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trendingtopicbg · 4 months

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Best Classified ads website in Uk

How to Leverage Free Classified Ads for Effective Online Advertising

1. Introduction

Classified ads have long been a staple in the advertising world, helping businesses and individuals connect with potential buyers, sellers, and clients. In today’s digital age, free classified ads have become a powerful tool for online advertising. Whether you're a small business owner looking to advertise your business for free or an individual trying to sell a second-hand item, classified ads offer a cost-effective solution. This article explores the ins and outs of using classified ads, especially free ones, to maximize your advertising potential.

2. Understanding Classified Ads

Classified ads are short advertisements placed in a specific section of a publication or website, usually categorized by type. Historically, these ads appeared in newspapers and magazines, but the advent of the internet has transformed them into a digital powerhouse. Online classified ads allow users to post ads for everything from job vacancies to property sales. The key advantage of classified ads is their ability to reach a targeted audience, making them an excellent tool for both individuals and businesses.

3. Types of Classified Ads

Classified ads can be broadly categorized into general and niche ads:

General Classified Ads: These cover a wide range of categories including items for sale, real estate, vehicles, and personal classifieds.

Niche Classified Ads: These focus on specific categories such as job ads, pet classifieds, and vehicle listings. For instance, websites like Freeads Pets cater specifically to pet-related ads, making it easier for users to find relevant listings.

Understanding these categories helps advertisers target their audience more effectively and choose the right platforms for their ads.

4. Benefits of Free Classified Ads

Using free classified ads offers numerous benefits:

Cost-Effectiveness: As the name suggests, these ads are free to post, making them an ideal choice for small businesses and individuals with limited advertising budgets.

Wide Reach: Classified ads can reach a broad audience, especially when posted on popular platforms.

Local Targeting: Many classified ads sites allow users to target local audiences, making it easier to connect with nearby customers.

Success Stories: Numerous businesses have successfully used free classified ads to boost their visibility and sales. For example, a local cleaning service might use free local classified ads to attract new clients in their area.

5. Top Classified Ads Posting Sites

There are numerous platforms where you can post free classified ads. Here are some of the top ones:

Adspage.uk: One of the most well-known classified ad sites, covering a wide range of categories.

Using multiple platforms can help broaden your reach and increase the chances of your ad being seen by the right audience.

6. Strategies for Effective Advertising with Classified Ads

To make the most of classified ads, follow these strategies:

Compelling Titles and Descriptions: Craft attention-grabbing titles and detailed descriptions to attract potential buyers.

High-Quality Images: Use clear and attractive images to make your ad stand out.

Categorization and Tagging: Properly categorize and tag your ads to ensure they appear in relevant searches.

Timing and Frequency: Post ads during peak times and refresh them regularly to keep them visible.

7. Maximizing Exposure on Classified Ads Sites

Increase the visibility of your classified ads with these tips:

SEO for Ads: Optimize your ad content with relevant keywords to improve its search engine ranking.

Social Media Sharing: Share your classified ads on social media platforms to reach a wider audience.

Customer Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, enhancing your credibility.

Regular Updates: Keep your ads updated with the latest information and new images to maintain interest.

8. Case Studies

Examining real-life examples can provide valuable insights:

Local Cleaning Service: A small cleaning business used free local classified ads to attract new clients and saw a significant increase in inquiries.

Pet Adoption Agency: By utilizing pet classifieds on Freeads Pets, an adoption agency successfully found homes for many pets.

Used Car Dealer: A dealership advertised their cars on Gumtree and Craigslist, reaching a large audience and boosting sales.

These case studies highlight effective strategies and outcomes, offering inspiration for your own advertising efforts.

9. Challenges and Solutions

Advertising with classified ads can come with challenges:

Ad Saturation: Many ads can make it hard for yours to stand out. Solution: Use compelling content and high-quality images.

Scams: Some platforms are prone to scams. Solution: Use trusted sites and verify potential buyers or sellers.

Low Response Rate: Not all ads get immediate responses. Solution: Refresh your ads regularly and experiment with different posting times.

Addressing these challenges with proactive solutions can enhance the effectiveness of your classified ads.

10. Future Trends in Classified Ads Advertising

The future of classified ads looks promising with several emerging trends:

Increased Use of AI: Artificial intelligence can enhance ad targeting and personalization.

Mobile Optimization: With more users accessing ads via smartphones, mobile-optimized ads will become crucial.

Integration with Social Media: Expect more integration between classified ads and social media platforms for broader reach.

Staying informed about these trends can help you stay ahead and make the most of classified ad advertising.

11. Conclusion

Free classified ads are a powerful tool for businesses and individuals looking to advertise cost-effectively. By understanding how to use them strategically, you can reach a targeted audience and achieve your advertising goals. Whether you're posting a job ad, selling a car, or promoting your local business, classified ads offer a versatile and efficient way to connect with potential customers.

12. Additional Resources

For more information and resources, check out the following:

Ad Posting Tools: Tools like Canva for creating eye-catching ad images and titles.

Further Reading: Books and articles on effective advertising strategies.

Support Services: Professional advertising services that can help manage and optimize your ads.

By leveraging these resources, you can enhance your advertising efforts and achieve greater success with free classified ads.

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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 2 years

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Endings and Beginnings - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Pregnancy, Second Person POV ("You"), No Physical Description about Reader

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

Summary: It's Maverick's retirement party but Rooster's far more concerned about you, his pregnant wife, than anything else.

A.N. Rooster is retired in this story and it's set a few years after TGM.

Edit: Part 2 is now out!

Master List

Maverick was officially retiring from the Navy. Or finally, depending on who you asked. The Hard Deck had been cleared out for the party and several generations of naval aviators, active and retired, and their families were spread out around the space. Drinks were poured continuously, there was pizza and snacks and even a cake with a Tomcat on it for later.

“Are you sure that you’re okay to be here?” Rooster asked you softly, grabbing your hand.

“I’m fine,” you assured your husband. “Just pregnant.”

“Very pregnant,” Hangman added, causing Rooster to glare over at him. Phoenix whacked Hangman on the arm your behalf, causing the blond to huff and complain. “What? It’s true!”

“I’m fine,” you repeated, squeezing Rooster’s hand. “I’ll sit down if I need to and there’s plenty of water and snacks that I can eat.” You released his hand and nudged him in the direction of Maverick, who was chatting with a few pilots his own age. “Go, mingle. Shoo. It’s a party. Party.”

“Only if you promise to let me know if you need to go home or to the hospital or—”

“—Rooster, I’m fine. The baby isn’t coming for another two weeks. Now, go. I think Mav’s been trying to subtly introduce you for an hour now.”

“Keep an eye on her for me,” Rooster told the others before heading over to Maverick.

The newly retired pilot was all smiles as he chatted with his old friends. But as soon as Maverick spotted Rooster walking over, he quickly moved to pull him over to the older crowd of pilots.

“She finally kicked you over here?” Maverick asked, referring to you.

“Apparently, I’m hovering too much,” Rooster joked with Mav.

“Well, it’s a perfect time to reintroduce yourself to everyone.”

