#hangman lookin GOOD

[cowboyshit]

“dweebs?” “dweebs was a funny line”

[cardinalbiggles]

[jetblack4realz]

lake days vii - jake "hangman" seresin x reader

summary - after the mission, you and the dagger squad take it back to texas ;)

pt i , pt ii , pt iii , pt iv , pt v , pt vi

warnings - no

word count - 3.8k

______________________________________________________________

you weren't surprised when maverick chose bradley and then fanboy and payback. they worked well together and as you'd all come to learn, you and rooster did not. you didn't exactly know why, but you all knew it wasn't going to work. and well, you knew maverick couldn't trust jake. it was hard for anybody but you to trust jake.

and so you were content sitting back in the radio room, waiting for their two minute timer to go up and them to come home. you walked phoenix out to her jet with a smile, clapping her on the back and giving her a quick hug before she climbed into the front seat, bob already seated behind her.

when you went to see jake, who was waiting in his own f-14 in case they needed help, you were stopped by rooster.

"hey," he breathed out.

you smiled at him. "hi."

"look, i don't know if i'm coming back from this and i just wanted to say that i'm sorry and that i-"

"it's okay," you laughed lightly. you rested a hand on his arm assuredly. "don't worry. sure, it was frustrating in the moment - or moments, but i know you're a good pilot and you weren't doing it on purpose. we're good brad."

"good. thank you," he said.

"anytime. we're friends for a reason, aren't we?" you asked. his expression changed slightly and you were frustrated to have seen it, but you continued anyways. "good luck."

you patted his shoulder and passed him, heading for where jake was waiting for you outside his jet. as you approached, you wanted nothing more than to wrap your arms around him, something you'd grown accustomed to over your time together. but, you couldn't and you were really starting to hate it.

it seemed like you two were on the same page.

"now would be the perfect time to out ourselves," he mumbled with a slight frown. "i still don't like the way bradshaw's lookin' at you."

"well, he's officially been friendzoned, so it's fine," you answered. "and honestly, i really don't think now's the time to get in his head. he's got a mission to complete, and as much as you seem to hate him, even you want to see him come home."

he sighed dramatically before nodding. "yeah, you're right."

you watched him carefully, brows furrowing slowly. "this really bothers you, doesn't it?"

"well, yeah, hell it's kinda killing me," he answered, looking passed you and to where bradley was getting in his own jet. "he shouldn't be allowed to look at you like that."

"hey," you said quickly, raising a hand to his cheek to pull his attention back to you. you smiled softly, finger brushing his cheekbone. "even if he is looking at me like that, it doesn't matter. i ain't lookin' at him, i'm only looking at you, baby."

he caught your wrist in his calloused hand, his face still stoic as he nodded. "yeah. alright."

"trust me, honey," you told him, pulling you hand away after catching sight of maverick walking onto the runway. "we'll get one hell of a reaction when we finally let it out. i think coyote's reaction alone will be worth all of this."

"i'm betting on phoenix," he said with a smirk. "she keeps talking 'bout how i should really back off of you now, that you want nothing to do with me. it'll whack her right upside the head when she learns that you're marrying me."

"i think she might have a heart attack," you laughed. an announcement echoed over the loudspeakers and you sighed, glancing up at jake's plane with his callsign inscribed on the side. "stay safe. don't break protocol, okay? only go in if you have to."

"promise darlin'," he told you, a lopsided grin pulling at his lips. "i wouldn't do anything to risk leaving you."

"good," you answered. "i'll see you later?"

"you will," he affirmed with a reassuring smile, reaching out to squeeze your hand gently. "go on, you gotta get back inside."

"okay. i love you."

"i love you too, darlin'."

and then you were off.

and then they were off.

hearing maverick get taken down over the radio terrified you, and as you heard phoenix yelling at rooster to not do anything, you had a sinking feeling in your stomach that he would. and he did. when bradley went down you gasped, hand covering your mouth as tears pricked your eyes. coyote put a hand on your shoulder, watching the radio as if it would suddenly say that both your instructor and your flight school best friend were back in the air, but you both knew it wouldn't.

"permission to fly out," jake said insistently, three separate times, each getting progressively more desperate, but he was denied each time.

you were both pissed and intensely grateful. you couldn't take it if you lost him, especially after already losing bradley.

you were muttering quiet prayers as you paced the halls, hours after phoenix and the other boys returned. you'd resorted to walking the ship, not able to get ahold of or find jake, so you didn't hear when maverick and rooster clicked on their locators. and you didn't hear that jake got sent out to save their asses.

"coyote!" you yelled, brows furrowed as everyone rushed down onto the tarmac. "what the hell is happening?"

"they're coming back!"

"who?"

he grinned, ushering you along with him with a wave of his hand. "maverick and rooster!"

"what the hell?" you asked, a smile spreading across his lips as he grabbed your arm, beginning to pull you down the stairs and towards the runway. "how'd they get back?"

"a bag of ass f-14," he told you as you threw the doors open to follow the crowd of cheering people. "caught some bogies and we thought they were gonna go down again, but hangman shot out the last one."

"jake went out?" you cried, brows furrowing as you searched the crowd for where you knew your fiance would be grinning and accepting claps on the back.

"yeah," he laughed, following you into the sea of people. "that's his second live kill. he's a legend."

"mav's a legend!" phoenix corrected as she found your side. "he's an ace now."

"no shit!" you exclaimed with an excited laugh as you glanced at the girl. "he is a legend!" your eyes returned to the crowd and suddenly your face fell, your feet carrying you forward even quicker than you were already moving. "holy hell."

you flung yourself into jake's arms, gasping quietly in his ear as he chuckled heartily.

"miss me, sweetheart?" he asked with a grin when you pulled back.

"you didn't tell me you went out," you said with a narrowed gaze.

"it was last minute. i didn't know mav and rooster were coming back so soon," he defended, hands in the air.

"could've radio'ed me," you muttered.

"i'm sorry," he sighed before a small grin creeped onto his lips. "but aren't you proud of me? that's two."

you laughed lightly, settling back on one foot as you crossed your arms over your chest. "yes, i'm very proud of you hangman."

another voice caught your attention.

of course, it was bradley, but to both yours and jake's surprise, he wasn't calling for you - he was calling for jake.

you stepped back, allowing the two men to shake hands with the most camaraderie you'd ever seen from them.

"thank you," bradley told him, a certain genuine tone to his words. jake grinned widely.

"anytime, rooster."

bradley's eyes fell to you for a moment and you offered him a smile.

"i'm glad you're home safe, bradley," you told him.

he hesitated for a few moments before he opened his mouth, his brows furrowed slightly. "y/n, i-"

"bradley!"

maverick had perfect timing, you decided. the two hugged and it was an awfully sweet moment, one you were happy to clap for, jake and phoenix coming to your sides and doing the same.

"so, this is our group now?" you asked with a grin as maverick addressed the lot of you. "the dagger squad?"

"yep," mav answered. "you'll stay stationed here in miramar, all of you. you're my team now."

"sick," fanboy laughed, leaning back in his chair.

"and our first order of business," maverick continued, walking down the length of the hangar that served as the classroom. he grinned as he looked at hangman and rooster. "beach day."

"what do you have against the beach, bronco?" phoenix asked with a laugh as she pushed you towards where fanboy had set up a few umbrellas.

"nothing," you answered, dropping your cooler of beers on the sand and letting the boys unpack it into their own hands. "there's just not much to do."

"not much to do?" coyote almost sounded offended at the prospect. he gestured to the beautiful oceanside. "look at this! there's a whole world of things to do!"

"like what?" you asked, hand on your hip as you chuckled at your friends. "we do the same things every saturday. volleyball, football, tan, eat, fall asleep, watch rooster build sandcastles, and repeat. not much else."

"and what's wrong with that?" rooster asked with raised brows.

you laughed as you popped the tab of your own beer. "i have nothing against the beach, guys. it is fun hanging out with y'all. i'm just more of a lake girl myself."

"what can you do at a lake that we don't do at the beach?" coyote asked.

"bronco here has a boat," hangman answered for you, grabbing your beer and taking a swig of it with a smirk. "and damn does she love her boat."

"what do you have a boat for?" rooster asked.

"lake days!" you exclaimed with a laugh. "i grew up boating and trust me, it's so much better. have y'all never been on a boat?"

"just the carrier," phoenix hummed. the rest of them shrugged.

"you're in the navy!" you exclaimed, looking at them with wide eyes.

"we don't hang out on boats, bronco, we just land on them," rooster said with a goofy grin.

"that's a shame," hangman said, his smile wide. "boats are a good time."

"and how would you know that, hangman?" phoenix asked. "and how did you know bronco's got a boat?"

"i've been out on her boat, and let me tell you her family is wild for water sports," he laughed. the team stared at y'all in surprise. "what?"

"you hung out with her family?" bob asked.

"we were both stationed back home in texas. i thought i'd invite him out, what's the big deal?" you asked.

"well, when are we getting invited out too?" coyote asked. "i'd like to see what all the fuss is about."

"well, next time y'all are in texas give me a shout," you said with a grin. "i'd be happy to take you out."

you didn't know exactly how it happened, with a bit of jake's coercion you were sure, but you'd managed to plan a memorial day lake trip, convincing your friends to buy cheap $60 plane tickets and stay with you. admiral simpson had surprisingly allowed y'all an extra two days off, making the five day weekend more worth the trip.

"welcome to texas everybody," you said with a smile as you walked out of the airport towards the parking lot.

"home sweet home," jake said, jogging to catch up to you as two large trucks pulled up, hooting and hollering coming from them. "if it ain't mr. l/n!"

"jake seresin!" you dad laughed through the rolled down window. "throw your things in the back and get in, i wanna hear all about your adventures in fightertown."

"i can't tell you much more than your girl here can," he said with a grin.

"she'll be preoccupied with her brothers. get on in, son."

the daggers stared at each other in pure shock - since when had hangman been so close with bronco's family?

"how's your parents?"

and her family with his?

"what else aren't you telling us, bronco?" rooster asked with raised brows. you smiled innocently.

"whatever do you mean, roo?" your grin returned as you approached the other truck, whooping as the window rolled down. "gideon! how's life?"

"hey bradshaw!" hangman caught the man's attention quickly. "get in the truck! you too trace!"

"nah," phoenix said with a smirk. "i'm going with bronco and her fine-ass brother."

the daggers filed into the two trucks, their duffles in the beds as your brother tore out, your dad on his tail as you all made your way back home to the l/n house.

hangman was the first to greet your mother when you walked in, you having approached your father for the first time since you arrived. he pressed a cheek to the older woman's cheek, earning a smile and pat on the arm.

"how are you jake?" she asked as he moved around her to set his bag on the floor beside the island.

"wonderful now that i'm back in texas," he answered truthfully. "y'all gonna be joining us tomorrow?"

"no, no," she said with a wave of her hand. "you guys should have fun without us dragging your party down."

"nah, you're one hell of a party mrs. l/n," he told her with a grin.

"what the hell is going on?" phoenix whispered to bradley for the nth time today.

"i have no clue," he whispered back.

"well, guys, my place is just down the back way if you want to follow me," you called. "don't worry, we'll be back for dinner later. i just want to get your spots set up."

"you don't live here?" bob asked, looking around the large house as you chuckled.

"nah, i built a cute little place just down the road when i was in college. still on the property, just my own," you answered. you grabbed your keys from your pocket, exiting out the back door with the rest of the daggers following you.

"want me to drive?" jake offered, holding his hand out for the keys.

"she's your baby, ain't she?" you asked, tossing them to him as you approached a gorgeous vintage ford f-150. it was a beautiful blue color and in as best a condition as jake could get it in your short visits back home.

"nice truck bronco," payback said, admiring the car.

"thanks," you laughed, climbing in the bed, sitting on the edge as hangman got in the driver's side. at this point, everyone was tired of asking questions, payback ending it with a stern, "you're telling us what's going on later."

bob, phoenix, and rooster joined hangman in the cab whilst payback, fanboy, and coyote sat in the bed with you, hangman pulling out of the back driveway and down a well-worn dirt road towards your humble home.

except it wasn't exactly humble. it was two stories and the picture of a perfect farm house, finished with a wraparound porch and beautiful white shutters.

"woah," coyote mumbled. "i didn't know it was this nice."

as you all carried your bags inside, you started explaining.

"my parents had a deal with us kids," you started. "we could have property out here if we built the place. so, when i wasn't paying off student loans, i was paying for this beauty to get built. i didn't think i'd be joining the navy at the time and was getting ready for a family. and well, you know, plans change. means i've got enough space for y'all. phoenix, you've got a room down here, there's two twins in the other one, and the rest of y'all get air mattresses."

it didn't go unnoticed how jake brought his things upstairs or how he knew where you kept the air mattresses. it didn't pass them by how he hung his keys up on the cowboy hat hanger by the door as if he'd done it a million times or how he mumbled to you something about groceries.

"damn hangman, i knew you liked her, but i didn't think y'all were actually a thing," coyote said with a laugh once you and phoenix had gone to unpack your things. hangman shrugged, leaning against the counter.

"who said we were?"

"everything about this whole situation," payback laughed, gesturing to the room in a circular motion. "you're all close with her family, know her house like the back of your hand, and somehow have rights to drive her freaking beautiful truck?"

"hey, i fixed up that freaking beautiful truck," jake said, pointing at him with raised brows. "of course i get to drive it."

"you fixed it for her?" bradley asked with raised brows.

"'course i did," jake answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "you seen her with a bag of tools? great pilot, terrible mechanic, that girl."

"can't say we would know," bradley answered, looking terribly displeased with everything that was coming out of jake's mouth.

"and why, exactly, do you?" coyote asked with raised brows.

"spent over a year with her," he answered with a shrug. "you learn things."

"and her family?"

"what about 'em?"

"why do you know them so well?"

"you know bronco, she's very charitable. when she learned i didn't have any family nearby she invited me over and it became a recurring thing because i got on well with a few of her brothers. that is the answer to all of your questions, ok?" jake said with a roll of his eyes. he pushed off the counter. "i'm gonna go unpack, i suggest you boys do the same."

"so, what's with you and hangman?" phoenix asked as she pulled a few swimsuits from her bag and placed them in the top drawer. "why does he know this place like the back of his hand?"

"i told you, he's been here for lake days," you shrugged. "no big deal."

"i don't believe that for a second," she laughed, staring you down for a few moments. "and what do you have to say for your truck - or is it 'his baby'?"

"he helped me pick it out when we were last here and fixed it up for me," you said with a wave of your hand. "no big deal."

"and how his things are upstairs and he knows your house like it's his own-?"

"shut up, phoenix," you laughed. "hurry up so we can eat dinner."

dinner with your family was rambunctious, your brothers and their wives joining you all to meet your navy family. your nieces and nephews were excited to meet the aviators, clinging to their legs and asking them a million questions a minute. you could tell that rooster and bob loved it, coyote more than okay with entertaining the four year old eli with his plane stories. your second youngest niece, kayley, refused to leave jake, though.

