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startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs · 2 years ago

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Jake 'Hangman' Seresin Recommended Fic Masterlist

Key:

❤️‍🔥 - Smut

☁️ - Fluff

💢 - Angst

🍬 - Sweet

�� - Multi-Chapter

You're just trying to enjoy a quiet night at home when a less than sober pilot is dropped off at your doorstep. And he's spilling all his sober thoughts in drunk words.

Drunk Words are Sober Thoughts by @seresinsbabe ☁️🍬

Drunk Jake Coming Home to Reader by @of-many-fandomss ☁️🍬

From an Ask: jake seresin being drunk and coming home to the reader and it's basically just really cute and full of fluff!!

FWB Shower Sex with Jake and his roommate finding out by @call-sign-shark ❤️‍🔥

From an Ask: Heeey girl how are you?

Can I ask this prompt

“• B’s roommate entering their washroom (while B is in the shower) and yelling over the water “HEY B DO YOU KNOW WHERE MY SHAMPOO IS I CAN’T FIND IT ANYWHERE” “name..” “BECAUSE LIKE I THOUGHT IT WAS HERE BUT I CANT-“ “name im not exactly alone in here…” “huh wha-“ and A popping through the shower curtain with the biggest smile “hey name” “oh OH HI UH i’ll just.. knocks multiple things over leave you two.. alone” knocks more things over “also i think your shampoo is over there” “ um thanks A um i’ll just-awkward finger guns”

With hangman please? 🥹

Boyfriend Material by @beautifultypewriter ❤️‍🔥🍬

Reader has a fun game she plays when she ends up on a bad first date. Her friend with benefits, Hangman, is the key piece in the game, but he may take things too far one night.

Breathe by @andorskenobi ☁️💢🍬

After a particularly rough mission for Jake you realize that the feelings you have been harboring cannot wait any longer and that you may not have forever to tell him how you feel.

3. Smiling Into a Kiss by @spideystevie ☁️🍬

From an Ask: and if i say 3 w hangman 🤭🤭🤭 or 12 w rooster just bc i think thatd be the funniest god damn thing - vinny xx

Worth Fighting For by @imjess-themess ❤️‍🔥☁️🍬

You made a promise to your brother you wouldn’t fall for his best friend, Jake Seresin. Professional boxer and certified heart breaker. Unfortunately you can’t keep your promise, no matter how hard you try to hate him.

Take Care by @harringtonbf ☁️🍬

Hangman takes notice as you try to shake off the unwanted advances from some weirdo at The Hard Deck.

Afterburn by @top-hhun ☁️🍬📚

It had been clear from the moment you got inside a cockpit that you were going to be something special. You certainly weren’t the youngest Naval Aviator to be invited to TOPGUN, but you had been the youngest to graduate at number one in more than thirty years. Which is all the more reason why it was so tragic that you would never, ever, be able to fly again.

But you hadn’t been one of the best thanks only to pure talent, you had worked hard for your accolades, so instead of calling it quits, you decide to take all of your potential, and channel it toward a new path.

You return to TOPGUN, and choose to be one of the best civilian instructors the program will ever have.

Drink Up by @fandomxpreferences ❤️‍🔥☁️🍬📚

You’re a new bartender at the Hard Deck and you’re more than willing to fill a certain blonde pilot in on the newest drink on the menu.

53. Dumbification by @topguncortez ❤️‍🔥

From an Ask: maybe 53 with jake?😵‍💫

Watermelon Moonshine by @roosterscock ❤️‍🔥☁️🍬

A sweet NSFW 18+ drabble written by the author after listening to the song Watermelon Moonshine.

Fuck: The Universe by @roosterbruiser ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬📚

Fuck You Fuck Me Fuck Them Fuck It Fuck This Fuck Off Fuck, Rooster! Fuck: Kisses Edition The Fucking End

You're a Kazansky--Tom "Iceman" Kazinsky's youngest daughter--and you've taken after your father and become a Naval aviator. You finished at the top of your class at Top Gun and have worked diligently and fruitlessly to get to where you are now: North Island. You don the call-sign Wisteria not only because the beauty of the flower but because of its lethal qualities.

Jake "Hangman" Seresin is the bane of your existence and he returns those feelings towards you ten-fold. Jake thinks that you've gotten everything handed to you and has no trouble telling everyone that. When things finally boil over one day (in a shower cubicle on base of all places), you find unlikely companionship in Jake. Who knew lemon-lime Gatorade and Plan B would be the start to your love story?

Or enemies to fuck buddies to friends to lovers. Whichever you prefer!

5. Meet-Cute with Hangman by @harringtonbf ☁️🍬

From an Ask: 5 from meet cute with hangman ??

The Morning After by @auroracalisto ☁️🍬

A morning after for Jake Seresin and GN!Reader

Never Let Me Leave Again by @demxters ☁️💢🍬

From an ask: Can I ask for Jake Seresin x f!reader, a angst with a happy ending? Maybe they fight but make up? Love your writing!

Lock and Key by @auroradawnwrites ❤️‍🔥☁️🍬

From an Ask: Blurb request- Reader lives across from Hangman’s apartment. They’ve made eyes at each other a few She’s locked out. Reader can’t get help until morning. Jake gives her a place to stay. Maybe there’s one bed?

Google Said by @sehnsuchts-trunken ☁️🍬

Jake comes home to find you wrapped up in three blankets and decides to make you feel better.

The Traitor Series by @fandomxpreferences ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬📚

Traitor - Bradleys been acting off for a while and you finally pinpoint what the cause is. Unfortunately for him, you believe in an eye for an eye.

I Trusted You - You finally confront Bradley and Natasha.

Grenade - You and Jake decide to make a movie just for Bradley.

Hellfire and Holy Water - A certain someone shows up at your door and you're really over it.

Epilogue - Set five years after your life with Bradley fell apart.

More Hearts Than Mine Universe by @fandomxpreferences ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬📚

Jake was never the type to be taken home to mom. He never saw himself meeting the family, going to a small town where there’s a lifetime of memories and wanting to hear about every single one. He never saw himself sitting with a girls dad and noting all the ways that they were similar, hoping to live up his expectations he has set for his daughter. He never wanted that. Until he met you.

Jukebox War by @roosterforme ☁️🍬

Jake likes the jukebox at the Hard Deck, drinking beers, and cute girls who are a little bit mean to him.

It Only Feels This Raw Right Now by @teamhappyme ☁️💢🍬

Jake and Reader are at a crossroads that have the potential to change everything about their relationship that they've grown used to over the past years. With Reader transitioning from being a Naval Aviator to a more stable position after the mission in TG:M, only time and their love for each other will tell this tale.

Hangman x Roommate!Reader (A Will They/Won't They One-Shot) by @girl-in-the-chairs-void ❤️‍🔥☁️🍬

From an Ask: Hi girl!!! I dont know if ur taking requests but I’ve recently become obsessed with hangman x roommate!reader and I feel only you can do my imagination justice :))

so imagine this: gang gets together for their annual get away and they get frkn slammed out drunk together bc their get away is the only time they can let go and be themselves without all the tension from work .. jake and his roommate (also a naval aviator) seem to always forget they are just friends when drunk like full on grinding on each other while dancing, making suggestive comments to each other,.. but they’ve never actually kissed so the gang decides to interfere and with the result of a stupid dare they get locked into a closet together being forced to kiss but Jake refuses and reader is kinda hurt by it (imagine a kind of nick and jess new girl inspo for this part, he doesnt want their first kiss to be like that) and after that they decide to go skinny dipping all together (thanks Rooster for the idea) they end up being the only two left on the beach together having a heart to heart conversation and reader wants to know why Jake refused to kiss her… you can decide how you end it!!!

Better Man Universe by @sweetlittlegingy ❤️‍🔥☁️🍬📚

A series about how Jake falls in love with a single mom and becomes a dad and very loving husband. This one is seriously so sweet.

Pas de Deux by @yanna-banana ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬📚

Jake and Odette danced around each other from their days at the academy until they were assigned to opposite coast lines; Jake to the west and Odette to the east. Now years later, Odette joins the Daggers at Top Gun. Will they be able to come to terms with their feelings? Or will the past keep them apart?

Silver Springs by @roosterbruiser ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬📚

Before becoming a hotshot Naval aviator, Jake Seresin was born and bred in the small town of Silverkeep, TX. It’s only a short drive from Austin but feels like a different world entirely--all the houses are falling apart, people keep their rusty trucks unlocked on their front lawn, central air conditioning is rarer than a rainstorm, and everyone wears their best boots to church. His every waking minute is spent with his endearing group of friends--and most importantly: you. Riding your bikes to Silver Spring on Friday afternoons, drinking cheap beer around a bonfire after school, and making mixed tapes is what you all live for as your senior year drifts to a close.

He comes of age and falls in love with you, his best friend that he affectionately refers to as Filly. You’re the bull-headed, ardent, zealous girl he met in Sunday school before you were old enough to tie your own shoes. Somewhere between chain-smoking after baseball games underneath the bleachers and lying in the bed of someone’s daddy’s truck at the rundown drive-in, the two of you have been entirely dedicated to each other. You both think you’re in love. But your situation is a delicate balance of downright, darling devotion and paralyzing fear of rejection. This is to say: neither of you have the gall to do a damn thing about it. Your existence in the little world of Silverkeep is fragile--suddenly and easily disrupted when maturescence rears its ugly head. Sometimes very far apart and sometimes very close together, yours and Jake’s story spans across fifteen years. From Port Gin to Rior River, your paths are woven intricately by fated grocery store encounters and sprawling horse ranches.

They All Know, He's In Love With You. by @roleycoleyreccenter ☁️🍬

From the night you first set eyes on Jake “Hangman” Seresin, and went home with him from the bar, you knew that there wasn’t ever going to be anything serious between you two. You just wish you could figure out why he keeps acting the opposite, and everyone thinks you are together.

Drive me wild by @bussyslayer333 ❤️‍🔥☁️🍬📚

falling in love with your best friend’s older brother wasn’t ideal, but jake seresin just might be worth it.

Above The Fold by @ereardon ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬📚

As editor-in-chief of Farrington College’s newspaper, you have an ethical duty to journalism to unearth the truth. So when you catch wind that the college’s oldest fraternity is about to be banned for elicit behavior, you’re intent on getting to the bottom of the dissolution of the fraternity. But their suave president Jake Seresin will do anything he can to stop you from getting the full truth. Breaking the story about DPhi’s decades of misconduct could win you a national college journalism scholarship, and the prize is free tuition to your grad school of choice. That is, if you can get past the arrogant and headstrong Jake to uncover the truth behind DPhi’s allegations. Jake has made it his mission to stop you, and it’s clear he despises you for tampering with his fraternity’s politics. Or does he?

Pizza Box Puzzle Pieces by @ddejavvu ☁️🍬

Jake is a responsible drinker, he swears. But when you're stuck being responsible for the night, a very drunk Jake gives you all but one piece to a puzzle you don't complete until the morning after.

Seeing Red by @call-sign-jinx ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬📚

According to the Red Queen hypothesis, a species needs to evolve and adapt in order to survive because its competitors are doing the same.

Or how a young woman who wanted to be a lawyer ended up being a well-known naval aviator, hiding a big secret.

the longer that you stay, the ice is melting - @welcome-to-my-multiverse ❤️‍🔥☁️💢🍬

Some people called you heartless or cold, but you were just trying to protect yourself. And then Jake Seresin knocked down the walls you so carefully built.

Cross by @thewulf ☁️💢🍬

The four times you captured Jake Seresin’s attention and the one time he did something about it.

Angel in Disguise and Angel in Distress by @call-sign-shark ☁️ 💢🍬📚

Studying hard for the Uranium Mission, you fall asleep in the meeting room. Hangman takes care of you…

Hangman always takes care of you, but what happens when he discovers that you’re pregnant?

Where I'm From and Compromise by @sometimes-i-write-good ☁️ 💢🍬📚

Jake Seresin could handle lots of things. He was the only naval aviator of his time to have a confirmed kill - two, actually. He kept forgetting about that second one. It was newly under his belt, and, considering the circumstances surrounding it, he hadn’t felt too inclined to brag about it. Still, the point remained. Jake could carry the weight of taking a life, of saving a life, and of putting his life in harms way.

Jake never thought he would fall in love with the woman who cried on the first date he ever took her on, but here he was months later standing in her kitchen even more in love than ever.

Wake Up, Kid by @youvebeenlivingfictional ☁️ 💢 🍬

From an Ask: Oh my goodness Jake Seresin!!! How much is your going rate for bribery? (Seriously tho I obviously don’t want you to be under any pressure and like you’ve probably got other priorities but wow I’m in love - total sucker for the innocent character becoming more confident and experienced)

“What do you expect? That this is all going to be easy? That you’re gonna get up there and everything is gonna just click? It takes work. It takes perseverance, and practice. You’re wasting valuable time. Wake up, kid!”

Nothing to Lose by @topgun-imagines 💢

The real reason behind why Jake Seresin’s flying is so reckless.

Sleepy Baby by @discount-shades ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Jake must defend his call sign to a stranger, and he is on a timer.

Panic by @mamaskillerqueen ☁️ 💢 🍬

When out with your co-workers turned friends, an incident with a grabby man at the Hard Deck sends you spiraling into a panic attack. Thankfully a certain green-eyed aviator is more than happy to help you through your panic.

So, I'll Be There When You Arrive The Sight Of You Will Prove To Me I'm Still Alive by MarvelousAvengfulSlytherin (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

The Dagger Squad find out two things: 1) Maverick is married to someone in the Navy and 2) has a kid with said someone in the Navy. It's too bad none of them actually looked hard enough to see that it's two kids, their own friends to be exact, and that it would come back, biting them in the ass when they made that bet when they began their training.

Callie 'Halo' Kazansky-Mitchell doesn't care about bets, all she's worried about is her Pop's health. It becomes a hilarious distraction nonetheless as she watches her family find their way back to one another. It was true what Slider said, "She may have Maverick's height but she's all Iceman's kid to boot."

or the one where Callie is Ice and Mav's kid, Rooster's little sister in this Top Gun AU

7 Years by @flaming-tgmcu ☁️ 🍬

All the times Jake asked you to marry him and all the times you turned him down... until one day it was different.

Talk You Out Of It by @thedroneranger ❤️‍🔥

One of two entries for @roosterforme’s #love is in the air tgm love song playlist challenge! This fic is inspired by Florida Georgie Line's Talk You Out Of It. Happy Valentine's Day, ya filthy animals! 🖤

Burnin' Up by @cherrycola27 ☁️ 🍬

And that's it, folks! My final entry for @roosterforme 's love is in the challenge! I hope you enjoyed it. This fic was inspired by "Burnin' Up" by the Jonas Brothers. My teenage self is screaming!

Sunshine & Roses by @abliafina-18782 (AO3) ☁️ 🍬

“How often do you get to be creative Bradley?” Jake asked. “Look, I love your designs, I wouldn’t be here otherwise, but they’re not me.” Bradley crossed his arms, an intrigued look on his face. “You saying you’re giving me free hands?” “Sure am.” Jake made sure to sound confident, but on the inside, his heart beat as if he’d just finished a marathon, “I trust you.”

