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boiolay · 3 days

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I loved this series so much!!!! I was anxiously waiting for the chapters and now I'm so happy Bradley and Birdie had their happy ending 🥺🥺🥺

Stars Align: Part 9 - Final

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Warnings: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Violence, Mentions of Abuse, Stalking, Sexual Themes, Trauma, Alcohol, Swearing, Home Intrusions, Attacks.

-- Part 8 Here --

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18+ Only - Smutty Chapter + Possible Triggers

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Present:

You walked into the bungalow, sufficiently shaken, and Bradley instructed you to sit down while he drew you a bath.

By the time he got back from the bathroom, he found you fast asleep, curled up on the sofa.

He smiled down at you as he gently stroked your hair from your face, you stirred and hummed, a sound that reached right inside Bradley and tugged at his heart strings.

“I love you, I won’t let anything happen to you.” He whispered, and then scooped you up in his arms and carried you carefully to bed.

Once he’d removed your dress and tucked you in, ensuring you were asleep again, he left the room and checked the door and windows.

He thought Jacob's threat was just that, an empty threat, but he had to be sure you were safe.

Once he was truly satisfied everything was locked and there was no one lurking in the bushes outside, he finally allowed himself to reel in the whole night. He opened the fridge and pulled out a beer, sitting at the kitchen island while he drank it and his heart rate began to calm, the pain in his knuckles slowly subsiding.

In the bedroom, you stirred and felt around for Bradley. When you realised he wasn’t there, you got out of bed and walked out into the living room, the cool air on your almost bare skin making you shiver.

You suddenly heard a sniffling noise coming from the kitchen.

You stopped in the doorway as you found Bradley wiping his eyes as he sat, a half finished beer on the island in front of him.

“Bradley?”

He spun around, surprised to find you there, and quickly hid his face as he wiped the tears that slid down his cheeks.

You quickly crossed over to him, forcing him to turn around in his stool.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” You cooed, cupping his face in your hands. His hands fell naturally on your hips, rubbing the bare skin not covered by your underwear with his thumbs.

“Nothing, I’m fine. I didn’t see you there.” He hiccuped.

“Please talk to me, there’s obviously something wrong.” You pleaded.

Bradley lowered his head to rest on your chest and he sighed, “I’ve… I’ve never ever felt rage like that before. I’ve been in so many shitty situations before but nothing has ever made me see red like that. I thought I was going to kill him, Birdy.” He looked up at you and his eyes were filled with pain.

“I’m so sorry Roo, I never meant to put you in a situation like that.” You whispered.

His hands tightened on your hips as he shook his head, “No you don’t understand, I’m emotional because no one’s ever meant this much to me, to make me lose it like that. I know I’ve told you I love you already, but I think it’s finally hit me just how much. I don’t think there’s a word for it Birdy.”

“You don’t need to find a word for it, I know, Brad, I know. I can feel it. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.” You slotted yourself in between his legs, threading your fingers through his golden curls. He moaned softly at your touch and his eyes closed.

“I’m scared to lose you.” He breathed.

“You’re not gonna lose me.” You kissed him softly, and Bradley’s arms circled around your waist. One more tear rolled down his cheek as he deepened the kiss, standing slowly from his seat.

He pressed you up against the kitchen island, as his kisses grew passionate and hungry. He bent down and picked you up by the back of your thighs, lifting you onto the island.

He slotted in between your legs and cupped your jaw, soft moans escaping both of you as you began to grow hot and desperate for one another.

“I want you.” Bradley growled against your lips, and you smirked as you reached back and unclasped your bra. He leaned back as he watched it fall and his hands briefly moved to caress your breasts.

“So beautiful.” He whispered, and then he was pulling his vest over his head.

You loved his bare skin, he was golden and toned and his huge muscles made you feel so small and fragile.

Your hands trailed down his chest to his v-line, and Bradley shivered as you unbuttoned his jeans and yanked them down. Bradley was rock hard underneath his underwear, and you ran your hand over him. Bradley twitched and bit his lip as he watched your small hand run delicately along his length, but he had something entirely different in mind.

Pushing you gently back against the island, Bradley hooked his fingers into your underwear and slowly slid them down your thighs and discarded them to the floor.

He lifted one of your feet and began to kiss up from your ankle to your inner thigh, where he stopped teasingly.

His beautiful brown eyes, now black with lust, flitted up to look into yours as he slid two fingers into his mouth and then through your folds.

You gasped as you lay against the cold counter and threw your head back. Bradley growled as your back arched, and he slid a finger inside you, pumping twice before the second finger joined in your warmth. You whimpered as he pumped slowly, curling inside you, but when you felt his lips gently press against your clit, you bucked into him.

You felt him grin against you and then his tongue darted out and swiped through your folds. He continued to pump and curl his fingers slowly as his lips sucked around your bundle of nerves, his tongue taking turns circling and flattening against you, a pattern that quickly had you panting.

“That’s my good girl, cum for me.” He hummed against you, speeding up his movements, his nose teasingly bumping your clit and his moustache prickling your sensitive skin. Wet sounds spurred you on as your legs began to shake and tighten around Bradley’s head, and you felt yourself coming undone, clenching around Bradley’s fingers with a loud, shaky moan.

Bradley felt himself throbbing painfully as he enjoyed the show from his front row seat, but neither of you were aware of the third pair of eyes that also watched from just outside the kitchen window.

————————————

Past:

The months passed and you and Bradley maintained contact, calling one another regularly, which turned gradually to text.

When Bradley went off to college, the texting and calls grew less and less, with the time difference and classes getting in the way. Truth be told Bradley had begun enjoying partying, and that took up a lot of his spare time.

You went off to college not long after and it was then that your schedules really clashed, and your almost hourly texting became weekly, if that, and calls came to a halt.

It’s not that you didn’t think about Bradley, in fact he plagued your thoughts and clouded your mind almost constantly, at first. But then when you’d started your new job, and met Jacob, you finally had something more tangible to focus your energy on, and you didn’t have the time to think about your feelings for Bradley as much.

Bradley also dove into partying and meaningless relationships to drown out his desperate need for you, and the intense feeling of missing you at every moment of the day. But as you began to text less, his pride stopped him from following up with you, and then the texting stopped altogether.

When Carole passed away, Bradley only wanted you there to comfort him, but he was too grief stricken to even pick up the phone. He knew he should tell you, but he couldn’t face breaking your heart the way his had been.

When Bradley found out he’d finally been accepted into the Naval Academy, the first person he thought about was you. He decided that enough time had passed, and he should break the bad and good news to you. He picked up the phone and dialled your number, but the line just beeped and the call ended. He tried to text you but the messages didn’t go through, and his heart shattered. Had you changed your number and forgotten to tell him?

A few months later, Bradley was in the process of moving, packing up his and his mothers things when he came across the forgotten love letter under the chest of drawers, dusty and lonely on the floor.

Bradley suddenly realised what he needed to do, as he dusted off the letter and his heart began to thud.

The plane journey was agonisingly long because he was so desperate to just see you, hold you and finally tell you how he felt. He’d left it far too long, and he knew it was finally time.

The rental car seemingly wouldn’t drive fast enough, and Bradley cursed loudly as the heavy traffic slowed him even more, as if the universe was trying to stop him for some reason.

Finally he pulled up outside your apartment, his heart ready to explode out of his chest, a beaming smile taking over his handsome face, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and the love letter in the other. It was time, finally.

He crossed over the small lawn and looked up at the big bay windows of the apartment block, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

There in one of the windows, totally unaware of his presence, stood the love of his life in the arms of another man.

You giggled as the man kissed your neck, and then picked you up and threw you over his shoulder, carrying you off somewhere deep inside the apartment.

Bradley’s heart shattered into a million pieces, as he dropped the bouquet onto the ground. He’d waited too long, and now it was too late. A thick lump formed in Bradleys throat as he nodded to himself. He scrunched up the love letter in his clenched fist and skulked back to the car.

That was the last time Bradley would see you, until that night in a New York bar, when stars finally aligned.

———————————————

Present:

A few weeks later, you started to feel tired all the time, more emotional, sensitive and nauseas.

You knew you and Bradley had been less than careful, so you told him you were just popping out for a few things and would be back soon.

Bradley kissed you goodbye and you walked the short distance to the local store.

You felt sheepish and awkward as you paid for the pregnancy test and slid the box in your handbag. As you walked back to the bungalow you considered what a baby could do to your relationship. You hadn’t discussed it so you had no idea if Bradley even wanted children.

You were suddenly overcome with nerves, and very very nauseas.

When you walked through the door, Bradley asked you if you wanted a glass of wine out in the garden while he fired up the grill, you refused and said you were going to take a shower.

Bradley thought it was very unlike you, but he knew you were feeling under the weather, so told you to call him if you needed anything.

You disappeared into the bathroom, breathing a shaky breath as you pulled out the box.

You took the test and you waited, waited with bated breaths. After a few minutes you gained the courage to pick up the stick, and you let out a sob.

Bradley whistled as he started the grill, the sun baking against his broad back. He had never been happier in life and things were perfect.

He had a deployment coming up but that was still a few weeks away, so he wouldn’t worry about that until it was closer to the time, for now he just wanted to enjoy the perfect life he had somehow fallen into.

“Bradley.” You said in a small voice behind him. Bradley spun around and smiled at you.

“Hey beautiful.” He smiled, “Are you okay?” He chuckled.

You were smiling at him but you looked like you were about to burst into tears.

“Yeah, I’m more than okay. But…” and then it started, the waterworks, you couldn’t turn them off and you sobbed.

Bradley quickly crossed over to you and pulled you into him. “Woah woah, what’s wrong? I thought you said you were okay?” He chuckled sympathetically.

“I am.” You sobbed into his bare chest. Bradley pulled back so he could look at your face, worry etched on his now.

“Then why are you crying, sweetheart?”

You sniffled up at him and let out a wet laugh. You reached into your back pocket and handed the stick to Bradley.

He pulled in a sharp breath as he realised what he was holding, and slowly flipped it over.

He let out a short chuckle, a hand moving to his head as he stared at the stick.

His eyes grew watery as he looked at you in awe.

“You’re...?”

You nodded, shaking with adrenaline.

“Oh my god, that means I’m…” his voice was shaky.

“Yeah, you’re gonna be a dad.” You said in a small voice.

A smile took over Bradley’s face as he scooped you up and spun you around until you stopped him for fear of throwing up. He put you down as you both chuckled through the tears, he cupped your face and kissed you for a long time.

“Oh my god, oh my god…” he mumbled, “I’m gonna be a dad.”

“Are you happy?”

“Are you kidding? I thought life was perfect a minute ago, I was wrong, it’s perfect now. It can’t believe this.” He looked at you seriously, nodding. “Wait, are you happy?”

You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Happiest I’ve ever been, Roo.”

Bradley kissed you deeply, and when he pulled away his grin grew even bigger.

“I want to celebrate, tonight. If you’re not up for going out for dinner, how about I make us something nice, get some non alcoholic champagne, run a bubble bath, give you a massage, what do you think?” He purred.

“Mmmm, that sounds nice.” You grinned up at him.

Bradley went inside and drew you a bubble bath, little candles scattered all around the bathroom to help you relax.

You made a mental note to call Gabby afterwards to break the news to her too, and then you climbed into the bath and sighed as you relaxed in the hot water.

Bradley promised to be right back, he was just going shopping to grab the drinks and something for dinner, while you soaked.

You heard the front door close and sighed as you felt the lingering nausea begin to pass. You rested your hand on your stomach and breathed out a soft laugh, you still couldn’t believe it, but in all honesty you really shouldn’t have been surprised.

Bradley would be the best dad, you could just feel it.

You heard the front door open and close, and you grinned. “You forget your wallet again?” You called out.

You heard no response, so you sank under the bubbles and floated for a while, enjoying the silent echoes that being under water provided. It reminded you of all the times you’d gone swimming in the sea, a sense of peace and tranquillity that relaxed your muscles.

You didn’t hear when the bathroom door opened, or the dull thud of heavy shoes crossing slowly over to the tub.

The only thing you noticed, was a shadow passing across the candle light behind your eyelids, and your eyes flew open as a pair of hands closed around your neck.

———————————

Still Present:

Bradley whistled as he parked his bronco, hopping out and crossing the parking lot to the supermarket. He had a spring in his step as he picked out two bottles of non alcohol champagne, then scanning the isles for dinner inspiration.

He had steak in mind, but wasn’t sure if that would be too heavy for you while you weren’t feeling 100%, so opted for Fettuccine Alfredo instead with a light side salad. As he browsed for ingredients, he felt a shiver creep up his spine, and his heart began to thud. He took a deep breath and pushed the feeling to the back of his mind as he shopped.

He walked past the baby isle, and had to stop himself from letting out a whoop. He decided it wouldn’t hurt to have a quick little browse while we was here, he knew it was still very early, but he wanted to buy something that he could use to break the news to his squad with before he left for his deployment.

The thought of leaving you now was almost unbearable, so he distracted himself as he walked past onesies, baby booties and toys of all shapes and sizes.

He chuckled as he came across a teddy bear with Aviators, and knew he had to have it.

________________________

Still Present:

You struggled under the water as the strong hands tightened around your neck. Your nails dug into your attackers arms as you tried with all your might to pry their hands off of you, quickly running out of air the longer you were held under.

Suddenly you were pulled out of the tub and dropped on the cold tile floor with a heavy, wet thud, and you gasped for the air you so desperately needed.

Your eyes were blurry from tears and soapy bath water, and you blinked rapidly trying to clear them, although you already knew who was in the room with you. You could smell him, his musky cologne one that was etched into the very fibre of every nightmare you'd had in the last few years.

''Jake-'' you spluttered, coughing as the words burned your throat, ''Jacob, what are you doing?''

Before you could even sit up, or try to cover your naked body, his hands were around your throat again and he dragged you across the floor towards the bedroom.

You tried to scream, you tried so hard, but it was proving impossible.

With one hand around your neck, his other grabbed your hair and you were suddenly being hoisted onto the bed and thrown into the headboard.

You began to sob as you quickly covered yourself with the duvet, cowering as far away from him as you could possibly get.

''I heard the good news. Congrats.'' he spat, walking around the bed towards you.

''Why are you doing this? Bradley will be home any minute.'' you sobbed.

''Not likely, plus I may have put the chain lock on the door.'' he grinned, kneeling on the bed in front of you. You couldn't move, your body was frozen, plus you knew if you did, he was too fast and too strong and it would likely make things worse for you.

''Don't cry sweetheart, you know I hate it when you cry.'' He swiped your cheek and you flinched away from him. Big mistake.

His grin turned into a scowl within a split second, and suddenly your head was hitting the headboard with a loud crack. You cried out and again your head hit the headboard.

You felt dizzy and Jacob turned blurry again as you touched your head, warmth covering your fingertips.

He let go of you and crossed to the foot of the bed, bending over and grabbing your ankles roughly, dragging you down the bed. You didn't fight it, you couldn't, your body felt limp.

''Anyway, like I was saying at the bar before we were so rudely interrupted... When you left it really hurt me, it was a stab in the back I really didn't expect, you know?'' he chuckled psychotically. ''You could have at least given me the courtesy to say goodbye, or something.''

You groaned, trying to force yourself up and out of his vice grip.

He pulled your legs again, harder this time and you fell back down.

''We were so good together, Y/N. We could have gotten married, had kids by now, if you'd just fucking behaved yourself.''

You whimpered, ''Help! Please, somebody!''

You felt a sharp slap across your upper thigh.

''Bad girl, I'm still talking.'' he tutted, hardly worried about your cries for help, they were so week and quiet, he was sure no one would hear.

You sobbed, your head was throbbing. ''Why are you here? What do you want?''

''Well, that should be my baby. You should be my wife. This should be my life. He stole you from me, so now I'm going to ruin you for him.''

''Fuck you.'' you ground out as you kicked with all of your force at his face.

Most of it missed, but your heel did catch his jaw and he stumbled back in surprise. You crawled to the end of the bed as he lunged for you.

His hand wrapped around your ankle and you kicked again with your free foot, managing to just slip out of his grip.

You fell to the floor with a thump and forced yourself to your feet. You could hear him climbing off of the bed and walking around to you, but you didn't dare look back.

Running as fast as you could to the bedroom door, you actually thought you were going to make it, but suddenly a hand was in your hair and a strong arm was wrapping around your waist, tugging you back into the room.

_____________________________

Still Present:

Bradley pulled up the drive, parked the bronco and fished the bag of groceries from the back seat.

He whistled as he walked up to the front door and turned the handle. The door didn't budge, so he figured he must have locked it on his way out after all. He dug in his pockets for his house keys and tried again to open the door. The door opened a few inches and stopped.

Bradley cocked an eyebrow in confusion and put the shopping bag down on the ground. He slid his hand up the crack in the door, and his heart stopped as he felt the cold metal of the chain lock in place.

''Birdy? Did you lock the door baby girl?'' he called.

The house was silent, so he tried again. ''Babe? Can you unlock the door, please?''

Nothing. Bradley began to panic. You had never locked the door with the chain lock before, and even if you had, why weren't you responding.

Without further hesitation, Bradley took a step back and launched himself at the door.

It didn't give way, so he walked further back and ran at the door, throwing his entire weight against it. With a loud crack the chain snapped and the door flew open, hitting the bungalow wall with a deafening bang.

And then he heard your muffled scream, desperate and hoarse.

Bradley ran for the bathroom, but found nothing but a pool of water on the floor and candle wax strewn across the tiles.

''Birdy?!'' he called, and a softer, muffled cry slipped through the bedroom door.

Bradley was on auto pilot as he burst through the bedroom door to find Jacob straddling your naked body on the bed, he was still fully clothed, but he had you pinned to the bed, both of your hands in one of his above your head and his other hand covering your mouth.

There was blood on the white sheets and Bradley couldn't see where it was coming from. His body went numb as he surged towards the bed and tackled Jacob off of you and to the ground.

The two men landed with a heavy thump and immediately Bradleys fist lifted in the air and then swung down, connecting with Jacobs jaw. Again the fist rose in the air and went hurtling down onto your attackers face, and you forced yourself off of the bed, grabbing your robe and quickly covering yourself.

You felt sullied, dirty even, having had Jacob see you in your most vulnerable form, even if he had already done so in the past, you were no longer his to see like that.

You forced yourself onto wobbly legs and stumbled dizzily over to where Bradley continued to beat Jacob.

As you rounded the bed, a glint of something shiny caught your eye, but it was too late, the knife was already in the air and plunging into Bradleys torso before you could even utter a warning.

You screamed as Bradley stopped, a shaky hand moving to touch the knife wedged between his ribs. He pulled the knife out and threw it to the floor, gasping. With one last furious glance at the bloodied Jacob, Bradley's fist connected once more with his face, and Jacob was knocked out.

Bradley collapsed onto his side, gasping for air. You fell down next to him to assess his wound, yours suddenly seeming so trivial, and you wanted to scream as the blood pulsed out of him.

''I- I'm going to call an ambulance, keep your hand there.'' you wept, and ran to the livingroom.

The phone rang for what felt like forever, but finally connected, and then everything went black.

__________________________

Bradley woke up in the hospital bed a week later. The doctors said he'd lost a lot of blood and punctured a lung, he was very lucky to be alive. The first thing he asked for was you, but the nurse said you'd been called down to the police station for another statement, and you'd be back soon.

When you did get back, you cried and held Bradley for what felt like forever. You didn't remember much, but apparently you'd just managed to mutter the address to the 911 operator before you passed out, and by the time they'd arrived, Jacob was coming to.

The scene was a complete mess, with two unconscious and one just barely able to speak or move.

They'd called your emergency contact, who just so happened to be Gabby, and explained the situation. They described the two men you were with, and as soon as they did, she went numb. She told them about Jacob and to not let him out of their sight, and that you'd confirm everything when you woke up.

Gabby got on the next flight to California, and was by your bedside when you woke up.

You told the police what happened and when you were ready they started questioning.

Jacob was now safely behind bars, for the time being at least.

Bradley was terrified to ask, but even more terrified not knowing.

''Is...is the baby okay?''

You stroked his face and kissed his forehead. ''Yeah, they're fine.''

''They?'' Bradley wasn't sure he heard you correctly, and he must still be woozy.

''Yeah, they. There's sort of... two of them.''

Bradley chuckled in happy disbelief, and looked at you like he had never seen anything more beautiful, anything more amazing than you in that moment.

He cupped your face and his eyes locked on yours, ''I love you, Birdy...'' Bradley breathed. ''I've loved you since what feels like the beginning of time, and I'll love you until the end of it. I would have really liked to have done this somewhere less... sterile, and without a hole in my lung-'' he tried to chuckle but winced in pain, ''but I don't think any other moment would be better than this...''

He took a deep breath and grinned, ''Marry me?''

___________________________

The End.

Hope you enjoyed this series and this part wasn't too heavy!

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boiolay · 3 days

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Omg they are adorable! WHEN IS THE DEPLOYMENT GONNA END?!?!! AAAAAAAA they need to meet soon!!!!!!!°

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 4 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: As you and Bradley start to blur the line between professional and personal correspondence, you feel yourself falling for him even more. He has charmed your students as well as you, and you decide to continue taking a chance on him.

Warnings: Fluff, language, Bradley sounding hot

Length: 3800 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

Bradley spent an hour bundling up all of his letters to your students, getting them ready to be sent back to California. Sure, he wanted to impress you, but he also couldn't deny that he was attached to hearing from Oliver, Violet, Jayden and everyone else. And according to you, they were just as happy to hear from him.

Without giving it a second thought, Bradley went all in with your personal email address. An account where he assumed you could say and send anything you wanted to. One that nobody else was monitoring. His thoughts strayed constantly over the past few hours to what that might mean. What did you deem too personal for your school account?

