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roosterforme · 1 year ago

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Pink Christmas Part 1 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Flying in the annual holiday air show dressed as Santa Claus was just something Bradley considered to be part of his job. But when he meets an inquisitive little girl and her beautiful mom, suddenly he wants to make all of their Christmas wishes come true. The only problem is, your daughter actually believes he's Santa, and he's not sure how he's going to keep up the charade when he wants to pursue you as just Bradley.

Warnings: Fluff, language, single mom reader, mentions of loss of spouse

Length: 8000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Pink Christmas masterlist. Check out my masterlist for more! Banner by @mak-32. Written for @bellaireland1981 Winter RomCom Challenge

You sat on a beach towel in the grass with your face tilted up toward the warm sun and your five year old daughter on your lap. Never would you have imagined wearing short sleeves and enjoying this kind of warmth in December, but your life had turned unpredictable in the past twelve months. And that included leaving a city that was currently buried in snow for the perpetual summer of southern California.

"Mommy! Look!" your daughter shouted unnecessarily loudly, making you laugh. She turned around with wide eyes to make sure you were looking where she was pointing as she adjusted her pink noise canceling headphones. "It's Santa!"

You slid her headphones off since it wasn't loud at the moment, and you looked out across the runway at the Miramar Air Show to see a tall pilot dressed as Santa Claus walking toward his fighter jet with a group of other pilots dressed as elves right behind him. "I see him," you told her, kissing her cheek as she bounced with excitement. "It looks like he's going to fly one of the airplanes."

"Why does Santa have an airplane?" she asked. "And where are his reindeer? And why are the elves getting in airplanes, too?"

You were saved from having to answer her questions as the aircraft engines fired to life for the finale of the show, and you put her ear protection back in place before putting your own earplugs back in. Honestly, you didn't know how to explain to your child who still believed in the magic of Christmas why Santa was taking off in a jet that said ROOSTER on the side of it. Frankly there were a lot of things you didn't know how to explain to her.

She clapped her hands when the jets swooped overhead in an impossible looking formation before looping back around and doing it again. Your heart melted as you watched her wave to the lead jet and shout, "Hi, Santa!" The planes roared overhead and shot upwards before coming back one by one to the land on the runway with such incredible looking ease.

When she whipped her headphones off herself this time, your daughter jumped to her feet with a huge smile on her face. "Let's go talk to Santa," she said, reaching back for your hand.

But you already had your eyes glued on the pilot who quickly replaced his helmet with a white beard and Saint Nick hat. You couldn't help but watch him, enjoying that distant glimpse of him before he went into full Santa character again. He looked tall and strong as he climbed down the ladder in his bright red flight suit, and you had to look away as you felt the heat rise in your cheeks. He waved to everyone in the crowd, and it felt like he was waving right at the two of you.

"Mommy!"

You knew she wasn't going to be deterred from this mission, so you got to your feet and let her tug you along as you tried to fold the towel one handed. "Sweetheart, Santa and his elves might be too busy to talk to us right now," you warned her as the group of six elves in bright green flight suits started fist bumping Santa Claus. And your steps faltered, because Santa somehow just got more attractive the closer you got.

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"Who let you be Santa anyway?" Jake asked, tugging on his red and green striped hat with enormous elf ears attached to the sides. "This elf bullshit is a damn disgrace."

"I volunteered to be Santa before the rest of you got a chance. Do I look like I'd make a good elf?" Bradley asked, and Jake rolled his eyes. "No. I do not." He was the tallest one in the group, and luckily he was able to sweet talk Maverick into letting him be the one to don the beard and the red flight suit for today's Miramar for the Holidays event they all volunteered to fly for.

"Maverick should have mixed things up and made me Santa," Nat said with her chin in the air.

"But you're the cutest little elf I've ever seen," Bradley told her, earning a smack on the back of his arm from her helmet. "Ow!"

"Wait, are we complaining?" Mickey asked. "I like being an elf. And apparently we get free food and hot cocoa in the volunteers tent."

"Oh, shit. Really?" Reuben asked, craning his neck to look toward the tent in question.

Bradley was about to remind everyone that they were obligated to pose for photos with kids when he heard a voice calling out, "Santa! Hey, Santa!" He turned toward the four foot tall chain link fence as an adorable little girl dragged a grown woman in his direction.

"Hey guys, we got company," he told the others as he adjusted his white beard and red hat. When he waved toward the child, she squealed in delight, and Bradley couldn't help but laugh. As she and the woman he assumed was her mom approached the fence, Bradley leaned on the top of it.

"Ho, Ho, Ho! What's your name, Kiddo?" he asked her with a bright smile. But his gaze inadvertently shifted to how gorgeous you looked as you held her hand, and he gave you a wink. He wouldn't mind learning your name, too.

But the little girl was eyeing him skeptically. "Shouldn't you already know my name? My mom said I'm on the nice list!" she exclaimed, gesturing up toward you.

Oh. Shit. "Uh, well, you see..."

Luckily you bailed him out with an apologetic look. "Ellie, don't be rude to Santa. He probably didn't update our names to our new address yet."

"Oh. Yeah," Bradley said, nodding in agreement and smiling. "Of course now I recognize you, Ellie. And your mom, too. Rest assured, you're both on the nice list."

But the girl wasn't convinced. "Why aren't you fatter?"

You brought your hand up to cover your face and groaned as Bradley laughed. "I needed to be able to fit in my jet."

"Why do you have a jet? Where's your sleigh?"

Bradley jerked his thumb toward the others milling around behind him. "My elves and I are trying out our jets this year. Something new."

"What about your reindeer?" she asked, undeterred. You were looking at Bradley and half smiling, half grimacing as you mouthed I'm sorry. But he didn't mind at all. Ellie was keeping him on his toes.

"Uh... they have the year off, per their union contracts. You certainly have a lot of questions, Ellie."

She nodded up at him with her hands on her hips. "I just want to make sure you're the real Santa. I've seen a lot of impostors at the mall."

Bradley had to stifle his laughter as you said, "I had no idea she was going to be like this. I'm so sorry, Santa."

"It's fine," he reassured you, noting that you weren't wearing any rings before he returned his attention to your daughter. "Okay, Ellie. What's it going to take for you to believe I'm really Santa?"

Her brow scrunched as she contemplated his question, and Bradley used the time to check you out. It was useless, he knew that, since he looked like an idiot in his fake beard at the moment. But damn, you were pretty. And your daughter was like a tiny, inquisitive version of you.

"Well," Ellie said with a little smirk, "you should know how old I am if you're the real Santa."

You quickly held your hand up over her head to help him out, and he counted your fingers. "Of course I know that you're five years old."

Ellie's eyes softened a bit as she said, "That's right! And what's my favorite color?"

This time you juggled the items you were holding and lifted up a set of noise canceling headphones. "That's easy," Bradley replied. "I know you love pink."

Now Ellie was smiling up at Bradley as she said, "And if you still need to update our new address, then you must know where we moved here from."

Bradley glanced up to see you pretending to shiver and rub your hands along your arms. "You moved here from somewhere cold."

"That's right!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "It's you! You're Santa!"

"It's really me," Bradley said, sending her a wink and nodding at you as you bit your lip and grinned. "And don't you worry, I'll have my elves take care of getting your new address straightened out. But first, I need you to prove that you're the real Ellie."

She nodded in excitement. "Ask me anything!"

"What grade are you in?"

"Kindergarten," she said, eyes filled with joy.

"Yep, that's right. Only the real Ellie would know that." You were laughing now, and Bradley loved the way it sounded. "And what's your favorite animal?"

"Pandas!"

"Mmhmm," he hummed, pretending he was impressed that she was passing this quiz with flying colors. "I'm almost convinced it's really you."

"Seriously," she told him. "Ask me anything, because I'm sure I'm not an impostor."

Bradley glanced up at you and smirked before leaning on the fence again, and then asked Ellie, "Tell me, Kiddo. What's your mom's name?"

She blurted it out immediately, and Bradley committed it to memory. When he looked up at you again, your gaze was focused on the ground, but you looked pleased if not a little sad. He wanted to know why.

"Would the two of you like to come in here and look at the North Pole jets?" he asked, and Ellie started bouncing up and down immediately.

"We don't want to waste any more of your time, Santa," you told him with an apologetic look.

"You wouldn't be," he promised, and when he said your name, you smiled and looked off to the side like you were embarrassed. "Come around the fence. You can meet my elves." He pointed to the gate a ways down where a security guard was standing. Bradley waved to him and gave him a thumbs up which the guard returned. "Santa gets special privileges."

"Fine," you said softly. "We'll just come around and meet you then?"

"Looking forward to it," he replied, and then Ellie was taking off for the fence opening with you right behind her. Bradley turned toward the others and clapped his hands. "Listen up. This little girl, Ellie, thinks I'm really Santa," he informed them. "And she thinks you're all my elves."

"Fuck," Jake groaned.

"I'm really hungry," Bob whispered.

"I refuse to be nice to you, even in front of a child," Nat said blandly.

"Whatever," Reuben and Javy said in unison.

"I'm so excited!" Mickey giggled, adjusting his elf ears.

"Just be nice, okay? Here she comes... with her mom," Bradley said, really enjoying the sight of you headed his way. He cleared his throat and knelt down as Ellie streaked toward him.

"Can I sit in one of the North Pole jets?" Ellie asked while you shook your head apologetically.

"Really, feel free to tell her no."

But Bradley just smiled and adjusted his white beard before he scooped the child up and stood. You looked up at him with a mixture of surprise and intrigue as he said, "Sure, Kiddo, if you think you can climb that ladder? It's really tall."

"Yeah, I can do it!" Ellie said, looking past him at his F/A-18 and clapping.

"Sound okay, Mom?" he asked you, and you bit your lip and smiled.

"Great. While Ellie and I are up there talking about what's on her Christmas list, why don't you give your information to my sweetest and most loyal elf, Phoenix."

Nat rolled her eyes at him so hard before she turned to you with a smile, and Bradley had to walk away before he started laughing too hard to stay in character.

"Your elf is named Phoenix?" Ellie asked as he carried her toward the ladder. "What are the other ones named?"

Bradley chuckled. "They're all pretty silly sounding," he said as he set her down a few rungs from the bottom. "The big one is Payback. The one who can't stop smiling is Fanboy. The one that's yawning is Coyote. Bob is the one with glasses. And the cranky one is Hangman."

"He looks like he could use a candy cane," she said as she started to climb.

"I think you're probably right. I should feed all of them more sweets."

Once they reached the top, he hoisted her over the edge and climbed onto the seat behind her. "Do you want to talk about what's on your Christmas list?"

"Yeah," she said with a sigh as she plopped down on his knee and looked at him with concern. "We didn't bring most of our decorations and stuff when we moved, because there were already too many boxes."

"Oh," Bradley grunted, patting her on the shoulder. Now he was even more curious than before about where the two of you had moved from and why as his gaze met yours where you stood below with Phoenix. "Well you'll need a Christmas tree for your presents to go under."

She nodded and finally smiled when Bradley looked at her again. "The only thing I really want is a pink one!"

He blinked at her a few times. "A pink tree?"

"Yeah! A pink Christmas tree! And an art set with pink paint."

