#TOP GUN FANDOM COME TO ME IN MY HOUR OF NEED

[torchflies]

Okay Top Gun fandom, I have a serious question…

Can Ice dance? Not ballroom, but like club dancing. Can he serve on the dance floor? Because — I don't think he can.

Now, Mav yes, absolutely.

Ice, no way in Hell.

Opinions?

[wannab-urs]

Title: Something Sweet

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader

Summary: You’re new to the team in Colombia and all alone on your birthday. Your partner, Javier Peña, decides to do something sweet for you. 

Tags: Set vaguely during season 1 before Javi gets extra angsty, canon compliant-ish, reader feeling lonely, sassy!reader, flirty!javi, alcohol (wine), brief mention of a gun bc I feel like a DEA agent wouldn’t just answer the door all willy nilly, kissing, javi asking for consent, but y’all did share a bottle of wine, kissing, fingering f receiving, marking, unprotected PinV, cuddling. I always write angsty Javi, but this is FLUFF, so sorry if it’s OOC, I’m slightly out of my element here. 

WC: 2107

A/N: This fic is a birthday gift for @psychedelic-ink. Sil, you’re a wonderful friend and you do so much for the Pedro Pascal Fandom community on top of being an incredible writer. So, with some help from @pedrorascal with the beautiful gifs, I schemed up a little fic for you. I hope you love it! Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays AHHHH. 

Moving to a new country two weeks before your birthday, which also happens to be Christmas Eve, is not ideal. You moved to Colombia from Miami after a promotion, earning a spot on the elite team working to catch Pablo Escobar. 

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind, trying to catch up on all the facts of the case. You have to learn every sicario by sight and all of their names, aliases, and frequent hang outs. You have to learn about everything Escobar has done in Colombia, all the cartels and how they connect, it’s all extremely exhausting and time consuming. 

Which is why you have no friends yet, unless you count your new partners Javier Peña and Steve Murphy. Which you don’t. You barely know them, and from what you’ve seen so far, Peña is an asshole. Steve might be okay, but you just haven’t had time to get to know him yet. 

You take off your windbreaker and hang it on the back of your chair. It’s kind of ridiculous that you have to work on Christmas Eve, but there’s no rest for the wicked and therefore no rest for you either. You sit down and open the first file on your desk, immediately getting down to business without so much as a greeting for your partners. 

A couple hours into the work day, a shadow darkens your desk. “What do you want, Peña?” 

“God damn, hermosa. Touchy today? I brought you a coffee.” Peña sets the cup of lukewarm black slop on your desk and leans further into your space, peeking at the files you’re reading. 

“Yes, actually. Did you need something or did you just come over here to bother me?” 

“I just came over here to compliment your nails, actually,” he takes your hand in his, inspecting your nails, and then looks into your eyes. “I like the color. Suits you.” 

You feel heat rise to your cheeks. Peña is cute. Gorgeous, really, but you don’t make a habit of flirting with your coworkers. “Thanks… They were my birthday gift to myself.” You tug your hand away from him and place it in your lap. 

“It’s your birthday?” He asks, still leaning much too far into your personal space. You nod and look back down at the file. 

“I have to get back to work now,” you almost whisper to him, all your bitter snark from earlier replaced by a sense of melancholy. There’s not a soul in this entire country who knows it’s your birthday today. Aside from Javier, now, you guess. Javier lingers for another moment before pushing off your desk and leaving you to your work. 

You’re starting to pack up for the day when Peña comes up to your desk again, sitting on the corner. 

 “So what are your plans tonight?” he asks. 

“Huh?” You don’t have any plans. A phone call from your friend in Miami and a bottle of Chilean wine maybe. 

“Your plans? For your birthday?” 

“Oh. I don’t have any. Don’t really know anyone yet so…” you trail off. You feel kind of pathetic, even though you know it’s completely reasonable to not have a group of friends yet. 

“Me and Murphy could take you out?” 

“Oh um–”

“Actually, Jav,”  Steve calls out from his desk. “Me and Connie have plans tonight. Christmas Eve and all,” he gives you an apologetic look. 

“It’s fine really. I’m gonna have a nice relaxing night in. Thanks though.” You put on the best smile you can and head for the door. 

You hang up the phone after your short call with your friend. It’s expensive to call long distance, but she stayed on with you as long as she could. She told you all about her new boyfriend and that everyone had wished you a Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays. You’re grateful she didn’t ask about your job or your love life. 

As you pop the cork on a bottle of wine, there’s a knock on your door. You stare at the door questioningly, as if it will tell you who’s there. Who on earth could be knocking at your door at 8pm on Christmas Eve? 

You grab your gun and sneak over to the door, peeking through the peephole. Broad shoulders and a dark head of hair are all you can make out through the tiny lens. Javier? You set your gun on the side table and pull open the door. 

“Peña? What are you doing here?” 

He turns around and holds his hands out to you. “Brought you something.” He’s holding a birthday cake, clearly store bought, decorated with a generic “Feliz cumpleaños” scrawled on top. A bright smile lights up your face. 

“Oh Javi, you didn’t have to!” 

“I wanted to. You gonna invite me in for some cake?” He raises his eyebrows at you. 

“Oh! Yeah sure. Come in!” You step to the side to let him through and close and lock the door behind him. “Sorry about the mess. I’m not fully unpacked yet.” 

“I’ve been here for 7 years and I’m not fully unpacked. It’s fine.” Javi reassures you. He sets the cake down on your kitchen counter and starts rifling around for plates and silverware. 

“I can do that,” you try to move him out of the way, but he’s having none of it. 

“No, it’s your birthday. Let me. You pour yourself a glass of wine and go sit on the couch.” 

“Fine… thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

You grab a couple glasses and the bottle of wine and carry it to the living room with you. You’re kind of shocked he’s here. He’s always flirty in the office, but he’s like that with everyone. He’s not what you’d call friendly otherwise. Maybe he just feels bad for you. 

Javier drops down onto the couch beside you holding two plates with hefty slices of chocolate cake. He hands you one of the plates and a fork. “Happy birthday. I’m not going to make you do the whole candle thing.”

“Thank you, Javier. This is really, really nice.” You feel like you might cry. It’s just cake, but you felt so alone, and it’s like he really saw you. He saw through whatever exterior shell you were wearing and decided to try to make your day better. 

“Just Javi is fine. And it’s not a big deal, really. You deserve something sweet on your birthday,” he says looking down at the cake in his hands.

“It is to me. A big deal, I mean,” you say softly before taking a bite of the cake. It’s nothing special, just a plain chocolate cake, but it means so much to you. 

You and Javier, Javi, chat about where you’re from and how you came to work for the DEA. You tell him about living in Miami, about the promotion that brought you here. You finish the bottle of wine and a couple more pieces of cake and the conversation doesn’t stop for a long time.

Late in the evening, you finish a story about your 6th birthday, one your aunt always told to the whole family every single year at your birthday dinner. He’s sitting close to you, his thigh pressed against yours despite there being plenty of room on the couch to sit without touching. It makes your heart flutter a little. 

You don’t know if it’s the wine or what, but the little crush you have on him is getting pretty hard to ignore. Javi smirks at you, reaches up, and brushes his thumb over the corner of your lip. 

“Got a little icing there, cariño,” he says, his voice lower and huskier than it has been all night. He brings the icing smeared thumb to his mouth and sucks it between his lips. Your eyes track the movement, pupils blowing wide. He really is pretty. 

You feel yourself lean in toward him, almost unconsciously chasing that thumb to his mouth. He brings his hand up to your cheek and searches your eyes for a moment. He must see what he was looking for because he pulls you closer and presses his lips to yours. 

His lips are soft, warm, gentle on yours. You grab his face in your hands, not wanting him to pull away yet. He slips his tongue along the seam of your lips and you part them, letting him in. You’re not sure who makes the move, but slowly, your back is lowered to the couch, Javi a comfortable weight on top of you. Your hands explore his broad shoulders, the muscles of his back, his trim waist, as he plunders your mouth with his tongue. 

“Can I touch you?” He rasps against your lips. 

“You already are,” you giggle. “Sorry. Yes, Javi.” 

He huffs a laugh into your mouth and slips a hand into your lounge pants, fingers finding your dripping seam. “Wet for me already, hermosa?” 

Your cheeks heat up in slight embarrassment, but you nod. You’re soaked just from kissing him. By the feel of him against your thigh, he’s not better off. He pushes two fingers inside you and presses his lips back to yours. You gasp into his mouth, hands fisting in the back of his shirt. 

His fingers immediately find the spongy spot deep in your core. He curls them, dragging the pads of his fingers along your g-spot with every pump of them inside you. You cling tightly to him, burying your face in his shoulder. 

“Come for me, baby.” 

Your body responds to his command instantly, the tension in your belly releasing into waves of pleasure. Your cunt flutters around his fingers and you whine into his neck as he works you through it. You collapse back onto the couch, and he wastes no time dragging your pants off you. 

You hear the clink of his belt opening, the sound of it hitting the floor. You sit up on your elbows to watch him as he strips off the rest of his clothes. You bite your lip, drinking in the sight of the gorgeous man before you. 

He takes your hands in his and pulls you to your feet before pulling your tank top off you. “Shit, hermosa,” he whispers almost reverently as he takes one of your tits in his large hand, rolling the nipple between two fingers. “Gorgeous.” 

 He kisses you again, wrapping his strong arms around your body and pushing his chest flush with yours. “Bedroom, cariño?” 

You walk him back to your room, barely separating your lips from his for the entire journey. You fall back on your bed and he follows, settling between your legs. His lips drag down your jaw line to your neck as he lines himself up with your entrance. Javi sucks a mark just below your collarbone as he slowly thrusts inside you. 

You wrap your legs around his hips and pull him deeper into you, whining at the stretch. “Fuck, Javi.” 

“Working on it, cariño,” he teases as he bottoms out inside you. He pushes himself up on his elbows and stares into your eyes as he pulls out and thrusts back in smoothly. Your mouth falls open, a little huff spilling out as he bottoms out again. He feels so fucking good inside you. 

Javi sets a steady pace, thrusting into you hard and slow, eyes never leaving yours. When your eyes flutter shut and your back starts to arch in pleasure, he slips his arm under your back, pulling your hips higher on his thighs. The new angle is everything. You gasp out a moan every time his cock punches deep inside you.

Javi is everything in this moment. Your world narrowed to the feeling of his cock pounding into you at that same maddeningly slow, hard rhythm. You feel yourself tightening around him, feel a coil winding in your belly tighter and tighter. 

Javi’s lips find yours again with a kiss that’s more a clash of teeth and tongues than anything as you come hard on his cock. Javi lets out a low groan into your mouth at the way you squeeze him. He thrusts into you a few more times, fucking you through your high, before he quickly pulls out and spills all over your belly. 

He rests his forehead on yours for a moment, catching his breath. He kisses you deeply one more time before falling to the bed beside you. Javi pulls you into his arms, not paying any mind to the mess he made on your stomach. He holds you close, kissing the top of your head. 

“Happy Birthday, cariño.”

[ellethespaceunicorn]

Get My Pretty Name Outta Your Mouth

Rating: Explicit, 18+, Minors - DNI

Pairing: Walter Marshall x Reader

Fandom: Night Hunter

Word Count: 1.7K

Summary: For @enchantedbytomandhenry; You hate everything about Detective Walter Marshall. He feels the same about you. Now, kiss!

Warnings: enemies to lovers trope (not sure if I nailed it though), unprotected p-in-v, creampie, Daddy kink, male tackling female to subdue (if that squicks you, maybe skip this one-it is quick but described)

A/N: Unbeta’d, we die like people who tried their best. 

Dividers by: @firefly-graphics

Support/Reblog banner by me

My Masterlist 

Oh, this is great. No, it’s perfect. Not only were you voluntold to work a weekend-long stakeout, but you’d also be paired with Detective Marshall. Yeah, that Detective Marshall. Walter. The asshole who you’ve been competing with for ‘top dog’ since before joining S.W.A.T. all those years ago. 

He was always just ahead of you. Ran a mile half a minute quicker. Got promoted a month sooner. To top it all off, he was tall and drop-dead gorgeous. And he had an ass you could bounce a quarter off.

Wait, hold on. When did that become something you even cared about? 

The way he cockily smiles at you as he exits his truck in the parking lot of the motel is enough to have you clench your thighs together. This should be a fun weekend. 

Friday night into Saturday morning is spent quietly using the listening devices to monitor our suspect. You both just…sit there, using your ears. Walter is usually quiet, sure. But what human doesn’t even accidentally use small talk to fill a quiet space?

During the day, you try and sleep in your separate room but it proves to be difficult. You toss and turn, grumbling to yourself after a couple of hours. Visions of Marshall’s chiseled jawline, beefy arms, and thick thighs are burned in your mind. You abandon all hope of sleeping, spending the rest of the day disassembling and cleaning your sidearm. It keeps your mind sharp and you genuinely enjoy the process.

It’s nearing seven and you’re just getting your things together to head over to the surveillance room when you get a knock at the door. You peek through the curtains and see Marshall as he leans on the doorframe.

You open the door and look expectantly at him. When he doesn’t answer and barges into the room past you, you pipe up, “Come on in, why don’t you?” You close the door behind you and watch as he looks around the room.

He notices your gun cleaning kit on the small wooden table by the window and looks back at you. “You didn’t sleep today. You look like shit.”

“Awesome. Thank you. What do you want?” you snap, already sick of his annoyingly perfect face.

“Go home and get some sleep,” he crosses his arms, standing in front of you, “Got the B team coming in to take over.”

“So, we’re both leaving? Or are you just dismissing me?” you questioned, crossing your own arms.

“Just you,” he deadpans, not feeling the need to explain himself further.

“Well, fuck that. I’m not leaving, so if you’ll excuse me,” you fumed, moving to reach for your sidearm on the table as he moves over, holding a hand out between the table and yourself.

“I can’t let you take that with so little sleep. It’s dangerous for both of us. Trust me, one slip up, and one of us is down,” he warns, holding his ground.

“Marshall, get out of my way. We have a job to do.”

“No, I have a job to do. You’re off the clock. Go home, kid,” he urged, holding his position.

“You’re gonna have to take me out of this mission by force, Marshall. Otherwise, I’m-”

You did not get to finish that sentence before Walter was taking you down on your stomach. A strong arm fully extended holding your left shoulder, while your right wrist is being restrained, would have been enough. But, this was Marshall after all and if he was anything, he was thorough. He straddles your hips, with just enough pressure to keep you down, but not enough to scratch a certain itch.

“I didn’t wanna have to do that,” Walter breathes, winded slightly from the takedown, “but you gave me no choice.” 

“Marshall, get the fuck off of me,” you growl, trying to buck him off.

“Yeah, kid, that’s not happening,” he spits, hooking his ankles over your thighs, “You’re lucky I don’t cuff you to keep you down.”

“So, what? You just looking for a reason to get me to obey you?” you challenge, struggling under his weight.

“As if you needed an excuse,” he laughs, straightening himself above you.

“Please! If you honestly think-”

“Give it a rest, I can smell your arousal from here,” he teased, lowering his hips a fraction and watching your squirm, “And before you say it’s not because of me, why couldn’t I smell it until after I had taken you down?”

“Fuck you, Marshall,” you scoff, trying to hold some semblance of control.

“Yeah, maybe if you did, you could get some fucking sleep,” he offers, his left hand moving from your shoulder down your arm, “But here you are, stubborn as hell.”

You lick your lips, considering his words. You wanted to get some release. You also wanted to sleep. 

Fuck it.

“So, what’s it gonna be?” he queries, slowly starting to release your arms.

“I’m exhausted and I’m horny. But you’re doing all of the work, Marshall,” you say, lifting your hips to meet his crotch.

“That’s a good girl,” he hummed, releasing your arms before leaning up and off of you. You start to raise yourself before you are lifted and all but thrown on the bed and told to strip. Watching as his layers are quickly being shed, you all but rip away your clothing. 

Once fully naked, you look at Marshall where he stands watching you. Cock in hand, he pumps his massive length slowly while his eyes rake over you. “Tell me what you need,” he coaxed, his voice lower by at least an octave.

“Hurry the fuck up and put me to bed, Marshall, before I change my mind,” you threaten, your body thrumming under his gaze.

“You can change your mind at any time, you just say the word and this is over, yeah?” he informs, eyes connecting with yours.

“Heard,” you chime in, opening your legs for him. 

He kneels on the bed between your legs, reaching down to collect some of your wetness that glistens in the low light of the motel room. He lifts his hand to his mouth, sucking your juices off his fingers before plunging them inside you. “Fuck, girl, you are so wet for me. So fucking hot,” he moans, squelching sounds filling the room as he massages your inner bundle of nerves.

“Oh fuck, Daddy!” you squealed, completely out of your control.

“That’s it, girl, cum for me,” he goaded, his thumb moving to play with your swollen button.

It doesn’t take long before you feel that familiar tightening in your core, and Marshall must be the World’s Greatest Detective™ because he is pulling out his fingers and thrusting his cock inside your wet heat. Fucking you through your orgasm, your tight walls fluttering around him causing him to groan loudly.