"come on kaykay, all i want is a hug," you whined, holding your arms out to the three year old as everyone worked on their burgers. she scrunched her face and shook her head, hugging jake around the chest as he laughed.

"told you i'm her favorite," he teased you with a wink. he turned the girl around in his arms, requesting she eat more of her potato salad to which she agreed.

"so, how long have you all known jake?" phoenix asked with a smile, eyeing the man at the other end of the table.

"oh, it's been, what, five, six years?" your dad guessed, his eyes on you. "how many years have you and jake-?"

"six," you said, clearing your throat and offering the daggers a small smile. "he met them six years ago. then he became a regular."

"we love him," your sister-in-law brynlee said. "he's such a sweetheart to y/n."

the daggers nearly choked on their food. hangman, a sweetheart? they had to admit that out of everyone he was the nicest to bronco, but still not particularly kind. always making uncomfortable comments, flirting in all the wrong environments, making sure you never won a game of football.

"well, uh, that's good," bob tried with a smile.

"y/n, what's the plan for tomorrow?" your mom asked.

"we'll be up early to take the boat out," you answered. "these losers haven't been out a day in their lives, so we thought we'd change that. any of y'all are welcome to come, we've just gotta be out of here by seven tomorrow morning."

"we don't want to intrude," tyler said with a shake of his head and a smile. "you guys have fun though. show 'em a good time."

"sure will," you answered. "they're gonna learn all the things; wakeboarding, kneeboarding, wakesurfing, waterskiing, the works. i've even got the murder tube ready to be blown up."

"the murder tube?" payback repeated with raised eyebrows.

"yeah," jake laughed. "and for y'all who've never been tubing before, it's basically a guaranteed wipeout."

kayley caught his attention again, giving you way to continue your talk with your siblings.

"i can come if you need, though, so you can do it all too," your younger brother, darren offered. "or is jake halfway competent?"

"i can drive a boat!" jake defended with a laugh. "i'll drag you with us later. y/n and i have a few tricks to show the squad."

"more?" coyote whispered to payback with wide eyes, earning a chuckle from the man.

"well, sounds like a plan honey. you guys need any help getting everything loaded?" your dad asked.

"nah," you said, leaning back in your chair as you grinned at your friends. "that's what the navy's prepped 'em for."

after you all finished dinner off with some apple pie, your siblings and their kids went home, you and the daggers heading back to your place. they all settled on your couch in comfy clothes, flicking through netflix as you grabbed your keys.

"anyone have any requests for lunches and snacks?" you asked, your phone out with the grocery list.

"cheetos!"

"lunchables!"

"meatballs!"

"beer!"

you winced at that one, jake snickering from behind the couch as he sent you a teasing wink.

"about that..."

"what?" rooster asked, sitting up, a beer in his hand.

"no beer on my boat," you said.

"why?"

"what?"

"but you love beer!"

"you're right, but dehydration mixed with the sun mixed with physical activity leads to a lot of drunk aviators a lot sooner than normal. and that could get dangerous and frustrating really fast, so we'll just stick to sodas, alright?" you said. they all hummed in annoyed agreement.

"makes sense," bob said with a smile. "you got dr pepper?"

"of course i have dr pepper, bob," you laughed. "alright then, well i'm heading to the store. text me if you need anything."

"i'll go with," phoenix offered.

"don't worry about it, trace," jake said as he passed her, holding the door open. bradley was baffled at the whole situation, but jake could tell he was starting to get annoyed, which only pissed him off. "she's already got company."

his grin was wide and satisfied as he followed you out.

phoenix rolled her eyes, looking at the rest of the guys. "this will definitely be an interesting trip."

[bradshawssugarbaby]

☆ { going } down on them in the backseat of a car with Bradley please 🙏

you got it babe! xo

smut below the cut, minors dni.

"Bradley, someone's going to notice a pair of gangly legs hanging out the back door of the Bronco."

"Trust me, honey, no one will notice. Nor will they care. I got Hangman keepin' an eye out." "You trusted Hangman?! Hangman. The same guy who can't talk to my face half the time?" You scoffed, shaking your head as Bradley's lips made their way down your neck and collarbone, peppering the exposed skin of your breasts with hot, wet kisses. "I paid him twenty bucks to keep look out so we could have some alone time. It's not like we're needed at this dinner anyway. Ten for him to actually watch, five for him to keep it a secret, and another five for him to not be a little pervert and sneak a peek," He said breathlessly as he continued to cover every inch of your exposed skin with his lips, leaving your body tingling with excitement at his touch. "Fine," you laughed softly, shaking your head, "I'm only agreeing because you look ridiculously good in that hideous shirt you have on." "Everyone knows the ladies love an ugly Hawaiian print shirt, babe. It's just how it is. I don't make the rules."

Bradley smirked, shrugging his shoulders before scooting his body back on the seat of the car. He tapped your knees with his hand gently, gesturing for you to part your legs. When you playfully refused, he pushed your knees apart, licking his bottom lip at the sight of you. Conveniently for both of you, you'd decided against wearing underwear under the sundress you'd chosen to wear to Bob's birthday party - a barbecue hosted by Maverick at his house to celebrate the WSO, and an excuse to have everyone together. Bradley ducked his head between your thighs, licking a long, slow strip up your slit, your arousal coating his tongue as he lapped at you. You groaned loudly in response, your back arching at the sensation of Bradley's tongue making contact with your clit. He pulled his mouth away for a moment, pressing two fingers into your dripping core, his amber coloured eyes looking up at you as he watched your facial expressions, loving every whimper, whine and moan that accompanied them. "Lookin' so pretty like this babygirl, look at how wet you are for me already, barely even touched ya and you're just dripping," he lilted, his normally subtle Virginian accent coming out stronger as he became aroused. You whimpered as his tongue met with your clit again, lapping at it while his fingers pumped into the spongey wall of your core. His lips sucked at your nub while his fingers worked at you, eliciting a loud moan of delight out of you as you got closer and closer to your climax. "Bradley, so fucking good," you managed to get out before being cut off by another loud moan, unable to finish a sentence without the orgasm that was threatening to come taking over your thoughts. "That's it, pretty girl," Bradley purred, grinning as he looked down, watching his fingers glide in and out of you with ease, "You look so good with my fingers fucking your tight little pussy like this," he said as a third finger made its way into your core. You let out a sharp gasp, one that you're almost positive Hangman would have heard if he's within a ten yard radius of the car. You mewled as you felt your hips thrust forwards into his hand, his fingers drawing you to your orgasm. As Bradley watched you throw your head back in ecstasy at his touch, he ducked his head down once again, licking and sucking at your sensitive nub as you rode out the high you'd reached. Once finished, Bradley pulled his mouth away from you. His chin glistened with arousal as he grinned down at you, shimmying out of his Hawaiian print shirt, revealing the simple white tank top that he always sported underneath. He took the Hawaiian shirt and used the fabric to wipe his mouth clean before discarding it to the floor in the backseat. You sat up, grinning at him, your cheeks rosy and flushed from the orgasm that'd just come over you. "Alright, Bradshaw, now it's your turn."

[madhatterbri]

Recipe for Disaster | Hangman A.P.

Summary: -Cooking together, and they burn a dish from the Thanksgiving prompts. 18+.

Hangman Adam Page x Reader - They are trying to cook, but Hangman, instead of actually helping, keeps distracting her, with the end result being they burn whatever they were cooking.

Requested by: @cowboywritersworld

Happy Dynamite Wednesday, babes. ❤️

Hangman Adam Page Masterlist

AEW Masterlist

Warning: Shitty dad jokes. 😂🤣

Taglist: @theworldofotps @smallestsnarkestgirl @magicalbuttertarts @new-zealand-chic

As always, requests are open! Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist. ❤️

Fall was Y/N's favorite time of year. The cooler weather and the decorations were two of her favorite things. The last, but certainly not least, favorite part was the baking.

She loved to wow people with her skills. Whenever she and her boyfriend, Adam, were invited to a party, she would be sure to bring a treat. On this particular day, she was baking for her co-workers for work the next day.

Y/N was now in the kitchen baking a pumpkin chocolate chip bread. She managed to find one of her grandmother's old recipes. With all the ingredients neatly organized, she started to make the mixture for the bread.

"What's cookin', good lookin'?" Adam asked while walking in the kitchen. He heard the oven beep to signal it was up to the appropriate temperature to make the bread.

"Just making pumpkin chocolate chip bread for work tomorrow," she answered. Her suspicions about his true intentions for being in there were heightened. Adam was known to steal a couple of chocolate chips when she wasn't looking.

Adam smiled at her. "Can I help?"

"You are just going to steal some chocolate chips, aren't you?" She asked while mixing the bowl.

"Well, that was going to be my tax for helping you, but I could think of other ways," his voice drifted off. His hands gripped her waist from behind her. He bent down. His breath tickled her skin. Sweet kisses landed by her ear. Her most sensitive spot. Her boyfriend came to play today.

Y/N closed her eyes and moved her neck. His lips explored the new territory. When she opened her eyes, she saw his hand in the bag of chocolate chips.

"Adam!" She called out. He quickly backed away. His hand secured some of the chocolate chips for his own enjoyment. Y/N grabbed the wooden spoon from the bowm she was using to mix the ingredients. The thick orange mixture fell inside the bowl.

Her grown boyfriend took off to the kitchen table giggling. He sat on a chair and started to eat his chocolate chips. Y/N's eyes narrowed at him. She turned on her heel to get back to work.

"Let me make it up to you, darlin'. What does a pumpkin use to repair its pants?" He asked. A big cheeky grin appeared on his face.

Y/N stirred the contents in the bowl. Her face scrunched as she thought about the answer. "What?"

"A pumpkin patch,"

The room went quiet until she snorted. A smile broke out at how horrible the joke was. Adam smiled at his girlfriend.

"What did the pumpkin say to its carver?" He asked.

Once again Y/N managed to come up with nothing.

"Cut it out,"

Y/N rolled her eyes at him. The next few minutes were spent this way. Adam tells her the absolute worst dad jokes about pumpkins, and she giggles. The blonde man did anything to make his Y/N laugh.

When the mixture was ready, she poured the contents into a prepared bread pan. Adam insisted on placing the pan in the hot oven. Y/N placed the time to fifty-five minutes.

"You know," Adam started. His lips were dangerously close to her ears again. "I just risked my life putting that pan in an oven that was quite hot..."

"My hero," Y/N spoke. Her eyes rolled at him again.

"And as your hero and entertainment for the last ten minutes, why don't we take this somewhere else?" He asked. His lips teased her spot once more. A hand slid up her flannel shirt.

"Adam," she sighed and looked at the oven timer.

The green numbers showed they still had over fifty minutes. She originally planned to only watch television while she waited. This idea was so much better.

After making her decision, Y/N turned around and kissed him. He smiled in the kiss. She grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom. Their kisses were soft and sweet. She swore she could taste the chocolate chips on his lips.

Adam took things slow. He was in the mood to make love. They hadn't had a downtime like this in a while. Between wrestling shows and her commitments to her job, they usually had to rush things. Not today. The bread in the oven was the last thing on his mind.

Every kiss and touch on her body was calculated. He mumbled how much he loved her. Compliment after compliment fell from his lips. The man was crazy about his woman. He wanted to let her know that.

"Adam, please," she begged. Her body was on fire. Her legs pressed together with the hopes of any friction between them.

"I know, baby," he told her reassuringly. He crawled underneath their blanket. Her legs parted as he kissed her inner thighs. Adam made sure to miss between her legs.

His lips kissed up her stomach. Blonde hair poked through the top of the sheets as he kissed his way up her body. Her nipples were given extra attention. He nipped at her neck before kissing her lips. While their lips connected, he slowly thrusted himself inside of her.

Her moan was suppressed by their kiss. He maintained a slower pace than she had grown accustomed to. Her hips moved to meet his thrusts. The pair separated long enough to catch their breath before locking lips again. He rubbed down her leg. His hand gripped the back of her knee and wrapped it around his waist.

Her fingers snaked through his blonde locks. He buried his face in her neck. His thrusts picked up slightly as he chased his orgasm.

"Adam," she moaned. When his lips nipped at her neck again, she unraveled. Her body clenched around him as she came. He stilled deep inside of her. Her body milked him as he came.

"That was amazing," she complimented.

Adam removed himself from inside of her. He laid next to her. His muscular arms pulled her close to him. Their eyes locked together. His thumb rubbed her cheek softly. After showering the other with compliments, they drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, the oven kept beeping to signal that the bread was finished.

[arcane-vagabond]

Singing in the Sanctuary: Prologue

Singing in the Sanctuary: Prologue

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Reader

Summary: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw is a simple man. Well, as simple as one can be while living a life of crime. The notorious outlaw has never been interested in settling down and having a family, but will that all change when he meets a shy, new teacher who just moved into town?

Warnings: Pressure from parents, use of y/n, other than that I don't think there are any, really.

Word Count: 1.2k

A/N: I am equally excited to be writing this one as I am my Hangman series. I think y'all will like this one too. As always, reblogs, comments, and likes are greatly appreciated. You can find this and my other works on AO3 under arcane_vagabond. 18+ only!!!

Series Masterlist || DGU Masterlist

Women weren’t meant to have careers. Woman were meant to cook, clean, have babies, and make sure their husbands were taken care of. Then you became an old woman and one day you’d be buried next to said husband. At least, that’s what your parents had always told you. When they found out that you were pursuing a career as a teacher, they tried everything in their power to convince you otherwise.

“It’s just not proper for a young lady of your background to have a career, y/n” said your mother.

“I’ve had suitors asking for you hand for years now. Why don’t you get married and then think about continuing your education?” your father had coaxed. You couldn’t be swayed, however.

It had been your dream from a young age to become a teacher. You had always admired the ones you had growing up, and learning had always come easy to you. You wanted others to experience the joys of learning like you had, and that’s how you found yourself ignoring your parents’ wishes.

It had certainly been hard work, but it was work you were proud of. When you graduated, your parents had been more relieved than proud.

“Surely you’ll find a husband now, darling,” your father had said hopefully. Your mother nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh, sweetheart! My friends have the most dashing sons who would just love-”

You let out a heavy sigh. “Mama, Papa, please-”

“We just want what’s best for you,” your father said hurriedly. You grimaced, but in the end you had allowed your mother to set up several luncheons with your would-be suitors. They hadn’t been horrible. No, in another life, perhaps you would have even been excited at the idea of marrying one of them. Settling down in a spacious, white house with blue shutters. A white picket fence encompassing the yard, and little ones running around joyfully while your husband and you looked on. And it’s not like that wasn’t your dream. No, in fact, you wanted all of that. But your dream also included teaching.

It was hard finding a job in your hometown in Missouri. And that’s why you had jumped at the chance to move west. You hadn’t told your parents about the opportunity, and for good reason. They would have stopped at nothing to keep you from going. You had stumbled upon this chance of fate when you had stopped by the general store to by ingredients for supper that evening.

