#he was supposed to be watching over mav

[unlawfulchaos]

[After Mav's gotten injured while doing something stupid, and Ice has to be called back from the conference tour he was on]

Mav: I can't believe Ice is coming home after all this time.

Mav: You know what I'm getting tonight.

Slider: You don't seriously thi-

Mav: Yelled at, Slider. I'm getting yelled at.

[lulunothulu]

“Picture Proof”

Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader

Summary: when you see there’s been an accident on one of Jake’s missions, you beg him to send you proof he’s alive.

Contents: talks of death, but mainly just worry/anxiety and fluff

‘Reports have said that there has been significant damage to the pilot and their jet. No names have been given but we will keep this situation updated. This has been…’ ‘Multiple sources have told us that the pilot is at the hospital in critical conditions—’

You stare at the TV screen, eyes going foggy with tears.

There was an accident. A pilot got caught in a bird strike, their jet went down. Jake was supposed to be flying this morning. What if it was him?

Jake is fine. He has to be.

You couldn’t stop the tears from coming. Everything in your heart told you Jake was fine but until you heard from him, you wouldn’t know for sure.

Pulling your phone out, you text: Jake, please text or call me when and if you see this.

Two hours pass and still no word from Jake. You’re shaking at this point, trying to keep yourself from driving to base and walking to his normal hangar. Worry fills the pit of your stomach when you haven’t heard from him another two hours later.

You started praying by the end of those four hours. You weren’t one to pray, but you were now.

“God,” you cry. “Please don’t let it be him. Let him come back to me. Please.”

———

You were pacing now, Jake hadn’t texted or called you back in six hours and your mind was already trying to accept the fact that he might’ve been the pilot that went down.

Heart pounding, hands sweating, and mind racing, you text him again.

Jake, please PLEASE text or call me back when and if you see this. I love you.

Your vision blurs when you see the iPhone blue bubble turn green. Nononono. Please don’t have taken him.

A son chokes through your clenched jaw as you drop to the floor, hands on your temples to hold in some of the sobs. You feel a guttural scream erupting from your chest but you stay silent.

“The navy would’ve sent someone to the house if it was Jake,” you tried to reason. “Jake is fine.”

You smile to yourself, begging yourself to believe it.

“Jake is fine, he’s just busy doing pilot shit.”

You take a deep breath before squeezing your eyes but and nodding softly.

“Jake is—”

The text chime scares you out of finishing that sentence and on your phone screen you see a text from Jake.

Without skipping a beat, you unlock your phone and read his text.

Hi baby, I’m just now seeing this. We were in the air longer because of a flight gone wrong. I love you too.

Relief washes over you and you’re sobbing again. You clutch your phone close to your chest, sobbing even harder when you reread his text to you.

You: Send me proof you’re okay.

It takes a second, but Jake sends you a selfie. He’s in his flight suit and gear, hair unruly and eyes relaxed, mouth slightly apart. Behind him, the huge American flag inside the hangar.

You smile down at his picture and half sob and laugh when he adds:

Still looking hot as ever, aren’t I? ;)

When you don’t respond right away, his caller ID fills your screen. You answer and hiccup, “Hello?”

“Darlin’,” he drawls. “I’m so glad to hear your voice.”

“You’re glad?” You laugh, wiping your tears away. “I was terrified it was you that got caught in that bird strike. When you didn’t call or text me…”

“Oh baby I’m so sorry,” he says softly. “I couldn’t text you right away because Mav wanted everyone accounted for and then Cyclone wanted to have an emergency formation…it was a mess. I only now just got released.”

“Okay,” you say, choking back a sob.

“Darlin’?” Jake says in the other side of the phone. “Y/N, talk to me.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” you croak. “I’m so fucking glad you’re alright.”

“I am too,” he tells you. “I’ll be home in a few minutes, okay? We can cuddle and watch some of your girly movies tonight.”

You sniffle and nod. “Okay baby.”

“Okay,” he says, you can practically hear him smile. “I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“Now, as a man who may have gotten hurt today, you better take that back.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “Never.”

Short and sweet but still effective 🥹

[bloatedandalone04]

Chasing Cars

➪the one where bradley risks his life to prove a point to mav, and you call him out on it as soon as he gets back to base, then later at home.

Warnings: angst, fluff, smut, swearing, arguing, mentions of death, mentions of crashing, both you and bradley are aviators, mentions of bradley being willing to crash just to get back at mav, family issues ig

Word Count: 3.4k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡ | New theme bc I hate looking for pictures that fit

“What the hell was that?” You asked as soon as Bradley walked back to base from the tarmac.

“Nothing,” he muttered as he walked past you, probably wanting to go to the locker room and forget about what he just did. What he just risked.  

But you weren’t having it. “Hey,” you quickly caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “Talk to me.”

Bradley stopped walking abruptly and turned to you. “What?” 

Your brows furrowed and you took a protective step back, not used to hearing him sound so cold and hostile towards you. You knew he would never do anything to hurt you, so the step back wasn’t because of that - it was more so to give him the space he clearly needs right now.

“Huh?” He grunted as he stepped into your personal space again at your lack of response. “What?”

You huff and cross your arms over your flight suit that matched his, not backing down this time like you normally would to keep the peace. He did something reckless, and there was no way you were going to let him think that what he did with Mav in the air was okay. “You could’ve died,” you say, eerily calm as you stared up at him. 

Bradley glared at you, clearly not liking the confrontation he’s found himself stuck in. “Spare me the lecture, baby, alright? I’ve been doing this for years, I know what I’m doing when I’m in the air,” he placed his hands on his hips, his tone still as stubborn as ever. “I know how to handle myself and pull myself back.”

“I know you do, Bradley,” you trailed off, feeling your words beginning to get caught in your throat. Less than ten minutes ago you were holding onto Bob’s shoulder tightly as you heard and watched Bradley and Pete nearly plummet to the ground, and the adrenaline was quickly wearing off and being replaced with fear and anguish. “But flying angry is not the smartest thing you can do.”

You watched as a flicker of realization flashed in his eyes, your use of his real name rather than a cute pet name you usually call him by letting him know that you were completely serious right now. “Not the smartest thing I could do? Is that your nice way of calling me stupid?”

“I’m not calling you stupid,” you correct him, looking at him with a sense of pleading in your eyes. “What you did was stupid.”

Bradley crossed his arms, “Is that supposed to make me less pissed off?”

“I’m not trying to piss you off,” you say tiredly, dropping your arms back to your sides. “I’m worried about you.”

A small scoff leaves his lips as he looks around the tarmac that was clearing out as the minutes went by. “Worried? It’s my job to fly jets,” he muttered. “Things like this can happen every time I go up there.”

You shake your head. “But it’s not your job to pull stunts like the one you did today,”

The sun was setting, casting a golden hue over his stupidly pretty features, and if you weren’t so riled up right now, you would’ve definitely made a comment on it. “It wasn’t a stunt,” he mumbled. “You need to lighten up, I’m fine.”

Your eyes well up with tears and you quickly look down at the concrete of the tarmac. “You nearly crashed,” 

Bradley huffed, looking around as if any of the few aviators left could save him from this situation. “But I landed safely,” 

“But you almost didn’t!” You finally break, looking up at him through blurred vision. You could see his hard gaze soften and his brows drop a bit as he kept his eyes locked on yours. “You almost died.”

He sighed, guilt written all over his face as he moved closer to you. “I know,” he finally admitted, reaching out to place his hand on your hip. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

You press your lips together as you give him a look that told him all he needed to know without you actually saying it. 

Bradley wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you against his chest, his rough flight suit against your own making it not the most comfortable embrace you’ve shared with him. “I’m okay,” he whispered, kissing the top of your head. Your usually neat bun is messy from the way you tugged on it earlier from the panic you felt, and you were sure Bob’s shoulder will have a bruise on it. “I promise.”

“Are you?” You asked, your voice barely above a whisper as you pressed your face against his chest. 

He paused as if he was trying to find the right words to say that would give you comfort. “I am,” he confirmed, stroking the side of your neck with his thumb. “I just get so pissed off around Mav sometimes. That’s not an excuse, though.”

You shake your head and pull away to look up at him, finding comfort in the way he softly wiped your tears away with his thumb. “Let me ask you something,”

“Okay,” he sounded a bit unsure as he pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Anything.” 

You brace your hands on his shoulders as you ask, “If I pulled something like you did today...If I almost died because I wanted to prove something, how would that make you feel?”

Bradley’s eyes darkened a bit and his brows furrowed further as he took in your words. “I’d be really fucking mad at you,” he answered and your frown softened as you watched the way he processed your question further. “I’d be pissed that you risked your life for no reason.”

You give him a half shrug and a forced smile. “That’s exactly how you made me feel today,” 

Bradley sighed and his shoulders visibly dropped as guilt spread across his face. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, stroking your jaw with his thumbs. “I know I need to be more careful, and you’re right. It was stupid to let my ego take over. I’m sorry.”

Your lip trembled a bit and you looked down at his boots, the tears finally spilling over. “You can’t do things like that to me,” your voice broke as you tighten your grasp on his suit. 

He gently lifts your head and looks you right in the eyes, and you could see the adoration and guilt swimming in his. “I know, I’m sorry,” he said again, much quieter this time. “I promise it will never happen again.” Bradley leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to your lips, and you could feel the way your tears continued to fall on both yours and his face now. 

You kiss him back and practically melt into him, the anger and frustration slipping away as the need to have him close takes over. 

Bradley holds you tight, his hands grabbing hold of your waist as he pressed you impossibly close to him. “I love you so much,” he whispered when he pulled away and rested his forehead against yours. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve never done what I did. It was selfish and reckless, and I promise I’ll do better.” 

You nod and wrap your arms around his shoulders. “You need to…because you scared me today,”

He nods. “I know, and I will, I promise, baby,” he murmured, kissing the top of your head. “I love you.”

Pulling away slightly, your tears had stopped but your face was still damp. “I love you,” 

Bradley gave you a smile before stepping away and gesturing to his bag. “I’m going to go put this away, then I’m taking you home,” 

“Okay,” You nodded, crossing your arms over your chest as you wiped at your eyes. “I’ll be in the parking lot.”

He nodded and took his keys out of his bag, handing them to you. “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he promised and you smiled before turning away from him and making your way to the parking lot. 

-

Words couldn’t describe how angry Bradley was at himself. 

Now that the high of being in the air and going head to head with Mav had worn off, he could clearly see why you were so upset and mad at him. He hadn’t thought about anyone or anything as he forced himself to drop closer and closer to the ground until Maverick was left with no choice but to pull up first. 

Thinking about it now, Bradley was too into his own head at the time, he was sure that there was no way he was going to be the one to do that, and that would’ve ended in his death. He would’ve left his best friend behind, his mutilated body, Mav, you. 

When you asked him how he would feel if you had gone and done something like that, he could physically feel his heart shift in his chest at the thought of losing you in that way. He’d be more than mad at you, he’d be on the verge of never letting you out of his sight again. You are both aviators, you both knew the risks of flying and missions. Why had he put himself in that situation during training? When it really didn’t even matter?

He couldn’t imagine his life without you, and the thought of burning in and leaving you behind was one he hated to think about. The thought of you leaving his life in that way? He was almost prepared to beg you to quit right then and there. 

But you loved your job, like he loved his, and the risks that came with it were high enough as it is. He didn’t need to add to that list. 

He shoved his flight bag and helmet into his locker before leaving the base without saying another word to anyone else. He knew Nat would have her go at him tomorrow when he returned for another day of training, and he would let her. Because he knew he fucked up. He knew he was selfish. 

Bradley walked through the doors and quickened his pace when he saw you leaning against the passenger side door of the Bronco. “Hey,” he greeted, despite seeing you less than five minutes ago. “Why aren’t you in yet?”

You shrugged with your arms crossed, and he knew you were still upset, even if you were trying your best to hide it. “I just needed to be on solid ground for a little longer,”

In the midst of all that happened, he forgot that you were also an option to be picked to fly the upcoming mission. You also had gone up against Mav today, and you took your loss maturely, unlike how Bradley did. You were taking it seriously, because you needed to, and so did he. 

Bradley felt more guilt creep into his body as he reached out and ran his knuckles along your jaw. “I’m sorry,” he said for the sixth time, and he was sure he would keep saying it for as long as he needed to. 

Because you are the one. You’re the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with, in the exact way he had been spending the last three years. 

You give him a small but beautiful smile as you lean into his touch. “I know,” 

Bradley reached around you to open the passenger side door, and your smile grew as you climbed in. He braced his hand on the top of the door as he leaned in and pressed a firm kiss to your cheek, watching as you tried to fight off a grin when he pulled away. “I’ll make it up to you,”

You smiled at him and he closed the door before rounding the front of the Bronco and getting in on the driver’s side, taking the keys from you when you held them out to him. “You don’t have to,” you tell him quietly as he puts the key into the ignition. “I already forgave you.”

Bradley grinned over at you and took your hand in his as he began the drive that would take him back to the house he’s shared with you for the last two years. “You know, I don’t know what I did to ever deserve you. I don’t know how I got so lucky,” he rasped, lacing his fingers with you. “You’re so smart and strong and so fucking gorgeous, every other woman in the world doesn’t stand a chance.”

He glanced over and watched as a blush took over your face and you slumped back in your seat. “Quit trying to make it up to me,” you mumbled and he laughed. “I’m the lucky one. I love everything about you. You’re my entire world….which is why I can’t lose you.”

He knew what you meant; you couldn’t lose him like that - in a way that is so easily preventable. You were well aware of the fact that you could lose each other on missions and deployments, so you both tried to not increase those chances during your work days. 

Bradley gripped your hand tightly as he looked over at you, his expression one of regret at making you so upset today. “You won’t,” he said, though you both knew he couldn’t promise that. Neither of you could. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.” 

You lean against the seat and gaze at him in a way that has him driving a little faster to get home quicker. “I love you,” 

He raises your hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to your knuckles. “I love you, too,”

When he pulled into the driveway as the sky was getting darker, he kept his hand in yours as he looked over at you. He could tell that you were still shaken up but a lot calmer than before, so he traced random shapes onto the back of your hand as you sat in silence. 

“Do you wanna head inside now?” He asked after a while and you shook your head, lifting your joined hands and pressing the back of his against your cheek. 

“No, I don’t want to let go of you right now,” you answered and he felt his heart swoon in his chest. 

Bradley smiled over at you and unbuckled his seatbelt, shifting so his seat was pushed back a bit. You understood what he was doing without him even telling you as you unbuckled your own seatbelt and crawled over the center console and into his lap. 

His hands settle on your waist as you press your body against his, a content hum slipping past your lips. “Is this better?” He teased, pressing a kiss to the side of your head as he held you closer to him. Truthfully, he wasn’t any better than you; he needed to hold you like this as much as you needed to be held. 

“A little,” you hummed, nuzzling your nose against the side of his neck where his scars are. “I just need to be close to you right now.”

Bradley pressed countless kisses to your face and jaw as you settled against him. “I need it, too,” he confessed, his words muffled against your skin. 

He loved holding you like this and having you in his arms. He loved you; how could he possibly risk losing it just to get back at his dad’s best friend?

You wordlessly lift your head and cling onto the front of his flight suit, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip as you give a slow roll of your hips. 

Bradley bit back a moan as his hold on your waist tightened a bit, his eyes widening. “Baby-”

“How close do you need to be?” You asked in a sultry voice that had him growing hard almost instantly. 

He lifted his head from where it ended up against your shoulder and looked at you, seeing how your eyes shifted from longing to a more intense emotion. “As close as possible,” he managed to say in a deep voice before pressing his lips to yours. 

You kiss him back immediately, moaning against his lips as you slowly begin grinding against him. “Baby,” you echoed his affectionate pet name as you deepened the kiss. Bradley let out a breathless groan when he pulled away and buried his face against the side of your neck as you rode his lap in the driveway. “Do you like this?” You asked, knowing damn well that he does. He was still reeling from what happened today, so it didn’t take much for him to get hard for you, and it didn’t take much for him to be a whining mess because of you. 

“God, yes,” he groaned, the sound coming from the back of his throat, a deep growl. 

“Do you want me to keep doing this?” You continued with your questions, and he knew exactly where you were taking this. 

But he would always willingly give in to you. “Yes,” he nods, holding your hips tighter as you move on top of him. “Please, don’t stop…please.”

You smiled at the way you had easily made him a begging mess for you, your lips connecting with his in a surprisingly sweet kiss. “Then promise me that you will never be reckless like you were today ever again,” and there it was, the place he knew you were getting to the second you lifted your head and gave him that look. 

Bradley huffed out groans as you leaned in and kissed all up his neck, nipping at certain places as you went. “I promise, I won’t be reckless again,” he said against the skin below your ear, his hands sliding up your back as you shifted on his lap. 

“Good,” you praised and he thrusted up against you without being able to stop himself. 

He was sure his fingers were leaving bruises on the skin of your waist as he helped guide the roll of your hips. “God, you feel so good, baby,” he rasped against the smooth skin of your neck, his breathing picking up with each passing second. 

“Are you close?” You asked, a hint of teasing in your voice, but the desperation and need easily overpowered it. 

Bradley nodded quickly, actually whimpering as you ground your hips against his. “I’m so close,” he whispered, his voice low and deep and desperate for you. “You take such good care of me, baby.”

You smile and kiss him, trailing your hands through his hair and tugging on it. 

He moaned loudly, feeling his body begin to tense up at your touch.  Each roll of your hips was met with a thrust of his as he met you halfway, trying to get as close to you as he could. “Please,” he said against your lips. “Oh, fuck, please.”

You whined into his mouth, pulling away to softly demand, “Come for me, baby,”

Bradley’s head tilted back as his body stilled, his grip on you impossibly tight as he pulled your body close to his. “Fuck,” he grunted as his body shuddered slightly from the feeling of his high ripping through him. 

You tug on his hair before smoothing it out, pressing a loving kiss to his temple afterwards. “Did that feel good?” 

There was another question you knew the answer to already, but he’d never not give you it anyway. “Yeah,” he breathed out, dropping his head to look back at you. “So good.”

You firmly take his chin in your thumb and index finger. “Never scare me like how you did today, or I swear you’ll never see me again,” you said, only half serious as you brush your nose against his. 

Bradley quickly shakes his head, lifting his hands to tuck your messy strands of hair behind your ears. “I won’t, I’m sorry, I promise I won’t,” he rambled, the high he felt from you being better than anything else. “I’m sorry.” He repeats and pulls you into his arms again as he tries to regain control of his breathing. 

“Okay,” you said quietly, kissing him softly. 

“I love you,” he whispered, unable to stop the smile from forming on his lips because, at the end of the day, he had you to keep him grounded - even when he fucked up sometimes. 

You give him a final kiss before returning his smile. “I love you, too,”

[rootedinrevisions]

Cop Car: Part 2

SUMMARY: Jake has to endure the punishment laid out by Maverick for sneaking you into a restricted area on base. Of course the rest of the gang can't help but pick on Hangman for the not so special attention that he's getting from Maverick.

WARNINGS: None

WORD COUNT: 3.5K

TAG LIST: @omgbrianab I @shanimallina87 I @fanficmom94 I @smoothdogsgirl I @djs8891 

The next morning at training, the sun was already high and blazing over the runway. The pilots of the elite squadron were gathered around their planes, running pre-flight checks and prepping for the intense day ahead. Everyone seemed to be in their usual spirits—except for Hangman.

Jake stood a few feet away from his jet, his usual swagger noticeably absent. His jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun as he reviewed the day’s training schedule on his tablet. But it wasn’t the heat that had him on edge.

It was Maverick.

“Hangman!” Maverick’s voice boomed across the tarmac, the commanding tone unmistakable. “I don’t want to see one damn mistake from you out there today. You better bring your A-game or I’m grounding you until further notice. Understood?”

Jake nodded sharply, his face stiff as he saluted. “Yes, sir.”

Maverick’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest, his gaze hard as he turned away to address the rest of the team. Jake exhaled slowly, clenching his fists at his sides.

Phoenix, standing nearby, narrowed her eyes as she watched the interaction. “What the hell crawled up Mav’s ass?” she muttered, glancing at Bob, who shrugged with wide eyes.

“No idea, but he’s sure been riding Hangman hard all morning,” Bob replied, adjusting his helmet.

Payback, who was strapping on his gear, raised an eyebrow. “Maybe Hangman finally pushed him too far with all that cocky trash talk?”

Coyote chuckled, overhearing the conversation as he checked his plane’s wing. “Wouldn’t surprise me. That boy’s been pushing everyone’s buttons since day one.”

Phoenix shook her head. “No, this feels different. This is personal.”

Rooster, silent until now, suddenly looked up from his own pre-flight routine. His eyes flickered to Hangman, then to Maverick, a knowing look passing across his face. He pressed his lips together, clearly trying to hold back a smile.

“What do you know, Rooster?” Phoenix asked, her curiosity piqued by his expression. The rest of the team turned their attention to him, waiting for an explanation.

Rooster shrugged casually, though the amused glint in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed. “Just something I heard. Could be nothing… or it could be that Jake got caught last night somewhere he definitely wasn’t supposed to be.”

Payback raised an eyebrow, his interest growing. “Caught where?”

Rooster let the tension build before he dropped the bomb. “In a restricted area. With the Captain’s daughter.”

There was a moment of stunned silence before the entire team erupted.

“No way!” Phoenix exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Are you serious?” Bob asked, looking from Rooster to Hangman and back again.

Coyote whistled low under his breath, shaking his head. “Oh man, Hangman really went for it, huh?”

Payback laughed, clapping Rooster on the back. “That explains everything! No wonder Mav’s been on his ass all morning. He’s not just mad—he’s pissed.”

Phoenix smirked, glancing at Jake, who had his back turned to them, oblivious to the conversation. “Guess Hangman thought he could charm his way out of anything, even with Maverick.”