“That’s one, let’s see if we can’t get you another, yeah?” he teases, melding your chests together as he wraps his arms around your center. From this angle, he can stimulate your clit while stroking deeply. And he does so at a punishing pace, his teeth nipping and kissing your neck. “Fuck, we shoulda done this years ago, girl. This pussy is fucking made for me.”

“Yes, Daddy,” you mewl, that time was completely on purpose.

Marshall leans up, leaving one arm around you while the other hand goes to your hair, baring your neck. “Who’s pussy is this, girl?” he challenges, even though he already knows.

“It’s yours, Daddy,” you whine, legs wrapping around his hips.

“That’s fucking right, it’s mine,” he praised, hips pistoning into you, “And I’m gonna ruin you for everyone else. You’re mine, girl.”

His growled claim of you paired with the way he fucks into you has your legs trembling around him instantly, your second orgasm of the night flowing through you.

“Hmmm, that’s my girl, taking Daddy’s cock so well,” he groans, the sound vibrating through the both of you. 

“Thank you, Daddy,” you moan, squeezing your thighs around Marshall, “I love your fucking cock.”

“That’s right you love this cock,” he growls, pulling out and manhandling you onto all fours, “Put Daddy’s cock back in, girl.”

You reach back and line him up, pushing back to impale yourself before moaning out at the angle change. Marshall grips your hips, plowing into you, no doubt chasing his own release now.

“Fucking cum inside me, Daddy,” you whimper, loving the sounds coming from your sodden cunt as it is pounded.

“I’m gonna breed this perfect pussy,” he grunts, hips stuttering until he pushes in as deep as can, cock twitching and painting your insides so full that it starts to leak past your entrance. He pulls out slightly before starting to fuck his cum back inside you. The sensation alone has your pussy quivering around him for the third time before you fall forward on your front.

Marshall laughs as he gets up from the bed, going to the en suite bathroom. You can hear him taking a piss and you know that you should as well to combat any chance of a UTI. But your legs aren’t listening yet so fuck that idea. 

Your eyes are already closed when you feel a wet warmth between your legs as Marshall is wiping down your swollen sex gently before you snuggle into the comforter being wrapped around you. A kiss is placed on your temple and soon you hear the rustling of clothes being put back on.

The sound of your motel room door opening and closing barely registers as you fall asleep.

It is sometime later in the evening and you check your phone on the nightstand as it reads 12:12 AM. No need to make a wish. 

You take a quick shower and get dressed before heading over to the surveillance room. You are stopped outside of the room by a uniformed officer. “Detective Marshall asked me to keep you out. And he wanted me to give you this. That’s all I know, Ma’am.” The officer hands over a note and you step away and read it.

Hey,

I was serious about you getting some sleep. 

Get that ass back to bed.

Daddy will see you soon, girl.

Sweet dreams xx

A/N: So, like I don’t know how I feel about how I wrote Walter here. This is not MY Walter, but I quite enjoyed this version of him.

**Tag List**

@astheskycries 

Let me know if you wanna be added and for what plz! 😁

[dollwritesarchive]

(Coming through with yet another HC request) but for the bird brains event — the boys and their love language? 😩

these are just extremely quick thoughts!

fandom dc / masterlist coming soon / @dollsdc-library

featuring dick grayson x implied!reader ; jason todd x implied!reader ; tim drake x implied!reader ; damian wayne x implied!reader [ all characters are 18+ ]

rating none of my work is meant to be viewed by minors (anyone under the age of eighteen), and i will happily block any that interact with my posts or my blog.

content warning none! it’s all fluff.

word count n.a / headcanons & concepts

attention do not repost or translate, even with ‘credit’. just don’t do it. reblog instead of like. leave feedback if you enjoyed.

bird brains writing event !!

𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 — 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 !

falls asleep with his head on your lap/when you play with his hair.

he picks you up for no reason other than the fact that he can.

backhugs you in line at the grocery store, sways back and forth, grinning like an idiot with his eyes closed.

so. many. kisses. this man can and will kiss you for hours if you let him. you don’t know how his mouth doesn’t get tired, because your lips were swollen for the first month of being together.

don’t even think about showering alone, because he will most certainly invite himself. every time. he’ll wash your hair for you just so he can rub his fingers through it.

in bed, he’s mostly big spoon. he does love when you sleep on top of him or wrap your arms and legs around him, though. you will never wake up on the opposite side of the bed.

he gets anxious when he’s away from you, and if he can’t hold you in public he’ll settle for grasping your hand, but he won’t be satisfied until he can carry you around like a backpack again.

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐝 — 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 !

Jason needs to hear that he’s not all of the nasty things he’s been made to believe he is, but he won’t ask for it. you’ll have to initiate.

if you catch him cleaning his guns, you slide up behind him, delve your fingers into his hair, and croon, “I love you so much baby.”

he wants you to straddle his lap, look into his eyes, and whisper, “You’re a good man.” because he tends to forget.

you have to tell him how much you need him, how much you want him, and how much you love him often.

even when he scoffs or brushes it off with a playful shrug, he knows he’s lucky to have you.

he does reciprocate with admissions of love and adoration.

“I would be so lost without you.” is a sentiment he expresses often. along with, “You’re everything to me.” and “I’ve never truly belonged anywhere but in your arms. You are my home.”

𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐞 — 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 !

as long as he’s near you, he doesn’t care about much else.

he will creep into the room while you’re working/bring any new gadgets he needs to work on and sit quietly in the corner just to be in the same vicinity as you.

Tim likes to read to you / have you read to him in the middle of the night.

he practiced your skincare routine to be able to do it with you every night.

he wants to know every one of your hobbies so you two can do them together.

will call you while he’s on a mission just to hear your voice, even though you know Bruce looks down on that.

cafe dates every time he gets the chance.

he doesn’t want to catch an uber, and would rather walk you wherever you’re going for that extra time together.

Tim sees his future when he looks in your eyes.

𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞 — 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 !

Damian wants a mommy to take care of him but won’t admit it.

there are set roles to play. you, the dutiful housewife and lover. him, the protector.

he loves when you tend to his injuries.

he will sit quietly and simply watch you cook for him instead of offering to help or taking initiative, but he’s grateful, even if he doesn’t say it.

luckily for him, you like to baby him.

Damian is extremely protective over you, and considers it his duty as your man to be your personal guard dog. he also gets jealous extremely easily, but that’s another story entirely.

“Stay close to me at all times.”

“I don’t want you out of my sight.”

sometimes it’s a little annoying, but mostly it’s endearing, and shows how much he cares considering his awkwardness when expressing himself outright.

[domesticcaboose]

“Hey, it’s Bradley”

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Gn Reader

TW: Cursing, like a lot of cursing

A/N: it’s my first time actually posting my writing on here so pls be nice! Also, feel free to mention anything we need to fix grammatically. Proofreader and coauthor is @lunamoon1744

“Hey, uh, it's Ro-Bradley. It's Bradley. Fuck it’s probably late where you’re at. Sorry, I just, fuck, look, I’m sorry. So fucking sorry. I loved you, love you, still love you and I know this is a shitty way to go about it but there’s a mission and I don’t know whether I'm going to make it back, but I was back at Top Gun for a few weeks, and God, all I could think about was us, you, and how much I love you and how much I fucked you over and I’m sorry. God I'm so fucking sorry an’ I’m not asking you to forgive me but I can't die without apologizing, without letting you know that leaving you was the worst decision of my life and if I could go back I’d-, fuck I’m running out of time, I just, I love you so fucking much and I, I gotta go, fuck, I’m sorry, I love you.”

Bradley Bradshaw. Rooster. God, you loved him, and he had broken your heart. It’d been a few years since the breakup, and honestly you're surprised he still knows your number. Lord knows you had to look back into your contacts to figure out whether he called you through his phone, or someone else's. It was probably the ship's phone, seeing as you still had his cell number in your contacts.

It probably doesn't matter by now. If he went on the mission right after he called you, that would have been 15 hours, 48 minutes, and approximately 56 seconds ago. You begin pacing back and forth across the house. If he was going to die, he’d already be dead, and if he was going to live, he’d already be back on the carrier. Plus, there was no guarantee he was even going back to Top Gun, he could be going straight to his next assignment. You stop dead in your tracks. He could be dead.

Then again, that was the problem wasn't it? It didn't really matter, you would go to the ends of the Earth if he had asked you to, if he had so much as implied that he needed or wanted you to. Maybe that's why you had already finished packing, bag already by the door, heart already knowing what your head was trying to figure out.

Leaning over the kitchen island, you pull out your laptop and start looking for any possible flights to anywhere even remotely close to San Diego and Top Gun. A few hours that pass over your nerves like shitty tap dancers, about 50 tabs, and a coffee or three later you finally come across a flight. It's expensive, significantly more than you would ever pay normally, and through an airline you've never used before. It's also leaving in an hour from an airport 49 minutes away. Taking a deep breath, you say fuck it and start typing your credit card numbers in, because you are tired and desperate and you just need to be there in case he did come back.

God, you hope he's alive.

It was a seven and a half hour flight and a two hour drive, having booked the first flight you found to anywhere close by. You had a bit of a drive to get to Top Gun, but you honestly can’t remember much of your trip. How can you? For all you know, you're doing all of this for a funeral that you're not even sure you would be invited to.

You're not completely sure how you ended up in front of the Hard Deck. Well, that's a lie. You know damn well why you stopped here before trying to find a hotel. It's an aviator's bar. It's where the aviators go after work. You’d been here with him the first time around. When you were dating. When you thought you were going to marry him.

It's stupid, and emotional, and childish to stop. It’s been a little less than two days since he made the phone call, and if he is alive he'd still be on the ship, or in a hospital somewhere. That didn't stop you from walking in, from looking around, from ordering a drink, from sitting down and waiting on some distant hope that he'd pop through the door. You haven't actually figured out what you're going to do when you see him again. But fuck if that didn't mean you still wanted to see him.

It was another three days of watching and waiting, of sitting at the bar with Penny, of wondering whether or not the last actual conversation you will ever have with the love of your life was when you broke up, when he told you he never loved you.

It's your fifth day in San Diego, when you see his Bronco in the Hard Deck parking lot. You know that fucking car anywhere and you know for a fact that if it was here then Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw was alive. Which means he could have damn well called you and informed you of such!

Taking a deep breath, as to not preemptively jump to conclusions, and to not kill the first person that looks at you wrong, you hurry up and force your way through the Hard Deck’s doors, making a scan for tall, brunette, and mustached.

It's not hard to find him. He is standing by a handful of other pilots and Penny. She's under who you assume is the pilot named Pete’s arm, looking very amused by your entrance. Bradshaw, on the other hand, is laughing lazily with his friends, like you hadn't thought he might be dead for the better part of the week.

“BRADLEY FUCKING BRADSHAW!”

The sound of pool balls clinking stops almost immediately, and you hear whispers arising from some of the pilots scattered around the bar. The man of the week looks in your direction, and while his eyes light up, his face falls as you start marching across the floor towards him. “...y/n?”

You feel multiple eyes on you as you stomp across the bar, and out of the corner of your eye you can also see a few heads turn. “What in the ever loving fuck is wrong with you? The fuck was that phone call?” You come to a stop right in front of him, jabbing your finger into his chest. “Have you been landing too hard it’s starting to fuck with your head?” there's a snort on your right, coming from some Ken-doll-looking motherfucker. “Because that shit-”

“Y/n?”

“Is not okay! At all! You don't call someone, and tell them you love them, and that your sorry, and then just fucking disappear! Honestly! Give me one good fucking reason I shouldn't hit you upside your head, I swear to god-”

He interrupts you by pulling you into a tight hug and holding you against him, and you use every ounce of self control to not hug him back. He leans slightly back, looking into your eyes, and opening his mouth to speak.

“You came?” …you came? YOU CAME? What in the ever loving fuck did he think you were going to do after he called, go to brunch and have some fucking mimosas? Chill at the beach? Not lose your absolute goddamn mind?

“OF COURSE I FUCKING CAME!” You struggle in his arms before giving up and grabbing his shoulders in order to pull him down a bit so your eye level. “We may not have left on the best of terms, but I still fucking love you! Honestly, you could have called me at any point and I would have shown up because that's what you do when you love someone! And maybe that wouldn’t be my best discission but, fuck, I've never had a doubt that you would-”

“You still love me?” Maybe it was the way he said it, sounding like he was going to cry, or the way he looked like he was in complete shock over the fact that you still love him, even though he’s the one who walked away, but it makes your anger fade from the loud and explosive kind to the tired and worried one.

“Jesus fucking son of a fuck I swear to-” deep breaths, homicide is illegal and there’s witnesses, lots of witnesses, because almost everyone in the bar has turned to stare, nosey fucks. “-Yes. I love you, I loved you when we were dating, I loved you when we broke up, and I love you now, but, if you say one. More. Stupid. Fucking. Thing. I'm going to drown you in the ocean-” and it's true. You do love him. But it's also true that if he doesn't stop interrupting you, you are going to try and throw him in the ocean. It wouldn't work, you've tried it before, but it would make you feel better.

He smiles like a dumbass, eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. He puts his hand on your cheek, leaning down and pressing your foreheads together. “I love you too.”

“Yeah, I’m aware, but I swear to god if you interupt me one more fucking time-” which, he of course decides to do by kissing you. Which, not to say that you are complaining, but it's hard to stay mad when he's kissing you like it's all he's ever thought about. Putting both of your hands on his chest, you lightly push him away. “-we’re not in a movie. Kissing me’s not gonna get me to shut up-”

“What if I kiss you multiple times?” And isn't that a tempting offer? But, as much as you love him, that phone call was the worst possible way of getting in contact with you again.

You narrow your eyes, the corners of your mouth twitching ever so slightly up. “You can kiss me everyday for the rest of our lives, but it’s still not gonna stop me from thinking you're an idiot and calling you on it.”

“Promise?”

You can't help but to shake your head and smile. “Goddammit Bradley, I'm trying to be mad at you, you inconsiderate asshole. Yes, yes I promise, for as long as your dumbass wants to keep me-”

“Forever then.” And there it was, that stupid fucking smile that you loved. The one that made you stop yelling, at least for the moment, because he was alive, and he loved you, and he wasn't going to walk away this time. Sighing as you lean into him, the exhaustion of the week finally starts to catch up with you, but at least you know that he's safe.

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Jake “Hangman” Seresin, f!reader

Summary: When Jake's plans to come home for Christmas fall through, he promises you he will be there for you next year. But will he be able to keep that promise?

Word Count: 2354

TW: Angst, Fluff, Separated for Christmas, Reunited for Christmas, Happy Ending, Pregnant Reader

Note: Thank you to @heart-0n-fire for looking this over for me!

Written for @notroosterbradshaw's #hello december playlist challenge and based on "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Andrea Bocelli

Jake continued staring at the phone hanging on the wall before him. He had been standing in the same spot for five minutes now, just trying to gather the strength to make the call. It had been almost a month since they had been given phone privileges and as much as Jake longed to hear your voice, he didn’t know what he was supposed to say to you.

“She’ll understand.”

The voice shook Jake from his thoughts. Turning around, he noticed Rooster standing behind him, a small smile on his face. Normally, Jake would have snapped a witty comeback at him, but he just didn’t have it in him at the moment. Instead, he sighed and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know she will. And that almost makes it worse.”

Rooster chuckled softly. “Yeah, it kinda does, doesn’t it? But it won’t be forever, Jake. I’ll make sure of it.” He clasped Jake on the shoulder. “I got your back.”

Jake smiled, thinking about how far their relationship had come since the Dagger Mission a few months ago and how the thought of flying with Rooster as his wingman would have irritated him before then. “Thanks, man. And you know I’d have yours…. If you could ever catch up.”

The two men laughed as Rooster shook his head. “Yeah, whatever, Hangman. Go call your girl.” Then he walked away, leaving Jake to stare once more at the phone. 

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed it and quickly dialed before he lost his nerve. You picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby. It’s me.”

“Jake! Oh my god, hi! It feels like forever since I actually got to speak to you. How are you?” Jake could practically see you vibrating with joy on the other end of the line. 

“I’m– I’m good. Hangin’ in there. Missing you like crazy though. How are you?”

“I’m okay. I just miss you so much. But I have everything all planned for you to get here in a few days! I just bought stuff to make those cookies you love, and I thought we could roast a turkey for Christmas dinner, and it looks like we’ll have snow on Christmas Day this year! An actual white Christmas, can you believe it? We haven’t had one of those in–”

Jake groaned as he leaned his head heavily against the wall. You were so happy and excited about all the plans you had made. How was he supposed to destroy that? What was he even supposed to say?

It turned out, he didn’t have to say anything. You knew him too well and you figured it out on your own. “You’re… you’re not coming home, are you?” you asked softly.

“No, baby, I’m not. I just found out about an hour ago. They need the squad to ship out for the next mission immediately.”

“Well… that’s okay. I can just leave the tree up and we can make it a joint Christmas/New Year’s celebration!” Though you were trying to sound upbeat, Jake could hear the disappointment in your voice and that just made what he needed to say next all the more difficult.

