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#i'm not the happiest with this but i felt bad not posting it
connie-art · 1 year
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do u think they ever danced together? they ever sang and ran around and played music for the other?
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ashwhowrites · 10 months
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can i request a little bit of angst?
eddie is in his late twenties, finally got his shit together, a baby on the way with reader! and eddie’s OLDER brother shows up. he’s an asshole, exactly like their dad, tries hitting on reader, crashes on their couch, makes eddies life hell then it all comes to a head and they end up fighting!
I really love this request!!! 🫶🏻
Never proofread
I hope this is what you wanted, thank you for requesting <3
Happy ending
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~~~
If there was one thing in life Eddie didn't think he'd ever achieve, it was getting his life together. He never thought he'd make it out of the trailer park. And he definitely never thought he'd have a wife by his side and a baby on the way.
It took Eddie a long time to get on his feet. Selling drugs and living with his uncle was not the future he wanted for himself. He used his dirty money and got himself a shitty apartment, in the corner of the dirtiest neighborhood, but it was all his. And being on his own was something he could be proud about.
~~~
He was living in that apartment for around five years when he met Y/N. She moved into the apartment next to him, struggling to carry boxes through the front door. Eddie was happy he lived on the first floor, easily walking out behind her, trying his best to not seem creepy.
She turned around and screamed as she saw him. A hand over her chest. Eddie jumped at the scream, hands in the air to show he meant no harm.
"I am so sorry! I just wanted to see if you needed help." He offered with the friendliest smile he could manage.
Who would have thought in three years, he would have been marrying that girl.
~~~
Marriage life was the best thing Eddie has experienced, and he felt that fatherhood would be the same. He never knew how badly he craved a family until he was on the path of creating his own. He could start fresh, start a new family tree of the Munson name. A name that didn't have to be originated from prisoners, dealers, and being poor. He wanted the Munson name to be carried on through generations, with all good things behind it. Having a wife like Y/N take his name, told him he had a strong beginning.
She was around six months, her belly growing by the day. Together they made enough to buy a small home, in a safer neighborhood. Nothing too flashy, but it was their home and it meant everything. Eddie gagged at the thought of a white picket fence but he loved seeing it shine in the morning sun when Y/N watered the plants.
The nursery was nearly finished. The walls painted baby pink, and the furniture white. Eddie's favorite bands posted on the walls. He claimed their daughter needed to get her music journey started right away.
Eddie was the happiest he's ever been until an unwelcome visitor showed up at his door.
Y/N knew everything about Eddie, except his family. She knew Uncle Wayne and that was all. She respected that Eddie was private about his family and that he didn't care to share who they are.
So Y/N stood in shock when an older man stood at her door, the same shade of brown as her husband. A similar smile on the man's face, and a slightly bigger version of Eddie's nose.
"I'm looking for my brother," the man stated, looking her up and down. A tiny smirk on his face. But his smirk didn't give her butterflies, it made her stomach turn in a bad way.
She screamed for Eddie, a polite smile on her face. The longer Eddie took the more nervous she got.
"How far are you?" The man questioned, his hand reaching for her stomach.
She took a big sigh of relief when Eddie's hand shot out and stopped the man's touch from touching her. He stood in front of her. Completely blocking her view from the stranger.
"Little E, how the hell are you?" The stranger asked
"What are you doing here?" Eddie snapped. She watched as his body was stiff, she slipped her hand in his back pocket and stood on the side of him.
"Got out of jail, needed a place to crash. Wayne is going out of town and doesn't trust me alone in his place." The man rolled his eyes as he finished his sentence.
"I don't blame him since the last time you did you trashed it," Eddie said, his jaw was tight and his face was hard.
"Come on, E, help a brother out."
~~~
Eddie wasn't sure why he said yes, but he already regretted it watching the way his brother's eyes were glued to his wife.
"Quit staring," Eddie snarled, using his foot to kick him under the table.
Y/N hummed in the kitchen as she checked the chicken. Trying her best to keep her attention off of the two men at the dining table. She felt her body shudder underneath Michael's stare.
"Quite a woman you got there," Michael said, sipping on his beer
Eddie didn't say anything, accepting the silence instead.
Y/N smiled as she placed the food on the dinner table. Putting together a plate for Eddie and placing it in front of him.
"Gonna make me a plate, pretty girl?" Michael winked, his hand reaching forward to her wrist. She gulped and looked nervously at Eddie.
"Leave her alone." Eddie snapped
Michael put his hands up in surrender, making his own plate.
The three sat in silence.
~~~
Michael has been crashing on the couch for the past week, and every day he was getting on Eddie's last nerve.
Y/N worked from home and spent most of the day in her office, Eddie worked at a car dealership. He hated leaving for work and leaving her alone with Michael. He didn't trust Michael but Eddie's boss would also kick his ass for not showing up.
He kept his phone on him at all times, reminding Y/N to call the second she needed him to come home.
~~~
Michael said he found a friend to crash with and would be leaving shortly. Asking Y/N if she would help him clean his clothes and pack up his belongings. She honestly felt too scared to tell him no, silently scooping up his clothes and bringing them to the small laundry room. She excused herself to head into the shower. Eddie would be home within minutes so she felt safe to be in a vulnerable state, checking twice to make sure the door was locked.
~~~
Eddie pulled up in the driveway, bracing himself for another night of trying not to kill Michael with his bare hands. He walked in to see his house trashed, the cushion torn apart, and the cupboards all thrown open, he heard shuffling around in the bedroom. He raced to the noise to see Michael digging through their drawers.
"What the fuck? Are you trying to rob us?" Eddie asked in disbelief, Michael's backpack was filled with random items. Eddie yanked the bag out of his grip, dumping it all out on the bed.
He felt his blood boil when Y/N's ring fell out. But once his brain caught up with seeing the ring, his blood felt cold. She ONLY took it off when she was in the shower. Eddie turned his eyes to Michael, immediately shoving him against the wall.
"Where did you grab the ring?" He prayed with everything in him that she left it in the bedroom.
"She had it sitting on the bathroom counter, she couldn't see me with her back to me. Really hit the jackpot there, Eddie. Shes' smoking."
Eddie felt his stomach turn, he felt like he could throw up at any moment.
"You fucking pig. Don't talk about her." Eddie barked, twisting Michael's shirt in his grip.
"A really nice ass, I bet her tits ar-" But Eddie kicked Michael in the stomach before he could finish.
~~~
Y/N heard a commotion in the bedroom, fear in her stomach as she got covered herself in a towel and called Wayne. Racing out of the bathroom to see Eddie on top of Micahel, screaming and punching.
"OH MY GOD, EDDIE" She panicked, she knew getting in the way would put the baby in danger, but she has never seen Eddie so out of control.
The sound of her scream caused Eddie to freeze, and both men looked to see her.
"Eddie, stop," She said calmly. She placed her hand out, offering him to stand up. He took a deep breath and got off of Michael. Grabbing his bag and throwing it on him.
"You are out." Eddie snarled
Michael coughed as he tried to move his beaten-up body. Eddie rolled his eyes and dragged Michael to his feet.
"I have his clothes," Y/N said, quickly running out to the laundry room.
Michael smirked as Eddie looked over at him.
"What asshole?" Eddie asked.
"I see why you knocked her up. When she was bent over that washing machine." Michael groaned, rubbing himself over his jeans.
Eddie lost it again, immediately throwing his body on his.
Y/N came back with the clothes to see Michael unconscious, but the look in Eddie's eyes was unrecognizable.
She didn't fear him, but she was worried for him.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Wayne came through the door, yanking Eddie off of Micahel.
"Hey, hey, look at me," Wayne instructed, grabbing the sides of Eddie's face, forcing his eyes to look at him.
Eddie's body was shaking, his knuckles cut open, and his breathing was quick and harsh.
Eddie locked his eyes on Waynes, allowing himself to calm down.
"I'll take care of him, hug your wife and go clean up."
Eddie listened in seconds, turning around to throw himself in his wife's arms. Allowing her to hide in his neck. She rubbed his back and cooed in his ear.
She took him to the bathroom to clean up his hands. Kissing each knuckle as she cleaned the blood.
"I'm sorry I let him stay here." Eddie sighed, he couldn't believe he was that dumb. He watched Wayne do the same thing with Eddie's dad for years, and yet he did the same thing.
"Don't be. You wanted to help and that was sweet of you." She said, standing between his legs as he sat on the counter.
They heard the front door close, Wayne and Michael officially gone.
"I'm sorry my family is a mess, this I why I never wanted you to know them." He added. His hands reached down to rub her stomach.
"Wayne is your family, I'm your family, and she is your family. That's the only family I care to know. Wayne raised the man I love and he is the only one I need to know. I have the two best Munsons in my life." She said, leaning up to peck his lips.
"Well, I get to have three." He smiled, kissing her back and his hand stayed on her stomach.
This was his real family.
~~~
tags!
@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergent @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila
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bunplushyy · 28 days
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One of those days
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Parings: Step-mom!Wanda x fem!reader
warnings: none just fluff and wholesomeness :))
a/n: I felt sad and wanted to write something to take my mind off things, so I decided to write something short. I did not proofread this nor felt like editing it so if there are mistakes I'm so sorry, i wanted to post this for the people who also have bad days maybe this can help, I dunno lol. anyways back to girl rotting and what not, enjoy!! :D
Word count: 1.1k
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“Malysh, I’m home!..” Wanda sat her bags down on the couch frowning, usually once she comes home you're running to her with open arms. Since your dad was on a business trip it left you with her. It’s been a couple of days and university had been kicking your ass. 
mentally you weren't feeling the best, and it had been eating you away until today after class it broke you. 
“Baby.. where are you?” She walked upstairs to your bedroom, only to find you curled up in the bed with the covers over your head. 
“oh!! hi darling!!” her usual smile appeared on her face before uncovering your head, finding you teary-eyed and sniffling. “Angel…angel what’s wrong?” your cries started to get louder as she sat you up pulling you in her lap. 
“hey.. hey look at me.” She turned your head to face hers wiping away the tears from your face. “talk to me Lyubov..tell Mommy what’s wrong.” 
you started to speak but you just broke down in her arms, she let out a sigh and put her chin on your head rubbing your back to help you with your breathing.
“oh, it’s one of those days isn’t it?” you nodded into her chest.
“aww baby…don’t worry, mommy’s here and I have all the time in the world to be with you..” 
She shifted on the bed to make you both comfortable rocking you both as you started to calm down a little bit.
“i-i’m sorry... I just-“ you started but she shushed you, running her hands through your hair. “You have nothing to be sorry about printsessa, let mommy take care of you.”
She pulled you into a tight hug, “I know you don’t wanna talk when you’re in this state, But I don’t need you to say anything I just need you to listen to me, honey?” You nodded playing with her fingers. 
“It’s all right, baby, It's ok to have these days...Even the people who seem to be the happiest, strongest, perfect individuals on Earth, go through tough days… It happens to me too, baby. Remember?” she started to smile again.
“Remember that even Mommy sometimes is in a bad mood and doesn’t feel good.” 
“yea..” you sniffed 
“Yeah? And what do you do to help me when I’m in a bad mood?” 
“I try to make you feel better..” she nodded before pulling you back into her chest. 
“That’s right! but right now, it’s time to make my baby feel better and I know exactly what to do about it,” she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone that made you giggle a little. 
“you do?” 
“Yes, Of course, I do silly! first off I think my baby deserves some mommy kisses..” She started to kiss you all over your face before she landed on your lips.
your giggles filled the room, as she kissed all over your face and neck, before stopping and moving your hair out your face moving your so that you would face her. 
“There’s that beautiful face I know and love, now mommy needs to tell you something important..” your smile quickly turned back into a frown. your anxieties started to show its face again as you removed your hand from hers but she quickly held it again rubbing the back of it to reassure you you were fine.
“Are you ready to hear it?”
you slowly nodded as she took a deep breath and smiled, “I love you.”
she took a hold of your face and looked into your eyes wiping your forming tears.
“I love you very very much angel.” your tears started to fall again your hands pressed up to your face as she pulled you right back into her. 
“Aww, malysh,” she rubbed your back. 
“shhh it’s ok, mommy’s got you... I didn’t mean to make you cry again but you needed to hear it. I love you so much, you mean the world to me..” she sighed. 
“I know you have many responsibilities, and with everything that is going on sometimes you feel overwhelmed but I’m here for you, printsessa. I’m here to help you recharge, on the days you feel drained like today, and I’m here for you on the days you have everything under control and your energy matches the one of a little bunny because you're always my little energetic bunny..” she giggled.
“But still, I’m here for you, sweetheart always and I’m so grateful to be able to do that, cause you know I wouldn't stand to see my bunny like this and not do something about it, right?” you lifted your head and nodded at her before putting your head back on her chest. 
“Yes, that’s because you’re important to me, honey. You’re my good girl, My precious baby girl, I will always be here when you need me I promise you.” 
“I love you mama..” you mumbled into her chest and she laughed before kissing the top of your head. 
She froze for a moment letting the word ‘mama’ ring through her head, out of all the years she’s been with your dad you’d never call her that. It stuck something in her something so… soft and endearing which filled her with so much love.
“I love you too, honey.” she pulled you up to face her again. “Are you feeling a little bit better now darling?” 
“yeah, a little bit..”
“Good. But I’m not done cuddling and spoiling you tonight, I think my baby deserves to have a nice dinner.” 
“I don’t need-“
“No no, honey you need to eat. How about I make your favorite food and you're going to be a good girl for me and eat it. I’m thinking my famous Chicken paprikash how does that sound?” you excitedly nodded Wanda made this dish a lot when she first moved in with you and your dad, and it soon became a meal you loved for her to make. 
“I’ll also let you choose what movies we can watch tonight.. but for right now, we can just cuddle a little bit more.” She held out her arms, you melting right back into them listening to her heart beating and the breaths she took as she started to hum softly as she slowly rocked you. 
“Don’t worry, baby…everything will be all right. You'll be fine, Mommy’s here, and I’ve got you. You’re safe with me, sweetheart, There’s nothing that can hurt you, I will not allow anything to hurt you, not while you’re safe and secure in Mommy’s arms. I will take care of you, always my sweet, precious, beautiful baby girl.”
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broshot · 9 months
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Ooo can you also do Nanami and Sukuna for the near death reader? Loved the ones for Megumi and Gojo!
a/n: hello!! of course I can do that♡ thank you for the request! I'm just a hater when it comes to sukuna so I'll be making him the most ooc there is! (I've never really written stuff for these two so I hope they're not too bad) also I'm so so so sorry for writing this so late, I've had a big writing block recently so this isn't my best writing but I just needed to post this for you all
here's the one with megumi and gojo!
cw/tw: gn!reader, hurt w comfort (angst to fluff), hurt reader, mentions of death + blood, confession in sukuna's part, probs a bit (or very) ooc,
♡♡♡
nanami kento
he wasn't a person who talked about his feelings, and he definitely didn't show them. he was polite and professional, not so polite when he was fighting but that didn't matter. he always had the same blank and bored expression on his face, sometimes it turned into annoyed and angry but he never smiled or looked sad.
until he met you. he fell in love with you instantly, though he tried to convince himself that he definitely wasn't in love. he wanted to share his life with you, both his good and bad days.
you made him smile and laugh, you made him happy. he swears the day he confessed to you was his luckiest and happiest day and he never ever wanted to lose you. he swore he would protect you.
but his promise didn't seem very true anymore. you were sitting against a wall with your head in an uncomfortable position. he rushed over to you and tried to wake you up as you seemed to just be unconscious, probably fainted and nothing worse.
"can you hear me, sweetheart?" he asked, softly lifting your chin up. that's when he noticed the deep cut on your neck. it was bleeding a lot, how did he not notice all the blood before?
"wake up," he said, feeling the panic rush up faster and faster. you need to stay calm, he thought to himself but it wasn't really working.
his hands seemed to work on their own as he softly pressed a piece of cloth onto your wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"what's up? I'm in a tight spot right now." he heard gojo's unusually serious voice on the other side of the phone. when had he called gojo?
"uh, I need help. (name)'s bleeding a lot. could you send someone over?" he couldn't recognize his own voice, it sounded distant and a bit too high to be his.
"I'll be over in a second," was all he heard gojo say before a familiar frame arrived right next to him.
---
you opened your eyes and quickly tried to get up. the fight was all you had in mind, you couldn't waste even a second, you had to be there.
but you were stopped by a huge wave of pain all over your body. your head was hurting and so was your neck, and you were suddenly aware of how sore all of your muscles were. you were laying in a bed, probably in a hospital somewhere. before you could even think about what happened yesterday that got you in this position, you noticed nanami sleeping on the chair next to you.
"honey?" you whispered and to your surprise, he immediately wake up.
"sweetheart. you're alive." he breathed out before rushing over to you. he pulled you close to his chest, softly wrapping his arms around your body.
"yeah, I was-" you started but a sound stopped your words. you heard a quiet sob from him. he was crying.
"I thought I lost you," he sobbed, his voice wobbly and weak.
you didn't say anything. you just hugged him back.
"I don't ever want to lose you, love, never," he continued. "if you die I'll never love anyone again. please don't leave me like that."
"I'll do my best to stay alive for you," you whispered. "I love you.
"I love you too. I'll make sure you're protected next time."
♡♡♡
sukuna
the king of curses shouldn't fear anything, right?
so why was he shaking from fear right now?
"I'm not scared, I'm just angry," he repeated for the nth time in his head. he could never be scared, really. but still, being scared was the only thing that felt acceptable for him right now. he was scared he'd lose you, the love of his life, all because he wasn't careful.
he had been practicing to control his cursed energy in different ways and had accidentally hit you with a huge energy boost. it didn't fully hit you, but it made a deep cut on the right side of your neck. and you were bleeding. you were bleeding a lot.
he stood next to you as you laid on the ground. he couldn't fully process what was happening, but soon enough his knees gave up and he fell down next to you.
curses are able to cry.
he had never cried before this, he never had any reasons to cry before this. but he was fully sobbing while looking down at your body. he could almost see the life bleeding out of you and he couldn't do anything about it.
then he remembered a thing or two.
---
you felt a stinging pain on your neck as you woke up. you groaned and tried to sit up, but you were quickly stopped by a pair of hands.
"sukuna?"
"(name), you're alive," you heard him say.
"yeah, why wouldn't I be?" you asked. he stayed quiet. "sukuna.. what happened?"
he sighed before explaining the situation fully. "I'm really sorry for that, I swear I didn't try to hit you and I didn't do it on purpose, I feel really bad about it and to think that I almost killed the only person I truly love, I'm such a disappointment," he rambled.
you were speechless. the fact that he almost killed you was shocking enough but on top of that he also loved you.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what took over me. I was just.. thinking out loud and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable-" he kept rambling but you cut him off by placing your hand on his cheek. he looked up at you, clearly surprised by your action.
"relax, you didn't make me uncomfortable. and I forgive you for, you know, almost killing me. and I love you too."
"wait what? you.. do you really?" he asked, clearly not believing his ears.
"more than anything."
♡♡♡
this is WAY worse than the last one omg I'm so sorry AAAAAAAA anyways, recommend characters you want me to do this with (if you want to see more characters w this prompt)
you can also recommend other stuff for me to write! :D
masterlist is on my profile but I haven't updated it in a while
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thxliaaa · 2 years
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it changes everything | steve harrington
synopsis - before you and steve divorced, you found out you were pregnant with his baby but didn’t tell him because you didn’t want it to influence his decision about the divorce. 
pairing - steve harrington x reader 
genre - angst. secret pregnancy trope ;)
warning/s - mentions of pregnancy, blood, miscarriage, divorce, fighting. 
author’s note - japril’s divorce broke my heart, they deserved better <3
based on one of the scenes from grey’s anatomy 
also i’m so sorry for the steve only content. I've been obsessed with him these past few days. i promise to post about the other characters soon so stay tuned. 
ps. in this imagine, the younger group is like 15-16 whereas the older group is like 25-26
part two
masterlist | join my taglist
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The day you got married to Steve was the happiest day of your life. At first, everything was perfect. Both of you never left the honeymoon phase. Sure, the two of you might have arguments every now and then, but it was nothing major. You always knew that Steve wanted six babies, and the thought of it never fails to bring a smile to your face. However, when the two of you started trying for a baby, that’s when everything started to fall apart. 
Test after test, everything would always result in a negative one. You were getting weary of expecting something big, yet get nothing in return. Steve would always comfort you after everything even though he too was getting exhausted of being optimistic thinking that one day two lines might appear on your pregnancy test. That was until one night. 
Seeing two lines in the pregnancy test in your hand, you were ecstatic about this. You were finally gonna be a mother. When you told Steve about the good news over dinner, he was overjoyed. A tiny blob was finally growing inside of you. 
Steve was protective over you, he would never let you do simple things by yourself, he would always insist on doing it for you. You two were happy. But as they all say, everything good must come to an end. 
One night, you had just finished doing the dishes until you started to feel something running down your thighs. You went to the bathroom to check on it, and you saw blood. You started to feel pain on your lower abdomen, and in that moment, you knew something was wrong.
You grabbed the telephone that was on the bathroom counter and quickly dialed Steve. Once he answered, you told him about the predicament that you were in. "Steve, I'm bleeding so much right now"
As you said those words, Steve wasted no second at all and rushed to see his boss and told him about your current situation. Once he was permitted to go, he went to his car then started driving as fast as he could.
When he got home, he saw you lying on the floor with blood surrounding you. He quickly picked you up then started driving to the hospital to get you the help you needed.
Once he got there, he fought with the nurse just to make sure you get the medical attention you needed, and as soon as a doctor got to you, his hands ran through his hair because of worry and sat down. He was worried about you. 
As soon as you woke up, you were greeted with bad news. You had lost the baby. The good news didn’t even seem like good news to you, the thought about you losing your baby was the only thing on your mind right now. Why was life so unfair? You’ve done everything right, yet you get this in return? Everything felt like a fever dream. 
Weeks had passed and you shut everyone out. You knew Steve was trying hard to cheer you up, but even he had to fight his own battles with his own demons. Trying to conceive a baby was hard enough, but losing the baby you had tried so hard to create was even harder. You felt as if a part of you died that day. 
Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The pain was unbearable. Every night, you would cry yourself to sleep with Steve hearing your soft sobs as he tried to console you, but nothing helped. 
Steve has had enough one day so he decided to confront you about it. “When are you gonna move one, (Y/N)?” 
You turned to look at him in disbelief. Was he really asking you this question right now? Is he that insensitive that even you miscarrying was nothing to him? 
“When I’m ready, Steve” You scoffed. “We’ve been trying for months and having the thing we tried so hard to get stripped away from us is hard for me” You added. 
He furrowed his eyebrows at you. “I can’t believe you right now. Do you think this isn’t hard for me?” 
“I lost a child too, (Y/N)!” He exclaimed. “The best thing you can do right now is at least help yourself accept that it happened.” Steve added. 
“I can’t help you all the time, honey. It’s time you accept that our baby is gone.” He stepped closer towards you as he hugged you. “We can try again, (Y/N). We can always try again”
You closed your eyes as you sighed. “I know, it’s just that this is hard for me. I’m sorry, Steve” 
“I know, baby. Let’s just stay like this for a while” And that was what you did. 
