#he dates all the way back to 2015/2016

[zaynes-ocs]

Redesigned my oldest oc again!!!!

[cheriladycl01]

When at work - Lando Norris x UniStudent! Reader

Plot: Lando has known you since you were born, literally childhood friends. You went to every karting weekend with him until he started to travel more. As childhood lovers who have been dating for 8 years what happens when the general public find out about you?

You'd known Lando since you were born just two years after him, and so until Year 4 when you excelled in your academics you were a school year behind him, you were moved up a year to his year. You followed him to the karting tracks when you were little being his biggest supporter and if you go back and look at interviews you'll always be spotted talking animatedly to his family about the race.

You had very strict parents about schooling and they wouldn't let you miss any days off, you could go to karting with Lando, after school or on the weekends but you couldn't take days off school for his races.

"Mum please! I want to go support him!" you cried when she told you that you couldn't have the day off to go watch Lando kart in one of his first proper championship races.

"No Y/N, Lando has found something he is good at... you are a smart girl and school is where you should be!" you mum had refused, smiling at you sadly.

"Dad?" you cried looking over at your dad, who would normally say yes to any request you had, especially if it involved Lando and his dad Adam, as they were friends.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry but I'll have to agree with your mum on this one" he sighs pulling you into a hug. Those days at school that Lando wasn't there were lonely to say the least, Lando's friends wouldn't hang out with you if it was only you and you didn't have any of friends.

Eventually Lando quit school when he got to British Formula three, there he made lots of new friends including Max, who he introduced to you. You would miss Lando in school, and tried to branch out to make new friends but nothing felt as close as the bond you shared with Lando.

"Y/N, this is my friend Max I met him in karting" he smiles pulling you closer to Max.

"Erm, hi" you had smiled shyly at Max, who smiled back at you. With Max it felt like he was genuinely interested in getting to know you unlike Lando's school friends who just sort of acknowledged your existence because of Lando.

You and Max of course made fast friends after this.

This was 2015, and he asked you there and then to be his girlfriend. At first you laughed and said no, because you thought he was joking and one of the boys from karting had dared him as a cruel joke. But after lots of groveling on his behalf you said yes.

In 2016, you managed to exceed in your GCSE'S getting 6 A* to B grades. Lando had come just to celebrate with you. The next year you did the last of your GCSE's getting 7 more A* - B grades making you come out with 13 GCSE's in total. Lando had come to celebrate with you, while you had gone to celebrate with him that he had won the Formula 3 championship.

He of course, was promoted to Formula 2 for the 2018 season and became a test and reserve driver for Mclaren, which made you so proud because this was his way of being able to get into Formula One. You went on to do your Alevel-s, which were Maths, Physics, Design and Technology and Law. You were now just turned 17 and looking at universities you could go to, and looking at what degree you wanted to go into.

He came second in Formula 2, just behind the other British Racing Driver George Russell. And was promoted to F1 for the 2019 Season and would be in his rookie season.

Halfway through his first season which had gone pretty well with only 2 DNF's and him coming 6th highest, you'd finished your exams and had got offers back from all 5 universities you'd applied to. It was sad really, you'd applied to the University of Surry and University of Royal Holloway just to be near the Mclaren Technology Centre so you could be closer to Lando in the off season.

You'd ended up choosing Cambridge University in the end and spend the rest of your summer until the end of September travelling to races with Lando, you went with his Dad, having his other spare pass. You saw him in Monaco, Canada, France, Austria, Silverstone, Germany and Hungry before you spent the summer break in Greece together along with Max. Then you came with him to Belgium, Italy and Singapore before you had to go home to move into student accommodation.

As a rookie there wasn't too much focus on Lando, but when a girl was spotted with him in the paddock for 10 races, people had questions. After they did some digging they worked out that you were childhood friends with Lando and you were in his older and definitely cringier Instagram pictures, and they checked his tagged photos which led them to your account that he was following.

Luckily it was private but you were shocked at the influx of follow requests.

Rumors spread and people deducted that you must be his girlfriend. It made you nervous but Lando promised to go at your pace.

Your first year of university was cut short, everything went into lockdown, and you were alone in your little dorm room with 5 other housemates. It was a month until you finished all your exams online, and made the decision to travel to Lando's to live with him.

You ended up staying with him for the whole lockdown, and then travelling around with him for the whole of the 2020 season. You managed to do this while studying as your campus was shut for the whole of 2020 and most of 2021. You had an amazing second year grade passing with a 92 overall school having a 1st in your second year. So when 2021 came around you'd applied for Formula One internships so you could keep travelling around with Lando and almost all of them as they already knew you accepted you, you had a difficult time deciding who to go with.

Eventually you went with Red Bull, of course Lando had made jokes about how betrayed he felt, but was happy for you being in a top constructor. You joined them for the 2021 Azerbaijan GP, on the 6th of June you were there for 17 races in 2021 and learnt so much from the team.

You spent until September 2022 with them having major input on the build of the 2022 Red Bull to the point Christian Horner ask for you to be shown on the Instagram. 14 races you spend with them and it was a wild ride before you had to go back to University for your final year.

At this point you and Lando had been together for 7 years strong now. People worked out how long you'd been together a while ago and it had really shocked them. They expected you to be engaged and ... well they weren't far off.

He proposed to you in the winter break of 2022 on a ski holiday he'd taken you on. All of your's and his family were there too see and it was beyond magical. You were going into the 2023 season with a Fiancé and your soulmate.

You let your Instagram go public during this time, the fans had been asking for more content from you. You appeared on streams, and Lando always posted you on his accounts. Now it was time for them to go and stalk you account, instantly people went back through your photos finding old pictures from when you and Lando were younger and then the more recent pictures that everyone thought were cute.

Now Lando had gone back to racing and you were starting revision for exams that would happen in May.

However, you didn't tell Lando, that money was getting a bit tight. You'd always been funny when it came to how much Lando earned and how he always insisted that you lived rent free with him and to not worry about it. So at the start of 2023, towards the end of your degree you got a little side job as a barista in an independent coffee shop.

Lando of course being busy now that it was the start of the 2023 season and he had a new rookie team mate to meet, he was none the wiser.

It was just a typical day at the coffee shop when you were with your colleague, making yourself a drink when a girl and her friend came in.

"Oh my gosh, your Y/N!" a voice says making you look up, you smile happily not thinking much off it because you were wearing a name badge so you assumed she got it from there.

"Yes, hello how can I help you today!" you ask politely stopping making your drink and walking over to the till.

"You're Y/N Lando Norris Fiancé right?" she asks and your mouth drops open in shock. You had been noticed around the paddock, of course you had... but this was the first time someone had come to you in public.

"Ah yes I am!" you smile shyly. The interaction was relatively normal, you served them their drinks and made conversation with them before having to go back and serve more customers.

You didn't notice them take pictures and videos of you interacting and serving customers, which of course made their way onto social media. Suddenly and influx of customers came, which was strange for a Tuesday afternoon.

As well as the influx of customers you had people come in with cameras, starting to take pictures.

"Y/N what is happening all of these people are asking for you" Rhianne your co-worker asks and that's when the blender turns off and you can hear people calling your name.

They were fans of F1.

"Hey Y/N Lando deserves better than you"

"Y/N why are you working minimum wage when you have a boyfriend with a net worth of over 10 mil"

"Y/N break up with Lando"

"Oh my god, how did they all know this is where I work" you say asking your colleague not sure what to even do.

"Okay, let's get you out the back. Call the police and I'll try keep up with orders" She says pushing you towards the exit, the staff room was on the other side of the shop so you were going to have to tackle your way through the mound of people.

Eventually after people shoving phones in your face and grabbing at your wrist. You manage to get into the staff area and lock the door. You were crying as you called the police, who said they'd send bodies to you immediately.

After you hung up, your phone started to ring and Lando's face popped up.

"Hi baby" you say trying to sound like your not crying. Your camera was facing up so he couldn't see you.

"Y/N show me where you are right now. I swear to god, if what I'm seeing on twitter is true" he huffs out making you pan down the camera to show the back room you were in. He was in Australia right now and had heard from Oscar that you were trending on twitter and looked scared.

"Are you safe?" he asks worried, making you burst into tears. You could suddenly feel everyone's hands back on you and your breathing goes shallow.

"Mmm, I had to call the police there was so many people" you cry, wiping your tears.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. Look after Australia, I'm coming to you okay! Why the fuck didn't you ask me if you needed money" he asks looking at you with that disappointed look you hated.

"Lando, you know how i feel about that" you say.

"Baby, your still in Uni. You shouldn't have to work. Do you parents know?" he asks, and you shake you head.

"Hey Y/N! How are you?" Oscar asks coming into view of the camera.

"I'm okay Oscar, I cant wait to meet you next week!" You smile at him, blinking away the tears that were still trying to come out.

"Oh, I think the police are here, but I'll call you when I'm home!" you say hearing a knock at the door.

"Ask them to take you home. You shouldn't walk round the streets alone! I love you darling" Lando sighs.

"I love you too Lando, thank you!"

A/N: I feel like this isn't very good, I'm sorry this feels like its so info dumpy and not much fluff!!

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle

[vinelark]

With the exciting news of Kon being in MAWS season 3 (!!!!!), do you have an specific recs for him when it comes to comics? (I know Young Justice is good for him, but not much outside of that)

hello! exciting news indeed!!! and hell yeah, here are some kon-centric comics outside of yj that i’ve enjoyed reading:

Reign of the Supermen arc (1993)

this arc has kon’s intro, well before he even had the name kon, and it’s worth a read if you haven’t already because of the way he shows up and is peak annoying immediately (said with love). especially Adventures of Superman #501! (the storyline spans a number of titles, reading order here)

(and for a related rec, the reign of the superman (2019) animated movie blends aspects of the original comic arc with the “kon is made with lex luthor’s dna” reveal/retcon; it’s a fun watch! left me with Much To Think About pang-wise, too.)

Superboy (1994)

the most concentrated amount of og jacket and glasses superboy you’ll find in one series; there’s a lot going on here, most of it so very 90s (both in the plot/world and on a more meta level) and also so many adorable kons. special shoutout to my favorite side character, krypto in his “tiny white terrier with a giant attitude” form. (and for a more specific rec i’ll point to issues #60 - 61, in which kon is hopping through multiple realities and we see, among others, robin!kon and “supergrrrl” kon.)

Batgirl (200) #41

this is the issue where cass goes “hmm, i should try to do A Romance” and shows up outside kon’s window to see what all the fuss is about, and they proceed to have the most lavender date of all lavender dates. i adore kon’s inability to shut up here, and also for obvious reasons need to give it a special shoutout for kon taking a “bat-babe” on a date in the clouds.

Adventure Comics (Vol 2) #1 - 6 (2009)

this arc serves to re-settle kon into the world (and smallville) after the whole [waves hand] dying and coming back to life thing. (technically it’s 12 issues, but you’re asking for specific recs so my specific recs are the first six!) this is about kon starting life in smallville and having a prolonged identity crisis re: the superman + lex luthor of it all. cassie, bart, and tim all show up as significant guest stars (one of my fav tim & kon issues of all time is in here) but it’s very kon-centric! i also really enjoy the art, especially when it does wide/landscape shots.

Superboy (2010)

this is a pretty direct continuation from the adventure comics arc, once again feat. kon’s 21st century black t-shirt (sigh) and also kon wearing the tiniest, goofiest pair of Disguise Glasses. that said, it’s a fun, classic “teen superhero juggles school and crushes and a statistically high number of supervillains for a small town (seriously, what the hell was poison ivy even doing in kansas?)” series. also if there were any justice in the world simon valentine would’ve been one of those crushes, but alas.

Convergence: Superboy (2015) #1 - 2

i’ll be honest, i’m not super familiar with the overarching convergence storyline, but i really enjoyed this two-shot featuring a kon who has been stuck in metropolis without his powers, only to suddenly gain them back and immediately start brawling with alternate versions of heroes he knows. i also like the art in this one, and the character designs overall—leather jacket kon my beloved!

Action Comics (2016) #1020 - 1028 (“House of Kent” arc)

this sequence brings kon back into the kent family fold after the timeline fuckery (and i think follows from the young justice (2019) gemworld arc where they re-find kon?)—so basically it’s kon’s re-introduction to clark, and to lois and jon (who’s visiting from his own future adventure) and kara and martha and jonathan. despite spelling conner’s name two different ways in the span of a few issues, it’s a neat speedrun of different kon+superfam interactions, and also a fun time for anyone who’s a fan of kon being solidly part of the kent family. also: jacket kon is back 🙏

this is not at all an exhaustive list, just some of my favs--happy reading!

