#but i always love a good callback 👀

[thedeathdeelers]

you know what i would’ve lost my shit over even more in the Prerfect Proposal of all Time scene? if they’d added a soft “why are you crying? i didn’t make you cry did i?” from sunjae

like..

//

i will (on ao3)

He can feel his heart beating a mile a minute, a lump forming in his throat as he waits for Sol to open her eyes.

He makes his wish, and nervously waits for Sol to make her own.

It’s a miracle she hasn’t noticed his heart thudding loudly against her back, desperately trying to escape his rib cage, nor the slight tremor in his sweaty hands as he carefully holds both of hers in his.

He needed to keep it under control.

Taking a deep breath, Sunjae eases his eyes open, only to then let out a long subtle breath in an attempt to compose himself as he takes a peek at their hands to make sure the petals were still covering the ring.

He’s gotten this far, the last thing he wanted was to have anything ruin the surprise at the very last second, especially not his nerves.

Once certain that the ring was still there and still hidden, he shifts his gaze to Sol, whose eyes were now opening with a smile lighting up her face.

She turns her head up to look at him, her eyes eagerly seeking his — and the second, their eyes meet, everything melts away.

All he can see is her. All he can hear, all he can feel, is Sol.

Nothing else mattered — they had each other, and fate was finally on their side.

And just like that, Sunjae can feel his heartbeat slowing down as it settles into a steady pace, while the shaking in his hands ceases.

All that Sunjae’s left with is excitement — excitement and love.

He lightly squeezes Sol’s hands, an easy smile tilting up the corner of his lips, matching hers.

“So what did you wish for?” She asks, her smile now transforming into a teasing grin, fully expecting him to turn her down, telling her once again that his wish was a secret.

Deep breath.

“Hmmm..” he hums, tilting his head as he tries to memorise every inch of Sol’s face — he wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life.

“I…” He says, trailing off as he lets his eyes slip away from hers and land on the cupped hands in front of them.

Sol, with a slight confused frown forming on her face, follows suit, turning her head-

And then freezes.

He hears her the second she sees the petals flutter away, her breath hitching in her throat when the glittering diamond in her hand catches her eye.

With the sun hitting the precious stone just right, Sunjae could see little rainbows dancing across Sol’s skin.

The ring had found its owner.

Sunjae chastises himself for the sappy thought, then refocuses on the task at hand — tilting his head to catch a glimpse of Sol’s face. A small relieved smile ticks up at the corner of his lips when he sees the genuine surprise on her face.

“S-Sunjae-ah,” she breathes out, head slowly turning back towards him.

Sunjae’s mind blanks for a second, air rushing out of his lungs-

She’s looking up at him, lips parted, rosy-cheeked and eyes shimmering so brightly in the sunlight, they rivalled the shine of the precious stone in her hand.

All while cherry blossom petals were still falling all around them.

It felt like a scene straight out of one of his romantic movies.

Except…infinitely more magical.

All because of the girl in his arms.

She never ceased to take his breath away — and Sunjae had a feeling she never will.

The words he had been struggling with all week, all month, all year — suddenly come to him so easily now.

It was a simple request: he just wanted her to be with him, forever.

And that’s exactly what he tells her.

“Stay with me, by my side, forever, Sol-ah.”

Sol blinks up at him in response, eyes wide as they start welling up with tears.

She lets out an uneven breath as her gaze slowly turns back towards the ring still resting in the palm of their hands, and stares at it as if transfixed.

As if in awe and disbelief that they had finally made it to this point — that fate had finally allowed them this after all the pain they’ve been through — all the pain Sol has been through…for the both of them.

Because that is how Sunjae felt every time he laid his eyes on Sol.

Awe and disbelief.

From where he was standing, Sunjae could see the moment a teardrop finally manages to escape the corner of Sol’s eye, steadily making its way down her cheek.

A familiar sight, except this time he knew the reason behind those tears.

That doesn’t stop him from asking, though.

Leaning down, Sunjae brings his lips closer to Sol’s ear.

“Sol-ah,” he whispers, smiling when he feels her jump at the sudden proximity. “Why are you crying?” He asks, a warm feeling building up in his chest at all the memories linked to that one sentence. “Did I do something to make you cry?”

Sol lets out a surprised watery laugh at his words, sniffling as she continues to stare at the ring in her hands.

“You’re always making me cry,” she finally gets out. “But they’re happy tears,” she adds in a smaller voice.

Sunjae moves to stand in front of her, only letting go for a second before reaching out to clasp both of her hands in his.

“This is where you give me an answer,” he tells her, nodding his head towards the ring.

Sol’s gaze slowly makes its way up to meet his, eyes shining brighter than he’s ever seen them before.

“Yes,” she whispers, nodding as a smile blooms stretching across her face while more tears run down her cheeks.

Sunjae feels his heart pick up pace again in his chest, though this time it had nothing to do with nerves.

“Yes,” she repeats louder. “I will be by your side for the rest of my life.”

//

and scene 🫡

[hey-august]

Helllooo!! Can you do

F, U, C, K, T, H, E, C, L, O, W, N

for the nsfw alphabet? 👀

Ty and have a nice day!! 🩵🩷

OH HECK YES. Thank you for this and I hope you have a fantastic day!! lolol I tried to think of a clever way to answer this, like doing YES PLS or BUGGY, but there are too many fun letters when it's to fuck the clown.

(NSFW Alphabet here)

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Buggy likes to be on bottom. Ride him, pound him, just take care of him. Let him take a break from the spotlight for a moment (even if the show couldn’t go on with out him anyway). Even better when he’s seated. There’s something about the confines of a chair, luxury of a couch, or the power of a throne that gets his dick hard as a diamond.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

It’s accidental at first. Really. All those little touches, feather light and fleeting, it’s because Buggy is nervous. N-not because he’s unsure about what to do! Definitely not! He just wants to make sure his partner likes what he does. Yeah, that’s it. But all that hesitation, all those moments that don’t last anywhere near long enough, it all builds up. And his partner is only moments away from grabbing the captain’s wrist and keeping him where he needs to be.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Thick and creamy. A good amount, just right when spread across someone’s chest or face. Buggy’s cum gets a fair amount of distance at first, before it dribbles out the slit for the remainder of his orgasm. It’s a bit bitter and salty, since Buggy does not have the best diet.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

…pegging. And double anal penetration. Buggy has fucked his own ass, no doubt about that. But to be stuffed with his own cock and by his partner? This clown is about to be out of commission for a few days. Only a few before he’s asking for it again.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

At first Buggy wasn’t sure how he felt about toys, but he caved eventually. A dildo that he can use in place of his own dick so he can suck and gag on something while jacking off. Buggy also knows how to improvise. Need a gag? Or something to bind wrists? He has a bandana. Ropes and aerial silks are also available at the snap of a finger.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

For a dirty pirate, Buggy cleans up pretty well. A dusting of chest hair in a lovely shade of blue. A taunting happy trail under his belly button that looks damn near artistic when saturated and smeared with precum and sex. And below the belt, it’s usually trimmed, but always a nice field of fluffy blue. Sometimes he forgets or just doesn’t want to cut it shorter. Secretly, he likes watching his partner’s nose burrow into the curls when he’s balls deep in their throat.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

I think I could talk about this for days. It’s mixed. Sex? Intimate relationships? Buggy is not the most experienced there. He’s dabbled. Had a few auditions. A couple of callbacks, but none ever made it to curtain call. But Buggy is surprisingly experienced in regards to what he gets up to in his personal time. iykwim

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Doesn’t mind tasting or eating his own cum. Has done it before because he didn’t want to get up and find something to clean his mess with.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Semi-public places! Bar bathrooms, quiet hallways or alleys, empty community rooms. Being able to hear noise from nearby people gets Buggy all riled up. Or knowing that someone could show up at any point and see him and his partner doing the deed… Deep deep down, it’s a weird form of acceptance to Buggy - his partner is willing to risk getting caught fucking the clown.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Buggy loves a sloppy blowjob. Loooooves giving and receiving those. Balls that are dripping wet with spit, lips and chin coated in drool, glazed glassy eyes. Hell yes. Eating pussy is one that Buggy needed some time to get into. He couldn’t really practice it on his own and his fucking nose seemed to get in the way more often. Eventually, it clicked. Seeing his facepaint smeared inside his lovers thighs makes him want to keep making a mess. Face deep in those wet folds, licking and eating like a ravenous dog. He’ll stay down there like it’s his fucking job.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Buggy has cockwarmed himself more than once. No, he’s not squirming because he’s nervous about the meeting.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

CBT. It doesn’t quite do it for him and since Buggy can remove his own junk, it adds an extra layer of vulnerability that he’s not ready to deal with.

[madrone33]

I have been CHILLING this week post-Vengeance saga release! I managed to avoid debilitating stress and anxiety from the onslaught of fan stuff by simply avoiding all social media for the first two days, so it's been good!

However, I am now BACK, dumping my immediate reaction of the saga from a week ago. I thought I was ready. I was not ready. 600 Strike blew my mind. I was left staring blankly at my ceiling. Jorge please rest sometime, I'm begging you. The amount of talent beaming through my screen is exhausting even me.

Also, to every cast member and collaborator and behind the scenes person: y'all are amazing. Like seriously. I hope you all get a yummy drink and a cozy blanket and just. Bask in the satisfaction of a job well done. Hats off to y'all fr.

Anyways! I keysmashed the following at around midnight, 14 hours before the livestream ('cause australia is the superior timezone /j). Be warned there's LOTS of swearing 'cause sleep deprivation + incoherent excitement lol

AHHH IT'S GO TIME

Ok it's starting the same as the Goodspeed festival showed. Tho, the first lead in sound thing reminds me of Lucids.

Gorgeous vocals. Hate Calypso, love Wangui fr

"Let me speak!" She really doesn't care about his feelings huh. I noticed in LIP as well, she always makes it about her, which is absolutely in character.

Those ensemble harmonies tho!!

"... You do?" Girl you literally told him to lie smh

"Why in the world won't you love me too?" 'Cause he has a WIFE

IT'S HERMES TIME

FSA melody? YO??

"Cause I had one goal in mind..." the silence where the crew's chorus would come in is PAINFUL

BAG?? HERMES!!

"Hello old friend!" Grinning so hard rn

"Well it's a little bit ✨dangerous✨" AHHH IT'S HAPPENING

Fingertapping and headbopping to this chorus

"Put your whole braiin in it!" I love how he says that sm

"And lastly the wind bag" NEW STUFF

WINIONS

Wow ok I did not expect the wind bag to show up again. Tho it makes sense; this is probs the storm that Ody told Sirenelope kept blocking the way home

ODY SINGING THE CHORUS!!!!

RUTHLESSNESS MENTION

"Hermes! Thank you" AHHH THE CALLBACK! He sounds so tired and like down to his bones grateful this time 🥺

"I'm not the one who fought for you!" MY EYES WIDENED SO FAR. WE ALMOST GOT AN ATHENA NAMEDROP. I'll settle for the reference to her

Okeee. Charybdis!!

Oooh it's just like in the reference vid. No lyrics for this start part!

The 5/4 is amazing. And the electric guitar!!

God this song is SO BADASS

LETS GOOOO ODY!!!

ahhh I KNEW there'd be some sort of soft KYFC esque "I can't wait to make some new memories" type verse AND I WAS RIGHT

he sees ithaca!! Oh god poseidon's gonna show up isn't he

my heart's beating so fast i'm scared

PENELOPEEE

the ELECTRONIC DISTORTION OH NO IT'S HIM

RIGHT INTO GET IN THE WATER AHHH

"Coward" AHHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE FINALY HEARING THIS FOR REAL

"That's when our paths collide!" THE RASP

"Now get in the water" Oh shiiiit here we go

the choir is so eerie

"GET IN THE WATER" THE GROWL

"aren't you tired poseidon" ooh it's this part!!

ha he changed it to ten years instead of eight like the demo had XD

"maybe you can learn to forgive" the line from that one snippet!

"No" oop

"DIE" DAMN that deep echo!!

*underwater sounds* oh shit ody's fucking dying

NO! FUCKING POLITES

EURY

ANTICLEA

FUCK YOU JORGE

THE CREW

WAITING??? EXCUSE ME WTF

AHHHHHH WHY TF DOES JAY LOVE HURTING US SO

HUH? HUH??? WHAT WAS THAT! AND THERE'S A FUCKING AD. Probs good, I need the break but WAHT. I KNEW he'd do another fucking polites reference gods damnit jorge WHEN I CATCH YOU

Ok time to hear 600 strike. Holy shit we're here

ELECTRIC GUITAR LETS GOOO

Aeolus theme. IS HE GONNA OPEN THE WIND BAG AGAIN??

600 MEN MOTIF HOLY SHIT

ANIME SCREAM

HOly shit there's magic sounds happening. I'm really curious about whatever Jorge's cooking up for the animatic in the livestream, 'cause I have no clue what's happening rn 👀

"For every comrade!" FSA melody!

"all those _ who were slaughtered by your hand" hmm I can't quite hear what he's saying there?

wait wait wait he's ACTUALLY using the power of his 600 men!!

"You idiot" damn lol

DIFFERENT BEAST ODY HOLY SHIT

is that a blade sound effect?

WAIT DID HE JUST STAB HIM WITH HIS OWN TRIDENT

HOLY SHIT ODY

HOLY FUCK

POP OFF ODY

OMG "MONSTER" AND THEN "RUTHLESSNESS"

BRO HE'S BEGGING??

*trident drops* hot damn ody

"Next to my wife." OHHHHHHH MIC DROP

Holy FUCK that was crazy

I'm gonna listen to it again.

Ok but holy shit Odysseus literally just tortured a god until he gave in?? Daym ody

Tho I like how he tries using open arms first, and then ruthlessness. He's kinda found a balance? I say kinda, 'cause he went hard on the ruthlessness, but since he sincerely tried to ask Poseidon to just drop the whole thing already, his later actions in 600 Strike feel more warranted.

I honestly don't know how Jorge keeps doing it. He just keeps topping himself! Like! Thunder Bringer? And then God Games?? And now Six Hundred Strike??? They just keep getting better! Banger after banger, like!! How.

Wait I just wanna. Sit with it. Imma lie down and stare at the ceiling for a bit, aight?

... I am shooketh.

But BRO THAT WAS INSANE! ODY FUCKED HIM UPPP

AMAZING BRAVO EXTRODINARY INCREDIBLE SHOWSTOPPING GORGEOUS WONDERFUL HOW DARE YOU

[glitterarygetsit]

ok ok instant rewatch of the relevant scenes - reposting because the cut didn’t work for my wall o’spoilers

Eddie’s confession: noting that after Christopher, the first person he says he lied to is Buck 👀 👀 👀

“you can even take Eddie” “really?” FORESHADOWING

buck needing to be reminded that tommy is gay because everyone is hot to him hashtag just bisexual things 🩷💜💙

HIMBO BUCK CONFIRMED

genuinely this is one of the funniest things that’s ever happened on this show

“How many men did Abby turn gay” - Abby sleep with Eddie next challenge and get this over with

Can I also just say. I love Josh’s pre- vs post-Glee speech. Not to be an old lady yelling at a cloud but even growing up in the early 2000s, when we were starting to get a little bit of rep—Gen Z has no idea. It’s a COMPLETELY different world.

I also really like how Tommy lying to Abby parallels Michael and Athena. I don’t love how close the show comes to completely condoning stealth queer folks lying to an unwitting partner for convenience but like. you cannot conceive of how different the world was, just as I can’t fully conceive of how different it was in the 80s. the 2000s seem like they were recent but the change is enormous.

Ugh I hate Eddie’s constant no homo thing. YES HOMO.