Or; Hangster flower shop & tattoo parlor

American Made by @hangmans-wingman ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

After the uranium mission, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin desperately needs to restore his Texas roots. With only two months of leave approved, his mother is already trying to find a suitable bride for Jake to settle him down. Despite just wanting to relax and restore his horsemanship skills, the first game for the Texas Longhorns throws a new obstacle in his path. An all-American sweetheart who captures his heart instantly. Will sixty days be enough to get this new love into the endzone?

Somewhere Out There Is Somebody by @a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all ☁️ 💢 🍬

On February 13, those over 16 receive an empty box in the mail every year. You place items in the box and they appear in your soulmate's box the following day. Until now, you haven't figured out who your soulmate is. But after an unexpected run-in with your least favorite aviator, you discover your other half may be closer than you think.

#star's fic recs #star screaming about top gun #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #hangman #top gun fanfic

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startrekfangirl2233 · 1 year ago

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🌹🌹🌹

Hi Vinny!

Have this snippet from You Are My Soulmate!

That night was the first in which you felt your heart beating in its rhythm again. It had been so easy, to press kisses against his knuckles and pray that he’d be okay, that he’d wake up again. You’d spoken to him until your voice was gone and snuck out at dawn with an exhausted body but a mostly settled mind. That one night felt far too short. Even knowing that Bradley is okay isn't enough. A part of you isn't sure that your mind will be at ease until you speak to him.

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startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs · 2 years ago

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Oh I love this so much!

Jake is a sweetheart, and I love anything where friends turn into lovers. Especially best friends. Kudos to you @kryptonitejelly for creating something gorgeous. I just finished the main fic chapters and I'm going to read the HCs and one-shots in the morning. You know, when I'm not deliriously dreaming about Jake's smug grin and damned toothpicks.

Flyboy | Mini-series | Masterlist

Flyboy | Mini-series | Masterlist Top Gun: Maverick - Jake Seresin x Reader Pairing: Jake Seresin x Reader Genre: romance; fluff; angst; best friends to lovers Warnings: general hangman being hangman; sexual tension; general cursing; will contain mentions of a break up / previous relationship; general use of pet names; fem!reader; pining; general naval / flying inaccuracies. Length: Mini-series (see chapter list below)

DISCLAIMER: all work posted here is purely fanfiction; it does not in any way purport to be an accurate representation of real life or the general workings of any institution.

Jake Seresin Masterlist

STATUS:

Series - complete

Flyboy universe burbs / one-shots / asks - ongoing (you can follow the tag “flyboy” / “flyboy universe” for related content; also because this masterlist is not always up to date)

Summary: Jake gets called back to TOPGUN the same time you’ve been granted a sabbatical from work. He invites you, his purely platonic best friend of years, to live with him for 6 months and you accept. Just two best friends kicking it back for 6 months in San Diego, Fightertown USA, right?

Series taglist: @blue-aconite @rosiahills22 @luckyladycreator2 @britty443 @yanak324 @rule107 @fuckyeahhangman @spidey-d00d @dempy @barista-library @alexwinchester23 @shakira-sasha @bxwitched @lumenseal @obiwankenobis-lap @prettybiching @littlebadariell @actuallybarb @beaner-life-23 @coco-loco-nut @criminalyetminimal @tragzerus @alana4610 @tkmarvel-divergentbish @kilojulietsierra @imagineyneyjr @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @ive-got-more-wit @fuzzy-panda @helloimhereforabit @meowimakellysaurusrex @t-rexs @iangiemae @shawnsthighs @cxit-writes @shanimallina87 @dempy @mell-bell @saynotononsense @justsplendidd @dont-talk-me-down @the-cranck-hobbit @blindedbyyourgrace17 @fandom-life-12 @bxwitched @indynerdgirl @hope-love-equality2 @fangirlofallthings22 @alistocats @callsign-marlie @bellamy1998 @slayry @bladed-planes @turningtoclown @double-j @shanimallina87 @chiffondaydreams @capswife @averyhotchner @unordinare @smokey102 @tallrock35 (continued taglist here)

CHAPTERS:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Epilogue

FLYBOY UNIVERSE:

BLURBS

From asks

You wearing Jake’s clothes

Jake bringing you breakfast in the morning / Jake dirty dancing with you in the kitchen - NSFW; minors DNI

You and Jake visit Grandma Doris and Grace Seresin at Grandma Doris’ home where they dote on you

Jake comes home to a dance party of you, his mom, grandma, sisters and nieces and nephews outside around the fire pit of their Texan mansion

Lazy morning snuggles (with little clothing on) + a Grace Seresin and Grandma Doris sanctioned attack of the nieces and nephews

Jake sulks because travel for work without him (and choose to fly instead of taking the train) and Jake picks you up (a 5 sentence baby blurb)

Baking shenanigans with Jake

Lying in bed on a rainy day with Jake

Beach day with Jake where you are wearing his shirt as a cover up; he wraps you in his arms and drags you into the water with your legs wrapped around him; and says I love you (all around happy, squealing, sunshine vibes)

Grandma Doris meeting the baby for the first time with Jake

Jake supporting your pregnancy bump and being very happy with the way his hand / wedding band fits perfectly over it

Jake introducing baby girl to the rest of the team

Honeymoon vibes

Jake with his niece and nephew

College flyboy - you going to look for Jake in the football gym to go grab pizza

(Not a blurb; but a photo) Pre-wedding at Grandma Doris’ ranch vibes

Jake coming home from a 6 month deployment

Posing as a couple for your roommates’ girlfriend’s final year project with Jake (college Flyboy)

Jake taking you to the Naval Ball, and having flashbacks of that time he took you to prom + the time Jake took you to prom (high school Flyboy)

Jake pulling down your garter on your wedding day + garter toss

Non-asks

Heat Waves - Where you aren’t teenagers anymore, but Jake still has to sneak into your room through the window at night.

A bigger shower? - Where Jake wants to know if a wall to the shower can be knocked out.

When the realisation that you just got married hits you and Jake

College flyboy - where Jake helps you finish your gym set

ONE-SHOTS

Coming soon

THOUGHTS / HCs ON FLYBOY

Jake not able to go an hour without being inside you after you both have sex for the first time = Jake constantly thinking of you; you giving him a blowjob outside The Hard Deck - NSFW, minors DNI

ANON’S THOUGHTS / HCs ON FLYBOY

So, not official Flyboy universe material from me, but from the most wonderful anons who send me these thoughts / hcs about Flyboy <3 Some material below with my additional input as well.

Jake x Reader headcannons through the years

College flyboy headcannons

Slow dancing with Jake through the years

Javy being the ultimate hype man and friend to you and Jake + the continuation - Javy being the middle man when you and Jake fight

Thoughts about intimate, slow and sensual sex with Jake on the couch (with a smidge of fluff + a breeding kink)

Last updated: 4 September 2022

#top gun maverick #jake seresin x y/n #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x you #jake hangman seresin #hangman x you #jake seresin fic #hangman fic #jake seresin fanfiction #flyboy universe #top gun fanfic #oh my god this man #i love it #definitely bookmarking this to read again #star's fic recs #star screaming about top gun

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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 2 years ago

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New Rules

Part 1 of You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes

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

Description: You feel adrift and lost when your relationship with Bradley Bradshaw crashes and burns around your ears. As quickly as your relationship ended, you're not expecting to find something new as fast as you have. And especially not with Jake Seresin.

Disclaimer: Female!Reader

Warnings: Cheating, Cursing, Sex, Sexual Themes

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

Word Count: 5191

A/N: Without further ado, here is the first installment of the You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes Universe. I hope you all like it! This is going to be a relatively short three-part story which I've been calling the Before, During and After verse.

AO3: Cross-posted here!

My Masterlist

Series Masterlist | Next Part

Rain collects in pools on the metal deck in front of you, droplets skittering into the night. It's quiet, only you, the clouds of your breath, and the drumming of fat droplets as they spatter on the metal deck. The deck roils under you, rising and falling without rhyme or reason in the undulating waves. It’s storming where you are in the Pacific Ocean, not that you can place precisely what longitude and latitude the colossal naval carrier you’re perched on is at.

But you’re miles away from everything that hurt you and even further from everything you love. You’re officially alone. You might as well be a paper boat in a tempest, at the mercy of the sea. But, as lonely as you are, those feelings are the last on your mind. Your mind is hundreds of miles away, wrapped in the sun, the sand, and a calmer, sunnier sea, trapped in a dream that turned into a nightmare. You get jolted back into yourself when an arm nudges you, and a body sinks down next to you on the cold decking.

"Heya, Bitsie." He's amused. He's always so amused, southern drawl stretching every word, including the pet name he persists on calling you by. "Whatcha doin' out here? I don't know if you noticed, but it's cold and rainin'."

"I noticed." Your voice is dull. Two weeks since you've been on dry land. You feel like a stranger trapped in a body you don't know, with a face you barely recognize in the mirror. The first morning on the carrier, you'd nearly screamed at the sight, seeing your eyes in a face you couldn't, wouldn't recognize. It shows in your actions, too, you know. It feels like your authentic self has retreated like someone is playing at controlling your body like a video game character.

"Oh! I know what it is. You miss your Chicken, dontcha? I bet you wish you were huddled up under his wing right now. Well, if that's all, you should head inside and call ole' Roostie. I'm sure he'd jump for joy at hearing your voice and seeing your face."

Hearing someone say your boyfriend's callsign, even a teasing nickname for it, shouldn't fill you with dread, seeping as cold as ice through your veins. If only he was still your boyfriend.

"He's not my anything, Bagman." Your voice is barely audible over the thunder of rain across the deck. You're not even sure he can hear you over the din.

"What happened?" His voice is more subdued than you've ever heard it.

A flash of lightning rips through the sky, glinting off two pairs of shiny boots as they're stretched side by side next to each other. But you're spiraling, pulled into the undertow of everything that happened. The joy and pain of your latest failed relationship crash over you in unyielding waves as if you're adrift in the middle of the storm.

The dead-eye laser Lieutenant Miguel 'Fanboy' Garcia had encountered had nearly jeopardized the entirety of the Uranium mission. The Uranium mission would have failed without a stroke of near-divine luck. Everyone, from Admirals to the Secretary of the Navy, had decided unilaterally that something like that could not happen again. So you and your team, composed of mechanical engineers and computer scientists alike, had been shipped to Naval Air Station North Island to work with the squadron who’d run the Uranium Mission and improve the lasers, their targeting systems, and their software.

That was when you’d met Bradley Bradshaw, callsign Rooster for the first time. It was like you were in a fairy tale. A perfect ray of light had shone over his head, illuminating strands of his hair golden. You felt a breeze brush over your hot cheeks and heard bird songs. The two of you had just clicked. It was easy, talking to him, hanging out, flirting. You nearly hadn't believed it when he’d asked you out for the first time. Bradley Bradshaw? Wanting to go out on a date with you? Obviously, you had said yes.

It had been a whirlwind romance. Bradley was precisely what you had thought you wanted in a man. He was sweet and charming. He never ignored what you were saying and was your partner in every sense of the word. The sex? That was dynamite, too. You’d be the first to openly admit you weren’t sexually experienced. But Bradley had never once made you feel less in your relationship. He’d swept you off your feet, starting with your first date and then every day since. You’d gushed to your family on the East Coast about how much you loved him and thought he was the one.

Sure, maybe two months into a new relationship, your only adult one was too soon to be making those overtures, but you fell and fell hard. It sometimes felt like you had been skydiving; he was the only parachute in sight. You'd consoled yourself that at least he'd fallen for you, too. And at least with Bradley, you'd never have to explain why you were leaving on a mission or a deployment. He'd understand it, just as you would when it was his turn.

While your relationship with Bradley changed and evolved and deepened, you'd also come to enjoy working with the other pilots and WSOs on the squadron. Bob, Fanboy, Halo, and Harvard were all brilliant and helpful in pinpointing exactly where the lasers seemed to fail. Their pilots were great, too. Other than Rooster, you weren't quite as close with the other single-seater F-18 pilots.

Hangman, in particular, had been intent on rubbing you the wrong way. His laugh, his demeanor, everything about him had set you off. From the very first day, he'd been calling you Itsie Bitsie or Bits or something like it. And he'd never told you why either, no matter how much you pestered him. You'd given up after a while. He didn't mean it maliciously, and it pissed him off more if you ignored him.

It helped, too, that Rooster had pulled you aside one afternoon when Hangman was being particularly dickish, kissed you until your knees were weak, and whispered in your ear, "Don't worry about him, lovely. He's just trying to get your attention or get you in trouble. I've got your back. Whatever you need to do to get him to stop, I'll help. But, if you're a good girl and can withstand him when we get home tonight, I'll let you sit on my face until you scream and then fuck you until you're all filled up with my cum." That was the end of that conversation, and as your panties flooded, you'd quickly forgotten about Hangman.

As your team and the Daggers blended and became cohesive, all those personality clashes also eased. Hangman was great to work with when he wasn't acting like a dick, and you always laughed when talking to him. And well, you're only human. You liked the look in Bradley's eyes when Hangman made you laugh. He made you feel wanted when he looked at you like that. You could've sworn that he knew you would only ever go home with him.

The sex was incredibly intense when you'd been polite with Hangman, just enough to send Bradley's jealousy skyrocketing. One incident involving a screwdriver and you in mechanics overalls resulted in fogged windows on a scenic overpass just off base. That afternoon had been especially memorable since base police had rapped on the back window of the Bronco and gotten an eyeful. You had escaped with just a warning, thankfully.

Things changed going into the sixth month of your relationship, your eighth overall in Miramar. Bradley would act the same at work but habitually ignored you when you were at the Hard Deck. He was usually clingy and sweet, always keeping an arm around your waist or kissing your skin. The sudden distance, physical and emotional, had been jarring. By then, your team and his squadron were close friends, decompressing at the bar over copious amounts of alcohol, laughter, and inside jokes. Then there were the nights you’d made plans, and he’d stood you up, calling hours later with plausible excuses. In hindsight, you never should’ve given him the benefit of the doubt.

In your defense, things had been crazy with the announcement from Admirals Simpson, Mitchell, and Bates of a six-month mission testing out the new software for one pilot, one weapons system officer, and two members of your team, one with mechanical engineering expertise and the other software. The competition had ticked up, and tensions were high, at least for the aviators. The Pentagon selected who would go on the mission from your team and gave the names to the admirals. The Admirals kept the names close to the vest until they selected their pilot candidates. You'd chalked Bradley's exhaustion, frustration, and general downturn in mood to the pressures of being selected as the pilot for the mission.

If only you'd known the actual reason.

The Admirals announced the team on Friday afternoon, dismissing everyone afterward. You'd been selected as the software engineer, and one of your closest friends, Mara, was the mechanical engineer selected. Your team had cheered you both excitedly before the admirals called everyone back to order and announced the pilot going on the mission. You'd smiled reassuringly at Bradley, keeping your fingers crossed against your side in a silent plea for him to be selected.

"The pilot on this mission is Hangman. The WSO, Fanboy."

