#think i relate to mav too much in this one.

[the-ace-with-spades]

Someone posted about Jake having a sister who is deaf and uses ASL (I can't find it, sorry) and it woke up the fic idea I had some time ago from hibernation

An AU where shortly after Carole's death, Bradley starts losing his hearing. At first, Mav thinks it's just a lack of focus and him being inside his head too much (which, normal given the mourning/depressive state of Bradley's emotions at the time). But then he and Ice notice it only happens when they're on his right side and start to get worried.

A visit with a family doctor and a visit with an audiologist later, and they find out his hearing loss is expected to progress, they just don't know how far — it can stay mild, it can get worse over the years, or it can get worse quickly. It's probably been happening for some time already, they might have not noticed because so much was happening (which Mav will forever feel guilty about).

Mav and Ice are left to explain all that this implies to Bradley. Mainly that Bradley will never be able to become a pilot with hearing loss, even if it stays mild. And even at thirteen, almost fourteen, all he's always wanted to be was a pilot and they have to break the news to him — even if his hearing doesn't get worse, he won't be able to join the Navy in any deployable role.

Obviously, it doesn't go well. Bradley is in denial, rebelling against anything related to the hearing loss — won't go to the SLT, to the audiologist, won't wear the hearing aids.

Until he starts high school after the summer break and realizes he can't hear the teachers well — not in the front seat, not when the classroom is silent. Turns out, the hearing aids are not enough — he needs a new set up already.

Mav takes out a sabbatical and they start everything from the beginning. New audiologist appointments, new hearing aids, new ASL lessons for the two of them, and some extra ones for Ice as well, lip reading lessons, SLT. Bradley doesn't have a choice, his hearing is getting worse and either he will adapt or his life is going to get difficult — and they're in a good enough situation, financially, and with Mav and Ice caring enough, that he can adapt as much as possible.

By the time he's in junior year, his hearing loss is severe. Their options are either sending Bradley to a boarding school for deaf kids or having him have an interpreter at school. Bradley feels strange about the boarding school so he has an interpreter for the rest of high school — which doesn't get him many friends...

College-wise, he doesn't know what to do. There's a few colleges in California that offer programs with support for deaf students, but the degrees are limited. Eventually, he decides to enroll in the Rochester NTID for aerospace/mechanical engineering and it kinda changes his perspective a lot.

There are other deaf students on campus, some even on his course, and it shows him so many different ways life can be still okay — he's never met anyone deaf his age before and being friends with people who either lost their hearing like him or were born deaf and had been involved in the Deaf community for years is amazing eye-opening. He stops being so bitter about life, even if he'll never stop feeling sad about not realizing his dreams. It teaches him to not care about what others think he is capable or not capable of doing and just do his own thing.

The Institute also has great support, also including the newest hearing aid tech. Cochlear implants only became widely available when he was finishing high school and despite many people celebrating being Deaf on campus, there's many people who also opted to have surgery or implants to help restore or conserve their hearing.

By the time Bradley gets the cochlear implants (funded mostly by Mav and Ice), he's not that set on having them, actually, not as much as he was when he was seventeen and they just came onto the market for kids. In fact, he only wears them for the purpose of work (he gets a civilian contractor job for the US Air Force of all places...) and prefers to have them off when he's at home or around people who know ASL (which is most of their family now). Being deaf is part of him, a part that is bigger and more settled than the part that used to wish he was 'normal'.

He only swaps the implants for a newer model sometime around the early 2010s because they can actually meet the FAA regulations and at the age of twenty-seven, Bradley is finally able to get his pilot license and then a commercial pilot license.

Now the hangster bit...

TG:M happens — Mav is there with the team obviously but Bradley is kinda around him because he's been contracted by the Navy the past few years (kinda like Charlie) and working with Mav in China Lake before.

Bradley shares the office with Mav and they hang around whenever Mav isn't training the Daggers — the whole group is kind of speculating on who he is — and Jake actually meets him once when he's looking for Mav and comes to the office.

He makes an ass out of himself (because this is Jake Sersin we're talking about) and basically shouts at Bradley, who is not wearing his hearing aids at the moment (he's doing paperwork, near the airfield, it's easier to focus if he doesn't hear ever single aircraft taking off) and gets super humbled when Bradley looks at him and only then clicks his very visible external processor on, and then asks him if he needed something.

After the mission, Mav and the Daggers stay close, work and outside as well (trauma bonding, even though Bradley calls them his little ducklings). This means Bradley is around them a lot, too.

Around the Daggers, Bradley wears the cochlear implants almost all the time, just for the sake of being able to be part of the conversation and having a better grip on the background noise and to know what is happening around him.

Now, this is when Jake gets a little... enamored.

Bradley is objectively cool, okay? He's deaf, but he's a commercial pilot and a stunt pilot on the side, he likes to jump out of planes (for research), he volunteers as an ASL interpreter and is certified to interpret. He's hot as well and Jake's brain overheats anytime he answers his half-flirty remarks with the same, if not bigger, force.

And Jake is a bit smitten, but Bradley never really makes a move. He's obviously contemplating making a move himself — Bradley is chill, even if it was a no, he'd not make a big deal out of it — but he's also his CO's kid and the COMPACFLT's kid and like, Jake doesn't wanna be the one to cross the line.

It's Mav who tells him — when he notices him staring at Bradley playing piano (and isn't that super cool? he's deaf and he can play piano better than anyone Jake knows) — that if he wants it, he should go for it because Bradley is too shy to make the first move, ever.

So one evening when they're at a barbecue at Mav's, Jake stays late, basically the only one left, and he is helping Bradley bring the dirty dishes into the kitchen, and Mav leaves them alone (giving him a goddamn wink as he steps out...)

The second Bradley begins with, Look, I'm flattered, he knows he's in a losing position, but tries to negotiate anyway — because he can see Bradley does like him, and for whatever reason, he just needs to point out it's enough and that he can see they have some chemistry and he promises to treat him to a good time if he gives him a chance.

So Bradley tells him how it is — he hasn't dated anyone who isn't deaf/hoh since he was nineteen and he doesn't plan to. Jake is great and he's sure they'd have great chemistry, but he's not the type to do the casual bit and he's pretty sure Jake will never make the effort he needs him to make because he doesn't understand how big part of Bradley being deaf is.

Jake denies it — so Bradley starts signing at him the alphabet (the first thing people learn when they learn ASL usually) and Jake just blinks at him dumbly, proving his point.

Obviously, Jake doesn't get it and says exactly what Bradley expected him to say, Well, I don't really need to know it, you've got the hearing aids.

And to Bradley, it proves that he's either not thinking of them as something long-term or that he just doesn't get what Bradley being deaf means, long-term, for his life. You realize I don't wear them all the time, right? Not at home, not around family, not around most of my friends. Wearing them constantly is exhausting. What will you do when I take them off? Or do you just expect me to never take them off?

Jake goes home and that's it, really.

It's sometime later, a few weeks or a couple of months. Jake's never brought up going on a date again and Bradley made peace with that — he was right and Jake either didn't want to commit or the effort was too big and he's no longer interested in him. Shame, but it's not the first time it happened — mainly why Bradley doesn't date people outside the deaf/hoh community anymore, they don't understand, he's cured or acceptable kind of deaf to them, because of the implants but when they come off — he's deficient.

The Daggers are sitting down with Mav when Bradley comes home and they're in the middle of a conversation and Bradley doesn't want to interrupt Bob so he just asks Mav via signing if he ate dinner already. Before Mav answers, Jake says out loud, We ordered in, leftovers are in the fridge.

And fair enough, Bradley goes to the kitchen and he's unpacking gyro from the plastic container when it hits him — Jake just understood his signing. And like, what the hell.

He doesn't want to make a scene so he waits until Jake is a little bit more alone (not really possible with their group).

When Jake notices him staring, he just goes, Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?

And Bradley feels a bit stupid, but he signs the same thing he asked Mav before and waits for some kind of answer and Jake just says, Shit, and gets all red in the face.

So Bradley just starts signing. How long, why didn't tell me, what the hell, and all that. Because why didn't Jake told him he could understand, that he knows ASL?

And Jake just stares at him. You're going way too fast, I'm not that good at it yet

And Bradley stops and stares at him dumbly. Yet?

Sheepishly, Jake's face gets even redder, and he's avoiding Bradley's gaze as he says, I was gonna tell you once I can actually communicate and not just know a few words and phrases.

You know it's going to take months, right? I took me months and I was learning for hours every day and practicing with my dad all the time.

Well, I assumed you meant I need to know it if I want to take you out so, y'know...

And Bradley just looks at this dumb dumb man and just maybe falls in love a little bit. You don't need to be fluent in a whole new language to date me, just acknowledging you'll have to at least try is enough.

It's actually more than enough. Maybe Bradley is a bit fond of Jake, sue him, but it's more than enough to give him a chance.

Oh, is all Jake says, okay then.

And Jake clears his throat, steps a little bit away and takes a minute to revise in his head, and then signs,

DATE-YOU-WANT-GO-WITH-ME

It's a little clumsy and a bit slow, but Bradley takes his time to slow down and just signs YES in reply

[mynameismckenziemae]

I Love You Two

Part 5

(previous part here, next part here)

Bradley Bradshaw x OFC x Jake Seresin.

Summary: The guilt and worry eats you alive as the boys are deployed. Jake admits something you hadn’t expected when he returns.

Warnings: Adults (18+) only! MDNI! A little smut, acceptable (is that a thing?) cheating, m/m kissing and touching.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

The tears begin to stream from your eyes when Jake’s breathing evens out behind you.

Tonight was a mistake. Instead of curbing your appetite for Bradley, it’s made you that much hungrier. Worst yet, your feelings for Jake somehow deepened for him allowing this indulgence.

It takes hours for your racing mind to fall asleep and you don’t stir until Jake is gently shaking you awake.

“Morning,” he murmurs as you open your tear-swollen eyes, “were you crying, sweetheart?”

The concern on his face breaks your heart.

“Yeah,” you croak as a fresh round of tears prickle at your tired eyes, “I-I’m gonna miss you.”

It’s not a lie; you are going to miss him.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” he kisses your forehead, “but it shouldn’t be more than a week and a half, two tops.”

You nod.

“We were told we won’t have access to our phones but I’ll get ahold of you as soon as I’m back, okay?” He continues when you nod again, “I love you, Liv.”

Your heart skips a beat just as your stomach sinks.

“I love you too,” you force yourself to smile as you reply softly. It turns genuine at his own grin.

It’s true, you do love him.

But you love Bradley too.

“See you soon,” he presses a chaste kiss to your lips before heading to the door.

The sob that’s been choking you escapes when you hear his truck turn over in the driveway.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

There’s a ‘miss you already’ text from Jake but nothing from Bradley when you wake up a few hours later. Your head pounds from the interrupted sleep and dehydration as you text back but it comes back as undelivered. Already unreachable.

The following days pass in a haze. Not only are you sick with guilt, you’re worried. Uncle Ice can’t offer you much when you visit at lunch, just keeps telling you there isn’t any news yet. You pick up shifts at the Hard Deck to keep your mind off things but it doesn’t help either. You can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you can’t do anything besides think about what’s going to happen when they return.

Twelve endless days later, you get a text from Ice after you get home. He hadn’t been in his office at lunch and you’d been wondering if his absence was related to the mission.

Uncle 🧊: Just got word, they’re all back on the carrier.

Relief washes over you.

Liv: Thanks for the update. Everyone okay?

Uncle 🧊: Yeah. Rooster and Mav both had to eject. They’re bruised and beaten up but in one piece.

Your stomach rolls at the news. But Ice wouldn’t lie to you; if he says they’re okay, they’re okay.

Liv: Thank God.

Uncle 🧊: Agreed. Don’t make plans Friday night.

You smile; that’s his way of telling you when they’ll be back.

Liv: I won’t. Thanks for the update. Love you.

Uncle 🧊: Love you too, kiddo. Get some sleep tonight, you need it.

Liv: Is that your way of telling me I look like shit?

Uncle 🧊: No comment.

Liv: 🖕

You can’t help but laugh.

But you don’t sleep again that night, instead tossing and turning before coming to the conclusion that you need to end things with Jake and distance yourself from Bradley.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

Friday afternoon rolls around and you get a text from Jake as expected, but your stomach drops at what it reads.

Jake: Should be stateside around 5. Can I come over? We need to talk.

Liv: Sure. I’ll be home.

Jake: K, see you then.

Liv: Okay.

He doesn’t respond.

He knows. Bradley must’ve let it slip that you said you loved him.

You manage to hold off the tears until you get in your car and cry the entire way home.

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

There’s a knock at the door a little after 6, and your broken heart still flutters.

Jake looks like he hasn’t slept in days, yet he still manages to look good.

“Hey,” you murmur, letting him in.

“Hey,” he pauses as he passes by you like he’s about to kiss you, but he thinks better of it. A fresh round of tears spring to your eyes.

He sighs as he sits on the couch across from you, rubbing his hands over his face.

“What’s-“ you start.

“I cheated on you,” he interrupts, his voice thick as tears fill his eyes.

His words twist the knife already lodged in your heart.

“What?” You whisper, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

“It-I-fuck,” he stutters uncharacteristically, running his hand through his hair. “I-“

“Liv!” Bradley pounds on the door, startling you both, “don’t listen to him! It’s my fault!”

You look to Jake in confusion as you rise but he just hangs his head.

“What’s going on?” You ask as you open the door, gasping when you see Bradley. His face is intact, but there’s a gash on his neck and deep purple bruising from his harness is visible where his collar is pulled down from the weight of his sunglasses. “Oh God, Roo.”

He gently halts your hand before you can touch him, grimacing as if the action pains him. “I’m fine, Liv, thanks to Jake. What did he tell you?”

“That-“

Jake interrupts again, “I told her the truth; that I cheated on her.”

“He didn’t,” Bradley shakes his head, “it was me.”

“No-“

“Yes, it-“

“Stop,” you cut them both off. “Start from the beginning. I don’t care who, I just want to know what happened. Tell me the truth.”

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

2 days prior.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your savior speaking. Please fasten your seat belts, return the tray tables to their locked and upright positions, and prepare for landing,” Jake’s smiling voice comes through the comm.

His mom’s laughter, his dad playing the piano, your little gasps before he made you cum…those were the sweetest sounds Bradley’s ever heard, but Jake’s voice is right up there now too; he just saved his life. “Hey, Hangman, you look good.”

“I am good, Rooster. I'm very good. I'll see you back on deck,” Jake flashes them a grin before flying off.

The rough landing back on the carrier takes his breath away; already banged up from ejecting. But he’s alive.

There’s something deeper than gratitude in the look that passes between the two of them as Jake shakes his hand once he’s out of the jet.

The next few hours are a whirlwind of cognitive tests, x-rays, written and verbal reports, and a not-very-pleasant verbal lashing from Cyclone.

Bradley’s physically and mentally exhausted as he walks back to the bunks, wanting nothing more than to flop into bed and pine for you until he falls asleep. But the cheers that greet him as he walks into his and Bob’s room are deafening.

He smiles through the pain of the harsh back slaps, trying not to cringe too much when he gets squeezed on the shoulder in congratulations.

“Just a little,” Bradley warns as he’s handed a solo cup of smuggled booze. “I’m on pain meds.”

Phoenix rolls her eyes but doesn’t give him more than 2 fingers' worth of the smuggled booze.

“To Hangman,” Bradley swallows the lump that formed in his throat as he meets those green eyes across the small room. For everything; for healing your heart when he broke it, for bringing the joy back into your life, for kicking his ass into gear when he wasn’t pulling his weight in the squad, for allowing him to be a part of your life after he fucked it up, “for saving my life.”

Jake gives him a small smile in return, nodding once before they all take a swig.

The hours pass in a alcohol induced blur and suddenly, Jake and Bradley are the only 2 awake.

“Damnit Nat,” Bradley sighs dramatically, as he sways, spotting Natasha on his bed. “Floor it is, I guess.”

“You can’t sleep on the floor after today,” Jake yawns before he scoffs, as if the thought offends him, “you won’t be able to walk tomorrow. C’mon, you can sleep in Javy’s bed.”

“Where’s he gonna sleep?” Bradley asks, brow furrowed, almost falling when he follows where Jake’s pointing to Javy’s sleeping form on the floor. “Oh.”

“Let’s go,” Jake guides Bradley over the rest of the slumbering bodies to walk 2 doors down.

“I really thought I was a goner,” Bradley says softly, leaning back against the bunk when they make it there. “It was sort of peaceful,” he swallows thickly, “I was gonna get to see my mom and dad again. But then I thought of Liv-not like that…I mean like, how sad she would be if she lost her best friend and then…you were there.”

Jake gives him another small smile, uncharacteristically quiet.

Bradley laughs as he pushes off the frame of the bed. “You were there,” he cups Jake’s face in both hands, “You saved me, Jake.”

It’s meant to be a quick, ‘thanks for saving my life,’ peck between friends. Nothing more.

Jake tenses at the touch of Bradley’s lips.

“Shit, I’m so-“ Bradley starts as he pulls away but before he can, Jake’s fisting his shirt to tug him back.

They both groan as their mouths meet again in a rough, demanding kiss. Months of unresolved sexual tension are released between their tangling tongues and nipping teeth as Bradley backs Jake up against the wall.

