#bc there's a strong chance that i just won't enjoy it

[mermaidsirennikita]

"he reaches out to protect the heroine..."

:)

"... and the two small children in her care"

:(

[heartsforhavik]

Yandere Liu Kang? 👀👀👀

yandere liu kang x reader hcs

warnings: toxic relationship, controlling liu kang, yk regular yandere tendencies

summary: hcs of yandere liu kang x (gender neutral) reader

a/n: i just ate like 7 tacos anyways here’s a story about a god that is obsessed with you bc we all secretly want that!! (hi its me from the future this took so long for me to write anyways i just ate 12 chicken nuggets and i was holding in a shit while i was writing this anyways please enjoy guys love you all. havik is next :333)

when liu kang created the new timeline, he was bent on making sure everyone had the chance to live a life of peace. he wanted everyone to be in control of their lives.

but when it came to you, liu kang had a twisted desire to completely craft your life so you two can be together. however, he resisted the urge, and he decided to let you be in control of your own life.

but he didn't expect for you to naturally gravitate towards him. he felt so... familiar to you. as if you knew each other in another life.

liu kang was so grateful that you naturally found each other again. and now, he was determined to make sure nothing would happen to you.

now that you two are together, he treats you as if you're glass. he barely lets you leave your house without him helping you. but can you blame him? he's a demi-god and you are just a vulnerable mortal. he just doesn't want you getting hurt!

"liu kang, please, let me leave. i just want to walk around. i'm not going to get hurt!" you begged.

"i cannot risk you losing your life, my darling. you'll understand one day." liu kang told you.

liu kang may be extremely controlling, but it's because he holds you very dear to his heart. he doesn't want anything bad happening to you, so he safeguards you very carefully. he is afraid of losing you more than anything.

you are his darling. you are the love of his life. can you really blame him for wanting to keep you forever? hold you in his arms til' death do you part?

he doesn't mind when you talk to others, however. he doesn't trust you to protect yourself, but he trusts you to stay loyal to him. he isn't that possessive. but he does always have to know every single person you are acquainted with. he just wants to make sure they're good people, that's all! he just doesn't want you to accidentally be friends with bad people.

however, liu kang is extremely busy as earthrealm's protecter. he doesn't get to keep an eye on you all the time, unfortunately. so he keeps you locked up in your shared living space! fun, right?

but he knows how bored you can get in there, so he knows to get whatever furniture you want inside your home. anything you show even a little bit of interest in, ends up in your home a few minutes later. you're very spoiled in other aspects other than furniture, however.

for example, on the rare occasion that liu kang isn't too busy, he does whatever you ask him. make you tea? he's on it. cuddle and watch a movie? he's got the blankets and snacks ready. need a shoulder to cry on? he's there, and he'll give you advice on how to solve the problem.

liu kang is very thoughtful, and he knows exactly how to take care of you. but unfortunately, his fear of losing you someday is too strong, that he doesn't know how to love you without a voice in the back of his head always reminding him that your lifespan is much shorter than his. he knows you won't be with him someday. but he likes to pretend that fact isn't true.

for now, he'll stay hopeful that nothing will come between your unconditional love. your loss someday will leave him crestfallen, and you will stay within his heart forevermore. so for now, let him love you with his whole heart. let him kiss you every morning. let him enjoy your company every afternoon. let him embrace you every night. he'll go mad if anything were to happen to you, his sweet beloved.

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Pleassseee info dump about proto as a parent I am on mu knees Please

OH MY GOD, AN EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT MY PATHETIC OLD MAN! Okay, so:

The Prototype/Elliot Ludwig genuinely loves every single child of his. He never had any biological children, mind you, but his kids are HIS. When he was still Elliot and Poppy was a mere little girl, he did everything he could to make her happy. This was the first time ever in which he avoided work in order to spent time with his family - a lesson he learned from his divorce -, and it was all because Poppy was upset he wasn't around very often. Elliot was truly a family man at heart. He taught himself how to cook decent meals, how to take care of a child's hair, what little girls normally like to do, what to do when your own kid is upset, EVERYTHING. He didn't have a good childhood; he wouldn't allow Poppy to suffer the same fate he did.

Elliot legit choose to die in order to save his girl's life, AKA become the Prototype. I feel like he completely changed once he realized how big his mistake was, going from a kind but tired old man to a devastated experiment. He saw in Theo a second chance, a way to do better, and just like how he did to Poppy, he taught himself everything he needed to know - how to calm down a child, what little boys from the late 80s enjoy doing, what to say in order to cheer him up, etc. - and then Theo almost died.

Proto/Elliot's parenting style completely changed after that, because he legit believes his presence alone is dangerous to kids. So he watches his children from afar (Poppy and Theo), only interacting to them when necessary, even though he wanted to be there for them. But in his mind, being there would be risking their own lives, so he became distant, as much as possible.

Ironically, post-HoJ, Proto went back to old habits, being all "i must teach my children everything they need to know so they'll be able to do things on their own, and avoid the mistakes that I did", so he teaches Theo/Catnap how to hunt, how to hide, and all of his time with him is spent making sure he'll know what to do in order to not get hurt. He did similar for Poppy, but this is another extreme. Then he told Catnap to leave, believing that his boy was now strong enough to return to normalcy, to be away from him, because staying there would be risking him getting hurt again. Proto is in a constant struggle of wanting to be there, and feeling the need to be as far away from his kids as possible.

Proto and Ollie's relationship is another evolution, bc by this point Proto believes himself to be the worst parent ever (which is justified), but also this kid is HURT. Really, REALLY hurt. So he does what he does best, and creates things to help Ollie out. This is important, bc it's the first time in forever that he feels like he did something good. I won't go into details atm but tldr, Proto feels like Ollie doesn't need him, which makes him less prone to pushing the boy away, strangely enough.

Post-rescue and post having Angel almost kill him? Proto sees no option but to change. He has to STEP UP his game, bc if he doesn't he WILL lose ALL of his kids and any opportunity to do better. So he starts doing the unfathomable, and actually TALKS to Theo, Poppy and Ollie about his own problems, which he never did before because he wanted to protect them from himself. This helps IMMENSELY!

Eventually, after a year or so, and with the help of Angel, the Prototype actually ends up going back a bit to how he was originally was: A dad who would learn and do anything to make his kids happy, even if he doesn't fully "get it". He relearns how to sew bc Poppy, Delight and Dogday like it, and Bobby is struggling to make a dress that fits her. Proto makes a new one for her, and treats the gesture as just a small thing that she doesn't have to worry about. He thinks her style is strange but he's NOT going to question her fashion choices. He makes better prosthetic legs for Hoppy because he saw her struggling with her old ones, and he just gives them for Angel to give to her.

Proto is bad at dealing with feelings, or opening up, or saying anything about himself. Too much trauma and guilt. But he wants to be softer for the toys, he wants to do better so they'll finally have the life they deserve and he took away from them. He may be unable to cheer Picky up with words when she's having a bad day, but he's there to distract her with gardening, because he knows she likes it. He's the type of parent you know won't be able to say anything to you, but is there listening and trying to come up with something to do in order to make you feel less like shit.

ON A GOOFIER NOTE. He says he doesn't have favorites, but it's obvious Theo, Poppy and Ollie are his babies who would NEVER do ANYTHING WRONG. He makes awful puns and laughs at himself. Says he's only taking a look but ends up watching a whole movie while standing in the living room with crossed arms when he meant to just grab something from the kitchen. Asks about your day even though you spent the entirety of it with him and was gone for 5 minutes just to grab something. He's goofy, yes, please let him try to cheer you up, it's been decades since he was able to do that constantly and he wants to see his kids smiling more often.

Also I feel like Proto NEVER loses his patience with the kids. They can do whatever, and he'll be there, patient as ever. Never raises his voice, and is deadly afraid they'll be afraid of him again, so he tries to always make it clear what he's going to so. He feels awful for what he made them go through, and is trying to do better. He doesn't expect all of them to love him, but he'll always be there for them, as friendly and understanding as he could possibly be. As long as you dont mind his occasional hallucinations and episodes, of course, but no one in the family does.

[storm-priestess]

▪°•○♡ DETAILS ON YOUR NEXT ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP ♡○•°▪

(all pictures taken from weheartit)

○ Pile 1 ○

this person challenges you career-wise, as well as regarding your self worth

they will make you question why you let others treat you like shit, most likely at work, school, or in friendships

I'm getting that they give you pep talks, hype you up and remind you that you deserve to be respected and loved

very power couple vibes, albeit not super romantic, there's a lot of affection here

they'll support you through all the late nights stuck at the library or working overtime, cheering you on

this is extremely sweet :')

they like sending you messages when you're apart, letting you know that they're thinking of you <3

I can't get over how powerful this is, they truly help you see your inner light. whether this relationship lasts or not, you'll carry their influence with you forever and will never regret the time you spent with them, if only bc they helped you climb out of a dark space

they really, really care about your well-being, almost forcefully

VERY mulan and li shang vibe, although I get the sense you're a bit more nervous and self critical than mulan was in the movie

they're just so invested in you knowing your worth, it's beautiful

○ Pile 2 ○

whirlwind romance vibe, but I feel like your intentions are a bit mismatched. one of you is more interested in the romance and intrigue of it all, the other just a fun time

this could be on-and-off again, with one of you clinging onto the relationship a bit more emotionally than the other

a tendency to cling onto the other, trying to coerce them into putting more of themselves into the connection

regardless, this is a really fun time you guys have

towards the end things may get a little messy, but alongside the bomb sex the spontaneity permeates the rest of the relationship and you guys genuinely enjoy one another's company

I feel like it starts rather abruptly, and hinges on physical attraction to get the ball rolling. then you start texting, meeting up for casual dates/sex, etc, and then one of you catches a bit more intense feelings… (the other is still invested, just maybe not as… obsessed might be too strong of a word, but you get what I mean)

it does seem a bit unbalanced, but if you're honest about what you want out of the relationship you have a stronger chance of getting it. I do see evidence of effort coming from both sides to keep the relationship going, so hopefully you guys can find a peaceful balance that satisfies both of your needs

○ Pile 3 ○

this feels very different from the first two piles… I think this is more for just one person, or a small group of you. it feels like a personal reading

you're the enigmatic one in your friend group. you do what you want to do and are so charismatic that others follow you (not in a cultish way lol, they just love the fun that you incite. it's very sweet)

you've recently moved on from an ex or a crush that you pursued and their rejection bruised your ego a bit. you've just about recollected the rest of your diminished spark and are setting out anew, possibly determined to focus on yourself from now on

but you're met with a bunch of options… you've gained a lot of romantic attention and people are starting to come forward, or at least flirt a lil bit, shoot their shot, slide into dms, whatever

you're just focusing on your friends for now tho, no intentions of jumping right into a romantic relationship….

but it finds you. you don't even have to try

some of you… may realize things about your sexuality. you're attracted to a wider variety of people. that, and/or one of your close friends starts to look mighty interesting…

this is a deep connection. not just a fling or a gateway into discovering the depth of your sexuality, but a really beautiful pairing that means a lot to both of you

you might be at a party and drunkenly kiss your friend, only to laugh about it and carry on

but it becomes less funny later on

you won't be able to stop thinking about it

either that, or you're just hanging out with your friends and have a realization

regardless, this catches you completely off guard

this is really, really special

there's a lot more under the surface here, but it's not for me to convey. things are meant to unfold naturally from here on out. you also probably won't be able to get anymore information on this from other sources (pacs, youtube vids, etc). it feels a bit like the universe is wiping the dirt off their hands and being like 'there. I told you. figure the rest out yourself.'

take it one day at a time guys <3 everything will work out fine

[romanarose]

Hey, I love your HCs of the Triple Frontier boys <3 I was thinking about what are some of their hobbies/interests and what kind of music they like to listen to. What do you think?

excellant question nonnie!!! I have LOTS of hc's, thanks for asking!!!

Santiago Garcia

We know Santi loves Metallica

And the sountrack to TF has Fleetwood Mac and Bob Dylan

I think Santi just loves music! He flies a lot so he spends time listening to full albums.

He doesn't have a lot of free time

Despite everyones teasing, he's not here to fuck pretty women. He's here to work.

Still, despite onl a few personal items he does have his guitar. Plays it a lot.

It does help with women

When he was a kid he thought he'd become a singer, he loves Vicente Ferdanez and Juan Gabriel

Alas, for a poor immigrant family Santi couldn't abandon them to persu wishy-washy dreams, he needed to work. Hence the military.

Still, it makes him happy when he sit and play guitar, watching people smile.

He learns songs from all his friends and families favorite bands.

William Miller

Will hates modern country.

Growing up in the yee haw south I think he hates what it's become

Was not upset when Tobey Keith died at all, think he ruined the genre in the post-9/11 nationalism

He enjoys thegrassroots rock movement (springsteen, melloncamp, petty) and the blues.

Him and Santiago both love Fleetwood Mac. It combines Santi's love of rock and Will's love of the blues.

Enjoys jazz but also classical music. He has more interest in the instruments than the lyrics of music anyway.

Him and Frankie both love love love Johnny Cash (who doesn't?)

Will loves suduko

He loves things that calm his mind.

Will likes sports, it was how him and Ben spent a lot of time on the farm.

To this day he likes going out to play ball with Ben. It helps Benny with his ADHD.

Benjamin Miller

Benny does not find tossing a ball around or playing basketball helps his ADHD at all

What he does find is that is helps Will's obbsessive obsessive worrying about him.

So, in that sense, Ben likes it because 1. it's fun and 2. it's a rare chance where he can help Will. Will doesn't let people help him much

Benny looooooves trash TV

The Bachelor, Love after Lockup, Love is Blind

He likes shows he doesn'thave to pay a whole lot of attentionto.

Not that Benny isn't smart bc I haaaaate when people act like he isn't.

But with his ADHD (which I hc he has) he tends to have a lot of things going at once. He's not going to be able to sit down and fully commit to something like The Handmaid's Tale.

Will go head to head on country music with Will and Frankie

he likes the bro country like Florida Goergia Line, Jason Aldean

No one ever accussed him of great taste, okay?

He's here for a good time, not a long time.

He doesn't like the racist or anti-lgbt artists and won't give them his money for concerts

But you can't fauly him for getting don to Red Solo Cup

Also loves classic hair metal (wore an AC/DC shirt most of the movie)

Francisco Morales

Frankie loves country music and grunge

His favorite Benny singing tho

Favorite is anything Chris Cornell and I'll stand by that!!!

Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog, his solo work

Frankie is a busy man, but I like to think he likes lego's

He's an enginier, so you know he's a smart man. I bet he loves making lego sets come together

Frankie has very strong opinions on children's television.

Bubble Guppies > Paw Patrol

Hates Paw Patrol but his daughter likes Skye becuase she's a hellicopter/pilot dog so he allows it.

Loves being out in nature. He's trying ot instill a love of the outdoors in his daughter, but also loves pending time with the guy, or even by himself

When he's overwhelmed, Frankie likes to go for a walks in the woods.

