#i want the Jake to my Bitsie already

[startrekfangirl2233]

I AM BAWLING OH MY GOD STAR ��� I’m not lying when I say I have tears rolling down my face (see below for evidence 😂) Enjoy this thesis level statement about how much I fucking love this, even throwing a read more in here because I know how much I’m gonna write lol

A thesis statement and a read more? You're too good to me!

The boys rubbing sunblock on her baby belly?! I CANNOT 😭

It's so fucking cute! And you know Jake had to be a little shit even when he's being all cute!

I LIVE for the daddy grays and the smile lines and omfgggg I die

The daddy grays and smile lines are what we're getting now from Glen and I just had to incorporate them!

I AM ABSOLUTELY BAWLING. Did you really have to reach out and grab my heart like that?! “The hands that consoled you when you lost a child” FUCKING OUCH STAR but like in the most bittersweet way possible. I also squealed at the “there’s a reason why you’re somebody’s mama” 🥹🥹🥹

🥹🥹🥹Both of these parts made me so sappy and sad! 🥹🥹🥹 Because writing this paragraph is when I knew that this was really the end for this sweet little universe! And Jake and Bitsie have such a strong relationship with each other!

FUCKING SWOON 😍. Protective dada Jake is the dream

Damn straight he's protective! That's his Bitsie baby and the love of his life!

You absolutely NAILED this! The conscious choice is so beautifully accurate when it comes to marriage that I’m so ridiculously emotional about it. You already know I could take for hours about this, so I’ll cut myself off here by saying it’s pure perfection 🥹

This is something my mom says all the time and it's really one of my highest goals for a relationship! (Now if only I can have that with Jake) A girl can dream, right?

FELT THAT IN MY SOUL (and my ribs). Tiny Mayhem beat the shit out of me 😂

Bitsie of all of my characters, is the most like me, and I was a super-active baby when my mom was pregnant. So I have the feeling any of mine would be too. And as far as both the Mini-Mayhems go.... They both play ball. So you know they've got strong little arms and legs!

I AM STUTTER BREATHING AS I CRY OVER THIS. Fucking hell Starshine 😭😭😭😭

😭😭😭😭 No hyperventilating, May! I can't be Mama Squirrel'd without the Mama Squirrel around! 😭😭😭😭 But also, you know my note above? It's all I want in a relationship. I'm very completely, totally, single, but that's what I want. A best friend and the love of my life.

ARE YOU LIVING IN MY BRAIN?! Jesus, you’re hitting me in every single feel in my body tonight! I’m so in love with these two and I’m so beyond sad that their story has reached a stunningly beautiful end! I’m so proud of you and this whole series! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of it and sharing it with the world! Forever hoping for and striving to write stories that bring out the level of emotion you bring out it in me! Love you so so much, my Starshine Squirrel 💕💕💕

Aww, May! You're too good to me. Seriously! I love you, so much and this story? It wouldn't be half as good without you cheering me on. I so appreciate all of the times you let me use you as a sounding board for ideas I had and of course all of your screaming when I post a new chapter! You're one of my biggest cheerleaders and I just couldn't have done this without you. Seriously!

Forever hoping for and striving to write stories that bring out the level of emotion you bring out it in me!

You do it already! And I love you, so so much!

Weepily, Tearily, Lovingly,

Your Starshine Squirrel 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

The Epilogue

Part 6 of You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Reader, Past! Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Reader

Description: Walking into the sunset hand in hand has never felt so good. But when a ghost barges into your idyllic beachside paradise, it has you finally confronting feelings that you've been hiding, perhaps unknowingly, for years. But with your family around you, this? This is closure - the final stepping stone to the rest of your life. Disclaimer: Female!Reader Warnings: None! This chapter is sweet and fluffy! The content presented in this story is for audiences age 18 and over only. MINORS DNI. I will not be accepting taglist requests from Blank or Ageless Blogs for this story. I do my best to portray adult relationships in this fic. Please do not interact with this story if you feel you are not ready to read about these themes. Word Count: 2648 A/N: I can’t believe it, but this is it. YPSGYWSP is over. My first series, done and dusted. I love Jake and Bitsie and their love story so much! You won't blame me if you see a few one-shots added into their story here and there over the next few months, right? right? I love you all from the bottom of my heart and I want to thank you, thank anyone who's taken the time to read this story. But I especially want to thank @mayhemmanaged and @desert-fern for being my biggest cheerleaders and unapologetic Jake and Bitsie lovers as I was writing this fic. I love you both! - XOXO Star AO3: Cross-posted here! My Masterlist Previous Part | Series Masterlist

Birds chirp loudly in the early spring air as you lay in the sand. The sun is warm and if you could hit pause, you'd live in this moment forever. Sleep fogs your every movement as your eyes flutter closed, the tired orbs fixated on the sight of twin blond heads down by the water. Your dog is swimming easily through the waves and you can just hear your husband's voice over the rushing sigh of the water.

"Yeah buddy. Mama's right there, taking a nap." Jake's laugh always makes you feel so warm. "Yeah, it looks like Mama does need some sunscreen." His voice gets louder as he steps towards the big blanket you’re lying on, shaded by a colossal umbrella.

"Whatta you say we rub some on her?" You hide your smile at the sound of your baby's babbling and the click of the sunscreen cap, pretending to still be asleep for your son. You can't hide your squeal as the icy cold sunscreen hits your sun warmed skin, though, and you know that was your husband's intention.

"Baby, we woke Mama up! Let's rub the sunscreen into her skin and then give Mama some kisses!" You have to laugh at that, because before you can even sit up, your baby's rubbing the sunscreen into your bump clumsily, barely working the sticky lotion into your skin before he's grabbing your face in his hands and peppering your cheeks with slobbery wet kisses.

"Thanks, baby." You splutter, pulling your sunglasses off as you prop yourself up on your elbows and watch eagle-eyed as your baby plops himself on the sand within arms reach of you with a bucket and pail.

The hands that help you sit up and rub the sunscreen fully into your bump are hands that you'd know anywhere. These are the hands that have held you every day since you got married four years ago. The hands that consoled you when you lost a child. The hands that held you as you sobbed in joy when you'd finally conceived. These are the hands that held Easton when he was born, cradling his soft head with all the affection and love that his father could hold. These are also the hands that do wildly bad things to you, but well, there's a reason why you're six months pregnant and there’s a reason why you're somebody's mama.

Jake smells like the salty sea and his cologne when he pulls you into his arms.

"Hiya, Bitsie baby. M'sorry about the sunscreen. That was Easton's idea." You can feel his smile against your shoulder even as you intertwine your fingers with the hand resting over your bump.

"Sure it was, Jakey. You forget that I know you!" You're never going to get tired of the feeling of his wedding band on your skin. 

"Yeah, my Bitsie-girl, I know." His hands trail light circles over your bare stomach as you watch your toddler play in the sand together. 

"East?" Your voice is gentle as you call your son. "C'mere baby. It's sunscreen time for you too."

He's all soft cheeks and pudgy tummy still, your baby, and a part of you cannot believe that he's already 2 years old and that he's going to be a big brother in three short months. It feels like just yesterday that he was in your womb, just yesterday that you told Jake you were pregnant for the first time. Now that precious baby is standing, walking, and talking. He's his dad in miniature, except for the way he tips his head and how he acts. That's when he's your baby just as much as Jake's. You’re gentle as you massage the sunscreen over his sun-browned skin, and smile when he tips happily into your side, content to get out of the sun and sit in the shade with his mama.

At times you wake up in the morning and still feel like you ought to be on that aircraft carrier on the first night you'd ever slept in Jake's arms. It's already been six years since that day. Jake's closer to forty than thirty now and while he bemoans every gray hair, you love seeing the marks time has left on his body. There are crows feet at the sides of his eyes and smile lines carved around his dimples. You can't say you're the same as you were six years ago either. You've never quite lost the baby weight you gained with Easton and you've got the stretch marks to prove it too. With this new baby, you're not sure you'll ever get back your pre-baby physique, but you wear every tiger stripe and stretch mark with pride.

But Jake's never once made you feel any less beautiful than he has since you fell in love. He loves being a dad, too. With Easton he truly shines. You know in a heartbeat he'll take back the sleepless nights with a screaming colicky baby on his chest just as readily as you will. You can't stop wondering at your life nowadays, with your son wriggling in your arms and with your husband wrapped around you.

You're so full of love that sometimes you feel like you're drowning in it. Each kiss you share with your husband. Each embrace you wrap Easton in. Each tiny fluttering kick and movement you feel from the baby in your belly. You'd say you're becoming sappy in your old age, but you're not old, not really. You still feel like that fresh faced girl who joined the Pentagon out of college. And you still feel like the wild woman who fucked Jake in a rose garden in Italy where your ex could see you. 

But things have changed over the years, even if you haven't felt the changes in yourself. For one, Jake's a captain now. He doesn't fly quite so much, which you know he hates as much as it's a balm to your soul. He's one of the flight instructors out of North Island for Top Gun and one of the most sought after pilots in the Navy. Jake comes home to you and East every night and the two of you are in domestic bliss.

Mickey ended up leaving the Navy once his contract was up. He and Ally, his wife, still live in San Diego and run a cafe together. They have three rowdy boys and one much awaited little girl. You're not mad he left the Navy, neither you nor Jake are. You're so close to the Garcias that you meet once a week for dinner. Ally even went into labor at the same party you did. Easton and Rodrigo Garcia are the same age and share the same birthday. It makes perfect sense that they're best friends. You're also godmother to Mickey's little princesa, Carmen, who is as pretty as a rosebud at three months old.

Mara finally married her girlfriend, and she's taking the Pentagon by storm. She's heading up project after high profile project and you love that she's chasing her dreams. You still talk to her all the time and you're looking forward to seeing her when she's back in San Diego. Callie and Meg Bassett are still in San Diego as well. Callie's Captain Bassett now, and runs the USS Anchorage with an iron fist. When she's deployed, you and Jake both watch out for Meg, helping out wherever you can because nobody should be alone while their significant other is deployed.

