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callmebrycelee · 7 months ago

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9-1-1 REACTION

This week’s episode marks the 100th episode for 9-1-1 and it is a total banger! I figured nothing could get better than Bobby and Athena trapped inside an upside-down cruise ship, but this week’s episode walked up to the bar and said, “hold my beer”. If you’re reading this, you know exactly why this episode is truly *that girl* and I promise you we’re gonna talk about those last 4 minutes and 23 seconds that had us collectively clutching our pearls, pillows, and pets and left us with nary a hair on our scalps. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover so let’s not waste another second. This reaction is for the season 7, fourth episode “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” which originally aired April 4, 2024. The episode was written by Andrew Meyers and Bradley Michael Marques and directed by actor turned directed Chad Lowe. Spoilers ahead!

“She has anthrax! Or glitter.” – Bachelor Producer, to everyone

We start things off at the Bachelor mansion where we see real-life runner up of season 20 of The Bachelorette and star of season 28 of The Bachelor, Joey Graziadei. I have never seen an episode of The Bachelor, but I have watched the first two seasons of VH1’s Flavor of Love so I’m quite familiar with the concept of a bunch of women competing for the affections of one man. The opening to this episode does a great job of parodying the hit ABC dating and relationship reality television series while also being respectful. After all, the show and it’s many spin-offs are beloved by many, including 9-1-1 viewers.

We see a handful of hopeful contestants pull up to the mansion in limos, each of them providing a cheesy introduction very reminiscent of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Real Housewives. I love that two of the contestants are named Ashley because of course there would be two Ashleys cast in the same season of a show like this. My favorite contestant, however, is Ashley A., a flight attendant who looks like she just stepped out of the one-season wonder Pan Am starring Christina Ricci, a pre-Barbie Margot Robbie, and Mike Vogel. Now that I think about it, wasn’t Pam Am an ABC show?

The last contestant arrives with a bottle of glue and introduces herself as Conchata. Joey is all of us and asks her about her name because for those of you who haven’t seen the episode, this woman is the whitest shade of pale and is the last person I expect to have the name Conchata. The producers (played by Jamie Denbo and Rique) scramble behind the scenes trying to find out who this woman is because she is definitely not Conchata. The contestant comes clean about who she really is and introduces herself (again) as Bailey, an aesthetician from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She takes the bottle of glue and pours it all over the cobblestone driveway. She then lies flat on the driveway in attempt to glue herself to the surface. Our two producers attempt to remove her, but her skin has adhered to whatever glue she poured on the ground.

Cue title card.

“I love dalmatians.” – Ashley C., Bachelor contestant, to Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz

Our favorite 911 dispatch, Maddie, gets a call from the season 5 bachelor and host of The Bachelor, Jesse Palmer. We learn Maddie and Josh (played by Bryan Safi) are uber fans of the show and I cracked up when Josh commandeered the phone call and started grilling Jesse about the new bachelor. Maddie deploys the 118 to the Bachelor mansion and it’s heavily insinuated the location of this particular emergency is outside of the area the department usually responds to. Way to keep it professional, you guys!

The 118 arrive on the scene and Chimney and Hen attend to Bailey (played by Sarah Fletcher). Chimney sees Joey and he is awestruck. I can totally see he and Maddie piling up on the living room sofa after they’ve put Jee-Yun to bed to watch The Bachelor. There’s a funny moment where the other contestants flirt heavily with Eddie and Buck. Eddie tells them he’s taken but points to Buck and says that he is single. Buck tells them he has a rule about not dating people he meets on calls which is hilarious considering he nearly got fired in the first episode of the series for taking one of the firetrucks to a booty call with a woman he saved.

Eddie and Buck breakout the jackhammer to cut away the piece of driveway Bailey is stuck to so she can be transported to the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, Chimney answers a FaceTime call from Maddie and Josh who want to know the identity of the latest bachelor. Chimney flips the camera around and tries to be sneaky about filming Joey, but he gets caught. He ducks behind the limo Bailey pulled up in and sees another woman passed out in the backseat. We learn this is the real Conchata and she has been chloroformed by Bailey. Speaking of Bailey, as she is loaded into the ambulance, she yells for Joey to visit her in prison. Yeah, I don’t think Joey Graziadei is going to be visiting you, Bailey.

“That night was the most fun I’ve had since getting struck by lightning.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

We next head over to Air Operations One which I’ve learned is a part of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Tommy Kinard (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.), our former 118 firefighter turned helicopter pilot, is giving Buck a tour of the unit. I got so excited seeing these two share a scene together because it’s no secret that Buck is my favorite character on the show, and I really like how they’re brought Tommy back into the show this season. Buck is in awe of everything Tommy’s telling him, but the latter believes he has ulterior motives for being there. He asks if Buck is thinking about changing career paths. Buck tells him that he really got a thrill flying in the middle of a hurricane to save Bobby and Athena. It’s the most fun he’s had since getting struck by lightning.

Buck asks Tommy what got him into flying. Tommy tells him that he used to be a pilot in the Army. Buck lights up and tells Tommy that Eddie was in the Army, too. Tommy already knows this. Buck then tells Tommy that he met his ex (Taylor) responding to a helicopter crash and then realizes in that moment that maybe that was a sign of things to come. Tommy agrees that saving someone’s life and dating them never turns out the way you want it to. Upon second (and third) viewing of this episode, I find it interesting how the both of them are ambiguous about the genders of the people they are speaking about. Buck could’ve mentioned Taylor by name, but he chose to just say ex instead. Now back to the topic at hand, Buck says he isn’t sure if he’d want to leave where he is now to pursue being a pilot and Tommy assures him he can do both which seems to be the thesis of this episode. Tommy offers to teach Buck how to fly for fun. Buck offers to buy him a beer and Tommy says he’d love that. Again, how did I not pick up on the subtle flirtation the first time I saw this episode. These two’s chemistry is off the charts.

However, our little meet cute is cut short when Eddie arrives. Eddie is surprised to see Buck there and asks Tommy if he got three tickets to the fight. Tommy says ‘no’ but he wishes he did. Here’s another thing I really liked about this scene. I’m sure, by now, Tommy knows that Buck goes by Buck but each time he addresses Buck he calls him ‘Evan’. I’ve always equated the characters on this show who refer to him as ‘Evan’ as having more of an intimate connection with him, i.e., Maddie his sister or Eddie his best friend. Anywho, Buck is surprised to learn that Tommy and Eddie have tickets to a big fight in Vegas and they’re taking one of the helicopters there. Now I have a question. If Buck wasn’t allowed to drive the firetruck to his hookups back in season one, how is Tommy flying to Vegas with Eddie in one of the LAFD choppers okay? Also, I didn’t know helicopters could fly that great of a distance. Anyway, Tommy and Eddie leave to board the helicopter and our poor Buck is left behind feeling both a little confused and a lot jealous.

“It is so good to have you back.” – Athena Grant, to Harry Grant

Speaking of surprises, Athena does not sleep with her hair wrapped. No shade, but no Black woman I know is going to lay her head down at night without doing something to protect her hair. Okay, I’m gonna leave Athena alone because she is thrilled to have her son back home. Yes, you read that right. Harry Grant is back home but he looks a bit different. The character is now aged up played by a new actor – Elijah M. Cooper. Now, in case you forgot, Harry went to live with his dad in Florida back in season five and we really haven’t seen him since then. When Athena says she can’t believe Michael didn’t say anything about Harry coming to visit. Harry tells her his dad has been really busy and had to fly back to Haiti. Bobby is immediately suspicious of this because he figures that Michael would’ve called about something like this. Athena doesn’t seem to concerned about any of this and is basically just happy to have her youngest back under her roof.

“I saved a baby in a pipe once although it was a preemie and it didn’t speak.” – Evan Buckley, to everyone

Meanwhile, Buck, Eddie, and Ravi (played by Anirudh Pisharody) respond to an emergency at a restaurant where the dishwasher (played by Jibre Hordges) claims he hears a voice coming from inside the sink. Ravi doesn’t think it’s possible that someone could be trapped inside a drain but Buck reminds him of the time he pulled a newborn out of a sewer pipe. The firefighters do finally hear someone yelling for help and the restaurant manager (played by Cesili Williams) shows them footage of a motorcyclist being struck by a car and knocked into a storm drain.

Buck, Eddie, and Ravi head outside and Ravi, being the newest member of the 118, is lowered down into a manhole to extract the poor guy. During this time, Buck grills Eddie about his outing with Tommy. He learns that in addition to going to Vegas, Tommy is also teaching Eddie the Muay Thai style of boxing and they’ve even worked on Eddie’s Chevelle together. Buck does his best to hide his jealously, but he can’t help pressing his best friend for more details. He asks Eddie when he plans on seeing Tommy again. Eddie tells him that Tommy has this karaoke/trivia thing he does on Wednesdays and asks Buck what his plans are for that day. Buck perks up and says his schedule is wide open. Eddie asks if he would watch Christopher for him. He would ask Marisol, but she’s already watched Christopher twice already. Yikes! So, a lot to unpack here. First, is Eddie using his girlfriend as childcare? Second, does this mean Buck’s level of importance to Eddie has decreased now that Tommy and Marisol are in the picture. Lastly, is Eddie really that oblivious? I get wanting to have a new friend, especially one who you have a lot in common with, but he knows Buck, or rather he should know Buck, and him saying these things, even though Buck technically asked him for this information, is hurtful for Buck to here. This, I’ve noticed, is a continuing trend of certain characters getting upset whenever Buck does something wrong, but having little to no regard when it comes to his feelings. This isn’t the first time Eddie has done something like this and I have to believe that he really is oblivious because the alternative means that he’s doing these things because he’s trying to get his friend all riled up. Of course, Buck agrees to watch Christopher because of course he’s going to watch Christopher.

“Is it circled with a heart around it?” – Maddie Buckley, to Evan Buckley.

A few days later, Buck updates Maddie on Eddie’s new friendship with Tommy. Buck is so jealous of the new friendship that he’s gathering intel from Christopher. Although Buck is being a little bit extra about all of this, a part of me can relate to the emotions he’s feeling. He worries that Tommy has made such an impression on not only Eddie but Christopher in such a short period of time. What I find fascinating is that while Buck is jealous, he harbors no ill-will towards Tommy. In fact, he agrees with Eddie and Christopher. Tommy is cool. Buck tells his sister that Christopher would not stop talking about Tommy. Maddie wonders if it’s because Buck kept asking him questions about Tommy. Buck mentions that Eddie has a date written down on his calendar and it’s for a weekly pick-up basketball game with Tommy and other first responders. The date is circled. Buck mentions that Eddie has asked him to this before. Maddie reminds Buck that he doesn’t like basketball and he agrees and says that’s why he always tells Eddie ‘no’ but now Eddie is going with Tommy. Chimney hears the tail-end of their conversation and tells Maddie that Tommy flew Eddie to Vegas for a fight in a chopper. Chimney teases Buck by saying that Tommy’s so cool.

“We have a problem.” – Bobby Nash, to Athena Grant

Back over at the Grant-Nash household, Bobby tells Athena he talked to Michael. Michael is not in Haiti, and he also had no clue Harry had left and come to Los Angeles which means Harry lied to the both of them. Athena wonders why Harry would lie, and Bobby says it’s because the police is looking for him. They showed up to Michael’s house while he was on the phone with Bobby. Bobby tells his wife that Harry got into a fight and assaulted someone. There’s now a warrant out for his arrest due to him fleeing the jurisdiction. Yikes! Poor Athena. You think you know your kids.

“That’s Jeremy. That’s my son, he’s a doctor.” – Dorothy Nelson, to Athena Grant

Maddie receives a call from an older woman named Dorothy Nelson who is reporting an intruder in her home. Maddie instructs her to stay calm and tells her to find a place to hide until the police get there. The woman panics and tells Maddie she has a gun. Maddie tells her that arming herself can only make the situation she’s in more dangerous. Dorothy starts screaming and then we hear a gunshot.

Athena, Hen, and Chimney arrive on the scene and find a man dead in the Dorothy’s living room. Chimney tends to her and learns she recently sustained a fall in her garden. Athena looks around the room and sees a photo on the mantle above the fireplace. She realizes the man in the photo looks an awful lot like the dead man on the floor. Hen posits Dorothy has face blindness which means she wouldn’t have been able to recognize the guy even if she does know him. This emergency reminds me of a similar one on Lone Star where a kid locked himself in the bathroom because his dad thought he was an intruder.

Athena goes over to Dorothy (played by Meagen Fay) and asks her if she recognizes the man in the photo. She tells Athena that the man in the photo is her son, Jeremy, and he’s a doctor. So, this lady has killed her own son, and the sad part is, she still thinks that it’s an intruder she shot. This is beyond sad, and I felt so bad for her. I also feel bad for Athena who will have to be the one to tell her the truth. Hen asks her if she can imagine looking into her own child’s face and not even recognizing him. Athena says yes she can.

“That’s how they wake you up in jail for sleeping in. Except the water won’t be clean and it probably won’t be water.” Athena Grant, to Harry Grant

Athena returns home and confronts her son. I did not like the way Harry was talking to his mom and I was wondering why Athena didn’t slap him across his lips. Then I realized, she already did this back in season 5 when Harry started mouthing off at her. Athena is extremely patient in this scene while Harry tells her about the incident involving him assaulting a man. The man, in question, is the manager of a convenience store. Apparently this man was following Harry around while he was inside the convenience store and accused Harry of stealing. The man wouldn’t let Harry leave and got aggressive with him which is why Harry hit him. Harry is upset because he believes she is taking law enforcement’s side over his much like he thinks she did when his father was pulled over several seasons ago. Athena reminds him she is a cop, and he counters by reminding her that he is still his mom. He asks her which one is more important to her but says he already knows the answer to that question.

“Hey, what are you doing on Thursday?” – Evan Buckley, to Howard "Chimney" Han

Over at the 118, Buck is trying his best to get Eddie’s attention, but the latter is too wrapped up in his phone call with Tommy. Buck tries to impress by bench-pressing a lot of weight but he’s clearly struggling with isn’t too believable for me because have you seen Buck? The guy is a tank! Ravi asks him if he needs help and Buck declines. I wish Buck wasn’t so short-sighted because as much as he wants Eddie and Tommy to notice him, I think Ravi wants Buck to notice him. For him, I think, Buck is the cool one. Chimney brings Buck a package addressed to an M. Buckley which I found funny because either Buck doesn’t have his own Amazon Prime account or maybe he shares one with Eddie and didn’t want his friend knowing what he’s ordering. Turns out, the item Buck has ordered is a new basketball. When Buck sees Eddie again, he suggests that they can get a basketball hoop. Eddie barely acknowledges this before returning to his conversation. Yeah, I’m beginning to think Eddie is doing this on purpose.

“He was shot when he was mistaken as an intruder.” – Athena Grant, to Dorothy Nelson

Athena puts her cutest outfit and goes to see Dorothy Nelson at the hospital. She rips off the Band-Aid and tells Dorothy her son is dead. When Dorothy asks what happens, Athena tells her that he was killed because he was mistaken as an intruder. I like how Athena delivered this news because it wasn’t accusatory. She lets Dorothy figure out the rest and the moment it dawns on her that she is the one who killed Jeremy she is rightfully devastated. Kudos to the actress playing Dorothy Nelson because she really sold this scene for me. This is the most devasting thing I’ve seen on this show since the story back in season 5 where two best friends were struck during the middle of a parade and one of them died. The scene ends and I’m left wondering what will become of this woman. I can’t imagine the pain she’ll have to live with knowing she killed her son.

“So, I’m your basketball beard. I feel so bonded.” – Howard “Chimney” Han, to Evan Buckley

Buck convinces Chimney to go with him to the pick-up basketball game. Buck pretends to be surprised to see Eddie and Tommy there. Eddie asks Chimney how he managed to talk Buck into playing basketball because every time he asks him, he says ‘no’. Chimney decides to play coy and tells Eddie he has his ways. I love seeing Chimney being supportive of Buck because very soon they are going to be brothers-in-law. The two square off against Eddie and Tommy and the latter are dominating. Buck lets his jealousy get the better of him and trips Eddie up right as he’s about to make a lay-up. We hear something pop as Eddie falls to the ground. Chimney goes into paramedic mode and assesses Eddie’s injury. He thinks Eddie may have a fracture or sprain. Tommy says that Eddie rode with him, so he’ll be the one to take him to urgent care. Eddie gives Buck a hurt look and Buck immediately feels horrible. Tommy lifts Eddie up and takes him away. Chimney looks at Buck and says, “Well you bucked that up, didn’t you?” Geez, I really feel bad for Buck. He is spiraling!