Isn’t the point of confessionals that what happens in the confessional stays in the confessional? literally no-one in this show has any professional ethics

Man this show really loves putting children in pipes huh? but also like MAJOR callback to the well episode. We Know Something LGBTQ+ Is Gonna Happen Today. further professional ethics failures.

uh huh i bet he shared his spumoni with you buck

what even is spumoni

oh it’s a creamy fruity treat 🍨 yeah he definitely shared that 👀

SELF-IDENTIFIED HIMBO BUCK

Tommy realising that if Buck is half Abby’s age… he would also have been half Tommy’s age at the time…

Groaned OUT LOUD when Buck was like “and we have that right [to get married] because of the brave people who came before” BUCK YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD FUCKING ALLY 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ he’s so embarrassing

Tommy like are you breaking up with me? UNO REVERSE BITCH

God everything hitting Tommy at once—realising he’s always known he was on borrowed time, that he needs to get out before he gets too badly hurt. on the other hand tommy you’re an idiot and you need to give buck more credit.

Tommy thinks he understands where Buck’s at because he’s gay and all his relationships with women were lies. But excited as Buck is, he’s not gay—his relationships with women were real! Abby was his “oh shit, next one could be For Real” relationship. The gender doesn’t matter! That’s how bisexuality works!! I really hope Buck gets to talk about that in later episodes.

Holy shit Eddie dancing scene sure is something. I love that they gave Ryan that chance even if it’s cheesy as hell. Also. THIGHS. BUTT. FUCKING THE COUCH ARE YOU KIDDING ME. gays we’re reclaiming couch-fucking jd vance doesn’t get to keep that one.

Eddie opening the door to Buck, seeing him devastated—he’s GOTTA know. And he doesn’t stop smiling. He takes the beer. He looks at it. He looks at Buck. He looks back at the beer, like “why not?” AND THEN THEY BOTH SIT ON THE COUCH HE WAS JUST WRITHING ON

and BUCK IS ALREADY DRINKING

holding the bottle straight like it’s a dick

AND

JUST

SECONDS

LATER

EDDIE OPENS HIS OWN BOTTLE

AND STARTS SUCKING IT OFF

🌈🔥💕👀❤️🌈🔥🍆🏳️‍🌈🔥🎉🏳️‍🌈💖🎉🏳️‍🌈🍆🔥🏳️‍🌈✨💖🌈👀🏳️‍🌈✨🔥🌈🏳️‍🌈👀💖🍆🍆💦🌈🔥💕🥰💖💕🌈👀💕🎉🍆💖✨🔥🌈💖

[imaginespazzi]

Nivi, bestie, I can’t believe this is it! The final part, and hence the final review (and potentially the longest? 😅):

The flashback scene is so incredibly perfect. I can’t really describe how much I loved this scene – probably one of my favourites of the entire fic. Just thinking of how far they’ve come since then, with their first kiss not happening until 5 years later, then finally being together in the same place at the same time almost a decade later.

You talk about being a nostalgic writer and this scene just fully encompassed the feeling of nostalgia, you know?

Their WNBA game against each other was also so good, and it just really boosted my craving of a Paige-Azzi rivalry in the W irl for at least a few years. With the way everybody’s tuning into all the W relationship drama right now, I just know that Pazzi on court rivalry mixed with all their off-court sweetness would hit like crack for everyone haha.

Even though I know we already saw it in the snippet, seeing Paige bring up the bloody UCLA decision again and using it against Azzi took me back and still got me a little mad lol, but I know it was necessary to show the growth and I did love seeing that play out. Plus, you had to add in a little bit of angst, and I’m always appreciative of that.

Side note: Cam being in charge of recruiting – ofc she would be, who else? The sweetest soul, indeed. This actually also made me think of what if Azzi gets drafted to GSV, then after Cam’s rookie contract ends with the Sparks, the Currys also lure her over to GSV. And then the year after that, Paige goes over and joins them?! Let me cook (and be delulu) here, bestie. Ofc, I still would love to see our big 3 that never quite was (Li, P, Az) but I wouldn’t be opposed to a P, Az, Cam Big 3 either.

The 2am phone call took me back to that phone call, but a much happier version this time ofc. The “come home” – yeah, there were definitely tears by this point.

And then the airport reunion 🥹 “Do you want me to drop you woman?” – was that a callback to an earlier flashback scene (I could totally be making things up here but that was the first thing that came to mind haha)? Also, I see you let P really be her 6ft self here 😂. Nah I believe her.

Then ending it the way you did, with their first WNBA championship, it doesn’t get more perfect than that. And when you talked about Azzi having been there for the state championship, then the college natty, and then finally the league championship. Man, I so hope that’s what reality has in store for them too. Like just how special it would be having been there for each other’s high school achievements to hopefully winning the natty together next season, then hopefully winning a WNBA championship together at some point. It’s the way that if you described their story to a random stranger, it really would sound like a piece of fiction, fairytale and daydreams, but like it’s not, it’s real, they’re real. Insane.

And tying it all back to that first scene. You’re like the master of that. Like I said, it was the perfect ending.

Well this is usually the part where I would put my thoughts for what’s next but I guess there is no next huh (big sad):

Nah for real, cannot thank you enough for letting me, well all of us, live out this Roman Empire.

Who would have thought one comment from 5 months ago would have led to all this?! The one good thing that came out of that horror UCLA game 🤭

Also, if somehow Paige does end up at the Sparks and Azzi at GSV, I will never not think about UCLA fic Paige and Azzi ya know, they’ll be my roman empire forever now. It would be incredibly poetic though if they do both end up at Minnesota someday. Then I’ll know you were just writing the script for them all along 😌

Oh and I see you incorporating “in between shades of blue” at the end there 👀 I’m sorry we never used the actual title when referring to the fic 😭 You ate with that though.

Favourite lines:

“It’s peaceful out here,” she says quietly, sounding shy even to her own ears and she can’t help but wonder when the hell that happened, “you wanna stay a little longer?” “Yeah okay let’s stay longer,”

She swears she feels her before she sees her.

“This. The same exact thing you did. For someday.”

Alternate lyrics:

I don’t have one this time. I was hoping you’d use This Love tbh and had the biggest smile when I saw the lyric. I think I recall you mentioning one time how much UCLA Azzi was This Love-coded and I’d always thought it was the perfect song for this fic so, no notes.

Instead, as I was listening to This Love, I was kinda replaying the fic in my mind, and these were the scenes that came to mind so I guess you could say they’re my favourites (with the ones in bold being the most special to me):

When Azzi first shows up at Paige’s Airbnb in LA

Paige seeing the pictures of them on Azzi’s wall

Their first kiss outside the bar

Paige circling the Fudd house a billion times while Drew’s dying in the passenger seat

The phone call after Azzi’s date with Zoe

The night at the Cayman Islands

Azzi returning P’s stuff

All of Paige’s unanswered messages

Paige seeing Azzi at the natty game and Azzi celebrating with her and the team

Draft night

The date

Dancing in the snow

Their kiss after Azzi wins the natty

Stargazing

The phone call where Azzi finally chooses Minny

The ending

You did it, bestie! I don’t know if you have a holiday planned during your summer break, but I hope you do (get those 3,562 pictures taken! 😂), you definitely deserve it after gifting us with this masterpiece!

I don’t know what’s next but trust I’ll always be tuned it to whatever you write, whenever that may be again. Got a fan in me forever 💗

See you around, Nivi!

Much love always,

-🙋‍♀️

WE DID IT BABEEEEE <3 Before I start replying to what you said, I just wanted to THANK YOU BESTIE because this fic wouldn't exist without you. You've shaped so much of the story and your chapter reviews were my biggest source of motivation.

I'm really glad that sense of nostalgia came through because I definitely felt it while writing it. And I couldn't help but think just how far they've come since that scene and just the beginning of the fic tbh

Fun fact, the WNBA scene was initially a part of Here's to Eternity but I didn't like something about how it fit with that fic so I had it saved to add into this one. And I've been so tuned into the Nai-Lyss drama, that I just had to include Pazzi-esque version of that tension.

LMAO I knew you'd be mad at Paige lol. Listen in this fic, she's the kinda person who needs to take a step backwards so she can take five forwards. But yeah, I really wanted to bring things full circle with her being supportive this time, so I hope that came through!

PAIGE AZZI CAM BIG THREE WOULD SAVE LIVES (well after everyone dies of happiness first lol) but I'm a big Cam Brink fan and she felt like the perfect cameo to add here

The way you just get my writing >>> Cause I was fully gonna add in a throwaway line about the other 2 am phone call but then I was like nah I'mma do the show not tell thing and hopefully people will see it anyway (idk if anyone else did but as long as you did I'm happy)

I really hope that even if this an AU, real life mirrors it a little bit and they're about to get a championship at every stage of their career and live it out with each other. And you're so right, they're straight out of a novel by God Himself.

As we've established now I think, I do love a good full circle moment.

Why did you saying "I guess there is no next" make me so emotional like damn

That UCLA game might have given us emotional trauma but at least we made lemonade out of the lemons and all of that right?

AHAHAH yeah I wanted to do an ode to the title at the end even if nobody really refers to this fic by it's title because I did have some reasoning behind that being the title and them finding forever in between shades of blue

This Love is honestly the overarching theme for this whole fic so it felt fitting to the end it with that as the main theme song and I'm glad you approve!

3,562 picture is insane and unlike Paige, I literally will not let anyone take that make photos of me

Please keep coming back here bestie because I'mma miss you so much if you don't. Love you babes <3

[actualbird]

quick question: who is the big spoon in the marius luke relationship? 👀 (also just want to say it’s such a huge joy to see new posts from you I really LOVE what you have to say about tot especially mariluke and peanut!!)

waahh, im super glad u enjoy my tot stuff! im happy to be posting new things again too ;w; life is quite busy and a Lot lately but talking about these characters helps brighten my day <3

anyhoo, onto ur question!

i think marius is big spoon 70% of the time

marius strikes me as a very clingy sleeper, once hes comfortable with whoever hes sleeping with. and once luke is esconced in his embrace, there is No Escaping. marius is tall, so his limbs are Long. he will lovingly ensnare luke most of the time theyre sleeping in the same bed together

this kinda tendency for marius is a callback to how, under all the professionalism and/or the playful snark, deep down theres just this immense want for genuine affection that wants to break through.

marius' clinginess in his sleep strikes luke as a tad childish, but not in an insulting way. like....when luke wakes up and marius is hugging him so close, luke looks at him and sees marius' youth shine through in the earnestness. and having the oppurtunity and privilege to see marius like this makes luke feel honored, because it's marius letting him see a part of him that nobody else gets to see

luke usually wakes up a good half hour earlier than marius on a usual day, but when theyre sleeping in the same bed together, luke isnt in a rush to get up at all. because even if he did, the moment luke would try to pull away, marius would make a soft sleepy noise of disapproval. luke can read between the lines. dont go, marius is saying, however intentional or not.

so luke doesnt go. he stays and enjoys the warmth of marius' spooning, and also takes pleasure in feeling immensely cherished because

marius is has a lot of power a lot of money a lot of influence etc etc; he could have anything in the world. but in this moment, in his sleep, honesty shines through. the thing he wants to have and keep the most is luke

but....

i think luke also gets his turn as big spoon the rest of the 30% of the time

if marius is a clingy sleeper, i think luke is a Very Light Sleeper. side effect of the NSB days and the probable PTSD and also the having to handle random nerve pain episodes. luke is always braced for something to go wrong, even in his sleep. this is also why marius is big spoon most of the time, because it helps luke feel safe.

but there are days that even luke—who seems to be full of endless energy, alertness, and capability—gets tired. too tired for that restless hypervigilance to set in, too tired to do anything but just want to conk out immediately.

being held by marius is lovely and calming and peaceful, but there are days when luke is tired that the best way for his energy to slowly creep back up is to be the one holding marius instead.

marius doesnt mind, and hes more than happy to help luke recharge. plus, when luke is the one spooning him, because of their height difference, luke kinda just hooks his chin over marius' shoulder or nuzzles at his nape. it's adorable to marius

and marius just very much likes being the one that can both make luke feel safe and make luke feel the weight of exhaustion just a little bit less

thank you for the ask :D

[mobius-m-mobius]

New year summer thought: loki and mobius living on a sailboat with their jet skis stowed on the back ⛵️ they can travel the woooorld or maybe even magic themselves to other planets with water oh no I’m getting invested in the image of nautical retirement

What do you think they would call their boat

Anon how did you know I needed the perfect Lokius headcanon to save me from the past few days 😅

A beachside retirement has honestly been living rent free in my mind for them and while I'd been picturing super lazy atmospheres in a lil bungalow just off the coast with a couple of jet skis (green/gold for obvious reasons but maybe a red/blue one too as a nod to Don's mad flirt game 😭💖) around the back, the idea of them having a boat is SO good because it's clear Mobius wanted to experience as much on the timelines as possible with Loki and this way they could have a home base with endless possibilities ahead just like the time doors offered before 🥺

Honestly terrible at coming up with names in general and especially any that aren't super basic but I'll just go ahead and say I always loved that in series they made sure to throw a "spark" label on the jet ski Don was riding in his shop for absolutely no other reason than to hammer home even more residual connections to Loki (like the color schemes and sunglasses hanging around his neck looking similar to Loki's horns weren't enough already 👀) so to me it would be cute if their boat were called the Spark!

(Also the perfect callback to "thanks for the spark" which Mobius shouts over the sound of the waves with a cheesy grin or wink while they're docking and on their way to try, idk, Margaritaville or somewhere else that Loki wouldn't have been caught at in a million years before and they try to act exasperated because it's at least the millionth time Mobius has made that joke but it's impossible not to smile every time when this really is their life 🥰)

[calkale]

Okay dead reckoning spoilers ahead ill put a cut just in case also if you like the movie maybe don’t read either 👀😬 but if you do please read the whole thing or at least the last paragraph because that in my opinion is the most important thing i have to say

Before i say anything i know im in the wrong here, i have a really personal issue with the movie that i dont feel comfortable sharing but its one of the names used A LOT in the movie, so that definitely plays a part in my opinion whether i like it or not. That being said, usually i can ignore stuff like that, ive done it with other movies but there was nothing else to grasp my attention so i got stuck on things like that.

Also wanna say this first because i feel like it explains why i hate a lot of the things i do. I could really be reaching here but i think they’re trying to set up hayley as the new face of these movies and dead reckoning part 2 is gonna be the end for tom. She was the main character, Ethan was not. She was a part of 2 stunts out of the 3 big ones in the movie and Toms solo stunt (the cliff jump) was maybe a minute of the movie and correct me if im wrong but thats never happened before, Toms always had a big stunt thats just him that takes up a good, MEMORABLE, chunk of the movie, and that just wasnt in this.

I didn’t like it at all. Up until the airport i loved the movie, i really liked the way it was shot, i liked the mi1 callbacks, i really liked ethan and ilsa and everything was good, i could ignore the AI plot (which i knew i wasnt gonna like going into it i hate AI villains) and just watch the movie but after the airport i started to not like the movie anymore. During the fiat car chase i realized i was gonna really not gonna like the movie. That was one of the three big stunts of the movie and i hated it, it just felt really rushed and there were so many characters who i didnt know and didnt know why they were there, WHICH IS OKAY i love not knowing things thats part of my brand im all about that but it just did not work here, sometimes not knowing anything about character works and other times it doesnt.

I dont remember a lot from the middle chunk of the movie, i wasnt enjoying it but trust me i was trying. Not even benji and luther made the movie enjoyable and to top it all off ilsa died and im getting mad again but that was one of the worst deaths i think ive seen. If shes not actually dead then thank god but also im sorry mcq but awful writing unless something got cut because she was free? She was dead? There was no bounty on her head anymore, that was why she “died” at the start of the movie and correct me if im wrong but she really didnt need to be in Venice with her face showing either. It really feels like she just died so hayley could be in the spotlight with ethan and there were too many characters so they had to get rid of her along with benji and luther who arent dead but may as well be with their 10 minutes of screen time.

