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averagewriter-inthedark · 2 years ago

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Living Up To The ‘Legacy’ ✈️ Epilogue | Top Gun Maverick Series

Takes place following the events of TGM

Read the series here -> Series Masterlist | TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Barbara ‘Legacy’ Mitchell (romance), Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell x daughter!OC (platonic), Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin (platonic), Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floy (platonic), Lt. Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace (platonic), pretty much the rest of the characters are platonic.

Content Warnings: MAJOR Fluff, profanity, light angst (one scene) but literally fluff all the way. Suggestive content, innuendoes. | Female OC (she/her) | wc: 10.1k

Premise: It’s been a long road since the Uranium mission, but a celebration is in order as Bradley Bradshaw and Barbara Mitchell come together to tie the knot for the second and last time ever, to finally start their future with friends and loved ones by their side.

Note: OMG I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS THE ACTUAL END!!! Lowkey crying right now 🥹 thank you all so so much who have been there since the beginning of this series and have liked, commented, reblogged, sent me messages of kind words and given me all the support. Thank you for waiting patiently as updates come (I know I’ve slacked on some of my other works because I had so much inspiration for this but I’m gonna be getting back to them!) Thank you to all who have followed me and checked out my other works, I’m gonna miss writing for Barbara and Bradley, but who knows what may come in the future. Right now, I will leave their future to your imagination ♥️ I hope you loved this as much as I did and see you in my next work!!

Barbara’s bachelorette party outfit, wedding dress, shoes, ring, veil

“Hey there, sailor.” The beer Rooster was lifting to his mouth stopped short. Turning his head, he was greeted with a pretty blue-eyed redhead smiling at him. There was determination in her eyes, something he often saw when women flirted with him. Not to mention she was leaning awfully close against the bar top.

Dressed in his khaki’s, Rooster flickered his eyes down to where his officer ranks were catching the light. Most civilians would not understand the difference, therefore he wasn’t gonna hold it against her. “Not enlisted, ma’am. The sailors you're looking for look like that,” his finger pointed to a group of enlisted men and women over by the darts table.

“Oh,” she laughed, like she found the joke to be funny. “Even better then. I don’t see many officers coming to this bar.”

‘She must not be a local then,’ Rooster thought silently, keeping his eyes ahead on the crowd in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. “Well there’s more than you think. Look for bars on the collar, and you’ll find one.”

The redhead, who he didn’t really care much to know the name of, stepped closer—her perfume wafting in Rooster's face. “Maybe I don’t need to look any further when I have you right here. What’s a lady got to do to get a drink from a naval officer?”

By now Bradley set his drink down, willing himself not to grin when his eyes connected with a certain someone looking thoroughly amused by the scene she was witnessing. The redhead caught his smile, thinking she had cracked him and gave a silent victory to herself.

Without looking at the redhead he goes, “What’s your name?”

“Krista,” she said as flirty as she could muster, a smirk forming on her lips that she may be successful in taking Rooster home. “What’s yours?”

“That’s not important right now,” he tilts his head and points a finger toward the crowd. “You see that woman dancing over there, Krista? With the gorgeous white outfit?”

Smirk now falling to a confused frown, Krista’s eyes follow Rooster’s gaze where they land on a dark haired woman in white dancing alongside another woman. Black hair fell just below her chin and her tanned body was adorned in a gorgeous white two piece set. The pants flared a bit at the end showcasing white heels with the iconic red bottoms and the top was almost bustier like—giving her assets a nice push. Krista could make out the distinct abs along with some tattoos peaking on her sides. The woman’s body was moving effortlessly to Timbaland’s ‘The Way I Are,’ and at one point began backing it up on the woman who was holding a beer bottle up in the air. When she did this, her head turned at just the right time to connect eyes with Krista, biting her lip as she smirked.

“I see her,” Krista mumbled, slowly putting the pieces together. From her peripheral she could see Rooster grinning, especially when the woman sent him a wink all while dancing on her friend. “Who is she to you?”

“That’s my fiancé, Barbara—who I am wifing up tomorrow,” Rooster finally turned to Krista, giving a shrug at her upset look. But he didn’t feel sympathy. There were plenty of single men in the bar she could find. “She’s the only I’m buying drinks for and gets to take me home tonight.”

They were getting married. Tomorrow. No wonder she was wearing white.

“O-oh.” Embarrassed and a little humiliated after noticing the bartender, Penny, was trying to hold back her laugh—obviously aware the man she was flirting with was off the market—Krista backs away. Her eyes find Barbara’s, finding the diamond ring on her left finger when she brings her hands up her body and over her head. It was catching the light and sparkling for everyone to see.

Face red and wanting to get as far away from the counter as possible, Krista spits out an apology before scurrying away back to her friends. They immediately bombarded her with questions like, ‘what the hell happened?’ ‘Did he seriously reject you?’ ‘Girl, there’s so many other hot guys here—don’t let it get to you.’ ‘I saw him point at that woman—who was she—his girlfriend?’

Rooster just shakes his head with a light laugh, going back to sipping his beer as he watches Barbara dance with Phoenix, Halo, and some of the partners of their colleagues. Penny comes over with another bottle when she sees his was almost empty, “Well, that was entertaining as always. What’s that, the third tonight?”

Rooster thanks her for the beer, downing the last bit of contents of the one in his hand. “Yup, how many has she had?” At that moment he notices another guy, a civilian, approaching his fiancé. He can’t hear what they’re saying, but like Rooster, Barbara doesn't even make eye contact with the dude until he says the magic words.

“That dude makes number four since she got on the dance floor,” Penny says, behind her Barbara is pointing to Rooster—who lifts his beer in cheers at the dude who now has the same expression as Krista did. “If you count the other two before you got here then it’s six. Most of them have already left.”

Rooster chuckles as he thinks, ‘not surprised.’ The years they were dating and first married, the two would always enjoy going to the bars with their friends and being on opposite sides just to watch the other reject patrons who tried to pick them up. It started off as something funny and broadened to almost a monthly ritual. Bradley would chill at the bar or pool tables with their friends while Barbara danced with Nat or whoever wanted to join her. It never failed, they always had at least one or two people approach.

Neither felt jealousy for they trusted the other and would never openly entertain the person flirting with them. They’d give the guy or girl a minute or two to say what they wanted, then they would point out each other to them and say things like, “That’s my man/woman and I plan to wake up to his/her face tomorrow morning. So try someone else, pal/ma’am.” Sometimes Barbara would take it further by saying something sexual to make the person uncomfortable. It always worked.

Speaking of, Barbara must’ve said something to fluster the poor guy because he was now red faced and nodding. Rooster could faintly make out the words, “My bad,” leave his lips before his back was turned to him as he stalked off. His fiancé appeared pleased, smirking and turning to face Phoenix who was covering her laugh with a hand.

‘What did you say?’ Rooster read her lips. Since he couldn’t see Barbara’s face, he was unable to read her own, but judging by the wide eyes of Nat who then threw her head back in laughter, it must’ve been good. Nat even went as far as to lightly slap Barb’s shoulder in mock disapproval.

Taking his beer, Rooster said to Penny, “I’ll be over there if she asks for me.” Penny nods, wiping down the surface as he stands from his stool and heads over to the pool tables where the guys were—minus Fanboy since he was dancing with a pretty brunette near the girls.

“The man of the hour!” Hangman shouts, arms out wide as the rest of the guys cheer. It catches Fanboy’s attention, he quickly kisses the cheek of the lady he was dancing with and speeds over to the group. If she was upset she didn’t show it, because next thing she knew she was being pulled by Barbara to join their circle.

Payback patted Rooster’s back, “Excited for tomorrow, Bradshaw?”

“Are you fucking kidding?” Jake snorts, “He hasn’t shut up about it all month!” Pink coats the top of Rooster’s ears, moving to sit on the chair beside Bob. “Anyone who has met him in the last two weeks would know in the first five minutes of conversation that he’s engaged.”

“Hey, that’s not a bad thing,” Mickey defends, taking a beer bottle from Coyote. He clicks it it’s Roosters.

“No, of course not,” Jake agrees. “I’m just saying It’s gotten to the point where it feels like I’m the one marrying Barbara because she’s the only topic of his everyday vernacular.”

Everyone laughs and there’s even some murmurs of agreement. Rooster just shakes his head, “Seresin, you wish you could hitch up someone like Barbara. Don’t lie.” He’ll never forget the first time Hangman met her, unaware she was married and tried to enact his playboy charm. The event left Jake with the reminder that if he saw the ring on a woman’s finger, to not even attempt it if he wanted to keep his self-esteem.

“She scares me too much,” Jake says with a serious tone, causing the guys to laugh again. A conversation soon flowed with many discussions about the following day’s events. So far everyone they had invited was going to be in attendance, including the Admirals, the Kazansky family, Penny & Amelia, and some of their friends from previous assignments. The whole detachment would be there, as would Barb’s mother, Charlie. She had landed in San Diego around noon and had gone to dinner with Sarah while Barb and Rooster had their conjoined Bachelor/Bachelorette parties at The Hard Deck.

The ceremony would take place just outside the bar on the beach. Penny, Charlie, Sarah, and most of the bridal party were going to arrive early in the morning to set everything up. After the ceremony they would come into the bar for the after party. There was already a sign outside the establishment stating they were not going to be open to the public in the evening due to a private event.

The last couple months had been chaotic for everyone in Fightertown. After the Uranium mission, Barbara had to deal with the aftermath of her actions. Although Maverick, Rooster, and the team had been praised and rewarded for their actions, none could do much regarding her pending court martial. Cyclone was adamant about going through. Not even Warlock could change his mind despite his best efforts.

The day of the hearing, Barbara was dressed in her Dress Whites, nervously tumbling with her fingers while Rooster paced in front of her. Maverick was seated on the bench next to her, hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Charlie wanted to be there for the trial, but the Pentagon had her on an assignment making her unable to attend. The two spoke everyday with Barbara giving updates on what she could since she was bound to confidentially until after the verdict.

Besides Cyclone, Warlock and some of the ground crew on base, Rooster and Maverick were asked to present statements to the board. Hondo and Phoenix were also summoned, surprising the younger Mitchell since she wasn’t expecting any of the team members to have to give evidence.

Barbara was put on the stand for a good day. When grilled by the opposing counsel, she remained calm and stoic to not let emotions get to her. She spoke honestly, never denying her actions. There was no way she would commit perjury on the stand and risk further consequences. When explaining the steps she took to steal the F-18 and why she did it, Barbara kept her gaze on the jury. She choked up at one point, but overall remained collected as to not appear to be over emotional or play victim.

She did wrong, she was going to own it.

Maverick brought her out of her thoughts when the clock reached another hour of deliberation, “Honey, whatever they decide, just know I’m always going to be here for you. I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. No matter what happens today, you’re still the best of the best and have done the Navy a great service.”

“Thank you, dad,” she smiled softly, leaning against him when he maneuvered her arm around her shoulder. The words filled Barb with warmth, gratitude at the fact her father would support her no matter what. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, muttering “of course.”

Later that afternoon, the jury had reached a decision. Rooster and Maverick were unable to be in the courtroom. Both embraced Barbara with a hug—Rooster giving her a sweet kiss telling her it was going to be okay—and she followed behind her attorney, the doors closing behind her. When called to attention, Barbara kept her eyes forward, standing as still as she possibly could and mentally preparing herself to not physically react to whatever the judge would read.

The paper was handed to him after confirming with the jury foreman they had reached a unanimous decision. Her heart pounded, the woman breathing through her nose deeply as he spoke, “Lt. Barbara Mitchell, there is no denying your actions were reckless, dangerous, and could have very well have cost the Navy millions in damages and lawsuits if you the outcome was different then the one it was. Any other scenario and you would be discharged from service effective immediately…however,” Barbara felt the air catch in her throat, squeezing her fists tighter.

“After hearing from members of your detachment, had it not been for you and your father’s actions, the mission on the Uranium enrichment plant that remarkably had no fatalities, probably would have been a different story if Admiral Simpson had gone through with the changing of parameters.” In the corner of her eyes, Barbara caught Cyclone’s head falling. He was seated by the opposing counsel since he had been the one to bring forth charges.

“With that being said, the court has spoken. You will be placed on suspension from flying for a time period of half a year; you will be demoted from your rank of Lieutenant back to Lieutenant Junior Grade; and you will pay a fine of a pending supplement to be determined at a later date. Until further notice you are to remain at Fightertown where you will be an assistant instructor to incoming cadets at Top Gun,” the navy judge looks up to give the woman a pointed glance, “best way to keep an eye on ya. My advice would be to please not cut the already half broken string you’re hanging onto. After this there will be no hearing or trial, you will just be discharged.”

“Yes sir,” Barbara immediately says, exhaling with immense relief. “Thank you, sir, and to the court.” After final remarks from both counsels, the judge and jury exits before Barbara is dismissed. She about faces, letting her shoulders drop and moving to shake the hand of her attorney, “Thank you so much for all you’ve done. I owe you.” When she turns to make way to the doors, Barb catches Cyclone's eyes. He looks somewhat defeated, but overall like he expected the outcome. All he does is nod to her, a silent gesture she understood was his way of saying ‘you got lucky this time, Mitchell.’

Fuck yeah she did.

Yeah she was going to be paying a lot of money for the next few years, couldn’t fly until the summer, and lost the rank she had just been promoted to, but at least she was still a naval aviator. At least she was still going to have her job.

In the meantime Barbara was going to have to be a teacher. Mentally she thought, ‘are they sure that’s a good idea? Having me teach at the place that was the reason I was in court in the first place? They’ll regret it.’

Shaking off the thoughts, Barbara hurried out of the room and was met with her father and fiancé practically jumping from the bench. They had seen Cyclone’s face when he exited and it was evident in the looks they were giving her. Rooster was the first to approach her, walking her over to a corner out of prying ears with Maverick hot on their heels.

She waited until they were fully stopped, turning in his arms to face both of them. “Before you start running your mouths, you can both breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not getting kicked out.” Both visibly reacted, Mav going as far as to bend over to put his hands on his knees, “Thank God.”

Rooster embraced Barb, not caring they were in uniform and said the same, “That’s great to hear, baby.”

“Yeah, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows,” she pulled away so she could relay the rest. Both the men understood. While they were sad for her and thought some of it was a little harsh, getting demoted and paying a fine was better than having a dishonorable discharge. “I wanna do something for Phoenix and Hondo. I think their testimony was what really broke Cyclone’s case, especially after you showed them how essential it was to have the parameters you set, dad.”

“Of course,” Mav agreed and Rooster nodded, “We’ll plan something for them.” When Barb voiced her gratitude to them, they both waved her off saying they would do it again in a heartbeat. The three went to a restaurant to celebrate before meeting up with the others to break the news, with Hangman buying a round as the cheers sounded. After calling it a night Rooster and Barbara hurried away—to their now shared home—to celebrate in their own way.

Planning for the wedding was the next step after Barbara adjusted to her new position at Top Gun. She couldn’t fly just yet and instead was tasked with teaching the lectures. Rooster always looked forward to her coming home after work because she would rant to him about the latest recruit who got on her nerves. There was always someone who would interrupt, act cocky, or go on their own. “Remind you of someone?” He would say, to which he received a glare. Several people could fit the description: Hangman for sure, Maverick at any point in his career, and even Barbara herself.

It was decided the wedding would be an intimate event with only about 30 or so people. There was the detachment (12), Barb’s parents (2), the Kazanskys (3-5), Cyclone, Warlock, Hondo and their wives, Penny, Amelia, and four other close friends from previous duty stations. They did not want to have it in the summer because of how hot it would be and instead voted for mid-spring. Penny offered to host the reception/after party at The Hard Deck after Barbara confessed she did not want a church wedding and thought the beach was perfect. And when Barbara pulled out her checkbook asking Penny to name her price, the older woman snatched it saying, “No, this is my gift to you two. There is no charge.”

Phoenix, the matron of honor, went with Barb to pick out her dress—at the last minute too because they were so busy with work it slipped their mind. The first time Barb and Rooster married it was at the courthouse and she literally wore a baby blue sundress with Rooster sporting his usual Hawaiian shirt. “There’s no way I’m trying on more than five dresses, Phee,” Barbara warned, running a hand over the white fabric of a pretty lace number. “I just want something simple. It’s a beach wedding so nothing heavy and a pain to get on and off.”

