#hangman gn!reader

[bradshawssugarbaby]

Blue Skies and Green Eyes (Jake Seresin x Reader)

A/N: so I decided to just write an air show meet cute for Jake, Bradley and Bob because, even with a poll, how could I ever choose? So, here's the first of three, I guess? 😅

pairing: Jake Seresin x reader

content/warnings: pure fluff, air show inaccuracies because the last time I went to one I was 9, and it was in a cornfield, reader has a named niece and nephew, no physical description of reader given other than an allusion to them being tall.

word count: 2.1k

On the sun-soaked beach, your niece and nephew climbed over one another eagerly on the blanket you had carefully arranged, vying for the best spot to witness the spectacle unfolding overhead. The air show, a cherished tradition passed down from your father to you and your brother, had become an annual pilgrimage for your family. Determined to keep the legacy alive, you eagerly took charge of the tradition when your brother couldn't make it to your nephew's first air show.

For the past seven years, this had been your unique tradition with them. As the jets roared to life in the sky, the kids engaged in a lively dispute, each competing for an unobstructed view of the aerial acrobatics. Your brow furrowed as their bickering escalated, prompting an eye roll from you. Seizing the opportunity to diffuse the tension, you chuckled and settled between them, effectively creating a barrier that halted their squabble.

“Hey!” They both protested, shaking their heads in dismay.

“If it's the only way to prevent a full-blown war between you two, then I'm planting myself right here,” you declared with a playful smirk.

Mia, your spirited niece, responded with a pout and crossed arms, while Aiden, her older brother, countered by sticking his tongue out at her, a mischievous grin adorning his face as he comfortably claimed his spot beside you.

“Aiden,” you warned, catching his silent final shot at his sister out of the corner of your eye.

“Sorry.”

A warm smile adorned your face as you, along with the children, gazed skyward, captivated by the mesmerizing display of aircraft maneuvering through a series of intricate twists, turns, and loops. Aiden erupted in cheers and enthusiastic whistles, his excitement bubbling over as a FA-18 Super Hornet executed a flawless barrel roll high above. Engrossed in the spectacle, he fervently waved at the aircraft above him, a hopeful gesture that the pilot might catch a glimpse and reciprocate in some way. Beside him, Mia eagerly pointed upward, her eyes widening in sheer wonder as the plane effortlessly navigated a knife-edge flight, leaving her with an awestruck expression that mirrored the spectacle unfolding before her.

As the airshow continued, the sky became a canvas for more daring aerobatics. Another set of aircraft roared onto the scene, executing synchronized maneuvers that left trails of smoke swirling against the azure backdrop. Aiden and Mia's attention darted from one spectacle to another, their faces alive with awe and exhilaration. You couldn't help but share in their enthusiasm, reveling in the joy of witnessing these aerial feats with the same awestruck gaze you had as a child yourself, completely fascinated by the skill executed in every move. 

Suddenly, a squadron of jets soared in tight formation, their wings almost touching as they painted the sky with precision. The deafening roar of engines filled the air as the pilots skillfully executed a breathtaking sequence of loops and rolls, creating a symphony of motion that left the onlookers breathless. 

Aiden, his eyes glued to the spectacle, whispered in amazement, "I want to be a pilot one day, just like them!" 

Mia, equally captivated, nodded in agreement, her imagination ignited by the incredible display unfolding above. 

“Do you think we could meet them?!” Aiden asked excitedly as he turned his attention to you.

“I don’t know, honey, they’re probably really busy,” you explained with a nod of your head, knowing that the chances were unlikely to be in your favour.

“Can we try?! Please?” 

You looked at Aiden’s pleading face, and then to his sister, who had decided to match his facial expressions, their innocent faces making nearly impossible for you to say no to. 

“Fine, we can try. But I’m not making any promises, guys. You know, they’re really busy, and they’re actual military pilots, they’ve got lots of stuff to do.”

The children both cheered the moment you agreed to their request, and you could tell that the last portion of your reply was falling on deaf ears. You huffed a mock dramatic sigh as you squeezed both of them into a tight hug, laughing softly. 

After the airshow had concluded, all Mia and Aiden could talk about was how you were taking them to try and meet some of the pilots. You felt an anxious knot in the pit of your stomach, nervous that you’d be unable to fulfill their wish. Holding both of the children’s hands, you approached the airfield fence where the pilots could be seen chatting after the show, their planes merely feet away from where you stood. A group of pilots who appeared to be in their early to late 30s stood together, laughing cordially as they spoke. One of the pilots, a tall blonde with an air of pure, unbridled confidence to his stance took notice of you as you stood with Mia and Aiden. He waved his hand to say hello, and Aiden practically squealed in excitement, jumping up and down on the spot.

The blonde pilot raised his hand to his colleagues, appearing to excuse himself for a moment. Suddenly, you noticed Aiden’s attention turn to the side. You and Mia followed his gaze, noticing that the blonde pilot was now on your side of the fence that separated the three of you from the military aircraft in the field. 

“Hi, did y’all enjoy the airshow?” The aviator asked, flashing a charming smile at you as he lifted his sunglasses to rest on top of his perfectly coiffed hair.

Aiden nodded his head in a stunned silence, starstruck by the man standing before him. The allure of the charismatic Navy pilot was undeniable. His tall, athletic frame exuded confidence, and his sun-kissed skin bore witness to countless hours spent in the cockpit under the Californian sun. Those stunning pale green eyes seemed to hold the vastness of the sky, hinting at the adventures he'd encountered soaring through the clouds. Jake's charming smile had a magnetic quality, drawing you in with its warmth and openness. The subtle southern drawl in his voice added an extra layer of appeal, creating a melody that resonated with the thrill of the airshow and the laid-back atmosphere of the beach.

“We did,” you said after a moment’s hesitation, trying to not appear like a lovestruck teenager as your eyes briefly met with his.

The pilot knelt down to Aiden and Mia’s level, smiling at them both with the same charming grin he gave you a moment ago.

“Do you kids like planes?” 

“I do!” Aiden and Mia both responded in unison. 

“That’s awesome to hear! My name is Jake, I fly planes for the US Navy, see that one there?” He beamed proudly as he gestured towards one of the grey aircraft parked in the distance, “That’s my plane. All of our planes have our names on them so we know who’s is who’s, and our callsigns, so we can just use one word to talk to each other on the radio.”

“What’s your callsign?” Aiden asked, tilting his head as he looked at Jake.

“Hangman. Like the game, where you have to guess letters to find out what the secret word is, do you know that one?”

Aiden nodded his head and grinned. You couldn’t help but admire how patient and friendly Jake was towards Aiden and Mia, taking care to answer their eager questions with thorough answers and explanations, leaving nothing unanswered.  As he spoke passionately about his experiences as a Top Gun graduate stationed at Miramar, you couldn't help but be captivated by the combination of his professionalism, adventurous spirit, and undeniable charm.

“Do you have a rank?” Aiden quizzed, tilting his head.

“Of course! Lieutenant Jake Seresin, US Navy,” Jake grinned, “And what’s your name, little guy?”

“I’m Aiden, and this is my sister, Mia,” Aiden explained, before introducing you as somewhat of an afterthought due to his excitement.

Jake looked up at you, a genuine smile forming on his lips. His green eyes stayed on you, and you could feel a sense of curiosity in his gaze. He turned his attention back to your niece and nephew, his hand resting on his knee as he looked at them both.

“Nice to meet y’all! Maybe, if your aunt says it’s ok, you guys could come back here one weekend, and I could give y’all a tour of the planes, let you meet some other pilots? Sound fun?”

Jake's offer had your niece and nephew practically buzzing with excitement. Their pleading eyes and enthusiastic pleas tugged at your heartstrings, mirroring the eagerness that now danced in your own eyes. You exchanged a glance with Jake, whose genuine smile hinted at an underlying warmth. 

"Well, Lieutenant Seresin," you responded with a playful grin, "it seems like you've just won yourself two eager co-pilots for that future tour of yours."

The prospect of spending more time with Jake and experiencing the world of naval aviation up close had ignited a spark of anticipation within you. As he continued to chat with Aiden and Mia, effortlessly captivating them with tales of high-flying adventures, you couldn't help but appreciate the sincerity in his demeanor. The beach, once a stage for the breathtaking airshow, now held the promise of more extraordinary moments to come. 

With a subtle twinkle in his pale green eyes, he stood up and straightened his posture to his full height, easily taller than you by more than a few inches. He turned his attention back to you, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. 

"You know," he began, his pale green eyes locking onto yours, "meeting someone as captivating as you wasn't part of the airshow program today. Consider me pleasantly surprised."

A warm flush crept across your cheeks as you chuckled at his smooth remark. Jake continued, his voice carrying the lilt of his unmistakable southern drawl, "I was thinking, maybe when I'm not up in the skies, we could grab a coffee or a drink. Talk about something other than planes and maneuvers, you know?"

The subtle invitation hung in the air, and you found yourself nodding, unable to suppress a growing smile. 

"I'd like that," you replied, your eyes meeting his with a shared sense of anticipation.

“How about you share your number with me? That way, we can figure out when to meet up again. And it saves you from having to try and track me down on a Naval base."

Feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation, you retrieved your phone, fingers tapping out the digits as you exchanged contact information. Jake reciprocated, a grin playing on his lips as he entered your number into his phone. The exchange felt like a subtle promise, a digital tether that connected two individuals eager to navigate beyond the boundaries of the beach encounter.

With phones back in pockets, there was a shared acknowledgment that this exchange wasn't just about convenience but a mutual interest in seeing where this connection could lead. As the warm sunlight cascaded down over you, your niece and nephew’s muffled giggles and whispers in the air, and the promise of future messages and potential meetings lingering, it left you both with a sense of excitement for what lay ahead.

"Well, it looks like it's time for me and these two little aviators to head out," you remarked with a playful glint in your eyes. 

The prospect of saying goodbye brought a hint of reluctance to the moment. With a gentle nudge, you encouraged Mia and Aiden to express their gratitude. 

"Come on, you two," you said with a smile, "let's thank Lieutenant Seresin for the amazing day." The kids, still brimming with excitement, turned to Jake, expressions eager.

With genuine appreciation in their voices, Mia and Aiden chorused their thanks.

 "Thank you, Lieutenant Seresin!"

Jake chuckled warmly, crouching down to their eye level. "Y’all can just call me Jake, you know. No need for all the formality, I’m only Lieutenant Seresin if my CO is around." He winked at them, his easygoing nature resonating with their youthful enthusiasm.

As the kids bid their farewells, Jake turned to you, his gaze holding a hint of something more. "Until next time, I suppose," he said, his tone carrying a mix of sincerity and anticipation.

You smiled, reciprocating the sentiment. "Absolutely. Until next time, Jake." 

With a final exchange of glances and well wishes, you, Mia, and Aiden left the beach, the echoes of the airshow and the promising connection with Jake lingering in the warm California breeze. Armed with plans to coordinate with the kids' parents for a tour with Jake, and plans to schedule a date with him, you hoped this encounter marked the beginning of a connection that extended beyond the sandy shores of Coronado Beach.

[az-cain]

Brave

jake seresin x reader ≈ 400 words masterlist

@babyrooster gif credit

pure fluff.

—

Your legs had been asleep for upwards of 10 minutes. The ache in your back was really starting to set in, and your eyes were drooping. The head in your lap made that discomfort irrelevant. His tan cheek was squished against your sweatpants, always-coiffed hair falling loosely over his forehead. The green eyes you’d come to love were shut delicately while he lay sleeping, and a light snore echoed from where his mouth lay slightly open.

When he was awake, he made sure to keep a careful mask on. His jawline always looked perfect because he held it at the right angle, though the shape he was in helped. While he slept, however, his chin folded down like the rest of his body, laying curled up on the couch under a blanket, one hand thrown across your lap to meet the one that had looped behind your back. His face was softer, more youthful. Moving your hand from his shoulder to his head, you ran your fingers through his hair gently and smiled.

A sad pang shot through you when his eyes opened slightly, peering at you lazily. “Hey,” he murmured, voice gruff with sleep. He’d been out for about 45 minutes, having had a long day after which he just wanted some good old fashioned lovin’.

“Hey, beautiful.”

He smiled at the compliment, half of the smile covered by his folded-over cheek. A light kiss was laid to your belly before he asked “Wanna move to the bedroom? Hold me?”

With a gentle but eager smile, you nodded, to which he sat up with a groan. He rolled languidly off of the couch and onto his feet, not bothering to stretch before he offered you a hand and led you to the bedroom. He flopped down onto the soft mattress and beckoned you over, back nestling into your belly while his head sat back on your chest. You wrapped an arm over him, the other slipping above his head. With a kiss to his head, you told him you loved him and wished him a good night.

He kissed your arm softly and you felt him smile. “I love you, my one and only.”

“Only person brave enough to spoon you, maybe.”

“Only person who’d ever get the chance.”

masterlist

[writingdumpster]

wait for me

pairing: Jake Seresin x reader (no pronouns used)

warnings: just being sad over jake leaving

summary: you and jake haven’t been dating long when he gets called away for an emergency deployment and you’re faced with deciding whether or not you’ll wait for him

word count: 1.1k

It was cruel really. Your whole life you had never let yourself fall in love. You were careful to avoid the people that had almost made you weak. You couldn’t afford it. You saw the way that love could break a person when your mother died, leaving your father in shambles for years. So at the young age of 13 you had vowed never to fall in love. And you had been doing so well.

That had all been ruined by a tall and muscular pilot who had wandered into the bakery where you worked six weeks ago. His smile was infectious. And he was quite persistent—but not in an invasive way. It took Jake one week of daily visits to convince you to go to the Hard Deck with him, with the assurance that his friends would be there as well.

You only ended up meeting one of Jake’s friends, a man that told you his name was Rooster. You remembered Jake being quite annoyed to see Rooster there. It was clear Jake told his friends not to come to their usual Friday hangout. Rooster was glad to stay and tell you embarrassing stories about Jake all night despite the constant hints that Jake dropped encouraging Rooster to leave. The stories Rooster told you only made you want Jake more. It took everything in you not to invite Jake inside when he dropped you off at your house that night. You couldn’t stop yourself from seeing him the next day though—or the one after that.

