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djloveyou3000 · 5 months ago

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Fox au part 2

Idea credit @ladysouthpaw1213

After dinner, Russell and Bell stepped out into the warm night air, their bodies still humming from laughter, teasing, and more than a few flirtatious touches. The restaurant’s golden lights spilled onto the sidewalk, reflecting in Russell’s aviators as he turned to Bell with a smirk.

“Hope you weren’t expecting me to drop you off just yet.”

Bell raised an eyebrow, crossing their arms. “Oh? And what exactly do you have in mind, Redford?”

Russell chuckled at the nickname, shoving his hands in his pockets as he took a step closer. “A little drive. Nothing crazy. Just thought we’d take the long way back. Give me more time to… appreciate the view.”

Bell scoffed, shaking their head with a small smile. “You’re relentless.”

“Damn right.” He leaned down, his voice dropping to a husky murmur. “So, what do you say, sweetheart?”

Bell pretended to think about it, tapping their chin before sighing dramatically. “Well… since you asked so nicely.”

Russell grinned, pleased with their answer, and led them to his car.

A Night to Remember—In Every Way

“Hope you weren’t expecting me to drop you off just yet.”

Bell raised an eyebrow, crossing their arms. “Oh? And what exactly do you have in mind, Redford ?”

Bell scoffed, shaking their head with a small smile. “You’re relentless.”

“Damn right.” He leaned down, his voice dropping to a husky murmur. “So, what do you say, sweetheart?”

Bell pretended to think about it, tapping their chin before sighing dramatically. “Well… since you asked so nicely.”

Russell grinned, pleased with their answer, and led them to his car.

The Overlook

Russell eventually pulled over at a secluded spot overlooking the city. From this height, the skyline shimmered like a sea of stars, and the cool night air carried the faint scent of pine and asphalt.

Bell stepped out, arms stretching above their head as they took in the view. “Okay, I’ll admit. This is nice.”

Russell leaned against the car, cigarette back between his lips as he took a slow inhale. “Told you. I have my moments.”

Bell turned to him, tilting their head. “Do you bring all your dates here?”

“Only the ones I really like.” His voice was teasing, but there was something else beneath it—something genuine.

Bell felt their heart stutter for a second before they masked it with humor. “Lucky me.”

Russell exhaled smoke through his nose, watching them with hooded eyes. “Damn right.”

He took one last drag before flicking the cigarette away, crushing the embers beneath his boot. Then—before Bell could react—he reached for their wrist, tugging them just a little closer. Not forceful. Just enough to feel the pull.

“Come here.”

Bell hesitated for only a moment before stepping between his legs, close enough to feel the heat radiating off him.

Russell studied them, his gaze flickering between their eyes and their lips. “You gonna let me kiss you, or do I have to work for it?”

Bell raised an eyebrow. “Depends. How bad do you want it?”

Russell exhaled a soft laugh, shaking his head. “You’re trouble, you know that?”

“Mmm. And yet, you’re still here.”

Russell didn’t reply—not with words, anyway. Instead, he closed the distance, capturing Bell’s lips in a slow, heated kiss.

Bell melted into it, their fingers gripping his jacket as he deepened the kiss, one hand sliding to the small of their back while the other cupped their jaw. The taste of whiskey, smoke, and something unmistakably him lingered on his lips, making Bell’s head spin.

When they finally broke apart, Bell was breathless. “Damn.”

Russell’s lips ghosted over theirs, his smirk barely there. “That good?”

“You tell me.” Bell pulled him back in, kissing him again—this time more urgent, more hungry.

Russell groaned low in his throat, gripping their waist. “Fuck, sweetheart. If you keep that up, we’re not making it back.”

Bell smirked against his lips. “Who says I want to go back?”

That was all it took.

Back at Russell’s Place

By the time they stumbled through the door of Russell’s home, their hands were all over each other.

Russell kicked the door shut, immediately pressing Bell against it, his hands sliding down their waist as his lips claimed theirs again. Bell tugged at his jacket, impatiently pushing it off his shoulders.

He chuckled against their lips. “Eager, aren’t we?”

Bell bit his lower lip in response, making him groan. “Shut up.”

Russell smirked, but his next kiss was slow, teasing. “Make me.”

Bell didn’t need to be told twice.

They barely made it down the hall, clothes being peeled away in-between breathless laughter and heated kisses.

By the time they reached his bedroom, there was no turning back.

And neither of them wanted to.

The Morning After

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting soft golden lines across the bed. Bell stirred first, feeling a heavy warmth draped over them—Russell’s arm, possessive even in sleep.

They turned slightly, taking in his relaxed face, the scar on his cheek softer in the daylight.

Bell’s lips twitched. They traced a gentle finger along his forearm. “Didn’t peg you for a cuddler.”

Russell’s eyes cracked open, voice thick with sleep. “Only with people I like.”

Bell chuckled. “Lucky me.”

Russell smirked, pulling them closer. “Damn right.”

Reaching to his nightstand, he grabbed a cigarette, lighting it lazily as he leaned back, watching Bell through the curl of smoke. “Hope you know, sweetheart, you ain’t getting rid of me now.”