“Something like this then?” Nat removed a pure silk dress with spaghetti straps and an open back. It flowed down to the floor and was mermaid style meaning it would fit tight when on. It was gorgeous. Simple yet stunning.

“Exactly like that,” Barb breathed in awe, hands going to feel the material. It was so soft—literally like her silk pillow cases. “It’s perfect.” With the dress in hand, Barbara and Nat accessorized, grabbing a veil that had pearls embedded all over it, Christian Louboutin shoes—which were for the after party since there was no way and hell she would wear them on a sandy beach—pearl hair pins, and finishing it with white rimmed sunglasses.

The perfect ending touch.

Now here they were the night before Barbara was set to remarry the love of her life. She and Rooster agreed on having a somewhat conjoined bachelor/bachelorette get together at The Hard Deck. It was Friday night and one of the rare times the Dagger Squad was reunited after the Uranium mission. Several had returned to their squadrons or were transferred to new ones upon promotion. Rooster made it his mission to remain in Fightertown and thankfully his request was granted. He didn’t waste any time, moving into Barbara’s house just days later with the help of Maverick and the guys.

It was a great night at The Hard Deck with the place buzzing with excitement. The guys were shooting pool, playing darts, drinking and chatting when a certain Mitchell finally made her way over to the aviator she had yet to say hi to. Rooster was already grinning when she came around the corner, hands going to his knees as she stopped in front of him, “Hey, pretty boy.”

“Hey, baby girl.” Barbara licked her bottom lip that was coated in red lipstick, Rooster’s eyes catching the movement causing arousal to fill him. He loved when she did that. “Having fun?”

“Oh absolutely,” she slightly bent her body so they were eye level, hands still on his knees that were touching her own. The heels she was wearing made her taller and with her position Rooster got a great view of her cleavage. “The music’s blasting, the night is young. My sexy fiancé has his eyes on me. I’m having a lot of fun.” The glint in her eyes paired with a matching smirk makes his pants go tight. Rooster tries not to react, especially with the heat of her hands on his knees.

“You’ve got quite the admirers, Barbara Mitchell,” he teases, placing the beer on the empty chair beside him. Bob had got up to play a round of pool with Fanboy and Hangman was currently flirting at the bar. Everyone else had either gone to dance or stand to the side to continue their conversations.

“As do you, Bradley Bradshaw,” Barbara gently spread her legs, moving to straddle the man—not giving a fuck he was in uniform and they were in public. Rooster's arms immediately went around her exposed waist, hands resting just above her ass. Her skin was warm under his palm. Barbara clicked her tongue, “Wanna enlighten me on why I got a pretty redhead over at the booths and a blondie by the jukebox sending daggers at me?”

Rooster’s eyes never left hers, though he could make out in the distance the blonde—who’s name he already forgot—by the jukebox with her attention on them. “Probably the same reason why the guy in a Padres cap looks like he wishes I didn’t exist,” he chuckled. The moment Barbara had walked over to him he was already scouting out the reactions of all the people who had tried to hit on them. They all had the same face: disappointment, envy, and bitterness.

“I may have been a little harsh on the jab when he failed to back off. Told him I’d get that bell rung—he wasn’t happy about that.”

Rooster looked proud at that, “I’d expect nothing less from you.” His hands rubbed her sides where her skin was exposed, brushing over the ink of her tattoos. “I’m curious to know what you told that last guy that approached you. He looked horrified when he walked away.” A mischievous smirk appeared on her lips making Rooster tilt his head, “What did you say?”

She quickly changed her expression to one of innocence, “I just told him the same as the others. I pointed you out to him, said, ‘This time tomorrow that man is gonna be my husband,’ Barbara then leaned in so her lips were by Rooster’s ears, voice going low. “And I may have added that you’re the only one who gets to take me home with the promise of coming inside me tonight.”

A sharp breath nearly had Rooster choking, hands now gripping his fiancé. “Fucking hell, Barbara,” Rooster groaned, willing himself not to show his reaction when he spotted Mav entering the Hard Deck. Thankfully the man couldn’t see him from where they were sitting and he beelined to Penny. But still, Rooster didn’t want his soon to be father-in-law for the second time to catch he was five seconds from hauling Barbara into the bathroom to fuck her now that he was sporting a hard on that was making his mind fuzzy. It didn’t help she was pressing light kisses on his neck, gently biting his earlobe as she giggled.

She obviously felt his reaction to her words. She was relishing the fact she riled him up which only made him pull her away from his neck. Rooster gave her hips another warning squeeze, “Tread carefully, baby girl,” he said with a pointed look. “We wouldn’t want to spoil the party by leaving early do we?”

“Would that really be a bad idea?” She challenged, making him groan when she—not so innocently—moved her hips just a tad, her groin brushing over his own. “The way you were looking at me as I dance made me think I’d be in the Bronco by now.”

“As much as I would love to throw you over my shoulder and take you home right this second, I do not want to have to explain to your father why we’re leaving just when he arrives.” To emphasize his point he shifts and pats her ass to get off him. She does so, but before she could sit on the other chair Rooster pulls her back into his lap so her back was to him. “So I expect you to behave the rest of the night,” he whispers into her ear, noticing goosebumps forming along her arms. “Otherwise you’re gonna have some trouble walking down that aisle after I’m done with you.”

Barbara bit her lip, suppressing a moan. Leaning back into his chest, she tilted her chin up so her mouth was beside his jaw, “You say that as if it’s not what I want.” Goddamn it, she was always one step ahead.

Rooster curses, “You minx.” Next thing Barbara knew his mouth was attacking her neck in kisses. She squealed at the tickling sensation of his mustache on her skin, squirming away when fingers began dancing up and down her sides.

“Okay! Okay—I yield! Have mercy!” Her laughter continues to ring out, but his kisses don’t stop. “I’ll behave, I promise!” Finally his attack seizes, the man placing a final kiss to her jaw and pulling her close in a hug.

At that moment, Mav had spotted them, smiling as he approached, “There’s the happy couple.” Barbara’s laugh calmed down but the grin remained, “Hi, dad. You made it!” Tapping Rooster’s hand, he let go of her so Barb could embrace Mav. Rooster took the opportunity to adjust his pants, placing a forearm over his semi-hard dick that was threatening to ruin the night.

“Of course I would make it,” Mav scoffs as they pull away. In his hands was a good sized gift bag, making Barbara narrow her eyes and go, “What is that?” She specially said no presents until the wedding knowing her friends and family tended to go all out and wanted to give them essentials leading up to the day. Her excuse was “we’ve been married before, I’ve lived on my own for three years, we don’t need anything.” She should have known her father would not listen.

“I know you said no gifts tonight, but,” he presents the bag to her, “I believe you can make one exception for you dad.” Huffing, but showing gratitude, Barbara reluctantly accepts the bag with a shake of the head. Her father just chuckles, expecting the reaction and watches as she removes the tissue paper to reveal a shoebox sized Tiffany & Co. blue box. Immediately she stills, “Dad.”

Obsessed with Audrey Hepburn as a kid, she damn well knew all there was about the famed jewelry company. Breakfast At Tiffany’s was her favorite movie growing up. It was her dream to one day own a piece by them and sometimes for fun she would go on the website just to look at the recent collections. The reason she had never splurged on them was because she hardly wore jewelry due to her job. The current engagement ring on her finger from Rooster was the most extravagant thing she owned—and nearly had a heart attack when he presented it to her.

So yeah, as much as she loved window shopping for jewelry, Barbara never spent money on it. She wasn’t even planning on wearing anything to the wedding but the ring and possibly borrowing a pair of tiny pearl earrings from her mom.

Now there was an iconic Tiffany blue box in her hands.

“I remember when you were a girl you’d always want to watch that old sixties Audrey Hepburn movie—and how you begged for a movie poster of it for your eight birthday,” Barbara’s eyes teared up, chuckling at the memory her dad mentioned. She couldn't believe he remembered.

Mav nodded to the box in her hands, “Your mom told me that when you guys went to New York for your high school graduation, you pretty much disappeared and she found you glued to the window of the Tiffany & Co. shop.” Now the air had caught in her throat, realizing that just the week before Mav was in D.C for TDY. He must’ve met up with Charlie without telling her and then took a trip up to New York to go physically to the store.

“She also told me you asked to borrow a pair of her earrings—saying you weren’t going to have any other jewelry on since you didn’t own much,” Now he was scratching the back of his neck, a nervous laugh escaping at the look she was giving him. It was unreadable, but the glossy sheen of her eyes indicated she was becoming emotional.

“You went to Tiffany’s?” The best way to describe Barbara’s voice was that of a child opening up a gift on Christmas to find it was something they wanted all year. “T-to get me..” the words trail off, Barbara looking back at the box to make sure it was really in her hands. That it wasn’t some joke. But no, the box in her hand felt a little heavy proving it was really there. Her heart was speeding at a rapid rate—he really got her jewelry from Tiffany’s.

“I asked Phoenix if she could help me decide what was the best thing to get—since she’s your maid of honor. She told me your veil has pearls in it, so I went that direction.” With shaky hands, Barbara slowly unwraps the ribbon and opens the box to reveal six smaller Tiffany boxes lying inside.

“Oh my God, dad,” she sniffs, aware that several tears have leaked down her cheek. It wasn’t so much the fact he bought her jewelry for her wedding day that made Barbara emotional, it was the message behind it. Pete remembered how much she adored the movie as a child and went as far as to go to the store she admired from afar to get buy—probably worth an entire month's rent and bills—a gift knowing it would make her happy.

She was more than happy. Barbara was on cloud 9. Her childhood heart was crying and so was her teenage and adult self.

Feeling Rooster come beside her, he gently took the box from her shaking hands to hold it so she could individually open each. “Did you know about this,” she accused after catching the wink he sent Mav and how he was looking at her with adoration.

“Maybe,” he kisses her temple.

“I can’t believe you two—especially you!” She points a finger at her father, who grins bashfully. Before she opens either of the boxes she basically tackles Mav in a hug causing him to playfully groan. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, so so much, dad,” she says, her tone mixed between a laugh and a cry. “I love you so much—this is the best gift ever.”

“You haven’t even opened it yet,” he chuckles and she playfully slaps his shoulder, but doesn't pull away from the hug.

“I don’t care! Whatever it is I’m going to love it because it’s from you and you spend God knows how much for me to have it on my wedding day. You remembered how obsessed I was with that movie and I can’t even think of the words to describe how that makes me feel.” She feels him kiss the top of her head, hands rubbing her back in a comforting way.

Mav often had trouble saying words, but that didn’t stop him from expressing how much his daughter meant to him in other ways. He could remember almost everything from when she was a child—though the times they spent together were scarce and he often relied on the updates from Charlie. Her love for old Hollywood movies and actresses was always a big part of her childhood. There was no way Mav would forget that.

They pull away, Mav kissing Barb on the cheek before she finally opens the first box. It was the smallest of the bunch and revealed to be a pair of stunning pearl earrings with silver backings in the cushion. Instantly she recognized them as part of the Ziegfeld Collection. “Oh they’re beautiful,” she breathes out, taking a finger to brush over the smooth surface of one of the pearls. Then Barbara does a double take between the earrings and the remaining five boxes, snapping her head to Mav with wide eyes, “You did not.”

A blush coats his cheek, the man scratching his jaw to stop from grinning, “When the lady helping me at the store showed me the display, I just couldn’t help myself. I thought why not have the whole thing.”

“You fucking madman!” She exclaimed, covering her face with her free hand.

Maverick bought her the entire Ziegfeld collection from Tiffany’s.

By now Phoenix, Halo, and Penny had come over to see what the fuss was about. They all gasped at the sight of Rooster with a large Tiffany box in his hands and several matching ones laying inside it. “Oh my gosh!” “No way—that’s amazing!” “Nice work, Mav!”

Barabara was literally crying, hiding her face when Rooster used his free arm to pull her against him. She couldn’t describe the emotion raging inside her. Her father really outdid himself—all so she could have something special on her wedding day and long after.

Each time she collected herself to open a box she was met with more tears and giggles. Those giggles one has when they are trying to comprehend what’s happening and can’t help but laugh. Yeah, that was Barbara everytime.

One buy one with the onlookers of her friends and father, Barbara opens the Tiffany boxes to reveal the entirety of the Ziegfeld collection consisting of two pairs of pearl earrings—one studs, the other dangly—a pearl bracelet, and three pearl necklaces—the 5-6mm that went on like a choker, the 6-7mm (which was like the 5-6mm but the pearls were slightly bigger), and the 6-7mm wrap that had two layers of pearls and went down to just above the belly button.

“Jesus Christ, Pete Mitchell,” Barbara groans with a smile, taking the tissue from Penny with thanks to wipe her eyes. There was no doubt her mascara was gone and mentally noted to touch it up in the bathroom. She let out a breath, finally calming down. “I cannot believe you got me the whole damn collection. And don’t think I don’t know how much you spent! I know that the wrap necklace is fifteen hundred dollars by itself.”

Mav shook his head at her words. Leave it to Barbara to know the prices of Tiffany’s jewelry. “How do you know how much I spent, Barbara?” She gives him a look that reads, ‘you underestimate my ability.’ He waves a hand, “Nevermind don’t answer that. But I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it?!” She scoffed, “I fucking love it—are you kidding?! Dad—,” she goes to hug him again as Rooster takes it upon himself to carefully put all the boxes together and close the large one so they are safely stored. He then puts it in the gift bag and tells Penny to hide it somewhere no one could find it until they are ready to leave for the night.

“It’s the most thoughtful, amazing, beautiful gift I’ve ever received. I can’t thank you enough for it.” She pulls away to smile and joke, “Now the hardest decision I have to make is which ones to wear tomorrow—since you got me the whole display,” she playfully slaps his chest with the back of her hand as he laughs with her.

“Anything for my little girl on her special day. Even if it is the second one for her, but the first for me.”

She snorts, “at least it’s the same groom.”

The night continues to rage on with the squad having the time of their lives. Mav orders a round for the group, another chick tries to hit on Bradley and is met with disappointment and Barbara tears it up on the dance floor with Phoenix, Fanboy, and Coyote—calling back to the one they had on the beach. Only this time, Rooster cuts in causing their group to hollar with cheers. Though he is not much of a dancer like Barb, the man’s got some moves.

And finally Hangman got his chance to twirl Barb to Elvis’ ‘Hound Dog.’ When the dance came to an end, Barbara out of breath went, “I didn’t know you could swing, Seresin.” Her words are returned with a wink, “I’m a man of many talents, C.”

As the night came to an end and the bar slowly cleared, hugs were exchanged with the promise of being on time to the wedding. Ubers were called for the ones who had too much to drink. When Barbara went to close her and Rooster’s tab she was met with, “It’s already been paid, honey,” and a wink from Penny. She made a mental note to do something nice for the woman once she returned from the honeymoon.

With the gift bag in hand and heels in the other, Barbara gave one last hug to her father and Penny after saying goodbyes to everyone else. Rooster was just finishing up with the guys when he took her hand and led her to the parking lot.

“Did you have fun tonight, baby?” Rooster asked, practically lifting her into the passenger seat. She wasn’t drunk but after a few cocktails she did feel a little tipsy. She had just started to sober up as they reached the final hour of the night.

“So much fun,” she buckled her seatbelt, gently turning to place the gift bag containing her new jewelry in the back, before turning to him. Fingers went up to the color of his uniform shirt, pulling him close so their mouths were barely brushing against each other, “But now I’m looking forward to our private party, Lieutenant.”

Chills appeared on his arm, the tightness in his pants returning. He saw her smirk, no doubt catching the hunger in his eyes. She flicked her tongue against her lip adding, “was I a good girl tonight? Or do you feel the need to punish me? I’m hoping for the latter.”

His hand came to her thigh, gripping it as he brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Which was the complete opposite of the words leaving him that had Barbara clenching her thighs together as familiar moisture gathered between them.

“I’m going to take pleasure in watching you struggle to walk down that aisle, babygirl.”