Bradley nodded, figuring he could probably make that happen. "Sounds monochromatic but fun. Anything else?"

Ellie looked down at you and waved. Your brilliant smile for your daughter was so lovely, Bradley found himself waving too, which made you laugh. "Nothing else for me," Ellie whispered. "But something for my mom."

"Oh yeah?" he grunted when you blew a kiss up to them. Damn. He knew it was for your daughter, but he kind of wanted one of his own. "What do you think Santa should bring for your mom?"

"A boyfriend."

His gaze jerked back to Ellie's, but she looked completely serious. "You want me to get your mom a boyfriend?"

She nodded and said, "One that's tall and will play dolls with me sometimes and eat dinner at our new house. And he has to be really nice. Just like my dad was."

Bradley leaned in a little closer and wrapped his arm around her narrow shoulders. "What happened to your dad?"

"He died last year," she said matter-of-factly. "But I'm sure you knew him, because he was definitely on the nice list."s

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You watched as your daughter gave the naval aviator she was convinced was Santa Claus a big hug. He actually looked a bit ridiculous in the bright red flight suit and hat with the white beard, but Ellie seemed to have bonded with him in some way. They were laughing together about something she whispered to him, and then he was patting her head.

"I'll see what I can do for you, okay Ellie?" he told her, and you wondered if his voice really was that deep all the time.

"Thanks, Santa!" She came trotting over to you and took you by the hand. "I'm ready to go home now," she told you with a smile as the 'elves' waved goodbye. A startled laugh escaped you, because the entire afternoon felt very surreal. You just gave your phone number and your new address to someone named Phoenix who was dressed as an elf even though she was definitely also a naval pilot. And now you were waving to Santa Claus who you were left to assume was named Bradley Bradshaw based on what was painted on the side of his jet.

"Did you have a fun time with Santa?" you asked as you walked back toward the opening in the gate, chuckling at your own words.

"Yeah. He's really nice. I could have probably stayed and talked to him all night," she replied, and when you turned back he was still looking at you. The casual wave of his hand made your heart skip a beat. You really wanted this again. That familiarity with another person. The ease. The perpetually happy child next to you.

"Yeah... he seems pretty great."

But you were really annoyed with yourself when you spent nearly a full hour after you got Ellie in bed imagining what his face might look like without the fake beard. It had barely been three months since you stopped wearing your wedding rings. It was just over a year ago that your husband died unexpectedly. You were decidedly not in the market for dating anyone while Ellie was this young, because she deserved all of your attention. So why were you thinking about this Bradley guy and how sweet he was with your daughter?

You collapsed onto your bed and grabbed your phone from the nightstand. You didn't do the wordle yet for today, and you still needed to check the weather for tomorrow. But you got distracted by a text from a number you didn't recognize.

Hey, it's Bradley Bradshaw. I mean Santa. I hope you don't mind me texting you.

You sat up in your bed so quickly. Your stomach lurched as butterflies took up residence, and your fingers quivered a little bit as you gripped your phone. What were you supposed to do? "Text him back," you muttered to yourself. "Get a grip."

You looked across the room at your wedding photo on your dresser. It had been in one of the few moving boxes you managed to unpack already, and it made you smile every time you looked at it. Right now was no exception; that was one of the best days of your life. But when you looked back down at your phone, you didn't feel a pang of sadness or regret. You felt intrigued. So you saved Bradley's number and then texted him back.

I don't mind one bit. I'm happy to have the chance to thank you again for earlier. You made Ellie's day! Mine, too!

And then you waited with your phone in your hand, half embarrassed and half excited by the idea of getting another text from him.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: Your daughter is a bit of a spitfire. I was very entertained by her. And there's no need to thank me. It was the highlight of my day.

Dealing with your sassy five year old was the highlight of his day? You squealed and had to set your phone down while you walked around your room for a few minutes. The highlight of his day? He was a fighter pilot! He flew a jet around at the air show!

"Oh god," you groaned, crawling back across your bed to your phone. You were already a lost cause. Over a man who had been dressed as Santa Claus? Ridiculous.

But now you were scrambling over what to type back to him. Send him a Santa emoji? No. You were flustered as you sent him the first random thing that came to your mind.

You make a great Santa. You know, in case you ever contemplate a career change.

You looked at the words on your phone screen and cringed. You glanced back at your wedding photo and sighed. If that was your best attempt at flirting, then it was amazing you'd ever been married at all. And this man you met today didn't even seem bothered that you had a kid. That was a miracle in itself. You got ready to toss your phone aside for the night when he sent back a smiling emoji and another text.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: I'll keep that in mind as a potential retirement gig.

You wanted to tell him he looked pretty good in a fake beard. You wanted to tell him you were curious what he looked like without it. You wanted to keep him talking a little bit longer, because you could feel the adrenaline fueled blood pumping through your body, and it felt exciting. But before you could even say anything else, Bradley had you burying your face in your pillow so you could scream without waking Ellie up.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: But here's the thing. I'm an absolute sucker for cute girls. When can I see the two of you again?

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Bradley had to wait a little bit for a response from you, and he was sweating. He didn't want to push too hard, especially after Ellie told him her dad died, but he was intrigued. Plus, he was already googling pink Christmas trees.

Ellie's Mom: Ellie and I are kind of suckers for sweet Santas. What did you have in mind?

He lounged back in his bed with a smile on his face. Was he about to drop five hundred bucks on an eight foot tall pink tree? Hell yes. Especially since you just called him sweet.

Ellie asked Santa for a pink Christmas tree. I want to order it tonight if you can confirm it will fit in your house. And then I'd love to come by and set it up one day.

You wrote back almost immediately after he sent the link to the tree.

Ellie's Mom: You don't have to buy that for her! It's so expensive! Honestly, you don't need to buy her anything!

Bradley sighed. The kid thought he was really Santa Claus, so there was no way she wasn't getting a pink tree and a pink art kit. It was the boyfriend request that made him chuckle, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the idea of seeing you again.

But I want to. Any chance you can measure the space for me?

He had to wait a little bit longer again for you to answer, but this time he was rewarded with photos that had him sitting up in bed and staring at his phone.

Ellie's Mom: I can't find a measuring tape in all these moving boxes, but here's the spot where a tree could go. And here I am for reference.

You were smiling in the selfies, looking a little shy but just as pretty as earlier today, and you had on a shirt that looked so soft, he wanted to touch it. "God damn it," he grunted, already tapping out a response.

I think Santa should stop by in person and check the measurements, just to be on the safe side. Also, you're gorgeous.

"Oh fuck," groaned after he hit send. He really didn't mean to come on so strong, especially since he just met you. He busied himself with ordering the pink tree that he was sure would fit in that spot along with some colorful ornaments and tried not to count the minutes until you wrote back.

Ellie's Mom: We'll be home on Monday evening. I'm sure Ellie would love another visit from Santa. And so would I.

Bradley wrote back letting you know roughly what time he could stop by, and then he started to formulate a plan.

On Monday, in the locker room after work, he changed out of his regular flight suit and showered before zipping himself into his bright red one. His measuring tape, beard and Santa hat were already waiting in the Bronco, and he swung by his favorite bakeshop on his way out of Coronado. The place was packed with customers placing orders for Christmas goodies, so he was happy he decided to call ahead. He grabbed the box he already paid for and got back on the road, following his GPS across the city to the outskirts of town.

Your place was a cute town home with a pink Christmas wreath on the door and the windows lit with a warm glow as the sun set. Bradley got his Santa beard and hat situated using his rearview mirror, and then he grabbed the box and the measuring tape and made his way up to the front porch. As soon as he knocked, his heart beat a little faster, and a few seconds later, you were opening the door for him with a smile.

"Hey, Santa," you said softly with a crooked little smile. Bradley took you in from head to toe, his eyes catching on your lips and your pink sweater as he heard Ellie come bounding down the stairs.

"Santa!"

He looked past you just in time to see your daughter come streaking toward him wearing a pink dress and launching herself into his arms. He bent and caught her a little awkwardly as he laughed. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she hugged him.

"Came to make sure you're still on the good list." Bradley grinned up at you where you stood biting your lip. "Well, Mom? Has she been listening and behaving?"

You nodded. "Yes, Santa. She's been very well behaved."

"Excellent," he replied, releasing Ellie and handing her the box which she opened right away.

She gasped and looked up at him. "Pink Christmas cookies?"

"Yeah, I just thought the two of you might like something sweet."

You were looking at him with softly parted lips, and then you said, "Aren't we supposed to be leaving cookies out for you later this month?"

"I wouldn't complain if you did," he replied as Ellie handed you a pink snowflake cookie. He watched you bite into it, and he realized he was staring.

"Want one?" Ellie asked, tugging on his hand.

"No, those are for the two of you, Kiddo. I'm really here to measure the room for your pink tree. I want to drop it off before Christmas so there's something for your presents to go under."

Ellie screeched and nearly dropped the cookies all over the floor as you took the box from her. She pulled Bradley into the living room and showed him where she wanted her tree to go, and then she helped him measure the space while she asked him what he wanted for Christmas.

"Does Mrs. Claus get you something every year?" she asked, eyes wide and focused on him.

He wasn't sure how to answer her as he knelt on the floor with the measuring tape in his hand. So he decided to just be honest. "I actually don't have a Mrs. Claus yet."

When Ellie's eyes drifted from him up to you where you stood a few feet away, Bradley couldn't help but follow suit. "Mommy," she whispered. "We need to get something for Santa."

"Okay," you whispered back, barely glancing at Bradley before looking back at your daughter. "We can do that."

Ellie turned back to him and asked, "If I leave a present under the tree on Christmas Eve, will you know it's for you when you get here?"

"Of course. Just write my name on it so I know it's mine." Then she kissed him on his cheek right above his white beard, and Bradley melted a little bit inside.

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

You and your daughter waved from your front door as Santa left with his tape measure and one of the pink cookies. Ellie insisted he take the one that was decorated like a reindeer with him, and you watched as he ate it while he started up his vintage blue Bronco. When he honked and waved goodbye, Ellie jumped up and down.

"Santa's bringing me a pink tree!" she gushed, and honestly, you were feeling a little silly over that man, too. Your skin tingled as you closed the door and looked at the rest of the cookies. You felt like he was spoiling the two of you even though you barely knew him.

"Let's go get ready for bed," you whispered, ushering her toward the stairs before you took the cookies to your kitchen to have a moment to yourself. Last Christmas had been a nightmare as it was just a few weeks after you lost your husband, and now you'd moved to San Diego to have a fresh start with a new job and a new school and a new city. You couldn't handle another holiday in the house that the three of you had shared.

California was warm and welcoming, but the last thing you had expected to find here right away was a man that made your heart skip a beat. You knew your husband wouldn't want you to give up the idea of dating someone else, but you'd convinced yourself that nobody would want the two of you even though Ellie was a sweet kid.

You set the pretty cookies down on the counter and sighed. Bradley didn't seem to mind that Ellie was around. If anything, he seemed to really like her. He was buying her a tree even though you told him he didn't have to do that. You were more than capable of getting one, but he wasn't going to be deterred.

And Ellie definitely liked him, helped in part by the fact that she seemed completely convinced he was actually Santa.