Now it had been six weeks since Rooster had third wheeled on your first date. You hadn’t told Jake that you loved him yet, but you knew you did. And you hated yourself for it.

You had been enjoying it until three days ago. You were practically laughing at your past self for writing off love when it could make you feel this way. And then Jake knocked on your door. That was usually the best part of your day, but when you opened the door that day the wide grin you were accustomed to didn’t greet you. Instead you were faced with a solemn and sad expression.

Jake sat you down to explain to you that he had been called on an emergency deployment. He was leaving three days later and would be gone for three months. Your heart had fallen through the floor. You had been right all along. All love would do was break your heart. Jake was well aware of your feelings on love. You’d told him all about why you were so reluctant to let him in. He was sure this was the end for the two of you.

Things had been strange since then. The two of you had been cautiously avoiding the topic of whether you would wait for Jake while he was gone. You had only started calling him your boyfriend the week before. It was like you both wanted to hold onto this time—this time that would never exist again, even if you did wait for Jake.

Today Jake was leaving though. You were going with him to the base, where he would get on a plane that would take him away from you—somewhere that you wouldn’t know and couldn’t go. He had given you a key to his house on the way out and asked you to find someone to check in on the place every week or so. He hadn’t said who, silently implying that he wanted that person to be you. He put his truck in park and then pulled out the key, handing it to you.

“Take it back to my place for me?” He asked. His voice was hollow. You nodded wordlessly and took the key. The two of you sat in the car, looking away from each other, unable to move—unable to leave the comfort the two of you had provided each other with for the last six weeks.

“I—” You paused, holding back tears. “I don’t want you to go.” Jake let out a sigh.

“I don’t want to leave you,” he told you. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly before opening the car door. You took a deep breath before following after him. He had his duffle bag in one hand and your hand in the other as he walked towards the room that family was meant to say goodbye in. You looked around at the crying children and spouses as they held each other tightly. You were standing in front of Jake, staring down at your shoes, neither of you touching.

“Y/N,” Jake called. You breathed in before looking up at him. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it before he could get it out. You gave him a sympathetic smile and raised your arms, wrapping them around his neck. Jake quickly reciprocated your actions, his arms moving around your waist. You leaned up towards him and kissed him. His lips were warm against yours and his fingers dug into your hips, pulling you impossibly close. The kiss left you breathless. When he finally pulled away he kept his forehead pressed to yours.

“Will you wait for me? Please will you wait for me?” Jake asked, staring into your eyes with more desperation than you could imagine. You nodded.

“Yes,” you told him. “Under one condition.”

“Anything,” he assured you.

“You promise not to make me wait forever,” you said, your voice breaking and a tear slipping from your eyes.

“Oh, baby,” Jake cooed. He pulled you into his chest and pressed his lips to your hairline. “Nothing is ever stopping me from coming home to you.”

“Jake, I—I—” You stuttered, terrified to tell him what you knew you felt. Jake wanted to say the words he knew were on your lips more than anything, but he wasn’t going to do that now. Not for the first time—it felt cruel to leave you that way after everything you had told him.

An announcement over the PA called all the soldiers to the airstrip and everyone started giving their final hugs and kisses. Jake kissed you again. He started to back away, one of the only remaining soldiers left in the room. His hands were still just barely holding onto yours. Jake looked at you and smiled as brightly as he could manage.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” he said.

“Jake, I love you,” you blurted out, grabbing onto his hands before he could slip away. Jake grinned. He leaned in and kissed you one last time, cupping your cheeks in his hands and letting you run your fingers through his hair. He finally released you, leaving one last chaste peck on your lips before picking up his bag.

“I love you too.”

[auroracalisto]

the morning after

jake "hangman" seresin x gn!reader, 550 words tw: no description but some parts allude to sex, nakedness, a general bout of worry from the reader, brief self-doubt a/n: jake seresin. that is all.

Your eyes fluttered open, gentle sunlight casting through the curtains of your military-provided accommodation. Body sore, exhaustion running through your body, recollection was far from your mind. But it hit you when you felt the mattress shift beside you, Hangman turning to face you with a smile.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he said, resting on his hand as he watched you.

Your cheeks flushed, burning as you remembered the night before. You hadn't been drinking, but the heat of the night influenced your every decision leading up to the point in which Jake Seresin was in your bed. You would have been screaming in excitement had it not been for the fact that this could seriously end up being a one-night stand—a one-time deal between friends that would never happen again.

You knew Jake. He was never one to take the same person home twice. And the fact that when Monday came, you'd have to return to a facade of pretending this didn't happen, and you were just work colleagues.

But the way he looked at you... it made you think twice. It made you wonder if he felt anything more towards you than just a fling. More than just a friend he made a mistake with.

Jake's smile was unmistakable as he watched you. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.

"You know you talk in your sleep?" he asked with a grin, covers falling further down his body as he shifted once more.

"Do I?" you answered with a question, embarrassment flooding your body. You didn't know—hell, it wasn't often you even slept with someone in the same bed as you.

"It's cute."

You press the palm of your hand to your eyes, your smile evident.

You both lie there, bare under the covers, and yet, he called your unknown nighttime habits cute. Was he serious?

Jake cleared his throat, averting his gaze.

"I, uh, can leave if you want me to. Don't be afraid to tell me to leave. But... I was thinking. If you're okay with it. Maybe we could go to the diner down the street? Get breakfast together?"

You part your fingers to look at him as he sat up, sheets pooling around his hips. You bit your lip, watching him from where you lay.

"I don't really want this to end, but if you want it to, I understand," he said. He seemed... hesitant. Had you ever known Jake to hesitate before?

"No!" you quickly said, sitting up in the process. You gripped at the covers, keeping them over your chest as you watched him—surprise making an appearance on his handsome features. "I mean—I mean, I don't want this to end either. I'd love to get breakfast with you if you want me to."

He began to smile. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to your lips. He brought up a hand to the side of your face, fingers gently brushing against your skin.

"We should shower before we go," he said.

"Oh, yeah?" you began to smile, giggling as his hand dropped and took ahold of the hand that gripped the blankets. He pulled you out of the bed, pulling your bare body flush against his.

"Oh, yeah," he said, grinning as he watched you.

[make-me-imagine]

Drunken Confessions, Sober Reminders

Prompt: "...Did you just sniff me?" Requested By: @blondehaze22 *I could not think of a way to put all of your prompts into one request, so I am going to keep the other two for a different fic!

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x GN!Reader *readers Call Sign is Nighthawk

Plot: The reader helps out a drunk Hangman, but gets much more than they were expecting in return.

Warnings: Drunkeness (from Jake not reader), super brief mentions of alcohol.

Words: 2.1k

A/N: I usually don't write fics including alcohol, but I like the drunk confession thing, so I decided to go with it for this one. Also this might be a bit ooc for Jake, but I like to imagine his a softer side he shows to those he has feelings for.

-

You let out a deep breath as the smell of alcohol hit you as you walked into the Hard Deck. As your eyes locked with Penny's, she motioned her head towards the side of the bar. Following the line is sight, you saw a blonde head of hair through the window, as Jake sat slouched outside in the cold air.

Shaking your head you let out a soft chuckle. It was rare that Jake allowed himself to get so drunk Penny had to make a call, especially to you. You had texted Payback, but he had left the Hard Deck hours ago. And you figured the others must have had their fill for the night too.

As you walked outside, you patted Jake on the shoulder, causing him to look up at you. A big grin spread across his face "Nighthawk" He said with a cheery drawl "Decide to come have some fun after all?"

You shook your head "Nope, came to make sure you made it back to the base."

He frowned "Penny called you."

"Yup." You said with a laugh as you tapped his shoulder "Come on, let's go."

Standing up, he staggered a little, and you stepped forward to steady him. He looked at your hands on his chest before he met your gaze and smirked, "Never thought you'd be so forward."

You just rolled your eyes as you began to walk him towards your car. As you helped him into the car, you let out a sigh and muttered softly. "You're lucky tomorrow is a day off."

Back at the base, you looked around, wondering if you'd run into anyone before you got Jake back to his room. Hearing Jake step out of the car, you watched as he looked around. His eyes landing on the barracks your room was in. He pointed wordlessly and began to head towards them

"Oh, no, I don't think so." Grabbing his shoulder, you spun him around and started walking him towards his own barracks.

You could see the gin on his face even in the darkness as he mumbled softly "Worth a try."

Shaking your head, you repressed a soft laugh. He would often be flirty towards you, even when he wasn't drunk. But that was all it was, empty flirts.

Finally making it too his room, you rushed him inside before anyone would be woken up by the incessant and off-tune humming coming from Jake.

"Alright, here we go, into bed with you."

Spinning around, he fell and landed on his bed with a satisfied sigh. His eyes met yours and he smirked "Room for two."

You rolled your eyes as you grabbed his shoes and began to pull them off for him. You could feel his smirking face staring down at you, as you waited silently for the oncoming comments.

Hearing nothing, you looked up, meeting his gaze. You were more surprised to see his face covered in a soft, almost endearing smile.

You weren't sure why, but that look on his face made your ears heat up and your heart flutter. And the comment he did finally make, caused this to only increase.

"I like looking at you."

Setting his shoes beside his bed, you stood up, seeing he was still watching you with a soft smile. You couldn't repress the soft smile that spread across your face, as you motioned towards him "You should get under the covers."

"You coming with me?" He asked as he began to pull at the blanket.

There it was. You let out a chuckle. "No, I don't think so."

Leaning down you helped him climb under. Seeing his watch got caught on the blanket, you leaned over to take it off. You were not unaware that you were hovering just above him. You felt your heart jolt as he reached up and gently grabbed a strand of your hair. Lifting his head he brought it to his nose, and you felt your neck burn hot.

Pulling away, you stared down at him "...Did you just sniff me?" You asked softly, shocked yet amused.

He smiled at you "You smell good. Like apples. You always smell like apples."

You stared at him with bewilderment, feeling more flustered than you expected. "Yeah, it's my signature scent." You half-joked.

He smiled lazily as you could see he was beginning to grow more tired.

"Do you need anything else Jake?"

He locked eyes with you, his gaze even more sincere and endearing than before. "I like when you call me Jake." He said softly "And I like calling you Y/n, but it feels...intimate."

You shook your head, but felt your heart palpitate. "It's not. It's my name, you can call me by name Jake." You almost laughed.

"Okay. Y/n." He stared at you for a minute, "I do need something."

"What?"

Reaching out, he hooked his finger under yours as he latched onto your hand "You."

You knew these were just drunk thoughts, flirty remarks he wouldn't remember in the morning. You sighed as you squeezed his hand lightly before placing it on his chest "Go to bed Jake."

"But you asked if I needed anything." He almost pouted.

"You don't need me Jake."

"I always need you." He said softly "I always want you."

You felt an ache in your chest as uncertainty coursed through you. Is there a chance these are his real feelings? Things he has kept to himself. If so, then you needed to hear them when he was sober, when he knew he wanted to say them too you.

"If that's true Jake, if you do really want me, if you do need me, then tell me when you are sober, if you remember this, that is. That way I know you mean it."

He watched you silently for a moment before he nodded. You patted his hand before you rose to leave. "Goodnight Jake."

As you turned off his light and began to leave, you stopped in your step when he called out your name. Turning back, you could just see his face from the light of the hallway.

"I'll remember. I'll tell you again."

Without another word, you stepped out and closed the door. You stood in the hall for a moment, as you let out a deep breath. You had never seen Jake so...soft. It was unusual, but you felt like you saw a part of him that existed beneath the usual cocky demeanor.

You had known him for years, seen so many sides of him, but this was different. You hoped that it was real, and not just some drunken persona that would no longer exist in the morning. You could only hope.

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

The next morning as you walked into the cafeteria, you saw Jake sitting beside Payback and Fanboy. He had his head hung low as he picked at his food.

Setting down a cup of coffee in front of him, he looked up at you blankly, before a soft smile formed on his face.

"Morning sunshine." You smiled jokingly.

He mumbled a 'Thanks', as Fanboy laughed "I don't think sunshine is the right word for how Hangman here is feeling."

You looked from Fanboy to Jake, meeting his eyes for a moment before he looked away. You felt a bit disheartened as he seemed unaffected by what happened the previous night.

You smiled softly, ignoring the disappointment. "Gotta go, make sure you guys don't do any day drinking."

As you turned to leave, Jake looked up quickly. "Nighthawk."

You stopped and looked back at him, and for a moment you thought you saw something in his gaze, but it passed quickly a he smiled "Thanks for picking me up last night. Payback told me you went and got me."

You were right. He didn't remember.

You smiled "No problem."

As you turned and left, Jake watched you, his heart pounding in his chest, a mix of guilt and doubt as he watched you disappear.

--- --- ---

You went the rest of the day without seeing or hearing from Jake. And as much as you felt disappointed, you weren't really surprised by it. Maybe it was for the best he didn't remember. Though you weren't sure why.

Hearing a knock at your door, you felt your heart flutter, before you reminded yourself that Jake had gone back to the Hard Deck with everyone.

As you pulled open the door however, you felt your heart jolt as you were met by Jake's familiar light green eyes. He looked up at you as he leaned in the doorway.

He smiled softly "Y/n."

A soft shiver went up your spine as you heard him say your name, as the thought of the previous night crossed your mind.

You smiled as you crossed your arms "I already told Phoenix I'm not going out tonight."

He smiled and shook his head "That's not why I'm here."

Your heart skipped a beat, "Oh. Then what's up?"

He could tell you were trying to be nonchalant. He knew you thought he did not remember, especially after he didn't come see you until now.

Staring at you for a moment in silence, he finally spoke, his voice soft. "Uh, it's about last night. The things I said. And I wanted to tell you I was sorry."

He hesitated and you felt your heart drop. So it was just empty words. You feigned a smile and shook your head.

"It's alright Jake, you don't need to apologize, I know you were drunk, I'm surprised you even remembered at all."