Maverick gestured around the half-circle of former naval aviators. Slider, Hollywood, Wolfman, Chipper, Sundown, Merlin, and Viper all nodded to Rooster and Rooster shook their corresponding hands. It had been a long time since he saw any of them, what with the whole paper incident, but Slider still dragged him in for a noogie like he was eight-years-old.

“So, you were Maverick’s RIO in that whole business?” Merlin asked, referring to the mission.

Even though the mission was still highly classified three years later, the fact that Maverick and Rooster had barely made it out alive wasn’t. Well, that and word got around when an old smashed up Tomcat was unloaded off of a carrier.

“How was that?” Merlin continued.

“Most terrifying experience of my life,” Rooster responded, half-joking, half-serious.

“I understand completely,” Merlin mused, causing Maverick to smile and shake his head.

“That’s not why you turned in your wings, is it though?” Viper asked with a knowing expression.

“No, no,” Rooster replied immediately. “When I got married and my wife and I started to plan for having our family, I decided that I wanted to be there for every step. And I didn’t want her to worry about me coming home at the end of the day. So, I finished up my service requirements and retired.”

And, well, for a kid who lost his father to the Navy, Rooster’s reasoning didn’t raise a single eyebrow. Every naval aviator knew the risks involved in their line of work and while technological advancements helped decrease training accidents and fatalities, they were still always a possibility.

He wouldn’t—couldn’t—let his child learn about him from pictures, like he had to with his own father.

“And Maverick says that you’re switching to commercial?” Wolfman spoke up.

“Yeah, I have one more test to take and then I’m ready to fly, but I probably won’t start until we’re settled with our baby,” Rooster explained, nodding along.

“Your first one?” Viper guessed with an all-knowing smile.

“How could you tell?” Rooster inquired, earning a chuckle from the other fathers in the group.

“You got that look in your eye.”

“Not too different from the rookies at flight school,” Hollywood added with an amused smile.

“It’ll pass eventually, but the first one always gets you jittery,”

“Being a father is like learning how to fly—utterly terrifying at first, and there’s definitely a learning curve to it, but once you’re up there and you’ve leveled out, you won’t even remember what it was like before you learned in the first place.”

“I keep telling him to relax. He’ll be a natural,” Maverick spoke up, squeezing Rooster’s shoulder.

Rooster glanced through the crowd to check on you and found you sitting at one of the tables with your feet propped up on the opposite chair. You looked calm, but uncomfortable—though you’d told him that ‘nearly nine months pregnant’ and ‘comfortable’ did not go together no matter the situation.

“But speaking of, I should probably go check on my wife,” Rooster replied, his nerves and ‘Mother Hen’ tendencies, as Hangman called them, shining through.

“Of course.”

“Don’t let us keep you.”

“It was an honor to meet all of you again,” Rooster offered in goodbye, before checking on you.

The retired naval aviators watched him go and then turned to Maverick.

“God, he looks just like Goose,” Slider replied quietly.

“And with the mustache and the Hawaiian shirt too,” Wolfman agreed, sharing looks with the other retired naval aviators.

“Yeah, he does,” Maverick stated softly, watching Rooster weave through the party. “Just wait until you see him at a piano.”

Rooster slid through the crowd over to the back tables. You were still sitting with your feet propped up, a full glass of water in front of you, and your usual easygoing smile on your lips. Bob, Phoenix, and Hangman were keeping you company and spread out around you.

“You alright?” Rooster asked, walking to your side.

“I’m fine. Just wanted to sit down for a little bit. Baby Bradshaw seems a little excited about the party,” you stated, your hands resting over the swell of your bump. Rooster placed a hand under yours, where Baby Bradshaw tended to kick for the last few days. “How’s Mav doing?”

“I think he’s enjoying himself a lot. He hasn’t seen his old TOP GUN buddies in a while, so it’s nice for them to all come out to see him.”

“Well, Penny can be very convincing when she wants to be,” you mused with a smile.

Wordlessly you moved Rooster’s hand to the side, where the baby was pressing on you. Though you were growing tired of being pregnant, you didn’t think that you’d ever get tired of the way that Rooster just flipped a happy switch whenever he felt your baby.

“What are you all doing over here?” Rooster asked, turning back to the others.

“Actually, we’ve got a poll going about the baby,” Bob explained to Rooster.

“What are the votes?”

“I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix declared confidently.

“Which means that it’s a boy,” Hangman stated, just as confident.

“You only said that after you found out that Rooster and I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix retorted, causing Hangman to shrug his shoulders.

"So what?”

“I think that it’s a boy too,” you offered up. “The way that I’m carrying says that it’s a boy.”

“It’s not an exact science,” Rooster pointed out.

“No but call it mother’s intuition.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that.”

“God, you’re so whipped,” Hangman grunted, earning an elbow to the side from Phoenix.

Rooster and you ended up leaving the party among the first wave of people—mostly elderly and people with small children. But not before you received a whole bunch of random baby gifts from all of the people who missed your shower a month earlier.

“Do you want a hot bath when we get home?” Rooster offered, glancing over at you as he drove home.

“Maybe,” you sighed, shifting in your seat.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just uncomfortable. Nothing either of us can do for that.”

“You want more of that tea that Penny got you then?”

“Yeah, maybe that’ll help,” you murmured, leaning back in your seat. Your hands rubbed up and down your bump, trying to soothe yourself. “I think that Baby Bradshaw just got a little overexcited about meeting everyone all at once. But maybe some tea and a bath will help.”

“Coming right up,” Rooster assured you.

You pulled into the driveway and Rooster walked around to help you out. Usually, yo would just push his hand away and insist that you were more than capable of getting yourself out of the car, but this time you happily accepted his help.

“Are you sure that you’re alright?” Rooster asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” you replied, pecking his cheek. “Just slow.”

Rooster walked with you to the front door, keeping a protective arm around your waist. You walked into the kitchen and Rooster instantly moved to heat up some hot water for your tea. You leaned on the countertop, just looking completely uncomfortable with your existence.

“I’ll grab the bags out of the car and then I’ll start your bath,” Rooster promised, pressing a loving kiss to your forehead.

“Thank you.”

Rooster jogged down to the car and gathered whatever bags were sitting in the trunk. He left the go bag in the car, just in case, before heading back into the house. He wasn’t even completely through the door when he spotted you waddling towards the stairs.

“I’ll run your bath, babe, just sit and relax.”

“I’m not going to take a bath,” you called back, moving up the stairs slowly.

“You need help?”

“No, I just need to change.”

“Oh, okay,” Rooster replied, setting down the bags.

“Also, don’t walk through the kitchen yet,” you warned him, grunting a bit as you walked.

“Why?” Rooster asked, moving to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

“There’s amniotic fluid all over the floor and I haven’t gotten a chance to clean it up yet.”

“Amniotic . . .” Rooster trailed off before the realization hit him like 10 G’s all at once. “Babe!?”

