#bradley bradshaw x daughter!reader fic

[callsign-dexter]

Deployments and Slugs

Summary: Jake is called away to a deployment leaving Bradley home with their 5-year-old daughter. Jake meets an interesting friend and decides to keep his husband and daughter updated.

Pairings: Bradley Bradshaw x Daughter!Reader, Jake Seresin x Daughter!Reader, Bradley Bradshaw x Jake Seresin, Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw x Carole Bradshaw, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky

Warnings: fluff, angst, deployment, inaccurate Navy talk, sickness

Our Little Girl

Masterlist

A/N: Inspired by this clip.

A/N 2: I feel like I rushed the weeks and I'm sorry about that. I don't think this is one of my best fics.

It was rare for Jake and Bradley to go on deployments without one another but sometimes it needed to be done. This time Jake would be deploying for 2 months to a base overseas in Spain. He hated leaving his family but knew it had to be done. Ice tried to stop it or send both of them or another person or team but whoever ordered it wasn't having any of it. Jake would be deploying with Javy.

They had found out during work while they had just finished doing some run-throughs. Maverick had met both him and Bradley on the tarmac. Bradley had come over to Jake once he was down and finished with his post checks. "What's up, Pops?" Jake asked in a cheery tone Maverick gave a weak smile.

"Cyclone, Ice, and Warlock need to see you both in the conference room." Maverick said

"Mav..." Bradley started and he knew what was coming.

"Who?" Jake asked understanding the tone.

"I can't tell you. Goose and myself will be there." Maverick said and Bradley and Jake looked at each other. They didn't like the sound of this. "Meeting is at 3 PM." Maverick said and thru nodded and then he was leaving.

"What do you think it is?" Jake asked and Bradley shrugged.

"Probably about a deployment." Bradley said

"Do you think it'll be the two of us?" He asked

"Probably, I hope it's none of us. I hope that it's all of us meeting about something new." Bradley said and Jake nodded.

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3 PM rolled around and they were heading to the conference room, nervous as hell. They walked into the room to see Ice, Goose, Warlock, Cyclone, Maverick, and Javy there. Bradley and Jake looked at each other. Both men took a seat next to their teammate and friend. "Thank you all for coming." Ice starts. "I've called you here because a mission has come up and only two of you will go." He said.

"What are the three of us doing here then?" Bradley asked

"Well, considering that you're Jake's spouse and vice versa I wanted you to hear the news with him." He explained and Bradley nodded "We've decided to send Jake and Javy on this mission." Ice ended and Bradley's heart dropped. He was looking at Jake and saw that he was keeping a straight face but he knew what he was feeling. He silently reached under the table and grabbed his hand and instantly felt him squeeze it.

"When do we leave?" Jake asked

"A week from today." Cyclone said and they nodded.

"Do we know what kind of mission this is?" Javy asked

"You will be gone for at least a month. You'll be in Scotland." Warlock said and everyone nodded. Soon the meeting was over and information was given. By the time they got done talking, they were the only ones left. They went to the locker rooms took showers and got changed as they stood, they began talking.

"I wonder what kind of mission this is." Javy said and the other two males nodded

"I hope it goes by fast. I hate leaving Y/N and Bradley." Jake said

"I hate it too." Bradley said

Now it was time for Bradley and Jake to pick up their daughter from school. Bradley and Jake got into Jake's truck since the Bronco was acting up and headed to your school. It was a silent ride but it wasn't really uncomfortable but filled with thoughts that nobody was saying out loud. "When should we tell her?" Jake asked.

"Maybe after dinner." He said and Jake nodded agreeing with that. They arrived at your school and they saw you before they even got to you. You were standing with your teacher and you were laughing about something, you had the biggest smile on your face. Bradley got out and walked over to you as Jake stayed in the truck and he smiled as you got even happier seeing one of your fathers. He couldn't help but let thoughts get to him.

"They'll be fine if I don't make it back."

"They'll have each other to help each other heal and not to mention all of The Daggers and his parents along with Ice and Mav."

"Jake why are you thinking like this? It could be a very simple and easy mission. You love them too much to leave them you're going to fight to get back to them."

His thoughts were pushed back when he saw Bradley holding you and walking to the truck and he put a smile on his face. Bradley opened the back door "Daddy!" You shrieked and that brought a real smile to his face and he turned around.

"Hey, Sweets! Did you have a good day?" He asked and you nodded.

"But it's better now that I'm with you!" You said excitedly and he knew Bradley had you say that and he looked at him. Bradley had a smile on his face as he was buckling in. He was so grateful for his husband he always knew how to make his day better.

"Well, ours is better now that you're here." He said and reach back and tickled you and you giggled and squirmed.

"You're lucky I've had practice strapping her in while she is moving." Bradley said chuckling and that made Jake chuckle. They both had practice. Once Bradley had you settled in buckled in, he got in the passenger side. Now they had to wait to get out of the pickup line but luckily that didn't take long, before they knew it, they were on their way home.

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The days leading up to the mission were nerve-wracking the routine never changed but there was some tension in the air that could be felt. Jake had taken on most of the responsibility for you Bradley of course took some too but he knew how important to Jake it was to in as much Sweets time as possible. One night, 3 nights before Jake left, it turned out to be a bad night. It started out good but it just increased into a bad night as the night progressed. It was the weekend so that meant that they didn't have to worry about going to work the next day. Everyone had just finished supper and now it was time to get you in a bath and start winding down for the night. "Alright time to get you in the bath." Jake said and you looked at him and pulled a face.

"No." You said and Jake looked at Bradley.

"Sweets, you've been playing outside all day. You need a bath." Jake said and you shook your head.

"No." You repeated

"Y/N/N listen to your Pops." Bradley said and you looked at him.

"No. I don't need a bath." You said

"Yes, you do." Jake and Bradley said at the same time. You shook your head.

"No." You began crying.

"Sweets, please for us. Take a bath and you can watch whatever you want afterwards." Jake said and you looked up at him.

"Really?" You ask and Jake looked at Bradley and he nodded.

"Really." Jake said and you took a moment to think about it.

"Ok." You said and that made your fathers smile.

"Good. Come on." Jake said and lifted you up and carried you down the hallway while Bradley smiled and cleaned up. The bath turned into play time which resulted in Jake becoming drenched but you thought it was the funniest thing in the world and he let it happen. Finally, after the bath was over, he was drying you off, getting you dressed, and then taking you downstairs to join your other father. He burst out laughing when he saw his husband which made you laugh.

"I see bath time went smoothly." Bradley said chuckling and smirking and Jake playfully glared at him.

"You take her while I shower and get changed." Jake said to a laughing Bradley.

"Did you and Papa have fun?" He asked and you giggled and nodded. "I can see that. Let’s pick out a movie to watch." He said and you nodded as you got settled in. Not long after picking a movie a damp haired Jake came down dressed in sweats and a t-shirt.

"What are we watching?" He asked

"Shrek!" You exclaimed and they smiled and he settled in and the movie began. You three watched Shrek and then you were falling asleep and soon they were taking you to your room and tucking you in for the night. They both decided to go on to bed and watch TV in their room.

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It was the day that Jake and Javy were leaving for the deployment and you were clinging to Jake like your life depended on it. Instead of them going on a carrier they were being flown to Scotland. "No. I don't want you to go." You said crying into his neck and everyone's heart broke.

"Sweets, I'll be back before you know it. I'll talk to you and daddy every day. Ok?" He asked and you shook your head.

"No, Papa. You no leave!" You exclaimed and some people passing by were looking at the both of you in pity. They knew something was going on especially seeing two men in uniform.

"It'll just be a month. I promise." He said and then he looked at Bradley and nodded. Bradley wrapped his arms around your middle which made you cling to Jake even more.

"It's time to go, Honey." He said and started to use force to get you to release you father and man did you put up a fight. But with Jake prying your arms away from his neck and Bradley holding your middle they were able to get you off him and Bradley doubled down on his strength of holding you so you didn't lunge at Jake.

"I love you, Sweets." He said kissing your forehead and then he kissed Bradley and then he was turning around and heading further into the airport with Javy who had waved at the two of you.

"She going to be, ok?" Javy asked and Jake nodded.

"She will be in a day or two." He replied as they reached security. He had half of mind to turn around and not go but he knew he would be in trouble.

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It was a silent ride back to the house because you had fallen asleep and Bradley could confirm this, because when he looked up at the first stop light you were out. He smiled and continued driving it was a 2-hour drive back home and that gave him time to think but didn't have long because his phone began to ring and he answered it. Carole's voice sounded through the speakers.

"Hey, how did it go?" She asked immediately.

"She didn't want him to go and fought so hard not let him go. It was heartbreaking." He replied

"How is she doing?" Goose asked

"Sound to asleep. She fell asleep before we even got to the first stoplight." Bradley replied.

"You both want to come over for dinner?" Carole asked

"We would love that. A distraction for her would be great around this time." Bradley replied as he glanced into the review mirror to find you still asleep. "Actually, can we come over now? I think it will hit her again when it is just the two of us home alone." He added.

"Of course! Come on over." Carole said and Bradley smiled.

"We're 10 minutes out." He said

"Can't wait to see you both." Goose said

"We love you both." Carole said and Bradley smiled.

"We love you too." He said and then they both hung up.

10 minutes later they were pulling up to the Bradshaw residence. Bradley parked his Bronco and got out and then worked to get your sleeping form out of your car seat. You only stirred but didn't wake up and that made him smile you could sleep through anything just like Jake despite him being in the Navy. As he got you out the front door was opening to revel your grandparents, he silently closed the door and walked up to them. "She's still out?" Goose asked and Bradley nodded.

"Leaving Jake drained her. I'll wake her up her soon." He said

"Let her sleep. We have all night and it is the weekend." Carole said waving him off as she ushered everyone into the house. "Go put her in her room." She said referring to the room you had here when you slept over for different occasions. That is what Bradley did he walked to your room and took off your shoes and tucked you in with a kiss to the forehead. Once he was satisfied that you were ok, he left the room and walked downstairs into the living room. He hugged his parents and then sat down. "It was bad huh?" She asked and Bradley nodded.

"We were getting sympathy looks from everyone that walked by." He said

"It's tough but they wouldn't be sending them if they didn't think they would be up for it." Goose said and Bradley nodded.

"I know but it doesn't make it any easier." He replied

"None in the slightest." Carole said they continued to talk for about an hour before you started to wake up.

"Daddy?" You asked

"Looks like I'm being summoned." He said and he got up and headed upstairs. His parents smiled at him watching him walk up the stairs to you, his daughter their grandchild. Just hearing him being called 'daddy' makes their heart swell. A few seconds later he was walking downstairs with you in his arms.

"Hey there, Chick." Goose said standing up as Bradley got close enough and took you from his arms.

"Hi, Grandpa Goose." You said and everyone smiled.

"You hungry, Honey?" Carole asked and you nodded laying your head on Goose's shoulder still waking up and they smiled.

"Alright let's get dinner started." Bradley said and everyone went to the kitchen.

"Actually, I have been making her favorite all day. Roast with plenty of potatoes, carrots, and onions." Carole said smiling and being her bright self.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Bradley asked and she smiled and he had his answer.

"I did." She said. Bradley shook his head but grabbed you a plate and began to put some on it and then his. Goose had sat you in a chair and everyone else got theirs and supper began. Small talk was made and then once supper and dessert were eaten you and Bradley were saying bye. Bradley had you in his arms and your head was on his shoulder Carole and Goose followed him out carrying leftovers. "You two going to be, ok?" She asked and Bradley looked at her as they arrived at the Bronco.

"I know I will be but Princess here" He said nodding his head to you "Might not be. You know how she gets one we go on a mission." He said and they nodded.

"You need anything at any time let us know and we'll be there. No matter what time." Goose said and Carole nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Dad and Mom. Hopefully it'll be a fast mission and he'll be home soon." Bradley said and then he felt your breath even out. "It seems like she's asleep. Time to get her home and into bed." He said and they smiled.

"You go and take care of our granddaughter." Goose said as they both came over and kissed your head and hugged the both of you and Carole kissed her son.

"I will." Bradley said and then started to buckle you in while the food was placed on the passenger side. Once fully buckled in Bradley was getting in the driver's seat and heading home. It was a short drive home and when he arrived, he parked besides Jake's truck and worked on getting you out. There was a garage but it was used as a hang out area but the vehicles could be parked in there if need be. He got you and grabbed the leftovers and headed inside. He placed the food on the counter and carried you up to your room. Not once did you wake up. When he got there, he got you into pajamas and then tucked you in. He took a picture of you tucked in and planned to send it to Jake when he was done. Once he was satisfied, he kissed your head "I love you, Baby Girl and so does Pops." He said and then started to walk out of you room making sure to turn your night light on. He walked out of your room and cracking the door. Bradley walked into the kitchen and put the food in the fridge when his phone began to buzz, he grabbed it out of his pocket and saw it was Jake and smiled and he answered.

"Hey." He said

"Hey, we just got to our place we are staying." Jake said

"How was the flight?" Bradley asked

"It was long but we were first class, I guess that is what happens when the Admiral of the US Pacific Fleet Commander is your family." Jake said chuckling and that made Bradley chuckle.

"You got that right." He said

"How is, Sweets?" Jake asked

"Currently asleep." Bradley said

"Damn, I was hoping to talk to her." Jake said

"Hold on." Bradley said and quickly put him on speaker and sent the photo. "Check your messages." He said and Jake did.

"I'm already missing her and it hasn't even been a full day." Jake said

"If you aren't busy in when it is morning here, I can give you a call and you can talk to her." Bradley said

"Oh, I would love that." Jake said

"What time is it there?" Bradley asked

"Currently 4:30 AM." Jake said

"I should let you go. I'm sure you both have a big day tomorrow." Bradley said with almost sadness in his voice.

"Yea, hey it won't be long. I promise. You and Sweets will get through this together. You also have the squad, our parents, and Pops, Ice, and Slider." Jake said sensing the sadness in his voice.

"Ok ok. I love you." Bradley said and that made Jake smile.

"I love you and Sweets. Give her a kiss for me." He said and Bradley smiled.

"Already done." Bradley said

"Good. Get some sleep, I'll talk to you later." Jake said

"Alright, Babe. Talk to you later." He responded and then they were hanging up the phone.

"Alright, Bradley. You got this. It is only 4 weeks." He said as he headed to bed. He checked on you one more time and then he headed to his and Jake's room and got ready and laid down. He looked at the framed picture of you three, the one where they were both kissing your cheek and you had the biggest smile on your face and eyes closed. "We love you, Jake." Bradley said and then closed his eyes and went to sleep preparing for what tomorrow would come.

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Week 1

The next morning, the start of the first week of Jake's deployment, Bradley was up bright and early, as he normally was, and changed into his gear. He would normally go for a run but since Jake was not at home, he couldn't leave you alone so he would have to do it during lunch at work. It was currently 7:30 AM in California which meant it was 3:30 PM in Scotland. This is the time you usually were getting up and getting ready for school with the help from one of your fathers.

"Daddy?" You asked and he smiled.

"Right on time." He said to himself "Coming, Baby Girl." He said and walked upstairs to your room and he opened the door and smiled seeing you sit up. "Good morning." He said walking into your room.

"Papa?" You asked and he sadly smiled.

"Remember he is going to be gone for 4 weeks." He said and you nodded and he wasn't sure if you understood or not. "Hey, you wanna call him while you get ready for school?" He asked and your face lit up and you nodded and he chuckled "Alright go and pick something out then we'll go and brush your teeth." He said and you were up out of bed so fast picking everything out. He quickly got his phone out and texted Jake.

Bradley: Yup for a video call?

Jake: Always.

Bradley smiled as he looked up and saw that you had dressed yourself in jeans and a shirt that you had gotten recently from Jake. "Hey you wanna talk to Pops?" He asked.

"Yes!" You exclaimed and he chuckled.

"Alright let's get to the bathroom and started doing your hair and teeth." He said and you practically bounced to the bathroom. Once in there he stood behind you as you stood on your stool. He pulled out his phone and clicked on Jake's contact and hit the video call option. He set it up to where you were mostly in the frame and waited for him to answer and almost instantly he answered.

"There is my, Sweets." He said and you lit up as Bradley started your hair.

"Papa!" You shrieked

"Are you behaving for you Daddy?" He asked and you nodded.

"Uh-huh! We had supper at Grandma and Grandpa Goose's house last night." You said smiling.

"You did? I'm sure they loved having you over. Did you have a good time?" He asked and you nodded.

"Yes! I love going over there." You said and they both chuckled.

"Is Daddy doing your hair?" He asked as Bradley started French braiding your hair.

"Uh-huh! Papa what is on your wall?" You asked and he looked over and smiled.

"That is my boy, Freddy! He was here when we got back this afternoon!" He said and he watched your face light up and eyes go big.

"What is it?" You asked in amazement.

"It is called a slug. They are really slimy but harmless." He said getting a close-up of it. "He can do awesome stunts, like this!" He added and showed the slug climbing the wall. "He came like that." He finished and you giggled which made him smile and Bradley as well. "He is killing the game. Look at that height!" He exclaimed and zoomed in on the slug.

"I want one!" You exclaimed and both of your fathers chuckled.

"We'll see about that." Bradley said as he finished off the braid and was checking it over to make sure everything looked good.

"Are you going on about the slug?" Javy asked

"Javy!" You exclaimed and he came into view.

"Is that you, Short Stack?" He asked and you giggled.

"Yes." You said smiling "Papa was showing me his slug friend." You said

"It's cool, isn't it?" He asked and you nodded.

"Yea it is. Well, I hate to cut this short but we have to get Baby Girl's teeth brushed and off to school." Bradley said

"Ahhh man! Well, I'll keep you updated on Freddy! I love you, Sweets. Be good for Daddy." Jake said

"I will, Papa. I love you!" You said

"Love you too, Babe. Be safe." Bradley said

"Love you too. You be safe as well. I'll talk to you later?" He asked and Bradley nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." He said and then they were hanging up the phone.

"Papa has a slug pet. I want one." You said as Bradley was getting your toothbrush ready.

"We'll see about that." Bradley said and you pouted but he gave you your toothbrush and you started to brush your teeth. After that was done you both were heading out to his Bronco and he was taking you to school. He walked you in and gave you a kiss and left you with your teachers and headed back to his Bronco once there he texted Jake.

Bradley: She wants a slug now.

Jake: Haha we can talk about getting her one. They should be easy keepers.

Bradley: Jake

Jake: What? It's just a thought. I love you.

Bradley: We'll talk about it. I love you too.

He then put his phone away and drove to base to start his day. It was going to be a long day. As he parked and started to get out Bob parked next to him and got out. "Good morning." Bradley said.

"Good morning to you too. How is Y/N with Jake gone?" He asked

"We talked to him this morning and it lit her up like a Christmas tree." Bradley said and Bob smiled.

"We need to get her and Mason together one day. It would be a good distraction." Bob said and Bradley nodded.

"They really do like each other, don't they?" He asked and the other male nodded.

"They sure do. It would be crazy if they dated when they got older." Bob chuckled and Bradley nodded as they continued to walk.

"Jake was showing her a slug in their room and now she wants one." Bradley said

"Oh goodness. You going to get her one?" He asked

"We will see about that. Jake said we could talk about it later." Bradley said as they entered the building they continued to talk until they had to start teaching.

When it came to lunchtime instead of eating Bradley decided to go on a run. He would eat later since he didn't have to teach. We went to the locker room and started changing when Mickey walked in "Hey, you not eating?" He asked and Bradley shook his head.

"No, I didn't get to run this morning. I'll eat afterwards." He said

"How is it going without Jake being at home?" Mickey asked

"Surprisingly good at the moment. She got to talk to him this morning so that made her happy." Bradley said as he finished putting on his running shoes.

"Good. It'll go by quickly." He said and Bradley nodded.

"I know that but it's going to seem like forever for her." Bradley said and Mickey nodded.

"I would imagine so. Have a good run." Mickey said as they reached the cafeteria.

"I will. I'll see you later." Bradley said and Mickey nodded and smiled and then he went outside and started his run. When he was done, he went back to the locker room and showered and changed back into his flight suit. He grabbed himself something to eat and went on with his day.

By the time he was ready to pick up, he was exhausted and ready for some cuddle time with you. He didn't stay around long wanting to have you in his arms. He was quick to get to your school and it was fairly quick to get you and then you both were heading home. Just being in the car with you made it all better and then hearing you laugh, which sounded like Jake and sometimes his, made him smile.

When the both of you got home, he kept your mind busy by playing games, watching movies/shows, and food. Each activity he was taking pictures and sending them to Jake who replied each time when he could. By the time you had supper and a bath you were exhausted and out like a light before he could reach your room.

He kept up the usual routine throughout the week. You three talked whenever you could but sometimes Jake ran late at work and it ended up being only one time. But Bradley and he still texted and it was mainly about you and pictures of you.

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Week 2

Going into week 2 was a little easier everybody had kept you busy to the point where you weren't getting distracted by Jake not being there. Of course, you knew he wasn't there but keeping busy took the sting of not having one of your fathers not there. It was early in the morning when Jake texted Bradley.

Jake: Can't make the call this week. Been super busy. Tell Sweets that I will give her an update on out slug friend next week. Hopefully she won't be disappointed. I love you both so much.

Bradley: That's ok. You gotta do what you need. I will tell her and she won't be disappointed she will understand, I promise. She's smart for a 5-year-old. We love you too and be safe.

When Bradley finally walked into your room you were sound to sleep and he smiled. He walked into your room and you sensing he was there woke up pretty fast. "Daddy?" You asked and that made him smile more.

"Hi, Princes." He said and came over and sat on your bed.

"Talk to Papa?" You asked and he smiled sadly at you.

"Not this week, Baby Girl. He has some pretty important stuff that he needs to work on this week." He said and you nodded frowning.

"That's ok. I understand." You said and he smiled.

"How about I cook you breakfast and then drop you off at Grandma and Grandpa's for the day while I go to work?" He asked and you brightened up.

"Ok." You said and suddenly got into gear and he chuckled. Today you had the day off from school because the air went out in the school. They don't know when it will be fixed but they would let the parents know, but that was ok for Bradley because he had some built-in babysitters that would watch you in a heartbeat. He had texted Carole about it and it was an instant "Bring my grandchild over." Which he chuckled at.

When you were somewhat ready to go after having done the stuff you could do by yourself, he helped you with what you needed help with. Then he was loading you up in the Bronco and heading off to the other Bradshaw household. "You be good for Grandma, ok?" He asked and you smiled at him the same smile that Jake had.

"Always, Daddy." You said and he chuckled and then was pulling up into the driveway. He was quick to park and get out and then get you out. He walked up to the front door when it opened and there stood your Grandma smiling and being her energetic self.

"My babies!" She said and opened her arms pulling the two of you into them.

"Hi, Mom." Bradley said

"Hi, Grandma!" You said at the same time as your dad.

"We're going to have a fun day! I convinced Judy to let me keep Mason so he'll be here soon." She said as she pulled away.

"Did you hear that, Y/N/N? Mason is going to be hanging out with you." Bradley said and you got really excited.

"I like him." You said and they both smiled.

"We do too. Now I have to go to work but I'll be back soon I promise." Bradley said as he made the easy transition to Carole. Bradley kissed you on the forehead and then was heading out at the same time Judy was pulling up with Mason.

"Good morning, Bradley." Judy said with a smile and he smiled back.

"Good morning, Judy and Mason." Bradley said

"Hi." Mason said and that made Bradley smile. He also thought about how scary it was that he and Bob looked so identical. Bradley was quick into the Bronco and took one last look at you and saw that you were already playing with Mason and then he was off to work with a smile.

When he got to work, he parked next to Bob's truck and it seemed like he had just gotten there too. Bradley got out and so did Bob. "Hey, Mason get to your mom's?" He asked and Bradley nodded.

"Yup, he and Y/N started playing before I even left." Bradley said

"They're such good friends. How did we ever get so lucky to have kids like that?" Bob asked and Bradley chuckled and shrugged his shoulders as they walked.

"Probably because they have such good parents." Bradley answered

"True. You and Jake are great parents to her." Bob said

"I can say the same about you and Judy. Mason is so much like you. He's just so kind." Bradley said and Bob blushed.

"Thank you." He said as they walked into the building and into the classroom to be briefed on the day. The day dragged on and all he wanted was you and Jake but since Jake was gone for at least two more weeks he just wanted to cuddle with you. The cocky Top Gun students were putting him through the wringer and he was ready strangle them all. By the end of the day all he wanted to do was rush to the locker room shower, pick you up, and go home. But being an instructor of Top Gun it was never that easy. As he finished the day he was being pulled into a meeting with Goose, Maverick, Warlock, Ice, and Cyclone. "This can't be good." He said to himself.

"Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw." Cyclone said and Bradley saluted them.

"Admirals." He said

"Have a seat." Ice said and he took it. He was nervous that something happened to Jake.

"As you know Lieutenant Commander Seresin and Lieutenant Commander Machado are on a month long deployment." Warlock said

"Yes, Sir." Bradley said

"We got word this morning that they will be coming home next week. The base they were having some things to come up and they need to send home everyone deployed there home." Ice said and relief washed over Bradley. He was getting his husband back early and you were getting your other father back.

"When will they be back?" Bradley asked

"By the end of next week." Maverick said and Bradley nodded.

"You're dismissed." Cyclone said and he nodded and saluted them once again and walked out of the room and to the locker room. He showered and then he was rushing out of the locker room to the parking lot and too his Bronco. Everyone else had left so she pulled out his phone and dialed his husband's number and he answered instantly.

"I take it you heard?" Jake said instantly.

"I did. Best news I've heard all day." Bradley said

"What happened?" Jake asked and Bradley sighed.

"Everything. Students wouldn't listen. Jets were breaking down left and right. All I want is you and Y/N home in my arms." Bradley said

"You will have us both at the end of next week. I think we should surprise Sweets." Jake said

"That would be great. You should video call her one last time and give her an update on your slug friend." Bradley said

"I love the way you think. I gotta go but I love you both and can't wait to see you both again." Jake said

"We love you too." Bradley said and then they were both saying their goodbyes and then hanging up.

Bradley laid his head on the head rest and sighed. Then he was sitting up and heading to the other Bradshaw residence. It seemed like forever but he finally got there and was parking in the driveway. He turned off the Bronco and he was heading inside of the house. "Mom, it's just me." Bradley yelled out.

"We're in the living room." Carole's cheerful voice came through and and he was heading in there. "Mason left about 20 minutes ago." She said looking up at him.

"Daddy!" You shrieked out and ran and hugged his legs.

"Hi, Princess." He said and hugging you back. "I would've been here earlier but I got pulled into a meeting." Bradley added.

"I heard. You're dad shouldn't be too far behind you." She said smiling as he sat down. "Stay for dinner?" She asked.

"Only if you're ok with it." He said

"We're always ok with you staying." She said and just then Goose was walking in the door.

"Honey! I'm home!" He said and Bradley smiled and so did Carole. He nudged you and you knew what to do. You ran to him and attacked him with a hug to the legs nearly knocking him down. "Oof. Hey there Chick." He said and they guessed that he picked you up because you giggled and he walked into the living room with you. "Well hello you two." He said.

"Hey, Dad." Bradley said

"Hi, Honey." Carole said

The rest of the night was spent together laughing and supper was dished out and by the end of the night Bradley was carrying a sleeping you out of the house and to the Bronco and then home.

The rest of the week seemed to sail by knowing that Jake and Javy were coming home and he couldn't wait.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 

Week 3

Jake and Javy were coming home at the end of the week. Early Monday morning Bradley was up way before you he was too excited to sleep. When it was time for you to get up he already had his phone up and ready. He started the wake up routine and you groggily woke up but perked right up when Bradley said that Jake would be calling this morning. Almost on cue Jake was requesting a FaceTime and Bradley was expecting it.

"Oh where is my slug?" He said energetically and you giggled having remembered it "Not here. Not here. Not here. Not here. Not here." He said as he showed the wall going up to the slug "There he is!" He said and you giggled loving it. "Now where is my Sweets?" He added and you smiled brightly.

"I'm right here, Papa!" You said and Bradley smiled loving the interaction between the two of you.

"You being good for Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa Goose?" He asked and you nodded as Bradley started on doing your hair.

"Of course, Papa!" You said the two of you talked and Bradley chimed in when he could and when it was getting time to go he wanted to get in one last slug update. It was Sunday which meant that he could stay on the phone longer. As the three of you talked for 2 hours it was time for Jake to go.

"Before we get off of here one last update from Slug Line with Freddy. He has now moved because now I have to stand on a chair." Jake said as he moved to stand up on the chair "Because my slug is now chilling on the ceiling. Gravity ain't no thing #SlugLife." He finished and you burst out laughing. "I love you, Sweets." He said.

"I love you too." You said and then Bradley was telling you to go and get dressed leaving the two of them alone.

"You haven't told her have you?" He asked and Bradley shook his head.

"Nope not a clue. Please be safe. I love you." Bradley said and Jake smiled.

"I'm always safe. I love you too. See you both very soon." He said and then they were hanging up.

Bradley spent the day with you doing anything you wanted just to keep you occupied. Goose, Carole, Ice, and Maverick had all came over and that helped keep you occupied while the sorted everything out for the returned of Jake.

Throughout the week you started to pick up on the energy and knew something was up but you didn't know what. You had to back to school which helped somewhat keep you occupied and it also exhausted you as well. You had talked to Jake everyday which was unusual but you weren't complaining, it may not have been through FaceTime but just hearing his voice put you in a good mood.

By the time Saturday came around Carole and Goose had come over early so Bradley could get a jump start on getting Jake. When you woke up you called out for your Bradley but Goose was rushing in and scooping you up. "Where is Daddy?" You asked.

"He went to get a surprise for you." He said as he carried you out to Carole.

"A surprise?" You asked curious and Carole smiled along with Goose.

"Yup! You'll love this surprise." She said and you giggled and so the morning started with keeping you busy enough until they got back from the airport.

Bradley must've caught every single red light heading to the airport and that frustrated him to no end but he kept his calm and eventually got to the airport where Jake and Javy were waiting at the arrivals. He parked and got out and rushed into his husbands arms. "Hi." Bradley said.

"Hi, Baby." Jake said and then pulled back slightly and kissed him. They broke apart and Bradley greeted Javy.

"Hey, Javy." Bradley said and hugged him.

"Hey, I'm not kissing you." Javy joked and everyone laughed.

"If you do then we are going to have problems." Jake joked and again everyone laughed. The bags were loaded and they were headed back to the Seresin-Bradshaw household. The ride was filled with updates and talking about anything and everything. Bradley gave them updates on you and he finished as he pulled into the driveway next to his parent's car. "We'll worry about the luggage later." Jake said "I wanna see my Sweets." He added and they all got out and walked up to the front door and Bradley opened it. Laughter could be heard and they walked into the living room to see you and messing around his Goose. The looked up and smiled at the three men. "Mind if I help you, Sweets?" Jake said and you froze mind slowly registering that he was there.

"Papa?" You asked turning around and seeing him there, Anything that was in your hand was dropped and you were bolting over to him and into his legs and he was instantly picking you up and hugging you tightly.

"Hi, Angel." He said using another of your nicknames.

"Hi, Munchkin." Javy said when you turned to look at him and waved at him excitedly.

"Uncle Javy!" You yelled and he came over and hugged while you were still in Jake's arms. "Missed you both." You said and they smiled.

"We missed you too." Jake said Goose and Carole came over and gave them both a hug but you weren't letting Jake go. You stayed in his arms or by his side the entire day going into the night the only time you were away from him was when he went and changed and got everything out of the Bronco. Bradley offered to drive Javy home and he excepted it. Carole and Goose had gone home to give the three of you some time alone. While it was just you and Jake you gave him the rundown of your time away from and he listened happily.

When Bradley returned he found the two of you cuddled on the couch watching one of your shows and both sound to sleep. He debated on either waking you both up and leaving you two, he chose the first option. "Baby, let's get you to bed." Bradley said shaking Jake who gradually woke up and smiled at his husband and nodded. He gently picked you up and you snuggled into him. They stopped by your room and dropped you off.

"Papa?" You asked

"Yes Angel?" He asked

"Can we get a slug?" You asked tiredly and Jake looked at Bradley.

"We'll talk about it." Bradley said and you seemed satisfied with that answer because you rolled over and went to sleep. Jake kissed your forehead and so did Bradley and then they were heading to bed.

"I'm ready for my own bed." Jake said

"I'm ready to have you in my arms." Bradley said and Jake chuckled. They both got changed and slid into bed and into each other's arms. "I missed you." Bradley said.

"I miss you too." Jake replied and after a beat of silence he got the signature Seresin smirk on his face.

"Oh no. What is it?" Bradley asked

"Soooo about that slug..." Jake trailed off and Bradley rolled his eyes but smiled.

"We'll talk about it in the morning." Bradley said and Jake seemed satisfied because he nodded and snuggled into him.

"I love you." Jake said

"I love you too." Bradley replied and they both fell asleep.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 

Jake was safely back with his family and that is all he could ask for. A week later you did end up getting a slug and named it Freddy 2. Freddy 2 is still alive and slugging away but you ended up getting bored with it and it became Bradley and Jake's responsibility.

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[heartsofminds]

my life is changing every day, in every possible way

“She’s a cranberry,” he exaggerates his pronunciation of the word for extra emphasis, “Has Ocean Spray become a relic around here?” or It's Halloween, Bradley has a precocious eleven-month-old daughter, and he might be in love with her impromptu babysitter.

A/N: soooo here's a halloween thing that i kind of just threw together? i'm OBSESSED with bradley being a girl dad and just love this little girl i came up with (@gretagerwigsmuse knows that we love quincy in this household). anywho, enjoy some poorly written dadley and this super pointless halloween drabble? hope y'all had a good holiday and am sooo looking forward to writing more of this daddy/daughter duo !

“Whatever it is, Bradshaw, you’re not excused this time.” 

Jake Seresin slams his locker shut and shoves his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. The heel of his boot is kicked up, making a soft “thud” on the hollow metal as he leans his back against it. He crosses his arms to lie in front of his chest and adjusts his watch.

The small wooden bench screwed into the linoleum tile perches Bradley Bradshaw, who sits with his elbows digging into the tops of his thighs and his back aching something awful. He softly grunts before he turns to release some of the pressure there. The resounding crack it makes causes Jake to grimace a little before his face returns to the snarky default position it always seems to have. 

“I’m sorry I’m an adult? And have responsibilities?” Bradley rolls his eyes and traces his index finger around a watermark on the wood next to him. 

He notices his Nalgene water bottle sweating and subconsciously picks it up, using the bottom of his t-shirt to dry the wet spots it left in its wake. Jake and Natasha watch him without his knowledge and share a knowing look with each other, but remain silent. Sometimes it’s hard to determine if Bradley’s behavior is because he’s in a vastly different life stage than they are, or if it’s just a Bradley thing. 

Trying to figure it out makes everyone’s brains hurt so they often just let it be. 

The blonde groans again. “You say it like flying a billion-dollar aircraft every single day isn’t a huge responsibility,” he licks his lips before throwing his head back, “Can you take that huge stick out of your ass for once and let yourself have fun?” 

“I have a baby, shithead. I can’t just stop being a dad to go to a Halloween party.” 

Javy slams his locker shut and prances over to Jake and Natasha. A wrinkle in his eyebrows starts to form as he thinks over Bradley’s statement. He finds himself standing next to Jake; his stance is identical and his bargaining skills are tuned and ready to be used. 