Jake's eyes shot up as you spoke "No, no, that's not what I meant."

Stepping forward into your room, you stepped back as he closed the door behind him. Turning back to you, he let out a soft sigh.

"I meant, I was sorry about this morning, and today. About not coming to find you sooner. I just, you know I'm good with flirty remarks, and jokes and sarcasm, but I'm not good with feelings. Not genuine ones at least. And I didn't really believe in the whole liquid courage shit until last night. All those things I said, were true. Completely. I just, never had the courage to say them to you sober apparently."

"Oh." You mumbled out, caught off guard and unsure of what to say. You turned and stepped into your room, before spinning back around to look at him. "So, it wasn't just...drunk meaningless words?"

He shook his head before he walked up to you. You felt your body go stiff as he stared down at you. You felt a shiver up your body as he gently ran his finger tips up your arm.

"I meant what I said. That I need you. That I want you. I've never felt like this, about anyone. And I'm glad I was able to get the words out one way or another. I know I have a reputation, but I need you to know you can trust me. That I haven't been able to look at anyone since I started to feel like this for you. For me, you are it, that perfect person. The only one I want."

You felt breathless, but smiled softly and took a breath "You said you aren't good with feelings, but that was pretty damn good."

He let out a soft chuckle as he looked down at your hands. Taking one of yours in his, he ran his hand over your fingers before he met your eyes again. "You know, it would be helpful if you told me how you felt." He said half-joking, but you could see the nervousness in his expression.

You let out a chuckle before you leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, catching him off guard. He met your eyes and smiled.

"I do trust you. And I do have feelings for you. And I need you too."

He leaned in a little closer as his smile grew "And you want me?"

You smiled and nodded your head, "Yes Jake, I want you."

His smile turned into a grin before he quickly took your face in his hands and kissed you. The kiss was deep and greedy as he pulled you flush against him.

When he pulled away, he let out a staggered breath before hungrily kissing you again. When he pulled away again, your eyes fluttered open and met his as he continue to cup your face. He grinned at you as he gently caressed your cheek with his thumb.

"Maybe I should get drunk more often." He joked softly.

You let out a laugh as you shook your head "Please don't."

"Yeah you're right...the hair sniffing was a bit wierd."

You laughed "Only a bit."

He chuckled before he pulled you into another kiss. Wrapping his arms around your waist, he held you close as he deepened the kiss. Melting into you, he embraced his genuine feelings that he had run from for too long.

xx End xx

Not sure how I feel about the ending, but I didn't know where to stop lol.

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @caswinchester2000, @imaginesfire, @rexit-mo, @onuen, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

If anyone wants to be added to my Top Gun taglist (or taglist for a specific character let me know)

[mothdruid]

Happy Birthday and congrats on 3k! 💕 could I request a drabble with the prompt “close the curtains! my eyes are burning!” “don’t you think you’ve slept in long enough, you little vampire?” with jake seresin x reader?❤️‍🔥

Fe!!! I'm so sorry this took forever!!!

here's a little roommate!Jake to make up for it

It felt like your brain was constricted, the tightened muscles causing you an immense headache. You knew you shouldn't have drank so much last night. But that was hard to do when your roommate was present.

Jake had always been insolent when it came to your drinking limit. Pushing you to have just one more drink or to do the shot. It was always fun in the moment, but killed you the next day. And currently, it was killing you.

You were curled up in bed, knees pulled up close to you, covers pulled up over your head. You had just started to regain consciousness a few minutes ago, trying to recall how you got in bed. Flashes of Jake helping you walk home, balancing you as you ventured up the stairs, and even helping you change appeared in your mind. Getting this drunk wasn't a part of last night's plan. Especially the browning out part.

The sound of your door opening caught your attention. You shifted your blankets to still cover your head, only allowing your face to be visible. You squinted at the shadowy form in your room. It was him, you knew it. You didn't need to see his actual face to know.

"What do you want?" You asked.

He didn't respond. You watched his form move, heading towards the other side of your room. That's when it clicked in your brain. Before you knew it Jake had opened your curtains. The sunlight from outside poured in, attacking your retinas quickly. You whipped the blanket back over your face, groaning when you heard him chuckle.

"Close the curtains! My eyes are burning!"

"Don't you think you've slept in long enough, you little vampire?" Jake chirped.

"I'm hungover, not just simply sleeping in," You growled from under your blankets.

"Well, it's a good thing I got those breakfast sandwiches from the cafe down the street," Jake said.

With that you inched the blankets off your head. Jake was staring at you, arms casually crossed over his chest. His hair looked a mess, making you question if he went to the cafe like that.

"No meat?"

"Just egg and cheese," Jake confirmed.

You sat up, letting your blankets fall to your waist. You threw the blankets off your lap, moving to sit at the edge of the bed. Jake moved over, helping you stand. He smiled at you, then down at your shirt, then back at you. That's when you registered the shirt you were wearing. It wasn't yours. It was Jake's.

"I'll return it, I promise," you said softly.

"Don't worry about it, it looks better on you anyways," Jake smiled. "Now let's go eat and clear up your hangover."

[aliorsboxostuff]

MALE!READER WRITING REQUESTS (TEMP) CLOSED !

Come check out my works bellow!

I've seen how devastatingly little male!reader fics are in my big fandoms, and as a gay man i feel like i should provide us with said fics! Which is why I'm opening my ask box for any and all male!readers and gn!readers requests! (Including anon requests!)

RULES:

I WON'T ACCEPT FEMALE!READER FICS REQUESTS. I’m a trans-masc genderfluid, so male!Readers or gn!Readers are the ones that I usually write and am comfortable with. It’s hard looking for male!reader fics, especially in female-dominated fandoms, that's why I'm opening requests for any and all sad and touch-starved dudes out there! If these don't fit your preferences then you are free to leave, and if you're a female user/reader entering my blog, I hope you remain respectful about the fics I write or get requests for, thank you.

NOTE: I NEVER USE ANY FORM OF Y/N IN MY FICS. I find them kind of weird for me to write so my fics are mostly 1st Person POV. I write most of my fics based off on Fixations that may last a couple weeks, months, years. If you've requested something but havent seen the fic, that might be because i've lost interest!

What i will write:

male!reader

gender-neutral reader

Ftm! Reader

Smut 

Platonic or Romantic relationships

angst

fluff

comfort

headcanons

nsfw alphabets

drabbles

Series

Age gap (CHARACTERS MUST BE OVER THE AGE OF 19)

What I Won't write:

female!reader

underage characters (anyone under 17)

necrophilia

real people

pedophilia

Omorashi

age play

rape/non-con

incest

offensive/harmful things

THE CHARACTER LIST! Or, characters I will definitely write about if requested!

PEDRO PASCAL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Ezra (prospect)

Joel Miller

Javi Gutierrez

Javier Peña

Frankie Morales

Whiskey (Kingsman)

Tim Rockford (yes from the Ad)

TOP GUN 86’ & TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin

Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw

MARVEL & XMCU

Miguel O'hara (ATSV)

Hobie Brown (Platonic/fluff only)

Pavitr Prabhakar (Platonic/fluff only)

Kurt Wagner (xmcu)

Loki Laufeyson

Bucky Barnes

Moon Knight System

Deadpool

Daredevil

Eddie and Venom (They come as a pair)

BULLET TRAIN

Tangerine

Ladybug

Jujutsu Kaisen

Satoru Gojo

Nanami Kento

Higuruma Hiromi

Ryoumen Sukuna

Yuuji Itadori (Fluff)

Toge Inumaki (Fluff)

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN

Connor (RK800)

Nines (RK900)

COD MODERN WARFARE II

Simon 'Ghost' Riley

John 'Soap' Mactavish

König

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Chris Knight (Real Genius)

Hannibal (NBC)

The Corinthian (Netflix Sandman)

Leon S. Kennedy (RE4 Remake)

Luis Serra (RE4 Remake)

Understand that these are all works of fiction; I am perfectly fine with writing for topics including mafias, mobs, murder, organized crime, war, mental illness, abuse, etc.; but please do not romanticize them in any way. Reading it is fine; please don't romanticize them in your head.

If any of this provided information may seem confusing or have any questions, feel free to drop a DM and I will explain further! I will try to post fic requests as regularly and as fast as I can!

For refrence, these are fics i've written and uploaded to my AO3!

Steven Grant/Male Reader fluff

XMEN Family Pride Fic

Steven Grant/Male Reader Smut #1

Steven Grant/Male Reader Smut #2

Deadpool/Male Reader Fluff Confession

Deadpool/Ftm Reader Smut

Robert 'Bob' Floyd/Male Reader Fluff

Robert 'Bob' Floyd/Male Reader sunshine x grumpy

Tangerine/Male Reader Fluff/Angst Mature

Tangerine/Male Reader Mature

Tangerine/Male Reader (Escort Fic) Mature

Tangerine/NB Reader Teen&Up

Tangerine/Gender-Fluid Reader (Coming out fic)

Francisco "Catfish" Morales/Husband Reader

Joel Miller/Ftm Reader & Ellie Fluff

Joel Miller & Kid Reader

Joel Miller/Ftm Reader & Tess Fluff a bit Angst

Miguel O'hara/Male Reader Fluff

Miguel O'hara/Male Reader Spicy Fluff

Miguel O'hara/Male&GN Reader Spicy Fluff

Miguel O'hara/Male&GN Reader Fluff slight Angst

Din Djarin/Boyfriend Reader Smut

And the Short Fics/Drabbles on Tumblr!

Pulse (Tangerine/M!reader)

Deep Dive (Namor/M!reader)

Hold Tight (Tangerine/gn Reader)

Ner Mesh'la (Din Djarin/Male Reader)

Trinkets (Kurt Wagner/Gender-fluid Reader)

"Anythin' you wanna be." (Hobie Brown & Ftm Reader)

Little Nap! (Meows Morales Drabble)

Anyone that starts an argument about me writing exclusively for men and gender neutrals alike will get a very passive-aggressive and sarcastic reply to your request. There is an abundance of female!readers fics and writers who provide them; I am just here for people that takes a whole day searching for good male!reader fics. IF you do start an unnecessary rant about my fics or my writing preferences at a given moment; I’ve been in fandom spaces for the last 7 years of my life and run on pure manic adrenaline, I will throw hands. 

Without further ado, REBLOG TO TELL ALL DUDES! I OPEN MY FLOOD GATES! WELCOME ALL MALE!READER REQUESTS!

[lovelybucky1]

Kinktober Day 26- Exhibitionism

warnings: gender neutral!reader, accidental voyeurism, exhibitionism, caught, fwb!hangman, best friend!rooster, teasing, 18+ minors dni

kinktober masterlist

main masterlist

You were expecting Jake to stop after Rooster barged into your apartment without knocking. You usually tell Rooster to come in whenever he wants because you two are close friends, but you also don’t usually fuck his rival in your living room, right in front of the door.

You heard the door unlock and your head whipped over, immediately making eye contact with Rooster once the door was open far enough for him to see inside.

You gasped and your mind was scrambling for ways to explain, but Jake didn’t seem to feel the same embarrassment. He continued to thrust up, hitting deep inside you with every stroke just as he had been before you were interrupted.

“Jake-” You gasped, trying to get his attention.

You looked over to him and he seemed well aware of Bradley’s presence, but he didn’t seem to care that he was caught in the act. Typical Jake, always looking for a reason to show off.

“In or out, Bradshaw,” Jake said, nodding his head towards the door that was wide open behind him.

As if on autopilot, Bradley stepped inside and shut the door, all without taking his eyes off of you. His mouth hung open in shock, but he hadn’t yet said a word.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you to knock?” Jake asked mildly, pace still unwavering.

“I, uh…”

“It’s alright, Bradshaw, you can watch. I’m not selfish enough to keep them entirely to myself,” Jake smirked, but he said it while looking into your eyes. “You want him to watch, too?”

You hesitated for a moment, but you eventually nodded while biting your lip. You’d always liked Bradley, but you would never do anything to jeopardize your friendship. This wasn’t really the same thing, right?

“You heard them,” Jake said. “Sit down and keep your hands where I can see them.”

Apparently Bradley is good at following orders, because he sat down on the arm chair facing the couch, and put his arms on the armrests.

“You wanna put on a show for him, baby?” Jake asked, a smirk on his lips and a wicked gleam in his eye.

You wanted to say know, you knew you should have. This could put your whole friendship at risk, but Bradley obviously wanted to watch, and you couldn’t deny the butterflies that fluttered in your stomach at the thought of Bradley getting off to watching Jake fuck you.

“Yes,” you said breathily.

With a grin, Jake pulled you off of his cock and turned you around so you were facing the chair. Your entire body was exposed, and you moved your hands to cover as much of yourself as possible.

"No, sweetheart, let him see," Jake said, grabbing your wrists and moving them down to your sides. "How do they look, Rooster?"

"Better than I ever could've imagined," Rooster breathed.

His voice was gravelly and rough, and it made your skin burn with pleasure. You never thought you'd be in this situation, but you're thankful you were.

Jake fucked into you again, his hips thrusting up and smacking against your thighs and ass, filling the air with slapping sounds. His hands gripped tightly on your hips, keeping you in the position he wanted: spread open for Rooster to admire.

“Is he hard for you, sweetie?” Jake whispered in your ear.

Your eyes trailed down Rooster’s body until they find the impressive bulge in his denim shorts. Your mouth watered at the thought of tasting him, of being allowed to touch him in any way.

“Yes,” you said.

“Yes, what?” Jake responded, just to torture you.

“Yes, he’s hard for me.”

Jake hummed, low and satisfied in your ear. “Too bad he can only look.”

if you enjoyed, please consider reblogging. engagement had been down recently due to tumblr’s new censorship of fanfiction that includes smut, and i want to be able to share my work with as many people as possible. if you want to be tagged in future fics, fill out the form for my taglist found on my pinned post. thank you for reading <3

[carnationworld-writings]

I don't dance (Jake Seresin x reader)

To read my other works, check my MASTERLIST !