“Fuck,” Jake pulls off Bradley's lips with a groan as his hand slides up his thigh before palming his hard cock roughly. His head falls back against the wall with a thud as Bradley’s mustache runs over his neck.

“God Jake,” Bradley breathes into his ear, “I want you so bad. Seeing you and Liv…”

It’s like they were doused with a bucket of cold water, both freezing at the sound of your name.

The horror is evident on Jake’s face as Bradley pulls back slowly, “Jake, wait-“

“I’m gonna be sick,” Jake pushes past him to the bathroom, making Bradley cringe at the sound of him emptying his stomach.

“You okay?” Bradley’s vision darkens as he bumps his bruised shoulder against the door frame of the bathroom.

“Fine,” Jake lies, voice thick, “too much to drink. Just-just go to sleep, Bradshaw.”

Bradley stumbles to the bottom bunk with every intention to talk about it in the morning.

But Jake’s gone when he gets up and avoids him entirely until they touch dry land.

“Hangm-Jake!” Bradley calls as Jake heads to the parking lot, “Let me talk to Liv, it was my fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“We both know that’s a lie,” Jake replies, looking at the ground, “I gotta tell her the truth.”

“The truth is, we were drunk and I kissed you,” Bradley replies lowly, not to be overheard. “Please, just let me talk-“

“Bradshaw!” Cyclone yells from his office as he flips through the stack in his hands, “I don’t have your mission report here. I need that before you go.”

“Just wait for me,” Bradley pleads, unzipping his duffel to look for the report he knows he handed in.

“Lt. Bradshaw!”

“Fuck,” Bradley mutters as he looks up to Jake getting in his truck. “Coming, sir!”

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

You’re almost….relieved at the truth.

“It was my fault,” Bradley says with a sigh as he sits on the other end of the couch from Jake, “I-we were both drinking and it was just meant to be… like a peck on the lips as a thank you and-“

“And I turned it into more,” Jake finishes his sentence. “Stop lying for me, Bradley. I appreciate it, but stop. Please.”

Your mind is racing as you look between them.

Jake turned it into something more? Is he…

“Jake, do you-I mean, are you…into men?” You ask gently.

“I…” he swallows, still refusing to look at either of you, “I think I might be? But I’m also into women, obviously. Like, I’ve been attracted to guys before but never acted on it. Never felt the need to…act on it. Until now.”

Bradley looks just as distraught as Jake sounds.

Jake takes a deep breath and his shoulders shake as he exhales, finally looking up at you. “I fucked up, Liv, and I’m so sorry. You don’t have to forgive me, God knows I don’t deserve it. But I want you to know, I meant it when I said I love you.”

Tears again fill your eyes as you nod.

“But I can’t lie and say I don’t have feelings for Bradley too,” he stands. His voice cracks as he looks at him, and so does another piece of your heart, “I tried to ignore it for so long, but it all came rushing to the surface when we kissed. It’s not Bradley’s fault either. It was innocent and I turned it into more.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Bradley shakes his head as he stands with a wince, “innocent or not, drunk or sober, or that I have feelings for you too. I shouldn’t have kissed you in the first place.”

“You both have feelings for each other?” You ask as you rise too, continuing when they both nod, “And you both have feelings for me still?”

“I’ve never stopped,” Bradley replies hoarsely, “I’ve never stopped loving you.”

Jake nods. “My feelings for you haven’t changed, Liv. I love you so much.”

“Okay,” you whisper, heart about to beat right out of your chest, “then show me. Together.”

.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.•*•.•.

A/N: sorry for the delay! I get horribly unmotivated on the weekends and just have been feeling blah lately. What did you think? Anyone see that coming?

Special thanks to @blindedbythelightt for the help with this one!

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[callsigndragon]

A little bit of courage | Bradley Bradshaw

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x female reader

word count: 1.7k

warnings: all the fluffs

if you want to be tagged on everything tgm or on everthing rooster related, let me know down below in the comments! (with some love, very much appreciated! ❤️)

“Can you say that again? I want to check that I didn’t hear you wrong,” you say, feeling a ton of butterflies in the pit of your stomach. And not the good ones.

Rooster chuckles, taking one hand from the wheel to grab yours. “I said,” he kisses your knuckles and keeps looking ahead, “that I want you to meet my family.” 

“Oh, yeah. I heard you right.” 

“Are you scared?” Rooster asks, stopping the car at a red light and looking at you. 

“Scared of meeting the people you work with, and not only that but also Maverick, who is not only your boss but also the closest thing to a father you have?” You look at him with wide eyes and a trembling smile, giving away your true feelings. “How could I be scared?” 

“Honey, you know Phoenix and Hangman already.” 

“But I haven’t met all of them at the same time!” You reply, covering your face. “Okay, just tell me when, so I can get mentally prepared for it.” 

Bradley doesn’t respond for a few seconds before turning to the right and parking the car in front of a two-story light blue house. There are a few other cars and some bikes parked in the front, and you can hear animated conversation in the backyard. “...now?”

“Bradley Bradshaw, you have the worst timing in the history of timings.” You groan, looking at your brand new dress that he bought for you. “So that’s why you bought me this? So I didn’t get angry?” 

Bradley pouts, looking like a child who has lost his favorite toy. “Are you angry?” 

“I should.” You reply with a stern tone. 

“But you aren’t, right?” He leans closer to you, pecking you on the cheek. “Right?” 

“Don’t think kisses will fix this.” You scoff, grabbing your bag. 

“Well, it depends on where I kiss you. I'll show you tonight."

You feel your face burn at the teasing tone on his voice, and the silent promise of fun activities that might take place tonight. “Let’s get inside before you start something here.” 

Bradley gets out of the car, adjusting his clothes. Yellow Hawaiian shirt over a white t-shirt, and jeans. “You’re way too loud for that, baby girl.” 

“Bradley!” 

"Come on, everybody is waiting." He says, placing his hand on your lower back and leading you to the backyard.  

Bradley's family is sitting under the brown cedar outdoor pergola, talking and laughing as the day fades and the San Diego sky darkens. Phoenix and Hangman, the only two faces you can recognize, are talking with a blonde man with glasses. They seem to be sharing something from the past with the other man, because she keeps shaking her head every time Jake speaks, as if he weren't telling the story as it really was. 

There are more men and two other women, one of them seems pretty young. The blonde girl turns in your direction when he sees Bradley walking towards them, and when her face lits up, you know that she must be Amelia. Bradley talks a lot about her. 

“Roos!” 

“You need to stop growing up, look at you!” He gets closer to her, hugging her tightly and messing with her hair. 

“Hey! Don’t do that.” She whines, fixing her hair with her fingers, before turning to you. “You’re y/n! Bradley talks a lot about you.” 

Bradley’s ears turn red, and he clears his throat. “I don’t talk a lot. Just the normal amount.” 

“Puh-lease, Bradshaw. You literally spent three hours talking about how marvelous she is, how beautiful she is, how she is the most-” 

Bradley covers her mouth with his hand before she can keep embarrassing him. “It’s all lies.” 

You nod, tightening your lips in a thin line to not smile. “Sure, all lies.” 

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the rest.” He grabs your hand and walks you up to his family. “Hey, where’s Mav?” 

“He’s with Mickey at the BBQ.” A woman with long, dark hair says, getting up from her seat. She’s Amelia’s mom, Penny. “And you, my dear, you must be the girl that has Bradley wrapped up around her finger.”

You chuckle, looking at your boyfriend. “I think it’s the other way around, ma’am.” 

You spend the next few minutes getting introduced to the other aviators and learning their names, their call signs, and the stories behind them. It feels like you're part of the family already. 

Maverick walks out of the BBQ station, Mickey close behind him, and places large amounts of meat on the dinner table set under the patio lights suspended from the big porch's ceiling. You don’t know who is behind the decoration, but they know how to create a cozy, inviting ambience. 

“Hey, Mav! Want you to meet someone.” Bradley speaks when the whole group reunites around the dinner table. 

“Oh, you’re y/n? And here I am, all greasy and sweaty.” Mav chuckles, offering you his hand. 

“That’s like your everyday outfit.” Penny chimes in, making the rest laugh. 

“Ignore my wife, please. She’s on a crusade to make me look like an idiot.” Maverick explains, rolling his eyes. 

“You don’t need any help with that, honey!” 

“I’m Pete Mitchell, but everyone calls me Maverick. Or just Mav.” He shakes your hand, chuckling at the fit of giggles around the room after her last dig against him. 

“Nice to meet you, sir.” 

The night goes on smoothly. Small conversations over the most delicious food, laughs, jokes, happy memories, and sad ones are shared... When Rooster told you about his family and how none of them were blood related to him, you were a bit skeptical about it. But seeing the way they talk and share stories, how they always have each other’s backs, how they make plans for the near future and for the distant future, knowing that no matter what life has in store for them, they will be there, makes you realize that this found family is in no way inferior to any other one. 

If any, it puts many families to shame. 

“He loves you.” Maverick says, sitting next to you once dinner is over, and everyone is scattered around the backyard, some of them even playing a game called, dogfight football. You’ve never heard of that before. 

“You think?” You ask him, playing with the edge of your dress. You haven’t said that yet. Not because you don’t feel it. You love him, and you’re sure of that. 

But somehow... it never seemed the right moment. 

“I know. I’ve known him all his life. He has it written on his forehead.” He chuckles, watching Bob fall to the ground trying to catch the ball. 

“I don’t know, Mav… We’ve been together for a while now, but… Maybe he’s not ready for a-” 

Mav raises a hand, stopping your train of thought. “He has lost every single member of his real family over the years, and for a while, he was alone. I wasn’t the godfather he needed, and I almost destroyed his career.”

“What did you do?” 

“I pulled his application from the Naval Academy,” Maverick admits, feeling horrible. 

“Oh god… Why would you do that?” 

He sighs, weighing his options. “His mother asked me to. He doesn’t know.” 

The news come as a shock. Why would he tell you this? He just met you! And now, you have that feeling of knowing a secret that you shouldn’t. 

“Mav… why are you telling me this?” You ask, wanting to know why he is trusting you with such information. 

“Because I want you to know that the other important woman in his life, his own mother, didn’t think he was prepared for being a fighter pilot.” Mav explains, watching Rooster and Hangman run around the backyard. “People have been underestimating him all his life. They thought he wasn’t prepared for the Navy, they thought he wasn’t prepared for the uranium mission…” 

“Uranium mission?” 

“That’s classified.” He grabs your hands, squeezing them a bit. “What I’m trying to tell you is that you may think that he’s not ready for a serious relationship, but he brought you here, with his family. He is ready.” 

You stop for a second, thinking about the implications of his words. He really did that. 

“He has brought you here, wanting to show you the family he has. The family that he wants you to be part of.” He insists, turning his head to look at all the members of this small but lovely family. 

“I’m not an aviator, Mav. I don’t fit in” 

Mav shakes his head. “Nobody wants you to fit. You’re different, and different doesn’t mean bad. It means that you have other specialties, and that we can learn a lot from you.” 

“I don’t have a lot to teach y’all.” You chuckle, looking at your hands. 

“I think you do. Bradley says that you encouraged him a lot on this last mission.” 

You smile, remembering Bradley sitting down on the kitchen table, looking at the report in his hands, wondering if he was able to pull it off, or if he was going to burn in. “He can do whatever he wants. He’s more capable than he thinks.” 

Maverick nods, kissing your hands before getting up. “And that’s why you’re here, love. To remind him that he can do whatever he sets his mind on. Even when the rest of the world tells him he can’t.” 

When Maverick walks away, you stay there for a while, thinking of everything he has said. Maybe he really is prepared for that serious relationship you crave. Maybe he just needs a bit of encouragement. 

“Honey, are you okay?” Bradley’s voice startles you, making him snort when you jump on the bench you have been sitting for a while. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t worry. I was just… thinking.” 

Bradley sits with you, removing his shirt and putting it over your shoulders. “About what?” 

“About how much I love you, how proud I am of you, and how glad I am to finally have met your family. Nat and I are going shopping together next week.” 

Rooster smirks, liking his lips, while an airy laugh leaves his body. “You realized what you’ve just said?” 

You nod, kissing the corner of his lips. “Want me to say it again?” 

He shakes his head, grabs your chin between his thumb and index finger, and lifts your head so he can look you in the eyes. “I love you too, y/n.” 

He leans in, kissing you softly and lovingly, and he’s worried that you can hear his loud heartbeat. 

“So you only needed a bit of courage, huh?” You joke, placing your head on his shoulder. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Nevermind.” 

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[roosterforme]

A Love You Don't Find Everyday Part 23 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Your honeymoon includes everything you want: pink champagne, paradise, and your husband. Is it possible to become addicted to spending time with Bradley? You are more than willing to find out. 

Warnings: Fluff, smut, and swearing

Length: 5600 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

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You woke up to warm sunlight on your face and an empty bed. "Roo?" you called out, your voice still rough from sleep. You didn't know where your phone or your glasses ended up as Bradley had helped you get in bed last night. You had been so tired after the bath with him, you had apparently fallen asleep right away. 

When you rolled out of bed, you squinted until you found your glasses and phone on the dresser. Once you had your glasses on, you opened a cute photo that Mav had sent of Amelia playing with Tramp. Jake had texted you as well. 

Jake Seresin: Make sure you're drinking enough water, Angel. And make sure you stretch. Don't want either of you hospitalized from a sex related injury.

You rolled your eyes and set your phone down and went in search of your husband. After you loosely tied one of the robes around your waist, you headed out onto the deck where you found Bradley on a lounge chair in his underwear and aviators. 

"Roo?"

He turned and looked at you over his shoulder with a smile on his face. "Morning, Sweetheart." He let his legs slide off both sides of the chair so his feet were on the deck instead, and he patted the spot between his thighs. As you walked closer, you noticed he had been writing in a notebook.

"What are you doing?" you asked, kissing him as you settled on your knees between his legs. Bradley's hand was immediately on your thigh, stroking his fingers up close to your panties.

"Making some lists."

"Lists for what?" you asked, leaning closer to kiss him again. "You shouldn't be working on our honeymoon." You swiped your tongue across his bottom lip, making him groan. 

"You're right, Baby Girl," he replied, about to set the notebook on the deck, but his writing caught your eye.

"Wait, what are you writing about the mortgage? And your pension?" you asked, guiding his hand closer so you could read more.

He pulled his aviators lower on his nose and looked at you over the frames before running his fingers along your cheek. "Just trying to make sure I get everything ironclad. In case something happens to me."

"Bradley," you whispered, your heart dipping in your chest. The pension. The mortgage. He wanted to make sure he was taking care of you. Just in case. "Bradley."

"I know, Sweetheart. But this is important to me. I don't want there to be any issues, you know..." When you nodded and kissed him softly, he added, "You'll have my accounts, my pension, the house, everything. Just in case something happens when I'm deployed. I already added you to my savings account, but I'm going to take care of everything else now that we're married."

You could feel tears pricking your eyes. "I understand. I still don't like thinking about it." Carefully, you took the notebook and pen away from him and let them drop to the deck. 

He swallowed hard. "I'm never going to leave you, okay? But if something does happen, especially if we have kids... I just need to know I did everything I could to make that shit easier on you. That's all. I love you too much."

You let your hands rest on his shoulders as you leaned in to kiss him. "You make me feel so good, Bradley. Important."

"You're the most important," he promised, reaching for your hips underneath the robe. 

You grinned against his lips. "You wanna know how important you are to me?"

"How important, Sweetheart?" he asked as you straddled his hips. 

"Well, Bradley, I love you so much, I'll add you to my car title. Just in case anything ever happens to me."

He groaned, taking his hands off your body and leaning away from you. "That's cruel! Literally so mean!" he complained as you laughed. But when you wiggled yourself on his lap, he pushed his aviators back up on his nose and reached for the sash of your robe. "Now come here and show me how much you really love me."

As Bradley pushed the robe down your shoulders, you glanced around, but all you could see was dense foliage and lattice partitions all around the deck with a view of the beach on the far side past your private pool. "You think anyone can see us up here from the beach? If we leave the partition open?" you asked, turning back to him as he stroked your breasts. 

"Do you care?" he asked, a very smug smirk on his lips. He knew you didn't care. He knew you'd probably get wetter at the thought of someone seeing what you were getting up to. You and he had been indulging each other in this way for more than a year, and you knew he'd do whatever you wanted. 

"No," you replied, yanking his boxer briefs down until he was free of the fabric. "Not at all."

Bradley pulled your underwear gently to the side, and you guided yourself so you were taking his tip and then all of him. You rode him nice and slow, his mouth on your breasts and his hands on your butt as you rolled your hips. 

His tongue and lips and teeth teased you until you were moaning his name and jerking up and down on him faster. You were so close, your clit rubbing just right against him when he fucked up into you, hard.

"Bradley!" you shouted, cumming and crying out as he grinned at you. Your legs shook as he fucked you harder. When you caught your breath, you said, "You didn't even cum yet!"

"No, now turn around."

You had a lovely view of the beach as Bradley fucked you from behind, making the lounge chair scoot loudly across the deck until he came inside you. "Oh, fuck!" He grabbed your butt roughly as he filled your pussy. "God damn." And then his lips were on your rear end, your thighs and your hips as he told you how pretty you looked for him.

When you felt his mustache on your lower back, he said, "Honeymoon sex just hits different."

