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bloodibambiidoll · 11 months ago

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Everlasting Sweetheart

(Older!Alpha!Eddie Munson x Omega!Fem!Reader)

Summary: Ever since you presented there’s never been an alpha that smelled alluring to you. But when you move to Hawkins to be closer to your family you catch the scent of your next door neighbor, who just so happens to be the most handsome older man you’ve ever seen, and he smells phenomenal. It’s just your luck that he’d end up being your dad’s best friend, right? WK:15.3k(Oopsie)

Warnings: General Omegaverse behaviors (scenting, knotting, marking), age gap (Eddie is 41, reader is 27) breeding kink, unprotected sex, oral (m & f receiving), some angst (with a happy ending), mutual pining, pregnancy mentions, it’s the mid 00s (around 2007), fluff, Eddie and reader are both so down bad. 18+MDNI!!

A/N: Okay, I truly put my heart and soul into this one. This is the longest fic I’ve ever written and I honestly feel like Dr. Frankenstein and this is my monster. Thank you to my lovely betas @babygorewhore @bimbobaggins69 & @reidsbtch for always being amazing and hyping me up. And a special thank you to my omegaverse Jedi master @lesservillain, thank you for brainstorming with me and gassing me up throughout this entire process, this one’s for you, shawty. (older!Eddie edit is by @eddiemunsons-missingnipple) Masterlist.

You smelled it the minute you entered the building and it hasn’t left your nose since. That musky, woodsy smell that had hints of something spicy sweet, like cinnamon. It’s been a week since you moved in and you can smell it in every crevice of your apartment. It’s intoxicating. You’ve never been attracted to the smell of an alpha in this way. But there was only one problem, you’ve yet to lay eyes on the owner of the scent. Not for lack of trying either, you took extra long pulling your keys out, put some cute decorations on your front door, you even resorted to peeking out the window every time you heard someone walk by. To no avail.

It was starting to drive you insane, other alphas had smelled good to you before but nothing like this. It was like every time you so much as breathed in your panties got just a little bit more damp. Your hands have been wandering between your legs and reaching for the drawer in your nightstand more often than they have in your entire life and you don’t even have a face to blame. Just the scent that you can’t even seem to escape even when you leave the house, it’s like it’s sunken into your pores. You sometimes wonder if they can smell you too.

At the almost two week mark you can’t take it anymore. Deciding to take matters into your own hands you get out all the ingredients you will need to make your homemade cream pie. Baking for your new neighbors was a completely normal, neighborly, thing to do. You would just make the pie and go knock on the door. Easy.

You spent half the day baking and doing chores between steps, purposefully waiting until the evening time when most people would be home from work to deliver your sugary treat. You were also hyping yourself up. You had no idea who this scent that had been plaguing you belonged to. Was it a man? A woman? Did they already have a mate? If they did you don’t think you would be able to smell them this strongly, so you’re banking on them being single.

When 6 o’clock rolls around you decide it’s time to put your plan into motion. You put the finishing touches in the pie before going into your room to find the perfect outfit. Were you just walking ten feet to your neighbors door? Yes. Did you still want to look your best without looking like you tried to look your best? Also yes.

You decide on a little cream dress that has tiny cherries printed all over it and little red bows on the straps, paired with your Mary Jane’s. You put your hair in two braids and do your everyday make up before giving yourself a once over in the mirror. You looked good. The dress fit your figure and accentuated your curves perfectly while also showing off just the right amount of cleavage.

“Alright, you can do this.” You take a deep breath, which doesn’t really help because your nose is just invaded with the scent that you’re hoping to put a face to in the next few minutes. You grab the pie and walk out the door before you can talk yourself out of it.

Eddie lets out an annoyed groan at the sound of a knock on his door, he had just got home from a long day of work and was toweling off after his post work shower. He wasn’t expecting anyone, who the hell is at his door at 7PM on a Wednesday night unannounced? The only people that come here are his friends, and they always call before.

There’s a second round of soft knocks so he quickly finishes drying off his hair before wrapping the dampened cloth around his waist. He pulls the bathroom door open and is immediately hit with the scent. The bathroom filled with steam and the smell of his own shower products seemed to be the only place he could escape it nowadays. But he’s never smelled it this strongly. He knows a new omega moved in next door, he’s been able to smell them since the day they walked into the complex. But he’s yet to catch a glimpse of them. He wasn’t sure he wanted to. Eddie gave up on the hope of finding a mate years ago. Every time he tried to be with an omega they either smelled off to him or he smelled off to them.

But ever since he caught a whiff of this scent it’s been plaguing his senses. A scent has never smelled sweeter, or stronger. It’s like someone turned his house into the best bakery in town. It smelled like whoever lived next door was baking the most delicious cookies anyone’s ever tasted. When he got home today the sweetness was at an all time high, especially when he walked past his new neighbors door. He couldn’t help himself when he stopped outside of it to inhale deeply. It was so delicious it made his head spin. And now? The smell was getting stronger with every step he took towards the door. It made his heart rate speed up and his cock stir under the thin material of the towel around his waist.

He approaches the door and his hand hovers over the knob for a second. He needed to get himself under control. If the owner of the scent that’s been possessing him for the last two weeks is on the other side he needs to try and keep it together. He sighs, shaking his head so his hair falls off his shoulders before grabbing onto the knob and pulling the door open. The swing of the door kicks up wind, sending the smell wafting directly towards him. It nearly knocks him on his ass, his ears start to ring, his eyes land on a pair of shiny black Mary Jane’s before traveling up a pair of bare legs, hungrily drinking in curves covered by the thin material of a pretty little dress, until they land on the most beautiful face he’s ever seen. Your face. Your eyes are wide, your pupils blown, your dainty ring covered fingers are clutching what looks like a pie tin. The way you’re looking at him like a little deer caught in the headlights is making him want to tackle you to the ground and-

“Uh - hi… I’m your new neighbor. I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself, and I uh - I made you this.” You raise the baked good in your hands up between the two of you with a nervous smile.

“Oh - um - yeah, thank you, that’s really nice of you.” He anxiously scratches the back of his neck, returning your smile with a nervous one of his own. “Do you bake a lot? I swear ever since you moved in it smells like someone opened a bakery next door.”

“Usually yes, this is the first time I’ve gotten my baking stuff out since the move though.” He watches as your eyes roam over his bare inked chest, down to his hips where the towel is resting lowly, almost showing off the patch of hair above his cock. Were you checking him out? You had to be almost half his age. What would you want with an old unwanted alpha like him? He needs to get it together. You're just being nice, neighborly. “But I uh - just wanted to say hello, I won’t keep you. You seem busy.”

“Wait!” He didn’t even realize how desperate it sounded until it left his lips. God Eddie, snap out of it. “You didn’t even tell me your name, sweetheart.”

“Oh! I guess that’s kind of part of introducing yourself, huh?” You giggle and tell him your name and it goes off like a mantra in his head. “And you are?”

“Pretty name for a pretty girl. I’m Eddie.” He offers you a friendly smile, holding his hand out for you to shake. You take it and the minute your skin grazes his it’s like a shockwave is sent through his body. His entire body was on fire. Especially where he was still holding your soft hand in his larger rough one. Oh shit he was still holding onto your hand. “Shit, sorry, I just got this towel out of the dryer, must be staticky.”

“Huh? Oh! That’s okay, might’ve been me too, I just did some laundry and I’m out of dryer sheets.” You shrug, pulling your hand from his. He immediately feels cold, and misses the feeling of your touch. What is going on with him? No one has ever had this kind of effect on him. He doesn’t even know you. But god he wants to. Your sweet voice, your otherworldly scent, your curves in that little dress you were wearing. Your hair was off your neck and he could see your mating gland so clearly. He wanted to sink his teeth into it. A shiver runs through him at the thought.

“Oh I’m sorry! You must be so cold standing here, I won’t keep you. Here! I hope you like it, it’s my signature cream pie!” You hold the pie out to him with the sweetest smile on your face. God was everything about you sweet? And you baked for him? A cream pie? No omega has ever made anything for him and it was doing things to him he wished it wasn’t. He needs to get away from you before he pops a very noticeable boner through his towel.

“Thank you om- sweetheart, that was very sweet of you.” He takes the pie from you, giving you the most casual smile he can muster.

“No problem, baking relaxes me, so it was my pleasure.” You clasp your hands together in front of you, rocking back and forth in your heels a few times. “Well I’ll uh - see you around, Eddie. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah, it was nice to meet you too, thanks again for the pie. Have a good night.” He offers you a small smile and a nod before he’s rushing back inside, slamming the door behind him. “Fuck.”

It’s been a few days since you finally put a face to the scent that feels like it has been clogging your every pore. But it was like somehow the encounter enhanced it by tenfold. You don’t know who you were expecting to be on the other side of that door but that man is something straight out of your fantasies. He was gorgeous. His curly chestnut hair was slightly dripping from the shower, droplets sliding down his broad tattooed chest. The muscles in his abs and arms, which were also covered in tattoos, made it seem like he definitely spent some of his time working out. His face was gorgeous, the way he smiled at you and the shine of his brown doe eyes made you feel like your insides were melting. But most of all? Smelling him that close made your head spin. You’d never smelled anything or anyone like him. You wanted to bottle it up and snort it like your new favorite drug.

Just because you haven’t seen him, it doesn’t mean you haven’t tried. You find yourself peeking out your window when you hear footsteps in the hallway an embarrassing amount, you linger in your doorway when you’re coming and going more often than not, and you even started spending more time on your balcony in hope that he might decide to use his at the same time as you. To no avail. But the walls were thin, so you could hear him, and even though the building was supposed to be a secondary gender coed complex with insulated walls, you could still smell him. Constantly.

Sometimes you’d hear him playing 80s metal while slight grunts floated through the walls. You couldn’t tell if he was working out or jerking off but you honestly hoped for the ladder. You’d hear him clanking around in his kitchen, singing along to dorky dad rock, the kind of shit your dad listens to. Sometimes you’d hear him playing guitar and you aren’t even ashamed to admit that you’ve pleasured yourself to the sound once or twice, wrapped in a veil of his scent as it travels through your shared bedroom wall.

He was driving you insane, you needed to see him again. So when you were baking your dads favorite chocolate cupcakes you decided it wouldn’t hurt to make a few extra for Eddie. It gave you a chance to see him again, and baking also genuinely calmed you. You knew it was definitely mostly your biological instinct but you genuinely enjoyed caring for others. Cooking for them, helping them with self care, offering comforting touches, it all soothed something and scratched an itch inside you that could only be described as primal.

You frosted the cupcakes, putting a few of them in a separate container for Eddie before going to get dressed. You noticed he usually got home around 5:30PM and judging by your last visit he usually showered immediately so you had some time to figure out your outfit and fix your hair and make up to your liking. You decided to go with a little black mini skirt, a cropped black cardigan with nothing underneath, your white ruffle socks, and your Mary Jane’s. You put your hair in two low pigtails and tie white ribbons around each one. You grab the cupcakes off the counter and walk out the door a little after 6:45PM.

You take a deep breath, which literally does nothing to help you while you’re standing right outside his front door, his scent invading your nostrils, making your head spin. You knock on the door lightly before taking a step back, adjusting your already straight skirt out of nervousness. You hear footsteps on the other side of the door and as the knob turns your heart rate quickens.

“Oh, hi.” Eddie’s eyes are wide, and he scratches the back of his neck in a way that makes you think he’s almost nervous. But he couldn’t be, could he? This man was gorgeous, and he smelled phenomenal, he had to be popular with women, right? There’s no way he wasn’t. He was wearing fucking grey sweatpants this time, and an old band tee that he cut the neck and hem off of. He also cut off the sleeves, exposing his toned arms and his tattooed ribs.

“Hey! I was baking cupcakes for my dad and I made more than him or I will ever need to eat, so I figured I’d bring you some of the extras!” You smile at him sweetly as you hold up the container.

“That’s… really sweet, thanks.” Is he blushing? Cute. He takes the container from you, your fingers brush and send that same shockwave through your entire body, causing you to let out a small gasp. It was so small that if you weren’t in the worlds most echo prone hallway he probably wouldn’t have heard it.

“Of course, it’s really no trouble at all. Did you uh - enjoy the pie?” You clear your throat, trying to compose yourself.

“Yeah, fuck, it was delicious, sweetheart. Thank you. I’ve never had a pie that good before. You some kind of professional baker or something?” He gives you a lopsided grin and it relieves some of the tension in the air. But the nickname and the glint in his eye pick up your heart rate in a different way and you have to stop yourself from clenching your

thighs at the combination of the sight and smell of him.

“Oh nothing like that, I mean, I just opened a little bakery downtown and I went to culinary school but I wouldn’t call myself a professional or anything.” You giggle, twirling a strand of your hair around your fingers.

“That’s a professional in my book, you’re like a certified dealer of baked goods.” He chuckles, wiggling his eyebrows at you playfully and it makes butterflies erupt in your tummy.

“If you say so.” You giggle again, rocking back and forth on your feet. “But I’m glad you liked the pie, I hope you like these too. If you ever have any requests I’d love to make you something you’re actually craving sometime.”

You didn’t realize how suggestive that sounded until Eddie started going into a coughing fit, choking on air at your words.

“Sorry I - didn’t mean - “

“Hey, I’d love for you to give me something I’m craving sometime, sugar.” He smirks, his eyes momentarily unashamedly roaming your figure. “I’m a big fan of peach cobbler, if you ever want to go to all the trouble for an old man like me.”

“Psh! You’re not even that old! How old are you, like 35?” You playfully roll your eyes at him, feeling calmed by his demeanor yet again.

“Try 41, sweets.” He chuckles, his hand coming up to rub the well trimmed stubble on his chin. Now that his hair is dry you can see a few grays throughout and if anything it just makes him sexier. “And what about you, huh? Bet I’m like twice your age.”

“Not even! I’ll have you know I’m 27.” You tell him matter of factly.

“Alright, you got me there, bet you still get carded at all the bars, huh? Pretty little thing like you.” Oh god, he’s fully flirting with you now.

“Hey I could say the same for you, handsome. I thought you were younger. You look good.” You wink at him, taking an opportunity to let your eyes roam him for a moment. “You should taste them, the cupcakes.”

“Alright, as you wish.” He pops open the container, taking one of the chocolatey treats in his ring adorned tattooed hand. He pulls back the shiny red paper, and takes a large bite. His eyes roll back and a moan leaves the back of his throat. You have to hold in one of your own at the sound. You can’t help but imagine what he looks like when he cums in that moment. “Fuuuuck this is so goddamn good, thank you, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, sure Eddie, anytime. I’ll uh, see you around?” You smile at him hopefully.

“Yeah, I’ll be around. If you ever need anything, let me know, alright?” He returns your smile, using his thumb to push some frosting on the corner of his mouth between his lips, sucking it off. Alright, time to go, before you say or do something stupid.

“Cool, same to you. Have a good night.” You offer him a small wave.

“Yeah, have a good night, sugar.”

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Eddie was starting to think you put a spell on him, he had only spoken to you twice and you were all he could think about it. He found his mind wandering when he was at work, almost tattooing his clients on autopilot. His coworkers all called him out, asking who the “special lady” who had his head in the clouds was. He brushed them off, of course. You weren’t really anything to him other than his neighbor, but that didn’t mean you weren’t necessarily special. There was just something about you. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but it was like part of him was missing when you weren’t around. Which sounded ridiculous, but it didn’t help that he could smell you constantly. Even when he wasn’t at home it was like your scent was embedded in his fucking bones.

The fact that you kept baking for him didn’t help, it was doing something to the alpha in him that he’s never experienced. He’s never had an omega fuss over him in any way, so you were really pulling on his heart strings. It didn’t hurt that you were a knockout. You were absolutely the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. He didn’t think you’d be interested in him, due to his age, but you were definitely flirting with him when you brought him those cupcakes yesterday. Eddie’s dating game might be rusty, but he wasn’t blind. He still had his doubts, you could just be having some fun with your new neighbor. Omegas were never interested in him for more than a quick fuck, the amount of times he’s been told that something about his scent was just “off” has left him insecure and rough around the edges.

He’s deep in his thoughts about you when he exits the elevator to your shared floor, where he’s immediately flooded with your scent like he always is. But something about it today was off, and not in the way those omegas meant about his being off, you were distressed. He could tell from the way you smelled just a little sour, but still so so good. It immediately sent him into a panic, were you okay? Did someone hurt you? Did you need help?

He swiftly turns the corner to your hall and he sees you standing in front of your door with your cell phone held to your ear. You’re anxiously tapping your foot while you chew on the nails of your free hand. Whoever you’re calling clearly doesn’t answer because you throw your head back, slamming the flip phone shut with a groan.

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The sound of heavy footsteps has you whipping your head in the direction of your intruder. Something inside you softens at the sight of Eddie approaching you with a concerned look on his face. You had been trying to call the property company for the last hour. After you took a shower you tried to turn it off but no matter how hard you turn it the hot water knob won't budge. So your shower had been running for the last hour and a half at least.

“Hey, are you alright?” The concern in his voice matched the furrow in his brow, it was almost like you could even smell his concern dripping into his scent. You wonder if maybe his alpha nose caught a whiff of your distress. You’ve been told by other alphas you smell awful when you’re upset.

“Yeah, no, kind of? I don’t know. My shower won’t shut off and the stupid fucking property management isn’t picking up their emergency phone.” You huff, clutching your little hot pink razor in your hand.

“Yeah, they basically never answer that damn phone, they might as well just stop giving it out at this point. These faucets are old and finicky, mine gets stuck from corrosion all the time. I can check it out, if you want?”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother, but I’d really appreciate the help. I can cook up a storm but I don’t know a damn thing when it comes to things like this.” Your lips form into a pout and Eddie wants to kiss it off so badly. It was becoming increasingly harder each time he sees you to control himself around you.

“It’s not a bother, sugar. I told you to tell me if you needed anything, remember? I think this qualifies. Let me just grab my tools, alright?” He shoots you a wink that has you almost forgetting why you were even upset a few seconds ago.

It only took him a few minutes to come back out of his apartment with his tools in hand. If he was being honest he spent a little extra time trying to calm himself down before going inside your home. Surrounded by your scent and all things you. You smile sweetly at him, opening your front door to let him inside.

Eddie feels like the wind got knocked out of him the minute he steps into your apartment. If he thought your smell was overpowering in his house it was mind altering inside your own. His knees felt like they were going to give out and he had to will himself to not get hard. He took a quick look around while you led him towards the bathroom. Your decor was cute, it had an almost vintage witchy kind of feel to it and it was extremely cozy. Your purple velvet couch and the framed horror movie posters give him a tiny bit of insight on who you are. You had candles lit, and your radio was quietly playing some kind of whiny emo sounding music he’s heard in passing but couldn’t name. It was all so unique, just like your scent.

“Okay so, the cold knob and the shower knob work just fine but the hot won’t turn off. It’s like stuck or something.” You walk into the bathroom and he follows, pushing back your black and purple moonphase curtain. You take advantage of the opportunity to ogle him while his back is turned to you. He looks good today. A plain black tee shirt is tight on his broad shoulders, black jeans that are ripped at the knees and hug his ass just right, and black doc martens on his feet. His hair is tied back in a low bun and he has his usual rings on his fingers, a studded belt and a pants chain complete the look. He was so fucking hot. Damn.

“Yeah, it’s just a little bit of corrosion. Easy fix.” He looks over his shoulder at you and you try to avert your gaze, or at least close your fucking mouth but you can tell by the smirk he gives you that he caught you gawking.

“Sweet. Thanks, Eddie.” You give him the most composed smile you can. Having him in your home was making you dizzy. You’ve never felt like this before. You’ve been around plenty of and even slept with a few other alphas but something about Eddie was different. It’s like someone made him in a factory, just for you. You wanted to climb him like a tree and shove your nose in his scent gland if you were being honest.

“Sure thing, sugar.” He leans over to grab a few tools from his toolbox and his tee shirt rides up, revealing a delicious silver of tattooed skin. The way his hands looked gripping the tools and the grunts he was letting out as he started to loosen the knob had you clenching your thighs. Not only did he look absolutely delicious, he was also taking care of you, and the omega inside warmed at the thought. His neck muscles flexed and the veins on his hands were bulging. His musky scent filled the room, and it was starting to make you dizzy. You felt a layer of sweat starting to build on your skin underneath your hoodie and you suddenly felt like how you feel the days leading up to your heat.

“I’m thirsty, do you want anything to drink?” Your voice comes out as a little shaky, despite your best efforts to center yourself. “I have umm… water, fresh squeezed lemonade, milk, tea, I could make coffee, I think I have some red wine.”

“I’ll take some of that lemonade, if you don’t mind.” He turns his body to look at you, a boyish grin plastered on his face.

“One lemonade, coming right up.” You give him a thumbs up you immediately decide was probably as awkward as the smile on your face. You just need to get away from him for a second. You turn and rush out of the bathroom, your knees buckling as you grasp onto the kitchen counter for support. “Jesus Christ, get it together.”

Your heat wasn’t due for another two weeks but you felt like it was going to happen any second. Your head was spinning, you felt feverish, the warmth of your skin causing you to rip your hoodie over your head, leaving you in just your small cropped tank and your sleep shorts. But it still felt like too much. A stabbing pain shoots through your core and causes you to cry out.

Eddie tightens the wrench tight, turning the knob off and on a few times to make sure it’s working right. When it works both times he smiles triumphantly. His smile drops immediately when he hears you cry out in what sounds like pain. He drops the wrench on the ground and runs out of the room in a panic. The minute he enters the kitchen he starts to feel dizzy. Your scent is stronger and sweeter than ever before, your hoodie is discarded on the ground next to you leaving your curves exposed to him in your little pajamas. But that’s not even the worst part. Your body is folded over the kitchen counter and covered in a shein layer of sweat, you’re panting while little whimpers escape from your lips. But worst of all? There’s saccharine sweet slick dripping down your thighs. Fuck.

“Hey, are you okay?” Eddie wants to kick himself for asking, obviously you’re not. You tense at the sound of his voice, but you don’t turn to look at him. A whine louder than the others leaves your lips and your body shakes slightly.

“No - I - yeah, I’ll be fine. This is embarrassing, I’m sorry. I wasn’t due for my heat for a few weeks I wouldn’t have invited you in if-“

“Hey.” His large hand on your shoulder makes you jump at first but then it sends a feeling of relief washing through you. His scent is still overwhelming but it’s also so soothing. You want to throw yourself into his arms and inhale his scent gland until you can’t breathe anymore. “Don’t be embarrassed, it’s totally natural, I’m not judging you or anything. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Your shower is fixed. I should uh - I should go.”

A whine involuntary wracks through you at the thought of him leaving, but if you asked him to stay and help you, would he? He hardly knew you. You don’t even know if you smell good to him or not. But the primal part of your brain doesn’t care, the primal part of you just wants him to make it all go away.

“I’m sorry, I just know if I stay here I’m not going to be able to control myself and I don’t want to do anything to take advantage of you or make you uncomfortable.” He pats your shoulder awkwardly, it’s taking everything in him not to rip those shorts in half and shove his cock balls deep inside you in one thrust. He knows he could, your little omega pussy is dripping and ready for his knot. Every single instinct in his body is screaming at him to help you. The thought of leaving you here alone makes him want to puke, but he also doesn’t want to take advantage of your vulnerable state. He doesn’t want you to do anything you’d regret later because he doesn’t know if he can handle being one of your regrets.

“Please.” It comes out a broken whisper but Eddie could hear you loud and clear. He was pretty sure he knew what you were asking, but he needed you to tell him.

“Please what, sugar?” His large calloused hand runs up and down your arm and you try to hold in the moan that escapes you but it slips past your lips anyways. His touch is like what you imagine taking a hit of hard drugs feels like.

“Please, help me Eddie.” You turn your head towards him, your cheek squished up against the cool countertop. You look up at him through your lashes, your lips forced into a pout. “Make it go away.”

“Sweetheart… are you sure? I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret once you have a clear head…” He pushes your hair out of your face, his thumb running along the apple of your cheek. You subconsciously nuzzle into his palm and you’re just so sweet he wants to devour you.

“Won’t regret it. Want you so bad. I can smell you all the time, you smell so good. You make me crazy. Please, I need you.” Eddie lets out an exasperated breath. So you could smell him too, and he smelled good to you. He’s never had an omega tell him that and it filled him with pride. He’s never felt truly needed by someone in the way his body biologically desired, he’s never spent a heat with an omega before. Now this pretty little thing was practically begging for him. How could he refuse?

“I can smell you too, ya know? The day you moved in I caught your scent. I’ve never smelled anything like you before, and you’re so beautiful. If we do this I don’t know how I’m going to let you go afterwards.”

“Then don’t.” You say it so matter of fact, and he can tell your awareness was slipping, soon all you’d be able to think about was his knot.

“Are you positive about this? I mean it, I’m already addicted to you and I haven’t even tasted you yet.” His thick thumb runs over your pouty bottom lip and you dart your tongue across the pad of it. You moan, the taste of his sweat sending another wave of slick down your legs.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything, alpha.” Eddie fucking growls at that, grabbing you by the waist and throwing you over his shoulder. He carries you to your room and tosses you on the bed. He leans over you, his ink adorned forearms on either side of your head. His face is inches from yours and you can’t take it anymore, you thread your fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth down to connect his lips to your own.

When your lips connect both of your bodies feel like they’re on fire, Eddie suddenly feels the overpowering need to protect you from anything and everything for the rest of his life, to sink his teeth into the juncture of your neck, and stuff you full of his cum. Plugging it with his knot so none escapes, and he doesn’t want to stop until you have his baby inside you. He’s not even in his rut and he’s never felt like this before in his life. Your tongues intertwine and he’s never tasted anything so sweet. He sucks your tongue into his mouth, savoring your taste, drinking up your moans.

“Fuck, you taste so sweet, just like sugar.” He kisses down your jaw to your throat, leaving open mouth kisses on your scent gland. He stops there to shove his nose in your neck, inhaling deeply. His eyes roll in the back of his head and he lets out a feral moan. “Never smelled anything sweeter either, most omegas smell a little off to me, but you? You smell divine, sweet thing.”

“Mmm Eddie, you smell so good too, never smelled anyone as good as you.” Your mind is clouded with lust, the fever rising in your body and the pain in your abdomen due to your heat making you dizzy. He pushes the front of your tank top down, taking one of your nipples in his mouth. Your back arches off the bed and your hands find purchase in his hair again. He reaches back to pull it free from the hair tie, his mouth switching to your other nipple.

“Glad I smell good to you, most alphas say I smell weird.” He pulls your tank top down to your hips before pushing it down with your shorts in one swift motion, leaving you in just your soaked cotton thong.

“Funny, you’re the first omega to ever tell me I smell good to them too. Maybe we were meant to be baby.” He jokes, sending you a wink before latching his mouth onto your clothed core. A growl rips through him, if he thought your spit tasted good the taste of your slick had to be the most divine cuisine known to man. His tongue flicks out to lick your sensitive clit through the material of your panties and you buck against his mouth.

“More.” If you weren’t so far gone you’d be embarrassed at how broken and desperate your voice sounds but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. All you could think about was Eddie Eddie Eddie.

“I’ll give you anything you want, baby girl, don’t worry. I’m gonna take care of you.” He rips your panties down your legs and hooks your thighs over his shoulders. His face finds your now bare dripping core and he licks a stripe through your slick folds. You moan in unison, you at the feeling, and him at your intoxicating taste. He starts to tongue fuck you as deep as he can, swirling his tongue around inside your walls, collecting your nector on his tongue.

He plunges his tongue into you a few more times, savoring your taste, before dragging it up to circle your clit. The minute he wraps his lips around the sensitive bud an orgasm rips through your body. Your thighs try to clamp shut around his head and your hips raise off the bed. Eddie uses one of his hands to hold you down by the hips while two of his thick fingers circle your entrance before he’s inserting them inside you. He continues to suck on your clit and you don’t even have time to come down from your first orgasm before another one is being ripped from you. Feral moans leave your lips as you rock your hips against him.

“FUCK EDDIE! Shit! Is too much, too much, sensitive.” You whine, pushing your hands against his head. He growls, his tongue licking every inch of your slick covered core before finally pulling away.

“Sorry baby, you just taste so fucking good, and those little moans are my new favorite song. Shit.” He sits up, his stubble covered chin is coated in your slick and he’s looking at you like he wants to eat you alive. You’d let him if he asked. He kisses his way up your torso, stopping to pay your tits and scent gland a little extra attention. When his lips meet your own they taste like you and him combined and you whine into his mouth.