Will fuck up a farmers market all DAY

Oddly enjoys mowing the lawn

My man is Hank Hill

"Why would anyone do drugs hen they could just mow their lawn."

Now that he's sober, he finds lawncare is a great way to distract himself while still being a present father. He can do that while his daughter plays.

******************

thank you so much for the ask!!!! i love chatting about my boys <3

[inchidentally]

Hi, can I ask you why you think Lando wants skinship with Oscar? Is it because he normally enjoys having a physical intimacy with those he is close to? I don't know much about him yet.

"I do however think it's driving Lando iNsAnE that Oscar has no concept of casual PDA."

oh babe what you'll start noticing more and more about Lando is that he's a little limpet. he's absolutely got his own personality and a stubborn streak that's all his own but he relaxes so much more when he can latch onto someone or a group of people. I think that's where Quadrant came from? it's a great business idea yes but it's also a handy way for him to keep that group of friends cohesive since they're all individually so busy and could easily lose touch. I've gone on and on about how much Lando needs friendships and reliable people in his life. a whole village really did raise Little Lando Norris. he's been wonderfully open about his own mental health and needing a strong reliable support system around him too.

I'm not sure if you know yet but Lando was always extremely small for his age and he's still pretty teeny (which tbh he kind of likes). he was so tiny and light that in karting ? I think it was karting where they had to literally velcro him into the seat because his whole body would fly out on the corners. this made all the adults and bigger kids treat him more like someone half his actual age and that included things like picking him up off the ground or holding and cuddling him protectively in a way that most boys his age wouldn't allow. I am a major carlando shipper but the actually sweeter reality is that Carlos (who's five years older than Lando) treated Lando like a little kid brother probably up until like last year?? honestly the entire grid does that with Lando when they get the chance. just this season we had Natalie Pinkham and Martin Brundle super concerned about him being too hard on himself and trying to get him to smile and chin up. like I say he can absolutely get stubborn and angry but there's definitely a softness to him that most guys lose by the time they're in their teens and twenties. it gets tricky sometimes bc fans occasionally forget that they don't personally know him and can cross boundaries easily.

and I think it's less that he needs the skinship with everyone and more that he associates hugs and cuddling and touch so closely with how people feel about him since nobody else holds back from it. Oscar's the only person who default respects Lando's space and won't push for more contact until he knows Lando better. it's true that Oscar isn't a big PDA guy even with his own long term gf but from his F2 and F3 videos we know he's totally comfortable with normal amounts of physicality when other people initiate it or the situation calls for it. his gf Lily always gives him big hugs after the races she attends and he looks so happy but I don't think they ever really kiss in public? it's just his/their way!

so I feel like Lando and Oscar are caught a little bit in a stand-off where Oscar doesn't presume he can just enter Lando's space whenever and Lando feels like maybe Oscar doesn't want to?? idk it's part of the like toothache sweetness of how they're figuring each other out. I feel like there's going to be a moment when Lando just like goes for it into Oscar's space one day and is like oh hey he didn't pull away!

[maggiedelusional]

Superstar (Part 1)

Pairing: Rooster x f!reader, (blink and you'll miss it, unrequited) Hangman x f!reader

Warnings: ANGST, good ending promise

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 19.7k (holy sh*t)

Summary:  “I’m no one special, just another wide eyed girl, who's desperately in love with you.”

OR 

Rooster is sure he's in love with this girl. Only problem is, he's never seen or face or know her name

No use of y/n

Based of off Superstar (Taylor's version) by Taylor Swift

Author's Note: It's me, Hi. This one shot is so freaking late y'all. In all honesty I started writing this August around the time I finished writing Naked, but life and school happened and now here we are. It felt amazing getting to stretch my writing skills again for anything other than research papers, and I'm on winter break so it seems as good a time as any. I'm not going to give anymore excuses, but I promise this is worth a read. This is the longest single piece of work I have ever written. It ended at 65 pages and almost 20k words in my drafts. Its so long that Tumblr won't let post the entire one shot in one post so im splitting it in two, but dw send part will be posted immediately after this is posted. I also didn't have anyone edit this, so I apologize for any grammatical errors (most likely tense consistency bcs i suck at those) I hope you all enjoy reading it as I did writing it and I hope it tide y'all over until I can write the next chapter of Let Me Go. Here is Superstar.

Bradley Bradshaw’s voice was an enigma to you. How could anyone's voice be so hoarse and yet so strong?

As an air traffic controller for the Navy, you’ve heard every type of voice imaginable. The gruff demanding ones from the Air Boss, the shrill screams of pilots having to eject due to a bird strike, the quiet dulcet tones of a shy WSO, and everything in between. 

The first time you heard his voice through the comms, you weren’t exactly starstruck per se, just a bit thrown off.

“This is Dagger 2, asking for clearance for take off.” 

It’s not like you didn’t know who the pilots flying this mission were. Everyone in the goddamn Navy knew who they were, they were the best of the best. 

You even saw their pictures. And thought some of them were cute (especially the one rocking the Miami Vice Stache). But hearing their voices was different from reading their files.

Though most of the details of the mission were classified, you had a basic idea and knew that there was a good chance that someone wasn’t coming home. 

“This is Dagger 2, asking for clearance for take off”

The voice repeated. You snapped out of your thoughts, the voice was smooth as honey and it had just a hint of fear but yet so heavily determined. Your heart really went out to the poor pilot. 

“Dagger 2, you’re clear for take off.” You said, trying to convey as much sympathy as you could in those words. 

The actual mission itself didn’t last longer than 3 minutes. Working for the navy, you should’ve been used to the high stakes situations that often go hand in hand with these kinds of assignments. But you couldn’t help but sit on the edge of your seat during the duration of the mission.

There were a few initial hiccups, you felt like you were watching a movie as you listened to the daggers communicate with one another. Their nervousness (and to be honest your own) upon seeing the SAMs and your both concern and irritation at Lieutenant Bradshaw’s cautiousness. 

Yes, his by the book and precise flying is part of the reason why he was considered one of the best, but if he didn’t throw that shit out of the window and speed up he will end up getting himself killed. And even though you didn’t necessarily know him, this possibility filled your body with so much dread.

You felt relieved (well only slightly, they hadn’t made it out of the woods just yet) when Rooster finally got out of his own head and sped up. The two miracles were successfully pulled off and the 4 jets had made it past Coffin Corner. Now it was a dogfight all the way home.

You commended just how level headed and pragmatic the pilots were as they evaded the SAMs and attacks that were thrusted upon them. You knew if you were in the same situation you would’ve panicked and blown up by now. Your admiration was interrupted by the mayday call of Captain Mitchell.

A heavy tension set in the control room, everyone was shocked at what just transpired. It was interrupted by the voices of the other daggers. Notably Lieutenant Bradshaw and Lieutenant Trace. 

Phoenix had announced that she and Lieutenant Floyd were heading back to home base, along with Payback and Fanboy. However, you were yet to hear confirmation from Rooster, with the last thing he said went along the lines of going after Maverick. 

You held your breath as you heard Admiral Simpson demanded his return. The control room was met with silence, and you knew exactly what he was going to do. 

It was less than 5 minutes when it was confirmed that Lieutenant Bradshaw’s plane had been shot down after attacking an enemy plane. His beacon went dark. 

Lieutenant Seresin requested clearance for take off but was rebuffed by the Air Boss. You had to take everything in you to not shed a tear.

A thick silence fell over the entire ship. The mission was technically a success but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on the solemn look on everyone’s faces. 

Even after the remaining daggers returned on the ship, no one wanted to leave the control room. The entire ship was at a standstill. 

That was until a beacon marked “Rooster” started beeping on the screen. 

No it couldn’t be.

“Sir, Rooster has gone supersonic.” You told Admiral Simpson with a gulp, trying to contain your hope. 

“An F-14 tomcat has been spotted sir.” Another ATC announced. 

“Maverick.” You heard someone say, not sure who but you did not care at that point. What’s important is that they were alive!

But it was not time to celebrate just yet. Two bogies were spotted alongside the F-14 Tomcat. And everyone knew this meant a dogfight was about to commence. 

The situation looked more and more grim. An ancient F-14 against Fifth Gens? It was unlikely for the two pilots to make it out unscathed yet alone alive.

But by some grace of God (or possibly Maverick’s unbeatable skill, probably both) they managed to take down two bogies. 

Rooster managed to turn on the plane’s radio to contact the ship. You felt relief which was instantly thwarted by the news that there was still one Fifth Gen, directly in front of the plane. 

You knew they needed help. You looked at Admiral Simpson desperately, hoping that he would allow the Reserve Dagger to go assist. But Cyclone seemed frozen and you knew you had to take matters into your own hands.

“Dagger Reserve, are you ready for liftoff?” You spoke into the mic, the other people in the control room looked at you in shock.

“Finally!” The elated voice of Hangman came through the comms.

Admiral Simpson shot you a hard glare, if only looks could kill, you’d probably be as screwed as Maverick and Rooster. But you knew you had to do something. 

“Yes this is Dagger Reserve asking clearance for takeoff.” 

“Dagger Reserve, you are clear for takeoff. Bring our boys home.” You said with a small smile, if you get fired and discharged, possibly thrown into the ocean it’ll be worth it knowing what you did to save the aviators.

Hangman shot down the Fifth Gen with ease, earning him his second confirmed air combat kill. You knew that the other pilots would never hear the end of it. But all you cared about is he saved HIM.

Rooster’s laugh and banter with Hangman might’ve been the most wonderful sound you’ve ever heard. 

Seeing him on the tarmac reunited with the rest of his team had to be one of the highlights of your career with the Navy, if this was the last moment you had in the branch then you were perfectly content. 

“What you did was reckless insubordination! If there was another fifth Gen out there, we would’ve lost 3 of our best pilots and 2 planes worth millions of dollars!” Admiral Simpson had chastised you. 

“I have half a mind to dishonorably discharge you!” You 're ready to accept your punishment with grace. You were however surprised at his next words 

“But your actions saved 2 of our men.” He added with a gulp.

“You are clear from punishment, but DO NOT make this a habit!”

“Yes sir.” You told him with a steady voice.

“Thank you sir.”

“You are dismissed, go join the rest of the fleet.” He told you.

You ran down to celebrate the returning pilots, but so was everyone else. You could only see a glimpse of Captain Mitchell and Lieutenant Bradshaw past the dozens of bodies approaching to greet them. 

But even from where you were standing you could see the beaming smile and bright eyes of the mustached pilot. And from that exact moment you knew you were a goner. 

———————————————————————-

Next time you heard his voice was a few weeks post mission. Apparently he accepted a post to teach at Top Gun. 

You were decently shocked to learn that the team assembled for the mission decided to stay in Miramar. Especially since they basically got their pick of post anywhere in the world. 

But you figured Lieutenant Bradshaw, or rather Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw (remembering his promotion), decided to stay because of his recent reconciliation with Captain Mitchell. 

“This is Rooster asking for clearance for takeoff.” He said through the comms.

“You’re still here?” Shit. You did not mean to say that out loud. 

You heard back a chuckle from the pilot.

“Yes, I decided to stick around Fightertown for a little while.”

“Sorry sir.” You replied grateful that he couldn’t see the blush that was forming on your cheeks. 

“You are clear for takeoff.”

“Thanks sweetheart. Roger that.” You felt your cheeks grow hotter as he took off into the air. 

“ATC you still there?” He asked you once he was at cruising altitude. 

“Yes Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw, I am still here.” Hoping that he forgot your earlier words and needed something official. 

“Any reason why you were shocked at my staying?” He asked you.

You gulped at his question. Was this allowed? You’ve never had a pilot ask you a question before that didn’t pertain to instructions, both on the ground and in the air. 

After a breath you answered his question.

“I heard about your promotion, and the offer to be posted anywhere in the world. Just surprised you chose to stay here.”

“Sometimes a family is worth more than any accolade or prestigious post.” He told you. You could tell he really cared about Maverick, but was not sure about the history of that. 

Would asking him be crossing a line?

“Why do you stay in fightertown?” He asks you.

“Not for anything as noble as your reason Lieutenant Commander, just an assigned post.” 

“Well I hope you’re liking Miramar. Actually grew up here.” You were surprised that he was still speaking to you, considering he was in the sky for a reason, and normally pilots didn’t maintain this much conversation with Air Traffic Control.

“I really like it so far, having some trouble with making friends though.” You don’t know why you admitted this to him, especially through comms that other people are definitely listening in to. And especially to a Naval hero who definitely would have no interest in the life of a lowly ATC. 

“Well, consider me your first friend sweetheart.” He responded and he actually sounded genuine. You couldn’t help but smile at the aviator's words.

You were about to respond when you were interrupted by Hangman through the comms. 

“Usually I would encourage this, but you can flirt later, Rooster, we gotta shoot down Mav.”

Your little bubble had been burst as you remembered why you had to clear him for takeoff earlier.

“That’s my cue, talk to you later, friend.”

“Have a good exercise Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw.” You respond with a smile you know he’d never see. 

Your shift ended before they finished their exercise, so you didn’t get to give Rooster clearance to land (or maybe you just hoped to speak to him again). But from what you heard, it was the closest the team got to finally shooting down the infamous Captain. 

You knew that one day they could surpass the pilot, but you were glad that they were able to learn and grow (and stay) a little longer at Top Gun.

In an effort to make more friends you agreed to go out with some of your fellow ATCs that night. Which is how you ended up in a bar on the beach called ‘the Hard Deck’.

Your co-workers were nice enough, and you were honestly glad that you weren’t spending another night with a plate of pad Thai watching yet another crappy Netflix rom-com. 

Imagine your surprise when Rooster and his crew of pilots walked into the very same bar. They went straight to the pool tables and were currently arguing over who got to play first. 

“God definitely has favorites, because they are so fine.” Your co-worker Laura sighs. 

“I wanna climb Seresin like a tree.” She adds.

“I’m more of a Coyote and Payback kind of gal.” Your other co-worker Sara remarked. 

“But I wouldn’t kick Fanboy or Bob out of bed, they look like they know some tricks.” 

She said as she took another drink of her martini. You agreed with their judgements but couldn’t help but only have eyes for one of the pilots.

“Good choice.” Your other co-worker Lia tells you after following your gaze. 

“Bradshaw definitely takes the cake.” 

You blush upon being caught staring at Rooster. 

All your co-workers nodded in agreement with Lia. 

“He’s not as pretty as Hangman but he’s somehow more fuckable.” Laura comments. 

You couldn’t help but feel possessive as the other women also stared at Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw with hungry eyes. 

But it’s not like you had any right to that feeling, he wasn’t yours, he didn’t even know who you were. 

The conversation moved on to other topics, it could’ve been anything from the weather or the latest Naval gossip but you were only half paying attention. You were honestly just glad that they were done ogling a certain pilot. 

You really liked the Hard Deck. It was now clear that it was a Navy spot and it was really cool to see the usually serious people from work loosened up in civilian clothes. 

The night was bustling and while you were glad for some company, you couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. All these women knew each other and had all these little jokes with one another, and you were an outsider that had a bit of a neurotic streak.