“That’s the thing. They don’t know how long we’ll be gone but it’ll probably be a few weeks at least, if not longer. I’m so sorry. I know I told you I’d be home for Christmas but–”

“It’s okay, Jake. It’s not your fault and I know you’d be here if you could. Besides, you spelled out exactly what this life would look like when we started dating and I agreed to it. We’re never guaranteed Christmas, your leave just happened to fall near it this year. So, it is what it is. If you can’t come home, you can’t come home.”

Jake squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “God, I want to be there, you don’t even know how badly. It sounded like you had such an amazing time planned for us, and now… I hate the thought of you being alone for Christmas. It’s not right.” 

“I’ll be fine. I mean, I’m just a little disappointed, but not at all with you. This was going to be our first Christmas together since you proposed and it sort of felt like the first one for the new family we’re building. I was hoping we could maybe start some traditions that we could do every year, but maybe we just need to accept that this– us being apart for the holidays – might have to be our tradition.”

Jake’s head shot up and he gripped the phone tighter. In a firm, clear voice, he said, “No, I refuse to accept that. This will not be a tradition. I swear, baby, next year I’ll be home for Christmas. No matter what I have to do, I will not miss the first Christmas with my wife.”

“You need to make it back here and marry me first. So over everything else, please be careful. That’s all I need from you this Christmas. Don’t make me a widow before you make me a wife, Jake. Okay? Just come home. I don’t care how long it takes. Your presents will still be by the tree when you get back. And so will I.” Despite how strong you were trying to be about this situation, Jake could hear the tears in your voice. 

 Choking back his own tears, Jake murmured, “Thanks for understanding. I’ll make it up to you when I get home. Anything you want, just say the word.”

“I want you. That’s all I ever want,” you said. “But you tell them they better not do this again in May. Weddings aren’t cheap and that shit’s non-refundable.”

Jake chuckled. “I’ll tell Mav you said that. Word for word.”

“Good. And add that if he makes you late, I’m retracting his invitation.”

“I’ll make sure he knows.” Jake was just about to say something else when Hondo walked in and caught Jake’s eye. The Chief Warrant Officer sadly tapped on his wrist and motioned for Jake to hurry up. Taking a deep breath, Jake said into the phone, “Baby, they’re telling me I have to go. But I’ll call or email you as soon as I can. Hopefully I can at least manage that on Christmas day.”

“Okay. Just whenever you can, I’ll be here. I love you, Jake. So, so much.”

“I love you too, baby. And I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright. Just…dream of me,” you whispered.

“I always do,” Jake whispered back just before the line was disconnected. 

Jake’s Uber pulled up in front of his house at 11:53 pm on Christmas Eve. He had cut it a lot closer than he had hoped, but he had made it. Despite all the odds, he had kept the promise he made to you the Christmas before and he was home for Christmas.

He smiled at the inflatable Santa and his reindeer placed in the front yard along with a handful of lights. It was a cute if somewhat quaint display especially compared to the neighbors, but Jake loved that you put in the effort. Especially considering you were alone and were having a harder time moving around lately. Jake took one more look at it before unlocking the front door.

But as it swung open, Jake gasped and his jaw dropped. You had promised you were going to make up for him missing Christmas last year, but based on the display outside, he never expected the sight that greeted him. Strings of lights and garland stretched along both walls of the hallway and paper snowflakes hung down from the ceiling. Ornaments were scattered here and there, and Jake noticed many of them were photo ornaments with pictures of the two of you, including some from your wedding. 

If the hallway took his breath away, it was nothing compared to what he found as he stumbled into the living room. While the normal lights were off, the room was aglow with tiny colorful lights draped across the mantle of the fireplace and encircling the massive Christmas tree with the huge pile of presents in the corner of the room. The live Christmas tree. The kind that would turn brown and die if he didn’t make it home in time. But he had sworn he would make it home, and you had believed him.

However, none of it mattered once his eyes settled on the figure slumped on the couch. You were fast asleep on the far end, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas hanging limply from one hand while your other hand rested on your protruding stomach. Jake hadn’t seen you in person for the last three months and it appeared that there was a bigger difference between four months pregnant and seven months pregnant than he had expected. He knew he had missed out on a lot– doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds, morning sickness –but seeing tangible evidence of it all almost brought him to his knees. He should have been here for all of it, but it was yet another time you had to carry on alone while he was gone. But not anymore.

Walking over to the couch, he carefully slipped the book from your hand and placed it on the nearby end table. It was only then that he noticed the plate of his favorite cookies and a glass of milk that had been left out along with a note. Glancing at it, he read: Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is for my daddy to come home safely. Thank you, The Seresin girls. It looked like Santa had worked his magic after all.

Kneeling down next to the couch, Jake gently placed his hand on your stomach. Leaning over, he pressed his lips to your bump before whispering, “Hey there, jelly bean. I made it. Have you been behavin’ and keepin’ your mama company while I was gone?” Jake felt a small flutter of movement beneath his hand and he grinned. “That’s my girl.”

Giving your stomach one last rub, he stood up and leaned over you as you continued to sleep. Tipping your chin back, he pressed his lips to yours. For a moment, you moaned and started to pull away. But then, you must have recognized him even in your dreams because you leaned into his kiss and returned it. 

When Jake pulled away, your eyes slowly opened and it took you a moment to grasp what you were seeing in front of you. But when you did, your lip began to quiver as you reached out your hand to cup his face. “J-Jake? Are you really here?”

Jake chuckled deep in his throat as he leaned into your hand. “What kind of question is that?”

“I mean, I’m not still dreaming, am I?”

“No, baby. I’m really here.”

Tears streaming down your face, you threw your arms around his neck as you choked out, “Oh God! I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

Jake buried his face into your hair, breathing in deeply. “I promised you last year I wouldn’t miss this.” He ran his hand over your stomach. “Especially now. Our first Christmas with our new family.”

You sobbed into his neck. “I know, but I still… I wasn’t sure. I hoped though.”

The two of you held each other for a long time. Then in a soft, fearful whisper, you asked, “How long can you stay?”

Jake sat back and wiped the tears from your face. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, let me just look at you.”

“Ugh, no. I’m a whale.” You tried to cover your stomach with a nearby blanket, but Jake stopped you. 

Taking your hand and placing it over your stomach, he said, “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”

You bit your lip and glanced away. But then your smile slipped as you asked again, “How long, Jake? I have to know.”

Glancing at his watch, Jake sighed. “Well, it is now 12:08 Christmas morning, so I guess I can give you your gift now.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a letter and handed it to you. Warily, you took it from him and opened it. Squinting in the dim light from the decorations, you read what it said, your lips silently mouthing the words as you went along. Jake grinned as your eyes grew wide and you stared up at him in disbelief. “Is this– is this real?”

“Yep. Maverick got them to transfer me off the Dagger Squad for one year. Instead, I’ll be working in recruitment here at the base in town. So I’ll be here for all of it. The rest of your pregnancy, her birth, all those first milestones. I know it doesn’t make up for the time we lost but I thought—”

He was cut off as you once again threw your arms around his neck, sobbing harder than before. “J-ake, you didn’t have to– but what about the Squad? You love flying with them.”

“I do, and I’ll miss it. But I love you, both of you, more. And Mav said I can come back after a year if I want. He already cleared it with Cyclone.” Jake squeezed you tighter against his chest. “I’ve already missed so much. I don’t want to miss a second of our daughter’s life or being here to help you raise her.”

“Wow…” you hiccupped through your tears. “You really made up for last year.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Jake laughed. Then he took your face and kissed you, deeply and lovingly. It was the kindt of kiss that said all the things you could never put into words. The kind of kiss that only happened between two people who loved each other fully and completely. The kind of kiss he hoped to give you every day from now on.

And when you broke apart, Jake gazed into your puffy, tear-stained eyes and promised, “This is our new tradition. From now on, I’ll be home for Christmas. You can count on me.”

Taglist: @valoraxxx-blog, @m3laniehearts, @autumnleaves1991-blog,  @rule107, @vintageleather, @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak, @slutforadambanks, @americaarse, @reneki, @ynbutbetter , @sugarcoated-lame, @imagineadream, @sadpetalsstuff, @salty-thembo, @rachelizabethgraham, @duckandrobin, @queenbbarnes, @grincheveryday, @uselesslyromantic, @choochoo284, @littlebadariell, @blue-aconite, @thescarletknight2014, @dempy, @nik2blog, @dumb-fawkin-bitch, @shirley2996, @kkrenae

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Saturday Lovely Fandom. We've reached the second to last ep of this series rewatch. Unreal. God I LOVE this ep. So so good. Tim being her handler. Reminds me of Alias. Which was my first love for tv show/ship. If you ever watched Alias you’d know why I love this asset and handler situation so much. Let us start.

5x21 Going Under

Start out strong Lucy is going UC. Has to do with the last episode. Frank Teska has been released from prison. He killed his brother for the attack on his daughter Dara. He is back in business. Looking to get into the Ghost Gun trade. You need specific polymer to make them. Metro raided and took his supplier out. Which is where Lucy comes in. She will pose as someone at Southland Chemicals. Be his new supplier.

We join our ship talking about the OP. Tim mentioning he’s using Hard Luck as his CI. Lucy not trusting this guy as far as she can throw him. Tim’s reply is the best. The fact that his CI knows how important Lucy is to him *squee* Then telling her as such. That this guy knows Lucy is special to him That if he messes up Tim will hunt him down. Gah I love this. Calling in favors for his girl. Work version of romantic ha

Lucy’s sweet expression when he tells her this. Basically saying he loves her in not so many words. Lucy being Lucy calling it 'Undercover love.' hehe Tim isn't even fighting it anymore. Just smiles shakes his head and rolls with her antics. We all know he loves her for it. Damn they cute. Actions always speaking louder than words with these two. Lucy couldn’t be cuter as Tim walks away. Her smile saying more than words ever could about how she feels about this man.

Then we get these GLORIOUS phone calls. Like rom-com goodies up in this episode. Love me some protective Tim. Asking her if he needs to talk to her boss? Lucy waves him off. Says she's got it. Tim looking mighty fine Phew lord Scruffy, his sweater and his eyes popping in this lighting. Mmm. Lucy of course checking in on him next. I love this so very much. He won't tell her he's struggling.

So she's going to check on in him since he won't do as such. Tim knowing exactly what she means. Asking if that means he misses her? We all know he does but he deflects in the cutest way. Saying no. His smile when she calls him a jerk. But he's YOUR jerk Lucy haha. He is so damn smitten with her. Loves teasing and messing with her. Just as much as she does for him. One of their love languages shining through in this moment. My damn heart.

She asks if Tim can check in on Tamara? Tim doesn’t hesitate for one second. Of course he’ll check in on their daughter. Doesn’t want her to lose any focus on the job. We then delve into the cute snippet conversations that have my shipper heart fluttering. Lucy telling Tim not to watch 'Top Chef' without her. I love that they have a show they watch together. Makes me giddy. Such a couples thing to have that. Tim giving her crap saying he can’t make any promises.

Lucy asking Tim if he ever wished he had a normal job? Tim says without people shooting at him? Not once. Lucy replying me either. These tidbits are just fantastic. They both love their line of work so much. This whole talking about everything and nothing at all just shows the deep bond they have. Comes from riding together for years 12 hours at a time. Her being UC is isolating but they get to have these moments despite that. Little pockets of joy before this OP heats up.

Tim asking if she’s making any friends? Lucy going on about a lady in her office. It’s so cute I can’t stand it. Talking about his grandkids and such. I love this is so very much. They did a really good job with these shots and the VO's. I saw a lot of people saying felt like rom-com and it really does in the best way. Just being on the phone whole time. Even though they're physically apart they still find a way to connect and be together. It’s so sweet imma get a cavity.

Day 4 rolls around and Tim ask if the monotony is getting to her? Lucy tells him no as long as it’s not for nothing. I mean she had two weeks of it in 3x14. 4 days is nothing but now she has Tim so she's got more to miss this time around. I adore the voice overs in this scene. Tim reassuring her it’s probably cause Frank is double checking her story. I love this shot of Tim in the side mirror. Fierce protector reporting for duty.

Frank has finally surfaced and approached Lucy. Her cover story of being a wanted felon has worked out. Frank thinks she’s an easy target because of it. Lucy playing the fresh start card with him. Not wanting to get into business with him. She does this so well. He tells her not an option. That he needs certain plastics and she needs to not go to jail. Telling her it’s low risk.

Gah I love Tim watching over the situation from across the way. Looking fine af BTW. My god I'll never be over how tall he is and I love it. Tall drink of yum. Look at him in his civvies, the hat, the glasses, the intense way he's watching her. Listening in to their convo. Trying to keep his protectiveness in check. Doing his best not to step in. Especially when Frank threatens her. Which causes Lucy to say yes. Frank says they’ll have dinner tonight then. He’ll come get her from her place. They can hammer out the details of this new partnership.

Lucy meets up with Wesley, Harper, Grey and her man. They’re going over this date for her. Tim looks like he’s going to crawl out of his skin. He hates the idea of this guy possibly thinking it’s a date. He hates this entire conversation really. Keeping his hands in his pockets. Looks at the ground trying to settle his protective nature.

I love Grey checking in with Tim. Minute he hears the word 'romantically and date.' He immediately looks at Tim. Knowing he hates this on so many levels. Tim isn’t being at all discreet with how he feels about this situation. He's basically squirming in front of all of them. Tim continuing to try to put on a brave face. Not well but sure trying. His whole body language screaming his immense discomfort.

Tim is being the least subtle he’s ever been in this moment. Hating the idea she needs a good wire in case he’s handsy. You can see him take a deep breath and clench his jaw at the thought of this. This conversation is killing him softly. Some angsty goodness though. The check in's these two have above getting me in the feels before she sets to leave. That silent communication of their's prominent af. I LOVE him walking Lucy to the door. The intense looks they share on the way.

They both look amazing btw. He keeps constant eye contact with her till he can’t any longer. The intense longing in his stare as he watches her go. *heart clutch* His entire world just walked out the door and it shows. Eric crushing it with the longing look. This is the type of angst I eat up. It’s so so good. Worried Tim is lovely to behold. And that man is insanely worried. He is an open book as she walks away from him. Trying to keep himself from losing his damn mind over this man possibly touching her.

Grey immediately checking in with him. Man wasn't exactly subtle during that whole conversation. Asking Tim if he’s ok? Tim lying saying he’s 5x5. Such a detached military reply. When he is anything but detached in this moment. Wade knowing he’s lying. Their friendship is underrated. Grey saying he has to treat this like any other OP. Any other UC. Sure he'll get right on that. Thanks to Lucy his emotions aren't so easy to turn off anymore. Also not like it’s the love of his life he’s watching over or anything…

Lucy goes to dinner with Frank all wired up. Tim watching intently outside. Fierce protector at the ready. The intense look on his face as he watches over her is doing things to me. *fans self* Like a lion pacing back and forth in it's cage waiting to be let out. Ready to attack at the slightest provocation against her. It's insanely hot tbh. He would gladly throttle this man if given the chance to. All he needs is to be given a reason.

Lucy almost gets Frank to admit to his brothers death when bullets start flying. We watch Tim in an absolute panic call this in. Desperately searching for her in the wreckage from his car. Trying to find her as he rattles off their address. I love her jumping up and looking his way so he knew she was ok. His giant sigh of relief when her head pops up. Feel like we all did that with him. Went from all out panic to instant relief. I said in the hospital scene she is his whole world. That just got shot at and he was paralyzed until she popped up.

He couldn’t breathe until he knew she was alright. His whole body slumping against his seat in relief. Eric crushing it out here with his expressions getting me all emotional. I love how his eyes dart back to her once more before he takes off after the shooters. Double checking she really is there. He couldn’t even be in pursuit of them until he knew she was ok. You can see he wants to stay but can’t. Having an internal battle but knows he has to go after them.

His cop brain in a delay due to this. This delay in reaction definitely affects him in his pursuit of the shooters. Don't think he was fully there mentally. Tim's head was most definitely not in the game when he went after them. Taking us back to 5x01 when Tim told Lucy if her head isn't the game 100 percent it'll get her killed. He is the living embodiment of that line in this moment. This dude almost killed him. Even when the gun is in his face his reaction time is slower.

That is not the Tim Bradford we know and love in the field. He was clouded his emotions running rampant. He had not compartmentalized at all. When Jan shows up it really hits him what almost happened to him. Saying he got lucky it was empty. Otherwise…ugh I don’t even wanna think about it. He’s panting his adrenaline waning and it showing. Looking over where the guy was knowing this could've been far worse. Knowing what it would've done to Lucy.

I love the minute she’s done dealing with Frank Lucy calls Tim. Anxiously awaiting him to answer her call. Both so worried about one another. Gah this episode is fantastic. Never seen Tim this panicky or shaken up. This is a UC OP he’s involved in I can’t imagine how he’d be if he wasn’t.

He just loves her so much. Having a legit meltdown till he knows she’s ok. It’s all over his face as he talks to her on the phone. Eric killing me softly in this one. Lucy isn’t pulling any punches with her worry either. Both making me emotional as hell. Tim replying ‘Yeah I am now.’ *internal screaming* Wasn’t ok till he knew she was.