"You don't even really know what his face looks like," you groaned as you closed the box and headed upstairs. It didn't even matter though, because you could still tell he was handsome with the kind of brown eyes you just wanted to keep looking at. But how embarrassing were you? Crushing on him like this.

After you got Ellie in bed, you texted Bradley to say thank you, and he wrote back immediately.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: It was my pleasure.

You imagined him saying those words in his deep voice in person, and you were still thinking about him the next morning when you woke up. You picked up your framed wedding photo and sighed in exasperation. "He reminds me a bit of you, honestly," you told your deceased husband who smiled back from the frame. "He's funny and kind of sweet. Maybe I just miss you. I don't know."

But you found yourself unable to get much work done from your home office while Ellie was at school. You kept sneaking down to the kitchen to get pink cookies, and by late afternoon, you caved like a house of cards and texted Bradley.

I can't stop thinking about what you might look like without your Santa beard and hat.

You set your phone down on your desk and stared at it. What were you, fucking insane or something? You must be. After twenty minutes with no response, you grabbed a sweatshirt and went for a walk around the block without your phone. You had forgotten how to flirt. That had to be what was going on here. You no longer knew how to be normal or subtle in any way, because it had been so long since you needed to be. When you moved to San Diego to start over again, you must have forgotten to pack your ability to act chill in front of men you were attracted to.

You stood on your front porch and took a deep breath before heading back inside. You needed to stop this. After Bradley came back with the pink tree for Ellie, he wasn't going to want to keep hanging out anyway. It was better to just stop this thing in its tracks right now. You ran back upstairs to your desk and grabbed your phone. He probably hadn't responded yet, which was great, because you could text him again and tell him you were just joking.

"Haha," you muttered as you sat down. "Just kidding, Santa."

But he had already replied. Oh. And he sent a selfie. Oh my. "Oh my god." He was even hotter than you imagined. He had a mustache. A real one, not the white one. He wasn't wearing the red hat either, and as a result, you got to see how soft his light brown curls looked. And he was smiling, his lips and his eyes already familiar to you. Then you made a small, strangled sound as you read the accompanying text.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: Greetings from North Island... I mean, the North Pole. And by the way, I can't stop thinking about you either.

You literally melted out of your chair and onto the spare bedroom floor. You thought about reaching for your computer to put up your out of office message, but you couldn't stop looking at the photo long enough to focus on anything else. You were laying on your back looking at your phone, and you nearly dropped it on your face when he wrote back again.

Bradley 'Santa' Bradshaw: The tree should arrive on Thursday. I was thinking I could take a half day at work and come over to set it up on Friday afternoon while Ellie is at school? Then I could see you again, too...

You rolled onto your front and started typing. Of course you wanted him to come back on Friday. You hit send before you realized that you'd be here alone with him. You'd have no five year old to buffer yourself from almost certain embarrassment.

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Everyone else was picking out poinsettias or red and green blooms, but when Bradley got to the florist, he asked for a big bouquet of pink flowers as well as a smaller one. Just pink flowers. Nothing else. He paid and left with both of them in one hand and ran back across the street to his Bronco.

He was running late. He told you he'd be there around one o'clock, but it was already half past. Of course he needed to shower before he left work at noon, since he smelled like jet fuel, and then he had to stop back at home and load the tree and everything else into the Bronco before he could head to your place.

The last thing he wanted was for you to think he didn't want to spend as much time with you and Ellie as possible right now. Frankly he was looking forward to spending a little time alone with you, even if it was just while he was putting the tree up. When he finally made it across town, he checked the time and winced before running up the sidewalk and knocking. And if he was already a little bit out of breath, it only got worse when you opened the door and smiled at him.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "I realized on my way here that I must have been overzealous when I told you I would be here by one."

You grinned and shrugged. "It's okay. Come on in." You closed the door behind him and asked, "Are those for Ellie?" You were gesturing at the flowers he forgot he was holding.

"Oh," he said, pulling the bouquets apart. "One's for you." Your eyes went wide as he held the bigger bunch out, and your fingers brushed his when you took it. "The little one's for Ellie."

You were looking up at him in surprise and your voice was soft as you said, "Thank you."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know what your favorite color was, so I went all in on the pink."

You were grinning again as you buried your nose in one of the fuchsia colored roses. "It's pink. Good job, Santa."

Bradley laughed. "I should have known. The two of you have me seeing pink everywhere now."

"I'm not sorry about that," you said, reaching for the other bouquet. "I'll put these in the kitchen."

He handed it over and said, "And I'll bring the tree inside." He watched you turn away from him, and he kept his eyes on you until you were almost out of sight which resulted in you turning around and catching him staring. He didn't mind.

Bradley made two trips inside with the tree and all of the lights and ornaments, but you must have still been in the kitchen. Or maybe you went upstairs or something. He'd been hoping you wanted to hang out a little bit and chat, but he already had the enormous tree box open with pink branches spilling out of it when you returned with two mugs.

"I made you some hot chocolate."

Nobody had made him a mug of hot chocolate since he was a kid himself. "You did?"

"Yeah. But if you don't want it, that's fine." You looked a little shy now, so he stood and reached for the pink mug you were offering to him.

"I love hot chocolate. I just don't drink it much now that I live where it's usually warm."

"Where are you from?" you asked before you pursed your pretty lips and blew on your drink.

Bradley smirked. "Would I be remiss if I told you I'm actually from Virginia and not the North Pole?"

Your bright laughter had him taking a step closer to you. "Not at all. Just don't tell Ellie that. She's already working on a Christmas present for you. I mean for Santa."

"Is she really?" he asked, suddenly unable to stop smiling. When you nodded, he asked, "What is it?

"I can't tell you! That would ruin the surprise."

"Yeah... don't tell me. I wouldn't want to disappoint her." Bradley took a sip before setting his mug down on a coaster and kneeling in front of the tree box.

You cleared your throat as he started pulling branches out. "How long have you been living in San Diego?"

"About six years. I finally got a permanent station at North Island after moving around. A lot." He lined all of the pieces up on the floor as you took a few steps closer.

"How old are you?" you asked him. When he glanced up, you added, "If you don't mind me asking."

He smiled. "I don't mind you asking me anything you want to ask me. I'm thirty seven."

"How are you possibly single?" you blurted out before hiding your mug in front of your mouth. "I'm sorry." You paced back and forth across the living room a few times as you said, "I'm so bad at this. Like epically bad at it. Because I haven't had to do it in so long."

"Do what?" he asked, trying not to laugh as you came to a stop right in front of him.

You made a cute little sound before you whispered, "I have forgotten how to even attempt to flirt with a man."

He had to press his lips together to hold his laughter in. You were actually serious right now. "I thought you were doing alright."

"You did?" you asked, gaping up at him.

"Yeah. I mean, you sent me those cute selfies when you didn't have a measuring tape."

You licked your lips and took a step away from him. "No one has called me cute since my husband died."

Bradley could feel his lungs deflating. He hated that you had to live through that. He was also selfishly a little afraid you were going to tell him you weren't looking to date again. This was really the only reason he hadn't asked you out already. Well, that and the fact that your daughter was currently convinced he was Santa Claus.

But he thought he should try his luck. "Someone should be calling you cute every day. You and Ellie both. Like I said, I'm a complete sucker for cute girls."

You looked a little flustered now as you sipped your hot chocolate, so Bradley returned to his mission of putting the massive tree together in the corner of your living room. When he paused to drink from his own mug, you came over to help him. Wordlessly, the two of you assembled it until it was too tall for you to reach.

When you handed the top part of the tree to him, he whispered, "Thanks." Your hand seemed to linger on his. Or maybe he imagined it.

"It's nice having someone so tall around," you said. "You must have no problems putting your own tree up."

"Nah," he said, sliding the last piece into place. "I don't even put one up at home. Seems like a waste when it's just for me."

"You don't have a tree?" you asked, and your hand came to rest on his forearm. Bradley's eyes snapped to yours as you said, "If you can continue to handle all the pink... maybe you'd want to come back over and enjoy this one with us?"

"As Santa?" he asked. "I really got myself into a mess with Ellie, didn't I?"

You bit your lip as you looked up at him. "Yeah... she's kind of attached to Santa now."

Bradley was fighting the urge to just kiss you, because you were right there. And you probably tasted like hot chocolate. And the closer you got, the prettier you looked.

"Should we add the lights?" you asked softly, your hand still on his left arm. "Before Ellie gets home?"

Very slowly, he raised his right hand so there would be no doubt in your mind what was coming. He traced your cheek with his fingertips as your eyes fluttered closed. "Yeah. Let's do the lights and the decorations before she gets back. I didn't bring my beard and my hat today."

"Okay," you breathed, leaning into his touch for a beat before you released his arm and pulled away. "I'll... get the lights ready." You turned and started to open some of the boxes of white twinkle lights while Bradley got the ornaments opened up.

He took out the pink and silver star, and when he reached up toward the top branches, you wrapped the lights around him and the tree at the same time. "If you want to keep me here with you, just say so. You don't need to tie me up."

You laughed. "I couldn't keep you even if I wanted to. You're Santa Claus, remember? You have a million toys to deliver next week."

Bradley caught you gently by the arm as you looped the lights around his back again. "To be crystal clear, I'm only doing this for you and Ellie. Nobody else."

You wrapped the lights a little tighter and said, "To be crystal clear, I like the way that sounds."

Bradley smirked as you finally loosened the strand and freed him. "Listen," he said as he followed you slowly around the tree as you put the lights on correctly this time. "Santa doesn't have time to play games before Christmas. He's very busy."

"Really?" you asked, looking back at him as you strung the lights higher and higher on the pink tree. "This kind of feels like a game to me, Santa."

He took over with the strand once it got too high for you to reach, and when he was done, he watched you pick up one of the boxes of ornaments. There were a bunch of pink and blue hearts and stars, and you smiled up at him. So he decided to go for it. Because he knew this was a rare opportunity he'd been given. "Santa is actually pretty serious right now. About you."

When you immediately returned your gaze to the box in your hands, Bradley ran his hands through his hair. You looked a little flustered again, just like you had when you claimed you forgot how to flirt. Whatever you were doing to him, he liked it. He liked how it felt to be around you and Ellie, too. He ducked behind the tree to plug the lights in, illuminating everything in a soft, pink glow, and then he tried to find the energy to help you finish the tree without pushing this any further.

"Hey, Santa?"

"Yeah?" he replied, his voice barely above a whisper as he reached for an ornament from the box you were holding.

You seemed to weigh your words before you said them which had Bradley's heart beating a little faster before you even spoke. "I wasn't planning on anything serious. Not really ever again."

"Oh." Serious was the kind of thing he was looking for now. Serious was actually what he wanted. He hung the pretty blue heart shaped ornament and then let his hand fall to his side. His heart felt heavy like a stone sinking to the bottom of a lake as you reached up in front of his face to hang a pink and white heart next to his blue one.

"At least that's what I thought before we moved here," you added.

He looked at you with one raised eyebrow. "Something changed your mind?"

"More like someone," you whispered, handing him another pink heart ornament which he carefully hung just above the other two. He wanted to know for sure if he was the one that changed your mind, but you pulled your phone out of your pocket and gasped.

"Ellie's bus should be here in a couple minutes."

"Right," he said softly. You and he finished decorating the tree, not so subtly stealing glances at each other the whole time. If there was even a chance with you, he wanted to take it, but he didn't want to press any harder today.