You were wondering if this was a pity invite, and you were slowly leaning to a yes but you were already here, might as well make the best of it.

You prepared yourself to jump back into the conversation, when the music from the jukebox had abruptly stopped. And while the men booed, you saw that the women all stopped and stared at the piano. Or rather the person at the piano. 

Lo and behold, Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was seated at the decades old instrument, his fingers expertly playing an old Elton John hit. Of course he would have an affinity for the 80s, as shown by his mustache.

If you thought his speaking voice was beautiful, his singing voice was downright heavenly. He had this low tenor that was so strong and made “I’m still standing” sound sensual. How is that even possible?

Obviously you weren’t the only person that thought so, you saw women dancing in front of him, singing along and obviously trying to get his attention. 

For the other women (and some men) that weren’t, were singing along and staring, were all bewitched at the pilot’s skill. And really, who could blame them?

He had this air of confidence that even the cockiest of pilots could never compete with, he was a superstar. In the air and the ground. 

When he (sadly) finished his song, the entire bar cheered and chanted his name. He did a silly dance and seemed to have no care in the world.

You couldn’t help but fall for him a little more. 

——-——————————————————————

“This is Rooster, in the air calling for Air Traffic Control.”

You just started your shift less than 2 minutes ago and did not know that Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was already in the air.

“This is Air Traffic Control, what do you need, Lieutenant Commander?” You ansered, trying to keep your voice calm, hoping your little crush on the aviator wouldn’t show in your voice. 

“It’s you!” Rooster exclaimed.

“I’m not sure what you mean sir?”

“You’re the ATC from the other day? The one that agreed to be my friend.”

A blush crept onto your face, you were surprised he remembered your interaction. 

“Um yes sir.” 

“You got off the comm lines so quickly the other day. I didn’t get to invite you to hang out with me and meet some other new friends at the Hard Deck.” 

Your heart grew warm. He was serious? He wasn’t just trying to be polite?

“I was at the Hard Deck sir. Saw you there with your squadron.”

“Oh shit, really? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Seemed rude to just insert myself, sir.”

“Plus you seemed preoccupied with your adoring fans.” You said with a giggle. 

“It was an amazing performance.”

“Oh yeah? Are you a fan?” You heard him ask, already seeing his smirk in your mind. 

“Oh yeah definitely! Consider me the president of the fan club sir.” You quipped. 

“So what does the role of “president” entail?” 

“You know, make t-shirts, teach the Rooster 101 class, and of course host the weekly meeting where we talk about how hot and talented Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw is.”

“So you think I’m hot?”

Your face grew warm in response, and cursed yourself for accidentally flirting nonsensically. And prayed to whatever higher power that no one was currently listening to the comm line. 

“Oh um-.” You began to respond.

“No! Sir-…um I just…”

“You know it’s frowned upon to lie to your superiors.” He said in a serious tone.

“Oh no I’m so sorry sir, I didn’t mean to-“

“ATC….”He interrupts, with an inflection at the end of the last letter 

“Yes I think you’re hot Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw” You confessed with a gulp.

He let out a hearty chuckle.

You were completely mortified and you don’t think your face has ever been this hot before. If you thought you didn’t have a chance before, more so now. You were debating whether you should disconnect now and go back to your job (I mean this is technically your job, but not the flirting part). 

You were broken out of your inner debate by Rooster

“Thanks sweetheart.”

“You know you don’t have to keep calling me Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw right?”

“You can call me Rooster.”

You were thankful for the subject change. 

“Okay Lieutenant Comma-“

“Sorry, okay….Rooster.”

“Now that’s better.” He said with a slight laugh, you could already see his dazzling smile now.

“How about you ATC? What should I call you?”

“Oh you can call me-“ you began to say.

“This is Lieutenant Finch asking for clearance for takeoff.” You were cut off by the comm.

You sighed, back to real life. 

“I’m sorry Rooster, I got to go back to duty.”

You cut off the comm lines before he could respond.

————————————————————————

Next time you saw him, he was walking down a hallway with Lieutenant Commander Trace by his side. He was talking so animatedly, his hands waving around as he delivered his point.

It sounded like he was gushing about a tail spin maneuver that Maverick pulled off, and god he’s so beautiful. When he speaks it’s like you couldn’t help but listen. Hell! you bet a reading of the F-18 NATOPS would sound like absolute sin coming from his mouth. 

You were so caught up in his voice that you didn’t notice how close you were to passing him.

You felt your breath get caught in your throat as your shoulders brushed against his as you walked in the opposite direction. Even through your thick khakis, you can feel how muscular his shoulders were. Damn this man works out.

“Oops sorry ma’am” he stopped and turned to you. His eyes were concerned that he hurt you from a measly bump. This man could not be real.

“I didn't mean to bump you. And as put together as I seem to be, I am actually a huge klutz and a hazard to pretty girls.” He said with a chuckle and a wink.

You tried to respond to him, but only a squeak managed to leave your mouth. Starstruck that he’s speaking to you for the first time, not through a comm line. 

Wait and he called you pretty! You were now fighting a blush creeping on your cheeks. But to the two aviators it looked like you were not amused 

“Stop bothering her Rooster, she obviously has places to be.” Phoenix chastises him.

“I apologize for my bothersome friend.” She turned to say to you. And all your pathetic shy ass can do is nod.

“See you around! And sorry again!” Rooster says once more as Lieutenant Trace pulls him away and down the hallway. 

———————————-—————————————

Okay, you were not doing this on purpose, well sorta. Sometimes in the midst of your constant daydreaming, your subconscious kinda just takes the reins and dictates your actions. 

Which is how you found yourself coincidentally choosing a work schedule that lined up the most perfectly with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s flying times.

You hoped for another conversation with Rooster, hoping to redeem yourself from your words (or rather lack thereof) during the hallway debacle.

 But the Lieutenant Commander seemed very focused on the exercise that they’ve been working on for the past week and has not been speaking to you as much as of late.

You were of course sad, and you felt a pit in your stomach grow larger and larger each passing day that your conversations started and ended with “you’re cleared for takeoff”.

You almost wish that your stupid infatuation would go away so that you didn’t feel yourself crushed at the end of every single work day. 

But you would catch a glimpse of his smile on the tarmac and your heart would fill with so much longing once again. 

It had been almost a week since your last true interaction with the aviator, you were beyond pathetic at this point. 

At last, he finally called in after he was in the sky. 

“Is the president of my fan club there?” He called into the comms. 

Was he talking about you? I mean who else would he be talking about considering the topic of your conversation last time. 

Unless he talks to all the ATCs like this, flirting with them until they become flustered and red as a tomato. He’s probably done this with Sara, or Laura or even both! The thought filled your stomach with dread. Should you stay silent and pretend you didn’t hear him? Or maybe he actually needs something, it would be unprofessional of you to not help your superior or maybe-

“I know you’re there, I can hear you thinking”  

Rooster has a habit of breaking you out of your anxiety induced thoughts.

“Are you calling for me Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw?”

You heard him clear his throat, expectant.

“Oh I’m sorry, Rooster.” You corrected yourself.

“That’s better” He said with a chuckle. 

“Sorry I’ve been radio silent the past week sweetheart, have had a lot on my mind.” 

“You don’t have to apologize to me! You’re one of the greatest pilots in the world, no need to worry about me.” You assured him, and maybe you were a bit self-deprecating but it was true. 

“No need for all of that ATC, I’m just a guy in a plane. And were friends, remember?  It’s not fair of me to leave you in the dark.” 

Damn. AND he's humble? How can this man be anymore perfect?

“ Thank you Rooster.” You replied with a small smile.

“Sorry again for going ghost, this is a bit of a hard week for me” He continued.

In any normal circumstance, asking for elaboration would seem like prying, but your conversations with the Lieutenant commander have been less than normal as of late. You still had no clue where you got the courage to ask.

“Oh, why is that?”

“Wanna know all my secrets already sweetheart?” 

He somehow managed to avoid the question AND make you flustered. He’s good.

“How about I let you know my stories over dinner?”

You just felt your heart jump out of your chest and into another dimension. There’s no way THE Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was asking you out. 

This had to be some kind of game, one that he’s no doubt played a million times before. Rooster had no shortage of women who wanted him and the fact that he’s asking you out of all people was unbelievable. There was no way. 

“Um like a date?” You ask him nervously.

He chuckles at your response, amused at your edginess. But to you it sounded like the thunderclap before the lightning strike of rejection. 

You just wished he’d get on with it. Hoping he lets you down easy so you can move on from this crush and actually do your job.

“What else would I mean?” He finally responded.

Your entire body felt like a cracked glow stick. You felt bright and overheated, but also cold as ice as you’ve somehow lost feeling in your extremities.

So he was asking you out! You were determined to apologize for every time you’ve said God’s name in vain because if Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was asking you on a date, then there is no doubt that the higher power was real. 

But the reality of the situation had set in. If he was this quick to ask you out despite not knowing your name, or what you look like. What’s stopping him from changing his mind and moving on to the next ATC or bartender or crossing guard who gave him admiring attention just as quickly?

You came to a swift realization.

It was against your nature and your better judgment, as your heart was beating out the seams to say yes to Rooster’s invitation. But you had to be smart about this.

You had to play the game.

“I’m gonna have to say no sir.”  

You can feel the regret setting in already.

“Wow, I think that’s the first no I’ve gotten in…. That might be the first no I’ve ever gotten.”

Great, now you’ve bruised his ego, you had no idea if this tactic was working for or against you.

“Well, I think dinner might be a little further down the line, that’s if you think you can handle it?” You somehow gathered enough courage to (fake) confidently challenge Rooster.

“Oh is that so?” You can hear the intrigue in his voice through the line. 

“How about a phone number?” He offers amused

“Hmm… maybe THAT  I can agree with.” You responded matching his playful tone.

“In one condition.” 

“Oh yeah? And what is that sweetheart?” 

“Shoot down Maverick in the drill today.”

“Is that it? I can do that, easy.” There was the cockiness the top gun pilots were famous for.

“That’s funny, considering you haven’t been able to do it in the past 3 weeks.” You jested.

“Ouch, first you reject my invitation, and now you insult my skill? Way to kick a man while he’s already down sweetheart.” He grimaced playfully.

“Gotta give you some kind of challenge sir.” You couldn't hold back the giggle forming in your throat. 

“Okay deal, anything to hear that laugh again, outside of these comm lines.” He chuckled.

Oh shit. You completely forgot that you are flirting with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw though a military operated and very public comm line.

“I was wondering when the two of were going to remember the rest of us can hear EVERYTHING.” You heard the voice of Lieutenant Commander Seresin chortle.

You felt your ears burn red in embarrassment. 

“Getting rejected over comms Bradley? And here I thought you had game.” Captain Mitchell added. Both of them were laughing at their fellow aviator. 

“See what I mean sweetheart? I promise I’m a much better conversationalist when these assholes aren’t around.” Bradley insulted the other two pilots. 

“Don’t listen to him ATC, I’ve known him since he was still in diapers , and I promise you, this is as good as he’s gonna get.” Captain Mitchell remarked to you. 

“Don’t think I’m gonna go easy on him for you either.” He added jokingly. 

“Trust me Captain Mitchell, I’m counting on it.” You replied with equal fervor. Maverick responded with a playful tone.

“Sounds good ma’am, hope I don’t disappoint .”

“I’m going to get into position, You two can join me once Bradley is done with his disastrous flirting.” He added before going radio silent, lifting his jet to prepare for the dogfight. 

“Hypothetically, if I shoot down Mav, do I get your number?” Hangman teased. 

“Walk the walk first, and maybe I’ll consider it.” You quipped, but you knew that the only aviator you’d want to give your number to was Rooster. 

“Good enough for me.” Hangman replied. 

“Watch me beat you Rooster, in the drill and with the girl.” Hangman chuckled playfully before going radio silent, presumably getting into position.

“Double timing me with Hangman sweetheart? Now thats a killing blow.” Rooster smiled, slightly annoyed at your flirtatious exchange with Seresin but happy that it was just the two of you once again. 

“You know how bumptious Lieutenant Commander Seresin can be. I just said it to get rid of him.” You explained. 

“Now for you, I am completely serious. Shoot down Mav and you got yourself a phone number.”

“Yours right?” He asked.

You let out a hearty laugh, one that had caused the other ATC’s currently in the control tower to look at you with concerned expressions. 

“Yes. Mine.”

“You never know, you could very well give me Admiral Bates’ number. I just wanted to make sure.” He replied.

“Plus its always a bonus to hear you laugh.”

This man never seemed to run out of lines. You had to hold yourself back from melting into a puddle in your seat.

“Well lets see what you got then Lieutenant Commander.” Was the last thing you said as he finally went back up to position. 

As much as you wanted to stay tuned into the dogfight like you were a suburban dad cheering on their favorite football team, you did actually have a job to do. 

You were in the middle of analyzing flight patterns and putting together a presentation for your co-workers when you heard the sudden call on your headset.

“Hello, this is air traffic control.”

You were greeted with a loud thunderous cheer. 

“I did it ATC! I shot down Mav.” Rooster howled.

“Is this true Lieutenant Commander Seresin?” You asked Hangman.

“As much as I tried to sabotage him, yes Rooster did somehow managed to shoot down the old-timer.” Hangman confirmed with a groan.

Shit. Now you have to actually give your number to Rooster.

“Soooo ATC, I’m waiting for the magic numbers.” You could already see the victory smirk on his face. 

“Ughhh fine a deal is a deal. But I am not going to give out my private phone number on a monitored line. I’m just gonna have to get it to you another way.”

“Okay fair enough. How are you gonna do that?” Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw queried. 

“Don’t worry about it, just know you’ll get it.”

“Or you know you can just give it to me face to fa-.”

“Goodbye Rooster.” You interrupted and dropped the line before he could continue. 

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

You honestly did not know how you were going to get your number to Rooster. You wouldn’t dare to see him face to face. He’ll take one look at you and know that you were nothing special and he’d lose interest. The only reason he was this enthralled was because you were a mystery to him. 

You could always go back on your deal and tell him you were kidding about the number, but you knew that was an asshole move and you were not the type to break agreements. You had to figure out how to get that number to him without him seeing you. 

At least then you can speak to him and possibly flirt with him for a little longer before he inevitably loses interest..

You were sat in the comm tower, your head resting on the back of your hand, watching Rooster joke around with Mav and Hangman down in the tarmac beside their F-18s. Even from all the way up here you can see how bright his smile was. He was so beautiful. 

You were snapped out of your admiration by the three aviators walking off the tarmac, probably to rest and sit with the other pilots in the hangar. You saw your window of opportunity, in the form of (no pun intended) Rooster’s open canopy on his jet. 

If you could sneak down there and place a piece of paper with your number on his dash then you would have fulfilled your side of the deal. 

If anyone were to ask, you were not a stalker, you were just very observant, especially if you’ve been watching these pilots for the better part of the last few weeks and knew that they were going to spend at least the next 15 minutes in the hangar until they returned to the tarmac. You had to make your move NOW.

You scribbled your number onto a piece of discarded paper.