The words had rung out with a sickening finality. Your head had swiveled so fast to look at Bradley that you'd nearly given yourself whiplash. But no matter how you'd craned your neck, you couldn't find him. You’d battled through the celebrations and raced out to the parking lot, only to see exhaust plumes pouring from the Bronco as he drove away. You texted him, offering to come by his house off-base for combination victory sex for you and conciliatory sex for him and to talk about how your relationship would last while you were in the middle of the ocean for half a year. But he left you on read, and you'd assumed he wanted to lick his wounds in solitude. So you'd left it alone that night.

You'd messaged him on Saturday, wanting to make the most of any time you had left before you were trapped on an aircraft carrier with only Hangman, Fanboy, and Mara for company. He hadn't responded to those messages either. That had been when you'd started worrying. You'd talked yourself off the ledge of calling the police half a dozen times, imagining scenarios where he'd gotten injured or was drunk and then been injured. Or… or… or. You were half afraid he would think you were overly clingy if you'd called him. You'd slept uneasily that night, worrying about your boyfriend's health. Incommunicado wasn't his thing.

When you woke up the following day, you decided to go to his house. You had second-guessed your decision until 11 o'clock, not wanting to wake him after he'd been so tense for so many weeks. Bradley never slept well when he was stressed about something.

Everything looked alright as you pulled into the driveway behind the blue Bronco that was his pride and joy. He'd given you a spare key a couple of months into your relationship with an open invitation to join him in the house he'd inherited after his mom had passed away. He’d told you with a sheepish, sad, soft smile that it was too big a house for one person. It was an offer you'd taken advantage of before in your relationship, albeit after calling first. As you unlocked the door and stepped in, you'd rationalized that Bradley would be safe and sound if nastily hungover in his bed at the very moment.

The foyer was the same as it always had been, except for the stupidly sparkly and tall high heels sprawled across the floor. Bradley had always been a friendly guy. One of his friends probably crashed at his place. You'd felt for the poor girl looking at the shoes she'd been wearing the night before.

But if he had company, the house would be full of the smells of breakfast and coffee, with his favorite eighties playlist blaring from the kitchen. The house was absolutely silent as you trod up the stairs. You didn’t want to disturb him. You resolved to leave a note if he were sleeping. That resolve had fallen flat when you'd heard the breathy moans that spilled through the open bedroom door.

Your heart had cracked a little, then the denial set in. Maybe he'd been watching porn? It had been a weak excuse, even in your own head. You had crept forward breathlessly, and that's when your heart shattered into a thousand tiny shards. Shards that had cut into the softness of you. Shards that were still lodged in your chest. He was home, but you doubted the girl bouncing on his cock was a friend. She was gorgeous, with her head thrown back and perky tits jolting with each movement. She was thin and blonde, waspish, her hair long and dangling down her back as he grasped at the silken strands.

"Yeah, baby, come on, just like that." His voice was a hissed whisper, sweat dripping down his face as he mouthed at her skin, at her flushed pink nipples.

"Oh! BRADLEY!" She'd simpered and screamed, "Bet I give it better to you than your girlfriend ever can. Come on, baby! Oh! Oh! Oh! You give it to me so good. You’re so big!"

"God, yes! She's such a goody two shoes, Britney!"

The sound of flesh smacking wetly echoed through the room.

“She’d never even been fucked. Did you know that?” His curls were sweat-matted and falling into his eyes. It had been her hand that brushed them away. She’d laughed then, as something sick had pooled in your stomach.

“I had to teach her everything. I can’t believe I took a bet so far!”

Bradley had growled about how much he hated you, that a couple hundred bucks weren't worth six months playing pretend, and you couldn't stand there to hear anymore. If you were a bolder woman, you'd have burst in there and broken up with him on the spot. But instead, you'd driven away as fast as you could.

You'd broken up with Bradley Bradshaw in the parking lot of an In-n-Out hours later over a text message, passed along your affections to Britney, and called her a whore and him an asshole. In a genuinely vindictive turn, you’d told Bradley that Carole would’ve hated the man he grew up to be and then blocked his number.

"Bitsie! Hey, Bits!" Bagman sounds worried. "Are you back with me?"

You loll your head exhaustively to look into Hangman's sage-green eyes. He looks just as worried as he sounds.

"You're crying."

You lift your hand, touch your cheeks, and stare without comprehending at your tear-stained fingertips.

"What happened, Bitsie? You're usually as sunny as can be!"

"Sometimes," You choke out, "the sun gets hidden by a storm, and paper boats get ripped to shreds by the pounding waves."

He tugs you against his chest until your head is pressed over his heart. His hands rub your back, and that's when you let your pain and frustration out. You know it's probably not right, crying in his arms, but you can't help it. He's one of the only friends, or as close as you have to friends, on this miniature floating Naval city, and he somehow feels like home. What feels like hours later, you finally sit back, letting your hand thwap solidly against the metal you’d been resting against. But you don’t hear the sound or feel the harsh sting. A hand gently cradles your head instead.

“I’m okay, Seresin.” Your voice is all stuffy, your head fogged with the pressure in your sinuses after a good cry. It doesn’t feel right to call him by his callsign or the bastardization of it, not when you’ve just sobbed unflinchingly in his arms.

“If this is okay, darlin’, I don’t want to know what fantastic looks like.” He’s speaking so gently with you right now, proffering one of those typical mom pocket packs of tissues at you. Your smile is tremulous when you accept the tissue, turning your head away from him to honk into the feeble gauzy square like an elephant with rhinitis. You’re sure you look a sight when you turn back, eyes swollen and puffy, with the tip of your nose irritated like always when you’ve been crying and had to blow your nose. He’s still looking at you exactly how he was earlier, though, like a baby bird with a broken wing. Like you're some tiny precious thing that's injured and needs protection.

“You’ve cried now and done your best impression of a circus elephant.” You can’t help your watery giggle when he tweaks the tip of your nose.

“Do you want to tell me what’s happening with you and Bradshaw now?”

“I don’t know if I can.” Your voice is whisper-thin, and your vocal cords feel like you've gargled glass. "It hurts too much."

"I know, darlin'. I can see it in your face. Wouldn't it be nice to tell someone if it hurts badly? To share that burden?" He's trying to wheedle the information out of you. And you can feel your resolve wavering. But, in the months after the Uranium Mission, Jake and Bradley had become something akin to friends. They had set aside all of the rivalries they'd had before, and while they ragged on each other, it was friendly. Could you destroy that relationship so quickly?

"Jake. You and Bradley just got to a good place. I don't want to change your relationship with him."

"Darlin’, tell me. Remember, we're on a carrier far away from him for the next six months, give or take a couple of weeks." He's smiling softly at you. "I promise I won't punch him in the face when I see him next for whatever he did."

"How can you assume it was something he did?" You ask, tired of seeing all of your faults in technicolor. You don’t argue with him, though, childishly curling your fingers into your palm, leaving only your pinky out. "Pinky-swear on it."

He blinks his eyes at you a few times before twining your pinky with his own. After pumping it twice, like kids on a playground, he just holds your hand captive.

"There's your pinky promise, darlin’. You asked me why I could assume it was something he did?" He inhales deeply, chewing on his words before he continues. "I know because I've seen how you are when you're in love with someone. They're your whole focus when you're with them. While you were on Chicken's arm, he was all you focused on. I won’t say he consumed you because you paid attention to all of us. But there was something special about how you acted with him. When we were at the Hard Deck for drinks after work, it was like he was your True North. You always knew exactly where he was. You gave all of yourself to that relationship. He's the guy who leered happily at any piece of ass that walked by."

What does it say about you that someone with a reputation for being self-absorbed saw what you couldn't? You chuckle dryly before letting the whole tale spill, every salacious detail, including what Britney and Bradley had been saying about you in the bedroom. Your words finally run out as you stare at the clouds, tracing the lightning bolts as they zip through the ether. When you turn to look at him sometime after the last words have left your lips, he's glaring at the roiling sea off the deck. His jaw is clenched as the lightning makes his eyes shine golden.

"He dated you because of a bet? And then he cheated?" He sounds angry, angry, and shocked. "He's supposed to be the most decent guy in the squadron. I promise you, I didn't know about the bet. If he made it, it wasn't with me."

"Did he ever bring her around to you guys?" Did you know? You're not sure if you want to know. But you have to. How many of your friends, your colleagues, had seen Bradley Bradshaw make a mockery of you? Condoned his cheating and lying? Had they covered for him? Had Jake? Who made money on you and him?

"Darlin, I would've told you the minute I had known if he had brought her around. We all would have." His eyes seem so sincere and soft as he looks at you. You can see pity on his face. You know it is. But it feels so good. To have a shoulder to cry on, to have someone tell you you're valid for feeling the way you do.

"Her name seems familiar, though. I think she's one of the badge bunnies that always goes crazy when he plays the piano."

You have to laugh at that. The resulting sound is something insane choked out between sobs. Six months of a relationship and your complete devotion, love, care, and affection, not to mention your virginity, and he picked a badge bunny over you?

"I'm sorry, darlin'. He's a fool. C'mon." He's standing before you now, blocking the brunt of the pouring rain from drenching you. "It's wet," he wheedles, wiggling his fingers until you place your hand in his, "let's get you inside. A hot shower, something to eat and drink, and a good night's sleep. That's what you need right now. I'll help you think of what to do about Bradshaw tomorrow, ok?"

You let him drag you up and usher you through the deserted carrier hallways, stopping to shield you from prying eyes with his broad back at every intersection. You can only assume what the rumor mill onboard will say if anyone sees the two of you like this. His uniform is colored caramel, rain soaking every inch, and his boots squelch unpleasantly as he walks you to your quarters. He waits, eagle-eyed, at the door to your quarters until you let yourself in.

"Go shower, sweetheart. I'll do the same and bring you some food from the commissary."

"I thought it would have closed by now?" You ask, your voice pitched low since you know from experience that everything echoes in the belly of the ship.

"The Officer's Lounge never is. I have granola bars in my quarters. I'll bring you a few and a cup of coffee. Cream, no sugar, yeah?"

He smiles at you before turning on his heel and striding away. You go about your shower by rote but spend much longer than usual under the hot water. It's all quiet when you step out and dress in the warmest sweats and sweatshirt you've packed in your luggage.

When you open it, you're not expecting anything in front of your door, but there they are. A single hot paper cup of coffee, prepared just as you like it, and two granola bars, the good kind, with chocolate! You eat and drink quickly, feeling hungry and thirsty after your cathartic release. Sleep tugs at you, and the last thing on your mind is that while Jake Seresin may not look like it, he is a sweetheart on the inside.

You wake up the following morning feeling like the night before is a glorified dream. Did you really cry all over Jake Seresin the night before? On deck in the middle of a typhoon, no less? You feel good, really good. Bradley’s betrayal still hurts, but not as much as the night before. You’ve learned so much about yourself; as much as you miss him, you can admit that he is not forever material.

You’re finally starting to see the sun through the clouds mentally, and from what you can see out the portholes, it’s a beautiful day outside. You dress quickly in your uniform and meet Mara for breakfast in the commissary. Your morning is spent far away from the pilots, making final adjustments to the laser targeting system. It's lunchtime before you see Jake again. He's got a ridiculously cocky smile on his face and a pep in his step.

"Hey, ladies." He's oozing charm as he sits beside you, setting his tray next to yours. This afternoon's flight tests are going to be interesting. He looks like he’s in the mood to fly more recklessly than usual.

"How has your morning been?"

“Great! Mara and I finally have the laser targeting system ready for the first flight tests this afternoon.”

You can see the excitement in his eyes at the thought of flying and flying fast too. Mickey, who'd been following along behind his pilot for the mission, takes the seat next to Mara, and for a few minutes, it is just light-hearted chatter amongst the four of you as you talk about the test flight route and air conditions for the first test of the new systems. It's Jake, of course, who shatters the veneer of professionalism by slipping you a piece of paper. Scrawled on it in surprisingly neat cursive are four numbered points.

Don't pick up the phone. You know he's only calling when he's drunk and alone.

Don't let him in. You'll have to kick him out again.

Don't be his friend. You're only going to wake up in his bed in the morning.

If you're under him, you ain't getting over him.

You can't believe your own eyes. Do you laugh? Or do you cry? Jake Seresin just handed you a piece of paper quoting Dua Lipa's New Rules. Laughter ultimately wins out.

"Oh, my god." You've got your hand over your mouth, choking back laughter. Mickey grabs the paper from you, and it's only a few minutes before all three of you are laughing as Jake's cheeks redden with a blush. You take the note back and get yourself under control, using a napkin to blot the tears from under your eyes.

"What's this, Seresin?" You smile at him gently, knowing he meant well, and wasn't trying to make fun of you. He sheepishly runs his fingers through his hair.

"I called my sister and asked what she would do if she was in your shoes. She cursed me out for waking her up at 4 in the morning, laughed her ass off until her husband kicked her out of their bed, and then gave me that list. She said you'd probably know the song, but it was good advice."

You goggle at him, surprised at the vehement emotion in his voice. You don't notice you've been staring into his eyes until Mickey clears his throat from across the table. Mara and Mickey are smirking at you, and you can feel the heat rising to your cheeks at the knowing looks they’re giving you.

"Why're you giving her the rules from New Rules, Hangman?" You can hear the confusion in Mickey’s voice.

Jake glances at you, looking for your permission. Instead of letting him tell them what happened, you speak.

"Payback will probably email you about it sooner than later, so here it is. I broke up with Bradley the day we shipped out." You take a deep breath before you spill the rest of the story, albeit without the graphic details you'd told Jake in the middle of the night. Mickey looks disgusted, as does Mara.

Mickey broaches the topic first. "You haven't been yourself since we came on board. Hangman noticed and pulled the whole story out of you, didn't he?" You nod carefully, taken aback at the anger growing on both their faces.

"I didn't know." Mickey's vehement in his denial.

"I know, Micks. Jake told me that any of the Daggers would've told me if Britney had been sniffing around and they knew he was cheating."

"Yeah, we would have." He inhales forcefully. "Wait. Britney?!"

You nod, sure you'll never forget the sound of that girl's name pouring out of your boyfriend's mouth as he pleasured her like he was only supposed to pleasure you.

"Shit. I did meet her. He told me she was his cousin from San Francisco. She was supposedly in San Diego for a couple of weeks on vacation. Phoenix backed him up about the lie. She told me she'd met Britney when she and Rooster were in Pensacola for flight training together."

You're aching to sock Bradley in the jaw now. Jake is, too. You can see it in how he’s clenching his hands tight, knuckles growing pale with force. You’ve come to terms with Bradley's betrayal, at least a little. Natasha's betrayal, though? That cuts deep. She was your friend, you'd thought.

As expected of the military, there aren't many women on Naval Air Bases. You, Callie, Callie's wife Meg, Mara, and Natasha had connected fast, taking turns hosting girl's nights and spa weekends. You'd thought the five of you had each other's backs in the man's world you all worked in. Natasha obviously thought differently.

"Let us help you plan your revenge, yeah? We have six months on a ship to brainstorm ways to make him pay. And that list, it just might be the perfect starting point." Mara's got a devious look in her eyes that promises pain for Bradley Bradshaw.