Though that small talk may have worked a little, you still shut everyone around you out. Sure, you and Steve had your little arguments every now and then, but it was nothing major. However, Steve started to drift away from you. 
You started to notice this because of the way he acted. He became colder than usual and whenever you would ask him about his day, he would always respond with “It's nothing, just the usual” everyday. The consequences of your actions had finally started to show. 
So, you tried to be better, day by day, you picked yourself up piece by piece. You weren’t fully healed, but you were definitely better than before. Realizing that there’s no point in crying over something that happened, you decided to accept what had happened to you and let your baby move on to a better place. 
One night, when Steve got home, he went to the master bedroom to rest. You were building up the courage to tell him that you were ready to try again, but you were scared. Sitting down on the cold bathroom floor, tears started rolling down your face. Thoughts started filling your head. “What if this won’t work and we fail trying to conceive a baby again?” “What if it was a success yet you miscarry again?” 
Still, you ignored those negative thoughts and wiped the tears off of your face. You finally worked up the courage to tell Steve that you were ready to try again. Walking into the bedroom, you saw Steve laying down on the bed as he was watching TV. 
When you entered, he glanced at you for a second then back at the TV again. “Steve” you said softly as he turned to look at you with his eyebrows raised. 
“I think I’m ready to try again” 
“What?” He asked as you repeated what you had said. “I said, I think I’m ready to try again for a baby” You sat down on the bed beside him as he did the same thing. 
“Are you sure? I’m not pressuring you to do so. I’m ready whenever you’ll be ready” He said as he held your hand in his. “I’m ready now, Steve” 
“Are you sure?” He looked into your eyes as you nodded in return. His hands were on your face as he pulled you in for a passionate kiss. 
And you spent your entire night making love with him for the first time in months. 
The predicament did not change, even after trying and trying, you still were getting negative results back. You were getting pessimistic again. 
With that, the two of you started drifting away from each other often burying yourselves with work to avoid interacting with each other. If you did talk, it would only be an exchange of 2-3 words. It turns out that you weren’t the only one who noticed this, Steve did too, and he decided to do something about it. 
One night, you and Steve were eating dinner in silence after work, only the sound of utensils filled the air. That was until Steve finally spoke. 
“I want to get a divorce” 
The clattering of your utensils stopped at his remark. You raised your head to look at him only to see him already looking at you. “Why?” you let out softly. 
“Because it’s not the same anymore, I miss the old us. But we both know that’s not gonna happen again” He stated. “What would happen if we tried again and again and got the same results every time? Would you still act the same as you did before? Would you let me pick you up over and over again?” He asked. 
“I’m getting tired too, (Y/N). I think it’s best if we go our separate ways” He said. 
You were stunned and stayed still in your position. You knew that he was right, and you didn’t bother fighting him. Tears just started rolling down your face as you let out a soft “Ok” in agreement with what he said. Steve’s heart broke at the sight of you, but he knew that this decision was for the best. 
That was until you started experiencing pregnancy symptoms. Nausea, sensitive to certain smells, and most importantly, your period was late. Other things could’ve been the cause of it too, but you knew that it would be better to know if it was what you think it was. 
You bought a pregnancy stick from a store, and as soon as you got home, you peed on it. Two lines appeared on it. You were pregnant. Joy was the only emotion you had right now. But it was soon replaced with sadness. 
You wanted to tell Steve so badly, but you knew that if you did, it would change his perspective on the divorce. You didn’t want him to stay with you just because of your baby, you believed that two people should stay together because they love each other, not because of a child. So, you decided not to tell him about it. 
The divorce did happen after a few weeks, and Steve let you have the house. Your morning sickness wasn’t getting any better. 
When you were walking around the mall to find baby items. You saw Steve and another girl with him. They were holding hands and kissing every now and then. You couldn’t help but feel jealous. That used to be you and him. But, you just ignored them and continued shopping. 
This secret was getting too heavy for you to hold on to so you had decided to tell your bestfriend, Robin. 
You, Steve, and Robin were close since high school and up till now. Robin was the first one to know about the divorce before you told the others about it. And now, Robin would be the first one to know about your secret pregnancy with yours and Steve’s baby. 
Once you told Robin about the news, she was so excited to find out that she was going to be an aunt. She caressed your belly as she started talking to the baby inside of you. 
“So how far along are you?” She asked. You sighed, “I haven’t gone to the doctor ever since I found out about this. The only time I went was to find out if I really was pregnant or not” You replied. 
“What? That’s nuts! You should go to the doctor to at least find out if the baby is healthy or not!” She exclaimed. “No! I won’t go to the doctor, not until I finish my first trimester. I’m scared that I’m gonna miscarry again. So no, I won’t go and nothing you say will make me change my decision about it” You fought back. 
“(Y/N) that’s dumb! You need to go to the doctor!” 
“Enough! I will go when I end my first trimester and my decision is final” You replied back as you slumped in your seat. Robin didn’t put up any more fight with you, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to change your mind about it, so she decided to go to the person she knew who could maybe help. 
You always had game nights on Fridays at Nancy and Jonathan’s place. They got married a few months after you and Steve did. This would be the first time you'd face Steve after your divorce. 
Everyone except you was already there when Steve had arrived. He greeted everyone in the room until Robin pulled him aside into the kitchen to talk with him. 
“So, how are you Steve?” Robin asked as Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you asking me that in general or is it about the divorce?” He queried. 
“Uhh, both?” Robin smiled awkwardly as Steve raised one of his eyebrows at her. “Well I’m good in general and I’m doing well after the divorce. I’ve been seeing other people now”
“Wow that didn’t take long at all” Robin scoffed as Steve defended himself “Hey, Hey! It’s been a few weeks since the divorce, okay?” 
“I waited and did not get right into it unlike other people” He added as she sighed at her friend. “Ok that’s good. I need to go now” She said but Steve pulled her back before she could even go. 
“How’s (Y/N) doing?” He asked worried about his ex-wife. “She’s doing good” Robin replied hesitantly before facing Steve.
Robin took a deep breath before telling Steve the truth that her best friend hid from him. Something that haunted her every single night debating whether or not to tell Steve about it. “(Y/N)’s pregnant” 
Steve stood there dumbfounded from what Robin had revealed to him. “It's yours, and she’s refusing to go to the doctor and I need you to convince her to go because she won’t. She just won’t go.”
Just as soon as he was about to reply, the front door opened revealing you. “So, I forgot to bring something but I ordered pizza, and I- Ooh is that Nancy’s cupcakes I smell? I need to have a taste of that” you giggle as you remove your shoes. 
Steve walked towards you furious that you kept your pregnancy from him. “Oh hi” you smiled at him, but he didn’t return the smile back. 
“Since when did you know?” He asked. “What do you mean?” you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “Since when did you know you were pregnant?” 
You froze. Robin told him about it. You turned to face Robin who was behind Steve with a worried look on her face. “You told him about this?” you exclaimed at her. 
“She did, but that’s not the point. You told Robin and not me?” He asked. “I don’t have time for this right now Steve” 
“Then when do you have time? Were you even planning on telling me about this?” He raised his voice at you. Everyone’s eyes were now at the both of you. “Steve, please don’t. Not here, not right now.” 
“You had enough time to tell me about this even before the divorce. You don’t think a pregnancy would have affected my decision to go forward with a divorce?” He asked
“I knew it would! But you didn’t want to stay with me!” You exclaimed. “People should stay married because they love each other, not because of a baby!” you added. 
“You think I want you to stay for my baby–” “Our baby” “And have you hating me for the rest of my life?” you argued with him. 
You and Steve continued to exchange more words until Nancy pulled you two apart from each other. “Hey, stop this now! There are teenagers watching you guys. Settle this some other time." She said.
The two of you were now staring at each other furiously. “This doesn’t change anything, Steve” 
Steve scoffed, “You’re right, it changes everything!” He replied as he went out and slammed the door on you. 
You stood there by the door, loss of words. The one person you trusted had revealed your secret, your ex-husband practically hates you now, you were embarassed that the others had to witness your fight with Steve.
And then, everything turned black.
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taglist:
if your name is crossed out that means tumblr won't let me tag you. sorry :(
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httpsdana · 4 months
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Gavi one where she’s feeling really insecure and comparing herself to others because she’s not the tiniest girl and he just showers her with love
Insecure~Pablo Gavi
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*GIF isn't mine. credits to the owner*
A reminder that everyone reading this is absolutely beautiful and i love you all so much 💋💞
you can request from my prompt list
this is my master list
players/drivers i write for
y/n wasn't the tiniest girl ever. She had some fats in her belly, and for her, her thighs where way too big. For her, her face was too round and her cheeks were too chubby. For her she was too much.
Feeling insecure since you were a child only makes it more traumatic when you grow up. You carry that guilt with you until it becomes unbearable. And when you finally start feeling good about yourself, or when you finally accept yourself as you are, something ruins it and takes you back to zero, where you're standing in front of the mirror, and pointing out every imperfection you can see in your appearance, and body.
That was the case with y/n. Growing up as a child she was always bullied for her body. She never felt good about herself. Reaching high school you would say the bullying stopped, but it didn't. It only became worse. That's why when she met Gavi after her graduation, she thought he was just there to make fun of her or something.
She pushed him away thinking that its better than getting attached. But his desire to make this broken girl his won, and there they are happiest as ever.
Well that was until Pablo decided go post a picture of them. They had always been the pribate couple. They only posted pictures where their faces don't appear, just pictures of their hands interwined, or one where their backs are to the camera with his arms around her.
But this picture was on another level. It was a picture of them at one of their friend's wedding. She had a slightly tight dress on, and her stomach was bloated and on display, her hair was out of place and her lipstick was ruined. Her shoulders looked too broad and her smile was awkward. Everything seemed wrong.
Although she knew it was a bad thing to do, she opened the comment to see what people thought about it, and it seemed like everyone had the same opinion as her.
nah look at that double chin 💀🤣
gurl should've gotten a bigger size 😬
is gavi actually dating her-
ain't no way literal models exist and he's with her 💀
i wonder if he's forced to date her or smth
Tear streamed down her face like a river. She didn't think these comments would affect her that much...but they did. She knew people will not like her, but she didn't think she would get more criticism than she did back in high school.
She locked her phone and covered her face with her hands, trying to calm herself down by taking a few breathes.
Maybe if i had blonde hair Pablo would like me more? or colored eyes? he probably thinks I'm too basic for him. or too fat. why is he even still with me? so he can leave me when he's bored? or when he finds a model that's suitable for him?
These thoughts ran through her head, only drowning her even more. She thought that maybe scrolling through tiktok would keep her mind off what she just saw.
Oh how wrong she was. The only videos she saw showed pictures of Pablo with pretty girls, or from his last meet and greet, girls all over him, some giving him their instagram and others their number.
What made it worse was seeing Pablo keep the papers with him. And the caption are all the same thing about Pablo deserving a prettier girl.
She threw her phone across the room and burst into tears. She didn't think it would hurt this much, but it did.
"you scared the hell out of me! why didn't you open the door when i knocked?!" Pablo barged in the room, making her flinch and the sound of the door
Only when he saw her puffy eyes and wet cheeks, his face softened but showed worry instead
"are you okay mi amor? why are you crying what happened?" he asked in a soft voice
He tried wrapping his arms around her but she only pushed him away and tried to stop her sobbing
"y/n.. what's wrong?" he asked, hurt evident in his voice and his eyes
"why are you with me Pablo? are you still here to make fun of me? why are you not with a model or something like literally every other football player? why are here with me? a normal basic fat girl with chubby cheeks and huge thighs and an ugly smile and a-" her sentence was interrupted by Pablo pressing his lips on hers
"y/n baby why are you saying that? you know i adore you. I'm literally so in love you that I can't even look at any other girl. I would die for you my love. Why would i want a model when i have you? a pretty, smart, super adorable, and an amazing chef as my girl. why would i want a girl who only cares about what she wears or how she looks or what she owns. I only want you sweetheart. I only love you and only what to have you in my arms every night. I don't know why you think i would leave you. you're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I don't know what made you feel this way, but please don't ever think that low of yourself. I'm so proud of you and i love you so so much" he said in a soft tone, his hands holding her face and wiping her tears with his thumbs. He kissed her tears away and brushed her hair away from her eyes.
She managed to give a small smile. Her stomach erupting with butterflies at the sweet words said by her boyfriend. She felt the genuine love they shared and the sincerity in his voice.
"I don't deserve you. you're amazing. i love you so much" she whispered, wrapping her arms round his torso and laying her head on his chest
"please don't say that. I'm the one who's lucky to have you in my life"
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fortheb0ys · 12 days
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Sorry for the screenshots, I posted it without finishing what I was saying :)
THANK YOU, POOKIE🙏 YOU GUYS FEEDBACK ALWAYS MAKES ME THE HAPPIEST😭 I JUST LOVE HOW YOU EXPLAIN MY WRITING :)
I think older men with braces is so underrated. I think people tend to think braces is something we get when we're young but people don't realize how often older people get them. Hell, I've seen a burly mid 40 construction guy have them. AHHH HE LOOKED SO PRETTY😢
I have such a huge oral fixation that I just love love love them I can't even explain :3
AAAAHHHHH PUPPY PLAY JEFF🙏🙏 THANK YOU FOR FEEDING ME AN IDEA!!
Tiny lil drabble below :3
I'm just I'm imaging dog sitting for Shauna while she's at "book club".
Jeff's a but weary of you at first cause he's a loyal doggie to Shauna.
Of course, you'd be friendly and tried to win him over. You'd bring treats, toys, and take him for walks down trails Shauna said he liked. He'd just take the treat to his puppy crate and munch on it quietly or play with his new toy alone in the backyard as you sat on his porch, watching hoping he'd want to play fetch. You'd always treat him kindly, calling him a 'good boy' whenever he'd do the smallest things.
But nothing worked. Most days he'd sit and whine at the door, waiting for Shauna to return home. You'd never try to push him, knowing he was only really ever comfortable around Shauna.
You'd push you luck and try to give him pats but he'd shy away from you touch and give you warning nips at your hand. Jeff had a biting problem that Shauna was training him on and knew it would get him in trouble if he bit you hard.
Unfortunately was going to be a situation that he'd find himself in.
Jeff had a plush bunny named Bunbun that Shauna had gifted him for one of his birthdays. It had became his most precious item. He'd never leave it out of his sight, taking it everywhere he went.
It'd seen better days and was a bit raggedy. Though in Jeff's eyes that what made it special. All his happy memories told their story in each hole and stain.
One day while Jeff laid down for a nap, you thought it a kind gesture to surprise him with his Bunbun all fresh and fixed up. You sneakily take his plush without waking him and patch and wash it up.
You wake him up for dinner and show his plush fixed up Bunbun. To your surprise, Jeff does not take it well. You ruined him. All those special memories washed away. It wasn't the Bunbun Jeff knew nor liked.
Jeff was seeing red. With teeth beared and a growl sounding deep from his chest, he lunged at his biting deep into your hand. You quickly throw him off, now just as angry as him. Blood oozes from your hand as you cradle it to your chest.
You yelled at him calling him a 'bad dog', taking him by the collar to drag him to his crate and locking him inside till Shauna came home.
Now alone to reflect on his actions, Jeff felt the guilt weight on him. You were just trying to be kind. Tears welled in his eyes as he whined out.
It felt like an eternity before Shauna had come home.
Jeff could hear you explain what happened and her apologizing profusely than the door closing as you leave. When she comes in the room, a look of disappointment paints her face.
"Jeff, what the fuck? Why would you do that? He's just trying to be fucking nice and you bite him! You're such a bad dog."
Before Jeff could argue his case, Shauna stormed out turning off the lights leaving Jeff locked in his crate alone in the dark.
All night Jeff cries. Why was it just earlier he was a good boy but now he's just a bad dog? He just was upset about his bunny and he's working on his biting problem.
He fails into a restless sleep, only to be awaken by the front door slamming shut. The early morning sun is telling him that Shauna has left without giving him a goodbye kiss. She must still be mad at him.
Before he could sulk farther, Jeff hears footsteps. He perks up thinking Shauna hadn't left but he sees you walk into the living room. Jeff grins, happy to you back. You must have forgiven him but the empty look behind your eyes tells Jeff something different.
You walk over to his crate, unlocking it. Without saying a word you sit on the couch, turning on the television to fill the silent room.
Jeff shyly walks over to sit next to you. He takes his place, a gap taking up the space in between you.
"H-hello, Y/N." Jeff nervously tries to apologize but he's not sure how.
"Jeff, I'm only here cause Shauna paid me in advance. I'll be gone at the end of the week." You said coldly before Jeff could even apologize.
Jeff countenance falls. You used no nicknames. No sweet tones. You hate him. Shauna hates him. He really was a bad boy. Tears once again fill his eyes and this time he couldn't quietly cry. He sobbed out apologize, pleading that he was a good boy.
His begging broke you. It was clear Jeff was genuinely remorseful.
"Jeff? Puppy? It's okay. I forgive you." You comfort him while pulling him in, holding him close to your chest.
Once he calmed down, Jeff apologized properly, explaining his motives and with his explanation you agree to start over again.
Jeff was still a bit weary mostly but soon you found yourself caring for him most of the week. Shauna spent more and more time at her book club.
Of course Jeff didn't take it well. Spent his time whining for her return. You kept him preoccupied with toys, walks and playtime. His separate anxiety was a bitch but you seemed to fill her place just a bit.
Unlike the first, your kindness didn't go unappreciated. Jeff and you grew closer. He was much more hyper, was attached at your hip and wanted psychical and emotional affect. Even when Shauna came home, Jeff was upset to see you leave.
Shortly after you found things had became more sexual. You were bathing Jeff after he gotten himself dirty while playing in the mud.
Jeff was enjoying his bubble bath, you both giggling and splashing each other one minute than the next Jeff finds himself pulling you into a bruising kiss.
You pushed him off, asking what Shauna would think. Jeff admits to you that there's no book club, that Shauna's cheating, that's he's just a mutt to her.
God, you knew you shouldn't have went farther but everything felt so right with him. If he wasn't Shauna's puppy than he'd be yours.
From that moment on, you and him began your relationship.
He'd greet you at the door, completely naked with only his ears on and a tail plug snug in his asshole.
His tail plug wagging as he bounces up and down excited to see you. You'd be fucking him on the couch within a minute. His beg panting filled the room.
You'd have sex so often that Jeff rarely ever wore clothes while around you. The moment Shauna left so did his clothes. He'd dress when you left but the fabric on his skin felt so foreign.
His energy sure came in handy as well. Different positions, different places in the house, he could fuck for hours. His sexual urges were unsatisfied. At times you'd arrive to watch him and he'd be in his puppy crate masturbating. The mess in his crate signaling he'd had already came a few times already.
He'd look at you with big puppy eyes, begging to have your cock in his mouth while he pushes his plug in and out of his hole.
By the time you put your cock in him, he's cum more times than he could count. The blonde fur on his tail now a dark brown, completely soaking wet. His cock's sensitive that he whimpers as you stroke him.
He loves belly rubs especially after sex. His tummy slightly bulging from how times you've cummed in him. His belly looked like it was a full litter of your pups.
He was always a loud pup. From barking at anything and everything or crying for attention. During sex he was no different. He'd whine and whimper. You bought him a bone gag to keep the noise down.
Remember his biting problem he'd be working on?
At times you'd leave the house covered in bite marks. When Jeff was completely lost in the pleasure, he'd bite unknowingly. When he'd realized what he had done, he'd lick your wounds clean.
Jeff would wear a plug constantly. He loved the feeling of being full. Whether it was the plump head of your cock, plug or toy, he craved the feeling.
Praise was always a big thing to Jeff. He needed to be reassured that he was a good boy due to the rocky start of your relationship. Whenever he felt like he had be bad, he'd cry and beg for you not to throw him away. You'd pull him into a tight hug and cradle him till he calmed down. Once he did, he was back to his hyper and horny self.
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catsrulesworld · 8 months
Text
Missed calls
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genre:angst
Miles!42 x fem reader
An: Hiii my loves! Guess who's posting again lowkey I may stop because my stuff has been doing so bad but it's okay because I'm a soldier 🫡 and I had to take a lil break from all the fluff so here's a lil angst just so you know this is my first time writing agnst so dont be mean with him were he's always busy and misses too many dates always hope you enjoy love you all🫶🏽
You don't know how you ended here sitting in the rain outside on the streets of Brooklyn New York in front of the brand-new romantic restaurant that served your favorite foods, Miles your boyfriend had stood you up for the 5th time. Well let's just start from the very very beginning.
You had met Miles in collage and you guys grew close, which led to you dating him and being in the happiest relationship you had ever been in until one day he started leaving you on delivered more, standing you up, and on top of all that he made many empty promises about “I promise to see you soon” “I promise I won't be late this time mama” “ill see you in ten okay mami?”.
Well you had been a fool again to his lies and promises he had sent you a message around three thirty saying
Mr.grumpy pants😒:“Sorry I've been ignoring you mami how about I make it up to you, we get dinner tonight at six at that new place you've been wanting to try?”
Mi corazón💜: Sure babe ill see you at six 💋
And with that, you took your sweet time getting ready taking a shower shaving every piece of your body you could, using your favorite body wash, exfoliating, using your expensive skincare, did your makeup, wore Miles’s favorite fancy dress, plus your most fancy heels.You were going all out for this date.
Once you had arrived at six on the dot you walked up to a nice worker “Hi ma’am do you have a reservation?” she said politely  “ Uhm yeah it should be under Morales!” “Okay follow me right this way,” she said while leading you to a booth. “Your waiter will be with you shortly”
You sat in the booth and ordered a nice champagne it had been ten minutes with no sign of Miles it then turned to twenty minutes with no sign of him, and after forty minutes and waiters asked every ten minutes if someone else was coming you decided it was time to go, and just to your luck it started raining drenching you in the cold you were shivering at this point. You decided to give Miles a piece of your mind you had called him twice no answer time for a voicemail then.
“This is the sixth time you've stood me up Miles and now I realize I look like a fucking fool waiting for you in the cold pouring rain,” you say taking a deep breath “So whoever is soo important you need to cancel on me again can have you Miles I'm sick of waiting on you, sick of your lies, sick of the sneaking around at night, so tell your lil bitch she can have you and don't hit my line again it's over.”
Miles was in the middle of prowler business trying to hunt down a guy with Uncle Aaron, his phone ringing and buzzing in his pocket the whole time Uncle Aaron had to stop multiple times to tell him to handle that.
Once they had found the guy and “handled” him Miles went to look at his phone many missed calls and texts from you he went to the voice mail to see what you said he couldn't hear much due to the rain until he heard your voice shakey with anger talking about his he had missed the day again and how you looked like a fool until the end of the note said “don't hit my line again it's over.” he felt his heart get tighter in his chest he had fucked up royally this time.
You had made your way home taking off your heels, then making your way to the bathroom, you removed your makeup and dress then started up a nice bubble bath to ease some of the tension. You had sat in the tub admiring the bubbles and getting clean.You had got out of the tub white robe around your midriff, making your way to the sink you began to do your skincare for the night.
