence Kasdan for hiring me and to the cast and crew for so many great memories."

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

If You Met Me First (Part 2) - Rooster

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw / Warrant Officer!Reader (Callsign: Echo)

Word Count: 1.8k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only

Warnings: Aftermath of 'In Love with Someone Already in a Relationship' Trope; Female Reader with Callsign (Echo)

Summary: Rooster isn't over Echo. But maybe fate will ease his pain.

Part 1

Master List

It had been exactly two hundred sixty-seven days since Echo left and Rooster still wasn’t over her.

He hadn’t reached out to her, save for texting her a simple birthday message. And she returned the favor when it came time. But that was about all of the contact that they had with each other since he watched her step down the tunnel at the airport. And yet, everywhere he walked, everywhere he looked, all that he could notice was the fact that she was missing from his life.

He found himself fussing over how her replacement ordered papers in the files when it didn’t matter. He still packed an extra sweatshirt in his car when he went to hang out with the Dagger Squad late at night, as if she would be there and forget to bring one for herself. He bought her coffee order at least three times in the first two weeks without her, since he always used it as an excuse to see her earlier in the morning. And he had to delete all social media from his phone or else he’d spend a creepy amount of time scrolling through her photos and posts.  

And so, maybe an eight-month deployment on a carrier ship was good for him.

He couldn’t have his phone on him all day, so he wasn’t constantly checking it. There were plenty of distractions around the ship and he was never truly alone with his thoughts, though his roommate offered to give him some personal space if he needed it at least twenty thousand times. And it allowed him to refocus and get his emotions more under control.

“Happy to go back home?” Phoenix asked as they walked out onto the deck.

“It’s time,” Rooster replied with a shrug, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “It’ll be nice to see Mav again.”

“He picking you up?”

“If he doesn’t forget.”

Without too much fuss, they prepped their planes and soon they were flying over open water. They landed back in Miramar several hours later and Rooster was eager to get a homemade meal and sleep in his own bed. He didn’t really need much more than that to keep him content.

Cleaning up his station, Rooster gently pulled his photos off. He carefully tucked the old picture of him, his parents, and Mav into the front pocket of his flight suit before reaching for the second photo. It was of some of the Dagger Squad, but the real reason why he picked it was because Echo was up on his back, waving to the camera with her usual bright smile.

And, well, he had to pick a photo of her that he had a reasonable excuse for. Just in case.

Hopping out of his plane, Rooster thanked the ground crew before turning to the crowd of family and friends. There were already people running to greet the other pilots and wizzos but Rooster walked along calmly. Rooster shot Phoenix a wink and thumbs up when he saw her embracing her ‘good friend,’ and earned a middle finger in return. Chuckling to himself, Rooster looked through the crowd for Maverick.

But when he turned around and locked eyes with a different but so achingly familiar pair of eyes, his world stopped for a moment. The stars realigned, the clouds departed, and the sun moved to provide an ethereal backlighting to Echo’s figure as she stood at the back of the group of greeters.

She offered him a small smile but Rooster could tell by the way that she folded her arms behind her back and kept her chin down that she was nervous to see him. After a moment, she released her hands and started walking towards him, her confidence seeming to return with every step. And it was time for Rooster to start moving on his own.

Dropping his bag with an audible thump, Rooster turned and started walking towards Echo until his own eagerness to have her close took over and he started running. Echo let out a silent laugh when she spotted Rooster’s increased pace and moved faster too.

She let Rooster scoop her up and spin her around. Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, Echo held Rooster in a tight hug as he slowly stopped spinning her around. Rooster buried his face into her shoulder and kept his arms locked around her waist, holding her close. Hooking her ankles together around his back to steady herself, Echo sat up and smiled down at Rooster.

“Hey,” she greeted him, forcing herself to not run her thumb over his mustache.

“Hey,” he breathed out, still not sure if she was real or not.

“Hey,” she returned softly.

“You said that already,” Rooster pointed out, causing Echo to laugh sheepishly. Dropping her head against his shoulder, she curled her fingers into the fabric of his flight suit, familiarizing herself with the veins and lines of his back.

“I guess I did,” she mumbled out before picking her head up again. Reaching up to fix one of his curls, Echo added, “I missed you.”

What Rooster wanted to say was something along the lines of ‘do you have any idea of how many times I almost started driving after you? How many times my thumb hovered over your contact? How many times I bought something or watched something or listened to something simply because of the slight chance that you could be doing the exact same thing?’

But in the moment, staring at Echo, and feeling the weight of her in his arms, Rooster could only muster one simple phrase in return.

“I never stopped.”

Missing you, he implied.

Loving you, is what he actually meant.

Echo nodded slowly, offering him a small, enamored smile. She opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of the words that were threatening to spill out. Unlocking her ankles from around his back, Echo reached for the ground. Rooster released his hold under her thighs and reluctantly let her stand on her own two feet. Looking up at him from their usual height difference, Echo studied his expression for a moment.

“No injuries to report?” she asked quietly, trying to recenter herself.

“Not one,” Rooster assured her.

“Staying out of trouble?”

“Always.”

“That’s a lie,” Echo retorted, smiling up at him in a way that made Rooster desperate to kiss her.

“Maybe a little one,” Rooster agreed, chuckling to himself.

“I’m supposed to take you to the Hard Deck,” Echo stated, not moving to put any sort of physical space in between her and Rooster. Pulling out the keys to the Bronco from her pocket, she held them out to Rooster. “I’m under captain’s orders.”

“Alright,” Rooster replied, taking the keys and letting his touch linger on Echo’s hand.

Echo nodded and reluctantly took a step away. But before she got too far, he laced his fingers through her own, holding their hands together. Turning back to him with a questioning expression, Echo’s eyes widened a fraction as Rooster closed the space in between them again.

“But there’s something that I need to do first,” Rooster stated, causing Echo to nod, all the while she was pretty sure that she wasn’t breathing.

“What is it?” Echo asked softly.

“It depends on your answer.”

“My answer?” Echo mumbled, somewhat dumbly. “To what?”

“Can I kiss you?” Rooster questioned, causing Echo to suck in a sharp breath.

“You want to kiss me?”

“If you want, I can show you how much I want to kiss you.”

Echo let out a soft laugh, some of the tension leaving her body before gently resting her hand on Rooster’s cheek. Running her thumb over his mustache like she wanted to earlier, she then swiped her thumb over his lips, causing a groan to escape Rooster’s throat. Having teased him enough, Echo tilted her chin up to meet Rooster’s lips.

Chasing her lips like a starving man, Rooster wrapped his arms around Echo’s waist and pulled her impossibly closer. Smiling into the kiss as Rooster pulled her to her tiptoes, Echo cupped his face with her hand, trailing her fingers along his scars. Her heart was beating out of her chest and her cheeks warmed as Rooster drew her in for more.

Rooster thought that he was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. The tension that felt like it had made a permanent home in his stomach slowly uncoiled and he let himself finally relax again. To enjoy the moment. And he was going to enjoy the moment. Cupping the back of her head, Rooster slowly deepened the kiss, causing a gasp to escape Echo’s lips.

Dropping her other hand down his chest as they made out like a bunch of horny teenagers on an airstrip, Echo moved her hand around Rooster’s back and snuck a quick squeeze of his ass. Rooster suddenly pulled back with a shocked expression, causing Echo to grow incredibly embarrassed.

“Sorry! It just . . . I wanted to . . .”

Echo made some awkward grabbing motions with her hand before Rooster let out a laugh that made her collapse against his chest with a mix of embarrassment and urge to just soak up his presence again. Echo looked up at Rooster bashfully through her eyelashes, though she clearly didn’t regret it.

“You can squeeze mine to make it even,” she offered to him.

“Before you risk a public indecency charge,” Phoenix called, walking past them on her way out to the parking lot, “you coming to the Hard Deck with everyone else?”

Rooster looked over at Phoenix, not really sure about how to answer as Echo rested her head on his chest. For two people who had spent nearly a year apart from each other, they looked exceedingly comfortable together. Phoenix had a pretty good guess that both Echo and Rooster wouldn’t want to trade that comfort for much else.

Not tonight. Not ever.

“We’ll go . . . after a pit stop?” Echo asked, turning to look up at Rooster, who smirked.

“We need to make a pit stop?” he drawled.

“Well, the gas is low in the Bronco,” Echo lied, but she sounded so serious, Rooster instantly deflated.

“What?”

Echo nudged Rooster with her elbow, causing him to perk up again. Phoenix rolled her eyes and shot them a knowing expression before walking off with her own ‘friend.’

Now alone again, Rooster pulled Echo with him to grab his bag from the ground before making their way out into the parking lot. He tossed his bag into the back of the Bronco before climbing into the driver’s seat next to Echo.

“So, we should get going to the, uh . . . pit stop?”

“We can go to the Hard Deck instead, if you want,” Echo replied, causing Rooster to shake his head rapidly. Echo laughed loudly, tilting her head back as she smiled over at Rooster. “Then start driving, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Rooster returned with a wink before starting up the Bronco.

Putting it into drive, Rooster pulled out of the lot and started heading off base. As the wind whipped through their hair, Roostee slowly reached out and slid his hand under Echo’s until she threaded her fingers through his own. They shared a look and a smile before driving off into the sunset together.