"I'll brief Callie and Meg on the situation, too, with your permission. Meg will think of the perfect way for Trace to get her just desserts, too." At your nod and a weak smile, the four of you go on your way. The flight tests will involve all of your concentration, so you put the issue of Bradley Bradshaw in the back of your mind.

When the boys are up in the plane, and the two of you are analyzing all of the data from the instruments connected to the targeting system a couple of hours later, Mara asks you a question in sotto voce.

"Hey. I know it's probably too soon for this, but Seresin's always looked at you differently from other girls flocking to those flyboys when they're in uniform. When the time comes, and you're ready to move on, promise me you'll give him a chance? I don't think the Southern Gentleman thing is an act. He also pulled you out of your funk sooner than anyone else could have."

She's right. Jake had made you feel miles better; he'd let you cry and helped you smile afterward. He'd be so easy to love if your heart weren’t as tender as it is now. You vow then and there to keep yourself from falling for Jake fast and hard. That way means disaster, you know as much after recent experiences. You'd take this burgeoning something brewing between you slowly, if only for the sake of your heart.

Taglist

@greenbaby12 ✈️ @emorychase ✈️ @girl-in-the-chairs-void ✈️

My Taglist for this fic is Open!

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startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs · 2 years ago

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Javy 'Coyote' Machado Recommended Fic Masterlist

Key:

❤️‍🔥 - Smut

☁️ - Fluff

💢 - Angst

🍬 - Sweet

📚 - Multi-Chapter

I Don't Love You Like I Used To by @beyondthesefourwalls ☁️ 💢 🍬

After so many years with you, Javy Machado doesn't love you like he used to. He loves you so much more. For roosterforme's #love is in the air tgm Writing Challenge!

Your Love is the Love I Need by @theharddeck ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4

Cross and Javy are very good friends. Javy might’ve let it slip to his mother that they’re more. A little fake dating never hurt anyone, right?

if it's worth your time by @coyotesamachado ☁️ 🍬 📚

It has been a little over two years since the Uranium Plant Mission, when Omaha needs to recuse himself from the specialized squadron created after it's success. You're called back to replace him, packing up your two year old daughter, and heading back to Top Gun. You know you're heading back to work with old friends, ones you haven't seen in years. What you don't expect is there's someone else waiting there for you, too.

Pie by @siempre-bucky ☁️ 🍬

Javy proposes in the sweetest way possible.

Sky Full of Stars by @aestheticpearl

From an Ask: Hi! All of your fics are so amazing :D can you please do anything for javy? I don’t care if it’s smut or fluff. Thanks <3

Chew on my Heart by @bradleyfuckingbradshaw ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 🍬

Both you and Javy are chosen for the mission but when a trial run almost goes wrong, Javy can't stop worrying about you. (this is basically just smut)

Close by @buckyr00s ☁️ 🍬 💢(slight angst)

A training accident leads you to reunite with Javy "Coyote" Machado.

How sweet it is by @coyotesamachado ☁️ 🍬 ❤️‍🔥(slight, alluded to)

You walk into the house, the sweet scent of something wafting over you. It makes you smile because you know your partner’s home, and you know he’s in a good mood. There are ingredients everywhere, all over the counters when you walk into the kitchen, a smile on your face. You lean against the counter, taking in the sight of him as he sings while putting what you’re assuming is flour into a bowl. You drink him in after a long day at work, bone tired, but willing to put all that side to spend time with him.

Bring Me Love by @auroradawnwrites ☁️ 🍬 💢(slight angst, missing Javy)

Javy was supposed to be home two months ago from his deployment, but unfortunately it was pushed back and now he wouldn’t be home until after new year’s. And that meant missing your daughter’s birthday and her first one at that.

canceled flights and beignets by @siempre-bucky ☁️ 🍬

His flight to spend Christmas in New Orleans gets canceled and you pick up the pieces with his favorite pastry.

#star's fic recs #star screaming into the void #star screaming about top gun #javy coyote machado #coyote #javy machado

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startrekfangirl2233 · 2 years ago

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I love how as a fandom we've looked at this man

and decided that he is simultaneously either daddy or princess/baby boy, likes mean women and is either the softest man on the planet or the meanest.

I'm not saying I hate it. I just love this man too much to put to words.

#top gun maverick #star screaming about top gun #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #hangman

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startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs · 2 years ago

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Emily! I'm in complete shock. How dare you do this to me? Just when I had resigned myself to knowing that your Roosters were all literally the sexiest men in the world, you do this and hit me with Jake, too? I'm sincerely unwell.

Seriously, though. I love this little one-shot so much! The banter over Whiskey Sours? Top notch! And I love how Rooster was the best wingman, too.

I'm giggling kicking and screaming, I loved this so much.

- XOXO Star

Better Than Revenge | Hangman x Reader

Summary: You thought you had the interest of one of the aviators who frequented your bar. He always had a soft smile when only looking at you. But when there's another girl hanging on his every word and his arm, Rooster helps you get Jake to come to his senses.

Warnings: Fluff

Length: 2300

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female Reader

Seriously, who let Jake on my masterlist!? This is for @cherrycola27 Top Gun Taylor challenge!

There he was. He came to the Hard Deck every Friday night like clockwork. Surrounded by his friends, he made his way through the crowd that had accumulated to shake off the work week and start the weekend. And as always, when his eyes met yours, his lips curved into that signature smile that was never quite as pronounced when he was looking at anyone else.

Your reaction to Hangman was embarrassing. It felt like you were back in your high school cafeteria, trying to discreetly check out one of the football players while sitting at the band geek table. But then there were little interactions here and there that made your heart swell with hope and desire. Almost like something could happen if you let it.

"Hey, darlin'. It's nice to see you," Jake drawled as he approached. He leaned with his forearms on the top of the bar, grinning just for you. That's when you realized you had been wiping up the same few drops of spilled Miller Lite for at least two minutes. You tossed the rag to the side and tried to keep your hands from shaking.

"Hangman. You want your usual?" you asked with a smile of your own, planting your hands on your hips and trying to keep your cool.

The tip of his tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth as his gaze dipped down to read The Hard Deck across the front of your tank top. It felt like you and he were the only people inside the bar. The way he was always singularly focused on you when he ordered his drinks, lingering a few minutes to chat, had you flushed every time.

"Yeah. My usual." He was smirking at you, eyes so playful, like he knew you were barely functioning at the moment. He favored whiskey sours with Kentucky bourbon and egg whites, and it was actually your favorite cocktail to make. He watched you intently as you got to work, measuring and pouring, constantly in motion, working up a sweat. On the other hand, he was the picture of cool perfection, the king of nonchalance. That's why his warm gaze on your hands while you worked got you so flustered.

"You make 'em that good for everyone else, or just me?" he drawled when you were pouring it into a glass for him.

His gaze was teasing yet sincere. And you had to bite your lip to keep from laughing. "You flirt like this with everyone else, or just me?"

He didn't seem to have a response to that as he looked at you with parted lips and a raised eyebrow. But when you slid the drink across the bar, your fingers met his, and it felt intentional. "Thanks, darlin'." He locked eyes with you, his drink paused halfway to his lips. "It looks good." But he wasn't looking at his cocktail; he was looking at you, his eyes lingering on your lips as you grinned at him.

As soon as he took one sip, you saw a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. At first he looked stunned, but then he seemed to relax when he realized who was touching him.

"Minx, hi," he said, careful not to spill the cocktail as he briefly met your eyes before turning to face a woman so young and pretty, you were immediately filled with dejection.

"Hangman," she crooned in a voice that sounded like it belonged in a bedroom. "I missed you."

He just chuckled. "Just saw you all day at work, Minx."

"Nothing wrong with seeing me outside of work," she told him with a wink.

"You can't get enough of me." Jake's voice and attention seemed to have the same effect on her as they did on you, and your heart felt heavy in your chest as she rested her hand on his abs.

You took a step away from them, eager to find someone else to wait on. "Enjoy your drink," you told Jake with a smile that didn't reach your eyes. He watched you like he wanted to say something, but he did not.

You turned away from him to take another drink order, but soon you saw him playing darts with Minx, and she was laughing hysterically at everything he was saying. You couldn't look away. It was like a five alarm fire, something that held your attention even though it was making you uncomfortable and anxious. She was touching him again now, and you knew you didn't even have the right to feel jealous.

"Can I get another?" You turned to your right to see Rooster setting down his empty beer bottle with a smile.

"Sure," you replied, focusing on him instead. "How's the pool table treating you tonight?"

"Not bad," he replied, and you knew he could tell where you kept glancing. "Seems like you're more interested in darts? Or someone who is playing darts?"

You shrugged and uncapped his beer. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Mmm," Rooster hummed before taking a sip. "What time do you get off tonight?"

You were a little startled by his question. "In about an hour."

He nodded politely at you. "That's good. I'll still be hanging by the pool table then, just in case you feel like joining me?"

"Oh," you gasped softly. "Well...."

Rooster chuckled. "Nothing makes that man more jealous than when I have something he wants. Just keep that in mind." He rapped on the bartop with his knuckles before smiling at you and strolling back to the pool table like he hadn't a care in the world.

You didn't think it was a good idea to try to make Jake jealous. If he really wanted you, he would have made a move by now, but instead he had Minx hanging off of his arm while he still managed to successfully hit the bullseye nearly every time he threw a dart.

When Jake glanced your way and found that you were already looking at him, you wanted to disappear into thin air. But instead, you quirked one eyebrow and slowly turned away from him. When your shift ended, you'd just thank Rooster for thinking about your feelings, and then head home for the night.

Or at least that was your plan, until you saw Jake try to disentangle himself from Minx, only for her to press her lips to his cheek. You felt the overwhelming need for him to pick you. And as he finally escaped from her and headed back up to the bar, you squared your shoulders.

Jake looked a little flustered this time when he asked you for another whiskey sour. "Sure. And anything for your companion?" you asked as you reached for the bottle of bourbon without missing a beat.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Nah. I only buy drinks for the girls I really like."

You paused with the bourbon in your hand. "And you're not buying her one?"

"Nope," he said casually, leaning a little closer to you while you got the egg whites ready. "Hey, so...what did Rooster want? I saw you and he were chatting a bit."

Your heart skipped along a little faster, your blood running a little hotter as you glanced up at Jake. There were some cracks in the facade now; he only looked like the picture of indifference, because now he seemed a little apprehensive.

"He invited me to hang out with him after my shift ends," you replied with a shrug.

Jake's lips parted, but no sound came out. When you slid his drink to him, he finally asked, "So are you going to? Hang out with Rooster?"

This time you leaned on the bar and eyed him up and down. "Probably. He's cute, and he told me he'd help me get better at pool."

Jake scoffed. "He's not that good at pool," he muttered, and you were immediately rolling your eyes and backing away as Minx kissed him on the cheek again right in front of you.

"Enjoy your drink," you told him as he was dragged away. And you finished your shift with a bit of a bounce in your step, because Jake ignored Minx and kept turning to see where you were.

When you clocked out, you decided to touch up your makeup and fix your hair before breezing right past Jake and heading for the pool table where Rooster was talking to his friends. "You mind if I take you up on that offer?"

Rooster turned around to face you with a grin. "Not one bit," he said, handing you a pool cue and nodding toward the table. "You wanna break, or you want me to?"

You bit your lip, wondering if Jake was watching. "You can. I am actually pretty bad at pool," you said with a laugh.

"No problem. We can teach you a lesson the same time we teach Hangman a lesson," Rooster said, and you watched him send the colorful balls gliding around the table. "I'm solid, you're stripes," he informed you, and when it was your turn to take a shot, Rooster came to stand next to you. "You want me to help you?"

"Yeah," you told him, too afraid to see what Jake and Minx were up to.

"I'm going to touch you. Okay?"

"Okay," you told Rooster, and he was immediately guiding you a few feet to your right with his hands on your hips. "Hey, why are you being nice to me?"

Rooster laughed and bent you at the waist a bit, getting your pool cue into position. "It's fun getting under his skin. And nobody likes Minx." He leaned in a little closer and added, "Also, I expect priority service at the bar from here on out."

"I knew there would be a catch," you mumbled, taking your shot and sinking one of your balls into the corner pocket.

"There's always a catch," Rooster told you, giving you a fist bump and helping you get lined up for your next shot on the other side of the table.

And that's when you spotted Jake, holding darts in his open palm and staring at you with Rooster. He looked concerned and maybe a little hurt, but you forced your focus back to the table and let Bradley place his hands on your arms while he stood behind you.

"He likes you," Rooster muttered with a laugh. "Look at him turning red now. Shit, this is fun."

You couldn't help but laugh, too. "If he really likes me, he better come over here soon."

"He will," Rooster promised, bending you into position again. "Ready for the grand finale?"

"Mmhmm," you hummed, and immediately you felt the prickle of his mustache against your neck. You were about to tell him how much it tickled as he guided your arms through your shot, sinking another ball into the side pocket.

But the plan worked. Before you could say anything to Rooster at all, Jake was storming around the table and slamming the darts down next to the 8 ball.

"What the hell, man?" he asked Rooster, brow creased and cheeks flushed.

"What?" Bradley asked, donning a tone of complete innocence. "We're just playing some pool. RIght?" he asked, turning to you with a smirk.

"That's right," you agreed. "Rooster was helping me with my form. Thanks, Roos."

Jake's eyes narrowed to slits as he positioned himself between the two of you with his hand on your arm. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone, please?"

You just shrugged. "Whatever you have to say, you can go ahead and say it here." But now Minx was calling for Jake, and you felt your shoulders slump as you rolled your eyes.

When you started to turn away from Jake, he stroked your arm with his thumb. "Wait, darlin'. Please." He took his hand in yours and led you away from the pool table and to a quieter corner. "What are you doing with Rooster?" he asked softly, green eyes focused on yours.

"What are you doing with Minx?" you managed to ask as he leaned in a little closer to you, linking his fingers with yours.

He laughed softly. "Apparently I'm learning a lesson in just how much I want you."

"Oh," you gasped, bringing your free hand up to his chest. "How much?"

He dragged his thumb gently along your bottom lip, a crooked grin settling on his handsome face. "A whole lot."

And then your eyes fluttered closed and you were kissing him, your fingers sliding up his neck and into his silky hair. You didn't know where Rooster or Minx or anyone else had disappeared to, and you didn't care. Jake was nibbling on your lips before gently slipping his tongue into your mouth. He tasted like bourbon, and you pulled him closer with a sigh.

Then he was smiling against your lips, and Jake trailed kisses along your jaw until he was whispering next to your ear. "Will you let me buy you a drink?"

You laughed, rubbing your thumb in small circles on the back of his neck. "You only buy drinks for the girls you really like."

"Mmhmm. Which is why I'm buying all your drinks from now on, darlin'."

You smirked at him, and led him away from the pool table, giving Rooster a fist bump when you passed him. You barely noticed Minx pouting by the dart board as you turned to Jake and asked, "How about we take a raincheck on you buying me a drink?"

His face fell a little bit, but he nodded and tried to pull his hand out of yours. "Oh, okay."

"I'll take you back to my place instead," you told Jake, pulling on his hand until he was right next to you. You kissed him again, your lips lingering on his. "And I'll make you the whisky sour of your dreams."