“It seems unjust, but in reality that’s just the way it is.” – Athena Grant, to Harry Grant

With a cooler head, Athena decides to talk to her son. He apologizes for how he spoke to her. He tells her he is not sorry for hitting the convenience store manager. Athena reminds him that he is not only representing himself and their family, but also his community, which means he can’t go around punching people. He tells her that’s a lot of pressure, but she says that’s the reality of the world they live in. She tells him has to be smarter and he asks her if that means he’s not allowed to be angry. Athena tells him it’s okay to be angry because at the end of the day, he’s a human and that’s what humans do – they get angry when they are upset. However, she reminds him that things could have been worst for him. What if the convenience store manager had a gun? Harry asks her what would have been the right thing for him to do in the situation and I like that Athena admits she doesn’t know. At the end of the day, you have to do whatever you have to do to make it home alive. That’s sentiment is so sad to me but as a Black man living in America, in the South to be specific, I totally get it. It’s not fair but it is what it is.

Athena shows him the footage of what happened at the convenience store. Harry watches as the manager confronts him and even gets aggressive. He also sees himself punch the man. It’s sobering for him to see this video. He says it’s like watching someone else. Athena tells him that everyone has something they’ve done that they aren’t proud of (you hear that Buck?) but the true test of character is being able to face the consequences of one’s actions. Harry tells her he doesn’t know what to do and she tells him they’ll figure it out together. Whatever happens, she will be right there with him because he is her son, and she loves him no matter what.

“I’m not a fourteen-year-old girl.” – Evan Buckley, to Maddie Buckley.

Buck brings Maddie lunch at the dispatch center and catches her up on what happened with Eddie. She asks Buck how Eddie is feeling, and he tells her he doesn’t know because he hasn’t talked to him. Maddie is surprised to hear this considering Buck and Eddie are so close. Buck tells her he doesn’t think Eddie wants to hear from him since he’s the one who hurt him. Maddie says it’s an accident, but Buck tells her he was pissed about Eddie and Tommy hanging out so much that he allowed his jealousy to get the better of him. He’s the reason why Eddie got injured. Buck says he was only trying to get his attention. Maddie tells him that is not the way to get someone’s attention. When I first watched this scene, I thought Maddie was going a little overboard with her disapproval of what Buck did. Then I realized, violence is how her husband Doug would get her attention back when they were married. Buck tells her he feels awful for what he did to Eddie, and she tells him not to do it again.

She admits she knows how he feels because she had a similar situation with her best friend growing up. Her friend became friends with another girl and Maddie did everything she could, including dyeing her hair blonde and attempting to change her name, to get her friend to notice her. It never occurred to her that she could have still been friends with her friend even if her friend was friends with someone else. Maybe they could have all been friends. But Maddie was too jealous to realize this. The situation made her look desperate, and she would’ve been better off just explaining to her friend how she felt.

“It’s good to see you Harry.” – Captain Elaine Maynard, to Harry Grant

Athena accompanies Harry to the police station, and they are met by Captain Elaine Maynard (played by Claudia Christian). The captain tells Athena and Harry she spoke with the Miami Dade Police Department, and they have no interest in extraditing for a misdemeanor assault. However, both jurisdictions recommended Harry remain in Los Angeles with Athena and complete 100 hours of community service. Harry is surprised he isn’t going to jail but Athena makes it known that him being under her watchful eye will be worse.

“It’s not like I could ever replace you.” – Tommy Kinard, to Evan Buckley

Now, we’ve finally made it to my favorite scene of the episode. We head over to Buck’s loft. There’s a knock at the door and when he goes to check, he finds Tommy on his doorstep. Tommy asks if they can talk, and Buck invites himself inside. I love the subtle detail of Tommy being in awe of Buck’s loft. Buck offers him a drink and reminds him that he owes him a beer. Tommy declines and says he won’t be staying long. He tells Buck he wants to clear the air between the two of them and he didn’t want to do so over the phone or through a text message. Tommy calls him Evan and says it was never his intention to cause any bad blood between him and Eddie. Buck assures him there’s no bad blood and owns up to his bad behavior. He tells him that he and Eddie make perfect sense as friends. Tommy agrees and reminds Buck that Eddie can have more than one friend.

Tommy says that he would never be able to replace him. He says that Christopher cannot shut up about Buck. I love the smile on Buck’s face when Tommy says this because it’s a reminder that Buck, seven seasons later, still craves the approval and the acceptance of those around him. Even Christopher. Buck asks Tommy if Eddie is mad at him. Tommy tells him Eddie is not mad at him. If anything, he feels bad (they both do) for excluding Buck. He tells Buck that he and Eddie hanging out was never about Buck, but Buck says that’s the problem. He admits he can get pretty jealous. I’m so proud of Buck for just owning everything in this scene. Lisa Rinna would be proud.

Tommy admits that Buck isn’t the only one who’s been jealous. Buck is surprised to hear this. Tommy explains that he’s jealous of what’s become of the 118. When we were first introduced to Tommy, it was back during the ‘Begin’ episodes for Hen, Chimney, and Bobby. The 118 didn’t use to be the family it is now. In fact, the previous captain went out of his way to cultivate a highly toxic environment and it’s because of Chimney, Hen, and Bobby that the team is what it is today. It’s the reason why Buck and Eddie and Ravi were able to be accepted right away without having to be hazed by the other firefighters. Tommy admits he wishes he were a part of what the 118 has become and Buck reminds him that he is. He reminds Tommy of how he made fake mouth static at the fire chief during their daring mission to save Bobby and Athena. Tommy says he’s renowned for his fake mouth static, but Buck says it wasn’t very convincing. The banter between these two men is so cute I could actually explode. Buck tempers his teasing by reminding Tommy that he was willing to put his job on the line to help the rest of them out. That was the moment Buck realized that Tommy was cool and that he liked him. He tells Tommy that’s the reason he called him for the tour. It’s not because he’s thinking about leaving the 118; it’s because he wanted to get to know him. It’s Tommy’s turn to be surprised. Buck says things took a turn when Eddie arrive, but he understands why Tommy wants to hang with Eddie. It was so cute the way Buck gushes about how great Eddie is that he’s known Eddie is great since the first day he worked with him. Aww! At this point, I’m literally yelling at my TV.

“That was better than fake mouth static.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

The flirting is turned up to level 100 when Buck tells Tommy it’s his attention he’s been trying to get and frankly he’s exhausted. Again, Tommy is surprised to hear this. Buck reminds him that he maimed his best friend, and that Maddie told him there are better ways to get someone’s attention. Before Buck can even finish the statement, Tommy leans in and kisses him. There’s a brief hesitation in Buck, most likely because he is shocked, the Buck starts to kiss him back. This moment was beyond shocking to me and even now, three days later, I still have to watch the clip to remind myself that Tommy kissed Buck and Buck definitely kissed him back. I spent years thinking something like this would never happen and I’ve gone back and forth with Buddie shippers online telling them that Buck or Eddie coming out as anything other than straight was an impossibility. Yeah, maybe that was the case when 9-1-1 was on FOX but this is a new network baby and ABC said, let them boys kiss! And yes, it’s not Eddie and Buck that are kissing but in my opinion, this is an even better direction for the characters to go in. I’ve always believed that if either character were to come out as queer, it would be Buck. We’ve only seen Buck in relationships with women, but he’s always struck me as someone who is open to whatever experiences come his way. Perhaps this explains why he's always had difficulty in the relationships he’s pursued on the show. Eddie, on the other hand, is a lot more reserved than Buck and the writers are going to have to put in work to convince me he is anything other than a heterosexual man. I’m not saying it’s out the realm of possibility, but I think the writers did a good job getting us where we are now, and they’ll need to do the same for Eddie in the future should that be the direction they want to go in for that character. Also. bringing Tommy into the equation is a brilliant move on their part because rewatching those ‘Begin’ episodes, there are insinuations there that he may be gay or bisexual.

Okay, back to the scene. The way Tommy is looking at Buck gives me all the feels. The way he’s looking at Buck tells me that if he didn’t have to leave for his shift, they would be going at it on Buck’s new sofa. I’m so happy this isn’t just a one-sided interest. After the kiss, Tommy asks Buck if he’s okay with the moment they just shared. Buck is looking every bit of the bewildered that’s a part of the title of this episode. He tells Tommy that the kiss was better than his fake mouth static. Tommy tells him he has a shift, but he wants to take Buck out on a proper date. Buck tells him he’s free and man is that statement layered. Free to go out. Free to be who he wants to be. Free to kiss anyone he wants to kiss. Tommy tells Buck he will come around on Saturday at eight to pick him up. Tommy goes to leave but before opens the door, he tells Buck to call Eddie. We end the scene with Buck looking the happiest he’s looked in a long time.

This episode is hands down one of the best of the series and that’s just not recency bias. I feel that way about all the episodes we’ve gotten this season. 9-1-1 is firing on all cylinders at this point and things feel fresh and new again. The plot with Athena and Harry was perplexing at first but then I grew to like it by the end. I like that the show reminds us that Athena being a Black woman and a cop is controversial, especially in today’s climate, and I like that her kids aren’t afraid to call her out. I love seeing Athena reckon with both identities and how they relate to each other. I especially loved her conversation with Harry because it’s very reminiscent of conversations I’ve had with my own mom. Her telling Harry that it’s unfair that he has to always be on his best behavior but necessary rang so true to me. Athena has always known this, even before she had kids, yet she chooses to continue to work within a system that reinforces this kind of thinking.

The storyline with Buck was also fun. It was a nice balance to the sadness of the story with the woman killing her son on accident. I like how Buck is never afraid to be vulnerable, even if it’s to his detriment. I hope we get a conversation between him and Eddie next episode because I love their friendship and I don’t want it to ever change, and something tells me Buck is going to lean heavy on his friendship with Eddie now that he might be dating Tommy. And I hope that Eddie continues to be supportive of his friend when he finds out the truth about his sexuality. I don’t think Eddie would have a problem with it. After all, Hen is an out and proud lesbian, and we also have Josh who is gay. I do know that some people do question the legitimacy of bisexual people but again, I don’t think Eddie will have a problem with whatever Buck labels himself as. Maybe we’ll even get a double date between Eddie, Marisol, Buck, and Tommy. That would be fun.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about Buck and Tommy. I think the show did a great job getting us to the moment where they shared a kiss this episode. As I mentioned earlier, I have seen this episode quite a few times and I’ve watched the scenes involving Buck and Tommy more than that. If you watch the scene where Buck is visiting Tommy, there’s so many little looks the two are giving each other. I think at that point that Buck is only infatuated but Tommy is clearly interested. Also, if you go back to the previous episode, at the end once everyone has been rescued, there’s a look Buck gives when he is telling Tommy goodbye. I love things like that and it’s proof to me that this isn’t just gaybaiting or queerbaiting. This is the show telling us that one of their beloved characters is queer and they have taken special care with letting us know that. I love how Oliver Stark and Lou Ferrigno Jr. are invested in this story. In fact, the cast is supportive of Buck going in this direction. I’m so happy that the fans have this moment. It’s been so fun engaging with people online about this episode and while there are viewers who have and will balk at Buck being a queer character, I say screw those people. If a character’s sexuality can make you that upset, you clearly haven’t been watching the show and you’re not a fan.

Okay, this reaction has gone on way too long. I’ll say it one last time. I’m so happy Buck is bi!!!! I can’t wait to see what happens next! Until next time …

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sunlightmurdock · 2 years ago

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Blow by Blow | 1.0 | Bradley Bradshaw x reader

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synopsis: Bradley’s washed up before his career has even really begun. He doesn’t want to fill his father’s shoes and he doesn’t want someone else to either. Stuck in limbo, living the same way he always has, the opportunity to step up wanders through the door of his gym in a mini dress and heels that are a size too big. Boxing au.

warnings: unspecified age gap, violence, probs boxing inaccuracies somewhere along the line, blood and injuries throughout the fic but will be specified in the warnings of the chapter. Smut and other 18+ content, minors dni, underage bradley being in unsafe situations but no graphic content

…

It’s too hot. The sun pouring through you window, promising an exceptionally hot June day, Bradley’s furnace of a body smushing you into your warm sheets. You had fallen asleep on his chest, so you’re not quite sure how you ended up here. Laying on your back, his arms wrapped around your middle tightly, his head on your chest and his leg slotted between your thighs. The covers are barely on you but his weight and size more than makes up for the lack of coverage.

Still naked, that makes you run even hotter. It’s as you swallow softly that you realize how badly you need water. You push softly against him and come to the realization that he’s heavier than he looks. His hold tightens on you as his lips press gently to your chest, barely stirring before he slips back into complete sleep.

You push gently at his arms and quickly realize that that’s not going to work. You grunt softly as you lift his bicep and pull quickly to slip out from under him. Cheek flattening against the daisies on your sheets, he doesn’t stir in the slightest.

Your underwear and your shirt from last night are still on the floor. You abandon them completely and turn towards your closet. Making quick work of throwing together an outfit by picking a dress, you grab clean underwear and socks and leave last night’s mistake snoring softly under your covers.

Rushing for the bathroom, you inhale slowly as the lock clicks behind you. You don’t give yourself time to think about last night. If you pour too much thought about the decisions you made, it’s going to consume your entire day. Instead, you wash Bradley’s sweat from your skin and get yourself ready for the day.

Tank’s head perks up at the sight of you as you emerge from the bathroom, tail wagging as he pushes himself down from the couch and stretches his legs. You kiss the top of his head, cheeks, ears and speak softly to him while you walk to the kitchen.

Staring into the adoring browns of his eyes, you’re struck with relief. The perfect out is standing right in front of you and is desperate to pee.

“You wanna go for a walk?”

He adores it down by the marina almost as much as you do. The view out over the coast, the fresh air, the perfectly cool shady spots under the trees where you can give Tank some water and tell him how good he’s being.

Talking absent-mindedly to him as the two of you walk along, you don’t bother mentioning Rooster. You already know how Tank feels about him by the way Tank chose to sleep on the sofa rather than following you to bed.

Truthfully, you’re not so sure how you feel about him either. You know how your body feels about him, and if that’s who was running the show, you’d still be in bed now. Your head is a different story. Something winding, and curling and confusing. It’s hard to follow along.

Falling for Jett had been painstakingly easy.

It’s not a long walk, mainly because you try to keep Tank out of the sun too much in the summer because he’ll overheat if you let him. But, it’s long enough that Rooster should have gotten the hint and moved along by now.

Letting Tank lead the way up the stairs, you slow slightly. Bubbly conversation coming from inside. Your fingers reach for the door handle and your heart trips over itself as you catch a glimpse of several pairs of cute shoes standing around your kitchen through the glass pane in the door. Just visible under the blind.

You swallow softly and twist, letting the door click open. The rumbling laughter costs the sound of the door opening but you’re still noticed quickly.

As much as you should be excited to find that your friends have grouped together to surprise you, your eyes immediately land on him. Leaning back against the kitchen counter, palms braced on its stone top on either side of him, nothing but a fluffy blue towel tucked around his waist.

“You’re back!”

“We missed you!”

“How are you, honey?”

All kinds of greetings, all kinds of questions. Bradley’s laughter fades as he catches sight of you glaring at him through the gaggle of girls that have swarmed you. Even as the laughter stops completely, an amused look lingers, pulling at his features.

“I’m — god, this is so sweet,” Your heart surges as you finally pull yourself back to the moment and look around at them. “I’m good, I’m good.”

You can only take the polite chit-chat for so long. Hugging your friends and making sure each one of them is seen and welcome, and knows how happy you are to see them. You are happy to see them, it’s just that you can’t focus with him standing there like he isn’t doing anything wrong.

Bradley bites the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling as you drag him into your room under the guise of having a polite chat. Your friends are just smirking knowingly, watching the two of you go.

Closing the door to the bedroom gently behind you, you wait for the click to finally turn and look at him. Bradley’s lips twitch, hinting at a smile.

“You’re incorrigible!” You don’t know where the word comes from either, it’s big and complicated but he’s got you so wound up that it’s just about the only one left in your head. He smiles at you.

“I don’t know what that means.” Bradley decides with a heavy shrug, still smiling.

“It means that there’s something wrong with you and probably no way of fixing it.”