[blingblong55]

Money, Money, Money- 141 X F1

Part 1 is here

Based on a request:

Idk if i can put in two requests but please. PLEASE I fucking love f1 Give more cod x f1 I dont care who and what and where, i just need more fics like that Thx for everything bestie(Feel free to ignore)

--

GN!Reader, 141 x reader x f1

The four men continued to watch you, you smile and pass by them, as if they were never someone in your life. It was as if they truly had never met you. "R/N?" Soap called for you, making you stop in your tracks and turn around, a small smile on you. "Hey guys," the disappointment in your voice noticeable. They knew your parents were around but you wanted, no, you needed them around. Family is not just blood but a bond between a group of people and they had become your family.

"R/N, we're sorry-"

"Save it, I just had the best day ever and I dont need you to make it bitter sweet, night." You walked away, your team waiting for you. Soap and Gaz were distraught, you needed them but the need they had to be around you, to feel like for once they weren't trained killers was greater than you'll ever know. Gaz held a bracelet in his hands. Every deployment he did after meeting you, he brought a bracelet from that place and made you wear it for luck on your next race.

By the next day, as they walked the paddock, Price kept cursing himself, yes he had a job to do but why use your race as the perfect plan for his job? He knew how important this day was for you and he still lied and left you alone, the stress that you felt during qualifying, how he would make horrible dad jokes to ease the stress. Ghost felt the same, he cared for you like an older brother would and knowing he had disappointed you and not even cheer from the bleachers, was something he had to fix.

Soap didn't talk to anyone, he had told Price the mission was not even a major problem and that if you didn't know they were in the city, you wouldn't be mad. The four men watched as you walked passed them, the camera crew filming you, interviewer walking alongside you for questions. People stopping you to take pictures and get autographs. "Congrats in P1, R/N!" a fan yelled, others gave you their support and until then the men found out you in fact did get pole position. They never checked online, always wanted to listen to you gush over it.

Warm up lap began, the men in the garage, silent. Soon, as the lights went out, you took an impressive lead on the rest of the grid. Price got a call from Laswell, "We have to go-" Price said

"You can't be serious, Price, R/N is racing-"

"We have a job to do, we aren't here for them this time." it was cold but true, their mission was supposed to be accomplished yesterday but something came up. Gaz and Soap did their best to watch more as they walked away. Ghost left the bracelet Gaz wanted to give you by your spare set of Gloves in the garage.

The race had its ups and down but you like a phoenix in the sky prevail, the race won by you. You wanted to run to the four men, only to find out they weren't there. Your mechanics were so you ran to them and hugged them, jumping over the barricade and cheering. Cameras on you and the other drivers on the grid. Inside though, it was a rather weird feeling, you were happy but part of you knew this was the first broken glass in the friendship.

You got to the podium, drank and sprayed the champagne, confetti in the sky, all cheering you on. In that moment, you were on top of the world. Once the celebration and interviews were over, you looked for them in the garage, only to find a new bracelet. You take it and your eyes get teary, "they were here." you whisper to yourself. Your wrist coming in contact with it. "Mate?" Gaz spoke, you turn around and hug him. Soap knew that in that moment, he no longer was the one you held closer to your heart. Gaz smiles and touches the bracelet, "I told you, I'll...we'll always be here, every race, far or close."

Price and Ghost stayed quiet, they wanted to explain their absence, but what more can they say? They killed many men, blood on their hands once more, they had to leave you once more because of a stupid meeting that was made to look important but wasn't. Soap kept replying how you got off your car and as the cameras pointed at you, you scanned the area, looking for them but never finding them. "R/N, please, please look at me," Soap begged and before you looked at him, your team called for you.

"Go kid, we'll be waiting for you." Price reassured and you walked away. And they did, they stayed in that garage and waited until you came back because there sure is a lot of explaining to do. "You think R/N, will forgive us?" The hopeful sergeant spoke. Price sighs and shrugs, "who's to say."

Hours later, many apologies and lame excuses, Soap finally hugged you, an entire week of him being in the same place as you and this was the first hug he had given you.

A/N: Idk anymore...but I hope its a little okay

Tags: @ateandleftnocrumbz @aethelwyneleigh27 @agasawit

[sanjuwrites]

wip wednesday

thanks to @inkweedandlizards, @heartstringsduet, @alrightbuckaroo, @carlos-in-glasses and @theghostofashton for the tag!

getting two for the price of one today!

agent reyes

“It’s not like I haven’t stolen from the British museum before, I don’t think the security schematics are going to be that different this time around, at least in terms of the security cameras and alarm systems. Guards and extraneous security for the jewelry? Now that’s a different story, we need your friend Alex for that. So tell him to not bother with blueprints, but for extraneous security for the diamonds. I heard that the prince is going to be there, so there’s definitely some extra people.”

Carlos’ expression twitches at the mention of Alex’s husband, before smoothing back out.

Carlos frowns, processing what TK said, “Wait, what the hell did you steal from The British Museum? Your dossier – which I put together, by the way – has nothing stolen from the British Museum. You’ve never set foot in the museum, as far as we know.”

Mateo lets out a snort, and Marjan – which, what the hell, she’s quiet – laughs a little. 

“I’m sorry, am I missing something?” Carlos frowns, looking around. 

“No, sorry, it’s just that Paul said that the CIA never made the connection, but I didn’t realize that you literally have no idea, not even an inkling. This is so much more complicated to explain, Jesus.” TK thuds his head against the dining table, a silent scream leaving him. 

“Spit it out, TK.” Carlos feels his impatience and anxiety rising in tandem.

“I was also the Shadow Thief.”

Carlos blinks. “What?”

“I stole under a different alias from 2013 to mid-2016, until…” TK clears his throat, “until my mother died. I flew off the rails a little after that, and then I came back as the Phoenix. There’s a couple jobs you didn’t catch as the Phoenix, before some of the other crews gave me the nickname. I forged the coins to drop around the jobs after that, as a little calling card and homage to the crews that helped me …rise back up, so to speak.”

untitled house run - rwrb

Alex sits back in his desk chair, blowing out a breath. 

At thirty-four, he can safely say that this was never in his plan anymore, not after everything that happened with him and Henry. 

God, he needed to talk to Henry.

Speak of the angel, and he shall appear, Alex thinks wryly. Henry leans against the doorway, smiling at him softly, holding a glass of red wine. “Hey love. I called you five times to come down for dinner, but you didn’t answer. Is everything okay?”

Alex smiles at Henry, and if it looks fake, Henry doesn’t call him on it, just walks over to him, pressing a kiss to his temple, sitting on the edge of the desk. “I’m okay, baby, just busy with this trial coming up for the firm. My associate has been out for a week with appendicitis, so I’m also doing a lot of prep work for it too. Is that,” Alex says, nodding at the glass, “for me?”

Henry nods, handing the glass off. “Do you want me to bring dinner up, love?”

Alex closes his laptop, shaking his head. “No, this can wait till tomorrow. For now, I just want to enjoy the night with my husband, if that works for you? Or do you have some prettier man to sneak off to?” Alex has the most shit-eating grin on his face, and Henry rolls his eyes. 

“Yes, Alex, I sneak out every night as I require the sexual rigor of a twenty-five year old to keep my appetite satiated,” he says in a deadpan, making Alex laugh as he brackets Henry’s hips against the desk, leaning down to kiss him once, twice, thrice.

“Let me show you ‘sexual rigor,’ baby,” he murmurs against Henry’s jaw before sucking the skin into his mouth. Henry lets out a breathy laugh as he lets himself be pushed down onto the desk, wine glass and all thoughts of dinner abandoned as they lose themselves in each other.

i'm gonna tag @bonheur-cafe, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @birdclowns, @liminalmemories21, @reyesstrand, @lightningboltreader, and @strandnreyes!

[iphoneartgirl]

Here Comes The Wrecking Crew. © 2025, Meri Aaron Walker, iPhoneArtGirl. Phoenix, OR. All rights reserved. 

Camera+, Monochrome, SuperimposeX, iColoramaS, Photomator

[rorimoon9597]

"Paladin Cadets, please report to the briefing room." Artemis looked up from her homework, confused. She moved anyway, marking where she was and standing.

She made her way to the briefing room, wondering what she was needed for.

She entered the room when she got there, nodding to Curtis and the other Bridge Officers when they filed out from the meeting they were in.

She was the first to arrive, unsurprisingly. Leo constantly had things he was working on, and was always researching something or looking through old scientific papers. Rex spent his time baking, Alex was probably coming from the training deck, and Sava was probably coming from where she was helping in the engine room.

Her parents, Lance and Keith Kogane, were there already, and they smiled as she walked in.

"Hey, mija. I hope you weren't too busy," Lance said. Artemis shook her head.

"No, I wasn't. I was working on some math homework," she replied. Kosmo teleported up to her, begging for pets. She caved in.

"Man, I suck at math," Lance commented.

"You do," Keith agreed. Lance gave him an indignant look. "What? You came to my room after we found Kuro and tried to work out how many Paladins we had even though it's the simplest thing in the universe." Lance huffed.

"I was struggling that day." Artemis chose to sit in her seat, ignoring her parents.