Once done with this routine you headed to your bedroom to turn on your favorite tv show and go to bed, when released you had twenty text messages from and ten calls from Miles saying about he was sorry and how he would never do it again as you were reading these texts he called you, and stupid enough you answers it “Miles?”
“Mami what the fuck do you mean it's over?” “I mean what I said Miles I'm sick of all the lies you tell me” “They aren't lies mami” “Then what's with the canceling plans, sneaking out at night, nevering returning texts or calls?” “mami...I can't say why.” “Mhm still lying well keep your other bitch and leave me alone,” you said hanging up the phone and blocking his number. After that, you headed to bed the rain and your tv show in the background lulling you to sleep not worrying about Miles again.
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luvhughes43 · 1 year
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nostalgia | trevor zegras x reader
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suki waterhouse masterlist
part two
summary: y/n and trevor broke up as trevor had to leave her to play hockey in cali, since trevor did not want to do long distance. y/n thinks back to their relationship, the good and the bad, and thinks about how she wishes she could still be with trevor.
lyrics: "I talk about the past like i talk about you, i leave out every little thing that i dont like remembering" and "i miss you more than i say i do, you had to follow all your dreams, just wish that they included me"
word count: 0.8k
posted 3 years ago
y/nuser 
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liked by trevorzegras, jackhughes, and others
y/nuser z baby
it wasn't that uncommon for people to ask you about your relationship with trevor. You’d be out at a sports bar with a few friends when Z's picture, or a highlight of his, would come on to the screen. Didn’t you two used to date? What was it like dating a hockey player? Is he a good person? Were all questions thrown your way. You usually just nodded or pretended you couldn't hear them. When you did feel nostalgia, and felt the need to talk, usually after multiple drinks but who was keeping track? you always made sure to tell everyone the happiest stories, the funniest jokes. You didn't like remembering the breakup and heartache. It was a long night of questions.
You escaped to the bar, dark blue light hitting off your face as you waited for the bartender to pass over your drink. you felt somebody nudge your shoulder, and you turned to find a girl around your age smiling at you. “Hey so i heard that you and Trevor Zegras used to-” 
You turned back to the bar just as the bartender took somebody else’s order a few spots away. Your drink was set in front of you and you were glad for the distraction, quickly downing it. “So like I was just wondering if you knew his type or… like had his number or something?” she continued on, clearly not getting the hint that you weren’t interested in the conversation.
“No i don't know him” you snapped as you pushed yourself up off your barstool and onto the crowded walkway. You shoved passed the blonde who scoffed loudly at you, and made your way to your friend. 
“I’m going to head out” you shouted over the ESPN theme and the shouts of sports fans. Your friend turned her head towards you, she bit her lip, and you could sense the pity coming off her in waves. “Is this about trevor? Sweetie, I thought you said you guys had a great relationship? There’s nothing for you to be sad about” her voice was like honey as she trailed her hand from your shoulder down to your wrist. She held onto your hand for a second before dropping it. 
You hadn’t told her how much you missed him, or the heartbreak you went through because of everything that happened. 
You tried to give Vanessa a reassuring smile, “Vanessa, I'm fine it's just too crowded in here”
“Okay well I don't want you to become a hermit or anything” she turned towards the guy she was after and gave an obnoxious fake laugh. You chuckled just to satisfy Vanessa before you turned quickly on your heel and made it the hell out of the building. 
Posted 2 year ago
y/nuser
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Liked by trevorzegras, _alexturcotte, and others
y/nuser lake day🌞
tagged: trevorzegras
Baby! Come here! Trevor shouted down from the docks. 
I'm coming, I'm coming! You giggled as you finished lathering yourself up with sunscreen.
Look, I'm gonna show you how to paddle board, it’s so easy. I'll take you for a ride he smiled at you as you practically ran down to the dock. 
When you finally reached him, he grabbed you by your waist and spun you around. He set you down and he pressed his forehead against yours, I love you.
I love you! Trevor, please we can figure this out! You cried as he started packing up your things from his room. 
y/n i've thought a lot about this, and i'm leaving. I’m going to play for Anaheim and you’re not coming with me. He said, and it shocked you how casual he sounded about it. Just this morning he had told you he had loved you, letting you believe you guys had a chance.
Baby please… I don't have to come with you, we can do long distance or… we can think of something just please! You put your hands on top of his, effectively stopping him taking your clothes out of his dresser. 
I don't want to, he whispered and you swore it was a curse.
posted 1 years ago
trevorzegras
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liked by jackhughes, jamie.drysdale, and others
trevorzegras a dream come true
Every time you saw him post, or saw a highlight or reel of him, your heart broke a little more. You couldn't help but miss him, even after how he broke things off with you. 
If anyone asked, you swore things broke up amicably, with the two of you smiling and wishing each other off well. You never let anyone know the heartbreak he caused, because you felt so stupid about it. He blindsided you, and if people knew how much you actually missed him… it made you feel sick. 
Despite it all you wished he could have seen you in his future. You could never be mad at him for having to follow his dreams, but the way he handled it… you hated that you still loved him so much. 
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transmascissues · 4 months
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I cannot thank you enough for your posts about top surgery. I'm hoping to get mine in a couple years. Your updates are really comforting to me, even (maybe especially) the bad stuff because it makes me feel more prepared. I hope your recovery keeps going well!
On another note, how did you decide whether to keep your nipples or not? I like how chests look with and without them, so it's hard to choose
for me there were a few factors that led me to go nipless:
the biggest thing was that when i imagined my body post-op, i naturally always saw it without nipples. that was just what felt right when i thought about how it would look — i didn’t even have to think about it, that’s just what came to mind. i figured, if i’m automatically picturing myself like that, that’s probably a good indication of what i would be happiest with.
i’ve also always had sensory issues related to my nipples. i basically wore a sports bra constantly, including when i slept, because i hated the feeling of loose fabric touching them and moving against them. so if i had kept my nipples, i would’ve ended up with either no sensation or more discomfort, not anything positive.
i really didn’t want to deal with the healing process for nipple grafts. my skin is super sensitive and finicky, so if anyone would be almost guaranteed to have problems with graft healing, god only knows it would be me. i also know i’m more prone to infection than most people, so avoiding the part of the surgery that has the highest chance of infection seemed like a good plan. on top of all that, i’m also a huge baby about having to touch any sort of injury on my body (just putting moisturizer on my mostly healed incisions was something i had to work up to), so i knew doing the graft care would be difficult for me too.
i know that i can be super picky about the way things look, especially when it comes to things like spacing and symmetry. so if i had gotten nipple grafts, i think it’s super likely that i would’ve ended up feeling like they were put in the wrong place or being bothered by any asymmetry in how they healed. obviously i wanted to pick the kind of surgery that was the most likely to give me results i would be fully satisfied with, so getting grafts despite knowing i’d probably end up nitpicking them for years to come just seemed silly.
i honestly really love the idea of having a chest that’s visibly different from a typical cis man’s chest. the goal of my transition has never been to look cis and i take a lot of pride in being recognizably trans, so having a kind of surgery that isn’t just trying to imitate what i would look like if i were cis was really appealing to me.
going without grafts is just cheaper, so given all of the other reasons i didn’t want grafts, there was just no reason for me to spend extra money on them. i want a few extra hundred dollars in my bank account way more than i want nipples.
and in hindsight, i genuinely couldn’t be happier with my decision. when i look at my chest, even now while it’s still not fully healed, it looks just like how i always imagined i would look with a flat chest and feels like the most natural thing in the world.
if you’re having trouble deciding which you like better, i would try just closing your eyes and imagining both on your body. this was one thing i did if i saw someone with grafts whose results i really liked and felt uncertain in my decision, because what i always ended up realizing was that no matter how good they looked on other people, it felt super weird imagining them on myself. in fact, most of the time i struggled to really even picture it at all.
you could also try gathering a bunch of pictures of both types of results and seeing how you feel about all of them. maybe when you look at the results with grafts, there’s only a few that you feel like you would be dissatisfied with, but when you look at results without grafts, there are a lot more that you probably wouldn’t want. or maybe it’s the other way around. like i said, you’re going to want to go with the kind of surgery you’re mostly likely to be happy with, so if you seem to be more critical of one kind of surgery’s results than the other, that can help guide your choice.
and if you really don’t feel any differently about them, consider the other factors: how do you feel about the healing process? is sensation in your nipples something you find pleasure in and would consider trying to preserve? what does the difference in cost look like for you and how important is that to you? how important is it to be able to pass as cis if necessary? and so on. your decision might end up being made based on something other than pure aesthetics and that’s totally okay.
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shadale-s-safe-space · 5 months
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I don't know much about you as a person, but from what I can gather you've had a long journey with art, but still have the motivation to continue even when its rough. I'm sure you didn't start out making masterpieces, so if its not too much trouble, do you have any advice for a 16 year old artist losing motivation? i feel like im stagnating right now and its awful
Idk man, all I can say is, draw watchu want without the care who's gonna see it or what they gonna say , commit to new ideas and care less about pleasing everyone, because I know that way too well, I started learning by drawing animals, flowers and nature, "you should draw something else", switches to furries " No you must do human portraits", draws humans *no one fuckin cares*, and I felt miserable drawing what I didn't want all the damn time just trying to please everyone and be liked, hell, I still do that sometimes cuz I'm a dumbass. When in reality, when you do your own thing is when you're the happiest, this internet bullshit? Yeah don't trust the likes and favs, people like what they find relatable, no one really knows how much time you've spent on your drawing or how much you love it, when a 5 min doodle you did could do more than a painting that took 2 whole days to complete just to be scrapped in a new speedy record, paint what you love for yourself and you only.
Don't be shy to learn new things, I have tons of stuff I don't post here cuz I know people wouldn't care about it, but here for this post, have this that I practiced when I felt too depressed to think of anything good and wanted to step back from the MD artstyle
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You'll see, you'll thrive when you draw what you want, and get yourself a drawing buddy! That way you'll stop focusing on the internet and more on each other, and each other's improvement. Tbh I struggled with that one. Since everyone I had were not into art irl, I somehow managed to find someone after 10 years of drawing alone. I honestly wanted more people to join in and make an improvement circle, but unfortunately that never happened.
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I found myself twice as productive now than ever, even though I'm not active here as much I am still drawing and making things, ofc giving you more comics! And other fun things in the future I hope.
If you're struggling to draw something just do it, man commit, i was uncomfortable drawing men and male characters for years, I've wasted so many years being "too uncomfortable" and draw a naked person like yeesh who fucking cares, it's for studying.
And ofc if you feel like you're not improving at all please, please experiment with your artstyle and try something new, please refresh your mind, I was stuck for years doing the same thing over and over, same colors, same 2px brush, drawing like a machine same shit over and over, I felt so stuck and lost, but also afraid to do something new, idk why, I guess I never felt good enough or deserving of it. I also didn't go to art school, I am NOT a professional, nor will i ever be in my opinion. Hell, me feeling like I'll never be good enough left me afraid to try and apply for art school, they were asking for sculptures, different mediums all that scary stuff and I was like, I don't.. know.. how to do those things... I can't build a portfolio in less than 3 months?!?! I don't even know how to use half of what they're asking for!!
In reality at the end of the day, art is what you make of it and no one can stop you, search for inspirations and don't be afraid to try, yes you'll fail fist 2 or 10 or hell even 100 times, but you'll come back with more knowledge than ever.
For ending I give you the most confusing drawing to ever exist [dw he's just sleeping on top of her and she's just ghasping for air but awe romance or sum lol] is it weird? Yeah but I had a fun time making it hahaha
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Idk I'm bad at putting my thoughts together, but hopefully some of this helps.
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callsign-madusa · 24 days
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it's a slow build, baby, until afterburn (64/?)
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Story banner by @bettycooper!
Pairing: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Female OC (original character) StorySummary: Some things were inevitable. Living, dying. Flying. Bradley Bradshaw never doubted he'd sit in a cockpit one day. It was inevitable. He hadn't counted on colliding with Maddie Maitland over and over for the better part of a decade until, eventually, he realized the inevitable wasn't the sky; it was her.
Overall story Rating: Mature to explicit. Spicy, vulgar language. Violence. Mature themes (war, sex). Minors do not interact. (18+ ONLY you have been warned. Back out NOW if these make you uncomfortable. You are responsible for your own content consumption.)
Notes: This story is a giant Work In Progress, and absolutely, purely, entirely self-indulgent, full of tropes, full of cheese, and a self-insert OC who I wish I could be as cool. I make no apologies. I also haven't written it in chronological order (haha sob), so hopefully, I can fill in the blanks soon so we get to the good (sexy) stuff.
Warning: VERY SLOW BURN, VERY LONG (so many words!), spoilers for Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick
Previous Chapters: Master List
____________________________________________________________
Chapter Summary: It's happening! Madusa and Rooster are getting married!
Chapter Rating: Mature for language
Warning: War, combat, PTSD. Men being sexist/misogynist. Parental emotional neglect/abuse.
Chapter Word Count: 20,335
Notes: Wow, hello. It's been a WHILE. Life, unfortunately, happened a lot in the last month. I was laid off from my job and it's been a challenge. I've been stuck between being anxious about money and spending all my time obsessing over LinkedIn job postings. I didn't write a lick for two whole weeks but I'm back on track! I'm very sorry about the wait and I thank you so much for your patience. To make up for how long it's taken to get this chapter up, have a BIG one. It's over 20k words long and is a beefy boi.
I hope you like it!
—Madusa—
She’d set her alarm for that morning, but Madusa hardly ever needed an alarm to wake. She was a natural early riser on good days, eager to hit the gym or get started on her day. She woke early on bad days, too, on days when the dreams kept her mind busy with memories and torment. Today, thankfully, wasn’t a bad day.
In fact, it was the best of days.
The happiest of days.
Today, Madusa was planning on standing up in front of her family and friends to promise herself to the love of her life. Today, Madusa and Rooster were getting married. She barely could believe she was getting married at all, let alone that the day was finally here. She smiled thinking about it.
Stretching in bed under the cozy weight of her warm and fluffy duvet, she reached for her man, frowning when she found the bed empty. His spot was cool, indicating he’d been up for a while, which was surprising; he hardly ever woke before she did. She checked the time; it was 0653 in the morning, a few minutes before her alarm was set to go off.
“Rooster?” she called out.
“Be right there, Darlin’,” he replied. “I’m in the kitchen.” Madusa heard the cling-clang of dishes and cutlery, making her wonder what he was up to.
Sitting up and ready to kick the covers off to investigate, she smiled when Rooster appeared in the doorway carrying a tray full of food. “Don’t you dare get up yet, Marine,” he warned as he set the tray down, and climbed onto the bed with her. “I made us breakfast.”
And quite the breakfast, too. There were scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast, breakfast sausages, bacon, a little fruit salad, some freshly brewed coffee, and orange juice.
Madusa grinned so widely, that she felt a giggle bubble up her chest. She never guessed anyone could be so ridiculously happy. She never thought she could ever be so happy. “Do I have breakfast in bed to look forward to every day from now on or is this one off?” She was teasing, of course. Madusa didn’t really expect this kind of treatment on the daily, though Rooster, in his goofy apron, bringing her breakfast in bed was deliciously enticing.
“If that’s what my lady wants, that’s what my lady will get.”
Chuckling, she reached for him, cupping his nape and pulling him in. Her lips brushed against his gently. “Thank you, Sunshine. You spoil me.”
“You deserve it, Sweetheart.” He brushed knuckles softly against her cheek. “I want to spoil you every single day until our last breath.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she promised. “You must have been up a while to get all of this ready.”
Rooster nodded and instructed her to dig in. He did too. “I couldn’t sleep and decided I wanted to make sure we started the day off right.”
“Couldn’t sleep? Anxious about today?” she asked between bites of scrambled egg.
“Not anxious. Excited,” he corrected. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this day my whole life.”
“You haven’t known me your whole life.” She smiled, amused.
“I know. Doesn’t matter. We were made for each other. That means I’ve been waiting for this since I was born whether I realized I was waiting for you or not.”
Her amused smile softened. She never really understood Rooster’s insistence on faith and fate—she didn’t get Gretzky’s belief in superstitions either; Madusa was pragmatic and a realist—but lately and especially when Rooster looked at her like he was sure down to his soul that they were meant to be, that they’d been made for each other, she couldn’t help believing in it too.
“What about you? How did you sleep?” he asked, as he heaped a small mountain of eggs onto a diagonal-cut piece of toast.
“Really well, actually.”
Rooster paused mid-chew, his eyebrows rose all the way up to his hairline, and his eyes widened. She couldn’t blame his surprise; she’d been having a hard time sleeping since she and Gretzky were recalled from her FAC tour. After swallowing, he asked, “Even after what happened with your mom yesterday?”
Madusa nodded as she nibbled on a piece of bacon. “Yeah,” she replied truthfully. “I’d been so anxious about what kind of bomb my mom was going to drop on us that I guess I’m relieved now that the other shoe’s dropped, you know? It’s done. It happened. Now, I can relax because I know she won’t mess up today. She might try, but I know Gretzky’s got that shit on lockdown; he’s not going to let anything ruin today, so I’m not worried anymore.”
“I won’t let anything ruin today, either,” Rooster assured. She knew that too.
Nodding, she agreed with him. “But, it’s good to have Gretzky and the others keep an eye out because I’m pretty sure you and I will be busy exchanging vows at some point,” she teased.
He chuckled. “You’re right; I won’t be paying attention to anything or anyone but you when that time comes.”
It was strange how calm she was. She’d been on edge the last few days because of her mother, and now, nothing. Madusa had also heard a lot of stories from the married ladies in her life and how they were a wrecked ball of nerves on their wedding day. Madusa wasn’t. Maybe the nerves would kick in later. Maybe she was built differently. For now, she simply enjoyed spending this last morning as an unmarried woman with the man she was destined to tie the knot with, especially since it had been a fight and a half for Rooster to have spent last night here in the first place, all because of Gretzky and this damned juju business.
“Absolutely not!” Gretzky had insisted as the group was cleaning up after the barbecue. “Are you trying to piss off the juju?! He’s not allowed to see you until the wedding and that means he can’t sleep here tonight. It’s bad luck!”
Madusa had seen that one coming, though, and was prepared for Gretzky’s juju nonsense. “Actually,” she started with some sass and confidence. “That whole tradition is bullshit. It started because of arranged marriages. Fathers were worried that if the future husband saw the bride before the wedding and he didn’t find her cute, the guy would bolt, so society created this dumb superstition to basically trap the guy. Once he lifted the veil in front of everyone, he couldn’t back out and had to go through with the marriage. Since Rooster’s already seen my face and, I presume, isn’t backing out—“
“I’m not backing out,” her beloved agreed eagerly, complete with his big, soft doe eyes and goofy grin. “I’m in. And, I love your face, by the way.” Madusa couldn’t help the pleased flush that crept up her neck and the small smile that tugged at her lips.
“Great, that’s confirmed. Since Rooster’s not backing out—“
“And, I love your face!”
“—and he loves my face, there’s no need for you to sequester him until tomorrow.” She smirked triumphantly at her best friend, crossing her arms over her chest victoriously. Gretzky hadn’t been entirely sold. His eyes narrowed at her. Before he could protest, she upped the ante. “If you don’t believe me, Google it.”
He did.
Gretzky grumbled the whole time, especially when he realized he lost this fight. “Fine,” the big Marine acquiesced. “He can stay but he won’t see the dress until it’s time for the ceremony.”
“C’mon, man!” Rooster protested.
“I’m putting my foot down!” Gretzky asserted, pointing a sharp finger at Rooster. “I mean it, Bradshaw. You will vacate these premises the second Phoenix and I get here with Madusa’s dress and that’s final. We’re not gonna do anything to tempt fate until the vows are done.” Rooster pouted at Gretzky, but her man discovered that the pout and puppy eyes didn’t have the same effect on all Marines, just on her. “Don’t look at me like that, man. I’m not Madusa. I’m not a sucker for your pretty eyes like she is.”
“Hey!” Both Rooster and Gretzky grinned at her because it was true: she was a sucker for Rooster’s pretty eyes. “Yeah, okay. I’m a sucker for his pretty eyes,” she relented at the time with a sigh.
Madusa had been staring into his pretty eyes then, and she stared into his pretty eyes now while they ate breakfast in bed. He definitely noticed because he smiled which only lit up his face and brightened those eyes she was such a sucker for.
“I like it when you look at me like that,” he admitted.
“I’ve always looked at you like that.” It was her turn for an admission. “I just never let you catch me.”
“I know it took us a real long time to finally admit it, but I meant it when I said I fell in love with you that first day at indoc.” She felt a gentle warmth bloom in the middle of her chest and a smile blossom on her lips. Before she’d admitted to herself how she felt about him, Madusa wouldn’t have believed that he fell in love with her then. Now, after allowing herself to finally open her eyes and her heart, Maddie wondered how she’d been so blind all those years. “What are you thinking about?” he asked gently when she lost herself in thought.
“Wondering how I could’ve ignored my feelings for you all those years. Everyone saw it. Hell, everyone was riding my ass about it! I don’t usually run away from anything, but I ran away from my feelings. I ran away from you.”
“It happened how it needed to happen,” Rooster reassured, cupping her cheek. She covered his hand with hers. “You needed time, and honestly, I needed time, too. We got there in the end.”
Maddie smiled. “Yeah, we got there.” She turned her head to kiss his palm sweetly. She allowed herself to bask in his presence a while longer before announcing, “I better dig into this breakfast! I doubt I’ll have the chance to eat before dinner at the reception.”
Rooster scoffed as if she’d mortally wounded him. “Madusa Maitland! What kind of husband do you take me for?” Confused, Madusa blinked as Rooster’s chest puffed out. “I cannot abide by my lady going hungry,” he explained solemnly. “In the fridge, you’ll find an ‘Emergency—Madusa Hangry’ kit. There are sliced apples with peanut butter, cut-up celery, baby carrots, and hummus.” Rooster began ticking off his fingers one by one. “There’s cheese and crackers. There’s a banana to keep your strength up. There are a few sandwiches for you and the girl squad, and—in case you need a boost of energy—full-sized Snickers. I would’ve included emergency snack tacos, but we’re having those for dinner and I didn’t have time to also make tortillas.”
With each tick of his fingers, Maddie fell in love with him a bit more. By the time he was done listing the contents of his ‘Emergency—Madusa Hangry’ kit, Madusa stared at him with wide eyes, a big smile, and an open heart. “You did all that for me?”
“Yeah.” Rooster smiled at her, looking pleased as punch. “I love taking care of you. You’ve always had to take care of yourself because of your shitty mom. You don’t always have to take care of yourself anymore; you’ve got me to take care of you, too.”
"Thank you for taking care of me.” She kissed him softly, smiling against his lips.
