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philomenie · 2 months ago

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RIDE THROUGH AN AUTUMN NIGHT

Pairing: Jolly x Alice

CN: angst, grief, break up, mention of cheating, drugs, alcohol, fluff

@reyadawn @nojoyontheburn @dsireland86 @jilliemiw86 @fadingintothegrey @aubrey-melinoe

dividers by @saradika-graphics

Exhausted from lack of sleep and jet lag, Jolly stands at the car rental counter at Stockholm airport waiting to finally get the damn keys to his rental car.

The last few hours seem almost surreal to him... he's now been traveling for almost 13 hours, and on top of that he's hardly slept at all, as he left straight after the last concert in L.A., went to the airport, waited there for the next available flight to Stockholm, which fortunately wasn't fully booked and left in less than half an hour.

So now he's in Stockholm, overnighted, exhausted, without luggage, in sweatpants and a hoodie, although at this time of year, unlike in warm California, it can get pretty cold in Stockholm.

The last rays of sunshine on this sunny October day have long since faded and it is already dark.

Jolly needs nothing more than a bed and a good night's sleep, but he has to go through with what he has planned.

He is afraid that once he is asleep about everything, his courage might leave him and he knows that if he retreats now, he will probably never have the courage to do what he wants to do, needs to do.

He is now firmly convinced that he simply MUST do it. He MUST seize this opportunity, this last opportunity, to perhaps have a minimal chance of saving what he so carelessly threw away so long ago. The love and affection of Alice.

The woman who once meant the world to him and whom he first abandoned and then repressed. Repressed, not forgotten, because he could never really forget her completely.

Whether it was a one-night stand, friendship plus or a relationship after Alice, he had unconsciously compared every woman to her, as he had realized in the last few hours on the plane.

He thought long and hard and came to the conclusion that he was a huge fucking asshole who too often just wanted to have fun and live the rock star life to the full.

Whether it was women, partying or the occasional drug, alcohol.... He lived his life to the limit for a long time without showing much consideration for others. Others who should have meant something to him, meant something to him, like Alice....

FUCK, what an idiot he was.

Lately, or rather in the last two or three years, he has slowly realized that this life isn't everything, can't be everything, and he has taken a step back, no more random one-night stands, no more drugs, hardly any alcohol, hardly any parties.

Somehow he's only really grown up now, in his mid-30s, and has realized what's really important in life....

The decisive factor was actually his last failed relationship, when his girlfriend at the time accused him of only being half-hearted about it, of not fully committing to her and the relationship.

This got Jolly thinking six months ago and he realized that his heart was still attached to Alice, as his thoughts kept wandering back to her and the questions of 'what if' and 'what could have been' still dominated his thoughts and feelings.

“Right Mr. Karlsson... here are the papers I need you to sign here and here..... and here are the keys to your hire car!” smiles the young woman behind the counter, snapping Jolly out of his thoughts.

He looks at her, irritated.

“You still have to sign here and here!” she explains kindly a second time and pushes the rental agreement and the insurance contract towards Jolly.

“Um... yes, sorry, I was thinking it!” mumbles Jolly and quickly signs the papers, then has the key handed to him.

“The car is in our parking lot, right here at the airport, you can't miss it if you go straight out through the main exit.... Parking lot number 14!” explains the young woman with a smile, ”Have a nice stay in Stockholm!”

“Hmm, thanks!” nods Jolly and walks off, out of the building, where the cold, crisp fall air rushes towards him.

Jolly stops for a moment and takes a deep breath of the fresh air, closing his eyes briefly. The smell of home runs through his head and a pleasant shiver runs through his body.

Home... what does that actually mean to him now?

Is it California, L.A.?

Or is it rather Sweden....

In the past, he would have said L.A., his new home, without batting an eyelid, but right now he feels a certainty deep inside him that this is his real home, always has been and always will be.

His roots are here and perhaps it is time for him to realize what that means.

Home.... Jolly also knows that it's not just a place, a feeling, but also a person.... His home has always been Alice. With her, he felt safe, loved, understood, accepted just as he is, wasn't questioned, didn't try to change.... He was simply allowed to be himself..... just be....

He could just kick himself in the ass for throwing it away like that... God you asshole, you moron, he thinks to himself angrily!

Jolly quickly finds the car, a silver-colored SUV from Volvo... a Volvo, of course... what else here in Sweden, he thinks to himself and has to grin.

He gets in, then sets the sat nav before driving off.

Fuck, three and a half hours' drive, and it's already past 9 pm... which means he won't be in Jönköping, or rather Husqvarna, a suburb of Jönköping, until half past twelve. His old hometown, where he was born and raised, where he took his first steps in the music business with his first band, where he met and fell in love with Alice.... The place he was all too ready to leave, just as he was all too ready to leave Alice. For a career in America.... For a life to his liking..... an extraordinary life.

But this extraordinary life has been demanding a lot from him lately, almost too much if he is honest with himself.

Sighing, he turns the ignition key in the lock and starts the car, drives out of the parking lot, letting himself be guided by the voice of the navigation system in the dark, starry autumn night.

Jolly's thoughts drift back to the previous day, the concert they played, which was something of a turning point in his life, depending entirely on the outcome of the conversation Jolly wants to try and have.

Nevertheless, he already knows that no matter how the conversation turns out, he won't be the same person he was before.

Too much has happened at once, he's learned things he didn't know, never thought he would, and he's realized how much he's hurt Alice.

God, she won't listen to me anyway, probably won't even let me get a word in edgewise, if she even opens the door....

Jolly becomes uncertain.

Damn it, shouldn't he go to a hotel after all.... NO, at least he has to go to Jönköping today. He can stay in a hotel there.

He doesn't want to go to his parents, especially as they don't even know he's here. He hasn't told anyone that he's coming.

Of his bandmates, he only told Noah because he came to the conversation, if you can call it that, that he had after the concert.

Jolly is sure that Noah has told everyone by now that he had to leave urgently.

He can still remember Noah's words: “If you're going to do it, do it properly, be honest, just go completely naked if you want to have another chance with her!”

And that's exactly what he plans to do!

Kilometer after kilometer passes in the starry night. Jolly has opened the window a crack to feel the fresh, cold air on his skin and to dispel his tiredness.

He takes a few deep breaths in and out.

He reviews what has just happened in his mind's eye.

During the concert, he had already noticed the young woman standing near the barricade with her friends. The first time he consciously looked at her, he messed up the chord, which earned him an irritated look from Noah. Normally, he never messes up.

But he was too perplexed, because at first he really thought he was looking at Alice. About the same height, same figure, even the same hair color, almost exactly the same facial features.... Even the dimples when she laughed were identical.

This woman looked exactly like Alice did when he left her, nine years ago...

Jolly had to keep looking at her, which her friends also noticed and pointed out to her. The cool, disparaging look that he then received from ice-blue eyes made it clear to him that it couldn't be Alice, as Alice has green eyes, but he was familiar with this look and had already received it in the past.

From Maja, Alice's little sister, who is 10 years younger than Alice and hated him with a passion back then. That definitely hasn't changed, in fact it has intensified.

After the concert, he practically stormed off the stage, more or less threw his guitar into Josh's arms and went down to the barricade, but Maja and her friends were nowhere to be seen.

Fuck... he just has to find them and ask for Alice....

He had searched social media for her some time ago, but couldn't find her profile. His internet search revealed that she still lives in Jönköping, Husqvarna. In a typical Swedish house on the edge of a small settlement, just as she always wanted.

A lump then formed in Jolly's throat as he recalled some of the conversations they had.

At the beginning of their relationship, when they were just 20 years old, Alice and he often played a game, What if....? A question and answer game

What if I'm 30 years old... Alice once asked.... He still remembers this question very well, including his answer!

Then we're married and you're touring the world with me because I'm a famous rock star....

Jolly feels that lump in his throat again and angrily punches the steering wheel.... FUCK!!!

God, they were so young and so in love.... Alice was friends with Petter's sister and once happened to be at a band rehearsal in Petter's basement.

They had both fallen head over heels in love with each other. However, it took a while before they finally got together because both were too shy and insecure at first to reveal their feelings to the other.

Heavens, when Jolly thinks about it now, he gets the same weak knees and that tugging in his stomach, in his chest, as he did back then, whenever he thought about Alice or saw her.

He can even smell her scent if he closes his eyes for a moment, which isn't safe considering he's sitting in a car right now and driving. Lavender. Alice has always smelled of lavender.

A flower that even he knows, as his mother has dozens of lavender bushes among her roses in her garden.

Alice was always at his side, at every performance, whenever she could manage it.

They were inseparable.

Until... until he became something like a megalomaniac! In any case, at some point everything was too small, too little, not spectacular enough for him. He wanted more, much more. Fame, success and, stupidly, other women who willingly offered themselves to him.

After every infidelity, he crawled back to Alice in remorse, promising her again and again that it would never happen again. After every drunken binge, he swore to her that he would drink less or nothing more. Because as soon as he got drunk and Alice wasn't with him, he ended up back in bed with some girl anyway.

He still doesn't know why Alice kept taking him back. She seemed to be able to forgive him for all that.

Maybe because they were simply made for each other, she knew that, only he had forgotten it?

FUCK.... Alice was just perfect for him, in every way.

Her silky dark brown hair that shimmered reddish in the sunlight. Her green eyes that sparkled like emeralds, her cherry-red, full lips that he loved to kiss so much, her dimples when she laughed. Her sparkling laugh in general, which always made him weak.

Her delicate hands with the many silver rings, her perfect ears with the piercings. Her swan-like neck, which he loved to cover with kisses.

Her narrow waist, which he loved to embrace, to pull her towards him, to signal to everyone that she was his and only his.

At some point, he began to pull away from her more and more, partly out of a guilty conscience, partly out of selfishness.

Maja more than hated him at this point and showed it openly as soon as they met.

Jolly has to think about her last evening.

Alice must have known back then when he turned up at her door. With his hoodie and baseball cap pulled over his face, his hands buried deep in his trouser pockets, staring at the floor as he began to speak haltingly.

She was still defending him against everyone and anyone at this point, not letting anyone say a bad word about him, even when he hurt her, unconsciously but also consciously... in the end it was mostly conscious and he didn't care.

That absolute shitty evening when he stood stammering on the porch outside her parents' house and told her that he was leaving and that he was therefore ending their relationship, he knew for a fact that he was breaking her heart.

She plunged into an absolute hole of despair and he hardly cared because he told himself that it was the right thing to do, that it was time to move on, to get to know new things, to start a new life....

HE decided what Alice wanted didn't count for anything at that point.

Jolly angrily hits the steering wheel again.

Damn selfish idiot, he growls again and again.

Maja then appeared at some point and shouted at him because she had heard her sister crying. The girl hit him and shouted that he should fuck off, preferably die and never come back, just leave her sister alone.

Jolly was almost right, he could practically escape from the situation, which he did without looking back once.

He blocked out Alice's sobs until he drove away with screeching tires.

FUCK..... Now he remembers this little detail, just before he started talking.... Alice said we need to talk.... Jolly thought she meant their relationship, that it's at ground zero right now, disastrous, messy, destructive!