Part 2

#top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #rooster x wife!reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley rooster x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw fic #rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #rooster fanfic #rooster bradshaw fic #rooster x you #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley bradsaw x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x you

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prettyfilmz · 1 year

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como te quiero yo + miguel o’hara

(listened to this song and this so fitting for miggy🥲💗)

it was storming hard outside your shared apartment. the rain slapped against the windows harshly and the thunder claps were so loud it would send anyone into hiding in their bed: like you. usually you weren’t bothered by storms like this but you were feeling particularly overwhelmed so you hid yourself under the covers. miguel wasn’t always the best at comforting with words since his delivery could be classified as…brutal, but he makes it up with his acts of service.

he turns on your comfort show, fills the room with your favorite snacks and joins you in bed, pulling your small body into his allowing you to rest your head on his broad chest. he occasionally traces circles on the skin of your arms, asks about the show you’re watching to keep your mind off the stormy weather and kisses your cheek with every small response you give.

eventually things heat up as he had another idea to ease your mind. he gently lays you on your back, gaining on noise of protest from you which he hushes instantly with a look you know all too well about. “relax mama, I just want you to feel better.” he soothes, slotting his body between your legs. his hands softly run up and down your sides making you squirm before he pulls the thin night shorts that donned your curvy lower half down. he peppers wet kisses along your neck and slowly travels down your body while leaving a few hickies and soft bite marks in their wake.

miguel almost cums in his pants when he saw that you didn’t adorn any panties underneath, his two fingers spread the lips of your glistening cunt apart making your hips buck slightly. he didn’t waste anymore time and attached his lips on your throbbing swollen pearl, suckling on it and groaning at your taste. he allowed you to control the pace this time and flicked his tongue in the same rhythm that you were grinding against his face, spewing curse words and whimpers.

your fingers combed through his soft curls which made him so aroused he slowly began to grind his erection into the soft duvet to ease the pleasurable ache. when you warned him that you were about to cum he didn’t stop and only added two of his thick fingers inside your tight warmth, pressing against your g spot teasingly. “cum tanto como usted necesita a la dulzura.” he says against your clit before spitting on it and continued his actions.

when your orgasm came, he eagerly lapped up your juices while riding out his own orgasm from how worked up he was from the friction. when he pulled his body up from in between your legs, he kisses you delicately and whispers “good girl, daddy is so proud of you.” he readjusted your positions so you were back to laying on his chest, trying to catch your breath.

“thank you miggy.” you say softly, feeling the rush of tiredness waves through your body as your eyes got heavy. “anything for you, sweetheart.” he pulls the covers over both of you, feeling quite tired as well. “I love you.” he kisses your forehead and closes his eyes, hoping to dream of you.

#astro’s diary <3 #miguel o’hara smut #miguel o’hara x black!reader #miguel o’hara x reader

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briarcrawford · 1 year

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Is This How You Write Romance?

I have never written a romance; not even once. That does not mean there is anything wrong with romance stories, just that I typically am drawn to writing stories that focus on other aspects. Now, that might sound like I am being a snob, but what I really mean is that I am a simple soul; I crave action scenes. Media that is majority romance just tends to bore me.

I do want to improve as a writer, though, and that does include writing romance(as a sub-plot). It is something most people expect in stories, and, if I am honest, a part of the reason I continue to avoid it is that I have no experience writing it. So, to help me get started, I have been doing what I do best: researching.

I have been (halfheartedly, with my phone in hand) watching the odd romance movie when my mom has them on(those ultra cheesy Hallmark ones), and it seems like most romances can break down into a simple formula.

The formula is:

1. The Meet-Cute

After the viewers have had a look into the life of the main character, the meet-cute happens. This scene is most likely funny or overly dramatic.

“In film and television, a meet cute is a scene in which the two people who will form a future romantic couple meet for the first time, typically under unusual, humorous, or cute circumstances. This type of scene is a staple of romantic comedies, though it can also occur in sitcoms and even soap operas.” Wikipedia

2. Building a Connection

Scenes that gradually bring them closer; typically do to coincidences or circumstances that force them to keep meeting. These scenes are when your readers will decide if they have chemistry or not.

3. Turning to Feelings

They continue having scenes together, and show signs of mutual interest. These scenes are when readers decide if they would make a healthy couple, and romance fans start looking forward to what could happen.

4. Feelings Confirmed

Something happens (such as a rescue, or a near kiss) that makes them realize or suspect that the feelings are mutual.

5. The Test

Their relationship is tested, and they realize how much they need each other. This is normally when one side runs off, and the other chases.

Without some sort of conflict and character building, the romance may come off feeling like filler content or fan service.

6. End

All is resolved, and they are together now.

Obvious, right? Well, the trick is to weave these into your main plot without them standing out too much.

Once you know what readers want in romance, the tricky part starts.

1. Confirm your genre.

What scenes are most important to you? If it is the romance scenes, you may want to rethink how you classify your genre. For example, there is a difference between writing a fantasy with a romance subplot, and a romance with a fantasy subplot. Deciding if you need to shift your main focus will change how much of each content makes up the percentage of your book.

2. Decide Your Goals.

What are your goals for the relationship? Sometimes, the plot points above stretch through just one book, while other times it can stretch for a whole series. If your goal is to have them get together in one book, know that you will have to deal with continuing that romance throughout the rest of the series(and adding in enough drama to keep it worth the subplot time).

3. They Should Amplify Your Main Plot.

If you have your characters become a couple in the middle of your main-plot’s climax, you risk ruining what tension you have built. Some writers do fight this and go with it anyway, though that is often because one of the love interests is almost guaranteed to die in the next scene.

Instead, consider having the relationship build at the same speed of the main plot. This is why end-of-series kisses are so popular to write.

Another popular option is to have them get together early on, but separated. That way, the hero is fighting not only to survive, but also to get back to their love.

This is, of course, all written by someone learning, so if any of you have any tips for writing romance, please let me know! I am not planning on watching any more of those movies(sorry, mom haha), so I will take all the help I can get.

#writing #writing help #writing advice #writing tips #romance #writing romance

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newspaper-advertisement · 1 year

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Here’s how booking a service classified ad online can broaden your client base!

#ad for services #ad services #best newspaper for services ad #book service ads in newspaper #classified services #newspaper services classified #services ad in newspaper online #services ads in newspapers

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workersolidarity · 3 months

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[ 📸 A child named Jana Ayyad, who was displaced into Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, suffers from extremely poor health caused by malnutrition resulting from the continued closure of the southern border crossings. In a report published by the UN-affiliated agency that classifies famines, northern Gaza has been determined to not yet to be in famine, a result of an unexpected increase in aid, while Gaza on the whole remains on the brink of famine and catastrophe. ]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

WAR IN GAZA, DAY 263: DESTRUCTION OF INFRASTRUCTURE PRESENTS DANGERS TO CIVILIANS IN GAZA, ISRAELI OCCUPATION TO DRAFT ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS FOR MILITARY SERVICE, "INTENSE" PHASE OF GAZA WAR TO END, BOMBING RAIDS CONTINUE AS MASS MURDER OF PALESTINIANS GOES ON ANOTHER DAY

On 263rd day of the Israeli occupation's ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of 3 new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 32 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, while another 139 others were wounded over the previous 24-hours.

It should be noted that as a result of the constant Israeli bombardment of Gaza's healthcare system, infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, local paramedic and civil defense crews are unable to recover countless hundreds, even thousands, of victims who remain trapped under the rubble, or who's bodies remain strewn across the streets of Gaza.

This leaves the official death toll vastly undercounted as Gaza's healthcare officials are unable to accurately tally those killed and maimed in this genocide, which must be kept in mind when considering the scale of the mass murder.