“I’m taking a 10!” You announced to the control room before running out clutching the note to your chest. 

You quickly ran down from the tower and quickly onto the tarmac, making sure to duck and turn your head away as you passed the hangar (just in case). 

You couldn’t remember the last time you ran this fast, probably not since basic training. You quickly manuevered around all the F-18s until you reached the one marked with the label LCDR Bradley Bradshaw “Rooster”. You’ve never seen his jet this up close, you wanted desperately to run your hand through the marking of his name, to touch something that he has. 

No. You have to remember you’re here on a time-constrained mission, and you had to get out of here not only  before the pilots come out, but also before anyone in the comm tower can spot you down here. 

You quickly flung yourself up the ladder up to cockpit of the jet and trying to place the piece of paper as rapidly and as gently as you could on the dash. When you finally let go of the paper and saw that it was securely in place, you hopped off the tiny ass ladder and started to speed walk back to the direction of the comm tower. 

Your heart was beating a million times per minute and you did it without anyone seeing you. You could see the door to the tower in the distance, and were beelining towards it. That’s until you heard a clear 

“HEY!” Coming from behind you. 

You turned around and were greeted by the suspect face of Lieutenant Commander Seresin. He was standing probably a good 25 feet away and slowly walking towards you.

“Who are you? What are doing down here?” 

You had to think of an excuse fast, with as little words spoken as possible. You couldn’t risk him recognizing your voice and telling Rooster. Then all of this would be over too soon. 

“Just routine inspection!” You tell him, making your voice higher and hopefully indiscernible from your normal speaking voice. 

“Goodbye!” You waved at him before sprinting away and around the tower so he couldn’t see that you were going into the comm room. 

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

As much as you'd like to think that you successfully made it down and back from the tarmac completely undetected, you knew that running into Hangman could’ve ended disastrously. You needed to learn to be more careful especially now that your number could possibly already be in Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s possession. Which means you have to commit to this game. 

You put your number in his plane almost 11 hours ago and even though the work day has long ended, and you knew that the pilots leave together at around 5pm and would inevitably end up at the Hard Deck for a few hours. 

However it is now nearing 11pm and you still had no notification from anyone other than your mom. No texts, no calls, just email alerts and a few instagram DMs from some old high school friends. 

You sighed as you stared at the clock. Maybe he didn’t see the paper? Or he’s still at the Hard Deck?

You knew neither was unlikely because the dagger squad flew out and ran a few more drills later in the day so was in his jet and all the Navy men (or rather the disciplined ones) promptly left the bar at 10pm to prepare for their early work days. 

He could’ve and should’ve contacted you by now.

But what did you really expect? That he was going to drop everything and call a random ATC that he had a few indecorous conversations with. 

You definitely let this fake confidence build up too much in your head. You had to remember your place. Because who are you other than just a girl, when he was one of the superstar’s of the Navy? The frontliner and the apple of all the admirals’ eyes. 

You see the clock flashing 11:15pm and you had a shift early in the morning. There was no use continuing to feel sorry for yourself. Some sleep would do you some good, and hopefully avoid the waterworks that would inevitably come.

You were well on your way to slipping into a deep slumber when you heard the loud text tone originating from your phone. 

Unknown Number: Sorry I didn’t get to talk to you today sweetheart. I hope I get the chance soon. Sweet dreams :) 

——————-————————————————————————

There must have been some sickness barreling through the base because the normally filled comm room was empty except for you manning the main desk. 

Being solo wasn’t too bad, as there weren’t too many pilots scheduled to fly today.

Of course one of them being Rooster. 

“Miramar Tower, F/A-18E Super Hornet , 10 southwest at 2,500, inbound for landing “ 

Speak of the devil, and he shall come

“F/A-18E Super Hornet , Miramar Tower, report entering left downwind Runway 24R.” You responded, keeping yourself professional despite feeling the butterflies in your stomach beating your ass upon hearing his voice.

“Report entering left downwind, F/A-18E Super Hornet . . . . “ He responded before adding

“F/A-18E Super Hornet entering left downwind Runway 24R.”

He was all business today, with absolutely no hint of the usual playfulness in his voice. 

“Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw, you are cleared to land Runway 24R.”

He let out a slight growl, one you would miss if you weren’t listening so intently.

He hesitated for a moment before finally responding. 

“Cleared to land Runway 24R, F/A-18E Super Hornet “ 

You saw his jet successfully land and reached for the button to disconnect when you heard Rooster’s voice flood your headphones once again.

“Do you remember what I said about calling me ‘Lieutenant Commander’ sweetheart?” He asks steely.

Fuck, he sounds so sexy when he’s stern. No man’s voice has ever had this effect on you. 

“Yes sir, Rooster.” You said with a longing breath.

You curse yourself for being incapable of being subtle.

“Normally I would say no ‘sir’ just ‘Rooster’, but I’ll allow it. Only because it sounds so good coming from your mouth.”

Holy shit. And you thought you weren’t subtle, you were usually clueless when it came to men flirting but even you could read that loud and clear. 

“You sure you want to be hitting on me over comms SIR?” you said purring 

“Would you rather me come up there sweetheart? So I can do it face-to-face” He said with the same gruffness. You can see him glancing up to the tower as he lifted his canopy and exited his plane.

“I dare you Lieutenant Commander.” You replied matching his salacious tone. 

“Gonna have to teach you a lesson don’t I?.” The connection cuts off as he removes his helmet and rushes up to the tower. 

You couldn’t hear anything over the sound of your pounding heartbeat, there is no way you just invited Rooster up to the comm room. 

It couldn’t have been more than 2 minutes when you heard the door burst open and saw Rooster enter, his skin still glistening from sweating under the California sun. 

He looked like a Greek god, and you had to stop your jaw from physically dropping at the sight of him. 

“Finally done hiding from me sweetheart?” He greeted you teasingly. 

You slowly approached one another. You opened your mouth to respond with a flirty response but the words seemed to be stuck in your throat. 

You didn’t even notice how close you were to him. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. You were staring straight ahead and avoiding his gaze. Choosing to maintain eye contact with the lowered zipper of his flight suit. Giving you a glimpse of the hard planes of his chest underneath. 

Your breath hitched as you felt him grab you by the waist and pull you bodies together. His hands felt so hot on your body and you still couldn’t bring yourself to look up into his gaze.

That is until he placed a hand on your chin and gently pulled it up to look into your eyes. 

“Don’t tell me you’re all shy now sweetheart?” He said with a smirk and he tugged your bodies closer. 

“Where’s all that talk from earlier?” He whispered as he kissed the skin beneath your ear, before moving his lips to your jaw and leaving soft caressing kisses trailing down your jaw, down to where your neck meets your collarbone

Okay, you have definitely lost the ability to breathe, let alone to speak several moments ago. If he wasn’t currently holding you so tightly your legs would’ve given out from under you.

All you could feel was him and all your mind can think of is Rooster. Rooster. Rooster. 

He finally brought his head back up and stared at your lips. He licked his before he finally closed the distance between you and-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

You woke up in your bed in a cold sweat. 

Holy shit, it was just a dream. It felt so real. 

You could’ve sworn you could still feel his hand gripping on your waist and his hot breath on your ear. 

You glanced at your alarm clock to see that you overslept by 30 minutes! 

You quickly got up and got ready, you swear to God you had never gotten ready faster in your life. But you still managed to be 15 minutes late. 

Your supervisor was not happy. But you were normally punctual so they allowed you this one oversight. As long as you swore to never repeat it again. 

You finally caught your breath and settled in your station. You were relieved that you didn’t miss too much. 

But since you were late Rooster was assigned to a different ATC on his flight plan for the day. 

This did make you sad but in a way maybe it was necessary for today. 

First because you could not possibly hold a conversation with him after the erotic dream that you still hadn't physically recovered from, and second because you were actually becoming pathetic.

You had set 4 simple rules for yourself when you joined the Navy

Stay Focused

Always be punctual

Sleep early to be well rested, and most importantly

Do not get involved with Navy men. 

You somehow managed to break all rules in the last few weeks. 

You had a wet dream that caused you to break your perfect punctuality streak. A dream that was about a certain pilot that caused you to stay up late and has spent the better part of a month distracting you.

For the lack of better phrasing, you really needed to get your shit together.

But when you stepped into the mess hall after a fairly productive half of a day, and saw his face, you remembered just why you were so enamored. 

A smile from him was worth breaking the rules you set for yourself. 

——————————————————————————————-

You were probably home for less than 10 minutes when you heard the text notification coming from the living room.

You wiped your hands on a dish rag and walked out of the kitchen to grab your phone, which you almost dropped upon seeing who the text came from. 

The text last night was completely unexpected and was definitely part of the reason why Rooster somehow made it into your dream. And even though you were half asleep at the time, you managed to save his number under “Rooster ✈️🐔”. 

Which is how you knew you were staring at a text from said aviator. 

Rooster ✈️🐔: Missed you today :(

You have been carefully analyzing the text for the last 30 seconds you laid eyes on it. He missed you??? What does that mean? He had your number for the better part of two days and he only managed to contact you when you were almost asleep, and after a day of ignoring him. 

Asking him what he meant would be too obvious and would make you come out as naïve. So you did what any rational woman with a crush would do. Deflect.

You: Do you have a problem with emojis or something?

Rooster ✈️🐔: Huh? What do you mean? 

You: I can’t remember the last time I saw someone use emoticons unironically. 

Rooster ✈️🐔: Are you making fun of me? I personally think emoticons are neat

Rooster ✈️🐔: And I don’t know how to download emojis :/

You felt like a schoolgirl as you felt your face break into a grin at his antics. 

You were formulating a reply when you were interrupted by the screen indicating an incoming call from Rooster ✈️🐔.

You stared at your phone in panic and let it continue to ring. Holy shit he was calling you. At least in text you can formulate a plan and have a carefully crafted response. You did not have that luxury with a voice call. 

But what are you going to do? Ignore it? 

You had to make a decision fast. Okay yes, it will be a little more nerve wracking to speak on a voice call but that's better than nothing right? And you spoke to him all the time over comms, even though technically it is different because those conversations can be hidden under the guise of carrying out your job and you did not have that safety net in this situation.

After a few seconds you thought “Fuck it” and pressed the green button. 

“Hi” You answered with a breath. 

“Oh thank god, you actually answered” He responded, teasing relief in his voice.

“What? You thought I wouldn’t?” You asked him as if it was the most outlandish thing in the world (even you were seriously debating it less than a minute ago). 

“Well lets look at the track record, you rejected my dinner invite, doubted my skill as a world class pilot, left me on read last night, and just made fun of my emoticons.”

“The signs were all pointing there.” 

You bursted out in laughter at his rantings.

“Wow! And now you’re laughing at my misery, a man just can’t win with you can they sweetheart?” He feigned hurt. 

“I’m sorry Lieutenant Commander, I didn’t realize it was so easy to hurt your feelings.” You teased him. 

“AND were back to Lieutenant Commander? You do not pull your punches, do you?”

“I’d like to think we’re past all those formalities, outside of work please call me Rooster, or rather yet, call me Bradley.” He asserted. 

“Sometimes I forget your full god given name is Bradley Bradshaw. Brad Brad. I’m making that your name on my phone” You continued to tease with a giggle.

“Did your parents know what they were subjecting you to?” 

“Ha Ha very funny, unfortunately they were the main ones who made the Brad Brad joke.” He admitted dejected. 

This caused you to laugh again.

“Hey this is not fair! I don’t even know your name to make fun of.” You could practically hear the pout in his voice.

“You know I’m gonna find out your name eventually sweetheart, so why don’t you just give it up now?”

“But where’s the fun in that?”

You wanted to finally tell him your name, you did. But that just opens a can of worms that would lead to reality, which you were not yet ready to face.

“I can’t call you ATC forever sweetheart..”

“Well.. what do you want to call me?” 

“Preferably your name?” He suggested.

“You only get one chance to choose so try again.” You warned. 

“And make it good”

“Okay fine I’ll bite.” He finally gave in.

“Lets see, what to call you….”

“Well you laugh a lot, and most of the time at me, so I think I want to use something related to that.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so easy to make fun of.” You quipped.

“Fair enough. Just know I only let you because I actually like the sound of your laugh.”

You felt the blush creep onto your cheeks again.

“Clock is ticking, and you’re wasting your time flirting. What is it gonna be?” You goaded him.

“Okay Okay, but don’t think I won’t continue later.”

“I have no doubt about it” 

“So something pertaining laughing…hmmm. Giggles?” 

“If you call me Giggles, I’m hanging up and blocking you.” You threaten him. 

He responded with his own laugh, and god if you didn’t love his as much as he claimed to like yours.

“Chuckles?”

“I prefered Giggles.” You grimaced

“Merry?” 

“Too Christmas-y”

“Chirpy?”

“That sounds like a name for a bird or something you’d call your grandma. How are you so bad at this?”

“I’m trying!”

“Try to pick something better than all of those please, and do it in the next 30 seconds or I revoke your naming permissions.”

“Fine…Okay! I got it!”

“Cloud!” 

“Cloud?” You asked

“Yes! Like flying on Cloud 9!”

His selection brought a smile to your face. You pretended to think on it.

“It’s acceptable.”

“Yes!” 

“See? I’m not completely useless, and it fits because I’m flying on Cloud 9 whenever I know you’re my ATC.”

His admission caused your breath to catch in your throat. He really did know how to make a girl feel special, even though you knew you had no actual chance with him in the real world.

“I bet you say that to all the ATCs.”

“Well they are responsible for making sure that I don’t crash into other planes on the runway. Gotta keep them happy somehow”

You laugh at his joke, but holding some sadness because even though he was joking, in a way it felt like it held some truth. 

“But seriously, you have no idea how much joy you brought me yesterday. Both with our conversation and seeing that you actually gave me your number. Which is why I was really sad that you weren’t my ATC today.” 

He sounded sincere, but you tried to keep yourself from taking his lines to heart. 

You smiled. 

“Speaking of your number, how the hell did you get that piece of paper into my dash?”

“There was no one else I saw near my jet except my squad and they were with me the entire time. When did you manage to do it?”

“A girl doesn’t reveal her secrets Rooster.” You jested

“Speaking of secrets, pray tell why it took you over twelve hours to use it?” You asked him, you had to know.

“Yeah, sorry about that late text sweetheart… I stayed out at the Hard Deck with Mav a little later than usual. It was my dad’s death anniversary and I honestly spent most of the day sulking and dreading leaving my apartment.”

“Oh.. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” You responded sympathetically, now feeling guilty at asking such an intrusive question. 

“No worries sweetheart, the minute I heard your voice on comms, it brightened my day, even more so when you gave me your number.”

“So thank you for the boost and the motivation to finally kick Mav’s ass in the sky.”

Your heart felt warm hearing that you had that effect on him, you woul’ve believed his words if you didn’t know better.

“You’re welcome Bradley.” You finally called him by his real first name, admittedly it felt right coming from your mouth.

You both sat in comfortable silence when you were interrupted by the smoke alarm in your kitchen. It hit you that your dinner was left on the stove forgetten during your conversation with Bradley.