“Eddie, please? Please fuck me? I need to feel you please please please.” You’re begging even though you know he’s going to give you what you want, but all you can think about is him burying himself deep inside you, filling you up with his knot and his cum, making all the pain go away.

“Hey, hey, shhh, it’s okay, sweet thing. Your alpha is gonna make it all go away, okay? Gonna take care of you little omega.” Your alpha, you like the sound of that.

“You’re wearing too much, take it off.” You whine, pulling at the hem of his shirt. The materials of his clothes feel suffocating against your already hot skin, and you want to feel him. He obliges, standing up to pull his shirt over his head. Your eyes roam his figure, your tongue darting out to lick your bottom lip at the sight of his ink covered muscular form. He kicks off his shoes and his hands make quick work of his belt, he undoes his pants, pushing them down with his boxers. His cock springs free, slapping against his bare stomach and a bit of drool actually dribbles down your chin. He’s perfect. Every inch of him.

“Fuck Eddie, you’re beautiful.”

“Coming from you, sugar? That’s a high honor.” He smirks, leaning over you. He takes your chin in his hand, using the grip to place a bruising kiss on your lips. He uses one hand to prop himself up on the bed while he grabs onto his thick cock in the other, running it through your folds. He taps it against your clit a few times, the combination of your slick and his precum causing it to make a sticky wet sound.

He pushes the tip of his cock into your entrance, pulling it out and pushing it back in a few times. You wiggle your hips impatiently, trying to shove him deeper inside you. He finally takes the hint, shoving his cock halfway inside you before pulling it almost all the way out again. When he pushes into you again he doesn’t stop until his balls are flush against your ass.

“Oh my god, shit!” Your hands clutch onto his back, your nails leaving crescent shaped marks in his skin.

“Oh fuuuuuck, your pussy is sucking me in baby. You feel so fucking good.” Almost too good, if he was being honest with himself. He’s fucked a few omegas, but never on their heat, and nobody has ever made him feel like this. It just felt so fucking right. All of it. Your scent, your touch, your kiss. It really was like you were made for him. And even though his mind was clouded with lust, as he snapped his hips into yours, burying himself deep inside you over and over again it all started to make sense to him.

He had learned a little bit about soul bounds back in highschool and he knew a few people in his life that had them but they’re so rare nowadays he had never given them much thought. But the way his ears rang when he first saw you, the electric shockwave that went through the both of you when you shook hands, how he can smell you everywhere. The fact that you’re the first omega to truly smell good to him, and he’s the first alpha to smell good to you. It all clicks into place. You were his fated mate. You really were meant for him.

“Eddieeee, you feel so good, you’re filling me up so good, I’ve never - fuck - I’ve never felt like this before.” Your nails run down his back and your walls clench around his cock as another orgasm takes you by surprise, a rush of slick coating his cock and both of your thighs. He decides while you’re fucked out like this isn’t the time to tell you about his realization, he doesn’t think you know. He’s not even sure if they still educate kids on these kinds of bonds given their rarity.

“That’s a good girl sugar, taking me so well, you gonna let me fill this little pussy up?” He grunts as he thrusts into you deep and hard. His nose finds your scent gland and he sharply inhales. “God baby, you smell so good, my sweet little omega, my sugar.”

His tongue laves out over the juncture of your throat, his teeth lightly brushing over it. God it would be so easy to just sink his teeth into your neck and mark you as his for the rest of your lives. He can tell you want him to, by the way you turn your head to bare your neck to him.

“Do it, I want it.” It’s like you read his mind.

“Baby, no. Not right now, if you still want it when you’re more clear headed we can talk about it, okay?” It was taking everything in him not to do what you were asking, he was fighting against every single instinct in his body.

“Eddie, I don't think I’ve ever thought more clearly about anything in my entire life, please? I want to be yours.” You mean it. You’ve thought about it before now, laid in bed at night as you listen to him strum his guitar. You’ve thought about more than just fucking him, you’ve fantasized about a life with him. Even if you barely knew him, you knew you wanted him.

His thrusts falter at that, he doesn’t know how long he can resist your begging. Especially when you’re begging for this. He doesn’t respond, just starts fucking you harder. His thumb finds your clit and he starts to circle it in time with his thrusts. His lips latch onto your neck and suck, if he can’t give you what you truly want right now, he hopes you’ll at least take this temporary mark. “Please alpha? Please just do it? I want it so bad, want your mark. Want your knot.”

“I know sugar, I know.” He mumbles against your neck before latching back onto it, continuing to suck bruising marks into your skin. “Why don’t you cum for me? Cum for your alpha.”

He angles his hips so the head of his cock is brushing against your sweet spot, picking up the speed of the circles on your clit. He runs his teeth along your throat, not quite biting down but nipping at it. It’s all so good, and it sends you hurtling into another mind altering orgasm.

“Oh fuck! Ohmyfuckinggod, Eddie! I’m cumming!” You wrap your legs around his waist, more slick gushes from you and your nails are digging so deep into his back he’s sure you’re starting to draw blood. He hopes you leave him some little marks of his own. He wouldn’t mind, if you bit down on his neck too. He knows it’s taboo for omegas to mark alphas but he wants to be connected to you, owned by you, in every way possible.

“That’s a good girl, good fucking girl, sweetheart. You’re so beautiful when you cum on my cock.” His hands grasp onto your hips and he leans up onto his knees as he continues to fuck into you. Your hands clutch onto his forearms and your tits bounce deliciously with every thrust.

“Want you to fill me up, alpha. Fill me with your cum, put a pup inside me.” You’re cock drunk off your ass, your eyes rolled back and brimmed with tears, drool dripping from your mouth and your words are slurred as you babble things you’d never dream of saying in a normal state of mind. But Eddie hears you loud and clear, and he knows you probably don’t really mean that. But hearing it? It makes him feral.

“Yeah? You want me to fuck a baby into you, is that it? Want me to mark you and knot you and plug you full of my cum?”

“Yes! Fuck! Please fill me up, let me give you a baby, alpha!!” Eddie lets out an animalistic growl, a few more harsh thrusts and he’s spilling inside you. He shoves his hips flush against yours as ropes of his cum paint your walls.

“Oh fuuuuckkk, oh my god, shit.” Your pussy squeezes him like a vice grip, the feeling of him filling you up sending you over the edge with him. You milk him for all he’s worth, the head of his cock starts to flare and you whimper when his knot pops inside of you. “Jesus Christ.”

You both pant as he grabs onto your thighs so he can flip over with you on top of him. You lay your head on his chest and nuzzle into it, feeling safe and warm, and for the moment satisfied. You’re both quiet for a while, catching your breath and coming down from your highs.

“Eddie I-“

“Hey.” He shushes you, comfortingly running his hand down your back. “It’s okay, don’t stress, alright sugar? We can talk about all of this once you’re more clear headed. Let’s just relax for now.”

“Will you… stay?” Your voice is small, but hopeful.

“I don’t think I’m going anywhere darlin’, we are kind of connected right now.” He chuckles and it makes you laugh. “Even longer if you keep laughing like that, clenching around me and shit.”

“Sorry.” You giggle. “Will you stay… till it’s over?” You really hope he knows what you mean, because you already feel awkward enough asking as it is.

“You want me to stay with you through your heat?” His heart rate picks up, and the alpha in him sings with pride. He really hopes that’s what’s you’re asking.

“Yeah, only if you want, no pressure or anything I-“

“Baby, I’d be honored.” His hand cups your face, tilting it towards him so he can look you in the eyes. He smiles at you sweetly, his mate. He places a gentle kiss on your lips, which you return with glee. “I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me.”

Would it be crazy if you said you wanted him to stay forever? Probably. Maybe not, since you were just begging him to mark you and knock you up a few minutes ago. You decide against it though, laying your head back on his chest. You shove your nose into his scent gland, inhaling him. You’ve never felt this safe with an alpha, or anyone who wasn’t your family, really. You could get used to this. You only hoped he would still want to be around you when your heat was over.

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Eddie kept true to his word, staying with you through your heat for a full week. He only left once, on the second day to go to the store for some groceries and to get things from his apartment for himself. It was a good thing he did because later that night he went into his rut and it just made the entire experience more intimate and feral. He fucked you more times and in more ways than you could count. But you didn’t just have sex, you also spent a lot of time talking, and getting to know each other.

He told you about his time growing up here, and how it wasn’t the best for him. You found out that he’s a tattoo artist, and he rides and works on motorcycles. He used to be in a band when he was younger, they still jam together sometimes but they don’t play bar shows anymore. He’s never had an omega before, not even an unofficial mate, and he explained to you that it’s because he’s never felt connected to anyone until he met you. You told him it was about the same for you. When you first presented your boyfriend at the time was an alpha and he smelled awful to you the minute his pheromones hit your nose, so you ended up breaking it off.

The morning you both woke up feeling like yourselves again you were both a bit timid. You still had another day off but he had clients today. He left to get ready for work, departing with a kiss and a promise to talk later tonight. You were hopeful. For the first time in a very long time, or maybe ever, you felt truly connected to someone.

Since you had the day off you decided you’d go visit your dad at work, you haven’t seen him since you took him those chocolate cupcakes last week and you figured you’d surprise him. He was the reason you moved here after all. He helped you open the bakery. You and him have always been close, your mom wasn’t really around when you were growing up so it was just you and him. He lived in Hawkins but he owned a tattoo shop in the next town over, only about a thirty five minute drive if there wasn’t traffic.

You went for a more simple look today, flare leggings and a cropped zip up with your doc martens. Perfect for the mid September Indiana weather. The drive went smoothly, you’ve been to your dads shop a few times, years ago when you were in your early 20s. But you haven’t seen it in a long time, usually when you visit him you just go to his house.

You push open the art covered door to the shop, the bell on the handle hits against the glass on the door and Tami, your dads wife, greets you with a surprised smile from behind the front desk.

“Well look what the cat dragged in, to what do we owe the pleasure, little lady?” You’ve always liked Tami, she and your dad got married when you were nineteen, after you had already moved out. But she was like the cool cigarette mom you never had growing up. She was probably Eddie’s age or a little younger, your dad was in his mid fifties. But she was beautiful, she looked like she stepped right out of an 80s rock music video. With her teased blonde hair and blue eyeshadow, her body adorned with almost as many tats as your dads.

“I had the day off, just figured I’d come say hey.” Your smile falters for a moment when you catch a strong whiff of Eddie’s scent, you didn’t think it would still be so strong after you showered. You knew your dad was going to ask questions, especially with the crime scene you had on your neck that you didn’t bother to cover up. You weren’t ashamed of them, you wanted people to know you were taken.

“Hey Tami do you have the reference photo for my five o'clock? I need to start drawing it up.” Your eyes shot in the direction of his voice, your heart rate immediately picking up. Okay so, you had definitely caught his scent, and it wasn’t on you. Why was he here? Oh god. He works for your fucking dad? Shit. Why didn’t you think of that? The motorcycles, tattoos, it all makes sense now. Your dad has told you about Eddie, you just didn’t think it was going to be this Eddie.

He smells you before he sees you, for a second he thought it was just your scent lingering on him like it has been for weeks now but then he saw you. He wasn’t mad you were here, just surprised. He was about to ask you how you knew where he worked when your dad came bounding out the back.

“Honey! What’re you doing here? Did you bring sweets?” Eddie has never seen your dad smile like that at anyone besides Tami, was he cheating on Tami? Did they have a side piece he didn’t know about?

“Hey dad, yeah I uh - I brought you some cookies!” Dad!? Holy fuck. That’s when your name goes off like an alarm in Eddie’s head, he didn’t think to make that connection until now. He’s seen pictures of you as a kid, and even a few of you as a teenager but you looked so different now he never would’ve recognized you from those. You were Dale’s fucking daughter? Jesus Christ. He was so fucking fucked.

“You’re too good to me, the best daughter ever, I swear.” Your dad walks over to you and engulfs you in a hug, taking the container filled with cookies from your hands when he pulls away. “Although, what’s going on with this crime scene on your neck? You have a little boyfriend here already?”

“Ha! Thanks dad, you’re the best too. Its uh - there’s not really a label on it yet or anything, if there’s anything to tell, I’ll let you know.” You smile at him, clearing your throat. You avoid making eye contact with Eddie, knowing you’ll probably lose your cool if you do. Especially when your dad is talking about what he did to your neck. You’re trying really hard to keep calm but you’re practically screaming on the inside. Eddie worked for your dad, and had for almost a decade now. He’s told you about Eddie, they’re close friends, and your dad was his tattoo mentor. He probably wouldn’t want to see you now. You felt like your heart was breaking already. You were definitely going to have to find a new apartment.

“Angel, this is Eddie, Eddie this is my daughter.” Your dad says your name so proudly it makes you internally cringe. You fucked his friend. Not just fucked, you spent your heat and his rut with him. You asked him to mark you, he knotted you, and if you were being honest? You hadn’t been clear headed enough to think about it until today but you weren’t on birth control.

“We know each other actually!” Eddie’s eyes look like they’re going to burst out of his head, and he coughs, choking on his spit. “He’s my neighbor! You’d know that if you came to see my place already, dad.” You roll your eyes at him playfully, trying to start up your usual banter, hoping you’re pulling it off.

“Oh, yeah! She moved into Chris’ old place, she baked for me and I helped her with her shower. You raised a good one, Dale.” Eddie smiles at his old friend, his heart feeling like it was going to fall out of his ass. He knew how protective your dad was of you, he remembers how he used to talk shit about your old beta boyfriend. Not only that but Dale was one of the big alphas in the area, if he casted Eddie out, everyone would.

“Aww! Good man Ed, thanks for helping my girl out. And you! How’s the bakery? Things good?” Your dad takes a large bite of one of the cookies, his other hand lovingly shaking your shoulder.

“It’s good, yeah, things are good. You were right about putting it close to the highschool, tons of kids come in on their lunches and even some teachers too. I’m working on perfecting this new pie recipe right now, I’ll have to bring you a few different slices to try out.”

“Well duh, I’m always right, and I swear you’re trying to fatten me up.” Your dad laughs his signature laugh, it’s deep, bellowy, and contagious. You loved him so much. But that didn’t change how you felt about Eddie, if he still wanted to see you, you wouldn’t turn him down.

You made small talk with your dad and Tami for a bit longer, Eddie had excused himself to the back and it honestly made you want to cry right then and there. You wish your dad and step mom a goodbye without seeing him again and walk out of the shop with a heavy heart. You drive home on autopilot, your thoughts racing a mile a minute.

When you get home you flop yourself down on the couch in defeat. You would finally meet a guy and he’d end up being one of your dads oldest friends. Would he ever even talk to you again? He probably regretted the entire thing. But if you could go back in time, you’d do it all again.

A few minutes into your wallowing your phone goes off and when Eddie’s name pops up on that tiny front screen you feel like you’re going to pass out.

“I’ll come see you after work so we can talk, hope you’re okay.”

You let out a deep breath, at least he was talking to you, right? That text he sent you this morning about already missing you sitting above the new one was like a slap in the face in comparison. Hours ago he was texting you “Miss you already, can’t wait to see you tonight, sugar. Have a good day ;)” and now it seemed like he was about to tell you he couldn’t see you anymore. You had around three hours until Eddie would be home from work, and you have no idea what to do with yourself. You wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear if you were being honest. So you did the next best thing, you took a nap.

The sound of banging on your door had you shooting straight up in bed. When you look around it’s already dark out and when you gaze at the clock on your nightstand you realize it’s already past six thirty. Had you napped that long?

“Sweetheart, I know you’re home, I saw your car outside. Can we please just talk?” Shit. You throw your covers off and dash out of your room to the front door. You open it to reveal a very distressed looking Eddie and it cracks your heart a little.

“Hi Eddie…”

“Hey, can we talk?” The look on his face is hard to read, you can’t gauge how he’s feeling at all and it only peaks your anxiety.

“Yeah, sure.” You step aside to let him in and take a seat on the far end of the couch. You try not to take it personally when he sits all the way across from you but it stings just a little.

“So uh - your dad is… my boss.” Eddie clears his throat awkwardly while his knee bounces up and down. His eyes search your face and he can tell you’re upset. Not just by that but from your scent too. He can smell how anxious you are and he hates that he’s the cause of it.

“Ha! That’s putting it lightly, Eddie…” You laugh dryly.

“Yeah, so, he’s one of my closest friends, the alpha of my pack, annnnd I kind of owe him everything for giving me a chance at the shop.” Eddie sighs, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Yeah I know, I knew he had a friend named Eddie, I just didn’t know it would be you. So I get it, if you don’t want to see me anymore. It’s not like we are actually anything to each other anyways, just because you spent my heat with me doesn’t mean you owe me anything. I can find a new apartment and I won’t come into the shop anymore it’ll be fine I can-“

“That’s the problem though, I can’t stay away from you, sweetheart.” He looks you straight in the eye as he says it, and his voice sounds so sure.

“What do you mean? Eddie, you hardly know me, it’s really okay, I wouldn’t want you to risk everything for me.” You sigh, your head falling between your shoulders. “If my dad knew, he would lose it. I know that, and you know that. I don’t want you to lose your job, or be an outcast.”

“Yeah, well I don’t want those things either. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t stay away from you. Darlin’, do you know what soul bounds are?”

“Oh.” He watches your eyes widen and your jaw drop open in realization.

“Yeah, I think we uh - I think we might have one. So when I say I can’t stay away from you, I mean it’ll fucking kill me to.” The look on Eddie’s face has you on the brink of tears, you want to throw yourself into his arms and rub your face all along his scent gland to comfort him.

“Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, actually. It kind of feels like my whole entire life since I presented makes sense, now that I think about it.” You let out a breath you feel like you’ve been holding for years. You never thought you’d find a mate, but here he was, made just for you. “Well, my dad can’t really do shit then. He can’t keep us apart, and if he tries to do anything to you I’ll tell him that I’m going with you wherever you go.”

“Sweetheart.” He takes your hands in his and a feeling of relief instantly washes over you. “I can’t ask you to do that… I know how close you and your dad are from the way he talks about you.”

“Okay, well you didn’t ask me to, I want to. I never thought I’d find a mate, I genuinely thought there was something wrong with me because of my scent. But now, I find you? My soulmate? I can’t lose you Eddie.” You squeeze his hands and run your thumbs over the backs of them reassuringly.

“I feel the same, I spent my whole life being an outcast, and then when I presented as an alpha I thought maybe I’d finally get some form of respect. But instead every single person that was supposed to be biologically attracted to me told me there was something ‘off’ about my scent. Not that they necessarily smelled good to me either, but it was still a blow to my ego. But then you show up? This sweet little thing bringing me a pie in her tiny little dress? You’ve made me feel more wanted in a few weeks than I have my entire life.”

Your heart feels like it’s going to burst at his speech, you can’t believe hours ago you thought you were disposable to him. You grab his face in your hands, kissing him with fever. He groans into your mouth, his hands finding your hips as he returns your kiss with equal enthusiasm. He pulls you into his lap and you kiss each other until you both feel like your lungs are going to burst and you have to pull away for air.

“Can we maybe wait a bit, to tell my dad? I just want to enjoy this for a bit, before shit hits the fan.” You rest your forehead against his, your hands still holding his face tenderly.

“Absolutely, I think I’d like to live a little longer.” Eddie chuckles and you laugh along with him.

“Shut up! I’m not going to let him kill you, I swear. I’ll be like, your knight in shining armor.”

“Oh yeah? Sugars going spicy on me? Is that it?” He nuzzles his nose against yours before dragging it down your cheek, jaw, and then down your scent gland. He inhales before placing a gentle kiss there.

“Oh, you have noooo idea.” He tickles your sides and you laugh, wiggling around in his lap.

“Hmm, I think I wanna find out, you wanna show me this spicy side?” He kisses your neck again, gently nipping at it.

“Absolutely. Think you can take the heat?” You lean back and wiggle your eyebrows at him.

“Ooohh you’re in for it now!!” He laughs, tackling you down on the couch. Sending you both into a fit of giggles.

He climbs on top of you, his arms bracketing either side of your head, his hair like a halo around his head with the way your lamp light was glowing behind him.

“You’re so beautiful Eddie.” You smile up at him sweetly, he doesn’t think he will ever get tired of hearing you say that.

“Yeah? You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, sugar.” He sends you a wink that has butterflies fluttering in your belly. The flutters quickly turn into an eruption when he connects his lips with yours. He slips his tongue into your mouth, and you moan at the taste of him. The kisses turn heated when you roll your hips up against his, a low groan rumbling through him.

“I want you, Eddie.” You mumble against his mouth, your tongue darting out to lick across his plump, kiss swollen bottom lip.

“I’m all yours, sweetheart.” He places another hungry kiss on your lips before littering open mouth kisses along your jaw and throat. He laves his tongue out along your collar bones, kissing down your chest. He mouths at your nipples through the thin material of your tank top, swirling his tongue around them until they are both peaked. He grabs the hem of your shirt and you lift your arms so he can pull it over your head. “Perfect tits. Perfect body. Perfect little omega.”

“Mmm, just for you, alpha, all for you.” Your hands greedily pull at the hem of his faded band tee and he obliges you, using one hand to pull it over his head. “Wanna taste you, alpha, can I?”

“If you keep looking at me like that? Sugar, I’ll give you anything you want.” He runs his thumb along your bottom lip and you take the digit into your mouth, swirling your tongue around it.

You look up at him with big round eyes as you moan at the taste of him. He stands in front of the couch and you push yourself up onto your knees, perfectly eye level with the very prominent bulge in his pants. You make quick work of his belt, undoing his pants so you can push them down over his hips with his boxers. His cock springs free, a bead of pearly white precum drips from his slit and you can’t resist leaning forward to lick it off.

“Fuck, you taste so good, baby.” Baby. Chills run through his entire body. You’ve never called him that before, and it was doing things to him he didn’t think were possible.

You suck his tip, swirling your tongue around it like you did with his thumb. You take him all the way in your mouth, gagging when he hits the back of your throat. Drool fills your mouth and you pull off to him to spit into your palm without breaking eye contact with him. You bring your hand to his shaft, jerking him off with your lubed up palm a few times before taking half of him in your mouth again. Your mouth works in tandem with your hand at the base of his cock, your tongue caressing that thick vein that runs along the bottom of his shaft.

“Oh fuuuuck.” Eddie throws his head back, his thick neck adorned with veins, his Adam’s Apple bobs as he groans at the feeling of you swallowing him down. “That’s so good, your mouth is so good.”

His fingers thread through your hair and he looks back down at you. He has to close his eyes again seconds later to keep himself from exploding down your throat right then and there. Your eyes were rimmed with tears, your mascara that was already smudged from your nap running down your cheeks, drool was dripping down the sides of your mouth and the way you were looking at him like he hung the stars with his dick down your throat made him insane. You move your hand so you can take him all the way in your mouth again. Your throat flexes around him when you gag and he has to use his grip on your hair to pull you off. You whine, trying to take him back into your mouth.

“Baby girl, I’m sorry, but you gotta stop or I’m going to fucking lose it, and I really want to fill you with my cum and just keep fucking you until your body is limp.” He grabs your chin in his hand, his thumb spreading the drool on your mouth all around your lips. “Turn around, all fours.”

You position yourself on your hands and knees on top of the couch cushions, arching your back and wiggling your ass in the air. Eddie groans at the sight, walking up behind you, he hooks his fingers in the band of your tiny sleep shorts, pulling them down with your panties where they pool at the bottom of your bent knees. His hands roughly grab onto your ass cheeks, spreading them so he can see your messy cunt. You clench around nothing and a little yelp escapes you when you feel his spit drip down onto your already wet cunt.

“Fuuuuck Eddie, please, touch me.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, I’m always going to give you what you want, sweet thing.” He runs his fingers through your slit, gathering your wetness and rubbing it around. He circles your clit, applying the perfect amount of pressure. Two fingers circle your entrance and push inside you. He curves them just right, rubbing them against that sweet spot inside you before he starts to thrust them in and out of you.

“Oh shit! Yes, yes, yes, Eddie, fuck.” His thumb finds your clit while he continues to fuck his fingers into you and you’re already embarrassingly close to cumming.

“You gonna cum already, baby? I can feel your pussy sucking my fingers in.” He curves his fingers against your g-spot again and it’s the final straw. A feral moan rips through you and your pussy spasms around his fingers. “Oh that’s it, good girl, cum for me, cum for your alpha.”

Eddie pulls his fingers from inside you, bringing them to his mouth, moaning at your sweet taste. You hear him kicking off his jeans the rest of the way before the couch dips behind you. He positions himself on his knees, taking his cock in his hand. He runs it through your wet lips, the tip of it bumping against your clit with each stroke.

“Baby, don’t tease me.” You whine, pushing your hips back against him. “Need your cock.”

He lines himself up with your entrance and pushes inside with one thrust. You’re so wet the stretch barely burns, almost immediately turning into immense pleasure. He doesn’t waste any time starting up at a brutal pace. His hips slap against your ass, his balls bumping your clit whenever he thrusts at a certain angle.

“Fuck, this pussy really was fucking made for me. She’s sucking me in like a vice grip.” His hand pushes down on your lower back and you take the hint, resting your cheek on the couch cushion so your back is arched further, your ass as far in the air as it can go. This new angle has him hitting deeper than before, his hand snakes around your front to rub your clit and it sends you over the edge again.

“Oh god - oh fuck, Eddie!!!” Your orgasm hits you like a tidal wave, you push your hips back against him, fucking him deeper into you as you ride out your high.

He wraps his forearm around the front of your shoulders, using his grip to pull your back flush against his chest. He’s deeper than ever before, practically abusing your g-spot in the best way. The slight pressure on your throat from the way his arm is pinning you to his body is delicious, and when his fingers resume their ministrations on your clit it already has you close to the edge again. His mouth latches onto your scent gland, sucking a bruise into it.

“Mark me alpha, please please, I want to be yours. Please do it, I want it so bad.” Your hands reach behind you, lacing your fingers in his curls. You arch your back so you can bare your neck to him. Eddie thinks about telling you no again, he considers telling you he’d like to wait until you tell your dad.

But the primal part of him quickly erases those thoughts. He wants to please you, in every way possible. He wants to claim you. He doesn’t want to tell you no. So he doesn’t. He runs his nose along your scent gland, inhaling your otherworldly scent. He runs his teeth along the juncture of your throat before sinking them into your soft flesh.

The feeling sends you both over the edge. His teeth are still clamped down on your neck. Your cunt is squeezing him tight while ropes of his cum spill inside you. Everything felt so right, and it wasn’t just the fact that it was the best orgasm of your life. Your entire body felt warm, your heart felt full, you felt so connected to Eddie. It was everything. His knot swells inside you, popping out to connect you in every way possible. He pulls away from your neck, soothing the bloody teeth marks with his warm tongue.

“Wow.” He breaths out, carefully leaning back towards the arm of the couch and pulling you with him. He circles his arms around you, caging you in his embrace.

“Yeah, wow is right.” You chuckle, nuzzling deeper into his chest.

“You’re amazing, you know that? I’m a lucky son of a bitch.” He runs his hands through your hair, down your chest, his fingers stop to trace the bloodied mark on your throat. “Are you okay with everything?”

“I’m fantastic. I’ve never been happier than I am at this moment, Eddie Munson. If you’re lucky, I’m lucky as hell. I’m glad it’s you, I’m glad you’re my mate.” You tilt your head to the side so you can look up at him.

“Me too, Sugar, me too.” He looks down at your adoringly, taking your face in his hand and leaning down to place a gentle kiss on your lips.

⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️

You’ve been seeing Eddie in mostly secret for the last few months. You told your best friend back home over the phone and he told his friends Steve and Robin. Things were fantastic, for the most part. He’s taken you on a few dates, either out of town or somewhere people wouldn’t see you. He made you happier than you’ve ever been in your entire life but sneaking around was getting old fast.

Eddie was for lack of better words, paranoid. You’ve spent every night together since he mated you. Either at his place or at your own. But every morning after he showered for work he would put clothes on directly from the dryer, then immediately douse himself with cologne. He always kisses you before his shower because he refuses to come within three feet of you afterwards. He was absolutely terrified of showing up to your dad’s shop for work smelling like his daughter that he was seeing in secret. After a few weeks of that you both decided it was easier if you went your separate ways when you woke up and did your morning routines on your own. Which you hated, you loved the domesticity of waking up and going about your morning with him.

You also hadn’t seen your dad since the day Eddie mated you, always making up excuses when he invited you for dinner or asked to come see your place finally. You lucked out on your day off when he decided to come into the bakery for a surprise visit. You hated it, if you were being honest. You’ve never hid anything from him, especially not something this big. He was a pretty laid back parent when you were growing up, so you never really felt the need to lie to him.