“You’re getting better at talking dirty.” Bradley teases, lips quirking up into a bigger grin as he steps towards you and extends his hands towards your hips. You stumble back and point a finger accusingly at him. He stops.

“No, no. Keep your hands to yourself.” You rush out quickly, forcing yourself to keep your gaze locked on his face and not that lazily wrapped towel around his hips. “My friends are right outside.”

“Yeah, they seem nice.” He nods, stepping forwards again, catching the fabric of your dress and pulling you into him before you have time to step back. He tilts your chin back to look at him, stroking his thumb along the curve of your jaw.

“Don’t do that! — Why wouldn’t you put some clothes on before you let them in?” You push away from him and smack at his arm, scowling up at him. Bradley glances down at the towel covering his modesty and shrugs his broad shoulders.

“I was getting out of the shower and they started pounding on the door. What did you want me to do, hide?”

You let your gaze slip, finally looking him over. Bradley walks forwards and presses his hips into yours, resting his hands on your waist. You shift slightly so that he doesn’t have complete control. “Kind of.”

There’s a pause between the two of you. He lifts his hands and catches your biceps, squeezing his hands gently around them to get your attention. “Hey, Bambi?”

You look up at him.

“It’s okay for people to know that you have sex, y’know. They’re not going to make fun of you for it.” He means well, you’re sure. Staring at you with those soft brown puppy-dog eyes, stroking his thumbs in gentle circles over your skin.

But he’s still standing there, showing off his muscles and his size, wearing nothing but that stupid blue towel that he didn’t even ask if he could borrow. You shove at his stomach and narrow your eyes at him.

“I d— we — ugh. We didn’t have sex.”

His lips quirk softly, shaking his head as he leans right back in to you, “We kind of did. Sex isn’t just about —“

Your eyes widen. Poking your finger into his chest again, you swear you feel him flex his muscles under your finger. Still, you continue to make your point, “Don’t you dare try to explain sex to me,”

You sigh softly and fold your arms over your chest, “You should go.”

Rooster nods his head in agreement but makes no effort to move, “I already called Jake, he’s gonna come get me so I can pick up my car.”

“You told Jake that you spent the night here?”

“Is that a problem?” If you say yes, you’re just proving his point that you’re afraid for people to know about your sex life. So, you say nothing. Defiance in your eyes, you just stare at him. Bradley shrugs, “I told him that you let me crash on your couch, I’ve crashed on his place a tonne of times, he doesn’t suspect anything.”

“Okay.” You nod slowly.

“Okay.” Bradley mimicks back, rolling his eyes. “I’ve gotta take the towel off to get dressed. Can you handle that or are you going to get weird about it?”

“I’m not being weird about anything.” The sharpness of your tone tells him that he’s hurt you. He could apologise for it. “I’ll be outside.”

Your friends have always been sweet to you. The second that you close the door to the bedroom, they practically pounce, knowing that the full inside scoop on the man in your bedroom will have to wait until he’s no longer here. Dotted around your living room, the conversation mainly follows your new job and what you’ve been up to since you moved.

You nearly jump out of your skin when the bedroom door opens again and Bradley steps out in last night’s blue shirt. He shoots a quick look towards you, then down.

“Jake’s outside, so, I — uh — I’ll see you later.” He mumbles, not wanting to upset you in front of your friends. He gives them a polite wave goodbye and lets himself out, pretending not to hear the excited whispers that begin inside from the second that the door closes.

He walks down the steps and slides into the passenger seat of Jake’s car.

“You smell like grapefruit.” Jake comments, rolling down the window as he pulls out of the parking lot. Bradley ignores him, shifting to get comfortable in the seat. “So, you and the kid…?”

“What about her?”

“Fine, fine, I won’t ask.” Jake shrugs, one hand on the wheel as he stops in the morning traffic. He purses his lips and sighs. “That fight that I got her is basically a guaranteed win. Have you heard of Arizona Ashwood?”

“Should I have?”

“No, she sucks.” Jake chuckles, shaking his head amusedly. “Lost seven fights out of eight, but she’s Chuck Orsino’s kid so they’re paying for all this crazy expensive training for her. She needs stats before she can go pro. The kid can take her, easy.”

Bradley scoffs, nodding his head like it means anything for him to agree. He glances towards the radio and silent judges Jake’s tastes.

“Say what you want to say.” Jake grumbles finally, resting his head against his palm in the standstill.

“I don’t think she should do it.” Bradley shrugs, like it means anything for him to disagree. You’re going to do it either way and he’s not going to have a part in it.

“Could be worse, she could be getting her start the same way that you did.”

That’s a low blow and Jake knows it. Bradley’s start is what has gotten him so many suspensions already. It’s the reason why he’s still stuck here. It was a bad idea from the start.

“You’re not going anywhere, you’re grounded.”

A small smirk had tugged at his lips as his feet hit the ground and he crouched to pick up his backpack. So much for being grounded when she’s asleep by eight. Bradley had glanced up at the fire escape and known there’s no way he would be able to sneak back in, but that was a problem for later.

Bradley’s life has always had its twists and turns. Complexities ruling his days more often than not. No father, a mother that worked two jobs, and Mighty Maverick, the washed up boxer that hadn’t won a fight in half a decade. Not exactly an ideal set of role models.

Fourteen has brought an entirely new set of challenges. Not only for Bradley, but also for those tasked with trying to parent him. It’s been two months since his birthday and he has gone up two shoe sizes since then. Plenty of other things are different now too. Like, he doesn’t like Mav anymore and at the end of the month he’s going to be a high schooler.

With a mother that had been through as much as Carole Bradshaw had, there wasn’t much room for spilled milk and temper tantrums. Bradley grew up a long time ago. He’s been taking care of her for almost as long as she’s been taking care of him.

She tells anyone that’ll listen that her little boy was just the sweetest baby on the planet. Always so polite, so gentle, such a beautiful smile.

Being a good son hadn’t been hard, and even with no one to show him how it was done, Bradley had it just about mastered by the time he was finishing kindergarten. Helping with the dishes, making sure he put his shoes away instead of leaving them in the hall, staying up with her to watch movies and talking all the way through them. That was her favourite part.

If those are the measures of being a good son, then Bradley still is one. Bradley knows that the measures don’t stop there, and he knows that the things he has been doing recently don’t make him a good son at all. That won’t stop him from doing them.

But, a couple of months ago, Maverick had pulled back completely. Too busy with work to take Bradley to competitions anymore. Too busy with clients to train with him. It didn’t matter, Bradley didn’t need him anyway.

His shoes padded along the wet ground as he walked out of the alley behind his mom’s apartment and turned down the street. No one gave him a second look as he passed them by. He looked older than he was, standing a head and shoulders taller than most people in his class by then. Still skinny and with rounded cheeks that give him away, he had a way to go before people would stop calling him a boy.

Too grown up to keep competing in the youth circuit, not old enough to start competing in the junior circuit, he didn’t have many options. Maverick had only made things worse. He had just about banned Bradley from the gym all together. No rhyme or reason, just that it’s not the kind of place that a kid should be hanging out.

It was fine when Bradley was four years old and watching Mav take hit after hit in the ring. Still okay when he was eight and old enough to mop the floors and help Mav lock up at two in the morning. Just not okay now that Bradley was as tall as some of the adults and developing an attitude.

Bradley stopped and looked up. Waiting out of sight of the windows, he winced as Natasha swung one leg out of her window and dropped her shoulder bag to the ground, narrowly missing him. He stumbled back and ducked. He made the mistake of letting her dad spot him once and that can’t happen again.

“Hurry up!” Bradley whispered up to her. She turned her head and scowled down at him, fingers trembling as they curled around the drainpipe.

“If I fall and die, I’m gonna haunt the shit out of you for the rest of your damn life, Bradshaw!” She whispered angrily, swallowing the lump in her throat as she shifted her weight, clinging to the pipe. This isn’t the first time that she had shuffled her way down it, but it was wet out that night and her fingers were shaking more than normal.

Even Bradley had a split second where he thought that she was going to fall. He stepped forwards but his coordination faltered. Unsure whether to catch her or steady the drainpipe, he just watched as her ankle caught on the sliding against the wall and she slipped. It was just a few inches before she caught herself again, but Bradley hadn’t moved.

He had swallowed softly as she set herself on the ground with a sigh and grabbed her bag from the floor. She was busy straightening herself out whilst Bradley was still stuck there, thinking about what just happened.

Looking back up, her brows furrowed slightly at the lack of colour on his usually pink cheeks. “D’you want to turn back? — We can just go back to your place and watch jackass?”

He shook his head numbly. “Nah. I’m good.”

He wasn’t, but Natasha didn’t argue. The two of them walked the rest of the way side by side, neither one of them really in the mood to talk too much. Darkstar Boxing is a place on the edge of Little Italy, closer to the airport than it is to downtown. It was about a thirty minute walk from Bradley’s apartment, forty if you count him stopping off to pick up Nat.

Tony De Luca’s boxing gym doesn’t run like Bradshaw’s does. Bradshaw’s might be dusty and kind of shifty at times, but it isn’t lawless in the same way that the Darkstar is. Bradshaw’s doesn’t have fight nights that would have the California State Athletic Commission pulling their hair out. Bradshaw’s doesn’t let fourteen year olds sign to go up against adults.

But then, Bradshaw’s has never made the same kind of money that Darkstar has.

It was packed before they even got to the door, and not the kind of place that two not-yet-high-schoolers should have been on a Friday night. The parking lot was filled with people sitting on the hoods of modded cars, making out in backseats, blaring music.

Natasha’s brows knitted together slightly as she followed her best friend into the gym. It wasn’t too different from Bradshaw’s, but you could tell that it was owned by people with more money. Bradley didn’t falter, walking like he knew where he was going even if he had never been there before. He knew who he was looking for at least.

Shifting closer to Bradley, Natasha narrowly avoided being shoulder checked by a grown man twice her size before she was even through the door. Squaring her shoulders and swallowing softly, she straightened up like it would make her bigger.

This place was nothing like the places that they had competed in before. This wasn’t some rec centre with parents in the stands and registered medics at the ringside. Blaring music, Bradley remembers it being too bright and too dark all at once, with the ring lights being the only source of light in the room.

Not quite six foot yet, but still taller than most of the kids in his grade, Bradley had checked through the crowd until he set his sights on who he was looking for. Natasha caught onto his sleeve and let him lead the way, already regretting letting him talk her into this. Their parents would’ve killed them if they knew where they were.

Tony De Luca hadn’t noticed Bradley coming right away. Too busy taking bets and thinking about how much money this night was going to bring in. It’s his brother, Matteo, that spotted Bradley first.

Matteo’s shorter with a softer heart. He’s got a son around Bradley’s age. Even back then, he had looked older than he was, lines crinkling around his eyes and his mouth, grey peppering through his brown hair.

“Is that Goose’s kid?” Matteo’s mouth went dry as the ghost in the crowd continued towards him. The same kind of skinny and sandy hair that was fading into a curly brown, the resemblance was unmistakable.

Tony had looked up and grinned. He had been impressed, he hadn’t been expecting Bradley to show. “Nah. Goose’s kid wouldn’t have been eighteen yet.”

Matteo’s brows furrowed. “That kid is supposed to be eighteen?”

“Of course he’s eighteen, stupid. What kind of show d’you think I’m running here, putting kids in the ring?” Tony had scoffed, setting his palms flat on the fold out table in front of him as Bradley drew close enough to be able to just about hear them over the ring. “Hey, superstar.”

“Tony.”

Natasha looked up and frowned at the way Bradley had deepened his still realtively squeakily youthful voice to speak to the slimy looking middle-aged man in front of them. They shouldn’t be here. The realization ran like a chill down her spine and her fingers curled into the sleeve of Bradley’s hoodie. That’s all before she had even noticed the way that Tony’s attention has turned to her, his dark eyes trailing over her stature.

“You still in, kid?” Tony asked, turning his gaze back to Bradley. Bradley nodded his head without hesitation. He’d never seen Matteo before, but he could tell by looking between the two men that there was a family connection there. He just couldn’t figure out why Matteo was staring at him like that. “Alright. You got a manager?”

Bradley had glanced down towards Natasha and shrugged. “Uh, yeah. I guess.”

Tony smiled wolfishly, “Alright. Manager makes twenty off of what you win. You last three rounds and you’ll make three-fifty, you win before that and you get four. I take five percent of all proceedings. Gotta keep the lights on. Y’know?”

“Sure.” Bradley agrees without thought.

“Alright. Go speak to Romeo, he’ll get you ready.” Tony pointed to a graying man over by the ring that was already busy with three boxers, trying to juggle conversations with them all at once.

“Don’t I need to sign something?” Bradley had asked.

“Not that kind of establishment, son.” Tony winked. Bradley knew not to ask more. Since meeting Tony two weeks earlier, he had learned a whole bunch of things. Etiquette, as Tony liked to call it. Natasha tugged at Bradley’s sleeve.

The brothers watched her scolding him as they walk away.

“That kid’s not eighteen.” Matteo had frowned. Tony shot him a look and then rolled his eyes. Eighteen or not, Bradley fits in around there. He had shrugged off his hoodie and adjusted his shorts, leaving his backpack with the mean looking little girl that he brought with him. He didn’t look too much like a kid. Hadn’t filled out yet, not broad and kind of shaped like a street lamp, but it was convincing enough for anyone low enough to be here in the first place.

“So what if he’s not? — You with CPS now or something?” Tony pulled his cigarettes from his jeans and placed one between his lips.

“So, if he’s not then that means that he’s Goose’s kid.” Matteo pointed out, his voice trembling as he spoke, shaking with both anger and regret at once. Tony looked at him and shrugged without remorse. Matteo had paled at his side. “Jesus Christ, T— you don’t even feel bad about it, do ya?”

“If the kid’s half the fighter his dad was then I feel like we’ve got a second chance here. You dig?” The cigarette wobbled between his thin lips as he spoke. Matteo swallowed softly as he turned his attention back towards the kid at the side of the ring, now deep in conversation with Romeo.

The guy that Bradley was going up against had been in the lightweight category. Around five-nine and about a hundred and thirty pounds. Bradley was near that and a little taller. It was about as fair of a fight as that place could manage.

“How’d you even get him here anyway?” Matteo asked, watching Bradley warming up at the ringside. The grin on his face was all too familiar as he got more comfortable. It had been unmistakably boyish, too sweet to have been in a place like this before.

“Ran into each other, got to talking.” Tony shrugged.

Tony watched Bradley win that night and it had felt like the eighties again. Cheering for a skinny, grinning Bradshaw. Just like how it used to be. Three hundred in his pocket and a smile on his face so big that it hurt, Bradley’s first real win felt good.

Fight nights at Tony’s were a once a month thing. Different times each month to throw the cops off of the scent. It’s a good feeling, starting high school on a Monday and knowing that come Saturday night, he was going to be a winner again.

There are much worse highs that Bradley could have been addicted to, but few that were as dangerous as spending his evenings at the Darkstar. Taking Natasha with him once a month, his wins becoming regular and his visits to the gym becoming more frequent.

It was a messy time, and he shouldn’t have been there making the decisions that he made. Jake shouldn’t have made the comment. Both of them sit in silence, knowing this.

Bradley picks his car up and takes it back to his place in Little Italy, it’s down the street from his parents’ old apartment but still too close for his liking. Jake drives to Coyote’s place so that the two of them can head to a basketball game in the city together. You spend the evening with your friends, trying to dodge questions about Bradley and Jett.

The following week is more intense than you expected. With your fight so close because of Arizona’s desperation to go pro, Jake has you in the ring seven days a week for five hours at the time. Staying late after close up to help you train, you’re beginning to both resent and adore Jake.

Bradley’s starting to just resent him. You’re there with Jake when he arrives in the morning and you’re still there with him by the time that he leaves. Through the week, the two of you don’t have much to do with each other. Between working and not wanting to fall into bed with him again, you make it easy to be avoided.

…

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tgmsunmontue · 2 months ago

Text

Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide 9/?

Maverick is unknowingly surrounded by Transformers. He knows something is up though. Just not quite what it is exactly.

Bradley and Jake, having never met, are embarking on their own journeys and will have to learn to deal with the fact that they've both been adopted by Transformers.

