#we love oblivious bradley

[jakeseresinisgay]

Imagine: Bradley had a training accident and broke his leg...

It's nothing more, just that he's in hospital. Mav really wants to come but he is busy and the others are either deployed or too far and Jake just reads the frantic chat and takes a flight.

Bradley thinks Jake visits him cause he is stationed nearby. Jake visits every day for a coffee or just a chat so Bradley isn't too bored.

Eventually Jake's sister comes for a visit too. She was ready for vacation anyway and wanted to see the guy her brother dropped everything for.

-

"So you're the guy Jake booked a 14 hours flight for in a blink of an eye."

"WHAT?! I thought you were stationed nearby?!"

"Uhh..."

---

"What's wrong with him, Nat??"

"Bradley, Jake Hangman Seresin didn't hesitate for a second to fly to you for 14 hours, just because you broke your damn leg."

"..."

"Damn, Rooster! He's into you."

[queenofwands89]

Quiet Affections

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Pilot!reader

Summary: After her friends tease her about Jake having a crush on her, Y/N reflects on certain memories that make her question whether there might be some truth to their playful jabs.

Warnings: Teasing, pining, Jake being a sweetheart, Y/N being oblivious, insults aimed at Y/N, protective Jake, mention and description of injury, anxiety, doubts, fluff.

Notes: Happy Friday, everyone! We made it! 🎉 I just hit 2,500 likes on here and wanted to thank each and every one of you who liked, reblogged, or commented on my works. It means the world to me. I’m down bad for Jake, and need him badly so I wrote this. Enjoy byeeee

You find yourself deep in the heart of the Hard Deck, the familiar hum of chatter and clinking glasses forming a comforting backdrop. Rooster, Natasha, Javy, Bob, Reuben, and Mickey are clustered around the pool table, laughter spilling freely as they take turns making shots and throwing jabs. Jake had just excused himself to go to the restroom, but not before brushing a lingering hand against your shoulder and whispering something that made you smile. This action set off a chain reaction of teasing directed at you.

"Y/N, you know Hangman’s got a huge crush on you, right?" Rooster's mustache twitches with a sly smile as he lines up for his shot.

You laugh it off, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh please, Bradley. Jake? No way. He's just... nice."

Rooster and Natasha exchange glances before Natasha cocks an eyebrow at you. "Nice? Hangman is many things, but nice isn't the first word I'd use. Unless he’s talking to you," she remarks, tapping her cue stick against her palm.

Bob, always the quiet observer, chimes in. "He's got a point though, Y/N. I've seen how he looks at you."

You can't help but roll your eyes. "I'm just completely unaware of it," you say, sarcasm dripping from your voice. "You guys are ridiculous."

Mickey grins, his boyish charm lighting up his face. "Maybe, but can you really deny the way he's always got your back?" he asks, leaning casually against the pool table.

Your first instinct is to rebut, but as their words settle in, you start to think about some of the things Jake had done for you. Not just the grand gestures like saving your hide in aerial combat, but the small, everyday things. The way he'd always save you a seat, bring you coffee exactly how you like it, offer subtle words of encouragement when you doubted yourself.

Javy steps forward, his competitive spirit twinkling in his eyes. "You're telling me you haven't noticed how he always goes out of his way to make sure you're okay?"

Reuben, good-natured but always vigilant, nods in agreement. "Hangman's not exactly an altruistic guy, Y/N. But for you? He'd go to lengths he wouldn't for anyone else."

You crack a wry smile, determined to stay firm in your denial. "He's just protective. We're teammates."

Natasha had already joined in, her voice warm yet teasing. “Don’t sell yourself short, Y/N. It’s not just about being teammates. He genuinely cares.”

In the ensuing silence, you can't help but ponder on their words. Jake "Hangman" Seresin is charismatic and assertive, traits forged from his exceptional flying skills and competitive nature. But beneath that cocky exterior, there lies a heart incredibly loving and caring, willing to sacrifice anything for his loved ones. Slowly, you find yourself drifting into a vivid memory, reliving the countless cherished moments and experiences you've shared with Jake.

You recall that evening at the Hard Deck vividly. The bar was buzzing with the usual chatter and laughter, the hum of camaraderie filling the air. You were amidst your friends, enjoying the rare downtime when an unfamiliar voice cut through the noise—this stranger making an offhand but cruel remark about you. The comment was subtle, yet it stung deeply, rooting you in place with a mix of shock and mortification. Your cheeks burned under the weight of the ridicule, words lodged in your throat.

Before you could muster a response, you felt Jake's presence beside you, solid and reassuring. He stepped forward, placing himself between you and the offender. His usual easy going demeanor was replaced by a steely resolve, his eyes dark with anger. "Do us all a favor and think before you speak," he said, his voice steady but carrying an unmistakable edge.

The bar fell into an uneasy silence as Jake’s glare pinned the offender in place. "If you've got a problem with Y/N," he continued, his voice low and unwavering, "you’ll be dealing with me."

The tension hung in the air, thick and palpable. The offender, unable to match Jake's intensity, muttered an apology and slunk away, deflated. The moment passed, but the impact lingered. Jake remained there a moment longer, ensuring the threat had fully dissipated before turning back to you.

As he met your gaze, the hardness in his features softened, replaced by a gentle concern. He reached out, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. "You okay?" he asked, his voice filled with a tenderness reserved just for you.

You felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude, the initial embarrassment giving way to a profound sense of relief. Jake had stood up for you without a second thought, his protective instinct leaving no room for compromise. In that moment, you knew you were safe, not just physically but emotionally, knowing Jake had your back. His touch and the concern in his eyes reassured you even more, providing a solace that words alone could not.

.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ .

Then there was the night when you couldn’t sleep, tormented by insecurities that gnawed at the edges of your mind. It was long past midnight, and you found yourself seated on the deck of the aircraft carrier, trying to get some fresh air to clear your head before the mission. The vast expanse of the ocean and the cool night breeze did little to quiet the whirlwind of self-doubt swirling inside you.

The stars dotted the sky like tiny beacons, and the waves below gently lapped against the ship's hull, but none of it brought you peace. You wrapped your arms around yourself, tense and lost in thought, barely noticing the sound of footsteps approaching.

Jake emerged from the shadows, his silhouette becoming clearer in the soft glow of the ship's lights. He paused when he saw you, his brow furrowing with concern. He looked around, ensuring no one else was around, before walking over to you with determined but careful strides.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice breaking the solitude with an edge of worry.

You hesitated, feeling foolish for bothering him. "I…I just can't stop thinking about everything that's been going wrong. I don't know if I'm cut out for this, Jake."

Jake's eyes softened, and he lowered himself to sit beside you on the cold metal deck. "Tell me more," he said gently, coaxing you to open up. His voice was so steady, so soothing, that you found yourself pouring out all your fears and anxieties—the relentless pressure, the fear of failure, the nagging feeling that you weren't good enough. With each word, you felt a weight lifting from your chest.

Jake listened without interrupting, his usual cocky demeanor replaced by an unwavering focus on you. His eyes never left your face, and his expression remained kind and attentive. "You know what I see when I look at you?" he said quietly once you had finished. "I see someone who's brave, who fights every day to be better, who cares deeply about others. You're stronger than you think, Y/N. Don't let those doubts control you."

His words felt like a balm to your soul, soothing the raw edges of your insecurities. When he reached out to brush a stray tear from your cheek, the warmth of his touch and the sincerity in his eyes melted away your remaining doubts, leaving you wrapped in a cocoon of reassurance. Sitting there on the deck, under the endless sky, you felt profoundly grateful for Jake's unwavering support and the strength he helped you find within yourself.

.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ .

You also remember the time when you injured your ankle during a training exercise. You had insisted on limping back to your quarters, trying to maintain your independence. But Jake wouldn't hear of it. He had scooped you up without a second thought, cradling you in his arms as if you weighed nothing. "I've got you," he murmured, his voice laced with an uncharacteristic gentleness. The entire trek back, he kept you engaged in light-hearted banter, ensuring your mind stayed off the pain.

.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ .

And how could you forget the morning he had brought you coffee? Not just any coffee, but a complex, personalized concoction—an oat milk latte with a shot of caramel, a pinch of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg, and no foam. You hadn’t even mentioned it to him before. "Thought you could use a pick-me-up," he had said nonchalantly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But you knew the effort he had put into remembering such a detailed order, and it made your heart swell with an unfamiliar warmth.

These memories play in your mind like a cherished montage, each moment a testament to the man beneath the bravado. Jake "Hangman" Seresin wasn’t just the cocky pilot everyone else saw. He was a protector, a confidant, a friend who cared deeply for you, even if you had been too blind to see it before.

Returning back to the present moment amidst the lively ambiance of the Hard Deck, surrounded by the warmth of friends and laughter, you notice Jake returning from the restroom. As your eyes meet, his familiar smirk emerges, but this time there’s a tender softness in his gaze that you hadn’t noticed before—or perhaps, hadn't allowed yourself to see.

“Miss me?” he jokes, sliding back into the chaos of pool cues and friendly banter.

You chuckle, shaking off the speculative thoughts. “Like a bad habit, Seresin.”

But later, as the night winds down and the camaraderie ebbs into a quieter hum, you catch yourself glancing his way more often. The teasing remarks of your friends aren’t so easily dismissed anymore. And as Jake catches your gaze across the room, you start to wonder if maybe, just maybe, they might be onto something.

Because sometimes, the most significant realizations are the ones that had been right in front of you all along, masked by the comfort of friendship and the chaos of duty.

You smile to yourself, feeling an inexplicable warmth. Maybe it was time to see what was beyond the camaraderie, to delve into the possibilities of what if. The thought lingers, like an unopened letter, waiting for the right moment.

For now, you return to the laughter and games, but with a new awareness, a curiosity that couldn’t be easily shaken. One thing was for sure—things were going to get interesting.

-

Text divider credits: @bunnysrph

[blue-the-bluest]

JUNE 6TH | OLD

AUGUST 7TH | NEW

I wanted this to be a small opportunity to make “Redeemed Bradley” a thing because I don’t see it as much… so I redrew it for funnies

Basically Redeemed Bradley happens wayyyy after the X Games, casted out and left to rot by himself before Max came back into the light.

Both talked it out and settled on being “friends” under one condition. Be yourself and honest. And no arguments and deals, but that’s out of the window

Bradley always has been himself but not totally, shutting out his own problems and not being completely in terms of his sexuality, being gay.

He never had time nor patience to fully figure himself out throughly, his parents and fans shoved his fake personality into his brain, thinking he’s already perfect. But Max opened his eyes to see that he isn’t perfect nor is himself at all.

The stress overwhelmed Bradley to the point where he almost cried in front of the Goof Troop. Even being the most unserious group to ever exist in man-kind, they knew that this “be yourself” stuff is overwhelming their new friend.

All four, again, have a conversation about Bradley, and as much as he hates heartfelt conversations, he knew he needed to hear it.

“We can go step by step, till you are fully fit to yourself.”

And as they said, Bradley just does that and everything runs smoothly.

No more snarls and death threats or deals and harmful pranks.

Bradley was feeling himself, all free of the pressure and fears. And he has never felt more happier than that.

But one problem kept crawling back to him, his gay problem. Not that it’s bad or anything but he has caught feelings for Max Goof, the same man helping him find his new and improved self.

Bradley knew he had to be honest and himself, it was the friendship condition both men agreed apon.

He tried to show Max about it, still afraid he’ll reject him but he still tried everything!

Having a bracelet same color as Max’s eyes.

Wearing matching earrings.

Even allowing Max to be close to him as possible.

But Max is too oblivious of the signs, and kept friend-zoning the poor boy… Will Max accept Bradley for who he is and love him as well? Or will he reject him for the greater good?

Who knows…

I’m so normal about them and yes, long haired Max supremacy 🛐

[bloatedandalone04]

Things Unseen and Heard

➪the one where you overhear bradley talk about you to jake and decide to give him the space he apparently wanted.

Warnings: smut, angst, fluff, oblivious bradley, insecurities, self-deprecating thoughts, unprotected sex, swearing, alcohol consumption, maybe more

Word Count: 4.1k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡ | happy birthday if it’s your birthday, we share a birthday !

You couldn’t be blamed for accidentally hearing him say it. 

Really, how could you have known that he was talking poorly about you to, who you assumed was Jake, after getting home a bit earlier than you had expected? 

You had just moved in with Bradley, your boyfriend of nearly two years, only a couple of weeks ago, and to say you were happy with the change would be an understatement. You were filled with excitement at the new chapter you had started with him, and were overjoyed to have someone there to come home to after living by yourself for so long. 

You were so in love with him and to be now officially living with him felt like the right move. 

And you thought he felt the same way, but now you’re unsure. 

It was one in the afternoon on a Saturday, and you had told Bradley that you wouldn’t be home until around four, so it really wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have a filter right now for the words leaving his mouth. 

He was sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, grey sweats and a black tee the only things covering his ridiculously hot body from your eyes. You bite down harshly on your lip as you begin to close the door, keeping an eye on him as you do so. 

His back was turned to you, his elbows braced on the marble as he held his phone to his ear. “‘I don’t know man, it’s like she’s lonely all the time or something,” he rasped in his deep voice, making your hand grip the wooden door just before it slammed shut. “Yeah, she moved in like a week and a half ago, but it feels way longer than that.”

Your brows furrow as you step away from the still slightly open door and peer into the kitchen again. He had to be talking about you, unless another woman moved in without you ever running into her. 

“Fuck if I know,” he laughed, leaning back against the bar stool as you lean against the doorframe. “She’s just been all over me. At first I thought it was because we’re living together now, but I can’t get a minute alone without her there. It was hot when she was living in her old apartment and we’d only get to see each other a few days a week, we’d be all over each other then, but now it’s like she can’t spend a second without me.”

You cross your arms as your bottom lip turns in a frown. You knew you were more affectionate than most, but that was one of the things Bradley said he adored about you. Had you known you were overstepping a bit, you would’ve backed off and saved yourself the embarrassment of having Jake find out about it before you did. 

“No, of course I still love her, I’m fucking in love with her,” he said and your heart swelled just a bit before he added, “I just wish she could leave me alone for more than five seconds. I’m surprised I actually have the house to myself today. I kind of missed it.” 

That had it breaking all over again and you turned away in an attempt to save some of your dignity. You felt beyond embarrassed and were actually debating on running out the door and leaving again, but you were stronger than that. 

You loved Bradley so damn much, so it hurt to hear him say those things about you without ever coming to you about it before he told his friend. You always tried to be honest with each other, and you thought it was going well. 

Well, you thought a lot of things, you guessed. 

He clearly needed space, despite his months of constant begging for you to move in with him. If he needed it, you’d give it to him, even if you did find out through accidental eavesdropping. 

You press the heel of your hand against your eyes in an attempt to hide your tears before pushing the door fully closed and letting it hit the frame loudly. “Hey, I’m back,” you weakly call out before taking a deep breath and rounding the corner for the third time.

Bradley looks over at you and smiles, lifting his left index finger as he says, “Hang on, Jake, Y/n just got home,” and he drops his hand then begins to stand up. “Hey, you’re back early-”

“I’m going out again,” you cut him off and hold up your hand, making him stop before he was fully off the stool. His brows furrowed in confusion as he pressed his phone to his chest. “I’ll only be here for a few minutes, I’m already late.”

You hated how easily you were able to lie to him.

“Okay,” he trailed off, sitting back down but still facing you. “Come here, come kiss me.”

Had you not overheard him call you clingy, you’d be all over him right now and only further proving his words. You give him a forced smile and shake your head, “I can’t, Roo, I have to be out of this house in less than five minutes,” you lie again and blow him a kiss before running down the hall and into your shared bedroom, leaving him to sit there with a confused expression on his face. 

“Hang on, Hangman, I’ll call you back,” you could hear his muffled voice that was followed by his footsteps leading up to the room. He poked his head into the doorway, meeting your eye in the mirror as you reapplied some makeup that had faded during the few hours you were out. “Hey, is everything okay?”

He sounded so sweet, you wanted to kiss him and touch him, but you were hurt. You rub your lips together before smiling at him with your reflection. “I’m good, Roo,” you assure him, setting down the blush colored lipstick container onto the dresser and turning to face him. “Just late for….lunch. A late lunch with Fi.”

“Okay,” he hummed as he stepped into the room. He made it to you in three strides, his hands finding your waist and his eyes finding your lips. “You look pretty. Almost too pretty for lunch with Fi. Should I be jealous?” He teased and leaned down to kiss you, but you pulled away with a forced laugh. 

“I’m really late,” you dismiss your unusual actions and pull off your oversized shirt. It was actually Bradley’s, but you felt like he didn’t really want you to wear his stuff right now. You throw on a simple black crop top and grab your purse before turning and nearly bumping into him. 

He steadies you with his hands on your hips again, and when you meet his eyes, you could see the faintest hint of concern in them. “You sure you’re okay?” He asked, much softer than before. It was a bit harder to lie to him this time, but you force yourself to nod anyway. He holds your gaze for a few more seconds before leaning down and pressing his lips to yours in a deep kiss. “I love you. Have fun.”

You pull away with a less forced smile and nod again. “Love you,” and then you were stepping out of his arms and quickly walking out of the room, once again leaving him to question your weird behavior.  

That was the start of it all. 

After getting back from a surprise lunch date with your friend, Fiona, you went straight into the bathroom, passing by Bradley, who was in the living room and watching a dumb reality TV show. He barely got a glance at you before hearing the faint sound of the bathroom door shutting, making him sit back against the couch when he realized he missed the chance to stop you before you got in there.

He checked his phone and saw that it was nearly eight at night, and how you had failed to answer the two texts he had sent you. He sets the device aside before crossing his arms and watching another hour worth of the show. 

It was nearing nine thirty when he got himself ready for bed, which was just a quick change into black boxer briefs, and he noticed that you still hadn’t left the bathroom. He plugged his phone in and pulled back the sheets on the bed, but before he could go check on you, the door to the bathroom opened and you stepped out wearing an old tee of your own instead of one of his. 

You quickly smile at him as you cross the room and throw your clothes into the hamper that was in the closet, plugging your own phone in afterwards and not looking at him. 

Bradley watched you with weary eyes as he stood at his side of the bed. “Hey,” he said, and you briefly look up at him. “How was your day?”

“It was good,” you answer, brushing your slightly damp hair before climbing into bed. “Long.”

“Yeah,” he laughed, getting in next to you after turning off the lights. “It’s almost ten, baby. I feel like I haven’t seen you all day.”

You give him a smile before laying down on your side of the bed instead of in the middle like you normally did. “Yeah,” Bradley’s smile faded at the single word and he watched as you turned your back to him. “Night, Bradley.”

Bradley? You always called him Roo, why the fuck did you call him Bradley? 

“Night,” he trailed off, moving to lay down as well. He had an inner debate with himself before letting his desire to hold you overpower the option to give you a bit of space, and he was glad you didn’t pull away from him when he wrapped his arms around you after moving to lay in the middle of the bed instead of on his side. “I love you, baby, so much.” He promised then kissed the back of your head, staying there afterwards and breathing in the sweet smell of your conditioner. 

“Love you,” it was barely above a whisper, and it was just enough to have him believing that everything was fine, and that maybe you just had a bad day. 