You told him you were single, and you made it seem like you were into him. You said he gave you butterflies, and now he desperately wanted to see this thing through. When he closed his eyes, he could picture the photos of your smiling face, and he felt a little dizzy. He wanted you to tell him everything. He wanted you to wait for him so he could take you on a date. Or several. He wanted to know what your lips tasted like.

It sounded like your ex was a real tool if he didn't appreciate what you did and how hard you worked. You taught eighteen kids enough about aviation that they asked Bradley some pertinent questions and brought up information that was relevant to his job. He was impressed as hell, and he thought he could be better than what you had before. He already knew without a shadow of a doubt that you were better than Vanessa. It was obvious.

"Lieutenant Bradshaw."

He turned toward the voice calling his name as soon as he dropped the package with your name on it off at the mail center. "Hey," he called out to the mechanic who let him take those photos for your class a few weeks ago. He read his jumpsuit again just to be sure. "What's up, Marty?"

He jerked his thumb toward the main deck and said, "I just got around to unpacking some new engine components. You still writing to those kids?"

"Yeah."

"I'm about to do some repairs if you want to take some more pictures or a video for them."

Bradley had been planning on stalking his inbox for the rest of the day in the hopes that you'd write back and comment on his brief missive telling you he wanted the conversation to go further, but this seemed better than driving himself crazy. He could practically picture you and your kids flipping through some photos and watching a cool video he managed to snag for you. "Yeah, Marty. Let me grab my phone, and I'll meet you out in the shop."

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

After you read the email from Bradley where he called you Gorgeous, you were up most of the night. First, you screeched and almost spilled hot tea all over yourself as you rushed to set your mug down on the coffee table so you could giggle and kick your feet in the air. Then you read and reread the short email for about five minutes, curled up in a little ball with your phone right in front of your face. Then you sprawled along your couch and let yourself imagine what he might be like in person.

It was too early to get your hopes up about ever getting that far, but you couldn't seem to stop yourself from thinking about it. You hummed softly, because in your daydream, he lived in San Diego and asked you out on a date, and he was a perfect gentleman until you didn't want him to be any longer. You didn't even consider what reality might hold, because you were sure you wouldn't like it as much.

But for now, he was on board with going further. Your expectations of things included chatting about your likes and dislikes as well as learning more about him. "I'd like to take it further," you read softly, trying to imagine it in a masculine voice. But what did that sentence mean for him? You sat up on the couch. Surely he wasn't going to turn into a pig and start sending you anything too raunchy. Right?

You swiped out of your email inbox and looked at the photo of him standing in front of his jet and moaned. It was actually your mind heading for the gutter as you wondered what it would feel like to be wrapped up in his big arms. What it would be like to tug the zipper of his flight suit down slowly, enjoying the feel of the pull between your thumb and index finger.

It was like the fictional leading man in a romance novel came to life and told you that he thought you were pretty and that he liked your students. You flopped back down on the couch and screeched into the pillow so as not to alarm your neighbors. You needed to respond, but you didn't know what to say since you were probably past the point of playing it cool. You chewed on your lip while you typed and then deleted several versions before sending him something that you thought was okay.

Bradley,

I'd like to take it further, too. I don't usually do this kind of thing (oh, who am I kidding... I never do this kind of thing), but there's just something about you that made me feel like it was worth the risk. I hope I'm not being too bold if I say that I found the photos you sent me quite distracting. However, it's not just your looks that made me share my personal email address with you. I like the way you give me butterflies. There's something sweet that comes through in your writing, and I want to get to know you better. On that note, if you feel so inclined, please tell me three things I should know about you.

Yours Truly,

Your favorite pen pal

Once again, you had written back to him so quickly, it should have been embarrassing, but you had nothing to lose here. You tossed out the bait, and he took it in the most spectacular fashion. You didn't want to miss an opportunity like this, even if he did seem too good to be true.

But he still hadn't written back when you got to work the next morning. The ping of the email alert on your phone made you reach for it immediately, but it was just a reminder to pay your bills on time. As you unlocked your classroom door and flipped the lights on, you considered that maybe your message was a little bit boring. After all, you were the one to bring your personal account into play. Perhaps he was expecting you to reply with some sort of dirty picture. Your cheeks burned with mixed embarrassment. You wanted to take it further, but you didn't know how. You just knew that you wanted to keep him engaged without compromising yourself.

You tucked your bag and your phone away in your desk drawer and pulled out your lesson plans for the day. You'd start things off with language arts and then work your way through math and science before your kids had art class. There was no reason you had to think about Bradley at all right now; he could just wait until later with his big hands and his thick thighs and his mustache and cute smile.

Just before your students were due to arrive, you opened your laptop and logged in to see which parents had emailed you with questions or concerns about their child. You froze when you saw an email that was sent a few minutes ago from Bradley with the subject line A visit to the mechanic's shop. When you opened it up, you found that he had attached a video and a handful of photos.

You were a little bit annoyed that he didn't respond to the message you sent from your other account where you asked him to tell you about himself, but that melted away as soon as you clicked on the video. His face flashed up on your computer screen, and all of the features you'd shamelessly memorized were right there in front of you. Cute smile, tidy mustache, brown eyes, wavy hair. But then you heard his voice.

"Hey. I just thought I'd take all nineteen of my favorite pen pals on a little tour around the mechanic shop aboard the Theodore Roosevelt. Sound good?"

You slammed your computer shut and moaned, thighs pressed tight together as your heart hammered. He was too much. It was just a video. He wasn't even really here, but he was an absolute assault on your senses. He called you gorgeous, but meanwhile it was hard to look directly at him for fear that you'd burst out into a fit of giggles. You shook your tingling hands out and slowly opened your computer again.

"Bradley Bradshaw. How are you this hot?" you whispered at the video paused on your screen. His face was frozen mostly in profile as he looked to the side, and for the first time, you saw some long scars on his cheek and neck. "Oh." They weren't new, rather giving the appearance that they had faded over time. You wondered how pronounced they would feel beneath your fingers. Would he let you touch them? Let you drag your lips across them while your hands found their way to his tousled hair?

After taking a few deep breaths, you let the video play again. Another man joined Bradley on the screen, and he was holding up a long, metal rod.

"This is my friend Marty. He's been a mechanic in the Navy for twenty-six years, and he specializes in aircraft repairs. He knows more about my Super Hornet than I do, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. So I'm just going to stand here and hold my phone still while we watch Marty do his thing."

The rest of the video was fascinating. It was still interesting the second time when you watched it with your class instead of doing your language arts lesson. The kids sat at rapt attention, eating up that little introduction that Bradley gave just as you had. He didn't talk to them like a bunch of little kids who didn't understand anything, which you loved. He and Marty explained what they were doing without making it too juvenile. Then when the video ended, your kids started raising their hands with question after question.

"You know what to do," you told them, holding out a dry erase marker for Jackie to take. She wrote down the list of questions that everyone had for Bradley while you tapped through the photos, once again imagining how warm and rough his hands would feel wrapped around your own instead of an intake manifold.

The impromptu aviation lesson lasted for two hours until your kids left for art class, and now you were a little concerned about all of the additional, more personal questions you had for Bradley besides the ones your class came up with. You wanted to know how old he was and where his scars came from. You wanted to know where he lived now, but you were too afraid of the answer. According to one of the notes he wrote back to Violet, he went to the University of Virginia. He even sounded like he was from the east coast.

You sat at your desk alone, digging your snack out of your drawer along with your phone. There was a new email. You smiled as you realized he must have sent it to you just after he emailed the video he took for your whole class to watch. The opening greeting once again had you kicking your feet beneath your desk, snack forgotten.

Hey, Gorgeous,

I'm still having a hard time believing that you want to get to know me better. Full disclosure, I'm a little nervous you'll get bored talking to me. I don't have much family, and I know it's cliche, but flying really is my passion. I spend a lot of my time on aircraft carriers which makes it hard to maintain relationships and friendships with people on dry land.

Talking to my nineteen new pen pals has been the most exciting part of my deployment. But you're right... you're my favorite one. I could tell from the first letter that wasn't even specifically meant for me that you were funny and sweet. And then I saw what you look like, and I kept going back to the photo for another look. You're just as gorgeous as you are funny and sweet.

Three things you should know about me? One, I'm afraid of spiders. Like so afraid of them that I might have a crisis on my hands if you tell me you have a beloved pet tarantula or something. Two, I loved taking piano lessons so much when I was a kid, I actually still take them. (Now I'm sitting here wondering why I'm telling you embarrassing shit.) My next door neighbor is a retired music teacher, and when I'm home, I trade yard work for piano lessons. Everyone wins. Third, I like giving Gorgeous teachers butterflies. That's a new one, but I thought you should know about it.

I'm giving you some homework, hope you don't mind. I want you to send me a picture of one of those San Diego sunsets where the sky somehow looks both blue and orange at the same time. If you happen to be in the photo, I'm not going to complain. I would also love to hear three things I should know about you.

Please tell your kids they have mail on the way. I hope to hear back from them. And you.

Yours Truly,

Bradley

Oh. This crush was even worse than you thought.

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

After days of running drills, Bradley was finally grounded because of a bad storm that was closing in, and he was given a few hours off. He stood out on deck, letting the first drops of hard rain hit his face. He was hoping to get a nice sunset photo to send to you, but the past few days had been terribly cloudy. And now he felt like he was being torn in three directions as his flight suit got wet: he was sweaty, hungry and curious. As a result, he couldn't decide if he should hit the shower, the mess hall or the lounge first.

He reasoned that he'd best appreciate an email from you if he was cleaned up and well fed. If you'd had time to write back to him, it would top off his night in the sweetest way possible. So he took a shower and unfortunately had to eat cabbage rolls for dinner. He chuckled to himself as he walked toward the lounge, picturing a bunch of fourth graders eating dinner in the mess hall and ranking the foods. They would probably love that, actually.

As Bradley logged in and watched his email inbox appear on one of the lounge computers, he muttered, "Hell yes." There was a new message from you, and he couldn't click on it fast enough. Before he started reading, the attached photo caught his attention, and he grunted softly. Fuck.

There you were, on a stretch of beach in Coronado, not even a mile from his house with the sun setting behind you. Your features were in shadow, but your smile was a little shy and very pretty. You looked so soft, standing there on the windswept sand in denim shorts and an oversized sweatshirt with Mira Mesa Elementary printed on the front, and all he wanted to do was touch you. He could already imagine a picnic dinner on that beach, snuggling up with you as cooler temperatures moved in. Enjoying the blues and oranges until the sky got so dark, he'd lead you back to his house with your fingers laced with his.

Bradley,

I'm turning in my homework. I hope I get a passing grade. I'm not usually the student, so I'm a little out of practice. A Naval officer from Top Gun took this photo for me. Apparently aviators just like you are all over the beaches in Coronado.

I have some good news for you. While I'm not actually afraid of spiders, I promise I don't have a beloved pet tarantula. And I'm sorry, but the idea of you still taking piano lessons made me giggle for a solid minute. The mental image is just that adorable.

You always seem to know what to say to make my butterflies go crazy, and that's just through the written word. As an educator, I always stress the importance of honesty to my students. So let me just say that honestly, I'm not going to get bored talking to you. I also can't lie about the fact that I watched the video you sent several times just to hear your voice. (Now I'm the one embarrassing herself.) And I really can't see how you would have a hard time maintaining a relationship while you're away. Maybe your previous partners didn't appreciate how rare it is to find someone who is willing to put in some effort. Or maybe they didn't find your arachnophobia oddly endearing. But I kind of do.

Three things you should know about me: 1. I graduated from college with a 4.0 GPA. 2. Sometimes I fall asleep during movies, especially if I'm snuggled up on my own couch. 3. I have a crush on you.

Hitting send before I can change my mind.

Bradley couldn't help the smile teasing at his lips as he tucked his hands behind his head and read your last few sentences again. He always wanted to continue talking to you, so maybe it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that you wouldn't grow bored with this. Maybe you'd care more about him than going out on dates, unlike Vanessa. He wasn't going to wait before responding to your email. What was the point? You were into him, and he was definitely into you.

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

"We got mail!" you announced, holding up the package that was waiting for you in the school office when you refilled your travel coffee mug on your way to your classroom. Your students erupted into delighted conversation.

"Is it from Lieutenant Bradshaw?" asked Jayden.

"Of course it is," Violet told him. "It must be. He's our pen pal after all."

"Did he send us more notes?" Oliver asked, practically bouncing out of his seat in anticipation.

"He did!" you confirmed as you tore into the package and enlisted Harrison to help you hand the individual notes to their recipients. The room went silent as soon as they all started reading, and then one after the next, the kids started to get out their notebooks to start their responses.

You felt warm all over. Bradley was on your mind a lot, and you didn't really want him going anywhere. You watched the video he sent again last night before you went to sleep, and you dreamed about a strong man with a sexy voice curled up behind you in bed. You knew you had a new email from him, but you were waiting until you could sit quietly during your lunch break to read it.

At some point, you were going to have to taper off the aviation curriculum and focus on other things, but you just didn't want to have to do that yet. Not when your class was so engaged. Not when it made you feel connected to a man thousands of miles away who you had feelings for in spite of that fact that you never met him in person. In spite of the fact that you were too afraid to ask him where he lived.

After you eventually walked your kids down to the lunchroom, you were free to read your email from Bradley in peace. But the more you thought about opening it, you started to get nervous. You already admitted you were interested him, so there was really no going back. If he hadn't sent you something similar, you were going to have to crawl under a rock, but you got your phone out as you took a deep breath and started reading.

Hey, Gorgeous,

Now wait right there. I have some concerns. I'm going to address them in order, so please bear with me. First of all, you didn't just pass your homework assignment, you got an A+. I've never seen such a beautiful sunset in my life, and yet it was barely noticeable next to you. But here's my main issue. I can't have another aviator taking sunset photos of you and sweeping you off your feet. How about you just stay off that beach in Coronado for the time being? Give a guy a chance here?

I couldn't agree more about the importance of being honest. Honestly, I'm letting out the breath I've been holding, worried that you were going to send me a photo of you with your pet tarantula. And honestly, smart women really do it for me, so any time you want to bring up that 4.0 GPA, I'm going to need a minute. And honestly, nothing sounds better than watching a movie with you on your couch right now. Can't stop thinking about it, actually.

Please, tell me in an overabundance of detail, what you would do if I promised I would take you out to dinner but then changed my mind and told you that I was tired from work and wanted to spend a quiet evening on my couch with some takeout instead.

You have a crush on me? Gorgeous girl, all I can think about is the couple days of leave I'm going to have once this aircraft carrier finally docks back in San Diego. Where you are. You and my eighteen other pen pals. I think I have a thing for fourth grade teachers. Or maybe it's just you. I can't wait to hear from you again.

Yours Truly,

Bradley

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

Okay. Some admissions have been made. Little bits of feelings have been established. She has seen him and heard his voice, and I think we're ready to keep taking things further. Maybe a phone call? Maybe another photo or two? We also can't leave the fourth graders hanging. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

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boiolay · 5 days

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Just know that I'm NOT happy about it

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boiolay · 5 days

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Sweet Surrender

Summary: Jake’s given and taken orders a hundred times throughout his career but nothing compares to the moment he realizes you liked it. Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x F!Reader Word Count: 2.1K Rating: 18+ only. Sexual content. Authority and sir kink, praise kink and Hangman being a cocky asshole. A/N: Thank you @wildbornsiren and @whatblogisthis216 for beta'ing and @blue-aconite for the beautiful graphic. In the future I may write part 2 if my muses cooperate. Reblogs and comments feed the muse.

Masterlist ♡ Top Gun Masterlist

Jake doesn’t pay much attention when you’re first introduced with the rest of the eggheads from the Office of Naval Research. Another one of many civilian engineers working on the new plane he’s been assigned to test. You keep things professional and polite although he can tell you find him attractive. It’s written all over your face and demeanor. You’re not the only one, several of the other engineers can’t seem to string together a full sentence around him.

You’re pretty, he can admit that much to himself, but a sweet face has never been enough on its own to hold his interest. Especially when he’s here to do a job, one he takes very seriously. The chance to be the first to fly the latest prototype jet isn’t an opportunity that comes up often. He volunteered immediately for the assignment when it came up, beating out most of his Top Gun class for the honor.

What he doesn’t bank on is having to sit through mind numbingly boring briefings and listen to the engineers argue anytime the tiniest adjustment is made. Most of his exposure to you is during these meetings but the first time you talk to him one on one is four weeks into the project.

That’s when he notices your particular….quirk. You’re following him out after the morning briefing, yammering away about the new wing design specs. He’s read your report in detail and already familiarized himself with the changes.

All Jake wants is a moment of silence to mentally prepare himself for today's test but you keep talking. It doesn’t help that he’s got the beginning of a headache forming behind his eyes and you’re oblivious to his attempts to cut the conversation short.

“I got it. I know how to fly a plane,” he tells you.

“Lieutenant Seresin,” you start but he cuts you off with a look.

“I’ve read your briefing packet, top to bottom. It was extremely thorough. If I have questions you’ll be the first person I ask. Scout’s honor,” he adds, giving you a sloppy half salute that seems to confuse you for a moment before you start talking again.

“I just want to make sure-“ you begin and Jake sighs, annoyed.

“I got it. Now go sit down,” he tells you curtly.

You step back back, brows raised. Jake almost misses the way your pupils dilate and your lips part just so.

"I'm sorry, Sir," you reply. "I..."You stammer and tug at the hem of your shirt before hurrying to take a seat.

You watch him from behind the computer bank as he climbs into the cockpit and fiddles with the controls. He can feel you watching him as he puts his helmet on. It’s clear to him that you want his approval, even if you don’t realize it.

Fuck, that paired with the ‘sir’ and the delicious little waver in your voice spikes his interest. He waits until you’re practically squirming in your chair before he gives you a nod. Your response is immediate, shoulders dropping and the tense lines on your face easing.

It’s not just that he makes you nervous, he’s seen that plenty of times before. No, this is different. Special. You liked it when he barked an order at you.

–

Over the next few weeks, he watches you closely, taking note of your responses to everyone you interact with. It’s clear you crave praise from others, perking up under any compliment you receive and deflating under criticism. However, it’s your response to authority that interests him most. You’ve got a natural inclination to listen to orders but as far as Jake can tell he’s the only one who elicits that type of reaction from you.

Each encounter he has with you is a chance to test the theory he has. He catalogs the difference in your responses; when he’s softer in his requests versus an outright order. Jake sees how quickly you obey a demand to sit next to him at the next briefing, just so he can be close to you. The speed you produce a new report just for him is a powerful thing. He especially loves the way you blossom under his praise when he compliments changes you've made to improve performance.

You’re smart, undeterred when the men in the room try to speak over you. Even though you’re quiet-natured, you’re no pushover either. He respects your determination and hard work.

The most telling moment is one afternoon when you’re loitering on the edge of the hanger as he finishes up his conversation with the flight chief. It’s clear you need to speak to him. The fact that you won’t interrupt him is just a bonus– something he knows from experience will translate well in the bedroom.

“Come here,” he commands, crooking a finger at you. He doesn’t even have to raise his voice to have you scurrying to him. You touch your chest and fiddle with the locket you wear, twisting the thin gold chair around your index finger. Jake’s not sure if he’s just gotten better at clocking your reactions or you’re extra affected today but whatever the reason, he’s enjoying the show.

“What do you need?” He asks.

“For you to sign the report,” you tell him, opening the folder and pointing to the highlighted portion.

When he takes the pen from you he makes sure to drag his fingertips over the back of your hand, watching for your reaction behind his aviators. The soft sound that passes your lips doesn't disappoint him. He thinks about what other sounds he could drag out of you. How he could get you desperate enough to beg him to fuck you. The way you’d sigh his name and -

“Sir?” Your soft voice snaps him out of his little daydream. You’re staring up at him expectantly. “I need my pen back, please.”

When he hands it back, you smile. It makes him long to pull you against him and kiss you breathless. To test out the limits of how well you’d listen to him but he knows he has to wait until the project is over. He’s not about to jeopardize either of your careers though as the weeks drag on he certainly finds himself fantasizing about that.

You’ve caught him staring at during the morning briefings once or twice, his chin resting on steepled fingers. It’s always the same response from you, the double blink and glance away. Sometimes you’ll bite your lips and fiddle with the pencil, tapping it in rapid succession against the table. He can feel your eyes on him too and he has to repress a smirk. These morning briefings are starting to become his favorite part of the day.

—

Two torturous months pass before the admiral visits and the project gets wrapped up. He has some innocent fun with you during that time, nothing overly mean, just enough to get you flustered and stoke the flame. His favorite form of foreplay.

The team celebrates at the Hard Deck. Alcohol flows freely and spirits are high. It turns out engineers partied harder than pilots. You only have a drink which bodes well for Jake. He needs you sober for this and wants a clear head of his own, nursing a single beer most of the night.

While he waits for an opportunity to get you alone he formulates how he wants to approach this. He doesn’t doubt his assessment. He’s rarely wrong about these things but it’s always possible you’re not completely aware of your quirk. If he embarrassed or frightened you all his waiting would be for nothing.

After another hour or so he senses his chance. You head outside to take a quick call and Jake follows. He waits at a safe distance to give you some privacy but once you slide the phone back into your jacket he makes his presence known.

“Lieutenant Seresin,” you greet. You look surprised to see him but pleased too.

“It’s Jake,” he corrects, stepping toward you.

When he presses into your space you take a half step back and then another, letting him herd you into a little alcove out of sight. You watch him curiously, maybe even a little confused. You’re not scared to be alone with him —you trust him.