“Oh shit, I’m pretty sure I just burnt my dinner. I gotta go before I set my entire apartment on fire.”

Bradley chuckled at your unintentional lapse of memory.

“Okay sweetheart I’ll talk to you soon.”

You ended the call. 

You managed to clear out the smoke out of your apartment, but unfortunately did not save your chicken. 

You had to settle for a frozen hot pocket that had been in your freezer for God know how long, but hey it did the job and beggars can’t be choosers. 

You felt the tiredness from the busy workday hit you and you decided it was a good idea to turn in early. You showered and finished your nighttime routine and settled into your bed with your phone on your nightstand.

Your phone flashed once again to signal a text. Apparently, Rooster had the same idea about an early night. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Goodnight Cloud <3 I’ll talk to you tomorrow

You: Goodnight Bradley :)

——————————————————————————————-

You were honestly pleasantly surprised at how consistently you and Bradley communicated. 

It followed the same schedule. During the days, you were usually his ATC so he would of course flirt with you over comms, and you’d try to maintain come decorum of professionalism, but would eventually flirt black. Persistence is key and Bradley is nothing if not persistent. 

When he wasn’t in the air during work hours he would sneakily text you his little random thoughts he had during the day. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Have you ever noticed how small Hangman’s mouth is?

You: What?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: No seriously look at it. His mouth is always scrunched up even when he smiles.

You: Why are you staring at Hangman’s mouth?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: We’ve been stuck in this meeting and he keeps chewing that stupid toothpick, its distracting.

You: Didn’t realize you had a thing for Seresin, Brad Brad? 🤔

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: ???????

You: You just said his mouth is distracting

You: Its okay Rooster, just say you wanna kiss him, the tension between you is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: I don’t want to kiss Hangman >:( 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: You wanna know who I do wanna kiss though? 

You: Let me guess…..

You: Bob! 

You: Or better yet, Cyclone 🤪

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: No :(((

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: I wanna kiss you

You: Let’s Play 8 Ball!

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Ha ha you’re hilarious

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: If I beat you then can I get a kiss?

Read 2:13pm

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Ouch :(

On weekday nights where he didn’t go to the Hard Deck, you would have your nightly phone call at 7:30pm sharp where you would both stay on the phone while you both cooked dinner. You would catch up on the little things during the day that you didn’t text about and just mostly got to know one another.

You can admit that yes, what initially drew you to Rooster was his beautiful smile and his skill as a pilot. But the more you spoke to him the more you saw not just Lieutenant Commander “Rooster” Bradshaw. But you also saw Bradley.

You quickly saw that he was kind, humble, and so caring of others. 

“Hey Cloud,  I’m sorry for calling you so late.” You noticed his tone was more solemn than usual and checked the time, it was nearing 8pm.

“It’s fine Bradley, you’re not that late.”

“What’s wrong?” You asked him.

“Payback and Fanboy flew into a jetwash today….”

“They had to eject.” He answered dejectedly

“I heard about that. Are they okay?”

 Laura told you about the incident a little earlier, she was the ATC for the flight. The ear-splitting static that hit her headset after the aircraft collided with the ground was enough to shake even the most experienced ATC. So you couldn’t imagine being the pilot and the WSO in that situation. 

“They’re at the hospital overnight for observation. I stuck around to make sure they were okay.” 

It was very strange for you to hear Rooster so despondent. You knew he cared about his friends, and he would do anything for them, but it felt like there was more to the situation. 

“You’re very thoughtful for that Bradley.. I’m sure they appreciated it”

“It was my fault, Cloud.” he confessed. 

You were taken aback at his admittance, but you would’ve heard if there was someone that was directly responsible for the accident, it involved aircraft worth millions of dollars after all. 

“They flew into my jetwash.” 

“Bradley, that wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have controlled their flight path.” You tried to reassure him.

“But I shouldn’t have been so reckless!” He exclaimed. 

“If I wasn’t so busy trying to outdo Coyote, I wouldn’t have almost hit a bird strike and had to slow down, and they wouldn't have gotten caught in the wash.”

You didn’t want to tell him he was being irrational for blaming himself for a situation that was clearly out of his hands, you knew there was something more there. 

“But they’re fine right? Everyone is okay. No one was seriously hurt.” You explained to him.

“Yeah no one got hurt….THIS time.” 

His statement piqued your interest, you were getting somewhere.

“What do you mean?” 

He sighed, finally letting go of the pretenses. 

“That’s how my dad died.” He confessed.

In a way you knew about LTJG Nick Bradshaw and his untimely death during his Top Gun training, but none of the sordid details. It felt disrespectful to dig into Rooster’s family without him knowing. 

“Oh..” You couldn’t think of what to say. 

“He and Mav flew into a jetwash and when they ejected…my dad hit his head on the canopy. Dead on impact.”

You kicked yourself for thinking he was being irrational. Now all his self blame and his aversion to throwing caution to the wind while flying finally made sense. It also made his relationship with Maverick a lot clearer to you. 

On one hand, you were thrilled that he was confiding in you. But on the other hand you were also heartbroken for Bradley, he lost his dad so young and as much as you wanted to hug him, and let him cry on your shoulder, you couldn’t. 

“Were you close?” You settled on asking him. 

“We were, he’s the reason why I worked so hard to be where I am now.” He reminisced. 

“I’m sure he is very proud of you Bradley. You are not only an incredible pilot, you are also an selfless, caring, and incredible man.” You reminded him. 

“He would give all the credit to my mom.” He lightly chuckled. 

“She raised me alone after my dad died.”

“She never remarried?” You asked

“No, she said that dad was her soulmate. She would never find another man like him.”

You can tell how much love Bradley had for his parents, and the love they shared for one another. 

“It sounds like they were really in love.” You smiled 

“They were. My dad would always serenade my mom. He loved the 50s and the 60s so everytime he saw a piano he would wail out ‘Great Balls of Fire’ while my mom would act embarrassed, but she would eventually sit on his lap and sing along.” 

“That’s beautiful Brad, they really were soulmates.”

“I hope I can find a love like theirs someday.” You sighed dreamily. 

“Who knows? Maybe you already have.” He responds softly.

A comfortable silence settled between you for a few moments. 

“Hey Cloud”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime Bradley.”

You noticed that it was now getting late and exhaustion was starting to take over your body.

Bradley seemed to notice this as well.

“Do you think I can sing to you Cloud? Like my dad used to with my mom?” 

“I would love that Brad.” 

You slowly fell asleep to the sound of his voice singing ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You’.

And like that, there was no denying, that you’re falling even deeper.

——————————————————————————————-

You don’t know how much longer you can keep this up. It has been months since you and Rooster started talking regularly and you couldn’t help falling in love with him a little more everyday. 

The problem is, you knew that his patience was wearing thin, as he was asking you more and more frequently when he can see you face to face or even know your real name.

You knew you owe him all of that, but how could you tell him? When you know in your heart that once he sees you and knows you. He would know you weren’t worth his time. 

That realization kills you because he means everything to you. You’ve shared your hobbies, your stories, your dreams with him. 

How can you go on living without him in your life once you know the feeling of him being there. 

He has planted himself a permanent spot in your heart, and once he’s gone, there will be a gaping hole left in his wake. 

He was being as kind and as patient with you as he could, but you couldn’t blame his growing anxiety about your identity. 

It also didn’t help that you were constantly under the scrutinous eyes of Lieutenant Commander Seresin. After he caught you on the Tarmac, he seemed very suspicious of you. Like he knew you were up to something but just couldn’t put his finger on it. 

Luckily you’ve been able to fly under the radar around him. Yes he could be a little ignorant and too much of a flirt for his own good but he was smart as a whip and you knew that if anyone could figure out what you were doing it would be him. 

You were currently sat with ATCs in the mess hall, on the other side of the room from where the dagger squad has decided to congregate. You were trying to subtly sneak glances at Bradley. 

He looked particularly handsome today, his sandy hair was slicked back and his tanned skin glowing. He even had his signature Ray Ban Caravans on. You normally hate when people wear sunglasses indoors but he made it work without looking like an asshole. And it looks damn good on him. 

You sighed and as you moved your focus away to not arouse suspicion you noticed Hangman look at you with narrowed eyes. You pretended not to notice. 

Your attention was diverted by the vibration of you phone signaling a notification. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Is potato salad supposed to be green?

You smiled when you saw it was a text from Bradley

You: Depends, do you normally eat 2 week old potato salad?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Mav said it was okay :(

You: Mav also thinks anything not cooked in a microwave is gourmet.

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Okay fair, its going into the trash. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: You know what is gourmet though? ;)

You: Mav

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Not funny :(

You tried to hold in your laughter to no avail and it was loud enough for the other ATC s to look at you in confusion. 

“Sorry, just saw a funny meme.” You explained, the ATCs accepted this explanation and went back to their previous activities. 

You looked up again to catch another glimpse at Rooster when you saw Hangman staring at your phone in your hand with wide eyes. Then looked down at Rooster also smiling down at his own phone, and then back at you. 

You could see the wheels in his head turning, and then he made a face that made it clear that he connected the dots. 

Oh shit. You had to get out of here.

You quickly packed up your food and sat up, not bothering to say goodbye to your fellow ATCs. 

You ran out the mess hall and down the hallway but before you could turn the corner a hand pulls you back. 

You are now face to face with Lieutenant Commander Seresin. He looked at you for a few seconds 

“You’re Air Traffic Control right?” he asked you with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes sir I am.” You said trying to disguise your voice the same as you did on the tarmac. 

“Don’t play games with me honey, I know that’s not your real voice.” You gulped 

He still had a grip on your arm so you couldn’t run even if you wanted to. Curse these Navy men and their workout routines. 

“Tell me your name, and that’s an order.” 

You were sweating under his gaze, you’ve never felt more panicked in your life.

You tell him your name in your real voice. 

He finally released his grip on you and also seemed to drop his serious demeanor. 

“I knew there was something about you! You’re the ATC that old chicken has been flirting with over comms aren’t you??”

You nod looking down at your feet. Damn it, there goes your whole relationship (if you can even call it that) with Rooster, because Hangman is definitely going to rat you out. 

“You see, Rooster was telling the squad that he was in love. And so of course we ask him who she is.” 

“But how surprising was it when he said that not only has he never seen her face to face, he doesn’t even know her name.” 

He was now pacing up and down the hallway. 

“Then I remembered that day where he bet you your number if he shot down Mav, he magically got a piece of paper with a number on his dash seemingly coming from nowhere.” 

“But it wasn’t a magic trick at all, was it?” He asked you rhetorically.

“No sir.”

“Exactly! Because I caught you sneaking off the Tarmac moments before Rooster jumped into his plane and happily announcing that he got your phone number.” 

“I saw your face, so you are both the ATC over comms and the girl he talks to,  the one he says he’s in love with.”

You looked up shocked at his statement.

“He’s in love with me?” 

You looked up from the ground with hopeful eyes. 

“Yes he is.” Hangman tells you matter of factly. 

“You’ve presumably been talking to Rooster for months, but you've yet to meet him in person, let alone even tell him your name.”

“What game are you playing here?” He asks you

“It’s not a game, I do care about Bradley.” You sighed. 

“So then what is it?” 

“Sir, can we not please talk about it here?” 

You anxiously look around and see that people were now in the hallway exiting from the mess hall. And god forbid that Bradley was one of them. 

“Fine.” 

“Meet me at the Hard Deck after work.” 

——————————————————————————————-

 You were seated at the bar in the Hard Deck, your left leg bouncing anxiously.

You checked your watch, 5:47pm. Hangman said to meet him here right after work and you basically sped off the base to get to the bar on time.

You’ve been nursing the same beer for the past almost 30 minutes. You couldn’t focus on anything but the sound of your heart beating in your chest.

What was taking him so long? Did he forget? Did he already tell Bradley?

A million more questions swirled in your head. But you knew that if Hangman didn’t show up you were basically screwed.

Your self pity was interrupted by the booming sound of naval aviators strolling through the entrance, with one of them being Bradley and of course Hangman.

You were simultaneously trying to avoid Rooster’s gaze, while trying to catch Hangman’s attention.

When you finally caught his eye, you gave him a panicked questioning look. He gave you a subtle nod while continuing his conversation with the rest of the squadron. 

The crew made their way to their usual spot in the back with the pool tables. Hangman excused himself from the group nodding towards you.

You kept your eyes on him as he made his way to you. 

“Jimmy, can I get a beer?” Hangman asks the bartender.

“Lieutenant Commander.” You greeted him as he sat on the stool directly beside you.

He returned the greeting by saying your name.

“So let’s just get this out of the way. Did you tell Bradley?” You asked him, feeling a large brick settle in your stomach. 

“You can relax.. I didn’t tell Bradshaw.” He replies

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Relief flooding your body.

“But don’t think that you’re off the hook, you have some explaining to do.” Hangman added.

“What do you want to know sir?” You swallowed nervously.

“First of all, who are you exactly?” 

“I’m no one, I’m just an ATC.” You told him, looking down at your hands.

“Well you’re clearly not ‘no one’ if you’ve caught Rooster’s attention.” He rebutted.

“You’re little avoidance tricks might work on Rooster, but they won’t work on me.”

“And I know all your excuses for not meeting him are complete bs.”

“So why are you hiding from him?”

Now that’s the million dollar question isn’t it? It has been months since you started talking to Bradley, you spoke to him every single day, and fell asleep to the sound of his voice every night. Why were you hiding from him?

“I-.....I don’t know.” You confessed to Hangman. 

“Then whats stopping me from getting up and telling Rooster who you are?” Hangman asked you with a raised eyebrow. 

You stared at him, the words lost in your throat. 

“Nothing then I guess..”  He got up and started his way to the back.

You pulled his arm back similar to how he did to you earlier that day. He looked at you and your hand on his arm. 

“Please don’t…I beg you.” 

He sat back down on his stool giving you a questioning look but gave you the time to get your thoughts together. 

“I never intended for it to go on this long or this far..” You explained. 

“Bradley is so important to me. I knew he was special the first time I ever heard his voice.”

“It was during the uranium plant detachment from a few months ago. I risked my whole damn career to save him.” 

“I released the dagger reserve without Admiral Simpson’s approval.” You continued.

“That was you? You gave me clearance that day?” His eyes finally lost the skepticism and was replaced with admiration. 

“I did, everyone in that control room was completely frozen. I couldn’t just let them die.” 

“But that doesn’t explain this whole situation you have going on with him.” He questioned

“That was the last I expected to ever see of him, but you all decided to stay here in Miramar and I made the mistake of speaking to him a little too long over comms.”

“That’s to be expected honey, Rooster is a big ol flirt.” Hangman chuckled.

“Well not as a big of a flirt as me though.” He winked at you. 

He was trying to ease your worries and you appreciated that from him. Especially since he thought the worst of you less than 10 minutes ago. 

“And of course you and Mav have heard how he got my number over comms and thats currently where we are now.” You finished.

“Okay so thats the backstory, and you clearly care about him and he cares about you.”