But when he woke up the next morning, he found that you had placed a throw pillow in between you at some point last night, and he was still in the middle of the bed while you were practically on the edge. His arms weren’t around you anymore, instead around the stupid pillow, and he was met with the smell of linen instead of coconut and vanilla. 

You were still sound asleep, and Bradley decided not to wake you as he got himself dressed in light jeans and a white tee. He tossed the throw pillow onto the bottom of the bed before gently moving your body onto the middle of it, where you instinctively pressed yourself against his still warm pillow. 

He guessed you did actually have a tiring day yesterday, and that had him keeping the curtains shut and quietly leaving the room, letting you sleep for as long as you wanted.

It was the weekend, after all.  

He made himself breakfast, then set aside a plate for you as he texted Nat.

Phoenix: Hey, Rooster. Are you and your girl down for a night at the Hard Deck tonight? 

Bradley thought about it for a few seconds before taking his phone with him and walking back to the bedroom. You were awake now and scrolling on your own phone, and he was a bit confused as to why you didn’t come out and say good morning like you always do, but he pushed the thought to the back of his head as he moved to sit next to you. “Hi, pretty girl,” he greeted and brushed your messy hair out of your face. 

“Hi,” you say back, once again forgetting to add Roo to the end of your sentence. 

“I made you breakfast, it’s on the counter,” he says as you sit up and pull the sheets over your body a bit more. 

You give him a small smile, “Thanks,”

He smiled back and reached for your hand, lacing your fingers together once you grabbed hold of it. “Nat invited us to the Hard Deck tonight,” he tells you, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb. “Wanna go?”

Your smile fades a bit as you ask, “Will Jake be there?”

At your odd question, Bradley’s brows furrow. “Yeah, I think so, why?”

You shrug and place your other hand over his before bringing it up to your mouth and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “Just wondering,” you answer and get up. “Sure, we’ll see.”

Then you were out of the room and wandering off down the hall.

You did end up going to the Hard Deck, but kept mainly to yourself at the bar. Every time Bradley looked over at you to check in, you were in a deep conversation with Penny. 

He was going on an hour of playing pool and losing to Jake when the blond also caught onto your unusual quietness. “What’s going on with your girl, Bradshaw?” He asked as he sunk a solid colored ball. “She mad at you or something?” 

“No,” Bradley answered as he finished his third beer. He was feeling the effects of the alcohol by this point, and he wanted to throw you over his shoulder and take you home more and more with each passing second. “I don’t think so. I haven’t done anything or forgotten anything, so I think we’re good.”

“You think?” Jake laughed as he stood up to his full height. “That’s reassuring.”

The two men both looked over at you, and when you turned and met their gaze, you only gave them a half smile as you sipped on your second drink of the night. 

Jake poked at his cheek with his tongue before he asked, “You think she heard what you said about her yesterday?” 

“No,” Bradley confidently answered. “She wasn’t even home, man, and she knows I love her and her need to be around me all the time.”

“Uh huh,” Jake laughed and set the pool cue down. “Well, I’ll let you go get all flirty with her. Gonna go beat Payback’s ass at darts. See you later.”

Bradley just shook his head as he made his way over to you and wrapped his arms around your middle from behind. “Hi, baby,” he mumbled and pressed a kiss to your cheek. 

You laughed and gave Penny an apologetic look, and she just shook her head with a smile before walking over to the other end of the bar. “Hi, boozie,”

Bradley rolled his eyes and buried his face against the side of your neck. “Missed you,” his voice sounded muffled but you still heard him.

“I’ve been here the whole time, Bradley,” there was that damn name again. “How could you have possibly missed me?”

He lifted his head and gave you a pointed look. “I always miss you,” he muttered then dropped his gaze to your mouth. “I always want you.”

You turn your head to look back at him. “Like, right now?” Bradley nodded and held back a groan when you bit down on your lip. “Okay, boozie. Take me home then.”

Bradley grinned at you before paying for both yours and his drinks and practically carrying you out the door. When you got home, he was all over you in the way you were usually all over him. 

You were a mess of limbs as he rocked his hips into yours, your head tilted back against his pillow as moans left your mouth. “I love you,” he rasped as he fucked you into the bed, his lips pressing open mouthed kisses to your neck and shoulders. 

“I love you,” you say back, sounding a bit breathless. Your hands run down his back and pull his body closer to yours as you clench helplessly around him. “Bradley.”

Bradley grunted at your use of his real name, and he lifted his head to look in your lust filled eyes. “Roo. Call me Roo,” he begged and felt his high approaching. “I’m your Roo, baby.”

You moan and reach up to grip his hair. “Oh, God,” you whimper, tightening your legs around his waist. 

“Please, baby,” he pleaded, his hips stuttering when you clench tighter around him. “Please, call me Roo.”

You bite down on your lip again before pressing your face against his shoulder. “Roo,” you oblige, making Bradley moan loudly and drop his head against the pillow next to yours. “I’m gonna come.”

“Come for me,” Bradley groaned and fucked into you harder than before. You cling onto him as your high washes over you and triggers his own. He fucks your mixed releases back into you with each thrust until he can’t anymore and falls against you.

He doesn’t know how long you stay like that, but when he feels himself begin to fall asleep, he pulls out and wraps you up in his arms. 

A few more seconds of silence pass before he breaks it. “We’re okay, right?” He wearily asks and feels you tense up against him.

“Course,” you reply and kiss his shoulder. “We’re okay, Roo.”

You both fell asleep soon after that, and for a brief while Bradley believed everything was okay, but then he woke up to his arms around a fucking pillow again and saw that you had already left for work. 

Bradley was a bit annoyed as he got himself ready and turned up the Broncos radio as he drove to work. 

While last night was great and it seemed like you were back to normal, that wasn’t the case as when Bradley got home and found you sitting on the couch, before he could even move to sit next to you, you were getting up and making your way to the kitchen. 

He tried to ask you how your day was, but your response was short and seemed forced as you made dinner then ate it in silence. That night you fell asleep on the edge of the bed again while Bradley moved to the middle of it in an attempt to get closer to you, and when he tried to wrap his arms around you, your body tensed up and you pushed him away in your sleep. 

He had no idea what the fuck was going on with you, but he was determined to find out. The last straw was when you failed to say goodbye to him before work again and when he found you on the couch again after arriving home, you didn’t greet him with words. Just a small, barely-there smile. 

Bradley left his boots on as he walked over to the couch in three strides and towered over you. “Hey,” he tested, and you only looked up at him again with that forced smile. He felt like he would lose his mind if you gave him one more fake expression. “What’s wrong?”

Your brows furrowed as you shifted towards the edge of the couch. “What?”

“Somethings wrong,” he stated and took a step towards you. “Either with me or with us, and I want to know what it is.”

“Nothing’s wrong, Bradley,” you tried to assure him but he knew better. 

“See, no, there is,” he rasped. “Because you just called me Bradley again when you’ve literally only been calling me Roo for the last two years.”

Your gaze drops as you play with the edge of the blanket that was thrown over your body. You went quiet again and Bradley ran a hand through his hair and made it a mess as he sat down next to you. 

“Baby, tell me what’s wrong,” he said desperately. “Whatever it is, I can fix it.”

You shrug as you look over at him. “But you can’t,” you say quietly. “I’m what’s wrong with us. I’m the one who has to fix it, and I’m really trying to.”

Bradley was as confused as ever as he took in your words. “What are you talking about?”

Your bottom lip trembled a bit as you shrug again. “I heard you talking to Jake,” 

It was a pretty vague sentence as he talks to Jake all the time, but he knew exactly what conversation you were referring to. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, but you just shook your head. 

“I’m clingy, I get it. I’m trying not to be. I’m trying to give you space here, Bradley,” you whispered and he hated the way you sounded so sad. How could he have not realized your sudden change in behavior was all because of him? “You need space, and I’m sorry I’ve been such a handful since I moved in. I was thinking maybe we should take a break or something so you can-”

“No,” he said before he could bring himself to listen to the rest of that sentence. “I don’t want that. At all. How could you think I’d ever want to go on a break with you?”

“Because you said you missed having the house to yourself,” you weakly answer and Bradley felt his heart break at his own harsh words. 

He could barely remember that conversation with Jake as he had been too focused on trying to figure out what was going on with you, but you clearly remembered it as if it happened this morning. 

“I didn’t mean that,” he said and tried to get you to meet his eyes. “Baby, I didn’t mean that, I promise. I’ll admit it was a lot at once when you first moved in and I should’ve talked to you about it and not Jake, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”

You didn’t say anything as you blinked away tears, and Bradley felt even worse. 

“This is why you’ve been so distant with me lately?” He regretfully asked and you nodded. “I’m….fuck, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to go on a break with you, ever, okay? I mean it, I want you and need you. Always. I should’ve never said all that shit about you. I swear, baby, I didn’t mean it. I love you so much.”

You meet his eyes with a blurred vision. “You say that now, but what if-”

“What if nothing, Y/n,” he cut you off and took your hand in his. “Whatever you were about to say, forget about it. I want you here with me every single day. I need you here with me. I’m sorry that I made you feel like I didn’t. I promise, I don’t want space. I don’t want to be away from you unless I’m deployed, and even that is something I don’t do willingly.”

You use your free hand to wipe away your tears but they keep coming as you move towards him. “I don’t want you to think I’m overbearing, Roo,” you cried and he pulled you against his chest and wiped at your tears for you. “I’m sorry if I was.”

“You weren’t,” he promised, kissing the top of your head repeatedly as you shook against him a bit. “God, I’m such an asshole, baby. I’m so sorry. I love you.”

“I love you,” came your whispered response as you gripped his shirt. “Promise me that you’ll talk to me next time, okay? Please?”

“There won’t be a next time,” he replied and you pulled away to look up at him. “I promise you that. There shouldn’t have even been a first time.”

You nodded and he leaned down to press a deep kiss to your mouth before pulling you back against his chest. “I don’t know how to face Jake now,” you confessed. “I’m just embarrassed.”

Bradley wanted to punch himself square in the face, because how the fuck could he have made you feel embarrassed about yourself? What kind of boyfriend was he? “I’m so sorry,” he said again, holding you close to his chest. He missed having you this close to him, and he knew that was his own fault. “Jake defended you over the phone, by the way. And that in itself should’ve had me shutting up, because I should be the one defending you, always. He said I was acting like a dick and I should be grateful that someone as amazing and sweet as you actually picked a guy like me.”

You laughed and nuzzled against the side of his neck. “He did?”

“Yeah,” Bradley answered and kissed the side of your head. “And he was right. I don’t deserve you, baby, but I promise I’ll do better. I’ll be better for you.”

You nodded again and pulled him onto you as you moved to lay down. “I missed you,” you quietly admitted and he groaned as he buried his face against your shoulder. 

“Not nearly as much as I missed you,”

-

look at me working on my birthday...

sorry for any spelling errors ! I'll edit once I get home MWAH

[turnnblurb]

Don’t Fear the Reaper, Part One

Pairing: Bob Floyd x Pilot!Reader, Ex situationship!jake seresin, platonic!phoenix, platonic!rooster, Callsign: Reaper

Summary: meet cute with bob turned love at first sight turned oblivious idiots

Warnings: 18+, eventual smut, mentions of death, grief, drowning, childhood trauma, abuse, alcohol, alcoholism, scars

Note: this part is very platonic heavy because I love nat and rooster and reapers dynamic with them. Love you, mean it. Thank you for reading!!!

You wake up differently every day. Strewn into a different position each morning from your restless sleep. An ache here one day, and an ache there the next. But, without a doubt, each time you close your eyes to lullaby yourself to sleep with useless ideas of hope, you wake up there.

Head Beach. Brunswick. Maine. One of your father’s last deployments.

It’s easier to feel the damp air on your skin than it is to hear Nat’s call for you from your now-shared kitchen. Easier to feel the plummeting weight on your lungs and your baby brother’s cold hand in yours than it is to feel-

No, now you definitely feel someone shaking you awake. You hear the call of your name right in your ear now.

“Dude, I’ve been calling for you for five minutes,” She stands there in her morning glory, Natasha Trace, your best friend of hell- you don’t know how many years. You stopped counting after you two graduated from the Naval Academy. Time had lost its track after that, pulling you from base to base.

“Sorry, guess I underestimated how tired I was,” You had spent the last week pulling a 4x8 cargo trailer from your pickup down I-95. New Orleans to Fightertown. Well, that drive only took you nearly a full day. It was more so unpacking the last four years of your life into a shared rental with an undefined lease that had pressed on your exhaustion.

“Don’t stress, it’s only half past 9,” Nat laid on the right hand side of your now mused and unmade bed. For someone who was so adamant on waking you, she was now a hypocrite. She let her eyes wrench shut, a soft sigh escaping her mouth.

“Never in a million years would I think that we’d be back here.” You turned to face her as she spoke comfortably. You had never had many girl-friends growing up. You relished the femininity behind shared moments like these. Moments you couldn’t find in your memories of wrestling with your brothers, or sleeping in tents with other pilot’s sons at the age of 8. Because they were always sons.

Sometimes you would thoughtlessly wonder if Natasha Trace was your soulmate, or at least your guardian angel.

At the Naval Academy, her bunk below yours. Comforting you with kind words when your frustrated hands fussed with your gelled hair, taking the brush from your hands silently to do the work for you. Your mother left after the ‘accident’ and your father only ever knew how to work a high and tight.

A few months later, her coming out to you as she weeped into your hands, scared of the love she felt for others. Moments later when you weeped into her’s because you had never known romantic love of your own.

Years later at Top gun when you had a glimpse of that love and the hope that came with it. Pledging to you that you were worth more than some ripped out of the plastic Ken doll who chose to call himself ‘Hangman.’ He had miserably led you on after flirting with you relentlessly. “I guess we know what his callsign stands for now.”

Now, even more time had passed and by whatever thread fate had placed into your hands, you tied yourself to her once again. From ash to flame, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace was your best friend.

“Hey, at least this is actually a home. Not some Navy funded apartment complex where we have to deal with Roos’ banging on the wall at 2 in the morning,” You two share a chuckle, the vibrato of it fading back into a comfortable silence.

If Natasha is your best friend, then Bradley Bradshaw was your third brother. He was the pilot’s son asleep next to you in the tent. After Uncle Goose died, Carole found comfort in your family. She held everyone a little closer, until your family was torn away from her and her son too. She never blamed your dad for moving out of Miramar, not even one bit. She held you in your hospital bed after it had happened. Saw the pain in the boy’s eyes as they looked at their angel helplessly. She helped wrap the dishes in the newspaper the next week.

You had not seen or heard from a Bradley Bradshaw until your first time being invited to Top gun. Your head shot up at the familiarity of it all. All you heard as a reflection of that name was your dad’s fake-angry voice ringing through your home as he chased after the boy and your older brother Elliott with a penis shaped mark on his sleep written face.

You recall chasing after him after briefing, tears in your eyes. There wasn’t much chasing to be done as he had the same turmoil of emotions bubbling in his own stomach at the call of your name. His hug was no longer weak, it was fully supported by years upon years of training, and a grief only felt by a childhood best friend. His grip could have left an imprint on your skull.

Even at the age where boys and girls began to separate, Bradley and you had always had one thing in common. The dream, if not the need, to be exactly what your father’s are and were. That’s why when he had asked if you knew what your Uncle Mav had done, you feigned confusion.

You were there of course, on Thanksgiving day, about a week after Pete had decided on his action. You watched as your father, who sat across from him, clenched and unclenched his fists at the confession slipping from his closest friend’s mouth. Felt the acid form in your throat at the fire forming on his tongue as he fought for a kid who was not his.

“If his father were here right now, he would see for himself just how cowardly of an act this is.” It should be known that a man deemed in the air as ‘Hermes’ would knock the wit out of another man’s dialogue. A knife would not dare clatter at the softly spoken, I promised her Maverick choked back.

That’s why you let Bradley tell you his side of the story. You let him cry on your shoulder as he voiced his fear of being so far behind in his career, all for another man’s fear that he would break a futile promise.

“How is he doing?” Nat’s pondering brought you back to her presence.

“We called the other day, said he was being deployed again, but couldn’t tell me much more than that. Secretive little bastard. Told him the same thing.” You cleared your throat and began picking at your thumb, a nasty habit. In times like this you wished you two had shared a less dangerous passion, maybe you both would have joined Elliott’s band and moved up to Chicago with him when he left.

It was pitiful having the same fear that wracked Mav, but after Carole’s death it seemed to be the only option. You didn’t want to choose sides. You didn’t want to disappoint her. You wanted Bradley to be safe in the air, on land, hell, wherever he was taken.

“He can handle his own,” She put a comforting hand in your hair as you mulled over every way that you could possibly lose Bradley Bradshaw. “As long as he’s not left alone in a kitchen with an evil grilled cheese.”

“Will we ever let him live that down?” The memory of a panicked apron wearing Rooster nearly knocking a hole into your apartment door pulled a hearty laugh from the two of you. After not only setting his, but his neighbor’s fire alarm off, he decided that it was much easier to mooch off the two of you for his meals.

“Negative.” Nat let out a final puff of laughter as she pulled herself from your bed, stretching her long limbs to reach a hand out to you. “Up and at ‘em Reaper.”

&

Your left knee didn’t ache. The shooting dull feeling that had you at a slight limp whenever you attempted to go anywhere in the muggy environment of New Orleans. The scarring encasing your knee cap was the only physical reminder that the accident had a much more emotional reminder. The feeling had been replaced by, well, nothing. Just a bead of sweat as your skin soaked in the dry California heat. At this moment you were thankful for that. And, Trader Joe’s.

You could have put the whole grocery store in the shopping cart if it wasn’t for Nat’s mom like reflexes.

“When will you ever eat…” She turned the object with questioning eyes, “Dill pickle hummus…?”

“It sounds good.” Your shrug fell on narrowed eyes.

“I knew we should’ve eaten before this. We are getting sandwiches before we leave.” Your lips and stomach smiled at that.

The day was filled with errands, and more errands. Checklists that were scratched onto the backs of very long receipts over last night's shared bottle of wine.

- Living room rug

- Bathroom rug

- Hallway rug

- How many rugs do we need Nat?

- Shut up.

- A good amount of groceries (and alcohol)

You left your roommate to her meal prepping in order to find the snacks that she would inevitably indulge in on the desert isle. Chocolate chip cookies. Cosmic brownies. Nat’s favorite oatmeal cookies were the last box standing. You were praying this got you out of dishes for at least a week.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” A smooth voice rang from beside you, causing your heels to lift off the ground only slightly, you hoped. Instead of cardboard, your hand closed around a much softer and human-like alternative. Might you mention an Adonis-like alternative at that.

He’s all soft smile and ocean gaze as he lifts his hands in feigned surrender, as if you could ever dream of laying your hands on him in any way shape or form. He’s standing at least 6 '2, wire lenses sitting on his nose, clad in a dark blue hoodie with words in yellow letters reading ‘US NAVY’, a small detail amongst small details that won’t mean anything until later in the evening.

“They’re all yours.” You forgot about the box still under your hand as he motions to the cookies. Right, cookies.

“Are you sure? Your hand was there first. They aren’t even for me, I promise I won’t miss them.” You pray your words don’t come out as one embarrassing stumble, but fear they do anyways. The slight smile never leaves his face.