“What’s up?” You’re trying for casual but failing adorably.

Jake’s close enough to touch you, but refrains from it. He won’t until he has your permission and understanding. He smirks and tits his head. A direct approach might be quicker but he’s curious if you’ll figure it out on your own.

“I know your secret, sweetheart,” he whispers.

That gets you going. You don’t seem to know where to put your hands. Nervous laughter comes next but Jake stays quiet, letting you squirm a little longer.

“My secret?” You question.

“It’s compatible with mine,” he hints.

You frown, forehead wrinkling. He recognizes the expression from countless morning briefings when you were contemplating a problem. It’s cute watching your brain work in real-time to put the pieces together. A full minute passes before your eyes dart back to his face, surprised.

He nods encouragingly and then very hesitantly you say, “Is that so, sir?”

There’s a heavy emphasis on the last word.

“Smart girl,” he praises.

You grin and rock back on your heels. “Well, I did design the aircraft you’ve been flying the last four months,” you shoot back.

He can see the struggle it is for you not to smile. You’re proud of your work and should be but he can’t have you mouthing off already.

“Don’t get smart with me,” he warns playfully, loving the way you immediately duck your head.

“Sorry, sir.”

You sound appropriately contrite and he smirks.

“Look at me.” Two fingers under your chin encourage you to meet his gaze. “I want you to be honest,” he begins, watching carefully for any sign you’re not on the same page as him. “Do you want to do this?”

“Do you mean…you mean sex, right?” You ask, looking a little unsure.

You’re so sweet that Jake slips character briefly to give you the soft smile you deserve. “Sex and more,” he confirms. “I can help you explore this side of yourself.”

“Yeah. I want that,” you tell him shyly.

“That’s good to hear, but that’s not how you talk to me, and I think you know it.”

“I want you to teach me, sir,” you respond.

“Better,” he praises.

He slides a hand up your jaw to grasp the back of your neck and angle your face upward so he can crush his lips against yours. He closes the distance between your bodies, pressing you back into the wall with a groan. You make a desperate little sound that goes right to his dick and grasp his biceps tightly.

You part your lips and fuck, he’s finally tasting you fully like he’s been imagining. He loves how soft and warm you are in his arms and the way his lips slide against yours. All of his pent-up desire is out now. The hand at your hip slides down the curve of your ass to grasp your thigh so he can grind shamelessly against you. You whimper, nails pressing into his skin. He rocks his half-hard cock into the warmest part of you, needing more friction. He wants to hear you make that little sound again too.

“Oh, please,” you gasp when you finally part.

You sound wrecked and he thinks you look it too.The skin of your face is warm to the touch and your eyes are a little glassy. Jake's half convinced you might let him have you here and for a moment he actually considers it. He knows how good that kind of messy, quick fuck can be but tonight he wants to see all of you. To spend his time taking you apart until you’re incoherent and at his mercy. He can’t do that here.

“Easy,” Jake whispers, running a hand down your back. “Look at me,” he instructs, smiling when you do. You’re trembling all over and he rubs his thumb over your swollen lips as he gazes down at you. “Catch your breath.”

Once you’re calm he lets go of you and runs a hand through his hair. You’re watching him, waiting to be told what to do. “Go inside, say goodbye to your friends. Then I want you to meet me out front. Got it?”

You nod and he surges forward to kiss you one more time before stepping back to let you past him.

Fuck, tonight is going to be good he thought.

♡

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boiolay · 5 days

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Liz.......... are you trying to make me cry?

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boiolay · 5 days

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Well well well... another Jake to be obsessed about.

I'm not complaining

Road to Perdition Masterlist

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: The Great Depression wasn't called a depression for nothing. Jobs were scarce, and the price of food and other necessities were rising higher and higher with each passing day. What little money you were able to make went straight to the bank and out of reach from your booze-swilling lech of a brother. It's on one such run that you come face to face with members of the infamous Dagger Gang; a group of, admittedly handsome, men who steal from the banks to hand it back out to the poor. You want nothing to do with them, but that blond-headed devil might just have something to say to the contrary. (1930s!Mobster!AU)

Series Content Warning: Historical Inaccuracies, Period typical sexism, Period typical racism, Period typical prejucides in general, Gun violence, Blood, Shootings, Bank robberies, Slight dubcon, Police Brutality, Depression Era struggles, Angst, Fluff, Eventual Smut. Chapters will have their own specific warnings.

All posts related to this series will be tagged with "RTP," "Road to Perdition" and "Mobster!Jake".

*Denotes smut.

Masterlist

Series;

Coming Soon...

Drabbles;

Mobster!Jake concepts…

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boiolay · 7 days

Text

3 | los angeles | around the world and back

(18+, minors dni)

series masterlist

summary: you get a birthday kiss from someone unexpected; bradley finds out your "secret"

warnings: smut (first time writing it eeeek), drinking, smoking

a/n: i had the most feral monday yesterday sooo here you go! enjoy!!!

You’re plastered before you even get to the club. In fact, you’ve been drunk all day. The Bloody Marys at brunch turned into glasses of wine while getting ready which turned into jello shots at the pregame, and now, you’re craving a cigarette. It’s a nasty little social habit that you picked up from hanging out with your older brother and his friends when they’d visit while you were in high school. He hated that you got along with his friends, and he always made it clear that you were off limits. Of course, at the time, you were an awkward high schooler with about as much game as a little league soccer team, but the sentiment was still there. You think that’s why you like older men now.

Men like Bradley.

Bradley.

You shake your head, drunkenly attempting to physically rid your brain of thoughts of him before grabbing onto Grace’s shoulder, keeping her from walking in with everyone else. She eyes you as you pull a pack of Camels out of your bag with a lighter. You dangle one in front of her face and she grabs it with a pout before giving you an annoyed crooked smile, holding it between her fingers while you light yours.

“I hate you, you know that, right?” She grins, chuckling slightly at how bad of an influence you’ve had on her in the past few years. Grace was the first person you met at school three years ago, and somehow, you’re still attached at the hip. You used to be shy, little freshmen who’d sip Starbucks in the library while you attempted to study together and now you’re almost full-blown adults who get plastered every other night of the week and somehow still manage decent GPAs.

“I know.” You shrug back, lighting the cigarette for her as the two of you stand leaning up against the brick building. It’s a nice night out in LA in late October–Halloween weekend, to be exact. Most people are dressed up in ridiculously revealing costumes and outfits, but you’re a little more lowkey, despite it being your 22nd birthday. You’re wearing a sparkly little number that isn’t too kitschy for the holiday or too much for a regular night out, but perfect for standing out just enough on a night when most women are dressed like fembots and sexy serial killers.

Bradley thinks he must be dreaming when he sees you leaned up against the building he’s about to enter with a cigarette hanging loosely from your fingers. You look so much older than he remembers, and so much more sophisticated as you bring it up to your lips and take a drag, all while casually chatting with the woman next to you. He’s never been big on smoking, but God, he could watch you do this all night, especially in the dress you’re wearing. It glitters in the glow from the street lights. You look heavenly. Like an angel sent to earth just for him. Maybe that's the vodka talking.

“You good?” Nat questions from beside him as she follows his gaze to you. She doesn’t know who you are. She only saw you from the side that day at the beach, and you look a lot different here. Your hair is styled and straighter than the beachy waves you rocked all summer. She furrows her brows at her friend, who cannot stop staring at this poor woman who’s just minding her own business.

“Take a picture, babe, it’ll last longer.” She teases, poking his arm as they wait in the short line to get in. “She’s cute.” She comments, looking back over at you. You’re in your own little world, pulling your flask out from your bag and taking a swig before continuing to smoke. You don't really look like Bradley’s type–you look too young and rebellious for her best friend, who typically goes for women who are way too nice for him. Teachers, nurses, etc. Sweet women with sweet dispositions. You look like you wouldn’t put up with any of his shit. She cocks her head to the side, thinking about it a little longer. Maybe that’s exactly what he needs.

“She is.” Bradley agrees, straightening up as he takes his gaze off of you, but not before Grace notices how long he’s been looking at you. She taps your shoulder and nods her head in his direction as soon as he looks away.

“That guy keeps staring at you.” Her voice is hushed as if he might hear her even though he’s a good twenty feet away and the building is practically shaking from the bass of the music inside.

“That’s because I look so fucking good!” You drunkenly shout back, not meaning to be so…loud. Grace looks back over with wide eyes, watching as the whole group of them look over at you. There’s a woman next to him, and Grace hopes to god it’s not his girlfriend or something because you’re definitely feeling yourself. She wouldn’t be surprised if you walked up to him right now and planted one on him just for fun. It wouldn’t be the first time, and unfortunately, your inhibitions are much lower than usual because of all the alcohol in your system already. She should’ve taken the flask away from you when she had the chance back at the apartment.

“Never mind, okay? Don’t look now.” She instructs, but you don’t care. Your head is already almost turned back to the doors of the club when she says it, and as soon as your gaze settles on the staring stranger, you drop your cigarette onto the sidewalk.

The guy with the ridiculous mustache and half-unbuttoned shirt staring at you from just a few feet away is Bradley. Your eyes meet and his mouth curves up into a small smile. You see his cheeks begin to redden as the woman next to him says something, glancing over to you briefly. Before you realize what you’re doing, you approach him, wiping your sweaty hands on the sides of your dress as you do. It feels hotter than it did a few minutes ago and you’re sure your face shows it. The woman next to him is not only beautiful, but also age appropriate. It might stop you from jumping him right here, but it doesn’t stop you from saying anything to him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” You ask, eyes sparkling as you smile up at him, trying to ignore the group of people gathered around the two of you. In the hours that you spent together, he never mentioned taking trips up here. Maybe if he had, you would’ve given him your number just for the occasion. That may just be the straight tequila talking. He lets out a laugh, pulling you closer to him protectively as a group of guys walk past. His cologne is intoxicating, and he wears just enough that it’s not too overpowering. You want to stay in this position forever, finding comfort in the soft fabric of his shirt, but it’s cut short when he takes a step back in order to look at you once more.

“I had some time off, so we came up for the weekend. Is this, like, where you hangout?” He questions, giving you one good look from top to bottom. You’re way more dressed up than the last time he saw you. The dress you’re donning is hot. He’s not ashamed to admit that now that he’s seeing it up close and personal.

“It’s my birthday.” You slur with a chuckle, leaning back to point to the button pinned to your dress that’s been hidden behind your hair. In bold letters the button reads, ‘kiss me, it’s my birthday’. You watch his facial expression change slightly as he reads it, and you cock your head to the side, raising your eyebrows in anticipation.

“You’re killing me, Sunny.” He mumbles under his breath, leaning down and holding your jaw in his large hand. Your lips connect, and it’s like a trigger goes off in both of your systems, not allowing either of you to pull away, too intoxicated by how each other tastes.

Nat can hardly contain herself as she stands next to Bradley, watching the two of you makeout in the middle of this line as if you’re the only two people in the world. It’d be cute if she didn’t think of Bradley like a brother–cuter if she knew anything at all about you. It’s very clear that this isn’t the first time you’ve met, but she can’t place you at all, and she’s met practically everyone he’s ever hooked up with. Her mind takes her back a few months to the girl at the beach. The one Bradley said he’d never see again. The one he had to build up courage to go flirt with…could you be her?

Her eyes fall on your friend, Grace, who looks equally confused and embarrassed by what you two are doing. After the kiss continues for a bit too long, she reaches her arm right through the two of you and pulls you out of his grasp. The two of you breathlessly pull away from each other, reentering reality.

“I’m Grace.” She introduces with a smile, reaching her hand out towards Bradley.

“It’s weird, right?” You ask, leaned up against Bradley in the private booth you reserved for your birthday, running your hands up his toned chest underneath his shirt. He’s too drunk now to care that you’re out in public and too drunk to remember that he’s never been one for PDA. He’s just glad everyone else is out on the floor dancing or getting drinks at the bar to notice the two of you are all over each other. He throws his head back, really digging the feeling of your nails running along his skin. It’s euphoric.

“What’s weird?” He manages to get out, lifting his head and opening his eyes lazily to look at you. You’ve only had a drink or two since arriving, slowly becoming less fucked up, meeting Bradley right where he’s at now after downing shots with your friends earlier.

“Weird that we’re both here…it’s like…” You trail off, stopping yourself from saying fate or something equally as ridiculous. “Just…weird, I guess.” Bradley isn’t the kind of guy who believes in stuff like that. He’s straight-forward and practical. You’ve been to his tidy, little house twice now and all you can remember is how orderly everything was. There’s a place for everything and a detailed schedule on the fridge. Every hour of every day is planned out. You’re sure you wouldn’t fit in anywhere. He knows this. You’re far too carefree for someone with his lifestyle. Sure, he can come up to LA for the weekend or get drinks with friends after work, but at the end of the day, his job is life or death and he doesn’t want someone else to get caught up in all of that–especially someone like you.

Ignoring your comments, he brings his hand up to cup your cheek and pulls you close, lips moving in sync as the rest of the world fades away. It’s partially the alcohol and partially the feeling of his pants getting tighter that makes him not care so much about what may or may not be happening around them. It’s been two months since the last time you two were in a position like this–making out in the back of an Uber on the way out of downtown San Diego–and he forgot how natural it felt to be with you. Your mouths meld together like they were made for each other–like you’re the only person in the world who could physically fit so perfectly with him.

Almost like he’s your other half.

You shift uncomfortably in the booth as you suddenly become aware of your surroundings, pulling away from him and straightening the thin straps of your dress. He sits up a little, fixing his posture, and raises an eyebrow at you. You’re breathing heavily, chest rising and falling slowly and quickly all at once. You look around, unable to spot anyone you came here with or the group that Bradley was with originally. Your lips curve into a smile and you grab his hand, pulling him out from the booth and through the crowd of people to the front doors.

You don’t care that you have three roommates and the messiest college apartment known to man when you lead Bradley in through the side door, nearly tripping over an opened cardboard box from an order one of your roommates received days ago. The light from the microwave gives a soft glow over the kitchen, highlighting the many partially full cups and shot glasses from the pregame earlier. There are random articles of clothing lying around the main level of the house from the indecisiveness of the four women who live here. Bradley feels like he just entered the girl version of the house he shared with four fraternity brothers back in college.

College.

It all begins to make sense to him now��the summer spent down in San Diego for a job must have been an internship. He can’t unsee–or unthink–it once it happens. He passes by a row of hooks on the way to his room where a USC hat hangs from one and a set of keys with a student ID clipped on it hangs next to it. He doesn’t have time to linger because you’re pulling him inside of your room, kicking the door closed with your foot, and falling back onto the bed with him on top of you, kissing him before he has time to make any sort of rational decision about what he’s just realized. It doesn’t change his feelings for you, anyway. Sure, you’re young–he knew that the second he started talking to you. It’s no secret, and clearly you aren’t worried about how old he is, either.

Bradley sits up on his knees, admiring the way your body is on full display for him, hips lifting off your floral bed sheets to meet his thrusts as he pounds into you. His right hand trails its way up your torso in a tortuously slow manner before his fingers wrap around your throat to choke you slightly. Your eyes roll into the back of your head at the pressure. His other arm stays wrapped around your leg, holding you impossibly close to him.

You have one hand gripped tightly onto the sheets and the other cradles your own head, twisted up in your messy locks. You aren't sure how long you and Bradley have been at it at this point, but you don't care. You don't ever want the feeling of him filling you up to end. You let out a weak moan, caused by your airway being constricted by the pad of Bradley’s hand, when the tip of his dick hits your most sensitive spot continuously, it sends a vibration of pleasure throughout your entire body.

He loses it at the sound of you whimpering underneath him–all sweet and fucked out–coming down from your intense orgasm.

“Fuck.” He groans, his voice low and gravelly. He loosens his grip around your neck and rides out his own high with his head hanging low, nestled in between your shoulder and collarbone. His hands are on either side of you now and he pushes up, looking down at you. You're giving him a tired, satisfied smile, leaning your head up to give him a kiss. He groans into it, letting his body fall to the side, laying next to you as you continue to kiss him, biting his lip and running your hand through his messy hair, which is extra curly now from all the sweat.

When you're finally done with him, you pull away and smile sweetly at him–almost innocently. There's nothing innocent about what the two of you are doing, but there's an innocence in your surroundings. Everything is mismatched and clashes in the most endearing way. It's a stark comparison to his own house. Maybe it's not that he lacks personality, maybe that's just exactly what his personality is. Orderly and clean and straight-forward–no frills.

He thinks of how crazy lucky he is to be lying next to you in the most incredibly chaotic room he's ever been in with you looking up at him like that. There's a lot of things he wants to say but he keeps them inside. He's learned that nothing said immediately after sex means much of anything when he's fully sober and thinking clearly. He doesn't want you getting your hopes up over something he said after banging you. He’s been trying to work on that.

Your eyes flutter closed and you drift off into a deep sleep, comfortable in Bradley’s arms. As soon as he feels like you're in too deep to wake up, he carefully untangles himself from you and begins to put on his clothes which are thrown all around the already messy space. He walks around your room for a moment, looking at pictures of you and your friends pinned up on a board above your desk. He picks up a piece of paper. It looks like a sketch of him, actually–toned chest, mustache and all. He smirks to himself, keeping it in his hand as he turns to look at your sleeping form in the bed. When he sets it down, he sees a stack of post-its staring back at him. Without thinking too hard about what he’s doing, he scribbles his number down on it and sticks it to the sketch.

“He’s gone?” Grace asks, jaw dropped when you come into the kitchen, alone, looking like a mess. Your hair is sticking in every direction, and your tank top strap is falling off your shoulder. Your underwear isn't doing much to cover you, either.

“He’s a real adult, Grace. He can’t just hang out at our apartment all day.” You roll your eyes and reach for a mug and the coffee pot, filling it up with the warm liquid.

“Are you sure he’s a real adult? You were making out in front of everyone like a couple of eighteen year olds.”

“Wouldn’t you?” You counter.

“I’m a lesbian.”

“Ok, well what if it was his hot friend, then?” You saw the way Grace was looking at her when they went to the bar for more drinks. When she doesn’t say anything in response, you turn swiftly, leaning back on the counter. “Oh my God. Did you bring her back here?”

“No, no–of course not. She had to get one of their friends home, b-but she was cute–yeah. I’ll admit it.” Grace stutters–lying. She won’t admit to hooking up with Natasha in the bathroom at the bar, especially after berating you for nearly doing the same thing. She liked her a lot–didn’t even care that she’d probably never see her again, but then afterwards, Natasha was a mess. Crying about someone else. The guy she’s in love with. Grace tried to shake the weird feeling off, but she couldn’t. She took her back to the rest of their group who took her back to their place immediately. You and Bradley were long gone at that point.

“You need to get a fucking grip.” Beth chuckles from the table, ripping off a bite of toast with her teeth as she scrolls through her phone. “I did see that guy leave, though. Super hot–nice work, babe.” She says with a mouth full of food without ever looking up at either of you.

“He left me his number.” You admit, holding up the post-it with a wide grin on your face.

Grace remembers a lot from last night. She remembers her and Nat talking about the two of you for a while before they really started flirting. She was drinking and her lips were getting looser by the second. Grace was taking full advantage, trying to figure out everything she could about the elusive stranger before you inevitably took him home, but nothing she said sounded any alarms for your friend.

“He’s not really a relationship guy, but he’s had a few.” Nat slurred, raising her hand to get the attention of the bartender before even finishing the drink in her hand. “He’s a good guy. I wouldn’t worry about her.” She insisted, and Grace believed her. “Plus, I think they’re just having fun, anyway.” She shrugged all of the concern off, placed her hand on Grace’s lap and looked at her through her dark lashes with mischief in her eyes.

“Aw, our baby’s got a boyfriend.” Beth teases from across the room, finally dropping her phone and officially joining in on the conversation. Grace doesn’t miss the way that you blush at her words, waving them off. She knows you well. She knows that you like this guy–no matter how much it doesn’t make sense. You’re going to act like it doesn’t bother you when he slowly stops texting you back and never asks to see you again. She’s going to have to pick up all the pieces like she has countless times in the past. For now, she’s okay with that. You deserve to have a little fun at twenty-two years old–god knows everyone else here is.

Bradley rouses quickly from a light sleep when he feels his phone vibrate on his leg. He fell asleep watching a Friends marathon while waiting for you to call or text. He didn’t think he’d be that anxious to hear from you, but here he is, nearly falling off the sofa at the first notification that’s come through all night. When he lifts his phone, it isn’t an unknown number that’s sent a message. It’s Natalie.

Groaning, he unlocks his phone and opens the text thread between them, which has mostly just been her texting him to ask how he’s doing. Sometimes he responds. Sometimes he doesn’t. This message, though, is different from the others. It’s a naughty picture–well, naughty for Natalie. Really, it’s just a mirror picture of her in a bathing suit. Nothing that scandalous. The message attached reads:

Hot tub later?

He doesn’t want to go to her new apartment and sit in the hot tub while she tries her best to get back together with him. He wishes she’d get the hint–they aren’t getting back together. He’s thinking of a nice response when he sees three dots pop up indicating she’s typing another message.

Sorry, wrong aviator

Bradley scoffs, sitting up a little straighter as he continues to stare at the screen. She’s joking, right? The only aviators she knows are through him. She can’t possibly go from begging for him back one day to flirting with his friends the next. He thought she was better than that. He types out a message and hits send.

One of my friends? Nice…

Then, nothing. He’s sitting and waiting for an entire sitcom episode before another text from her rolls in, accompanied by a text from an unknown number.