The pair finished off their breakfast, though it took longer than it probably should have. The lovebirds were busy smiling, laughing, and kissing between bites of eggs and sips of coffee. Eventually, the pair found themselves shoulder to shoulder at the kitchen sink, washing off that morning’s breakfast dishes when Gretzky’s truck pulled into his spot next to the house out front. Soon, Gretzky, Phoenix, and Rocksteady spilled out of the truck, each carrying vital wedding accouterments: Rocksteady carried make-up bags and shoes, Phoenix had two garment bags, and Gretzky carried a sea bag and a large garment bag of his own. Madusa was willing to put down Las Vegas money that Gretzky was carrying her wedding dress in that bag, probably to keep Rooster away from it.
As the trio walked toward the back of the house to the back door, they passed by the window above the kitchen sink. Rocksteady was going so fast, it was like she was trying to beat the world’s power walking record. As he walked past the window, Gretzky mouthed to Madusa, “Incoming.” They heard Rocksteady before seeing her.
“YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED!!!!!” A beat later, Rocksteady threw herself at both Rooster and Madusa, throwing her arms around them, hands still full of bags and shoes. The woman practically smothered them with love. “I can’t believe today’s the day!” More squeezes caused both Rooster and Madusa to chuckle at their friend’s enthusiasm. You’d think Rocksteady was the one getting married, not them. “I love you two so much!” Then, Rocksteady planted a big smooch on each of their cheeks. “Oh shit. I got lipstick all over you, boo,” she told Rooster. Rocksteady licked her thumb and tried to wipe the lipstick off Rooster’s cheek. Rocksteady knew better than to try that with Madusa.
Rooster let Rocksteady fix his cheek for about a millisecond before he swatted at her gently to fend her off. “It’s fine. You don’t have to—“ It was a futile attempt at dignity because Rocksteady was in Mama Bear mode and managed to wipe most of the smudge off his cheek.
“That color looks great on you, man,” Gretzky smirked.
“I know,” Rooster replied without missing a beat. “But the purple is gonna clash with my blue wedding shirt.” He tried to look at his reflection in the microwave window and finished the job with a paper towel. Madusa was smiling the whole time and hugging Phoenix, who’d scooted around everyone to sneak in a quick snug.
Once Rooster fixed his face, he spotted the garment bag Gretzky held. “Is that Madusa’s dress?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes,” Gretzky confirmed before pulling the garment bag to his chest like he was protecting the Hope Diamond. “Before you even try to sneak a peek at it, Phoenix and Rocksteady are both committed to body-checking you into the stove if you so much as twitch in its direction. Move at your own peril, man. Phoenix is vicious.”
Phoenix, for her part, grinned brightly and very proudly. “He’s right; I am. I’m vicious.” Madusa bumped fists with Phoenix, pleased as well.
“What about me?! I can be vicious!” Rocksteady insisted. Then Rooster hit her with puppy eyes and she capitulated. “He’s giving me cow eyes! I can’t do it!”
“Don’t worry; I won’t try to make a play for the dress,” Rooster promised. “I know Phoenix won’t hesitate to take me out.” He smirked at his best friend. “And I wouldn’t put Rocksteady in a position to have to go against the eyes.”
“Thank you,” Rocksteady told him gratefully. “I really can’t resist the cow eyes.”
Madusa watched the whole exchange with amusement for a moment before pushing off the counter. She reached for the garment bag that held her dress. “Here. Give it to me. I’ll secure it until Rooster is off the premises.”
“Good copy,” Gretzky acknowledged, handing her the bag. “When you come back, let’s run through my checklist. I don’t want to forget anything.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll get my list, too,” she told him.
This time, it was Rooster who was amused. She spotted the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Didn’t we already go over your list?” he asked.
“We did,” she confirmed with a nod. “But, it doesn’t hurt to go over it again.”
As she disappeared into the bedroom to hang the dress up, she heard Rocksteady sass, “You realize this whole checklist business is what you two signed up for, right? Checklists for life.” Madusa guessed she was addressing Rooster and Phoenix. Listen, Madusa wasn’t going to apologize for a good checklist. It was good luck for her that Gretzky was as diligent with lists as she was. It was why they ran the squadron so tightly.
When she returned, Gretzky was grumbling to himself about there being nothing wrong with checklists because that’s how things ran smoothly. Madusa let him rumble a few seconds more before waving her list. “Alright, let’s walk through this—“
“Dress, check,” Gretzky announced before she even finished speaking and checked that item off his list.
Madusa, for her part, wasn’t having it. “Hey! Why do you get to go first?!”
“Because I outrank you.”
“I’m the bride. Shouldn’t I outrank everyone?”
“No,” he stated simply. “My silver oak leaf outranks your gold oak leaf, all day, every day, in all situations.”
“Come on! I never outrank you!” she lamented. Gretzky grinned. Madsua knew that Gretzky was just fucking with her. He liked pulling rank at random, ridiculous times just to annoy her; it was something he’d learned from Moose and those two milked it for all it was worth. “Why does silver outrank gold, anyway? It’s dumb.”
“Dumb or not, it’s the way it is. Now, are we gonna get through these lists or what?”
“Fine. You go, then I go. Dress check.” Rolling her eyes, she checked the dress off her list and proceeded with the next item. “Vendors…Rooster is the vendor point of contact at the Hard Deck since I’ll be here getting ready. You’re designated secondary point of contact,” she informed Gretzky. “Rooster has all of the vendor payments portioned off in individual envelopes. You have them ready?” she asked her beloved.
“Money is ready for deployment and is tucked away safe in my go bag.” He’d prepared a bag with his wedding attire and toiletries. Rooster, Gretzky, and the others were going to meet Maverick at the Hard Deck to get the place decorated and set up; afterward, Rooster and Mav would head back to Penny’s place to get ready, while Gretzky would come back to the house. Gretzky was going to drive Madusa to the Hard Deck in the Bronco while Jackson was tapped as the chauffeur for Phoenix and Rocksteady in Gretzky’s truck. Both Madusa and Gretzky were satisfied with Rooster’s answer and checked the item off each of their lists.
“My turn,” Gretzky announced. “Decorations for the Hard Deck and Rooster’s Bronco: check. We’ve recruited Hangman, Tofu, and some of the others to help set everything up.”
Madusa nodded and crossed that item off her list before moving on to her item. “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue: check.”
“What about the sixpence for your shoe?” Gretzky asked.
The question sounded so damn absurd that Madusa’s brain literally glitched and fritzed trying to parse what the hell he meant. “What are you talking about?”
Gretzky narrowed his eyes at her and pointed. “You promised, Madusa!”
“I promised what?!”
“You promised you’d take care of gathering all the stuff you’ll need to ward off bad luck!”
“I did!”
“You didn’t!”
“I did!” she insisted. “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue!”
 “And a sixpence for her shoe,” he articulated slowly. She still didn’t follow.
“You’re saying words, but I don’t understand what they have to do with anything,” she retorted impatiently.
Gretzky threw his hands up, then looked at her like she was dancing on his last nerve. “Woman, you’re killing me here. I know you don’t believe in the juju but you promised me you’d take this seriously!”
“And I have,” Madusa protested. It was her turn to throw her hands up. She did notice that Rooster and the besties were watching and grinning but were decidedly all staying out of it. Madusa ticked off her fingers. “Something old to symbolize the transition from our old life to our new life: I’m pinning both mine and Rooster’s wings to my bouquet. Something new is my dress. Something borrowed from a woman who’s been married a while to sort of transfer that good marriage luck over is the tennis bracelet Alice wore when she and Moose got married. My something blue is my pair of Converse. See?! Done.”
“No, not done,” Gretzky insisted. “You’re still missing a sixpence!”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
“The whole saying is: ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence for her Shoe.”
“I’ve never heard that.”
“Well, it’s the saying,” Gretzky replied firmly, arms crossed over his chest.
“Have you three ever heard of this?”
Before the three even said anything, Gretzky was already on it. He’d pulled up a website on his phone and shoved the screen at her face. “See? It says right there.” And, you know what? It did. Apparently, this sixpence thing was a part of the saying but most people left it off. Madusa should have known better than to trust common knowledge and do her own research, especially since Gretzky took this juju shit to a whole other level of ridiculous.
Madusa sighed, letting her head fall back. She looked up at the ceiling and counted to ten. “Okay, so I fucked up,” she admitted. “I didn’t realize there was another part to the saying. That’s on me. I messed that up.”
“Yes, you did,” Gretzky accused. Then, he shoved a hand in his jeans pocket, and like a fucking magician, he produced some kind of coin, slapping it on the breakfast bar next to her. “But, I knew you’d mess with the juju because that’s who you are, so I had backups ready, just in case. Here’s your sixpence.”
She stared at the coin on the counter for a breath, blinked, and then looked up at her best friend. “Where did you get a sixpence? The bank or something?!”
“No,” he replied simply. “They don’t make sixpences anymore, so I got this one off eBay.”
Carefully, Madusa picked up the coin to inspect it. It had been cast in 1944, so it was World War II era, the golden age of dogfighting, in her opinion. As annoying as Gretzky’s obsession with not angering the juju was, she was touched he’d gone to such great lengths to ensure that her wedding was insulated from the juju’s fickle nature. She didn’t believe in the the whole juju-bad-luck thing, but Gretzky did; he wanted this to go off without a hitch because he was her best friend and that was what best friends did.
“Thank you,” she told him with a small, genuine smile, but because she couldn’t help teasing him a bit, she added, “You do realize that I’m not wearing shoes at the ceremony, right? Barefoot in the sand, baby!”
“What about the pair of blue Converse?” he countered.
“For the reception,” she clarified.
“Then, stick the sixpence in your shoe at the reception! Am I the only one taking the bad luck seriously, here?!”
Rocksteady snorted. Both Phoenix and Rooster smirked.
“I’m taking it seriously,” she assured. “Sixpence for my reception shoe: check.”
“Thank you.”
—Rooster—
Rooster and Gretzky were en route to the Hard Deck in the Bronco so they could decorate it for later. “Hey, man. Thanks for all the wedding logistics help,” he told Madusa’s best friend.
“I’m glad to do it,” Gretzky assured. “Anyway, I kinda owe Madusa a bit since I got married in Vegas without her last time.” The Marine frowned.
“She still hasn’t let that go, huh?”
“No. I mean…she doesn’t ride my ass about it, but I know it hurt her. Would’ve pissed me off if she ran off with you to get married without telling me, so I get it.”
“How did that even happen anyway? The Vegas wedding thing,” he asked. Madusa had always been vague which made sense since she hadn’t been present to witness the event firsthand.
Gretzky blew out a sharp sigh, eyes wide as if he were having a combat flashback. “Man, I don’t know. I was drunk, I was horny, and then when post-nut clarity set in, I dug my heels in because I didn’t want another failed marriage under my belt.”
“So…you were stubborn,” Rooster interjected with a smirk.
Madusa’s best friend nodded. “I was stubborn.”
Rooster snorted softly, shaking his head. “You and Madusa are cut from the same cloth, man.”
Grinning slightly, Gretzky shrugged. “Sort of. She’s a lot better at admitting mistakes than I am, but she definitely digs in when someone tells her not to do something. Are you ready for that? Because that’s what you’ve got to look forward to for the rest of your life.”
Flicking the turn signal, Rooster took a left as his heart tripped over itself with anticipation at the thought of spending the rest of his life with Maddie. Even though they were already together, getting married felt like the beginning of the rest of their lives. At Gretzky’s quirked, expectant eyebrow, Rooster nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready for that,” he confirmed.
“You know marriage is hard as fuck, right? I’ve been in literal combat zones, been shot at and almost blown up, and that still wasn’t as hard as my first marriage,” Gretzky told him. The man didn’t usually open up too much about the past or himself, so Rooster was surprised when he gave Rooster a few peeks behind the curtain that was Gretzky.
“Why’d you divorce your first wife?”
“She decided that being a Marine’s wife was too fuckin’ hard. And it is,” Gretzky emphasized. “It’s really hard being married to a Marine or anyone in the military, for that matter. I was gone a lot, which sucked, but it got unbearable when I lost my wingman—before Madusa’s time,” he explained. “I was grieving and angry and she couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t give up flying. We needed different things.” He shrugged. “It’s how it goes, sometimes, I guess.” Gretzky looked over at Rooster. “It’s good that you and Madusa already know what to expect. You both know it’s hard. You both know it’s dangerous. Neither of you would ask the other to give it up. It’s a good thing,” Gretzky told him with a firm nod, indicating he approved.
“You have that with Phoenix, too,” Rooster pointed out as they crossed Coronado Bridge.
When he glanced quickly at the man to his right, Rooster spotted the deep red flush creeping up Gretzky’s neck, his Ginger complexion and small smile betraying him. “Yeah, I have that with Phoenix, too.”
It didn’t take them long to reach the Hard Deck. There were already vehicles parked out front, suggesting that some of the set-up crew had arrived. Rooster recognized Maverick’s motorcycle parked in its usual spot. Coyote, Hangman, and Tofu greeted Rooster and Gretzky as they stepped inside.
“Here comes the groom,” Hangman announced jovially. He shook Rooster’s hand and slapped him on the back, bro-style.
“Can hardly believe it’s happening,” Rooster replied, smiling. Once upon a time, the two men were rivals who couldn’t stand each other; today, they were friends. Rooster knew that Hangman would never leave him hanging; he’d never leave Jake hanging either.
“I’d say it’s about damn time,” Jake sassed. “How’s your bride this mornin’?”
“She’s good,” Rooster relayed. “Though she did warn me to be on standby for an SOS extraction if Rocksteady tries to glue eyelashes to her eyeballs, so we’re all on Alert-15.” The men chuckled.
“Hey, I got something to show you.” Tofu had stepped away for a brief moment while the others were chatting. When he returned, Tofu produced a newly repaired and intact Mini-Madusa.
“You were able to fix her!”
Tofu grinned, nodding. “It didn’t take me long. The breaks were clean in the seams where I’d glued the parts together to begin with. A little glue, a few touch-ups, and she’s good as new.”
Rooster felt a lump build in his throat. He’d never seen Madusa as crushed as she had been when presenting him with the broken pieces of her mini namesake. That woman survived bombings, enemies trying to turn her into Swiss cheese, had her plane catch on fire, and she kept trucking along without breaking a sweat, but her mother breaking this small, personal representation of who she was almost took Madusa out entirely. Rooster was eternally grateful that Tofu had been able to patch her up. Rooster wanted to be the one to fix everything for her, but he realized that supporting each other wasn’t a one-person job; they needed their friends, too.
“Thank you,” he told Tofu genuinely, and then added with a cheeky grin, “My son.”
“You’re welcome, Dad.” Hangman shook his head, laughing at the two goofballs. “You think she’ll like it?”
“Madusa will love it.” Rooster was confident of that. “You did good.” Tofu’s proud grin could probably power up all of Coronado if they hooked him up to the power grid. Looking around, he noticed that they were sorta missing someone. “Where’s Mav?”
“He’s in the back moving things around for Penny,” Coyote supplied.
“Let’s go help them,” Rooster said, eager to get this place set up and decorated. Hangman, Coyote, and Tofu all shook their heads. “Why are we not helping them?”
“Penny told us to cool our heels; apparently, Maverick put his phone on the bar, and…you know how that goes,” Hangman replied, chuckling.
Gretzky barked a laugh. Rooster shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. When was Maverick gonna learn? The men heard a commotion coming from the back; it was Maverick, carrying a giant stack of folding chairs while Penny gave him marching orders.
“You put your phone on the bar again?!” Rooster asked incredulously.
“It was an accident,” Maverick assured.
“An accident that happens a lot,” Rooster pointed out.
“What can I say: I gaze into my woman’s eyes and I forget everything else. Including the rules.”
Penny seemed quite amused. “Sure, Pete. It’s all because I smiled at you.”
“It’s true!” That was Mav’s story, and he was sticking to it. “One smile, that’s all it takes.”
“Really? Maybe we should test your theory.” With a little shit-eating, crooked grin aimed right at Maverick, she asked, “What’s the start-up procedure of a Tomcat?”
“That’s not fair,” Mav retorted.
“Why not?”
“I can do that in my sleep! It’s muscle memory. The phone on the bar isn’t muscle memory,” Maverick reasoned.
“Make it muscle memory,” Penny retorted then smacked Mav on the ass. “Now, get back to work, Sailor.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Now that Penny had made her point about the rules, the rest of the gathered-up aviators helped Maverick with the rest of the chairs. They were going to hold the ceremony out on the beach outside the Hard Deck and move inside for the reception. They arranged the folding chairs in two columns, with an aisle in between, all facing the ocean. At the front, the men set up a wooden arch that Madusa had ordered for the wedding. Once the florist arrived with the flowers, they’d attach the floral decorations to it.
As they worked, Maverick kept glancing at Rooster and smiling. Ordinarily, it would likely drive Rooster crazy, because it was obvious Maverick wanted to say something, but today, it didn’t. It was nice having Maverick here to share this day. For the longest time, Rooster had kept Maverick at arm’s length; he’d made peace with not having him around for the major milestones of his adult life. Now that Mav was here, though, today, on Rooster’s wedding day, he was so damn glad they’d patched things up. He couldn’t imagine today without Mav. It was hard enough without his parents and Ice.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” Rooster said, voicing his thoughts out loud. He felt like Maverick deserved to hear them.
“I’m really glad you want me here.” They fell into a comfortable silence as they worked until Maverick asked, “So? Are you nervous?”
“About what?”
“Getting married.”
“Nope.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Not even a little nervous?”
“Not even a little.”
“Most people are nervous before getting married,” Maverick said as if he were pointing out some obscure fact Rooster didn’t know.
“Yeah,” he agreed since it was something he’d heard and been told. “But I’m not nervous.” When Maverick quirked a brow and narrowed his eyes, studying Rooster intently, Rooster rolled his eyes and threw his hands up. “Man, I sat in the backseat of a stolen Tomcat with you while enemy fighters were actively trying to shoot us down. Compared to that, getting married is a piece of cake. I’m not nervous.”
“Huh.”
“What is it?” Rooster pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Nothing.”
“You just said, ‘Huh’ like it was something.”
“I mean…I’m a little surprised, that’s all.”
“Why? I love Madusa. She’s the love of my life. We’re getting married.”
“Sure.” Maverick nodded, but Rooster could tell he wasn’t satisfied with that answer; he could practically see the hamsters going Mach 10 on Maverick’s internal hamster wheel of a brain.
“What is it, now?” he asked with a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you say nothing…”
“It’s just that I remember your dad telling me how nervous he was when he married your mom and she was the love of his life too.”
Rooster straightened, smiling a bit. “Really?” He loved hearing stories about his dad and ones from Maverick were rare gems that Rooster was always eager to gobble up since, through the years, Maverick had a hard time talking about his best friend. He did, of course, when Rooster asked, but Rooster had learned young that asking definitely caused pain so he stopped after a while unless it was something that his curiosity couldn’t let go. Lately, Maverick talked about Rooster’s dad a lot more, and without prompting. There wasn’t as much sadness and guilt anymore when he did.
Grinning, Maverick nodded. He looked up and far away; Rooster recognized it as Maverick scanning his memory banks for the scene in question. “Yeah, he said he was so damn nervous that he threw up about six times on his way to the courthouse,” he recounted, laughing. “He had to make an emergency pit stop to shine his shoes so he wouldn’t stand there with his breakfast on his laces while he and your mom said their vows.” Rooster laughed, too.
“Why was he so nervous? Was he having second thoughts or something?” He didn’t think his dad would’ve had second thoughts, not about Rooster’s mom, but it seemed to be the most rational explanation.
“Nah, he wasn’t having second thoughts but he was worried your mom would come to her senses and pull a runaway bride thing. I kept thinking how dumb that was because Carole was crazy about him—and even told him so!—but he kept insisting that until the rings were on and the vows were spoken, anything could happen and that’s why he was worried.”
“Huh.” That was exactly what Maddie said when she was worried about her mother trying to blow up the wedding. Maverick quirked a brow, a silent inquiry into Rooster’s own ‘Huh.’ Rooster waved him off. “Madusa said something similar when she was worried about her mom messing things up.”
Maverick’s head tilted as he considered. “Sounds like a reasonable sentiment considering her mother’s behavior,” he reasoned.
Nodding, Rooster agreed, though added, “I just find it weird that it was almost word for word what my dad said.”
“I’m sure it’s a coincidence.”
“Maybe.” Rooster didn’t really believe in coincidences. He learned under the tutelage of Carole Bradshaw, a firm believer in fate, destiny, and all things being meant to be. He was sure if he mentioned it to Madusa, she’d firmly stand in the camp of coincidences, but to Rooster, it felt like it was something that connected his parents to him and Madusa. It was something that, to him, meant his Dad and Mom were watching over her somehow. If anyone needed loving parents to watch over her, it was Madusa.
Mav definitely spotted the way Rooster was hedging his bets. “If it’s not a coincidence,” he started tentatively, “then it’s a good sign because according to Goose, Carole showed up on time looking radiant, they got married, and his shoes were the only casualty.” Rooster snorted.
They’d just finished putting together the final joint on the arch when someone called out to them.
“Hey, hey, chucklefucks!” the tall, older man greeted. Immediately, Maverick groaned while Rooster grinned wide. The man walked over with arms wide open wearing a pair of khaki Bermuda shorts, a brightly patterned Hawaiian shirt (as per the wedding dress code), and a pair of aviators. In the man’s youth, he’d had a shock of healthy hair. Nowadays, his hair was white at the temples and darker salt and pepper up top. He still had the cocky smirk though.
“Slider!” Rooster greeted. He slapped a palm in Slider’s hand, shaking it once before Slider pulled him in for a big hug. “I wasn’t sure you were gonna make it, man, since you missed the barbecue yesterday.”
Slider ruffled Rooster’s hair a bit before shoving his head playfully. “I just got in. Had enough time to check in to my hotel, take a shower, and get dressed. Told those Washington politician fucks to shove it up their asses because my nephew was getting married.” Rooster’s heart swelled with warmth. Nephew.
Vice Admiral Ron ‘Slider’ Kerner held no love for politicians, despite the fact he had to handle them daily as the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command. NAVAIR, as it was known, handled support of aircraft and airborne weapons systems for the Navy. They dealt with procurement, testing, maintenance, and lifecycles of aircraft and weapons hardware, as well as training and maintenance facilities. Pretty much, he kept the Navy’s aircraft airborne by ensuring logistics support, and usually, that meant getting politicians to loosen the purse strings. Slider always described it as an unwinnable battle with red tape, and that, if he ever had the chance to fly again, he’d snap up the opportunity in a second. Being an Admiral, apparently, wasn’t all fun and games.
Eventually, Slider crossed his arms over his chest and stared Maverick down with a quirked brow. Rooster had seen this stand-off numerous times over the years. They both glared and grumped and postured, but deep down, Rooster knew they respected the hell of each other. Rooster remembered watching their showdowns with Ice growing up. Bradley had been upset that his uncles were being mean to each other; Iceman just slung an arm around Bradley’s shoulders and pointed out how it was a show of affection in a way.
“See the way Slider’s eyes are crinkled like he’s laughing even though he looks like he’s frowning? And how Maverick’s mouth is fighting a smile? They’re just pretending to be mean to each other, buddy.”
“But, if they like each other, why are they saying mean things? Why do they have to pretend?”