Rooster grinned. “Looks like that didn’t work out so well for him this time.”

Just as they were all shaking their heads in disbelief, Maverick’s voice cut through the group once again. “Seresin! You better get your head in the game or I’m pulling you from this exercise. Do I make myself clear?”

Jake straightened, his jaw clenched even tighter and gave another sharp salute. “Crystal clear, sir.”

Phoenix leaned closer to Rooster, whispering, “Do you think Hangman’s gonna survive this?”

Rooster chuckled under his breath. “Not if Maverick keeps this up.”

Bob, glancing over at Hangman with a small smirk, chimed in. “I don’t know… He survived all of us ganging up on him. Maybe he’s tougher than we think.”

Coyote laughed. “Or just dumber.”

They all shared a knowing look, quietly amused by Jake’s predicament. But despite the jokes and jabs, they were still a team. And though they would give Jake a hard time, they also knew that when push came to shove, Hangman would pull through like he always did.

For now, though, it was too much fun watching him sweat.

As the team geared up for the day’s flight drills, they couldn't help but exchange glances every time Maverick barked another order at Jake, each one sharper and more unforgiving than the last. The tension was palpable, but it only fueled the teasing that was sure to come after the training session ended.

Phoenix leaned over to Payback with a smirk. “Remind me to stay the hell away from Mav’s daughter if I want to keep flying.”

Payback chuckled. “Yeah, or at least don’t get caught.”

* * * * *

The warm, familiar glow of The Hard Deck beckoned like a safe haven after a brutal day on the tarmac. Hangman pushed open the door, feeling the cool rush of air and the buzz of conversation wash over him as he entered the bar. He was worn out, both physically and mentally, after a full day of Maverick barking orders at him like he was a rookie again. But he’d survived—barely—and now all he wanted was a cold beer and some peace.

Jake slid onto a stool at the bar, giving Penny a nod. She smiled as she handed him a bottle without asking, already familiar with his order.

"Rough day?" Penny asked, raising an eyebrow as she wiped down the bar.

Jake chuckled dryly, taking a long swig of his beer. “You have no idea.”

He barely had time to settle in before the door swung open again, and the rest of the squadron piled into the bar. Rooster, Phoenix, Bob, Payback, and Coyote—all of them were grinning as they made a beeline for Jake.

“Oh, hell no,” Jake muttered under his breath, already sensing what was coming. He took another gulp of his beer, bracing himself as they closed in.

Phoenix smirked as she sidled up next to him. “So, Hangman,” she began, her tone dripping with amusement. “You gonna survive round two tomorrow, or is Mav going to run you into the ground again?”

Jake rolled his eyes, lifting his beer in response. “Please. He can try, but I’m still standing, aren’t I?”

Coyote appeared on his other side, clapping him on the back. “Barely, man. You looked like you were ready to drop after that last drill.”

Bob chuckled softly from across the table, adjusting his glasses. “Can’t imagine what today’s extra ‘training’ must have felt like. That was… a lot.”

Phoenix leaned in closer, raising an eyebrow. “You know, we all thought Mav was going to tear you apart after what happened last night.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “But somehow, you’re still in one piece.”

Jake gave her a nonchalant shrug, though the tension in his shoulders hadn’t quite eased. “What can I say? I’m too good to kill.”

Before anyone could respond, the door to the bar swung open, and the atmosphere seemed to shift as Maverick strode in. His presence was impossible to miss, and the squad straightened instinctively, casting curious glances in his direction. Hangman, however, braced himself, wondering what was coming next.

Maverick didn’t waste any time. He crossed the bar in a few strides, heading straight for the group. His eyes flicked to Hangman, and for a brief moment, there was silence. Jake stood a little straighter, setting his beer down as Maverick came to a stop beside him.

With a firm pat on the shoulder, Maverick gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Nice work today, Seresin,” he said, his voice steady but carrying a weight behind it. “You held up better than I expected.”

Jake let out a small breath, trying to suppress his relief. But before he could respond, Maverick’s grip tightened ever so slightly, and he leaned in, his tone sharpening. “I hope you’re ready to do it all over again tomorrow.”

The warning was unmistakable. Maverick wasn’t done with him—not by a long shot.

Jake swallowed hard, his earlier bravado faltering. “Yes, sir. Ready for whatever you’ve got.”

Maverick’s eyes lingered on Jake for a moment longer before he straightened, the smirk returning to his face. “Good. Because tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” Without another word, he released his grip and turned to acknowledge the rest of the squad with a nod. “You all did good work today. Keep it up.”

As Maverick made his way over to the other side of the bar to talk with Penny, the squad’s attention snapped back to Jake, and the teasing immediately began.

Phoenix was the first to speak, her laughter bubbling up as she leaned on the bar. “Oh, man. You should’ve seen your face, Hangman. Looked like you were about to melt right there.”

Coyote grinned, shaking his head. “I thought you were supposed to be the cool, collected one, huh?”

Even Bob, usually the quiet one, had to chime in. “Yeah, you looked like you were in trouble for a second there.”

Jake shot them all a glare, picking his beer back up and taking a long swig. “Shut up, the lot of you. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Phoenix raised her hands, palms out in mock surrender. “Hey, we’re just saying… Mav’s got something planned for you, and it sounds like it’s gonna be rough.”

Coyote leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Better get a good night’s sleep, man. Tomorrow’s not going to be any easier.”

Jake huffed, a mix of frustration and amusement tugging at his features. “You’re all just jealous Mav’s paying me extra attention.”

Phoenix snorted. “If by ‘extra attention’ you mean kicking your ass twice as hard, sure.”

* * * * *

Penny leaned against the bar, her keen eyes tracking Maverick as he made his way over. He’d just come from delivering what appeared to be a friendly yet loaded comment to Hangman, who was now surrounded by the rest of the team, their laughter and teasing barely masking the tension in Jake’s posture.

Penny knew that look on Maverick’s face—the tight smile, the steely gaze. It wasn’t just about training, at least not entirely. Something more was brewing beneath the surface, and she had a good idea of what it was. After all, she had overheard a few conversations around the bar that night, whispers about the Captain’s daughter and a certain pilot getting caught in a restricted area.

She picked up a couple of glasses, wiping them absentmindedly as Maverick approached, her expression casual but her mind already working. 

When he reached the bar, she didn’t say anything at first, just poured him a drink without asking, setting it down in front of him with a knowing look. He took a sip, leaning on the counter as if the weight of the day—or perhaps, the weight of his own choices—was starting to catch up with him.

“Long day?” Penny asked, her tone light but probing.

Maverick glanced at her, offering a small nod. “You could say that.”

She leaned closer, crossing her arms over the bar as she fixed him with a look that only Penny could pull off—gentle, but firm enough to make him squirm a little. “Heard some interesting stories tonight.”

Mav’s eyebrow twitched, though he kept his eyes on his drink. “Yeah? This place is full of them.”

“Mmm,” she hummed, not letting him off the hook. “This one’s about a certain Lieutenant and someone’s daughter sneaking into a restricted area last night.”

Maverick didn’t respond at first, just took another sip of his drink, but Penny saw the slight clench of his jaw. She could feel the tension radiating off him, the inner conflict between Captain Mitchell and the protective father beneath the surface.

“You don’t have to pretend, Pete,” she said softly. “I know what’s going on. And so does half the bar.”

That finally got a reaction. He looked up at her, meeting her gaze, his expression somewhere between exasperation and reluctance. “It’s complicated.”

“I’m sure it is,” she agreed, her voice calm and soothing. “But don’t you think you’re being a little hard on him?”

Maverick’s brow furrowed, and he shook his head slightly. “He broke the rules, Penny. He crossed a line.”

Penny tilted her head, studying him carefully. “Didn’t we all, back in the day?”

Maverick shot her a look, a mixture of amusement and defensiveness playing on his face. “That was different.”

“Was it?” she asked, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “I seem to remember a certain pilot trying to win over an admiral’s daughter. And pulling all kinds of stunts to impress her.”

Maverick sighed, leaning back slightly as the memories came rushing back. Penny wasn’t wrong. He’d done more than his share of rule-bending in his younger days, and many of those stunts were in pursuit of her. He’d spent years dancing on the edge of regulations, risking everything in the name of love, adrenaline, and a good time.

Penny gave him a playful nudge with her elbow. “Come on, Pete. You weren’t exactly a saint, and you know it. Remember that time you tried to sneak into the backyard just to see me?”

Maverick couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him. “I thought we agreed never to bring that up again.”

Penny laughed, a soft sound that softened the air between them. “I think you’ve already punished Hangman enough. He’s young, and yeah, he’s cocky, but…” She glanced over at Jake, who was still getting ribbed by his teammates across the bar. “From what I’ve heard, he’s also a damn good pilot. And if he cares about your daughter half as much as you cared about me back then, maybe give him a little slack.”

Maverick’s smile faded as he followed her gaze, his eyes landing on Jake. The young lieutenant was putting on a good front, laughing along with the rest of the squad, but Mav could see the exhaustion in his posture, the way he was trying to hold it all together. Jake had a reputation for being brash, sure, but he’d proven himself time and again in the air. And lately, Maverick had noticed a subtle shift in him—a bit more maturity, a bit more responsibility.

Maybe Penny was right. Maybe he was being too hard on him.

He sighed, setting his drink down and rubbing the back of his neck. “I just… I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Penny softened, reaching out to place her hand on his. “I know, Pete. But you can’t protect her from everything. And Jake’s not a bad guy. He’s cocky, but… so were you.”

Maverick huffed out a laugh. “You’re really not going to let me off the hook here, are you?”

“Nope,” she said, smiling. “You can’t hold onto her forever. And if you trust her, maybe it’s time to trust him, too.”

He let her words sink in, the tension in his chest loosening just a bit. He still wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Jake dating his daughter, but he couldn’t deny that the kid had a good heart. And if Penny believed in giving him a second chance, maybe he should, too.

Maverick stood up straighter, finishing his drink before giving her a grateful nod. “Thanks, Penny.”

She winked at him, her smile warm. “Anytime. Just… don’t make it too easy on him, okay? Gotta keep him on his toes.”

Maverick smirked. “Oh, don’t worry. He’s got a long day ahead of him tomorrow.”

As he turned to leave, Penny called after him, her tone light but filled with affection. “Just remember, Pete… you were young once, too.”

He waved her off, chuckling as he made his way out of the bar. But as he walked out into the cool night air, her words lingered. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to give Hangman a little more leeway.

But not too much.

[callsign-mayhem]

heartbreak feels so good (part 3)

Pairing: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Female!Reader Word count: 6.2k CW: Shitty ex-boyfriends, slow burn, angst, fluff, use of Y/N

Part One Part Two

Whether by the grace of some mystical power or Elijah choosing to be sensible and avoid you, you managed to go three days without running into him on base. During these three days, you saw more of Bradley and Natasha than you ever had while working. You were an engineer and spent most of your days nestled underneath fighter jets or shoulder-deep in their engines, while your friends spent most of theirs in the sky. Because of this, it was rare that you crossed paths. 

While you’d found the past three days extremely pleasant, you knew their presence was only heavy because they were keeping an eye on you. 

On Monday, Bradley came into the hangar and told you that his jet had started making a weird noise whenever he took off. You spent most of the day attempting to pinpoint the problem, and he stayed with you while you worked, pestering you from his perch on an overturned oil drum.

Why did it take you so long to pinpoint the problem? Because there wasn’t one. After hours of taking things apart and adjusting things, you finally relented and asked him to start the engine while you were standing next to the plane. You listened intently for a few seconds and eventually held your hand up for him to cut the engine. 

Throwing your hands up in exasperation, you shouted: ‘I don’t hear anything!’

Bradley climbed out of the cockpit, looking confused. 

‘Huh, that’s odd. You must have fixed it without realising when you pulled that pipe out.’ 

‘Well, that’s lucky then.’ You played along. ‘I guess you can report back to Mav now.’

He seemed mildly disappointed. ‘I guess so.’

On Tuesday around lunchtime, Nat brought In-N-Out to the hangar. There was enough food to feed the whole squadron, so it shouldn’t have surprised you when Bradley, Jake, Bob, Javy, Mickey and Reuben waltzed in. You weren’t sure these guys even took lunch breaks, let alone took them all simultaneously. One thing you were sure of, however, was that Bradley was the only person on base who knew how much you loved In-N-Out. He’d discovered this after a particularly rowdy night out just before you’d met Elijah when you’d insisted he find a way to take you there even though you were both slaughtered and missing the rest of your group. He’d been the only one there, which led you to conclude that he’d orchestrated this group meal that had so clearly been intended to cheer you up.

I mean, come on. They weren’t even trying to hide it. It would have been flattering if not for the embarrassment. They were so concerned that you couldn’t cope with this heartbreak alone that they’d indirectly put you under a 24/7 watch. 

On Wednesday, Bradley and Nat were both waiting for you outside the hangar when you finished up for the day. They’d already changed out of their flight suits, and Nat had a beach bag over her shoulder. 

‘There she is,’ Bradley beamed, pushing his aviators onto the top of his head. ‘We’re heading to the beach for a swim. Thought you might like to join us.’ 

You had to admit, a dip in the ocean before dinner sounded nice. 

‘I didn’t bring a swimsuit, though.’

‘I have a spare.’ Natasha grinned. 

‘That’s convenient.’ You said, raising a brow.

She shrugged. ‘It’s always good to be prepared.’ 

Now, it was Thursday morning, and you were sitting outside on the tarmac, drinking coffee and watching the pilots start their drills. The sun might have been low in the sky, but from the way the air rippled above the runway, you could tell it would be a scorcher. After a delightful start to your week, you’d almost forgotten that you were supposed to have your guard up just in case. This wasn’t to say you’d forgotten about Elijah and all your negative emotions. It was more that you’d been too distracted to notice how your body and mind held said emotions, and it was only now that you saw him drilling with the rest of the pilots that you’d been reminded. 

As much as you hated to say it, he looked good when he dropped to the floor and started doing his press-ups. You had to find a way to get your mind off this undeniable fact that didn’t involve going inside before you’d finished your morning ritual. 

Nobody would have blamed you for opting to look at Bradley instead. Still, you felt guilty anyway, partly because you were only looking at him as a way of not looking at your ex and partly because it felt highly intimate, even though he had no idea what was happening. 

By the time you’d finished the last sip of your coffee, you needed a cool shower to bring you back down to planet Earth. To say you were flustered was perhaps the biggest understatement of the year.

Thankfully, time started to slip away the minute you lost yourself in your work for the day. Having something productive to do was massively beneficial. If nothing else, your heartbreak taught you that keeping your hands busy was the key to forgetting that you were in agony. 

Lunchtime came and went. The last time you’d so much as glanced at a clock, it had been 9:30 am. Now, at nearly 4 pm, you’d only put your wrench down because you needed the bathroom. 

There was only an hour left of your work day, and since you’d stopped and lost your momentum, you wondered whether anybody would miss you if you cut out early. The pilots had been in a training seminar all day, so you hadn’t seen anyone, and as much as you loved your friends for looking out for you, the peace and quiet had been soothing. Being able to zone out and focus on rebuilding part of an engine, scrubbing turbulence ducts or configuring navigation systems without half the squadron hovering over you had been damn near therapeutic. 

But you were ready for a well-deserved self-care night. 

After cleaning down, turning everything off and locking up, you made the short walk back to the main base and grabbed your belongings from your locker. Normally you changed clothes before leaving the base, but you didn’t want to risk running into anyone in the changing rooms, so you unzipped the top half of your flight suit and tied it around your waist. You always wore black tank tops underneath to avoid any noticeable oil stains. 

It seemed as though everyone else was still busy, as you didn’t run into anyone on your way through the building. In fact, you made it all the way to your car without so much as a ‘hey, Y/N.’ You were calm and content by the time you walked through your front door, more than happy to be alone with your own thoughts for the first time since the breakup. Part of you thought it was too soon to be this at ease, but you weren’t one for looking gift horses in the mouths. 

So, it was time to start your self care night. 

Step one: throw your dirty uniform in the wash. Step two: quick shower and hair wash.

Step three: run a bubble bath with your most luxurious products. Step four: pour yourself a glass of your favourite wine. Step five: relax in the aforementioned bubble bath and finally finish the novel you’d been trying to finish since last month. 

Step six: get rudely interrupted by someone buzzing your intercom thirty million times. 

Step six was supposed to be: get out of the bath, find your cosiest pyjamas and order takeout to eat while watching Gilmore Girls. 

This was not part of your plan. 

With a huff, you bookmarked your page (you were so close to being done that it almost hurt to put the book down) and grabbed a towel from the rack. The buzzing was constant, and you hoped whoever it was had either been mugged or stabbed. Or both. Because jeez. 

In your haste to get the buzzing to stop, you didn’t even ask who it was. Water dripped onto the floor where you stood, and you wrapped your towel tighter. Panic started to set in. What if it was Elijah? The thought of him seeing you like this after everything made you realise that opening the door in nothing but a towel was probably not a good idea. But just as you were about to run to your bedroom for your dressing gown, the knocking started. 

You froze. 

It wasn’t the usual three polite knocks that people usually make at somebody’s door. It was rapid and incessant, like the buzzing. Whoever stood behind that door really needed to see you. 

Heart racing, you peeked through the spy hole. Panic quickly gave way to shock, which soon gave way to a strange, warm sensation that tingled throughout your entire body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. 

The strangeness of it all eclipsed your earlier decision to put on your dressing gown, and you opened the door without hesitating. 

Bradley was panting, clearly having run up all three flights of stairs leading to your apartment. He was still in his flight suit, the top of which was tied around his waist just as yours had been. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his neck, settling in the sweet spot where his collarbone started. His black T-shirt was soaked through. 

‘Bradley?’ 

Breathing heavily, he examined your towel-clad form and wet hair. 

‘What happened?’

You were lost. ‘What do you mean? Nothing happened, I was taking a bath.’ 

Bradley ran his hands through his hair, knotting it in his fists. He let his hands rest there momentarily while he caught a breath.

‘I came to see how your day went, and everything was locked. I thought something had happened.’

Now that he knew you were okay, his shoulders sagged, and he was able to offer you an embarrassment-tinged smile. 

‘I thought something had happened,’ he explained. ‘When you weren’t on base, I thought maybe you’d run into Viper, and he’d upset you. I don’t know. Guess I just panicked.’ 

You were simultaneously warmed and humiliated by Bradley’s thinking that something had happened and that it was his responsibility to come and fix things. It was like you couldn’t take care of yourself. You appreciated it, and at first, it was nice, but it was beginning to make you feel sheepish. 

You crossed your arms, which only drew attention to your very naked form. You felt your face warm, then your neck, then your chest. Paired with being treated like a child, it was a level of embarrassment you’d never had the misfortune of experiencing before. 

‘I can take care of myself.’ You murmured, unable to meet Bradley’s eye. 

He exhaled sharply. ‘I know you can, Y/N. Doesn’t stop me from worrying, though.’ 

Tentatively, you peeked at him from beneath your eyelashes. His gaze was locked onto your face in an attempt to stop himself from looking elsewhere. Bradley Bradshaw—ever the gentleman. 

You cleared your throat. ‘I can’t express how grateful I am for everyone taking care of me. Especially you, Roo. But I’d like it if you’d stop treating me like I’m going to break. I’m not that fragile.’ 

‘Oh, I know you’re not fragile, sweet girl. I just care about you so much.’

You couldn’t help but smile. ‘I care about you too.’

‘I can’t explain it. It’s not that I think you’re a flight risk,’ he smirked at his pun. ‘I just like taking care of you. I like knowing you’re safe and happy, and I like knowing that it’s because of me.’ 

You didn’t know which way to take this. It was a hard thing to hear for a few different reasons. For one, you weren’t used to hearing things like this from the men in your life, weren’t used to them wanting to take care of you. For two, it was coming from Bradley—one of your long-time best friends—and friendly wasn’t precisely the word you’d use to describe his tone. For three, you were standing in your apartment doorway in a towel with bubbles stuck to your legs, dripping water all over the floor. 

You couldn’t help the little laugh that escaped you, but Bradley wasn’t inside your head, so it seemed like you were laughing at his confession.

You apologised. ‘My brain is on overload right now,’ you explained. ‘And I don’t think this is a conversation we should have in the doorway while I’m in a towel.’

Bradley looked you up and down; although it was brief, you couldn’t ignore the hunger hidden behind it. It would have been easy to miss had you not been so well attuned to his mannerisms. Another addition to the list of things to be confused about. 

‘Yeah, I should leave you to it. We can talk some other time, when you’re fully clothed.’ He smirked.

Your blush deepened. ‘You gonna be at The Hard Deck tomorrow night?’

‘Is the sky blue?’

You chuckled. ‘Tomorrow it is, then.’

When Bradley got back to his apartment, he had no idea what to do with himself. He was sweating, covered in jet fuel and overthinking every word he’d just said to you, so the only option was an ice-cold shower. As he stood underneath the cool spray, he tried to imagine a world where things were simple. A world where you’d never met Elijah, never had your heart broken, and your whole perspective on love shattered. In this world, he wouldn’t have to wait for you to heal because it would have been him all along, and you’d never have gotten hurt. 

But you were hurt, and it had never been him. Judging by the way you’d laughed after his semi-confession, it might never be him, and this was harder to swallow than one of Penny’s homemade shots. 

He took his time in the shower, but all the cold water in the world couldn’t wash away the memory of you standing there in your fluffy white towel. This image was more powerful than everything else, and he was ashamed. It was more powerful than his anxiety over you not feeling the same, more powerful than the fear of losing your friendship. 