Leo came not too long after she did, Alex, Sava and Rex right behind him.

"Are we late?" He asked. Shiro shook his head.

"No, you're just in time," he said.

"Alright." The other four sat down.

"What did you need us for?" Alex, ever the leader, asked.

"There has been a request for help from a Coalition planet," Shiro began. He smiled at the confused looks that were shared around. "I'll hand this to you, Lance."

"Thank you, Shiro," Lance replied. He stood at the front of the table, screen behind him clear to see. An image of a planet appeared on the screen behind him. "Shaatull is a planet that's relatively new to the Coalition. Their culture is based around crystals, and they have some really interesting theories about Quintessence and relationships."

"You can talk about it later on, okay?" Keith said, a reminder. Not dismissing him entirely, an invitation to talk as much as he wanted to when they had time to talk about it.

"Right. Anyway, Shaatull has certain creatures. None of them are insanely dangerous, because it's not a death world like Earth, or New Altea or New Daibazaal. Recently the head of Shaatull, Lady Ravra, reached out to us and requested our help with a creature that has been terrorizing the planet. Or, that's what they say about it."

"What does this creature look like?" Leo asked, genuinely curious about this creature.

"This is what it looks like." The image of the planet disappeared, replaced with a few images that looked like it came from a security camera. Not the best quality, but it was enough to give them an idea of the creature. "This is the creature that has been causing so much panic." Pidge rested her head on her joined hands.

"It looks like some sort of cross between a cat, a fox, and a phoenix or something," she observed. Artemis looked closer at one of the clearest pictures and noted that she was right.

It was nothing like what Artemis had seen, and she'd seen a lot. Her dad had a cosmic teleporting wolf as a pet, her grandmother was Galra, and she was training to become a proper Paladin of Voltron.

The creature, from what she could see, was gorgeous. Its fur was and amber colour, and it had a white muzzle from what she could see. The white went from the muzzle to somewhere around it's stomach. The tail was only slightly bushy, almost as if it were a combination between a fox and a cat tail. It's paws, which were like a cat's paws, had white socks. It had wings, which went from the same amber as its fur where the wings were connected to an off white colour.

"It's beautiful," she commented.

"It is," Lance agreed.

"The Atlas crew is working on finding where it comes from. While we are working on that, you five are to go to Shaatull and trap the creature. Do not harm it. When we know where it comes from, we will release it and figure out ways to stop this from happening again, to protect the creature's species, and the ecosystems of other planets," Shiro said.

"Yessir!" The five Paladin Cadets said, in sync. Determination showed on their faces.

"This is your first mission. We will set up check-in times to keep updated on your progress and to help you wherever you may need it. However, apart from that, you will only have each other to depend on." The thought made Artemis... nervous.

"We'll go pack as soon as we can," Alex said.

"Go do that now. We will sort out the check-in times," Allura encouraged.

"I agree with Allura there," Shiro said.

Clearly dismissed, the five of them stood up and went to their quarters.

"This is so exciting!" Sava said. Leo shook his head.

"It might be tough but..."

"How long do you think it might take for us to be able to trap the creature?" Rex asked, nervous.

"Patience yields focus," Leo reminded them. It was something that Shiro told all of the children he knew - Keith, all of the Paladins, the first MFEs, and now them, the Paladin Cadets, and the MFE Cadets.

They split up, going to their individual ways to their rooms.

Artemis cast one look at her homework, still on her desk. She turned away from it to grab a duffle bag.

She set out to pack it, grabbing underwear, a couple of hoodies, some jeans and spare shirts. She grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste too, as well as her hairbrush, some basic skincare products, and her shampoo and conditioner.

She grabbed some of her electronics, too. Her phone, headphones, and a tablet and the pen that went with it, as well as the chargers for those things.

She didn't over pack, fortunately. And she remembered to put in her pajamas, too.

Her phone pinged. She grabbed it and checked the notification that appeared on the screen.

MISSION ALERT - PALADIN CADETS TO PLANET SHAATULL TO ASSIST WITH FORGEN CREATURE. DEPATURE DATE & TIME: 20/4 1300. REPORT TO LIONS IN ARMOR.

Artemis checked the time, noting that she was set to leave that afternoon after lunch. She double checked her bag, making sure she had everything then triple-checked it. Once she was satisfied that she had everything she needed, she left her room and went to the Lion hangar.

When she was younger, her parents would take her and Alex around the ship, showing them all of the different places. She was four or five when they first did that, and she still remembered how it felt to be around the lions.

They radiated power, each and everyone of them. Black radiated power that told anyone and everyone that she was in charge, that she could zap them all if she wanted but chose not to. Green radiated the sort of power that came with scientists; smart, desiring knowledge, and using what they had to do their part.

Blue radiated the same sort of power that came from the ocean. Calm, playful, even, but with deadly currents and the ability to go from calm to raging quickly. Yellow radiated kindness, a solid rock to lean on when needed, and dependent.

Red had always stuck out to her, though. The lion was known to be fierce, unpredictable and dangerous to those who didn't know her. Hotheaded and reckless. Yet when Artemis first looked at Red, the only thing she felt from the lion was protectiveness, warmth like what one expected from a fire on a cold night, or a campfire. She was an observer, observing and making moves that no one could predict when she needed to. A gentle fire that would flair up when it needed to, often in the heat of battle.

Despite that though, Red was still rather stubborn.

"Hey, girl. We're going on a mission! I thought that I'd bring my stuff here now so that I don't have to worry about it later," Artemis said. Red's particle barrier went down, and she bent down, her jaws opening to grant Artemis access.

"Mission?" Red asked.

"Yep. We're being sent out to trap this creature from a planet known as Shaatull. It's not meant to be there, you see, so we have to figure out where it comes from and get it back to its home," Artemis explained. She placed her bag down and made sure that it would be secure.

"When?"

"After I have some lunch," Artemis replied. She stepped out of Red's mouth and onto the floor of the hangar. She turned to press a hand to Red's nose. "You won't be doing much except for flying to Shaatull and back. Sorry, girl."

"It fine." Artemis nodded.

Apparently, as her bond with Red grew, the lion would be able to speak in complete sentences. The fact that she was able to even hear simple sentences from Red was nothing short of an achievement. Not even Leo, the technological genius of the team, could hear simple words. He could only hear Green's growls and purrs and understand how they were meant to be taken.

Artemis walked to the cafeteria and grabbed some lunch. Looking around, she could see Leo, Sakura, and Shiro and Adam sitting together. Artemis got the hit and went to find her family.

It was easy, considering the fact that the red and black of both of her parents uniforms stood out among the sea of orange.

She slid into the seat next to Alex.

"I'm kind of nervous," Alex said. He was picking at his food.

"Hey, it's okay, mijo. At least you won't mess up your first mission as badly as your dad did when he first became the Black Paladin."

"Hey, I was mourning the loss of my brother," Keith shot back.

"I know. At least I was there to reign you in, eh?"

"Gay," Pidge said as she passed, a tray of food in her hands.

"That's glaringly obvious, Pidgeon!" Lance replied, a grin on his face. Artemis looked towards her twin and sniggered. No one else in the cafeteria bothered to look up. The Paladin's close relationship was normal, now.

Silvio slid into the seat next to Alex.

"I heard about the mission," he said nonchalantly, biting into the garlic knot he grabbed.

"It's nerve-wracking," Alex said.

"Our mission to free Shay's Balmera was super nerve-wracking," Lance reminisced. "So much so that we teased Hunk about his obvious crush on Shay." Keith snorted.

"I very clearly remember the way Pidge called Shay his girlfriend," he said. Lance barked out a laugh.

"Man, those times were... much better than the rest of the war." A grimaced passed both of her parent's faces.

"The problem I have right now is what we're going to do to trap the creature," Artemis said, pulling both of her parents out of their thoughts before they got too far.

"Simple. Get its trust, then trap it in a cage," Lance told her.

"But it won't trust us after that," Artemis said, pouting.

"It'll be fine, Arti. We'll have to break its trust to get it safe." Artemis nodded.

They ate in silence after that. Then, as one, the Paladin Cadets got up and put their trays back. They left the cafeteria and went to the armory, where the Paladin armor was sitting, already out for all of them.

Artemis grabbed the red armor and the accompanying undersuit. Sava grabbed the blue one, Alex the black, Leo the green, and Rex the yellow.

They ducked into the changing rooms, changing out of their Cadet uniforms and into their armor. Artemis grabbed the red pin and put it into a hidden pocket.

She went back to the armory and grabbed the red bayard. She threw the black one to Alex, who caught it and stored it away in his storage bars. They handed the others their bayards, too.

Now fully ready, they walked to the lion hangar.

"Mijo, mija," Lance said. He walked up to them and wrapped them both up into a hug. She returned it.

"Alex, Artemis." Both twins pulled away to face their dad. He handed them something. "Your grandma left these with me last time." Alex and Artemis gasped when they realised what their dad was offering them.

Two Luxite blades, like the ones the Blade of Marmora carried. One had a black grip. It stood out against the blueish colour of the blade. The other one had a red grip.

"What-"

"They're both linked to your life forces. The red one is linked to Alex's life force, the black one is linked to Artemis'. I was waiting for your first mission to give these to you."