“That’s even more reason to give them to you. I support good deeds.” He waves you off with a gentle hand in the air, you catch the watch on his wrist, wondering silently how much time has passed since you left Phoenix in that aisle.

“I’ll take them, for good deeds. But, the next box is yours.” You match his smile as gracefully as you can. Knowing you probably look like a kid in a candy store eyeing the newest supply. When was the last time you felt this? You don’t even know his name.

“And, if I ever see you in this Trader Joe’s again, I’ll hold you to that.” His laugh fell like music on your ears. Could you get him to do it again? Could you record it sneakily?

“Thank you, hopefully this gets me out of my roommate duties.” He laughs again, with a slight shake of his head. He lifts his hand in another wave, signaling his exit.

“Don’t thank me yet, you owe me.” He passes by you with a friendly wink.

You have to muster up enough strength to get your feet moving from where they are frozen to the ground. You silently tell yourself to shut up as you wonder if you just met the love of your life in a goddamn Trader Joe’s.

&

You refuse to tell Nat about your meet cute that wasn’t a meet cute and was just a totally normal conversation with a totally normal stranger. You wish you had the confidence around the male gender that you did as a child. The ability to pin them to the ground and make them beg for their life, well in a completely metaphorical way, of course.

If you were anyone else you would have offered your number, so maybe you could gift him the oatmeal cookies sooner rather than later. If you looked like the girl he was probably after you would have kissed him right there. If you were anyone else.

If Robert Floyd were anyone else he would’ve done the same thing.

Who the hell winks at women anymore? Naval Aviators. He felt like a douche. He muttered softly to himself through the Trader Joe’s, to his Tacoma, and in the driver’s seat.

“You owe me??” He finally says it loud enough to where it meets his own ears when he’s alone. His brows furrow at his own clumsiness. He’d never said those words in his life, no one had ever owed him anything. Well, maybe his sisters when they stole from his Toy Story piggy bank in Grade 4.

If I were anyone else, he thinks to himself the whole drive home.

You’re back at home. That word still feels unfamiliar to you, and it has since you moved away from your father. But, you think it’s something you could get used to.

It’s not far from the apartment complex you and Nat were originally housed in a few years ago. A 1960 something one story with white brick and green shutters. Ivy of all sorts climbing the windows, you’ll have to do housekeeping eventually. Inside is all stained wood and tacky tile, but with your best friend, it is definitely home.

It feels more like home with her fussing over your hair in the bathroom mirror. Giving unimpressed looks at you through the reflection everytime you wiggle too much.

“I don’t understand why we have to go to The Hard Deck the night before our first day, and I absolutely loathe that we have to do it in Khakis.” While she gels the wispy hairs on your head back, you busy yourself with your pins and badges. You can never do it right, and always end up poking your thumb.

“It’s tradition Reap, it’s bad luck to break tradition.” She pulls at the bun to make sure it’s taut, and brushes your ironed khaki shoulders, “Plus, we both know we’ve flown with hangovers more times than I’ve had to do your hair.”

You roll your eyes and let her win, she’s not wrong. It’s not difficult to recall drunken nights with her and Bradley, squeezed onto the smallest couch in the world, provided by the shittiest apartment complex known to man. Nights howling over awful Family Feud answers and worse beer.

You pick up a few more things around rooms, at least wanting to be prepared before meeting Nat at the door. Another tradition you have is rock, paper, scissors over who has to drive. Or, more realistically, who is allowed to drink the most. You win.

“Ugh, I’m driving your truck. Better gas mileage.” You shrug, stepping out before her and letting her lock the door with your keys.

&

Nostalgic is one way to feel about exiting your truck in The Hard Deck parking lot. Another would be less enthusiastic, appalled. You had never seen the place so overpopulated.

Sure, it had been what? 3-4 years since you had last stepped foot through the doors of your favorite bar, but is that enough time for this many people to spawn in Fightertown, USA. You can see a wave of khaki through the door, you spot it the same time Nat does.

“Don’t hold your breath, actually maybe do, it looks like there might be a stench.” You nudge her playfully as you walk up to the short building. It is a sight for sore eyes, you can admit. You no longer feel dreaded nerves at unfamiliarity, because The Hard Deck is as familiar as it gets.

Beer, sweat, and seemingly your own father’s playlist fill your senses overwhelmingly at once. You have to shoulder past a few people with verbal apologies to even lay eyes on Penny Benjamin at her bar. She quickly spots you with a beautiful smile and a nod, you return it, a nonverbal promise of a hug when you can actually reach her.

Phoenix spots someone else before you do.

“Seresins here.” A scowl falls on her face and yours falls flat. It takes you no time to spot him as well, his eyes already on you before yours are on him. He lends you a smirk and a wink. A wink so the opposite from the one you were gifted earlier in the day. A wink that sends a bite of venom right into your tongue. You look up at Phoenix.

“That’s fine.” She knows it’s not. Knows that if he steps a foot closer to you she’ll have him thrown into the pool table he stands in front of. You know it’s fine. Because she told you once that he was worth none of your tears, and you believed her. You dug the grave for those emotions long ago.

“He’s not the only asshole here,” You’d believe her, but her tone was noticeably lighter. Before you could question her words you spot two more familiar faces.

“Holy shit!” A voice belonging to none other than Rueben ‘Payback’ Fitch graced the air. You were engulfed in a hug before you could get out a response. His WSO squeezes you before you could get a breath from the last hug.

“I guess they really are calling anyone back to Top Gun these days.” You laugh in disbelief, still hanging tight to your old friends.

“Well, you’re here short stack, so I guess so.” Rueben chuckles before pulling you in for another hug.

“Well what do we have here!” It should be difficult to ignore that voice in such a crowded room, but it isn’t. Not when the voice belongs to the most arrogant pilot in Naval history. “Family reunion?”

“Fellas this here’s Bagman.” Phoenix crosses her arms at him, looking back to you for your own comfort. You don’t need it.

You don’t need it because in trying to ignore the situation in front of you, you found a different situation to your right. In a corner, with a cup of peanuts in his hands. Your mouth goes agape, and it would be a lie to say you aren’t shamelessly staring right at him when his eyes finally meet yours.

His facade matches yours immediately, he stifles a laugh in surprise and amusement. You smile right at him, shaking your head in another bout of disbelief. You’re rudely pulled out of the silently shared moment.

“Reaper.” Hangman deadpans your name with the same stupid smirk on his face. Your smile is gone. You give him no reply. Only a tap on Phoenix’s shoulder as a quiet exit sign before you head to the bar. You don’t miss the way eyes follow you behind wire frame glasses.

You let out a huff. Then you pause. Nearly being knocked over by a too-tall man in your state of shock. The night feels like one really weird mixed up dream where people from different places in different points of your life conjoin into one memory. Because at the bar sits no one other than Pete Mitchell.

“Uncle Mav?!” He twists on the barstool at the sound of a voice he’s heard since the owner of it learned to speak. He feels old as he sees the girl he raised in the bar he first blacked out in. He feels grief when he realizes what her being here means. A soft call of your first name, uncommon in a bar full of Naval Aviators.

“Kid, what the hell.” He pulls you in for a hug, tucking your head into his neck like he had always done.

“Does dad know you’re here? With me?” After the fight, they had forgiven each other immediately. There was no use in fighting, there was no use in losing each other.

“No, if I’m being honest, I’m not even completely sure what I’m here for.” He squinted his eyes as if you knew the answer, but you just shrugged, letting him know that the feeling was mutual. A clearing of a throat pulls you both to face the center of the bar, where Penny stands with Mav’s beer in hand.

“I was promised a hug.” She gives you a once over to take in your growth before reaching over the bar on her own accord. If it was anyone else, the wood digging into your hips would be unbearable, but it was Penny. “Your dad called me, told me to take good care of you. To me that means get you good and drunk, so while you’re here you better not lay a dime on this bar top.”

“Oh, so she gets a call and I don’t.” Maverick rolls his eyes at the tendencies of your father. You give him a pat on the back, and another side hug. Your weird fever dream of a reunion has distracted you from the fact that Penny has already set two long islands on the bar, one for you one for Phoenix. And, from the fact that your childhood best friend has already sauntered his way over to the pit of Aviators.

“Love you, mean it.” You bid your goodbyes to both of them. Watching your feet and the drinks in your hands as you navigate the room, making sure you don’t stumble or spill. You hear his voice, and the latter situation becomes much more difficult to handle.

“Where’s trouble?” Of course he’s not in khakis. Of course you can’t see anything but his Hawaiian clad back because he’s so damn tall.

“ROOS?” Natasha must have sensed your slipping grip on the drinks as she swiftly grabs them out of your hands before you are pulled into yet another life threatening hug.

“THERE SHE IS.” Rooster pulls unwanted attention and Phoenix all but cackles at the way you are lifted nearly 5 feet off the ground. You grumble at him before he sits you back down on your feet.

“You are such a liar.” You narrow your eyes at him, but fail to muster up any fake anger because it’s Rooster. You’re back at Top Gun with Rooster. You wonder if this is how your father’s felt, you almost know that he’s thinking the same thing.

“And before you say anything, we’re both liars. I knew too.” Phoenix pulls you to her side, standing closer to the pool table. “More importantly this is Bob, my new WSO.”

You wonder if she has a sixth sense, then you answer your own question because of course she does. Standing at the head of the pool table is presumably Bob, better known to you as someone you owe a box of oatmeal cookies too. You shyly smile at him.

“Hi Bob, I’m Reaper.” You stick out your hand for him, he grabs it immediately. He has a strong grip, you wonder if yours was this strong when you grabbed his hand at the store. “If I had known my best friend’s life was in your hands, I definitely would’ve let you have those cookies.”

“Well, Reaper. Looks like you owe me two boxes now.” He laughs for you once again, and you notice the curl of his lips.

“I’ll give you three if you tell me your callsign.” Your hand is still in his. Rooster and Phoenix share a look, an all knowing look. Like they just solved the world’s first mystery.

“Two works just fine, ma’am. It’s Bob.” He blushes slightly. He’s not a Hangman, he’s not a Payback, or Rooster. He’s just Bob. He lets your hand drop softly with one pat from his free one. You look back at Rooster then quickly back to him.

“I’m jealous. You might have the best callsign in all the Navy.” He chuckles at you as if you are joking, but both you and Rooster know that when you were younger all you wanted your callsign to be was your name.

“Figured nothing suited me better than my own name, well nickname. Robert was my second option.” Robert Floyd. Your eyes flitted down to his badge when they had the chance. You wondered where he was from, you knew he was stationed in Lemoore, but his accent was anything but Californian. It was mature, it was smooth and at times a bit slurred, you’d noticed.

No prior experience with the male gender could have ever prepared you for what Robert “Bob” Floyd was offering you. You come to find out that he’s older, a graduate of the academy five years before yourself, two years before Rooster should’ve graduated.

The night moves through bouts of long islands and shared stories. You team up with Bob for a game or two of pool, absolutely demolishing Payback and Fanboy both times. He gives you a high five each time. You mentally tally each time you two touch, by accident or purpose.

When Phoenix drives you two home, you let her excitement of the months to come lull you into a state of self pity. Because if you were anyone else it would work.

If you were anyone else, you’d fall in a mutual love with one of the most profound men you have ever met. He’d swoon for you, give you the first love you have prayed for over nearly the past 30 years.

He’d hold your hand on top of dinner tables, reach down to tie your shoes, play in your hair as you drifted off into a nightmare, kiss your scar on a path to much a greater expression of love, bathe you when you’re old and brittle.

If you were anyone else.

As Bob drives himself home, he settles into the idea that if he were anyone else he could hold you how Rooster did.

[romysradio]

Look How Far We've Come - J.S.

summary - Y/N recalls the time she told Jake he was going to be a father

warnings - fluff, language, pregnancy, near-labor, use of Y/N

wc - 2.3k

A/N - Sorry about the wait! Here is part 2 of this. I am open to doing a part 3, or basically anything with the two of them "telling" the rest of the group. Leave a comment or send something to my inbox if there's anything you want to see from me/with these two! Also Bradley isn't even in this technically, but in this au he is a major himbo if that wasn't obvious already, but we love him. Okay, happy reading!!!

The mini fan Jake had packed was propped up on the side table, blowing a weak stream of air your way but doing absolutely nothing to lessen the sweltering August heat. Huffing loudly, you stopped bouncing on the exercise ball and used your forearm to wipe the sweat from your forehead. 

A hum of satisfaction drew your attention to Jake, who was lounging on the hospital bed eating a sandwich he packed before you guys left. Another noise left his mouth as he took another bite, completely oblivious to the murderous glare you were sending his way.

“Ya know, you have an awful lot of trust in the idea that I won’t come over there and smother you and that damn sandwich with a pillow.” Jake’s eyes widened and his chewing halted at your threat, before a smug grin took over his face.

 “Now darlin’, I don’t know about the pillow, but I’ll let you smother me with somethin’ else if you want,” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. You stared at him, your face deadpan, before pulling a hair elastic off your wrist and slingshotting it at his forehead.

“Hey! Don’t damage government property!” He whined, rubbing where the elastic hit him. 

You rolled your eyes, “Whatever. Come help me up so I can go sit on my hospital bed.” Jake quickly placed the sandwich on the table next to the fan before rushing over to your side. Grabbing your outstretched hands, he slowly pulled you up off the ball before helping you waddle over to the bed.

With Jake’s help, you eased yourself onto the bed, sitting cross-legged rubbing your rounded belly. Your stomach growled, hunger overtaking your senses. You hadn’t been allowed to eat anything since you were admitted that morning, but seeing as you had been in labor for eight hours since then, you were absolutely starving. Moving ever so slowly, you reached over to the side table, picking up Jake’s half-eaten sandwich as he dug through your hospital bag. 

“Here, I got you–Woah, woah, woah. Hand over the sandwich, little lady.” Damn it.

You froze, sandwich halfway to your mouth. Jake’s outstretched hand motioned for you to give it up, and you sighed, placing the sandwich in his palm. “But Jaaaaake, I’m starving.” You whined irritably. 

“Hi, Starving, I’m Dad.” He winked.

If looks could kill, Jake Seresin’s body would be unidentifiable, yet the look on your face did nothing to wipe the goofy grin off his face. His green eyes sparkled with mischief, absolutely delighted with himself. You hoped your son got his eyes. And that sweet Seresin smile. You fought off a small grin, and groaned, “Can you please just tell your son to stop taking his sweet time so that I can finally eat something?”

Jake pulled one of the chairs up to the edge of the bed before leaning over and gently cradling your bump. Nine months in and you still got butterflies at the feeling of his big, warm hands on your stomach. 

You always knew you wanted children someday, and while these were certainly not the circumstances you had always envisioned, the thought of a little tiny baby, half-you and half-Jake Seresin, made your heart squeeze.

As he pressed kisses and mumbled words to your hospital gown-covered belly, you delicately carded your fingers through his soft blond hair. Everything about your pregnancy felt like a whirlwind. The past nine months had flown by, riddled with anxiety about motherhood and what life would look like after the baby arrived, but right now, with Jake right next to you, you felt oddly at peace. You couldn’t help but think back to how stressed and anxious you had been to tell him you were pregnant.

—--------

You paced the living room anxiously, your mind running a mile a minute. You could hear the clock ticking slowly in the kitchen, reminding you that any second, Jake Seresin’s truck would be pulling into your driveway. 

The knot in your stomach was getting tighter with each passing second. What if he got mad? What if he didn’t believe that the baby was his? What if he didn’t want anything to do with the baby? What if he didn’t want anything to do with you?

You knew it was unfair to assume the worst about Jake. People could say whatever they wanted about Hangman, but Jake Seresin had never been anything but sweet and genuine with you. A little cocky, maybe, but he’d never given you any reason to believe he’d leave you hanging. 

Selfishly, you also wondered what this would mean for the two of you. You’d always had a thing for Jake, and you were secretly hoping after the two of you hooked up, it would become something more, but a baby just complicated all of that. You wanted him to want you for you, not just because you were having his baby.

The slamming of a truck door pulled you from your thoughts. You tried to psych yourself up as you went to let him in. It’s gonna be fine. You’re just gonna sit him down and rip the bandaid off. It’ll be fine. Everything’s gonna be fine. What could possibly go wrong?

“Hi,” You breathed out, “Thanks for coming over.”

“Of course.” Jake grinned, stepping inside. You internally groaned as you took in his appearance. His dark blonde hair was messy, yet somehow looked perfectly styled. His navy blue jacket was pulled off, revealing a tight white t-shirt underneath, paired with lighter wash jeans which covered his toned legs. How was it fair that he looked so good all of the time? 

You shook your head, trying to get rid of the dirty thoughts that were quickly filling it. You waited as he toed his boots off and hung his jacket on a hook by the door before leading him to the couch. 

“So,” You started, “I asked you to come over because I need to talk to you about something,” 

Jake watched you carefully as you went on, “Do you remember that night we spent together, about a month ago?”

A knowing smirk took over his face, “You know I do, honey. Is that what this is about?”

“Well, yeah, you see–”

“Darlin’, I know we agreed on it being a one-time thing, but if you wanted it to happen again, all you had to do was ask.”

“Ok, but Jake, that’s not–”

“Y’know, I’ve actually been thinking about it too and–”

“Jake, I’m pregnant.” And off comes the bandaid.

His face was frozen in place. You felt like you could see the gears turning inside his head. The blonde carefully got to his feet, slowly pacing in front of the couch.

“O-okay, so,” He glanced at you, an unreadable expression on his face, “So you’re pregnant?”

You nodded gently, getting to your feet. You stood in front of him, halting his movement. Your hands wrapped around his strong, muscular biceps, the tanned skin beneath your–No. Him and those damn muscles are what got you into this situation in the first place.

He stared at you wide-eyed, “And I’m the father?”

You nodded again. The sound of Jake’s quickening breaths engulfed the two of you for a moment. You were about to explain to him that you didn’t expect anything from him when he opened his mouth again.

“B-but, but, we– I mean, I– and the– oh god, and you’re–” His breaths were shallow as his knees buckled. Your grip on him tightened as you tried to hold his towering frame upright, but you could feel him becoming dead weight. 

“Alright, down we go, cowboy.” You muttered as you eased the two of you back onto the couch. You quickly reached for your untouched glass of water on the coffee table before handing it to Jake.

“Here, drink this.” He gratefully accepted it, bringing the glass to his lips as you reached your hand up and pushed a few soft, blond strands off his damp forehead. The two of you sat for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes as Jake absorbed the information.

Kids were something Jake Seresin had never given much thought. Sure, growing up in a conservative Texas family, the idea wasn’t unfamiliar to him, but he’d always known he wanted to be in the Navy. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a wife and kids, he had just assumed it would be something he would have to forgo in order to achieve his career goals. He had accepted that it wasn’t in the cards for him.

“You’d make a great mom,” He spoke quietly, placing the glass back down before turning to you. “I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean– that was just…a lot to take in.”

You snorted, “Oh, trust me, I know.” The energy in the room shifted as the two of you sat gazing at each other. A deep silence settled between you and Jake as you both searched for the right thing to say.

“I just want you to know that I’m not, like, expecting anything from you or whatever,” You cringed at your bluntness and lack of articulation. “Sorry– I just mean, you can be as involved or not involved as you want. This is a huge surprise for both of us, and I won’t force you to raise a baby if you don’t want to.” 