You laughed as you stood up and shimmied your underwear completely off. As your panties dropped onto the notebook, you kissed Bradley and said, "Thank you for taking care of me in every way."

Then you watched him pull his underwear off as you jumped in your pool, and a moment later he was in the water with you.

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

By the time Bradley got you out of the villa and into the golf cart, he was famished. Starving. If he didn't eat soon, he didn't know if he'd have the energy to fuck you again, and you were already looking at him like you wanted more.

"Baby Girl, let's get brunch. Maybe some mimosas, a couple of beers, and then we can go back to bed."

You kissed his stubbled cheek as he started up the golf cart; he wasn't intending on shaving during the honeymoon at all. "Maybe hit the beach later, too?"

"Anything you want, I promise. I just need to eat."

He kept getting obnoxious texts from Jake about staying hydrated and being a good husband. But Jake had no idea what a handful you could become when you felt like it. Bradley really thought you must be ovulating, because you had that look about you, like you could go ten rounds in a row. But if anyone was up to the challenge of keeping you satisfied, it was Bradley. 

"You packed my wedding shoes, right?" you asked as he parked near one of the restaurants. 

"Yeah," he grunted, adjusting his pants as he helped you down from the cart. He watched your short dress skim your legs as you walked ahead of him. 

"I could put them on when we get back."

He didn't know how it was possible, but now he thought he was ready to go another round, too. Food would ensure that he was ready. "You'll wear them for Daddy?"

"Oh, is Daddy going to play with me later?" you asked, not bothering to keep your voice down at all as the host led you to a table past other patrons in this five star restaurant.

"He sure is."

You ran your foot along Bradley's calf while he ate enough food for three people. And while you sipped a mimosa, you leaned on one elbow, pressing your tits together with the most innocent expression on your face. Everything you did, intentional or not, was designed to keep him addicted to you. But when you did things like that on purpose, he almost lost his mind over you. 

"You feel better now, Daddy?" you asked, and Bradley's eyes were on your tits. You wanted him to take you back to the villa, he knew you did.

"Much better. Let's explore the resort, Baby Girl."

You pouted for a minute, but once you and he walked out on the patio and toward the beach, you squealed with delight at the view. "Let's walk along the beach," you urged, pulling Bradley with you. The resort was expansive, and Bradley counted seven different pools that you passed as you walked at least a mile before heading back to the golf cart. 

He had the fleeting thought that he could use a nap as he drove the golf cart in the direction of the villa, but your hand was inching up his thigh. When he parked out front, he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you onto him so you were straddling his waist. 

"Bradley!" Your surprised laughter and lips on his neck made his cock twitch with anticipation, nap forgotten.

"Daddy wants to see you in those shoes," he whispered, and you looked at him with wide eyes. 

"I have something else I want to show Daddy. Give me sixty seconds," you replied, climbing down from his lap and running toward the door, unlocking it and pulling your dress off before you were even inside. 

Bradley groaned, counted to sixty, and followed you in. And then he found you standing next to the bed, wearing just your white high heels that lace up your calves and a pair of tiny white satin underwear. He could see the top of your Rooster tattoo above the expensive fabric.

"Daddy?" you whispered before biting your lip. Your tits looked gorgeous, and he could tell by the way you were wiggling your hips you were ready to go. He was ready to go, too. But he'd indulge you first. Then you turned around, and Bradley realized you were the one who would actually be indulging him. 

"Fuck," he groaned. Your white panties said Daddy's Baby Girl across your ass. You arched you back and planted your hands on your hips, looking back at him over your shoulder. "Go over to the bed, and bend over."

You did as he told you, your steps elegant and graceful in your high heels. When you bent over, your breasts brushing the bedding, you spread your legs for him. 

"Daddy's Baby Girl," Bradley grunted, running his fingers along the letters, making you gasp. He spanked you softly, moving his hand lower and lower until he was spanking your satin covered pussy.

"Oh my god!" you whined. "Oh! Bradley!"

"I'm Daddy," he replied, spanking your ass a little harder. 

You moaned softly, pressing yourself back against his hand. "Daddy!"

Bradley tipped his head back. You were soaking through the fabric as his fingers traced along your pussy to your clit. He spanked you there gently until you were crying out for more. Bradley knelt behind you and licked along your ass through the underwear before pulling them down to your knees and lapping at your wet pussy. 

"You gonna be a good girl for me? Or act like a brat?"

Bradley could see your pussy clenching before him as you whimpered with need. "Whatever you want, Daddy."

He wanted it all with you. He stood and took his phone out of his pocket while you whined for him. He took a few pictures of you with your underwear around your knees, your shoes laced up your legs, and your ass and pussy on display. Those would become something that would get him through a deployment, he was sure. 

Then he unzipped his pants and pressed himself against your backside as he leaned down so you could see his phone screen. "Do you see how fucking perfect you are for me?"

You looked at his phone and then over your shoulder at him. "Yes, Daddy," you gasped, bumping yourself back against him. 

"Now be a good girl, and you can have anything you want."

Bradley dipped his cock inside you, making you buck before he pulled out and painted your ass with your own wetness. He did this until you were babbling nonsense, and he smiled. 

"Please, please, please," you chanted, bumping back against him and Bradley spanked you until his palm was tingling. Then he ran two fingers through your dripping slit and shoved them in your mouth.

"Shhh, I told you to be good." You sucked on his fingers quietly, and then Bradley knelt again. He licked you clean, running his tongue all over your ass and stroking your pretty shoes with his fingertips. You had been reduced to sweet, soft little noises as he ate your pussy with his face buried in you. He took his time, wearing you out as your legs started to shake for him. You buried your face in the bedding, muffling the sounds of your orgasm, but Bradley could feel it on his tongue. 

He finally eased your panties the rest of the way down your legs and helped you step out of them. Then he patted your rear end where he was sure you must be sore, and you turned to look over your shoulder at him, the impressions of the bedding marring your cheek and forehead. 

"Thank you, Daddy," you whispered as he wrapped his fingers gently around your necklace chain and pulled you up as you gasped. He pulled until your back was flush against his front, and then he released the chain. Carefully, he took your right hand in his and guided it back so that you were touching his cock.

"It's Daddy's turn."

You palmed his length and moaned. "I love you, Daddy." 

Bradley ran his mustache along your ear, kissing you softly there. "You're gonna keep those shoes on and ride me real good." You nodded as Bradley took his own shoes off and got himself undressed. When he laid back on the bed and crooked his finger in your direction, you came crawling across that bed like such a good girl. Like such a good wife. You straddled his waist and leaned up to kiss his lips. 

"Can I make you cum inside me? Get you to fill me up? I want you to be a Daddy in every way, Roo."

He took your chin roughly in his hand so you met his eyes. Your gaze was open, unguarded, and he could feel you guide yourself down on him, taking his cock inside you as he whispered, "Baby Girl. I want you pregnant. I want to know I did that to you."

Your lips parted as you started to move your hips, riding him so perfectly. Bradley knew he had it good. You were everything. He sat up, easing you back as his chest pressed against yours. He grabbed your ass and thrusted until he was so deep inside, you cried out. He ran his fingers along the ribbons adorning your calves. "These are so pretty." 

He took your nipple in his mouth as you arched your back and bounced on him. Your eyes were fluttering open and closed, and he was so fucking deep inside you. This was everything he'd dreamed about: making you his wife and hopefully making all the sex count toward a baby.

"You're perfect," he whispered. "Tell me what you want."

You giggled as he mouth returned to your tits. "I want you to cum inside me."

"Yes. What else?"

You gasped as he sucked hard. "I want you to make me cum on your dick."

"Of course. What else?" He would honestly give you anything you asked for that he possibly could. 

"I want you to love me forever!" You were smiling as his lips found yours as you continued to ride him expertly. 

"I already do. What else?"

You giggled again before you gasped. "I want some pink champagne!"

Bradley eased himself back against the pillows, bringing you with him. "I'll get it for you," he grunted as you latched your lips to his neck, grinding down on him. He reached for the phone on the nightstand and pressed the number for room service. 

"What are you doing?" you moaned, but there was already someone answering his call. 

"Hi," he grunted into the phone. "Can you bring us a bottle of pink champagne?"

You sat up with your palms planted on Bradley's chest and whined his name as you fucked him. 

"Sir, I'm not sure if we have pink champagne?" came the voice through the phone. 

"Good girl," Bradley whispered to you as you worked your hips in circles. Then louder, he said, "It needs to be pink. Bring me five bottles. Charge it to the room."

"Sir, I'm not sure-"

"Just do it," Bradley growled before ending the call. You giggled and moaned at the same time as the phone ended up on the floor. 

"You just called room service while you were inside me!"

"Yeah," he rasped, running his thumb along your clit and watching you get off on him. "My wife wants something, she's going to get it."

"Ohhh," you moaned, clenching around him as he stroked you. "Daddy."

"Fuck," he groaned. "Keep saying it."

You leaned down and kissed his ear, treating him to the sounds of your orgasm mixed with you calling him daddy until he was filling you up with his cum.

"Daddy would do anything for you, Baby Girl. God, married sex just hits different."

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

You both barely made it into your robes before someone was dropping off five bottles of pink champagne in individual ice buckets. You giggled uncontrollably as Bradley lined them up on the coffee table and just looked at them. "Went a little overboard, didn't I?"

You wrapped your arms around him and shook your head. "It's not like we won't drink all of them. I just can't believe you ordered them while we were fucking."

He kissed the top of your head. "Hey, nothing's too good for you, Sweetheart. You're always so capable, I kind of get lost when you let me go into Daddy Mode. You start whining, and I want to solve everything for you."

"God, that's hot," you whispered, kissing his stubbled chin. "Are you going to shave?"

"Wasn't planning on it," he replied, and you watched him pop one of the bottles. 

You had visions of riding his stubbly face dancing in your head as you took a sip of champagne from the bottle. "Good."

The two of you ended up eating sandwiches on the deck for dinner while you finished the bottle. "Do you think we'll ever stop fucking long enough to explore this end of the beach?" you asked, and Bradley laughed next to you on the lounge chair. 

"We've only been here for two days. I'd say by day five, we'll probably need a break."

"Speak for yourself, Roo," you said, winking at him. "I'm ready to go again."

He groaned as he chewed his food. He looked tired, and you knew you'd need to let him go to bed early tonight. But even with the adjustment to a different time zone, you weren't tired at all. And you were so horny, it was surprising even to you. Honestly, you'd been feeling like this since you stopped taking your birth control pills. 

When you took the last sip of champagne, you looked at Bradley. You did the math quickly in your head and determined that you were probably ovulating. That must be why you wanted to fuck his brains out nonstop. Or maybe it was just because he was your husband who looked stupid sexy with his tattoo and that gold wedding band on his finger. 

You kissed his hand, letting your lips graze his ring. "What if I put on your favorite set?"

His eyes went a little wide as he pulled you closer. "The red ones?" he rasped, and you nodded. 

"Yes, Bradley. The red ones."

That was all it took. As soon as you changed into your red lingerie, your husband was all over you. He fucked you hard into the mattress, your legs spread wide as he said, "Tipsy on pink champagne sex just hits different."

You thought you could become addicted to the feel of his cum dripping down your legs. He kept you full almost nonstop as the two of you fell into a routine. Sometimes you ate in one of the restaurants, and sometimes you got room service. Sometimes you had beer, sometimes you had a bottle of champagne. 

But you started to venture down to the beach during the day. When the heat from the sun got to be too much, or when you simply couldn't keep your hands off each other, you made your way back up to the private pool. You let Bradley fuck you on the edge of the pool as he untied your bikini top. Sometimes he wanted you doggy style, quick and dirty. Sometimes he wanted to lay you out on the deck and rub his stubbled cheeks along your body before he took you slow and sweet. Sometimes he was undressing you before you were even back on the private deck.

It was perfect. Decadent foods and drinks and nonstop time with your husband. Half the time the two of you skipped clothing, knowing it would just be in the way later. And every afternoon, you fell asleep in the sun, curled up on Bradley in the lounge chair while the sounds of the waves and the music from the main pool drifted up to your villa. 

"You need more sunblock," you told him one morning as you dressed in your black bikini. You and he were about to make your way to the beach bed he had reserved for the day, but he was starting to look rosy from all the afternoon naps outside. 

"Bring it with us, Baby Girl. Then I can rub it all over you as well," he said, sneaking up behind you and rubbing his rough cheek on your neck. 

You managed to wiggle out of his grasp and run out onto the deck, but he followed right behind you, chasing you to the beach. 

"I want to feel your rough face between my legs, Bradley! Not on my neck!"

He grabbed your elbow to slow you down and said, "Then let's get back in bed." His eyes were glittering with promise, but you shook your head. 

"Listen Roo, if you wake up tomorrow with me on your face, you just do as you're told, okay? Right now, I want to cuddle with you on the beach."

The beach bed was really just a cozy, oversized lounge chair with soft cushions right near the water. It was covered by a canopy that would keep you cool, and keep Bradley from looking like a lobster. Each side had curtains which could be opened or closed for privacy, and there was a butler who would run around and get anything you wanted. 

"Come here," Bradley whispered, and you curled up next to his side with your head resting on his chest. "I love you, Baby Girl."

The water looked beautiful, and once you each had a drink in your hand, you told him, "I'm impressed that you picked this resort." And after a few more drinks, you told him, "I want you," as your hand drifted down to the front of his swim trunks.

Bradley grunted as your fingers untied the drawstring and dipped into his bathing suit. He reached for the sash to let one side of the curtains fall closed. "You know what? If the butler comes back and sees us, it's his own fault. He'd wanna fuck you all day too if you were his wife."

"Bradley!" you said with a laugh, but he was already pulling your top to the side and kissing your bare breasts. After he pulled the other curtains closed, He untied your suit bottoms and removed them. "I was going to give you a blowjob," you whispered.

He shook his head as he flipped you onto your hands and knees. "My cum belongs inside your pussy right now. Don't waste it."

You moaned at his words as he rocked into you, filling you up. There was a slit in the curtain, and you could see other resort guests walking around, laughing with drinks in their hands. You could see waiters and staff hustling back and forth across the sand. You could hear conversations and music. All while your husband fucked you full of his cum with your tits hanging out of your bathing suit. 

Once Bradley tied your suit bottoms back in place, you could feel the mess dripping out of you. And you eased him back onto the cushions with a smile on his face and knelt between his thighs. But instead of tucking him back into his trunks, you licked him clean of your wetness and his cum. He groaned and leaned back as you took your time, licking up every bit of mess from his softening cock while he grunted your name and stroked your tits.

"So pretty," he whispered, watching you intently. "Can't keep my cock out of you."

You moaned around his tip, enjoying the way you tasted all mixed up with him. "Beach sex just hits different," you told him, earning a brilliant smile as you tucked him back in his bathing suit. And then the butler returned as you fixed your suit top, smirking at both of you as he handed you more drinks. 

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

Bradley smiled as you sipped a rum punch from your perch on the beach bed between his legs. He had opened up the curtains again after getting his fill of you, and now the sun was dipping lower on the horizon. 

"You should slow down, Sweetheart," he told you as you finished your drink. "I'm going to want to fuck you again later, but not if you're drunk."

Your face lit up at his words. "I want you to fuck me when I'm drunk, Roo. You never do."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "It's just, getting consent is a gray area then."

You kissed his cheek. "You're perfect. Really, Roo, you've never once made me feel uncomfortable about sex."

"Well, that's important to me."

You kissed his lips; you tasted like rum. "You waited until I was ready to be with you again after Josh. You never made me feel any pressure, and that was on top of your deployment, Bradley. You waited weeks and months for me."

Bradley pulled you closer and held you tight. He hated thinking about Josh touching you. It made him sick that you had to deal with that while he was away. But Bradley supposed that was where your close friendship with Jake started to take root, so it wasn't all bad.

As you pressed your lips to his rough chin, you said, "We should both get a little tipsy. I'm giving my consent right now: I want you to fuck me while I'm drunk."

Bradley groaned. "As long as you can still tell me later that that's what you want." He signalled for two more drinks, and soon you were a giggly mess, splayed out on the beach bed, nearly spilling out of your top. 

"Bradley, do you remember when I had sex with other people?" you asked with a laugh, pulling him closer to you.

He'd had quite a few drinks, but he was still confused as he froze. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Your face was placid and bathed in orange sunlight as you laughed. "Oh, you know, like ages ago."

"How long ago?" he asked, now needing a very clear picture of what you were talking about.

You just waved your hand in the air. "Ages," you moaned. "Now all I want is you." 

"You mean like before we slept together?"

"Yes, Roo," you said, cracking up. "I had so much bad sex! Really terrible!"

He took a deep breath and leaned down to kiss you. "Good."

"Mmm," you hummed. "You're good. Now let's put our feet in the water."

The two of you stumbled along the edge of the water, and you rambled on about every topic under the sun before you started kissing Bradley as if the two of you were alone. Which you were not. There were other couples around, and the beach was filling up with people who wanted to watch the sunset. 

"You need to behave," he warned. 

You shook your head sadly up at him. "I'm afraid I don't know how."

Bradley laughed, and then you laughed, and he realized you were both pretty drunk. But he wanted to make sure. He whispered next to your ear, "If I take you back to our villa after we watch the sunset, do you still want me to fuck you?"

Your loud moan had him sealing his lips over yours to keep you quiet. "Please!"