Now he knows she wanted to talk about something else... FUCK!!!!

If only he had listened to her once....

If only he'd let her talk first....

However, he's not sure if that would have made much difference at the time.

FUCK, he really is the biggest scum.…

Jolly has to stop because he feels sick and dizzy, so he pulls into a parking bay on the side of the road, switches off the engine and pulls open the driver's door, sucking the crisp autumn air into his lungs.

Slowly, the dizziness and nausea get better.

Damn... he hasn't eaten or drunk anything for a long time....

Just as he is about to let the navigation system search for a gas station or a snack bar, his cell phone buzzes.

It's Noah.

“Arrived safely?” he wants to know immediately.

“Hmm,” grumbles Jolly in agreement.

“So, are you in Jönköping yet?” Noah continues.

“Not yet... I've still got a good two hours' drive ahead of me!” gulps Jolly.

“Fuck... have you slept at all?” Noah asks anxiously.

“Some.....” Jolly qualifies, stifling a yawn.

“Are you still going to see her today?” Noah asks.

“Honestly... no idea right now!” growls Jolly, ”Since I've been on the road, I've been thinking about everything, what mistakes I've made, how much I've hurt her.... But also how much I loved her... how much I still love her...... Noah, she was THE one... and I broke everything, threw everything away.... How am I supposed to just show up at her door in the middle of the night after almost 10 years and beg for forgiveness? Beg her for forgiveness with the idiotic hope that she'll take me back?”

“You can only try, what she does then is not in your power to influence!” Noah explains seriously, ”Like I said, get naked! If she really means as much to you as you said, then this is your only chance!”

“I know..... but I'm scared shitless right now!” whispers Jolly harshly, ”So much depends on it.”

“Exactly, that's why!” hisses Noah, ”Jesus, Jolly, since when are you such a doubter? You're not a coward! Face up to everything, admit your mistakes and hope for the best, that's all you can do!”

“Yes, I am a coward... I was and I probably still am.....” mumbles Jolly, embarrassed.

“Then face it!” Noah declares seriously, ”Just do it!”

“Hmm” grumbles Jolly.

“Listen, let me know when you've arrived and what you want to do then. Maybe you'll have a bit more clarity by then!” Noah explains gently, ‘And one thing you shouldn't forget, despite everything, is what Maja's girlfriend blurted out!’ he then grins.

“Hmm” nods Jolly, a little more hopefully.

“So! Stand your ground and don't run away!” Noah reiterates to Jolly before hanging up.

Jolly stares thoughtfully at the display of his cell phone.... The words of Maja's girlfriend still clear in his ear.

FUCK, he has to try, Noah is right, so he sits back down, closes the car door and drives off again.

However, he makes a little detour to the nearest gas station and stocks up on various snacks and drinks, as his blood sugar feels off the charts.

After he has consumed most of the snacks and 2 cans of Coke, he feels better again. Not just physically, but mentally too, so he is determined to go through with it.

Preferably tonight!

The longer he drives towards Jönköping, towards Alice, the stronger his longing for her becomes. God, it just has to work, he tells himself again and again.

Alice is his home, always has been and always will be....

Maja will strangle him, as she has sworn to do, if he dares to go to Alice, but he accepts that.

Maja was so angry, mainly because her friends, especially Selma, had blabbed and only didn't go after him because Noah suddenly appeared next to him.

Jolly has to grin at this memory.

It was pure coincidence that he met Maja and her friends after the concert after all.

After he and the others had freshened up, they actually wanted to get to their minibus in the venue's private parking lot.

On the way there, they had to pass a group of concertgoers, separated by barricades.

Jolly's gaze automatically wandered over the people and got stuck on Maja, or more precisely, her rear view.

Jolly was struck by lightning at first and couldn't move, but then he gave himself a jolt and approached her, talking to her over the barricade.

Her friends' eyes almost popped out of their heads, but they stared at him and Maja open-mouthed and speechless.

It felt like an eternity before Maja turned to him with a cool, hateful look.

“What do you want?!” her voice couldn't have been icier.

“Talk?!” he shrugged his shoulder awkwardly in response.

“What would I want to talk to YOU about!” came the reply.

“Maja... please, I know it's been a long time... but when I saw you earlier.... Damn you look so damn much like her.....” he swallowed.

“You realize that now, after fuckin almost 10 years?! Fucking asshole! You could have contacted her long ago if you'd really wanted to! Suddenly you're getting sentimental? Remembering the good old days? Or are you horny? Don't you have a slut to fuck right now?” she snapped at him.

Her friends were more speechless than ever, and other concert-goers listened with interest.

“Maja... please.... can we discuss this in peace and quiet? In a different setting?” he tried to reassure her.

“Forget it, Karlsson, you're scum and I'm certainly not going to listen to you!” was her reply.

Until Selma regained her composure and blurted out a few things.

“FUCK.... Then HE really is HIM?!” she stammered.

“Shut up!” growled Maja.

Jolly couldn't quite follow that.

“I thought you were joking when you said you knew the fuckin guitarist from fuckin Bad Omens.... FUCK!” blurted out one of the other women.

“Yes... I 'know' that asshole... unfortunately!” Maja hissed.

“But is HE really HIM then?” Selma followed up.

“Shut up!” growled Maja.

“FUCK... you know very well that Alice still loves him, if that's who he is! Hasn't forgotten him. As well as.....” Selma blurted out, interrupted by Maja.

“Shut your mouth, Selma! I won't say it again!” Maja grabbed Selma's arm angrily.

“Alice still loves me?!” whispered Jolly tonelessly, more to himself than to the others. This information turned his whole world upside down.

Selma, who had broken away from Maja, nods, “Yes, she does... She hasn't had a steady relationship for years, dates now and then that have all come to nothing.... Which isn't just because of Liam!”

“Liam?” Jolly furrowed his brow in irritation.

“That's enough... it's none of his business! He ran off back then and Selma, I swear I'll wring your neck if you make another sound!” Maja hissed at her friend.

“Who's Liam?” Jolly wanted to know.

“As I see it, your son!” Selma nodded and Maja tried to lunge at her, which Jolly just managed to prevent with a firm grip.

“DON'T TOUCH ME!” Maja yelled out all her anger and frustration, ”AND LEAVE ALICE ALONE!”

“Maja... is that right?” gulped Jolly, thunderstruck.

But Maja preferred icy silence.

“Yes... Alice has a son and he must be yours!” Selma nodded instead.

Jolly felt like he might faint in an instant, so he clung to the barricade. Panting and gasping for air, he stood there, “Really?” he croaked with a pleading look at Maja, who didn't give him a glance, instead stabbing Selma with her eyes.

“Maja... is that true?” he repeated pleadingly.

“He looks a lot like you... your hair color, your eyes....” Selma enumerated, ”The right age. She hasn't told anyone who the father is, but..... well, when you see him, you'll just know!”

“Maja....?” Jolly choked out questioningly.

“Luckily he doesn't have your nature...” Maja hissed almost inaudibly, but Jolly had heard and his legs threatened to buckle.

At that moment, Noah joined them and was able to observe Jolly's strange behavior from a distance.

Worried, he put a hand on his back, “Are you OK, Jolly?”

“No... actually, nothing's ok....” Jolly choked out, ”I have to go, Noah!”

“What, where? Why?” Noah wanted to know immediately.

“To Sweden... She's still in Sweden, isn't she?” Jolly asked and Selma nodded.

“Yes, she's still alive, or rather back in Jönköping!” Selma confirmed.

“If you care about her, you leave her alone!” Maja suddenly declared icily, ”She's been through hell because of you, even after.... Now it looks like she's made up with her life and everything. Don't you dare destroy that again by showing up, turning everything upside down and then disappearing again! Besides, it's also about Liam, a child!”

“I.... Maja... I need to talk to her!” gulped Jolly.

“Yes, YOU have to talk to her, all right. Once again, it doesn't matter what she needs!” snapped Maja.

“Maja, she still loves him.... She told me at the summer party when Nils broke up with me. She told me about her great love that she could never forget and how hard it is to let go, even though you don't really want to....” Selma explained gently.

Jolly felt sick.... FUCK, he really destroyed Alice back then.

Noah looked from one to the other uncomprehendingly, “Alice, Liam... kid?? What are we talking about here?”

“I guess I have a son!” gulped Jolly and Noah went no less pale than Jolly already was.

“WHAT???” he gasped tonelessly.

“Yeah, with Alice... I didn't know about anything... had absolutely no idea, she never told me.....” gulped Jolly.

“Yes, I wonder why!” Maja added spitefully.

“The Alice you told me about? The one you still love?” Noah then wanted to know, which made the women present sit up and take notice.

“Yes, that Alice.....” nodded Jolly.

“Then go to yourself, get your shit in order, get naked and try to win her back!” Noah nodded seriously.

Jolly looked at him questioningly, but Noah just gave him a shove, “GO, for fuck's sake, what are you waiting for?”

So he ran off, took a cab to the airport and is now here, in the middle of the night on a lonely road in Sweden on a clear fall night. Ready to take his fate into his own hands and win back the love of his life.

Monotonously, kilometer after kilometer goes by. Jolly goes through countless scenarios in his mind, what he should say to her, how he should say it.

FUCK, he feels like a schoolboy trying to slip a love letter to his crush. Just as excited, just as insecure.

As the lights of Jönköping slowly illuminate the darkness, Jolly's heart beats faster, he feels sick again and starts to sweat.

He nervously brushes his hair out of his face.

What should he do now? Go straight to her or check into a hotel and wait until tomorrow to attack her?

Jolly is getting more and more nervous.

Swearing, he pulls up again with squealing tires. He has to get to her, otherwise he's afraid of losing his courage.

The small settlement on the outskirts of Jönköping already seems to be sleeping peacefully, with only a few illuminated windows to be seen.

The SUV slowly rolls along the road until Jolly reaches his destination.

Alice's house.

His heart is pounding in his throat and he feels like he is going to faint again when he stops and takes the ignition key out of the lock.

He has to inhale and exhale deeply for a moment.

A glimmer of light can be seen from a window at the side. Alice must still be awake.....

She's always been a night owl, he remembers, and a smile steals across his face.

With trembling legs, he walks through the small garden gate and along the gravel path that winds its way to the house, climbing the steps to the porch that nestles against the front door.

Should I really, it races through his head......

He almost lets his hand drop again, but then he raises it again and knocks hard on the front door.

It's so loud, he himself is startled and looks around because a dog has started barking somewhere nearby, so he doesn't even notice that the hall light has gone on and keys are being turned in the door lock with a rustle.

Only when the door opens a crack does he startle, staring into bright green eyes that widen in shock.

Before Alice can slam the door shut again, at least that's what Jolly assumes, he pushes his foot between the door and the hinge and presses his hand against the door.

“Please.... We need to talk!” he chokes out, looking at her pleadingly.

Alice is so shocked that she can't get a sound out, nods automatically, undoes the chain in front of the door and then opens it completely.

As she stands there in front of him, Jolly's knees go weak and a stupid grin appears on his face. God, how could he have left her.

A whole world of emotions assaults him.