It wasn’t that he cared more about the thought of seeing you naked than getting turned down, or maybe not having you in his life anymore. It was more that his nerves were frayed after a really hard day at work, and he simply didn’t have the energy to dissect hidden truths and map out possible outcomes. His exhausted brain found it easier to latch onto the more simple thoughts and imagined scenarios, like coming home to you after a hard day, and having you take care of him in all the ways. Or sharing that bath with you and wrapping you in that towel with his own two hands before leading you to the bedroom and unwrapping it again. 

Pleasure and anticipation unfurled in his abdomen at the mere thought of your naked body beneath his. He didn’t need to experience it to know that skin-on-skin with you would be like finding out that heaven did exist and that it was a place on Earth. Or rather, a person. He tipped his head back and let it rest against the shower wall, and when he reached down to take his dick in his hands, the satisfaction transcended the guilt. 

It was only your name in his mind, repeating over and over like some kind of mantra.

Y/N. Y/N. Y/N.

It was the kind of news that felt like a swift kick to the gut.

Out of the entire Dagger Squad, Jake wasn’t your closest friend. You didn’t share deep secrets or have any inside jokes, and he wasn’t the first person you went to when you needed help or a cinema date. But he was still your friend, and you would miss him. 

Eighteen months abroad on some secret mission was a long time, especially when it was just him out of his entire squadron. You weren’t a fighter pilot, but you’d been sent away before as your skillset was rare amongst navy engineers. The six-month stint you did at sea was the scariest experience you’d ever had; nothing had topped it yet, and you highly doubted anything ever would. Eighteen months was inconceivable to you. 

Jake had known that he was going away for quite some time, but he hadn’t told anyone until two days before. He said he didn’t want his last few weeks Stateside to be ruined by everyone coddling him—he just wanted it to be normal. You could hardly blame him for that, but it made his news much harder to digest. You’d only found out about the mission earlier on that day, yet here you were getting ready to go to The Hard Deck for his leaving drinks. 

Natasha sat cross-legged on your double bed with her makeup bag in her lap and your hand mirror in front of her face. You sat on the carpet in front of your full-length mirror, where you always did your makeup. An 80s song you hadn’t heard in years played through your Bluetooth speaker, and you hummed along contentedly. 

‘What dress do you think I should wear?’ You asked.

‘What are the options?’

‘Either the new yellow one—with the corset top—or the white one.’

‘The one that looks like Marilyn Monroe’s dress?’

You smiled. ‘Yeah, I guess it does.’

Natasha didn’t wear much makeup, nor did you, so you were nearly finished. ‘I think the white one. Save the yellow one for a special occasion.’

‘You don’t think Hangman leaving for eighteen months is a special occasion?’

Natasha snorted. ‘No. I don’t think Bagman leaving for eighteen months is a special occasion. That yellow dress is for a first date or a wedding reception. He’d get the wrong idea and—’ 

Nat cut her sentence in half. Suddenly, she was extremely focused on applying mascara to an eye she’d already finished. 

‘And what, Natasha.’

She ignored you.

‘Natasha Trace.’

‘What?’

‘And?’

‘Oh, I just mean it might give everybody the wrong impression. You getting so dolled up on a night that’s all about Jake. Especially now that you’re back on the market.’

‘I am not back on the market. I’m healing.’

‘Yeah, right. You just need to grow a moustache, and I can start callin’ you Rooster.’

You launched your lip gloss at her, and she ducked, howling with laughter. 

‘Hey, don’t bring Roo into this. He’s just very emotionally mature! It’s a good thing.’

‘Emotionally, maybe. But what about everything else?’

You knew it was a lighthearted jest, but you were still stuck on the other part. Did she mean that everyone would get the wrong impression, or was she worried about a certain someone? You hadn’t seen Bradley since he showed up at your door unannounced yesterday. He’d said…what, exactly? Not a great deal. Just that he liked taking care of you, liked knowing that he was the cause of your happiness. 

What was a girl to make of that? 

‘We’ve gotta be there in twenty minutes,’ Nat said, pulling you from your thoughts. ‘Best get that dress on, Marilyn.’

‘She’s not here yet, man. You’re gonna get a crick in your neck if you keep turning round to look at the doors.’ 

Bradley rolled his eyes in Jake’s general direction. He didn’t want to make eye contact because he knew he’d be met with that world-famous shit-eating grin. It was bad enough that he was pining after you, he didn’t need Hangman—of all people—giving him shit for it. After last night’s activities, he was all too aware of how pathetic he was. 

‘On a serious note,’ Jake continued. ‘What’s the deal with you two?’

‘There is no deal.’ Bradley replied. Because there wasn’t. 

‘Oh come on, you think I came off the back of yesterday’s milk truck or somethin’? You better not be about to tell me that you’re just friends.’

‘We are just friends. There’s nothing else to it.’

‘But you want there to be.’ This was a statement, not a question. 

‘It doesn’t matter what I want. She’s still getting over Viper.’

‘That clown. He’s so crooked, he could swallow a nail and spit up a damn corkscrew. I’m still pissed I didn’t get to run into him before my deployment. I’d have given him two matching shiners.’

Bradley had to smirk at this. ‘I think that’d add to what he’s already got going on.’

‘He’s got nothing going on. He’s the ugliest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen, and I’m sittin’ in front of you.’

‘You really can’t give it a rest, even if it’s your last night, huh?’

Jake winked. ‘You should know me by now, Rooster.’ 

Bradley sipped his beer. It was nearly empty, but he didn’t feel like pushing his way through the masses to get to the bar. Mainly because he was waiting for you to arrive so he could buy you a drink, too. 

‘All I’m saying,’ Jake said. ‘Is that when I get home and open my front door, I want there to be a wedding invitation waiting for me.’ 

Bradley’s heart constricted. It wasn’t that he’d never thought of your name, his and marriage in the same sentence, it was just that he’d never said or heard it said out loud before. It was like Jake had just come up behind him and ripped his stool out from underneath his ass. 

He was lost in thought, imagining you in a white gown walking down the aisle, when Jake suddenly wolf-whistled. Bradley’s head snapped up, and he followed Jake’s line of sight to the front doors. You were arm in arm with Natasha, and although Bradley wasn’t sure he believed in God, something out there must have been listening to his thoughts. 

It wasn’t a wedding gown, but it was the prettiest little white dress he’d ever seen. Your hair was done all curly, and a pretty white bow was clipped in the back to keep the top half out of your eyes. Bradley’s eyes must have been bulging out of his head because Jake elbowed him sharply in the ribs. 

‘Anybody ever tell you it’s rude to stare at a lady?’

He flushed from embarrassment and something else. The same something had taken over his body in the shower the previous night. 

When you and Nat got to the table, he did his best to organise his facial features into something that resembled composure.

‘Ladies,’ Jake bowed dramatically. ‘You both look gorgeous.’

Natasha squinted at him as though she was waiting for the catch. The catch never came, so at least Hangman was being nice to someone on his last night. 

You hugged Jake, but as quick as the flames of jealousy licked at his insides, they were put out. You looped your arms around his neck (obviously standing on tiptoes) and pressed yourself against him. He brought his arms up and wrapped them around your lower back, pushing you even closer. It was all warmth and skin and the strawberries in your shampoo, and he wanted more.

More. More. More.

Jake cleared his throat, and just like that, it was over. He missed the contact already, but not for long. The next thing he knew, you took his hand and led him towards the bar, Jake and Natasha following closely behind.

What had he done to get so lucky tonight?

The vibes at The Hard Deck were always lively. If pure, unadulterated joy had a physical form, it would be this bar on a Friday night with all your closest friends. Despite the sad and somewhat scary occasion, you were there to mark, it was still one of the best nights you’d ever had. There’d been good food, homemade cocktails, round after round of Penny’s special shots (that she wouldn’t reveal the contents of) and your favourite songs on the Jukebox. It was hard to tell if they were your favourite songs because they stood out to you or because you were listening to them here, surrounded by these specific people on this night.

You and Mickey were belting the lyrics of Africa by Toto when Bradley reached around and yanked the jukebox cord out of the wall rather unceremoniously. 

‘Hey!’ You yelled.

‘Sorry, sweetheart,’ he grinned. ‘I’m gonna play some real music.’

You were about to argue that Toto was real music when the meaning of his statement dawned on you. 

He was getting behind the piano. 

Since you’d disappeared from the face of the Earth for a while, you hadn’t experienced one of Bradley’s performances for a long time. Few things were more enjoyable than seeing him perform. Your whole body tingled with anticipation, as it did when you were about to drop on a giant rollercoaster or the first time you’d gone up in a jet. 

He was watching you expectantly, and you realised he’d just asked you something.

‘What did you say?’

‘I said, do you wanna sit with me at the piano?’

Your heart soared. Nobody ever sat with him at the piano.

‘Really?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Yes!’

He was chuckling as you followed him to the piano, and you wouldn’t have been able to wipe the smile off your face if you tried.

Mostly everyone drinking at The Hard Deck that night knew what was coming and had swarmed around the piano to await his presence. You were both pretty drunk and when Bradley sat on the bench and pulled you into his lap, you didn’t think anything of it. Had the two of you been sober, he probably wouldn’t have done it, and if he did, you wouldn’t have let him. Because friends don’t do that, and it would have been weird. 

Luckily, nobody in the bar was anything close to sober. 

‘I’m trying something new tonight.’ He announced. Then quietly—so only you could hear him—he said: ‘It’s for you, doll.’ 

You had the perfect view of his hands and watched, mesmerised, as his fingers danced along the black and ivory keys. He played with the effortless grace of somebody who had music in their veins and could do it with their eyes closed. You’d heard enough about Goose to know that this particular gift came from him. 

When he started singing—

Well. That was a whole other story. 

There's a little moonlight dancing on the sand There's a warm breeze blowing by the ocean as you're taking my hand. You need to know where I'm standing now. That I'm right on the edge of giving in to ya Baby it's a long way down.

His raspy voice was like some kind of drug to you. The second he started singing, you were transported from the room to someplace closer to heaven. And it wasn’t just his voice; it was the lyrics. You listened more closely than usual since he’d told you this song was yours. 

If I fall, can you let me down easy?

If I leave my heart with you tonight Will you promise me that you're gonna treat it right? I'm barely hangin' on If I fall, can you let me down easy?

The scent of your perfume floatin' in the air You're looking like an angel lying on a blanket with a halo of hair And those lips look too good to be true.

Once I taste that kiss, I know what'll happen I'll be at the mercy of you If I fall, can you let me down easy? If I leave my heart with you tonight Will you promise me that you're gonna treat it right? I'm barely hangin' on If I fall, can you let me down easy?

When the song ended, the whole bar erupted into cheers. He didn’t give them a chance to disperse, though. He launched straight into the crowd favourite: Great Balls of Fire. It used to be your favourite, too, but now. Everyone was dancing and singing along. His legs bounced as he played, and you giggled like a maniac, getting jostled about whenever he moved. You wanted to go and sit somewhere quiet so you could digest the previous moment, but you were too wrapped up in this one.

Everyone begged for an encore once he’d finished playing, but he told everyone he was desperate for another drink but might play something else later. You were still planted firmly in his lap, and you locked eyes with Nat from over the top of the piano. She raised a brow, and you gave her the universal ‘I don’t fucking know what’s going on either’ look. The crowd started trickling outside or to the bar. Somebody plugged the jukebox back in, and Africa resumed, although it didn’t sound as good as before. All you wanted to listen to now was Bradley’s song for you.

It was time for you to get up, which proved incredibly difficult. Bradley was warm and solid in a comforting way but also in another way that you weren’t quite ready to unpack just yet. You climbed out of his lap and turned around to face him. He was still sitting but had moved to the other side of the stool to face your direction. He gazed up at you with those big, puppy dog eyes, and you realised with a start that if you took one more step, you’d be standing between his legs. You could have rested your hands on his shoulders or the sides of his face. You could have leant down and kissed him.

Because of this, you didn’t know what to say, and this wasn’t good because the ball was most certainly in your court. He’d just said everything he needed to say with that song.

You decided just to be honest with him.

‘I don’t know what to say, Roo.’

‘You don’t have to say anything. I just needed to get that off my chest, and I didn’t know how else to do it.’

‘I will say something,’ you assured him. ‘Just not right this second.’ It was clear that he was trying to hide the dejection he felt. You saw right through the fake smile meant to reassure you, and immediately, you felt as though you’d let him down. Thinking on your feet wasn’t easy when you were drunk, and you might have chosen to do things differently had you been sober. Now probably wasn’t the best time to deal with something like this, but now was all you had. You couldn’t bear letting him go home tonight, thinking you didn’t feel anything towards him.

So you took his hand in yours and tugged his arm. He got up silently, and you led him outside, across the decking and onto the sand. He trailed behind you down to the water, which was starting to come back in after low tide.

Your thought process had been that it might be better to talk out of earshot from the rest of the daggers and that words might come easier if you were somewhere more peaceful. This was, in fact, not the case, and the absence of commotion was only making things awkward. There was nothing to distract you from the longing behind his eyes, nothing to distract him from the way you nervously picked at the skin around your fingers.

It had never been this way with you and Bradley. Way before Elijah—which was beginning to feel like it had happened to someone else and not you—your friendship had been as easy as eggs on a Sunday morning. Thoughts flowed freely during lengthy but never tiring conversations. You didn’t need to guess how he felt and vice versa because both of you always just knew. You had inside jokes for days and more than a few secrets.

Just because you hadn’t grown up together and hadn’t known one another your whole lives didn’t mean you weren’t inseparable. The bond you shared was forged in everlasting fire the day you met at the academy. It was made out of some kind of magic, a rare kind that most people spent their whole lives searching for and never even coming close to.

As you thought about all this, you realised what a fool you’d been to neglect such a bond for somebody like Elijah. But even with all this, you’d never imagined the two of you would be anything more than best friends. When you had something as extraordinary as this, it was hard to fathom risking it when it was already perfect the way it was.

Or so you’d thought.

What if it wasn’t perfect the way it was? What if all those years of friendship were a prequel to something better?

A forever kind of something.

You took a deep breath and trusted that if you spoke your heart, everything would turn out precisely the way it was supposed to. And since you were speaking your heart, you started by saying his name. He’d been looking out over the water, but now he focused his attention back on you. You didn’t think you’d ever spent so many consecutive minutes in his company without him saying anything.

‘I wasted so much time looking for love in the wrong places,’ you started. ‘And when it ended the way I always knew it would—deep down—I listened to you tell me over and over that real love isn’t supposed to feel like that. I listened to you tell me that I deserved better, all while not believing what you were saying.’

It was hard to look at him now. There was so much riding on whatever you chose to say next.

‘What I’m trying to say is, I wasted so much time looking for love and the real meaning of it, when I should have been looking at what was right in front of my face the whole time.’

It wasn’t exactly what you wanted to say. You wished it could’ve been more eloquent—like his song—but this was what you had, and so you gave it to him.

He smiled broadly, and it reached all the way up to his eyes.

Oh, the things you’d have done for that smile.

Part of you was worried that these kinds of revelations would mess with your synchronicity, but you had no need to worry. There was no awkwardness, no clunkiness and no anxiety when he cupped your face in both his hands, and you reached up to loop your arms around his neck. You only felt overwhelming joy and an innate sense of rightness when your lips met in the most passionate of kisses.

And when he tilted your head back further and parted your lips with his tongue, you were able to revisit that feeling you’d felt when he pulled you into his lap not half an hour before. It wasn’t something you could tame, and you highly doubted he could, either, though you could tell he was going to give it his best shot.

You just couldn’t imagine this getting old or wearing thin. If you and Bradley really were a forever thing, you knew that being with him would always feel as exciting and enticing as it did right now.

You let one hand snake down his side, resting just above his hip. When you pulled his body closer so it was pressing against yours, he groaned into your mouth. You could’ve sworn you’d blacked out for a second.

‘Slow down, doll.’ He said between kisses.

‘Why?’

He pushed you away ever so slightly, and you pouted.

‘Because I wanna do this properly. I want to take you out for dinner, drinks, dancing, all of it. You can’t rush something you want to last forever.’

Ah. So he was thinking the same thing as you, then.

‘What if I’m impatient?’

‘Then I’ll take you to dinner now.'

He was making light, but you decided to indulge him. ‘Take me, then.’

Bradley laughed. ‘It’s almost midnight, sweet girl. We won’t get a table anywhere now.’

‘So take me to In-N-Out. And then take me home.’

His eyes were all pupil, and you knew that now you’d put the thought into his head it would be impossible to take it back out.

‘You’re terrible.’

‘It’s not my fault!’ You protested. ‘You’re standing there looking all delicious, kissing me like that!’

‘If I agree, you have to promise me one thing.’

‘Anything.’

‘At some point next week, you’ll get dressed up. You’ll let me take you to a fancy restaurant with overpriced cocktails and tiny portions, and then you’ll let me drive you home. When we get to your front door, you’ll let me kiss you goodnight, and then you’ll let me go home. We have to do it in a civilised manner at least once.’

You laughed. ‘Okay, fine. If you insist.’

‘I do.’

You kissed him again, and it felt like coming home after being away forever.

‘You know something, Bradley?’ You murmured. ‘I never knew heartbreak could feel so good.’ 

A/N: I planned on ending this series here, but now that the final part is complete, I've realised I have many more ideas for where this can go. Maybe some sequels or a whole other series off the back of it. If you'd be interested, let me know and I can tag you in future parts.

Taglist: primroseluna eloquentdreamer sgt-barnesveins daybleedsintonightfa11@sadgirlgiselle @sleepy-writersblock @lovelyygirl8 @my-therapist-hates-me

[vivwritesfics]

If your taking requests could you write Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x reader

Rooster meeting a girl a few weeks before top gun and hooking up with her a few times (no actual smut)

And later on sees her in top gun and she is the first female pilot he meet (if possible for her callsign to be Chaos) and walking up to her before saying something like "you got me trained like a damn dog"

< based on this tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeaGGyMR/>

I am so sorry I've had this in my inbox for so fucking long, been trying to find a way to... write this, I suppose. I'll be honest, this turned out very different to the request but I couldn't find a way to make it this exact way. I hope you still like it!

They met eyes across The Hard Deck. It was both of their first times at Top Gun, that fundamental last night before they started.

(Now, I must note that this was before Penny bought The Hard Deck. It looked different to what it did when she and Bradley later returned for the uranium mine mission, but it still served the same purpose)

She sipped her drink and he sipped his beer, wiping the foam away from his moustache. Shit, he was hot. She watched as he whispered something to his wingman and approached.

If it had been the eighties, she would have lost that loving feeling. But it wasn't the eighties anymore, and Bradley had long since given up using his dad and Mavericks pickup tricks (gave up when Mav pulled his papers, actually).

He didn't sing to her, did some good old fashioned flirting.

It was a good thing he was cute, she thought with a grin. She held out her hand, signalling that it had worked. "Chaos," she said.

He placed his hand into her own and shook it. "Rooster," he replied, exchanging callsigns.

Chaos and Rooster. Chaos she was indeed. Chaos they both were. Bradley couldn't help but follow her, his hand in hers as she led him out of The Hard Deck. His wingman whooped and hollered at him as he left, following her out to her car.

She had debating staying on base or renting a place of her own for a month. Now that she had Bradley kissing her in the back of her car, she was so glad that she rented a place of her own. The way his lips trailed down her neck, had her moaning so slowed anybody outside of the car could hear.

She got him back to her rented place, got him into her rented bed, and didn't let him leave it until the next morning. He had her awake for most of the night, absolutely railing her (there is very little else I can say about it, but the burn on his moustache was, wow. Her legs had never shaken like that before, but that is a story for another day).

He left before she got up, making his way back to his own place, to his baby (the Ford Bronco).

They'd given each other their callsigns, knew each other by no other name. It shouldn't have been a surprise to Bradley when she walked in and took a seat in front of him.

"Shit," he hissed under his breath.

But there she was, Chaos. Bradley's cheeks were flaming any time the two had to interact.

But Chaos? She didn't stop flirting. And Bradley couldn't stop himself from falling for it. Time and time again he ended up in her bed. Neither much minded it. It didn't become rare to see his Ford Bronco parked outside.

But then they were shipping out. One last night at The Hard Deck, drinking together. It hadn't quite struck to the two that this was their last night being together.

If she wanted anything that night, Bradley was getting it from the bar. They didn't hide any sort of... relationship (or whatever it was) that night, with Bradley kissing her whenever he walked over to pass her the beer he'd gotten to her.

"Damn," said Natasha as she sipped her drink. She was the one watching the clock, watching for the minute it got within twelve hours of them flying. "You've got him trained like a damn dog."

It was a rather sad thought. Not that she had him 'trained like a damn dog', but that soon, they'd bee moving on from Top Gun and leaving each other behind. There was no telling where they'd end up and whether they'd be able to stay in touch.

God, she couldn't tear up here. She concentrated on one spot on the ground, just trying to keep herself from crying.

"Chaos?" Something touched her shoulder, a cold bottle of beer. Bradley held it in front of her face and she gladly took it.

They'd be okay. For this last night, they'd be okay.

[callsign-joyride]

The Tortured Poets Department - Tom "Iceman" Kazansky

Summary: Tom surprises you with a proposal. Content Warnings: Fluff, and this is so short (sorry) Pairing: Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x reader Lyric: "At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on, and that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding."

Buy me a coffee

It was one of your favorite times where you and Tom would have a date night at one of the local restaurants. There wasn’t really any reason in particular for the date nights, but the two of you liked to take the time to enjoy each other’s company without any distractions. It never took too long for you to get a table, since he usually called in advance to save a table. The waitress took your drink orders and you talked for a few minutes before she came back with your beers and complimentary chips and dip.

“Hey, let me see your hand real quick,” he said as he pointed to your left hand. 

“Um, okay. Is there a reason why?” You asked. He just shook his head and gently reached for your hand, gazing at the sapphire ring on your middle finger that he got you while he was deployed in France. You both chuckled as he moved it to your ring finger. 

“I just wanted to see how it looked on the right finger,” he said. 