So Bradley wrapped his arms around your waist and let his chin rest on your shoulder as you both watched the sun dip lower. Every press of his lips to your neck had him wanting you more and more, and he couldn't help but think you'd been right about the two of you drinking together. 

"You make my dick so hard," he promised you, focusing on your breathing and the way your tits looked as he rubbed his hands along your hips from behind. You were a million times more fascinating than the most beautiful sunset. 

You reached back to rub his leg and simply said, "I know, Roo." Good, he wanted to be transparent in his continual lust for you. The more you knew he wanted you, the better.

"You still want me to fuck you?"

In an instant, you spun around in his arms. "Yes. Let's go to bed."

Bradley's head was spinning a bit as you and he rinsed off in the outdoor shower where you sank down to take his cock in your mouth. "You gotta let me cum in your pussy," he whispered, and you giggled. 

"You're obsessed, Bradley," you whispered, running his tip along your lips. "Obsessed with breeding me."

He pulsed in your hands, and he hauled you to your feet. The two of you managed to make it inside to the bed without drying off, and Bradley started licking the water droplets from your legs and hips. He sucked on your tattoo while you had the drunken audacity to tell him, "I want you to breed me."

And then he was fucking you while he said, "I want you big and pregnant. God, you'll look so good. I wanna do that to you, Baby Girl." You looked delighted with yourself, and apparently the thing about drunk Bradley was that he felt like he could go and go. You leaned up and licked his tattoo, goading him on as you came for him, but Bradley wasn't even close yet. 

He flipped you onto your stomach while you were still moaning for more. You ass looked so pretty, and you were so responsive as pressed his face to you, kissing and liking your round cheeks before spreading your wetness around. He dragged his fingers and mustache through your wet pussy, coating your other hole as you begged.

"That feels so good," you promised. "Keep going."

Bradley grunted, making you messy and cleaning you over and over from your pussy up along your ass. 

"Oh my god, Bradley," you whined. "Your mustache!"

"Feels good?" he asked, licking you from his facial hair as he fucked your pussy with his thumb.

You kept propping your hips higher in the air, giving him even better access to all of you. "So good. Are you going to fuck me again? Fill me up?" you asked, shaking yourself at him, and he groaned.

"Gorgeous." He dragged his thumb back up and pressed it to your other hole while he slid his cock back home inside your pussy once again.

As he fucked you hard and gently penetrated your ass at the same time, he said, "Tell me you want this. Or I'll stop."

"I'm gonna cum!" you screamed, squeezing around his cock as you rocked back for more of him. "Don't stop!"

Bradley came hard as you cried and hiccupped, the tip of his thumb inside you, while he filled you with a load that he hoped would knock you up. 

"Drunk sex just hits different," he groaned, so satisfied as he wrapped your boneless, fucked out body in his arms and let you kiss him all over his face.

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

This honeymoon is everything. I love how much they are exploring things together and how happy they are. This series is nearly over, and I thank you so much for reading along! Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 24

@mak-32

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[beezelarts]

So, I’ve been thinking.

One of my favourite tropes in books, movies or shows is the obsessed artist. A mixture of genius and insanity. So, I’m trying to think of ways in which Bradley and Jake might fit into that category.

For Bradley, it’s pretty straightforward in my opinion. He’s obsessed with proving Maverick wrong, obsessed with flying as best as he can and (but this is kind of a headcanon) obsessed with Jake. He can’t get over how Jake always seems to be the superior pilot, someone who is seemingly better at everything where he himself is lacking. He tries to compensate by telling himself that Jake is a bad team player and arrogant (true, but I think he might still be the better pilot). From the second time watching TGM and rewatching TG1986 it was clear that there are parallels between Mav and Hangman whereas Rooster seems more like Ice. At least when it comes to the way they fly. This might also be a reason for why Bradley and Jake seem to not get along at all. Now, this is purely a headcanon based on what I read in Hangster fanfics: Bradley being obsessed with Jake as a sexual object. While a lot of those stories are advertised as romance stories the way Bradley thinks about Jake and about what he likes about him seems very superficial and oftentimes solely focused on Jake’s body.

In conclusion: Bradley is obsessed with proving Mav wrong and with Jake, either as his rival and/or the object of Bradley’s sexual phantasies.

Now, when it comes to Jake being obsessive there’s a lot more room to play: we don’t really know much about Hangman aside from his tendencies to leave people behind and only care about himself. And of course his callsign. While the movie suggest that his callsign refers to him leaving his teammates hanging or his air-to-air kill (hangman = executioner) I think it’s secretly because of his dyslexia (solely headcanon). Therefore, it must have been a great struggle for him to get through school, the academy, flight school and Top Gun. The fact that he most likely excelled is probably because he, too, is obsessed with flying and being the best.

However, this still leaves his character kind of flat.

One of my favourite shows is Queens Gambit, a series about a young female chess genius in the fifties and sixties who is truly obsessed with the game to the point where she fails to take proper care of herself. (If you’ve watched it you know what I mean, if not… I really wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s on Netflix.)

Something I’ve read in numerous fanfics is how Jake never joins the others whenever Bradley is at the piano playing and singing. And this might either be due to his jealousy towards him because Bradley seems so much more popular and likeable. But today I remembered something my music teacher in high school said. He once told us about this one man with whom he sang in the church choir and how worked up the guy got when people sang off-key. That was because he had absolute hearing and couldn’t handle people singing in a different pitch even if they didn’t sound off-key to anyone else. So, Jake never joins the others because Bradley frequently sings in a different pitch compared to what the original sounds like. This leads to my other not-navy/flying related obsession. Music. It’s either the piano or the violin.

In my head, he inherited this trait from his mother, a great pianist or violinist, started to play at a very young age and became great at it himself. In this case, Jake kind of grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, a seemingly perfect childhood. However, behind the scenes he has a neglectful mother and an uncaring father who doesn’t bother supporting his wife through her depression and other mental illnesses. The only thing binding Jake to his mother is their common obsession with music. A vivid memory of Jake with his mother is how he’d watch her take numerous pills, downing them with either wine or bourbon before sitting down next to her on the piano stool. As an adult he refuses to take any opioids or anxiety medication and has a love-hate relationship with music because it always brings him back to those moments.

When Bradley and Jake eventually move in together, Bradley finds about Jake’s musical talent. He learns new songs playing by ear because he can’t read sheet music and sometimes struggles to find the right note.

„This song is written in C minor, Bradley. Try with G and then E flat.“

I love this headcanon because it gives Jake so much depth not related to flying and has great angst!potential.

Now, this was a long-ass, poorly structured post. Apologies for that and kudos to everyone who made it to the end. Further questions and suggestions are greatly appreciated! This is a lovely and welcoming fandom ♥️

[tgmsunmontue]

You need to learn how to fall 7/10

Hangster (and IceMav) - Bradley is too tall to be a naval aviator and instead becomes a sky diver, specialising in spin recovery. He is a civilian contractor to the military to teach pilots how to survive parachute spins from ejections. A more in-depth version of this post.

PROLOGUE 2003-2006 2007-2010 2011-2015 2016+ ~2019

>>Bradley

>>Jake

                The messages start off sporadic, and he’s unsure how to respond, which tone he should use, because there’s the casual work-related and simply friendly messages, then there’s the flirty ones, and then, then, there’s downright pornographic messages going into detail what Jake would like to do to him. With him. He’s never backed off a challenge though and he can go toe-to-toe so he sends back an equal mix of messages, some bland and mundane, others his innermost fantasies. They’re soon messaging multiple times a day, sleepy early-morning selfies, photos of lunches, short videos.

…             …             …

>>You don’t walk like a man in the Navy, your hips have this roll to them and it drives me fucking wild watching it.

…             …             …

>>Had a jump today, someone passed out while falling. Scariest fucking thing I’ve dealt with in a while.

…             …             …

                A package arrives after about three months, and Bradley hadn’t mentioned sending him anything, but he knows it’s not from his mom. Bradley had mentioned helping bake some shortbread, lemon and rosemary; Jake had said he’d love to try it sometime and now… if he’s not mistaken, there are some sitting in a little container on his kitchen bench and he gets to try some. There’s a return address and he quickly adds it to the information under Bradley’s contact in his phone. The shortbread is delicious and he sends a quick selfie to Bradley of him taking a bite with the words thank you underneath.

…             …             …

>>Teaching has given me a new appreciation for how dumb some people are. I feel like I need to go and apologize to my high school teachers.

…             …             …

>>Your tongue drives me to distraction. When you’re flicking a toothpick I can’t help but wonder what you’d do with my cock.

…             …             …

>>Have I told you recently how much I don’t like sweet potato?

…             …             …

                Jake hasn’t had this much fun flirting with someone in a long time, just this continuous banter back and forth. It hasn’t reverted to dick-pics or sexting or anything more than some pretty explicit messages sent and received out of the blue. Younger him would have been impatient, but he’s now enjoying the journey. Looks forward to the little peeks into Bradley’s day just as much as he looks forward to reading how he might turn Bradley on. It’s all sorts of sweet and different and he can’t wait to see Bradley again.

…             …             …

>>Can I take you out to dinner next time you’re in town?

>>Think I’d be pretty disappointed if you didn’t.

…             …             …

                Ice calls him, tells him Mav is missing and his entire world freezes. They know nothing for certain, but he was flying, and then… something classified which Ice can’t divulge, but then he’s saying Mav might be alive, but simply lost, but they have no idea where and Bradley cannot fucking deal with this right now. He’s the one with PLBs sewn into his fucking jump-suits, he cannot believe the US Navy hasn’t done something similar for one of their pilots, let alone an entire fucking plane. How do they lose a pilot and a plane? Then Ice sends him a link to an unexplained explosion and he’s glad he’s already sitting down. Fuck. He thinks he might throw up.

                Then Ice is standing in the doorway, phone pressed to his ear, expression serious as he nods and says something Bradley cannot hear through the thick air he feels surrounded by.

                “He’s alive.”

                His heart beats.

                Slowly the air returns to something less solid and he can breathe again.

                “Thank fuck. God, I could kill him.”

                “Get in line… think I just aged another decade.”

                “You look good for a man nearing his second century, what with all the extra decades Mav must have added…”

                “I definitely feel that old some days.”

…             …             …

                Bradley’s time to return to Corpus Christi is quickly approaching and he’s feeling excited to see him again. He’s not expecting the papers that he’s handed, he’s mid-assignment, not expecting sudden redeployment and he opens them slowly.

                A special detachment.

                Advice to visit any family with two days of special leave.

                What the fuck.

                He’d otherwise be excited and rearing to go, but Bradley is meant to be flying into Corpus Christi in forty-eight hours. They’re meant to be getting dinner. The irony that he’s got to report to North Island in four days isn’t lost on him. Fuck. Can they not catch a break? Whatever this special detachment is, is going to be risky, otherwise the strong suggestion of visiting family wouldn’t be there coupled with the leave in which to make it happen.

                He has a choice.

                He could skip over seeing his family just to see Bradley. Or he could wait another couple of weeks because Bradley will be in North Island after his two weeks in Corpus Christi finishes. He might not be in North Island in two weeks, but he might never see his family again and as much as he wants to see Bradley, he needs to see his family.

                Fuck this mature adult bullshit.

                He picks up his phone and presses call, something they’ve never done before and it might break his resolve but he doesn’t want to put this through text on a screen.

                “Hi… This is new.”

                “Hi,” Jake says, and Bradley sounds good, relaxed and happy. So good.

                “What are you up to?”

                “Nothing. You?”

                “I’m about to get in a plane and jump out of it with a person strapped to me.”

                “You know, I think I might want to try it some time,” he says, and he means it, thinks he’d enjoy the rush, and the idea of being strapped to Bradley also holds a certain appeal.

                “Yeah? You let me know the time and place and I’ll take you up.”

                “Really?”

                “Of course. And I don’t want to rush you, but was there a special reason for a call? I’m kind of on a time crunch.”

                “Yeah. I just got new orders.”

                “Oh?”

                “I’ve been called in for a special detachment, and you would not believe where I’m going. At least to start with…”

                “North Island…”

                “Yeah.”

                “Talk about crap timing.”

                “Yeah. I’ve been given special leave to visit family,” Jake says, and he has no idea if Bradley knows what that might mean. He knows his dad was a pilot, but he’s been dead since Bradley was a toddler and he’s only had Bradley refer to his uncles raising him.

                “Fuck.”

                Okay. He knows.

                “I mean, I could stay here –”

                “No. Jake. You have to go and see your family. If they’ve granted you that leave it’s for a damned good reason. Fuck. Okay. So. I might see you in North Island after all. If you’re here in a couple of weeks that is…”

                “Yeah. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

                “Only the US Navy.”

…             …             …

                His family are happy to see him, his mom organizing a quick family gathering and he’s grateful for the opportunity to see as many of his extended family as possible, although he hates the niggling in the back of his mind that resolves into telling his mom to take lots of photos. She looks close to tears, but she does as he asks, and his father grips his shoulder every time he brushes past. They all know what special leave means.

…             …             …

                He savors the messages more now, studies each of the photos that Jake sends him, asks questions about the other people in the photos. Even has a video call when Jake’s parents apparently insist on meeting whoever it is that Jake keeps messaging. Every moment he’s not intent on teaching and training he’s messaging Jake, hoping that he stays in North Island long enough for him to get back there and scared he won’t be.

…             …             …

                Jake’s been in North Island for ten days, and it’s been intense. Terrifying with what is expected of them, but still so exhilarating. This is why he became a naval aviator, why he worked so hard. There are just other things he’s realized he’d also like in his life. He looks at the house and it’s far bigger than he imagined Bradley having. Or needing. Maybe he shares with some others. The lights are on, he can see someone moving around inside and his stomach won’t stop swooping in anticipation. He knows Bradley gets in this evening, although he’s not sure of the exact time; not wanting to ask specifics for fear of showing his hand, wants to surprise him and also doesn’t want to wait longer before seeing him again.

                Jakes wipes his hands on his jeans, nervous. He’s gone from wanting something quick and dirty with Bradley to wanting… well, he still wants quick and dirty, he’s not a eunuch, however he also wants to take him to dinner and listen to him talk passionately about military free fall physics. Wants to bring him coffee the mornings after the quick and dirty. And its mornings plural, because he’s realized over the last few months (and maybe years?) that once is likely not going to be enough. Feel the fear and do it anyway, that’s how the saying goes right?

                He knocks on the door and waits, imagines what Bradley might be wearing, the look on his face as Jake surprises him with his appearance on his doorstep rather than at dinner tomorrow.

                He does not imagine Captain Maverick Mitchell. Although he definitely looks surprised.

                “Lieutenant. What are you doing here?”

                “Uh. Captain Mitchell.”

                “Yes. How did you get this address?”

                “Uh. I’m looking for Doctor Bradshaw.”

                “Bradley? Why?”

                Jake purses his lips, shrugs and nods because at least it’s Bradley he’s looking for. It’s a good sign that Maverick at least knows who he’s talking about, but that he called him by his first name is a bit unnerving. Maverick still looks just as confused to see him and Jake’s trying to formulate the best way to say he’s just here to see Bradley…

                “I just wanted to see him, sir.”

                Maverick stares at him for an age that just seems to drag before his eyes widen with potential realization and Jake hopes he doesn’t blush.

                “Oh. I didn’t realize you knew Bradley…”

                “Pete, who is it?”

                Holy shit.

                Admiral Kazansky.

                Jake swallows. Whose house is this? Maybe Bradshaw is currently staying with them as a guest? Maybe he’s been given the wrong address as a prank? That would be pretty humiliating. And cruel given that it’s in front of his CO and the COMPACFLT. But he can’t be a guest if he calls San Diego home. He didn’t think Bradley was cruel, had felt that their back-and-forth texting and phone calls were building toward something. But he only threw Maverick out of the Hard Deck ten nights ago and Bradley unintentionally gave him this address nearly two months ago. Maybe he’s moved? His brain can't make sense of anything.

                “Lieutenant.”

                He’s not in uniform, and Admiral Kazansky knows his face enough to know who he is and his rank. He has no idea how to feel about that.

                “Admiral Kazansky sir.”

                “He’s after Bradley,” Maverick provides, and he’s stepping away from the front door, like he’s inviting Jake in, but Jake can’t move.

                “He’s not home yet. His plane is probably still in the air.”

                They know Bradley. They know his schedule, they’re saying he isn’t home. So, this isn’t the wrong address. It explains nothing though.

                “Come in Lieutenant,” Admiral Kazansky states, at the same time Maverick says;

                “Well, you better come in.”

                He was just about to suggest he come back later, however he’s just been invited and sort-of ordered to come in and he nods jerkily, his body stepping forward of it’s own volition.

                “Thank you sir.”

                “You can call me Tom, or Iceman if the first name is a step too far. Just at home. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a bit about you.”

                Fuck. What has he heard exactly?

                He nods again, takes a deep breath to settle the shakiness in his limbs, takes off his shoes, doesn’t think about what the Admiral said, implying that he’d be here, in this home, more than right now. Follows after Maverick to the lounge area and he looks around the room and sees photos, lots of photos and he feels his hairline suddenly prickle with sweat. There’s younger Bradley with Maverick, Bradley and Maverick and Admiral Kazansky on what looks like his promotion ceremony to COMPACFLT and he’s starting to see the picture the photos are painting and it’s making him nervous but it’s also answering so many questions.