But all of this i can look past, i dont like the plot? whatever, thats not why i, personally, watch mission impossible movies, i watch for the stunts, i wanna see tom cruise do some crazy shit but i didnt even get that. Im really mad about the lack of stunts in this movie i feel insane idk if anyone else is complaining about this but i didnt like a single one of them. Im so let down and i hate that im so upset over something like this but i am. Thats the promise thats being made when you go see these movies and in my opinion they didn’t deliver. All the fighting was really good i loved the fight in that tight alleyway with ethan and paris but i hated the car chase, the cliff jump could’ve been better? i dont even know what to say about that one tbh, and the train, ohhhhhh the train, i dont even wanna talk about the train, i was trying so hard to like it i wanted it to redeem the whole movie for me but it just didnt, i feel so bad but it didnt and im so disappointed.

[deceasedreese]

Predictions, Hopes, and Headcannons for Watching and Dreaming

Flashbacks!!!

Orgins of both The Collector and the Titans. I would love to know more about both of their species and about King's father

Caleb Wittebane AND Evelyn Clawthorne. I need to know what these two sound like. Even if its just for a second. Give me more reasons to feel sad that Caleb is gone, leaving Evelyn a widow and single parent.

Manny Noceda. Not sure how that would be integrated into the narrative. Maybe and unconcious Luz getting advice/motivation from her Papi?

Belos. Im a lover of angst, so I would love to see the entire process of him deciding he needed to kill Caleb.

Callback(s) to A Lying Witch and a Warden

"Do not underestimate me ______. For I am Luz Noceda, _______ ...Now eat this sucka!" Luz delivering the final blow.

"And that's the end!" I could totally see the series ending with Luz retelling this entire story to her children. To witchlings, human children, etc. I think it would be cute!

Awesome animation!!

There are only two things I can think of that would get the majority of the animation budget.

A fight scene.

Luz reuniting with King and Eda. I will cry many, many tears.

Or...we get both 🤷🏻👀

Raine's possession

As I stated in a previous post, Eda is now the spitting image of Evelyn. I wouldn't be surprised is Belos tries to hurt her. I would like to think they would stop him before he is able to but idk...

I also like to think they'll prevent Belos from actually harming Eda, the kids, etc.

They'll be 'unpossessed' with the help of the Collector

However, I think the main people Belos will be aiming to hurt would be Luz, Eda, or Hunter. Yet, he might also hurt King, Willow, Amity, Gus, and/or Camila to hurt them.

I don't think Raine will walk out of this without a few scars. Specifically on their ear and cheek

Lumity

I NEED an "I love you." from Luz. Amity has been the one to initiate everything in their relationship. She asked Luz out, she always gives initiates physical affection, etc. I would love for Luz to initiate this one.

A call back to Good Witch Azura 2.

Im sure there will be parallels of this entire scene alone, but I'll be awaiting the angst that is to come.

Future Lumity! I need to see these two older. Even as adults maybe. I live for this relationship due to it being such a revolutionary thing. A healthy, happy sapphic couple. Maybe they both subtlely got rings on their finger 👀

Huntlow

I dont think the plotline of Hunter being a grimwalker was resolved. I think Willow will pull him aside and talk to him about it. Saying what he is changes nothing about how she feels about him.

And then he'll say something about loving the person she is. How grateful he is for her, etc.

Reunions!

Luz, King, and Eda. I'll cry. Especially if it's something like this:

Amity and Alador; Willow and Gilbert and Harvey; Gus and Perry; Lilith and Hooty; Clawthorne family reunion

All the Hexside kids with their parents

King and The Collector

I really feel like there will be a confrontation later that will go along the lines of:

The Collector: You betrayed me! If you don't ____, I'll-

King: Or you'll what? Kill me? Just like your people did to my dad? My entire species??

I think it would be cute if the Collector was integrated into the relationship King has with Luz. Unique sibling trio for the win!

King letting The Collector hold François

Epilogue

Luz having her quinceñera. All her friends and family are there. Eda, Camila, and Amity dance with her.

Or if they do flash-foward: Everyone just living their lives.

Hunter carving palismen and living his best life. Helping young witches carve their own. Maybe he'll even carve his own palisman when he's ready. I am certain it will be a bird.

Gus being an ambassador* of the human realm. *: wreaking havoc. Occasionally accompanied by Luz, Willow, and/or Hunter. I could also see him as an Illusionist instructor.

Willow being a coach for grugby at Hexside. Helping to lift up young witches confidence and self-esteem.

Amity not working for the family business at all. Maybe a teacher or as a librarian.

Maybe all of them just work at Hexside lol

Raeda being old gays. I will simply NOT accept either of them dying. That's a hate crime.

Lumity and Huntlow adults

An actual scene of people going to therapy. Maybe someone leaves and tags the next person in lol

A parallel to this scene:

Luz has gone through a lot. But she made it through a better and wiser person witch. She can just be embracing what her life is now in TBI before flying back home to Amity and/or Eda and King.

.

.

.

Will likely add more later lol

Feel free to do it too!

[buddiebuffer]

S7 E1 live reactions! (Except I cram it in one post cause I'm lazy)

Big props to whoever put a big dramatic abc logo in the flashback exactly one minute into the first episode airing on abc XD "abc presents a world television premiere" indeed

Damn I missed this show, I'm cracking up already at the therapist being all 🤨 at her movie trauma

Congrats to the national guard pilot pockets being more secure than the plane itself

NGL I really thought that plane would end up hitting the ship

No one from the national guard was able to match the arrival speed of the firefighters??

Oh hey, another Eddie disarming an explosive scene! Throwback 😊

SGAKFHD I looooove the joke of someone giving bumb disarming instructions badly

Awwww I feel a lil bad for pilot Joe but he's the one who volunteered bomb disarming instructions

SGAKFHD THEY JUST RECLINED THE CHAIR?? GREAT WORK CHIM, MY MAN

And there's the parallel between the crew and the case, which is still one of my favorite elements of this show

CHRISTOPHER FIRST DATE PROUD OF HIM

Honeymoon phase to Athena and Bobby was a good transition

Man, Angela Bassett is gorgeous 😍

THE FREEWAY SIGN COUPLE, THATS SO GOOD DGAKDHSHF

So many callbacks in one episode, this is great

The cruise has assigned seating? Wild

👀 what's up with Julian, why is Lola making faces like that

Rent bicycles? On a cruise ship?

Athena's anxiety is so fair, their life is chaotic, easy to be afraid of the slowdown

NGL, a date spreadsheet would be enjoyable to me

CHRIS DHDFFYTHD WHAT DAMN OKAY IM MAD AT HIM ON BEHALF OF THE GIRLS BUT ALSO IMPRESSED SHFKSHDH

"where does Chris get it from" Buck maybe? 👀

EDDIE DRAGGING BUCK INTO THIS PARENTING MOMENT SHFJSHFJS

Oh Athena has that found a case face XD

Okay I saw posts about the AA scene being funny and y'all weren't lying 🤣

Okay sure Eddie ASMR to make her vagina unclench, why not, this show is so fucking weird sometimes

Not a fan of the womanizer Chris logic being that his mom left. What about his grandma? His aunt? The best babysitter? There have been women in his life who didn't leave him. Idk, it's a weird mix of I can see it And it feels like a stretch

👀 what the fuck is happening on this cruise

Chim 🤝 Bobby: list of dates

BOBBY'S LEGS ARE SO WHITE LMAOOO

I really hate Julian's voice

There's no way that's Lola, not with that hat!!!!

ATHENA ALWAYS RIGHT NEVER WRONG LOVE HER SO MUCH

Chimney helping fish a passed out, penis stuck man out of a hot tub and then getting his own hot tub is wild

HOLY SHIT NOT JUST BAD WEATHER ON THE CRUISE BUT A FUCKING RAID OKAY TRULY CENTER OF CHAOS COUPLE

That's where it ends?? Okay fine guess we'll see how all that goes next time lol

[bklynmusicnerd]

"You always were your mom's little defender"

I love that Zeke and Trina's onscreen reunion is centered on how protective Trina has always been of Portia. Once upon a time, Trina did not approve of Portia and Curtis because she thought it was too soon after his divorce, and she didn't want her mother hurt (welp 👀). So it's nice to see a callback to that aspect of Trina and Portia's bond.

That the protectiveness is a mutual thing, although Trina's version is obviously a lot more benevolent than Portia's. Trina isn't just invested in her mother avoiding pain but also her mother's happiness. Portia is invested in controlling Trina, cocooning her from all perceived threats, even if it's at the expense of her happiness. Trina's estranged from Portia but immediately senses that her mother's in pain and isn't falling for any of Zeke's distractions.

The breakdown of Trina and Portia's relationship is gonna be good stuff because of the complexity of their mother/daughter dynamic. So much love and so much distrust, but still this visceral instinct on Trina's end to protect that even Zeke struggles to navigate.

[damelucyjo]

Are we ready to meet the blueprint for why Ted’s the way he is??

Buckle up guys, it’s a rough one!! And yeah, I’m gonna use this still because I’m salty they gave it to us then never had them interact in this scene! 😡

Episode 11 - Mom City

Of course he knows everyone in the area

Love to see Chery Barnabyl still living life 😂

‘Hey, Teddy’ 🥹 we knew it!!

YYEEEAAAHHH!!

(Was the the shortest opening we’ve had??)

Didn’t have Nate working as a waiter on my bingo card

I absolutely love how sarcastic & dry Jade is 😂

These boys have grown so much! Then now being the ones to ask him back 🥰

More lore for Bumbercatch 🫡😂

His face when he thought it was Ted but Ted doesn’t know 🥺

Omfg Issac’s face at the suggestion of 25 of each 😂 Kola, you gorgeous man!

She’s the reason he eats peanut butter from the jar! How cute

‘The one with the line under the nuclear power symbol, that’s for making cookies and chicken. The three squiggly lines let you burn a pizza. And the key symbol there, that makes the whole thing beep until Beard comes over and fixes it for me.’ Still makes me laugh as this is how I talk about my oven 😂

Oop was that mention of Mother’s Day a little dig at her Teddy?? 🫣

She’s been in London a week and never said anything?! Very suspicious 🤔

Eww mom, don’t mention sex 😂

Gosh he’s so much like his mum, huh. Bet that really pisses him off 😂 & been around one another for 5 minutes and he’s already had enough! I know that feeling 🫣😂

I must say, casting Becky Ann was a brilliant choice. She and Jason kinda look alike to me!!

MBetter Trent’ They should have made Roy do all the press conferences always 😂

Oh poor Jamie. He’s so lost and broken 🥺 there is absolutely no trace of the Jamie we were first introduced to!

Do we think Ted has mentioned Rebecca to him mum before?? That was a very interesting look on her face when she walked in behind him 🤔

HER FIRST INTERACTION WITH REBECCA WAS A JOKE JUST LIKE REBECCA’S FIRST INTERACTION WITH TED WAS A JOKE!!!

And she lifted her fucking hands up 😂😂

Oh and Ted is having a hard time with them meeting just like Rebecca did

But now they’ve met each others mothers 👀 must be serious! 😉

and of course her name is Dorothy!! As if it’s be anything else 🥰

‘I can’t believe I’m finally getting to meet the woman who created one of the nicest humans I’ve ever met’ The perfect thing to say to your future mother-in-law. Just saying!

A simple line to show Ted has always been a people pleaser 👍🏼

Hannah’s laugh 😂

‘Sure, if you want me to respond’ Jason’s face 😂 as if that’s not the exact thing Ted would say! Mothers really can be a blueprint!!

Look at Rebecca, offering to show her around rather than getting someone else to do it. Growth, people!

Nice callback!!

She’s a Dani fan 🫡 aren’t we all!! 😂

‘Where-are-you-from?’ ‘Surrey’ ‘Oh, I thought you said ‘sorry’’ 😂😂 Ted’s groan of suffering 😂

Look at all these boys, absolutely loving story time with Mama Lasso

I still don’t know how I feel about them using Oklahoma 🤷🏻‍♀️ feels weird to me

Look at these two, watching story time and chatting together like an old married couple 🥰

She wouldn’t say that, Ted! She be much more creative 😂

I love how he doesn’t question her going off to buy a horse. Makes perfect sense! 😂

Yes, Trent, I’d love to talk with you, but first I must tell you that your hair is fabulous 😂 Dottie, you’re so real!

Dani’s huge smile 😂

Yeah, I’m with you boys 😂

Jamie, love, you’re worrying everyone 🥺

‘Shouting is Roy’s love language’ boy only has 2 volumes 😂

Bets on how many times Phil & Brett had to do this before they could get through it without laughing

Oh Jamie 🥺 Phil is amazing and he absolutely breaks my heart. He certainly deserves all the awards this season!!

‘Where the fuck are me wings, Roy’ 😂 how they ever got a take of him grabbing his face without them loosing it is amazing

‘You missed a good one’ 😂 obsessed that it’s actually a thing that Will is always there somewhere. And Charlie’s ‘dammit’ reaction 👌🏼 brilliant

Hugs Boson. He’s still in there somewhere!

‘I do believe in second chances, Ted. That’s why I’m still married, and all my sons are alive’ Julie! What did you do?! 🫢

Woah! Don’t hold back, Beard!

Everyone so excited to meet his mum 🥹 it’s beautiful

‘Weirdo Beard-o!’ ‘Lodi Dodi!’ Oh they’re cute!! Would have loved to have gotten a name slip there though

GROUP HUG! 😂

Of course Beard has a song about Ted’s mum 😂

Oh Ted is not doing well 🫣😂

The fucking pipes. I bloody love Katy and Barbara has quickly become one of my favourites 🥰

Roy Kent. Sleeps with a woman then can’t stop telling her she looks nice 🫡 Never change, sir.

Silly pants 🥹 why is that so adorable??

So like mother like son then, huh

I love how Mae has basically had a moment with everyone on this show 😂

Beards description of love is somehow perfect for him 😂

Aww, he’s so excited to show her a picture 🥹 knowing he didn’t have a great relationship with his own mum it’s adorable to see he’s close with Ted’s

Mae, coming with with the words of wisdom and reciting poetry out of nowhere. What a queen!!

‘Your mum’s the bollocks’ the highest level of praise one can be given from a Londoner 😂😂

The age old argument over whose taking the bed

(Though this whole thing over the one bedroom is a choice considering the actual flat they use for Ted’s is a 2 bed place apparently)

See, my spidey senses are a tingling! You come all the way to England to see your son, then chose to stay behind instead of going with him?? 🤔 what’s your angle, Dottie

Her being so defensive that she wasn’t the one having sex makes me think Ted’s shown he had a problem with her relationships in the past…

Manchesterians 😂 I think I’m gonna cal then this from now on 😂

Aww, mama’s worried about ya, Teddy 🥺

‘Let me guess, it’s all my fault’ so he’s not the only one who distrusts therapists then… interesting

She loves tea 👀 just like her future daughter-in-law. Wait, what? I didn’t say anything… 👀

Whilst I’m loving that Rebecca is using the bus now, I’m very sad we don’t get to actually see it 🙁

Oh, Jamie 😢

‘You should see him in drag’ 😂

I must admit I’m over things whole ‘do you know who this is’ bit 🫠

I know it’s a whole plot point, but I love how Keeley just tags along to these trips away

And I’m guessing Rebecca has hired KJPR for the club, even if she is funding it…

‘It’s like a draw without a home’ 🤔

Jamie falling apart until he hears they’re shit talking his hair online 😂

So who chose You’ve Got Mail for movie night then?? Seems like a very strange choice…

So they’re not together? I’m confused. I think Roy is too 😂 ‘yeah, and she just looks very nice’

‘Nora Ephron’ ‘I’m saying my apology’ ‘Who?’ ‘Carl Bernstein’s ex’ I will admit I don’t get this at all 🫣😂

Look at these boys proper into it 😂 Hell yeah indeed, Issac!