Love, desire, longing, security, home.... He feels all of this at the same time, just at the sight of her and the delicate scent she exudes. Lavender.

Alice is still unable to make a sound, so she just stands there in her leggings, oversized sweatshirt, thick woolen socks and messy hair bun, from which countless strands have stolen and are winding around her delicate face.

Jolly would have liked to tuck her behind her ear, but he doesn't dare move a finger, let alone touch her.

So he just chokes out, “We need to talk!” again.

Alice must have recovered from her initial shock. She clears her throat, wraps her arms around her torso, pushes her chin forward slightly and narrows her eyes.

She's even more enchanting than usual when she's angry, it occurs to Jolly as he looks at her like that and his desire for her continues to grow.

“About what?!” she growls softly at him.

“About just about everything....” sighs Jolly softly, ”Please.... Just let me finish, then when you say go, I'll go. I promise!”

Alice eyes him coolly, but then nods.

So Jolly plucks up all his courage, puts everything into a balance and begins to apologize to her, revealing his true feelings, what a fucking idiot he has been. In the end, he begs her forgiveness, asks for a second chance.

“I love you, Alice. I always have and I always will. I was just so stupid that it took me so long to realize that..... and then I had to work up the courage to go to you!” he mumbles.

“I understand if you send me away because I hurt you so much..... tore you to pieces.... All I can say is how sorry I am!” he swallows.

Alice looks at him for a long time. You can see how hard she is working, how much she is struggling with herself. But then she straightens her shoulders.

“It's too late, Joakim!” she whispers harshly and Jolly flinches as if he's been hit, but he was actually expecting this answer, ”No one has ever hurt me like you before and I'll never let myself be hurt like you did again! So please go!”

The question about Liam is on the tip of Jolly's tongue, but he remains silent. He understands that he has no right to ask Alice about his son. He has no right to anything. He gambled it all away a long time ago.

“I see...” he just nods, ”If I could, I'd turn back time... but I can't... I'd like to shake myself, beat myself up, to come to my senses.... I'm so incredibly sorry, Alice. And I know you won't believe me when I tell you I love you......”

Jolly can't move, but then he tears himself away, turns and storms out of the house, leaps down the porch steps and hurries to his SUV.

With trembling fingers, he unlocks the lock, but before he can open the car door, he is overcome by a wave of nausea and has to lean against the car, retching and gasping for breath.

It all seems to be too much for his body, his legs buckle and Jolly has to kneel down, leaning his head against the car door.

He feels hot tears running down his cheeks, so he presses his face against the cool car door.

In a surge of despair, he bangs his head against it a few times, just to stop feeling this despair, letting suppressed sobs escape his throat.

FUCK... this must be exactly how Alice felt back then.....

“YOU FUCKING STUPID IDIOT!” it suddenly hisses next to him and Jolly blinks upwards in confusion, where Alice stands like an angry avenging angel, staring down at him, trembling and equally crying.

“WHY???” she continues to hiss and punches him on the shoulder.

Jolly tries to get to his feet and stands up, trembling.

“TELL ME WHY??” Alice continues to cry, pounding his broad chest with her fists. Jolly just lets it happen.

“WHY ONLY NOW??? WHY ARE YOU ONLY COMING NOW? WHY DID YOU GO TO .....” Alice gasps.

“I... can't tell you... because I was a stupid asshole... scared of what we had.... Felt constricted..... I'm sorry.... I'm so incredibly sorry!” he mumbles.

Alice continues to lash out at him, taking all her frustration out on him until she stands sobbing in front of him, “And why do I still love you......” she breathes so softly that Jolly thinks he has misheard her at first.

Alice looks him in the eye with a teary gaze, “Why?”

Jolly can't help but pull her into his arms and hold her close. Alice clings to him, sobbing.

“I'm so incredibly sorry, Älskade!” he swallows.

“I can't do this again.....” sobs Alice.

“I know, min Älskling, I know...” whispers Jolly tenderly, stroking her hair, ”If I hadn't realized that, I wouldn't have come...... I came to stay with you!”

Startled, Alice looks at him, scrutinizing him closely, but all she can see in his gaze is love and the promise he has just made to her.

“I don't know.... I....” she swallows.

“We don't have to rush into anything!” nods Jolly, ”I'll stay here for now... let's just start over. Get to know each other again.”

“But there's something else I need to tell you.....” swallows Alice.

“I've known that for a while... And the thing I'm most sorry about is that I wasn't there for you!” Jolly nods seriously.

“Where from?” asks Alice, stunned, and Jolly tells her that he met Maja and her friends in LA.

“And Selma's still alive?” Alice has to ask.

“Well, at least she was when I stormed off!” smiles Jolly and kisses Alice's forehead.

“Maja will kill her and me!” Alice then nods.

“Why you?” Jolly wants to know.

Alice buries her nose in Jolly's broad chest, breathes in his tart scent, which lulls her and gives her the security she has missed for so long, “Because I'm so stupid and say yes....” she whispers.

“You're saying yes? You really want to try again with me?” Jolly's heart seems to burst.

Alice nods, “Yes... because I still love you, I've missed you so damn much and this feels so good, so right......”

She lifts her head, “But if you.....”

“No!” Jolly interrupts her immediately, leaning in and kissing her tenderly, ”No, I won't!”

The gust of wind that catches them both and pushes them closer together is like a sealing of this promise.......

#joakim jolly karlsson #joakim karlsson #jolly karlsson #jolly #bad omens #bad omens cult #bad omens band #joakim karlsson fanfiction #jolly fanfiction #bad omens fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

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saltsicklover · 1 year ago

Text

Part Nine

Title: Once an Asshole, Always an Asshole

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4200+

Rating: R

Warnings: Swearing, Crying, Tobacco, Smoking, Argument, the mention of death, mention of SA, Bob being heartbroken and fucking angry

Second Chance Romance!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bob Floyd, or anything related to Top Gun Maverick within this piece. Not Proof Read or BETA'd. All mistakes are my own.

I do not consent for my work to be edited, reposted, or translated.

You are responsible for your own media consumption. This is a work of fiction that may contain mature themes. If you are sensitive to those subjects, please do not read.

---

Rooster and Phoenix sit in the Bronco silently and Sunny sleeps in the back seat. They both fidget in their seats. Natasha wiggles, adjusting her whole body. Rooster cracks his knuckles repeatedly. They only make it through the next stop sign before the quiet is broken.

"Did you know Bob smokes?"

"I have so much information on Bob,"

The pair speak at the same time, both of them shooting a glance in the rearview to see if Sunny is still asleep. She doesn't even stir.

"You first," Bradley speaks again, flicking on his blinker. The signal blinks blinks blinks. Natasha takes a deep breath, running a hand through her hair.

"Sunny has been talking about this guy who broke her heart, God, Rooster, she has been talking about him for years. I knew his name was Bobby, but fuck, I didn't even stop to think that her Bobby would be our Bob! Hell, Bob is a nickname, and do you even know how many Bobs there are in the world?!" Phoenix's voice is a bit exasperated. Sweat is settling around her hairline even though the windows of the Bronco are down. The breeze blows throughout the cab of the vehicle, prickling gooseflesh takes over her skin.

She chances a look at Rooster who doesn't pull his eyes from the road. He clears his throat quietly before running the tip of his tongue over his dry lips. He sighs.

"You can't blame yourself for that, Phoenix. It's not like Bob isn't a common name, or even Robert for that matter. Her Bobby could've been anyone," Bradley squeezes her hand before bringing his own back to the steering wheel.

"I know a lot about Bob, so much I didn't even know that I knew!" Phoenix's hands are on her head, fingers massaging circles into her temples. Her voice is higher than normal, like the stress it tweaking the octaves.

"So, you knew Bob smokes?" Bradley brings the conversation back around to his original thought. The vehicle slows for a red light. When they stop, everything is quiet for a beat.

"I didn't know that I did. As far as I knew, Bob was just Bob. Clean cut, quiet, damn good at his job. I didn't even think he dated, but, oh my god," The color all but drains from Phoenix's face.

"What is it?" The vehicle begins moving again with the change of the traffic light.

"Bob fucks," Her voice is so quiet she doesn't even hear herself say it.

"Phoenix?" Bradley prompts, chancing a glance in her direction.

"Bob fucks," She tries again, a little louder this time. She wouldn't have thought Bradley heard her if the car didn't swerve a bit as the words left her lips.

"What?"

"I guess when they were in school, back in Montana, Bob was some sort of huge player! He was captain of the swim team and broke girls hearts. That was his thing," Natasha works to recall stories from over the years, ones that came in few and far between. Sunny was never big on talking about her school life before they the pair started speaking. But, as time went on, Sunny told Natasha more and more.

"Sunshine said something about that earlier, too," Bradley nods, turning on his blinker once more. They make the turn into a driveway of a very nice house. It's in a neighborhood about fifteen minutes outside of Base. It seems completely unassuming in the dark, and really it is in the light too. It's in a neighborhood filled with Military members and their families. Their house being one of the only few where the small front yard isn't littered with children's toys.

"Do you think he is hiding anything else from us?" Natasha's voice is so small now.

"Hey, Nat," Rooster puts a hand over her own rested on her thigh, "Everyone has a past, that is just a part of life. We aren't going to know everything about each other just because we work together. Just remember, we know Bob, and he has never let us down, so that's gotta account for something, right?"

When Natasha finally exhales the breath she had trapped in her lungs, she all but deflates completely. "I guess you're right,"

"Let's get you two inside,"

"Should we wake her?" Natasha asks, turning to look at Sunny. She has barely changed positions, except her face is turned further into the backrest of the seat.

"Don't bother, I'll carry her," Bradley tells her with a curt nod. Once the passenger seat is folded forward, Bradley maneuvers Sunny's sleeping form from the backseat and into his embrace. He carries her up the front steps, following after Natasha.

There is a single light on inside where Bob is sitting, a glass of dark whiskey in his hand. He has changed out of his uniform, now in jeans and a t-shirt. It was rare for anyone to see him like this, so dressed down. His civilian clothes he wore to work were always more put together, khakis and a button down shirt. Bob's glasses sit on the side table, under the lamp. He grasps the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. He runs a finger over the lip of the glass that is balanced on his thigh.

Natasha and Bradley enter the house. They toe off their shoes, Sunny curled up in Bradley's arm.

Bob chances a quick glace up at them from below his eyebrows but doesn't say a word to the pair. There is a moment before they even realize he is sitting there. The group coming through the door are surprised to find Bob in this state, disheveled and sullen; they are even more surprised when he brings the glass of dark liquid to his lips. They all share glances, no one quite ready to make the first move. Then, Bradley clears his throat lightly as he adjusts Sunny in his arms.

"I am going to go put her in the guest room," Bradley dismisses himself before disappearing further into the house and up the stairs. He carries her like his father used to carry his mother, minding each of the corners that her body could come in contract with on the way to the bedroom. He twists his hips so her ankle won't catch the banister and he leans to keep her head from making contact with the door jamb.