“You ready, dad?” Barbara clutched onto the small bouquet of daisies in her right hand with her left on Pete’s elbow. Butterflies consumed her stomach as she watched her friends take their seats.

It was a truly beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky as the sun shined down on the scene before her. Penny, Phoenix, Halo, her mother, and everyone who was involved in the planning did an amazing job decorating The Hard Deck and the area leading onto the beach. Chairs were laid on either side of the white fabric laid on the sand to represent the aisle. Off to the side (as per military wedding tradition) were the flags of Barbara and Rooster’s unit and to the left of them was the American Flag. There was a wooden platform at the end where the officiant and Rooster stood. The man looked handsome as ever in his Dress Whites.

One one side of the aisle were members of their found Top Gun family. Cyclone and Warlock were seated at the front with their wives and the remaining daggers behind them—also in their Dress Whites. On the opposite side Charlie sat at the front with an empty chair reserved for Mav beside her. Penny and Amelia sat at the end with Theo laying on the sand beside their feet. Attached to the dog’s back was the cushion holding the wedding bands.

Between Maverick's seat and Penny, two framed pictures stood tall.

Goose and Carol. Who were there in spirit.

Barbara insisted on having the pictures of their loved ones who had passed in the ceremony. She nearly fired the photographer when they suggested it would look better to have the empty chairs off to the side instead of in the main gallery. It was the only time she ever displayed the stereotypical ‘bridezilla.’ “Absolutely not. I want his parents beside mine and that’s final. I do not care if it looks odd with spaces in the photos. I’ll find another photographer if I have to.”

The Kazansky’s were behind her parents—where a picture of Ice was placed on the seat next to Sarah.

“You’re asking me that, honey?” Mav scoffed, adjusting the collar of his uniform.

“You look a little red,” she points out. Maverick had been quiet the second they got to the area just out of sight from the doorway where they would enter. Barbara shoved a couple tissues into his pant pocket, causing him to playfully glare. “Just in case,” she winked.

“Stop it. I’m not gonna cry.”

‘Sure you’re not, old man,’ she silently thought. Just ten minutes before she caught him rubbing his eyes after they did the first look.

At that moment Phoenix was approaching them from the side. The brunette looked beautiful in her lavender pantsuit with hair curled down and matching pearl pins like Barbara. There had been no strict dress code really, but given it was a Navy wedding the Dress Whites were mandatory, however, since Nat was Maid of Honor (and Best Woman) she was allowed to wear what she pleased.

“Almost showtime, C,” she beamed, clapping her hands excitedly.

“Is it a bad time to throw up?”

“Oh stop it,” Nat fixed the veil and adjusted the pearl necklace. Barbara had decided on the 5-6mm single strand necklace with the studs. The bracelet was clasped on Barb’s left wrist. They were the perfect compliment to the look since Barb was going for a timeless and soft appearance with her hair and makeup. Since she didn’t have pockets in the dress, Phoenix was holding onto the sunglasses she would need for pictures and the after party. “This isn’t your first rodeo.”

Barbara’s face was incredulous. “Nat, my first wedding was at the courthouse with you, Rooster, and my mom. We literally drove up like it was a drive thru, got married—no rings mind you and the guy looked like he had just woken from a nap—then went to Chili's to catch happy hour.”

Nat puckered her lips to not burst into laughter, but Barbara’s expression had her falter, the two falling into giggles as they replayed the memory in their minds. Mav just shook his head, though he could be heard chuckling at their antics.

“Okay-okay, you make a fair point,” Nat wiped under her eyes, calming down since she was about to kick off the ceremony. “I shouldn’t judge since this is technically like your first wedding.” Barbara made a sound of agreement that was teasing, and Phoenix quickly made any last minute touch ups to her friend before checking the time. “Well, C, it’s time. You look absolutely stunning,” she gently takes Barb into a hug, careful not to mess up the veil. “I’ll see you at the end of the aisle.

“Thank you for everything, Nat.” Barb squeezes her hand before she goes. A soft melody begins to play from the speakers causing the guests to turn in their seats. Nat winks at Barb before taking a breath and walking out the opened door. The pair watch her disappear down the aisle, Barbara clutching the bouquet and her dad's arms a little tighter when the instrumental tune of ‘Turning Page’ reaches her ears. “Don’t let me fall, dad.”

“Never, honey,” Mav sniffs, already getting emotional as he places his free hand on top of the hers. “I love you so much.”

Water lines her eyes, “I love you too.” The guests stand in their seats, all turned to face Barbara and Pete as they step out the door. The only person capturing pictures was the photographer who also had an iPad set out to record a video. Barbara silently thanked whoever above she had friends and family respectful enough to not have their devices out.

When she met Bradley’s eyes, it was as though time had stopped.

Nearly faltering in her step, Barbara takes a deep breath and continues to hold onto Mav as he leads her onto the aisle. It takes everything in her not to react when she catches Rooster wiping his eyes, there’s even a slight tremor in his hand.

He’s not the only one overcome with emotion. Charlie, Sarah, and Penny all have tissues in their hands, bringing them up every once and while to remove moisture from their face. The dagger squad is beaming at Barbara. Even Warlock looked happy, which was comical next to Cyclone’s stoic expression—he does give a nod to Barbara though when she passes.

Mav stops when they reach Charlie, Barbara moving to embrace her mother who kisses the side of her head. “You look so beautiful, my love.”

“Thank you, mama.” They approach the wooden platform, Mav helping Barbara up with Phoenix coming to fix the skirt of her dress so it didn’t catch anything. The crowd and Rooster laugh when Penny tosses Nat Barbara’s shoes, the bride waving a hand while saying, “nothing to see here folks,” as she changes out of the sandals designated for walking the aisle. Luckily the song had ended at that moment.

Finally Barb hands Nat the bouquet and takes Mav’s arm once more. They approach Rooster, who still is chuckling at his soon-to-be-wife-again antics, and wait for the officiant to begin.

“Who gives this woman away?”

Pete turns to Barbara, beaming with tears in his eyes, “Her mother and I do. And those we love who are no longer with us.” At the instruction of the officiant, Maverick hands over his daughter to Rooster, but not before pressing a kiss to her cheekbone. “I’m so proud of you, honey.”

“Thank you, dad,” she whispers, kissing his cheek in return and watching him go take his seat beside her mother. Rooster gently brought her to stand before him, his voice going low to say, “You look marvelous, baby.” A blush forms on her cheek, the woman sending a wink, “The same goes for you, pretty boy.”

The officiant makes the opening statements. All the while the two never stray their eyes off each other even when they laugh at snide jokes made during their vows. Rooster could barely keep it together at times and just wanted to swipe Barbara off her feet. When it finally did come time to kiss her, a squeal left her as Rooster wasted no time by dipping her back and planting his mouth to hers.

Cheers and claps sounded around them followed by the snapping of the photographer's camera. Maverick was blowing his nose into a tissue, not caring to hide his emotions anymore. His little girl was married….again, but that’s not important. It filled him with absolute joy seeing her so happy and with Rooster nonetheless.

The guys were cheering the loudest, Payback even bringing his fingers up to whistle causing Barbara to giggle into the kiss. When they pulled away she was nearly out of breath. “Well that’s one way to take the air from a girl.”

Rooster smirked, kissing her again before pulling Barb up to stand straight, “Had to throw you off your feet somehow since you managed to walk perfectly fine.” Heat consumed her, the woman having to turn away from the crowd as Rooster laughed at her reaction. The cheers become louder as the officiant shouts, “I give you Lieutenants Bradley and Barbara Bradshaw!” At that moment Hangman, Coyote, Fanboy, Payback, Bob, Omaha, Harvard, and Yale all lined up on either side of the aisle, facing their partner for the Arch of Swords. Together they lift the swords that were attached to their sides in the air forming a tunnel the couple would have to pass through.

Phoenix moves to lift Barbara’s skirt while Rooster helps his wife down onto the sand. The second the bouquet is back in her hands Barbara is hauled into his arms. “Bradley!” Her laughter echoes, the man holding her close as he walks them through the tunnel of swords before placing her down when Harvard and Yale drop theirs to stop them. The couple kiss, camera capturing the moment and the pilots lift the swords back up for them to pass.

The rest of the guests follow behind them into The Hard Deck where the remainder of typical wedding traditions follow. They had their first dance, Mav and Barb shared a father-daughter dance while Rooster danced with Charlie. Rooster presented Barb with a ceremonial saber for them to cut the cake which made for great pictures. Champagne was popped and poured on the tower of glasses Penny had put together.

The party was in full blast with everyone dancing, singing, taking photos, and overall having a grand time. There was even a photo booth Barbara didn’t know how the hell got there—when asked she missed the way Phoenix, Bob, and Fanboy were high-fiving in victory behind her. She and Rooster were the first to use it with the two making silly faces and kissing in each snapshot. She and Phoenix had one together before bringing Halo and Payback’s wife in. Rooster took several with the guys and they were hilarious. Each time they had done it, one of the four pics appeared blurry because they had trouble fitting everyone into frame.

Barbara’s favorite photos were the ones with her parents. Maverick and Charlie were on either side of her with the two kissing her cheeks, wearing sunglasses while doing blue steel, and just smiling wide for the camera. She even did one with Penny and Amelia before the night was over.

Speaking of Penny…she was the one to catch the bouquet. Maverick’s eyes went wide and Barbara saluted her drink in a cheer, winking to show it was intentional. Even Charlie was in on it, the two women clicking their glasses and silently making bets to see how long Pete would take to pop the question, “I give it a year.”

At one point she was pulled away by the photographer for some single shots—which she made sure to have her sunglasses on in several. Then there were ones with her parents, the guys of the Dagger squad which was chaos in itself, just her and Phoenix, the Kazansky family, the Admirals, and finally some couple shots with Rooster. He thoroughly enjoyed the ones with her on his lap or kissing her.

And it wouldn’t have been a party with Barbara Bradshaw in attendance if she wasn’t on the dance floor. She didn’t know how her feet were not hurting after nearly an hour of strictly dancing with pretty much every guest. All the women belted out the lyrics to Cyndi Laupher’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,’ and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody.’ The guys were rapping along to Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone. When Ritchie Valen’s ‘La Bamba,’ started to play, one nod from Fanboy and the two were spinning across the floor to the claps of their friends.

As the night drew on, Barbara found herself on the deck for some air. The sun had set and stars lined the sky with the calming noise of the ocean waves. Barbara closed her eyes with a deep inhale, letting her mind drift to the memories of the past couple years.

It had been a rollercoaster. That was the simple way to describe it.

This time last year Barbara was a single woman not believing for once she would get a second chance at love—with Rooster at that. She was sure their time was of the past despite the longing in her heart to get him back. Then there was the fact she hadn’t spoken to her father in years, mostly out of shame and personal resentment that he really wasn’t at fault for. Ice was alive and doing everything he could do to keep Barbara out of trouble.

Things were completely different.

Rooster was her husband again, Pete was in her life where they spoke almost on a day-to-day basis, and Ice has passed on. There was also the fact she was back to LTJG when this time last year she had just pinned on Lieutenant. But she would get it back. She was determined to.

“What’s that smile for, Mrs. Bradshaw?” The presence behind Barbara follows the voice, the woman turning to meet her husband’s loving gaze.

“Just thinking,” she replied, leaning against the railing as his hand came to brush the hair from face. The veil had already been removed and safely tucked away.

“About?”

“You. Us. Everything,” she lists off. He chuckles, moving to take a seat on one of the chairs and gently bringing her onto his lap, smoothing out the fabric of her dress.

“All good things I hope,” he says against her temple, kissing the warm skin. She nods against his touch, fingers brushing over his medals and ribbons.

“It’s always good. Even when I think of the bad times I’m reminded of all the good that came after it. When I think of the regret from not talking to my father all those years, I know to cherish the fact I have him back in my life. When I think of being demoted, it gives me the motivation to earn it back. When I miss Ice, I think of how proud he would be of us all,” her eyes flicker to his hazel-brown ones, shifting her body so she was straddling him. Her hands cup his cheeks, pressing their chests together, “And when I think of what happened between us, it fills me with bliss that we have a second chance. I’m grateful each and everyday to have you by my side. To love and adore you for the rest of our lives.”

“Oh, darlin’,” Rooster sighs, winding his arms around her waist to cradle her. The fabric of her dress was smooth beneath his palms. Rooster kisses her with all the love and passion he could muster. Taking her breath away like he did on the altar. “You don’t understand how I wake up each morning and thank God you’re there. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I still think it’s a dream,” his thumb wipes away a tear that fell on her cheek.

“You’re the only person I want to walk through life with. I want us to have that house we always talked about with dogs and a bunch of kids. I wanna hold your hair back when the morning sickness hits and be your shoulder to cry on. I want it all with you, baby. Always have. And I hope when we’re old and gray, that I’m the one to go first because my heart won’t take living on an Earth where you’re not there.”

The tears began to fall at a rapid rate, Barbara’s bottom lip trembling, “We’ll go together then because I can’t imagine waking up to an empty bed without your arms around me. You’ll take my soul with you so expect me to be not far behind.” She wiped away his own tears, closing the gap between them—her arms going around his neck while his own tightened on her waist.

When they pulled away she kept her mouth close to his, whispering, “I want all those things too. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted them with.” His left hand goes to cup her cheek, the metal of his wedding ring cool against her skin.

“Then let’s have them, Barbara Bradshaw.”

Twenty-Three Years Later

“It is my honor to welcome you all to the graduation of the Naval Academy’s Class of Twenty-Forty-Two! Let me start by thanking all the parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, loved ones and anyone else who came out today to celebrate this milestone for our graduating cadets….”

The brown curly haired boy teenager with bright emerald eyes like his grandfather, leaned over to whisper to his mother, “How long is this going to be?” He was received with a look of disapproval, reading, ‘are you serious right now?’

“The ceremony just started, Nico, have some patience and respect. It’s your sister’s college graduation for God’s sake! In two years we’ll be doing the same thing for you and five years after that for Tommy.” She turned away from him, eyes scanning over the football field to find her daughter in the crowd of her peers. With it being alphabetical, she should have been seated near the front.

Tommy, the fifteen-year-old in question with dark locks like his mother and brown eyes, snickered and nodded to the stars on her collar, “Maybe by then you’ll be a four-star Admiral, mom.”

“Don’t challenge her, Tommy,” their father playfully scolds, though there is a smirk on his lips. “She just made Vice last month after only being Rear Upper Half for two years.” His own three-stars on the collar of his uniform reflected against the sunlight. He had earned them just four years before.

“What can I say,” she leans back in her seat with a smug smile, “getting demoted made me an overachiever.”

He takes her hand and leaves a kiss to her knuckles where her wedding ring lay, “One of the many things I love about you, Barbara Bradshaw.”

Thirty plus years of service, combat medals, citations, two marriages to the same man, three kids, and a career that would go down in history, Vice Admiral Barbara ‘Legacy’ Mitchell-Bradshaw would be a name forever known in the world of naval aviation. Just like her father and his father before, the best way to put it all into one word would be distinguished.

It had been some time since she last soared the skies after accepting the promotion of Rear Admiral Lower Half. Like her father, Barbara was tempted to remain a Captain for the sake of flying, but her children were either in or entering their teen years at the time and Barbara knew she needed to accept her time as a pilot was over. The main reason she held anger for Maverick as a teenager was the fact he continued to stay a Captain to stay in the air. The decision made him miss several important milestones in her life, and when Barbara came to him after it was possible she would get the promotion he advised her to take it, noting it had been one of his biggest regrets to not be there for her when she needed him most.

“CeeCee is gonna be fifteen this year, honey,” he said to her with a knowing look, “You know how it was for you at that age. By then you had already started resenting me for the little things that soon added up. Nico is thirteen and little Tommy just turned nine—I know it’s been easy having Rooster always there now that he’s been Upper Half for a year now, but you know how the Navy is.”

It opened Barbara’s eyes a lot, cursing at herself for nearly letting history repeat itself. The next morning she was calling to accept the promotion after telling Rooster, who was in full support and spun her around like the proud husband he was. “Welcome to the star club, babygirl.” Their kids were very pleased, with teenage son Nico already bragging how both his parents were Admirals.