Could have done without another Sam & Rebecca moment, personally. It feels like a little too ‘look! Did you notice this is what we did too!’ for me

What are the chances Somewhere Over The Rainbow scores this scene, too 🤷🏻‍♀️

Aww, Leslie! 😂

Even Roy is tearing up!!

I feel it’s going to be important to something that he said he prefers Sleepless In Seattle 👀

I just want to say, too, that it was plain rude to release the still of Ted & Rebecca during this scene, but not show them interact at all. Disrespectful, actually.

Okay, I get that it’s to show a younger Jamie, but I could have done without him spitting off the bridge thanks 🤢

Aww, they care about him so much. It’s adorable 🥰

😂 bet these kids had the time of their life’s swearing so much 😂

The episode is literally called ‘Mom City’ and I knew they were going to Manchester and that there was going to be a scene in Jamie’s childhood bedroom. So why was I surprised to meet Jamie’s mum?? 😂

That was cute though

Of course she has a Jamie wall in her living room 😂

Roy, stop staring!! 😂

Simon is a little Ted-ish, don’t you think??

Jade is so real 🫡😂

She just wants him to do what he does best and makes him happy 🥹 Who knew Nate’s relationship would end up being one of the sweetest on the show 🤷🏻‍♀️

Nate, she didn’t mean… You missed the point there, bud 😂

This whole scene is wonderful to watch. Phil certainly does deserve all the awards for this season!! He’s made Jamie so believable throughout this show 🥰 Easily could have gone OTT with it

THE FUCKING POSTERS!! 😂😂😂 I mean, he did tell him he had a poster of him on his wall!

🥹 Sometimes all you need is a talk and a cuddle with your mum 🥹

Also toerag is such a mum thing to call someone 😂

SEXY LITTlE BABY CALL BACK!! 😜

Look at Roy, trying to talk about his feelings 🥹 You’ve come a long way my friend 🫡

They really do need to have that conversation though

Aww, he’s such a mummy’s boy 🥰 it’s cute

Why is he being so weird with him mum 😂 is it payback for the comment he made about his sister last week?? 😂

This bit about Keeley being on the TV whenever they’re away somewhere is actually brilliant 😂

‘I went to the bathroom and ended up outside and now I can’t get back in the building’ 👌🏼 love it

Oh Ted 🥺

Dance it out, Becca! 😂

Wouldn’t Rebecca have known that if she practically grew up with Richmond AFC?? 🤔

Look at our girly, willingly sharing a story about her dad 🥹 we’ve all come so far! 😂

Love a four-octave vocal range mention in honour of Hannah 🫡

And the talent for flipping straights 😜😂

COME ON, RICHMOND!!

Leslie too afraid to movie in case he jinxes it 😂

And I say it every time, but looking excited about football is Hannah’s greatest acting performance 😂

‘Van damn he’s been good today’ was a good joke, but his name change meant they missed out on a mask of Zoreaux one 😂

‘Come on, James’ 🥺

At least they’re finally showing that he really is good in goal, too

I’m all for Nate’s story, but I couldn’t care less about this other guy 🫢

‘I played hurt all the time’ ‘You can’t walk up stairs’ ���😂 omfg

Another nod to Hannah with the scary Freddy Kruger mention 🫡😂

‘And as we all know, hurt people hurt people’ 👀 say it louder for the ones in the back

You don’t need your dad, Jamie. You’ve had everything you’ve needed in the last few years from the guy kneeling beside you 🥹

Nice to see cocky, prideful Jamie again 🥰

Hannah grabbing Jeremy’s face 😂😂

I just noticed Keeley’s dress! Love her into everything she is

I’m not crying, I just need a moment 🥹 I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to watch this scene without getting teary 🥹

Are those his dad’s mates? 👀🤷🏻‍♀️ if not, who are they??

Omg is he in rehab?! 🥹 ARE MY EYES EVER GOIJG TO STOP LEAKING!!

The sheer power of this show that they mange to get all these big names within the football world is amazing!

Oh, the boys are happy & proud!! But them carrying Will did me in 😂

(Psst, why didn’t we see the ‘grown ups’ celebrating with them? Again, disrespectful!)

SO MUCH FUCKING LOVE IN THE ROOM, BABES! Am I getting teary again… 🥹 maybe

Aww, is karaoke their celebration go to?! I love it

Brendan acting his arse off, too! Another case of ‘no words needed’

These three are just absolutely glorious together 🥰 I wish we’d had more of it

And we’re gifted with Brett’s gorgeous smile! What more could we want!

Another wonderful callback with Ted in the window 👍🏼 looking in on a good thing this time

Look at these cuties being cute 🥰 and of course his apology letter is 60 pages long 😂

I’ve watched this scene a few times now and yes, I have teared up AGAIN every time. Learning how they became friends, a little bit more about Beard’s backstory, being told exactly what time of a person Ted is and always has been 🥺🥺🥺 I MEAN!! Just the tears in Brendan’s eyes alone kills me!!

AND THE FOREHEAD TOUCH INTO A HUG!!! This scene is probably my favourite in this episode

Sweet baby Jesus Teddy said a bad word! 🫢

Apparently I’m not going to stop crying now either 😢 Goodness me you’ve been holding that in a long time, haven’t you, Ted!

Okay Dottie, you can have a fuck you from me too! That’s a low blow using Henry like that

‘Cause I know he’s gonna leave’ OKAY pause. I’m crying too much right now 😫

Knowing now that they’ve had the necessary talk, I’d give anything to see them again! It’s a shame we only got Dottie for 1 episode

Record scratch! Did not see Bex and Ms Kakes turning up at Rebecca’s on my bingo card! But I’m excited to see what shit they can bring on Rupert (if we ever get to see it next week) 👀

This Sam Ryder song is very Queen inspired. I’m a fan!

We love love a note and a disappearance from a mum on this show ✌🏼

📢 He’s not wearing a Richmond jumper at work 📢 👀

Oh the parallels of him meeting her in his office this time

Their easy banter means everything to me 🥰

SHE’S NOT GOT ANYTHING BECAUSE SHE DOES’T KEEP SECRETS FROM HIM ANYMORE 📢📢

‘I got one’ 🫢

HOW DO DO YOU END AN EPISODE LIKE THAT?! Bloody rude!! And theres only 1 obvious thing that his truth bomb is going to be, and I don’t like it one bit!!

But ending the episode with Brandi Carlile singing ‘Home’ means you’re forgiven slightly.

I actually really liked this episode. Meeting Dottie was very interesting, and I think it was great for Ted to finally start a necessary conversation with her.

This is going to be a long fucking week waiting for the next episode. As always, I go into them with no expectations, but I can’t help but feel they’ve got a fair amount to cover in this finale… it better be like 90 minutes long or some shit 🤞🏼

Anyway, I’m gonna go listen to Home by Brandi on repeat and cook a shepherds pie ✌🏼

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

AAAAH WAIT IT'S THE FALL FINALE?? For some reason I did not realize that XDD Makes sense though lol

Well that's gonna be crazy lol

Ooh yeah Bobby's definitely investigating that o.o not that I expected he wouldn't but aaaahh looks like it's gonna be intense >:D

Lol xD anyway that's a bunch of short clips but it looks like it'll be wild :))

And AHHHHH a 9-1-1 Lone Star promo!!! I saw one during one of the commercial breaks earlier that had some different stuff so I'll make a separate post for the few things I caught in there with one rewatch of the one I saw during commercials as I searched up this promo to see if there was anything I was missing lol since it went so quick.

So yeah! That's the last of my last thoughts. Looks like it'll be super intense! Now time for the. . .

REVIEW

I LOOOVED this episode. I thought it was great! A dip back into the old commentary, some angst but also a bunch of laughs lol, and my lovelies being family :DD. Plus we got Joshhhh, always love to see my boy :D. And overall just some really cool calls and such!

First off, congrats(-ish? lol) to Buuuck, it finally happened lol xD :D. Took a while but we got here xD. Anyway, I'm happy for his friends :)). And I'm glad that he finally got some (good) sleep lol, after he started being unable to as well XD. Hilarious, love my boy lol <3.

Eddie! Not much to say for him, though that scene with Bobby after the fire was really great. But we DIDN'T GET THE SHOT XDDD. The cross shot from the promos!! Rude lol. Anyway, him playing video games was great, and I'm glad he finally got some sleep xD.

(Chris: . . . you didn't sleep did you

Eddie: eat your breakfast)

(wait wait wait it's like the babygirl meme - I'll make it in a second lol because I won't finish this before tgd since I wanna finish last week's tgd review lol)

Hen, plus Karen and Denny! Very important storyline, but clearly it doesn't end here. I'm glad they were so supportive of him wanting to know and stuff, it was really nice to see :). But I'm glad Hen admitted to her emotions about it <3. Like, just because they know it's about Denny doesn't mean they can't have feelings lol! But if Denny did go to visit his bio dad in secret, I'm curious as to how that'll continue 👀👀. Welp, we'll see! Anyway, THEY'RE ADORABLE AND THEY'RE FAMILY AND I LOVE THEM <333 😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰.

Also yeah Eddie openly saying "moms" got me okay 😭😭 I don't know why (that's a lie, I do, it's because it's amazing to see on tv :'D)

Poor Josh this episode xDD. I was wondering why they were looking shifty but I couldn't think of a reason (like thinking he was up to something or had a new relationship or something didn't make sense, them scheming to stop him sleeping or something didn't make sense, although it turns out they were scheming XD). I've gotta admit though it was a hilarious plotline lol, I loved it xD. Plus I just liked seeing my boy :D. Anyway, it was great xD.

Madney!!!! AHHHHH!!! They bought a house :DDDD. I mean sure, it's known as the murder house, but it's not ACTUALLY lol. Plus I'm sure that and eit cheaper :D xD. Besides the fact that it needs to much work. I'm sure we'll see the renovation process, and I'm looking forward to it!! I'm so excited and happy for them, ahhhhh (small aaaah scream not awhhh) :))) 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰. THEM <33!

Now, onto Bobby. I feel so and for him D:. I wish his friend had survived, I was really hoping he'd be able to get through whatever he was going through, but alas :'(. And I liked that conversation Athena had with him :'). It was a nice callback, and of course I love my babeys <33. Plus I just like seeing anyone being supportive of their loved ones :)). Idk, it's just nice 🥰🥰❤️. I'm VERY interested in Bobby stopping at nothing to get answers though, it seems like it'll be super intense but I great storyline 👀👀. Not that the intensity is bad! Anyway, as long as it isn't too short or isn't drawn out too long, I think it has real potential :D. Plus, it's always wild (and a privilege lol) to just see Bobby go ham xD. Batcrap, I'll say, since I don't cuss lol. It's gonna be great >:).

Overall, I really loved this episode! I thought it was great, it had a suitably creepy atmosphere, and I thought the insomnia theme was really interesting! It left space open for moments we wouldn't normally see, which I loved :D. And the calls, plus all the family feels, and some angst? Perfect episode, in my opinion /hj <3. It was just great 🥰🥰. Between all the storylines, and the little moments, it was an awesome episode.

So yeah! I enjoyed this episode so much. It had a bunch of great parts, and I don't really have any complaints. I'm excited to see where the stories go next! This has been my review of. . .

9-1-1, Season 6, Episode 9: Red Flag

What a great fall finale! I know we'll have to wait a while for the next episode, but I'm still interested in what's gonna happen next. I'm definitely invested! I'll be back here then for my review of. . .

9-1-1, Season 6, Episode 10: In A Flash

See you then!

[shrinkthisviolet]

14, 15, and 20 👀👀

14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

At the beginning! It’s always subject to change, but usually it’s pretty steady (idk why but I can’t write without a title 😂)

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Definitely tags, but summaries are hard too 😭 titles can be sometimes, but not as much

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

I love this question!

—Astra’s surname, Kadar, was Lando Calrissian’s original surname in one of the early scripts (glad they changed it tbh, Calrissian suits him better, and it works in this case for Astra). Unfortunately I can’t tell you why that’s significant yet (spoilers!), but it’s intentional, and I promise I’ll explain it when I can 😂

—Morgan’s name comes from her mother’s maiden name! Took inspiration from my headcanon of Jesse Chambers Wells’s mom’s name being Tess Chambers.

—I was originally stuck on James’s surname, but a friend suggested using a hyphenated surname, and “Bennet-Evans” sounded good to me!

—The sword that Bumi uses in the time travel AU? A gift from Izumi, which was initially given by Zuko (Izumi is still very reliant on firebending, so she doesn’t really like using actual weapons. Zuko still holds out hope that she’ll come around one day 😂).

—Sam’s middle name when she first time travels is Lucille, but after the time travel, one of the changes to the timeline involves Daniel making her middle name “Mary/Marie” when she’s born to him after the time travel (haven’t decided which yet 😂 and yeah, he finds out! Eventually…😉)

—I think this is stated in-fic, but the reason I named Lucy that instead of like…Luna or Lily or something is as a reference to Lucy Pevensie! I didn’t realize until later that it’s basically the same name as Luke, so I distinguished their names within the world of Star Wars 😂

(There are probably more, but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head!)

writing ask game!

[gregoftom]

Oh right! I forgot to say something about greg's link to kerry, because there's no way making him be the one to tell her about her failing the audition and greg being a little shit about her coming to the wake not mean anything! No way! The linking is so obvious! I see you writers 👀

On a sidenote, tomgreg cringing together through the video tape is so funny. They're always together?? Even in the wake they stand besides each other when that guy was giving a speech in commemoration of logan 🥺

AND shiv literally falling down the stairs! That surprised me, it's a callback sure but I don't think it's anything to do with tg's nero/sporus in that moment, or at least not just that. Since the one who metaphorically push her down the stairs are ken and roman at that time. I think it's meant to show she really has no one who'd truly look after her best interest besides herself, not her husband, nor her 2 siblings :(

YEAH no yeah there's lots of connections to kerry when it comes to greg and like, i'm coming for his hide the way he's a bitch to her bc like. GIRL THAT'S/IS GONNA BE YOU LMFAO smh.

yeaaaaaah yeah omg i love s4 so much again for this reason like, greg is practically glued to greg's side the entire time, thank you for my life jesse succession <3 yeah yeah! god i love that so much too, them being cunty and canoodling at the back, whispering things and ahsskjdldjs ugh. i love best friends.

oh MAN i actually. like urghhh i don't like that bc it feels way too on the nose and i don't really see much of a point to it like, maybe it was meant to show that she's not infallible/has human body weakness like everyone else or some fucken shit but it just felt. too much to me. i think a problem i have with s4 is it tries to portray the misogyny towards shiv a little too much and ends up actually dangerously teetering on the edge of actually being misogynistic, if you get what i mean? for a lot of reasons. but anyway. that's actually a really good read of it! and could absolutely be the reason why, which :(((

[gretagerwigsmuse]

alexa, as always, your comments made me so happy to read (i think i’ve read them like 10 times already)! and writing out replies to all the commentary is always so fun and it’s so helpful because it tells me what worked and shined through, so thank you my friend 🥰 yes totally get you, i love crazy, frantic, hot and heavy welcome home smut as much as the next girl, but i always alwaysssss think god he must be so tired? especially if it was a tough deployment or whatnot? and i was super worried that it would seem like she was bombarding him with everything when he got settled at home, but since the last part wasn’t from either of their pov, we didn’t know what bradley’s headspace was really like? because he was thinking about all the same stuff she was? and that just further shows how connected and right for each other they are to me? so yeah, he always wanted to talk about all this and reflect so they can really enjoy themselves on vacation and over the next few days? 👀 but seriously, thank you for all the comments! more below 💕

He couldn’t wait to see you in twenty seconds after it’d felt like he’d been gone for twenty years. - how dare you with this callback. the sweetest boy is HOME and his people are waiting for him! and he is wanted and needed and LOVED - can i go where you go?