He was smiling again and wrapping his arm around your waist. "Lead the way, darlin'."

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

Thanks for indulging my quarterly need to write about Hangman. Thanks to @wkndwlff for everything with this fic!

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#star's fic recs #star screaming about top gun #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x readef #hangman x reader #jake hangman x reader #jake x reader #hangman x you #hangman top gun #hangman #top gun maverick #top gun imagine #jake hangman seresin #top gun taylors version

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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 2 years ago

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

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

Status: COMPLETED

Last Updated: February 13th, 2024

Disclaimers: Female!Reader

This content presented in this story is for audiences age 18 and over only. MINORS DNI. I will not be accepting taglist requests from Blank or Ageless Blogs for this story.

A/N: I had this dream in the middle of the night involving cheating and having Jake as your shoulder to cry on.

Themes: Cheating, Angst, Anger, Fighting, Smut, Revenge, Betrayal

Summary: Falling in love is the easiest thing in the world, especially when the man you fall in love with is Bradley Bradshaw. He’s sweet, kind, a gentleman, and the only man you thought you’d ever have to love. So imagine your surprise when you walk into his house a few days before you leave on a mission to see another girl in his bed, falling apart for him. You’re shattered and feel like you’re losing yourself. A six-month mission in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, far away from him and everything he stands for, seems like the perfect solution. Except you’re not alone. You’re stuck on a boat with Hangman, of all people. You’re unprepared for how sweet Jake Seresin can be, especially when your heart is already bruised and battered. He’s way too attractive for words, especially when he offers to help you get revenge on Bradley and his new bimbo. Can you stand the close proximity to Jake Seresin for six months? Can you guard your heart against more pain? You’re unsure, but you’ll try your best to make it happen. Your heart can’t take any more abuse from six-foot-tall aviators.

You Play Stupid Games, You Win Stupid Prizes on AO3

Main Series

New Rules

Love Has No Limits

Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold (Ice Cold)

Better Than Revenge

I Vow

The Epilogue

Connected One Shots

He Fell First (She Fell Harder)

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startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs · 2 years ago

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IceMav Recommended Fic Masterlist

Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky x Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

Key:

❤️‍🔥 - Smut

☁️ - Fluff

💢 - Angst

🍬 - Sweet

📚 - Multi-Chapter

Storm (4 Part Series) by thecarlysutra(AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Eight years after Maverick and Iceman meet at TOPGUN, Maverick is running the program and Iceman is badly injured in combat, which finds him sent back to Miramar to teach until he's fit to fly again.

When and Where by @twowritehands ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

A world where people are given, through reoccurring dreams, 1 to 5 details of their soulbond. The face, the place, the day, the time, or the name. Average is 2 clues. Unlucky bastards get only 1. Lucky people get 3 or 4. No one gets all 5.

Maverick is one lucky unlucky bastard. Even though it is his only clue, he knows exactly where he will bond with his soulmate: Charlie's house. But, as it turned out, Charlie wasn't the One at all.

Now, heartbroken, Maverick wishes he didn't know that That House is The Place.

Because Iceman just moved into it.

Raspberry Beret (AO3) by @abliafina-18782 (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬

Symbols were stupid. Everyone had a symbol that was supposed to help them find their one and only, their true match. You would think that a symbol would be something meaningful, like a sun or a mountain top, except life was never that easy.

Or: Soulmate AU, where you have matching symbols with your soulmate

Let me Teach you a Lesson or Two (AO3) by @babygirllinds (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Tom Kazansky is a senior in college, making extra money through tutoring so he can shove his dad’s money in his face when he graduates.

Pete Mitchell is a freshman in college, struggling in his classes and about to lose his art scholarship.

When offered the chance to tutor Pete, Tom is presented with the fact that Pete is everything he wants in a man. The younger man is filled to the brim with anxiety and acts out for attention, begging to be taken care of. And Tom might be the nerd everyone sees him as, but it’s always the innocent ones who seem to have a kinky side.

College!AU where Mav is a bratty twink, with long hair (!!!) & Ice is a glasses-wearing nerd, who has a dominant side. Ice just wants to take care of Mav and tame the brat within.

This fic was born from this tumblr (my) post: https://at.tumblr.com/babygirllinds/sorry-not-sorry-but-this-this-is-hot-long/0qe2fmzeldfh

So, I'll Be There When You Arrive The Sight Of You Will Prove To Me I'm Still Alive by @alicentsstark (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

or the one where Callie is Ice and Mav's kid, Rooster's little sister in this Top Gun AU

tell me you won't leave by @demiclar (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Iceman had been in the Navy long enough to understand how it functioned. Stability only existed where he could control it, in the cockpit, his plane responding to his every touch. Everything else couldn't be relied on. Everyone else always left, sooner or later. Why had he expected Maverick to be any different?

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell wants to go back to Miramar. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky isn't sure he can live with that.

Rumors from Pearl Harbor. by @compacflt ☁️ 🍬

When Admiral Kazansky first comes to Pearl, he brings with him about half of his previous staff, all exceptionally-hardworking people hand-picked over years—advisors, flag aides, secretaries, ranks all over the board. But his new hires, upon getting acquainted with the old guard, are shocked to discover that his previous staff still hardly knows him at all.

#star's fic recs #star screaming into the void #star screaming about top gun #tom iceman kazansky #iceman #tom kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #maverick #pete mitchell #iceman x maverick #tom kazansky x pete mitchell #icemav #top gun fanfic

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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 2 years ago

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2012 - Rhode Island and the Pacific Ocean

Prologue of You Are My Soulmate

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Reader

Description:

You're ecstatic on your twenty-first birthday when you finally get your soul-mark. Your soul already feels like a perfect match for you.

A world away, Bradley Bradshaw wakes up alone, recovering from a plane crash. He finally has soul indicators, only two. But quickly resolves to never search for them.

Disclaimer: Bradley is an angsty, angsty boy.

Warnings: afab!reader

Word Count: 2597

A/N: This is the prologue for my new Soulmate AU. In this we see the marks on both sides and get a deep dive into Bradley's psyche and thought processes on first receiving his marks.

AO3: Cross-posted here!

My Masterlist

Series Masterlist | Next Part

Tinkerbell

Soulmates. Nobody really knows how they came into being. As far as the history books know and say, everyone on the planet over the age of twenty-one woke up one morning with a mark, an indicator of who their perfect other half was. Since that day, it’s become a tradition for young adults to wait with bated breath for their twenty-first birthday. An entire field of science focused wholly on soul marks and identifying one’s soulmate came into being. But there was one caveat. The marks never tell you outright to whom your soul is linked. You have to use contextual clues and track your soul down. The marks also vary wildly amongst the documented instances of bonded souls. Some people can share their thoughts with their soul. Others hear their soul’s voices or share dreams. Your parents are ridiculously happy with each other and share a mark on their wrists. Yet others hear their soul’s voice, first on their twenty-first birthday and then again during times of intense emotion.

Given all the media attention on successful soulmate searches, it's no surprise that you’re practically vibrating out of your skin the night before your twenty-first birthday. The room is hushed around you, with the only sound other than your steady breathing, the clock's ticking as it counts the hour toward midnight. Every child in your family receives a soul candle to herald the discovery of their soulmate. Your mother and father had selected yours, especially for you. Your candle is now sitting on the table before you, waiting to be lit. You light the candle with shaky hands. The flame is intense, and as the candle wax melts, you close your eyes and wait. You’d been told that your family members had all gotten their marks precisely at midnight. As the clock chimes the midnight hour, goosebumps rise over your skin. A breeze wafts through the room, brushing tenderly across your cheeks and snatching your hair from its braid. It’s aromatic, sending the sweetness of sandalwood into your lungs. A scent clue? That’s not the most typical of indicators.

The breeze teases you with that intoxicating sandalwood scent for a short while before fading. The next soul clue you get is of auburn curls falling into whiskey-dark eyes and of big calloused hands. Then, a song plays, the lyrics swirling through your mind as you scramble for your phone and write them down.

“Matter of opinion, baby That's all right, mama was, (So?) papa too (Hmm) And I'm the only child Lovin' is all I know to do”

Fighter Jets fly through the air in front of your eyes. Then a vehicle roars down the road in your mind’s eye. It’s a truck, canary blue, aged but well-kept, with the paint shining in the sunlight. A shirt, Hawaiian print in a vibrant mix of colors, is laid carefully across the passenger seat. That’s everything you get. With one gentle shudder, your soul candle flickers, light dimming as the midnight hour draws to a close before finally flickering out. You have a soulmate!

What's surprising is the number of indicators you have. The most recent scientific journal articles on soul science mention percentages and the likelihood of a person having more than one indicator. Most people have a single soul indicator, the likelihood of which rests firmly at seventy-five percent. Ten percent of people have two, eight percent have three, four percent have four, and three percent have five or more. You have five indicators, setting you in the rarest three percent of the population: a scent, one or more physical features, a song, an occupation, and an essential item in your soul’s life. Ideally, the more indicators you have, the easier it should be to find your person. The problem for you is that while the scent, physical features, and song are all as clear as can be and in the case of the song reasonably easy to find, you can’t figure out which between the fighter jets and the truck are your soul’s occupation and item.

Maybe your soul, whoever they are, is a mechanic specializing in restoring old vehicles with a fondness for fighter jets. Or maybe they’re a pilot with a particular fondness for trucks, or at least one particular truck. You don’t have enough information to know otherwise. The hour is late, and despite the exhaustion fogging your vision and clouding your movements, you need to know more about your soul. The only indicator you have left that you can learn more about is the song. You grab your laptop and quickly type the lyrics into a new browser window. It pulls up the song ‘Tramp’ by Otis Redding. It’s a funky beat. The lyrics, a duet, speak poignantly about everything the female singer finds wrong with her man. But what resonates with you is how love is interspersed throughout the song. You can tell from the lyrics you heard in your soul vision that your soul is an only child with a big, loving heart. It’s late, and you have to be up early in the morning to start your first day of Officer Candidate School for the Navy. But you can’t help the excitement coursing through your veins. At least if your soul is an aviator, you’re in the right place to hopefully run into them on a Naval base at some point in your career. It’s a thought that ricochets through your brain along with the sight of those beautiful, sad eyes as you unwittingly fall asleep on your sofa.

Rooster

Thousands of miles away, a young man jolts awake in a hospital bed. Pain, thick and cloying, rises through every clumsy movement as he grasps at the call button. Beyond the harried beeping of the machines he's hooked up to and the thwack of rubber-soled shoes hurrying his way, he can just see a flicker of soft hair twisted into a braid and smell sweet citrus. The scent is nearly enough to drown out the sterile bleach smell of the sick bay he’s lying in. His soulmate? Is that them, four years after his twenty-first birthday? Before he can explore the half-remembered vision, the doctors are upon him.

“Ensign Bradshaw, Ensign Bradshaw, do you know where you are?”

After the all-consuming panic of the last few hours, a medical exam is the easiest thing Bradley’s lived through.

“Can you open your mouth for me?” Bradley feels like a doll, getting moved, poked, and prodded at the Doctor’s behest.

“Your motor functions are good, and your heart rate is stable. Ensign, you’re in luck. Your crash resulted in a broken leg and some scarring. The leg will heal, as will the scars. It will just take some time.”

The doctor, a jovial man with a strong resemblance to a child’s fantasy of Santa Claus, finishes up with the remaining checks quickly. Sick Bay is quiet and calm, the peace punctuated only by the quiet beeping of instruments. Nurses finish bustling around him after the doctor is done, closing the curtains around his bed and instructing him to press the button if he needs anything. With the latest dose of painkiller coursing through his system, it takes everything for Bradley to remember the vision he had of his soulmate. But he can only recall what he got when he woke up — the scent of sweet, tart citrus and glistening, soft hair in a braid. Two indicators aren't terrible. But he saw the scars crisscrossing his face when the nurses changed the bandages earlier. What soulmate would want a lowly Ensign in the Navy? Whose only claim to fame thus far would be crashing a multi-million dollar jet, and who is an orphan to boot?

He wouldn't want to be matched to himself! That all too reassuring thought is the last one before he's asleep and thrust into a disconcertingly familiar dreamscape.

“Uncle Mav! Uncle Ice!”

Bradley sees the child he was long ago, running towards the only dads he’s ever known. He loves them just as much as Goose, even if they’re not his dads by blood.

“Hey, Baby Goose!” Mav is young, with green eyes shining wickedly and a wide smile. Bradley can’t remember seeing his uncle this happy, relaxed, and healthy. Even after years of no contact, Bradley remembers how that embrace feels as he watches his younger self catapult right into his uncles’ arms. The feeling of being with Ice and Mav, even after everything that’s happened, still feels like home.

“Little Gosling! What’s gotten into you?” It’s Uncle Ice who asks him that. Tall and strong, Uncle Ice is everything he’d wanted to be in a man.

“Uncle Mav, Uncle Ice, can we talk?” Bradley remembers this conversation, remembers being squished between his uncles on the front stoop of the tiny house his mom had moved them into after his dad died.

“Of course.”

“Mama and Goose were soulmates, right? Like you and Uncle Ice are, Uncle Mav?” The fond look his uncles give each other speaks of so much love.

“Yeah, Baby Goose.” Mav is as serious as Bradley’s ever seen, green eyes dark with pain like always at the mention of Goose.

“What does it feel like when you find your soulmate? Are they always guaranteed to like me? Why would they like me?” Bradley winces at the sound of his voice cracking.

“I would ask Mama, but she shuts down whenever I mention Goose. Nobody ever tells me anything about him. He’s my dad. I know he is, but he sometimes feels like this ghost she tries to get me to become. I don’t know him. The only dads I know are you and Uncle Ice. And I’m young and gangly and kinda ugly. What about me would a soul have to love?”

Ice speaks while Mav swallows noisily, a sheen of tears obscuring the gleam in his eyes. “Gosling, we’re always here. You deserve to know more about your dad. You can always ask us about him. Goose,” he sniffles a little with a faraway look in his eyes, “was truly the best man I ever knew. He was the kind of man you could trust with everything important. ‘Cause he’d care for them with just as much love as he cared for you and your Mama.”

Bradley watches as his uncle tucks his younger self against his side.

“Do you know something, kiddo?” Seeing his face peer chubby and soft up at his uncle is a shock. “ Do you know how your dad got his callsign?”

“How, Uncle Mav?”

“We told your Mama it was because he acted like a Mother Hen, but when he laughed, it sounded like a goose honking. That’s why your Uncle Ice called him Mother Goose.” He’s grinning conspiratorially, “This is gossip from a friend and what I’ve always thought was the true story. He told me that your dad got the callsign Goose because, shortly before he graduated from flight school, he was lounging on a patch of grass one day. And as geese do, they love scrounging about in fresh grass. As luck would have it, your dad had picked this colossal gander’s prized patch of grass to nap in.”

Mav’s now chuckling, shoulders hunched, and voice choked at the mental picture even after all the time passed. “Your dad woke up from his nap to the gander’s bill right in his face and startled the gander. The gander snapped his beak right on your dad’s nose. The ensuing hue and cry resulted in laughter and many of the Navy’s soon-to-be finest rolling around in the grass, messing up their uniforms. Your dad escaped mostly unscathed with a bandage on his nose and a new callsign. And, it was that bandage which caught your Mama’s attention, too.”