Despite having years more experience, Maverick is no help at all.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT

NINE

He wakes up early, but the bed is sans Jake Seresin. Hopefully he didn’t kick him or whack him in the face during the night, he’s not used to sharing a bed. Either way, he feels well rested and heads for the shower, hanging his uniform up and hoping the steam will help. It’s got fantastic pressure, which is what he’d expect for Ice, he’s always been particular about his showers. He pulls on his jeans, not bothering with anything more than a white tank, he’s going to need to iron his uniform, the steam not even having any effect on the worst of the creases. He’s a little bummed that he’s going to have to pull on his uniform not even a week into his leave, but balanced against the fact that he now knows for certain his car is a Transformer it’s a small price to pay.

He shouldn’t be surprised when he walks into the kitchen and Ice gestures toward the garage with his cup of coffee. He pours a cup for himself and heads in the general direction Ice have indicated. He finds Bronco, Dustdrift and Ninja all lounging around in a circle with Mav talking to them; Jake is there as well, eyes wide and mouth split in a grin as he follows their conversation. Bronco looks funny, sitting like a toddler with his legs bent underneath him but he also doesn’t seem as angry or upset so he walks in and settles down beside him.

“Morning…”

“Dustdrift is pretty sure that Jetfire’s wings are two days travel north of here. We can go and pick them up after out meeting this morning!” Jake says, and Bradley raises an eyebrow, looks to where Ice is standing in the doorway watching them all with a twist to his lips.

“Let’s see what the meeting brings about hmm? I imagine the US Navy can probably manage picking up some wings and transporting them here.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it…” Mav mutters, winking at him and Jake.

… … …

Unlike with Maverick, he doesn’t have to chivy either Bradley or Jake along. They’re both presentable and ready to leave well before Tom actually wants to depart, leaving him yelling at Mav to hurry the fuck up. He tries to ignore Bradley’s eyeroll and smirk, because it hurts a little to have almost a decade of time lost between them. They used to share those looks about Mav when Bradley was a teenager and seeing it now makes his heart ache.

Finally, Mav is ready, looking disgruntled about having to wear his service uniform but he still looks good and when Mav catches him looking he grins and shoots him a wink. It’s a good thing he did tell Seresin about the status of their relationship, anyone with two eyes and a slightly less-than-straight view of the world would see what there is between him and Mav. Fortunately for them most of their peers and superiors are oblivious, or, definitely in some cases, simply turn a blind eye.

“I’ll drive,” Tom says, and they all follow him out to his car. He stands there looking at it, wonders if his boring beige sedan is suddenly going to come to life. It’s going to take him a while to not expect everything to have a hidden second-form. Hound is also parked just out in the street, and if a car could look insolent it would look like Hound in that instant. He suspects today is going to be a challenging day.

“It’s just a car,” Dustdrift says, and their voice is scratchy sounding and Tom thinks it may be the first time he’s heard them speak, but it’s also a relief to know that he’s been in control of his car this entire time and not just had the illusion of control. He doesn’t think he would take it anywhere near as well as both Bradley and Maverick have regarding their favorite modes of transportation.

“I’m not leaving Bronco here.”

The look of relief on the blue trucks face is immense and Tom shrugs. Technically he cannot order the Transformers to do anything, not as far as he understands it. There is an unwritten memorandum, and as he understands it the human race is only alive because a particular faction of Transformers seem to prefer them that way.

“Fine. You and Seresin in Bronco, I’ll go in Hound and Mav, you’re driving my car.”

“Uh, why do we need all three vehicles? Can’t I take Ninja?”

“We can’t let Hound or Bronco just drive up to the gate without drivers!” Tom snaps, and of course Mav’s eyes go wide with delight.

“Why not? Wouldn’t it be great?”

“No! We’re meant to be keeping their existence a secret, not turning it into material to prank people.”

“You spoil all my fun…”

Tom knows half of what Mav says he does simply to wind Tom up and get a reaction, but some days he wishes he could have a more peaceful existence. He knows he’d get bored far too quickly and dismisses the thought usually within seconds, but today he just has the additional worry of something going a certain way which he had never thought was possible. Having Mav know about Transformers is one thing, but to also have Bradley and somehow another young man drawn into it makes the weight of responsibility feel unbearably heavy. He really hopes there is someone higher up he can pass it on to, but is also smart enough to know it’s unlikely, not with his friendship with Mav and relationship with Bradley. They’re going to want him involved in some way at least, even if any final decisions won’t be his because of his potential emotional investment.

… … …

Sunday morning and he’s up early enough to be going to church with his family, and instead he’s on the other side of America, dressed in Admiral Kazansky’s old khakis and pretty sure he’s about to be indoctrinated into something much higher level than he ever expected, especially given his age and rank. He’s thrumming with nerves and excitement, no idea how or why Bradley seems so calm, although he supposes he’s grown up surrounded by all this, so maybe there isn’t the additional novelty factor for him.

Hound had driven into a specific hangar, the doors opening and closing behind him automatically. Admiral Kazansky’s sedan looks so mundane in the space, and he can tell Captain Mitchell was itching to run around and check everything out and Jake can’t blame him. Wants to do the same and only his training keeping him tightly in control. He follows after Admiral Kazansky and Captain Mitchell, down corridors lined with photos and Bradley is at his side, cool as a cucumber and Jake tries to imitate him.

“Gentlemen. Welcome.”

Jake swallows, suddenly very aware that he is by far the lowest rank and also the youngest in the room. There are another eight Admirals of differing levels, and then the fucking Secretary of Defense is there, and he notes even Bradley’s steps falter. Holy shit. This is big. He already knew it was, but this is the proof and he wonders if he’s going to meet the president. Because this is something the president would know about. He follows the instruction to sit and then listens as they all talk, and he tries to follow the conversation.

What he quickly learns is that Cain is an asshole and that there are two camps of belief in the room that are being voiced. One that the Transformers should be subservient and do what they, the humans, want. Jake thinks that is laughable but keeps his mouth shut. Then there is the second camp who think that they have a partnership, are allies, with the Transformers. And okay, Jake thinks that’s more plausible at least better than the first.

However he thinks he might need to set up a third camp, where he, as a human, knows about Transformers only by their grace and any relationship they have is not based on how useful they are to each other. At least he doesn’t think so. Sure, Starscream definitely only tolerated Jake in the beginning because he was useful to him, said he’d help find Jetfire’s parts and help rebuild him, or find people that could. He feels it’s shifted a little, suspects that Starscream doesn’t exactly have a lot of experience with humans; he’s seen Bronco and Sally and Ninja now and they’ve got deep loyal streaks and it’s not entrenched in military orders at all. In fact, with Sally and Ninja he’d go so far that they like Maverick because he’s so averse to following orders. It’s something of a revelation.

“May I ask a question?” Bradley asks, and Jake has missed the last little bit of discussion and is annoyed at himself. Then Bradley simply goes ahead, clearly feeling like he’s immune to anything they could say or do and… holy shit. He guesses they sort of are. “Why are we deciding on anything when the other party who has to agree isn’t present?”

“The leader of the Autobots is going to be meeting us at the airstrip. We need to provide a united front.”

Captain Mitchell snorts and doesn’t even try to look apologetic. Admiral Cain looks annoyed simply by the fact that Captain Mitchell and Admiral Kazansky are there and he wonders if there’s a history there; scorned lover or power struggle.

“With all due respect sir, what weight do our wishes have here? We could all decide to retire from the service as soon as our current posting finishes.”

Jake slides his eyes to Bradley and then to Admiral Kazansky, because Captain Mitchell has a point, but it somehow also sounds like a threat. He doesn’t want to leave the Navy, however if they ground him? Then what’s the point? He wants to fly.

… … …

“We have a research base located in Fallon, which suits our cover story, which is that we’re sending the both of you to Top Gun. Along with Captain Mitchell. There is also some other training which isn’t so well known about which aligns with your interests.”

“A research base?”

“Where we work on understanding the Cybertron technology more in-depth.”

Bradley frowns, wonders why they simply don’t ask if it’s all meant to be a reciprocal relationship, and a quick glance shows him Mav is thinking the same thing. Ice looks almost bored, his face difficult to read in this type of context, closed off and serious. Jake is looking skeptical which is reassuring, he hopes they’re on the same page at least.

“Of course we want to utilize your skillsets for as long as you’re willing to share them with us…”

“Our what? Sir," Mav asks, the sir tacked on like an afterthought and god Bradley loves and hates him.

“Clearly there is something about the three of you which draws Transformers to you, we’d be interested to see if that is biological or –”

“You want to run tests on them?” Ice asks, his voice cold and dripping disdain and huh, this might be part of why he has the callsign he does.

“If we refuse?” Mav asks, his eyes narrowed, and Bradley is glad they’re both asking, because he feels like this is a dangerous area to start arguing with his superiors. Ice and Mav will both ensure anything that is proposed is above board and he’s so glad that they’re there right now.

“Everything is completely voluntary.”

Bradley holds back a groan, because that’s like saying breathing is voluntary, and they can stop any time.

TEN

#Caring Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide #hangster #Top Gun Maverick #AU #TF and TGM crossover

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lyn-js · 5 months ago

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Dancing under the Moonlight | Chapter 5. Shattered

Bradley Bradshaw x OC Reader (Nickname Honey)

Summary: After the Uranium Mission, Bradley Bradshaw decides he wants to settle down. Maybe even start a family at some point in time. But he felt so tired (and old) to be in the dating scene. That's until he sees a beautiful new bartender at The Hard Deck. Not only that; turns out she's Penny's niece, Beatrice. They both hit it off amazing, but for some reason, Beatrice isn't letting her walls down yet. But Bradley is going to get to the bottom of what Bea's big secret is.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, drinking, mentions of past abuse, fluff, Bradley's kind of a dick in this chapter, slut shaming, eventually smut 18+, age gap (24 & 35)

Hello everyone, I'm really sorry about being absent for the past couple weeks. this chapter is also a little bit short. Love you all😊

You were getting ready for your shift at the bar again, already feeling the jitters once again. But they aren't the nervous, unsettling jitters. They were the fuzzy, exciting kind, something you’ve never had before and finally feeling complete with yourself, and the life you feel comfortable in.

As you were putting the finishing touches to your outfit you decided to call Bradley and ask him if he was coming tonight. You messaged him just a couple of times throughout the day but there was silence on his end. He was probably busy with work, and you didn’t want to bother him. So for right now, you’ll just wait and see.

You hear a knock at your door and see aunt Penny, she looked absolutely beautiful. Her hair was curled, and a touch of makeup on. With a beautiful wrap dress. The only person you could think of is your mom helping her with this. She always encouraged her to wear makeup, saying she looks like a princess every time. “Don’t you look pretty?” you say to her with a cheeky grin.

“Pete’s taking me out on a date, wanting to look nice. Are you feeling okay with Jimmy tonight?” she asked you. Making sure you won't have another episode like the last time.

“I’ll be fine Aunt Penny, plus C will be with me tonight, she’ll be there to keep me calm.” You glad Chantal was able to come out with you tonight, she would be able to keep you on common ground, and in a peaceful mindset other than Bradley. Not to mention Natasha might be there tonight too.

You just give her a nod of confirmation, to let her know that you would be fine tonight. So you both go downstairs and see Amelia and Chantal and Pete sitting in the living room talking with one another, they see you both coming down the stairs and stand up to come greet you.

You were going to grab your purse from the door when you felt a hand on your shoulder, you turned around and jumped a little bit when you saw Pete.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was wondering… if you talk to Bradley at all today. I didn’t want to assume anything, it just seemed you two have been talking and a little bit more closer with each other.”

You give him a reassuring smile and wave him off. “Don’t worry Pete, it’s fine. But no, I tried to call him but I keep getting his voicemail.” When you look back at him he gives you a serious look. You were starting to get worried now about Bradley.

“I didn’t see much of him today. But from what I could see from today, he wasn’t in the best shape.” Your heart rate starts to quicken a little bit, maybe wondering if you should have called or messaged him throughout the day. Suddenly a pool of guilt was filling your stomach, wishing it wasn't there at all.

“But if he's there, just check up on him.Make sure he’s better. Okay?” you automatically give him a yes, even if he didn’t ask you, you would have still done it. You finally have a person in your life you can trust. Feel comfortable around. You're just hoping he’s comfortab;e around you so he can tell you how he really is.

Let’s see.

When we arrive at the Hard Deck, we see Bob and Nat outside smoking. C couldn’t even park the car before hoping out and running over to Nat in a bone crushing hug and kiss.

You chuckle to yourself when walking up to them. You're happy that she has someone to care for and about her. To be with someone that she can be happy and safe with.

You and Bob just take in the glory of your best friends finally finding happiness, and make some conversation, and wait until they're both done sucking face . After that is over, you all make your way into the very crowded bar.

When you make it halfway to the bar top, you spot the sandy blond aviator, and have a bright smile beam on your face so hard it makes your cheeks hurt.

You are almost about to tap him on the shoulder when you hear the most repulsing things come out of his mouth.

Probably fucking around with other guys. Fuckin slut.

You have never felt your heart shatter more than ever. Probably even more painful when Zeke used to hurt you. All of the emotional and physical pain. That was down the drain. This. Right here, right now was the absolute worst moment of your life.

Your whole body stiffens when you realize everybody's eyes are on you.

You are making sure to not let the tears fall down, and waving off anybody who is trying to talk to you. You finally have a little feeling back in your body and make your way back out to the front.

Once you're out there, you let all the raw, angry, sad emotions let out of your system.

You have never felt more stupid in your entire life, until this very moment. Thinking you could finally have a normal, stable life and with a guy you really liked-

“I thought you would be here Honey?” Your blood runs cold, your whole body stiffens when you hear that low, groggy voice you thought you would never hear again.

“Zeke?”

Please don't hate me. It will be more interesting in the next chapter. 🤭🤭

Reblogs are always welcome. Unless you're under 18. I will block you. and comment if you want to be added to the taglist. If I forgot anybody message me and let me know. You will be added.

Taglist: @caitsymichelle13@shanimallina87@angelbabyyy99@callsign-magnolia@nerdgirljen @nervousnerdwitch

#bradley rooster bradshaw #tgm fic #rooster x reader #rooster top gun #tgm oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #top gun fanfiction

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h-c-u · 2 years ago

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The kids are alright pt 3

Summary: You go into labor two weeks before the due date, while Ice is giving an interview on the live TV

Pairing: Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x reader

W/C: 4k

Rating: PG

TWs: Labor and all stuff that comes with it.

A/N: Sooo.... The baby is here :) And this chapter was inspired by that interrupted interview with prince Harry, when he was still in the military Also - someone asked me why I wasn't calling Bradley "Rooster", so I might address it here as well - it's because in this universe, he's not a pilot, so he didn't get that callsign yet :)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Masterlist | List of tags | Part 4

- Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! - you almost fell over when you felt a contraction. At first, you thought that it was Braxton-Hicks, but they were getting stronger and stronger over the last hour... Or was it even more...?

You were home alone, so the situation was less than ideal, but you didn't want to worry Ice, just in case it was nothing, because you knew he was doing an interview today. You also didn't want to call for an ambulance, because you felt like it would be an overshoot, and you definitely couldn't drive alone.

Another contraction came and you had to hold a kitchen counter as hard as you possibly could if you didn't want to fall.

- SHIT. FUCK. - weirdly, swearing helped a little, but when the pain retreated for a moment, you quickly dialed Bradley, because you knew that he had a day off. Since the memorable dinner, you two became much closer, and you treated him now as if he was your younger brother. That's why you sighed with relief when he finally answered. - Where are you...? - you were out of breath and he immediately realized that something was wrong.

- I'm actually on my way to you, I'll be there in like two minutes.

- Oh thank gods... You'll have to take me to the hospital, so don't even bother coming in. I'll be waiting outside... - you've said. Bag. There was an emergency bag prepared just for this occasion and you took it with you.

- Is everything ok? - you only groaned in response, because another contraction came.

- I'm... I think the labor started. - you've said through gritted teeth.

- Oh shit, it's early! - he sounded a bit panicked. - I'm pulling in... - he said when you were locking the door behind you. - I'm here, I'm here! - he run out of the car and was near you in less than a second, taking the bag from you, and offering you his arm, so the walk to the car would be easier. - How do you feel? - you only shot daggers from your eyes at him in response. - Not talkative today, got it. - he helped you get into the front seat and pushed it as far back as he could, while you disconnected the call between you two, and immediately called 911. - What are you...? - another killer look from you shut him up really quickly.

- Hello, My name is y/n Kazansky and I'm in labor. I will be in a blue Ford Bronco riding to St. Barts from the south, most likely over the speed limit. I don't know the exact route, but I would really appreciate not being... FFFFFFUUUUCKKKKKKKK!!!!! - you screamed while Bradley started the car and pulled out of your driveway. - Sorry about that. Contraction. I know it's not conventional, but we would really appreciate not being stopped or chased. - you saw the surprise on your temporary driver's face when he immediately started speeding up.