When he reached for his empty mug, you shook your head and said, "You can leave it. I'll clean up later."

"Okay." With nothing else keeping him at your house he started to head for the front door, but you caught his hand in yours.

"Wait." Your eyes were wide and a little hesitant, but when you tugged gently, he went willingly, slowly closing the distance between you body and his. "Thank you. For the tree and the ornaments. And the cookies. And the flowers."

He shook his head. "It's my pleasure. You don't have to thank me again."

"But I want to," you whispered, running your thumb along the back of his hand. "I want to do a lot of things. But they feel a little scary." When you paused, he didn't rush you. Your eyes were taking in every detail of his face, and you were smiling softly. "Things I haven't done in a long time. Things I never anticipated I'd be doing again. At least not while Ellie is so young."

Bradley opened his mouth, intending to tell you he could wait a few weeks or months to ask you out if that would make things easier for you, but you tugged gently on his hand again, rendering him silent. When your other hand came to rest on his chest, he held his breath. Your gaze stayed locked on your hand as you slowly guided it up along his shoulder and collarbone until it came to rest gently on the scars on the side of his neck.

The soft stroke of your thumb and even the gentle flex of your fingers could have brought him to his knees. And then you finally met his eyes. "I really want to," you murmured as you stood on tiptoes, your chest brushing his. Bradley's brain took a beat longer to respond than his heart did, but when you tilted your face up to his and let your eyes flutter shut, he closed the distance to your lips with his.

And it was perfect. The softest kiss of his life, but he could feel his entire body responding to you. With a soft gasp, you released his lips, but you didn't go far. When you met his eyes, you must have liked what you saw there, because you kissed him again. And again. And when Bradley guided your other hand around his neck, you kissed him a little deeper.

"Oh," you gasped, running your nose along his cheek as your fingers teased the back of his neck. When your lips met his again, he held you close with his hands on your lower back, and Bradley decided he could do this forever. All of it. The pink flowers and decorating the tree and the perfect kisses.

Then the front door knob rattled, and you broke away from his lips. Your eyes looked hazy at first, and you had the prettiest smile on your face before you pulled yourself out of his grasp as Ellie came inside. Your daughter looked back and forth between the two of you as you pressed your fingertips to your lips, and Bradley winced as Ellie asked him, "Who are you?"

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

Bradley! I mean, Santa! Where is your beard?! I hope you loved part one! Part two is coming soon. This one took a village so thank you to @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls @thedroneranger and @cherrycola27

PART 2

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

@chassy21

@solacestyles

@daisyhollyxox

@wintercap89

@blog-name6996

@bcon24

@chaoticassidy

@avada-kedavra-bitch-187

@katiebby04

@marantha

@averyhotchner

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@heli991113

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@little-wiseone

@ccbb2222

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@thedroneranger

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@cherrycola27

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@sylviebell

@wkndwlff

@horseslovers2016

@gennyanydots

@mattyskies

@hookslove1592

@blahehblah

@sadpetalsstuff

@local-spidey

@schoollover

@lex-winchester

@magicalmorg

@nicole01-23

@jessicab1991

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ohtobeleah · 2 months ago

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Day Five: [Breathe For Me]

Summary: The love of Jake’s life is plagued with chronic migraines after an unfortunate work place accident. But when a migraine feels wrong? Does Jakes initial response cost him his most priceless wife?

Warnings: Reader Death. Mentions of brain Injury. Jake Seresin x F!reader. Overstimulation. Migraines

Word. Count: 1.1k

Whumptober Prompts Day Five: Overstimulation, migraines, “I can’t take this anymore.”

Author Note: Please make sure you read the warnings provided. Disclaimer: I do not condone nor endorse the actions that are written about during the month of October. These works of fiction are just that, fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you to @ailesswhumptober for this year's prompt list.

Whumptober Masterlist | Main Masterlist

When we’re hurt, our bodies send signals to form blood clots directly at the injury, to help stop any bleeding. It’s our body’s system of checks and balances. It’s a system that’s supposed to save our lives. Or so we hope.

“Jake–” It started as a headache, the throbbing pressure in your temples was only a warning of what was to come. Next, the little black dots in your vision appeared. Again, another warning of the storm that was right around the corner. No amount of pharmaceuticals or home remedies could help aid you in expelling the all-consuming migraine that was inevitably pending inside your mind.

The full body aches, the sinus pressure, the sensitivity to light. The nausea, head spins, and intense head pain which made it feel like your brain was about to explode from your ears, made you want to die.

“I can’t take this anymore,” You groaned out in pain as Jake pressed a warm damp washcloth to your forehead as you hugged your knees in the bath. He sat just behind you, offering you only the comfort you wanted when you needed it the most. “Somethings wrong.”

“Dr. Snowdon said this would be a complication from the surgery honey,” Jake cooed as he felt you shift in the water. He watched and shifted as you let your back fall against his chest as you sat between his legs. Warm, soapy water lapped at your stomach as you stretched out your legs. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you.”

There had been an accident at work, one that no one saw coming. That’s the very definition of an accident though, isn’t it? Something you don’t see coming. Something that wasn’t intentional. Something that couldn't have been avoided.

You worked admin in the office department at Miramar, a usually safe office environment that makes your situation all the more accidental. Three people lost their lives, two people were injured. You were one of the two who lived to tell the tale of the office fire from hell. The fire that broke out after the old ass printer blew itself up. The office fire that caused an explosion that sent you flying across the building. The office fire that caused you to crack your skull on the corner of the wall you flew into.

The office fire that nearly took the love of Jake Seresin’s life.

“It’s not your fault Jake–” You nearly sobbed as you tried to focus on his gentle touch, instead of the overbearing, all-consuming pain of your head trying to tear itself apart. “It just sucks this is how my life is now.”

Jake pressed the washcloth a little harder against your forehead, hoping if anything, a little counterpressure would help alongside the warmth of the cloth.

“I know it’s not my fault, honey–” Jake cooed as he worked his magic, helping to soothe your pounding head the best he could. “But it’s so hard seeing you like this.”

Sometimes our body’s signals get messed up. And our failsafe goes haywire. Instead of making clots, our body destroys them. And the thing that’s supposed to help us? Only hurts us more.

Which means we start to bleed. And everything shuts down.

“You’re the love of my life Y/n, I hate seeing you in so much pain.” You didn’t respond, you simply laid there in the warm embrace of your husband’s touch. Your guiding light in life, and in the next.

It stayed like this for a while longer, the comfortable silence filled the bathroom as Jake worked to try and bring you some sort of comfort through your pain. He’d been with you every step of the way, so he wasn’t about to leave you now. But what Jake wasn’t expecting was for you to leave him.

“How are you feeling, honey?” Jake asked softly as he dipped the washcloth back into the warm water. At first when you didn’t respond, Jake assumed that you were just sleeping. He thought perhaps you’d found a moment of solace between the throbbing aches. “Y/n?” But when you didn’t respond when he gently tried to wake you? Jake’s heartbeat began to race with pure, unedited panic. “Hey, baby? Come on now you gotta wake up for me.”

“No, no, no, no, no–don’t you dare do this to me!” the poet Octavio Paz once wrote, ‘The Mexican is familiar with death. Jokes about it. Caresses it. Sleeps with it. Celebrates it.’ Jake Seresin was about to relate to those who had walked alongside death and his many unfortunate souls.

“Y/n, Honey open your eyes!” Jake cried as he dragged your lifeless body from the tub. In Jake’s eyes, death wasn't something to be celebrated. It’s avoided at all costs. You couldn’t die on him like this. You weren’t ever supposed to die before him at all. You promised him that. “Come on baby don’t do this, you’re alright,” Jake pleaded as he tried to bring you back, his compressions were hard enough to break your ribs. “No, no, no–I need you here,” Jake didn’t know it at the moment, but it would haunt him for the rest of his life. You had died in his arms, you had told him something was wrong. It would soon come to light that it had been an aneurysm that took you too soon. A complication from your brain injury.

“Wake up honey, please don’t you dare do this to me,” When death comes, it’s clinical, almost routine. But still with all the practice that doctors and nurses alike have under their scrubs, even surgeons are surprised by death. For Jake, he’d known for many years his career could lead him to an early, untimely grave. But he never expected you to be the first to leave. “I need you,” It was a painful, all-consuming cry that escaped Jake as he realised his efforts were futile. He held you close as he cried and mourned your now soulless state. “Y/n, no–no don’t leave me, please–”

Every religion, every country, every culture, death means something different to all of us. We all have different ideas about how to honour the dead. Different ideas on how to greave. Different ways of moving on. Jake Seresin wasn’t an expert by any means, but now he had the unfortunate experience of losing the person he loved the most.

***~***~***~***~***~***~

#ailesswhumptober2024 #ailesswhumptober #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin fanfiction #jake hangman imagine #jake seresin whump #jake seresin angst

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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 2 years ago

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Hangman Master List

Back to Main Master List

Multi-Part Stories

THE DANGER ZONE MASTERLIST >

Left at the Altar Part 2 [*] Part 3 Epilogue [*] - Fem!Reader (Ex-Girlfriend!Reader)

CW: Suggestive/Implied Sexual Content (Part 2 and Epilogue), Angst, Exes, Pregnancy and Kids (Epilogue only)

Summary: When you get left at the altar, a familiar face swoops in to save the day.

COMPLETED

Sequel: Stay Away from the Altar

What is L-O-V-E? Part 2 Part 3 - Bradshaw!Fem!OC (Lena) (Ex-Wife!OC)

Summary: Lena Bradshaw (formerly Seresin) struggles once again to keep the peace between her ex-husband Jake and her older brother Bradley for her son's sake. And the uranium facility mission only seems to heighten the stakes of it all.

DISCONTINUED

Prologue To Be a Man Part 2 Part 3 - Wife!OC (Sophie)

CW: Secret Marriage; Non-Traditional Family Dynamics; Marriage of Convenience; Type 1 Diabetes

Summary: Hangman is married. And it’s no one else’s business.

PART 4 COMING SOON

Blood in the Water - Cain!OC (Alina)

CW: Arranged & Political Marriage; Post-Apocalypse AU with a Medieval Feel; Blatant Sexism; Abuse from Family Members

Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, the livable landscape is carved up by warlords. After a long war with the Dagger Clan, the Cain Empire has been defeated, but peace cannot be brokered without a sacrifice. Hangman assumes that a marriage is that sacrifice. Cain thinks that Hangman’s death is a better trade.

DISCONTINUED

Never Have I Ever Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 - Civilian Contractor! Female! Reader (Dove)

CW: Not Necessarily Healthy Decisions/Coping Mechanisms; Shy! Reader; Slow Burn; Coworkers to Friends to Lovers; Excessive Pining

Summary: Dove is tired of being stereotyped as the nice, quiet girl who's so innocent it hurts. So, who does she call to help her? Hangman.

PART 4 COMING SOON

One Shots

Wedding Day - Fem!Reader

Summary: Hangman falls in love with his wife all over again when he sees her in her wedding dress for the first time.

I'll Carry You - Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

Summary: Hangman and his wife attend a naval ball. When her shoes give her blisters, Hangman ensures that she gets back to the car comfortably.