“Are you-,”

“Not tonight, no.”

The two of you had talked about family expectations in the past, and you both knew that you wanted to get married and have kids someday. You never put any pressure on him to propose, since he had mentioned that he wanted to wait until he was able to rank up before making a big life decision. You had a condo together, but everything else was separate for the most part. You’d pay the cable bill when he was on deployment, but he’d pay half of it when he was home since you were both using it. 

You ordered a cheesecake and began to split it, taking the rest home and putting it in the fridge. You cracked open another beer and sat on the couch while Tom listened to any voicemails. There were some drunken ones from Maverick and Goose, but that was pretty much it. 

Charlie had invited you over for lunch the next day, and you talked about your night while sharing a fruit salad.

“I think he’s gonna propose soon. He told me that he wasn’t going to propose last night, but he did the ring thing. I don’t know what else to think of it, y’know?”

She chuckled and stabbed a piece of watermelon with her fork.

“What?”

“Okay, I’m not supposed to say anything. He’s gonna propose next weekend before the air show. He’s put a lot of effort into the whole thing, so don’t make it seem like you know that something’s up.”

The week went by quickly, and before you knew it, you and Tom were driving to base for the air show. You agreed to drop him off and watch takeoff with the Bradshaws, since it would be less crowded than the field that they would be flying over. Tom held your hand as he walked over to his jet and made sure that everything was in working order. Carol and Bradley were across the tarmac with Goose and Maverick, so you really weren’t sure how Tom planned on proposing.

He said that he needed to make sure that his shoes were tied tight enough, which wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. You turned around and waved to Bradley and Carol, and then Carol screamed and told you to turn around.

Tom was on one knee with a diamond ring in a small, black leather box. You let out a squeal and he grinned as he started to give his speech about how much he loved you and how much he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with you.

“Will you marry me?” He asked. You nodded and he stood up, giving you a hug and a kiss before slipping the ring on your finger.

“Oh my God, it’s beautiful.”

“I had it made out of recycled parts. Mav’s idea.”

“Huh, I never thought he’d be good for anything,” you said with a laugh. Tom laughed and spun you around in his arms before putting you back down.

Taglist:

@littlebadariell @cycbaby @luckyladycreator2 @idontcare-11 @blue-aconite @maverick-wingman @shawty-fenty @littlemisstopgun @rosiahills22 @katieshook02 @justanothermagicalsara @caitsymichelle13 @smoothdogsgirl @adoringsebstan @cherrycola27 @alexxavicry @mrsjaderogers @mak-32 @thefandomimagines @tallrock35 @caatheeriinee07 @bradshawseresinbabe @atarmychick007 @3sriracha @genius2050 @halstead-severide-fan @withakindheartx @Lolliepops2501 @avengersfan25

Taglist form (Google form, email is not asked)

[spnbabe67]

Keep Callin' Your Name Until You Come Back Home

Kinktober Day 22: Possessive Sex (J.S.)

Pairing: Jake Seresin x Fem Original Character

Warnings: Smut, Feels, Angst, PiV, Hickies

Summary: Jake decides that he's had enough watching from the sidelines and goes to fight to get his girl back

Word Count: 1954

Authors Note: Title and fic inspired by the song I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Taylor Swift and ZAYN.

The long-awaited resolution and conclusion to Tatum and Jake's story (for now)

Tag List: @djs8891

Jake didn’t consider himself a jealous man, but he’d be damned if he was just going to roll over and let Tatum get away, at least without him getting a word in edgewise. It had been almost a month since Tatum had walked out, ending the thing they had going between them, and Jake was still reeling from the sudden 180. It didn’t help the way she wouldn’t even look at him as they passed each other in the halls or in the classroom, and wouldn’t return his calls or texts. But the worst thing was watching her laugh and carry on with Rooster and Phoenix. So no, Jake didn’t consider himself a jealous man, but the way Rooster had been getting a little too close set his nerves on edge. He’d watched Rooster slowly start to replace the space in Tatums life that, much to his surprise, he enjoyed occupying. 

Today was the last straw. Mav had them all participating in what he called ‘Dogfight football’, claiming that it was supposed to teach them teamwork or something like it. It was hard enough seeing Tatum absolutely killing it, laughing unabashedly as she and Nat scored touchdown after touchdown, but he damn near broke a tooth with how hard he clenched his jaw watching Bradshaw pick her up, spinning her around. That should have been him celebrating with her, not Rooster. 

Tatum was sure she had sand in places sand had no reason being by the time Mav let them off the hook. With the grit clinging to her sweaty skin, Tatum had made a beeline to the showers, eager to feel clean again. Despite the nice reprieve from the monotonous training the football game had provided, that cloud of darkness that had been hovering in the edges of her psyche quickly dimmed her chipper mood. She’d done her best to ignore the fact that Jake was right there in all his shirtless glory. Not that she’d noticed, mind you. 

She’d cried hard to Natasha that night, regretting what she had done more and more as the tears soaked into her friends t-shirt. Even though she never said who exactly she’d fucked up with, she knew her friend knew; Tatum had clocked the nasty looks Nat had leveled in Jake’s direction during their game, saw the overly aggressive plays. She knew things between Natasha and Jake had always been tense, but she still felt guilt over adding to the divide between her best friend and kind-of-sort of ex. Rooster had also gravitated towards her, no doubt Nat’s doing, knowing how close the two were. Bradley was like a big brother, all protective and playful using that irresistible charm of his to schmooze her out of her low-grade depression.

But Rooster wasn’t here now, and all she wanted to do after her shower was to be wrapped up in her sweats, crawl into bed, and go to sleep. She managed to do the first two, adorning her freshly showered body with her old pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve t-shirt before flopping onto her bed. Tatum had been poised to crawl under the covers when a somewhat hesitant knock interrupted her from completing her nesting ritual.

She sighed, reluctantly leaving the invitingness of her bed to pad barefooted to the door. Tatum ran a hand through her hair as she opened her door, face falling as she beheld Jake standing on the other side. 

“Hey, Ice.” Jake said softly, his eyes searching her face.

“Jake,” Tatum sighed, resting her head on the edge of the door. “Why are you here?”

“We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.” Tatum asserted even though everything in her was begging to let him in. 

“Tatum, let me in.” Jake pleaded. “Please?”

Damn him. Damn him for chipping away at her resolve. Tatum dragged a hand over her face, but relented, stepping aside to let him into her room. The door shut with a quiet snick, and Tatum shoved her hands into her pockets, leaning back against it. 

“Why are you here, Hangman?” Tatum reiterated, watching him glance around her room until his gaze traveled back to her. 

“I wanna plead my case. Please, Tatum.” Jake started to reach out to her but stopped before his hand got further than his hip. “Tell me what I did wrong. I thought things were going good between us.”

“They were.” Tatum countered, crossing her arms across her chest. “But we both knew that we were gonna go down in flames, it was only a matter of time.”

“At first maybe.” Jake admitted. “But it got real, Tatum. It was real. It is real! I care about you, Hayes.”

“It’s better this way.” Tatum swallowed against the growing lump in her throat. 

“For who?” Jake shrugged. “For you or for me. Cause I don’t know about you but I’m dying here.”

There was no mistaking the raw emotion lacing his words, the emotion painted across his devastatingly handsome face.

“You can’t tell me that you feel nothing when you look at me.” His words were so damn quiet, so unsure, so unlike him. “You can’t tell me you regret us.”

“No,” Tatum breathed. “I can’t.”

“Then why are you fighting this? Fighting us?”

“I don’t know!” Tatum snapped. “I thought it was the right thing. To pull away before you had a chance to hurt me but I fucked up.”

They both stood there in silence, letting each other's words sink in. Tatum couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye, keeping her gaze strictly on his chest. 

“Where do you want to go from here, then?” Jake broke the silence first.

“Where do you?” 

“I think I’ve made my feelings on the matter very clear.” Jake closed the distance between them, Tatum’s breath catching as he slipped a finger under her chin to tilt her gaze up to his. “Watching you walk away that night damn near broke me. So tell me, what do you want?”

Tatum's eyes dipped to his lips before skittering back up to his eyes, watching his pupils dilate. 

“You.” She breathed. 

Jake slowly, carefully reached his other hand up like he was scared that if he moved too quickly she’d bolt. He cupped the sides of her face, thumbs brushing across her cheeks as he leaned in. The first brush of his lips to hers was gentle as he finally closed that last amount of distance between them. Tatum met the kiss openly, willingly opening her mouth to him as his tongue sweeped against hers in a languid rhythm. All of this, this going slow, was so different to her, especially with him on the other end. Tatum let her eyes flutter shut, relaxing into his touch as her own hand came up to wrap around his wrist, feeling the steady thrum of his pulse against her fingertips.

Jake’s hand found her waist, smoothing up and down her side as his mouth trailed down the gentle slope of her jaw to her neck. Tatum tipped her head back against the door, giving him better access to her throat as he trailed hot, open mouthed kisses along any exposed skin he could get at. He carefully walked them both backwards further into her room, guiding Tatum onto her back on the bed. 

Tatum pulled him back over her, wrapping her arms around his neck as his lips continued their assault on her neck, nipping and sucking along the soft skin.

“Jake.” Tatum panted, gripping his shoulders as all her attention honed onto where he was no doubt leaving dark marks on her neck and collarbones.

“Just making sure you and everyone else knows you’re mine. Don’t need no birdies tryin’ to take what's mine.”

Tatum furrowed her brows. “Rooster. God, Jake, he’s like my brother.”

Jake’s hand found its way under the hem of her shirt, fingertips ghosting along her belly. “Don’t care. I don’t wanna hear another man’s name on your mouth right now. Only mine.”

His possessiveness shouldn’t have turned her on as much as it did, but hearing that grit in his voice had her panties soaked through instantly. Tatum threaded her fingers through his hair, tugging his mouth back up to her own as his hands slid further and further up under her shirt. They broke the kiss long enough to remove her shirt along with his before Tatum dragged him back down to her where he continued to kiss down her body. He knelt between her legs as he continued down her chest, his hands curling around the waistband of her sweatpants. Jake leaned down pressing a kiss to the spot under her belly button as he peeled her sweats further down, dragging them off her legs and tossing them aside. 

He kneaded her thighs as he retraced the path he’d taken down her body back up to her lips. Tatum dragged her hands up and down his arms, feeling the corded muscle beneath flex as he kissed her with fervor, his hips pushing forward, instinctively seeking the heat of her. Tatum reached between them, sliding her hand under his own pair of sweatpants, wrapping her hand around his erect length. 

“That’s it baby.” Jake hissed at the contact of Tatums hand around him. 

He helped her push his pants down, awkwardly pulling them off of his own legs until he was as naked as she was. Jake dipped his head back down capturing her lips in a deep, open kiss before pulling back as he guided himself through her folds.

“Say it.” Jake nipped at her collarbone. “Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours.” Tatum breathed

“Say it again.”

“I’m yours.” The words strung together in an endless loop until Jake claimed her mouth again, effectively shutting her up as he slowly, agonizingly slowly, pushed himself into her. 

Tatum whimpered Jake’s name, nails digging into his back as the sting of him was slow to fade as he worked himself into her. 

“I know baby I know.” Jake reassured her. “Doin’ so well.”

Once he’d bottomed out in her, letting her adjust to him, he set his pace. He’d started slow, both of them trying to keep the languid and intimate moment going. But soon enough his hips pistoned into her harder and harder, but kept that slow pace. It knocked the air out of her every time, breathy moans punctuating every time his hips slapped into hers. 

“Jake.” Tatum moaned before pressing her lips together. 

“Nuh uh.” Jake protested. “You’re mine. I want you to moan my name as loud as you need, Baby. Let everyone know who you belong to.”

Tatum could feel a blush forming on the tops of her cheeks as she threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth back down to hers. Quickly that heat that had her clenching around him started to build. Her other hand dug into his back, her legs wrapping around his waist as she fast approached that high. She cried out his name as she came, clinging to him as she did. Jake wasn’t far behind her, rutting into her a few more times before he spilled himself into her, her name on his lips as he did. Jake carefully rearranged them so he was curled around her back, legs tangled, his arm snuggly around her waist. 

He continued to press lazy kisses along her shoulder, his thumb brushing against her belly. “Promise me you’re not goin’ anywhere. That you’re gonna talk to me if you start feelin’ some typa way again.”

Tatum pressed her lips to the inside of his bicep under her head. “I promise.”

“Good, cause I ain’t letting you get away. You can count on that.”

[lovelytsunoda]

tell me something girl (are you happy in this modern world) // tom “iceman” kazansky

summary: after thirty years of marriage, heather kazansky reflects on the time she spent and the love she shared with tom as she prepares to write her eulogy and say goodbye to her husband.

pairing: tom kazansky x wife!oc (named heather)

warnings: canon character death (Tom) and mentions of gooses death from the original movie, depictions of grief, mentions of mental health and medication,

authors note: this is the fic I firmly believe I was put on this earth to write. I wanted to do so much more with it, but honestly would have ended up with like 16k words or something like that.

April 2022, Miramar, California.

“is that the admirals wife?”

“jake, shut the fuck up.”

heather kazasnky had never thought of herself as an impressive woman. she always found herself timid, shy and a little anxious. it wasn’t until the first offshoots of gray started to sprout in her hair, and she’d watched all three of her children grow up that she truly thought sh had done something impressive with her life.

she sat alone at a table in the corner of the hard deck, oblivious to the wandering eyes of her husbands trainees as her slender fingers navigated the keyboard of her MacBook.

“heather?”

she started at the voice, cheeks marred with the flush of someone who had just been sobbing as she turned to look at the speaker.

“peter,” she hummed. “it’s good to see you, maverick.”

heather got to her feet, pulling the other pilot in for a tight hug. “nice to see you too, heather. how are you doing.”

“the best I can. the kids are supposed to be coming up tonight to help with the funerals.”

there were always going to be two funerals. the first was the formal military funeral, where her husband would be buried in the same cemetery as nick bradshaw, and the other was more like a reception, something more human and less structured. for the people who knew him not as admiral kazansky, but as tom.

“I miss him, mav. the house feels strange without him in it. I’ve spent so long being heather kazansky, I don’t know how to go back to being just heather.”

maverick shook his head, taking a seat next to her. “you’re still you, heather. you’re still a mother to three incredible kids, and grandmother to two.”

“with another on the way.” she coughed, somehow managing a smile. “joshua’s new girlfriend is expecting. he told tom before he died.”

“congratulations, heather. how are the kids doing?”

“as well as can be expected. as usual, mitchell is the glue holding us together. cassie’s a wreck. she always was her father’s daughter. and for it to happen so soon after she had jamie just seems cruel. tom was going to retire, did you know that? he was ready to put his papers in, we were going to go to greece. it was finally us time again. he gave so much of himself to this country, and I was so excited to finally have him back.”

pete rested a hand on heathers shoulder, squeezing it through the fur of her cardigan. she was strong despite her age, still well built and sturdy, face marred with laugh lines but not a single telltale old woman wrinkle. “I’m so sorry, heather.”

“thank you.”

she turned back to her laptop, showing the other pilot what she was doing. “I’m gathering pictures for the reception. but most of them are of me. tom always had his fucking camera with him. I should have let the kids do this part. all I’m doing is making myself cry.”

she cast her eyes back to her laptop screen, resisting the urge to reach out and run her finger over the photo, soaking in the good memories as they came flooding back. in the picture, she and tom stood on one side of the kitchen counter, laughing with each other as they cut gingerbread cookies.

it had been their first christmas together.

“oh my god,” maverick laughed. “is that iceman in a cable knit?”

“he was so nervous about meeting my dad for the first time. I had to talk him out of wearing his dress whites.”

December 1985, Richmond, Virginia.

they had been together for six months, give or take the few weeks his team had spent deployed in the gulf, and nothing had intimidated tom kazansky more than meeting his girlfriends father. he had wanted to wear his navy dress whites in an attempt to make a good impression before heather had laughed and made him change into jeans and a sweater before they left the apartment.

even then, he had changed sweaters four times before setting on the white cable knit he was currently wearing.

iceman knew how stressed his girl got during the holidays. her family could bring out the worst in her, and they were both highly strung when they walked in the door.

now, she was off to the side with her sister, cradling a mug of hot coco in her hands as she watched him with a smile, chuckling as he dropped a cup of flour down the front of his jeans.

“you really like him, don’t you?”

heather looked back at her sister, who raised her eyebrows as she took a sip of her hot chocolate.

“I do. I really do, abigail. he makes me feel like I’m worth loving, if that makes sense. everything with tom is just so…easy.”

abigail frowned. “he’s a lieutenant, isn’t he? that means he’s going to be deployed a lot. are you sure you can handle that?”

heather sighed, taking a sip of her drink. “we’re trying. he was out in the gulf for a few weeks in september, and we got through it.”

“he’s barely taken his eyes off you since you got here. and when he looks at you, I don’t see anything other than pure, unfiltered love. I bet he’s got a polaroid of you in his cockpit.”

heather laughed, a warm and giddy feeling in her chest. it was clear how much her family loved iceman, and how quickly they were welcoming him into the fold.

“you know I’m losing him for two months in the new year. he’s off to california, got into some fancy fighter jet training program.”

“you can still go see him, right?”

“yeah, I’ve got a few vacation days saved u- oh fuck.” heather cursed, thrusting her mug into abigail’s arms as she saw what her boyfriend was doing. “give me one second, I’ve gotta stop him from screwing up the gingerbread.”

she pushed up the sleeves of her jacquard sweater, socks skidding across the kitchen tiles as she loosely knotted her hair behind her head.

“kaz, sweetie, give me the rolling pin. you’ve gotta knead the dough.” she smiles softly, putting herself between the pilot and the counter.

one of tom’s flour coated hands came to rest as her waist, his chin on the top of her head as she watched her dip her hands into the bowl of flour, and proceed to knead the gingerbread dough by hand. her lovers hands came to rest over hers, his lips soft and warm against her skin as they kneaded the gingerbread dough together.

“see, you don’t always know everything, lieutenant.” she hummed giddily, running her thumb over his wrist.

“yeah, but I know I love you, and that’s all I need.” Tom laughed, gently using his finger to guide her head towards his and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

April 2022, Miramar, California.

heather paused, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "i loved that man so much, pete."

the hard deck was getting busier, off-duty pilots and seamen flooding in from the base at miramar as shifts changed for the day. heather knew all about the dagger squad and the hazy series of events that brought pete mitchell back to the academy, often having to speak for her husband in meetings once his first cancer operation had left him unable to speak for himself.

"auntie heather!" a familiar face looked over from the pool table. bradley bradshaw was a spitting image of his father, right down to the way that his moustache was trimmed.

for heather, it sometimes felt like seeing a ghost.

"brad!" she perked up, waving him over to the table. "how are you?"

when she first came to visit her husband at miramar, somethign about carole bradshaw had pulled heather in. she hadn't known the bradshaw's long, but by the time that goose's accident happened, she felt like she had known that family her whole life.

she did what she could to help carole out afterwards, especially when it came to raising bradley, but as rooster got older and time flew by, it was so easy for carole and heather to fall out of touch.

"you look just like your dad." she hummed, hugging the pilot. "it's like seeing nick again."

bradley nodded solemnly. "i was sorry to hear about admiral kazansky."

"thank you. it had been a long time coming, but there's no way to properly prepare to lose the man you love."

rooster gestures to the group behind him, the mismatched group of people coming to meet him at the table. “aunt heather, I’d like you to meet the dagger squad: jake, natasha, robert, reuben and javy. we knew the admiral well.”

“hi.” heather said weakly, introducing herself. “I’m heather, the admirals wife. or, widow, I guess. I’m still not used to saying that.”

“are you getting ready for the funeral?” jake asked, promptly getting jabbed in the rib cage by natasha.

“what hangman means to say is: we all respected your husband very much, and we would be honoured to help you plan his memorial service.” phoenix corrected, taking heathers hand between both of her own.

“thank you for the offer, natasha.” heather smiled. “bradley, I want to show you something.”

she sat back in front of her laptop, using the touchscreen to pull up a video taken the first summer she came to visit miramar. she had timed the visit to coincide with her birthday, a small selfish part of her unable to fathom spending her birthday without tom.

bradley pulled up a chair next to the table, watching as the screen crackled to life, the date stamp in the corner reading june of 1986. they were inside the o bar, the video opening with heather resting her head on tom’s shoulder, then panning over to the massive birthday cake and sparklers set in front of her. carole bradshaw sat on one side of her, and charlie blackwood was at the head of the table, sitting next to maverick.

“is that my mom?” Bradley smiled fondly. “she looks so full of life.”

“she was.” heather laughed. “and you might remember charlie, she was one of mavericks many lovers.”

“hey!” pete scoffed. “things just didn’t work out.”

“she was always too good for you, pete.” heather laughed, pointing to another space on the screen. the group was singing happy birthday, supported by a rockabilly piano backing track. “bradley, there’s your dad.”

goose was sitting in front of the grand piano, a toothpick hanging between his teeth as he hammered away at the ivory keys, aviator glasses over his eyes.

“happy birthday dear heather, happy birthday to you.”

the camera panned back to heather and tom as she blew out the cake candles. tom pulled her in to a soft kiss while the rest of the table cheered, and then the video cut to black.

“mitchell has been digitizing all of this stuff for us. I caught tom watching our wedding videos before he died.”

“remember when slider and wolfman got absolutely shitfaced at your wedding and tripped down the reception stairs?” maverick laughed to himself “did anybody ever get that on video?”

heather shook her head, a bright smile on her tear stained face as she hunted through the original wedding folder. “I’ve got you one better.”

September 1987, Monterrey, California.

mrs. heather kazansky. she could get used to that.

she was sitting with her sister and tom’s parents, the former two who were conversing with each other in polish. she twirled her wedding band on her finger, face flushed and spirits high as she looked on at her husband.

tom was with maverick and slider, the group of aviators dressed in their best white uniforms, beer bottles lifted high as they drunkenly hollered the words to an old rod stewart song.