It was Sunday evening, you and Eddie both had the day off so he took you out on his bike. He drove a few towns over to take you to this vintage book store he thought you’d like, he showed you the oldest cemetery in Indiana, which you adored, and then he took you out to lunch.

When you got back to his apartment you wanted to show him how grateful you really were for how thoughtful the dates he took you on always were. You rode him till he came and his knot was buried deep inside you, then you just kept riding him until he came again. You both dozed off cozy in each other's arms not long after that.

You wake up before Eddie, feeling sick to your stomach. You climb out of bed, carefully untangling yourself from him so you don’t wake him up and throw on one of his shirts and your panties from earlier so you can go into the kitchen for a glass of water. You chug it greedily, trying to will the nausea away. You might have one other, not so little secret. Last week you were at the bakery running numbers and planning for the weeks ahead when the calendar on the wall caught your eye. You started doing some math in your head and immediately told your employee Brooke that you needed to run to the store. You bought three different pregnancy tests and every single one screamed back at you with two lines, pregnant, or a little pink plus sign.

You hadn’t told Eddie yet, and you were surprised he hadn’t realized it since omegas scents usually change when they’re pregnant. Either he hadn’t noticed, or he was waiting for you to tell him on your own terms. If he hadn’t though? It was only a matter of time before he did. You had no idea how he would react, sure things were said in the heat of the moment during sex but you and him have never actually talked about having kids. That, and he was already afraid to tell your dad that you were mates, now you were going to have to tell him you were knocked up with his best friend’s kid too. Despite all that, you want this baby, you want a life and a family with Eddie. He would be a good dad, kind, goofy, attentive. Would your baby have his eyes? His hair? The sound of a knock on the door rips you from your daydreams.

Who the hell was here? You weren’t expecting anyone. Should you wake Eddie? It’s his door, after all.

“Hey Ed, you home? Wanted to talk to you about something!” The sound of your dads voice makes your blood run cold. Shit. You dash down the hall towards Eddie’s room where he’s stumbling out of the doorway while slipping on gray sweatpants. He already has a tee shirt on and his eyes meet yours in a panic.

“It’s my fucking dad, does he fucking know?” You whisper-yell at him. Eddie shrugs at you with panicked eyes.

“Go in the room, in case it’s about something else, maybe I can get him to leave.” He grabs your shoulders, directing you towards the room. You go inside, shutting the door behind you. You feel like a fucking teenager sneaking around with her boyfriend instead of a grown ass woman with her mate, and you hated it. You almost want to just go open the door yourself and get it over with.

Eddie knows damn well that if your dad is here for a different reason, it won’t make a difference. His place definitely smells like you, there’s absolutely no way it doesn’t. He takes a deep breath before pulling the door open.

“Hey Dale, what’s up man?” Eddie feels like he’s going to shit his pants, your dad is taller than him by a few inches but bigger than him in mass by a lot. He could absolutely kick his ass if he wanted to. He also really didn’t want to disappoint him. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tired of sneaking around.

“Hey brother, you got a minute to talk? I wanted to run something by you.” Oh fuck, does he fucking know? Is he playing it cool and any second he’s going to choke Eddie to death?

“Yeah, sure man. What’s up?”

“You gonna let me in?” The older man chuckles, raising an eyebrow at his younger mentee.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, come in.” Eddie steps aside to let him in and he feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest. This was it, this is where he dies.

“Whoa! It fucking reeks in here, you got an omega you’re keeping a secret, Ed?” You hear your dad chuckle through the door and internally cringe.

“Uh - I mean - “

“Hold on…” Your dad audibly sniffs the air and Eddie watches his expression harden, his eyebrows furrow and the look in his eyes is the one Eddie has been terrified of. He looks like he wants to kill him. “Eddie… What the fuck is going on here man? Why the hell does your apartment reek like my daughter?”

You take that as your queue to enter, pulling Eddie’s door open and walking out to face the music.

“Hey dad…” You wave awkwardly, trying to use your other hand to make the shirt you’re wearing longer, suddenly very aware of your lack of pants.

Your dad takes in your appearance. Your disheveled hair, Eddie’s shirt, the mark on your neck. His nostrils flare and a growl rips through him. He darts at Eddie, grabbing him by the collar of his tee shirt and shoving him against the nearest wall. A stack of empty mixing bowls knock off the counter in the commotion and your dad shoves his forearm against Eddie’s throat.

“I can’t fucking believe you!! After all I’ve done for you!?” His voice drops to an authoritative alpha tone and growls continue to rumble in his chest. You’ve never seen your dad this pissed before.

“Dale, I’m sorry, I - I didn’t mean for this to happen! It’s not what you’re thinking if you just let me explain-“

“EXPLAIN!? Explain how you mated my only child!? I don’t think there’s much to explain here, Ed! It’s pretty fucking clear what happened here!!!” Your dad bellows, shoving his arm tighter against Eddie’s throat, causing him to gasp.

“Dad!!! Fucking stop!!!” You run over and grab onto your dads forearm to try and rip it off of Eddie. To no avail, he was strong as hell. “It’s not his fault! We couldn’t help it! He’s my mate! We have a bond! You can’t hurt him without hurting me! He’s mine! Get the fuck off of him!!”

“A bond? What? Like a trauma bond? Because this situation is fucked.” Your dad turns his head to look at you, his lips set to a snarl, his arm still locking Eddie in place.

“No, a soul bound, dumb ass! He’s my mate, my fated mate! Get the fuck off of him!!!” A growl of your own rumbles through your chest, your hands trying and failing yet again to pull your dad from your alpha.

“That doesn’t change the fact that he should’ve come to me like a man and told me the minute he found out! You’re a fucking coward and you don’t deserve someone like my daughter!” He was clearly irrational, his scent nearly suffocating you with how thickly it was permeating the air.

“IM PREGNANT!!!” Two pairs of wide eyes snap toward you, Eddie’s mouth is dropped open in shock, your dad looks like he’s going to puke.

“YOU’RE WHAT!?” Your dad shouts, his grip on Eddie subconsciously loosens and he takes the opportunity to slip free from his grasp. He rushes to your side, taking your face in his hands.

“Are you really? Why didn’t you tell me? Are you okay?”

“I was going to, I was just - I was nervous about how you’d react.” You avert your gaze from his, afraid to look him in the eyes when you hear his response.

“Hey.” His hands thumbs run across the apples of your cheeks and he lowers his face so you're forced to make eye contact with him. “If you ever thought I’d be anything less than stoked to have a baby with you, you’re crazy.”

“Really?” Your eyes well with tears and your bottom lip trembles. As your dad watches this entire exchange his face starts to soften. He looks between you and Eddie, taking in the way you look at each other and your body language. He also doesn’t miss the way that the panic in your scent is now nonexistent.

“Of course, Sugar. I want everything with you, I love you.”

“I - I love you too, Eddie.” The tears that were threatening to escape before are now cascading down your cheeks. He uses his thumbs to wipe them away, placing a gentle kiss on your nose.

“Dale.” Eddie turns towards your dad, putting his arm around your shoulders. “I love your daughter, and I know it’s not ideal, but she’s my mate, my fated mate, and the mother of my child. You can fire me, cast me out, do your absolute worst. But I won’t leave their side unless I’m dead and gone.”

“If you cast Eddie out, I’m going with him.” You nuzzle into your alphas side, putting your hand on his chest.

“Hold on now, nobody’s casting anybody out, or firing anybody. I’m sorry for ya know, kinda choking you out there, Ed. This was just… a shock.”

“I know dad.” You step away from Eddie to rest a hand on your dads shoulder. “And I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away, but that was on me, not Eddie. I told him I wanted to wait to tell you, and it’s not like we planned this. We didn’t even realize you knew each other until that day I came into the shop.”

“He still should’ve told me, or you should’ve. I know I’m protective of you but if you told me all of this, yeah I would’ve been mad, but I would’ve heard you out. It’s not so bad, now that I think about it. You guys make a lot of sense actually.” Your dads hand comes to rest on top of yours on his shoulder. “I always wanted you to find a good man, and I know Eddie is a good man. I know he will take care of you. Plus, I’ve never seen him like this, I’m uh - I’m happy for you guys.”

“And notttt to call you out or anything dad, but Tami is like 12 years younger than you and you met her when she was in her 20s, just saying.” You roll your eyes and playfully squeeze his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, alright. I get it, I reacted poorly. So… I’m gonna be a pop pop?” Your dads now tear brimmed eyes search yours.

“Yeah dad, you’re gonna be a pop pop.” Tears flow from your eyes and he pulls you into one of his signature bear hugs. You sob into his chest, finally feeling whole again. You really missed him. “I hated lying to you, I’m sorry.”

“Hey honey, what’s done is done, we’re okay now, alright?” He rubs your back lovingly, pushing you back so he can look at your face. “I’m happy for you. Come here, Ed, get your dumb ass over here.”

Eddie chuckles, wiping a tear from underneath his eye, your dad pulls him into a hug, that he happily returns.

“You gonna take good care of my girl?” Your dad pulls back, one hand gripping Eddie’s shoulder, the other pointed at his chest. A joking glare set on his features.

“Yeah Dale, I’m gonna do everything I can for the rest of my life to make sure that woman, and our child are safe and happy.” That only makes you cry more, which has Eddie rushing to your side to take him into his arms.

“Okay, I came here to talk to you about some work shit but that can wait, I’ll leave you two to talk and celebrate amongst yourselves.” Your dad walks over to you, placing a kiss on your forehead. “I’m proud of you, pumpkin, in everything you do. Don’t be a stranger, alright?”

“Yeah dad, of course not, never. You’re going to be the best pop pop, you know that?”

“Alright, alright, stop making me cry. I love you.” He ruffles your hair, turning to Eddie. “Have a good night, Ed. I’ll see ya at work tomorrow, congratulations.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you tomorrow.” As soon as your dad shuts the door behind him Eddie is taking you in his arms, spinning you around.

“Whoa, Eddie, motion sickness.” You giggle and he sets you gently back down on your feet.

“We’re really having a baby?” His chocolate eyes shine as his hands come to rest on your abdomen, staring at it adoringly.

“Yeah, we’re really having a baby.” The tears that you can’t seem to get to stop stream down your cheeks and you rest your hands on top of his.

“There’s no one in the world I’d rather start a family with, I love you, sugar.” Eddie rests his forehead against yours, nuzzling your noses together.

“Me either, I love you so much, baby.” One of Eddie’s hands laces through your hair while the other cups your neck, his thumb caressing the mark he left there all those weeks ago. He connects his lips with yours and everything in the world just feels right.

Taglist: @eddiesxangel @corkadymu @ali-r3n @nailbatanddungeon @emxxblog @reysorigins @rogerfxckingtaylor @hellv1ra @munson-mjstan @harrydesires @tlclick73 @your-nightmaredoll @gnrquinn @hellfire--cult @meadowdovewood @katethetank @eddies-stinky-battle-jacket @ghostducky @nega-omega @ericasdumbworld @peaches-roses-sins (if you asked to be tagged and you arent it wouldn’t let me tag you for some reason)🖤

#eddie munson x reader #Dolly writes #alpha!eddie munson #alpha!eddie munson x omega!reader #alpha!eddie #older!eddie munson #older!eddie x reader #older!eddie smut #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader smut #Eddie Munson one shot #Eddie Munson fanfiction

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rheya28 · 1 year ago

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Lucio's Market [Restaurant, Grocery, Teaching Kitchen] ♥ The Sims 4: Speed Build // CC

Lucio's Market is where culinary passion meets community connection! Nestled in the heart of Anchorpoint Wharf, this venue seamlessly blends a fully stocked grocery store, a dynamic teaching kitchen, and a cozy restaurant—all under one roof. [Lot Can be set as a restaurant, generic, or retail]

➽ Speed Build Video

➽ Rheya's Notes:

♥This lot has been semi play-tested. ♥To make the Grocery part of the build functional, you can turn this into a retail lot. There are also grocery mods available such as SS realistic cooking mod and the Bulk Grocery Mod. Please keep in mind that I did not follow any requirements for these two mods as the grocery part of the build was made simply for aesthetics and storytelling. You are welcome to make adjustments! ♥We do not have a teaching kitchen venue option in the sims 4, however, the gameplay can be achieve with some imagination! You can turn this into a generic lot and simply have your sims cook/bake together on different stoves simultaneously. ♥Lastly if you want this lot to function as a restaurant, simply change the venue lot type in build mode. I would recommend downloading LittleMsSam's lock mod to lock the testing kitchen's door. This will prevent customers from using the kitchen appliances!

➽ Important Notes:

● Please make sure to turn bb.moveobjects on! ● Please DO NOT reupload or claim as your own. ● Feel free to tag me if you are using it, I love seeing my build in other peoples save file ● Feel free to edit/tweak my builds, but please make sure to credit me as the original creator! ● Thank you to all CC Creators ● Please let me know if there's any problem with the build

♥ Sim Featured in video Courtney Ajak & Tiara Robinson by @aashwarr Emi Grey by @jaxplaysthesims

➽Lot Details

Lot Name: Lucio's Market Lot type: Restaurant + Generic lot + Can be retail Lot size: 30x20 Location: Archorpoint Wharf, San Sequioa

♥ MODS:

TOOL MOD by TwistedMexi

♥ CC LIST:

Note: I reuse a lot of the same cc in all my builds, specifically cc's from felixandre, HeyHarrie, tuds, and Pierisim so if you're interested in downloading past, present, future build from me i suggest getting all their cc sets to make life a little easier! other creators include Sooky, Charlypancakes, Sixam, Thecluttercat, Myshunosun, awingedllama, peacemaker.

Awingedllama: Blooming Room plants

Lilis Palace: folklore (only deco jars)

Severinka: Grocery Store pt 1 (cash desk, display island only), Grocery Store pt 2 (all), Grocery store pt 3 (Shopping cart and basket only), Grocery store pt 4 (all)

Around the sims 4: Bulk grocery

FelixAndre x Harrie: Baysic, Harluxe, Orjanic, Kichen

Bbygyal123: Abstract Prints

FelixAndre: Berlin pt 3, Chateau, Fayun , Kyoto , Florence , Grove, Shop the look, Soho

Charlypancakes: Chalk

Thecluttercat: Dandydiary pt 2, Helloo horse, Sunny Sundays

Harrie: Brownstone, Brutalist, Coastal, Klean, Kwatei, Octave, Spoons

LittleDica: Rise & Grind, Delicious kitchen

Myshunosun: Harbalist Kitchen

Peacemaker: Pointless Renovation

Pierisim: Auntie Vera, Coldbrew, David Apartment, Domaine Du clos, Mcm, Oak House, Winter Garden, Woodland Ranch

Max20: Poolside lounge pack (floor pattern only)

S-imagination: Cottage kitchen (Decorative bag with scoop only)

Sixam: Home Improvement, Hote Bedroom

Syboullette: Boulangerie (chalk board only)

Taurus Design: Lilith Chilling Area (sul sul sign only)

Tuds: Cross, IND, NCTR, SHKR

● DOWNLOAD Tray File and CC list: Patreon Page ● Origin ID: anrheya [previous name: applez] ● Twitter: Rheya28__ ● Tiktok: Rheya28__ ● Youtube: Rheya28__

#ts4 #sims 4 #thesims4 #sims #thesims #showusyourbuilds #sims 4 cc #sims 4 builds #sims 4 screenshots #builds #simblr #the sims 4 build #build #rheya28

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mercurycft · 8 months ago

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𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 — 𝐊𝐌

## katie mccabe x reader !!

hi pookies!! once again i apologise for the lateness.. but i really hope you enjoy this.. my little tattoo-lover heart got a little carried away with this, but i love this concept so much and i hope you do too! its a little different than the original idea for the direction of this, but either way, i really enjoyed this!! happy reading! love always - RG! x

i would also like to say! this is inspired by a fic i saw on my feed about a tattoo artist x alexia (i think) and i loved it! if i find the account i will top the link to their fic here!

contains: tattoo artist reader! shameless flirting! angsty make up sex, cocky!katie, fight for dominance, oral - both receiving, rough grabbing, dirty talk, fingering, useless lesbians, top!katie and brat!reader, foul language.

r's masterlist - requests open!

4.6k words

CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE & CONTENT 18+

a knock at your door was a disruption to your night time routine - pyjamas already on, makeup off, hair tied back and your toothbrush hanging from your lips. you slipped on your slippers and headed down the stairs, still brushing your teeth when you pulled the door open to reveal a familiar face.

she was in a similar state. hair tied back messily, loungewear on and no makeup accept for her eyelash extensions. your eyes lifted from the floor to finally meet hers on the other side of the threshold

“katie..?”

“can i come in?”

3 months ago.

a notification past 7pm would usually be ignored.

and it was the first time, then the second, then the third. the fourth, however, was followed by a groan from your sprawled-out position on your sofa. although tempted to put your phone onto 'do not disturb' and continue the twilight marathon you started the previous night, you stretched across the empty space and patted around to locate your phone - simultaneously pausing the tv and shifting to sit with your back against the pillows for a change.

katie_mccabe11 liked your story.

katie_mccabe11 liked your post.

katie_mccabe11 started following you.

you have 1 new message.

"katie mccabe.." you whispered into the emptiness of your apartment, crossing your legs beneath you and clicking on the notification on your screen. "why do i know her.." you racked your brain, pursing your lips. you noted the football shirt in her profile picture alongside the blue verified tick beside her username and used your critical thinking skills to put two and two together, chuckling at the thought of your younger sister losing her mind at another footballer dming you.

you waited a few seconds before opening her message, reading it carefully and silently. "that's how i know her.." you replied to yourself, whilst alone.

last week you had beth mead in your seat at the shop, getting a small paw print behind her ear and chatting yours off in the process. you spoke about a lot of things, you're used to that though. sometimes people just need someone to talk to - and who better than their tattoo artist? you liked beth, she was lovely, easy to talk to. the kind of person you would be friends with. she wasn't with you for long, an hour tops and it flew by. at the end of the appointment you exchanged socials and she left with a 'i'll tell the girls about you!".

you didn't really watch football, but you knew enough - and you would be lying if the thought of your name being chucked around between a very attractive group of women didn't make your stomach twist.

you typed your reply to katie quickly. starting with your usual friendly opening, explaining your upcoming availability and then ending with a single kiss. you had no available appointment spaces for the next three weeks, but you hoped that beth really sold you and your passion enough that she would consider waiting. she read it almost immediately, making your eyes widen and quickly swipe away from the message in an effort to not seem like a total weirdo.

her reply flashed across the top of your screen a few seconds later.

'ill take it x'

—————————

appointment day.

it was appointment day and god were you a nervous wreck. you arrived at the shop an hour earlier than normal to open up and clean before she arrived - she was your first and only appointment of the day and you wanted to make a good first impression. you prepared what you would need, laying your tools out on the table beside you and making a coffee - which would no doubt be freezing cold by the time you actually got around to drinking it.

you connected your phone to the bluetooth speakers around the room and shuffled your playlist just as the doorbell rang from the front of the shop. 7:59. you didn't know much about katie, having restrained yourself from going full-on stalker mode over the last few weeks leading up to her appointment. but clearly she was punctual.

as you unlocked the door and smiled to her through the glass, you couldn't help but realise how strikingly attractive she was. her hair pulled into a tight and slick ponytail at the back of her head, a deep green tracksuit complimenting her tanned skin and bright eyes.

"good morning!" you greeted cheerfully, welcoming her in.

you watched as her eyes scanned around the room, studying the artwork on the walls before they landed back on you and a smile spread across her face to match yours.

"mornin' hope i've not been a fuss this early.." she joked as you embraced each other in one of those awkward-but-friendly-first-meeting hugs, causing you to laugh softly.

"oh it's no bother, serious." you waved her comment off, shutting the door behind you both and leading her over to your station at the back of the shop. you didn't expect her accent to be so thick, but the way her voice sat heavy in the space between you had you clenching your jaw.

the pair of you made small talk as she got situated and sat on the leather bed whilst you pulled up a stall and your phone to take another look at the pictures she had previously sent, grabbed a pen and then pulled a pad of paper onto your lap. laying the phone down so she could see as well.

you sat across from katie, discussing designs and what she would and wouldn't like. she was engrossed in the conversation, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm as you shared ideas and suggestions. you found yourself doodling on the paper, absentmindedly drawing whatever came to mind as she chatted about the specifics of what she wanted. every now and then, your eyes would meet hers, and a playful smile would tug at the corners of your lips.

there was silence between you for a few beats as your pen etched across the paper and completed the first sketch of the possible design. when you finished you looked up and turned the paper towards her before you could ask how she felt about it she spoke up.

"how do you do that?"

"do what?" you replied playfully with a smile.

"how can you just listen and draw? it's so cool.." she sounded genuinely bewildered for a moment and you couldn't help but laugh lowly.

"honestly, it just happens. when someone describes what they want i see it in my head and just let my pen translate it." you explained with a shrug, looking at her again.

"well its sick, i won't lie!"

"thank you.. i'm a woman of many, many talents.." it came out a lot more suggestive sounding than intended, mental cursing yourself and begging internally that she wouldn't see the pink tint you could feel spreading across your cheeks. you looked back down at the page before she could notice, avoiding her eyes.

"oh i bet." she added, smirking across from you.

you both sat like that for another ten minutes, brainstorming ideas and katie watching you bring them to life like a magician until you both finally settled on a design. you couldn’t believe how natural the interaction was coming and conversation flowing. you embraced the shared banter between you and leant into her jokes.

the design she had settled on was small and intricate but you knew you could free-hand it, so decided against using a stencil for the work. “right, i am gonna wash my hands and get everything sterilised, you get comfy and have a think about where you want it. okay?” you said as you stood up and ripped out the page you were using, placing it beside your other supplies so it was easy to use as a reference. katie replied with a small “sounds good to me,” and you heard her shuffle around the bed and as you made your way to the sink you could feel her eyes on you, following you away.

when you returned to her, she was sat more comfortably and had discarded her hoodie. the ribbed vest she was hiding left little to your imagination, revealing her arms and more of that heavenly tanned skin to your prying eyes. you tried not to look, but were made too aware of yourself failing miserably when she caught your gaze and you watched her suppress a chuckle.

once you were situated on the stool again, you took a deep breath and turned towards her. “so where are you thinking?” she sat silently in response, deep in thought.

“either here,” she pointed to the inside of her bicep to punctuate her point “or here..” she added quietly as her thumb hooked into the waistband of her joggers and shimmied them down a couple of inches until you could see the skin at the bottom of her stomach- in line with her hip. perhaps you looked for a second too long, or she heard you gulp, or maybe your fears were real and she could in fact hear your heart rattling against the boney cage of your ribs in your heaving chest - but the way you heard her exhale a humorous breath and tense her stomach muscles snapped you back into reality.

“which one would you prefer?” you questioned, professionally.

“probably my hip.” you nodded in agreement, smiling and internally celebrating at her decision. “and as a bonus i get to watch you gawk at me for however long it takes,” she teased, earning a small smack to the upper thigh and an eye roll.

“i was absolutely not gawking!” you defended with a smile.

“oh yeah, alright then..”

you rolled your eyes again and stood to grab a small bottle of sanitiser and a disposable razor, placing them on the table - once you made sure she was comfortable you sat down again.

“i’m going to pull your joggers down a couple inches, is that okay?” you waited for her reply before making any moves closer to her.

“of course,”

“perfect.”

you got straight to work, dragging them down until the area she had pointed out was revealed again - only this time you could see the band of her underwear peaking out from beneath the fabric and it had you drawing in a careful breath. you circled the skin with your pinky finger lightly and showed her the length and width the ink would cover, double checking that was exactly where she wanted.

the tattoo itself took no longer than forty minutes to complete. once you were finished you sanitised and made sure it was exactly how she wanted before moving to discard any disposables used. she took it like a champ the entire time, only slightly flinching when the needle grazed a particularly tender spot.

you spoke to her about the aftercare and how to take care of it whilst it healed, then covered it with second skin and soothed the area - moving to wash your hands and stand against the counter. “any questions?”

you sat speaking for another hour, and you were sure at times she was stalling so she wouldn’t need to leave.

“when do you finish?”

“whenever you want to go,”

“why didn’t you say! i don’t want to hold you up, love..” she tutted and began collecting her stuff. you laughed at her huffing like a child and led her towards the front desk.

the petname made your stomach jump, twisting and twitching in your abdomen as you studied her. the way she moved and smiled, how her eyes pierced through you like she was reading your mind - how you were so sure she actually could see and read the filth behind your own eyes.

at the front she paid and thanked you another couple hundred times as you let her out the door. she stepped over the threshold and gave you another small hug. “thank you again, i really love it.”

“stop thanking me! i’m just glad i could do your vision justice..” you smiled and shrugged, “you’re welcome anytime, just pop me a message!”

“that’s just because you want to look at my stomach again..” she called, walking to her car and waving.

“shut up.” you rolled your eyes, laughing. “don’t be a stranger!”

—————————

during the appointment you and katie exchanged numbers and for days, weeks, months you texted each other everyday. you met for coffee, went to watch her and the team (who you got along with swimmingly) practice, you even went to watch all of their matches.

you had been inseparable since that first meeting, you shared things about each other previously unknown by anyone, spent evenings and nights at each others homes and got aquatinted with family and friends.

after spending so long together, the pair of you had become incredibly close - often sharing a bed, and clothes. you couldn’t help but feel things for her, for katie. your stomach became a harvest ground for butterflies and your heart rattled with longing for her.

you came close to telling her, to explaining how you felt - until one day, it just stopped.

the meetings stopped,

then the match invites,

then the messages,

everything stopped.

—————————

present day - 2 months later.

over the last months without talking to katie, you threw yourself into work and university in an attempt to distract yourself. you felt like you were going through a break up - could you even call it that? could you categorise this into the break up section? a friend break up? whatever it was, it hurt, and you found yourself still thinking about her.

friday nights felt weird now. usually sat on the sofa with a takeaway, katie sat on the other side with her food in her lap - laughing at some stupid program she had put on. now it was empty in the apartment, and you sat on the sofa alone with a cup of tea watching telly until it was time to get ready for bed.

you showered, careful to avoid putting soap the area of your newest tattoo addition on your wrist - letting the warm water run over the skin. when you were done, you made sure to moisturise and then cover it up again before getting dressed into your pjs.

you brushed your hair, and then began brushing your teeth - staring at yourself in the mirror and studying the ink that now littered your arms and chest.

you were deep in though when a a knock at your door disrupted your night time routine - still brushing your teeth when you pulled the door open to reveal a familiar face. your eyes lifted from the floor to finally meet hers on the other side of the threshold.

“katie..?

“can i come in?”

“uh, yeah- yeah- sure,” you stammered and stepped back to open the door wider for her, stepping away into the kitchen area to spit the froth from your toothpaste into the sink and quickly rinse before running back to shut the door behind her.

it was awkward. she stood in front of you in silence for a few beats, looking down at the ground as if she was figuring out what to say. you stood a few steps away, leant on the wall beside you with your arms crossed across your chest.

"why are you-"

"look i dont know why-"

you both spoke over eachother, breaking the silence that sat heavy between the walls. you shared a smile, it was brief, but it was there as you met her blues and waved your hand - gesturing for her to continue.

"look, i don't know why i'm here. i just got in my car and then i was on the drive and i just needed to speak to you. i just wanted to see you-"

"oh god you never shut up mccabe.." you whispered with an eye roll as you advanced towards her.

one step. what if she doesn't want this?

two steps. what if i've read this all wrong?

three steps. jesus her perfume..

every step you took was narrated by that voice in your head, you know, that one that tells you to shut up in uncomfortable situations and the one that speaks to you when you watch something brilliantly but so stupidly funny. you couldn't stop to think out loud, you couldn't stop full stop. point blank. period.

your feet were moving faster than your thoughts, and your thoughts were moving faster than your logic until you were so close you could feel her soft breath caressing the skin of your face.

"tell me not to, and i won't." you said softly

"god, you've always been too sweet for me."

there was no time to register what she said, her lips were on yours. they were everything you had thought of, they were soft but she kissed you with urgency. breathing heavily as her hands raised to either side of your face, pulling you closer than physically possible. your lips moved together sweetly, full of love.

you stayed like that for a few minutes, soaking each other in until she pulled away. lips swollen, taking a deep breath. there were no words exchanged between you, only eye contact - the sound of breathing shared. then you crashed together again, lips connected for a second time in the space of five minutes.

this time however, was harsher, and fast-paced. she was in control, gagging for it. hands grabbing at whatever fabric they could find on the opposing body, a small moan falling from your lips when her hands squeezed the skin of your waist and her lips broke from yours momentarily to grunt out a "jump." to which you gladly obliged, legs wrapping around her waist and her hands finding the skin at the top of your thighs - she held you like nothing, with no struggle as she passed through the hall and up the four steps to your bedroom.

when she placed you back down onto your feet you were quick to tug your top up and over your head, discarding it on the floor. before you could continue she grabbed your hand, finger tracing gently over the still-fresh tattoo across your wrist.