"He's had them for years, since you were babies. He decided to give them to you when you turned eighteen, but then you were both chosen by one of the lions, so he decided to give them to you before you went on your first mission," Lance explained. Artemis reached out and took the red blade.

It was perfect in her hand, the red grip comfortable in her hands. The symbol of the Blades glowed with Alex's life force, his Quintessence. She pulled it out of the sheath and turned it this way and that in the light. She put it back into the sheath and hugged her dad. Alex joined her.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Anything for my children," Keith replied. Lance joined them.

Artemis waved goodbye to her parents from Red's jaw, then stepped inside. She sat in the pilot's seat and, when the doors opened, shot off into space just behind Black. A wormhole opened, and she flew through, right to Shaatull's solar system, and far away from the Atlas and her parents.

Shaatull, though, was a pretty planet from space. There was pink, and some green, and yellow, too.

"The pink is land, the green is water," Leo informed them.

"Alright. I've got the landing coordinates here, I'll send them to you guys," Alex said. His face went from the nervous look to focused. Artemis, knowing Alex like she knew the back of her hand, could see the nerves still there, in his eyes. "Everyone got them?"

"Yep," Artemis replied. She entered them into Red's system.

"Ditto," Rex said.

"I've got them," Leo confirmed.

"Me too," Sava piped up. Alex nodded.

"Alright, team, let's go." Black sped up, heading to the planet. Artemis urged Red forwards, matching the speed that her brother set for them. She could see Blue on her right, just behind her.

They entered Shaatull's atmosphere. The grass and the leaves of the trees were all different shades of pink, and the sky was a similar blur hue as Earth's sky was. There were clusters of something sparkling in clusters on the ground.

"This kind of reminds me of Barbie Land from that twenty twenty-three Barbie movie," Sava commented. There was laughter through the comms.

"Let's not let the Shaatullians hear that," Alex suggested.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sava replied.

They landed in the designated landing area. A group of Shaatullians were waiting for them, ready to greet them.

"Alright, the atmosphere is safe for all of us to breathe. We can leave our helmets behind," Leo said.

"Let's do that, then," Alex agreed. Artemis stood up and took off her helmet, leaving it on her seat. She walked out of Red and onto the ground, falling in step just behind Alex.

The Shaatullians were an interesting people. They were mostly humanoid, but they weren't entirely so. They were tinted dark colours that contrasted with the landscape, and came in all different colours. Artemis counted four fingers on each hand. They wore loose clothing, like robes that people in the Middle East would wear, which were pale in contrast to their skin. They had long hair that was tied back, and they were decorated in crystals.

Alex led them up to a Shaatullian who was a deep purple. A pink crystal hung around their neck, glowing slightly.

"Paladin Cadets, it is an honor and a relief to have you on our planet," the Shaatullian, who Artemis guessed was Lady Ravra, greeted them.

"Lady Ravra, it is an honor to meet you as well. I do wish that the circumstances were much better than this, though," Alex said.

"As do I. Now come, follow me, we must discuss our options." Lady Ravra turned around and led them through an estate that was huge.

The walls and floors were made out of a marble-like material, and there were crystals everywhere. In the chandeliers, in the artworks and arches of the hallways. Crystal statues, and crystal columns. Artemis looked around in awe, unable to tear her eyes away from anything in fear of missing anything.

"You can explore later," Leo reminded her. She nodded, and turned to face the front.

They came to a room that housed a crystal table made of some sort of brown crystal. The chairs, thankfully, were made of wood.

"Please, have a seat," Lady Ravra said. They sat down at the rounded table, Artemis on Alex's right, Sava on her right. Leo and Rex were on Alex's left.

Lady Ravra introduced them to her councilors, all of whom nodded in reply. In turn, Alex introduced each of them.

"So, about this creature?" Alex prompted. Lady Ravra nodded.

"Yes. This creature came on a trade ship. We have made sure that the people who have brought it to our planet have paid their fine for doing such a thing, but no one knows where the creature came from," Lady Ravra said. Alex nodded.

"Fortunately, the Atlas' scientific crew is searching for the creature's home. If all goes well, then we will be able to trap the creature and take it back to it's home planet," he explained.

"How do you plan on trapping it?" A councilor asked.

"We'll have to get the creature to trust us, which will take some time. We have a cage that we can trap the creature in when we get to that part, though it will be a while until we can do that," Artemis explained.

"So you wish to release it in its home world?" Lady Ravra asked.

"Precisely. And, with the information we receive about the creature, we can properly document it and enforce rules and regulations surrounding it to keep something like this from happening again," Leo added on to Artemis' explanation. There were murmurs as the plan was discussed by the councilors and Lady Ravra. Finally, she stood up.

"Paladin Cadets," she said. Her voice was clear, with a hint of a sound that was like crystals clinking against each other. "We will provide you with anything you may need in order to capture the creature. We trust that you will be sure to capture it." Alex stood up.

"We promise to help with this issue, and bring your planet back to stability," he said, using his Black Paladin voice. Authoritative, sure and steady.

This declaration closed the meeting, and the five of them were led to the rooms that they would be staying in. Someone had gone in and grabbed their things, because Artemis' things were at the end of her bed. Sava's things were at the end of another bed, right next to the one that Artemis had been given.

As soon as she was inside of their room, Artemis stripped off the armor. She didn't throw it anywhere, instead choosing to piled it up into a corner. She grabbed her spare clothes and put them on. She could hear Sava doing the same as her. Once they were done, they sat on their respective beds. Sava scanned the platter of food left for them.

"Safe for us to eat," she said. She grabbed a strawberry looking thing. Artemis grabbed a pastry thing. It was sweet when she bit into it, perfectly satisfying her giant sweet tooth that she'd inherited from her dad.

There was a knock on the door.

"Arti? Sav?" Leo called through the wood.

"Come in," Artemis said. Leo opened the door and walked in, followed by Alex and Rex. Leo sat on a chair while Alex joined Artemis on her bed, and Rex sat on the floor.

"You can sit on a chair, you know," Sava pointed out to him. Rex shrugged.

"The floor's comfortable," he replied.

"Check-in time, let's go," Leo said. He set up the communicator, they all crowded around it.

A holographic screen appeared, showing the faces of the Paladins. Artemis watched as worry disappeared from her parent's faces like ripples in water.

"How's it going?" Shiro asked. Right to the point.

"We came out of a meeting with Lady Ravra and her council not too long ago. They explained that the creature came in on a trade ship, though no one's sure when it got on," Alex reported. There were nods.

"The team is researching on where it comes from, but so far it's proved to be fruitless," Pidge told them. "Coran has been sent the images of the creature, and he has a team looking into it. Hopefully, with our combined efforts, we will be able to figure this out."

"We'll start searching for the creature in the morning," Alex said. Looking out the window, Artemis saw that the sun was setting.

"That's a good idea," Lance agreed, also eyeing the window that he could see.

They talked a bit more before signing off. The boys retreated to their room, and Artemis climbed into her bed.

"G'night," she mumbled.

"Night," Sava replied.

____________

The next morning, when she woke up, Artemis stretched and went to the bathroom. She showered and changed, threw her hair up into a ponytail and let Sava use the bathroom after her.

They were given breakfast by a servant. Artemis ate her fill, and left the rest for Sava, who ate her own fill after she came out of the bathroom wearing casual clothing as well.

They went to meet up with the boys afterwards.

"The best thing for us to do is to split up and search for the creature. It'll give us a better chance at spotting it," Alex said. He was typing something out on his phone, probably a message to the Atlas about what they were doing. "The creature has been spotted here multiple times, trying to steal food, so that's where we're going to start our search. Feel free to buy yourselves something while we're here."

"Alright," Leo said. They were standing not too far from where the market was, and even from here, Artemis could see all of the people milling around. Mothers with babies strapped to their backs, children chasing each other, and men talking to each other.

It was so interesting, and Artemis had always been one to learn about culture. Exploring a market place was perfect for learning about the Shaatullian culture.

"Lady Ravra gave me some maps. There's enough for all of us to have one each. Artemis, you take this area. Leo, you take this part. Rex, you take this one. Sava, you take this one. I'll search here." Alex pointed out each part. Artemis took one of the paper maps from her brother and a pen from her backpack and outlined her area. The others did the same on their maps, handing the pen back to her once they were done. "Meet back here before dinner time. Lady Ravra has invited us to eat with her."

"Copy that," the four of them said in unison.

They split up after that and went to find their areas. Once Artemis found the start of her area from where she'd entered, she started to explore and search for the creature.

The Shaatullians were rather fond of bright colours, she noticed. All of the stalls sold things like jewelry and scarves and clothing all in different shades, as well as some food. Curious about the culture, Artemis bought some candy. The candy tasted good, and they were in the shape of crystals.

Papa wasn't lying when he said that the Shaatullians find crystals important, she thought as she watched a mother buy her child their first piece of jewelry. Artemis couldn't help but smile at the child's happy expression as their mother helped them put it on. The vendor smiled as well.

"Come and get Soul Crystals here! Perfect gift for married couples and parents!" One of the vendors shouted. Artemis stopped, thinking about it. She was... intrigued, to say the least. And her papa would love to have a souvenir from this planet.

Artemis turned and walked to the booth.