“Some people find it hard to tell people that they care about them, so they find other ways to show it.” When Ice smiled at him then, it was kind and warm. “You’re really good at telling and showing people you care about them; don’t ever lose that, Bradley.”
“I won’t,” young Bradley had promised his uncle Ice.
When he was little, Rooster hadn’t really understood all that well the reason Mav and Slider shit-talked all the time, but as he grew up, and as he rose through military ranks, he got it. It wasn’t always the healthiest way to work through feelings and affection, but sometimes, when you saw and experienced the unthinkable with someone, you developed a dark sense of love and belonging, the toughest of unbreakable bonds. He saw it constantly in the way Madusa and Gretzky gave each other shit but would quite literally die for each other.
So, even though Slider and Maverick postured and pretended to dislike each other’s presence, Rooster knew better. They were ride or die, especially now that both had lost their best friend.
“You sure you took a shower because—“ Maverick leaned in, and made an exaggerated show of sniffing.
Slider shoved Maverick’s shoulder hard. “Keep it up, shit-for-brains, and I’ll bust you down to Commander.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time; that just means they won’t try to promote me to Admiral and I get to fly longer.”
“You’re an asshole,” Slider accused.
“Birds of a feather, yadda, yadda, yadda.” Maverick rolled his hand to indicate the ‘yadda’ could go on forever. Eventually, both men broke from the folly, grinned at each other, and hugged tightly. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, man. Better occasion than the last time we had a family reunion.” The last time the three were together had been Iceman’s funeral. Slider managed to catch all the red-eye flights to arrive just in time, able to honor his friend by smashing his own set of wings on Ice’s casket. Slider looked Rooster over up and down. When he seemed satisfied, he nodded. “Figures you’d ditch the uniform and go with the Hawaiian shirt look for this shindig.”
Rooster beamed brightly. “It was my lady’s idea, actually.”
Slider’s eyebrow rose up. “Really? From what I saw in her service record, I thought she’d be the straight-laced, uniform type.”
“You’ve read her service record?!”
“Yeah,” Slider replied as if his pulling Madusa’s service record was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ve been keeping an eye on what she’s been up to since you first mentioned her way back when you were at Indoc. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d ever get your hand off your stick long enough to get with her, but you proved me wrong, kid.”
He had no idea that Slider had been monitoring Madusa’s career. He kinda figured that he, Ice, and Maverick had been monitoring Rooster’s, for obvious reasons, but he wasn’t sure Madusa would love the news that one of Rooster’s uncles went poking around her files.
“Isn’t that, I don’t know, an abuse of power or something?!”
“Probably,” Slider replied easily. He didn’t even seem sorry for it. “So, when do I get to finally meet this lady of yours, huh? Mav, here, says I better gird my loins before I do because she’s feisty.”
“Don’t call her feisty,” Maverick warned, with a slight shake of his head before Rooster could do the same.
“Why not?! That’s what you called her!” Slider pointed a finger at Maverick.
“Yeah, but I don’t call her that to her face because she warned me not to. She vetoed spunky and sassy, too, and honestly, I’m a little scared of her, so I fall in line.”
Slider snorted. “Scared of her?! What’s she gonna do, kick my ass? I’m an Admiral! I outrank her.” Oh boy. Slider was gonna have a hard time with Madusa if he didn’t curb that attitude.
Maverick shook his head again. “Yeah…she won’t care that you’re an Admiral. She smacked down Cyclone in a ready room filled with two full squadrons, Warlock, and a Marine Corps General. Your two stars won’t stop her. In fact, I think your stars would probably encourage her to smack you down harder.” That got Slider’s attention because Cyclone was no pushover. Well, with most people, he wasn’t a pushover. For some reason, Admiral Simpson couldn’t control Maverick, and, well, no one could push Madusa around.
Rooster grinned with unashamed pride. “My lady kicks ass,” he announced, pleased.
Slider’s eyebrows were all the way up to where his hairline used to be. “Yeah, you’re definitely Goose’s kid.” Rooster shrugged because there was no use in denying it. “I look forward to meeting her. She sounds like like an impressive woman,” Slider finally said with a kind smile.
“She is,” Rooster replied, smiling softly. The trio went back inside where Gretzky intercepted them. “Hey! The place looks great!” They’d moved around tables and hung up some balloons and decorations, though they didn’t need to do that much to begin with; they all loved the aviation theme Penny had going here.
Gretzky grinned. “Yeah, the boys did good. Bronco’s all dolled up, too.”
“Nice. Hey, this is Vice Admiral Kerner. He was Admiral Kazansky’s RIO when they flew with my dad and Maverick.”
Immediately, Gretzky snapped a quick salute because even though they weren’t in uniform, you saluted higher-ranking officers unless you knew them personally. Slider saluted in return and then the men shook hands.
“Admiral,” Gretzky greeted.
“Slider’s fine.” Gretzky nodded in acknowledgment.
“Lieutenant Colonel Camden,” he said, introducing himself. “But, you can call me Gretzky.”
“Good to meet you.”
“You too. Listen, I look forward to talking to you later to find out all the crazy shit this guy’s done—“ He pointed at Maverick who blinked. Rooster suspected that, despite the evidence to the contrary, Maverick did not consider anything he did to be ‘crazy.’ Rooster didn’t even try to hide his amusement. “—but I need to talk to this one for a minute.” He motioned toward Rooster.
“What’s up, man?”
“Caterer and florist have just arrived so you need to sync with them for payment. Penny’s already got the caterer going in the kitchens and the boys are helping the florist unload. We’ll get the arch decorated while you and Maverick fuck off to shower and get ready. Then, you need to come back here to start receiving guests so I can head to Madusa’s, take my own shower, and drive your bride back.”
“You know the bride?” Slider asked since he hadn’t been read in on who, exactly, Gretzky was.
Gretzky smirked, nodding. “Yeah. Madusa’s been my wingman for, like, seven years and she’s my XO.”
“Ah, so she’s your best friend.” Slider nodded knowingly. As an aviator, you spent the most time with your wingman or backseater, and often, that meant friendships forged through hell that only an act of God could split apart.
“Yeah, she’s my best friend,” Gretzky agreed with a fond smile. “She’s a pain in the ass, but my best friend.”
“I think ‘pain in the ass’ is a requirement for best friends,” Slider pointed out. Gretzky barked a laugh. Maverick snorted. Rooster smiled because Phoenix could definitely be a pain in his ass sometimes, and Rooster suspected vice versa.
Once Rooster got sorted with the caterer and the florist, he headed to Penny’s with Slider riding with him in the decorated Bronco; they followed Mav’s motorcycle. Slider complained the whole five-minute drive about sitting in a decorated wedding car. “It’s giving me PTSD flashbacks to all of my weddings,” he complained.
“Man, it’s your own fault for getting married four times.”
“What can I say? I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Maybe next time, just date instead of heading to the altar.”
Rooster sent Maverick to shower and get ready first while he caught up with Slider. “So, come on. What happened with Cheryl?” Cheryl was the fourth ex-Mrs. Kerner. They hadn’t really talked about it the last time they saw each other because they had other things on their minds at Ice’s funeral; Rooster could tell Slider didn’t want to talk about it much today, either. He kicked Slider’s chair to nudge him into sharing; they were sitting at the kitchen table while waiting for Mav.
“You don’t want to talk about my fourth failed marriage on your wedding day, kid,” Slider finally said.
“I do, so tell me.”
“What’s there to say? I was an asshole. I worked too much, I didn’t spend enough time with her, and I took her for granted. She deserves better and told me so. End of story.”
Sighing, Rooster shook his head. “You know, you self-sabotage almost as much as Maverick does.”
“Yeah,” Slider agreed with a nod. “But, it looks like he’s finally got his head on straight with Penny. Let’s hope it sticks.”
“You don’t think it will?”
“I think that when you get to be mine and Maverick’s age, you’re set in your ways and it’s real hard to steer that boat in a different direction.” Rooster frowned. “Look, I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I am saying that men like us? We can’t stop moving. We can’t stop looking for the next adventure because if we do, we die.” It was Slider’s turn to frown. He fell into a heavy silence before finally saying, “They’re forcing me to retire next year.”
Rooster’s eyes widened, though he shouldn’t be surprised. Three-star Admirals were very rare for a reason. The military only had a certain number of three-star ranks available throughout the entire forces and those available slots were mandated by law. To encourage the upward mobility of younger officers, they usually enforced mandatory retirements of older ones, especially at the higher, more coveted ranks. “How do you feel about that?”
“I feel like when they take my uniform, I’m gonna fuckin’ die.”
“You won’t,” Rooster assured.
“It feels like I will. The Navy’s been my whole life. I don’t know who I am without it. I kinda get why Maverick’s been such a pain in the ass all these years. If you don’t move up, you still get to fly. If you don’t move up, they won’t force you out until you hit sixty-two, maybe sixty-four if they allow deferral. He’s still got a good five to seven years to go, and I’m washed up.”
“You’re not washed up,” Rooster insisted. “With your credentials, you can get any private sector job you want.”
Slider made a face like he just ate shit. “Private sector. I’d have to report to some snot-nosed Millenial.”
“I’m a snot-nosed Millenial!”
“Yeah, rest my case,” Slider said seriously before smirking at Rooster, an indication he was yanking his chain, at least about the Millenial part. Then, something behind Rooster caught Slider’s attention and had him laughing out loud so hard that he almost slid onto the floor. Rooster twisted in his chair to see what took Slider out.
Oh my god.
“Maverick. What. The. Fuck.”
Freshly showered and shaved, Maverick had rejoined them in the kitchen. Rooster had thought the man would’ve been dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, as per the wedding dress code; he wasn’t. Rooster should have anticipated Maverick’s bullshit, but somehow, had not.
Maverick was dressed in black shoes, black slacks, and a black, short-sleeved clergy shirt, complete with a white collar, looking like a priest and grinning from ear to ear. Slider was practically shrieking.
“Call me Reverend Maverick!”
“No,” was all Rooster said.
“But, I’m a Reverend now!“
“I said no!”
“The Internet said I was a Reverend. I think you should respect the Internet here.”
“Maverick, I swear to GOD—“
“You asked me to officiate,” Maverick accused, pointing at Rooster.
“Yeah! Wearing a Hawaiian shirt, like the rest of us!”
“You didn’t say that about the shirt.”
“I didn’t think I had to!”
“Well, now you know what happens when you assume. It makes an ass out of—“
“Out of you. You’re the only ass here.” Slider had not stopped laughing. His face was so red at this point, Rooster was worried they may actually need to call paramedics. “Will you just get changed, please?!”
“But, I bought all this specifically for the wedding—“
“You know what? I’m gonna call Madusa—“
“Don’t do that. Don’t call Madusa.”
Rooster had his phone out, threatening Maverick’s life with a finger ready to tap on Madusa’s contact. “Are you gonna change?”
“I’m changing! I’m changing!” Maverick assured quickly, holding his hands up in surrender because no one wanted to be in Madusa’s line of fire, especially not on her wedding day.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Reverend Maverick,” Slider gasped between fits of laughter. “Classic.”
Rooster pinched the bridge of his nose for even having to deal with Maverick and Slider’s shenanigans. Despite all of it, he wouldn’t trade these two assholes for anything.
—Madusa—
The photographer had been here for a while, snapping behind-the-scenes pictures of the ladies getting ready. Madusa liked the photog, a friend of Alice’s who’d been nice enough to accept the gig on short notice. Of course, it helped they were getting married on a Sunday, not a Saturday like most people, which meant Kristy had been free for this assignment. Kristy was pleasant, super smart, and took Madusa’s comfort levels into consideration which meant no pictures of Madusa moisturizing or anything like that.
Rocksteady had been tapped for make-up duty while Phoenix’s job was to be Madusa’s moral support when dodging Rocksteady’s stash of glitter. “No glitter!” Madusa asserted.
“But, it’ll look so cute! You’ll be shimmering under the sun like a living, breathing diamond!”
“I’ll also end up finding glitter in everything until I die. Glitter never goes away. You think you’ve found all of it, but you never do. It lingers and hides until it reappears suddenly on your uniform, and then it’ll migrate to your face, all while you’re in a briefing with high-ranking officers!”
“That feels very specific,” Rocksteady pointed out. “Like you did not pluck that story out of thin air.”
“Because that’s exactly what happened last time you threw glitter on me!”
“Last time I threw glitter on you was during a Fleet Week years ago!”
“Correct! And then, three months later, I’m in a room with Moose and Gretzky and a damn General and I was sparkling.” Madusa made a diagonal chopping motion in the air. “No glitter!”
Rocksteady pouted. “You’re no fun, you know that?”
“I’m aware.”
“You know what? It’s fine. I can make you shine without glitter. Now, sit your ass down so I can work on the masterpiece that is your face!”
At some point, Tommy, his wife Melissa, and the girls arrived so Payton could get ready with the rest of the grown-up ladies. Ariel was already all dressed up as the most perfect (and rambunctious) Fairy Unicorn Princess. She wore a pink and purple tulle dress with a unicorn face appliqué sewn on the bodice. Ariel had been the one to pick out the dress herself from the department store website. It was a little over the top and did not fit at all with the floral and tropical theme she and Rooster had chosen but Madusa didn’t care. Ariel squealed when she saw the dress so that was the dress Madusa got her because, ultimately, she wanted Ariel to have fun. Her niece paired the dress with a set of sheer, pink fairy wings, light-up sneakers, and, as the pièce de resistance, a sparkly headband with a bedazzled unicorn horn glued right onto it.
She was the very epitome of a Fairy Unicorn Princess.
When she got there, Payton, however, was dressed in sporty shorts and a t-shirt, opting to wait until everyone changed into their wedding clothes to slip into hers. The wedding dress code was casual with Hawaiian shirts or floral dresses and prints. Maddie had promised Payton she didn’t have to wear a dress if she didn’t want to, and Payton took her up on it. Instead of selecting a sundress, Payton had opted for a cute, breezy romper with a shirred bodice, short sleeves, and flowing shorts that came down to above her knee. The floral pattern she’d chosen was a bit retro, with pink and orange flowers and turquoise accents. It really fit her style, but most importantly, it fit into Payton’s personal comfort levels. When it came down to make-up, she asked Rocksteady to keep it simple.
“The natural look,” Rocksteady agreed with a nod. “I got you, babygirl.” Tommy was also grateful for less make-up; Madusa suspected he wasn’t ready for his little girl to grow up yet. He better get with the program soon because Payton was growing up fast.
At one point, Madusa was becoming aggravated with this one wisp of hair that kept falling into her eyes no matter the amount of hairspray Rocksteady hit it with. Phoenix shoved some cheese under her nose and that did the trick; Madusa always became annoyed with everything and everyone when she was hangry. Gretzky arrived with the bouquets and flower crown not long after she finished munching on the emergency hangry snacks Rooster had prepared for her.
“Hey shithead, how you holding up?”
“Phoenix just fed me so the Madusa nuclear reactor has been shut down and I’m now operating within normal parameters.”
“Nice. Food always does the trick.”
“It does. We should all thank my future husband for his foresight. How’s he doing, by the way?” she asked her best friend.
“Hasn’t stopped grinning like a loon or bouncing off the walls with excitement. The man’s real eager to lock you down.”
Madusa felt a girly little giggle bubble up which was so unlike her. The thought of Rooster being excited and happy about marrying her just made her so damn happy that she could barely control the giggles.
Gretzky spotted her euphoria and smiled fondly. He let her bask in it for a beat before telling her, “Lemme know when you’re dressed and I’ll bring in the flowers for your hair.”
“Thanks, asswipe.”
“Don’t mention it, dipshit.”
Madusa, the besties, and Payton all finished up with their hair and make-up. Payton hadn’t been sure how she wanted to style her hair.
“Are you putting yours up or down?” she asked Maddie tentatively.
“I’m leaving mine down in waves.”
“I’ll do that too,” Payton announced shyly.
When Rocksteady was styling Payton’s hair in soft, long waves, Phoenix commented on how Payton looked up to Madusa. “She wants to be just like you. It’s really cute,” Phoenix said quietly as they chatted while Rocksteady entertained Payton in the stylist chair.
Madusa’s chest bloomed with such love and warmth. “I love that kid so much.” Phoenix nodded with a soft, kind smile.
The two women chatted quietly until it was their turn in the stylist's chair before dressing. Rocksteady was an absolute knockout in a breezy mint green chiffon dress with a deep plunging neckline and long flowing sleeves which was a bit of a departure from her usual preference for skin-tight and sparkling. Her dress’s skirt was pleated and hypnotizing when she twirled. The bodice wowed with pretty pressed appliqués of pink wildflowers. Her long, braided hair had been twisted in a loose bun on top of her head and fastened with sparkling beaded clips. Rocksteady planned on adding real flowers to her hair to compliment the bling. Her make-up was flawless and shimmered with a pretty, deep pink lip.
For her dress, Phoenix had chosen a form-fitting bright, almost neon pink floral with green leaf accents; it was an asymmetrical number with one shoulder strap and a low back. The chiffon fabric was draped diagonally to give the illusion of gathering up top at her shoulder while accentuating her figure and curves. Instead of a long floor-length skirt like Rocksteady, Phoenix’s dress was cocktail length, which showed off her incredible calves. Since she was still sporting a bob after cutting her hair on deployment, she had Rocksteady slick it back in a sleek and sophisticated look with striking bright pink lips to up the wow factor. She was breathtaking.
Madusa’s ladies looked fucking phenomenal and Gretzky voiced it as soon as Phoenix opened the door to call him in for the hair flowers.
“Wow,” Gretzky gasped.
“Do you like it?” Phoenix asked as she smoothed out the front of her dress. Madusa couldn’t see Phoenix’s smile, but she recognized it from her tone, both pleased and giddy she got such a reaction from her man.
“Yeah,” Gretzky breathed, still sounding stunned.
“Are you going to bring the flowers in?” she asked him, sounding amused.
“What?” Gretzky’s brain was obviously glitching, eyes glued to Phoenix.
“The flowers? We need the flowers for Maddie’s hair,” Phoenix clarified slowly.
When Gretzky was still struck unmoving, she laughed, reached for him, kissed his cheek, and whispered something in his ear. He cleared his throat sharply; Madusa caught a glimpse of Gretzky’s beet-red face over Phoenix’s shoulder. “Good copy,” was all he replied.
“Did you break Gretzky?” Madusa accused with a laugh when Phoenix left the door and rejoined them. “What did you say to him?”
“Not for young ears,” she replied with a pleased, sassy smirk, eyes darting toward Payton to indicate whatever she told Gretzky had not been PG-13.
“Come on! I never get to hear the good stuff,” Payton pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. As much as Payton kept insisting she wasn’t a kid anymore, the whole pout and stance only made her seem so young still. Maddie sympathized, having been a curious thirteen-year-old girl herself once, but ultimately, she didn’t want her brother to kill her for exposing his kid to R-rated content.
It didn’t take too long for Gretzky to come back with a box that held Madusa’s pretty flower crown, everyone’s bouquets, and some extra flowers for the ladies’ hair if they wanted some splashes of color. When it came to the flowers, Madusa hadn’t been picky at all. She told the florist to put together rustic-looking bouquets with whatever flowers were in season, no specific color scheme since they were going with Hawaiian shirts and florals anyway. The florist had delivered nicely with pretty wildflower bouquets of all colors and a delicate and pretty crown made of Baby’s Breath and other white flowers, accented with green leaves.
As soon as Gretzky walked in with the box, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Madusa all made up in her dress. His eyes widened and he smiled the biggest smile she’d ever seen Gretzky smile in the seven years she’d known him. Then, he blinked real quick, looked away, and coughed in a way that Madusa could only surmise was a distraction, which surprised her.
“Are you crying?” she asked him, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat herself. Gretzky didn’t cry. Gretzky was stoic and stone-faced. And yet, there he was, blinking away emotion right in front of her.
“No.” He swiped at his eyes, stood up tall, and tried to glare at her, but she was onto him.
“You are! You’re crying!” Madusa accused, pointing at him sharply, and now she felt her eyes prickle, just a little.
“Shut up!” Gretzky warned her.
She approached her best friend, caught between wanting to tease him and hug him. The hug won out. “Give me this box,” she told him and set it aside. “Come here.” Madusa pulled her big brick wall of a Marine best friend into a hug. He hugged her right back. “Why are you crying?” she asked kindly.
He smooshed his face against her shoulder. “Because you’re getting married,” he admitted, though it sounded a bit muffled. “You’re finally letting yourself be happy.”
Madusa nodded. “Yeah,” she agreed softly, smiling. “I am.” Gretzky squeezed her tighter. She wasn’t sure how long they hugged, but it was as long as they needed. When she pulled back, she looked up at her best friend. “Thank you,” she told him.
“For what? Crying like a baby all over your dress?”
He wasn’t really making eye contact so she ducked down to look him in the eyes. “For being my wingman all these years. For having my back without question. For wanting me to be happy.”
Gretzky shrugged a little. It was an absolute trip to see how shy such a usually confident dude could be. “You’re my best friend,” he replied simply because that alone explained everything.
Smiling, Madusa nodded. “You’re mine,” she told him softly. “I want you to be happy too. Don’t take Phoenix for granted and don’t let her go.” She’d whispered her request for his ears only.
“I won’t,” he agreed with a small smile and a nod. “Promise.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to it.” Then, because she had to, Madusa added, “Shithead.”
He grinned. “Dipshit.”
“Maddie, we’re running late,” Phoenix told her after giving her and Gretzky a few minutes to talk best friend to best friend. They weren’t really running late under normal time standards, but under Madusa Standard time, they were five minutes behind schedule. Madusa nodded, to indicate good copy. It didn’t take them too long to affix the delicate crown of flowers atop her head. She pinned her and Rooster’s first pair of wings to the ribbon holding her bouquet together, the very wings they’d pinned on each other years ago, and was ready to hit the road.
Madusa and Rooster were getting married.
At last.
—Rooster—
It was almost time.
Rooster, Mav, and Slider had returned to the Hard Deck with both Rooster and Maverick freshly showered. Maverick had, thankfully, changed out of the clergy get-up and into a fun, sky-blue Hawaiian shirt with a cloud and fighter jet print which only confirmed to Rooster that Maverick had planned on the Hawaiian shirt all along but could not resist the dumb Reverend joke. Rooster didn’t mind, not really. In the grand scheme, he found it funny; he’d only been insistent on Maverick changing because Rooster wanted today to be perfect for Madusa. She deserved her perfect wedding day.
Once they arrived back at the Hard Deck, Rooster took over for Gretzky, who needed to bring the flowers over to Madusa’s, take a shower, and get changed himself before driving Madusa back to the ceremony in Rooster’s Bronco.
Rooster handed over the keys. “Please take care of my Baby.”
Amused, Gretzky asked, “Your Baby? The Bronco or Madusa?”
“The Bronco,” Rooster confirmed. “Madusa’s my Lady and my Lady can absolutely handle herself, but the Bronco needs a lot of TLC. Plus, the Bronco was my dad’s, and…” He let the thought trail and simply repeated it. “It was my dad’s.” That was all that needed to be said. Gretzky nodded solemnly, took the keys, and promised to bring both the Bronco and Rooster’s Lady back in one piece.