[accio-victuuri]

NOVEMBER 19 : The Full Story 📝

oh well sort of, cause this is what is known and shared publicly with tons of filling in the blanks by cpfs. someone made a side by side incidents during this day and time for the past years 2017 to now 2023 and it’s good to see it all laid out. it’s hilarious to see the realization among turtles that we could be wrong about their anniversary date. for years, we always talked about the month of June but now, November is making a great argument 😂

( these freakin masterminds are so naughty! I swear!!! 🤣🤣🤣 )

source of the compilation i’m using to outline is 圣衣雪琳 cause they perfectly summed up the key points very well. I already talked about some of these in my previous post but this is for the “11/19 lore” exclusively and so we can expand on other years.

I’m a sucker for timelines so let’s go 💪🏼

2017: At this time, they already know of each other and depending on who you ask might have already been low key stalking the other. LOL. WYB’s was about Just Dance and ZZ is a selfie and hotpot ; the latter post about going home.

I don’t think that this holds much significance in terms of an actual relationship and stuff happening behind the scenes. However, it feels like fate that they both posted on this day even without that significance being there. We cpfs love to talk about how they are fated and certain things, no matter how mundane, turned out to be a piece that completed the puzzle. There is some push back with some turtles saying this shouldn’t be included cause it seems like the start of this 11/19 is 2018 but again, just leaving this here. I could probably add 2015/2016 if we really wanna back track lol

2018: THIS IS THE KEY CPN IN ALL OF THIS. I have already explained it here. The infamous Japan trip. How both of them seemingly making references to their post from this year vs today (2023) especially XZ who even posted on the same time. There are so many rumors about this timeline, even going as far as saying the next day, they started living together. How this was WYB saying it’s WYB, not LWJ. So the relationship they have now is not between fictional characters but the real one.

I’m eating this candy whole. No one can tell me otherwise. I’m sold 🤣🤣🤣

Have we been wrong? did they officially become together 11/19/2018. Some are even pointing out that one of GG’s photos shared today appears to be him traveling back from IM to Beijing.

and who is in Beijing? His home. Yibo. 🏡

We love to think about them sharing photos to each other and i’m imagining this is ZZ sending something similar to WYB and saying that he is on his way back.

2019: Bazaar video was released, it’s message being a favorite among BXGs. Going by the assumption that this is their anniversary of sorts, it makes sense to have a message like that to be delivered.

how he met his love in a dream ( presumably that summer and playing wwx opposite wyb’s lwj ) and when he woke up, his love is still there. meaning even in reality, he still feels the same. no. it was not scripted, the one who shot it said it was xz’s answer and he was shocked too.

They posted some work related stuff on that day, with WYB’s being audi’s. the part of the caption we are clowning about is : Don’t blame me for not reminding you. Which in the original post and context is about the benefits you will get if you buy an Audi. but in cpn speak it could mean that ZZ probably forget, but he actually didn’t cause that bazaar love confession was clear.

2020: I already talked in detail over here #2 with was going on at the time.

It’s also the start of the whole Thursday is a good day to see you, in reference to WYB’s vogue post. Then it snowballed into a whole CPN of it’s own.

I forgot to add one important thing tho, around this time 11/18 there schedules were public and both are supposed to go back to Beijing. WYB was from Hangzhou and ZZ was from Nanjing. The incident of WYB changing his flight 3x so he can go back to Beijing is this time 11/18. We clowned that he was so eager to be in the same city with ZZ but with what we think now, it could be he wanted them to be together badly because it’s their anniversary the next day 11/19. 🤯

2021: Both of them posting a Douyin video that involves changing clothes. Which is a very common transition trend on the app but seeing it done on the same day was a treat and unusual. GG’s was posted 11/17 and WYB was 11/19.

I wanna remind people too that this is the same month we got the mysterious “voices” both in Shenzhen Vlog ( his husband wang yibo ) and talks of ZZ being at the Luoyang press conference filming. The same month the whole Ximalaya CPN started too. So they were definitely “acting up”.

2022: No actual posts but a parallel. 11/17, Guangdian appeared on the itunes chart because of fan’s effort. 11/18, WYB released a song ( government related ) called Light Chaser. So spotlight = light chaser has similar element and theme of light. Then on 11/20 WYB’s shared a douyin with 👀.

2023: Probably making up for how quiet last year was, they decided to give us a big hint/s of what 11/19 is all about. 😂😂😂

This is all fake and cpn talk. I do enjoy when candies go years back! This journey of trying to piece things together is a bxg’s strength so we’re really thriving today— with all the possibly unrelated events we have managed to stitch together into this! 🙃

[tgmsunmontue]

Online & Anonymous 11/16

Hangster. Explicit. Years before they meet in person Bradley and Jake strike up a friends-with-benefits relationship online. And then something more like an actual relationship.

Odd year = Bradley's POV and Even year = Jake's POV

>>Bradley chatting (bold and italics)

>>Jake chatting (italics)

2005/2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

2016 – Jake

                Jake hasn’t exactly reconciled with his family. But at his grandmother’s funeral his sister had found him and forced her number into his phone, and now he exchanges phone calls with her every week or so. He always waits for her to call him, gives her a window of time that he’s available to take her call. He knows she keeps it quiet with their parents that she’s in contact with him, but he doesn’t care, she wants to talk to him and thinks their parents are in the wrong. He now gets to know what his nieces are doing, gets to see videos of first steps and words, silly little day-to-day things which he has clearly missed from his older niece. He gets to talk to his sister, and through her hear about his family, even if it hurts.

                He’s turning thirty this year, and he guesses his sister at least feels like a decade of almost no-contact is finally too much. Like somehow not having anything to do with his family would magically change anything. Like he’d somehow choose to be gay when all it’s done is made him feel like an outsider and jeopardized his career. Or her world view has just slowly started shifting and she’s trying to make up for not being there for nearly a third of his life. Part of him feels ashamed for letting her back into his life so easily, with only the barest hint of an apology. That he feels so desperate for some semblance of his family that he never stopped missing is finally back and still has so much power to hurt him.

                He knows Javy doesn’t like it, frowns every time he takes a call he knows is from Susie. Maybe one-day he’ll get to introduce them, when he thinks Javy won’t end up needing to be bailed out of jail for assault, his protective streak ten-miles wide. He hasn’t said anything to Nick either, doesn’t want to bring up the fact that he has a small bit of his family back in his life when he knows Nick can never have that. Death is a lot more permanent for a start, and while Jake doesn’t ever expect to see his parents again, he knows that they’re still alive. They might come around one day, there are always those miracles that happen.

                And thinking of miracles he’s certain it’s going to take one for him and Nick to actually meet. They’ve decided to try and stop planning to meet up, every time they plan it something happens. Instead they’ve shared their deployment dates, intentionally not making plans for anything during their periods of leave. In addition to that they’ll both turn their location on when they’re on leave, no matter how short, whether it’s shore leave or extended leave, they’ll try and find their way to each other. So while it means not making plans with anyone else Javy at least understands his desire to finally meet Nick and is happy to run interference with his family about Jake’s apparent lack of commitment to coming to stay when he’s on leave. They’ve reviewed their schedules for the next few months, there’s not any time they’re both on leave for the first few months, but there are times later in the year, so he’s just got them in his schedule with Nick??? and hopes for the best.

…            …            …

                He next sees Bradshaw at a ceremony where they’re both being awarded an Inherent Resolve Campaign medal, and if anything the asshole looks even better and Jake appreciates it while also hating it a little. Sometimes life just isn’t fair. Why couldn’t his face have erupted in boils or something. He’s talking to Admiral Kazansky, and Jake can’t help following him with his eyes, hates just how comfortable he looks talking to one the highest-ranking members of brass in the room. Of course Bradshaw is confident in every setting.

                Jake still hasn’t figured out what he said or did to cause Bradshaw to not like him, the guy has got the fucking biggest chip on his shoulder and Jake is baffled as to why a guy everyone else has generally spoken of with warm regards seems to have it out for him since they met. Jake knows he’s not the best at making the best first impression, but he hadn’t been awful that he can remember. Not enough to make someone act toward him like he’s not even worth the time of day. He lets out a breath, realizes maybe he’s being a little harsh, because Bradshaw hadn’t seemed quite as annoyed with him the last time they were deployed together. Not that Jake will ever thank him for his callsign, but he’d asked how Jake was, may have even cared if Jake had admitted to not being okay. He’ll never know.

                “Lieutenant Seresin.”

                Jake does a double take, because as if thinking about the other man has made him appear from across the room. Also that tone isn’t cutting or annoyed, instead it’s almost… smooth. Not sweet, not friendly, but it’s definitely something, and it holds the promise of more.

                “Bradshaw.”

                There’s not quite a question at the end, and as he shifts to face him he catches the quick sweep of his body that Bradshaw gives him, gives his body, before dipping to his lips and holy shit, Bradshaw just checked him out. It’s not quite a sharp one-eighty from a few years ago, but he guesses they’re on equal footing now, no difference in positions or ranks, there’s no DADT, there’s nothing that he can think of. Then he remembers Javy saying Bradshaw had something going with someone. Something serious. His conscience pricks a little, but it’s not his person that he’s cheating on. He wonders if they know, that Bradshaw goes around making eyes at people and then… well. He hasn’t done anything to Jake yet but for the first time he thinks that something might actually be happening.

                “You have any plans for the rest of the night?”

                As if the blatant up-down look wasn’t enough, he’s outright asking Jake and it’s taking his brain a little to catch up, wants to come out with a quip, wishes he could seriously think of rejecting him just to give him a taste of what it had felt like. Instead he’s shaking his head, ignoring the fact that he does in fact have plans with Javy to go out for a drink and bowling.

                “You want to get out of here?”

                “Yeah,” Jake says, and god he wishes his voice didn’t sound quite so breathy. He coughs and clears it, hopes that covers it, although the way Bradshaw is smirking at him he doesn’t think it did.

                “You have a place?”

                “I’ve got a hotel room.”

                “Perfect.”

…            …            …

                It’s about a fifteen minute walk, and neither of them speak, a few people giving them respectively nods as they pass, which is normal considering they’re both in full dress uniform. Jake feels attuned to the mere inches between them as they walk, taking the elevator up to his room and then both taking their shoes off at the door like it’s someone’s home.

                “You done this before?” Bradshaw asks and Jake rolls his eyes, because while it’s not like he broadcasts the fact he’s gay, he’s over thirty and in the Navy, and DADT was repealed five years ago now.

                “Yeah, don’t need to go easy on me or anything.”

                “Oh, I was never going to be easy…” Bradshaw says, and Jake doesn’t have time to ask what he means before he’s being pressed back against the door and kissed, Bradshaw’s leg slotting between his, hips grinding against him and Bradshaw already feels half-hard. He’s efficient at undressing, his fingers working at the buttons on Jake’s jacket while his mouth sucks at Jake’s bottom lip and he can’t help the little gasp as Bradshaw’s moustache scrapes over his jaw line.

                “You got any special requests?” Bradshaw asks, and he seems like he’s a guy who enjoys sex. Laughs with his partner in bed. For the first time since they met Jake’s getting to see the friendly side of Bradshaw that everyone else gets normally. He wonders if he’ll get it when he’s not about to suck his dick. Yeah. That is what he wants now.

                “I want to suck your dick,” Jake says, arousal making his tongue thick in his mouth, the words slurring together.

                “Be my guest. I’ll take real good care of you after…”

                He can feel Bradshaw’s smile against his neck, his lips moving as he talks, his tongue licking at the tendon in Jake’s neck and he shivers as Bradshaw pushes his jacket off his shoulders, taking his own jacket off and carefully hanging them both up, grin a little sardonic as he shrugs.

                “Pretty sure neither of us want to iron them again anytime soon. Come on, pants off too. You can’t kneel in those…”

                Jake doesn’t need to be told twice, doesn’t kick them off in his haste, they are his dress blues after all, again watches as Bradshaw takes time to carefully lay them over the back of the little sofa. The way Bradshaw is watching him makes him feel self-conscious so he tries to feel confident. Obviously Bradshaw likes something he sees, because he’s here after all, and his cock is definitely outlined in his briefs and Jake’s mouth waters a little.

                He’s not even aware that he's licking his lips before Bradshaw is kissing him again, hands running over the bare skin of his arms, tugging at his undershirt and Jake strips it off and drops it to the ground, presses Bradshaw back against the wall and then drops to his knees and runs his nose up the length of his dick. It is definitely firm, maybe not quite all the way hard, but considering he’s not even got his mouth on him yet it’s gratifying that he’s maybe the reason he’s so turned on already. Then Bradshaw is pushing him away and Jake frowns up at him, wants to ask what he’s doing.

                “Condom. Safety gear’s important…”

                Of course he’d say that, and Jake doesn’t disagree. He watches as Bradshaw grabs a few condoms from his pocket, god, how many are they going to need? Watches as he strips off his socks, briefs and undershirt and he’s just as gorgeous naked as he is fully clothed; confident in his own skin and yeah, Nick was right, it is attractive. Fuck him. He watches Bradshaw watch him as he strokes his cock to full hardness and then tears the wrapper, rolls the condom down his cock, eyes hooded as he watches Jake instead of needing to watch what he’s doing. It’s hot for a variety of reasons, not least because Jake seems to hold his whole attention.