Bradley lays her on the bed, her feet hanging off the end. Carefully, he grabs one of her calves, bringing her foot up just high enough to grasp the heel of her boot. He tugs the leather off of her foot before carefully laying her leg back down. He sets the boot at the foot of the bed, toes facing out, just in case she holds the same weird superstition that he does. Then, he grabs her other calf to repeat the process.

This time though, as he goes to set the boot down next to the other, the warn bit of leather at the opening of the boot catches his eye. He runs a calloused fingertip over the well warn grooves of the leather. He knows exactly what used to sit there, what caused that mark in the first place.

Something between anger and pity rises in his chest. God, he is angry at Bob for hurting her- but somewhere deep in his subconscious he knows that anger isn't going to get him anywhere. Bradley also pities Bob. He can tell how much the other man has lost from the short amount of time he has spent with Sunny. Bob threw away something that every man dreams of- a girl who is going to show up and love him, regardless of the circumstance. He saw that relationship with his parents, the way they loved each other and how the world stopped the moment his father was no longer there. Bradley can't imagine anyone throwing that away willingly.

He sets the other boot down before hoisting Sunny further up into the bed. He brings the sheet over her, leaving the comforter folded halfway down so she doesn't overheat. Then, he leans just above her to push open the window, letting the cool night air drift into the bedroom.

After, he disappears into the hallway, heading for the laundry closet. He opens the dryer, checking if they are Phoenix's clothes before pulling out a large t-shirt from inside, as well as a pair of shorts. He folds them haphazardly as walks back into Sunny's room. Bradley leaves the garments on the end of the bed before disappearing once again, this time closing the door behind him.

Bradley slips down the stairs, interrupting Bob and Phoenix's conversation as he enters the room.

"I got her shoes off and got her settled into bed. She didn't even wake up. I also threw some of your clothes from the dryer at the end of the bed for her. I'll leave you guys to it, goodnight," He crosses to the door, not chancing a look at Bob. He pulls his shoes on almost too quick.

"Thanks, Rooster," Natasha nods, a thankful expression crossing her features. He nods back with a tightlipped smile before disappearing out the front door. Natasha watches the closed door for a moment before turning back to Bob, her face expressionless.

The smell of tobacco is stuck to Bob now, from the smoke he had at the Hard Deck, and then the three he had on the way home. The two share a look for a moment, no words needing to be said. Nat moves to the couch across from him. She sits, her hands folded in her lap. Bob still plays with the edge of his glass, his nail running over the glass.

"Bob," Phoenix starts, "God, I don't even know what to say..."

"I know I fucked up, okay? I don't need to be reminded," He snaps at her, eyes glued to the contents of his glass.

"Hey, don't bite my head off! I just- I was-" Natasha fumbles over her words before taking a deep breath, starting herself over. "Are you doing alright?"

Bob's eyes snap up at her words. That was the last thing he was expecting her to ask. 'How could you?' 'What's wrong with you?' or anything else would have made for sense to him. He sputters a bit.

"Am I doing alright?" His eyes are glassy as they meet hers, "No, I think I'm the furthest thing from alright," He brings the glass up again, shooting the last finger of liquid. He doesn't even grimace and that fact surprises Natasha.

"Oh, Bob," He shakes his head at her, eyes coming back down to meet the floor.

"Don't, Phoenix. I dug this grave a decade ago, I guess it's about time I lie in it, huh?"

"Bob, it doesn't have to be like this," Natasha attempts, her eyebrows pulled together.

"You don't even know the half of it," Bob rolls his eyes. His tone is snappy and short, like he doesn't even want to entertain the subject. Hell, he doesn't even want to be sitting there with her right now, especially when Sunny is asleep just upstairs.

The only thing he wants is to walk upstairs and knock on her door. He wants to talk to her, at the point, she could yell at him, curse his unborn children and he would just be happy that he was on her mind.

As if he hadn't been on her mind for the last ten years.

"Then tell me!" The words come out as a shout, bristling over Bob as he clenches his empty glass. His throat is desert dry, his heart aching for whiskey and a whiff of Sunny's perfume.

Natasha doesn't know it, but in front of her sits a broken man. His eyes are bloodshot, the skin around them chapped and aching. He cried as many tears as his body would allow between the time he left the Hard Deck and the moment Natasha and Bradley walked through the door.

"You don't get it, do you?" He scoffs. The grip on his glass tightens, his heartbeat pulsing through his fingers. He wants to throw the glass at the wall; he wants to watch the glass shatter, to see the glittering shards sitting on the floor. He knows the slivers of glass would shine just the way the tiles on the bottom of the pool used to. Bob wants to see it because he longs for a moment when he was closer to Sunny, instead of a million miles and one flight of stairs away.

"I can't understand something that you won't explain to me!" There are tears threating to spill from Natasha's eyes. She is all but begging Bob to tell her what he is feeling. She wants nothing more than to fix this rift that has seemed to open up and swallow her two closest friends. Natasha feels like she is standing in the middle of a gun fight, armed with nothing but her goddamn will.

"I said things to her that I can never take back Phoenix, you know that. Did you see the way she looked at me? I could practically see her heart breaking through her eyes when I didn't recognize her, Nat. How am I supposed to recover from that?"

"Robert," Phoenix voice starts out confident, but the shaky inhale she takes as her hands come up to wipe at the fallen tears on her cheeks make Bob stutter out another thought before she can continue.

"Do you even know why I am the way I am Phoenix?" Bob stands, the rage building within him. It's all a large stack of tinder, ready and waiting for that right spark to set it all aflame.

"I am like this because I wanted to be a better man," He pinches the bridge of his nose so tight the skin around it turns red. "The last time I saw Duchenne, she had told me that-" He stutters out the words, tears building up in the back of his throat.

"That she thought I was different, that I was a 'good man' but I fucking left her Phoenix. I left her sitting there in the dirt with tears in her eyes all because I was afraid of hurting my chances at getting into the goddamn Navy! The Navy, Phoenix, what a fuckin' joke," He laughs out a sort of broken chuckle, one that is dripping with too much knowing.

"This isn't how it was supposed to be, Natasha. I thought the Navy, the flying, everything would keep me distracted. And maybe, deep down, I had this sick idea that she would've been in our home town, working the ranch and that one day I would hang up my flight suit and walk back into Florence as a good man, as the man she deserves,"

There is bile coating the back of his throat now, his stomach like a ship without a sail in the churning of his insides. He wants to be sick, he also wants another drink- either way his throat will burn and his stomach will continue churning.

"I am the furthest thing from a good man now Natasha, I always have been, but somehow I think I've fallen even further down. God, let this be rock bottom because I can't take another slip," He practically collapses back down into the seat he had been occupying before.

"Robert Floyd," Natasha's voice is stern now, thick with authority, "You are one of the best men that I know. You are kind, you are selfless, and you are brave. You get into that jet with me everyday and I know that you will get me home. Do you want to know why?"

All Bob can do is raise an eyebrow at her. He drags his eyes back down to the whiskey glass still in his grip. He tilts it in his hand, watching the way the lip catches the light, like the shimmering of pool water.

"Because we made a deal, and good men don't make deals they can't keep and they sure as hell don't back out of 'em either," She is so sure of the words that Bob almost believes her.

"It was supposed to be different, Natasha," He speaks after a moment, his voice hoarse.

"So many things in this world are supposed to be different, Bob. I wasn't supposed to lose my first wingman to a fucking false positive drug test causing him to get discharged, and Rooster wasn't supposed to lose his parents so tragically. Hell, even Hangman, he walked in on a sexual assault in progress during flight school and had to be the one to stop it. Life doesn't always go the way we think it will, but we are still here, Bob. We are still here, and we are stronger because of it,"

Bob looks sheepish at best. Completely defeated, like he was kicked while he was down, nursing broken ribs and an aching heart. The look in his eye is what really broke Natasha, because she was speaking before she even realized it.

"I need to tell you something, okay? So I'm going to need you to shut up and listen to me," Phoenix hits his foot with her own, making the man draw his gaze back up to her. Sunny is going to kill her, but Nat pushes that thought aside. She raises her eyebrows expectantly at Bob. He just nods.

"The whole time I have known Sunny, she has rarely talked about dating. Every guy she ever went out with never made it past the third date. At first, she told me it was because of some sort of bad habit of theirs or their inability to make conversation. I bought that at first, because I know first hand what it is like out in the dating pool. But then she met Mikael. He worked for the same company she does, but at the branch in Germany. They met in New York over a business trip. They hit it off and for all intents and purposes, he was perfect-"

"Would you quit telling me about some bastard who inevitably broke her heart? It's not going to make me feel better to know someone else fucked up with her too," Natasha kicks him again, her expression all over unpleasant.

"Would you just listen?" She grumbles, arms crossing over her chest. Natasha can't help but feel a bit of anger flame up in her chest at his disregard, so she kicks his foot again, this time with a little more force. She raises her eyebrows expectantly, he nods in return.

"They dated for a couple of months and I thought things were going great, then an email landed in my inbox. You want to know what it said?" Natasha pulls her phone from her pocket, unlocking it with a swipe of her finger. Bob hums, eyes watching her out of focus fingers dance across the screen. She clears her throat before beginning.

"Dear Nash, I broke up with Mikael today. He told me on our last video date that I seemed closed off, guarded. I think he is right. For so long I have been guarding my heart because the last time I let someone in, they shattered it. At least, I thought they did, considering I have been broken hearted ever sense. But, I think my problem is that my heart has been missing. That night, my senior year, Bobby didn't break my heart, he left with it. I guess that's fitting, considering it had belonged to him for so long anyway. Maybe it's self deprecation or maybe it's just stupid, but I think my heart will always belong to Bobby, even if he was the one who caused me so much pain. Actually, I love him in spite of that. I love him, Nash. I always have, and I think I always will, that's why it's never going to work out with anyone else. They aren't him. That's all for now, sending you my love,"

Natasha's voice wavers. Tears prick at the corner of her eyes again, keeping her from looking up to meet Bob's. He sits there, mouth slightly ajar. His fingers have stilled their motion over the glass. His eyes are glassy again, throat constricting in on itself.

"I don't-" He whispers, "I don't know what to say to that,"

"Bob, that email was from six months ago," Phoenix chances a look up at Bob, a tear escaping. It trails wet and hot down her cheek. "If you are asking me, I think you've got a chance to make things right with her. Now, I'm not saying that it will be easy, or that she will be ready to talk to you, but you've gotta try,"

"I can't hurt her again, Phoenix, I just can't" Tears are slipping quickly down his face.

"From where I stand, she is already hurt. I think you owe it to her to say what you need to say, hell, I think you owe it to yourself,"

Bob can't believe what he is hearing. Just hours ago, Phoenix was tearing him a new one for hurting Sunny, and now she thinks that he has a chance to fix it? No way in hell. He eyes the glass again in his hand, watching the light dance across it. He pushes himself from his seat, facing away from her. There is tension between the glass in his hand and the wall.

"You really think, after everything I've put her through, that she is going to want to listen to a single word I have to say?"

"I didn't say that," She corrects, "I just said I think you should try. You two might feel better just yelling at each other, who knows? But that's for you to figure out,"

"I don't know if I can, Phoenix, I mean, what's there even left to say?"