Paring: Jake Seresin x reader

Universe: Top Gun Maverick

Word Count: 778

Requested: No

Warnings: none. I just find the song "I don't dance" by Lee Brice and thought about Hangman.

If I forgot about anything feel free to write to me. Your well-being is a top priority to me.

Summary: At Mav's birthday Hangman wants to show you up.

Author’s note: Thank you for taking the time to read my work! I would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have as it motivates me to continue improving. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts!

And please forgive any grammar or spelling errors, as English is not my first language.

Klaudia  💜

Jake Seresin thought that nothing could surprise him in his life. But it changed when he met you. He was surprised at how fast and efficiently he fell for you. Your one smile was enough to make him entirely enchanted by you. He never thought about settling down. He knew his work was dangerous, and even if he was good at this, he could not come back. He didn’t want to make someone subordinate their life to his work, moving around the country only for him to die. But with you, for the first time in his life, he could see it - and feel that even if you could have a limited time together, every moment would be worth the effort. He found himself trying for you. He made sure to prepare unforgettable dates. He made mental notes of everything you’d said and used them to surprise you. He found himself wholly devoted to you even before your first date. Hangman showed you who Jake Seresin really was, and you loved that person with your whole heart. The Dagger Squad noticed how he changed for you, and when they thought about the perfect couple, you and Jake immediately showed in their minds. It didn’t surprise anyone when after a year and a half into your relationship, you showed up in Hard Deck with a shiny ring on your finger, even more lovesick than before. 

And here he was today, watching you laughing with his found family at Mav’s birthday celebration. He couldn’t stop smiling at how radiant and confident you’d become over the years. Jake excused himself and came closer to you, sneaking his arms around your waist and leaning down to kiss your cheek. He could tell your smile grew wider as you leaned against his chest, putting your hand on his to intertwine your fingers. Hangman didn’t even try to get caught up in your conversation with Penny. He just nuzzled his face into the soft skin of your neck, making the older woman smile at both of you. 

“Penny, my dear. Mind if I steal my sweets for a moment?” He looked up and showed her his perfect smile. 

“If you promise to take good care of her, they’re all yours.” She winked at you, making both of you chuckle. 

“Always, Penny dear.” He looked down at you and kissed your head as the woman went to find her lover with a big smile. You moved in Jake’s arms to face him, smiling lovingly at him. He couldn’t stop himself from tightening his hold on you and leaning down to kiss you. Your hands moved to rest on his shoulders, and your body melted against his. It never stopped to surprise you how safe you felt in his strong arms and how gentle he was with you. He always held you like the most precious thing in the world, and his kiss made you see stars. When you broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against yours and looked into your eyes.

“Alright, my flyboy… I am sure that it all wasn’t only to kiss me.” You whispered, moving your hand to caress his cheek gently. 

“Dance with me, sweets.” He smiled, and you laughed in shock. Seresin loved seeing you smile, and he felt that overpowering desire to show the world that the prettiest person he had ever known was his. 

“But nobody is dancing.” You looked around, feeling his hand gently squeeze your waist when the other one moved to hold your hand.  

“And why is that a reason that we should not do it?” Your eyes moved to Jake’s face again, and you shook your head at his bright smile. He started to sway you gently, and you laughed, fixing your hold on his hand. He brought your hands to his mouth and kissed your knuckles before he spun you around. You know the whole Dagger Squad was watching you, but it didn’t matter. At that moment, Jake had consumed your mind wholly, and you couldn’t be happier that you found someone who wasn’t afraid to dance with you in the middle of the beach. And not so long later, Fanboy started the music when Coyote stole you for a dance. Over his shoulder, you could notice how Hangman spun Amelia, and it made you grin. You made sure to dance with everyone at the party, even with Bob, whose cheeks became pinkish when he tried to run away. At the end of the day, you were again in Jake’s arms, feeling the dying sun on your skin that made Jake glow with only one thought in mind - let it last forever. 

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

Aftermath (Dagger Squad Drabble)

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Dagger Squad, gn!reader

Summary: You wake up on the floor, woozy and aching. After pulling yourself together, you go looking for the rest of the Dagger Squad.

Word Count: 648

TW: I reserve the right to not give warnings that may spoil the story (but it isn't bad I promise and there is a happy ending)

Notes: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for requesting “Against my better judgment, I’m alive" with Hangman. Though he does say the line, I made the fic a more general Dagger Squad story.

Every inch of you aches. Your head is throbbing painfully with every beat of your heart, your mind feels muddled and fuzzy, and you can taste the remains of bile in your mouth from the night before. You press your cheek into the cold tile floor beneath you in the hope it will numb some of the pain, but it does little to help. When you try to open your eyes even a fraction of an inch, the dim light in the room has you instantly retreating to the darkness behind your eyelids. 

Taking a few deep breaths, you work up the courage to try again, and this time you manage to keep your eyes open, though squinted. The next step is getting to your feet which is another Herculean task, but after a few woozy attempts, you somehow get yourself vertical. 

You take a few unsteady steps before you notice someone else laying on the floor on the other side of the room. Stumbling over, you see Hangman laying on his back on the floor, one arm laying under him at an odd angle. 

Gently shaking his shoulder, you mutter, “Hangman. Hey, Hangman. Come on, get up. You better not have died on me.”

“Against my better judgment, I’m alive.” The response is muffled and slurred, but at least he’s coherent enough to be making wisecracks.

“Are you okay?”

“I will be.” He lifts his head slightly and squints up at you. “But why are there three of you?”

Shaking your head, you sigh, “Come on, big boy. Let’s get you on your feet.”

You help him sit up but when he tries to move the arm that had been pinned beneath him, he hisses in pain and holds it tight against his chest. He looks up at you with pleading eyes, but you just shrug.

“Don’t look at me like that. We’re only in this mess because of you. Now, I need to see how bad it is out there so either stay here or follow me.”

Reluctantly, Hangman allows you to help him to his feet, his arm still clutched against his chest. You let him lean on you slightly while he tries to regain his balance, but as uneasy as you currently are on your own two feet, it is a bit of a disaster. However, the two of you finally make it to the door and you open it. 

“Oh my god,” you breathe as you take in the destruction on the other side.

The bodies of your friends, your squad, lay scattered around the room. Some are splayed deadly still on the carpet or across the couch but others are in various stages of struggling to sit up or attempting to rise to their feet. Broken glass litters the floor and there is a set of bloody footprints where someone had stepped in it barefoot. The table has been flipped over and the chairs are laying on their sides on opposite sides of the room. The place is a complete disaster.

Rooster catches your eye from where he is seated leaning heavily against the wall, but as he opens his mouth to say something, suddenly, there is the sound of a key rattling in a lock and all eyes fly to the door on the other side of the room. As it swings open, Bob strolls in humming softly to himself and carrying a box of donuts. However, he stumbles to a halt as he takes in the scene before him.

For a few seconds, his mouth hangs open in utter disbelief. When he manages to pull himself together, he chokes out, “Ar-are you guys okay? What the hell happened after I left last night?”

Groaning, you plop down next to the still-unconscious Fanboy on the couch. “That’s it. We are never letting Hangman make the drinks for game night ever again.”

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

[bradshawssugarbaby]

God, Your Mama and Me (Jake Seresin x Reader)

A/N: told y'all I listened to country music and it inspired me. Inspired by and quotes God, Your Mama and Me by Florida Georgia Line. I'm not religious but that song gets me all heart-eye emoji every time.

pairing: Jake Seresin x reader (I'm 99% sure I kept reader GN the whole time with no mentions of appearance)

content/warnings: reference to God via the song (the line is "no one's ever gonna love you more than God, your mama and me"), Jake being adorable and trying his best to be romantic but he's more awkward than he wants to be bc he doesn't do PDA, brief references to potential character death (I promise no one dies)

word count: 1.6k

Jake took you by the hand, running playfully through the sand. Coronado Beach was where he’d taken you for your first date. It was where you’d met, where you spent every free weekend, where you’d meet with his friends at The Hard Deck for drinks on Friday nights and where you’d sit and watch the planes taking off from North Island as you waited for him to come home, not knowing what each day would bring but hoping and praying he’d come home to you safe and sound every time. 

For the last three years, Coronado was an integral part of your life. It was where you’d held Jake’s 35th birthday party, a spontaneous beach gathering complete with a cooler of chilled beers and a portable speaker belting out country tunes. Despite the groans from others, the music had a magical effect on the usually reserved Jake, prompting him to join in with spirited, off-key singing every time. 

It was where you and Jake had shared your first kiss, where he’d first told you he loved you - a sentence he admitted he never thought he’d say to anyone, swearing up and down he’d lead the bachelor life until he either died or retired, whichever came first. He’d always claim it was because he just “wasn’t the settlin’ type”, but his friends always saw right through it. 

“He’s just scared,” Bradley had assured you one day over a beer while Jake tossed darts effortless at the board a few feet out of earshot. 

Reading the puzzled look on your face, Natasha hummed playfully as she sipped her drink before raising an eyebrow at you. 

“He doesn’t want to settle down because he’s scared,” She and Bradley nodded in unison. 

“Yeah, doesn’t wanna leave behind a war widow kinda thing,” Bradley shrugs, “You’d think it’d be me who feels that way considering my dad died when I was literally a toddler, but no, apparently it’s Blondie who’s got the commitment issues.”

The first time Jake referred to you as his girl, the usually chatty Bradley had been rendered speechless, mouth agape while Natasha had choked and sputtered on her beer as she looked wide eyed at Bradley and back at Jake. Jake shrugged it off as if it was nothing, but everyone, even you, knew it was uncharacteristic of him. 

The following weekend after stunning his Navy buddies, he’d been called away to the first mission since you’d started dating. You weren’t expecting it, but you got a heartfelt, emotional goodbye from Jake, one that was genuine and raw, a side of him you’d never seen before. He’d hugged you tightly and kissed you slow and sweet, making it last, permanent on your mind in case he didn’t make it back. As he promised you he’d return, you could hear his normally velvety smooth Southern drawl crack as his voice caught in his throat. 

When he came home a few weeks later, you’d greeted him with a warm embrace, and he held you tighter than he ever had before, his first true public display of affection towards you. Bradley and Natasha could be heard whispering, while Bob simply looked on smiling, knowing how in love Jake really was, watching as it mirrored Bob’s own relationship with his girlfriend. 

“Jake, where are you taking me?” 

You laughed as you snapped back to the present, raising an eyebrow at him as he continued to lead you across the sand. His cargo shorts were hugging his hips perfectly, golden-tanned skin from the California sun illuminated in the light of the setting sun. His green eyes were full of a child-like excitement, his signature grin plastered on his face, looking like it couldn’t be wiped off even if you tried.

“Just trust me, ok? You trust me, don’t ya, Sugar?”

“Alright, alright, I trust you.”

“Atta girl, c’mon, almost there.”

You shook your head and shot him a playful eyeroll as he continued to guide you along the shore. Your mind flashed back to when you and Jake had first slept together - instead of the playful arrogance, overwhelming confidence and cocky egotistical attitude he gave off around his friends, he was the opposite when it came to loving you. He was gentle, caring, passionate and considerate. He checked in with you, making sure you were comfortable and enjoying it. He was selfless in the way he loved you - making sure you were taken care of in all aspects before he was, and if for whatever reason, his climax came before yours, he made a point to bring you to yours by whatever means necessary. 

When Jake asked you to move in with him, the look on your face was one of pure shock and disbelief, you were sure you were dreaming it. Your wide-eyed gaze and raised eyebrows were enough to make Jake laugh, shaking his head at you.

“Now that’s not how I thought you’d react, babe.”

“I’m sorry…I just…can you say it again?”

“Ask you again?”

“Yeah, please?”

“Ok, Sugar, you’re losin’ it, but sure, I want you to move in with me, that sound alright to ya? We both complain we don’t see each other enough, and well, I just feel like it’s time we do somethin’ ‘bout it, right?”

You nodded your head and simply threw your arms around him, letting Jake embrace you tightly as he kissed your cheek. He had his friends help you pack and by the end of that week, you were moved in with him, sharing the little house on base together. His Cowboys jersey hanging in the closet next to your Commanders one - your teams were bitter rivals, and Bradley, who had come from Virginia, your home state, was beyond shocked to see Jake allowing you to wear a Commanders jersey to their Sunday night football watch parties. Bradley, forced to wear a jersey for another team, pouted at Jake.

“How come when I wear my Commanders jersey, I get told to fuck off and stay outside?”

“You don’t look cute in Washington’s colours, Bradshaw,” Jake replied matter of factly as he kissed you on the cheek, leaving Bradley to pout once again.

Jake stopped in front of you, turning his body to face you, bringing you back to reality for another moment. His unwavering grin still on his face, smiling at you as if you were the only sight around him for miles. Your heart melted when he looked at you - it always did - the love he had for you was always evident on his face, his gaze full of admiration and affection for you.

Your eyes widened as Jake went down on one knee in front of you. The sounds of the waves crashing against the sandy coast echoing softly around you. The odd passerby gawking as they went for their stroll in the dusky glow of the beach as the sun began to set on Coronado. Jake beamed up at you from where he stood on bended knee, his eyes matching the seafoam that was pooling around you, inching closer and closer to where you stood. 

“Darlin’, remember that date I took ya on, where you made me dance with ya on the beach, after I swore I never would? That song you made me dance to, the one by Florida Georgia Line?”

“I remember,” you said, gazing at him with tear soaked eyes.

“Sugar, you know I’m not good at this kinda stuff - it’s more Bradley’s thing, being all sentimental and shit, but I’m gonna try my damnest, ok? You know how that song goes, “Baby you know my love is never gonna run dry, never gonna come up empty, now until the day I die, unconditionally,”

Jake’s cheeks blushed a soft pink as he tried his best to carry the tune, serenading you by the oceanside, “then it’s like, “You know I’m always gonna be here for ya, no one’s ever gonna love you more than God, your mama and me”? Guess that’s what I’m tryin’ to say here, no one on this earth is gonna be able to love you, or anyone else more than I do. I’m sure of it. I didn’t even think it was possible for me to love you as much as I do, but Baby, do I ever love you.”