She made a mental note to teach him not to be arrogant when it came to others. Growing up the kid of a naval officer, Barbara had her fair share of friends who tended to be stuck up because their parents were a higher rank than hers. They were even worse to the enlisted kids. She was not about to have her kids be like that.

And to pat herself on the back, she and Rooster did a great job raising their children. CeeCee, their oldest and only girl, was born a year after their wedding. Like her mother she loved to dance and had a talent for ballet. It surprised the couple when she announced she wanted to follow in their footsteps and become a Navy officer. The two had always made it clear early on they would support their children in whatever endeavors they desired when it came to their future. Never did they put pressure on the Navy, aviation, or even college.

“I wanna be a pilot,” she said over dinner during her sophomore year of high school. The forks in both Barbara and Bradley’s hands clink as they hit the plates.

“You do?” They both said with surprise, causing a light blush to appear on their daughter’s cheek.

“Yeah,” she nudged the carrots on her plate, “I always loved flying when you two would take us out in Grandpa’s plane or to the airshows. Guys at my school try to say women aren’t meant to be pilots, but mom and aunt Phoenix are prime examples that’s not true. I wanna prove them wrong in my own way.”

Nico, the ever supportive little brother, says to her, “I think that’s badass,” he ignores the looks of disapproval from his parents, “You might even get a cool callsign like ‘Legacy Junior’ or 'Swan.’ Keep the birds running in the family, you know?” Even Barbara couldn’t hold back the smile at that. Rooster appeared all too pleased at the thought.

“What about you then, Nico?” CeeCee scowls, though part of her actually liked the callsign he thought of. “What would your callsign be? If we’re keeping the birds in the family, like you said.”

“Oh, I’m not gonna be a pilot—no offense mom and dad,” they both laugh and say ‘none taken,’ He takes a bite of his food before continuing. “But if I did it would be something cool like ‘Falcon,’ or ‘Eagle.’ Just so when I land I can be like, ‘the Eagle is landing!’”

The memory of that night was one Barbara would remember for the rest of her life. A happy one, with all her children laughing together as they voiced potential callsign for the newest edition to the Mitchell-Bradshaw clan of aviators. Rooster and Barbara shared a loving gaze, no doubt thinking about how blessed they were. That year they had celebrated sixteen years of marriage and one year of Barabara becoming Rear Admiral Lower Half.

Barbara was in paradise.

Now here she was, seven years later, at her oldest child’s graduation from the Naval Academy who would soon be off to flight school. Her husband of twenty three years (add five if you wanna not count the three year period they were divorced) sat beside her with their sons on either side. Three stars pinned to her collar and the position of air boss when it comes to special missions going through Top Gun.

How’s that for a girl who lived up to the Legacy?

……………….

Tag list ♥️: @multiple-fandoms-girl, @maverick-wingman, @sgt-huntersupremacy, @the-winter-marvel33, @justanothermagicalsara, @calicokel, @lydia-demarek, @alanadetigy, @shrimping-for-all, @chaoticassidy, @nemtodd-barnes1923, @bradleysgirl, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @mak-32, @persephonehemingway, @candid-confetti

Thank you all so much for your support and patience. This epilogue is for you.

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prettymeredith · 2 years ago

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Daphne & Velma

👻 Jeepers! Vs. Jinkes! 😱

A fun restrospect to determine once and for all who is the sexiest between these two iconic monster-hunting mystery solvers. Or not... Lets try and find out.

Now what is it that could be better than a Scooby Snack?

Well, two Scooby Snacks of course! This dynamic duo has stood up to the test of time and remain to be relevant today. It's only natural that these two characters have captured our imaginations in a more adult manner.

Like most things in life, we cant always have both. When you break things down and are forced to choose, there can only be one; Peanutbutter or chocolate, Pepsi or Coke, Daphne or Velma. However, how can we ultimetly choose?

In order to make an informed decision, we must first break down each character, and examine their traits without showing personal preference.

Daphne Anne Blake

Rich, popular, red head, fashionista, there is so much to love about this character. Not to mention that she is the classic Damsel in Distress.

This quality trait of hers has sparked countless scenarios of being bound & gagged while under distress at the hands of some sinister people.

As juicy as it is to see such a babe all bound and helpless, you have to admit that she really is the most useless team member. Not to mention that shes also a bit of a ditz.

Come on Daph, Fred isn't always going to save you. Perhaps if you were under more distress in these situations you would learn a lesson? Maybe. Probably not.

Better? Better.

Velma Von Dinkenstien

This bright, lovable bookworm has proved herself time and time again that she is not only a smartie-pants, but a bonafied cutie.

Sharp, witty, and sweet, she is everyone's favorite nerdy girl. Now if only she could stop losing those damned glasses!

Seriously Velma, they're 4 inches away from you and you're as helpless as a newborn kitten. If its anyone that should be the damsel, it should be you.

It seems like others agree as well. Afe you trying to hide how ticklish you are under that big, loose sweater Velma?

You can really see those curves when the ropes are pulled taught in the right places. Try and think your way out of this one, brainiac.

So, Who is the Better Choice?

Rich Ditz? Or Blind Bookworm? Foxy Redhead, Curvy Cutie. The draw backs match the positive almost equally, it's possibly why they both match each other so well. Therefore, the answer is... a draw?

No, unacceptable there has to be a clear winner. Perhaps if we review both aesthetics just one more time....

HHHhhhhnnnnnggg. I mean, Zoinks!

Decisions, Decisions

It's time to put it up to a vote. Comment, like, or reblog to let us know if you a Disciple of Daphne, or a Velma Vindicator.

👆🏻 It's Velma, its clearly Velma. 👆🏻

#tickle community #foot #Feet #beauties #beauttiful girls #bound girl #Tickling #tickle blog #tickle kink #tickle

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gawrkin · 2 months ago

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as someone who doesn't go here, I'm really interested in all this arthuriana stuff, lol. So far what I know is that good pal Lancelot there is really head over heels for the very misunderstood red haired queen, Arthur is a questionable human and that Sir Gawain (and all his 150 other names) is a knight icon.

Oh, I'm not the right kind of Blogger to explain all these sorts of things. I tend to ramble and it becomes a kind of essay and I have to insert screenshots of specific texts. Not to mention the hassle of producing links to a source.

But yes, there's a lot of nuance that a casual read wouldn't really get if, say, you only read Le Morte D'Arthur and nothing else. Or worse, read up on only Modern works, like Idylls of the King or Once and Future King. The last two are Modern Stories to the core, often neglect important medieval contexts when it comes to the treatment of the legend. It would take an entire posts detailing the nitpicks I have towards them.

So to keep things short, here's a bullet point summary, that lacks a bit nuance itself but gets to the point and keeps it brief:

These characters have been written about for centuries. They've had different contradictory portrayals - sometimes even in the same story - depending on the cultural trends and motives of the storytellers. Arthuriana is a massive tradition with huge influence and to euclidate it all would be virtually impossible.

For instance, Sir Lancelot, as a character, is fundamentally the "Fantasy Boyfriend" archetype - he exists to be an idealized love interest wish-fulfillment for a female audience to fawn over (through Guinevere). Everything he does as warrior is done in the name of Love and is glorified for it. The sad thing about Lancelot is that he became outdated, with the cultural trend that created him - Courtly Love = having puttered out a long time ago. And as a result, he tends to get misconstrued by later interpretations.

Likewise, Queen Guinevere as has had many characterizations over centuries, from villain to heroine and everything in-between. She's misunderstood in the sense that most people don't know or acknowledge that the narratives surrounding Guinevere has changed, evolved and, more importantly, has accrued different and confusing plot points and themes - stuff that for their time made sense but aged poorly in retrospect. And that a lot of writers work from a limited pool of references (sticking to only 1 or 2 classics with all the strengths and flaws of those few stories) and insert contemporary biases in their retellings.

Also, Guinevere is not necessarily a Redhead. She is Blonde in Knight of the Cart.

King Arthur is... a Dark Ages Warlord. He would not exactly the nice man that gets hyped as an ideal leader, like Alfred Tennyson and T.H. White would have you believe. He has, throughout the evolution of the legend, character traits that don't exactly jive to the modern image of the character and has ambitions that would be tyrannical in our minds (Like his Campaign to conquer Europe or his Sexual Escapades)

Sir Gawain is the go-to action hero of the Romances. He can be said to be both an everyman and a stock character archetype - Gawain can be shoved in any story and in any role (heroic or villainous) and it would still make sense. The guy is versatile.

Even this Bulleted List doesn't cover everything I wanted to say. There's just simply so much to parse through and I'm not very good at organizing my thoughts in the spur of the moment.

I'll finish this post by saying keep digging and look up articles on medieval culture and history to give a little bit of context. From time-to-time, I also post about IRL Medieval Culture facts (like Law Codes).

There's so much more to learn about this (and possibly get disappointed in so many modern stories about the Arthurian Legend)

#ask #arthuriana

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friendrat · 1 year ago

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In general, I agree with you. The current trend of fairy tale retellings and the different versions we see in different movies is an extension of how fairy tales and folklore have always grown and changed, and been tweaked by each new teller to add their own flair and perspective. As you say, this is a good thing.

As far as specifics you mentioned:

I actually saw a retelling (I haven't read it yet) where Snow White was black, but her hair was white. I think that was a good way to do it as far as having it portrayed with another race or culture. Just changing the race in that case feels disrespectful of the original because her name is literally based on her appearance, but having a noticeable white trait feels like a respectful nod to the original tale.

My feelings on The Little Mermaid are a bit more complicated. Despite the Danish origin, the red hair that Disney chose for their original version generally comes from Celtic origins, like the Irish and the Scottish. Historically, the Irish have been treated very badly to put it mildly. What does that have to do with the casting for The Little Mermaid remake? It's the latest in a trend where iconic redhead characters are being picked as the characters to be race swapped. This is a bit disturbing when you sit down and look at it. On the other hand, I also have a biracial niece, and I'm happy she has a mermaid movie now with someone who looks like her! I just wish it wasn't Ariel. I wish it would have been an original story. (I have gone on more rants than I care to recount about how it would have been a way more interesting movie if they had taken the character Gabrielle from The Little Mermaid show and made a movie about her, where it was still a musical but the main character was a deaf dancer... and I just am so disappointed that that isn't a real thing! I mean... could you imagine an original musical starring a black mermaid who was a deaf dancer?! It would be so so so amazing!)

Which brings me to thoughts on Disney remakes in general. They are definitely a cash grab on par with the straight to video sequels. Not that I don't enjoy them on occasion, but I do have thoughts. They still fall under different people's interpretation of the story, and how it grows and changes over time. The difference being that with technology, now there is a "standard" version they are specifically trying to retell. Whereas in the oral tradition people could have never heard the story before, or heard multiple different versions. The main difference is we know what version we are comparing it to, and we all like to nitpick. In my opinion, the most effective remakes have been the ones that try to give a new unique spin on the tale, while not completely changing who the characters are from the original movies/stories, or took it in a different direction entirely. The Cinderella remake was amazing! It didn't change who Cinderella was as a character, and it filled in background information, and it just didn't try to carbon copy the original. It was able to stand on its own without nostalgia. Maleficent was also a fun retelling because it completely twisted the story. It was fun! It was fresh! And again... it can stand on its own without nostalgia. In fact, I would actually argue that nostalgia actually hindered that movie because those who grew up with the original didn't want to see Maleficent as the hero. But despite how interesting these remakes can be... for whatever reason, Disney is having trouble finding that balance now. In some cases, they completely pull dialog from the originals without letting the movie be its own thing, and in some cases, they completely change who the characters are. For example, in the original Beauty and the Beast, Belle would never have gone back on her word, but the first thing she does in the remake is try to break her promise. I feel like I'm almost contradicting myself here... but basically, what I'm trying to say is that there are two ways to do remakes successfully. 1) they can keep who the characters are the same, while fleshing them out further and putting them in slightly different or new situations, or 2) they can throw out who the characters are entirely and ask "if these characters were different people than we know them to be, how would they have dealt with these situations?" And you need to make it clear from the beginning which thing you are going for, through marketing, etc. What they've been doing has been making movies that are both too similar to the original, and also making the characters' personalities and motivations unrecognizable.

In the end, for my own sanity, I just view all retellings and remakes as parallel universes. It works out because it let's me enjoy things for nostalgia, but also appreciate the new versions for themselves. For example, despite the way I don't like how Beauty and the Beast made Belle someone who was willing to go back on her word, I did like things like Gaston being a war hero instead of just some local hunter. I just choose to view them as entirely different people from the originals.

I’ve been thinking a lot about fairy tales and folk tales recently partially due to my own interest in the subject and partially due to the influx in live action remakes by Disney. And I’m torn between believing folk tales are integral parts of a culture and believing that they should be universal. These stories can be recast in different settings with different cultures in ways that cut the story from its original context. But this is part of the storytelling process in history because folk tales were past down orally for centuries and as a result, the exact same story was never told twice.

So I definitely see why changing races and cultures doesn’t matter. But I also think that European fairytales are considered the default when they are not. This allows them to be stripped of context and culture and reapplied in other settings (again- I don’t think this is inherently a bad thing. I see it as part of the larger tradition of storytelling. Stories have always changed to fit the audience who is listening). When European stories are considered the default, any non-European story is considered an outlier and is scrutinized differently. When it comes to Cinderella, similar stories appear in cultures around the world and while Europeans often depict her as blonde with blue eyes, her appearance is flexible so long as she’s seen as beautiful when she goes to the ball. Cinderella-esque stories are found in German, French, Greek, and Chinese cultures.

But Snow White feels kind of different as her story isn’t as universal and is very much rooted in the Brothers Grimm telling of a German tale. As far as I can tell, there really aren’t any Snow White stories from other cultures. Her appearance is important to the story, particularly her coloring. Skin white as snow and lips red as blood. Personally, I’d be inclined to leave the story as inherently German and preserve the appearances of the characters as they are described.

The Little Mermaid is also another story that comes to mind, as it’s roots are very firmly in Denmark and the nation seems to be pretty proud of the story. At the same time, mermaids aren’t real and Anderson wrote this story himself; he didn’t record an oral tradition the way the Brothers Grimm did. I haven’t watched the remake, but people seem to like it and while it strays from the original, the 1989 movie is also drastically different from the Anderson telling.

Now, I’m generally against the live action remakes because I think they’re unoriginal cash grabs that lack heart. It doesn’t matter to me who is cast in the role of a princess because I’m not going to watch the movie anyway. And even if I strongly disagree with a casting choice, I’m just not invested enough to bitch online. I just find it fascinating how people decide when a story can be separated from its roots and when it cannot. I’m curious to see what other people think

#film analysis #disney #disney remakes #fairy tales #fairy tale retellings #side note: one of my biggest complaints with little mermaid is not the casting but actually ariels design #her sisters top scales look amazing and ariels kinda look cheap or fake #i seriously like some of the mermaid designs

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falllpoutboy · 3 years ago

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What went wrong with Zendaya's MJ: How pandering to racist fans and lazy writing contributed to a travesty of a character

Before this post even begins, I just want to preface by stating that making up original characters for comic book movies is absolutely okay. Michelle Jones absolutely could’ve been a strong, fully fleshed out supporting character and love interest had they actually taken the time within the films to develop her character and her relationship with Peter. But did that actually happen???

When Zendaya, a young biracial black woman, was reportedly cast as Mary Jane Watson in 2016, racist fans went into an immediate uproar and decried it immediately (and are still mad about it). However after Homecoming was released and Zendaya’s MJ was nothing more than just a background character who only spoke quippy lines and never shared dialogue with her future love interest, it was clear to see this was not the MJW comic fans know and love. Kevin Fiege went on to confirm that when Zendaya was cast, they never planned for her to play Mary-Jane Watson, only Michelle, who was supposed to be a homage to her…?