“I think Madusa would kill me before you could even get your hands on me if I dinged the Bronco. I’ll take care of it.” Madusa loved the Bronco almost as much as Rooster did.
With Gretzky gone, there was a changing of the guard to allow Hangman, Tofu, and Coyote to freshen up before the ceremony. Ghost, Bob, Fanboy, and Omaha arrived, taking up sentry at the door to prevent Madusa’s mom from any incursion, and to greet the arriving wedding guests. Rooster had taken up his own welcoming party position near the bar with Maverick and Slider. Their little receiving line grew when Moose arrived with his family and grew again when Warlock and Cyclone arrived. There were a whole lot of brass stars congregating together suddenly, and for a moment, Rooster was struck awed that he and Madusa were so well-respected that their small, informal ceremony included three Admirals and a General. It would’ve been four Admirals if Ice were still with them.
As the Admiralty Board and the General were chatting away, Maverick stood solidly at Rooster’s side the whole time.
“She’s not late,” Maverick pointed out when Rooster checked his watch for the millionth time.
“I know.”
“Then, stop checking your watch.”
“I can’t. It’s like time is ticking so slowly right now. Sometimes, I blink and I can’t believe years have gone by, but today, one minute feels like a century.”
Maverick tried not to smile but failed. “You’ve always been impatient when you’re excited.”
“I can’t help it,” Rooster protested, then checked his watch again.
“It hasn’t even been thirty seconds since you checked it last time!”
“It doesn’t matter! I’m gonna check it every thirty seconds until she gets here!”
“Okay, give me the watch.” Maverick held out his hand. Rooster looked at it like it was gonna bite. “Give me the watch, Rooster.”
“No.”
“You’re not going to relax and enjoy yourself if you’re obsessing over the time so…give it.”
“No, I’m not giving you the watch.” He checked it again.
“Why not?”
“Because.” When Maverick quirked a brow at him, making it clear that ‘because’ wasn’t an appropriate answer, Rooster sighed. “Because I feel naked without my watch.”
“You’re not naked,” Maverick pointed out astutely since Rooster was, in fact, fully clothed.
“I know I’m not naked. I said I feel naked.”
“Naked?! Who’s naked?” Slider asked, butting into their conversation. Rooster groaned because now the other Admirals and Moose were listening in.
“No one’s naked,” Rooster said in such a way to indicate the conversation was over.
The conversation was not over. “I told Rooster to give me his watch so he’d stop obsessing over the time but he said he feels naked without it,” Maverick supplied like a snitch.
Slider smirked. “Checking the watch, huh? Is our boy getting cold feet?” Slider slung an arm around Rooster and smacked him on the chest in good nature.
“No,” Rooster replied vehemently. “I’m not getting cold feet.”
“Why are you obsessed with the watch, then?” Slider asked, pressing Rooster’s button.
“I’m checking the time, as one does, when one owns a watch,” Rooster sassed. Slider snorted.
“’As one does?’ Why are you talking like that?”
“I’m making a point.”
“Which is?”
Maverick interpreted for him. “He’s going to keep checking the time until Madusa gets here,” he said simply to the congregated group of senior officers.
“You’re worried she’ll pull a runner on you,” Slider accused entirely incorrectly.
“No. I’m not worried about that either!”
“Then, give Mav the watch,” Slider practically dared.
“I don’t wanna give Maverick the watch!”
Slider considered him for a beat, appraising Rooster up and down. “You know what you need?” he asked even though Rooster hadn’t asked for his opinion. Slider didn’t wait for an answer. “You need a drink.”
“I don’t need a drink,” Rooster insisted. He wanted to check his watch real bad, but refrained because so many superior officers’ (amused) eyes were on him.
“You need to relax,” Slider countered. “I’m not saying you should get sloshed but a drink might calm you down.”
“I am calm.”
“Kid, you’re wound up tighter than DC red tape.” Slider reached over the bar, grabbed a bottle of amber liquid, and poured it into an empty glass. He slid it over to Rooster. “Drink up; it’ll calm the nerves.”
“I’m not nervous, either,” Rooster told his uncle. When Slider wasn’t convinced, Rooster threw his hands up. “Man, what do you want from me? I’m not worried, I’m not nervous, and I’m not getting cold feet. It’s the anticipation that’s driving me crazy. I’m the kid who started a Christmas countdown as soon as Halloween rolled by because I couldn’t wait to open gifts. Drove my mom nuts trying to hide presents because I’d ferret them out every time. That’s all this is.”
There was a slight pause as Slider marinated in Rooster’s declaration. He seemed to accept it because he shrugged his shoulders, and said, “Okay.” Then, he downed the drink he’d poured Rooster. “Couldn’t let a good drink go to waste.”
Even though he hadn’t given Maverick his watch, having Maverick and Slider irritate him seemed to have done the trick because he hadn’t obsessed over the time in a good fifteen minutes. Rooster knew it was almost show time when Madusa’s brothers showed up, and it threw his heart rate into afterburn. Roger arrived with Tommy, Melissa, and Ariel, who looked like living, breathing glitter bomb.
“UNCLE ROOSTER!” she screamed when she saw him.
“Brace for impact,” Rooster mumbled to Maverick and Slider as Ariel launched herself at him. Rooster caught her and only stumbled backward one step. Maverick educated Slider on the cast of characters since he hadn’t met Madusa’s family yet.
“Uncle Rooster,” Ariel greeted brightly. “Look! I’m a unicorn!” In Rooster’s arms, she looked down to smooth over the unicorn appliqué sewn on the front of her dress. As she did, Ariel almost blinded Rooster for life with the bedazzled unicorn horn.
“Oh god, almost took an eye out there, Miss Unicorn!” he teased, carefully pushing the sparkly unicorn horn away from his precious eyeballs. He had to lean back in self-defense while still holding on to the little squirming fairy in his arms which wasn’t an easy task considering the fairy wings he also had to contend with.
“Sorry!” she said, as she readjusted her horn. “Do you like my dress, Uncle Rooster?”
“I do! It’s got a whole unicorn face on it!”
“Yeah! I picked it myself. And! I picked the wings myself. And! I picked the shoes myself—they light up!”
“As they should,” he replied with a solemn nod.
“And! I got flowers in my hair.” She showed him the flowers as he dodged the bedazzled unicorn horn again. The men around him chuckled at his predicament. “And! I got flowers in my basket.” She showed everyone the basket. There were, in fact, flowers in there. “And! I got my fairy wand!” Maverick had to duck to avoid the wand, earning a snort from Slider. Ariel blew out the longest, most tired, most long-suffering sigh because—whew!—she had a lot.
“Sounds like you are ready for this Fairy Unicorn Princess Flower Girl gig!”
“I am,” she agreed.
“You remember what you’re supposed to do?” Ariel nodded vigorously which caused her unicorn horn to shift askew. Rooster righted it. “Okay, let’s do a run-through. When it’s time, there will be music, and then you…?”
“Then, I walk down the beach where the people are sitting and throw the flowers on the ground.” That sounded a little more aggressive than gently tossing flower petals around but considering this was a Maitland kid that probably had not fallen far from the Maitland apple tree, it tracked.
“You got it,” he praised.
Ariel beamed for a beat before someone diverted her attention. “Grandpa!” Ariel squealed as Master Gunny approached. She reached out to her grandfather, indicating she was ready to abandon the Uncle Rooster ship for the USS Grandpa. Master Gunny smiled and accepted the Fairy Unicorn Princess transfer. “I’m a unicorn!”
“I see that. Careful, Pumpkin. You’ll take someone out with that unicorn horn.” It was Master Gunny’s turn to evade maiming by bedazzled horn.
“We’ve narrowly averted a few casualties already,” Rooster told his future father-in-law. Master Gunny smirked. Trying not to sound like a love-sick puppy (and failing), Rooster asked, “Is Maddie here?”
“Almost. Jackson called and said they left about ten minutes after Tommy so they should be here soon.” Rooster checked his watch as Master Gunny quirked a brow at him. “Nervous?”
Not this again. “No.” Rooster’s watch reported only fifteen seconds had passed since he last checked it. Again.
“You sure? Because you’ve checked your watch twice in the minute I’ve been here.”
“He’s not nervous. He’s excited,” Maverick explained. “Like a kid at Christmas.”
“Well,” the Marine started. “I’m glad to hear you’re excited to be marrying my daughter. It’d be real awkward otherwise.”
“And you’d have to kick my ass?”
“Nah.” When Rooster quirked a surprised brow in question, Master Gunny explained, “That’d be Maddie’s job.”
“Fair enough.” Maverick clocked Rooster checking his watch again so Rooster shoved his hand in his pocket to curb the urge to obsess. Along with his dad’s Hawaiian shirt, Rooster sported a pair of pressed, loose-fitting khaki cargo shorts. They were on the beach and pants seemed like overkill so Rooster had opted for shorts with his Lady’s approval. Instead of checking his watch (again), Rooster spent some time introducing Slider and Master Gunny.
Master Gunnery Sergeant Maitland snapped a smart salute. “Sir.”
Slider saluted in return and then waved him off. “We’re gonna be family. Slider’s fine.”
Madusa’s father nodded, and while Rooster hadn’t known the man for very long, he knew him well enough to recognize he was only agreeing because Slider was an Admiral and it was his daughter’s wedding. Master Gunny still had a ways to go in terms of feeling comfortable around all these officers but he was getting there. “Sam,” he replied to Slider, informally introducing himself.
“So, they’re all Marines?” Slider asked after Master Gunny excused himself with Ariel when Tommy called them over.
“Who?” Rooster asked.
“Your bride’s family.”
“Yeah. They’re all Marines.”
Slider nodded, falling silent for only a minute before asking, “You got a death wish or somethin’, kid?”
“No.”
“Because Mav’s been filling me in. She’s got four brothers and a dad and they’re all Marines,” he pointed out unnecessarily. Rooster was fully aware.
“Yeah.”
Slider fell silent for a breath as he considered this before asking, “You’re not worried about getting your ass kicked?”
“No.” Rooster spotted Maverick’s amused smile.
“Really?” Slider asked incredulously.
“I’m not worried.” When Slider didn’t seem to buy it, Rooster clarified, “Madusa wouldn’t allow it.”
“You’re gonna hide behind your woman?”
“Yes,” Rooster replied easily, not even ashamed. “You haven’t met her yet, but when you do, you’ll understand. No one messes with Madusa.”
“You know, the way you describe her, I’m almost expecting The Incredible Hulk.”
“She’s more like Wonder Woman: invincible and flies a cool jet.”
“What about that lasso?” Slider then mimed twirling a lasso around and releasing it. He smirked.
“She’s got that too.” When Slider’s eyes went wide, it was Rooster’s turn to smirk because Slider wasn’t speechless often.
“Baby Goose!”
“Oh, fuck me. Who invited him?!” Slider groaned when Sokol descended upon them. Rooster tried to avoid the incoming crushing Russian hug, but Sokol had him missile-locked.
“Who invited me?! Baby Goose invited me!” Sokol announced incredulously. “Who invited you? Huh? Mr. Admiral Sliding.”
“Slider.”
“That’s what I said.” Slider looked like he wanted to strangle the Russian. Somehow, it didn’t surprise Rooster to find out that Slider and Sokol seemed to both know each other and irritate each other. Maverick watched the exchange with a shit-eating grin that suggested he probably enjoyed them butting heads a little too much. After greeting Maverick with his own Russian bear hug, Sokol asked Rooster, “So, where’s your Madusa, the Warrior Queen on this beautiful day?”
Before Rooster could answer, Slider interjected. “Madusa, Warrior Queen?!” He sounded incredulous.
“Yes,” Sokol replied, as if Slider were the dumbest man alive. “Have you not met her? Beautiful, smart, talented. Can fly any plane, don’t need no run down. She is magnificent. I told Baby Goose here to wife her immediately!”
Rooster pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want to have to kick an old man’s ass on his wedding day but he’d do it if he had to. He didn’t think Sokol would ever try to steal Madusa from him (or would be successful if he tried), but Sokol’s admiration for Rooster’s Lady was over the top.
“Wait, you’ve met her?” Slider accused.
“I have,” Sokol confirmed with a nod. “She’s been to my place. I let her fly my planes. Showed her my MiGs. We’re close like this.” Sokol stuck two fingers together to indicate just how tight he and Madusa were. Rooster only knew he was bullshitting about how close Sokol and Madusa were because he’d been present for their entire interaction. If Rooster had any doubts whatsoever that Sokol had a tendency to embellish, this squashed them.
Slider rounded on Rooster. “How come this clown’s met her but I haven’t?!” He sounded a little wounded, and yeah, Rooster felt a little bad about it, but honestly, it was just timing and how their schedules played out.
“I’m sorry! We were deployed and then you were in Maryland. You know how it is,” he pleaded. “C’mon, man. You were barely able to escape the politicians for the wedding.” Slider grumbled. “We’ll make up for lost time, I promise.” Rooster was a man of his word.
“Yeah, yeah. Alright.”
Before Slider and Sokol could start sniping at each other again, Maverick flagged Hangman down and asked him to show Sokol to his seat. By now, most of the guests had arrived, greeted Rooster, and had been escorted out to the beach for the ceremony. Every time the Hard Deck’s door opened, Rooster held his breath, hoping it was his bride. So far, it hadn’t been.
He was busy staring at his watch again when Maverick elbowed him in the ribs. “I think she’s here,” Mav said, nodding toward the door as Phoenix, Rocksteady, Payton, and Jackson strolled in. Rooster’s heart rate kicked up about a thousand notches.
Payton spotted him and waved shyly. He waved back. Phoenix and Rocksteady approached, looking like a million bucks. “Looking good, ladies!” Rooster greeted them with quick hugs and a cheek kiss.
“Yes, we do look good,” Rocksteady affirmed. “We are killing these florals!”
“Wait until you see Maddie,” Phoenix promised with a sly smile. Rooster swallowed hard.
“Is she here?”
“They were right behind us.” Rooster checked his watch again; Phoenix placed a hand on his arm and reassured, “She was right behind us.”
Nodding, he locked in missiles hot on the door. Nothing could make him look away from the door because Rooster didn’t want to miss Madusa’s arrival. He didn’t.
Finally, the door opened and there she was.
Madeleine.
She had her head down as she and Gretzky scooped up her train so it wouldn’t get caught in the doorway, but as soon as she crossed the threshold, looked up, and saw him, she smiled so damn brightly, Bradley almost fell to his knees in prayer.
He hadn’t been exactly sure what her dress would look like, but Rooster sort of had an idea about the typical look for wedding dresses, so that was kinda what he was expecting. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Madusa hadn’t gone fully traditional with her dress because she wasn’t exactly a traditional woman. The dress looked to be a two-piece number with a top and a skirt. The intricate lace top was white and sleeveless, with a halter neck, and sparkling beading that cropped just above her navel, showing off an enticing sliver of toned belly. The skirt flowed in layers and layers of glacier-blue chiffon that billowed, making it look like ocean waves rolling behind her as she walked.
Maddie was perfect.
As she approached, Rooster took her in, etching the memory of her onto his soul, and sucked in a sharp breath before wiping away a stray tear or five. “Oh,” he breathed softly, covering his mouth with his hand to stop his heart from escaping.
“Hi,” Maddie greeted softly, smiling up at him. She reached up and gently wiped away another stray tear of his.
“Hi,” Bradley replied in awe. “You look so beautiful.” He loved her sweet smile and the slight pink flush that crept up her cheeks.
“Thank you. So, you like my dress?” Maddie spun a little to show him the back. The top had a racer-style, mostly open back made out of lace and four silk straps that attached up to the neck leaving her lower back bare which allowed her to show off the tattoo inked on her spine. He loved that tattoo. He was intimately acquainted with that tattoo.
“Yeah,” he breathed which was wild because he didn’t think he’d breathed one breath since she walked in. “Though, I’d like to point out it’s not actually a dress. It’s a top and a skirt!” Maddie laughed. He loved her laugh like this: deep, throaty, and genuine.
“It is,” she agreed, still laughing. “It was easier to refer to the whole ensemble as a dress.”
“I think you were trying to fake me out,” he teased.
“Maybe a little.” She reached up and caressed the shell of his ear. Bradley almost melted into a whole puddle when she did, leaning right into the tender touch. “I’m glad you like it.” Vaguely, he registered clicks and flashes in the background, as if someone were taking pictures, but his focus was on Maddie.
Bradley nodded, humming contently. “I like the blue. We match,” he told her with a smile that she returned.
“Blue’s my favorite.” Bradley definitely knew that. “I figured that when you’re happy, why not show it with a little color?”
He blinked because he recognized that saying; next to him, Maverick said, “Huh.”
Madusa looked over at his godfather with a quirked brow but Rooster was the one to explain. “My mom used to say something like that all the time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Hm. Well, she sounds like a smart lady.”
“She was,” Bradley agreed, his heart growing with every single good memory and feeling in the world. “Can I kiss you?”
“Yes,” she told him with a smile.
Unfortunately, Gretzky had been in the general vicinity and had overheard the request. As Rooster leaned in to kiss his bride, Gretzky cock-blocked them with a damn clipboard, shoving it between their faces as a barrier. Rooster’s lips connected with papers and pressboard and not with his Lady’s lips. Slider, Maverick, and the others watching all snorted and laughed.
“Dude.” Rooster stared at Gretzky incredulously. “What the fuck.”
“No kissing until the ceremony!” Gretzky admonished with a wag of his finger. Rooster threw his hands up but Gretzky wasn’t having it. “Do not jinx this thing!”
Madusa stepped in before Rooster could protest too much. “Maybe it’s time to get this show on the road?”
“Yes! I don’t think I can take much more of this waiting. Please!” Rooster wasn’t above begging. He took his Lady’s hand as people began to take their places. Before pointing his uncle toward his seat, Rooster did manage to introduce Slider to Madusa quickly.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he told her slyly. “I can’t wait to get to know you better.”
He disappeared onto the beach a few seconds later. Then, Master Gunny approached. Rooster had never seen the man looking so sentimental; he was swallowing hard and swiping at his eyes. “Master Gunny, are you crying?” Madusa asked softly.
“Nah. I just got something in my eye,” he responded, deflecting. Listen, Rooster couldn’t blame the man for it. He was barely keeping it together and had shed a tear or ten already himself.
Maddie saw the deflection for what it was and let go of Rooster’s hand briefly to pull her dad in for a hug. “Thanks for being here, Pops.”
“Thanks for having me here, Hot Shot.”
When she pulled back, Madusa looked up at her dad. “You okay with not walking me down the aisle? I know we’ve talked about it already, but…”
“I’m okay with it,” he reassured. “This is your wedding; we do it your way. I still get a father-daughter dance later?”
“Yeah, you still get a father-daughter dance later,” she confirmed.
Master Gunny nodded, then hugged Maddie again, before shaking Rooster’s hand. “See you on the flip side, son.”
Son.
“Thanks, Master Gunny.”
Outside, everyone was seated, Maverick stood under the arch he and Rooster had built earlier and announced that Madusa and Rooster would walk down the aisle together before Maverick invited everyone to stand.
Together, they watched as the wedding party made their way up the beach aisle. It began with Ariel, who earned oohs and ahhs (and some giggles) due to her Fairy Unicorn Princess get-up. Some kids might’ve been shy about all the attention, but not this kid; she soaked it all up. With her flower basket in one hand and her fairy wand in the other, she tried to toss some flower petals as she walked, but the wand kept getting in the way, so about halfway down the aisle, she got frustrated with it. Ariel stopped in her tracks and looked at her basket and her wand as if trying to decide what to keep or what to ditch. Instead, she nodded to herself, and then tipped her basket upside down, unloading it of petals entirely. The assembled wedding guests laughed.
Both Rooster and Madusa almost lost it at the sight; he could feel her trying not to laugh out loud with bouncing shoulders and choked snortles. They saw Tommy about to run up the aisle to scold Ariel, but her brother looked up and saw Madusa waving him off with a smile. She wasn’t worried about it so he sat back down. Ariel totally missed the interaction because she was busy trying to spread the petals around with her light-up sneakers.
Satisfied with her work, Ariel grinned because now that the flowers were out of the way, she could tap people on the hand with her wand and declare, “You get a wish! And you get a wish!”
Once Ariel was down the aisle, their ‘son’ took up Ring Bearer duties. Tofu was wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt printed with Dungeons & Dragons dice and sported a pair of aviators. What made the whole look was the black and silver locked case he carried that had ‘Ring Security’ printed on the front. He managed to look both dorky and cool all at once. The security case had been Rooster’s idea.
After Tofu, the wedding party walked the aisle paired up. Payton walked with Mojo, Rooster’s usual wingman and good friend. Jackson walked with Rocksteady and took his spot on Madusa’s side while Rocksteady stood with Rooster. Then, Gretzky and Phoenix walked together as Best Man and Woman with Gretzky standing on Madusa’s side and Phoenix standing on Rooster’s.
Finally, it was Madusa and Rooster’s turn to walk down the aisle.
Over speakers, a recognizable old R&B ballad with violins, bass, and piano began playing. Madusa had chosen it as the song for them to walk down the aisle to because it was the song that was playing when they first slow danced together during their platonic drinks date.
‘At last…my love have come along…’
Madusa took Rooster’s hand.
He looked at this woman who he loved more than anything or anyone in this world and could not believe how lucky he was. “What are you thinking?” she asked him quietly.
“That I love you. That I’m so damn lucky that you love me too.”
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”
Rooster squeezed her hand before bringing it up to his lips for a kiss. He didn’t think the juju would begrudge him that, at least.
‘At last…the skies above are blue. My heart was wrapped up in clover, the night I looked at you…’
Together, they walked out onto the beach, under the blue California sky, with their friends and families standing to welcome and celebrate with them. As soon as they saw Maddie, there were gasps and smiles and a few people saying, “Aw!” The crystals sewn into Maddie’s top sparkled under the sun, making her shine like the most precious of jewels. Her blue, chiffon skirt flowed in the wind, and under the sun, the blue, breezy fabric shimmered like the blue sky above. Rooster grinned from ear to ear, standing up straight, proud to be at this amazing woman’s side.
Madusa’s squadron and friends sat on the right of the aisle. Her family was seated up front with Moose and his family right behind them. Doc was nearby. There were faces he didn’t know personally but recognized from pictures Madusa had sent him over the years of old squadron mates. On the left of the aisle sat the Dagger squadron, the Admirals, and a few other friends he and Madusa had, like Poptop, one of their TOPGUN instructors. In the front row on Rooster’s side, he held three seats in reserve, each of them with pictures of people he loved but were only with them in spirit. There was one seat reserved for his mother, held with a big picture of her beautiful, smiling face. There was one seat for his father, held with a picture of him in a flightsuit, aviators, and carrying his helmet. The third seat was reserved for his Uncle Iceman, smiling confidently, also wearing aviators and a flightsuit. Slider and Penny sat with them in the first row.
Rooster and Madusa arrived at the end of the aisle in front of Maverick, under the arch, with all of the most important people in their lives present.