“It’s hardly a party at all, man. It’s a costume, a couple of beers at Pen’s place, and maybe one other bar for like an hour,” he speaks and pats Bradley’s shoulder, “Live a little.” 

Bradley sighs; the puff of air housing a hint of playfulness and a hint of annoyance. He knows he’s already lost and that there is absolutely no way he’s getting out of it this time. And so help him God, he can’t believe he’s thinking this, but maybe what Jake and Javy are saying doesn’t sound like too bad of a plan. 

It would be good for him. It would be good them. It would be good for Quincy, and if any of the parenting magazine articles (that he’s kind of ashamed to have budgeted for paying for the subscriptions, if he’s being honest) had anything to say about it, children thrive when their parents are thriving. 

Besides, Penny and Mav have kinda been on his ass about it. Because yeah, she goes to daycare during the day and yes, she’s technically been around other kids and for sure has had her share of being around adults, but she’s one anxious biting attack away from being kicked out of daycare and all the people Bradley trusts (outside of Miss Charlene at the daycare who is a friend of Penny’s and was his babysitter when he was small) are up in the sky so he’s really running himself dry with options. 

Natasha calls it separation anxiety but Bradley calls it a bond. Which is true, Nat had agreed, but it wasn’t just about Quincy being attached. It was also about Bradley being just as attached, if not more. 

In the eleven months that Quincy Elaine Bradshaw had been on this Earth, Bradley hadn’t left her side for longer than four hours at a time. 

And he doesn’t know if it’s because he’s never really had anyone to call his own before or if it’s a “Papa Bear” thing or if there’s some unexplained biological phenomena that won’t allow him to be away from his daughter without spiraling, but he hardly thinks its a problem. . . .

Except when he leaves on his lunch break to go see her at daycare and she’s in a fit of hysterics whenever his hour break is up and he has to return to work. Or when she’s eleven months old and has never slept by herself in her own room before (which is why his back is so fucked, but he’ll never admit it). Or when she’s biting kids and teachers because she’s so anxious she doesn’t know what to do with herself. 

So, yeah. Maybe it is a problem and maybe the root of it all is guilt. 

He can’t let his daughter out of his sight because he can’t help but feel guilty for raising her the same way he was and giving her a ghost that she never asked for – a parent whose approval she will always seek despite never knowing who that person truly is. 

Something about that makes him feel like he has to make up time for two as a punishment for only being one, and being the one who can’t provide her everything she’ll ever need as a growing girl and eventually as a woman. 

“I don’t know,” he says lamely. He wraps his finger around the loose thread on his t-shirt and pulls it in one fell swoop. 

“Okay, fuck. You need to get out. What do you need?” Natasha pipes up, rolling her eyes before sitting down next to him. 

He raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth to answer but she cuts him off before he can. “What’s it gonna take? Do you need a sitter? A lobotomy? You need to live a little, dude.” 

“Well, we know the sitter’s not the issue. The kid’s cute as shit,” Jake speaks up and Bradley scoffs. 

“She’s so fucking cute,” Javy agrees and Bradley has to hide his grin despite being annoyed. 

He helped make the cutest baby ever. Who wouldn’t be obnoxiously proud about that? 

“Absolutely adorable. People are lining up to babysit her,” Reuben Fitch interrupts and joins the group of aviators which further puts a pin in Bradley’s desire to decline the invitation. Rueben doesn’t involve himself in Jake or Javy’s bullshit very often, but when he does, it’s evident that the idea isn’t absolutely batshit crazy. 

Bradley gives him a playful middle finger before straightening his posture and coming to the realization that maybe Jake was right for once. 

“Yeah.” Holy fucking shit. “Rueben’s wife would put her in her pocket and take her home if you let her.” 

And the golden rule is that if Bob is game for something, then everyone else should be. So now he really has no excuse to not go out on Halloween night because he has the Southern Californian equivalent of the fucking Pope giving his two cents on to why he needs to go. 

Fuck you, Bob Floyd for always being the voice of reason. 

“See? Everyone agrees. You’re the odd one out so it’s only fair,” Jake taunts again. Everyone around Bradley seems to be shaking their head in agreement to which he realizes that he’s stuck and there’s no way he won’t be in attendance to the group’s Halloween plans. 

“But it’s her first Halloween,” he tries to reason, “I can’t leave her alone on her first one.” 

Javy sighs. “She’s not even gonna remember it. Yeah it’s a holiday but she’s not missing out on much. She doesn’t even have teeth yet.” 

Jake laughs sarcastically. “Q-dawg’s been chompin’ away on all of her little daycare friends. Haven’t you heard?” 

Bradley narrows his eyes. “Fuck you! I thought you left the room when I was on the phone with the daycare.” 

“Her business is our business now, Bradshaw. Aren’t we allowed uncle duties?” Reuben teases. Natasha clears her throat to interrupt him. “And aunt duties?”  

“Auntie Nat reigns superior and we all know it, but holy shit. She’s biting people? How is she more badass than her dad?” Nat goads and shoves the back of Bradley’s head playfully. She chuckles at how slow his head pops back up and he mocks her laugh and sticks out his tongue at her. 

“Guys, c’mon. I can’t leave her with a sitter on her first Halloween.” Although he knows he sounds silly (and he feels silly saying it, too), his daughter is his best friend in some ways. Despite her not being able to walk yet and only having a vocabulary of a few words, he can’t help but know how deeply he loves her, and how much everything about her matters to him. 

“Then don’t,” Bob says, “Just bring her to Hard Deck for like an hour and then you can run home, meet the sitter, and then meet us wherever else we decide to go.” 

And sometimes Bradley hates how much sense Bob tends to make and wishes that he was wrong. That no, the Hard Deck isn’t a suitable place for a baby, and no, there’s absolutely no way Quincy would keep her cool while being there during one of the busiest nights of the year. 

But he knows it’s a lie because her grandparents are the owners, everyone loves her and fights over having their turn to hold her or even catch a glimpse of a baby smile directed at them, and the fact that Quincy has been to the Hard Deck enough to have developed an affinity for diluted cranberry juice over the Mott’s Tots apple juice sitting in his pantry. 

“Fuck, fine. But you’re finding me a fucking babysitter,” he speaks, pointing a finger between Jake and Natasha before standing up abruptly. He turns on his heel and makes his way toward the door, knowing the only way he can make sense of the predicament he’s put himself in can be solved by seeing his joyous baby girl. 

The sounds of muffled chuckles and shoes squeaking on the ground fill the silence of Bradley’s absence; all of their eyes flitting to each other to decipher if they actually made the most stubborn man alive give into their bidding with minimal effort. 

“Did we just make Rooster. . .cave?” Reuben speaks, his arms coming up to cross in front of his chest. His thumb rolls his wedding band around on his ring finger as he waits for someone else to speak up.

“Huh,” Jake huffs, “I think we did.” 

“So I’m guessing the lobotomy is out of the question,” Mickey ponders out loud, “Y’all better know a damn good babysitter.” 

Natasha and Jake’s eyes widen in realization. They better find a damn good babysitter soon.

Carrying a baby is harder than it looks. 

Bradley swears that his daughter is an eighty-year-old woman trapped in the body of a drooly and overly excitable eleven-month-old.

It's not the worst thing in the world, he figures. 

But God, is she giving his arms a workout from the amount of times she’s tried to contort her small body to get a good look at all the ruckus and excitement going on around her. It’s when Bradley feels a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck that he realizes the costume he’s picked may not have been the smartest move; especially when no one seems to get what he’s supposed to be. 

Secreting sweat by the gallon seems like an unfair exchange to be dressed in what he thinks is the greatest daddy-daughter costume of all time. The flannel shirt he has on and the overwhelmingly hot coveralls to go with it was a good idea in theory (that theory being how frigid the Halloweens he used to spend in northern Virginia were when he was a little kid). 

He finally makes it to the saloon-style doors of the bar and is met with “Thriller” by Michael Jackson playing from the overhead speakers above him. Every surface seems to be decked out in cobwebs and dark purple and neon green spiders, and Quincy stares in awe at all the patrons meddling about around her before making grabby hands at the faux snakes dangling around the jukebox. 

She almost slips out of Bradley’s grasp before being wrangled back to a stable position by her chunky rolled arms. 

“Jesus, girl,” he gasps, swallowing the lump in his throat while Quincy giggles in his face. “You tryna kill me here?” 

“Well look who it is!” Penny’s teasing voice sounds in his ears. 

Quincy’s little eyes catch the figure of her faux grandma and she begins to squeal in her father’s ear before reaching her arms as far out as they can go; reaching and moving so frantically it looks as if she’s attempting to swim in midair. 

Penny moves closer to them and raises her eyebrows. Her arms instinctively reach out and she grabs Quincy from Bradley. Her fingers trace the burgundy felt of her costume before she tickles the baby. Quincy erupts in a fit of laughs. 

“What has your crazy daddy got you dressed as?” she teases, her elbow coming out to knock Bradley in his ribs playfully. “Are you an. . .apple?” 

Bradley huffs and rolls his eyes. His gaze instinctively lands on his daughter who clasps her hands on Penny’s face and traces her chubby (and insanely sticky) baby fingers across her red lips. She puckers her lips and chuckles to herself at Quincy’s amazement of red lipstick. 

“She’s a cranberry,” he exaggerates his pronunciation of the word for extra emphasis, “Has Ocean Spray become a relic around here?” 

Penny’s eyes flicker between Bradley and the baby she holds in her arms. The splotchy rosy cheeks and honeyed hazel eyes tells the tale of twins, and she’s reminded of the little boy she used to casually see around Fightertown all those years ago dressed in different variants of the same dinosaur on Halloween. 

“Sweetheart, you’re saying it like it was the most obvious thing in the world,” she starts, simultaneously giving her attention to Quincy and the million and one different things going on around her, “I almost thought she was one of the cement balls outside of Target but realized the red was too dark.” 

He groans, his eyebrows furrowing together and a slight scowl forming on his face. Penny’s heart is warmed because his daughter has a propensity to make the same face when she’s frustrated. 

A beat absent of dialouge passes. Hoots and hollers fill the silence as well as strangers stopping by to coo at Quincy before being on their way to the pool table of their desire. Quincy babbles and talks as if she’s a lawyer prosecuting a case and Bradley’s heart softens at how animated she is. 

Her awkward tongue pushes out more saliva than what would be socially acceptable and the drool begins to gather on her face. He reaches out and wipes her mouth with the sleeve of his flannel while she flops like a dead fish away from the makeshift napkin in protest. 

God, this girl is so dramatic. 

“I handmade it,” he says softly. He runs a dry part of his sleeve across her lips more firmly to ensure he had gotten all the wetness. 

Penny hums in acknowledgement. “And you did good.” 

And he doesn’t know why he’s expecting it; why he’s waiting on Penny (of all people) to see him picking a scab and rub more salt in the wound. He knows that she would never do that and he knows that most of the people (if not all of the people who he considers close to him) see him that way. He knows that people know he’s trying his best and that he’s doing everything he can. 

Bradley knows but he just can’t make himself feel it, and he can never figure out why. 

Maybe it’s because he’s a single dad. Maybe it’s because he’s a single dad without a “real” mom or dad to show him the way. Maybe it’s because he’s finally gotten used to having someone around who relies on him and needs him and loves him unconditionally, and he’s terrified of doing something that will make her sit on a couch in a therapist office and say the words that he’s trying his best to avoid: “My dad doesn’t love me enough.” 

Bradley knows what it feels like to not be loved enough. Bradley knows what it feels like to not be liked enough. But Bradley doesn’t know what it feels like to not try hard enough, and that is something he is determined to never stop doing when it comes to his baby. 

“You’re saying it like I didn’t though.” 

Penny’s face falls and she shifts her gaze from Bradley’s daughter to him. 

“Oh, Bradley,” she sighs, her open palm coming up to cup his face, “I didn’t mean it like that. You’re an amazing dad and you’re doing a fantastic job.” 

He grabs her hand with his and gives her a weak smile in return. 

“Doesn’t feel like it, though.” 

He’s usually not one for feeling sorry for himself. He’s never been too keen on throwing pity parties and inviting everyone he knows to them, and in all actuality, he doesn’t know why this bid for reassurance that he’s serving Penny is even coming up. 

“No. Stop it. No,” she playfully chides, tickling Quincy to make her erupt into a ball of silent baby chuckles. “You’re an amazing dad and everyone knows it. You’re her world and that’s all that matters.” 

Bradley opens his mouth to respond but can’t find the words to accept her compliment. He simply nods his head before the already loud noise of the bar is split by an even louder whistle. 

His neck cranes around to see his group of friends waving him over to the pool table and the anchored weight of doom starts to sink in his stomach. He remains frozen with his hands in his pockets and his body emitting heat from his personal heater of rubber waders. He feels like a seven year old at the park again; his mother standing before him and wordlessly encouraging him to go play and make friends. 

The high pitched scream of his daughter is heard as Maverick approaches. Both Penny and Bradley wince more and watch as his daughter mindlessly babbles and almost flies out of Penny’s grasp in favor of him. 

Pete smiles to himself before grabbing her from Penny. She rolls her eyes at him and he playfully sticks out his tongue. 

“Like father, like daughter,” he says, “M’never not a Bradshaw kid’s favorite.” Quincy sticks her chubby fingers near Maverick’s mouth and squeals as he pretends to bite them. 

“Did the past fifteen years just. . .not happen?” Bradley quips. In the past, the snarky comment would have made Maverick freeze on the spot but since they’ve repaired their relationship, (and Quincy’s frequent stays at Nana Pen and Papa Mav’s on the weekends) the insult rolls off Maverick’s shoulders into oblivion. 

“You’re making fun of the old timer, but I’ve been havin’ myself a grand ole time and you’re in the corner pouting like you’re in timeout,” he comments back, “Don’t you have friends or something?” 

“I’m just – taking my time to get over there.” They all look as Jake lets out an obnoxiously loud holler after hitting the eight ball into the pocket to win his pool game. “M’trying to choose joy tonight.” 

“And choosing bad costumes too.” Maverick holds his granddaughter out in front of him to get a full fledged look at her costume. She kicks her legs in the air gleefully before he pulls her back to his chest. “Who makes their kid the…Target balls?” 

Bradley lets out a groan and rubs at his temples. “Oh my God! She’s a cranberry!” 

“Love you to pieces, kid but I think you need your vision checked. You can’t put a kid inside a red sphere and call it a cranberry,” his finger comes out to poke his granddaughter and he’s met with a giggle, “A quack doesn’t always mean duck.” 

“Aren’t you, like, 5’4 –” 

Penny interrupts the conversation with her hands and quickly grabs Quincy from Maverick’s hold. He flashes her a small pout and is met with the ice cold glare of his girlfriend. 

“Bradley, go talk to your friends, babe. We’ll bring her over in a second,” she says, squeezing Pete’s bicep to drag him with her to the bar. 

“But –” they both begin to complain in unison. Penny gives them a pointed look that immediately shuts them both up. 

“Let’s go get some cranberry juice! How does that sound?” she asks Quincy who begins to smile and clap her hands in approval. Penny turns on her heel to head to the back while Maverick stands frozen in front of his nephew. 

“Do you really think I’m only 5’4?” he meekly asks, genuine concern covering his face. 

Bradley shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. The paper  “Ocean Spray” label he’s taped onto his waders bends and he mentally cringes at the crease he knows will probably be there. 

“I mean, sometimes when you turn to the side it’s hard to imagine that you’re actually 5’7.” 

“You don’t mean that.” 

“I said, let’s go get some juice!” Penny’s yells, annoyance dripping off her tone. Maverick claps Bradley on the shoulder before retreating to go accompany Penny in getting Quincy copious amounts of diluted cranberry juice. 

With Maverick’s departure, Bradley realizes that he actually has to go interact with his friends. After all, they’re the reason that he’s here. But when he takes in the swell and dip of the loudness that is contingent on the World Series playing on the televisions around him, he wonders if he’s made the wrong choice tonight. 

He imagines that he would’ve taken Quincy up the street to trick or treat at a few houses before her impatience and curiosity made her lose interest in the activity. They would have abandoned trick or treating and ended up on the couch where she would be cuddled up beside him with her feet tucked somewhere in between his ribs (because she seems to have a talent for finding the most tender spots on his body to lay) and stroking the tip of his mustache with her perpetually sticky fingers as she begins to doze off. They would be probably watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown before her bedtime came, and she would be read three books, tucked in, and off to sleep before he caved and pulled her from her crib and let her sleep with him in his bed. 

While it’s mundane and certainly not what he would have considered the epitome of “fun” even two years ago, he feels a weird ache in his chest knowing that he’s missing out on that reality. But he has to snap out of it if he doesn’t want to be miserable and ruin everyone’s night. 

Besides, Jake and Nat promised him free drinks all night and they already found him a babysitter and paid her for him. He’s in too deep to back out now.

Bradley takes a deep breath before approaching his friends and tries to ignore the ringing in his ears as Jake and Mickey scream as the Texas Rangers score their first homerun of the game. 

“Look who finally decided to show up!” Reuben teases, forcing a beer into his hand that had been on standby until Bradley’s arrival. 

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get too excited,” he deadpans before moving around the group and telling everyone hello. 

He’s met with joy and little jabs about graduating to “old timer” status that he playfully ignores. Bradley knows that they’re all just joking with him and that they mean no harm by their comments. Even he’s slightly surprised that he went through with coming out tonight; not to mention coming out while wearing a costume. 

His eyes catch Jake slyly handing over a twenty dollar bill to Javy accompanied by a middle finger before he turns his attention to Bradley. 

He can already sense the half-assed greeting he’s about to get from him before Jake even begins to speak. 

“Got a lot of questions for you but I’ll start with this one,” Jake begins and Bradley rolls his eyes before he finishes his statement, “What the fuck are you supposed to be?” 

He groans before pointing to the crumpled “Ocean Spray” label taped to his front. “Fucking Christ. Does no one know where the fuck cranberry juice comes from?” 

Jake laughs before taking a long swig of his beer. His ridiculous belt buckle and cowboy boots tell Bradley exactly what he’s supposed to be. Well, that and the fact that for as long as he’s known Jake, he’s always the same thing every year for Halloween. 

Leave the Texan to always be a cowboy. 

“My first guess was one of the guys from “Deadliest Catch” but since you wanna be a diva about it. . .I’ll just pretend like the Ocean Spray farmer was beyond fuckin’ obvious” he takes a long swig from the beer bottle he has in his hand, “But that’s not important. Where’s our girl?”

Bradley sighs and looks around near the back of the bar where he knows his baby is being given the spotlight by all the older Hard Deck patrons that can’t believe that, “Little Bradley Bradshaw has a baby now!” He’s known that he’s always had a knack for attention, but his daughter lives for the limelight. He’s never known anyone in his life to be so incredibly outgoing, nevermind the fact that Quincy is already the life of the party and she can’t even speak coherently yet. 

“Pen and Mav took her to get cranberry juice,” he emphasizes the word and Jake rolls his eyes at him this time instead of the reverse, “They’re gonna bring her by in a bit.” 

Natasha makes her way over to the two men; extra smiley and smelling like she had bathed in tequila. Natasha always parties hard but never lets it keep her down. Her ability to drink liquor like a fish and be perfectly fine the next morning has always been a mystery to Bradley. She’s called Phoenix for a reason, he knows. 

“Bradley!” she cheers. Her dark hair is hidden by a copper colored wig and he almost wouldn’t recognize her if he hadn’t known her face so well. The green eye makeup and the plastic vines wrapped around her shoulders and legs cue him into the fact that she’s dressed up as Poison Ivy.  

“Hey!” he cheers back, matching her enthusiasm. 

“You’re the fisher guys from “Deadliest Catch”! That’s so clever!” 

Bradley’s face drops and Jake begins to lose his composure beside him. Natasha’s eyes immediately soften with worry and she starts to search for the words to profusely apologize. 

“No I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings! I swear it! I was just – I thought — I think that it’s really cool and the overall thingies look great on you! I’m so sorry,” she word vomits and Jake continues to laugh hysterically. 

“Nat, it’s okay. I’m not mad,” he speaks gently, “Just calm down a little.” 

She takes a deep breath and Bradley can physically see her brain wipe the incident away as if it had never happened. He’s been her best friend for years and knows what she looks like when she’s close to being black out drunk. There’s maybe a thirty-five percent chance she even remembers this interaction at all. She blinks blankly at him before getting distracted by the baseball game and almost topples over with how fast she turned her head. 

Jake lightly smacks Bradley’s chest with the back of his hand. “I’m gonna go grab her a water. You want anything?” he asks, gently. He doesn’t want Natasha to overhear him because they both know that she’ll refuse his help no matter what state she’s in. 

He shakes his head “no” before hearing the clunk of his boots carrying him to the bar, leaving him and Natsaha alone in the pocket of the bar that their friend group has claimed as their own.

Natasha’s eyes follow Jake’s path to the bar and Bradley has to hide his grin and hold his tongue to not set her off while she’s so vulnerable. Natasha has always been the tiniest bit sweet on Jake but is too stubborn to admit it. Even with all the logical circuits in her brain turned off, she refuses to let herself ponder on this fact for longer than a few seconds. She catches herself staring at the blonde in a half-assed Halloween costume before she returns her attention to Bradley. 

And just as expected, she changes the subject as if their earlier conversation had never even happened. 

“Where’s Quincy Wincey?” she asks and Bradley chuckles. 

Even with no coherent thoughts in mind, Natasha still loves his daughter and wants nothing more than to see her. 

“She’s behind the bar with Pen and Mav. She’ll be here shortly.” 

Natasha nods before opening her mouth again. “You know, you’re a great dad, B.” 

Her sudden revelation takes the words out of Bradley’s mouth. He’s known Natasha Trace for nearly fifteen years and he has never known her to give out genuine compliments half-assed. He has half the mind to ask her what she means by it, but knows that it’s no use given the state she’s in. 

All that matters is that she really means it, so he settles for a simple “Thank you” instead. 

Jake announces his return by forcing a cup of ice water into Natasha’s hand which she gripes about but begins to drink anyway. 

“Your daughter’s back there chummin’ it up, by the way,” Jake states simply and Bradley pauses. 

“What do you mean?” His hands come out to rest on his hips. 

“Well, for starters,” he begins, unwrapping a toothpick and putting it in his mouth, “She’s got people handing her candy and peanuts into a little paper bag. She’s being pretty efficient about it if I say so myself. Had half the mind to grab her from Mav while I was up there cause I wanna see her, but I didn’t wanna get in the way of her business efforts.” 

“She’s what?” 

“Paper bag. Candy. Peanuts,” Jake lists, “C’mon, man. Keep up!” 

Bradley stalks toward the bar to go get his daughter. He’s not angry, in any sense of the word, but kind of disappointed given that she’s technically trick or treating for the first time and he’s not there to witness it. Part of him is starting to feel restless at his lack of interaction with her and wants her back in his arms immediately. 

“Hey, don’t insert yourself in her business endeavors! Be happy your daughter is likable. We all know she doesn’t get it from you,” Jake shouts before returning his attention to the World Series playing out in front of him. 

By the time Bradley arrives to the bar top, he takes note of exactly what Jake had seen upon his visit. There is his daughter with ruddy cheeks and a toothy grin absolutely hamming up her cuteness at some captains and their wives with Maverick holding her up so she can stand semi-confidently on the table. Her little fist holds a brown paper bag that Penny uses for her peanuts and is full with candy and crinkled due to her lack of a proper graspar reflex. 

His daughter is a world class charmer and she has an equally charming grandpa to help her do her bidding. 

“Bradley!” Maverick cheers, turning Quincy his direction so that she can have eyes on her dad. 

Like magic, she abandons the little bag she was holding in favor of the arms of her father. He grabs her without hesitation and she glues herself to his side as if it’s her permanent position. 

“You better not be making my baby a con artist, Mav,” he weakly threatens. He coos at Quincy and marvels in the way she lays her head on his shoulder. 

“Hardly. She’s a people magnet, kid. Everyone would be happy to do anything she wanted them to do.” 

Bradley sighs, knowing that he’s missed one of her milestones. This is the price he’ll have to pay forever with being a more than single parent with the kind of job he has. He swallows the disappointment down and saves it for later. He knows that it’ll come up another time anyway, so why even bother with addressing it now? 

“You’re treating my kid like a Kennedy, Mav. Don’t get any ideas on how to sneak her onto base to get you out of trouble.” 

Pete laughs and holds up his hands in defeat. “Can’t make any promises,” he simply says, “Don’t you have to go meet the sitter soon?” 

Bradley groans at the gentle reminder his uncle is giving him. Maverick doesn’t know what it’s like to be a parent in the slightest, but he knows what good parenting looks like. He had seen it with Goose and how much he had cared for Bradley in the very short amount of time he was given, there’s no doubt in his mind that Bradley is the best dad that Quincy could ever ask for. 

But what he also knows is how perfectionistic and borderline obsessive his nephew can be. He deserves a break and a break Maverick knows will be spent in good company with people who love him. 

Bradley deserves this, and he knows that Mav’s gentle reminder is more of an order telling him to be kind to himself. 

He looks down at his watch and sees the little hand inching towards the eight. “Yeah. We need to get going.” 

Pete leans over and gives Quincy a kiss on the head as a “goodbye” before shoving the paper bag of candy into her father’s hand. 

He closes his hand around Bradley’s fist and gives it a firm shake. “Have fun tonight. You deserve it.” 

Bradley nods before bidding goodbye to Penny who is beyond excited at the idea of Bradley finally going out, baby free, for the first time since he found out he was going to be a father. 

And when his daughter incoherently hums along to “The Girl is Mine” by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney in the backseat, Bradley knows how hard leaving her alone tonight is truly going to be. 

She shouts at him which he knows is her trying to get his attention to sing along with her. 

“You ready, babe?” he asks, eyes flitting up to peek at her in his rearview mirror, “Because, the doggone girl is mine.” 

Quincy bursts into a fit of baby giggles as he tries to ignore the feeling of impending doom brewing in his chest. He grabs a piece of chalky bubble gum from her candy bag and pops it in his mouth. He cringes as he chews. 

Who the fuck gives gum to a baby? 

Bradley doesn’t know why his heart is pounding out of his chest. 

He knows that he’ll only be gone for two hours maximum and that Quincy will probably sleep the entire time anyway. She may be precocious and charming, but she loves bedtime more than anything, and from the active night she’s had, he’d be surprised if she even made it fifteen minutes before passing out somewhere on the living room floor. 

He trusts Natasha’s judgement (and Jake’s, he’ll begrudantly admit) and he knows the sitter they found for him is nothing less than amazing. You’re a childhood friend of Natasha’s that had recently moved to the area and had been Jake’s date one time to the Navy Ball six years ago (which he had learned from an Instagram post dated from 2017). 

And Bradley will say he doesn’t know much about you (outside of his deep dive stalk that he had done days before, but that remains beside the point, he thinks) but that would be a big fat lie. He feels a little pathetic to admit that he had created a faux LinkedIn profile to be able to look you up and see your credentials as well as finding every mutual follower you had amassed between Natasha, Jake, Javy, and Bob. 

And it’s a little creepy, he admits, but he’s only just looking out for the safety of his daughter! Just because you know his friends doesn’t mean that he knows you (which he knows is wildly untrue given the overwhelming amount of Internet stalking he had done on you in the past week). 

Bradley is burning a hole into his living room floor by pacing back and forth with his daughter in his arms. As anticipated, she’s started to doze off and he chuckles to himself. Quincy loves bedtime and that remains uncontested by the way her little lips are pursed and she lets out light snores. 

The sound of a car door opening and shutting keys him into being aware of your presence and he scares you half to death because he opens the door before you can knock; your knuckles almost coming into contact with his chin had you not been paying attention. 

“Oh,” you mummer, “Ummm. You’re Bradley, right?” 

And you’ve never felt as dumb as you do now because of course he’s Bradley. You know what he looks like and the baby asleep on his shoulder and the last name “Bradshaw” printed on the doormat outside should be enough for you to deductively reason that that’s him right in front of you. 

Not to mention, you’ve been Internet stalking him and know what he looks like for a fact because of the amount of photos Natasha has of him on her Instagram and in her story highlights. You had always found him attractive whenever your eyes graced those pictures, but that’s all it was; a fleeting thought that was never watered and was gone as soon as it was there. 

But now that he’s in front of you, now that you’re getting a really good look at him holding a precious baby on his hip and somehow making rubber waders look amazing, your mouth starts to get dry and your heartbeat starts to quicken. 

“You must be the sitter,” he declares and he mentally kicks himself for how cold he’s coming off. His nerves have a tendency to put him into fight or flight and the pressure of being in your presence merely adds to that. 

He clears his throat when he notices your lips forming a thin line and rejection teeming from your body language. 

Fuck. Why do I always do this? 

“Oh! Uh – Come in,” he steps aside and closes the door behind you as you walk in. 

From what you know about Bradley, you know that he’s a single dad who had a less than stellar record for wanting female companionship. When Nat would come to Williamsburg to visit you all those years ago when you were fresh out of undergrad and working as a TA, barely scraping enough money to pay your rent, she would lay on your floor and crone about how she had a friend who never seemed to be able to keep a girlfriend. 

But he was amazing, she would insist, and he’s such an awesome person, she would say. Somehow though, Bradley always seemed to be heartbroken and searching for the next way to smash what little he had left of it into unsalvageable pieces. 

Even though that was close to a decade ago, you know that the fact remains true when you peer across the pictures in his living room. Photos of a blonde couple and a dark haird little boy that you know are his parents. Photos of him with the infamous and insane Maverick. Photos of him with his daughter, but no photos of him and his daughter’s mother; let alone a girlfriend of any kind. 

“So she’ll probably sleep the entire time. Don’t put her in her crib because she’ll scream bloody murder and not calm down for a long time so you’re free to keep her on the couch or put her in my bed,” he lays her down in the corner of his couch and puts the large blanket laying there on her lower half, “She’s allergic to strawberries but I don’t think she’s gonna be eating anything while you’re here and I don’t have strawberries in the house.” 

He pauses, wracking his brain for more information to tell you that wouldn’t just be him retelling his daughter’s entire life story. “Oh! This is kind of weird, but if she wakes up and won’t go back to sleep, just play “The Girl is Mine” –” 

“The Paul McCartney song?” you question. Your eyes search his face and are full of amusement. He can’t help but feel his chest flutter at the little glimmer they give off. 

Focus. You can’t flirt with the babysitter. What’s wrong with you? 

“Well, it’s Michael Jackson’s song featuring Paul McCartney but yeah. It usually calms her right down and she’ll settle enough to doze back off.”  

He knows that his daughter is more than quirky. Sometimes he settles for the word “particular,” but he knows quirky is the right one to use. 

You start to laugh a little. “That’s so –” 

“Weird?” he inserts, “Yeah, I know. I’m raising a sixty-year-old but there could be worse songs. Be grateful she’s phased out of only wanting to listen to “Break Free” because there’s nothing worse than listening to EDM on a loop at three AM because she won’t fall asleep unless it’s playing.” 

You shake your head and agree. “Well, I promise that we’ll behave ourselves and not get into anything too crazy. She’s adorable, you know, so if she asks, I don’t know if I can stand it to say no.”

You can’t flirt with her dad. You can’t be the babysitter that’s trying to get banged by the dad. What’s wrong with you? 

He chuckles and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll see to that. Her sitter is pretty cute too so I think I’d be pretty forgiving.” 

And fuck. Is he, is he flirting with you? 

You’re left speechless before his phone rings and he rolls his eyes before grabbing it off the entryway table. 

“Hang on a sec,” he says before swiping across the screen to answer. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Jake. I’m on the way.” 

He grabs his keys and starts heading toward the door, his cell phone wedged between his shoulder and ear and you have to stop yourself from drooling. “Calm the fuck down, dude. I’m leaving like right now. . .Yes, I’m literally walking out the door – Can you chill? I’ll be there when I get there?” 

He bids you goodbye with a simple wave before shutting the door and running to his car. The sound of the front door closing instantly wakes Quincy who shoots her head up and frantically swivels it around in pursuit of her father. When she can’t spot him, her bottom lip droops and starts to wobble. 

He bids you goodbye with a simple wave before shutting the door and running to his car. The sound of the front door closing instantly wakes Quincy who shoots her head up and frantically swivels it around in pursuit of her father. When she can’t spot him, her bottom lip droops and starts to wobble. 

She spots you and immediately lifts her arms up, telling you that she wants to be held. You graciously comply and coo softly to her and marvel in the way she instantly koalas to your side as if she had always had a spot there and had always known you. 

Part of you thinks that it’s fate. That in some way, you’re meant to be in her life and meant to stick around but you know that this silly schoolgirl thinking will only get your heart smashed to pieces. You decide to ignore it. 

Besides, Natasha would kill you if you ever expressed to her how hot you found her other best friend. 

Some things just aren’t meant to be. 

Bradley jogs into the next bar that his friends had decided to go to with a slight smile on his face. He scans the crowd and spots Jake and Bob trying to hold up a beyond inebriated Natasha. 

“You’re awful happ — Oh dear God. Don’t tell me you screwed the sitter,”  Jake greets and Bob looks away bashfully once the statement leaves Jake’s mouth. 

Bradley mocks him before helping them guide Natasha to a booth. 

“Can you ever just say "hello" like a normal person? Do you always have to be bitchy?” he remarks. 

Jake lets Natasha rest her head on his shoulder and looks down to check on her. “It was just a comment. You know we picked her because we wanna set you guys up, right?” 

Bradley’s world stops. He raises his eyebrows and feels his mouth go dry. 

“You what?” 

“I mean, she’s cute. She’s smart. She loves kids and she obviously didn’t vom on you from getting a look at your face, so I assume it went well,” he starts listing his reasonings on his fingers, “You also bounced in here like you have a can of jumping beans shoved up your ass so you’re giddy about something.” 

Bradley scoffs. “I do not have anything shoved up my a– Why do you care so much about who I’m seeing?” 

Jake looks at Bob who starts to shrink a little in his seat. He instantly knows that the set up wasn’t all just Jake and Nat. It was probably the entire squadron. 

“We want you to be happy, dude. I mean, this is a good opportunity for you and for Quincy,” Bob starts and Bradley knows that he needs to listen and take it into actual consideration if he knows what’s good for him. 

Jake and Natasha are class A meddlers, but everyone else getting involved shows how much this matters to him.

“You’re doing great and I know for a fact I’m not half the man you are, but you also gotta cut yourself some slack. You have to let yourself be happy, too. Life isn’t all just about sacrifice, you know?” 

“And we made a reservation for you both at that one rooftop restaurant downtown. There’s a $250 cancellation fee so you kinda have to go,” Jake adds and Bob facepalms himself at their friend’s lack of tact. 

“You did what?” 

“Also she thinks you’re hot. She texted Nat about you ten minutes ago and she’s way too drunk to respond so we did for her and as of now, “He totes thinks you’re hot too. Make a move when he gets back.”” 

Bradley’s mouth opens and closes as he tries to find the words to say. 

“Thank us when you’re getting us together about the proposal.” 

There’s something about the way that life flashes before your eyes and there’s never anything you can do about it. 

You can take photos or collect trivial keepsakes. You can talk about the events in past tense and have the story change slightly every single time the words leave your mouth. You can dream about it in watercolor memory and try to make sense of it all. 

But no one ever tells you what it means when you’re standing before your daughter, a dark haired beauty with such elegance and spunk that it’s impossible to put a label on it, as she embarks on a journey to truly be her own person. 

No one ever tells you how to cry so you don’t smudge your mascara. No one ever tells you the hole in your heart this day will give you but the rainbow of joy that supersedes it when it’s all said and done. No one ever tells you how all the times she had a nightmare or scraped her knees or needed you sit at the forefront of your brain. 