Lunch Break [*] - Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

CW: Suggestive Situations/Content

Summary: Jake and his wife are going through a dry spell. Luckily, his secretary Linda is the best wingwoman in all of Miramar.

A Morning Work Out - Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

CW: Implied Sexual Content

Summary: Jake goes through his normal morning routine with his son and wife.

Beach Day - Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

CW: Referenced Sexual Innuedos/Situations

Summary: Jake and his wife enjoy a beach day with their three kids.

Stay Away from the Altar - Wife!Reader; Fem!Seresin!OC / Male!Bradshaw!OC

CW: (Over)protective Dad!Hangman; Angst; Fighting; Rebellious Teenagers; Crying; References to Previous Pregnancy Scares

Summary: Jake isn't ready to accept that his daughter is growing up. And he's definitely not ready to accept that his daughter seems to have fallen for Rooster's spawn.

A Little Tag-a-Long - Female!Reader (Peach)

Summary: Hangman is excited to finally take out Peach, the woman that he's been in love with for months now. Except Peach gets called into babysitting duty right before their date.

A Happy Fourth - Wife!Reader

CW: Implied Sexual Content; Outdoor Shower

Summary: You and Hangman enjoy your Fourth of July together.

Three Four, That’s the Magic Number - Wife!Reader

CW: (Unplanned) Pregnancy; (Failed) Vasectomies; Threats of Kicks to the Balls

Summary: You thought that three kids was it. But apparently your husband, Hangman, didn't have as successful of a vasectomy as you initially thought.

The Love Game - Fem!Reader (Glitch)

CW: Unrequited Love; Angst; Emotional Angst; One-Sided Relationship; ‘He’s in Love with Someone Else’ Trope

Summary: Glitch has been in love with Hangman for years but he’s getting married to another woman.

A.N. Multiple Pairings: Hangman/Glitch; Hangman/Fem!OC; Glitch /Mystery Dagger

Gray - Fem!Reader

CW: Jake’s Sad; Showering Together; Half-Naked Cuddling

Summary: You try to cheer your boyfriend Hangman up.

Little Seresin - Wife!Reader

Summary: You surprise your husband by putting your daughter in an opposing team's jersey.

#tgm masterlist #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #top gun masterlist #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #top gun #jake hangman seresin x you #jake hangman seresin x oc #k’s masterlist

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epiimetheux · 2 years ago

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Icemav Royal Fantasy AU👑

The House Kazansky has been ruling the Kingdom of Miramar for centuries and was one of the most powerful families. The Kazanskys called themselves The Azure Children. As the tale’s been told from generation to generation, the bloodline was blessed by the fearsome ruler of the sky, the Thunderbird, who had bestowed them the power to wield weather as they willed.

However, with time, the pureblood has been washed away little by little. Mixed. Spoiled. Fewer and fewer children were born with the celestial gift. The House has grown restless for they couldn’t dare to think of what would happen to their sovereignty without the wrath of the Sky King in their hands. Challenges would come, from their conquered subordinates as well as their enemies.

Until one winter, after years of waiting and suffering, during a heavy snowstorm. A newborn cried and the sky screamed.

Thomas Kazansky II was told he was the Hope of the clan since the day he understood words. Not every gifted-one was meant to be a powerful weather wielder but Thomas was the real Azure Children. As the winter welcomed him to the world, his power naturally attuned to the cold. Moreover, being the favourite child of the sky, the lighting, the weapon of their Winged God, also called him its master. Everyone in the castle learnt at that moment that none should upset their prince.

It was a precarious time and the King would do anything to ensure the safety of their saviour. Thomas thus spent his childhood caged inside the castle wall, inside the lecture room, inside his bedroom, between a group of nannies, and between a group of armed Royal Guards.

Thomas wasn’t born cold. But the gentle boy has gone with the early passing of his mother and the absence of paternal love. He was the Crown Prince and the Hope of the House. No one would bring harm to him including companionship. By the tender age of 12, Thomas found himself to be completely alone.

Peter ‘Pete’ Mitchell had so many things to prove to the world. Born to a small family on the outskirts of the Capital, having the captain of the Royal Guard as a father, Pete dreamt of an adventure and glory of his own.��

He grew up with tales of conquests, chivalrous knights, magic and monsters alongside the gentle tunes of his mother’s lullaby. This was Pete’s perfect little world until it was shattered by the murder of his father, rumours of his father’s treason, and shortly the death of his heartbroken mother. The newly orphan was taken under the wing of Michael Metcalfe, his father’s successor and closest friend, the only person who still trusted in Duke Mitchell’s loyalty to the crown.

“What do you want to be in the future, kid?” Metcalfe once asked on a calm summer afternoon. “I want to be a Royal Guard.” little Pete said, determined, only 9 years old. The old man nodded, understanding the implications behind that answer. “Then you shall be. I’ll make sure of that.”

Pete Mitchell had so many things to prove to the world.

His world was a little bit brighter when he met Nicolas Bradshaw on the first day of his training, then Papa and Mama Bradshaw who reminded him of a family he once had and lost. Pete regained little by little a piece of a normal life.

But sometimes in the moment of weakness, Pete returned to the place where his old home once stood and walked around the forest nearby where his father loved to bring him, tracing the fleeting memory that he has been fighting very hard not to forget. And one day under the shade of the pine forest, Pete, recently 18, found a stranger on the spot where he used to sleep on the arm of his late father, with the coldest eyes he ever laid eyes upon.

#icemav #tom iceman kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #nick goose bradshaw #top gun #top gun 1968 #top gun maverick #icemav royal fantasy au #me being brain rot #yes it will soon become a spicy secret romance #the crown prince and his little body guard against the world #tom calls pete maverick after pete's several stupid stunts and pete calls tom iceman as a joke #pete will do anything for his prince even tho tom is 1000000 times powerful than him

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integra1127grimmreaper · 4 months ago

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Ike and Victor arguing over Victor's aiding the Cuban rebels and doing so while under the Miramar's roof - Magic City S02 E06 - "Sitting on Top of the World".

NXT

GIF list

#ike evans #magic city #jeffrey dean morgan #jdm

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itsmyfriendisaac · 8 months ago

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Magic City: during the late 1950's, a well-connected family operates the Miramar Playa, Miami Beach's most exclusive resort. Stevie Evans manages the hotel lounge & plays an important role in his father's affairs whenever he isn't too busy womanizing!

#scenes #magic city #looks #steven strait #1950s #jeffrey dean morgan #christian cooke #stevie evans

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icemankazansky · 2 months ago

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@film-in-my-soul tagged me in this really cool fic meme:

Everyone deserves to toot their own horn and be proud of their work! So, this tag game is fairly simple.

Promote 5 works that you're really proud of and share a little about why you're so proud of it! Then tag as many people as you like. You can reblog this post and add on to it (why not create a giant reclist to throw around?) or steal this header (and border if you like) and make your own post!

The Storm Series

Top Gun, Iceman/Maverick, E

Eight years after Maverick and Iceman meet at TOPGUN, Maverick is running the program and Iceman is badly injured in combat, which finds him sent back to Miramar to teach until he's fit to fly again. Things move pretty fast after that.

I'm proud of many things about Storm. It was my first major work for Top Gun, and I'm really happy with the characterization. The way the characters and their relationship evolve through the series—I'm proud of that, and I'm proud that I was able to pick up the series after eight years and write two more installments that belong in the universe with the first two. Despite all the ways I had changed as a person and a writer in the time between, I was able to slip back into it like an old coat, and that is something you strive for as an author.

Dreams of Impact

Top Gun, Iceman/Maverick, M

Maverick's trip in Darkstar takes him further than he ever imagined possible.

When I was a baby writer, I wrote a lot of really long stories. For several years, I worked with another writer on a collaboration that surpassed 200k words, and we never finished it. That was by far my longest work, but many of my stories pre-2010 are 10k, 20k, 50k.

Now it's rare that I write something that long. Part of that is that I learned how to say a lot without that many words. Pithy was a word I heard constantly in grad school, and I needed to learn how to do that. I have, and I'm a much better writer for it. I'm proud of that.

There are a lot of other reasons that I don't write long, multi-chapter epics anymore, everything from writing professionally to my health, and to be honest, sometimes I miss it. Dreams of Impact offered me a wonderful opportunity to get back to that kind of writing. I enjoyed writing the story very much, and I'm proud of how it turned out. The longer, more-plot heavy story muscles had not been flexed in a while, but I guess I still got it.

the weight of my heart is measured in carats

MCU, Tony/Pepper, G

What's so impressive about a diamond except the mining?

Remember what I said about pith? This one is like a good sword: perfectly weighted, perfectly balanced.

you are the moon that breaks the night for which i have to howl

Willow, Sorsha/Madmartigan, M

Magic leaves a trace, and part of the curse stayed in her blood, and Sorsha never forgot what it was like to be the wolf. Even after her mother transformed her back, the wolf lived still, tucked behind her breast.

I love magical realism, and I love making things into fairytales, and I love finding ways to fit discordant things together so they seem completely natural. I did all of those things very well in this story. It was also a gift for a dear friend who is also an excellent writer, and she absolutely lost her gotdam mind when she read it, and I am proud of that.

running through the underworld into your room

Top Gun, Iceman/Maverick, T

“Most of my grey hairs you gave me,” Ice said, unable to keep the fondness out of his voice even altered as it was. He paused. “You don’t know how much I wanted this. To grow old with you.”

This story is a standalone piece, but it was also—for me—an exercise (an exploration, maybe) in two very specific things. (It doesn't matter what. What does matter is: Not long after I had posted this, I talked to a couple people—dear friends but also writers I respect—about it once they'd read it, and they both told me how well I had done those two things, even though I hadn't mentioned them anywhere. I'm proud of that. It's extremely gratifying to know you can hit a target even if it's a target no one else can see.)

Tagging: @topgunreacts @escritoireazul @boasamishipper @maverickcalf @adiduck @hangsters @thelastplantagenet @andmakeithome

#fic memes #tag games #my writing

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film-in-my-soul · 2 months ago

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Everyone deserves to toot their own horn and be proud of their work! So, this tag game is fairly simple.

I personally believe this is one of my most underrated fics. It's a fic I had an immediate idea for, and feel like I executed it really well. I love the atmosphere I was able to build, and I think the twists came out just right.

I think I really nailed the relationship development between Dean and Cas, along with blending canon elements into the AU setting. Also @mayonnaisetoffees deserves even more love for their amazing pod work.

Honestly I'm just proud I successfully pulled off not just a time loop but a time loop that was done from the non-looping character's POV. Plus can't leave out the phenomenal work that @fluxydrawings did! They make me listen to my own words a hundred times over.

I was so nervous writing a gift for the amazing @boasamishipper because they are the height of Icemav for me, and I think that anxiety really pushed me to write with more attention, and the result is a damn good fic, in my opinion. I nailed those hot and sticky summer vibes.

My first Stucky piece! When I saw the prompter's tropes and likes for this exchange piece, I knew immediately that I needed to write a magical girl Steve modern fantasy AU, and I'm still so stoked with the world I built here and for the wonderful commission that @enthyrea did!