“and I know your name is rita, because your perfume smells sweeter.”

abigail was filming, zooming the camera lens in on heather as she asked: “are you sure you don’t wanna back out now? till death do you part, you’re bound to this dumbass now.”

heather laughed, playfully smacking at the camera. “yes, I’m sure!”

“stay with me, come on stay with me!”

sliders voice was three decibels louder than everybody else, and he was also significantly drunker. one of the bridesmaids had her eyes on him, and there wasn’t a doubt in anybody’s mind that ron kerner would have somebody in his bed that night.

iceman’s face was flushed, his arm thrown around maverick as they rocked on their feet, skin sweaty and hair mussed.

but in the midst of all this chaos, he still managed to look over at his new wife, blowing her the softest kiss. she smiled, catching the kiss in her hands and pressing it to her heart, a moment her sister was able to capture frame for frame on digital video.

tom had watched the video hundreds of times as he sat alone in his office, struggling to come to terms with the fact that he’d be leaving not just the love of his life, but his three beautiful children as well.

April 2022. Miramar, California.

“that’s the kind of love that people only dream about.” natasha smiled softly. “you’re lucky you got to spend as much time with him as you did. most couples don’t make it as long as you guys did.”

heather smiled shakily, reaching for her drink. she’d left the sprite so long that the ice had half melted, condensation dripping down the glass.

“he was so good with the kids, you know. I was on and off depressed for a while after joshua was born. my mental health had never been perfect and I was on a low dose anti-anxiety medication for a long time. but after Josh was born, everything just got so much harder and I could barley get out of bed in the mornings. tom would take the kids to school, make their lunches. he was teaching full time at top gun by then, so he took a few days off to stay with me, make me feel like myself again.”

“he was a good man.” robert smiled, rubbing her shoulder.

“yeah, he was.” heather bit her bottom lip, pulling a photo up on her laptop that had the dagger squad letting out a chorus of ‘awe’s’

the picture was taken in 1989. tom was dressed in a gray waffle knit shirt, a pair of pit viper sunglasses on his forehead as he held a smiling baby in his arms. mitchell’s wide eyes looked up at his dad, his tiny fingers wrapped around in of tom’s larger ones.

his name was mitchell ronald kazansky, because tom had made a lame bet with maverick and slider (that he lost) and had to name his firstborn after both of them (because he was a fucking idiot at times, but she loved him anyways).

the boys were both easy children, but cassandra? she was a daddy’s girl through and through, and tom would have moved heaven and earth for his little girl. whatever cassie wanted, she often got, well into adulthood even. she was the spitting image of her father, from her honey blonde hair right down to the birthmark on the underside of her jaw.

when tom walked her down the aisle at her wedding three years ago, he cried all the way to the altar. but not half as much as he sobbed when he held his granddaughter for the first time, cancer-stricken and barely able to speak, but still brimming with joy as he held jamie to his chest.

“he lead a good life. one he was proud of. he used his last words to tell me as much.” heather choked out, overwhelmed by emotions. “I just wish we’d had more time.”

pete placed his hand over hers, squeezing it reassuringly as natasha rubbed her back, and rooster gently squeezed her shoulder.

there was still so much love that heather kazansky still had to give.

still so much love that she was surrounded by.

and maybe that was tom’s way, even from the grave, to tell her that everything would still be alright.

TAGS:

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @httpiastri @sidcrosbyspuck @twinkodium @sidcrosbyspuck @oconso @thatsdemko @lorarri

[sunlightmurdock]

mav finding out about his daughter and bradley's affair in the worst way possible

hehehehe so I’m imagining it’s a night that she and Mav had a really big, really public argument. She was at the Hard Deck being fake flirty — fake it til you make it type confidence that Bradley can see straight through, but Mav can’t. Mav just thinks it’s dangerous.

And where does she go after Maverick embarrasses her in front of everyone?? Bradley’s place.

It’s a night that he had stayed in, and she’s supposed to still be out, so he’s confused when the pounding on his front door is revealed to be her.

“He’s insane! He’s actually fucking insane! I was just playing pool and he came over yelling about being careful and respecting myself and..” Bradley just watches as she ducks under his arm, letting herself into his house and starting to pace furiously around his living room. She’s wearing a fitted dress, it’s cute, but short.

He doesn’t need to ask who has upset her, he already knows. Rooster just swings the door shut behind him and lets her rant.

“He didn’t ever care about being a parent when I was a kid, who does he think he is? — Acting like he gets to tell me what to do now.” She growls angrily.

Just wearing a pair of sweat shorts, Bradley sits on the arm of his couch and waits for you to be done. It takes a while, but he doesn’t mind listening.

The story finishes abruptly, mainly because she has been staring at his bare chest and shoulders for long enough that her anger has faded and been replaced with something else entirely.

It’s one of the reasons she loves Bradley. His ability to get her mind off of things. And how good he is in bed.

He makes her cum on his tongue, his fingers and then his cock. First on the couch, then against the wall in his hallway, finally in his bed. It’s wild. She knows that she’ll be left with bruises on her thighs in the morning and it just spurs her on.

She begs him for more as he fucks her hard, facedown onto his mattress, and he just complies. And then, when she’s a whimpering, trembling mess afterwards, he brings her a damp cloth and tells her to hang tight while he gets her some water.

Bradley passes by the front window as the pounding at the door starts. He makes brief eye contact with Maverick and knows he can’t pretend to already be in bed. He opens the door gingerly.

“She didn’t come home tonight!” Maverick pushes past Bradley without warning, starting to pace furiously around the living room. Bradley pales. “We had a big fight, and maybe I was out of line — I know she’s not stupid enough to fool around with any of those guys, but— fuck, she hasn’t come home and I’m out of my mind. Should we call the cops?”

Bradley tears his attention away from your dress poking out from between his couch cushions. Your heels discarded on the floor. Your panties by the hallway door.

“Cops? — No.” Bradley decides quickly. “She’s… probably just cooling off at a friend’s house.”

“But what if—“ Maverick stops talking as he catches sight of the heels on the floor. He looks up and examines Bradley’s dishevelled hair and love-bitten neck. “Oh. Oh, you have company. I’m sorry, I’m just so worried. Could I call her from your phone? — She won’t answer if she knows it’s me.”

Bradley swallows, then shakes his head. “Just give her some time to cool off, Mav. She’ll be fine.”

“How could you possibly promise that —“ Maverick catches sight of the dress and stops berating the Lieutenant for just a moment. He squints, trying to piece together the familiarity. He looks between the shoes and the dress.

Cut to Maverick absolutely tearing Bradley’s place apart looking for her, finding her hiding in his closes in one of his shirts and all hell breaking loose.

[roosterforme]

A Love You Don't Find Everyday Part 20 The Wedding | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Tradition states that you and Bradley shouldn't see each other the night before you get married. But the two of you aren't traditional, and neither is your wedding. Can you and he actually pull off the secret wedding of your dreams?

Warnings: Fluff, angst, and swearing

Length: 5600 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Check out my masterlist for more!

After the house was cleaned up, and your parents had been dropped back at their hotel, Bradley had you tucked against his chest in the kitchen. 

"Tomorrow. Holy shit," he whispered. "I can't believe we're getting married tomorrow."

You were giddy, practically vibrating in his arms. "Let's go over the checklist. I can't believe everyone fell for our little white lie."

Bradley kissed your forehead and never stopped touching you as you and he went down the list together. "Did you call the caterer yesterday?" you asked, pen poised over item number seven.

"Yep, dinner, drinks and cake are all set," he confirmed, and you smirked to yourself, because he had also been duped. You couldn't wait to give him his last wedding gift.

"I think that's it then," you confirmed. "I filed the permits. Mav is ready. We are mostly packed for the honeymoon. And everyone else thinks it's a regular day." He scooped you up into his arms and carried you to your bedroom. 

"I don't think I have ever been this excited for anything before," he said, setting you down on the bed and climbing in next to you. 

"You have to go sleep in the other room," you informed him as he kissed along your collarbone. 

His lips froze on you. "What are you talking about, Baby Girl?"

"It's tradition! We're not supposed to see each other the night before or at all tomorrow until we actually get married!"

"Yeah, we're not doing that, Sweetheart." He continued to kiss you as you wiggled away from him, laughing. 

"Come on, Roo."

"Listen, I'm not saying we need to have sex, but I'm not sleeping in the other bedroom when you're in here."

You glared at him and kept scooting away when he tried to touch you until he heaved a deep sigh and climbed out of bed. "Fine. I'll be in the other bedroom. Banished without even fucking up. I'll consider this husband training."

You laughed and stood to give him a kiss before he left. "You're going to be the perfect husband, Roo. You already are. I love you."

"I love you, Baby Girl."

"I can't wait to marry you."

He stroked your cheek with his thumb and smiled. "Me too, Mrs. Bradshaw."

Then you shoved him out of the room and started laying out all of your lingerie for the next day. You had someone coming over to do your hair and makeup in the morning, and you wanted to be organized. When you unzipped the garment bag containing your dress for a final peek, you jumped up and down and squealed quietly. It was perfect. And Bradley was perfect. And your little scheme was working out perfectly. 

You got yourself ready for bed and climbed in alone. Tramp must have followed Bradley to the other bedroom, so you settled in and tried to fall asleep. It was quiet, and the bed was comfortable, but when Bradley wasn't with you, it reminded you of his deployments. You rolled over onto your back and thought about how pretty the view would be tomorrow, but you were too cold in the bed without him. You rolled onto your stomach in his spot and pretended you were laying on him. But it wasn't working, because while his pillow smelled like him, nothing was as comfortable to lay on as Bradley's warm shoulder. 

"You're ridiculous," you groaned, flipping your lamp back on and grabbing your glasses. You walked through the living room and into the other bedroom and watched Tramp and Bradley both perk up when you said, "Roo?"

"What's wrong?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbow.

You bit your lip and whispered, "I miss you. Will you come back to bed?"

He was out from under the blanket and walking toward you in just his underwear immediately, and then he scooped you up in his arms without another word. Tramp trailed behind him as he carried you back to your bed. He took off your glasses and tucked you in as Tramp curled up in his own bed. Then Bradley turned off the lamp and climbed in on his side, and you were on top of him in an instant with your head on his shoulder. 

"I didn't like you being here but not being with me," you whispered, kissing his warm skin while he laced his fingers with yours. 

"Please don't make me sleep alone unless I'm deployed."

You snuggled in and closed your eyes, finally feeling calm and comfortable. "Never."

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

Bradley woke up to you draped across his body, enjoying the sound of your deep, even breathing. He was going to marry you today. Tears stung at his eyes at the thought of you in a white dress putting a ring on his finger. When you started to stir, you looked up at him and smiled. 

"Happy wedding day," you whispered. 

"Happy best day of my life, Sweetheart."

Your sleepy laughter filled the room as you sat up and kissed him. "You need to get dressed and leave so I can get ready."

Bradley grumbled but did as he was told while you made breakfast. Then he sat at the dining room table with you on his lap wearing nothing but his UVA shirt while you ate eggs covered in hot sauce. Occasionally you tore off a bit of your toast and fed it to Tramp as he begged next to the chair. Bradley wanted his life with you to last forever. He couldn't get enough of this. 

"Hey," he whispered and you turned to look at him with a piece of toast halfway to your parted lips. "It's just you and me, Baby Girl. Forever."

You smiled and set the toast down before wrapping your arms around his neck. "Me and you." 

Before Bradley got changed in the extra bedroom and left, he put both wedding bands in his pocket and made sure his phone was charged and loaded with the correct playlist. Then he told you which parking spot he would be waiting in with the Bronco. 

"I'll be there, Roo," you promised, kissing him so sweetly he was having a hard time making himself leave. But he knew the sooner he let you get ready, the sooner you'd meet him and everyone else in your wedding dress. So he pulled out of the driveway with a smile on his face. 

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

Your hair was done. Your makeup was done. You were slipping into the outrageously expensive satin panties with Mrs. Bradshaw embroidered on the front when you caught sight of yourself in the mirror. You looked amazing. This is what Bradley was going to see later when he brought you home. You cupped your breasts in your hands and turned to really look at yourself. You weren't perfect, but he loved you. 

You were wearing the new earrings Bradley had given you, and Carole's beautiful veil would be your something old. The blue Mrs. Bradshaw stitching in your lingerie would cover that element of the tradition, but you still had to figure out how to incorporate the keychain from Jake, even if he had no idea that's why you demanded he let you borrow it.

When you checked the time on your phone, you nearly screamed. You were running late. You got your dress on as quickly as you could, struggling with the zipper. Then you took the time to lace your high heels up your calves and tie the ribbons in pretty bows for Bradley to undo later. You grabbed your shoes for the reception and Jake's keychain, and then you were ready to go.

When you pulled up to the parking lot, you saw Mav and Bradley next to the Bronco with your parents. Mav came running over to move the orange traffic cones so you could pull in, and he had a huge smile on his face. Then you parked two spots down from the Bronco, leaving one empty one in between both cars. 

When you opened your door, Bradley was right there with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. "Baby Girl," he sighed, helping you out of your car and into his arms. He looked at you and then held you close, whispering, "I am so lucky." You let him hold you as you ran your red fingernails along his yellow and red tropical print shirt while he brushed your ear with his lips. "So lucky. I love you so much."

You melted against him as his big, warm hands spread across your bare back. "I love you, Roo. Forever." Then he took a step away from you and ran his hands along the fabric of your wedding dress.

"Do you know how badly I wanted to look in that garment bag for the past month? That damn thing was taunting me in the closet, but I had fun imagining what you'd look like today." He licked his lips and ran his thumb along the lace between your breasts. "God, you look amazing. I couldn't even imagine anything this perfect."

"It's just for you." Your words had a rosy color creeping along his cheeks as he ran his hand down your body to the exact location of your tattoo.

You could hear your mom crying next to the Bronco, and when you kissed Bradley one last time and glanced over at your parents, you almost laughed. Your dad was wearing an old Naval Academy shirt with his swim trunks, and your mom had on a sundress with her sunglasses perched up on top of her head. Bradley gently pushed you toward them, and then they were both pulling you into their arms. 

"I'm sorry we lied and told you it was just a beach day today," you said, trying not to start crying yourself. 

"That's okay. We don't mind," your dad said with a soft laugh.

Your mom held your face in both hands. "When Bradley picked us up in white linen pants, I was a little concerned. And then when he stopped at a florist and asked me to hold onto your bouquet while he drove, I started crying. And I haven't stopped since. Because I'm so happy."

When she finally released you and clung to your dad instead, you hugged Mav who whispered, "You look beautiful. Just as pretty as Carole did on her wedding day. The Bradshaw men have impeccable taste."

You tried not to cry as you ran your fingers along Carole's veil where it fell back along your shoulders. "I wish I could have met them," you told Maverick, and then you really felt like crying. 

But then your dad asked, "Not that I don't love it, but why exactly did you pick a parking lot for your wedding venue?"

Bradley wrapped his arm around your waist and said, "This parking spot is where we had our first kiss."

You looked out past the front of your car at the cliffs beach and the Pacific Ocean and thought about that fateful day early last September. "I kissed you."

Bradley nodded. "You owed me after all the mixed signals, Baby Girl."

"The Bronco was parked in this spot," you said, tapping your toe on the crumbling pavement of the empty parking space. 

"No. The Bronco was parked there," he replied, pointing to where it was currently parked. 

"What? No, it was definitely this spot, Roo."

"You're so wrong, Sweetheart."

You opened your mouth to argue further, but then you watched an SUV pull in right over the cones, followed by Phoenix screaming your names at the top of her lungs out the driver's window.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" she screeched as she jumped out of her car while it was practically still moving and ran over and right into Bradley's arms. 

He hugged his best friend who was wearing a sports bra, athletic shorts, and flip flops. Then Bob hopped out of her car as well and rushed over with his nose covered in zinc sunblock and his sunglasses clipped onto his regular glasses. He looked around as your mom handed you the bouquet of red and yellow flowers you ordered. "Are you getting married? Today?" he asked quietly, wiping tears from his eyes. 

"Yes!" you said, and Bob hugged you so hard, he got sunblock in your hair. And then Nat started crying as you handed her a smaller bouquet that matched yours while your mom fixed your hair.  

"I literally never thought this was going to happen," Nat sobbed at you. "I was still afraid you might change your mind, because he's kind of a nightmare, but he's so fucking pussy whipped for you, I can't even think straight. Oh my god, I'm sorry about my language," she muttered to your parents while she wiped her tears on Bob's shirt. "I can't believe you said it was a beach day, and now I have to wear this in your wedding photos!" she said, hitting Bradley with the flowers. 

Everything was turning into a commotion as Maverick moved the bent traffic cones for Penny and Amelia to pull in along with Payback, Fanboy and Coyote. Maverick also had to keep waving people past, even though there was a sign hanging up with the county seal that said PERMIT FOR PRIVATE EVENT- NOVEMBER 28TH 4 PM TO 9 PM.

You laughed at everyone's attire and shocked faces. Penny and Amelia were wearing matching Hard Deck tee shirts and the boys all had on bathing suits. 

"It's a wedding! It's not a beach day!" Fanboy yelled when he saw you and Bradley. "It's actually a fucking wedding!"

You buried your laughter against Bradley's chest and wiped your sweaty palms on his shirt. He kissed the top of your head through the veil as the guys all made a fuss over you. 

Jake, Maria, and Cam were still missing, and you nervously worked Jake's keychain in amongst your flowers as Maverick checked the time.

"Do you want to get started now?" he asked you and Bradley. "Or should we wait a bit longer?"

"We need to wait," you replied quickly while Bradley rubbed your back.

"Hey, can you call Hangman?" Bradley asked Coyote who immediately took his phone out. But then you saw Jake pull past and run directly over all the cones to get in the parking lot.

"You lied to me!" Jake shouted as he parked and walked over to the ceremony spot overlooking the ocean. "You are both liars! This is a scam! Mexico? Really?" he asked, playfully shoving Bradley before shaking his hand. And then he gave you a bear hug that had you gasping for air. 

"Thanks for giving me my something borrowed," you said with a smile when he released you. Jake examined your bouquet when you held it up, and he kissed your cheek when he saw his keychain. 

"I'd tell you to keep it, but I think you have to give it back now."

Everyone was shifting around a bit impatiently. Nat was putting Coyote's shirt on as the photographer got to work. You were looking up and down at every car that passed, hoping to see your friends. And Bradley kept his arm wrapped around you, reassuring you that they could all wait as long as you wanted to before starting. 

When you looked up at Bradley's soppy expression and puppy dog eyes, you sighed, not wanting to wait any longer. "Let's do this," you told him, about to hand Maria's bouquet to Jake to act as your maid of honor. But your friends didn't let you down. You watched Maria drive up, and Fanboy moved the crumpled cones so she could pull in. She had Cam in the car with her, and they were both smiling. 

"My flight was delayed because of snow! On your wedding day!" Cam called out, walking over to you in jeans and a flannel shirt. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, pulling you into a hug. "I would have flown back from Pittsburgh last night." 

Maria joined in the hug as she cried. "You picked a wedding date after all." She held her bouquet and stood next to you while Nat in Coyote's shirt stood next to Bradley. Mav shuffled some papers in his hands and stood with this back to the beautiful vista as everyone else crowded into the parking space between the two cars. 

But you just looked at Bradley who was very clearly on the verge of tears. Every time he swallowed, the bob of his Adam's apple had you biting your lip, probably ruining your lipstick in the process. You had more love in your heart for him than you knew what to do with, and as you took his left hand in your right one, Maverick cleared his throat. 

"This is nice," Mav said, smiling at everyone. "Small and perfect. These two knew what they were doing."

"Fucking liars," Jake whispered loudly, making everyone laugh. 

"Yeah, well," Mav agreed with a grin, "it somehow ended up working out. And they didn't give me anything to work with, rather they told me I could say whatever I wanted before they exchanged their vows, so I will make this brief." Mav turned to you and smiled, saying, "You and Bradley are so very lucky to have your parents here today. You are about to marry the son of the best friend I ever had. I knew Goose's opinions on every topic imaginable, because he did not know how to keep his mouth shut. And I can tell you that he would have absolutely loved you. But that love would have been a mere fraction of the unyielding adoration that Carole would have had for the wife of her only son."

You sobbed as tears filled your eyes, and Bradley leaned down to kiss your cheek. "And Bradley, I'm going to say word for word what your dad would say if he were here right now. 'You pulled off something incredible here, kid. You're following right in my footsteps. She is way too good for you. Do not fuck this up.'"

Bradley laughed as Mav reached out to shake his hand. "You're right Mav. I think he would have actually said that."

Once everyone's laughter had quieted down again, you took a deep breath and looked out at the ocean, letting the warm breeze help dry your eyes. When you looked back at Bradley, your lip was quivering a bit, but he was grinning at you. "Can I say my vows first?" he asked. "I'm really excited."

"Yeah, Roo," you whispered, handing your flowers to Maria so you could wipe your eyes with the tissue Mav handed you. "You can go first."

You handed the tissue to Maria, and Bradley took both of your hands and pulled you closer to him until your body was skimming his. He reached up and ran his thumb across your cheek, and your eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds. 

"Baby Girl. It's obvious to anyone who knows me that I was alone for a really long time," he told you, and you felt like it was just the two of you, having a conversation. "I made it my lifestyle, my personality for almost two decades. It was so much a part of my identity that I couldn't even recognize that I wasn't just alone, I was also lonely."