So not only has this new generation of spiderman adaptation movies erased his most iconic love interest but they also created an OC who resembles nothing like MJW? Okay fine, thats fair (not really) but with an oc like Michelle, there’s flexibility and room in crafting stories for her. Who is Michelle Jones, what does she want, what does she need without realizing it, what’s her family like, does she actually like Peter, etc etc etc. Homecoming and Far From Home answered absolutely none of these questions (and when they do film the littlest scene to add to her character, its a deleted scene), and I sincerely doubt that No Way Home will either. (EDIT Post No way Home release: it did not)

Let’s be clear here, Zendaya’s MJ doesn’t exist outside of being Peters girlfriend. She is a part of his support system, a steady companion and a rock for him to lean on. It’s a cute and devoted relationship on paper but the narrative completely ignores who MJ is outside of him. Michelle Jones isn’t a character, she’s Peters shoulder to cry on, the object of his desire and his support blanket. MCU MJ is a blank slate outside of the vicinity of Peter Parker. It’s an incredibly unbalanced relationship and while Tom and Z have great chemistry, that's all there is holding them together. Their characters didn’t interact in Homecoming beyond her speaking at him in the last 10 minutes, she wasn’t in or mentioned in Infinity War or Endgame and then all of a sudden, Peter is now head over heels in love with MJ in FFH and wants to spend time with her on their European school trip and wants to be in a relationship with her. What the actual fuck just happened??

(It’s worth mentioning that pretty much almost every heterosexual relationship in the MCU is under developed and is overly beneficial to the male in its scenario, so at least MCU petermj isn’t that much of an outlier 🤷🏾‍♀️. )

Mary-Jane Watson is a beautiful, feisty, witty and smart girl who outwardly portrays an outgoing personality because of the abuse she suffers in her household so that people won’t see how sad she really is on the inside. More importantly, she isn’t solely defined as being a white redhead love interest as many racist spiderman fans think she is. MJW is a complex female character that isn’t a stereotypical female archetype and one I personally think Emmy award winner Zendaya has the acting chops to eat up if she were given the chance to. Instead of Mary-Janes feistiness, we got Michelle’s dry and awkward wit. Instead of beautiful fashionista Mary-Jane, we got frumpy Michelle. Instead of Mary-Jane’s tragic, character building backstory, we got Error 404 Page not Found Michelle. It’s safe to say which character I’d rather see on screen and which character I’d have preferred Zendaya portray. I place the blame solely on Jon Watts, The writers for Homecoming, FFH AND NWH, Kevin Fiege and Amy Pascal.

#mcu critical #anti mcu spiderman #nwh spoilers #michelle jones #mary jane watson #zendaya #im so over this shit #this is the last rant i’ll be making about this. ever

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inlovewithhisblueeyes · 3 years ago

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The Captain and the Mermaid

Pairing: Captain Syverson x Ariel! Female Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: Familial teasing and fluff

A/N: As some of you know I love The Little Mermaid to death and a plot bunny about Henry (or one of his characters) dating a party princess/professional mermaid has been floating around my head. Besides mentioning that the reader has red hair, I wanted to keep the description of her as limited as possible. I believe that anyone can be Ariel regardless of skin color. I'm excited to see Halle Bailey take on this iconic role.

Today on what seemed like it was going to be the hottest day in Texas history, little Leah Syverson-Jones was turning 7. All she had wanted was Ariel and her favorite uncle present. It took her parents quite a while to convince her to invite other people to her party, but Leah drove a hard bargain; she wanted a pool party at Uncle Sy’s so Ariel wouldn’t dry out. Leah loved hanging out at Uncle Sy’s house for that very reason and with her being his only niece in a sea of nephews, Sy spoiled her rotten.

Now when his sister, Sarah, told him of the plan, Sy wasn’t too sure how they were going to make the whole bringing a fictional character to a party. He let his sister handle that part while he focused on making sure his backyard was worthy of his little mermaid princess. He had seen The Little Mermaid with Leah at least a billion times at this point so the captain had tons to work with. Sy decided to focus on Ariel’s grotto and he may have cheated a little bit and took some ideas from their family trip to Disney World two years prior. Leah had nearly passed out from excitement when meeting her idol in her grotto.

Syverson may have also ordered his new batch of recruits from the nearby base to do most of the heavy lifting and errand running; he did end up paying them in all the beer and pizza they could dream of after Sarah had heard about it. Now the morning of the big day, Sarah had dragged herself over to Sy’s house at 8 am to explain to her quote “idiot big brother” how exactly the whole mermaid thing was going to work.

“Now Eric Henry Syverson there ain’t enough coffee in the world to keep me from throttling you where you stand. I will explain this one more time,” she seethed which caused Sy to raise his arms in exasperation.

“Hey I ain’t the one who’s into all that artsy fartsy shit. You went to that fancy college up north, not me.”

“There’s a girl coming at 11 to play Ariel. She needs time and space to get changed into her mermaid tail. You’ll be standing guard and keeping anyone who comes early from coming back her. Tom won’t be bringing Leah and the rest of the kids until 11:30. Under no circumstances can Leah get back here before 12. That will ruin the magic. Got it now?”

“Yes m’am. Now give me that list of yours so I get to the store before all of the ice in the county is gone,” Sy huffed.

The next few had Sy driving all over to grab Leah’s cake and all the last minute things. By the time Sy’s truck had pulled into the driveway, Sarah’s car wasn’t the only one anymore. He glanced at the clock on his dashboard and shook his head. Sy had no idea how this was even going to be believable, but he’d do anything to make his niece happy. He made quick work of unloading the truck and as he was bringing the cake into the house, there stood his sister chatting with what he swore was the cutest redhead on this side of the Mississippi.

She gave him a little wave while his sister rattled on and Sy could assure you that his cheeks did not flush, it was too hot already. At some point between him dropping off the cake and beginning to fill the coolers, the girl had gone out to get ready. Sarah had already closed the shades on the back door and locked it by the time her kids came barreling in.

Out of nowhere a screech of “Uncle Sy!!!!” and the feeling of a scrawny thing crawling on his back while he was bent over loading up the last cooler let him know little Leah had arrived. Sy quickly maneuvered the girl off of his back as he stood up and gave her a big bear hug.

“Well, it looks like I’ve caught myself a little mermaid. Maybe she can tell me what happened to my Leah,” Sy teased as he spun her around.

“It’s me, Uncle Sy, I promise. This is just my special birthday ‘fit,” Leah giggled.

She was dressed in an Ariel costume with matching shoes and tiara. His mother mentioned how she had taken Leah to the mall the other week and walked out with half of the Disney Store. If only she knew what was waiting for her outside, luckily she only had to wait a little longer. Slowly, the rest of the guests started to arrive and Tom and Sy started to sneak food outside while Leah was occupied.

As soon as the clock struck noon, all of Leah’s friends from school and ballet had finally arrived. Sy gave a nervous look to his sister as she gathered all of them up, all of them ready to have fun.. From what little he had seen of the girl playing Ariel, he wasn’t sure how this was going to be pulled off. As soon as Sarah slid the back door open, the room was filled with shrieks and reminders to not run.

Sy was the last to enter the backyard as he carried out the cooler full of drinks for the adults. As soon as he sat down the cooler away from where the kids were, the captain turned to see what little Miss Leah and her pals thought. He turned his eyes to the pool area where a very convincing Ariel sat surrounded by all the kids. Leah ran over to Sy and grabbed his hand.

“Uncle Sy, you gotta meet her. It’s really Princess Ariel at my party,” She squealed as she attempted to drag him over.

Sy chuckled at her and followed his overexcited niece over. He got a good look at her up close and even the tail looked rather realistic as the fin flowed back and forth in the shallow water. Ariel was answering all the rapidly fired questions with perfect answers. It wasn’t until one of the girls asked where Prince Eric was that Leah chimed in instead.

“He’s right here. Uncle Sy’s real name is Eric but he said only grammie calls him that,” the birthday girl babbled,”And he was a captain too but not like Captain Hook.”

“Oh wow! I’ll have to tell Eric once I swim back home. He’ll be so excited to have a twin,” Ariel replied without a beat and seemed to give a smile directly to Sy.

Once again, Sy did not blush, the sun was beating down hard on him. Sarah and one of the other moms quickly swooped in to get all the kids sunscreen up and in their bathing suits. Sy quickly ducked to have a beer and make sure the coolers were still properly stocked. He absolutely did not watch as Ariel gracefully slid into the water and began swimming around. He was absolutely not so entranced that it took a cold feeling on the back of his neck to snap him out of it.

“Someone’s got a crush,” Sarah teased.

“What-no-I don’t got a crush. Leah’s almost as bad as you” Sy scoffed.

Sarah gave a knowing hum as she looked up at him. “Uh huh. Leah asked if you’d come play mermaids with her friends and Ariel so you best get your swimming trunks on mister. Don’t want to disappoint your favorite niece.”

“You have no shame sis,” the captain grumbled.

“Momma had to give me something. You got the looks,” Sarah goaded to which Sy only replied with a huff before going inside to change.

The kids spent the next hour showing Ariel how they could swim just like her, playing Marco Polo, and splashing around. Sy even got in on the action if only to get his sister soaked as revenge. Now the kids were all wrapped up in their towels surrounding where Ariel had propped her elbows up on the side. Even a few of the adults had come to stand around and watch as well. Sarah yanking Sy over much to his embarrassment.

“Well birthday girl, I heard humans like to sing songs on their friend’s birthdays. Do you have a song you’d like me to sing?” Ariel asked with a dazzling song.

“Miss Ariel please sing the song you sang when you rescued Eric. Please please please,” Leah begged,” It’s my favorite.”

“I’d love to sing that one for you. It’s my favorite too,” the mermaid giggled.

“What would I give to live where you are?

What would I pay to stay here beside you?

What would I do to see you smiling at me?

Where would we walk, where would we run

If we could stay all day in the sun?

Just you and me, and I could be

Part of your world

I don't know when, I don't know how

But I know something's starting right now

Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be

Part of your world”

“Thank you so much for letting me come to your party, Princess Leah. Scuttle said that usually after a song there’s cake and presents. I hope you’ll enjoy all that for me,” Ariel beamed.

“I will Miss Ariel!,” Leah exclaimed, reaching down to give Ariel a big hug.

“Well I have to head back to Atlantica now. I have to tell Flounder and my sisters all about the human world,” the mermaid gushed,” May you have the happiest of birthdays, princess!”

The moms made quick work of ushering the kids inside with promises of cake and ice cream. There were a few stragglers who wanted a hug from the mermaid too. She cheerfully bid them all goodbye and gave Sy a wink and wave as yet again he was the last one to leave.

While the kids were busy eating their cake and Leah was opening presents, Sy slipped outside to grab another beer and in no way, shape or form, to make sure the actress was getting packed up alright. She still had the wig and makeup on but was back in her clothes that he had seen her in earlier.

“You doing alright out here Ariel?” He asked, watching her pack up the last of her things.

“I think I got it handled, Captain. I have to say you did a wonderful job decorating the place. Your sister mentioned it to me earlier.”

“Thank you, darlin’. Ariel’s pretty much the only thing she wanted for her birthday so I had to help,” Sy said, scratching his neck and trying to hide his blush.

“It’s definitely the best mermaid grotto I’ve seen. I should probably get going before one of the kids gets too curious and wanders off. I’d hate to ruin the magic,” the girl replied as she slid her bag over her shoulder.

“You’re right. I’ll let Sarah know the coast is clear,” the captain offered.

“Thank you. Enjoy a slice of cake for me, Eric” the girl grinned.

“Will do, Ariel.”

“You, Captain, can call me Y/N,” the actress said with a sly wink before turning to sneak around the side of the house.

Sy let out a hefty sigh and shook his head before heading back into the house, completely forgetting the beer. His sister immediately noticed and walked over to him.

“Getting a beer, huh?” She taunted with a smirk.

“Shut it you.”

“Our mermaid friend asked me to give her your number. You’re lucky you got me to save the day. I think the words are `Thank You Sarah’.”

Sy blushed furiously. “Thank you, Sarah,” he grumbled just as his phone chimed in his pocket.

#henry cavill #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #henry william dalgliesh cavill #captain syverson #captain syverson x reader #captain syverson x you #sand castle #netflix #henry cavill fic #captain sy x reader #captain syverson fluff #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson fanfiction #sand castle fanfiction #the cavillry #captain syverson x y/n

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starshipsofstarlord · 3 years ago

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Those who fell - Natasha Romanoff x reader x Gamora

Masterlist link

Summary; in life and death, the three of you are able to unite, and make the most of the time that the sacrifices of your lives have given you

Warnings; smut, threesome, oral sex (female receiving obviously), strap on sex, tribbing, fingering, mentions of death, angst

divider by @firefly-graphics

Gamora sunk her strap into your cunt, as Nat, your friend and fellow avenger clambered upon your face, sinking her pussy down onto your awaiting tongue as you hum satisfyingly at the taste of her silken essence. The green woman began to thrust as her hands secured their grip onto your waist, the red strap on affirming penetration consistently in and out of your walls.

You had all lost everything; life, lovers, hope, and thus all you had now was the sentence of rejoicing in your freedom from all the fabrications of the complications that were in regards to being alive. Natasha had faith that her and your family were to succeed in their mission, they were heroes, and they had saved you both from yourselves once upon a time, many long moons ago.

“Y/n.” Nat scrambled out your name as she rocked her hips against your face, spreading her juices down to the sides of your cheeks, you shook your head as you attached your mouth around her clit, enforcing a squeal to beckon out of her plump lips, as she bit on them, lost in the pleasure that you were granting them. Life had been cruel and deceiving, there was no light at the end of the tunnel, and thus, similar to now, you were responsible for crafting your own.

At the sound of your name, Gamora upped her pace, her emerald hands digging into the thickness of your thighs as she delved deeper within you, extracting a moan from you, that rumbled up and through Natasha’s body. “Shit, don’t stop ‘Mora.” Your words were muffled by the purchase of Natasha fucking herself down onto your face, but the message, though pursed together, was clear. You wanted more, and she, as a guardian of the galaxy, was here to help, and take partially for herself.

And the one thing that she was to be stealing was your orgasm, as she pulled away, as she had done to her own father, rejecting him and his ill wishes, removing the fake cock from inside of you, watching as your legs quivered for attention. Whines spurred out from your throat, peeking through Natasha’s body like shots of lightning cursing vigilantly through her. “Patience, I have something better; much better.”

She disengaged the harness from around her legs and waist, allowing the support to drop to the floor as she shuffled closer, hooking her palm around the curve and inside of your knee, bracing it to some height, as she steadied herself in the air, her feet prompting her against gravity, as she lowered her own cunt upon yours, descending the swell of her clit against the hood of yours, rubbing the skin grafted fabrics together, recalling tears in your eyes as you submitted to the pleasure.

Your own hands strayed from Nat’s hips, running down the crevice of her thighs as you looked up to her, the shadow of her full breasts blocking most of your view, trailing your fingertips down to prod at her swept aside labia, stroking the earnest and moist lips with the pads of your fingers, as you switched the position of your tongue upwards, so that it was flicking and delivering harsh sucks to her sensitive clit.

With your right hand, you swiped through her swollen folds, rasping in the feeling of Gamora’s pussy moving swiftly upon your own, as you entered a finger into the red head, listening intently as your name was preached from her rosy lips. You hummed at the taste of the assassin, softly shaking your head beneath her, as she tentatively ground down, revelling in the pleasure that you were basking upon her.

Gamora threw her black and red hair back, her lids closing as she felt your clit twitch at her notions, as you tried to grind back up against her. With hooded eyes, she watched as your tits softly swayed under the pressure that both women were laying upon your body; you were in absolute bliss, distracting yourself from the fall that had lead you all to be here. You had tried to save Nat, Clint was so focused on doing the same that he didn’t even have a chance of saving you as you descended, and he was left to survive of watching Natasha let go of his hand, wanting to save at least one life out of your iconic trio.

Even in the afterlife, the two of you remained together, fulfilling every fantasy that you had about the other. You had found Gamora lurking, lost in this imprisonment of a world, ashamed of having lead Thanos to Vormir, but proud that she had gotten her sister’s life spared. She was always the favourite, but here, she wasn’t judged upon her combat skills; rather instead there were other skills required to keep the pair of you happy and content, and she was more than eager to oblige.

The situation and those in the past were nothing more than distractions to the prospect of life that you were all missing out on. And like a white light, the same which she had seen whence her head had been unforced by a harsh impact to the behind, Natasha felt herself unravel. When she was done lulling in the glow of her orgasm, the redhead climbed off from your face, watching with flushed cheeks as you and Gamora went at it. Without her reducing your breaths, you were pursuing the thrill of the chase like animals, huffing and growling as you eagerly smashed your hips together, with intwined legs.