Jake’s expression was unreadable as your words hung in the air. The ticking of the clock in the kitchen was practically deafening as you waited for him to say something, anything.

“You were right in that this is definitely a surprise,” He chuckled. 

Jake could never have predicted this. He never even considered the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy, and he couldn’t even imagine what his grandmother would say if she were here. But Jake didn’t care. Right now, one of his favorite people in the entire world was sitting in front of him, literally growing his baby. He was being given an opportunity to have at least a little part of the life he never thought was possible, and he’d be damned if he didn’t take it. 

“But if you want to do this, I’m gonna be right there with you. I wanna be as involved as you’ll let me be.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, it was like a floodgate had opened. Your vision blurred as fat tears spilt over, dripping down your cheeks.

“Hey, hey, hey, what’s wrong?,” Jake cooed comfortingly. He gently lifted you so you were straddling his lap, before pulling you into his arms. You let the tears flow, emptying your head to focus on nothing but the warmth of Jake’s embrace.

You weren’t sure how long the two of you stayed like that before you pulled back slightly, wiping your eyes with the sleeve of the gray hoodie adorning your frame. “Sorry,” You sniffled, “it’s the hormones. One month in and they’re already all out of whack.” 

One look at the shoulder of Jake’s white shirt, now littered with stains of mascara and teardrops, had your eyes welling up again. “Shit, your shirt…” You frowned, quickly tried wiping it off, knowing full well your actions were useless.

Jake chuckled, gently grasping your wrist and pulling it away from the stains. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I should probably start getting used to it. I mean, think about it, eight months from now and you and I both will be getting far worse stains on our clothes.”

You let out a watery laugh, a smile making its way onto your face as you realized Jake would probably be the first person to make baby spit-up look good. 

—--------

“What are you thinkin’ about, hm?” Jake’s soothing voice drew your attention back to the present. 

“When I told you I was pregnant.” You laughed lightly. You watched as Jake smiled fondly, reminiscing about that day last December. 

“We’re ready for this, right?” You whispered, unsure if you were really asking Jake or yourself. The blonde lifted his head, hands still glued to your stomach, and met your misty eyes.

“Course we are, darlin’, are you kiddin’ me? We were born ready.” He grinned again. You gave him a pointed look, “Okay, maybe not born ready, but I feel like we have more than enough experience since we basically parent Rooster.”

You giggled at that. Jake wasn’t really wrong, considering how one of Bradley’s terms for letting Jake move in with you guys was that one of you had to pack him a lunch for work everyday. 

“Well then, let’s just hope–” The words were stolen from your tongue as pain jolted through you. You closed your eyes, grabbing and squeezing Jake’s hand as your stomach tightened. With his free hand, Jake massaged your neck gently.

“Breathe, baby, breathe. Do you want me to go get the nurse?”

You nodded, eyes still pinched shut. Jake squeezed your hand and kissed your temple before quickly going to find the nearest nurse. He came back 30 seconds later, a red headed nurse trailing him. She smiled warmly at you, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves.

“All right, Miss L/N, let’s check how many centimeters, shall we?”

You took a deep breath, leaning into Jake’s side as he sat, perched on the edge of the hospital bed. The blonde began stroking your hair with his large hand as the nurse stood back up, “Well, it looks like it’s time to head to the delivery room.” 

Your eyes widened, “Wait, seriously? This isn’t a joke, right? You’re serious?”

She chuckled at your reaction, “Yes, Ma’am. You’re ten centimeters dilated. You’re about to become a mom.”

You lifted your head to look at Jake, chest tight with a mixture of anxiety and overwhelming happiness, “We’re about to become parents.”

The signature Seresin smile found its way to his face, his green eyes shining with excitement. Jake pushed a stray hair behind your ear, “Yes, we are, honey. Yes, we are.”

Taglist:

@mamachasesmayhem

@eloquentdreamer

[simpforrooster]

i'm obsessed with you.

Bradley "Rooster Bradshaw x F!Reader

summary: Jake is sick of Rooster pining over you & takes matters into his own hands.

anon request: I have a rooster request! I’m thinking a fic where hangman asks reader to the military ball and we get a jealous rooster

t/w: mentions of alcohol, jealous!Rooster, friend!Jake, cursing.

Rooster's engrossed with the video game in front of him, only halfway paying attention to what his roommate is talking about.

"Anyway, I just thought I'd ask you," Jake finishes and Rooster realizes Jake is waiting for an answer of some kind.

Shaking his head, he says, "Yeah, man, whatever."

Surprise flickers across the blonde's face, but Rooster is right back into the video game, not bothering to probe.

Jake pulls his phone from his pocket and begins feverishly typing.

A ping comes a second later, Jake lightly pumping his fist.

~

Rooster holds an arm open to you later that evening at the Hard Deck. You slide right into his hold, slipping your arm around his waist. Bringing his beer bottle to his lips, he lets his other hand casually rest on your shoulder. To an outsider, they would think the two of you were dating.

Rooster hasn't had the guts to make that a reality.

He's content to let the gang make fun of him being in love with his best friend. There is no point in denying it, they all know how much he adores you.

Everyone but you, of course.

"Did he tell you?" you ask Rooster after a few pleasant moments of being in one another's arms.

"Hmm?" he asks, eyeing the game going on at the pool table. Phoenix does her best to flirt with Bob, but he's oblivious. She lines up her shot, sending Bob a wink before pulling back and making contact with the cue. The 7 ball makes its destination.

"Jake?" you probe.

Rooster still hasn't computed.

"Jake? Did he tell you he's taking me to the military ball? Where is your head tonight?" you poke him in his stomach.

Rooster's world stops. Hangman asked you to the ball?

That's what Jake was asking him this afternoon? If he could take you to the ball?

You always go to the ball with Rooster.

"Did you agree?" Rooster asks, knowing full well you did. Why else would Hangman have done that stupid little fist pump?

You shrug the shoulder against his torso, like it's no big deal. "Well, yeah. I know you and I always go together, but he told me he'd talked to you about it. You said it was fine." You're looking at him, your brows knitting together.

Of course you're confused. Hangman did talk to Rooster about it. Rooster had agreed. Because Rooster wasn't paying fucking attention.

And now he's fucking pissed.

Hangman joins the two of you. "Thanks for letting me borrow your girl." The grin he gives Rooster is dangerously close to the teasing grins he used to dish out before the two men squashed their animosity.

Rooster feels your chuckle against his body.

"We're just friends, Jake," you tell him. The blonde's eyebrow slightly raises. Rooster knows you missed it, but he sure as shit didn't.

The pain in Rooster's stomach at the word friend is almost too much to bare. Hearing that word was almost as disgusting as hearing how 'Jake' sounded coming from your pretty lips. Almost flirtatiously.

How could you be so blind to his feelings?

Was it because you liked Jake?

You and Hangman could get pretty flirty, but he usually kept it tame, keeping Rooster's feelings somewhat in mind. Hangman was a pretty touchy flirt, but he always kept his hands to himself.

Now the only thing Rooster can think about is Jake pulling you into him on the dance floor, spinning you around to the music. Or standing there, a possessive arm around your waist as he and Mav discuss the latest fucking Game of Thrones episode.

Rooster is beginning to find it quite hard to keep his anger at bay. What the fuck happened to the bro code?

Hangman watches Rooster intensely.

"What color will your dress be? I bet you're going to look so beautiful," Jake turns his attention to you, and Rooster's casual hold on you becomes tighter. More possessive. Just like Jake's hold will be at the ball.

"Oh, I haven't decided, maybe navy?" you say dreamily. You're supposed to be wearing a pretty, navy dress with Rooster, not Hangman.

The only thing keeping him going is your arm still locked around his waist.

Jake steps a little closer, his hand reaching out to take a stand of your H/C hair in between his fingers.

This does it.

Rooster snaps. "Do not touch her." He jerks you back, and your hair slips out of Hangman's hold.

You push yourself back from Rooster, taking in the men, your eyes wide.

Jake and Rooster stare one another down. Rooster takes in his 'friend,' noting the challenge behind his eyes.

"Come on, man," Hangman pushes.

Rooster feels like hitting him, but he knows the repercussions he'd have with Mav won't be worth it. Still, his hand curls in and out of a fist at his side.

One punch. Right against that perfect fucking jaw.

"Tell her," he mouths.

Confusion replaces his anger as quickly as it set in moments before.

Rooster turns toward you. You trade glances between the two men. Jake jerks his head toward you.

Words escape the man as he takes you in. The naivety across your features cause him to melt. Rooster swears you are the most adorable thing on the planet.

“I don’t want you to go the the ball with Hangman,” Rooster tells you. “I want you to go with me.”

“But—“ you begin, but Rooster cuts you off.

“Because I’m fucking obsessed with you.”

Your mouth falls open, and a sweet flush falls on your cheeks. “What?”

Rooster steps toward you, a newfound confidence coursing through his veins. He takes your face into his hands, craning your face up. He hovers his mouth over yours, pausing to relish in the fact that he has you so close. Savoring this moment as long as he can.

Before he can chicken out, he kisses you. Pulling you as close as he can before it becomes inappropriate, he deepens the kiss. You clutch his waist, gripping his t-shirt between your fingers.

When the kiss breaks, the two of you stare at one another, breathing heavy.

Hangman smacks Rooster on the back. "Atta boy! Been concocting this plan for weeks."

Jake gives the both of you a wide grin, and saunters toward the bar.

a/n: this request totally inspired me! I hope y'all like it!

masterlist

[leclerc-s]

nonsense

series masterlist

liked by maxverstappen1, danielricciardo, daphnejones and others

maejones got peer pressured into telling the world who nonsense is about. if you’re my sister or daniel, ignore this post. i’m begging you. remain oblivious as to who the song is about.

tagged:maxverstappen1

view all comments

danielricciardo maeve! what the hell is this? (i love the song, don’t tell your sister)

↳ daphnejones this is a public instagram comment section.

↳ maejones that's not my name

user14 oh so his dick is good

user21 so max is winning on and off track

charles_leclerc i could’ve gone my whole life without knowing who this song is about.

baileywinters you look hot babe. dump your boyfriend and date me instead.

↳ landonorris i exist you know, your boyfriend?

↳ baileywinters hi babe, please ignore my previous comment, i was only joking (no, i wasn't)

↳ landonorris i can also see that comment

↳ user59 i love this couple right here

user35 are we just gonna skip over the fact that these two are together again?

↳ user48 right?! talk about hard launch!

daphnejones i didn't need to know this about your love life mae. somethings are better kept a secret. also, when the hell did you two get back together?

↳ maejones calm down ms. 'only bought this dress so you could take it off'

↳ isabellaperez she wrote 'do the girls back home and touch you like i do' and wants to get you in trouble for 'said you like my eyes and you like to make 'em roll.'

↳ rowantodd the line 'i know heaven's a thing, i go there when you touch me, honey' exists daphne

↳ danielricciardo need i remind you, of 'carved your name into my bedpost, cause i don’t want you like a best friend'

↳ landonorris clearly only she's allowed to be horny in her songs. also maejones don't write about my best friend like that ever again.

↳ user24 they really came for daphne, save it for the group chat guys.

alex_albon WHEN DID YOU TWO GET BACK TOGETHER? HELLO?!

↳ maejones hi alex!!

georgerussell63 i refuse to believe that my favorite song on the album is about max verstappen.

bradleywillsimpson can’t believe people thought the song was about me when max verstappen exists

↳ maejones right? why would i write a song about you, one of my best friends?

↳ bradleywillsimpson i’ve got nothing on max verstappen but i'm also offended that you don't see yourself writing a song about me? you wrote seven, for max, and you weren't dating?

↳ maejones that's different because we dated. you and i never did.

user87 mae saw people saying the song was about bradley, dylan, and shawn and said, "hell no, let me set the record straight."

alex albon I FEEL LIKE IM THE ONLY ONE LOSING MY SHIT? WHEN DID THEY GET BACK TOGETHER?

george russell FAMILY MEETING NOW! DON’T YOU TWO DARE GHOST US RIGHT NOW!! SOMEONE TELL ME NONSENSE ISN'T ABOUT MAX! I'VE BEEN SINGING THAT SONG FOR MONTHS!

daphne jones when the hell did you two get back together? and why weren't we informed of this?

max verstappen oh look at that christian's called me for a very important meeting and my phone needs to be shut off

isabella perez fucking liar, i'm literally sitting next to my uncle, who's laughing at a tiktok my sister sent him. daniel ricciardo so a liar and a coward, what's new?

mae jones in our defense, you guys just never asked

alex albon we were supposed to know you two were on speaking terms again? max verstappen daniel knew

daniel ricciardo oh shit! what the fuck max?!

daphne jones you knew? and you didn't say anything?! how could you? natalia ruiz this is betrayal in the worst form daniel.

bailey winters i would pay good money to know what jos thinks of a song mae wrote while being horny over max

mae jones i’m and i quote, ‘a fucking distraction for his son’ max verstappen the best distraction lando norris ugh love, gross dulce perez don't you, i don't know, have a girlfriend?

penelope trevino don't you people, i don't know, have jobs?

carlos sainz ignore her, she hasn't been properly caffinated yet carlos sainz she gets snarky when she's sleepy mae jones penny! what is your honest opinion of nonsense?! have i hit mayores status? penelope trevino i cannot believe the words that just came out of your mouth. you are a child. but yes on the horny scale it's close to mayores.

lewis hamilton i feel like we shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior.

max verstappen you’re just mad no one has written a song about you lewis hamilton i apologize for viewing you two as those idiot teenagers i met years ago. i’m telling seb. george russell the fatherly duties fall onto you and nando, stop involving seb!

sebastian vettel this is the crap i had to deal with everyday. have fun dealing with them

fernando alonso don't retire. i beg. the least you could've done was take some of them with you. sebastian vettel i'm taking my daughter with me? lewis hamilton bullshit as long as mick is in the mercedes garage she'll be here

alex albon i could've gone my whole life without the words, 'said you like my eyes and you like to make 'em roll.' being written about max verstappen

esteban ocon just when i had gotten over dress being about daniel, mae tells us nonsense is about max. i'm sorry max but i won't be able to look you in the eyes for at least a month

lando norris i’m afraid this will be the only thing max will be asked about at the next confrence

isabella perez my uncle is traumatized and so is christian

max verstappen YOU PLAYED IT FOR CHRISTIAN? isabella perez of course it's my duty as the youngest red bull team member to embarrass you and my uncle

alex albon LOL GUESS WHO WILLIAMS INVITED AS A GUEST FOR THE MIAMI GP???

george russell if you say some stupid shit like the rock i'm going to punch you alex albon IT RHYMES WITH CLUCK!

isabella perez red bull will be blasting nonsense, i'll make sure of it

carlos sainz as will ferrari george russell cluck boy will never know peace as long as we're around lando norris i think we're all in agreement to blasting nonsense? yuki tsunoda yes, we are. charles leclerc that has been the most intimidating threat towards cluck i've ever seen

pierre gasly yuki could beat him

lewis hamilton in a race right? lewis hamilton right? pierre gasly sure we'll go with that

maejones posted a new story

moments before disaster with max *queue isabella playing nonsense on a loop*

¡leclerc-s speaks! i don't even know what inspired this 😃. this is a complete 180 turn from seven, i apologize for this dumpster-fire. but anyways FERRARI DIDN'T LET US DOWN FOR ONCE! LET'S ENJOY THIS MOMENT WHILE WE CAN!

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[pisupsala]

✨Mila's (Early) Endless Summer Reading List ✨

I'm packing my bags, so I thought I should pack my favorite stories: stuff that's been on my to-read list for too long, stuff I just enjoy re-reading and want you to know about, something to get me through the long-haul flight, something for sipping cocktails on the beach. I'm going to be updating the list with your recommendations and more stuff that I find. So:

Recommendations? 💕 YES PLEASE!

Recommend your own work? FUCK YES! ✨ minors dni, respect the author's tags, and show them some love by commenting and reblogging.

✨ TGM

mostly Bradley Bradshaw tbh lmao * This Love Came Back To Me by @beyondthesefourwalls i love these kinds of plots and it's so sweet *Remember You Even When I Don't by @beyondthesefourwalls i bizarrely never actually finished this and i will have to rectify this pronto *The Younger Kind by @roosterforme im like 20 chapters behind, soooo excited to binge this

*Leave a Light On by @sometimesanalice comfort story right here

*Hey Sailor by @sometimesanalice no notes, just yum

*Less Talk by @tongue-like-a-razor a jake story??? yes and i love this one *Faking It by @tongue-like-a-razor a classic, a must-read

*Little Wallflower by @bradshawsbitch it warms my poor heart and i feel this story on a personal level since I've been dealing with hearing loss

*Mise en Place by @bradshawsbitch hands down on my favorite AUs

*(christmas) baby please come home by @gretagerwigsmuse this fic influenced me so hard i bought a theragun *and even when we’re wrong in every way, we come out the other side okay by @gretagerwigsmuse actually just anything Jordan has ever done with the Smart Alec universe, you should read it

*Concerned Neighbor by @mothdruid this is just hot and you should enjoy it

*The Boyfriend Experience by @notroosterbradshaw i swear this is the fic that got me writing again, so if you like anything I've ever done you should go show Cass some love. *Don't Hang 'Em Till Noon by @sailor-aviator Jake western!AU? I knew I was rewatching Deadwood for a reason. Excited!! recommended by @goldenseresinretriever *Fool's Fare by @sailor-aviator A Jake pirate!AU while I'm on a beach in the Caribbean? Sign. me. up. Also recommended by @goldenseresinretriever *You Catch More Bees With Honey by @goldenseresinretriever I've seen this on my dash so much, but I shamefully never got around to it. How did you know I like hockey?

✨

Masters of the Air

Trust by @blurredcolour yeaaaaah, im obsessed. im deceased. this is so good.

prettier than a peach by @honeyskywitch reading this on my flight, so excited!

Oblivious by @sagesolsticewrites saving this one for the airport~

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

That Lovin' Feelin' - Goose

Pairing: Nick "Goose" Bradshaw / Mitchell! Fem! OC | Reader

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: Intense Mutual Pining, Obliviousness, Suggestive Language, Second Person ("You") POV but No Use of Y/N

This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.

Summary: You may or may not have a big fat crush on your brother's best friend. And Goose may or may not have a big fat crush on you. Luckily for both of you, Maverick is completely oblivious.

[Reader is mentioned to be a woman, but there is no description of anything appearance wise. Reader is Maverick's twin sister and a nurse at the naval hospital.]

A.N. Set during Top Gun (the O Club Scene). In this work, let's just imagine that Goose and Carole never crossed paths and Carole is off living her best life elsewhere. Absolutely no shade to Carole, just wanted some Goose love. And I guess sorry Bradley for wiping away your existence.

Part 2 Part 3

Master List

It was a sunny, warm day in Miramar and you just wanted some peace and quiet on your day off. But there was no such thing as a quiet day off when your horrifically annoying twin brother was in town to attend TOP GUN. Just as you flipped to a new page, you heard the distinct sound of Goose’s car pulling up your short driveway.

And three seconds later, the back door opened and Maverick stepped out.

“There you are,” he stated, holding the door open for Goose.