Phoenix stands, a small smile on her lips. "How about what you feel?"

Bob can only pull his lips into a thin, straight line. She pats his shoulder before heading to the stairs, ready to climb into bed herself.

"You are a good man, Bob," She hums, turning to walk up the stairs. Bob stands still, waiting for the click of her bedroom door. It's faint, but he hears it. Then, his attention is back on the glass in his hand, his eyes flickering up to the wall and back down. He could shatter the glass right now, but what would that fix? It would just be another mess to clean up.

He lets out a long held sigh before placing the glass down on the coffee table, the crystal hitting the wood with a gentle clink. The light goes out with a flick of a switch and then Bob is climbing the stairs. His joints creak along with the floorboards, both himself and the house too stiff for comfort.

He pushes open the door to his bedroom. He lets his eyes wander over the bedroom, the whole thing suddenly feeling too clean and kept.

There was a piece of himself that had been missing for years, that he found tonight as he smoked his first cigarillo in the Hard Deck. The part of himself that hadn't existed since he walked away from Sunny. The unkempt man who fell in love with her. There is an itching feeling in his palms, the need to get back to that man, as least in the most basic way he can, to the man who loved her before everything else got in the way.

So, Bob pulls his shirt over his head, letting it fall to the floor. Then he toes off his boots, leaving them wherever they fall. With a flick of his wrist, his belt is undone. He pulls it through the loops of his jeans before dropping it. The buckle hits the hardwood with a loud thud, the leather snaking after it. Once Bob pushes his jeans down and off, he feels like he can breathe for a moment, finally, even if it is just a moment. It's deep and full, the oxygen filling his chest. He shudders.

Bob pushes open his window, letting the chilled night breeze invade his room. The mess on the floor makes his heart feel a little more at ease, like he has some semblance of control. He dips down to grab his jeans, then pulls the silver cigarette case out of the back pocket.

He slips a cigarillo between his lips before igniting a match. He lights his smoke before shaking out the flame. The only light in the room is the burning ash at the end of his small cigar, the room quickly filling with the deep smell of tobacco.

Bob lets his eyes wander to the bathroom door as he takes a long drag. The smoke fills his lungs, grounding him to this moment, and this moment alone. He smokes this cigarillo, then another, letting his mind drift to thoughts of Sunny and how she must look, tangled up in the crisp white sheets, a thousand miles away, but one flight of stairs closer.

#bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x you #bob floyd x y/n #robert floyd x reader #robert floyd x you #robert floyd x y/n #bob floyd angst #bob floyd imagine #bob floyd fanfiction #robert bob floyd #robert bob floyd x reader #robert bob floyd x yo #bob floyd #bob floyd fic #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun maverick

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silly-inky · 1 year ago

Text

Some headcanons on the king Boo's

Darkmoon King Boo (Luan/KB)

Marioparty/Regular King Boo (Jovial/Jovi)

Super Mario Sunshine King Boo (Sol/Sunny)

How I believe Boo's are created from risidual energy left over from someone who has since passed on, that has been braught back by large amounts of External energy

and or magic that charges the risidual energy left over and creates a Boo. this means a few things.

1. This is risidval energy, not a spirit or soul, when a Boo is created they usually have no memories about their past.

2. When Boo's do have some semblance of memory, they are very small

snipits, and aren't enough to figure out who they are, or who they were as a person. If they do have bits of memory, it means their risidual energy was strong enough to hold onto them, unfortunatly that also means they had a much more traumatic or prominent death which made the energy that more powerful.

Boo's are not like other ghost's because of this, they don't have the memories of life to cling to, this means they usually grow obsessions, things to keep them going, and give them some semblance of life. with Jovi, it was going out and experiencing the world, creating new memories, and having fun with no consequences, which is why he grew to love racing, it was the perfect pass time for him.Luan tried his best to avoid getting one, it would only distract him from his duty's, he isn't the fondest or traveling like Jovi, he hates people and being around them, apart from his Boo's of course, and his he had his hobies to keep him occupied.

His obsession did eventually come in, and it was probably the worst thing to obseses over for a Boo. A person. Boo's try to avoid this, usually stick to scaring or some thing small. But when it's a person it can become very messy. So when he realised his newly found obsession was Luigi, he was less than pleased. ( I have made a separate post for that headcanon, if interested click here ★) sunny doesn't exactly have a obsession, he just prefers to chill and lay about, and when he get's bored he goes down to help with the casino. He loves dealing with patrons who are rude to his staff, its an excuse to get aggressive with some for a good reason around people, plus he hates rude assholes messing with his staff, he usually doesn't actually have to speak with them to calm them down, his reputation, mixed with his status, and massive size, usually scares them

straight before he even gets close to with themm he still talks with them though.

Jovi used to be chaotic evil and sunny used to be chaotic nuentral before turning a new leaf for the Boo's sake, although they still love to get up to mischief, it's in their nature. Although there will be times they can revert or loose their composure and act just like Luan.

Luan and Jovi have a deal, since Luan hates to travle and likes to keep to himself, he usually handles royal duties such as treaties, proposals, trade, possible war declarations (they don't actually declare war on anyone, but he usually suplies Boo's to Bowsers army if requested). Basically all the writen stuff or things that can be handled over phone call or with a representative. He also looks after and cares for the Boo's, making sure they at least have somewhere to call home when shunned from other places.

Since Jovi travles and partakes in social events, his duties are to keep up appearances, handle social affairs, and stand in for Luan at unimportant royal meetings that Luan doesn't see the need to partake in. When it comes to more serious desicions they sit down and discuss it together and both attend the meetings.Sunny is kept in the loop but generally isn't bothered by that side of things, he helps if he's asked or it's too much on the other two, but they have had their own system with just the two of them that worked so well for so long they didn't see the point in changing it, which sunny is more than happy with.

When a Boo massively increases their energy and power, they get bigger and are able to start using illusions and other magic which only gets stronger as they increase their energy, this is why the more powerful Boo's like the Kings can create such real and solid illusions, as well as manipulating their own bodies to take on manyforms, including humanoid ones. Often these forms will resemble the forms from their past lives but won't be able to re-create their faces perfectly which is another kick in the teeth.

Because Jovi and Luan materialised around the same time this posed a few issues. The reason they both gained the title of "King" was because they were able to increase their power so quickly they became well known villians over night and were seen the most powerful out of any other Boo's and earned the title from the Boo's themselves and those that knew of their tyranny. The thing is, Luan was without the jewel or his his crown back then, which meant he and Jovi looked exactly alike. So the locals had no idea there were two. This caused a lot of confusion as peoples stories had very different, from how sometimes they would activley chase after people who were in the woods while screeching at them to just staring people down like some type of creepy cat. When they learnt of eachother when they had accidentally run into eachother, and bonded over their situation, becoming good friends and happily sharing the title to confuseand scare more locals. This confusion happens even now when they are more honest about it.

They learnt how to be and act like royals from old kings and Queens of old dead Kingdoms forgotten to most of the world of today. One they took a particular interest in was the Koopa Kingdom, which was much smaller then compared to now, but It was fairly new compared to the other kingdoms at the time, the ruler back then was Queen Marcella, she was a strong and intimidating queen who had similar moral values to the Boo's, she had a massive soft spot for the Boo's, so she took Luan and Jovi under her wing, and taught them not only how to properly balance being a villain and handle your kingdom, but certain behaviors, knowledge and mannerisms expected of royalty. She was the one that first signed the treaty with the Boo's to allow peace between the kingdom's for centuries, and the same treaty is upheld and honoured by her descendant, King Bowser, it's surprising how many generations have passed since her rule but they can still find little parts of her in every new ruler that comes to the throne, Bowser has her fierce eyes, and altough she was a villain, she was as much of a hopeless romantic as Bowser is, which is hilarious to see again.

They didn't have names, none of them did, so Jovi named Luan, and Luan named Jovi, Jovi reading Luan's name in a boom, and Luan hearing Jovi being described as "the much more jovial one" out if the two. Ever since then, new Boo's who didn't choose their own names were named by either of the kings, though if you wanted a proper name, it would be better if you asked Luan, as Jovi had picked up the habbit of using Boo pun related names around 200 years into his reign.

They Both went to to visit sunny after hearing the news of a new King Boo. After introducing themselves to him and getting to know him and these new Boo's, they gifted him a name as well since he hadn't picked in out for himself yet. He was named Sol, since unlike other Boo's he seemed to thrive in and love the Sun, the locals where even calling him "the Sun ghost".

They are all very close friends and having sunny now added anew laid back presonance in their chats which was very welcomed and a breath of fresh air.

I will make seperate posts for my headcanons on each of them and link them here when I have done so

#super mario #king boo #sunshine king boo #king boo nintendo #king boo dark moon #party king boo #my headcanons #its taken way to long to write all of this lol #dark moon king boo

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threadsun · 1 year ago

Note

In another ask, you stated that the combo of Jack and Jean was the worst possible. You also said that any other combo could work, such as Joseph and Rory. And that got me thinking.... Joseph and Rory might be almost as bad, but in a sad way.

Joseph knows what Jeans done. Joseph took to playing Jack well because he could pretend to be a better person, almost becoming a better person. But in the end, he can't hold onto that persona forever. When the directors say cut, and the kids leave, and he's in his dressing room, he can't help another cigarette, another drink. And it probably hurts him, taking off the wig, and wiping off the make up and he's left staring at.... Himself. Staring at Joseph.

So, stuck in the void, with Jean (his possible killer) he's angry, he's hurt, he still has trouble reconciling Joseph/Jack and Jean/Rory after a while. Which was real overtures of friendship, and what was a script. It hurts, he wanted to be better, but in the void, with nothing to occupy his mind except the pain of his friend(?) being here, and the implications of it all, the itch for another drag, the dryness in his mouth that can only be slaked by a swig of booze, it hurts to know he'll only *ever* be Joseph.

It hurts that Jean, fucking Jean, the asshole he tried to be kind to as Joseph and as Jack, seems to do what Joseph couldn't..... Jean doesn't just hold on to Rory. He isn't following a script anymore. He *is* Rory. Seemingly over night (or day? Weeks? The void makes time drag on too fast and too long)

At first, he's relieved, Jean isn't being his usual antagonistic self, he appreciates the kindness in the cold dark. But the novelty wears off, and he's jealous. That Jean, Rory, can forget what he's done, he can do the impossible and reinvent himself. Rory is just Rory. Kind, happy, worrisome Rory.

Joseph could kill for a smoke .

And then Sunshine saves them from Hell.

And he wants so badly to show he's worth a damn. That he isn't some damaged, sad, washed up, addict itching for a smoke, a drink, a kind word, a soft touch. That he can be the Sunny Day on his Sunshine's gloomy nights.

But he's scared. He's *not* Jack. He tries, but he can't keep it up. He second guesses. He hesitates. He died despite how hard he tried to be Jack, back then

But Rory doesn't. Rory is the Sunny Sky Joseph's Sunshine needs. Making strawberry muffins, waking them up sweetly in the morning, offering praise and sweetness while he stands off to the side, jealous he can't reinvent himself too.