And when you stand before your daughter dressed in a white dress and getting married to the love of her life, you can’t help but recall the night that you fell in love with her and remember the little baby she was all those years ago. 

So around all the orchids and wedding guests and happy tears, you settle to retell this moment in the only way you know how. 

“The first time I met my daughter, she was dressed as a cranberry.” 

And somehow, that statement is all you need to explain the love between the two of you. 

[fandoms--fluff]

Baby Bradshaw

Flufftober, October 19th

Sister reader x Bradley Bradshaw

Summary: You’re Bradley’s little sister whose 14 and he doesn’t exactly know about the mischief you (cause) get into until he gets called back to Top Gun as one of the candidates. Maverick hasn't seen you since you were six because of the whole pulling Bradley's papers thing. (You've been living with Ice). So, a lot has defiantly changed. Your callsign is Marvel.

A/N: I know the time lining doesn’t exactly add up, but I came up with this idea at 2am. Deal with it I think it’s cute (and hectic). Please, I know it's shitty but just bear with me for it.

Warnings: Swearing, Underage drinking (only a little), (underage) flying combat - it’s just a fanfic and I can create the rules so.....deal with it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can I leave now?” You complained.

“For the last time, NO” Warlock answered while going through a stack of papers. 

You walk over to the front of his desk, where he’s standing. “Oh, come on, you’re the one who always says that I should be in the farthest room from where you are. Just between you and me, I’m pretty sure that this is because there’s something going on downstairs that you don’t want me to know about.”

“MARVEL!” He yells, fed up with you.

“WARLOCK!” You imitate him and his stance. 

“You know what? Yeah, your right I don’t think I can actually handle any more of well......you today. You can leave” He exasperated while doing a hand gesture when he said ‘you’.

Immediately you grab your phone from the tiny square table in there and sped out the door, deciding to go check out what’s happening downstairs since your brother was saying something about having to go there again today. He’s been complaining about someone - his callsign is bagman you're pretty sure - to you for the past week but won’t tell you why, so you’re deciding to investigate what's going on because, well you’ve got nothing better to do. Well, you should probably get all the science homework you have done but that's a later problem with bullying one of the navy research persons into "helping" you.

You've also asked Ice multiple times but he's found ways to distract you so you'd forget about it until the next day. (Yes, he has written a whole handbook of how to deal with your shit - you don't know of course)

While you're walking down the hall you've come into eyesight of Cyclone who was about to go into a room.

'Shit' you thought to yourself.

"What are you doing down here Marvel?" Cyclone, paused right before turning the doorknob.

"Well, my plan worked with annoying Warlock into letting me leave his office and now I'm going to figure out what you guys are failing at hiding from me just down the hall" you said pointing to a wide door into one of the hanger/classroom things as if it's a normal occurrence.

Which it kinda is...

"That's funny cause I don't remember allowing you to go anywhere near there" He crossed his arms.

"Well unlike everyone else I don't give a crap what you want or think I should do or just orders in general" You smirked and resumed your walking.

“Marvel! Stop!” He yelled.

Right as he yelled you started to sprint as fast as you could (which is FAST).

“MARVEL! GET BACK HERE. NO! DON’T YOU DARE GO IN THERE!” He started to chase after you.

The dagger squad and Maverick turned their heads to the noise coming from the hallway until the door burst open. You ran over to the other side of the room, quickly before Cyclone could get to you. 

By the time Cyclone ran in you already ducked underneath an old wooden desk nobody has probably used in years considering the amount of dust it held.

Everyone looked from where you hid, over to Cyclone who’s clearly pissed. 

“Marvel!” Cyclone called out, ignoring everyone’s confused faces.

You kept quiet, not making even a small amount of sound. Your legs are tucked up against your chest, tightly while you lean your chin on your left knee.

“Okay if no one else is going to say it, I am. Who the hell is Marvel? Is the little girl who ran in Marvel?” Hangman spoke out loud, earning an elbow to the ribs from Phoenix. 

Cyclone looked over to everyone and sighed before yelling out, “Y/N BRADSHAW!” 

At that you rolled your eyes and crawled out from under the desk, walking over. 

“You know I really hate it when you call me by my full name” You glared at him, paying no mind to everyone who’s watching with shocked faces. Bradley's face though was filled with more so disappointment. 

“You know what I give up, I don’t have the energy to fight with you today” Cyclone said, walking towards the doors. 

“Well, that’s disappointing, I’ve got nothing better to do and it’s entertainment for me” He walked out giving you the bird. 

“Wow! How real nice of you!” you said sarcastically before turning over to everyone.

You walked a bit closer to Hangman, giving him a death glare.

“Oh yeah, call me ‘little girl’ again, I’ll kick your shins until they’re raw and bleeding” You threatened him. 

His reaction is a mixture of shock and against his wishes, fright. Before you could laugh at him, Rooster started walking towards you with an eyebrow raised. 

“Okay, in my defense what do you expect me to do? Stay in my room and happily do fucking homework all day?!” You stated to him. 

You looked over at Maverick who was walking towards you and enveloped you into a tight hug.

"I missed you kiddo."

[justabigassnerd]

New Relationships

Pairing - Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x daughter!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

Word count - 13.2K

Warnings - angst, arguing, swearing, fluff

Summary - you meet someone new, and while at first you don't get on... you soon change your tune

A/N - it's time for the return of Hangman Junior y'all! it's certainly been a long time coming and it's been so fun getting back into this universe! I do apologise if this fic isn't great I was trying my best lol. but I hope y'all enjoy (and don't worry I'm planning a follow up fic that'll go more into the stuff that happened at the end). as per y'all please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

Growing up, Javy had always been a staple in your life. He was your dad’s best friend and he had played a huge part in your upbringing. You had even regularly spent nights at Javy’s house when your dad was away. With all the time you had spent with Javy, you thought you knew him better than most.

But you didn’t know that he had concealed a secret no one other than Jake knew about.

One day while Bradley was up in the air, training some of the newest recruits that had joined Top Gun, Jake was lounging in the rec room, listening to all the conversations happening up in the air on the small radio. Javy had been in the room but had to step out of the room when his phone began to ring.

“You got this, Bradley,” Jake muttered with a small smile as he listened to his husband explaining what flight exercise he and the other recruits would be doing. Jake had loved seeing how much Bradley’s confidence had grown since the uranium mission. He had stopped hesitating so much up in the air and had truly become a fighter pilot others would fear when in a dogfight.

As Jake listens carefully to the radio, chuckling to himself when he hears the cocky remarks from the new trainees who reminded him of himself, Javy comes back into the rec room, visibly shaken as he moves to sit down, collapsing on the couch opposite Jake who is instantly concerned about his best friend.

“Whoa, Coyote, what’s up man?” Jake asks worriedly, now distracted from listening to the radio and giving his best friend his full attention.

“I just got a call from CPS. Iris has been caught drunk and high in her house. They’re removing Mateo from her care and wanting him to move in with me.” Javy explains, propping his elbows on his lap and burying his face in his hands as he lets out a sigh.

“She what?” Jake asks, eyes wide in shock as he processes what Javy has just said to him.

“Apparently some teachers at school were concerned about Mateo and called CPS to investigate the house and they found Iris high as a kite with some random guy in the house while Mateo was nowhere to be found and Iris sure as hell had no idea where he was.” Javy elaborates, dropping his hands and looking at Jake who softens in sympathy for his best friend, getting up from where he was sitting and moving to sit next to Javy.

“Well, he’s gotta come out here, right? He shouldn’t be shoved into the system.” Jake says as if it was the most obvious answer.

“I know. They’ve said they want to call again later to figure out when will be best for him to fly out here. I just don’t know how to tell anyone about this.” Javy says quietly as he glances over at Jake, his eyes displaying every ounce of emotion he is feeling.

Javy had never been as open about his private life. He told the Daggers bits and pieces but he had closely guarded secrets that only Jake knew about. The biggest one of those secrets is his son Mateo.

Mateo was not much younger than you, only a few months give or take. Javy had been in college and met a pretty girl at a party. The alcohol in his system definitely helped aid the decision he made to sleep with her that night. A couple of weeks down the line, Iris discovered that she was pregnant and both she and Javy had made the joint decision to keep and raise their baby together as they continued their college journey. By the time they graduated, Mateo had been born and was a couple of months old. Iris was well aware of Javy’s intentions to join the Naval Academy and train to become an aviator but just as he began his training, they had a huge argument which led to Iris moving away and taking Mateo with her. It broke Javy’s heart to watch her take his son and leave, so much so that he opted to keep Mateo’s entire existence a secret to hide his heartbreak from everyone around him. After meeting Jake and discovering that Jake had a daughter of his own, he found himself inclined to open up about his son but made sure that Jake promised to keep this information a secret. And true to his word, Jake kept it a secret, even from Bradley and from you.

Javy had always made attempts to visit Mateo as he grew up. Every Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthday he’d travel to Utah in an attempt to spend some time with his son. Yet no matter how much he tried, Iris would refuse to let him spend a decent amount of time with Mateo, and he was never allowed to invite Mateo to spend time with him once he settled in Miramar. Javy just couldn’t make any sense of it. Half the time he was sure she didn’t care for their son but the moment Javy would mention visiting or paying for a flight so that Mateo could come to Miramar, she’d start claiming that she didn’t want her son to get hurt by Javy, seemingly ignoring the amount of effort Javy was willing to put in just for a short visit.

“Hey, we’ll figure it out together, okay? They already love y/n, so I can’t imagine any reason why they’d not love Mateo too.” Jake’s gentle voice shakes Javy from his thoughts, causing him to look over at Jake and offer him a soft smile.

“I don’t feel like I’m prepared for this,” Javy whispers, worry in his voice as Jake offers his friend a supportive smile moving to rest a hand on his shoulder.

“Nothing could prepare you for this, but I’m going to help. Go and tell Maverick you’ve had a family emergency and that you need to head home, he’ll understand. Then go home and check out your spare room, text me a list of things you think you’ll need for the room for when Mateo arrives. And while you call CPS to organise Mateo moving out here, I’ll run by the store and then meet you at your house.” Jake says, explaining his thought-out plan as Javy nods, inhaling sharply before standing up and moving to exit the room. Upon realising that Jake wasn’t following him, Javy turned to look over at Jake.

“Are you not coming?” He asks, confused as to why Jake wasn’t coming when he had made it clear that he intended to join him.

“I’ll come along later. Bradley’s awful at checking his phone at work so I need to tell him what I’m doing face to face otherwise he’ll damn near have an aneurysm when he realises I’m not around. Just make sure Maverick knows I’ll be leaving too.” Jake says with a chuckle, waving his hand to dismiss Javy who nods before rushing out of the rec room in search of Maverick.

When Bradley had landed, Jake had rushed out to meet him on the tarmac, with Bradley beaming as Jake approached.

“It’s not often my husband meets me out on the tarmac. What’s up?” Bradley says as the two reach each other.

“Coyote’s had a last-minute family emergency so I’ve offered to help him out. I just wanted to let you know before I went off to help. I don’t need you panicking when you can’t find me.” Jake explains, watching as Bradley’s smile fades slightly in worry.

“Is everything okay?” He asks, concerned about Javy.

“I’ll explain everything when we’re both home, okay? I promise.” Jake says, keeping a small smile on his face to try to keep Bradley from worrying too much about what could be happening.

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” Bradley says with a sigh before leaning in to press a quick kiss to Jake’s lips to bid him a silent goodbye. After they break apart, Jake whispers a quiet goodbye before backing away and heading back into the building to gather up his things before heading out to his truck so he can head to the nearest store.

As Jake pulls into a parking spot, his phone buzzes with a message from Javy consisting of a list of things he needs Jake to buy in anticipation of Mateo’s arrival. As Jake enters the store, he begins to come up with a game plan to get in and out in as little time as possible so he can get back to Javy as quickly as possible. Jake went up and down each aisle, grabbing the things Javy needed, doing his best to pick things he thought a teenage boy would like. Jake picked up a couple of various plain coloured covers for the spare bed in Javy’s spare room, he grabbed some snacks he thought Mateo might like to try and make everything seem a little more homely. When Jake had finished shopping, he loaded all the bags into the backseats of his truck before getting behind the wheel and driving to Javy’s house.

Upon arriving at Javy’s house, he unloads the shopping and approaches the front door, knocking on the wooden door and waiting patiently for Javy to let him in.

“Thank you for doing this,” Javy says gratefully the moment he opens the door and sees Jake on the other side, stepping aside to allow him into the house.

“It’s no problem,” Jake says with a friendly smile as he follows Javy into the living room, both men unpacking the bags and sorting things while making quiet conversation.

“How much do I owe you?” Javy asks, reaching for the receipt he found at the bottom of one of the bags, stopping only when Jake snatches the piece of paper from the bag before Javy can reach it himself.

“You don’t owe me anything,” Jake says, beginning to fold the receipt up and holding it away from Javy as he attempts to reach out for it.

“Come on, man. You just went to the store and spent however much money on stuff for my son when you didn’t have to. I owe you.” Javy says, letting out a frustrated huff when Jake continues to hold the receipt out of reach and eventually tucking it into his pocket to conceal it from Javy as he softens.

“You’ll never owe me anything. You’ve looked after y/n more times than I can count. The least I can do is help you organise everything for when Mateo arrives.” Jake says gently, a supportive smile on his face as Javy smiles back, overwhelmed with gratefulness towards his friend.

“We should probably take all this stuff upstairs and start setting up his room. I called CPS and they told me he’d be flying out within the next couple of days, they’re just in the process of getting flights and sorting out everything he wants to bring with him.” Javy explains as the two men begin to head upstairs with some of the newly bought items.

“Whenever he flies out, I’m more than happy to help however you want me to. Give me a call and I’ll be there.” Jake promises as they reach the spare room, entering the room as Javy smiles appreciatively.

“Thank you, Jake,” Javy says, as he approaches the bed both men beginning to strip the old bedding off and replace it with the new things Jake had bought.

“Maybe when Mateo arrives you can take him to Home Depot or something and do up this room with colours and decorations that he’d want. That might help him settle in a little better.” Jake suggests as he puts a new cover on one of the pillows, fluffing it as he goes.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll offer it to him as an option when he arrives. I’ve taken a few days off work to make sure everything’s ready and to help Mateo settle in.” Javy says as he unfolds the new bedspread.

“Good plan. Having one-on-one time with you will surely help him settle in.” Jake agrees, taking the other half of the bedspread and helping Javy make the bed.

“Obviously I have to enrol him at a high school, y/n’s school should take him, right?” Javy asks, looking over at Jake who nods.

“They’ll be considerate of your circumstances I’m sure. They’re pretty used to accepting new students during the year. I’ll vouch for you if needed.” Jake says, confident that your high school would accept Mateo with little to no questions asked. The two men continue to finish setting up the room, making sure it’s clean and tidy in anticipation of Mateo’s upcoming arrival.

“Hey, maybe we could have a get-together when Mateo’s settled? Maybe a barbeque on the beach or something so he can get to know the Daggers.” Javy proposes, receiving an enthusiastic nod from Jake.

“That sounds good. It’ll give him a chance to get to know y/n as well before he’s tossed into school. He can at least then know one person when he starts school.” Jake says in agreement, focusing on making sure everything looks neat. When they finished preparing the room, they headed downstairs and Jake helped Javy organise the newly bought snacks, arranging them neatly in a basket to act as a warm welcome. Once everything is prepared, Javy walks Jake to the front door, thanking him with a large hug.

“I have no idea how to thank you, Jake.” Javy mumbles as the two men embrace.

“You don’t need to. You’ve been there for me more times than I can count. It’s my turn to be there for you.” Jake says softly, pulling away from the hug and squeezing Javy’s shoulder slightly with a supportive smile before they both bid each other goodbye and Jake makes his way out to his truck to head home.

When Jake gets home, he unlocks the door and is greeted by an enthusiastic Moose who bounds around Jake’s feet, whining for attention until Jake begins to pet him. After Moose begins to quiet down, Jake hears footsteps approaching and looks up to see Bradley entering the hall. Jake hadn’t anticipated Bradley being home already but he also knew he hadn’t been keeping track of time while at Javy’s.

“Hey,” Jake says softly, skirting around Moose and approaching Bradley to press a soft kiss on his lips.

“Hey. How’s Coyote?” Bradley asks after pulling away from the kiss, immediately wanting to know what was up and whether Javy is okay.

“Come on, let’s sit down and I’ll tell you everything. y/n’s out isn’t she?” Jake says, following Bradley into the living room with Moose on their heels, both men settling down on the couch as Moose hops up alongside them, laying his head in Jake’s lap.

“y/n said she was going to Lily’s house after school today, she won’t be back for a while I know she’s excited to see her again after so long,” Bradley confirms, remembering how you had told him that your friend Lily had been someone you knew when you were younger and had moved away from due to Jake’s job, as he focuses solely on Jake as he waits patiently for an explanation. As Jake talks, Bradley has his full attention on him, hanging on to his every word. He was shocked at the revelation that Javy had a son, but he could also understand why he had kept it a secret. After all, he’d kept his broken relationship with Maverick a secret from everyone when they all came back to Top Gun. Once Jake has finished talking, Bradley nods slightly in understanding.

“I get why Javy kept it a secret from everyone. And I’m more than willing to help out in any way I can when Mateo moves here. I’m sure y/n will be the same.” Bradley says, smiling supportively at Jake who nods.

“We’re trying to figure out when will be the best time to tell y/n. She’s known Javy all her life and this is a big piece of information to find out days away from Mateo’s arrival.” Jake explains, guilt written all over his face as he talks.

“Hey, she’ll understand. It might take a little while to come to terms with it but she’ll be there for Javy when it counts.” Bradley says reassuringly, reaching to squeeze Jake’s hand, both men smiling softly at the comfort of the contact.

By Friday afternoon, Mateo was due to fly to San Diego, Javy, Jake, and Bradley had come to the conclusion that it would be best that you knew about Mateo before he arrived so you’d have time to process the news.

“Dad, Uncle Javy is here!” You call through the house, after opening the door, smiling at Javy as Moose nudges the man, desperate for attention.

“Hey, Kit-Kat.” Javy greets, reaching out to ruffle your hair as you lightly grumble, swatting at his hand as he enters the house. Javy follows you into the living room where Jake and Bradley are just walking through the living room from the kitchen to meet Javy, all of the men smiling as they greet each other.

“Let’s sit down, shall we?” Bradley says, gesturing towards the couch as you sit down on the couch, your dads sitting on either side of you while Javy opts to sit on the armchair.

“What did you guys need to talk about? It’s not bad is it?” You ask worriedly, eyes flicking between each man as if you could tell what they might talk about judging by their reactions.

“It’s not bad, promise,” Jake says softly, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and tugging you into his side to comfort you.

“Well, what is it then?” You ask, looking over at Javy who sighs lightly, resting his arms on his legs and squeezing his hands together as he prepares himself to speak.

“This might be a shock to hear but… I have a son.” Javy says quickly, looking up at you as your eyebrows furrowed, trying to make sense of what you just heard.

“What? Since when?” You ask, confused at the news.

“Since before I met your dad. We had Mateo while I was in my last year of college, and just as I was preparing to go to the Naval Academy, his mother and I got into a pretty nasty argument to the point she took Mateo and left. I tried my best to visit him on holidays or just whenever I could but let’s just say Iris wasn’t very welcoming. But long story short, Iris has been caught being an inappropriate guardian for Mateo and I’ve offered to be his guardian. He’s flying out here tomorrow.” Javy explains, studying your reaction carefully as you finally look at him.

“Why didn’t I know?” You ask quietly. Deep down you knew it was unreasonable to ask, but you had known Javy for so long that you were shocked that you had never known.

“How long have you two known?” You ask, turning on Jake and Bradley who exchange sad glances.

“I’ve known since Javy and I became friends. Bradley only found out a couple of days ago.” Jake explains softly, his heart breaking at the look on your face.

“So you said he’s flying out tomorrow?” You ask, steeling your expression and turning back to Javy who nods.

“Yeah, we were thinking on Sunday we’d have a barbeque or something on the beach as a welcome party so he could get to know everyone.” Javy then says, continuing to watch your reactions as you nod, your mood significantly dampened even as you try to hide it.

“That sounds like a good idea.” You say, a forced smile on your face as you nod before getting to your feet and heading up to your room with a quiet goodbye. The moment you’re out of the room, Javy’s head drops, a sigh escaping his lips.

“She hates me,” Javy says quietly, his heart hurting that he had upset you.

“She doesn’t hate you. It’s just a big piece of news to process. I bet you any money that by Sunday she’ll have come around. She just needs a little bit of time.” Jake assures Javy softly, both he and Bradley watching Javy carefully as he nods quietly.

“I should probably head home. Mateo flies in pretty early tomorrow and I want to make sure everything’s all ready for him. Some stuff has already been shipped over so I want to make sure things are organised.” Javy says, lifting his head and rising to his feet, Jake and Bradley mirroring his actions.

“Do you need any help with anything?” Bradley asks, watching Javy carefully as he shakes his head.

“No. Thank you, though. It’s just the last few things I need to sort out before tomorrow. Then we’ll meet up on Sunday, okay?” Javy says before he heads over to the door, both men following behind him.

“We’ll see you on Sunday. Give us a call if you need anything.” Jake says, both he and Bradley bidding Javy goodbye with friendly hugs, watching him make his way down the driveway and walk in the direction of his house with sad smiles on their faces, only hoping that you’d processed the news and be back to normal, and that you’d get on with Mateo when he arrived.

The next day, you decided to head down to the beach, wanting to take advantage of the sunny weather so you could spend time with Lily. You had been overjoyed when she walked into your classroom, indicating that she had moved to San Diego and after a catch-up, the two of you were acting like you’d never been apart.

“So, beach day?” Lily asks, getting in the passenger seat of your car, your Honda Fit had been fixed up after the rear ending accident and you were back to driving around like nothing had happened.

“Beach day.” You confirm with a smile, driving off from where you had parked just outside Lily’s house to pick her up.

“It’s definitely the perfect day to tan. Ooh, and I bet there will be some hot guys there too.” Lily grins, glancing over at you as you roll your eyes.

“Seriously? Is that all you care about? Boys?” You tease, your focus never shifting from the road as you drive, the journey to the beach one you had memorised quickly and easily.

“I mean it’s the weekend. Everyone will want to be at the beach over the weekend.” Lily then says, wiggling her eyebrows as you sigh with a laugh. When you find a place to park, you and Lily get out of your car, grab your beach gear and head down to the beach.

The two of you lounge on beach towels, chatting to each other, continuing to catch each other up on what you have missed in each other’s lives. You even dared to head into the ocean and splash around before heading to one of the nearby diners to have something to eat. After eating you and Lily head back outside to spend a couple more hours sunbathing before heading home.

When the two of you finally called it quits and decided to head home after spending a good few hours at the beach, you and Lily began to make your way back to your car, smiles on your faces as you talked.

“So, did you have a good time?” You query as the two of you near the small parking lot.

“The best. The beach is gorgeous, and there were loads of cute guys.” Lily gushes, clinging to your arm as you laugh.

“Glad you were impressed.” You say as you roll your eyes, already digging into your bag to grab your car keys.

“I’m easily impressed and that hasn’t changed, okay?” Lily giggles as the two of you round the corner to enter the parking lot a roar of a motorbike engine entering the parking lot, stopping dead in front of your car, making your jaw drop slightly when they don’t move, even when you make it obvious that you needed to get out.

“Hey, Asshat! I need to get out so you need to move.” You demand firmly as the biker turns their head to look at you lifting their hands to pull off their helmet.

“I’m sorry, Darling. Did you say something?” The mystery biker says, a shit-eating grin on his face as he places his helmet in front of him, resting his arms on it and leaning forward slightly.

“I did, Asshat. You’re parked right in front of my car and I need to get out. There are spots for motorbikes right over there.” You say firmly, glaring at the biker, studying him as he scoffs. He had dark skin, brown eyes, and short-cropped hair on the sides as the hair on top was beginning to grow out, the tight curls becoming obvious. You honestly might’ve found him attractive had he not been a massive asshole.

“It’s a free country is it not?” He then says, raising an eyebrow as he smirks at how easily you were getting riled up.

“Not when it comes to blocking me in. Just move your bike five feet to the right so I can get out. It’s hardly a big deal.” You say, exasperated by his attitude.

“I don’t know, Darling. I’m quite happy parking my bike here. If you were a good driver you could get around me.” He says, patting his helmet lightly, his smirk widening when he sees you huff. You then see Lily step forward to try to calm things down but you hold a hand up to stop her before focusing back on the guy in front of you.

“This is literally the quietest parking lot, find any spot that’s not you parking directly in front of my car and blocking me in.” You say, your frustration growing as he refuses to move.

“What’s in it for me?” He says teasingly, making you clench your jaw in an attempt to hold yourself back from punching him in the face.

“What’s in it for you? I won’t punch you in the face, how about that?” You offer, raising an eyebrow as you fold your arms across your chest.

“Threatening assault? Didn’t know you had that in you, Darling.” The biker grins, unfazed by your threats.

“Will you stop calling me that?” You say, your eyes narrowing as you glare at him, your anger continuing to bubble within you.

“What, you don’t like it when I call you Darling? I’m just trying to be nice.” He says with a light shrug, his clear mocking of you driving you more insane.

“Last chance, Asshat. Move the bike. We just want to leave, you can have the spot, or you can park where you are right now again. Frankly, I don’t care, just let us out.” You say, your patience wearing incredibly thin as you continue to glare, neither you nor the biker before you were willing to back down. Before another word could be spoken, you hear someone come up behind you.

“Is everything okay, here?” You hear someone ask, and you turn to see a middle-aged woman looking between you and the boy in front of you.

“Everything’s fine, thank you. This guy was just moving his bike out of the way so we could leave.” You say quickly before the guy has a chance to speak, grinning as you look over at him, challenging him to go against you now that there is a witness.

“If it pleases you, Darling. I’ll move the damn bike.” The guy says, eyes narrowed as he glares, his voice almost a spiteful hiss as he starts the engine of his bike up, putting his helmet on before roaring out of the parking lot, finally giving you the peace you had been craving.

“He wasn’t bothering you girls, was he?” The woman asks worriedly as you turn to face her.

“It was nothing we couldn’t handle.” You say with a laugh, waving your hand dismissively as the woman visibly relaxes at your words.

“Well, good on you. Take care of yourselves, girls.” The woman says softly, receiving a nod in response from both you and Lily before she turns to leave as you and Lily move to get into your car to head home.

“Man, he was such an ass.” You complain the moment your car door is closed, leaning back against your chair and letting out a sigh.

“Try not to let him get to you. You’re probably never going to see him again.” Lily offers softly, smiling as you nod, reaching to turn your key in the ignition.

“Good point. I’m not going to think about him any more.” You say, looking over at Lily with a smile, preparing to drive off.

However, despite your words. You had forgotten all about your promise to not think of him again.

“Hey, Sweetheart! How was the beach?” Jake asks with a large smile as you enter the living room, petting Moose who demands your attention.

“It was great until some asshat with a bike blocked me in and refused to move.” You say, already beginning to launch into a tangent about the events that had happened.

“He didn’t move?” Bradley asks, entering the living room from the kitchen, and handing Jake a coffee as he sits down with a drink of his own.

“Nope. I asked multiple times and he refused to move. He only moved when a woman showed up and asked if everything was okay. I think having an audience spooked him, but I’m not going to complain.” You say with a shrug, settling down on the armchair as Moose tries to force his way up onto the chair with you, ignoring your joking groans as he settles onto your lap.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about him, anymore. You won’t see him again and you have other things you can focus on.” Jake says with a supportive smile as you nod.

“Lily said the same thing.” You agree with a smile.

“She’s a smart girl,” Bradley says with a smile.

“She always has been. I need to focus on tomorrow. We’re meeting Javy’s son, right?” You say, looking from Bradley to your dad as they both nod.

“That’s right. We’re having a get-together just outside the Hard Deck to welcome Mateo.” Jake confirms as you fight the urge to frown slightly.

“I owe Javy an apology for the way I reacted yesterday. That wasn’t fair on him.” You mumble, feeling embarrassed for the way you had acted.

“Hey, it was a big piece of news. Javy knows you weren’t being malicious in your reaction yesterday. Talk to him tomorrow and I’m sure the two of you will be fine.” Bradley then says, both he and Jake smiling softly as you nod.

“I agree with Bradley. You can talk to Javy and I’m sure the two of you will be back to normal in no time.” Jake agrees, getting nods from both you and Bradley.

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow after I’ve met Mateo. I owe him an introduction since he’s new to town.” You say as you lean back against the armchair cushions, absentmindedly petting Moose.

“I can’t wait to meet Mateo. Him moving here means so much to Javy.” Jake says, thinking of all the times Javy had forlornly told him about Mateo and how he wanted to visit desperately.

“Well, if he’s anything like Javy. We’ll get along just fine.” You muse softly, exchanging soft smiles with your dads.

But when the next day came. You found yourself eating your previous words.

You, Jake, and Bradley arrived at the beach just outside the Hard Deck, jumping out of the truck with Moose alongside you and approaching where the Daggers had gathered outside.

“Do you see Javy?” You ask as you approach the group, searching for him so you can talk to him.

“He’s just over there, and that must be Mateo nearby,” Jake says, pointing out where Javy is before pointing at someone sitting at a nearby table with their back to you.

“I’m going to go and introduce myself.” You say with a smile, handing Moose’s leash to Jake and beginning to make your way across to where Mateo is sitting.

“Hey, you must be Mateo, I’m y/n.” You introduce yourself with a smile as Mateo turns to face you, your smile dropping the instant you realise that the guy sitting before you was the same biker from yesterday who had refused to move after blocking you in.

“I must admit I wasn’t expecting to see you around here again, Darling. I thought you’d be licking your wounds after you needed a grownup to fight your battle for you.” Mateo says snarkily, turning around to face you fully and leaning his back against the wooden table as he smirks.

“I didn’t need a grownup’s help, Asshat. I was doing perfectly fine without her.” You say angrily, silently wondering how someone as lovely as Javy had a son who acted like this.

“So you’re the daughter my dad kept raving about? Seems like his breath was wasted on your praises.” Mateo says, barely glancing over at Javy as he speaks before focusing back on you.

“You don’t know anything about me, Asshat.” You say, eyes narrowing into a lethal glare.

“I know you’re my dad’s best friend’s kid. You’re going to the same school I’m being forced to go to, and my dad practically kisses the ground you walk upon. Anyone would think you’re his kid with the way he talks about you.” Mateo says with a roll of his eyes, his frustration evident in his voice.

“I forget, those little bits of information ensure you know absolutely everything about me.” You say sarcastically, rolling your eyes in response as you fold your arms across your chest.

“I know more than you think, Darling. I’m not stupid, you know.” Mateo says, making you grit your teeth.

“You could’ve fooled me.” You say, your irritation reaching a breaking point. You then look around, locking eyes with Javy. You smile softly and take the opportunity to move away from Mateo to talk to Javy finally.

“Hey, Kit-Kat,” Javy says quietly as you approach him, his smile small yet genuine.

“Hey, Uncle Javy. I wanted to apologise for how I reacted the other day.” You say, fiddling with your fingers to try and calm yourself.

“You don’t need to apologise, y/n. I had kept a pretty big secret for a long time and it makes sense for you to need time to process the news.” Javy says with a gentle smile, reaching up to rest a hand on your shoulder, making your smile widen before you move to hug him an action Javy reciprocates in seconds.

“I do need to apologise. It wasn’t fair of me to act like I was entitled to that information. And I’m sorry for that.” You apologise as you hug Javy tightly.

“If anything I should apologise. I could see the way you and Mateo were interacting just a minute ago.” Javy mumbles embarrassed at his son's attitude that he had been on the receiving end of since Mateo arrived the day before.

“I thought he’d be a bit more like you in personality.” You admit with a chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood.

“I did too. Unfortunately, it seems he has a problem with me and no matter what I try, he won’t talk to me.” Javy admits softly, disappointed that Mateo won’t even give him the time of day.

“Maybe he needs some time. It’s been a big change for him and maybe he’s just lashing out because of it?” You offer as you pull away from the embrace slightly so you can look up at Javy.

“We’ll have to see,” Javy says softly, seemingly unconvinced by your words of support. Not knowing how to respond, you offer Javy one last hug before heading back over to Jake and Bradley.

“It looked like you and Mateo were getting into it. Is everything okay?” Jake asks the moment you reach their side.

“Turns out Mateo is the guy who blocked me in yesterday.” You say with a shrug, crouching down to pet Moose who greets you happily, tail swishing excitedly.

“That was Mateo?” Bradley asks, shocked as he looks across to where Mateo is sitting, unable to believe that Javy’s son would act in such a way.

“I think Javy needs someone to talk to, Dad. It seems Mateo is giving him some attitude and he might need someone to talk to about it.” You say, glancing over at Jake who nods, giving you Moose’s leash so he can cross to Javy.

“Hey, let’s hang out with the others, if Mateo doesn’t want to get involved then that’s his loss.” Bradley offers as you stand up, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and leading you to where Mickey and Bob are standing nearby, drinks in hand as they converse.

“Hey, Hangman Junior!” Mickey greets you happily with a hug which you reciprocate quickly before moving to hug Bob.

“Hey, Mickey. Hey Bob. Have you guys met Mateo yet?” You greet the two men, looking between them as they nod slowly.

“He’s a bit… different to what I was expecting,” Mickey says awkwardly, eyes flicking across to where Mateo was sitting before looking back at you.

“Phoenix and I tried to introduce ourselves to him but we got the cold shoulder. It seemed like you managed to have a conversation with him though.” Bob says before taking a sip from his water, watching you carefully.

“Oh, that? No, it turns out Mateo was the ass who blocked me in at the beach yesterday and he decided to keep picking a fight with me. I don’t think we’re going to get on at all. He’s nothing like Javy.” You explain, shaking your head as you tell the story, making sure the men know that you’re not going to get along with him like you had previously thought.

“We can agree with you there. He is nothing like Coyote.” Mickey agrees as both he and Bob nod, everyone glancing over at Mateo and watching him curiously for a moment before turning back to each other to continue your conversations.

By the end of the get-together, Mateo had ended up disappearing much to everyone’s shock. The only person who wasn’t panicked at the revelation was Javy, who had dealt with him disappearing the day before and just defeatedly told everyone to head home, apologising for the way Mateo had been acting and for wasting everyone’s day. You had given Javy a big hug after hearing him say that, feeling bad that his own son wasn’t putting in the same effort he was to forge a relationship.

“Hey, would you like to come to ours for dinner? We could order some takeout or something?” Jake offers his friend softly, fighting back a frown as Javy shakes his head.

“Nah, it’s best I stay at home in case Mateo comes back. He may not want much to do with me but I don’t want him locked outside without any keys.” Javy says, his smile sad as he attempts to wave you and your dads off.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call us.” Bradley then says, reaching out to pat Javy’s shoulder lightly.

“Thank you,” Javy says softly before allowing you and your dads to make your way over to Jake’s truck so you can head home for the day. As your dad’s truck pulled away from the Hard Deck, all you could think about was how much Mateo was going to be a pain in your ass when he started at your school.

It turned out that your prediction had been correct, Mateo had joined your high school halfway through the week after the beach get-together and much to your dismay he had been put in most of your classes. You and Lily had tried your best to avoid him, and you constantly found yourself biting your tongue when he decided to bother you both during and in between classes.