The love they have for each other is all over this moment. I’m not crying you are…You can see all the tension leave his body when he hears her voice. The neediness in both their voices when he says they should meet up. Gah yes you do. They needed to hear each others voice to calm down after that adrenaline fest.

Then we come to THE laundry scene. One that broke my damn brain. Pretty much broke the entire fandom's brain. I love how she rushes to him and clings on. Wanting zero space between them. Tim leaning into her arms. Rubbing his hand up and down her back. I’m sure both their hearts were racing. They are each other’s safe space and this hug shows that.

So scared and only finding comfort in each others arms. So much emotion surging through them in this hug. I love me a good hug and this one is fantastic one. Trying to ground one another with it. Speaking their concerns about what they just went through. The swaying gets me too. I love everything about this hug.

Lucy basically launches herself at him. He catches her effortlessly and holds her so tightly to him. The remaining tension melting out of of their bodies. Because they were running on adrenaline and anxiety until this hug. Tim holding her so close making sure she’s real. There with him. I’ll never be over this moment and how lovely it is.

This next portion just proves why Lucy is his person. Tim is losing his mind with worry over this guy. Over him trying something. His anxiety coming off him in waves. Lucy wants to soothe him because it's her natural instinct. Tim looks like he wants to cry or punch a wall or both when he ask if he’s tried something? Lucy reassuring him he hasn’t but even if he did she’s got this. The fierce protector coming out strong right now. He can barely contain it. Tim deflecting a little saying ‘I know.’

Lucy knows this man so damn well. Telling him knowing and feeling ok are two different things. She's so right. I love the way she grabs his jacket trying to comfort him. Tim is being so soft and vulnerable in this moment. She wants him to know it’s ok. She’s ok and it’s very ok if he isn’t. Eric killing this episode left and right with his expressions. His heart is hurting it’s all over his face and Lucy is reaching out with a reassuring touch. I love her for validating his feelings. Not judging him for them.

But also knowing he’s being very vulnerable right now and she’s being wonderfully receptive to that. Tim gets a little defensive saying. Not his first time. Lucy is SO good with him. Doesn’t shame him for being bristly about this. Knowing it’s his PTSD in full swing. So soft in her reply and expression. Letting him know probably what’s making this so much worse for him. This is why she’s his person. Never shames him for his feelings only loves him through. Gah they’re making me so emotional. I love this couple so much.

Before Tim gets anymore emotional he tells her he has to go. Now isn’t the time to talk about this. That he knows if she doesn’t feel safe she will bail. If she’s good he’s good. Lucy confirms she’s good. Tim says he has to get back to the station then. Grey is waiting for a status update. Lucy stops him before he can go. Not ready to be apart from him just yet.

Grabbing his arm keeping him from leaving. I love the way she is looking at him landing on his lips. Then she says the 4 words that made us all collectively lose our minds. ‘Lock the door first.’ Is this real life? Did we really get this moment? Adrenaline fueled we made it out alive laundry room sex? Oh my damn lord.

The way he looks at her when she says this. *fans self* Tim is definitely not treating her like any other UC…I remember gasping at her saying this. Needing to be with him in this moment. Tim’s smile realizing what she’s saying. My god. Laundry room sex is now canon for them. We got shower sex last ep and now laundry room post-op sex. My god the writers were good to us. I like being pandered too LOL Also you know there is a damn good chance highly likely really this was unprotected too.

Lucy couldn’t let him walk away yet until she had him. Hot damn. Tim not one to deny her anything is easily roped into her naughty plans. I’m still not over the risks they took to have this heated moment together. They had a frenzied hookup while she was on assignment. I’m dead. They’ve actually killed me in the best way. S5 truly is a fic come to life. I love every minute of it. Clearly missing and craving sexy time with her man. Also probably still hopped up on adrenaline as well. Undercover hookup phew lord we are blessed haha

Lucy calls Tim after she gets away with Frank from the warehouse. Saying the OP is done. Frank has nothing left to build. Tim is flirty af in his reply. With a shit eating grin to go with it. Saying that’s too bad... Lucy is confused and says why? Tim referring to their hookup in the laundry room. Bummed he wasn't going to get another. Timothy Bradford I never haha This man is so different when he is truly loved and happy my goodness. I couldn't love it more.

Hard to believe this entire episode is canon. Tim is definitely loving his sex life with Lucy and proud to let her know about it. Hell so are we haha Horny Tim is hilarious and I love him so. They could find another laundry room for a repeat performance if he would like LOL Fanfic come to life this season swear to god. We live in a world where this scene happened and I’m dying.

They return home because at this point it’s their home. Gah love how Tim looks at Lucy as he approaches her. Man is so insanely in love with her. Lucy saying she needs a big meal, hot bath and quality sexy time. Heh. Then to sleep for 24 hours straight. I love how Tim encases her hands in his caressing them as they speak. Running his hands up and down hers. Needing this connection.

I love Tim being the physically affectionate one of the two. I always knew once they got together he would be the one who couldn’t keep his hands off her. Touching really is one of their many love languages and I adore it. Never saw them nearly as touchy with their ex’s. Just another reason proving why they’re so right for each other. Gonna be the death of me and I welcome it. Lucy can tell something is up. Asking him what’s going on?

Oh my poor damaged boy. Having a trauma response right now with her saying she needs time to decompress. I love him not deflecting and telling her how he’s feeling instead. That’s not easy for him. I also totally get his response. I still have trauma responses to things as well. Lucy knowing it is telling him it was only a week. That one nights keep will do her just fine. Trying to say without saying she’s not Isabel. Tim accepts her answer.

Lucy says she has to come clean about some thing though. That she knows she made him promise not to. But she watched 'Top chef' without him. For shame Lucy Chen . For shame LMAO I guess that monotony did get to her since she finished it without him.... Tim is so offended I’m dying. Calling her a 'Bad girlfriend' *screams into a pillow* They’re so friggin cute I am dying. Lucy's 'No, I'm sorry!' It is horrible Tim is right haha Making him promise not to then watching it without him. Every right to be playfully mad at her.

Lucy wastes no damn time and confronts Tim about the shooter in the alley. I love her so much for always calling him on his shit. Saying how he didn’t tell her he almost died in that alley. Tim brushing it off saying because he didn’t. Oh Timothy. Acting like her losing you wouldn’t completely wreck her. Absolutely devastate and ruin her like it would for you. I think that’s exactly why he did it though. Acting like it’s not a big deal when he knew it was.

Protecting her from that fact. Lucy coming at him saying doesn’t matter who told her. That they’ll set aside the fact he left it out of the report. 2x01 Tim would be appalled ha. Doing it for the same reasons Lucy did then. Insane how this same kind of fight still involves Isabel indirectly. Lucy can’t believe him right now. Acting like it’s nothing. Like she didn’t almost lose him.

We see a little more trauma Tim come out here. Just assuming she's keeping things from him when she's under. I so relate to him reacting this way I do. I misread something my best friend had texted me the other day. I made an assumption like Tim is here. My friend was wonderful texted me back ‘ Your trauma is showing.’ And it knocked me out of it. It’s involuntary when it runs so damn deep. And we know it does for him.

I’m so glad Lucy is there to knock him back out of it. Saying No you know Isabel did for a fact. Calling him right out for it. These kinds of fights are so good for them. Forces them to face the stuff they’re hiding. Things they didn’t really touch on last episode. This was a much better and more open conversation. Tim didn’t hide behind being ‘fine.’ And Lucy isn’t letting him get away with it. Tim can’t fight that logic and it’s all over his face in the second gif. The way his body slumps in reply.

Lucy making a strong ass point next. Saying if this is going to work between them he has to see the difference. She not wrong. He really does. Tim shooting back of course he can. (Babe you got some work to do...) What I love the most is Lucy said her piece. Put him his place about this. Which was needed and now Tim is saying his. The dialogue in this scene so much more productive than 5x20 was. Airing things out and how they actually feel. Tim voicing his need to know she will listen to him if he sounds the alarm.

That otherwise all the pain he went through was for nothing. Then he says the line that shows me Lucy is the love of his damn life. ‘I can’t lose you the way I lost her.’ Tears in this man’s beautiful eyes. Imma cry myself. Finally voicing the fear he kept inside last episode. He cannot lose this woman My heart. She is everything to him. Pulled him out of the depths of his pain and hurt. Brought him back to life. He loves her so much and is saying as such in this moment.

Lucy can see this and reassures him he won’t lose her that way. She would walk away for him if it ever got that close. Ugh my heart. He sounded the alarm earlier and she shut it down. So they both have stuff to work on. I mean it's why he brought it up. He felt like he was sounding the alarm in the laundry room. Lucy brushed it off saying she didn't want to tap out. But them having this conversation hopefully they can be more aware of these things for a future OP and in general really. The need to openly communicate is a must.

Tim says 'Okay.' Choosing to trust what she is saying. Then we get another glorious hug. The way he clings to her. His hand around her neck pulling her to him is so visceral. He loves her so damn much and it’s shown beautifully in this embrace. How much she means to him. Pulling her in close. Lucy doing the same thing clinging to him like a life raft. Her arms pulling him close to her as well. We see both her hands on his shoulders. *sigh*I'm so proud of them for both speaking their minds in this scene.