“Maverick’s not a city, mind you,” said the old man as he dropped the box of fresh produce onto the counter by the clerk. “But it’s got character, and it’s growin’ every day! The mayor is even talkin’ bout buildin’ a school here soon. Told me to spread the word that we’re lookin’ for a new teacher.”

“Excuse me,” you had interrupted. Both men turned to look at you. “Could you tell me more about this job?”

“Well, it’s a real good opportunity, now, miss,” grinned the old man. “The town ain’t that old, and like I said, it’s gettin’ bigger every day. The townsfolk is all friendly and the mayor is offerin’ up a fair wage.”

You hummed thoughtfully. “And where is this town? Is it far?”

“It’s located out in the territory they’re callin’ New Mexico. It’s ‘bout a week’s ride from here to there.”

You chewed on your bottom lip, feeling giddy at the thought of trekking west.

“How long will you be in town, sir?” you ask. The man scratches his chin thoughtfully before leveling you with a look.

“I’ll tell you what,” he began, “I’ll stick around for another day. If you decide you wanna catch a ride with me back to Maverick, you jus’ meet me by the gate leadin’ outta town ‘round noon. How’s that?”

You grinned. “Thank you, sir.”

You had packed your bags quickly, waiting until both of your parents had left the house the following day. You wrote a note explaining why you were leaving and where you were going, and then gave one last look at the house you’d called home your entire life. Taking a steadying breath, you made your way down to the gate the man had mentioned.

“Good timin’!” he hollered upon seeing you. “Was jus’ about to head on out.”

“Thank you for waiting!” you called breathlessly, setting your bags on the back of the cart and rounding to the front. The man offered you a hand as you clambered up onto the seat, and once he had made himself comfortable, the two of you were on your way.

The days passed quickly as you and the man, Hondo you would come to find out is his name, made your way to your new beginning. The heat became more intense the further south you traveled, and luscious green gave way to arid desert. On your second day of being in the desert, you saw the outlines of a town in the distance.

“There she is!” grinned Hondo. “Ol’ Maverick herself!”

“How exciting!” you smiled. About a half hour later, the two of you were riding along the streets of said town. People bustled up and down the streets and went about their business as usual. Joel stopped the cart just outside of a large, wooden building.

“This here is town hall,” he said. “I’ll getcha in to see Maverick, and he’ll getcha situated.”

Your brows furrowed. “Maverick?”

“Pete Mitchell is his name, but most folks ‘round here just call him Maverick or Mav. He founded the town, and it’s named after him.”

“I see,” you breathed, taking Hondo’s hand as he helped you down onto the ground. He walked with you up the steps and through the door of town hall.

“Hondo!” cried a man as you both entered. The man was handsome with dark hair that greyed around his temples. His skin was golden from what you could only assume was hours spent in the desert sun, and his blue eyes sparkled with joy at the sight of your companion.

“Maverick,” smiled Hondo. The man, Maverick, stopped before you two and his eyes glanced over you.

“And who is this here with you?”

“Mav,” started Hondo, stepping back to gesture at you, “allow me to introduce Miss y/n. She’s here to be our town’s new teacher.”

“Excellent!” grinned Maverick, taking your hand and giving it a firm shake. “You’re really helping us out here. I can’t thank you enough.”

“It’s my pleasure,” you smiled. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

“Nonsense! Now, I’m assuming you don’t have a place to stay at the moment?”

“No,” you blushed, looking down sheepishly. “I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t think that far ahead.”

Maverick beamed. “Well, until we can get the school and a house for you built, you’ll just have to stay with me and my wife, Penny.”

“Oh, Mr. Mitchell, I couldn’t!” You exclaimed. Maverick raises a hand to stop you.

“Please, call me Maverick or Mav. And I insist. It’s the least we can offer considering you came all this way.”

You smiled gratefully. “I appreciate that, Maverick. In the meantime, where am I to teach the children?”

“For now, why don’t you teach our little rascals in the sanctuary of the church? I’m sure the Reverend won’t mind.”

“That sounds lovely,” you gushed. You couldn’t wait for the start of your new life.

[trickphotography2]

'tis the damn season | Chapter 3

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Julie/Cece (OC, no physical description)

Word count: 6.7K

Synopsis: After six years away from home, Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin was finally going to make his parents happy and surprise his family by spending Christmas in Magnolia, Texas. Introducing his pregnant fiancee to his family is a culture clash, with rural Texas meeting California influencer. Though unhappy in his relationship, Jake knows he has to buckle down and do the right thing with a baby on the way.

The last person he expected to run into was his high school sweetheart and the one that got away, Julie.

The holidays are already going to be hard enough for Julie. Her home baking business, which had started as a fun side project, exploded after a few TikToks went viral. Just when she was getting the hang of juggling her job and business, tragedy struck. Facing her first Christmas as an orphan, the last thing Julie expected was to hear that once familiar nickname - Cece.

After almost a decade apart, Jake and Julie can't help but feel that old familiar spark. Even with the realities of their lives pressing in, they can't help but wonder what might have happened if just one of them had fought for their relationship all those years ago.

Chapter 2 | Master List | Ao3

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

Chapter 3

“Lookin’ good, cowboy!” Shayla called, phone held up as Jake cantered back to the barn. The mare he was riding - Starlight - tossed her head, and he couldn’t help but smile. It’d been too long since he’d been in the saddle. 

“I didn’t think you’d be up,” he replied, gently tugging the reins to stop Starlight beside her. 

“Your mom was vacuuming the hallway,” she shrugged. He chuckled - he’d been wondering how long Mama would let her sleep in until 10:00AM before getting her out of bed. Apparently, guest privileges lasted two days. Shay stepped back, panning the camera to follow him as he dismounted, patting the horse’s neck before taking her bridle and leading her back into the barn. When he glanced over his shoulder, she was still filming. At his raised eyebrow, she giggled. “Sorry, you’re just so fucking sexy. This is gonna get a ton of views.” Facing forward, he clenched his jaw to keep from saying anything. Leading Starlight into her stall, he removed her tack and gave her a quick brush before tossing a blanket over her back. Shayla stopped him when he moved to get a treat from the feed barrel. “Can I?”

“Sure,” he shrugged, retrieving a carrot and handing it to her. She shoved the phone into his hands and looked at him expectantly until he lifted it to film her feeding the horse. As soon as it was gone, she spun towards him and threw her arms around him, pressing her lips to his. Jake kissed her back, willing himself to feel something as her tongue traced his lips. Her hands fell to his waist, slipping into his jacket and tugging his shirt from his jeans. “Shay,” he said, catching her hands.

“Come on, Jakey,” she cooed. “I miss you.” 

“I - ”

“Jacob THOMAS Seresin!” Jumping back as though he’d been scalded, he turned to see his mother standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and green eyes flashing. 

“Ma’am?” he frowned, watching as her eyes shot to Shayla and her scowl deepened. 

“Do you have something to tell me?” 

“Ma’am?” he repeated. 

“Do you. Have. Something. To tell. Me.” He glanced at Shay, who gave him a shy smile. 

“Uh…” 

“I’d like you to explain to me, young man, how it is right for a mother to find out that her baby is having a baby on the internet. Why did I get a text from Betty, whose daughter found it on TikTok, instead of hearing it from you? Hm?” 

Jake whipped around to scowl at Shayla, stepping back from her. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I… may have dropped a hint in the last video. It was just us getting here.” He ran a hand down his face, remembering how she’d filmed herself with her hand on her stomach in the car. Turning to face his mother, she said, “Sorry to have you find out this way, but surprise! Looks like you have two grandbabies on the way!” 

Taking a deep breath, his mother closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. After a moment, she squared her shoulders and pinned them with a heavy gaze. “I’m happy for you, but you need to tell your father before he finds out this way. We deserved to hear it from you directly, not from some video about you coming into our home and sneaking around with the news.” 

“Yes, Ma’am. We’ll do that right now.” Jake sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Mama.” She stared at her youngest son, her face the picture of disappointment, before nodding and spinning on her heel, leaving the barn. When she was out of sight, he reached into his coat pocket to retrieve his phone.

“Ja - ”

“Stop. You’ve already made this bad enough,” he cut Shayla off while pulling up her account and looking at the newest post. She’d done a voiceover explaining that they were visiting his family to share some exciting news and had filmed herself standing behind his family. He watched as she collected eggs with his mother, when his father had taken her on a tour of the milking barn, and Ally and Will exercising one of the horses on the walker. In each clip, she had her back to them, her hand on her stomach, and winked at the camera. “Did you even ask them if they were okay with being in your video?” Jake demanded. 

Her silence spoke volumes, and he glanced at the stats. It already had over ten thousand views and hundreds of likes and comments. “I’m sure they don’t - ”

“My family is off limits,” he snapped. Without another word, he stormed out of the barn. The cold air cooled his flushed face, and he pulled off the Longhorns hat he’d found in the back of his closet to run a hand through his hair. “Fuck!” he growled, throwing the cap onto the ground in a moment of frustration. After snatching it up and dusting it off, he folded the bill, slipped it into his back pocket, and headed toward the milking barn where he’d helped Pops and Will drive the herd. After swapping his shoes for wellies, he stepped inside. 

“ - Alright, I’ll be there in a bit,” he heard his father say, frowning as he spoke into his phone. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” Jake glanced at Will, who raised an eyebrow. 

“Everything alright?” Will asked as soon as he hung up. Bill Senior glanced at his sons, gaze lingering on Jake momentarily before nodding.

“Need to head into town for a bit. You two able to take care of all this?” he asked, motioning to the cows. Will nodded, raising an eyebrow - their father was always supervising milking, only taking a day off when their mother forced him to stay in bed sick. With a firm nod at his sons, Bill headed out.

“Sir, can… I need to tell you something,” Jake said, hurrying after him after trading a look with his brother.

“Make it quick, son.” Standing before his father, Jake suddenly felt like he was 16 again, telling him he wanted to join the Navy instead of following the family farming tradition. 

“Sir… Pops…” Bill pressed his lips together and glanced at his watch. Taking a steeling breath, Jake straightened his shoulders. “Shayla’s pregnant. I…I’m going to be a father.” 

The older man wasn’t expecting that. His eyebrows shot up, and his mouth fell open. The two stared at one another for a long moment before Bill smiled and pulled his son in for a hug. “Congratulations, Jacob. I’m happy for you.” 

It was on the tip of Jake’s tongue to admit his fear. He was worried that he would never feel for Shay the way that Pops felt for Mama. That he would be a horrible dad. That he would screw up his kid by trying to force himself to fall in love with their mother. But instead, he simply hugged his father back, clearing his throat before saying, “Thanks.”

Julie forced herself not to turn and investigate the screeching noise, instead continuing work on her batches of buttercream frosting. Taking a deep breath, she checked the consistency. She tried not to panic at how much her oven going out was throwing off her carefully created schedule to complete the massive order for the mayor’s Christmas Eve party. 

By this time, she should have already had nine pans of macarons cooling and another two baking. The morning had started normal enough - she’d taken the day off of work but was up at 4:00AM to bring her ingredients to room temperature and get through some emails. A bride she was working with for a mid-January wedding was debating her flavor choices again. Julie hoped she didn’t need to add updating a contract to the list of tasks.

The first few hours were spent prepping and portioning out her ingredients. The mayor had asked her to make 8 heart shaped cakes (one for every year they’d been in office) as well as party favors - about 300 macarons in assorted flavors in small boxes, as well as 100 cupcakes and a cookie decorating set to keep the kids entertained. With a day and a half to get everything done, it shouldn’t have been a problem, especially with the plan of getting up early and staying up late. It was her last big order before calling it for Christmas baking. 

That was until her oven started acting up. It had taken forever to heat up yesterday, and the first cake had been undercooked and tasted sour. After checking her ingredients and confirming that everything was still fresh, she had a sinking feeling when her oven turned off.

A muttered curse followed a bang, and she turned to see Bill Seresin scowling at the back of the oven. When their eyes met, she panicked - those warm, familiar brown eyes were hesitant. Turning off the mixer, she turned to face him fully. “I’m afraid to say it, but you need a new oven.” 

“What? No! It’s… it’s just acting up, right?” Julie said, stepping closer and placing a hand on the cold stovetop. “There’s a loose connection or something. Has to be.”

“I’ve taken this thing apart, and I’m not seeing it. You can call Joey to take a peek, but from the looks of it, this thing’s ready for the scrap pile. I’m surprised it lasted this long.” 

“No, no, no, no, no.” Dropping her head into her hands, Julie felt tears prick in her eyes. She could not get an oven purchased and delivered to meet the deadline. She would have to call the mayor, apologize profusely, and refund her the total cost. And be out the cost of ingredients and a new oven.

There was a shuffling noise, and Mr. Seresin pulled her into his arms. “It’s alright, honey. We’ll get this figured out. I’ll have the boys haul this out, and we can head to the store this afternoon to get you a new one.”

Julie mentally ran through the calculations. Financially, her bank account could handle the unexpected expense. But even if they could get Jake and Will here to haul it out right away, it would be a three-hour round-trip drive to the nearest appliance store. If they had the oven she wanted in stock - a big IF - getting it back and installed would take even longer. And then there were the practicalities of breaking in a new oven - learning the hot spots, figuring out if the display temperature was the actual temperature, the timing, etc. “Even if I get a new oven, I’ll still be too far behind schedule,” she huffed, forcing herself to straighten. 

“Alright. Pack up your stuff. I’ll let Kerry know that we’re on our way.” 

“What?” 

“You need a kitchen, and we’ve got one. You get to gatherin’, and I’ll let Kerry know we’re on the way.”

“I… it’s not that simple,” Julie said, glancing around her kitchen. The idea of packing up everything and moving to another location was…And even then, she would need to figure out the nuances of the Seresin’s oven.

“Julie, you either bake at the ranch or call the mayor. What are you going to do?” 

“Jake, Will - go help your father,” Kerry said, glancing out the kitchen window to see her husband pulling into the driveway. Jake glanced up from his lunch and frowned. 

“What’s he need help with?”

“Carrying things in. Now go.” Both men pushed away from the table at their mother's brisk tone and wiped their mouths on their napkins. Shayla glanced up from her phone momentarily before scrolling her comments. Jake caught Mama’s irritated look - she hated phones at the table. After slipping their shoes back on, they descended the steps just as he pulled to a stop.

“Good. Hurry up and get this stuff inside,” he said, opening his door. 

“Need to go to the barn?” Will asked. 

“Kitchen. Put the bowls in the fridge and everything else on the counter.” The brothers shared a look and circled the truck to see the back seat stuffed with boxes and bags. 

“What the hell is this?” Jake asked. 

“Julie’s comin’ to use the kitchen. She had to run to the store to get more stuff, and I told her we’d set this up for her by the time she got here. So quit yapping and get movin’.”