                Then Bradshaw’s stepping past, leaning against the wall looking relaxed, like he has all the time in the world, smiling down at Jake and one eyebrow raised like he’s asking a question. Jake’s isn’t going to hazard a guess as to what the question might be, just licks his lips again and wraps his mouth over the head of Bradshaw’s cock, one hand on his thigh while the other settles near the base of Bradshaw’s dick, brushing over the pubic hair. He’s never grown accustomed to the taste or texture of latex, but this is… maybe not latex? He pulls back.

                “You got your own fancy brand of condoms you carry around with you Bradshaw?”

                “Latex allergy, pays to be prepared.”

                Of course he fucking does. He wonders how he figured that one out. Wonders exactly how bad it is but he’s not making friends with Bradshaw, he’s here to get off and get Bradshaw off. So he sets about giving Bradshaw a blowjob, and he’s better at it than he used to be, uses his hands and alternates between sucking him down and licking everywhere, gently sucking on each of Bradshaw’s balls before returning to do hard and fast sucks on the head with longer bobs down to take more of him in.

                His jaw aches a little, out of practice but Bradshaw doesn’t seem to notice or care, his fingers gentle in Jake’s hair, like he doesn’t want to scare him off and Jake has to tamp down on his feeling of competitiveness. He doesn’t need Bradshaw fucking holding back from tugging on his hair so reaches a hand to cover his, curls his fingers and catches some of his hair between his fingers and Bradshaw’s and then tugs. His groan echoes Bradshaw’s, and the jerk of Bradshaw’s hips is nice too, catching him a little unaware and he gags a little which seems to turn Bradshaw on even more.

                His own cock is hard in his briefs and he lets go of Bradshaw’s hand to rub at his own cock briefly before bringing his hand to cup Bradshaw’s balls, fondles them and they’re damp with his spit from when he was sucking on them; he tugs them gently, feels Bradshaw’s entire body shudder, a wave centered on his cock moving outward.

                “Jesus Seresin… fuck…”

                Then he’s just mumbling under his breath, so good, god, your mouth, gorgeous and Jake lets himself soak it all in, likes that Bradshaw is vocal enough to let him know he’s enjoying it. Then he feels nails scraping over his scalp before Bradshaw’s entire body goes taut and Jake is feeling Bradshaw’s body jerk as he comes and the moan he makes seems linked directly to Jake’s own cock, making it throb. God he’s glad Bradshaw has already promised to reciprocate, really hopes he’s at least halfway decent.

                Bradshaw is pulling him to standing, kissing him with bruising hardness and Jake lets himself kiss back, a little breathless and more surprised. Most guys he’s hooked up don’t kiss a lot, especially not after a blowjob; usually saying they don’t like the taste, which Jake has always found a little odd considering some of the tastes of other parts of the body. Each to their own he guesses, enjoys Bradshaw kissing him and walking him backward to the bed, his hand already palming Jake’s erection through the fabric of his briefs.

                Then Bradshaw is guiding him to sit on the edge of the bed, then he’s kneeling between Jake’s spread legs, his eyes intent on Jake’s face like he’s waiting for Jake to say something but he can’t. Can’t think of anything to say that he won’t wish he said differently later so he just raises an eyebrow and makes a get on with it gesture with his hand, hopes that says enough. It seems to do the trick, Bradshaw huffing in amusement but then he’s mouthing Jake’s cock through his underwear, the warmth from his mouth seems to intensify the heat around his cock and why does that feel so good.

                “Lie back if you want…”

                “No. Want to watch…” Jake says, then Bradshaw is standing again, leaning down to kiss him and cupping his face carefully like this isn’t just a hookup and Jake wonders if he’s like this with all his hookups. Doesn’t let himself wonder about how he might be with anyone who might not just be a hookup.

                “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back. You got any lube?”

                Jake nods, makes a grabby hand gesture toward his toiletry bag like a fucking toddler and tries not to be mortified by the whole thing, mainly the grabby hands or his apparent eagerness for any and all activities that require lube. Bradshaw either ignores him or doesn’t notice, unzips it and pulls out the little pump bottle, inspecting it before nodding like its passed inspection. He grabs a towel from the bathroom and then he’s back, grabbing the pillows and making a little pile so Jake can lie back and also watch.

                “Art of compromise…” Bradshaw says with a smirk and Jake rolls his eyes but lets Bradshaw gently push him back, kissing a trail down Jake’s body, licking and sucking over his neck, down his chest, flicking his nipples with the tip of his tongue, one after the other. Then his hands are working the band of Jake’s underwear, working them down and Jake raises his hips to help. The air of the room feels cool on his cock, then he feels the condom getting rolled down, doesn’t stop himself from thrusting into the circle of Bradshaw’s fist, although kind of wants to knee him in the side of the head when he huffs with amusement again.

                Then he thinks he could forgive Bradshaw anything, his mouth tight and hot and just all the fucking way down like he doesn’t need to work up to it. Jake definitely snaps something out, but has no idea what it is, his brain not offering anything other than the black and white static. Bradshaw has definitely had more practice than Jake, or maybe just has natural talent, and Jake can’t help the little jerks of his hips as Bradshaw sucks him down again. He meets Bradshaw’s eyes, and it feels weirdly intense so he closes his eyes, suddenly feeling too exposed.

                Then he feels the fingers, Bradshaw’s fingers, slippery with lube and Jake didn’t even notice when that happened. They’re not pressing, just rubbing between his ass cheeks, pressing gently on his perinium. Then there’s a more obvious press against his asshole and Bradshaw is pulling off his cock.

                “Seresin… yes or no?”

                “Yes. Fuck yes. Come on…”

                “Feel free to tell me to stop.”

                “I’m not going to tell you to fucking stop.”

                “You can also tell me to go harder, or faster, or… just use your words and let me know what you want. Never stopped you before, hmm?”

                “Fuck you. Get on with it.”

                Fortunately Bradshaw does return to sucking his cock, but he’s now massaging Jake’s  perinium with a thumb, another finger is rubbing circles around his hole, slowly increasing in pressure and he wonders if Bradshaw’s just being cautious or…

                “Just put you fucking finger in my ass Bradshaw, for fucks sake…”

                “Just had to ask.”

                Jake thumps his head back on the pile of pillows, and his annoyance is immediately overwritten by Bradshaw no longer wasting any more time and going directly for the kill, brushing over his prostate and Jake hates how his precision in a plane is apparently a transferable fucking skill. Bradshaw’s got a hand tight around the base of his cock, like he doesn’t want Jake to come too soon. Then there are two fingers, long fingers, pressing up inside him, not gentle brushes, direct pressure and his spine feels like it’s a sparkler, sparks hitting his body all over and he arches into it.

                “Holy shit…”

                “Yeah, there we go. Come on. Want to take you apart.”

                Jake can’t tell him no. Doesn’t want to. Just gives in to the overwhelming sensations of someone intent on bringing him as much pleasure as possible. He’s never had someone seem so focused on giving him a blowjob before, although he guesses Bradshaw has already come so isn’t in any rush to get off himself. Combined with the anal play he’s quivering on the edge of coming. Bradshaw is somehow calm and collected even adding a third and fourth finger and Jake can feel himself shaking with the need to keep control. Jake wants to see Bradshaw lose it a little, but doubts if he will.

                Bradshaw wants to make him fall apart, and Jake is pretty sure he’s more than capable of making that happen now and he doesn’t have to hold back or pretend, not right now. He can let himself go, not be so careful of what Bradshaw might think. It’s sex, and Bradshaw already doesn’t like him very much, being… well, being a little bit more open and exposed is normal during sex. He can let himself have this, will let himself have this. He’s allowed to want this. Lets the pleasurable sensation of Bradshaw’s mouth and tongue on his cock wash over him, the feeling of his fingers, both on him and in him, the press of their skin together in other places where Bradshaw’s touching him. It feels increasingly overwhelming, all of his senses feel glutted; the sight of Bradshaw sucking him down and not pausing for breath or a break. The smell of their combined bodies, sweaty, the sound of his own breathing, rough in his ears. Bradshaw’s little pleased throat sounds and groans. And overlaying it all the sense of touch and he feels like Bradshaw is everywhere, in, on, over, under, around him. He let’s out a high pitched whine, can feel his orgasm cresting, about to wash over him any second.

                “Close. Oh fuck… so close. Shit. Yeah…”

                He says other things he’s sure, but Bradshaw doesn’t stop, just keeps sucking him and Jake jerks and shudders, thrusts a little into Bradshaw’s mouth before Bradshaw’s pulling himself off and peppering the skin around Jake’s thighs and groin with little butterfly kisses, fingers slowly easing out. Jake lies there, sucking in lungful’s of air as oxygen returns to his brain and Bradshaw is up and doing something… washing his hands in the bathroom apparently. Then he’s back, carefully removing the condom and tying it off before using a warm wet facecloth to wipe Jake clean. He bets Bradshaw is the type that would lick his partner clean.

                Then he feels Bradshaw straddle him, ass resting on his thighs, then he’s placing more little kisses down Jake’s neck and then around to the other side, like it’s a necklace. His moustache tickles at the same time it kind of turns him on, like he wants to squirm away and press into it at the same time. Then it hits him. Bradshaw has a moustache. He closes his eyes and imagines what it might feel like if this was Nick’s mouth on him. He knows it’s not great etiquette to be in bed with one person and imagine another, but Bradshaw will never know.

                That’s when he notices Bradshaw’s cock is hard again and he doesn’t know what to say, what Bradshaw wants to happen here. The realization that Bradshaw got hard again while blowing him makes his own cock twitch and god, he’s not even gone a little bit soft. What the hell. Bradshaw is grinding their cocks together, except it’s too light to be considered a grind, is more like the little butterfly kisses, just little touching glances before moving away and it’s a little maddening, and he wants to press into it all, both the kisses and his cock.

                “Want to fuck you. That something you’d want?” Bradshaw asks, voice low against his neck and then he’s sucking Jake’s earlobe, the pulse in his neck where he’s certain Bradshaw can feel how fast his heart is racing. Jake doesn’t open his mouth, just reaches to place one hand in Bradshaw’s hair, and letting the other grab an ass cheek, pulling Bradshaw down into him as he pushes up and their cocks and hips press against each other almost painfully and Jake just gasps. Then Bradshaw is moving, body coming to cover his and he’s so glad for it, feels anchored to the world.

                “Yeah, yeah. Fuck me.”

                “You sure? Not too sensitive?”

                “Fucking come on,” Jake mutters, breaking his silence and a flash of something passes over Bradshaw’s feature, too fast to identify. He’s already relaxed and stretched from the blowjob, shifts onto all fours so he can avoid looking at Bradshaw in the eyes while they fuck. Doesn’t want to think about why he doesn’t want that too much. Doesn’t need to watch as Bradshaw puts another condom on and slicks Jake up with more lube. When Bradshaw presses into him it’s firm and slow, unyielding and Jake groans into it, breath hitching a little, wants him to move the alleviate the discomfort and at the same time wants him to never move, to somehow press himself further in.

                “C’mon, move.”

                “Nope. Not yet…” Bradshaw mutters, and Jake doesn’t know if he’s just being difficult or if he has a reason for not moving. Bradshaw’s moving his hips in a tiny incremental grind, he can feel his balls brushing him. “You feel good Seresin. Let me enjoy it.”

                Jake doesn’t say anything, because it’s not totally a bad thing that Bradshaw isn’t moving, he’d just thought he’d want to get on with it. He can feel himself relaxing around the intrusion, can feel himself starting to grind back slightly and it seems to be whatever signal Bradshaw was waiting for maybe as he pulls back a little before grinding back in, repeating the slow short thrusts. He’s never been fucked after he’s already come, never realized this was maybe a thing that could happen, but he likes the way it’s making him feel.

                “Can you come again?”

                “I… I don’t know,” Jake answers honestly, because this is all new territory, the fact that his cock is still hard, never really went away after he came the first time.

                “Let’s find out hmm?”

                “Oh fuck…” Jake breathes, his words hot and damp against the skin of his arm as he parses exactly what Bradshaw means by that. Fuck. “Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

                He’s not sure what else might be part of the plan, but Bradshaw seems curious as to what will make Jake squirm, shout, gasp, swear and everything in between. He shifts with no pattern or direction between slow grinds of his hips, pulling Jake up a little and working his cock in his hand, then longer, deeper thrusts while he sucks bruising kisses to his neck and shoulders, to a fast-punishing pace, hips snapping in and out all while his fingertips dig into Jake’s hips. All of it is good in its own way, he doesn’t have a favorite although he can tell Bradshaw seems intent on figuring it out.

                Bradshaw’s body is slick with sweat, he can feel the odd drop of it hit the overheated skin of his back where it offers a little flash of coolness for a brief moment. The sheets are damp with his own sweat, he’s panting, fingers grasping desperately at the sheets as he pushes back. God. He had no idea it could be this good. Wants to comes, knows he can definitely come, but never wants it to end all at the same time. It’s when Bradshaw presses himself along the length of Jake’s back, circles his hand around Jake’s cock and starts jerking him off that he knows.