Lucy calling Tim out was so needed. He has to see she isn’t Isabel. If not it’ll destroy him. No one gets through to Tim like Lucy. This scene was so raw and honest. Very much needed after all that was left unsaid in 5x20. Never be over them being vulnerable with one another especially Tim. Not only telling her he needs her to listen but sharing he CANNOT lose her. Basically laying any cards she didn’t already have from him on the table. So proud of him. He’s come so far and this scene shows it. I truly love the writers for how real they write them. Phew Lord this was a good ep.

~~~~

Side notes-non Chenford

Angela calling Aaron from closet about a case hilarious. The entire ep trying to do stuff for her I was laughing so hard.

Also nice to see Celina go out with a nice guy. She deserves it.

Well the next one is the last one holy moly. Thank you forever and always to those who like, comment and reblog these reviews. You all have made me so appreciated by doing so. I will see you all in the 5x22 :)

[rose-pearls]

Sparks Fly - Part 2

It took some time but here is the second part to the story Sparks Fly! (Requests are open!)

Story Taglist: @saturnsbabe69,

Top Gun Taglist: @bisexual-watermelons (open)

Main Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187, @nyx2021, @thestarspangledcaptain, @kmc1989 (open for every fandom)

The shower was running as you let out a sigh, closing your eyes and gripping the counter tightly.

Slider had been there for the past hour, and you didn’t know what to do, Goose had died, and you didn’t know how to feel at the thought of that. The man had always been an absolute sweetheart, making you feel comfortable from the moment you met him, his honking laughter always making you laugh even louder. 

Carole. 

You don’t know how the woman is doing, but it must be hard with Bradley also holding onto her. The phone rings for a moment and you wonder for a moment if you are doing the right thing by calling her, she probably has other things to do. 

“Bradshaw’s residence?”, her voice is trembling, you wouldn’t hear it if you didn’t know about what happened, but you can hear it.

“It’s me.”, you whisper in the phone, and you hear Carole take a deep breath on the other side of the phone.

"I'm so sorry Carole, if there is anything I can do please tell me.”, you whisper in the phone and for a long moment you don’t hear anything until a sob break through the receiver.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I just came back from the morgue to confirm it was him.”, she says, sobs leaving her mouth and you feel sick at the thought, tears escaping and rolling down your cheeks.

“I’m so sorry that you had to do that. Do you want me to come over? I can take Bradley so that you have a moment to yourself.”, you tell her, trying to keep your breathing even and you hear her taking a shuddering breath on the other side of the line.

“I don’t want to impose anything on you.”, she tries to say but you shake your head in disagreement.

“Nonsense Carole, it isn’t a problem at all. Let me help you with whatever you need, at least to take some things of your shoulders.”, there is a moment of silence before she answers.

“If it’s not an issue, can he spend the night with you? My parents won’t be down here until the weekend, and I need to do a lot of things with Nick-”, she can’t say the words and you don’t blame her. 

“Of course not, I’ll come and pick him up in in an hour, alright?”, you ask her, wondering if she will be able to hold until then to stay strong for Bradley.

“That’s perfect, that way I can pack him a bag for the night.”, she says softly, and you realize that you had been gripping hard on the phone.

“You can give him clothes for a few more days to be sure if you want.”, you tell her, and she whispers a soft agreement.

“I’ll see you in an hour, if you need anything until then don’t hesitate.”, you tell her.

“I will. Thank you, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”, she whispers, and you shake your head at her words.

“You don’t need to thank me Carole, I’m here when you need me.”, she whispers a soft thank you before the line turns dead and you try to breathe again.

“Everything alright?”, you hear behind you, and you jump slightly at the voice turning around to find Slider there looking awkward, right you had forgotten he was there.

“Everything is fine.”, you say after clearing your throat and putting the phone back.

“I’m going to pick up Bradley and keep him for the night, maybe for a day or two. That way Carole can do what she needs to do.”, you tell him, not sure why you feel like you need to explain yourself.

“That’s kind of you.”, he says, a soft smile adorning his lips.

“It’s normal, she is my friend, and she needs help.”, you tell him simply before moving towards your room to take new sheets out and some plushies you still had for Bradley.

“What about your parents?”, he asks you a moment after and you quickly look at him over your shoulder before making the bed.

“My mother just told me that my father needed to stay on base tonight, and she needs to go and see my aunt so she will be back later tonight. They will understand why he is here.”, you say simply, thinking of how you were going to explain to your parents how you knew the little Bradshaw.

“You can always stay at my base apartment. Ice is staying with Maverick to make sure he is alright.”, there is a long silence following his words and you feel your grip tightening around the sheets.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Slider.”, you say, and you can feel the tension in the room.

“Can we talk, please?”, he whispers, and you let out a sigh, looking at the blue sheets in front of you before you feel a hand on your arm.

“Please.”, he whispers, and you turn around to look at the pleading WSO.

“What do you want to talk about Ron? We said everything there was to say the last time we saw each other.”, you whisper, and he shakes his head in disagreement.

“I didn’t and I need you to listen to me, please.”, he tells you and you try not to let yourself grow to mush at the touch of his hands on your arms.

“Fine but after I get Bradley, he is the priority.”, you tell him, and he nods quickly.

“Take him to my apartment, if you want, I’ll sleep somewhere else, but you’ll be more comfortable.”, he whispers and you look around the room, wondering how you could fit the five-year-old here, but you knew he wouldn’t have a lot of space.

“Alright, but you’re sleeping on the couch, I don’t care how small it is.”, you tell him, trying to look threatening but judging by the barely hidden smile from Ron, you know it isn’t convincing.

“Of course, sweetheart.”, he tells you with a smirk while you put some of your stuff in an overnight bag with some plushies for Bradley. 

“Don’t call me sweetheart Kerner.”, you tell him before leaving the door and going towards your car, Ron following you.

“You are so sexy when you get fiery like that.”, he says with a smirk, and you feel a deep blush on your cheeks at the words.

“Shut up Kerner or I’m leaving you here.”, the man doesn’t say anything more, but he still keeps that shit eating grin on his lips.

--

Bradley is quiet, far too quiet for a five-year-old. 

He is looking around the room, a tight grip on his little goose.

“Do you want to eat something Bradley?”, you ask him softly while sitting down next to him and he looks at you with big brown eyes.

“Why am I here?”, he asks, and you feel lost at how to explain everything to a kid that just lost his dad.

“Is it because of my dad?”, he asks so quietly you barely hear it, but you do and get closer to him.

“It is, your mom needs to do some grown up things and she didn’t want to bore you.”, you tell him softly and he looks sadly at his goose plushie. 

“I miss my dad.”, he says quietly, and you feel tears in your eyes that you manage to blink away.

“That’s completely normal, but he will always be here with you.”, you tell him, and he looks back at you.

“Really?”, you nod slowly before brushing a hand on his chest right where his heart is.

“Right here and in the sky, looking over you.”, he seems unsure, but you keep smiling reassuringly.

“I think I need a hug.”, he whispers, and you nod in agreement.

“I think I need one too.”, you tell him, and a small smile appears on his lips before you open your arms and the boy immediately launches himself at you, holding you tightly.

You wrap your arms around him and hold him close, brushing your fingers through his hair and if after a moment you feel tears through your shirt you don’t say anything and just hold him as tight as you can while rubbing his back.

Ron looks worried when he comes to check in, but you smile sadly at him and before you can say anything he kisses your forehead softly and does the same thing to Bradley. The little boy has fallen asleep in your arms and as you try to put him into the bed, he holds on to you.

“Don’t leave me.”, he whispers, his eyes barely open but you can hear the fear in his voice.

“I’m not leaving you, I’m right here.”, you whisper before going into the bed with him, Bradley immediately grips your shirt, and you hold him in your arms. 

Once the boy has fallen asleep you feel tears sliding down your cheeks, there is Ron’s familiar cologne on the sheets, and you feel like you are suffocating from everything you are feeling.  When you finally manage to fall asleep you don’t realize Slider comes in to make sure you are alright, a sad smile on his lips as he sees the tear tracks on your cheeks.

--

“You want to go to the park Brad?”, Ron asks, and you look at him with raised eyebrows, but he ignores you, focusing his attention on the little boy in front of him.

“Can we play football?”, Bradley seems excited at the idea and Ron quickly nods in agreement.

“We sure can buddy but only if the lady here can hold herself in football.”, he says with a teasing smile and Bradley tries to hide his laughter as you look at them unimpressed.

“Please I will beat your ass Kerner.”, Bradley cheers in agreement before sprinting out of his chair towards his shoes and ten minutes later you find yourself at the park throwing a football in the air.

Bradley is yelling form the start and you can’t help but start yelling too when Ron tries to steal the ball from you.

“That is cheating Kerner!”, the rest is a blur of laughter and screams as Bradley manages to score a touchdown and you take him in your arms, smothering him with kisses ignoring his shrieks filled with laughter. 

“Got room for some more?”, you hear someone say and you turn around to find the flyboys, with Ice and Maverick in tow.

“What do you say Brad?”, you ask the boy, and he looks at all of them for a moment before looking back at you.

“Sure!”, he says with a shrug of his shoulders, and you smile at his excitement.

“Well, I’ll let you boys start the game, I need something to drink after all of this running.”, you say and Bradley looks unsure for a moment but you smile at him reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right back, you won’t even notice I’m gone while you kick Ice’s ass.”, this makes the blond pilot look up and a cocky smile appears on his lips before he tackles Bradley into his arms making the little boy scream in delight. Maverick is looking at them with a small smile, and you wonder if it’s the first time he has smiled since the accident. 

Ron looks at you with worried eyes, but you ignore it as you go towards the small shop at the end of the park picking up a large bottle of water before leaving the small shop. You hear them laughing and screaming from there, a smile appearing on your lips at the sight of them. 

You are close to them when you suddenly hit a hard chest, nearly letting the water bottle fall.

“I am so sorry.”, you hear the man say and when you look up you feel surprised to see a familiar man.

“Luke? Hi!”, the man in question looks as surprised as you and a smile appears.

“It’s good to see you, it’s been a long time.”, he says, and you can’t help but laugh at that.

“Since high school I think, how have you been?”, the man starts talking about what happened recently and as you get ready to ask something you feel a strong arm around your waist.

“There you are.”, Ron says before kissing your cheek, an overly sweet smile on his lips as he turns towards Luke.

“Who is this?”, he seems tense, as he looks at Luke and you feel confused for a moment by his soft touch but hard eyes.

“This is Luke, we went to high school together. Luke, this is Ron.”, you say, feeling slightly awkward at the situation but Luke simply smiles.

“It’s nice to meet you, you must be her boyfriend.”, he says with a cheeky grin towards you, and you can’t help but blush before trying to say that he isn’t, but Ron speaks before you are able to.

“I am, so sorry that we haven’t met before we were a little busy with a game.”, he says, and you try not to slam the water bottle on his face and keep smiling.

“I’m guessing that is your group over there?”, Luke says while laughing and you see Bradley managing to score a touchdown making the flyboys cheer.

“It is, we are having some competitive football.”, you tell him and Luke nods in response.

“Well, it was good to see you, but I should go.”, you wish him a good day and when Luke gets far enough you wipe off your smile and slap Ron with the water bottle.

“Aw! What was that for?”, the pilot says while rubbing his chest and pouting but you look at him unimpressed.

“What was that for? Maybe for coming over and acting like you were my boyfriend!”, you whisper harshly, and Ron doesn’t look guilty for a moment.

“He was hitting on you.”, he says, and you scoff in response.

“He was not! And even if he was, what does it matter? We aren’t even together.”, you yell, and Ron looks like he has just bitten into a lemon, a sour look on his face.

“Right, well you have definitely made that clear.”, he says, and you feel frustrated at his antics.

“What do you want me to say Ron? We weren’t together and then we had a falling out, next thing I know you are at my door and now here we are.”, you say while feeling more and more frustrated.

“I know I messed up alright, I do. And I regret it every single day I wake up without you and when I don’t see you or hear from you. But I am not giving up on us, you hear me? I am going to fight for us and show you just how much I care for you and love you.”, his words ring through the wind, and you feel breathless at his words.

“Ron.”, you whisper but the man shakes his head before coming closer to you.

“I know that you could find better, hell that Luke guy is probably so much better than me, but I love you, I want to see you all the time, hear you laugh at my stupid jokes, hold you in my arms and kiss you until I can’t breath anymore. I don’t want anyone else; I just want you.”, you don’t know why you do it, but you take his jacket and bring him forward into a searing kiss. 

The feeling of his lips on yours make you feel breathless, butterflies erupting in your stomach and the feeling of being finally home makes you sigh against his lips.

Ron immediately brings an arm around your waist and a hand on your cheek, holding you close while kissing you until the both of you are breathless. You can hear cheering and whistles in the distance, but you ignore them, looking into Ron’s eyes.

“There isn’t anyone else for me either, just you Ron Kerner. And even if you are an idiot, you are mine and I love you too.”, you whisper, and a dazzling smile appears on his lips.

“Thank god.”, he whispers before bringing you back into a passionate kiss. 

It took some time to get here but you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Jake “Hangman” Seresin, f!reader

Summary: When Jake's plans to come home for Christmas fall through, he promises you he will be there for you next year. But will he be able to keep that promise?

Word Count: 2354 TW: Angst, Fluff, Separated for Christmas, Reunited for Christmas, Happy Ending, Pregnant Reader

Note: Thank you to @heart-0n-fire for looking this over for me!

Written for @notroosterbradshaw's #hello december playlist challenge and based on "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Andrea Bocelli

Jake continued staring at the phone hanging on the wall before him. He had been standing in the same spot for five minutes now, just trying to gather the strength to make the call. It had been almost a month since they had been given phone privileges and as much as Jake longed to hear your voice, he didn’t know what he was supposed to say to you.

“She’ll understand.”

The voice shook Jake from his thoughts. Turning around, he noticed Rooster standing behind him, a small smile on his face. Normally, Jake would have snapped a witty comeback at him, but he just didn’t have it in him at the moment. Instead, he sighed and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know she will. And that almost makes it worse.”

Rooster chuckled softly. “Yeah, it kinda does, doesn’t it? But it won’t be forever, Jake. I’ll make sure of it.” He clasped Jake on the shoulder. “I got your back.”

Jake smiled, thinking about how far their relationship had come since the Dagger Mission a few months ago and how the thought of flying with Rooster as his wingman would have irritated him before then. “Thanks, man. And you know I’d have yours…. If you could ever catch up.”

The two men laughed as Rooster shook his head. “Yeah, whatever, Hangman. Go call your girl.” Then he walked away, leaving Jake to stare once more at the phone. 

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed it and quickly dialed before he lost his nerve. You picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby. It’s me.”

“Jake! Oh my god, hi! It feels like forever since I actually got to speak to you. How are you?” Jake could practically see you vibrating with joy on the other end of the line. 

“I’m– I’m good. Hangin’ in there. Missing you like crazy though. How are you?”

“I’m okay. I just miss you so much. But I have everything all planned for you to get here in a few days! I just bought stuff to make those cookies you love, and I thought we could roast a turkey for Christmas dinner, and it looks like we’ll have snow on Christmas Day this year! An actual white Christmas, can you believe it? We haven’t had one of those in–”

Jake groaned as he leaned his head heavily against the wall. You were so happy and excited about all the plans you had made. How was he supposed to destroy that? What was he even supposed to say?

It turned out, he didn’t have to say anything. You knew him too well and you figured it out on your own. “You’re… you’re not coming home, are you?” you asked softly.

“No, baby, I’m not. I just found out about an hour ago. They need the squad to ship out for the next mission immediately.”

“Well… that’s okay. I can just leave the tree up and we can make it a joint Christmas/New Year’s celebration!” Though you were trying to sound upbeat, Jake could hear the disappointment in your voice and that just made what he needed to say next all the more difficult.

“That’s the thing. They don’t know how long we’ll be gone but it’ll probably be a few weeks at least, if not longer. I’m so sorry. I know I told you I’d be home for Christmas but–”

“It’s okay, Jake. It’s not your fault and I know you’d be here if you could. Besides, you spelled out exactly what this life would look like when we started dating and I agreed to it. We’re never guaranteed Christmas, your leave just happened to fall near it this year. So, it is what it is. If you can’t come home, you can’t come home.”

Jake squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “God, I want to be there, you don’t even know how badly. It sounded like you had such an amazing time planned for us, and now… I hate the thought of you being alone for Christmas. It’s not right.” 

“I’ll be fine. I mean, I’m just a little disappointed, but not at all with you. This was going to be our first Christmas together since you proposed and it sort of felt like the first one for the new family we’re building. I was hoping we could maybe start some traditions that we could do every year, but maybe we just need to accept that this– us being apart for the holidays – might have to be our tradition.”

Jake’s head shot up and he gripped the phone tighter. In a firm, clear voice, he said, “No, I refuse to accept that. This will not be a tradition. I swear, baby, next year I’ll be home for Christmas. No matter what I have to do, I will not miss the first Christmas with my wife.”

“You need to make it back here and marry me first. So over everything else, please be careful. That’s all I need from you this Christmas. Don’t make me a widow before you make me a wife, Jake. Okay? Just come home. I don’t care how long it takes. Your presents will still be by the tree when you get back. And so will I.” Despite how strong you were trying to be about this situation, Jake could hear the tears in your voice. 

 Choking back his own tears, Jake murmured, “Thanks for understanding. I’ll make it up to you when I get home. Anything you want, just say the word.”

“I want you. That’s all I ever want,” you said. “But you tell them they better not do this again in May. Weddings aren’t cheap and that shit’s non-refundable.”

Jake chuckled. “I’ll tell Mav you said that. Word for word.”

“Good. And add that if he makes you late, I’m retracting his invitation.”

“I’ll make sure he knows.” Jake was just about to say something else when Hondo walked in and caught Jake’s eye. The Chief Warrant Officer sadly tapped on his wrist and motioned for Jake to hurry up. Taking a deep breath, Jake said into the phone, “Baby, they’re telling me I have to go. But I’ll call or email you as soon as I can. Hopefully I can at least manage that on Christmas day.”

“Okay. Just whenever you can, I’ll be here. I love you, Jake. So, so much.”

“I love you too, baby. And I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright. Just…dream of me,” you whispered.

“I always do,” Jake whispered back just before the line was disconnected. 

Jake’s Uber pulled up in front of his house at 11:53 pm on Christmas Eve. He had cut it a lot closer than he had hoped, but he had made it. Despite all the odds, he had kept the promise he made to you the Christmas before and he was home for Christmas.