NEXT PART (no time jump)

[thatlovinfeelin]

Flightless Bird | eighteen | Bradley Rooster Bradshaw

Synopsis: Josephine Wilson Miller is alone for the first time in her life. She got married after her first year of college and became a housewife, but that life is gone now. So she runs to San Diego, to her childhood best friend Jake, where she meets the man who could very well be her salvation.

series warnings: unplanned pregnancy, just pregnancy in general, talks of infertility. past mental and emotional abuse. anxiety. talks of women's reproductive systems (idk)

“Mommy! Hurry up!” Wren said, dragging Jose behind her, “Auntie Nat twell her!” 

Natasha only laughed and walked next to Jose. They were on their way from the parking lot to the tarmac for the airshow. Jake was set to be flying and Wren was begging to go see it. Although, Jose tried to normally stay away from Airshows in general just in case someone certain was there. 

“So, I have some news,” Nat whispered to Jose. 

“Oh?”

Natasha just smiled and twisted her wedding ring, something Jose noticed the female pilot did when she was a little anxious. Her and Jake got married two years prior in a small ceremony on the beach. Not to big and fussy, as both of them wanted simple friends and family. A certain Blue Angels pilot was not able to attend, so Coyote was Jake’s best man while Jose was the maid of honor, with little baby Wren as a little flower girl. It was beautiful and simple and perfect. 

“You can’t tell anyone yet,” Phoenix stated, “But I’m pregnant.”

Jose stopped in her tracks, much to Wren’s dismay who let out a little wail and tried with all of her might to pull her mom forward. 

“Oh my god, Nat!”

“Are you mad? I know you-”

“Mad? Oh my god no, I’m so happy for you!” Jose exclaimed, hugging the other woman, “Does Jake know yet?”

Natasha shook her head, “No I haven’t found the time to tell him yet.”

“How far along?”

“Six weeks? I think? I have a doctors appointment next week to confirm,” She explained, “But I’m so scared to tell Jake. We’ve talked about kids, but not yet.”

“Well, I’m assuming you weren’t using anything?” Jose asked carefully. 

“We weren’t trying,” Nat swore, “But we weren’t not trying.”

Jose couldn’t help but laugh. That sounded like the most Jake and Natasha thing. 

“I want Gampa Mav and Nenny,” Wren whined, snapping the two women out of their hug. 

“Okay, let’s go munchkin.”

Wren was dressed in little combat boots, one of the flight jackets that Jose bought for her before she was born, and a pink tutu. She looked like a little combat princess as she strutted in front of Jose and Nat. 

For a nearly four year old, she had a lot of personality. Maybe too much for her own good. But Jose loved her daughter with all of her heart. There wasn’t a thing in this world that she wouldn’t do for her.  

“Thank you for coming today,” Nat nudged Jose with her shoulder, “I know it means a lot to Jake to have you guys here for this.”

Jake was set to be a part of a super important Legacy flight, one of the only f-18 pilots chosen. He couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks prior. Jose wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen him so excited for something related to work before. 

“We couldn’t miss it,” Jose shrugged, “Wren wouldn’t let me.”

“Mama we see Unca Yake?” Wren asked. 

Jose couldn’t help but smile at the way that Wren said Uncle Jake. They were still working on her speech, but the little munchkin was getting better and better every day. 

“Yeah sweetheart, we’ll see him soon, I promise,” Jose replied, “But let’s find Gampa Mav and Nenny first, okay?” 

She nodded enthusiastically and wiggled a little in Jose’s arms. Little Florence loved Maverick and Penny, now lovingly known and Gampa Mav and Nenny. They stepped right into the role of grandparents to Wren without a second thought. They were there to support Wren and Jose with no questions asked, even after Jose forced Braldey to leave. 

They never once asked what happened between the two of them. Instead they just loved Jose and her little daughter with all of their hearts. 

“Gampa Mav!” Wren wiggled out of Jose’s arms and took off running towards the older pilot, “Nenny! Auntie ‘Melia!”

“Shit,” Jose cursed, chasing after her little girl. 

Wren jumped into Mav’s arms, hugging the older man as tightly as she could. Mav laughed and hugged her back, not seeming to notice the fact that the little girl ran off without her mother. Penny was a little more attentive and scowled at the little girl as best as she could. 

“Wren, what have I told you?” Jose was out of breath as soon as she reached them, “You need to stay with me!” 

“But I saw Gampa Mav and Nenny.” The little girl blinked up at her mother, not seeming to understand. 

“You can’t run off-”

“Mav! There you are!” 

Jose froze. She didn’t dare turn to look at the source of the voice. A noise escaped her, sounding like a small wounded animal. She didn’t even check to see if they were going to be here today. Normally she checked every air show, but Jake was so excited that she was going to come and bring Wren.

“Bradley,” Mav said, handing Wren over to Phoenix who finally caught up, “Didn’t expect to see you until later.”

“I had a second and saw you guys over here.”

Wren looked at Bradley with wide eyes. He was in his blue and gold flight suit, looking like a hero in his own way. Wren was mesmerized by any pilots. She loved planes, and the people that flew them. 

“You fwy pwanes?” 

Bradley was stunned for a second. He finally realized who was standing next to Mav and Penny. She looked so different, and yet exactly the same. Her hair was longer, and she was thinner than he’d ever seen her. So much so it made him wonder if she was eating enough. But he didn’t have the right to worry about Josephine Wilson anymore, not when she kicked him out of her life. 

“I uh-” He cleared his throat and directed his attention to the little girl in Phoenix’s arms. 

Somehow it hadn’t occurred to him that this was the little baby he once loved with all of his heart. She was so much bigger, with wide eyes that mirrored her mother’s. She looked just like Jose. There’s no way that wasn’t her daughter. It made him want to cry. He loved her like a daughter and he missed out on so much of her life. 

“Yeah, I do,” Bradley smiled at the little girl, forcing down the emotions. He leaned down so he was eye level with her, “See that blue and yellow plane over there?” he pointed down the way a little to where all of the Blue Angels were lined up, “That one is mine.”

“Woah,” She replied, “Auntie Nat can we go see?”

Nat carefully looked over at Jose, who still hadn’t allowed herself to look over at Bradley. Jose nodded quickly, watching as Nat along with Mav, Penny, and Amelia made their way towards the row of planes. 

Jose swallowed the thick lump in her throat. She felt like she could cry. She always did her best to avoid Bradley at any event that the Blue Angels could be at. Jake always understood. He hated it, but he understood. She wanted to be mad at him for not warning her that he would be here today. She felt tricked and like her heart was going to explode.

“Jose.”

She closed her eyes and licked her dry lips before opening her eyes and turning to face him, “Hi Bradley.”

“It’s good to see you,” He said slowly, carefully even. 

“Yeah, um, you too,” She replied, “You look good.”

“I am. Pensacola has been good for me,” He replied, voice sounding like gravel. 

She nodded. She wasn’t sure what she expected him to say. What do you even say in a situation like this? How is she supposed to do this? How was she supposed to face Bradley, when all she wanted to do was be held by him again? She wanted to feel his lips on hers again. She wanted him more than she could dare to put into words. 

“You look…nice,” Bradley had to force the words out. He wanted nothing more than to hold her. 

“Try keeping up with a three year old, see how you look,” She responded quickly. 

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I genuinely meant you look nice.”

She looked down at her little sundress and sighed. She hated this feeling between them. This rift, the distance…whatever it was. She wanted to feel close to him again. But she didn’t know how she could ever feel close like she used to. 

“She’s gotten so big,” Bradley was looking over his shoulder now, looking towards Wren, “She was so tiny when I left.”

“Bradley about what I-”

“Bradshaw! Time to get ready.”

His eyes closed as he took a deep breath. His shoulders squared before his eyes opened again and he was back to being Rooster. He forced a smile and held out his hand for Jose to shake. How do you even shake hands with the man you’re still madly in love with?

“Nice to see you again, Josephine. Look for me in the skies.”

She wanted to say more. Wanted to beg for his forgiveness. Wanted to beg for him…just for him to give her a second chance. But he was gone before she had the chance. He disappeared into the crowd of people like a leaf disappears in the wind. 

Jose was still holding her breath when Natasha came back to stand next to her, “Mav has Wren. Are you okay?”

Jose’s eyes started to water, “I didn’t realize how much I missed him. And then he’s right here and I can’t say any of the things that I want.”

“You’ll get your chance,” Natasha assured her, “Now c’mon, Jake is up next. Don’t want to miss him.”

Later that night, Jose was sitting in her bed alone. Wren was staying with Jake and Natasha tonight, so the house was silent. Jose didn’t quite know what to do with herself. So she poured a big glass of wine and settled in. What she didn’t expect was her phone pinging at eleven, with a text from a number she never expected to see again. 

She found herself scurrying out of the bed and fumbling her way to the front door. Her breath was ragged as she threw the door open to reveal Bradley standing there. He looked too good to be true. 

“Hey,” She said stupidly. 

Bradley was on her in an instant, hands cradling her face, “Tell me you don’t want this.”

“I-” She took a second, “I want you. I always have.”

Then he was kissing her like she was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.

[loafthecat]

Welcome to fun oc facts with loaf!

I remember doing one for Ollie- so why not do one for another oc of mine I love-? (Might also do more in the future for the other’s too idk-)

Today’s Subject is Mavy or Maverick Johnson- lol-

- Mavy is around 26-27 years old, and by the time of ctm he’s been contained within the ccc for 3 years max.

- current voice claim for mavs is Dogday, (yes the one out of Poppy playtime, sue me-), this goes for both cartoon and bigger bodies dogday as cartoon dogday fits pre-ccc mavy’s voice and bigger body dogday fits in with current Mavy’s voice. (Being more weak and deep? Idk- I still think Mav’s voice would remain gentle-)

- Mav first came from a dream @toxsradioactivelocks explained she had on discord, and I went- “hey- what if I made this character from your dream into a oc-?”, …..and that’s how we got mavy-

- best way to describe Mav would be- tired pessimist. He’s not really rude or mean- he’s just… lost all hope in ever being found or rescued- so much so he’s completely given up the idea of escaping himself- …he’s just so tired….

- he does tend to lose his temper when under a lot of stress…. While it’s hard to get Mav to that point- it’s not advised you push him that far as well- I think trev could tell you exactly what happens when Mav is pushed to his limits.

- dislikes basically everyone in the ccc- (except for one exception) it isn’t personal- he just can’t find himself having sympathy for people who continue to let his torment continue-

- speaking of sympathy, Mav has a lack of sympathy for others. He lost his sense of it over time in the ccc, ESPECIALLY towards the ccc’s employees. If anything bad happens he’s probably just silently watching from his containment cell, besides- what’d he be able to do anyway-?

- dispite all the above, Mav isn’t a angry or shouty person. He displays dislike more akin to how (best comparison) Burt would, which is blunt and quietly, instead of loudly.

- Mavy is a sweet boi- He’s just- not really like that to a majority of the ccc-

- Mav used to be a gov pilot- at least before the ccc. He……he misses his friends….he misses his old partner…….not that any of them probably remember him……

- yeah he has abandonment issues, specifically when it comes to the government and the fact, they haven’t rescued him. (Granted the gov thinks he’s dead but still-)

- ^ the above issue becomes worse after ctm.

- he can’t remember what his own face used to look like, before he turned into his current form.

- depresso espresso

- he eeps a lot-

Abilities:

- Mavy is able to shapeshift thanks to the black goo covering his entire body! Granted, Mav doesn’t become a perfect replica of what he’s trying to turn into, as the goo’s black colouring and his eyes and diamond like spots stay the same. (As seen in the poorly drawn cat at the bottom of post)

- Dispite his ability to shapeshift, mavy struggles to control this ability while under stress. Often if made too overly stressed his form shifts on its own, into something mavy can’t control, a form which makes mavy turn in the best of words- feral.

- mavy doesn’t shapeshift often either. Partly because he doesn’t like to and partly because there’s no point in doing so

- said goop is a result of a package “gifted” to mavy from someone called “gadget gabe”-? (Or maybe it wasn’t…..), It attached to him and now is unremovable from his body, so the change is permanent.

- due to what happened to him, Mavy’s legs are now slightly managled, becoming more akin to a animal’s legs then human legs, because of this Mavy always walks with a limp, although depending on what he’s doing and how fast he’s walking it becomes more or less noticeable.

Relations:

- current mavy isn’t friends with many people. He USED to be close with plenty of people within the government- but in the ccc- not so much-

- he only really has one proper friend in the CCC, Pluto starstick (other oc.) he likes Pluto because well- Pluto is actually just a decent person really- plus- Pluto actually talks to him and has a reason towards why he can’t do anything to stand up against the ccc. <- If I make a post on Pluto I’ll explain that more but for now back to Mavy.

- He’d be close friends with Dave if they met (or when they met.) I feel like they’d just understand eachother well- ESPECIALLY when it comes to the pain they’ve both been through- shared trauma and all!

- weirdly enough, Mavy is the only experiment in the ccc, Trevor will avoid and NOT act cruel too…. Now believe me it isn’t out of care or love or anything. In fact- Trevor actually fears Mavy. Hm, maybe I’ll explain why one day too ;3.

- the last two current relations Mavy has aren’t good ones either- …what..? Mav wasn’t the only gov agent fcked over by the ccc- …..too bad those two old friends are less then friendly now…. Or at least…. One of them certainly aren’t… and the other……. ……what a dirty traitor.

So yeah!!!! There’s all of Mavy’s base info! Feel like I should do more of these to explain each of my thsc ocs more- I’ll probably do one of the ccc gang or maybe trev or Pluto next-

Anyway, enjoy poorly drawn cat mavy!

[compacflt]

I just wanted to say as someone who has stumbled across your blog and has read your Wednesday wips and posts about anything topgun related that your thought process and consideration of mav and ice, specifically their political beliefs and relationships with their own identities, is honestly so impressive and cool. You have brought such realism and life to these characters which is just so refreshing to see. idk i just wanted to express how cool and awesome i think that is

Because of the thought into these characters does it make it difficult to like them or understand them if you have differing opinions from them? for me personally i feel like if i were to ever actually have a convo with ice or mav regarding identity politics i would actually start to lose my mind (like how one feels when your dad or fun uncle talks for too long at thanksgiving dinner). If it does make them difficult to like, does that make it difficult for you to write them sometimes?

oh yeah! i think, my ice i really empathize with & really love & really could get along with, once he grows out of the sexism of his teens & twenties, but my maverick drives me crazy. someone sent in an ask a while ago that was like “WHY is cyclone simpson your one true love??” And it’s because i too would absolutely hate maverick & hate working with him lol. people who are overly cocky & un-self-aware & a bit self-centered make me CRAZY. (narrator voice: compacflt is a hypocrite as all these things also apply to compacflt.)

Politically… It’s difficult to say. no one really wants to hear the intricacies of one person’s political journey, which is why i won’t give you mine, but suffice to say—since the start of the russian invasion of Ukraine, and my semi-concerted effort to learn more about the political landscape of modern warfare, my own personal beliefs have shifted a whole bunch. definitely aided in that shift by my top gun fic project that specifically aims to understand the conservative straight-passing male mindset as it relates to military matters… there are many end goals to a project like mine, but one end product is a filter you can take away and hold up in front of your eyes and see the world through it. When writing from the eyes of a conservative straight (passing) white man, your priorities totally shift. I had to write from the perspective of someone who doesn’t care about identity politics. Because they don’t! A core tenet of conservatism is very proudly not caring about that stuff, and being very annoyed when people (usually left-of-centers) make that stuff very visible and want you to care about it! “Don’t shove it in my face,” etc., etc. Don’t force me to care about this taboo, private thing I really don’t care about. It violates my freedoms, or whatever, to be forced to care—or even bear witness to—stuff that i don’t care about. Etc. And then, to be nominally a part of that community that you really, really don’t care about, and then to be told that you have to care about it because of your publicity… people asking you to be proud of something that has had a negative connotation for much of your entire life… that’s not a transformation that happens easily.

Jesus, I could write an essay about this. I have, several times by now in responses to asks over my blog. But there is so much that I could talk about. I think… I really worry that some of my writing falls into the first of the below categories:

I really try not to romanticize conservatism in my writing—I tried to show that ice and mav’s happiness is the price they pay for their conservatism. They’re actively choosing to be unhappy—but because they prioritize their honor over everything, due to EXTERNAL PRESSURES they cannot control, and which I think are often ignored in the fandom space for one reason or another. The fact of the matter is, in 99% of IPs, characters prioritize something other than their sexualities. It’s never Maverick’s personal identity that is at stake in either Top Gun or Top Gun: Maverick, because he has built himself so impermeably masculine that there are no grounds upon which to question his personal identity. He just isn’t thinking about it. He’s thinking about how to get into Charlie’s pants, how to win the Top Gun trophy, how to uphold his promise to Goose, et cetera. If he’s fucking guys on the side, it’s because he wants to and because hes maverick and he does what he wants without thinking about it—that’s the whole point of his character, from a story-construction standpoint. That’s his archetype. He’s a renegade maverick superstar who is both thoughtlessly brilliant and thoughtlessly dangerous. He’s thoughtless. His priorities are to survive and to look cool doing it, and that’s it. He is a savant in the Naval Air Force, where honor is your lifeblood, who feels he has been dishonored by his own family name, and who willingly joined the conservative post-Vietnam Navy right when/after Ronald Reagan was elected President, and who wears cowboy boots and who disrespects women to their faces, and who is eager to get into altercations with Soviet-Chinese-DPRK-X-second-world-country-coded-but-EXPLICITLY-Soviet-manufactured-Mikoyan-Gurevich-MiG-28s(-F-5s-painted-black)… I’m sorry. In my opinion, the conservatism is baked into him as a character. I find it extremely difficult to separate him from his conservatism, because in some ways his patriotic conservatism is his raison d’etre. IMO if you take that away from him, he ceases to exist.