“So it still doesn't answer why you haven’t told him who you are.”

“Think about it this way Lieutenant Commander…”

“You, Phoenix, Payback, Coyote, and Rooster. You are some of the most important and most revered people in the Navy short of the Admirals.” 

“You are the first in command, you are the best of the best in the entire world.” 

“What do I? A low level ATC, have to offer Bradley?.”

“I am just me, and he is who he is. I could never be a person whos good enough for him.” 

“But didn’t I just tell you? Bradshaw is in love with you.” Hangman argued. 

You smiled sadly, turning your head to glance at Bradley at the pool tables. His head thrown back in laughter at something Fanboy said. 

“Maybe..he is.” You turned back to Hangman.

“But one look at me and he’ll change his mind.” 

“I don’t understand. Do you think you’re-” Hangman’s response was interrupted by Rooster popping up behind you both. 

“Hangman, I thought you were getting a beer?” 

You suddenly felt lightheaded, the sight of Rooster standing so close to you making your heart beat a million times per minute. 

“Whos your friend?” Rooster asked Hangman while looking at you with a smile. 

You wouldn’t dare open your mouth and speak, risking Bradley recognizing your voice. You stared at Hangman with pleading eyes, hoping he didn’t give you away to Rooster.

Hangman looked at Rooster and back at you, pausing for a moment.

Hangman finally speaks telling Rooster your name. Fuck. You were naïve to think he’d keep your secret.

“We actually just met, she’s getting over a case of laryngitis so her voice is a little hoarse.” Hangman explained. 

You smiled at him, silently thanking him for not revealing your charade. 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” You let out in a hoarse voice, turning to look at Bradley.

He reached out and shook your hand and you can feel your stomach doing backflips for finally getting to touch the man that you’ve spent several months falling in love with. 

“Well I’m sorry to hear that ma’am, I hope you feel better.” Bradley offered politely.

“I’ll leave you and Hangman to your conversation.” He excused himself and returned to the pool table, you stared at him longingly as he walked away. 

Hangman looked at you in amusement. 

“You got it bad, don’t you honey?” Hangman asked with a slight chuckle. 

“That obvious?” You asked him

“Couldn’t be any less subtle if you tried.” 

“Which makes it so funny that Bradshaw had no clue its you.” He chortled. 

“Me personally, if I were him, I would know it was you the minute I saw you.” He added with a smirk,

Leave it to Hangman to be an insatiable flirt.

“Thank you for helping me out.” 

As big of an asshole Hangman can be, he really did have a good heart. 

“Your secret is safe with me honey.” 

——————————————————————————————-

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[vodkacranberrywitch]

How Harry Styles's Friends, Fans, and Family see his FS

Why are gifs so hard to find here?

Anyways, we will be looking at how Harry's family, friends, and fans see his FS. And just for fun, I will look at how his FS sees these groups as well.

Family see FS - His family will see FS as someone who is family. They may see them as someone who gives them access to a new environment. The family may gain new knowledge or special access from the FS. The family will also see the FS as someone who is childlike. The parents of Harry may accept the FS as their own child or feel responsibility for them. The FS may remind the family of another family member or someone they knew in the past. There will be familiarity and comfort. They will also see this FS as a second chance for Harry. They may feel like this person has a lot of options and is very popular. They believe the FS would be fine without Harry.

Friends see FS - The friends were maybe a bit intimidated by the FS. They saw them as someone who is honest about themselves and had strong beliefs. They feel like they can't play FS, this person is intelligent and can see things easily. They may also feel like this person is a bad liar or someone who is too honest. Harry's friends see FS as someone who is competitive but is a good spirit. They see them as charming and someone that you gravitate to easily. Harry's friends feel like FS is someone who is able to overcome their worries. They don't let them consume them. However, at times, they may also feel like they ignore their problems altogether or they don't take the concerns of others seriously. They see the FS as someone who is too "Hakuna Matata" at times.

I think it's funny someone asked how the fans will see FS bc they can't see the full picture, but alas.

Fans see FS - The fans will see this person as immature and selfish. They see this person as needy and demanding. The fans are going to this person as nonconfrontational, quiet, invisible, and unimportant. They will feel like the FS is indifferent to Harry. They may feel like Harry does more for the FS or that the FS should be doing more for him.

FS sees Harry's family - The FS will see Harry's family as good people. This person will see his family as people who respect boundaries and don't overstep. They are patient and understanding. The FS will see them as people who are anxious. The family may be concerned a lot. The FS feels like the family is often subjected to cruelty. The FS sees Harry's family as hard working people. They see them as dedicated and committed to a hobby or a livelihood.

Okay so clearly there is no drama between the FS and the family.

FS sees Harry's friends - The FS sees Harry's friends as mysterious and eclectic. Maybe these people can be eccentric. The FS feels that the friends lack passion and can mooch at times. Yikes. The FS may see these people as two faced. Some of Harry's friends might be fake. They are nice to your face but they have their own intentions. The FS may find these people judgy and manipulative.

FS sees Harry's fans - What is so hilarious about this is that I got the same card for how the fans so the FS. FS won't pay much attention to the fans. They will be unimportant to them, and this person will be completely indifferent to them. The FS will see them as manipulative. The FS sees them as people who are trying to get an emotional reaction out of them. So maybe they will be trying to hurt their feelings or anger them. The FS will see them as people with low self esteem. They may feel like they are easily controlled or influenced.

Interesting. I wonder what Harry thinks of his fans.

Sorry this came out late, but this was such a long and draining reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you have any questions. Requests are closed.

As always, these readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes only.

[snorlaxlovesme]

thoughts and feelings about the Netflix's Live Action Avatar, now that I've finished:

overall, net positive! as i said in my previous post about the first 3 episodes [x], i'm someone who goes into adaptations with minimal expectations, treating it more like fanfiction, so I can spend more time enjoying myself than being a butthurt baby, so with that in mind i can say that I enjoyed myself a lot! there are episodes that i'm actually really excited to rewatch (5 and 6 are bangers and i won't be told otherwise)

i'm not going to lie and claim that any of the actors will be winning Daytime Emmys, but there were a few standout performances for me at least:

-Zuko was incredible. i love the way this version leaned into Zuko's desperation to capture the Avatar, because now he finally had a real chance of being able to come home after all these years. his acting pre- and post-Agni Kai in the flashbacks felt so sincere. his optimism was adorable before the war meeting and his shattered expression after Ozai banished him was fucking heartbreaking.

-i really loved the boy who played Aang. he was so charming and cute! and i think as the episodes went along he gradually got better at displaying more subtle emotion. for such a young child actor i thought he was doing amazing

-Sokka's actor was putting in work in the back half! i was impressed! the first half of the show I was pretty neutral about Sokka's acting but the more development he got the more I appreciated what his actor was bringing to the table. i think he just needed to be paired with the right acting partners in a scene to bring out the best of his abilities. Katara didn't give him much to work off of, but his scenes with Sai and Yue really hit

-Zhao was great too! they really re-worked his character to be a lot more important from the jump and i loved seeing how underhanded he was being during all of Zuko's quest. normally seeing Zhao on-screen just annoys me but i loved this version and how patronizing he was to Zuko

-idk man every time Gyatso was on screen I was crying. that's just how it is. every time i saw his face it felt like a warm hug

i think the weird part of this adaptation is that the parts that were adapted were pretty mid (or sometimes just bad) in a lot of cases, but whenever they added in their own original ideas it really shined! i feel like that's not the case with a lot of adaptation, people want to see what they know, but honestly if they added in more of their own original writing in s2 I would not be mad because i loved what these writers were bringing to the table (for the most part)

-i've already said that the way they structured ep 1 to include the start of the war was awesome. that was a cool change to show the audience from the jump that they weren't planning on boring everyone with a one-to-one(but worse) adaptation. it also set the tone really well bc my GOD do firebenders be setting people on fire in this show

-big fan of the early inclusion of Kyoshi and the idea that Aang can only convene with past Avatars at their temples. that was not a Hard Rule in the original and it always felt weird to me that sometimes he needed to be at a certain place on a certain day to communicate with his past lives but then in the finale he just had to meditate wherever he was. but yeah, they used Kyoshi lore from the novels and did indeed lose my mind about it

-Zuko and the 41st division. that was SUCH a cool storyline that was woven in starting at episode ONE and i was genuinely impressed with how hard it hit. i didn't see that coming and it had me CRYINGGGG. so yeah, BIG thumbs up for that original storyline. and also they inclusion of the post-Agni Kai Zuko recovering in the hospital and getting banished for claiming that maybe the weak just need the opportunity to get strong. heartbreaking, devastating on its own (Zuko's actor truly was killing me, i loved him so much) but once we see Zuko and Azula start going toe-to-toe next season that line will hurt me even more

-the bonding moment about calligraphy between Aang and Zuko was a really good bait and switch. in the original Blue Spirit episode Zuko didn't talk to Aang at all before firing at him. i like that i was expecting it to play out the same way as before but instead they had a moment of connection before Aang triggered Zuko and all potential for empathy was lost.

-which seems like a good time to address Zuko's character. i want to be clear when i say that i liked something because it was different from the original, it doesn't mean that i like it BETTER than the original. i simply think the new version is fun fanfiction that was written better than i expected. so when i say i like how they dealt with Zuko's obsession with honor, i'm in no way implying it's superior to the original. simply a good different

-anyways. in the original, Zuko's obsession with honor is fully connected to his need to be wanted by his father again. OZAI is the only one who can restore it, and it can only be restored by completing an impossible task for him. in the Netflix version it almost seems like Zuko's honor is tied to the disillusion that the Fire Nation itself is honorable. the bit about Lieutenant...Yi? sorry i'm getting his name wrong, but Lieutenant Yi gossiping about a superior officer, Zuko's disbelief that the Fire Nation would ever use such underhanded tactics like planting spies in Omashu, it was clear to me that Zuko bought into a rigid sense of morality and honor when it came to the Fire Nation. i hope we see more of that in s2 so that we can see Zuko's world truly rocked when he and Iroh become refugees

-Katara being hailed as a master was very sweet! i wish she would have gotten SOME training from Paku (could still happen at the start of book 2) but I did enjoy that during the Siege of the North that she got her own little battalion to command bc she was seen as worth warrior

-OH and I love how they explored Sokka's character. again, them taking out Sokka's blatant sexism didn't bother me, so i was happy to see that in taking that out they DID work hard to make Sokka's character motivations rich and meaningful. having him have the same complex about being a lacking warrior as the original cartoon but with the added twist of overhearing his dad's harsh words about his abilities really added something to Sokka's insecurities. i loved the inclusion of Sai encouraging Sokka to become an engineer because it was clear how much that meant to him. considering in the cartoon he does become a pretty badass warrior (while still being mainly an Idea Guy) i wonder how this storyline will play out later. if he'll try harder to fit into the warrior box he thinks he belongs in or if he'll blatantly begin to reject that role for himself and identify more heavily with his engineer side

-the cave of two lovers had me worried for a second because Sokka and Katara were paired together for that and im like UMMM so i thought it was pretty funny how they reinterpreted "love is brightest in the dark" in that scene. not as good as the original, obviously, but a funny reinterpretation that i didn't hate

i probably have more to say on the additions but this is getting long so i think it's time to get to some criticisms. this show was not perfect by any means and i have several gripes with it so i might as well get that out now

-WAIT first i must say that a lot of the bending looked phenomenal. particularly Zuko and Aang's bending. both actors (and their stunt doubles) were great martial artists and the fire effects and air effects were done really well. i was really worried about how they'd adapt airbending (since air is invisible) and they did a great job adding in dust cloud effects and making sure the props in the scene moved they like would if they were blasted by air

-AND i must emphasize that i was not mad at them chopping up storylines and mixing them together. the Mechanist/Jet plotlines had similar themes of seemingly Good People doing unethical things for what they believed to be a good cause, so putting them in the same episode made sense to me. and having Sokka and Katara getting spirited away and caught up in that mist (a fun LOK reference that time, i loved the easter eggs) and then captured by Koh was a good way to separate them from Aang the Blue Spirit arc could take place. that also made sense to me. people who get mad about the re-shuffling of episodes frustrate me to no end.

okay, now onto critique:

-unfortunately, Iroh was a giant flop. i don't know how else to say it. i didn't really like any part of him, from his costuming to his writing to his acting. something about him felt like he was plucked out of a campy low-budget stage play and just thrown into this show while only know his campy stage play lines. both Zuko and Zhao give pretty grounded, emotional performances and Iroh is SO jarring by comparison when he's in the same room as them acting like a caricature of himself for no reason. his wig was terrible, i wish they had made it more flowy because it stayed the same shape and position the whole time, he used the WEIRDEST announcer voice the whole time (like why are you using a voice?? no one else is using a voice??), and his robes seemed out of place when everyone else was wearing leather armor. and they had a moment in episode 4 where an Earth Kingdom soldier really laid into him because back when Iroh was a general he was responsible for the death of Earth Kingdom soldier's brother. i was interested to see this bc we BARELY get to see Iroh's Bad Side in the cartoon and i was curious to see where the live action would go with it. but it ended with Earth Kingdom soldier slugging Iroh or slapping his face or something and Iroh made some snoody remark about how war changes people, and he WASN'T talking about himself. like bro this man just told you you COOKED his brother alive he has earned the right to slug you, what are you talking about! i was expecting remorse, or at the very least a solemn look of guilt over the person Iroh once was, but nothing. it was bad. obviously having the iconic Uncle Iroh be so terrible is a huge mark against the show. i simply cannot defend that

-circling back to Iroh's wig. well. the hair and make-up department went out of their way to make important characters look like their cartoon counterparts and that was not always beneficial. why did Yue look like she was from Whoville. who okayed that.