The countless (actually one-hundred and fifty-nine - he’d counted) emails between the two of you had been his saving grace these last three months. You’d emailed him almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day, much to the jealousy of his colleagues. He’d become addicted to them almost. //How did your cooking class go? What was your day like at work? Yes, he would love to go on a trip to Mexico. No, your mom is an absolute idiot. How did you touch yourself at night? Were you being a good girl for him?-- THE RANGEEEE. The way I went from 🥰 to 🥵. The man counted the emails! He reread the ones during his down time when he was missing her the most. HE MEMORIZED THE ONES THAT HAD HIM [redacted] his [redacted] when Payback was out of the room. - listen!!! he contains multitudes!! he can type with one hand! he can memorize payback’s tread down the hall (lies - they make sure to knock three times before opening the door lol)!!

all Bradley had wanted for the last thirteen years was for Maverick to be there when he got home. Last year, when he’d gotten back from three months out near Guam, he’d unabashedly cried from behind his sunglasses when he saw Maverick, Penny, and Amelia waiting for him. Amelia had even made a sign for him with terrible puns and lots of glitter. They’d had Bradley over for dinner - a family dinner - and he had felt on top of the world. Until he’d had to go back to his brand-new, empty house. Bitter with the sweet, he supposed.- SHUT UP SHUT THE FUCK UP MA'AM??!! MA'AMMM WHY HAVE I NEVER BEEN PRIVVY TO THIS MY HEART ARE YOU KIDDING ME NOW I AM CRYING JORDAN I HAVE A WHOLE FIC TO GET THROUGH HOW DARE YOU (this got its own color because WHAT THE FUCK I'VE BEEN SHOT) - i want to have amelia and penny be included more in their story and thought this was really cute? i think amelia absolutely adores bradley and vice versa! like he’s def in the cool older cousin role (even tho she makes fun of him sometimes 😉) and the poster is just an idea i couldn’t let go of! but then he had to go home to his big, empty house!! poor sweet boy!

He smiled at the sight and the thought that he wouldn’t want to leave you while you were pregnant briefly floated through his mind. --OOF OOF DOUBLE OOOOOFFFFFFFF - 🤭🤭🤭 he’s like i am on desk duty if i am not out of the navy. like he will be taking over cyclone’s job, that man is not getting in an f-18 until his retirement flight

Like something out of a movie, you turned your head and locked eyes with him. The two of you couldn't have been more than thirty feet apart and it was like everyone and everything around you had stopped - just for a moment. A blip in time. And then a smile crept across your face and your eyes lit up and the world started again.-- never getting over it. i'm melting into a puddle of yearning - i was going for cinematic! like old school hollywood romance vibes

This - this is what he had been missing for the last three months. Home. Home. Home. Bradley was home. With you. And holding you.//"Hey, kid." You tightened your hold on him at the moniker. "You miss me?"-- Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! He's home, he's calling her kid, and Alexa is crying - KID 🤭🥺 i’ll never get tired of it! i love any time people use it!

your first kiss in three months. Thirteen weeks. Ninety-one days. Two thousand one hundred ninety-one hours. -- my most precious and loveable nerddddd. i love that he did the math - counting emails, counting days, counting orgasms. again, be contains multitudes!!

Everything about you felt safe and precious. - 🥰 (i'm on my laptop and desktop tumblr doesn't have the big water eyed happy smile one, so just imagine it for me, ok?) - i like to have him think of her as precious a lot and like something to take care of? and not even in a “uwu im so smol 🤪” way? but like she needs to be protected and taken care of?

“Well,” Bradley steered you both away from the crush, “I’ll try my hardest to make it feel real for you later.” -- CHEEKY BOY YOUR DAD IS RIGHT THERE - big talk for someone for falls asleep on her later…

All he wanted to do was play out one of those cheeky little emails of ours in excruciating detail. With his girl. - disrespectfully that's all i want too 💁🏼‍♀️ - i really don’t think it’s too much to ask for? but i digress

It felt like he’d just gotten caught necking his girlfriend behind the bleachers by his father - and well…-- (ughhh they dont have the blushy hand over the mouth one either, so conjure it up for me please and thanks) but also THAT'S HIS DAD THAT'S HIS DAD - i feel like she’s super embarrassed about it too? especially that it’s maverick? lol i just love her crush on him, it’s so funny to me

But as much as he wanted to have ice cream with you and Maverick like he was celebrating a little league baseball win-- plssssssssssss lololololol - side note, they do get ice cream on tuesday while she’s at work lol like just the two of them and maverick picks bradley up, it’s so cute

Was it a little annoying and did it make him irrationally jealous? Sure. But it was also oddly sweet. There were a lot worse things than having your girlfriend genuinely like hanging out with your dad. Plus, Bradley’s didn’t think you really knew you had a crush on him.-- the man has multitudes, lololol. I'll never not be amused by the fact she is crushing on Mav, like it's so cute I can'tttt - and she doesn’t even know!?! i keep going back and forth between wanting bradley to tell her and to let her have it? because she really doesn’t notice? and i feel like if he brought it up, she’d be so embarrassed and it would ruin her relationship with him and bradley def isn’t cruel in that sense

Otherwise known both as the smallest car in the world and Bradley’s inheritance. -- THIS PART WILL NEVER NOT SEND MEEEE IT IS SO FUCKING FUNNY I AM WHEEZINGGGGG. It'll be his dowery when it comes time for them to get hitched, lololol - it’s going in the prenup. it’s one of the five assets bradley brings to the marriage lol

So, now his knees were up to his shoulders and you two were separated by an armrest because the damn Italians hated fun and had foregone a bench seat. -- huffy bradley is my everythinggggggg - like furrowed brow, lil pout on his face, sad cow eyes huffy!

Need you by my side, girl you’ll be my bride //You’ll never be denied everlasting love //That was you. That was you and him. Everlasting love. -- SCREAMING DYING AND CRYINGGGGGGG - this is the first time he hears it and thinks of her? but i’m gonna have it come up a couple more times before it really sticks? and it coming up so often when it’s not really a popular song is just fate (i say like i don’t write the damn thing)

After a long shower with all his favorite products and even some new ones you had brought over-- the man has an affinity for luxury hair products! those are some high maintence curls! no basic 5-in-1 for that soft head of hair - he’s an ouai boy now, sometimes he even throws in a hair masque. i feel like we forget he’s fruity (affectionate) sometimes

Originally, Bradley had wanted to get you some frilly old thing, dainty and cute and proper if only to feed some long repressed kink of his.-- g i g g l i n g - and the fleur du mal pearl handcuffs? so dainty, so cute, so proper 💁🏼‍♀️

Bradley shrugged. “Just wanna be near you, kid.” Were you nervous about cooking? Was that why you didn’t want him in the kitchen with you? He backtracked. “If that’s alright?”-- OH I AM TOO SOFT FOR THIS - the ‘if that’s alright’ gets me! like she genuinely just wants him to relax, it’s not even a thing with her being self conscious yet, but it could totally be seen that way? also…bradley maybe if you took a nap then you’d be awake for sexy time later but what do i know…

“- Because this is it,” he interrupted. Because you and I are it.//“Yeah. Because this is it,” you returned, equally as resolute.---- AHHHHHHH I LOVE THEM KNOWING IT AND SAYING IT AND CONFIRMING IT - queue up the bleachers ‘lets get married’ (the mitski cover is unreal if you’re curious)

nothing soothes the ache inside me like you do. need you to call me good girl, pretty girl, sweet girl, anything as long as it’s yours.-- ANYTHING AS LONG AS IT'S YOURSSSS. oh i'll never get over THAT (the italics are vv necessary) email - not to be dramatic but mr darcy’s letter, captain wentworth’s letter, and smart aleck’s march 13th email are the gold standard of affections bestowed via correspondence

No, I shouldn’t have sent you that email. It wasn’t proper, it was embarrassing for you and me and I was just missing you so much and in such a different way that I’ve never experienced before when you’d been gone and - I couldn’t bear not telling you for another moment.-- oh i just want to hug her!! she's so in her head, and hasn't had him to ease those anxieties, of course all those voices in her head have been getting louder 😭 it's been loud for Bradley on that carrier but even in the too quiet of their home, she's had her own inescapable loudness - i’m obsessed with this! ‘her own inescapable loudness!’ like yes, even though she has all this silence and ‘peace’ around her, it’s still so soooo loud (i blame her eat pray love mother…)? she feels needy and pathetic and thinks that’ll make bradley realize she can’t handle him being gone? but it couldn’t be further from the truth? rachel compared her saying ‘proper’ here with bradley thinking it about the apron? like to her it has a bad connotation, but to him it’s something completely different?

“‘Kept picturing you in your bunk writing it while fisting your cock. And then I was laying next to you in your bunk - and it had to be a secret. I had to keep quiet - just like at Thanksgiving - and not make a peep.”-- eep!!! i need it, i want it!! - i have not forgotten about thanksgiving! might be a spring/summertime thing haha

Now say thank you Bradley. Good girl. -- 🙃 yes sir ltcdr bradshaw sir - whatever you say sir, anything you want sir!

Where are you going to have me first?/In our bed, in our house, after you make me dinner in our kitchen. - OUR OUR OUR OUR OUR - and then it transitions into mine mine mine mine mine mi-

the dryer hasn’t even finished your first load yet-- like I love that they're talking, like the desire for each other physically is very much there for both of them. but that emotional intimacy is what they NEED. having these chats so that they can be fully present and on the same page, just makes everything better. Like they're still going to have mindblowing sex, but it's a closeness in more than just one way that they're both seeking, and it's such a unique perspective to the homecoming fics that we usually see. and while i love a smuty reunion and don't think there's anythig bad about that, I really love these softer things that show a couple is more than the sex they have. and this bit is just so domestic. like i'm oof-ed by it! the laundry is going! the garlic is simmering! i just love it - all the sounds and smells of home are surrounding them and they’re in the middle of all of it! i love everything you wrote with this comment, it made me so happy 🥰

sometimes it hits me that you’re not even fully mine? That a part of you will always want to be in the sky or out at sea because you have this other entity that tells you what to do? And when to do it and what to wear and how you should act? Where you’re Rooster and not my Bradley?”-- the ultimate dichotomy. he's himself, but not. like he can only give so much, but he can't give all of himself because not even he has that to offer. - it makes me sad if i think about it too much?

“I think I wrote five different responses to you after - deleted all of them.”-- I think about this part all the time! that we got to see the axed email, when bradley never did. and just how in her head she was (is) about it. - so i actually took exactly what she says when she deleted the email and reworked it for this part here! i wanted it to be true to her thoughts in this moment, but also harken back to what she really was going through at that moment earlier in the month?

Even though it felt like his tattoo was burning into his skin - xxxix, xxxix, xxxix, the number ran through his head constantly as of late - he tried to put on a brave face. Everything you were saying was what he had been mulling over for the last three months. Thousands of miles apart and you both were still so in-sync.-- THAT TATTOO! the angst! the big feelings! - i keep trying to think of a good story for when he got the tattoo? i’ve been up in the air if it was after he broke up with ezra 🥺 or when he graduated top gun? like it’s such a big thing that he surpasses his dad in age and rank so quickly? but he doesn’t surpass his mom for so much longer? it just goes to show how long she lived without him?

Because I don’t want us to have kids and still be a ‘rocket man.’ I don’t want them - that little boy in your dream - to wonder if I want to be up in the sky more than I want to be with him. And be with you. I want to be around, I want to be their dad and your husband. I love it, I love flying. But I don’t love it more than being with you and having a family with you. I don’t want to die in an F18 with a family at home.-- oh I have so many feelings about this! my sweet ptsd boy with the trauma. The ghost of his dad sits with him every time he goes up. And I know that during those hops its all he could think about. The bit about him not wanting his kids to wonder if he loves the sky more than them makes my heart hurttttttt. - i wanted it to be kind of nonsensical but also completely make sense to bradley? like it’s just his way of dealing with all the trauma and angst? it does make sense in a very literal way (don’t fly in an f18 when have a family, won’t die in f18 when have a family), but it’s also ridiculous? i cry every time i read that fucking story i stg like i will be having a normal day and then think about it and the whole day is shot lol

“Kid, I got six more years and then I’m all yours.” He could feel your tears seeping into his shirt as you cried. “It’s like what I said after you sent me that story - I don’t want our kids chasing ghosts. Not like I did.”//“You’d give us your wild?” you whispered. -- you stoppppppp. you went so hard here and i'm about to throw myself down a well - not to be self congratulatory in any way, but i cry every time i read that part

It was a little fucked, honestly, and he was sure his therapist would have plenty to say about it. But why not avoid something that could end in tragedy for everyone involved?//Why run the risk?//Bradley wasn’t dying in an F18 with a family at home. - i must leave the room now. (the knowing his therapist would have something to say about it always makes me giggle because even he recognizes it's not the healthiest approach, but like he has VALID reasons! - listen! he’s at least a little self aware haha, like could he probably better function if he was allowed to take ssris? yes! but he can’t as long as he’s in the navy, so for now he has the self deprecation (also i can’t wait for him to one day get super drunk or break down and tell maverick all of this, that man is going to sob)

“I know,” your cleared the scratchiness out of your throat, “we talked about waiting to have kids until a couple years after we get married, but if you want to wait until you retire, we’ll do it. And then we’ll get all of you. I want to do everything with you, Bradley.”-- they're such a teammmm! I love how they are always meeting each other where they are at and prioritizing the other ones needs! - i think you said it once she she kind of feeds into his ptsd (gn) and almost gets a little ocd (gn) about it? after the [redacted] she has, she switches her [redacted] to pills and that’s how there’s the issue with [redacted] being a surprise

“Oh dear,” you said suddenly. Bradley tensed up. “I got tears on your shirt.” //He chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, I know you can afford to get me a new one.”--oh he is so cute I cannot deallll. cheeky boy - like bradley she literally has all the shit she bought for you over the last three months on the bed in the guest room, like she can afford to get you 500 t shirts (especially those peter k navy speck ones)

Watched his pretty little girlfriend bopping around the kitchen, bopping around the house making sure everything was perfect for him. All you needed was a pretty little dress and a string of pearls to match your earrings. His pretty little housewife. Mrs Bradshaw. Bent over the kitchen island, wearing nothing but a frilly white apron and a pearl necklace as he fucked you from behind - HOUSEWIFE KINKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK YODELINGGGGGGGGG AHHHHHHHHHH - he wants to take her on the island so badly, he’s a man possessed (maybe he could’ve later that evening IF HE DIDNT FALL ASLEEP ON HER!)

"But those lessons really helped and made me more confident, which is exactly why you gave them to me, so thank you.”//Maybe it wasn’t exactly why he had given them to you, but…//“You’re very welcome.”-- CHEEKY BOY CHEEKY CHEEKY BOYYYYY - and he like totally is like…idk if she’d be into it and she’s like hold my martini

“What? ‘You trying to get me drunk?” //You put your hand over your heart. “I would never! Though, I know your tolerance might be a little shot. Did that affect your stamina, too?”-- 🤗 2 cocktails, wine, an espresso martini?! he's going to be pink in the cheeks and on the flooooooor - honestly it’s 65% of the reason why he FALLS ASLEEP ON HER

“‘You take a picture of it yet?” //“Of the cake?”//“Gotta commemorate this, it’s gorgeous. Need one with you, too!”- SWEET SUPPORTIVE BOY, he is so proud! - he def shows it to maverick when they get ice cream and is like “isn’t she so pretty? look what she did for me! no one’s made me a cake in years!”

“I’ll write sonnets about you, this cake, anything you want, you got me in a good mood, kid.”-- she got hims SLOSHED lololol - man’s tolerance is SHOT. like gee wonder why he FELL ASLEEP ON HER!?!