- I don't have any patrols in the area, but I'll relay the message. Wait... There is a firetruck coming down from the highway, I can ask them to escort you to the hospital. - the lady on the other end of the call was extremely helpful already.

- Yes! Thank you very much! - you tried to breathe as calmly as possible and not push yet, considering that your water didn't break.

- I will also let St. Barts know that you'll be coming, so the team will be ready for you. How far apart are your contractions? - she was surprisingly calm, but that must have come with the job; after all you couldn't just lose your temper answering the emergency calls.

- You're an angel. They started maybe two hours ago and are now 4-5 minutes apart. - you sighed with relief, while Bradley swirled harshly to the left.

- Just here to help, ma'am. Can you tell me how dilated you are?

- I can't exactly see and I'm not gonna ask the driver to look under my dress now... I'd rather just get there as soon as possible. I see the firetruck! - you exclaimed happily.

- That's good, I just got the confirmation that they noticed you too, so it shouldn't be too long until you'll be with your doctors. - she remained calm till the end.

- Thank you so much, really. I'm gonna hang up now because I have to call my husband and tell him what's going on. Thank you again.

- Happy to help, ma'am. Good luck! - you laughed in response and finally ended the call when the firetruck in front of you turned it's sirens on.

- I didn't know you could do that with emergency numbers... - Bradley mumbled under his breath, still in panic mode. - But good thinking! - you could only grab something and scream because another contraction came and almost knocked you out. - I'm so glad I won't have to give birth... - he realized what he said as soon as the words left his mouth. - No, no, no, no! I didn't mean it like that! I'll shut up now! - if looks could kill, you'd be currently in a car accident, because Bradley would have died behind the wheel.

You finally collected yourself enough to dial your husband's number and put your phone on speaker. And there was signal after signal; he wasn't answering. So you tried again. And again. Until you arrived at the hospital. Bradley jumped out of the car and helped moved you to a wheelchair, while your oby-gyn was checking how dilated you were.

- Thank you, guys! - you shouted at the firemen, who helped you get to the hospital in record time. Some of them waved at you, and a few gave you thumbs-up. - Hi doctor Montgomery! - you said when her hands were finally away from your... nether regions.

- Hi, y/n... I guess we're doing this early. Is Tom coming in? - she gave you a soft smile and took the latex glove off, while a nurse started wheeling you into the building.

- Bradley, grab my bag when you'll park the car! I'm in good hands! - you shouted behind you. Everything was happening so quickly that you had trouble processing what exactly was happening. - Honestly, doc... I don't know. He's doing... WAIT! - the nurse stopped immediately, and your doctor looked at you confused as you dialed another number on your phone. Someone crazy and maniacal enough to actually do what you'll ask. In the meantime, you pointed at the television in the waiting room, where your husband was currently speaking about the latest navy investment, 16 new choppers.

- MAV! You have no idea how happy I am you answered. How far you're from Tommy? - you asked; the nurse wanted to start moving again, but you swatted at his hand.

- I'm right there, why?

- Give him your fucking phone. Now.

- Now? He's on live TV... - he said cautiously.

- I know, I can see that. Do you honestly think that I would have asked if it wasn't imfuckING SHIT.... - another contraction came, and you felt your water finally breaking. Doctor Montgomery dove under your dress once again.

- Y/n, we have to move to a birthing room, you're 6cm dilated! - her voice told you there was no room for a discussion, and yet you still tried.

- One sec, doc! I promise! I'll be good, just let me tell him I'm in labor. - you saw Maverick showing up on the TV, whispering something in Tom's ear, away from the camera, and passing him the phone. - Tom! You got to come to St. Barts now if you don't want to miss the birth of our daughter. - you could see his face dropping on TV.

- Are you...? - he stuttered a bit, but you couldn't even savor this moment of him not being fully composed.

- I'm fine, Bradley drove me, my water broke, I'm 6cm dilated, and it's happening. Like right now. Little Ms. Kazansky decided to follow her dad's mantra that being early is on time, and on time is late. So get your ass here as soon as possible. - you were speaking faster than you thought possible, and yet he didn't have trouble understanding you.

- I apologize, there is an emergency. - you heard on the phone, and his lips followed with a slight delay on TV. You saw him taking off the mic, grabbing Mav by the elbow, and running toward the newest investment. You managed to catch the last sight of them actually entering one of the choppers before the view changed to someone in the studio. - I'll be there. - he said. - And now be good to doctor Montgomery. - you only laughed in response. - I'm hanging up now, because we're getting up in the air. I love you. - you couldn't help but smile.

- I love you too! - and now officially you could focus only on your labor. - You saw that dr. Montgomery? - you grinned, and the nurse started moving your wheelchair toward a birthing room again.

- I did! And if I'm being completely honest, that was impressive. Although I can't help but wonder where he'll land. - you laughed through pain. - Ok, let's get you out of that dress and into a gown... - she helped you get up and undress, and was ready with a hospital gown. She also helped you onto the bed.

- He's a fucking COMPACFLT, he'll figure something out. - you laughed, when you were finally in the correct position, while the nurses were attaching all EKGs and other stuff to you. - Sorry for the swearing, it actually helps with pain... - you mumbled, and leaned on the raised part of the beb. - I guess it's already too late for the epidural. - you savored those couple of minutes without any contractions.

- Unfortunately, yes. - dr. Montgomery put a drop of gel on your stomach and put a USG wand to it. She went silent for a moment, but eventually, she smiled. - Ok, everything looks perfect. She's in a perfect position, the umbilical cord is visible and out of the way, her heart rate is normal, and you're officially 7.5cm dilated. It looks like it's gonna be a quick one. - she explained and moved the USG machine out of the way. - Are you ready to do this...? - you heard a commotion outside of the room and Bradley's panicked and angry voice came through the closed door.

- You better let him in, because he honestly might break the door. - you laughed, avoiding replying to her question because you didn't want to start without your husband.

One of the nurses opened the door and Bradley almost fell to the floor.

- Y/N! Are you ok, what's going on? - he was holding your hand in an instant, but he chose a poor moment because another contraction hit you, and you couldn't help but squeeze your hands around his forearm as hard as you could. He let out a quiet squeal, but nothing more.

- I'm in labor. Without my husband next to me. That's what's going on! - you've said through gritted teeth.

- Y/N, she's crowning, you have to start pushing soon... - dr. Montgomery was serious, and yet your stubbornness wanted to fight her so badly. That was until you heard a chopper nearing the hospital.

- That's Ice and Mav, go get them! - you slapped Bradley's shoulder, and he followed your orders without even thinking of stopping and asking from where exactly he should get them. But that wasn't your problem now, because there was another contraction, and you really felt the need to push, but you did everything in your power not to... Just a few more minutes...

- Y/N, I'm serious, if you won't start pushing soon, you'll be putting your daughter in danger... - you looked at her worryingly and you clenched your jaw.

- He's gonna be here any second now... - you wanted to cry because you had a plan. And it just shattered to pieces. But you still were holding desperately to the most important part of it, and you just couldn't let it go. Not yet.

- I know, sweetie, I know... But when the next contraction comes, I really need you to push as hard as you can, ok? I'll let you know when that will be, but please be ready, ok...? - her tone of voice was kind and soft, and you finally nodded. - Great. I'm here for you, and Tom will be here before she'll be out, I can promise you that. - you smiled a bit and dried your forehead with your wrist.

- Ok. - you exhaled when the door to your birthing room slammed open and you saw Tom, who was currently more than out of breath and red in the face. You didn't even see Mav and Bradley behind him, completely focused on your husband, who basically teleported to your side.

- Contraction is coming... Are you ready...? - dr. Montgomery asked and you nodded, pulling your husband's arm close to your chest and holding it tightly, almost like a teddy bear. - Hi Tom. - she welcomed your husband but shushed the other two men from the room. It was a miracle that when the next contraction came, you didn't crush Tom's arm.

- Good, good! You're doing amazing! - the doctor smiled while checking the situation. - I can actually see the top of her ears now! Tom, if you want to, you can get behind Y/n on the bed, like we practiced. - you sighed heavily, too tired and in too much pain for expressing complicated emotions.

- I love you... - you whispered when Ice was behind you, and you leaned into his strong body, which relaxed you almost immediately; muscle memory working faster than your brain could. - And I'm really glad that you made it.

- I love you too... And we'll talk about everything later because Bradley mentioned something about a firetruck. - he chuckled and you couldn't help but join.

- Another contraction guys, be ready... - dr. Montgomery said, and Tom wrapped his arms around you and intertwined your fingers together, so you would have something to hold onto.

This time you cried because it was just too much... Your scream full of pain echoed in the small room, and you felt your husband's lips on your neck, which surprisingly helped. You leaned more into him, actively pressing against him with your whole body and you could feel his muscles tensing. You knew he was whispering something to your ear, but you were in too much pain to actually process what he was saying.

- And we have the head! - you couldn't help but laugh through tears because you knew the worst part was still ahead of you. The good thing was, that everything was happening so fast, your brain didn't have time to properly catch up to was happening, because you were still in managing the crisis mode. - Another contraction coming! - why the hell they were so close together!? And why the hell you didn't realize earlier that you needed to go to the hospital? You'd be all nice and numb, but instead, you were digging your nails deep into your husband's skin.

You didn't know where one scream ended, and another began because everything started blending together. There was a moment when you felt something cold being pressed to your forehead, and another to your lips, but you weren't sure who or why did that. It did help a little though.

- Ok, sweetie, one last time, the shoulders are almost out! - the promise in dr. Montgomery’s voice brought you down for just enough to focus on that one last push, and after the massive amount of pressure, there was almost an instant relief, and you heard your baby girl cry, which instantly made you sob. You could also feel Ice shaking behind you. - Tom, do you want to get here and cut the cord? - you turned your head to look at him, and you could just tell that he didn't want to leave you alone even for a second.

- Doc...? I know we talked about it being 20-30 minutes, but I feel the need to push... Like NOW.

- Oh! Then push! Now! Is everyone ok with me cutting the cord? - both you and your husband nodded, and you started pushing again. This time it took less than a minute and your placenta landed in the intern's hands, while dr Montgomery was checking and measuring your daughter. - Damn, that was quick! I'm a little bit jealous, not gonna lie! - she came back and put your baby girl in your arms. - She's perfect, all fingers and toes present, she's 48cm tall and she weighs 3.1kg. Lungs are fully developed and everything else looks good. I would still like to run a few more tests later, just because she's here 2 weeks early, but in my professional opinion - she's gonna be perfect. - You were registering what she was saying, but your whole focus was on this beautiful baby girl in your arms. She wasn't crying anymore, just looking at you with beautiful silver eyes. You knew there was a chance that this color would change over the next couple of months, but they could also stay the same since they were almost a perfect copy of Tom's eyes.

- Hi... - you said softly, and gently touched her nose with your finger and she fussed a bit. - It's nice to finally see you face to face... - you whispered again, completely ignoring the nurses who were currently cleaning you up because it simply didn't matter.

- She's perfect... And you were amazing.... - Ice whispered directly into your ear, looking over your shoulder at your daughter. - She's so tiny... - he added and gently cupped her head

- Oh, she'll grow... - you couldn't help but laugh. Considering how tall Tom was compared to you, you were genuinely surprised that she wasn't bigger.

- Did you come up with a name...? - dr Montgomery asked while she was filling up your file, and you looked at your husband and smiled.

- Yes, yes we did... Astrea... - he said and hugged you just a bit tighter, and placed a small kiss on the top of your head.

- That's a very beautiful name... Now I know we talked about it in detail, but I'm just gonna repeat it one more time... Try to feed her in the next hour, and try to get as much sleep as possible. How is your pain? - dr. Montgomery asked while she finished your paperwork.

- It's... manageable, at least with all the endorphins... - you replied, still lost in your daughter's eyes.

- I'm going to prescribe you something for it, and the nurse should be here any moment to help you with everything. I'm gonna go now, but I will be checking on you. And if you'll need anything else, just ask the nurses to page me, all right? - she smiled at you and nodded. - Are you ok with visitors? - you nodded again, gently cleaning your baby's head and face with a towel. You knew it was best to wait with a bath for at least a day, but that didn't mean she would have to be covered with amniotic fluid for that time. She was so quiet and so well-behaved. She didn't cry, just moved her arms a little, and just looked at everything around the room with those beautiful silver eyes.

- Do you need anything, dove? - Tom asked from behind you, also completely enamored with this little creature in your arms. He just couldn't fathom how such a perfect little thing was his daughter.

- Just... Stay there, ok...? - you leaned into him more, and allowed your head to rest on his shoulder. You were sticky from sweat and tears, but none of you cared.

- I'm not going anywhere... - he laughed quietly, and you hummed feeling the familiar vibrations behind you, and they did wonders in making you feel safe. He gently moved your hair from your face, and you melted into his cold hand.

- Hey guyyysssss... - Bradley whispered, a bit afraid that if he said something louder, he might scare the baby.

- Hi... - you replied and beckoned both of them closer. - Meet Astrea... - you couldn't stop smiling when you put her head a bit higher, so they could see her better.

- Hi Astrea... - Bradshaw's voice was still barely a whisper - It's a pleasure to meet you...

- Actually... We have something to ask you, kid... - Ice said, while the younger man still couldn't take his eyes off your daughter. You talked about it in detail over the last month and agreed on that; you just didn't expect that would ask about it so quickly. - We would like you to be her godfather...

- Hmmm? - he hasn't processed the request yet, still completely focused on Astrea. It was fun to watch his face catching up to his thoughts. - Are you serious? - he finally looked at you, still convinced that it might have been a joke.

- We're serious. - you replied and gently squeezed his forearm. - We figured that Mav already will have his hands full with you, and considering what huge help you were during this last month, we know we can trust you, and that's what's most important. - you smiled at him and only now you noticed tears gathering in his eyes.

- Yes! Of course, I will be her godfather! - he finally raised his voice above a whisper, and Astrea immediately looked at him with her piercing eyes.

- Then it's settled... uncle Bradley... - only now you noticed that Mav also had trouble keeping his face straight.

Since that memorable dinner, you had a serious, almost 4h talk about this whole situation, and - if you were completely honest - you felt more like a therapist than a friend... And there were moments when he wasn't treating you seriously, because how could you understand such complicated circumstance. He wasn't entirely wrong... But fortunately in the end everything was dissected, and discussed, and you two made peace about your intervention.

- Whoa, a lot of people! Is mama ok with that? - the nurse came in and was instantly the focus of the room.

- More than ok, thank you. They're family. - you smiled at Mav, while he tried to discretely wipe the tears that gathered in his eyes. He hasn't said a word since he came in, and if you knew that seeing a baby would finally shut him up, you might have gotten one earlier.

- Ok then. - she replied with a giant smile on her face. - How do you feel about a shower, dear? - she asked, and you honestly couldn't think of a better proposition.

- I'd love that... Ice, do you want to take her...? - you asked, but you already knew the answer. Of course, he would. And he did without batting an eye, finally holding his daughter for the first time in his arms. The nurse helped you stand up and only now you realized how much everything hurt, and that there was fluid running down your legs. - Bradley, my bag? - you asked and he pointed at the armchair, where your purple bag was.

- Are ok to take the shower alone, or would you like some help...? - the nurse asked, and you were far past any shame.

- Help would be great, thank you, because there is no chance I'm gonna reach everything. Also, doctor Montgomery was supposed to prescribe me something for pain...? - you've mentioned because you were slowly coming down from that high of endorphins that pushed you through the whole labor.

- I know dear, everything is ready. But in my opinion, it would be better if we waited with the IV after showering. Will you be able to wait till then? - you nodded, while you were taking your towel, toiletries, and your personal gown from the bag. - Ok, dad... Off the birthing bed, we're going to wheel it out and bring the regular one, with everything fresh. - the nurse offered you her arm for stabilization while she was bossing everyone else around, and as if she willed it into existence, two younger nurses came into the room and started quickly cleaning all the mess from the labor.

Before you entered the bathroom, you took one last look at your husband, in full uniform, now standing up and holding your daughter who looked tiny in his arms; you could have sworn that she was much bigger half an hour ago... Ice looked at you with a huge smile on his face and mouthed a short, soundless "I love you".