Bell smirked, stealing the cigarette from his fingers for a drag. “Didn’t plan on it.”

Russell’s smirk deepened.

And just like that, neither of them were in a hurry to get up.

A New Beginning

The morning was slow and peaceful. Sunlight streamed through the windows of Russell’s house, illuminating the warm wooden floors as Bell stretched lazily. The scent of coffee and something savory filled the air, but before they could process it, Vladimir tugged at their hand.

“Mama/Papa/Other, can we go find Uncle Russell?”

Bell smiled sleepily. “Mmm, alright, sweetheart. Let’s go find him.”

Hand in hand, they wandered through the house, following the faint sound of clinking dishes. When they reached the kitchen, Vladimir’s eyes widened in awe.

“Wow…” He blinked, looking around. “Russell, your house is so nice!”

Russell, who was leaning against the counter with a cigarette between his fingers, smirked at the compliment. “You like it, huh?” He exhaled smoke through his nose before casually adding, “Good. ‘Cause you and your parent can stay here.”

Bell’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait—what?!”

Russell’s smirk deepened as he took a slow drag of his cigarette. “Something wrong, my bluebell?” His voice was smooth, teasing, and before Bell could even find the words to respond, he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss against their lips.

“Ewwww!”

All three kids groaned dramatically, covering their eyes as if they had just witnessed something scandalous.

Kate giggled. “Gross, Daddy!”

Philip nodded eagerly. “Yeah! No kissing at breakfast!”

Bell, still processing Russell’s declaration, looked at him in disbelief, but the warmth in his gaze was undeniable. He wasn’t just saying it in the moment—he meant it.

Before they could dwell on it, Kate turned to Vladimir. “Hey, does this mean you’re our new brother?”

Philip gasped. “And is Bell our new mommy, daddy, or other?”

Without missing a beat, Russell exhaled a slow stream of smoke and answered confidently, “Yes.”

Bell, still in shock, opened their mouth—but no words came out. They blinked, looking between Russell and the kids, who were all grinning like this was the most natural thing in the world.

And maybe… maybe it was.

Bell finally let out a breath, shaking their head with an amused chuckle. “You really don’t waste time, do you, Russ?”

Russell grinned, wrapping an arm around their waist. “Nope. Why would I?”

Bell huffed a laugh, but they weren’t complaining. Russell was a specimen, after all.

Breakfast & Secrets

With the kids now buzzing with excitement, the group set out to make breakfast together. Kate and Philip insisted on making pancakes, Vladimir helped mix the eggs, and Bell handled the bacon. Russell, of course, mostly stood back, sipping his coffee and stealing bites of food straight off the plate—until Bell smacked his hand with a wooden spoon.

“Patience, old man.”

Russell raised an eyebrow, taking a slow drag of his cigarette. “Old man, huh? Keep talkin’ like that, sweetheart, and I’ll remind you how much energy I really have.”

Bell’s face heated at the implication. “Shut up and set the table.”

Russell chuckled, but he did as told.

Once everything was ready, they all sat down to eat, the kitchen filled with laughter, conversation, and the occasional sibling bickering over who got the bigger pancake.

At one point, Vladimir looked up from his plate, his big, curious eyes glancing between Bell and Russell.

“Do you think the foxes are okay?”

Bell paused for a moment before smiling softly. “I hope so, love. I think they’re safe and sound.”

Kate and Philip immediately glanced at each other, about to say something—but before they could, Russell shot them a subtle look.

Bell and Vladimir didn’t notice, but the two kids quickly shut up, realizing they were about to spill a secret.

Instead, the three of them—especially Russell—simply shared a knowing, affectionate glance.

Bell, completely unaware of the silent exchange, reached over and squeezed Vladimir’s hand. “We did our best for them. I have a feeling they’re doing just fine.”

Russell took a slow sip of his coffee, smirking to himself as he watched Bell and Vladimir.

Yeah.

Everything was exactly as it should be.

#russell adler x bell #russell adler x reader #russell adler #bell #phillip graves #kate laswell #vladimir makarov #adlerbell #adler #coldwar #call of duty #black ops cold war #cod #adler x bell