Tagging: @cristinuke @thyknife @jackwolfes @icemankazansky @icemav86 @jayjay-thejet-plane @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels @katierosefun @anadorablack

[PS. If I tagged you in the body it's still a tag XD]

#icemav #stucky #sterek #destiel #tag game #fic tag game

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blackwidownat2814 · 2 years ago

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Magical Mystery Ride (J.Seresin)

Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x plus size!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x librarian!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Garcia!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x latina!reader

Word Count: 4719

A/N: This was written for @roosterforme's Love Is In the Air challenge. The song I chose was John Legend's romantic hit, All of Me; it's what inspired the title! Thanks once again to the incomparable, amazing, sweet @jobean12-blog for her help beta-ing and letting me bounce ideas off her when I'd get stuck.

Trigger Warnings: Bob has an accident that isn't described. Jake has an accident that is described. Depressed Jake. Negative feelings of self-worth. I know absolutely nothing about comas because I am not a doctor.

‼️⚠️I do not give permission for any of my work to be copied, translated or reposted anywhere else but on my own blog.⚠️‼️

Masterlist

You didn’t think you’d be back here so soon. The pale cream walls of BMC MCAS Miramar taunted you as you made your way down the hall. Everyone had just been here a few weeks before when Bob had been recovering from a training accident. You weren’t privy to the details of said accident, but all you knew was that Jake was directly at fault.

And even though Bob forgave Jake, the guilt was absolutely crushing him.

You hadn’t been to see Bob in the first couple of days after the accident because you knew he was going to feel overwhelmed with the squad, Mav, Penny, and quite a few others checking on him. You sent a ‘Get Well’ gift with Mickey and you texted with him regularly. When you finally went to go see him, you heard Jake’s raised voice.

“How can you say that to me Bob?” Jake snapped. “How can you forgive me for that stupid mistake when it almost cost you your life?”

“Jake, did you do it on purpose? Did you do that with the express purpose of killing me?” Bob asked quietly. You could hear Jake stammering, like he was so appalled that Bob would ask him that and he just couldn’t form an answer.

“Hell no. Of course not!” he cried. “I may act like an asshole, and tease you like we were kids in school, but I’m not that guy. You’re one of my favorite people, man. Dewey loves you like you were another brother, and I love her, so…”

“Then why shouldn’t I forgive you?” Jake didn’t respond, so you made some noise to alert them you were heading their way.

You walked into Bob’s hospital room with a smile and went to greet him first.

“Hey Bobbers, how are you feeling?”

“I’m getting there.”

“Good.” You gave him a kiss on the temple and turned to see an expressionless look on Jake’s face. You pulled him into a hug, which he seemed less than enthusiastic to return. “Jake?”

Jake wouldn’t look at you. His eyes focused on the floor.

“I, uh…I’m gonna go now.”

“But J-” He swept out of Bob’s hospital room without so much as a ‘goodbye’ to either of you. You were staring at the doorway your boyfriend had just walked out of when you heard your name being called, your real name. You went and took a seat at Bob’s bedside.

“He’s just beating himself up over what happened. Jake’s one of the best–don’t you ever tell him I said that–and so when he messed up, and someone got hurt, it threw him for a loop.”

“I just wish I knew how to help him.”

“Just give him time Dewey.”

You gave him time. Everyone did. Bob was released several days later, and Jake wouldn’t look him in the eye when Bob (once again) told him that he forgave him.

“I mean it Jake”, Bob said. “You don’t need to hold this over yourself. You didn’t do it on purpose. I forgive you.”

“You shouldn’t.” Jake picked up his things and turned back towards him. “You shouldn’t forgive me. I ruin every good thing I touch.”

That’s the day it started…at least, that’s what Bob and the others told you. Jake started to be more reckless with his flying. Jake was no longer dripping in confidence to which everyone was accustomed. Mickey would tell you that he appeared to lose his confidence, in his abilities to be the best and just about everything else.

You saw it too, if you were lucky to see him. When you did see him, he barely held you; at first it was just holding your hand and kisses at the corner of your mouth. It eventually whittled down to no touches or kisses at all. He barely acknowledged you, except for saying ‘Hey’ when he noticed you were around. You knew what was happening: he was pulling away.

You did everything you could to show him that despite his mistake, you still loved him and you always would. Jake wouldn’t accept that, however, so you decided not to push anymore. You’d be there when he was ready, but you wouldn’t push because you knew that would only drive him farther away.

You stood in the doorway of Room 2188, watching the gentle rise and fall of Jake’s chest. His sister, Lauren (Jesse and Isla’s mom), was sitting with him

“You know, Jake, the girls miss you. They keep asking when they can see Uncle Jake.” She sniffled a little before continuing. “So I’m going to need you to wake up. For them, for me, for Leslie, for Coyote and all your other friends…but especially for your girl. I know you love her and she loves you. You miss him somethin’ awful, don’t ya, Dewey?”

You hadn’t realized she knew you were there.

“Very much”, you replied. Lauren stood as you walked over and hugged her. “Any change?”

“None.” You could see she was tired. She’d spent the entire night at the hospital since you weren’t allowed to. You and Jake weren’t married so you weren’t ‘family’.

“Go get some rest. Get you a shower and something to eat. The girls are probably tired of Rooster and Coyote. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“I think it’s more the other way around to be honest.” She gave you a big hug before gathering her things to leave. “Thanks Dewey. We’ll get our Jake back soon.”

“I hope so.” Lauren shut the door as she left. You leaned forward and kissed Jake’s hair since his face had several bruises that you didn’t want to aggravate. You sat down in the chair Lauren had been occupying and reached forward for Jake’s hand. You made sure to avoid touching his side, where he was still healing from being impaled by a piece of debris (he had been lucky because the piece of jagged metal had missed major organs).

Before you could speak, there was a knock at the door and Dr. Bast stepped in.

“Hello Miss Garcia. How’s our favorite librarian today?” The doctor’s English accent was soothing and helped calm your nerves.

“Ok as I can be Doc.”

“That is quite understandable.” Dr. Bast picked up Jake’s chart and started reading over the notes made by the night nurses.

“So, any theories as to why he hasn’t woken up yet?” you asked.

“Unfortunately not. While he has no swelling in his brain, he did get thrown against the ground harder than we would like, so that’s what caused the traumatic brain injury, therefore the coma. It could’ve been worse, had he not been wearing a helmet.”

You looked back at Jake, and brushed the hair from his forehead. “I need you to come back to me cowboy, okay? Please.”

“Don’t worry Miss Garcia, your lieutenant will be alright, even if I can��t tell you when. He’s improving each day.” Dr. Bast smiled at you from the other side of Jake’s hospital bed. “Just keep talking to him, he’ll hear you.”

“I always thought that was a myth.”

“Patients may not hear every single thing, but they still hear you. Anyways, I’ve also got a surprise for you: You’re being allowed overnight stays with Lt. Seresin.”

Your head whips around to the doctor.

“Really?” He nods and you shoot out of your seat to pull him into a hug. “Thanks so much Dr. Bast, I really appreciate it.”

“It was nothing. Now, I’ll leave you to it. We’ll be back to check on him later.”

You resume your post next to Jake’s bed once again, but you suddenly couldn’t stand the quiet, so you switched on the tv and were deep in commentary about a movie you were watching on Netflix called Set It Up (“You know, if you look real close at when Charlie and Harper are having pizza, you can see the exact moment he falls in love with her, I swear!”) when there was a knock at the door and your brother and Reuben stepped in.

“Hey hermanita.”

“Little Garcia.”

You stood and both men gave you almost bone-crushing hugs and pulled up chairs.

“Thanks for visiting guys.”

“Of course. We needed to see how Jake was doing”, replied Mickey. He took a deep breath before continuing. “But we also came because we wanted to talk to you.”

“Fanboy, maybe we shouldn’t–”

“She needs to know man”, Mickey said, cutting off his pilot.

“But–”

“Guys! What are you talking about? What do I need to know?” you asked as you looked at your brother and Reuben.

“About the conversation we had with Jake the day of his accident.”

“What did he say Mickey?”

“You have to understand, he felt like shit after what happened to Bob. All of us could see he’d lost confidence in himself and he wasn’t flying like we all know he should’ve been…”

“You need to get out of your head Hangman, or you’re going to make my sister a widow before you can make her a wife.”

Jake felt the hurt of that comment in his spine. It had been so long since Fanboy, or anyone for that matter, had said his callsign with such disdain, so it only piled on the hatred Jake was already feeling for himself. It also didn’t help that he’d taken Fanboy to lunch to ask for his blessing to propose to Dewey a few days before Bob’s accident.

“Well, maybe she’d be better off without me. I was the reason her best friend got hurt, and he could’ve died”, Jake said. No one had ever heard him sound so defeated. “Besides, I know you never liked me for her…” Fanboy sighs.

“Jake…man, that’s not what I sa–” Jake cuts him off.

“You thought it though.” Fanboy was getting increasingly worried as the conversation continued. “Maybe I should just go. I’m probably only going to fuck up her life.”

“Jake.”

Before Jake could reply, he heard a horrible sound coming from his jet’s engines and alarms began going off in the cockpit. He heard Payback and Fanboy calling out to him.

“Hangman, what’s going on?!”

“Is it a bird strike?” he heard Fanboy call out over coms.

“No, there’s something wrong with the engines!” Suddenly he heard another grinding sound and then his left wing was on fire.

“Hangman! Eject!” Maverick’s panicked voice came through his headset. “Eject!”

“Extinguishing left engine!” Jake went through the process of trying to quell the fire in the engine, when an alarm went off signaling the failure of his right engine. “Damn it! Extinguishing right engine!”

“HANGMAN! EJECT NOW!” Memories of the day of Phoenix and Bob’s crash years before played through Jake’s mind as Maverick screamed at him. He tried starting the engines once more, if only to gain a bit more altitude so he could eject safely. That did the same as it had when Phoenix tried it and it sent Jake’s Super Hornet spiraling.

Jake pulled the ejection handle and flew upwards as his jet made impact and exploded, sending debris flying at him. He cried out in pain as he looked down to see a piece of metal sticking out of the left side of his abdomen.

And because luck was not on his side, a gust of wind sent him careening towards the ground. The impact was enough to knock him completely out and as the darkness crept into his vision, his last thought was of you.

“...and if that hadn’t happened, he probably wouldn’t be in a coma”, Mickey said. You had tears streaming down your face by the time Mickey finished (an abridged version) of his story. Your brother and Reuben pulled you into a group hug.

“I’m sorry Little Garcia”, Reuben said. “I know he’s going to be okay. He’ll be back to normal, showin’ us all up in no time.”

“I hope so Reuben”, you replied. “Thank you for telling me.”

“No problem hermanita.”

Mickey and Reuben stayed a couple more hours, eventually leaving only because they had training to get to.

Eventually, Dr. Bast returned to do his nightly check on Jake, so you went down to the cafeteria to pick something up for your dinner.

The doctor was gone by the time you got back, so you settled in the chair and flipped the tv on just so you had something on in the background. After dinner, Bob and Phoenix stopped by for a quick visit after training and dropped off a small bag of your things that Mickey had put together for you.

After your best friend and his pilot left, you decided to get ready for bed. After Mickey’s story earlier, you felt emotionally drained. It was when you were about to start your face care routine that you got an idea. You put on your headband and grabbed the extra and left the bathroom to see Jake.