"this is new," katie whispered.

"i had a lot of time on my hands." you replied at the same volume, shrugging. she chuckled lightly, reading the words now littering the skin. "and you were always saying i was sweet.."

"aye, and you're yet to prove me wrong."

"don't start something you can't finish, katie."

"oh i'm very, very good at finishing, actually."

"shut up."

this time you had her, hands on the back of her neck as you pulled her in. grabbing the fabric that sat at the nape of her neck and pulling it over her head, only breaking the kiss until your path was cleared again. you span around, walking backwards until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed causing her to lay down. you wasted no time in straddling the top of her thighs, arms on either side of her head.

"behave." she muttered, hands gripping your thighs and switching your positions on the bed, now towering over you, arms replacing yours on the bed. mouth moving to your neck, nipping at the skin beneath your ear. "stop acting like you don't want me to have my way with you."

"stop acting like you've got it in you." you quipped back, smirking when her teeth grazed your earlobe roughly. her hand raising to grip your jaw and forcefully turn your head to face her.

"is that a challenge? hm?" it was rhetorical, her eyebrows raised and voice low.

"prove it."

she didn't need further pushing, lifting herself off the bed and taking a few steps back. you propped yourself up onto your elbows to watch, head tilted when she stared at you blankly. eyes flicking to your shorts before back up to your face.

"take em' off."

"you take them off."

"take. them. off. i won't be asking again."

you gave in with a huff, rolling your eyes and lifting your hips to peel your shorts off. biting down a smirk as you lifted your legs back onto the bed - revealing yourself to her.

"awfully cocky there, love."

"as if you don't love it."

"do you always have such a smart mouth?"

"i have a very lovely mouth."

"oh i bet."

she was on her knees then, face level with you. eyes locked on your gleaming pussy, fingers gliding through your folds and collecting your slick before bringing her digits to slip between her lips - tasting you. she laid her fingers back against you, prints flat against your clit, applying the perfect amount of pressure to make your head fall back on the bed behind you with a desperate moan.

she drew tight circles, watching you throb beneath her fingers. you moaned at the contact, your clit already sensitive. you didn't know how she managed it, but she had you falling apart from the pressure alone - and you could tell she loved every second of it with her lips drawn into a cocky smirk at the sight of your mouth falling agape when you began rutting up into hands as a plea for more.

“does that feel good darlin'?” she asked from between your thighs, her lips pressed against the soft skin of your leg, stopping their sloppy kisses for a second. you whimpered in response, nodding slowly. “use your words, love.”

“yes it feels good..” you whispered, licking your lips, your mouth increasingly dry.

“good girl..” she added, jaw clenched when she attached her lips to your thighs again. you savoured the feeling, the delicious feeling as she dragged her fingers roughly against you. the praise made your legs tense against her lips, sending a rush of pleasure down through the depths of your stomach.

“i want more. please.”

"hm? what was that?”

“i want your fingers..” you confessed, dragging your own teeth along the back of your hand which you were using to muffle the sultry sounds tumbling from your lips - biting down against the skin when you felt your face flush.

“please,” you begged, hips rising off the bed in a desperate act for more friction. she shut you down quickly, using her free hand to pin your hips back to the mattress.

“please what, darling..” she stalled, slowing down to an unbearable speed.

“i need you to fuck me,” your words made you squirm, eagerly waiting as you felt a single finger travel down and tease your hole before she pushed into you slowly. her own thighs clenching at the sound of you gasping as she added another finger, curling them methodically inside of you.

she stretched you out perfectly, her fingers moving at just the right speed to have you moaning with every thrust into you. her pace and pressure increased with the volume of your whimpers, back arched into her touch and face buried in your arms as her fingers pressed perfectly inside of you. she curled her fingers to press against your g-spot, mentally noting how perfect you sounded chanting her name. taking advantage of you being preoccupied by the pleasure, she moved to lay her tongue flat against your clit. fingers still moving inside you as she carefully flicked the bundle of nerves between her lips.

a moan rattled from the back of her throat as you coated her taste buds, the vibrations travelling straight to the fire now raging in the pit of your stomach and coursing through your legs - coaxing out a moan of your own.

she felt you tense and squeeze around her fingers, your clit throbbing against her mouth when she lifted her eyes to survey the scene above her. your eyes screwed shut and teeth gripping your bottom lip so tight it was sure to leave a mark. chest heaving and hands twisting in the sheets.

"you going to cum for me?"

“y-yes,” you stuttered, eyes rolling into the back of your head when her fingers curled a final time and she took your clit into her mouth with a pop.

“thats it. good girl.”

that was all it took for you, your orgasm crashing through your body and shaking through your limbs. legs shaking beside her head and cunt tensing around her fingers. back arched and screaming out her name.

katie let you ride it out, only stilling her fingers and withdrawing her tongue from you when your back finally laid against the bed again - catching your breath. she brought her fingers up to your mouth and slipped them past your lips for a second as she moved to straddle you, climbing up from the floor. her fingers dragged down the length of your chin and were replaced with her mouth, her tongue finding yours - allowing you to taste yourself from her mouth.

"wanna taste you," you managed to croak out through the kisses, gulping and lifting your hands to press against her chest. pushing her back and towards the pillows at the head of the bed until she was laid down. "my turn.." you whispered seductively in her ear, lips pursed and leaving small kisses in your path as you travelled down the length of her body.

her tracksuit bottoms were removed quickly and your fingers were hooked into the band of her underwear, pulling them down her tanned legs until they followed the rest of the clothes to reside on the floor. she was dripping, and the sight alone was enough to have you salivating below her.

the scrunchie in your hair had loosened after the previous events of the evening, and your hair was limp enough for her to slide her hand into the back of your locks. gripping tightly and pulling you closer to her pussy.

"go on, make me feel good."

you needed no further instruction, moving closer to her before she had even finished the sentence. you laid your tongue flat against her, lapping her up. she tasted almost as good as she looked. her eyes focused on you and her hand tight against your scalp, guiding you.

you couldn't look away, allowing her to take you as she wanted. moving your head against the rhythm of her hips - moaning your name when your eyes met hers innocently. her head fell against the headboard when you whimpered against her, her own noises mirroring yours as her legs started to close around your head.

"fuck, thats it. i'm gonna cum," she groaned, both hands on the back of your head as you drank her in. nodding eagerly between her thighs, silently begging for her to cum for you.

and she did. hard. crying your name out into the room around you, followed by a string of curses until she finally released your head from her hands and her legs laid limp beside her on the bed.

"jesus christ."

"nope, just me." you teased, now occupying the space beside her on the pillows. both of your bodies coated in a sheen layer of sweat and your eyes threatened to close with the sound of her steady breathing when her arms moved to embrace you.

"i didn't mean to just disappear how i did," she began, causing you to look at her again. "i just didn't want you to get caught up in the shit show that is my life,"

"katie, you could've just said you needed a bit of space,"

"but i don't think that's what i wanted, i just didn't to ruin what we were doing, and well, making.." she paused, taking one of your hands into her own and bringing her lips to press against the skin.

"you were just too sweet to me,"

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machveil · 2 months ago

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CoD Headcanon: General Keegan Russ Thoughts

I want to write for Keegan so bad, you guys don’t understand— so here’s some general headcanons because I need a baseline for when I write for him

found family oriented!! calling people ‘kid’, very protective of his team? yes and yes. he also has a canon age (38 in 2027, 35 as of 2024) which makes me immensely happy - he’ll take you under his wing, has solid advice and an easygoing attitude about helping you

quiet and has resting bitch face, but he’s nice when you get him talking. has a fast draining social battery outside of the field, he’ll talk and socialize when it’s called for, but otherwise he’s fine with letting people he’s close with talk for him

Keegan has an actual sense of fashion, it’s just very simple. keeps his civvies nice and clean, no holes or loose threads if he can help it. prefers a simple pair of jeans, a nice leather belt, maybe a black t-shirt - but, he’s a jacket man. owns a handful of bomber and leather jackets. he’s also got a small collection of nice, leather shoes, casual and formal, all taken care of and treated

in a platonic relationship, Keegan isn’t afraid of casual contact. a pat on the back here, a shoulder nudge there. ruffles your hair even if you complain about it. he’s great at maintaining eye contact, can you maintain eye contact? keep looking at those icy blue eyes, it feels like they’re staring into your soul. speaking of staring, another CoD man I vehemently believe will stare at you, no questions asked. cold gaze boring into you— when was the last time he blinked?

in a romantic relationship, Keegan is a provider through and through. you can work if you want to, he won’t moan about you leaving to put hours in, but he also wouldn’t mind you just staying home. he might look reserved and unapproachable, but with you? he’s all lopsided smiles and smitten gazes

pampers you, you might as well let him. he’ll come home with stuff for you just because he thought you might like it - a shirt with your favorite media’s logo on it, a coffee mug with a cute print, an item you like to collect. he’s very attentive, has a keen eye and sharp memory when it comes to you

Keegan P. Russ is a ‘babe’, ‘baby’, ‘babygirl’ sort of guy. period. ‘doll’, ‘pretty thing’, and ‘sweetheart’ are also on the table, and he will croon and coo at you, voice a little raspy as he gets your attention. and, oh, he’s making hard eye contact with you. he’ll chuckle if you look away, his intense gaze never faltering, “What? What’s wrong? Keep those pretty eyes on me, baby.”

also, Keegan is canonically fluent in Spanish… and with his voice? oh man, he’ll be lowly whispering into your ear, ‘corazón’, ‘amor’, ‘bebé’ - he doesn’t stop with the pet names, will not quit. if he hear’s a friend refer to you by your name he’ll jokingly correct them, “Who? Oh, you mean my baby?”

constantly a menace and he knows it. unlike Simon “Ghost” Riley who at least pretends he’s doing nothing, Keegan will make it known. you want him to come over to you? I don’t know, “What’s in it for me, doll face? A kiss? Make it two.”. he’ll dodge your hugs and kisses sometimes just to be a pain in the ass, gets a good chuckle out of him when you snap at him to just stand still already

low-key a brat sometimes, he likes messing with you because it gets his heart pumping, a pleasant warmth blooming in his chest. it’s less mean spirited, more ‘your cat loves you, but it will be a pain’ - if he ever goes too far he’ll apologize. he can read a room pretty well, but sometimes he can get a little too condescending when teasing you. he’s competent when it comes to communication, he’s got the emotional availability for it, soft spoken words and a hushed tone when he knows he messed up

Keegan Russ does his absolute best to make you feel loved - platonic and romantic. he’ll listen to you intently, body relaxed as he takes in your words and voice. he makes sure people listen to you when you speak, if someone tries talking over you Keegan will shut them down immediately, encouraging you to keep talking. he’ll wrap a protective arm around your shoulders, walking closest to the road when you’re out and about

he’d fight anyone that hurts or threatens his close-knit friends - his family. he’s the type to get silently emotional if one of his friends has to leave for a prolonged period of time, he knows they’re out there, but it feels like they’re gone. if you ever have to be away from him for more than a couple days, unrelated to deployments, Keegan is keeping in contact with you as best he can

guys I’m on my knees, send Keegan blurbs and thoughts to my inbox I need to write for this man my brain won’t shut up—

#keegan russ #keegan p russ #keegan russ cod #keegan russ call of duty #keegan russ headcanons #cod #cod thoughts #call of duty #keegan russ x reader #keegan russ x you #hit post

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mintmatcha · 7 months ago

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Inevitable Things: chapter six

Aizawa x reader fic

cw: cisfem reader, no quirks, office au, miscommunications, slow burn. full tags available on AO3 (linked in masterlist)

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Fridays are also the only day where you don’t go directly home after work. Instead of catching the late night Orange line, you snag the Blue and take it down, down, down, right out of the city and it’s the almost surreal serenity of the suburbs. Street lights and cars turn into trees as the sun dips low. Only the ambient sounds of your music and the wheels on the tracks keep you company as you pass familiar stops, all the way to the end of the line.

From there, you walk: down the dark sidewalks, across the one lane roads, stopping only in the little diner along the way. It’s hours later when you finally make it to the doorstep. Before you can knock, the door is ripped open.

“You’re late.” The shortest woman you’ve ever seen stands there, hands on her hips and glasses shoved to the top of her nose bridge. Her scrubs are baggy, but clean, with the name of her service stitched on the pocket: UA Palliative. “I thought you were hit by a car.”

“Sorry, sorry.” you try to laugh her concerns off.

“And you’re sweaty.” Nurse Chiyo clicks her tongue at you as she hands you a face mask. “You should really let him send a car.”

A car would be faster, but you can’t justify someone footing that bill when your metro card has money on it. “The exercise is good for me.”

The woman scrunches her face and gestures to the bag you’re holding. The bottom of the brown paper is practically see through with grease. In the other, you have two styrofoam cups, taken from the diner down the road. “And that food is good for you too?”

“It’s a friday treat.”

“Just don’t feel bad if he’s not hungry,” she sighs with the weight of someone who knows. “Towards the end, the appetite tends to dwindle.”

You slip on your face mask and slip off your shoes. Toshinori Yagi’s home drips with old money; subtle detailing mixed with hints of extravagance, it's the air of wealth with none of the gaudiness. The halls are sparsely decorated, only the occasional artwork and statue to keep you company as you walk to the back of the home, past the luxurious, yet almost never used kitchen and through the abandoned living room. There, in the middle of it all, hangs an oversized picture of Yagi back in his acting days.

If it was anyone else, it might seem egotistical, but the man on the wall might as well be a completely different man, a Yagi from another universe. Bound solely in brightly colored latex, this Yagi grins ear to ear, flexing an obscenely thick bicep for the camera. The Hollywood cameras and actors are a blur in the background. It’s from the set of his first All Might movie-- the one you’ve seen hundreds of times. The longer you stare, the more jagging it is. At 55, Yagi is twice the man that he was in his twenties, but a quarter of the size. All of the important pieces are there -his smile, his laugh, his energy- but there’s a part of him, always locked away in a time where this picture was taken.

You press on into the study. This room is a stark contrast from the rest of the house; it’s cluttered, all flat surfaces stacked with magazines and printed articles. Coloring pages litter the floor, in between broken crayons and pencils.

In between it all is a stick of a man, dirty blonde hair buzzed short enough you can see the shape of his skull. He’s pouring himself over some reading, tired eyes tracing the page with a monotonous haze. He’s lost weight again; you can see it in the sharp dip of his cheeks.

“Happy Friday.” You rap on the door frame and he jolts up in surprise. Hand over heart, he laughs in delight, even though he knew you were coming. “How are you?”

“I thought-” He inhales. You can’t remember all of the details of what’s happened to him, but you know one of his lungs is practically nonfunctional and the other struggles keeping up. “You’d be celebrating your birthday.”

“You remembered.”

“Of course.” He pushes up to stand, but you wave him back down. “You should be. Out with friends.”

“I’m happy where I am, sir.” You place everything on the table in front of him and then retreat to your side, your drink still in hand. Once you’re far enough away - six feet- you take off your mask. “Chocolate Peanut Butter shake and extra crispy fries, just for you.”

It’s his favorite. No, it doesn’t have the nutrition he should be getting, but… well, he’s going to die no matter what. Let the man have a fucking milkshake. He takes it in both hands, like he’s cradling an award or a piece of gold.

The first time cancer struck him, Toshinori Yagi decided to leave acting and do something with his money. He didn’t have a family to take care of -- and his sister is independently wealthy-- so he invested in medical technology. He hired a team that knew better than him, put some of them through school, and grew a rather successful business from the ground up, no formal training of his own. Now, ironically enough, he’s wealthier than ever, and still pouring it into product development.

“You do too much.” He picks the darkest fry of the group and crunches down on it.

It’s the least you can do. Isolation is taxing; you don’t mind sacrificing a bit of time and $19.76 for a quick meeting and meal. You settle down in your usual spot- a fluffy velvet chair in the corner of the room- and take a long sip from your own drink.

“How are things with Shouta?”

You choke so hard it goes up your nose. How did he know? Did the interns figure it out and pass along the word to the whole office? How are you going to explain to your boss that you’ve sexted his colleague? Or did Aizawa tell him? Oh, what if he shared those pictures--

“Wh-what about him?”

Yagi gives you a strange, tired look, brow knitted with a kind concern. “You called me- about his employee?”

You physically sigh with relief; no one knows. Everything is good; you need to stop panicking. Aizawa won’t share the pictures; it’d ruin his career faster than it’d ruin yours. Besides, he’s apparently embarrassed of you, so why would he even show you off? “Oh, well, everything’s good. Kaminari is back in the office.”

Your boss chews a single fry for a long while. A melancholic twang stirs inside you. No, you haven’t known him as long as some people, but over the years you’ve gotten attached. He’s a fair man, a good one too. Watching him waste is… it’s hard. Plain and simple. On the books, you say that you visit for work, but it’s honestly a social call, something to quell your worries.

“He wasn’t very happy when-- I called,” Yagi draws in from his nasal tube as he talks sometimes and it cuts his words short.

“Yeah, I know.” That’s an understatement. You chew on your straw as you try to decide how to respond. “Aizawa had some choice words for me afterwards.

The look on Yagi’s face tells you that he already knew that. Word always makes it back to the big boss one way or another; even sick, he always has his fingers in every pie.

“Don’t let him-” He runs out of breath in a weird spot. “Push you around. He’s a strong personality.”

That’s an understatement too. You wish you could stomp your feet and demand for his removal, but unfortunately Aizawa is very, very good at his job. Besides, you don’t especially want him fired. Maybe just… a series of paper cuts everyday for the rest of his life. Or that his train never comes on time. Nothing serious.

“Trust me- I won’t.” You throw an arm up and flex. “I can put up a fight.”

“No fighting.” The man tries to give you a stern look, but it just looks a bit silly. As demanding as it sounds, it's like being scolded by a grandfather; there’s too much affection between you for anything to feel threatening. “Don’t wage any wars in my office.”

“No promises!” you tease. “Ready to go over reports?”

He smiles back, those hollow cheeks pulling into tiny apples. “Of course.”

…

It’s late when you finally make it home. Yagi had forced you into a car, calling it a birthday gift, and the drive was long and quiet. The driver turned on some soft music, songs with the tinkle of piano, and you almost dozed off by the time he rolled into your apartment complex.

You kick your heels off and strip out of your work clothes as you enter your apartment, letting everything stay where it falls. In the wake of Touya, your place is pretty much empty, with the carpet still pressed in spots where lamps and tables used to be and a jammed lock that won’t click closed. The less time you spend here, the better. You throw yourself onto the couch -something too big to take, apparently- and flick on the television. The usual mindless garbage you like is already on; perfect background noise as you play on your phone.

There’s nothing super new going on. Couple of group chat notifications. Nemuri had texted you to check in-- so did Hizashi. And-

Aizawa’s unopened messages stare at you. There’s no reason to read those texts, right? It’s just mindless sex talk. In fact, he probably doesn’t want you to ever see those texts again.

…Unless he said something important. Maybe he had told you to play dumb at work! Oh, that would open its own can of worms, but at least it would explain why he said to forget everything-

Wait, that wouldn’t make sense. You two were alone at that point. He could have been normal or said something like ‘wow, love your tits!’ or--

Ugh. He wouldn’t say that! Ugh!

You pull on your messaging app again. You need to get this over with.

-> I bet you looked so pretty when you came.

The preview still makes your skin prick with unwanted excitement. The lust nipping at your ankles isn’t easy to ignore as you tap the button and open the conversation. The immediate visage of your words, your drunken musings and flirtations, makes you physically cringe. Luckily, the new messages take up enough space to keep you from seeing your own nude visage.

The first response hits you like a truck.

-> Do you have any idea what I’d do to lick your fingers clean? What I’d do to smell your perfume on your skin?

The thrum of your heartbeat goes funny for just a flash of a moment and you have to shake off any semblance of arousal. No-- you do not like this. There’s absolutely nothing sexy about that thought! You don’t want the warmth of his tongue or the tickle of his breath against your pulse point, or that little bit of scruff against your lips-

The video is below the first message. It’s paused on an out of focus still, but you can make out the golden touched skin of his stomach and the blur of hand. Heat flickers in your core at that, but you tense your legs and try to ignore it.

Get yourself together. It’s just a fucking jerk off video. You scroll right by it.

-> Look at what you do to me. It’s all for you.

There’s a couple of minutes between that text and the final one.

- >I think you fell asleep. Talk in the AM.

And… that’s it. Nothing else.

That told you nothing, other than the fact that Aizawa Shouta is just like any other man: a horny freak. A sexy, amazing texter of a freak, but still a freak regardless! When you move, you can feel the wetness between your legs spread against your pussy lips.

You turn over and try to focus on the medical drama that’s onscreen. Ugh. Ugh! You're over this man and his fucking bipolar attitude and his work bullshit and his, his, his….

The click on the wall ticks away.

His kind of alluring demeanor.

You turn back to your phone. Maybe the video has an answer. Yeah.

The volume on your phone thrums with audio, low and deep, when you click the image. It takes you a second to realize it’s a groan- unabashed and loud- and you swear it resonates deep down into your own lungs.

This video is aimed a bit higher than the other and is shot from farther away, probably resting on a desk from the looks of it. It feels silly that you ever confused him with Touya. Shirt clutched between his teeth, Aizawa’s skin is a deeper color, completely untattooed, and his chest is filled out with weight. A broad, thick hand is white knuckle tight around his cock, glazed and dripping with wetness. It’s thick, oh god, it’s thick, and he’s holding it so tightly that it must hurt. Your jaw aches at the sight of it. Everything about him is wide//, from his cock to his thighs to his slightly soft middle.

A bead of precum rolls from his tip as he slowly drags his hand up and back down. His entire body jumps and twitches with the sensation, a red blush tickling down his chest and another moan on his lips, muffled by the fabric of his black shirt. He makes the same sound again, this one softer, almost affectionate--

And you realize something that feels like a punch to the gut.

He’s saying your name.

Heat flushes your body. Oh, you can barely breathe out of fear you’ll miss something. With a high, tight sound, Aizawa’s body goes stiff, but his cock kicks as he comes undone. Spend splatters down his chest and onto his black shirt, pearl string after pearl string. Just like everything about him, it’s too much.

And then the video ends.

You digest this for a long moment. Then, you watch it again. And a third time.

There's a tremor in your hands as you put your phone down. Okay, that didn't give you any information, but it- well-

Fuck, it was hot. Really fucking hot. Unfortunately, terribly, awfully, horrendously hot. You want to scream and kick and rub your clit just a little, because all you need is a little friction and you'll cum for him again--

No. You can't give that victory to him, not again. Even if Aizawa will never know about it, the universe will.

You grip the remote and turn up the television's audio, trying to shift your focus on to the interpersonal drama on the screen. You’re stronger than this. The little thing between your legs does not dictate your behavior!

You don’t jack off that night.

Or the following night.

Or the following.

No, you resist. You punish yourself for even entertaining the idea of cumming to the idea of him again.

Monday morning you are unsurprisingly cranky when you settle into your desk. Kicking off your shoes and booting up your computer, you stretch in your chair and try to pop the kink in your shoulder. Thirty must be catching up with you, because you didn’t sleep well all weekend. Every muscle in your back is bunched, but the little bits of movements seems to be helping-

“Jesus fucking christ, I'm sweating through my fucking shirt.”

Bakugo's accent slips out as he gripes, pulling his shirt collar away from his neck as he walks. It’s easy to forget that he and Izuku grew up in the same hometown, but when he’s genuinely pissed, that homecooked Southern twang comes out. You look up to see what's gotten him so aggravated before nine. Sweat dampens his hair and glitters his skin. Oh, and he's right, that white shirt is absolutely clinging to his middle, into that tight, tiny, toned, slutty little waist of his--

Oh, god. You slam your foot into the edge on your desk in hopes the pain douses whatever horny monster had overtaken you. Is this just life now? Practically drooling over every man with a pulse? Bakugo Katsuki is gay and very much not your type-

“You okay?” Izuku gives an awkward laugh. He and Denki are apparently right behind Bakugo, equally worn. Well, almost equally. Denki doesn't seem to be sweaty at all, despite his puffing. “You're like, making this weird face.”

Shit. Quick-- lie. “Cramps.”

“Damn, hate that,” Kaminari grips his stomach in sympathy. The other guys share an uncomfortable glance.

“So-” You change the topic. “Why are you guys..?”

“The elevator is shot.” Bakugo hooks a thumb behind him towards the stairs. “Had to carry this fuck ass bed up to the fifth floor for that meeting today.”

The investor meeting: even though Toshinori Yagi is wealthy, the newest bed prototype still needed outside funding. These fine millionaires require occasional proof that their money is being used well, so once a quarter they get jammed into the nicest room in the building and get a rather boring lecture from the important department heads. You usually sit in and try not to nod off when Enji starts in with the accounting information.

“The entire elevator?” You lean back in your chair and try to see. Sure enough, some technician is fumbling away at the buttons. “No one tell the ADA.”

“Actually, the ADA is a law, not a governing body,” Izuku chirps. “It's enforced by the DOJ, EEOC, and, oddly enough, the DOT-”

“How do you know this shit?” Denki says.

“Healthy curiosity,” Izuku tries to say.

“‘cause he's a fucking genius.” Bakugo says at the same time, louder and more confident. “Using that big head of his all the time.”

Izuku touches his temples with a concerned frown. “You think my head is big?”

“Massive.” Bakugo elbows his lover, all saccharine smiles. “It works for me though.”

Kaminari snorts and the other blonde throws him an icy glare.

“What? You gonna make a joke about massive head?”

Kaminari throws his hands in the air and rolls his eyes, surprisingly annoyed at the jab. “I was going to joke about his head working for you, but whatever! Ruin my fun.”

“As much as I love head jokes-” you interject. “I do need to get work done.”

Kaminari turns to you with the sweetest of smiles, so syrupy that everyone else recoils a bit with suspicion. “Like what?”

“Getting everyone’s powerpoints together, printing out our reports, putting those reports into actual human words and not engineering garbage, greeting our guests-- blah, blah, blah.” Just talking about it makes your head ache. “Plus the other daily reports and---- Kaminari, no.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask!”

“You were going to ask me to do your work again!” you say.

“Come on, please?” He puffs his bottom lip out like a kicked dog. “I have to leave early this week and -”

“Denki, you’re so fucking stupid.” Bakugo groans. He starts to leave and the other two follow behind. “I'm too tired for your shit today.”

“There’s a gay joke hidden in there.”

“I'm going to report you to fucking HR.”

“See you at lunch?” Izuku asks from over his shoulder. You shake your head-- you’ll probably just sneak one of the forgotten italian ice cups from the freezer when no one’s working. There’s so much to do and not quite enough time.

You’re solving that little frozen treat into your mouth when Aizawa makes his appearance. It’s strange to see him so late in the day; pure embarrassment must be keeping him away. His usual sunny yellow sweatshirt means you can’t even pretend not to see him when he rounds the corner.

Aizawa is as he always is; a bit scruffy and properly annoyed. His expression is neutral, if not a bit sour, but the crinkle in his brow is tighter than ever. The bunch to his shoulders only gets higher when he spots you.

This is really the guy that's been tearing you apart? Really? Why couldn't you have fallen for Hizashi or Enji or-- anyone else that isn't wearing a neon hoodie in the office.

“You should really take a proper lunch.” Those deep bags under his eyes are darker than usual, almost purple; he must be drained, but he’s been avoiding the coffee machine. A twang of sympathy hits you-- lack of caffeine might actually kill the guy.

When he walks towards you, you're reminded of how pretty he is, even without proper sleep. High cheekbones, smooth olive tone skin-

Your fighting spirit almost fades, but the post it note taped to your monitor catches your eye. Be mean. Yes, that's right.

“Well, uh. What do you want?” Your tone is a bit snappy.

His eyebrows twitch up in momentary surprise, but Aizawa recovers quickly.

“The elevator won’t be fixed until tomorrow.” He raps his knuckles against the wood once. “Move the investor’s meeting from the top floor.”

“Say please.”

Aizawa is half turned and midstride when he realizes what you said. He looks back at you, brow knit.