“And she needs all this?” Bill and Will shared a look before shoving a box of cookie sheets into Jake’s arms. “I’m missing something.”

“Yeah, dumbass,” Will muttered. “Julie’s a baker.”

“Since when?”

“What part of quit yappin’ and get movin’ didn’t you understand, Jacob?” His father snapped, adjusting his grip on a tote containing a mixer and another with some other machine. Flushed, Jake turned and walked back into the house. His mother was already wiping down the counters.

“Put that right there. Julie’ll get everything where she wants it when she gets here.”

“Since when is Cece a baker? I thought she worked at the bank.”

“She does both,” Mama replied, peeking into the box when he set it down. When he was about to ask another question, Pops entered the kitchen and nodded.

“There’s more that needs to come in.” Dismissed, Jake went back outside and completed an additional three trips. 

“Is she moving in?” Shayla asked, smirking at the bags and boxes currently cluttering the kitchen. 

“If that’s what she needs to do, then absolutely,” Mama said, glancing at her. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, Shay stood and yawned before putting a hand on her stomach. 

“I’m gonna go take a nap. The baby’s making me tired.” She cast an expectant look at Jake, who glanced at his parents. When Shay took his hand, he let himself be led upstairs to the guest bedroom. 

“You feelin’ okay?” Jake asked while shutting the door behind him. “Other than tired, I mean.” It dawned on him that he hadn’t asked her how she was feeling with the pregnancy. 

“Ugh, I’m just ready to go home,” she replied, flinging herself onto the bed. “I miss my comfy blankets.” Pushing away the surge of irritation at her insulting his mother’s quilting, he crossed the room and sat beside her. Hesitantly, he reached out to put his hand on her still-flat stomach. It was crazy to think that in 7 months, there would be a little them. Shayla’s hand covered his, and his eyes rose to meet hers. 

“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”

“A girl. You?” He shrugged, thumb lightly stroking. 

“There hasn’t been a Seresin girl in a couple of generations, so the odds are it’s a boy.” 

“Well, if that’s true,” she said coyly, running her fingers along his leg and sitting up. Her nose brushed his cheek before whispering, “I guess we’ll have to keep trying until we have a little girl.” Shayla kissed him, licking into his mouth as her fingers traced his cock through his jeans. When she tried to undo the button, he stopped her. She pouted while pulling back. “Jakey!”

“Not at my parent’s house.”

“But it’s been forever!” she whined. And she was right. They hadn’t slept together since the night of the Halloween party. As determined as he was to ensure they worked things out for their kid, he found it hard to forgive her for making out with someone else. She’d assured him that it was just a drunken accident, but he was struggling to move past it. 

“Not at my parent’s house,” he repeated. Standing, he moved to the window to shut the blinds, glancing down at the driveway. He watched as Cece pulled up, and his mother walked out to greet her. As soon as the car door was closed, Mama took her hands and squeezed them. 

Cece frowned and then smiled at whatever Mama said, shaking her head. Jake recognized the concern on his mother’s face as she reached up to brush a strand of hair behind Cece’s ear before cupping her face and saying something. The younger woman nodded and allowed herself to be pulled into a hug. 

“Come lay down with me, at least,” Shayla huffed. Reluctantly, Jake closed the blinds and laid down beside his fiancee, closing his eyes and thinking about the future. 

“Julie Louise Ryan!” Pops yelled as they sat around the dining room table waiting. Ally smirked at Will before quickly sipping her water to hide it. Jake lifted a hand to cover his mouth, exchanging a look with Mama. 

“Sorry,” Cece apologized, stepping out of the kitchen. “Just needed to get the cakes in the fridge.” The only open seat was between Shayla and Pops, and she quickly dropped into it. A smile tugged at Pop’s mouth as he nodded and clasped his hands, bowing his head. Everyone followed suit.

“Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this food we are about to receive to nourish and strengthen our bodies. We thank thee for our family seated around this table and for another day on this blessed land. We ask for a special blessing for Julie as she works tonight. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Everyone echoed the amen. Opening his eyes, Pops reached over and covered Julie’s hand, squeezing gently before nodding at Mama. She took the platter of roast beef she’d made in the crockpot to ensure that the oven was open all afternoon for Julie and passed it to Will. 

“How’s it going?” Ally asked, reaching for the dish of cooked carrots.

“I’m still behind schedule, but the cupcakes are done, and I’ve got three more cakes to do. The cookies and macarons will be the worst,” Cece replied, handing the salad bowl to Shayla. 

“Can we help?” Mama asked.

“No, I’ll get it. I just need to figure out the system for the macrons since they’re the most temperamental. It’ll be a lot of trial and error, but I grabbed more almond flour on my way over, so at least I’ll have that.” 

“Well, you’ve got plenty of taste testers,” Will added. “I still have dreams about that bourbon bacon cake you made for my birthday.” Cece smiled and accepted the roast beef Pops handed her, spearing some onto her plate. 

“Thankfully, there’s nothing that fancy this time. Just doing gingerbread, cranberry, peppermint, and eggnog.”

“If you want, I could include you in one of my videos. Maybe get you some more attention outside of here,” Shayla offered. “I’d just want to get a couple of shots of myself helping you with something. Maybe frosting one of the cakes?” 

“Oh.” Cece glanced at Jake, who raised an eyebrow at Shayla’s unexpected offer. “That’s…that’s generous, but I’m good. I…uh… film for my own account.”

“How many followers do you have?” Shay asked as Jake’s eyebrows shot higher. Beside him, Will nudged him to pass the mashed potatoes. 

“Four hundred thousand, last I checked.” Smiling a bit more pointedly, Shayla chuckled.

“I remember when I had that many. I’m at 3 million or so. If we collab, I’d tag you so my followers could find you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Stay up with me for a 22-hour workday! Between my day job and baking - ” Jake tapped his phone screen as Cece’s video looped, pausing it as she buried her face in her hands while leaning on the kitchen counter. He’d been scrolling her page for about an hour, working backward through her content.

He was impressed and exhausted just watching her. A lot of her videos documented going from her job at the bank right into the kitchen and ending with her in the car for a delivery. It was clear why she was always busy - Cece was talented. Jake had never been interested in watching cooking videos. Still, he was glued to the screen, watching her smoothing icing, decorating, and pouring ganache into bowls. There were also a couple of brand partnership videos. 

But it was the video announcing Mr. Ryan’s death that broke his heart. Jake had watched it three times. There were clips of them working together in the kitchen, her father helping her package her treats, tasting flavors, and bandaging up her finger when she sliced it with a knife. And then Cece was alone, sitting on the floor next to the oven with her back against the cabinets as she sobbed. “My daddy always told me that I needed to start living for myself, so that’s what I’m gonna do,” she said in a voiceover while breaking a peanut butter cookie in half and popping it into her mouth. “I promised him that I’d follow my own dreams for once, so I’m putting it out into the universe that I’ll be a full-time home baker one day. Hell, maybe I’ll have my own bakery.” 

Sighing, he set the phone on his chest and ran a hand down his face. When Mama had called to let him know about Mr. Ryan, Jake had almost picked up the phone and called Cece. But after nearly seven years without talking - only exchanging ‘Happy birthday’ messages on social media - calling out of the blue seemed like a lot. Especially when she was mourning. The family had ensured he knew how Mr. Ryan was doing, and he wasn’t surprised when Cece moved back to Magnolia. As much as he loved her life in Austin, she was a daddy’s girl through and through. She never would have let him go through treatment alone.

Jake reached for his water glass and frowned at finding it empty. Shit. Knowing that Cece was still working, he debated calling it a night but was still wide awake and thirsty. Grabbing his shirt from the dresser, he crept into the hallway. Light shone from Shayla’s doorway, and he quickly darted past it to the stairs, hoping to avoid another confrontation after sending her back to the room earlier in the evening.

“Shit, god damn, motherfucker,” Cece hissed, setting another tray of macaron shells onto the countertop. Her head whipped up when she heard Jake snort, a blush creeping across her cheeks. “Don’t tell your Pops.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. He’d wash your mouth out with soap,” he chuckled, walking to the refrigerator. It was filled with wrapped-up cake layers, chilling bowls of filling, and cupcakes. Turning, he glanced at the counters covered with unbaked trays. He could see her phone set up on a tripod, recording her as she worked. “I’d ask how it’s going, but I get the feeling it’s not good.”

“Nope,” she replied, tugging the pot holder from her hand and running her fingers through her hair before turning off the camera. “I’m on my sixth tray of these and can’t get the fuckin’ oven figured out.” 

“What’s the issue?” he asked, glancing at the tray of cracked white cookies before her. 

“It’s too hot, and there’s a hot spot in one of the corners.” Picking up one of the cookies, she turned it over and glared. “It doesn’t even have even feet.”

“Feet?” 

“The shells rise a little bit when they bake.” Tossing the shell back onto the tray with a huff, she turned to the oven and lowered the temperature. Jake snagged one of the overbaked cookies and ate it.

“’Face good, dough,” he said, breathing out steam as he burned his mouth. Cece raised an eyebrow at him and smirked as he chugged half of his water. “Damn, that was hot.” 

“Overcooked and straight out of the oven. I thought you were supposed to be smart, Seresin.” 

“You know better than to put something you made in front of me and not expect me to try it,” he shot back. She rolled her eyes and walked to the sink to wash her hands, drying them on the towel thrown over her shoulder. 

“At least try something that’s not burnt,” she prompted, grabbing a plate with cake scraps. Jake cocked an eyebrow and took a piece of the brown cake, groaning at the rich gingerbread taste, making her grin. 

“Jesus, Cece, this is great.”

“Thanks. I had some extra gingerbread cupcakes, so I figured I’d decorate those for your parents as a thank you for letting me take over the kitchen today.”

“I think my parents would agree with me when I say you don’t have to do that, and you should focus on your order so you can get some sleep.” 

“I’ll sleep tomorrow after I deliver this,” she shrugged, setting the plate down and lightly running a finger over one of the uncooked macaron shells. Apparently satisfied, Cece nodded and opened the oven, peering inside. “Okay, let’s hope tray seven is a winner.” After sliding it onto the rack and setting a timer for 13 minutes, she turned to face him, glancing at her camera. “Do you mind if I… I’ll keep you out of the frame and edit you out.” 

“Yeah, sure.” She nodded and repositioned the tripod before picking up an icing bag. Jake watched as she piped wreaths onto five of the smooth, white tops of the cupcakes in individual boxes before picking up a pair of tweezers and placing sprinkles. The timer went off while she was working on the third one.

“I’ll get it,” he offered, grabbing the pot holder and quickly shutting off the alarm. Making sure the hot tray wasn’t close enough to burn her, he held it out and watched her scowl. “No?”

“Better, but still not it. Would you mind dropping the temp another 5 degrees?” Setting the tray down, he did as she asked and sat on one of the kitchen stools to watch her. Cece looked up at him through her lashes as she resumed decorating. “What?”

“Nothin’. Just… I didn’t realize that you were doin’ this.” 

“Baking?”

“As a business.” At her shrug, he sighed and motioned to the phone. “And the whole… How long have you wanted to do this?”

“I’ve always wanted to be a baker.” When he let out a huff of surprise, Cece set down the sprinkles and quickly closed the cupcake boxes, stacking them at the end of the counter. 

“You never said anything about it.”

“I didn’t think it was an option.” Jake watched her check the oven before putting another tray in. 

“Why wouldn’t it have been an option?” 

“It takes a long time to build up the skills and even longer to build a client base. If we were going to - ” She cut herself off, and Jake felt a jolt in his stomach. “I didn’t think I would have time to do it.” 

“And you do now?” 

“The internet helps. I do a lot of orders out of state, so I drive a lot. And I’ve figured out how to ship so I can get some cookies out. But yeah, I’ve had more time to focus on building my business.” Assembling five more boxes, she dropped cupcakes into them and picked up the piping bag again. “What about you? How’s life in the Navy?”

Lonely was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back. When he’d moved to San Diego, he’d gotten closer to the Daggers, but since Shayla had entered the picture, it felt like they’d regressed from friends to coworkers. Nights at the Hard Deck were rare, and he was unlikely to have much time to hang out with a baby. “Fine,” Jake shrugged. Pausing to twist the bag, Cece raised an eyebrow.

“Fine? After all that work and excitement to finally fly, it’s just ‘fine’?” For something to do, he grabbed the cupcake boxes and assembled them, setting them to the side. 

“I love my job. It’s just… all the other stuff.” 

“Well, you’ll have a new adventure to keep you occupied at least,” Cece said, intently peering down at the cupcakes. “With the baby and all that.”

Jake froze, the kitchen silent except for the faint crinkle of the piping bag. “You, uh…I didn’t realize that you knew.”

“If you thought that Betty, the biggest gossip in town, wasn’t going to call me as soon as she found out to ‘warn’ me” - she lifted her fingers to do air quotes - “then you’ve been gone from Magnolia for too long. Plus, your Mama told me as soon as I got here.” Forcing her gaze up, she smiled, trying to banish any trace of sadness from her expression. “I’m happy for you, Jake. You always wanted to have kids.” 

Saved by the timer going off, he pushed to his feet and walked to the oven. The flash of heat when he opened the door gave him a cover for why his cheeks were flushed. Taking the pan out, he pushed away the memories of lying in bed together and trading half-conscious hopes for the future. “How are these?”

“Not quite. Another five degrees?” He nodded, placing the pan on the stovetop and lowering the temperature before returning to his seat. “Can I do anything to help?” 

“No, it’s fine. Don’t feel like you have to stay up - I’ve got this covered.” Ignoring the dismissal, he continued to assemble the cupcake boxes, sneaking glances at her as she worked. As the pile of boxes grew, he opened the fridge to count the cupcakes she’d be making. 

“Where are the finished ones going?”

“I have a bigger box in my car that I’m going to put these in,” Cece explained, glancing at the growing pile of finished cupcakes as she placed sprinkles.

“I’ll get it.” 

The clock was edging towards 2:00AM when Cece was finally satisfied with the macarons and was ready to work on the shells. Jake started another pot of coffee after finishing the first in the two hours they’d been working. While he stacked the finished cupcakes into a large box, she measured the ingredients, tossed them into the mixer, and prepared her cookie sheets. 

“Skip,” Jake called out as Achy Breaky Heart started to play in his earbud. 

“No appreciation for the classics,” Cece muttered, a smile tugging at her mouth as she tapped her earbud twice. The opening strings of Neon Moon started, and she couldn’t help but start to sway at the counter as Kacey Musgraves covered Brooks & Dunn. Jake heard her singing softly.  “I think of two young lovers running wild and free. I close my eyes and sometimes see you in the shadows of this smoke-filled room. No telling how many tears I've sat here and cried or how many lies that I've lied, telling my poor heart he'll come back someday.” 