Your three story house on the beach is a constant revolving door of friends and family. Brie and Michael, her husband, stop by often, as do your parents and Lynn Seresin. Mav is always around, so much so that East calls him Grand Mav. So too are Jake’s colleagues and friends. With your life as lovely as it is, is it any wonder that you're counting your blessings every moment of every day?

It's the weight of East against your side that drags you out of your reverie. He's curled up against you, his little snuffling breaths hot against your skin.

"Hey, Jakey?" Your voice is soft as you run your fingers through your son's baby soft hair. "Our little guy's all worn out. I think it's time we got him in for a nap."

"I got him, baby. Let me help you up first?" You have to smile at the naked concern in his eyes. "I'm alright, Jake. You forget this isn't my first time pregnant. I can get up by myself."

"But you shouldn't have to, Bitsie baby. Not as long as I'm here." Conceivably, you know what Jake says is true, especially with the kiss he presses to your lips once you're somewhat stable. You could lose yourself in his kiss, in all honesty, no matter how pregnant you are, or how tired, or how sleepy. Jake's love is always going to be your baseline for anything you ever feel in your life.

When you pull away, it is to the sight of a ghost from your past standing on the beach a little ways away from you. He looks shell-shocked at the sight of you, Jake with East in his arms, and your belly protruding sweetly out in front of you. Jake's glaring the moment he sees the intruder to your otherwise idyllic family afternoon.

"Bradshaw.'' Your sigh is soft, even as you pull your sleepy son into your arms and kiss his forehead. If you know Jake, this is going to turn into a dick measuring contest of some sort.

"Seresin." Bradley looks worn and drawn and tired. "You look good."

"I am good, Bradshaw, I'm very good." You don't even have to look at your husband to know he has his shit-eating smirk on his face. 

When Jake's arms wrap around your waist, you know that he wants to show you off.

"Hi, Bradshaw." Your voice is a near whisper as you hike East up a little higher on your chest so his body isn't putting quite so much pressure on your belly.

"Bitsie. You - you look good." His smile is halfway between a smile and a frown, something that looks more like a grimace rather than a grin. 

"Thanks. I feel pretty good too, most of the time. Between being a million years pregnant and chasing around a toddler, that is." Bradley's face turns pensive at your light hearted words. The face he makes is serious enough that Jake's grabbing East from you, cuddling your son even as he gives you a worried look. You rise up on tiptoes to kiss your son's soft, pudgy cheek and peck your husband's cut jaw.

"But you don't regret a single choice you made, do you?" You're not sure why he's dredging up ancient history like this, not at all. His eyes are fixated on your left hand, where your finger still bears the ring Jake gave you so long ago.

You're not sure what possesses you to take his hands in yours, even as you ignore the piercing gaze you can feel on your back.

"What's brought this on, Bradshaw?"

"You moved on, Bitsie." His voice sounds ragged even as his chest heaves. "I don't understand how it was so easy for you. And I definitely don't understand why it was Jake you moved on with. Why Bagman?! Why him over anybody?"

"I picked Jake because he never hid how I was the most important person in his life." You stop speaking for a few seconds, waiting until the baby stops kicking your ribs to continue. "And it definitely wasn't easy for us. It was hard. Impossibly hard. At times, it felt like the entire world was against us."

You brace your hands against your lower back.

"But we made the choice, Bradley. We made the choice to pick each other each and every day. It was a conscious choice, no matter how far away we were from each other or how angry we made each other, we chose each other. Because there wasn't ever another option, not a real one. I realized pretty soon after our first argument that I would never again find a man that I could consider my best friend for as long as I loved him."

Your voice is soft as you take in the wondering look on Bradley's face.

"T-that's great." Bradley's voice is soft and a little awed, even as he looks out over the rapidly setting sun  sinking below the ocean.

"You found what my mom and dad found in each other, honey." His voice chokes on a sob even as he looks softly at you. "That's all I ever wanted, you know? I can't tell you how sorry I am. For causing you so much pain, for hurting you so badly."

You pat his shoulder softly. "The past is in the past. We can't change it, Bradley. All we can do is move on, and live. That's all you can do, live like your mom and dad would have wanted you to."

You leave him standing on the beach in front of the home you've built brick-by-brick with the love of your life.

Jake's embrace is nearly too tight when you walk through the door. "You alright, my Bitsie-girl?"

You slip your arms around his neck, melting into his kiss.

"M'fine, Jakey." Your grin is gentle as your husband drops to his knees and presses kisses against your bump. "And how's our little bit doing?" 

Your smile is soft as you cup his head. "Baby girl's kicking up a storm. Do you know if it's possible to have bruises on the inside of your rib cage?" Jake chuckles against your stomach before kissing the firm, taut skin.

"So what did he want?" You card your finger through the salt stiff strands of his hair as he stands and tugs you into his arms.

"To apologize, I think." His snort is soft as he presses another kiss to your parted lips.

"Hmpf." His snort is a little disbelieving as he turns you around and lifts your bump a little. "Did he ask if you'd take him back?"

You tip your head back against Jake's solid, broad, and warm form. "No, Jakey. He asked how we've stayed together for so many years."

"What'd you tell him?" He sounds curious despite himself.

"I told him we're still together because we made the conscious choice to love each other every minute of every day, no matter how angry we are at each other or how annoying we find each other." You grin at the kiss Jake presses into your pulse point. "I told him that I'd found my best friend in addition to the love of my life. I told him that's all I need. That you’re all I’d ever need."

Your voice is soft as you turn in your husband's arms and kiss him gently. "I told him I didn't regret a single thing. Because everything that happened with him? All the pain? All the sorrow? It brought me the best things in my life. You, Easton, and this beautiful little baby girl, snug and warm in my womb, growing to the beat of my heart. With the three of you in my life, how could I regret a single thing?"

"I love you, my Bitsie-girl."

"I love you too, Jake. More than my life itself." 

Sometimes, people play stupid games and win stupid prizes. But those terrible decisions are what showed you your own worth. The consequences of those games are what made you realize that you're not a game to lose. You're the prize to win, and Jake will never let you forget that. It's all you could ever ask for. Your love story may not have been the most conventional, but who needs conventional when they could have happily ever after?

Taglist:

✈️ @greenbaby12 ✈️ @mayhemmanaged ✈️ @desert-fern  ✈️ @cassiemitchell ✈️ @eli2447  ✈️ @the-romanian-is-bae   ✈️ @luckyladycreator2  ✈️ @lunamoonbby ✈️ @daphne-turner  ✈️ @angeliccks  ✈️ @dakotakazansky ✈️ @daisydaisygoose✈️ @inky-sun  ✈️ @fighterpilothoe ✈️ @pulisvertz   ✈️ @wildxwidow ✈️ @angelbabyange✈️ @chaoticassidy   ✈️ @kmc1989 ✈️ @sarahsmi13s  ✈️ @roosterforme  ✈️ @lavenderbradshaw  ✈️ @bobby-r2d2-floyd  ✈️ @lovinglyeternal ✈️@bradleybeachbabe  ✈️ @thedroneranger  ✈️ @cherrycola27✈️ @beccaanne814

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[madibyrd]

TASK #001: THE LAST NORMAL DAY • broken promises

Flight 441 disappeared on October 16th, Friday, but Madi hasn’t heard about it until the following day, well into Saturday. She got home around 6:30am after finishing a 24 hours shift, remembered to send her sister a message that she wouldn’t be able to make it later to their house to lunch, apologizing for it profoundly, and then knocked out and slept a good twelve hours because she was exhausted. It was a long, hard shift, one of the roughest she’s had in months, constant calls through both the day and night with barely a moment to rest, and she needed to refuel herself.

She woke up to an empty house - Talia was off on some conference being awesome -, and a whole bunch of angry messages from her sister along with several missed calls. She wasn’t in the mood to argue with Liz, but she also knew the more she pushed off the call, the angrier her sister would get, so she let out a long breathe, headed to the kitchen to make herself a coffee and called her sister.

“You promised, Madison, you promised you’d come over for lunch and try out Jake’s soup, he was so excited for you to try it.” No hello, no greeting, and Liz even called her Madison. She really was pissed. She turned on the coffee maker to do its magic and then moved to the living room to turn on the news.

“I promised I would try, Liz, that is what I promised. If my shift went okay and I could get some sleep. I didn’t get any, I literally just woke up.”

“You could have set an alarm.”

“And be a useless sack of potatoes when I go over? You know how I am when I don’t get a proper amount of sleep. It was a really hard shift, Liz, I swear, there were several pretty brutal accidents that we were called to, one of them had a whole family... anyway, aside from those, there were two fires as well and two freaking prank calls that lead to nowhere just us in gear going to the furthest of our district when we could have used that time at least to rest. And this was just the night of the shift, don’t even get me started on the rest of the 24 hours. if I could have, I would have made it over there.”

There was a long pause from the other end of the phone.

“No sleep at all?”

“None until I got home,” Madi promised.

A sigh. “Okay, maybe I forgive you, but you’ll still have to make amends with Jake. Starting with trying out his soup. And groveling a little.”

“Give him the phone and I’ll start, but that kid loves me way too much to need that much groveling.” Which really only made it worse, but she even told Liz not to promise anything to her nephew, so if she said anything more than a really weak maybe, it was on her, as far as Madi was concerned. Not that it would stop her from apologizing to Jake, but still.

“He’s out in the garden playing with...” Liz jumped into a long explanation about what Madi’s nephew was doing, but Madi was not listening to any of it, because when she looked up at the tv, all she saw was the flashing headline - “Tragic plane crash - plane still nowhere found”. She quickly turned the volume on and tried to listen, but with Liz in her ears, it wasn’t the easiest of moments. “Liz, sorry to cut you off, but... what is this plane thing they are talking about on the news?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear before? A plane full of people was heading to LA from... not really sure where, some European city, and then it just vanished. Nobody knows what happened or what happened to them, but they didn’t arrive in LA. Everyone’s freaking out.”