Same thing with Ice and his unwillingness to openly rebel or go against the grain. That is his whole reason to exist in the story at all. I know that I’m saying this in a fandom space where the whole point is to change characters & put them in different situations (fanfic) but… in kind of a perverse self aware way, as in I know I sound ridiculous and pretentious, i guess i don’t really understand an impulse to change the core tenets of a character irreparably in fanworks. We are shown that ice always goes by the books in TG. Then we are shown that he achieves the fruits of that labor (four stars) in TGM. So he is rewarded for never rebelling, whereas Maverick, who always rebels (but NEVER in a way that challenges his personal identity), has stagnated in the ranks at full-bird O-6. And that’s Ice’s character. That’s what he’s there for in the story—he’s a tool to show us the value system of rank and prestige you earn by following the rules of the Navy. Why take that away from him? That’s his priority! Canonically, that’s his priority and reason for existence! And historically the way to achieve that priority is through conservatism.

And you ask me if it’s hard to like my ice and mav. Yes, but that’s not my choice. The movie already did that for me. They are not, I’m sorry, likable people. I am not a straight white conservative male writing about straight white conservative men to validate my own beliefs—I’m a queer AFAB person of color writing about straight white conservative men because I want to understand the limits of their conservatism. What they do and do not care about, and what it takes to make them care. And from what we are shown in TG… ice and mav would not care about ME. At all. And they would not want to be forced to care about me. Ice’s casual careless dismissiveness… “the plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies’ room…” mav following Charlie into the bathroom… turning the key in the ignition and driving away while pretending not to hear her… “what?? i can’t hear you! 🙉” … they do not care. They have no desire to care.

Again. Maybe I subscribe to a very very old-school and labored and pretentious ideology when it comes to writing… I know a lot of people write just to have fun. I do not. I wish i could, but I don’t. And when you’re not writing to have fun, you don’t have to like the characters you’re writing about. They’re nothing more than tools at your disposal to get your point across more effectively. No, I don’t like them! Of course not! My ice is cruel and cowardly and careless and hypocritical and subservient and weak, and my mav is demanding and dangerous and dismissive and oblivious and so, so, so unbelievably bitter.

And that’s what my story needed, to get my point across. So, shrug. My point was my priority. I don’t care too much about the characters themselves.

Re: icemav & identity politics. Part of hopefully selling this story is the attempt at empathy for the conservative male, to bring this discussion back to the top. Why write fiction at all if you’re not going to write about people different from you, and why write about people different from you if you don’t want to understand them? So… part of trying to understand them was to understand and have empathy for this shift in priorities. Conservative guys do not want to care about labels, or sexual orientations, or, God forbid, discussion of their gender identities. I can kind of see Ice tolerating it by the end… but, there are limits. Again, it’s supposed to be private. I think he’d chafe against getting labeled gay—he wouldn’t want to be called the first gay compacflt, or SECNAV, etc. He can’t say, “i slept with like a hundred fifty women before I even MET the ONLY man ive ever slept with,” because that’s like intensely private personal information!! No one deserves that information, but people still want to call him gay, even though in his head he really is not!!!! Again—from the conservative perspective, it’s a public imposition of left-wing, overly sexualized, too-neat labels and politics onto an area of life that has typically been kept private and respectable—I don’t agree with the conservatism, but I can at least empathize with it. Pre-Maverick’s death (pre-coming to terms with it), it would’ve been shameful & embarrassing to him; but even after coming to terms with it, it’s still not something he “takes pride” in. I think he thinks of it like this—most people aren’t proud of being straight. Like, it’s weird if you are. Same thing with being proud of being white, etc. Why be excessively proud of things you have no control over? Why not take pride in your ACTIONS—for instance, his career that he has actively sacrificed so much of his pride for? I can really empathize with that thought. I don’t necessarily agree, but I get it, especially in his professional circumstances, where he has so much to be professionally proud of, and yet people keep wanting him to publicly care about this private part of him he has no control over and can’t change.

Maverick though. I think he’d be actively hostile about talking about it in public. He Does Not Care. he does not want to care. It’s all an insult. They call him the first openly gay Ace cause he’s married to another man— “okay, but, like, I’m not. Stop calling me that. Neither of us are. Oh my god we have slept with so many women. Stop calling us that.” Ok then what do you want us, the press corps, to call you? First openly bisexual Ace? “No that’s worse!! That’s a word some teenager made up and doesn’t mean anything!! I’m sixty years old stop asking me to talk about this stuff im too old.” What do you have to say to LGBT kids who want to go into the navy? “😎👍 there’s a place for you etc etc. Let’s go back to talking about all the planes I shot down.” Maverick does what he wants without thinking about it. That’s the core tenet of his character. Very conservative. Don’t ask him to care too much.

Idk. No I don’t like them. But I understand them, if that makes sense. Like their conservative anti-label logic does make emotional sense to me. So that’s part of what I took away from this project, for better or worse… probably worse: I understand why conservatives don’t like the modern over-publicity of sexuality. They don’t care and they don’t want to care. And because they are small-C conservative, my ice and mav still don’t care lol. So, yeah. It doesn’t make them hard to write, because thats why I wanted to write them in the first place.

[adiduck]

WIP Game Snippet (and Last Line Challenge)

So I'm starting at the bottom of my WIP Game snips this time--below you'll find my 25 sentences for Operation Groundhog AU (plus a little extra).

This is also gonna serve as my response to @frostbitebakery's tag for the Last Line Challenge!

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like). 

Open tags for that one. I've tagged too many people recently LOL

-

It’s not the Captain that finds them later, sitting in a little break room they’re definitely not supposed to be in and waiting for news. It’s one of the Admiral’s flag aides.

LCDR Sam Silenski, he introduces himself. Early forties, maybe, boxier build of a man who spends a lot of time behind a desk and makes up for it in a gym, a dark sweep of brown hair mixed with gray. One of the more senior members of Admiral Kazansky’s staff. His handshake’s firm when he shakes Ice’s and then Mav’s hands, gives them both a smile. “The Captain asked me to grab you two on the way out and get you back to base,” he says. “There’s not going to be much news tonight.”

“But it’s going okay?” Mav interjects, when Ice can’t manage to find the words to ask.

Silenski shrugs. “I have permission to inform you both that they avoided a respirator,” he offers. “Which is good, because the Admiral--” his eyes catch on Ice, and he clearly amends what he was going to say. “The Admiral doesn’t like being out of commission that long. He’s had to call in his deputy exactly once since assuming command, and… it was… not an enjoyable experience for anyone.”

Mav snickers, elbows Ice in the ribs. Ice finds a ghost of a smile to give him.

Silenski walks them out to his car--a beat up jeep, shit all over the back seat like most cars Ice has seen. The guy looks mildly embarrassed anyway when he realizes, glancing at Ice like he’s expecting Ice to have especially stringent back seat-related standards. Ice opts not to mention that he thinks he left a gym bag with dirty clothes in his own car’s back seat before he deployed. He thinks he’s getting a sense of the mystique his older self’s been cultivating with his staff, and he doesn’t want to ruin it by being too human.

It’s a weird thing to be thinking about, but it’s better than--

Well. It’s just better.

Ice ends up taking the front seat, by virtue of having longer legs. It’s a relatively quiet trip back to the assigned housing they’d shoved Ice and Mav into at the start of last week. Mav and Silenski make small talk--baseball, and San Diego weather, and a little of what being a flag aide is like.

“I have a good job,” Silenski says, shrugging. “Good pay, interesting work. A boss who maybe could stand to take a vacation occasionally.”

“I don’t think Ice’s had that word defined for him,” Mav jokes, grinning.

“What’s a vacation?” Ice asks dutifully, and Silenski snorts.

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell them to update the betting pool,” Silenski says, and pulls up to the shitty little bungalow Ice and Mav are sharing. “Ah, Kazansky.”

Ice pauses, door open and halfway out of the car.

Silenski looks at him for a minute, mouth twisted up, and then nods. “It really is a pleasure to meet you. Sorry about the weird circumstances.”

Ice nods. “You too,” he says. “Thanks for the ride.” He gets out and closes the door before the conversation can turn to… anything else.

[calkale]

Okay because i put my thoughts in the tags the first time heres some of my spn au thoughts

Also disclaimer i am changing the supernatural story so dont get mad at me for not including things or changing things you like this is my house and i write the au <3

Characters: Dean -> Mav, Cas -> Ice, Sam -> Slider, John Winchester-> Duke Mitchell, Mary Winchester -> Slider’s mom (her name is also Mary in my Slider lore so), Bobby -> Viper, Ash -> Goose, Ellen -> Carole, Jo -> Bradley (he’s like a teen in this but don’t worry theres no Jo and Dean content 🤮 thats his godson) 

-slider and mav aren’t actually related, they were both 6 (mav older by a few months) when their parents got married, duke was a widower and mary was never married 

-Getting this out of the way although i love the chevy impala i am a truck freak so mav drives his dads black 1990 toyota sr5 with an extended cab 

Backstory: -viper and duke were both navy pilots now “hunting buddies”, they took mav and slider out hunting occasionally but whenever they went on long “hunting trips” they left slider and mav at home, that’s because these hunting trips were monster hunting trips

-the same thing that happens to sam and deans mom happens to mav and sliders mom but when they’re both around the age of 10, since they’re older and not stupid they have a lot of questions that duke can’t just bullshit answers to so he tells them about monsters and what he thinks took their mom (because he doesn’t actually know at this point)

-since they no longer have a house they stay at vipers or go on the road with duke 

-once they both start high school slider wants to stop hunting and stay with viper to focus on school, his relationship with duke gets weird after that because duke wants him to keep hunting to find what killed his mom but slider wants to do well in school to make his mom proud, they come to an agreement where slider stays with viper but once a month he has to come hunting

-slider leaves for university (idk what hes studying), mav graduates but stays with duke, he starts hunting on his own 

Now time: -This au starts in 2005 like the show

-duke picks up a lead on the thing that killed mary but is super vague about it when telling viper and doesn’t tell mav anything, he says he’ll be gone for a week but a week and a half later theres no word from him, viper refuses to go after him because “he’s gonna get himself killed” and “ive been telling him to let it go for years” but mav still has to go look for him

-mav finds slider and this basically carries out exactly how it does in the show, he agrees to help for one day, when he gets back his gf is dead, agrees to ditch school 😎 to come help look for duke

story wise thats all i've got so far, i want ice to come into the story a lot sooner than cas does in the show and i dont remember when ash, ellen and jo come in but i want them to come in sooner too. hopefully ill actually work on this more but i hope you guys enjoy

Character descriptions:

Mav: -has the classic dean necklace given to him by slider

-dresses basically the same as 86 movie mav but with flannel 😎

-does wear his cowboy boots but he’s normally wearing work boots

-eyebrow scar eyebrow scar eyebrow scar!!!

Slider: -wears his mother’s wedding ring on a necklace, duke gave it to him after she died

-dresses like early season sam, carhartt jacket, hoodies, tshirts and baggy jeans

-silver eyebrow piercing 😎

Ice: -exactly the same as cas but with a dark grey trench coat

-his eyes always glow a little, not enough that its noticeable unless its in the dark

-has a grey hoodie and black jeans for when he needs to look a little less “formal” 

Goose: -has a mullet its a key part of ash’s character so 

-just think mater from cars personified mixed with goose idk

Carole: -dresses exactly like ellen 

-her classic curly meg ryan hair stays tho

bradley: -just a mini goose

Duke and Viper: -they look pretty much the same, just some dad with a mustache and flannel

-only difference is duke always wears his wedding ring

[the-ace-with-spades]

Technically, I think the call sign came from something ridiculous, i.e. Jake's dyslexic ass, but if we scrap that for a minute, I kinda wonder whether it could have started as the opposite of what Phoenix says.

I mean, it's 'hang you out to dry' now, but what if it started as 'hanging onto you for dear life'? What if Jake started as someone too loyal and too focused on his teammates and who wouldn't give up on you no matter how hopeless the situation became? And then something happened and he did a one-eight turn?

Regardless of whether you think the 'something' was Rooster-related (break-up or just bad assignment together, etc.) or something happened in the field, that would make so much sense to me. I just think that interactions with Hangman throughout the movie hold so much fondness/indulgence, and we know from Rooster's interactions with Mav that he doesn't mind going straight for the throat/to the point of his anger but somehow he keeps on entertaining Hangman's chitchats and Phoenix seems almost amused by his bullshit, like she knows him well enough to know it's just bullshit, and I doubt they'd have kept on spending time with Jake (in the past) if he was just a dumb asshole

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 132. brb x oc

a/n: tumblr still hates me *thumbs up* but im still here!! so reblogs and comments are super welcome!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none. just bea's aunt being a witch uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/100/101/102/103/104/105/106/107/108/109/110/111/112/113/114/115/116/117/118/119/120/121/122/123/124/125/126/127/128/129/130/131

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @dhwanishah09 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva

-

Both her and Bradley returned to the table with the memory of those tiny gifts in the back of their minds. They noticed that Martha was too busy talking to everyone else to focus on them this time, which was more than welcome.

Beatrice’s crazy witch aunt had this weird ability to find where you are no matter what, hence why it was good to see she wasn’t right now.

Beatrice sighed, holding Nicole up to her chest and smiling down at her daughter’s head. She still had the smile on her face as she turned to Rooster, “What do you think it is?” she asks with her teeth gritted and lips barely moving, trying to appear as inconspicuous as she could, “Because now I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“I’m not sure,gorgeous. What do you think your aunt would want to give us?”

“Something related to the T I’m sure.” she murmurs, “She knows,Roos.I know she does.”

“Your aunt is mystical like that.”

“She sure is.”

Meanwhile, they noticed how Pete,Penny and Amelia felt at home.Beatrice knew, from Shells, that the holidays were often celebrated by themselves for a long time, Penny’s father - and Shells and Amelia’s grandfather - passed away a few years ago and the family itself was never big. Penny’s sister passed as soon as she ‘left’ Shells with the brunette, so it probably meant a lot to Penny that she was invited.

Of course she knew her boss was worried too, maybe not so much as Mav but clearly enough to ask Beatrice about it. Amelia was excited, she was out of college until the New Years and she jumped at the opportunity to meet Beatrice’s family when she found out how much they’d do there.

And honestly…it was nice.

It was a complete opposite of how Beatrice’s parents thought of the bar and of Penny, no matter how good Beatrice said her boss was, they were still worried. The last time they went there before Bea and Rooster got married was the final knot to be tied, after all her father saw Jeff again after all these years.

Beatrice relaxed a bit, knowing that the night was going fine. Even if they found the gifts, even if they saw something they clearly shouldn’t, she was relaxing more…however her stomach felt a bit sick.

She licked her lips, feeling the discomfort slowly moving up and down inside of her, clearing her throat and sipping some water, “Roos.”

“What?’

“I’m feeling kinda off.”

Her husband straightened on the chair, shielding her from her relative’s eyes, “...nausea?” she nods, “Damn, can you hold it in?”

“I can try, it’s not so bad yet, but…it’s really,” she clears her throat again, “It’s getting to me a bit.”

Rooster hummed, sliding his hand towards her lower back to gently massage the flesh there and keep a steady hold against her in case she felt too bad, ‘Let me know if anything goes off,okay?’ she nods, but so far it’s manageable. 

The dinner was fine too…it was dessert that made her feel a bit worse.

She did eat a normal amount of savory things, but the second that cake came into view her stomach churned. Which was a pain considering it was a chocolate cake that her mother baked from scratch with tiny pieces of hazelnut and chocolate flakes on top. But she couldn’t…take a bite. She swallowed hard, so hard that Bradley’s eyes snapped towards her in worry, one of his hands sliding to her own.

She nodded at him in silence, deciding that if she took a swig of water, she’d be okay. So she did bring it to her lips, swallowed it as slowly as she could then inhaled before grabbing the fork to slide onto the spongy cake.

The sound of the fork entering the moist dessert however, wasn’t appealing to the twins because she immediately regretted it.

Okay, this was going to be very hard.

She licked her lips, tapping the edge of the plate with her fork while Nicole tried to grab it, gurgling a laugh when her mother moved it out of the way, “It’s okay.” she murmured to herself, “It’s okay, everything is okay, just take one bite.” another churn, “A small one, no one will notice,I can take the rest home,my mom will be okay with it.”

Thank God everyone else was too busy talking amongst themselves to know of her own problems. And honestly, it was a bit harder to ignore it now, because the nausea was like a small tornado inside her stomach.

“Just one bite.” she repeats, bringing the minuscule, microscopical amount on her fork to her lips, clenching her eyes when the taste exploded on her tongue - it was delicious - and then swallowed slowly, waiting for her nausea to get worse.

The second that tiny piece landed in her stomach, she could swear she saw double.