The song faded into the next as she hand-finished mixing the meringue to ensure consistency. They started laughing at Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off. “Damn, I haven’t heard this one in forever,” Jake chuckled. Moving closer, he tapped her phone, pausing her recording, and pulled up the playlist to scroll through the songs. It took a minute to realize that it was a recreation of one of their road trip playlists from when they would drive the seven hours from Annapolis to Myrtle Beach for Spring Break. Pink dusted her cheeks when he glanced over at her, almost as though she was remembering those long drives, singing along with one another and brimming with the anticipation of finally being alone in their hotel room. No matter how much his buddies always wanted to split the cost, Jake and Cece had made sure that they had privacy at the end of the night to lose themselves in drunken kisses and hot showers. Those five days at the beach were stolen time that they needed. 

Back then, they thought one week together was enough to sustain a relationship. 

Cece shimmied while lifting the spatula to test the consistency. Satisfied, she brought the mixing bowl to where her piping bags and tips were prepped, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes. She flicked her head to clear her sight when it fell back into place. Unwilling to strip off her gloves, she attempted to brush it away with her shoulder. “Hey, look at me.” 

“Huh?” Jake smiled and brushed the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Goosebumps erupted on her skin when his fingers trailed down her neck, eyes widening as they met his. He watched her cheeks flush, her breath stuttering against his wrist. “T-thanks.” 

The song ended, fading into a slower ballad. “When I first saw you, I saw love. And the first time you touched me, I felt love,” Shania sighed. “And after all this time, you're still the one I love.” 

Cece dropped her gaze and tapped her earbud, changing the song without looking at him. Jake hesitated a moment before changing it back. “Can’t skip Shania,” he said gruffly. 

Widening her eyes, Cece blinked hard as she smoothed the icing of her last cake. It was Christmas Eve and the sun had already risen over the Seresin ranch, and she could hear muffled footsteps upstairs. Cooling racks covered all available space in the kitchen, and the dining room table was covered with boxed cakes and cupcakes. Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn, she glanced over at Jake, who had his head resting on his arms as he closed his eyes after matching the 600 macaron shells for her. Thankfully, they didn’t need to make too many extras. They only required a little decoration - before baking, she’d shaped the red, green, and silver cookies like Christmas ornaments, so a little drizzle of icing and a spritz of edible glitter would be enough to make them look shiny and finished. 

“Jake,” she said softly, smiling when he grunted in response. “Go to bed - you’ll be more comfortable.” 

“’ M awake, babe,” he mumbled, sitting up. Cece felt her heart clench at the slipped term of endearment, but Jake didn’t seem to realize he’d said it, so she also chose to ignore it. Rubbing his eyes, he reached for his cold coffee and drained the mug as they heard the stairs creak. 

“Morning,” Mama Seresin said, tucking her robe closer as she entered the kitchen. “Did you two sleep at all?”

“Mornin’ Mama,” Jake said, his lip twitching when his mother leaned to kiss his cheek. She circled the counter to do the same to Cece. “‘Izz it time for chores?” 

“Not for you,” the older woman said, giving her son a fondly exasperated look. “I think it’s time for bed.”

“I’m on the final stretch,” Cece yawned. “Just need to finish these two cakes, and then I’ll do the macarons and call it.”

“You’ll finish the cakes and then go to sleep, Julie Louise.”

“Yeah, Julie Louise,” Jake echoed, his smile fading as he lifted his empty mug. Narrowing her eyes, Cece plucked a candied cranberry from the tray drying at her elbow and lobbed it at him. Reflexes dulled by fatigue, the berry hit his forehead and fell into his lap. Grinning, he popped it into his mouth. 

“Jacob.” The warning tone in his mother’s voice made him try to stifle his grin, but he was unsuccessful. Setting aside her icing smoother, Cece picked up the tray of cranberries and dropped a handful into a dish of waiting sugar, shaking it to coat them. The Seresins watched - Cece flushing at their joint attention - as she arranged the berries along the edge of the two cakes before ripping apart rosemary sprigs and placing pieces. Taking a step back, she rubbed the back of her hand on her cheek as she studied them, debating adding more berries. “They’re beautiful, Julie. I’m sure the mayor is going to love them.” 

Without a word, Jake retrieved cake boxes from the dining room and assembled one while Cece did the other, trading a tired smile. She glanced at her watch as soon as they were slid into the boxes. Still behind schedule, but the macarons should only take about three hours between the decorating, assembly, and boxing. The sugar cookies would take another two hours to roll and bake, with another hour and a half to make the decorating kits. But as she stripped off her gloves and opened her mouth to say she was okay, Mama Seresin pinned her with a look. “Bed.” 

“But - ”

“Bed. Both of you. You have plenty of time to get the rest of this done before this afternoon, and I’ve already made up the guest bed for you. Now get.” 

The stern expression left no room for debate, and neither did the hand she wrapped around Jake and Cece’s arms and guided them out of the kitchen. Jake paused at the foot of the stairs to allow her to climb before him, watching her heavy footsteps as fatigue seemed to drag her down. Without thinking, he placed a hand on the small of her back to ensure she didn’t tip backward. 

Cece’s shoulder bumped his as they walked down the hall, and he nudged her back. Her tired eyes darted to meet his, a smile tugging the corner of her mouth before she hip-checked him. His lips curved into an answering smile as they paused outside the second guest bedroom. “Thanks, Jake. I wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much done tonight if you hadn’t helped,” she said, voice rough with exhaustion. 

“It was fun. Feel like I got a masterclass in making macarons.”  

“You were a pretty great assistant. Might hire you on for the next round of Christmas baking.” 

“Not done yet. You gotta show me how to get the ganache in them, and I’ll put the boxes together.” 

“You really don’t - ”

“I’m gonna help. I feel like I’ve earned at least tasting one of the finished macarons.” Chuckling, she shook her head.

“Maybe even two.” The playfulness disappeared from her expression as she looked up at him, “I’m serious, though. Thank you.” Jake nodded, catching the fleeting moment of hesitation before Cece stepped forward and hugged him. His arms wrapped around her, hand coming up to cup the back of her head and holding her tighter. Without thinking, he pressed a kiss into her hair. Her head lifted from his chest, and he spied sugar crystals on her cheekbone. Jake brushed them away with his thumb before lifting it to his mouth to lick away the sweet taste.

Cece’s breath caught, gaze narrowing to the flash of tongue behind his parted lips. His chest brushed hers with every breath. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Confusion and something so familiar swirled in those green eyes. She took a step back, only half surprised when he followed to pin her between the wall and his body. Her fingers curled in his shirt, and she wasn’t sure if it was to pull him closer or shove him away. His hand rose, hesitating a moment before curving around her cheek. 

Jake’s lips were soft against hers, a tentative brush that she could have imagined if it wasn’t for the rough scratch of his stubble. Her grip on his shirt tightened as he planted a hand beside her head, boxing her in as he pressed against her. The move made her whimper, and his breath caressed her skin as he laughed before they kissed again, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips and sliding against her own. Cece dug her nails into his back, inhaling sharply when he moaned against her mouth, his hips pressing against hers. “Baby,” he panted. “I missed you.” 

The words were like a wave of cold water thrown over her, and Cece shoved him away. Jake stumbled back, catching himself on the opposite wall. “Shit,” she breathed, pressing a hand to her mouth. 

“Cece?” Jake reached for her before letting his hand drop when he realized what they’d done. 

What he’d done.

The door to his parent’s room opened, and - when he turned to meet his father’s gaze - Cece darted into the guest bedroom. “Son, everything alright?” Pops asked, frowning at his youngest.

“Y-yes, sir. Just headed to bed,” Jake replied. 

Julie leaned against the door and hung her head inside the room, blinking back tears. “Fuck,” she whispered. 

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

Read Chapter 4

Taglist: @mamachasesmayhem; @buckysteveloki-me; @fanficfandomlove; @maeleeme; @djs8891; @kmc1989; @justenoughmadness; @shanimallina87; @lynnevanss; @dempy; @emilyoflanternhill; @midnightmagpiemama; @sordidfairytale; @vivalas-vega; @eloquentdreamer; @roosterforme; @mizzzpink; @memoriesat30; @dizzybee03

If you would like to be added to the tag list, please comment below. I do check that readers are 18+

[jessaerys]

not to start discourse but when the sun goes down (its night-a-night-a-hey) y'can hear her body howl (in the moon-a-light-hey) i feel her eyein me like owls (giddy up giddy up)(it's on sight hey) hide your man when the hangman come in town (ooh yes) she's a tyrant every time i ride every time i ride it make it look so good (so gooooood) try to justify it boy i know they lookin for me how we gonna hide it ride it like hydraulics i am such a tyrant every time i ride it every time i ride it i don't like to sit up in the saddle boy i got it just relax i got this i got that exotic hips are so hypnotic i am such a tyrant send me some shots (throw back) are you with me or not throw it back shoot up (shoot up!) the bar tell the law we don't remember nothin after that scot-free (scot-freee) whole city after me have you seen her five-nine thick and fine what a tragedy hey hey ridin you while we tryna get away ridin you while we tryna catch a wave that's so sexy and i know it and i ain't afraid to show it baby i'm goated baby i'm glowin hey hey on the run run ̬t͖a̜͓ͭ̏p m̗̬̿̄e̠̜̗̽̍͊ on ṯ̯̫̎ͥ̊he͖ s̬͚̋́ͩͅḥ̦̟͋ͤ̿o̓u͈͚̇̌l̰̗ͥ̚der͙͛ ͔̦̥w͕̳̺ḣ͉ȇͮ͋n̪͊ ͖͓̩͂̓ͪẏ͑ͯo͕̾u͕̅ ̙̝͋̽r̗̈́eͩ̅͆lͮ̌́o̙̦͑̿ad̪̳͇͑̉ͮ ̭̼̈̆t̟̔h͋͌ͥe gͫ͐ͧu̐̿ͭṋ̪̫ ͔ͤ

[film-in-my-soul]

One Glimpse of Relief | 909 | dalearden / @dale-arden

Summary: Yet from the moment he took Jake into his bed, Bradley knew something had changed. There had been a shift in the atmosphere, a force feeling like some kind of gravitational pull, guiding him. The knowledge he was always meant to wind up here is an awesome weight on his heart and Bradley allows it to crush him, the power of it not even a little painful like he fears it should be.

twist the knife (salt in my cuts) | 1,313 | ropememory

Summary: Bradley ignores Jake, traces a finger along the outline of a rib on Jake’s chest. When he speaks, it’s low and hoarse, more a byproduct of what’s going on in his head than disuse. “I want to try it. Tonight.” Swallowing, Bradley meets Jake’s confused look, shys back a little in response without giving up any of his leverage over Jake’s body.  Processing Bradley’s words shouldn’t be this hard, they’ve barely started doing anything and Jake’s frustratingly still got all his wits about him, but there’s a long list of things they’ve talked about trying over the past few months, and Jake’s at a loss to pinpoint the specific one Bradley’s talking about.

taste of eternity | 1,415 | res_judicata / @res-judicatas

Summary: "Jake, I was thinking about you when I thought it was all over." "Why the fuck would you say that," Jake wants to scream and cry. Because Bradley talks a big game, but of the two of them, he's the one who flies like he's got nothing to lose. Between his mother and dad... every time they take to the air, Bradley is the one who Jake thinks is really suspended between the sky and the ground. The one who belongs to both. The one who they should be worried about not coming back down. 

looked into your eyes (saw a world that doesn't exist) | 1,480 | ropememory

Summary: Jake glares up at Bradley. “I’m only doing this to show you I am the best. And to haunt your fucking dreams, because it’s never happening again.”

Haven't you herd, I rather love you | 1,578 | Fuddlewuddle / @fuddlewuddle

Summary: Bradley knows Jake loves him, he just never expected the man to arrange a herd of cows into the shape of a heart for him. Being honest, he probably should've done.

take my soul (wipe it clean) | 1,659 | crueltether

Summary: “You wanna come by for a drink?” Bradley asks. His question is innocent enough, but he’s also already opening the passenger door of his Bronco. Jake rolls his eyes. “I dunno,” he says, but he’s tossing his bag onto the floorboards and getting in. “I might.” Bradley hums. “Okay, Texas. You think it over. I’ll drive.”

The Better Wingman | 1,871 | Cat2000

Summary: Set after the events of Top Gun: Maverick. Rooster and Hangman figure things out

Please see below for more recommendations!

fly me home | 2,136 | vannral / @vannral

Summary: “You look good, Rooster,” Jake manages to rasp out and Bradley can hear how much his voice is fraying, carving down to the very bare core of it all. In which Jake and Bradley immediately act on their feelings after landing on the carrier. Involves flirting and sex and doing things in the wrong order but mostly reassurance.

you got me (fucked up) | 2,318 | cloudburst

Summary: “You lookin’ to stay behind me, Rooster? If you’re staring at my ass, you’ve just gotta ask,” he says to him, turns around from where they’re running laps, punishment for arguing in the first place. He loves to rile him up, make him verbalize his frustrations. Hangman–because it’s Hangman, now, stopped being Jake a long time ago–doesn’t always mean to flirt with him, condescend to him in the same breath but when he does it sure is fun. Bradshaw’s breathing a little heavier, maybe, but cuts him off anyways. “As if. You wish.”

The mandatory 5+1 fic | 2,610 | AnadoraBlack / @anadorablack

Summary: 5 times Rooster thinks there might be something between him and Hangman; and 1 time he knows for sure.

Everything's Waiting For You (Downtown) | 2,692 | xo_em / @jakeseresins

Summary: When Bradley’s breath catches, in a way it hasn’t in literal years of bartending, he’s a tad shaken.

white picket fence | 2,938 | res_judicata / @res-judicatas

Summary: Whenever anyone from the kids’ school asks, Jake always just smiles politely and explains that his husband works for a big international company and that’s why he’s overseas a lot.  He doesn’t say that Bradley is arguably the ‘director’ of said company, nor that the ‘company’ in question is the Mafia. He knows a few of the other parents have their suspicions and that he and Bradley are the subject of their fair share of rumours and gossip. Jake just doesn’t let it get to him, he has his beautiful family and gorgeous husband, the nosy PTA mothers can go fuck themselves. For every, oh my, how can your husband bear to leave such a lovely husband at home with the kids for so many months of the year, Jake can read between the lines.

Honey-coloured Ramparts at Your Ear | 3,270 | xo_em / @jakeseresins

Summary: “You know he loves you, right?” Jake sucks in a breath. “The color of your hair’s got nothing to do with it.” And well, it sounds really idiotic once Javy says it out loud.

the machine of a dream | 3,937 | thereisnocowboyemoji

Summary: Jake reads Bradley like he’s his favorite book and Bradley loves that. He does. But. He doesn’t love it right at this particular moment. Because right at this particular moment he’s trying to keep a very big secret and he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to pull it off.