All three of them are laughing now. Bradley can still feel the connection to his dad through that story. His uncles are brushing away tears, not that he noticed back then, and heaving in deep breaths.

"Now, about your soulmate. Of course, they're going to love you, kiddo. There is a lot to love."

"Yeah, Baby Goose," Mav's nodding along too, "lots to love."

"The best part of you isn't what you look like, Gosling." Ice sounds so fond, "It's what's in your heart. Like your dad, you have the biggest heart I've ever seen. Your soul will love you because they'll see your heart like nobody else."

"But Uncle Ice! That doesn't matter if they don't even get close enough to me to like me!" He's whining now. In hindsight, fourteen was not a good age to have this conversation with his uncles.

"Gosling, you just have to be yourself with your soulmate. The universe picked them for you. They are going to be your perfect match. No matter what happens in your life to make you think otherwise.”

The two men look fondly at each other and him, each with an arm wrapped around him when the colors spin before his eyes and fade to black.

It’s still and dark when his eyes open. A dream? Of Ice and Mav? As much as the thought of them and what they did to his career hurts, it's fitting that they are who he remembers talking about soulmates with first. They’ve always been his idols. The two men he knows, well, who he knew, the best. Why is it that every achievement, every milestone in his life, is overshadowed and entirely controlled by the two of them? Even the discovery of his soulmate is paired with a memory of when everything was perfect in his life. Before his Mama’s cancer diagnosis, before Mav pulled his papers, before his life imploded, bursting apart at the seams, shredded in tatters. Now the only thing in his life is planes, the fuel powering them flowing through his veins instead of blood. And he can’t even fly now.

“Your soulmate will love you for who you are, Gosling.” Uncle Ice’s words ring in his ears. Before everything fell apart, there was nobody Bradley would trust as much as Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky. But he knows Ice, knows Mav. When his papers were pulled, Mav would not have had the influence to do so. The decision to do so may have been Mav’s, but the actions were all the powerful Iceman's.

The ball of rage sitting low in his gut churns. A soulmate? To deal with him? The disaster that he is? That is not going to happen. He’s not taking his soulmate down when he inevitably burns in. Let’s ignore that his biggest fear is burning in, going down in a plane. At least this way, if he ever dies, they wouldn’t grieve him like his Mama grieved for his dad. Like Carole Bradshaw had grieved for Goose, for Nick Bradshaw. Carole had practically shut down. He hadn’t been enough to bring his Mama back, not entirely. The shadow of Nick Bradshaw had hovered over her for the rest of her life. And now the shadows of their love hovers over him. If he could, he’d give anything to be in his mother’s arms, hear her call him his name in her sweet voice, and fix everything. Maybe in that alternate universe, he’d be able to welcome his soulmate with open arms. In this one, where he’s alone in a hospital bed in an aircraft carrier, a soulmate’s just another shackle he can’t afford to have. Not if he’s going to prove he can be the best-of-the-best, be better than Maverick ever could be.

Taglist:

@roosters-girl

@infamous-reindeer

@caitsymichelle13

@mattyskies

@cosmic-psychickitty

@mygyn

@julesclues

@greenbaby12

@bubblegumbeautyqueen

@briseisgone

@soulmates8

@girl-in-the-chairs-void

Want to be added to the Taglist for this fic? Leave a comment on this masterlist or drop me a message in my inbox!

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR AGE IN YOUR BIO. I DO NOT ACCEPT TAG-LIST REQUESTS FROM BLANK OR AGELESS BLOGS. THIS IS AS MUCH FOR MY SAFETY AND LEGALITY ON THE INTERNET AS WELL AS YOURS.

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startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs · 2 years ago

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Oh my god, my soul! It's not tethered to what it should be quite as strongly anymore. I love this so, so much! Bradley Bradshaw is one absolutely fantastic man. God, he's so sweet in this.

“Nah, I got a you kink,” he says as he hauls you on top of him.

The way this had me kicking my feet and squealing?! What's a girl got to do to be Bradley Bradshaw's kink? Cause I'm ready, willing, and able to do anything for him.

His, for now, but always meant to be yours.

He loves his girl so much it's adorable! Ans they were best friends?! I love best friends turned to lovers it's the sweetest trope. And with Bradley Bradshaw? It's even sweeter still.

The little velvet box tucked away in the back corner of his nightstand?

Screaming! I am screaming! He's going to propose! Lucky girl! I need about a billion years to recover from this cause I'm at the state of no thoughts, heady empty, just Bradley Bradshaw. As a Seresin Slut I feel like I'm turning into a Bradshaw Babe just cause of how you portray him in this fic.

Ok, ok. I promise I'm done. I love this fic so much. If anyone comes across these ramblings, and have gotten this far, please read it! It's a work of art.

- XOXO Star

What’s In a Name?

Summary: Bradley really loves the way you say his name. At the grocery store. At the bar. In his bed.

Warnings: fuff, and so much smut. Minors DNI

Length: 9K

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw X Female Reader

(This is a one-shot for my ‘Like I Can” series. You don’t need to read it first, but you might want to. It’s pretty cute. You can check it out here.)

Bradley loved hearing you say his name.

He’d gone almost two years without hearing it. Back when he was ‘Rooster’ or ‘Bradshaw’ to you. Back when you weren’t sure how you would fit into the life he had built in San Diego when you had moved there for a promotion. Now he made it a priority to show you just how seamlessly your lives fit together, to remind you just how right you were for each other.

There were times when he still couldn’t believe that he was able to have you so entirely. You went from being just his closest childhood friend to being his everything. And now that he had you there was nothing he liked more than the sound of his name coming from your lips.

He loved hearing it every chance he could.

He’d never come so hard has he had the first time he’d heard you chanting his name over and over again as he’d fucked you in his bed. Your hair had been a riot on his pillow, your lips swollen from the attention he’d given them with his own. He’d just barely gotten you over the edge before he’d followed, so overwhelmed by your sweet voice so needy and breathy in his ear.

BradleyBradleyBradley

Keep reading

#star's fic recs #star screaming about top gun #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #top gun fanfiction #rooster x reader #rooster x female reader #top gun maverick fanfiction #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw

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startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs · 2 years ago

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Floydsin Recommended Fic Masterlist

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Robert 'Bob' Floyd

Key:

❤️‍🔥 - Smut

☁️ - Fluff

💢 - Angst

🍬 - Sweet

📚 - Multi-Chapter

Like Flying by @wildbornsiren ☁️ 🍬

Soulmates are connected by a red thread. Bob finds his when he least expects it.

Kinktober Day 30: Dirty Talk by @wildbornsiren ❤️‍🔥

Jake offers to translate some ‘rougher’ language. It doesn’t go the way he expects it to.

The Deconstruction of Hangman by @wildbornsiren ❤️‍🔥 💢 🍬 📚

Part 1, Part 2

Out of everyone, he hadn’t expected Bob to be the one to see past the mask.

If The Fates Allow by IWannaDoBadThingsWithYou237 (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

What started as a one night stand between two aviators turns into the reveal of an national military scandal, and the lives of Dagger Squad, their bosses and the 86 boys will never be the same again. Part 1 Summary: An AU in which Jake and Bob have a history together both before, during and after the mission. It comes in the form of a seven year old boy and a mating bond that one of them can’t remember. Also comes in the form of a very pissed off Uncle Slider. Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics. Jake/Bob, Maverick/Ice. Some Rooster/Phoenix, Some Cyclone/Warlock. Part 2 Potentially Coming Soon. Part 2 Summary: Sequel to Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: The ramifications of Cain’s actions are felt throughout the Navy and in particular the Dagger Squad several of whom have their lives blown apart. Coming together and coming apart and families are made and broken. Above all is Jake and Bob who are just trying to forge a future for themselves.

Emotional Proximity by IWannaDoBadThingsWithYou237 (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

AU: Post Film. Wherein Bob didn’t fly with the Daggers but instead get’s a phone call in the night that tells him his bone marrow has matched with a child who desperately needs it. How he ends up with a family out that he really doesn’t know but he does. Jake/Bob, Bradley/Natasha, Ice/Mav. TRIGGER WARINGS ATTACHED.

#star's fic recs #star screaming about top gun #bob x hangman #robert bob floyd #bob #robert floyd #jake hangman seresin #hangman #jake seresin #jake seresin x robert floyd #top gun fanfic

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heartorbit · 1 year ago

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a mob of emus for an artstyle game on twt! ^_^

#project sekai #emu otori #the usernames are all their public twts so if you use that evil platform check out their art ^_^#many of them are on here with the same users even.. be gone from my sight vile bird #the one on the bottom right is Mine but ive never had an artstyle in my life so it may not be obvious to the viewers. sorry.#pjsk #prsk #proseka #only my beautiful mutuals beautiful art can make me do LINEART #i was going to ask on here but realized i dont have mutuals bc this is a side blog. sniffle. hell on earth #I dont have much to scream in the tags. semester is almost over. Im sleepy. I designed emu a huge seord for an assignment #but the 3d model turned out Bad. it looks ok from the top but you turn it and see Problems.#its been a month or so since i modelled that and i have gotten better so i want to try again with no time crunch + pressure #its a fun looking sword. magical girl sword type shit #EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT THE LITTLE PRINCE WXS STUFF I END UP AWAKE UNTIL 3AM BECAUse it GETS TO ME #WAAAAAAAAAUHGH. I HAVE CLASS IN 11 HOURS #GOODNIGHT. IT WILL BE AS IF ALL THE STARS WERE LAUGHING.#oh my god wait i did this this weekend bc i was like yaay i have a weekend without any assignments due #I just forgot abt one. Bc my email hasnt been working properly and didnt send me the reminder for it. i will spend my tuesdah drawing a gun

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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 2 years ago

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2019 - Miramar, California

Chapter 1 of You Are My Soulmate

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Reader

Description:

It's been eight years since you received your soul markers on your twenty-first birthday. In that time, your life has changed a lot. You've established your career as an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer and traveled all over the world. You've also made friends in Naval Bases all over the world. But after years of travel, you're excited for the chance to prove yourself on solid ground working out of Naval Air Base North Island. North Island brings you the chance to connect with some old friends and meet someone who you're immediately drawn to.

Bradley's never thought he would want to find his soulmate, not when he's seen so much of the bad parts of being connected to your soul. But after his close calls during the Uranium Mission, he's craving that connection. He's instantly drawn to this girl he helps at the Hard Deck. But his reaction is anything but great when he sees how close she is to Hangman. Why is he so drawn to her then? Can he avoid her while she's stationed out of Miramar?

Disclaimers: Misogynistic speech. Excessive alcohol consumption. Mentioned Homosexual Relationships

This content presented in this story is for audiences age 18 and over only. MINORS DNI. I will not be accepting tag-list requests from Blank or Ageless Blogs for this story.

Warnings: Female!Reader

Word Count: 7477

A/N: Hey All! Welcome to the first official chapter of You Are My Soulmate! We're going to see sparks fly, literally and figuratively between Bradley and Tinkerbell in this part. It's not good sparks, I'm sorry to have to report. Bradley is incredibly rude and chauvinistic and misogynistic in this part. He's also incredibly confused because his heart and his mind are telling him two different things. I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks to @girl-in-the-chairs-void and @sarahsmi13s for all of your help proof-reading and giving me feedback on this chapter! You both are the best!

AO3: Cross-posted Here!

My Masterlist

Previous Part | Series Masterlist | Next Part

Tinkerbell

A wave of heat greets you as you leave San Diego International Airport with everything you own in three colossal suitcases piled on an airport trolley in front of you. The heat feels incredible against your skin, causing a near-instant sheen of sweat to collect on the backs of your knees, your forehead, and the back of your neck. Your thin sweater and cuffed jeans were appropriate for battling wind shear on an aircraft carrier, but they're a bit much for San Diego. You strip the thin outer garment off and stuff it into your purse, fishing out a pair of sunglasses and basking in the sun while searching through your messages to see when your ride is meeting you.

"Tink! Over here!"

You grin when you see him, obnoxious though he may be, and push the precariously piled trolley up to him.

"Hey, Cowboy! How are you?"

If you'd told your younger self that Jake Seresin would become one of your closest friends, she'd have laughed and laughed before calling him a Cowboy Ken Doll to his face.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" He looks good, golden and tanned, and the same as ever, even as new smile lines crinkle the corners of his eyes as he smiles sunnily at you.

"Stop flirting, Cowboy. Shut up and hug me."

His embrace feels like you’re finally home. You follow him to the tailgate as he hefts all three of your colossal suitcases in. Jake won’t let you lift a finger to help. You know it from experience, so you stay propped against the side of his truck and soak up the sun a bit longer. It’s an easy silence for a few moments as he settles your luggage.

"How's being back in San Diego treating you so far, Tink?"

Your groan as you settle into the plush, buttery soft leather of his F-150's seats is near pornographic. You prop your feet on his dash and grin at his heatless glare.

"I missed the sun. I've been stuck in the bowels of an aircraft carrier for the past three years. And I've only been stateside long enough to clear out my base housing and fly here. I swear the ground still feels like it's rocking. And don't get me started on the food and the lack of company."

"Well, that's not a feeling you’ll forget anytime soon. But you're in Miramar now, baby!"

His smile is salacious as he smirks at you from the driver's seat.

"And you've got this amazing specimen,” he gestures to himself greasily, “to show you all the best food troughs and watering holes."

You yank his sunglasses off of his nose and tip your own down so you can groan and shudder theatrically in disgust.

"Never." You shove at his forearm lightly, "Never call yourself an amazing specimen ever again. Eww. That gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Leaving the airport, the two of you are immediately in traffic, just as you remember from the last time you were in San Diego. But you're home, so even the traffic feels oddly welcoming. And you haven't seen your best friend in months, so you're happy to talk about his family, soul, and how Miramar has been. The two of you chat about anything and everything, pausing to scream-sing the lyrics to some of the songs playing until the traffic breaks.

"Alright, alright. So what's in the cards for you tonight?" Jake's teeth shine in the sunlight as he grins at you, looking like the cat that got the canary.

"Well…. I gotta take a good look at my cars and bikes, and I need to make sure you haven't trashed my house while you've been here. God knows why I let you take care of it while you’ve been stationed out of North Island."

"Your house is just fine, Tinkie. I even weeded your garden beds over the weekend."

"You?!" You're grinning, relaxing in the company of your best friend, "Weeding a garden?! Since when? I wasn't aware you'd figured out the business end of a trawl since the last time you tried 'helping' me garden."

He's grinning a smug self-absorbed grin when you look at him.

"Well, maybe I got a bit of help from Mav."

You're gawping unflatteringly at him as you let your feet land back in the footwell of his truck with a harsh thump.

"You're telling me you got Maverick Mitchell, the living piloting legend, to help weed my garden?! And he agreed?!"

"Yeah. Mav's not so bad, Tink. He's a great person. And he lives up to his reputation. He made it a squad team-bonding event! He's crazy. He has a few motorcycles and cars himself. And he restored a P-51."

"No way!" You're giddy. "Have you seen it? Is it gorgeous?! I will literally die if you've been up in it."