“Yes, I was, in fact, missing from my own house. Thank you for finding me,” you muttered, not even glancing up from your book. “And aren’t you two supposed to be at training right now?”

“It was just introductions,” Maverick replied, dropping into the seat across from you.

“Pete Mitchell, if you dare put your dirty boots on my coffee table,” you warned him, picking your head up from the book. Maverick’s foot hovered just an inch above the coffee table until Goose pushed it aside so that he could sit down in the other seat. “Why are you even here? You have your own houses, go do stupid shit there.”

“We were going to go to lunch and because I’m a nice brother who remembered that you have today off, I decided to stop over here to ask you if you wanted to come,” Maverick replied, gesturing innocently to himself. “And this is the thanks I get?”

“Pass,” you huffed, turning back to your book.

“Mav will pay,” Goose stated, causing you to slowly pick your head up.

“Well, now you’re speaking my language.”

Maverick scoffed and nudged Goose in the side before standing up from his chair. You shared a small smile with Goose before turning to your brother.

“We leave in five minutes. Come on, I’m hungry,” Maverick replied, urging you to your feet. “Get dressed into real people clothes.”

“Real people clothes?” you scoffed, glaring over at Maverick. “Hey, Pete, I read something quite interesting in this book that might interest you.”

“What?”

You pulled out your middle finger from behind your book, earning another eye roll from Maverick. He waved his hand dismissively and headed inside, undoubtedly to raid your fridge even though you were about to head out to lunch.

“Who pissed in his cornflakes this morning?” you asked, slowly getting to your feet.

“I think one of the other pilots threw him off a bit,” Goose replied, sending you a smile that had your heart fluttering. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Alright,” you agreed, nodding slowly. “Thanks, Goosie.”

“Anytime.”

Goose got up from his seat and turned towards the door. You thanked Goose as he held the door open for your before darting inside, trying to hide your ridiculously awkward behavior from him. Walking quickly to your bedroom, you closed the door and leaned against it for a moment.

“Really smooth,” you scolded yourself, shaking your head. “One of these days, he’s going to say something. And you’re going to be fucked. And not in the way you want to be.”

It wasn’t like you planned to have an uncontrollable schoolgirl crush on your brother’s best friend. You didn’t ask for it. It just happened. And you tried to push it out of your mind—you went on other dates and saw other guys—but the second that Nick Bradshaw walked back into Miramar, it was like all of that personal growth just went out the window.

Thankfully, Goose was too nice to say anything about it. And Maverick was too arrogant and self-centered to notice the looks that you threw in Goose’s direction. But one of these days, Goose was going to say something and Maverick was going to be pissed at you.

As if you needed more problems in your life.

Tossing your book onto your bed, you walked over to your drawers and pulled out a simple tee shirt and a pair of jean shorts fit for the hot summer weather. Quickly pulling on a pair of beaten-up Converse, you grabbed your purse and headed out into the main part of your house, where Goose and Maverick were waiting for you.

“Alright, I’m ready to go.”

“Finally,” Maverick sighed, hopping off the counter.

You rolled your eyes at Maverick before turning to grab your keys off the hook. Pulling the set of car keys out of the way, you grabbed your house keys and moved to shove them into your purse. But when the edge of the key ring caught on the zipper of your purse, the keys dropped to the ground.

“Dammit,” you muttered, bending down to grab them.

Goose, meanwhile, who was standing right behind you, quickly averted his gaze as the denim of your shorts rode up just a little higher than normal. He knew from personal experience that if he didn’t look away immediately, he wasn’t going to look away. And Maverick could be a little slow, but if Goose openly stared at your ass like he wanted to take a bite out of it, even Maverick would notice.

“Alright, let’s go,” you stated, straightening up.

Goose smacked himself lightly on the cheek to remind himself to focus before heading out of the house behind you and Maverick.

After lunch, Maverick managed to convince you to go along with their shenanigans for the rest of the day. Including—to your complete frustration—a night out at the O Club.

But you had the day off tomorrow as well, so you were running out of excuses.

Applying some bright red lipstick, you straightened up in your bathroom and made some last-minute adjustments. You weren’t going to actually go out searching for anything tonight, but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t have a little fun. It was nice to be complimented and to feel like an actual woman rather than a blob of scrubs once in a while.

Satisfied with your appearance, you grabbed your purse and walked out to your living room to wait for Goose and Maverick to come around and pick you up. Pulling on a pair of strappy heels, you picked your head up when you heard the Bronco coming around the corner again. Locking up your house, you trotted down to where Goose pulled over.

“Hey,” you called, pulling the back door open. Noticing the uniforms that Goose and Maverick were wearing, you managed a small, bashful smile when you caught Goose’s eye. “You pulled out the summer whites for the occasion?”

“Have to look the part,” Maverick answered instead, completely oblivious to the look that you were sending Goose.

“Right,” you drawled, leaning back in your seat.

You glanced out the window as Goose discreetly fixed his rearview mirror to give him a slightly better view of you in a dress that he hadn’t seen you in before. Clearing his throat to remind himself that he needed to focus on the road and not the hints of your breasts that were outlined by the particular cut of the dress, Goose put the car in drive.

The O Club was packed full by the time that you, Goose, and Maverick arrived. You stuck close to Goose, who was tall enough that he could see over most of the crowd, as Maverick and Goose surveyed over the patrons.

“This is what I call a target rich environment,” Maverick stated with a wide smirk.

You immediately reached over and smacked your brother on the back of his head, causing him to whine and shoot you a glare as he rubbed the tender skin.

“You deserved it. I’m not going to apologize,” you stated before heading for the bar.

“You live your life between your legs, Mav,” Goose added, squeezing Maverick’s shoulder before following after you.

“Goose, even you could get laid in a place like this,” Maverick replied, patting Goose on the back.

“I’m telling you; I’d be happy to find a girl to talk dirty to me.”

That line caused you to momentarily pause, which resulted in Goose running into the back of you. Goose grabbed your arm to steady you and you tried to not buckle under his concerned gaze. Your eyes widened at your newfound proximity as Goose shot you an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, honey.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s crowded in here,” you mumbled out bashfully.

You cleared your throat and turned back for the bar, reminding yourself to keep cool. Goose and Maverick stepped up beside you at the bar and ordered their beers. When the bartender turned to you, you requested a bit of a stronger beverage to get you through the evening. At least that way, if you did something stupid, you could blame it on the alcohol.

The bartender placed Maverick and Goose’s drinks down first before walking off to grab the ingredients for your drink. You fiddled with your fingers and looked up when Goose spoke up.

“Mav, you know who the best is? That’s him, Iceman,” Goose stated, gesturing across the bar.

You and Maverick turned in sync to the man in question. He was tall and dressed in the same uniform as Maverick and Goose with a solid tan and frosted tips. But you were more focused on the fact that he was wearing sunglasses inside at night like a douche bag and that the glass that he was drinking from had an obscene amount of ice in it.

Well, at least he lived up to his callsign.

“It’s the way he flies. Ice cold. No mistakes. He just wears you down, you get bored, frustrated, you do something stupid, and he’s got you,” Goose explained, taking a swig from his beer.

You smiled at the bartender and thanked him when he placed your drink down in front of you. Pulling your drink back to you and taking a sip, you turned around when Goose called out to another aviator that was walking over to this side of the bar.

“Hey, hey, Slider,” Goose chuckled, grabbing onto the set of wings on Slider’s uniform, “I thought that you wanted to be a pilot, man, what happened?”

“Goose, you’re such a dickhead. Whose butt did you kiss to get in here, huh?” Slider asked, tilting his chin up.

“Well, the list is long but distinguished,” Goose joked, playing along.

“Yeah, well so is my Johnson,” Slider replied, knocking back a shot.

Setting the glass down on the bar, Slider set his sights on you. Slider sent you a smirk that both Goose and Maverick immediately noticed and did not appreciate.

“And it is available,” Slider added, sending you a wink.

“Yeah, well, she’s not,” Goose stated, causing Slider to turn to him.

“She’s my sister, Kerner, so keep your mitts off of her,” Maverick replied, earning an eyeroll from you.

“But you said that your Johnson is both long and distinguished?” you asked Slider, taking a long sip of your drink as you toyed with all three aviators at once.

Maverick and Goose whipped around to shoot your exasperated and incredulous looks, which you promptly ignored. After all, it wasn’t like you were actually going to consider going home with Slider. You didn’t want anything to do with the whole TOP GUN bullshit. But that didn’t mean that you couldn’t mess with Maverick after he was such a little shit to you.

“She’s not serious,” Maverick stated, grabbing you and tugging you closer to him.

“I’m just trying to make conversation,” you replied, shrugging your shoulders. Turning back to Goose and Slider, who seemed to be having some kind of territorial staring contest, you gestured between them. “So, how do you two know each other?”

“We went to the Academy together,” Goose explained, still shooting Slider a death glare.

“You’re a RIO then?” you asked Slider.

“He flies with Iceman,” Goose answered before Slider could.

“That’s Mr. Iceman to you,” Slider corrected Goose before gesturing over to his pilot.

“Hey, Mother Goose, how’s it going?” Ice greeted him.

Iceman stepped up and offered Goose a genuine smile as he reached over to shake Goose’s hand. Goose broke his staring contest with Slider to return Ice’s polite greeting. 

“I’m doing good, Tom,” Goose replied before gesturing over to Maverick. “This is Pete Mitchell. Pete, this is Tom Kazansky.”

While Maverick and Ice exchanged their quips and attempts to feel each other out, you simply sipped at your drink, a bit bored to be honest. You glanced up when Goose stepped in front of you, blocking you from Slider’s view, before turning back to the exchange between Maverick and Ice.

“Mav, you must have sold under a lucky star, huh?” Slider asked, causing the group to turn to him. “First, the MiG and then you guys slide into Cougar’s spot.”

“Hey, we didn’t slide into Cougar’s spot, it was ours, okay?” Goose stated, squaring up to Slider again.

“Yeah, well some pilots wait their whole careers just to see a MiG up close,” Slider stated, picking up another shot. “Guess you guys are lucky and famous, huh?”

“No, you mean notorious,” Ice corrected his RIO before setting his sights on you. Identifying you as a target, since you were sandwiched in between Goose and Maverick, Ice offered you a flirtatious smile. “If you want to hang out with a real group of aviators, we’ll be over there.” Ice turned back to Maverick and Goose, who were both now glaring daggers into his skull. “I’ll see you two around.”

“You can count on it,” Maverick stated pointedly.

“Bye,” you called after them, earning a pinch in your side from Maverick.

“They were abused children,” Goose stated, leaning on the bar with a dead serious expression.

“Goose!” you admonished, nudging him in the side.

“What?”

“That’s so rude,” you scolded him, though you couldn’t help the smile or light giggle that escaped.

“Then why are you laughing, honey?” Goose shot back.

He smiled at you in a way that instantly had your heart fluttering. But Maverick, ever the oblivious and indirect cockblock, broke the moment.

“We’re going to have a good time,” Maverick stated, holding up his drink.

You clinked your drinks together before Goose and Maverick turned to survey the rest of the bar. You, however, were sneaking not very subtle looks in Goose’s direction. It wasn’t your fault that he looked that good in his fancy white uniform.

But, of course, as soon as Maverick set his sights on some poor woman across the way, you were on your own once again. And that was why you never came out to the bars with your brother. Picking up your drink, you were about to head to a booth or a seat elsewhere when Ice swooped in, cutting off your escape.

“I don’t believe that I caught your name earlier,” Ice stated, leaning on the bar with a confident smirk.

“I don’t believe that I gave you my name earlier,” you replied calmly, turning to face Ice. You set your drink down and retook your seat. “But I know that you’re Iceman.”

“Hard to forget a face like mine,” Ice remarked, causing you to let out an amused noise.

“Did you practice that one in the mirror?”

“I can see the resemblance. Between you and your brother,” Ice stated, earning a sharp look from you.

“What do you want from me?” you asked, getting straight to the point.

“I just wanted to talk. To get to know you.”

“You wanted to get to know my brother, actually,” you corrected Ice, twirling your drink around on the bar top. “You know, so that you can win the TOP GUN trophy and everything since he’s most likely your biggest competition.”

“I’m horrified that you think that I would use a lady’s attention for such nefarious purposes,” Ice drawled, causing you to playfully roll your eyes. “Really, I’m hurt. And I hear that you’re a nurse, so I think that you can help me get better, right?”

Ice leaned in closer, but you didn’t back down. You held his gaze confidently and reached for your drink.

“Is my brother glaring holes into the side of your head right now?” you asked, taking casual a sip.

“Yeah, but your personal bodyguard is going to get over here first,” Ice remarked, causing you to raise an eyebrow.

“Who?”

“Hey,” Goose called loudly, causing you and Ice to turn to him, “what are we talking about over here, huh? Let me just . . .” Goose situated himself in between Ice and you, causing Ice to shoot you an amused look. “So, what were we talking about?”

“Nothing too scandalous,” Ice replied, standing up straighter. He turned to you with a friendly smirk. “But I should get going. It was nice meeting you. And I’ll see you tomorrow, Goose.”

Ice walked off, leaving Goose and you alone. Goose waited a moments before turning urgently to you.

“Did he say anything to you?” Goose asked quietly, looking concerned.

“No, he was just messing with me. He just wants to get in Maverick’s head,”you replied, dismissing Goose’s concern. But when Goose didn’t change his expression, you leaned forward and grabbed his shoulder. “I’m fine, Goosie. He’s hardly the first cocky aviator that I’ve dealt with.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, Nick.”

You offered Goose a small smile, twisting in your bar seat. Goose nodded in return, though he still looked a bit on edge as he glanced around the O Club. He leaned in closer to you to keep his voice low and still be heard over the music of the club. And if he noticed how your eyes widened slightly and your breath caught in your throat, he didn’t mention it.

“And by the way, I would stay away from Slider too. Trust me, he stinks. Never uses soap. Hardly ever does his laundry and—”

“—Goose,” you interjected, cutting off his ramble about Slider’s unkemptness, “I wasn’t going to go home with Slider.”

“You weren’t?” Goose asked, looking more than a little relieved.

“No, I was just messing with my brother,” you assured Goose, taking another sip of your drink. “And besides, I generally avoid going out with guys who make any sort of announcements about their genitals during the first five seconds of me knowing them.”

“Oh, okay,” Goose breathed out, a small easygoing smile returning to his lips.

You and Goose shared a small smile before Goose turned in his seat so that he was facing the bar. He gestured to your drink, which was starting to run low.

“Did you want another drink?”

“That depends,” you replied, twirling your straw around. “How long do you think we’ll still be here for?”

“I don’t know,” Goose answered honestly, glancing around the bar. “Mav sort of ran off with a woman, but I’m not really sure how that’s going.”

“I don’t want to know how that’s going,” you stated, wrinkling your nose in disgust.

“Then we’ll get you another drink,” Goose decided, causing you to smile and nod.

“Alright, Goosie, you’ve convinced me.”

Goose flagged down the bartender and ordered them both another round. The bartender placed your drinks down and Goose and you clinked them together before falling back into a conversation. There was still no sign of Maverick anywhere, so you entertained yourselves.

“Anything fun happening down at the hospital?” Goose asked, causing you to snort.

“I don’t want to disgust you.”

“Hey, hey, I’m a tough guy, I can handle it,” Goose replied, earning a light chuckle.

“Didn’t one of the nurses have to hold you down when you got a shot?” you asked, twisting your lips into a well-meaning smirk.

“It was a huge needle,” Goose exaggerated, causing you to laugh. “I was hardly the only guy who walked out of there a little paler than they were when they went in there.” Goose took a sip of his beer before pointing a figure over at you. “And Mav wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about that.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else,” you assured Goose, reaching for your drink.

You glanced around at the bar, taking a long sip. And you were completely unaware of the way that Goose was staring at you. How closely he was analyzing the way that your bright red lips wrapped around the straw. Or how he noticed that the way that you leaned forward gave him a better peak of your cleavage.

Tugging at his collar, Goose forced himself to look away and chugged some of his beer.

“Do you have work tomorrow?” Goose asked, trying to move to a very professional conversation topic.

“No, this is technically my ‘weekend,’” you replied, making air quotes with your fingers. “So, I don’t work tomorrow, but then I work three days straight after that.”  

“Sorry that we’ve been dragging you around with us on your day off,” Goose offered, causing you to send him a small smile.

“It’s not all bad,” you assured him, tilting your head to the side. “It’s nice to catch up with you. You guys, I mean. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

“Seven months,” Goose agreed, tapping his fingers on the bar top.

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” you stated softly. You locked eyes with Goose and flicked your tongue out between your lips to catch the last drop of your sip, which Goose, of course, noticed. “Any big plans for you shore leave?”

“Maybe a few,” Goose replied, causing you to perk up.

“Like what?”

“Uh . . .” Goose trailed off awkwardly, trying to come up with something off the top of his head that was actually appropriate to say aloud to you, “. . . I really wanted to catch up on the movies that I missed.” You nodded slowly, causing Goose to sweat a bit. “You know me and movies.”

“Right,” you held out, raising a slightly suspicious eyebrow. “Well, if you want, there’s this drive-in place nearby that just opened up.”

“You ever been before?” Goose asked, causing you to shake your head.

“No, I haven’t. My coworker recommended it to me.”

“Did you want to go some time?” Goose offered softly, earning a wide doe-eyed look from you.

“Me?” you asked, gesturing to yourself.

“Yeah, you,” Goose laughed, trying to hide the fact that he was most definitely sweating through his shirt. “Who else?”

You opened your mouth, trying to find a way to respond to Goose’s offer that was appropriate and not at all desperate, when Charlie, the woman that Maverick serenaded earlier on the other side of the bar, walked by you.

“Your friend was magnificent,” Charlie stated confidently.

Goose sat up and watched Charlie walk away. You gagged when you noticed your brother walking over with a pleased smirk.

“You’re disgusting, you know that?” you huffed, shooting Maverick a look.

“What the hell did Ice want?” Maverick asked, quickly changing the topic of conversation.

“Nothing.”

You reached for your drink and pulled the straw out. Bringing the cup to your lips, you chugged the rest of it, earning an eye roll from Maverick and an amazed look from Goose. But then Goose caught the sight of the condensation from the outside of the glass rolling down your neck and got distracted again. Setting the glass down on the bar top, you turned back to Goose and Maverick.

“Can we go then? I’d prefer to not see you accost anyone else in this place,” you stated, standing up from your seat.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They paid off their tabs before heading out to the car. Goose drove you back to your house, trying to not sink in his seat when he still lacked any answer to his offer. You didn’t look at him, staring out the window, and chatting casually with Maverick. Pulling up alongside your house, Goose put the car in park and smiled back at you. You returned it, leaning forward a bit.

“Thanks for driving, Goosie.” Turning to the both of them, you reined in the more schoolgirl-like bashfulness. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Have a good night,” Goose replied softly.

“I’ll call you if we’re going something,” Maverick offered as you got out of the Bronco.

“Sounds good,” you agreed, shutting the door behind you. Looking past your brother, who had his window rolled down, you offered Goose a shy smile. “And if you wanted to go to the drive-in, just . . . let me know.”

“The drive-in?” Maverick asked, confused and oblivious.

“I’ll—we’ll,” Goose caught himself, “we’ll do that, yeah.”