Angry that he's not angrier at Rory for being kind to him.

*he* was supposed to *be* better. To be Sunny Day Jack.

To be all his Sunshine needs.

Instead, all his is, is feening for a cigarette.

A washed up Clown without a smile.

Oooooooh that's a very interesting take on it!! See, I was imagining Joseph and Rory being almost... therapeutic for Joseph? Like Rory teaching him to be okay with his shortcomings and learning to accept who he is. BUT I do take your point about Joseph being bitter that Jean can do it and he can't. That's a very interesting way I could definitely see it going!!

#sunshine #asks #shikyokage742

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nightcrawlerzincorporated · 2 years ago

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I like to think I know my Sunny lore; but I've seen people say that the roller rink ep creates so many plotholes. You're my local most-knowledgeable-seeming tumblr blog so I'm burdening you with this cause a google search does nothing for me:

What are some of the plotholes?

only thing I can think of is Dee being sweet because its confirmed she was also a bitch in high school. I feel like most of the other things can co-exist! Am I missing something?

I'm so glad you see me as knowledgeable about Sunny lore <3 I rewatched Roller Rink before answering this and this is my reading:

Dee's characterization is definitely the part of the episode that people tend to dislike the most. As you said, it feels off that she's consistently described throughout the show has having been awful since high school (making Cricket eat dog poop, acting superior and snippy towards her only female friend, Ingrid, setting her college roommate on fire, just off the top of my head) but then in Roller Rink she's all sunshine and positive energy. I understand it's meant to be meta commentary on how Dee was originally characterized as "the nice one", but even in season 1 she's only marginally kinder and more self-aware than the guys. Exaggeration can be a great tool in comedy, but the exaggeration of Dee's kindness is so over the top in Roller Rink the commentary gets lost. It feels like it's commenting on a version of Dee that never really existed. If they wanted to comment on the sexism that led to the one woman main character initially being written to be nicer than the men, they should have actually had the guys act sexist towards her, imo. Maybe when Mac makes his "Dee's nuts" joke, instead of having Dee respond "I don't like crude humor" and walk away, they could have had her laugh, then had Mac make fun of her for being "unladylike" for laughing, so she shuts down and lies about not liking crude jokes before walking away. I can so easily imagine a version of this episode where Dee is trying so hard to be "the nice one", be the stereotypical girly-girl (maybe as a persona to keep all the new friends she's finally managed to make), but in the end she can't do it and explodes, revealing her true colors as just as much of an asshole as the rest of the gang. Like why does she become mean after hitting her head as if her personality flaws are all caused by a physical brain condition instead of just revealing that it was always a part of her, just a part she used to try and ignore. They could have even still had her smack her head, only instead of turning mean right away, maybe Charlie lets slip that she hurt herself because he loosened her skates and she goes off on him, too angry to keep the persona. The way it's portrayed as the guys being super nice to her before she hits her head also feels so off--as if the sexist way they treat her is her own fault and if she was just nicer to them they'd be nicer to her. Yuck! I understand it's Mac, Dennis, and Charlie telling the story and that they would want to portray themselves as kind, but they could have at least put in a line from Dee when it cuts back to the present about how they were never that nice to her so it isn't so muddled. They could have done the same basic idea while actually making sense with the lore, been more aligned with what actually happened meta-textually, and shown how constantly saying women are inherently kinder and more moral than men is sexist in of itself and forces women into shallow boxes of banality instead of seeing them as human. But it feels like all that the actual episode is saying is, "Isn't it funny that we initially created this character to be nice and now she's mean lol things sure are different now!" It's so toothless and messy. Sorry for the rant, I ended up having a lot of thoughts about Dee while rewatching!

To get back to plotholes, the other big thing I've seen people talk about is the way Dennis acts around Frank. But to me that part makes more sense. Yes, Frank treated Dennis and Dee cruelly in their childhood and was severely neglectful, but that's the exact reason why I think young-Dennis would try so hard to impress him and be kind to him. Dennis wants desperately to have a good relationship with his father, and he sees Frank letting him come work for him as his chance to win his father's love and approval, so he's overcompensating. I think a lot of people take his line, "I'm starting to think my dad's a bad man" very literally and say "How could he have just realized how bad Frank is after a lifetime of mistreatment?" But it's pretty common for abused kids to justify the way their parents treat them as normal, and it makes sense to me that a (probably extremely triggering) event like Frank having sex right in front of Dennis would push Dennis into accepting the harsh truths he's been trying to ignore about how shitty Frank actually is. Him finally allowing himself to accept that Frank is a shitty dad and a bad person because of an extreme event isn't the same as retconning Frank's past abuse and painting it all as this one incident, as I've seen some people argue. I mean, even Mac, who is all about family, is almost immediately like, "Well, you never have to see him again if you don't want to" when Dennis vaguely says something bad happened, which to me makes it seems like the way Frank treats him is something they've talked about before. And the way Dennis instantly agrees that no-contact is a good idea also makes it seem more like a "straw that broke the camel's back" situation than the show trying to say this is the only bad thing Frank has done to Dennis. And I really like the way it ties together Dennis agreeing to buy the bar with him deciding to go no-contact with Frank. He wanted the bar in the first place to be able to gain independence from Frank and move on from his childhood, only to have Frank show up one day in 2006 and buy the bar out from under him anyway. Oof! I do wish they would have involved Dee in some way, since it's implied in season 2 they were both no-contact with Frank by 2006, but I also think Dee is overall more willing to accept how abusive their parents were than Dennis is, so it makes sense she wouldn't need a big final reason like he does.

I don't think people typically have any issues with the Mac and Charlie bits, plothole wise, at least that I've seen. Watching through I didn't notice anything about them that stuck out to me.

I hope that answered your question! If there's anything I missed that people consider a plothole in the episode, let me know! I love discussing sunny episodes in-depth any chance I get and I love hearing other people's thoughts!

#ask #anonymous #the gang buys a roller rink #iasip #⭐️

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the0ldmann · 2 years ago

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Shaun and MC get into a small argument over his newest project.

"Something's Wrong with Sunny Day Jack" is adult only media, and the associated fandom is an adult only space. Minors and ageless blogs are reminded to stay away or they will be blocked on sight.

Writing below the cut.

"You're going to do WHAT?!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. I know you don't like horror, but this is a little out of character don't you think? What's got you so worked up?"

Shaun was standing there confused while Ian was in the background holding a blue wig and looking as equally perplexed. It was clear by the expression on your face you were angry as hell, fists clenched at your side.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! Why the hell should I calm down when you're defacing some poor man's legacy?!"

"It's not defacing a legacy it's- look. We were hired by the company to make a horror movie about a character they've had sitting in a vault. It's not like that character is modeled after anyone real!"

"Excuse me, but some guy trying to make sense of his life, takes on the role, gets killed in the role so it's all he was ever known for, and the company apparently erases any trace of him or the role if the fact internet searches turning up nothing means anything. You look at all of that and tell me that taking this story and turning it into some spooky mumbo-jumbo isn't defacing a legacy. Go on."

"When you put it like that, it certainly doesn't sound good. B-but it's just a character, and this is our breakout chance! It's not like you knew the man yourself or his family, so why the hell is this striking such a nerve?"

"You know what, I can't do this anymore right now." A proper response was not something you could think of without giving away Jack's precarious existence, so you turned around and stormed off with a huff. You slammed the door to your bedroom behind you. Leaning against it, you closed your eyes and slid down to the floor. Your breathing was ragged and you were shaking as you could feel gloved hands pick you up off the floor.

Gently Jack placed you on your bed and then swiftly went over to lock the door. You were already starting to curl up when he came over to lay down next to you.

"Hey, Sunshine, are you alright?" All you could do was shake your head as you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him close.

"No. I can't believe what they're doing. You're a person too, and I just-"

"Shhh," Jack was doing his best to calm you, "I know, and I appreciate you standing up for me. But you've got me more worried about you! I've never seen you this worked up before, and anyone being this worked up is liable to say things they regret or even hurt themselves on accident. You being hurt because of me is the last thing I want."

"I know, I know, I just..." You struggled to even your breathing. Jack held you close while you proceeded to silently cry into his chest. You were scared. People were assholes, and if this movie made it big like everyone- like the studio- wanted, then it was going to be impossible for Jack to avoid facing it. You knew he was set in the ways of this character, you knew and you've grown to accept it.

But had Jack come to fully accept it? How was this going to affect him? Was he going to break down at all in the barrage of what people were going to see him as? Especially if that something just wasn't him?

You didn't know how he'd handle it at all. If he broke down, if he disappeared and you lost him and were left all alone again...

"Hey," you could feel him rubbing circles into your back. "We're going to figure this out, okay? If they won't listen to reason, then there's got to be a way to stop the project."

meanwhile...

"Dude, what the fuck was that about?" Ian went back to trying to fluff and style the wig, though it was hard to focus after that outburst.

"You mean to tell me you don't have a clue what would have set them off, despite having known them the longest and having also dated them at one point? No wonder the two of you are ex's."

"Hey! That's uncalled for!"

"So was that outburst. Really don't have a clue what could have prompted that?"

"No, not a single one. You were right, that was extremely out of character for them."

Shaun sighed, throwing down some papers and leaning against the table. Ian only looked up briefly to see that he actually looked worried.

"What, you're not actually taking what they're saying to heart, are you?"

"They make a valid point but that's not what I'm concerned about."

"There's something else to be concerned about?"

"You might want to take a seat."

As confused by everything as Ian was, he was more curious as to what the hell Shaun was talking about. He put the wig up and walked over to the table, taking a seat. Shaun kept looking around, and it was about a solid minute before he was able to look at Ian.

"I've been doing digging- on the actors from the old show and I found... Well, there might be something that could throw a wrench into our plans. Rather unfortunately, it might have something to do with your dad..."

#minors dni #ageless blogs dni #sunny day jack #sdj #something's wrong with sunny day jack #swwsdj

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its-ezraaa · 2 years ago

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Just gotta rant, this has no real purpose but I recently read 2HA and never have I ever loved the narrator/main character so much. Mo Ran has done everything to be an abusive and tyrannical asshole but OMG WHY DID THEY WRITE HIM SO CHARISMATIC. He is kinda stupid ngl, never thinks before speaking and has slightly psychopathic tendencies but... He is also funny, confident, brave and snarky, always ready to throw a verbal comeback - he is basically everything I love about the main characters in my favorite books. I read another similar danmei novel but... It just wasn't Mo Ran. He has this typical sunshine boy trope, you know these characters whose smile is described as so bright it could light up an entire room? Yeah. That one. But Mo Ran isn't whiny, shy or too "sunny boy" that it gets annoying. He knows about his wrongdoings and it seems like he is starting to regret them. This is great character development and I LOVE seeing my boy take responsibility for his own actions while realizing what he did wrong and therefore becoming a better person! Yay! Gosh I'm sorry this is a long rant but I love this stupid husky so much.