#my writing #TW: labor #Top Gun Fanfiction #Tom Kazansky fic #Tom Kazansky x reader #Tom Iceman Kazansky x reader #Tom Iceman Kazansky fanfiction #iceman x reader #🖤#Pete Mitchell fanfiction #Bradley Bradshaw fanfiction

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andorskenobi · 2 years ago

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A.M. | B. Bradshaw

pairing: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x F!Kazansky!Reader (callsign: Vixen)

Made In The A.M. Mini-Series

Next Part

summary: after receiving heartbreaking news you take comfort in Bradley's presence in early morning hours.

warnings: fluff, angst, mentions of vomit,

a/n: wrote this while procrastinating learning how to use after effects so enjoy

w/c: 1,841

There were only two places where you ever truly felt like yourself, in a plane and wherever Bradley Bradshaw was, and right now you would give anything to be in either of those places. Instead you were sitting in your parents' living room trying to process what your dad had just told you. The idea that your dad, the strongest man you'd ever met, could be taken from you by something so small was something you couldn't wrap your head around. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, he'd beaten it already. It wasn't supposed to come back, you were supposed to have your dad until he went peacefully of old age.

Your parents watched as you went through all the stages of grief in the span of mere seconds, sitting in silence as you processed.

"How long?" You hadn't realized how weak your voice was until you spoke, nor had you noticed the stray tear rolling down your cheek.

"A few months, we found out last week." Your mom spoke for your dad, who just sat looking at you with a frown.

It was a known fact that you had always been a daddy's girl, never being far from his side since the moment you were born. So of course this news hit you much harder than it had any of your other family members. Suddenly, you were wishing you had lived through more of your big life milestones sooner so that your father could be a part of them, but it was too late for that.

When you didn't respond your father leaned forward putting a hand on your knee. You placed your hand on his, giving it a squeeze as silent tears fell from your eyes. The three of you sat on that couch for what felt like years until you had to leave.

You were a people watcher, you always had been, so you watched the other bar patrons. The smiles on their faces either brought on by pure happiness or pure drunken stupor. You found yourself jealous of their happiness, jealous that they were all blissfully living their lives while you were stuck under this weight that your life was going to be torn apart soon.

"Vix, if you think any harder my brain might explode." Bradley's voice pulled you from the depths of your thoughts, bringing what little bit of a smile you could muster to your face. "What's up? You only think like that when something's eatin' you up."

"Nothing, really, 'm just a little tired." You brought your drink to your lips, taking a sip as you spoke. Really you were just trying to avoid looking at Rooster because you knew if you did you'd break down, and today really wasn't the day for having a public breakdown.

Rooster quirked his brows but decided not to push any further, he knew you well enough to know that there was truly something that was bothering you but you wouldn't talk about it until you felt it was safe for you to. So instead he changed the subject and started talking about his upcoming deployment. Work was the one thing that ever really distracted you and he also knew that. Outside of your dad, Bradley was the only person that truly understood and knew you. He took care to learn all of the little details down to the way you get upset if the seam of your socks in the wrong place and how its been that way since you were a child. That was the thing that separated him from your other friends, the way he cared for you. Of course you didn't know this, there was no way you could, but that care was really just the love he felt for you. He'd been in love with you since he was old enough to comprehend what love meant, but he would never tell you out of fear of ruining your friendship.

By the time it was time for you to leave and go home you were well past drunk and definitely unable to drive yourself home. Rooster grabbed your keys from you hand earning a groan from you, which he just ignored, "Pen, would you keep these safe for me? We'll swing by for her car in the morning."

"Of course, you two be safe." You gave Penny a drunk smile, waving as Rooster guided you out the door and to his truck.

After struggling to get you in he walked around and climbed into the driver seat. You found yourself staring at him, and maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was really you, but he had never been more beautiful than he was in this moment. Rooster sighed, rolling his eyes at the lopsided grin you gave him, before reaching over you to put your seatbelt on.

"You're a pretty Rooster." He huffed out a laugh, putting the keys in the ignition as he did.

"You're a drunk Vixen."

You frowned, "You don't think I'm pretty?"

You were unsure where this sudden boldness came from, of course you'd always had this boldness. It was what earned you your callsign, but never was it directed towards Rooster.

Rooster sighed, moving his hand from the steering wheel and placing it over your own. "I never said that Vix, just said you were drunk which means you aren't thinking clearly."

"I'm thinking just fine, earlier you said I was thinking too much."

"I did say that." With that, Bradley let go of your hand and backed out of the parking space. The drive to your house was silent, which meant you were forced to sit with your thoughts. The weight returning to your shoulders sobering you up.

When you finally got home Bradley followed you inside, making sure the door was locked behind you. You stumbled out of your shoes leaving them in a messy pile behind you as you made your way to your kitchen. You turned back to face Rooster, a water in hand, just looking at him as he put your shoes where they went neatly.

"You staying?" It was a dumb question, he always stayed on nights like this, but you asked anyway.

"Always do. You still got those sweatpants of mine?" You nodded, taking a sip of your water, your eyes never leaving him.

"Yeah, top drawer. I've also got one of your shirts if you want it." Bradley nodded, leaving the room to get changed. Again you were left alone with your thoughts. You found yourself wondering how the world would feel in your dad's absence, a sick feeling rising in your stomach.

Before you knew it you were running into your bathroom, squeezing past Bradley and falling to the floor by the toilet. He was quick to move and hold your hair back, his other hand rubbing your back. Maybe it was the burn from the contents of your stomach or maybe it was the comforting tone of Bradley's voice as he spoke to you, but for the first time since you stood up from your parents' couch this evening you broke down right there in your bathroom floor. Your broken sobs filled the room, Bradley moving to sit down with you and pulling you into a hug. He allowed you to cry until you couldn't anymore, never once asking for you to say what was wrong.

When you stopped crying Rooster moved your face so he could look at you, brushing the stray tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. Wordlessly, he stood the two of you up and guided you to your bed, where the two of you laid until you eventually fell asleep. Bradley laid awake, his eyes never leaving your sleeping frame, pondering what could possibly cause you to breakdown the way you had only thirty minutes ago. You were never one to allow your emotions to get the better of you, he had only ever seen you cry a handful of times in your life; when you were five and you broke your arm trying to climb a tree, at 16 when your first boyfriend broke up with you, your sister's wedding, and when your father first got diagnosed. He hated to see you cry, because he knew it meant something had truly broken you. Eventually sleep overcame him, leaving the two of you laying peacefully in your bed wrapped up in each other. The unspoken love filling the room.

You were the first to wake that morning, Bradley's scent overwhelming your senses like it did most mornings when you woke up to him in your bed. You'd never admit it out loud but this part of the morning was one you enjoyed the most, the way you were able to admire him in silence and ponder a life where the two of you woke like this every morning. You'd loved him for a while now and could pinpoint the exact moment you'd realized you loved him. It was at your sister's wedding, you were 18 and stupid but so was he, the two of you had gotten drunk that night, and you tell yourself it was the overwhelming amount of love that filled the air and not the buzz that the three glasses of wine gave you. But in that moment hiding from your mom and dad in Bradley's truck all you could think about was kissing him, it would have been so easy to close what little space there was between the two of you.

Just as it would be so easy now to do the same. Instead you watched him, just admiring his presence, until he woke up. A smile spread across his face, which caused one to spread across your own.

"I know your mother did not teach you to stare at people." The sleepiness in his voice made your heart skip a beat. It was moments like these with him that helped you forget the reality of what was happening, only briefly but it was still an escape.

"Can't help it, you're just too pretty." The boldness from last night had apparently not left you.

"Can't keep calling me that, Vi. It'll go straight to my head." You giggled, moving to rest your chin on his chest so you could look at him better. You almost melted when his hand came up to rest in your hair. You two sat quietly like that until Bradley broke the silence with the dreaded question. "You gonna tell me what's wrong?"

You sighed, rolling to lay back on your back, staring at the ceiling in attempt to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill from your eyes.

"It's back. I'm losing my dad and I'm scared." Rooster's heart broke when he heard the crack in your voice as you spoke.

"Oh. Shit Vix, I'm sorry." He pulled you in to a hug, allowing you to once again breakdown into tears that you've been forcing down. The two of you stayed like that until you couldn't anymore.

#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun rooster #bradley bradsaw x reader #rooster x reader #rooster bradshaw #rooster top gun #rooster x reader fluff #rooster bradshaw fic #top gun x reader #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x female reader #tgm #top gun fandom #top gun fic

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topguncortez · 6 months ago

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Hello, sorry to be a bother I hope everything is going well with your graduation 💗💗

I just wanted to ask if you have any tips and/or thoughts for those starting out posting their fics and ect on tumblr

i meant to answer this the other day but things came up and i pushed it to the back burner.

anyway! my tips and tricks on getting involved in fandom writing (and it doesn’t just have to be this one. this goes for ALL fandoms)

1. use tags

tags are very helpful with organizing and getting your work out there. not only can people follow certain tags, but it’s also easier to search and find a certain fic. for example, if i wanted to read nico hischier fics im going to search “nico hischier imagines” i use the same 10-15 tags on all of my posts.

now ☝️ here’s one thing that butters my biscuit about tags, is when people misuse them. do not tag a fic about jake seresin with “bradley bradshaw imagine”.

2. headers & titles & synopsis

titles are hard. i’m pretty sure i have three fics all titled the same thing. however, titles are attention grabbers. titles are gonna make people want to stop and read your fic. my go to advice for titles, is find a song you like and use that. or maybe a line of dialogue. or in the TGM fandom, your characters callsign

headers also grab people’s attention. i almost always use a header image unless im writing a blurb or a one shot from an ask. pinterest is a great lovely tool that you can find amazing pictures to use as headers. and canva is a great free tool that’ll help you edit.

synopsis: also attention grabbers. a proper synopsis will give people a glimpse at what’s ahead. it can be as simple as “in this fic, jake is an asshole”

3. warnings

this is a big one. especially if you’re wanting to write smut or angst. yes, people are responsible for the media they consume, however it is the writers job to warn them about what they are going to consume.

i normally write “warnings: a…b…c…” in my angst and smut fics. however, if i’m writing about darker angst/realistic topics such as SA, abuse, gun violence, etc, i will put a “trigger warning” (tw) tag in my tags.

i can not stress this point enough. like i said, the reader is responsible for what they choose to read. but your duty as a writer is to make sure your warnings and tags are very, very clear. it does not matter if your warnings “give too much of the plot away”. that means your plot is probably very triggering for people and you need to tell them that.

be very clear with your warnings. crystal. clear.

4. the use of read more

please use the “read more” option when writing long pieces. the fandom will love you if you do.

5. reblog your work, reblog others work… build a network

reblogs are so so important especially on this app. tumblr is not tiktok. there’s no algorithm for what shows up first on your dash. the way to keep your fic and others fics alive is by REBLOGGING

also, reblogging of other peoples fics is what draws attention to your blog. and it’s how you start to create friendship networks.

i met most of my friends by reblogging their work or sneaking into their dms.

writers support writers around here.

6. make your blog personable.

no one likes a blank inpersonable blog. not saying you need to put your face as the icon. but make it look like you’re not just a bot blog.

find a cute color scheme and some headers. make it unique. make it you!

7. do not be afraid to tag people

some people (including myself once) are afraid to tag the “big blogs” (which i find to be a stupid term. no one here is a “big blog”, sit down charlie d’melio) but tagging people again is what catches peoples attention.

do not be afraid to tag some of your favorite writers and be like “hey i’m new look at this”

8. utilize online resources for writing help

there’s so many free writing resources out there! i’m seeing more and more show up on my instagram feed, tiktok, youtube. they are great apps that’ll help you get started!

i know this was a lot but if you have ANY questions or need someone to look over your fics, you can reach out to me!

i hope this helps:)

#writing help #fanfic help #g mail

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justmy-account · 9 months ago

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Stranger Things filming updates from this week

January 29th-February 4th

Monday 29th

Sadie Sink is really in London! So why are they filming in hospital?

Tuesday 30th

so new characters, you say?

actor named Andrew Bassett is currently in Atlanta, and he follows the cast, soo…

Wednesday 31st

excuse me?

Thursday 1st

Friday 2nd

new bts from ross duffer

also, another photos of some Bradley’s truck. someone said they spotted murray wearing their uniform

and maybe the reason why we’re not getting any will bts is bc of the noah schnapp drama

Saturday 3rd

Some (fake) leakers today, nothing to be bothered about.

Sunday 4th

Finn Wolfhard reposted(on Instagram) a scene from some movie, where the main point is that one of the characters is yelling that they’re bisexual. So. People are just asking if this is a a)finn reposting it, bc he thinks its funny, idk b) he’s coming out as bisexual(if yes, then congrats, but don’t talk in riddles like this😫) c) hint to mike’s sexuality

Today is also first day of Megacon(i’m not sure if first, but still) in Florida, and Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarrazzo and Grace De Vein(not exactly sure if this is how you spell her name, but she plays/played Chrissy) have panel there.

#stranger things 5 #stranger things #stranger things 5 bts #stranger things 5 spoilers #st5 bts #st5 spoilers #st5 production #max mayfield #byler

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icegirl03 · 2 years ago

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How the tables have turned..pt.2

Part 1 is here

Bradley Bradshaw x reader

After the steamy night before with Rooster,you had to remember you were called for a mission to Top Gun. Will Bradley try to keep his hands off of you and focus on the mission?

Warnings: kissing,swearing,a bit of angst,eye fucking.

"Attention!" Everyone stood on Attention as Maverick entered the changing rooms after training.

"You can relax,just wanted to point out a few things"

You sat down on one of the benches,Hangman next to you, Rooster on the other bench.

Maverick threw a towel at you, and you caught it mid air.

"That was some excellent flying up there. Fellas,you have some strong competition ahead."

"And you" Mav pat Bradley's back "I've seen better performance from you. Did y/c/s intimidate you?"

Maverick left the room giving you guys space. Hangman whistled and Bob just chuckled. Bradley on the other side kept staring into you. He hasn't spoken a word yet.

Bradley was deep in his thoughts. You walking around the changing room in that flight suit,soon to be taken off, didn't help at all.

"Now don't get jealous guys, I promise I'll be a great leader,even Hangman will stop his rattling soon" you teased everyone as you unzipped half of your flight suit,revealing the shirt underneath.

"I like her already" Hangman put his hand on his chest,faking a heart attack, earning a death glare by Rooster.

You stopped for a second to look at him,earning a flustered stare from Rooster.

You headed for the showers,so did the rest of them. You and Nat got to shower first since you were the only women in there. You came out the shower with a towel wrapped around your body. One of Bradley's hickeys very noticeable on your neck.

You earned some stares from the men,but you couldn't be bothered. You walked past them.

"Eyes up here boys!" You teased and left the room slowly to head to your dorm.

It was now 9P.M

The day was exhausting,more than physically it was emotionally. All you wanted was to throw yourself at Bradley and repeat the events of last night.

You had on just an oversized shirt and shorts, that were barely noticeable. You were laying in bed,thinking about Bradley when a knock on your door was heard. You didn't expect guests today.

"I'm very tired man, this better be something good-"

You opened the door just to be met with Bradley's tall figure hovering over you.

"Is this good enough?" Bradley replied to what you said before opening the door.

"I can make an exception" you cock your head to the side,totally forgetting about what you're wearing. It's not like he hasn't seen more.

He was wearing grey sweatpants and a black tight shirt. Showing of his chest and his waist.

He couldn't take it anymore, he leaned forward, grabbed your face and kissed you hard. God,you were waiting for this the whole day.

You pushed his chest away from you and broke the kiss.

"We can't do this anymore Bradley"

He stopped and looked at you for a moment, then he backed away and got out,slamming the door behind him.

To be continued..(?)

•••••♡♡♡•••••••♡♡♡•••••••♡♡♡••••••

Should I do a part 3? Tell me if you liked this and what do you think will happen next?

Taglist: @deanscroissant

This was first requested by @deeznuggetsbebussin ❤️

Tell me in the comments if you liked this ;)

#top gun maverick #top gun au #top gun headcanons #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw smut #bradley bradshaw angst #bradley bradshaw imagine #rooster fanfic #rooster x reader #rooster x y/n #rooster top gun #top gun #hangman x reader

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the-ace-with-spades · 2 years ago

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My firefighter!Bradley and naval aviator!Jake AU might be silly and a bit cracky but in all seriousness, I like to think that after they've been together for a few years and Jake retires from the Navy, they'd work together - aerial firefighting is an Actual Thing in California and I like to think they'd pair up to fly tactical for CAL FIRE or other company that is outsourcing for them.