“Hey, Darling. I thought I could feel a chill in the air.” Mateo teases from where he is leaning against a locker, a smirk on his lips as you glare at him.

“Do you ever get tired of the sound of your own voice, Asshat?” You say, not even stopping as you walk down the corridor, causing Mateo to push himself away from the locker and trail along behind you.

“I could ask you the same question. You’re the damn teacher's pet, not me.” Mateo says with a shrug as he continues to follow you.

“Maybe it’s a good thing you don’t participate in class. I’d hate to have to prove you wrong in front of everyone.” You say, raising an eyebrow as you briefly glance his way, smirking to yourself.

“If that helps you sleep at night, Darling. You can think whatever you want.” Mateo says.

“How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?” You say lowly, stopping short in your tracks so you can turn to face Mateo who mimics your actions.

“I thought you liked it,” Mateo says, a fake pout on his face to irritate you further before breaking out into a smile when he achieves his goal.

“We don’t even have the same class now, can you just leave me alone?” You say, your irritation quickly reaching its peak as you begin to walk away.

“You’re no fun,” Mateo says before walking off, not noticing how you roll your eyes at his words.

“Why does he constantly bother me?” You complain to Lily as she joins you from her class.

“It’s because you argue back. You’re giving him what he wants.” Lily says with a shrug, ignoring how you huff in annoyance.

“If he stopped bothering me I wouldn’t need to fight back. He could make life easier for the both of us if he just shut up.” You say, turning to head into your next class with Lily following behind you, hoping that Mateo will stop bothering you.

When lunchtime arrived, you entered the cafeteria with Lily, chatting with her as you discussed your plans for next weekend. After you had grabbed a tray, you surveyed the busy cafeteria, you noticed Mateo sitting by himself and felt your heart sink slightly. Despite your frustration and lack of friendship with Mateo, you found yourself sympathetic to the fact that he had clearly been spending his time alone without anyone to talk to. Walking away from Lily, you make your way across the cafeteria towards the table Mateo is sitting at, placing your tray down and easing down into your chair.

“What are you doing here?” Mateo asks as soon as he looks up and realises it was you sitting opposite him.

“I saw you were sat alone and I thought I’d-”

“You thought you’d play the sympathetic hero and sit with the new kid, huh? Well, I haven’t got time to deal with you trying to make yourself feel better.” Mateo snaps accusingly, glaring at you with a ferocity you hadn’t seen from him since you had spoken at the beach.

“I wasn’t doing that-”

“I know exactly what you’re doing. You don’t give a shit about me. You just want to make yourself look good in front of everyone else. Just leave me the fuck alone.” Mateo growls angrily, making you grow angry, grabbing your tray and raising from your seat.

“Fine, have it your way. You’re never going to make friends with that shitty attitude of yours.” You say angrily, unable to believe the attitude you were getting for a kind gesture.

“I don’t need friends. I’m fine on my own.” Mateo says as you begin to walk away, not able to see how you roll your eyes, finding Lily sitting with some other girls in your grade and joining them instead.

“Did you really just try and sit with Mateo?” Lily asks as you settle in the seat opposite her, beginning to dig into your food.

“I thought I’d try and be nice. I know if I were sitting alone I’d want someone to take the step to sit with me. Turns out he didn’t want anything to do with me.” You say in between mouthfuls, glancing around at the girls around you who watch you sympathetically.

“I heard Zack tried to sit with him on his first day and he got cursed out pretty quickly. It’s clear he’s a loner and doesn’t like people.” Marcy says, recalling what a boy had told her before and frowning. Unable to voice the thoughts you had regarding Mateo’s outbursts, you found yourself nodding along to Marcy’s theory, glancing over your shoulder to where Mateo was sitting, watching as he ate his meal alone.

Over the next few days, Mateo started to be less annoying towards you and more standoffish. He didn’t bother you in classes or in the corridor. He’d barely spare you a glance if you and your dads were over at his house to check in on him and Javy. You had longed for the day when Mateo stopped bothering you but now that he had stopped, you found yourself missing his presence, no matter how much you complained about it. You also longed to learn what his problem with you was, you admitted that you hadn’t gotten off on the right foot with him but you had made an effort at school and he had brushed you off. Javy had told you to not worry about it, since he had been treating everyone around him like that no matter how hard he tried to forge a relationship with his son.

One day after school, you had been promised by your dad that he’d pick you up after school since your car had gone in for a service so you found yourself waiting outside your high school, alone as more and more people began to disappear home. It wasn’t until nearly everyone had left that you realised that Mateo was still around.

“I thought you would’ve hopped on your little bike and ridden off home by now.” You say, barely sparing Mateo a glance as you notice him sidling up alongside you.

“I could say the same for you. You haven’t driven home to daddy, yet?” Mateo says teasingly, his snark matching yours with practised ease.

“My car’s being serviced, what’s your excuse, Asshat? Or have you decided to start bugging me again?” You retort, glaring over at him briefly before focusing back on the road ahead of you, hoping that by some miracle your dad’s truck will pull up in front of you.

“That dad of mine confiscated my bike keys. Damn asshole said I apparently can’t be trusted so he told me I have to wait to be picked up like I’m a kid.” Mateo complains, making you grit your teeth at his words, enraged that he could speak in such a way about Javy.

“He has every right to treat you that way because quite frankly you are acting like a child and it’s ridiculous.” You say firmly, checking the time on your phone one more time and sighing at the time. Coming to the assumption that your dad had forgotten to pick you up, you made the executive decision to begin to walk home with Mateo beginning to trail after you.

“Why are you following me?” You complain, quickly noticing that Mateo is following you along the path.

“I’m walking home I’m not following you. It’s just unfortunate that we live so close together so I’m stuck walking with you.” Mateo says, an almost offended tone to his voice at your accusation.

“Well, if you could keep your mouth shut that would be great and maybe I won’t kill you on the way home.” You say, your grip tightening on your bag as you continue to walk, hoping that Mateo will get the hint.

“Again with the threats but no follow through. You’re all bark and no bite aren’t you, Darling?” Mateo says with a whistle, raising an eyebrow as you scoff.

“I can fight back if I need to. I just won’t stoop to that if I can help it.” You say, your eyes focused on where you are going so you wouldn’t give Mateo the satisfaction of looking at him as you begin to head through the park, grateful that if you continue to argue, people won’t be around to witness it.

“You’re just trying to sound tough. We all know you’d hide behind your daddy at any confrontation.” Mateo says, enjoying how quickly he is getting under your skin as you stop in your tracks, turning to face him.

“What exactly is your problem with me? I’ve tried to be nice and you keep pushing me away and acting like an asshole.” You ask, genuinely wanting an answer from him but not attempting to mask your anger in any way.

“It’s none of your business.” Mateo retorts, snapping quickly as you only grow angrier.

“It is my business. You have some sort of problem with me, and even more so, you have a problem with Javy who doesn’t deserve that treatment from you.” You say angrily, your voice raising.

“Of course, you’d defend him. You know, he was never around when I was younger. I was that kid who grew up with no dad and pretty much never had a mom either. You have no idea what it was like to go through that.” Mateo says angrily, taking a step closer to you as he talks.

“You’re not even giving him a chance. He’s really trying to make a bond with you. At least meet him halfway. You can hate me all you like but don’t hate Javy.” You say, fighting the urge to plead with the stubborn teen who stood before you.

“I never said I hated either of you,” Mateo said exasperated, running a hand through his short curls in his frustration.

“You’ve made it pretty clear that you hate everyone around you.” You say, not believing Mateo’s recently spoken words for a second.

“Now you’re just putting words into my mouth. I never said that.” Mateo says, rolling his eyes.

“Then why are you acting like you do? I’ve heard Javy telling my dad about how you treat him and it’s ruining him. You truly cannot see a good thing even if it’s standing right in front of you.” You say bitterly.

“Fuck it,” Mateo whispers before launching towards you, capturing your lips with his, taking you by surprise. Once the shock had worn off, you found yourself kissing him back, your hands reaching up to pull him closer as Mateo pushed you back until your back met a tree. You continued to kiss until the need for air got too much and you forced yourself to pull away, both you and Mateo panting slightly as you gazed into each other’s eyes, neither one of you knowing what to say.

“What was that?” You ask quietly, unable to remove your gaze from Mateo’s eyes.

“Proof I never hated you,” Mateo responds, swallowing thickly as he awaits your reaction. You remain standing in place, unable to form any coherent thoughts as you stare at the boy standing before you.

“I don’t know what to say…” You force out, your brain scrambling to make sense of the thousands of thoughts swimming around in your head.

“You hated it.” Mateo mumbles, beginning to pull away from you but you act quicker, cupping his face and pulling his lips back to yours. Much like you previously, Mateo was soon kissing you back once the shock wore off, forcing you back against the tree once more. This time when you pull apart, you manage to muster a smile.

“I can’t believe we just did that. Twice.” You admit with a laugh, getting the courage to briefly brush your thumb over the apple of Mateo’s cheek before dropping your hands.

“So you didn’t hate it?” Mateo asks, a small attempt at a smile gracing his lips.

“Do you need me to kiss you again to get the answer through your head?” You ask with a light laugh.

“Maybe.” Mateo muses, placing his hands on your middle to pull you into a third kiss, this time you are both prepared and able to enjoy the moment.

“Did that give you your answer?” You tease with a smile as you pull away enough to speak, your lips barely brushing up against his.

“It sure does, Darling,” Mateo says, his smile growing. Seeing his natural smile, one that wasn’t forced or teasing, made you realise just how pretty Mateo was. He looked so much more himself when he smiled and you wanted to see that smile from him even more.

“So, you never really hated me?” You ask, your eyes searching Mateo’s for an answer, in response, Mateo takes your hand softly and leads you to a nearby bench, both of you easing yourself down onto it.

“I never hated you. I mean sure, I thought you were annoying the first time you met, but I also loved how you weren’t afraid to back down against me. Finding out you were the one my dad talked about hurt, I won’t lie. He spoke about you like you were the greatest gift to mankind.” Mateo finds himself uncharacteristically willing to open up to you.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t exactly make you feel welcome. I was just so angry that you spoke in such a way about Javy.” You apologise, watching Mateo as he shakes his head.

“I was so jealous of you. You knew my dad better than I do. You got your whole life with him around and I didn’t get to see him at all.” Mateo continues, having to look away from you to conceal the threatening building tears.

“It’s not too late to get to know him.” You offer, your voice soft as you reach out to take Mateo’s hand in your own, causing him to turn and look at you.

“I knew if I let myself fall for you I’d have a problem.” Mateo manages to say, a teary laugh escaping him.

“A problem? That’s a bold thing to say after three kisses. What problem?” You ask with a light roll of your eyes.

“You’re too soft for your own good, Darling. I knew if I fell for you I’d get soft too. I’ve worked so hard to protect myself my whole life that I never thought I’d fall for someone. Trust you to swoop in and mess up my plans.” Mateo admits, blinking furiously to try and rid himself of his tears.

“There’s nothing wrong with letting people in. It took my dad a long time to learn that one and now he’s happier than ever.” You say softly, squeezing Mateo’s hand as you talk to offer him support.

“It’s just… scary. I’ve relied on myself for so long.” Mateo admits, the embarrassment covering his features as he reveals something he’d kept hidden for his whole life.

“Well, let’s take it slow, shall we? There’s no rush.” You offer quietly, doing your best to sound confident for Mateo’s sake. Slightly comforted by your words, Mateo carefully moves his hand so that he was now holding yours.

You and Mateo then decide to sit together on the bench for a little while, both still trying to wrap your heads around the sudden large advancement you had made in your dynamic. Neither of you felt the need to talk, you opted to spend your time getting used to each others presence more. After spending twenty minutes together in the park, you both decide to continue to make your way home, knowing that if you stay out too long you’ll be on the receiving end of multiple worried texts from your dad.

As you approach your house, you find yourself slowing down to try and spend even more time with Mateo, something he picks up on almost instantly.

“You okay?” Mateo asks with a concern you hadn’t heard from him before.

“I’m fine. I just want to do this before we get to my house. Can’t risk my dad’s seeing this.” You say quickly, turning to face Mateo and before he can even question you, you pull him into another quick kiss, both of you smiling softly as you pull away.

“Keeping this a secret, huh Darling?” Mateo teases, raising an eyebrow as you nod.

“If that’s okay with you. Just for now.” You say, studying Mateo’s reaction carefully, relaxing slightly when he nods in understanding.

“That’s fine. I don’t really think I’m on good enough terms with my dad to open up to him about anything like this just yet.” Mateo says, his voice soft as he watches you softly.

“Maybe you could try talking to Javy? Not about this of course but about everything else. Maybe you two will be able to have a fresh start and create a bond?” You suggest, watching as Mateo nods, albeit hesitantly.

“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises,” Mateo says as you offer him a small nod and smile before you whisper a quiet goodbye to Mateo which he returns before you go your separate ways.

You make your way into your house, noticing how your dad’s truck is still absent from the driveway and rolling your eyes. While you were glad you and Mateo were able to make something good out of being left behind, you couldn’t deny that it didn’t annoy you that your dad had forgotten to pick you up from school, especially after he promised he’d do so. When you enter the house, you’re greeted by Moose who excitedly whines in greeting as you reach down to pet him.

“Hey y/n/n. Where’s Jake?” Bradley makes his way into the hall to greet you with a hug, quickly noticing his husband’s absence.

“You tell me. He never showed up so I had to walk home.” You grumble, your mood now significantly soured as you remember that your dad had forgotten you entirely.

“He what?” Bradley asks, eyes widening in shock at the mere thought of Jake forgetting to pick you up from school.

“Yeah, his promise meant absolutely nothing to him, didn’t it?” You say, beginning to beeline for the stairs with Moose following along behind you as Bradley watches you sadly.

By the time Jake had come home, you and Bradley had sat down for dinner and the smile that Bradley had managed to bring onto your face vanished the second you noticed your dad’s presence.

“Hey guys, what’s on the menu?” Jake asks with a large smile, completely ignorant of your lack of acknowledgement as he enters the kitchen.

“I put a plate for you in the oven to keep warm,” Bradley says, glancing over his shoulder to watch Jake who nods, thanking Bradley as he opens the oven and removes the dish.

“Have you had a good day at school, y/n/n?” Jake then says after placing his plate on the table, and ruffling your hair, missing the way you scowled at him as you fixed your hair while he settled in his seat.

“It was fine.” You mumble, stabbing at your food without removing your gaze from your plate.

“Are you sure? You sound a little annoyed. Was it Mateo again?” Jake asks, watching you carefully.

“Jake.” Bradley attempts to interject before you speak up.

“No, it wasn’t Mateo.” You say quickly, finding yourself leaping to Mateo’s defence, much to Jake’s surprise.

“Then what’s bothering you? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Jake offers, his voice soft as he watches you.

“Can I say you? You’re bothering me right now.” You say firmly, finally lifting your gaze from your plate to glare at your dad whose eyes widen slightly at your snappy tone.

“y/n.” Bradley then says, sensing the rising tension and trying to calm everything before an argument kicks off.

“What do you mean by this? Where has this attitude come from?” Jake asks, his voice raising as he grows angry at your attitude.

“It doesn’t matter.” You say dismissively, returning your focus to your plate, fighting the urge to stab your food more aggressively than you had been previously.

“It does matter when you’re giving me an attitude. I’ve had a long day at work and the last thing I need is my kid giving me an unwarranted attitude.” Jake says, putting his cutlery down as he addresses you. His eyes narrow as he glares at you, ignoring how Moose whimpered and lay down from his position near the table.

“I don’t think the attitude is unwarranted. You promised me that you’d pick me up from school today. You know the walk is long and my car is in for a service. You let me down and you come waltzing in acting like nothing is wrong.” You say bitterly, now rapidly losing your appetite and so putting your cutlery down and pushing your chair back, getting to your feet and leaving the table so you could head to your room with Moose rushing after you. After hearing your footsteps grow quieter, Bradley turns to look at Jake who is now sitting with a shocked expression.

“You couldn’t just leave it could you?” Bradley says, a disappointed tone to his voice as he talks, lifting his fork to his mouth to take a bite.

“She could’ve texted me. I would’ve dropped everything to pick her up.” Jake says, annoyed that you’d snapped at him over something you could’ve resolved in a simple text.

“She shouldn’t have had to, Jake. You had promised her that you were going to be there. You were the one worrying about the walk home in the first place. But you decided that going to the beach was more important, huh?” Bradley mutters, his irritation obvious, revealing that he had checked Jake’s location as he gets up from his seat, picking up both his plate and yours before putting the plates in the dishwasher.

“That’s not fair, Bradley. Javy needed someone to talk to and I stepped up.” Jake says, watching as his husband shakes his head softly.

“But you couldn’t offer your daughter the decency to tell her that you wouldn’t be coming? Jake, if you couldn’t pick her up I’m sure she would’ve been fine with it if you had just told her. She could’ve gotten a ride with a friend or taken the bus if you had given her a heads-up.” Bradley says, understanding why Jake had been unable to pick you up but disappointed that he couldn’t even tell you that he wasn’t coming.

“Bradley...” Jake says, now unable to formulate a response.

“Whatever apology you want to say. I’m not the person you should be saying it to.” Bradley says with a shake of his head as he makes his way out to the living room, leaving Jake alone to think over his words.

While Jake mulls over the words spoken to him, you’re curled up in your bed with Moose by your side, snuggling close to you as you stroke him softly, appreciating the dog’s comfort. As you mindlessly watch a random show on your laptop, you find your eyes being drawn towards your phone. You longed to text Mateo, to ask him if he wanted to meet up with you so you could get out of the house just ot get your mind off everything. But you didn’t have his number and you doubted that any of your friends would have his number. With no way to contact Mateo, you debate sneaking out to see him, thinking about whether it would be worth being questioned by Javy if you showed up at his door. Eventually, as you conclude that it wouldn’t be worth sneaking out, knowing that Javy would’ve more than likely informed your dad about you showing up at his house, the door to your room opens and you look up to see Bradley sticking his head in.

“Hey, Kid. Are you okay?” Bradley asks quietly, his smile gentle as ever as he watches you.

“I’m fine.” You mumble, returning your attention to the laptop in front of you as Moose whines softly, sensing your mood.

“I know you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to but, I am here if you need someone to talk to.” Bradley offers, not daring to cross the threshold into your room without permission.

“I’m not really in the mood to talk to anyone, but thank you, Bradley.” You say, lifting your head to look at Bradley with a small smile, making sure you let Bradley know that you were appreciative of his efforts.

“Well, you know where to find me if you need me,” Bradley says with a nod and a smile before leaving and closing the door behind him, allowing you to settle back into the pillow. Secretly, you did long to speak to someone, it’s just that Bradley wasn’t that someone right now.

By the time it grew dark and everyone was beginning to go to bed. Jake hadn’t made an effort to come to talk to you and in your stubbornness, you refused to be the one to give in so you remained in your room, listening with bated breath as Jake passed your room, hesitating for a brief second before continuing down the corridor to his bedroom. As you hear your dad walk away, you let out a small sigh of relief before curling up under your covers, closing your eyes and willing tomorrow to come faster.

The next morning, you managed to get up and out of the house without crossing paths with Jake, leaving you to walk once again to school since you weren’t scheduled to get your car back until the afternoon but after talking with Bradley, he had promised to swing by the garage to pick up your car, you had the confidence that he’d stick to his word and pick up your car before picking you up from school. By the time you arrived at school, you were searching for Mateo the moment you joined the crowds swarming the halls.

“Hey, Darling,” Mateo says as he sidles up alongside you, keeping his smile as suppressed as possible to avoid attracting attention.

“It’s good to see you.” You say softly, fighting the urge to reach out and pull him into a kiss.

“Getting soft on me already? Didn’t think it was possible.” Mateo teases, winking subtly as the two of you continue to make your way down the hall.

“Bring your ego back down to Earth I’m not getting soft.” You say with a roll of your eyes, shaking your head with a laugh as Mateo smirks.

“You say that now but I give you a few days before you soften up,” Mateo says, nudging you with a smirk.

“Nah, it’ll be you going soft first.” You insist, laughing softly as you walk side-by-side. As you reach your homeroom, you take your seat next to Lily while Mateo takes his seat at the back of the class.

“Were you talking with Mateo?” Lily asks, shocked as you settle into your seat.

“He was just asking some questions about something.” You say with a shrug, trying to deflect her question as she watches you suspiciously.

“And you gave him the time of day? You never do that.” Lily asks, confused as you lean back in your chair.

“I’m making an effort to be nice. He’s Javy’s son and I can’t exactly get rid of him since my dad is literally his best friend.” You say, hoping your explanation is enough to get her to back off. Thankfully, she hesitantly nods and focuses back on the schoolwork she was hurriedly trying to finish before classes started.

As the day progresses, you and Mateo continue to interact as subtly as possible, exchanging small smiles across rooms, and when walking in the corridors, Mateo’s hand brushes up against yours, neither one of you making the jump to hold each other’s hand, desperate to maintain the secrecy of your relationship. You were aware of the side-eyed stares you were both getting from other people in the halls, but you didn’t let them bother you. At the back of your mind, you were still dwelling on the argument you had with your dad the evening before, still wondering how you had been forgotten about so easily, and it was obvious that Mateo had picked up on your mood and decided to question you about it over lunch.

“So, what’s got you all gloomy. You’ve been trying to smile all day and it’s not convincing anyone.” Mateo asks, fork in hand as he watches your reaction.

“I’m fine. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You attempt to brush off his attempts to question you as you take a sip from your drink.

“You can lie to yourself but not to me, Darling. You think I don’t know what your real smile looks like? I’m an asshole, not stupid. So what’s up?” Mateo answers as if he was answering the easiest question in the world.

“Just a stupid argument I had with Dad last night.” You mumble, poking at your food with your fork, fighting the frown that threatened to tug on your lips.

“Dad’s are dicks, what’s new?” Mateo says, his lips turning up in a small smirk as you glare up at him.

“Not the time, Asshat.” You grumble as Mateo nods slightly, his eyes flicking down to his tray.

“Just trying to make a joke.” He mumbles.

“Dad and I don’t argue often. He forgot to pick me up yesterday and he couldn’t even send me a text to tell me why. He came waltzing in acting like nothing was wrong. It’s just not like him at all.” You say, your focus entirely on your plate as you talk, missing how Mateo rolled his eyes slightly at your words.

“My dad forgot me too. Shit happens, you know?” Mateo says as you glare up at him once more.

“Seriously? You asked what was bothering me and the moment I tell you, you make jokes?” You ask incredulously, shocked by his nonchalance.

“Look. I don’t have a relationship with my dad. You do. If you want to fix it, maybe you should take a page out of your own book and talk to him. You told me to try to talk things out with my old man. If you ask me, you just need to take your own advice.” Mateo replies, watching you as you pause briefly in your movement, looking back up at him with furrowed eyebrows. As you looked at him, Mateo shrugged lightly before continuing to eat his food and his words began to sink in slightly as you watched him.

“Mateo, I’m sorry.” You apologise, nearly missing how quickly Mateo looked at you, a look of slight shock on his face before he forced himself to smile.

“Don’t apologise,” Mateo says with a shake of his head as he focuses back on his food, continuing to eat as you continue to think over his words.

By the time the end of the day had come, you had carefully planned out an apology after thinking about how Mateo talked some sense into you. As you made your way out of the school with Lily by your side after bidding a secret goodbye to Mateo where you both finally exchanged numbers, you saw your car parked outside and assuming Bradley was the one driving it, you walked over with as smile that only faltered slightly when you opened the passenger side door and saw your dad inside instead.

“Hi, Dad.” You mumble quietly as you get into the passenger seat, shoving your backpack into the footwell in front of you.

“Hi, y/n/n,” Jake replies with a small smile, waiting for you to plug in your seatbelt before beginning the drive home.

“I thought Bradley was picking me up after grabbing the car.” You ask, trying to hide any potential attitude in your voice.

“I thought I should do it. I let you down yesterday and I should do something to make up for it.” Jake responds, his eyes fixed firmly on the road as he drives.

“I didn’t mean to get mad last night.” You begin, glancing over at your dad as you talk.

“Sweetheart, you don’t need to apologise. I had promised I’d pick you up and I let you down. If anyone should be apologising here it should be me.” Jake says, looking over at you as he stops in front of a red light.

“I didn’t even stick around to hear if you had a reason for why you hadn’t picked me up.” You say, feeling bad about your treatment towards your dad.

“It’s okay, y/n. I owed you a text at the very least. Javy asked me if we could talk after work and I completely forgot about everything else, I just wanted to make sure Javy was okay.” Jake explains, feeling awful that he had so quickly dropped everything to help his best friend while forgetting about his daughter in the process.

“Is Javy okay?” You ask worriedly, your attention now shifted at the mention of Javy.

“He’s okay. I think Mateo has been giving him a bit of a hard time and he just wanted some support.” Jake explains and you find yourself focusing on the surroundings zipping by you instead of looking at your dad. You had suggested to Mateo that he attempt to form some kind of bond with Javy and you could only hope that you were able to get through to him.

“Sorry. I didn’t realise Javy was struggling. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” You apologise once more, barely able to look over at your dad as he shakes his head.

“Sweetheart, it’s fine. It’s on me for letting you down. I think your anger was warranted.” Jake says with a small smile, briefly glancing over at you as you nod slightly.

“I’m still sorry. I hope Javy is doing okay.” You say softly as Jake turns the car down the road your house is on.

“I spoke to him at work today, he seemed happier. He told me Mateo made the effort to talk to him last night over dinner.” Jake says as you smile lightly, relieved to hear that Mateo has listened to what you said and tried talking to his dad. After Jake had parked on the driveway, you both get out of the car and before Jake could begin to head towards the front door, you round the car quickly and trap your dad in a hug, holding him tightly.

“I love you, Dad.” You say as Jake wraps his arms around you, pressing a soft kiss on the top of your head.

“I love you too, y/n. Are we good now?” Jake replies softly, pulling away slightly so he can look down at you.

“We’re good now.” You confirm with a smile, hugging your dad one last time before you pull away and head into the house where Bradley is standing in the hall with a smile and folded arms.

“Have you two finally made up now?” Bradley asks, quirking an eyebrow as the two of you nod lightly, smiles gracing all of your faces.

“We have,” Jake says, crossing to Bradley to press a soft kiss to his lips while you take your shoes off and excuse yourself to your room, claiming to want to do homework but all you wanted to do was text Mateo, leaving your dad’s downstairs.

Over time, your relationship with Mateo began to develop. You found it difficult, constantly having to sneak around when you were at school or around your parents. You had decided to make it known that you and Mateo were now on friendlier terms, but you had to keep your PDA on the down low and you often found yourselves having to go around to each other’s houses if you knew you had an empty house.

However, thinking you were alone ended up being the reason you both got caught.

“Hey, Darling.” Mateo greeted you at the door before you even got the chance to knock on the front door.

“Hey, Asshat.” You say teasingly barely stepping through the door before Mateo’s lips connect with yours, his hands reaching for your waist to pull you closer, slamming the door behind you the moment you cross the threshold.

You decided to forgo heading upstairs so you went into the living room, your lips barely pulling apart as the two of you strumbled through the house before you ended up on the couch. The two of you continued to make out, only pulling apart for brief seconds for air before reconnecting your lips, your arms wound around Mateo’s neck, attempting to pull him closer while Mateo’s hands tangled in your hair. The two of you were oblivious to the world around you, in your head it was just you and Mateo and nothing else mattered. What you didn’t acknowledge, was the sound of the keys in the door and the sound of the door opening.

“What the hell is going on here?” You both leap apart at the sound of Javy’s shocked voice, your eyes wide as you look over at him.

“I… we…” you start, glancing from Mateo to Javy and then back again.

“I mean is it not obvious? You do have eyes.” Mateo answers as if he were answering a simple question, leaning back against the couch, one arm lying along the back behind you as if he were waiting for an opportunity to hold you.

“I could do without the attitude, Mateo.” Javy exhales, his hand coming up to rub at his brow, already beginning to feel a headache forming.

“I’m not wrong, am I?” Mateo says with a shrug.

“How long has this been going on?” Javy asks, eyes flicking between the two of you.

“A couple of weeks?” You reply, your answer coming more as a question as you sheepishly watch Javy who sighs.

“You know what? I’m not going to question you any more. I just wanted to come home and grab something. I’ll leave you alone. Just… be safe if you’re going to do anything.” Javy says pointing at the two of you as you feel your face heat up while Mateo rolls his eyes and Javy grabs what he had forgotten and makes his way towards the front door to make his exit.

As Javy exits the house and makes his way towards his car, he pulls his phone out of his pocket, typing a message to Jake.

‘Did you know our kids were dating?’

At the sound of his phone buzzing, Jake grabs his phone off the table, glancing up at Bradley apologetically before looking down at his phone, his eyebrows furrowing before he flipped his phone around to show Bradley.

“What the hell?”

taglist (comment or ask to be tagged):

@zbeez-outlet @kaceywithak @tsnelf7 @starkleila @cassadilasworld @shanimallina87 @madstxo @chaoticassidy @padsdarlg @lauraseresin @alohastitch0626 @angelbabyange @kmc1989

[maverick-wingman]

Broken Skies (Bradley Bradshaw x Mitchell! Reader) Chapter 1

Note: I apologize for the long long wait. I was really lacking motivation and just on a long writer's block for the past few months. But here is Chapter 1 for Broken Skies. The Sneak Peak is linked below for those that have not read it yet. And also thank you @justabigassnerd and @callsign-dexter for motivating me to write more! ❤️

This is a redo of my Bradley Bradshaw Part 1. This is more of a prequel rather than a sneak peek this time. Mel - “one who is fearless and daring.” Canon characters are out of character. Iceman will be healthy in this fic. 

Warnings: Nothing big, maybe angst, other than a brief mention of death, and military inaccuracies. NOT grammar/spelling checked. Some switching between first names and callsigns.

Masterlist | Sneak Peek | Chapter 1

In the room with Cyclone and Warlock, Maverick looked at the screen and saw 2 very familiar faces. Cyclone looked at Maverick and asked, “Is there a problem, Captain?” Maverick looks at him, “You know there is sir.” Cyclone signed and zoomed in on your picture, “Lieutenant Mitchell, callsign Mel, one of the best pilots I have seen in years. She was top of her class. Two confirmed air-to-air kills. You must be very proud. Captain.” Maverick smiles, “I am, sir. I’m proud of her every day.”  

Maverick was indeed proud. Starting from the second you were born, he knew you would be a mini him the second he got called for a parent-teacher meeting for you not following directions and being a bit rebellious. There was also the first time he took you on your first little joyride, instead of being scared like  most people that are thousands of feet up in the air going hundreds of miles per hour, you were so excited. You had the time of your life. You especially loved when he did aerobatics. You kept on asking him to do another one, he often wondered how you never got dizzy or felt nauseous. As you grew older, you went on to be just like him.  If not, maybe even a little better. Now here you are, getting called back to Top Gun to be a possible candidate for a special detachment. This isn’t like the past missions you’ve been on. This is life or death. He knows there is a chance someone isn’t coming back. 

Cyclone then zoomed in on another person. Rooster. “Bradley Bradshaw aka Rooster. I understand you flew with his old man. What was his call-sign again?” “Goose, sir” “Tragic what happened.” Warlock cuts in defending Maverick. All Maverick could do was nod. Memories of what happened replaying in his mind.

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

“Dad?” You saw your dad sitting by the bar alone. You thought he’s in the desert working on the Death Star. Why is he here?  He turned around and you smiled excitedly going over and hugging him as tight as possible. You felt him hug back just as tight. “Hey sweetheart.” You always loved the daddy-daughter hugs. It made you feel safe and relaxed. You haven’t seen him in person in almost a year. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you’re supposed to be somewhere in the desert.” You saw the look he gave and you couldn’t help but grin. “You pissed off another admiral, didn’t you?” He chuckled at your response. “You could say that.” You sat next to him. “So… what are you doing here at North Island? Did Uncle Ice tell you I was here?”  You asked him. 

“Well uh…. in a manner of speaking.” You noticed the look your dad had. There was worry in his eyes. You hadn’t seen that look in a long time. “You’re here for the detachment… aren’t you? That’s why you’re here.” He gave you a look. You knew the answer. “How bad is it going to be?” You looked to your dad. “I can’t say too much yet, but … this is something no one’s ever seen.” All you could do was nod. Before you can react you felt him rub your shoulders. “It’s going to be okay. I promise. You’re the best fighter pilot I know.” You let out a little chuckle, “don’t let Uncle Ice hear you say that.” You heard him let out some chuckles.

You talked with your dad for a little longer to catch up on everything. He told you that the Kazansky’s invited you both over for dinner tomorrow night. You were excited, as you have seen your Uncle Ice and Aunt Sarah in a while. You heard your name being called, looking over you saw Jake and Javy calling you over. You heard your dad’s voice, “go on, go catch up with them.” You looked over to him. “Are you sure?” “I’m sure. We have plenty of time to catch up more.” You smiled and hugged him one last time before going over. 

“What’s Pops doing here?” Jake asked after pulling you into a hug. You didn’t want to ruin the surprise. “He’s here visiting old friends.” You responded as Javy pulled you in for a side hug. 

As you talked, you caught up with Phoenix, you met some new members: Bob, who was so sweet, Payback and Fanboy who both were really nice, although you felt a little competitiveness between them and Jake and Javy. Jake would not stop teasing Bob, you had to nudge him a few times hoping he’d stop messing with the guy. 

Maverick watched as his little girl bonded with her teammates. Despite Jake's reputation he trusted him that he wouldn’t leave his daughter behind, but he is unsure if he would do the same for the rest of the team.

You looked over and saw a familiar face entering the Hard Deck. Bradley Bradshaw.

Bradley walked over to the group. “Bradshaw.” “Hangman… you look good” “Well, I am good Rooster, I’m very good. In fact, I’m too good to be true.” Hangman responds, smirking. Bradley then looked over to you. “Mel.” “Rooster.” “Why am I not surprised you’re here?” You rolled your eyes, scoffing at his remark. You knew what he was thinking, he still believed the reason  you made it this far is because of your dad and uncle. “Well who else did you expect?”  

Before Bradley could say another word, Jake cuts in, “you’re just jealous Bradshaw, admit it, you will never fly like Mel here. She takes risks unlike a certain someone. She’ll make a great mission leader, but anyone that follows you will just run out of fuel. Waiting for the right moment that never comes.” You felt Jake’s arm snake around your shoulders. 

Jake is your best friend, you could say. Sure, during training he would leave his wingman and fly off, but during the missions he was never like that. At least not to you. He saved your  life; that’s how he got his first confirmed air to air kill. If it wasn’t for him, you would not be standing here right now.

Bradley suddenly felt a ping of jealousy growing inside him. Since when were you and Hangman so close? But Bradley being Bradlet, he chose to ignore it. “And anyone that follows you will just end up in a grave.” That ticked you off a little. You wished Jake would let you tell everyone what really happened that day. You don’t get why Jake wants to keep it a secret, he loves to show off. Only a few people know the exact details. 

“They’re on me! I can’t shake them!” you said with a panicking voice. With an enemy aircraft chasing after you at full speed. Trying different maneuvers, you dodged as many bullets that you could. That’s when you heard a beeping sound; the enemy got a lock on you. Just as  you started accepting your fate, there was an explosion sound. You looked over and saw the enemy fighter jet blowing up into pieces. “You owe me a drink, Mel.” Y/N looked over and saw Hangman giving her a grin. He just saved your life, for once not living up to his callsign.

After that, it was Hangman and Mel. Jake and Y/N. You became best friends and each other’s wingperson.