“Excuse me?”

“I said.” You hit the spacebar with a bit too much force. “Say please.”

“I-” You expect him to fight or argue, but he just sighs, hands on his hips in defeat. “You're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't demand things. Can you please move the investor’s meeting from the top floor down to the ground floor? Thank you.”

That was more sincere than you expected. Your stiff upper lip almost wobbles. Almost.

“No.”

He gives you the most deadpan stare you’ve ever seen. “What do you mean, no?”

“I said no.” You push back from the desk and let your wheeled chair roll away. “There’s no reason to move it. The room upstairs is already set up for the meeting-- full demo bed included. I’m not moving everything.”

A muscle tightens in his jaw. Seems like that good attitude is on a short fuse. “There's a second demo. I'll have the boys wheel it into the meeting room on this floor-”

“It’s a less finished model though, right?”

“That's…” Aizawa huffs. You know you’re right and so does he. “Yes. Sure. A less complete model, but it’s still leagues ahead of what they saw last time- ”

“We shouldn’t use it.” You have no right bossing him around, but you try to embody Bakugo and his cunt-like behavior. “They are going to see the best we have to offer. Besides, the fifth floor meeting room is bigger and nicer-- and it's already set up.”

“I-” He leans forward, arms crossed on to your desk. It’s not threatening, but rather humble, as he meets your eye. The silver healed skin of his scar catches the light differently than the rest of his face. “It’s four full flights of stairs.”

“And you can walk.”

A beat passes. Then another. Aizawa stares at you, dark eyes hooded with exhaustion.

“I have never, ever thought of you as a cruel person.” He doesn’t blink the entire time he speaks, deep, endless black eyes boring into yours. “But time and time again, you show me that side of you. “Well-” You don’t blink either. “I’ve always thought you were awful.

“Fuck you,” he grits out, quiet but with an edge. His lips are curled so high you can see his gum line.

You should let it die here. Let him walk away. Escape with your dignity.

But your teeth and tongue are sharp, and the look on his face is only sharpening their edges, so follow the instinct and go in for the kill. As you stand, you lean on to your hands and push yourself face to face to Aizawa. Unabashed, unafraid, unblinking.

“You wish you could.”

His face collapses. Then, it hardens again, even tighter and more disgusted than usual. The flat ridge of his nose is crinkled with a snarl, eyes narrowed so thin they're practically closed. When he pushes away to stand, Aizawa jams his hands into his sweatshirt and flexes his jaw, up and down like he's chewing on every insult and curse he wants to throw your way. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again with a deep exhale.

“Fine.” He says through closed teeth. “Fifth fucking floor.’

And with that, he turns and marches off back down the hall.

By the time you breathe again, you realize your hands are quaking. The adrenaline is still pumping through your veins, rushing your heart faster and faster. This must be how a marathon runner feels when they cross the finish line-- because this is victory.

Sorry, Yagi. War has been waged.

You did say no promises.

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nellasbookplanet · 5 months ago

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Book recs: werewolves

Want your monsters a little hairier? Then this list is for you! Whether you prefer your werewolf books fantasy, horror, slice of life, or romance, this list has a something for everyone (especially if you want your werewolves queer!)

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Lobizona (Wolves of No World series) by Romina Garber

Young adult. As an undocumented immigrant, Manu has been told her existence is illegal. When her mother is arrested by ICE, Manu is left alone, and decides to seek out the only connection she has left: her dead father's criminal connections. Here she finds a secret underworld of Argentinian folklore, where a seventh daughter is a bruja and a seventh son is a lobizón - a werewolf. But as Manu understands more about who and what she is, she comes to realize her self is seen as forbidden in more ways than one, and that she will have to fight for her way to exist. Tackles heavy subjects in a more lighthearted magic school setting.

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

Horror. Nearly a year ago, Joan's husband Victor disappeared seemingly into thin air. That is, until Joan stumbles across a revival tent where the local Métis have gathered to listen to the charismatic preacher Eugene Wolff - a man with Victor's face. But when she faces him, he doesn't recognize her at all, claiming his mission is only to spread the word of Jesus. Only, that is far from all he's doing. Now Joan must find out the truth of what happened to her husband.

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal*

Young adult. Priya had plans to go to Stanford, but is derailed when the fallout from lyme disease puts her back, making her question if she'll ever get back to normal. Luckily she has her discord support group with whom she can chat and vent about her illness. Even more - she has Brigid, online fandom friend and fellow chronic illness sufferer. But when Brigid disappears from the web without warning, Priya must drive to Pennsylvania to make sure her friend is okay - and finds that Brigid's condition is a bit hairier than she expected.

Santa Olivia (Santa Olivia duology) by Jacqueline Carey*

Is this werewolf fiction? Technically not. It's sci-fi more than fantasy or horror, with a plot reminiscent of superhero stories. It follows Loup Garron, a young girl growing up in Santa Olivia, an isolated town by the border between the US and Mexico, where the inhabitants aren't allowed to leave. Loup is the daughter of a "Wolf Man", a soldier enhanced with wolven traits which she have now inherited, allowing her to take a stand against the soldiers keeping her small home town oppressed. Also features a main f/f couple!

A Wolf Steps in Blood by Tamara Jerée*

Novella, lesbian soulmate romance. Red wolves went extinct in Alabama long ago - except for the ancestors of Yasmine's family, who were saved by witches putting a spell on them, allowing them to take human form to hide. Now, that spell is growing weaker, and Yasmine is struggling for control with her wolf. When a chance encounter with the exiled blood witch Kalta reveals the two to be not only fated mates but also the possible answer to the pack's struggles, Yasmine and Kalta both must work together to overcome the grief in their hearts and save their families.

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

Horror. A coming-of-age story following a boy and his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, living on the road and staying outside the law. They're all outsiders, but Libby and Darren are mongrels, mixedbloods, werewolves waiting to see if their nephew is like them or not. The boy, meanwhile, must decide if the wandering life of his family is for him, or if he belongs somewhere else.

How to Be a Werewolf by Shawn Lenore*

Graphic novel, available as printed or webcomic. Malaya was bitten by a wolf as a child, and ever since she has lived an isolated life with her family, working in their coffee shop and fearing she will lose control of her wolf side. Having never met another werewolf, Malaya knows little of what she is - until she meets a stranger claiming to be like her, and that she's far from alone. But the more she gets involved with other werewolves, the more she also gets dragged into the dangerous conflicts between packs.

Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens

Middle grade graphic novel. One night, young Artie witnesses something incredible - her own mother turning into a wolf. She finds out she's from a lineage of werewolves, and to help her awaken her abilities her mother invites family friends who are like them. A new world opens up for Artie, but so do dark secrets: werewolves have a deadly enemy, and it's coming back for them.

Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella

Brian is a slacker, having dropped out from college, working as a waiter, and spending his nights drinking with his friends - except the nights when he turns into a werewolf, of course. But after having slipped and killed a jogger, Brian is noticed by fellow werewolf Tyler, who's working on a self-help startup for werewolves and offers to mentor Brian. At first Tyler's methods helps Brian get back on his feet, but the more he learns of Tyler's expansion plans, the more he realizes he might be bad news. A good read if you want a funny, goofy take down of toxic masculinity that doesn't take itself very seriously.

Such Sharp Teeth by Kim Harrison*

When her pregnant twin sister is left by her boyfriend, Rory decides to go back to her home town and stay with her for a time. But the town is also the home of old childhood trauma, and something wild is roaming the woods. When she gets attacked and mauled one night, Rory's successful life is changed forever. Lycanthropy used as a metaphor for female rage, trauma, and bad coping mechanisms.

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

Young adult horror. It's been years since Eleanor Zarrin last saw her family, having been sent away to boarding school when she was little. But after a bloody misstep, Eleanor must flee the school and return home to her family's manor. Here she's reminded of her family's darker side, and that she has never been able to run and hunt in the woods alongside them. But in a family of wolves Eleanor is something else - and even more dangerous.

Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold

Young adult horror. A take on the little red riding hood tale where the girl is both the victim of the wolf and the huntsman who slays it. After a particularly embarrassing incident, young Bisou flees into the woods, only to be faced with a predatory wolf. To her shock, their face-off ends with the wolf dead, not Bisou. Even more shocking: the dead wolf turns into a boy. Suddenly, Bisou finds herself a hunter and a protector, routing out the wolves who masquerade as boys. Visceral and bloody, but pretty feminism 101 in its portrayal.

Fear the Wolf by Stefanie Gilmour

Urban fantasy. Alex never wanted to be a werewolf, but when a latent gene was triggered by a traumatic event, causing her to shift, she had no choice but to accept her new reality. Now she stays under the radar, avoiding other werewolves as she tries to keep a job and keep her temper under control, fearing that she will be discovered or even hurt someone. The only person outside her family who knows her secret is Emma, a wizard and Alex's closest friend. But when Emma gets a new boyfriend and starts acting strangely at the same time as attacks and disappearances of supernatural citizens are on the rise, Alex might have no other choice but to get involved in the local werewolf community to fight back.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

Urban fantasy. Kitty Norville is a midnight radio host and a werewolf, having been turned after a traumatic attack. Stuck in an abusive pack, Kitty needs an outlet, and decides to use her radio midnight hour to speak about the supernatural. Soon others like her are calling in, seeking advice, and Kitty's life is looking up - but in drawing attention to the supernatural, she has also put a target on her back, and someone wants to make her shut up, no matter what.

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

When Laina's brother gets shot and killed, a video recording the incident reveals something shocking: a giant wolf which, when shot, turns into a naked man. The video gets leaked, and little by little monsters start coming out into the open. But there’s a reason monsters have decided to step put of hiding, something otherworldly and far more dangerous than them. Follows a large cast of characters, among them members of a werewolf pack.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

Rules for Werewolves by Kirk Lynn

A story told entirely in dialogue, Rules For Werewolves follows a group of young outsiders, drifting from place to place and squatting in empty suburban houses as they try to build a life in a world that has no room for them,

Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson

Young adult. New kid in town, Virgil Knox, has been attacked by a monster. Only, no one believes it was actually a monster, insisting it must've been a bear. But Virgil knows it was really a monster, and now he fears that it will come back for him - or that he will become one himself.

The Devourers by Indra Das

In Kolkata, India, college professor Alok encounters a mysterious stranger who tells him a story of a race of people at once man and beast, and a wanderer in 17th century Mughal who is torn between two worlds.

Thor by Wayne Smith

Thor the German Shepherd is devoted to his suburban family, and when Uncle Ted comes to live with his family, that devotion is put to the test. For Ted is no longer human, and Thor can sense that there is something dark and dangerous hiding inside him, something which he must keep his family safe from.

Wild by Meghan O'Brien

Selene leads a lonely life, avoiding forming close relationships to keep herself and others safe as she turns into a remorseless wolf creature every full moon. Eve is a forensic pathologist who has sworn off romantic relationships after having had an ex cheat on her, focusing instead on catching murderers. But when a masked man attacks Eve and Selene comes to her rescue, the two become unavoidably intertwined as a monster even more dangerous than Selene stalks the streets.

Wolfsong by T.J. Klune

Ox Matheson's neighbors, the Bennett family, aren't ordinary people: they're shapeshifters, able to turn into wolves. Intrigued by their lifestyle, Ox becomes close to the youngest son, Joe. But when murder comes to town, Joe ends up leaving, and won't return until years later. Now adults, the feelings between them can't be denied any longer.

#lobizona #empire of wild #lycanthropy and other chronic illnesses #santa olivia #a wolf steps in blood #mongrels #how to be a werewolf #artie and the wolf moon #bored gay werewolf #such sharp teeth #what big teeth #red hood #fear the wolf #kitty and the midnight hour #no gods no monsters #nella talks books #werewolves

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fuckyeahgoodomens · 9 months ago

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Good Omens graphic novel update: March 2024

Happy March. We bumped into the one and only Maggie Service at an event earlier this month, and here she is with some enamel friends of ours:

It turns out, her words, not ours, that they’re not only good for the aesthetic, but handy for covering accidental food stains. Here she is showing off the gorgeous Aziraphale and Crowley pins to the crowd.

Anyway, we have a bumper one for you this month, and an important update on timings. Let’s get to it.

PledgeManager

First of all, we were due to launch the PledgeManager with this month’s update, but there’s a few last minute hurdles we need to get through and so we’re pushing it back a few final weeks just to ensure all the is are dotted, and ts are crossed. We’ll now be launching this on Thursday 18th of April, in the late afternoon UK-time, to ensure that all team hands are on deck for the move into this next phase.

We’ve got a bunch of FAQs ready for the launch, and we’ll have a PledgeManager-specific update to coincide with it going live where we’ll lay out everything as clearly as possible. We appreciate your patience on this.

Rather than hold back the PledgeManager-adjacent information to the new launch date, however, we’ll still share with you some of the new things that will be available!

In terms of new additions: you wanted more ̶d̶u̶c̶k̶s̶ items? You’ve got them! We’ve got two new notebooks: one featuring lots of ineffable artwork from the graphic novel, and one featuring the much-loved ducks.

We’ve also got two new mugs: one for Tadfield visitors, and another for… duck lovers.

We’ve got a big sticker set bringing together lots of the art from this campaign. And, we’ve got a new enamel pin pair: these gorgeous Crowley and Aziraphale wings that together make a little love heart. You can either wear them both, or split them with your own best angel.

These will be available to purchase like the Aziraphale and Crowley pin pairs - not tied to the mystery packs.

Tier updates

While some elements of the campaign are facing delays, other elements are hurtling forward at full velocity. Fans of the very cute, brace yourselves: here is Sarah Graley’s print for the loot box:

We’ve got some more map previews from Julien Labit, capturing Tadfield, heaven, hell, and many, many places in between:

And, we’re excited to unveil Alice Oseman’s Crowley illustrations for Loot Box #1, completing the pair alongside her Aziraphale sketches from when she watched Good Omens years ago:

On the add on front, here’s our Good Omens slipcase that can be added to pledges, to keep your graphic novels nice and ̶a̶c̶c̶u̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ cosy:

We are quite into pins, you may have noticed. Here’s some more that will be available in the mystery packs:

Moving up to the Obsidian levels, here are some of the sample art pieces from William the Antichrist, illustrated by fantasy artist Mike Nash featuring Crawleigh, and the Citroen 2CV. We’re excited to see these new editions come to life:

Evolution of Eden

We thought it would be interesting to show the evolution of the graphic novel itself. We’ve found it glorious watching Colleen’s artwork arrive in each new stage, and so here’s a sample of the stages of Colleen’s first image, in the Garden of Eden, from pencil sketch, through ink, to the finished page:

And another, from its initial concept sketch, through to this celestial delight:

Lots happening, the lay of the year changing a little, but still full to the brim with Good Omens.

Until next time.

#graphic novel #good omens #good omens graphic novel #graphic novel kickstarter #oooh!

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sixofcrowdaydreams · 10 months ago

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Six of Crows Russian Edition

Today I found this gorgeous gem at the bookstore!

So a few years ago I moved overseas to live in a Russian speaking country. I am not in Russia, for the record. The national language here is not Russian, but it is commonly spoken in my city.

Today at the bookstore I looked for a copy of Crooked Kingdom for the cast of Shadow and Bone to sign this May when I go to A Storm of Shadows and Crows convention in Paris. I don't own a copy of SOC or KC in English and there's no chance of finding one where I live. The next best option was getting a book in the local language and calling it a souvenir of my time abroad. To my delight I found this lovely Russian edition of Six of Crows!

More stunning artwork below.

There were multiple versions of the books to choose from. The original art and the Netflix artwork were available too. The most impressive part was finding copies of the original covers WITHOUT the Netflix sticker. (Haha, suck it Netflix.) To the right, not pictured were King of Scars and Rule of Wolves.

I've never seen this cover variation before. It was an exciting find!

The Russian version I bought is illustrated by (I assume Russian?) artist Eva Eller.

I didn't see a copy of Crooked Kingdom with illustrations by the same artist at this bookstore, but it must exist. Mine was the last copy of SOC with the Russian artwork. Maybe it was sold out?

Google Translate titles the book Six of Ravens, lol. But that's just a translation error because a little google-foo showed that ворона (pronounced vorona) means crow. Interestingly, while typing the title, I learned that вор (pronounced vor) means thief. Interesting how similar the words crow and thief are in Russian. Checks out.

Above is the art printed on the side of the pages. Love how it still includes the side of the pages colored, just like the original books.

The hardcover underneath the jacket is a crow. It's not the same as pictured on the original CK cover, but it is similar. Love the messy, broken, bent feathers, yet the crow is still able to fly. Metaphor for our six characters? Absolutely!

The book was wrapped in cellophane so I didn't realize there was even more art inside! Here is the inner cover. IT'S BEAUTIFUL! The back is the same. It captures the foggy haze of Ketterdam so well.

The flaps of the book jacket are images from the inner cover. But there's a cracked texture over them that gives it a gorgeous grittiness.

The candle is the left side of the inner book jacket. Sorry the image isn't flat, I didn't want to damage the jacket by straightening it out.

The right side of the book jacket shows all the Crows!

Let's appreciate how Matthias looks snow pale and serious. Inej is taller than Nina -- she must be standing on a step stool. No clue why both of their eyes are closed, especially when Nina is the one pointing to the paper. They are lovely. Kaz has on his scheming face. Jesper is as handsome as every version of him should be. And Wylan looks bored AF because A.) he's already memorized the map he drew or B.) he can't read whatever document Kaz has in front of them. Wait, no, Wylan is making heart eyes at Jesper. All of the above can be true.

Inside is a small illustration at the beginning of each chapter, which changes with each section.

You can also see the Crow's names written in Cyrillic. Inej, Kaz, Nina, and Matthias translate easily. Jesper uses the д (letter D) and ж (pronounced like zhe) letter combination that makes his name sound like Zhesper since there is no J in Cyrillic. It's worth pointing out (again) that Wylan's name does not translate perfectly. There is no W in the Cyrillic alphabet. (As someone who also has a W in their name, I sympathize with Wylan here.) I'm no expert in Russian, but I'm pretty sure -- with the help of google translate -- that Wylan is pronounced as Oo-ai-len. Poor boy can't catch a break.

Each of the five section of the book use different chapter art. They all do an excellent job capturing the atmosphere.

The paper is so thin that you can easily see the printing on the opposite side. Not ideal for an edition that's otherwise this lovely. Oh well.

Given that Ravka is fantasy Russia, it's not a surprise to find the Grisha Verse books in Russian.

I am so excited to bring this book to Paris for the cast to sign!

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #shadow and bone

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rustbeltjessie · 13 days ago

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I haven’t made a pinned post in a while, but since it’s my birthday month and I’m struggling right now, I figured it’s a good time to make one.

First, let me introduce myself. I’m Jessie Lynn McMains, aka Rust Belt Jessie. I’m a writer (poetry and prose), artist, zine-maker, spoken word performer, occasional musician, small press publisher, and general jack of several creative trades. I’m queer—bi/mspec and nonbinary (I use they/them, she/her, and he/him pronouns). I’m disabled and neurodivergent, and the parent of two kiddos. Politically? Well, I consider myself an anarchist at heart, but I still vote in every election. I think everyone should be able to have enough food, and a safe place to live, and yeah, even a few ‘unnecessary,’ fun things, just by virtue of being alive. As for the rest of my beliefs, you can probably garner a general idea if you peruse my blog even a little.

Now, onto the nitty-gritty. We had about ten days between when our last month’s food money ran out and when this month’s came in. It has been refilled as of today, so I don’t have to worry about that for the moment, but because of that gap, I had to spend money I’d set aside for other stuff on food. I paid our rent and energy bill for the month, but I’m a couple months overdue on our Internet bill, and I don’t want to risk that getting shut off. And then, well, it’s December. I’m trying to buy my kids some Christmas presents, and it’s not just my birthday month—my youngest kiddo’s birthday is four days before Christmas. Because of all this, I’m also way behind on writing stuff. I owe my zine subscribers a new issue (I didn’t send anything at all in November), and I’m trying to finish up some pieces to record for my new spoken word EP, but I’ve had to focus on day job and side-hustle stuff that’s more immediately lucrative, so I haven’t been able to dedicate much time to finishing these projects.

If you’d like to throw some $$ my way so I can get some gifts for my kiddos, keep my Internet on, get back to my writing, and maybe have a less-stressful birthday month than I did last year, I have V*nmo (JessieLynnMcMains) and P*yp*l (coeur.de.fantome [at] gmail[dot]com).

But hey, hey, I’m not just asking for something for nothing! I have a lot of stuff available on Ko-fi (rustbeltjessie), including print books and zines, ebooks and zines, and pins, and you can also hire me as an editor or commission a custom mini-collage. And almost everything is sliding scale/pay-what-you-can, some with a minimum price, others starting at $0.

And that zine subscription? It’s still not too late to get in on it, even though the year is almost over. If you sign up now, you’ll receive all previous issues, along with this month’s when it’s finished, and the final two will be mailed out in January.

Or perhaps you’d like to buy or commission something I don’t officially have for sale. Maybe you’d like to buy one of my existing pieces of art? Or commission a custom pin, designed by me, based on the band/film/fandom/whatever of your choice? Or commission a custom postcard poem/art piece, on the subject of your choice? Or have me write you a custom mini-zine, on the subject of your choice? I can do all those things! DM me, and we’ll work something out!

Oh, and I mentioned above that I was working on a new spoken word EP? Go check out my full-length spoken word album, Self-Portrait With Ghosts and Trains, which was released by Hello America Stereo Cassette in July 2021. You can find it at helloamerica.bandcamp.com. (I do get royalties from that release periodically, but it’s not as immediate as if you purchase something directly from me.)

All that said, I know times are tough for most people right now, so please don’t feel obligated to purchase anything or otherwise send money my way. And, as always, even just a few dollars helps, as does reblogging/boosting this post. 🖤

#rust belt jessie #artists on tumblr #writers on tumblr #pinned post #please boost #i’ll reblog this later with direct links added #thanks in advance

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cosmicoatlatte · 2 years ago

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viva las vegas

pairing: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x fem!reader

plot: after finally confessing his true feelings Rooster and you are ready to take the next step... and the dagger squad is along for the ride

warnings: drinking, references to parental death and past trauma, inaccurate portrayal of he military

notes: this is a part 2 of home, for the readers that stuck around, for the anon that requested this, and for K ♡︎, thank you for letting me bother you with this for months

words: 21.6k

It was almost scary how normal life felt.

Rooster knew it wouldn’t last forever but for now he was more than content to just cuddle up with you in his arms. Sickeningly sweet domesticity had been so easy to fall into. One minute he was pouring out his heart to the love of his life and the next he was moving his belongings from his childhood bedroom to the master.

Even though he had spent every leave of the past decade waking up with you in his arms he never let himself get used to the feeling. He still wasn’t used to it now but he was also already dreading the end of his leave. If it were up to him, Rooster would pack you up and bring you along with him but even after everything he was scared to ask. You had your own life and he didn’t want to ask you to put everything on hold to follow him, especially since he still had to finish up his last deployment from before the mission. After his leave and the rest of his deployment were over he would immediately request a transfer though. Virginia hadn’t been bad while he was stationed there but it was never his home. And if he was able to be stationed closer he’d also be able to see you more.

Rooster told himself that he didn’t want to bring it up with you before he got everything taken care of. He’d hate for you to get your hopes up only to be let down if things didn’t work out in the end. But now, holding his mother’s old jewelry box in his hands, Rooster wondered if maybe he could do more than just get your hopes up. Maybe he could get his own hopes up just a little bit too.

The two of you had stayed cooped up in the house for a week when he had first come back home but at some point you had finally gotten a little too sore from fucking on every available surface so you asked him if you could take a break and go through some of his belongings together. Now that you were finally officially dating it only made sense to move some of his things out of the attic and down into the house.

His dad’s old record player and their record collection had found a place in the living room and framed Bradshaw family pictures had found their way back onto the walls but there had been some things Rooster couldn’t bring himself to share with you yet. One of those things being his mom’s jewelry.

Carole Bradshaw had never been one for flashy jewelry, she preferred flashy dresses instead. A firm believer in “dressing happy” his mother had never found a bright print dress she didn’t love. It was something his parents had in common and passed on to Rooster as well, even though he didn’t have many opportunities to dig out his fun shirts on the Naval Base.

His mother had never owned much jewelry. Her collection encompassed a couple of gifts from his father and a handful of family heirlooms. As a teenager Rooster once spent an entire summer running errands for anybody in the neighborhood that needed a hand just so he could save up enough to buy a nice necklace for her birthday. In the end Mav had chipped in as well but he had felt so proud of himself for getting his mother something nice. She had worn the necklace every day and after she passed they buried her with the slim gold chain and her engagement ring. Not her wedding band though. That was carefully tucked away in a little drawer of the jewelry box with a note he had found the day before while going through it, after bringing it down from the attic.

Truth be told he had never given much thought as to what happened to it. In the back of his mind Rooster had been aware that it was a family heirloom and that one day it would be passed down to him to ask the love of his life to marry him but he had been so young when his mother joined his father that the ring and marriage had never even crossed his mind.

And now he had the ring.

And he finally had you.

It felt ridiculous to consider marriage after only a week of dating but then again had it only been a week? The two of you had been dancing around each other for fifteen years by now. Nevermind the fact that he had almost asked you twelve years ago when you did barely more than fuck for a week before separating for months at a time before reuniting and fucking again.

With a sigh Rooster closed the box and tucked it away under his side of the bed again. He’d bring it up with you first. Ask if marriage was something you could see yourself doing in the future.

The moment he opened the bedroom door Rooster could hear soft music drifting through the house. It didn’t take him long to find the source of it—an old Elvis record was spinning on the record player in the living room and a scented candle was burning on the side table. He could hear you before he saw you, humming along with the song as you entered the living room holding two mugs as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Something about the fact that he had only been home for a week but it already became part of your routine to include him just made his heart race. It was so perfectly easy to see that he belonged here with you and in a split second he changed his mind.

Rooster watched as you placed the mugs down on the couch table and turned around, not surprised at all to see him standing in the doorway just leaning against the doorframe and watching you. The beautiful smile he loved so much hadn’t left your face all week and he wanted nothing more than to kiss you again and again just for a chance to feel it against his lips one more time. Neither of you said anything as he took a few steps into the room only for you to meet him in the middle. Your arms were open for a hug and as much as he wanted to tug you close and hold you until the world collapsed around the two of you the soft music playing gave him a better idea.

Instead of hugging you he used one of his arms to pull you closer, the other coming up to hold your hand as he started to sway with you. It only took you a few seconds to catch on to what he was trying to do and before you knew it you were moving along with him, letting him lead you around the living room.

“What are you…” You began, cutting yourself off with a laugh as he twirled you around before pulling you back in. “Okay.”

The rhythm of your dancing didn’t match the song playing at all but having Bradley twirl you around while Elvis crooned about falling in love felt like a dream. A sweet memory you would cherish forever.

As the song started to come to an end Bradley gave you a soft smile before taking a step back and spinning you around again until you felt all dizzy from the motion and love. Laughing and a little lost in the moment you almost missed him whispering as he tugged you against him again.

“Marry me?”

Had it been any other person, any other moment, you’d think that you heard him wrong or that your mind was playing a cruel joke on you but with him you felt nothing but safe. Cared for. Loved.

It didn’t feel like his question was rushed or insincere, instead it just felt right. Like it was meant to be.

Bradley had started speaking again, rambling on about a box and the Navy but you couldn’t follow it all, too caught up with his question. It didn’t matter if it had only been a week or an entire lifetime because deep down you knew Brad and you belonged together. In the most simple way possible.

Leaning up you interrupted Bradley’s rambling with a kiss, all too eager to give him an answer. “Yes. Yes. Of course. Yes.”

Pulling away you just looked at each other for a second before you started laughing again, holding each other and stealing kisses until you were left breathless.

“I love you so much.” He murmured against your lips.

His hands rested on your hips and held you just a little tighter as you responded. “I love you too. So much.”

The words had just left your mouth before you were suddenly lifted up. All but thrown over his shoulder, carefully, as Rooster turned around and started to walk out of the living room. Towards the stairs. Towards the bedroom upstairs.

“I… the tea is gonna get cold.” Was your only protest as you let yourself be carried. If your view of his backside didn’t serve as a good enough distraction, one of his big hands on your ass definitely did.

“Do you want to drink tea or do you want to go have hot engagement sex? And I still need to put a ring on your finger so I think we should do that right away.”

You didn’t protest as he continued on his way.

Tea and record player long forgotten.