#ezras brainrot #I'm so sorry for the long rant #Btw when I click on Meatbun's amazon eBook page they recommend C S Pacat as similar author #And.. Yeah that seems appropriate #I like to make parallels between characters I like and #Mo Ran is just Damen who shares a single brain cell with Nick with a bit of Sarcean mixed into it #I don't even know #Chu Wanning is every pacat bottom's trauma combined into one (very beautiful) sad wet sock that hates himself #It is 2 am rn

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saltsicklover · 1 year ago

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Part Six

Here it is, and let me just say, I am so sorry in advance! My heart hurt writing this one...

Title: Once an Asshole, Always an Asshole

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4600+

Rating: R

Warnings: Swearing, Drinking, Cigars and Smoking, Crying, Angst, Pining, Robert Floyd (A warning).

Second Chance Romance!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bob Floyd, or anything related to Top Gun Maverick within this piece. Not Proof Read or BETA'd. All mistakes are my own.

I do not consent for my work to be edited, reposted, or translated.

You are responsible for your own media consumption. This is a work of fiction that may contain mature themes. If you are sensitive to those subjects, please do not read.

---

The group, Sunny included, make themselves comfortable at the tables near the pool table. It's their usual hangout spot, so they slip into their groove quickly. Nat and Hangman are now going head-to-head in a cut throat game of pool while Sunny and Rooster chat, acting as peanut gallery when the game requires it. Sunny basically had to push Nat into playing, convincing her that they will have two weeks together and more than enough time for everyone. Natasha grumbles as the game gets started but slowly put her game face on, not ready to loose to Hangman.

"So, Sunshine, where are you from?" Rooster asks before taking a long swig of his beer.

"Originally? Or do you mean where I live now?" Sunny shoots back, a twinkle in her eye that Rooster can't help but notice. Sunny brings a hand up to her necklace, playing with the small pendent between the tips of her fingers.

There is something about her that reminds him of his Mom. Maybe its the way she instantly fills the room around her with light, like it's pouring straight from her soul. Maybe it's her carefree nature, or the way her bangs have come loose from her pins, the delicate curls falling into her eyes. Somewhere between the first sight of her, as he and Natasha barreled into the parking lot of the Hard Deck, and now, his soul decided that Sunny is exactly who his sister would have been if he had been fortunate enough to have one while growing up. They may not look alike, share parents, be from the same place, or even know each other, but his heart knows she is going to be a part of his life. Damnit if he isn't going to treat her exactly like the little sister he has always wanted.

"I live in Colorado Springs now, I work at a book publishers office there. I'm actually hoping that they will take me on as a permanent novelist as soon as my first full length book is actually finished being written. I thought by now it would be done, you know? But life get in the way I guess, huh? I can't live off of publishing poetry for the rest of my life, that's for sure," Sunny tries to tuck the loose pieces of hair back into her clips but they keep slipping through her fingers. "I'm from Montana, originally, though!"

"Oh! That's where that accent is from!" The pieces fall into place for Rooster, "I was thinking you were from somewhere down south but I couldn't place it!" Sunny is thankful Rooster grazed over the published books thing. Though she loves work, and she is proud of all that she has accomplished, its a real relief to not have to talk about work.

"Oh yeah," A blush creeps over Sunny's features, her chest flooding with a color akin to her dress. "Other direction!"

"Where in Montana?"

"No where you've heard of," She tries to dismiss it with a wave of her hand, her other still toying with the pendent on her necklace.

"Try me!" Bradley is confident, really, even though he knows he isn't going to have a damn clue. He couldn't name a city in Montana if he tried.

"I grew up outside of Wibaux, south of I94, in Florence," Sunny's voice is quiet, the quietest it's been since she got into Hangman's pickup. She is still trying to pin her hair back, the frustration she is feeling making it increasingly difficult. "It's a little nowhere town, really. It was mostly school sports and lots of ranching. Not much to write home about,"

"Isn't Bob from Montana?" Natasha asks the boys, but they both shrug. "Maybe he was from Wyoming. Somewhere tiny, that I know for sure,"

Sunny laughs a bit, finding Natasha's lapse in memory amusing. For as long as they have known each other, Sunny has always been convinced that Natasha has a fantastic memory. She would have to, to fly that damn jet, right?

"Did you guys have a big football following?" He questions, trying to keep the conversation going. Rooster wants to know her like the back of his hand, the yearning to add another person to his small patchwork family itching at his palms.

Sunny drops her hands in defeat, the battle with her hair useless without a mirror. She rolls her eyes at herself, a thick sign falling from her lips. She takes a quick sip from her drink before putting her attention back on Rooster.

"We didn't have a football team," Bradley looks at Sunny like she is crazy, the whole idea seeming nuts to him, "Big ones were swimming and basketball, actually," Bradley goes quiet for a second and so Sunny adds a small "Go Pronghorns!" with little to no actual pep to her voice. She waves her fist half heartedly in the air, the movement strange.

They sit there for a moment longer, both of their faces twisting to awkward grimaces before they burst into fits of giggles, all of the awkwardness that begun enveloping them bursting in on itself and disappearing.

"Were you a basketball or a swimming fan?" Bradley inquires from behind his beer can.

"Are we talking the sport or the members?" The question earns Sunny a look from Natasha. She leans against the side of the pool table, Hangman behind her, lining up his next shot.

"Don't even get her started, Roos," Natasha jabs playfully.

"What, I cared about sports!" Sunny attempts to defend herself, but the blush enveloping her skin tells otherwise.

"You didn't care about sports, don't try and kid yourself," Nat winks, "You only went to the swim meets because you were just in love with-"

"Alright!" Sunny almost jumps out of her skin, holding her hands out in defeat, "I am going to run to the restroom, then hit the bar for another drink, does anyone need anything?"

Sunny sends a glare to Natasha as she slides down off of her stool. She mouths 'I hate you' to her friend, her eyes holding no malice.

"A round of beers please, my beautiful Sunny," Natasha speaks, trying to butter her up, "But hurry back! Bob just texted, he said he's five minutes out!" Sunny gives her a thumbs up before heading for the bathroom.

She doesn't actually have to use the bathroom, just the mirror. She makes quick work of pulling the pins from her hair, the pieces falling down to their natural place. She picks up one by one, French twisting them back out of her face. After a couple on each side, secured with pins she washes her hands and heads out the door, her next stop, the bar.

As she made her way through the crowd, she couldn't keep her mind from wandering. She thought of the Ranch back home and the world she left behind. She spots a young Airman, belly up to the bar, his blond hair pushed back out of his face. He can't be older than twenty two, his young features and baby face make him look about eighteen. He reminds her of Robert Floyd and her heart aches for just a second, but she tries to shake that thought from her head as quickly as it came.

If Natasha hadn't opened her mouth, maybe she wouldn't be thinking about him again. Maybe she wouldn't be feeling that pang of stale hurt in her chest, reliving that conversation over and over again. 'I didn't work my ass off to throw it all away over a girl like you,' it still hurts, though it's different now. The pain isn't sharp as daggers and all consuming. Instead, it is wrapped tightly around her ribs and sometimes, it squeezes, constricting, reminding her that it's still there.

She catches herself missing the smell of cherry tobacco, the scent still stuck in her nose.

"You must be Sunny," A warm voice greets her from behind the bar. "I'm Penny," the dark haired woman greets, a kind smile spread over her lips. Penny looks like the personification of home. The warmth that emanates from her is almost stifling, but Sunny can't help but bask in it anyway.

"I like your nametag, much better than the ones we usually get in here," The words are said with a wink, then blush spreads across Sunny's cheeks. Her hand comes up to feel the crinkle of the sticky nametag stuck to the front of her dress.

"Yeah, that's me," Sunny smiles at her, the blush darkening on her cheeks, "Can I please order a round of-"

"Beers for those two knuckleheads and the lovely Phoenix?" Penny finishes for her, already pulling the beers out of the cooler. "I've also got a Pepsi for you and a glass of water for Bob. He walked in a minute ago," Penny has everything down to a science, one that surprises and delights Sunny in equal measure.

"How'd you know?" Sunny giggles, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I have the pleasure of being engaged to the Dagger Squad's captain, so I know those guys pretty well, plus they are pretty much the only reason I stock beer in cans anymore," Penny puts the last of the drinks onto a tray with a chuckle. Sunny moves towards the tray, her fingertips grazing over the edge.

"Phoenix has been talking about you coming since the moment she found out. Then Hangman gave me the rundown when he came in with Rooster," She explains, her hands working quickly as she wipes down the bar. Then, she grabs a cup of peanuts from behind the bar top, placing it on the tray, "It's all yours, take the tray with you, I'll be by to pick it up in a few minutes,"

"Thank you," Sunny speaks, pulling the tray up off of the counter, balancing it near her shoulder. Thank god for the muscle memory of her long forgotten waitressing skills.

"You've got one hell of a memory, Penny," Sunny compliments, shooting the older woman a bright smile.

"Thank you, Sunshine," Penny winks. Sunny nods her head towards Penny one last time before turning on her heel, headed back towards the back of the bar. She dodges a couple of young Marines, both too caught up in their own conversation to see her coming. Sunny turns back to Penny, rolling her eyes playfully as she gestures to the Marines with a tilt of her head.

"Oh, and Sunny," Penny yells after her, a light giggle laced though her words, "Welcome to Fighter Town!"

Sunny navigates through the ever growing crowd, making her way back to the Daggers. She can't help but let her eyes wonder over the many uniforms that adorn the crowd. From flight suits and Peanut-Butters to BDU's and Veteran hats. It felt like everyone in the bar was wearing something to signify that they were Military affiliated.

She feels like an outsider, someone from the wrong side of town, the wrong state, the wrong part of the country. Her world has always been quiet, from the sprawling plains of the family ranch to the stillness of her office. Her world is soft, made up of cricket sounds and book pages. This world is hardened exteriors and no fear.

The world around her is bustling, sticky with stale beer and sweat. There is a constant underlying smell of jet fuel and saltwater across Fighter Town. It's all new and she can't help but wish Natasha would have prepared her better.

She knew Natasha was in the Navy, of course she did. Natasha clued her into that fact when they first started talking, but what really secured that fact for Sunny was when a couple of Naval Officers showed up on her doorstep to interview her about her involvement with Natasha. Something about clearing those closest to her before she could be rewarded her Top Secret clearance.

Sunny never did tell Nat of the men who knocked on her door, dressed in uniform. She felt her world slow down at the sight of them, like it does in the movies when a Soldier dies; the world spun unbelievably fast the moment she found out Natasha was okay. Whatever she told them must have worked out; two months later she received an email from Natasha, boasting about her new clearance. Sunny couldn't have been happier if she tried.

Still, Sunny feels that she is standing on the outside looking in, the way she has felt most of her life, until she catches sight of Hangman and Rooster. They are bumping shoulders with each other, both wearing smiles that light up their eyes. She can hear Natasha's laugh through the bustle, the sound makes her heart swell. The world feels just a little bit smaller, or maybe she is just a little bit closer.

Her eyes catch Natasha through the crowd as she makes it to the pool table where Hangman and Rooster have begun a new game. Rooster is leaning over the table, lining up a shot to the corner pocket. That's when she sees him.