Following weeks of Israeli ground incursions into the northern Gaza Strip, as well as Rafah to the south, large portions of Gaza's Palestinian population have been displaced into central Gaza, into cities such as Deir al-Balah, the Al-Mawasi area, and the Bureij Camp.

Following their displacement, the Israeli occupation army began heavily bombing the local public infrastructure, leaving central Gaza, in particular targeting public infrastructure, including wells and sewage lines, spilling sewage while trash collection has ceased. All of this directly nearby areas where tens of thousands of Palestinian families are forced to reside in tent cities.

Speaking with the local media, resident Umm al-Abd Baalousha and her family live in a small tent erected near the sea water desalinization plant in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, an area where previous Israeli bombing has led sewage to overflow into the streets where piles of garbage grow ever larger as basic services are now impossible due to the ongoing genocidal war.

Baalousha told the local media she is a refugee from the Jabalia Camp, in Gaza's north, where the Israeli occupation forces recently launched a deadly invasion, destroying or damaging nearly every building and forcing her family to seek shelter in Rafah.

Soon after, they were displaced again by the Israeli invasion into Rafah beginning several weeks ago. The family was forced to seek shelter once again, now a refugee living in a tent in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza.

“We did not find another place to flee to from the city of Rafah in the far south, with the occupation beginning its ground military operation, other than this area (in Deir al-Balah), which is characterized by its proximity to the water desalination plant, but the disaster began to unfold with the overflow of sewage," Baalousha told the local media.

"Children in the area cannot move easily, unless accompanied by an adult, due to the high level of wastewater in the place and the matter not being addressed by the responsible authorities," she added.

The same can be said for countless other residents of Gaza, many of whom have been forced into unsafe, or sometimes outright dangerous living conditions, surrounded by garbage, sewage, sickness and death, often being starved.

According to a report published today, June 25th, by the UN-affiliated IPC Global Famine Review Committee, although the amount of food going into the northern Gaza Strip has increased, the food situation in the Palestinian enclave is "catastrophic", while there remains a "high and sustained risk of Famine across the whole Gaza Strip."

"The prolonged nature of the crises means that this risk remains at least as high as at any time during the past few months," the report says.

"The FRC encourages all stakeholders who use the IPC for high-level decision-making to understand that whether a Famine classification is confirmed or not does not in any manner change the fact that extreme human suffering is without a doubt currently ongoing in the Gaza Strip, and does not change the immediate humanitarian imperative to address this civilian suffering by enabling complete, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access into and throughout the Gaza Strip, including through ceasing hostilities. All actors should not wait until a Famine classification is made to act accordingly," the report concluded.

In more news, the Israeli entity's High Court of Justice has ruled today the occupation army must draft Ultra-Orthodox men into the Israeli military.

According to the Occupation media, due to there no longer being a legal framework for the exclusion of Haredi men from the Israeli draft, the Israeli High Court has ordered the military to begin drafting the Ultra-Orthodox immediately.

Though the High Court did not determine a rate at which they must be drafted, it instead told the government it could draft Yeshiva students gradually or quickly, but that it must begin actively working to conscript the Ultra-Orthodox.

The Court ruling concluded that a June, 2023 government order instructing the army not to begin drafting Ultra-Orthodox men was illegal because the law exempting them from conscription had expired and was not renewed by the Israeli Knesset.

The Israeli media states that some 63'000 exemptions for Ultra-Orthodox men were reported by the Court's documentation.

The Israeli High Court writes that, “In these days, in the midst of a severe war, the burden of inequality is more acute than ever — and requires the promotion of a sustainable solution to this issue.”

“Non-enforcement of the provisions of the Security Service Law creates severe discrimination between those who are required to serve," the Court is quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave interview with the Hebrew media in which he said that the "period of intense fighting in Gaza is about to end," adding that "This does not mean that the war is about to end, but rather its intense phase is about to end."

Trending news analysis of Netanyahu's recent comments suggest that, with the risk of Netanyahu's position crumbling if the war comes to an end.

Analysis suggests that at the conclusion of the Rafah operation, the bulk of the Israeli occupation's military violence is likely to shift north towards Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, just rinse the Gaza operation and repeat south of Lebanon.

In the meantime, in the Gaza Strip, the slaughter continued, albeit at a slower pace in recent days as the Zionist entity begins refocusing its attention north. Still, dozens of civilians were killed and more than one hundred wounded over the last 24-hours.

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, an Israeli warplane bombed a gathering of civilians on Al-Wahda Street near Al-Shifa Hospital, west of Gaza City, killing five Palestinian civilians, including two children, and resulting in a number of others wounded to varying degrees. The wounded were taken to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the city.

Soon after, the Israeli occupation forces bombed two UNRWA shelter schools in a series of raids that killed 16 civilians, with most of the victims being women and children.

The Israeli bombardment targeted several areas of Khan Yunis, in Gaza's south, along with the Al-Maghazi and Al-Shati Refugee Camps in the central and northern Gaza Strip, respectively.

According to Palestinian sources, the Zionist army bombed two UNRWA shelter schools housing displaced families in the Al-Shati Camp and in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza city.

The Civil Defense reported the recovery of five Palestinians who were killed, including children, and several others wounded as a result of the bombing of the "Asmaa" School housing displaced civilians in the Al-Shati Camp, west of Gaza City.

Similarly, local Civil Defense crews said they'd recovered the bodies 6 Palestinians as a result of the occupation army's bombing of the Abdel Fattah Hamoud School,in the Jaffa area of central Gaza City.

In further raids, occupation fighter jets bombarded a home belonging to the Al-Zamili family in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Meanwhile, the systematic destruction of neighborhoods such as the Saudi and Tal al-Sultan neighborhoods, west of the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, continued as well. With near constant bombings, artillery shelling and tank fire being reported, as well as the death of a man who was killed as a result of Israeli bombing in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood.

As Tuesday went on, the Zionist entity renewed its attacks, and further bombed into the night.

At midnight, Israeli warplanes bombed a house in the city of Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza, killing at least 3 Palestinians, and wounding a dozen others, while the Zionist army also bombed several homes in Gaza City and Rafah.

The Israeli occupation forces bombed several homes in southwestern Gaza City, including the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, in northern Gaza, while in Gaza's south, the Israeli occupation bombed the Saudi neighborhood, west of Rafah.

Further Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling hammered neighborhoods northeast of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, while airstrikes also hit the Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza.

As a result of the Zionist entity's ongoing war of extermination against the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip, the current death toll now exceeds 37'658 killed, including over 15'000 children and at least 10'000 women, while another 86'237 others have been wounded since October 7th, 2023.

June 25th, 2024.

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bradshawsbaby · 1 year

Text

Homecomings and Heart-to-Hearts

Pairing: Rooster x Wife!Reader

Summary: Bradley returns home from a mission carrying the weight of a burden he doesn’t know how to set down.

Word Count: 6.4k

Author’s Note: I was inspired to write this story after watching Miles’ performance in Thank You for Your Service. The idea came to me right as I was going to sleep, and I couldn’t get it out of head.

Warnings: Angst, deployment, references to injuries sustained during a mission, near-death experience, implied sex, allusions to breastfeeding, insecurities, hurt/comfort, family fluff.