                “Think you can come again Seresin?”

                “Yes… fucking yes…” Jake hisses between clenched teeth.

                “Good. You going to come for me then?”

                “You first…” Jake gasps out, holding back through some sheer force of will and good luck.

                “Oh fuck…” Bradshaw grunts, and Jake feels him jerk, his hand on Jake’s cock stilling briefly before it goes back to stroking and then Bradshaw is murmuring your turn under his breath and Jake’s orgasm is intense, like the first one of the night never happened, his whole body arching to be closer and he slumps down, uncaring if Bradshaw falls with him. Holy shit his brain provides and Jake grins stupidly against his arm, because his brain has the right idea and he closes his eye briefly. He must doze off for a moment or two, because when he opens them again Bradshaw is almost completely dressed, just his pants and undershirt, jacket carefully folded inside out, tapping at his phone with his other hand.

                “Hey. You’re back with me,” Bradshaw says, and he’s fucking smug but Jake guesses he kind of deserves to be. Holy shit his brain repeats, and his body definitely echoes the sentiment. He’s going to jerk off remembering this. “You good?”

                “I’m good. So good.”

                “Hmm. Good. Catch you around Seresin.”

…            …            …

                He falls asleep, his body feeling well worked over and achy in the best possible way. Like a good run in warm sunshine followed by a really good jerk of session in the shower. But better. So much better. When he wakes up he still can’t believe that it was Bradshaw in his bed last night.

                Fucking Bradshaw.

                Literally fucking Bradshaw.

                He’s a little annoyed with himself. Can’t believe he’s had sex with a guy that is kind of an asshole and it was good. He wanted so badly for it to be absolute shit, to be able to tar Rooster with the same selfish-asshole brush as the very few guys he’s slept with previously. He’d taken what Nick said to heart, not pushed himself too early, but he’s had decent sex now. What he’d thought was good sex. And now he knows it was barely decent. The fact that the best sex he’s had is with someone who seems to hate him for some unknown reason is galling, but he tries not to care about it.

                God. Imagining sex like that with someone he actually likes? It’ll be amazing. He rolls over and grabs his phone, plugs it in, has to wait for it to charge up; a little distracted last night to plug it in so it’s gone dead. He probably needs to buy a new one. He goes and has a shower, brushes his teeth and pulls a face at the marks on his chest, back and hips. Ah well. Nothing to be done about any of that now. He pads back into the room and picks up his phone, looks at the new photos Susie has sent him and then goes to open Grindr.

                Nine notifications.

                Shit.

>>You around?

>>I think we could meet?

>>Same city right now?

>>Jas?

>>Guess you must be busy.

>>Damn it.

>>Seriously thought fates were finally on our side.

>>I’m out on an early flight.

>>Hope you had a good night.

                Jake feels like throwing his phone across the room but resists, clenches his jaw and swallows down the disappointment. Fucking Bradshaw.

>>I am so sorry!

>>I had my phone on silent.

>>And then it must have died.

>>Shit.

>>I’m really sorry to have missed you.

>>Pretty sure you don’t want the Grindr notification sounds coming through your phone.

>>Why do you think it was on silent?

…            …            …

                He’s glad his phone had died, that he doesn’t have to lie. Feels odd telling Nick that he didn’t check his phone because he was busy having sex. Feels worse thinking that sex is the reason he missed meeting him. He both wants to share with Nick just how good of an experience he had, but it being the reason he missed meeting him feels rude. Not that it was intentional at all, but he still feels awful, because they were obviously so close and he realizes then that Nick may have been at the award ceremony. It was a large one, with many different factions of the Navy present and he doesn’t know if Nick has figured out that they’re both in the Navy. He could ask. Or he could just drop it into the conversation and he wonders if that’s what Nick did, can’t remember exactly how Nick mentioned it now, but he knows it’s true.

                He keeps it to himself for a couple of weeks, not ready to share it. Not ready to talk about it. Still processing his own emotions, not really sure how he feels or how he’s meant to feel. How he feels about Bradshaw is all mixed in and he has to try and separate the Bradshaw he had sex with from the Bradshaw that he works with in a professional capacity. Isn’t sure how they’ll interact the next time they see each other, knows he could get Bradshaw’s number if he really wanted to, but doesn’t want to… seem interested. He’s not. He doesn’t think he is anyway. But he can’t talk to Nick about it. Not yet.

…            …            …

                A couple of weeks pass and with the pass of time he feels like maybe he’s imagining just how good it was with Bradshaw. His memory is pretty good though and after he jerks off to the memory, changing the man to Nick even if he still looks annoyingly too similar to Bradshaw because of that fucking moustache he snaps a picture of his spent cock lying against his stomach and sends it through to Nick.

>>Gorgeous as always.

>>Any particular reason I get a treat without any prompting?

>>Definitely not complaining, just wondering what brought it on, see if I can make it happen again.

                Jake laughs a little out loud, reaches for tissues and wipes himself off.

>>Nothing you did sorry, although was your name on my lips when I came…

>>Jesus Jas. You trying to get me hard? I’m meant to be going out with friends.

>>I’m not stopping you.

>>Just. I finally had good sex.

>>I mean.

>>Best sex to date.

>>Pretty sure the guy hates me but fucking hell. I can understand the hype a little more now.

>>Yeah? Jesus.

>>Ten years is a long fucking time to wait before you have a decent fuck. You going to see him again?

>>Hahahaha.

>>No.

>>Did you miss what I just said about him hating me?

>>Think we might kill each other.

>>Hate sex can be hot right?

>>Ouch. That kind of sucks.

>>Yeah. Not exactly a great romance or what I was hoping for, but beggars can’t be choosers and all that.

>>Kind of annoyed that he was so good. Makes me hate him a little bit more.

>>Hate?

>>What did he do?

>>Hate me first? I don’t even know.

>>Just seemed to take one look at me and decided not to like me.

>>Trying to not care about it.

>>Is he hot?

                Jake groans, trust Nick to cut right to the center of Jake’s whole conundrum.

>>So hot.

>>Annoyingly so. Cocky.

>>But makes him more attractive. Asshole.

>>Oh yeah. I know the type.

>>Pretty sure they are my type actually.

                Jake feels a pang then, that Nick has a type, knows enough about himself to have developed a type.

>>Yeah? You like cocky assholes?

>>Sometimes. And sometimes I want to put them in their place.

>> Put them on their knees and make them beg for it.

                For a moment Jake thinks about Bradshaw, putting him on his knees to suck him off and his brain melts a little thinking about it. He understands the appeal more now, from both sides.

>>I think I need a connection to make the sex good.

>>Yeah? What makes you think that?

>>Well, while I haven’t exactly got a positive connection with the guy, it’s still a connection. We work together. Have similar life experiences I guess.

>>He’s in the military as well?

>>Yeah.

>>Bad idea huh?

>>Well, I can’t talk. I’ve had my fair number of hook ups, both before and after DADT.

>>Just be careful okay?

>>Yeah. Of course.

…            …            …

                He’s in the middle of the Pacific Ocean when he hears about the Pulse shooting and he immediately needs to send a message to Nick to check in, knows Nick is on leave in Florida and just has to hope Nick didn’t go out clubbing to pick anyone up. He gets back an almost immediate I’m okay.

…            …            …

                It’s happening.

                It’s finally fucking happening.

                They’re both coming here, a busy and popular pool hall filled with dozens of people clearly in the military and on leave. Jake’s been here before, a few years ago, and picked up an unmemorable blowjob in the bathroom. He’s early. Over an hour early, but he doesn’t care, he wants to see Nick walk through that door. He’d said Jake wouldn’t be able to miss him and Jake has no fucking clue what that means but he’ll trust him. He’s reaching for a cue bridge when he feels someone come and stand behind him, too close to be a stranger.

                “Seresin… fancy seeing you here.”

                Then Bradshaw is pressed against his back, lips brushing against his neck and Jake presses back automatically before stiffening and pulling away. He’s here to meet Nick, not fall back into bed with Bradshaw.

                “Bradshaw. As I live and breathe,” Jake replies, voice tight.

                “You look good… want a game?”

                Jake glances at his watch, then checks his phone as well before nodding. Bradshaw shrugs off his jacket and whatever button-down shirt he had on, leaves them carefully draped over one of the bar stools. Then Bradshaw racks the balls and offers Jake the break. He can feel Bradshaw’s eyes on him like a weight, wonders if he’s imagining or projecting as he watches the way Bradshaw’s fingers stroke his cue. Knows he’s not imagining it when Bradshaw keeps brushing against him, fingers brushing his when he passes him the chalk cube. When Jake reaches to take the cue bridge from Bradshaw, he holds on to it, steps in close.

                “Winner gets a blow job?”

                Jake doesn’t choke on his own breath but it’s close, because he’s already winning, but the way Bradshaw is looking at him makes him feel like he’d be doing Bradshaw a favor by letting him. Wonders if the blowjob would play out the same as last time. God he really wants to find out, his cock already starting to get hard and Bradshaw seems to know it, too. Smug fucker. He takes the cue bridge and lines up his shot, sinks his last stripe and then hands the cue bridge back to Bradshaw and pots the black without even looking away from him.

                “I’m actually waiting for someone, but I’ll take a raincheck…”

                “Hopefully somewhere we have access to a proper bed.”

                While Bradshaw sets the table up again Jake grabs his phone, can see the notification and he taps through to it.

>> I’m not going to be able to make it. Something’s come up.

                The message has a timestamp of about twenty minutes ago and he pushes down his disappointment, schools his face into one of indifference and pastes a smile on his face.

                “Seems like Javy got a better offer. Think I’ll take my rain check now.”

                “Double or nothing?” Bradshaw asks, his eyes amused and Jake lets the curl of arousal in his gut fully stretch out. He grins slowly, licks his lips, a little of his disappointment melting away. So he might not get to meet Nick tonight after all, but at least he can have a good time with Bradshaw.

2017 - Bradley

[hstylesloverr]

YOUNG LOVE.

evan peters x model!yn

warnings: mentions of the show “dahmer”??, age gap

-

evanupdates via instagram post

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evanupdates “ The funny thing is, when I was offered the part to play Dahmer, I seriously considered turning it down. You know, I didn't think I could measure up. Yes, I had done something similar in American Horror Story, but trying to tell an event as horrific as Dahmer's life and what he did to his victims in such an explicit and realistic way? I really thought I wasn't up to the task. I told my girlfriend that I had been offered a big role and that I was thinking about whether or not to turn it down. She asked me what it was about and well, I told her what the series was about a bit. Then she looked me straight in the eye and simply said, "You have to accept this role."

[…]

Yes, I really think I couldn't have done it without the support I got from the whole team and especially from my girlfriend. You know, she would sit with me every afternoon and we'd spend hours and hours watching documentaries and Dahmer movies, reading police reports, newspapers from the time, whatever. The support I had from her was truly something I will always be grateful for. ”

- Evan talking about the process of accepting his character in the new netflix publicity interview.

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username y/n is the most supportive girlfriend

evanfan2 i love that he’s getting the recognition he deserves, i hope he wins an emmy for his excellent performance

username imagine calling y/n l/n your girlfriend

ynfan evan please come back to ig 😭

username girl literally evan's instagram seemed like a y/n fan account 😭😭😭

evanfan he looks so dilf 😭 @ yourinstagram make our dreams come true

username i love him so so much please 🥲

username i can't express in words how attracted i am to this man.

ahsfan what did i miss? 😭 last time i checked evan was dating emma

ynfan6 girl they broke up in 2015 😭😭😭 you missed a lot

username @ ynfan6 but y/n and evan weren't already dating in 2010? i'm a new fan i’m a lot confused

evanfan9 those were just rumours! y/n and evan were nothing more than close friends until 2016, where they started dating, but they always kept the relationship very private because they were heavily criticized for the age difference

-

yourinstagram via instagram post

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yourinstagram posing for the camera as if i just weren’t traumatized.

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username god i wish i looked this pretty being traumatized

ynfan she’s unreal

evanfan3 evan’s a lucky man tbh

honeymoon Pretty girl 💖

username did u liked the show?

yourinstagram i honestly had a really bad time watching it, especially knowing that it’s based on real events. however, i loved the effort and dedication that everyone involved in it put into it.

harryfan1 i'm sick of Harry liking all of this girl's posts 😭

yourinstagram me too

harrystyles Rude.

username @ harryfan1 girl they have been friends since 2015 ? besides, she already has a boyfriend

username she’s an icon she’s a legend and she is the moment

evanfan7 please please please convince evan to get an ig account again 😭

yourinstagram bestie i’ve been trying for 2 years

kendalljenner You look so hot ugh

arianagrande 🤍🤍

ahsfan we all know who took this photo

username i really think evan's gallery is full of silly photos of y/n😅😅 but who knows maybe he hides his photography skills

ynfan5 the most beautiful woman in the world for a reason

evanscult00 i'm literally in love with herrr evan be careful because you and i aren’t friends

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ynupdates via instagram post

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ynupdates CUTIES 🥹! Y/N and her boyfriend, Evan Peters, in a pub tonight in Paris.