“Yeah, I can imagine...”

Madi got her coffee and chatted a little bit longer with her sister, but she wasn’t really there in the head, she kept losing focus to watching the news and trying to figure out what more there is to know about this accident. She didn’t know anyone on the flight, she knew that - Talia would only be flying back home the next day and nobody else she knew or were close to were planning flying anywhere anytime soon - but still, it wouldn’t leave her mind. To the point where after a couple of hours (which included trying to distract herself and talking to her nephew, promising him that she would try his soup soon), she reached for her phone to text her coworker about the flight, that turned into a phone call that turned into the two of them googling if there were any need for volunteers to go and help with the search.

They found a phone number, they called it, and in less than an hour they were already set to fly to LA, from where the boat they would be on would leave. Their boss wasn’t happy about the development, but he also understood the sentiment, and it wasn’t the first time one of his firefighters went off to volunteer somewhere else. They would make it it work.

The harder conversation for Madi was her family - her parents already didn’t like that her profession included running into burning buildings and risking her own life. They’ve accepted it at this point with grumbles and occasional suggestions to other jobs (her mom’s pitches really were ridiculous, “I’ve heard tv reporters got hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly. Madi, my dear, you love talking, don’t you think that would be a fine job for you?”), but they didn’t like the idea of Madi putting herself in other type of danger, even though Madi insisted she wouldn’t actually be in danger. She would be on a boat, she wouldn’t do the actual dive work, she’d just help out whenever she could (technically she didn’t know what her job would be, but if she said that, her parents would imagine her dangling feets above the water on a hook without any safety, and nobody wanted that). They ended the call on “let’s talk about this more tomorrow” and Madi told them she’d call them from LA. They were not happy about it at all.

Her sister was... both more and less understanding. She was mostly annoyed she’d have to tell a 9 years old her auntie would have to disappear for a while and no, he wouldn’t be able to come over or play with her. And then turned on the worried sister mode and made Madi promise that she would be careful and not do anything stupid like jump into the water to save somebody. Madi did promise. Her best friend simply made her promise to bring her some souvenire and told her that she admired her for wanting to do this and then they spent the rest of the call talking about the guy she was seeing and how she got to a whole new level on one of the video games she was playing at the time that Madi didn’t understand but liked listening to her friend talk about it.

The last conversaion, and weirdly the one that she was both the most anxious and not at all about was Talia. She didn’t call her, she just sent a text - neither of them were really the calling type, and they very rarely actually talked, usually just texted.

[Madi]: So, I’m not going to be home for a while... [Talia]: What have you done? [Madi]: I might have volunteered on one of the rescue teams for that flight that disappeared, did you see that? Or were you too wrapped up in your historical facts? [Talia]: Madiiiiii [Madi]: Yes, that’s my name, though I usually use a lot less i’s :P [Talia]: Your desire to act like a hero can be quite annoying sometimes, you know [Talia]: I was looking forward to a chill night on the couch tomorrow, watching some dumb movie [Talia]: But I guess you’ve already decided, right? [Madi]: Yeah, I fly out to LA tomorrow. We’re just missing each other [Talia]: Somebody is gonna write a book about you and they are going to interview me and I will tell them about that time you got home at 3am and spent an entire hour singing itsy bitsy spider on the foot of my bed, crying about how much spiders are misunderstood and mistrusted even though they are the cutest things on the planet [Madi]: HEY! [Talia]: I know, I know, it’s bees [Talia]: And speaking of them, I won’t have to deal with them, right? [Madi]: Nope, I’m gonna check on them before I leave, they can take care of themselves while I’m gone, you don’t have to go anywhere near them [Talia]: You’re amazing [Madi]: Now tell me about your super historical, super nerdy presentation, did it go okay?

They chatted for a little while longer, Madi happily hearing about Talia’s presentation, being so proud of her. She might have not been there to see it, but she was sure Talia rocked it. And they could celebrate when they would be both back in Boston.

It was evening by the time she was done with everything, and she ate some leftovers from the fridge, watched a sitcom episode on Netflix, and then went to bed early. She wasn’t in the mood for anything else, she was excited to help in something so huge and curious what she would have to do, what kind of job she would be trusted upon. The next day she flew to LA with her partner and spent the remaining of her days on the boat, searching and searching for the disappeared plane without any kind of luck before the fateful accident happened and she’d end up on Meridium.

What she didn���t realize on this Saturday night is that these interactions would become the last she had with them. She talked to Talia and her sister during the trip, and she exchanged a couple of LA memes with her best friend, but there was no end, no goodbye, no finality to any of it. Promises, however, of her return that much more. And all of them would be broken the moment she washed ashore on the sandy beach of Meridium.

[missielee]

Passion

Day 1&2: Fish & Wisp

Fish – such a fascinating creature

It was Olivia’s first passion as well as pet

When she was seven, her dad took her and her sister to the aquarium downtown.

It was magnificent, she said

It was like a different world, she said

Engulfed by a singular color blue, she was mesmerized by all the moving little diamonds around her

Colorful scales glimmered in the tank lights, felt like thousands stars on the sky

They moved oh so gracefully, bubbles curved along their fins

It was like a water dance.

That was at least ten years ago, little Olivia has already turned into a beautiful young woman who is passionate about the ocean life, specifically sea creatures. Fascinated by them, she indulged hours in books on her dad’s shelves and pursued her dream to become, well, quoted on quote “Fish”.

Fish is a peculiar animal. They live in water and absorb oxygen through their respiration system which is the gills. Their body is covered in scales worked as camouflage, protection and swimming aid. Their fins flutter through the current as they sway their body elegantly. What could possibly better than being a fish, swimming freely in the water blue?

“I prefer whale better” Janet voiced her opinion out loud

“What? That swimming elephant? No way!” Olivia eyed her friend in disbelief “That’s not even a fish!”

“It’s a sea creature too so it sorta counts. Also, FYI, that is super mean. That’s probably equivalent to pointing out someone is obese in fish language.” Janet rolled her eyes, continued eating her lunch

“Whale and dolphin are mammals, so not a fish. Beside, would you really want to be a whale? Big, giant blue whale?”

“Uh, whale is my spiritual animal, therefore, yes I’ll be the big giant and BEAUTIFUL blue whale” a glare was directed right back to Olivia “At the very least, I won’t get eaten by other species”

“Other than human, sure!” Olivia sipped her water “You do know that a fair amount of whale was hunted for meat and oil in the past right?”

“Whale hunting was a thing?”

“Yeah, it was like a thing back in 1800s. Products made from whale, mainly oil, are incredibly valuable. A barrel of sperm-whale oil can even went up to 1500$ per barrel” Olivia shrugged “But it wasn’t used much nowadays because many better resource appeared: like Kerosene, vegetable oil, petrol”

“Uh huh, you know a lot about whale for someone who just insult it” Janet smirked upon her “You like whale too, don’t you ~”

“Said the one who have their nose in Moby Dick like twenty times or something. I only know some of the basic thing about whale”

“Hey, that book is a masterpiece! Brave men against the nature! Battling fearlessly! Unlike you and you’re fish tank obsession.”

Olivia couldn’t bother to say back. It’s true that she’s have an itsy bitsy infatuation with fish, but she couldn’t explain it why she adores them that much. Some have told her she could become mermaid like those performs in aquarium shows but Olivia refused. Even though it was her dream to become of them, she absolutely hates mermaid/merman in generally because mermaid doesn’t swim like a fish does, according to her logically research. Since mermaid have different anatomy, their swim movement is up-and-down, which isn’t the normal side-to-side like fish does. In addition to that, mermaid eats fish, explained her dislike towards becoming one. She understood that it’s normal to pray on one to another in the animal kingdom but she cannot stand the idea of feasting on such pretty shiny thing. ‘I mean people might have evolved enough to even eat gold but not diamond, right?’

It’s not the first time she realized turning into a fish is practically impossible. Despite her fascination of the marine life, she apparently have Thalassophobia, which prevents her from any activities near the open water. It was upsetting to Olivia, having to spend her life in pictures capturing a small part of the vast water part. It’s like try to play puzzles with endless pieces and they all have the same shade of color. No amount of therapy could help her reach the board of the ship, the closest she could ever get is the lightly wet sand shore. Moreover, there’s an unexplainable feeling when she reaches the ocean, she hears it whisper her name in sad serenity. And on a more frightening term, it always seems to seep closer and closer to her.

“Livvy? You’re spacing out again. Come on, we’ll be late for class” she snapped out of her daze, turn to see her friend already finished packing her belongings

Checking her phone, 2:45 and her class started at 3, she needed to hurry.

“Oh I almost forgot. You’ll come to the Jake’s party this evening, right?”

“Beach party? Not so sure, you know how I feel about it”

“It’s just on shore. I’ll be there too. Don’t worry, if anyone tries to drag you near the water then they’ll have to go through me” Janet smirked. Three years in Aikido is enough to take anyone down, not to mention she was a three times champion of the city, as if that isn’t intimidating enough but it ensures Olivia enough to have a good time by the sand.

“But this evening already? I thought it’s on 13th?”

“Today is the 13th, Goldfish. Did you fall head over heel for Jake so far that you forgot to check for the actual date?”

“I might have mistaken a Friday for a Saturday. But that doesn’t make me a goldfish! And goldfish have good memory! The five seconds attention span is a myth!” Olivia exclaimed

“I guess your attention span is probably so filled with Jake that you can only remembered that he has invited you~”

The two kept bickering as they walked each other to class, like all the other days.

  It was around eight when Olivia and Janet arrived at the party, and it sure is a lively one. The torch lit up the area but it was no match to the people’s dancing along the live music band. Sound of chatters mixed with the awry waves of the sea like a symphony. Olivia immediately spotted Jake in the crowd by the barbecue, greeting newcomers and grilled the ribs with his cheerful expression bright like sunlight. Janet could guess what millions thoughts going through her bestie’s mind as she pulled her over to the food court.