Every deployment and mission was different. And that meant that every homecoming was different, too.

You and Bradley had both learned to expect the unexpected when it came to orders from the Navy. Despite the fact that your husband was permanently stationed on North Island, it was always possible that he was going to receive instructions for a special mission or deployment at any given time. That’s what happened when you were one of the Navy’s top fighter pilots. No matter how many times you tried to remind yourself that that’s just how it was, however, it never got any easier.

Six weeks ago, the orders had come in for a classified mission that required the skills and experience of the best of the best. You had been able to tell the news as soon as Bradley walked through your apartment door, before he had even been able to open his mouth or put down his things. It was written all over his face.

“They’re sending you away?” you asked softly, trying to keep your voice from shaking as you rocked your four-month-old son in your arms. It was always painful when Bradley left, but this would be his first deployment since Nicholas had been born and you didn’t know what you were going to do without him. The thought alone had your heart racing and tears filling your eyes.

“Only for six weeks,” Bradley rushed to reassure you, dropping his bag to the floor and immediately wrapping an arm around your shoulders, his other hand coming up to support the back of Nick’s head as he dropped a kiss onto your son’s forehead. “I’ll be back before you even know I’m gone,” he tried to smile, running his fingers through your hair as he leaned in to give you a kiss as well.

You knew he was just saying that to comfort you, but you almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous the notion was. As if you wouldn’t feel his absence every second he was gone. You would be counting down the minutes until his return from the moment you saw him off, and the apartment would feel empty and cold until he was back to hold you and Nick in his arms once more.

“I’m coming home to you, honey, I promise,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your temple as he lifted Nick out of your arms and cradled him close to his chest. “Don’t let him get too big while I’m gone,” he added, trying to swallow back his own emotion as your son wrapped his hands around one of his fingers and babbled up at him, a little bit of drool dribbling down his chin.

This would be Bradley’s first time having to say goodbye to both you and your baby boy, and you knew the thought of it killed him. Behind his golden brown eyes, you could see the ghosts of his past haunting him, and you knew he was thinking of all the times his dad had had to say goodbye. Right up until that final time.

“I’m going to take pictures every day,” you whispered, resting your head against his shoulder as the two of you gazed down at your perfect little miracle, who was now chewing on Bradley’s finger while staring up at you with eyes that were identical to his father’s. “Videos, too. You’re not going to miss a single thing.”

Bradley turned to look at you, and in his eyes you could see the same skepticism you had felt when he told you you wouldn’t even know he was gone. And yet, he nodded and smiled slowly, kissing you again. “I’m going to miss the two of you so much,” he murmured softly, sighing as he rested his forehead against yours.

“We’re going to miss you, too,” you told him, your eyes welling up once more. “But like you said, it’s only six weeks, right? The time will fly by,” you lied, trying to be strong. You knew he needed you to be strong.

“Yeah,” Bradley nodded, rocking Nicholas back and forth as your son’s eyes started to flutter closed. “It’s gonna fly by real quick.”

Time hadn’t flown by. In fact, it had felt like the longest six weeks of your life. Every time you started to set the table for two, or woke up in the middle of the night to feed Nick and saw the empty space beside you in your bed, your heart broke all over again and you couldn’t help the tears that escaped and coursed their way down your cheeks. Communication with Bradley was almost nonexistent, and the truth was that you didn’t even know where in the world your husband was. The mission was classified for a reason, which meant that even you weren’t privy to all that it entailed.

Every time your phone rang, the hairs on the back of your neck rose and you could feel your stomach drop out from under you. You were terrified it was going to be Vice Admiral Simpson, informing you that something had happened to Bradley during the mission. One night, you felt so anxious that you actually turned your cell phone off and slept in the nursery with Nick, trying to push away all the intrusive thoughts of what could be happening to your husband and all the ways the mission could go wrong.

But all of that worry and anxiety was over now because Bradley was coming home today.

You had been up all night last night, preparing all his favorite foods and desserts to celebrate his homecoming. And this morning, you’d been up before the sun, too excited to get much sleep.

“Daddy’s coming today, Nick!” you’d cooed happily as you lifted your son out of the crib and got him ready for the day. It was his very first homecoming experience, and you wanted it to be a special one.

Decked out in his “Daddy’s Wingman” onesie and shorts, and a pair of baby aviators you had found online a few weeks ago, Nicholas looked just as handsome as his father as he rested on your hip at the hangar, where you were waiting with all the other Navy families anticipating their loved ones’ return.

“Daddy’s going to be here so soon,” you told your son, bouncing him gently with one arm as you held the Welcome Home, Daddy! sign you’d finished the other night with your free hand.

Nicholas giggled softly and wiggled in your hold, but you barely felt his movements over the erratic beating of your own heart. No matter how many homecomings you had attended over the years, it was always like this. Every time you stood there to welcome Bradley home, it felt like the first time. You just couldn’t wait to hug him and kiss him and hold him in your arms again.

“They’re coming! They’re coming!” a little boy exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down as he pointed in the distance and then looked back at his mother.

An excited buzz filled the air as the news filtered across the hangar, everyone standing on their tiptoes and shielding their eyes to try to get a glimpse of their husband, wife, father, mother, brother, or sister. Even after all this time, it sometimes still baffled you just how many people it took to man an aircraft carrier.

It took a few moments, but amidst all the happy reunions happening around you, you finally caught sight of Bradley and the other Daggers making their way through the crowd.

“Nick, look!” you exclaimed happily, pointing in the direction of your husband as your son slowly followed your gaze. “It’s Daddy!”

As Bradley and the others came closer, however, you noticed that while they were smiling, they all had strained looks on their faces, exhausted lines around their eyes and mouths. They were happy to be home, but something had happened. That much was clear.

Your stomach did an uncomfortable flip when you looked from face to face and realized instantly that one was missing.

Where was Coyote?

Bradley didn’t stop or slow down as he approached you and Nick, just immediately barreled into you and wrapped you both tightly in his arms. You could feel the tension still radiating through him as he buried his face in your neck, inhaling the scent of your skin and the perfume he loved so much on you.

“God, I missed you so much,” he mumbled, his mustache tickling your skin as he pressed his lips to the side of your neck.

“We missed you, too,” you whispered back, squeezing your eyes shut and clinging to him with your free arm.

The two of you stood there like that for what felt like ages, just holding one another, until Nick finally began squirming and fussing against your side.

Pulling back, Bradley smiled and took Nick into his arms, peppering his face with kisses. “Hey, buddy,” he greeted him, chuckling as he noted the baby aviators that were now sitting askew on your son’s face. “Cool outfit,” he told him, running his hand over his belly. “Look how big you got. I told Mommy not to let you get so big,” he teased, glancing over at you and smiling.

It was a tired smile.

“You must be so exhausted. We should get you home,” you said gently, resting a hand on his back. You still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach that you couldn’t quite shake. You glanced over at where the rest of the Dagger Squad was loosely scattered, and noticed that Coyote still hadn’t joined them. Was he still on the carrier? “Is everybody doing okay?” you asked quietly.

Bradley looked down at you and could see instantly where your attention was focused. “Coyote’s being taken to the infirmary,” he replied, his voice low. There was a heaviness in his tone that had you whipping your head back in his direction right away.