There was wetness spooling out from the main crevice of contact, spreading down your thighs as you and Gamora endlessly ground your folds and furthermore together, throwing your necks back as you leant in a stretch to get the best angle of stimulation. Nat found herself crawling closer as she pressed her lips to yours, delving her tongue within your mouth as your own swirled around the intrusion of hers, allowing her a second hand taste of her sweetness. Her hands ran down and pinched your nipples, evoking the image of fluttering eyelashes upon your face, as you grew mad with pleasure, spasming against Gamora as you joined her juices with her own.

A heavy sigh lifted from her chest as she untangled her legs from your own, turning over onto her front as she crawled towards you, smacking your legs apart as she took in the view of your pussy that was clenching around nothing, and the painted in her own cum, that was perfectly intermingled with the excess of your own. Out from the corner of your eye, as you passionately kissed Nat, you watched the enchantress, as she snuck her head in a closer vicinity to your personal parts, darting her tongue out to collect the blend of fulfilment, bringing her hand up to rub your clit as she ate you out.

“Holy shit.” You mumbled against Natasha’s mouth as your sensitive cunt took in more pleasure, despite practically having just came under the whim of the same woman that was tending to your will of overcoming a settlement of self mourning, reducing you to atoms of sweat and a heated body as her tongue rolled around your centre, Natasha nibbling on your tongue in the meanwhile. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum!” And you did, as you rolled your hips against Gamora’s face.

Natasha left you as she went in search of the strap, discovering it with a pleasant smile, as she put it on herself without aid, sending you a tender look as her eyes ran over your stimulated form. She grasped onto Gamora’s leant ass, as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, as she knelt behind the woman, leaving the two in the doggy position. Nat grabbed the harnessed dildo with a gentle hand, rubbing against the hood of Gamora’s clit, as you shuffled back, and bent your knees upwards, absentmindedly fondling with your button, despite the growing burn in the bead of muscle.

Beginning to thrust into the guardian, Nat became rough, a tense and affirmative expression taking over her face, whilst Gamora wore one of dazed eyes and an agape mouth. It was quite the show, more so as Nat clapped her hand down on the other woman’s backside, pulling a strangled sound out of her throat. Perhaps being dead wasn’t so bad if you were to be gifted with the freedom of performing such erotic acts without a crunch of time and saving the world, but you missed your friends, this again, whilst being a grave fantasy, was a way to forget about them all, even if it be only momentarily.

“Natasha!” At the sound of her name, you remembered the way Clint would say it as he was piloting at the front of the quintet with her, or how Thor would formally greet her. Your hand went slack as you mulled over the memories, it felt like you were being stabbed in the chest. As Gamora was rendered through an orgasm by the black widow herself, you felt yourself cry, wanting nothing more, despite it being a gruelling task, than to fight, hell, even go through another accords. Anything was better than being dead.

feedback is always appreciated 💙

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raekahwritings · 4 years ago

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Diluc Drabble: Homework Help

To all those memes that said when you ask for homework help, Diluc would leave you on “Read” notification (Imagining they’re students, ohohoho)

Also, please note the cute custom graphic <3 I had time at work to throw a quick one together.

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

“I can’t believe him!” You flopped back on your bed, looking frustrated at the ‘read’ icon on your best friend’s text messages. Granted, you had stayed up until 2 am to try and finish this assignment but you just couldn’t get it done. Your last act of desperation was texting Diluc and hoping he would be awake.

If you asked the others...

Kaeya would just laugh and leave you in the lurch. Amber probably didn’t even finish it. Jean would admonish you for waiting until the last minute. Lisa never checked her phone.

You crawled into bed, your mood already plummeting further. This assignment was half your grade and your best friend -- you wish he was more -- was probably ignoring you and disappointed in you.

Nothing to do but wake up early and try futilely to finish it before class.

You eventually closed your eyes, waking up begrudgingly. You felt like you didn't even get an ounce of sleep. You rubbed your eyes blearily as you stumbled outside your door and out of your apartment, phone in hand.

“Hey.”

You wouldn’t have noticed the quiet words if it wasn’t echoed even louder. Honestly, you thought you were imagining Diluc’s voice as you stared at your phone and at the last message you sent.

“Diluc?” You whirled around to see the redhead perched against your apartment gate. He was bundled up with a black scarf, holding two lattes and letting his school bag hang off his shoulders.

You had never seen him at your apartment before, not without your friends in tow. Most certainly not this early in the morning. You were, without a doubt, more than surprised to see him.

“What are you doing here?” You wished you had dressed up more this morning, tried to look prettier than just the water splashed on your face. You snuck a glance at your phone to see if you had missed some kind of message but nothing, the conversation was just as empty as it was last night.

But he was undeniably here in front of you.

“I figured you’d come to school early.” Diluc handed you one of your favorite lattes. Then he gestured for your school bag. “It’ll be hard to finish the assignment without talking you through it so it’s probably better if we work on it before class.”

Had he woken up early for you? Why didn’t he mention something to you?

“You didn’t text me so I thought...” Your voice trailed off. Now that you said it aloud and with him in front of you, the next words would sound really inconsiderate.

Diluc looked back-- and were you imagining the red tint to his ears? No, you must be, the red streaks of dawn were coloring your vision. “If I told you, you’d tell me no.” Which... to be honest, was true. “You rarely ever ask for help too.” You took a sip of the latte as you walked to school, covering up your awkwardness. You rarely asked because you didn't want to look stupid in front of the top-ranked student Diluc.

“I don’t want to bother you...” You muttered.

“It’d be nice if you did.” Diluc gave you a rare smile, a genuine one that he didn’t put up a facade for.

“But people who ask for help are annoying.” You protested-- Diluc hated the crowds of people who flocked to him because he was so highly ranked. He never said it to their face but you were privy to moments when he would come with Kaeya, exhausted and sometimes overwhelmed with the image people forced on him.

“You’re not wrong.” Diluc conceded. But then he gave you a sidelong glance of affection. "But when you do, you’re pretty adorably hopeless, aren’t you?”

#diluc x reader #genshin impact #genshin diluc #genshin fanfic #genshin x reader

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isfjmel-phleg · 3 years ago

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@healerqueen replied to your post: reblog and put in the tags one fictional character...

@isfjmel-phleg Did you just mention Constance Savery?? I can hardly believe it! I've met so few people who have even heard of her. She is my FAVORITE. Right behind Tolkien and Lewis at the very top. I had NEVER even heard the title of that one. I mostly read her family stories, but even those are so hard to find. Which of hers have you read?

Savery is a favorite of mine too! I’m also on Goodreads and thought I recognized your icon here as the same as that of a reviewer of many of Savery’s books there.

This website has a lot of useful information about all Savery’s books, etc. including the more obscure ones.

I’ve read (thanks to interlibrary loan, including having to get a couple from the Library of Congress!)

Dark House on the Moss

Emeralds for the King

Enemy Brothers

The Good Ship “Red Lily”

Magic in My Shoes

The Memoirs of Jack Chelwood

Moonshine in Candle Street

Pippin’s House

The Reb and the Redcoats

Redhead at School

Tenthragon / Forbidden Doors

Welcome, Santza

Young Elizabeth Green

@healerqueen replied to your post: Book stack theme: Colors?

Excuse me, I'm having an emotion seeing The Reb and the Redcoats in a stack of someone I did not know liked Constance Savery (until a few minutes ago). MY FAVORITE. One of the biggest books that describes who I am.

The Reb and the Redcoats is so good! Definitely one of Savery’s best.

@healerqueen replied to your post: Title themes: royalty, because I had a lot of...

If the book is the book inside, it's fine. With out of print gems, you gotta take what you can get. Very impressed you found it at all. I didn't like that one enough to NEED to own it, but others...I do and I can't and it's sad. (Still so glad to find you're a Savery fan!)

Most of the Savery books I own were fortunate Ebay finds. I have a saved search for Constance Savery books there and keep an eye out for anything affordable that comes up. Bookfinder is also a useful place to search for any available copies of a given book across various online book vendors, if you’re ever looking.

@healerqueen replied to your post: Book stack themes: siblings?

The Melendys forever!! And most of all ENEMY BROTHERS! You have a first edition! That was my favorite book from the time I read it when I was 10, and it always has been. I think only LOTR and Narnia are above that one, and maybe it's tied with Eagle of the Ninth.

Enemy Brothers is tied for my favorite of Savery’s books. The characters and relationships and the redemption arc are all amazing.

The reissued edition has some (minor) differences in the text from that of the first edition. More about that here.

@healerqueen replied to your post: Title stack theme: "Persons Who Shall Remain...

Thank you! So do you! And our taste overlaps a bit. :) Oh my goodness!! I didn't check my notifications till now, after logging out for a week and then checking my feed first. I did NOT notice Enemy Brothers in the middle! It was camouflaged, and I was looking at the horizontal books.

How did you know that Enemy Brothers is my favorite historical novel of all?? It has been hugely influential in my life and remained in my top three or four favorite authors. I started seeing Savery in your bookstacks today, but I didn't realize I had a chance to see it last time, in this post! I'm amazed that you knew I'd read it, without being told. I'd love to hear more about which Savery books you like and why.

My other favorite, besides Enemy Brothers, is Tenthragon (the revised US edition of the book published in the UK as Forbidden Doors). This is one of Savery’s earliest books, and unusual for her in that it is a book for adults, although the protagonist is a seven-year-old child.

It has a fantastically Gothic premise: an apparently orphaned boy goes to live with his mysterious guardian (an adult cousin) in a large, creepy house with locked doors that connect to an adjoining house. The boy is forbidden to open the doors and comes to imagine that a dragon lives on the other side. Although his cousin is kind (though a bit distant) to him, he’s also nebulously afraid of him and terrified to disobey. But one day he mistakenly knocks on the door of the wrong house, and then his troubles really begin...

Without spoiling anything, this is a story about family relationships, revenge, and forgiveness, and I first devoured it in less than twenty-four hours, on edge the whole time. It does have a very tense, suspenseful tone throughout. The child protagonist seems to have clinical anxiety (for understandable reasons), and Savery’s depictions of the psychological terrors he suffers can be painful. There are themes of physical and emotional/psychological child abuse that are pretty intense too. But Savery’s Christian themes shine through, subtle but clearly present, and there’s a very satisfying redemption arc, although the ending is a bit ambiguous. A conflict between two brothers with wildly differing priorities and mindsets is central, somewhat reminiscent of Dym and Tony’s conflict (minus the political ideology angle, obviously). And the characters are fantastically complex.

It’s very difficult to find, but you might be able to get it through interlibrary loan. There are a few libraries in the US that own it that lend for free.

#replies #healerqueen #Constance Savery #The Reb and the Redcoats #Enemy Brothers #Tenthragon

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criminalmindzjunkie · 4 years ago

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I Carry Your Heart With Me (Prologue)

Summary: When your college roommate asks you to be a bridesmaid at her wedding, you pack your bags and jump on a flight to Montana. What was supposed to be a relaxing week on the husband-to-be’s ranch is turned upside down when an old flame decides to make an appearance. Mix in lingering feelings, a meddling bride, and the mother of all misunderstandings, and your week out west turns out to be a whole lot more than you bargained for.

series masterlist

playlist

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of alcohol, mentions of sex

Word Count: 2.5k

Spencer gets the email on a Tuesday.

He’s fresh off of a quick trip to a nearby café that sells the most delectable scones, and he’s eagerly unwrapping one and lifting it to his mouth when he gets the notification. The quiet ping is enough to make him pause with the scone midway to its destination.

Because the thing is, Spencer Reid doesn’t get a lot of emails. In fact, there are approximately ten people that even know his email address, and seven of them are currently in the same room as him. Spencer peers over the top of his monitor and scans the room. No one is doing anything indicative of having sent Spencer yet another prank email (thanks a lot, Luke), so he deems it safe and clicks on the email icon.

As it boots up, Spencer takes a bite of his scone. The warm, sugary dough tastes like heaven in his mouth, once again proving to Spencer that the fifteen-minute walk there is more than worth his time. He’s mid-swallow when his inbox pops up on the screen, and when he sees the all too familiar name on the sender’s address, he inhales a sharp breath that leaves him choking on his pastry.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Melville

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Sewell

Joyfully request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their children

Cassidy and Mason

Saturday, the twenty-seventh of May

Two thousand nine-teen

His choking fit garners the attention of every one of his colleagues, but Spencer can’t bring himself to care. All he can focus on is sucking in as much air as possible in between coughs. It doesn’t help that his oxygen deprived brain is currently reeling. Long suppressed memories are fighting their way to the surface, and now it’s not only his lungs that are engulfed in a searing heat, but his heart, too.

Cassidy Sewell. A fiery, opinionated redhead that Spencer hasn’t thought of in nearly fifteen years. But Cassidy isn’t the reason that he feels like a knife has been thrust into his ribcage, nor is she the reason he is currently aspirating his scone. The basis of his distress is another woman entirely.

Spencer eventually regains control of his windpipe and when he does, he rereads the email several times. It’s wonderful news - really, it is. And he’s happy for Cassidy. His memories of her are plentiful and he thinks back on them fondly. The only problem is that he knows wherever Cassidy is, you’ll be there, too.

He really should just delete the email and go on about his business - that would be the smart thing to do. But Spencer’s never really been smart when it comes to you, so he does the worst thing possible and clicks on the ‘view recipients’ button.

And sure enough, your name falls just above his on the list.

Which brings up another issue entirely; why is he receiving this email? And, more importantly, do you know that he’s been invited? Spencer can only come up with two possible answers to that question, and both are equally heartbreaking. Either you know he’s been invited and you’re indifferent to the fact, or you haven’t a clue and his showing up would be entirely inappropriate.

He briefly entertains the possibility of a third option; one in which you knew he’d received an invitation and were hopeful that he might show up. Spencer allows this possibility to live in his mind for approximately two seconds before he’s stomping it out and killing it. That’s just… unlikely.

“Ooh! Who’s getting married?”

Spencer quickly exits out of his email and spins around in his chair to find Penelope pouting her lip out at him.

“No one. Just a spam email,” Spencer lies. His efforts are in vain, however, because Penelope fixes him with an unimpressed glare.

“I’m going to save you and I both the trouble of me hacking into your computer and offer you the opportunity to try that again.”

Spencer visibly deflates and mentally curses the creators of the interconnected computer networks. He weighs his options. He could be completely honest and be subjected Penelope’s endearing, yet suffocating enthusiasm, or he could skim a little bit off the top and hope she doesn’t pump him for information.

Spencer decides on the latter.

“An old friend.”

Penelope narrows her eyes at him and he shrinks under her gaze. She might not be a profiler, but she damn sure could be.

“Then why do you look like you’re about to hurl?”

“No reason.”

They’ve reached a stalemate, and Spencer isn’t quite sure what to do with that. Usually, if this were a chest match, Spencer would already have the upper hand. He’s not used to being backed into a corner. At first, Spencer’s sure that he can outlast Penelope’s inquisition, but the longer those seemingly omniscient eyes of hers bore into his own, he can feel his resolve crumbling into nothing. All it takes is her lifting one perfectly plucked eyebrow in challenge for him to break.

“An ex-girlfriend of mine will be in attendance.”

Spencer knows he’s fucked from the way Penelope’s entire face lights up upon hearing that little tidbit of information. In a flash Penelope’s dragging over an empty chair and seating herself directly in front of Spencer, eyes shining excitedly.

“Tell me everything.”

So, he does.

And an hour later, Penelope is booking him a flight to Montana.

“I cannot believe you did this to me,” you murmur into the receiver as you stare at your computer screen. Your eyes are zeroed in on the email, but all the words are blurring together into an intelligible mess. All except two.

Spencer Reid

“Correction; I did this for you,” Cassidy replies, sounding awfully pleased with herself. If you could see her, you were certain she’d be grinning ear to ear. “You can’t tell me that you’re not the least bit excited at the possibility of seeing him again.”

“That is exactly what I’m telling you!” you groan as you throw your head against the back of your chair. “Fifteen years is a long time, Cass. I’ve moved on, and I’m sure he has, too. That door is closed.”