The booth was covered in those simple crystal necklaces that Artemis had noticed everyone wearing, all of which glowed slightly, like Lady Ravra's. None of these ones glowed, though they came in all different kinds of colours. Pink, purple, blue, green, red and many others. The vendor grinned when they saw her.

"Well, hello there, traveler! May I interest you in a Soul Crystal for your significant other? Or perhaps as a gift for your parents?"

"What do they do?" She asked, eyes roving over the crystals.

"Well, these are an ancient tradition among our people. They are linked to two people's Quintessence. It allows for couples to feel each other's emotions, as well as acts as a compass of sorts for them, so that they always know where each other are, and how they are feeling."

"Is that why they glow?" She questioned. The vendor nodded.

"Precisely," they said.

"How much would it be to get a couple for my parents?"

"Fifty VIC," the vendor replied.

I have a few hundred VIC in my wallet, she thought.

"Buy. Lance like," Red said.

"Keep it a secret from him," Artemis said.

"Yes. Secret. Surprise." Artemis pulled out her wallet and pulled out a 100 VIC note.

"Here," she said, handing the money over.

The vendor took the note.

"Now, just close your eyes, and search for the crystals that match your parents. It's easier for those who have Quintessence sensitivity." Artemis closed her eyes, feeling for something that matched her parents. She opened her eyes and looked at the crystals her Quintessence sensitivity helped her zero in on.

"Those two, that blue one with white swirls and that red one that has gold in it, those match perfectly," she said, pointing to the crystals. They were on a basic black string. The blue one looked like the ocean, while the red one looked like fire.

The vendor boxed them up and tied the boxes with a ribbon without question.

"I wish your parents wonderful and fulfilling life, Young One," the vendor said. Artemis nodded.

She left the vendor after that and wandered around some more. The crystals she bought were in her bag, waiting to be given to her parents.

She continued around the market. She bought some fresh meat and some fruit for the creature to eat when she came across it. Part of gaining its trust was to give it food, which was a universal sign of 'I'm not here to fuck you up' with all species, not just people.

There was a commotion. Artemis looked over to see it.

The creature, which was the size of a cat that was somewhere between being an adult and a kitten still. It was trying to get some meat, but was being chased off by a vendor.

Artemis leapt into action. She ran after the creature, following along as it flew through the air and ran on buildings. She never took her eyes off of it, which caused quite a few close calls with other people.

"Hey, watch it!" One yelled.

"Sorry, gotta chase this creature," she shouted.

She ran around a corner, using her arm to turn more accurately. She used the momentum to keep going.

She followed the creature out of the market and to a dilapidated house on the outskirts of the city. It flew in, and Artemis followed, slowing down do not scare it.

The house was made of the same stone as the other houses were, but the crystals that adorned them were missing. Artemis stepped over a chunk of rock that had fallen from the ceiling and into the room. Dust and rocks covered the ground. Artemis saw the creature in a corner. It yowled at her, wings and fur puffed up to make it look larger.

"Hey, it's okay, I don't want to hurt you," she said. She crouched down and sat on the floor, making herself smaller, less intimidating as much as she could. "You're hungry, aren't you? That's why you were trying to take that meat from that guy."

The creature growled at her, still untrusting. Slowly and clearly, so that the creature could see what she was doing, she pulled out the meat from the bag the vendor had given her. She held up a chunk of the slightly green meat - the colour reminded her of the description of dragon meat or whatever it was Hagrid has used as an ice pack in The Order of the Phoenix.

"Here, I got this especially for you," she said. She chucked it to the creature, as far as she could. The creature crept forward and sniffed the meat. It took it and went back to its corner, chewing on the meat. Artemis took out her phone and snapped a picture, sending it to the others and the Paladins and Shiro.

Artemis: I've found the creature. Artemis: It eats meat. Artemis: Click to see image.

Shiro: Good job. We'll pass on the picture and the information.

Pidge: It's even prettier than the security pictures show.

Alex: Save the location of where it's staying so that you can find it later. Alex: It'll be better for you to be the one to capture it in the end.

Artemis: Already on it.

She saved the location on her phone and looked up. She saw that the creature was looking at her, having eaten the meat she gave to it.

"Here, have some more. You need to eat all you can so that you don't starve. I'd rather be able to take you back to your home than have you die," she said. She grabbed more meat and chucked it over to the creature. It grabbed that meat, too. Artemis chucked over the rest of the meat and stayed there. She stayed there until an hour and a half before dinner.

The creature watched her with wary eyes.

"I'll be back with more food tomorrow, and a bowl. I'll be able to give you water without having to force you to get too close if you don't want to." She turned to leave. Before she was our from under the door, she turned back to smile at the creature. "Bye." She walked away from the house.

____________

True to her word, she set out to the house that the creature lived in the next day. She packed her electronics into her backpack along with some lunch and some meat and water, then set out. She went and bought a couple wooden bowls, and made her way back to the house.

The creature was still there. It growled softly, a warning to not come any closer.

"Hello, pretty. How are you today?" The creature growled again. Artemis nodded. "Fair enough. I've brought some bowls with me, so I can put your food in there as well as some water. You don't have to worry about coming too close to me anymore." As she told the creature about the bowls, she pulled them out, and poured some water in one. She set it on the ground, not too far from the creature, not too close. She then took the meat and put it into the other bowl. She set that down next to the water bowl.

She walked to the opposite side of the the room compared to the creature, the bowls halfway between them. She got herself comfortable and put on some music, using her headphones. She started to draw on her tablet.

She sketched out the creature, capturing it's beauty on a canvas. It moved forward to sniff the bowls. It realised that she wasn't trying to kill it and watched her. Artemis watched it herself, and smiled as the creature ate the meat and drank some of the water before hopping up onto it's perch.

She grabbed her phone and opened the voice recordings.

"Day two of taming the... creature. We don't know what it is still, but it's beautiful. I'd say that it's the same as a kitten that's nearing the same size as a fully grown cat from Earth. I've given it some meat, and some water. They're both in a bowl so that it doesn't have to come too close to me if it doesn't want to. I'll continue to do this until I can get close to it without it panicking and trying to murder me."

She went back to her drawing when she finished the log.

Pidge: We've found out what the creature is. Pidge: It's called a Refr, and it's from Hvalba, which is an extremely new planet, only having sentient life within the last 357 years.

Artemis: Seems like a cool place tho.

Pidge: It is.

____________

"Day twenty of taming the Refr, who I have discovered in a girl. She's friendly now, and she has let the others get close to her. That's as long as I'm here, though. No one can get close to her without her trying to maim them if I'm not around. She trusts me enough to keep her safe from danger if it ever arises. That's... that's the same level of trust Dad and Kosmo have. I don't know if we're going to be able to actually release her onto Hvalba, but it's worth a shot." She finished the log and looked at the Refr.

"Mrow?" The Refr asked. Artemis smiled.

"I'm going to go now, girl. I have to get back to my friends before it's too dark," she said. She stood up and packed her things into her bag and then set off for Lady Ravra's estate.

She was barely walking for five minutes before she heard the telltale signs of something following her. She looked back to see the Refr landing on a building.

Artemis grabbed her phone and took a picture of it.

Artemis: I don't think we need to trap it. Artemis: And I think I have a pet now.

Keith: That's fine.

Lance: At least it's safe. Lance: Don't worry, I give you my full permission to keep the Refr if you want to.

Allura: We can still create rules and regulations surrounding the Refrs to keep something like this from happening again.

Artemis: Alright. Artemis: She'll only let people near her if I'm around tho.

Alex: That's some Dad and Kosmo level trust.

Lance: It is.

Artemis put her phone away and turned the Refr, who was still there.

"Come on, girl. I'll take you to Red, she's a safe space for you to stay," she told it. The Refr tilted her head.

Artemis started her walk again, path engraved in her mind. She could hear the Refr following her, all the way to Red, who bent down to let Artemis in. The Refr followed.

"You'll be safe here," Artemis said. She offered her hand to the Refr, who pushed its face into it. "You need a name." She thought through all of the names. "How about... Amber?" The Refr purred at the name. "Amber it is."

Artemis had to leave Amber in Red, which was simple enough. She went back to her room, where Sava was waiting.

"So you have a pet now, huh?"

"Yup. I've named her Amber," Artemis replied. She grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom and changed.

"Amber's a nice name," Sava commented when she walked back out.

"Yup. And we've finished the mission, so we can leave soon."

"Thank quiznack. I miss Hunk's cooking," Sava said.

"I miss Dad and Papa," Artemis said. She climbed onto the bed and under the covers.

The next day, the five of them climbed into their lions and departed Shaatull. Amber sat on one of the consoles, staring out at space. Artemis flew Red through the wormhole that appeared and into the Lion hangar, landing her expertly.

"Let's go, girl," she said to Amber. The Refr meowed again and followed her out of red. Artemis went and hugged her parents when she saw them, leaving Amber to watch with curious eyes.

"This is the Refr," Lance said when he pulled away. He knelt down and offered Amber a hand.

"Yeah. Her name's Amber," Artemis replied. She watched as Amber readily accepted pets from Lance.

"You guys have to debrief. Bring Amber with you," Keith said.

"I will," Artemis agreed.