Natalie: You two aren’t really friends, so I didn’t think you’d mind

Have a nice night, Bradley

512-499-7886: hey, B…it’s sunny :)

taglist: @eloquentdreamer @italk2god @urmagic8girl @huang-the-geek @gardenavenue @boiolay @djs8891 @bellaireland1981

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boiolay · 8 days

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Omgggg I'm obsessed already! I feel like Bug and I are really similar in a lot of things and that made me even more excited about it! Also, her sister is anoying me and I feel like there are still maaaany things to come concerning her.

Also her brother's comment on someone settling for her made my heart ache. I really hope he grovels for her apology! My baby bug doesnt deserves that.

And last but not least......... DUKE SERESIN IS MY RELIGION. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The way he's already obsessed with her?!?!?! Can't wait to see what you have stored for us next.

By Its Cover: Chapter One

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: The frivolity of high society has never much interested in you. You preferred to spend your time reading, something your sisters couldn't fathom as they spent their time shopping the latest dress styles. The youngest of five children and the fourth daughter, not much was expected of you. You knew you might be married one day, but you hoped beyond hope that it would be to someone that might understand your intellectual pursuits. You begin exchanging letters with a mysterious stranger, and what's more, your older brother's rakish best friend seems to find himself in your path more and more as the season goes on. What's a girl to do? (Regency!AU)

Content Warning: Anxiety, Anxiety attack, Debutante presentations, Sibling not being supported, Spoiled sibling, Self doubt, Negative self talk, Catty girls will be catty girls. I think that's really all, but please let me know if I missed anything!

Word Count: 4.6k

Series Masterlist

“Dearest, you must stop squirming.”

“This dress is uncomfortable.”

You picked at the skirt of your gown, an off white in color, as your mother let out a heavy sigh as she pursed her lips. You stood outside the throne room with a gaggle of other, more eager, debutantes waiting to present themselves to the queen. You couldn’t think of a worse punishment if you tried, if you were being quite honest.

The thought of parading yourself around for all to gawk and inspect had your skin crawling, and while you weren’t proud of it, you had even attempted to feign illness in order to escape the mortifying spectacle of it all.

“Enough,” your mother huffed, grabbing your hand and jerking it down to your side as several of the other ladies of the Island turned their scrutinizing gazes towards your direction. Your mother gave them a polite, cheery smile, never taking her eyes off of them as she turned towards you. “I know you are nervous, darling, but this is something that must be done. Your sisters all had to do it, and I before them. It is simply something one must grit their teeth and bear.”

You let out a heavy sigh, signaling your reluctant understanding of the situation, and your mother’s shoulders visibly relaxed. You mustered up your best smile, one that you were almost positive looked more like a grimace, and stood up a little straighter as one of the palace attendants walked briskly up to where you stood.

“My lady,” he nodded at your mother, sweat beading his brow as he gave a quick bow before turning to you with a look of distress. “You are next. This way, please. Hurry, hurry.”

You sucked in a breath, sparing your mother a half panicked look as you were ushered towards the towering doors that led into the throne room. Your brother and sisters were in attendance, you knew this. Most of high society was behind those doors, and the ones that weren’t stood behind you, eagerly awaiting their turn. Your fingers trembled with nerves, and you were vaguely aware of your mother glancing at you just as nervous.

You were sure you looked as worse a state as you felt. Your skin felt clammy, tight against your face as you sucked in deep breaths through your nose, letting them out through your mouth. The hum of conversation sounded behind you, and you felt your pulse quicken as you heard the attendant announce your name behind the ornately carved doors of white and gold.

The whispers behind you hushed as the doors slowly opened to reveal the crowd of nobles and well-to-do families gathered in the spacious room. Your eyes roamed over the familiar faces, clinging to where your siblings stood in the middle of the room, your brother giving you an encouraging smile as your sisters looked on. You spotted Natasha not too far off, an encouraging smile on her face that stood in stark contrast to the concentrated grimace that pulled on your brother’s lips. You gulped, taking a shaky breath as your mother cleared her throat quietly behind you, signaling for you to start walking. Your eyes snapped forward, meeting the stunning green of the queen’s.

Queen Penny was a most beloved monarch, having been the figurehead of the royal family for decades since she married the king. Her quiet grace and beauty was apparently a strong compliment to the wisdom and discernment of the king, not that anyone your age would really know considering he had kept himself cloistered away in the palace for almost an entire decade. No, very few had seen him, rumors of a prolonged illness following his name with every mention—something the queen was quick to make her displeasure known about, and so mentions of the king were kept hushed between stolen whispers and curious glances whenever she showed up to an event alone.

Now, her attention was trained solely on you, the look of terror on your face must have seemed a sight to the dignified woman as you took a tentative step forward. A perfectly manicured eyebrow raised slowly as you took your second step forward, slowly picking up pace as you made your way down the makeshift aisle. All eyes were on you as you strode across the room, doing your best to hold your head high and shoulders back, vaguely aware of your mother keeping pace behind you.

“Smile, dearest,” you heard her whisper quietly. You inhaled sharply, stiffening at her words. You willed yourself to pull your lips into a smile, cringing at the forced feeling of it and knowing that it looked as awful as it felt. You could have sworn you saw the queen’s own lips twitch, but still her face remained stoic as you came to a stop in front of her. You were barely conscious of the fact that you managed a curtsy, dropping your head slowly before rising once more.

The room was quiet, silent enough to hear the scampering of a mouse. You waited with bated breath for something, anything. A dismissal? A laugh at your awkwardness? An ill-tempered comment at your utter lack of decorum?

Another beat of silence passed before the queen rose from her seat, eyes staying fixed on your near trembling form. Her lady-in-waiting stepped forward, but was quickly waved off as Queen Penny took slow, measured steps down to where you stood. You held your breath as she stopped in front of you, green eyes scanning you from head to toe before moving back up. She said nothing as she circled you slowly, her eyes studying you for any sign of weakness or perceived imperfection. You heard her state your family’s name with a thoughtful hum.

“Your sister was the season’s diamond not five years ago, yes?” She asked from behind you. You swallowed thickly, not daring to turn and look as you nodded.

“Yes, your majesty,” you replied, surprised at how even your tone was given the panic coursing through your veins in that moment. You were surprised you even remembered you had sisters.

“Yes, I remember,” she agreed. “Married an earl, if I remember correctly.”

You heard your mother murmur her assent, and you assume the queen had looked to her for confirmation.

“The youngest of four girls,” Queen Penny continued, “you must have had your hands full, Celine.”

“No more than any other mother, your majesty,” your mother replied with a nervous chuckle. The queen hummed in agreement as she rounded your other side to come face to face with you once more. You glanced up at her with trepidation, waiting for her verdict. Her face remained impassive before her lips pulled into a regal smile.

“You show promise, my dear,” she said, placing her fingers below your chin to raise it as she looked down at you. “You may just be the season’s greatest surprise yet.”

And with that, she turned and made her way back up the steps to her seat. Your heart stuttered in your chest, frozen with the shock of the encounter before snapping out of it as your mother’s gentle touch pulled you back into the moment. You looked back to see her with a tight smile on her face as she gestured for you to step to the side so that the presentations could continue. You felt your cheeks warm at your slight blunder, allowing yourself to be led off with the other debutantes.

“But Mama, why her?”

You rubbed your temples to try and soothe the headache you were currently trying to fight off as Georgiana screeched her displeasure throughout the manor. Georgiana had been so proud of the smile and nod the queen had given her the year prior, boasting about it to anyone who would listen for a solid week after it had happened.

“Georgiana, my darling, you must calm do-”

“She doesn’t even deserve it!” She screeched once more, whirling around to fix you with a glare. You winced, shrinking back into the settee with a grimace. Though you loved her dearly, Georgiana was perhaps the most spoiled out of all your sisters.

She had been the perfect image of what it meant to a young lady of one of the oldest families of the Island. Her hair was always poised in elaborate updos with her dresses styled in the latest fashions. Her outward appearance, however, was no match for the ugliness she kept inside in your opinion.

While beautiful in outward appearance, earning many interested suitors in the season prior, she was determined to have nothing but the best.

“I think I’d like to marry a Duke myself,” she had commented one day once her many suitors had left. “The only thing better would be a handsome prince.”

You had snorted at the idea. You loved your sister dearly, but her expectations of the lavish life she should lead left you with a sick feeling in your stomach. A quiet life surrounded by family and friends suited your tastes quite well.

You were ripped away from your silent musings as your older sister stomped towards you, wrath consuming her features as you pressed yourself further into the seat.

“What makes you so special?” She huffed, crossing her arms with a sneer. “Why would the queen show such an interest in you of all people? You’re so…boring.”

You bit back the angry remark that threatened to leave you at the insult your sister hurled your way. Just because you didn’t delight in the latest fashions or take part in the favorite pastime that was gossip, didn’t mean you were boring. You spent your days strolling through the gardens or park with Natasha or in the parlor with your latest read. Did you loathe the idea of going to parties or finding yourself stumbling along the dance floor? Of course you did.

You weren’t stranger to the fact that you had been compared to your elder sisters from the moment you were born. Of course your parents had treated you all with equal kindness and love, but those outside your family were not as forgiving of your faults or perceived imperfections. Now you were beginning to wonder if the judgement had been following you all along.

“I don’t know, Georgie,” you answered her quietly, glancing towards your mother for help. “Perhaps she was bored. You know how she likes to stir things up for her own amusement.”

Georgiana seemed to mull this over for a moment, and you could see the frown that tugged at your mother’s lips as the words passed through your mouth. Before any of you could say anything more, the doors to the parlor opened to reveal a familiar older man strolling through with a smug smirk adorning his face.

“Good afternoon, one and all,” Pete Mitchell drawled as he sat down on the settee next to you. Mr. Mitchell belonged to a wealthy, respectable family, albeit as the second son tasked with making his own way in the world. He had been a dear friend of your father’s since boyhood, and was practically an uncle to you and your siblings.

“Peter,” your mother sighed, looking relieved as the tension in the air was cut by the cavalier aura that Mr. Mitchell seemed to exude everywhere he went.

“How lovely to see you,” she smiled, sitting across from you as Georgiana took up space in one of the armchairs, a small pout still marring her features.

“And you as well,” he grinned back at your mother. He turned to face you, the smirk falling back into place as he regarded you. “I heard you made quite the impression on our dear queen, Bug.”

Georgiana stiffened noticeably, and you waived him off with a scoff.

“I’m sure the queen was merely bored with all the humdrum of the day,” you offered stiffly. The room fell into an awkward silence as Mr. Mitchell glanced between the three of you as you looked everywhere but at Georgiana.

“I believe I’m sensing some tension,” Mr. Mitchell spoke finally.

“Nothing ever gets past you, does it, Peter?” Your mother sighed.

“No matter,” Mr. Mitchell grinned, looking between the three of you excitedly, “Charlotte and I are hosting a ball tonight, and I wanted to come by to invite you all personally as the family of my dear, late friend.”

“Oh, Peter, how lovely,” your mother smiled. “Of course we will be in attendance. Won’t we girls?”

Georgiana clapped her hands excitedly as you felt a wave of dread wash over you. Mr. Mitchell leaned closer towards you to whisper in your ear.

“Don’t you worry, Bug,” he said. “I’ve already got the books laid out for you in my library when you’re ready to sneak off.”

You offered him a thankful smile as he turned his attention back towards your sister and mother. Perhaps there were people in this world who understood you after all.

The Mitchell’s manor was as ostentatious as any of the nobility’s homes as far as you were concerned, and it was a wonder that they weren’t mistaken for the actual ruling class more often.

Your carriage stopped in front of the steps leading up to the entryway, and an attendant moved forward to open the door and offer his hand to your mother to help her out, followed by Georgiana, with you stepping out last. The cool, night air was abuzz with excitement, laughter, and the sound of general revelry from those in attendance that evening. It already felt suffocating as far as you were concerned.

“Smile, my darling,” your mother murmured to you, resting a gentle hand on your arm to steer you towards the front doors. “It is a party, after all. You should at least try to have some fun while you are here. You’ve already caught the eye of several suitors.”

Your head whipped around, spying a group of men assessing you from across the yard. A frown tugged at your lips as the feeling of dread came back in full force. They weren’t unattractive by any means, but you weren’t thrilled at the idea of being appraised like a piece of meat either.

“I think I’d rather pluck my eyelashes out one by one then entertain that lot,” you muttered, earning a sigh and a sharp look from the older woman.

“Bug, please.”

You chewed on the inside of your cheek for a moment before casting her an apologetic look.

“I am sorry, Mama,” you said, defeated. “I will try to make the most of our time tonight.”

Her disapproving look morphed into one of kind understanding. “That is all I ask, my darling.”

Georgiana walked a couple steps ahead of the both of you, eager to fawn in the attention of the available suitors in attendance that evening. William had gone ahead of your little group to arrive earlier in the evening whilst Lydia and Theodosia would arrive with their husbands throughout the night if they hadn’t arrived already.

Several men appraised Georgiana as she passed, a pleasant smile on her face as she sauntered into the ballroom. Her pale, pink gown swished about her as she greeted old friends and passed demure smiles to the men she walked past. You felt more and more out of place the further into the room you wandered, pressing closer and closer into your mother’s side.

“Bug!”

You turned to see Natasha making her way towards, purple skirts in hand as a grin spread across her face. A smile of your own broke out across your lips, and you abandoned your mother’s side to rush towards your best friend.

“Nat!” You exclaimed, grabbing onto her hands as the two of you met in the middle. “You cannot believe how relieved I am to see you.”

“You?” She laughed. “I had to go through a whole year of this without you! It’s me who’s relieved.”

She pulled you off to the side, glancing around the room as she did so.

“I see Georgiana has already started her ritual,” she snorted, nodding towards the middle of the room. You turned to see your sister surrounded by a group of potential suitors, their gazes never leaving her even as her friends attempted to garner attention with a well timed comment here and there.

“Let her have her pick,” you scoffed. “Everyone will be so busy with her and her future husband, I’ll slip beneath their attentions and escape for the season.”

The two of you began to walk the side of the room, avoiding collision as you chatted arm in arm.

“You don’t want a husband?” Nat inquired, arching a brow at you in amused curiosity.

“Not if I can avoid it,” you chuckled. “I enjoy my freedom too much. My sisters have set the standard of the perfect housewife and lady, and as we both know, I am anything but. I am far too well read for any of the young men here for them to feel secure in the fact that they’re the smartest person in the room, and any other man who would want me is simply not worth having.”

“Honestly, Bug, I don’t know how you manage it,” she smirked sardonically.

“Manage what?” You asked slowly, giving her a curious look.

“Manage to make something as fun as courting and the attention of men seem absolutely barbaric and grim,” she quipped with a laugh. You rolled your eyes with a smile, moving to say something but you were stopped as you ran into a wall.

You stumbled back with a grunt, resting a hand on your chest as you glanced up. Not a wall, no, but a solid chest of warm muscle.

“Is this what we’re stooping to now, ladies?” Drawled the man as he turned around with a tired sigh. He was handsome, you’d give him that. Blonde hair cut short that still seemed to dance in front of his ivy green eyes. A chiseled jaw that clenched in irritation as he regarded you with a raised eyebrow.

“I beg your pardon?” You asked him, brow furrowing in confusion. He rolled his eyes with a scoff.

“Are you that desperate for my attention that you need to assault me in order to gain it? Did you think I’d rush to your side and play the gentleman? I can assure you, many have already tried that approach, and they’ve all failed. You’ll have to come up with something new, I’m afraid.”

A muscle in your cheek twitched with your growing irritation at the arrogant man in front of you.

“What?” You asked him flatly, face already hardened into a glare. Nat rested a hand on your shoulder to keep you calm, all too familiar with your temper.

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said politely, offering him a placating smile, “but I’m afraid we have no idea who you are.”

The man studied her for a moment before his emerald gaze flickered back to you curiously. Something seemed to have clicked in his mind because his irritation morphed into a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

“Seresin?”

All three of you turned to see William approaching you, a look of pure excitement on his face as he fast approached. He let out a laugh as the other man gave him a grin.

“My god,” your brother exclaimed, pulling the other man into a brief hug before clapping him on the shoulder. “It is you! It’s been years, hasn’t it? You’ve been off gallivanting across Europe for God only knows how long.”

“I see you haven’t changed a bit, Will,” the man laughed. Your brother’s gaze flickered to yours before doing a double take.

“There you are,” he said, moving towards your side. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Seresin, you remember my younger sister.”

The man turned to you once more, and your cheeks warmed at the feel of his eyes roving over you.

“Come now,” your brother chided. “Surely you remember Bug.”

The man’s eyes alighted at your nickname, a smile curling on his lips that made him look much more boyish and mischievous than before. It was the smile of a familiar face, and suddenly you remembered a friend of your brother’s from when you were small. A handsome boy with golden hair and green eyes that spent nearly every holiday off from the prestigious boarding school at your home with your family.

“Lady Bug,” he breathed in what appeared to be disbelief, and you scowled at the nickname.

“You’re the only one who still calls me that,” you griped, causing the blond’s smile to grow.

“I suppose it’s a name that can remain between us then,” he suggested, taking your hand in his and placing a lingering kiss to the back of your hand. The heat in your cheeks grew, and you quickly snatched your hand away, clearing your throat and gesturing towards Natasha who still stood at your side.

“Nat,” you chirped, waving between the two. “This is Jake Seresin, Duke of Austin. Your grace, this is Natasha Trace.”

“A pleasure,” Nat smiled politely with a small curtsy.

“Miss Trace,” he nodded, eyes darting back to you. You swallowed thickly, looking anywhere but at the man in front of you. It was then that you caught Georgiana’s eye as she made her way across the room to your little group. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she sidled up in between your brother and the duke, a coy smile sliding onto her face as she batted her eyelashes at the latter.

“My, I was wondering where you were, brother,” she sighed, casting William a look over her shoulder before fixing her gaze back onto the handsome man in front of her. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“Georgie,” William started, clearing his throat, “don’t you remember Jake? He spent quite a few holidays with us growing up.”

Recognition lighted in her eyes.

“Oh my!” she exclaimed with a laugh. “It’s been so long that I hardly recognized you, your grace. We were just children last we met if memory serves, but it would appear that we are children no more.”

“Yes,” he agreed, eyes straying towards you. “It would appear we have all grown up.”

Georgiana turned to follow his gaze, a scowl creeping onto her face as she realized he was looking at you.

“Of course, this is Bug’s first season,” she commented with a hollow smile. “I even wonder if she was ready to make her debut. She’s still so much like the little girl we all knew.”

You pressed your lips into a firm line, willing yourself to stay calm in the face of Georgiana’s blatant baiting. Her gaze met yours, daring you to speak up, but you knew better than to give fuel to your sister’s fire. Instead, you turned to look at the dance floor, choosing to ignore her rather than play her silly, little game.

“I recall being rather fond of that little girl,” Jake remarked, and you felt your lips twitch into a smile before schooling your features once more.

“Yes, well,” William interrupted with a clap of his hands. You turned to see him offer his hand to Natasha with a small smile. “Miss Trace, would you care to accompany me to the dance floor?”

“I would be delighted, my lord,” she smiled, taking his hand as he led her off to join in the next dance.

“Oh, I do love to dance,” Georgiana sighed, looking up at Jake through her lashes. “Do you like to dance, your grace?”

Jake offered her a polite smile. “I suppose there are worse pastimes.”

“Bug much prefers to have her nose shoved inside a book, I suppose,” Georgiana remarked, barely concealing her sneer. “I have no taste for them, as I find them dreadfully boring. When I’m not waltzing, I’m practicing my pianoforte. I’m quite accomplished, you know, but I’ve always said I would have liked to make a career out of dancing were such a thing possible.”

“You don’t like dancing, Bug?” Jake asked, turning to look at you with curious eyes. You opened your mouth to answer, but Georgiana cut in.

“Oh, she can’t stand it!” She giggled. “Ever since we were little, I’ve always been the dancer. You’ll hardly ever find her on the dance floor.”

You supposed you were used to being talked over, being the youngest of your siblings—the quiet one, even. You had your opinions, of course, but being the fourth daughter and sister of an earl made it so that you flew under the radar more often than not. You were simply forgotten at the best of times and ignored at the worst. What could the fourth daughter possibly have to contribute to a conversation that the others before her had not already offered?

Still, it surprised you when Jake paid little mind to Georgiana’s comments on your nature, opting instead to maintain his focus on you. Like he was still waiting for you to answer.

“I don’t…dislike dancing,” you started carefully, glancing out on the dance floor. “I suppose what I dislike is having to pretend that it doesn’t hurt when boys step on my feet during it.”

A grin broke out on the blond’s face, and the scowl Georgiana shot your way did not go unnoticed by you.

“I suppose that would dampen anyone’s attitudes towards dancing,” he joked with a wink, and you felt a stirring in your stomach as your cheeks heated once more. Perhaps it was nerves from the unexpected attention.

The song ended, and Georgiana let out an exaggerated sigh as she shot a longing glance at the dance floor. Jake grimaced before schooling his features into a more placating look as he offered his hand to Georgiana.

“Would you care to dance with me?” He asked her politely. Georgiana gave an excited gasp as she placed her hand in his, shooting you a triumphant look that you chose to ignore. She was the clear choice between the two of you, so why she seemed to think this was a competition was beyond you. Still, you couldn’t help but notice the glance back the duke did as he accompanied your sister out onto the dance floor, and for a split second, you wished it was you instead of her.

You shook your head to rid yourself of your thoughts. You were lucky to be in the position you were in. You were the youngest daughter, an afterthought. You had the freedom to do what the others could not, to disappear without ever marrying if you so chose. You could live your life in solitude with the freedom of expanding your mind and not having to worry about playing lady of the house under the authority of your husband.

You lifted your chin, watching as your best friend danced with your brother and your sister danced with the duke. You could be content on the sidelines, away from everyone else.