He smiled at the inflatable Santa and his reindeer placed in the front yard along with a handful of lights. It was a cute if somewhat quaint display especially compared to the neighbors, but Jake loved that you put in the effort. Especially considering you were alone and were having a harder time moving around lately. Jake took one more look at it before unlocking the front door.

But as it swung open, Jake gasped and his jaw dropped. You had promised you were going to make up for him missing Christmas last year, but based on the display outside, he never expected the sight that greeted him. Strings of lights and garland stretched along both walls of the hallway and paper snowflakes hung down from the ceiling. Ornaments were scattered here and there, and Jake noticed many of them were photo ornaments with pictures of the two of you, including some from your wedding. 

If the hallway took his breath away, it was nothing compared to what he found as he stumbled into the living room. While the normal lights were off, the room was aglow with tiny colorful lights draped across the mantle of the fireplace and encircling the massive Christmas tree with the huge pile of presents in the corner of the room. The live Christmas tree. The kind that would turn brown and die if he didn’t make it home in time. But he had sworn he would make it home, and you had believed him.

However, none of it mattered once his eyes settled on the figure slumped on the couch. You were fast asleep on the far end, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas hanging limply from one hand while your other hand rested on your protruding stomach. Jake hadn’t seen you in person for the last three months and it appeared that there was a bigger difference between four months pregnant and seven months pregnant than he had expected. He knew he had missed out on a lot– doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds, morning sickness –but seeing tangible evidence of it all almost brought him to his knees. He should have been here for all of it, but it was yet another time you had to carry on alone while he was gone. But not anymore.

Walking over to the couch, he carefully slipped the book from your hand and placed it on the nearby end table. It was only then that he noticed the plate of his favorite cookies and a glass of milk that had been left out along with a note. Glancing at it, he read: Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is for my daddy to come home safely. Thank you, The Seresin girls. It looked like Santa had worked his magic after all.

Kneeling down next to the couch, Jake gently placed his hand on your stomach. Leaning over, he pressed his lips to your bump before whispering, “Hey there, jelly bean. I made it. Have you been behavin’ and keepin’ your mama company while I was gone?” Jake felt a small flutter of movement beneath his hand and he grinned. “That’s my girl.”

Giving your stomach one last rub, he stood up and leaned over you as you continued to sleep. Tipping your chin back, he pressed his lips to yours. For a moment, you moaned and started to pull away. But then, you must have recognized him even in your dreams because you leaned into his kiss and returned it. 

When Jake pulled away, your eyes slowly opened and it took you a moment to grasp what you were seeing in front of you. But when you did, your lip began to quiver as you reached out your hand to cup his face. “J-Jake? Are you really here?”

Jake chuckled deep in his throat as he leaned into your hand. “What kind of question is that?”

“I mean, I’m not still dreaming, am I?”

“No, baby. I’m really here.”

Tears streaming down your face, you threw your arms around his neck as you choked out, “Oh God! I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

Jake buried his face into your hair, breathing in deeply. “I promised you last year I wouldn’t miss this.” He ran his hand over your stomach. “Especially now. Our first Christmas with our new family.”

You sobbed into his neck. “I know, but I still… I wasn’t sure. I hoped though.”

The two of you held each other for a long time. Then in a soft, fearful whisper, you asked, “How long can you stay?”

Jake sat back and wiped the tears from your face. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, let me just look at you.”

“Ugh, no. I’m a whale.” You tried to cover your stomach with a nearby blanket, but Jake stopped you. 

Taking your hand and placing it over your stomach, he said, “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”

You bit your lip and glanced away. But then your smile slipped as you asked again, “How long, Jake? I have to know.”

Glancing at his watch, Jake sighed. “Well, it is now 12:08 Christmas morning, so I guess I can give you your gift now.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a letter and handed it to you. Warily, you took it from him and opened it. Squinting in the dim light from the decorations, you read what it said, your lips silently mouthing the words as you went along. Jake grinned as your eyes grew wide and you stared up at him in disbelief. “Is this– is this real?”

“Yep. Maverick got them to transfer me off the Dagger Squad for one year. Instead, I’ll be working in recruitment here at the base in town. So I’ll be here for all of it. The rest of your pregnancy, her birth, all those first milestones. I know it doesn’t make up for the time we lost but I thought—”

He was cut off as you once again threw your arms around his neck, sobbing harder than before. “J-ake, you didn’t have to– but what about the Squad? You love flying with them.”

“I do, and I’ll miss it. But I love you, both of you, more. And Mav said I can come back after a year if I want. He already cleared it with Cyclone.” Jake squeezed you tighter against his chest. “I’ve already missed so much. I don’t want to miss a second of our daughter’s life or being here to help you raise her.”

“Wow…” you hiccupped through your tears. “You really made up for last year.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Jake laughed. Then he took your face and kissed you, deeply and lovingly. It was the kind of kiss that said all the things you could never put into words. The kind of kiss that only happened between two people who loved each other fully and completely. The kind of kiss he hoped to give you every day from now on.

And when you broke apart, Jake gazed into your puffy, tear-stained eyes and promised, “This is our new tradition. From now on, I’ll be home for Christmas. You can count on me.”

Taglist: @loverhymeswith, @babblydrabbly, @lorecraft, @green-socks, @heart-0n-fire, @marvelousmermaid, @mayhem24-7forever, @wildbornsiren, @hederasgarden, @the-untamed-soul, @inglourious-imagines, @airhogger, @piscesvancouverite, @straightforwardly, @bonnieelizabethparker, @srry-itshockeyszn, @flyinlove, @fandomhopped, @sweetheartlizzie07, @yjwnoot, @wanderdreamer, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @callsign-fox, @imjess-themess, @callsign-phoenix, @shanimallina87, @forever-sleepy-sloth, @notroosterbradshaw, @dezthegeek, @blessupblessup, @cherrycola27, @phoenix1389, @nicangelinee, @smells-like-perfect-senses, @boringusername3, @petlaufeyson, @cycbaby, @topguncortez, @imjess-themess, @footprintsinthesxnd

[screechingengineerdreamer]

Reassurance 🖤

Billy butcher x (female reader)(no y/n)

Summary : You finally tell butcher how much you love him 🥹🖤

Warnings: Smut, piv, dirtytalk, mention of death, swearing, mention of drugs (compound V lmfao), praise kink, lemme know if there are any more !

Fandom : The boys obvi (if you haven't watched please do it's on prime)

Note : English isn't my first language so THERE WILL BE MISTAKES ‼️‼️ im sorry about that and i'll do my best 🫶🏻

I aldo changed the story just a little bit so not everything is 100% accurate !!

Let's go 👻

As I help Kimiko with her calligraphy on the couch, i hear hughie and M.M arguing but they are too far for me to properly hear them. It's been days since we haven't seen Billy and i've been so worried. It's not unusual but everytime he leaves our spot im scaredd of him never coming back. Since my hushand died because of Homelander, he has been the first one to make me feel safe again. I love him so much but with our hidden lifestyle, there is no time for love. After Kimiko's done with her "homework" for the day, i leave her to watch tv and join frenchie next to the rest of the boys.

-The funny thing is that i called butcher an hour ago. He chuckles to himself.

-So they're fussing about butcher ? I look at frenchie in disbelief. I swear M.M's going lose it soon.

-Imbéciles.. (Idiots).He mumbles before glancing at them again.

I feel bad for hughie, he must be feeling so unsafe and alone without his dad... I don't know anything about him except for Transculent but it's obvious that this hidden part of the world is new to him.

We suddenly hear some groans and some noises on the floors above us. I run next to Kimiko and point my gun at the stairs when one of Frenchie's friend fall from the top of the stairs in a pained whimper. All of a sudden, Butcher appears at the top of the stairs with a wicked smile. Everyone lowers their guns after frenchie does. That's when Hughie loses it.

-You fucking called butcher, Frenchie ? He asks. Hughie walks up to Frenchie rapidly.

-Yes i did, we need butcher to get out of this shit hole espèce de bâtard. (You bastard)

Hughie gets aggressive with frenchie but butcher stops him easily before anything bad happens.

Butcher walks up to hughie and after a quick pep talk with him, hughie calms down a bit.

-But don't you worry, daddy's home. Butcher says, looking around before making eye contact with me.

That smile will always make my heart skip a beat.

But i realise soon enough that his chest is bleeding alot. His coat is barely covering the scarlet circle on his aloha shirt.

Time skip (Few hours)

After the boys and I finished creating a plan, we decided to take the evening to relax before leaving tomorrow. Everyone's watching tv except for hughie who's probably crying in his room (aka one of the closet 💀). Butcher's sitting at the dining table while im making him something to eat.

-Did you need anything else? I ask him, placing his plate on the table.

-No no you've already done enough.

-Butcher. I look at him with a serious face.

-What? He says, mouth full of cheap mac and cheese.

-I know you're bleeding, i saw it through your shirt.

-It's ok. Don't worry 'bout that.

I glance at him but do not insist.

After a couple hours, everyone went to sleep except for butcher, i was still awake and i couldn't sleep knowing he was probably in awful pain right now. This motherfuker was so god damn stubborn.

That's why i got up and brought the med kit with me to the dining room where billy was.

The gentle moonlight was the only source of light in the room. I could only see his lonely silhouette sat on the chair. I clear my throat.

-Butcher, please let me at least put you a bandage, you lost alot of blood. You ask quietly.

-I told you i didn't needed one. Go back to sleep.

That man will be the death of me.

I walk in front of him, admiring his face.

-I won't go to sleep until i know you are patched up.

He stands up slowly and looks at me dead in the eyes. I can see his eyebrows frowning.

-I ain't gon' tell you twice, go. To. Sleep. He says, putting his hands in his pockets.

I feel so annoying but i need to know he will be fine.

-Billy, i swear to god let me patch you up real quick and then i'll go to-

-Listen, i fucking told you to leave, now get outta my face before i make you.

I glance at him angrily and try to lift his shirt. Before i reach the hem of it he takes my hand and slam it on the table, holding it on the surface. I look at him with shock.

-Billy, Im just trying to help yo-

-You aren't helping me right now you're just annoying.

This bitch was getting on my fucking nerves, but i needed to take care of him. I already lost so much people, i cannot lose him.

-Come on billy let me do this i don't want you to be in pain i love yo-

My eyes widen and i put my free hand on my mouth before saying another word.

He glances at me with a small shocked look on his face and he slowly let go of my hand.

-What did you say? He looks at me tenderly.

Something's not right, why isn't he making fun of me ?

Anxiety took over my body as my legs became weak. I couldn't stop looking at his face.

Why would did i say that ? He doesn't like me, he just said i was annoying. I finally turn my head to the side, breaking eye contact.

-Hey, look at me.

I looked at him slowly and realised he was smiling seductively.

I couldn't believe my eyes, he was so god damn beautiful. Someone give me a fucking medal.

-You serious ? He asks, looking at my lips.

Mental note : Change underwear cause the one im wearing are soaked.

I get taken back by his reaction, but since i said it, let's go with it. After all it's the truth.

-Yes, yes i am.

My cheeks must be so red right now.

He looks at me with puppy eyes and i can almost hear his heart beating.

-I swear if it's one of your jokes i will kill you with my bare hands right now.

I start playing with the hem of my vest.

-I love you william.

Billy puts his hand on my cheek and gives me a soft smile.

-You really do ? He asks.

-I always loved you.

He starts to kiss me slowly at first, almost like he's scared to hurt me, but when he sees that im enjoying it, he puts his hands around my waist and presses me against his chest. He picks me up and put my legs around his hips, sitting me on the counter. I laughs a bit and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth, deepening the kiss. I moan into the kiss as he caress my thigh with his hand.

Billy picks me up again, brings me to his bedroom, and throws me on the small bed before removing his coat. He goes on top of me and starts kissing my neck agressively.

-I dreamed about this so often, sweet girl.

-You did ?

Just the thought of him dreaming about me made me wetter. How will i survive this.

-Since the firs' time i saw you.

He kisses my earlobe and lift my shirt before pressing soft kisses on my lower belly.

-Let me take care of you, love.

He looks at me with that iconic smile before unbuttoning my pants, lowering his kisses until he reaches my soaked panties.

-Looks like you dreamed about this too huh?

-Show me how much you wanted this, Butcher.

He puts my panties to the side before pressing small kisses on my slit. My body aches for his touch, i must be dreaming, because this is impossible. Having the butcher, William butcher, on his knees, ready for me, sounds so impossible.

He finally buries his face in my cunt and it takes me so much control not to be loud. His hands hold my thighs around his face while he sucks on my clit, making me already feel that familiar feeling i missed so much.

-So beautiful.. he mumbles under his breath.

I moan his name and put my hand on his head, guiding where i want him, where im aching.

He stands up, leaving my unsatified cunt and he unbuckles his belt, lowering his pants until i see his cock, already leaking a bead of precum. He is huge. I shouldn't act suprised, but his size doesn't fail to hypnotise me..

-Eyes up here beautiful. He says, now unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his strong chest and arms.

I see the wound he had on the side of his chest and i get up, thanking the universe he has a med kit in his room.

-Now, you shut up and let me patch you up or i swear i will-

-Calm down, pretty girl, go ahead, patch me up. He says, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I smile at him before sitting beside him.

I start to clean the wound but his finger start to draw small circles around my clit, making it more difficult for me to heal him.

I moan his name, trying my best to stay focused but he picks me up and sits me on his lap, not so far from his cock.

After a couple minutes, i finally close the med kit and hum at the kisses he gives me.

-Finally.

He lies down on the bed carefully not to ruin the bandage he has on. He lift me up and lines my heat with his cock.

-You ready for this, love ? He looks at me with a beautiful smile.

-Yes, please william make me feel good.

He pushes me down his groin, and i can't stay quiet. He puts his hand on my mouth, keeping me quiet while he puts his tongue on my breast, teasing me.

I try and grind down on him, but he is holding me down with his free hand.

-Please william.

-So desperate and needy huh?

He let out a small laughs before slamming into me again, making me cry out.

He gives me time to adjust to him before slamming back into me faster and rougher.

The sounds of our soft moans and skin collapsing together filled the room. My moans became more and more loud when he circled my clit with his finger until my orgasm exploded.

-Im im about to-. I stutter.

-I know i know don't you worry, go ahead, beautiful.

I let out the most sinful sounds ever known to mankind while William kept fucking me harder and harder, admiring me.

-You are dangerous. He says, smiling at me.

His groans started to fill the room and he started going even faster than before until he came inside of me, holding my hair and kissing my neck until he rode it off.

We eventually laid down, cuddling together. We didn't need to talk, we just enjoyed the moment. We fell asleep in each others arms, happily.

I woke up the next morning, next to him. It was still pretty early so i could stay by his side before leaving. After a couple minutes. He finally woke up.

-Well hello, butcher.

I could tell he forgot i was with him for quite a couple seconds, but when he remembered last night, a smirk appeared on his face.

-Hi pretty girl.

I put my head on his chest.

-Can i ask you a question, william.

-Sure, wha's up.

-Why didn't you want me to patch your wound.

He hesitated for a second, but glanced at me with a smile.

-I hate showing people that i'm weak. Since all that compound V shit, i've gotten some pretty bad injuries and i can't show that im hurt in this world.

-I understand, but you are strong butcher, stronger than alot of people.

-Thank you love.

HERE IT IS FINISHED.

#theboys #theboysamazon #amazonprime #smut #williambutcher #karlurban #billybutcher #butcher #smutbillybutcher #smutkarlurban #compoundV #prime #homlander #praisekink #petnames #names #noyn #hughie #hughcampbell #frenchie #MM #Theboyskarlurban #Theboyskimiko

[babyraptor]

it took me nearly 20 years of fandom before i dove headfirst into Trigun fan fiction, and now that i’m in, there’s no resurfacing. so now, just in case anyone is interested, i would like to share some of my favorites. listed in alphabetical order.

i’ll be updating my list every so often. (and if you really want to know, i’m secondofjune on AO3.)

A Bit of a Tight Spot

A Brief Respite

Absolution

A Fool From Any Direction

a haven for restless angels of mercy

a kind heart to haunt

About fears and reassurances

all that i wish i could say

all variety of vows

A Man Called Agony

And Every Breath We Drew Was ‘Hallelujah’

and how i idolize the empty highs

and we’re gonna sing it again

and your prayers (they’re not fables)

An Exchange of Words

a phantom’s reverence

Asymmetry

a tide of tender mercies

Ascension Day

At the mercy of the universe

At the Top of the World

At Vacant Hours

A Whisper in Darkness

babe, i’m gonna leave you

Balance

Bare Hands, Holding Onto the Wire

Bedside Manner

Belly of the Whale

Benediction

between your scars and mine

bittersweet

Black is the Color

Bloodstained Devotion

Bluebells

broken boy, how does it feel?

Bulletproof

But Like A Refugee

but tonight belongs to me

By His Hands

Can’t take my eyes off you Carrot & Stick

Changing Luck

chemical haze

Child of Blessing

Closed and Healing

Closer

Cold Comfort

Come Back Home

Complimentary

could we please pretend

Couldn’t Be the Booze

Daily Special

dance in our catastrophe

darlin’, it finds a way to live in you

Daughter of Eve

dead man talking

Desecration is But a Form of Worship

did you get enough love (my little dove)

Dinner for Two

Dirty Thoughts

disarm you with a smile

Don’t need a gun to blow your mind

don’t stop if I fall and don’t look back

dream a little dream

Dreaming Saint’s Sonata

dress me in red and throw your roses

Duality

Episode 25: Live Through

Equinox

every me, every you

Exodus 23:24

Eyes of the Storm

Facets

Fairytale of December

Falling forward, back into orbit

Feel Good

Figure Me Out

Fine, Great

Fire on the Mountain

fool in the moon

for a sinner like me

For Good

for reasons wretched and divine

for where else could i go? who else could i love but you?

From the Past or the Future? Your Guess Is As Good As Mine

gentle thievery

get me outta my head

Ghosts of the Byway

god like sunshine, girl like rain

gravedigger, gravedigger

Gung-Ho Guns Ver. 1.0

Gunpowder Nights

Hallefuckinglujah

Heartbeat

heavens away

Hell, I’m Dead Anyway

hold my body down

Holding My Breath

Honeymoon

Hunger

Hurricane

I Believe in the Kingdom Come

i can see a lot of life in you

i can see it in his eyes

Idle Hands (The Devil’s Playground)

I just can’t wait for love to destroy us

IN EXCELSIS DEO

In heaven, lost my taste for hell

Inseparable

Insomnia

Interjacence

inter paradisum et infernum

In the Bloom of a Creosote

in the dark and out of harm

i promised i’d give this a go

i shot cupid (needle and thread)

It’s Open Season on Blue Moons

I’d wanna burn whole (to be someone’s spark)

I’ve seen all the demons that you’ve got

Joan of Arc

Just a Hobby

Just for Tonight

Just Listen to the Rhythm of the Heart

Keep your bliss, there’s nothing wrong with this

kiss me, son of god

la petite mort

Lay It On Me and I’ll Be There to Catch You

lay us down

lead-fill the hole in me

Left Hand

Life on Gunsmoke

Little Pieces of the Nothing That Fall

love and its decisive pain (sunlight)

maman

mashed potatoes

More Than You’ll Ever Know

Minefield

Mysterious Ways

Need

Night Vision

nobody said it was easy

No Idle Threat

Not For My Behalf

Not in the Job Description

not to me, not if it’s you

oh lazarus, how did your debts get paid

One Day Closer to Death

Only Human

Only Over You

Open Me Up

our bodies fit together

Past the Mission

Personal Jesus

Pieces