Ten minutes later, and she was in the briefing room for the mission debrief. Amber laid on the table, watching everyone. Artemis' hand on Amber's head kept her calm.

"Why do we have to do a debrief?" Alex asked.

"Protocol," Adam answered.

"Adam's right. This is protocol, and the Garrison will have my head if I don't do this," Shiro said with a sigh. "Trust me, I hate debriefs too. I don't even know why I'm still the captain of the Atlas."

"Let's not question life choices now, otosan," Leo said.

"Alright. Let's get through this."

It was... surprisingly quick. Amber willingly got up and went to meet everyone in the room that she didn't know, including Kosmo, who touched his nose to Amber's nose in greeting. After sniffing each other, they curled up on the ground together.

"That's cute," Alex commented.

"Yeah, it is," Artemis agreed.

"I didn't expect for you to end up with a pet after all of this," Leo said.

"Shut up," Artemis shot back. Leo stuck his tongue out at her. Artemis returned it.

"It's good to have you guys back," Shiro said.

"You're a sap," Adam said. Everyone laughed at that, causing Amber to look up from where she was lying on top of Kosmo.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

RICHARD LARDNER AND BILL BARROW at AP:

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — On the second floor of a single-family home in a sprawling suburban development, a three-member production crew sat behind banks of computer monitors and guided the conservative Right Side Broadcasting Network’s coverage of a recent Donald Trump rally. RSBN’s show director, whispering into a microphoned headset, instructed the camera operators and on-air correspondent how to shoot the scenes as Trump basked in the crowd’s adoration. Otherwise, the room was quiet. The screens, all muted, were playing live footage of Trump pointing, waving and gesticulating. There was no need for sound — the director and producers have covered so many Trump rallies they seem to instinctively know what he’s going to say.

“If you’ve heard Trump’s speeches as often as we have, he does not need to be blaring,” said Joe Seales, RSBN’s founder and CEO. In less than a decade, RSBN has gone from an upstart internet broadcaster to a major player in Trump’s MAGA universe, amassing more than 2 million subscribers on its YouTube channel and on Rumble, an alternative video-sharing platform. As Trump’s loyal herald, carrying his message like a marathoner, live and unfiltered, RSBN has allowed the former Republican president to bypass traditional media and inject his vision for America directly into the veins of his diehard supporters. The positive coverage has made RSBN a Trump favorite and a destination for his MAGA movement, a reference to the ex-president’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Out of all the conservative news outlets Trump had to choose from, he picked RSBN to host a special in March from his Mar-a-Lago estate on the day before Super Tuesday, when presidential primary voters in 16 states cast their ballots.

[...]

A BRAINSTORM

Seales was a stay-at-home father in 2015 and was growing annoyed with the coverage of Trump’s first run for the White House. The big news networks, he said, refused Trump’s pleas to show the size of the crowds he was pulling in. He became convinced there was a sizable audience hungry for a steady diet of Trump’s rallies, town halls and other events. Seales and his wife, a former Navy physician’s assistant who co-owns RSBN, started small, with a single camera at a Trump rally in Phoenix. Over the years, they turned a shoestring operation into one with 10 full-time employees and a house full of sophisticated computer and video gear. Like other broadcasters, most of RSBN’s revenue comes from selling ads. The commercials that run on Seales’ channel skew to attract consumers of a conservative political inclination.

[...]

A PROPAGANDA VIBE

RSBN’s broadcasts have the vibe of a state-run propaganda program. But Seales denied the channel acts as a surrogate for Trump or his presidential campaign. “We aren’t affiliated with them,” Seales said. “We just cover Donald Trump. Our goal has never been to be an extension or a cheerleader for the Trump campaign. I just saw a void that I thought needed to be filled in coverage for him as a candidate. And we try to cover him as fairly and accurately as possible.” RSBN is also not going to challenge the former president. The channel’s mantra is to let Trump be Trump. If he mangles the facts or ignores them altogether, which he does often, Seales said there are other news sites and sources where viewers can fact-check him. “I don’t really feel it’s our place to call anyone out,” he said. “I like to let people make that decision on their own and to research the facts.”

[...]

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

The Opelika house hasn’t always been RSBN’s headquarters. Seales moved there for safety and privacy. He asked the AP not to disclose its precise location or to record video of the home. [...]

Seales has embraced the new location. In recent months, he has turned a bedroom into a studio to record podcasts. A news anchor’s desk, teleprompter and professional lighting have been installed in another bedroom. But Seales said he isn’t sure how much longer he’ll run RSBN. He’s considering selling the company. Politics, he said, has become too vitriolic and has “taken enough of our life and our time.” RSBN also faces an uncertain future. If Trump’s comeback bid for the White House fails, the channel’s main attraction will no longer be running for office. Should he win, RSBN’s status as the hub for wall-to-wall Trump coverage will be diminished as a global press corps tracks his every move. “We have based our entire business model,” he said, “around one man doing one thing.”

AP takes a look on how a far-right pro-Trump propaganda network called Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) rose to be a major player in the MAGA-verse. It started in 2015, when Joe Seales was frustrated with the major media outlets' coverage of Donald Trump and his indoctrination rallies being not deferential enough to Trump and his supporters. RSBN

[power-chords]

Christian Slater is an inspired choice. I really liked his work on Mr. Robot, and would like to have seen his version of Ricky Roma in the London production some years back

Thank you! His work in Mr. Robot was my prime consideration, in fact, although True Romance, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Name of the Rose, and Interview with the Vampire lend plenty of pertinent meta (not to mention his friendship with River Phoenix). What a phenomenal show that was. I was lucky to catch a glimpse of him in person while they were shooting the final season in Grand Central. It was the dead of summer, and my mom and I saw throngs of people milling around the concourse dressed in down jackets and carrying Christmas-themed shopping bags. We were incredibly confused until the camera crews came into view. Glanced over our heads and there he was on the Vanderbilt Hall balcony.

P.S. he played Ricky Roma in London?! Holy shit. I was unaware of this piece of Mamet lore, I somehow missed that entirely. Would have killed to see his take on it. And beyond that, how a Mancunian director interpreted such a profoundly American script/story.

[daveg65]

348 - Spatial Galleries & Apple’s Shiny New Gear

The latest In Touch With iOS with Dave he is joined by guest Chuck Joiner, Marty Jencius, Jeff Gamet, and Ben Roethig. Dave and the crew kick off this episode with a lively discussion on Apple’s latest updates of iPad and Mac, discussing Vision Pro and Vision OS 2.4 beta 2, which introduces Apple Intelligence, writing tools, and Genmoji. They compare ChatGPT to Apple Intelligence and explore the new Spatial Gallery app. Marty shares his experience with the iPhone 16E, and the team dives into iOS.

The show notes are at InTouchwithiOS.com

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In this episode it features an engaging team, including returning guest Chuck Joyner, the insightful Ben Rathig, and the always entertaining Marty Jensen. Together, they dive deep into the whirlwind of Apple announcements from the past week, while bringing their own unique perspectives to the conversation.

The episode kicks off with an enthusiastic greeting, where Dave expresses his excitement for the crew's participation this week, especially welcoming Chuck back and expressing joy over Ben’s return after a busy work stint. Marty humorously sets the tone with a relatable anecdote about tedious meetings, before the group transitions to discussing Apple's significant announcements and updates, particularly focusing on Vision Pro and its latest features.

A highlight this week is the second beta release of Vision OS 2.4, which introduces Apple Intelligence, writing tools, Genmoji, and more. Dave and the crew delve into firsthand experiences using these emerging features. The conversation flows through various aspects—comparing ChatGPT to Apple Intelligence, and weighing the pros and cons of both regarding user experience. The group collectively mentions the excitement surrounding the new dedicated Spatial Gallery app while also highlighting the need for further improvements.

As they navigate through the nitty-gritty of Apple's updates, the discussion effortlessly transitions to iPhone 16E, where Marty shares his delightful experience with this new, more affordable model. He praises its solid performance, camera capabilities, and ergonomics. The group expresses collective thoughts on how the 16E, while aimed at budget-conscious consumers, meets many users' everyday needs, ultimately making it a worthy contender in the smartphone market.

In the midst of this richness, the crew engages in thoughtful dialogues about iOS 18.4 beta two updates. Interesting features such as priority notifications and enhancements to the shortcuts app steal the show. Yet, they also critique the absence of Apple Intelligence in lower-end models, prompting a study of how Apple positions its products within the market.

Staying true to the audience's needs, the crew explores the recent Mac announcements, including a new iPad Air with an M3 chip, victorious arrivals of new MacBook Air models in delightful colors, and the powerhouse Mac Studio featuring the M4 Max. They debate the implications of these upgrades, with Marty humorously revealing his impulse decision to acquire the Mac Studio, much to the amusement of his friends. Through collaborative discussion, the group reflects on Apple's evolving strategies, assessing where the company stands regarding cutting-edge technology and consumer needs.

Last but not least, the episode dives into news bites that capture attention, such as Tapbots' forthcoming release of the Phoenix app for Blue Sky and police in Australia utilizing CarPlay for vehicle recognition. These stories not only provide a fun wrap-up to the episode but also highlight tech's growing intersection with everyday life and law enforcement practices.

In Touch With Vision Pro this week. 