“Thought you wanted me in our bed the first time back?” You pressed light kisses across his neck and jawline until you nipped at his ear. “The same bed I’ve been getting myself off in every night since I brought my stuff over.”//“But just like I asked, right? Just your fingers?” You nodded. “Good girl.”-- i feel like i am intruding! this is so 🥵 and so intimate! - next time he’s gone for awhile she has her do more ‘tasks’ 🤭 girlie needs the structure

The couch felt ten times more inviting with you now than it had earlier in the evening when it had just been Bradley. Because now he had you underneath him with your head on the throw pillows he had made note of earlier, now the candles on the coffee table were lit and were the perfect complement to your perfume, and now the cashmere blanket he had always loved was half draped over you both.-- i love the full circle moment!! how its a house on his own, but a home with her! - okay but i have to thank you for this because you helped me so much with adding something here!

where you’d ride him after a long day at work-- their couches do get some milage, hahhahahhahhahaha. they def pay extra for the warranty - so does the kitchen island…and the dining table…and the breakfast table…and the living room floor…and the -

“Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow if you’re good for me?”- CHEEKY - MAYBE IF HE DIDNT FALL ASLEEP!!

Bradley scrunched his nose. “Is this gonna be a normal thing? You doing all the housework? Because that’s not gonna slide, roomie.”-- BRADLEY IS A FEMINIST THERE WILL BE NO INEQUITABLE MENTAL LOAD IN THIS HOUSE NO MAAM - he makes dinner all week while she’s at work 🤭 (i say all week, but it’s three days lol)!

He always liked that, imagining what you were wearing while he was gone. The sporadic pictures hadn’t been enough. You always looked so pretty and he always needed to tell you. -- he's always thinking about her and i'm so soft over it. (and drooling over her wardrobe) - man knows all her clothes!! wonder what he’ll do with that knowledge 🫢🤔

And it was so warm and comfy and his stomach was full and everything smelled so good and he was here. //Finally, he was here with you. //In your house, talking about your future. //Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a few minutes. Maybe if he just took a quick nap…-- sweet content happy boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy oh i loved this so much!! (even though we know there's more to come in mexicoooooo) but them having this lovey domestic reunion, anto to talk, and to luxuriate in person?? oh how I adored itttttt! - if only he didn’t FALL ASLEEP ON HER!!!

rocketman: part ii - from the back of the cab

Summary: in which lieutenant commander bradshaw finally returns stateside for just about the best damn homecoming he's ever had. it's been three months of countless emails and facetime calls between the two of you, but what awaits you both now that bradley's back? and what does it mean for your relationship going forward? [read part i here]

OR a homecoming 159 emails in the making

Pairing: Rooster x Fem!Reader 10k

Warnings: 18+, explicit language, suggestive dialogue, and suggestive content. a lot of the italic words are direct references to the emails in part i or direct quotes from the rocket man by ray bradbury (read at your own risk because if you picture bradley as the rocket man, you'll cry). the next part will pick up right where this one leaves off and hopefully won't take too long to get out!

from the back of the cab to the airport // i am happy you and i got this hour

Having multiple people, let alone multiple people who loved him more than anything in the world, waiting for him when he got home from a deployment, no matter how brief or long, was definitely a newer experience for Bradley. There was almost a giddiness about him as he said his goodbyes to Bob and Payback and the other pilots he’d flown with from Lemoore. He couldn’t wait to see you in twenty seconds after it’d felt like he’d been gone for twenty years. 

The countless (actually one-hundred and fifty-nine - he’d counted) emails between the two of you had been his saving grace these last three months. You’d emailed him almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day, much to the jealousy of his colleagues. He’d become addicted to them almost. 

How did your cooking class go? What was your day like at work? Yes, he would love to go on a trip to Mexico. No, your mom is an absolute idiot. How did you touch yourself at night? Were you being a good girl for him?

And in twenty seconds he’d have the real thing. He’d have you in his arms, hugging him, kissing him, talking a mile a minute about any and everything under the sun. 

(He knew Maverick would be there, too. He wasn’t being flippant about it or anything - all Bradley had wanted for the last thirteen years was for Maverick to be there when he got home. Last year, when he’d gotten back from three months out near Guam, he’d unabashedly cried from behind his sunglasses when he saw Maverick, Penny, and Amelia waiting for him. Amelia had even made a sign for him with terrible puns and lots of glitter. They’d had Bradley over for dinner - a family dinner - and he had felt on top of the world. Until he’d had to go back to his brand-new, empty house. Bitter with the sweet, he supposed.)

Off to his right, Bradley could see Bob and Callie hugging, and Reuben fussing over his wife’s noticeable baby bump. He smiled at the sight and the thought that he wouldn’t want to leave you while you were pregnant briefly floated through his mind. 

And then, like he had conjured you up, there you were. You hadn’t seen him yet. But Bradley could see you as you craned your neck and stretched on your tiptoes, bobbing and weaving and stretching to try and find him in the crush.

He'd known you were taking a half day to pick him up and you looked so soft and lovely in your off-duty clothes - a simple pair of cropped jeans and a pale blue oxford that he'd later realize was his. Pale blue in a sea of khaki with your sunglasses perched on the top of your head as the sun still beamed strongly onto the asphalt. 

Like something out of a movie, you turned your head and locked eyes with him. The two of you couldn't have been more than thirty feet apart and it was like everyone and everything around you had stopped - just for a moment. A blip in time. And then a smile crept across your face and your eyes lit up and the world started again.

“Bradley!”

With nary a glance back at Maverick, who Bradley had just realized was standing next to you, you ran towards Bradley and into his arms with so much force that he staggered backwards. His seabag made a solid thud on the ground as he wrapped his arms around you - one around your waist and another around the back of your neck. You burrowed your face in his neck and he couldn't resist holding you tighter, lifting you slightly so that the tips of your shoes kissed the asphalt. 

This - this is what he had been missing for the last three months. Home. Home. Home. Bradley was home. With you. And holding you. 

"Hey, kid." You tightened your hold on him at the moniker. "You miss me?"

“More than anything.” Not even a second after he put you down, your hands were running across his cheeks and neck. "Are you alright? Do you need anything? I have snacks in the car if you're hungry or -"

He cut you off with a kiss, your first kiss in three months. Thirteen weeks. Ninety-one days. Two thousand one hundred ninety-one hours. 

Bradley knew he would have a lot more of these homecomings - had even had some with you already. But he would never forget this one - his favorite homecoming. Two weeks, ten days, three days; it was nothing. Nothing compared to being in your arms again after three months apart. Nothing compared to kissing you again after three months. 

There was so much genuine love and longing in you - in him - that Bradley already dreaded when he’d leave you again. Because there would always be another time. 

At least until he broke the cycle. 

(Don’t ever be a rocket man. Promise me you won’t be like me.) 

But for now you were safe in his arms, feeling and smelling and sounding like home and god - for now that was enough. 

Your voice was similarly muffled. “Oh, bubs. I missed you so much. I can’t believe you’re finally home.”

“And I can’t believe you’re in front of me right now.” 

He wanted to touch you everywhere. Your cheeks, your hair, your shoulders, your legs, your breasts. Everywhere. There was no way he could ever get enough of you. 

You tilted your head up and smiled at him. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. Let’s go home.” The smile that lit up your face could guide Bradley home on even his darkest days. 

Before setting off, he gave you another kiss, this one just as sweet, and the two of you started making your way to the gate and by the other families milling around. It was a bit awkward balancing his arm around your shoulder with his seabag, but it was all worth it to have you tucked into his side again. You were so soft and warm and smelled so pretty. He couldn’t get over it. Everything about you felt safe and precious. 

“I can’t wait for you to see the house! I have almost everything situated, just a couple seasonal clothes and coats at my old place. I thought maybe we could go after work on Tuesday - unless you’re in a debrief or something or have other plans?”

Bradley squeezed you closer to his side. “Nah, I should be done by Monday afternoon, so Tuesday’s perfect.”

You nuzzled your face against his chest. “I can’t believe you’re home.” And then softer still, “I’m gonna keep saying it because it still doesn’t feel real.”

“Well,” Bradley steered you both away from the crush, “I’ll try my hardest to make it feel real for you later.” 

And, God, it went straight to his cock, the way you peered up at him, eyes slightly widened. You even bit your lip, cheeky thing. His seabag slipped from his grasp and he wound both arms around your waist pulling you close to him again. All he wanted to do was play out one of those cheeky little emails of ours in excruciating detail. With his girl. 

His wonderful girl. His sweet girl. His smart girl. His, his, his, his -

It was definitely verging on improper, the way he was kissing you now. But Bradley didn’t care. Not when you felt and smelled and tasted so fucking good -

“- Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw!” 

You whined against Bradley’s lips when he pulled away. It felt like he’d just gotten caught necking his girlfriend behind the bleachers by his father - and well…

Bradley cleared his throat and hoped his cheeks weren’t too red. “Captain Mitchell…”

They exchanged salutes, Maverick’s face all serious until Bradley could see him fighting a smile. There was a beat and then Bradley wrapped his arms around Mav in a tight hug. 

“Good to see you, kiddo.” 

“You too, Mav.” 

He let Bradley go to look him over much like you had. It warmed his heart to be fussed over by his dad. To have the two most important people in his life be there to pick him up and bring him home.

“Come on you two, ice cream? My treat?”

You gasped. “Now Captain Mitchell, you wouldn’t be suggesting we spoil Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s dinner with ice cream, would you?”

Bradley hadn’t had ice cream in weeks. And a vanilla soft serve with chocolate jimmies sounded like absolute heaven right now. But as much as he wanted to have ice cream with you and Maverick like he was celebrating a little league baseball win, Bradley wanted to go home with you even more. He would see Mav during the week while you were at the office. 

Right now, he just wanted to go home with his girl.

“Nah, I think we’re gonna head home. But I’ll take a raincheck for Monday?”

Mav nodded. “Sounds good to me, I’ll bring the car round then?”

“Sounds good, thanks!” you chirped.

Wait, what? Before Bradley could even question him, Maverick was off towards the parking lot - leaving you in his direct line of fire. 

Which, to be fair, you did look contrite. “Pete thought it would be easier if he drove, especially with all the people around…”

And was Bradley really going to be mad at Maverick for caring too much? For wanting to spend time with his kid after he got home from a three month deployment? No. Not even at the expense of a twenty minute car ride home alone with you. 

“I should’ve told you earlier he was driving, sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” You both started making your way to the gate again. “Probably gave him an excuse to take the rest of the afternoon off, too.”

You giggled. “I asked if he wanted to get lunch beforehand, but he said he was wrapping something up.”

Bradley’s stride momentarily faltered. Right, he forgot about that - your little lunch dates with Maverick. Was it a little annoying and did it make him irrationally jealous? Sure. But it was also oddly sweet. There were a lot worse things than having your girlfriend genuinely like hanging out with your dad. Plus, Bradley’s didn’t think you really knew you had a crush on him.

“I’m sure you two had plenty of time to catch up while I was gone, but now you’re all mine, kid.”

You wrapped your hands around his upper arm and gave it a squeeze. With a few nods at his fellow aviators and other assorted crew members, you two made it through the gate and to the parking lot where Maverick was waiting in his 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE. 

Otherwise known both as the smallest car in the world and Bradley’s inheritance. 

The car was in really good shape and drove like a dream. But it was very much not designed for a 6’1” naval aviator - especially when one was relegated to the back seat. Because Bradley didn’t want you to be in the back seat alone and you had refused to sit in the front. 

So, now his knees were up to his shoulders and you two were separated by an armrest because the damn Italians hated fun and had foregone a bench seat. 

Though this did not stop you from laying a cheeky hand on his knee, inching it higher and higher up his thigh as you crossed the Coronado Bridge. You glanced over at Bradley and winked, stopping yourself from getting higher by holding his hand instead. 

It was never a long drive back to his - your house, but today it seemed to fly by ever faster. Maverick was unusually chatty in the front seat, asking about your upcoming trip and if you needed a ride to the airport on Thursday morning, while also telling Bradley about the newly renovated ready room on base. 

The chatter petered off into the background as Bradley suddenly zeroed in on the song playing on the radio - Everlasting Love. He found himself mouthing the lyrics. 

Need you by my side, girl you’ll be my bride 

You’ll never be denied everlasting love 

That was you. That was you and him. Everlasting love. 

He squeezed your hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. And while you and Maverick chatted and told Bradley some of the more lighter happenings of the last three months - mainly the raccoon garage saga - he was counting down the minutes till it was just you and him. Peace and quiet with his everlasting love.

Which was really everything he could ever want. 

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

After a long shower with all his favorite products and even some new ones you had brought over, Bradley made his way downstairs and was greeted with the unfairly adorable sight of you chopping potatoes at the kitchen island. There was music playing, candles lit, and the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen. He smiled, seeing you wearing the apron he’d picked out for you all those months ago and was relieved to see that it looked broken in from wear. Because, to be honest, it was nearly impossible to pick out clothes for you.

Originally, Bradley had wanted to get you some frilly old thing, dainty and cute and proper if only to feed some long repressed kink of his. But the denim apron was practical and you would get use out of it for plenty more years to come. 

And he could always get you another one for special occasions. Because he had had a lot of time to think about all those special occasions with you while he was away…

A beautiful smile lit up your face as you saw him pad down the stairs. “My, my, don't you look cozy?”

Once his socked-feet were firmly on the hardwood floor, Bradley spun on his heels showing off his comfy joggers and plain, grey t-shirt. “Do I pass muster?” He pressed a kiss to the cheek you tilted up for him. 

“I’ll think you’ll do, bubs.” He pulled you in for a hug from behind. “Mmmmm, you smell so good.”

He swayed you back and forth in his arms. “I should, I used all your shampoo…” 

“Cheeky boy.” You craned your neck and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “You want a drink while I make dinner? You can lay on the couch for a bit if you want? You must be exhausted.”

“Oh?” He hadn’t even considered going into the living room, not when you were in the kitchen. “Uhhh, sure, yeah. I’ll take a drink.”

You smiled and pulled back from him. “Old fashioned?” He nodded. You got out a rocks glass from the cabinet and went over to the bar cart in the dining room for the whiskey and bitters. “I got those fancy bitters at that liquor store you like.”

“Did you take care of everything?” He said it to hide his own reddened cheeks, but you appeared equally as bashful.

“Tried too.”

“You gonna have one, too?” 

You nodded. “Yeah, but we’re also having wine with dinner, so just one for now - here you go. Got to start you off slow, Bradshaw.” You slid the glass over to him and held your own out to toast. “To your long awaited homecoming.”

Your eyes locked over the rim of your glasses and you had both barely set them back down on the table before Bradley pressed a kiss to your lips. You tasted like sugar and whiskey and felt like home. 

“Missed you, kid.”

“Missed you, too, rocketman. You have no idea how happy I am that you’re home.” You kissed him again. “Now, you gotta let me finish cooking. The table’s already set, so there’s nothing for you to do, but relax.”

“Fine, fine,” he heaved out a great sigh, “banishing me already and I’ve only been home for a few hours, I see how it is - owww!” You smacked his ass with a dishtowel. “Alright, I’m going, I’m going.”

The living room looked nearly identical to how it had when Bradley had left in December - minus the Christmas tree, of course - but there were still little touches of you everywhere. The pillows were arranged far nicer than Bradley had ever been able to manage and there were three new candles of differing heights on the coffee table. Plus, the cream colored cashmere blanket from your apartment that he always stole was artfully strewn across the back of one of the leather sofas. 

With one glance back towards you in the kitchen - you were completely focused on some Russet potatoes - Bradley flopped onto the couch and tucked himself under the blanket. It was warm and cozy and so comfortable under there in his couch clothes in the house you two shared. Quiet, too, even with some Van Morrison playing from the kitchen. It was the kind of quiet that could lull Bradley to a peaceful sleep, especially after having been ensconced in constant noise for the last three months.

And he tried for half an hour - he really did. He thought of how excited you were to show him the perfectly organized closet and how you’d put all the little bits and bobs you’d gotten for him over the last three months in the guest room for him to look over at his leisure and how he’d corrected you on where the mail should go. 

It was just - it was too quiet and too perfect and too comfy and he just wanted to be with you. Even if it meant sitting on one of the uncomfortable kitchen barstools. 