The blissful giddiness of your new engagement lasted for a day before the reality of wedding planning set in. With Rooster being gone so much, the end of leave, and the rest of his deployment looming over everything he was starting to get a little lost in his head.

When you had woken up in the morning after with your head on your pillow, entirely on your side of the bed without him wrapped around you it had been a bit weird but you hadn’t felt concerned yet. Rooster had still been in bed with you except he was sitting up against the headboard on his side, illuminated by the soft glow of the rising sun falling through the window from where you had forgotten to close the blinds last night and the light from his phone screen. He had frowned down at the screen before shutting it down and tossing the phone onto the blanket between you two before pulling you into his arms and giving you a proper good morning kiss.

When he was occupied with it during breakfast as well it made you a little curious but you were as occupied with the ring on your finger as he was with his phone so you let it slide.

It had only started to worry you when he was still frowning down at the screen by the time lunch rolled around. You were curled up on the couch, albeit on opposite sides. Bradley had pulled your legs into his lap so you could sprawl out, holding them in place with one hand, his thumb rubbing up and down the soft skin on your ankle while the other was holding his phone.

Nervously twisting your ring on your finger you watched as he typed away on his phone, a frown still etched into his face. It wasn’t in your nature to be jealous, after all you had let him go again and again until he had come home to you, so it wasn’t like you feared he had a secret affair hidden away. Still you were scared.

“Do you regret it?”

His head snapped up so fast it made you flinch just as the prospect of him potentially hurting himself with the fast movement. If the frown had made you worried, the poorly hidden devastation that graced his face now just made your heart hurt.

“No!” He dropped the phone into his lap and grabbed your lower legs with both hands as if he was scared you’d pull away. “I… I don’t regret it.”

Bradley fiddled with his hands too, eyes fixed on where you were still twisting the ring around on your finger. “Why? Do you regret it?”

“No.” You told him, seeing the tension fall from his shoulders. “I love you and I want to marry you. But you’ve been frowning at your phone all day and it just makes me feel like maybe you’re not as happy as I am.”

“I am happy. It’s just ” Bradley answered quickly before trailing off. “You’re gonna think it’s stupid.”

“Can you tell me anyways?”

He took a deep breath before leaning back, looking at the ceiling instead of meeting your eyes. “We have less than three weeks left before I have to leave again. I’ll be overseas for a few months and after that I’ll have to report back to Oceana and even if I request a transfer now there’s no telling how long it’ll take to be approved or if it even gets approved. I like flying with the Golden Warriors but there’s no telling if other squadrons have spots open. Weddings take forever to plan and I’m scared that if we don’t get married before I leave you’ll change your mind. That’s why I’ve been staring at my phone so much. I was trying to figure out all the things we need to plan but the list is just… endless.”

It takes a few seconds to fully take in his words, his worries. Part of you is relieved that he thought about things so much. Bradley tended to be carefree most of the time, a real go with the flow kind of guy unless he really cared for something and then the worrying and overthinking started. The way he was so lost in his own head not even 24 hours after he asked you to marry him just spoke to the fact about how much he cared for you and your future together but that only made you frown. You wanted Bradley to be happy, not worried.

“I won’t change my mind.” You stated, trying your hardest to reassure him. “We’ve been apart before and we’re still here.”

He didn’t look at you until you leaned forward and took his hands in yours, holding them almost delicately before changing your mind and really holding on. “It’s never been like this before.” He said quietly.

Sad eyes. That was the first thing you noticed about him when you met and it’s the first thing you focused on now. Bradley was never able to hide his emotions.

Sitting up straight you asked him as if you didn’t know the answer. “Three weeks you said?”

Bradley nodded.

“Alright, we can go to city hall next weekend and sign the papers.”

He just stared at you as you continued.

“We just need to make an appointment beforehand and… why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’d really be okay with that? Just going in and signing some papers?” He never dreamt about his own wedding but in every rom com he ever watched the women always talk about how they’ve been thinking about their weddings since they were little girls. He’d seen his parents’ wedding pictures with his mom in her poofy white dress and his father in his uniform smiling at the camera. The last thing he wanted was for you to settle on a quick five minute signing of a document instead of the dream wedding you deserved. “No big flower arches or harpists playing as you walk down the aisle or signature bride and groom cocktails at the reception?”

“Signature what? No. All I want is you.” Pulling his hands closer you pressed a kiss right at the spot his ring would sit before looking at him again.

“I don’t need a big fancy wedding Bradley. All I need is you and me and somebody to sign the papers. Besides…” You trailed off just a little bit melancholic, “Who would we invite anyways.”

Your last words made him pause just a little bit. Neither of you had much family and friends to speak of. If his squadron hadn’t been deployed at the moment he’d probably invite them as well as some superiors out of courtesy but there was nobody he desperately wanted at his wedding except…

“I should probably introduce you to Mav.”

Planning to surprise Mav with a visit turned into a surprise for him in return when he asked the older man for the address of the hangar only to be directed to the address of one Miss Penelope Benjamin instead.

Just until the higher ups are done with me, Mav had said, Sarah offered to let me stay with her and the kids but Penny’s house is closer to the base. Rooster didn’t comment on the unspoken fact that Penny’s house is closer to Penny as well.

Rooster was glad that his godfather was finding love again but he felt just a little bit uneasy showing up to a practically stranger's house so he opted to just get a room at a motel for a few days. He didn’t want to impose and that way you could still meet while also going your separate ways at the end of the day.

He wanted to mend the relationship with Mav, he really did, but he was also scared of moving too fast. Their day trip out to the hangar was one thing but spending nights in the same house came too close to living together. Rooster could only imagine sitting across from him at the breakfast table like they had done twenty years earlier when Mav lived with them and his mom was still alive, flitting around the table refilling coffee mugs and juice glasses because Carole Bradshaw was a morning person through and through whereas him and Mav were decidedly not. It would be easy for his thoughts to spiral, getting lost in what ifs and regret. His mind was already filled to the brim with things he had to do before the wedding and he’d rather not add to the chaos.

Checking into the motel had been easy enough and soon he was pulling the Bronco into the parking lot of The Hard Deck. It was early enough in the day that the area surrounding the bar wasn’t packed but late enough that they were the only ones in the parking lot. As he got out of the car and walked around the Bronco to open your door for you he spotted Mav’s favorite Kawasaki, parked in the corner closer to the back of the bar.

Holding the door for you, Rooster felt his heart beating faster. He didn’t know if his hands actually started to get sweaty or if he was just imagining things but he gave them a cursory wipe on his jeans anyways before he held out a hand for you to take. Walking into The Hard Deck holding your hand made things just a tiny bit easier.

The front doors were still locked because the bar wouldn’t open until later in the day but Mav had texted him that they could use the backdoor to enter the building. Apparently the older man had been spending a not insignificant amount of time at the bar as of late, with full permission by its charming owner of course.

Rooster had never been in The Hard Deck while it was still completely light outside and he had to admit that the bar looked just a little different. The lights that got turned on once it got darker definitely added a small level of coziness. If he could concentrate on anything besides the immediate meeting he would have looked around to better see all the hidden details but right now nothing mattered as much as reuniting with Maverick and introducing you two.

Penny stood behind the bar, wiping the counter with a rag in a way that seemed just a little bit too nonchalant for it to be coincidental. He wondered just what Mav had told her about their past when she looked up and their eyes met. Yeah… she definitely knew too much.

“Hey Penny.” He squeezed your hand just a little as he tugged you along, smiling as you gave the older woman a shy little wave with your free hand.

“He’s at the table by the big window if you want to head back. Amelia’s there too but just send her to the front.” She nodded her head in the direction Mav was sitting and smiled at you as you walked past.

Mav was indeed at the table by the big window and by the looks of it he was also more than halfway to a mental breakdown. Rooster has seen this man nearly die three times in one afternoon and he came out looking better than he did now. Amelia was sitting next to him and they were looking over a piece of paper although she didn’t look as rough as Mav.

They both looked up as you approached, a smile immediately coming to his godfather’s face as he spotted you next to Rooster, holding hands. Expecting exuberant hugs so soon after everything might be a stupid idea especially since he was all for agreeing to take their reconciliation slow but it still hurt when Mav jumped up only to give him a shoulder squeeze as a greeting. He then moved on and politely shook your hand but if he noticed the ring on your finger he didn't comment on it.

Amelia was still sitting at the table and for a moment Rooster debated greeting the young girl. They had met once before at Mav’s hangar but he still felt lost. How does one even greet teens nowadays? Were fist bumps still cool or would he out himself as an oldtimer with the simple gesture?

In the end he gave her a little headnod as a greeting, feeling relieved when she gave him one back.

“Sorry Amelia, you two looked busy but your mom told us to send you to her at the bar.”

She just shrugged and started to gather up her things. “It’s okay. Mav tried to help me with my Calculus homework but he has no idea what he’s doing.”

Rooster was able to suppress a laugh just until he heard a soft giggle by his side and joined in.

“Hey! A lot of things have changed since the 70s.” Mav sputtered out as an excuse, only making them laugh more.

“Whatever old man. I’ll just google it.” There was no tone of malice in her voice and Rooster knew that they’d get along well in the future. He might have had to ask Penny if he can leave his number for Amelia later, he had a feeling that they could both benefit from an exchange of information on Mav.

“He was just as bad with homework twenty years ago.” Rooster told her, still smiling wide. Mav wasn’t actually all that useless with homework. He knew that the older man had a hard time in his youth which reflected on his grades but as he sat down with him in the afternoons and went over the problems with him he always managed to encourage Rooster to try and do his best. Even in his rebellious teenage years he sat down with his uncle Mav and did the work just to spend the time with him. He was glad that Mav still wanted to help even if it hurt just a tiny bit to share their tradition with the young girl.

“I’m just bad at it because you never took Calculus or else I’d know what was going on.” Mav defended himself.

“Calculus? She looks like she’s what? Thirteen? Why is she taking Calculus?”

“I’m turning sixteen soon.” Amelia pouted. “And I took some classes during the summer so that I can finish up my reqs sooner so that I’ll qualify for some college level courses during Junior and Senior year. If I’m gonna be an engineer I can’t waste time on AP Calculus during Senior year.” She said as if all that made sense.

Jesus, at her age Bradley only cared about baseball and getting his license but she had apparently her whole life planned out.

Before he could tell her how cool that sounded Penny’s voice carried through the bar over to them. “Amelia!” she called and Amelia sighed.

“Coming!”

They watched as she left to go to her mother, silence falling over them for a few seconds before Mav motioned for them to sit. Rooster didn’t miss the proud smile on his face as he pulled out a chair for you, making sure you could sit down comfortably before plopping himself down on the seat next to yours.

“It’s nice to meet you, Captain Mitchell.” You broke the silence. “Bradley told me so much about you.”

“I wish I could say the same thing but uhhh… Thank you. For being there for him when I couldn't.” He said, leaning forward until his forearms rested on the table in front of him. He was fidgeting with his hands, the nervous gesture almost foreign to Rooster. “And please, call me Maverick. Or Pete if you’re not a fan of callsigns. Not uhhh… not gonna be a Captain for much longer.”

Had Rooster been paying attention to his godfather he might have caught the small smirk gracing his lips at the end of the sentence but instead he was looking between you eagerly with those big puppy eyes of his. “What?!”

He slammed his hands down on the table, halfway jumping out of his seat and leaning across the table in rightful indignation.“Mav you just saved our asses during the mission they can’t just… Are they grounding you? Discharging you?”

“Worse. They’re promoting me.”

That left Rooster dumbfounded, slowly sitting back down. “What?”

“They’re making me a one star. Reluctantly, but… they’re keeping me around for now.” Mav admitted, as if the news hadn’t lifted a weight the size of a carrier off his back when Cyclone broke the news to him two days prior. “Just don’t tell anybody yet. Everything is already decided but they won’t announce it for a few more weeks. So far only Cyclone and Warlock know because I’ll be reporting under them. And Hondo. And Viper. I don’t know if you remember but he was my instructor at Top Gun back in the day and still lives in San Diego so he invites me over for tea when I’m in the area. Penny knows too which means that Amelia probably figured it out. Oh and I kinda texted Slider to make fun about the fact that I outrank him now but that’s it. And now you two know.”

Rooster barely listened as Mav rambled through name after name, pulling your hand into his lap and absentmindedly playing with your fingers.

“That’s great news, Mav.” He said, eyes moving between you and his godfather as he continued. “So many good news. We should celebrate.”

“Oh, yes. You… you came all the way so we could meet and here I am going on and on about myself.” Mav said, turning towards you slightly. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Now, the boy hasn’t updated me on anything since he texted me that he made it home safely. Did he finally get it together and asked you to be his girlfriend?”

“Not exactly.” Rooster said while you wordlessly held up your left hand, wiggling your fingers a little as the ring caught in the light.

For a moment he was too caught up in your smile to notice his godfather’s reaction but once he looked over Rooster saw him tearing up. It wasn’t shocking to see Mav cry, Rooster had half suspected it would happen at some point during the day but he also didn’t want to worry you. He was lucky enough to grow up with adults that didn’t subscribe to the “boys don’t cry” idea and he knew he was allowed to let his emotions flow but Mav had always been built a little closer to the water than him or his mom.

Reaching out he took your hand in his, pulling it closer until he could kiss the back of your hand before bringing your joined hands down until they were resting on the table in front of you.

“Congrats. I’m… I’m sorry.” He used the back of his thumbs to wipe away the tears in his eyes before they fell, still looking at you. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you two.”

“That’s actually part of the reason we wanted to meet up with you.” Rooster said.

“We’re not planning on having a big ceremony. We just want to go sign the papers at city hall back home but… we wanted to ask if you would be our witness?” You spoke softly as you asked him, almost as if you were afraid he would say no.

Rooster was scared too even though deep in his heart he knew Mav would not turn them down. He was still working on trusting his gut more than the nagging negative voice in his head but in this case he was so sure.

Mav just looked at them for a moment, looking like he was tearing up again. “I’d be honored.” He wiped at his eyes again before smiling. “Of course. I’d love to. Do you two have any plans yet? You said you wanted to just sign the papers?”

“Neither of us has enough people to warrant a big wedding so we’ll just do the legal part…maybe go get something to eat afterwards?” He looked at you for the last question, wanting to see if you approve of his tentative plans, smiling when you nodded.

His eyes stayed on you, even as you turned to address Mav again. “We just want to do it before Bradley’s leave is over. It usually takes a few days for the paperwork to be ready but we could do it next week if you have time.”

“Oh so soon?”

“You don’t think it’s too soon, do you?” Rooster really hoped that Mav wasn’t judging him. Didn’t think he was jumping the gun and rushing into things.

“No, no. It’s just…You remind me so much of your dad right now.” He paused for a moment, glancing at the ring on your finger. “Did your mom ever tell you the story of that ring?”

“No, we never talked about it.” Rooster admitted. There were a lot of things he and his mom never talked about.

Mav exhaled deeply, shaken his head a little as if the motion would shake loose old memories and he had to suppress a chuckle. “God it was… it was 1982. Your dad and I had only been flying together for a handful of months. We were still in training but you know how it is. Sneaking off base, going out. That was back before the drinking age was 21 and man did we take advantage of that fact. One night your dad was sneaking back in from a first date and I was still up and he just looked at me and said I’m gonna marry her Mav. After the first date. I helped him pick out that ring three days later.” He paused, shaking his head again. “I thought he was crazy until I met Carole. Everybody could see that they belonged together. And when I look at you… It just makes sense.”

Rooster could feel you squeeze his hand and squeezed back. Yeah. The two of you just made sense.

“Next week? Yeah, that works. All I do at the moment is stock shelves and get embarrassed by homework while I’m waiting on the officials to get everything in order so I have time.”

Rooster immediately felt lighter, glad that they would have somebody with them. He might not be able to give you a fairytale wedding but at least they wouldn’t have strangers as witnesses.

“You could just go to Vegas.” A voice piped up, causing all three of you to turn your heads.

Penny looked a little sheepish but Amelia looked nothing but pleased.

“Were you eavesdropping the entire time?” Mav asked.

“No.” She said with a hand on her hip. “The voices just carry in the empty bar.”

Looking at his godfather’s face Rooster knew he didn’t believe her but nobody challenged her.

“You want to get married quickly and Vegas is only like a 5 hour drive. We can go there tomorrow and be back before dinner.”

“We?” Penny asked. “You, young lady, have school tomorrow.”

They continued talking but Rooster wasn’t paying attention anymore. You wanted to get married quickly but in all your planning neither of you had even thought about the place most famous for shotgun weddings. The more he thought about it the more sense it made.

He had proposed to an Elvis song, you could get an Elvis impersonator to officiate, get a few pictures, and by sundown tomorrow he would be able to call you Mrs. Bradshaw. It seemed like an ideal plan.

He looked at you.

You looked at him.

Rooster shrugged. “We could go to Vegas.”

Mav jumped on the idea of a Vegas wedding, casually appointing himself wedding planner. It wasn’t hard to hand over the reins and relax, one less thing to worry about. In the end you departed the bar with an agreement to wait with the wedding until the weekend and an invitation for dinner at Penny’s house the next day and headed back to the motel.

Making concrete plans just solidified the idea of marriage in your mind. Just looking at things from the outside might make it seem like you and Bradley were rushing into it, but it felt right.

After Bradley had told you about the Elvis connection you had immediately agreed. Vegas would be even easier than the courthouse especially with his godfather offering to organize everything. All you had to do was show up, say ‘i do’, and look pretty for a picture before dragging your husband back to the nearest lockable room.

“We should get a dog.” Bradley said from where he was laying on your chest. When he had first picked you up and thrown you on the bed after coming back from the bar you had assumed he had ulterior motives but he had only wanted to cuddle, blanketing your body with his and burrowing his stubborn head into the valley of your throat. His curls felt soft under your hand and you wondered how he managed to keep them so silken even though they were regularly locked away under a helmet and only saw conditioner when you showered together.

“Why should we get a dog, Brad?” Using your hand in his hair you tugged just a little until he lifted his head to look at you.

“I don’t know. I just always thought every family needs a dog. It could keep you company when I’m gone. Protect you, you know? And once we have kids they’re gonna love running around with it in the yard.”

Your heart ached at his description of the future. Whereas you had never really allowed yourself to dream it seemed like he had everything already figured out. “Kids?”

“Yeah, two or three. So that they have somebody to grow up with. I always wanted a sibling or a cousin when I was younger.” He said wistfully, looking at you with wide eyes. “Unless you don’t want… We don’t need to have kids to be a family.”

“Two or three? Alright, we can do that.” You continued to run your fingers through his hair, almost petting him like the dog he talked about. “What kind of dog are we getting?”

“Don’t know yet. Maybe we can go to a shelter when we’re back home. I just remembered that Coyote sent a picture of his dog in a little sweater in the group chat and thought about us getting one too.”

“And putting little sweaters on it?”

“If you want to. I don’t know if it’ll like sweaters. Javy’s dog looked happy in his. Hold on, I'll show you the picture.” Bradley reached back to grab his phone, pulling up the group chat.

Ever since he had come back to you after the mission he had been talking about the group chat one of his buddies made.

You continued to run your fingers through his hair as he looked through his phone. He looked so happy looking at the messages his friends sent, you couldn’t help but feel happy too. Neither of you had many people in your lives and you were glad that he was reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

“Here it is.” He held out his phone so you could see the screen properly. It was a nice picture, an attractive man holding a dog and smiling into the camera. They were wearing matching sweaters and Bradley had been right, the dog did look weirdly happy in its sweater. A notification popped up at the top, quickly followed by several others.

“You’re getting a lot of messages in the group chat. Might be important.”

He turned the screen back to himself to check his messages. “Bob sent a picture with his family and the others are roasting him for it.” Bradley said, turning his phone towards you again until you could see the screen. It was a nice picture of a family with some horses but you could understand the roasting, maybe the matching flannels were a bit much.

“I can’t imagine their reactions when I send a picture of our wedding.” He smiled up at you. “They’ll curse themselves for missing it.”

The two of you hadn’t discussed guests at all after your first conversation about asking Mac to be a witness. Then after talking to him and changing your plans to Las Vegas it seemed natural that Penny and her daughter would tag along as parts of your growing family. But these people were family too, in a way. Bradley refused to tell you the details of his mission —if he was more scared of his higher ups finding out he disclosed confidential information or of your reaction should you find out the whole truth you didn’t know— but it was clear that their little group had bonded in a way few could understand.

“You could always just ask if they want to come.”

It wasn’t like you would know what to do with a bunch of aviators on your wedding day but you just wanted for Bradley to be happy. To be as happy as you were right here in this moment with him laying on your chest in a random motel in San Diego.

“I can’t. They’re all back home with their families or back on deployment. I can’t ask them to give up their leave to watch a five minute ceremony.” He just looked down at his phone, tumbling at the case.

You didn’t tell him that maybe his friends would love to give up a day of their leave to support him. If somebody were to tell you the same thing you wouldn’t believe them either. “Well… at least I’m not the one that will have to listen to them complain that they didn’t get an invite.”

Bradley looked at his phone.

Then you.

Then at his phone again.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” You watched as he typed a quick message before turning his phone off before throwing it away from you onto the bed. It disappeared between the folds of the sheets somewhere, out of sight out of mind.

“Did you tell them?”

He just rested more of his weight onto you, the pressure calming like your own little weighted blanket. Breath steady and soft against your skin. “Told them I’m getting married and to bother Mav for the details.”

Using a hand you tilted his head up a little until you could press a kiss to his forehead, chuckling as he scrunched up his face. “You are unbelievable. You can’t just put all that on him without a warning.”

“Eh, it’s fine. It’s Mav. He can handle it.”

Mav could definitely handle it.

Bradley had woken up to a text message inviting the two of you to breakfast and somehow gotten you up and ready long before reasonable for a relaxed Thursday morning. Thankfully your fiancé was nice enough to stop and get you a giant coffee on the way to the diner Mav had picked, all while you tried your hardest not to fall asleep in the passenger seat. You didn’t really pay attention to the road in front of you, doing nothing but occasionally lift the cup high enough for Brad to take a sip of the obnoxiously large and obnoxiously sweet concoction.

It was a nice looking place, aged but clearly loved. Mav was already sitting at a window booth and Bradley led you there by your hand. The woman behind the counter gave your cup a pointed look and any other time you’d apologize for bringing outside food into her diner but today you really needed this.

Mav greeted you with a warm smile and you did your best to reciprocate while sliding into the booth and settling down on the worn seats. At least he waited until Bradley had sat down as well before he pulled out a notebook, still smiling, and set it down on the table hard enough for the slam to echo through the room. “Alright let’s get to it. Fanboy’s flight lands at 7am so we’ll send him straight to the hotel for a nap before the ceremony. Payback and his wife come in at 11am. There were no direct flights from Cheyenne to Vegas at a reasonable time so we’re sending Bob to San Francisco first and then he and Phoenix are flying in together at 11:30. Hangman is last at 12:15 but we won’t fit everybody in one car so we either drive down with two or take a shuttle. Speaking of driving we can either leave here at 4:30am or I have a buddy that can get us a charter flight out at 8, that would give us enough time to bring our things to the hotel and get to the airport before the others trickle in. We’ll have a late lunch and then a few hours to get ready. Wedding is at 6 and you guys can hit the strip while I take Penny and Amelia to see a show. Sunday we’ll do brunch at the hotel around noon unless somebody gets arrested or ends up in the hospital then we’ll just do lunch at 2pm. Any questions?”

“I have one. You guys ready to order?” A voice chimed in from the end of the table. The woman you had seen behind the counter was standing at your booth, notepad in her hand, ready to write down your orders. Mav already knew his order but when she turned to you there was nothing that came to your mind, you didn’t even need to look at the menu to know you didn’t want anything.

“Oh I don’t want anything, thank you.”

She gave you another look, this one a little more concerned. “You okay sweetie?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just a little too early for food.”

“Ah. Military men, am I right? Always up at the crack of dawn. You’ll get used to it sweetheart.”

Beside you Bradley rattled off his order but you only half listened to him talk. On the table in front of you you could see Maverick’s open notebook, messily filled up with all kinds of information, sentences written then scribbled out, arrows drawn and words circled. He had really put a lot of thought into this.

When you looked up again the waitress had left so you took a sneaky sip of your coffee. Everything was happening so fast yet not fast enough. Your heart hadn’t stopped racing since Bradley came home and now you were about to get married. A wedding Maverick had somehow planned in one day.

“I can’t believe you managed to put that all together so fast. It’s been, what, 12 hours?” Bradley asked, resting his arms on the table leaning over it to look at his notebook.

“A little warning would have been nice.” The older man grumbled, thumbing at the edge of the notebook. “But keeping up with the text messages was the hardest part. I don’t know how somebody can type that fast. The actual planning took less time than you think. I’m uhh I’m pretty good at that part. Just don’t tell anybody or else they’ll have me play secretary for Cyclone.”

Him and Bradley laughed a little and you watched them, enjoying this moment.

“Thank you.” You told him when the two had stopped, reaching out over the table to take his hand in both of yours. “For arranging everything and telling Bradley’s friends and just… thank you.” So much has been happening in such a short time and you just wanted him to know how much you appreciated everything he did for you.

Maverick just gave your hand a squeeze, looking at Bradley and you with a fond look. “It’s what family is for.”

When the waitress arrived with the food you pretended not to notice the amount of food Brad had ordered. It was easy to reach over and steal a piece or two while he talked with Maverick about the messages he had gotten last night. It seemed like everybody was happy for you which only made you even happier in return. Even if you didn’t know them they meant a lot to Bradley and knowing that they were supportive of him was simply a good feeling.

“We can just talk about the rest at dinner tonight.” Mav said before finishing the last of his coffee. “It would be nice if you two can decide on how you want to get to Vegas until then though. We’ll get you there either way and I don’t mind driving the 5 hours but I’d like to give Wolfman and Hollywood a heads up so they have time to schedule the flights properly if you want to take the plane.”

“We’ll think about it.” Bradley answered as if you didn’t already know he’d want to take a plane. He belonged up in the sky and who were you to try and stop him.

“Awesome. Now.” He set down his now empty mug and flipped his notebook to a blank page. “What is your address for the wedding gifts and do you have a registry somewhere because I have a list of people that want to know.”

Bradley is looking out of the window when you pause your unpacking to check in on him. The sight of Sin City below gives him just enough of a distraction to leave you battling your small bags on your own but you didn’t mind. The short flight in a fancy little private jet had been an exciting adventure but you were grateful to be back on solid ground. You simply weren’t drawn to the sky like Bradley was.

Maverick had gotten everybody rooms in a hotel fancy enough that it made you question how you’re supposed to afford it before quickly shaking those thoughts off. He seemed like a good man and the last thing you expected from him was to leave you and Bradley with a bunch of debt from your not so spontaneous not so elopement. After checking in he had pressed a hotel room key into your hands and told you to be back down in 20 minutes to head to the airport and you intended to stick to his schedule even if your fiancé did little more than throw his bag into a corner before going straight to the window.

“You can’t see the airport from here but you can see the planes.” His voice carried through the room even though he spoke at a normal volume.

You put the item into the closet before turning around and walking over to where he stood, snuggling into his side as Bradley put his arm around you. “Are they nice?”

“Eh…” You felt him shrug. “They’re alright, I guess.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of your head and you could feel him laugh.

He had told you about the other daggers before and you knew of his time at Top Gun with Natasha and Jake but you had never met them before. Part of you was just worried if they’d like you. If they’d think you were good enough for Bradley.

“Ready to go?” Bradley’s voice interrupted your thoughts before you could overthink it more.

“Yeah.” You answered, smiling up at him before ducking under his arm to get your bag. “Let's go!”

Brad managed to behave on the elevator ride down but once the doors opened and you started to step out into the lobby he not so discreetly gave your butt a squeeze before resting his hand on the small of your back, steering you in the direction of Maverick and Penny who were already waiting.

If they saw they did a great job at pretending they didn’t. Instead Maverick checked the time on his phone before putting it away, smiling at Bradley and you. “There’s a shuttle to the airport leaving in 5 minutes so we should probably get going.”

It was easy to follow him through the hotel to the shuttle and then later through the airport. Even though you hadn’t known Maverick for long it was easy to see the natural leader in the man, making his way through the airport with purpose, while the rest of you were following behind him like ducklings. He knew where you had to be at what time and once again you found yourself being grateful that the older man had taken it upon himself to organize this trip. A quick visit to the courthouse could never have compared to the glitz and glam of fabulous Las Vegas. Even the drive to the airport had been magical, it being the middle of the day doing little to hide the power of flashing lights and inebriated fun-seekers.