Apple Seeds Second Betas of visionOS 2.4, tvOS 18.4, and watchOS 11.4

Hands on with Apple Intelligence on Apple Vision Pro

Vision Pro Spatial Gallery Launches in visionOS 2.4 Beta 2

Vision Pro App for iPhone Available in iOS 18.4 Beta 2

Marty has the new iPhone 16e. He gives his review of this new iPhone.iFixit Takes Apart iPhone 16e for Closer Look at C1 Modem 

Beta this week. 

Everything New in iOS 18.4 Beta 2

Apple Seeds Second Public Betas of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4

iOS 18.4 Brings RCS Support to Google Fi, Mint Mobile and Other T-Mobile MVNOs

iOS 18.4 Adds Apple Intelligence Features to Control Center 

iOS 18.4 upgrades the App Store with these two new features

New iPads were released this week. 

Apple Announces New iPad Air With M3 Chip, Updated Magic Keyboard

Apple Announces Redesigned Magic Keyboard for iPad Air

M2 iPad Air vs. M3 iPad Air Buyer's Guide 

Apple Unveils 11th-Gen iPad With A16 Chip and More Storage

Here Are 8 Things to Know About Apple's New iPad With the A16 Chip

New Entry-Level iPad With A16 Chip Has More RAM Than iPad 10

Apple's 64GB Era is Over

In Touch With Mac this week

Apple Seeds Second Beta of macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization

Apple Announces New MacBook Air With M4 and 'Sky Blue' Color Option

M2 vs. M3 vs. M4 MacBook Air Buyer's Guide: 25+ Differences Compared

Apple Announces New Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips, Thunderbolt 5, and More

A Maxed Out M3 Ultra Mac Studio Will Cost You $14,099

New MacBook Air and Mac Studio Offer Easy Setup With a Nearby iPhone 

M3 vs. M4 Chip Buyer's Guide: How Much Better Really Is M4

Apple Discontinues M2 and M3 MacBook Air

The Mac's Space Gray era is officially ove

Everything Apple Announced This Week - MacRumors

News

Tapbots Making 'Phoenix' App for Bluesky

ChatGPT can now directly edit code in Xcode, VS Code, & more on macOS

Police in Australia are using CarPlay in an interesting way

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Dave Ginsburg is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users and shares his wealth of knowledge of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and related technologies. Visit the YouTube channel https://youtube.com/intouchwithios follow him on Mastadon @daveg65, and the show @intouchwithios

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Chuck Joiner is the host of MacVoices and hosts video podcasts with influential members of the Apple community. Make sure to visit macvoices.com and subscribe to his podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @chuckjoiner and join his MacVoices Facebook group.

Here is our latest Episode!

[bekolxeram]

I recall shortly before the S8 premiere, someone wished me an enjoyable viewing experience, even though the aviation inaccuracies would probably be painful for me. Well, I'm happy to report, quite the opposite! I was pleasantly surprised by the good balance between visuals, storytelling and accuracy. So here I am, saying my gratitude to the writers and consultants.

Fuck yes! I've never been subtle about my dislike for the Airport film series. I can absolutely overlook the aviation inaccuracies or gravity defying physics, but the most grating sound for me in Airport 1975 is Mr. chief flight instructor calling Nancy the flight attendant "honey", over and over again.

Sure, they're romantically involved, but at one point even the air traffic controller calls her honey. The men in this film also generally treat Nancy like she's dumb and talk to her like a baby, even though she manages to slowly figure out how to rudimentarily keep the plane flying, without any former training. I'm glad 9-1-1 calls out this era specific sexism in its first scene of the season. I want to hug the writers.

You, sir, should stay in the 70s.

I mentioned here that since the 80s, we have systems in place to prevent mid-air collisions. We can see both of them in action here. The air traffic controller has an alert pop up on her radar, she warns the Beechcraft pilot of incoming traffic just as she's trained to, and she instructs the pilot to make an immediate right turn. The Airbus on the other hand also has an independent avoidance system.(Mandatory on all commercial jet airliners with 30+ passenger seats per FAA) When it detects possible conflicting aircraft nearby, it gives the flight crew an audible advice to resolve the conflict. In this case, to climb. Unfortunately, even the most well-designed safety net can't stop a dumbass.

Just like the helicopter pilots in The Swarm (1978), Mr. rich asshole here sees a weird cloud, so he decides to fly straight into it. Those turn out to be angry bees and they're pouring into the plane through an air vent, so what will he do to get himself down on the the group ASAP? Request vectors to the nearest airfield for an emergency landing? Oh no, he takes off his headset, so that the bees can attack his ears too. Then he twists his yoke around like he's driving a go-kart. No wonder the TCAS onboard the Airbus can't predict what the hell this guy is doing.

Oh, this is not related to aviation. I just think Athena looks like a boss here.

Flying from Phoenix to Los Angeles only takes 1.5 hours, so it's usually done with a narrow body, single-aisle aircraft, in spite of the demand. Yet, Athena is definitely on a wide body, twin-aisle plane. (Honestly the wide body set looks so much better on camera than a cramped 737) The writers can simply leave it be, like many shows before them. It's not like a lot of viewers can tell the difference, unless you're a weirdo like me. Surprisingly, the wide body short hop to LAX turns out to be a plot point.

Someone is going after Dennis Jenkins, so Athena has to get themselves onto another flight. They're apparently in such a hurry that the only one available actually goes to Honolulu, with a stopover at LAX, so technically a long haul flight. 10/10 perfection.

Ahh, the cockpit. It's good enough? It's an A320 cockpit set with an A330 cabin, but no one's gonna be able to tell or mind. Yes, an A320 cockpit is smaller and narrower, but it basically has the same control panels and instruments as the A330, maybe with a screen or two fewer. (Also the circuit breakers are located in different places, but who cares lol) The important thing is, it looks gorgeous and modern.

Also, wonderful hole placement. (heh) The flight computers are situated in the avionics compartment underneath the cockpit, so a hole on top is much better than a hole from under. It also looks like it manages to just avoid the overhead panel. Some wires seem to be exposed to the element, but most of the buttons are still lit up, so still connected to the power supply. The Otto Pilot autopilot seems to have survived as well.

Looks good enough to me. The Primary Flight Display and the Navigation Display are flipped, but it's basically unnoticeable to the untrained eye. If you do recognize it, then you'll know it's already pretty good for a TV show.

Let's play a game, what do you think the instrument in the middle is?

[casspurrjoybell-24]

The Alpha's Beta - Chapter 11 - Part 1

BOOK ONE: The Alpha's Trilogy

*Warning Adult Content*

Julianna Grace Rose-Phoenix - Part 1

Beta Darren Phoenix

Darren sat down in his normal spots as I stood behind Quinton.

He pressed a few buttons on his computer screen before it lights up into a picture of my front door.

He hits another button and the picture appeared on the near by projection screen. �� 

Elis sat beside Simon, who had his eyes clued on he's cell-phone up until the picture showed up on the screen.   

The numbers at the bottom of the screen said it was 11:45pm on April 24th.

The house looked black and white with only the yellow shine of a near by street lamp.

The seconds on the screen slowly started to tick by, when Quinton pressed play.   

We all watched as the front door of my house opened and a dark figure with a hood over there face stepped out.

'How cliché' I thought as I watched the person turn to walk down the stairs and then kneel down onto the ground and shifted into a medium sized dog.   

Not a wolf, a dog, a brown coated greyhound to be exact.

It turned around and grabbed it's clothes into its mouth before trotting off down the road.   

The camera angle shifts, as it walked along the sidewalk and then into the woods.

"Well?" I asked after I waited a few minutes for the camera to shift into the woods but didn't.   

"The camera's from the woods keep being shut off," Quinton says, as he turns his computer on sleep, making the room turn dark before the lights are switched on.  

"So, are we dealing with shifters?" Ellis asks, crossing his arms over his chest.  

"I've seen that dog before," Darren says, typing on he's computer.

"The day you were 'kidnapped' it was walking down the road, then yesterday afternoon, I was leaving the house to go into town, it was sitting outside my house."

He pulls up a picture of the dog, shown from a surveillance camera, walk in sector two .  

"So, we're dealing with shifters that like to mimic stay dogs, wear hoods and have no scent and have hacking skills? I seriously feel like a camera crew is going to pop out and scream' punk'd' at us."

I groan putting my face in my hands.

Honestly of all the crap to happen to one pack, it had to be ours.

"Hey Silas?" Simon pipes in quietly looking at me nervously as he figures with he's fingers.

I nod for him to continue and he takes a deep breath.

"When 'they' died, didn't 'he' say there was no trace of smell coming from the woods. Like no forum of scents? Could... could these be the same people again?"   

I freeze and notice everyone else 'besides Darren' in the room tense as well.

Simon has a point.

What kind of pack would just attack us once and be done with us.

Kill twenty people and not come back for more.

It makes sense for them to come back now, one Alpha was already drove mad by them, why not another.   

I stand up from the chair I was sitting in and pace the room.

"We have to be ready. They were able to plant bombs in our woods without us knowing once before. Ellis, I want your hunters and guards to be in the woods at all time. Have a group go out sometime today and check the grounds. Also I'll need someone to call Tyler and have her and some trackers go to my house and see if anythings missing. I'll of course help them out. Oh... for fuck sake."