Silently, and careful not to attract attention, you slipped out of the ballroom and into the foyer, padding up the stairs to Mr. Mitchell’s private library. He had promised you a new menagerie of tales, and as you crept higher and higher up the stairs, twisting and turning down the halls, you came upon the quiet stillness of the library. The fire was already lit, as if your surrogate uncle knew you’d make your way up sooner rather than later, and as you ran your fingertips on top of the leather-bound books, the dreams of a different life faded into memory.

A/N: Chapter one is done!! What did we all think? I'm so excited to see who Regency!Jake turns out to be and who Bug will grow into as a character. As always, reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated. If you would like to be notified on when I post updates, please follow my side blog (@sailoraviator-library) and turn on post notifications! My work is cross posted on AO3 under the username sailor_aviator. Until next time!

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boiolay · 10 days

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I wrote this almost 4 years ago and honestly this is my favorite piece ever. I read it again and... I kinda want to write part 2............ i've had it planned for 4 years lol

would anyone read it?

Paper Scribbles | Mark Lee

summary: the one mail that made him wish he did things differently | childhood bestfriends!au + idol!Mark

genre: fluff; angst

warnings: swearing

word count: 6K

“Mark! You’ve got mail."

It was already past midnight when they arrived at the dorm. After working the whole day on the choreography for the comeback, the only thing the boys wanted was to go to bed and sleep for as long as they could. Mark especially. He had been drained out of energy for being involved in so many activities, differents unities, choreographies, composing… He felt like his days had less hours than his members’ so everything else than work, at that moment could wait.

"Just leave it over the table. I’ll take a look tomorrow.” He mumbled rubbing his eyes as walked to his bedroom.

“I think you should take a look. It’s from Canada."

He stopped as soon as he heard his home country. It wasn’t unusual for him to receive mail from his parents, but they would always tell him they were sending something. He frowned trying to remember if his mother had said something and was almost sure she didn’t, but he still turned around walking back to Taeyong letting his curiosity take over him.

"Thanks, hyung."

"Don’t take too long, Markie."

Mark nodded taking the brown envelope from his hands before the older walked away. Plopping down on the couch, he twirled it around searching for the sender’s address. He didn’t have a clue where that was, it was definitely from Canada, but the place written on the paper didn’t ring any bells from who it could be.

Until he found your name.

He widened his eyes and held his breath as he read the name printed on the paper a few more times checking if he wasn’t just imagining. It had been years since he last heard of you. And seeing your name written by a handwriting that wasn’t his was making his heart do things that he didn’t know it could do again.

Continuar lendo

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boiolay · 15 days

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AAAAAAA i want my unexistent child to be taught by him 😔😔😔

Meet The Teacher - Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

summary: Bradley Bradshaw's re-entering civilian life with a new mission - teaching second grade.

a/n: thank you to @nerdgirljen for suggesting the idea with her breakdown of Bradley's military file, and thank you to @floydsmuse, @mamachasesmayhem, and @purelyfiction for reading this over for me last night 😅

pairing: teacher!Bradley Bradshaw x single mom!reader (last name is given to reader) warnings/content: mentions of trauma/injury, mentions of death/parent loss, Bradley pining for a student's mom, allusions to smut (masturbating (m)).

word count: 2.9k

taglist: @avengersfan25 @nouis-bum @sorchathered @hangmansgbaby @sarahsmi13s @jessicab1991 @atarmychick007 @b-bradshaw @djs8891 @primroseluna @silversprings-mp3 @drxgxnslxyer @gardenavenue @seitmai @unhinged-bitch @mattyskies

“You’ve got this, Bradshaw. You’ve got this. It’s just two dozen second graders. You’ve flown fighter jets and stared enemy aircraft in the eye, shot them down midair, you can handle a classroom of second graders.”

Bradley repeated his mantra over and over in the rearview mirror of his car, taking a deep breath as he nodded his head. He adjusted the collar on his baby blue and white striped dress shirt, fingers tracing over the silver chain of his dog tags. His breath hitched in his throat as he ran his fingertip over the beaded chain, letting it out in a strained sigh. He was venturing into uncharted waters here, and he was beginning to wonder if he was in over his head.

Six months ago, he was flying planes, one of the US Navy’s finest aviators. He’d never cared much about what he could have been doing if he hadn’t become a pilot - he’d known as long as he could remember that he wanted to fly. Since his accident though, he began to process all the things he’d let himself miss out on over the past 18 years. At 40 years old, he knew he was pushing his body to its limits, but he didn’t think he’d reached that threshold yet.

He was wrong.

It’d been a routine flight exercise, the kind he’d done about 40,000 times before in his career. His plane’s engine cut out, a mechanical failure beyond anyone’s control that couldn’t have been predicted. He kept his composure, pulled the ejection handle and parachuted his way to the ground below. In an ideal situation, he would have landed perfectly, safe and sound and taken to the hospital for observation but released the next day.

Instead, he’d blown his knee out on his landing, making walking next to impossible, let alone flying.

Presented with his options, returning to flying seemed unlikely. His knee would only likely get worse, and he realized, he sort of liked the idea of settling down someday — he knew forty was a little late in life to realize it, but damn it, he did want a family. He didn’t want to be that dad who couldn’t keep up with his kid. He wanted to be an active, fun parent like he’d remembered his mom being in her lifetime. He wanted to be able to dance with his new bride at his wedding, if it ever happened, and he couldn’t do any of that if his knee was fucked beyond repair.

Dreams of coaching Little League and dancing around kitchens in the soft, yellow glow of overhead lights had suddenly flashed before him in his hospital room, and when the proposition of an honourable discharge came up, an offer absolving him of any guilt for abandoning his post in the pursuit of a civilian little fairytale life, he seized it. He loved flying, but he knew he couldn’t do it forever, despite his best efforts. He needed something to fall back on. And if these hopes and dreams suddenly crossing his mind — having a wife and a family, being a doting dad — were to come true, he needed to start somewhere.

Bradley always swore he’d never leave a wife and family behind. He’d seen what happened when a service member didn’t come home first hand - his dad was killed in a training incident when he was just over two years old, and he’d seen how his whole world turned on its side when it happened. Even as a toddler, he remembered a lot of crying from his mother, and suddenly noticing a huge absence in his life that couldn’t be explained.

He didn’t understand what happened until he turned five, when he finally worked up the courage to ask his mom where his dad was. Why he left. Why he didn’t want to be home with Bradley. The moment he was old enough to decide his career path, he knew he wouldn’t be able to put a wife and children through the things he and his mom had been through. He was better off alone if he was serving. And it suited him just fine for the most part. The odd pang of jealousy when a colleague got married, the occasional feeling that he was missing out on something each time someone he knew announced the arrival of a new baby — they were easy enough to ignore when he focused his attention on his work.

Now, sitting in his parked car, an hour before the start of the school year, he was talking himself through how to survive his first day in his chosen back-up profession — teaching.

He’d minored in education studies at university when he went. He’d promised his mother when he was applying to colleges that he’d pick a good back-up option to flying, just in case he didn’t get into the academy, and everyone knew he was great with kids. He’d often babysat for his mom’s friends, volunteered to coach softball teams and run summer camps at the community centre throughout high school. Teaching seemed like a no-brainer.

He let out a heavy sigh as he strolled into the school, his head held high, lesson plans tucked neatly in a file folder under his arm, his coffee cup in the other hand. He was ready to face the day, and whatever these seven-year-olds had to throw at him.

The day went on without a hitch, much to Bradley’s relief. Twenty-three little darlings sat in their desks, on their best behaviour for their first day of class. He knew it was unlikely that they’d continue to be so well-behaved, but he savoured it while it lasted. His co-workers seemed laidback and relaxed, friendly smiles and waves exchanged frequently in passing, words of advice and encouragement spoken at length over lunch and prep times.

Three o’clock came faster than anticipated, and Bradley felt like he’d barely covered any of his plans for the day. At dismissal, he’d politely waved goodbye to each and every child, introducing himself to the parents he’d missed that morning at drop off, and greeting the ones he’d already met with brief updates about their child’s day. The last child to be picked up was a sweet little boy, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, freckles dotted across the bridge of his nose. Bradley’s brown eyes scanned over the attendance record in his hand. Wells Montgomery.

At 3:10, Wells had grown bored of kicking his soccer ball around the grassy area around the side of the school. He picked his ball up under his arm and hurried back to Bradley.

“Mr. Bradshaw, is my mom here yet?”

“Not yet, bud. She’s probably stuck in traffic coming over the bridge into town. You know, it gets really busy around now. Do you want to come inside and read for a little bit in the classroom?” Bradley squinted, the sun shining brightly into his eyes as he scanned the parking lot for anyone who might be Wells’ mother.

“Ok,” Wells said with a heavy sigh. Bradley furrowed his brow for a moment before looking back to Wells as the two of them headed back into the building.

By 3:20, Bradley was beginning to worry about his new pupil. He didn’t anticipate a parent going missing-in-action on him on his first day of teaching, but faced with the possibility, he began going through the list of possible actions he could take. Just as he pondered over the idea of taking Wells down to the staff room to rummage the cupboards for a still-at-school-after-school snack, you came practically flying through the door, a panicked expression on your face, cheeks reddening when you saw Wells sitting at his desk, quietly reading.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I got held up in a meeting until 2:45, and then traffic was a nightmare, everything was backed up and there’s only two ways onto the island but I couldn’t ditch my car to take the ferry over, I’m so sorry,” you apologized profusely, nodding your head as you looked from Wells, to the teacher seated in the desk and back again, unsure who you needed to apologize to more.

Bradley turned to face you, his eyes raking over you as he assessed the situation. Dressed in a fitted lilac coloured pencil skirt, white tank-top and matching lilac coloured blazer, you looked like something out of a dream to him. He’d never given much thought about what his type in women was before. He’d dated blondes, brunettes, redheads, the occasional girl with bright pink hair, curvy girls, petite girls, mid-sized girls - he never had much of a preference one way or the other as far as appearances went, but God, if he had to sum up his dream girl right now - you were it.

“It’s alright, honestly,” Bradley nodded his head, smiling warmly at you in an effort to ease your concerns. “I’m Mr. Bradshaw, Wells’ teacher for second grade. He’s had a great day today, we were just about to head down to the staff room and see if there were any rogue granola bars hiding in the cupboard for him and I to share.”

“Thank you,” you nodded, your expression softening as Bradley spoke, an instant wave of relief washing over you. “You ready to go, Wellsy?”

“Mom, please,” Wells whined, shaking his head as he grabbed his book and shoved it into his backpack. “She thinks I’m a baby,” he griped, turning to Bradley for a sympathetic smile.

“Moms, huh? Mine was the same way with me.” Bradley laughed softly, waving as you and Wells headed out.

Later that night, Bradley sat on his couch, settling in to watch a baseball game as he poured over the plans for the upcoming week. Cracking open his beer bottle, he sipped the drink, sighing tiredly as he read over the social studies plan, visiting the list of important historical figures he was expected to familiarize the class with over the course of the school year. With one hand, shakily written notes were made in a notebook, scribbling out ideas for fun ways to engage the kids with each important person he was required to introduce.

Setting the beer down on a coaster, he exchanged it for a slice of greasy pizza, his reward for himself at the end of a successful first day of school. He shovelled it into his mouth, sighing as he watched the baseball game unfold. The Padres were down 3-7 in the bottom of the eighth, with not much hope left for them to pull through tonight. Bradley swallowed his mouthful, brushing the grease off his hands onto the leg of his grey sweatpants.

Bradley yawned, tired bleary eyes blinking as he padded down the hallway to his bedroom. He sighed softly and settled into bed, his mind wandering as his head rested on the pillow. Before he realized it, you were on his mind. He’d thought about you a lot that evening, brief intrusions of your smile flashing through his mind as he tried to plan out the upcoming week.

This time though, as he laid there looking up at his ceiling, he thought about your apologies for being late, how it felt like you were pleading with him or Wells to not be upset with you. He thought about how your hair, although tousled from clearly running through parking lots to your car and to the school, framed your face perfectly, and how even in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the classroom, you managed to look nothing short of beautiful.

He thought about how well the soft, purple hue of your skirt and blazer suited you, bringing out the glow of your skin and the colour of your eyes. He thought about how it hugged your curves as you left, hand in hand with Wells, the swish of your hips as you walked down the hallway. He thought about how he was pretty sure he didn’t see a wedding band on your finger, but also admonished himself for even checking. He couldn’t date a student’s parent. He knew better than that.

But still, he couldn’t help but think about you.

The next couple of weeks went by and Bradley’s interest in you grew fonder. He’d begun watching for you subtly at morning drop-offs and pick-ups, hoping to at least say hello once a day. On the last Friday of the month, you stopped him as he headed for his car, watching as Wells played on the playground equipment facing the parking lot.

“Mr. Bradshaw!” you called out, and Bradley couldn’t help but feel like you were making his name sound like a chorus of angels singing.

“Hey, Mrs. Montgomery! Is everything ok?” Bradley asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Everything’s fine, yes,” you nodded, smiling as you gently corrected him about your name. You hadn’t been Mrs. Montgomery in two years, but, you couldn’t fault Bradley for slipping up, you knew the school secretary likely didn’t alert him ahead of time. You stifled a giggle as Bradley’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, now his turn to apologize profusely to you.

You waved a hand dismissively and smiled, turning to watch Wells play once again.

“You know, it may have only been a few weeks, but Wells speaks very highly of you,” you started, nodding in confirmation as you watched him play, your gaze turning to land on Bradley for a moment, “He hasn’t been this interested in anything since his dad moved across the country.”

“Oh? I’m glad I could help him enjoy school again. I try my best to keep things fun and exciting in the classroom — kids learn better when they’re excited and interested in something. No one has fun being read to from a textbook over and over again all day,” Bradley explained.

“Well, Mr. Bradshaw, you’re doing a really good job of it. He came home excited to tell me that he learned about George Washington yesterday. I’m pretty sure two days ago he had no idea who that was.”

“Please,” Bradley laughed softly, shaking his head, “You can call me Bradley. It’s less formal.”

“Bradley,” you repeated, nodding as you chuckled to yourself, “Bradley Bradshaw?”

“My dad had a sense of humour,” Bradley shrugged, looking out at the playground as Wells chased one of his friends around. “He’s a good kid, you know. Wells.”

“I know, I’m proud of how well he’s handling things now that his dad got relocated. Pensacola’s a lot further than he anticipated. He was hoping for Corpus Christi at least.”

Bradley’s ears piqued at the mention of Wells’ dad relocating. Pensacola and Corpus Christi both housed Naval Air bases, he was more than familiar with both of them. He’d only ever been stationed between Oceana, Miramar and North Island, but in his eighteen years of service, he’d met plenty of service members who hailed from one of the two bases originally.

“Wells’ dad is a pilot?”

“Mhmm, well, mechanic, actually. He doesn’t fly them in combat,” you commented, raising an eyebrow at Bradley. “You seemed to guess that really well. Most people don’t guess pilot.”

“I used to be a Naval pilot, m’am,” he nodded, smiling proudly as he thought about his accomplished Naval career once again. “Lieutenant Commander Bradley Bradshaw, US Naval Air Force. I was stationed at NAS Oceana, transferred here to North Island, wrecked my knee, now I’m a teacher.”

“That’s quite the pipeline into teaching, Lieutenant Commander.”

“Please, it’s Bradley. It’s nice not going by my rank, actually.”

“Well, Bradley, I’d love to hear how exactly you landed on teaching second grade as a backup to flying F/A-18s for the United States Navy some day.” You nodded, hoping Bradley wouldn’t take offence to the suggestion of getting together at some point. Even if it was just as friends, you’d welcome it.

“That sounds like a good idea to me, actually. I’d love to.”

As Bradley headed to his car, he felt a little bounce in his step. He couldn’t help himself. Even if this just turned into a friendship and nothing more, he felt grateful that you wanted to spend time getting to know him better.

His drive home was filled with more thoughts of you, thoughts of your pretty pastel coloured outfits you always seemed to favour, thoughts of your perfect smile, always beaming and cheerful, bright enough to brighten his entire day in a way that should make the sun jealous, thoughts of your hair, how it always looked so perfectly imperfect.

In bed that night, Bradley thought about your legs, how they were long and lean, curving at your thigh. He thought about how good your ass looked in your skirt earlier today, how the material hugged it tightly. He thought about your thighs, how they looked so perfectly smooth and soft, how your plain white t-shirt that was tucked into your skirt did little to hide the swell of your breasts, and the way the curve of your neck looked irresistible, how badly he wanted to plant his lips on your skin and cover you in a trail of kisses.

Bradley thought about you in a lot of ways that night. None of them were ways he was proud of. But as he stared up at the ceiling this time, you were the only thing on his mind. He didn’t know much about how he’d go about this newfound infatuation with you. All he knew was that if he was going to settle down with anyone, he was almost positive it would be with you.

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boiolay · 15 days

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Omgg i love this series so much! 😔🥺 They are finally gonna meet!!!!!!!

As You Wish, Chapter 9

Summary: When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Trigger Warnings: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister (but biological relation is never discussed), reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, poor military references, references to cancer and chemotherapy, cursing, preteen shenanigans, anxiety

32nd Street Naval Station, 13 years ago

Jake’s gulp was the only movement he made as he lined up amongst the other aviators and sailors, on solid ground again for the first time in six months. It was sweltering hot in San Diego and even the lightweight material of his khaki uniform did nothing to prevent the sweat from dripping down his neck. All he wanted was to get changed into some shorts and a t-shirt and grab a beer at the Hard Deck, knowing he would be reuniting with the other members of Dagger Squad after half a year away.

He, Javy, Bob and Phoenix had been deployed together, thank god, but he was anxious to see everyone else, a thought that would have rocked him back on his heels even a year ago. He still wasn’t known as the greatest team player they had, but he had surprised even himself when he had bonded with the other aviators he was stationed at Top Gun with. Payback’s wife had been expecting when they left, Fanboy’s mom going through chemo, while Rooster was left to run training simulations with Maverick, and Jake wanted to hear about all of it.

Yet, he was left standing in formation as those around him started to disperse, their family members and friends tapping them out. Jake allowed himself a little sigh as he saw people searching left and right for their loved ones. Once upon a time, his parents would have made the journey out to release him from his duties, but they were older and more hesitant to fly now. He knew his grandfather would have made the trip from Texas, but he hadn’t even mentioned it to the man. Jake straightened his shoulders. Hopefully, Javy’s mama had made the trip. Auntie Thea loved Jake almost as much as he loved her, and he knew that she would tap him out if she saw him standing there.

His shoulders almost drooped when Stella, the tattoo artist Javy had been seeing for a few weeks before deployment, approached and nearly tackled his best friend. Shit. There went that plan. Natasha’s sister had already tapped her out, the two of them smiling back at him teasingly as they strolled away, leaving Jake and Bob standing there amongst the other crewmen who hadn’t been found by their loved ones. While it wasn’t necessarily a big deal, and while he knew that Nat would feel like shit and apologize if she found out he was the last one standing there on the tarmac, a heavy weight settled over his heart. There was nothing more disheartening than to realize you had nobody to welcome you home after six months at sea.

“Bobby!”

Jake almost winced. Even shy, quiet Bob Floyd had someone there who cared about him. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the woman—the beautiful woman, too beautiful for Baby On Board Floyd to be able to pull—hugged the WSO tightly, officially releasing him from his duties.

“Hey kiddo,” he heard Bob say softly, hugging the woman gently. “How’ve you been?”

“Excited to have finally finished my masters,” she shrugged. “And looking forward to getting to spend some time with my big brother before diving into the post-grad job search. So, how was it? I know you can’t tell me much, but how was it?”

Bob chuckled softly. “Let’s just say, I’m glad to be home.”

“I’m glad you’re back too,” she replied, giving him a slight nudge as he bent to pick up his gear. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?”

“I think the squad is planning on getting drinks tonight at the Hard Deck,” he offered as he shuffled his bag onto his shoulder. “They’re probably already there. Well, most of them, anyway.”

“Why most of them?” she asked as they slowly started to walk away. “Did some of your other friends get deployed too?”

Bob shook his head as they passed in front of Jake, lowering his voice. “I don’t think so. Some of us are still waiting to get tapped out, though.” Bob shot Jake an apologetic glance, and his friend followed his gaze.

“Is he one of your friends?” she asked quietly. Jake’s eyes strained against the sunlight as he stared dead ahead, trying to look as nonchalant as possible as the tarmac grew more and more empty.

“I guess you could say that,” Bob murmured. “That’s Hangman.”

“Ohhh…” Jake could almost imagine the dawning of realization on the woman’s face as she remembered the less than flattering stories Bob had undoubtedly shared with her. “I’ll be right back.”

Jake blinked as the woman appeared right in front of him, smiling softly. “Do you not have anyone to tap you out, Hangman?” she asked quietly, eyes soft and bright. Jake couldn’t bring himself to look away. “Oh right, you’re not supposed to break formation or talk or anything until you’re tapped out, right?” She placed a warm hand on Jake’s shoulder, and he allowed himself to relax. “There. That’s better.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he murmured, bending to grab his bag.

Bob stepped closer. “Hangman, this is my sister.”

She rolled her eyes and offered him her hand, stating her name with a smile. “I’m pretty sure introducing me as his sister was supposed to be some sort of warning for you not to mess with me,” she whispered slyly to him, sticking her tongue out at her brother as he sighed.

“I would never, ma’am,” he smirked over at Bob and lowered his head over her hand, kissing the warm, silky skin softly.

“I already regret everything,” Bob muttered as the three started walking towards the parking lot.