“Hey Jake, nice buns you got there. Mind if we have a taste?” Jake laughed wholeheartedly  

“Why I wouldn’t mind you two lovely ladies to have a taste of my delicious buns, of course!” A wink sent towards them as Olivia reddened

“I-I-I brought some cakes from Rosie’s! A-And I think it’s a great party!” Jake took the box from Olivia and gave both of them a small dish

“I love Rosie’s cake! This is great for desert! Thanks Olivia!”

And needless to say, Janet had to play the waitress and lead a very blush female to a table while holding two dish of steak.

“Oh Janet! Did you see him smiling at me? He’s so nice!” Janet have a gulp of soda after settling down and listening to her friend’s love rant.

“Eat your steak Olivia or I’ll help you know how it’s like to be fish”

“Alright, no need to do that. I’m not some toddler, you know” Olivia sulked and cut a piece

Olivia notice a newspaper left next to her seat, seemed like it was today’s news. Curious, she decided to have a look since Janet had went to get a second plate.

“BREAKING NEW:  SUCCESSFULLY FOUND THE ONLY SURVIVOR OF THE S.S HARVEY INCIDENT

Olivia Breston, eldest daughter of the Breston family and a bright student at Morrington University, was discovered barely breathing and unconscious on floating remains of the unfortunate ship by the fishermen of Devonne port. Lifeboat was sent immediately to revive and take Olivia to the closest hospital. 17h28 of 13th October, we received news …”

‘No way. Olivia… Breston… That’s… that’s my name!? I… I am dead?’

Janet returned back with a joyful meal in hand.

“Man! Jake sure have a knack for cooking! You’re a lucky one, Olivia!” Olivia didn’t respond, still deep in shock “Olivia?”

Olivia handed her the paper. Janet frowned before realization hit her. Surprisingly, she’s quite calm to react.

“So you found out. Any memory came back?”

Olivia shivered, shook her head.

“I survived, did I? So why… am I here? On this day, I was supposed to be found? But no?”

Janet moved next to her, sat down and comforted the confused girl.

“Do you want to know? Truly want to know?”

A silence between made the air thickened before Olivia gave a nod, reluctantly. Janet rubbed her shoulders soothingly.

“What you read is true. You are the only survivor of the S.S Harvey ship, a research ship directed by your father. You accompanied him on a field trip on 19th June when the ship got caught in bad weather, which later escalated into a sea storm. There was no news from the ship until…”

Janet pointed at the date and then at what supposedly to be warehouse, rather than what’s beside it. Needn’t to guess, Olivia could tell what Janet was trying to show her. But it didn’t explain everything that’s happening at the moment.

“I assume you’re wondering what’s happening right now. Care to take a blind guess?” Janet lighted a cig, savored that nicotine taste on the tip of her tongue before let out a wisp of white smoke.

“I died?”

“Eh, close enough. A coma. If you died, you wouldn’t be here to chit chat Livvy”

“Coma? But then, where am I?”

“Well, some might say it’s your subconscious so let just assume that it is. You didn’t die from the incident but drowning left you stranded in your brain, that’s all I could say.” Janet led her to the water. It seeped up close to their feet but it didn’t frighten Olivia no more

“I’m the fish of my own tank” Janet chuckled

“So you do remember”

“Yeah, I just got bits and bits of it. I chose to stay here, because there’s nothing out there for me, no one is waiting for me. At least I achieved my dream here, well, in a way” Olivia stepped back to clean sand, heart ached as she turned to Janet “Because in here I can see the one I held dear”

Janet tossed the burnt butt cig into the cool sand “Old habits die hard. You know, yet you still want to stay?”

“There’s no point going out there. I rather stay here”

“Alright, don’t keep Jake waiting on the dance floor.” Olivia headed back, blushed to the ear “After tonight, it’ll all be a bad dream”

“Wake up anew right?”

“Totally, Goldfish” Olivia’s shadow faded as now only Janet stood alone, water raised above her ankle. The way the ocean surging was unusual than before. There were whispers, cries lingered in the air. Moaned in pain. The thunder struck faraway on the surface warned the upcoming omen.

 “Time’s running out, Olivia”

--- Missielee ---

[paulbenedictblog]

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

Fox news AFC East draft grades: Dolphins soar, Pats perplex - NFL.com

Fox news

Why provide prompt grades on the picks of prospects who own yet to decide an NFL snap? Well, you are studying this, are now no longer you? Brooding regarding the makeup of every and each roster and the components surrounding each and each employ, Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr strive a division-by-division assessment of the 2020 NFL Draft. Own in thoughts that these grades are in accordance to draft hauls alone -- picks traded for passe players weren't taken into epic. Below is Dan's assessment of the AFC East.

Credit score the Dolphins for laying within the gash to receive their guy. By the purpose draft week rolled spherical, Chris Grier and Brian Flores had astute soccer observers attempting to search out into the premise that they would decide an offensive care for with their first employ -- maybe even trading up for one -- or tear on the Alabama QB for Justin Herbert at No. 5. Obviously, that wasn't the opinion. No one knows if Tagovailoa's break woes will apply him into the NFL, but this used to be a shot Miami wanted to decide. The Dolphins didn't tank, and so that they soundless landed Tua. Well done.

Major disclaimer: Bill Belichick has forgotten extra about soccer than I am going to ever know. OK, with that out of the map, I was befuddled by this preference. What does Bill (or Nike the dogs) know that we kind now no longer be taught about Rohrwasser? Well, likely loads since we had been caught off guard by the employ. The customary Herd kicker wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Mix or the postseason all-indispensable particular person video games, yet the Pats made him the main specialist off the board. If you happen to had instructed me before the 2020 NFL Draft that Fresh England had an even bigger grade on Justin Rohrwasser than Jake Fromm, I would perchance own wanted assistance restoring my jaw to its commonplace enviornment (maybe they didn't and right idea kicker used to be an even bigger need?). As a minimum, maybe this can flip out to be a gem of a employ, but it used to be positively a surprise gamble on a player who's already embroiled in controversy.

An option quarterback final season at Navy, Perry lined up at vast receiver in January at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and the Dolphins are listing him at running relieve, which is smart. I mean, the guy ran for the 2nd-most yards within the FBS final season (2,017). What Perry lacks in dimension (5-foot-9, 186 pounds), he makes up for in intangibles. He used to be one of the significant closing 10 picks of the draft, but I would perchance now no longer wager in opposition to him turning into a versatile contributor for the Dolphins.

NOTE: Draft classes are ranked from most productive to worst at some stage within the division.

Miami Dolphins

RANK: 1 · 2019 RECORD: 5-11-0

» Round 1: (No. 5 total) Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama; (No. 18) USC OT Austin Jackson; (No. 30) Auburn CB Noah Igbinoghene. » Round 2: (39) Robert Hunt, OL, Louisiana; (56) Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama. » Round 3: (60) Brandon Jones, S, Texas. » Round 4: (111) Solomon Kindley, OG, Georgia. » Round 5: (154) Jason Strowbridge, DE, North Carolina; (164) Curtis Weaver, edge rusher, Boise Order. » Round 6: (185) Blake Ferguson, LS, LSU. » Round 7: (246) Malcolm Perry, RB, Navy.

This used to be the Dolphins' draft to protect watch over. They entered it with basically the most picks within the league, including three first-rounders, and weak the boatload of capital about as well to additionally they can. As I talked about earlier on this portion, I'm a fan of the threat they had been engaging to decide with their first preference. Tagovailoa's doable used to be too big to tear up, even with the break concerns. Jackson and Igbinoghene went sooner than many anticipated them to, but in those two players, Miami would possibly perchance want a future starting left care for and a now no longer easy, competitive, bodily nickel relieve -- it be significant to be right kind at those spots to rob in this day's NFL. We're now no longer right here to strongly dock the Fins for those choices, even supposing a case would perchance also be made that they had been reaches. The Igbinoghene employ foreshadowed the Dolphins' theme for Day 2 of the draft, because the grasp opinion of adding now no longer easy, bodily, great means used to be fully revealed with the picks of Hunt, Davis and Jones. Broad fan of the work they did on the line of defense on Day 3, landing a Senior Bowl standout (Strowbridge) and a doable steal in Weaver, who didn't allow below-real looking explosiveness to protect him from racking up 34 sacks over the past three seasons. Closing but now no longer least, Perry -- he of 2,017 speeding yards final season -- has an opportunity to create a enviornment as a versatile contributor who can assistance on offense and special teams. Now, the deserves of drafting a prolonged snapper also can likely be arguable, but all in all, a terribly good haul right here.

Fresh York Jets

RANK: 2 · 2019 RECORD: 7-9-0

» Round 1: (No. 11 total) Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville. » Round 2: (59) Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor. » Round 3: (68) Ashtyn Davis, S, Cal; (79) Jabari Zuniga, edge rusher, Florida. » Round 4: (120) La'Mical Perine, RB, Florida; (125) James Morgan, QB, Florida World; (129) Cameron Clark, OG, Charlotte. » Round 5: (158) Bryce Corridor, CB, Virginia. » Round 6: (191) Braden Mann, P, Texas A&M.

Sure, we know there's low-ground doable with Becton. We additionally own heard that he is a 6-foot-7, 364-pound mountain of a one who mauls of us. That's what I would possibly perchance be attempting to search out if I wished to present protection to my young franchise quarterback. So, Sam Darnold can relaxation a itsy-bitsy bit simpler at night (and with any luck couldn't own to wonder if Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs, who went a pair picks later, would had been the upper employ at No. 11). Oh, and GM Joe Douglas stumbled on a right kind cost in Round 2 even after trading down, improving Darnold's supporting solid all all over again with the addition of Mims. If he can grasp a extra advanced route tree than he used to be asked to flee at Baylor, sight out. Douglas then became to his defense, snagging one of the significant center-rounders who generated basically the most buzz this spring. This would possibly perchance be a gigantic employ if it all comes collectively for the freakishly athletic Davis, dubbed the draft's "thriller man" by one commonplace manager final month. The Jets would possibly perchance need reached a itsy-bitsy bit to bag a necessity with the Zuniga employ. The production (18.5 occupation sacks in four seasons) would no longer soar off the page, but injuries had been a bugaboo. Perhaps Gregg Williams can coax basically the most out of a player who surely has shown flashes. Douglas must own enjoyed his time scouting within the Sunshine Order, as he added a pair extra Florida males to originate up Day 3. Perine, who can churn out now no longer easy yards, used to be a beautiful different to bag a necessity within the relieve of Le'Veon Bell. We additionally weren't bothered by the choice to decide a shot on the best-armed Morgan as a backup for Darnold. Same goes for a vogue Douglas closed things out on within the draft's final few rounds, checking off needs and discovering good cost all all over again with Corridor in Round 5.