“Jake,” you started, feeling yourself becoming breathless with excitement as he spoke.

“Babygirl, will you do me the greatest honor ever, and become Mrs. Seresin? I never thought I’d ever marry anyone, but I’d be a fool to not marry you, darlin’.” 

Speechless, you nodded your head quickly, unable to make any sound other than an excited squeal of delight as he slipped the ring onto your finger. As Jake stood upright, he wrapped his arms around you, enveloping you in a loving embrace, his lips crashing against yours as he kissed you passionately.

From behind you, you could hear familiar voices cheering - you broke the kiss and turned to see Reuben, Javy, Mickey, Bradley, Natasha and Bob standing there, all beaming at you. Bradley wiped a single tear from his eye in his usual dramatic fashion, while Bob gave a proud thumbs up to Jake. A congratulatory smile formed on Natasha’s features, while Javy, Mickey and Reuben all applauded you both. You were overcome with emotion as you shared this moment with Jake and your friends. 

“You all knew?”

“Of course we knew, Jake can’t keep a secret to save his life,” Natasha grinned, shrugging her shoulders.

“I get to be best man, right?” Bradley grinned as he clapped his hand onto Jake’s shoulder in a congratulatory substitute for a hug. 

[decadentworld]

Hangman: I need to be topped.

Hangman: STOPPED* haha damn autocorrect

Y/N: This is a verbal conversation.

[az-cain]

Request- I HAVE A REQUESTTT, you don’t have to write it if you don’t want to: (grumpy x sunshine with Jake); reader leaves little notes around the house as a reminder for Jake to be nice or to be careful or something like that, he never responds but one time she cooked one of his favourite dishes when he had a bad day before going to bed and she leaves a note and he responds before leaving the next day? Thank you so much💕💕💕

jake seresin x reader ≈ 1000 words masterlist

I LOVED THIS REQUEST TYSM FOR THIS

TW FOR: G-LOC, gravity-induced loss of consciousness, fear of loss, poor communication of sorts

The little habit began with a New Year’s Resolution to be more appreciative of those you love. It was a cheap purchase, that pad of Post-Its, but the notes you gave him every morning were the highlight of his day. He left too early for you to wake for more than a simple peck on the lips and an “I love you.”

Once, it was a quick sentence about how you wished he’d have a good day and you’d be waiting to see him when he got home. All day, he was so excited to see you that he forgot to be an asshole. Phoenix and Bob separately texted you their thanks.

The next, it was a smiley face and an “I love you so much,” written in all capitals and followed by too many exclamation points. The dopey smile stayed on his face for several hours, his words less aggressive and his voice softened. Again, Phoenix and Bob texted you their thanks, this time followed by Rooster.

The little tradition continued on for weeks, everyone eventually ceasing to thank you because they realized that Hangman was slowly becoming just Jake, calming down a bit, and it was getting tedious to text every day.

About six weeks later, Jake walked solemnly through the door two hours before he usually did, eyes cast down to your floorboards, and sighed heavily as he kicked off his boots. Emerging from the kitchen, you saw the way his shoulders sagged and immediately started towards him. “Jake?” You whispered, reaching a hand out to pull his chin up, the skin oddly dewey. You gasped when you saw tears streaking down his cheeks. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?” You wrapped your arms around him.

He sobbed quietly into your shoulder, his own arms hanging limp at his sides as he bent down to reach your level.

Off-put by his lack of response, you began to pull away, but his arms shot up to hold you and he yelped a “No!” as though you’d stabbed him.

“Okay, okay, sweetie. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.” You soothed, petting his hair as his tears wet your shoulder. You pressed the bottom of your wedding ring against his neck, the familiar metal soothing him as his heaving chest turned to hiccups.

It was a few more minutes before he spoke. “I went into G-LOC today.”

You felt your body lock up and you began to shake, arms clenching tighter around him. “You made it,” you murmured, reassuring both of you.

“I did. You know G-LOC dreams— vivid. Mine was you.” He sighed, burrowing down against you, “As my plane went down and I woke up, I kept thinking I wouldn’t get to see you again.”

“I’m here. You’re here. God, I love you, Jake.”

He nodded, whispering the words back as though you’d scare away, before he pulled back and wiped his eyes. “Sorry your shirt’s all wet now.”

“Jake, you just went through G-LOC. I am more than happy to deal with a few tears on my shirt.” Taking the aforementioned shirt off and walking to toss it in the laundry room, you shouted, “Go hop in the shower, baby. I’m making fried chicken.”

He groaned his thanks loudly before lumbering up the stairs to reach your bedroom, where you assume he gathered his clothes before you heard the shower turn on.

When he emerged, hair wet and face clean of tears, you were scooping the last of the chicken onto a paper-towel covered plate wearing one of his clean shirts. You smiled at him before bending down to pull the fried potatoes out of the oven where they’d been staying warm. “You ready to eat?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around you when you set the baking tray down on the stove.

“Why did they not call me?” You asked tentatively, meeting his eyes.

“I wanted to tell you myself. The squad have known for years not to contact you unless I’m seriously hurt.”

You nodded, smiling gently. “Alright.” A few minutes passed of the two of you just holding one another in a loose hug. “Read the apron,” you giggled, knowing he knew full well what it said. With a hum and a raise of his brows, he pulled back slightly to glance down. Meeting your eyes again, he smirked and placed his lips gently against yours.

“Thank you for dinner, darlin’.” You both pulled apart, you grabbing plates from the dishwasher while he picked up napkins from the counter. As you dished up your food, you always touched somehow. Your sides, your feet, you just wanted contact. The two of you parked it on the couch, facing one another, and ate quietly, just happy to be in each others’ presence.

The night came to an early close, the stress of the day making you both want to sleep at around eight.

As per usual, when you woke around midnight to use the restroom, you left him a note.

In the morning, he woke to find a full sheet of paper.

My love,

You are the light of my life. My one and only. Today, you’ll be very safe as you recover from yesterday’s events, or I’ll make sure our good Admiral Bobby puts you on desk duty. Yes, that’s a threat. You’ll also instruct your squad to let me know as soon as something goes wrong, or I’ll do it myself. I’m making navy bean soup tonight. I love you, Jake. <3

His eyes filled with tears as he scrambled for a pencil, a smile splitting his face. When he found one, he scribbled:

I love you so much. I can’t go another day without you having proof of that every single day. I don’t think that made sense but you know me, what I’m trying to say. And yes ma’am, they’ll know as soon as I reach base. Looking forward to that soup tonight <3 <3 <3

masterlist

[levirgil420]

Our saviour (TGM, comfort)

Pairings: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Gn reader x Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Synopsis: you comfort your boyfriend after a nightmare.

Tw: angst,hurt/comfort,nightmare, death,crying,fluffy ending

Note: Jake is a bit oc but I love soft Jake and no one can change my mind.

_________________________________________

Jake was petrified...

He didn't make it...he didn't save them...he lost them.

Jake see the F-14 explode with wide eyes, frozen in a shock stare before everything crashed on him letting out a scream of despair

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"NO !"

Jake jolted awake and you had never woken up so fast in your entire life. Immediately, you light up the room, approaching slightly the man on your left.

"Jake ?"

He didn't respond, too far gone to his nightmare, the image spinning in his own head, he couldn't hear your soft calls of his name.

Jake was trembling of fear, hyperventilating. You see tears rolling down his cheeks.

It was not a sight unknown to you, after the suicide mission, nightmares were part of his nightly routine and you know that Jake needed time before talking about it.

So you sit on your knees and take one of Jake's hand and kiss it lightly to try and ground him:

"Everything is fine Jake, take some deep breaths, in and out"

"I'm here, I'm not leaving you"

And you continue with small praises to help him as much as you can.

When you feel Jake's breathing return to a good rhythm with only silent tears on his beautiful face and him squeezing back your hand, you smile at him with a soft look:

Yn: "Hey love, wanna talk about it ?

Jake: I-I didn't make it this time, they're a-all dead and I couldn't save them...Rooster and Maverick I failed them...I killed our boyfriend and we lost him because of me, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

You've never seen your boyfriend so vulnerable, crying in your arms. It's killing you to see him like this.

Softly, your hands went to his face, wiping his tears.

Yn: "Jake, it was a nightmare. It's not real, you saved them Honey, they are alive thanks to you and your amazing pilot skills. You didn't fail them. I know it's hard but I'm still here, you're still here with me, Mav and Bradley are still here. You saved them they are okay"

Jake: But where's Roos ? He's not with us right now ! I-I-

Yn: Darling don't listen to your head. Brad is with Mav to spend the evening/night with him, remember ? I promise you they're okay but they need this time together and make their relationship stronger.

Jake: Yeah I know..."

He gives you a little smile for you to reciprocate with a sweet kiss on his cheek

Jake: "I'm sorry...

Yn: It's okay J, I'll always help you like you always help us. Now lay down with me, we  need our beauty sleep. A must to be on the Top."

He laughs a little at your small joke, making you smile, and joining you under the blanket. Wrapping your arms around him to pull him closer to your body, Jake let his head rest on your chest, finding more comfort, thanks to your body's heat.

Jake:...Thank you.

Yn: It's my thing to help you and not only in the air. Now close your eyes, I'm not going anywhere Love.

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

When Jake woke up this morning, he felt two set of arms around his body, making him a little confused. He recognised you immediately, head on his chest snoring softly. Before he could even move, the other set tighten his grip on his belly to cuddle more into Jake's neck, a tired "Baby, go to bed..." was heard in the bedroom.

Trying his best to let you sleep, Jake slowly turned his head and smiled when he saw the face of his boyfriend.

Jake: Roos ?

Bradley: Hey." Bradley smiled at him softly.

Jake: What are you doing here ? I thought you were with Pops

Bradley: Well yeah but you needed me more than anything sweetheart.

The pet name was originally just for teasing Jake but this time, Bradley use it with only affection and care for his lover, making him blush.

Jake: How did you know ? That I had a fucking bad nightmare.

Bradley: Well, our amazing partner was really worried so-

Yn: -So I texted Brad after you fell asleep.

They looked at you and a tired smile appeared on your face.

Yn: Good morning handsomes.

Bradley: Did you just woke up like that ?

Yn: You were very loud

Bradley: "Loud" my ass, I was whispering !

Jake: You're always loud Bradley.

A small blush appears on Bradley's face. You were smirking.

Yn: That's what she said.

Jake: Oh my- Loves not like that.

You laugh and Bradley hide his blushing face in Jake's hair, mumbling a "I hate you both". You respond by coming closer towards Jake's chest, trying to bring your arms around him and Bradley. Jake let you and Bradley squeeze him, bringing your bodies together with a soft smile and tears in his eyes:

Jake: I love you so much...You don't know how much I care about you and I'm so glad we're together. Tha-Thank you so much...

Yn: Hey hey baby...don't cry. We care so much about you and you can see how much we love you !

Bradley: It should be us thanking you...you literally saved my life ! You're our saviour Honey.

Jake: I love you so much...Both of you.

You can't help it and you let out a few tears yourself. Taking Jake's face in your hand, brushing his tears, you kiss his check and his lips softly, putting all your love. Bradley did the same with the same passion as you and you feel Jake rest in your arms.

Bradley: We love you so much Love.

Yn: We'll be here when you wake up Babe.

Jake:...Love you both more.

"Our saviour"

_________________________________________

Thank you so much for reading this !I hope you enjoyed this story !

Sorry for my mistakes, english is not my first language :)

[auroracalisto]

good enough

bradley "rooster" bradshaw x gn!reader, 8k words tw: MAJOR MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE. divorce, cussing (lots of f bombs at some point), lots of arguing, angst, at one point, reader is said to have had depression before. the reader and bradley are both idiots and neither one of them can properly deal with shit. macho man rooster ends up letting fear gets the best of him and he literally ruins his own life bc of it LMAO, possibly ooc if you squint, possibly questionable actions when it comes to friends, this is dramatic as hell (and i loved every minute of it), self-doubt, angry characters, regret is strong here, rooster fears death and makes it a personality trait™ a/n: based on the song "good enough" by maisie peters. sorry for all of the tws, but i just wanted to try and mark all the boxes. but fr i love bradley. this is purely a play on the song i named, and is just a piece of fiction. a dramatic piece of fiction. like literally take rooster and place him in some angsty romance novel, but cut out the smut. that's this. i am also so sorry for the length of this. i just... started going and i couldn't stop. LMAO

Your heart lurched to your throat as you stood there, his head turned away from your lips—he was avoiding your touch. He didn’t have to say it for you to realize it.

You hesitantly smiled, backing down. Maybe he just had a bad day. It happened pretty often, so taking it personally wouldn’t have benefited you in any way.

He was your favorite person, and you knew you were his. You two were best friends until the end of time. That’s how it had been since even before you two got married—that’s how it would stay.

The television that sat in the living room had long since been turned off. The fan perched in the corner of the room silently hummed along, providing little relief to the California heat that plagued your home.

"Rooster," you began, rubbing the back of your neck. Sweat stuck to the palm of your hand, and you grimaced as you quickly wiped your hand off on the seat of your pants. "How was your day? I know it's been busy—"

"—we need to talk," he said, cutting you off.

He didn't even give you a chance to question things as he walked past you, sitting down on the sofa in your shared condominium. You blinked slowly at your husband, but you gave a small nod. Your feet moved on their own accord as you sat beside him. You placed a hand on his knee, and he only pulled himself away from you.

You swallowed thickly, nerves getting the best of you. Had you done something to offend him recently? Did something happen with Maverick again? You had thought they were doing well—the videos Natasha had sent you were proof enough of that. It warmed your heart to know that he was finally finding himself in this crazy world.

Maybe it was just hot. Yes, that’s it. The heat was getting to him. It had been getting to everyone on base, and at work. It wouldn’t surprise you if it was the same thing here.

"Bradley…?" You said nothing more than his name, watching him with nothing but pure adoration behind your eyes. He meant the world to you. There was nothing he could say or do to change this, even if he was avoiding you.