Cassidy snorts, “Well open that sucker back up, because I just got an RSVP from one Doctor Spencer Reid who, and I quote, ‘cannot wait to see everyone.’ This RSVP came without a plus one, might I add.”

You jolt up in your seat and instantly regret it when your stomach churns painfully as a result. Suddenly, your decision to place your waste basket on the opposite side of the room seems awfully ill advised. The only thing keeping you from lunging for it and expelling the contents of your stomach is the fact that he isn’t bringing anyone with him, which is… something.

“He’s coming?” you squeak out. “Why would he do that?”

Another laugh from Cassidy floats out through the speaker.

“Well, I’d like to think he might be going to see one of his oldest and dearest friends get married, but I think we both know that this has nothing to do with me, and a whole lot to do with you.”

You’re just about to open your mouth to protest when a head of long, blonde hair peeks through the crack of your door. You only know one man with a head of hair like that, and that man just so happens to be the only other person in your life that lives for taking the piss at your expense. You can’t help but think that you must’ve done something terrible in a past life to be subjected to all of this before noon on a Tuesday morning.

You wave Damien in, because why the hell not? He’d be hearing about it over one or several bottles of wine this evening, anyways. What was one more spectator to the worst moment of your entire adult life?

As he takes his seat in a chair in front of your desk, you flash him a tight smile and turn your attention back to Cassidy.

“You’re reading way too much into this. He probably doesn’t even remember me.”

“You know that boy does not forget anything,” Cassidy points out.

Yeah, you think, and that’s what makes not hearing from him for fifteen years even worse. That means the radio silence was a choice.

“Doesn’t matter. You need to uninvite him. I’m being so serious right now.”

“I absolutely will not. That’d be terribly rude of me,” Cassidy sniffs. “And you obviously have no choice but to attend, Miss Maid of Honor, so consider this your warning. I was going to keep this a secret, but Mason said that would be cruel. So.”

You want to argue that the entire thing is cruel, but Cassidy’s indifference to your plight leads you to believe that your protest would fall on deaf ears. To make matters worse, Damien looks positively delighted at the prospect of something exciting happening. He’s literally sitting on the edge of his seat, leaning forward in an attempt to hear Cassidy’s end of the conversation.

You really needed to pick more sympathetic friends.

“I’m going to hang up now, because I physically cannot handle being a part of this conversation any longer.”

“That’s the spirit!” Cassidy trills. “Trust me, you’re going to thank me for this later. Oh, and do yourself a favor and Google search him. You will not be disappointed!”

At that, the line goes dead. You don’t even have the chance to say something embarrassing like too late, I already do that like twice a year, which is probably a good thing.

You slam down the phone and let your head fall into your hands, adding in a dramatic groan for good measure. Usually, you like to think you’re a little more level headed, but the Spencer Reid sized hole in your heart that you’d been trying to mend for the last decade and a half was just ripped wide open, so you figure you deserve a moment to panic.

Damien, however, doesn’t share that same belief.

“I get that you’re trying to have a moment, and I respect that, but you know how impatient I get and I haven’t seen you this upset since One Direction split up. Color me intrigued. What did dear Cassidy do to get your knickers in such a twist?”

You lift your head and fix him with a withering look.

“She invited Spencer.”

That wipes the smile right off of Damien’s face.

“Oh, fuck,” Damien swears. Finally, someone understands how extremely not okay this situation is. You let out another despairing groan. “What are the chances he’s actually going to show up?”

You chuckle bitterly, “Pretty fucking high, if you consider the fact that he already RSVP’d any indication.” You push away from your desk and begin to pace around the room, all while fanning your shirt out because holy hell did it get hot in here, or is it just you? “I mean, I could always back out. It’s Cassidy’s fault anyways. It’s not like she could hold that against me. She’s the one who did this, after all.”

“Oh, she most certainly would. And you’re not going to going to skip out on the wedding - quit being so dramatic.”

You snap your head to where he sits and narrow your eyes at him.

“Oh, I’m not? Who’s gonna stop me?” you challenge.

You can practically see the light bulb go on inside that blonde head of his. Damien gives you a saccharine smile and claps his hands together.

“I am. Because I’m going to go with you,” he announces excitedly. You’d think he just came up with a way to end world hunger from the pride that’s practically radiating off of him in waves.

You raise an eyebrow at him, “You’re going to come with me? To Montana? Have you ever even been outside of New York?”

Damien shrugs his shoulders.

“No, but that’s about to change. Plus, weddings are fun,” Damien pauses, before tacking on, “-bridesmaids are fun.”

If he weren’t such a damn good friend, you’d throw him out of your office.

His proposition was tempting. Being in close proximity with Spencer for almost an entire week was going to be harrowing as it was, but add to that the inevitable sight of Spencer in a suit and harrowing graduates to fucking excruciating. Having Damien in your corner to keep you sane was more of a necessity than a want.

But still, you hesitate, because the idea of both Cassidy and Damien conspiring against you for an entire week sounds like the undiscovered tenth circle of hell.

Damien apparently senses your apprehension. He lets out an exasperated sigh and pushes up from his seat, walking over to where you stand and placing his hands on your shoulders.

“I solemnly swear to be on my best behavior. You have my permission to fire me if I act up, Boss Lady.”

Your shoulders slump under the weight of his hands.

“You know I can’t fire you,” you grumble, pouting out your lip for dramatic effect. “If I fire you, then I’m stuck with fucking Brenda. And I doubt she’d be as agreeable a drinking partner as you.”

Damien lets out a loud laugh and pulls you into his arms. You melt into his embrace, sighing in resignation. Might as well bring him along for the ride. It’s not like the situation could get any worse than it already is, right?

“Brenda is the worst,” Damien agrees as he places a kiss to the top of your head. After basking in his warm embrace for several moments, you pull away and run a hand through your hair.

“Okay. Okay,” you murmur, more to yourself than to Damien. “I can do this. Worst comes to worst; I can just avoid him. Five days isn’t that long. I can do five days.”

Damien leans up against your desk and nods in agreeance.

“Exactly. Five days, in and out – no big deal,” he breezes. Like the absolute bastard he is, he waits until you’re taking a sip from your travel mug before continuing. “And who knows? Maybe the two of you will pick up where you left off and have some slutty wedding sex.”

Now, there’s coffee all over your white blouse and Damien’s laughing obnoxiously at your expense.

“You did not just quote One Tree Hill at me,” you choke out between ragged breaths.

Damien doesn’t waver under the weight of your death glare.

“I so did. Best show of our time, truly. Chase hit the nail on the head with that one. Weddings are always an absolute bone fest - trust me. Something about all the proclamations of love and eternal commitment gets everyone all hot and bothered.”

“There will be no slutty wedding sex,” you mutter as you dab at the coffee stain.

“There will be if I’m going,” Damien trills as he pushes off of your desk and saunters to the door. “Don’t rule it out, babe. No need to miss out on all the fun!”

You roll your eyes and toss the wadded-up paper towel at him. Damien is quick to shut the door, resulting in the paper towel hitting it with a wet plop.

Damien’s absence leaves the room uncomfortably silent, save for the sound of your heart nearly beating out of your chest. You hesitantly lift your eyes back to your computer screen, and as irrational as it is, you pray that you’ll see that something has changed in the past ten minutes. Unsurprisingly, his name is still there, just below your own.

You silently curse the tiny twinge of excitement you feel from seeing his name and exit out of the email.

Five days, in and out. No big deal.

taglist: @is-this-even-important @evelyncade @usuck @m0rce1ddd @bauhousewife @whxt-to-write @spencerwaltergubler @lovesicksofi @idgafayiowf @shadyladyperfection @mercy-burning @sapphic-prentiss

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hydraulicfluidinmyteapot · 3 years ago

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Pirates of the Caribbean

This is an ask from @shrigma-male, but i accidentally deleted the ask.. so sorry! I am high key excited to get an ask about this topic, as the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is probably one of my earliest animatronic centric obsessions. not only is it one of the earliest and most impressive feats of Imagineering, it also remains solid to this day. it houses a great many iconic animatronic figurines, all of which work together in perfect harmony to capture beautifully life filled scenes of a cohesive storyline. Its individual ride concept was so strong that it birthed a line of clones and even a famous movie franchise. isn’t that sick? a RIDE was the key source material for a whole movie series! but it’s unsurprising, with the time and care poured into the ride. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you think about it, the ride is JAM PACKED so there is a LOT to talk about. This will only be a super brief post information-wise, but who knows? There may be more to come if this performs well. Apologies, my life’s not going great at the moment and i don’t have a lot of spare time so this is not as high a quality as i would like it to be.

Here’s my fast fact file on it!

Debut: March 16, 1967

Withdrawal: All rides are still operating

Attraction: The Pirates of the Caribbean

Locations: Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disney (but this one’s heavily modified)

Attraction Type: Dark ride

Riders Per Vehicle: 23–24

Number of vehicles: 50

Animatronics: 119 ish but it depends on the ride version

Ride videos: The entire ride varies from version to version and different people want to see different parts. i’m leaving you guys to find your own ride videos. it’s a very popular ride, just type on in to youtube and you’ll find heaps of nice high quality ones.

The thing that stands out about this ride is the theming and the sheer amount of effort put in to creating an immersive environment. the ride houses an impressive 119 audio animatronics, 53 of which are animals. There are 630,000 gallons of water in the ride (original Disneyland) and takes three whole days to drain. there are over 40,000 gold coins in the treasure room scene alone. It holds what could possibly be considered Disney’s first themed restaurant which can be seen at the start of the ride. It is objectively one of the coolest things I’ve ever ridden. I want to call specific attention to the boat scene, where cannons fare at each other from opposite ships, creating glowing impacts and throwing water about. the first time I rode it it ensnared my attention and completely suspended my disbelief.The ride system is based on the one used in it’s a small world, due to that rides incredible success in debuting a boat-based transport system. Although I hate it’s a small world with a burning passion and refuse to write anything on it, I must be forced to admit that it did wonders as a test on how to create a good dark ride, emphasising key features such as a high rider capacity, boat-based transport system, and proving that animatronics are an incredibly attractive key event. Since the 60’s when it debuted, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride has gone through many changes throughout its location, including entire scenes being added and removed. but what it has maintained throughout its historic run time is its notoriety and splendour. the key change that I will bring up is the 2006 and 2007 renovations that include more theming from the very successful movie franchise. slightly unrelated, but the song “Yo ho, a pirate’s life for me” was actually first written for the ride. The rides are all being constantly updated in minor ways whether it’s slightly improving the animatronics, touching up background details or changing costuming. I’ll attach here a brief sort of timeline of the ride that I’ve whipped up here, but it only touches on the most notable modifications. sorry about how crap-tier it is..

Now, to talk more specifically about animatronics. The animatronics used on this ride are some of the earliest made by Disney. some are really quite basic, with their full range of motions being a singular full body action such as raising and lowering out of a barrel, but others move heads and arms in (sort of) lifelike actions. Some are newer, (specifically captain Jack Sparrow), but most are the original ones from the 60’s. One of my (and everyone’s tbh) favourites is the redheaded lady. She is (very originally) named Redd. Previously she was being sold off for auction, but in 2018 she was swapped to being an auctioneer. She has stunning red curls and a beautiful dress to match, and now holds a gun. here’s a little before and after.

in the same refurbishment that changed her the mist screen in the tunnel before the fort battle was removed and replaced with a pirate in a cage who turns into a skeleton via an optical trick as well as an octopus playing with some medallions, along with the original 1967 narration about cursed treasure being restored. Her new version is based off none other than Anne Bonny herself (worth a google, she’s a fucking BOSS (like seriously!! Queer history icon!!! LOOK 👏 HER 👏 UP 👏 )) . She’s also displayed in dead man’s cove in a portrait, which I think is kinda neat. Her Paris version is completely silent, but the others yell about selling rum. Sadly I have never actually seen the new Redd in person, as I have only ridden the ride in Tokyo (where she is still being sold).

Now, the barker bird! oh how I love him so <3 he’s a little green pirate parrot, who spent his days crying about the ride. he was originally in the queue area but got kicked outside eventually to help deal with crowd control. he was then gotten rid of in 2006 in the big movie refurb. He was remarkably similar to the original barker bird who resided outside of the Enchanted Tikki Room; however, the pirate version has a peg leg, eye patch, tattoo on his chest and wondrously villainous hat. he was originally based off of Captain Flint, the parrot from Treasure Island. It is theorised that he has a skeletal clone inside the ride; the parrot belonging to “the Dirty Feet pirate”.

When you first get on the ride, the first animatronic you come across is Old Joe. he is an animatronic character used in multiple different attractions, including Liberty Belle Riverboat, The Western River and Mark Twain Riverboat. in each version, he lives in a shack and is associated with the banjo. I say associated because it is actually a really common misconception that he actually plays the banjo. he does not, it is just a dark scene and there is banjo music playing around him. you can see the tip of his pipe glowing as you approach it in the ride, lit up alongside the fireflies. he is a small taste of what is to come.

Barbossa replaced the original pirate captain of The Wicked Wench in the boat battle scene in the mass movie renovation. he is my tied favourite with the redhead, as his dialog adds so much to the scene. his character moves in a beautiful fashion, lit up by a spotlight. His face is artfully painted, capturing what I believe to be the most human expression in the entire ride. His boat is fighting a Castillo del Morro fortress of Isla Tesoro, whilst busy searching for treasure and presumably captain jack sparrow. in 2011 his WDW version’s outfit was swapped over to his privateer uniform from On Stranger Tides, to keep the ride tied to the movies. What can be considered quite odd is that in Paris’s later renovation, the Captain did not replace the Wicked Wench captain, and was rather added in to a scene at the end of the ride, in the skeleton grotto. he is standing on the shipwreck beside the skeleton helmsman, carrying a lantern.

The auctioneer. I don’t like him. greasy man. his eyes are wild. He’s originally voiced by Paul Frees (an icon, a legend) and is inspired by Captain Bartholomew Roberts (considered the most successful pirate in the golden age of piracy. He is also a pirate from the ship The Wicked Wench, and his auction is set up near a canteen called "La Cantina”. very creative. He was originally selling brides (human trafficking, not very snazzy) but now he sells chickens he stole from townspeople. however, this is unsuccessful. In the Paris version, instead of the chickens he is trying to sell a painting of Jean Laffite. Funnily enough, Jean is one of Disney’s sort of “stand in” pirate characters that they frequently just use whenever they need a pirate to slide in. Unfortunately, the auctioneer is always kept relatively up to date with the shiniest, newest technology that Disney can spare, and is always one of the most advanced figures on the ride. doesn’t deserve it, he’s slimy and I don’t like him. I should probably mention that he doesn’t actually have a name other than the auctioneer. There’s also a clone of him used in the haunted mansion for the duelling animatronics. loser.

This is a very long post, so I shall cut it here. I will leave you with an image gallery, further reading and a possible promise of a part two if this post does well. Thank you!

(ok so i actually haven’t got any further reading gathered yet. give me like 6 hours and ill fix it in an edit. i promise. i just want to get this post out asap)

#animatronic #audio animatronics #Audio Animatronic #animatronics #Disney #disney parks #pirates #pirates of the caribbean #redd #captain barbossa #history #long post

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averagesmw · 4 years ago

Text

Penny Haywood x MC- The way I see you

Game: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

A/N: This takes place in a universe where Bea didn't get snatched by the portrait curse and had a normal year

_____________________________

A pair of beautiful blue eyes slowly opened and blinked a couple of times to adjust to the light of a new day

These were the eyes of someone who had just woken up in a mess of blonde hair and still managed to look so cute despite not being properly dressed

Making her way through the sheets, the young Hufflepuff sat on her bed, yawning and stretching when her mind brought her the sudden reminder

This was the day she was craving for

A big smile appeared on her face the minute this realization hit her

You see, this day marked the second year of Penny Haywood's formal relationship with Y/N L/N

Well, as formal as a relationship in Hogwarts can be

And speaking of, there was an object in her nightstand, something that's not supposed to be there normally

The blonde looked at the novelty in her piece and discovered a cupcake made of her favorite flavor with a small note attached to it

"To start your day the way you like it"

In order to contain her excitement, Penny grabbed her pillow and muffled her happy screams in it. Thankfully, not many were around to hear it anyway

She knew exactly who had left this gift. This day was already proving to be brilliant

Without further due, she changed into her robes and did her hair, taking less than a minute to do her iconic braids. So many times she had done them, it just came to her naturally

And so, she walked off to the common room, where she saw the house ghost looking at the plants

"Good morning, Friar"

The ghost turned around to look at her, a smile immediately appearing

"Good morning, miss Haywood. I trust you had a good sleep?"