He took a deep breath and touched your lip before returning his hand to yours. "I never thought I could have the life I have now, because I didn't appreciate what I was missing out on. And then I met you... and holy shit, Sweetheart," he sighed, kissing your forehead. "I knew immediately that there was something there for me. Something different. Something important that I needed to pay attention to. I was in love with you before our first date. It was devastating. I had no idea what to do about it. What if you didn't love me back ever? What was I going to do then? How did people deal with this wonderful and horrible feeling? The fact that you said 'I love you' first? Baby Girl, that showed some real restraint on my part."

You laughed at the look of concern on his face, and then he was smiling at you like he always did. Like he'd never seen anything as wonderful as you. "You want to know what's kind of crazy?" he asked, and you saw Nat crying silently out of the corner of your eye. "It feels like I must have known you my whole life. When I count our relationship by months or years, it feels incorrect. It should be longer than that. It feels longer than that. Because you make every day feel full now. I wake up with a purpose, and I go to sleep with a purpose, and that purpose is you, Baby Girl."

It was getting hard to look at him through the tears in your eyes, and you thought you would get a headache if you kept smiling this much, but he continued. 

"I get to spend my hours with you or thinking about you. I get to fill up every minute making plans with you. Every minute is made up of seconds where I get to hear your voice and listen to your ideas. And you're so smart and it's crazy that you love my back, because you make every day now worth those decades of feeling like I didn't deserve more.

"So this is my promise to you....my wedding vow. Baby Girl, I will try to make all of your years and days and hours and minutes and seconds as perfect as you make mine. I want to fill up all of that time with my love. I will try to make every second count, but I also know that all the time in this world still won't be enough with you, Sweetheart. But I'm going to enjoy every single moment that I have."

You were crying softly as you buried your face in the collar of his floral print shirt and breathed him in. He held you tight against him as he whispered, "I love you so much," next to your ear and kissed you there. 

When you finally looked up at him, he kissed your lips as you said, "You made me cry, and now I have to say my vows." With a soft smile he ran his fingers across your cheeks to clear away your tears, and you took a deep breath. "Roo. On our first date, I asked you to tell me something embarrassing about yourself."

His eyes went a little wide. "Please don't make me say it here." 

You laughed at him and shook your head. "I won't. But when I asked you that night, you told me! And it was funny and charming, and I thought you were adorable. And then you let me keep asking you for more. I wanted to learn everything about you. I still do. Because you make it easy. You never make me feel like I'm bugging you. You always make me feel like you have time to talk to me. And you have always been honest with me, telling me I can ask you anything." 

Bradley nodded and whispered, "I love talking to you." 

You kissed his lips and then continued. "You're the most open and honest person I have ever met. I always know where I stand with you. Do you know how good that makes me feel? To always be someone's highest priority? To always be your highest priority? And you always let me know your expectations. Of course, that means I knew you intended to reach our wedding day after we'd been dating for approximately two weeks." Bradley laughed as he swiped some tears from his eyes, and you were a little started to hear your friends and family laughing as well; everyone else had drifted into the back of your mind as you focused on Bradley.

"Roo, I'd rather have that kind of transparency with you than anything else with anyone else. You make me feel like it's okay to be myself. And I believe you when you tell me something. And I love that you trust me, too."

"I do, Sweetheart," he promised. "I'd trust you with my life," he said, his voice catching on the last word as released your left hand to wipe away more tears.

You took a deep breath before saying, "I can't wait to keep learning all of the little intricacies about what makes you tick. Because for someone who has been through so much in such a short amount of time, you are a fighter when you need to be. But you never make me fight for the things I deserve. Like your love, and your patience, and your honesty. You love me so much," you whispered as Bradley covered his eyes as his shoulders shook. "You protect me, and I protect you. Because you're right, all of our minutes and hours spent walking Tramp or making dinner or just having a lazy day...they are so important, because you're with me." You voice was quiet and shaky as you took a deep breath while Bradley met your eyes with his tear filled ones. 

"So, Roo, I vow to be as open and forthcoming as you are. But that's not going to be easy, since you're amazing at it, but I'll try. Because you're it for me, Bradley Bradshaw."

Bradley took your face in both of his hands and looked at you in awe. "How can you love me that much?" he asked you, his voice rough with unshed tears.

You reached up and stroked his wrists softly as he held you. "You make it so easy, Bradley." Then his lips were on your forehead and then your nose before they found yours. He kissed you so sweetly as his hands gently went to the back of your neck.

Maverick cleared his throat, and you jumped a few inches as Bradley pulled back from the kiss. 

"We haven't even gotten to the kissing part yet," he said, wiping tears from his own eyes.

"Well then hurry up," Bradley told him, letting his hands slide down between your neck and the veil and along your body until he was holding your hands once again.

"Yeah, okay," Maverick agreed, and you turned to find everyone was smiling and wiping tears from their eyes. Nat was dabbing her face with Coyote's shirt and your parents were holding each other. "Do you have rings to exchange?"

"Yes," Bradley replied as he reached in his pocket and then held out his palm with both wedding bands. You carefully took his ring between your thumb and index finger with a smile. 

"You can go ahead and put the rings on each other's fingers," Maverick said, and Bradley went first. The way the gold band matched up with your engagement ring had more tears coming to your eyes. "Would you like to say anything else?" Maverick asked.

Bradley softly kissed your finger where both rings were, and he told you, "I love you. I love my wife."

You smiled and slipped his ring on his hand as you told him. "I love my husband!"

Maverick rubbed his hands together and said, "Somehow the state of California has made me legally allowed to say this: I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss!"

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

Bradley reached for you so fast, wrapping his hands around your waist to settle low on your back. The veil his mom wore the day she married his dad was skimming his fingers as he pulled you closer. Your eyes were wide and trusting, your lips parted in the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. The remainder of the tears you had shed while Bradley poured his love into his wedding vows to you were dry on your cheeks, and he was about to make you his wife.

"Somehow the state of California has made me legally allowed to say this: I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss!"

Bradley kissed you as your palms rested on his chest before wrapping around his neck. He kissed you long and hard as everyone cheered and hollered, and when he broke the kiss because you were both smiling too much, you chased his lips for more. You pulled him close again as your fingers skimmed through his hair. So he kissed you until you were both laughing, and he held you close to his side as you turned to face everyone. Your head came to rest on his shoulder, and he kissed your forehead. 

Bradley was vaguely aware of the photographer and the fact that the catering van was now running over the orange cones that Nat and Jake had previously decimated. He could feel Nat reaching up to kiss his cheek, and he watched your parents both give you a hug. But he never stopped touching you. His perfect wife.

You were holding your flowers again, and every couple seconds, you reached up, bumping him with the bouquet before giving him a kiss. This had been the perfect day for the secret parking lot wedding of Bradley's dreams. And somehow as the sun fell low on the horizon, you looked even more beautiful to him. 

"I can't stop smiling, Roo," you told him, hitting his cheek again with the yellow and red flowers as you leaned up to kiss him. 

"This has been the best day of my life, and it's not even over yet." Bradley ran his thumb over his wedding band as you wrapped your arms around him. "You're my wife. You're my fucking wife, Baby Girl!" You laughed against him as he announced to everyone gathered in the parking spot, "I can't believe she married me!"

"Neither can we!" Nat replied, and Bradley let everyone's hugs and words of congratulations wash over him as you held him in your arms. 

Bradley watched the caterers start to carry coolers and trays of food down the rocks to the beach as if they did this every day. You had your fingers laced through his as you hugged Jake with your free arm. Bradley watched as he kissed your cheek and whispered something to you that made you laugh, and then Jake was patting him on the shoulder. 

"Congratulations, Bradshaw," he drawled with a smirk. "I gotta say, I never thought I'd be so happy to have a girl choose you over me, but here we are."

"If she's too good for me, then she's way too good for you," Bradley replied with a laugh. Then he pulled you into his arms as Jake started to help your mom down the rocks to the sandy beach below the parking lot.

As everyone was heading down along with the caterers, leaving you mostly alone, Bradley pulled you in for another kiss. "I can't get enough of you, Mrs. Bradshaw," he whispered, running his hands all over you. "God, you look incredible."

You moaned softly into his mouth, and he pushed you gently against the passenger door of the Bronco. "You like my wedding dress?" you asked between kisses.

"You look like a fucking goddess, Baby Girl. I can't believe you're mine."

Your fingers trailed along the buttons of his newest Hawaiian print shirt as he kissed your neck and let his hand drift down to the slit in your dress. When his palm came to rest against your bare thigh, you sighed. "I'm all yours, Roo."

"Let's go home," he suggested, only half joking. "Get a jump start on the night?"

You laughed as he rubbed his mustache along your neck. "No way. I want my confetti cake and the little bottles of pink champagne," you told him as his hand wrapped around to the back of your thigh. "But after that...I see no reason why we can't go home. Now help me change out of these shoes."

Bradley helped you climb up into the passenger seat, and he started to untie the ribbons that wound up your calves. "These are pretty," he grunted, gently running his hands down your legs as he took your shoes off for you. "Will you put them back on for me later?"

"Will you actually take five minutes to help me lace them back up my legs just so you can fuck me in them?" you asked him sweetly, and he groaned.

"Well, maybe not for round one, Sweetheart, but for round two or three, yes."

Your eyes went wide. "How late are we staying up tonight?"

He scoffed. "We only get one wedding night."

After he retrieved your flat shoes from the backseat of your car, Bradley helped you slip them on. But instead of climbing out of the Bronco when he reached for you, he felt you pull him in closer. 

"What does this remind you of, Roo?" You ran your fingers over the scars on his neck and cheek before pushing your fingers up into his hair. Then you pulled him closer and closer until you pressed your lips against his. Bradley drew little circles along your waist through your dress with his thumbs, and he parted your lips with his and tasted your tongue. 

You moaned softly into his mouth as he trailed his lips across your jaw, whispering, "Our first kiss, Baby Girl. Right in this parking spot."

"Mmm," you hummed as he kissed your neck. "It was the next parking spot over, but it doesn't matter, Roo." He kissed along the tops of your breasts, as you whispered, "We did it. We pulled off the secret parking lot wedding. You're my husband."

He wrapped his hand around your waist and kissed you hard. "Let's get down there, Baby Girl. The sooner we finish celebrating here, the sooner I can celebrate with my wife at home."

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

THEY ARE MARRIED! THEY DID IT! BRADLEY AND BABY GIRL BRADSHAW! Thanks for reading, whether you've been here since the beginning or joined somewhere along the way. I really appreciate you. Next chapter is the beach reception and the wedding night. Thank you @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls for helping me every step along the way.

PART 21

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Starting over | Part 19

Materlist

Summary: The pilots are finally on their way back home. Y/n can't wait to finally have Bradley and Jake back for good. But a looming shadow is out there to destroy everything, to destroy her.

Trigger warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, attempt SA, violence against women, blood, injuries, throwing up, language

A/N: This chapter is really heavy, please read the warnings!!! Thanks for the support :)

Word Count:4.2k +

Two weeks. It is Monday and Bradley and Jake are gone for two weeks now. Both aviators dearly miss their girlfriend and with not being able to contact her in any way their yearning increased every day they stayed on the carrier. But to be honest, at least they have themselves. Y/n on the other hand was alone. Okay, not really alone, she has Bob and Javy back home but Hangman and Rooster suppose that her nights alone must have been really lonely for the young woman. They just hope that everything is okay back home, that their girlfriend his healthy, physically as well as mentally.

"Lieutenant Commanders, take a seat!" The Commander of the aircraft carrier sits at his small desk in the belly of the big Navy ship.

"First of all I want to thank you for your good work the last two weeks. As you know we are on our way back to the mainland which means that you will leave us." The Commander tells them. They already know that their deployment is finally over and that they will be back home in the next hours. Thank God. Both aviators can't wait to see their girl shortly.

After the last meeting with the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier they start to pack their bags and literally count the last hours on the cramped ship.

---

To say Monday started crazy was an understatement. The whole datacenter of the Navy base had failed and y/n tried her best to keep the damage at bay. She had countless phone calls with It-support members of other Navy bases but even in the late afternoon she knows that she has to stay much longer to get everything back on track.

"You're still here, sunshine?! What happened to make it a short Monday?" Bob says when he steps into her office. He just ended the flight training with Javy and the recruits and had a short talk with Mav. Fortunately the older man told him that he banned Welsh from the base and gave him an arduous task to do at home. Evaluating flight data is the perfect assignment to do from home and to make it even harder to take for Welsh, Mav called him numerous times during the day to check how much he really worked at home. He just hoped he can keep up the charade until the Admiral is back in some days.

"Hey Bobby. What can I say, I wanted to stick to the plan, but then the whole datacenter broke down. I'm still trying to save some lost data. Probably until midnight…" Y/n says with an exhausted sigh. She was more than tired but she can't just leave for the night when she knows that her task is not finished yet.

"Ehm…did you hear something from Jake and Bradley? I mean, did Maverick tell you something?" The young woman looks up from her computer and into the warm eyes of her aviator friend.

"Hey. What's that sad look, sunshine. It's already two weeks. They will be back soon, believe me. Mav just mentioned that there was no message that their deployment will be extended. So I guess you will hear from them in the next days." Bob tries to reassure her. Unfortunately the pilots were not able to contact their friends and family back home to tell them they're on their way back, so it will probably be a huge surprise when they step into the base tomorrow.

"Okay, that's good news, isn't it? They will not be away for more weeks?" Y/n asks hesitantly. She doesn't want to come across too desperate but after the Welsh disaster she is more than ready for her boyfriends to be back home. The feeling of being unsafe and watched just increased over the last days even when she stayed the weekend with Robert.

Bob takes a step around y/n's desk and squeezes her shoulder softly. "No, in that case the Commander of the carrier would've messaged Mav or the Admiral. After all we are short staffed because Nat, Rooster and Hangman are away."

---

Bob left shortly after y/n reassured him that he can leave her alone. She doesn't want keep him any longer at base and she drove herself to work so there's no reason for Bob to stay any longer at work than necessary. Of course she has a bad feeling in the back of her mind but she tries to keep her panic and bad feelings at bay. She is a grown woman, she has to stay strong for God's sake.

The vibration of her mobile which lays beside her on her desk makes her flinch. The last days she didn't receive any anonymous messages but the bad feeling lingers still in her mind. She hesitantly grabs her phone but lets out a sigh of relief when she sees the sender of the message:

Pete Mitchell: Hello y/n, I hope you're already at home and not still at base. Please don't stress yourself over the lost data… Well I have good news, I just got an Email from the Commanding Officer of the USS Harry Truman and told me, that Rooster, Hangman and Phoenix will be back home tomorrow.

She can't believe her eyes and read the text more than three times. Jake and Bradley are coming back tomorrow?

Y/n: Hello Mav, thank you so much. That are really good news. And yes I'm still at base but I'm almost finished with saving the data.

Pete Mitchell: Y/n, please go home. We don't want you overworked or getting sick from the stress. Please go home!

Y/n: Yes Sir! Thank you for the good news. See you tomorrow. Tell Penny I say 'hi'!

Pete Mitchell: Of course. Good night!

They're really coming back. A warm feeling is spreading through her body. The painful feeling of loneliness and missing her boys is finally over. The young woman decides to call it a night to be somewhat rested when Jake and Bradley come back tomorrow. She can't help herself but imagine finally sleeping with them in one of their beds again. Their warm bodies caging her in a blanket of love and warmth. Y/n smiled to herself as she starts to pack her bag and shutting off her computer for the day when a loud bang startles her.

She knows this noise, it's the metal door of the back entrance of the office building. She absolutely hates it when someone bangs the heavy door it always startles her when she's deep in thought during work. But now it's different. It's too late for someone being at the office building, Mav, Javy and Bob are already at home and the Admiral is still at the conference. Her heart starts to beat a bit faster when she thinks about the person who enters the office building that late in the evening. Could it be a recruit who forgot something and just came back? Or it's Bob looking after her and wants to give her a lecture that she's still at work. Y/n hurries and shoves all her stuff in her bag but she lets out a shriek when her office door suddenly opens with a bang, hitting the wall.

Her eyes widen in surprise and fear.

"Hello, darling. I knew you would be here when I checked your home and this pile of junk of a car was not there" The man kicks the door shut and steps closer to her. Y/n stands behind her desk frozen in shock. What is he doing here? He is not supposed to be here.

"Cat got your tongue? You're getting ruder, darling. Not talking to me… bawling your eyes out and playing the damsel in distress for Maverick… You know what happened?"

Welsh rounds the desk, making y/n back away but there's no way she can go, her back is nearly at the wall behind her. The young woman's body starts to shake, she feels like a small animal cornered by her biggest enemy. She looks at the ground not daring to look the man in front her in the eyes.

"ANSWER ME!" Daniel screams and now stands so close to y/n, nearly toe to toe, making her jump. Big hands are shoving her shoulders, her back hitting the wall painfully behind her. Fortunately she can prevent her head from making contact with the wall. She needs a clear head, she needs to form a plan to escape before the man in front of her escalates further. Y/n knows that she has to look up and talk to him. Her ex always escalated when she stayed silent and didn't look at him. She slowly lifts her head. An ugly smile is spreading on Welsh's face when her gaze lands on his face. She can feel her whole body shaking like the temperature fell under the freezing point. The man takes another step closer if this is even possible and grabs y/n's chin painfully in one of his hands, squeezing and lifting her face further. His face is so close to hers that she can smell and feel his hot breath.

"Please…" An almost inaudible plea tumbles out of her mouth. She pinches her eyes shut. This has to be a dream. Maybe she fell asleep at her desk or even at home in one of the boys' beds. This can't be happening to her, not again.

"Oh she actually can talk." Welsh laughs into her face his tight grip on her face never loosening. "So, I like my women polite and 'please' is just the right start."

A tear is making down the way over her cheek. Y/n feels the blood rushing in her ears and her heart painfully hammering in her ribcage. Her body is in escape mode. She needs to flight out of this situation but she feels like she's glued to the spot. Where could she even go? The bigger man in front of her has her in an iron grip and is blocking her way with his whole body caging her against the wall behind her.

"Darling, why the crocodile tears? I know you want it just as much…" He licks over her right cheek, tasting her salty tear.

With all her strength she tries to shove Welsh away from her. Bile is creeping up her throat after she felt his tongue licking over her cheek. She catches him by surprise when she pushes him away and he stumbles a step backwards. But before she can make a beeline to escape his looming shadow he pushes her forcefully against the wall. This time she has no chance to catch herself and her head bangs painfully against the wall, leaving her dazed and with a ringing in her ears. Before she can get her bearings back a big hand is squeezing her throat and keeping her once more in place.

"Always playing hard to get, but at home you're fucking two Navy men." He squeezes a bit harder, his rage clearly audible in his voice. Y/n struggles for breath, scratching at the man's hands which have her in a bruising grasp. So he clearly knows that she is in a relationship with Jake and Bradley. But y/n couldn't care less, in that moment she just tries to fight for her life. When her eyes start to roll back into her head due to oxygen deprivation Welsh loosens his tight grip he has around her throat.

"Oh no, darling. We are not going to sleep." And with a hard slap to her face he brings her back to reality. Her head flies to the side and she instantly feels her cheek bruising and her head ringing. The taste of iron is spreading in her mouth. His loosening hand makes her sputter for air. With painful gasps she tries to get as much oxygen in her lungs. She is not a stranger to pain and no stranger to these situations. The huge amount of pain she already has endured is enough to fill more than only one life. Here she is again, at the hands of a monster with no way to escape.

"You really have a thing for pilots, don't you? But these cowards you have at home… now you have a real man here. Did they fuck you here at base? I bet not…" Welsh grabs her painfully strong at her shoulders to maneuver her to her desk but y/n kicks out her legs and smashes her smaller fists into his chest.

"You fucking bitch…" The man gets more furious with the woman fighting back. He tosses her smaller body with so much force that her forehead ends up on the wooden desk with a loud crack and she stays face down on the furniture she worked at only minutes ago. The already lingering pain in her head only increasing with the huge force her head cracked on the wood. A small puddle of blood is already forming under her head. It feels like her head is on fire shrouded in blanket of painful fog. A loud cry is piercing through her office when she feels Welsh's fist connecting to her lower back. She must've blacked out from the pain in her kidney where his punch was placed strategically. He grabs a fistful of her hair when he bends over the small woman laying on the hardwood desk, whispering into her right ear. "I prefer sluts like you six feet under, but I'm really happy that Michael was too dumb to finish what he started. I think you have potential to become a good little pet." His hot breath makes her shudder.

He knows everything of her, he knows her past, her pain and her traumas. And he's using it against her now. His words make her head spin even more and she closes her eyes to ease the severe dizziness. She's sure that she has a concussion and now and also some damage to her lower back and at worst to her damaged kidney too. With a sudden shove he flips y/n on her back and his hand is instantly back around her throat keeping her in place. The young woman is almost certain that she's not going to survive this evening. She sees the pure rage and hate in the eyes of the man towering above her, holding her in the laying position on her desk.

Welsh is satisfied when he sees the blood dripping down y/n's face and her bruised cheek where he slapped her earlier. 

"You know y/n y/ln, the first time I saw your cute ass and beautiful face I just knew that you were a slut." Welsh steps between her legs. With all her strength the woman tries to shut her legs but still dazed and oxygen deprived she can't seem to have the slightest chance against the evil man.

"Such a good body…" Daniel loosens his grip around her throat making her sputter again for air. His hands wander down her body, stroking over arms. The hot touch of his big hands make her shudder. It's nothing compared to the loving touch of her two boyfriends. His touch feels dangerous, painful and absolutely disgusting. His hands stroking up and down her shaking arms, he clearly enjoys y/n's desperate look and the tears streaming down her face. He grabs the collar of her white blouse and with one forceful pull he ribs it open, exposing her heaving chest.

"STOP!" Y/n screams and tries to punch the man with her fist. She can catch him in his face with her fist but unfortunately not strong enough to cause any damage.

Her attempt to fight him makes him only more furious and another hard slap lands on her already bruised face, this time catching her higher near her eye.