The Christmas Bob outdid himself | 4,090 | AnadoraBlack / @anadorablack

Summary: Bob organizes a Secret Santa among the squad. Jake's nervous, because he's never had to gift anyone anything before. He's even more scared when faced with the gifts he receives. He shouldn't be either of those things...

sour apple baby (you taste so sweet) | 4,600 | attolians / @maroonmorons

Summary: Bradley and Jake became friends with benefits...but neither of them know how to do it right.

you drew stars around my scars | 4,761 | ginnydear

Summary: “I can’t… I can’t do this if it’s going to be like the last time.”

softest hands to hold you | 5,231 | ginnydear

Summary: “You aren’t the first person to think I’m pathetic and weak, something to be used and not loved.”

Four Letter Word That I Don't Have the Guts to Say | 5,444 | Earthangel_44 / @yikes-00

Summary: Bradley doesn't talk much. But what he does say is never what he means. The story of how Bradley gets tattoos and learns to love.

time and time again | 6,318 | andthentheybow / @andthentheybow

Summary: Rooster wakes up on the third April 22nd in a row covered in phantom explosion burns and with the concrete knowledge that this mission is going to go terribly, horribly wrong.

Don't leave me, please | 6,357 | AnadoraBlack / @anadorablack

Summary: When Jake learns that Rooster's plane went down and he may not make it, he goes into shock. Then he decides that he WON'T let Bradley Bradshaw bail on him. No matter what he needs to do to make sure he wakes up...

Like They Do in Texas Please | 6,506 | Renai_chan

Summary: The team play strip poker. Jake is not good at it.

The Exes of Texas Are Upon You | 7,047 | chase_acow / @cowsalot

Summary: While trying to enjoy their day off, a bet comes back to haunt Hangman forcing Rooster into a tight spot.

fever started a long ago | 8,020 | vannral / @vannral

Summary: 'Okay, Bradley has to admit, this wasn’t one of his brightest ideas. He should’ve stayed home, taken some ibuprofen and just sucked it up and passed out but no. He had to push it. And here he is, dealing with the consequences of his own stupidity.' In which Bradley gets sick, Jake gets jealous of a guy at the bar and takes care of Bradley. They’re both pining for each other and are even worse at hiding it.

miles to go | 8,566 | Notchka88

Summary: Truth be told, Bradley hadn’t been expecting to be team leader. Given Maverick’s continued criticism of his flying and the shit Bradley had said to him—it had startled him to be Maverick’s choice. It had startled Hangman too, judging by the way his jaw had tightened and how he’d looked away, avoiding Bradley’s eyes during the briefing. Bradley should have been ready for Hangman’s reaction after everything that had happened between them, but it had still stung.

for the fatherless | 8,729 | Bartonfink

Summary: a fic about family. and maybe a little about falling in love.

Burned on the back of your eyelids | 12,883 | The_Splendid_Wren

Summary: They say when you're near death your life flashes before your eyes and he's had a long, complicated life. The first time he remembers trying to etch a memory on the back of his eyelids he's eight years old. His mom uncovers the piano in the living room and begins tapping at the keys, the notes to a song he's long since forgotten echoing around the living room. He can hear the melody as the wind whips past his ears and the wreckage of his plane crashes far below on the ice mountain side.

you hang me up, unfinished (with the better part of me no longer mine) | 13,140 | un_familiar

Summary: There are a million things standing between Jake Seresin and his soulmate–gender, Jake’s tendency to overthink and run his mouth, the fact that his soulmark is high up on his ribs, hidden, the bruises his dad leaves, but the biggest one is probably the simple fact that he has no idea how to love.

And You Said That I Was Done (Well, You Were Wrong) | 14,228 | lemons2llamas

Summary: It’s not supposed to be like this. Lt. Jake Seresin, call sign Hangman, is a Naval aviator. One of the elite. He's the youngest winner of the Top Gun trophy since its inception, holds six course records, and is the team leader of the now permanently established Dagger Squadron. He’s young. He’s in his prime. He’s supposed to be invincible.

Callsign: Rooster | 14,649 | Valkyrie_the_Bogwitch

Summary: Callsigns are a tricky business, both ultimate weakness and greatest strength. These are some loosely connected vignettes around how Rooster earned his feathers, for the good and the ill of it.

soar with me | 14,899 | vannral / @vannral

Summary: ”You – so what was it, you were trying to help me or something?” Bradley stammers, his whole perspective reeling off its axis at the revelation. Jake looks up, and his eyes are piercing, but there’s something raw, vulnerable underneath it."

one foot left, and then we're going down swinging | 15,944 | SaintClaire / @radpeacharbiter

Summary: “I’m still here.” he says, because it helps Bradley to be reminded sometimes. For all he’ll mouth off about Jake never shutting up, the sound of Jake’s voice can get him to drop the rigid set of his shoulders and relax, sit a little easier in the cockpit. “Still on your wing, Roo, just a little further away than normal.” Jake gets shot down on a mission, tracker blown to smithereens and on his own in enemy territory. The thing about Hangman is that he might be a damn good pilot but that means he comes with the bloody-mindedness to see his shit through. He's got a family to get back to.

unsportsmanlike conduct | 16,871 | ginnydear

Summary: He didn’t expect there to be highlight reels of him and Jake Seresin arguing and jawing at each other after their first game against each other. His Uncle Mav’s recorded it, saying it’s the beginning of his long, successful career - to have a rival. Bradley thinks it’s a pain in the ass.

When Jake Met Bradley | 17,163 | infinitejaust

Summary: They annoyed each other, then they were friends, and then they were more. All it took was fifteen years.

A girl, she once told me I'd be happy again… | 17,777 | AnadoraBlack / @anadorablack

Summary: Rooster has gotten himself into a bit of a predicament. If only because he agreed to be Hangman's fake date at his sister's wedding, when they've just barely started considering each other friends. Nothing can go wrong, right?

I need attention (and I need it all from you) | 19,291 | haridwar

Summary: “Mom and I agreed I wasn’t gonna enlist Mav.” Bradley had been reluctant to remind him while also trying not to sound too heartbroken. He didn’t want his mother feeling guiltier than she already did when there were more important things to be thinking about. “You promised your mom you wouldn’t fly, that you wouldn’t be a fighter pilot. There’s so much more to the navy than just that kiddo.”

The Best the Galaxy has to offer | 20,141 | AnadoraBlack / @anadorablack

Summary: To vanquish the Empire and hopefully put an end to the War, the best X-wings pilots in the Galaxy are called to the mother ship Top Gun. Among them, Bradley Bradshaw, who has a lot to learn and a lot to face; but also a squadron of former Stormtroopers��

I used to hate you | 21,707 | AnadoraBlack / @anadorablack

Summary: When Bradley Bradshaw and Jake Seresin first meet at Top Gun, they immediately decide that they hate each other. It takes a looooooong time for that to change...

How do you like your coffee? | 23,360 | WaffleToaster

Summary: Javy receives the first call after Jake makes an emergency landing on the tarmac and Bradley has to deal with the complications that arise. “Do we get along now?” “We do, yes. We’re.. good friends.” “That’s good. Cause you seem like a nice guy, Rooster.”

invisible string | 28,042 | ok_thanks / @galchenyuks

Summary: Jake being traded to San Diego should definitely not cause Bradley to feel so unhinged. Not at all. He can be teammates, they've done that before, except that Jake is just as annoying and attractive to Bradley as he was when they were younger.

Dirty and Sweet (Get it on) | 38,451 | MadeItUp / @gothampot

Summary: As things wind down after the mission, Rooster struggles with a need for something a little dangerous. That something absolutely should not – cannot – be Jake Seresin. But a little friendly competition and a lot of alcohol can go a long way to changing a man's mind. Hangman eyes Rooster’s empty beer, then his own. “How about that second shot?” “You tryna put me off my game?” “I don’t need you drunk to beat you, Rooster.” “What do you need me drunk for?”

Master Reclist · Personal Masterlist · Blog Nav.

[gennyanydots]

This is love I just can’t live without Ch. 2

Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x f!Kazansky!reader (affectionately often called “Baby Ice”)

“This is love I just can’t live without” masterlist

Biker!au

Chapter summary: Bradley hasn’t been okay since his girl left. Turns out he isn’t okay yet now that she’s back either.

Ch. 2 “Bit off more than you could chew” Bradley

Trigger warnings for chapter: none

AN: I’m not sure if every other chapter I’m going to be switching POV’s but we’ll see how it goes!

“Saw your girl’s made it back home safe and sound. Must be feeling pretty good,” Hangman said loudly as he hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to Bradley, resting his arms on the back of the couch. “Saw her car in Ice’s driveway.”

Bradley huffed and shifted his body away from Hangman’s as he continued to play on his phone trying to get the other man to leave him alone, “Not my girl. Hasn’t been for a long time.”

Hangman laughed as he kicked a foot up on the coffee table in front of the couch, “Right, right. Not your girl. Course not. So, she’s free game, right? Cause she was wearin’ these little short shorts and mmm mmm was she lookin hot in them. Might hit her up.”

Bradley jumped up, dropping his phone on the floor in the process, then grabbed Hangman by his shirt collar and hefts the other man up, balling his other hand into a fist and holding it up near his ear, ready to strike, “If you touch her, I swear to God, I will not hesitate to bash your face in. Don’t toy with me, man.”

Hangman laughs while he holds his hands up in surrender, “Woah woah, slow your roll there, Rooster buddy. I don’t want your girl. Promise. Cross my heart and everything.” He winked at Bradley and continued, “Just wanted to get a rise out of you to prove a point and like normal you fell for it: hook, line, and sinker. So predictable, Bradshaw. Gonna need you to spice it up for me. You know how daddy likes to spice things up now and again.” Hangman winks at Bradley.

Bradley scowls and shoves at Hangman’s chest, dropping himself back down onto the couch. He grabs his phone from where it clattered to the floor and settles himself back in to try and ignore Hangman again. He doesn’t want to have this conversation. He should have stayed in his room. Stayed far away from everyone else today. Bradley knew she was coming back today, practically felt the air shift when she got into town.

Mav texted him when she got to her dad’s house, wanting to give Bradley a heads up. He appreciated that, he did he really did, but who wants to be reminded that, after being away from each other for so long, the love of their life is not only just five minutes away but five minutes away and doesn’t want anything to do with you? Five minutes away and hasn’t spoken to you in five years. Five minutes away and the last time you saw them, they were sobbing and running away from you.

Fuck. He hated seeing his girl cry. And the fact that it was his fault? He should have asked Ice to kick his ass. He deserved it. He should have asked Slider. He’s pretty sure Slider would still kick his ass now, five years later. Ever since she left, Slider’s taken it out on Bradley every chance he gets. Slider still shoulder checks him every time they pass each other. Bradley always let’s him, one because what’s he gonna do? Take on a club officer? He’s dumb but he’s not that dumb. And two he deserves it. Still. He always will. He deserves this and so much more. It’s all his fault, after all.

Bradley can hear Hangman chuckle and feels the couch shift as Hangman plops his body back down on the couch next to Bradley. God, can’t this man take a hint? He refuses to look over at Hangman. No acknowledgment whatsoever. It’s not like he doesn’t know the man has that stupid self satisfied grin plastered on his face, like always. Bastard. Worst choice for a best friend and yet here they were. Bradley should have chosen better, Bradley DID choose better but he ruined that.

Well he didn’t really get a choice who his first best friend was. As soon as Ice’s wife gave birth, Bradley and baby ice were immediately shoved together. His dad had been part of the club before he passed and Bradley was the only other baby another member of the club had at the time so when his girl was born the playdates started immediately. They grew up around each other. Always around each other. His mother best friends with hers. Even once his father passed Bradley still spent a lot of time at the club, the other members stepped up to help his mother raise him, someone always ready to help her with anything she needed, of course then Mav took on his duty as Godfather to step up as Bradley’s father figure more permanently and so there was no lull in Bradley’s life where he wasn’t with his girl and the club.

Bradley can’t think of a childhood memory where she wasn’t right by his side. Everyone would tease them when they were little about how cute they were going to be when they get married, causing him and his girl to make various “eww” and gagging noises because they were never going to get married to each other. That’s gross! They were best friends!

Until one day it wasn’t as gross of an idea anymore. When holding hands stopped being about safety and started being so they could stay close to each other. When goodbyes stopped being a wave and started being bashful hugs. Their mothers caught on quickly, letting the two go on “dates” together. Going to the movies or the arcade together, always with an adult close by. The dads took longer but oh when they found out, all hell broke loose.

He can still remember Ice telling his mom, “Carole, I swear I just want to talk to him. I’m not gonna do anything. Promise!”

Her mother immediately stepping in, “Thomas, if you don’t leave that little boy alone you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“I don’t wanna sleep on the couch.”

“Didn’t ask. Leave him alone.”

And with a huff her father left him alone, if not only to make sure he didn’t have to sleep on the couch. Plus, his wife made sure to point out that if their daughter wasn’t dating Bradley it would be some other boy that he couldn’t keep an eye on. That shut Ice up pretty quickly.

At a young age Mav started having talks with him. About respectfulness. About appropriateness. About consent. About keeping it in his pants (he hadn’t even been thinking of that yet but Mav wanted to make sure to set the groundwork). About the fact that they were being watched like hawks at any given time by a number of large bikers so he needed to watch himself.

Bradley understood. These were the men who had helped raise him after all. They were his role models.

They probably felt like it was a slap in the face when he broke his girl’s heart. He never talked to anyone about what happened except Mav. Not even his mom. She’s asked him a couple times but he just deflects the questions. Bradley’s not even sure what his mom knows about it, if she knows anything at all. Maybe just what his girl’s mom told her from her point of view. Which he is absolutely fine with. The world can think he’s an asshole. He’s can live with that.

Bradley’s torn from his thoughts when Coyote drops down into the recliner next to the couch, “Who peed in your cheerios this morning, Rooster?”

Hangman laughs and throws an arm over Bradley’s shoulders, “Our boy is just sad his wife is home but doesn’t want to play with him.”

Coyote eyes Bradley, “Didn’t know you were married, Rooster. I guess some congratulations are in order. Sorry I missed the wedding.”

Bradley grits his teeth, “She’s not my wife.”

“Have you never heard about our dear, sweet Rooster’s wife, Coyote?” Hangman grinned and took his arm off the back of the couch. He leaned forward, closer to Coyote, “Our very own Rooster here was the only one to ever catch the eye of Baby Ice. Their story is heart breaking. Truly. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll wonder how Ice didn’t murder Rooster in his sleep.”

Bradley shoves at Hangman again, “Leave it alone. We’re done. What happened, happened and we’ve both moved on with our lives so stop talking about it.”

They’ve both moved on. Bradley’s girl has a whole life far away from him now. A job. Friends. Maybe a boyfriend. That thought makes Bradley clench his jaw. She should have a boyfriend. Someone who can treat her right. Someone who will put her above everything else. He wants her to be loved, but why does the thought make him want to throw up? Who is he kidding. He knows why. She’s his girl. Always has been. Always will be. He’s just going to have to remind her and step up. He’s had years to think about his mistakes. He knows what not to do, now he just has to do what he should have back then.