But the smile that he sent you next clearly communicated that he would call you. And that maybe he would forget to invite Maverick along. And then maybe you would forget to suggest for Maverick to come along too. And then you would just accidentally go to the drive-in, just the two of you. And maybe Maverick would just never hear about it.

“I’d like that,” you agreed, adding to Maverick’s confusion. “I’ll see you guys later. Goodnight.”

“Night,” Maverick and Goose echoed.

They waited until you were safely inside your house before Goose put the car back into drive. Maverick frowned a bit, thinking over your strange words.

“Drive-in?” he asked Goose, who stared straight ahead to not give anything away.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Goose stated, waving his hand to the side. “Maybe she was just tipsy.”

Part 2 Part 3

[indybob]

I’m bored on a Saturday night so here’s a random snippet from chapter 3 of “Maybe We Were Always Meant To Be” with Mav being a Dad™️ and helping Bradley with his massive crush on Jake!!

As Maverick finishes a story, Jake drains the last of his beer, “Either of you want me to grab y’all another drink?”

“Would you mind setting a water bottle on the table for me?” Maverick asks.

“Sure thing,” Jake says, walking back toward the hangar.

“Will you grab one for me, too?” Bradley calls after him.

“You got it, darlin’.” Jake’s voice slips back into that slight Southern accent as he uses the pet name.

Bradley blushes then turns back to Maverick, who raises his eyebrows knowingly before returning his attention to the grill.

“Shut up,” Bradley mutters.

Maverick raises his hands, defensively, “I didn’t say a thing.”

“You didn’t have to. The look said it all.”

Maverick sighs in exasperation, slumping his shoulders and giving his attention to Bradley. “So, you like Jake—big deal. He clearly likes you, too.”

“Mav,” Bradley pleads.

“Bradley,” Maverick mimics.

Bradley scoffs, “You don’t get it.”

“What don’t I get?” Maverick asks, sincerely. “Lay it out, kiddo. It’s just me and you.”

“This whole thing with me and Jake just isn’t as simple as you make it out to be,” Bradley complains.

“Well, why not? Help me understand, Baby Goose.”

Bradley blows out a deep breath, deciding the only thing he can do is tell Maverick the truth, “I’m in love with him, Mav.”

Maverick simply smiles, “I knew it.”

Bradley groans in frustration, “Is it that obvious?”

Maverick chuckles, “To me, and probably anybody who’s not you or Jake, yes. But you two are both locked in your own little world of obliviousness, so I’d say he doesn’t know either.”

“So, what am I supposed to do then?”

Maverick considers that a moment, “Kiddo, I don’t think you have to do anything. You could let this whole thing with Jake be a mess of one-sided pining, or you could take a chance. I really think he likes you, Bradley.”

“I’m just scared that he won’t feel the same and I’ll ruin the friendship we’ve rebuilt. Or it will work for a while, but that I’ll fuck it up in the long run.”

Maverick flips the burgers on the grill again, then turns back to Bradley. “Look, things like this—love and relationships—have always ended with me learning the hard way. It doesn’t have to be that way with you and Jake. Don’t let those fears hold you back from taking a chance. I know what it’s like to live with that regret. And, since you’re as good as my son, it’s my job to warn you against repeating my mistakes.”

“You really do think it’s worth the risk?” Bradley asks, hopefully.

“I do, kiddo. And it’s a different time now. You and Jake are blessed to not have to fear for your careers over how you feel about each other. I wasn’t so lucky. I told myself that the fear of losing my career was what held me back for so many years, but it was me too. I was scared to try with Ice. And, well, you know how that ended up.” Maverick’s voice breaks at the end of the sentence.

“Fuck, Mav. I didn’t mean to bring up—“

Maverick raises up a hand, effectively shushing Bradley. “It’s okay. I want you to know that so you can learn from it. I would hate for you to have to experience the regret that Ice and I both had for years over not doing something about our feelings. I know he loved Sarah, but I never stopped wondering what might have been. Don’t make that same mistake, Bradley, please.”

Bradley can feel himself starting to tear up just at the thought of all that Maverick has lost along the way. Sure, Maverick has Penny now, and he knows that they love each other, but like Maverick said, he still wonders what could have been.

Damn it. Maverick’s right. Bradley won’t be able to live with himself if he lets the chance pass him by, never knowing what could have been between him and Jake. That same regret that Maverick lives with…Bradley honestly doesn’t think he’d be strong enough to handle it.

“Maybe you’re right,” Bradley concedes.

Maverick chuckles, slightly tearfully, “With this, I know I am.”

“I just wish I could be as sure as you.”

“Bradley, do you know what makes me so sure?”

“Years of experience?” Bradley ventures.

Maverick shrugs, “Well, yes, but also, it’s the way you two look at each other. When you’re not looking Jake looks at you like you’ve hung the moon. Like you’re the most beautiful, perfect person that’s ever walked the Earth.”

Bradley blushes, trying to brush it off, “I don’t know about that.”

Maverick gives him a pointed look. “And the looks you give him? It’s exactly how your dad used to look at your mom when they were dating and for the several years they were married. He loved her so much, and I can see that same love in your eyes when you look at Jake.”

Maverick finishes up with the burgers on the grill, setting them on a plate. Once Maverick’s hands are free, Bradley brings him in for a grateful hug. “Thanks, Mav.”

“Of course, Baby Goose. Be confident, and when you get the chance, make that man yours.”

[rosypenguins]

YES OKAY PEOPLE SHOWED INTEREST IN MY ELM IDEA LETS GO I’M NOT GOING CRAZY! (I mean I am but-)

Anyways Elm! Elliot and Dominic! We’re all familiar with these goobs! We love them! Time for my very- ahem, well-thought out explanation for this ship!

…Okay so I don’t actually have one. I have zero evidence for this beyond just me looking at Dom and being like “…Well that’s a little fruity.”

I mean-

I mean…

He’s a lil 💅 you know? Just a lil bit. Like those looks aren’t hetero. Those are homo eyes. 👀

I think the real reason I ship these two is because I like unrequited romance and Drew died in the new episode so I had to push that dynamic on someone else and-

And I like Dom! I like Dom a lot! You know what I do with characters I like? That’s right! I put them in a blender and crumble them up into pieces. (I am normal human I do not need to touch grass I promise.)

And I also really like the trope of ‘shy character who’s really insecure is a lot more charismatic and charming than they realize, thus leading to several characters falling head-over-heels for them’ because it kinda takes their insecurities and reverses them, showing that you can think of yourself one way but there will always be people out there who absolutely adore you, and want to stay by your side. And I mean Elliot already has Milly head-over-heels for him, and he also somehow manages to fluster Bradley every other interaction so we can say Brad’s somewhat a simp? Just throw Dom onto the pile and now you got yourself three Elliot simps!✨

Also, I think Elliot and Dom would have a really cute dynamic, with Dominic being all silly and impulsive and Elliot keeping him grounded. (Opposites attract my beloved.) And I think it’d be so cute to see Dom actually develop feelings and suddenly go from this charming little stinker to just an absolute awkward loser. Like laughing way too much and never knowing what to say. Sort of like Milly, but instead of going quiet he tries to say eighty things all at once and accidentally gets himself in a nervous laughing fit. Meanwhile Elliot’s oblivious and very clearly pining for Milly, so Dominic knows from the start he doesn’t have a chance with him, but it still hurts sometimes whenever Milly comes to the garden and Elliot practically gets hearts in his eyes as he shows Milly around. And he knows he should be happy for Elliot. He is happy for Elliot. But a part of him wishes Elliot could’ve found those feelings of love with him instead. And as a way to cope, he teases them. He pretends he doesn’t have a crush on Elliot and pretends to be just as supportive as the rest. Teasing them and telling them to get a room whenever they talk to each other. (Maybe he just doesn’t want to see how close they are.) He’s already accepted Milly and Elliot are going to get together, and all he can do is watch from the sidelines hoping his own feelings will simply fade with time.

Oh, and uh… I may or may not have already started a one-shot for this very idea. Might post it, might not. Who knows?

TDLR: I like Elliot but I like Dom more so I’m gonna give Dom an unrequited crush on Elliot.

[natashatrace]

What would be your top 3 hangster fic recommendations?

my most recent hangster bookmark:

where the heart lies, with you (10913 words) by iridescent Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Top Gun (Movies) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin Characters: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Additional Tags: Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Getting Together, Confessions, Oral Sex, Frottage, Canon Compliant Series: Part 3 of love is Summary: “What’s this for?” Bradshaw asks warily in the middle of the tarmac, staring down at the protein bar Jake shoved unceremoniously into his hand. He looks suspicious and slightly bewildered, like he always does whenever he’s within proximity to Jake. “For decoration, obviously,” Jake replies, mocking. It’s the last in the box he keeps in his locker as an easy means of refueling pre or post hop, but Bradshaw needn’t know all that. “I had extra and don’t like that flavor anyway.” (Jake’s love language is acts of service, Bradley is oblivious until he’s not.)

and two all-time favorites:

i come from where the rivers meet the sea (5864 words) by luciferinasundaysuit Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Top Gun (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin Additional Tags: This one’s for the southern queers, Developing Relationship, Post-Canon, we are ignoring the military propaganda, 5+1 Things Summary: Phoenix pinches the bridge of her nose. “One night. One night without whatever all this is. My kingdom for one night.” “There’s no all this!” Rooster protests. Like a liar. Hangman takes his arm back, slides off his chair and goes back to the dart board. Rooster tries not to feel cold. “Of course not, Rooster,” Hangman says, just short of condescendingly. “I could never bring a yankee home, and I respect you too much to hit it and quit it.” Or 5 times Rooster didn’t tell Hangman where he was from + 1 time he did

--

the impossible (60142 words) by bimmyou Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: Top Gun (Movies) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin Characters: Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Additional Tags: Past Child Abuse, Minor Original Character(s), Road Trips, Wakes & Funerals, anger issues, Trust Issues, Pining, To quote Coldplay: when you're too in love to let it go, Not Beta Read, Minor Violence, Fights, Fist Fights Summary: His old man dies on a Wednesday.

[mynameismckenziemae]

👀 speaking of our throuple having kids. Do either of the guys discover they have a lactation kink?

💯

I think it happens shortly a few weeks after delivery. Like most postpartum mamas, she struggles with how her body looks so she stays clothed more than she used to (much to Jake and Bradley’s dismay. Though they love her body even more now than ever, they respect her silent wishes).

Until one night when she comes back to their bedroom after feeding the baby and putting her down for the night, wearing nothing but her sleep shorts and lacy nursing bralette.

Smut below the cut 👇🏻✂️

“Holy shit,” Jake whispers, nudging Bradley who’s just as entranced as he is at the sight of her breasts nearly spilling out of the soft cups.

“Got milk everywhere,” she moans, oblivious to their stares as she drops her tee shirt in the hamper, “she fell asleep halfway through so I’m still full and I’ve gotta pump but I just don’t feel like it.” Her head falls back on her shoulders in exhaustion. “And the freezers almost full so I’ll probably dump it anyway.”

“I’ll go get the pump,” Bradley says as he springs out of bed, “You go get in bed, k?”

“Thanks Roo,” she replies, sounding so defeated. He presses a kiss to her forehead before walking out, both Jake and Liv’s eyes glued to his ass in his gray sweatpants.

Jake smiles as she crawls in the middle, his eyes dropping to her heavy breasts swaying with the movement. He can’t look away at the way they jiggle as she lays beside him.

“Why are you hard?” She asks before she realizes where he’s looking, “oh. I forgot to put a shirt back on.” She sighs as he sits back up but Jake stops her.

“Don’t,” he says huskily, looking into her eyes, “please don’t. You’re so fucking beautiful.”

“Yeah?” She whispers, sounding so vulnerable.

“God yes,” he replies as he leans forward for a kiss, surprised and pleased when she deepens it. She tentatively touches his tongue with hers and shivers at his groan that follows.

“Shit,” she breaks the kiss suddenly with a grimace, “I’m leaking.”

Jake follows her eyes down and his hand tightens on her hip with a front as he sees the wet spots staining the bra.

“I’m so sorry,” she sniffs, cheeks burning in embarrassment as she tries to move away.

But Jake stops her. Without thinking, he ducks his head and nudges the wet lace out of the way before sucking her nipple into his mouth, shuttering when he tastes her sticky-sweet milk.

“Oh God,” she keens, arching her back as she feels his deep sucks in her pussy.

He pulls off in an instant with wide eyes, “I’m sorry, I should’ve ask-“

He can’t answer because she’s pushing him right back down.

“Don’t stop,” she breathes, closing her eyes and crying out when his fingers toy with the other nipple, “oh my God, Jake!”

He just ruts his rock hard cock against her hip.

A loud slap and Jake’s answering grunt against her breast has her eyes flying open.

“Couldn’t wait for me?” Bradley murmurs, looking at Liv while his hand rubs Jake’s ass where he just spanked.

Jake gives the slightest shake of his head, eyes on Liv’s face while still latched.

“Come here,” she nods to her other side. His eyes don’t leave her

“You don’t have to-fuck!” She cries as Bradley pushes the other cup out of the way, lapping up the stream that runs down before sucking her nipple into his mouth.

“So sweet,” he murmurs, flicking his tongue over the sensitive bud as pushes his cock against her. His hand slides down over the soft curve of her stomach and under the waistband of her shorts.

“We-it hasn’t been 6 weeks,” she pants, but her hips lift off the bed in search of friction.

“I know, sweetheart,” Bradley lifts his head to kiss her. There’s no way he’s forgotten the doctor said no sex for 6 weeks. “I’m just gonna play your clit a little,” he murmurs as he does just that, lightly circling the swollen bundle of nerves, watching her face for any sign of discomfort, “how’s that?”

“Oh God! Don’t stop,” she whines, moving her hips needily, “please, Roo, Jake? Please don’t stop.”

“Never,” Jake pulls off just to tell her, “come for us, beautiful.”

“All of us,” she gasps, “I want to cum together.”

Bradley shifts impossibly closer while Jake fists himself.

Tears leak from her eyes as she does just that, trembling as the pleasure washes over her in waves. Her sweet sounds of pleasure set the boys off. Jake’s cums over his fist and onto her shorts in ropes while Bradley coats in the inside of his pants.

“You are…” Bradley trails off as he opens the front clasp, exposing her heaving chest as she comes down before pressing gentle kisses to the skin he’s missed so much, “are fucking breathtaking, Liv.”

Jake nods in agreement, “Always have been and always will be.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, looking a whole lot more content than before. “I’m gonna go take a shower now that I no longer have to pump. Care to join me?”

[callsigns-haze]

Short love: Chp 20

Summary: The is about widowed father Bradley Bradshaw who enlists his brother-in-law Jake Seresin and childhood best friend Robert Floyd to help raise his three daughters, eldest Donna Jo Margaret (D.J for short), middle child Stephanie and youngest Michelle in his San Diego home. 

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Warning: Fluff, flirting

As Y/n progresses into her fourth month of pregnancy, the physical toll becomes increasingly apparent. Simple tasks that once seemed effortless now feel like monumental challenges. Even the mundane chores of daily life—like laundry, unloading the dishwasher, or playing with the girls—have become overwhelming burdens.

Y/n finds herself struggling to keep pace with Michelle and Stephanie, whose boundless energy seems to know no bounds. Where once she could easily chase after them, now she finds herself lagging behind, her movements slow and labored. It's a frustrating realization for Y/n, who prides herself on her independence and ability to handle whatever life throws her way.

Despite her best efforts to maintain a sense of normalcy, Y/n knows she needs to listen to her body and prioritize her health and well-being. She reluctantly admits that she can't do it all, and that it's okay to ask for help when she needs it. Jake, ever the supportive partner, steps in to pick up the slack, offering to take on extra chores around the house and spending more one-on-one time with Michelle and Stephanie to give Y/n a much-needed break.

As Y/n navigates the challenges of pregnancy, she finds solace in the unwavering love and support of her family. Though the road ahead may be filled with obstacles, she knows that with Jake by her side and her girls cheering her on, she'll find the strength to overcome whatever comes her way. And as she looks ahead to the arrival of their twins, she's filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement for the new chapter of their lives that lies just around the corner.

As Michelle darts around the house with boundless energy, Y/n finds herself struggling to keep up. With each step, her growing belly weighs her down, and she quickly becomes out of breath. She watches as Michelle giggles and giggles, her tiny feet pitter-pattering across the floor, seemingly oblivious to Y/n's exhaustion.

Y/n knows she needs a break, her chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath. She leans against the nearest wall, hand pressed against her swollen belly, willing herself to slow down and rest. It's a humbling moment for Y/n, who prides herself on her ability to keep up with her niece's endless energy.

As she takes a moment to collect herself, Jake appears at her side, concern etched on his face. He gently places a hand on her back, offering her support and encouragement. "Hey, love, why don't you take a seat for a bit? I'll keep an eye on Michelle," he suggests, his voice filled with tenderness and understanding.

Grateful for his understanding, Y/n nods wearily, allowing Jake to guide her to the nearest chair. She sinks into it with a sigh of relief, grateful for the chance to catch her breath. Watching from the sidelines, she smiles as Jake engages Michelle in a game of peek-a-boo, the sound of their laughter filling the room.

In that moment, Y/n realizes that it's okay to ask for help, to admit when she needs a break. She may not have the same level of energy she once did, but with Jake's support and the love of her family, she knows she'll get through this challenging time and emerge stronger than ever. And as she rests and recovers, she's filled with gratitude for the unwavering love and support that surrounds her, knowing that she's never alone in this journey of motherhood.

Y/n's reply earns a chuckle from Bradley as he surveys the scene, noticing the chaos that often ensues when Michelle is on the move. He shakes his head in amusement, a fond smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Well, we better hope she doesn't get too far," he quips, knowing all too well the mischief his youngest granddaughter can get up to.

Y/n nods in agreement, a playful glint in her eye as she imagines the adventures Michelle might embark on if left to her own devices. "Yeah, we might need to install a GPS tracker on her soon," she jokes, her tone lighthearted despite the slight edge of exhaustion that lingers in her voice.

Together, Y/n and Bradley share a knowing look, a silent acknowledgment of the whirlwind that is life with Michelle. Despite the challenges and occasional moments of chaos, they wouldn't have it any other way. For amidst the madness, there's laughter, love, and the unbreakable bond that holds their family together. And as they brace themselves for the next inevitable adventure with Michelle, they do so with hearts full of love and gratitude for the joy she brings to their lives.

Bradley glanced at Y/n with a warm smile, his eyes filled with genuine concern. "How are you feeling, Y/n? Pregnancy with twins must be quite the journey."

Y/n sighed lightly, a mixture of exhaustion and amusement playing across her features. "Oh, you know, Bradley, the usual - tired, achy, and constantly hungry," she replied with a chuckle, a hint of fatigue evident in her voice.

Bradley nodded sympathetically, understanding the toll that carrying two babies could take on a person. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know," he offered earnestly, his tone reassuring.

Y/n flashed him a grateful smile, appreciating his kindness. "Thanks, Bradley. I think I'll survive, but I might need some extra help wrangling Michelle if she decides to take after her father and become a little troublemaker," she quipped, a playful twinkle in her eye.