-many people have already pointed it out, but it was weird in ep 1 that Aang's decision to leave was because he needed to clear his head, not because he was running away from his responsibilities. i have no idea why they made this change, unless the reason was to have every single person (including past Avatars) dog on Aang for not being around during the past 100 years. but even that doesn't hit the same bc it truly wasn't his fault! he went for a drive and got caught in a storm! he intended to be back in a few hours! idk that change didn't make sense to me. i know Aang felt guilt regardless but the guilt was supposed to be from the intentionality of Aang running away

-the way Katara broke Aang out of the iceberg was weird?? she wasn't angry at Sokka for his sexism, but she could have been angry at him for SOMETHING that caused her bending to grow out of control. or at the very least when she was bending the canoe towards her she could have done a sharp pulling motion towards her that ended with her arms behind her, therefore forming the cracks in the ice (kind of a callback to how in the pilot Katara could really only waterbend backwards at first). instead her hands were fully facing forward and she was gently bending in front of her and that led to the ice sphere exploding behind her. its been bothering me. whyyy

-character-wise, Katara was pretty one-note. like the addition of her guilt for getting her mom killed with her subpar waterbending, while not bad, didn't make up for how much she DIDN'T have going on. it felt like they toned down a lot of Katara's character strengths AND flaws to give Sokka more room to arc, then shoved all of Katara's development into the last 2 episodes. they didn't show much of her resilient hope in the face of adversity or rage towards injustice or how petty she could be. part of this could be her actor, who i won't dog on because she is a child actor who will get better with time, but i don't think the flimsy writing of her did her any favors

-score wasn't nearly as good as Jeremy Zuckerman/The Track Team's. remixing some of the A:TLA's score doesn't make up for the fact that all the original scoring in this adaptation was flat by comparison

-Bumi's whole thing was....weird. i didn't mind at first that they speedran through his reveal because i don't think there's a point to try and surprise the three people who haven't seen the original. 99% of the audience knew the King was Bumi, so I didn't see any problem with that. but the set-up flashback of Bumi lasted like 10 seconds and basically just showed him snort. it didn't give you a reason to get attached to him as Aang's past friend. and his current actions didn't help at all. the acting was very Michael Meyer's Cat in the Hat-esque. so. uh. SCARY AND OFFPUTTING. was not a fan of that all. and having him do a few random goofy tests for Aang AFTER already knowing his identity felt...weird? like what's the point of these now? and then having the reveal that he's NOT kooky, he genuinely IS pissed at Aang for being gone, well. hmm. it's not a bad idea in theory. i liked the concept of having someone FROM THIS TIMELINE (looking at you, Kyoshi, Roku, and Kuruk, and your unjustified rage toward Aang) be upset at Aang for leaving the world in such a state of imbalance. having Bumi be like DO YOU KNOW ALL THE SHIT I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH SINCE THE WORLD HAS HAD NO AVATAR, was an interesting line of thought i could have rocked with, butttt.....idk man. it's BUMI. he's supposed to be a living memory of Aang's past to give him comfort and wisdom! it hurt to see this version be so cruel to Aang and basically force him to try to kill him just to prove a point. i would have rather had them write out Bumi altogether and use that episode for something else than to smear his name like that

-i'm tentatively alright with Azula's plotline right now. the Zuko line "Azula was born lucky, I was lucky to be born" is really essential to how their rivalry worked in the cartoon. Azula was a cold-hearted prodigy while Zuko was compassionate boy but average bender. i liked the idea of showing how Ozai intentionally pitted his children against each other. i liked seeing Azula's moment of defiance where she claims she's DONE being tested because she know how good her abilities are. i liked seeing the origin of her lighting bending. all of those were cool fanfiction. the thing that worries me is that we, the audience, have already seen Azula's doubt in herself, something we weren't privy to until the very end of the series. plus showing how hard Azula trains kind of undercuts the fact that Zuko is supposed to think he can't measure up to her because of her natural abilities that he DOESN'T have. they DID plant the seed to Zuko that Azula was the one backing Zhao the whole time, so we do have some of their rivalry primed to go. but the rivalry in the original is extremely one-sided. it will be odd to see Azula fighting just as hard to earn Ozai's affection, because intrinsically she should think that game was won a long time ago. so yeah. i'm not mad about it YET, just interested to see how it plays out

and then there are little nitpicks that could be resolved in season 2, should it get picked up again

-Aang not learning any waterbending or burning Katara with firebending can be woven into the early eps of season 2 before Toph's introduction

-the gaang's chemistry will only grow stronger with time. as the cast becomes better friends, as the kids become better actors with age, and considering they don't separate much in s2, i have faith that will iron itself out naturally

-tbh im sure there are more but this is so long i'm fizzling out. i'm fading. i must stop.

but yeah! good and bad! there's lots to unpack but in general i think it was fun. i'm excited for more.

[fatuismooches]

Smooches!! Hello sweetie pie! ૮꒰ ˶´ ꒳ `˶꒱ა ♡

I just thought this out of nowhere and honestly it may not work but basically, reader (maybe even fragile!reader I’m just a complete sucker for fragile!reader) and Dottore going out of the laboratory and into the icy land that is Snezhnaya to get some materials Dottore needs. But while you two are out, suddenly (somehow) you two get ambushed by maybe some treasure hoarders or perhaps some more elite enemies. And you end up getting hurt in the process. Maybe even to the point you end up bleeding. (Would this actually happen? Probably not bc let’s face it, Dottore is so intelligent and strong like you’ve said before even if this did happen the only other situation I can think of is the Traveler 😭) I also just want to see Dottore be like angered and pissed off at whoever dared to hurt his darling. (Like yes come be my protector Dottore boo boo 😭 💕)

But yeah this may not make any sense or even work but it’s okay!! As I’m writing this we finally got rain here!! And it was a thunderstorm to top it off so hopefully this heat goes down soon. Also to answer your question about my baby <333 (dog) we actually don’t know since we’ve never gotten her tested and we had originally gotten her from the middle of the street. She’s a small dog and a creamy colored with a few darker patches. Although she does look to be like a shih tzu! Okay I should stop talking about my baby 😭 if I could send pictures I would!!! (Also if it’s okay with you: I have a bunch of ideas that I hope to send before I have to inevitably start school, so if you see me spam your inbox I’m so so sorry :c )But I hope you enjoy your week and also enjoy this last week of July!! May all your days be filled with love and happiness, as I give you lots and lots of kisses on your cute cheeks and forehead. And a bunch of cuddles too! Please make sure you’re staying well and not tiring yourself with writing. I love you loads and so does everybody else!!! Mwa mwa!!

-from your dear boo boo bear 🎐 anon! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Dottore's lover getting hurt by someone else always fills my brain with too much brainrot 🚶‍♀️ I too love the idea of a cold "i don't care what happens to anyone + I'm too strong to be hurt" character becoming uncharacteristically angry when someone they care for gets hurt. And yes as you said the chances of you getting hurt are practically in the negatives since he plans for every possibility and circumstance... if there's even the slightest chance you can get hurt he won't do it (ESPECIALLY if it's fragile reader, that's a no-no) but for the sake of fanfiction 🥰 if you do get hurt, oh boy. He doesn't show much emotion on his face other than that cocky smirk usually. But when you get hurt he just has no expression at all, and speaks with absolutely no emotion, no mocking, nothing. And that's how you know he's upset. Now we know that Dottore really doesn't care if his experiments suffer or not, but when he gets the people who hurt you, he'll make sure to conduct the most brutal experiments possible. Not caring when they cry and beg for forgiveness. Debating whether he should kill them or forever drag out their suffering.

...Moving on from that- at least you get the most advanced possible treatment in Teyvat, which means you won't be hurting for too long. And ahh I'm glad you got some rain 🌧 ! Hopefully things cooled down over there, I cant imagine how hotttt it is for you 😭 And omg your baby sounds so cute!! 💖💖 And of course I will always welcome your brainrots! I don't mind the spam at all! Good luck in school too, I know its hard but you got this 💞🥰 Make sure not to push yourself too! Hehe I'm giving you more kisses and smooches! I will enjoy this last week of July, we're one step closer to the fall haha. Ily too!! Make sure to take care of yourself as well 🫶🫶

[laurfilijames]

Finally replying back to your reblog😂😂I’ve literally reread it any chance I get!!! I can’t believe you had to use another device🙉 and here I was thinking there wasnt much to it🤓

Imma skip to the old hag comment: girl when I tell you it took everything in me to keep it classy and only mention them once💀 my petty side was ready to come out and be like “for the people in the back…this is their way of communicating” Everytime they had that silent conversation 😗 And you know I will always get it!!!😌💅🏾

I’m so glad you love my little intro to the podcast🤧 I haven’t decided if I’m gonna change it to fit the fall vibes bc I like the look of the champagne glasses🥹

You did a phenomenal job with keeping it from feeling spiteful!!! You can tell that he’s very confident in our relationship, in us, and himself to the point where it’s like what’s there to be jealous of. He knows that we’ll always come home to him, that our heart belongs to him and vice versa so there’s no need for the green eyed monster to make an appearance🙂‍↔️ And if someone didn’t get that *cough* *cough* you reiterate that thought which I loved a lot😍

Omggg I’ll frame the gold star and hang it on my wall🤩 I was gonna say i put your fic under a microscope but honestly it just comes naturally😂

You did a wonderful job getting the emphasis across!!

Give us all the cheesiness pleaseeeee😩 I appreciate the non-verbal communication so much!!! You can tell that there are times where they feel so much that it’s hard to describe it in words so being able to translate that into other forms of communication is important to them🥹

You including your best friends in your stories is so cuteeee🙉 it was either Bess or Jenny and Jenny sounds a lot nicer😌💗 omg I love that🤣

Again gimme all the cliche☺️ nothing is unrealistic as long as you’re with a person who is interested in keeping the romance alive😌 yesss because no one can tell you how to write your story😤

When I tell you I have not stopped thinking about the dip scene🙉🙉 I joke with my best friend about needing us to go back to Nashville so I can get my line dance on and bump into the love of my life😩 hopefully I can find a man that’s got moves like Will😍

Fucking Will outside was all I could think about 😂 plus he would just look so pretty with his chest heaving, skin flushed in a soft pink hue and a fucked out expression on his face🤭🥵

Now that I’ve found my groove I’m gonna go back to the first four chapters and re-reblog them at some point🤭 honestly you don’t have to thank me!!! You sharing your reactions to my comments is more than enough🥹💗✨ I love you too Laurie☺️🙂‍↔️🌸

You reread it any chance you get???? 😭😭😭😭 Rayyyyyy I can't even believe this!! And yeah, your prolific comments almost always require me to use a second device to easily keep track of all your notes while I'm replying!! I love it so much and can't thank you enough!!

🤣 I appreciate you being in my corner with all of that nonsense with the anon. There's times I still go over it in my head but it's done and hopefully they have a better understanding to how and why I'm writing this relationship how I am.

I'm a huge Prosecco fan so I'm happy to keep on with the glasses but also happy to change it to a warm cup of something if you'd prefer! 🥂☕️ I'm just so giddy that you treat these comments and discussions like a podcast 🥹💗

Thank you for loving the cheesiness/romantic side of things now that the angst is through! I know people love drama so I've been fretting that they won't enjoy it as much now but I can't keep doing that to them or myself 🤣 WILL NEEDS TO BE HAPPY!!!!

I am obsessed with you going to Nashville and bumping into a strong, kind cowboy while line dancing yessssssssss!!! I'm manifesting this to happen so hard!!! 🤠 (and may he look like Riley Green 🙏🥵)

Anddddd now my mind is buzzing over your description of Will post-fuck outside 🫠🫠🫠 I really need to sneak this in and will try my best to!

You're going to go back and re-reblog the first chapters?!?!? Ray!!! You do not need to do that but I love you so dearly for being this invested in my story that you want to continue to share it 🥹😭💗 I'm seriously going to run out of ways to thank you!

[soulsfractured]

23 for Yazoo

16 for Tseng

12 for Kuja

3, 4 for All Listed Muses, not just the three picked above

Random Character Asks

THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT ALL MY BABIES. I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH. I really need to write more with everyone at some point, once I get back into the swing of writing again.

It's a bit long so everyones answers are under the cut!

Cyril

3 - Wears glasses because he can't wear contacts they bug his eyes too much. Still wishes he could though because he'd look more like Genesis that way.

4 - "If it could help my dad come back faster? I'm willing to give it a shot. So long as no one gets hurt from it, because then I won't do it."

YOU WANNA SEE ME CRY. Cyril put all his focus into biological sciences bc he wants to help Genesis in every way possible. He just wants to live a quiet life with his dad please let him have this--

Kuja

3 - Absolutely wears a packer, and had his codpiece custom made to fit it. Has thrown it at someone before, will throw it again.

4 - "Peace is but a shadow of death, desperate to forget its painful past... Though we hope for promising years. After shedding a thousand tears, yesterday's sorrow constantly nears. And while the moon still shines blue, by dawn, it will turn to scarlet hue."

Its in there, it's one of my favourites coming from someone who doesn't think he can die. Really makes me wonder if he had suspicions about it, but Garland gaslit him into ignoring those thoughts.

12 - Absolutely has tried to dye his hair and his tail once. It went horribly and he couldn't get all the dye out. It was all a faded blueish colour for weeks

Luneth

3 - His hair is always in his face because he enjoys playing with it/having others play with it. But, he doesn't enjoy it against his neck at the same time so, ponytail. Not really practical, but that's not important.

4 - "Slacking off saved her from the curse, so maybe that 'luck' might rub off on us!"

I cant explain why this one sticks out to me, but Luneth and the rest of the party actually acting like kids and joking around is really sweet? Idk I guess I love that theres a bunch of moments we can see them enjoying their journey and not just be silent strong protagonists.

Sephiroth

3 - Literal cat eyes. They glow, his pupils shrink and widen with mood. He has cat eyes.

4 - "We'll meet again soon."

Just Sephiroth and Zack talking in that entire scene. The small smile when Zack says "I'll hold you to that" the notice that Zack wanted to say something before he left. It's one of my favourite CC Sephiroth moments.

Tseng

3 - Really enjoys wearing longer socks. Knee or thigh high are preferable, and 90% of them are just black. He organizes them so he doesnt grab two different lengths (which has happened a few times before)

4 - "There is nothing more precious than a human life"

It's SUCH a development for me to see Tseng say this. Consider all that he does, and all that he has done. He may commit atrocious deeds for Shinra, but he's failed missions to help random Shinra employees before, he's put himself at risk to protect others.

16 - Tseng's darkest secret that he won't admit is that he absolutely hates Shinra. Without a doubt he does wonder what life would have been like if he stayed in Wutai. Would he have stayed at the Temple? Would he had left anyways? What if what if what if. He will not admit this thought crosses his mind and tries to tell himself it's just hypothetical. But it's a thought that does come up more often just before Rufus becomes president.

Vincent

3 - Refuses to cut his hair. Even a trim it takes a long time to convince him. He's not gonna die anytime soon so whose gonna see the mess it becomes anyways. But he still takes pretty good care of it- mostly

4 - "I don't care what you are doing, so much as the idiotic way that you are doing it."

The tired dad quote of the year bc god dammit the party is a bunch if teenagers and their old man needs a fuckin nap so he can stop telling them dont put that in your mouth

Yazoo

3 - Vegetarian. He just doesnt like meat- usually he just takes whatever meat he gets on food and pushes it to the side or gives it to his brothers. He has picked a burger apart to take the patty out and just eaten it like that, just sides and bun.

4 - "I will not have you refer to Mother that way!"

One of the VERY few times that Yazoo actually shows emotions??? P l e a s e. I love him so much and actually getting to see that cool exterior crack is so interesting.

23 - As a candle Yazoo would be a more woodsy kind of scent. Damp earth, firewood, stagnant waters. There's a slight spice mixed in as well, like a faint hint of cinnamon.

[mickeytheticklee]

In the 3am thoughts category: Random hcs of Wednesday and Enid as tickle buddies

Made terribly by me

Both switches because I say so

With the strong sense that Enid would be a switch leaning ler

But also Wednesday sort of has a big soft spot and trust over Enid to be tickled by her

However it took SOOO DAMN long for Enid to persuade Wednesday to be tickle buddies

Wednesday hated the idea for so long until Enid had her tickled for an hour, by then the torture seems to her liking

Overall Wednesday would've said yes regardless since she doesn't want anyone to know how ticklish she is

Tickle buddies!