[sometimesanalice]

alexa, my love!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ dealer's choice

Ahh, Sana! 💖💖💖

I have exactly one story on my masterlist that heavily features everyone’s favorite cocky pilot, so I’ll tell you a little something about Up the Ante! It was my headcanon to explain The Look™️ in the bar scene, lol.

I don’t know the girl who wrote this one. But I need to go on the record and say that a portion of this smut was written in public at a hotel bar 😂 and I may or may not have been a little tipsy (read: very tipsy) and trying to keep a straight face in public while writing things like:

“Don’t know what a desperate little thing like you is thinking by wearing white and lookin’ like an angel,” Jake drawls low and taunting against your ear, his breath warm as it sails down the column of your throat, “But since you like the color so much, I think you’d look even prettier wearing our come.”

That was so unhinged of me 😂

But something I was so keenly aware of when I was writing it is that I didn’t want the reader to become a passive body that these guys are just using for their own needs. In the dialogue of this fic it’s always “our girl” or “we’ll take care of you” or “being so good for us” like even in the heat of the moment while Rooster and Hangman are trying to one up the other, they’re a team in the way they’re catering to her and making sure she’s taken care of and enjoying herself.

Send me a ⭐️ for director’s commentary on a fic!

[thewolfisawake]

One-one-one by one, you hang them high Your hands are steady and you sleep at night How did you turn your heart to stone? Can hear her body howl (In the moonlight, hey) I feel her eyein' me like owls (It's on sight, hey) Hide your man when the hangman come in town (Ooh, yikes)

Have you seen her? 5'9'', thick and fine, what a tragedy Hey, hey, ridin' you while we tryna get away Ridin' you while we tryna catch a wave That's so sexy and I know it, and I ain't afraid to show it Baby, I'm goated, baby, I'm glowin' Hey, hey, on the run, run Tap me on the shoulder when you reload the gun

Damn if I do, dammit if I don't Lady with a whip, want what she wanna want, okay

Tyrant every time I ride it, every time I ride it Make it look so good, cowboys justify it Boy, you know they lookin' for me, how we gonna hide it? Ride it like hydraulics, I am such a tyrant Every time I ride it, every time I ride it Baby, I just don't sit up in the saddle, boy, I got it Just relax, I got this, I got that exotic These hips so hypnotic, I am such a tyrant

[adampage]

[lcahwriter]

“Bradshaw’s Girl”

Pairing: Platonic Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader, and Bradley“Rooster”Bradshaw x reader (non descriptive reader, no use of Y/N)

Word Count: 1.6k

TW: Cat-calling, creepy dude, swearing

Summary: You’re dating Bradley, but when he’s not there to protect you, Jake is. 

“You know whose girl that is? Bradley Bradshaw’s.”

Authors Note: Just a fun oneshot for everyone. You all know Im a slut for protective men :)))) Hope you enjoy :)

*******************************************************************************************

The large sandy beach was packed with people. Everywhere you looked you saw sweaty bodies in swimsuits. Some people were laying in the sand like you- others were swimming or eating their weight in ice cream from the nearby Snack-Shack.

You made the trek to the beach when Rooster invited you to come watch him play volleyball with his pilot friends. You gladly accepted, looking forward to seeing your sweaty boyfriend shirtless for a few hours.

He looked fucking gorgeous, just as you were expecting. His muscles were glistening with sweat. Your eyes followed every line and dimple on his body until there was nothing else left to inspect. His body was killer, but god damnit, his smile with that heavenly laugh- now that was deadly.

You sighed and laid back on your elbows, planting them in the sand. You were wearing a tiny bikini so that your body was on full display- partly for sun tanning and partly to tease the shit out of Rooster. You were a good 30 feet from the volleyball game – but you could see Bradley sneaking glances at you.

You caught his eye and waved at him, only for him to get hit in the chest with a volleyball seconds later. He grimaced in pain and you busted out laughing immediately.

“Pay attention Bradshaw!” Yelled Coyote, slapping Bradley behind the head.

“Can’t help myself.” He said smugly. He shot you a toothy smile and turned his head back to the game.

You felt your stomach grumble and let out a low rumbling sound. You were fucking starving, and the ice cream everyone was chowing down on looked like the perfect treat.

You stood up and wiped the sand off your butt and legs the best you could. You slipped on jean shorts and glanced back at the volleyball game. Bradley was engrossed in the competition now- and he somehow looked even more sweaty than before.

You trudged to the light blue Snack Shack, determined to find ice-cream. You walked up to the shack and looked up at the weathered menu. The place was crowded, and there were groups of people all around you. You saw groups of girls your age, families with babies and toddlers – and retired couples all around.

Your eyes wandered to the left of you where a group of men around your age were gathered in a circle eating ice-cream. You made eye contact with one of the men, causing you to look away immediately.

You crossed your arms over your chest self-consciously and inched forward in the line. You could feel the group staring at you.

“Hey baby, I saw you lookin at me.” The mans voice was so fucking cocky, it made you want to punch him in the face. You pretended you didn’t hear him and bit the inside of your cheek nervously. You could hear the men laughing at their friend for being ignored.

You sighed and stepped further up in line away from the group. You fucking hated college aged boys. Always hanging out in groups – always trying to get laid. It was disgusting really. You felt relieved when you finally made it to the window to order your ice cream.

You giddily took the large ice-cream cone from the worker. Your mouth was watering before you even took your first lick of it.

You started licking the ice-cream and turned around to go back towards your tanning spot. You hadn’t forgotten about the unwanted attention from the group standing nearby, so you kept your head down as you walked past them.

“Aw come on baby don’t leave in such a rush!”  The same man from before called out behind you. The speed you were walking increased, and your heart started to beat faster.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” He was catching up with you now, you could hear his feet padding in the sand. You came to a complete halt and turned around angrily.

“Fuck off, I’m not interested.” You seethed. Normally you would never confront a man who was harassing you- but you were in a very public place – and you were supremely pissed off.

“I saw you checking me out.” He countered back. You took in his greedy brown eyes and stout build. You shook your head at him in disbelief.

“It’s called taking in my surroundings, idiot.” Your ice cream was melting in your hand now, but you didn’t dare keep licking it since you knew the man would have something disgusting to say about it. He inched towards you, causing you to immediately shuffle backwards.

“You have a dirty mouth, don’t you? Let me take you—” Before he could finish his sentence you felt someone come up behind you. You jumped and looked back to see Jake eyeing the man in front of you. Relief settled over you.

“Shit where did you get that ice cream? It looks delicious.” His voice was friendly, but he quickly glanced down at you with concerned eyes. You didn’t know him well, but you knew that Bradley trusted him with his life. You subconsciously stepped closer to the tall blonde.

“Hey man, we were actually in the middle of something.”

You scoffed at him and shook your head. Men were un-fucking-believable. As much as you wanted to talk back to him, you knew Jake had a better shot of diffusing the situation.

“Oh were you? That’s too bad.” Jake said, his voice now laced with sarcasm. He started to guide you away, his hand lightly touching the top of your shoulder as you both turned.

“Don’t act like a fucking whore if you aren’t willing to give it up.” The man sneered. You ignored his comment and kept walking, but Jake stayed still. Fuck. Before you could stop him, he turned around.

“You look familiar, you in the Navy?” Jake asked, his head tilting slightly. You watched as the strangers face paled at Jakes comment.

“Hmm, I’ll take that as a yes.” Jake stepped closer to the man. You stayed behind him; your body now frozen in fear of Jake setting off this temperamental idiot.

“Well, you know whose girl that is?” Jake pointed back at you. “Bradley Bradshaw’s.”

“I don’t know him.” The stranger said. You noticed his greasy fists were balled at his sides.

“Well, he would be really pissed off if he knew you were bothering his girl.” Jake threatened. “And honestly, you’re really starting to piss me off too.” Jakes usual playful voice was now twisted with anger.

“What are you going to do about it?” the stranger challenged, taking a full step towards the both of you. You swore under your breath. Jake moved completely in front of you, blocking your whole body from the creep.

“Do you really want to find out?”

You peaked your head around Jakes tall frame. The man looked at Jake, and then to you- and finally back to Jake.

“You’re not worth my time anyway.” He sneered. You weren’t sure if he was referencing you or Jake. But it didn’t matter anymore, because he turned to walk away.

“Fuck.” You said, letting out the huge breath you’d been holding in. “Thank you. I tried to tell him to fuck off but obviously that didn’t work.”

“Yeah, he’s a piece of work.” Jake mocked in his usual joking tone. He motioned towards the volleyball court and started walking. “And no problem sunshine, I could tell something was up.”

You gave him a small smile and tried to clean up all the ice-cream that melted over your hands. Fucking asshole had to ruin your ice-cream too.

You twisted your lips with the realization that you had just been harassed at the beach, when all you were trying to do was get ice-cream. You looked down at your swimsuit and couldn’t help but want to cover up.

You were about to part ways with Jake and go to your beach bag when a very sweaty Bradley approached you both.

He was all smiles, but when you and Jake didn’t immediately return the same enthusiasm, he frowned.

“What’s up?” Your boyfriend asked, his eyes slightly narrowed. You sighed in frustration.

“Nothing.” You said, not wanting to ruin a perfectly good day any longer. Now Jake was the one scoffing.

“Try again.” Jake said, looking at you with his arms crossed. You shot him a death glare. Bradley was looking between you both in confusion. He had never seen you and Jake interact this much before, which probably confused him further.

“Some asshole was harassing her.” Jake said in annoyance. You watched as Bradley’s eyes grew wide with anger, and then with concern.

“Did he touch you?” Bradley’s eyes were dark, and his bare chest was turning red with anger. You shook your head immediately.

“No baby. He was just saying gross things.” You mumbled. “Jake stopped him before he could do anything.”

Jake smiled proudly and you rolled your eyes.

“I’ll point him out to you if I see him on base tomorrow.” Jake looked at Bradley with devious eyes.

“Please don’t. He’s not worth that kind of attention.” You said, licking the last bit of your ice-cream cone. “I am pissed about my ice-cream melting though.” You looked at the cone sadly and grimaced at the stickiness on your hands.

Both men seemed to ignore your request and continued on with their plan.

“Well thank- you Hangman.” Bradley said, a small smile on his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Sounds like a date.” Jake slapped Bradley on the shoulder and walked past you both.

You let out a big sigh and leaned your head against Bradley’s tall frame.

“You okay sweetheart?” He asked, wrapping his arm around your bare shoulders. You finally relaxed and let your shoulders slouch.

“I’m okay.” You said back. “Let’s just go home?”

Bradley’s warm eyes looked down at you. They were a mix of concerned and tired. He leaned down to kiss you on top of your head.

“Lets do it baby.”

*********************************************************************

Let me know what you think! All the support helps :) I am taking requests.

[callsign-squints]

Since when? ~ Mickey ‘Fanboy’ Garcia

Summary: Mickey introduces his wife to his friends after a successful mission

Pairing: Mickey ‘Fanboy’ Garcia x Fem!reader

Warnings: fluffy, nothing else other than the guys poking fun at each other, oh and Hangman. He’s a warning all on his own

Notes: there isn’t enough Fanboy content so I’m just gonna make something myself. This is also a long one, I got carried away. It’s not my best so don’t judge too harshly :’)

———————————————————————

Fanboy doesn’t understand how the topic of love lives were brought up. He’ll admit that he zoned out on a good portion of Hangman’s rant on the last girl he had been with. He may have also started mindlessly scrolling through his camera roll and landed on a picture of you in his phone that he particularly liked. It was a picture of the two of you on a recent date night. He took the picture as you were looking at the ocean and he couldn’t help but think you looked beautiful. You weren’t even doing anything in particular and you didn’t have to. He always thought you were beautiful and that would never change.

“Fanboy! Are you even listening to me?”

Startled, Fanboy looks up and sees that everyone’s attention was on him now. Payback was biting his lip to keep himself from laughing while Phoenix clasps a hand down on his shoulder.

“Yeah yeah, I was listening to you talk about your date with Marsha.”

“Maria.”

“Yeah.. wait what did I say?”

The group around him laughs as Hangman throws his hands up, in frustration. Fanboy shrugs it off and goes back to looking at a couple pictures of you he has in a specific folder in his phone.

“What are ya lookin’ at there Fanboy?” Payback says from over his shoulder. Fanboy attempts to lock his phone to prevent Payback from seeing all the photos he has of you but it was to no avail.

“Ohhhhh do you have yourself a little girlfriend??”

“What? No!”

“Ohh come onnnnn! How’re you gonna lie to me like that? I thought we were best friends!”

Fanboy knows that Payback is joking with him but he also knew that he was right. They were best friends and they did tell each other everything. Well, almost everything. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of you. Hell no, not in the slightest. He was just a private person. He’d rather keep his home and work life separate. He knew at some point, he was going to end up telling Payback about you and now seemed better than nothing. Especially since he had already gotten a peek at you from his phone.

Sighing, Fanboy looks up at Payback from his seat, around the pool table, “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“So she’s your side hoe? Damn Fanboy, I didn’t peg you as that kinda guy.”

“What!? No! Are you kidding me?! She’s not my side hoe! She’s my wife!”

Mickey didn’t realize how loud he had said that. Once again, everyone around him had their attention on him. He heaved another sigh and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. Everyone’s expressions varied from either shock to confusion.

“You’re married?! Since when?! You’ve never said anything about dating, let alone being married to someone!” His eyes connected with Hangman as he gave Fanboy an incredulous look.

“It’s not like any of you asked me, specifically. Besides, I try to keep my personal and work life separate. I didn’t even tell Payback if that makes it any better.”

At that he received a smack to the shoulder from Phoenix. He was shocked, as he grabbed at the place she had hit and gave her a questioning look.

“You’re telling me that you’ve been hiding a girl from Halo and I, that we could’ve been talking to this entire time?!” Phoenix glared at him while he rubbed the spot she hit.

“I wasn’t hiding her from you! I was just-“

“When can we meet her?”

Fanboy whips around to stare at Payback, who had a calm look on his face.

“You want to meet her?”

“I think we all kind of want to meet her.” Came from Bob, who was sitting on the other side of Phoenix. The others around them all nodded in agreement as Fanboy debated, silently.

“Yeah man, I wanna see the little lady who has captured the heart of my best friend.” Says Payback who places a hand down on Fanboys shoulder. He knew that his wife would be off of work by now. You had texted him that you were at the store and you would be cooking dinner by the time he left the Hard Deck.

“Let me call her really quick. She’s making dinner soon so..” Mickey walks outside and dials your number. It rings twice before you finally pick up.

“Hey Mick.”

“Hey baby, are you still at the store?” He can’t help the stupid smile that grows on his face, at the sound of your voice.

“Yeah I’m still getting some things. What’s up? Did you need me to pick something up for you?”