She grinned at him, and Jake felt something inside himself stir. It wasn’t often that the mere sight of a pretty smile gave him that feeling in his chest, but something about Bob Floyd’s sister smiling at him made his heart feel like he had just run back-to-back marathons.

“So, Hangman, do you have a ride to this Hard Deck place?” she asked as they approached a rental convertible.

He found himself smiling back at her. Not his signature smirk or his flirty grin, but an actual Seresin Smile. “No, ma’am, I don’t. And please, call me Jake.”

“Jake…” the sound of his name on her lips made something in his brain short out, and he found himself wanting to get to know everything he could about this woman beside him.

The dopey smile on his face must have given him away because Bob groaned again. “I really regret everything.”

Hotel Zaza, Downtown Austin, Texas, Now

The days after their Zoom call had been hectic, to say the least. Bob had been able to coordinate flights that would put them in Austin Friday night, so they could be ready for their meeting on Saturday afternoon. Rooster had kept in contact with Natasha and given her the name of the hotel that Savannah had insisted they stay at, because it was her number one choice for a wedding venue. Buttercup’s agent had been able to get them adjoining rooms in the hotel, pulling the ‘fairly famous and well-off author’ card when the hotel had balked at the last-minute reservation.

Charlie was immensely grateful for her aunt and uncle organizing their trip, because she had spent the days between the call and the flight getting to know her mother, as Charlie this time, not as Abby. It was even more wonderful than getting to know her the first time, and she felt a bit silly about her fears that her mother wouldn’t love her if she wasn’t Abby. If anything, Buttercup’s adoration for her had only grown once Charlie had started acting more like herself. They had spent the whole flight to Texas chatting and giggling, watching old movies and sharing stories about their lives. By the time they disembarked in Texas, Charlie felt even closer to her mother than she had before.

Now, however, she was seeing a brand-new side to her mother, one that she wasn’t even sure Abby had seen before.

Buttercup’s hands were folded tightly under her chin as she surveyed the contents of her suitcase, her weight was shifting back and forth, and her breath was coming in short gasps.

“I-I don’t see why it matters what I wear, Nat,” she murmured, her wide eyes scanning over the clothes that had been neatly tucked into her rose gold case. “It’s just my ex-husband, his new fiancée, and my daughter.”

“Because it’s your ex-husband,” Nat replied with an eye roll. “Pull a Princess Di and revenge dress the shit out of him!”

“Language,” Buttercup murmured, though there was no real heat behind the warning. “It doesn’t matter anyway, Nat.”

“Then why’re you shaking in your boots?”

Buttercup backed up and slumped into one of the armchairs in the suite. The room was sheer opulence, large and clean and beautiful in a way that Charlie had never seen before. She had to hand it to her, Savannah sure knew how to pick her potential venues.

“Because I haven’t seen him for over a decade and he stopped answering my calls about the custody arrangement and now he’s getting married to someone who is arguably way too young for him and here I am, still single and unable to recognize that our daughters swapped places!”

Natasha sighed, but Charlie stepped in front of her mother before her aunt could say anything. “It’s going to be okay, mom,” she said. “Abby and I will be there, and so will Uncle Bob and Auntie Nat, and Uncle Roo and Uncle Javy.”

Buttercup chuckled tearily. “Look at you, Charlie. Talking me down.” She sniffled. “I’m sorry, honey. I need to pull myself together. You don’t need to be parenting me.”

Charlie giggled. “I’m not. I’m just telling you what you told me when I was freaking out about the lecture I’m probably gonna get from Dad.”

Buttercup giggled and pulled Charlie into a hug. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, mom,” Charlie pulled away. “Why don’t you pick something that makes you feel good to wear? That way you feel confident when you see dad again?”

Buttercup grinned. “I like the way you think, honey.”

Standing up, Buttercup moved to her suitcase and dug around, eventually pulling out a lacy green dress with a gold chain belt.

“I wore this to my first book signing,” Buttercup grinned. “Forest Windows won a Women’s Prize for Fiction that year, and I’ve considered it my lucky dress ever since.”

“I think it’s perfect,” Charlie smiled.

Nat grinned. “It’s no LBD, but you look hot in it, and that’s all that matters.”

Buttercup rolled her eyes and stepped into the bathroom. “Thanks, Nat. I’m going to shower and get dressed. Did your father text you to say that he had arrived yet?”

Charlie shook her head. “No…he didn’t. I’ll check in with Abby and see what their ETA is.”

“Sounds good,” Buttercup smiled, the tug of her lips still strained but not as stressed. “I’ll be out in a bit.”

Once the door had clicked shut and they could hear the water running, Natasha turned on her.

“Your dad still has no idea, right?”

Charlie nodded quickly. “Abby, Javy, and Rooster have kept him and Savannah in the dark. Dad still thinks he’s with me, and he has no idea that we’re waiting for him here.”

Natasha nodded grimly. “Your mom’s gonna be in there for a bit, hyping herself up. What’s Abby’s ETA?”

“They’re five minutes out,” Charlie confirmed, checking her phone again to check Abby’s shared location.

“Okay. You go down and meet up with Abby, away from where your dad can see you, okay?”

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know, Auntie Nat. That was my part of the plan.”

Natasha playfully shuddered. “You’ve got so much of Hangman’s attitude in you, it’s spooky sometimes. I’ll go let your uncle know to keep your mom occupied in the room until we give him the signal, then I’ll head down and be ready to run interference if I have to. Ready?”

Charlie’s heart leapt. “Ready.”

“…and then we have a meeting with the florist at 4 pm, and they’re a high-class place, so no mucky cowboy boots and jeans, okay, Jakey?”

Abby held back her gag as Savannah droned on about her wedding itinerary. She had been talking about it since they left the ranch over 3 hours ago. What should have been a 2-hour drive at most had stretched on because Savannah had to keep getting out and taking pictures to ‘document the experience’, and each time, Abby had to control her eye roll. It wasn’t worth it, and, besides, there were three things keeping her Zen.

1. She’d promised her dad that she would try to be accepting of Savannah. As upset as she and Charlie were about how he had handled things, and as much as Savannah turned her stomach, she wanted her dad to be happy, so she had agreed to grin and bear it for the duration of the visit.

2. Rooster and Javy were there, and while Rooster might have fallen asleep within minutes of hitting the road, Javy was awake and keeping her entertained with dramatic eye rolls and faux gagging every time Savannah opened her mouth. She wasn’t sure if her father had caught on to their antics or not, but Abby was sure having a good time.

And, most importantly, 3. Her family was waiting for them at the hotel. She would finally get to hug her mother and tease her aunt and uncle about all the stories Javy and Rooster had filled her in on.

Jake sighed and pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. “Yes, Savannah. I promise I will be dressed appropriately.”

“Thank you, sugar,” Savannah flounced and exited the car, leaving her two suitcases for her fiancé to unload.

“Dude, I—”

“I know what you’re about to say, Coyote, but don’t. Okay? Just…don’t start.”

Rooster yawned and sat up. “Sure, Hangman. Whatever you say. C’mon, kid. Let’s let your dad and Javy deal with the suitcases while we go check out the pool.”

“Is that okay, dad?”

Jake smiled tiredly and waved his hand at them. “Yeah, you two go have fun. I’ll catch you for dinner, which we are having with Savannah’s parents, okay?”

Abby smiled through her held back groan. “You got it, dad. See you in a bit!”

Grabbing Rooster’s hand, Abby practically dragged him through the lobby and into the elevator.

“Abby says they’re in room 513,” she said excitedly, and watched as her uncle jabbed the round elevator button with an elegant 5 painted on it.

“Are you sure Javy will be able to keep it together?” he asked her as the glass elevator sped upwards. “Dude’s been acting jumpy since we left.”

“He wouldn’t dare tell dad anything! He was trained just the same as you were, Uncle Roo. I’m sure he can keep it together for a little longer.”

The elevator came to a rest on the fifth floor and Abby practically sprinted through the slowly opening doors, hanging a right and skidding to a stop at room 513.

“Here goes!” Abby chirped as she knocked on the door. Her heart leapt as the door creaked open, revealing Bob, his phone pressed to his ear.

He smiled brightly when he saw her, and held up a long finger. “Yeah…yeah, I’ll call you back when I can, okay? Okay…me too. Bye.” He tapped the red button and crouched, Abby falling into his arms. “Hey kiddo.”

Abby’s chest expanded as she clutched her uncle. “Uncle Bob, I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, kiddo.”

He stood, Abby still hanging onto his neck as he nodded over her shoulder at Rooster.

“Bradshaw.”

Rooster nodded back. “How’s it going, Bob? Where’s Nat and Charlie?”

“Downstairs, keeping a lookout for you.”

Rooster nodded as Bob finally put Abby down and reached out to shake his hand.

“We must’ve just missed ‘em,” Rooster mused, watching Abby as she ducked around Bob to glance around the room.

“Where’s Mum?”

“She’s in the adjoining room, kiddo. She might be having a bit of a panic attack right now, but I’m sure the sight of you will calm her down.”

Abby grinned up at the two men and bolted over to the door, tearing it open with a loud call of “Mum! It’s me!”

Bob chuckled as Rooster shook his head. “And I thought Charlie was high energy.”

Bob nodded as he pocketed his phone. “She is. I guess they both are.”

Rooster nodded and leaned back against the closed door, a heavy silence weighing over the two men. Once upon a time, they had been friends, allies, partners. Now, they were little more than strangers, two people roped into a scheme by two preteens.

“So, Nat’s downstairs?”

Bob nodded. “She and Charlie are trying to find a way to separate Hangman from this fiancée of his. Is she really as bad as Abby is making it out to be?”

Rooster shuddered. “Remember all the girls who would hang around the Hard Deck and try to flirt with anyone in a uniform?”

Bob nodded gravely, his skin crawling at the memory. “I do.”

“Savannah is about twenty times worse than that. Javy can’t stand her either.”

Bob blinked. “Is Javy downstairs too?”

Rooster nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to have him and Nat bump into each other downstairs?”

Rooster’s eyes widened, but, before he could speak, Abby raced back into the room. “Uncle Bob, Mum’s not in there.”

Bob blinked again. “Are you sure?”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m sure, Uncle Bob.”

Bob’s cellphone was back in his hand, pressed to his ear after a quick dial. “Yeah, it’s me. Where are you? I thought you were still getting ready?...Really? Buttercup—” Bob pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. “She hung up on me.”

“What did she say?”

“She went to go get a steamer from the lobby for her dress. She didn’t want to wear something wrinkled.”

“And she couldn’t have gotten someone to deliver it to the room?”

Bob shrugged at Rooster’s question. “She probably needed some air.”

It was Abby’s turn to dig her phone out of her pocket and dial. “Charlie? Yes, we’re here with Uncle Bob, but Mum is heading down to the lobby right now! You and Auntie Nat need to run interference!”

A/N: Oooh, a cliffhanger! Maybe I'll be able to get the next chapter done in one week instead of two. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tags List: @mamachasesmayhem @jessicab1991 @waltermis @buckysteveloki-me @allepaula @yuckosworld @bradshawssugarbaby @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @kim-stark @high-speed-r @starsrfun @tomanyfandomstrash @averyhotchner @the-blueatlas @dashes-dizzydisaster @a-girl-who-loves-disney @boiolay @djs8891 @tgmreader @kmc1989 @landpiranha-blog @sydthekid1518 @lynnevanss @mackenzieblair @minejungwoo @starset21 @tgmavericklover @dempy @starkleila @magical-spit @whatislovevavy @simplyreading96 @vivalas-vega @itsdesiree86 @inky-sun @books-are-escapes @abaker74 @mrs-perfectly-fine @inthestars-underthesun

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boiolay · 17 days

Text

OMMMGGGGGGG I FEEL LIKE I'M THE TEACHER RN ASDFGHJKL can't wait to discover what he looks like 👀👀 i'd love to be tagged as well if possible

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 2 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: The collection of letters that Bradley received from the fourth grade class provides him with entertainment while deployed. He takes the time to answer their questions and send a package back to the United States via air mail. But he has your email address. He also has a bit of a crush and some questions himself.

Warnings: Fluff, language

Length: 4100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

A few days later, when Bradley was done with his training protocols for the day, he returned to his bunk with a different mission in mind. While he unzipped his flight suit, he eyed the box which was taking up most of his nightstand, and a smile found its way to his lips. He managed to find a notebook that nobody wanted along with a thick, padded envelope, and he was going to take the time to respond to the fourth graders who wrote to him.

He'd spent hours poring over the letters, laughing at some of the questions from the kids and frequently picking up that one photo. He couldn't stop going back for more. For another look at you. Just one more look. Okay, this really was the last one. He had to toss it across the small room toward his duffel so he could focus on something other than your smile and the fact that he might have a tiny crush on a fourth grade teacher who knew absolutely nothing about him. Yet.

The note from Jayden was on the top, and Bradley opened it up and started to jot down a response.

Jayden,

It was so nice to hear from you and the rest of your class. To answer your pertinent questions, I am currently stationed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The most disgusting food in the mess hall is easily the cabbage rolls (which taste nothing like cabbage... or rolls). The best food in the mess hall is surprisingly the meatloaf. And yes, I would love to see a photo of your Cocker Spaniel. Please send one next time. I hope you're studying and doing your best in school.

Lt Bradley Bradshaw

The next note he decided to tackle was the one from Violet who had the tiniest handwriting he'd ever seen. The page had at least fifteen questions written out, but he decided to answer just a few for her. He had to squint as he skimmed through them again.

Violet,

You seem very inquisitive. That's a great quality to have, especially if you want to be a pilot someday. No, I did not attend the Naval Academy. I went to the University of Virginia. Yes, the Navy is way better than the Air Force. Yes, I can hold my breath underwater for three minutes. Yes, they actually made me do it. No, I don't think I could make it as a Navy SEAL. Yes, I have been staying hydrated and getting enough sun, thanks so much for asking. Keep studying hard, because you have a lot of school ahead of you before officer training.

Lt Bradley Bradshaw

Okay, so this was actually a lot of fun. Up next was a response to the note from Oliver, which made Bradley laugh every time he looked at it.

Oliver,

Thank you so much for drawing the different Naval aircrafts for me. I hate to break it to you, but I actually do not fly the F-35 Lightning II. Yes, I know they look 'sickeningly cool'. Yes, I know it would be like 'slam dunking off the back of a dragon'. I guess I never knew I was jealous of those pilots until right now.... But I fly the equally cool if not quite as sickening looking F/A-18 Super Hornet. And yes, I would be more than happy to draw my own version of one for you. See below.

Lt. Bradley Bradshaw

The ten minutes he spent replicating his own aircraft to the best of his ability for Oliver churned out a pretty damn good result. He fished his phone out of the nightstand and took a picture to email to Nat when he had time, because she would find this whole thing amusing. Then he reached for the letters from Harrison, Nia and Jackie. He wrote his responses, and after a bit, he had a decent sized stack of letters all ready to go back to the fourth graders.

After a few more days, he worked his way through the entire class, and each kid would soon have a handwritten response on the way. He just needed to figure out what he wanted to say to you. The pretty teacher from the class photo that he now kept tucked in with his personal items. He worked on that one last, writing your full name at the top of the page and wishing you didn't go by the very non-specific Ms. which gave him zero clue as to whether or not you were married.

The package you sent was the nicest piece of deployment mail I have ever received. Thank you. I'm lucky it ended up in my hands. I'm impressed by how much all of your students have learned about aviation this year. I just hope I did them justice in regards to the questions they had for me.

I also hope you don't mind that I replied to each kid individually. They had some very amusing stories and questions, and I wanted to acknowledge all of them. But there was one question in particular that I was asked so many times, I thought I'd answer it here instead. My call sign is kind of a silly one, so it's okay if you all laugh. I go by Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, and my helmet is mostly red, yellow and black.

Your kids seem like a fun bunch, but I bet they keep you on your toes. Feel free to let them know they can write back to me again, but please include my name on the package this time. I don't know that I'd be lucky enough to have it fall into my hands again by chance. I'll just be here somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for a few more months, ready to answer any questions you throw at me. Hope to hear back from you soon.

Yours Truly,

Lt Bradley Bradshaw

The following day, he packed everything up and dropped it off with the rest of the ship's outgoing mail. There was a rumor that a helicopter would be coming to pick it up in the next day or two, and he wanted to make sure it got back to California and those fourth graders as soon as possible. On his way back to his bunk, Bradley stopped by the lounge to see if there was an iPad free, hoping to send a quick email or two. He was in luck. He also happened to have your email address memorized.

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

You yawned at your desk and checked the time on your computer. Within the next ten minutes, your classroom would go from silent solitude to mass chaos, so you took a minute to clear out your email inbox. You had a few messages from some parents and a reminder about Spirit Week from the superintendent. And a random piece of junk mail that must have slipped through the spam filters. You didn't know anyone with a US Navy email address, and you didn't know anyone named Bradley Bradshaw.

As you closed your laptop, you gasped and tried to pry it back open again as quickly as you could. The Navy! The package you sent a few weeks ago! Maybe it was someone writing back to your class! Of course it could just be someone saying they were sorry that they didn't have time to engage with your students, but you figured even that was better than nothing.

"Come on," you whispered, entering your credentials again before your inbox reappeared on your screen. The email was just a few lines long, but it was addressed to you by name. You were smiling immediately as you read it.

I just wanted to let you know that I got the mail you sent to a deployed Naval Aviator. There's a package on its way to your school for your class. It should arrive in about a week or two. Your fourth graders provided me with several hours of entertainment, and I hope they find my answers to their many (and amusing) questions useful. Thanks for the laughs, and thanks for the photos, too. Can't tell you how much I've been enjoying them. Hope to hear from all of you again.

Yours Truly,

Lt Bradley Bradshaw

You squealed and pumped your fists in the air. Someone actually got the box! And he actually responded! The other, older teachers thought you were just wasting your time when you deviated from the lesson plans a bit. Literally all of them said there was no way anyone would write back, even though you took the time to go through the proper channels at Top Gun on North Island. But now you could rub it in their faces, all thanks to Bradley Bradshaw who sounded like he'd had as much fun with this whole thing as your class had.

Then your day really started as Violet and Oliver burst into your classroom, calling out your name with excitement in their voices. The rest of your kids followed behind them, already asking about the plans for the day and what kind of adventure you'd be taking them on in each subject.

When you clapped your hands twice and said, "Good morning," they all clapped and replied with their own greeting, and then they sat quietly with their gazes fixed on you. "Guess who I just got an email from!"

"The president!"

"My grandma!"

"My Cocker Spaniel!"

"Oliver's grandma!"

You just shook your head and tried not to laugh as you said, "None of the above. But do you remember when we wrote and packed up those letters for a real aviator in the military to read?" Most of the kids nodded, so you added, "Well, he emailed us! And he sent us some mail that should arrive in about a week!"

And telling them that was a mistake. Because you didn't know a moment of peace after that. Every morning, you had kids rushing into the room to see if the promised piece of mail arrived yet. Every day you had to disappoint them, but you were finding yourself a little disappointed, too. You wanted to know what this Bradley Bradshaw guy sent back.

You'd responded to his initial email letting him know you and the kids in your class were delighted to hear from him and that you would let him know when the mail he sent arrived at your school. He didn't respond, but you figured he was busy. Too busy to constantly muck about with your class while he was thousands of miles away on a deployment.

And that was what left you standing at your desk with your mouth hanging open in awe when the padded envelope did finally arrive one morning. Because when you carefully cut it open, you found not just one letter to the class but individual handwritten notes, one for each child.

"Wow," you whispered, pulling the note with your name written on the top out of the stack. This man seemed humble and sweet, and his letter made you laugh in more than one spot as you read through it. Then you read it again. He sounded apologetic about responding to each individual kid, but you felt like your insides were melting. Who would do that? Who would take the time to give individual attention to a bunch of nine and ten year olds besides you? And you were technically getting paid to do it.

Bradley Bradshaw seemed willing to continue to engage with your kids, and you weren't going to stop him. Because starting that morning, he became something of a legend to your class. A celebrity. A real lieutenant in the Navy replied to all of their silly questions, and their love of aviation just grew from there. You figured you were going to have to keep your lesson plans going a bit longer while their faces lit up as you walked around the room and handed them each their notes. You had taken the time to skim them beforehand, often laughing at his sense of humor which seemed to jump off the pages.

"Can we write back to him?" Jayden asked as everyone read their notes from Lieutenant Bradshaw. "I have more questions."

You smiled and nodded. "Yes, you may write back to him." Then you postponed your geology lesson until the next day and let them spend the next forty minutes writing some followup letters. You took some pictures of them diligently toiling away at their desks, excitement on their faces. Then you bit your lip and sat down at your own desk.

As you started to construct an email letting him know the envelope had arrived, your thoughts drifted to what he might be like. Humble and sweet, for sure. But he also made it a point to tell you that the box from your class was the best piece of mail he'd ever received while deployed. Maybe he was a little bit lonely. Maybe he was single. Maybe he was stationed on the west coast. Your thoughts started to get ahead of you, and it was hard to reel them in when you imagined him excited to see another email from you. Smiling when he was handed another box from your class during mail call.

Dear Lt Bradley Bradshaw,

We got the envelope from you today, and my kids are absolutely thrilled! I'm not sure if you know how hard it can be to wrangle eighteen fourth graders all at one time, but they are currently sitting quietly and working on new letters for you to read. Once again, please don't feel obligated to continue correspondence if you're too busy. I'm sure you have other people you could be writing to who want your attention as well. I just wanted you to know they are overjoyed that a Naval officer took the time to answer their questions about aviation.

I have attached some photos as proof that they are sitting still. Thanks again for making their day.