“...oh no.” she made sure to toss the fork away as discreetly as she could, then she tugged on Rooster’s shirt, “Roos.’

“What?”

“I…I think a bathroom trip is needed.”

Rooster stops chewing to look around and check their surroundings, “Do you want me to hold Nikki?” she nods, already moving the six months old to his arms as she adjusts herself to stand up, “Will you be okay? Do you want me to go with you?”

“No,” she lifts a hand to stop him from following her, “It’ll call too much attention,I’ll be quick.”

“Okay.” he purses his lips to kiss her but she’s beelining away from the table with her fists clenched, avoiding everyone in the way. He blinks, frowning a bit but understanding that the situation was intense enough for her to just skedaddle out of there quickly.

Bradley sighed, leaning back on his chair as he placed Nicole on his chest, smiling when the little girl tried to grab his own fork “No,Nikki, you can’t eat this yet.” he murmurs, kissing her head, ‘When you are older, only then, you can have this.”

“Aa!” she sounded so annoyed

“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m doing this for your own safety.”

“Sounds like someone I know.” his uncle’s voice makes him look back to where he was, holding a glass of wine and a plate with his own slice of cake. He looks back at the glass doors, gesturing with his beverage, “Bea was in a hurry. Is she okay?”

“Yeah, just,” Rooster moves his hand over his lower area, “Girl things.”

“Ah,I see.” Pete sighed as he sat down next to Rooster, placing the wine on the table in front of him and then smiling down at Nicole, “Hi, sweet girl, are you enjoying Christmas?” Nicole’s chubby grin melted Maverick’s heart and he kissed her tiny hand when she reached to his face, “You are too cute, it’s amazing she’s still awake.”

‘Nicole likes people.” Rooster smiles, turning Nicole’s body around so her back was on his chest and her tiny legs dangled over his arm, giving her more room to touch her granduncle turned grandpa, “She doesn’t mind staying up late, she’ll sleep…most of the day tomorrow.”

“Nothing like you.” he comments, “You couldn’t handle being up more than two hours after your bedtime. You don’t remember but a Christmas that I visited you guys you tried to stay awake only to fall asleep on the hallway.”

Bradley’s cheeks reddened and he was thankful Beatrice wasn’t there, “Mav.” he clears his throat, “Come on,I was a kid.”

“And you were a fussy kid who wanted to eat everything.” he says without missing a beat, “Like nachos and obviously,chocolate. You remember those times?”

“Not a lot.”

“I do, you were very noisy and kept trying to eat everything you saw.” his nephew just blushed harder, “I might tell Beatrice that when she comes back.” and he just smirks even more when Bradley moves his gaze away, “But,no, I’m kidding…how are you guys though? Everything good?”

“Everything is great,Mav.” for more reasons than one, two extra reasons in fact, “We are good.”

“You guys going to Virginia on Monday,yeah?”

“Yeah, we plan to stay a week at best. Gotta enjoy my leave however I can.”

“I know.” Maverick smiles down at Nicole, gently brushing those soft strands of hair out of her face, letting her hold his finger when he’s close enough, “You guys will have a lot of fun.” 

“That’s the plan.”

“Oh, another thing.” Bradley hums in question, turning to face Mav, “Thanks for inviting us…Bea’s family is really welcoming.”

“Did her mom try to shove another piece of cake?”

“Yeah.” he chuckles, “She did but it’s not every day I have chocolate cake, so. I let myself enjoy it.”

Bradley was happy that Maverick seemed to be at peace, much like he was when he joined the family. It’s strange because for a while neither of them had that, this…belonging to somewhere, he knew Mav’s family was long gone and the one he had was…Rooster for a long while. 

Now both of them were together, and they had more people to lean on if they needed. Beatrice’s family was always very welcoming of people as long as they showed they could be trusted. Bradley’s first meeting with Rafael was something to remember, that man could be intense even without trying but he was honest and if there was one thing the Schiavoni’s appreciated was honesty.

Maverick had his moments, he was crazy, he was wild and he was a bit stubborn but he had a good heart. Plus, being his uncle was already a good point because - and he didn’t want to say it outloud but Beatrice and even some of her siblings said so - he was quickly becoming their favorite.

Bradley was about to say something when he saw Martha standing up, slowly and almost gliding away from the table, walking towards the glass doors. He tensed up, his mouth shutting because now his focus was on Beatrice’s aunt, “Brad?” Mav calls, gently nudging his shoulder, “Hey,what’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“You went quiet and looked away for a second, is everything okay?”

“Oh everything is okay.” he replies almost automatically, and he mentally hopes that Beatrice is okay in there.

-

She was not okay.

She was kneeling in front of the toilet, already flushed mind you, with her head touching the cool porcelain as she tried to calm her body down. The twins liked to show up unannounced, that’s one thing for sure. She sighed, clenching her eyes with her hand on her forehead, moving a bit so she was leaning against the wall instead of the toilet, legs tucked under her as she tried to breathe.

She chose to use her parents’ bathroom because no one would come in here unless it was her mom or dad, so she took the time to let herself calm down. She furrowed her brows, feeling another wave of nausea come up and she prayed to everything she could remember that she didn’t throw up on her parent’s bathroom floor.

That’d be something to explain.

She sighed again, then felt her phone vibrate in her skirt’s pockets. She knew it was Rooster, but she was too weak to pull it out and check ,”Ugh…” but if she didn’t he’d come over and they didn’t need that.

Roos (23:14)

Baby?? You okay? You’ve been there a while

Bea (23:14)

:( yeah. I threw up. Im just sitting on the cold floor Roos. It’s nice.

Roos (23:15)

Do you need me to go there?

Bea (23:16)

No.I’m fine…I’ll be out in a few seconds.

Beatrice was going to continue her message, but a knock on the door made her stop and snap her head towards it, “Y-Yea?

“Preziosa? Are you okay in there?”

Oh,shit.

Beatrice’s eyes widened and she quickly scrambled to her feet, “Yea-shit!” she kicked the plant pot her mother kept in the corner on the way up, luckily it didn’t break because she was quick enough to hold it still as it spun on it’s axis, preventing a tragedy in a matter of seconds, “I-I’m fine! Don’t worry about me!”

“Well you’ve been in there for a while.”

“Oh, um, well, i-it’s nothing!I’m just, you know, had a little accident.”

“Okay,I’ll wait for you then.”

“What?”

“I’ll wait for you.” and the distinct creak of her parents’ old bed reached her ears. That thing always creaked if you dared breathing on it. Beatrice groaned, because if she sat down it meant that she had little to no options when she walked out.

Beatrice sighed, looking at herself in the mirror - she didn’t look that pale - and she rubbed some of her cherry lip balm over her lips to regain some color. With one final look at herself she slowly opened the door and saw her aunt, hands folded on top of her lap and a serene smile on her face, one that Beatrice weakly reciprocated “...hi,zia.”

“Hello,darling.” Martha’s smile widens, then she pats the bed, “Come,sit.”

“Oh,I have to-go back to Brad and-”

“Oh I won’t take too long.” another pat, “Come on now.”

Beatrice wrung her hands together, rubbing her wedding band a bit too hard and wincing when it burned her skin…but she complied. Shuffling over to the bed and settling down next to her aunt, the bed immediately squeaked in protest- that thing was going to break one of these days and if her father wasn’t so stubborn in getting a new one it wouldn’t happen. 

She waited for a bit, peeking over her aunt by the corner of her eye only to see her aunt was already looking at her, “...um…so…what did you want to talk about,zia?”

“...well, you and Bradley,” she wags her finger, “You two are very very naughty. You two found my gifts.”

Beatrice choked on her spit, “I-I-we didn’t mean to-”

But Martha laughed, waving it off, “It’s fine,Beatrice.I knew you’d find it.” of course she did, “In fact,” she pulls the two gifts from behind her, placing it on her lap, “I will give this to you now.”

“What- but-”

Martha sets it on Beatrice’s palm, placing one hand on top of the gift and the other below, her face going weirdly serious, “But you cannot open it here. You need to open it at home and this one,” she taps the blue box,” You have to give it to Bradley.”

“What? Why? It’s…yours?”

“No, it’s yours.”

She was growing really tired of her aunt’s cryptic personality, she really was. But before she could ask more, Martha stood up - not before kissing her niece’s cheeks- and walked out of the room…just like that.

Beatrice sat on the bed holding the tiny gifts with her mouth parted open, brows furrowed and looking completely confused because well…she was.

She looks back down at the box and shakes it a bit, the weight wasn’t…strange, but it was something small, and it rattled a bit. Beatrice frowned more, turning the box in her hands and then tsking “...everyone in my family is weirdly endearing…whatever she got us is probably to protect us.”  she pushes herself to her feet, still looking at the box.

“Oh!” 

“Ah!” Beatrice almost drops the boxes when she saw her aunt’s face from the corner, “Zia!I-”

“Another thing!” Martha walks in as if she forgot something, rubbing her hands together then hovering them over her niece’s shoulders, Beatrice tried to ask what was happening but Martha gently shushed her whispering something under her breath. Her aunt’s hands hovered down her arms until they stopped above her stomach - a shot of panic darted through her - and her aunt smiled knowingly, “There.” she says, “It’s done.”

“...what is done?” she got another kiss, this time on the forehead, “Zia? What is done?”

“ Come on, preziosa, we have to open the gifts, oh-” she points to the boxes “Hide those in the pockets, yes?’ Beatrice did, albeit extremely befuddled by her aunt’s antics, “Come now. Everyone is waiting.”

Beatrice follows her aunt down the stairs, stopping on the top when she saw Rooster below, his brown eyes widening when he notices Martha coming down first. He greeted her politely and the older woman cupped his cheeks and made him lean down to kiss his forehead just like she did Beatrice’s, before turning her attention towards Nicole.

Nicole giggled at the touch, wriggling a bit on Rooster’s arms as Beatrice walked all the way down, the three of them following Martha as she glided all the way back to the patio, meeting her husband halfway. “Bea.” her husband begins, “What…exactly happened?”

“...well,she…she did, um…witch stuff,I guess.”

“Ah.”

“And she gave me the gifts but,it’s–I have to give one of them to you.”

“Okay?’

“You know,maybe we can just,” she moves her hands absently, “Just ignore this for now? Just until we get back home?”

“You know what? I like that idea.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

[crinkled-emotions]

Day 31: Free Day (Surprise fic!)

This one... oof. I can't believe it's finally here.

I'm super grateful to those people who have sent in asks or commented on the fics, I honestly didn't think I'd be able to get to 31 🥺 I talked more about it on the Ao3 version of this because tumblr is a NIGHTMARE for hate asks atm.

Warnings: Carole's cancer diagnosis and discussions of cancer-related complications, Goose's accident, Hangman's fear of not being fast enough to get to Mav and Rooster during the Dagger mission. Rooster also puts himself back into therapy.

This fic also contains Hangster and a couple of very special guests!! I really went loose with this one, I didn't edit it particularly hard nor did I think about whether it would be received well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it 🥹

-

-

“Jake Seresin, you have three seconds to get over here and explain yourself!”

Hangman’s head shot up, glancing over the back of the couch in Maverick’s hangar. Coyote frowned from beside him, following his gaze to see three figures coming into the space.

“Oh shit,” Hangman hissed, “I gotta hide.”

He got up and made an abrupt disappearing act into the hangar, Coyote calling after him but to no avail. Phoenix was standing too, beaming as she ran to give one of the people coming toward them a hug.

“Oh my god, I haven’t seen you in forever! How are you?”

“Honey we are doing just fine.”

Phoenix folded into the older woman’s arms, surprisingly affectionate with her which the others were now watching closely considering Phoenix was more likely to bite someone’s head off rather than giving them a hug.

“You’re here!”

Maverick came out of the airstream, Rooster following shortly after. He stopped dead in his tracks halfway down the stairs, eyes widening.

“Mom? Dad?”

-

Carole surged forward, leaving Goose in his wheelchair for a moment to wrap her son in a hug.

“Bradley,” she breathed. Nothing more needed to be said.

“What the fuck?”

Sorry. Except for that. Thanks Fanboy.

“Uh- guys, uh... meet my parents. This is my mom, Carole... and my dad. Goose.”

Rooster helped his dad join the group, gently touching his shoulder.

“You okay, dad?”

“Better than you,” Goose retorted, earning an eye roll. Carole swatted Rooster’s shoulder and then extended her arms to give Maverick a hug too.

“And you, Maverick, what were you thinking?!”

“Carole, I-“

“-god, if we’d lost both of you...”

She pulled away, tears in her eyes as she looked between Rooster and Maverick, then sighed.

“Is Jake here?”

“Mom...” Rooster started carefully but she held out a hand.

“I just want to talk to him for a moment.”

“He’s down the back, ma’am,” Bob offered. Carole waved at him, pressed a kiss to Goose’s lips and Rooster’s temple then made her way through the collection of vintage cars and a plane or two. The Daggers turned toward Rooster, gobsmacked.

“Why the hell are your parents all buddy buddy with Maverick?” Payback demanded. Rooster just smirked.

“Have you not been listening for the last six weeks?”

-

“Jake, I know you’re back here.”

Hangman grimaced, slowly turning toward Carole. The older woman stood by the photo wall, arms crossed.

“Ma’am, I-“

“-since when have I been ma’am to you? Honey you were there for three Christmases, you don’t ever need to ma’am me.”

Hangman grimaced, leaning on the workbench.

“I said some really awful things to Rooster- Bradley. I said things I didn’t mean and now he’s mad as hell. How are you not pissed at me for everything I’ve done?”

“I don’t think he is, and I’m certainly not. Yours and Bradley’s relationship ended but that doesn’t mean I stopped worrying about you.”

Carole and Goose had taken Jake in all those years ago when Rooster took him home for the first time, constantly looking to him for reassurance because he didn’t know what it was like to have a supportive, welcoming family. Goose was paralysed from the neck down but he didn’t let it affect his charm and his sense of humour; Carole had survived what was almost terminal cancer and she still held her own against her incredibly stubborn son and husband. Hangman cleared his throat, eyes falling to the concrete flooring.

“I thought they were dead.”

“I can’t imagine how scared you must have been. You and Bradley...”

Carole Bradshaw was fun loving, loud and the life of the party at all times but she also raised what could only be described as a handful of a son with a gentle hand and her maternal instincts came out with almost everyone she met, Hangman included. He’d spent many a night sitting up with her, the two of them the insomniacs of their relationships, just talking about anything and nothing.

She was the mother figure he’d never had.

“Jake. Are you okay?”

“No,” he choked out. Carole’s eyes softened and she stepped forward to pull him into a hug.

-

“So what Bagman said, about Mav and your dad-“

“-it’s true, my dad and Mav were at TOPGUN when the accident happened. My dad was in a coma for... a really long time. When he did finally come around he couldn’t feel anything from his chest down. All the PT in the world can’t fix the kind of paralysis he has.”

“Man, that must have been really difficult for you. I’m sorry.”

Bob’s voice broke the silence first. Rooster hummed.

“I remember my mom was doing the laundry once and she just started bawling. Mav said she found a load of my dad’s clothes she’d forgotten about and it just... yeah. I don’t actually remember seeing dad all that often, one minute he was gone and the next he was sitting in his new wheelchair at home and he couldn’t pick me up anymore.”

Phoenix’s brows furrowed.

“I can’t even imagine. Your mom was sick too, right?”

“It was three years of hell.”

Maverick and Goose joined the Daggers by the couches, Maverick ruffling Rooster’s hair as Rooster glanced over at his dad.

“You handle the drive alright?”

“Yeah, fine. How about you kid, you doing okay?”

“Just glad to be on the ground,” Rooster said quietly. He felt Goose gently touch his shoulder.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

Rooster hummed, glancing around.

“Where did mom go?”

“I’m here honey. Have you told them about the Walmart diaper story yet?”

“Mom,” Rooster groaned as Carole and Hangman appeared from the back of the hangar. Phoenix’s eyes lit up and she scooted over on the couch to make room for Carole.

“Wait, I haven’t heard this one. I thought I had all the BB Blackmail.”

“The what?”

“Oh, Roos,” Hangman shook his head, “you have no idea.”

-

That evening Carole and Goose retired to the house beside the hangar- Maverick tended to sleep in the airstream in the hangar itself but the house had been specifically fitted with everything Goose needed for his wheelchair access including the bathroom and kitchen. The Daggers rolled out their swags across the hangar but stayed up a little longer to talk. Everyone started to drift off except Rooster and Hangman, sitting up on the couches together with a beer in hand.

“I don’t get it,” Hangman said, “you almost lost your parents and you still cut Maverick off.”

“Jake I don’t want to get into this with you,” Bradley groaned.

“No, you listen to me. Mav might have a couple screws loose but he must have done it for a reason.”

“I think my mom had something to do with it. She always went quiet when I started talking about the Navy or begging to get my licence.”

“Can you blame her? She almost lost her husband and her best friend in one hit.”

“Yeah, I do blame her. This was so fucking important to me, it was all I could talk about.”

“I know, Bradley, I remember when you found out why you were four years behind everyone else.”

Hangman took a sip of his beer, eyes to his lap.

“Left me in the dust.”

“Jake, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I’m going to bed. Drink some water before you try to sleep.”

Hangman stood, collecting the beer bottles around the hangar to put in the trash before rolling out his swag. Rooster sighed.

“Jake, I’m sorry.”

“Goodnight.”