The man looked at anything but you. His dark brown eyes stared at the black television, and then they moved to the grey carpet just beneath his boot-clad feet.

You must have just vacuumed. He could see the indentations, and that’s what he chose to focus on as he searched for the right words to say. But they never came.

"I want a divorce," he said.

It was so simple. Those four words.

And just like that, your world came crashing around you.

Where was this coming from? Did you do something to upset him?

The words swirled around in your brain, repeating over and over until it hit you like a freight train, knocking the air from your chest. He wants a divorce.

You sat on the edge of the black sofa, eyes fluttering shut as you took in a deep breath. Your hands rested in fists on top of your thighs as you wracked your mind for an explanation. You couldn't find one.

There was nothing that could justify whatever this was.

How long had he been thinking about this?

"Where… where is this coming from?" you asked. You just had to know.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just… please."

"What?" You looked up at him in disbelief. "You—you want to divorce me but you won't even give me a reason?" you asked. Your eyes burned as you held back your tears. You couldn't cry. Not now. If you cried that first tear, then surely, they would never stop.

"I have never asked you for anything, Y/n. Please, just say yes.”

"I don't understand where this is coming from, Bradley," you said, reaching forward to take ahold of his hand. "Please. Talk to me. I want to understand what's going on."

Rooster clenched his jaw, looking down at your hands. Your wedding band glinted in the soft glow of the light overhead. The beautiful piece glared at him as he fought to find the right words to say—but nothing he could say would make this better. Not now.

The words left him without a second thought.

"I don't love you."

Oh.

Oh, no.

No, no, no. He couldn't be serious. He couldn't be telling you the truth right now. He did love you. He married you! Why would he ever ask you to marry him if he didn't love you?

Why would you plan your life together if he didn’t love you?

But even though you could create more and more questions in your mind, trying to placate every emotion coursing through your veins, nothing made sense.

You pulled your hand away as your tears finally began to fall. If he didn't love you, you wouldn't force him to be with you any more than he wanted.

Rooster inwardly grimaced, but he wasn’t about to let you see that. He needed to be strong—he needed to save face and keep on digging in the same grave he had started.

"Just… just tell me when."

"When what?"

"When did this happen? When did you fall out of love? I—I thought you loved me, Bradley. I love you."

He pursed his lips. He seemed to hesitate as he allowed his eyes to meet yours. Rooster's blood rushed to his ears, and his fingers itched to grab onto something. To grab onto you. But he couldn’t. He couldn't even look at you properly when you looked so sad, but he forced himself to do so anyway. You deserved that, at least. You deserved to be looked at when he was ending the relationship you fought so hard to keep.

"I don't know. It just… happened."

He was lying. He had to be lying. There was no way he was being honest—he loves you. He loves you, and this was all just some bad dream. Some bad joke that Hangman put him up to. Maybe Fanboy was in on it, too. Surely, someone put him up to this. They had money in a bowl somewhere, waiting for your reaction so they would know who won. He’d whip out his phone soon and text them the result.

But the way he looked at you… you knew he was telling you the truth. He wanted a divorce. This was happening, whether you wanted it to or not. There was no cruel bet, no ulterior motive.

This was happening.

Every moment of the past three years pierced your brain—Bradley asking you out in the middle of the Hard Deck. Meeting his friends. Picking out your wedding rings. Becoming Y/n Bradshaw. The kisses you shared. The whispered conversations, the happy smiles, the—

He was your life. He is your life. You love him more than life itself.

But he loved you.

Loved. Past-tense.

He did love you. Something changed. What had changed?

You abruptly stood up, roughly wiping your tears away. You couldn’t do this. You couldn’t be near him right now. Your heart was far too heavy, weighed down by the immense burden of his confession.

"Alright," you said. "I… I won't force you to stay with me. I would never do that to you, Bradley. I would… I would never, ever want you to do anything you don’t want to do.” You held back a sob, fists balled at your sides. “We can get a divorce."

Relief spread across his face. He couldn't smile, though. This ended up being a lot harder than he expected it to be.

"Thank you," he said. He stood up, towering over you like usual. "I appreciate it."

You gave a curt nod, averting your gaze. Your tongue poked out, nervously wetting your lips as you cleared your throat. He appreciated it.

Were you just a joke to him?

"I will… I will make arrangements. I will leave by next week."

"What? You don't have to do that. There's no rush—"

"—I'll leave by next week," you cut him off, no longer looking at him.

What was he doing? You didn’t need this. You didn’t need him. As you took a step forward, the tears began to fall. Your husband forced himself to stay put as you rushed off to your bedroom, slamming the door shut behind you.

You found little comfort in the blankets that now surrounded you, tears wetting the pillow on which you rested your head night after night. You found little comfort in the place you spent with your husband, time after time, lamenting how much you loved each other. Planning the future of your life—of your family. Of your relationship that should have only grown in love.

The memories of this bed burned in the back of your mind. You could hardly breathe as the sobs plowed through your body.

This wasn’t fair.

This couldn’t be real.

Rooster slowly sat back down, burying his face in his hands. His elbows dug into his thighs, a choked sob catching in the back of his throat. He couldn’t believe he allowed himself to say that to you. It was far from the truth. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

This was for the best.

This would keep you safe.

As the sun peered through the grey curtains, setting just beyond the horizon, Rooster stood up. He wiped his tears away, instantly hardening. He had done this time and time again. He would hide, folding back into himself like a metal chair—he’d be there for people when he was needed, but he would be just out of the way until then. He wouldn’t bother you any longer than he needed to.

This was for the best—you wouldn’t have to live your life wondering what could have been.

If he died, that was that. You would move on, and he could rest peacefully in the afterlife.

His father hadn’t ever given his mother a chance to do something like that. He wouldn’t be making the same mistake.

Three years had passed.

Three, long and grueling years had inched by, taking your misery along with you. The New Year would pass over and over, and the only thing you would write on your resolution list was: Move on.

But you never could. That list ended up in the garbage only weeks after drafting it up.

How could you when the love of your life left as he did? How could you when you knew he was the only thing that kept you going, even if you were hundreds of miles away?

They would never say it out loud, but your friends never quite said anything about why he divorced you—why he fell out of love. But why would he tell them something like that? Rooster generally kept to himself. It wasn't something that he would have been very honest about, to begin with.

You knew they knew something more, but they never said anything. You never expected them to, either. They were your friends as much as they were his, and they had been his friend for far longer. You couldn't blame them. Whatever they knew—that was his business. But you kept silent, allowing yourself to wallow in self-pity for more than you should have.

But just like you couldn't blame them for keeping his secrets… who could blame you?

You had your own life before Rooster, yes, you did. You didn’t depend on him. You were independent, and you had your own interests and everything. You didn’t need him. But with his confession, it was as if everything you had ever known had been tossed out of the window of a speeding car in an instant, shattering against the run-down pavement. Pieces flew everywhere—you'd never be able to find them again, let alone put them back together.

You'd never have enough glue for something like that.

You would never be able to repair the gaping hole that was in your heart.

And you knew it was silly. You shouldn’t have ever let yourself trust someone so completely. But you never thought something like that would happen. Rooster was so easy to love.

He was such a happy person—he exuded confidence. He was the epitome of an amazing human being. And yet, he still fell out of love with you.

You never believed someone could just fall out of love so easily.

So, instead of remaining in the very place you felt like you were sinking in, you did what you thought was best. You packed your things and moved to Virginia. At least there, you'd be far enough away that he'd never find you. The mileage did little to comfort you, but it was something.

At least here, you felt like you could breathe.

Changing from the west coast to the east coast was drastic—but you adapted. You had to. You couldn't continue living in the very place that was threatening you at every given minute. You couldn’t continue on in a place where at every corner, something reminded you of him. It was driving you into a familiar depression—one that you had known before Rooster, and one that you would now know after Rooster.

When you left, Phoenix was devastated. Other than Bob, you were her closest friend. She never stopped talking to you—she never stopped being friends with you, even when you moved across the country. When Phoenix asked you to come in to visit, you hesitated. But then she promised you that Rooster wouldn't be there. That he would be visiting some family he had up north—his girlfriend's family. He would be using this free time to get to know them better.

You wouldn't say you were happy for him. Hell, that was far from the truth. Despite the fact you no longer wore your ring on your finger, it was always on a chain around your neck. Your heart still beats for him, no matter how many times you had tried to move on. And you did it all. You tried everything that Google said to do. One night stands, going out with strangers, having people set you up, hell, you even tried therapy. But it never worked.

Why would it? Rooster was the love of your life. He was the one you had seen yourself dying with—he was the one you wanted to grow old with. And he didn't want that in you. He didn't see the same things.

He didn’t see your relationship as a rising sun just beyond the mountain tops. He was already there with the setting sun, disappearing beyond the horizon. He had been there, at the end of your relationship, far before you even had a chance to find the middle. He had made peace with the end. You couldn’t even find peace in the beginning.

After much pestering and a FaceTime call from both Phoenix and Bob, you were convinced to join them back in California for a week. But your only condition was that Phoenix would be paying half for your plane ticket. She agreed in a heartbeat.

So that's why you stood here now, in front of the old dormitory in which you used to visit your friends in. You had already been to the hotel you'd be staying at, and you took a taxi to the base.

The grey building towered over you, making you feel far smaller than you actually were. Memories sat behind those walls, waiting for you to relive them, even if you didn’t want to.

It only took one text message to Natasha before she came barreling down the sidewalk, pulling you into a bone-crushing hug. Bob was not far behind, and Hangman was taking his sweet ole time. You didn't know he'd be around, but you felt better knowing he was—you had been close before Rooster sent in the papers. He helped you pack and get your things to Virginia.

You hugged Phoenix tightly, smiling up at her.

"It's been too long!" she nearly shouted, excitement running through her body. As she pulled away, Bob pulled you into a hug. He greeted you as he had so many times, with a hug and a simple ‘hello.’

Last but not least, Hangman sent you a smile. He pulled you into a hug, despite the fact he used to be one of the last people you would expect it from. You melted into the hug, unable to stop yourself from smiling.

"It's… it's good to be back. I'm glad to see you guys."

"Coyote, Payback, and Fanboy are already at the bar. Said they'd just meet us there. You ready?" Phoenix grinned.

You were as ready as you would ever be. You gave a small nod to your friend, and before you knew it, you were on your way to the very place you met your ex-husband. The Hard Deck.

It was suffocating, standing in that corner all alone. Your friends played pool, and you watched as the different colored balls sunk into the pockets that lined the edge. Hangman stood off to the side, beating some stranger in darts.

Rooster had always been good at that.

Lost in your mind like you had been so many times before, the sound of a glass falling at the bar made you jump.

And then you saw him. Your own glass slipped through your fingertips, crashing onto the floor. Shards littered the wood floor. Phoenix yelped your name in surprise, coming to your side immediately.

"What's wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on your arm to try and comfort you. You continued to stare, and she eventually looked in the direction of your gaze. Her eyes widened in surprise, lips parting as she tried to find something to say.

He wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't supposed to be anywhere near you.

And he was looking right at you.

"Y/n, it's okay, he's not—"

You pulled your arm away from Phoenix, taking a couple of steps back before you took off running in the direction of the restrooms. It was as good of a hiding spot as anywhere, and you'd be able to collect yourself before going back out there. You couldn’t possibly run past him—he’d stop you. Or at least, try to follow you. Phoenix would make him leave. Surely, she wouldn't just let him stay.

You locked yourself in a stall, sitting down on the toilet seat. You took in a deep, releasing a shaky breath as tears clouded your vision. A hand pressed to your mouth, elbows digging into the meat of your thighs as you tried to keep yourself calm.

This wasn't happening! She promised he wasn't here. Why would she lie?

Maybe she didn't know.

The bright light in the bathroom was far too much.

The dripping water from the sink struck the porcelain—plip, plip, plip.

The noise from the bar was deafening as you sat there, chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath. Loud voices echoed through the building, striking your ears in an instant. But the more you cried, the more your sobs became the only thing you heard.

It had been ages since you cried over him, so why now? Why were you so triggered by just seeing him?

You tried to calm yourself down but to no avail.

You loved him. You love him. You never stopped. You couldn't just stop.

You tried so hard. You spent years trying to forget the man who ripped your heart in two with four simple words.

But the universe had a funny way of working. It seemed to work against you in every way possible, no matter what.

You could never win.

You would never win.

No matter what, you were never good enough.

You hadn't been good enough in school. You weren't good enough at work. And you hadn't been good enough for Rooster, even when you were married. You weren't good enough for him, now, either.

There was a knock at the bathroom door before you heard it creak open. Your breath hitched in your throat as you tried to keep quiet, choked sobs caught in your chest.

Worn shoes popped up underneath the stall door you found refuge in. Those same damn shoes you bought him once for Christmas, four years ago. He had been so excited—they were almost the exact same pair his mother had bought him one year for his birthday. His father's favorite brand—his favorite style of shoe.

God, you searched everywhere for those damn shoes.

And he kept them.

Silence enveloped the bathroom, save for your stifled sobs. You rested your shoulder against the old paneled walls, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to ignore him. But he knew you were there. It was far too late, now.

Rooster stood there, fist raised to knock on the stall door. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. What would he even say? What would have been good enough?

Three years had come and gone without you. Three long years in which he felt as if he was drowning, just existing. He would have been better off launching himself into that ocean, the same as his father. His wedding band was stuffed away in some kind of pocket, always near him or on his person in some way. He tried to get over you—one-night stands, blind dates, even going as far as asking Hangman to find him a girl.

It worked, for a while.

He started dating Kristie—a sweet woman who worked as a nurse on base. But she saw right through him. She knew who he was, and what was going on in that head of his.

She wasn't mad—a bit disappointed, yes, but it didn't stop her from breaking up with him and canceling their planned vacation up north together.

She wasn’t you. She would never be you.

And he didn’t think he would ever see you again.

Rooster found himself in the middle of the Hard Deck, never once expecting you to be there. None of the Dagger Squad had said anything about you. He didn't know you were even going to be in town.

He felt like he couldn't breathe when he laid eyes on you.