Other than Rear Admiral Jackson, Javy, Maverick and Iceman, no one knew it was Jake that saved you. Jake wanted to keep it a secret. With the help from Iceman, no one knew what really happened. Because the mission only needed 2 pilots, it made it easier to hide the truth.

Maverick was watching the whole scene play out in front of him, feeling the guilt bubble inside him knowing he was the reason his daughter and Bradley are no longer friends. He remembers how close they were as kids, how they never left each other’s side. He hopes this mission will bring them together again.

The night went on, he ended up being broke after not realizing the rules at Penny’s bar. Jake and the others had the joy of “throwing” him out of the bar. You knew it was all fun and games. You knew your dad took a liking to him after he saved your life that day. Even you let out a little laugh watching it all play out. 

You heard a familiar tune starting to play in the background, you looked over to the piano and saw Bradley sitting there. The tune that your uncle Goose, Bradley’s dad always plays. You remembered how you and Bradley would sit on the piano with your dad, Uncle Goose and Aunt Carole gathered around singing “Great Balls of Fire” together. Your eyes wandered around and noticed your dad outside staring towards where Bradley is. You knew he misses them too. 

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

You sat next to Jake and Javy waiting for the debrief to start. You had this feeling that something was going to happen today and it was not the good kind of feeling. You know Bradley will not be happy knowing who the instructor for the detachment is going to be. You also know he will be mad that you didn’t warn him. But he has no right to feel that way. After all, you two were basically on no speaking terms. Cyclone’s voice disrupted your thoughts. “Good morning aviators.” 

At morning debriefing, Cyclone and Warlock went over the details of this mission. Just from hearing the details about what is going to happen, you knew this was going to be a detachment like no other. As he introduced who the instructor was going to be, you knew exactly who they were talking about, even though you already found out last night. You only know one person that fits the description so perfectly. 

You couldn’t help but look over to Bradley, wondering how he is going to react when he sees your dad. You can see him tense up as he sees your dad walk in. This is going to be a very long day. Bradley made eye contact with you and he was not happy, just as you had predicted minutes ago.  After the debrief, you and everyone else waited to be selected to go up in the air. First ones up were you, Phoenix, Bob, and Rooster. 

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

As you walked towards your fighter jet when you heard your name being called. “Why didn’t you tell me he was going to be the instructor?” You knew he was going to ask this. “How am I supposed to tell you if all we ever do is argue when we talk?” “Yea, well you’re the one that always starts it” “Are you serious Bradley? Look at us. Besides, would it really make a difference if I did?” “Yea, it actually would have.” 

As the training session went on, no one has been able to get a lock on Maverick. not even you. You were close but he is always steps ahead. And thanks to the little bet, everyone was punished with 200 pushups.

Now it is time for Phoenix, Bob, Hangman, and Roosters turn. You listened to the radio as Jake asked Bradley some personal questions. There was one secret you never told Jake, it was the exact details about you, your dad, and Bradley. All he knows is you and Bradley had an argument, he left and that was that. 

You heard your dad’s voice. Encouraging Bradley to take a little risk instead of playing it safe. Jake’s voice came in warning them about getting below the hard deck level amd telling Rooster to take the shot. Soon through the radio, you head the alerts going off telling them to pull up. You are holding your breath at this point. No matter how upset you were at Bradley, you didn’t want to lose him and your dad.  A few seconds later, you heard your dad’s voice. He got a lock on Bradley. What on earth were they thinking?

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

You stormed up to Bradley angry. “What was that Bradshaw?! Are you trying to get kicked out?” “Oh like you care, you probably would love to see me off this mission.” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. It’s like he never changed. “I worked hard to get here and you know it!” “Well not everyone is lucky enough to have their dad and the Commander of the Pacific Fleet as their teacher!” He snapped back. You froze, not believing the words that just came out of his mouth. Not wanting to continue this anymore, you shook your head and walked away in silence. You knew if you stayed longer, you would end up saying something you’d regret, and possibly escalating the argument.

“Why are you such close friends with Hangman? You know what type of person he is!” You stopped in your tracks. Why did he change the conversation to this? Was he jealous? You turned around facing him once again, letting out your anger. “You’re right, I know what type of person he is. You don’t! You let your judgments get clouded too easily, you’ll just assume the worst in people!” You saw the look Bradley had on his face, hearing him let out a scoff, “all he ever did was leave his wingman behind! Everyone knows that! Why won’t you believe me?!” 

You don’t know what came over yourself. You’ve kept it in for years. Coming up with reasons why Bradley cut off contact with you, why he barely said anything to you during your time at Top Gun, why he treated you like you were nothing. He didn’t even believe you told him that you had nothing to do with his application being pulled. And now all of a sudden he cares about who you’re friends with. You knew what Hangman was like to others. That’s just a character he built up; he doesn’t want to seem weak or soft, easy to push around. Sure he messes around during training, but when it comes to the real thing, he takes things seriously. 

“You want to know why? Fine. He never left me hanging! He didn’t cut off contact with me for something I didn’t do!  He trusted me! He never assumed I got in just because of my last name! He didn’t hurt me the way you did!”

You were mad at your dad too, especially at first. But after a lot of begging, he finally told you why he pulled Bradley’s application; you understood, it was an extremely difficult decision. Adding on to it, it was his best friend’s dying wish.

You quickly walked away going to the locker rooms. You heard Bradley call out your name, but you chose to ignore it. Today did not turn out the way you had expected. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since the first time you saw Bradley in years and he is still the same.

Taglist: @alluringshawn @anurst @urmomssidehoesposts @sarahjoestewy-blog @adoringsebstan @70spadfoot @khaylin27

@littlebadariell @ems-alexandra

[ellieslittleburrow]

balls of fire

Summary : Rooster finds out you've been talking to Maverick, leading him to question your loyalty towards him.

Warnings : angst, cussing, mentions of the loss of a father.

Pairings :  Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x sister reader

A/N : first top gun fic !! Comments are much appreciated 💕

-------

Rooster, your older brother, has been back to town for a secret mission that he assures you he knows "nothing about".

Coincidentally, Pete has also been back in town, causing a little tiny knot to tighten your stomach.

And as both excitement and fear ran through your veins, you wondered if it was going to be different this time. You wondered if Rooster had finally forgiven Pete. And you could finally have the father you never did.

--

Pool balls clicked together as loud cheers shook the room, snapping you completely out of your thoughts.

Your gaze traveled around the room, down to your 5th cup of coffee and back up when a girl flew by, nudging you with her arm hard enough to send your mug flying a mile away and crumbling into pieces once it hit the ground.

Your shoulders sagged in irritation and you looked up at the girl, only to find her inviting Rooster into her arms.

You smirked, catching your brother's worried glance, who pulled away from the girl to stride over to you.

"Are you okay ?" Rooster yelled into your ear over the deafening music as he nodded at the broken mug.

"Yeah, of course. Don't worry." You squatted down to pick up the pieces before setting them on the counter.

"I'll be over there if you need me." The aviator nodded at the pool table across from you.

You nodded back.

At the pool table, young people dressed in kaki suits circled around the table, chatting and bursting into laughter. And just as your gaze traveled elsewhere, you noticed a set of eyes staring right at you.

Your heart skipped a beat.

Maverick was watching you from afar, completely frozen in place, except for the awe flooding his face, subtly frowning his eyebrows.

Pete... You bite your lip to stop yourself from shouting his name. You missed him. You missed being with him, his presence, the sense of safety only he and Rooster could offer you. But you could only fantasize about that as Rooster refused to accociate himself in any kind of way with Pete. He didn't even want the man's name said around him.

You shook the thoughts away, dropping your gaze down before heading for the door. You couldn't look up. Rooster would notice and you didn't want to have that conversation again. You were tired of it all.

Loud cheers had your shoulders drawn up in surprise, getting louder you before the piano starts playing.

You recognized your brother's voice.

But you ignore it. Now's not the time for Rooster kareoke. So you quickened your pace until the noise fused with a set of waves.

"Honey."

You spun around, your hand pressing against the door to keep it open. "No." you shake your head, ready to walk away. "I will not lose Rooster over this."

"But-"

"No"

Unfortunately for you, it was too late as Rooster suddenly went silent.

Time slowed as you twisted your neck around. He can't find out. And as the crowd danced around, Rooster emerged, contrasting the flaming dynamic with a pained features and a dissapointed shivering upper lip.

Fuck. No. Fuck

The young pilot stormed up, heading for another exit, away from you.

You quickly glanced back at Maverick before running after your brother. "Rooster." You called for him, in hopes of him stopping. Instead, he quickened his pace, marching angrier, louder, and faster. "Bradley please."

"Y/n, i advise you to get the fuck away from me right now." He mutters and you step away. "Or else you'll fucking regret it."

You stopped in your tracks, unfamiliar with the tone he just used. Actually, not so unfamiliar. Just hurt because that is the same tone he spoke to maverick with.

Did he just cut you out of his life???

-----

A few days have gone by. You tried. You fucking tried. But nothing seemed to work. That is until you stood before the acamedy, guards glaring and staring but unable to touch you as you are not stepping into their territory.

And as beeping noise blared and the electric door slid to the side, a bunch of pilots marched out, causing your heart to skip a beat when Bradley appeared in your vision.

His smile dissapeared when he noticed you, tightening your chest in pain. Darting his eyes away, he brushed past you, causing a scoff to unvolintarily leave your lips.

"Would you stop acting like a fucking child and talk to me, Rooster?"

What? No no no....you didn't mean for it to go this way. You-

"What?" Your brother turned around, taking an accusatory step towards you. "I can't believe you just said that to me. After all that we've been through together." Disgust shaped his frowned eyebrows. And you couldn't help but shake your head.

"No, that's n-n-ot what i m-meant to say-i'm so-"

"What exactly is it that you're sorry for? The fact that you're playing family with the guy that ruined my life? Or the fact that you betrayed me for him?"

"Rooster, i-"

"What is it that i haven't done for you? Why can't i be enough?"

Your chin shivered and you almost broke down as his words jabbed into your heart.

"You made your choice. It was him. Now stop crying to me about it."

------

What do we think about this??? Also totally writing a part 2 where one is super drunk and it's even worse but then it might get better idk.

[ofstoriesandstardust]

grease is the word (b.r.b)

note: this is for @gretagerwigsmuse and @cottagecori who heard me say "bradley bradshaw as danny zuko" and then let me run wild with it. technically part of like father, like daughter but does not have to be read in the context of same mistakes at all

summary: Bradley gets the role of Danny Zuko in the school play. That's it, that's the thought.

warnings: swearing, a dash of angst, kissing

word count: 4.3k

“So I’m going to be in the school musical.” Bradley says, lifting himself up to sit on the kitchen counter. “We’re doing Grease, and they needed someone to play Danny Zuko-“

You choke on your fried rice. 

Slider pats you on the back as you croak out a “What?”

“You’ve never shown interest in theater before now.” Carole says with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yeah, well I’m friends with one of the assistant directors-“

“He means he has a crush on her.” Your Dad clarifies with a wink. A goofy grin appears on his face, his cheeks turning a dusty pink as he shrugs. 

“Maybe a little. Anyways, Janie is in my AP Euro class and asked if I could come play the piano for rehearsals. They didn’t have anyone audition for Danny and asked if I could read some of the lines and- well, I guess now I’m gonna be playing Danny.” 

The thought of Bradley in a leather jacket, his curls greased back, singing Greased Lightning- you could swoon. 

“Well, that’s exciting.” Carole says. “I’m excited to come see you. The show is early November, right?”

He nods as his Mom walks over to the calendar on the wall. “The 4th through the 6th.”

“We’ll be there.”

-

“So I heard your boyfriend is gonna be in the school musical.”

You sigh as you cringe, not even turning around to face the person you know is behind you. 

Arguably, Sienna was the person closest to you. You’d say she was your best friend, someone you spent the most time with.

“Whose boyfriend?”

And then there’s that. Sienna had a whole separate friend group from you, people she’d probably say were her best friends. 

Sienna slides into the desk next to you, turning to face the twins, Madison and Matt.

“Heard Bradshaw’s in the play.” Lexi says, sitting down at the desk opposite to you. 

“Her boyfriend.” Sienna says, throwing you a smirk. 

“He’s not- Shut up Sienna, you’re gonna get me in trouble.” You mumble, watching Bradley and Janie enter the classroom of your home room. 

“Ohhh, I see.” Sienna says, flipping her long hair over her shoulder as she turns back in her seat.

“Do you want to come to the mall with us after school?” Madison asks, leaning behind you as Ben waves, sitting down behind Lexi.

“She can’t. She’s not supposed to be driving with people who don’t have their license.” Bradley says, sliding into the seat in front of you as he tugs off his backpack. 

“I have my permit.” Madison argues as her brother shoots a “No one asked you, Bradshaw.”

“Hey, your Dad’s deploying soon, right?” Ben whispers, scooting his desk closer to you. “How long?”

“Six weeks, supposedly.”

“You always gotta multiply it by two.” Sienna jokes.

“Or divide by half, if he gets himself injured again.” Bradley says, though he doesn’t turn to face the group. 

“I’m disregarding the fact that you even said anything.” 

“So… the mall?”

“She has to run lines with me, I need the extra practice.” Bradley says with a wink, finally facing the group.

“Bradley-“

“Alright, alright, that’s enough of the chatter. I know it’s Monday and you all want to gossip about your weekends but let’s save that for after morning announcements.” Mr. Parker, your home room teacher interrupts, dropping his bag on the desk.

A note appears in your peripheral vision, and you take it discreetly from Sienna before Bradley can notice. 

Mall with Madison and me?

You sigh, scrawling back Better not, Bradley’ll tattle. 

“Fucking Bradshaw.” Matt whispers. 

-

“Here comes your boyfriend.” 

Sienna flinches as you slam your locker shut. “Cut that shit out, would you Sienna? He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Yet.” 

“Hey ladies.” Bradley says, coming up behind you, leaning on the lockers. “You ready to go?” 

“Hey Bradley.” A senior girl you’ve only ever seen in the hallway, appears in your vision as Bradley straightens. 

“Hey Clara.” He says, nodding to the two girls behind her who are giggling. “Ava, Tracy.”

“So, I hear you’re gonna be playing Danny Zuko in the school musical.” 

He nods, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I am.” 

“Well, you must be so nervous.” Clara says, shouldering her way in between you and Bradley. Your jaw drops as Sienna steadies you, April appearing over her shoulder. 

“What the fuck dude.” Sienna mutters as you roll your shoulders, turning to face the pair.

“Well, kinda. I’ve never been in a play before so..” Bradley trails off, eyebrows threading together as the three of you give him unimpressed looks. 

“Well, if you ever want anyone to read lines with, I can play Sandy…” Clara says, hand landing on his bicep. 

“Well, I appreciate the sentiment but I, uh, already have someone to run lines with.” Bradley says, pointing to you. Clara turns as if this is the first time she’s seen you. 

“Oh.” She wrinkles her nose. “Well, if you change your mind, just let me know.” 

Clara isn’t even out of earshot before Sienna starts fake gagging. 

“Vomit, Bradshaw.” April says, shaking her head. “That was gross.” 

“Whatever, April.” Bradley says, setting his hands on your shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

-

“So why do you even need help running lines in the first place? You’ve been in the play for like, five minutes.” You ask as you sit down at the Bradshaw kitchen table. 

“I’m already two rehearsals behind, I’ve got to catch up.” Bradley says, opening the fridge door. 

“Who’s playing Sandy?” 

“Do you know Lacy Thomas?” 

“The freshman?” You ask, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, cause that’s not gonna start any drama.”

Bradley shuts the door of the fridge, revealing two Cokes. “See, you’re already preparing me. I don’t even know any of the drama gossip.” 

You roll your eyes. “I think you’ll do just fine.” 

He sighs, sitting down across from you. “Yeah, Janie said the same thing, but I don’t know, I’m kinda nervous about some of the scenes. What if I slip on the bleachers during Summer Nights?”

Bradley slides the scene he wants to rehearse across the table to you as he talks. “Bradley, this one of the most memorable scenes from the movie, are you sure you need my help?” You ask. 

The look he gives you is pleading. “Please humor me here, Danny is a bit of a sleaze and that is so not how I was raised and I’m just-” 

“Fine, Bradshaw. God.” You exclaim, rolling your eyes, even though deep down you’re flattered Bradley is entrusting you with this. “I’ll help you alright?” 

“Okay, here goes nothing.” He says, clearing his throat. 

“W-what are you doing here? I- I thought you were going back to Australia!”

“We had a change of plans.” You mimic, doing your best to channel Olivia Newton-John. 

“I can’t- I mean, that’s cool baby, you know how it is. Rocking and rolling and whatnot- I can not do this.” He says with a groan. “Why is he so gross?”

“I think that’s the point, B.” 

He groans again, collapsing into the table. “I give up.” 

-

You feel giddy almost, walking up the steps of the school. You should be just right on time, if rehearsal got out when it was supposed to. 

You were so excited to show Bradley that you had driven here, excitement almost making you skip towards the double doors of the auditorium where they’d been holding a majority of the rehearsals. 

Bradley didn’t even know you were coming, which only made your excitement grow even more. 

“Ron, can you pick Bradley up after rehearsal today?” Carole asked as she grabbed her purse from the counter. You both look up at her from where you’re discussing your English homework with your Uncle. “The Bronco is still in the shop and I’m going in for a last minute cover from Sally.” 

“Can I pick him up?” You ask, fiddling with your pencil. “I can take Slider’s truck, if that’s okay with you?” 

Slider shrugs. “I don’t have a problem with it, now that you’ve got your learner’s permit.” Slider says with a nudge to your shoulder. 

Carole sighs, digging around in her bag for her keys. “Sounds good. There’s leftover lasagna in the fridge for dinner.” Carole presses a kiss to your head and then calls out, “Be on good behavior.” as she leaves the house.

You’re hoping you and Bradley can go out to dinner instead of eating the leftover lasagna, or maybe go get milkshakes to celebrate his progress in the play. 

You turn the corner into the courtyard when you spot them. 

You freeze. 

Bradley’s got one of his arms leaned up on the metal poles that outline the corridors of the campus, other hand in his pocket as he talks to Janie. She’s looking up at him, beaming as she straightens out the collar of his shirt. 

You swallow, breath hitching as you do. 

Oh. 

You turn, reaching for the car keys in your pocket but the shakiness of your hands causes you to drop them, the clang echoing through the empty court yard. You cringe as you kneel down to pick them up, avoiding the looks you know Janie and Bradley are probably giving you. 

You pray that they’ll just let you leave as you turn back towards the entrance of the school but the sound of someone jogging after you ruins that dream. 

Someone tugs on your arm, turning you to face them and you catch Bradley’s hazel eyes swimming with concern before you look away from him again. 

“Hey, is everything okay? What are you doing here? Did you hear something from your Dad?” 

You shrug. “I drove here. Everything’s fine, I- I just- just- thought maybe you could use a ride and we could go get food or something.”

Bradley’s shoulders fall. “Oh shit, I - I wish I could but Janie and I are gonna go to her house and study for that AP Euro test tomorrow. She’s gonna give me a ride back.” 

You swallow. “Oh, okay. No, that’s okay. I just thought-” You wave a hand, trying to swallow down the tears. “Doesn’t matter what I thought. Um, have fun, okay?” 

He nods uncertainly, eyes searching yours. 

Don’t fuck this up for him. 

You suck in a breath, taking a step back, causing Bradley’s arm to fall from your shoulder. 

“See you in home room tomorrow.” 

You turn, walking back to Slider’s truck, sliding in the front seat as you take a deep breath, trying not to cry as you drive out of the parking lot. 

Why did you expect Bradley to be impressed? Why did you expect him to think it was cool you’d driven your Uncle’s truck here? After all, he’d had his license for months, so had all his friends. 

You’d always been the younger girl, the one who had always been around, the little sister figure who was always going to be there. He’d never see you as anything more than his favorite uncle’s daughter. 

Hell, he probably didn't even see you as his friend, just someone who was there. 

Your eyes itch with the familiar sting of tears as you open the front door, dropping the keys on the entryway table. 

“Hey, I thought you and Bradley were going to go out after rehearsal?” Slider asks, wiping his hands on a dish towel. 

“He’s studying with Janie.” 

Slider says something you don’t hear as you turn, trudging up the stairs. 

You slip inside your bedroom, laying on the top of the duvet, feeling silly as the tears begin to slide down your cheeks. 

Why would Bradley ever like someone like you?

Janie was the perfect girl. 

Her parents were still married, she had an older brother who was a doctor and an older sister who worked as engineer. She was smart and intelligent, kind and pure, full of happiness and light. 

She’d be so good for someone like Bradley, who was all those things and more. 

You could see it now, the children they’d have, the family they’d build together. Their kids would probably have Janie’s freckles, Bradley’s curls. 

They’d be happy together. 

You wipe your hand at your cheek, fruitlessly trying to rid yourself of your tears, as you wished you were anybody else. 

There was a soft knock on your door, the door creaking open. Sienna peaks her head in, before sighing and shutting the door quietly behind her. 

“What’re you doing here?” You croak. 

“I needed help with my math homework, but Ron mentioned you were pretty upset, so-” 

You sigh, rolling over to face her as she sits on the bed next to you. 

“I dunno, it’s stupid.” You mutter, hands fiddling with the small bear plushie your Dad had won you at the fair this summer. 

“I cry over stupid things all the time.” She says, nudging your shoulder. “C’mon, you can tell me about it.” 

“I went to go pick Bradley up from rehearsal since his car is in the shop, and I don’t know- it was the first time I’ve actually driven somewhere without my parents since getting my learner’s permit. And I was gonna go ask him to get ice cream or something like we always do- and I- I walked in on him sort of having a moment with Janie and I don’t know Sienna- I guess I’m just realizing that I’ll always be second best.” 

The girl who was always younger, hitting milestones later than everyone else, the girl who was always around, the one everyone took for granted. 

Sienna sighs. “I wish- I wish you didn’t feel like that. You deserve so much more than that.” 

You shrug, setting the bear on the bed next to you as you roll back away from her. She stays next to you on the bed, the slowly setting sun reflecting in the glass. 

“I mean for what it’s worth, I know Ben has a crush on you.” 

“What?” You ask, voice raw and watery from crying. 

“Not that you have to do anything with that information, he just- he does. If Bradley isn’t willing to get his shit together enough to see what’s right in front of him, well, there are other guys who will.” 

“Sienna…” You mumble. “I can’t even process this information right now.” You say, a headache beginning to form. 

“Okay.” She says softly. “Want to go get ice cream with me instead?”

“Not really.” 

“Okay.” She says. “I’ll just sit with you then.” She lays down on the bed next to you. 

There she stays, for the rest of the evening. 

-

“Hey, uh-” Janie says, sliding into the seat next to you in your homeroom. 

“Yeah?” 

“Well, our other assistant director quit recently, and while I’m pretty confident I can handle the show on my own, we really need someone to take notes during rehearsals, and Bradley suggested you since you’re already familiar with the show since you’ve been running lines with him and stuff.” 

Bradley thought of you? And suggested you to Janie?

“Well, I- yeah, okay.” You say, blinking at the girl. A smile lights up her face as she stands up from the desk. 

“Perfect! See you this afternoon!” 

Sienna frowns, appearing to your left as she sits down next to Bradley at the front of the classroom. 

“What’d she want?” 

“I guess I’m helping out with the play now?” you ask, watching as Bradley looks back at you. 

“What?” Sienna hisses. “Literally two nights ago, you were crying your eyes out over him-” 

“Hey Sienna.” You say, turning to her. “Don’t question it, okay? Let me have this.” 

She narrows her eyes, slowly sinking into the desk next to you. 

“If you say so.”  

-

“What are you doing?” 

Bradley turns from where he’s dancing through the kitchen, the spoon being used as a microphone. 

Frankie Avalon’s voice floats through the speaker in the corner, the tune of Beauty School Dropout accompanying him. 

You raise an eyebrow at him, trying not to let your grin take over as the boy begins to sing again, swaying his hips as he follows through the steps they’ve been learning in rehearsal. There’s pancake batter dripping off the spoon and to his arm and pajama pants, even as he holds out his other arm for you. 

You bite your lip, barely hiding your amusement at this moment. 

Beauty school dropout, hanging around the corner store

You can’t resist, taking the brunette's arm as he gracefully turns, setting the spoon on the kitchen counter, taking your other hand to move in time with you. 

Now your bangs are curled, your lashes whirled, but still the world is cruel, wipe off that angel face and go back to high school

Bradley croons through the rest of the song and as Frankie Avalon’s voice tapers off, you hear someone sigh. 

You both turn, Bradley not letting go of your hands. Carole stands there with her hands on her hips, a soft smile on her face. 

“This damn musical is taking over our lives.” 

The song starts over and Bradley reaches out for her hands, inviting her to come dance with you as he begins singing again. 

-

“Andrew, where’s Bradley?” You ask with a sigh, pulling yourself from the car. 

The boy, playing Kenickie, looks over at you from where he’s walking to his car. 

“Still inside, I think. Ms. Scott wanted to run a few of the Sandy and Danny scenes one more time after rehearsal today.” 

“Thanks Andrew.” You call, heading towards the theater. 

“Good to see you mini Mitchell.” He calls as you slide through the doors. 

True to his word, Bradley is just exiting the stage door and he grins when he sees you. 

Unfortunately, you’re at a loss for words, blinking dumbly at the sight of your best friend. 

Today had been the first day of full dress rehearsal, the show quickly approaching. Which meant Bradley was fully Danny Zuko, down to the slicked back hair and fake cigarette hanging from his mouth. 

“Hey kid! Pretty cool costume, right?” He flicks out the switchblade hair comb the props team had gotten for him, striking a pose and slicking back his slightly mussed hair. 

You’re pretty sure you go weak in the knees. 

“Uh-” Your voice comes out all scratchy and you have to clear your throat a few times, trying to formulate words. “It looks great, B.” 

He sends a cheeky grin. “I know.”

-

Frankie Vialli’s Grease floats through the auditorium as the lights go down, your Dad nudging you as you settle in your seats for the show to start. 

The song tapers off as the curtain rises, lights illuminating the stage as Lacy and Nicole, the girl playing Frenchy, walk out on stage. 

You wait with bated breath for Summer Nights, knowing how worried Bradley had been about slipping on those damn bleachers. 

And of course, his performance is impeccable. 

Watching Bradley on stage is mesmerizing, magical almost. 

You don’t even realize intermission is upon you until the curtain rises and you blink, finally letting in a breath as you relax your shoulders. 

“Are you gonna have to come again tomorrow night when Ice and Sarah come to see Bradley?” Slider says with a nudge as he shares a knowing look with Carole.

“Hi Mr. Mitchell.” Sienna says from behind you, your Dad turning and offering her a smile

“Nice flowers.” Madison snickers, nodding to the flowers at your feet. 

“We went to three stores to get those.” Your Dad responds. 

“Three? You’re really trying hard here-”

The glare you send Matt is enough to silence him as he shrinks back in his seat. 

-

“Mav!” Bradley shouts across the patio, racing for your Dad, barreling into him before your Dad has barely turned. Your Dad returns the tight hug as your hands become sweaty, turning the crinkling paper in your hand. “Didn’t think you’d make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Baby Goose.” Mav says, giving him a bright smile. “You looked so good up there.” 

“Thanks Mav.” Bradley is practically beaming as he turns to face the rest of you. “Thanks for coming.” His eyes catch on the flowers in your hand, growing wider. “Did you get me flowers?” 

You glance down at them.

“You know tulips means pure and deep love, right?” Sienna whispers in your ear over the back of the seats. Your cheeks grow hot as you gingerly set them down on the floor. 

“Sienna-“ 

“And red means lust-“ 

“Sienna, I’ll hit you.” 

“Yeah, I- uh, I know it’s tradition to get flowers for opening night and I uh-“ If Bradley was beaming before, he’s glowing now, taking the flowers from your hands. 

“Thank you so much.” He says warmly.

Before you can process what happens next, he ducks down and presses a kiss to your cheek. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you.” 

You can feel the burning warmth take over as you shrug. “Oh, it was- no- no big deal.” 

“Bradley!” April calls, pulling him away with a. smile as you turn back to your Dad. He grins at you.

“What?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing. Is Carole still in the bathroom? I should go find her.”

“Hey.” Someone’s hand lands on your shoulder as you look up. “Do you want to get out of here and go get ice cream?” Ben asks. “I can drive you home. Got my Dad’s truck for the night.”

“Um-“ Your eyes slide over his shoulder to see your Dad talking to Slider and Carole, Bradley having disappeared back into the crowd. Part of you wants to stay, to see if Bradley will join the four of you for dinner. The other part of you remembers what Sienna said, about him having a crush on you.

 “Let me go ask my Dad, okay?”

“I’ll come with. I know he won’t let you climb into a car with just anyone. He just got back, right?” 

You nod as you squeeze through the crowd. “This morning. Dad.” You call, catching his attention. He turns his head. “This is Ben.” 

Ben holds out his hand. “Benjamin Waters sir. It’s really good to meet you.” Your Dad shakes his hand with a raised eyebrow. 

“Can we- well, can I go get ice cream? With Ben?” 

“I’ll drive her home.” Ben offers, with a smile. 

Slider does a terrible job of hiding his surprise, coughing into his fist and he shoots your Dad a look. 

“Um, as long as you go find Bradley and let him know you’re leaving, yeah, I guess I don’t really have a problem with it.” 

If you thought Bradley was happy, Ben is elated. 

You heave a sigh, eyes scanning the crowd for April. She catches your eye, squeezing her way through the people, her brother Alex in tow. 

“Where’d Bradley go?” 

“Around the building. I think he went to go get changed.” 

You nod, following where she pointed you as Ben follows you like a lost puppy dog. 

Finally, you spot him, still in costume sans leather jacket, leaned up against the building next to the stage door. 

And then-

and then there’s Janie, who is pressing her hands into his shirt as she kisses Bradley. Bradley cups Janie’s cheek, deepening the kiss. 

You turn away, swallowing around the lump in your throat. 

If Bradley isn’t willing to get his shit together enough to see what’s right in front of him, well, there are other guys who will.

You look over at Ben, who’s already watching you. 

Is this- is this what it would always be with Bradley? Always one step behind, always too slow? 

Never enough, never enough, never enough-

“Do you just wanna go?” Ben whispers as you glance back at Bradley. 

Maybe Ben really was the best you’d ever get. You certainly were never gonna get anything from Bradley. 

Bradley breaks away, smiling at Janie as he moves some of her hair back. 

And then his eyes latch on to you, growing wide. Janie turns her head, catching sight of you and Ben. Janie turns as well, stepping back from him and giving you a little finger wave. You’re just far enough away that you can’t hear what she says to him before grabbing the front of his shirt, pulling him down to place a kiss on his cheek. You can see the imprint of her red lipstick on his cheek as she gives you and Ben one last look before slipping back inside the side door. 

Ben clears his throat, taking a few steps back as Bradley walks over to you. 

“Hey, I- uh, didn’t mean to interrupt- that.” You say, glancing back over at where Janie and Bradley had been standing. 

“No-, you- no, it’s okay. Hey, we’re all gonna go out to eat, the whole cast and crew, all of us. You should come with, ‘specially cause you helped out so much-”

“Bradley-” 

“-Or does Mav want to go out to eat? I can-” 

“Bradley, Ben and I are gonna go get ice cream. I just- uh, though you should know.” 

Bradley deflates a little. “Oh. Well, uh-” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I- uh, tell Ben that if he tries anything, he’s got me to worry about it. You hear that Ben?” he calls. “You take good care of her.” Ben salutes, as Bradley sets his hand on your shoulder, nudging you towards him. “Go. Have fun.” 

You swallow, nodding as you walk back to Ben. Ben takes your hand as you give Bradley one last look. He gives a soft smile, holding his hand up before you turn back around, listening to Ben chatter. 

[jackiequick]

I’m Already Gone | Top Gun Maverick Fanfic 📄

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw & Jennifer Mitchell

Summary: It happened in a blink, it happened in a flash, as that night ran cold and old as she had ever seen. What happened that night the papers were pulled? Heartbreak.

Timeline: Post Top Gun—Pre Top Gun Maverick

Characters mentioned: Pete Maverick Mitchell, Tom Kazansky, Carole Bradshaw, Dane Bradshaw, Austin Mitchell and etc

Song inspired fic: Already Gone by Sleeping At Last

——

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

In tears.

Sore throats from all the screaming and crying at 3 in the morning.

But it did.

Here’s what happened…

…it was a cold decision based night at The North Island. Pete was out pulling an all nighter, Austin was at Dane’s house doing god knows what and Jennifer was alone. At home, getting calls every few hours from her father to see how she was doing.

To be honest, she was doing fine. It was a rare occasion for the house to be quiet that late at night, usually there was some kind of noise being heard across the halls. Either from the boys or one of her friends.

But tonight, it was pure silence. You can hear the windows cracking from the drips of water outside, the sound of the wooden floor creek every once in a while, and the rumbling of car engines driving past the streets right outside her door. In the living room, she can hear it all too well.

It felt like a odd film she was placed in but she didn’t expect to be thrown in.

Her one thoughts were about Bradley. She knew he was sorta stressing the past few days about getting into the academy and proceeded in his dreams of becoming a pilot. She knew from stories that he always wanted to fly, just like his father Goose and unofficial uncle Maverick.

But Jennifer also knew the concept of events and consequences coming into that role. Deployment across the country, flying into dangerous territory, long distance trips from home and safe housing wasn’t always the best for pilots. Usually in secure parking areas but still.

A part of her wasn’t sure if she was ready to give that up yet, not having Bradley around everyday.

She didn’t know if she wanted that for herself either. She loved the idea of being in the air, cool tricks and taking a knowledgeable look at the world from the cockpit of your plane, it was a rush you can only imagine. But she loved being on the groundwork for things too, surrounded by family and friends. Teammates.

Jenny decided that whatever happens with that paperwork, she will be happy for him. It will hurt to see him leave her to go fly out into the world but she loves him either way…

Jennifer cleared her thoughts turning down the lights on the first floor and headed upstairs to her bedroom, free falling onto the mattress as she climbed underneath the covers, deciding to get some rest. It was late. Midnight. And she was still awake. So laying her eyelids shut for now, she curled up against the pillows and slowly nodded off.

~~~~

Remember all the things we wanted

Now all our memories, they're haunted

We were always meant to say goodbye

~~~~

The next moment happened in a flash, gently being awakened by the sound of footsteps on the first floor and small grunts. She couldn’t tell if that was her father’s footsteps or not, but just for precaution Jenny swiftly escaped the bed and grabbed the baseball bat from behind her door as she walked downstairs.

Even though she was groggy from sleep she held the baseball bat in her grip tightly, ready to swing at the figure she found in the kitchen sipping a glass of water. It confused her as she squeezed her eyes a couple of time, trying to wake herself up swinging a hit at the tall fellow who ducked.

It took Jenny a second to realize who it was, hearing a gulp a second later.

“Bradley?!” She asked, lowering her bat a bit.

“Yes? Who else do you think it is?” He exclaimed, sounding annoyed.

“S-sorry..w-what in heavens are you doing here it..it’s 2 in the morning.”

“Couldn’t sleep. Don’t worry I’ll be gone and out of your hair soon.”

“No? You came here for something..what was it?”

“I was looking for you and Maverick.”

“Why? What did i do?”

~~~~

Even with our fists held high

It never would have worked out right, yeah

We were never meant for do or die

~~~

Instead of saying a word, Bradley handed Jenny a slip of paper that seemed to be a bit wet and crumbled at the corners. It was at the same time, she noticed the look on his face. His hair was wetter than expected, patched of droplets over the shoulders of his shirt as his sweater lay on the chair next to the kitchen table and he was wearing sweatpants.