You shook your head, but smiled as he approached. “You don’t have to watch me, you must be exhausted?”

Bradley shrugged. “Just wanna be near you, kid.” Were you nervous about cooking? Was that why you didn’t want him in the kitchen with you? He backtracked. “If that’s alright?”

You bit your lip and gestured for Bradley to sit at the island in front of you. There were a couple mise en place bowls laying around, but you quickly made room for Bradley and his drink. 

“It’s like a taping of the Barefoot Contessa.”

You chuckled. “Let’s just hope the food’s as good as Ina’s.”

“Walk me through it.”

With a teasing smile on your face, you went back to mincing the garlic - with a glowing comment from Bradley on your newly acquired knife skills - and he just sat there, chin propped up on his hand watching you explain the next couple steps. You even got a yes, chef out of him when you asked him to turn the music down. The roasted potatoes smelled absolutely divine cooking in the oven and you had just finished snipping the ends off the asparagus when your demeanor suddenly changed. You fiddled with your apron tie and abruptly turned around to face him, looking almost surprised by the action, though you wouldn’t exactly look him in the eye.

“Actually, now that you’re here - or here at the table,” you huffed out a laugh, “there’s something I want to talk to you about that happened while you were gone - no, that’s not - something I was thinking about while you were gone?”

You put the burner down on the sauce pan, leaving the minced garlic to simmer before you were facing Bradley yet again. You looked nervous, unsure of yourself, as you played with the bracelet he had gotten you for Christmas. Had something happened while he was gone that you hadn’t told him about? Were you sick? Hurt? Was there someone - no, no, you’d never.

Bradley leaned back in his chair and hoped he sounded surer than he felt. “Sure, uhh, yeah, go ahead.”

“It actually has to do with some emails I sent you - last week, in particular. One of them is actually that email.” You looked down at the granite countertop as Bradley tried to think of which email would constitute italics. “But I also want to talk about one of the other emails, when I messaged you about that dream I had and kind of how that all falls into everything that we’ve been going through and probably will be going through -”

“- Because this is it,” he interrupted. Because you and I are it.

“Yeah. Because this is it,” you returned, equally as resolute. “So…”

Bradley sat up straighter in his chair and cleared his throat. “Which one do you want to talk about first?”

You fiddled with your apron bow. “Maybe the one from the thirteenth?”

“Which one was that?”

Now you definitely were avoiding looking at him. Your words came out slowly, like you dreaded saying them and Bradley had a sudden inkling that he knew exactly which email you were referencing. 

“The one about me needing you. Needing you to take care of me,” you whispered the last part.

He could feel his cheeks coloring. “Oh. Right, yeah.” 

Bradley had never received an email like that before. Had never even received a text like that before. It was just so raw and almost animalistic the way your need for him jumped off the page.

nothing soothes the ache inside me like you do. need you to call me good girl, pretty girl, sweet girl, anything as long as it’s yours.

“I shouldn’t have sent that one to you - especially since if I could’ve waited five more days, none of this would’ve happened. It’s just - I needed you so badly and wanted you - ugh, no! No, I shouldn’t have sent you that email. It wasn’t proper, it was embarrassing for you and me and I was just missing you so much and in such a different way that I’ve never experienced before when you’d been gone and - I couldn’t bear not telling you for another moment. Because no one was there to tell me what to do or -”

You threw your hands out and put them on the top of your head. God, it looked like you were about to cry. And it broke Bradley’s heart. He pushed his barstool back from the island and padded over towards you. 

“Come ‘ere, kid.” 

You let out a sigh and your eyes were swimming with tears as you fell into Bradley’s arms. You felt small in his arms - not necessarily in the physical sense, but like you were folding in on yourself. He needed to take care of you - take you, take you, take you - 

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, whenever you want, it’s fine.” Bradley pressed a kiss to your forehead and squeezed you tighter. You held on to him tightly, which muffled your next words. 

“I’ve never had someone who I need in that way. And it’s not even necessarily about the sex, itself. I could go months without having sex - had before I met you. It was never something I really needed to get by, I guess? I could take care of it on my own. 

“But then - then I met you and you just? You make me need you - make me crave you, you tell me what to do, make me want to please you. And then you just leave for three months and I have to learn how to do all that on my own and it was just so hard? It felt like I dropped? Like everything caught up to me after all those months and weeks and I felt scared and lonely and needy and desperate for you and for you to tell me I’m a good girl and take care of me and be my d - be dominant with me.”

Your breathing quickened as you talked and Bradley felt you getting more worked up. He rubbed his hands across your back, hoping it would soothe the ache inside of you, if only a little bit. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, kid.”

i need you i need you i need you i need you bradley bradley bradley bradley

You sniffled. “I guess I just didn’t think - I mean, I knew other people would see it - and I did think that was kind of hot, especially when you called me out for it - it was only after, when I’d realized what I’d done that I saw how embarrassing it was for you. 

“Like Joe from Comms being like hey, did you know Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s girlfriend is a horny, pathetic, subby mess for him? You gotta see it, man. She couldn’t even make it three months without getting fucked. He can’t even take care of his g -”

“- Stop it.” Bradley grabbed your chin. “You know that’s not true.” 

“Maybe.” You shrugged. “But I was already feeling shitty about my mom and being so busy at work and how I loo -” you broke off and Bradley desperately wanted you to finish the thought. “I guess it all caught up to me.”

“But I wrote back. I wrote back and told you everything I wanted you to hear and what you needed to hear. And god, I’d do it again, I’d do it in a heartbeat if it brought you comfort and I probably should’ve done it sooner.” 

nothing stretches me out like you do, nothing makes me feel as small as you do, nothing makes me flush like the sound of your voice against my neck as i come, nothing soothes the ache inside me like you do

You squeezed your arms around his stomach and breathed him in. God, he loved you so much, he’d say anything and do anything to make you realize that. 

“I needed it, what you wrote me, and I needed to tell you what I said, but I should’ve waited so, I’m sorry, can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive, kid. You message me when you need me, no matter how.” He kissed your temple. “I know we’ve never really talked about how that part of our relationship would work while I was gone, so maybe next time we just make a plan?”

You nodded. “I’d like that. I know it’s not like that all the time between us, so I didn’t even think of it before you left.”

“I hadn’t either,” he confessed.

Long distance d/s relationship reddit would be Bradley’s best friend over the next few days. Neither of you would have to go through that again, not if he had something to say about it. The whole idea of not being allowed to use anything besides your fingers to masturbate was a good start, but it was just that - a start. Because like you’d said, you two weren’t in that dynamic all the time, but you both needed it. It was new for both of you. You’d just have to come up with a list together. 

But just to give you a little encouragement in the meantime…

“And let’s not forget…” You peered up at him. “You did tell me you read my email seven times…”

You giggled and shoved his shoulder. “Might’ve been an understatement.”

“Oh?”

“I think I came three times that first night alone.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmmhm.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and played with the ends of his hair. “‘Kept picturing you in your bunk writing it while fisting your cock. And then I was laying next to you in your bunk - and it had to be a secret. I had to keep quiet - just like at Thanksgiving - and not make a peep.”

“But you don’t like to be quiet…” 

He crowded you against the island and rolled his hips against yours. The thin fabric of his joggers did little to hide how much he desired you, especially after the conversation you’d just had. 

His subby little girlfriend. God, he couldn’t wait to take you apart bit by bit later. 

Now say thank you Bradley. Good girl. 

Though, that’s not to say that you couldn’t partake in a little preview now. Bradley’s lips crashed against yours, caught up in the furor and headiness of it all, and your body melted against his. Three months later and you still responded so well to him. Your breathy little sighs as he bit your lip and pressed countless kisses along your jawline and neck sounded like heaven. You smelled so sweet, tasted so sweet, felt so sweet - he kissed you again, coaxing your mouth back open.

“Bradley, bubs, I -” you gasped against his lips, “I need to turn the stove off if we’re going to -”

Without taking his lips off yours, Bradley reached behind his back and turned off the gas burner. The garlic still sizzled in the pan, but now without the risk of burning the house down. You could put fresh garlic on later, now he just wanted you. 

His hands went back to their place on your hips before the left slid underneath your oxford and up your body. You stiffened slightly, but welcomed his touch, if only for a moment before you pulled back from him. 

“We have to - I have to finish dinner.” He nodded, albeit reluctantly. You pecked his lips again. 

There was something deeply erotic about waiting - even if it was just for a couple of hours. 

Where are you going to have me first?

In our bed, in our house, after you make me dinner in our kitchen. 

Bradley cleared his throat. “You said you wanted to talk about another email? The one about your dream, right? The one with our kid.”

It felt right saying it - our kid. 

God, Bradley, I wish you were here right now so you could hold me and tell me you loved me because I just want to feel your arms around me and know you’re real. I want to tell you about the little boy - the perfect mix of me and you

“We can wait until dinner - or even after dinner, if you want?” You didn’t give him a chance to respond. “I’m sorry I’m dropping all this on you. I know you’ll say otherwise, but I shouldn’t have done this right when you came home - the dryer hasn’t even finished your first load yet. I know you’re exhausted and definitely have your own stuff to work through after being gone and we should be having sex on the floor or over the arm of the couch, not listening to me blubber -”

Bradley shook his head and interrupted you. He didn’t want to give you another moment to doubt yourself. 

“- Hey, hey. I wanna talk about the heavy stuff with you, it’s okay. And I’d rather we do it now so we can really enjoy these next few days together - and maybe then have sex on the floor and over the arm of the couch. I don’t want this hanging over your head, kid. 

“And you’re not alone in thinking about that over the last few months - it’s probably been even longer for me…”

You wiped at the tears pooling in your eyes. “Really?” 

“You know you’re it for me, kid.” Have been since our fourth date went unsaid. “So, come on, walk me through it.”

You leaned against the back counter near the stove, while Bradley mirrored you against the island. You sighed. 

“I love you so much - sometimes I’m scared that I love you this much and that it’s not quite been a year since we met. And I never thought I’d be so heart achingly in love with someone in the Navy, of all things, and just - sometimes it hits me that you’re not even fully mine? That a part of you will always want to be in the sky or out at sea because you have this other entity that tells you what to do? And when to do it and what to wear and how you should act? Where you’re Rooster and not my Bradley?”

Bradley frowned at the use of his callsign coming from your lips. It didn’t feel right, it didn’t sound right. He didn’t want to be Rooster around you. He liked that he didn’t have to be Rooster around you.

“And it makes me absolutely crazy because you love it and you’re not going to stop - and you shouldn’t stop, not for me! But, god, Bradley, sometimes I want to shake you and hold you down and beg you to stay. Like that fucking story.” You wiped your eyes. 

“It’s all I wanted to tell you when I had that dream. About how I want you to come home so badly. I want you to stay here with me forever and never leave and to have that cute little boy who was the perfect mix of me and you and to have you here in my arms every night. And I know it’s selfish of me to ask or even make you think about it, but I want you right here. I don’t want you looking at the sky when you’re here and wanting to be up there. And I know you don’t either, Bradley. You give everything to everyone, you don’t do things by halves.” 

You both stood there, Bradley stunned by your words, and you, seemingly stunned that you’d actually said them. He took a step towards you, but didn’t cross that final barrier to touch you. He remembered highlighting a particular passage from the story in his response back to you and how he never wanted you to feel the same way as Lily. He didn’t want to let it - flying, the Navy, all of it get a hold of him.

“Don’t ever be a Rocket Man.” I stopped. “I mean it,” he said. “Because when you’re out there you want to be here, and when you’re here you want to be out there. Don’t start that. Don’t let it get hold of you.” “But-“ “You don’t know what it is. Every time I’m out there I think, If I ever get back to Earth I’ll stay there; I’ll never go out again. But I go out, and I guess I’ll always go out.”

You sniffled and wiped your eyes on your sleeve. “And I was so scared when you didn’t get back to me right away. Thought I’d scared you off…” You glanced down at the floor and played with your bracelet. It looked so fragile and dainty on your wrist. “I think I wrote five different responses to you after - deleted all of them.”

Bradley nudged your foot with his own and got you to look up at him. Even though it felt like his tattoo was burning into his skin - xxxix, xxxix, xxxix, the number ran through his head constantly as of late - he tried to put on a brave face. Everything you were saying was what he had been mulling over for the last three months. Thousands of miles apart and you both were still so in-sync. He cleared his throat before speaking. 

“You turned my life on its head when you sent me that story.” Even weeks later, he was still in disbelief. “And I know it wouldn’t have changed anything - not really - but I kept - I keep wondering how my dad would’ve reacted to it? Or my mom? I don’t think it would’ve made anything different, but just knowing about it? Because I don’t want us to have kids and still be a ‘rocket man.’ I don’t want them - that little boy in your dream - to wonder if I want to be up in the sky more than I want to be with him. And be with you. I want to be around, I want to be their dad and your husband. I love it, I love flying. But I don’t love it more than being with you and having a family with you. I don’t want to die in an F18 with a family at home.”

You let out a sob and he wrapped his arms around you and slowly swayed you from side to side. “Kid, I got six more years and then I’m all yours.” He could feel your tears seeping into his shirt as you cried. “It’s like what I said after you sent me that story - I don’t want our kids chasing ghosts. Not like I did.”

“You’d give us your wild?” you whispered. 

Bradley nodded and felt his own eyes welling up. “I want us to have what my mom and I didn’t. And it’s not that my mom wasn’t enough, but there was always a piece missing for both of us - Maverick, too.” You wiped the tears away from his eyes. “I love you, so, so much, kid. You know I’m gonna marry you. And I just want to be yours when it comes time for us to have a family.”

Honestly, it was a relief that you’d brought all this up. It only reaffirmed the thought that had been bouncing around Bradley’s head lately.

You two wouldn’t have kids until he was out of the Navy. 

There were six years until Bradley could put in his twenty years and retire. It was a little fucked, honestly, and he was sure his therapist would have plenty to say about it. But why not avoid something that could end in tragedy for everyone involved?

Why run the risk?

Bradley wasn’t dying in an F18 with a family at home.  

And he knew his logic wasn’t exactly sound. It didn’t entirely make sense even to himself. There would be plenty of times over the next six years where he could get into an accident or not come home from a mission. He understood that. 

Except, currently, there wasn’t a kid waiting at home for him. There wasn’t a three year old Bradley waiting at home and being told by his mom that his dad wasn’t coming home. He knew that if you had a family, it would be harder for you to move on if something happened to him. And he didn’t want to put you and any future little nuggets through that. He didn’t want to be a rocketman with them.

Bradley wasn’t dying in an F18 with a family at home. 

He wasn’t going to do that to your family. So, why not just wait to have a family until after he got out of the Navy? It seemed obvious. Perfectly so. The words had been ready to pour out of his mouth, except you beat him to it.

“I know,” your cleared the scratchiness out of your throat, “we talked about waiting to have kids until a couple years after we get married, but if you want to wait until you retire, we’ll do it. And then we’ll get all of you. I want to do everything with you, Bradley.”

Give you my wild, give you a child.

Bradley wrapped you up in his arms and squeezed you hard. “I love you, I love you, I love you. God, I love you so much.” He kissed your forehead and cheeks and lips and tried his damndest to pour all the love he had for you into it.

“I love you, too, Bradley,” you said simply. 

And maybe it wasn’t exactly healthy to wait and almost be consumed by this desperate need to control both your lives and have a countdown clock to when everything would be okay. Because maybe things wouldn’t be okay in six years? And maybe you and Bradley would get in a car accident tomorrow or maybe you both would have trouble having kids or or or…

But Bradley wasn’t dying in an F18 with a family at home.  

He would need to talk about this with his therapist at some point. The therapist the Navy gave him eighteen months ago after he ‘recklessly’ went back to save Maverick. The therapist that he just never stopped seeing even though he was cleared from last April. 

“We’re a bit of a mess, aren’t we?” Bradley asked after a moment.