Buffalo Payments

RANK: 3 · 2019 RECORD: 10-6-0

» Round 2: (No. 54 total) A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa. » Round 3: (86) Zack Moss, RB, Utah. » Round 4: (128) Gabriel Davis, WR, UCF. » Round 5: (167) Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia. » Round 6: (188) Tyler Bass, K, Georgia Southern; (207) Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Oregon Order. » Round 7: (239) Dane Jackson, CB, Pittsburgh.

Brandon Beane took care of his largest need final month, giving up a equipment of picks, including this year's first-rounder, for WR Stefon Diggs. Then all all over again, we're grading purely on the work done on draft weekend right here (their grade would be bigger if the Diggs deal used to be being taken into epic). Beane soundless did a right kind job along with his remaining capital, even supposing! He stumbled on a first-spherical-caliber player gradual in Round 2. Epenesa used to be once regarded as a probable top-15 employ, but fell out of prefer with the draft cognoscenti due in phase to an NFL Scouting Mix exercise that didn't inspire. That talked about, he filled Buffalo's top need coming into the draft and used to be one of basically the most productive values within the draft, in accordance to NFL Network draft knowledgeable Daniel Jeremiah. I like it, and would perchance recount the identical thing for the different of Moss, a violent runner who fills the void left by Frank Gore. Now, I would perchance own most well-most customary to explore Buffalo tear along with a nook with its first employ on Day 3 (Josiah Scott? Amik Robertson?) with Josh Norman in decline and playing on a one-year deal, but I stamp the appeal to of constant to add weaponry for Josh Allen, and the Payments did bag cost at the nook enviornment with the different of Jackson within the closing spherical. Davis has the size and safe radius to snag Allen's throws downfield and Hodgins is yet any other expansive tree who can tear up and receive it. The Fromm employ used to be an eyebrow-raiser, but I will be able to now no longer argue with the associated charge. Weird things happen on Day 3, as I was additionally bowled over they determined to reel in Bass in Round 6, but hi there, he used to be arguably basically the most productive kicker within the draft. Sorry, Stephen Hauschka.

Fresh England Patriots

RANK: 4 · 2019 RECORD: 12-4-0

» Round 2: (No. 37 total) Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne; (60) Josh Uche, LB, Michigan. » Round 3: (87) Anfernee Jennings, edge rusher, Alabama; (91) Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA; (101) Dalton Keene, TE, Virginia Tech. » Round 5: (159) Justin Rohrwasser, K, Marshall. » Round 6: (182) Mike Onwenu, OG, Michigan; (195) Justin Herron, OL, Wake Wooded enviornment; (204) Cassh Maluia, LB, Wyoming. » Round 7: (230) Dustin Woodard, C, Memphis.

No one's earned the superb to be assured extra than Bill Belichick, but this Patriots draft felt model of ... successfully, smug. They didn't trouble to take care of needs at quarterback or vast receiver and took a kicker when it used to be soundless early within the fifth spherical, making Rohrwasser the main specialist chosen in 2020. Belichick has talked about the choice to tear on drafting a QB 10 cases "wasn't by create," in convey that sounds love he didn't abominate the means at the enviornment on this draft. He right didn't in actuality feel compelled to decide one in a year where he is riding with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. Alrighty then. The Pats did take care of just a few voids with their picks after trading out of Round 1 and deciding on up a further employ, even supposing. Dugger offers some unparalleled-wanted childhood at safety and whereas he comes from a minute college, he regarded love a man who belonged when he faced all-indispensable particular person competitors at the Senior Bowl. Uche, yet any other Senior Bowl standout, appears to be like to be a right kind fit with raw athletic tools that Belichick can mold. Jennings drew a comp to ancient Patriot Kyle Van Noy from colleague/draft guru Lance Zierlein, so it can appear he landed within the superb enviornment. Fresh England had to add at tight end, and lastly did in Round 3, trading up for both Asiasi and Keene, which had been a itsy-bitsy handsome choices on condition that there had been arguably better prospects at the enviornment available at both spots. The choice to add depth to the O-line in a while Day 3 made sense. Total, there had been things to love and things to seek details from on this class.

[startrekfangirl2233-writes]

He Fell First (She Fell Harder)

A You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes (I'm Not a Game You Want to Lose) Oneshot

Past!Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Reader

Description: The Five times Bitsie couldn't keep her eyes (and thoughts) off Jake and the One time Jake couldn't keep his eyes off Bitsie.

Disclaimer: Female!Reader

Warnings: This fic encompasses the entire timeline of the events happening in You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes. As such, there are mentions of cheating, some cursing, sex, sexual themes, as well as a look into Bitsie's mental state during the rough non-consensual sex mentioned in Love Has No Limits, Part Two of the main story.

The content presented in this story is for audiences age 18 and over only. MINORS DNI. I will not be accepting taglist requests from Blank or Ageless Blogs for this story. I do my best to portray adult relationships in this fic. Please do not interact with this story if you feel you are not ready to read about these themes.

Word Count: 7202 

A/N: Hi All! So remember when I mentioned I wasn't ready to let Jake and Bitsie go when I ended the main series? Here we are! I'm so happy to share this new installment in their story with you all! It's also my first time writing a 5 plus 1 style fic, so I hope you all love it.

A lot of this story will not make sense if you've not read the main part of the series linked below.

Thanks to @horseshoegirl and @desert-fern for reading over this oneshot as I was trying to figure out how to write a 5 plus 1 style fic!

AO3: Cross-posted here!

Wattpad: Cross-posted here!

My Masterlist

Series Masterlist

1. Before Bradley Bradshaw

You're not sure why the blond on the other side of the aisle at the Commissary is staring at you. He's beautiful. You know that for a fact because you have eyes, and you're a little weak at the knees at the sight of how he fills out his khaki uniform. He’s probably only staring because you're a mess, with your hair in a messy bun, standing in the commissary wearing a ratty, holey T-shirt and ripped-stained jeans. Moving sucks. It feels like your spine is just stretching out again after hours in the car. Honestly, you’re not sure why you decided to have all your things shipped to Lemoore instead of directly to North Island. Three trips in your car later, and you’ve got everything you need with you, but you now have an avalanche of boxes waiting in your living room to unpack.

Your entire life in boxes is another reason you’d retreated to the commissary. It’s already 6 in the evening, and you want nothing more than to eat something and flop onto the sofa for the night. You’re hoping, at the very least, to pick up a few important groceries, such as milk, bread, eggs, and cheese, to tide you over until you can run to Whole Foods or Wegmans off base. It’s as you’re debating what type of cereal you should buy that the blond first catches your attention. It’s a Wednesday, and there are a surprisingly large number of khaki-clad navy personnel walking up and down the aisles collecting items they need. You’re probably one of the few in casual clothing, but that doesn’t warrant his staring.

It takes far too much effort to turn your attention back to the two cereal boxes in your hands. You can still feel the prickle of his gaze against the back of your neck.

“Y’know, if you’re deciding between Honey Bunches of Oats and Frosted Mini Wheats, I have to tell you that you’re probably thinking too hard.”

You startle, fumbling with the boxes, and stumble back into a broad, firm chest. His laughter is warm and musical as he steadies you with big, warm hands. 

“I’m sorry.” You’re flushed and hoping that you’re not as sweaty and disgusting as you feel with this Adonis of a man so close to you.

“I startled you, huh?” His grin is crooked and wicked, making you grin sheepishly.

“Yeah, you kind of did.” You turn and gesture at the cereal boxes. “So, what makes you think you know the best cereal?”

“Well, I've been eating it my whole life, you know?” His eyes seem to twinkle as he responds.

“So have I. I happen to like Honey Bunches of Oats, you know?”

“All that tells me, gorgeous, is that you haven't put something truly delicious in that pretty little mouth before today.”

You squeak a little because you're not sure you've ever been so close to a man before.

“So, I would suggest Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It's sweet and spicy, just like you are.”

You can feel yourself flush, even as he reaches past you, pulls the correct cereal box from the shelf, and places it in your cart.

“See you around, beautiful. I hope you enjoy your time on North Island.”

You’re a flustered mess as you checkout at the counter several moments later. You think about this flirty stranger as you unpack your house and put everything away for the rest of the week and most of the weekend. A part of you isn’t sure how to handle such casual flirting. Could that stranger have been serious? Did he actually want to see you around North Island? Or was that just something he was saying to be kind?

2. Befriending the Daggers

As silly as it seems, you feel like you can taste cinnamon sugar on your tongue when you and your team are introduced to the Dagger Squad in one of the hangars at North Island.

The reason why is simple. The blond who had been haunting your thoughts all weekend is standing at attention in the front row. His cocky smirk makes your knees weak, and you’re sure that his eyes on you make you stutter as you introduce yourself. Throughout that first briefing, you can feel his gaze track across your form as you take notes in your spiky hand. You think you see him smirk when your hand cramps, and you need to shake your fingers out. Still, it catches your attention in a fleeting moment, not keeping it for longer than a few seconds before the briefing grabs you again.

What follows is a day full of briefings, the problem with the laser targeting system setting your mind ticking into overdrive. Looking at the faces of the others on your team, you can see hints of the same curiosity and the same drive to solve this problem. Of course, it would be asking a bit much to be able to view the plane telemetry data and hardware logs and hear the comms recordings so soon after your introduction to the team. Something tells you you’ll have to wait for that. 