“It’s beeee-yootiful!” God, he’s so smug, his Texan drawl stretching each syllable. It’s nice to see he hasn’t changed at all in the years since you’ve seen him.

"That settles it. Come Monday morning, I'm driving my Kawasaki to work."

“Somebody’s a fangirl.”

“Jake! C’mon! Seriously! The man’s a living legend. He’s larger than life! He’s quite literally the best of the best. Other than you, he was the only other active-duty pilot with air-to-air kills. The way he flies a plane? It’s pure poetry. I’ve only seen him fly once, but I might swoon if he’s in one of the planes I will maintain on base.”

“Just wait until you have to call him “Admiral Mitchell, sir!” and salute when you’re introduced to him. I will bet you 15 bucks that you can’t do it without making a fool of yourself.” He’s so sure you’re going to make a fool of yourself.

“Make it 50, and I get to pick the punishment when I win.”

“You’ve got a deal, Tinkerbell.” He’s smiling smugly as he pulls the car into your driveway.

You step out into the sun and stretch, grinning at how good it feels to be home. You’d fallen in love with the cutest mid-century bungalow on the beach years ago when you’d been stationed on North Island shortly after graduating from all your qualifying courses. The sweetest old couple owned it, and you’d audaciously dropped by one afternoon offering your help. They’d treated you like their granddaughter, as they didn’t have any children or grandchildren, and you’d loved them too.

It had broken your heart when a lawyer contacted you during one of your early deployments, informing you that they had passed away in their sleep. You had sobbed on the phone as you found out they had left you their house. Since that day, you’ve been trying to live like that lovely old couple. They were each other’s soulmates and had adored each other from the day they met to the day they died. You’d kept the house, hoping it would be as lovely to you and your soul as it was to the two of them. It was now your home base every time you were stateside, and now where you’re fortunate enough to be living long-term for the first time since you inherited it.

You can feel your life slot back into place, the exhaustion and stress of being onboard an aircraft carrier for so long melting away as you step into your home.

"I'll set your bags in the master bedroom. You stink, Tinkie. Go shower, and then I'll buy you dinner and take you out for drinks." You roll your eyes at the mock disgust on his face when you’re sure he’s smelled much worse.

"Love you, Jay!" You blow smooches into the air, pretending not to notice how he staggers dramatically, catching them before walking into the bathroom and sloughing the filth of travel, and Naval ship showers off your skin. You take your time in the shower, exfoliating and shaving every inch of your skin while deep conditioning your hair. You step out of your bathroom, garbed in a soft fluffy robe with your hair finally in fluffy soft waves down your back.

“Hey, Jay?” You yell out your bedroom door. “Where are we going for dinner?”

“How do you feel about tacos? Wear something casual. And for god’s sake, not your uniform. Give that a break until you need to wear it again on Monday.” You can hear a football game from your living room and are glad he wasn’t bored while you spent an inordinately long time in the shower.

“Kay!” You chirp back, going through your closet and fishing out one of the sundresses you’d left in San Diego the last time you shipped out. It’s a flirty number with a flared skirt covered in a raucous floral print. It’s perfect for a summer night out with your best friend. You pair it with a set of cork espadrilles and throw your hair into a fishtail braid before flouncing out the door with your phone and wallet in a little bag.

The both of you are stuffing your faces at this little Taqueria downtown with the best tacos you've had since you were in Mexico when Jake picks up the catch-up conversation again.

"So?" He's grinning, his eyes glinting mischievously as he asks, "Did you find them? Did you find your soul?"

"No. There hasn't been a single person I've met who I've felt drawn to."

"Are you sure you didn't just hide away from the whole world like you do when you get all shy, Tinkie?"

"Urgh…. Fuck you. Not everyone has known their soulmate since they were fourteen years old." You steal a bite of his barbacoa tacos in compensation for that uncalled-for comment.

"Fair enough." Jake crumbles his napkin up after eating his last taco in two bites. He takes a long draft from the bottle in his hand. "What marks do you have again?"

"I have five." You glare playfully at his wolf whistle. "A scent: Sandalwood, a few features: auburn hair, whiskey eyes, and big calloused hands, a song: Tramp by Otis Redding; and an occupation and an important item. I'm not sure which is which. I have fighter jets and an antique blue truck."

Jake's thoughtful as you number each mark on your fingers, lips pursing with each item until you reach the last.

"And, what, Tink, would you say if I tell you that I might know exactly who your soulmate is?"

"I mean… I already promised to love you forever the day I met you. And I apologized to Javy for that, so what more could you need?"

"You buying my drinks at the Hard Deck every time we're both there for a month."

"Deal. Are we heading there now?"

"Yup. It'll give you a chance to meet the squadron you're working with and meet who I think is your soulmate."

You can feel butterflies and excitement swarming in your chest. This feels like everything you've been waiting for. Are you really going to meet your soul tonight? You'll happily pay for Jake's drinks for the rest of your life to pay him back for this if he's right.

You can already see yourself falling head over heels for your soul. It’s your dream to start a relationship with your soul and become better people together. You can also see yourself growing round with your soul's children, his ring on your finger. And you can only imagine how amazing it will be to spend those late-night feedings exhausted but so in love with each other and the babies you brought to life together. Finally, you can see the two of you growing old together and watching proudly as your babies grow into gorgeous adults. And you can see yourself sitting in twin rocking chairs in the house that became a home for you both, with your children and grandchildren arrayed around you.

The sweet ache of your dreams intensifies as Jake chivalrously leads you into the bar. It's packed in the Hard Deck, despite being only a little past 8 o’clock. You're craning your head to see if you can spot anyone you know or recognize. You can feel a sense of anticipation sink into your veins. Tonight more than ever, you feel like your soul is nearby. You’re thankful for Jake’s broad frame as he charts a course directly to the bar where a familiar face is holding court.

"Well, well, well, look at you, Missy! Long time no see, gorgeous!" She still sounds the same as she did three years ago. If anything, she’s lighter and happier than the last time you saw her.

"Penny!" You stretch over the bartop to hug the older woman. Penny was like a mom to you the last time you were on North Island. "Can I get you your usual?"

"Yes, please!" You yell back, straining your vocal cords to be heard. Your drink is prepared in short order, and you grin approvingly as you take a sip.

"Let's catch up later?" You mouth over the crowd, smiling at her signal for a-ok before following Jake towards a rowdy bunch near the pool tables. He's already trash-talking the players, and you elbow him in the gut to remind him you're there.

"Lady and gents, this is Tinkerbell. She just got into town today and will be stationed with us at North Island for a while." He winces and rubs at his stomach before pointing each squadron member out to you by callsign.

"It's nice to meet you all!" It's no time before you chat with Jake's squadron like you've known them forever. It helps that Javy is there, and you can squish your best friend's soul in a ridiculously long hug. It's never been this easy to talk to a squadron whose planes you'll be working on before. Your drink runs out far sooner than expected, and you fight back to the bar for a refill.

You're humming tunelessly and trying to avoid being crushed when a hand smacks down onto the bartop next to you. A body follows it, and you're automatically preparing to fend off whatever flirty bullshit this stranger will lay on you.

"That's a fantastic song."

Okay, that's not what you were expecting. You turn your head and see dark eyes and curls like in your soul mark. He's wearing an obnoxiously loud Hawaiian shirt and has a mustache from an eighties porn flick. But his voice? You could melt into a pool of primordial goop just at the feeling of his voice in your eardrums. And he likes your song clue too. You're not doing it any justice, but he'd still heard and recognized it.

"Yeah, it is. I heard it a long time ago."

"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a Navy bar?" He’s smirking now. There's the flirting you expected. You can’t help your eye roll as he tries and fails to charm you.

"I'm out with some friends. Came up to the bar to get a refill on my drink."

"Hey, Bradley!" It's Penny again. So she knows this guy. Maybe he's not a creep.

"Hey, Pen. I'll take a beer and whatever this pretty girlie drinks on my tab."

"Pen, I'll take my drink on my tab. Thank you very much," is your quick rejoinder.

He lifts his hands to placate you before going back to standing stylishly against the bar. You can feel his eyes on you as you order your refill, and you're constantly self-conscious of every word pouring out of your mouth. And speaking of your mouth, is your lipstick smeared out of place? You've just ascertained that everything looks good in a napkin holder when things get frantic in the bar.

There's yelling and screaming, but no matter how you search, you can’t see what is happening. Soon, Penny's ringing the bell, and the crowd surges around you. When you’re sure you’ll get trampled in the rush, hands are on your waist, helping you until you're perched on a barstool. The stranger leaves his hands on your waist for several long moments. You're barely breathing. With each shallow breath you take, you can feel the heat of his big hands searing into your skin. You can see the flashes of gold in his whiskey eyes this close to him.

The intense urge to kiss him surprises you. Your mark containing your soul's physical features and song is checked off, but you're still unsure if he's your soul. But you desperately want to kiss this cocky, gorgeous stranger. You feel this intense ache to feel his mustache press against your skin and numb your lips as he kisses you wantonly, urgently. More than your neck and lips, you want to know what his mouth feels like against your cunt. How that mustache would feel against your tender flesh as you scream for his talented tongue. Those hands propped so innocently against your waist? You want them everywhere too.

You're shaken out of your reverie by the crowd's repeated chanting of 'Overboard'. And then the hands clasped around your waist withdraw. Just as you're about to say something, anything to hear that beautiful voice again, you hear Jake calling for you. You wave to catch his attention. Jake comes bounding up just as you hop down from the stool.

"Hey, Tink. Are you alright?" He pulls you into a tight hug, and you'd accuse him of being smothering had you not known how much he cares.

"I just saw the crowd rush the bar, and Phoenix said you'd come for another drink." You can see the worry on his face as he finally releases you and steps back.

"Yeah, I nearly was. But this guy saved me. He hauled me onto a barstool and kept me from getting jostled there until the chaos died." You turn in place to thank the stranger for his help, but he's not there anymore. "I wonder where he went? I wanted to buy him a drink to thank him." Your drink stands on the bar top, but the beer he ordered? It’s gone, leaving only a ring of condensation on the wood.

"I have one more member of the squadron for you to meet. C'mon. Grab your drink and follow me." Jake's vibrating out of his skin. You haven't seen him this excited since he introduced you to Javy as his soulmate, not just his wingman.

He pushes you by the shoulders to the pool tables again, keeping up a stream of funny stories that make you giggle. That’s when your heart seems to start beating in double time. A familiar broad-shouldered silhouette is propped up against one of the pool tables, a beer held languidly in two fingers of one big hand as he laughs.

Jake pushes you towards the pool tables, and when he's determined you're close enough, he wraps an arm around your shoulder.

"Oi, Rooster. This here is Tinkerbell. She will be working with the squadron as one of the Aviation Maintenance Duty Officers. Tink, this is Rooster, Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw."

"We met earlier. Thanks for the save back there when things got crazy."

The warmth in Bradley's eyes at the bar seems to have completely drained away. He's not smiling anymore and definitely not flirting when he responds, "Good to meet you." gruffly back at you.

The hope you felt at the song and his eyes, hair, and hands sinks like a lead balloon. An awkward silence falls over the pool table, punctuated only by the low clicking as the Jukebox switches the song playing. You’re more than a little taken aback. Bradley Bradshaw had seemed so nice at the bar. Flirty, sure, but nice. You’d enjoyed the joy sliding effervescent through your veins at each word you spoke. Jake pulls you towards the dart table.

"That's the guy I thought would be your soul. No luck?"

"I thought I felt the spark earlier, but no luck."

You're confused, but ultimately, chalk the electricity you felt to your exhaustion and the heat inside the bar. The rest of the night is easy and light. You're going to have fun working with the Dagger Squadron. And the atmosphere stays that way until you hear Rooster's conversation with Payback and Fanboy as you walk back toward the pool tables after a stop at the restroom.

"So? What do you think of her, Rooster?" It's Payback who asks that.

"Come on. There is no way she's a good Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer. She's all over Hangman. What a slut." His voice has a cruel slur as he spits out the words.

"She does seem close to him." That's Fanboy, you think.

"Hah. Even if they're soulmates, I doubt there is a single thought in that little head. I bet she got here on her knees."

They laugh, and that's officially when the night sours for you. The first time you meet Rooster and he's already decided to hate you. You haven't gotten here on your knees. The accusation disgusts you. Why had you come out with Jake tonight? If only Bradley Bradshaw had stayed a handsome stranger. Maybe then you wouldn't feel like your heart was ripped from your chest and stomped on.

You walk towards the bar, thinking about his words. They hurt more than you’d expect, considering how you’ve heard many variations of them before. A particular class of Navy men hates that a woman knows the ins and outs of a plane better than them. You’ve been victim to the nonsense spewing out of those men’s mouths before. And you thought you’d formed a thick skin and knew how to handle it. In hindsight, you should’ve known it would take only one devastatingly handsome man’s ill-thought words to tear down all your inner strength and confidence.

You’re startled out of your thoughts when a drunken sailor nearly knocks you over as you walk. He’s heavy but oh so warm. You look up, wanting to know if the sailor is okay, and see none other than the man you’ve been thinking about for much of the night. Bradley Bradshaw sends the same electricity singing through your veins as he steadies himself with those big hands on your waist yet again.

“Tinkerbell. You okay? I didn’t mean to run into you like that.” He’s drunk. He’s completely and totally drunk. You can smell the beer seeping from his pores and something woodsy and delicate that you can’t place. How can he act like his words didn’t flay you open? You can feel rage course through you at the clumsy way he’s patting you down to ensure you’re alright.

You brush his hands off your person and nearly growl at him, “Why? I’m just another garden-variety slut, right? The only way I got to where I am in my career is on my knees, right? You don't need to apologize if that’s what you think.” Rage and pain sit hot in your chest as you spit his words back to him.

He looks taken aback, something unknown swimming in his eyes as his throat works. But before he can flay you open again, you walk away. You’re thankful now that you’d settled up your tab with Penny before you headed to the restrooms. You're quick to leave after that, the alcohol in your system magnifying your anger and pain until you're lost to it. Outwardly, you smile and say your goodbyes to everyone in the squadron before telling Jake you’ll meet him and Javy in the morning for brunch and book a ride-share home.

You can’t help meditating on what you heard in the car and vow that on Monday, you'll be perfectly professional, even if every time you look at Bradley Bradshaw, you'll feel the pressure and heat of his hands on your waist. That's the part that bothers you about this whole thing. It had felt electric having him that close, at least for you. But there is no way he's your soul, right? He's too much of an asshole for that. Why else would he have said what he said?

Rooster

There is nothing like the feeling of being up in the air, going faster than the speed of sound. Many people work hard for their careers, and he’s had to do that too. But Bradley Bradshaw maintains that he was born to fly. It’s in his blood. After all, his dad, Uncle Mav, and other uncles flew. So it’s no wonder that he’s one of the best of the best. And he’s on an elite squad hand-selected by the Navy to fly those missions that nobody else can. Things are finally looking up. His career is excellent. He’s connected with his Uncles again. He’s part of a squad that works like a well-oiled machine. Only one thing could improve his life: if he weren’t so lonely.