-

Carole and Maverick stood out in the bright morning sunlight just outside the hangar doors, drinking coffee and looking over the desert.

“How long were Hangman and Bradley together?” Maverick asked.

“Almost four years. Bradley was never the same after he found out about his papers.”

“Couldn’t get off his perch?” Maverick supplied. Carole laughed.

“Sure.”

Then she turned to face Maverick properly.

“What happened on that mission, Pete? Bradley calls after deployments but he doesn’t spend hours just sitting there listening to us babble. I’ve never seen Jake that haunted either.”

“You really want to know?” Maverick asked. When Carole just glared at him he sighed.

“Alright, we better sit down. Let’s go inside.”

They headed into the house, taking a seat at the dining table. Carole reached over and squeezed Maverick’s hand.

“I know this one was different.”

“I didn’t expect to come home from this one.”

“Pete you say that all the time-“

“-no I mean it. I saw the mission plan and I knew someone wasn’t coming home. If that was going to be the case, I wanted it to be me.”

“Pete, you did that. Everyone made it thanks to you.”

“How much did Bradley tell you?”

“Enough to know I could have lost both of you.”

“It’s a good thing Jake was spare; I knew if it came down to it he would be the one who’d push their jet to the limits to help in time without hesitating. He might be an ass at the best of times but he saved our lives. I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

Carole glanced down at her coffee cup.

“I think something shook loose in Bradley this time.”

“Me too.”

Maverick touched her hand, gesturing toward the bedroom.

“How’s he doing? Anything from the docs?”

“Oh, the usual. The nerve pain isn’t any better but he doesn’t want to tell Bradley.”

“We spent too long keeping secrets from Bradley, Carole.”

“I know, I just... he’s doing so well at work and the way he was last night- that’s the Bradley I know and love. He was smiling and laughing like I haven’t seen him in years.”

Maverick smiled.

“Yeah, I thought so too. Just... talk to him.”

“I will.”

Carole got up, rinsing out her coffee cup.

“You think he’s going to be okay?”

“He’s tough.”

“But is he going to be okay, Pete?”

Maverick frowned.

“I don’t know, Carole. All we can do is make sure he knows we’ve got his back.”

-

“So your mom looks good.”

“Are you flirting? Phoenix, she’s my mom.”

Phoenix gaped at Rooster for a second, then she burst out laughing and took his cup of coffee from him.

“Shut up, god knows you’re still flirting with Hangman after all these years.”

It was Rooster’s turn to stare hopelessly at her. She elbowed him in the side.

“Seriously. I haven’t seen your mom smile that hard in years-“

“-Bradley! Come help with breakfast!”

Carole called out the front door of the house and Rooster smiled at her over his shoulder.

“Be there in a second, mom!”

He took his coffee back from Phoenix and drained the mug, planting it back in her hand.

“Thanks for... everything, Tash.”

He headed back for the house when Carole yelled again, leaving Phoenix staring blankly after him. She heard someone else approach her from behind and smiled when she realised it was Bob and Fanboy.

“I didn’t think he knew how to smile,” Fanboy started. Bob nodded.

“It felt like I was talking to a brick wall sometimes, but this Rooster? It’s almost unsettling.”

“You know the story about his papers?” Phoenix asked them, both men shaking their heads. Phoenix sighed.

“Well, uh, after Mav and Rooster’s father were in a really awful crash, and Rooster’s mom beat cancer by the skin of her teeth, Rooster thinks she wasn’t down for him risking his life like Maverick still does and his father did. Apparently it was all he could talk about from the moment he was old enough to understand the Navy.”

“My dad’s a rancher, I wanted to be one for years too,” Bob supplied but Phoenix cleared her throat.

“It went so much deeper than that. Mr Bradshaw almost died from his injuries and then the infection he sustained later on. I don’t think Carole could have handled losing Bradley too, so Rooster thinks she might have asked Mav to pull his papers from the Naval Academy. It set him back four years which is how we ended up in the same TOPGUN class with Hangman. I don’t know all the details but I think Rooster’s finally made peace with whatever happened between then and now.”

Bob was quiet for a moment, processing everything, but Fanboy’s brows furrowed.

“Why was he so damn bitchy with Mav if it was his mom that pulled his papers?”

“You’d have to ask him.”

“No thanks,” Fanboy and Bob said simultaneously, earning laughter.

“He lived with him.”

They all jumped when Hangman appeared beside them, eyes on the desert in front of them rather than looking toward his teammates.

“What?”

“When things got really bad, Rooster moved in with Mav.”

Phoenix sighed.

“That tracks.”

“Is he gonna be pissed you can’t keep your mouth shut?” Phoenix asked Hangman, who just shrugged.

“He’s already pissed.”

“Daggers! Breakfast!”

The conversation was cut short by Maverick calling out for everyone to come eat, Payback and Coyote emerging from the hangar and Phoenix following the others down the hill where they’d been talking.

-

“Mrs Bradshaw, can I ask- Bradley Bradshaw?”

Carole smiled at Payback, patting his hand.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Mom,” Rooster started quietly which immediately had everyone’s attention. Phoenix put her fork down, raising an eyebrow.

“No, please tell us. What are we missing?”

“When Bradley was born, his mom was-“

“-dad.”

The Cheshire-cat grin on Hangman’s face told the others he hadn’t heard this story either. Goose glanced between the Daggers then he smiled. Rooster put his head in his hands.

“So Mav and I were on base when Carole called to say she was in labour. It was just lucky that we were only a half hour away instead of being deployed so we were able to get to the hospital fast.”

Goose’s eyes met Carole’s and he smiled softly at her. Phoenix wondered what it was like to be that in love, then almost choked when she realised Hangman had a matching fond look on his face... directed at Rooster.

“Anyway, so we get in the room and Carole is doing her thing and she looks me dead in the eye... says she wants to call him Bradley then just starts laughing. I thought it was a joke, but the second Mav held him he says he looks like a Nick Junior. We compromised; my middle name is James, so...”

“Oh my god. Your middle name is James?” Phoenix says. Rooster sighed.

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

“We didn’t mean to call him BJ, it just happened.”

The Daggers frantically tried to avoid eye contact with one another so they didn’t burst out laughing, but Phoenix rested her head on Bob’s shoulder to stifle her giggling and that was it for the rest of them. Rooster rolled his eyes.

“I’m spitting in your food tonight.”

“How sweet, BJ!” Phoenix grinned. Even Maverick was smiling as he shook his head.

“I swear I work with teenagers.”

-

“How are you doing, kid?”

Rooster glanced over as his dad came into the living room, sending him a soft smile.

“I’m okay.”

“You’ve been quiet.”

“Dad. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know, B.”

Neither Goose nor Carole called him any variation of Rooster; it was always his first name or a nickname. Bradley’s shoulders relaxed and he shrugged.

“Look, it’s fine, it’s no big deal.”

Goose frowned.

“Well, from experience, almost dying is a big deal. Almost dying twice? I mean, I’m surprised you’re not drunk under a tree kid.”

That earned a snort.

“Bradley, you came home different.”

His eyes dropped to his lap and he took a deep breath.

“I know.”

“Kid, no one expects you to have it all together.”

That seemed to unlock something and Bradley hummed, then cleared his throat.

“Bradley?”

“Dad I can’t- I can’t breathe.”

“Alright, put your head between your knees. You’ve done this before, it’s okay.”

“Is he okay? Bradley, sweetheart what’s going on? Goose?”

Carole appeared from downstairs, rubbing her hand over her son’s back and cupping his forehead.

“Just breathe, honey. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

Bradley did as his father had said, focusing on the air moving through his lungs. He heard his mother talking to him and his father softly, her hand firm on his back. He might have been in his thirties but times like these brought him right back to his teenage years when everything was too much, or when he and Jake broke up and the only person more upset had been his mom.

“Fuck, Roos. You good? I thought you said these stopped.”

Somehow Bradley had missed the door opening. His head shot up to find Hangman standing by the entrance to the living room, arms crossed over his chest. He strode across the room and pulled the curtains shut then went into the kitchen. Carole gently brushed Bradley’s curls from his face.

“Say the word and he goes.”

“No, no it’s okay,” he managed to get out, carefully working himself back upright. Goose watched him for a moment.

“Feel okay?”

“God, no.”

-

“How long has it been since you, your parents and Mav were all in the same room?”

Rooster glanced down at Phoenix’s head on his shoulder as they sat on a picnic blanket, looking over the sunset. She glanced up at him, waiting for an answer.

“Too long,” he sighed. Phoenix smiled.

“It must be weird having all three parents in the same room.”

“Scary to think I could have had none of them. I can’t- if I’d lost them...”

Phoenix touched his shoulder.

“But you didn’t.”

“I almost did. All three of them, at various stages. For a while there it felt like the moment I caught my breath it would all go bad again.”

“I know.”

She did, of course she did. She’d been the one to find him in the barracks, staring helplessly at his phone. Hangman was long gone at that point, so Phoenix had booked him a flight home and urged him to speak to his CO about leave. Initially his leave request was denied but a call from a certain Admiral had made it so he had a couple days to go home and be with his family when his mom had a scare at a check up scan.

“I think I’m going to lose them, Tasha.”

“Oh, Roos.”

“Mom’s been in remission for almost three years and dad’s not in any immediate danger but Mav... it’s so fuckin’ stupid.”

“It’s not; Mav lives life on the edge,” Phoenix reassured. Rooster snorted.

“Yeah.”

“Well, have you spoken to him about it?”

“Pot, kettle, black.”

Phoenix punched his shoulder.

“Maybe he could use a reminder about what he’s got to come home to. It must have been difficult juggling holidays if you couldn’t even be in the same room together.”

“Oh no, we had it down to a fine art. I got Christmas but I made sure to be busy at Easter-“

“-you mean drunk.”

“I mean drunk.”

Rooster sighed, nudging Phoenix’s shoulder.

“I gotta sort my shit out with Seresin, I’ll come find you later.”

“Go get ‘em, Roo. Get laid.”

Rooster rolled his eyes as he stood, dusting off his jeans before he headed to find Hangman sitting with Payback and Fanboy arguing about college football.

“Hey, Seres- uh, Jake. Can we talk?”

“Sure.”

He scooted over on the couch but Rooster shook his head.

“Not here.”

Fanboy and Payback exchanged a look.

“No, man, you guys stay here. We can argue about football elsewhere.”

Payback stood, grabbing Fanboy by the end of his jacket to get him to follow. Hangman stood.

“Look, Bradshaw, I-“

Rooster gently took him by the arm and led into the airstream, closing the door behind him.

-

Hangman’s brows furrowed.

“What are you doing?”

“Thanks for earlier. When I-“

“-yeah, don’t sweat it.”

A pause.

“So... was that it-“

“-I’m sorry for what I did to us.”

Jake’s eyebrows shot up.

“Bradley... that was three years ago.”

“Did you move on? See other people?”

“Not like I saw you.”

Rooster leaned back against the kitchen counter.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

The tension in the tiny airstream could have been cut with a knife. Hangman crossed his arms over his chest; Rooster reached out to touch him but stopped at the last second. The last thing he wanted Jake to think was that he was apologising for sex. To his surprise Jake met him halfway, lacing their fingers together.

“All I ever wanted was for you to talk to me.”

“I didn’t know how.”

“Do you now?”

“I want to try.”

Jake’s shoulders settled.

“Bradley, this... I can’t go another round if you’re going to get cold feet and leave again.”

“I’m not talking out of my ass, Jake.”

“Fucking prove it, because I won’t do this again.”

Bradley reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping away for a moment. Jake watched him, brows furrowed.

“Are you seriously answering a text right now?”

“No, I’m pulling up an appointment. Look.”

He thrust the phone into Jake’s hand. Sure enough, it was an appointment confirmation booking for a therapy centre in San Diego.

“Wait, this isn’t the VA-“

“-I don’t want to talk to someone who’s associated with the Navy, my... issues aren’t with the Navy. They’re issues from my childhood, shit I never talked about. Not even with my parents or Mav.”

Jake swallowed, passing the phone back.

“Is this some adrenaline thing? Get back on dry land, sleep with your ex, trauma gone and appointment cancelled?”

“No.”

For some reason, he believed him. Maybe it was because he could hear the sincerity in Bradley’s voice, the way he ducked his head to meet Jake’s eyes. He didn’t tense up when Jake put a hand on his chest, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.

“If we’re serious about this, we do it properly. No sex, no making out to avoid talking about our feelings. I don’t care if it sounds dumb, I want to know what’s going on with you.”

“I know. I’m going to try. I don’t want to let you down ever again.”

Jake didn’t know if he was a weak man, a dumb man or a whipped man, but he didn’t shy away when Bradley leaned in and kissed him softly.

“I missed you, darlin’,” he whispered, hands finding Bradley’s hips.

“I missed you too. I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

Jake wrapped him in a hug, burying his face against Bradley’s neck. When he opened his eyes, he groaned.

“We have paparazzi.”

“What?”

Bradley pulled away, glancing over his shoulder.

“Guys,” he groaned

“Carry on!” Phoenix called through the open window, Coyote holding up a bowl of what looked like popcorn.

“Are they back together yet?” Carole called from the couch.

“Yes, mom, we’re back together.”

Jake and Bradley exchanged a look, then Jake took him by the hand.

“We can talk more later when we get back to San Diego.”

“I’d like that.”

-

“We did good, Goose.”

Goose hummed, watching the Daggers playing dogfight football on the empty tarmac.

“We did, honey.”

Carole squeezed his hand.

“You owe me twenty bucks.”

“You bet they’d be back together when we got here!” Goose protested. She sent him a look and he sighed.

“We share an account honey.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I have a better idea.”

They exchanged a look, then Carole squeezed his hand and stood.

“Mav! You lost!”

“Fuck.”

-

[aquwalawa]

It’s so bittersweet how Bradley wanted to go to the Naval Academy to become a naval aviator - just like his dad. It’s never said but I am pretty sure it’s not just because he wanted to become a naval aviator but maybe also to feel this little bit closer to his dad, goose - following in his footsteps. And then Mav pulls his papers - and suddenly he’s following in the footsteps of his dad in all but blood - like Mav he wasn’t allowed to go the Academy. Like Mav he had to find some other way to achieve his dream. So Mav who always felt so guilty about Nick‘s death and grows into being a paternal figure to Bradley while undoubtedly keeping Goose’s memory alive, unknowingly takes this one experience from Bradley - and makes them more similar too. He stole Bradley’s opportunity to experience the Academy like his dad did and gave him the experience of being denied access for stupid reasons - like his other dad, Mav himself, experienced.

On this note - how much do you want to bet that Bradley had some issues with becoming a naval aviator and having to prove himself/converse to all the academy graduates. How much do you think could Mav have related and helped Bradley through this had they been talking?

Both of their reasons as to why they couldn’t attend the Academy are sore spots. For completely different reasons but still, both hurt them respectively.

Just. The parallels.

[tgmsunmontue]

Tell me what to write weekend...

Only a standard weekend this weekend. It's almost Friday afternoon and the start of my weekend... Adult responsibilities still beckon though.

NUMBERS:

Online and Anonymous - 4/16 Hangster who are anonymous Grindr buddies for YEARS. (Tumblr post)

More than Movie Magic - Hangster Hollywood AU (~3 bits left)

Sagas of Solitude 3/? - IceMav with side Hangster AU - angsty Nepo!Baby

CURRENT LETTERS:

A, C, D, E, H, I, K... Bingo #1, Bingo #2

A) Where do I know you from? There are too many Jakes and Bradleys for Jake and Bradley to be dealing with. (Tumblr idea unspooling here...)

C) To wake, perchance to dream - Jake wakes up in the future, gets a glimpse of what their life could be and then wakes up back right before being called back to Top Gun for the special detachment (e.g. TGM). (Tumblr post and the beginning of the fic)

D) Together or not at all... (SEQUEL) - Hangster - years after Javy/Nat get together they think their best friends (Hangman and Rooster) could maybe try dating each other. It'll either end in disaster or not.

E) Cyclone/Maverick - Cyclone is struggling to deal with being attracted to the most annoying person he's ever met. Why does he like him so much?

H) Getting to know you from the beginning - an Ice/Mav epistolary fic where Jake and Bradley matchmake them, not realising exactly who it is they've matched together.

I) Life is too short to waste time matching socks... 2/? The peach and eggplant socks as an anonymous gift as an incredibly unsubtle hint that someone would like to fuck them. (tumblr idea unspooling here...)

K) Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide - Transformers cross-over for help me @yeagrave is 110% to blame for me adding this... (related to this post) (Prologue)

BINGO #1 - Hangster Ranch AU

BINGO #2 - IceMav Florist/Undercover Agent AU

You pick 1-3 of the above and either:

reply

Message

Send an ask (Anon is on)

with the letters/Numbers of the fic/s you wish would hurry up and get finished/posted already. (Yes, you can pick the same one three times - some of these fics are that close to getting finished that would be enough to tip them over, you also don't have to pick more than one).

Numbers indicate fics I am consciously working on updating/completing, and likely have a completion date in mind.

Letters indicate fics that are often getting completed because people ask for me to work on them through things like this. (I usually do this every weekend).

Asterisks represent fics that are most likely soon to become numbered fics.

Doing this keeps me on task and makes me accountable. It stops me from procrastinating and I really appreciate people providing their numbers.

THANK YOU!