He had small bags under his eyes. His eyes were dropped onto her hands, as if he wanted to hold her.

To tell the truth, Bradley was craving from physical touch from her in the smallest way, shape or form. He has been a wreck all of a sudden after recycling that letter from the bin at home, that he grumped and threw away. He didn’t want to believe the words said on that paper, nor the fact that his suspicions were correct.

But a part of him told him they were.

He watched as Jenny read the letter, her expression changing every once in a millisecond from shock to sorrow all wrapped into one. He noticed her biting her bottom lip for a moment, as if she’s trying to take it all in with a scoff. A hint of a ever so tiny half smile was tugged at her lips, it was quickly changed but it was there.

He saw it.

Finally after a deep breath of silence waters, she looked up at him, her fingertips playing with the edges of the paper.

“I’m sorry Bradley..” She said in a soft whisper, as if she was gonna wake up a dog within the house, “..I know how much you wanted to fly..”

“I can’t do that now..” He replied with a soft haze voice, looking away for a second.

“You can always apply again, right? I mean, dad can pull a strings to have your application be seen early or maybe Ice do it?…”

“No. Don’t even mention Maverick.”

“Brad, honey, it’s not the end of the world. You will get other chances..i know you will.”

“Not with Maverick around.”

“W-what?”

~~~

I didn't want us to burn out

I didn't come here to hurt you now

I can't stop

~~~

He sighed and scoffed, “Jen, baby, don’t play dumb with me right now. You may be saying all of this but i don’t believe you. We both know how much you want me to stay here, we discuss it before!”

“That was a while ago! Yes it will take some time getting used to..b-but I wouldn’t stop you from flying!..wait you think i had something to do with this?” She asked, soften her gaze at the question.

“Did you? I mean it wouldn’t be the first time you pulled a stunt like that to protect me.”

“No. No, no, no! I-i would not do that. You can trust me on knowing that I wouldn’t go behind your back for that.”

“Jen..you are the closest person here to know if something that was up..d-did you have a feeling this would happen?”

“..I honestly don’t know. But you don’t get to come into my house in the middle of the night and accuse me for such a thing.” 

“Did you know that Mav would do this?”

“I..no. H-he would’ve pulled my papers too..”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he does or, he already did it and you just don’t know it yet! Maverick Mitchell has always been shown to be my biggest supporter but all of a sudden he pulls something like this? And the fact that i don’t know if i should believe you right now is what ticks me off.”

“Bradley wait..”

“I..you didn’t think i saw that little smile as you read the paper? Huh?!”

~~~

I want you to know

That it doesn't matter

Where we take this road

Someone's gotta go

~~~

Jen wouldn’t admit it but she did smile reading the whole thing, she didn’t want him to leave just yet especially at this young of an age. Tears slowly being welcomed into the corner of her eyes came despite on request.

But she wanted him to fly, enjoy his life even if she left to pick up the pieces at home.

“Okay, maybe i did smile, huh? Cause i don’t want to see you go or worse, have you slip away from my fingers the second you get the green light to do so?!” She yelled, as her temper started to reach up her back.

“I’m not going to leave you!” He replies back, with furrow eyebrows.

“You don’t know that! Austin’s planning on flying like dad, Dane wants to go into engineering planes and high tech jets! You’ve been ready to fly past the 7 seas since you were 8…i just thought maybe..maybe this was a sign that we will be alright..that i don’t have to say goodbye, yet..so yeah, blame me. Go ahead!”

“..blame you?”

“Mhm. Blame me..since you need someone to yell at..”

“Jen..i don’t..I don’t know what to think, okay? B-but I’m..The Navy is my dream, i always wanted to fly..but I can’t wrap my head around not knowing if I actually really got a chance to be there..and i want you there..with me.”

“Then why have you been so busy and in a hurry to get out?..but..not once have you mentioned about it was gonna be us there..just you. You alone, Brad.”

“It always occurred to me that you would be there..”

“It occurred to you that i would just be there with you?! W-what I didn’t want to?..i love you, Bradley, i do and I understand why you feel this way about everything but..there has to be something else right? Why are you in a hurry to get out?”

~~~

And I want you to know

You couldn't have loved me better

But I want you to move on

So I'm already gone

~~~

Bradley was silent at the question being repeated. He looked down, as his eyes finally watered. The sound of his sniffles could be heard as clear as day.

She can only guess the reason.

It’s been a less than a hectic year since his mother died. Carole Bradshaw death recked everyone. Leaving a painful scar in the family’s overall built, where it still felt a fresh opened wound.

She was like a mother to Jenny. Treating her with as much love, care and compassion than anyone can ever imagine. Hugs and kisses among all of the kids as her smile can light up the whole night sky.

And her laughter bringing souls together in a lifespan, just wanting to dance around the room. From her sass, to her wit and gossipy cheer.

“..my parents.” Bradley simply said, almost choking on the words.

“..Goose and Carole..that’s why you fight to hurry and fly..to chance that wish to be there..in the there with them.” She answered, looking away.

“Is it bad..? Is it so bad i want to touch the clouds like my dad did and come home to your waiting arms?”

“No..it’s not. It’s a dream but..I don’t know how long i can take waiting for you to come home..w-what if you don’t come home? A-a-an-and i get a knock on the door from a solider with—”

“Don’t. Don’t finish that sentence, Jennifer. It’s not gonna happen! I will come home, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to take the risk to see the world and be a pilot. You know that right?”

She walked away from the kitchen and into the living room as she sighed, “Here we go again..”

“What?” He asked, followed behind her.

“Again with the whole pilot talk! I get that, you want to be like your father but there is more to life than just flying Bradley!”

~~~

Looking at you makes it harder

But I know that you'll find another

That doesn't always make you wanna cry

Started with a perfect kiss

Then we could feel the poison set in

Perfect couldn't keep this love alive

~~~

~~~

You know that I love you so

I love you enough to let you go

~~~

He raised an eyebrow and scoffed loudly, “You’re serious? If it was anyone else, i would say you’re possibly right but you’re father is Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. If anything you know better than anyone how important that is!”

“And what if it isn’t?!” She spin around and yelled back, with a glare having enough.

“You’re hilarious.”

“I’m being serious!”

“You don’t get it, do you?”

“No, you don’t get it. I understand you very well and i love you for everything you stand for..but what if it’s short lived? I can’t watch you die, Bradley..I understand you’re mad at my father, you’re more than hurt and you might not trust what I’m saying right now but a part of me knows I’m sure..”

“..w-what are you saying? That your right here and I’m wrong? Cause i do get it! And I’m more than mad right now, I’m furious but whatever happens next..that’s my decision to make, Jen. I need you to know that.”

“..okay. I’m just trying to protect you Bradley but I won’t be there when you yell in my dad’s face tomorrow for pulling your papers..i want you to be okay.”

~~~

I want you to know

That it doesn't matter

Where we take this road

Someone's gotta go

~~~

At this point, her eyes were patchy with tears and her nose was reddish as she watched his face changed.

They were both on two different ends of the slightly aggressive disagreement. The two each had their reasons and doesn’t matter how many times they had to repeat them, until they got a point.

It was late.

They have been screaming and yelling at one another.

Their eyes were puffy and throats were dry, sore even.

Yes, they both wanted to touch the sky from the seat of their cockpits but they their reason weather or not to do so. Of course Jennifer wanted to fly just as bad as he did. But her fears and experiences from the family held her back.

The long distance trips, deployment, people she cared about dying young and old, and the navy not always living up to their truth.

She looked down at her necklace Bradley gave her months back on Valentine’s Day as a present, taking a deep breath removing it from her grasp and watching his face as she did.

Bradley’s eye furrowed in fear, annoyance and grief. His eyes flickered between every single way but meeting her gaze. He gulped, as the finger he used to point at her dropped and hesitated to raise again.

He shook his head, blinking twice walking forward in strives as his face said it all. He reminded himself at that moment how much love and respect he had for her, realizing how he basically bashed her more than once.

He didn’t mean to be this way. But watching her remove that single piece of jewelry he gave her the year before his mother died, the one was supposed to be used as a promise to her.

Well, it hurt.

~~~

And I want you to know

You couldn't have loved me better

But I want you to move on

So I'm already gone

I'm already gone

Already gone

You can't make it feel right

When you know that it's wrong

~~~

“W-what are you doing? J-Jen don’t. Please, don’t.” He said, standing in front of her glancing at the clock, “..i love you. Don’t do this.”

She sucked in a breath and held out the necklace, “I know you do. But I can’t hold you back. As much as we love one another, and will always be in each other’s lives..right now, we can’t.”

“I want you!”

“You want to fly.”

“I want both!”

“You want to have it all but it can’t happen right now. I can’t be the one holding you back..”

“Jen please..I’m begging you. I’m sorry, we can work it out!”

“Not with your anger and pride taking over..”

“T-think about this! You’re making a mistake here, Jen. I can’t let you be gone.”

“I’m already gone.”

“You’ll regret this!”

“And so will you.”

~~~

I'm already gone

Already gone

There's no moving on

So I'm already gone

Already gone

Already gone

Ooh, oh

Already gone

Already gone

Already gone, yeah

~~~

Bradley didn’t say another word, closing the gap between them as he looped a finger underneath her chin and pressed a kiss onto her cheek.

He felt a salty tear run down her cheek and reach his fingertips wiping the other way. The other hand took the necklace from grasping palm, fumbling with the chain for a moment.

Jennifer wrapped her around his middle and pressed her face against his neck huffing, holding back a sob as she ran her fingers across his golden brown curls.

She kissed his cheek and then forehead gazing softly into his eyes. He half smiled, leaning into her touch and hummed.

She didn’t want to say goodbye either, but she could bare to witness this any further than what thoughts appeared in her heard. The hint of his cologne entered her nose as she sighed deeply.

Both didn’t want to pull away from another’s light grip.

~~~~

Remember all the things we wanted

Now all our memories, they're haunted

We were always meant to say goodbye

I want you to know

That it doesn't matter

Where we take this road

Someone's gotta go

~~~~

Bradley was the first to pull away noticing the white letters on the coffee table, one being addressed to her as he picked it up.

He signaled for her to open it. He knew she didn’t like to open mail late at night but he couldn’t leave without knowing she got in or not.

Either way, he will comfort her.

She hesitated for a moment, shaking her head but her actions speaker louder than words as she ripped opened the letter to expect something different yet familiar.

Her eyes ran across the page, handing it to Bradley as she gasped, hovering a hand over mouth. He read it quickly, eyesore scanning the sheet of paper to only sigh.

Same as him. She didn’t exactly get in.

The only thing he did was held Jenny in his arms, rubbing her shoulder as she let out a sob she was holding back. Tears rolled down his own face, baring his face into her hair mumbling a few things as they both sucked onto the couch.

No words were said, just soften noises escaped their lips. Resting her head against his chest, as he hummed staring at the wall.

Once again, their throats were sorely lacking as their faces remained dried up with fallen tear stains.

3 am.

They have been doing this for an entire hour.

Closed to almost 3:29am when Bradley stood up from the couch, resting a blanket across Jenny’s body.

Her eyes were nodding off as she whispered a soft, “..i love you..”

“I love you too..” He replied pressing a kiss to her forehead, “..get some rest.”

“You too..please?”

“I will..”

Without a second later, he walked out of the house with a small sigh and looked up at the sky that shined only a few stairs.

She reached over to the small lamp turning it off as her eyelids finally dropped, nuzzling against the throw pillow with a slight sigh.

~~~

And I want you to know

You couldn't have loved me better

But I want you to move on

So I'm already gone

~~~

~~~

~~~

-> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the fic tell me what did you think about in the comments below.

-> Remember to like, share and reblog for more stuff like this!

-> Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @topgun-imagines @gcthvile @letsgotothefantasyworlds-blog @t-nd-rfoot @djs8891 @missstrawbs2001 @hardballoonlove @hangmanbrainrot @theloveoftoms @mallowbee4 @halesfavoriteharlot @rooster-84 @starkleila @buckysteveloki-me @ximehs and etc

[topgun-imagines]

For My Daughter Masterlist

Spin off series

Summary: In the middle of Bradley’s career, he winds up facing something he never would have seen coming. It turns out that Bradley Bradshaw is a father to a little baby girl.

What will happen when he has to raise his baby girl all by himself? Will everything change when the Dagger Squad becomes a crucial part of his life?

Note: Based off of the song ‘For My Daughter’ by Kane Brown. Not a reader insert.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of death, mentions of abandonment by a parent.

Requests for this spin-off series are open. If you would like to be tagged in any works within this series, please fill out this form.

Current Works

For My Daughter

When Bradley rushes home from training, Maverick follows him and discovers something he never would have guessed. Bradley has a daughter.

[roosterforme]

roosterforme's Bradley Bradshaw one-shots masterlist (Rooster x Reader)

roosterforme masterlist

Rooster x Reader one-shot fics:

A Nice, Big Rooster Rooster is surprised to run into you on North Island. He's not, however, surprised to find that he still wants you as much as always.

I Still Want You Bradley had been an idiot when it came to you. He still wanted you, but did you still want him?

I Like Your Voice You and Bradley recognize each other by your voices.

Benefits Bradley spends a long weekend in Mexico, enjoying the beach and your body.

I'll Take You There Bradley's best friend is moving to San Diego, and she asks him for a little help.

Why Do They Call You Rooster? When another girl asks Rooster how he got his call sign, you make sure she knows how big he is and who he's with.

Go Slow When you tell Bradley why you're nervous, he makes sure to go slow.

Couches, Floors and Beds You had reached your boiling point with your roommate, Bradley Bradshaw. 

Frustrated Rooster is kind enough to help Hangman's ex-girlfriend when she's feeling frustrated. 

Stay on Your Knees When Bradley messes up again, he’s more than willing to beg.

Hot For Teacher  You knew it was against policy. You wouldn’t bend the rules for anyone else. But when it came to Rooster Bradshaw, you threw all caution to the wind.

Red Flags, Green Flags Hangman complains about his date’s red flags, but Bradley thinks this girl sounds amazing. 

Can I Have My Shirt Back? You didn't usually invite guys home with you after a night out, but this one was always going to be an exception. 

You Deserve an Overachiever Bradley is forced to come to terms with the fact that he wants to replace your boyfriend with himself and give you proper orgasms. 

Want You Bad When Bradley realizes his girlfriend isn’t as innocent as he thought, at first he’s surprised, then he’s on board.

All I Want For Christmas Is You Bradley returns from deployment just before Christmas and immediately falls for the new bartender at the Hard Deck. 

Good Boy Bradley is more than happy to give up his dominant ways whenever you demand it from him. 

Take Two When Bradley got you pregnant, he blew his chance at a relationship with you. He loves his daughter, but he never stopped loving you too.

Champagne Lips You and Bradley both try to claim the last bottle of champagne on New Year's Eve.

I Would Never Hurt You Bradley saw the bruises and knew what was going on, but he also knew you didn't need him the way he needed you.

Hello, I Love You When Phoenix signs Bradley up for speed dating on Valentine's Day, he is skeptical. But after he meets the woman of his dreams, he's not afraid to admit his best friend was right.

Do You Wish It Was Me? When Bradley returns from deployment and finds you engaged to Harvard, he knows he needs to get you back. 

The Purrfect Storm Bradley inadvertently becomes a pet owner after he hits a stray with his Bronco. When he meets a lovely vet tech who is willing to help, both Bradley and the cat fall for her instantly.

Make It Messy, Baby Anytime Bradley has a rough day, his perfect wife is there to make it all better. Sometimes that means getting a little messy.

Daddy Would Say Yes After you manage to embarrass yourself in front of Rooster, he still makes it clear he wants you to ask him out.

Cockpit Love When you jokingly told Bradley that you would be jealous of him spending so much time with his Super Hornet, he decided it was time to let you stake your claim on him in the cockpit.

Something to Talk About Bradley knew the rumors were circulating. He knew his friends were talking. But he had known you for such a long time, and you were just friends. Because if something was going to happen between the two of you, it would have happened by now. Right?

When Tomorrow Comes Four months is a long time to go without Bradley. When you tease him a little bit the night before his deployment starts, he reminds you that he's always worth the wait.

You Want Me Anyway Bradley wasn't your boyfriend. He didn't owe you anything. But after months of hooking up, you expected more from him than what you were getting. It was time for you to move on. But Bradley has other ideas.

Earning His Rank Bradley knew you wanted to make his promotion night special for him as he got his new pin. He could tell by the teasing way you asked "What are you going to do to me when we get home, Lieutenant Commander?" He had something in mind.

Midnight Confessions It's getting harder and harder for Bradley to hide his feelings for you, especially when you offer to drive him home on his birthday. Before he knows it, he's drunk in your passenger seat, confessing everything he's kept to himself. He may not remember all of it in the morning, but you certainly do. 

How Could I Forget? When Bradley met you in a dive bar in Virginia, he just knew he wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about you. Even a year later, he still remembers your laugh and the way you kissed him.

So Fresh, So Clean At first, Bradley is mortified when the guys force him to stop at a carwash featuring bikini clad women from a college softball team. But when he meets you there, he starts to think he should thank his friends instead.

Feelings Involved After months of dancing around your feelings, you're about to leave San Diego and Bradley behind. But on your last night in California, you realize you're not the only one with your heart on the line.

Sufficiently Surprised Bradley loves dirty quickies with his wife. Between his work schedule and yours, that's often all there's time for. But when he rushes home from work on his birthday, ready and raring to go, he's in for a bit of a surprise.

Don't You Want Me, Baby It was like a fairytale, the way you stole Bradley's heart with your gorgeous face, retro denim jacket, and karaoke skills. But when you disappear into the night, leaving only one small trinket behind, he's left wondering if he didn't just dream you up.

Do You Wanna Touch Me? You had been working at the bar for six months. And you'd been crushing on Rooster since the first night he handed you his credit card, called you Babydoll, and asked you to start a tab for him. And it only got worse from there, until one night you asked him about more than just his drink order.

On My Terms Bradley didn't seem to notice how broken you were inside. When he looked at you, there was never any hesitation in his eyes. He was the first man in a long time that you wanted to trust with every part of you. If only your body and mind would start working together. If only you could get the words out.

Wrong Number Bradley was planning on a quiet night at home with a beer and a basketball game on TV. When he receives a text from a wrong number, he's left looking at a beautiful photo of you. Now he just needs to persuade you to ditch the guy you meant to text and focus on him instead.

Don't Waste Another Minute When you finally recognize that you have been hanging onto your relationship for all the wrong reasons, you end things. You knew there would be someone better for you, and it was a welcome realization to see that he had been right there in front of you the whole time. 

Stateside Bradley made a mistake last summer when he left for his deployment without ever asking you out, and then he thought about you a lot when he was gone. He was stateside again for less than a day when the other guys coerced him to help with a fundraiser at the Hard Deck. A friendly wager with the squad might not be the only thing he wins by the end of the night.

Deployment Sucks but I Swallow Bradley was used to having your undivided attention when he was about to leave for a long deployment, because you'd been spoiling him that way for years. When you spent the day with your friends and got home late instead, he wanted to be annoyed, but everything you do is just too sweet. 

Whole Lotta Love You and Bradley were just friends, and perhaps that was why you trusted him so much. It wasn't his fault that you were secretly harboring a crush a mile wide. When your noisy neighbor becomes too much and you decide you need to move, Bradley helps you brainstorm a solution. But when you set your plans into action, you're surprised to find that he seems almost jealous.

Vintage You love teasing your husband about his deep and unwavering devotion to his Bronco, but he's insistent that it would come in second place to you every time, and he intends to prove it. While you're away on deployment, he concocts a plan to get you behind the wheel of your very own vintage beauty.

Wild Rooster Chase Bradley thinks about you more than he should, and his feelings for you run deeper than they ought to. You've never given him an indication that you want to take the teasing touches and playful flirtation to the next level, so he never pressed his luck. When you surprise him by sending a text message that could change everything, he's ready to chase you all over San Diego for some answers.

California Autumn Bradley was drawn to you the minute you moved onto his street. You seemed to bump into one another everywhere, and each time he saw your smile or heard your laugh, he knew he had to ask you out. He wasn't expecting the answer you gave him, just as you weren't expecting to wish he could be the man for you.

[rootedinrevisions]

Masterlist: Top Gun Maverick

This list is all about the thrill and tension of Top Gun: Maverick. Most of my writing here dives into the cocky charm of Jake "Hangman" Seresin, but you’ll also find some pieces centered around Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, with more stories potentially featuring characters like Robert "Bob" Floyd in the future.

Whether you're into Hangman’s swagger, Rooster’s heart, or curious about the rest of the Top Gun crew, there’s something for every fan of the high-flying action and drama. Strap in and enjoy the ride! ✈️ (UPDATED 11.16.24)

JAKE "HANGMAN" SERESIN

**SERIES**

Rooster's Shadow (Jake x OC)

When Carly Bradshaw, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw’s younger sister, starts college near her brother’s TOP GUN base, she’s excited for a fresh start. A surprise night out with Rooster introduces her to Jake Seresin, the charming and cocky Navy pilot known as Hangman. As Jake’s attention shifts to Carly, their undeniable chemistry leads to a series of flirtatious encounters that challenge Carly’s feelings and Rooster’s protective instincts.

PART 1 I PART 2 I PART 3 I PART 4 I PART 5

Cop Car (Jake x Reader)

You and Jake enter a restricted area to watch the planes take off. It's all fun and games until the two of you end up cuffed in the backseat of a car. Things only get worse when your dad, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell arrives on the scene. Loosely based on/inspired by Cop Car by Keith Urban because apparently my thing lately has been making fics out of songs.

PART 1 I PART 2

Unplanned Journeys (Jake x OC)

You’ve been feeling off—tired, anxious, and full of doubt. When the realization hits that you could be pregnant, your world shifts. As you struggle with the weight of the situation and avoid Jake, the truth becomes impossible to ignore. When you finally tell Jake, the conversation is filled with tension and fear.

PART 1 I PART 2 I PART 3

**ONE-SHOTS**

Everything to Me (Jake x Reader)

You arrive in San Diego, eager to spend the weekend with your fiance, Jake Seresin. What begins as an emotion reunion soon takes a complicated turn when you encounter a jealous pilot who's had her eyes on Jake for awhile. A comment she makes, sparks insecurities that challenge your confidence. However, Jake makes it his mission to remind you that you are the only woman he has eyes for. SMUT.

The Rough Side of Hangman's Girl (Jake x Reader)

You’ve always been the quiet one, the kind of girl who prefers soft laughter to loud crowds, and gentle touches over wild passions. But Jake “Hangman” Seresin has a way of drawing out the side of you no one else gets to see. When he steps into your world, he doesn’t just turn your life upside down—he pushes you beyond every boundary you thought you had. Now, with his intense gaze and unyielding hold, you find yourself craving every rough touch, every whispered command. SMUT.

BRADLEY "ROOSTER" BRADSHAW

**ONE-SHOTS**

The Night We Fell (Bradley x Reader)

After a night out with friends, you find yourself a little too tipsy and in need of a ride home. When Phoenix calls Bradley to pick you up, what starts as a simple favor turns into an unforgettable evening. Amidst drunken giggles, lingering glances, and unspoken emotions, the line between friendship and something more begins to blur. FLUFF.

Rooster Comes Home to His Girls (Bradley x Reader)

Bradley returns home from a deployment to his girls...his wife and infant daughter. FLUFF.

[callsign-dexter]

"Wait....What?!"

Request: I have been wondering how chicks uncles and aunts would react to her bringing a boy home. (It’s okay if you don’t want to

Pairings: Y/N Bradshaw-Seresin x OC!Mason Floyd, Bradley Bradshaw x Daughter!Reader, Jake Seresin x Daughter!Reader, Bradley Bradshaw x Jake Seresin, Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw x Carole Bradshaw, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky

Warnings: swearing, fluff

Our Little Girl

Masterlist

A/N: Thank you @callsignblaze for requesting this and I'm so sorry for getting it out soooo late!

You and Mason have been dating for a week now. You both had confessed your feelings to one another shortly after he met you on the beach. The first two people to find out about you and Mason were your fathers, Jake and Bradley. This is just because they had been standing in the kitchen watching out the window and saw you both kiss. Of course, at first, they were against it but they couldn’t have asked for anyone better for you to date, Mason was a Floyd after all they knew how to treat their loved ones and how to take care of them. Just because they had met him doesn't mean that they didn't want to still interrogate him. 

You and Mason had just gotten back from a date and he had just dropped you off. He had walked you to the door and kissed you before turning and leaving. He sat in his truck and made sure you got in safely before he took off and once inside and staring out the window he left. You hadn't noticed that your parents were standing in the door with a cheesy grin on their face. “Have him over for dinner.” Jake said behind you and you jumped out of your skin. You turned around.

“Pops! You almost gave me a heart attack.” You said putting a hand over your heart. You were too busy looking out the window watching Mason leave that you forgot about them being there.

“Sorry, Sweets.” Jake said and you nodded.

“It's ok. Back to the dinner part. You already know him. He hasn't changed.” You said 

“We know him as your friend Mason Floyd but we don't know him as your boyfriend Mason Floyd.” Bradley said and it dawned on you.

“You both just want to interrogate him, don't you?” You said with a signature Seresin smirk on your face they both blushed. They knew they had been caught.

“Yes.” They both said at the same time.

“Fine. I'll invite him over tomorrow night.” You said and they nodded “I'm gonna go shower and change then I'll meet you two down here for a movie and snacks.” You said even though you had just eaten with Mason.

“But we love you just the way you are.” Jake said, matching your smirk and you rolled your eyes.

“You know what I meant.” You said and pushed him playfully and walked off. As you got to your room you pulled out your phone and sent a text off to him.

Dad and Pops know about us. They want you to come over and ‘meet’ you.

Mason 'My Forever' Floyd: Meet me? They know me. 

Yes, I know. They said and I quote “We know him as your friend Mason Floyd but we don't know him as your boyfriend Mason Floyd.”

Mason 'My Forever' Floyd: Omg that's funny. When?

Tomorrow night.

Mason 'My Forever' Floyd: I'll be there.

This is going to be a disaster.

Mason 'My Forever' Floyd: No, it won't. It'll be fun and fine. Don't stress over it. 

You always know what to say. I'll text you when I go to bed.

Mason 'My Forever' Floyd: Looking forward to it. You have a fun movie night with them.

You chuckled and shook your head. He knew that the three of you had a movie night together most nights. You put your phone on charge and then got things for your shower. Once your shower was done you got dressed, grabbed your phone and headed downstairs where your dads were already queuing up a movie. “What are we watching?” You asked.

“The Proposal.” Bradley said as he finished getting the movie ready. Snacks and drinks were already on the coffee table. 

“I love that movie!” You exclaimed excitedly and walked over to the couch and snuggled into Jake and he welcomed it. They both chuckled. 

“We know. We love it too.” Jake said as Bradley sat on the other side of you and now you were sandwiched between them. 

“That's why we put it on.” Bradley said stealing you from Jake.

“Hey!” He protested 

“She's my kid too.” Bradley said and you just chuckled. Soon the movie was starting and the three of you got comfortable. The night continued on watching movies until all three of you were nearly asleep and you decided to call it a night. All 3 of you said your goodnights and I love yous then you were heading to bed. Once in bed you pulled out your phone.

Just got into bed. I'm still dreading tomorrow night.

Mason 'My Forever' Floyd: It'll be fine. We're in this together, babe. Try and get some sleep and try not to fret about it. 

You always know what to say, one of the many reasons I fell in love with you. Goodnight.

Mason 'My Forever' Floyd: That's because you're my soul mate. Goodnight. 

You blushed furiously as you stared at the text and then you were putting your phone away and falling asleep.

—

The next day was a Saturday and you were thankful for that. Not much was done on Saturdays in the Bradshaw-Seresin household. Really nothing was done on the weekends to you three it was time away from working and going to school. You always looked forward to weekends. 

10 AM rolled around and you were rolling out of bed to the smell of food. Bradley and Jake were always up way too early and they usually did stuff together like workout before they started to wake you up and make breakfast. You started to walk downstairs and into the kitchen to see Jake by the stove and Bradley at the kitchen table on his phone and coffee by his side. He would occasionally step in and help Jake if he needed but the kitchen was left to Jake mostly. ���Good morning, Honey.” Bradley said as Jake said “Good morning, Sweets.” That made you smile.

“Mornin’.” You said still not 100% awake. “Smells good.” You said coming to sit on the counter as your parents gave a look but you didn't make a move to get up instead you just smirked.

“So, is Mason still coming over tonight?” Jake asked as he flipped the waffles and you nodded.

“Yes, he is.” You said 

“Good.” He said and Bradley just smiled and chuckled.

“We just want you to be safe and make sure he's the right one for you.” Bradley said and you nodded with a sigh.

“I know but I just really like him.” You said getting a dreamy look in your eye and they smiled.

“You know your dad and I hated each other when we met.” Jake said 

“Really?” You asked and they nodded.

“It wasn't our first-time meeting or dating.” Bradley let it slip.

“Really?” You asked again, shocked and they nodded.

“We dated for a while and then it ended on bad terms. We didn't see each other for a while until we met again at Top Gun. It was very tense but then afterwards we got together, got married, and then decided to have you with the help of Dakota.” Jake said and everyone got sad when Dakota's name was mentioned. The rest of the day and afternoon leading up to the night was filled with you and your dads being together and having family time. You were shocked but it made so much sense. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent as a family and having the best time together.

 It finally came time for supper and you were so nervous even though they already knew Mason but they would be meeting him as your boyfriend and not their best friend’s kid. You had texted Mason earlier to tell him to be there at 6 PM. When the time came, he was there at 6 PM on the dot. You went and opened the door and there he stood with your favorite flowers, roses, and a gift for Jake, and Bradley. “Hey you.” He said and kissed you and you kissed back.

“Hey you.” You repeated with a smile when you pulled away. You allowed him to come in and he handed you the flowers 

“Good evening, sirs.” Mason said and held out his hand to shake. If this was the first time, he was meeting them as your boyfriend he was going to make a good first impression. 

“Good evening, Mason. You know us so you can call us by our names.” Jake said and he nodded. You had gone to put the flowers in water. He then handed Jake and Bradley arrived and he handed them their gift. 

“I was going to give you individual gifts but since I can't buy alcohol I decided to do a joint gift.” He added a little nervously. They both looked at each other and smiled. They then looked at the gift. It was a 3D Crystal Photo that was etched with a picture of you, Jake, and Bradley. It was a younger you were on a horse and they were on either side of you, you were smiling and they were looking at you smiling. 

“How did you get this picture?” Bradley asked in awe.

“I had Y/N send me it when I asked for it for a gift idea.” He said 

“Did she know about this?” Jake asked and he shook his head. “It's really lovely. We love it.” and Bradley nodded. “Dinner is almost ready. The steaks just have a few more minutes to go.” Jake said as they walked into the kitchen after he put the picture on the space that looked out into the living room to the kitchen.

“Anything I can help with?” Mason asked

“Can you and Y/N set the table?” Bradley asked

“Yes.” You and Mason said at the same time and they smiled. You both went to work setting the table while Jake and Bradley went outside to check the steaks and pull them off the grill. You and Mason chatted and laughed while Jake and Bradley looked into the house smiling. 

“They’re perfect for each other.” Bradley said and Jake nodded.

“Yeah, they are.” Jake agreed and then they were pulling the steaks off and heading back inside. The table was set and Jake was setting the steaks in the middle of the table. “The potatoes and mac n’ cheese are on the stove.” He said and you both nodded as everyone got their steaks and then went to the stove. Once everyone was seated everyone began to eat. It was quiet at first but it wasn’t awkward. 

“This is really good.” Mason said and Jake and Bradley smiled.

“Thank you, the mac n’ cheese is an old family recipe and the mashed potatoes is also a recipe from Jake’s family.” Bradley said and Jake nodded. The rest of the night went off without a hitch and you were so glad about that. They did grill him pretty hard but he stayed calm and answered all the questions with ease. But the time it was time for him to leave it was just like you were hanging out with Mason and it didn't matter that he was your boyfriend. Everything was great. You walked him to the door.

“I'm sorry for all that.” You told him and he shook his head.

“Nonsense. It was great. Your dads love me and I love them.” He said reassuring you and you nodded. “Hey.” He said and you looked up at him. “I love you.” He said.

“I love you too.” You said back and then he kissed you and then he was leaving. You turned around and there was Jake and Bradley.

“We approve.” They said at the same time and you chuckled.

“Thank you.” You said 

“Anytime, Sweets.” Jake said as they brought you into a hug. 

–

A week later Mason was having you over for dinner as a sort of ‘get to know the parents as boyfriend and girlfriend’. “Hey mom and dad I'm gonna have my girlfriend over.” He said looking nervous.

“Oh, how lovely! I can't wait to meet her!” Judy said excitedly and hugged her son and he hugged back smiling. 

“That's great, Mase. I'm sure she's gonna be lovely.” Bob said smiling and Mason smiled.

“She is.” He said and so when he went up to his room, he texted you the details smiling.

******

“Hey I'm going over to Mason's for dinner tonight.” You said and they smiled.

“Let me guess to do the same thing we did to him?” Bradley asked and you nodded.

“I'm actually glad you're doing it this way. Yes, we already know him and Bob and Judy know you but it's nice.” Jake said and you smiled.

“We have to thank you guys for that.” You chuckled

“What time are you heading over there?” Bradley asked 

“He wants me there at 6:30 PM.” You replied “But I'm leaving a little early to grab flowers for Judy and things they like.” You said and they smiled. 

“Bob likes Sparkling Apple Cider. He had it at our wedding and fell in love with it. Penny has it on stock at The Hard Deck.” Jake said and you smiled.

“Thanks Pops.” You said “I should get going if I want to stop by the store and bookstore.” You said

“Bookstore?” Bradley asked and you nodded.

“There is a book Mason has been dying to get but never gets a chance to so I'm getting it for him.” You said blushing a little.

“That is so sweet.” Both Jake and Bradley said at the same time and you looked down. 

“I need to go.” You said and they nodded.

“Yes, go go.” They said ushering you out as you grabbed your wallet and keys to your Jeep. You got in and headed to the bookstore when you parked you walked in and knew exactly where to go. You smiled when you saw it, a copy of The Outsiders and you grinned ear to ear. You walked to pay for it and smiled at the friendly cashier woman, Martha.

“Are you getting this for Mason?” She asked and you nodded.

“That's so lovely. I'm glad you got the last copy of it.” She said 

“Thank you.” You said as you grabbed the back and began to walk out and as you opened the door you looked back “Have a nice day, Martha! I'll see you soon!” You said and she smiled.

“Anytime my dear. Have a good night. Tell Mason I said hi.” She said and you smiled.

“Will do.” You said and then left. You got in your Jeep and put the book in the passenger seat and headed to the grocery store. You were quick to park and walk in. You first grabbed the Sparkling Apple Cider and then an arrangement of Lilies, Daisies, Snapdragons, Alstroemerias, Gladiolus’, Orchids’ and Iris’. You might’ve gone overboard but you couldn't help yourself. Once you were done there you were heading to their place. You were quick to arrive and walked up the door and rang the doorbell and Mason opened it. “Hey, Martha says hi.” You said and he kissed you.

“Hi, when did you see her?” He asked 

“When I got your favorite book that you've been wanting.” You said and pulled it out. 

“Y/N/N thank you so much. I've been meaning to get this.” He said in awe.

“I know I got the last one.” You said and then kissed you and then he was bringing you in. 