“Just in time.” Maverick announced as your little group walked up to the gate as the arriving plane started to deboard.

Bradley’s arm laid heavy over your shoulder but you didn’t mind, leaning into him until you could rest your cheek against his chest and winding your arm around his small waist to hook your thumb through the belt loops of his jorts. You just stood there waiting for a few minutes while the people made their way out of the plane and into the airport. You had seen a few pictures of the other aviators Bradley and Maverick had flown with during their mission but while it seemed enough to recognize them should they stand somewhat close it seemed far from possible to be able to pick them out from a crowd like the one in front of you.

It got louder around you as the mass of people made their way through the terminal but Maverick didn’t have to raise his voice to get the attention of somebody. Raising his arm just above his head he waved once, twice, before lowering it again. Following his line of sight you could see a man and a woman heading your way. They were both wearing sunglasses and the man was carrying a bag over his shoulder although it started to slip as he excitedly made his way over to your group with the woman following behind.

Withdrawing your arm from around your fiancé slowly, taking a step back so that Bradley could greet his friend. Payback was a little taller than him which didn’t become too apparent until he released Bradley from a hug and proceeded to pull Maverick against his chest after.

“You must be Carmen. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“It’s great to meet you, Rooster. My husband told me so much about you.” Payback’s wife seemed to be a hugger too judging by the way her and Bradley were embracing.

Unlike her husband though she didn’t move on to greet Maverick next, instead focusing her attention on you. “And you must be the wife-to-be. Oh what a gorgeous bride. Thank you so much for letting us share this day with you.” You found yourself being pulled into an enthusiastic hug, barely getting the time to reciprocate the unsuspected affection before Carmen pulled away again, moving to greet Maverick and Penny.

You were only left standing for a second before Bradley swooped in and guided his friend the two steps over to you. “Hi. Payback.” He introduced himself, holding out his hand to shake, a gesture you gladly accepted.

“Nice to meet you.” You smiled back, hoping the man wouldn’t recognize how nervous you felt. Bradley going back to standing by your side, arm casually slung over your shoulder like it had been before, helped a little.

It didn’t take long for your little group to move. Your guests had checked a bag and by the time you had collected from the baggage carousel and made your way to the next gate enough time had passed that you could watch the plane land.

Truth be told you had been a little nervous meeting Payback and his wife but you were downright terrified of meeting Phoenix? Natasha? Phoenix! Sure, Bradley was friends with the people that were coming to watch you two get married but him and Phoenix went back almost as far as Brad and you did and you couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen if she didn’t like you. It was obvious that Bradley cared about her and her opinions a whole lot and you wanted nothing more but to get along with her.

Before you could get lost in your own worries the passengers made their way off the plane and into the terminal. This time you didn’t have to look for the people you were picking up, instead they came straight to you as if they had spotted your group of fearless aviators plus partners from the moment they had stepped out of the plane.

Phoenix made her way through the masses, a tall blond who you assumed to be Bob following half a step behind her. People parted out of their way left and right, stepping aside like being in her way would be the absolute last thing they wanted to be. She didn’t look as intimidating as you had imagined her to be from the pictures Bradley had shown you. Dark hair hung loose over her shoulders and she was wearing a simple shirt and jeans but the way she carried herself almost made you want to take a step back as well.

“Bradshaw!”

You weren’t the only one that jumped at that. Beside you Bradley went a few shades paler even though his nonchalant expression didn’t change. Phoenix was still a few yards away but her voice carried through the noisy building, it didn’t sound all too happy. So much for trying to make a good first impression.

She bridged the last of the distance between you but her whole demeanor seemed to change once she spotted you. “Future Mrs. Bradshaw!” Phoenix gave you a quick once-over but it didn’t feel like she was looking at you trying to find flaws, she was simply looking at you, a little half-smile on her face. “I can’t believe he managed to hide you away for so long.”

She didn’t try to hug you but when she went to stand beside you your shoulders touched a little too often to be accidental, a little too soft to be malicious, and you felt glad about that small sign of fondness.

Her WSO Bob was an absolute sweetheart with his soft little pleasure to meet you ma’am and you could immediately understand why Bradley spoke so highly of him.

Your little group stood together for a few moments. Just catching up and introducing yourselves. It felt nice to be surrounded by people your soon-to-be husband cared about, people that you cared about by association. That warm familiarity growing while you talked.

“Shouldn’t we head back to the hotel? The itinerary Mav sent us said something about lunch.” Payback said during a lull in the conversation.

“An itinerary? What-” Bradley started before Maverick interrupted him.

“Hangman’s flight won’t get in until 12:15 but if you want to head to the hotel that’s fine. I can come with you on the shuttle and then back here once you’re there?”

He continued to say more but Bradley leaned down to talk to you so you were focused on him. “He sent them an itinerary?” He whispered, getting a shoulder shrug in return. Maverick hadn’t said anything about the plans to you since your breakfast meeting in the diner.

“Oh can we head to the hotel? I’d like to get ready before we eat. Shower off all the airport and plane germs and change into real clothes.” Carmen said, tugging on her shirt. Her clothes looked nice to you, cute but definitely comfortable plane clothes, and you could understand why she didn’t want to wear them to lunch in Las Vegas.

“Alright.” Maverick said, pulling out his phone to check the time. “There’s a shuttle leaving in like 7 minutes at the end of the terminal. If we leave now I’ll make it back in time to meet the rest of the group before heading back.”

After he stopped talking Penny reached over to rest a hand on his forearm. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll head back with them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Need to make sure Amelia isn’t secretly raiding the mini bar or trashing the hotel room. I’m telling you getting her her own room is a recipe for disaster, I swear that girl never puts away her clothes. See you back at the hotel?”

After Payback and Carmen left with Penny you were left alone with the remaining aviators. They had trained together. Flown together. Braved death together.

And then there was you.

Bradley’s fiancée.

You stood there in silence for a moment before Maverick spoke up again. “We should probably head to Hangman’s gate. It’s not far but it’ll give us something to do in the next few minutes.”

Bradley took your hand in his, swinging your connected arms between your bodies while you slowly walked towards the gate. Maverick led the way and the rest of you followed in what you assumed to be pairs before Phoenix popped up next to you, scaring you just a little. She sure was stealthy.

“So you and Bradshaw have been dating for a while, huh? Got any dirt on him?”

Bradley hadn’t told you if his friends knew about your slightly unusual relationship but the way she said dating made you think that she knew. You didn’t care either way and her just casually saying it like this made it seem like she didn’t either.

“Because I have so many stories from our time at Top Gun.” She continued when you didn’t immediately respond.

“I’ll do you one better. I have albums filled with all his awkwards teenage photos.”

That made Bradley jump in and speak up. “She really doesn’t need to see those.”

“Oh yes, she does.” Phoenix fired back.

The two of them playfully glared at each other before you leaned over to her and loudly fake whispered. “I’ll send you copies once we’re home.”

That earned you a healthy hand squeeze but you just giggled. Oh yeah, you were going to get along great.

In the end you didn’t have to wait all that much longer. Phoenix and Bob were talking to Maverick about getting reassigned and flying together again while Bradley and you stood a little separate from the group, not talking, just standing there with his arm around you, watching the others. Occasionally he turned slightly, pressing a kiss against the top of your head before turning back.

The flight from Honolulu landed a full ten minutes early but you didn’t question it. Of all the people that would be coming to celebrate with you, Hangman was probably the one you knew the most about. Bradley had been complaining about him for a long, long time, yet you were still looking forward to meeting him.

“People are just starting to get out of the plane.” Phoenix said, a little loud so that Brad and you could hear her. “There’s still time for us to go and to leave him here.”

Bob muttered something in response but from where you were standing you couldn’t understand what he said.

“Good plan but I can already see him.”

It was easy to spot him in the mass of passengers. People didn’t part ways like they had for Phoenix but he just… stood out. Looking sunkissed and ready to rock and roll.

“Oh he’s hot.” You said, looking up at Bradley. “I can totally understand why you used to have a crush on him.”

“I didn’t-” He protested, weakly.

Giving him a little shoulder shrug you continued. “Hmmm. Sure. And I’m not thinking about leaving you at the altar and running away with him instead.”

Thankfully Bradley took your little joke lightly, quipping back. “Good luck with that. You’ll come back ten minutes later begging us to take him off your hands because he’s so annoying.”

You were just about to respond with a playful please, I could handle him for at least 20 when the man in question reached your little group making you keep quiet.

“Pops.” He nodded at Maverick, and you had to suppress a laugh at the look on his face. “Phoenix. Bob.”

“Hangman.” Was all Phoenix said back.

It was obvious that there was some kind of tension between all the aviators but it didn’t feel hostile. Maybe just leftover feelings from the mission?

“Rooster.” He finally said when he stood in front of your fiancé and you. “Mrs. Rooster.”

“Hangman.”

They just looked at each other, head tilted, mischievous look in their eyes, before they broke.

“It’s good to see you, man.”

“Good to see you, too. Wasn’t sure if you would come.”

“Can’t leave my wingman hanging now, can I? Besides, I come bearing gifts.” He gave the bag he was carrying over his shoulder two pats. “Now on the schedule pops sent it said something about lunch?”

It was a little weird, sitting at a table where almost everybody but you knew each other. At times it was hard to keep up with the conversation. Carmen seemed to have no such problem, talking and laughing with her husband and his WSO. Fanboy had met you all at one of the hotel’s restaurants with a bright smile and enthusiastically introduced himself. It was easy to get along with him, not even 5 minutes into the conversation you had discovered that you were both fans of the same shows so you spent a while talking about those before somebody else caught his attention and you were left sitting there, trying to listen to what everybody was talking about in the hopes of finding a conversation you could join. Beside you Bradley was recounting the story of your love to Phoenix and Bob, turning to you every so often and asking you for your opinion on things that happened but it was easy to get lost in everything happening around you.

Hangman was laughing with Payback and Carmen.

Fanboy seemed to be in deep conversation with Maverick and Penny.

Amelia was typing away on her phone.

Around you there were other patrons talking and laughing, the faint sound of people crying out in joy over casino wins flowing in from somewhere mixing in with the ambiance of the restaurant. Everything was so quintessentially Vegas. Part of you didn’t want to wait a few more hours. You just wanted to take Bradley and run away to the nearest chapel and get married. Something about the Las Vegas air made you want to be reckless and wild.

“So…” Hangman began after everybody was mostly done eating. Fanboy and Bob were savoring the last bites of their desert while Maverick had slipped from the table a few minutes ago and you just knew that the older man had gone to settle the bill. Another kindness you weren’t sure you’d ever repay him. “What’s the plan for the bachelor party? It didn’t say anything on Maverick’s schedule.”

It seemed like everybody at the table stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Bradley and you.

“You have something planned don’t you?”

Bradley just looked at them for a moment, his pretty eyes wide and his cheeks turning pink. “I- uhh. Not really, no.”

“Rooster, I love you man, but please don’t tell me we flew all the way to Vegas for no party.”

“I thought we’d do something after.” He said, gesturing around to support his words. “Go out and celebrate after the wedding, not before.”

“There’s still a few hours before the wedding. You can go have a bachelor party if you want. Just don’t go all Hangover on me, okay?”

Bradley was looking at you with his sad puppy eyes and you couldn’t help yourself from reaching out and running a hand through his short curls. They had grown a lot since he got home and part of you felt jealous that it grew fast enough for you to notice a difference after only a few weeks.

“Alright, since I’m the best man-”

“You’re not.”

“-I’m letting you decide where we’ll go first. Casino or strip club?”

As soon as those words left Hangman’s mouth the atmosphere at the table changed. Everybody was paying just a little bit more attention to what Bradley was going to say.

“I’m not going to a strip club. Why would you even suggest that? My girl is literally right here.” He gestured to you as if everybody’s eyes weren’t on you.

“It’s just a strip club, Bradley. Just go with your friends, look at some hot girls…” You gave his hair just a little tug before pulling your hand back so that you could hold his. “And then you come and marry me.”

Your little moment was broken up by Hangman’s voice again. “Alright. Now-”

“If the boys are going to a strip club I want to go too.” Carmen interrupted him, leaning back in her chair.

All the attention turned to her as you took a moment to think about what had been said so far. Sure, it was a little unconventional but how bad could it be? “I've never been to a strip club before. That could be fun.”

Maverick chose that moment to return to the table, pulling out his chair and sitting down, taking in the table. “What are you guys talking about?”

“We’re going to a strip club.” Fanboy chimed in.

You hadn’t known him for long but you wanted to take a picture of Maverick’s exasperated face and hang it over your fireplace or on the wall that housed all of Bradley and your family pictures. He was silent for some time, his face going through a journey of surprise, contemplation, settling on defeat in the end and letting out a deep sigh.

“I’m not going to a strip club with my… with Rooster.” He finally said.

“Oh come on pops.”

Maverick just shook his head a little. “Not really my thing. There are better ways to get a woman's attention than throwing money at them.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Extremely reckless and dangerous behavior, for one.” Penny answered for him. “But he is right. I don’t think we should tag along with you for that, as tempting as that sounds. Well just explore the area a little while you go out and have fun.”

“Alright, now that everything is cleared up,” Hangman reached down to grab the mysterious bag he had brought downstairs and placed under the table for lunch. “I brought a little something for everyone.”

Hawaiian shirts. Hangman had brought a whole bag of amazingly colorful and crazy Hawaiian shirts for everybody to wear. Although he didn’t say anything you saw the look in Bradley’s eyes as he looked over his friends rummaging through the shirts. There was nothing but unfiltered affection for his friends, for them joining you on this adventure, and proudly wearing something that means so much to him so that they could match.

“Dibs on the one with the dolphins!” Fanboy shouted, volume entirely unfitting for the middle of a restaurant but so immensely fitting for your little group.

You couldn’t wait.

As far as he remembered he had never been in a strip club before so maybe he should savor the experience but instead he found himself looking for the bar almost as soon as he stepped foot in the club.

Hangman had led them here, walking into the place with a purpose, and Rooster really didn’t need to know whether or not he had called ahead to reserve the velvety looking booth in front of what looked to be a side stage or if it was coincidentally conveniently empty and just waiting for them to walk in and claim it. He watched you walk towards it, arms interlocked with Fanboy, animatedly chatting about something. You were beautiful like this, joyful and carefree.

He was second to last to walk in, trying to stall just a little longer before entering with only Bob behind him. That didn’t prevent Hangman from noticing them taking a little longer to follow the rest of their group though. He moved over to where they stood just past the entrance with big strides, walking around them before putting an arm around each of their shoulders, walking them further into the club as if to make sure neither of them turned around and ran for the hills. An easy assumption. Probably a correct one.

“Come on guys. Party is this way.”

He let himself be moved along and just tried to take everything in. He was in Vegas. He was in a strip club. Hangman was wearing a pale pink Hawaiian shirt. He’d be married before the day was over. To you.

“Atta boy. Come on.” Something must have shown on his face because soon Hangman was releasing him from his hold with a pat on the back, instead focusing on Bob who was still on his other side.

“Don’t worry, Bobby boy.” He gave him a hard pat on the back, jostling the younger man’s shoulder. “I checked everything online before coming here. The dancers don’t take off their tops here so your innocence will be preserved.”

With that he turned his back to them, following the rest of the group towards the booth and leaving them standing there on their own. Rooster watched as he squeezed into the space between you and Phoenix, leaning back against the velvet cushions. You were laughing along with the others, cheering on Payback’s wife as she made it rain on a blonde girl on the stage. You were having fun so why shouldn’t he try to have some too.

“Bar?” Bob suggested, and Rooster knew it was more for his sake than the WSO’s but he found himself nodding along regardless.

"Yes, please."

The bar wasn’t far from where they stood so they walked over, settling on one of the stools in front of it with Bob sliding into the seat next to him, close enough that their elbows knocked into each other as they talked. “Don’t tell Hangman but this isn’t my first time in a strip club.” That wasn’t at all what Rooster was expecting him to say. He knew Bob was more than just an innocent library dweller if the snarky remarks he was allowed to witness and the stories from his family’s ranch were anything to go by but he wouldn’t have pictured him as the kind of guy to go to clubs like these.

“Really?” He said and hoped that it wouldn’t come across as too judgemental. Him and Bob didn’t talk a lot outside of the group chat but Rooster liked him. He was a very likable guy.

A bartender came to take their order, temporarily interrupting their conversation. He hadn’t even thought about what he would like so he just took a quick glance at their menu while Bob ordered a simple Coke, as a treat, and then ordered a fruity little cocktail for himself based on its ridiculous name. Hangman was definitely going to tease him but that didn’t matter. It was his bachelor party, damnit. He could drink whatever he wanted.

“My ex-girlfriend from high school is a dancer.” Whatever he had been expecting it wasn’t that. “A year ago when my cousin got married he wanted to do this big bachelor weekend so we drove down to Cheyenne because let's be honest there’s nothing to do in our town except get drunk in a field. I drove because I’m the only one that didn’t drink so they dragged me along when they wanted to go to a club. Found out she was working there because she was dancing on stage when we walked in.”

The last place he’d stare at in a strip club was Bob yet here Rooster was, eyes glued to the younger man’s face so he wouldn’t miss any little detail of the story being told.

“I grew up in a small community so obviously they recognized her and next thing I knew they had pooled together 400 bucks so they could pay her to give me a lap dance.” Bob said, breaking off into a small laugh before taking a sip of his drink.

The pause in the story was just long enough for him to contribute at least a little bit. “Wasn’t that awkward?”

“Not really. We sat in one of those backrooms for hours and just talked. She and her girlfriend have two really cute cats. And you want to know the best part?”

He nodded, the straw in his drink bumping against his lips with the motion.

“My cousin and his friends got so drunk that they forgot all about it and did it again the next day.”

He couldn’t hold in his laugh after that. Bob joining in. It took a while for the two of them to calm down but when they did it was to nothing but comfortable silence. Another song started to play in the club but when he looked it was still the same blonde on the stage. A different woman was putting down drinks on the table in front of the booth their friends were sitting in. She shook her chest playfully as she leaned forward and then laughed when Fanboy put a bill into her cleavage.

“Want to go join the others?” He asked, already sliding down from his perch.

“Why not.” Bob answered and then they made their way over to the group.

He wasn’t quite sure how he ended up sitting almost entirely in your lap with your arms wrapped around his waist but he wouldn’t complain. A new girl was dancing on the stage but all Rooster could focus on was the warmth of your body and the coolness of his drink.

He tried to make himself smaller, pull in his long legs so that Phoenix could squeeze past on the way to the bathroom and fit himself into your lap better until you could put your chin over his shoulder.

Rooster didn’t quite know how long they had been sitting there, a few songs and a second round of drinks at least. At one point you had switched positions and he sat reclined against the velvety backrest with you perched on his lap, nodding his head along to the beat of the music.

Nothing good could last forever though and you soon stood up, slipping from your comfortable throne and standing before him. “I’m going to head back to the hotel, okay?”

He wanted to ask why but he could probably guess. Something about the way that he looked at you must have conveyed his thoughts though because you leaned forward, cupping his face with both of your hands.

“I have to go get ready, Bradley. So that I can be pretty for our wedding.”

“You’re already the prettiest.”

That earned him a little laugh and a kiss. “Stop trying to be cute.”

“I’ll walk you back to the hotel.” He said, making moves to get up. Rooster wasn’t scared you’d run away, leave him on your wedding day, but he was worried of you making your way back to the hotel on your own.

“I already texted Maverick and he’s picking me up so you can stay here, have some more fun.” You ran your fingers through his hair and he wanted to stay right here forever, looking up at you while you touched him oh so gently. “I’ll see you later?”

You said it nonchalantly but he knew that you were feeling the same kind of underlying anxiety viciously clawing at your heart that he felt. That tiny little leftover doubt not that he would decide to desert you but that something would happen and you’d be alone again. It was the reason you had called Mav to pick you up. It was the reason you had told him about it. An unspoken I’ll stay safe please stay safe too hanging between them.

“I’ll see you later.” He said with as much certainty he could muster.

You smiled at him again and he knew that you understood each other.

Rooster watched as you walked towards the exit, vaguely recognizing Carmen talking to her husband before getting up and hurrying after you but he was still only focused on your retreating form.

Yeah. He’d be seeing you later.

Now this –Rooster thought– this is Las Vegas. In front of them rows and rows of slot machines stood, flashing bright lights in all the colors of the rainbow. Further back he could make out several tables crowded with people but the casino was kept so dark he couldn’t make out the other end of the room. An older man at a machine close to them won something and the loud noises of rattling coins and music filled the space around them.

“Alright.” The others turned to him as he spoke. “We’ll meet up back here in an hour. Don’t be late.”

They got maybe two steps in before he remembered something. “We’re doing a buddy system. Everyone picks a wingman and sticks with them. Friends don’t let friends develop gambling addiction, alright?”

Maybe, just maybe, he should have thought about his words before speaking. Payback and Fanboy put an arm around each other's shoulders, grinning from ear to ear as they walked towards the tables in the far back corner with long strides. It wasn’t until Phoenix reached out to take Bob’s hand and lead them towards some stairs leading to more tables that he realized his mistake. He was stuck with Hangman.

The excited blond threw an arm around his shoulder just like Payback and Fanboy had done moments ago. “Come on, wingman. Let’s win some!”

Great.

Even though he and Hangman had more or less changed out their antagonistic rivalry for an amicable competitiveness following the latter saving his and Maverick’s lives they had yet to spend time together without any of the other daggers supervising them, as Phoenix liked to call it. Rooster wasn’t sure what to expect from the —he checked his phone— 58 minutes they’d be stuck together but the least he could do is try his best. They were friends now. They could spend an hour together without things escalating.

“You any good at poker?” He tried, immediately seeing the other man’s eyes light up.

“Oh you’re on, Bradshaw.”

Hangman was, admittedly, good at poker. They left the table after one round though, wanting to look around a little more. He had more luck than the younger man at roulette but they both sucked equally at the slot machines. It was fun to just fool around a little. Even after he had run out of chips they continued to walk the floor. He felt no desire to run and exchange more money, content with the small amount he had allocated for this being used up.

“Hey.” He tapped on Hangman’s shoulder to get his attention. “I have to head to the bathroom real quick. You okay waiting here for a moment?”

“Just don’t forget that we’re supposed to meet up again soon.” He nodded so Rooster excused himself.

The last person he had expected to run into when exiting the bathroom of the casino was Phoenix. Her hair looked messier than an hour ago but Rooster wouldn’t have thought any of it –maybe she had gotten frustrated about a game and ran her hands through it, messing it up– had it not been for a familiar looking woman stepped out right after her and the poorly hidden hickey at the base of her neck.

“Please tell me you didn’t just hook up with a stripper in the casino bathroom.”

“Okay. I won’t tell you that.”

Sighing he hid his face in his hands. “Nat...” He started, before thinking better. “Actually nevermind, I don’t want to know.”

He started to walk back to where he left Hangman, wanting to give Phoenix a little more time to collect herself before the group met back up, but she caught up to him so he slowed down a little for her to keep pace.

“We just made out a little.”

Silently he raised his hand, not breaking his stride or turning his head to look at her but she understood regardless. Her smaller fist connected with his and he smiled. Nice.

“Hangman!” He called out as soon as he could see the blond standing at the side of some table near where he left him. Some other people turned around too but then went back to ignoring the three weirdos in Hawaiian shirts. “Guess who left her wingman?”

Rooster didn’t tell him the reason, wouldn’t tell him the reason, but deep down Phoenix would know and accept that he needed to tease her for this just a little, even if it earned him a pointy elbow to the side of his ribcage.

“Phoenix leaving her wingman? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Yeah well keep talking and you won’t see the night.”

They just stood there, glaring at each other before a familiar cocky smile made its way onto Hangman’s face. “You think he can find the way here on his own or do we need to send out a search party?”

“Send out a search party for who?” Fanboy asked from behind him, making Rooster jump just a little bit. He hadn’t heard the two men walk up.

“Bob.” Hangman answered, a little bit too smug. “Phoenix left her wingman.”

“Ooooo.” Fanboy cheered, his joyful expression noticeably different from Payback’s gloomy look. “Maybe we can go and ask an employee to shout him out over the intercom. Tell him to meet us at the front desk, you know, like they do with little kids that get lost in stores.”

He could see the glee on Hangman’s face so he quickly stepped in. “Or we can just wait a little longer and see if he shows up?”

“Wait for whom?”

This time Rooster didn’t jump, secretly feeling good about the small win. How had all his friends managed to get so good at sneaking up on people? Bob didn’t look like he just lost his entire life savings during the time Phoenix reconnected with the dancer from the club in the casino bathroom though, so he counted that as a win.

Beside him he could see Hangman getting ready to say something again so he quickly jumped in, saying something first before the other man could make a comment about the situation again. “You guys ready to head back to the hotel?”

“Might as well.” Payback answered, looking down at his shoes before looking at him. “Your wedding better be a fantastic one because it’ll be the last thing I see before Carmen kills me.”

“Why would…”

“I bet our entire vacation found on the last game and lost, okay? That’s why. I’m dead, man.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the aviators. The pattern of the casino carpet was kinda funky, Rooster noticed. Beside him Phoenix shifted on her feet. Nobody really knew how to respond until Bob spoke up.

“How much did you lose?”

“Nearly 7k.” Payback answered.

Fanboy winced as if he hadn’t watched his pilot lose everything at the table just shortly before. This was exactly the reason why Rooster wanted them to stick together instead of wandering off alone yet here they were.

They stood silent again, not speaking, watching as Bob shoved his hand down the front pocket of his jeans. His face looked almost cute, the tip of his tongue sticking out just a tiny bit between his lips as he rummaged through the pocket. It only took a few seconds before his hand resurfaced, a whole bunch of colorful casino chips gripped in his fist. Another few seconds to flatten his palm and dig through the small pile. Finally he found what he was looking for, holding out a few of the chips for Payback to take.

“Here. You can have those.”

“Thanks Bob, that's really sweet, that's… that’s 7 thousand dollars worth of chips.”

At that everybody’s eyes got wide, staring at the quiet WSO and the amount of chips left in his hand.

“Yeah.”

Nobody said anything for a moment but just as Rooster saw Hangman open his mouth to comment on the situation Payback let out a joyful whoop, grabbing the shorter man and pressing a soundly smooch against Bob’s cheek. “You’re amazing, man.” Turning back to the group he motioned for them to get a move on. “Come on, what are you guys waiting for? Let's get back to the hotel. We have a wedding to get ready for!”

The knock on his door came after he had almost finished getting ready. There was still a good amount of time left before they had to head out to the little chapel so he tried to go through the motions slowly and not rush. For some reason you had decided to not see each other before the wedding and it was killing him. It felt like you were miles and miles away even though Rooster knew realistically you were only a few doors down from him.

He also knew you wouldn’t give him the sweet satisfaction of freeing him from his torture by knocking on his door to see him before the altar but that was okay. He waited 15 years before he allowed himself to have you. He could wait a few minutes more until he would have you for the rest of his life.

Taking a few seconds to put on a shirt he made his way over to the door, being conscious of the fact that maybe he should have put on some pants as well but not enough to look for one just to open the door.

“What are you gonna be wearing?” Was the first thing Hangman said, before he had even passed the threshold of the hotel room. He was dressed in a light blue dress shirt and fucking khaki pants and with a jolt Rooster realized that he would be dressed fancier than him at his own wedding. Judging by his face Hangman must have seen his carefully laid out jeans and come to the same conclusion. It wasn’t even a fresh pair, he had worn it to dinner at Penny’s house while they were in San Diego and then just carefully put it back into his duffel bag because they were virtually untouched. They were also the best available option he had packed for what was originally a short trip to ask his godfather to be a witness and then ended up as an overplanned elopement.

“You’re wearing jeans?”

“Yup.” He didn’t explain himself further.

Apparently that was enough of an answer for Hangman because the younger man just shrugged. “Makes sense.” He said as if Rooster getting married in jeans was the most normal thing in the world. “Hawaiian shirt?”

“Yeah.”

He hadn’t decided which one he would wear yet. There were two options hung up in the closet at the other side of the room but Rooster hadn’t been able to decide yet. He wouldn’t ask Hangman for help deciding though. He’d wait until Mav came by later and ask him then.

“Great. I have something for you.” He held out another bag like the one he had brought to lunch that had all of the colorful Hawaiian shirts but when he looked into the bag Rooster wasn’t overwhelmed by a brightly patterned rainbow of fabric. Instead he pulled out a more muted shirt, soft and off white in the way it could almost be cream but without the harsh yellow undertone some of his other shirts had. The pattern wasn’t delicate by any means, big red hibiscus flowers and smaller yellow ones stretched across the fabric, but to him it felt precious. He didn’t know what was different about this shirt, he had a similar patterned one hanging in his closet at home, but it just felt special.