playing cards with the elephant in the room

Playing House

Pollinate him, please!

Praying to the Wrong God

Pretending

raise a glass to the turnings of the season

Reign of Lovin’

Roots

rough edges

Sandstorm Blues

say it’s such a fault

say your name, forever

Scratch Your Surface

Season of the Witch

Secondhand Secrets

Self-Inflicted

Skin Deep

Sleepless Without You

Smoke & Soulmates

so i’ll sing to the grave

So It Goes

Someday Out of the Blue

someone to last your whole life

something eluding you, sunshine?

something I can’t know ’til now

Something of a Departure

Something to Live For

sorry about the blood in your mouth, i wish it were mine

Stargazers, New and Old

stop me if you’ve heard this all before

Strange Powers

Strawberries & Cigarettes

stretched out for miles and miles

sucker love

sweet dreams of otherness

take a knife and cut through the darkness

take my breaking heart (and tear it all apart)

taste my misfit love

Tension

terrors don’t prey on innocent victims

that constant sting that we call love

The barrel of the gun

The Edge of Knowing

The Evening and the Morning and the Night

The Lighthouse

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Traveller

The Only Nice Thing That Follows

The Quick and the Bed

there are certain things you ask of me (and there are certain things i lack)

there’s something about you

The sand in your eyes was made of dreams

the ship’s inhabitants

the truth hurts worse

The wolf and the lamb

thirty pieces of silver

this could be home

this could be the end of everything

This is how we multiply

this road we are on

Thorns of Memory

Those were the days

time and tide, through the wall

Time Out

to have a body is to be a horror show

Tomorrows

touch me like nobody else does (lovely)

Touch

Trillium and Ivy

trust me to take you home

Trust

Tuesday’s Gone

two from the bottom of the bin

Untouchable

Up Front

Vashwood O’Ween

Visible Scars

water supply

Waiting at that shallow grave

Where Wild Roses Grow

Why Your Current Relationship is Not Sustainable

Wildflowers

wild horses couldn’t drag me away

will we ever grow a proper set of panic

will you welcome your extinction

Within Us An Orchard

Wolfwood’s Guide to Confession

Worth Something

yet broken still you breathe

You Are Red, Violent Red

you can run away with me anytime you want

you know you had it coming, my friend

you put me on and said I was your favorite

you stop the noise

you think history is repeated, you keep on pushing me away

you’ll leave me lonely at best

you’re a canary (i’m a coal mine)

you’re gonna be the one left standing

[chockfullofsecrets]

Top Gun Maverick: Kid Shit

(Read on AO3)

Rating: Gen

Summary: He scoffs. “I’m not ticklish anymore, Mav. That’s kid shit.”

Mav uncrosses his arms. “Yeah? Wanna bet?”

In the aftermath of the mission, Bradley and Maverick revisit some old traditions.

Wordcount: 1769

A/N: Yeah, this was just about the stage of the [watch the new Mission Impossible > start catching up on Tom Cruise movies > start looking for fic > read everything @ticklish-academic has ever written for this fandom > get ideas] pipeline I expected I'd get to. Feel free to hit me up if there's anything else you want to see for M:I/TGM while the hyperfixation lasts :P

--

After the crush of people on the deck breaks up, handshakes and hugs and general oh-shit-we’re-alive energy starting to fade back into the normal schedule of things, he and Mav get shuttled off to sickbay and told in no uncertain terms to stay put until the adrenaline wears off enough for them to tell exactly how bad they’re hurting. Mav puts up a fight, of course, but Bradley knows better - every aviator’s heard the horror stories, herniated discs and torn muscles from the force of ejection, and he’s got one that’s more personal than most.

Mav does too, to be fair, but it’s not like anything short of a direct chewing out from the Almighty himself would keep him from being stupid about his health. And even then, it’d be a toss up.

A week ago, he’d have pulled one of the staff aside and asked to be as far away from Mav as he could possibly get. The urge isn’t completely gone. Mav promised him they’d talk it out, when they got back, but after the mission - Mav saving his life and him saving Mav right back and sitting there in the backseat of that old as shit plane with nothing to do but trust him and try not to pass out - maybe they’ve bonded, okay? Maybe talking’s just going to make it worse. He’d rather wait until he has the option to walk away, if he needs to.

Really earning that Rooster callsign, huh. He’d be angrier at himself if he had the energy for it.

As things are, they’re pointed to adjacent cots and left to stew. Five minutes pass. Fifteen. He avoids looking at Mav like it’s his new vocation in life and starts counting wall rivets.

Half an hour in, he groans for the fifth time in as many minutes and slides down until he’s laid out flat enough to adequately convey his despair. “Come on.”

There’s a shuffle from the cot next to him. “I hope that’s not you realizing you broke something,” Mav says dryly.

He groans again. “I’m bored, Mav. Where the hell are the rest of the Daggers? You’d think they’d at least bring us a deck of cards or something.”

Mav makes a noncommittal noise. Emboldened, he props himself up on an elbow and dares to look over. “How are you okay with this, anyways? You hate sitting still.”

Mav’s reclining into the curve of his rickety half-raised bed, arms folded neatly over his chest like he hasn’t got a care in the world. Bradley’s struck by an intense, childish urge to get up and flip the whole thing. “Believe me, I’m not thrilled either. Not my first time playing the waiting game, though.”

Of course it isn’t. Come to think of it, he’d be surprised if a mission for Mav didn’t end in medical intervention.

He says as much, a little more snidely than he means to, and Mav turns his head with glacial indolence to raise an eyebrow in his direction. “Bad mood, huh.”

And doesn’t that just - it makes him feel like he’s a teenager again, gangly and sweaty and more upset about everything than he should be. Not the tone, even, just that Mav hasn’t been around to look at him like that in so long - and the words come out almost without his permission. “Yeah - well, I’m stuck in here with you, aren’t I?”

Mav’s bland expression flickers, just for a moment, and he instantly feels like the worst person on earth. The man saved his life less than twenty four hours ago, and here he is mouthing off like he’d used to when they’d known each other well enough not to take it seriously.

He lays himself back down, too much of a coward to see whatever else Mav’s face is broadcasting at him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

Mav’s still looking at him, he can feel it. The silence stretches out before them like a ship’s runway, pitching and yawing like he’ll launch straight off it and into the water if he’s not careful.

And then, like he always does, Mav takes the challenge and starts taxiing. “Lighten up, kid, or I’m going to have to cheer you up the way your dad used to.”

Bradley’s surprised enough to look back at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mav cocks his head, mouth twitching. “What, you don’t remember?”

Something about the tilt of Mav’s smile, the not-entirely-begrudging amusement in his eyes, registers somewhere in the back of his brain - and he does remember, then, though it’s not his dad he’s thinking of.

It’s Mav - Mav sneaking behind him and sweeping him up before he can run, Mav reaching over to him in the passenger seat where he’s buckled in and can only move so far before the seat belt catches him, Mav dumping him onto the couch and grabbing one of his legs before he can start kicking and-

He scoffs. “I’m not ticklish anymore, Mav. That’s kid shit.”

Mav uncrosses his arms. “Yeah? Wanna bet?”

He tells himself firmly that the reflexive flinch when Mav starts getting up is fear for the old man’s spine and absolutely nothing else. “Mav, come on, you’re not supposed to be moving around - Mav!”

He scrambles back the singular inch that his cot allows, barely managing to sit up before Mav’s perching on the edge of it and smirking at him. “Hey, you don’t look bored anymore.”

Well, Mav’s got one thing right. His entire brain’s diverted from boredom to run a diagnostic on what feels like every single one of his nerve endings, and he’s more than a little suspicious of the results. “You’re - I’m being threatened here, that’s not-”

Mav shakes his head disbelievingly, still grinning like the devil himself. “Threatened? What happened to ‘kid shit’?”

“I’m not ticklish,” he insists. He can almost make himself believe it, too, that his body’s just operating on decade-old instinct, responding disproportionately to a memory meant to stay in the past. “Try me, it’s just going to be awkward for both of us. You probably pulled something just coming over here, old man.”

It’s not a go fuck off and die, and Mav knows it - Bradley watches him pause for a moment and mull it over, grin softening into something warmer and less provocative, and has to consciously pull the corners of his mouth back into the stern line he wants them in to prevent himself from smiling back. “Bold words, kid.”

“True words,” he fires back, just before Mav’s wriggling fingers hit his stomach and prove him very definitively wrong.

He’s laughing before he can even try to stop himself, doubled over and curling up like he can somehow still manage to keep Mav’s hands away from the spot they’re already attacking. “Shihihit! Mav!”

“That’s me,” Mav says flippantly, sliding close enough to get an arm around him when his body makes a commendable attempt to escape by rolling off the far side of the bed. “Not ticklish, huh? Pretty sure things went in the other direction.”

Mav’s obviously messing with him, but he’s not wrong - Bradley doesn’t remember anything tickling as badly as Mav’s fingertips kneading into the bend of his waist do. “No!” he yelps anyways, smashing one arm over his mouth in a desperate attempt to stay quiet and throwing the other out frantically to get Mav the hell off him.

Mav’s arm tightens across his chest. He’s being reeled back in, forced out of the fetal position he’s locked himself into and giving Mav even more room to wreak havoc - it’s too much, all at once, and he squeals. Squeals, like he’s a teenage girl at a concert and not a naval aviator in his thirties. He has the sudden, paranoid thought that Hangman might hear him through the vents.

The thought of it makes him laugh even harder, frantic - smothering himself in his elbow is keeping him quiet enough for now, but if Mav keeps tickling him like this it’s only going to last so long. “Ha - ahaHA - quit it,” he pleads, sacrificing his assault on Mav’s iron band of a grip to wrap an extra arm around his face. “Ihihi - I can’t-”

Mav releases him almost instantly, letting him flop onto his side and curl back up until he can stop wheezing out giggles into his kneecaps. “Well, that’s different,” he offers - Bradley can hear him grinning, the bastard. “You never used to ask me to stop.”

Just the thought of being tickled more nearly sets him off again. Thankfully, Mav decides to shut up and wait for him to catch his breath before he coughs himself to death on Navy property.

He calms down. It’s easier, now, less charged, to roll over onto his back with his hip mashed up against Mav’s thigh and reach up to smack him in the shoulder. “Well, yeah. We’re in public, Mav,” he says defensively. “You can’t just go around doing that to people.”

Mav catches his hand before it can drop back down to his chest, squeezes it playfully with his eyes lit up like fireworks. “Hey, you asked for it!”

Bradley hasn’t seen him this happy in - well. That’s kind of his fault, isn’t it. He wrestles his hand free for a moment before thinking better of it, relenting and letting it fall somewhere in the vicinity of Mav’s legs. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

Mav laughs to himself, then, just long enough that it’s worth Bradley cracking an eye open to glare at him. “What.”

“Nothing,” Mav says quickly.

Bradley glares harder.

“Nothing!” he promises, then just as quickly retracts it. Typical Mav. “It’s just - my hangar, I’m working on a P-51 Mustang out there. You could come out and see it sometime, if you wanted to.”

He’s not sure what’s so funny about it, but he lets himself grin anyway. “As long as we don’t have to dogfight in it - that sounds good, Mav.”

“It’s about as far as you can get from public, though,” Mav adds, teasing, “so I can go around tickling anyone I want. Fair warning.”

Oh, there’s the joke. He can’t even bring himself to pretend he doesn’t want to go, though, just scoffs and shoves at Mav’s arm again before letting his eyes fall shut. “Go lie down before I change my mind, Mav, I saw that wince.”

“Yeah, yeah.” A hand ruffles through his hair. It’s nice. “You look tired, kid, knock it off.”

Mav doesn’t move until he falls asleep. Maybe it’s not so bad being someone’s kid again after all.

[hard-deckpilots]

Family gathering.

Fandom: Top Gun Maverick/ bad times at el royale/ catch - 22.

Pairing: Bob Floyd × Reader.

Summary: This is Lewis inception. Bob takes you home for the first time to his parents. But he makes a pit stop before home.

Wordcount: 1.07k

Warnings: Softness. Some mention of someone passing away. Bob being sweet as ever. First time meeting parents.

Tags: @sebsxphia

Bob had finally been given time off. After the mission, everyone was given extended leave. Which meant that Bob could take you home for a family gathering.

Jumping in the car it took you 5 and a half hours to drive from Fighter Town to Lemoore. The air was warm and songs were playing quietly on the radio. It was an easy drive mostly, and you knew you were near when a sign pointed the direction.

"Is it okay if we stop off somewhere before going home? I wanna visit someone first." Bobby asked softly,

"Of course it is honey, this is your home. Don't have to ask." You responded patting his thigh softly.

Bob drove a little longer, and turned into the town cemetery. He stopped along the road and turned the engine off.

"Do you want to go alone?" You asked know realising who he had come to see,

"For the moment. I just want to talk to him, and then I'll let you say hi as well." Bobby replied leaning over to kiss your cheek. You nodded and watched him get out the car. He walked a route he obviously knew, one he travelled every time he was home.

You watched as he walked over to a certain headstone, and watched him kneel down. Bob had talked a lot about his Grandpa. Major was his name. Fought during World War Two as a pilot, and you understood why he wanted to fly so much. He told you how when he was little, he used to sit on his Grandpa's knee making models of planes, tanks and ships.

Bob took a penny out of his pocket and placed it on top of the stone.

"Hey Grandpa. Finally got some time off to come see you and the others. You would've thought that last mission I went on was crazy. Almost lost two, but we managed to get them. Your photo is always there, I know you're with me every time I go up and I thank you for that. In training I had to eject, but I knew you were there." Bob started talking to the stone whilst sitting on the floor,

"I have someone for you to meet as well. I think you'd like them." Bob continued waving you over. You got out the truck and made your way over to him. Walking up to him, you kneeled down.

"Grandpa this is Y/n. Y/n this is my Grandpa Major. I just wanted you to meet them, to let you know that I finally found someone who you would love." Bob spoke softly. You held his hand softly and with your other hand placed it softly on the grave.

"Even though I didn't know him Robbie. I know he would be proud of you." You whispered just enough to hear,

A tear rolled down Bob's cheek. Every day he missed his Grandpa, every day he kept a photo of him somewhere. Or he would talk to him when he needs to vent. You both sat there a little longer until he checked the time.

"We should get moving. Dad can't wait to meet you." Bob spoke,

You nodded and stood up walking away letting Bob have one more moment with his Grandpa.

"Y/n is the love of my life Grandpa." He smiled resting his hand on the stone, then walked off to the car. Climbing into the car he smiled at you softly. Bobby drove out of the cemetery and started to make his way towards the family house.

"Just to pre warn you. My mum and my sister's will be the ones fussing over you. Dad is a bit more shy, but he's a bit of hugger." Bob explained as he pulled into the driveway.

You were a little anxious to meet his family, but he reassured you that they would love you. Especially if you are keeping him safe when at work. Walking through the garden gate, you were welcomed by a cacophony of hello's and shouts from Roberts neices and nephews.

His dad walked over to him, and there was a massive resemblance between him and his dad.

"Hey dad." Bob smiled hugging him, "This is Y/n, my other half." He continued.

"It's nice to meet you Mr Floyd." You smiled, getting wrapped up in his arms. Bob laughed at what he was watching.

"Oh please Y/n, call me Miles." He insisted finally letting you go.

A call from inside got Bob's attention and he went in, greeting his mother. You watched him go inside, and then looked around smiling.

"Did he stop at the cemetery on the way in?" Miles asked quietly,

"Yeah. He introduced me to his Grandpa. But I let him have a moment to himself." You spoke already feeling comfortable around his dad.

"Just after my dad passed. Robert would go there almost every day. When he came home for first time after meeting you, he wouldn't stop talking about you and even went to tell my dad." Miles explained watching Bob, his mum and his aunt come out with handfuls of food.

Placing the food on the tables, Bob's mother walked over to you beaming.

"Finally! Look how beautiful you are. God knows you are treating my Robbie just right." His mum drew you into a tight hug, tighter than his father's was. You could tell that Bob was more like his father, not as loud as his mother.

"Robbie, you better treat them right. I already see grandkids from you two." His mum exclaimed, both of you going beetroot red.

"Mum!" Bob responded watching his mum finally let go of you with a smile.

Bob walked up to you and placed his chin on your shoulder. His family was a chaotic one, but you could tell they were loving. Especially Miles, you could see how protective he was over Bob. He is the third generation of Floyd's to be in the Military, and Miles always hopes that his little boy doesn't have to witness those horrors of what he saw.

"I love your family." You whispered into his ear. You felt a soft kiss to his cheek and saw the softness in his eyes.

The gathering went late into the night, all the children had gone to sleep and the adults sat around the fire. You watched as people conversed, people asking questions about your profession and how you got to know Bob.

This family gathering was definitely something, and you were glad Bob had introduced you to his family.

[princessmisery666]

Not Okay - Hangman Drabble

Summary: He says he’s okay, but you know better. 

Warnings: angst.

W/C: 800

Pairing: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x reader (you - no descriptions of body type or ethnicity).

A/N: @justagirlinafandomworld sent me the above gif for a request and my mind went angsty instead of the obvious way, sorry. 🥺

Betas: @writercole / @cockslutpadalecki / mistakes are all mine.

Graphics: made by me on canva. Dividers: @writercole

Master Lists: All The Fandoms // Top Gun: Maverick

Not Okay

It’s been hours. He should be back by now. He wasn’t at the Hard Deck and you know medical released him hours ago. Now it’s only his guilt keeping him away.

You wait in the common room. He’ll come by, he never goes to sleep without a bottle of water so you know he’ll grab one before heading to his room. 

You sit in silence; it’s been a long day and the silence helps process exactly what happened. It was bad, thankfully not as bad as it could have been, but Coyote will be out of commission for a while.

The door opens and you turn to see Jake frozen in the frame. 

The greeting is a reflex and he delivers it with little emotion and no eye contact. “Hey,” he says, heading straight for the fridge. 

“Hey,” you reply.

He takes a bottle from the fridge, flips it nonchalantly in his hand, it’s for appearances, he doesn’t feel the cockiness he’s pretending to have as he makes his way to the door. 

“Jake,” you coax. 

“I’m fine,” he grits, marching out and slamming the door behind him. 

Jake sheds his uniform, throwing it in his hamper, hating the antiseptic smell of hospitals that seems to linger.

Javy is spending the night surrounded by that smell, because of him. Because Jake couldn’t rein in his ego, his best friend - maybe his only friend in Fightertown - is in the hospital. 

He grabs his towel, ties it around his waist and leaves his room.

You're leaning against the wall, in the direction he needs to go to the shower room, waiting for him. You’re worried about him. It’s written all over your face and he hates the pity in your eyes. He’s not in the mood for this. 

“I told you I’m fine,” he sighs as he passes by. 

“I heard you,” you say. “But I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t need you to believe me. Go to bed, Y/N.”

The water is hot and he stands under the spray for a long time. Javy will be okay, he is okay, but it’s going to take a while for Jake to be.

He hears the click of the bathroom door and he waits to hear another rush of water start up but there’s nothing.

He knows it’s you. He knows you're not going to let it go, won’t leave him be until he’s given you something.

He grabs the soap and steps around the curtain as he lathers it up over his chest. “Wanna join me?” he asks, grinning.

Your eyes drag the length of his body and you do nothing to hide the fact you're checking him out. “I will if it’ll get you to talk to me.” 

“Since when do we talk?” he sneers. “We fuck and we fight, but we’ve never talked.”

“You’ve never had to eject before either,” you counter, not taking the bait. 