“Mom. Dad. My girlfriend is here.” Mason said and here they came.

“Y/N you're his girlfriend?!” Judy said excitedly and you smiled and nodded. “Finally! I'm so happy!” She said and hugged you and you hugged back. 

“I'm so happy you're his girlfriend.” Bob said and hugged you once Judy released you.

“Oh Judy, these are for you.” You said and handed Judy her flowers.

“Oh Y/N/N these are amazing. Thank you so much. These are my favorites.” Judy said and you smiled as she kissed your cheek.

“Bob, these are for you.” You said as you handed him an 18 pack of Sparkling Apple Cider.

“Thank you so much. How did you know?” He asked, looking at you adoringly.

“Pops helped me with the idea. He said that you fell in love with it at their wedding and that Penny has it on stock at The Hard Deck. I also know you don't drink.” You said sheepishly.

“Thank you.” He said and hugged you and you hugged back. Judy had walked into the kitchen to finish dinner and to put the flowers away. About a minute later you, Bob, and Mason walked in. 

“Is there anything I can do?” You asked and she smiled sweetly at you. 

“You can help me with the rest of cutting the vegetables up and fixing the salad while the boys’ man the grill.” She said and you smiled and did just that. 

Soon dinner was ready and you 4 were sitting down to eat. They asked you questions but it wasn't as intense as your dads asked. It helped that they practically helped raise you. You stayed a little bit longer which they insisted that you didn’t need to but you insisted and then you watched a movie together. Once the movie was over Mason was walking you to your Jeep. “I think our parents are ok with us dating.” He chuckled and you nodded.

“I mean they practically did raise us from the start.” You chuckled

“I’m so glad you’re my girlfriend.” He said and you smiled.

“I’m so glad you’re my boyfriend.” You replied and he smiled and kissed you and you happily returned that kiss. Then you were pulling apart and getting in and heading home. He made sure you were out of the neighborhood safely before going back inside. When you got home you let him know it was only fair since he let you know he was home last time.

–

You and Mason had been dating for a month now and it was great. You honestly don’t know what took you guys so long to admit your feelings and just go for it but you’re glad you did. The Daggers would have a monthly BBQ. It was just a way for everyone to be themselves around each other without work and it was a way to make their squadron stronger even though they were a strong squadron. “How do you think I should introduce Mason as my boyfriend? I know they know him but you know.” You said as you guys were shopping for food the day before.

“Well, you could always say your boyfriend is coming over and then Mason shows up.” Bradley pitched and you thought about it.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.” You and Jake said at the same time and Bradley chuckled.

“No denying you’re her father.” He chuckled 

“Hey there is no denying you’re her father too, Rooster.” Jake said, bringing out his callsign.

“Oh, you did not.” You and Bradley said at the same time in the same tone.

“See?” Jake asked, smirking. You both rolled your eyes “There it is again.” He chuckled and Bradley flipped him off which made you laugh. The rest of the shopping trip was spent playfully picking at each other and having fun. When you got back into the truck after helping load the groceries you texted Mason the plan and he was all for it and then you texted Bob and Judy and they too were all for it.  

The next day Jake and Bradley started early getting everything set up and cleaned up. When you got up around 10 AM you got yourself ready for the day and then started to help them out. Music was playing and you three made it fun instead of a chore. When everything was done and it was time for The Daggers to come over you guys were ready. They started to show up in pairs or by themselves. They greeted you and your dads and whoever was over at the time. Once everyone was settled and had drinks or food you broke the news. “Hey my boyfriend is coming over in a few minutes.” You said and tried to hide the knowing smile. 

“Oh, Baby Bradshaw-Seresin is dating?” Natasha smirked and you nodded. 

“Who is this mysterious boy?” Javy asked

“You'll find out soon.” You replied. Carole, Goose, Maverick, and Ice were there as well and they knew because you told them and boy were they excited. Goose had to be Goose and be all dramatic about saying ‘My Chick is growing up! She's dating! Next thing you know she's married and having kids! My heart can't take it!’ Everyone just chuckled but they knew he was right they didn't want you growing up too fast but once they found out it was Mason all that changed. They still didn't want you to grow up but they knew Mason would take good care of you.

“How long have you been dating?” Mickey asked 

“A month.” You replied with ease. 

“You're really not going to tell us?” Ruben asked and you shook your head pulling the Seresin smirk. It was a few minutes and everyone went back to themselves and then the doorbell rang.

“Oh, that's him! I'll go and get it!” You said and skipped off. You opened the door and there stood Mason and you kissed him while pulling him in.

“Do they know it's me?” He asked and you shook your head and chuckled “Well let's go and reveal it then.” He said and you grabbed his hand and walked out to the backyard.

“Oh hey, Mason! We're waiting for Y/N's boyfriend.” Natasha said and he looked at you and you smirked.

“Babe, are you cheating on me?” He asked, smirking so you can only see it. 

“On you? Baby not in a million years.” You said and kissed him and then it started to click in people's heads.

“Wait..... What?! No way! You're dating him! Finally! It's about time!” Javy said and ran up to you both and hugged you both and then he lightly hit you “Why wasn't I the first to know! I'm always the first to know!” He said with a hurt expression on his face and you chuckled.

“I know but we wanted some time to actually be a couple before telling people.” You explained and he nodded. He understood. “We really only told Dad, Pops, Bob, and Judy just because they're our parents. Then Goose, Grandma Carole, Grandpa Maverick and Grandpa Ice found out by accident.” You said and they nodded.

“I knew it all along. You two were too friendly with each other. Also, the way you gossiped all about him and were all gushy gushy about him I put two and two together. Also, I saw you two out and about holding hands and kissing.” She said smugly.

“How?” Jake said 

“They happened to be at the same restaurant I was at getting food.” She said with a shrug “Then I saw them going to ice cream and they were holding hands.” She said smirking and you and Mason were blushing and you hid into his neck and he cuddled you. 

“Aww look at them getting all cute!” Carole gushed and that made you go redder. 

“It's too cute!” Goose gushing with his wife. Ice and Maverick just smirked because they agreed with them. 

“No. Absolutely not. Our baby is growing up.” Mickey said in denial. 

“I won't allow it.” Mickey said, shaking his head. You and Mason laughed.

“I'm sorry guys but we really love each other.” You said and Mason nodded.

“No, not the ‘l’ word! I can't… I just can't.” Ruben said and turned away like he was fake crying and Mickey turned to him comforting him.

“I know. I know. Let it all out.” Mickey said and everyone just smiled because they knew they were putting on a show. Ruben turned around and took a breath. He looked at you both in each other's arms.

“Nope. I can't. I just-” He said and you both walked over and hugged him.

“Shhhh, I'm still you're Bunny. I'm still the same energized little girl, I just have a partner in crime now.” You said and he nodded. 

“I'm really happy for you guys. You both picked good ones.” Ruben said 

“They sure did.” Mickey added and joined in on the hug. Everyone was smiling. They were really happy you two had each other and like Ruben said you two picked good ones. Once Mickey and Ruben accepted it the night went on like nothing changed. Mason did get grilled with 20 questions even though they did know him but they just wanted to be sure. You weren't off the hook either, questions were thrown at you too but you answered them. 

The night ended and everyone was leaving. Bob and Judy stayed to help clean up because that's just who they are. You and Mason fell on the couch “Exhausted?” He asked and you nodded and laid your head on his shoulder.

“I'm glad they approve.” You said and he kissed your temple.

“We knew they would.” He said and you smiled.

“Yea I know.” You chuckled then both sets of parents came in.

“We're really so glad you're both dating.” Judy said and everyone nodded and you both smiled. 

“We love you guys. We just want you both to be safe.” Bob said and you both nodded.

“We will be.” You and Mason said.

“Thank you for telling us first.” Bradley said 

“It really meant a lot to us.” Jake said 

“We agreed that we would tell you guys first. You're important to us.” Mason said and you nodded and they smiled. They all hugged you and then left. Now it was you and Mason on the couch enjoying each other's embrace. Tonight, couldn't have gone any better and it was perfect, you both were just glad everyone approved. 

Everything was perfect.

Tag list:

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@talesofreading

[nfr-girly]

Little Hope - Bradley Bradshaw x reader (Part 1)

Bradley’s priority’s have always been the navy and his daughter, hope, but what happens when his daughter’s teacher comes into the mix?

a/n: literally never wrote a fic before let me know if it’s good

Ever since Bradley and his ex had split up, he had been his daughter’s main guardian. He doesn’t really speak to his ex, and he doesn’t want to. Balancing being a dad and the navy wasn’t easy, so when the time came for Hope to go to pre-school, he couldn’t complain.

“Hey have you got your bag?” Brad asked

“Yes!!”

“And did you brush your teeth?”

“Of course I’m not like you” she rolled her eyes jokingly, to which he smiled at

He strapped her in her seat and pulled out of the drive. Brad was feeling all types of emotions, relief that he could spend some more time in the navy while she learns, sad that she’s growing up, also happy for her to make friends. He didn’t like feeling emotions. He never thought it ended well, and in his case it never had.

Pulling into the car park of the school, he stops for a minute. The school is a good size; he sees kids running around, parents talking to each other. He feels a sense of hope that she’ll be okay, but the other half is telling him to take her back home.

“Daddy are we going in??” Hope asks, the gap where her tooth was showing clear, she sits cuddling her bear.

“Oh yeah honey sorry” he gets out and unstraps her out her seat; they walk hand in hand towards the school.

Walking along he feels some eyes on him, at first he thinks maybe they’re judging him, or worst, hope. But as he glances he realises some of the mums are checking him out. He looks away quickly, he had decided to wear a very tight shirt today.

He walked into classroom 2b, which was what classroom hope was apparently in. He looks around and sees the back of who he guesses is the teacher. He waits till she’s done talking to a student.

But as soon as she turned around, Bradley had completely zoned out everything around him but you. As you notice him, you give him a smile and start walking towards him. If he didn’t feel nervous already, he absolutely did now.

“Hi!! Im Miss L/N!! I assume you are hope?” You kneel down to match hopes height, while Bradley’s eyes are still on you. He would’ve thought he had landed in heaven seeing you.

“Yes!! This is my daddy!!!” Hope says, tugging at Bradley’s shirt. He snaps out of his trance as you get up again, trying to understand what just happened

your POV

Being in the presence of Hopes father could be classed as its own national holiday, because being able to meet a man that gorgeous should be celebrated.

“Hi! My names Miss L/N, but you can just call me Y/N” I whisper the last part

“Hi.. Im uh- im hopes dad, but my names Bradley” he says as he shakes my hand. I don’t even know if I can think the things I’m thinking about a students dad, but who gives a shit.

“Nice to meet you Bradley, I just know hope will have a great time here!” I smile at him, which he grins back at.

“Yeah I hope. She’s feeling excited so it should be alright. so uh I gotta get going now, but pick ups at 3:15 right?”

“Yeah!” I reply; feeling sudden disappointment from him having to leave

“Hey honey I’ll be back soon okay?” He has a little conversation with his daughter, I notice a lot of features they share, same nose, same eyes. It makes my heart fill with warmth even more

He gives her a peck on the cheek before getting up.

“Well I’ll uh, pick her up at 3:15 then” he says

“Yeah um see you then” I smile

He smiles back before turning around and heading out the door.

“So hope let’s get you to your desk and meet your classmates okay!” I say

“Okay!” She smiles as we walk towards the classroom. She talks about her teddy bear, and how she named him Rooster, I assume maybe she likes roosters? Half of the conversation I may have been thinking back to her dad. God, why is 3:15 so far away?

————————————————————————

[garbinge]

SO SIMPLE (4/?)

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x F!Reader // Word Count: 5.4k Summary: After meeting Rooster (and some people in his life), you two walk on the beach and share some things with each other. Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Angst re: heavy topics. Mentions of parental loss/grief. Mentions of lifting reader off the ground. A/N: For some reason this was really hard for me to write lol. I feel like it's filler without being filler? If that makes sense lol. I do have a rough plan for these two that'll probably span over a few more fics! Thanks to everyone whose enjoyed this! Appreciate you all <3

📲 Bradley: You busy? 

💬 You: Depends.  

📲 Bradley: What if I told you I’ll be shirtless?

💬 You: I’m free. 

📲 Bradley: I’m more than just a pretty face, you know.

💬 You: I know, you’ve got killer abs too. 

📲 Bradley: I feel objectified. 

💬 You: It’s not objectification if you enjoy the attention. 

📲 Bradley: You got me there. 

💬 You: So what are these plans where you’ll be shirtless?

📲 Bradley: Beach in front of The Hard Deck, 4PM.

💬 You: Do I need tickets? 

📲 Bradley: Tickets?

💬 You: To the gun show.

📲 Bradley: Admission is always free for you. 

Smiling, you put your phone down and looked at the time, there was about an hour until 4. With a sigh, you opened the laptop in front of you, adjusting yourself in the office chair that was large, leather, and brown, not your style at all, until you were comfortable and looked over to your right. The image of your family sat dusty and in the same position it had always been in, right next to the few medals and pen stand. This was the one spot you knew you’d be able to write what you needed to. 

You were right, because before you knew it, the sun was shining golden through the window behind you and you realized it was definitely past 4. 

“Shit.” You shut the laptop closed and pushed your phone in your pocket before grabbing your bag and heading out the door. 

Walking up on the sand, you saw the large group of pilots playing football. They were laughing, tackling, yelling, dancing all while you brought your hand over your eyes to take the scene in. Your eyes scanned over them all, first seeing your brother, pointing at someone with a large grin before the play was called out. Your glance jumped around to see Rooster, sunglasses on–of course, his tongue hanging out as he caught the ball and landed a touchdown, following it up with a dance as he threw the ball to the ground. 

You let out a laugh, which caused someone to turn around to your left. As your eyes caught it in the peripheral, you turned, seeing Penny, the owner of The Hard Deck with a bunch of notebooks out on the table. 

“Sorry.” You moved the back of your hand that was shielding your eyes from the sun to your mouth to muffle the laugh as well as physically show your apology for the startle.

“No need.” She politely spoke, pointing to the table inviting you to sit. “I could use the company.” 

Joining the woman, you sat down so you were facing her, but your head couldn’t help but move to look out at the team having a good time and she was doing the same.

Eventually, she introduced herself, you gave her your name following it up with some pleasantries about the bar so she knew you were well aware of who she was even without the introduction. It was then that she put a finger on who you were. “Your Rooster’s friend, right?” 

That was new for you. Everytime you’d come home, you’d be referred to as Admiral Garcia’s daughter, Lieutenant Mickey Garcia’s sister, but never Rooster’s friend. 

“I am.” You agreed and looked over at the team tackling one another again, your eyes searching for Bradley. “Can I ask you something?” With your head moving back to Penny, she looked up from her paperwork and nodded. “What’s it like being back here?” 

Her confused look held strong for a few seconds which made you elaborate. “I might not have spent time at the bar, but I know the news around here, read that you spent some time here on base when you were younger, your father was an Admiral, then after some time you came back and bought the bar.” 

“Didn’t know my reputation preceded me like that.” Her smile grew and she dropped her pen and her hands intertwined with themselves as she stretched them across the table. 

“I like to read the paper.” You rolled your eyes slightly embarrassed and shrugged. 

“It’s…” Her voice trailed off as she thought of the right word. “It’s different. While having these incredible moments of the same feelings.” 

You nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. But she still took the time to discuss the details on that. 

“I’m different, right? I’m not who I was when I was here all those years ago. I have a kid now, a business, but even more than that, I’ve learned so much and grown so much. But then there’s these moments where I feel like I’m that person again, or something feels exactly like it did back then.” 

“Do you hate it?” 

“Not even for a second.” She smirked, her grin glistening as the sky continued to get golden as he day slipped away. “Is it hard being back?” 

Now it was your turn to be taken aback. 

“I read the paper, too.” Her eyebrows raised and then fell as you could tell she was thinking of something until it finally came to her.  “Life in Brief, I think it was called? Written by the girl who grew up in Fightertown USA.”

Now you understood and let out your own chuckle. “It is. But some things make it easier.” You turned again to watch the pilots lift up one of the guys you knew was Bob up in the air and let your grin grow wider. “But sometimes, being here is hard. The memories you know? Not all of them are the best. It’s easier to get past them when you’re not drowning in them.” 

Penny nodded and let a few minutes of quiet pass before picking her pen back up with a shrug. “Maybe you’re back so you can learn to swim.” 

That was something you never thought of and when you continued to marinate on it, you liked the sound of it. Feeling more in control of something that you thought you really had no control over at all these last years. You were about to answer her, get more in depth about what she meant, but instead another voice was filling the conversation. 

“Didn’t think you’d show.” Rooster was running up to you, sweat glistening all over his body, pushing his sunglasses up his nose as he bent down, leaning his arm on the table to prop him up so he could place a kiss to your lips. 

“I’m sorry I lost track of time.” Your left hand extended up to catch his face as he was pulling it away, bringing it in for another kiss which he happily obliged to. 

“Writing?” His face still twisted in a smile as he pulled away, hopeful he was right. 

You nodded, hiding your excitement behind a muted smile that quickly turned into an open grin as he thrillingly threw you over his shoulder. Letting out a few cheers, he twirled you around as you laughed with a bit of nerves as the twirling continued. 

“Rooster put me down!” It was spoken through your laughs and the occasional grip around his body to make sure he didn’t drop you. He listened, placing you down but it didn’t stop him from whirling you around and bringing you close to him, against his bare chest. 

“This what weekdays as a Top Gun Fighter Pilot look like?” You were now wrapped in his arms, looking up at him dropping your head to the right where the crew continued to play football. 

“Team building.” 

It was all the explanation you needed. “Go team build then, I’ll spend some time with Penny.” You were untangling from his arms until he caught your hand for a brief moment and pulled you closer to him in one swift motion and chuckled as he caught you against his chest. Placing one more kiss to your lips, this time deeper than the first letting his tongue move around your bottom lip, his hand was still grasping yours closer to him not wanting to let you go anywhere. 

You hadn’t known Bradley long, at this point it maybe was a week and a half, but what he said that night of your first real date was true. Things move fast when you’re on base. Days felt like weeks in some cases. It helped that every free moment he had, he’d share it with you. If he wasn’t on base training, he’d be at your place or at The Hard Deck with you. Now, you weren’t a stranger to dating. There was a fair share of relationships in your past. A couple serious ones that ended for one reason or another, a few more shorter ones that didn’t go past a few months, and a few more than that when it came to first dates and one night stands, but nothing felt like this. So simple. 

There was also the fact of the matter that you hadn’t been in any of those situations since your father died. It was probably why Mickey was so hesitant to play any typical protective older brother role once he found out about you two.  But Bradley was different. You just felt different around him. 

“For good luck.” He whispered in your ear after he kissed you. 

You picked back up where you left off with Penny, your conversation continued with little lulls and many laughs. It wasn’t always deep, she would tell you stories about Amelia, then about some of her favorite patrons of the bar. Currently, she was talking about how many people leave their phones on the bar when one of the culprits of just that came up to the table. 

“Sorry to interrupt, ladies.” An older, tall, dark-haired gentleman was approaching from the game as he placed his shirt back on. As he got closer, you realized you recognized him, you couldn’t put your finger on where exactly but you knew it probably had to do with your father. There had been quite literally thousands of naval pilots you had met over the years in passing. As he got closer, Penny introduced you to the man, letting you know he was the instructor for the team at Top Gun School. He leaned over to shake your hand, hearing his name–Pete Mitchell, sparked a little bit of your memory. 

“Captain.” Is how you greeted him back, while you didn’t refer to many of the other pilots by their rank, you were raised to show respect where you felt it was needed and this was one of those moments.  

“Pete, please.” He responded with a warm smile. 

“This is Rooster’s…friend.” Penny trailed off at the end of her sentence, judging by your display of affection before she was well aware you were more than friends but wasn’t going to assume your relationship. Lord knows she wasn’t exactly sure on what hers was at this moment either. 

Pete’s face got a little taken aback, his smile dropped just slightly, something maybe not everyone would notice but you learned to pay attention to little details like that. It’s what made your articles stand out, you’d be able to write a full paragraph based on a sparkle in someone’s eye or in this case sudden drop of a smile. Pocketing that small piece of information, you focused more on the conversation ahead of you with him.

“Where you visiting from?” He was trying to bounce back from his initial reaction all while he sat down next to Penny.

“Kettner Boulevard.” You were waiting for his eyes to widen and they did, you could tell because he lifted his sunglasses up like that was going to make what you said clearer or repeated to him. It was obvious he was searching your face for some familiarity trying to place you like a database running in his mind. Doing him the honor without needing to ask, you laughed and continued to talk. “I grew up here, Mick–Fanboy is my brother.” You pointed over to him. “Ad–”

Pete cut you off, “Admiral Garcia was your father, I’m sorry I didn’t realize. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“I didn’t realize until you said your name.” You tried to make him feel more comfortable, speaking through a curt smile. “You were stationed on the USS John C. Stennis with my dad, right?”

“USS Ranger, actually. We were both on it when it got decommissioned.”

All it took was that one word to be spoken for it to snap into place. “That’s why you look familiar!” It had finally hit you, and your voice was drenched in satisfaction and excitement as you remembered. “You hacked the powerpoint montage at the decommissioning ceremony to show those hilarious videos from the guys on the ship over the years.” 

“Cujo is the one who actually hacked the slideshow, I’m the one that gathered the footage.” He remembered it like it was yesterday. All the white uniforms in the crowd trying to hold in their laughs while the music played through the speakers and videos of crewmates dancing in their bunks or sneaking into the freezer to eat from the tubs of ice cream filled the screen. 

“My dad loved to tell us that story, kept the photo of your group at the ceremony in his office, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile so much, especially after being put on a new assignment.” It was true, every time your father got put on a new assignment, he wasn’t exactly thrilled. It meant figuring things out like how long he’d be away from his family. It’s what made the jump from Lieutenant to Admiral easy for him. 

“That and he decided to make the jump to Admiral that year.” Pete remembered it well, because he was one of the many that had rallied for him to get the promotion. All of that was so long ago, and as it all came back to him, the memories, the years that passed in between, it was then that he realized it was only a handful of years ago that the Admiral had passed. “I was sad to hear of his passing.” It was his way of offering condolences. 

“Yea.” You nodded in agreement. “Thank you.” Your eyes moved to the water, it was hard to look at Penny or Pete, or anyone really, as you thought of your dad. “The service was nice.” 

Pete shook his head, picking up on your change in mood. Penny as well, and she was about to change the subject but Pete jumped in. 

“Are you Mickey’s older sister?” 

That comment brought you back from your thoughts with the widest grin on your face. “You just made my day, Pete.” 

With a confused smirk, he tilted his head looking for some sort of answer from you. 

“I’m the middle child. Mickey’s the oldest and we have a younger brother.” The noise of the pilots who were currently tackling one another in a dogpile called the attention of the table over. Your brother was jumping on top which made you wonder. “How’s Mickey?”

You never got the chance to ask anyone but him about him. And while he wouldn’t lie to you, he also wasn’t one to complain much, he’d tell you about his day when you called, any big plans that the future held. In fact that’s what brought you to come home when you did, while things lined up perfectly with your contract at The Washington Post being up, knowing your brother was going to be on base for a bit made it more convincing for you to visit. But when it came to this part of his life, being on mission, in training, being one of the best of the best, you didn’t know much. 

“He’s good, balanced–level headed as hell. Sometimes, you can tell when one of the guys is waiting for the other shoe to drop, you can see their anticipation, but not Mickey. He’s ready for whatever direction the shoe is dropping. Sometimes he’s even able to catch it.” Now it was Pete’s turn to look out at his team of pilots before turning back to you and shrugging. “Plus he knows his stuff.” Pete grinned at that and you did as well. “If I got a question, I know who to ask.” 

“Sounds like Mickey, they don’t call him Fanboy for nothing. Him and my dad were the same way, every detail embedded into their brains.” 

“He’s a good kid.” Pete nodded. “So how do you know Rooster?” That was the question you could tell he was waiting to ask you when it was appropriate. His face had hardened, just slightly, but again enough for you to notice. 

It was what happened next though, where you really picked up on something. 

“You ready to head out?” Rooster’s voice wasn’t in its usual tone. The straight lipped expression he was sporting and his eagerness to leave was enough in itself to show you there was something big in the air that you weren’t privy to. Not to mention that you hadn’t seen Bradley anything less than content in the time you had known him. 

It took you a minute to respond, trying to rack your brain around whatever situation was brewing here. “Yea, sure.” 

As you grabbed your bag and moved it over your shoulder, you offered a glance over at Pete and Penny. “Thanks for keeping me company.” As you climbed out of the bench, you shot a look over at Pete knowing he was going to love what you said next. “Keep Mickey on his toes, he might seem like he knows it all, but he’s got some pockets in that brain of his.” 

“Long walks on the beach, smooth move, Rooster.” Hangman was calling out to Bradley from only a few feet away as he tossed one of the footballs in the air while you two began to stroll on the coastline. He was one of the last pilots on the beach, everyone else had either gone back to their places near base or made their way into The Hard Deck for a drink, but not Hangman. “Don’t let the tide wash away all your ego, already got you sitting on the sidelines enough, don’t think we can take any more.” 

All Rooster did was raise his hand and flip Hangman off as you two continued to walk along the waterline. 

“Bird from a bird.” It was the last muffled thing Hangman said, or the last audible one at least. 

Now it was just the two of you, occasionally bumping shoulders as the water lightly brushed up your feet, rinsing sand off of them while simultaneously bringing more to them. Neither of you had said anything since he asked if you were ready to head out. Sounds of waves, seagulls, and cars were the only thing filling your ears. But your mind? Well that was filled with a lot. Questions mainly. In the short time you knew Bradley, asking him questions never felt as hard as it did in this moment so you spent the silent minutes passing convincing yourself to say it. 

“What’s the deal with you two?”

“Hangman? We’ve been at each other’s necks since The Academy. Just your usual nice guy vs. dickhead story.” That usual smile was on his face as he joked but you knew it wouldn’t stay there long with what you were really looking for an answer for. 

“I told you, I don’t want to talk about Hangman.” You served the comment with a side of a smile, to let him know you weren’t trying to be rude. It was something you said to him the first night you met, and you still meant it. 

It worked because he smirked from the side of his mouth before frowning and asking you what you meant then. 

“Pete.” 

It was one word. Four letters. But you would have thought you spoke a plethora of uncivilized and vulgar comments with how his face tightened, his jaw bones clenched, his chest tensed, all while his eyes did what yours did whenever you remembered anything surrounding the thought of losing your father–danced. They’d dance around looking for something to stare at, something to focus your energy on instead of the thought. 

Without thinking, you moved your hand into his, intertwining your fingers and leaning your body into his. It could have backfired, you had been in this situation plenty of times where you didn’t want to be touched, the feelings of heavy memories weighing you down enough that you didn’t need the weight of anyone else on you. But you’d also had be in the situation where all you needed was someone to grab you, pull you out of the mess that was your mind. You’d hope that this was that sort of moment. 

Rooster looked at you, something that he found extremely hard to do at that moment. It was always hard to look at someone when he was running through each thought about Maverick, about his father. The memories. And the thing was, they weren’t all bad, a lot of them were even good. But that was the thing, not only did those few bad ones sit a little more fresh and a little clearer than the good ones did– but the good ones almost felt like a reminder of them too. It’s why he’d always look away when someone mentioned it. Find his eyes searching around for something that would be on his side. Another reason it was so hard to be looking into your eyes right now, because he knew you would be on his side but your eyes also spoke forgiveness, the one things he was not ready for. But behind that, he saw someone who was just looking for answers to who he really was, which is what allowed him to open up, just a little bit. 

“He pulled my papers at The Academy.” 

You hated to follow it up with another question, but there wasn’t really room for any other words. “Why?” 

There were those dancing eyes again. Why. That was the weighted question. One that was too much Bradley. 

“You seemed to know him, with how you were talking with Penny and him earlier.” He didn’t let go of your hand, which was enough for you to know that while he didn’t want to answer your question, he wasn’t pushing you away either. Despite him not really asking you something specifically, you knew the information he was looking for. 

“Pete knew my dad. They were stationed on the USS Ranger together back in the 90s.” 

Rooster nodded at that, his jaw still clenched tightly again. 

You stopped walking, your hands intertwined is what pulled Rooster’s focus back onto you as his body turned back to see what you had stopped for. His eyes were scanning you up and down for an answer, searching your body for an injury or your face for some information. 

“I have to tell you something–well, want to tell you something.” 

“What’s up?” His jaw had loosened, the look of concern now filling his face as he searched your eyes for any hint to what you meant. 

You could have warmed him up to what you were going to say. Started out slow, explained the story in full, but something in you wouldn’t let you. Maybe it was because the story was hard to tell, with everything you knew now, the weight of all you knew before was heavier, harder to sift through. 

“I’m adopted.” 

His immediate reaction was on his face, a small twitch of his right cheek bone as his eyebrows moved together as the words processed in his brain. 

“That’s–that feels like a big deal.” 

Your lips curved slightly at that and your head barely moved in acknowledgement of it. 

“I just mean–that I’m surprised I didn’t know before.” He wasn’t mad, at all. He was racking his brain around it. 

Being adopted was something you recently felt sat differently with you than before. Now over the last few years as you grieved the loss of your dad, things just were different. There was a disconnect and you hated it. Hated to think of the detachment you felt. It started out as anger, searching for something that kept coming up short. You cried, a lot. Pushed people away. You remember when you showed up at your little brother’s doorstep out in Nevada, you didn’t call, hadn’t reached out in months, but you went there because he was the one that never pushed. Mickey called, alot. He was a problem solver. Griffin, he was an understander. You sobbed to him, told him what you thought, what you felt. How you didn’t feel like a Garcia anymore, you didn’t feel like you were able to keep your father close to you anymore. Then you buried all of it. Because it was too hard to revisit. 

You sat down in the sand, tapping the spot next to you for him to join you. Obliging, he plopped down, his eyes still on you waiting for you to talk while you looked out at the horizon. There were only a few minutes left of golden hour, and you felt the same ticking clock against the words you wanted to share which is why after a large exhale, you spoke before you talked yourself out of it. “I was 5 when I got adopted. Don’t remember too much before that besides jumping from a couple shitty homes for a bit. But that’s never really been the hard part for me–it’s now.” 

This was the most attention you had given these feelings in a while and suddenly it felt so easy to just let them out. 

“I don’t feel as connected to the family anymore–my dad especially. These last few years have just been coasting along this fuckin’ numbness. Mickey– he has,” you pointed to the sky and towards the base, “this.” Shaking your head you continued, “he’s Admiral Garcia’s son, you know? He gets to keep him close with that. Honor him with that.  My little brother, he’s Trainer Garcia’s son, got his own business out in Nevada training dogs. His love for it comes from everything my dad showed us.” Another head shake as you felt the tears starting to swell in your eyes you blinked a couple times and looked away, wiping them clean and free from your face paired with a couple muttered euphemisms as you tried to get out the hardest thought of all. “And me? I thought I had that. When he was alive, I felt so fucking connected. Not a single fucking doubt or anything you hear about kids who were adopted wondering about their biological parents or what their life could have been. I felt like I belonged. Like this was what was meant for me.” You swallowed and it tasted like salt water which meant the tears you wiped away before were letting loose on your face despite your previous efforts. “And then he died. And my whole fucking world crashed.” Those words were spoken at a higher octave as they rushed out in between a subtle cry. “I felt like I had nothing left of him here. Mickey had the Navy, Griffin had his business, and I had nothing.” 

You took a minute to take a deep breath, wiping your tears away and pushing all that feeling back where it came from. Rooster looked like he wanted to swoop in and hold you, like he could take the reason for your tears and strangle them until there was no chance they could come back and haunt you. His eyes though, they looked knowing. Like he knew the profound impact losing someone so close to you could do, and that even though he’d never understand the exact burden you faced, he wished he could take all the pain away from you and keep it for himself instead. 

Bradley was about to open his mouth to say something but in your effort of trying to mask it, you cut him off with a quick laugh. “I know I don’t have nothing, I’m not an idiot.” You smiled at that to let him know you weren’t completely woe is me right now. “I just mean, it’s why it’s hard coming around to writing this book. I’ve realized that I have this story–my story. And I don’t want it to be over.” 

“And if you write it, it’ll be over.” Bradley began to fully grasp the big picture and the gravity of what you were saying. It was honestly the best thing he could have said at that moment. You didn’t want pity, condolences or sorrow, you wanted someone to simply get it. 

“And when it’s over, I’ll be back in this limbo.” A mindless shrug came from your left shoulder because that was the end of it. The end of your unpacking. 

“Will you, though?” 

Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe that’s where you always ended it. Feeling like you hit a wall when there was just a few more bricks to tear down before there was more to think about. Rooster questioning you wasn’t something you weren’t expecting. It was proof that you were still learning things about him.

“I hear you–totally hear you, but it doesn’t have to be this whole once you finish the story stops. If anything I think it gives it a place to live, it gives it this bigger purpose.” 

Bigger purpose. Wasn’t that what you were looking for this whole time? Between this and what Penny said earlier, you felt like today opened up a whole different viewpoint for you.

It was then that you were looking at him with this look–a new one for both of you but especially Rooster. It was one he couldn’t read off the bat and was squinting as he tried to search for some hint. 

“Who are you?” It was a joke, clearly you took his words to heart, opening your mind to new thoughts and perspectives. This was the second time in such a short time frame that Rooster managed to do this. He was standing up now, extending his hand out to you in an effort to help you up off the sand. 

“Some call me Bradley.” He tossed his arm over your shoulder once you stood up, bringing you snugged into his embrace, “some call me Bradshaw,” now a quick kiss was being placed on the top of your head as you both started to walk again, “some Rooster,” a modest shrug came from his shoulders as he spoke his call sign, “but all who know me know I am a master of wisdom, an enlightened mind, some might even say philosophical guru.” 

It was impossible not to laugh at his words, tucking your arm around his back as you cuddled in more to him, hearing his voice echo against his chest as he continued to boast about his grand sage. 

The silence eventually grew back over the two of you and you could tell that Rooster’s mind was wandering. Something was still hanging in the air and both of you knew it, but one of you was ruminating on it while the other was letting it go. For one of you the sound of the waves was amplifying the words bouncing around the brain while for the other, it was washing away expectation. The seagulls calls were poking at one of you, begging to speak the words out while for the other, it was a patterned song that drowned out the noise. 

You could tell that for Bradley, it was getting loud in his head because he spoke the words out so urgently. 

“Pete knew my dad, too.” 

Your neck snapped up to look at him. That clenched jaw was back and in action as he continued to talk to you, less urgently now and more just sorting through it all. You remembered when you told Rooster you wanted to know everything. How hard it was for him, and it ended up being what made you fall for him. He was this complex guy, who had been through things so similarly to you and was still figuring it out. So that’s what the two of you did as you walked along the California coast. He told you everything. About losing his mom, growing up without his dad, and then he told you about Maverick. Then the two of you just sat in those emotions that you both harbored for so long, and suddenly they didn’t feel so heavy for once. It felt simple. So simple.

Dividers by: @cafekitsune :3 🛫Top Gun Maverick Taglist:  @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @kmc1989 @writing-until-i-drop @jtheteenagewitch @meera10 @winchester-whiskey (let me know if you’d like to be added! I'm using my all writing taglist right now!)

CHAPTER INDEX <- where you can find previous chapters to this fic!