The yellow lighting cast a soft glow on your skin. You were beautiful. You had always been beautiful, but damn, you looked even more beautiful now. Maybe it was just the years that had passed him by.

The walls of his small corner of the world couldn’t fall on him sooner.

The glass that crunched under your shoes became the only thing he heard until he watched as you ran back into the hallway.

In a split second, Hangman was beside him, obviously pissed.

"What the hell, man? Why aren't you with Kristie?"

"She broke it off."

Hangman clenched his jaw. He couldn't believe this was happening, but then again, Rooster had his head far up his ass more often than not. Hangman punched him in the arm, just enough for it to hurt.

"You need to leave," he said, watching as Rooster recoiled in pain.

"What?" Rooster looked at him in surprise. "No."

"Yes!" he exclaimed. Was this idiot really that much of an asshole?

This time, Phoenix spoke up, her arms crossed over her chest. "We promised you wouldn't be here. You're supposed to be up north. You're supposed to be far away from here!"

"You promised?" Rooster stared her down.

"Well, yeah, you asshole! You broke their heart. They didn't even want to come here in the first place. God, I should've just gone to see them instead of dragging them out here," Phoenix groaned, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand.

Rooster hesitantly took a step forward.

"Rooster, get out," Hangman said, voice low.

He shook his head. He needed to talk to you.

"Rooster!"

He broke out into a run, and before Hangman could follow, Phoenix grabbed his arm.

"What the hell?" he stared at her in disbelief.

"Just let it happen," she said.

"Let what happen? Watch Y/n get their heart stepped on all over again?"

"Just… just let it happen."

Phoenix would wait for you to berate her, later. But for now, she could only wish her friends would try to make up. She could only wish that Rooster would gain a pair and grow up. Her heart ached for you as she watched Rooster run back to the bathrooms, knowing that she couldn’t ever take the pain away from you. The only one who could do that was Rooster, himself, and even then, she wasn’t sure if that would happen.

And now, he found himself standing there, the silence deafening in the small space. The light was bright in the enclosure—brighter than he remembered. His hand was still hovering, his arm growing heavy as he debated on knocking.

Should he just leave? Should he do as Hangman said and walk out? But he couldn't just leave. Not now. Not when he knew he made the biggest mistake of his life, telling you all that bullshit.

You used your sleeves to wipe your tears away as you shakily got to your feet. Your fingers struggled to even unlock the stall door, but when you did, you swung it open. Rooster had to back up just to avoid being hit with the metal.

The two of you just stood there, bright light casting shadows onto the old tile floor. Not a word was said as Rooster stared at you.

You were exactly as he remembered, if not better. You had changed your hair since the last time he saw you. He kept the mustache, and his hair was still cut the same. You kept the same style and the same makeup (or lack thereof).

You still looked at him the same… even if it quickly changed into one of anger.

You were still so beautiful.

His voice caught in his throat. He wanted to talk to you, but he couldn’t think of anything to say to you. Nothing he could say would make things better.

He was such an idiot.

You stepped forward, walking to the stark white sink. You grabbed a few paper towels and wet them before carefully wiping the remnants of your tears. You stared at your reflection in the rounded mirror, your lip caught between your teeth as you hiccuped.

"Y/n?" Rooster tentatively began. He raised a hand to touch your shoulder.

You immediately moved away from his touch, glaring in his direction.

His fist clenched beside him as he watched you.

You tossed the paper towels in the trash and pushed past him, quickly leaving the bathroom.

"Y/n," he repeated.

As you walked, he followed.

Your friends stood in their respective corner, knowing they should intervene. Yet they stayed, hoping that somehow, Rooster would fix his fuck up. They couldn’t keep watching the two of you fight some imaginary battle—they couldn’t watch the two of you wish your life away for something that was quite literally at the tips of your fingers.

Phoenix wasn't too sure if he'd be able to fix this. Hangman honestly wanted to hang a man.

You shoved the doors open, walking into the cool California night. It wasn’t like the cold in Virginia. Virginia’s winters were unforgiving—the snow that would fall would chill you to your very core. Virginia winters would put southern California to shame in an instant. At this very moment, you wished you were there, standing in the chilling wind, begging for some kind of relief—at least then, your body would become numb even if your mind was still running a mile a minute.

Nothing could have prepared you for what had transpired. Nothing could have prepared you for seeing the man you fought so hard to forget.

With no car, you continued walking. You'd call a taxi at some point. Right now, you just needed to breathe.

But you had yet to realize Rooster was still following you.

The man grabbed ahold of your wrist, making you stop in the middle of the damn parking lot. Cars and trucks alike littered the parking spots. A few people walked past you as they went into the bar, ignoring the tension that stood in the middle of it all.

You whipped around, jerking your arm away from him with wide eyes. "What's your fucking problem?!"

Rooster paused, body going rigid as he waited for you to continue.

You had never yelled at him, even when he asked for a divorce.

"Why the fuck are you even here? You're not supposed to be here! You have a fucking girlfriend. Get away from me. I don't ever want to see you again."

Tears sprung to your eyes once more. You tilted your head back, wishing they would just stop. The stars stared down at you, mocking you where you stood. The sky was so close, and yet so far away.

God, would this man ever make you stop crying?

"Y/n—"

"—just go away! I don't want you here!"

"Please," he began, "I need to talk to you. I need to apologize."

"Apologize?! Oh, that's rich! Just leave me alone. You did enough damage when you asked for a divorce. Just leave me alone."

"Y/n, please," he continued. "You… please just hear me out."

"I heard you out once, and it was the worst fucking time of my life," you said. "I'm not listening to you ever again."

You turned back around, set on leaving—this time a bit faster. But his words grounded you in your spot, heart leaping to your throat once more.

"It was a mistake!"

You stared at the gravel that crunched underneath your feet. You could feel your pulse rushing through your body, fast and unsteady.

Nothing could have prepared you for that.

"It was a mistake, Y/n," he said, his voice far quieter this time. "I never should have asked for a divorce. I never should have said anything. I should—I should have just—"

"—what, toughed it out? Let me realize you stopped loving me when you started cheating on me or some shit?"

His eyes widened in surprise.

"What? No. No, Y/n… I… I never should have said anything. I never stopped loving you."

What?

You couldn't breathe—your lungs constricted in your chest, your heart beating rapidly against your ribcage. Your body burned as you looked up at the night sky, stars littering the vast ocean of darkness. They still mocked you, but this time, dark clouds rolled in. Perhaps the sky knew just how you felt. The moon cast a soft glow on everything in its path.

Tears blurred your vision once more.

He never stopped loving you.

You let out a sob, turning to face him.

"What?"

"I never stopped loving you," Rooster lamented. "I… still love you."

"Then… then… why?"

"I couldn't do it to you."

"What? Do what?"

"I couldn't die! I couldn't die and leave you a widow. I couldn't end up with the same fate my dad had, leaving you just the same as my mom," he said.

"Well you're not fucking dead, are you?!"

Rooster paused, lips parting to speak.

"You're not dead. You're standing right in front of me, telling me that the reason you fucking divorced me was because you didn't want me to be a widow?! I would have been less upset if you had fucking died!" You took in a deep breath, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “You did not have to do that. You did not have to make me miserable. You did not have to make me feel like the one person who loved me was an entire lie!”

Rooster winced. Your words pierced his soul like a sharp bullet, ricocheting off the crevices of his very soul.

"Fuck off, Bradley Bradshaw," you said, fists clenched at your sides. "I never want to see you again."

"But Y/n—"

"—no! No, I'm over you, you bastard! I don't love you anymore. I haven't in years. You're still in love with me? That's great. Fucking deal with it. You deserve to feel the pain of not knowing. You deserve to lose yourself in everything you thought was yours.”

Bradley Bradshaw had never felt as if he wasn't good enough. When he was faced with adversity, he worked harder. When he felt bad about something, he did more to try and overcome that. He had never felt as if anything he did wasn't good enough. But in this very moment, he stood there, wondering how in the world he could have fucked up so badly.

He wasn't good enough. He wasn't good enough, for you. That much was evident as he watched you once again walk away from him, disappearing into the night.

His eyes fluttered shut and he held back his tears as he stood there, waiting for lightning to strike him where he stood. Surely, it'd be better than having to go back into the Hard Deck after a screaming match like that.

He deserved it.

A hand on his shoulder made him flinch. He opened his eyes, head darting in the person's direction. Hangman watched him for a moment before he patted his back.

"You fucked up, man," he began, averting his gaze. "Now you've gotta fix it."

"But how?"

"For fucks sake, Rooster," he groaned. He ran a hand through his perfect hair, musing it from the stress of his friend. He couldn't believe he'd ever thought Rooster might actually be a pretty smart guy. This dude was dumber than a box of rocks, and this just proved it.

"They still love you, you know," Bob said, arms crossed over his chest. "We heard what they said, but they're just hurt. You really did a number on them."

He glanced over his shoulder. The Dagger Squad stood there, all watching him as he stood there, in the middle of the parking lot.

This… was all his fault.

Those four simple words should have never left his mouth. He should have been spending the last three years with you, not trying to forget you. Because if he were to have died in that time, it would have at least been with you and not with the overwhelming ghost of you haunting his every waking move. He could have at least left you behind knowing you were loved instead of wondering if he ever truly loved you at all.

Time passed slowly in the month it took you to finally calm down from the emotional rollercoaster Rooster had you on. You were back in your apartment, the east coast calling your name (even though the west coast screamed for your return; the sandy beaches and the salty water just weren’t the same, here).

Your heart ached—every romantic thing you saw made you want to cry. It all reminded you of your ex-husband, and now, there was no changing things. In your anger, you had told him you never wanted to see him again—that you didn't love him. You made sure he knew that when you left him standing in the middle of that damned parking lot.

What a lie that was.

But if he could tell lies, why couldn't you? Why couldn't you force him to live with the idea that you didn't love him, just the way he did that to you?

Regret became you.

You wondered if that’s how he felt all this time—regretful.

Did Rooster even have a bone in his body that was capable of feeling anything other than pride?

Maverick would know.

Did he know about all of this? He had been Rooster’s best man at the wedding. Surely, he knew something.

Your arm rested over your eyes, blocking out the sunlight that peaked through your curtains. Saturday mornings never got easier for you. Hell, no morning did. Getting up was a constant chore. You had already gotten ready for the morning, but you slipped right back into bed, not wanting to deal with the idea of being a live, somewhat functioning adult at the moment.

Your phone began to ring, loud and in your ear as you lay in bed, staring at the back of your arm. With a groan, you rolled over and picked it up.

Phoenix was calling you.

You answered after a moment of your fingers hovering over the bright buttons. You didn’t really want to talk to anyone.

"Hello?"

"Y/n? Hey! So, uh, quick thing, and I promise you I didn't know about it until Bagman just said something, but he gave Rooster your address."

Silence enveloped your bedroom as you processed what she had just said.

"What?!" You immediately sat up in your bed, gripping your phone with unforgiving strength. "What the hell!"

"I know," she continued, voice laced with worry—she didn’t know how you were going to take this. "I know, and I'm sorry. But, uh, he said that Rooster is probably gonna show up within the next hour or so. He caught the earliest flight out there."

"Why?"

"Why?" Natasha echoed. "Y/n, why do you think?"

You fell silent. You stared down at the blankets that pooled at your feet.

Day after day, you wondered if Rooster would show up, begging you to take him back. But the sun continued to set, day in and day out, and nothing changed. Nothing ever changed.

"Y/n, I know he's an asshole,” Natasha said. “I know he broke your heart. But… Rooster's been through a lot. He might not have realized how bad of an idea it was until he went through with it. He’s… he’s done nothing but regret it ever since.”

"I know he's been through a lot," you said, voice far quieter than it had been. "I know he has. But… but that's no excuse. We were married. I was his partner. He took that away… he took that all away.”

"There's no excuse for him," Phoenix said. "I’m not making one. You’re… you’re my very best friend. But if he shows up and you don't know what to do, you have two options. Turn him away, or… hear him out. Whatever you do, I’m here one hundred percent of the way.”

You swallowed thickly. Without saying anything else, you hung up the phone, tossing it onto your bed. You buried your face in your hands—it seemed to be the only thing you could do recently that would actually allow you to catch your breath.

And then, your doorbell rang.

That was far less than an hour.

The shrill ding of the bell resounded in your brain. You would have to get that changed to something less annoying.

Getting out of your bed and walking down the hallway was the easy part. It was opening the front door that made you want to die as your hand slowly grabbed onto the knob.

You can just turn him away. It'll be okay, you told yourself. He will leave if you want him to.

With much hesitation, you opened the door.

Rooster stood there, worried he had gotten the wrong door and Hangman had given him some shit directions. But as you appeared in the doorway, relief spread across his features. He was dressed in those same shoes you had given him. He wore a pair of jeans, and he wore one of those stupid Hawaiian shirts that he loved so much.

You still had the pink and yellow one you had stolen before you left him in the top left drawer of your dresser. It still smelled like Rooster… but the laundry detergent you had was the same exact one you had used when you were married to him.

Everything you owned reminded you of him.

"Y/n?"

"Bradley."

His eyebrows furrowed as he watched you. He nervously wrung his hands together as his eyes looked anywhere but you. This wasn’t that confident, macho man you knew. This wasn’t Rooster.

This was Bradley Bradshaw, in the flesh.

His heart was on the line, and he could only hope that the universe would grant him one last wish—let you believe him. Let you understand him.

He would understand if you turned him away. He would leave, and he would never bother you again. But he hoped that you’d accept him for who he is—for everything he has been.

Again.

Even though it took him so long to realize his mistake. Even though he made so many mistakes just to find himself trying to take it all back.

Rooster never thought he was perfect, but hell. The universe really didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt, did it?

"Listen, I know you said you didn't want to see me," he began. "But I can't… I can't keep doing this."

You stayed silent.

Bradley was a lot of things. Stupid, funny, a great, flaming ball of firey anxiety. And still, the love of your life, even now.

Nothing would ever stop that from happening, even if he shoved his hand in your chest, pulled out your heart, and crushed it right in front of you.