“Is everything alright?” you questioned, growing worried. You thought of Coyote’s happy-go-lucky smile and infectious laughter and immediately wanted to cry at the thought of anything happening to him.

Your husband was quiet for a moment, shifting your son in his arms and looking over at the other Daggers before directing his focus back to you. “He got struck by enemy fire while we were over there. It didn’t take long for search and rescue to find him, and he’s going to be okay, but they want to monitor him on base for a couple days.”

You didn’t know how to feel about that news. On the one hand, you were of course thrilled to hear that Coyote was safe and was going to be okay. But on the other hand, it was horrifying to be so bluntly reminded of the risks and dangers that your husband and friends faced every time they were deployed for a mission.

Wordlessly, you wrapped your arms around Bradley’s waist and buried your face in his chest, inhaling the scent of jet fuel and aftershave. You were comforted by the feel of his strong arms wrapping around you, and of your son’s chubby fingers tangling in your hair.

“C’mon, let’s go home,” Bradley murmured against the top of your head, slipping his hand into yours as he allowed you to lead him to where you and Nick had parked the car.

It was a quieter homecoming than many of the ones you had experienced in the past, the stark reality of Coyote’s injury still hanging over Bradley like a shroud. He was almost completely silent during the drive home, and only managed to get down a few bites of the lunch you’d prepared before he was slipping into the shower and crawling into bed.

“I’m sorry, baby, it tastes amazing, but I’m just so exhausted,” he murmured, squeezing your hip and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“It’s okay, I understand. Get some rest,” you told him, watching him out of the corner of your eye as you began clearing the table.

He ended up sleeping for the whole rest of the day, and all the way through the night. Sometimes you forgot how much these missions took out of him, both physically and emotionally.

The next morning, Bradley was up before you were, making a couple cups of coffee and heating up the breakfast you’d made the other day.

“Mmm, morning,” you mumbled sleepily, your eyes still half-closed as you stumbled into the kitchen, wearing a pair of sweatshorts and one of Bradley’s UVA Alumni T-shirts.

“Morning, honey,” Bradley greeted you, planting a kiss on your lips before taking a sip of his coffee and reaching for the toast that had just popped. “Here you go,” he added, sliding a mug of freshly brewed coffee towards you, prepared just the way you liked it.

“This is a nice way to wake up,” you grinned, lifting the mug—Bradley had chosen your personal favorite—and blowing gently before taking a tentative sip. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a rock,” Bradley chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry I slept all night, baby. I know you had dinner ready, and I really wanted to spend time with you and Nick,” he apologized.

“It’s okay,” you insisted, shaking your head. “We’re still here, and we’re not going anywhere, so don’t worry. I’m just glad you were able to get some rest.” You paused for a moment, setting down your coffee mug, before asking, “Any updates on Coyote?”

Bradley sighed softly, running his fingers through his hair so that his dark locks stood up at a funny angle. “Yeah, he actually texted all of us this morning. He’s doing a lot better, and feeling good, so they’re probably going to release him soon.”

You let out a relieved breath. “Well that’s good,” you said, stepping closer to your husband. Glancing up, you noticed that there was still a troubled expression on his face. “Bradley, are you okay?”

“Hm?” he asked distractedly, his eyes clearing as he looked at you. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, probably still just a little out of it after the trip home.”

Biting your lower lip, you watched as he turned and began buttering his toast. “Okay. But you’d tell me if something was bothering you, right?” You could only imagine the toll it had taken on him, witnessing one of his closest friends being shot down by enemy missiles.

“Of course,” Bradley nodded, kissing your cheek before carrying his food and his coffee to the table and taking a seat.

You couldn’t shake the feeling that there was still something he wasn’t saying, but you decided to let the matter rest for the time being, sitting down opposite your husband and enjoying a little bit of uninterrupted time before Nicholas woke up.

The rest of the day was peaceful and uneventful. Bradley had a couple weeks of leave now that he had returned from the mission, which meant that he got to spend all day with you and Nick. You couldn’t even put into words how much it warmed your heart to watch Bradley as he lay on the floor to play and do tummy time with Nick.

“I seriously can’t get over how big he’s gotten,” Bradley marveled, his eyes widening as your son rolled from his back to his stomach with ease, and then pushed up from his tummy onto his elbows. “Look at that, honey! He wasn’t doing that when I left!”

Smiling, you nodded as you sat down beside them on the living room floor. “I took him to the pediatrician just last week, and he gained another pound and a half since his last check-up. Dr. McCarthy says he’s hitting all his milestones. He just started rolling over like that a couple weeks ago.”

A trace of sadness passed over Bradley’s face as he gazed down at your baby boy. “I’m sorry that I missed it,” he murmured, reaching out to stroke Nick’s downy head. His hair was starting to come in thick and dark, just like his daddy’s.

“I took lots of videos,” you promised, reaching out to lightly squeeze your husband’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you’ve missed out on anything.”

Bradley took your hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it, smiling up at you. “Thank you, baby.”

The remainder of the afternoon flew by quickly, and after putting Nicholas down for the night, you and Bradley spent the rest of the evening making up for lost time and showing one another just how much you’d missed the other.

“I love you so much,” you whispered against his bare shoulder, pressing kisses to the scar that lacerated his skin.

“I love you, too, honey,” Bradley whispered in return, squeezing you tightly as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, when you awoke, Bradley was still fast asleep beside you. He didn’t even stir as you climbed out of bed to go check on Nick in the nursery. As you were sitting in the rocking chair, nursing your son, your phone began buzzing with text messages from Penny. A couple deliveries for The Hard Deck had gotten delayed, and she was wondering if you were free to run some errands with her that afternoon. You assured her that you would check with Bradley and get back to her as soon as possible.

Just as you rose to find a change of clothes for the baby, Bradley stepped into the nursery, a sleepy smile on his face. “Morning, my loves,” he murmured, kissing you and then pressing a kiss to the top of Nick’s head.

“Nicholas, can you say, ‘Good morning, Daddy?’” you teased, bouncing your son on your hip as you took one of his hands and waved it in Bradley’s direction.

Nick gurgled happily in response, and both you and Bradley laughed.

“Any big plans for the day?” Bradley asked, lifting the baby into his arms so that you could go through the dresser drawers and pick out an outfit for him to wear.

“Actually Penny was just texting me. She wanted to know if I was free to help her run a few errands this afternoon. Would that be okay?” you asked, laying out a simple blue and white striped onesie for Nick.

Turning, you glanced up at Bradley. He seemed to be doing better since he’d first arrived home. He wasn’t as tense or preoccupied, and his mood had improved considerably when he learned that Coyote had been officially discharged from the infirmary. But still, you knew how much of a handful the baby could be when you had to take care of him all on your own, and you didn’t want to spring that on your husband when he was still getting acclimated to being back at home.

“Of course,” Bradley nodded, rocking your son back and forth in his arms. “You hear that, Nick? We’re gonna have some father-son bonding time while Mommy goes out to help Aunt Penny. Does that sound good to you?”

In response, Nick spit up all over Bradley’s shoulder.

“I’m going to choose to take that as a yes,” Bradley winced, grinning at you when he noticed that you were trying to hide your laughter behind your hand.