“I’ve decided that we’re going to have a spa night cowboy. Now, I know you hate my cat ear headband, but you’re unconscious so you have no say. Got to keep all that glorious hair out of the way you know.”

You slipped it on and then went to the bathroom to do your cleanser. After patting your face dry, you grabbed a package of face wipes, moisturizer, and a jar of eye masks and placed them on the small hospital bed table.

Before you began anything, you opened Spotify on your phone and pulled up your Liked Songs playlist and tapped play. The soothing tones of Henry James’ It’s Been A Long, Long Time started flowing from the speaker (it being the song that played on your drive to the hospital). After setting aside the phone, you popped open the package of face wipes and carefully wiped his face clean.

Henry James segued into John Legend’s All of Me, one of your favorite romantic songs. You started singing along quietly as you twisted open the jar of eye masks, and carefully place one sparkly patch under Jake’s right eye.

'Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfections

Give your all to me

I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I lose, I'm winning

After you put down the patch under Jake’s left eye, you put the eye masks on yourself, sat down next to Jake, and put your hand in his. You continued singing along, and it got to the last verse when you felt a squeeze. The song was immediately paused and you turned to look at your pilot.

“Jake? Sweetheart?” His face showed no signs that he was waking, and his heart monitor was a steady beep. Maybe I imagined it? you thought to yourself. You were looking at your hands when you saw it happen. It felt like the hundreds of movies you’d seen where the unconscious person heard something and they magically woke up.

So, you watched and waited.

Nothing happened.

“Baby, can you turn it down?”

“Why does my face feel wet?”

“Where am I?”

“Dewey, why are you crying? I can hear your crying.”

“Wait…why can’t I move? Why can’t I open my eyes?”

“WHAT IS GOING ON?!”

Unfortunately, you were not privy to Jake’s inner turmoil. You didn’t hear him calling out for you as you pulled the headband and eye masks off his face, tossed them into the trash can, pressed the call button.

It was a few minutes later when you heard a knock and Jake’s night nurse (who’d introduced herself earlier), Nurse Jo, stepped in.

“Everything okay, love?”

“Uh…um, he squeezed my hand.”

“Now, are you su–”

“I know what I felt and what I saw. He squeezed my hand. Twice.”

“I’ll page Dr. Bast.” She noted your shining eyes and came over and placed a calming hand on your back. “Don’t worry, love. He’s going to be okay. If anything, this was an indication that he might be coming out of the coma.”

“I hope so.”

You texted Lauren to update her on what was going on with Jake, because you needed her to know immediately. You had just put away your phone when Dr. Bas came in.

“Jo, what have we got?”

“Miss Garcia informed me that Lt. Seresin squeezed her hand twice.”

“Are you s–”

“100%.” You cut him off. “I saw it happen.” The doctor looked Jake over some more, before he typed up his notes in Jake’s file.

“I cannot, with absolute certainty, tell you why he squeezed your hand. It could be random muscle spasms, it could be something worse. However, it could also mean that he’ll be waking up soon. I’m hoping it’s that. For now, I’ll have the nurses increase their checks on him, as well as I’ll come a few extra times each day if my schedule permits.”

“Thank you so much.”

“I will caution you, however. When he wakes up, it usually comes in stages. This isn’t like the movies where he’ll open his eyes and automatically remember what happened, who you are or who he is. He’ll most likely be suffering from post-traumatic amnesia, which would account for his potential memory loss and he could also become restless and agitated. So it’s best to not take a lot of what he says in the first hours or days to heart, it’s just his brain rebooting.”

“Will he remember all that? The time right after he wakes up?”

“I couldn’t tell you for certain. It’s different with every person. But also, none of what he says, if he even does, is one of those ‘this is how feels deep down in his subconscious’ type of things. Like I said, don’t take any of it seriously.”

You looked over at Jake and ran your hand through his messy hair.

“Is there anything else I need to keep an eye out for?” you asked without looking back over at Dr. Bast.

He explained a few more things before he and Nurse Jo left the room. You called Lauren and let her know everything the doctor had told you. After you finished the call, you put on Spotify again (on random), and by some weird chance, ‘All of Me’ started playing again.

You smiled as you set a sleep timer and grabbed a pillow and blanket to get comfy in your chair for the night.

Lauren arrived the next morning, just in case.

Jake showed no other signs of waking up.

The next day was almost the same. Except that Bob, Rooster, and Coyote came to visit and Lauren told them what Dr. Bast had told you. At first, everything was normal. But when Rooster started talking, Jake squeezed your hand. You failed to connect the two incidents and didn’t mention it.

Coyote took over the conversation, then Lauren said something that caused Rooster to chime in and Jake did it again. The more Rooster spoke, you finally started putting it together. The group realized something was going on when they realized you weren’t even paying attention to the conversation.

“What’s going on?” Lauren gave you a questioning look.

“Everytime Rooster talked, Jake squeezed my hand.”

“Ha. Even out cold, Bagman can’t get enough of me”, Rooster said with a smile. It had been a while since Jake and Rooster would consider themselves rivals, and thought of each other as the brother neither ever had.

But Jake didn’t squeeze your hand when Rooster spoke that time, instead he–

“Uggggh.”

It was almost comical the way everyone stopped talking and snapped their heads towards Jake. When he made no sounds, you looked at Rooster and motioned for him to talk some more.

“Uh…I never told you this Jake, but when you saved Mav and me, I almost cried. I went to visit my parents after we got back and I told th–”

“Ch…”

“You’re a good man Jake, and one of the best wingmen I could ask for…”

“Chick…”

“So we need you to wake up, okay brother?”

“Chicken.”

“Really?!”

Still, Jake didn’t wake up that day. Everyone (but you and Lauren) left when Dr. Bast arrived. They took Jake for tests and when they brought him back, told you two that he was showing amazing improvement. Lauren switched out with you that night so you could go home for rest, but you didn’t really get any. You were so worried he’d wake up and you wouldn’t be there.

When you arrived the next morning, you found Lauren and Dr. Bast in the hallway, both looked worried.

“--completely normal for him to not remember anything. He’s suffering from Post-Traumatic Amnesia. His head injury wasn’t too severe, so I don’t think it’ll last a significant amount of time.”

“He woke up?” They both turned to look at you and Lauren rushed over.

“About 15 minutes ago. I knew you’d already be on your way, and he needed to be looked over, so that’s why I didn’t call you.”

“No worries at all.” You hugged her tight. “How is he?”

“It appears that Lt. Seresin only remembers being in the Navy and being from Texas.”

“Can I see him?” you ask in a small voice. Lauren nodded and Dr. Bast led you into the room.

“Lt. Seresin?”

“Yeah, doc?” You felt your heart swell. It had been so long since you’d heard that Texan drawl.

“Are you okay to receive another visitor?”

“‘Course doc.” His accent was thicker than you had ever heard before.

“This is Miss Garcia, your–”

“--friend.” You didn’t want to overwhelm Jake so soon. "We're friends."

“Well, I’ll leave the two of you to it.”

“Like I said, I’m a friend of yours”, you said and took a seat near the bed, but not super close. Jake’s eyes looked you over closely, making you want to shrink in on yourself. You couldn’t help looking him over just in the same way: his hair looked a little shaggier and he had a decent beard going on.

“How are we friends?”

“My brother is in your squad. His name is Mickey, Mickey Garcia. Callsign Fanboy.” Jake looked away for a minute, as if he searched his mental files for that name.

“Does he like Star Trek?”

“Yes! Yes. Loves it. I like to call it his one flaw, because I love–”

“Star Wars.” Jake was still staring off into space. “Your voice sounds familiar.”

“Well, we have known each other for a year or two now…”

“What’s your name?” He smiled when you told him.

“But Reuben–his callsign is Payback…he’s a member of your squad too, and Mickey’s pilot–he likes to call me Little Garcia sometimes. I still don’t get why. I’m not younger than Mickey and I’m certainly not littler than he is–”

“You’re gorgeous.”

“Oh.” You felt the heat creep up your neck and settle in your cheeks. “Um, thank you. You, uh, you don’t have to say that though.”

“I mean it.”

It went like that for a couple days, but you weren’t at the hospital as often as you were when he was unconscious. You told yourself it was so he could recover without having so many people around him, just Lauren to help him along.

But in truth, you stayed away because you were worried; worried that he wouldn’t remember you or everyone but you and the relationship you two shared. You always thought it was like a dream, a man like Jake wanting to be with someone like you…even after all this time. Lauren would message you several times a day, telling you that Jake was asking for Little Garcia. You made excuses that you were busy at work since you’d been gone for a bit after what happened to Jake. You knew you had chosen the wrong time to distance yourself, but you couldn’t help thinking What if, when he remembered everything, he realized he didn’t want to be with you anymore? or worse, What if he blamed you for the accident? The rational part of your brain was screaming at you that you were so very wrong…but you just couldn’t hear it.

Around four days after Jake woke up, you planned on finally going back to visit him after work, and went so far as shooting Lauren a quick text letting her know and set about working on shelf reading (aka organizing and straightening) the graphic novel section.

You were up on a step stool, when you heard what sounded like a group come in downstairs. You thought about going down to see if Cas needed help, but decided against it; she’d call if she needed you. Hoping the footsteps that signaled someone was coming upstairs were planning to avoid the section you were working in, you continued your organization.

You were zoned out as you worked so you were beyond surprised when you felt hands at your waist. You let out a yelp as you were falling preparing for the pain of a fall that never came. There was something about the arms around you, so as soon as you felt calm enough, your eyes snapped open.

“Jake?” He helped you stand comfortably and scooted away from you. “Oh my God, what are you doing here? How are you feeling?”

“They let me out, and I’m feeling way better”, he replied. “I’m not 100%, but I’m getting there.”

“Good! I’m so glad.”

“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting to see you Dewey.”

“I’ve been b- - Wait. You called me Dewey.”

“I did.”

“That means- -”

“Yup. I remember everything darlin’.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

“I’m s- -”

“Do you not love me anymore?” he asked. “Is it because of the accident that hurt Bob? D-do you have feelings for Bob?”

“No! No, Bob is my best friend. I love him the way I love Mickey, he’s another brother to me. You know that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I love you more than everything. I was just so scared that you’d never remember me or you’d wake up and realize your accident was my fault.”

“Sweetheart, my accident was a simple malfunction. It happens sometimes.”

“I was so scared, so so scared, that I was going to lose you.”

“I won’t lie to you and say that will never happen, because nothing is ever certain in this job.”

“I know.” Jake smiled at you and took your hands in his, leading you over to the balcony overlooking the library’s main floor. You gasped upon seeing all of the Dagger Squad, Penny, Amelia, Lauren, Cas, and even Nurse Jo and Dr. Bast gathered together. Every one of them was holding a bouquet of your favorite flowers in your favorite color, smiling up at the two of you.

“Fanboy?”

“I know I’ve already given it, but yes, you have my blessing…and our parents’ too.” You turned to look at Jake so fast, you swore you heard a cracking sound.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. You’re- -”

“I am”, Jake answered with a smile and got down on one knee. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the most beautiful ring you’d ever seen. “This belonged to Nana Seresin. Our grandpa gave it to her back in the day when he proposed and said it was going to be handed down to me when I met the love of my life. I went to visit Nana after that Halloween carnival. You remember the one?”