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evanfan no bc this is like the first pic we have of evan IN MONTHS i'm not complaining anyway i love this couple so much

username they both look so happy and comfortable

ynfan1 i want what they have

evanfan2 please they’re such dilf and milf material

username stylish girlfriend 🤝 “i don't care what to wear” boyfriend

evanfan7 will she know all the people who want to be her right now?

evandyn evan said that he was very insecure with girls and that he needed them to be patient with him 😭😭😭 seeing how happy he is with y/n makes me sensitive

ahsfan5 they were written by taylor swift i don’t make the rules

username THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER??? i'm playing lover in my head

ahsfan5 YES YES they also give many cigarettes after sex vibes

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ynthrowbacks via instagram post

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ynthrowbacks Evan Peters, Y/N’s boyfriend, 10 years ago today.

username she looks so fetus

evanfan1 I love them so much and I really hope to have a relationship as pure as theirs one day

ynfan7 ok but can we talk about the fact that they are 9 years apart?

username !! it always seemed very strange to me, especially because evan doesn't even look like he's 35, but they started dating when y/n was already of legal age, so i guess that’s fine

ynfan9 y/n was 14 years old in that photo and evan 23...

evanfan5 not the new fans being shocked by this 💀💀💀💀 evan has always been heavily criticized for this for all these years even though they were just friends until 2016. they both went through hell with your public opinion until a couple of years ago and now you guys want to bring it back 😅

ynfan4 @ evanfan5 THIS further treating y/n as a little girl when she is now 26 and a fully capable adult

username love this y/n era

evanfan9 THE PIZZA me trying to cook aesthetically

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yourinstagram via instagram post

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yourinstagram you kiss my face and we're both drunk. everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing about us

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taylorswift13 💜💜💜

taylorfan1 SPEAK NOW TV????

username she just said that she doesn't give a shit about what you guys talk about her relationship.

ynfan1 swiftie era

yourinstagram wdym im a swiftie since i was born

username why is he kissing her belly?? 👀

evanfan7 here we go again

ynfan2 THE LAST PIC BROOQJDHAKD

username favorite midnights song go

yourinstagram maroon

ynfan9 the publication did not come out more than 10 minutes ago and i have already seen a couple of articles saying that y/n is pregnant like 💀💀💀💀

ahsfan5 I SAID IT I SAID THEY WERE WRITTEN BY TAYLOR

ahsfan7 they’re so cute like 😿😿🥹🥹

username I firmly believe that they are the love of each other's lives

ahsfan IT COUPLEEE

evanfan9O i wonder if y/n will show evan all the goofy edits she sees of him on tiktok

username omg im so embarrassed

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[docgold13]

Batman: The Animated Series - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Happy Birthday Batman

An official DC Comics calendar published for 1976 identified February 19th as Bruce Wayne’s birthday.  Other dates have been mentioned in the comics as possibly being the Batman’s birthday yet the nineteenth of February still seems the most canonically recognized.  Really, a Pisces?  

In any case, to celebrate the Dark Knight’s birthday here are paper cut-outs of Batman in all his various animated forms.  Who knew there were so many?

The Adventures Of Batman was the first Batman cartoon series and ran from 1968 to 1969.  It stared Olan Soule in the role of Batman with a young Casey Kasem in the role of Robin. 

The SuperFriends brought Batman together with the world’s greatest heroes and ran from 1973 all the way to 1986.  Soul and Kasem both reprised their roles as Batman and Robin in the series.

The New Adventures of Batman ran for a single season in 1977 featuring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin.  This was a particularly silly show and featured a great deal of a magical imp known as Bat-Mite.  

1992 saw the advent of the greatest cartoon of all time as Batman: The Animated Series debuted and ran through to 1995.  The great Kevin Conroy provided the voice for Batman.

The New Batman Adventures was a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series with some updated stylistic changes.  It ran from 1997 to 1999, featuring Conroy as Batman.  

Batman Beyond entailed a Gotham City of the future where an aged Bruce Wayne trains a young man on his path to filling the mantle of The Batman.  It ran from 1999 to 2001 and stared Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne and Will Friedle as his protégé, Terry McGinnis.

Justice League brought the Superfriends back together this time under the banner of The Justice League (and later Justice League Unlimited).  It ran from 2001 to 2006 and once more featured Kevin Conroy in the role of Batman.

The Batman, which ran from 2004 to 2008, departed from the continuity established in Batman: The Animated Series and presented a new version of the Caped Crusader and his various allies and adversaries.  It starred Rino Romano in the role of Batman with Evan Sabara and Danielle Judovits as Robin and Batgirl.    

Echoing the campiness of 1966, Batman: The Brave and The Bold was a fun, light-hearted anthology series that ran from 2004 to 2008.  Each episode saw Batman teaming up with different heroes of the DC Universe for madcap adventures.  Diedrich Bader stared as Batman.

The series Young Justice, which ran non-concurrently from 2010 to 2022, focused primarily on Robin and the other younger heroes as they made their way from being sidekicks to a team in the own right.  Batman featured in many of the episodes where he was voiced by Bruce Greenwood.  

Beware the Batman from for a single season in 2013.  Anthony Ruivivar voiced Batman in this dark, largely computer animated series.  

Batman Unlimited ran from 2015 to 2016.  This was primarily a commercial in animated form featuring short, action-packed stories in tandem with the release of action figures and toy vehicles.  Roger Craig Smith provided the voice for Batman. 

Justice League Action brought back the League for more light-hearted adventures with a star-studded cast.  It ran from 2016 to 2018 with Kevin Conroy returning to once again voice Batman.  

Batman appeared as a periodic guest star in the DC Super Hero Girls series, which ran from 2019 to 2022.  Herein Batman spoke in a barely audible growl that only the other characters could comprehend.  Whereas actor Keith Ferguson provided the voice for Bruce Wayne, who further hid his secret identity as the the Caped Crusader by featuring in the ridiculous reality TV show, ‘Making it Wayne.’

A lampooned version of the Dark Knight sporadically features in the zany Harley Quinn animated series, premiering in 2019.   Diedrich Bader reprises his role from Batman: The Brave and The Bold, voicing this decidedly goofier version of the Dark Knight.

And finally, hopefully debuting some time soon, Batman: The Caped Crusader acts as a spiritual successor to Batman: The Animated Series and features the final acting role of the late, great Kevin Conroy, reprising Batman one last time.  

[datura-tea]

holy shit this year marks 10 years of this blog and moz!! i can't remember the exact date i started posting here - my archive says i have one post from november 2013 but let's disregard that - but i do remember it was around late 2014/early 2015 :)

^ one of the very first moz art pieces i ever drew, for fallout week 2015!!

memories and art through the years under a read more bc it got long

2014 → baby's first rpg!! i started playing fnv on my cousin's jailbroken xbox late 2013 and finished mid 2014 and i loved every minute of it. i remember waking up at 8am and playing almost nonstop until 2am the next day haha!

i didn't play moz on my first playthrough - but i did start creating a character that would eventually become her: a shorthaired ex-boxer who punched her way through obstacles when diplomacy failed. i remember she spent a lot of time with boone. i liked him then, because he saved my ass more times than i can count. but i digress. this is draft 1 moz essentially

2015 → this is the year that i was doing my thesis so i could graduate but i was so depressed and stressed about it that i distracted myself by replaying fnv on pc, where i played through the dlcs for the first time. i fell in love with the dlcs' oversarching story; particularly ulysses, who i became obssessed with, especially since i couldn't find any content of him at the time. in the game, i played as moz; i had most of her personality and choices down, but her backstory was still up in the air.

fun fact: this was an existing sideblog that i remade to be a fallout blog so i could look for ulysses content, and when i couldn't find any, i made some myself, featuring moz as my main courier six. originally, i didn't ship them, but eventually i ended the year as a courier/ulysses otp shipper.

this was the year i started drawing digitally - my uncle let me borrow a drawing tablet and i used an old copy of photoshop i pirated hehe

2016 → i graduated this year!! and promptly fell deeper into my depression. this was the year that it got so bad that i had to be medicated. through it all, this blog and moz and ulysses and my fandom friends were with me. and for that i am truly grateful :) this was the year i figured out how to lock transparent pixels so that i could color my lineart lol

2017 → i started hammering out moz's backstory this year i think. there's a lot of sketches of her and her family in my files. i experimented with shading and backgrounds here but that experimentation was pretty short-lived

2018 → i started using references seriously!!!! i did a lot of oc on oc kissing this year, featuring mostly moz and many friend ocs haha

2019 → didn't draw much this year. actually this year was a blur and i can't remember much from it except from it being the year of my terrible no good bad copywriting jobs... anyway i did manage to continue my courier/ulysses brainrot and make this piece, which i'm still proud of

2020 → pandemic time. i spent a lot of time asleep at home and i think this was also the year i started doing commissions?? shoutout to anyone who has ever commissioned me - thank you so much, i truly appreciate it!!

2021 → i switched from my old-ass pirated photoshop to clip studio paint and never looked back. also i did a bunch of commissions for my grandmother's surgery, which failed, and i distracted myself from the sadness by drawing my ocs over and over and playing disco elysium

2022 → by this year, i've got moz down pat and have started vaguely developing other ocs instead. but she's still always at the back of my mind

2023 → i bought new brushes from true grit texture supply and immediately found new favorites that i started using for everything. i tentatively started incorporating background elements in some pieces!

2024 → while it's still too early to say where this year will lead me art-wise, i will say that i started experimenting in realistic paint studio (which i bought in 2021, the same time as clip studio paint) a few days ago and i'm liking the results so far. we'll see!

all in all, these last 10 years have been quite a ride, but i'm glad i stuck around and i'm glad you guys stuck around too!! much much love 💖💖💖

[keehomania]

Wait. For context, who is Zico and what did he do?

hello ml!! zico is a famous producer and rapper. he debuted in 2011 as the leader of “block b” and eventually grew as a solo artist around 2014-15 but block b disbanded around 2018. he was also a judge on i-land and basically formed the groups “boynextdoor” and “enhypen”. you might've heard some of his solo songs because they're catchy, unfortunately. he has a song with jennie (blackpink) called “spot!”, another one called “okey dokey” with mino (winner, mobb). aside from him embarrassing seolhyun (AOA) (his ex-girlfriend; they were caught dating by dispatch and he denied it all to save his reputation which led to embarrassing her), his blatan racism (wearing a confederate flag jacket, said the n-word in his 2010 track “if i ain't got jjanggae”, said one of his talents is “talking like a black person”) and homophobia (saying the f slur), zico appeared on a show around 2016 with JJY aka jung joonyoung, the ringleader of the burning sun scandal. to make a long story short, zico and jjy were very good friends (he was good friends with a lot of the cunts involved in that scandal). to make a long story even shorter, he said he had seen/was looking at jjy's “golden phone” which is what jjy ultimately had been using to distribute videos and photos of women being drugged and raped. zico denies seeing any of the footage, which i and anybody with 2 brain cells find hard to believe because they were close, and the phone was deemed golden for a reason. jjy literally confirmed that zico scrolled through the phone hours and hours on end, just to say he didn't see any of what was happening. i loved block b back in 2015 and listened to them with my dad, and some of zico's songs stood out to me but it's very important to not trust idols, especially the male ones, just because they portray themselves a certain way. zico has always been known for lying to save his own ass no matter who pays the price for it, just like the situation with his ex i previously mentioned. as you may know, goo hara, (KARA) may her beautiful soul rest in peace, had her house broken into not too long ago. she played a vital part in helping a journalist uncover the horrors of the burning sun scandal. not too long after, she ended her life. she died a hero and the entirety of korea failed her miserably. her house was broken into just a while back and, what do you know? zico is the prime suspect

[evansboyfriend]

Tommy Kinard HC:

He was born in Boston, MA.

He's a Jr. -- Thomas (Scott?) Kinard Jr. He doesn't tell anyone this.

He was baptized Catholic at his mother's insistence, but never attended mass at his father's (Lutheran) insistence.

He's a military brat.

He's a middle child.

His family moved to California when he was 7 years old when his father was stationed at Fort Irwin.

The family later moves to Kansas when his father is stationed at Fort Riley.

His parents got divorced when Tommy was 17.

He joined the US armed forces in 1997 at the age of 17. He wanted out of the house and was following his father's dream for him (he had parental consent).

His mother moves to California with his younger sister. Tommy's older sister still lives in Kansas. Tommy's father always hated California, often calling it a "socialist shit hole." He also lives in Kansas.

Tommy is (first) stationed in Fort Cavazos, Texas.

His first sexual encounter with a man was a student about his age who was attending Texas A&M University. They met at a bar, hooked up, and promptly never saw each other again. Tommy spent a month after the encounter worried that someone on base might know.