Bradley would advance from Lieutenant to Captain and Jake would retire as a Commander, maybe, and they would both qualify to fly OV-10 Bronco.

Tactical pilots usually work with Fire Captains -- they, to simplify things, fly the plane while the captain takes account of the fire patterns on the ground (direction, spread speed, weak spots, wind changes, potential residential areas to evacuate, etc) and then fly over the flames from higher up so the captain can guide the airtanker's water drops.

I like to think it'd be Jake's idea. He'd get a promotion offer to Captain but with that promotion would come moving to Virginia and Bradley's whole life was in California - his parents, his family, twenty years of a career in SDFD, his childhood memories. So when he tells Bradley, he just kind of shuts off, congratulates him and says he's proud of him but it's clear he's given up already. He doesn't want to be bitter about it b/c Jake is obviously happy about it but it feels like an inevitable end for him.

Even if he did want to move, Jake knew that he'd most likely have to start from the bottom of the ladder if he switched to a fire department in VA and that's if at the time they'd have recruitment open. All his hard work would just be gone and he'd just have Jake to compensate for all the things he sacrificed.

And over the years they had multiple arguments about how Jake doesn't treat Bradley's job as equal to his own just because Bradley doesn't have deployments or orders that are set in stones (i.e. how the first Christmas Jake wasn't deployed, Bradley had a shift and wouldn't call out even if he could b/c his crew was counting on him or how he couldn't pick Jake up from the airport when he got stuck at five alarm fire) so just thinking about asking Bradley to leave his whole life behind to stay with Jake brings a sour taste to his mouth.

And in the end, Jake doesn't think it's worth it. Sure, his pension will be lower and he won't make it to admiral like he thought he'd when he went to the academy, but his flying time would be cut anyway and in all honesty, the thought of settling down makes him much happier than being stuck at the other end of the country with occasional video call from Bradley and no other family in his proximity. They wanted to have kids eventually and he didn't want to be a dad that just kind of comes around six weeks a year and leaves all the hard work of raising kids to his partner.

Obviously, he'd have to find some type of work and he doesn't really have much of any idea aside from that he wants to keep flying. Airline pilot seems boring since it's all so automated and private sector is kind of hit or miss and financially unstable. Flight instructor would be a good one if he was a bit more patient but he isn't.

Two weeks before he has to make a decision, Bradley volunteers to take a crew from his station to help with the wildfires up north. He kits out, Jake drives him to the station so he can take the spare fire truck without leaving his car in the parking lot for days. Jake gives him a kiss goodbye and tells him he'll visit the camp with some snacks and pick-me-up things for the crew.

For the first time since they've got together, Bradley tells him not to bother.

It's kind of heartbreaking so Jake decides to ignore it and drives up to the main camp anyway. Bradley is out on a trail with a crew so Jake just waits.

Then wind changes and he hears that Bradley's crew got cornered up the hill. The next five hours is the worst five hours of his life.

Finally, a Super Huey lands in the camp and Bradley, sooted up so badly his yellow jacket is basically black, with red, teary eyes, steps down out of the helicopter's cockpit. Doesn't even let Jake hug him because I'm covered in carcinogens, baby, you stay away until I have a shower.

He does take a shower and Jake follows him to the bathroom, not letting him out of his sight. Jake asks what happened and Bradley says something along the lines of thank god for aerial firefighting and Jake has a lightbulb moment.

The next morning, Bradley is sent out again and Jake stays in the camp, helping around as much as he can. It gets a bit dead when all the crews are sent out so to take his mind off Bradley being god knows where after he almost burned to a crisp yesterday, Jake starts to research aerial firefighting, bumps into info about tactical pilots, has another lightbulb moment.

Declines the promotion offer while still waiting on Bradley to come back to the main camp.

#hangster #ignition tag #tgm #I'm sick and too tired to tag this properly sorry #i needed to write it b4 going back to sleep #good night

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jknerd · 1 year ago

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DISNEY AU: George “Goofy” G. Goof

Full Name: George G. Goof

Other Names: Goofy (stage name, commonly known around the world), Mr. Goof, Goofball (by Mortimer and Pete), Georgie (by his wife and Sylvia)

Schools: Mouseton Elementary School (graduated), Acme Middle School (graduated), S. Symphony High School (dropped out), Walt Disney University of Performing Arts (3/4 years completed)

Occuaption(s): Comedian, Actor, Performer, Socialtainer, Performing Arts and Entertainment Instructor of Oswald College of Arts/Music/Sports (temporary)

Residence: Spoonerville, Ohio

Family: Glory B. Goof (wife; deceased), George G. Goof Jr (son), Maxine Goof (daughter), Gloria Goof (granddaughter), Debbie (niece; in-law), Walter P. Goof (grandfather; deceased), Benjamin Goof (father; deceased), Sylvia M. Goof (girlfriend->wife)

Relationships: Michael “Mickey” Mouse (best friend), Donald Fauntleroy Duck (best friend), Mina “Minnie” Mouse (friend), Daisy Amelia Duck (friend), Horace Horsecollar (friend), Peter Pete (neighbor), Peg Pete (old friend), Glory C Goof (first love->wife), Clarabelle Heifer (friend), Sylvia M. Goof (second love->wife)

Likes: Driving, sports, movies, his performances making people happy, spending time with his family, games, camping, parties, dancing, singing

Dislikes: His own clumsiness, heights, loneliness, Pete’s inconsiderate behaviors, rudeness, Donald and Mickey bickering, Bradley’s father’s lack of affection towards his own son

Abilities/Talents: His creativity of comedies, great singing and dancing skills, hidden intelligence, cooking, baking

George G.(Gustaf) Goof is is globally famous entertainer and celebrity alongside Mickey Mouse and Donald Fauntleroy Duck. He is also a widower of Glory B, and father of two children; George Jr. and Maxine Goof. Through his debut with Mickey and Donald, he was most popular entertainer as he occasionally stars in films, series, variety shows and sitcom, mostly well-known for his slapstick moments. However, despite being “goofy”, he has managed to hide his family from the public until Maxine’s college years.

Despite his current demeanor, his teen years were troubled; seen riding his motorbike in rebellious phase and had strained relationship with his family. However, his stunt tricks were recognized by Disney Studio workers and they recruited him as new member alongside Mickey and Donald. Although attended college of performing arts, he only completed 3 years as through these days he met Glory B who later become a mother of his child. Leaving college, Goofy focused on his job in entertainment to provide a lot for his new family. However, he felt fear of his family exposed to the public and dangers. He had George Jr as firstborn, and years went by he had Maxine as next child. Maxine’s mother Glory passed away a day after her birthday from the car accident on the way home with a gift for her daughter, causing Maxine to stop asking for anything in every birthday. As Goofy was being busy throughout Maxine’s childhood, he was thankful of his son for being with her but at the same time felt he is failing as father. Especially, when Maxine said she didn’t want the world to know she and him are related. Due to his absence in every parent-teacher days, Principal Mazur suspected that Maxine might go through parental neglect and privately called Goofy with advice to get involved with her life more as real father. Realizing how he have missed the time spending with his children—especially Maxine—, Goofy decided to set out the 2 weeks family road trip, but struggled to understand what teenagers enjoy. With Mickey, Donald and his son’s help, Goofy planned out every location she would like with no people bothering her. However, he didn’t know she had a date with Rox and inadvertently had her canceled their date. Later, his son fixed this straining relationship by reserving a ticket to Maxine’s favorite singer’s concert where Goofy can use this opportunity to get on stage with his daughter to meet him. At the concert stage, he shook hands with Powerline as it was revealed the singer has been Goofy’s big fan. The trip has made Maxine understand the true purpose of why Goofy worked as entertainer.

Years later, Goofy and Pete were holding party for their kids as they were leaving for college. While being happy for his daughter’s future campus life, he couldn’t help feeling depressed of him being only person in a house as George Jr already graduated and went to university to study laws out of state and Maxine would be in Oswald College. Days later, the head of Disney Studio was launching next show with Goofy as a temporary instructor of the campus for the subject “Entertainment Business” and “Performing Arts”, located in Oswald College. He happily accepted as he thought he could get to see his daughter more. This naturally caused the entire campus to know Maxine is a daughter of globally famous celebrity. While Maxine wasn’t bothered with this anymore, she felt discomfort that Goofy was always trying to be part of her daily routine. So, she tried several attempts to get him off of her campus life, eventually ended up Goofy having a girlfriend; Sylvia Marpole the campus’ librarian. Soon, he encountered Bradley Uppercrust III the rival of Maxine for X-game competition. While worried of his daughter, he was supported by Sylvia who has given him an advice to let Maxine handle things on her own as she is growing up. Meeting Bradley’s father, Goofy’s concern grew when he learned of the Uppercrust controlling or meddling with his son’s life. When Maxine discovered of Bradley’s father’s plan, she asked her father to join her in X-Game competition, which Goofy accepted. Later, at the X-Game triathlon, Bradley’s father’s scheme nearly cost lives of his son, his son’s teammate Tank, and Goofy’s daughter. With George Gr and Goofy’s help, they were saved and Maxine won the competition. As Bradley conceded defeat and collapsed from the use of drug by his father, Maxine and Rox took him to infirmary as Goofy angrily called out on his father for not only getting Maxine and Tank into huge accident but also nearly killed his own son for his ambition. However, he respected his daughter’s choice in keeping this discovery for themselves as it could damage Bradley’s campus life, even his graduation. After the show’s finale, Goofy leave the college but starts new romance with Sylvia. Occasionally, he would call his daughter to make sure she’s doing well in rest of her college years.

Though in every vacation his daughter have, she would help Goofy in House of Mouse duties as he works at the kitchen and would be seen supporting her when Maxine has to go up onstage to perform. In one of recent variety shows called “Exit Man”, he is elated to have Maxine starring frequent guest stars. Although he makes sure she won’t get stressed over her life involving in world of entertainment, Goofy continuously helps her. Recently, Goofy and Sylvia got married.

#Goofy Movie #An Extremely Goofy Movie #Goof Troop #Goofy

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thesinglesjukebox · 5 months ago

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CHARLI XCX FT. ROBYN & YUNG LEAN - "THE 360 REMIX"

youtube

17 pop writers out here doing damage...

[5.94]

Taylor Alatorre: Elvis Presley/The Clash/OutKast = iconoclasts become standards, e.g. "Dancing on My Own" in RS 500 Greatest; "Elvis moment" = Eminem c. 2000; "lyrics on your booby" = hip hop mode of dominance over male competitors/listener, but femme-coded; "Robyn on the beat" + muffled "hey!" chants = long tail of DJ Mustard; camera flashes as skeuomorphic e-fame; demographic triangulation as art/alchemy; “no one understands it” + "so carelessly" = indie aesthetic of insularity/self-sabotage, still necessary for branding/coping; cult of the child star = youth’s gravitational hold over memory, easily exploitable; 1994 = beginning of Robyn's career, but also Max Martin's, represented here by apprentice Cirkut; Scandinavia as pop/anti-pop breeding ground; my dad: “cross between Britney Spears/Kesha" = highest possible praise for Charli song; he doesn't even know about "Till the World Ends" or "Die Young" remixes; conspicuous whiteness of collaborators + calculatedly ableist lyric video = winking at Dimes Square reactionary chic, though Benga is on "Von dutch" dubstep remix, and Robyn is Robyn; "pets/family" = emergent Millennial desires for domesticity, cf. "I think about it all the time"; Brat = niche pop stardom as crowdfunded perma-adolescence; Julia Fox in Uncut Gems + True Romance/"Ginseng Strip 2002" = sublimated wish for Eternal 2013, i.e. pre-Ferguson/Gamergate -> future blueprint for Gen Z conservatism? I don't see how I can hate from outside of the club – I can't even get in! [8]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: “360” is the most complete Charli pop culture moment (and video) we’ve had in years, and “365” perfectly wraps up the confessional, raw moments of Brat in delightful, utter mess. The first time I listened to both, I couldn’t help but think to myself how incredible it is that Charli’s self-reference comes across as effortlessly cool rather than cloying or annoying. I must have spoken too soon, because this remix is awkward. Yung Lean and Robyn sound fine, but “360” removed from the iconic hook is, just, not Julia (ah-ah-ahhhhhh). “Dancing on My Own” is one my favorite songs of all time—yes, I have big feelings—yet that can’t prevent me from cringing a little bit when Robyn references it. Two extra points, though, for Robyn saying the words "email" and “booby.” [7]

Jonathan Bradley: In “360,” Charli XCX has one of her most compelling songs in years: sharp and hooky, drawing on the hyper-pop palette but translating it into reinvented, broad-appeal synth pop. It dispenses with one of the more frustrating tendencies she’s had throughout her career, which is to make concepts rather than songs. “Boys,” for instance, was about the idea of Charli making a song about boys rather than actually evoking love or affection; “1999” was about the idea of ’90s nostalgia rather than anything distinct about the era. The remix of “360" (I won’t bother with the twee titles Charli’s used for Brat's various expansions) loses the focus and efficiency that makes the original so replayable and returns to concepts. It’s Charli with two more artists whose niche and highly online fanbases are noted for enthusiasm rather than size, and they don’t do anything more interesting than provide their names to be credited alongside her. For a posse cut that features each performer finishing one another’s sentences, they have zero chemistry and provide none of what makes their own work special. Robyn should be encouraged to never rap — her cutesy “Konichiwa Bitches” mode is her worst side — and Yung Lean… well, I’m not sure what appeal he usually adds, but he should also be encouraged to never rap. [4]

Andrew Karpan: Rustled up and confusing, neither Robyn nor Yung Lean succeed in turning the Brat opener into a SoundCloud loosie. Instead, their new, rattling voices make the song feel crowded, an email correspondence that pales in comparison to the more movingly distant Lorde remix that quickly overshadowed this glittery mess. [3]

Jackie Powell: What bothers me about this fascinating collaboration is that "360" loses what makes it most compelling. The original "360" is essentially a slice-of-life song. It paints a subculture and a social circle incredibly well and showcases Charli XCX’s ability to manipulate vowel sounds and write with such assonance and consonance. She’s a magician with how she can manipulate the name Julia (as in Julia Fox) into an earworm or an aria. Charli, Robyn (!) and Yung Lean definitely vocally complement one another. Lean’s rapping almost acts like a baseline, while Charli and Robyn harmonize with each other, talk-singing more than rapping during their respective verses. It’s also quite amusing when Lean hops into a pre-chorus that is supposed to pay tribute to Ciara’s "1, 2 Step" like the "360" original, but instead just sounds like an interpolation of Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service”: When Lean says “supersonic, push up on it, right in your ear,” he sounds eerily similar to when Pitbull raps “we at the hotel, motel, holiday inn.” But what’s disappointing about the remix is that it’s so much less clever than the original: it's less redundant, but it doesn’t have as much purpose and direction. Also, I’m not sure how much of a remix this is when the only thing that remains is the instrumental. [6]

Harlan Talib Ockey: One of the great things about Brat is that Charli went in assuming she was talking to her closest friends, who know the world she moves in and the life she lived in the late ‘00s club scene. Hyperpop has always been obsessed with nostalgia, but this isn’t just about old pop and internet esthetics. It’s about Charli’s own experiences. “The 360 remix” only kind of carries this over for Robyn and Yung Lean. “Three child stars out here doing damage” sounds like it’s about to crack open an interesting train of thought, but it quickly veers back into "we got many hits,” rather than anything more revealing about their past or present. This remix also doesn’t reach the heights of the original (a [7], btw) without its soaring chorus; because the same riff underpins the whole song, it starts to feel like one very long verse. Plus: “now my lyrics on your booby”? [4]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The most extravagant act of self-mythologizing this side of the J. Lo autobiopic — I'm not quite as impressed by these three as they are, but I'm meta-level impressed that they managed to get in this many boasts in such a compact passage. Robyn sounds diminished relative to her standards, while Lean sounds enlivened after his recent stay in the Drain Gang Post Punk mines. Charli hits right down the middle — so it's up to A.G. Cook to pick up the slack, delivering one of his best beats since the heyday of PC Music. The taut synth riff sneaks perfectly in between the overlapping vocals, at once accentuating and playing foil to the melody. It's unspeakably stylish, cool enough to cover up what is ultimately a threadbare song. [7]