He rolls his eyes and steps back behind the curtain. He washes off the lavender suds, squirting shampoo into his hand he realizes he didn’t hear the door open again. 

“Are you still here?” 

“Got nowhere else I need to be.”

He hates how calm you sound. You're unfazed by his attitude; you're not going to be easily dissuaded. He could deliver a scathing remark, something unforgivably brutal. But he doesn’t have it in him, not today, and certainly not for you.

It’s no secret the two of you have an arrangement. On the good days you worship one another, a balance of give and take, on the bad days you let Jake take what he needs. In the air there’s a power struggle between the two of you, but behind closed doors, you surrender the control to Jake.

There’s a momentary draft on his back, looking over his shoulder he watches you close the curtain again.

“What’re you doing?” 

You're fully clothed, so he knows you haven’t changed your mind. You press yourself against his back, wrapping your arms around his waist and rest your head between his shoulders.

“I’m okay,” he assures.

“I know,” you agree, not quite convincingly. You place a kiss between his shoulder blades, and breathe your next words into his wet skin. “But it’s okay if you’re not.”

“I’m okay,” he repeats. Maybe if he says it enough he’ll start believing it.

You don't say anything and you don't move for so long the water drops a few degrees.

“I never should have… I didn’t mean to…I should have.” 

This is why he didn’t want to talk. He’s never at a loss for words, but now he doesn’t know what to say. Can’t verbalize any of it. He can admit he was wrong, but that’s not enough. He continues, “Coyote’s gonna be grounded for a while, ‘cause of me.” 

“He’ll forgive you.”

“I don’t know if I can forgive myself.”

His voice cracks and you squeeze so tight it’s almost painful. Oddly, it feels good. Like the safety harness of a parachute, it’s safe. Familiar.

He only realizes it now, in this very moment while your tight grip digs into his hips, Javy isn’t his only friend. Somewhere along the road of worship and struggle for power, somehow, you became friends too.

Master Lists: All The Fandoms // Top Gun: Maverick

Tag List Info

[aki-draws-things]

Whumptober 2023~

Fandom: top gun

Characters: javy Coyote Machado, Jake hangman seresin (+tom, Ron and daggers)

Prompts: "you said you'd never leave "

Warning: flight accident, Jake's unconscious, but hey, he'll be alright

Summary: javy can only be there and wait for the one he was supposed to call husband soon to wake up.

(@oh-surprise-its-me javy/Jake not too angsty... Ronnie is currently testing the new version of the Darkstar instead of mav. It's not that tommy doesn't trust mav, it's ron who doesn't trust the jet, and with reasons...)

Javy whined. It was the only sound that Maverick heard come out of his mouth in the past hours. Small, almost soft whines.

He was ignoring everything and everyone that wasn't Jake. And hell, he couldn't even be with Jake. Doctors had been adamant. Family only.

He was family, for goodness sake! He was his fucking boyfriend/soon-to-be husband!

Chris wasn't picking up the phone, weirdly enough.

Ron's phone went straight to the voicemail. The one that stated classified things undergoing and he couldn't pick up yet.

Javy hated doing that because he knew how much the man was busy, but it still was Jake.

"Jaybird is in ICU. They don't let me in. I'm scared Tata"

God, he felt like a kid. And he still felt embarrassed like the first time when Tom said he could call him Tata too. Javy only did that when he was scared.

"We're coming in. Be there in 5 hours. Sorry, papa just landed. (No, son, you don't want to know what. Or how. Definitely not how)"

Javy knew what he was doing. Distracting him. Tom always knew how to do that, somehow, he was good at that. He was also good at making him curious. And worried.

"Tell them I give you permission. Stay with him, Jav."

Javy showed the text to the personnel, they grumbled and talked among themselves before finally letting him in.

Javy whined. His eyes filled with tears as he stretched a hand out toward Jake. Jake who was laying covered in cuts and bruises and blood on his hair. His lips quivered and he fell to his knees, grasping at the folded blankets. The whine turned into a wail. Mav flinched.

"Jake-- Jaybird-- you said you would never leave..."

His voice sounded so small, scared. Mav felt a pull, to reach out and hold Javy like he was a kid. He didn't. He watched him brush his fingers oh-so-gently over his face, he watched as he hesitated briefly by his neck, the heart monitor showed a stable rhythm, he didn't need to feel it-- he needed it.

"So you gotta come back to me, okay? You have to... cause baby, I can't lose my future husband like that, without even putting a ring on your hand."

Five hours later, and the whole dagger squad sitting in the waiting room with Maverick, the COMPACFLT, and Admiral Kerner showed up and didn't waste a moment longer with a nurse to point at the room and get in.

Mav could swear he heard Javy gasp.

"Why do you always land in the wrong way, papa? You're supposed to be one of the best!"

"Yeah, I'm the best when wheels come out for me to land, kid."

Javy whined again.

Waiting was going to be so very long, they knew.

[wecomrades]

A Penny For Your Heart

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x pilot!reader

Summary: a journey down your memory lane as you’re trying to figure out how to deal with the love of your life who just happened to step back into the picture after some time apart. 

Word count: 2.9k

Author’s notes: I’ve been writing fanfics for about 18 years now but this is my very first character x reader fic and I hope you like it! I wanted to do something to get out of my comfort zone and I thought TGM was the right fandom to do that, eheh. Couldn’t resist! This story follows the film’s events.

Thanks a lot @what-ever-happened for reading this in advance and bearing with me always, i love you so much! I want to dedicate this story to my lovely friend @nonstoplover as a belated present for your birthday! Ily and I'm so glad TG brought us closer to each other ♥ I hope you enjoy and that it brings a smile on your face!

The Hard Deck is incredibly loud tonight and Heaven knows how much you can’t stand that much noise, especially when you need to think. Thinking - or overthinking, in your case - is best achieved when your mind is fully clear from distractions, which is quite a hard job when you have tipsy Payback and Fanboy singing and dancing and clapping around you.

You have been sitting there for at least an hour, your elbows resting on the counter and your face not so gracefully buried in your hands, the beer in front of you begging to be finished but you can't even bring yourself to stretch your hand to it.

It's been a tiring day on all fronts, both physically and mentally. Preparing for this mission is becoming more and more challenging and draining day after day. Training is always hard, as you all spend the majority of the day in the air and, even if you're part of the crème de la crème of Top Gun pilots, as Hangman kindly reminds everyone everyday since this all started, the fact remains that the stress for this job is real: whenever you look at your friends, no matter the bag of experience you all have, there's always that sparkle of worry hidden in their eyes. 

You trust them as much as you trust your beloved F-18, but you can't help but wonder if there's really a chance of returning home after this.

Your mental fatigue, on the other hand, is called Bradley Bradshaw. 

You roll your eyes so hard you almost see the back of your head, but at the same time you can't seem able to suppress a smirk at the only thought of that name, as you eventually pay attention to your beer.

“Penny for your thoughts?” a voice breaks the turmoil in your head when Penny comes closer from across the counter.

The corner of your mouth quirks up once again, as you glance up to the woman.

“It’s actually so funny,” you start, fiddling with the glass, “I never had someone called Penny asking me just that.”

Penny laughs, shaking her head. “I never had someone reminding me I’m called like a coin, to be honest.”

You can’t help but laugh at that, as a very specific twenty-something year old memory emerges vividly in your head.

“Hey, it’s mine! I found it!” mini you shouted, pouting at the boy in front of you, who was so caught up by the coin in his hands to pay attention to you climbing on his chest to try and take the object back.

“But it’s different from the others I have! I could add it to my collection, can I keep it? Please, y/n?” Bradley mumbled, turning the coin in his hands. “What’s that figure there…? Is it an animal or something?”

“Bra-dleyyyy!” you groaned, gripping on his arm. “Give it back, or I’ll tell Papa.”

“Okay, you menace,” Bradley gave in, returning the coin to you while a look of sadness appeared on his face. You weren't used to seeing him like that, it probably happened only around the time of his father's death anniversary. You didn't like being the reason he looked so miserable, so as you got the coin back, you didn't feel the same happiness you had in finding it.

After all, it was just a coin. Your dad used to give you coins from time to time, but Bradley didn't have a dad who could do that for him.

Bradley gave you a faint smile as he sat on the sidewalk outside your house where you both spent all afternoon building paper aeroplanes and trying to fly them from your yard to the neighbours’ across the street.

“Bradley?” you asked, hesitant.

“Mh?”

Then you sat next to him, fiddling with the hem of your dress. “I’ll give you this coin but you have to promise me something.”

“Really?!” he almost jumped from happiness, making you laugh. 

“Yes, I know I’m only nine, but I’m a good friend,” you said wisely, passing him the coin, which he took with a bright smile. “You have to promise me that you’ll give it back when you’re finally ready to be my boyfriend.”

Bradley raised his eyebrow funnily. “You wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to be your boyfriend just yesterday.”

“Exactly, that was yesterday.”

“But we’re friends! We’re basically siblings, we grew up together!” Bradley seemed so confused, and that was the thing that most amused you.

You sighed, looking heavenward as if you were about to explain the ABC. “That’s the point, silly,  we’re friends and we always play together! We’re perfect for each other, Mama said that.”

Bradley seemed more confused than ever. “Your mom told you we’re perfect together?”

“Yes,” you said through gritted teeth. “She told me Leonardo DiCaprio is too old for me, to choose someone my age and I choose you.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works…” Bradley’s frown was getting funnier by the minute, and it managed to wipe away your annoyance. “You can be such a weirdo sometimes, you know that?”

“Got it all from my Papa, I suppose,” you said proudly, suddenly standing up and starting to dance. “He says funny things sometimes that I don’t understand, like, yesterday I heard him on the phone talking to uncle Ice, and he goes like ‘Merlin told me that Wolfman got his F-somewhat fixed.’ It doesn’t make any sense, Merlin is a sorcerer, my friend Karen from school made me watch The Sword in The Stone! So no way he’s a friend of Papa, I know it’s only a cartoon.”

The laughter that escaped Bradley’s mouth was so free and pure and childish, and even though at first you didn’t understand why he was laughing so hard, you couldn’t help but join him  just a moment after. His laughter was your serenity, for in those moments you were the most alive even if you didn’t really know it at the time.

The crack of the door opening behind you interrupted that joyful moment.

“Y/n, Bradley, time for dinner,” your father appeared on the doorstep, inviting you to go back inside. “Bradley, your mum is coming to pick you up after supper, alright?”

Bradley nodded. “That’s okay, uncle Mav.”

Your father smiled at both of you, his eyes glistening with joy at seeing his daughter and his godson being so close. As a matter of fact, he always had those eyes whenever he looked at the two of you: both very happy and very sad.

You headed to the house, when you realised Bradley wasn’t following.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you turned around and saw him fiddling with his pockets.

“Securing the coin,” he shrugged. “No way I’m going to ever give it back to you, but I don’t wanna lose it.”

You rolled your eyes and tripped him, then reached your father triumphantly, intertwining your hands together and ignoring his disapproval of having Bradley stumble on your foot.

“Dad, why didn’t you tell me you’re friends with a sorcerer?”

“Earth to y/n,” you hear Penny’s voice interrupting your thoughts once again.

“I’m sorry,” you apologise, shaking your head and trying to also shake off the smile that won’t disappear from your face. “I got lost on a trip down memory lane. It happens quite a lot lately.”

“Is this memory lane’s name Rooster by any chance?” Penny leans towards you with an elbow on the counter, an eyebrow lifted up funnily.

If it was anybody else, you would have just kicked them and told them to fuck off, but this is Penny and she’s nice and probably the most sane person you know. Also, you kind of see her like your own mother sometimes - and the fact she’s one hundred percent banging your father definitely helps that thought.

“Nope,” you said, sighing. “Rooster’s the name of my mental fatigue. You can also call it either Bradley or Bradshaw.”

“I see,” Penny nods, trying to hide a smile. “Well, looks like your mental fatigue just entered the bar, so you either go rest or face it.”

With a wink, she’s out serving new customers.

Goddamn it, she’s good, you think, smiling. You better keep this one, Dad.

You finally decide to look up towards the entrance to see where Bradley is heading, discovering that he has spotted you already and is indeed heading your way. Something in your stomach sounds a lot like the roar of an F-18 engine, and you really wish it was the beer from before but obviously this is just the effect Bradley has on you now.

There was a time in your life when you would have preferred pulling 10 Gs every hour of the day rather than feeling this way for someone, but now you find that you don't mind it that much. Especially with him.

On the other hand, your nine year old self understood everything back in the day, didn’t she? Honestly, who would have thought.

"Chiquitita, tell me the truuuuth," Payback's drunk voice comes from behind you, and you turn to him and can't help but laugh at him and Fanboy pretending to serenade each other. "I'm a shoulder you can cry onnnn."

"Your best friendddd," Fanboy sings back, spreading his arms and tipping half beer over himself. "I'm the one you must rely onnnn."

“ABBA? Seriously?”

You turn your head so quickly you almost hear your neck crack. “The world is full of surprises, these days.”

Bradley sits on the chair next to you, his uniform flawless as his whole appearence. The moment you met a week ago after an awfully long time, you almost laughed in his face when you noticed the moustache. You just couldn't help it, perhaps because you would never have thought of him rocking that look, especially not after witnessing firsthand his dark phase in high school.

But the urge to laugh didn't last long when you realised how freaking hot he was with that moustache - which you find terrible on anyone else, by the way - and the hair so perfect. You barely recognised your childhood friend, that person to whom you gave that coin found on the sidewalk. 

You get lost in your messy head for the umpteenth time tonight, missing the moment Penny brought both you and Bradley another round of beer.

“Cheers!” Bradley says, taking a sip while you completely ignore your beer to just stare at him. 

All you want to say is that you’re sorry for how things went back then, sorry that you didn’t fight enough when your father hindered Bradley's career a few years back and that led you to go separate ways… Because you’ve always supported each other from soul to eyes. That’s what you were, that’s what you are, friends that belong together in this life and evermore.

But the only noise that escapes your mouth is one almost inaudible: “Cheers.”

“You know,” Bradley starts, “I get it if you’re still mad at me. It was me who left after all, I was put in a position where I couldn’t stay. But I’m sorry this affected our relationship, you’ve never stopped being my favorite person in the whole world. I just wanted you to know.”

He's looking at you with eyes that shine like pebbles washed by the ocean waves, and his smile ignites an inner fire in you you almost feel like truly burning. 

“I’m not mad, just-” you start, looking away and staring at the coaster as if it’s the most interesting thing in the room. “Just sad, kinda. We grew up together and I was so used to always having you around, and suddenly you were gone. And now you’re back again and I don’t know for how long, and I simply want things to go back as they were but I don’t know how or what to do.”

You dare to look up again to see his reaction to your words, and find him staring back at you, his mouth curled up in a wistful grin, as if he felt all those things too... Bradley nods weakly and then one amused snort comes out of his mouth.

“What?” you ask.

He shakes his head. “Nothing, I think I just have the solution to that.”

“Well?” you prompt as he keeps his silence. 

Bradley huffs out a small laugh while pulling out his wallet and, after fiddling for some time with it, he finally finds what he was looking for. 

“Open your hand,” he instructs you and you oblige with curiosity which turns into disbelief the moment a small, cold coin lands on your palm. Yes, that coin, the very one you’ve been thinking about just ten minutes ago.

“No fucking way,” is all you can say.

“Yeah, as it happens I can take care of things,” Bradley says, beaming at your incredulous face. You can’t help but turn the coin in your hand over and over again, trying to find something that makes you realise it's not really the same one, that Bradley is just fooling you. But the truth is, it’s really it. “I can still see your face back then when you found it, you felt like it’d make you rich or something. Then we discovered it was just a token.”

Surprisingly, you erupt into a loud laughter, causing some curious heads around you two to turn. It's true, though: that same evening you had found the coin, Bradley showed it to your father, praising how generous his daughter was - with an obvious tone of mockery - and Maverick broke your dreams by telling you that it was only a token.

“Oh my gosh,” you laugh, wiping some tears from the corner of your eye. “I remember.”

“And do you also happen to remember why you gave me this?” Bradley queries with both a curious and hesitant tone.

You nod. “I found it, you wanted it, I stamped my feet until you gave it back and then I gifted it to you.”

“Yes, and,” he replies, eyes narrowing a little as he emphasises the last word, “you made me promise I’d give it back to you when I was ready to be your boyfriend.”

All you want to do is sink your head in the sand and never emerge from it again, but somehow you manage to maintain a certain composure and pretend to suddenly remember, as if in reality you weren't thinking about it just a few minutes before.

“Ah, yes!” you shriek, pointing a finger at him. “Yes, and I remember clearly you said you’d never give it back to me ever again. So I’m confused now.”

“You were such a little menace at that age,” Bradley shakes in head, but he’s laughing. “It cracks me up that you had a crush on me when you were little.”

“I didn’t have a crush on you, for chrissake!” you protest. “I was only a little kid, I didn’t even know the meaning of it all. Well, if you really want to retrace all of our Hall of Shame, let me remind you that in high school you were the one who had a crush on me.”

“But you were with someone else at the time,” Bradley nods. “And then when you were ready, I was with that girl from Tennessee.”

“Yeah, and when we finally got to be reasonable and thinking that maybe we should’ve given us a chance, you left,” you can’t help but say, and you’re pretty sure it came out harsher than you meant it to be and feel guilty instantly, so you kind of try to make up to it. “And now we’re thirty-something and still a couple of fools, apparently.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he gently places a hand on yours and you feel the chills run from the point where your hands touch all along your spine. “If I could turn back time, I'd do things differently. I'd choose you a hundred times. If we won't sacrifice for love, it ain't love, right? That's the way it is.”

And what on earth are you supposed to answer to that?

Bradley just told you he loves you, who knows if he planned it or if he was just making a consideration and it came out just like that. And in that moment, with the simplicity but at the same time power of that knowledge, you can't help but think that falling in love with him was so easy that you almost didn't notice, as if it were normal... The most difficult part is probably realising it, coming to terms with that information.

“Unfortunately, as good as you are as a pilot, I don’t think you’re fast enough to fly back in time,” you try, joking. “But one thing you can do, Rooster, is ask me out if we ever get home from this mission all in one piece. And then we’ll see what happens.”

His face somewhere between amazed and joyful can't help but make you grin, and you almost feel like it gave you the power to truly step back in time to the moment you gave Bradley that famous token that's now back in your hand.

You realise that his hand is still resting on yours, so you slowly turn it so that your fingers intertwine with his. You don't care if someone is watching, you don't care if Penny has been spying on you out of the corner of her eye the whole time, you don't care if all around you there's a chaos of music and people chatting and dancing.

It's just you and Bradley in this not so new bubble of love.