Bradley Bradshaw has always been the life of the party. So why does it hurt nowadays after the party ends and he’s staggering half-drunk into the apartment he’s been given on base? Sure, he’s not lacking companionship. All it takes is a flirty wink, a couple of notes on the piano, and scores of badge bunnies appear ready and willing to drop everything to get into his bed. Getting his dick wet has never been so dull. All those girls flirt the same. They moan the same at the exact same times, and they always, always, always cum the same way.

So sue him. He is over thirty years old, and he's bored with everything in his life except for flying. And even with the squad, they do the same things nearly every night. Most of the squad has found their soulmates. So when they aren’t out with their soulmates, the whole crew is clustered around the pool tables at the Hard Deck. On Saturdays, he heads to the hangar in the desert with Mav to work on the P-51. Sometimes Penny and Amelia are around, sometimes not. And Sunday night is dinner with his Uncles. That's been his life since Mav crashed back into his life with the Uranium Mission. And every workday is full of flying, the high-octane rush of it the only time he feels alive.

It’s a Friday night like any other as he rifles through his closet for a Hawaiian shirt. The squadron had finished their hop debrief for the day and made plans to meet at the Hard Deck at half past 8. It is just about 8:45, and that is typical too. He's always late, and once he’s at the bar, he always downs a beer or two and then plays a few songs on the piano before taking whichever badge bunny catches his fancy home.

At least San Diego never fails to disappoint. It's gorgeous out. Bradley's sunglasses are on, and the wind whips through his hair as he drives his Bronco to the bar. If there's one thing he loves more than flying, it's driving this car. The one his dad left him. It's one of the only places he has left where he can be Bradley Bradshaw, not Rooster or Lieutenant Bradshaw.

There's something funky playing on the radio as he drives up to the Hard Deck, and it lifts his mood just a little. It's that old Otis Redding tune, Tramp, and he can't help the swagger in his hips as he walks into the bar. It's packed tonight, and people are dancing, chatting, and laughing from wall to wall. He can feel a strange electricity in the air, and everything feels different tonight. He can’t place what about the Hard Deck looks different, though. It looks like the same sea of Navy Personnel and badge bunnies, both male and female, milling about with alcohol in hand. Amidst the crush of bodies, he finally grasps something new. There’s a glimpse of brightly patterned fabric against the bar, colorful and flower printed. It’s like sunshine on a cloudy day.

He can feel the stretch of his muscles bunching underneath his jeans as he walks towards the bar. Each stride is nearly smooth, except for the catch in his leg, which broke years ago and still twinges when it’s damp out. It’s several moments before he sees that captivating colorful glimpse, though. It’s a girl, though a woman would be a better descriptor, wearing a floral printed sundress. The bodice clings to her figure, and the skirt is full, flaring out to just below her thigh and revealing miles of supple leg ending in wedge sandals. Her glistening hair looks thick and soft as it lies in a braid, something finicky and delicate that he couldn’t name if he tried. Could this be her? His soulmate? With only two soul marks, there is no way she could be his.

She’s humming. It’s not the most tuneful rendition, but it is instantly recognizable regardless, Otis Redding’s Tramp. Bradley lumbers forward, laying his hand heavily on the bar top beside her while waiting for Penny to make the rounds. His actions get her attention, and he’s at the mercy of big doe eyes as they glance right up at him. But she’s not coy like other girls are when he’s next to them. She looks like she’d do anything besides talk to him.

"That's a fantastic song."

Bradley can see the warring emotions behind those beautiful doe eyes as she tries to figure out how to respond.

"Yeah, it is. I heard it in a dream a long time ago." Her voice is sweet and soft but with a backbone of steel. And those expressive, expressive eyes. He can read exactly what she’s thinking in those eyes.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a Navy bar?”

Her eyes roll, her plush lips pursing and nose crinkling as she realizes he’s flirting.

"I'm out with some friends. Came up to the bar to get a drink."

"Hey, Bradley!" It's Penny who interjects. She must know this pretty girl and feels strongly about protecting her too. Bradley's on the business side of a glare like he hasn't received from her since he was eight years old and being babysat by Penny while his mom was running errands.

"Hey, Pen. I'll take a beer and whatever this pretty girl drinks on my tab."

"Pen, I'll take my drink on my tab. Thank you very much." She's beautiful and quick as a whip. Bradley resolves to stay on her good side. This girl will not accept any free drinks. Bradley lifts his hands placatingly in her direction, taking long glances at the slope of her nose and the shape of her burgundy-stained lips as she gives Penny her drink order, something fruity and sweet.

That's about when things turn upside down in the bar. A fight breaks out at some of the tables. He can barely see the drunken idiots going at it from where he’s propped against the bar. There's yelling and screaming, and Penny quickly rings the bell. The crowd surges around the bar, and he makes an executive decision. He hoists the pretty little thing he's been trying to chat up and plops her down on the bar stool in front of him, using his body as a barrier. She's staring at him in shock now. Those pretty, plush lips are parted just enough for him to glance at her tongue.

He has this sudden intense urge to kiss her, to taste the residue of sugar-laden liquor on that perfect pink-stained mouth and tongue. Bradley wants to do more than kiss her, too. He has a sudden flash of those gorgeous eyes teary as those plush lips wrap around his cock. He wants to feel the weight of her pert breasts in his hands, to make those pretty little hands grasp his hair as she screams his name. He's never felt like this with anyone before. And he finds that he's embarrassingly growing hard just at the thought of her.

Her skin is soft and hot through the thin fabric of her dress as his hands rest in the dip of her waist. Her chest heaves with each shallow breath as she looks at him. He’s just about to tell her his name, ask her what she’s thinking, or do anything to hear another word out of that pretty mouth when the cry of ‘Overboard’ fills the bar. It looks like the men who had been fighting are getting thrown out. That’s when he realizes his hands have been around this girl’s waist for far too long. He steps back with his throat dry as he lifts his hands from around her. He can still feel her against the pads of his fingers as he flexes his hands uselessly at his sides.

The bar is soon back to normal around him. Penny drops off her drink and his beer, and as he grabs his drink and turns back to the pretty girl, he can hear Hangman calling for her. Her eyes are wide with recognition, and she waves at him. So she’s Hangman’s something, though he’s not sure friend is the best term. Bradley slips away just as Hangman reaches her, drawing her into a protective embrace.

The jolt of irritation that shoots through him at the sight is filled with something uncomfortably close to jealousy. He can feel something nasty crawling out his chest at the sight of the sweetest girl he's ever spoken to being swept up in Bagman's arms. The worst part is that she looks like she belongs there. Bagman'd bragged unendingly about his soulmate before. This must be her. It figures that she’s got a soul already. That her soul is Bagman is just salt in another open wound. He takes a swig from the cold bottle in his hand and turns his back on the sight, moving through the crowd to the pool tables. Phoenix and Bob are trouncing Payback and Fanboy in a game of nine-ball, and it’s looking to be just like any other Friday night the squad has had since it became permanent.

He’s brooding, and the squad can no doubt sense the suddenly foul mood seeping from his pores. Outwardly, he's trying, really trying to keep it from showing in his tone. Sure, she's Hangman's. That just means that his soul has to be out there, right? He still remembers the pact he'd made in that hospital bed years ago when he’d gotten his marks. Would his younger self begrudge his need to find the person who's right for him? It's exhausting having to play a part day in and day out. Even with Mav, he can't let his guard down. Bradley’s not even sure when he started looking for his soul in earnest or when the revolving door of girls got stale and boring.

All he knows is that one day he woke up and wanted everything his mom and dad had. He wants happiness like the time before Top Gun when it was just the three Bradshaws and his Uncle Mav. All the light and love and happiness. Neither his mom nor his dad had any family left before they died. He’s it. He’s the last of their lines. And after his close calls over the past few months, he never wants to feel like he’s at the end without a soul who loves him ever again. He just has to find her and hope she can love him despite his life's mess and stress.

Hangman pulls him out of his reverie by pushing his girl toward the rest of them. She grins at him, and he can hear her giggles as Hangman drapes an arm around her shoulder, drawing her into his side.

"Oi, Rooster. This here is Tinkerbell. She will be working with the squadron as one of the Aviation Maintenance Duty Officers. Tink, this is Rooster, Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw."

"We met earlier. Thanks for the save back there when things got crazy." God, her voice still sounds so good, melodic, and sweet. But, the nasty little voice in his head screams at him, ‘She’s not yours. She’ll never be yours. What about you could a sweet little thing like that want?’. The irritation ever-present since he realized she’s Bagman’s soul colors his tone as he nearly barks, “Good to meet you.” back at her.

He can see a little of the joy shutter in those doe eyes and immediately kicks himself for making her feel that way. An uncomfortable hush surrounds the tables. He can feel eyes on him. Hangman’s, Bob’s, and definitely Phoenix’s. He takes a swig of his beer, but before he can apologize or ease the hush, he’s dragged away by an incandescently incensed firebird.

“What the fuck was that, Bradshaw?” He’s pissed Tasha off. He hadn’t seen her this angry since Hangman left her and Bob behind while they were training for the Uranium Mission.

“I dunno, Tash.”

“Well, you better figure it out. Tinkerbell’s going to be working with us. You don’t fuck with the girl who maintains your plane, birdbrain. Not unless you want to be falling out of the sky.” Bradley can’t argue with her reasoning as she steals his beer and saunters back to the pool tables.

The worst part is that Tinkerbell doesn't even seem to care that she's set his whole world on fire. She's laughing and giggling with Jake and Javy by the dartboard as they take turns covering her eyes and showing her how to throw the dart accurately despite being unable to see. It's a shot he's seen Bagman make about a billion times, but he can't stand seeing their hands on her skin.

For the rest of the night, he's acutely aware of exactly where she is. It's like he's orbiting her, and he makes it a point to stay as far away from her as possible. But no matter what he does, he can’t make the nasty feeling in his chest disappear. Tinkerbell fits in so easily with the rest of the team. She’s laughing with Phoenix and has even pulled Bob out of his shell more gracefully than Hangman had all those months ago. But no matter how he tries, Bradley can’t force himself to be nice to her. So he makes what is probably the worst decision he’s made all night and starts knocking alcohol back. Bradley’s indiscriminate about what he drinks. He does shots of Tequila with Phoenix and then knocks back beers with Fanboy and Bob shortly after.

A few hours after he’s started drinking in earnest later, he’s feeling loose, and that knot in his chest is fading at least a little bit. Payback and Fanboy are laughing in a corner by the windows, and he wants to know what they’re laughing about. It’s a struggle to make his legs move, and he nearly bowls Fanboy over in his clumsy journey to laugh with them.

“Woah, Roos! Man, you’re so drunk!” Fanboy’s always a giggly mess when he’s been drinking. Tonight is no different. He and Fanboy are propped carefully against each other, giggling unendingly when Payback shoves a glass of water into each of their hands. Payback waits until both Fanboy and he have downed the water and sobered up a little before asking his question. "So? What do you think of her, Rooster?"

“Think’a who?” He’s slurring as he speaks, fighting back juvenile giggles as Fanboy makes silly faces next to him.

“Tinkerbell, Bradshaw. Y’know, the girl you haven’t been able to keep your eyes off of all night?”

“Oh, her.” Bradley’s so drunk he’s looking for her again. He can’t see her patterned sundress or her pretty hair or her sweet smile or melodic laugh anywhere. But he does see Hangman with his eyes alert, watching for her.

“Bradshaw. What do you think of her?” Payback’s trying to keep his drunken self on track. Bless him.

“She’s beautiful. But, come on. There is no way she's a good Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer. She's all over Hangman. What a slut." His voice has a cruel turn as he slurs out the words.

“Aren’t you being a little harsh, man? You don’t even know her. So what if she’s close to Hangman? That doesn’t make her a slut.”

"She does seem close to him." Fanboy is finally tracking a little bit of the conversation.

"Hah. Even if they're soulmates, I doubt there is a single thought in that little head. I bet she got here on her knees." He can feel his sense of balance reel just a little as he turns away.

He staggers through the bar looking for Penny to close out his tab and get more water. That’s when he makes contact with the one person he’s been trying to avoid all night. He nearly bowls her over, too, in his overeager drunken haze.

“Tinkerbell. You okay? I didn’t mean to run into you like that.”

He can't resist dragging his hands up and down her soft waist as he looks into her eyes. Those expressive eyes look hurt and are swimming with barely suppressed tears.

“Why? I’m just another garden variety slut, right? The only way I got to where I am in my career is on my knees, right? You don't need to apologize if that’s what you think.” It hurts hearing that gorgeous voice sound so rough. His hands sting from where she’d slapped them away.

His throat is inexplicably dry again. But Tinkerbell’s gone before he apologizes or says anything to redeem himself. Well, he’s not sure what he would have said anyways. He staggers to the bar, accepts the glass of water Penny hands him, and looks drunkenly at the squadron as they continue to have fun without him. He catches glimpses of Tinkerbell as she says what looks to be her goodbyes and flounces out the door.

“Bradley, hey, kiddo.” When did Penny get here? “D’you want me to call Mav to take you home?”

He can’t find the words to reply, alcohol weighing his tongue as he fights to talk about everything he’s been feeling tonight. Penny must have decided to call Mav anyways because the next thing he sees when he opens his eyes is Mav in front of him. He’s speaking, but it takes a few moments for Bradley to identify what he’s saying.

“Hey, Baby Goose. Penny called me. She said you needed a ride. D’you have your wallet and the keys to the Bronco?”

“Yeah, Mav.” He fishes the keys out and hands them to his uncle. It’s a bit of a struggle to get out the door, and he can’t help babbling at his uncle and one of the only dads he’s ever known as he staggers out the door propped against his shoulder.

“She was so pretty, Mav.”

“Who, Baby Goose?” Mav sounds confused, and Bradley can’t keep the goofy look off his face as he incoherently talks about Tinkerbell and how much he loves how she looks.

“Why do you like her so much, Brad?” Mav’s still trying to make his words make sense, and the more lucid part of Bradley’s brain understands exactly why. “She feels like what you told me it felt like when you met Uncle Ice. And what you told me Dad felt like when he met Mama.” Having a life like his parents, it's all he can think about, even when he’s blazingly drunk.

It’s quiet in the car as Mav drives him back onto the Naval base and towards his off-base quarters. That silence continues until Mav’s gotten him into his apartment and onto his bed. And that’s when the rest of the story spills out of him.

“But she’s Hangman’s, Mav. Why does she feel like she should be mine if she’s Hangman’s?”

“I dunno, Baby Goose.” His uncle’s running his fingers through his hair like he used to when Bradley was a kid and had a nightmare. “Maybe there’s more going on there than you know? Try to get to know her without assuming she’s someone else’s soul. Try to get to know this girl as she is, and maybe you’ll find that she’s what you need when you least expect it.”

“But what if she wants nothing to do with me?” Bradley’s not surprised to hear a tremor in his voice as he asks that one final question. Sleep’s already pulling on every sense as he fights to stay awake.

“Just be yourself, Bradley. And if you’ve truly done so much damage in one night that you can’t get past, then there’s nothing you can do but hope.” That’s the last thing Bradley remembers before he falls asleep, and he hopes he’ll be able to do what his uncle says the next time he sees her.

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