"You fucking bitch…" His other fist lands a painful punch on her side. She is sure he cracked some of her ribs. Gasping for breath and whimpering y/n whishes Michael had killed her years ago but images of her boyfriends come to her mind. The countless happy moments, their warm embraces, their strong but not dangerous holds they had on her during the night. She needs to fight. She needs to fight to come back to them. She doesn't want to be a victim and sure as hell she doesn't want Welsh to kill her.

With one of her hands she searches for the heavy paperweight she has on her desk. Jake and Bradley gave it to her last year for her birthday. It's shaped like a plane and made of bronze. Both were so proud that they found that useless thing on a junk market. Her fingertips touch the cold metal figure but she is not close enough to grab it and bring it into her hand. When she hears a zipper being pulled down she looks up and sees Welsh opening his trousers. It's now or never. She stretches her arm a bit ignoring the pain in her back and her ribcage where her ribs are probably broken. But it's still not enough to embrace her chosen weapon with her small hand. With another glimpse at the man towering over her she sees him distracted, fumbling with his crotch and his briefs. She has to act fast otherwise he steals the last spark of dignity from her. With a sudden move she raises one of her legs and kicks as hard as she can, hitting Welsh directly into his crotch. With a loud scream he scrambles back. Distracted from the pain in his private parts y/n is finally able to get the paperweight from her desk. In a daze, like she's observing the whole scenario like a bystander, she pushes herself up from her laying position on her desk and smashes the bronze figure on Daniel's head. With a loud thud he falls to the ground, his hands still holding his crotch. Y/n is out of breath, her lungs painfully squeezing themselves but she has no time to catch her breath she needs to run. She can't wait for Welsh to come to and grabbing her again. The young woman holds her hand to her broken ribs and with her other hand she fists her bag and stumbles in the direction of the closed office door.

---

 The drive home in Bradley's Bronco was a blur for y/n. She doesn't even know how she got to the parking lot and when she recognizes the driveway of their shared home it's more than a miracle that she was really able to get there without crashing the car. The Bronco comes to an abrupt stop, standing in y/n's beloved rose bed in their front yard with one tire. During the whole drive she didn't seem to feel the majority of the pain but now stumbling out of then car she cries out when she strains her back too much. Welsh punched her really heavy into her damaged kidney and now she's certain that at least some of her ribs are broken. Breathing is getting more difficult and her heart doesn't seem to stop racing when she fumbles with the keys to unlock the front door. Tears are blurring her vision, the concussion is making her head swim more and the dizziness makes it nearly impossible to take a steady step into the house when she's finally able to open the door. After locking the door behind her she stumbles into her bedroom, not bothering to turn on the light. It's already dark outside but y/n has no idea what time it is. For how long did Welsh assaulted her? Minutes, hours? Is it still evening or already night? The clock on her night table reads 11:56 pm but the whites spots dancing in front of her eyes make it impossible for her to see properly. Her hands are still shaking badly but she manages to lock her bedroom door. Too afraid that Welsh is looking for her and tries to break into their house. She stumbles further into her bedroom but on the way to her bathroom her knees give out and with a painful thud she falls to the floor. A heart wrenching sob escapes her throat. She still feels Welsh's hands chocking her until she was on the verge of unconsciousness, his hot disgusting touch roaming over her arms before he ripped her blouse. She feels the nausea coming back. Y/n knows she needs to throw up in the next minutes so she crawls the rest of the way into her bathroom and finally empties her stomach into the toilet in front of her. The heaves are painful and it feels like it's ripping her broken ribs apart further. Her heartbeat is painfully hammering in her head.

With a shaking hand she wipes the cold sweat from her forehead. A searing pain makes her hand withdrawal from her head and another loud sob is heard in the bathroom when she sees her bloody hand coming back from her forehead. She's bleeding. Y/n remembers now how hard she banged her head on her desk when Welsh pushed her forcefully. In trance she looks at her trembling bloody hand, pictures of the recent abuse of the evil navy pilot dancing in front of her eyes, tears falling into her lap. Her gaze lands on her ripped blouse and despite the shock she has another reality sinking in: He tried to rape her. He ripped her blouse, he was ready to hurt her further, he already pulled his zipper down, ready to attack.

No longer strong enough to hold her aching body up she lets herself sink onto the cold tiles of the bathroom, weeping breathlessly. The cold tiles which are pressing against her cheek are soothing the pain she feels in her head.

---

Y/n doesn't know how she rested on the cold floor, neither does she know if she passed out or just fell asleep out of exhaustion. She slowly blinks her eyes open and is instantly greeted with pain. Her whole body feels like she is on fire, burning from the inside. She once more is aware of the blood on her hands and her chest. Her head wound must've bled more when she was unconscious.

Y/n sheds her ripped blouse from her shoulders, getting rid of one of the evidences that what happened to her earlier wasn't a painful dream. She looks down at her upper body. Huge hand shaped bruises littering her shoulders and arms. She still feels his disgusting touch so she crawls over to her shower and tries to get into a standing position. The young woman wants to wash away his touch, her blood, she wants to wash away the whole attack.

"J-Jake…Braad…" she whispers to no one. She knows that she needs help, probably medical attention. Y/n needs her boyfriends.

On shaky legs she stumbles into the shower and turns on the water before she slumps down again in too much agony to stay standing any longer. The warm spray of water soothing her tense muscles but the pain stays in her body like a bad omen. When the spray finally hits her head the water is slowly turning crimson, washing away some of the remains of the recent events.

Y/n stays in the shower until the water is slowly turning cold and she starts to shake violently, now from the ice cold water and not only from the shock of the events.

When she finally succeeds to turn off the spray of water she crawls out of the wet shower and wraps herself into her fluffy towel as best as she can.

There she is, laying on the floor shaking like a leaf in her wet underwear in only a towel, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

---

"Bobby!" Phoenix squeals when she sees her friend in the distance.

"Hey, you're finally home." Robert embraces Nat into a tight hug. Since they're all permanent at the base stationed and instructors for new Navy pilots the Dagger Squad are a very tight knit group and these last two weeks separated once more showed them all how dearly they miss their friends when being apart.

"I wouldn't call this shithole home, Bob." Bradley grumbles but pats Bob's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Oh come on. This base is homey, the carrier was a shit hole." Nat laughs at Rooster's bad mood and she knows for certain who pissed in his cereals. He wants nothing more than to see y/n and is more than pissed that the trip home took them a bit longer due to bad weather.

Jake squeezes the shoulder of his partner in a reassuring manner. He also can't wait to see y/n, to kiss and hug her as tight as possible.

"Come on Rooster. Let's surprise y/n. She's in her office isn't she?" The blonde aviator asks Bob when all four of them make their way towards the office building.

"I think so, it's…" Robert looks at his watch, "…already 0930. Didn't have the chance to see her today. The crabs were eating our nerves today. You owe us, me and Javy." The younger man chuckles.

@djs8891

@darksparklesficrecs

@nerdgirljen

@abaker74

@crazyunsexycool

@itsarabellebabes

@lyn-js

[captainsophiestark]

Bird Strike

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for my Year of Olympians and part of a bigger challenge being run by @yearofcreation2023​ which I’m finally catching back up on! It features a ton of other awesome creators and runs all year, so go check it out!

Fandom: Top Gun

Prompt: Apollo; light, the sun, truth, inspiration, medicine, healing

Summary: A bird strikes brings Hangman down and leads to confessions from him and Rooster's sister.

Word Count: 1,825

Category: Angst, Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Alright, you're all good Bob. Just take it easy on your wrist for a little while, and you should heal up just fine."

"Thanks," said Bob, giving me a smile as he hopped off my exam table. Life was never boring as Top Gun's chief medical officer, but thankfully today I hadn't had to deal with any serious injuries. Just a slightly sprained wrist from a little too much dog fight football.

"Sure thing." I headed for the door with Bob, since I didn't have anyone else waiting for medical attention. Jake Seresin, the most arrogant pilot at Top Gun (except maybe Mav), was currently up flying, and since I didn't have any pressing work to attend to I wanted to listen in on how he was doing.

"Hey!" Bradley, my older brother, waved as soon as he saw me and Bob enter the room. A few aviators were gathered around, listening to the comms between pilots still in the air. "You missed my run."

"Oh no, I'm so sad. How will I ever recover?"

Bradley just rolled his eyes at me as I sidled up next to him beside the radio. I could hear Jake's voice, strategizing with his wingman and tracking the instructor's positions. I tuned in, imagining I could see his plane as it flew across the sky.

"So you're in here listening carefully to the radio for Seresin but not your brother?"

"Shut up," I said, shoving him back much harder than necessary. I wasn't sure if he knew that he'd found some truth in terms of my feelings for Jake, but I never wanted him to know. "I heal injuries for a living, and I'm just as skilled at causing injuries."

"Don't you have some kind of oath to do no harm?"

"You're my exception."

I gave him a fake sweet smile as he narrowed his eyes at me. He opened his mouth, probably to make a bad attempt at a comeback, but he stopped short at the sounds of distress coming from the radio.

"Hangman, watch out!"

"Bird strike, bird strike!"

My heart stopped in my chest. The room went dead silent, everyone freezing and all conversation coming to a stop as we listened to the radio.

"Hangman to Tower, Hangman to Tower. I need to come in for an immediate emergency landing."

"Copy. Just stay calm, we've got the runway open for you."

"Alright. I'm coming around."

The silence stretched on, hanging over the room like a heavy blanket. I twisted my fingers, fidgeting, trying to dispel the nervous energy. He was going to be fine. He had to be.

I saw Bradley glancing at me out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him. I kept my eyes and attention glued on the radio. I wasn't sure if I wanted the silence to end or not, but I didn't get a choice as the radio crackled to life again.

"Tower, it's no good, I'm losing speed and altitude too fast. I'm gonna have to eject."

I felt like I'd been hit by a train. Wordlessly, I reached out one hand, and Bradley quickly took it. He stood tall and strong beside me, his face clouded while my world spiraled out of control. This could not be happening.

"He's gonna be fine," Bradley muttered. I barely heard him. It sounded like we were underwater, and the room had started to spin.

Bradley and I had lost our dad this way, when the canopy to his fighter jet didn't detach the way it was supposed to. We'd both been pretty young, but I swear I remembered every awful moment of our mother coming to break the news, of Mav explaining just what had happened and how sorry he was with tears in his eyes. When Bradley had decided to follow our dad's path into becoming a pilot, my number one nightmare had been losing him the same way. Now I might be forced to live that reality with Jake instead.

The silence stretched on as Bradley and I stood, shoulder to shoulder, waiting with everyone else in the room. A moment later, I heard Mav's voice over the radio.

"Canopy looked good and I saw a chute."

Mav continued to call out his position for Jake's recovery team, but I barely heard it as relief crashed like a wave through my ears. I wouldn't be completely relieved until he walked through the door, but at least it sounded like he was going to be just fine.

"It's okay," Bradley muttered, pulling me into a quick hug and mumbling into my hair. "It's okay."

I nodded, still feeling a little shaky as I gave him a quick hug before pulling back.

"I need to get to my exam room. Even if he's perfectly healthy, he's gonna need a checkup to make sure nothing's wrong."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to force myself to calm down a little. I shook my head.

"That's alright. I'm okay."

Bradley didn't look totally convinced, but I managed to shake him anyway with a promise to call him if I needed him. I focused on taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself down for the walk back to my exam room. It sort of worked, although I literally paced the room waiting for Jake to be brought in. When I finally heard shuffling outside the door, I quickly crossed the room and flung it open.

"I told you, I'm fine!"

Jake stood in the hallway on his own two feet, wrestling with one of the men who'd brought him in. The guy didn't budge despite Jake's protest, but I decided to step in before things could escalate.

"Jake, get in the exam room."

His head snapped up to face me, but despite his momentary surprise, he didn't back down.

"I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told them, I'm fine. I don't need an exam-"

"You ejected from your plane. You might be walking, but that's no grantee you don't have an injury just waiting to show itself once the adrenaline fades. So come on. The less you fight it, the sooner you can leave and go do whatever it is you want to do so badly."

He fixed me with a look, but I just crossed my arms and stared right back. Finally, once he realized I wasn't going to back down, he sighed.

"Fine. But if I miss somebody shooting Maverick down, I'm gonna be pissed."

I resisted the urge to reply as Jake walked past me, and I followed him into the exam room. My brain still didn't completely believe he was sitting here, in front of me, apparently completely healthy. The adrenaline dump made my hands shake a little as I checked Jake's heartrate and went through a few more basic checks.

"Are you sure you don't feel any pain?" I asked while I worked. I'd already asked him twice before, but I wanted to keep checking in case his answer changed, especially as any potential shock wore off.

"For the third time, yes. Quit hovering already."

I stepped back, hands on my hips as I fixed Jake with a look. He seemed to be perfectly happy and relaxed in the wake of his dangerous adventure, but I was still wrestling with the thought that my worst nightmare almost came true, so I wasn't in the mood to be gentle.

"Jake, it is my job to check you out and make sure you're not injured with something that's going to come back to bite you the second you're out the door. So sit still, stop complaining, and let me do my job!"

"...Since when do you care so much?"

"Excuse me?"

"Not about your job, but... about me. You seem like you care a lot. I thought you hated me for all the shit I give your brother."

I sighed. "No. I mean, sure, sometimes it's annoying and sometimes it's a little over the line, but... no. I don't hate you, Jake."

He didn't really respond, which left me to finish my exam without resistance. Thankfully, he was perfectly healthy, not a scratch on him. Still, that didn't stop my hands from shaking as I lowered my stethoscope. I started to pull away, but Jake caught my hand and stopped me.

"Hey, you're shaking." I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. I'd done so well hiding it until now. "What's wrong?"

I opened my eyes to find Jake staring at me, his bright blue eyes full of unusual concern. I sighed.

"You know mine and Bradley's history, Jake. I lost my dad to the same thing that landed you here today. I've spent every single day since Bradley joined the navy terrified that I would lose him the same way, and then when I heard you on the radio, dropping out of the sky and being forced to eject..." I took a deep breath, steeling myself, and then looking back at Jake. "I've had feelings for you for a little while now, Seresin, but when I heard that call? I just about had a heart attack at the thought of losing you."

Jake huffed a little, disbelieving laugh, then tugged me closer to him. My heart stuttered in my chest as Jake grinned.

"I've had feelings for you for a while now, too," he said. A smile pulled its way onto my face, but a moment later, Jake's expression sobered. "Although I have to warn you, sweetheart, if we do something about those feelings... you're not gonna be any less relaxed going about your day since I'm going to be up in the air all the time."

I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning in to rest my head against Jake's forehead. He still held my hand tight, giving it a little reassuring squeeze.

"I know," I finally said. "But... I'm willing to take that risk. It's worth it to me. And it's not like I wouldn't be worried about you anyway."

Jake pulled away, the grin firmly back in place as he looked at me. "I'm glad I'm worth it to you."

Without another word, he leaned back in, this time for a kiss that I'd thought about more than once (and apparently so had he). We stayed that way for a long time, savoring the moment and each other as my hands wandered over Jake's shoulders, reassuring myself that this was real. He was okay, and now we were both better than okay.

When we finally pulled apart, Jake still had that ridiculous cocky grin on his face as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tighter to his chest.

"Your brother is gonna hate this," he said gleefully. I just laughed and lightly smacked his chest. He was right, my brother was going to hate this, but Bradley would just have to deal with it. Now that I had Jake, I didn't plan to let him go any time soon.

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Top Gun Taglist: @elenavampire21

[worldofheroes]

Teach You a Lesson

pete “maverick” mitchell x fem!reader

summary: you and maverick continue to tease each other, and maverick finally does something about it.

warnings: 18+, language, unprotected sex

wc: 1.2k

a/n: based on this request! hope you enjoy.

“Jesus, Mav, get off of me,” you say over the comms, annoyed that you can’t shake him.

“I’ll get off of you when I’m done with you,” he tells you.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Scared?”

“Not at all,” you say, maneuvering your jet so you fall behind Maverick’s.

“Oh, you’re not getting on top,” Maverick says in almost a growl.

The unexpected change in demeanor makes you jerk your plane to the right.

“Shit!” you exclaim, trying to recover.

“You forgot about the private comms, didn’t you?” Maverick teases.

“I wasn’t expecting my instructor to talk like that,” you say over the private comms.

“Mm, well, I like it when you’re under me, so we’ll have to change that,” Maverick says, and his jet moves in a backwards leapfrog maneuver.

“Fuck, Mav, you can’t talk like that!”

You hear tone.

“Fuck you!” you exclaim over comms.

“Knock it off.”

You land your plane and go over the post-flight checklist when Maverick walks up to you.

“You’re a good pilot, y/c/s,” Maverick states.

You don’t say anything.

“I’ll see you inside.”

During the debrief, you can’t focus. Your thoughts are filled with Maverick, and you can’t help but check him out the entire time.

Every so often, Maverick will catch you and shoot you a look, warning you to stop. Of course, you don’t.

Maverick takes another glance at you, and you drop your eyes to his crotch and back up, biting your lip. Maverick immediately breaks eye contact and you can see him set his jaw, trying not to react to you. You’re having fun teasing him like this during class.

Maverick dismisses the class an hour later.

“Y/c/s,” Maverick calls out.

You turn. “Yes Captain?”

“I wanna talk about what happened up there.”

“Sure,” you say, walking to the front of the classroom.

Maverick leans against the podium.

“You don’t like to follow rules, do you?” Maverick asks.

“Funny question coming from you,” you retort.

“I know what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?” you ask, taking a step closer and running a hand up his arm.

Maverick clenches his jaw. “You can’t do this here.”

“I believe you started it.”

“Watch your attitude.”

You bite your lip, dropping your hand from his arm.

“Just be careful,” Maverick says, standing up straight.

He walks past you, but pauses beside you.

“Come to my place tonight, 8pm. Some… disciplinary action needs to be taken,” he whispers.

You cock your head. “Is that so?”

Maverick nods as he walks away from you.

You watch him leave the classroom, surprised by the interaction that just happened.

Sure, you had a crush on your instructor, but you never thought he would do anything… you never thought he would say the things he did to you or invite you over.

Later that night, you park about a block away from Maverick’s and walk there.

When you knock on the door, he opens it instantly, pulling you in and shutting the door.

“Not even a hi?” you ask.

“I don’t want anyone to see us,” Maverick peeks out the blinds.

“No one’s around, Mav, no one saw me.”

Maverick nods and turns his full attention to you.

“Those things you did today were not nice,” Maverick says as he walks up to you.

“Mm, I barely did anything,” you tell him.

Maverick pushes you against the wall.

“I need to teach you a lesson.”

Maverick pauses for just a moment before he kisses you. His hands desperately touch you as his kiss deteriorates into open mouth kisses on your jaw and neck.

“Mav,” you sigh, your hands running through his hair.

“You were very naughty during class today,” he says into your skin.

“I was just paying attention to my teacher.”

“I think you were daydreaming about me.”

“And if I was?”

“I guess I’m gonna make your dreams come true.”

Maverick returns to kissing your lips, and your hands wander his body, desperately learning every curve and muscle.

“Mm,” he hums. “I think we need to change location.”

“Where to, Captain?”

“I think you know where,” he whispers.

You melt against him as he guides you backwards to his bedroom.

He gently pushes you down on the bed, and he takes his shirt off. He helps you with yours.

Maverick’s eyes scan your body.

“What?” you ask him.

“Nothing,” he says. “You’re just so pretty.”

You feel your face get hot.

“But enough of this, we need to get to your lesson,” Maverick almost growls.

“Shit,” you moan, closing your eyes.

Maverick works at your pants, kissing across your lower abdomen.

He hums against your skin as he pushes your legs open.

Your panties still clothe you, but you’re afraid they’re embarrassingly wet.

Maverick kisses your inner thigh, lightly sucking at your skin.

“Mav,” you whine in anticipation.

You feel Maverick smile against you. He places a gentle kiss on the fabric of your panties.

You bite your lip.

Maverick roughly pulls your panties down, and immediately goes back in, licking your wet cunt.

“Mav!” you exclaim with pleasure.

He hums against you, as his tongue circles your clit. He presses a finger against your slit, then pushes it in, making you moan loudly.

He continues to work at you with his mouth, and you are squirming beneath his touch.

Just as you feel yourself building to that edge, he stops.

“Mav,” you complain.

“Not yet,” he says, sitting up.

You watch him as he takes his pants and boxers off. You bite your lip, anticipating what’s about to happen next.

“Flip over,” he practically orders you, and you comply.

He wraps his own hand around his cock, giving it a few strokes as he teases you with his tip, gathering your slick as lube.

Maverick pushes into you, and a loud moan escapes you.

“Are you going to continue to give me attitude?” he asks you as he moves his hips painfully slow.

“No, s-sir,” you stammer.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” you sigh. “Oh yes, Mav, please just fuck me.”

“You need to promise me you’ll be a good girl.”

“Yes, I promise I’ll be a good girl!”

Maverick starts thrusting, and the room fills with moans from both you and him.

It feels so good. Maverick is definitely an experienced lover, and it’s something you’ve never experienced before.

Maverick works faster and harder, the noise of your bodies slapping together getting louder. Your moans fill the air, and Maverick can’t contain himself. You feel and sound so good.

“Shit,” Maverick mumbles, pace slightly faltering.

“Mav, I need more… almost there…” you moan into the mattress.

He’s able to hold on a little longer, thrusting hard into you, continuing to make you feel good.

“Mav!” you cry out as your orgasm washes over you.

Maverick groans loudly as his cum spills into you. He places gentle kisses on your back as you both come down from your highs.

Maverick moves to lay beside you, opening his arms for you to snuggle into, which you do happily.

He wraps his arms around you and gently kisses your forehead.

“Did you learn your lesson?” he chuckles softly.

“I don’t think so, you might have to teach me it again,” you tease.