[justabigassnerd]

You Are Still My World

Pairing - Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Mitchell!reader

Word count - 3,310

Warnings - feelings of abandonment, mentions of Carole & Goose, mentions of death, angst

Summary - 17 years after Bradley took off after your dad pulled his papers, he waltzes right back into your life like nothing ever happened

A/N - hey y'all! sorry it's been a minute since I last uploaded a fic, I was in a slump and y'all's lovely comments managed to bring me out of it. this was an anon request that I hope I did justice because the idea was so cool. As per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

As you grew up, the adults that surrounded you always joked that you and Bradley Bradshaw were joined at the hip. Where one of you was, the other would not be far behind. You were the best of friends and you adored Bradley. He was a couple of years older than you but didn’t let it bother him even when people teased him for hanging out with someone who wasn’t in his grade at school and he always bit back, defending you wholeheartedly. Bradley was such a staple in your life that you couldn’t imagine life without him.

Until one day, everything changed.

Your dad, Pete Mitchell, better known as Maverick, pulled Bradley’s papers to the naval academy. You had no idea that he did it until a year after Bradley stopped talking to you. You had seen him on your way to school and waved at him but he just rolled his eyes and continued on his run, making your heart shatter in your chest. You had just been talking with him yesterday, helping him navigate the recent loss of his mother and now he wanted nothing to do with you? Worry and confusion ate away at you the whole school day, since Bradley had just graduated that summer you couldn’t corner him at lunch to get an answer out of him. You now instead had to wait until you could head around to see him at his house. As the day progressed you couldn’t help but wonder if it was just part of his grieving process. You knew anger was one of the five stages when it came to processing grief so maybe he was in that stage and just taking it out on you. Then your thoughts started to shift into more negative ones, and you started to wonder if you did something to upset him the last time you saw him. You replayed every word of the last conversation you had with Bradley and thought about whether anything you said could’ve come across as rude or upsetting to him and you just didn’t know. The second school was over you couldn’t have gotten out of the building any faster and you headed to Bradley’s house, stopping on the path when you noticed that his beautiful blue Bronco was missing from the driveway, indicating to you that Bradley wasn’t home. You chose to bite the bullet and head back home, hoping your dad might have some answers to your questions.

“Hey dad, do you know if I did something to upset Bradley? I saw him on my way to school this morning and he completely blanked me.” You asked as you ate dinner, you had your focus on your plate as you cut up your food so you missed how your dad tensed up at your question.

“No sweetheart, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Maverick replied, smiling softly over at you as he took a sip from his beer bottle as the angry words Bradley had yelled at him earlier echoed in his head repeatedly.

“You sure?” You ask timidly, wanting to know if there was anything you might’ve done that you didn’t notice but your dad did.

“Positive. Give him a little space, I’m sure he’ll come back before the week is up.” He said, his smile warm and encouraging as you nodded and continued to eat your dinner.

You would not speak another word to Bradley Bradshaw until almost twenty years later.

You didn’t follow in your father’s footsteps when you grew up. You instead became an elementary school teacher and found yourself living in San Diego, mere minutes away from Top Gun. You spent most of your childhood growing up in this area so it felt like returning home after coming back after a few years at college and then teaching in Vermont. You had found yourself missing California more than you cared to admit and when you found out about a teaching job at the elementary school near the naval base you knew you had to move back. You figured that not only would it be nice to come back to the place you called home, but since you were a military kid too, you could help the young children with parents in the navy when their parents went away on deployments. You got the job and moved back to San Diego with a smile on your face.

A few months after you got settled into your new job and your new house, you got a call from your dad, telling you that he had been called back to Top Gun to teach a bunch of Top Gun graduates how to fly a mission. You had offered to let him stay with you when he told you but he declined your offer, telling you that he already had quarters to live in but he promised he’d be visiting often. It was nice to have your dad back in town again, he’d been away on a fair few deployments recently so you enjoyed having him around again, and the fact he wouldn’t be flying the mission put you at ease slightly because, from the way he described it, this mission was one of the most dangerous ones he would’ve flown.

What Maverick didn’t tell you, was that Bradley was one of the Top Gun graduates who was a candidate for the mission. He knew that despite how much you tried to hide it behind your anger, you were still hurt by Bradley leaving and cutting you out of his life. And he knew that you still loved and cared for Bradley, and you would hate to hear that he would potentially be putting his life at risk if he was chosen for this mission.

A month after the uranium mission had been completed and Maverick and Bradley had repaired their relationship, you bumped into Bradley again for the first time in seventeen years. Dagger Squadron was now a permanent fixture in San Diego with Maverick staying too, not only for his team but because he reconnected with Penny and started going out again. It was nice to have your dad around permanently, and seeing how happy he was with Penny made you happy too.

You were in the shop when you bumped into Bradley again. You were browsing the aisles, searching for new stationery for your classroom since your spare pens never seemed to return when you lent the pens to your students after they realised, they had lost their own pens. You grabbed a large pack of ballpoint pens and turned around where you quickly collided with another body.

“Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to.” You apologised quickly, steadying yourself as the person you bumped into chuckled.

“No harm done.” Your heart plummeted at that all-too-familiar voice. You lifted your head to see those honey-coloured eyes you had loved so much growing up. Bradley had grown significantly since you last saw him, he’d filled out with muscles, his broad shoulders showing through the Hawaiian shirt he was wearing, evidence to you that he’d inherited his dad’s sense of style. He was now sporting a moustache that reminded you of Goose’s. As you stared at him you couldn’t stop thinking about how much you had missed him and how much of his life you had missed. But those feelings were overtaken by the anger you still held deep down at his abandonment of you. Before Bradley could say anything more, you turned on your heels and retreated, leaving Bradley standing in the middle of the stationary aisle with a confused expression. Bradley did a full sweep of the shop in the hopes he’d find you and be able to talk to you but you had left. Bradley had called Maverick on his way out of the shop, asking why he didn’t tell him that you were in town and why you were ignoring him. Maverick chose to tell Bradley that he wasn’t getting involved, that if he really wanted an answer then he had to talk to you himself. Bradley couldn’t help but groan as he hung up the phone with Maverick, knowing you’d seemingly rather talk to a pack of rabid wolves than talk to him with the way you hightailed it out of the shop. Bradley didn’t know why you were refusing to talk to him, he could’ve sworn the last time he spoke to you everything was okay between the two of you. Yes, he could admit that it had been a while since you last spoke with him but he only avoided talking to you because he was so angry at Maverick that he didn’t want to take anything out on you, and then he moved away to college before reapplying to the naval academy again. Bradley headed home, plotting ways to approach you and get you to talk to him.

After seeing Bradley in the store, you seemed to keep bumping into him everywhere you went. You tried to avoid him, ignoring him calling after you and brushing past him when he attempted to corner you. Every time you did, you felt your heart breaking more and more. You still held so much love in your heart for Bradley and it broke you to walk away from him every time you saw him. But every time you thought about hearing him out, you reminded yourself of the pain you felt when he not only ignored you but moved away without saying a word. You could understand why Bradley had been upset all those years ago, when your dad had told you that he pulled Bradley’s papers you got angry on Bradley’s behalf but soon came to understand your father's reasoning but that didn’t stop you from being at least a little upset that he did it because of the fallout it caused.

After a couple of weeks of you avoiding Bradley, he was reaching his breaking point. He was yearning to have you back in his life after so long without you. He knew he missed you when he left but he didn’t realise the severity of how much he missed you until he saw you again. He eventually figured you weren’t going to talk to him unless he could corner you somewhere. He hated himself for it, but he was growing frustrated with you avoiding him, he was trying to mend the bridge between you, and you were seemingly taking dynamite to the metaphorical bridge and destroying it further. He managed to coerce Maverick into giving him your address. He figured you’d be more comfortable talking to him in the four walls of your house and the worst you could do was slam the door in his face. He decided to wait until a Friday evening, deciding to skip Dagger Squad’s usual get-together at the Hard Deck and instead headed home after training to freshen up before heading to your house. He arrived at your house and walked up towards the house, going over what he wanted to say before he stopped in front of your front door, taking a deep breath before reaching to ring the doorbell.

Your eyebrows furrowed when you heard the ring of your doorbell. Your dad always called or texted before he came around, Penny too. You hadn’t invited anyone around nor had you ordered any food to be delivered, although you were sat on the sofa of your house staring at the takeaway pizza menu. Figuring it was one of your teaching assistants, swinging by to run something by you or check something with you before the weekend officially began, you dragged yourself off the sofa and towards the front door, pulling it open to reveal Bradley on the other side. Your face dropped at the sight of him and you went to close the door but he was quick to brace his hand on the door and prevent it from closing. Despite how much effort you were putting into closing the door, Bradley had more muscle than you and had a much easier time keeping the door open than you were having trying to close the door.

“y/n, please talk to me.” Bradley pleads, his eyes full of concern and sorrow as he stared at you.

“I don’t want to talk to you.” You say firmly, attempting to close the door once more but when he continues to hold the door open you give up, sighing heavily and stalking back towards the living room with Bradley hot on your heels after closing your front door behind him.

“y/n, I’ve been back in San Diego for a couple of months now and you’ve not spoken a word to me since I bumped into you in that shop. I tried to speak to Mav about why you’ve been avoiding me but he won’t tell me so I’ve been trying to talk to you so I can find out what’s going on here because last time we spoke-”

“Was almost twenty years ago Bradley.” You say, a sharp tone to your voice as you turn to face him, folding your arms over your chest as you stare at him.

“I don’t understand. I had to do what I could to get back into the naval academy after your dad pulled my papers. You know he did that, right?” Bradley counters, wanting you to understand why he did what he did.

“He told me a year after you left. I understand why you felt you had to do that but you didn’t need to cut me out like that. Like I meant nothing to you. Who am I kidding? Maybe I was nothing to you.” You scoff, turning away from Bradley when you feel the tears pricking at your eyes.

“y/n…” Bradley starts, aching to reach out and pull you into his arms but held himself back, knowing that was the last thing you wanted him to do.

“You never meant nothing to me.” He manages to continue, watching your movements carefully, seeing how you were fighting to keep the tears back and he silently hated himself for being the cause of them.

“Oh really? Sure felt like I did.” You mutter angrily, turning to walk into the kitchen with Bradley following behind like a lost puppy.

“You know, you meant the world to me. I loved you so much. Still do love you so much, more than I probably should. Growing up you were my best friend, the one person I wanted to spend my time with and you just left without so much as a goodbye. The last time I ever saw you before you left, you rolled your eyes at me when I tried to say hi. I spent a year of my life thinking I had done or said something that drove you off. Dad only told me what he did because he watched me blame myself for a year. Bradley, you broke my heart. But as much as I want to hate you, I can’t. Every single bit of anger I had towards you is gone because seeing you after so long reminded me of how much I love you and how much I missed you while you were gone.” You say, tears finally rolling down your cheeks at your confession and you saw as Bradley’s face softened at your words.

“y/n. I’ve been a shitty friend, I know that. I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I certainly don’t deserve your love, especially after what I put you through. You were never the cause of why I stopped talking to you. I was a coward. I was scared that because of how angry I was at Mav I was going to take it out on you too. I know now that I should’ve just talked to you but by the time I realised that what I was doing was stupid, the damage had already been done and I was packing my stuff to go to college. I should’ve reached out to you and talked to you way before now because you deserved to know the truth. Don’t ever say I didn’t care about you because I did. I still do. You are still my world. I couldn’t stop thinking about you since I moved away. I thought I’d never get to see you again. That I’d never get to tell you just how much I loved you, because it’s a lot. I am so sorry y/n.” Bradley’s words make you look up at him, his now teary eyes locking with yours. Every memory you had with Bradley flashed through your mind. Memories of spending hours at the beach together. Memories of how he protected you fearlessly when people picked on you. You were seeing your Bradley again in front of you. You took a step towards him and wrapped your arms around his torso, squeezing him tight. Bradley let out a shuddering breath at the hug before gingerly wrapping his arms around you, tugging you a little closer when you show no indication of letting go any time soon. Bradley then dips his head into the crook of your neck and allows his pent-up tears to fall.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry y/n.” He mutters over and over again. His voice muffled by the soft material of your shirt.

“It’s okay, Bradley.” You mumble, one of your hands reaching up to run through his hair to try and calm him down. Once both you and Bradley had calmed down, you moved to sit on the sofa and you could tell from his expression that he wanted to talk about the massive elephant in the room. Both you and Bradley had just confessed your feelings for each other.

“So, we just admitted we loved each other, huh?” You say quietly, laughing lightly at yourself as you look up at Bradley. You had kept your love for him a closely guarded secret, kept behind walls in the confines of your heart but the second you were alone in your house with him, your walls came crumbling down and you poured your heart out to him.

“We did yes. I meant it. I’ve loved you as more than a friend since we were teenagers. But I totally understand if you want nothing to do with me after what I did to you.” Bradley says, gaze lowering in shame as he speaks.

“I meant it in that way too. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever say it to your face but here we are.” You chuckle weakly, lifting your hand to cup his chin so you could direct him to be looking at you instead of at the floor.

“Can I kiss you?” Bradley asks suddenly, his eyes widening when he realises what he said. As he opened his mouth to apologise and backtrack, you pressed your lips to his, pulling him impossibly closer as he reciprocates the kiss. When you pull apart, you press your forehead to his, lips mere inches apart as you grin happily at each other.

“I’ve been waiting seventeen years for you to ask me that question.” You tease as Bradley’s grin grows playful.

“Well, I guess we’ve got a lot to catch up on then.” Bradley says playfully, pulling you towards him as he falls back along the sofa, you lying on top of him in a giggling heap. You cuddle into him instantly as his arms remain firmly wrapped around you. Bradley’s arms felt like home. Like nothing could harm you and you were safe from whatever the outside world could throw at you. As you cuddled into Bradley’s chest, he smiled to himself as he tightened his grip slightly. His world was back in his life and this time he wasn’t ever going to leave you again.

[sunlightmurdock]

The Parent Trap | 0.4 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist

♡ In which, after a couple of years of listening to Peyton and Parker Bradshaw complain about their parents’ custody agreement, Grandpa Mav’s meddling goes a little bit too far.

♡ warnings: mentions of divorce throughout the fic, flashbacks to arguments and unhappily married people. Idiots who still love each other and don’t know it, drinking / being drunk, flashbacks and references to sex, minors dni, wc: 4.8k

…

“I’m not being mean, I just think he smells weird,” Parker decides with a shrug, moving the little silver dog six spaces and narrowly missing her sister’s monopoly of hotels on the right side of the board. She lifts her gaze and looks at you, just daring you to challenge her logic. “It’s not mean if I’m just saying what I think.”

Peyton’s lips twitch as she shakes the dice in her hand, but she doesn’t add any commentary this time. You narrow your eyes across at your outspoken daughter, finding so much of your ex-husband in the amusedly defiant way she stares back at you.

“What does he smell like, then, Parks?” You challenge.

“Wood.” She answers with a shrug as her sister rolls a solid twelve and picks up the thimble to skip along the board in front of her. Peyton pokes her tongue out in concentration, like it’ll do anything to prevent her solid twelve from landing her right on the Go To Jail space. She growls in frustration and falls back dramatically onto the carpeted floor. She has spent most of this round in jail. You’re beginning to feel sorry for her, but it’s hard when she has some of the best properties and a business strategy that should probably concern you as a parent.

“Well, he is a carpenter.” You remind her, picking the dice up and shaking them in your hand. With that, the man in question rounds the corner with two glasses and two juice boxes balancing in his hands and a smile plastered across his face. This is now the fourth time that Chris has met your children, the first being a month ago.

He seems to be growing on them if Parker is actively trying not to be mean this time. You still haven’t gotten your girls to ‘fess up as to which one of them buried his phone in the backyard like a wild dog. Like you wouldn’t notice when your hydrangeas started ringing.

“Here we go, an apple, an orange, and two coffees.” Chris hands out the drinks and struggles bending his remarkably inflexible legs into a crisis-crossed shape. They made him be the phone piece — you’re certain that it’s to taunt him about the burying incident — but he’s being a champ about it.

Peyton looks down at her drink and hums, “I don’t want apple anymore. I’ll take an orange juice, big guy.”

In the years since you last hung out with Maverick, it’s so easy to miss the little Mitchell-isms working their way into your kids’ vocabulary. Your head whips around, far more concerned with what she said rather than where she got it from. Chris turns his head towards her, opens his mouth and quickly shuts it again, readying himself to get back up. Your eyes widen as you turn to find your eight year old smiling back at you.

“Then go and get an orange juice, P. Don’t be rude.” You correct her with a stern frown. Suddenly, the apple juice isn’t as much of an issue. She stabs the straw through the hole with her eyes narrowed in Chris’ direction, but this is still a big improvement from last time.

This was never going to be easy, but in the weeks since you introduced your girls to your boyfriend, you have to admit that you thought it would be easier than this. You’ve never heard either one of the girls talk about their dad as much as they do when Chris is in the room.

“Dad knows that she prefers orange.”

“Well, she asked Chris for an apple juice and that’s what she got.” It’s hard not to grow tired when you know it must be wearing him down too. You take the dice and drop them suddenly into Chris’ toughened palm. He softens in comparison, simply smiling back at you.

“So, did you guys get up to anything fun when you were at your dad’s last weekend?” He tries. If they want to talk about their dad, he doesn’t mind — he gets it. It makes you feel even worse.

“Yeah.” Payton deadpans, staring across at him like dirt on her shoe. “What did you two do while we were gone?”

Your head turns towards her again. Chris answers coolly.

“Your Mom sold that new dress she was working on. Cool, right? — We went out to dinner to celebrate that. Other than that, it’s pretty quiet around here without you guys.”

He’s looking at the board, busy moving his piece. He doesn’t know your children the way that you do. He misses entirely the split-second in which they glance across at each other. They find you narrowing your eyes at them.

At once, they’re saved by your ringtone. Another glance is shared between the two of them as you push up from the floor and head for the hallway to answer your call. In your absence, Chris’ piece lands on Peyton’s Park Row property, with the hotel sitting on top.

His brown eyes flicker up to find the eight-year old staring at him expectantly.

“You know the rules. Cough up.” She demands, in a tone she knows she isn’t allowed to be talking in. By the look on their little faces, Chris almost instinctively reaches for his real wallet rather than the colourful little notes sitting beside him.

When you walk back into the room, the first thing that you notice is the silence. Looking between the twins and your boyfriend, your frown deepens. “What’s going on?”

“Chris lost. He’s out of money.” Peyton explains calmly, flicking through her stack of ones like she’s Vito Corleone all of a sudden. Chris turns to look at you and simply wiggles his eyebrows, giving a shrug of defeat as he moves to stand.

As much as you find reflections of your ex-husband in them every day, it tugs at your heartstrings to see pieces of yourself in them too.

“You okay?” He asks, cupping the back of your neck, craning his neck to look at your face. Your palm catches his arm, sitting against his bicep as he pulls you closer.

Parker kicks her sister and they both turn their heads to watch.

You lower your voice to a whisper, fighting to keep the disappointment off of your face. “Yeah… The sitter just canceled.”

“Oh.” He sighs. You’ve been talking about this night for weeks, it’s not often that you get to go out with your friends now that you’ve all got grown-up commitments. “D’you think Bradley could watch them?”

“He’s out of town for a work thing.” You explain dejectedly, leaning in to Chris’ touch as he swipes your hair delicately back from your face.

Watching him hold you close, Parker starts to consider burying his phone once again. Or dropping it in the toilet. Or maybe pouring honey into his work boots that she saw by the front door.

Or maybe, if she was staying true to the source material, she could get him on a camping trip and push his mattress out into the middle of the lake. But he’s bigger than Meredith Blake was, and she’s smaller than Hallie Parker was.

The honey will do.

“I’ll watch ‘em.”

Bradley was out of town on a work thing. He was gone from Tuesday ‘til Friday, he told you that. He got in a little after nine and thought about having a beer, but didn’t. Instead, he just sat on his couch and tried to find a show that would keep him up long enough that he wouldn’t wake up at five in the morning.

He woke up at 1am, his neck stiff and the show two episodes ahead of where he thought it should be. Groaning, he had pushed himself off of the couch and decided to head to bed when he had gotten the text.

The conversation he had with Parker last weekend crossed his mind instantly. They had spent hours talking about fate; what is was, if they believed in it. If Bradley hadn’t startled himself awake by snoring, he would have missed the text completely.

He slipped his phone out of the pocket of his jeans with one hand, rubbing at his tired shoulder muscle with the other, squinting down at the bright screen.

Please pick me up from the Hard Deck when you see this.

He hasn’t ever made you ask twice.

Chris offering to watch the girls had come completely out of left field. It had almost caused a full-blown argument, but that man just seems impossible to get angry with. Stroking your hair and calming each one of your nerves step by step, he swore to you that he just wanted you to have a good time, that he could handle two little girls.

Bribing them was clearly the only way this was going to work, and it seemed like Chris had that in the bag. Emergency numbers set up and ready, allergy information written on the fridge and a borderline military debrief with your twins had left you practically trembling with anxiety, but had gotten you out of the house nonetheless.

You hadn’t planned on getting this drunk. The plan was to go, have a couple of drinks with your friends, and Uber home after a couple of hours. It never works out that way.

In fact, you can barely keep your head up straight when you hear one of your friends call out over the music. “Is that Rooster?”

Blinking doesn’t help you see straight. The loud music, and the bodies in the way, and the irregular lighting doesn’t help either. You squint and finally find him. Wearing jeans and a tight fitting black t-shirt, heading straight for you.

When you squint harder, you expect to realize that it’s not him.

“Rooster!” The second that he reaches you, your arms are around his neck and your chest is pressing into his. You haven’t hugged your ex-husband like this in a long time. “What are you doing here?”

He wrinkles his nose, untangling your arms from around him so that he can get a good look at your face. It’s been a long time since he saw you this dressed up. Hair, make-up, heels. The dress looks familiar but he can’t quite place it.

“You texted me.” He watches your eyelids falling shut, blinking heavily and irregularly as he explains to you. He steadies you by your arms. “You wanna go home?”

There’s a disgruntled groaning sound before you try to look around at your friends. At this point, Rooster makes an effort to be polite and greet them all. After all, they were his friends too, once. They’re all as shitfaced as you.

“Come on, mama. I’ll take you home,” He decides for you, hugging you against him like your own feet aren’t secure enough for his tastes anymore. You fall all too willingly against his chest, your cheek pressing into the fabric of his shirt while he tries to keep the attention of your friends. “Does anyone else need a ride?”

Maybe they do, maybe they don’t — maybe their own husbands will get up and come get them. Rooster won’t leave them without knowing they’ve got a way home, so you know that once you feel the outside chill on your skin he must have made arrangements for them.

He sighs quietly and jerks you as he tries to get a better grasp. Outside, you can finally hear him properly.

“Honey, you need to walk. Use your feet.” He tells you, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. Your head is lulled against the swell of his shoulder, you haven’t moved your feet since he grabbed you, and yet you’re moving towards the car perfectly fine.

Everything is happening in chapters. You’re skipping ahead and losing parts, not paying attention to much. Things aren’t spinning yet, but they sure are blurry. You manage to talk back anyway.

“I don’t.” You answer, head turned towards the sky. It occurs to you, briefly, that you’re going to be horrifically embarrassed about this tomorrow. Your feet try, then trip, and his hold on you tightens.

“What did you drink? — You alright?” His arm around your waist pulls you closer, your head lulling off of his shoulder and awkwardly onto his moving chest. You hum contentedly.

“I had a good time.” You whisper.

He sighs something about you throwing up in his car and you’re faintly aware of the sound of a car door unlocking.

“C’mere, honey. Just sit right there. I’ve got some water. You wanna sit and get some fresh air with me?” Maybe there are pauses in between — maybe he says it all slower than that, but you can’t really focus. Or open your eyes.

You know that he has guided you to sit against the tailgate of the Bronco because of the way your feet dangle. As a mother, you hate this car. As a girl who fell in love with Bradley Bradshaw — fuck, you love this car.

“Wanna drink somethin’ for me?” Rooster offers the bottle to your mouth and winces as you draw your head sharply away from it. He grabs your shoulders and stops you from teetering over.

You’re not sure how, but you settle into his side and find that his arm remains there. Draped around your shoulders as you rest your head against him.

It takes a while, but Rooster gets you to drink. It’s anyone’s guess as to how long you sit on that tailgate sipping from that water bottle, but his arm around your shoulder feels nice anyway — even if he’s just rubbing your back because he thinks you’re going to puke.

When things start to come around a little more, you’re laying across the two backseats and hugging the water bottle like a teddy bear. Your head is spinning.

“You alright back there?” Rooster calls to you, making you frown slightly and lift your head. Passing by traffic lights and street signs, the world turned on its axis as you try to push yourself up and ultimately give in to staying laid down.

He’s really here. Some way or another, you really forced this man to carry you out of the bar and spend his Friday night babying you. You want to know if you called, or texted, or if he was just in the bar and saw you — you thought he was away for work — but that’s all too embarrassing still.

Your mind is too cloudy for that level of conversation, your words still don’t sound quite right.

“You even didn’t question it.” Your body sways as he pulls to a stop at a red light, your focal point on the soft top of the Bronco swaying with you and kickstarting that dizziness all over again. With a swallow, you close your eyes. The swaying continues like the leather seats below you are actually built into a speedboat as opposed to a seventies classic car.

“Did you put that seatbelt on yet?” His dad-voice comes from the front. Eyes still shut, this makes you smile. You don’t even remember him telling you to. He peers at you through the rear view mirror. “Question what?”

All you offer him is a small shrug, not interested in a seatbelt in the slightest in your current state. This next sentence requires a deep inhale first, but is interrupted by a hiccup. “I text you out of the blue and you just… show up. Didn’t even check to see if it was for you.”

Bradley bites at the inside of his cheek, brows drawing together as the light turns green and another check towards the mirror confirms that you still aren’t wearing a seatbelt. He huffs and the car pulls sharply to the side, making you groan in complaint.

The radio plays on as Bradley stops at the side of the road and unclips his own seatbelt, then gets out of the car. Your poor brain hasn’t even had time to catch up before he’s pulling the door open and half-climbing in. You blink as he appears over you.

With the door still open, he’s just illuminated by the street light. His eyes have always looked so soft in the dark. The slight pout of his lips, the sharpness of his jaw, the bump in his nose. He’d started out with the most innocent of intentions, but as he leans over you across the backseat, it becomes clear that you’re both struck by the same abrupt chord of familiarity.

This is far from the first time that the two of you have been in this position. In fact, this is exactly how things started out the first night you hooked up.

He swallows above you. There’s a wonderstruck look on your face that makes his ears burn red. Your eyes search over his face and with each inch they cover, he watches them flood with remembrance. Warm pink spreads across his cheek, extending down his chest. It makes your lips twitch to think you can still get him to blush.

“Come on, sit up.” Bradley whispers, gently taking each of your hands in his and pulling you upright. “Let’s put your seatbelt on.”

Silently, you don’t fight him on the matter and Bradley knows that’s a win in itself. It’s not the first time he’s had to wrangle you into this car after a few drinks either. Your eyes are just on him, and he swears that’s where the heat on his face is coming from. His fingers fumble to get the buckle into the clasp.

The second that he hears that click, he’s withdrawing from the backseat and climbing back into the driver’s side. You stare at the rear view mirror as he pulls away from the curb. In truth, you had forgotten how gentle he could be with you.

“Thank you.”

He glances up at the mirror, then back at the road.

“Thanks for picking me up. Sorry that I’m…” The pause facilitates a deep inhale that stops you from hiccuping mid-sentence. He watches you sheepishly ready yourself to continue. “Such a mess.”

This, makes him smile. It spreads across his face just as easily as the pink hue had, taking over his features.

“Honey, we both know I’ve seen worse.” Oh god, he remembers. He said it so casually too, like he’s reminiscing on a fond memory. The memory isn’t quite as fond for you, but then again, you don’t remember too much of it. He used to always tease you about it.

The night you met him was your twenty-first birthday, and you were flirting all night, but then you had gotten way too drunk and he had to carry you home — with you fighting him the whole way. He called you alley-cat for two months afterwards. Your feral behaviour had clearly caught his eye, though, because he started hanging around the Hard Deck a lot more afterwards.

Things hadn’t ever seemed that serious in the Hard Deck. Everything was easier back then. The career you have now is exactly what you wanted, but you can’t pretend that some days you wouldn’t rather have a handsome aviator leaning over a bar and telling you jokes to make your shift pass faster.

He takes one more look up at the mirror and smiles again, this time because he finds you already not trying to smile back at him.

“God, I had such a crush on you that summer.” The second that you’ve said it, you have to stop yourself from slapping a hand over your mouth. Closing your eyes will do. You can feel him staring either way.

It shouldn’t be weird to acknowledge. You were married for over five years. In love for a good while before that. Of course you had a crush on him originally. But it’s at the forefront of both of your minds that it still feels like yesterday that you were sprawled along this backseat, stomach bursting with butterflies as he unbuttoned your shorts for the first time.

The salt on his skin, the smell of his cologne mixed with sunscreen and sweat. The way his curls dry after he’s been in the ocean. The way the sunset hits the browns of his eyes. The freckles on his shoulders, dipping into the valleys between his muscles.

The brush of the same moustache you had been making fun of for months against the most sensitive parts of your skin and with it — the realisation that you actually loved that moustache.

Shivering through the late summer evening heat, whispering his name to the stars as his smart mouth worked between your legs. He drove around with the top down a lot back then.

He remembers everything about getting to know you. Getting taunted relentlessly by Hangman because of the way he blushed when you used to tell him his drink was on the house. Almost falling off of his stool craning his neck to get a better look at you behind the bar. Making sure you were invited to every beach outing. The first time he kissed you, and the way you were looking up at him before.

“Sorry, that was—“

“It’s alright.” He interrupts. When he closes his eyes at the next stop sign, all he can think of is the sight of your wet footsteps leading up the steps on his back porch. You had come from the beach. He had known he was going to find you in his shower inside. It was the first time he had ever come home to you. You were barely dating back then.

He looks at the mirror, wondering if you remember that time in the shower.

You’re not thinking about the shower. Fingers spread out, trailing the seams in the leather, you’re thinking about the last time you had sex in this car. So different from the first time. Bradley had known your body so much better, the two of you were so much more comfortable together.

The girls were with your parents for an entire weekend while the two of you were out of town for the wedding. Before the reception, Bradley had tugged you outside and bunched your pretty dress up around your middle. Closing your eyes and letting your fingers inch across the seats, you can still remember his breath fanning across his chest, the low grunts as he drove himself into you. His arms wrapped around your body, your forehead resting against his bicep and your legs around his waist.

“Rooster.” You rarely call him that anymore. It’s the first name you knew him by, since all of his work buddies called him that. Bradley was something that came letter, something that felt more for just the two of you. The last thing you would say most nights. Goodnight, Bradley. It’s been a long time since you said that, but you know it would feel just the same coming off of your tongue.

He hums from the front seat, but doesn’t look.

“Could I sit up front with you?”

“Yeah, sure— let me—“ Too late. He hears your seatbelt unbuckle and knows what’s coming next. Sure enough, as he’s going at a steady forty along Palm Avenue, you swing one foot unsteadily over the console and wobble in the direction of the passenger side. “Baby—“

It’s out of instinct, purely because you’re stressing him out. You plop down into the passenger seat and turn your head to look at him. Wordlessly, both of you decide to pretend you didn’t hear that.

For his peace of mind, you tug the seatbelt across your body and clip it in.

“We’re in so much trouble if the girls take after you.” He teases, the smile in his voice cutting through the tension. You giggle beside him.

“Me? — Do you not remember what happens when you get too familiar with a bottle of tequila?” You answer back, eyes closed and a silly smile on your face. You remember. You remember having to carry him, practically dead weight, into your bed from the living room and spend the night rubbing his back while he threw up the next morning.

“Yeah, we’re in big trouble.” Rooster scoffs, pushing his fingers through his hair. You stare across at the tattoo on the inside of his bicep as he rests his elbow against the door.

You’re still drunk enough to blame the alcohol when you reach across and take his free hand as he steadies the wheel with the other. His gaze flickers down as you loop your fingers through his. “We weren’t that bad.”

This time he laughs.

“We weren’t? — So you don’t remember—“ He’s still grinning when he stops himself, already turning into your street. You two don’t talk about that stuff anymore. You’ve moved on. Those funny little stories are private now, entirely his. Your boyfriend sure as hell wouldn’t want to hear them.

He looks over at you as he slows down to pull up to the curb.

You’re already looking across, staring at him with a look he hasn’t seen in a long time. The smile that you flash him makes him think of that first year. Then, you close your eyes and exhale, “I remember everything.”

Even with the radio playing, there’s a silence that sits between the two of you as the car pulls to a stop. It’s at that point that everything in your orbit starts to spin, forcing you forwards and making you whimper. Bradley’s already out of the car and jogging around to your side as you catch your head in your hands and try to breathe.

“C’mere, honey. I’ve got you.” He reaches around you to unbuckle you from the car, pulling you out by your underarms and holding you against him as he shuts the door. It’s still not the most graceful procedure, but he’s gotten better at it. You’re not exactly making it easy for him as you wobble back and hit your head on the window.

“Oh shit, are you okay?” He breathes out.

“I wanna go to bed.” You complain, wobbling forwards and this time crashing into his chest. He secures one hand on the back of your head to keep you there, pretending like he isn’t checking whether or not you have a bump. Even now, he can’t seem to turn the dad-reflexes off. You sigh into his shoulder. “Take me to bed.”

His free hand finds your waist and he glances down, finally clocking where he remembers this dress from. You wore it the second night of your honeymoon. He remembers this dress very well — he used to carry a picture of you wearing it in his wallet. He’s ninety-percent sure that the twins were conceived because of this dress.

“Yeah, you’re going to bed, baby. Nearly there.” In truth, by the time he has carried you to the door, Rooster has almost forgotten that you have a boyfriend. He’s expecting the same sweet old lady that you’ve been hiring for years to answer the door. That’s why he makes no effort to peel you off of him.

Rooster stares at Chris, while Chris looks between the two of you. You’re barely awake and clinging to your ex-husband’s shirt, he’s holding you at the waist, keeping you standing. Chris looks barely awake, still fully dressed. Clearly a man who has been waiting to hear from you for hours.

“Is she alright? — What happened?” His reaction is positive. Rooster appreciates that much about him. Still, he can’t stop thinking about what Maverick said. If Chris becomes permanent, Bradley’s entire family becomes his.

“She just had too much to drink, she called me for a ride home. I gave her some water and stuff, but—“ Rooster starts to explain, propping you up and holding you halfway. It’s unclear if he’s supposed to just pass you over. He doesn’t know if this guy even knows where you keep the products you remove your make-up with.

“She called you?” Chris challenges. There it is. There’s the anger that Rooster was waiting for.

“I wouldn’t take it personally. She’s shitfaced. She just needs to get some sleep and—“

“Yeah,” Chris steps one foot outside and reaches for your waist. You fall compliantly towards him, the toe of your shoe dragging along the ground as he tucks your arm over his shoulder and props you up. “I’ve got her. Get home safe.”

Rooster’s face doesn’t give away anything. He’s not immature anymore. He wants you to find someone who can give you, and by default his kids, everything that you could ever need. That’s why he keeps his mouth shut. He can think whatever he wants.

“Sure, yeah. Can I just ask… uh… where’s the sitter?” He was so close to walking away and just getting back in his car, but it’s after two now. If that old lady is still here, she would have made it known. As sweet as she was, she loves to complain.

“I watched the kids.”

Bradley raises his eyebrows at your stone-faced boyfriend. Once again, his face gives away nothing. “You did?”

…

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