I hit myself in the head when I remember the note on the nightstand.

I pull it out of my pocket and set it on the table beside me.

Which just so happens to be the one next to Darren.

"I found this when I woke up. I can't believe I forgot about it."

I pick it up again and unfold it.   

Round 3   

"Round Three," I read out loud, so everyone can hear.

I furrow my brows in confusion.

Round 3

What does that even mean?

Darren snatches the note from my hand and looks it over before handing it to Darcy.

"Analyze the hand writing. Then send it Victors lab and have Ryan look at it. As of this moment we can expect an ambush at any minute. We need to get every body ready for this."

"But what's round three? Who was round one if it wasn't Samantha and Raylin?" Elis asks, making Symon and I flinch at our mother and sisters names.   

"My mother," Darren says as he stands up.

Before anyone can say anything he walks out of the room and I can only assume he's going upstairs.   

"Darcy," I say, after a few shocked seconds of silence.

"Get me everything you can on Julianna Phoenix's death, now please," I demand more then ask.  

She nods as she starts typing into her computer after about a minute she clears her throat and everyone looks towards her.

"Julianna Grace Rose-Phoenix died at the age of one hundred and forty-six years old, she told her mate, Jeremy. That she was going for a walk in the woods and she would be back by dinner so they could eat as a family and bathe there then three year old Darren. When Julianna hadn't arrived home by the time Darren was put to bed, Jeremy had then Alpha Rodrick watch Darren as he went to look for her."

"She was found uncurious by Summer Set Lake at 10:25 that night, she was pronounced dead at 11:30pm. Toxicologist's results show no drugs in her system besides prescribed anti-depressants that she had been on for a good while. Her and Jeremy had a series of miscarriage's over the past 100 or so years and they took a toll on her and after she gave birth she experienced postpartum depression. Her death was ruled accidental by Dr. Naomi West."   

I nod along to her voice taking in all the information. I could see where Darren was coming from but there was no viable proof that his mother was the first one to be killed by, well who ever this was.   

I dismiss this meeting, asking Quinton and Darcy to keep looking into everything they find.

Ellis goes off to get Tyler while Simon heads home.

While they all go on there way I make my way to Jeremy's house for the second time today and cross my fingers, hoping that he's home this time. 

[ulkaralakbarova]

The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the ‘black sheep’ of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Gil Buckman: Steve Martin Karen Buckman: Mary Steenburgen Helen Buckman Lampkin Bowman: Dianne Wiest Frank Buckman: Jason Robards Nathan Huffner: Rick Moranis Larry Buckman: Tom Hulce Julie Buckman-Lampkin Higgins: Martha Plimpton Tod Higgins: Keanu Reeves Susan Buckman: Harley Jane Kozak Garry Buckman-Lampkin: Joaquin Phoenix David Brodsky: Dennis Dugan Marilyn Buckman: Eileen Ryan Grandma: Helen Shaw Kevin Buckman: Jasen Fisher George Bowman: Paul Linke Taylor Buckman: Alisan Porter Justin Buckman: Zachary La Voy Patty Huffner: Ivyann Schwan Cool Buckman: Alex Burrall Stan: Lowell Ganz Dean at College: Rance Howard Young Gil Buckman: Max Elliott Slade Lou: Clint Howard Fotomat Clerk: Lamont Lofton Amy: Erika Rafuls Matt: Jordan Kessler Eddie: Billy Cohen Barbara Rice: Isabel Cooley Opposing Coach: Walter von Huene Kid in Classroom (uncredited): Howie Dorough Doctor Lucas: Greg Gerard Kevin Buckman – Age 21: Paul Keeley Student 1 at College: Claudio Jacobellis Umpire: W. Bruce O’Donoghue Student 2 at Collage: Hillary Matthews Screaming Co-ed: Sherry Ferguson Track Official: Todd Hallowell Young Frank Buckman: Richard Kuhlman Nurse at Hospital: Charmin Lee Film Crew: Story: Ron Howard Director of Photography: Donald McAlpine Story: Babaloo Mandel Story: Lowell Ganz Unit Production Manager: Joseph M. Caracciolo Editor: Daniel P. Hanley Editor: Mike Hill Producer: Brian Grazer Costume Design: Ruth Morley Production Design: Todd Hallowell Songs: Randy Newman Casting: Jane Jenkins Casting: Janet Hirshenson Stunt Coordinator: Artie Malesci First Assistant Director: Joe Napolitano Second Assistant Director: Tony Adler Art Direction: Christopher Nowak Set Decoration: Nina Ramsey Assistant Art Director: Beth Kuhn Set Dresser: William A. Cimino Set Dresser: Linda Marais Set Dresser: Nicklas Farrantello Camera Operator: Tom Priestley Jr. First Assistant Camera: Gary Muller Steadicam Operator: Robert Ulland Still Photographer: Phillip V. Caruso Camera Trainee: Mollie S. Mallinger Sound Mixer: Richard S. Church Boom Operator: Glen Gauthier Music Editor: Dan Carlin Sr. Supervising Sound Editor: Anthony J. Ciccolini III Supervising ADR Editor: Michael Jacobi Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Rick Dior Script Supervisor: Cynthia Streit Unit Publicist: Andrew Lipschultz Makeup Artist: Fern Buchner Makeup Artist: Peter Wrona Jr. Makeup Artist: Frank Griffin Hairstylist: Linda Trainoff Hairstylist: Romaine Greene Hairstylist: Donna Battersby Greene Location Manager: Peggy Coleman Negative Cutter: Ray Sabo Color Timer: Bob Hagans Color Timer: Dale Caldwell Movie Reviews: Peter McGinn: Parenthood is a great movie, and has aged well after 30 years have passed. The writing team included the writers who also gave us two other movies I like: City Slickers and Fever Pitch. Parenthood accomplishes in general what the movie Rain Man did for my wife and me. It reminded us of our autistic daughter And made us laugh at stuff that frustrated us in “real life.“ Similarly Parenthood touches upon a lot of hotspots in the parenting experience and helps us laugh at them. Their is a fine Ensemble cast. I particularly like KianU Reeves as Tod, who seems like an inappropriate boyfriend for the daughter but who proves to be valuable in mentoring their disaffected son. There are many memorable situations but one line my wife and I often quote even after all these years occurs when the other son Larry is pushed out of a still moving vehicle by people he owes money to. His father, played straight by Jason Robards, asked who they were. Tod replies that they were just some friends. The memorable line by Robards’ character is, “Friends. Friends slow down; they even stop.” The movie is full of good one-liners, as well as more in-depth sources of humor. You must ...

[goodmorningbatterycity]

Bomb Baby *broadcasting live to every TV in Battery City*: What's up y'all, it's Bomb Baby, here to remind you that a better-NO PUN INTENDED!!!-life is possible in the Zones ╰(*°▽°*)╯ Our cars are better, our fashion is better, our jobs are better, and oh yeah, our music is better too! We didn't want to blast your eardrums with punk and heavy metal (not yet anyway!!) so we thought we'd treat you to a little ACOUSTIC SESSION featuring songs we wrote RIGHT HERE IN THE ZONES (o゜▽゜)o☆

Tickled Pink: OMG whaaa, I didn't know about this, I'm so excited for real (*/ω＼*)

Bomb Baby: Me tooo! So here's a little track I wrote just for all you babes in Bat City, i hope it opens your eyes to a better world, a better tomorrow, a better.....LIFE UNCHAINED

LIFE UNCHAINED (C) BOMB BABY 2019

*Camera pans out to reveal Bomb baby on a stage sitting on a stool with a spotlight shining above her, the rest of the stage is dark, she has one guitar and she starts strumming it*

Bomb Baby *singing beautifully*:

Welcome to the Zones It's the world that we call home Most of us aren't straight I think that's pretty great

If Korse lived here with us He could get on the bus No more pretending he's that way We all know that he's gay

Toxic Sunshine *whispering backup vocals*: We all know that he's gay...

We give ourselves a name No more sad and shame Poison and Ghoul and the rest of the crew Bomb Baby, Tickled Pink, and oh yeah Violent Rays too

*another spotlight appears, revealing Violent Rays on a stool next to Bomb baby strumming an identical guitar, they start to harmonize*

Violent Rays *singing ethereally*:

The Zones are where it's at Pick up your baseball bat Get ready to smash some Dracs We're all here to do that

The sunlight casts a shade Reminding us to pray To the Phoenix Witch, who watches As we throw Drac skulls in boxes

*they harmonize and play guitar together with no lyrics for one minute, then they both lean forward and sing into the same mic*

Bomb Baby and Violent Rays *singing*:

We ride the desert sands Everyone has a plan Bat City is cold and gray But Killjoys are here to stay

All that lives must die Eat a doodoo pie Bat Shitty, your time's up It's time y'all backed up

*they harmonize and play guitar for five more minutes until the song ends, the entire crowd is silent until one man stands up and starts slow clapping and the rest of the crowd stands up and showers violent rays, bomb Baby and Toxic Sunshine with thunderous applause, Toxic Sunshine and Bomb Baby bow, Violent Rays gazes at the roof with the wisdom of a thousand Killjoys, Korse turns and walks off into the sunset*

wtf did I just read