He left the army in 2003 and moved to Orange County, California, where his mother and younger sister (now 17) lived.

He joined the fire academy near-immediately and started his probation year in 2004.

Sal was not immediately his friend. Tommy was polite and (seemingly) straitlaced, while Sal was a loud firebrand. They didn't really mesh, plus Sal was a hardass who tended to be passive-aggressive.

Around 2005, his mother eventually moved back to Boston, MA, to care for her ailing mother. His younger sister had already left for college in Colorado. He is the only member of his family to still live in California.

Tommy tries to date a woman around this time (2005). They last about a month. She was very nice-- even offered to cook the firehouse dinner-- but that was it. She was nice, and Tommy felt like an asshole because he didn't feel any spark.

After his breakup, Tommy finds himself all the way in Long Beach, CA, tugging on a thread that came loose back in Texas years ago. He lets a man fuck him for the first time that night.

Gerrard leaves around 2011. Around this time, Hen starts joining him, Chim, and Sal for drinks after work.

Tommy has paid for sex with a male sex worker.

I feel Tommy deserves a "fuck around and find out era" where he has a hot, toxic mlm relationship with none other than Sal. The two of them have a fling around 2013 to start "blowing off steam." It starts with a blowjob that rocks Tommy's world. Toward the end, they have several consequential arguments. Sal doesn't think of himself as queer ("this is what guys like us do") or think of his fling with Tommy as a manifestation of his sexuality ("just blowing off steam"), but he doesn't give a shit what others have to say and idealizes having someone infatuated with him, and other's knowing about that (he definitely struggles with jealousy). Tommy, on the other hand, knows he's gay but isn't ready to come out because he is intensely concerned with what others might have to say. Tommy also wants a relationship with a healthier give and take and doesn't want to announce anything when the man he's with doesn't even consider what they're doing as a relationship. At this time, part of Tommy believed he didn't "deserve" something happy and feared pursuing something romantic with a man. Around the time Sal puts in to become Captain, their relationship had all but fallen away. Sal had become passive-aggressive again and increasingly reckless on the job, bordering on self-destructive. By the time he looks toward Tommy to follow him in protest of Bobby, he realizes that Tommy had long since stopped following him.

Tommy left the 118 around 2015, about a year after Bobby took his position as Captain. (Buck begins around 2016.)

In his late 20s, Tommy once accidentally slept with a married man. He got off a shift at the 118 and went out looking for a guy to fuck around with. He hooked up with an older man and had a very… mediocre night. A couple weeks later, he returned to the same place and hooked up with a younger guy. On his way out early the next morning, Tommy noticed a family picture in the man's front hall. He'd fucked the kid's father just a couple weeks earlier. Tommy stopped going to that establishment. He actually swore off hookups altogether after that.

Tommy loves crossword puzzles.

Tommy wears reading glasses.

Tommy is out to his family. His father was and still is less than supportive, his mother was disappointed but came around, and his younger sister was always happy for him.

The only family Tommy sees semi-annually is his younger sister. She's now married and has two elementary-aged sons.

Tommy has a pet dog.

Tommy hates marshmallows.

hold on. im copy pasting ur strikethrough bullet point into a fucking google doc so i can read it. smh.

ok loving the saltommy bits. good shit. moment of silence for sal deluca and his internalised homophobia. and another one for his "heterosexuality" lmao. rip. amen.

AND THE HOOKING UP W A GUY AND THEN HIS KID. LMAO. sorry but this sort of "accidentally slept with someone and then their parent not knowing theyre related" is always funny to me. oh tommy.

AND SPECIAL THANKS FOR PUTTING TIMESTAMPS ON YOUR HCS! im writing this pre-s1 (chronologically) fic now and i always forget what year people started (or left) the 118. not that its super important, but i was literally just thinking "were smartphones a thing back then? and when *is* "back then"?" so. yeah. im not gonna check the fandom wiki, just gonna go with your dates bestie, mwah

I LOVE ALL OF THIS <3 thank you for gracing my inbox with your presence <3

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Mark Sumner at Daily Kos:

Donald Trump’s vile lie about immigrants eating pets in Ohio may be the most headline-grabbing (and meme-generating) statement from Tuesday night’s presidential debate. But it wasn’t the most shocking. Eight years after he campaigned on a promise to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, Trump was questioned about his plan to replace the legislation that now provides crucial health care to a record 50 million Americans—and Trump admitted that he still has no plan. He’s never had a plan. He has only the “concepts of a plan.”

What Trump means by “concepts” isn’t clear. What is clear is that Trump has been eager to put the lives and health of millions of Americans at risk to satisfy his long-simmering hatred for Barack Obama, who shepherded the 2010 act known as Obamacare in an effort to provide affordable health care to all Americans .  During a closely watched presidential debate, Trump admitted that the issue he has run on for three straight elections is a mere talking point backed by nothing.  “We are working on things,” Trump said. “We’re going to do it. We’re going to replace it.” Asked about these statements on Wednesday morning, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that Trump would produce a health care plan “in the not too distant future.”  “I don’t have a date for you this morning,” Leavitt said, “but I’ll definitely get back to you with one as soon as I can.”  Leavitt tossed in some claims that Trump’s plan would be based on the “free market.” Which is strange for her to say, because Trump doesn’t have a plan. 

Trump’s embarrassing admission doesn’t just show a yawning gap in his policies: It underscores that Trump has no actual plans. He’s simply been lying since 2015, when he sailed down a golden escalator on a wave of racism and hate to announce he was running for president.  In 2016, replacing the Affordable Care Act wasn’t just one item on Trump’s to-do list—it was the core of his campaign. [...] Trump’s obsessive attacks on Obamacare and his open admission that he has never developed an alternative are now an absolute negative for his campaign and for the GOP in general. As Stat notes, it’s creating uncertainty for Republicans—who are left with Trump’s “concepts” as their only plan—and for a health care industry that doesn’t have a clue what might be coming its way. Still, Trump remains willing to rip away the health care of 50 million Americans with no replacement to offer—a level of vindictive recklessness that's hard to imagine.

Don The Con has teased people repeatedly of a plan to replace Obamacare, but recently admitted that he has no replacement plan on the debate stage Tuesday.

[midnight1nk]

WOTFI 2024 PREDICTIONS

Another year, another war.

WOTFI is just around the corner and this means a new arc!

Who will be our opponent this year?

Well, the most likely answer would be Marty, returning from WOTFI 2023. I mean, it was pretty obvious that would be him from the get-go in the episode 'We Must Kill Mario'.

This, personally, was a great episode that had some good foreshadowing and I love the dynamic between Four and Karen — I thought of it as 'SMG4 🤝 Karen ➡️ single parents who are just born to be parents'

...which made me want a dynamic between Three and Karen, single moms who would kill for their kids.

:)

Anyway, back to WOTFI, it makes sense for Marty to be the crew’s opponent timeline-wise. Looking at the calendar, we are expecting a WOTFI roughly sometime in October, based on the dates of previous WOTFI’s:

2011 - October 29

2012 - October 21

2013 - October 13

2014 - October 24

2015 - September 27

2016 - August 15

2017 - October 7

2018 - October 6

2019 - November 2

2020 - August 22

2021 - September 18

2022 - October 15

2023 - October 28

Assuming this arc would be 7 episodes and this being the first one, it lines up with our prediction. (Though, it may be subject to change depending on how many episodes it would actually have.)

What you may not know is this episode not only foreshadowed Marty’s return but the plot for WOTFI as well.

There is much more than meets the eye…

Join me as I go over the episode 'We Must Kill Mario' and discuss my predictions for WOTFI ‘24!

⚠️ But before we dive in though, I do want to put a disclaimer that while this is a theory, I want to be respectful to the crew behind SMG4. ⚠️

I don’t want any of my theories to influence/forcefully change any intended plans for the future so please don’t harass anyone working on the show just because whatever I said wasn’t true. It’s just a reminder to be kind and respectful. If they somehow see my post, uh hi, keep doing what you do and I hope for the best! ❤️

Now with that out of the way, Let’s-a Go!

CHANGE THE CHANNEL

The episode starts off in Karen’s house with her kids flipping through the SMG4 channel while she makes them dinner. In the scene where Zack, Cory, and Katie are fighting over the remote, we get a clip from the episode 'SMG4: You Made Mario Do This' when Marty was preventing the construction of the castle because he felt underappreciated for his hard work.

['SMG4: You Made Mario Do This' // timestamp, 2:15 ]

IT’S TO DIE FOR

In the next scene, Karen poured “Smarty’s Spaghetti Sauce” on the pasta.

…I mean, do I really have to spell it out here? If this cardboard cutout was able to run Casino Paisano before he and Mario went to jail, then it shouldn’t be a surprise. What is curious though is that somehow Marty, while on the run, has his face plastered on a Goober Eats bag in 'SMG4: Super SMG4 Wonder', owns a whole airline named “Marty Airlines” in 'Mario’s Plane Trip', and now has a pasta sauce brand in here. All with no one noticing anything.

['SMG4: Super SMG4 Wonder' // timestamp, 0:57 ] ['Mario’s Plane Trip' // timestamp, 0:13 ]

There is an ‘S’ put in front of his name, but the point still stands. Now, I wouldn’t say that this is “unusual”. It’s the SMG4 universe, after all, you can literally start a business and this is completely normal. Just some food for thought.

TAKING THE JOB

Back to the episode, Karen receives a call from the corporation that offers her a job — and when I mean ‘offers’, I mean ‘convinces her to take the job'. According to her former “boss”, it was a hit request on an international terrorist who has escaped from prison and is currently poisoning innocent people, who we later learn to be Marty. The “boss” also stated that Karen may know him. Karen initially refuses since she has abandoned that line of work for her kids, until her “boss” elaborates that if she doesn’t take the request, more lives could be lost, including children. Like her children. With no choice, she takes it.

But, who is this corporation?

Based on what little we have, I can determine this corporation may be affiliated with the government or something similar in power status.

They can keep tabs on all their agents, even if they quit, just as Karen did.

Apparently, they are able to get word on the people who interacted with them but not enough to know their personal lives (the corporation is seemingly uninformed about her kids.)

They are open to receiving requests from third parties.

They don’t take hits for kill’s sake, they prioritize people’s safety.

However, they don’t want any witnesses when taking the hit so they would kill IF they have to. For Karen, they trust her enough to know it won’t come to that since she is a professional, qualified agent.

Other than that, we don’t exactly know. There is a possibility that WOTFI could reveal who they are. But it also lead to Karen having her secret past revealed as well, potentially losing her job(s).

[side ramble: if that were to happen, it would be great if Three hired Karen to come work at his café. He needs the extra help after all, and Karen would be able to have more appearances in the series. I know it's not going to happen but hey, a guy could dream.]

TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW

Karen catches Four eavesdropping on their conversation and after some convincing, the two decide to work together. They head down to the basement where Karen keeps a stash of her weapons and demands Four to tell her everything he knows about Mario.

Well, first off, I don’t think Mario can be killed except if it was through manipulation of his code due to the cosmology lore. Of course, the real target isn’t Mario but it does bring up the question:

How do you kill Marty?

In the episode 'SMG4: You Made Mario Do This', it has been established that Marty is practically invincible since he was able to stand a nuke for memes’ sake. Water may have slowed him down but it wasn’t enough to outright destroy him. We don't know if he can be destroyed, not even Mario knows — the guy who created him. Likely, for WOTFI, one of the crew’s objectives would be that they have to find Marty’s weakness to defeat him.

['SMG: You Made Mario Do This' ]

Then again, cartoon logic exists.

THE “SPAGHETTI APPRECIATION” CLUB

Karen and Four go out to tail Mario and stumble upon a cult working on the distribution of the sauce. Confused about why Mario would be here, they continued on through the warehouse… Until Four accidentally alerted the cultists of their presence.

[another side ramble: Four, you can’t just say you used to have a deviantART account and not drop the link, dude.]

After an intense between them and the cult, they were able to find Mario and realize that yeah, Mario’s being Mario and had no idea he was even in a cult.

Pure of heart, dumb of ass ❤️

That was when a dying cultist and a jar of “Smarty’s Spaghetti Sauce” revealed that the poison mentioned earlier in the episode was the sauce itself. It also was a horrifying revelation that Karen used the same sauce on the dinner she just left for her kids.

Like I mentioned before, Marty is somehow able to have a pasta sauce business. Not only that but recruit a cult who worship spaghetti to work for him.

The cultists that were in the warehouse are dead but it doesn’t mean it was all of them. Indeed, later on in the episode, more cultists came into Karen's house to fight. For all we know, Marty has multiple distribution plants in the Mushroom Kingdom so perhaps Marty would bring more as part of his army for WOTFI.

AN UNEXPECTED REUNION

Karen, Four, and Mario rush back to her house and were able to stop her kids from eating the spaghetti just in time. However, they’ve faced an unexpected guest: Marty.