“It’s definitely a sign of his love and affection for you,” you giggled, taking the baby out of your husband’s arms so that you could clean him up and get him changed. “I think a little father-son bonding time sounds perfect. And I’ll only be gone for a few hours. I’ll text Penny to let her know that I can meet her in a little bit.”

“Sounds good,” Bradley nodded. “In the meantime, I think I’ll go take a quick shower,” he chuckled, pointing at the drool still coating his shoulder.

A few hours later, you were showered and dressed and ready to go meet Penny.

“Okay, so I fed Nick not that long ago, but if he gets hungry while I’m out, there are bottles in the fridge that you can warm up. And his diapers have been giving him a little bit of a rash lately, so I’ve been using this cream that Dr. McCarthy gave me whenever he needs to be changed. Oh, and—”

“Honey, relax,” Bradley laughed, resting his hands on your shoulders. “You’re going to be gone for a few hours, not a week. I can handle this.”

You bit down on your lower lip sheepishly, looking over at where Nick was currently relaxing peacefully in his sway swing. “I know,” you nodded, smiling as you leaned forward to press a kiss to the corner of Bradley’s mouth. “You know me, I always just get crazy whenever I have to leave him.”

“We’ll be fine. You go have some girl time with Penny, and we’ll have some man time here,” he grinned, kissing you gently.

“Okay,” you smiled. Turning towards Nick, you beamed as you knelt beside him to smother him in kisses. “Enjoy your man time with Daddy, my love. I’ll be home in a little while,” you told him, giving him one more kiss before rising back to your feet.

“I’ll see you in a little bit. Call me if you need anything,” you said, giving Bradley another kiss before grabbing your keys and your purse and heading out the door.

“We’ll see you soon! Tell Penny we said hi!” Bradley called out as he closed the door behind you.

As much as you hated being away from your two favorite guys, you had to admit that it was nice getting a few hours “off” to spend time with a dear friend, even if you were driving all over San Diego to run errands for the bar. You kept checking your phone every ten minutes or so, but there were no texts or calls from Bradley, so you figured everything must have been going fine at home.

Hope you and Nick are enjoying your man time! Don’t miss me too much! 😉

It was just a silly, teasing text, but when you received no reaction or reply, you started to grow a little antsy. Was everything fine at home? You had only been out for a few hours, but you also knew that Bradley had been under a great deal of pressure and strain these past several weeks. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of your stomach, and when Penny offered to pay for lunch as a thank you for helping her out, you told her that you’d have to take a rain check.

“We’ll talk soon!” you promised her, giving her a quick hug before jumping into your car and driving just slightly above the speed limit to get home as quickly as possible.

As you were hurrying into your apartment building, you checked your phone one last time and saw that you still had no messages or calls from Bradley. Fumbling around in your purse for your keys, you skipped the elevator and took the stairs two at a time until you reached your floor.

You hoped that you were wrong, but you just couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened. Call it women’s intuition, but you knew something was off. Heart pounding, you approached your apartment door and that’s when you could hear the wails coming from inside. You recognized that cry instantly. Nicholas didn’t cry like that often, that throaty, inconsolable wail, but when he did, it could be extremely challenging to figure out exactly what it was that was causing him to be so upset.

“Oh, God,” you mumbled, trying to shove your key into the door, but in your hurry, you kept choosing the wrong one.

“There you are,” came the rude voice of Mr. Lanfranchi, one of your neighbors a couple doors down. From the moment you and Bradley had moved in, he’d seemed determined to have a problem with you. When you turned, you saw that he was standing in his open doorway, arms crossed, scowling at you. “That kid of yours has been screaming for over an hour. About time you showed up.”

Although you would have loved nothing more than to tell Mr. Lanfranchi where he could shove it, you decided killing him with silence was a better solution as you turned your back on him and finally managed to get the right key in the lock. Slamming the door behind you, you dropped your purse and practically ran in the direction of your son’s cries.

“Bradley?” you called out, a hint of panic in your voice. “Baby?”

Pushing open the door to the nursery, your heart plummeted at the sight before you. Nicholas was lying in his crib, kicking his legs and loudly sobbing, while Bradley was sitting on the rug, head in his hands as he stared down at the floor. For a moment, you just stared at the two of them, not sure who needed you more. But then your feet carried you to the crib and you were lifting Nick into your arms, trying to rock him back and forth gently, even as he continued to wail in your ear.

“Oh, no, it’s okay, my love,” you cooed soothingly, rubbing his back as you tried to calm him down. “Sh, sh, sh. Mommy’s home. Mommy’s here. It’s okay.”

Looking over at Bradley, you saw that he had lifted his head and was peering at you through bleary eyes. He looked exhausted, but also deeply troubled. The tension you had seen in his shoulders when you’d picked him up on base had returned, and he had a defeated look about him that broke your heart.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he was mumbling, burying his face in his hands and then raking his fingers through his hair wildly. “He—he hasn’t stopped crying. I haven’t been able to get him to stop crying,” he told you, sounding almost numb.

You remembered the first time Nicholas had gone into one of his crying fits like this while you were home alone with him. It had been incredibly draining and emotionally taxing. You had felt like crying yourself. You could only imagine how Bradley was feeling right now.

“It’s okay, baby,” you said, trying to reassure both your husband and your son at the same time. When you felt Nick’s diaper was dry, you tried to figure out what else could be the cause of his upset.

“Bradley,” you said gently, carefully kneeling down on the floor near his feet, Nick still cradled in your arms. “Honey, look at me. Is he hungry? Did he eat?”

Bradley pointed across the nursery, where an empty bottle was sitting on the table near the rocking chair. “He seemed hungry earlier, so I fed him a bottle. He was doing okay, and then he just started crying and he hasn’t stopped. I—I don’t know what’s wrong,” he admitted, and you realized that that admission terrified him. He looked desolate as he gazed down at the baby. “I don’t know how to help him.”

“It’s okay,” you told him, reaching out with one hand and gently squeezing your husband’s. “It’s okay, Bradley.” You thought you had an idea what the trouble might be now.

Rising up, you laid Nick down on the changing table and began to gently massage his belly in a clockwise motion, singing a calming song to him in a soft voice. It was a song you often sang to help him go to sleep at night. As you continued to rub his tummy, he slowly started to quiet down, his desperate wails turning to softer cries. Lifting his feet in both hands, you began to bicycle his legs slowly, kissing the soles of his tiny feet as you did so. Slowly but surely, his cries soon turned to whimpers, then to little hiccups, until finally he stopped crying altogether and simply blinked up at you with tired eyes, all tuckered out.

Bradley stood up slowly, staring down at Nick and then gazing up at you in awe. “How did you do that? What was wrong?” he asked, still looking a bit shell-shocked.

“He had a gas bubble,” you explained, carefully lifting the baby into your arms and cradling the back of his head. “It happened once before when I gave him the bottle. He’s okay now, baby, I promise,” you assured him, noting the worried expression that was still on your husband’s face. “I know it can be overwhelming when he cries like that. I had no idea what to do the first time he did it when I was alone with him. But it’s all okay now. See?”

He just continued to stand there, staring intently at Nick with a sad look in his eyes. “I couldn’t even help my own son,” he murmured, reaching out to lightly touch the baby’s back before dropping his hand again.