You pulled back. “Maybe? And maybe it’s a little extreme for both of us to think like that, but we’ll make it work, okay? However we have to, we’ll make it work for us.” You punctuated your words with a quick kiss over his heart. 

“Oh dear,” you said suddenly. Bradley tensed up. “I got tears on your shirt.” 

He chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, I know you can afford to get me a new one.” You shoved his shoulder and you both laughed. And just like that, the mood was lifted. 

Bradley had been right earlier - he felt lighter. You looked lighter. And that wasn’t to say that you’d looked gloomy or upset or scared before, but your shoulders weren’t as tense and you kept smiling, at him, at whatever you were cooking, at nothing.

This could be his life every night. You could be together like this forever. Cooking dinner side by side, talking about where the mail should go (it very much was not on the hall table, that was for damn sure), complaining about Mr. Harrington next door or arguing over who should vacuum. All the little things that made that big life together. The one you both wanted so badly. 

And contrary to your earlier statement, you did make you and Bradley another drink before dinner. In fact, it probably was what gave you the courage to attempt to flip the chicken in the saucepan like a regular José Andrés. (Even more surprising was the fact that you didn’t drop any.)

Once the potatoes finished, you swapped them in the oven for the asparagus, hoping the former would cool while the latter was roasting. All the while, you talked Bradley through everything - how much oil you added to the asparagus, where you’d gotten the potatoes, and the recipe for the chocolate cake you’d made for dessert. 

It was - well, Bradley didn’t really have a word for what it was. His first thought was how nice it was seeing you so confident and capable and proud of yourself. But his second thought was that it was also oddly stirring seeing you do all this for him while he just watched. 

Watched his pretty little girlfriend bopping around the kitchen, bopping around the house making sure everything was perfect for him. All you needed was a pretty little dress and a string of pearls to match your earrings. His pretty little housewife. Mrs Bradshaw. Bent over the kitchen island, wearing nothing but a frilly white apron and a pearl necklace as he fucked you from behind -

“All set!” Your cheerful voice interrupted Bradley’s fantasy before it could really start. He had zoned out while you’d been prattling on about the herb cutting scissors you wanted to get at Crate & Barrel. “Shall we?”

Bradley readjusted himself before getting up from his seat and helping you bring the drinks and serving dishes into the dining room. 

Mrs Bradshaw.

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

“So, how is it?” you asked once the food had been served and the wine had been poured. You had your chin propped up on your fist as you watched Bradley take the first few, slow bites of food. 

It was good. It was more than good, it was excellent. It was hot and perfectly seasoned and all the textures were just right. And it wasn’t just because he’d been on an aircraft carrier, eating out of the officer’s mess everyday. Because the food was actually pretty good on the carrier and the Aussies had even treated him to a couple meals. 

But he wouldn’t be Bradley and you wouldn’t be you if he didn’t mess with you a little. He tilted his head back and forth, trying to look like he was mulling it over. “It’s good…”

You nudged his foot under the table once you saw the smile threatening to break out on his face. “You ass.” The words lacked any heat.

Bradley took another bite of potatoes before speaking. “It’s really good, kid, seriously. You killed it. Seemed like you really enjoyed it, too.”

“I did,” you nodded, “I just always used to be so nervous I’d undercook something and make everyone sick, you know? Or that people would be lying to me about the food and that it was burnt or under-seasoned or something? But those lessons really helped and made me more confident, which is exactly why you gave them to me, so thank you.”

Maybe it wasn’t exactly why he had given them to you, but…

“You’re very welcome.”

Dinner continued on with only light hearted conversation after that. What Reuben and Bob were planning for their leave (Reuben and his wife were going up the coast for a mini-break and then building out the nursery for their baby, while Bob was going home to see his parents), the work you had to finish up before your trip, and what you both were hoping to get out of your vacation (good food, a tan, reading plenty of books, and having copious amounts of sex). 

All the while, Bradley had another helping of everything, except the potatoes, of which he had two additional helpings - you refrained from seconds entirely. You two must have sat at the table for over two and a half hours, talking and eating and laughing. It was perfect. Bradley helped you bring the dishes back into the kitchen; both of you were more than happy to deal with them a little later. 

And then there was the dessert. The chocolate cake looked heavenly - Ina’s recipe, of course - and you asked Bradley if he wanted an espresso martini to wash it down.

“What? ‘You trying to get me drunk?” 

You put your hand over your heart. “I would never! Though, I know your tolerance might be a little shot. Did that affect your stamina, too?”

“Ha, ha, ha hilarious.” He took the cake plate and knife from you while you went over to the bar to make the martinis. “I’ll have you know that the Aussies were very accommodating hosts.”

“The Aussies, huh?”

Bradley shrugged. It wouldn’t be an issue to tell you now, not after he’d been dying to mention it for the past few weeks. “It’s not classified or anything, they just don’t like us talking about it in the moment.”

“Wait,” you came back into the dinning room with a coupe half filled in your right hand. “Did you go to Australia?” 

“Possibly…” You shot him a look. “We do this joint training exercise with them every year. Last year was my first year.”

“That’s so cool! Did you spend much time actually on land or…” You went back to preparing the drinks and tossed your next question over your shoulder. “When was it? I think I saw something about it in the news.”

“After you got back from London. It was just a week for the actual exercise, but there were a lot of meetings in the lead up, we did a couple war-games, too. We were mainly in New South Wales with the aviators, but went up to the North Western Territory for the actual exercises.”

Last year, Bradley hadn’t had the opportunity to really get too involved in the planning aspects and being on base - his promotion hadn’t come through yet, so he had been just a lowly lieutenant - but his elevated rank granted him that privilege this year. 

“Wait, that’s so cool, I’ll have to read up on it more! I definitely remember hearing about it on the news, should’ve made the connection.” You came back over with the drinks. “How were the other pilots? This isn’t going to be some Manchurian Candidate bullshit, is it?”

Bradley barked out a laugh. “Nah, that’ll be Bob.”

“Did it have a fun name? They always seem to!” 

Bradley took a sip of his martini. Damn it was delicious. “Exercise Talisman Sabre - R-E. You want me to cut the cake?”

You nodded. Bradley pulled the cake stand closer to his seat. The cake was stunning. The frosting was definitely homemade and the white piping on the top looked perfect. “‘You take a picture of it yet?” 

“Of the cake?”

“Gotta commemorate this, it’s gorgeous. Need one with you, too!” You smiled bashfully as Bradley snapped a couple pics with his phone and then put it face-up on the table. The picture of the two of you at your Christmas party before his deployment smiled back up at him. 

You sat back down in your chair. “Here’s hoping it tastes just as good.”

There would still be plenty of cake for leftovers, but Bradley thought the two of you deserved a little something extra tonight and measured the first piece a little bigger than he normally would. 

“Oh. You can have that one. I’ll take a smaller piece.” He went to cut another piece, slightly smaller than his. “Little smaller.” He kept scooching the knife closer and closer for your approval until it was only about a third of the size of his piece. “That’s perfect, thanks.”

You took a huge first bite of cake and Bradley did the same. “Oh, god. It’s so good,” he said. “I need the recipe so I can make this every week.” 

Your fork froze midair for a moment, before you took a slightly smaller piece this time. “I don’t know if I can handle this every week...” You chuckled. 

Bradley moaned. “But the ganache! The whipped frosting on the top! Sweetheart, it’s so good. The world cannot be deprived of its beauty.”

That got a proper laugh out of you. “‘You writing sonnets about cake now?”

“I’ll write sonnets about you, this cake, anything you want, you got me in a good mood, kid.” He licked the frosting off his fork and then went back in for the final two bites. 

“That might just be the martini talking, bubs. Here,” you slid your barely eaten plate over towards him, “you can have the rest of mine.”

Bradley frowned. “You sure?”

“Yeah, I had extra batter and made some cupcakes. Had one this morning. I’m chocolate cake’d out.” 

He was a little dubious since you loved chocolate cake, but took your words at face value. 

“But first,” you swiped some extra frosting off your plate and streaked it across Bradley’s cheek, “you got a little something on your face, bubs.”

“Oh no,” he laid it on thick, “guess you’ll have to come over here and help me clean it off.”

In a flash, you were on him - arms wrapped around his neck, legs astride his thigh. Your feet remained firmly on the ground, but Bradley wanted all your weight on him, reminding him that he was here in the house you shared and not back in his bunk on the carrier. 

“There we go.” You swiped the frosting off his cheek and sucked the excess off your finger. “My pretty boy again.”

He smiled. “You say that like you haven’t wanted to fuck me since we got home.”

Your jaw dropped at his words. “I’m trying to draw out the anticipation!” Bradley squeezed your hips and you shifted your weight on his thigh. This time your words came out quieter. “Thought you wanted me in our bed the first time back?” You pressed light kisses across his neck and jawline until you nipped at his ear. “The same bed I’ve been getting myself off in every night since I brought my stuff over.”

“But just like I asked, right? Just your fingers?” You nodded. “Good girl.”

You ducked your head at the praise and then pulled yourself even closer to him before capturing his lips in a deep kiss. You tasted like espresso and chocolate and Bradley wanted to take you right there on the dining room table with little regard for the state of his stem and dish-ware. Slowly, you rocked your body on his lap and let out a breathy gasp against his lips. The seam on your jeans must have been driving you absolutely crazy, but you didn’t let up. And, frankly, Bradley didn’t want you to - all he wanted right now was to keep kissing you, keep pressing his chest against yours, keep grabbing at your hips over your shirt. Except that soon wasn’t enough. 

He slipped his hand underneath your shirt and went straight for your lace bra. He smiled against your lips. Good girl. You wore his favorite one. His hand slid lower to drag his fingers across the soft skin of your stomach and side. God, you were so warm. So soft. But he couldn’t linger on the spot for too long after you pushed his hand away and gestured for him to get up.

Without separating yourselves for too long, you and Bradley made your way from making out on his dining table chair to making out on the couch. You were on your back, half wedged between the back cushion, and entirely under Bradley’s bulk. 

God, had he missed this. Touching you, kissing you, holding you, fucking you. You’d already talked for hours, now he wanted to kiss you for them. 

The couch felt ten times more inviting with you now than it had earlier in the evening when it had just been Bradley. Because now he had you underneath him with your head on the throw pillows he had made note of earlier, now the candles on the coffee table were lit and were the perfect complement to your perfume, and now the cashmere blanket he had always loved was half draped over you both.

This was where you’d watch movies together at night, where you’d open Christmas presents, where you’d ride him after a long day at work, where you’d have meals with the news on in the background, where your kids would watch TV. 

“I love you,” you rasped against his lips. “I love you so much.”

“Love you, love you, love you,” he repeated.

It could have been twenty minutes or an hour later, but now the two of you were just laying side by side on the couch. You were wrapped in Bradley’s arms, nestled against his chest, where you had been pressing little kisses against his neck for the last five minutes. Occasionally, you’d play with the ends of his hair or drag your finger across the scars on his neck. 

Bradley pressed a light kiss to your temple. “This has been really nice, thank you. I’ve never had someone to come home to - not like this.”

You tilted your head up and bit your lip, looking adorably flustered. “I always want to be here when you come home. And I wanted to do something nice for you, make you happy.”

“You made me very happy, always do.”

“Always, huh?” you teased. You kissed his neck. Nipped at his neck. 

Bradley mimicked your tone. “Well, not when I saw the way you put the mail on the hall table…” 

“You gonna punish me?” There was a little glint in your eyes as you said it.

While the idea had plenty of merit, Bradley didn’t want that tonight, he wanted everything to be soft and slow, so he could really get his fill of you. Plus, you’d be so fucking tight for him, so responsive to his touch, he wanted to make that drag out as long as possible. He wanted you to babble, he wanted you to beg.

“Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow if you’re good for me?” He pinched your side and you let out a giggle and then suddenly sat up on the couch, almost startled.

“I should do the dishes, don’t want to leave them for too long. You can head upstairs, though.” You cupped his cheek and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“You sure you don’t need any help?” he said the last word through a yawn. 

“Nope!” You smiled over your shoulder and headed off to the kitchen. “You’re off the hook. I’m gonna finish putting these in the dishwasher and lock-up while you go upstairs and get ready, okay?”

Bradley scrunched his nose. “Is this gonna be a normal thing? You doing all the housework? Because that’s not gonna slide, roomie.”

“Oh, so I’m just your roommate now?” you teased. You bent over the dishwasher to put some larger plates in the back. “I see how it is, Bradshaw.”

He doubled back over to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling your back against his chest. “Got a feeling you’re gonna be my last one,” he murmured against your neck before he pressed kisses against it. 

It was like you melted against him. God, you smelled so pretty and tasted so pretty and looked so pretty and sounded so pretty giggling. And Bradley had never felt so welcomed home before. He couldn’t wait to do this with you every night. 

“Bradley,” you sighed and turned around to face him. “The sooner you let me finish, the sooner I can come upstairs…” You pecked him on the lips. 

Upstairs. Where Bradley would take care of you. 

Take care of you. Take you. Take you take you take you -

He groaned and gave you a longer kiss. “Okay, okay, okay.” He kissed you between each word. “But this is the last time you’re getting away with this...”

“I’ll hold you to it.” You kissed him again. “Now go! Get into something comfortable, powder your nose, touch up your hair -”

“I’m going, I’m going,” he promised. “Don’t be too long, we can always do everything tomorrow morning.”

You waved him off good-naturedly and went about setting the kitchen to rights. Bradley smiled at the sight of you already appearing so at home in his house - your house and headed upstairs. With startling alacrity despite the numerous drinks he’d had and the late hour, Bradley quickly brushed his teeth, did his skincare routine, and turned down the bed for your arrival. 

Even a floor apart, he could still hear the sounds of you puttering around downstairs. If he concentrated really hard, he could imagine exactly what you were doing. 

You had just opened the silverware drawer, probably had just washed and dried something - oh right, he had noticed you used the hand-wash-only salad tongs for the asparagus. Then you opened the tupperware cabinet and got out some snapware and eventually opened the freezer, putting the leftover chicken piccata away for another meal. Then there was the sound of the cake plate on the granite countertop and more snapware. He was still surprised you hadn’t eaten much cake, much of any of the food really, but chalked it up to nerves or excitement at his homecoming.

With a sigh, Bradley laid back against the fluffy pillows lining the headboard. God, he had missed this. His high thread count sheets, your fancy Laundress detergent, his side of the bed - and more importantly, you being on the other side. He stretched and let out a groan, getting comfortable. 

This was perfect. He was home - in the house you now shared. You were going to come upstairs - probably in some cute little outfit - and give him a proper welcome home. Bradley bet you even got a new matching set just for the occasion. The two of you had gotten all the tough conversations out of the way - for the most part - so now you could really enjoy these next few days together before your trip. 

And Bradley was so excited to go to Punta Mita with you. You had done such an amazing job planning everything. He had done some additional research on his flight home earlier and definitely wanted to hit up the spa and maybe sneak in a round of golf over the ten day trip. Plus, you definitely had the cutest fucking outfits planned. He always liked that, imagining what you were wearing while he was gone. The sporadic pictures hadn’t been enough. You always looked so pretty and he always needed to tell you. 

Pretty, pretty, pretty. His pretty girlfriend. Downstairs, making sure everything was all set. He yawned. Mmmmm, he hoped you’d be upstairs soon. His eyelids were getting heavy. 

And it was so warm and comfy and his stomach was full and everything smelled so good and he was here. 

Finally, he was here with you. 

In your house, talking about your future. 

Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a few minutes. Maybe if he just took a quick nap…

a/n - sorry for the cliff hanger, but it's the PERFECT spot for a break! next part will have that first night back AND the lead up to their trip, which will be in the final part! couldn't have gotten this done without all the encouraging messages and texts over the last few weeks - special shout out to @sometimesanalice @callsignspark @notroosterbradshaw @ofstoriesandstardust @cherrycola27 @heartsofminds and @greenorangevioletgrass xxjordan