‘And here we are in Heaven, for you are mine at last…’
Holding hands, Madeleine and Bradley faced each other, both grinning from ear to ear. His heart thumped so loud in his chest and ears that he almost didn’t hear Maverick ask them if they were ready.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Rooster whispered with a nod.
“I’m ready,” Madusa agreed. She was smiling up at him.
“Great,” Maverick said, his smile a million watts. “Let’s turn and burn.”
—Madusa—
Maddie hadn’t always been fearless. When she was small, she’d been afraid. Then one day, her brothers shoved her in a closet, and Maddie cracked the code. From that point on, Maddie’s fearlessness had become legendary. She would throw herself into dangerous situations because she knew how to push through the fear. She’d jumped off a roof when she was eight. She’d climbed up the tallest tree on a dare at eleven. She snuck out of the house to end up in the backseat of a Toyota with her much older, high school senior boyfriend at fourteen. When she was fifteen, she took her dad’s Ford out for a joyride with only a learner’s permit and the confidence of youth. In her later teen years, she went to LA with only pocket money from her part-time job and without her parents' permission. In college, she knocked heads at roller derby and knocked boots with frat boys. In her early twenties, she joined the Marine Corps and trained to become a fighter pilot.
Since then, she’d been shot at, bombed, mortared, shelled, missile-locked, and almost blown up by her own plane.
It wasn’t that Madusa didn’t feel fear. It was that Madusa didn’t let fear stop her. She didn’t let fear control her. Madusa controlled her fear and never let her fear win.
She almost let her fear win, yesterday, when she was worried about her mother ruining the wedding. As she and Rooster waited to walk down the aisle together, she realized that the anxiety she’d felt about her mother ruining the wedding hadn’t been for herself; it was because she wanted the wedding to go perfectly for Rooster. Madusa would never forget the look on his face when he saw her in her dress for the first time. It felt like the universe clicking into place. It felt like the perfect alignment of a nosewheel to the catapult and the subsequent jolt of being secured and ready before launch.
It felt like home.
Madusa loved him so damn much. She’d loved him for far longer than she admitted to herself. She loved him to hell and back. And, she was so damn lucky he loved her, too. She’d been basking, spending this quiet time until their grand entrance studying his handsome face when he looked at her, smiling like she’d caught him with a secret.
“What are you thinking?” she asked him quietly. Maddie stroked her thumb over his as they held hands.
“That I love you. That I’m so damn lucky that you love me too.”
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”
Bradley’s smile lit up the whole sky like the sunshine he was.
She barely registered the walk down the aisle, too wrapped up in looking up at Rooster who practically strutted his way up to the arch, smiling proudly and pointing at her like she was the star of the show. Maybe she was, but to her, he was the star of her show, not the other way around.
Once they made it up to the arch, she turned toward her Sunshine, like a sunflower seeking its warm rays. The world around her disappeared, narrowing down to just her and him as Maverick began the ceremony.
“Good afternoon, aviators. This is your Reverend speaking.” Madusa laughed with the crowd as Rooster facepalmed. She knew him well enough to know that he didn’t mind Maverick’s teasing all that much, that he enjoyed having a father to embarrass him like this even if it did make him groan from time to time.
“As most of you may know, I’m Captain Pete Mitchell, and I’ve been authorized by the Internet to officiate this celebration. On behalf of Rooster and Madusa, I’d like to welcome and thank all of you that are present here for the happiest of days. What better place to celebrate the union of two of the finest aviators I’ve ever met than here, under a clear blue sky, outside the Hard Deck, in Fightertown, USA? I can’t think of any.” Rooster chuckled along with the guests. She loved the way his eyes glinted when he laughed.
“The first time Rooster mentioned Madusa to me, we were out at my hangar in the Mojave, working on my P-51 Mustang, and Rooster said, ‘Man. Madusa would love this plane.’ I didn’t know who Madusa was but she must have been important for Rooster to be thinking of her while he was elbow-deep in engine grease.”
Madusa smiled, imagining Rooster in a dirty Hawaiian shirt with grease all over his hands and maybe even a swipe of grime over his cheek or nose from wiping away sweat. One day, they’ll work on her GTO or an old warbird of their own, and she’ll get to see him like that firsthand.
“So, I asked him: ‘Who’s Madusa?’ That was a loaded question because Rooster spent the next three hours telling me everything there was to know about this woman.”
Madusa laughed along with the assembled guests, though she also felt a girlish little giggle bubble in the back of her throat, almost as if she couldn’t believe he liked her so much back then even though he’d plainly already told her he was all in. She liked knowing that he was thinking about her because she knew for a fact that she’d been thinking about him, too.
“I learned that she was a Marine.”
“Hoorah,” Madusa interjected with a grin. Soon, all the assembled Marines followed suit. Rooster grinned.
Maverick was smiling, too, allowing the chorus of Marines to die down before proceeding. “He told me how smart she was, how talented she was. How beautiful she was. How tough and strong she was. How brave she was.” Rooster nodded at her, corroborating Maverick’s words.
Rooster was so special. He was always proud of her accomplishments, never threatened by them. He always lifted her up and never tore her down to make himself feel superior. How was it possible that she found a man who sang her praises and celebrated her accolades with sincerity? Until Rooster, she didn’t think that kind of man existed.
“After hearing all these great things, I couldn’t wait to meet this Madusa. So, I asked him, ‘When can I meet your girlfriend?’ Rooster looked at me in the eyes and said, ‘She’s not my girlfriend.’”
Everyone laughed because it was absurd. Most everyone here had been some kind of witness to Rooster and Madusa dancing around each other. Everyone knew Madusa and Rooster loved each other before Madusa and Rooster even knew they loved each other.
“Now, I was confused,” Maverick proceeded. “Because he’d just spent the last three hours waxing poetically and practically declaring his undying love for this woman. I said to him, ‘She’s not your girlfriend? Why not?!’” Maverick paused a tick so Madusa knew a punchline was incoming. “He said, ‘She doesn’t date pilots.’”
Her Sunshine beamed at her when she laughed out loud. The guests laughed along with her because her stance had obviously changed. Madusa shrugged lightly, still smiling, though she felt a blush bloom over her cheeks. She didn’t like being wrong and wasn’t wrong often, but when she was, Madusa admitted it.
“I told him, ‘Of course, she dates pilots. Just has to be the right one.’” Madusa grinned, nodding because yep. It was true. It could have only been Rooster. “I was batting a thousand on my godfather's advice there because here we are today!” Rooster winked at her and Madusa’s knees went weak. “Then, a few weeks later, the US Navy and the United States Marine Corps, in their infinite wisdom, assigned us all together. Soon, we were all deployed together on this special assignment and I finally got to meet Madusa in person.” Madusa felt Maverick’s smile. She glanced at him quickly, smiling fondly, before looking up at Rooster once more, still holding his hand.
“Because she was so important to Rooster, it was important that I make a great first impression,” Maverick started. “So, that’s when I called her ‘spunky’.” Everyone laughed so loud. Gretzky snorted. Moose barked a laugh. Admiral Simpson shook his head while Warlock chuckled at Maverick’s stupidity. Both Madusa and Rooster were laughing too. She’d remember this: how they laughed when they got married. “I swear, my life flashed in front of my eyes,” Maverick continued with wide eyes. “She threatened to pick me up and throw me off the boat!” Slider, Cyclone, and Warlock were laughing openly.
“It’s true. I did threaten to throw him off the boat,” Madusa told everyone.
Rooster beamed at the crowd. “That’s my Lady!”
Once the laughs had quieted a bit, Maverick added, “Thankfully, I apologized and she was kind enough to stand down from the threat alert.” She snorted softly. “After that, I had the privilege and opportunity to get to know Madusa a little better, and she was everything Rooster had said and more. I also had the privilege of observing Rooster and Madusa in love which was real high in my top godfather moments. I couldn’t say ‘watch their relationship grow’ because it was damn clear to everyone with eyes that these two were already head over heels; their relationship had already grown. But it was still so much fun to watch them together because I learned that Madusa also has a great humor and can give as good as she gets. I think my favorite Madusa and Rooster moment was when Rooster crowed his catchphrase at her—Cock-a-doodle-doo, baby!—and Madusa egged him in retaliation.”
That set everyone off, Gretzky especially since the whole thing had been his orchestration. She looked behind her, smiling and shaking her head at her best friend, who was tomato-red laughing. Even the Admirals were in on the laughter.
“I’m sure many of us here have favorite Madusa and Rooster memories.”
“Truth or Dare!” Rocksteady interjected quickly, grinning at Madusa, making her laugh.
“Platonic drinks on the beach,” Phoenix added with her own grin. That one earned a slight blush.
“Eggplant Status,” she heard from behind her. She turned around, quirking a brow at her brother who shrugged and laughed. She laughed too, though she was sure her face was red.
“MCMAP,” Mojo called out. Rooster looked back at his wingman and nodded vigorously. Seemed that was a favorite of Rooster’s, too.
“War zone serenades.” That was Gretzky. When she looked back at him, he was smiling fondly.
“See what I mean?” Maverick asked, re-taking the reins and steering them back on course. “They say that you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends. I don’t agree with that. I think we can choose our family and the proof is right here. Every one of us is present because Rooster and Madusa chose us as their family, and as their family, it is a joy to celebrate with them as they choose to become each other’s family here today.” Maverick addressed the assembled guests. “Now, I don’t think this will be a problem, but I have to ask: if anyone knows of any legal reasons or has any objections for why these two lovebirds may not be married today, speak now.”
Both Madusa and Rooster scanned the crowd. If anything were to happen, this was it. If her mother wanted to ruin everything, this was the time.
No one spoke and nothing happened.
Madusa breathed a sigh of relief. She felt Rooster squeeze her hand in reassurance; she suspected he’d been thinking the same thing.
With a smile, Maverick wiped his forehead, and exclaimed, “Whew!” He earned a few relieved laughs, especially after Judith Maitland’s display yesterday. He fished a small, folded-up paper from the front pocket of his Hawaiian shirt to consult it. “According to the Internet and the very tight itinerary Madusa gave me—“ Chuckles all around. “—it’s now time for the couple to declare their intent to marry. I’d ask Madusa and Rooster to take each other’s hands. Gretzky, might want to snag her bouquet for this part,” Maverick suggested.
“On it.”
Madusa handed her bouquet over to her Best Man. When she faced Rooster once more, he took both of her hands in his. She loved how big and comforting his hands were, especially when he ran his thumb over her knuckles tenderly as he was doing then. She was sure that, right then, her eyes were a deep shade of brown.
Maverick turned to her first. “Madeleine Elizabeth Maitland, do you take Bradley Pete Bradshaw to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love and to cherish him, to comfort, honor, and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”
Madeleine felt her smile all the way down in her chest where it took root warmly and deeply. “I do,” she spoke clearly for all, and especially Bradley, to hear. Rooster’s smile would fuel her soul until forever.
“We’ve got one out of two!” Maverick declared brightly before turning to Rooster. “Bradley Pete Bradshaw, do you take Madeleine Elizabeth Maitland to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love and to cherish her, to comfort, honor, and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall—”
“I do!”
“—live?” Bradley had cut Maverick off before he could even finish the question. Rooster’s eagerness earned some soft laughs. “Alright, we’re two for two!” Maverick seemed absolutely thrilled with this turn of events. “It’s now time for the happy couple to exchange the vows they have written for each other. Now,” Maverick started. “Traditionally, the Groom usually speaks first but we all know that Madusa likes to challenge tradition so… we’re gonna flip a coin and let fate decide. Call—“
“Heads!” Madusa called out quickly because she might be getting married, but Madusa was still competitive. Gretzky, Moose, and all of the others snorted; they knew her competitive streak.
“Tails,” Rooster finally called, shoulders bouncing with silent laughter. He knew how competitive she was, too, and funny enough, it didn’t seem to deter him one bit.
Maverick flipped the coin. “It’s tails,” he announced, showing both the results. “Sorry, Madusa. The coin has spoken.”
“I think the coin is rigged,” she sassed.
“I guess we’ll never know!” Maverick sassed right back, as he slipped the coin into his pocket. “Rooster, take it away.”
Madusa was fearless. Madusa always held her head up high. Madusa faced danger head-on with confidence. But suddenly, her heart thumped in her chest at Mach 10, her hands felt sweaty, and a deep flush crept up her neck. She wasn’t scared that Rooster would walk away or change his mind. She knew however that, in this moment, her life was about to change. She was attached to life’s catapult now, with the Shooter about to give the signal for launch into the beautiful, blue sky. She took a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, and she readied herself to take to the air and soar.
“Maddie,” Rooster started. His voice was rough, and Maddie knew he was choking back emotion. To give him a moment to gather himself, she brought their joined hands up to her lips and kissed his knuckles softly. He smiled at her gratefully. She smiled right back, nodding.
‘I got you,’ she told him silently.
‘I know.’
He took his own deep breath before speaking. “Maddie. Madeleine. Madusa,” he then added very deliberately. Maddie knew how special Madusa was to Rooster; he gave her that callsign, after all. She remembered how upset she’d been at first, to be called Madusa. Now, she’d never give it up, not ever. Madusa was a gift to her from her Sunshine and she cherished that gift with all her heart.
Rooster squeezed her hands gently and spoke. “I wouldn’t be here, today, if it weren’t for you, and I don’t mean getting married—though that’s true, too—but I mean here, living and breathing, in the life I have now. I wouldn’t have this life without you. I like to tease about falling in love with you on our first day at indoc. And it’s true; I did absolutely fall in love with you that day. What I didn’t realize at the time was how meeting you would so completely shape the trajectory of my life.”
Madusa was transfixed. She had eyes locked, unable to look away if she wanted, not that she did; she wanted to remember the flecks of amber that shone in his eyes in the sunlight and how the gentle ocean breeze ruffled his fluffy, curly hair.
“I wouldn’t be a pilot if it weren’t for you,” he told her, and everyone present, very seriously. “I would’ve washed out during ejection training. I was scared and anxious and was tying myself up in knots about it. We were still practically strangers to each other, then, but you still took the time to sit with me, to talk with me, and to pull me out of my head. You said to me, ‘If you don’t trust yourself, trust me.’ And I did. You were there, solid and confident. You smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up.” He let go of her hand briefly to thumbs up himself for emphasis before taking her hands in his again. “I knew then that I’d be okay. And, I was. I made it through ejection training. I didn’t wash out. I owe my entire career to you.”
Madusa remembered that day. He’d been vulnerable with her and, inexplicably at the time, she allowed herself to become vulnerable with him. Maybe she knew subconsciously that he was her one person even all the way back then. She felt her eyes sting a little and her throat tighten, a ball of emotion caught in her throat making it difficult to swallow. Maddie blinked quickly a few times, and sniffed, but kept it together. Rooster smiled kindly. He understood.
“I also wouldn’t be Rooster if it weren’t for you,” he told her. “If you hadn’t suggested Rooster, I probably would’ve been saddled for life with a dumb callsign like Brad Brad!” Everyone cackled, Rocksteady the loudest. He addressed the guests. “Brad Brad was my dad’s sense of humor,” he said by way of explanation, earning a few more chuckles, before returning his attention to her.
“You have consistently pushed me beyond what I ever felt capable of achieving. Competing with you was grueling, it was demanding, but most of all, it was fun. You make life fun and colorful. When you challenge me, you make me a better pilot. When you challenge me, you make me a better man.” Madeleine inhaled a sharp, shaky breath. “With you, my life has laughter. With you, my life has purpose. With you, my life is meaningful. With you, my life is bright.” She felt a tear slide down her cheek but she didn’t wipe it away; Madusa didn’t want to let go of his hands because she was holding on for dear life right and she didn’t know what would happen if she let go.
Rooster took a steadying breath of his own. “When we first got engaged, I made a social media post about it with the hashtag ‘wingmen for life.’” She remembered; at the time, she called him a dork while giggling. “While I was writing these vows, I realized that ‘wingman’ didn’t really fit. Don’t get me wrong: your wingman is essential. But a wingman is over there,” he said. Rooster let go of her hand briefly to emphasize his point as he motioned vaguely away from them. “A wingman is in their own plane, on their own path. Sometimes, that path is in formation with yours, and sometimes, it isn’t. What we are, instead, are co-pilots. We’re embarking on this flight together, in the same airplane, on the same path, in the same sky. We take off together. We fly at cruising altitude together. We descend together, and we land together. And, if the worst were ever to happen, we go down together. Because if you go, I go.”
‘If you go, I go,’ she mouthed to him, nodding sharply. When she was dangling off the ass end of a carrier above the propeller blades with Rooster holding her life in his hands, he said that to her, and she knew that he meant it. It made all the sense in the world for Rooster to promise those words to her in his vows.
“So…as your co-pilot—and as a competent and safe aviator,” he added with a cheeky grin. “I feel it’s only appropriate that we proceed with a pre-flight marriage checklist of everything I promise to you.”
Madusa laughed out loud. “You made a checklist?”
“I did!”
“I love checklists,” she told him unnecessarily.
“I know this,” he replied brightly, delighted.
“Well, let’s hear it, then!”
“What my Lady wants, my Lady gets,” he teased before kissing her knuckles once more. Then, with a little smile, he announced, “Lieutenant Commander Rooster Bradshaw commencing pre-flight marriage checklist. Mutual Respect—check. Communication—check. Friendship—check. Support and encouragement—check. Forgiveness—check. Trust—check. Competition—check. Tacos—“ Everyone laughed at that one, especially Madusa. Rooster’s smile widened to a grin. “We’re having those for dinner, so…check.” Still laughing, he continued with his list. “Fun—check. Laughter—check.” His wide, amused smile softened to something tender and gentle. “Love? Double check.”
Madusa felt another big swell of emotion in her chest and knew her eyes were glassy with tears. She nodded with him because they had love for each other in spades.
“Checklist complete,” he told her. “We have clear skies and are cleared for takeoff. How copy, Madusa?”
With a wet, happy smile, she replied clearly and easily, “Madusa is good copy, Rooster. We are cleared for take off.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Rocksteady was fanning herself, trying to dry the tears away. Phoenix dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Maverick swiped at his eyes and needed a moment to clear his throat before instructing Madusa that it was her turn.
“How am I supposed to top a checklist?” she asked Rooster, teasing gently, still trying to fend off her own tears.
“I don’t think you can,” he replied proudly, grinning at her, and making her giggle. She probably wouldn’t be able to top his vows so all she could do was speak from the heart.
She looked down a moment at their joined hands before taking a fortifying breath. Madusa wasn’t exactly a shy person, but sharing her feelings and being vulnerable in front of so many people was difficult for her, but for Rooster, she would do it.
“Growing up as a girl and living life as a woman,” she started. “I got this often: ‘When are you getting married?’ ‘When are you going to find a husband?’ ‘When are you going to settle down?’ My answer was always, ‘Never!’” There were a few chuckles and soft laughs. “When I was thirteen, I was asked to describe my ideal husband and I said, ‘Non-existent!’” She chuckled along with Rooster, who nodded. He’d watched the video of her last teen pageant with her.
“I guess that wasn’t an acceptable answer because they pressed for a different one so I just blurted out random traits that I didn’t think could ever exist together in one person. I said he’d have to be tall, and kind, and smart, and funny. I said he’d have to be okay with me having my own job, making my own money, and owning my own house. I said he’d have to cook because I sure as hell wouldn’t do it!” Everyone laughed real loud at that one. Her barbecue fireball was practically legend at this point.
“I told them if I ever found someone who encompassed all of those traits that—maybe—I’d consider marrying him in twenty years. Well, baby! Here we are, almost exactly twenty years later, getting married,” she said, awed.
“I’ve never really believed in fate, not really, but—” She paused slightly. “I don’t have an explanation for how thirteen-year-old me could have…willed...our future together into observable, tangible existence. It’s almost as if every single thing that happened in our lives brought us together to this point. If that’s not destiny, or fate, or a grand cosmic design, then I don’t know what is.”
Rooster nodded. ‘It is,’ he mouthed silently. ‘It’s destiny.’ She nodded with him.
“We are made for each other,” she declared confidently. “I have no doubt about that. You and I have been on a fantastic, incredible, phenomenal collision course all of our lives, and once we collided, gravity bound us to each other, and kept us orbiting one another until we were ready to resume our trajectory together.” She inhaled deeply before breathing out slowly to steady her heart rate. Rooster let go of her hand briefly to wipe at his eyes. She waited until he took her hand again before speaking.
“You show me every single day what it means to love and to be loved. So, as we stand here, together, where we had our ‘platonic’ romantic walk on the beach and you told me that you were all in with me, I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than flying. I love you more than anything,” she told him seriously. She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I love you,” she told him again, though more softly this time.
“I love you,” he whispered. Her soul powered up.
She ran her fingers in his hair lightly before Rooster reclaimed her hand, eagerly. Looking up at him, she smiled. “Rooster. Bradley. My love. My Sunshine. You make me smile. You make me laugh. You make life fun. As your wife, I promise to love you. I promise to support you. I promise to be loyal and to be true. I promise to laugh with you and to make life fun with you. I promise you my life and to be all in.” Rooster swiped at his eyes again, sniffling. “And now that I’ve declared my love and my promises to you, I think there’s only one thing left to say,” she said before grinning crookedly.
“What’s that?”
“Cock-a-doodle-doo, baby!” As soon as she said it, the squadrons held their phones up to play tracks of roosters crowing, just like that time in the ready room.
Rooster’s tender smile widened to a goofy, delighted grin. “My catchphrase!”
“All for you!”
“You’re perfect,” Rooster told her, awed, as people cheered and applauded.
“So are you.”
Maverick allowed the catchphrase to crow for a little bit before he put his own phone away, tucking it into one of his back pockets, and called everyone to attention once again. “At this time, I’d ask for our Ring Security Officer, Tofu, to come forward for the exchange of the rings.”
Tofu approached with the unlocked security case, holding it flat in his hands. He flipped open the top to reveal two simple, gold bands, each in their own foam slot for protection and safekeeping. Madusa picked up Rooster’s ring, its size almost twice hers. She took Rooster’s hand, positioning the ring on his ring finger. She repeated after Maverick.
“Bradley, please accept this ring as a symbol of my love, devotion, and respect.” Maddie slid the ring onto his finger.
It fit perfectly.
Rooster picked up her ring, holding her hand much in the same way she had it a moment earlier. He cleared his throat of emotion again before speaking, repeating after Mav. “Madeleine, please accept this ring as a symbol of my love, devotion, and respect.”
Her ring fit perfectly, too.
Smiling fondly, Maverick rubbed Rooster’s back proudly for a beat, before addressing everyone present. “By the power vested in me by the state of California and the Internet—“ Maddie giggled. That would never not be funny to her. “—I now pronounce you both husband and wife.” Grinning, Maverick turned to his godson. “Rooster, you may kiss—oh he’s going for it!!!”
Rooster had been vibrating with such excitement that he didn’t even wait for Maverick to finish. He’d already cupped Madusa’s face and pulled her in for a big, deep kiss. She laughed against his lips, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and held him tightly, as the guests cheered with gusto. Rooster dipped her backward to catcalls and whistles as he kissed her, his smile against hers.
When they righted and parted, Rooster held both their hands up in victory as they both turned toward their guests. Grinning wider than she’d ever seen, Rooster pointed at her and bellowed the gleeful declaration, “That’s my WIFE!”