Bradley chuckled softly, the image of a mischievous Michelle bringing a smile to his face. "Well, if she's anything like her uncle instead, we're definitely in for an adventure," he remarked, a note of amusement in his voice.

Together, they shared a moment of camaraderie, finding comfort in each other's company and the shared experience of navigating the ups and downs of pregnancy. And as they laughed and joked, they knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together, as a family.

"So will the twins be, I swear they're going to be Elvis lovers due to Jake."

Bradley chuckles at Y/n's jest, shaking his head in amusement. "Well, we'll just have to make sure they're exposed to a variety of musical influences early on," he quips, envisioning the comical scenario of two tiny Elvis impersonators running around the house.

Y/n laughs, nodding in agreement. "Absolutely. We'll have to balance out Jake's influence with some Beethoven and Mozart," she jokes, her expression playful as she imagines the eclectic tastes her twins might develop.

Together, they share a moment of light-hearted banter, finding solace in humor amidst the uncertainties of pregnancy and the anticipation of welcoming two new additions to their family. And as they continue to joke and laugh, they find comfort in each other's company, knowing that no matter what challenges lie ahead, they'll face them together, as a family.

Bradley's expression softened with empathy as he listened to Y/n's response. "I can only imagine. Carrying one baby is tough enough, let alone two," he remarked, his voice tinged with admiration for her resilience.

Y/n nodded in agreement, grateful for Bradley's understanding. "Yeah, it's definitely been a journey, but I'm hanging in there," she replied, a small smile playing on her lips despite the fatigue evident in her eyes.

Bradley nodded in understanding, his gaze reflecting genuine concern. "Well, just remember to take it easy and listen to your body. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," he reassured her, his tone sincere.

Y/n nodded gratefully, appreciating Bradley support. "Thanks, Bradley. That means a lot," she replied warmly, feeling a sense of comfort knowing that she had such a caring friend by her side.

Together, they shared a moment of solidarity, knowing that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together, as a family. And as they continued their conversation, their bond grew stronger, a testament to the power of friendship and the strength found in unity.

As Y/n leaned back against the kitchen counter, Bradley's genuine concern warmed her heart. She couldn't help but feel grateful for his presence and support during this challenging time.

As Jake settled beside Y/n, his eyes softened with affection as he placed a gentle hand on her swollen belly. "How's my beautiful wife feeling today?" he asked, his voice filled with tenderness.

Y/n leaned into his touch, feeling a rush of warmth at his loving gesture. "Oh, you know, just the usual twin pregnancy struggles," she replied with a tired smile, her hand resting atop his.

Jake nodded sympathetically, his gaze filled with empathy. "I can only imagine how tough it must be carrying two babies," he said softly, his tone filled with admiration for her strength.

Y/n sighed, feeling a mixture of exhaustion and gratitude. "Yeah, it's definitely challenging, but having you by my side makes it easier," she said, her voice tinged with emotion.

Jake smiled, his eyes sparkling with love. "I'll always be here for you, Y/n, every step of the way," he vowed, his words filled with sincerity.

Feeling a surge of love and appreciation for her husband, Y/n leaned in to press a gentle kiss against his cheek. "I love you, Jake," she whispered, her heart overflowing with affection.

Jake returned her kiss with a soft smile. "I love you too, Y/n," he murmured, his arms wrapping around her in a comforting embrace.

Together, they sat in peaceful silence, their love and support for each other serving as a source of strength as they navigated the challenges of pregnancy. And as they shared this tender moment, they knew that no matter what lay ahead, they would face it together, as partners, lovers, and soon-to-be parents of twins.

As they sat together, Y/n felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She couldn't help but marvel at how lucky she was to have Jake by her side during this journey. He was not just her husband, but her rock, her confidant, and her biggest supporter.

Suddenly, a fluttering sensation rippled through Y/n's belly, and she gasped in surprise. "Jake, did you feel that?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening with excitement.

Jake's expression lit up with joy as he placed a hand on her belly, his touch gentle yet filled with wonder. "Yeah, I did!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. "That must be our little ones saying hello."

Y/n smiled, feeling a surge of warmth at the thought of their unborn babies moving inside her. "It's such an incredible feeling," she murmured, her heart brimming with love.

Jake nodded, his eyes shining with emotion. "It really is," he agreed, his hand lingering on her belly as they shared this precious moment together.

In that instant, as they felt their babies' movements beneath their fingertips, Y/n and Jake knew that their love was stronger than ever. And as they looked forward to the arrival of their twins, they were filled with hope, excitement, and an overwhelming sense of anticipation for the journey that lay ahead.

With a gentle smile, Jake leaned in to press a soft kiss against Y/n's forehead, his touch comforting and reassuring. "I can't wait to meet our little ones," he murmured, his voice filled with tenderness.

Y/n's heart swelled with love as she gazed up at her husband, feeling a rush of gratitude for the life they were creating together. "Me neither," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

As they sat together in the quiet embrace of their home, surrounded by the love and warmth of their family, Y/n and Jake knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together, hand in hand. And as they awaited the arrival of their twins, they cherished these moments of peace and contentment, knowing that their love would only continue to grow stronger with each passing day.

As the sun set outside, casting a warm glow into the room, Y/n and Jake remained wrapped in each other's arms, lost in the blissful anticipation of parenthood. With each passing moment, their bond deepened, their hearts intertwined in a dance of love and hope.

Suddenly, the sound of laughter echoed from the hallway, followed by the pitter-patter of little feet. Their nieces, Stephanie and Michelle, came bounding into the room, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Guess what, Aunt Y/n, Uncle Jake?" Stephanie exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight.

Y/n and Jake exchanged a curious glance, their interest piqued. "What is it, sweetie?" Y/n asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

"We made something for the babies!" Michelle chimed in, holding up a colorful drawing.

Y/n's heart melted at the sight of the homemade artwork, her eyes brimming with tears of joy. "Oh, it's beautiful," she whispered, overcome with emotion.

Jake wrapped an arm around Y/n's shoulders, pulling her close as they admired the precious gift from their nieces. In that moment, surrounded by love and laughter, they knew that their growing family was a blessing beyond measure.

As they basked in the warmth of their shared happiness, Y/n and Jake were filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the love that surrounded them. And as they looked forward to the arrival of their twins, they knew that their home would always be filled with boundless love, laughter, and endless joy.

The evening breeze gently rustled the curtains as Y/n and Jake sat together on the porch swing, savoring the quiet moments of tranquility. The day had been long, filled with the hustle and bustle of preparations for their growing family, but now, as the sky turned to hues of pink and orange, they found solace in each other's company.

Y/n rested her head against Jake's shoulder, her fingers intertwined with his as they watched the sunset in comfortable silence. The air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers blooming in the garden, and the distant chirping of crickets provided a soothing soundtrack to their thoughts.

In the soft glow of twilight, Y/n couldn't help but reflect on the journey that had brought them to this moment. From their first meeting to their whirlwind romance, every twist and turn had led them here, to this place of love and contentment.

Jake pressed a tender kiss to Y/n's forehead, his arms encircling her in a protective embrace. "I love you," he murmured, his voice a gentle whisper against her ear.

Y/n smiled, her heart overflowing with love for the man beside her. "I love you too," she whispered back, her words a vow of devotion that echoed in the quiet of the evening.

As they sat together, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, Y/n and Jake knew that no matter what the future held, they would face it together, hand in hand, hearts united in a bond that could weather any storm. And as they gazed out at the world spread before them, they felt a sense of peace wash over them, knowing that as long as they had each other, they had everything they would ever need.

tagging:

@callsign-magnolia

@shanimallina87

@callsign-dexter

@horseslovers2016

@rosiahills22

@djs8891

@hookslove1592

@emma8895eb

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@ahh-chickens

@86laura11

[blue-aconite]

let me drown || chapter III - bradley’s summer part III

Summary: People aren't always what they seem.

Warnings: Allusions to smut, jealousy, swearing, angst, cheating, drinking

Word Count: 6.3k

Pairings: Bradley Bradshaw x OC

Authors Note: It’s here. Enjoy. Minors DNI. Each chapter will be labelled with warnings individually.

Thank you to my amazing beta @writercole​, this fic wouldn’t be what it is without you. I love you.

Virginia, Oceana Naval Air Station, Summer 2018

Bradley slammed on the brakes a bit harder than necessary, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel too tight. Thea was quiet in the passenger seat, playing with the hem of her jean shorts as he sat in silence in the driveway. 

Dinner had been tense, to say the least. Bradley’s mood had only gotten worse as Athena continued to pester them. At first she had taken an interest in Thea, asking her all sorts of questions. It was innocent enough but Bradley knew there was nothing innocent about his WSO. He had kept quiet though, hand resting on Thea’s knee as she answered Athena’s rapid questions.

Bob and Hangman had seemed oblivious to the tension at first, eager to catch up since they last saw each other. Bradley hated how well they seemed to get along. Like Hangman and Bob were actual friends. It felt wrong. Hangman wasn’t a friendly guy and Bob should know that. Especially if they spent months together on a carrier. He couldn’t exactly put his thumb on why it bothered him so much, but it did.

Hangman and Bob eventually ran out of things to talk about and turned their attention to Thea. To his dismay, his girlfriend and Hangman got along like two peas in a pod. Bradley hated it. He hated how Hangman made her laugh, trading life stories like they’ve known each other for more than an hour. And he hated the way Hangman looked at her. He shouldn’t be looking at her at all. Thea was taken. She was Bradley’s girlfriend and Hangman had the audacity to flirt with her when Bradley was sitting right next to them.

Bob hadn’t interfered, smiling and sharing anecdotes from his and Hangman’s time together. Bradley hated that too. Nobody had seemed to care that Bradley wasn’t really a part of the conversation. Nobody except Athena. She spared him the occasional glance, something vicious dancing across her features each time he caught her watching. 

When Athena then veered into more intimate details of his and Thea’s relationship, Bradley slammed a fist on the table and told her to stay out of it. His outburst startled the occupants of the table, as well as several other patrons of the restaurant. He had excused himself to the bathroom for a chance to calm down. He hoped that Athena would keep her mouth shut while he was gone. 

There had been a tentative knock on the door, Thea was hovering outside the door, worry etched onto her face. He stepped out of the bathroom, refusing to meet her eyes. 

“Are you okay?” She asked as he closed the bathroom door behind him, not bothering to answer her as he tugged her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. “Bradley, please, what’s wrong?”

“Can we just go home?” He had asked instead of answering Thea’s questions. He wanted to go home, wrap Thea up in his arms and never let go. She sweetly told him to head for the car while she said goodbye, never the one to push. 

The drive home had been quiet, Bradley’s anger still rushing through him. Thea shifted uncomfortably the entire way, opening and closing her mouth several times but never saying anything. 

She exited the car and Bradley wondered for a split second if he should go back to base but Thea called out his name, stopping in the doorway. “Are you sleeping in the car tonight or what?”

He followed her into the bedroom and they got ready for bed in silence. At least she wanted him here. Thea was already in bed when he exited the bathroom, phone pressed to her ear. 

“Yeah okay. Tell them sorry for cutting dinner short. ‘Kay, I will. I love you, goodnight.” The term of endearment threw him for a loop until he realised she was probably talking to Bob. He got under the covers, desperately wishing he could just pull her into his arms. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Thea kept her eyes trained on the ceiling, fingers fidgeting on top of the duvet. Bradley doesn’t know exactly what’s going on so he settled for the one thing he did know. 

“I didn’t like the way he looked at you.” It’s childish and he knows it but it’s also true.

Thea frowned, turning onto her side to study his face. “What do you mean?” Bradley isn’t going to insult her by asking how she could have missed the obvious.

“Hangman. He looked at you.” Bradley’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, taking a deep breath. He could see Thea’s hand moving in the corner of his eye and when she made contact with his naked skin, he sucked in another breath.

“Babe, we were talking. Of course he was looking at me. Would have been quite rude not to.” She poked his side, trying to lighten the mood. 

“He didn’t need to look at you like that,” He whispered. 

Thea inched closer. “Like what Brad?” Her lips pressed against his bicep, ghosting over his skin.

“Like he wanted you.”

Thea barked out a laugh, coughing when she realised he was serious and didn't find the whole thing amusing. “Oh honey. He was being polite. That’s all. And even if he did look at me like that, it doesn’t matter. All I want is you.” Thea crawled on top of him, kissing his nose when she settled on his chest. When he didn’t answer, she continued to press kisses to his face, tongue darting out to trace his bottom lip.

Flipping them over was easy and Thea gasped his name when he pressed her into the mattress. He lets his hands roam, enjoying the way she shuddered when his fingers traced along the waistband of her underwear. Her touch faltered as his hand skimmed over her shirt clad stomach, their foreheads pressed together. 

“Please.” He whispered against the hollow of her throat, lips finding her skin. He pulled back to look into her eyes, repeating his plea. It’s a cheap shot but he could try. She hesitated and Brad decided to throw caution to the wind as he pressed his hips closer. 

“Thea. Please, I want you. Say you want me too. Say you’re mine.” He begged. Tell me you belong to me. Tell me you don’t want anyone else. Tell me I am the only one. Tell me you don’t want him.

 “I love you, Thea.” He tried again, leaning back slightly. An uncomfortable tightness grew in his chest, very much unlike the tightness of his boxers. Her silence sent him into a downward spiral of doubt and insecurities, hands reaching inside his chest and squeezing his heart. 

“Brad. Bradley. Look at me.” As if she could sense his panic, Thea reached up to frame his face, thumbs stroking his cheeks. “Promise me this isn’t because of what happened tonight. Promise me what you’re saying is how you really feel.”

“Of course it’s real.” It’s also so Athena would leave him alone but Thea didn’t need to know that. She didn’t need to know about the bet. But he did love her, so much he thinks there’s no room for him to feel anything else than this overwhelming need to constantly be with her. 

“I love you, too, Bradley.” He didn't need to hear more, reaching down to press their lips together. Thea reached blindly for the light, the room descending into darkness as he slowly pulled the shirt over her head. 

“I’m yours Bradley. I want you.”

“Nice of you to skip out on the bill, dickhead.” Was Athena’s way of joining the conversation he and Bob currently was involved in. The bar was packed with people, nothing new for a Friday night but Bradley had hoped to avoid Athena tonight. Even if he had made good on the bet, Bradley had hoped a single text would suffice and then everything could go back to normal. 

He was nursing his fourth beer when his backseater joined him and Thea’s brother at the bar.

“I said I was sorry. And we did pay you back.” Bradley muttered, rolling his eyes. Athena waved down the bartender, asking for a beer, eyeing Bradley up and down. 

Bob smiled politely when she joined them, munching on a few peanuts. “Isn’t Hangman here? We were talking about going to the golf course before dinner ended.” He angled the cup of peanuts towards her, a silent offer. 

“No, he’s meeting someone tonight I think.” There it was again, the white hot jealousy igniting within him every time they mentioned Seresin. Everything about the man infuriated Bradley. His friendship with Bob, the very obvious way he looked at Thea. 

“Well, I’ll see him tomorrow. You up for some golf Rooster?” Bob’s invitation was genuine but Bradley could think of a hundred other things to do before meeting Hangman again. He swallowed a mouthful of beer before answering.

“Sorry, but I’ve got some solo simulations to run.” There was no need to mention that he’d never played a single game of golf in his life, except on Wii. He detested the sport, there wasn’t anything remotely fun about it.

Bob smiled brightly, so like Thea’s smile. “Yeah, Thea mentioned that earlier when we spoke. Sorry man, totally forgot.”

Bob downed the last of his water before bidding them goodnight, citing that he and Seresin planned to meet up early the next day. 

Athena pounced the moment he was gone, turning towards Bradley with a wicked glint in her eye. “So? Tomorrow’s the deadline, Bradshaw. Sealed the deal yet? If not, we could always call Jake. He’d be down to fuck her in a second, she’s all he’s talked about since dinner.” As always, she pushed the right buttons and Bradley forced himself to let go of his bottle before he broke it. 

“Fuck him. I saw the way he was looking at her. She’s mine. Tell him to back to fuck off,” Bradley paused, letting out a heavy breath. “I did it. So you can back off now.” 

“Nice. Honestly, I didn't think you had it in you chicken. I’m proud. Next round’s on me.” Athena smacked his arm, looking way too pleased. Bradley had a feeling she wasn’t going to behave any different. Before he could say something, Orca and Spot showed up, nodding their hellos.

“What is this I hear about you buying Simons? What did we miss?” 

“Bet Bradshaw here free drinks forever if he fucked lil Floyd within three weeks.” Bradley choked on his beer, patting his own chest to get rid of the fluid in his throat. He turned to Athena, anger coursing through his veins. What the fuck was she doing?

“Hey look at that, big man Bradshaw. Good for you. Was she any good? She looks like she’s good.” Orca nudged his side, filthy smile in place, his blue eyes shining with interest. Bradley had every intention of walking away from the conversation but Athena clucked quietly under her breath, making crude gestures with her hands. 

Spot grimaced, looking around the packed bar. “Tone it down man. What if Floyd hears? Don’t think he would appreciate listening to how Bradshaw railed his little sister.” He ended his sentence with a laugh, proudly accepting the high five from both Athena and Orca. 

“Come on Rooster, share. She’s a pretty thing, isn’t she? She’s like a damn princess, all happy and shit.” Athena mocked, waving down the bartender for another round. Bradley sighed audibly, taking another gulp of his beer. 

Orca and Spot laughed in tandem, making kissy faces at him. “Bradshaw, don’t go all shy on us now.”

“Maybe she was terrible. Fuck chicken, is that it? It was bad, wasn’t it? Fuck, I knew I should have let Hangman loose. You should have seen them at dinner. There were fumes coming out of this one's ears.” Athena patted Bradley on the arm. All three of them were laughing now, trading insults. 

Bradley wasn’t drunk but he had consumed enough beers to have his judgement clouded. And when Athena once again mentioned Hangman, and his very obvious attraction to Bradley’s girlfriend, he had enough. 

“Fuck you, Athena. Hangman isn’t coming anywhere near my girl, ever. And for your information, I fucked her until she cried. So shut the fuck up.”

Orca thumped him on the back, hooting wildly. “Hell yeah Rooster. Good man!” For a split second, pride filled Bradley and he joined in the laughter, reaching for another beer. 

“Guess I misjudged you then, Bradshaw. As promised, I’ll back off.”

“Damn right you will,” he spat. “And no mention of any of this to anyone else, you understand? Any of you. I will make sure you’re all grounded.”

“Grounded for what?” Bob asked as he appeared over Bradley’s shoulder. 

All eyes turned to Bradshaw as he squeezed his eyes shut for a second before turning to his girlfriend’s brother. “Nothing.”

There was a look on Bob’s face that said he knew more than he was letting on but Bradshaw was too impaired to begin to interpret it correctly. “Mhmm,” Bob hummed as he turned to the rest of the group. “I’m gonna head out. Behave, don’t make me come back to pick up any of you drunks.”

The group bid goodbye to the WSO and turned back to Bradshaw, the looks on their faces begging for details. Unfortunately for him, he was just drunk enough to give them what they wanted.

When Bradley woke the next morning, Thea’s side of the bed was empty and his head was killing him. Rolling over slowly, he spotted a glass of water and Advil on the nightstand, a note laying next to them.