“What?”

“You’re a pretty predictable guy, Rooster.” His usual cocky smirk adorned his face as he raised his chin a little higher. He was as arrogant as ever but for the first time Rooster found himself admitting that maybe that was part of his charm.

“There’s care instructions in the bag. And you better spring for dry cleaning on that one, a shirt like that deserves special attention.”

“This isn’t just one of those cheap tourist shirts, is it?” He’d blame the impending wedding for the emotion in his voice but thankfully Hangman didn’t call him out on it.

Maybe it was because he sounded similar when he responded. “Nope. Small kānaka owned business, handmade, one of a kind.”

That was not what he expected. He thought that maybe Hangman had popped into a slightly better shop on his way to the airport–where he had bulk bought the entire inventory of the first souvenir shop in sight–not that he went out of his way, really went out of his way, to find a meaningful gift for somebody he was taunting not even two months back. This side of Hangman surprised him but he found himself looking forward to the future of their friendship.

“Thank you, Jake.”

“Don’t mention it.” He stood up a little straighter, rolling his shoulders back until his posture looked annoyingly perfect again. “Couldn’t let you walk down the aisle in one of those hideous shirts of yours.”

And Hangman was back.

“I’ll uhh I’ll leave you to it.”

Hangman hadn’t been out of the room for a minute before there was another knock on the door. Mav and him must have run into each other in the hallway but the older man didn’t mention anything as he made his way into the room.

Mav looked at him, looked out of the window, looked at him again.

“You getting ready?”

“Yeah. Just have to get dressed.”

The silence that fell over the room wasn’t uncomfortable. It simply existed. He went through the motions of straightening out the shirt that Hangman had given him, carefully placing it next to the jeans he had laid out across the bed.

He knew why Maverick was here. He also knew why he didn’t start the conversation he wanted to have. Rooster didn’t necessarily want to have the conversation either but he knew that they both needed it.

“Are the girls getting ready?” He asked instead, internally cringing at the fact that he has inadvertently called a woman old enough to be his mother a girl in an attempt to lighten the mood. Then again his mother would have loved it.

Judging by the way Mav exhaled and his stance relaxed that must have been the right thing to say. “They’re all dressed up already. When I checked in on them Penny was helping your girl curl her hair and Amelia was on her phone.”

He let out a noise that might have been a sigh but could have also been just a general old person noise. Rooster watched as he walked to one of the chairs arranged in one corner of the room in a little seating area, elbows immediately coming up to rest on his knees, holding up his head in crucial support.

“Mav.”

The older man wouldn’t bring it up on his own. Hell, he still had to visibly fight with himself to talk about the topic, to remember, but he knew what was coming and Rooster granted him a few more seconds to prepare himself.

“Do you think they would have liked this?”

There it was again, that lost look Mav got when he didn’t quite know what to say.

“I know they’re proud of me. I know they would love her. I know they would be here and smile and cry and support us but do you think they would have liked this? Vegas? I’m going to get married in fucking jeans, Mav. Jeans! There’s no way this is the wedding they would have envisioned for me.”

Rooster didn’t even notice that he had gotten up until he felt Maverick’s hand on his shoulder.

“They would have loved it.” He said, and Rooster didn’t dare question his truthfulness. “Maybe not the jeans part but I’m not going to take you shopping 30 minutes before your wedding, Bradley.”

He didn’t look at him with pity, but for Rooster that look of commiseration hit just as hard.

“You’ve thought about it a lot.”

It wasn’t a question.

“After mom.” He pretended he couldn’t feel Mav tense up. “I… I knew that there would be a lot of things they couldn’t be there for. It wasn’t easy and it took a long time. It’s…it’s barely even reluctant acceptance but it’s something. Usually I can tell myself that they’re up there, watching over me, and it helps because I know that they’ll love me no matter what.”

The unspoken ‘but’ hung heavy in the air between them.

Rooster really hoped that Maverick wouldn't ask him to elaborate but when he looked up and saw his godfather looking at him he couldn’t help but let it all pour out.

“I’m never sure if they like how I turned out, the choices I made. Mom never really talked about things like that and dad…” He trailed off a little but quickly took a deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t even know dad long enough to get to know him. And no matter how much I tried to model my life after him I’ll never be sure if I’m living a life they’d like. When we…” He paused again, staring at the floor, almost begging it to open up and swallow him whole. Anything to stop himself from speaking. “After we stopped talking it felt like I lost my last connection to him, to them. Before I could always rely on the fact that you were there to guide me–taking care of me like they would have wanted–but then that suddenly stopped. Everything I’ve ever wanted in life was suddenly ripped away from me and it just felt like I had lost a third parent on top of that. I don’t need to know if they’re proud of me or if they love me. I just need to know if they’d like me. I don’t even know if you like me.”

He didn’t know if the wedding had anything to do with him snapping like this, exposing the most vulnerable parts of himself to a man he didn’t trust a few short weeks ago. Sure he had heard about weddings making people lose their minds but he had been fine every step of the way until now. A breakdown right before one of the most important events of his life was nothing but an inconvenience. A horribly annoying inconvenience.

He was still looking at the floor, not daring to look up at the older man. He needed the reassurance, craved it almost, but he knew if he looked up and saw that sorrowful look in Maverick’s eyes…

“They’d like you.”

He said it so quietly that for a second Rooster thought he had imagined it.

“They would like you, kid.” Mav repeated. “Your dad would be jealous that you can grow a better mustache than him and your mother would kill me for letting you join the Navy but they would… they would absolutely like you. All your parents ever wanted was for you to be happy and I admit that I haven’t been around so I can’t know how you have been all these years but when I look at you looking at her… You look so happy, Bradley.”

A hand landed on his shoulder and he knew he couldn’t avoid looking at the older man anymore.

Rooster allowed himself two more breaths before he looked up. Mav had that look in his eyes again but it didn’t sting as hard as he thought it would.

“Go wash your face, kid.” Was all he said, giving his shoulder a light squeeze before turning away, eyes locking in on the carefully laid out clothes on the bed. “You should finish getting ready too. We should leave in the next 20 minutes if you don’t want to leave your bride waiting at the altar.”

Rooster hadn’t planned on spending much longer in the bathroom. After all, he already spent a significant amount of time in there before Hangman had interrupted him, getting ready and attempting to tame the growing curls you adored so much but now as he looked at himself in the mirror it felt like all the time had gone to waste. He didn’t look wedding ready. He’d barely dare to go back out into the room the way he was looking.

Going through the motions a little more hurried than he did the first time he scrubbed his face with one of the soft towels the hotel provided and water cold enough to shock him back into reality. It took less time to fix his hair and even less to fix his mustache. None of the other aviators could ever find out about the tiny comb he kept around for emergencies like this but at times it really was a lifesaver.

When he came back out Mav was still hovering in the room. He justified it to himself by reasoning that the older man was simply there to make sure he’d make it to the chapel on time. It wasn’t until after he had already put on his jeans and was reaching for the shirt that he noticed the addition on the bed. Metal caught rays of sun from the window, shining between the folds of the sheets and the folds of the shirt. He recognized what it was but that didn’t help clear up his confusion. Rooster’s hand came up, touching the base of his neck to make sure he was still wearing his dog tags. They weren’t new, that much was obvious. The metal was worn but clearly taken care of.

Rooster hadn’t placed it there but it didn’t take a genius to figure out who did. Mav was busy looking out of the window again, trying his hardest to avoid any attention falling on him.

He picked up the dog tags by the chain, listening to the metal touch ever so slightly while being lifted in the air until he could use his other hand to hold the tags in the palm of his hand.

Looking down at the small metal tags, the letters stared back at him.

B R A D S H A W

He ran his thumb over the name–the name they shared–feeling the letters under his skin.

Front to back.

Back to front.

Front to back again.

The metal wasn’t cold to the touch and part of him just knew that Mav had spent a while turning them over in his hand just like he was doing now.

Without saying anything he slipped the chain over his head, carefully tugging his father’s dog tags into his undershirt alongside his own.

It wasn’t until he had put on the shirt Hangman had gifted him and nearly buttoned it to the top that Mav spoke again.

“Your mom kept them.”

A simple statement, nothing anybody would question, yet he felt like there was more to it. Only feeling validated when the older man continued.

“I didn’t even know they gave them to her after… They gave me a pair too and I always thought those were the only ones, the ones he was wearing when… I threw them into the ocean after the MiG encounter and it felt good for a second, letting go of the guilt, but then I came back home and he didn’t. And I got to see you grow up but he didn’t. And I couldn’t even give you his dog tags to remember him by. Carole… your mom gave them to me when we started working on your pilots license—told me to keep you safe and give them to you when you’re ready. I’m sorry I didn’t give them to you earlier, kid.”

He had that look on his face again and Rooster could feel the telltale heat of anger-shame-sadness welling up inside of him.

“Truth is you’ve always been ready. It was me who wasn’t.”

Swallowing the past he stepped closer to the shorter man, pulling him in with both arms and hiding his head in his shoulder like he had done on the carrier after the mission, like he had done a million times as a child. Forgiveness was a bitter meal but one he had to eat. If not to grow then at least as a way to not starve to death on resentment.

He stepped away, fixed the last remaining button on his shirt, and then nodded towards the door.

“Let’s go.”

The little chapel your wedding would be held in was everything you could wish for and more. It was painted a bright white and decorated with every cheesy, cliché, remotely-related-to-love item. Heart motifs and intricate, almost over the top, details adorned everything from the ground to the fencing to the top of the small steeple yet it didn’t feel overwhelming to look at. A sign proudly advertised “Sweetheart Chapel” in large bubblegum pink letters next to a pair of ring-carrying-doves.

It was absolutely perfect.

You could see at least five more chapels just on your side of the street but this one was special and not just because it would become your chapel. It simply felt right. You didn’t know if it was something about the way the setting desert sun tinted everything golden or if it was some kind of weird Vegas magic but something in your heart just told you that this was far from the rushed elopement some random people would view it as. This was exactly how it was meant to be.

“There’s still time to run away.” Phoenix looked gorgeous in her glittery dress and you felt glad that you managed to convince her to wear it. When she had shown up to Penny’s room with wild eyes while the older woman was helping you fix your hair you had feared the worst. All kinds of disasters came to your mind, from the guys being arrested to your Bradley getting lost and nobody being able to find him Hangover style. In actuality she was just worried about her dress, afraid of accidentally upstaging you at your own wedding and validating every bad stereotype about men’s female best friends. It was true that she looked absolutely stunning but you didn’t mind. You could both shine–her a little more, literally, with the way she was reflecting the lights–without any issues arising.

“I don’t think I can run in these heels but if you know how to hotwire a car we can get a maybe 20 minute head start before they’ll notice we’re missing.” You joke back.

The little smirk she gives you tells you exactly two things–there is a great possibility that she actually knows how to steal cars and that if you needed to leave for any reason she’d have your back, despite her loyalties to Bradley.

“Is everybody inside yet?”

“I texted Bob while you were looking at the sign.” Phoenix said. “He said they’re all set up and ready to go. According to him Elvis looks just a tiny bit tacky but not in a bad way and Rooster looks like he might pass out so we should head in and end his suffering.” Taking a deep breath you took one last look around before walking towards the church you managed to walk exactly four steps until you stopped, coming to a horrible realization. “I forgot to borrow something.”

The look she gave you made your cheeks heat up but you explained away anyways. “I have something old and something new. Even something blue. But I forgot to borrow something. I was going to ask Penny for something while we were getting ready but I completely forgot about it and now she’s already inside and I can’t ask her and-”

“Here.” She interrupted your little freak out, hands coming up and to the back of her neck to undo a delicate chain that was previously tucked under her dress. “Just be careful please. My abuela gave it to me after I told my family I wanted to become a pilot.”

The chain was simple but the three medals on it were intricate. “It’s beautiful.”

“St. Thérèse, St. Joseph of Cupertino, and Our Lady of Loreto. They’re the patron saints of aviators.”

“Thank you Natasha. I promise to take good care of it and give it back to you right after.” It was easy to pull her into a hug, her dress scratchy against your skin but a sweet and gentle gesture nonetheless.

“You have everything else?”

“Old.” You said, gesturing towards your hand where your engagement ring sat on the ring finger. “New.” This time you gave the fabric of your dress a tug.

“And something blue?” Phoenix asked, looking you up and down.

For all she knew you could have painted your toenails navy blue or hidden a tiny blue object in your dress but something about the way you looked, the way your cheeks were heating up again, must have silently exposed your truth to her.

“Oookay, I don’t even want to know. Let’s go. Wedding time. Come on.” She thankfully brushed it off.

Just because the two of you were at the beginning of a beautiful, beautiful friendship didn’t mean you had to share details about the royal blue surprise you were wearing underneath your dress.

The chapel was roomier than the outside suggested, leaving you enough space to duck into a corner where Maverick was already waiting while Phoenix slipped into the room where the rest of your group was waiting for you to make your grand entrance.

“Ready?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He attempted to joke back, but you could tell he was nervous.

While you didn’t know the full story of Bradley’s family and how it broke apart you knew enough to see how the wedding was affecting the older man. The pictures of him at the Bradley’s parents’ wedding hung among many other memories on the family wall at your and Bradley’s house. You couldn’t imagine what it must feel like for him. Seeing his best friend—his brother—get married, tragically lose him, then being there for Bradley and his mom until they’re ripped away from him too, only for him to be here at your wedding.

As much as you wanted to help Maverick—your own nerves temporarily forgotten at the sight of the man—you felt just a little lost, unsure on how to help.

“I’m good. Weddings just make me emotional.” He was quick to deflect, speaking up before you could ask him what was on his mind. “Ready?”

You were more than ready, longing to see Bradley after only such a short time apart. Usually you were able to keep your yearning under control, going months without seeing him, sometimes just as long without speaking to him or any contact at all. Loving Bradley from a distance was manageable but with him being so close you could hardly control yourself. All that was separating you now were a door and a few short steps.

Taking the arm Maverick offered, the two of you got in position in front of the door, ready to walk towards your forever.

“Thank you.”

For what you were thanking him you weren’t quite sure. Everything. Being there for Bradley in the past. Being there for Bradley and you now. Maybe even causing the rift between them that ultimately led to you two meating. It felt a little wrong but you didn’t know how else to say it.

Maverick looked at you but your gaze didn’t waver from the white painted wood in front of you. Soft piano music started to play as the doors opened, all eyes turning to you as you stepped into the room.

Somebody from the chapel must have closed the doors behind you because there was a soft clicking noise but you didn't pay it any mind. You didn’t look back. Only forward. Only towards Bradley.

You slowly began walking down the short aisle while Elvis sang about love. His smooth voice blended into the background as you walked through the empty rows of pews, closer and closer to your love one step at a time.

Bradley looked so beautiful. His dark eyes shimmered in the warm light of two crystal chandeliers framing the end of the aisle. Big bouquets of flowers behind him. An Elvis in a glittery costume—the same bubblegum pink like the sign in front of the chapel—stood beside him, watching as you walked towards them.

Of course he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. You wouldn’t have expected anything less from him. A beautiful one too. One you hadn’t seen before. The thought of him going out and getting a new shirt for today made you feel all warm inside.

His head moved slightly as he looked you up and down. It was as if his eyes alone weren’t enough to take you in—his whole head had to move just so that he could properly look at you.

The dress hadn’t been planned at all. You had brought a few normal outfits with you on your trip to San Diego and at first you had planned on just wearing one of them today. It was Penny that had asked you about your plans during the dinner at her place and it was Penny that took you and Amelia out the next day while Bradley and Maverick were occupied with getting greasy working on the latter’s bike and catching up some more.

You’d never been a confrontational person and had let yourself be whisked away to a day of pre-wedding pampering, getting your mani-pedi and window shopping on your way back. The dress—your wedding dress—hung in one of the shops you passed. It wasn’t marketed as a wedding dress, it was probably meant for other occasions like a birthday or dressing up to go to a club, but something about it made you stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Amelia had bumped into you because of your abrupt stop but after she followed your view and saw what you were looking at she understood why you stopped. It was only because she called her mother over and all but dragged you into the store that you ended up buying the dress.

It was perfect.

Slides long but sheer. Bodice hugging your curves but the skirt flowing. It was a little on the shorter side but the way Bradley was eyeing your legs as you made your way down the aisle just showed you that he didn’t mind one bit.

You vaguely recognized your friends standing in their pews, watching you walk closer, but all you could focus on was him. Bradley shifted the way he was standing a bit –unable to stay still– and it took you a lot of willpower to not abandon Mav and sprint to the front to be near him again.

Beside you Maverick was starting to breath noticeably differently and when you glanced over it looked like he was tearing up. He wasn’t crying but you could see the tears welling up in his eyes, coming dangerously close to running down his face.

“Penny has tissues in her purse,” you whispered, still facing Bradley and the bubblegum Elvis in front of you.

Emotions would be running high and she liked to be prepared –at least that’s what she told you as you watched her stuff several packs into her small purse, putting Mary Poppins to shame– just in case they’d be flowing over.

“Got some in my pocket,” he whispered back. “Knew this was going to happen.”

“Smart.”

Maverick didn’t respond for the next step, or the one after. Finally –once reached the end of the aisle– he turned to look at you.

“Take care of him?”

You didn’t know if it was a plea or a request but you made a promise to him nonetheless. “I will.”

One more step and you had reached the end of the aisle, standing in front of Bradley and the officiant. He took a step towards you, wrapping Mav into a quick hug. The older man hugged him back, echoing his words from before except this time they sounded more like an order. “Take care of her.”

Bradley nodded against his shoulder before they separated and Mav stepped back to join your other guests and sat down in the front row, leaving you and Bradley standing at the altar. Without having to be prompted he reached out to take your hands in his, his thumb caressing the engagement ring on your finger the second it was within reach.

It was so easy to get lost in his warm eyes. You were certain that the music changed or maybe even stopped at some point but it didn’t register to you. Only a few more minutes and you would call this wonderful man yours for all eternity. No take backs.

Bradley gave you one last smile –the kind of soft, closed mouthed smile that made the ends of his mustache dance over his full lips and made you wish you were allowed to kiss him this very second– before the fake Elvis began your ceremony with a wonderfully loud “Ladies and Gentleman.”

The second the pink Elvis announced the two of you husband and wife Rooster dipped you so deep he worried about falling over with you in his arms for just a moment before his lips landed on yours and it was all he could think about.

His friends hollered and whooped, loud enough that he was sure it could be heard from outside. Bradley brought you back up until you were standing up again before turning to face them all.

He was pretty sure Mav had cried just a little bit but he’d been subtle about it. Hangman hadn’t. Phoenix looked at him like he lost his mind and Bob tried to reach around her to pat him on the back to comfort him.

“Weddings just make me emotional.” He said, trying to wipe his eyes.

Congratulations flooded them from all sides, long enough that the chapel attendants had to come in and shoo them out to make room for the next lucky couple.

They stumbled out of the chapel in a big bundle, playfully shoving each other while talking about the ceremony. He was careful to shield you so that you wouldn’t get knocked around by his enthusiastic friends. Payback was ribbing Fanboy for failing both his tasks as unofficial official ring bearer –take exactly two steps (he had stumbled) and hand over the rings (he dropped them during his stumble)– while Amelia made comments about the suit print shirt he decided to wear but Fanboy was taking it with humor. That wasn’t what he was focusing on while their little group was standing in front of the building.

While he had vaguely noticed that Bob had brought a hat with him to the chapel he didn’t think about it until they got outside and the other man moved to put it on. Bob had clearly dressed up as well but Bradley didn’t feel the same emotions as he did when he saw Hangman’s get up. Still the hat confused him. “What’s up with the hat?”

“Oh. It’s my formal hat.” He could see Bob’s face heat up beneath the wide brim of his hat –a proper cowboy hat– and the frames of his glasses. He was still wearing his Navy issued ones, even though Rooster was pretty sure he was free to wear any style he wanted while on leave. “My mom packed it for me before I left.”

There was a second of silence during which Bob’s embarrassed blush deepened before Hangman chimed in. “You should’ve said something man, I would have brought my Stetson.”

People talked all over each other in response to that and he was pretty sure he heard Carmen say something about a cowboy hat rule but he turned his back to them in an attempt to drown them out for just a moment. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by his friends and family –ridiculous suit print t-shirts and cowboy hats and all– but part of him just wanted to take you and run away.

To spend time with you alone as husband and wife in the most innocent ways possible. And maybe also the not so innocent ways. The way you looked would be burned into his mind forever but just because he could never forget the way you looked right now –looked at him right now– didn’t mean he shouldn’t whisk you away and make sure that there was evidence of tonight.

While he never took up photography to the extent his father did, Rooster did have a soft spot for physical pictures. He would bring you to the Bellagio, put you right there in front of the lake, then take your pictures right as the fountains went off. He wouldn’t get the chance right now though because as if Hangman could read his mind he broke free from the mass of aviators and pointed at them accusatory.

“No. I know what you’re thinking and you’re not sneaking away from the celebration so that you two can fuck.”

It was a little crude but it made you laugh in Rooster’s arms so he bit back an equally cutting response.

“Hangman!” Phoenix scolded him instead. “There are children present.”

She meant Amelia –who stood grinning wildly, leaning against her mother with wobbly legs because she insisted on wearing heels despite being inexperienced in walking with them– but the other man took the chance to tease Bob again.

“Sorry Bobby. I meant you can’t sneak away from the party to consummate your wedding. That better?” He turned to look at Phoenix when he said the last part but she just rolled her eyes.

“We weren’t plan–”

“I did.” You smirked up at him with a smile that told him everything he needed to know about what you had planned for him.

“You know what? Maybe we could–”

“Celebrate?” This time it was Payback that interrupted him. “Good plan.”

He was about to protest again when Mav stepped into the middle of their little huddle. “You should go and celebrate, just don’t go too crazy, you hear me? Get a few drinks, make some memories, enjoy your night in Vegas, okay?”

When he gave in and nodded Mav grinned at him so he probably made the right decision. A few hours couldn’t hurt. He’d just steal you away once the others were distracted.

“You coming with us, pops?” Hangman asked but Mav just shook his head.

Rooster already knew that he wouldn’t be joining them. He didn’t know what exactly Mav had planned, or what kind of show he would take Penny and Amelia to, but he knew that they’d hear all about it tomorrow at lunch. He made a little mental note to put out painkillers and something to drink before going to bed later, fully aware that he had reached an age where excess drinking and early plans the next day did not mix well.

By the time he tuned back in to the conversation going on around him Penny was in the process of pulling a pair of flats out of her remarkably small purse. You were leaning against him so he wrapped an arm across your shoulder to pull you closer to his body. Beside you Fanboy and Carmen were trying to talk you into booking a party limousine and although they weren’t coming up with the most convincing arguments a part of him just wanted to go wild and live up to every single bad Vegas tourist stereotype.

“Alright.” Rooster raised his voice a little to catch everybody’s attention. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. You” –he pointed at Carmen and Fanboy– “get us one of those limos, you” –he gestured from Mav to Penny and Amelia and back again– “go enjoy your show, and you” –Hangman looked just the tiniest bit offended at being pointed at– “undo at least the two top buttons and untuck your shirt. You look like you’re taking your grandma to church, not living it up in Vegas.”

The other man just smirked as he untucked his shirt and then moved to undo a button, then the next one, then another. Beside him you started to holler but even the glare he sent Hangman from moving on and opening a fourth button.

“Okay alright you made your point.”

Thankfully Hangman stopped after the fourth, leaving you to stare at his exposed chest and Rooster feeling just a little bit jealous. He knew just the way to deal with it though. “First round’s on Hangman.”

Before the blond could protest he was sandwiched between Fanboy and Payback, being shaken while they laughed.

“Let’s party!”

“I’m never drinking again.”

Bradley’s voice was rough but sexy so you didn’t shush him to ease the throbbing pain in your head. Instead you pressed your thighs together under the table and wordlessly took off the sunglasses you’d stolen from him earlier and held them out for him to take.

The bright sun wasn’t pleasant but you suspected that Bradley needed them more. You silently cursed yourself for leaving your own sunglasses in the room but you had wanted to be punctual for lunch, even after your wild night out. Your wedding night.

In the end Bradley had let himself be dragged out of bed early enough that you even beat Maverick and entourage there by a few minutes. He had laughed at your state loud enough for Bradley to groan but Penny had slipped you another painkiller and ordered mimosas —or in Amelia’s case orange juice in a champagne flute— for the table with the exception of Maverick who stuck to water.

It didn’t take too long for the rest of your group to join you, all in varying states of exhaustion. Bob arrived at 12:14, steering a groaning Fanboy into the restaurant and depositing him in one of the chairs before sitting down himself. The two WSOs made a funny pair. Bob looked almost unaffected, maybe a little tired but overall he seemed fine. Fanboy on the other hand looked like an absolute mess. Keeping your eyes open for too long made your headache worse but from what you could see it looked like Fanboy had some kind of paint tinting his short dark hair different colors and he sat hunched over the table, resting his head on his arms.

Payback arrived next, wearing last night's outfit with the addition of dark sunglasses he had pushed all the way up the bridge of his nose. Carmen was nowhere to be seen but he assured you that she was just sleeping off her hangover. “There’s no way I’m waking her up.” He said, voice low and gravelly. “I’d like to live, thank you very much. I’ll just bring her some food up to the room later.”

Satisfied with that answer you turned your attention back to your drink, leaning against Bradley’s side for support as you sipped on your mimosa.

By the time Hangman and Phoenix joined your group you had finished your second glass and were debating ordering a third. They were dressed in similar ways –Phoenix in a pair of short shorts and a big shirt, Hangman in basketball shorts and a less tight shirt than he seemed to prefer– both with matching expressions on their faces.

The only places left at the table were on either side of Bradley and you but instead of sitting down next to each other in the two seats next to your husband –your husband!!!– Phoenix rounded the table to pull out the chair between you and Bob.

It was easy to guess that she had a rougher night than you. Her hair was a frizzy mess and from where you were sitting so close you could see the dark remnants of make-up she wasn’t able to remove clinging to her skin.

“You good Nat?” Bradley leaned over so he could look at his friend better.

She just hummed in response.

“Maybe I should have checked in with you more but you seemed fine last night.” Bob said next to her.

“Didn’t you two bunk together?”

“How much do you remember from last night?”

Bradley thought for a moment, giving you time to think it over yourself. You remembered your wedding but the time after that was a bit blurry until you were back in your hotel room. You remembered that part clearly.

“The important parts.” Was Brad’s answer. “Why?”

“After you two left, Fanboy over here” –he pointed at the slumped over WSO– “decided he wanted to go on a solo mission. By the time I caught up with him he was pretty drunk and about halfway through getting a tattoo done so I didn’t want to leave him alone. I stayed in his and Hangman’s room making sure he didn’t throw up or ruin the tattoo but I went back to my room after Fanboy fell asleep to check on Phoenix and tell her that I won’t be there. You seemed fine.” He addressed the last sentence to her.

“I am fine.” She croaked out before turning to Fanboy. “What did you get?”

He was fumbling with his pocket before pulling out his phone and opening up his photos, sliding it over so they could see without saying anything. It didn’t look bad, at least. A large knife sat between his tan shoulder blades and you just knew it must have hurt to get it done along his spine.

Hangman was the only one that said something. “Aww, you got a dagger? That’s cute.”

He got a handful of “Shut up Bagman.” in return but you could swear that you could hear Fanboy mumble about how his abuelita was going to kill him under his breath.

“Hey Hangman, where were you last night? I was with Fanboy but you didn’t come back to the room all night.”

You watched as Hangman stretched in his seat before flinching and settling back down. But not before showing off the impressive hickey he was sporting over his hip bone. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

He winked at nobody in particular but beside you Phoenix covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god.”

She said it quietly and you were sure most of the table wasn’t able to hear her but Bob, who was right next to her, did not have that problem.

“No! You and Hangman? Is that why you didn’t want me to come into the room last night and just yelled through the door.”

It seemed smarter to stay out of it. Fanboy was still slouched over the table. Bob looked like he was losing it just a little. Payback, Maverick, Penny, and Amelia were all captivated by the drama playing out in front of them. Hangman had at least the decency to look embarrassed while Phoenix just kept repeating “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

You leaned back, half against your chair and half against Bradley, and raised your hand to stop one of the passing waiters. You needed that third mimosa.

Bradley just put his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer to him before pressing a kiss to your temple and leaning down to whisper in your ear.

“We should get married more often.”

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