Four and Mario immediately recognized him, but Karen was confused as to why a cardboard cutout was with her kids. That was when Four tells her about WOTFI 2023 — which I dubbed ‘The Notebook Arc’ — and how Marty stole Three’s notebook.

[i really have to stop making these side rambles: i absolutely loved it when they referenced WOTFI '23 :) ]

Then, Mario wonders how Marty managed to escape from prison, allowing Karen to piece together that Marty was the real target all along.

Wait a second, wasn’t she there in WOTFI '23? His face was literally all over the casino, how did she not know about Marty?

She was there but it’s likely that she assumed as everyone else did: Marty was just a cardboard cutout. A mascot. How much damage can he really do?

A lot, apparently. He was clever to take advantage of his appearance so that no one would suspect a thing.

Marty greets the familiar faces and reveals his motive behind his poisonous spaghetti sauce: after the events of the Notebook arc, Marty swore revenge on Mario after our local funny man escaped from prison and abandoned him for spaghetti.

“The one person I trusted the most has left me behind for… SPAGHETTI! Now I’ve escaped! …And it's time for… everyone to suffer like I have! At the hands… of the one thing YOU love the MOST.”

This will definitely be his motive for WOTFI 2024, this time going against Mario due to betrayal. Marty said it himself that he would be back, after he escaped with the help of a helicopter from being cornered by Karen.

WELL PLAYED

Even after Marty managed to escape from Karen, she felt relieved that her kids were safe, thanking Four and Mario for doing so.

This leads me to suspect that Karen will have a big role in WOTFI. Thematically, it makes sense since she has yet to carry out the request and would likely give the finishing blow, defeating Marty once and for all. Well, until the crew could find a weakness, of course.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

And there you have it: my predictions for WOTFI 2024, all based on the episode 'We Must Kill Mario'! As this arc is just starting, it might be likely we will get to see more hints about Marty’s plan for revenge or anything related to the plot of WOTFI.

To this, my dear fellows, time will only tell. But hey, that’s just a theory…

AN SMG4 THEORY

🎶Thanks for dropping by🎶

✧

✧

✧

Do you really think that is all? How naive.

…?

[hsts13]

Listening to Peter I can say this song breaks my heart. I can't imagine what was for Taylor because she loved him very much during their youth phase. As a haylor fan since 2012, I could tell we also hoped their come back but he didn't, he was there all the time for her (2013-2015) but he was still young and discovering the world, not ready at all. I think in some way us as haylors stans we lost hope too so many times, especially after 2016 and mostly in 2020 when she was still with Joe and Harry met and dated OW for two freaking years. When all of them broke up, both single we saw finally green lights but the goddess of timing said it wasn't the right time AGAIN. This song is interesting, somehow I think this is based in 2019-2020 years, even before Cardigan inspiration came so I guess she listened to To Be So Lonely.

[plasticflwrs]

✿ ، With the rise of long-form video essays on YouTube, user GOTHIC GWYN changed the K-Pop fandom with her seventy-five-minute analysis, PLASTIC FLOWERS: BREAKING THE INDIE SCENE. Since it was posted in 2022, the video has reached over 5 million views and GOTHIC GWYN still posts semi-regularly. In this section of the video, the creator discusses the three original members of The Big Gloom—IRUM, SEOWON, and CHAESOL—and Plastic Flowers—DAL, JIHUN, and MINGHUI. This layout was inspired by the lovely myah aka @/venusvity !

( PART VI: I ALWAYS WANT YOU WHEN I'M FINALLY FREE ... YING SHUHANG ) ⬭ It is all but confirmed that Irum and Salem had dated prior to 2016. Shuhang had kept pictures of the pair on his public Instagram up until 2020 when the new fans of Plastic Flowers finally dived into finding the former members and everything about them. As of 2023, his account has been private but the pictures never truly get deleted. They surface about once a year when fans are reminded of The Big Gloom's existence and it annoys all of the members, past and present. It has gone far even that Superbloom is threatening legal action on behalf of Irum as well. Their alleged breakup coincides with the signing of Salem under Superbloom Media and when the band "broke up". Of all the members, he is the most private and has no public social media outside of the The Big Gloom's accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok. Formerly Salem's second in command, fans from the beginning have noticed that Shuhang has never bounced back from their initial separation and has said a few times that he regrets not signing, especially with their recent success. However, he always wishes the best for the members and even covered Youth by Oliver with Chaesol back in April.

✿ ، BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

Stage Name. Irum ( 이룸 ).

Birth Name. Ying Shuhang ( 英书航 ).

Born. Feburary 22, 1998 in Maoming, China.

Position. Vocalist, Guitarist.

Years Active. 2014 — 2016; 2018 — present.

Label. Unsigned.

Face Claim. Xiao Dejun.

( PART VII: I AM DESTROYING MYSELF SO OTHER PEOPLE CAN'T ... CHOI SEOWON ) ⬭ Choi Seowon was tired of being ignored. For the last two years, his ideas and demos had been passed up by the group, and by 2016, he was already planning on leaving the entire group. The situation with Superbloom just gave him the perfect opportunity to change things. While everyone blames the end of the original lineup on Irum, accounts by both Salem and Chaesol make this seem false. They have stated multiple times that Seowon was the first to voice his opinions against Superbloom Media and being signed. He knew that he would still be ignored in favor of the other members as the drummer and needed a way out of this. As they went back on the idea, he remained on the side against signing and eventually, got Irum on his side with an unknown agreement. Since 2018, he has served as the leader of The Big Gloom and is easily the most popular member for his reactions to Plastic Flowers on Twitch. Whenever something happens to the group, he is always just behind them with nasty comments about their looks and the direction of their music, mainly focused on Salem.

✿ ، BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

Stage Name. Seowon ( 서원 ).

Birth Name. Choi Seowon ( 최서원 ).

Born. April 9, 1998 in Ulsan, South Korea.

Position. Leader, Drummer.

Years Active. 2015 — 2017; 2018 — present.

Label. Unsigned.

Face Claim. Choi San.

( PART VII: I STILL WAKE UP WITH THINGS TO TELL YOU ... CHOI CHAESOL ) ⬭ Chaesol and Salem were best friends for two years before the creation of Plastic Flowers. While Salem was the leader of their garage band, Chaesol was the glue that held them together. She was always able to calm disagreements between the other three and give solutions to make them all happy. Born as the eldest of three other siblings, this was almost second nature to the young girl. Chaesol was the reason that Salem met the other two and should be credited more for her impact on the group. In 2017, she was on the fence about Superbloom Media. She knew that it would be good exposure for the band but idol companies were not known for their leniency and she wanted to keep her autonomy over music and herself. Chaesol had seen her own classmates be chewed and spit out by companies like them. So, when Irum and Seowon denied the contract, she came along with them. Since November of 2018, she has served as the Main Vocalist, Guitarist, and Pianist of their new band Overstepping. She is also still close with Salem even after everything and was spotted at their first 'concert' in the VIP section alongside the member's parents and close friends.

✿ ، BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

Stage Name. Chaesol ( 채솔 ).

Birth Name. Choi Chaesol ( 최채솔 ).

Born. November 28, 1998 in Ulsan, South Korea.

Position. Main Vocalist, Guitarist, Pianist.

Years Active. 2015 — 2017; 2018 — present.

Label. Unsigned.

Face Claim. Kim Jiwoo.

( PART IX: YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A TENDERNESS IN YOUR HEART FOR THEM. ... MYUNG JISOO ) ⬭ Before there was Oliver Song, Myung Jisoo was the apple of Shin Yeonghui's eye and had been personally scouted by the CEO at her dance recital. She would be one of the first trainees to join Superbloom after their rebrand and was supposed to debut in their first girl group Celatum in 2015. No one really knows what happened behind the scenes, but, she was removed from the lineup with another future Plastic Flowers member, Oh Deurim. Seeing her potential as an idol, she was added to the Plastic Flowers lineup despite having no background in any instruments, instead being a dancer.

She would be trained by her band mates Oliver and Salem as the new drummer for the band and looks back fondly at her time as a member of Plastic Flowers. Though things were very hard due to their low sales and learning to play the drums, she thanks them for making her interested in the behind-the-scenes of making music and wanting to be a lyricist. Her contract, sadly, would be ended due to Superbloom Media's lack of funds and Shin Yeonghui wanting to see her under a better company for her immense talents.

In 2017, she would be replaced by Kang Junyeong as the drummer of Plastic Flowers and Jisoo would go completely silent until 2019. In the years between her contract ending, she would join KQ Entertainment and act as a choreography and dance instructor, working closely with the members of ATEEZ from pre-debut until now. In 2019, she would return to the music scene as a soloist under her birth name, Jisoo. Her debut with Gotta Go would be very well received and she continues to make music today.

✿ ، BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

Stage Name. Dal ( 달 ).

Birth Name. Myung Jisoo ( 명지수 ).

Born. April 2, 1997 in Seoul, South Korea.

Position. Vocalist, Drummer.

Years Active. 2016; 2019 — Present.

Label. KQ Entertainment.

Face Claim. Kim Yoohyeon.

( PART X: I WAS WITH THEM AND YET I WAS ALONE. ... KANG SOONYOUNG ) ⬭ Kang Soonyoung never speaks about his time with Plastic Flowers and is often the most forgotten former member of the band. He would be a Superbloom Media trainee for just two weeks before being added into the lineup as one of the few trainees that already knew how to play the piano. Unlike the rest of the members, Soonyoung was never credited as a vocalist because he never had the real vocal training needed, he was scouted for his good looks over his talent. In a deleted Instagram post, Soonyoung would thank Plastic Flowers for being so accommodating to his lack of talents, but would blame Superbloom for not letting them stay together in the long run. He is easily the most vocal of their former artists about their bad business practices and uses of manipulative tactics to get trainees and band mates to hate each other.

In 2019, Soonyoung would make his comeback to the music scene as a trainee on the survival show Produce X 101 as a Starship Entertainment trainee. Alongside all of his label mates, he would make it to the shows finale, but failed to secure a spot in the final lineup and ranking #11 overall. It was later revealed that due to the eleventh member of X1 being chosen by the total number of votes, he would lose out on his spot to Lee Eunsang. He would return to Starship and later debut as a vocalist and visual of their newest boy group Cravity in 2020.

✿ ، BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

Stage Name. Jihun ( 지훈 ).

Birth Name. Kang Soonyoung ( 강순영 ).

Born. March 18, 2000 in Seoul, South Korea.

Position. Pianist, Visual.

Years Active. 2016; 2019 — Present.

Label. Starship Entertainment.

Face Claim. Kim Sunwoo.

( PART XI: WAS I RAISED WITHOUT LOVE OR WAS I BORN UNLOVABLE? ... LIN MINGHUI ) ⬭　Compared to the rest of the members, Lin Minghui never discusses anything from his childhood. The only stories that we truly have about him is from their trainee era and since their debut. From what we know, he was born in Hualien City to a single, teenage mother and was raised primarily by his maternal grandparents while his mother completed her schooling and attempted to live a normal life. By all means, Lin Shufen always tried her best with raising Minghui but, according to court documents found by sasaengs, she was forced to give full custody rights to her parents and could not be alone with her son due to her not paying rent on time, toxic relationships, and neglecting Minghui at her parent's house for days. The court case was started by his grandparents and they raised Minghui as their son since 2010.

Minghui cites both FT Island and SHINee as his inspirations and reasons for getting into K-pop. He learned piano at a young age at his grandparents recommendation. In 2015, Superbloom Media made a trip to scout idols from Taiwan and as a fan of their original artist, Kim Yuchan, he decided to take a chance. He thought that it would be fate if they accepted him and it was a sign to become an idol due to his lack in dance and most vocal abilities. With a bright personality and dedication to the idol industry, he was originally scouted to be an entertainer or actor. He moved to Seoul with his grandparents, who had been retired at that point, and lived with them rather the training dorm.

He continued training to be an actor but when Superbloom began scrambling for new members of Plastic Flowers, he was considered due to his knowledge of the piano which very few trainees had. They expedited his vocal training and kept him primarily in the background of Plastic Flowers to not cause anymore drama about who was chosen as Junyeong fought anti's almost everyday. He was supposed to compete on Superband with Gwyn in 2019, however, he was not chosen in the final round and was sent home to Superbloom to await Gwyn's return. Minghui is easily one of the most known members of the band due to his work on variety shows and helped them gain more fans as well.

In 2021, his departure from Plastic Flowers would be announced by Superbloom Media and due to musical conflicts with both the company and members of the band. However, in a statement in 2023, Minghui would say he left because of the members and their constant fighting.

✿ ، BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

Stage Name. Minghui ( 밍후이 ).

Birth Name. Lin Minghui ( 林明辉 ).

Born. March 3, 2000 in Hualien City, Taiwan.

Position. Pianist, Vocalist.

Years Active. 2017 — 2021.

Label. Unsigned.

Face Claim. Liu Yangyang.