Everything around her feels impossibly slow, her heart beat echoing throughout her body. She can feel it in her hands, fingers pulsing as she opens and closes her fists. Sunny takes in the sight before her, trying to concentrate over the whooshing of her heart in her ears.

Robert Floyd is sitting next to Natasha, his blond hair cut shorter than Sunny had ever seen it before. It was cropped short on the sides, the longest parts at the top of his head gelled back out of his bright eyes. He had aged, of course he had, but instead of looking older, he just looked like a more mature version of the boy she had always known. Slightly bent, gold framed glasses sit slightly crooked on the bridge of his nose and he reaches up to adjust them often, trying to get to bent metal to sit correctly on his face.

Sunny had never seen him so quiet; he sat leaning in towards Natasha, his ear in her direction, his hands laced together in his lap as he listens to whatever story she is telling him. The smile on his face is exactly the way she remembers it, slightly crooked as it lights up his entire face.

The medals pinned to the chest of his uniform are perfect; from their color to their placement, hell, they are even lint rolled to perfection. They make her a bit nauseous, too akin to his letterman jacket in her eyes. It is strange to see him like his, so gentle, so pristine. There's no cowboy hat clutched loosely in his hand, his usual boots swapped out for well polished dress shoes. From where she stands, she can't catch even a hint of the tobacco that typically permeates from his clothes.

Her heart aches a bit for the loose, unkempt guy she used to know. From the lack of distinct cherry scent down to the missing pearl that usually cover his now plain buttons. Yet, it's the hair she misses the most. She loved his long locks, specifically the way her fingers felt threaded through them. He looks so much like a man now.

Initially, Sunny feels the urge to run over to him and wrap her arms around his torso. She wants to press her ear against his chest and listen to his heart beat, just like all the women do in all of the books she reads. She wants that second chance romance moment- the one where the leading man takes the leading woman's face in his hands, looking deep into her eyes as he confesses all of his wrong doings. She wants to feel his hands on her bare skin again.

Then she remembers that conversation again. It plays over in her mind once more. 'I didn't work my ass off to throw it all away over a girl like you,'.

Now, she can feel the anger bubbling up from deep in her. She wants to throw a beer at him, cover his pristine uniform in amber liquid, letting the tan fabric go dark and wet. Sunny imagines the pleasure she would feel watching the liquid fall from his frame onto the well polished leather of his shoes. She wants the revenge, the shouting match, the bared feelings of hurt and aguish. Sunny wants to yell at him in the way Miss Bennet yelled at Mr. Darcy, all anger and justified hurt. Maybe then, they would both be fraught with pain, just as she had been since the moment he walked away from her.

But before she can do either, her body is moving on it's own accord. Sunny sets the tray of drinks down on the pool table, interrupting the game. Hangman and Rooster look at her with 'what-the-fuck' expressions, but she ignores them, instead stepping around to the other side of the table. Her movement catches Bob and Natasha's attention, drawing them out of their conversation.

Bob looks at Sunny, his eyes darting from her eyes to her lips then back again, triangulating her features. He takes her in like she is his reason for breathing. She is stunning, that much he will admit to himself, from the way her hair is pulled back from her face, to the slight blotchiness of her skin, no doubt from all the crying Phoenix had been telling him about.

Bob takes in a deep breath, letting Sunny's face fill in all of the blank spaces in the stories Phoenix has shared with him. He lets the image of her features paint each memory, bringing them to completion.

He lets his gaze trail down her body, taking in the gentle pattern of her dress, the little yellow flowers spiraling around the bright red fabric. Bob has always been one for details. His eyes hit her boots next, his heart stuttering a bit at the sight. God, he has missed seeing people in boots, and a beautiful woman in boots? That might just do him in.

When his eyes trail back up her body, they lock in on the pendent of her necklace. The distinct outline of Montana hangs from the delicate chain around her neck. Bob fights the quirking corner of his mouth, attempting to keep the large grin threatening his features at bay. Finally, he thinks, someone from home, someone he might just have something in common with.

That thought causes a wave of anxiety laced excitement to roll through him, his heart cresting over the wave of emotion as it rolls from his head down his torso. He tries to push the feeling down, the further away from his chest the easier it is to focus.

Bob stands quickly, holding his hand out to her in greeting, ignoring the obvious look of bewilderment on her face, "Hi, I'm Robert Floyd, you must be Sunny! I've heard so much about you. It's wonderful to meet you!" His tone is light, friendly even. It squeezes her chest, her heart aching.

This is not the Bob she knows.

Her expression doesn't change and the wave of anxiety rolls back up Bob's body, taking his heart under the swell again.

Sunny doesn't even move, she doesn't speak, instead, she stands two feet in front of him and her best friend, her head cocked slightly to one side. Her eyebrows are deeply furrowed, mouth slightly agape. Her eyes slowly move from Bob to Natasha and back again, all of the pieces connecting. She narrows her gaze to a pinpoint.

"Sunny, what's wrong?" Natasha's voice is filled with nerves, her own anxiety peaking. Natasha could almost feel the confusion coming off of Sunny in waves that crest into pure negative. There is silence between the everyone for a minute before Natasha asks again, a little more force behind her voice this time, "Sunny, what's wrong?"

Bob still hasn't retracted his hand. Sunny shakes her head at the sight. Everything finally understood.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Sunny's voice is almost silent, pointed, until she turns her attention to Natasha, "Robert Wayne Floyd, the 'sweetest guy you've ever met', your goddamn back seater is Floyd!"

Nat's eyebrows are furrowed and she looks at Bob for some sort of a clue as to what's going on. All he can do is shrug, having awkwardly retracted his hand after his name came flying from Sunny's lips. He was taken aback by the use of his full name and the venom Sunny's voice possessed as she spoke them.

Rooster and Hangman are standing closer now, further from the pool table, their game and drinks long forgotten. The men behind Sunny are each on edge, unsure of the situation but ready to jump into action at a moments notice.

Sunny turns her attention back to Bob, heat overtaking her skin and disbelief bubbles through her. Her eyes hold a distinct look of hurt as Bob scans over them, taking in the features of her face.

"You have no idea who I am," There is no fluctuation to her tone. It was not a question. She wants to scoff, but really, she knows she shouldn't be surprised. This is Bob Floyd, after all.

It was in this moment that Sunny realized just how much of a hold Bob still had on her heart. There was no room left to wonder as he stood in front of her, a kind but confused look written over the plains of his face. Somewhere in her subconscious she knows the wants to kiss him. Kiss that dumb look off his face, thread her hands through his too neat hair, and remind him exactly of what he walked away from. She doesn't move, instead, she clenches her fists, the feeling of her pulse thrumming thickly through her tightly curled fingers. Sunny wants to hate him, that feeling tangling in her chest, still so familiar after ten years. She should hate him, but she doesn't.

Bob swears he can almost see the gears turning in her head, almost hear her thinking. Her expression is hard, concentrated. He wants to help her, to know what about his presence in this bar has got her all tangled up. He feels like he was left soaking wet under the hot sun, uncomfortable in the way his skin is almost burning under her gaze.

Sunny brings her hands up to her face and Bob almost tenses at the movement. Sunny breathes deeply behind her palms before running her hands over her hair. Pieces come out of the twists, falling into her eyes. That sparks a bit of familiarity deep within Bob's brain.

"Of course you don't," Sunny's tone is dry, un-humored and scratchy against her throat- she holds back tears. She draws her lips into a line, shaking her head.

"What's going on, Sunny?" Natasha is standing now, positioning herself in between her best friend and her WSO. She shoots a lightly panicked look to the Pilots standing behind Sunny, her eyes almost shouting for help, like they might know something she doesn't.

Hangman moves to step closer, answering Nat's panicked look with action. Bradley stops him with a firm hand on Hangman's chest.

"Not yet," His voice is barely above a whisper, almost getting lost in the loud atmosphere of the bar. If the two men hadn't been standing so close together, Jake would've missed the words. With a grumble, he pushed Bradley's hand from his chest but stays put, heeding the warning.

Maybe if Sunny hadn't been so upset she could've told Natasha that the man standing in front of her was the same man she had told her about so shortly after they began emailing- her first real heartbreak, the man who she had never really gotten over. Maybe she could have told her that she was literally teasing about Bob a few minutes before, talking about the one person on the swim team that she was in love with. Maybe she could have clued Nat in, but she doesn't say a word.

Instead of getting over him, she ran. She ran from the family ranch, from her small town, from anything and everything that reminded her of Robert Floyd, because that was the only thing she could do to keep from breaking her own heart again and again and again. Sunny told herself she left to go to school, to become a writer, that she was doing it for herself. In reality, that desire got pushed to the back burner for a while, the need to be as far away from Florence had been forefront in her mind.

So, in leu of offering any sort of verbal answer, instead of clearing things up, Sunny pulls her knee up, reaching into her boot, pulling a small pocket knife loose form the inside of the leather. There is a warn patch on the leather, where the knife has been kept there for some time, the brown now discolored form the many times the knife has been pulled from and put back into that specific place. It has been kept there for years.

Natasha and Sunny share eye contact as Sunny pulls the knife from her boot. Natasha's eyes are pleading, the creases on the corners visible. Her brows are furrowed, lips pursed. The whole expression screams 'tell me what's wrong, let me help'. Sunny, on the other hand, has her brows is raised giving Phoenix a clear look into her eyes. They swim with hurt and turmoil, something she usually sees in the eyes of new Seamen on the backends of deployment. Nothing could have prepared Natasha for seeing that look in her friend's eyes.

The knife is hidden in Sunny's grasp before any of the Daggers can see it. She holds it with too tight a grip, her hands trembling, one around the folding knife, the other down at her side.

This isn't her Bobby, that much she is sure of. The man in front of her is not the man she had kissed her and left her, the man who broke her heart. Hell, there isn't a smoke tucked behind his ear, there should be, there is always one. He doesn't smell like cherry tobacco. He doesn't smell right, and that makes Sunny's heart clench tighter. That's what decides it for her, the lack of distinct tobacco that usually clings to his clothes.

This really isn't her Bob Floyd. This man in a stranger. But, she knows one thing for sure.

Sunny throws the closed pocket knife at him, the object making hard contact with the center of his chest, thudding against him before clanking to the ground. It bounces unceremoniously under the table. Bob brings his hand up to rub over the area the metal came in contact with, but his eyes never leave her form.

The moment that old pocket knife left Sunny's grasp, she wanted it back. She curses herself for letting the emotion take over her thoughts- the fact that she is still clinging onto any sort of hope that the man in front of her might remember her twists up her insides. She wants Bob back but she has settles for the only part of Bobby she had been able to hold on to She wants to carry it with her like she has been for the last ten years. She wants it the knife back, but it's too late for that now. It sits face down on the ground, discarded like she had been all those years ago.

Sunny turns to walk away, tears threatening her eyes again. Before she goes, she is throwing one last sentence over her shoulder, directed right at him.

"Oh Bobby, once an asshole, always an asshole,"

#bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x you #bob floyd imagine #robert floyd x reader #robert floyd x you #robert floyd imagine #bob floyd angst #best friend phoenix #best friend natasha trace #once an asshole #bob floyd fic

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