“So, you’re joining us for drinks, right?” It’s one of the female lieutenants, Trace, you think her name is, who invites you out. “We go to this little place on the beach called The Hard Deck. Penny’s amazing!”

“You should join us, Bitsie!” His voice sounds just as good in the hangar as at the commissary, if a bit less worn and tired. The nickname is new, but coupled with the grin he’s leveling in your direction, you’re willing to accept it. You smile sweetly at the blond as he walks up behind Lieutenant Trace. 

“I’m Jake, Jake Seresin. How’d you like the Cinnamon Toast Crunch?”

Before you can respond, though, Trace muscles her way back into the conversation. “Stop making her feel awkward, Bagman.”

You smile gently over her shoulder at Jake as Natasha walks you away, talking a mile a minute. The Hard Deck is a surprisingly homey place. It’s warm and brightly lit, smelling of lemon polish and faintly of yeasty beer. It bothers you a little bit how Natasha doesn’t seem to want to let you go. Jake’s been waiting, sweetly, this whole time. You want to thank him for his cereal recommendations. But she’s introducing you to the others, and you're actually having fun.

Before long, you find yourself in a circle of women, and you’re surprised by how nice it feels. Mara, you've known and worked with for years, but you've never been close. Callie and Natasha are like two sides of the same coin. Both of them are whip-smart and take no shit. They’re the perfect counterparts to you and Mara.

 Looking back, you've never really had many female friends. Most of your colleagues are males, males who don't want anything to do with you outside of seeing you every day and inevitably getting shown up by you. So it’s nice standing at one of the bar’s high-top tables while getting to know your new colleagues and hopefully your new friends.

You’re laughing and smiling, vacantly swaying to the song's beat pouring out of the jukebox when the song cuts out. You startle, then hum as you hear the plunking of keys from the piano on the other side of the bar. When you’d walked in, talking to Natasha, you’d thought the piano was just an ornament, something defunct and unplayable. The tune leaves the wooden instrument echoing with age.

Natasha crows with glee at the sound; all the Daggers roused into a festive mood in moments. “C’mon, you two! You’re in for a real treat tonight!”

The raspy voice that starts singing melds beautifully with the old instrument, lustily belting the words of an old song into the air. It seems to be a normal occurrence. As Natasha dances and pulls you into the fray surrounding the piano, you feel relaxed enough to dance along awkwardly in her wake. The other Daggers are arrayed in a half-moon around the back of the piano, facing a man with auburn curls wearing a cheerful printed shirt. You recognize him as one of the Daggers you haven’t been introduced to yet. He’s feeling the jazzy beat of the song as his fingers dance across the yellowed ivory keys. 

When he peers over the rims of his RayBans, his eyes meet yours. In that instance, the world stops because his smile takes your breath away. You’ve never felt this seen, this beautiful. His eyes sparkle, the color of the whiskey in the glass atop the glossy wood of the piano. You’ve never heard this song before, but damn, if you don’t want to learn the lyrics via osmosis just to see him smile at you for singing along. You’re not sure when the song ends, or even that it does, notes echoing in the suddenly quiet expanse of your mind. You swallow when he stands up from the bench and downs the watered-down whiskey, tracking a droplet of the amber liquid as it drips down his neck. You have to remind yourself to be cool, to avoid glancing at his mouth as he swaggers up to you.

“Hi,” His voice is like woodsmoke, dark and gorgeous as it drips into your ears. “I’m Bradley Bradshaw, but you can call me Rooster. I’m one of the Daggers, but if I’d met you before now, I’m not sure I would forget.”

“Bradley…. Bradshaw?” You’re not sure when Natasha, Callie, and Mara moved away, but when you look, you’re all alone in the corner of the bar with just Bradley Bradshaw for company. 

“It’s a family name.” He drags one of his big hands through glistening curls, his bicep bunching alluringly in the frankly silly shirt he’s wearing. “My dad wanted the alliteration. My mom loved him too much to say no. So here I am.”

“It sounds like you love them a lot.” 

His smile falters at your earnest words, a frown dipping his lips down for a few seconds before the smirk rises back into place. “Yeah, I did.”

Your mind churns, because you feel like you’ve pressed unwittingly onto a still un-healed old wound. You feel like you should apologize, like you have to apologize, but he doesn’t let you. The play of emotions on his face is lightning-fast. Before you can think, he’s already leading you to the next conversation topic: you.

“But that’s enough about me. Tell me about you.” 

You flush and let your life story, a highly edited version, drip off your tongue. You’ve never felt like this before. You feel seen and inexplicably gorgeous, faced with a six-foot-tall man whose eyes seem to see right through you. He makes you feel giddy. 

“What’re you doing tucked away in this corner with Bradshaw, Bitsie?” Jake’s voice makes you smile in a completely different way than when Bradley was making you giggle earlier.

“We were just chatting, Jake.”

“Yeah, Bagman.” It surprises you to see the nearly cruel look on Bradley’s kind-looking face. “We were just chatting. Piss off.”

Jake lifts his hands as he backs away, though you don’t miss how he mouths, “Later, pretty girl” to you over Bradley’s shoulder. You don’t miss the frown creasing on his handsome face, either.

“Does he call you Bitsie often?” Bradley sounds surprisingly concerned as he curls one of his big hands around your waist.

“He just started today.” 

Bradley’s face makes you bite your lips. “I’m pretty sure he’s just teasing me, Bradley. It’s okay.”

“No, no, it’s not.” You can hear the rumble of his voice in your chest as he leans closer. “Sweetheart, he’s making fun of you. He doesn’t take you or your job seriously. He took your cute, little introductory speech and turned it into a mockery!”

“He isn’t making fun of me, Bradley.”

“Yeah, he is, sweetheart.” He tucks a strand of hair behind your ears. “Bagman makes fun of everyone and everything. He doesn’t know how to give a compliment seriously if he tries.”

“He’s just going to hurt you, gorgeous.” 

“No, he’s not.” You scoff.

“Turn around, sweetheart.”

You turn as bidden, expecting to see Jake looking at you with that same sweet look on his face. Instead, what you see is Jake smirking down at a gorgeous willowy blonde with big boobs and sweet, dainty features. 

You, in your frumpy little business casual pants set, look terrible in comparison. When his eyes rise to meet yours, the smile falls a little, but it grows into something smarmy and ingenuine as his eyes meet the man standing behind your shoulder.

“See, sweetheart? The man flirts just to flirt. That’s all he means when he calls you Bitsie. He’ll flirt and then go home with someone else. You’re not his type. But luckily, you’re mine.”

His words make you smile, and you devote the brunt of your attention to Bradley Bradshaw again. You can feel the itch of eyes on you all night long. But when you sneak furtive glances over your shoulders at where Jake is standing with that blonde bimbo draped all over him, his attention always seems to be on her. But you can still feel the itch of his gaze in between your shoulders. 

3. Dating Bradley Bradshaw

After that first night, you keep a close eye on the Daggers, especially how they interact with each other. Jake Seresin always seems to be on the outskirts of the group. Only Coyote goes out of his way to include Jake. Even when he is a central part of the conversation, Hangman seems to prefer biting commands and witty repartee, which doesn’t endear him to his squadron. You hear them all, though, noting the jokes that are so sly and cerebral that they pass the others by. You notice his concern, the tightly wound worry in every muscle as he tries his best to ensure everyone comes back home safe and sound, even in the midst of training.

Something about his attitude still bothers you, though. Or maybe it’s how he always insists on calling you Bitsie instead of your name. He can’t seem to bring himself to give you any respect, either, and it’s starting to piss you off. If you didn’t know differently, you’d assume Jake Seresin didn’t believe you belonged here, working on this team and completing vital work for the Pentagon and the US Navy. So, you dread walking into the pilot’s ready room on base for coffee. You’ve been dragging all day, and you have it on good authority that the pilot’s ready room has the best coffee on base. 

Well, your thermos from home is empty, and you could use the pick-me-up, so you head over there, hoping you can avoid Jake Seresin. All you want is a decent cup of coffee before you’re back to staring at flight diagnostics until your eyes bleed.

The ready room is quiet, barring the ever-present roaring hum of jet engines in flight, and to your satisfaction, there is a pot of coffee waiting for you. You sniff at its contents, a little disappointed because there’s only enough for half a mug once you’ve assured yourself of its relative freshness. You make your mug happily, doctoring it to your satisfaction and taking the time to look around. Bradley and Nat have told you about the days they've spent here between hops while training for the Uranium Mission. The walls are covered in pictures, and you take the time to examine them as you sip your coffee.

When the radio flickers on with an echoey buzz as it connects to the comms of the jets in flight, you startle and whirl around.

“If you’re looking for the Chicken, he’s up in the air.” You have to fight to keep your dismay from showing on your face. You must be at least a little unsuccessful since there is an imperceptible smirk growing on Hangman’s face as he looks at you from one of the sofas. “At least you’ve found the coffee.”

“It’s the best coffee on base, after all.” 

You refill your mug and try your best to ignore Hangman. But when you go to take another sip, you’re met with only the dregs at the bottom of your mug. There’s silence between you as you scramble into the cupboards, looking for the fresh coffee. When you measure the beans into the grinder and fire the grinder up, you deliberately avoid looking for the aviator lying supine on the sofa. You find a modicum of your composure as you measure the grinds into a new filter and fill the carafe of the coffee maker with fresh water. You hit the buttons decisively and hum appreciatively as the scent of fresh bitter coffee wafts from the pot. From the radio set, you can hear Phoenix and Bob on the comms, mostly Bob, as he clues his pilot onto unseen perils in the sky. On occasion, you can hear Phoenix’s measured tone and Bradley’s rough rasp, too.

“So, Bitsie, how do you take your coffee?”

 You startle, sending crystals of sugar skittering across the countertop as Hangman’s voice gets even closer to you than it was before. You’re always impatiently waiting for the coffee to brew, so you always add the creamer and sugar to the bottom of your mug before pouring in the coffee. Hangman chuckles when he sees the sugar dripping lazily out of the torn open packet in a glittering stream. 