You signed your name at the bottom the way you always would from your work email account, and then you attached the photos. After a brief debate about adding the selfie you took with Violet where most of your face was visible, you decided to just go for it. Adding it to the mix wouldn't hurt anything. It wasn't like this semi mystery man would be up all night thinking about you.

But you found that you were still thinking about him when you went home to your silent house and made dinner that evening. Maybe he was a little bit lonely, but maybe you were, too.

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

It was amazing how infrequently Bradley found himself thinking about Vanessa. He was busier now with his duties picking up a bit more as his deployment wore on, but even when he was tired and in his bunk at night, his thoughts seldom settled on her like he was afraid they might. He didn't miss her or her half-hearted emails, and he wasn't craving the connection of reunion sex with her.

Instead, he was thinking about what a group of fourth graders were learning about this week and what their cute teacher was up to. It had been a few days since you emailed him, letting him know that his package was delivered to your school. You made it sound like the kids were excited that he sent it in the first place, and when he really thought about it, he supposed some officers would have just eaten the snacks and tossed the notes in the trash.

He didn't reply to the email yet, still thrown off a bit by the pictures you attached. Your classroom was vibrant, and the kids were absorbed as they worked on more notes for him to read whenever they happened to be delivered to the carrier. But the photo with you in it held his attention longer than it should have. The fact that you were working at a school that was just a handful of miles from his damn house made him feel warm.

But what would he do about it? What could he do about it? Nothing. He didn't want you to think he was creepy. He still knew essentially nothing else about you. The only thing he could do was keep it friendly if not professional. Unless of course you did something to push the boundaries of conversation into a more personal realm. God, if you did....he didn't think he would be able to handle it.

The next day, when he was heading out on deck to talk to the mechanics who were doing regular maintenance on the aircrafts, he took his phone. "Hey, you mind if I take a few photos of some of the engine parts? I want to send them to a class of fourth graders who will think it's cool."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant," the head mechanic replied. Then he smiled and asked, "You dating a teacher?"

Well. Wouldn't that be something? Bradley would never run out of curious pen pals. He would always have some fourth graders to take interesting photos for and to send notes to. He'd always have a classroom to visit as soon as he got home from a deployment.

He couldn't help but picture you as the teacher.

"Nothing like that," he replied, his voice a little gravelly. "Just writing to some kids who are learning about aviation."

After dinner, when he had a chance to use an iPad in the lounge, he did his best to put together a response to your email that would at least hint at the curiosity he felt.

If all it takes is mail from three thousand miles away to get your class to sit quietly, then I should probably be writing to you every day. But I'm sure you're a great teacher. That's a given considering how much your students learned and shared with me. And I can assure you that I'm more than happy to take the time to write to your class. And you. Please don't think I feel obligated, because I do not. I want to.

I have attached a few pictures of some F/A-18 engine components as well as some of my cockpit controls. Each photo is labeled, but please let me know if you have any questions.

It was nice hearing from you.

Yours Truly,

Lt Bradley Bradshaw

As soon as he hit send, he wanted to kick himself. Should he have included a photo of his face like you had twice now? Or did he already sound too desperate to hear from you and your class again?

"Shit," he muttered, looking around the lounge as if there was going to be someone here proficient in the art of getting to know a fourth grade teacher without sounding stupid. But it was too late now. All he could do was wait for the next mail call or hope you decided to write back to his ramblings by the next time he checked his email.

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

You were going to have to scrape your jaw off the floor. You had no idea what this man's face even looked like, but his hands were... something else. And his thighs... well, they were pretty great, too. It must have been too long since you got laid, because you were sitting at your desk in your classroom staring at the set of photos in your inbox, currently unable to look away from his right hand. It was wrapped around the throttle of his aircraft. It was elegant with attractive veins and rough calluses. You were sure that you were supposed to be focusing on the cockpit controls, but all you could see was that hand and his thick, muscular thighs below.

The next photo was no better for you. He was holding up his helmet with his call sign Rooster emblazoned across the front, and you were able to see his left ring finger. There was no wedding band. There was no evidence of an outline where a wedding band would belong. There was just his big, strong hand.

You whimpered softly while your students worked on their math tests. You couldn't help it as you took one last look before logging out of your email account. And now you needed to know if his face matched the very attractive image you had in your mind.

When Jayden called your name, you rocketed to your feet like you'd been caught red handed. "Yes?" you squeaked, your voice sounding higher pitched than usual.

"I'm done with my test. May I have the hall pass and use the restroom?"

You handed it to him as the rest of your class finished working through the math problems. A few minutes later, when you collected the papers from them, Violet asked, "When is Lieutenant Bradshaw going to write back to us?"

It had only been a few days since you mailed him the second box of notes and some more snacks, but it made you happy that they were all so invested in learning more from him.

"It will probably be a few weeks before we get anything in the mail. However... he did email me some pictures of engine and cockpit parts from the aircraft carrier for me to share with you guys." When you looked around the room, the kids were on the edges of their seats, excited expressions on their faces. With a laugh you added, "I was going to wait until tomorrow and use the projector to show them all to you, but if you're very well behaved for the rest of the afternoon, maybe I could pull them up on my computer for you to see them today."

Not two hours later, you were just as excited as the kids were to look at the photos... again. As they crowded around your desk, you opened up the first one of the cockpit to a barrage of questions.

"Is that really his jet?"

"Is that the throttle?"

"What do all the buttons do?"

"Was this right before he flew it?"

Once again you were distracted, but you managed to click over to the next photo, and the kids gasped in delight.

"His helmet is so cool!"

"It says Rooster!"

"That's his call sign!"

"Red is my favorite color!"

You just smiled softly and laughed. "Should we go ahead and start working on another list of questions for him?" you asked as you slowly scrolled through the rest of the pictures. "He said we can write back to him as much as we want to." When everyone cheered, you handed Oliver a marker and pointed to the board at the front of the classroom. "Let's start making a list."

You listened to all of your students call out questions for Bradley while Oliver wrote them down. Then Violet asked, "Can he send us a picture of his whole jet? From the outside of it?"

You cleared your throat and added, "Maybe he could get someone else to take the picture so he could stand in front of it. For size comparison."

Violet nodded, but you knew you were a fraud. Sure, it would be great for the kids to understand just how massive the F/A-18s were compared to an actual person, but you were the one who wanted to see all of Bradley. You were itching for it now.

Later that night, you drank most of a bottle of wine and did something you promised yourself you'd never do. You logged into your work email account after nine o'clock. You skipped over the handful of unread emails from parents and clicked on the icon to compose a new message. With your liquid courage goading you on, you typed up a response to Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw and hit send before you could think twice.

Thank you for the photos. They were very enlightening. We especially liked the ones where you were showing off your cockpit. Or I did, anyway. The kids liked all of them and started on another list of questions for you. Good luck getting rid of us now.

We were wondering if you could have someone take a picture of you standing in front of your jet. For size comparison purposes. And also because my students would like to know what you look like. Hearing from you makes our day even better.

You couldn't believe how forward you were being with this man who you'd never even met in person, but you fell asleep thinking about his hands and what they might be capable of.

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

This Bradley makes me swoon. I've never wanted to be a fourth grade teacher so badly in my life. There is something that's starting to blossom between them even though they haven't even met in person. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

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boiolay · 24 days

Text

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 1 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: After Bradley finally breaks things off with his girlfriend just days before the start of a deployment, he expects a few lonely months of nobody writing to him or waiting for his return. But the fateful arrival of a package from a class of fourth graders learning about aviation changes everything.

Warnings: Fluff, language, breakup angst

Length: 2200 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

Bradley had his duffle bag open on his bed, tidy stacks of his uniform components, flight suits, and underwear lined up next to it. He had his checklist in front of him. He liked to be as organized as possible.

"Are you even listening to me? I thought we were going out to dinner."

He looked up from his partially packed toiletry bag into the annoyed eyes of Vanessa where she stood on the other side of the bed. He was seven months into this relationship, and sometimes he wondered why either of them still bothered. She knew his routine by now. She knew what his deployments were like, but she had absolutely no patience for any of it.

"Ness, I'm leaving in four days. I just need to focus on this for a few minutes so I know what I need to buy before Wednesday, and then we can go out and eat."

"It's already seven o'clock. I thought you'd have finished packing by now," she replied with a pout and a glare. "Every nice restaurant is going to have a long wait now, because I'm just going to go ahead and assume that you didn't make a reservation anywhere."

He took a deep breath and let it out before pressing his lips together. What he really wanted was to order something for delivery, cuddle on the couch, watch a movie and have the first round of hot, goodbye sex. But she'd never go for it now. Apparently he'd already fucked up for the night.

"No, I didn't make a reservation," he said calmly, and she rolled her eyes and reached for her phone. "I really don't even feel like going out. I'll be gone for months, stuck in a tiny bunk or a loud mess hall. I'd like to stay in tonight where it's quiet. Just me and you."

But she wasn't listening at all. "Let me see if Woodmere has any tables left," she muttered. "If not there, then I can try The Landmark." She looked as beautiful as she always did, but he couldn't even stand the sight of her right now.

"Ness. I want to stay in."

She groaned and looked him in the eye. "Of course you do. You always want to stay in. You always want to decompress or read a book. That's not healthy, you know that, right? I shouldn't have to force you out of your comfort zone all the time."

"Fuck," he grunted, running his fingers through his hair. His job was demanding, both mentally and physically. He usually preferred quiet over loud, because his own thoughts started to buzz when she dragged him out all over the place. And now she was glaring at him again. "Are you even going to miss me?" he asked softly, afraid of the answer. "You haven't said so one time since I told you about this deployment."

She heaved a deep and annoyed sigh. "You're deployed so frequently, Bradley, it's like you're the government's bitch. And if the Navy is going to insist upon eating up taxpayer money, the least they could do is pay you more."

His skin started to crawl as she went off about his career like always, but he'd honestly had enough. He raised his voice louder and asked once again, "Are you even going to miss me?"

Vanessa scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course I'm going to miss you. What kind of question is that? I'll be bored every weekend, waiting for you to get back, like usual. I almost never go out when you're deployed."

Bradley's heart started to pound in a way that made his palms sweat and his stomach turn. "Jesus, Vanessa. I asked if you're going to miss me. Not miss going out every weekend."

When she hesitated for a beat, he reached out to brace his hand on his headboard. "Yes, Bradley. I am going to miss you. Okay? Happy?"

"Fuck, no. I'm not happy Vanessa." And that was the bottom line right there. The absolute truth. And it didn't hurt to say it, rather he immediately felt better. He knew he would miss the sporadic emails and the phone calls and the dirty pictures and the reunion sex. The upcoming weeks would be harder without those things to look forward to, but at least he'd come home to his own place where he could do what he wanted instead of what he was told. He wouldn't have to listen to her negativity. "I think we need to break up."

Her eyes went wide with shock. "Excuse me?"

Bradley let go of the bed and ran his hand over his face. "You heard me, Ness. This isn't working. For either of us."

"Don't call me Ness," she snapped, immediately turning toward his bedroom door. "You're not my boyfriend anymore." She paused briefly, just long enough to say, "Fuck you," and then she was gone.

He sat on the edge of his bed for a couple minutes, but it didn't take long to sort through his feelings. The immediate sense of calm that he felt had him convinced he'd done the right thing. There was no shared living space. There was no ring. There was no real commitment. Maybe he'd always known why that was the case.

So he packed up his bag and made a shopping list, and when his stomach started to growl, he ordered dinner for himself from his favorite restaurant. He didn't cry, and he didn't worry about having to do anything he didn't want to do.

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

The first few weeks of his deployment were great. He spent a lot of time in the air, and he flirted a bit with some of the women who approached him in the gym on the aircraft carrier. He jerked off while he thought about whomever he fucking wanted to. He didn't spend very much time reflecting on his relationship with Vanessa other than to acknowledge that it wasn't much of a relationship at all. In the moments where he thought maybe he missed her, he realized he just missed the idea of having someone who cared about him.

He was about a month in when he realized the attractive woman who always touched his arm in the gym was actually married, and he was not all about that. He was also maybe kind of getting tired of masturbating which was a depressing thought. He was bored, and he was lonely, and other than randomly hooking up with someone, he figured his best bet was finding a book or something to read.

When he made his way to dinner, he heard everyone talking about the helicopter that had landed on deck less than an hour ago stacked full of containers of mail. There was a line of officers trailing down the hallway adjacent to the mess hall, everyone waiting patiently to pick up parcels from their loved ones. Since Bradley had basically nobody who would think to write to him, he made his way toward the food instead.

His tray was piled high with everything he could get his hands on, and when he looked for somewhere to sit, he had to deftly avoid that stacked lieutenant who had a husband at home. He found a table off in the corner and devoured his dinner alone. When he stood to drop off his empty dishes and tray, some petty officers entered the cavernous room to drop off unclaimed mail.

"Harper, Jonathan! Pauley, Vincent! Dixon, Jennifer! Sutter, Wesley! Bradshaw, Bradley!"

He was more than a little intrigued as he made his way up along with a handful of others, and then a white envelope and a small cardboard box were thrust into his hands. The envelope was addressed to him by name in familiar chicken scratch that made him smile. He shouldn't have counted Natasha out, especially when his birthday was in a few days.

He tore into the envelope as he made his way back to his bunk. It contained a very short letter along with a coupon for buy one get one free steak dinners at her favorite restaurant with a post-it stuck to the back.

This is your birthday present. Now when you take me out for my birthday when you get home, you only have to pay half as much. You're welcome.

He snorted as he unlocked his bunk door and tossed everything from Nat onto the small nightstand. And then he examined the box. It wasn't addressed to him. Not really. It was addressed to 'A Deployed US Naval Aviator' in tidy handwriting. Then he noticed the return address was from an elementary school in Mira Mesa, and his curiosity got the best of him.

Bradley sat on the edge of his bed and tore gently into the packaging to find the box was jam packed with items and overflowing with envelopes. He tipped the box, and everything went cascading out onto his narrow bed. There were a lot of snacks, and a pack of trail mix caught his eye, making his stomach growl.

"I just fed you," he muttered but ripped into the snack anyway, dumping half of it into his mouth in one go. He was eyeing the envelopes carefully, each one distinctly unique. Some had names written on them, and some had little doodles or pictures, but they definitely seemed to be from a class of kids who went to the school. He sifted through them until he found a slightly larger, more official looking envelope which once again said To: A Deployed US Naval Aviator.

He finished his snack, silently thanking the class of kids and their teacher, and then he opened the big envelope. He pulled out a typed up letter which was folded around a few photos that slid onto his lap. Then he started to read.

Dear United States Naval Aviator,

First of all, thank you for your service. Second, let us introduce ourselves. We are one of the fourth grade classes from Mira Mesa Elementary School, and we have been learning all about aviation for the last month or so. We have combined our science, math and social studies classes into one unit all about flying, and we have learned so much. We really wanted to share some of what we learned with you in the hopes that you might be able to help us learn even more!

Each student in the class has included a letter filled with information and some questions. If you have some free time and are inclined to do so, we would love to hear back from you. (No pressure!) There are plenty of thoughtful questions that my students would appreciate more information about. (Once again, only if you want to!) And I for one would love to give them the chance to show off what they learned to a professional. (I'm just a proud teacher!)

Thank you very much for indulging our curiosity thus far, and we hope to hear back from you. I'll include my email address just in case you have any questions or would prefer to reply that way. Otherwise you can send mail directly to the address for the school along with my name, and it will get to us. We hope we are about to dazzle you with our letters, and we wish you well on your deployment.

Sincerely,

The best fourth graders you will ever meet along with their teacher

Bradley was chuckling as he finished reading. Of course he would take the time to look at all of the notes from the kids and send back a response. It wasn't like he'd be tied up talking to Vanessa. This little project would keep him busy when he had nothing else to do, and besides, this was the kind of shit he would have thought was outlandishly cool when he was a fourth grader himself.

He read and reread the name and accompanying email address at the bottom of the page. This teacher sounded charming, and he'd only read three paragraphs from her. He flipped the page over to double check that she hadn't written anything more, already wishing she had. Then he picked up the photos that had landed on his thigh and started to flip through them.

First he saw a group of kids outside in the bright San Diego sunlight, lined up and throwing paper airplanes. Then he flipped to one where some of the kids were sitting at their desks building more elaborate planes out of pieces of foam. There was another photo of the class on some sort of field trip, but it was the last photo in the stack that had him sitting up a little taller and taking a closer look.

"Damn."

The kids were all lined up once again, wearing a rainbow of colors, some making silly faces. But his eyes caught on their teacher. On you. Smiling back at him from the photo like you had an amusing secret. Like you wanted to share it with him.

"Fucking gorgeous."

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

And, we're off. Oh, he thinks we are cute. Oh, he is about to be charmed even more. Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone a little bit with this one, and thank you @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

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boiolay · 24 days

Text

I loved this!!! I would love to be tagged in the next part!

1 | coronado beach | around the world and back

(18+, minors dni)

series masterlist

summary: you meet a handsome stranger at the beach

warnings: age gap!

a/n: this is my first full length fic, albeit a mini one, so be nice :) as always, enjoy!!!!! xxxx

Stuck at work. Sorry, kid

You squint your eyes as you attempt to read the messages that just came through from your brother and let out a sigh when you see that he’s bailing on you–again. He’s been saying that he’s staying late at work all week, but you have an inkling he’s been seeing someone. You didn’t necessarily think the two of you would hang out together every night for the next few months, but you’re two weeks into being a guest in his house during your entire summer break, and you haven’t so much as had dinner with him yet. You drop your phone back down onto the towel next to you and continue to reread a worn out copy of your favorite book while basking in the sun, despite the fact that it’s almost six, and you’re starving. You’re so glad to be out of the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, even if it’s just for a few months, that you’re trying not to take moments like this for granted.

In the zone and completely unaware of your surroundings, you don’t even notice that someone is speaking to you until you feel the warmth of the sun suddenly vanish due to the shadow of the person standing above you. You close your eyes behind your sunglasses and let out a small huff of annoyance. Every day spent on the beach thus far, without fail, you’ve been approached by at least one man, who spits out a pathetic pick up line and acts irritated when you turn them down. No matter how they twist their words, it comes out creepy every time, which is why you opted to keep your shorts and loose unbuttoned shirt on today in hopes of keeping them away. That seems like wishful thinking now.

“Not interested.” You say flatly, continuing to look down at your book, although now you’re a little more focused on the tanned legs in front of you that you can see in your periphery. You hear the man let out a chuckle above you, but he still doesn’t budge. With even more agitation, you go on. “Seriously?” You question, finally looking up at him with slightly squinted eyes, thankful that he’s blocking most of the sunlight. You can’t see his because he’s wearing a pair of thin, gold framed sunglasses, but the rest of him looks enticing. Somehow, he’s pulling off cutoff denim shorts in this heat, and his toned chest glistens with a thin layer of sweat in the sun. His face is a whole different story. He’s absolutely working a pornstache, which almost distracts you from the cute, little scars that litter his face and neck. You’re intrigued–mostly because guys your age can barely grow a decent patch of facial hair. Maybe you are interested after all.

“The ball, it’s um–” He cuts himself off and points to your side where a volleyball is nestled partially under your knees that are bent up in front of you. Oh. Oh. You didn’t even feel it roll into you. Your cheeks begin to flush and you’re certain they’re bright red at this point–there’s no hiding the embarrassment. You realize the irony of the situation. You’re actually attracted to this man and wouldn’t have minded if he came over with a lame excuse to flirt with you, but you guess that’s your karma for assuming that every man on this beach wants you. Really, it’s just your luck.

“Sorry, yeah.” You shake your head and drop the book down next to you to free up your hands for the volleyball. You toss it up to him gracefully, thankful you’re not completely uncoordinated. He catches it effortlessly and starts tossing it from hand to hand, lingering above you still. You wish he’d just leave now and save you the humiliation. For a moment, you think he might comment on your hostility towards him, but his mouth is turned up into a crooked smile as he keeps his gaze on you.

He noticed you the moment he and his friends got to the beach for a few rounds of volleyball after work, and he hasn’t been able to think straight ever since. Nat crosses her arms and shakes her head at him as he glances over at the group once the ball is back in his hands. She hopes, at the very least, that he gets your number. He’s been trying for the last half-hour to get the ball to roll in your direction because he refused to approach you without a reason. It might be a little pathetic, but if it works, it works.

“I love that book.” He nods his head towards the beaten up paperback laying on the towel by your side. You glance down at it for a moment. The cream colored cover is creased and the corners are slightly ripped from being shoved in your various bags over the years. You keep it with you for times like these when you can have a moment to yourself. You’re not entirely sure if he’s being serious about it, but if he isn’t, would that be considered flirting? Your lips curl up into a smile. You decidedly don’t care if he’s actually read it or not. There are a million worse things he could lie about to keep your attention, so this, you’ll take.

“Me too.” He swears something vital in his body stops working as soon as he sees your smile. It’s so bright and happy and infectious that he feels he has to smile that wide now, too. He may not be a hopeless romantic, but he’s hopelessly in love with women–all of them, and right now, he’s high off of the nervous little chuckle that comes out of your mouth when you respond to him. He wants–no, he needs–more. The game of volleyball his friends are playing is over as far as he’s concerned, so he tosses the ball back to Nat, who is definitely judging him right now, and sits down next to you with his legs stretched out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles and leaning back onto his hands.

“I’m Bradley.”

Bradley is older. That much is painfully clear as the two of you sit on your towel and get to know each other while the sun begins to set. He’s well traveled and well spoken and has a lot going for him in his life. He lives in paradise, plays volleyball after work, and clearly has a strict workout routine. The balance of all of these parts of his life is not something any of the guys your age could pull off. Half of them can barely make it to class if they’re a little hungover. Your mom has always told you that they grow up eventually, but you’re far too impatient for that. Older men just seem like a better choice for you, and Bradley appears pretty perfect so far.