She nodded eagerly, that's when the friar noticed the pastry in her hands

"Is that from who I think it is?"

She raised the object so her friend could get a better look at the freshly baked object

"It is! Today's the day"

A joyful laugh came from the Friar upon hearing the news

"Then allow me to congratulate you on your second year together! You two are the purest couple I've seen in decades"

Haywood found herself flattered by this comment. However, it wasn't the only one of its kind

Practically all of Hogwarts cheered on the two of them, some going as far as to call them the "power couple" of Hogwarts. It was funny how easy they warmed up to Y/N after being saved a couple of times

Some others were insistent that they could be a better suitor for Penny, or that hanging out with curse breaker would only result in tragedy. While things did get interesting, every situation could be handled by their combined effort

With the help of their friends too, of course

"Well, if you want to know where your lover is, try looking at the courtyard"

"Will do, thanks, friar!"

With that, she left the common room and headed straight to the place suggested to her

Penny was excited, not only because this date meant a lot to her, but her curiosity was piqued. Her relationship with Y/N was unique, and as some sort of tradition, one of the two would give a present to the other

The first year was an enchanted bracelet that Penny gifted Y/N that would bond them even at the distance. This year, however, the curse breaker insisted on being the one that gave her something, and judging by the way they talked about it, it would be incredible

Walking down one of the halls, the young Haywood was met by her sister, Bea

"I see you finally woke up! Thought I'd have to call Tonks to set up a prank on you"

"Good morning to you too, Bea"

They shared a laugh as they kept walking. Bea had just started her year at the school but she was adapting surprisingly well

While the Haywoods made their way to the courtyard, memories began to flood Penny's sweet mind

Memories of the night it all began, the Celestial Ball. Y/N agreed on setting up the dance and chose Penny to be their date for it

Little did she know, they had a surprise for her at the event. Gifting her a necklace, the star of Hogwarts asked her to be their partner in front of the people at the party

She almost teared up at the question, but it was a yes ultimately. Everyone cheered at this and the dance that followed was just as breathtaking

The sound of music and chatter brought Penny back to reality, seeing as they had reached their destination. However, her eyes sparkled when she found a certain someone not far away from her

"There you are!"

When they heard her voice, they welcomed her with open eyes

"Goldie! Good to see you!"

She ran towards her lover, who caught her in a hug and even spun them around in a playful manner

All the while, the other person that was with Y/N used a spell to conceal something. Bea saw what it was, but agreed to "look away"

"Tou liked the cupcake?"

"I loved it! Thank you so much"

She gave them a tender kiss on the cheek before breaking the hug to see what was Y/N doing in the courtyard. That's when she spotted an unusual figure there as well

"Badeea? Good to see you" she received a gentle smile from her

"Likewise, Penny, and congratulations"

She smiled and then gave her lover a curious look

"What are you doing here?"

"We're... "

They stopped to look at Badeea in hopes of getting some help, but she just shrugged

"...Working on something important. It's for later!"

"Can I see?"

Without losing their smile, Y/N shook their head

"I said it's for later, Penny. You'll have to wait"

A saddened Penny tried her best to bribe Y/N into confessing by making puppy eyes. It almost worked, if not for another voice to join the scene

One could argue that the whole scene was saved by...Tonks

"Finally, we were looking for you!"

The voice came from the pink-haired girl, who was accompanied by Tulip, both glad to see their blonde friend

This sudden change made Penny drop her act to welcome heir friends

"Girls? What can I help you with?"

"We need your help to choose some ingredients!

"Ingredients for what?"

"For a prank, of course!" Tulip chimes in

"Did we mention there is a discount on potion-making equipment?"

Upon hearing Tonks's words, Penny's eyes went bright like a kid in a candy shop

However, as good as this offer was, the memory of her agenda came back to haunt her

"It's tempting..."

Then, she looked back at her lover with a saddened smile

"But I wanted to spend the day with Y/N"

While the curse breaker was touched by this heartwarming statement, they smiled tenderly at her while putting a hand on her shoulder

"Oh Penny, don't worry, I'll be waiting for you!"

"Are you sure?"

She got a nod from them

"Just promise to have fun"

Penny was surprised by their attitude, but she appreciated that she wouldn't have to choose, so she approached them and gave them a quick peck on the lips

"You're the best"

With that, she walked out of the courtyard along with Tonks, Beatrice, and Tulip. All while Y/N waved them goodbye

Once they were out of sight, however, the kind smile turned into a sigh as they turned back and made the object reappear

"What do you think? Is it ready?" He asked Badeea

She approached it and inspected closely, with her hand on her chin

"I think it's almost done! Just cast the spell and then we wait for it to take effect"

They nodded and with their hand at the ready

"Capillum fluit"

Then, something started to move within the object, a graceful wave that was almost hypnotic

" It's beautiful, brilliant job, Y/N!" Badeea clapped

"Thank you!"

Y/N took one last look at this, their proudest achievement yet, aside from solving the vaults

"I just hope she likes it just as much"

...

Meanwhile, at Hogsmeade, Penny walked in the company of her sister, Tulip, and Tonks, the latter being the guide

"So, what prank are you going to pull?"

Penny asked deciding to break the ice. This question made Tulip and Tonks look at each other before nodding

"That may or may not be a lie, Penny" The redhead started

"We do need your help, but it's something much more akin to your expertise as a potion-maker!" Tonks added

They stopped to give Penny a small piece of paper containing a colorful add

"See, we heard that Honeydukes having a competition"

"It's to encourage students, but the reward sure is something!"

"What is it?" Bea inquired

"Six months' worth of chocolate frogs!"

There were gasps after hearing that. Those were some of the best treats Honeydukes had to offer! There would be more than enough to share with their friends

Penny looked away from the piece of paper and now focused on Tonks, with that determined look on her face

"And what do we have to do?"

Hearing this earned a smile from the girls, Bea even cheered a bit to see her big sister on board for this

"The team that creates the potion that smells the sweetest wins!"

"That's where you come in, you get to be our brilliant leader!"

"I don't know Tulip, I-"

"Too late! We've arrived!"

The sound of a nearby crowd ended the conversation. Those must be the other participants

Penny froze for a second, looking at all those people competing to get the same reward. She had won intern tournaments, but this was something else entirely

Then, she felt her robes being tugged, the cause being her younger sister

"Come on, it will be fun! Plus I want to see you in action"

"I...I don't know if I can do this"

" You're Penny Haywood! You knew most potions before they even taught them!

"Girl, you know how to do most of them on your sleep!"

"See? You got this, sister!"

The way the girls talked about her made Penny's cheeks turn red. Of course, she had received compliments before, but they just sounded so confident in this, even made it sound like it would be a walk in the park for her

It was true that she was one of the most proficient at school. Perhaps it would translate well into this competition?

Who knows, but it was an idea worth entertaining

"... alright, let's do this"

The girls cheered in unison before taking Penny to them to register their team for the upcoming challenge

Tonks got them a place in the contest, the last one available. While still unsure of this decision as the teams were announced, the blonde saw the look other people were giving her

Some seemed to recognize and were in awe, some others saw her as a rival to be dealt with. It was just like Hogwarts

So she would handle it as such

As soon as the competition started, Penny started barking orders to her teammates, making sure they understood what they were doing and most importantly, cheering on them

And so It begun, Tonks gathered the ingredients while trying her best not to drop any of them on accident

Tulip kept assisting Penny in the process of making the bomb. It was new for her, making something that wasn't intended to smell putrid

Bea followed in her sister's footsteps and acted as some sort of cheerleader while also assisting where needed...also keeping Tonks away from fragile things

While listening to what she was saying and how she was encouraging her teammates to do their best, one could see the indirect influence of a certain curse breaker

They were, after all, the most convincing person at Hogwarts. Who else could convince a student to fight a bloody troll?

After thirty minutes, the alarm sounded, echoing through the establishment and forced everyone to stop what they were doing, but it also gave everyone a chance to catch their breath after such an exhausting experience

The judge approached every team and smelled every potion until he reached the girls' stand and took their potion. His expression changed for the better when he smelled it, he raised the vial and proudly proclaimed

"Everyone, I think we have a winner!"

They gasped when they heard that, they couldn't believe that their team effort had taken them that far. Claps from the other competitors and the crowds of spectators came their way

"We...we won..."

Penny stood breathless, adjusting to the news when she was suddenly hugged by Bea, then Tonks and sure enough, Tulip

"All thanks to our brilliant leader!" Stated her sister

"Thank you so much for your help, Penny!" Added the metamorhmagus

"Bringing you here was the best decision by far!" Tulip admitted as well

They hugged her as if they were a Quidditch team embracing their most important player after winning the finals. To think that it wouldn't have been like that if she hadn't chosen to tag along in the cursed vaults

Penny knew she was lucky to have so many true friends, and she hugged them back like so

After having their photograph taken, the announcer approached them and gave them a certificate that would serve as a trophy for them, but also ensure that they would get their prize.

Shortly after, they celebrated their victory at the Three Broomsticks, the first round being courtesy of Madam Rosmerta

It had been so much fun, it was so easy to forget that the group had spent two and a half hours away from Hogwarts

Tonks suggested going back to Hogwarts to make sure nothing would happen to the certificate, but that Penny would keep it since she had led the team to a smashing victory

And so, they boarded the train back to their welcoming school, chatting as they traveled

When they entered the main hall, however, the atmosphere drastically changed

"This way, hurry!"

Badeea's shaky voice echoed through the hall, catching the girls by surprise

Then, the artist herself came rushing at them with a worried look to her, and behind her, was Y/N being practically dragged by her

They rushed past the group, without even stopping to talk, but straight out the doors and out of Hogwarts, leaving the four students beyond astonished

Penny wasn't surprised to see that, Y/N would get into an adventure without even looking for one

What surprised her was the fact that they were holding hands

It wasn't that big of a deal

Right?

It was just Y/N hanging out with Badeea and solving something

Like the past three months that they've spent together working on something that she couldn't see

Again

"That was... unexpected" Tonks was the first one to break the silence

"Should we follow them?" Bea asked, preparing herself for another adventure

Tulip shook her head in disagreement

"I didn't even see where they went"

But then, they noticed the silent blonde, who stared at the door longingly

"Penny, are you alright?"

"I...I don't know. I was expecting Y/N to at least say hi."

The pink-haired girl then wrapped her arm around her

"You know how it is with Y/N, sometimes they have to go and save everyone with just seconds of anticipation"

"You're right..." A sigh followed this reply

"Don't be sad, sis, I'm sure Y/N will have something for you!"

"And we'll stand by you until they come back"

Tulip stood proudly in front of her, making the others nod in agreement. Penny couldn't help but smile at this display

"Thank you, girls"

And so they sat at the staircase, already chatting to find a way to keep themselves entertained in the meantime

It wouldn't be long before Y/N returned, right?

...wrong

Four hours later

Tonks had fallen asleep, Tulip was casting sparks of the top of her wand to keep herself entertained and Hagrid had asked Bea for her help with some Puffskeins

"Yeah, until they come back..." Penny whispered

Her voice made Tulip sit up, finally listening to something after so much silence. Wonder where everyone was at this time

"You know Tulip, you can go now if you wish, I don't want to keep you waiting here all night with me."

"Are you sure? It's not a problem"

She got a nod from the saddened blonde

"Yes, don't worry about--"

That's when the doors were heard again and this time, it was loud enough to wake Tonks up and make the rest of them stand up and at this person

It was Y/N, with their clothes dirty and tattered, scratches all over them, and even some small cuts

Penny hated a few things. Being late to a class, werewolves, and above all, seeing Y/N like that

"Hello, girls" Y/N smiled with whatever energy they had left

"What happened to you?" Tulip asked directly

"I... It's a long story. Do you mind if I steal Penny?"

This caught the Hufflepuff by surprise. Now they wanted to see her?

Their friends gave her a thumbs up and sighing, Penny looked back at Y/N

"Yes?"

"I need to show you something"

Y/N took their hand and tried to move but was stopped by Penny herself

"No, you need to tell me what happened with Badeea and to you"

"I will, but in private. Please"

They locked eyes for a moment, her stern gaze couldn't hold against Y/N's subtly pleading eyes and that simile, that smile she couldn't deny

"...fine"

So she allowed herself to be taken away by Y/N. She was a bit mad because Badeea took them away, and by the hand nonetheless

It didn't help that they frequented each other quite a lot recently

But also because they were away for so long. Penny at least remembered she had something special today

But her thoughts were met with a heartwarming reveal. It was Y/N's bracelet, the one gift she had given him

As they were holding hands, she could get a clear view of it. Despite Y/N's roughed look, this accessory still looked as good

It was as if it had been enchanted with a protective spell every day

This didn't align with her theories, why would Y/N keep it and take care of it so dearly if they were with the other girl so much

The doors of the secret room took Penny out of her thoughts and by the time she knew it, she was in that special room that Y/N's brother used as a headquarter before disappearing

Y/N themselves would use it whenever they needed to review something in private

However, they had changed quite a few things. They organized the notes that were just scattered all over the floor and even managed to sneak in a bed for those times that they were too tired to reach the common room

Once they were in the area, Y/N let go of her hand to stand in front of Penny, scratching the back of their neck

"First, I'm incredibly sorry I arrived so late here"

"I'm sure there is quite a story behind that" The blonde answered with her arms crossed

"There is, but first, I want to show you this"

Y/N took a couple of steps back and turned towards something covered in a gray cloth

"I've done a few brilliant things in my time here, but this one is my favorite one by far"

They grabbed the cloth and removed it to reveal a portrait of Penny herself, enchanted so that her beautiful blonde hair would continuously flow as if blessed by a gentle breeze

Her blue eyes sparkled with hope and her tender smile was enough to turn any bad day into a good one

Penny's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth when she saw this painting in front of her. She tried to study every detail of this sparkling portrait but found herself too distracted by the fact that she was looking at a depiction of herself

"You...you made this?"

She asked almost breathless. Y/N was eager to hear her voice again

"Yes, and that's when the story chimes in."

Penny moved her gaze slightly so that she was now looking at the curse breaker, without losing her shocked expression

"You see, Badeea offered to tutor me in this painting when I told her that I wanted to give you something big, that's why we spent so much time together, we even invented a spell for this specific portrait"

Then, Y/N sighed, recalling the next part of the story

"But then Peeves stole it and we ended up going to the Forbidden Forest to get it. I had to duel an Acromantula to get it and--"

Y/N found themselves unable to finish their story due to Penny's soft lips crashing into them, she even brought their head closer with her hands

Of course, they returned the kiss as soon as they were able to process what was going on

"You went through all of that trouble, just for me"

Penny thought out loud, in awe of what she had just heard. This boosted Y/N's confidence, and they moved her hair to the side while looking at her in the eye

"I...I wanted you to see yourself the way I do"

This time it was Y/N who leaned in for a kiss, getting a taste of her warm lips that just craved theirs

"Although I'm sad that it took all day to show you. There was so much I wanted to do"

The curse breaker admitted with a hint of shame, making Penny giggle. It was astounding how they could be incredibly confident to steal a kiss and then be as cute as a child just seconds later

Then Penny looked at the bed beside them, an idea immediately came to mind

"Well, we can always cuddle"

And cuddle they did. It was a good thing that they didn't have classes the next day, so they could spend a bit more time in each other's warm company

Penny Haywood had it all, beauty, intelligence, unrivaled charm, and yet, she couldn't help but feel like she was the lucky one

And as she snuggled against her lover's chest, she allowed herself to rest, knowing that even if she might fear from time to time that someone could take Y/N away from her...

...They would always find a way back, always

#penny haywood x jacob's sibling #penny haywood #penny haywood x mc #hogwarts mystery

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