“Mmhmm.” You were completely incapable of words in that moment.

“I knew then, that one day, I was going to marry you.” You were crying in earnest now. “When I first woke up, and I couldn’t remember anything, I just knew there was something I was missing. So I’m just going to keep it simple. Miss Garcia, Dewey…Will you marry me?”

“You know how much I love quoting my favorite things…”

“Yeah…?”

“So, before I give you my answer, I’m going to use the words of a woman much wiser than me: ‘The only thing I ask is that you outlive me so I never have to live another day without you'.” **

“Is that a yes, baby?”

“Yes Jake, I’ll marry you.” He slid the ring onto your finger and stood up, pulled you into his arms and kissed you.

The two of you pulled apart to everyone’s cheers.

“I love you so much Jake.”

“I love you too sweetheart.”

Please don't forget to reblog and comment! Let me know what you think, but don't be a dick!

There will be more adventures for Jake & Dewey!!!

**Click here if you want to see what wise woman Dewey quoted. Spoilers for season 3 of Yellowstone.

#Jake Seresin #Jake 'Hangman' Seresin #Jake Seresin x librarian!reader #Jake Seresin x latina!reader #Jake Seresin x plus size!reader #Jake Seresin x Garcia!reader #Jake Seresin angst #Jake Seresin fluff #Jake Seresin fanfiction #love is in the air tgm

102 notes · View notes

keelt9 · 7 months ago

Text

Chapter 3

Honey

Masterlist

Tuesday night when I arrived home, my father was in the living room doing his puzzles, the sign that a talk is waiting for me. Early in the morning when I got back in the simulator, I decided to honor the memory of Riley, with that in my mind, 4:57 minutes, 3 fighters and 1 tracking weapon, all down.

“I hear it was a good one.” Shit, I knew it, but my tip toeing didn’t work like it never did. He laid back in his armchair and pointed me with his head to the couch. “So proud of you lieutenant.” I drag me to the couch when I sit, he laughs.

“Good job Sky, I know you can make it, don’t lose that courage in you, that confidence and that braveness.” He sees me right to my eyes. “I always going to be there, being your fan #1.” My dad always said that and made me feel like I can do anything.

“We.” My mother enters the room with just baked brownies. “We are always going to be there.” She put the plate over the puzzle of dad, bringing us that comfy atmosphere to the room.

The next day I had a day off, so I decided to go to the beach just for a walk and spend some time with me. It’s a nice day, no to hot, not too humid so I let the waves touch my feet, when in front of my feet a volleyball ball rolls.

“Well, well, well, Skyhook in the area.” Mike Lewis (Shooter) shouted from where a couple of members of the navy was playing. “Are you in the mood for a game?”

I don’t answer.

“Come on! We take it easy on you.” Like always hitting my nerves.

Like every volleyball navy game; strategy, and intelligence along with a good shape combine it’s proven in every play; surprisingly I get used to quickly, my body remembers how, I enjoy these games, and…Damn it, how I love to win Shooter.

“That’s what we call a shoot!” Rooster screams point to the win of Jill and I from Mike and his partner Tom Ryan (Magic)

“You remember how to play, let’s find it out if you remember how to be a Top Gun pilot.” Mike screamed walking away, he was the second best in our generation, with me out, he was the first.

“What a loser.” Jill says offer me a bottle of water. “Please tell me when you get back on training you shoot him down like the old times.” She has those puppy eyes in her face and I laugh.

“First I need to know if I can get back.” I drink my water, and I see Phoenix hitting a Rooster and laughing. I smile, that's how Rooster caught me seeing him; a harder beating in my chest, followed by me feeling shy one more time, what is wrong with me?

“Ladies, please move aside for the next game or join it but don’t obstruct the field.” Barry says, grabbing us by our arms and pulling us outside of it.

“Nice hit, by the way.” I hear Rooster say to me before I walk to the bench and sit for a while.

“A nice and smooth aim I have.” He put his eyes in white. “I’m sorry for not recognizing you, I just…” He was standing in front of me, but his hand was inside of his pocket.

“Really, no worries, actually I rather prefer you don’t recognize me.” But he smiles.

“The famous Skyhook, how can I miss it?” I put my lips together trying to smile.

“Well, not anymore.” I can see the full confused expression on his face, before he tries to find it out, Barry starts to call me, I say goodbye and walk where he is.

“Do you know him?” Jill asks me, I didn’t even realize when she came.

“Damn! Jill, you need a sleigh bell.” That’s why she gets that calling, she is quite like a Panther.

“A small one please.” We both giggle.

“It’s the second time I crossed more than 3 words, so if that counts as knowing him, yes I do, but if not, well he is just an acquaintance.” Jill looks at him with sharp eyes, but she lets slip the topic.

“Ok, but I’m here to invite you. The boys and I will go to Hard Deck for a couple of drinks and hang around a little bit. Come, we’ll be happy to see you back, not with the old guys, with the young and fresh blood.” Jill refers to us like the young when Rooster and Phoenix generations are in Miramar, it’s like a healthy and fun rivalry.

“PLEASE SKY! Also, I bet Penny will die when she sees you.”

“ROOSTER!” Bob screamed and moved his hand in front of my eyes. “Are you ok?” He sits next to me on the bench where we were watching the games.

“Yeah, yeah, why?” He drinks a sip from his bottle of water and I put the sunglasses on.

“Don’t ask Bob, he is… a little crush on that girl.” Phoenix says after finishing her match.

“I don’t.” I say standing because the next match is my turn with Bob.

“Are you coming for a new challenge, Sky?” I turned around faster as my neck let me, finding it was just a game for Phoenix.

“See?” Bob laughs and I push him for a walk.

“So funny, so funny.”

Here I am, 4:30 pm, standing outside of Hard Deck with my hands in my pockets, staring at the neon lights, denied with my head, just when I turn around…

“We open until 5.” The voice of Penny makes me turn around and bite my lip. “Oh my…” When I left my gaze Penny had her hands on her waist and tapped her feet on the sand.

“Hi Penny.” She walks where I was and hugs me, I freeze in that moment but after a couple of seconds I give up.

“Glad to see you, glad to see you little girl.”

Penny and my family had a long friendship, she knows me since I wear diapers, saw me grown up and when I get into Top Gun program, we became more closer, she is like a second mother to me, always keep an eye on me, cover me when the drinks took the power of my body, when disgusting guys tried to hit on me or when the training lessons where to hard, and go back crying like a baby with my parents wasn’t an option. She always has an open arms for me, of course, she was an important witness of my fall.

“But something is missing.” Penny said letting me go but holding me by my shoulders. “Where is the uniform?” I giggle, since last year I refused to wear the uniform. Everyone told me it was ok because I’m part of the navy. Still wearing it feels so wrong, every time I come to Miramar, I just wear the navy jacket, a black t-shirt and jeans.

“Come on Penny, I’m not an active member, also I look cute in this.” She smiles at me and drags me inside the Hard Deck.

“So, are you coming tonight?” She is getting ready for the night coming ahead. “I heard there will be some deployments, and you know, the house is going to be full.” I sit on the stool.

“I don’t know, Jill invites me but…well, let’s see.” Penny put her hand over mine.

“Y/N I think it’s time to let go, I bet Riley will be sad if he sees you holding back.” I grasp her hand and let the tears slip. “Riley is always going to be with you Y/N but…because I know, both of you, I think he will want you back in the sky, it wasn’t your fault, but you must let him go to come back again.” I looked at Penny’s eyes and she put both of her hands over mine.

“If you need him, you know where to find him.” She points to the necklace. “Here.” And my heart. “And here.”

Like a classic night in Hard Deck, the sounds of the jukebox, the screams and chatter from the crew can be heard from outside, the sound of glass crashing one to the other and the bell of Penny put a smile on my face. I just went home to tell my parents I’ll be back home late and put myself together one more time.

I open the door, my plan is to pass like another girl into the bar but in the distance, Barry screams my name when he sees me. “Y/N IN THE HOUSE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.” When I turn my sight, I see all my generation, some friendly faces, rivalry faces but I feel the happiness of most of them, they come and grab me by the arms dragging me to the pool table where a game is taking place.

“Sky, nice to see you here.” Justice offers me a beer. She is a good friend from our time as students.

“Nice to be back.” I accept it but Shooter appears.

“Not yet, 2 more weeks.” He winks his eye, a sign he will annoy me but in a friendly way.

Time flies. I laugh with them like the old times, we play around, and I feel at ease when an old and dear voice calls me.

“Y/N call sing Skyhook.” I see through the crowd, and I smile so big to him. “When I hear you were here, I say, God, she must miss me.” I walk where he was and offer him my hand which he pulls force to crash with him, he hugs me and when I don't respond to the hug, he grabs my wrists and puts it around him. “Welcome back kiddo.”

I smile and see all his friends smiling and laughing. “That much you miss me Jake, huh?”

He tosses my hair. “Let’s keep it like a secret.”

I met Jake when I got in the program, as funny it could sound, he was our instructor. At the beginning he was a pain in all the ways, in every class he gave me; until one day Riley and I agreed it was time to teach him something new, like my father says.

We took him down in less than a minute with an invert fly. The worst, for him, the admiral, was watching the exercise. From this day and on a good friendship took form.

We were talking about random topics, his mission, and my test time when we didn’t even realize the jukebox stopped and the piano behind us started to play.

“Jesus! Rooster to the attack.” I turn around and see him on the piano with his sunglasses on, his team around him and I wonder what it’s going on.

“Rooster plays the piano?” The questions split from my mouth.

“Watch and see.” Phoenix says sitting next to us.

Suddenly he starts to play and old song that I recognize; in my teens, that song was a constant when I learn to plane; his team start to sing along with him even Jake is singing with less excitement but a smile in his face but when the second verse came, I laughed at love 'cause I thought it was funny. You came along and you moved me, honey. I feel Nat, Bob, and Jake eyes on me, I blame the alcohol but my cheeks burn.

Truth be told, when I saw Bradley Bradshaw a couple years ago, it was like cupid shooting an arrow straight to my heart. I used to have a crush on him, but like the first time, the time isn’t right.

When Rooster finish everyone in the bar start clapping and shout his name, it was obvious how much he is adoring it, but when the euphoria slow down I see Jill make a sign to go with them, so I say goodbye Jake and Nat, I grab my beer and walk where all my teammates were talking high spirit in a pool table.

“Ready, we're all here!” Jill says pulling and tingle our arms, I just open my mouth when Tom came running say the count is paid, and with that we rush outside of Hard Deck, I just wave my hands to Penny before they drag me out where 3 cabs are waiting for us, and I understand it in that moment.

When we graduate, we sit for a drink and eat bags of chips on one side of the runway just illuminated by the lights, and every deployment of the team we promise to do the same because we know who left but we never know if they will be back, and today it isn’t an exception.

“This is for Riley.” Barry raises his beer. “Wherever you are, you did well.” The pressure in my chest started to increase, but this time I felt confident.

“And for Y/N, we can’t wait to see you up there.” Unexpectedly, Shooter speaks.

“The second place will suit you better.” Too good to be true. All giggle and crash our beers, and when we look in the sky like magic, a F-18 is landing.

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #top gun maverick #fanfic #rooster x reader #top gun fanfiction

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