You’re waiting for him to tell you the catch, because a guy as devilishly handsome and put together as he is has to have something wrong with him if he’s still single. But, there doesn’t seem to be any. He’s as normal as normal gets. He lives alone, in a house he owns, and he wants a dog, but knows he’s not home enough now to really take care of one. He’s responsible, and he seems relaxed speaking to you about the most mundane things. He’s not at all pushy, letting the conversation flow naturally from topic to topic, and he eventually confides in you that he’s never even been in any sort of long term relationship. The two of you have that in common, and it makes you feel a little better about the state of your love life, regardless of the fact that you’re at least five years younger than him.

“So, what do you do?” He asks as he leans back on the towel slightly, pulling his legs into a crossed position as you watch the sunset over the horizon. The two of you have been talking for a few hours at this point. You’re sure your brother is probably going to leave “work” soon and start blowing up your phone when he realizes you aren’t home, but you don’t want to leave, and you definitely don’t want your time with him to end. If he can ditch you all week for a woman, then you have no problem doing the same to him.

“Seriously?” You question as you lean to the side and knock his shoulder playfully with your own. Somehow, it feels like you’re talking to an old friend–like the two of you have known each other for longer than an afternoon. You have an eyebrow raised at him and he’s genuinely curious as to what could be so wrong with his question. He doesn’t think asking you what you do for a living is on the list of things to never ask a woman. At least, he’s pretty sure it’s not, and he just wants to get to know you a little better.

“What?” He furrows his eyebrows at you. Nat is always telling him that women like when men act interested in what they do and what they like, so he’s just trying to get a head start on all of that–first impressions and all. You’re smart–he can tell by your conversation thus far–and he knows his normal pick-up lines aren’t going to work well on you since your first words to him were literally “Not interested.” That was quite the punch in the gut, and he’s been trying to make up for it ever since.

“I just don’t really like question.” You begin, piquing his interest. “I just think there’s so much more to people than what makes them money.” You watch his expression soften at your words. His sunglasses are off now, and his brown eyes look so pretty in the golden light from the sunset. Your words are true, but there’s a big part of you that’s scared to tell him that you’re actually about to start your last year of college. You’re only 21, and while you don’t think you look your age, you know you don’t look his age, either, which has to be at least late-twenties. A few years apart in age isn’t the biggest deal, but it seems bigger when you’re a kid still in school and he’s years into a career already.

“Okay…” He trails off, and for a moment, you wonder if you’ve completely turned him off. Sometimes you can come on a little strong when it comes to men and dating, which is why you’ve never really been in a relationship before. Not a serious one, anyway. The guys you’ve been with in college deal with you long enough to get what they want and move on.

“What do you like to do, then?” A surprised smile graces your face at his words.

So, you tell him everything–about dabbling in writing and reading the same books over and over again like someone who watches their favorite TV show every night before bed. You tell him about your art and the dozens of hobbies you’ve acquired over the years and how you spent two months last summer following your favorite band around the country on their tour.

As you speak, Bradley realizes just how much of his life is dedicated to his job. His friends are all from work and his favorite pastime is flying his personal plane to and from his small hometown in Virginia. He even enjoys working on it when there are issues. Sure, he’s lived on bases all over the world and has flown faster than you could ever possibly imagine, but has he ever done something just for himself–something that he enjoys that won't get him any further in his career? He loves flying, but that dream started as a way to connect to his dad and uncle. They were pilots and all he’s ever wanted to do is be just like them. He’s accomplished that and nothing else. He sees so much life lived in you, which is wild considering how young you look. Either way, you’re beginning to make him feel like he’s behind on living life to the absolute fullest, despite the fact that he has the coolest job. He’s thirty-two, which isn’t old, but it’s not that young, either. He’s never been one for risk taking, but maybe he should start.

“It’s getting late…I can take you home.” He offers with mostly good intentions, hoping that you won’t take him up on that quite so literally. His house is only a few minutes from the beach and he can’t sit this close to you, smelling your floral perfume, for much longer. He’s getting too excited, as if he’s not been laid in weeks, which definitely is not the case. There’s just something about you.

“I’d love to go home with you.” You look into his eyes as you speak and you're certain that you’re reading him right this time. You hope you've said it in a way that guarantees he won’t try to go to your place. You’d rather die than have your brother find out that you brought a guy back to his apartment. It would be an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved, and you'd like to avoid the confrontation if at all possible. You'd probably never be allowed to see him again–but then again, you're getting ahead of yourself.

Bradley smirks before standing up and reaching his hand out towards you, pulling you up once you grip his strong, rough hands. He grabs your towel and your bag like the gentleman that he is, and the two of you make your way up to his car, chatting and laughing like two people who have known each other for a lifetime.

Bradley wakes up from the deepest sleep of his life to a loud banging on his front door. His eyes shoot open and he sits up quickly, heart racing at the incessant pounding. Then, he hears the yelling–no screaming–that’s occurring on his front porch at eight in the morning on a Saturday. He throws his sheets off of him quickly, staring down at his bare body, before he realizes what happened last night. He turns his head to look on the other side of the bed, but it’s empty. You’re gone.

He lets out a sigh of relief as he pulls on a pair of sweatpants and hurries out of his bedroom towards the door that sounds like it’s about to be ripped off its hinges at any moment. The worst part is, the door is unlocked from your departure earlier. Whoever’s on the other side hasn’t even bothered checking. He shoves his palm in the corner of his eye, rubbing out the sleep as he pulls open the door with a huff. If looks could kill, Bradley would crumple to the floor in an instant, because on the other side of his threshold is Natalie. His ex-girlfriend.

Her hands are balled up into tiny little fists from banging on his door for the past fifteen minutes and her entire face is red and full of rage. Bradley doesn’t even have time to process what’s happening before she pushes past him, walking into his house like she still lives there.

Oh.

“I’m sorry, ba–” Bradley stops himself from using the pet name, shutting the door and biting his tongue as he follows her into the kitchen. “Natalie.” He finishes, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” He repeats, watching her run around and pull her stuff out of the cabinets, throwing them into the giant box she dragged in with her.

He was supposed to spend last night getting all of her remaining things ready to be picked up bright and early this morning, but after meeting you, he completely forgot. His phone’s dead because he didn’t bother plugging it in last night–too busy with you to do something as simple as that. God, he’s such an asshole, isn’t he? His ex-girlfriend’s things are still living in his house and he already brought someone new home. He’s thankful for whatever being is looking over him that you left before any of this happened. If she’s pissed about him waking up late, then he doesn’t even want to think about how mad she’d be if she knew about you.

Bradley moves to help her get some things down from one of the upper cabinets when he notices that she’s crying. Tears are streaming down her face rapidly, her lips quivering as she tries her best to hold it all together. She’s mad and upset and confused. She thought her and Bradley were doing great. They’d been together for a year, and she had just moved in a few months prior to the big event. The big event being her coworker’s wedding. At the mention of the two of them possibly getting engaged, he started acting differently.

He was getting home later and going out more, so she confronted him about it, and he couldn’t lie. He hadn’t ever thought about a future with her. He loved the sex and the way she’d bring him coffee in bed on the weekends, but anything more than what they were doing that day wasn’t on his radar. She didn’t like how candid he was about it, and gave him an ultimatum. So, they broke up three weeks ago.

“I miss you, Roo.” She sobs, throwing her arms around his torso and crying into his bare chest. He knows he can’t smell good. He spent all afternoon sweating outside and all night sweating with you in his bed. He squeezes his eyes shut and drops his arm from its position in the cabinet, wrapping them around her and running his hands up and down her back awkwardly. He’s not good at this. He never has been one for comforting other people. Additionally, he feels bad for not feeling bad about the breakup. He hasn’t even missed her a little bit in the past few weeks. He misses the company, sure, and the coffee, but he doesn’t miss her. She looks up at him with hope in her glassy eyes–cheeks stained with tears and makeup.

He lets go of her and reaches up once more, pulling down the box of her wine glasses from the cabinet, placing it on the counter before running his hands through his unkempt hair, unable to look her in the eyes any longer. “I’m gonna go get the stuff from the closet.”

“You fucked her, too, didn’t you?”

“I did not.” Bradley defends, lifting the bottle of Miller Lite to his lips and taking a sip. He keeps his hands on the bottle, toying with the label as Nat stares at him from her seat across from him. She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms as Jake approaches the table, sliding in next to her.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, believe it, baby.” He teases, a smirk playing on his lips as he leans forward slightly, resting his forearms on the surface below him. “Some of us know how to practice restraint.” He’s full-on grinning at her now. She scowls, rolling her eyes and trying to ignore Jake’s presence.

“Restraint? What the hell are you two going on about?” Jake questions with an eyebrow raised, his body turned slightly towards Nat. She glances over at him briefly, taking in his fresh haircut and wide smile before turning back to face Bradley.

“Apparently Natalie showed up at Rooster’s place this morning pissed off and crying, and he’s claiming he didn’t sleep with her.” It’s evident in her tone that she thinks Bradley is lying. She’s his best friend–she knows everything about him.

“I don’t buy it.” Jake says, immediately taking Nat’s side. “Didn’t she do the same thing last week? You said the sex was better than when you were together.” He chuckles at the memory of a drunk Bradley telling everyone that at the work dinner they had last Sunday night.

“Okay, yeah, but that was different.” That was when he had been sexually deprived for two weeks and really starting to feel the repercussions of being single. That was before he met you and completely forgot he was ever in a year-long relationship. He specifically remembers telling you that he’d never been in a serious one. He’s now starting to wonder if maybe he was. Maybe he and Natalie were serious and he just had no idea. They were living together, after all.

“What he means is that he met someone yesterday.” Nat lets it slip. She’s not sorry about it, either, and if Bradley could reach over and knock the smirk off of her face, he would.

“It’s not like that.” Bradley defends. “She was strictly a one night stand.” He says confidently, thinking about the fact that you left without waking him up to say goodbye. You didn’t leave your number or a random article of clothing to come back for later, either. It’s like you were never there, which he appreciated in the moment when Natalie was there, but he thought the two of you had a great time talking. God, he’s never loved talking to a woman more. He didn’t want to stop. He wasn’t even planning on sleeping with you, he is a gentleman after all, but you had other plans. You came onto him as soon as his front door shut, pushing him against the wall and dropping to your knees right there in his entryway. So young, but so forward–willing to go after what you want, and he loved that. He was hoping to experience it again, but then you were gone.

“See, Nat. Sex is just sex. Doesn’t have to mean anything at all.” Jake’s lips are curved into a small smile as he takes a sip of his whiskey and turns to face her. Rooster sees something flash in her eyes, but he isn’t sure what it is. She just rolls her eyes at Jake, like usual, and gets up to refresh her own drink before joining everyone else at the pool tables.

“What was that about?” Bradley asks, eyeing Jake. He shrugs, turning to watch Nat as she leans over the pool table to grab the cue on the other side. He doesn’t miss the way she turns her head back to look at them once she’s standing up again, seeing Jake staring back at her.

“You know how Natasha is.” Jake says finally as he breaks eye contact with her to focus on Rooster. “Now, tell me all about this girl you met.”

let me know if you want to be added to the taglist for the next part :)

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boiolay · 24 days

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Aaaaaaa yes!!! I love two brothers in law finally bounding

Pinky Promise 2

Pinky Promise Part 1

Summary: Part 2 of Pinky Promise. The two of you become close friends, but one night shows Jake just how much you trust him.

Word count: 2.5k

A/N: Hi friends! It’s been a hot minute since I have put something out but I promise you I have a good reason for it! I just had a baby and haven’t had time to sit down and write. But hoping to put out more content here soon! Thank you all for reading!!! - C

It was an ungodly time in the morning when you heard the doorbell ring. It took more will power than you would like to admit to even sit up in bed, head pounding with the slight elevation change. You wiped the sleep and last night’s makeup from your eyes, most likely smearing streaks of it across your face. And you sat there contemplating all of your life’s choices up to this point.

The doorbell seemed to yell at you, telling you that whoever was on the other side must have been impatient. A quick glance at the clock said it was 8:30 and you had to take a deep breath to not hurt the person who was making you get out of bed.

A few stumbling steps later, you opened the door to find a delivery guy with a bag of food. While you took the bag from him, the confusion was pretty clear. Even the guy who was turning to walk away could see it. “There is a note on the receipt.” And then he was gone.

Between the hangover from hell and very few hours of sleep you got; you were slow moving to get back inside. To anyone walking by you must have looked like you lost your mind with the amount of time you spent looking at the bag. But by some miracle, your legs took you back to bed while your mind was still reeling.

The bag didn’t have any sort of logo or name on it, but it did smell good. You opened it up and reached for the receipt first, trying to find answers.

The tacos I promised you. – Jake

A laugh came out as you put the piece of paper aside, making your way to the things that were making your mouth water. Breakfast tacos greeted you and suddenly being woken up was not a bad thing anymore.

You went to reach for your phone to thank the blond-haired pilot but stopped when you remembered exactly why you now had tacos. Your drunken self called your brothers most hated teammate last night because you didn’t want to get your brother involved. You winced at the thought of him finding out and pulled your hand back.

You dreaded looking at your phone, knowing Bradley most likely had blown it up after last night. So, instead of being a responsible adult who answered for her own actions, you turned your phone over. What you couldn’t see meant it wasn’t there. Denial was one of your favorite places to live in.

Jake seemed friendly enough, offering help whenever you needed. He also wasn’t quick to judge you like others. It wasn’t lost on you that Bradley had most likely told his teammates how “reckless and wild” you were, already painting a bad picture of you. But Jake didn’t make you feel that way. He actually made you think that you might be able to call him a friend, even if he didn’t see eye to eye with your brother.

Jake heard a knock at his door and tried to think who would be here at this time of night. The confusion only grew when he opened his door to find you walking past him and making yourself home on his couch.

“Ever think about how dumb Tuesdays are? Like the only thing they are good for is tacos.” Jake had to blink a few times for his mind to catch up to what was happening.

“I can’t say that I have. Did that burning question drive you all the way over here?” He closed the door and walked to the adjacent couch to sit. He had a feeling this was going to be a long visit.

“I had to thank you in person for the tacos since I’m ignoring my phone.” Jake’s eyebrows rose that comment and pushed you on it. He watched as you played with your hair, giving him a hint at one of your tells. You were either uncomfortable or nervous about your answer and he locked that piece of information away for later.

“Look, my brother can be a bit much sometimes and I didn’t have the energy to deal with him this morning. Then this morning quickly turned into this evening, and I figured it’s a lost cause now.”

Jake bit back a smile, “So, you thought ignoring him was your best option?” He thought back to his conversation with said pilot at work this morning and was surprised when he saw a new side of him.

Bradley at first apologized for “having to deal with you.” But once he realized he didn’t mind making sure you got home safe, he thanked him and said it won’t happened again. Jake brought up his sisters and how he would want to make sure that if they needed help, someone would be there regardless of how good of terms he might or might not be with that person. This seemed to clear the air between them a bit, making work a little easier.

“I know it isn’t exactly my smartest idea, but you can only be called irresponsible so many times before you lose it. Was he mad at you this morning?” Jake shook his head, “Thankful for getting you home. That’s all.” He watched you nod your head but could see you didn’t fully believe him.

“You pinky promise I didn’t make things worse for you at work?” Jake laughed at yet another pinky promise.

“Yes, I pinky promise. Have you eaten dinner? I have leftovers I was about to heat up.” And with that offering, it opened the door to a new friendship.

Jake often found himself answering the door to you, texting you at random hours of the day, and always making sure you made it home safely. The two of you quickly became good friends, making the random house visits become a normal thing. He started to look forward to you coming over, knowing that your carefree way of life would bring him some sort of interesting story.

Until tonight.

The knock on his door was a little later than normal. Typically, you made your way over right after he got home from work. But tonight, it was hours past that time. Jake opened the door expecting you to waltz right in, but instead you were stood rooted in place with your head down. Red flags instantly went up as he tried to figure out what was wrong.

“Hey darlin’. How about we head inside?” His heart dropped when you lifted your head up. A bruise was starting to form around your right eye and by the way you were holding yourself, he knew it was from something bad.

A million different scenarios went through his mind, each worse than the last. But until he could get to the bottom of it, he needed to make sure you were okay. The ever so confident girl he had come to adore was nowhere in sight as he fully took you in. Your arms were wrapped around yourself, almost as if you were trying to be as small as possible. Despite the swelling from the bruise, he could see redness around your eyes from crying.

He moved to the side as you slowly made your way in allowing him to close the door and give you his full attention. “Sweetheart, what happened?” You flinched as he moved his hand towards you, making him stop his motion and put his hand up.

“You know I would never hurt you. I just need to look at that eye.” He waited for you to give some sort of okay before he tried again.

“I had this date and he wanted to go back to his place. All I did was tell him no.” Your words came out as a near whisper, but Jake heard you loud and clear. He had to take a second to calm himself down to not scare you any further.

“Can I give you a hug?” His words surprised you. The two of you were never one to show affection but for him to ask permission before doing it solidified why you chose to come here. A small head nod and he pulled you into his chest.

“I am so sorry you had to go through that. No one should ever have to feel that kind of fear.” And that simple gesture pushed you to your breaking point. The tears started all over again, but this time you felt a sense of comfort as you let them out. He continued to hold you for a few minutes and when he let go, you could see just how much this had affected him too.

He couldn’t help but think about his sisters and what he would do if they were ever in this situation. To have someone hit them simply because they said no made him sick to his stomach. Which is why he knew he needed to let your brother know.

“Sit down on the couch and I’ll grab you some ice to help with the swelling.” You did as he said, and Jake walked into the kitchen to grab a bag of frozen vegetables for you. While he was in there, he sent a quick text to Bradley telling him he needed to come over now. Jake knew he would do it based on the zero interactions they have outside of work. Bradley would know something was wrong.

He walked back out and saw you curled up on the couch, wiping a few tears from your face. When he picked you up from that bar a few weeks ago, he never imagined the two of you would be here. But he was glad to be that person for you.

“Put this on your eye for fifteen minutes and it should help numb the pain a bit.” You took the bag from him and did as he said. “Also, your brother should be on his way.”

The look of panic crossed your face, and he knew there was a chance you didn’t want your brother to know.

“I know you don’t want him to find out, but this is something your brother would want to know. I promise you that.” He watched as you played with the ends of your hair.

“He is going to try and say it’s my fault.” Jake knew the two of you had a bumpy relationship with just how different your lives were. But he didn’t for one second think that your brother would ever blame you for this.

“Let me get one thing straight. This is by no way your fault. A man should never lay his hands on a woman no matter what the reasoning. You said no and he needed to respect that. End of story.”

A knock on the door made you jump, and Jake waited a second before he went to open it. He gave Bradley zero warning on what he was walking into, and you weren’t in the best headspace to begin with. He knew there was a chance this wasn’t going to go well, but your brother couldn’t be left out of this.

Jake opened the door and said, “Try and keep calm.” Bradley walked in and took one look at you and pushed Jake up the wall. “The fuck did you do, Bagman?” Jake knew the initial reaction was going to be rough, but he was hoping he would still be able to fly tomorrow.

You stood up and quickly tried to push your brother away. While he didn’t budge, you at least got his attention. “He didn’t do this. I didn’t know where to go so I came here.”

Bradley looked back to Jake for confirmation and then backed off. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked between the two of you. “Someone needs to start explaining. Now.”

Jake looked over to you to see what you wanted to do. He had no issue telling Bradshaw the whole story, but he didn’t want to step on your toes. You didn’t tell him the two of you were friends for a reason, and he wasn’t sure how much you wanted to explain.

You took a deep breath and tried your best to answer, “Ever since the night Jake gave me a ride home, we’ve been hanging out. He’s been a good friend, one that I probably don’t deserve, but someone I know I can go to. I had a date tonight and it clearly didn’t go well. I was going to go home but I knew it wasn’t the best idea. Here was the next best place.”

Bradley shook his head, “Why here? Why not to my house? You know you can come to me for anything.”

You looked down as you said, “You always say how reckless I am, and I didn’t want this to be another huge disappointment for you.”

You heard Bradley curse under his breath but couldn’t find the courage to look up. Which is why you let out a yelp when he put a hand on your shoulder. “I know I’m hard on you but that’s because you’re the only family I have left. I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t come to me for things. That’s the last thing I ever wanted. But this? This is something I need to know, and I would never say it’s your fault. Something like this shouldn’t have happened and you best believe I am going to kill the guy who did this to you.”

You gave him a small nod and he turned your head to get a better look at your eye. “This is going to be a nasty bruise. Did he get you anywhere else?”

Jake watched in curiosity when your eyes seemed to light up some. “No. I stopped him before he could do anything else. Didn’t hurt as bad this time either.” The two pilots were confused until Jake looked down at your hand to see some slight bruising.

“Looks like you got him good.” Bradley caught on but then asked what you meant by “this time.”

You looked over to Jake for help explaining. “Killer over here has a nasty right hook. Said you taught her how to throw it.”

Bradley slowly nodded his head and almost looked excited when he asked if you used it on Jake. “You wish.” He chuckled some and then looked over to his teammate. “Thanks for looking out for her. Clearly you are doing a better job at it than me.”

Jake smirked, “Just one more thing to add to the list that I’m better at.”

A/N: Thoughts? Still deciding if I am going to add another one of these to the mini-series. Thank you so so much for reading!! - C

Tag List: @rosiahills22 @sunlitsunflowers @dempy @mamaskillerqueen @luckyladycreator2 @atarmychick007 @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @topguncultleader @alilstressyandlotdepressy @avengers-fixation @chaoticcassidy @alldaysdreamers

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