“Oh no no, I don’t need anything. That’s not why I called.” He started biting his thumb nail, a nervous habit that Mickey has tried to break but it never usually works. “They found out. About you, about us. Payback was looking over my shoulder and he saw me looking at a picture of us from our last date and then he started asking questions and everyone was looking at me-“

“Hey hey, Mickey, it’s okay! I don’t mind that they know about us. Hell, I figured that it was going to come out sometime, and if anyone was going to figure it out, albeit accidentally, it was going to be be Payback.”

Mickey let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Why did he think she would be mad at him? She was supportive in his decision to keep their relationship quiet. She was always understanding; that’s why he loved her so much.

“Oh and another thing, they want to meet you. Like, today, I think.”

The other line on the phone was quiet for a second. He knew he dropped a bomb on her so he wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

“Well damn, that was quick. If you’re okay with it, then so am I. Are they going to join us for dinner?”

“Yeah I think so.”

“Hmm okay, well, I’m glad I’m still here then. I’m going to finish getting the things we need for dinner and then I’ll be home. Text me when you leave the bar.”

“Okay baby, I will. Be careful at the store okay? Call me if you need anything.”

“I will. Also, quick question, did you tell them about-“

Sensing where she was going with it, Mickey, interrupted, “No no no, I didn’t get to that part.”

“Oh well, this’ll be fun to see. I’m gonna get back to shopping honey, I love you.”

“I love you too baby. Be safe.”

Mickey went back inside, after pocketing his phone. He was met with Hangman making eye contact with him.

“Well?”

“She was cool with y’all meeting her and having dinner with us. She’s at the store right now so it’s probably best that we give her time to finish up there before we head on over there.”

Payback and Rooster both stand up and put a hand on each of Fanboys shoulders.

“Sounds like a plan to me. We got time for another round of pool.” Rooster grins playfully at Payback and Fanboy, while Bob sets up another game.

——————————————

With Payback driving, Fanboy in the passenger seat, along with Hangman and Coyote in the back, they were close to arriving at Fanboy’s house that was close to base.

“So let me get this straight. She’s a nurse, you met her at a bar, dated for 3 years, then you got married and have been married for 2 and a half years? And we’re barely finding out about this now?” Hangman looks at him from the backseat of the car for answers.

“Yes, Hangman, I already told you that at the Hard Deck.”

“Sorry man, it just surprises me that you managed to keep that from us for a while. If anything, I thought Bob was going to be the one with a secret wife.”

That got a laugh out of everyone in the car and Fanboy rubbed his hand on his pant leg as they pull up to his house. He nerves we’re eating at him. This was going to be interesting.

———————————————

Upon opening the door, Mickey headed straight for the kitchen, knowing where you were, after putting his bag down by the door. He paused in the door way after looking at your attire: a pair of leggings, white socks, and one of his flannels swallowing your figure. The stupid grin came back on his face and he felt at peace. You turned around the moment you felt someone else in the kitchen.

“Hey honey.”

“Hey baby. Whatcha makin’? It smells good.”

Mickey came over to the stove and placed a kiss on your lips before wrapping his arms around your shoulders from behind.

“I decided on making nachos, I hope that’s okay?”

“Yeah baby, that’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

You were leaning into him and the little moment of peace was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. You and Mickey turned around and saw his friends all staring at the display of affection. One of them stepped up to introduce themselves.

“I don’t think we’ve formally met yet. I’m-“

“Payback, I know. Mickey talks about you all the time. I’m Y/n, Mickey’s wife.”

“He talks about- You talk about me?” Payback looks behind her to look at Fanboy.

“Well yeah, I tell her everything.”

“And you don’t tell me jack shit when it comes to your love life. I see where your loyalties lie.”

Mickey rolls his eyes as you laugh. Payback and you shook hands before everyone else introduced themselves.

“Bob.”

“Hangman.”

“Phoenix.”

“Rooster.”

“Coyote.”

You smiled as they all gave you a small greeting.

“It’s nice to finally have faces to put to the names I hear constantly, and I hope you all are okay with nachos. I didn’t think we would be having people over so this was the first thing that popped inside of my head.”

Everyone gave you a reassuring smile or nod and you felt more at ease. You wanted to make a good impression, especially since they all meant a lot to Mickey.

“You’re good pretty lady. It smells good already.”

“Hangman, don’t flirt with my wife.”

Hangman smirks and winks at you when he thinks Fanboy isn’t looking. Coyote gives him a swift hit in the back of the head and you roll your eyes as you continue cooking.

“The house is really beautiful. I love the view of the ocean from here.” Rooster says while looking at some of the pictures hanging up on the wall, with Bob and Phoenix. Phoenix gushes at the pictures from y’all’s wedding with Bob. Rooster smiles at the moments captured in time of you and your husband.

“Thank you. The view is one of my favorite things about living here.”, you say from your position in the kitchen, cutting up tomatoes for salsa. Mickey gazes over at you in adoration. “Oh by the way, I didn’t end up getting any beer because I didn’t know what everyone drinks.”, you add on when you make eye contact with him.

“I’ll go get some. What about you little lady, what’s your drink of choice? Beer? Vodka? Tequila?”, Hangman says while asking Payback for his keys and tapping Coyote to come with him.

“Oh I don’t drink.”, Y/n says with a small laugh.

“Now, you’re pulling my leg. Fanboy here said he met you at a bar. You’re telling me you didn’t drink then?”, Hangman says with a smirk on his face.

Y/n looks over at Mickey, then back to Hangman, “Let me rephrase that: I can’t drink.”

Jake looks more confused than ever, along with the rest of them, “I’m not following.”

Upon seeing the others confused faces, Y/n looks over to her husband. Mickey walks over and unbuttons the middle buttons of his wife’s (his) flannel shirt for her since her hands were busy chopping up tomatoes.

She sports a little 5 month baby bump that protrudes from under a white tank top she has on. Mickey rubs his hand up and down your bump, feeling the baby kicking at his palm. Everyone’s faces went from confusion to complete and utter shock. Fanboy definitely didn’t tell them this.

Mickey gives an uneasy smile and rubs his neck, “Surprise?”

“Man, what the hell?! First you don’t tell me that you’re married, now you didn’t tell me that you’re going to be a dad?! I thought we were friends! I better be your kids godfather, you son of a bitch!”

You laugh at Paybacks reaction and wipe your hands on a dish towel.

“I didn’t even notice a baby bump! I knew you were glowing, I just didn’t know it was because of that!”, Phoenix smiled at you as she came over and gave you a surprised (but welcomed) hug.

Mickey received a couple pats on the back from his friends as he looked over at you talking with Phoenix. A happy smile on your face as you cradled your belly, making his heart pound rapidly in his chest at your happiness. She was placing her hands on your belly as she felt the baby press against her hand. Laughter irrupting from the both of you.

“Okay yeah, you’re definitely not drinking tonight little lady. Nope, not on my watch.”, Hangman shakes his head as he rubs Y/n’s shoulder. The rest of the guys, and Phoenix, agreeing along with him. Bob even offering to go to the store to buy lemonade or fruit punch as an alternative.

Mickey laughs at his friends antics and pulls you over to him. He wraps his arms around you from behind and cradles your belly in his hands. Y/n leans back into his chest and let’s out a sigh of relief. This turned out way better than either of them expected. At least now they know that their little boy will have many uncles and an aunt, to look up to and protect him.

———————————————————————

Hopefully y’all enjoyed that! The idea popped into my head and I ran with it :) Feedback is much appreciated and I appreciate you for taking the time to read it!

[cornishkat]

Midnight Kiss

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x F!Reader

Warnings: None just pure fluff

Summary:  A fancy dress New Years Eve party and a red dress might just get you a midnight kiss with Hangman.

Notes:  Juts a quick fluffy little New Year one shot.

The Hard Deck looked great, shining and sparkling with decorations for New Years Eve.  You were looking forward to seeing in 2023 with the other Daggers and also seeing the back of 2022, it had be a hard year, but the past few months back at Top Gun with the Dagger Squad had made it better.  You were looking forward to all of you being able to cut loose after the last mission and just enjoy yourselves knowing that you had at least the next few days off.

Payback and Fanboy had called fancy dress and you didn’t even mind that, it had been fun going to find your costumes with Phoenix.  You were also looking forward to seeing what everyone else was going to turn up wearing, though you couldn’t even begin to imagine what Mav would turn up as.

Phoenix had gone with a Great Gatsby flapper dress, and she looked stunning, you had thought about doing the same but then you had seen a copy of Marilyn Monroe’s red dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  The red sequins glittered and shimmered and you had stared at it so long that Phoenix had made you go and try it on.

“Oh, my good you look amazing, you have to wear it”

Turning around in the mirror you looked at yourself from all angles, it was so beautiful, but it was also slit all the way up to the to the middle of your thighs and neckline plunged down to almost your waist.

“I really don’t think I can pull this off”

“Believe me you can more than pull it off and I can’t wait to see Hangman’s face when he sees you in this dress”

“I have told you before, Hangman is not interested in me.  He flirts with everyone, I’m nothing special”

“He may flirt with everyone, but he doesn’t look at anyone else the way he looks at you”

“Quit it Phoenix, I am sure he will find himself a stunning woman to kiss at midnight”

“I am willing to bet money on the fact it will be you he is kissing at midnight”

“You can make that bet, and I will be more than happy to take your money”

“$100 says I’m right”

“I’ll feel bad about taking your money, but you’re on”

Now as you stood in the bar you were starting to regret your choice of attire, you felt like a million dollars, but you also felt nervous as the rest of the crew had never seen you in anything other than a flying suit or sports kit.  And no matter how much you had protested to Phoenix earlier you were wondering how Hangman would react.  You couldn’t deny your attraction to him, but you were also well aware he could have his pick of women and there was no way you could measure up.

Before you could consider further if you had chance to go home and change into something less conspicuous before anyone else arrived you heard a low whistle from behind you.

“Phoenix, Merlin looking hot”

Turning you saw Rooster walking across the bar in a full Elvis jumpsuit with Payback and Fanboy behind him rocking very cool pirate costumes.

“So, I take it the fancy dress call was just so you two could live out your pirate fantasy?”

“Hell yes, but Merlin it was also worth it so see you in that dress, you are looking damn fine, who knew you could scrub up so well”

“I’ll take that as a compliment I think”

“Ok make away the drinks are on the King”

“Why do I think that costume is going to be an excuse for you to start singing later Rooster”

“It’s Now or Never”

Groaning you all moved to let Rooster to the bar, that was not going to be the last Elvis song used in a cheesy line tonight by him.

“Anyone seen Coyote or Hangman?”

“Properly still doing their hair and waiting to make big entrance”

“Well, it isn’t easy to look this good all of the time”

Peeking out from behind Rooster you saw Hangman and Coyote sauntering over to the bar.  They had both gone full cowboy, plaid shirts, jeans, finished off with waistcoats, cowboy boots and hats and gun holsters slung on their hips.  

“Looking good Hangman”

“Feeling good Rooster, you getting the drinks in?”

“On it”

As Rooster stepped to the bar, he cleared the path between you and Hangman.

“Holy Shit Merlin, that is one hell of a dress”

“Well allegedly gentlemen prefer blondes”

“Yes, we do”

“Hangman are you classing yourself as a gentleman?”

“Sweetheart for you always”

Despite your initial nerves as the drinks flowed and the music played you were really enjoying yourself. Everyone hit the dancefloor and Rooster had jumped onto the piano and given his best Elvis rendition.    As you leant again the piano you looked out at the rest of the squad enjoying themselves and your heart swelled.  Smiling as you saw Penny and Mav at the bar dressed as a Pink Lady and a T-Bird.

Hangman couldn’t take his eyes off you, that dress was positively sinful, and you had gotten every detail perfect from the red satin shoes to the way your blond curls formed a shining halo around your face.  He needed to be kissing you at midnight, come hell or high water his lips needed to be on yours.  His stomach flipped as he watched you leaning up against the piano, you were radiant.  He knew his feelings for you had been developing over the last few months but his usual confidence with women seemed to desert him when it came to you.  And he didn’t want to just turn on the charm and get you into bed for one night, he, Jake Seresin actually wanted the whole world with you, all of it.  Tonight, was going to be the night, fortune favours the brave and with you looking like that he couldn’t afford to wait around for some other guy to sweep you off your feet.

As Rooster finished singing and the music was put back on you felt someone come over and stand by your side.

“So, Marylin, do you have a dance for a cowboy”

Looking across Hangman was stood next to you in a mock bow holding his hand out to you.

Smiling you placed your hand in his and let him lead you to the dancefloor, as he swung you into his arms you caught sight of Phoenix dancing behind him, smiling she winked at you, and you rolled your eyes back at her.  As the song ended and a slow song began neither of you moved, he pulled you closer and swayed you gently against him.  As you felt his body against yours and rested your cheek on his you felt like you had come home, and you never wanted the dance to end.  But eventually the song ended, and he released you.

Hangman glanced at his watch, there was five minutes until midnight, and he needed to make sure he was with you.  When he had danced with your earlier and held you in her arms he knew his fate was sealed.  Scanning the bar he searched for you, he could see Phoenix and Bob over by the bar, but he couldn’t find you.  He could feel his heart sink as he scanned back around the room,

“You ok man?”

“Coyote, have you seen Merlin?”

“Ahh, getting ready to make your move at midnight?”

“Not if I can’t find her”

“Last I saw her she was over at the bar with Mav”

Hangman swung around again and there you were, laughing with Mav.  As he started to move his way across to the bar, he heard the countdown begin.  He strode across the bar; his only thought was to get to you before the clock struck midnight.  

As you took the glass of champagne offered by Phoenix you couldn’t help but look around for Hangman, the thought of your dance echoing through your mind and as the countdown began you realised, he was the only one you wanted to be kissing as the new year began.  You saw him making a beeline for you across the bar as the countdown continued and you could feel the smile spreading on your face as he grew closer.  Your eyes met with his and the look of determination on his face made you smile even more.  He didn’t seem to even notice the women trying to get his attention as he moved through crowd and you realised, he only had eyes for you, and it made your heart soar.  He came to a stop in front of you as the countdown finished, five, four, three, two , one…

Cupping your face with his hands he pressed his lips to yours, gently at first but has he felt you respond he deepen the kiss.  There might as well not have been anyone else in the room in that moment, just you and him.  As you eventually broke apart to catch your breath,

“Happy New Year Merlin”

“Happy New Year Hangman”

The rest of the squad surrounded both of you,

“About time”

“Thank god, I thought they were never going to get there”

“Merlin, you can keep the $100, it was only an incentive to give you a little nudge”

Hangman looked at you with a quizzical look,

“$100?”

“She bet me $100 that we would kiss at midnight, as she seemed to think you wanted to kiss me” “Well she had that right, sweetheart I have been wanting to do that for months”

“I never thought you saw me in that way”

“Are you kidding me I was in love with you even before you wore that dress”

“Well cowboy best you take me home tonight or lose me forever”

“Yes Ma’am”