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eng8b24 · 2 months ago

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Lockheed YF-104A Starfighter by Benjamin Donnelly Via Flickr: The fourth of the 1950s era “Century Series,” the F-104 Starfighter was designed around one single element: speed. Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, head of Lockheed’s famous “Skunk Works” factory, had interviewed US Air Force pilots during the Korean War, seeking their input on any new fighter. Since the pilots reported that they wanted high performance more than anything else, Johnson returned to the United States determined to deliver exactly that: a simple, point-defense interceptor marrying the lightest airframe to the most powerful engine then available, the superb General Electric J79. When Johnson offered the L-098 design to the USAF in 1952, the service was so impressed that they created an entire competition for the aircraft to be accepted, ostensibly as a F-100 Super Sabre replacement. The Lockheed design had the clear edge, though both North American’s and Northrop’s design went on to be built themselves—the North American F-107A Ultra Sabre and the Northrop T-38 Talon. The USAF purchased the L-098 as the F-104A Starfighter. The design changed very little from initial design to prototype to operational aircraft, which was done in the astonishing time of two years. When the first F-104As reached the USAF in 1958, pilots quickly found that it was indeed a hot fighter—too hot. The Starfighter’s design philosophy of speed above all else resulted in an aircraft with a long fuselage, T-tail for stability, and small wings, which were so thin that special guards had to be put on the leading edges to avoid injuring ground personnel. Because of its small wing, the F-104 required a lot of runway, and blown flaps (which vents airflow from the engine over the flaps to increase lift) were a necessity; unfortunately, the airflow system often failed, which meant that the F-104 pilot would be coming in at a dangerous rate of speed. Because it was feared that a pilot who ejected from a F-104 would never clear the tail, a downward-ejection seat was fitted, but after killing over 20 pilots, the seat was retrofitted with a more reliable, upward-firing type. The design also was not very maneuverable in the horizontal, though it was difficult to match in the vertical. Its shape earned it the moniker “Missile With a Man In It” and “Zipper.” One thing pilots did not complain about was its speed—the listed top speed of the F-104 was Mach 2.2, but this was because above that the fuselage would melt. The J79 was a near flawless engine that gave the Starfighter an excellent thrust-to-weight ratio; uniquely, the intake design of the Starfighter gave the engine a bansheelike wail. So superb was the F-104 at level speed and climbing that NASA leased several as trainers for the X-15 program, and in setting a number of speed and time-to-climb records. If the F-104 had gotten a mixed reception at best in the USAF, Lockheed felt that it had potential as an export aircraft. Beating out several excellent British and other American designs in a 1961 competition, every NATO nation except France and Great Britain bought F-104s and manufactured their own as the F-104G; Japan also license-built Starfighters as F-104Js, while still more were supplied to Pakistan and Taiwan. Just as in USAF service, accident rates were incredibly high, particularly in West German and Canadian service—Germany lost 30 percent of its initial batch, and the Canadians over half. Worries that the F-104 was too “hot” for pilots usually transitioning from the F-86 were ignored, and later it was learned why: German, Dutch, and Japanese politicians later admitted to being bribed by Lockheed into buying the Starfighter. Its high accident rate earned such nicknames as “Widowmaker,” “Flying Coffin,” and “Ground Nail.” Pakistani pilots simply called it Badmash (“Criminal”) and the Japanese Eiko (“Glory,” inferring that it was the easiest way to reach it). German pilots joked that the quickest way to obtain a F-104 was to buy a patch of land and wait. Nonetheless, once pilots learned how to tame the beast, the accident rates eased somewhat, and NATO pilots discovered that the Starfighter excelled as a low-level attack aircraft: fitted with bomb racks, the F-104 was remarkably stable at low altitude and high speed, and Luftwaffe pilots in particular found that they could sneak up on a target, launch a simulated attack, and be gone before ground defenses could react. The Italians in particular loved the F-104, building their own as the F-104S: these aircraft were equipped with multimode radar and armed with AIM-7 Sparrow and Aspide radar-guided missiles, making them a superb interceptor. Though most NATO nations reequipped their F-104 units with F-16s, F-18s, or Tornados beginning in 1980, the Italian F-104S fleet was continually upgraded and soldiered on until final retirement in 2004. 2578 F-104s were built, mostly F-104Gs; today over 150 survive in museums, with at least ten flyable examples, making it one of the best preserved of the Century Series. The second oldest F-104 left (only the YF-104A in the National Air and Space Museum is older), 55-2967 was delivered to the USAF as one of 17 YF-104 pre-production aircraft--and one of only two left, as the others were either expended as drones or crashed during testing. 55-2967 never served in a frontline or ANG unit: it went directly to Air Force Systems Command at Edwards AFB, California, in 1956. It only flew for a year before it was heavily damaged in a bad landing at Bergstrom AFB, Texas. 55-2967 would never fly again, but rather than scrap it, it was turned into a GF-104A ground instruction trainer. Ironically, the hard landing that grounded 55-2967 saved it from the fate of the other YF-104s, and in the late 1960s, as the F-104 was phased out of USAF service, it was put on display on the cadet grounds at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. However, the airframe suffered from being out in the open, and the AFA wanted to replace it with something of a little newer vintage. It was then donated to the Pueblo Weisbrod Museum, and trucked down to its new home. It was restored and moved inside in 2011. When I got the picture, I didn't realize this was either a YF-104 or that I'd almost certainly seen it as a kid when Dad and I visited the AFA on several occasions. Though few if any USAF F-104s flew in overall ADC Gray, this better preserves the aircraft; the font is also incorrect, but that's a nitpick on an excellent preservation job. A Tactical Air Command patch is carried on the tail. I always love being reacquainted with aircraft I would've seen when I was little!

#Lockheed #F-104 #YF-104A #EdwardsAFB #USAF #ColdWar #testaircraft #prototype #fighter #aircraft #PuebloWeisbrodMuseum #flickr

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