Madusa laughed, delighted because that was her husband.
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0nlythrowharrybeaux · 11 months
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#7, fluff!!!!
FRIEND, YOU'RE THE FIRST ONE! Thank you for playing 💕 Happy Monday! I hope you like it:)
You and Harry were on cloud 9. You had just married your best friend and favorite person in the world. Well, more like eloped in Italy with about 20 of your closest friends and family. They had all taken off and you two had officially started your honey moon. The day was warm as you stood out on the veranda, taking in some sunshine as you waited for your coffee to finish brewing. You weren't surprised when you felt Harry come up behind you and hug you tight.
"Morning, Mrs. Styles." his deep and raspy morning voice made your skin rise with goosebumps.
"Morning, Mr. Styles." you responded with a smile as he kissed the side of your head, "Do you feel any different after leveling up?" you asked him and he immediately started to chuckle.
"Leveling up, you said?" he asked and you giggled and nodded, "I really like that...very clever." he hummed and you turned around in his hold to face him with a smile. His smile grew as you were now face to face, just slightly leaning back so that you could fully look at him as he kept you upright.
"Thank you! I've been hanging on to that for at least 3 months!" you admitted and he laughed a bit more as you joined him.
"You're so cute, you know that?"
"You tell me every day." you smiled and he leaned down to kiss your lips gently. "H?"
"Yes, my love?" he asked you.
"I know we like, want to keep things super on the DL, but I really want to post something cute. I really love that close up Lloyd took of us right before we did the reveal. I want to post it so bad." you slightly pouted at him.
"You can. You should! " he encouraged you with a grin and you smiled.
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Positive! I'll do it too." he said and you searched his eyes.
"You don't have to." you assured him.
You knew how he was about posting private things online. You didn't want to make him feel like he had to do that just because you wanted to commemorate your wedding on your own page. You just really loved that picture and you had never, ever posted anything with him actually in it during your entire 4 years together. When he'd tour and you were at a show you'd post a video of him performing on your story or something like that, but you only posted him when he was working. Yeah, there were things on there that were about him or had his things in it or times when he might've even been right there with you, but his face wasn't on your page in any capacity and you weren't on his either. You didn't even have anything on there from when you got engaged. But this picture was perfect because it was just your mouths as you kissed his cheek right before he saw you in your wedding dress for the first time. It was such a special and tender moment that really meant a lot to you. It still kept details like your wedding dress and his own suit all for yourselves and your guests, but it was a little peek into that moment.
"Baby, you're the love of my life. My wife! I want people to know that I'm your husband or at least speculate about it. This is the best decision I ever made and our wedding was the happiest day of my life. I want to commemorate it too." he assured you and you smiled.
"I love you. You're the best, you know that?"
"So I've been told." he hummed haughtily and you grinned, "But ummm, I need to tell you something important." he said with a playful gleam in his eyes.
"OK, what is it?"
"Well it's two things... first off, I love you most. And second, if we go public that means you can't escape my love... like ever." he said with a bright smile.
"Lucky for you I agreed to that yesterday." you hummed and he chuckled as he leaned in to kiss you. Your lips met slowly but with fervor, the kiss was romantic and made you feel like it was just you two in the world. Well, it kind of was for the next 3 weeks of your honeymoon.
It was later in the day when you got around to posting the picture. Naturally, your phone was blowing up, but when you checked it again you smiled as you saw Harry's comment and how people were freaking out. He didn't even bother being cryptic...but that's why you loved him, he always wanted you to know that you were important to him.
"How's that for letting people know I'm your husband?" you heard from behind you as you smiled down at your phone and you turned around as he grinned at you.
"It's perfect." you smiled.
"Good. I love you, baby." he hummed as you hugged him tight.
"I love you." you whispered happily.
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stressfree-tea · 4 months
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I posted a new one shot on A03
But it's a Broppy Proposal 🥰
My a03 is StressFreeTea 🥰
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How does one find the right words to describe to someone how much they love and care for them? Sure, it's easy to tell a loved one you love them, but it becomes deeper when you explain why you love them. How they changed your life, gave your life purpose, made you feel wanted even though you pushed them away, how they never gave up on you as hard as you tried to get them to give up. Endless, upon endless reasons why I love her and endless upon endless reasons why I want her to be my wife. It sounds like it should be an easy task, telling her exactly how I feel, getting on one knee, and asking her to be my wife. However, it's not. I'm so incredibly nervous, anxious, all the words that encapsulate an anxiety attack. It has to be perfect and honest? I'm not sure how to achieve that.
It seems easy in theory, and she's the one person who dissolves my anxiety. However, I don't want to disappoint the most important aspect of my life.  What if I fail and disappoint everyone who knows about my plan? Darnell pointed out to me that there's no way I could screw this up. She loves me and boy, do I love her. However, not only is there the anxiety of the proposal but the anxiety of becoming the new Pop King. It was.. a lot to work around and digest.  My thoughts were spiraling, and I, myself, was starting to spiral as well. I felt bad, but the last couple of days, I was avoiding Poppy, and I think she caught on. I was sitting at my dining room table fiddling with the rose gold ring slipping in and out of my fingers when I heard the elevator coming down. Despite being hopeful it was Darnell and Cooper, I slipped the ring into the pocket of my vest in case it was Poppy.  Looking across the room, I saw Poppy coming my way. "Hi." She said, placing her hand softly on my shoulder, "Why are you avoiding me?".
I sighed. Of course, I was right that she caught on. I met her eyes and sighed again. "I'm.. not.. I... Poppy, I don't.. I'm.." I gathered all the courage I had and stood up and hugged her. "Let me rephrase that." I chuckled. She held onto me tighter but let go after a minute. "I'm worried about you. If you are having feelings, you can talk to me about them.. I would prefer that. I don't like it when you hide away. " She said, taking my hands in hers and lightly squeezing. "Poppy, I have no idea where to begin, but I'll try. I have changed into who I was supposed to be because of you. I was.. so scared of everything before we became close.  You have made me the happiest I could ever be, and for that, I'm grateful. " She immediately wrapped her arms around me again. "I'm not done." I said, slightly pushing away from the hug and going on one knee in front of her. She looked absolutely shocked and looked as if she wasn't breathing, but I decided to continue anyway. I pulled the ring out from my pocket and presented it to her. "Poppy, will you make me the happiest guy alive and marry me?". She was hyperventilating now, and tears were streaming down her face.  I wasn't exactly sure what to do, so I just was frozen on one knee in front of her.  She seemed to calm down after a few seconds, so I said her name.  "Poppy.. are you okay? " I asked, getting nervous again. I stood up and waited. She wrapped her arms around me and happily bounced around. "Yes, a million times, yes. I'll marry you." I smiled and placed the ring on her ring finger and kissed her knuckles. She didn't seem content with just a knuckle kiss as she tackled me to the ground and started frantically kissing my lips.
This. This is what I want for the rest of my life.
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aanoia · 4 months
Text
Possibility
Sirius Black x reader words; 2,800+ warnings; heartbreak. not a happy ending ish. not proofread. no summary because I'm bad at them, just trust loosely inspired by Possibility by Likke Li and Dead Poets Society uhm I'm in an emo mood let's be fr. Also, it's almost midnight when I post this so tomorrow is December first! (the best month, my birthday month). And its the beginning of my Christmas advent calendar so if u dk abt it u do now :) Anywho, have fun. Both of the poems are mine, I'd love feedback!
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There's a possibility
There's a possibility
All that I had was all I gon' get
Mm
“Indeed, I am aware that in the Wizarding World, poetry does not have much of an impact on the minds of its individuals. However, I am not from the Wizarding World.” Mrs. Greenbriar said with a small smile. “I’d like a poem, heartfelt and meaningful. Make it good, please. I’m interested to see what you guys can come up with.”
Y/n looked down silently at her paper, studying the small doodle of an owl on her piece of parchment. She shook her head and let out a soft sigh as she thought about the assignment. 
‘A poem?’ Y/n thought. ‘How in the world do I write a poem?’
“Now.” The professor continued. “I’m sure you’re probably thinking, how on Earth do I write a poem? Well it’s really quite simple. Sit and think for a second. Think of your happiest memory.”
Y/n’s mind filled with laughter as she remembered that day she spent with him. He grabbed tightly onto her waist, spinning her around in fast circles as she shrieked and clutched onto him tightly. He put her down and pressed a passionate kiss to her lips, locking in their fate as lovers. 
“I love you.” He had whispered. 
“What comes to mind? Christmas morning? First kiss? Whatever it is, you can make a poem about it. Now, think of your saddest moment. The moment where you felt like the world might just be ending.”
“Wait, what?” She asked, her mind in a fog.
He scrunched his brows, unbearable pain written across his features, “We need to break up.”
She shook my head, a nervous laugh falling from her lips. “No, you just- but we-”
“Y/n, please.” He pleaded, tears in his eyes.
Her eyes stung as her vision blurred, “You can’t do this.” She whispered and a tear slid down his cheek. 
“I have to.” He whispered back, and walked away.
Professor Greenbriars voice had softened, “Whatever you just thought of, make a poem out of it. Poetry is derived from emotion. It’s the key ingredient.” 
The bell chimed and immediately students shoved their parchment and quills into their bags. Y/n sat still, her mind blank as she fought back tears. She had done so well pushing that night to the farthest corner of her mind, bottled up in a glass of obsidian.
“Remember, my dear students, no poem is a bad poem. They all have meaning.”
There's a possibility
There's a possibility
All I gon' get is gone with your stare
All I gon' get is gone with your stare
“Are you working on the poem Professor Greenbriar assigned?” Marlene asked as she sat down at the table Y/n and Lily sat at, scribbling away on their parchment.
Lily glanced up, “Do be quiet, we are in the library.”
Y/n smiled and looked up from her paper, “And yes, we are working on the poems.”
Marlene groaned, “I don’t get it. The woman said it herself, poetry has no impact on our world, so why do we need to make a poem? Make it make sense.” She crossed her arms.
“She also mentioned how she isn’t from the Wizarding World, meaning she doesn’t care what impacts it and what doesn’t.” Lily replied before throwing her quill on the table angrily.
“Woah, what’s up with her?” Marlene asked Y/n who simply shrugged.
“I have no clue what to write, nor how to write it.” Lily explained, resting her head in her hands.
“Preach sister.” 
“You could always write about me, Flower.” James interrupted and Y/n’s amused smile dropped.
Lily shoved the man away, causing his back to bump into Sirius Black's chest. Sirius smirked, leaning over his shoulder.
“You guys wanna hear my poem?” Sirius asked, his eyes avoiding Y/n’s as his heart clenched.
“Not really.” Marlene answered, picking at her nails to show her disinterest.
“Okay.” Sirius said, pulling out the crumpled parchment from his pocket anyway and clearing his throat. “Get ready for this. Are you ready?”
James nodded with a grin and turned to face Sirius, “I was born ready.”
Sirius darkened his face dramatically, “A cat, on a mat.”
James put a hand on his heart, tears welling in his eyes, “Enough to make a grown man cry.”
Sirius bowed, “Thank you, thank you.”
Someone cleared their throat loudly, catching everyone's attention. The librarian pointed to the wall, where a magical sign hung with bold letters. ‘James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew are strictly prohibited in the library until further notice.’
James looked back to us with an apologetic look, “Sorry, ladies, but we must take our leave.”
“Couldn’t have done so soon enough.” Lily muttered, going back to her poem. 
Marlene sighed, “Y/n/n.” Y/n lifted her head again, a small smile on her lips.
“Yes, Marls?”
“Is your poem sad or happy?”
She glanced at the writing, “Have you met me?”
“It’s obviously sad.” Lily answered for her.
Marlene placed her hand on Y/n’s arm, “My depressed queen.”
“Don’t be rude.” Lily scolded.
“I’m not rud-” Marlene was cut off by her own loud gasp. The librarian cleared her throat once again and Marlene winced. The group of girls laughed quietly at the librarian's annoyed look, shaking her head dismissively as she cursed about kids these days.
So tell me when you hear my heart stop
You're the only one who knows
Tell me when you hear my silence
There's a possibility I wouldn't know
The warmth of the fire ticked Y/n’s legs as she sat on the couch in the Common Room. She stared silently at the neat cursive writing on the piece of parchment, overthinking every word that lay upon it. She fiddled with her necklace, the soft grip her teeth had on her bottom lip never leaving. 
The door quietly opened, just enough to not be heard as a boy walked through the portrait hole. Sirius paused as he gazed at the figure curled up on the couch, working once again on her poem. It seemed to be all she did these past few days. A flood of familiarity filled his body as he noticed her fiddle with her necklace. It was from her mom, he remembered. She never took it off.
“Working on the poem again?” He asked quietly, so as to not scare the girl. Despite his best efforts, she still jumped in surprise, scrambling to hide the parchment under the book she was using as a hard surface. He winced, “Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.”
Y/n swallowed the lump in her throat, “You’re okay. And yeah, I am. I’m just reviewing it now, making some final changes.”
Sirius nodded, “You think we’re going to have to read them aloud in class?” He questioned, hesitantly taking a seat in the armchair next to the couch. Y/n straightened her back and cleared her throat.
“I sure hope not.”
“Is it personal?” He asked, genuinely curious. 
Y/n nodded slowly, “Yeah, it is.”
He nodded with her, “Oh, cool.”
It was silent and Sirius was about to stand up and leave before she spoke up, “Why are you coming in so late?”
“I went to the kitchens, I wanted some cookies.” He explained shortly. 
Y/n’s brows furrowed, “Did you have a nightmare?” She wondered aloud, remembering that was his way of calming down after a bad dream. When they were together, he’d invite her as well, for extra comfort. 
Sirius laughed quietly while nodding, “You remember.” He looked down to his hands.
“Of course I do. Despite the reason being bad, those nights with the elves were the ones I looked most forward to.”
Sirius looked back up, “Really?”
Y/n stared at the fire, “Yeah, really.”
“So, why are you up so late?” He returned the question.
Y/n shrugged, her eyes flicking to him only to find him already on her. “I couldn’t get myself to fall asleep.”
“Too much on your mind, huh?” He said softly and she nodded. “You know me so well.” She whispered.
“Yeah, I do.” He whispered back.
Know that when you leave
Know that when you leave
By blood and by me, you walk like a thief
By blood and by me, I fall when you leave
“Okay, it’s officially been two weeks since I have assigned you with writing me a poem, so now I’d like to drop a bomb on you, for some character growth.” Professor Greenbrior grinned, seemingly very proud of herself as students whispered. “You will be presenting your poems in front of the class.”
Y/n’s heart dropped and she felt eyes on her. She knew it was him, looking to her in worry. Her stomach churned in nerves, overthinking everything that has led up to this moment. She wondered why she took this stupid class in the first place, but she knew exactly why. He wanted to take it, so of course she did too.
“We will go in alphabetical order by last names.” Sirius groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “Yes, Mr. Black, you are first.” 
James clapped a hand on his best friend's back, “Go on, mate. Say it like you mean it!”
“Yes! Say it like you mean it.” Professor Greenbriar agreed as Sirius winked at James. 
Just like he did at the library, he took the crumpled paper from his pocket and cleared his throat. 
“I wonder if he wrote another poem or kept it the same.” Marlene said to Lily and Y/n.
“He probably kept it the same.” Lily responded as Y/n stared forward. Lily took notice and silently grabbed her hand. Y/n gave her a grateful smile.
“A cat, with a hat, on a mat.” Sirius said proudly as the class laughed while they clapped. 
“He added some pazazz.” Marlene giggled and Professor Greenbriar shook her head with a smile. 
“Forever the joker, Mr. Black.”
“You couldn’t be more right, professor.” He agreed as he sat back down in his seat. 
“Okay, Miss Evans.” The professor called up and Lily gulped.
“Good luck.” Y/n whispered and she smiled.
“Uh, it’s really short, not even a poem really. I just didn’t know what to write so I’m so-” Lily rambled and the professor cut her off.
“Miss Evans, does it convey an emotion you feel?” Lily nodded and the professor smiled. “Then it’s perfect. Go one, please, I’d love to hear it.”
Lily took a deep breath and read from her paper, “I don’t understand how. With my friends. I like to think we’re the same person in a different font. Two pieces of the same soul. But with you. We’re completely different, in the same font. Two separate souls tied together eternally with an unbreakable string. I’ve never believed in opposites attract. Until I met you.”
The class was silent before it broke out in clapping and cheers from every individual. Y/n smiled proudly at her best friend, knowing she’d never admit who it was really about.
“That’s about me, right, Flower? Me?” Speak of the devil.
So tell me when you hear my heart stop
You're the only one who knows
Tell me when you hear my silence
There's a possibility I wouldn't know
“And finally, Miss L/n, please take the stage.”
The room was silent as Y/n walked up to the front of the classroom, her nerves practically dripping from her pores. Her mind raced as she took her rightful spot in front of everyone, dreadful thoughts filling her head. Y/n took a deep breath and glanced at her paper, knowing she didn’t need it to read the poem she had memorized word for word.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Professor Greenbriar said quietly and Y/n nodded. 
“There’s a possibility. That my heart rests in the palm of your shaky hands. My body trembles as you tiptoe around it. The fear of shattering it once again petrifying. There’s a possibility. That you will leave yet another night. Stealing away what should belong to me. Stealing away the thing that keeps me breathing.”
A mixture of tears, mucus, and saliva stained her mothers shirt as she sobbed into her arms, her dads wrapped around both of them protectively. She clutched tightly onto the cloth on her mothers back, desperately trying to ground herself. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped around, shattered into pieces, and all the broken pieces had been shoved back in.
“Oh, baby.” Her mom whispered, her voice broken from seeing her daughter so distraught. She let out a strangled cry and her dad tightened his grip, refraining his own tears at the state of his baby girl. 
“We love you so much.” He added quietly, knowing it did little to numb the pain of a heart break.
Y/n ignored the people in the room as she continued, “Only you understand the depths of my despair. How my breath flees at the sight of beauty. How when you disappear the fall is silent. And the lock that was robbed from my chest. Falls still as the key simply disintegrates. Something so silent. Not even I realize that the world has ended.”
The morning after had been the most painful. When she had expected to wake up in the arms of her loving boyfriend, the night before only being a terrible nightmare, she had woken to find herself in her parents warm bed. Neither of them were present, so she cried again. Every fibre of her being already aching for his warm touch just once more.
Her mother came into the room, “Sweetheart.”
“It wasn’t just a nightmare.” She whispered and her mom nodded sadly, embracing her again.
“You’ll get through this. I promise, my love.”
So tell me when my sorrow's over
You're the reason why I'm closed
Tell me when you hear me falling
There's a possibility it wouldn't show
Y/n made eye contact with Sirius as she recited the last section, “There’s a possibility. That it leaves me breathless. As the key weaves through the tall trees. Never to return the lock. Never to return what once was safe.”
The class clapped louder than they had the entire period, and professor Greenbriar wiped away a stray tear as she clapped. Y/n ignored it all as she stared sadly at Sirius, who gazed back. His cold, gray eyes are glassy and regretful of the past. 
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Her dad asked and she nodded. 
“I’m sure, dad.” She responded, hugging him tightly.
“Don’t let that boy near you, or he’ll know what it’s like to come across and angry dad.” Her dad threatened and she laughed. Something her parents hadn’t heard much since summer break began.
“You’re very intimidating, dad, don’t worry.” She assured and he smiled, patting her on the shoulder.
“Oh, I’ll miss you.” Her mom cried, pulling her into a tight hug.
“You always do. I’ll miss you too, mom.” She answered, relishing in the warmth her mother provided. 
“Your sixth year. Oh, they grow up too fast.” Her mother said and her dad shook his head with a laugh.
“You’re so sentimental.” He teased and she tuned them out as she made eye contact with the boy who ruined her summer. They bickered in the background as all the memories came flooding back, every night she cried into her parents arms. She took a deep breath and kept her face stern, determined to not let him break her like that again. 
There’s a possibility that Sirius Black had just lost the best thing he ever had.
By blood and by me, I'll fall when you leave
By blood and by me, I'll follow your lead
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alxirai · 5 months
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So this is love?
Prince! Kaedehara Kazuha x gn!reader
^^Reblogs are appreciated^^
[!!If I made a mistake, please do say it. Thank you!!]
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You found yourself in the grand ballroom, standing face-to-face with the Prince of Inazuma. The grand ball was in full swing, and the orchestra was playing "So This is Love" as the background music. But the most remarkable sight of all was the Prince Kaedehara Kazuha himself.
He was even more handsome than you'd imagined, with blonde hair with a red streak and kind eyes that seemed to shine brighter when they met yours. As he took your hand and led you onto the dance floor, you felt a fluttering in your chest that you couldn't quite explain.
With the music playing, you followed Prince!Kazuha's lead, watching in amazement as he deftly spun you around the room, never tripping over his own feet. He seemed to move with such ease and grace that you felt like you were flying.
As the song came to an end, you felt a pang of disappointment in your chest. But before you could express it, Prince!Kazuha leaned in close, his warm breath tickling your ear. "Would you like to join me outside?" he asked, his voice low and full of meaning. "The night air is cool and refreshing, and I'd love to spend some time with you all alone."
Your heart raced as you nodded, unable to form words for a moment. The Prince took your hand and led you to the gardens behind the palace, where the air was full of the scent of blooming flowers.
You sat on a bench, and Prince!Kazuha sat beside you, his arm around your shoulders. The stars were sparkling overhead, and the music from the orchestra was barely audible. But the only sound that really mattered was the sound of the Prince's breathing, steady and soothing.
He leaned in close, his chin resting on your shoulder. "I've been looking for someone like you," he murmured, his voice full of emotion. "Someone who makes me feel like anything is possible, like I can conquer the world with just their love."
You felt a surge of emotion rise within you, and you knew that you wanted to be by his side always, in the good times and the bad. You leaned your head on his shoulder, and as you watched the stars dance in the sky above, you felt like the happiest person in the world.
You watched the stars, feeling content in the presence of the Prince. You had never felt so happy before, and you knew that you wanted this moment to last forever.
Kazuha turned to face you, his eyes sparkling with affection. "You know, I've been thinking," he began, his voice filled with emotion. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life searching for love. I want to spend it with you, building a life together, filled with adventure and joy."
Your heart leaped with excitement, and you felt like you were soaring with happiness. "I want that too," you replied, your voice shaking with emotion. "I want nothing more than to be by your side always, to be your partner in life."
Prince Kazuha leaned in close, his arm around your waist, and you felt like you were lost in a dream. "Then it's settled," he said, his voice filled with determination. "From this day forward, we belong to each other. I'll be yours, and you'll be mine. Always and forever."
You leaned in, your bodies touching, and you watched as the stars danced in the sky above. It was a moment of pure magic, a moment that you knew you would cherish forever. As you closed your eyes, you felt like you were soaring with happiness, lost in the joy of being with the person you loved most in the world.
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Hey! How is it..? I hope you enjoy this.
I don't remember how long since I've posted.
Again, please correct my mistakes.
I've been writing this little by little every time I think of words that go along with each other so I'm glad to post this
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