Tickles during class type friends

Friends who get into cute ass tickle fights with no winner, just giggles

Snapping twice is their secret codeword of tickle time

Wednesday

As much as she is dark and twisted it takes guts to find out how ticklish she is

Definitely takes some real elbow grease to make her laugh, her laughing tolerance is tough

Half of the time is catching her off guard but sometimes she'll giggle at a few side pokes

Face turns red when she laughs

Ribs are a big weak spot, tickle them and she won't fight you back

Ribs, tummy, armpits, feet are her deadly spots

Rough tickles are more of her jam

Enid only tickles her, before Tyler was supposed to know but then...yea

Is definitely a big squirmer since she isn't much of a big laughter

...well only if you tickle her soles she'll get that reaction

As much as Wednesday is mostly a lee she's a powerful ler

Definitely uses her tickling skills as a torture method if anyone messes with Enid

Gives cheer up tickles to Enid or tickles her for forgiveness after a fight

Before wasn't big on verbal teases but now does it all the time

It's quite amusing when she teases in her monotone voice

Labeled as the professional dough maker by Enid

Is extremely good with side tickles, you can tell she has impeccable arm and wrist strength

Wednesday sweet moments are when she cheers up a crying Enid with loads of tickles

Then pretends to not know because she doesn't want her soft side leaking out

“I don't recall tickling but I enjoyed the activity we did together..."

Enid

LOUD, in a cute way tho

A big runner and a screamer

Which is kinda bad because Wednesday is athletic

Ticklish everywhere, but her worst spots is her tummy, armpits, thighs, and ears

To Wednesday she always smiles because of how cute Enid's laugh is

However it's a diluted half smile bc she doesn't want Enid to know she enjoys tickling the shit out of her

More into light tickles, especially on her ears and tummy

Loves punishment tickles and tries her best to annoy Wednesday to get tickles

Can't tolerate her giggles, it takes one finger on her neck to start laughing

Is honestly the type to hug and thank Wednesday for tickling her

Ler Enid is still bubbly, just more smarter

Has to carefully construct how she's going to tickle Wednesday because sometimes Wednesday wants to fight back

Likes to tickle Wednesday during class

Has a paper stashed in her room on how to tickle Wednesday Addams

She found out the cheat code for tickling her is raspberries

Tickling her is definitely her source of a workout

Loves to tease but does blackmail in between

Regardless if she's getting tickled or tickling someone she's playing some kpop (twice music would start playing)

Definitely compliments how cute Wednesday is when she's tickling her (then Wednesday hating it but secretly liking it)

After tickling her she cuddles her until Wednesday has had enough (chances are she'll cling there and eventually nap next to her)

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

Royal Trio for that character asks?

ahh ty! this is literally perfect timing because I just finished the third semester on my third playthrough of p5r and really wanted to talk about these three <this is a lie. I stopped writing out the answer to this ask over a month ago but this ask IS still relevant bc I am now writing a royal trio-centric fic. so I'd still like to talk about them.

describe their canon relationship/dynamic

Sumi and Akira have a very strong dynamic, as Sumi is basically Akira's canonical love interest and one of his closest friends. And I needn't explain how Akira and Akechi have an extremely strong dynamic as well.

But the three of them don't really have that strong of a trio dynamic because the triangle breaks when we get to Akechi and Sumi's relationship with each other, which is a shame. Either Akechi or Sumi feel a bit left out because Sumi's in the dark about so much of Akechi's Deal and Akechi is so outwardly cold to Sumi. So they don't have much of a dynamic with each other.

your ideal/headcanon version of it? how does it differ from how it is in canon & why is this your favorite version? any other alternate versions of it you enjoy?

My ideal version of the royal trio has two main differences between it and the canon version. First, Akechi and Sumi never get the chance to bond in canon. I don't think that it's a flaw, necessarily, because there was no way to have them bond without breaking Akechi's character arc in the third sem. But it is a huge missed opportunity.

I really do think Akechi does secretly care for Sumi, but he doesn't want to show it because he's being Stupid in third sem about wanting to push everyone away. I think in any other timeline they could have been friends, and I think that he realizes their similarities and relates to her because of them. In the same way, if Sumi knew more about Akechi I think she would relate to him and want to be his friend too.

The second thing I'd change is make Sumi and Akira's relationship platonic. This isn't really a "change" since you can reject her, and Sumi having a crush on its own is perfectly fine. But they push them as a romantic pairing really really hard, much harder than anyone else, to the point where its pretty obvious she's supposed to be your canonical girlfriend. And I just don't like that, since them getting together kinda breaks Sumi's character arc of self discovery.

what do you like about their relationship, why is it interesting or enjoyable to you?

I love how Sumi and Akechi both complement Akira in opposite directions. But more than that, I'm obsessed with how Sumi and Akechi are thematic foils in pretty much every way. Others have written metas on this so I won't repeat it all here, but the sheer Potential of Akechi and Sumi's dynamic and the way their arcs parallel is so Interesting. Sumi and Akechi are such different people, but they are also so extremely similar, and its just. mmmm. good. makes brain go brrr.

I could go on and on about the ways Sumi and Akechi parallel one another, but one thing in particular that sticks out to me are their masks and the way each of them deal with their self hatred in opposite directions. Sumi buries her true personality and becomes her ideal self as Kasumi. Meanwhile Akechi does something similar with the Detective Prince persona, but by the third semester he's completely rejected that part of himself. Sumi learns to reconcile all parts of herself, while Akechi. doesn't. And Akira serves as Akechi's other half, the way that Kasumi served as Sumire's other half. But while Sumi saw Kasumi's natural talent, and how she outshone her in every way, she internalized that hatred to the point where she wished to die. But when Akechi saw how Akira was superior to him in every way, he externalized that hate and tried to kill Akira to prove that he was better. Sumi accidentally kills Kasumi because of her self hatred, and Akechi tries to kill Akira but fails because of his self hatred.

what about the individual characters involved? what does this relationship mean to them, what makes it unique among their relationships?

Akira - Sumi and Akechi are his closest friends, imo. Akira sees a lot of himself in both of them. They're the Fake As Hell Gang, each of them hiding behind various masks to conceal their true, inner self.

Sumi - Akira is the person who helps Sumi rediscover her true self and accept herself for who she truly is instead of continuing to hide behind her sister's identity. She looks up to his as a version of her ideal self, confident and self assured and fully realized. As for Akechi, I don't think Sumi has any idea what to make of him at all.

Akechi - I could go on for days about the complexities of Akechi's feelings about Akira, but in short, Akira is Akechi's only real friend in the world, and yet they were once bitter enemies. Akechi wishes it could stay that simple--rivals, and nothing more. But of course that's not true. As for Sumi, he sees a lot of himself in her--someone terrified that they aren't good enough, idolizing someone else as their better half. But he can't let himself get attached, so he keeps his distance and remains harsh on the surface no matter his sympathies.

favorite interaction they have in canon

"Just everyday Akechi." Obviously.

favorite interaction they have in your head/a situation you want to put them in

well. i mean, if you'll pardon the self promo, you can find out by reading the aforementioned fic where sumi saves goro in the engine room. hehe

[carnifexa]

bedroom hcs for jasipereo because I can't hold it in anymore

their dynamic in the bedroom shifts from piper holding the reins and boys rarely initiating anything out of lack of experience to piper holding the reins bcs they enjoy it.

switches all of them. but piper is dom leaning one while jason is sub leaning. leo's surprisingly chill about it, piper had trouble with amount of vulnerability subbing requires, while jason was a bit scared of the control that he had

sex playlists have a place but only after some time together

piper is demanding in hygiene both of herself and her partners. do NOT touch her with these hands, you didn't fucking wash them

(she got experience and she knows she's right)

leo has no problem with this requirement but often forgets about it

jason grumbles but acquiesces even if he sees nothing wrong in fucking right now instead of waiting

jason loves leaving marks just as much he likes having them. bruises, hickeys, scratches, anything.

(may that come from feelings that if they mark him they own him and then if they own him they won't leave him →his abandonment issues showing through? probably but he refuses to talk about it)

he's a rope bunny too, sorry not sorry

has a weak spot on the nape of his neck. generally sensitive neck

was quiet at the beginning, got louder as the time passed

i already said that but he blushes brightly down to his shoulders

a bad case of oral fixation. loves going down on both of his partners. they have a designated pillow that goes under his knees when he kneels

often service tops bcs he likes giving pleasure and hearing leo and/or piper enjoy themselves

has praise kink as well. also loves being on the receiving end of the dirty talk but can't reciprocate

loves and hates edging. he has a short fuse and short refractory period

does NOT like asphyxiation and degradation. will gnaw out a chunk of meat if there's any indication that it's going to happen (result of a very bad experience)

leo has a thing for public and likes to watch/be watched. if there's a chance that they can be caught he will get louder and cum faster. a just making out in a specialized club right in front of the public made him cum. has a thing for being subtly groped in public too.

(is that a byproduct of his fucked up self image where his partners must be ashamed of being seen with him thus them touching him in public is like an acceptance? yeah, but he won't talk about it)

is the one who ties jason up bcs he knows the knots and actually has the patience to all the work first and fuck jason later

dies and explodes everytime piper wears lingerie. it doesn't even have be fancy and/or suggestive, he gets boner from a sight of the pretty bra.

really good with his fingers

can do the deed for a long time but can and will fall asleep without second round

loves and hates overstimulation bcs of this

loud. a talker. won't shut up unless his mouth is busy. he does have an oral fixation too. loves having fingers in his mouth

appreciates hair pulling

fucking hates face slapping. do not attempt unless you want a serious fight with him. it throws him out of the good mood straight into incoherent rage

has a very strong grip and sometimes doesn't control it well and leaves bruises

at first felt bad about it until both jason and piper told him that they like it

piper hadn't much kinks before these two, she was pretty content in domming the fuck out of her previous partners. whatever made them happy was good for her as long as she had control of the situation

at the start she didn't allow any piv sex at all because of her problem with orgasms

she's good when it's her and vibrator/hand but when there's a living dick involved it's like her body forgets orgasms exist

(is that a consequence of her first bad relationship where just letting herself be fucked was easier than saying no? sure fuck it is but she won't talk about it)

they did resolve that particular problem with unholy amount of patience and obscene amount of talking about their feelings

she was happy to learn that actually there's nothing wrong with her she can cum with somebody else involved her ex was just a fucking dick

chronic biter. she's just as bad as jason. leaves scratches too but mostly on accident because she cuts her nails short or gets acrylics

also she got a crumble of somno kink

when all three of them were stuck in this is-this-friendship-or-relationship phase they often ended up sleeping on the same bed somehow

cuddles transformed into two boners poking her in the morning but not being able to do anything about it, or her own, ahem, morning excitement... awoke something in her she didn't know existed

she wasn't happy about it

loves restraining both of them. is the one who overstimulates leo or doesn't let jason cum without her say-so.

started wearing skirts and dresses routinely because of a) jason's habit of eating her out in unexpected places; b) leo's loss of braincells whenever he sees a smidge of a stocking's welt

she's a tease. can and will send leo the photos in the middle of the work day, can and will call jason while jacking off

after fucking she likes to take long bathes. boys tried to partake but she likes them either boiling or ice cold and neither leo nor jason can stand that

previously had mixed feelings about giving head to anyone amab. bad experience made her feel that it was demeaning and whenever she felt pressured to do it she got so pissed several partners ran from her

changed her stance on this only after sometime in relationship and one long honest talk. still doesn't enjoy it the way jason does but now it doesn't feel demeaning and actually, this position allows more control than receiving. after all, what can you do when you have your dick in someone's mouth?

[atherix]

Aggghhhh I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS I LOVE HOW YOU WROTE THE LORE— anyways, how did zombies or skeletons come to be? Or have they just.. always been there? Do people always die and come back as an undead, or is through a kind of sickness? Where did the sickness come from? How do zombies hybrids like Cleo come to be anyways? Sorry if this is way to many questions but I’m so so curious-

ohoho good questions!! :D Thank you so much I'm glad you enjoy <3

So it was hinted at a few times, but Zombies and Skeletons were not always around. They've been around since at LEAST the First Ones (who were not, in fact, the first civilization in this world, but is the oldest one they can find evidence of/references to), but they are the results of a disease, basically- Zombies a biological disease, Skeletons a magic one. Thus why they're called the Infection and the Curse, respectively. They predate the Ancients and, though the characters in our story will never know this bc we're talking ~50k+ years, the Infection and the Curse were introduced with the fall of the very first society in this world- the First Ones' ancestors. Which was, of course, ended by the very first Warden to be... created. :)

Not everyone who dies comes back as an undead- only people who have the Infection or the Curse will come back- the Infection is spread through a Zombie's body juices (AKA if they bite or scratch you, you can get infected) and the Curse can be spread through, well, magical means. Luckily Skeletons can't spread it once they're completely skeletized, but people who end up Cursed can spread it while they're still flesh and blood, through general, common, daily magic interactions (such as.... name magic :) ). Peecy ("player characters" gettit? Gettit? .... they're the humans who are not Testifica (villagers) or Illager) are less susceptible to Infection and Curse than Testifica but are not immune like the Illager are, but when they do get Infected or Cursed they have anywhere between hours and months until they start showing signs.... by the time of which they'll have probably spread it to multiple other people. By the time Midnight takes place, it's mostly under control (again), with Zombies and Skeletons and other Mobs banished to the very outskirts of villages. The Infection, ofc, can be cured in a very small percentage of people..... but that's information that has been lost.

As for how Zombie and Skeleton Hybrids can happen- like Cleo! Cleo, specifically, is the result of an incomplete transformation. Scar doesn't know much about Cleo's past, but I'll go ahead and reveal since it won't really come up in much detail- but Cleo was also a Turned, who was super fucking loyal to her Sire while they were alive, because she was Infected as a Human. When they started showing signs and symptoms of being Infected, in a time when there wasn't much that could be done about it, their village/family turned them out into the wild outdoors to die far away where none of them would have to see or possibly fight her. They were found by their Sire partway through their decay, maybe days or weeks away from death, and oh MAN was Cleo angry and hurt, feeling betrayed and abandoned... but their Sire saw a fire in her eyes and knew, looking at her, that she would make an excellent Lord one day. So they Turned Cleo, resulting in our part-Zombie Vampire Lord we know and love today. Which, uh... considering what their magic is....... Mumbo and Grim aren't the only Turned Vampires with scarily strong magic :)

Other Zombie (and Skeleton!) Hybrids can end up being born/created in a few different ways- either they get Infected and start taking on attributes of the Mob, but abruptly.... stop dying, or one of their parents was Infected/Cursed when they were conceived or born. For example, if your parent is pregnant with you and gets Infected, there's a chance you'll be born already Infected (and with such attributes) and maybe even already somewhat zombie-d. And there's like a 50/50 chance that you just.... won't die/fully transform. Which is a terrible thought but ya know-

Anyway, hope this ramble answered any questions, thank you for asking~! This was fun to talk about :D