Even now, after all this time, you knew you loved him.

He took your silence as an invitation to continue.

"I love you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I never stopped. I just… fucked up. God, Y/n, I fucked up so bad. I never should have asked you for a divorce. I never should have said any of that shit. I thought I was protecting you. But the only thing I ended up doing was hurting you more, and I never wanted that to happen.

"I love you, so much, Y/n. I never stopped. I… you are the love of my life. But… but even if I loved you, it wouldn't stop life from standing in the way. My dad died. He left my mom all alone. I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't bear the thought of you suffering, all alone, wondering what the hell you could have done to make things different. I couldn't let you have the same fate as my mom."

You stared at him, hands gripping the door.

"Why didn't you just talk to me?"

"I… I know I should have."

"So why didn't you?"

"I had already made up my mind…"

And once Bradley Bradshaw made up his mind, that was that. Most of the time, anyway.

Silence enveloped the two of you once more. Birds chirped in the background, cars honking in the backed-up traffic on the interstate not too far from your home. Life was still going on, just like it always would. Life would continue to find a way, even if someone left it behind—even if someone felt as if their world was crashing to an end.

Three years ago, if Bradley Bradshaw had shown up at your door, telling you he had made a mistake, you would have believed him. But watching him as he stood at your door this very moment, you weren't sure. You had every right to slam the door in his face, burning the image of his scared self in the back of your mind. But as you stood here, hands dangling down by your thighs, you knew you couldn't.

Were you stupid for what you were about to do?

Maybe.

But so was Bradley.

"I've started seeing a therapist," Bradley spoke, breaking the silence. "He said it would be good for me to at least… try to tell you why."

"Why you left me?"

He gave a small nod. "Yes. And… he made me realize it never should have happened. It was my fault. It was never yours."

You rubbed your eyes out of frustration, unable to stop yourself from sniffling. A groan escaped you, and he frowned in response.

"Y/n, I… words can't even begin to describe how sorry I am. I can't take back what I said. I can't change the fact that I asked you for a divorce because I was terrified of dying and leaving you alone. But… but I can do this," he said, licking his lips as he watched you.

You tilted your head in confusion, not sure where he was going with this.

Time moved slowly—just as slowly as it had when your world came to a startling halt.

He suddenly held out his hand, locking eyes with you once more. Dark brown eyes peered into yours; those same brown eyes you used to watch until you fell asleep in his arms. Those same brown eyes you stared into when you first said, “I do.” Those same brown eyes you looked into when he asked you for a divorce.

"Hi," the man said, a small smile appearing on his mustache-clad lips. "I'm Bradley. Bradley Bradshaw."

Your eyes widened, your heart leaping to your chest once more, but not because you were scared to face him. But because you couldn't believe this was really happening.

He… was starting over.

You were starting over.

Hesitantly, you took his hand, firmly grasping it before you shook it.

"It's so nice to meet you, Bradley Bradshaw," you said. Your eyes were still red from your tears, but you began to smile, pushing down the pain and regret of the last three years. It wasn’t worth it. The utter buffoon standing in front of you was worth it. "I'm Y/n Bradshaw," you continued with a grin. "Quite a coincidence, huh?"

Bradley just smiled, tilting his head to the side. You had never changed your name. In fact, you stayed the same, despite the icy shield around your heart. Not that he could blame you.

You were his Y/n. The love of his life—the reason he continued on, and the reason he believed in love, despite the fear that sucked the rational thinking out of him.

Because even when death knocked at his door, he knew you would be there. You would be there, just like his mom was for his dad.

Nothing could change that.

Not the divorce, not his lie that lasted for years. Not the untimely “confession” that left the two of you reeling for each other.

Nothing could change how he felt for you.

And with one instant, you knew your world was mending itself. You'd have problems—that you were sure. You’d have to work on communication; on both sides. But as you moved out of the way for Rooster to come in, you knew it would be worth it.

Love, no matter how much it hurt, was worth it.

Good enough or not.

"Why don't you come in, Mr. Bradshaw? I think we have a lot to catch up on."

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, taking ahold of your hand.

"Only if you'll have me."

"Of course, I will."

This was a start. A new start.

A good start.

You were both starting over. And although you wouldn’t ever say it out loud, a part of you was starting to realize that you may have always been good enough—sometimes, fear was stronger than anyone’s resolve. Fear could make even the bravest people pause; it could cause stupid decisions and brash opinions that change everything a person knows. Minds were a powerful tool that could hurt everyone in its path.

You lived it.

You were still living it.

But like any great thing, sometimes starting over is the best way to go. Sometimes, opening your heart back up is the only thing you can do to move on.

Those same brown eyes you fell in love with peered down at yours, and for once in the past three years, you finally felt at peace. You were good enough. You always had been.

And Bradley Bradshaw was a good man. A great man, even. But even great men can fall short. Even great men can make mistakes. It takes an even greater person to face those mistakes head-on, and an equally great person to forgive and continue on loving, even if they never stopped, to begin with.

[make-me-imagine]

'What Happens in the Haunted House...'

13 Days of Halloween: Day 5

Plot: When going through a haunted house with the squad, you and Jake end up on your own.

Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Gn!Reader

Warnings: Nothing really, except a kiss towards the end.

Words: 2.k

-

Your eyes darted around the space in front of you. Payback was only a few steps in front of you, and it took everything in your power not to reach out and grab onto him. You don't know how you ended up a the back of the group, with only Jake behind you, but you felt almost isolated.

Every noise made your heat jolt, and your breath catch. You weren't even half-way through the haunted house, and you were tired of it. You were annoyed at yourself for letting them drag you into this. And with every scare and scream you regretted it more and more.

You felt a small clench of your chest when you felt something come up behind you. But you hid it well when you remembered it was Jake.

As he slid into step beside you, leaning in, you could practically hear the smirk in his voice when he spoke. His voice was low so only you could hear him.

"There's a stopping point ahead where you can give up on the house if you need too."

"Looking for an excuse so you can leave too?" You countered as you side-eyed him.

Before he could response, a clown leapt out of the darkness and yelled, causing you to yell and jump away. Out of reflex, with Jake right beside you, you had grabbed onto his arm, pressing your head against his bicep for a moment.

Realizing, you met his gaze, and felt your heart leap when you saw him grinning at you.

"Now I think you're the one looking for an excuse."

Pulling your arms away, you stuck your tongue out at him before you jogged to catch up with the others. You heard him chuckle as you did.

---

Jake let out a breathy chuckle, ignoring how his own heart was pounding from the most recent jump scare. The actors seemed able to know you were the most afraid. Nearly every corner something jumped out at you.

After yet another scare, he watched you as you leaned over, taking a deep breath, before you straightened up.

There were two paths ahead of you, that you had now just noticed. Jake had seen the group go to the left, but knew you had not. You paused, staring at the paths, uncertain of which one to take.

Coming up behind you, he whispered in your ear, making you jump lightly "They went right."

You glared at him as he smirked at you "I know" You excused, obviously lying, as you made your way down the right path.

Jake smirked to himself as he followed you, wondering what he just gotten you into. Hoping, that somewhere along the way, you'd end up clinging onto him again. He could not ignore how much he liked it last time.

The path grew darker, fake spiderwebs draped down in front of you, as fake fog swirling around your feet. It was unusually quiet, with no music or ambient sounds playing like before.

You slowed down in your steps, allowing Jake to catch up with you.

Hearing the sound of shuffling footsteps coming from within the walls, you moved away, leaning into Jake. Hearing a loud thump that made your jump, you ended up grabbing onto him.

Looking over at him, he was smiling again and you glared. "If you tell anyone about this I'll kill you."

He smiled as he leaned closer to you "What do I get if I don't?" you saw his eyes flicker down to your lips for a moment.

You felt your heart palpitate, and for a moment forgot where you were, as your ears burned hot.

Before you could think of a reply, something ran past behind you with a screech. This time, as you yelped, you heard another noise as well. Something unusually high pitched, that came from the previously cocky blonde beside you.

There was now silence between you as you stared at each other. Jake broke the silence with a monotone voice "I wont tell anyone if you wont."

You nodded your head "Deal."

Slowly, both of your lips twitched, before curling into smiles as you laughed with each other. Continuing down the path, you still had a grasp of his arm.

"Oh, by the way." He began, softly "They went down the left path."

You paused in your step as you looked over at him "Oh, you dick."

He chuckled "What can I say, I wanted to be alone with you."

You rolled your eyes "Or you're lying and are trying to hide it by being your usual cocky self."

He shrugged his head before he spoke softly with a smile "Either way I get what I want."

Your ears were still burning, as you felt flustered at his apparent advances. You kept quiet as you continued through the haunted house, aware that another scare could come at any moment.

Even as prepared for it as you hoped you were, when a man jumped out of the darkness with a fake chainsaw, you screamed and turned to Jake, who let out a shocked yell as well.

When the man ran away with a wicked laugh, you let out a groan. After a moment of silence, you looked up, realizing you were still clasped onto Jake's shirt, and his arms were holding you against him.

When his eyes locked onto yours, you saw him about to speak.

"Shut up." You said first.

He smirked "Never."

"I'll tell everyone you scream like a little girl." You challenged.

You saw his smirk disappear. "I do not. "

"Do too."

"Do not."

At this moment, Jake spotted a small group of actors running up behind you. Quickly pulling you close to him just as they screamed and ran past the two of you. You flinched as this happened, burying your head in his chest for a moment until the actors were gone.

When they were, you slowly pulled your head away and looked up, feeling a small rush of embarrassment, knowing Jake would be staring down at you with a cocky smirk.

You were mildly surprised though, when you met his eyes, and he was looking at you with a soft smile, rather than a teasing one. Heat rose up your neck, as you also realized your faces were not very far apart, noses almost brushing, lips noticeably close.

As you gently pulled away, you mumbled out "Thank you."

His smile widened a bit "Any time."

You silently continued down the corridor, your heart pounding, and ears still burning. Rounding a corner, you were met with a thin hallway with holes in the walls. You new the purpose was to be unable to avoid the hands that would surely come through.

You let out a soft sigh, as you prepared yourself. Feeling Jake lean in close to you, he whispered "Want me to hold your hand?"

Rolling your eyes lightly, you turned your head back to face him "Why don't you go first this time? Or are you too scared?"

He smirked at you, challenging you with his gaze. Stepping past you, he purposefully keep his face close to yours as he slipped past with small smirk.

Watching as he made his way down the hall, you smiled to yourself as you began to follow him. You both let out gasps of surprise, when as you expected, various hands reached through to grab at you. You kicked your legs as you felt things brush your ankles. You were right behind Jake, silently hoping he would go faster.

Finally getting out of the hallway, you let out a relieved sigh, before you looked down another darkened room. Realizing there was still more, you let out a groan and lifted your hands in defeat.

"Oh come on, how big is this place?"

Jake chuckled, but you could tell he was getting tired of this as well. But he covered it with a smile "What? Not enjoying your time alone with me?"

"What is there to enjoy? Your constant cockiness? Your teasing and jokes?" You replied with light sarcasm.

Jake stepped closer to you, challenging you with a flirty smile. "Oh, I thought you might be enjoying grabbing onto me when you're scared. You know, the comfort of being in my arms."

"I don't need you to comfort me." You replied, trying to sound bold, but the hammering of your heart as he slowly crept closer to you was had to ignore.

"No?"

"No."

Just as you spoke, a loud clap of thunder erupted through the room, paired with the sound of screams, laughter, and flashing lights.

As you jumped in surprise and fear, Jake lunged forward, ignoring his own shock. Grabbing your face he pressed a sudden and surprisingly passionate kiss to your lips, causing you to freeze in surprise.

When the noises faded and you were left in silence again, Jake pulled away from you. His eyes met yours, as he left his hands on either side of your face.

Finally finding your voice, you spoke softly, clearly confused. "Why did you do that?"

A faint smile pulled at his lips as he shrugged his head lightly "I was trying to distract you from the jump-scare. And I wanted to."

You blinked as you racked your brain for a reply. Pulling away a bit, Jake let go of your face, allowing you to step back. You could see the notes of anxiety in his gaze, wondering if you were going to hit him, tell him off, or even just walk away.

Flinching as the sound of distant screaming could be heard, you recognized the voices being from the rest of the group. Your gaze locked with Jake's and you opened your mouth to speak, but your voice caught in your throat as Jake reached up and moved a stray piece of hair from your face.

"Don't worry, I wont tell them. What happens in the haunted house, stays in the haunted house."

You eyed him for a moment "Not something you want to brag about?" There was a hint of amusement in your voice, that made Jake relax a bit.

He shrugged lightly "I'd love to brag about kissing you, but, I'd also like to keep it to myself. I can brag about it next time."

You rose your brow "Next time? You're that confident I'll let you kiss me again?"

He smiled before he gently grabbed you by your arms turning you and pushing you to walk through the next room.

Leaning in, he whispered, his lips brushing against your ear "I am."

Making it through the last room with only one loud scare that made you flinch. You exited the last door, seeing the rest of the group standing around outside.

When they saw you and Jake, they all let out a cacophony of laughs, and cheers.

"Where they hell did you two end up?!" Coyote asked as he walked up to Jake.

You eyed and pointed at Payback, "Maybe next time you go down a path, you should make sure everyone goes down the same one." You said with an annoyed tone.

The group snickered, understanding exactly where they lost you.

"Oops, my bad." Payback mumbled as he patted your shoulder.

"I hope Jake didn't make it too unbearable for you." Phoenix teased as she turned away, all of you beginning to make your way out.

You looked over at Jake, to find him already looking at you.

"Unbearable isn't the word I'd use." You said softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

Turning to follow the others out of the exit area, you felt someone fall into step beside you. You didn't need to look to know it was Jake.

Feeling his hands brush yours, clearly on purpose, you spared a glance at him. As he caught your eyes, you saw the knowing look behind his gaze, as he repressed a smile.

You repressed your own smile as you looked away from him, the events of the haunted house replaying in your mind. Maybe you didn't regret coming after all.

xx End xx

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