[svt-nari]

nari's love life !

nari started dating after they debuted. It was obviously against the company rules, but what were they gonna do about it? kick her out? she's pansexual and so far, has only dated people with the same life as her (idols), because they can understand each other's schedules and make it work better than with someone who's not a part of this life. right now, she's currently in a relationship with a male idol.

2015–2016 › seulgi, red velvet

— their friendship started when nari ended up confessing her undying love for red velvet's main dancer on a live.

— may I add... while she was completely wasted.

— she was saying how much she loved watching the older woman dance and how much talented she was.

— then, seulgi approached her on a music show the next day.

— didn't really date, but they were tied to one another, if you get what i mean.

— a sort of fwb kind of relationship.

— then nari confessed.

— and they decided to not keep on with this relationship.

— and then, nari was left heartbroken, but at least they are still friends.

— they joke about it from time to time.

2016–2017 › jayb, got7

— they were friends way before they started dating.

— nari met him because of her friendship with got7's maknae line and ended up befriending him due to bambam introducing them.

— started dating because jaebeom showed her a song he wrote for her, confessing the feelings he had.

— it also became a part of one of got7's albums.

— dated for almost 9 months then they broke up.

— she had a really good time with him and can't really complain, same as him.

— he wrote various songs for her just as she has written lots of songs about him.

— remain as friends and they support each other til this day.

2017 › wheein, mamamoo

— after her break up with jaebeom, she wanted to date women again.

— didn't go so well.

— her and wheein were friends for a long time before they dated.

— but they couldn't really understand each other and talk while they were together.

— the relationship ended after three months.

— and their friendship too.

— both parties don't really speak to each other anymore.

— it's awkward at gatherings when they are both there.

— nari tries to avoid wheein at all costs.

2018–2020 › baekhyun, exo

— got close because of a collaboration they did together.

— started dating after a couple months of knowing each other.

— their relationship consisted of spending quality time with each other.

— her first ever long-term relationship and her first public relationship.

— they dated for 2 and a half months until they broke up.

— happened during the pandemic, they slowly distanced themselves.

— especially due to their different life rhythms at the time.

— then nari broke up with him after a fight they had.

— he was devastated and literally tried to gain her back at all costs.

— going as far as posting some cryptic stuff on his social media.

— hinting that he missed someone so much that he thought his heart was going to stop beating.

— and then deleting right after.

— he still loves her, but she moved on.

— and for good.

obs.: some speculate that the album bambi has something to do with nari.

2021–present › seungcheol, seventeen

— okay, how to start?

— they've been friends since forever, basically.

— cheol has had the biggest crush on her ever since they met, but he didn't do anything due to their teamwork.

— he supported her through her every relationship, and she's forever grateful for that.

— nari takes great care of him. she just wants what's best for this boy!

— they started dating after a drunk confession on cheol's side.

— she was a bit hesitant at the start, but she knew that what they had was way more than just a friendship.

— then, after overthinking she just said fuck it and kissed him.

— all the members LOVE to tease coups for it.

— they NEVER will tease nari because of their relationship.

— just their big and scary leader who turns into the biggest softie whenever he sees her face.

— they've thought about going public but decided on letting people find out by themselves.

— which is slowly working since they don't really hide much.

— they've been together for a long time now and expect them to be like this forever!

all rights reserved © svt-nari, 2023

[tgmsunmontue]

You need to learn how to fall 9/10

Hangster (and IceMav) - Bradley is too tall to be a naval aviator and instead becomes a sky diver, specialising in spin recovery. He is a civilian contractor to the military to teach pilots how to survive parachute spins from ejections. A more in-depth version of this post.

PROLOGUE 2003-2006 2007-2010 2011-2015 2016+ ~2019 ~2019 (contd 1) ~2019 (contd 2)

                Jake leaves early, kissing him goodbye and telling him he has a day of training ahead of him but he’ll be back. He lets him go, knows he will definitely see him later. But he wants to talk to Ice. Needs to talk to him and he doesn’t linger in bed, already has a jump planned so he can’t lie about.

                “So, this mission… that Mav and Jake are undertaking,” he starts, and he doesn’t know for certain, but he's able to make conclusions from the data provided to him.

                “Yes. It’s… dangerous.”

                “How dangerous?” Bradley presses, because everything they do has an element of danger.

                “It’ll require a couple of miracles. Mav’s words.”

                “Jesus fuck…” Bradley mutters, because Mav doesn’t call them that lightly. “So it’s a suicide mission?”

                “Not if he gets his way. And you know him, he usually gets his way.”

                Bradley huffs at the weak joke, but his heart is frozen at the idea that he might not have Mav around anymore, or Jake… worst case scenario, neither of them. He’s already had the gut churning fear of thinking he may have lost Mav too recently, one of the reasons why he’s no longer holding back at all with Jake…

                Fuck.

                “No other options huh?”

                “No other option,” Ice says, and Bradley gives him a tight hug.

…             …             …

                Jake stares at his phone, worried that he hasn’t had a reply from Bradley about his invitation and startles a little when Maverick sidles up to him, coffee cup in hand although he’s pretty sure it’s not coffee Maverick is drinking, but something more like a herbal tea.

                “You alright Lieutenant?”

                “Of course sir.”

                “He landed safely from his second jump fifteen minutes ago, won’t be checking his phone for about another half hour, but I have confirmation that he’s safe.”

                “Oh,” something inside uncurls, and he realizes it’s a bigger part that he’s not being deliberately ignored. He never doubted that Bradley was safe. His own phone is normally in his locker, untouched, but it’s their lunch break and he’d made an uncharacteristic check; unused to silence from Bradley and of course it all makes sense now.

                “He doesn’t let anything distract him when he’s jumping. Phone stays in the chase vehicle. He’ll answer you as soon as he can.”

                “Thanks Mav.”

                “Anytime.”

                “You seem pretty… invested in him.”

                “Did you know it took him nearly three years before he even agreed to have a drink with me?”

                Mav laughs, shakes his head and Jake doesn’t ask him what’s funny.

                “So I’ll take my three nights with him, and every scrap of every minute in between.”

                “And after?”

                Jake shrugs, it feels too soon, too cheesy and corny to say forever, or a lifetime even if that’s what his gut-instinct was to simply blurt out. Mav slaps him on the arm, nods his head like he understands and then simply walks away and Jake wonders what the hell he saw in Jake’s face.

                “What were you and Maverick talking about? Looked serious.”

                “Yeah, I guess It was.”

…             …             …

                “You’re looking awfully happy. Hot date?”

                “The hottest. I’m finally in North Island, and Bradley Bradshaw is finally in North Island…”

                “Did he finally agree to a date?” Phoenix asks, because they’d all known Jake had asked Bradley out when he’d been their instructor at Top Gun.

                “More than that. He’s meeting me here right… about… now…” Jake says, watching as Bradley pushes the door open and catches his eye. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Bradley in anything other than a suit or pajamas. And naked of course. Now he’s walking toward Jake and the jeans make his legs look endless, scoop necked tank revealing the start of his chest hair and an odd Hawaiian button-down shirt in muted colors. He looks so fucking good and Jake can’t wait to go home with him, tomorrow dedicated to resting before they flyout.

                “Jesus Bagman, try and be a little subtle, he’s going to think you’re only after him for one thing.”

                “He knows I’m not.”

                “Bradshaw, as I live and breathe…”

                “Jake. You look… good.”

                “Only good? Must be slipping…”

                Then he leans forward into Bradley’s space and they’re kissing, gentle-soft and he knows they’re getting looks, draws back, and turns to the watching crowd.

                “Everyone, you remember Dr Bradshaw.”

                “Bradley. Please, call me Bradley.”

                Despite the numerous sideways looks he gets Bradley slots right into the Daggers, hustles them all, including Jake, with his pool playing skills. Tells them off for underestimating someone who has a doctorate in physics and understanding the effect of spin on objects. He then turns to Jake, smile almost splitting his face;

                “You especially should know not to underestimate me, you know who raised me and likely taught me how to play…”

                “Of course he did…” Jake mutters, because one thing he’s learnt these last couple of weeks is to never underestimate Maverick Mitchell. And mentioning him like this means it’s obviously okay to mention their relationship to one another.

                “What’s he talking about?”

                “Maverick raised me, I think you’re familiar with him?” Bradley asks, tongue between his teeth and Jake doesn’t resist the urge to just lean forward and kiss him. He’s clearly enjoying being a bit of a dick and Jake is so here for it. As if they have one mind all the Dagger Squad swing to look at him.

                “What?” Javy asks, clearly the silently nominated speaker, and Javy has known about him messaging Bradley for the last few months, has been encouraging of it, happy for him.

                “Bradley here is the godson of our esteemed leader, Maverick.”

                There’s a couple of sideways looks and Jake licks his lips, realizes that some of them might be jumping to certain incorrect conclusions. Javy’s eyebrows are up in disbelief.

                “Tell them when I found out about that,” Jake says, because he’d been named wingman on Friday, which is only yesterday but also feels likes weeks ago, and it wasn’t because of this new relationship he has with Bradley.

                “Last night. Uh. Jake and Maverick were at my place at the same time… I hadn’t really told them about each other. Was a surprise all round.”

                “Ooohhh… that explains that talk you guys were having this morning. Was it a shovel talk?” Phoenix asked, and she looks hopeful.

                “Mav talked to you?” Bradley asks, looking concerned.

                “It wasn’t a shovel talk! But yes, he did talk to me, but it wasn’t a shovel talk. More like the opposite if anything…”

                “So… it’s just been this whole big coincidence?” Javy says, and he’s starting to grin now and Jake’s stomach sinks, because his best friend is about to throw him somewhere, under a bus or into a canyon… “Did Jake tell you about the time he and I picked Mav up and threw him out of here?”

                “Out of here? The Hard Deck?”

                “Yep,” Javy says, grinning, and the others are starting to grin too and Jake groans. Bradley looks delighted though, and he should have known.

                “When was this?”

                “A couple of weeks ago…”

                “Oh my god… that was you. I…” he cuts off abruptly and Jake realizes he was probably about to say Ice. “I heard about that. Not from Mav though. Someone else told me,” Bradley finishes, and Jake takes that as confirmation that it was definitely Iceman that had told him.

                Fucking hell.

                He freezes then, sudden realization dawning.

                He threw the husband of the COMPACFLT out of the Hard Deck onto his ass… And he’s alive and breathing.

                Okay.

                Maybe he doesn’t have to worry too much about breaking Bradley’s heart if he can do that to Maverick and suffer no consequence. At least none that he knows about anyway.

                Oh god, he cannot wait until Javy gets to have this same realization. He has to see that.

                “Yeah, didn’t do much for his post-ejection injuries apparently.”

                “Wait, what?”

                Bradley looks between them, purses his lips and then bites them, and Jake wonders if this is another thing that Bradley’s maybe not meant to mention. Fucking hell, no wonder Maverick wasn’t meant to be flying lead.

                “Nothing, it’s fine. Oh! Hey Aunt Penny…”

                “Bradley!” She greets, giving him a one-armed hug as she gathers empties. “Long time since you’ve been around here. What are you doing with this bunch of reprobates?”

                Almost as one the Daggers voice their displeasure, already distracted and Jake grins at her, expects a grin back, is instead given the coldest look he’s ever received and he straightens, wonders what he’s done to earn her displeasure because she’s been nothing but friendly before.

                “Do his parents know about you?” She asks, voice low enough Jake has to struggle to hear her.

                “Uh… I met them last night. So yes?”

                “Really?”

                “Maverick and, uh, the other one,” Jake offers, because he’d said he wouldn’t mention what he’d learnt, which is a little hard to do when Penny Benjamin is staring him down. Except she’s back to smiling at him, nodding her head.

                “Welcome to the family kid, look forward to seeing more of you.”

                Fuck he hopes so.

…             …             …

                They spend most of Sunday resting, and like on Friday night they don’t seem to want to stop touching one another. He’s okay with that, lets Jake press into him and hold himself as close he can in Bradley’s space. They do shower and dress for lunch with Mav and Ice. Then Jake takes a phone call with his family and Bradley sits with Mav, insists on a game of five-hundred to keep his mind off the hours ticking down to their departure. Ice has disappeared into his study and they both know it’s his own way of coping, keeping himself busy with work. He doesn’t need to say anything, he knows he can’t say anything. What he can do is spend time, so that’s what he does. With both the man he’s known his entire life, and the man he’s only recently let into his life. When Jake is off the phone they coax Ice out of his study and end up playing four-player five-hundred before deciding that Ice and Mav cannot be partners, their table talk far to subtle to be caught and Bradley is sick of them winning.

                At three in the morning he hears Jake‘s alarm go off, and he hopes Jake at least got more sleep than he did. He watches in silence as Jake slides out of bed and heads to the shower, comes out fully dressed and he sees Bradley watching him in the dimmed half-light.

                “I look forward to my welcome home, okay?”

                “You take care out there, you hear me?”

                “Always darlin’.”

                “That’s all I can ask.”

                The kiss Jake gives him is softly sweet.

                They don’t say goodbye.

PART TEN