“Bradley, no, you—”

Before you could even get a full sentence out, Bradley was turning and walking out of the nursery, his head clutched in his hands. Your heart broke when you saw the defeated slump to his shoulders, and the heaviness he seemed to be bearing.

Not wanting to alarm Nick, who seemed to be on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, you continued to whisper soothingly to him, rubbing his back and rocking him in your arms until his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. Cradling his head carefully, you lowered him into the crib and watched him for a few minutes to make sure he really was sound asleep, then stepped out of the nursery on quiet feet and closed the door halfway behind you.

Concerned about Bradley, you immediately went in search of him. You checked the bedroom first, but when you didn’t find him there, you moved to the living room, where you discovered him sitting silently at the end of the couch.

“Honey,” you said softly, kicking your shoes off and curling up beside him on the couch. “Talk to me. What’s the matter?” You knew it had to go deeper than just Nick’s crying. Something had been off ever since Bradley returned from the mission.

“I’m a terrible father,” Bradley said quietly, tears stinging his whiskey-colored eyes as he turned his face away from you, seemingly too ashamed to even look you in the eye. “Nick was in pain, and he needed me, and I didn’t know what to do. I just froze. I didn’t even call you or anything. What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing!” you exclaimed, reaching out to cup Bradley’s face in your hands so that you could turn his eyes back to yours. “Nothing is wrong with you. Do you hear me? Babies cry. A lot. And sometimes it’s hard to know why. That does not make you a terrible father,” you insisted, looking directly into his eyes. “Do you hear me?”

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said again, shaking his head slowly. “I keep messing up.”

“Bradley, baby, you haven’t messed up anything,” you told him, running your fingers through his hair. He seemed so shaken up by this, and you were trying to understand why.

“It’s my fault that Coyote got hit,” he said quietly, lowering his gaze and staring down at his lap.

“What?” you asked, startled. Resting your hand over his, you leaned in closer and rested your head on his shoulder. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It is,” Bradley told you insistently, his whole body tensing up beside you. “I was mission leader. I was the one making the calls, and I made a bad one. I thought we were clear. Bob and Fanboy weren’t picking anything up on radar. But that SAM just came out of nowhere,” he murmured, almost more to himself than to you. “I didn’t see it coming.”

“Oh, baby,” you said softly, cradling his cheek in your hand. “You can’t take all that responsibility and put it on your shoulders. You did the best you could. You said it yourself, even Bob and Fanboy didn’t pick anything up. You couldn’t have seen it coming.”

“But I should have!” Bradley’s voice was firm as he gazed at you, an agonized look in his expression. “I should have! Coyote could have been killed, and it would have been my fault. I feel like I just keep letting everyone down. And then today, I couldn’t even take care of my own son!”

You took a moment to process your husband’s words, to process the pain and the feeling behind them. It would be easy for you to sit here and tell him that it wasn’t true, that he shouldn’t feel that way, but who were you to tell him how he should feel? If that was how he felt at that moment, then he deserved to be heard.

“Baby, I can’t pretend to know exactly what you’re going through right now,” you began slowly, trying to collect your thoughts. “I’ll never be able to fully understand what it is you go through every time you go up in one of those jets, every time you fly some classified mission that I’m sure I don’t even want to know the details of. And I’m not going to sit here and tell you not to feel the way you feel, because you’re allowed to feel whatever you need to. But I do want to tell you that I think you’re an amazing man. An amazing husband, an amazing father, an amazing friend, and an amazing fighter pilot. You deserved to be mission leader because no one cares about that squad more than you do. You would put your own life on the line for any of them, and that is what makes you a good leader. Coyote knows that. And I know that he would never blame you for what happened. You didn’t let him down, baby. You didn’t let anybody down. You all came home, and that’s what matters most.”

Bradley swallowed, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs as he silently drank in your words, tears that refused to fall coating his dark lashes.

“You didn’t let Nick down either, honey. It’s hard, taking care of a baby. Trust me, I know,” you said, trying to laugh softly to lighten the mood. “Do you think I have all the answers? Believe me, I don’t. I only figured out what to do today because the last time it happened, I called Penny sobbing and begging for her to help me. I felt like the world’s worst mother that day.”

“You’re an amazing mother,” Bradley insisted suddenly, lifting his head and taking one of your hands between both of his own.

“And you’re an amazing father,” you replied evenly, arching a pointed brow as you looked at him. “One tough day doesn’t change that. Our son is so lucky to have you,” you whispered, caressing his cheek lightly as you leaned in closer.

Bradley took a deep breath, turning his head slightly to press a kiss to the palm of the hand that was resting against his cheek. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you what was bothering me when you asked. I just—I felt ashamed of what had happened. And—” He paused, struggling to get the rest of his words out. “And I didn’t want you to stop thinking of me as a hero,” he confessed.

“That would never happen,” you assured him, crawling into his lap and holding his face in your hands. “You’ll always be my hero.”

“And you’ll always be mine,” Bradley murmured softly, wrapping his arms around you tightly and pulling you in for a kiss.

Kissing him deeply, you rested your hand on the nape of his neck and ran your fingers through his hair, feeling his body slowly relax as the tension and anxiety oozed out of him. When you finally pulled back for air, you rested your head in the crook of his shoulder and whispered, “I love you so much, Lieutenant Bradshaw.”

You could feel his chest rumbling as he chuckled in response. “I love you more, Mrs. Bradshaw.”

“Not possible,” you teased, tilting your head back and grinning up at him.

Just then, the sound of the baby monitor that you kept in the living room came crackling to life as Nick awoke from his little hysteria-induced nap. You could hear him babbling and whimpering slightly, clearly in need of being held.

As you shifted to move off Bradley’s lap and go to your son, however, your husband stilled you with his hand. “I’ve got him,” he told you, sliding you easily off his lap and rising himself.

“Okay,” you smiled, nodding up at him. You knew this was something he needed to do after all that had gone on that afternoon.

Bradley smiled at you in return before walking out of the living room and down the short hallway to the nursery.

Within a few moments, you heard the sound of your son’s soft cries cease completely, which made you smile happily. You waited another couple minutes until you couldn’t take it anymore, and then you tiptoed quietly down the hallway and poked your head into the nursery.

Your husband was standing next to the crib, rocking a happily gurgling Nicholas in his arms as your son grasped onto one of his father’s large fingers.

“Daddy’s here, Nick. Daddy’s right here,” Bradley was whispering softly, gazing down at your son with a look of unadulterated adoration, a look that absolutely melted your heart. “I’m home now, and I’m not going to leave you or Mommy again for a very, very long time. I promise I’m going to be right here for you always.”

With tears in your eyes, you stepped into the nursery and wrapped your arms around both your boys, your heart full to bursting with how much you loved the two of them. It was more than words could describe.

“Thank you, honey,” Bradley murmured softly, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as he wrapped one arm around you.

“For what?” you asked in surprise as you lifted your head to gaze up at him.

Bradley smiled, lightly brushing his fingertips across your cheek. “For always being my safe place to land every time I make it back home.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #x reader #x female reader #rooster x wife!reader #mr. & mrs. bradshaw #top gun #top gun: maverick #miles teller

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