Babe,

Golfing with Bob this morning, didn’t want to wake you. You came back pretty late last night. Drink plenty of water, there’s food in the fridge.

I love you, Thea

Guilt coursed through him as he remembered last night and how he had bragged about their sex life with the rest of his squadron. It was a private matter and he felt threatened enough by Athena to spill details that weren't his to share. Bile rose in the back of his throat and he threw off the covers before sprinting to the bathroom, emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. 

He heaved until there was nothing left, disgust and shame mixing with the hangover, filling his entire body. How could he have felt even a tiny bit proud last night as he shared the most intimate details of his and Thea’s relationship? How could he once again let Athena influence him? Each time he tried to step away, Athena was there, shoving another drink in his hand, mocking him quietly, out of earshot of the others. 

Part of him had wanted to tell her how Thea was a thousand times better than Athena could ever hope to be, how he had never had what he and Thea shared while Athena and he fooled around. The other part wanted her to leave him alone, as promised. 

Bradley sat back against the bathtub, head in his hands. He only had himself to blame for this. If he was lucky enough, his squad would keep their mouths shut and word would never get back to Bob about last night. He’d rather avoid a fist to the face. And either way, Bob was playing golf with Hangman today, so he wouldn’t be around the guys anyway.

Bradley frowned, swallowing thickly as he sluggishly moved back to the bedroom, reaching for Thea’s note. ‘Golfing with Bob this morning’ stared back at him, the nauseous pit in his stomach making itself known again. 

If Thea was off with Bob this morning, it also meant she was hanging out with Hangman. Bradley crumpled the note in his hand, trying to calm his anger bubbling to the surface. 

After Bradley had explicitly told Thea that Hangman wanted her, looked at her, even though she was with Bradley, she had gone off to spend the day with him. Without telling Bradley about it. She had deliberately kept it from him. Before he had left for the bar last night, he asked about her plans and Thea had just told him she was going to stay at home and catch up on chores.

Now she was off, meeting the one man Bradley had warned her off from. How could she? Maybe it had been her plan all along. Maybe Bob wasn’t even there, maybe it was just an excuse so she could meet Seresin alone. 

Thea had told Bradley she loved him four nights prior but if she could lie about this, who knew if what she had told him that night was true? He was spiralling, mind going over every possible scenario. How Hangman probably had his hands on what was his right this second, how Thea had lied to him. 

The ping of his phone interrupted his train of thought, alerting him to a new message. Scrambling, he pushed off the floor only to see Athena’s name flashing across the screen. It’s a picture attached in the text message and Bradley felt like vomiting again. In the picture, clearly taken from a distance, Thea is laughing, head thrown back and her hand on Hangman’s arm, matching smile on his face. Bob is there too but Bradley can’t tear his eyes from how she’s touching him. 

Another message pops up beneath the picture. ‘Lookin’ cosy, don’t they?’ appears first and the three dots indicate that Athena is still typing. Fury fills his veins as she sends another picture, this time of Hangman and Thea getting into the same car, Hangman’s hand on her wrist. 

Bradley threw the phone across the room, watching the screen crack as it hit the wall. His heart pounded against his ribcage, blood rushing to his head as he tried to control his breathing. 

Somewhere he could hear the front door opening, Thea calling his name. Was she checking to see if the condo was empty? Was Hangman waiting in the car? Did she bring him here, thinking Bradley had already gone back to base.

“Brad?” He looked up to see Thea hovering in the doorway, concern written all over her face. “Babe, you look awful. Have you eaten?” She moved towards him but stopped short when Bradley stumbled to his feet, fire burning in his veins. 

“Is he here?” He spat, nostrils flaring as he stared her down. He wouldn’t let her lie to him anymore. 

Thea looked genuinely confused. “Is who here? Bob dropped me off but he couldn’t stay. Didn’t you see my note?”

“Oh I saw plenty!” Bradley laughed harshly. He moved then, bending down to grab his phone. The screen was cracked in three places but it miraculously still worked. He punched in the code, Thea’s birthday, opening his messages. The picture of her and Hangman getting into a car together lit up the screen. 

“This! I saw this. What the fuck is going on? Why were you with him?” He showed the phone in her face, the pictures that Athena sent him on the display. Bradley watched her face closely as she studied the phone, brows furrowing.

“Babe, I told you. Bob invited me for a round of golf and Jake was there too. Apparently they’ve played together before and me and Bob always used to play back home. Bobby said he invited you too. He said you declined.”

Bradley snorted. “Yeah, and you obviously found that particular opportunity very good. A whole fucking day, alone with him!” Tired of being cooped up in the bedroom, he shoved past Thea and headed for the kitchen. 

“An opportunity? Brad, that doesn’t even make sense. And Bob was there too? I don’t understand why you hate Jake so much. He’s been nothing but kind.” Her footsteps alerted him that he was being followed. 

Bradley spun on his heel, making Thea smack right into him. “HE HAD HIS HANDS ON YOU!” The force of his voice made Thea take a step back, eyes wide. Bradley watched as confusion crossed her face, mouth opening and closing. She was stalling for time. To come up with yet another lie.

Brad swore, jaw clenching. “I saw you two. You let him touch you. You’re mine and you let him touch you!”

Thea blinked, lower lip quivering. “Babe, what are you talking about?” He fumbled for the phone again, showing her the other photo Athena sent.

“Brad.. where did you even get this? Look, he was joking about something, okay? I don’t understand why you’re so upset. We played and then we had lunch. Bobby drove me home afterwards.”

She’s lying. If she had sounded guilty, Bradley might have had believed her but all she did was sound confused. Probably to throw him off.

“Stop, just stop! Just admit you clearly came along just so you could see him. Tell me, did you plan this? When I went to the bathroom during dinner maybe, hm? Did you plan to meet up with him, and then let me fuck you the same night? You feel good now, when you’ve had us both?” He couldn’t stop, not now. Bradley needed to know the truth. The tears on Thea’s face might have hurt less if he wasn’t so angry, so filled with disgust and jealousy. 

“Had you both? Bradley, there’s nothing between Jake and me. I love you. There isn’t anyone else.” She cried. Her tears did nothing to stop him. 

“STOP LYING TO ME! JUST ADMIT YOU FUCKED HIM!” Bradley slammed his hand down on the counter, rattling the items on there. Thea shied away instantly, backing up until her body hit the wall. Bradley didn’t care, continuing his rant. “Was he good? Better than me? ANSWER!” 

Thea pressed closer against the wall, sobs catching in her throat. “Please stop. Brad, please.” When he stayed quiet, Thea took a deep breath and straightened up. 

“Look at me Bradley. Look at me. I don’t understand why you would think there’s anything between Jake and me. I’m with you. Okay? I’m right here. I love you. So please, just stop, just -“. 

“SHUT UP!” Bradley grabbed the nearest item, hurling it towards the wall. He realised his mistake a moment too late as the glass crashed into the wall, Thea’s hand flying up to cover her mouth. The fear in her eyes was evident and Bradley immediately backtracked. He tried to apologise, moving towards her at the same time.

“Don’t.” Thea held out a hand, stopping him in his tracks. 

Bradley’s hands shook as he tried to reach for her but she moved away, further from him. “I said don’t.” 

He tried to say her name but Thea only shook her head, tears still streaming down her face. “I think you should go. You need to cool down.”

Her voice is quiet, barely above a whisper but Bradley heard her. The anger was still burning and he scoffed, reaching for his keys. “Sure. I’ll go. Don’t forget to text Seresin that I’m gone so he can swoop in.” 

He turned on his heels, collecting his phone and jacket on his way out. Thea moved, asking him to stop it and just calm down. But he knows he’ll do something he’s going to regret, so Bradley opts for slamming the door behind him, rattling the windows.  

He pulled out of the driveway, knuckles white as  he tried to control his breathing. He arrived at Parlor Bar before his mind caught up and for a moment he sat in silence in the car. He should go back, get on his knees and apologise. Wrap her up in his arms and never let go. But Seresin’s hand on her stays in the front of his mind and with that, Bradley made up his mind. He needed a drink. 

“Well, if it ain’t Bradshaw. What’s got you down?” Athena mocked as she joined him at the bar. Bradley is already 5 beers in and not interested in entertaining her. Thea’s betrayal still stings and he downed the rest of his beer, signalling the bartender for another. Athena ordered a beer as well, leaning back in her seat. He didn’t answer her so his WSO made her own conclusions. “Aw, did you and the princess have a fight?” 

Bradley swivelled around on his stool, beer spilling from the glass. “Fuck off. Leave me alone. This is all your fault.”

Athena snorted, taking a sip of her beer. “I fail to see how it is. I delivered on my end. You fucked lil Floyd, and I backed off. If there’s a problem in paradise, I’m pretty sure it’s your fault, Rooster.”

“You did this. You forced me into accepting the bet.” Rooster argued, anger bubbling over. The bartender backed away after sliding an Old Fashioned in front of him and Bradley swept it down with one gulp. 

"FORCED you?" Athena scoffed, a mirthless laugh following. "Bradshaw I didn't force you to do anything. Everything you did was on your own. Did I taunt you? Yeah. But you're a fucking Navy pilot, jackass. You should be above that. Guess they were wrong about you too."

Bradley stood suddenly, the stool rocking on its legs before clattering to the floor. "You fucking bitch. You can't handle the attention not being on you for three seconds and I'm the one who should be above it?" 

Athena chuckled again, a mischief flashing in her eyes before she bit her lip and closed the distance between them. "You think I'm jealous of her? You think I’m jealous of your unicorn princess? You think I didn't have attention? Bradley, I've even had your attention this whole time."

"You fucking liar," Bradley spat. The room was spinning slightly, the amounts of alcohol he’s downed in rapid succession making itself known.  

"Maybe," she smirked as her hands settled on his hips before one hand skimmed his waistline and down his zipper. "Or maybe you're trying to lie to yourself."

Bradley hadn't even realised his cock had hardened in his pants while he was fuming at his coworker. Neediness overtook him at that point, fueled by the alcohol coursing through his veins, nearly enough to have him seeing double. Flashes of Hangman touching Thea in his mind, touching his girlfriend, was enough. He crashed his lips to Athena’s and pressed his length further into her hand. "Your room. Now. Fucking whore."

Waking up hungover two days in a row hadn’t been Bradley’s plans for the weekend, yet he awoke feeling like he’d been trampled by a herd of elephants, throat drier than the Sahara Desert. Trying desperately to fight the nausea, Bradley rolled out of bed while shielding his eyes from the bright life, trying to navigate his way to the bathroom. 

His head was pounding and he didn't remember how he even got home. After the fight, he hadn’t believed Thea would even let him inside the house, nevermind back into her bed. Regret flowed through his body and the pit in his stomach grew. A movement from the corner of his eyes caught his attention and he thanked every God there was for Thea letting him back inside. 

He stumbled into the dresser, cursing as his foot caught on the bottom of it. There shouldn’t be a dresser there, Thea had hers by the entrance, not the door to the bathroom. Bradley stopped in his endeavour to reach the bathroom and rubbed his eyes, looking around the room. 

A flash of panic went through him as Bradley realised this was not Thea’s bedroom. The silhouette of the body buried beneath the blankets moved, only to reveal the last person Bradley wanted to see. Athena.

His heartbeat accelerated, bile rising in his throat as he spotted his clothes strewn across the room, Athena’s naked body among the sheets. Pieces of the night before flashed before his eyes. 

“No no no,” Bradley whispered, something foul and ugly building within him, “Fuck!”

He reached down to collect his clothes, trying to escape before she woke but the nausea wouldn't let him. Bradley sank to the floor, back against the wall as he tried to desperately stop the tears. His phone is buzzed in the pocket of the jeans, the cracked screen lightning up with Thea’s name. The bile returned again and Bradley scrambled to his feet and rushed into the bathroom before emptying his stomach over the toilet. After heaving what alcohol was left in his system, Bradley struggled to his feet, hands grasped at the sink.

What the fuck was he going to do?

“Good morning sunshine. You look like you’ve had better days.” Athena appeared in the doorway. He felt sick as he looked at her. More memories of last night popped up, his hands on her body, her mouth on his skin. He coughed violently, his throat still dry despite emptying the contents of his stomach moments before. 

His face twisted. “What time is it?” 

“Closer to lunch. Thanks for last night by the way. Nice to know the unicorn princess hadn’t turned you into a saint.” Bradley couldn’t stop the tears from falling when she mentioned Thea. 

His heartbreak turned into anger when Athena laughed. “Oh, does the prince need a tissue, hm?”

“Fuck you.” He fumed, turning on shaking legs to look at her. Athena grinned, tongue darting out to wet her lips. 

“You already did, if you don’t remember. I honestly thought it would prove to be a challenge to get you into bed, but you went oh so easily. Now, tell me. Who is better? Me or your little girlfriend?” 

Bradley bit back his response as her words reached him. Get into bed?

“You planned this.”

Athena scoffed, leaning against the doorframe. “I wouldn’t say that it was a plan. You’ve always been so easy to manipulate, Bradshaw. I just had to press the right buttons. I did think you would change after meeting her but it seems like you’re just the same,” she pauses for a second, taking in his reaction, “honestly, I just wanted to see if I could.”

Bradley opened his mouth but words failed him. Athena took two steps, invading his personal space but his feet refused to move, frozen to the spot.

She patted his cheek. “Thank you for your service, Lieutenant. You can see yourself out.” 

He had hoped Thea wouldn’t be home when he finally made his way over to her place, but luck wasn’t on his side. 

“Brad, oh good, you’re back. Listen, I feel awful about what happened. I need you to know that nothing is going on between Jake and me. Okay? I’m with you and I love you. There’s no one else. He’s just a friend. And he didn’t do anything remotely close to flirting with me. Bob was there the entire time, you can ask him. Just.. please, I don’t want us to fight.” 

Thea kept rambling and he felt sick to his stomach. “Thea, babe.. I am so sorry.” 

She paused for a moment. “Thank you. I understand that you were angry but your words really hurt me. I don’t understand why you don’t trust me.” The sadness in her voice brought a wave of anguish. Bradley knew he needed to tell her, but how could he when she was trying to fix his mess?

“I do trust you.” Is the only thing he can say. He does trust her. His own insecurities are at fault here, his own stupidity and inability to deal with his emotions. 

“Okay, good. Uh, you kind of stink. Sorry. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll make some food and we can talk more.” Thea is already moving around the kitchen, pulling out various ingredients from the pantry. 

“I’m so sorry.” He says again, not knowing what else to say.

“And I forgive you babe. I just want this to be over, okay?” Thea mixed the eggs into the pancake batter, eyes trained on the stove.

Bradley swallowed thickly. “I made a mistake.”

Thea slowed her movements. “What do you mean?”

 Bradley bit his bottom lip, sniffling quietly. 

“After you told me to get out yesterday, I went for a drink. At Parlor Bar. You told me to calm down, so I went for a beer. I thought it would help.” 

Thea pushed the batter to the side. “Okay. Like I said, I can smell it on you. It’s fine Brad.”

“No it’s not. It’s everything but fine!” Bradley wailed, rising to his full height. His heart plummeted to his stomach as Thea’s face fell. 

“What’s going on?”

Bradley hiccuped, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand. “Athena showed up. At the bar. She figured out that we fought. Uh, I had a lot to drink. I was still angry, and jealous. God, I was so jealous. He’s everything I’m not, you know? And seeing you two together just bugged me, I-”

“Bradley.” His name falling from her lips stopped him in his tracks. It’s cold and harsh. 

Thea choked up, hurt painted across her face. “What did you do?”

“I’m so sorry.”

She’s quiet for a long time, long enough to make him fidget uncomfortably.

“Did you sleep with her? Did you fuck her?” In the short time they’ve been together, Bradley has never heard her speak like this. He keeps quiet, his eyes trained on the floor.

“Answer the fucking question, Bradley! Did you sleep with her?” Thea’s voice shook, the trembling of her voice breaking his heart in the process. 

“Yes.” 

Thea laughed, the betrayal swimming in her eyes. “So after you accused me of sleeping with Jake, after you asked me if I felt good about something I hadn’t even done, you decided that the best course of action was to fuck your ex?”

Bradley leapt from his place against the kitchen counter. “I was wrong, okay?” He paused, swallowing hard. “Sweetheart, listen, it didn’t mean anything. She didn’t mean anything. It was a mistake. I was drunk, and I was angry and -” He fumbled for the right words, trying to fix the mess he had created. 

“I TRUSTED YOU! I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING BRADLEY! One fight and you run back into her arms?” Thea dipped her head back as she sniffled and tried to stop the tears. His heart broke as she cried, taking a step back as he approached. 

“Sweetheart…-” Bradley tried to reach for Thea but she pushed him away. 

“Don’t touch me. Don’t you dare touch me after you’ve been with her.” Her hands trembled, with anger or betrayal, Bradley didn’t know. All he knew was that she slipped further from him with each second. He had to make amends. 

“Did it mean so little to you?” Thea whispered. “Did I?”

“No. You’re everything. I love you.” Bradley didn’t know what else to say at this point. At first, he thought that maybe she would forgive him but after her reaction, he knew that it’s over. 

Thea laughed through her tears. They’re standing on opposite sides of the kitchen but the distance between them feels bigger. “If that was true, you wouldn’t have slept with her. You don’t do this to someone you love.”

Bradley’s chin meets his chest, head hanging low. “I’m sorry. If I could take it back, I would.” 

“Stop saying you’re sorry. It won’t fix this.”

“What can I do? Please, tell me what to do.” He pleaded, trying to round the island but stayed back as she shied away from him. “Please.”

She huffed at his words. “You can’t do anything, Brad. It’s already done.” 

“Thena, honey, please…-” 

She looked up, hands balling into fists by her sides. The hurt in Thea’s eyes slowly burned into anger, her mouth twisting in disbelief and fury. “What did you just call me?” Fuck. 

“Babe..-”

“We’re done.” Thea spat, face twisted in pain. There was an odd calmness in her voice and Bradley hated it. He wished she would scream at him. It would have felt better.

“You know, I’ve given you every part of myself. All of me. I trusted you. And in return, you’ve broken all those parts,” Thea whispered. Bradley cried, wishing desperately that he could turn back the time. 

“Get out. This,” she pointed back and forth between them, “Is over.” 

Bradley looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red and puffy. He looked as hollow as he felt. His image mocked him, a cruel smile twisted on his face. 

His fist made contact with the glass before he could think about it. Blood mixed with glass crashed to the floor but it was only a dull ache compared to agony in his heart. It was overwhelming and he needed to feel something, anything else. With a swipe of his arm, he shoved the objects in his desk to the ground. He watched as they broke but it didn’t make him feel any better. 

All he could think of was Thea’s face. The tears on her face, her anger and the betrayal he had committed. The damage was done, there was nothing he could do to fix this.

Bradley’s hands shook as he reached for his phone. He knocked over the bottle of Jack that sat on his nightstand but paid it little attention. 

With trembling fingers he punched in a number he hadn’t called in years. As he waited, he both wished for the person on the other end to pick up and not pick up. He didn’t even know if this was the right number anymore. 

“Hello? Captain Mitchell speaking.”

Bradley let out a sob. He’d almost forgotten what Pete sounded like. He swallowed hard before answering. 

“It’s me. It’s Bradley. I’ve fucked up, I need your help.”

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