Maverick smiles. “You’re bad.”

“I’m not the one fucking my student.”

“I’m not the one who didn’t try to stop it.”

You laugh, and wiggle in his arms to get comfortable, closing your eyes and dozing off in his arms.

[aspideronmywall]

Goose....was not a very compatible RIO.

This has been an idea rattling around in my brain for a few months now. I feel it's an interesting concept. Goose being an aggressive, or demanding RIO. Wanting to push people to the limits of their flying, making Mav and Goose perfect for each other.

(Apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes I may have missed!)

A bulkhead was slammed shut, the metal achingly bouncing off of its frame. Nick Bradshaw was storming through the halls of the boat, his pilot quickly in toe.

"Goose, look I'm sorry-"

The large man had whipped around so fast that a rush of air grazed over the pilot's face.

"You're sorry? Sorry." Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. "We were going to die out there, die, Bellbottom." Nick took a deep breath to try and keep his composure..

Bellbottom, Nick's pilot tried to defend himself. "Look, I was only following the training.-"

"And you won't take any risks because you got that book shoved up your ass!" Nick shouted. his voice rang through the pingy hallway. "Because you won't fly fast enough, you won't take a tighter turn to get an edge on the enemy, I can't fly for you! My life is in your hands, what the hell are you going to do when your lack of some fucking kahunas gets me killed and makes my wife a widow, and my child fatherless huh?"

Bellbottom had shrunk against the wall by now, while Goose may have a slightly goofy exterior, the burning fire behind his eyes is felt through the intense stare that heats up his cheeks.

"We are lucky alert 5 made it in time..." Goose sighed, backing away from his pilot. "You're gonna have to find a new RIO... because I won't settle for a pilot who is incompetent."

Nick meandered his way to the mess hall, ever since he quit smoking, for caroles mental peace of mind, his new addiction was food, not that he didnt have a healthy appetite before, but stress eating became his new poison. The moment Nick sat down with a plate of food, his ears were drawn to an arguing pai of officers who had just walked past him.

"Jesus Christ Maverick, you aren't a stunt pilot, you're gonna get us killed out there!"

The short one, who Nick could only assume was Maverick, turned around, having to look up at his fellow officer.

"We were on alert five Ford, what was I supposed to do? Take a Sunday drive to an F-14 in the water with no MiGs in sight? we had to get there, and we had to handle it. End of story."

The taller of the two grabbed Mavericks arm.

"Listen here, kid. You're daddy may have been a hotshot pilot like you, but one way or another, that attitude is gonna get you, or someone near you killed, you just watch it happen. Find a new fucking RIO..."

After that insult to his father, maverick slumped into the seat across from Goose, with Maverick's back facing him. After Nick took his time chewing his food, he finally spoke up.

"You're Maverick?"

Maverick turned his head, and solemnly nodded. He swung his leg over the bench to face Nick. "Yeah, I'm Maverick alright, can't keep a damn RIO."

"And that's cause you fly too fast?" Nick questioned.

Maverick nodded his head, looking up at Nick.

There was a long pause between them, before Nick spoke again. "And I just got done yelling at my pilot for not flying fast enough."

[sarahsmi13s]

Told Them (pt 3)

pairing: jake ‘hangman’ seresin x wife!reader

characters: jake seresin, y/n seresin, grayson seresin, kennedy seresin, dagger squad, penny benjamin

warnings: third person pov, she/her pronouns used, domestic hangman, mentions of teen pregnancy, adoption, mentions of underage drinking, i believe that’s it

word count: ~3.6k

a/n: 3/3 (3/3) okay so I know i said this was supposed to be 3 parts but had i done this last part all at once it would have been unproportional: 3.4k (part 1), 2.9k (part 2) and then 9.4k (part 3)

soooo i broke part three up into 3 parts

lightly proof-read

part 3 summary: after nearly losing his son, jake decides to tell the team about his family and invites them to his home for a cookout

part 3.3 summary: as the night comes to a close, the daggers learn more about jake and y/n’s relationship

pt 1  pt 2  pt 3.1  pt 3.2

*****

It’d been a few hours since everyone had eaten and Reuben was currently chasing around Kennedy, finally catching her and flipping her upside down. “Got ya!” Kennedy squealed and laughed as she hung there.

“Her shirt is absolutely adorable. Where did you get it?” Penny asked, turning to Y/N with a smile. “It was actually mine my freshman year of high school and I just kept it around even after I grew out of it. My mom found a way to turn it into a kid’s shirt and asked if she could do it with that one for Kennedy. I knew I was never gonna wear it again, so she turned it into a kid’s shirt but left room to grow.”

“What does it say?” Beau asked, squinting a little trying to read it from a distance. “Hang-girl,” Y/N told him with a laugh. “It’s no secret that that girl loves her daddy.”

The group laughed as Jake sat up proudly at the statement his wife made.

Reuben jogged over and dramatically fell onto the deck. “I never thought I would be this tired from chasing a five year old.” Jake chuckled and sipped his beer, “Kennedy will do that to you. She’s chased chickens for a good portion of her life.”

Mav tilted his head, “Don’t you mean chase by chickens.” Jake shook his head, “No.” “Oh yeah, ever since she could walk she’d boss us around at practice and chase us around the track,” Grayson said. 

He tilted his head back, “Ain’t that right sister?” “Uh-huh!”

They watched her plop down in the grass and roll around. 

“Oh, sweet girl don’t-” “I think it’s a little late, Darlin’.” Y/N covered her mouth as she giggled, “Jake, she’s gonna get all itchy.” He laughed and pointed to his right, “We’ve got a hose.” “You’re ridiculous.”

The adults, and Grayson, talked a little more. Mostly family questions now, just getting to know each other a little better.

Y/N was snug under Jake’s arm. He’d place kisses to the part in her hair and she’d look up at him every time he spoke, him doing the same with her.

“So, I told the client that- Kennedy Hazel what do you have in your hand?” Y/N pointedly said to her daughter.

Jake’s eyes flashed to where his daughter was showing something to Grayson and Bradley. Everyone else tensed a little at the use of the child’s middle name.

The little girl’s eyes met her mother’s matching ones and a smile broke out on her face. 

“Come look at what I found Mama!” Y/N pushed off the wicker loveseat and went over to her daughter.

From where Jake and the rest of the squad were seated, they couldn’t see what was in her hands. Both had also reduced their voices to a whisper so they couldn’t hear either.

Then Y/N stood up and just walked over to Jake and sat back down. 

“Everything okay?” Jake asked his arm naturally falling around her again. Y/N nodded, “Yeah, it was just a really cool rock.” She sent a subtle wink to her son and Rooster. Kennedy giggled and climbed into Bradley’s lap.

“What was I saying?” “You were talking about some client that was rude,” Javy reminded. She snapped her fingers, “Yes, thank you.”

She sat up, talking with her hands, “No okay, so this lady really had the nerve to say I was trying to ‘seduce’ her boyfriend because I wore a dress to work. So I told her that she could watch me do his hair, and then we literally talked about how he wanted to propose to her. Shut her up real quick.”

Bob sat up, “Did she not know that you were married?” Y/N laughed, “Oh, she knew. Literally everyone in town knew Jake and I were married. We’d been married for like ten years at that point.” “And she was pregnant with Kennedy at the time. Hence why she wore the dress.” 

Natasha covered her mouth as she laughed, “I can’t begin to understand how women think sometimes. I’m a woman and I don’t even understand my own thoughts.” “I know right, it’s crazy.”

“Y/N, what’s in your pocket?” Mav asked, leaning forward to get a better look. 

His question made everyone look at Y/N’s chest pocket on her overalls. 

Kennedy giggled from her spot on Rooster’s lap as Bradley and Grayson shared a knowing look.

As she opened her mouth to speak, a little head poked out of the pocket.

Jake’s eyebrows pinched together, “Is that a baby raccoon?” Jake whipped his head to look at his daughter, who was all giggles, much like his wife as she pulled it out of the pocket. “Sure is!” Jake laughed and shook his head, “How did I not see that when you sat down?”

Y/N arched a teasing brow, “Jacob, are you admitting you always look at my boobs?” “I didn’t think that was a secret,” he smirked and kissed her jaw. “Gross, stop,” Grayson groaned as he cringed at his parents, making everyone laugh.

Jake looked at his daughter again, “Princess, where’d you find this little guy?” “He was under my slide, he looked scared.” “Were there other babies around?” Mickey asked, glancing over to the slide. She shook her head, “Just that one.” The group nodded.

“Okay,” Jake said as he looked at how his wife was holding the kit. She held it just like you would any other animal. 

“How are you so comfortable holding it?” Bradley asked curiously. Y/N shrugged, “We grew up in Texas. We’d find all sorts of animals. It was kind of a natural occurrence to just pick up a random animal.” 

“Do you remember when Javy found a kitten outside of the field house and carried it around all day?” Javy laughed, “Oh my gosh I forgot about that!” 

Natasha shook her head, “Wait, the teachers just let you carry a cat around all day?” “Sure did! It was so funny, he wouldn’t let go of that thing! The teachers really didn’t care all that much, as long as he didn’t let it go to the bathroom in the building,” Y/N explained.

“Was that the one that became the school's barn cat?” Jake asked Javy. “I think so, yeah.” Grayson laughed, “She had kittens right before we left. I almost convinced Mom to bring one home, I was so close.”

“Oh! Do you remember when I found a baby fox in my barn?” Jake asked, turning to Y/N. “Yes, oh my gosh, it was the cutest little thing! I named him Todd.” Fanboy chuckled, “Like the fox from Fox and the Hound?” “Yes, I loved that movie.”

The group laughed before a comfortable silence fell as they each held the raccoon.

When it got to Grayson, Kennedy spoke up, “What are we gonna do with him Mama?” Y/N sighed and looked at Jake, before looking back at Kennedy, “I’m not sure, baby.” 

The little girl teared up a bit, “We can’t keep him, can we?” Jake shook his head, “No, Princess, I don’t think we can.” She sniffled and buried her head into Bradley’s chest, tears lining her eyes.

Jake quickly moved to squat down next to Bradley’s chair and gently brush her hair out of her face, “Oh my sweet girl, I know you wanna keep him and love on him. But we can’t give him the proper care he needs.” Kennedy just sniffled again and pressed further into Bradley’s chest.

Bradley rubbed up and down her back as Jake’s thumb wiped the visible tears off her face.

“How about we hold onto him for a few days and look up some nice sanctuaries for him, that way he can be with people that know how to take care of him and you can visit him?” Grayson offered as he held the kit close to his chest.

Kennedy looked at her brother, “Anytime I want?” He nodded, “Anytime you want, sister.” 

She looked at Jake and then Y/N, who had come over to comfort her daughter as well. Y/N nodded, a small smile on her face, “I think it’s a great idea. But we need to get a crate to keep him in while he’s here.”

Beau stood up, “I’ve actually got a small one in the back of my truck, you guys can use it. You can have it actually.” 

Jake looked up at him, “Are you sure, sir? If you need it-” “Our puppy grew out of it weeks ago,” he waved Jake's concern off. “I’ve been meaning to find someone to give it to. Comes with a small bed too.” Jake smiled and kissed Kennedy’s forehead before standing, “Thank you.”

They went in and through the house to go get both of those things and get it set up.

“Hey, Ma?” Y/N looked to Grayson, “Yeah baby?” “I think when they get back I’m gonna head to bed,” he glanced at everyone before explaining himself. 

“I know it’s a little early-” “Hey, you’re fine, Grayson. We get it. Sleep helps with recovery.” He nodded, giving the group a thankful smile. 

“Did you take your meds? I know it takes a bit for them to kick in,” Y/N asked gently rubbing his shin. He nodded, “Yeah, I took them when I went to the bathroom earlier.”

Jake and Beau came back outside, “Okay, we’ve got the crate set up.” Y/N stood and gently took the animal from Grayson. 

Kennedy slid from Bradley’s lap to give her brother a kiss on the cheek, “Goodnight Gray.” “G’night sister.” 

Bob and Mickey helped Grayson up and onto his crutches. “Thanks guys.”

Y/N followed Grayson inside while holding the raccoon to her chest. Jake decided now would be a good time for that conversation. He slipped in behind her and shut the door.

Kennedy went to play some more and the dagger squad started conversing.

“Who knew Hangman could be such a great dad?” Natasha said as she watched Kennedy. Javy raised his hand, “I did. But that’s mainly because I’ve known them both since middle school.” “Well, you don’t count.”

“No, but seriously, I’ve never seen him like this before. It’s relieving,” Bradley said, sipping his beer. “He’s so carefree and it’s obvious he’d do absolutely anything for them.” The group nodded and then just watched Kennedy play.

A few minutes later the couple came back out and sat down.

Kennedy changed focus real quick and ran up to Jake, “Daddy, I’m tired.” He chuckled and hoisted her into his lap, where she nuzzled into his chest immediately.

It didn’t take her long to fall asleep. And after she did, they went back to getting to know each other.

They talked about the dating lives of everyone, their family lives. They talked about high school, just about anything they could think of.

They even got into Pete’s catalog of a love life, jokingly asking when he and Penny were gonna get married.

That’s when they asked Jake and Y/N about their wedding. Natasha and Penny wanted to see pictures of Y/N in her dress and Jake all dressed up.

“Actually, we didn’t have a wedding. We just went to the courthouse with our parents and did it there,” Jake told them. Y/N nodded, “As much as we wanted one, we just didn’t have the time. Grayson was 16 months old and Jake was about to go to the academy.”

Penny finally asked the question that the Seresins had prepared for all night, “How old were you when Grayson was born?”

While earlier Y/N would have been nervous and a little self conscious, now she felt comfortable around the squad after getting to know them.

“I actually had him nearly right after graduation. We graduated on the 16th of May and I had him on the 28th,” she said with only a small bit of nervousness in her tone.

The squad was silent for a moment before Phoenix spoke up.

“You went your entire senior year carrying a baby? That’s seriously impressive. Was it stressful?” Y/N nodded, “A little bit. Mainly because it was a small town and people like to gossip but I had a pretty great support system.” She squeezed Jake’s hand and looked over at Javy, giving him a smile.

“Not like you were gonna get it from that deadbeat-“ Javy clamped a hand over his mouth. “I’m so sorry…” Javy hung his head in shame and everyone glanced between him and the couple with wide eyes.

But, much to their surprise, Y/N and Jake just chuckled, “It’s okay Jav.” They looked at the group, sighing a little bit before explaining.

“The summer before junior year, I had to move. I hated it, but I didn’t have a choice,” Y/N started. “We’d been dating for two years at that point. But we didn’t want to risk long distance so we broke up.”

Jake chuckled, “Not like it did much. We didn’t really date during the time we were broken up. We still talked like nothing changed. Since we had been best friends for so long, nothing really had.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but the summer before senior year I went to a party and they spiked the punch. Now I didn’t know it was spiked until it was too late. I had a lapse in judgment and I slept with one of the guy friends I had. A week later I was told we were moving back to Texas. The guy I slept with was upset I was leaving but I was honest with him and told him I didn’t see us going very far anyway,” she said with a shrug.

“But a few weeks after being in Texas I didn’t feel good and my period was late. So I told my mom and we got a few tests from the store, they were all positive.”

“Did you tell him?” Bradley asked, sitting up. Y/N nodded, “Of course. Even though we weren’t going to be together, at least not in my mind, he deserved to know.”

Jake snorted before shaking his head. “He was an asshole about it though.”

“Yeah, he questioned if the baby was his, basically insinuating that I slept with other people before or after him, and said he wanted nothing to do with the baby. But, hey, I tried right? His parents wanted us to get married but my parents and I shut that down real quick.”

Jake spoke up, “We had gotten back together after she found out. When Grayson was born we took the bastard to court, got a confirmed match on a paternity test, and he signed away his parental rights voluntarily and I adopted Grayson like the next day.”

Beau patted Jake on the shoulder, “Sounds like you’ve been his dad from the beginning.” 

Y/N nodded, “He really has. He came with me to every appointment, drove me to and from school, carried my things. We were at each other’s houses all the time, he helped me through it all.”

“Even if we weren’t absolutely head over heels for each other, I wouldn’t have done anything different. This girl has been my best friend since she was born,” he kissed her temple.

“You know,” he chuckled at the memory. “I proposed in the delivery room.”

“Oh my gosh you did not!” Mickey exclaimed, hand covering his mouth. “Did he really?” Bob asked, leaning forward, an amused twinkle in his eye. 

Y/N nodded, “He sure did. I was exhausted and he was holding Grayson, doing skin to skin and he just asked me. I mean, to be able to adopt him without me giving up my parental rights, we needed to be engaged or married.”

******

They changed topics and talked for about another hour before Kennedy got restless. 

“Come on sweet girl, let’s get you to bed. We can get you a bath in the morning.” Jake passed her off to Y/N.

Kennedy had opened her eyes but kept her head on her mom’s shoulder. “Do you want to say goodnight to everybody?” The little girl just waved to everyone and they all waved back, sending a version of ‘goodnight’ her way. 

Y/N took her in after Jake pressed a kiss to Kennedy’s head and told Y/N they’d get everything cleaned up.

*******

After the deck was cleaned, leftovers were put in the fridge or in a container to go home with a pilot. Payback of course had a hearty helping of cobbler to be sent home with him.

Y/N came downstairs not too long after, going right to Jake’s side. 

“She out?” “Like a light. Hit the pillow and she was gone.” He chuckled and kissed her head.

Both turned to the group that was in the kitchen. 

“Thank you guys for coming over,” Y/N said with a smile on her face. “Thank you for having us. It was absolutely amazing,” Pete said, kissing her on the cheek.

The squad nodded in agreement. 

“I wish Jake would have brought you and the kids around sooner. We need to have a girls day with me, you, Ken, Penny, and Amelia,” Natasha said, bringing Y/N in for a hug. “Oh definitely!” 

Jake waved his hand and shook his head, “Oh no, you too can’t be friends.” “Oh I think we’re definitely friends,” Y/N laughed, pulling back to look at Phoenix who nodded. “Oh for sure.” Jake groaned, “Lord help me.”

Coyote clapped Jake on the shoulder, “Now you can bring Grayson around for Saturday football.” “You’re so right.”

*****

Everyone slowly made their way out, Beau leaving first and Mav and Penny not too long after.

“I’ve got a question,” Rooster started as they all had a final drink in the kitchen. 

Jake swallowed the sip of whiskey in his mouth, “I might have an answer.” Y/N rolled her eyes and gently swatted her husband on the ribs. “What’s up, Chicken?” 

Bradley ignored that and asked his question, “Why didn’t you tell us about your family before the mission? Why wait?”

Jake sighed and downed his drink before answering. 

“I’ve never told previous squadrons, just my COs knew. Mainly because I never really created a bond with them. Not like I have with this one. Sure, I flew with them and trusted them in the air, but when it came to taking care of my family if something happened to me I wasn’t sure if they would step up to do it.”

Jake glance around at the group, “I’ve flown with y’all for two months and we went on a suicide mission and we all came back. I have no doubt that if I burn in you would be here for them, and not let them push you away. Especially you, Bradshaw.”

Bradley swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He brought Jake in for a ‘bro hug’ before hugging Y/N.

******

After everyone finished their drinks they talked on the way to the door then out to the driveway.

“Y’all drive safe okay?” Y/n said with a motherly tone before hugging all of them. “And please, don’t hesitate to stop by at all. I’m sure we’ll be having more get-togethers in the future.” 

The squad nodded, “For sure Mrs. S.” “If y’all ever need us to babysit or anything, don’t hesitate,” Bob said, as he backed out of the driveway. The Seresins nodded as both groups pulled out of the drive and down the road.

******

Jake and Y/N went straight to their room. Y/N stripped and got comfy before going to the bathroom to do her routine and take down her hair, starting with brushing her teeth.

Meanwhile, Jake did the same, stripping down to his boxers and turning the TV on. He went into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around his wife’s torso. “That went well.” 

She nodded, rubbing the makeup remover over her face, “It did. I hope the kids had fun.” Jake scoffed, “Did you see Kenni? She was having a fucking blast. All these new uncles and aunts, that girl will be spoiled.” “Like she isn’t already?” “I do not spoil her.” She rose a brow. “Okay, maybe I spoil her, but that’s not the point.”

She sighed, “I hope Grayson had fun. I know he couldn’t do much, but I still hope he had fun.” “What do you mean? He got to talk about sports and no one brought up the accident or his injuries. When you went to get him some water I made sure to talk to him about it and he said he had a good time,” Jake reassured as he reached down to get cotton rounds from under the sink.

He wiped the remover off her face before getting her cleanser and finishing her routine for her. He topped it off with a warm rag dabbed her face before she splashed it with cold to close her pores.

He watched her gently take out her braids and fluff them to relieve some of the tension as he brushed his teeth. 

Jake reached out to twirl a lock in his hand, “Your hair looks so cute this.” She hummed tiredly, “Thank you Honey.” He could see that she was decompressing and was getting tired, “Come on pretty girl, let’s get you to bed.” 

He picked her up and she clung to him like a koala. He just chuckled and turned off the bathroom light before going to the switch in the bedroom to do the same.

Jake managed to get into bed with her hanging on him, and she shifted to the side when he laid down. 

“You can go right to sleep, Darlin’. I’m just gonna watch some reruns.” She nodded and nuzzled into his neck, placing a small kiss there. “I love you Jake.” “I love you too Y/N.”

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

hiiiii! i’m happy you’re here! thank you for reading!

this is the final part!!! i hope you enjoyed it!

how about that twist with jake not being grayson biological dad? i bet you were expecting that! or maybe you were? idk.

but regardless i sincerly hope you enjoyed it

now, i’m very tempted (and VERY willing) to expand this universe and dive more into this family. maybe get to know grayson and kennedy a little more? or maybe get some angst with grayson’s biological father?

let me know! :)

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thank you guys for being here!!!