Katherine St. Asaph: The thing about pandering to nostalgia -- there are people who formed their personalities around Charli and Body Talk, and I'm sure Yung Lean was formative for someone -- is that it inherently causes listeners to think about the things they're nostalgic for. And this sounds like "Fembot" running on energy saver mode. [3]

Julian Axelrod: "The von dutch remix with addison rae and a.g. cook" is the sound of one pop scoundrel passing the torch to another and burning down the song from the inside. "The girl, so confusing version with lorde" is a parasocial inversion of its source material, deepening and resolving its initial conflict. By contrast, "The 360 remix with robyn and yung lean" is ... fun! And a little silly! And very Swedish! Charli's always been a pop nerd at heart, which is both her secret weapon and the reason she will never know peace. No pop star in their right mind would think, "I must turn my biggest single into a '90s boy band B-side where Robyn sings about her boobs and Yung Lean interpolates JJ Fad." That's the kind of sick shit only a stan would dream up. If this remix feels less essential than its brethren, it's because the original is such a complete statement on its own. It's easier to fill in the cracks on an album cut than build upon perfection. [7]

Brad Shoup: Huge whiff to not go the "I Got Five On It (remix)" route and make this a true Swedish pop posse cut. Rednex can take a lap as the best band with a fiddler since Alabama. Whale gets their flowers for putting on the hobo' humpin' slobo girlies. Army of Lovers can take credit for... damn near anything they want. Get Petra Marklund bragging about changing the trance-pop game. (It would be a nice 360 moment.) As it is, this remix ends up a tribute to Robyn with some Ciara/Missy love tossed in. Lean takes the "1, 2 Step" baton from the Charli in the original, though he's never more engaged than when he's acknowledging that yes, Robyn's on the beat. That might not be true in all senses, but the couplet "I started so young, I didn't even have email/Now my—lyrics on your booby" was totally worth the wait. Charli's line about "three child stars out here doing damage" is really smart, really canny. Better than anyone I can think of, she embodies the child star's soul war: the twin impulses to dial into shimmering subcultures and to just phone it in. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: The problem with Charli XCX being the popstar of the future is that she is very much the popstar of the now. The ability to absorb newly born sub-genres born of nostalgia for the '80s/'90s and twist them into stranger, wilder forms is a current popstar ideal, not a futuristic one. When Robyn enters, you can barely tell her and Charli apart, so closely they've been tied together in being smooth, catchy and lithe -- their voices blend right into each other. Hence the presence of Yung Lean, whose clumsy, awkward flow disrupts the song and allows it the appearance of rough charm that AG Cook and Cirkut's scalpel-cut drumbeats prevent from emerging. Robyn seems happiest to be here, while Lean comes across as disengaged. That could count as cool elsewhere but feels apropos of nothing next to Charli, who is always on, no matter the cost. [6]

Mark Sinker: “Complicating, circulating / New life! new life!”: something sweet and funny to me that Charli is igniting old-school critical discourse where discourse is still found (“rockism” on bluesky; “auteur theory” on ilx), when both versions of this song are the words and moves of self-declared super-hot cyborgs stepping out and taking a fine narcissistic-mechanistic strut through in the city. Killing this shit since 1981 (complimentary). [9]

TA Inskeep: Pure fun, giving nods to 1987 Miami freestyle -- this would sound great bumping from cars that, y'know, go boom -- while Charli, Robyn, and Yung Lean party your body. I actually wish this track were denser and had more going on, because it could handle it; as is, it's great but yet too spare. [7]

Will Adams: In its original form, "360" was thin, its silly references obscuring the astounding insight that the rest of Brat offers. This remix does it no favors; the instrumental is unchanged, the earworm hook of "bumpin' that" is downgraded to "got that," and Charli and her guests pass the mic aimlessly. It was already inessential before it was rendered entirely superfluous by the superior remix that is "365." All that's left is me wondering which Robyn lyric someone got tattooed on their boobs. [4]

Oliver Maier: The "360" remix mercifully spares us a guest verse from Julia Fox, but still feels like a misstep -- perhaps the only one, in fairness -- in Charli's zeitgeist-conquering Brat campaign. The more I listen to the original, a near-perfect pop song that thrives on its conciseness, the more it feels like a strange choice for a repurposed posse cut. There's a tinge of the Pop 2 mix-and-match philosophy to the feature choices, but the manic, first-thought-best-thought intuition of that era is not so present here, and the poor Swedes sound a bit adrift. Lean just about holds his own, but Robyn's contribution is woeful, particularly for an OG brat. By the end, you're desperate for Charli's hook from the original to break through, but relief never comes. [4]

Ian Mathers: Sometimes when you call something a "victory lap" you mean it derisively, but this is an example of when the term feels both earned and positive. If I didn't love Robyn and think she deserves all the praise she can get, you could probably take a point or two off my score. I'm much less familiar with Yung Lean, but he fits in just fine, in the kind of way where despite never actually listening to an album I totally buy that he makes sense rubbing shoulders with Robyn and Charli. It helps that the original is so strong, and that Charli just takes the production and ditches the old vocals so she's more a part of this version instead. [9]

Alfred Soto: Charli's having fun, and I endorse her delight in sharing that burbling synth bass and ticking sequencer with her friends as if it were freshly opened prosecco, but this is a party where she's better off dancing on her own. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#charli xcx #robyn #yung lean #brat #music #pop #pop music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

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tgmsunmontue · 5 months ago

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Saga of Solitude 7/?

Nepo!Baby Bradley and his life at USNA and afterwards. DADT fully in force. IceMav AU. (Begun prior to 'It's not who you know' - the non-angsty version). (Side Hangster, which is ALSO angsty).

PROLOGUE (He remembers)

HANGSTER FIRST MEETING (Lonely Nights - set 2009)

Updating ~weekly (longer chapters).

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

ONE (2000) TWO (2001) THREE (2002) FOUR (2003) FIVE (2004) SIX (2005)

CHAPTER SEVEN – 2006

It takes some adjusting, having each other there all the time. He admits to himself that Maverick is likely more flexible when it comes accommodating others in his space, but Tom has had small children and Sarah, even if they’ve been divorced for over six years, feels he should be more accommodating when he wants Maverick there in his space so badly. It’s when Maverick is deployed and Tom misses him like a limb, that he realizes not only did he make the right call, but that he’s adjusted to having Maverick there just fine.

“Ice! I can’t find the oil.”

Tom sighs, pushes himself back from his desk and heads for the yelling voice coming from the direction of the garage. Because he knows exactly where it is, however if he ever needs to hide something from Maverick on purpose all he’s ever going to have to do is put it about eighteen inches above his sight-line and he’ll be golden. He reaches up and picks up the bottle easily, handing it to Pete and giving him a quick kiss while he has him there, pressed up against the work bench. Pete in jeans, white t-shirt, hot, sweaty and streaked with grease is definitely up there with views he likes to appreciate. And it’s finally where it belongs.

“What’s it doing all the way up there?”

“Because I have children who are curious and it’s easier to keep it up there than put child-locks on all my cupboards.”

“Oh. Yeah that makes sense. Thanks.”

Tom turns around and his eyebrows go up.

“Are you changing my oil too?”

“Yeah, of course. Only made sense to do everything at once. You said you didn’t have any plans to go out.”

“No, no, I don’t, it’s fine. Just… thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

It’s small things like that which make him appreciate how Maverick just envelopes Tom into his life, like the way he has a hot drink waiting for him at ten every weekend morning. How his uniform now gets to and from the drycleaners without him actually doing it. The first time he’d worried it had been lost, but instead Pete had just said he’d dropped it off. Then he’d picked up groceries. Now they either cook together, or he comes home to a cooked meal, or he cooks when Mav is running late and it’s so domestic and novel and he never thought he’d get to have this. Not with someone he loves as much as he loves Maverick.

He goes back to his study, still has too much paperwork to read through but his car is getting its needed oil change, a cup of coffee will appear at ten without him doing anything, the girls will be here before lunch and to spend the night and he feels so lucky, that he’s somehow managed the impossible. The doorbell rings and he stands to go and answer it, opens it to find Admiral Paul Dawkinson standing there and he smiles blandly. There goes his good mood.

“Paul, hello. Can I help you?”

“Tom. Sorry to bother you at home,” Paul says, and Tom knows he’s not sorry at all. “I was wondering if you had the folder about the Iranian and Russian uranium deal?”

“Yes. Finished reading it last night actually. Come in and I’ll get it for you,” Tom says, wondering if he has to offer him a drink as Paul follows him back to his office. He’ll give him the file and then offer, see if he really wants to linger. Of course that’s when Maverick walks in with his cup of coffee, his face going from soft to brittle as he takes in Dawkinson and Tom can’t even roll his eyes, just keeps his expression impassive as he thanks Mav for the cup of coffee.

“Did you want a cup Admiral Dawkinson?”

“No, thank you. I just came for a file.”

Maverick leaves and Tom wishes he could follow him, instead fishes out the file from his locked briefcase and passes it over.

“Captain Mitchell is here.”

Tom’s immediate response is to stiffen, which is probably the worst thing he can do and he forces himself to relax and remain indifferent.

“Yes, he’s currently tinkering away in the garage on his bike and my car. Was there something I could help you with?” Tom asks, because he is not at work right now, is not in uniform, and he doesn’t actually respect Admiral Dawkinson as much as people likely think he does.

“Is Captain Mitchell here often?”

“Maverick has a house he shares with his godson, however with both of them often away they both prefer to stay here, rather than stay alone,” Tom states, which is a slight stretch, because this is Bradley’s home, maybe more than the other house. “He does stay here most nights. Easier to cook for two,” Tom states. He will outright lie if he has to, but he’s also been making contingency plans and collecting his own information for years. He knows exactly what he can and cannot say around this subject.

“Hmm. Interesting.”

“Daddy!”

Oh thank fuck. He doesn’t say the words out loud of course, but he feels the little body of Petra collide with his side, followed by the much taller body of Tamsin, both hugging him tightly and he places kisses to the tops of both their heads.

“Is Papa here?” Petra asks and Tom smiles and nods.

Oh fuck. Dawkinson is watching everything with a shrewd eye, and Tom has to admit it is pretty damning right now. But he cannot snap at his daughter, not for something which is not her fault in the slightest.

“He’s out in the garage making a mess.”

Petra runs off, whereas Tamsin makes a beeline for the piano, immediately starting to pluck out a tune because she wants to impress Bradley next time he’s home.

“Tom? The door was open… Oh, hello.”

“Hi. Sarah, this is Admiral Dawkinson. Paul, my ex-wife Sarah Kazansky.”

“Mrs Kazansky.”

“Sarah, please. Nice to meet you Admiral. Did I hear you say that Pete’s here? That’ll save me a trip to his place if he is. I have some of his and Bradley’s things in the trunk of the car.”

He loves his ex-wife so much right now, her reading of the situation and immediate improvisation. He needs to send her and Melissa out for a romantic dinner.

“Do you want a hand? Pete can take them home later.”

“Yes please. I stupidly offered to fix one shirt of Bradley’s. That somehow ended up changing to hemming four pairs of pants for Pete and seven shirts. I think Bradley chews his buttons.”

“Bradley is twenty-three. He should be fixing his own damn shirts.”

“And Pete should probably be hemming his own pants. But it’s a fair trade if I never have to pay someone to change my oil.”

He starts following Sarah back out to her car, and Dawkinson follows.

“Sorry Paul. Family. You know how it is. Was there anything else I could help you with?”

“No. Nothing else. Thank you Tom.”

Unease prickles in his gut, but he has contingency plans in place, and he has friends in high places, friends who he is pretty sure know exactly the nature of his relationship with Maverick and simply do not give a fuck.

… … …

Sure enough Monday morning he’s called into Admiral Austin’s office and he looks resigned but also a little annoyed.

“Tom, have a seat. I just wanted to run something by you. As a hypothetical situation.”

Okay, so that’s how it’s going to play out. He forces himself to relax and unbuttons the bottom button of his jacket before he sits down. The fact that David has called him Tom makes him feel a little more confident that while he’s effectively been called into the principal’s office, the principal is actually on his side. Dawkinson is sitting there looking very fucking smug and Tom keeps his expression completely impassive and uncaring.

“How can I help sir?”

“Just seeking your guidance on what you would do if you found out, or suspected, that someone in the Navy was homosexual.”

“Sir?”

“Just humor me. Run me through what you would do.”

“Well, I’d have to be very certain sir. I’d either have to have had them admit it outright, or caught them in a situation that was irrefutable to my own eyes.”

“And if someone came to you with such a belief?”

“Well sir, it’s a very serious allegation to throw around. I would be very hesitant to take anyone else’s word. I would need to see the evidence myself, not second hand at all.”

“Go on.”

“This is because it will be a case of he said, she said,” Tom states calmly, but there is ice in his veins as he talks. People talk about burning bridges and salting the earth, but he knows his approach can be just as terrifying. “You need to consider what evidence you have. Years of service of the person concerned, who you’re going to accuse. Credible information needs to be ironclad, otherwise you’re in danger of reprisal. Or a court case.”

“The policy is not just don’t ask, don’t tell. But also don’t harass and don’t pursue. If I were to attempt to gather information I would be in breach of that policy. I would also be asking myself if I have all the information at hand. Are there extenuating circumstances which might be going on which I have no knowledge of? If the information has been brought to me second hand I would also need to consider if there was a personal vendetta between the accused and the person accusing them. Also I’d want to know if the person identified is doing irreparable damage to the Navy. Because for me the reputation and protection of the people are paramount.”

“Interesting points. Anything else?”

“While considering their years of service I would also consider the potential possibility that their commanding officers have been or are aware and have simply ignored it due to how the person does their job. Or other people higher up in the chain of command might have knowledge. Then it would be my own job on the line if they were deemed more important than me.” He takes a quick chance then to glance across at Dawkinson and the man is staring at him, looking paler than he was and Tom settles into his chair a little.

“Do they do their job well, Admiral Austin?”

“Exemplary.”

“Have they ever acted in a way which would bring the Navy into disrepute?”

“No. Never.”

“Do you trust their judgement?”

“With regards to everything for the Navy and United States? Yes.”

“Now, after you have taken all of that into consideration and still wish to move forward, then you need to consider your own situation. Often when someone starts casting stones, they themselves are then looked at more closely. And gambling debts or extra-marital affairs need to be… carefully hidden from view to ensure that you yourself aren’t dragged into anything. Hypothetically of course, sir.”

“Of course,” Admiral Austin says, and his face is calm and unmoving but Tom has known him for years and the slight twitch of his eye tells him he’s hiding his amusement very well. “Well Admiral Dawkinson, I hope you found that helpful getting a third set of eyes on the issue.”

“Yes sir.”

“You’re both dismissed.”

… … …

“Hey, you’re quieter than usual. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just a really rough day at work. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

… … …

Bradley graduates from flight school and he can’t help smiling every time he glances down and sees the wings. Which is pretty often, because he can’t believe that they’re finally there. Like when he graduate from USNA, there are a handful of people there to watch him, all in uniform and with them are also Ice and Maverick, and he introduces them to the friends he’s made, the very small handful who he’s let into his inner circle. Natasha, Sandy, Callie and Billy. They either don’t care about who Bradley’s family is, or they care and it just doesn’t factor into how they treat Bradley.

By share luck of the draw he’s home for Tamsin’s tenth birthday. She’s opinionated and serious with it, she despairs of her parents and he wonders if she’s hitting the teenage years early or if she’s going to become even more despairing and rebellious. He loves it, the conversations he can have with her now, because she at least thinks that he’s cool and worth her time. Sometimes Maverick falls into that category, but at twenty-four Bradley is definitely the cool older brother. He drops her and Petra off at school, walks them in and introduces himself to the teachers. Petra has started copying Tamsin, saying she’s old enough to do certain things by herself, and sometimes Bradley has to wonder if it’s just Mav’s blood running true because she is an absolute firecracker, to put it nicely. Hellion would be another word. He’s very glad he’s not got any desire to have kids, although Ice’s lips twitch when he voices that opinion out loud.

He enjoys every moment with them though, he has his first deployment at the beginning of December and he won’t be home for Christmas and he will never take his loved ones fore granted when he knows how easily they can be taken from him. Or him from them he realizes, and he thinks back to the conversation he had with Mav and Ice, about how his mom didn’t want him to become a pilot and…

Oh shit…

If he dies then he’s going to leave behind Mav, and Ice, and Tamsin and Petra.

The people he wants to protect but will hurt the most if he fails.

CHAPTER EIGHT

#Saga of Solitude #IceMav #Top Gun Maverick fanfiction

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