“Sugar, huh?” He pushes you away and begins to wipe the sticky substance away but stops once he sees the bottom of your mug. “Fuck, Bitsie, do you pour any coffee into your mug at all?”

“Oh, trust me,” you snap, on the defensive at the sound of his voice so close to you, “I desperately need the caffeine to put up with you, after all.”

Something about the joking look on his face fades away at your tone, though the smile doesn’t. 

“I drink my coffee black, you know?” He chuckles, leaning against the counter as he holds your mug hostage on the other side of him. “I like my coffee hot and full-bodied, a little bitter, but oh, so smooth on my tongue.”

He takes two measured steps into your space. With how close he is, you’re inundated with the scent of his cologne and the bitter tang of jet fuel. “Coincidentally, I like my women like that too.”

“And how do they like you?” One of his eyebrows rises at your statement. “Your women, Bagman. How do they like you?”

“Oh, honey.” He grins as he fills the mug up and turns around. “I promise they don’t have any complaints.”

He sips insolently out of your mug, tongue lapping at the traces of coffee left on the spoon he used to stir the steaming beverage before handing the mug filled with hot liquid back to you. Your mind stutters as Jake Seresin stares you down like you’re the best thing he’s ever seen. “Your coffee isn’t half bad either, Bitsie.” You can feel the warmth of his touch where his fingers brush against yours. “A little sweet, but it figures when the drinker is as sweet as you are.”

When you sip from the mug with your face on fire, it tastes even better than when you make it for yourself. You slip out of the room when a crackle of feedback attracts Jake’s attention. It doesn’t occur to you until you’re sitting in your chair and staring at the after-action reports of the Uranium Mission that you’re placing your mouth exactly where his was in an indirect kiss. 

For the rest of the afternoon, you find your mind tracking to green eyes and a sweet smile bared genuinely in your direction. Your brain feels like a stuck record, trapped futilely in the crosshairs of his gaze from when he’d been teasing you about your coffee preferences.

Worse than the bonfire lighting up in your stomach, there’s the guilt swarming in your belly after what happened. What happened with Jake in the ready room could classify as cheating, right? You’re not exactly sure because you’re not the most experienced. You also don’t want to tell Bradley because what if you have been unfaithful to him? You can’t confide in Natasha either, because she’s Bradley’s best friend. 

Suddenly, your coffee goes from tasting like god’s ichor to tasting like ash on your tongue. Fucking Jake Seresin. Why did he have to go out of his way to make your life miserable?

4. A North Island Night Out

The more time you spent around Bradley Bradshaw, the more it felt like you could fall in love. Bradley’s sweet and kind, and he never once makes you feel bad about your career choice. Sometimes, in those long afternoons stuffed inside a hangar with ceiling fans barely pushing at stagnant air, you wish you could say the same about Jake Seresin. The worst part is how he has reasons to be as cocky and arrogant as he is. He flies his jet like a man possessed, or maybe like a man with nothing to lose. Some of you can’t help but wonder what you would have faced if you'd been going out with Jake instead of Bradley. You're not sure you would have been enough to change his ways.

Bradley, on the other hand? He's like your knight in shining armor. He never minds your rambling or how you babble when you get sucked into a conversation. In fact, you'd argue that Bradley Bradshaw is the first person who has ever taken you seriously. He makes you feel superhuman, like there is never any problem you can't solve. His smile still has butterflies taking flight in thick, cloying swarms in your stomach. He makes you laugh, and god when he kisses you? You feel radiant, like one word will have you taking off faster than an F-18.

A part of you can’t believe him, even now. He hadn't laughed when you'd told him how inexperienced you were, in truth, what you wanted him to give you for your first time.

“Fuck, sweetheart.” He'd groaned into your ear, “Just let me make you feel good, on your terms, as fast or slow as you want me to be.”

You know what he's offering. As fast or slow as you want me to be is his way of telling you to take your time. But you're sure you will explode if you have to make out with Bradley Bradshaw again while rubbing a wet patch into the thigh of his jeans, while his fingers massage over your nipples and his tongue tangles languidly with yours. 

You’ve had sex with him before, the sweet, gentle missionary kind. In fact, you’d argue that it was the perfect way to lose your virginity. But you can’t help but wonder if there isn’t more to sex with a man you love than a few slow moments in bed. You’re not even sure you orgasmed that night, or at least, it never felt like how you’ve made yourself climax. But ever since then, he’s kept you at arm's length. Sex was supposed to be the last step before all of the walls came down between the two of you. Maybe you can finally get Bradley to give you what you want, then? If only this date weren’t starting at The Hard Deck, though if you think back, most of yours do. It’s not like the Hard Deck isn’t a nice bar - it is. But The Hard Deck isn’t the most romantic of venues. 

When you drive up to the Hard Deck in your little car at promptly six in the evening, you’re dressed to the nines, wearing a cute little sundress with a flared skirt and fitted bodice. It pushes your tits up and is nearly completely backless. You’re not wearing much under the dress, just a little lace-edged thong and strappy heels elevating you a few inches. Stepping through the door, it seems like the entire bar falls silent. For several long moments, all you can hear is the tapping of your heels against the floor. People seem to float out of your way as you greet Penny, grabbing your drink from her, a soda in a glass bottle dripping condensation, and walk towards the pool tables in the back of the bar.

Heads turn as you walk past, and you can feel a smug smile curl your lips. On any other night, the arrangement of the Daggers around the pool table would have been normal. You’d be joining them by now, taking your place next to Bradley to hang besottedly on his every word. You’d be the only one not in uniform.

 Tonight, there isn’t a uniform in sight. Tonight, you’re dressed to impress. But you’re not dressed to impress the other Daggers, only Bradley. You hope your sexy little dress will be enough to have the romantic moment you’ve been longing for, finally. All your boyfriend needs to do is turn around and see you. 

Nat and Bob confer in hushed tones as Bradley racks up against the pool table with the cue in his hand. He’s wearing those jeans that you adore, the pair that fits like a glove and with fabric so worn that it’s soft against your hands. Hangman and Coyote are on the other side of the pool table, identical frowns on their faces as they strategize over the configuration of the balls on the worn felt emblazoned with jets.

But it’s Hangman who sees you first with a clattering of his cue as it impacts the floor. His eyes bug out, mouth parting as his eyes rake over you from head to toe. His reaction causes silence to ripple outwards with him at its epicenter. Dagger after Dagger pauses to stare at you. It’s a gratifying feeling. Nat and Callie wink at you, and Nat carefully prods a pink-cheeked Bob into resuming their conversation. The only person arrayed around the pool tables who doesn’t seem to know you’re there is the man you dressed up for. Jake is nearly mute as you clack forward, sipping on your drink greedily because something about his gaze has you feeling hot and flushed. The only time he backs off is when Bradley seems to realize you’re right there.

“Fuck, baby.” Your boyfriend groans in your ears. His voice makes your skin flare hot, and a desperate ache starts between your legs. “Look at you all pretty and gorgeous for me. Let me finish this last round, and then I’m all yours.”

One round turns to two, and then three, and before long, you’re left all alone in a corner of the bar while the Daggers, including Bradley, party like you don’t exist. All of that effort to make it a romantic night, and you’re sitting here like you don’t exist. If you have to watch another badge bunny drape herself all over your boyfriend, you are going to scream or do something drastic. Maybe making out with Jake will get his attention.

“It’s a shame, you know?” You nearly topple off of your stool at the words emanating from next to you. “You look so pretty, Bitsie, and Bradshaw can’t even open his eyes to see his girl waiting for him.”

Hangman sounds so sure of you, so sure that you’re better than Bradley Bradshaw deserves.

“He just wanted to grab another drink.”

“That was three hours ago, Bits.” When Jake chuckles, you can feel your hackles raise. “Didn’t you have dinner reservations or something like that?”

Before you can respond, because yeah, you did, Bradley’s standing there.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Bagman?” Bradley is slurring his words, listing from side to side as he stares the other man down.

“She’s mine, Bagman. Don’t you forget it!”

“If she’s yours, why are you ignoring her and walking around with badge bunnies draped all over ya?”

You can tell by how red Bradley’s face gets that he is one more word from launching himself at Jake. You’re unsure what prompts you to step in, but you do, sliding your hand up to the sweaty curls at the base of your boyfriend’s neck and whispering into his ear. You breathe your need, your want for him, into his ears. You have to ignore the scent of alcohol and sweat wafting sour from his skin, but you succeed in grabbing his attention. 

But a part of you wishes your seductive ploy hadn’t.

You got your wish; your need to have sex with your boyfriend granted. But it’s not anything like you expected it to be. Bradley left bruises on your skin and bruises on your heart. He’d been rough with his touch and his words. But more than that, you can’t help but wonder if this would have happened with Jake. If he’d make you feel better than Bradley ever could. Isn’t sex supposed to feel good? 

Faced with Bradley’s fumbling, you’d been anything but wet between your legs. You’d only started to get there when you thought, selfishly, of Jake. There was no foreplay, no making sure you’re alright. No kissing, no touching. There were no hallmarks of any of the care and gentleness Bradley usually treats you with. The whole experience has you feeling worse than you did in the car as he called you a slut for talking to a colleague and friend. Slut. It’s a word he’d used often with you in bed that night, too. A word that makes you feel guilty, dirty, and disgusting all at once. 

What does it say about you that you had to think of a colleague and friend to get wet instead of your boyfriend?

Whether you realize it or not, that’s the first crack in the shaky, perhaps already crumbling, foundations of your relationship with Bradley Bradshaw.

5. After Bradley Bradshaw

You have work to do; you know you do. But it’s been under a day since you told Jake Seresin how your relationship with Bradley Bradshaw imploded easier than if it had been bombed. Realizing Nat had known, known what he did and condoned the betrayal, his cheating, is another stab to the back that you weren’t expecting. You can't believe how Bradley could harbor less remorse and guilt over having sex with Britney than you did over some harmless, practically meaningless flirting.

What happened to ‘sisters before misters’ and all sentiments to that effect? You’re thankful, truly thankful, that Jake didn’t know and that Mickey and Mara were unaware as well. Being so far away from North Island has given you a sense of clarity you never thought you were missing. 

You’d be lying if you said Jake Seresin doesn’t have something to do with your newfound clarity, too. 

One night, a bushel-load of tears and an unburdening of your heart, and he’s already raised himself in your esteems. It’s in how he’d listened to you, which has your thoughts spinning. Back when your relationship with Bradley was still rock solid, you'd thought Bradley was the only man who could make you feel like the most important person in the world. But you didn't realize how often Bradley’s eyes would glaze over when you got excited. You’re not sure you’ve ever been able actually to talk to your ex. 

Jake let you cry, cry like you’d lost your reason for living. He’d held you while your suppressed grief had unleashed. He’d heard you spill your heart out to him and release all of your pain into the squalling storm winds. Then there was the rage in his face, in his voice, the rage he’d held tightly coiled in the corded muscles of his arm, in the jut of his proud jaw, when he found out Bradley had broken you, dominated your spirit, for a bet. 

You’re not sure why he’s been so nice. He has nothing to gain by being kind to you. He didn’t when he wanted to get you off deck in the middle of the storm last night. Though uncharitably, you’re sure he’d likely wanted you off deck so he could get off deck himself. He didn’t have to make you a cup of coffee or raid his own special stash of granola bars, either. But more than anything, you’d love to know why he let you cry snot and tears all over his uniform when it was well past lights out. You keep thinking back to how it felt to be in his arms, how good it felt.

Unbidden, you pull out the paper Jake had handed you while you were eating lunch in the commissary with Mara and Mickey. It’s nothing special, just a note written in ballpoint pen on run-of-the-mill lined notebook paper. The paper is silky smooth against the pads of your fingers, the edges ragged like he’d ripped the page out of a notebook he had lying around. You can feel the indentations the pen had left on the other side of the page. You can see how the letters slur across the page as he’d written, the ink smudging imperceptibly as he wrote hastily. They’re just lyrics transcribed on the page, and they shouldn’t be thought-provoking. 

It’s from a song you’ve heard a thousand times before, played ad nauseam on the radio with a catchy tune getting stuck in your head. More than the song lyrics, it’s the thought behind those lyrics. Honestly, you’re not sure how he got them for you. He called his sister in the middle of the night when he likely had to get special permission to do so just so he could get some stupid lyrics for you.

You can still see the twinkle in his eyes as he blushed crimson. He’d seemed proud, proud he was the reason for your laughter, proud that he’d pulled the wool from your eyes and showed you how ill Bradley had actually treated you. That look on his face made you feel like levitating. 

You can’t deny it anymore. Bradley Bradshaw may have made butterflies swarm in your stomach, but Jake Seresin made you feel like lightning arcing through the air. He makes you feel wild and free.

+1. The Day Easton is Born

A part of you feels like you should be angry that it took only four years before you stopped being the sole item of your husband’s attention. But you’d be lying if you didn’t feel the same way that Jake did, especially because the cute little thing that’s caught his attention has caught yours, too. 

He’s about four hours old with squishy cheeks, a red face, and a voice that would make his daddy proud. You’re sure that his voice is just like his dad’s, but you can’t say you’ve ever heard Jake’s voice ever hit the octaves this adorable sweetheart hits. It hurts a little bit that you’ve been ordered not to move, too, because everything in you is itching to pick your baby up and hold him in your arms. But Jake’s on baby duty at the moment. If it’s a poopy diaper, you’re more than ready to let him take that burden on.

You tilt the bed up until you’re reclining and tip your head gently to the side until you see the heart rate monitor reassuringly blinking your vital signs at you. When you turn your head to the other side, Jake's standing over the small changing table in your room, leaning down and looking into it. His face looks gentler than you've ever seen it, soft, like a man stripped bare to his basest parts. He has no walls up, no fears, just wonder as he stares down at the little bed. Well, maybe he’s looking a little less awestruck and a little more disgusted because your newborn son does, indeed, have a soiled diaper.

He’s not wearing a shirt. This fact doesn't surprise you because Jake wanders around your house half-naked all the time. At the same time, you’re both in a hospital, and it’s at least 10 degrees colder than it should be. You’re wrapped up in a soft pajama set and wearing a thick cardigan, but you’re still cold. When Jake hefts the small wriggling body of your son into his arms and settles him against his chest, now clean, your heart swells. The baby coos, a little snuffling exhale of breath that squeaks a little as he settles into Jake’s arms. Jake doesn’t seem to realize that you’re awake, either.

“Awww, hey, Buddy.” His voice is a tender rumble, big hands cradling precious cargo with the same surety he flies his jet. “Let’s not wake up Mama, huh? She’s so tired.”

“You took us by surprise, our sweet boy. We weren’t expecting you to show up in the middle of a Longhorns game, for sure. I will say that your arrival was a little more exciting than a game-winning touchdown. I wonder if your Uncle Javy will let Daddy watch the game on his DVR when you’re home? In any case, I do not look forward to replacing my Longhorns rug. You had to pick that rug to make your appearance on, didn’t you? Say, East, what’s the likelihood that your Mama would let me keep it if I wash it off?”

You have to stifle your snickers because the baby chirps and half burps in response. You can vaguely see the dark blue of the baby’s eyes as he blinks in Jake’s firm hold. East’s lips purse and part, and you know it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be in need again. But you’re so in love, and hearing Jake talk to your son might be your newest favorite thing.

“Yeah, I had that feeling. You’ll learn sooner or later that your Mama’s words are law. She’s going to be the disciplinarian between the two of us, for sure. You’re already wrapped around my fingers. I’m not sure I could tell you no for anything.”

He sighs, sounding choked up as he trails a finger down the baby’s soft cheek. “I’ve got so much I want to teach you. How to smile and utilize those perfect Seresin dimples. How to talk your way out of any problem you face. How to make your Mama smile (and maybe cry) every Mother’s Day as we show her how amazing she is.”

He presses a soft kiss to the top of the baby’s head and rocks slightly back and forth on his heels, an action that doesn’t soothe your son even a little. East is squalling already, and you have a feeling he will ratchet up a bit higher in volume if he doesn’t get what he wants.

“Hey, Cowboy.” Your voice is soft as you get Jake’s attention.

“Morning, Bitsie-baby.” His smile is wide as he stares down at you.

“There’s no way it’s morning, Jake.” He shrugs and rocks back and forth a little more as the baby objects a little louder with each sway. “And gimme my son.”

Jake smirked as he transferred the baby, eyes softening as you situated East against your chest, snickering as the baby latched hungrily onto your breast for his midnight snack. 

“So he’s your son when you want him, but he’s mine when he’s got a nasty diaper?”

“Sounds about right, Seresin.”

“Well, he’s a Seresin, alright.” Jake snickers when you swat at his abs. “Made right for your tits, and aren’t they a pretty sight.”

“Not in front of the baby, Jacob.”

“Well, I dunno when I’m going to see them again one on one!”

“Try me when East’s two years old. Because I’m going to need that long to recover from having your big-headed child.” Your voice is as dry as the Sahara Desert as you laugh at your husband.

“Fair enough.” He tucks a wild strand of hair behind your ear and settles on the edge of the hospital bed. You snuggle into his side as he wraps an arm around your shoulders. “Have I told you how beautiful you look today?”

“I’ll take beautiful over the complete mess I probably am.”

“You look gorgeous, Bitsie!”

You snort. “Jake, I haven’t showered in 48 hours, I was in labor for most of it, and I just had a baby. So what about me looks beautiful to you at this moment?”

“Everything.” He presses a gentle kiss to your temple. “You’ve given me the best things in my life. You gave me your heart and a second chance with you. You gave me a family in you and our little Easton. You’ve changed my life.”

“If I didn’t find you gorgeous because of all of our relationship, then I’d definitely argue it is the memory of the lingerie you were wearing under your dress at last year's Navy Gala.”

“I think that lingerie was pretty life-changing for both of us, Cowboy.” You cradle Easton close and gesture for one of the many burp cloths arrayed on the table on Jake’s other side. “I’m about 90% sure that was the night we made East.” You pat the baby’s bottom gently, grimacing when he lets loose a surprisingly loud belch before cooing angelically. “Well, you certainly burp like your dad, don’t you?”

“Hey!” Jake tugs the baby out of your arms, swaying side to side as the baby’s eyes droop closed. He snuggles East close before laying him into the crib. You watch approvingly as he pulls the crib closer, the same worries about your newborn son in his mind as yours. “I’ll have you know, kiddo, that your mama loves my burps.”

“Don’t lie to our son. He’s not even a day old, Seresin, and you’re already lying to him!”

“Am I lying if I’m telling him the truth? His mama does love me.” You wrap your arms around his waist as he settles back into the hospital bed next to you.

“Yeah, she does.” You kiss his torso, nuzzling in close as he holds you close.

“I love you so much, Jake. I fell in love with you a long time ago, and I’m not likely to stop now. Having this,” you gesture to the hospital room at large, “is better than my best dreams. Though, I would prefer it if you could convince your mom and sister to let us have some time with East alone before they descend on us.”

“You got it, beautiful.” He runs his hands gently up and down your back. God, you're not sure you can give him up, not anymore. Right now, you're pretty sure that if Jake gets out of the hospital bed, you'll freeze solid.

“You were always my dream, Bitsie baby. Forever and always.” You barely hear the words, sleep pulling you under riptide-fast. But a part of you knows Jake doesn't mind. It's always been a not-so-secret fantasy of his, having his family at arm's reach. 

Honestly, you could get used to it too. Your Jake Seresin pillow is the best of the best, after all.

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN ON AO3, ON WATTPAD, OR ON TUMBLR BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN AO3, ON WATTPAD, OR TUMBLR, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

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